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By David Milliken LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Labour party has launched an inquiry into how to tackle anti-semitism after suspending former London mayor Ken Livingstone days before it contests elections in London, Scotland and Wales. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn - a close ally of party veteran Livingstone - said in a statement that he would propose a new code of conduct explicitly banning anti-semitism and other forms of racism. "There is no place for anti-semitism or any form of racism in the Labour party, or anywhere in society," he said. Labour suspended Livingstone on Thursday after he said Hitler was "supporting Zionism" when he proposed in 1932 that Jews be moved to Israel. Livingstone served as mayor from 2000 to 2008. Labour has been struggling to pull together after Corbyn, from the party's hard-left, swept into the leadership in September on a wave of enthusiasm among younger members for change and an end to 'establishment politics'. On Saturday Livingstone said his remarks were historic fact and not anti-semitic, but had been seized on by supporters of former prime minister Tony Blair in the Labour party to discredit Corbyn. "If anyone was upset by what I said of course I'm really sorry for that," he told broadcaster LBC. "This is about the struggle of embittered old Blairite MPs to try and get rid of Jeremy Corbyn. They whipped this issue up." Polls suggest Labour's current candidate for London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, is on course to defeat his Conservative opponent Zac Goldsmith on May 5, but that Labour risks losing ground in a series of elections elsewhere in Britain. British media reported again on Saturday that Corbyn could face a leadership challenge if the results are especially bad. Goldsmith, in a BBC radio interview on Saturday, said Khan was "part of the same movement in the Labour party" as Livingstone and had not been clear enough in his condemnation of anti-semitism until recent weeks. "You need to be very clear on these issues not to ride two horses. Until the mayoral campaign began, Sadiq Khan has not been anything like as clear on this issue as he has been in recent weeks," Goldsmith said. Khan called Livingstone's remarks about Hitler appalling and pressed for him to be suspended. Labour's inquiry into anti-semitism will be led by Shami Chakrabarti, the former head of civil rights charity Liberty. She will consult Jewish and other minority groups on what counts as anti-semitism and racism, and how to deal with allegations. (Editing by Richard Balmforth)
The Department of Transportation (DOT) will post online all vehicle Technical Service Bulletins (TSB) and any other automaker communications to dealers about defects in vehicles, regardless of whether the defects are the subject of a safety recall.

This move by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shines a light on previously shadowyand sometimes secretautomaker communications to dealerships about potential automotive safety defects. The move improves consumer safety by enabling government and safety watchdogs to identify vehicle problems earlier.

The announcement is a victory for consumers and safety advocatesespecially the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) which has worked for many years to have this information available in a usable form.

In addition to all TSBs being posted in a more consumer-friendly PDF format to the DOTs safercar.gov website, the directive also strongly recommends that the manufacturers submit the information in searchable formats.

Lack of a fully searchable database has been a problem for NHTSA, with other government agencies, consumers, and safety advocacy groups often receiving incomplete or misleading data about defects.

All of this comes on the delayed adherence to a 2012 congressional mandate directing the Secretary of Transportation to make manufacturer communications like TSBs publicly accessible. Previously, such information was limited to industry professionals, either through direct dealership communications or through paid subscription services for automotive technicians. Now, independent repair shops will have access to TSBs for free. Regular consumers not well-versed in the technical language used in TSBs will also have access, but will most likely need assistance translating what can often be highly complicated and specialized bulletins.

Read "How to get your car fixed for (almost) free."



Disclosure could save lives, says CAS Executive Director Clarence Ditlow, adding that the database also will save consumers money for repairs covered by Service Bulletins and dealer communications.

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But consumer safety is at the heart of this new information gathering tool.

More than a decade ago, General Motors began installing ignition switches in some car models that soon after began to exhibit moving stalls. In other words, the cars would stop running, and power steering, power braking, and airbags would all shut off. In 2005, GM issued an electronic alert to dealers that ignitions could turn off without explanation and issued a TSB. Neither warning was posted by DOT.

Simultaneously, reports of airbags not deploying during crashes of these GM vehicles began to emerge. It wasnt until the investigation of a fatal 2007 accident that others outside GM began to put the pieces togetherwhen a Wisconsin state trooper recognized a connection between the faulty ignition switch causing air bags to not deploy. It wasnt until 2014 that GM announced publicly that the safety defect existed.

Ditlow explains, Disclosure of these dealer communications could have saved lives and led to an earlier discovery of the ignition switch defect.

Consumer Reports has long believed that the information in these communications between automakers and dealers are great for consumers so they can identify potential issues with their cars and more quickly be able to remedy them, says Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports.

Check technical service bulletins (TSBs) for common problems on the new and used car model pages, under the Reliability tab.





More from Consumer Reports:

8 Ways to Boost Your Home Value

Why your cable TV bill is going up

Get the Best Cell Phone Plan for Your Familyand Save up to $1,000 a Year





Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright  2006-2016 Consumers Union of U.S.
Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh won 86.68 percent of ballots in the presidential election, according to the interior ministry (AFP Photo/Houssein I. Hersi)

Djibouti (AFP) - Djibouti's opposition lashed out at President Ismail Omar Guelleh on Saturday after he claimed a landslide victory in the strategic African nation's election, accusing him of stealing the ballot in an "electoral hold-up".

Friday's vote, which activists complained was preceded by political repression and curbs on basic freedoms, saw Guelleh -- in power since 1999 -- winning 86.68 percent of ballots cast, according to the interior ministry.

Facing a fractured opposition, Guelleh had been widely expected to extend his iron-fisted rule with a fourth term in the tiny Horn of Africa country that has attracted the US, France and China as a prime location for military bases.

The closest opposition candidate won just over seven percent of the vote in a race where some 187,000 people -- around a fourth of the population -- were eligible to cast a ballot.

Some opposition parties had called for a boycott, as they had done in previous votes, but turnout was reported to be 68 percent.

"The people of Djibouti have again entrusted me with the state's highest office," the 68-year-old Guelleh said in a speech on national TV, vowing to get straight back to work.

Mohamed Tourtour, one of the five candidates who ran against Guelleh, said the president's winning total was "far from reality".

"It's an electoral hold-up. Mr Omar Guelleh has stolen this election -- it is not the expression of the people's will," Tourtour said.

Guelleh's nearest rival, Omar Elmi Khaireh, said the official results were "a fantasy" but admitted that legal challenges had little chance of success.

- Strategic importance -

Several opposition candidates complained that their representatives had been turned away from a number of voting centres on polling day.

"We demand that the government fix this and organise transparent, free, fair and just elections," independent candidate Jama Abderahaman Djama told AFP.

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With a population of 875,000 people, Djibouti is little more than a port with a country attached, but the former French colony has leveraged its position on one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

It is home to Washington's only permanent base in Africa, which is used for operations in Yemen -- just across the Gulf of Aden -- as well as the fight against the Islamist Shebab in Somalia and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

Guelleh won the previous election in 2011 with 80 percent of the vote, after parliament changed the constitution to clear the way for a third term.

Following parliamentary elections in 2013 which Guelleh's UMP party won, sparking furious opposition claims of fraud, rival parties demanded the creation of an independent electoral commission -- which has never happened.

Opposition groups complained of curbs on freedom of assembly ahead of the vote, while rights groups denounced political repression and crackdowns on basic freedoms.

This week a BBC team was detained, interrogated and then expelled after interviewing an opposition leader.

Djibouti has launched major infrastructure projects aimed at turning it into a regional hub for trade and services, using money largely borrowed from China, which is planning to build a military base there.

Despite the investment and perky economic growth, four out of five people live in poverty.
By Xiaowen Bi

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's securities regulator on Friday urged commodity futures exchanges to curb excessive speculation following a surge in prices that has sparked fears markets were heading for a dangerous boom-and-bust cycle.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said it would not allow the futures market to become a "hot-bed" for speculators.

The CSRC comments confirmed a Reuters story earlier on Friday that the regulator had asked commodity futures exchanges in Dalian, Shanghai and Zhengzhou to bring speculative trading activity under control.

Investors, including hedge funds and retail investors, have placed big bets on Chinese commodities futures this year, driving up contracts including in iron ore, rebar, cotton and even eggs. The rally has prompted many analysts to warn of similarities with a boom in the country's stock markets, which reversed into a sharp crash last summer.

The futures market should stick to its fundamental purpose of serving the real economy, and regulators will "adamantly prevent the futures market from becoming a hotbed for short-term speculators," the CSRC said in a statement on its official microblog.

"We will continue to guide the exchanges to take appropriate actions against excessive speculation and illegal behaviours," the regulator said.

Three people with direct knowledge of the situation said the CSRC had issued its order to the exchanges to bring speculative trading under control on Monday.

In response, the exchanges ordered major institutional investors that lack a commodities background to rein in their trading, the people said. They didn't define what was meant by a lack of background in commodities.

"Many local media and researchers mentioned the huge volume and volatility," said one of the people. "The regulator felt nervous. They hope to keep stability."

A spokesman at the Dalian Commodity Exchange declined to comment on the CSRC order, but said the exchange would further improve its mechanism for controlling risks.

Story continues

The Shanghai Futures Exchange did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange could not be reached for comment.

The sources said the latest measures were partly aimed at cracking down on high-frequency trading, although they did not provide further details.

The exchanges have made several public announcements this week of measures that increase the cost of trading, such as a rise in transaction fees and minimum margin requirements, action that has taken some of the heat out of the rally and traded volumes. Market trading limits have also been widened.

At their peak this year, Dalian iron ore had risen 73 percent, and Shanghai rebar 62 percent. On some days, the trading volume in iron ore futures on the Dalian exchange exceeded China's total imports for 2015.

The measures this week appear to have had an impact and broadly futures prices have calmed, although steelmaking raw materials iron ore, coking coal and coke ended April with their biggest monthly gain on record.

Rebar, a construction steel product, posted its biggest monthly rise ever, with volumes in the most-traded contract in Shanghai hitting a record 1.4 billion tonnes - enough to build San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge more than 15,000 times over.

Analysts said speculators have been betting that government plans for more infrastructure spending and signs of a pick up in the economy would fuel more demand for commodities.

Others suggested commodities futures markets were the only place left for speculators to make quick profits given weakness in stocks, bonds and housing.

The volatility in prices has already deterred some major industry players from using the futures market. It also marks a setback for attempts to give China's domestic markets more influence over global pricing, analysts say.

The run up in steel prices has been blamed for encouraging some idled steel mills to restart production, adding to a production glut in the country and exports of the metal, which is upsetting other countries.

The CSRC came under fire as China's Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets slumped as much as 40 percent in just a few months last summer.

In a further blow, a stock index "circuit breaker" introduced in January to limit stock market losses was deactivated after four days of use because it was blamed for exacerbating a sharp selloff.

In its attempts to stabilise stock markets last year, the CSRC instituted a flurry of blunt measures including halting short selling, suppressing trading in index futures and banning share sales by major shareholders in companies.

The official state news agency Xinhua reported in February, without giving details, that the head of the regulator had been removed and succeeded by Liu Shiyu.

(Additional reporting by Ruby Lian in SHANGHAI and Watson Zhang and Samuel Shen in BEIJING: Writing by Pete Sweeney; Editing by Jason Subler and Neil Fullick)
TOKYO (Reuters) - Automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp (MMC) says it used non-compliant fuel economy testing methods in Japan for as long as a quarter of a century.

Following are some details on the cheating scandal:

* What did MMC do, and why?

It rigged test data to overstate fuel economy readings of four mini-vehicle models sold in Japan by up to 10 percent. It says it did this to get a better fuel economy certification.

Executives say developers may have been pressured into cheating as rivals including Daihatsu Motor set high fuel economy levels.

MMC used a higher speed U.S. coasting test to measure fuel economy, ignoring 1991 changes in Japanese regulations to use tests that better reflect stop-and-go urban driving.

In a January 2001 test, MMC compared readings using the two coasting tests, and found the difference was never more than 2.3 percent.

* Which cars are affected?

Test manipulation involved 625,000 mini-vehicles produced since mid-2013: Mitsubishi's eK Wagon and eK Space, and 468,000 cars it made for Nissan, which markets them as the Dayz and Dayz Roox. All were sold in Japan.

MMC has stopped making and selling these models.

* Who discovered the cheating, and what are investigators focusing on?

Nissan, which has a mini-vehicle venture with MMC since 2011, found a discrepancy in test data in November while updating the Dayz.

MMC has set up an external committee to look into the affair. It will report in three months.

Japan's transport ministry will test the fuel economy of Mitsubishi cars next week, and announce results on the first four models in June. It has found irregularities in mileage data on other MMC models, too, and wants an explanation by May 11.

The ministry also has a taskforce to examine all Japanese automakers' fuel economy data.

* How much could all this cost MMC?

Estimates vary and there's still uncertainty as to how widescale the cheating was. It's so far limited to Japan, where MMC sells just 10 percent of its cars.

Story continues

MMC is likely to have to compensate drivers for the extra fuel used, repay government tax benefits, compensate Nissan and face potential legal suits and fines.

Nomura puts the potential bill at close to $1 billion, or as much as 166,000 yen per car.

* Can MMC withstand the fallout?

MMC, which has lost around half its market value, or $3.7 billion, in just over a week, had over $4 billion in cash deposits at end-2015, and relatively little debt. Its cash-flow could suffer if its bruised branding hits sales. MMC has said orders for its cars in Japan have already halved.

MMC produces 1 million vehicles a year, with one third of those sold elsewhere in Asia. It sold just 95,342 vehicles in the United States last year. It says its cars for the model years 2013 to 2017 sold in the U.S. have correct mileage ratings.

(Reporting by Naomi Tajitsu; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
Twitter office

It's not just the tech funding cycles that have slowed down.

In an earnings call on Wednesday, Boston Properties President Doug Linde cautioned that the race for commercial real estate has also tempered in San Francisco.

"I think the big difference between the market then i.e. in 2014 and 2015 and today is really the lack of large growth requirements, and by that I mean big tenants over 300,000 square feet," Linde said in the company's earnings call, according to a Seeking Alpha transcript. "So at the moment, there is no 300,000 square foot greater requirement that we are tracking in the market."

Linde continued: "In 2013, 2014 and 2015, you had unprecedented large growth from Google, and Dropbox, and Salesforce.com, and Uber, and Stripe, and Slack, and LinkedIn, and they're just not there today."

But there's still strong demand overall. By Linde's measurement, tech users now make up 31% of all of the space leased in San Francisco, and Airbnb, Twilio, Quantcast, Lyft, Fitbit, and Uber have expanded into spaces in the last quarter, although much of it was from the sublet markets.

Plus, his company is continuing to lease out the floors to Salesforce's new giant tower, which will open next year.

But the huge all-at-once office-space grabs seem to be slowing down.

"So technology is still a vibrant part of the market, it's still expanding, it's not quite in the same manner that it was in 2014 and 2015," Linde said.

The market is still red-hot to the south in Silicon Valley, though.

Silicon Valley "continues to be very active" thanks to public companies like Google and Apple. Plus, Facebook, Nvidia, Broadcom, VMware, and Palo Alto Networks all continue to grow, Linde adds.

He said that these "are growing companies and what they are looking for is new modern efficient product to house their growth."

NOW WATCH: REAL ESTATE WARS: Inside the class and culture fight that's tearing San Francisco apart





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In a legal battle that could influence existing federal tax policy, the State of South Dakota is suing four big internet retailers to force them to comply with the states new remote seller sales tax law.

On March 22, South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed Senate Bill 106 into law. It requires out-of-state online retailers that sell a minimum of $100,000 or complete at least 200 separate sales transactions annually within South Dakota to register with the state and collect and remit sales tax, Internet Retailer reports.

The remote seller sales tax law, which takes effect May 1, is an effort by the State of South Dakota to level the playing field for the states brick-and-mortar retailers and big online retailers.

According to the complaint, the state is missing out on $48 million to $58 million a year in state and municipal tax revenues from online sales by out-of-state retailers, the Washington Times reported.

According to IR, South Dakota is suing Newegg Inc., Overstock.com Inc., Systemax Inc. and Wayfair LLC to get them to comply with the new law.

South Dakotas legal battle with online retailers could end up in the U.S. Supreme Court because the states new law appears to conflict with the high courts 1992 ruling in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, which declared that states can impose sales tax obligations solely on companies with a physical presence in a state.

(Amazon, which collects sales tax in 28 states, but not in South Dakota, was not included in the lawsuit, IR noted.)

Its clear South Dakota is joining the list of states that have declared Quill to be dead and is moving quickly to test that legal theory, Stephen P. Kranz, a tax attorney with McDermott Will & Emery LLP, told Bloomberg BNA.

Kranz said more than 12 state legislatures have enacted laws that challenge the 1992 Quill decision. He said the number of states challenging the ruling will continue to grow this year.

Matt Strathman, associate general counsel at Newegg told IR that he believes South Dakotas new law is unconstitutional.

Story continues

Watch the video of South Dakota Clashes With Online Retailers in Sales Tax Battle on MoneyTalksNews.com.

This lawsuit is a direct attack on established U.S. Supreme Court precedent that retailers around the nation have relied upon for decades, Strathman explained.

South Dakota sent notices to 206 online retailers that it believes meet the criteria laid out in the law. So far, just 40 of those retailers registered and agreed to collect the sales tax, IR reports.

Two trade associations for catalog and online retailers  American Catalog Mailers Association and NetChoice  have filed suit against South Dakota, calling the states new sales tax law blatantly unconstitutional, according to a press release.

South Dakota is showing wanton disregard for established Supreme Court precedent, said Hamilton Davison, president and executive director of the ACMA. This statute is blatantly unconstitutional and flies in the face of law that has been settled for decades. States simply dont have the authority to pick and choose the Supreme Court decisions they will follow.

What do you think of South Dakotas new tax law or online retailers? Sound off below or on our Facebook page.

This article was originally published on MoneyTalksNews.com as 'South Dakota Clashes With Online Retailers in Sales Tax Battle'.

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Direct peace talks between Kabul and the Afghan Taliban began in Pakistan in July 2015 but were scrapped after the belated revelation that Mullah Omar, the group's founder, had died two years earlier (AFP Photo/-) (AFP/File)

A delegation from the Afghan Taliban's political office in Qatar arrived in Pakistan Tuesday to discuss the restarting of peace talks with Kabul, militant sources said.

Their visit to Karachi came a day after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani threatened diplomatic reprisals against Pakistan if it refused to take action against Taliban leaders, a new hardline stance after a brazen insurgent attack killed 64 people in Kabul.

A senior Afghan Taliban source based in Pakistan told AFP the three-member team would "soon begin initial contacts with Pakistani and Afghan officials".

"The main purpose of the visit is to explore ways and means to bring peace in Afghanistan," the source, who is based in northwest Pakistan, told AFP.

"It is an initial stage and formal peace talks have yet to begin. They have arrived on Pakistan's invitation," he added.

Two other Afghan Taliban sources confirmed the arrival of the negotiating team, though Pakistani and Afghan officials have yet to formally comment.

Qari Yousuf, one of the Taliban's official spokesmen, said he was unaware of the visit.

Direct peace talks between Kabul and the Afghan Taliban began in Pakistan in July 2015 but were scrapped after the belated revelation that Mullah Omar, the group's founder, had died two years earlier.

The disclosure sparked infighting within the militant group.

A four-member group comprising Afghanistan, the United States, China and Pakistan has been attempting since January to revive the talks. But the lack of progress has left many frustrated, as the Taliban ramp up their insurgency which began in 2001 after they were deposed from power by a US-led invasion.

Ghani angrily denounced Pakistan for failing to rein in the Taliban.

Islamabad recently admitted, after years of official denial, that the Taliban leadership enjoys safe haven inside Pakistan.

"I want to make it clear that we no longer expect Pakistan to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table," Ghani said in a sombre address to both houses of the Afghan parliament.

Story continues

"But we want Pakistan to fulfil its promises... and take military action against their sanctuaries and leadership based on its soil. If they can't target them they should hand them over to our judiciary."

The Taliban have repeatedly said they will not negotiate until their demands are met, including the departure of 13,000 foreign soldiers deployed to train and advise their Afghan counterparts.

The April 19 bombing in Kabul, which also wounded nearly 350 people, was seen as the opening salvo in this year's Taliban offensive -- widely expected to be the bloodiest in 15 years.
Can I Invest My 401(k) Myself?

Holding more than $3.5 trillion in total assets, Americans have a large amount invested in 401(k) plans, which have become the main way that most people save for their retirement. With so much riding on your plan, you must make good decisions about how to invest the money in order to meet your financial goals. Fortunately, in most cases, you do have options for investing your 401(k) yourself.

Plan Choices Most 401(k) plans offer some choices in where to allocate your investments. Even the most basic plans usually offer a fixed-rate option, as well as some mutual funds or plan-specific funds from which to choose. You generally choose between these funds when you open your account. Some plans may require you to wait until the open enrollment period to change your allocations, while others will let you change your allocations at any time, either by phone or with online tools.

Self-Directed 401(k) According to the Plan Sponsor Council of America, one in every five employers offer a self-directed 401(k) option for participants. If your plan offers this option, it may call it a brokerage window. This allows you to purchase individual stocks, mutual funds or other investments that you choose that are not part of the normal 401(k) plan. Most plans charge a fee for this privilege, between $50 and $100 per year. In addition, you will need to pay the commission on your individual trades.

In-Service Withdrawal Many 401(k) plans will allow you to take an in-service withdrawal. This allows you to roll over your 401(k), or at least a portion of it, to an individual retirement account, keeping the tax-advantaged status of your money. In addition, you will have full control of your IRA account, and also can select a self-directed IRA if you wish to choose more nontraditional investments such as real estate or shares of privately held companies. Most companies allowing in-service withdrawals allow them starting at age 59 1/2.

Advantages and Disadvantages Many 401(k) plans do not allow investors the diversification they desire to avoid unnecessary risk, or they don't provide aggressive enough investment options for employees to grow their money in the long term. By taking control of your 401(k) account, you can overcome this lack of choice. However, you also could pick poorly, choosing mutual funds with poor managers or high fees, or you could lose substantial portions of your retirement savings to commissions and fees because you trade too often.
Active stock investors and day traders frequently scan the market in search of new trading opportunities. They will close out one trade, collect the gain or eat the loss, and use any proceeds to fund a new position. If this is your strategy, just make sure you don't run afoul of the Security and Exchange Commission's Regulation T, which governs cash account trading.

Step 1

Go to your online trading account and bring up your open stock positions. Analyze the news events and current conditions that affect each stock. Pull up a chart and determine if the stock is holding steady or preparing to move against your position. Consider all the factors before deciding which stock to sell.

Step 2

Open your trading account order entry page and enter the stock symbol and the number of shares you want to sell. Decide if you want to sell at the market price and immediately close out the trade or enter a limit order in hopes of getting a better price. Make your selection then enter the trade.

Step 3

Check to make sure the order went through, especially if you sold using a limit order. After receiving confirmation that the stock is sold, go to your account page. There should be a credit to your account for the sale proceeds less the commission.

Step 4

Wait three days before trying to use the sale proceeds to purchase new stock. Under Securities and Exchange Commission Rule T, there is a mandatory three-day waiting period from the time the stock is sold before you can use those funds. All brokerage firms must abide by this regulation and many firms have programs in place that automatically freeze stock sale proceeds.

Step 5

Check your account four days after the sale date to be sure the funds are available. If so, go to your order entry page and place the trade using the proceeds from your stock sale to buy new stock. If the funds are still frozen, contact your broker to help resolve the problem.
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The future remains an unavoidable destination. The years meander. Things change. People come; people go; as do businesses.

In some places doors open or doors close; occasionally slanted boards are nailed over sooty windows and there within, dust settles  and on drifts time.

In Fremont, places where the spring weeds sprout through the concrete fissures; where the paint is faded and the vacant buildings sag with dilapidation, some might apply the term blight as both an official administrative designation and an adjectival descriptor

However, such an adjective does not encompass the opportunities that such an area can provide for a community.

Ron Tillery, executive director of the Fremont Chamber restated the meaning of blight a bit more eloquently, especially as it relates to the economic impact on a community:

Blight, he explained, is more like the establishment of a redevelopment area. He added that in addition to dilapidation or deterioration, many other reasons exist for designating a sight blighted, such as age, high density or overcrowding, inadequate street layout, legal issues relating to improper subdivision and other motives.

As the community develops and as aging facilities get older their uses become outdated and not as successful in business, Mayor Scott Getzschman said.

It is then, that redevelopment opportunities abound.

That is exactly what is taking place at the Northeast corner of 23rd and Yager street, where a new Fairfield Inn, still under construction, stands out prominently, just beyond another vacant plat. At Tuesday City Council meeting it was that section of grassy land, butting up against north side of 23rd Street, that was approved to eventually become the home for a new 9,000 square foot restaurant in addition to another 9,000 square feet of mixed retail establishments.

Its wonderful to see that kind of new investment in a community, Tillery said.

The entire area has been identified as blighted area available for redevelopment, as determined by the Nebraska Community Development Law, explained Troy Anderson, Fremont director of planning.

In January of 2014 city officials received a report by the Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District regarding the Blight and Substandard Determination Study for the Area Referred to as 23rd and Bell. According to the Community Development Law of the Nebraska, once an area becomes officially designated blighted, it allows for potential funding opportunities for projects such as the one currently taking place at the Northeast corner of Yager and 23rd.

Some of those funding opportunities include tax incremental financing which sets aside tax revenue for a specified period of time to finance the construction of the redevelopment.

TIF financing is another tool that Fremont has in its economic redevelopment tool bag. It allows us to say to the area that we are open for business and were here to grow. And help with that growth, said Mayor Scott Getzschman.

The blighted designation allows the developer to utilize TIF as a funding source to pay for infrastructure and land costs. It aids in the construction and other needs of the project, allowing the development to continue to move forward.

The 23rd and Bell area consist of approximately 183 acres of land in northeast Fremont, designated as blighted and subsequently opened for redevelopment in July of 2014. The redevelopment of the area started back in early 2014 after the Blight and Substandard report opened the doors for TIF funding opportunities.

Getzschman highlighted three projects currently under construction, or otherwise slated for development in the area.

The first is the Fairfield Inn in that continues to take shape about one block north of 23rd Street, on Yager. The second project, known as the Fountain Hills Redevelopment, when completed will provide low-income senior housing. That project is scheduled for completion on Dec. 31, 2017.

The third, most recently approved project is the Yager Retail Redevelopment project. The project includes space for a restaurant and mixed-use retail space and is projected to cost around $2,780,000 When completed it is estimated the new businesses will create five full-time professional or managerial employment opportunities in Fremont with annual salaries between $40-60 thousand. An additional 30 technical or skilled full-time jobs will also be added.

As far as specific tenants (for the new development) nothing has been formerly submitted to the city at this time, such as a site development permit application or building permit application, Anderson said. Generally tenants are not disclosed during this process.

Tillery pointed out that obstacles still exist at the corner of Bell and 23rd streets, particularly in the way the intersection remains shifted to the west of where Yager Street intersects with 23rd Street.

The city has been considering alternatives to improving that, Tillery said. What needs to happen is that Bell and Yager needs to line up.

He emphasized that despite the hurdles, solving the issues of the awkward alignment of Bell and Yager becomes a high priority now that the hotel and the new businesses will eventually occupy that area.

These things take time. It doesnt happen overnight, Getzschman said.

Getzschman illustrated that the redevelopment plan will better facilitate the ability to market a once blighted area to interested investors so that someday, as the future approaches, successful establishments will once again bring people, businesses and activity to the area.
Bullying has always been an issue in schools for decades, but modern research is showing just how pressing of an issue it truly is.

Research shows that millions of students across the county have been bullied, or know someone who has been bullied.

Additionally, thousands more every day decide not to go to school because they are worried that they will be bullied.

To raise awareness about the issue, and to teach students how to take a stand against bullying, the Omaha-based thespian troupe RESPECT travels around the state, and portions of Iowa, spreading a positive message to elementary and middle-school ages students about how they can dictate the outcome of an adverse situation.

On Friday, RESPECT made an appearance at Fremont Middle School and acted out the skit Scraps for seventh and Eighth-graders.

The group was able to perform through grant funding provided through the Fremont Area Community Foundation, said Kristin Henkenius, FMS guidance counselor.

The groups skit revolved around a new student in school who meets two other students  one is the bully. The bully engages the new student by telling her to give her a bracelet the new student was wearing to gain the groups trust. Throughout the course of the skit, turmoil brews, and ultimately, the new student is able to remove herself from the bad situation.

Its something that can be a very realistic situation for many kids at school, Henkenius said.

At the skits end, students were asked about how they would handle certain bullying-related situations if they found themselves in one.

Then they were brought down onto the gymnasium floor to act out what they would do with the skits cast.

Having the opportunity to physically act out their reaction was beneficial, Henkenius said.

I think if they can act some of that out that it will stick with them, she said. By showing these examples to their classmates, and by acting it out themselves, we hope that it will stick with them.

Henkenius said that while she often deals with student conflict, often times situations are handled before they lead into a possible bullying situation.

A lot of times I deal with peer issues, she said. Maybe a group of friends who used to get along, but now dont  those issues. We try to work with kids and teach them conflict management, and ways they can deal with these situations without getting other kids involved and making it into a bigger situation that could lead to a bullying situation.

Henkenius said that perhaps the biggest take away from the presentation is that bystanders can make a huge difference when it comes to nipping a bullying situation in the bud.

I hope they take away how much of an influence bystanders can have, she said. When you see bullying happen, or you are with someone who is bullying, you have the power to get it stopped by telling the person to stop, getting an adult involved or standing up for the person being bullied. That was one of the big things they (RESPECT) talked about. If bullies arent getting a reaction from people its no fun for them, so they will often times stop.
Chinese actress Hsu Chi (center) attends the ongoing Cinecitta and BeyondBulgari Jeweler to the Stars exhibition in the Beijing SKP mall.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Italian luxury jewelry house Bulgari has put together an exhibition showcasing more than 30 pieces of iconic jewelry from the 1930s until today, which are linked to films and stars. Sun Yuanqing reports.

Movies are all about fantasy, while luxury is based on people's dreams. So it's only natural for the two worlds to intersect. Italian luxury jewelry house Bulgari proves this with an ongoing jewelry exhibition in the Beijing SKP mall. Specially created for China, the exhibition called Cinecitta and BeyondBulgari Jeweler to the Stars celebrates the brand's connection with the movie world, showcasing more than 30 pieces of iconic jewelry from the 1930s until today.

The exhibition integrates jewels, photographs and videos, telling stories involving divas like Ingrid Bergman, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn.

Modern actresses like Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie and Anne Hathaway are also featured in the exhibition.
MASON CITY  A For Seniors Only program will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 11, at the Lime Creek Nature Center.

Michigan-based author, songwriter and film producer Bill Jamerson will present The CCC Boys of Iowa, a music and storytelling program about the Civilian Conservation Corps.

This federal works program was created by President Franklin Roosevelt in the heart of the Great Depression. During its nine-year run beginning in 1933, over 49,000 men served in Iowa. The CCC worked with area farmers on soil conservation projects and built many facilities at Iowas State Parks.

Dressed in uniform, Jamerson shares stories about the CCC, reads excerpts from his book and sings original songs with his guitar. Its a nostalgic program with songs, laughter and heartfelt stories.

He has performed at CCC reunions around the country and at dozens of CCC-built national and state parks. The program is as entertaining as it is important. Its about people both ordinary and extraordinary, with stories of strength, wit and charm.

The program will be followed by a catered lunch and social time. Cost is $5 for nature center members and $7 for non-members. Call 423-5309 by May 9 to register.
Turkey hunting season is in full swing across North Iowa.

Often the key to success on the states largest game bird is to get where they want to be early and have the discipline to stay put until they arrive.

Yet for reasons known only to them, toms often refuse to follow the script.

When gobblers hang up, lock down or head in the wrong direction, a strategic redeployment is sometimes needed to change their plans.

A successful maneuver will prove thrilling and particularly satisfying, while a bungled attempt can be frustrating, humbling and occasionally downright comical.

Between work obligations, spring fishing and a few household chores I failed to scout in the weeks prior to the second turkey season.

Fortunately Ive hunted the same few small woodlots and river corridors north of Ventura for the last two decades, meaning a quick drive-by to confirm birds are present is often adequate if not ideal.

A fortuitous schedule change left me unexpectedly free the day before my hunt, allowing for a drive-by.

Three toms strutted at the edge of a willow thicket on the north side of the road, three more in a field adjacent to the Winnebago River on the south and a seventh in another riverside field a mile to the east.

Scouting completed, I headed home brimming with confidence.

Well before sunrise the next morning I was set up along the edge of the willow thicket, protected from a brisk north wind by the trees and several layers of cammo.

Geese honked, ducks quacked or whistled, blackbirds trilled and the occasional rooster pheasant crowed for some time before the first gobbler decided to sound off.

Unfortunately, the staccato rattle was muffled and distant, as though coming from another grove a quarter-mile to the east.

At least a pair of toms responded from the public timber about the same distance to the west. Any turkeys in my immediate vicinity werent talking.

I toyed with moving toward the western gobblers. The risk of being spotted was high, my current location offered an ideal strut zone given the conditions and the birds had been there yesterday about two hours after sunup.

The best play, I reasoned, was to wait them out.

An hour later a barking dog elicited a shock gobble from a tom to the northwest. He called periodically thereafter but never in response to my clucks, purrs or pleading yelps.

Meanwhile, the birds to the west had gone silent since shortly after flydown. I assumed theyd stayed in the public area.

Growing impatient and knowing all the gobblers were to my west, I decided to take a chance.

Quickly gathering my things, I hustled along the edge of the willows to a fence line 150 yards westward. After redeploying my fake jake and pair of hens, I settled in next to a small thicket and offered up a bit of turkey talk.

Later the bird to my north gobbled, but again didnt answer my calls. His location was unchanged.

Shortly thereafter a hen emerged from the willows back to my east. The gobbler responded to her clucks and she headed his direction.

As if his cement feet werent problematic enough, there was now a live hen competing for the reticent tom. Reasoning my odds werent good, I decided to move further west.

I crept around the edge of the thicket and peeked cautiously down the firebreak, then stepped fully into it after determining the coast was clear.

A full bladder had been nagging, and this seemed a good time to rectify matters. I didnt bother to duck back into the cover before seeking relief.

Rookie mistake.

Theres a running joke among hunters that game animals are highly attuned to the sound of zippers being lowered. How else do you explain their propensity for arriving when the nimrod is most preoccupied?

So as I stood in the open, shotgun in one hand and  well, you get the idea  a glance over my shoulder revealed a dark form about 70 yards to the east.

Two others soon emerged, all three with knobby red and blue heads and sporting eight-inch-plus beards.

The birds eyed me suspiciously for a bit, then relaxed and began to feed in the other direction.

After finishing my business I ever so slowly eased around to face the trio. Miraculously, they didnt spook.

My calls were back at the thicket, which could as well have been a mile away except for a diaphragm clenched between my teeth.

Mouth calls arent the sharpest tool in my drawer, but it would have to do.

I let out a few soft yelps. Although there were no gobbles in response, the birds changed course, moving my way while occasionally flashing a half strut.

The leader eased to within 40 yards. Were I seated with my gun across my knee per usual this would have been a high-percentage shot.

As there were a few small trees between the toms and myself, Id have to crouch to find an opening while mounting the gun and shooting offhand into the tightly grouped little flock, which would most likely be fleeing by then.

The risk of wounding one or more birds was too great. With just a few more steps the toms would clear the trees and offer an unobstructed opportunity.

They never took those steps. After milling around briefly they ambled around a small bend in the firebreak until only the tops of their heads showed above the prairie grass.

Dropping to my hands and knees I scrambled toward my hide with designs of reclaiming my calls and moving in a little tighter on the retreating toms.

In less time than it takes to tell it, however, the group wandered back into view, forcing me to hit the deck.

Now prone but still in plain sight, I watched as the birds once again fed to within 40 yards, hung up and then reversed course. From my snakes-eye view both the trees and my decoys now shielded the gobblers.

This time my yelps drew no interest. Unable to inspire lust, I hoped for jealousy and gave my best attempt at a jake gobble.

The admittedly poor effort didnt send the birds packing as I feared, but it also didnt slow their progress toward my original location, where I would likely have intercepted them had I simply waited.

There wasnt a good route to get ahead of the birds, and following risked bumping them off of the property. With 4 hunting days remaining, I decided to make a strategic retreat.

Finally, a good decision.

Two setups and a couple hours later, the same trio made its way back to the public ground. This time I was stationed along their route and in position when they arrived.

Finally, I was able to seal the deal, bringing home an 18-pound gobbler with a 9-inch beard and one-inch spurs as well as a pretty good story about the one that almost got away.
BRITT  The West Hancock Ambulance Service is in a large financial hole and it would like city help to try to dig out of it.

Were in a money-losing situation, WHAS President Clinton Patterson said at a recent Britt City Council meeting.

The ambulance service lost $150,000 last year, Patterson said. Its on pace to lose more money this year, he said.

While finances arent good, WHAS still has $200,000 in a reserve fund and a plan to help improve its situation, Patterson and WHAS member Craig Leerar said.

WHAS and the Garner Ambulance Service are working with the Hancock County Hospital on a 28-E agreement to disperse money generated from a recent tax levy.

Patterson said that will result in $240,000 to be split between WHAS and the Garner service. The details of how the money will be split arent final yet, Patterson said.

And while the 28-E agreement will help the finances, there is still room for the citys help, Patterson and Leerar said.

WHAS would like to be included in the citys workers compensation insurance plan, Patterson said.

The city of Garner includes the ambulance service in the citys workers compensation plan, Patterson said. The total package of what Garner provides is about $10,000, Patterson said.

Council members said theyd have no problem including WHAS in the workers compensation insurance but they arent sure it will save WHAS any money.

You will want to check the rates to see if it will be lower, council member Mike Ostercamp said.

The citys contribution wont dig WHAS completely out of the financial hole, Leerar said, but it will help.

The hole didnt exist until a few years ago.

Ostercamp said he recalled that in the early years of WHAS, which was formed in the mid-1970s, the city gave it $10,000 to $15,000 each year until it became self-sufficient.

We used to be self-sufficient, Patterson said. Now, our revenue is falling off like a son of a gun.

Revenue is dropping because more people do not have insurance or the ability to pay, Patterson said.

Also, Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements increasingly fall short of the expense of transport, Patterson said.

Our call volume has not dropped but not getting paid has increased, Patterson said.

Garner has about 300 calls a year and WHAS has about 600, Patterson said. WHAS has two full-time paramedics and more members than Garner, Patterson said.

Leerar said the service cant refuse calls.

One reason WHAS has more calls is because the hospital is in Britt, Patterson said.

WHAS is also looking at using a company to try to collect unpaid bills, Patterson said. WHAS does its own billing but a company under consideration has a better success rate, Patterson said.

Billing is also much more complicated and it may be better to use an outside company to make sure insurance companies cant reject claims, Patterson said.

Rae Yost is the editor of the Britt News Tribune, another Lee Enterprises newspaper.
ST. ANSGAR  Most high school juniors have thoughts of their senior year, graduation and even college on their minds. One St. Ansgar High School junior has much more on his mind  ministering to people he has never met.

Jacob Mayer, 17, will travel to Nairobi, Kenya, this winter, as part of a 15-person mission team through Soles For Jesus.

The organization collects shoes that are cleaned, sorted and shipped to Africa, where they are distributed to different villages.

Teams then travel to the villages, where they wash peoples feet, provide them a pair of shoes and then share the Gospel message through literature printed in the native language.

In Africa, children cant go to school and many adults are not able to work without a pair of shoes, said Mayer. The shoes also help reduce parasitic diseases and infections which often lead to amputation and sometimes even death.

Jacob is raising the $3,500 needed for the trip through a GoFundMe account.

Mayers mom, Melissa Reams Hultgren, traveled to Tanzania with the group in October 2015 and now is the representative for the state of Iowa with the Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based organization.

Even though his mother told him about the trip and hoped someday he would also go to Africa, he said it wasnt her prompting which caused Mayer to make the decision to go. It was something more.

I really hadnt thought about going, he said. But one weekend, I couldnt sleep. I knew God was telling me I needed to go on the trip.

I knew I needed to do something and I decided this was it.

Earlier in the week, I told Jared I was returning to Kenya, said Melissa. We were on our way to church when he told me he had something to tell me.

I know it sounded crazy, when I said it, said Mayer, but it made sense in my head. I felt I had to go on the trip with her.

When he told me, I said, You know what that means? It means God is calling you. That is your answer, said Melissa.

Since telling his friends about his planned trip, Mayer said he has been getting support from people he never expected.

My friends tell me how great it is for me, he said. My teachers have also been supportive.

The shoes are an instrument or tool to share the Gospel of Christ, said Melissa. Its more than just about the shoes.

I am so excited about being able to share the word of God with others, he said. I have answered something God has called me to do. I could see myself possibly doing this again and more often after high school.

I am looking forward to not only changing the lives of those we give shoes to, but I am also looking forward to how my life will change.
MASON CITY  If Michelle Hahn makes it to medical school, she could become a third-generation doctor.

But, more than family legacy, tragedy has motivated her path toward medical school.

In high school, she has watched helplessly as a grandmother with Alzheimers gradually slipped away from her.

I have watched her lose memories in the past year, said Hahn, 17, a Mason City High School senior who will be honored during the Globe Gazettes Star Class event Sunday. Lose memories of me, which is devastating.

With a medical degree, she wants to give hope to families who are struggling, she said.

The field of medicine has definitely not ... covered the entire spectrum yet of diseases, Hahn said. With the technology coming out, everything is rapidly changing.

Thats where I can come in and help, she said. Help other families that have other diseases that have not yet been cured.

Her father, Stan, is currently a general surgeon at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City. Her grandfather, his father, is a retired pathologist.

When I was little, thats all I knew, was my mom being a lawyer and my dad being a physician, she said. I never really knew what was out there, until I was in high school and I discovered my interested in science.

At Wartburg College in Waverly, Hahn plans to study biology and Spanish. She will also play the saxophone through a music scholarship at the school.

She hopes to follow her fathers footsteps to the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.

Ive seen how my dad, he cares so much for his patients. He puts so much care and passion into his work, she said. It sparked an interest in me, where I am taking a lot of science courses.

Her own path could include studying neuroscience or neurosurgery.

Whenever we studied it in anatomy class, it was just amazing to me that so much can happen and so much can happen in your brain, which seems so small, she said.

Pathways and the neurons, everything can change immediately, she said.
OSAGE  Laura Kuennen of Osage Municipal Utilities says the annual residential tree giveaway is scheduled for Friday, May 6, to promote tree diversity.

This year, OMU is offering thornless hawthorn and northern red oak trees.

At 10 a.m. May 6 there will be a tree care workshop at OMU. The utilities company also will conduct energy-saving clinics at the same time.

During a recent City Council meeting, Kuennen asked May 6 be named Arbor Day in Osage, which the council voted into effect. At the May 6 tree pickup, Osage Mayor Steve Cooper will read the proclamation, moving Osage one step closer toward becoming a Tree City USA.

Osage will also need a tree board, a community forestry budget to cover the planting and pruning of trees in the community, and a public tree care ordinance in order to achieve Tree City status.

Kuennen said OMU is also looking to become part of the Tree Line Program, which would allow Osage to be recognized for the hard work done within the community to promote the growth, care and planting of its trees for both shade and energy conservation as well as beautification.

In addition to the trees being passed out on May 6, 200 seedlings will be planted around the community. As part of a pollinator packet, the trees will help promote butterflies and bees. Kuennen said OMU is also hoping to put in a tree arboretum along the City of Maples trail which runs along the border of City Park.

It would showcase a diverse number of trees while providing shade for the benches that would be placed along the trail, she said. As with the trees planted along the nature center trail, details about the trees would be showcased to allow visitors to learn about them.

Kuennen said OMU had ordered 70 trees, 35 of each kind, and is asking citizens to reserve their trees this year so it would have a way of tracking where the trees were being planted.

This will also allow us the chance to follow up on how the trees are doing after they have been planted. she said. All 70 requests have been fulfilled with 20 people currently on a waiting list to get a tree should any of the requests fall through.

With the majority of the trees in the city at this moment being maples, it is a concern if disease or insects came through which targeted maple trees the city would take a significant hit to its tree population, said Kuennen.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo.  Parts of this city are like Anytown, USA, with strips of big-box stores, fast food restaurants, hair salons, car washes and payday loan services.

But mushrooming from the downtown area in this city of 77,000 are industries, one after another  clusters of brick and mortar, some of magnificent old stone architecture, some that are shiny new, all strung together to form the economic nucleus.

With the sights, sounds and, yes, the smells of an industrial mecca, an easy observation is this is a city that works.

St. Joseph, nicknamed St. Joe, is the eighth largest city in Missouri, the county seat of Buchanan County. It has the Missouri River flowing through it.

The city was the starting point of the Pony Express, the birthplace of television newscaster Walter Cronkite, and the deathplace of outlaw Jesse James. Its population is 88 percent white; 6 percent identify as Hispanic.

On the outskirts of town, or the dirty south as some residents call it, is the Triumph Foods processing plant. It employs 2,700 workers and it emits an odor from time to time that doesnt travel more than a block or two  three if there is a strong wind  but residents dont pay much attention to it anymore. It is simply part of the south end culture.

Most people in St. Joe will tell you the smell from the nearby tannery and city water treatment plant are worse, but none are noxious.

City Manager J. Bruce Woody said in the past 10 years the city has received three complaints from residents about foul odors. None were about the Triumph plant.

There are no concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, within 50 miles of St. Joseph, and none in Buchanan County.

IMMIGRATION INFLUENCE

What distinguishes Triumph Foods from most of the other businesses in St. Joseph is the number of immigrants it hires and the impact that has had on the rest of the city.

The 620,000-square-foot pork-processing plant was built on a 65-acre brownfield site that once housed another packing plant and a maintenance facility for trucks. Triumph paid for the remediation prior to construction with financing from the city.

It is located on the Stockyards Expressway, named because of old stockyards still in business on the other side of the highway from Triumph.

Of the 2,700 workers, half are immigrants, according to Pat Lilly, a Chamber of Commerce executive who is a former Triumph chief operating officer.

When the plant opened in 2006, about 80 percent of the workers were from the St. Joseph area. But much of the work is strenuous and the hours are long so turnover is high, according to townspeople.

If you had your choices of places to work, Triumph would not be your first choice, said Bob Kieser, who worked there for six years before he quit and opened a used furniture store not far from the plant.

Not everyone can do it, including me, he said.

But City Manager Woody said, It may not be a job of choice, but it is a good transition job, something to fall back on to make a living.

With turnover high and production levels to meet, Triumph regularly gets dozens of immigrants which it reportedly brings by the busload or in vans and cars from nearby Kansas City.

You can count on it like clockwork, said Ginger Bonnett, who worked at Triumph for about a year. On any given Sunday, they ship in their own people.

Multiple efforts to reach Triumph officials for comment were unsuccessful.

Among other things, the influx of a transient work force has impacted social services, particularly subsidized government housing.

Its been overwhelming, said Sharon Hope, head of the St. Joseph Housing Authority.

INITIAL SKEPTICISM

There were skeptics when plans were announced for the new plant.

Nobody likes change, particularly big change, said Woody. Until all the facts come out, the void is filled with rumors and innuendo, and they can be powerful. It is important to get the facts out.

Brad Lau, executive vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, said one of the original public concerns was that there would be an increase in crime, but there hasnt been.

A recently completed 20-year study of crime in the city shows ebbs and flows, but no increase that can be directly linked to Triumph.

Lau said some residents thought the citys population would decrease, but it has gone up from 74,000 to 77,000 since the plant opened. Its not a substantial gain, but its a gain, he said.

The Triumph deal with the city was put together in less than a year from the time it was first proposed to the start of construction. It can happen, said Lau. It all depends on all the pieces falling into place.

He said it is difficult and perhaps unfair to draw comparisons of how meat processing plants affect different communities.

Its a matter of scale, he said. A plant of 2,000 workers added to a city of 77,000 is different than 2,000 being added in Mason City with 27,000 or, even more so, Storm Lake, Iowa, he said.

He acknowledged there have been some drawbacks since Triumph came to town.

Our social services have increased, although we cant attribute all of that to Triumph. Our school district has been challenged, and there have been housing challenges, too. Everyone has had to do their due diligence, said Lau.

POSITIVE IMPACT

Woody said the overall impact of Triumph on St. Joseph has been positive, with many businesses starting up and numerous vendors and suppliers profiting from doing business with Triumph.

The company does not wash trucks that come into the plant  a service Prestage plans to offer in Mason City. In St. Joseph, the area around the plant now has several truck washes.

Another spin-off from Triumph, said Woody, has been construction of homes and apartments.

Little stores called tiendas  a Spanish word for shops  have sprung up, as have restaurants with ethnic dishes.

The best example of a Triumph spin-off is construction of a $41.5 million, 100,000-square-foot Dailys Premium Meats, a bacon plant across the highway from Triumph, that will employ 200 people.

They will use pork bellies coming from across the highway, said Lau. This would not have happened without Triumph.
SHEFFIELD  For Maya Rowe, her love for chemistry was something to flaunt.

Maya is our chemistry cheerleader, said West Fork science teacher Anne Meester. She just brings that positive vibe about chemistry that, yes, is a little unusual.

I dont often hear that, she said. Its usually more often in a sarcastic way, Yeah, I love chemistry.

Rowe, 18, is a rare Star Class honoree, receiving awards in three categories this year: math, science and social science.

After graduation, she plans to study chemistry at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake.

Driven by challenges to excel in high school, she began to take classes a year early  chemistry in her sophomore year, then advanced chemistry by junior year.

I was always with the class above me, Rowe said. It helped, because (classmates) pushed me to learn as much as they did.

Meester also created an elective study course this year for her to review principles of organic chemistry.

Studying science for Rowe is also a family affair, with two older siblings now studying pre-med and a younger sister also interested in medicine, Meester said.

Maya doesnt really want to be a doctor, but obviously thats a family that loves science, Meester said. She grew up on a farm and tends to be real science-y.

They talk about real cerebral kinds of things. They like complicated ideas, she said. Thats sort of how Maya turned out to be how she is.

Organic chemistry is like a puzzle, Meester said. Out of hundreds of elements, you only have these few.

Its sort of that eye-opening moment that, Oh my gosh, there is that whole other universe lying underneath, she said.

Growing up with a family farm outside town provided a natural path to becoming a scientist, Meester said.

Farmers are engineers, she said. They are problem-solvers.

In agriculture, theres so much chemistry in that, she said. These kids grow up having fundamental knowledge of biology and life processes.

They are just natural scientists, because thats the conversations they have with their families, Meester said.

Rowe is the daughter of Paul and Jill Rowe.
NEW YORK, N.Y., April 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - World Patent Marketing, a vertically integrated manufacturer and engineer of patented products, announces the Spreadables, a new food invention that makes spreads easier and more hygienic to spread.

"The Snack Food Production industry makes $38 billion annually," says Scott Cooper, CEO and Creative Director of World Patent Marketing. "Renewed consumer spending has boosted sales of chips, nuts, and spreads. The industry's future looks promising, with improving economic conditions expected to further lift demand."

"A lot of people, young and old, would love to have a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich as a snack," says Jerry Shapiro, Director of Manufacturing and World Patent Marketing Inventions. "Spreadables is a way to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the need for a knife, spoon, jar of jelly or jar of peanut butter. This keeps from having opened jars of jelly in the fridge that go bad, as well as jars of peanut butter in the cabinet that no one finishes."

The Spreadables offers a quick and easy way of making sandwiches. Made of food-safe materials, this invention comprises of a spread container nozzle and a spreader surface. The spread container is utilized to be able to dispense the pliable food contained in it while the spread surface allows the user to manipulate the way the food inside is spread for equal distribution on the bread surface. No need for knives or big jars of spreads!

"My packets contain both peanut butter and jelly together, which makes it very simple to spread on bread, says inventor Damon H. "You can use the whole packet, or just what you need for a particular person's taste. We could also just package any kind of jelly without the peanut butter. This invention has unlimited uses for many age groups, work forces, or military personnel. If not a sandwich, it could be a quick shot of energy while training, for diabetics who need a little sugar dose, and certainly in schools."

Brenda Summers, a housewife and mother from Louisiana, has this to say about the Spreadables: "Making sandwiches for my two young boys is always a chore. Since they have different taste preferences, I end up using multiple knives and an equal amount of spreads and jams just to make their snacks. With the Spreadables, I am now able to make their favorite snacks without the need for knives."

Spreadables is the best way to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

ABOUT WORLD PATENT MARKETING

World Patent Marketing is an innovation incubator and manufacturer of patented products for inventors and entrepreneurs. The company is broken into eight operating divisions: Research, Patents, Prototyping, Manufacturing, Retail, Web & Apps, Social Media and Capital Ventures.

As a leader in patent invention services, World Patent Marketing is by your side every step of the way, utilizing our capital and experience to protect, prepare, and manufacture your new product idea and get it out to the market. Get a patent with World Patent Marketing and the company will send representatives to trade shows every month in order to further advocate for its clients. It is just part of the world patent marketing cost of doing business.

World Patent Marketing Reviews enjoy an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and five star ratings from consumer review sites including: Consumer Affairs, Google, Trustpilot, Customer Lobby, Reseller Ratings, Yelp and My3Cents.

World Patent Marketing is also a proud member of the National Association of Manufacturers, Duns and Bradstreet, the US Chamber of Commerce, the South Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Association for Manufacturing Excellence, and the New York Inventor Exchange.

Visit the worldpatentmarketing.com website and find out how to patent an invention. Contact us at (888) 926-8174.

This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/worldpatentmarketing/04/prweb13348047.htm
Nihit wrote:

for GMAT Review 2012



Practice Question

Question No.: SC 10

Page: 659

Carnivorous mammals can endure what would otherwise be lethal levels of body heat because they have a heat-exchange network which kept the brain from getting too hot.



(A) which kept

(B) that keeps

(C) which has kept

(D) that has been keeping

(E) having kept



Show Spoiler If which keeps was an option would you choose it ?



Verb form; Rhetorical construction



The use of the past tense ( kept ) is incorrect because a current situation is discussed; the present tense ( keeps ) is consistent with the other verbs in the sentence. In (A) and (C), which introduces a restrictive clause. Some writers follow the convention that which can only be used for nonrestrictive clauses, but insistence on this rule is controversial, and both (A) and (C) can be rejected on other grounds.



(A) Kept is the wrong tense.



(B) Correct . The verb keeps indicates a current situation and is consistent with the other verbs in the sentence. The sentence is clear and concise.



(C) Mistaken shift in tense: In this sentence the present tense expresses a timeless general principle; in contrast, has kept indicates a more definite context and time period and suggests that the heat-exchange network may no longer have this effect.



(D) Has been keeping is the wrong tense.



(E) Having is awkward and imprecise; kept is the wrong tense.



The correct answer is B . Carnivorous mammals can endure what would otherwise be lethal levels of body heat because they have a heat-exchange networkthe brain from getting too hot.(A) which kept(B) that keeps(C) which has kept(D) that has been keeping(E) having kept

Concepts tested here: Tenses + Idioms

A:

B:

Correct.

C:

D:

E:

Hence, B is the best answer choice.

Dear Friends,Here is a detailed explanation to this question- that is used to provide information that is needed to preserve the core meaning of the sentence, and the comma + which construction is used to provide extra information. Statements of universal fact are best conveyed through the simple present tense. The simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past.This answer choice incorrectly uses the simple past tense verb "kept" to refer to a statement of universal fact; remember, statements of universal fact are best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the simple past tense is used to refer to actions that concluded in the past. Further, Option A incorrectly uses "which" to refer to information that is key to the core meaning of the sentence - the fact that the heat exchange system keeps the brain from getting too hot; remember, that is used to provide information that is needed to preserve the core meaning of the sentence, and the comma + which construction is used to provide extra information.This answer choice correctly uses the simple present tense verb "keeps" to refer to a statement of universal fact. Further, Option B correctly uses "that" to refer to information that is key to the core meaning of the sentence - the fact that the heat exchange system keeps the brain from getting too hot.This answer choice incorrectly uses the present perfect tense verb "has kept" to refer to a statement of universal fact; remember, statements of universal fact are best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the present perfect tense (marked by the use of the helping verb has/have) is used to describe events that concluded in the past but continue to affect the present. Further, Option C incorrectly uses "which" to refer to information that is key to the core meaning of the sentence - the fact that the heat exchange system keeps the brain from getting too hot; remember, that is used to provide information that is needed to preserve the core meaning of the sentence, and the comma + which construction is used to provide extra information.This answer choice incorrectly uses the present perfect continuous tense verb "has been keeping" to refer to a statement of universal fact; remember, statements of universal fact are best conveyed through the simple present tense, and the present perfect continuous tense (marked by "has/have been") is the correct tense to refer to actions that started in past and continue into the present.This answer choice incorrectly uses the present participle ("verb+ing") phrase "having kept" to refer to a statement of universal fact; remember, statements of universal fact are best conveyed through the simple present tense.To understand the concept of "Simple Tenses", you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):To understand the concept of "Present Perfect Continuous Tense" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~1 minute):To understand the concept of "Which" vs "That" on GMAT, you may want to watch the following video (~2 minutes):All the best!Team_________________
Re: Erasmus RSM v. UBC Sauder v. Babson College v. University of San Diego [ #permalink

1 Kudos

Hello bb,



Thanks for getting back to me, and kudos to you for pulling together such a successful collaborative and informative website! Was not expecting to hear back from the founder of GMAT Club himself. Also, thanks for not telling me I'm throwing away my money by going into these second-tier programs like the good people of the /MBA subreddit.



The whole ranking situation is doing my head in to be completely honest. FT ranks RSM #42, USD #59, Babson #90, UBC #96. US News and Poets & Quants rank them somewhat differently, but aside from USD dropping way down the list to #76 on P&Q and falling off the list for US News (partially due to being ineligible until recently), that does seem to be the agreed upon order of prestige.



Mostly writing this all out to organize my thoughts, so feel free to respond to any/all points or not:



I visited Babson recently, and while I am blown away by the ever-present entrepreneurial spirit and focus on social/environmental impact, I didn't love the weather or the people of Boston and would really prefer not to be stuck in New England post-MBA, if possible. I think I'm looking to go west coast or international, if possible.



USD has a stunning campus, tons of international consulting options and study abroad opportunities/internships, a mandatory language req (which I majorly respect), a somewhat entrepreneurial vibe and a focus on social impact/sustainability (V2 Pitch Competition w/$100K prize, Social Innovation Challenge, #6 Green MBA). However, I'm from SoCal, so would not be too much of a change for me, something I am kind of looking for in my life at the moment. Also, it's a slightly lesser known program it seems.



RSM I have not been able to visit (been to Amsterdam and surrounding areas), but I also know it shares those same values. It's a relatively cheap 1-year program allowing me to stay in Netherlands for internship/job search afterwards, and, as you mentioned, in an incredible city. I may take a pay cut being in Europe. Also, I have two close friends there in the Netherlands who can't speak highly enough of it.



Sauder's location is extremely attractive, Vancouver is a very environmentally conscious city and the program seems to share those values as well. They have an innovation and entrepreneurship track which suits me well, but again, there is the fear of being stuck in one location and not being able to pursue my desire to branch out internationally due to lack of prestige. Although, they are supposedly one of the more international programs on the list just below RSM.



Anyway, thanks again for your insight... I really figured I wouldn't have so many options at this point with deposit deadlines fast approaching. Will let the forum know what I decide.



- dekiruzooo
Police are hoping the public can help them find a man who allegedly told a stranger in Central Park that his 11-year-old son was available for sex.

According to the NYPD, the incident occurred Thursday, April 24th, at around 10:30 p.m., inside the park near the Bow Bridge and West 74th Street: "The victim, an 11-year-old male was with his father in the vicinity of Bow Bridge and West 74th Street, when the child's father approached a 50-year-old male and offered his son for a sex act in exchange for an undetermined amount of money. The male declined and called police to report the incident."

The authorities describe the victim's father as a while male about 36 years old, 5'7" tall and 160 pounds, with brown hair and a medium build. He was last seen wearing a dark colored winter coat with a fur hood and dark pants. The victim was described as being a boy with a slim build and wearing a red or orange winder breaker type of coat.

The suspect is wanted for attempted child luring. Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or for Spanish 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
Church to honor Holocaust victims

Covenant United Methodist Church, 2330 E. Broadway, will have a special worship service on Sunday, May 1, at 10 a.m., open to everyone, and will feature stories from two members whose families were directly involved in the Holocaust in Holland.

The service will remember victims of the Holocaust and those suffering oppression and genocide throughout the world today. Prayers and video of faces of the Holocaust and special hymns will be included. Following the service during Fellowship Hour, there will be refreshments and Q&A with speakers, as well as sharing of pictures and articles about the Holocaust in Holland.

National Day of Prayer May 5

The upcoming 66th Annual Observance of the National Day of Prayer is Thursday, May 5. The 12th Annual Helena Prayer Breakfast will be hosted at the Neighborhood Assembly of God Church, 725 Granite Ave. Breakfast is at 7 a.m. and costs $10. The program will follow the breakfast. For more information, contact Rev. Richard Summerlin, 406-410-0458.

At noon, on the Capitol steps, a community-based coalition of leaders will hold an hourlong event that focuses on prayer. There will be music -- a prelude by musicians from Helena Nazarene as well as The Star Spangled Banner and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Attorney General Tim Fox will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney will read the governors proclamation. Gilda Clancy, senior veterans liaison, will read a letter by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines. Bob Veroulis, state director, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, will also speak.

***

Choir to perform in Helena

The African Children's Choir will perform on Sunday, May 15, at 6:30 p.m. at Life Covenant Church, 1400 Stuart St.

The program features well-loved children's songs, traditional spirituals and gospel favorites. The concert is free and open to all. A free-will offering is taken at the performance to support African Children's Choir programs, such as education, care and relief and development programs.

Music for Life (The parent organization for The African Children's Choir) works in seven African countries such as, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa. MFL has educated more than 52,000 children and impacted the lives of over 100,000 people through its relief and development programs during its history.

The African Children's Choir has performed before presidents, heads of state and most recently the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, for her diamond jubilee. The choir has also had the honor of singing alongside artists such as Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Keith Urban, Mariah Carey, Michael W. Smith and other performers. For more information visit, www.africanchildrenschoir.com.

***

Liberty Quartet in concert

First Baptist Church of Montana will present the Liberty Quartet in concert on Saturday, May 21, at 6 p.m. There is no charge, a free-will love offering will be received. Refreshments will follow the concert. The event is open to the public and everyone is welcome.

Liberty is a Gospel group based in the West with a full-time concert schedule. Liberty averages 50,000 to 70,000 miles a year, ministering in up to 150 performances for church services, nursing homes, prisons, and other ministries. They also sing at large conventions including Southwest Gospel Music Festival, Great Western Southern Gospel Fan Festival, and the Gospel Music Fan Festival in Canada. For more information, go to www.libertyquartet.com.

The church is located in downtown Helena at 201 8th Ave., on the corner of 8th and Warren, across from Central School, where there is ample parking.

George Jackson serves as pastor and is available by calling, 439-5359, or email at chaplainonthegulch@hotmail.com. Church website is www.fbcmontana.com.

***

Helena churches help in Mexico

Eleven years ago, a Mexican pastor, Tomas Bencomo, asked for help. The seven small churches he oversaw in Juarez, Mexico, were trying to help save the Tarahumara and Pima Indians from starvation, and they needed some help. There were an estimated 20,000 Tarahumara in the Copper Canyon, living in primitive conditions, struggling for survival. So the Rev. Jim Stumbo of Helena Alliance Church spearheaded the effort to help Bencomo.

The Mexicans needed land for a farm to grow food. The Alliance group bought land. Now the Mexicans and Indians are growing food together, along with repopulating their herds of sheep and goats. Four hundred apple trees now flourish on one farm. Some of the Americans helped build an orphanage/boarding school in the Copper Canyon where over 100 Tarahumara children are now fed, housed and schooled.

Twice a year, Stumbo takes groups into Mexico to build churches and classrooms, clear land, advise and teach. Last August, a team from Helena Alliance and other churches built a classroom for a church in Independencia, Mexico, for the children. In March, the team rebuilt a greenhouse, with help from Bob Hitzeroth of High Country Growers. Another trip is planned for this fall.
With a crack of the hammer Friday morning, Kelley Moody set the first nail in her new home and the 32nd Helena Area Habitat for Humanity home built since 1992.

The building site at the corner of Benton and Custer avenues may be just a slab today, but it will soon transform into a 1,100-square-foot house for Moody and her son. On Friday she joined Habitat for Humanity, volunteers from Wells Fargo Bank and builders for a raise the walls ceremony to mark the start of construction.

The home purchase will be the first for Moody, and that comes with excitement after moving to Helena seven years ago.

Its a new start and a fresh beginning, she said. Its exciting to own something and make it our own.

The Rev. Seth Dombach echoed the idea of a new beginning in a pre-construction prayer, blessing the home and the people who will build it. The home is an embodiment of community and shows faith both alive and active, he said, closing by calling it a place of refuge.

Along with volunteer time, the Youth Build Helena program through the Career Training Institute contributes to the build, keeping down costs while getting construction training. Design and construction materials will make the house highly efficient with anticipated monthly energy bills of $35 to $40, said Helena Area Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Jacob Kuntz.

The demand for affordable housing in Helena far outpaces the availability, he said.

Helena Housing Authority recently told the Independent Record that its low income rental programs have hundreds of families waiting for assistance. According to HHA, 581 people are currently on the Housing Choice Voucher list while 465 people remain on the Public Housing Waiting List.

Differing from HHAs rental program, Habitat provides a path to home ownership for families otherwise unable to qualify. Other Montana cities have multiple organizations building affordable housing, and the Helena Area Habitat for Humanity has plans to increase its home construction from about 1.5 homes per year to three because of demand, Kuntz added.

Theres a huge need (for housing) so well have a massive need as well for funding and volunteers, he said. Well be seeking some federal grants and we feel its doable. Were excited and we feel like this will propel us into the future of affordable housing in Helena.

Along with new home construction, Habitat has expanded its services to include existing home repairs such as new roofing and remodeling.

The future uptick in home construction and repair for Helena Area Habitat for Humanity comes at a time of major challenges for the local chapter. Last July, an arson fire caused significant damage to the ReStore, which sells refurbished building materials. The ReStore is a major fundraiser and has operated out of an adjacent space for months.

Daniel Boone Boos of Helena admitted to starting the fire in pleading guilty this week to a felony arson charge. He will be sentenced in June, where he faces up to 20 years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine.

On top of its ambitious construction goals, Habitat will begin moving back into the ReStores traditional location on National Avenue next week, Kuntz said.

Were seeing it as a bit of a restart and really hoping to set the pace going forward, he said.
The Montana Community Foundation is hoping to build upon last years participation in a crowdfunding event to benefit local nonprofit organizations.

MTGives will be held statewide on May 3, and 88 Helena nonprofit organizations -- whose benefit to the community ranges from work by the Pad for Paws Foundation on behalf of pets, to cultural contributions such as those by the Archie Bray Foundation, to human services where organizations such as the Helena Area Habitat for Humanity, Indian Law Resource Center and Helena Industries, will all benefit.

A complete list of the local organizations that are participating in this years event can be found on the Give Local Helena website at https://givelocalhelena.org under the "DISCOVER NONPROFITS" heading at the top of the page.

The local event is part of the statewide and national effort, Give Local America, to encourage philanthropy, according to Riley Meredith, the marketing and communication director at the Montana Community Foundation in Helena.

Unlike end-of-year charitable giving, the upcoming one-day event is held online and donors choose the organizations they want to support, Meredith said.

Last year was Helenas first year participating, and a little more than $55,000 was raised, he said, and noted organizers are hoping for perhaps $100,000 this year.

The statewide effort raised more than $640,000 last year, according to a news release, and the goal this year is the $1 million mark.

Nationally, the 2015 event raised more than $68.5 million that assisted more than 9,000 nonprofit organizations.

Based on the success in other Montana cities, Meredith said year after year, it gains more recognition, more popularity. More people hear about it.

The Montana Community Foundation doesnt tap the donations that are received to cover its costs.

The only money that comes off the top is the credit card processing fees, Meredith explained and added that the rest of it goes right to the charitable organizations.

The minimum donation is $10 and donors can watch the online tally as it increases during the day, he said.

The Montana Community Foundations mission is to cultivate a culture of giving so Montana communities can flourish, the news release announcing the May 3 event stated.

The foundation serves as a center for philanthropy in the state and works with donors, charitable organizations and communities to provide simple and effective ways to give back to Montana, the news release further noted.
NORMAL  The Mitsubishi auto plant, land and contents have been sold to a Michigan firm that will take possession on June 1.

"We do not know their future plans for the site and equipment," said Dan Irvin, general manager of corporate communications for Mitsubishi Motors North America, referring to Maynards Industries, based in Southfield, Mich.

"However, we are aware that they are in discussions with various parties and are reviewing all of their options."

No details were given on the purchase agreement.

Maynards manages asset auctions and asset valuation projects valued up to half a billion dollars from eight offices in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan and China, according to the company's website.

Maynards USA Division President Taso Sofikitis was not available for comment on Friday.

"This could be a very positive move because clearly (selling plants) is not Mitsubishi's core business," Normal City Manager Mark Peterson said Friday afternoon. "Maynards is highly motivated to try to sell it and recoup their investment. They're very well-connected within the automobile manufacturing industry."

Peterson said the town is going to have to talk to Maynards about how we as a community can support their efforts to find a buyer."

Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner said having someone willing to purchase the plant was positive news.

"It doesn't mean we have an employer willing to come in, but there is somebody who obviously thinks the plant is worth purchasing," said Renner. "They can begin to market it so that we can actually get someone in there who will employ people in our local economy."

"I remain cautiously optimistic that (Maynards) can find a buyer to sell the plant to as a whole operation," said state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington. "These are difficult times in which to do that, and I am just glad there has been some movement. We will have some potential life for the plant."

Local and state officials have been trying for nine months to find a buyer for the Normal plant that ceased production in November and will permanently close May 31.

Those efforts include a trip this week by Normal Mayor Chris Koos and Kyle Ham, CEO of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, to Hanover, Germany, site of the 2016 Hanover Messe  a five-day annual event billed as "the world's biggest industrial fair," with 6,500 exhibitors and 250,000 visitors.

Prior to leaving, Ham said, Our goals are fairly simple: One is to sell McLean County, Bloomington and Normal, talking to companies about the properties and assets we have; the second part focuses particularly on the Mitsubishi property."

Mike OGrady, vice president of the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council, said he did not know how the announcement Friday would affect the officials' trip to Germany.

"Short of a few text messages on other issues we have not discussed this one," said O'Grady.

He said he does not know what the plant's sale to the auctioneering and liquidation firm means for the facilitys future.

"We haven't dealt with them," O'Grady said. "I don't know enough about the company. I don't know anything about what their plans are."

He added: "From the little I've heard and what I've tried to catch up on in a short time is it's a well-known company. Hopefully it means an opportunity.

United Auto Workers Local 2488 President Rod DeVary, a member of the task force of local and state officials formed immediately after the closure announcement last summer to find a buyer for the plant, said he was surprised by news of the sale.

We were kind of hoping it would remain an automotive manufacturing plant, he said.

DeVary is among about 60 employees who still work at the plant, doing maintenance and service parts production. Their last workday is May 31, he said.
Would you apply for a job for which you didn't feel qualified?

Many people do, of course, but Krista Scott shared an intriguing statistic that opened some eyes at a Women's History Month event at Millikin University last month.

Scott, a senior mathematics major from St. Louis and president of the campus Sister Circle, said that men apply for a job when they meet 60 percent of the requirements, but women apply only if they meet 100 percent of them.

That prompted Britteny Dunson, a 2010 graduate and one of seven panelists assembled for the event, to smile and confess that she'd just accepted a human resources position at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago that she wasn't all that sure she could do.

Not that she was worried.

If you only do what you already know how to do, you won't grow, Dunson said. Guys will make stuff up, they will just be like, 'Yes, I can do that,' while women want to follow the rules and not take any risks.

Other panelists offered additional insights on how some women need a better understanding of the hiring process and a bit more confidence in themselves.

Chilwana Thompson, assistant director of Millikin's Student Financial Services, said if an applicant does not possess all the qualifications listed in a job description, it doesn't mean they can't do the job.

Amanda Podeschi, director of Alumni and Development, asked members of the audience to give it a shot because, along with transferable skills, they may have the energy and fresh ideas an organization is looking for.

Raphaella Prange, dean of students, built upon that theme by urging women to be themselves and avoid experiencing the impostor syndrome, caused by comparing yourself unfavorably to your predecessors.

You may be very different than the people who came before you, Prange said, but you and your distinctive qualities may be just what the organization needs to get to the next level.

I think the discussion was outstanding for a couple reasons.

It's a good reminder that connections, advocacy and/or a creative framing of one's expertise can take a job applicant a long way. As Dunson mentioned, she likes to go over her resume before an interview and relate what she's done to the job requirements.

Second, it gives all those women who have not been applying for jobs a clue that not everyone believes all the stated qualifications must be met, not even employers.

When you see that great grand list of (requirements), you just have to think if somebody else can do it, so can I, Thompson said. Just because you don't know it now doesn't mean you can't learn it.
DECATUR  Students at St. Patrick School decided to do more about easing hunger than just talk about it.

Inspired by Hunger in America, this year's theme for the junior high's speech competition through Modern Woodmen of America, they raised $350 to feed hungry people right here in Decatur through Catholic Charities.

They did it by staging a special art exhibit in the church cafeteria and inviting visitors to vote for their favorites by paying 25 cents per vote.

Emily Huttes, one of five seventh-grade girls who brainstormed the idea, suggested the money be given to a local charity in the business of feeding the hungry. Anna Hainline proposed an art show, which debuted Palm Sunday with 65 entries, each done on the student's own time.

We also had a coffee and doughnut drive that day, said classmate MaKenzie Shaw.

Entries included drawings, paintings, photography and a variety of 3-D art including a wreath made from pages of a Tom Clancy novel and an airplane made out of Legos.

The top finishers were fourth-grader Max Schilawski, first place for Toucan; eighth-grader GyMya Norred, second place for Undertaker; and eighth-grader Riley Barnett, third place for Dreams.

Some of these look professional, Emily said.

Peg Randall, a new member of the parish, was so impressed that she has been volunteering to do art projects with the students ever since.

Other seventh-graders who played a leading role on the project were Katie Frankovich and Sariah Mathews.

Language arts teacher Mitzi Johnson brought in speakers such as Robin Murray, community services supervisor at Catholic Charities, to teach students how to use people as resources for their speeches and is pleased with the way they took the concept to the next level.

The school has a tradition of doing things like this, Johnson said. It was a great outcome.
WASHINGTON, D.C.  Flora Yang is small, spry and not afraid to tell you her age: 90-something. She walks twice a week at Mazza Gallerie in Northwest Washington, D.C., and said mall walking keeps her young and fit.

Health officials are starting to notice that effect too and say more malls should open their doors to walkers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put out a guide saying the mall is a perfect place for seniors to get in their steps.

Its no secret that getting up and moving makes people healthier and reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. But unpredictable weather and unsafe streets sometimes get in the way, especially for seniors.

Thats where shopping malls come in.

Mall walking began decades ago, when heart doctors began recommending it to their patients, said Basia Belza, a professor at the University of Washingtons nursing school. She estimates that hundreds of programs exist around the country, but they arent widely known.

They are the best-kept secret, Belza said.

The CDCs resource guide, for malls, released last year, encourages malls to expand walking clubs and set up new ones. The guide, co-authored by Belza, said indoor shopping centers are ideal for walking because their level surfaces make seniors less likely to slip and fall. Malls are also well-lit and have water fountains, restrooms and places to rest. And seniors can walk in malls regardless of the weather.

The surgeon general cited mall walking last year in a national call to action to improve the nations walkability and to get more people moving.

Mall walking clubs are often partnerships between a shopping center and providers, hospitals and community groups that serve seniors. They are typically free for walkers, and some include organized warm-up exercises, health screenings and lectures about healthy eating.

Sibley Memorial Hospital runs the walking club at Mazza Gallerie. In addition to helping seniors get exercise, participating in the club reduces their isolation, said Marti Bailey, director of the hospitals senior association. Its so much more than walking, Bailey said. Its walking, talking, sharing life together in a real way. Its the beauty of the walking club.

Bailey said such clubs are more important now than ever, given the aging of the population and the number of seniors living with chronic diseases.

Yang believes she was the first member of the Mazza Gallerie walking club. She said she started walking there in 1992, back when she could carry her granddaughter in her arms. Soon, she said, people started walking with her, and the numbers grew. She has benefited greatly, she said.

Still I can fight you, she said, giggling.

Members of the club come and go. Ann Morales, the secretary of the group, pulled out a photo of its walkers from several years ago. This is the doctor who used to be here, she said. He passed away  Marlene, Flora are here. We havent seen this lady for a long time.

On the mornings that they gather, the seniors start with a blood pressure check by a retired doctor.

Lets take a peek, Aric Schichor said as he wrapped the cuff around Yangs arm. 140 over 80.

Then Yang stood up and headed down the hall, holding hands with another longtime walker, Marlene Jordan. My doctor says I need a cane, Jordan said. I dont think I need it.

Im her cane, Yang said, giving her a squeeze.

The group strolled past a T.J. Maxx and a jewelry store and turned the corner at a Subway sandwich shop. Seven times around made a mile.

Helga Fox, 87, has been walking with the group for a few years. She lives in a condo with a fitness center, but she prefers to come here. She likes the company.

Its a nice way to start the day, she said.

Most of all, Fox said, she appreciates being able to visit with the doctor. She has hypertension and feels better after having her blood pressure checked.

Walking groups also benefit the malls, which have struggled to attract traffic as more consumers turn to online shopping.

Nicole Schade, a spokeswoman for Mazza Gallerie, said the walkers there often visit the stores, see a movie or grab breakfast.

We have seen an uptick in business thanks to the mall walking program, Schade said.

Jagannathan Murli, for example, always heads to McDonalds afterward. He and a friend always order the same thing: two coffees and two hash browns.

Its not healthy, but its allowed, Murli said. But, he added, only after walking.
DECATUR  There is no way to ensure your business will rapidly end up in the ideal commercial space, even when you are in the insurance business.

But that perfect perch is almost certainly out there in Decatur and the surrounding area somewhere, tucked away amid a host of options and configurations.

Mark Hite, owner with son, Ryan, of Eagle Rock Insurance Services, took a long flight through Decatur's vacant office possibilities before he came down in the place he was meant to be.

Hite has been in the insurance business for 25 years and was previously based in Macon. After taking over another insurance firm and assuming the Eagle Rock name for all his insurance operations, he looked to relocate to Decatur to be near most of his client base. And while son Ryan is off running the Eagle Rock office in Peoria, his dad wanted a space at this end within an easily findable address with plenty of parking both for his clients; himself; his business partner, Steve Spinner; and their three-strong support staff.

Hite's hunt for his ideal insurance aerie began roughly two years ago. I think I looked at every building in downtown Decatur, he recalled. Some were too small, some were too big and some didn't have parking.

Tim Vieweg, owner and managing broker of Vieweg Real Estate, helped guide the search and eventually found what Hite was looking for in Vieweg's own commercial headquarters at 225 S. Main St. Tucked up on the third floor was around 1,600 square feet of blank space that was remodeled precisely to Eagle Rock's specifications. With plenty of parking down below, Hite and his team are now roosting in comfort.

It's really worked out well for us, said Hite. Tim had a great knowledge of what's available, and he works very hard at it.

Which seems to be the secret for navigating a path through the tangle of commercial real estate: you need a good guide. The Herald & Review took a quick survey of market trends  and took the temperature of the residential housing outlook, too  and the professionals who acted as our guides say the market for real property is enjoying a post-recession bounce amid a robust economy.

Actually, even in the last month, it has really heated up as far as inquiries are concerned, with a lot of out of town and out of state inquiries about our commercial market, Vieweg said. The challenge is always finding exactly what they want but, because of that challenge, I think we are going to see a lot of construction this year.

He points to developments in the works ranging from small office buildings to retail strips and some industrial projects. Vieweg said the enticing potential of Decatur's Midwest Inland Port facility ties in with our central location and railroad hub status and is driving interest from warehouse and distribution operations looking to escape crippling prices in big cities like Chicago.

After Chicago, our land prices seem cheap and traffic here is not nearly so congested, Vieweg added. So trucks can run out of their plants and onto the highways a lot easier.

Maddison Daniels, a property manager for Main Place Properties, also noted the hot demand for any kind of warehouse space. Clients have heard of the Inland Port when they call here, she said, rating it a major commercial asset. She said prospective buyers may not be planning to use the port now, but have their eye on it for the future as they grow their businesses. It's important, definitely, she added.

Tony Romano, of the Romano Co. construction firm, is happy to build or remodel to suit any commercial taste and likes the way 2016 is shaping up for his business. He points to local projects ranging from hotels to offices and restaurants and is currently clearing and prepping the site of the former Big Creek Stables for development.

We've had ongoing talks with some people interested in that, he said. And the development there is more than likely going to be commercial. Overall, I think the economy seems to be picking up a little bit and there are a lot of plans being drawn up, a lot of opportunities out there. I think 2016 is going to be fantastic.

The builder of 30 years' experience is less thrilled about the pace of new residential construction, which has slowed considerably. Romano said a housing market laden with desirable preowned properties has sapped demand for building new dream homes.

But once they (preowned homes) drop off the market, we'll see an uptick in building, he said.

One firm pushing hard to clear the residential inventory overburden is Brinkoetter and Associates. They handle both residential and commercial and say sales are moving briskly on all fronts.

I'll tell you, in 2014 we maybe did a couple million dollars in commercial real estate transactions, said owner and managing broker, Carla Brinkoetter. But last year we did $10 million in commercial. We have new brokers, Chris Harrison and Zane Peterson, who are very knowledgeable and are driving that, plus there is a lot of demand out there.

Looking at overall commercial and residential sales, she said her business numbers were up 14 percent over the first two months of 2015 and, from a residential perspective, some home categories were now glowing red-hot.

We have buyers looking to spend up to $350,000 and we can't find them anything, Brinkoetter said. That's because they want ranches with basements and they are just not out there. Another feverish demand zone is family homes priced in the $90,000 to $150,000 range while buyers with deeper pockets, at least by Decatur standards, will still find a nice selection of sumptuous homes in the $400,000-plus range

As for first-time buyers, the post-recession clamp-down on lending conditions has eased a bit, and some grant options are available to help people make the leap into home ownership.

Glenda Williamson, owner of Glenda Williamson Realty, has said the grants are helping first time buyers and so are sellers. She says deals are getting done because sellers are willing to assist buyers with prepaid costs like appraisals and insurance and with closing costs.

She said younger buyers often need all the help they can get in these times of more stringent lending standards and other cost burdens. And it's not unusual for buyers to have a $60,000 student loan, she said.

Overall, Williamson shares the view that the market is buoyant and starting to burn through its inventory of available homes. Statistics from the Decatur Association of Realtors show that in February 2016 the inventory of Decatur homes for sale stood at 508 compared to 596 a year earlier  a decline of nearly 15 percent.

Sales in January-February 2016 hit 164, a jump of 14.7 percent over the 143 sales lodged in the same months a year ago. Houses were spending 18 days more on the market before selling  140 days so far this year compared to 121 a year ago  but they sold for more. Average sale price in Jan-Feb 2016 was more than $104,000, as compared with $88,400 at this time last year, a jump of 18 percent.

Williamson says hot areas of the market she's seen include lower priced homes snapped up for cash by real estate investors, and solid family homes priced fairly and in tip-top condition. We're even seeing multiple offers on anything that is really in move-in condition, she added. And that's something we've not seen before.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Cloudy early with isolated thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 88F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

A few thunderstorms this evening. Mostly clear skies late. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 56F. SW winds shifting to NW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
The Artsakh Ministry of Defense reports that last night Azerbaijan continued to violate the cessation of hostilities declaration by firing a variety of small arms and grenade/mortar rounds.

The ministry says its forces are closely monitoring the situation.
Protesters head into the Legislative building for a sit-in against House Bill 2 in Raleigh, N.C., April 25, 2016. House Bill 2 requires people to use the restroom associated with the gender assigned at birth.
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The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, D.C., in April 2016
Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Urban affairs, investigations, consumer help ("SOS") Follow Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal 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

UW-Madison professors and Republican lawmakers are at it again  this time over a no-confidence resolution proposed by professors and targeting UW System president Ray Cross and the Board of Regents.

It reminds me of those dysfunctional relationships you sometimes see between parents and their teenage children  complete with shouting and pointless power struggles.

Last year, UW-Madison faculty created a new tenure policy after the Legislatures Republican majority brought Wisconsin in line with every other state by removing tenure protections from state law.

The Board of Regents approved the policy this month, albeit with changes some faculty believe weaken academic freedom and educational quality, and are inconsistent with tenure policies recommended by the American Association of University Professors.

Not all professors see the new policy as insufficiently respectful of their scholarship, much less an affront. And keep in mind that the AAUP is like any other special interest, from the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council  which also seeks to get public bodies to adopt its model polices  to the Sierra Club.

Approving the no-confidence resolution cant change UW-Madisons tenure policy or get Cross fired or Regents replaced.

It is, for all practical purposes, the equivalent of an angry teenager slamming his bedroom door after his parents tell him he cant have something he wants: Loud but ultimately meaningless.

Unfortunately, state Rep. Jim Steineke and Sen. Steve Nass dont seem to realize this. They followed the teenager back to his room so they could upbraid him for being an ungrateful brat.

This action ... shows an arrogance, Steinke said in a statement, and is a clear example of the complete disconnect between UW Madison faculty and struggling families.

Nass warned that if faculty cant handle a few common-sense changes, maybe even more institutional reforms are urgently needed.

Of course, faculty might not be slamming its bedroom door and a lawmaker might not be making ominous threats if the Legislatures Republican majority had been better parents to UW-Madison in the first place. Because if theres anything Ive learned in 13 years of being a parent, its that yes, it really is all our fault.

But maybe the better family analogy is the one where UW-Madison and Republicans are the parents and the children are, well, the children: UW-Madison students.

Squeezed by the universitys past tuition hikes and the Legislatures repeated cuts to UW System funding, the children are the true victims of the petty, self-serving bickering that goes on in their parents unhappy marriage.
Gary Bennett wants to assure you hes not out to destroy the Madison School District.

The former legislative staffer leads the new Office of Educational Opportunity at the University of Wisconsin System. That makes him the unofficial charter czar, the guy who now has the ability to bypass local school boards and authorize independent charter schools in Madison and Milwaukee.

Its a controversial idea, deemed by opponents as unnecessary at best, poisonous at worst. Critics believe independent charter schools siphon money and resources from traditional public schools. Supporters contend theyre needed to stimulate innovation and correct failures in the current system.

In an interview, Bennett acknowledged that his new role is viewed negatively by some, but he suggested hes not the enemy. At times, he spoke rather kindly of the Madison School District.

How charter schools operate in Wisconsin Charter schools are public schools in that they are funded by taxpayer money, cannot charge 

We have good schools here, said Bennett, 33, who has lived in Madison since moving to the city in 2008 to attend UW Law School. We just need more good schools in more areas.

Bennett started April 1 at an annual salary of $95,000. His hiring raised eyebrows from the start.

At the time he applied for the position, he was chief of staff for Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills. She was among Republican lawmakers who pushed for creating the office, and she is co-chairwoman of the Legislatures budget committee, which added funding for it.

Among the search committee members was Jessica Tormey, another former chief of staff for Darling who is now chief of staff for UW System President Ray Cross, who made the decision to hire Bennett.

Rep. Sondy Pope, D-Cross Plains, the ranking Democrat on the Assembly Education Committee, said hiring an individual whose boss was instrumental in creating the position reeks of cronyism. The new office strips Madison and Milwaukee of local control and opens the floodgates for unaccountable, for-profit charters, she said.

Others are willing to give Bennett more of a break. Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, while no fan of Republican education policy, said Bennetts hiring does not strike her as atypical.

Its not unusual that a staff member who had expertise like that would be hired for a job like that, she said.

Right person for the job?

Born and raised in Utah, Bennett earned a bachelors degree in political science from Pepperdine University, then joined the Teach for America program, which recruits college graduates to teach in low-income communities. He taught second grade for three years in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas while earning a masters degree in education.

After graduating from UW Law School, he and two others in 2011 started EdTogether, a Madison nonprofit organization that advocated for early childhood education and analyzed data from Wisconsin schools, including charter schools, to identify what was working.

The startup, now dissolved, lasted less than two years as the co-founders accepted other job offers, Bennett said. He was hired as an adviser to Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, where he worked for about 18 months before joining Darlings staff in 2013.

That was an interesting time, Bennett said, as he lost the trust of the Democratic caucus while initially being viewed suspiciously by Republicans as a possible spy.

Politically, Bennett describes himself as center right but said hes not a dyed-in-the-wool anything.

UW Law School professor Linda Greene rejects the idea that Bennett is a Republican partisan.

If you were to ask anyone at the law school, What is Gary Bennetts political affiliation? I dont think anyone would associate him with a particular party, said Greene, who taught him in classes and chose him to work for her as a research assistant.

The fact that Bennett has worked effectively with both Democrats and Republicans suggests he might be one of the best possible people to have working on this important issue in our current political environment, she said.

Darling, Bennetts former Republican boss, said, Gary will be a terrific proponent for educational-reform initiatives that will make a difference in peoples lives.

At this point, its not possible to compare Bennetts qualifications with other applicants. UW System denied an open records request for the names of other finalists. It cited another new state law that prohibits UW System from disclosing the names of any job applicants who request confidentiality, with limited exemptions not applicable in this case.

State budget committee approves letting UW System authorize charter schools Independent charter schools could be created in Milwaukee and Madison under the proposal.

Alex Hummel, a UW System spokesman, said 14 applicants met the minimum criteria to be considered for the position. All of the unsuccessful candidates requested confidentiality, he said.

To critics of his hiring, Bennett said he intends to prove them wrong through time, transparency and good work.

He insists that the process he will set in motion to create charter schools will be a collaborative one, with ideas bubbling up from the community, not imposed from above. He will seek to include diverse voices and to empower people who traditionally have been marginalized, he said. Its an approach informed by his background.

Im gay, Native American and Jewish, he said. Im a lot of historically oppressed groups wrapped up in one person.

Bennett said his biological father, who is deceased, was of the SKlallam tribe in Washington state. He describes himself as half-white, half-Native American and said he follows the Jewish faith.

The work ahead

Bennett is putting together a board that will assist him in determining whether to authorize charter schools, and he envisions a separate evaluation committee that would score and make recommendations to the board.

Its not just going to be me, he said.

He declined to speculate on how many independent charter schools Madison might have in five or 10 years. The earliest feasible launch for one would be fall 2017, but thats neither a goal nor a hard deadline, he said.

Madison School Board signals openness to employee share of health premiums The approach could be used to help fill a budget gap next year.

One big fear of critics is that Bennett will allow for-profit companies to begin operating charter schools in Madison. The current laws would allow for this, Bennett said, but he has no intention of doing so.

As long as Im in this position, only nonprofits will be considered, he said. This is about the community and kids. Period.

Bennett recently met with Madison Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham. He called the meeting productive, saying he wants honest, ongoing communication with the district.

Cheatham also called the meeting productive and said she was pleased to hear from Bennett that he is committed to working collaboratively with the district.

That said, she repeated her goal of making the district so successful that Bennetts office becomes obsolete.
Emergency room doctors are inclined to see you quickly if you have a simple problem such as an ankle injury or allergic reaction, but they may take longer if you have a complex complaint like numbness or vaginal bleeding, a study at UW Hospitals ER found.

Residents, or doctors in training, typically take on straightforward cases about four minutes after patients are assigned rooms but wait eight to 11 minutes to pick up cases that are considered more challenging to evaluate and treat, according to the study by UW-Madison researchers.

Even when the severity of the patients complaint and the level of crowdedness of the ER were taken into account, a two-fold difference in pickup time remained between easier and more difficult cases.

Residents might be choosing cases they think they can handle quickly, trying to avoid uncomfortable interactions with patients or attempting to treat the most patients overall, the researchers said.

Perhaps the residents are looking toward having a more efficient day, where they see more patients, if they see some of these patients that they can have a quick disposition on, said Dr. Brian Patterson, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at UW-Madison and lead author of the study, published online in February in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine.

Or, are they looking for things theyre better trained in and more comfortable taking care of? Patterson asked.

The study, part of an effort to improve quality and efficiency in ERs nationwide, is believed to be the first to examine ER pickup time and doctor preference.

It excluded trauma and critically ill patients, who generally are treated immediately.

Patterson said the findings may mean training should be modified to make residents more comfortable with cases they dont claim quickly. But its possible that handling simpler cases first is the most efficient approach, he said.

The pickup time differences have little or no impact on patients medical outcomes, the researchers said. Pickup time is a small portion of an overall ER visit, which includes sitting in the waiting room, nurse triage, treatment and discharge or admission to the hospital  a process that typically takes several hours.

We wouldnt argue at all that this has a medical or clinical impact, said Robert Batt, an assistant professor in the UW-Madison School of Business who also worked on the study.

The researchers analyzed about 70 categories of chief complaints made by more than 30,000 patients at UW Hospitals ER from August 2012 to July 2013. The median time between a patients room assignment and a resident accepting the case was six minutes.

For allergic reactions and ankle or wrist injuries, complaints considered relatively easy to treat, the median pickup time was four minutes.

Complaints associated with extensive evaluations had longer median pickup times: eight minutes for abdominal problems, 10 minutes for numbness/tingling and 11 minutes for vaginal bleeding.

When patients initially are evaluated by nurses, they are given severity scores of one to five, with one most severe. Doctors generally see patients with the most severe problems first, regardless of the type of complaint.

But even when the study controlled for severity and other factors, the pickup time for the more challenging complaints was eight to nine minutes compared to four to five minutes for simpler cases.
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This State Journal editorial ran on May 1, 1986:

The disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the Ukraine is less a study in the gap between Eastern and Western technology than it is a sad commentary on the oppressive secrecy that permeates life in the Soviet Union.

No one knows how many people were killed, or will eventually die, as a result of the apparent meltdown of the plants nuclear core. The Soviets will officially admit to two deaths. ...

U.S. and Swedish intelligence sources believe the accident took place Saturday, but the world and the Soviet people were unaware of the life-threatening disaster for at least 24 hours. It was not until radioactive dust loosed by the Chernobyl accident was detected late Sunday in the air over Swedens eastern coast, 700 miles away, that the world knew a disaster was in the making. ...

Still unanswered are questions about the safety of people living in Kiev, a metropolis of 2.4 million within 80 miles of the plant. ...

Contrast the dearth of reliable information about the Chernobyl incident with the glut of data that followed the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania (in 1979). ...

While the Chernobyl accident apparently does not pose a direct health threat to the United States, the political fallout is certain to have an effect on superpower relations.

A frank international discussion of the Chernobyl accident could lead to a clearing of the air on other issues, perhaps even the ultimate question of nuclear safety  arms control.
Daleidens appeal, filed last week by Chicago-based Thomas More Society counsel, assails the lower courts decree as a "blatantly unconstitutional 'prior restraint' on free speech, based on repeated Supreme Court precedents that condemn such gag orders, most notably the famous Pentagon Papers case in which the Justices refused the federal governments plea to stop publication of top secret files discussing the Vietnam war which had been leaked to the New York Times and Washington Post.

"The government will respond within two weeks to our motion, and the court will convene a status on the motion May 25, in Houston," one of Daleiden's attorneys Peter Breen told Illinois Review. The hearing will be sometime during the summer.

CHICAGO - The shocking Planned Parenthood undercover videos that hit the Internet last fall were the center of attention in Houston Friday, as videographer David Daleiden' s attorneys argued for the reversal of a preliminary injunction barring Daleiden from publishing videos he took at the National Abortion Federation's 2014 and 2015 annual meetings.

David Daleiden (third frm right) with Thomas More Society's Peter Breen (r) Tom Brechja (2nd r)

"The appeal brief also argued that release of undercover video of significant (if not paramount) public interest should not be suppressed, in order to protect the publics right to know  a critical element of our professed democratic self-governance as an open and free society," a statement from Thomas More Society explained.

"Indeed, the United States Congress, numerous state legislators, and criminal investigators have subpoenaed and relied on Daleidens video releases to instigate hearings, new legal and regulatory initiatives, defunding measures, and also possible civil and criminal enforcement actions against the abortion industry. Congress itself had subpoenaed the suppressed videos and the lower court upheld that subpoena, which in turn led to a public hearing by the House Select Committee on Infant Lives, held last week."

This prejudicial censorship targeted at civilian investigator Daleiden threatens undercover journalism at large, explained Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Society, a national non-profit law firm.

The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is working in tandem with Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers and promoters to suppress David Daleidens First Amendment rights and to shut down the resulting investigations focused on the abortion groups involvement in baby parts trafficking, Brejcha said.

Before the court appearance Friday, Daleiden was honored at an event sponsored by Illinois Right to Life in Chicago Wednesday night.

After the event, IRTL's executive Director Emily Zender shared via email four things Daleiden said at their banquet that struck her the most:

....the abortion industry is very meticulous about preserving each body part of the child in the abortion to sell but entirely disregards preserving the actual child.

...the aborted baby parts that Planned Parenthood sells are so valuable because they are human.

...the abortion clinic workers he met are highly ambivalent and highly conflicted about their work.

... David said all the lawsuits, the indictments, the media coverage, and negative personal attacks against him is relaxing compared to what he witnessed and endured undercover in Planned Parenthood.

Zender offered an opportunity for prolifers to directly write Daleiden:

For the next 72 hours only, you can still write David a thank you note and we'll deliver it directly to him. Write your letter here.

"Forward this email to your kids, your family, or your friends as their last chance to thank the man that has sent the abortion industry into a tailspin," she wrote.
Big announcement from the Tammy Duckworth for U.S. Senate campaign Saturday: Leftist U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren endorsed the congresswoman today in her bid to unseat the unpopular incumbent Republican Mark Kirk.

Once again emphasizing to frustrated Illinois conservatives that they have no viable choice in that race in November:
Who do you thing you are? Wolfe Tone?

The first half of Rosemary Jenkinsons new playsets up an extended study of a less than budding republican writer (played by Michael Condron) who is otherwise workshy and lives with his pregnant wife Mary (Kerri Quinn) and her younger sister Jenny (Susan Davey) in a mostly Protestant street in east Belfast.Vincent Gallaghers fired-up prose is affected by his celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising and Mary worries that this will engender a notoriety that will put the family at risk from local loyalist activists and enlists the help of her priest (Niall Cusack).Another man of letters, Freddie the postman (Thomas Finnegan), is their link to the dominant local community.His cross-community fondness for young Jenny is perhaps not his most disruptive trait when menacing troublemakers gather outside the Gallagher house.The pace and satire are moved up a notch in the second half when the same cast return playing new characters who have moved into the same house fifty years later in 2016. Marta (Davey) is a Polish community worker who is supporting Syrian refugees being resettled in Belfast. Shes moved in with local boy Jim (Condron). Again the couple are outsiders, at a distance from the local community and keen not to be brought to their attention. Displacement is all around.The arrival of a mustard trouser wearing representative of the Ulster Historical Society and a blue plaque to be erected to mark the home of the utterly unremarkable yet newly rediscovered Vincent Gallagher causes a stir. But it is the entrance of Donna Ni Duineachair (Quinn), Minister of Culture Arts and Leisure, that blows the situation up into a storm. Racism is layered on top of sectarianism and a post mortem is swiftly carried out on the new Northern Ireland.Its a relief to find that the second half does not completely mirror the first. The ghosts of 1966 are subject to revisionism. Old difficulties are faced but new mistakes are made. Real life figures like 2014-15 poet laureate Sinead Morrissey invade the script. The Culture Minister Donna is remarkably familiar: the Socrates/Sophocles reference is from a real speech delivered in Culturlann that I recorded and published online The period costumes pick up the 1966 brown theme of the confined living room created by Linbury Prize-winning Grace Smart. The scene changes and air guitar playing sequences overlaid with (mostly) 1966 music are a little too prolonged. A snatch of Bowie after the interval pins the action in contemporary times.Jennys dancing feels quite exuberant, even for the swinging sixties though Davey offers a sophisticated portrayal of Marta, a heavenly messenger turned fallen angel. While everyone is a foil for Condrons comic timing, every character is blessed with laugh out loud lines including Father Black who accuses Vincent of fighting the British with your Schaefer. There are some great original jokes in the play and the Lyric audience titter along with glee.The set is small, buts ambition is huge and director Jimmy Fay takes advantage of the play being staged in the Lyrics main auditorium. The placement and direction of Philip Stewarts sound effects stand out from most plays, with a baying crowd, stones on windows and the odd call of a sea gull.Jenkinson explores the freedom of artists to be free to write what they want as well as the politicisation of culture and remembering in Northern Ireland. There are also nods towards a writers immortality versus controversiality, a fine line that writers of satire must tread. An off stage, off colour joke in the second half pushes boundaries and audience buttons; the anxiety in the stalls lightens when, after a pause, the character acknowledges what theyve done.References to a culturally monolithic community resonated with echoes of Jenkinsons earlier play script available on Amazon ]. Maybe one day, along with David Irelands, it will be staged in Northern Ireland.is an entertaining tragicomedy with novel humour and an outsiders perspective. It runs in the Lyric until 14 May. Its funny, sassy and surely an apposite reminder that its possible to reference the Troubles in drama without revelling in the conflict or merely squeezing out cheap jokes rather than challenge.
All ICSE and ISC schools have been directed by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) to ensure that students get regular yoga training.

By India Today Web Desk: All ICSE and ISC schools have been directed by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) to ensure that students get regular yoga training.

What are schools being asked to do?



Two yoga classes have to be conducted in the schools each week

The schools have also been asked to invite eminent yoga professionals to deliver lectures and hold demonstrations

The schools have to make sure that the students understand how yoga benefits their mind and body

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When was the decision taken on regular yoga classes?

The second International Day of Yoga will be held on June 21. It is to discuss the preparations for this event that a meeting was convened by the Ministry of AYUSH in early April, during which the CISCE took the decision for the yoga classes.

Why is yoga being made mandatory?

The reason behind this order, according to CISCE's press release, is that yoga should be made a part of a healthy lifestyle and should not be side-lined as a one-off activity. It is said that the youngsters needed to get "familiarised" with a healthy way of living their life.

Mixed response from students and officials:



The principal of Christ School, Fr. Shaju Varghese, told the Hindu that yoga classes were already conducted in his school but they weren't mandatory

"Personally, I feel yoga should not be made compulsory for all students and it can be imparted to students who are interested in it," said Varghese

Class 12 student of Bishop Cotton Girl's School, Dharini, supported the move as she felt that regular yoga classes would help the students stay physically fit and enable them to better deal with academic stress.

Read: Yoga education committee asks 10 Cr UGC grants to form yoga departments in institutes

Read: Govt begins planning for second edition of International Yoga Day

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According to doctors in AIIMS, the child was advised to consume the supplement for physical development. However, the overdose of the tablets for continuous 21 days shot up the supplement level in his body by 30 times above the normal level. Subsequently, there was heavy accumulation of calcium in the intestine which resulted into his death.

By Anu Jain Rahtogi : The recent death of a 10-year-old in Delhi's AIIMS hospital due to vitamin D overdose has sparked fresh debates over consumption of the supplement beyond prescribed limits.

The deceased reportedly consumed six lakh international units of vitamin D against prescribed limit of 1,000 which led to his death.

According to doctors in AIIMS, the child was advised to consume the supplement for physical development. However, the overdose of the tablets for continuous 21 days shot up the supplement level in his body by 30 times above the normal level. Subsequently, there was heavy accumulation of calcium in the intestine which resulted into his death.

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The boy's death due to the drug overdose without medical prescription has led to doctors debating over the prescribed levels of the supplement. While on one side, doctors are concerned over people consuming vitamin D without medical prescriptions, on the other hand they also fear that discussions over this might scare people from consuming it altogether.

"There is a trend of overdose of vitamin D and that too without consulting doctors," said AIIMS' psychiatrist.



Voicing a similar concern, another doctor from AIIMS Randeep Guleria said, "Overconsumption of anything is dangerous, even if it is water."

Dr. Seema Bhargava, microbiologist at Gangaram Hospital said, "A body needs 30 to 70 nano grams per milimeter of vitamin D, if it is below 20 or above 70 then the situation becomes critical."

According to senior medicine consultant, Dr ML Vali, "Excess usage of vitamin D leads to accumulation of calcium in arteries which in turn obstruct the blood flow. This leads to heart attack or brain hemorrhage.

Vali also pointed out that 80 per cent of the people in the country suffer from vitamin D deficiency, therefore it is essential to note that while overdose of vitamin D is dangerous, its importance for overall human health cannot be denied.

Vitamin D is an essential component for overall human health, its deficiency leads to weak bones and high sugar levels in the blood stream. Apart from sunrays and certain



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As Main Hoon Na turned 12 in the world of cinema on Saturday, choreographer-director Farah Khan and Shah Rukh Khan got into a discussion over making part two of the 2004 hit.

By India Today Web Desk: As Main Hoon Na turned 12 in the world of cinema on Saturday, choreographer-director Farah Khan and Shah Rukh Khan got into a discussion over making part two of the 2004 hit.

When Shah Rukh, who was seen playing the role of an Army officer in the film, went into nostalgic mode and talked about the making of the film, Farah asked him to join forces again to make a second instalment of the movie.

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Applauded for getting a fresh breeze into the cinematic storytelling way, the film also stars Zayed Khan, Amrita Rao, Kabir Bedi, Satish Shah and Suniel Shetty.

Bollywood's Baadshah tweeted, "Making films with friends is so beautiful. Big hug Farah, Zayed, Sush, Amrita, Mani, Anu, Suniel and all stars and crew and so many others for the hug for MHN. Boman, Shirish, Harry, Keiten, Binduji, Rakhi, Kabir, Naseer, Kiran and the spitting Satish. Thanks Farah Khan".

To this Farah said: "Come on lets plan part two".

Making films with friends is so beautiful.Big hug Farah Zayed Sush Amrita Mani Anu Suniel & all stars & crew for MHN.https://t.co/gPY6NgHyqV Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 30, 2016

& so many others for the hug for MHN. Boman Shirish Harry Keiten Binduji Rakhi Kabir Naseer Kiran & the spitting Satish. Thx @TheFarahKhan Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 30, 2016

Shah Rukh also expressed how badly he "miss this film."

Miss this film. https://t.co/Xv0cXCAble Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) April 30, 2016

The union of the duo on the silver screen has always spelled success, be it Main Hoon Na, Om Shanti Om or Happy New Year. Now, fans can only hope their discussion turns into a reality soon.

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Kids love them, and so do adults! Head to one of these amusement parks to have some fun this summer.

By Simar Singh: A day spent at an amusement park can be memorable for children as well as adults. Nothing can beat the thrill of hair-raising rides, roller coasters and water slides on a bright, summer day.

Take a pick from one of these amusement parks to spend a fun-filled weekend.

Adlabs Imagica, Khopoli

Located halfway between Mumbai and Pune, and just off the Expressway, this amusement park is home to India's largest roller-coaster ride. The amusement park has been modelled on Universal Studios' parks and has over 25 themed rides. The adventure park is divided into three main sections, namely, Theme Park, Water Park and Snow Park. In all three sections, there are rides catering to both children and adults; which means, parents can enjoy as much as their wards. While there are family experiences like the replica of the haunted Salimgarh Fort, replete with special effects to make things thrilling, there are enough rides for the kids in the Snow Park and all other sections.

Picture courtesy: Facebook/Amol Patil

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The most recent addition to Adlabs Imagica has been a 15,000-square-feet snow park that started on April 9. There is also a Novotel property within the park, making overnight stays super convenient.



Also Read: Top 5 Indian destinations for adventure junkies

Appu Ghar Oysters Beach Park, Gurgaon

Did you know that Delhi's very own amusement park brand Appu Ghar has come up with a brand new one in Gurgaon? Christened Appu Ghar Oysters Beach Park, this new amusement park is located right behind HUDA City Centre metro station in Gurgaon. As the name suggests, it is a specialised water park with a wide range of rides--right from the thrilling ones to the not-so-thrilling ones.

Picture courtesy: Appu Ghar Oysters Beach Park Picture courtesy: Appu Ghar Oysters Beach Park

In order to ensure that the visitors enjoy their time, the water park concierge provides special Cabanas on demand. These Cabanas are basically private spaces where a family or a group of friends can chill, play or even take a nap while watching the massive park from a strategic location. The amusement park remains open all 7 days, 11am onward.



Wonderla Amusement Park, Bengaluru

Brightly coloured rides and lots of greenery--it's literally in the middle of fields--makes Wonderla the perfect setting to have some fun, for both adults and kids. The park boasts of over 50 rides, 12 of which are water-based.

Picture courtesy: Flickr/Saad Faruque/Creative Commons

Also, nine of the rides are specifically designed for small children. Visitors can stay at the park's own resort. There are several eateries and snack joints inside for constant breaks and the park is very well-maintained. It's clean, and gets swiped constantly, so even though you're barefoot in the water park, you don't exactly mind it.



Worlds of Wonder, Noida

Perfect for folks living in the Delhi-NCR area, Worlds of Wonder promises something for everyone.

Picture courtesy: Flickr/Saad Akhtar/Creative Commons

The park has 20 amusement rides and 26 water-based rides, and is divided into two zones, namely the Road Show zone and the La Fiesta zone. The rides are known to maintain the global standards and are a favourite among people from all age groups. There's a wide array of both indoor and outdoor activities on offer. Go-karting, boating and several other rides from the Water Park are among the most popular outdoor activities in this place. The adventure park also plays host to interesting live music shows from time to time.



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Wonderla Amusement Park, Kochi

Just like its Bengaluru counterpart, this amusement park is vibrant and fun. Formerly known as VeegaLand, the park is quite lush and is set on the side of a hill.

Picture courtesy: Wonderla.com

Visitors can take their pick from a wide selection of rides that are spread across different sections. There are 11 dry rides, 12 water rides, 8 thrill rides and 13 kids' rides. Isn't it amazing to have 36 rides at one place with each one of them offering a unique experience? Some of the most interesting rides include XD Max, a 3D film experience with physical and environmental special effects; the Water Pendulum, which is a U-shaped water slide; the Twin Flip Monster that makes you spin and swirl on its robotic arms; and a host of activities for the kids.

Adventure Island, New Delhi

Created by the company behind Appu Ghar, Adventure Island is located in Delhi's Rohini area.

Picture courtesy: Facebook/Delhipedia

The 25-acre park boasts of a mix of both low and high-thrill experiences across its 30 rides. Apart from these, it also features a simulated rain dance space and live stunt shows.

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By Mail Today: The Bombay High Court on Friday ordered demolition of the 31-storey scam-tainted Adarsh apartments in the heart of Mumbai and sought criminal proceedings against politicians and bureaucrats for misuse of powers, holding that the tower was illegally constructed.

However, on a plea made by the Adarsh Housing Society, a division bench stayed its order to pull down the building close to the sea at Colaba for 12 weeks to enable it to file an appeal in the Supreme Court, despite the Maharashtra Government opposing it.

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In its order, the division bench asked the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest to carry out the demolition at the expense of petitioners (Adarsh Society).

The court also asked the Centre and Maharashtra Government to consider initiating civil and criminal proceedings against bureaucrats, ministers and politicians for misuse and abuse of power to get plots under the scheme, originally meant for Kargil war heroes and war widows. Seen as a symbol of corruption, the Adarsh scam kicked up a huge poltical storm after it surfaced in 2010 , leading to the resignation of the then Congress chief minister Ashok Chavan.

In February this year, the Maharashtra Governor accorded sanction to the CBI to prosecute Chavan under the provisions of the Indian Penel Code in the case. When his reaction to the verdict was sought, Chavan said, Unless I get it in my hand the copy of the order, I cannot comment on the issue.

The order was delivered in an open court by a bench of Justices R V More and R G Ketkar on a bunch of petitions filed by Adarsh Society challenging the demolition order of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and a title suit filed by the Defence Ministry claiming that it owned the land on which the 31-storey society building was constructed.

The court asked the Centre and state government to consider taking departmental proceedings in accordance with law against bureaucrats. The disciplinary authority shall take decision in accordance with law without being influenced by the findings of the high court, said the bench. The bench placed on record its appreciation for the complainant Simpreet Singh, a member of National Alliance of People's Movement. But for this intervention, perhaps the gross violation by the petitioners (Adarsh Society) would not have been detected, the court observed.

The court also asked the Adarsh Society to pay Rs one lakh as cost to each of the six respondents including Bharat Bhushan, Director of Ministry of Environment and Forests, Nalini Bhat, Advisor and Competent Authority, MoEF, Sitaram Kunte, former Commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and three others.

Also Read

After Adarsh, another housing scam unearthed in Mumbai



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Delhi High Court was informed on Friday that the 27-year-old's body had been dispatched and would reach India by 3 am.

Mohammed Afsar who worked with a construction company, was allegedly murdered last year after he expressed his wish to return to India. Afsar's wife Noushaba Bano.

By Sneha Agrawal: The mortal remains of an Indian worker, Mohammed Afsar, allegedly killed by his employer in Saudi Arabia will reach the Capital on Saturday, ending a 13-month ordeal for his family, who approached the Delhi High Court after learning that the employer may bury the body there.

The court was informed on Friday that the 27-year-old's body had been dispatched and would reach India by 3 am.

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As Afsar's remains travel, his family from Jharkhand are on the way to receive them.

Mail Today was the first to report about their struggle after all efforts to get the body back proved futile. On April 13, we reported that the family filed a contempt petition as the government failed to comply with the court's December 2015 order to get the body back within a month.

Migrants, including Indians, do many of the highrisk jobs in Saudi Arabia, from construction to the oil industry, transport and services. The Gulf state is often criticised for human rights violations and difficult working conditions for foreign workers, a charge its government denies.

Afsar, who worked with a construction company, was allegedly murdered last year apparently after he expressed the wish to return to India. Under Saudi law, foreign workers can't leave the country without the permission of their employers.

"It took us 13 months to make my brother's remains transported to India," his brother, Mukhtar Ansari, told MAIL TODAY. "We are relieved but still in deep pain. These 13 months were very difficult for our family. However, the fight does not end here. We will move an application for another post-mortem to establish that he was murdered."

His family says the employers even videotaped Afsar's gruesome killing to intimidate other workers. Justice JR Midha, who was hearing the petition, dismissed it after being informed about the status of the matter.

The Centre had on April 22 informed the court that Ansari's body was likely to be brought back in a week and the Indian embassy in Riyadh had taken every step and completed all the formalities. When his wife, Noushaba Bano, learnt of her husband's death in March last year, she approached the Delhi HC through her counsel, Jose Abraham, seeking directions to get his body back in India.

The court in December had directed the government to transport the body in a month's time.

However, when she noticed inaction on the part of the government, Noushaba filed a contempt petition before the court on April 8.

The court had sought a status report from the government.

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While hearing the petition, the court asked the MEA to ensure that Afsar's mortal remains are expeditiously transported to India while adding that it would closely monitor the entire issue and take up the matter on a day-to-day basis.

Noushaba's lawyer had told the court that the family feared Afsar's employer may bury the body in Saudi Arabia, having received a no-objection certificate from the Indian Embassy.

The embassy said the certificate issued to the sponsor is for the limited purpose of dispatching the body from Saudi Arabia and does not authorise him to bury it.

The court, after hearing both sides, directed the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia to issue an addendum to the NOC for the sponsor and concerned authorities there that the employer is not permitted to bury the remains and should dispatch them to Delhi without any delay.

ALSO READ



Saudi horror: Indian woman fights to get husband's mortal remains back



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A K Antony , who is facing the heat over Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland chopper scam along with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in his statement had claimed that while United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had blacklisted the company, it was lifted by NDA.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely today attacked Congress stating that The buck stops with those who took the decision and the decision was influenced by bribery.

By India Today Web Desk: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely today rubbished former Defence Minister AK Antony's claims that NDA removed the AgustaWestland Finmeccanica from the blacklist and called it a "figment of imagination".

"This is a figment of somebody's imagination," said Jaitley.

AK Antony , who is facing the heat over Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland chopper scam along with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in his statement had claimed that while United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had blacklisted the company, it was lifted by NDA.

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Jaitley, in his address after releasing the NDA vision document for the May 16 Kerala assembly polls in Thiruvananthapuram, disputed the statement of Antony stating that the company was never blacklisted.

"The guilt of the company has to be proven before blacklisting it," Jaitley said.

He also alleged that the decision to award the contract was influenced by bribery.

"The buck stops with those who took the decision and the decision was influenced by bribery. The fact that there was bribery is unquestionably there. There is a transaction in which bribe giver is being convicted. We are only struggling to find out the identity of the bribe taker," he said.

"Obviously, the bribe taker has to be among those who influenced toward the contract. Strangers don't get bribes.

Those who influenced decision get bribes," Jaitley added.

Revealing details, Jaitley said the defence minister of UPA regime had passed an order in May 2014 when its ouster was imminent after the elections, saying that all contracts with Augusta should be put on hold.

After NDA came to power, a detailed order putting on hold all transactions with Augusta was passed on June 9, 2014.

The matter was referred to the Attorney General, who opined that past supplies might require some repairs and spare parts.

"Defence prepardness of the country may be hurt if we stop that also...Therefore those can go on, but future contracts shall be put on hold till the matter is investigated," Jaitely said, adding an order in this regard was passed on July 3, 2014.

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Akshay Kumar has a huge fan-following, but one of his fans recently had a tough time when the actor's bodyguard punched him at Mumbai airport.

By India Today Web Desk: Akshay Kumar has a huge fan-following, but one of his fans recently had a tough time when the actor's bodyguard punched him at Mumbai airport. The fan was punched in his jaw by the bodyguard while he was trying to take a selfie with the actor. And the video of the incident has already gone viral.

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But now the Housefull 3 actor took to Twitter to apologize his fan and has also warned the bodyguard to not repeat such thing ever. The Khiladi actor said, "What happened that day was unfortunate and uncalled for. I was at the airport and I heard a commotion which made me turn around, I didn't notice anything wrong so I walked on. It was later brought to my notice that my bodyguard had punched a fan. I have reprimanded him and given him a strict warning for the same. My sincere apology to the fan who was hurt. I hold my fans in the highest regard and such incidents are always upsetting. I will ensure such a scenario is avoided in the future."

What happened that day was unfortunate and uncalled for. I was at the airport and I heard a commotion which? https://t.co/bkRW5CZJHx Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) April 29, 2016

This is not the first time that Akshay's bodyguard has slapped a fan. In 2014, he had slapped a dentist after he tried to come close to the actor during a film shoot outside a residential building in Malad.

On the work front, Akshay Kumar will will next be seen in Housefull 3 and Rustom.

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In a letter from the AYUSH Ministry to the police departments has asked forces across the country to begin yoga training.

Yoga classes will be made mandatory for cops in all police stations. It is expected that regular classes will help them deal with health and work stress better.

By Ankur Sharma: Yoga mats will be out in Delhi Police stations soon and cops will literally be seen stretching it out to ensure the extra flab on the waistline is burned out.

The force that often complains of high stress levels due to the demanding nature of the job is all set to conduct regular yoga classes soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his desire of making the practice mandatory in Police stations.

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Sources say Yoga guru Baba Ramdev could be the star trainer and will be asked to visit police stations once in a while. "If he agrees we will try and get him for special sessions," said a senior Delhi Police officer.

The Centre has allocated Rs 7 lakh annually for each district to conduct regular yoga classes. This will include salaries for instructors and other requirements to put in place a Yoga training programme.

"Yoga will have a positive impact on Delhi cops, especially who are doing hectic jobs. The step is not only for Delhi Police but other states can also get involved in this scheme," said a senior Delhi Police officer.

In a letter from the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) Ministry to the police departments has asked forces across the country to begin yoga training.

"PM, while reviewing the activities and achievement of AYUSH, has expressed his desire that yoga sessions be made mandatory in police stations to enhance the social health and management of working stress and skill development of our police personnel. Keeping this in overview, a scheme, entitled - Yoga training for police Personnel has been devised," Ministry of Ayush said in its letter.

Delhi Police will start recruiting yoga instructors who must have a degree or diploma in yoga with minimum 55 per cent marks.

Also, the instructors must have at least two years of experience in teaching yoga. In Delhi, Deputy Commissioners of police will be responsible for conducting classes for the staff and keeping a check.

"District heads will be responsible for conducting yoga classes in their districts and units. It will be the responsibility of the DCP to prepare a time table and also he/she will ensure that instructor is taking classes as per the schedule. Though, he can also assign any senior official of the district to look after the classes and make surprise visits," the ministry letter says.

Some officials are already quoting impracticalities in implementing the programme, citing paucity of time for overburdened cops.

"Normally, a day of police station staff starts very early. Investigating officers (IO) have to attend court proceedings. It will be very tough for police station staff to attend yoga classes regularly," a junior level official said.

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A highly-placed source in the HRD Ministry told Mail Today that while the ministry had nothing to do with the university's decision, it had certainly conveyed the "angst of the people at large" in the matter to the university.

In a statement, Penguin publishers have declared that at the time of writing the book, the author made it clear that the phrase, 'revolutionary terrorist' for Bhagat Singh, was used 'without any pejorative meaning'. The English version would, however, not

By Mail Today: The Delhi University has stopped sale and distribution of the book India's Struggle for Independence by late historian Bipan Chandra, following objections to revolutionaries of Indian freedom struggle being mentioned as terrorists.

The English edition of the book - printed by Penguin publishers in 1988 - would, however, remain on the shelves.

The Hindi version has been stopped as it had been translated and published by DU's Directorate of Hindi Medium Implementation in 1990 on the recommendation of the History Department.

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HRD minister Smriti Irani too had called the reference as "academic murder" of sacrifices of individuals.

She had directed HRD officials to ask the university to reconsider it. "We wrote to DU two days ago stating that connotation, use of word 'terrorist' is not respectful. We have also implored, since DU is an autonomous institution, to reconsider the use of this word," Irani said on Friday.

A highly-placed source in the MHRD told Mail Today that while the ministry had nothing to do with the university's decision, it had certainly conveyed the "angst of the people at large" in the matter to the university.

Meanwhile, the co-authors of the book - JNU professors Mridula Mukherjee, Aditya Mukhejee and Sucheta Mahajan -have protested against what they called "unnecessary controversy" as Chandra had dropped the terminology in his later works.

Aditya Mukherjee, who met DU vicechancellor Yogesh Tyagi on Friday, told Mail Today that he was shocked at the development as he had conveyed to the VC that coauthors were ready to make necessary changes immediately.

In a letter to the V-C, Mukerjee wrote: "Bipan Chandra had stopped using this description in his later writings and had publicly stated that he would not like the word 'terrorist' to be used any longer. The co-authors of the book have decided and announced it publicly that in accordance with the wishes of Bipan Chandra, they will make the necessary changes in the book."

Mukherjee took the argument further as he quoted a 1931-note by Bhagat Singh. "Bhagat Singh himself used the word 'terrorist' for himself and his compatriots.

A document of 1931, a note from Singh to his co-revolutionaries said that while 'terrorism' had done a lot of good to the world, it was time to move towards mass movement," he said.

When MAil Today asked if the government had asked Penguin publications to revise the book, Hemali Sodhi, senior vice-president, Penguin Random House India, said, "We haven't been contacted yet."

Penguin, in a statement, said: "Since its first publication in 1988, India's Struggle for Independence has been a recognised authority and positive appraisal of Bhagat Singh and his associates' huge contribution to India's freedom movement.

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At the time of writing, the author made it clear that the phrase 'revolutionary terrorist' was used 'without any pejorative meaning and for want of a different term.'

We are already working with the co-authors to update and revise the phraseology to reflect both modern usage and the hugely important role of Bhagat Singh in the making of modern India.

V-C Tyagi told Mail Today that the university authorities maintained that they had no control over sale and distribution of the English version of the book as it was not published by DU. They also asserted that the book was for reference only.

ALSO READ

DU textbook calls Bhagat Singh a terrorist, Smriti Irani says it's 'academic murder'



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A second explosion near a Shi'ite militia checkpoint in the capital's Dora district killed two and wounded three others, police sources said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for that blast.

People gather at the site of a suicide bomb attack in a southeastern suburb of Baghdad, Iraq. (photo: Reuters)

By Reuters: A suicide bomber driving a car killed at least 19 people and wounded 48 others on Saturday in an attack claimed by Islamic State on a group of Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims in a southeastern suburb of Baghdad, Iraqi police sources said.

A second explosion near a Shi'ite militia checkpoint in the capital's Dora district killed two and wounded three others, police sources said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for that blast.

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Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State, said a fighter in the Nahrawan district had driven a truck loaded with three tonnes of explosives into the gathering of Shi'ite pilgrims. They had been heading to Baghdad's Imam Kadhim shrine to commemorate the 8th century death of one of Shi'ite Islam's senior figures.

Security has gradually improved in Baghdad, which was the target of daily bombings a decade ago, but attacks against both the security forces and civilians are still frequent.

The rise of Islamic State, which is fighting government forces for control of swathes of northern and western Iraq, has exacerbated the country's sectarian conflict, mostly between Shi'ites and Sunnis, which emerged after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Also on Saturday Islamic State militants launched an offensive near the northern town of Baiji, which Iraqi forces and Shi'ite militia fighters recaptured months ago along with a large oil refinery devastated by the conflict.

In the first set of attacks on Friday evening near Siniya west of Baiji, Islamic State seized four security checkpoints, according to sources in Salahuddin operations command. The militants used car bombs, killing 11 members of the security forces and wounding 12 others.

From the eastern side of Baiji, the militants attacked security forces near Makhoul, killing three police officers and wounding two others in fighting that continued on Saturday, the sources said.



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A core team of top officials in the ministry of defence is scanning through more than 40 files running into several thousand pages to highlight alleged irregularities in the Rs 3,600 crore deal.

Members of All India Mahila Congress protesting against the Modi govt on AgustaWestland issue in New Delhi on Friday.

By Gaurav C Sawant: The government is planning to turn the heat on former defence minister AK Antony in Parliament on the AgustaWestland deal.

A core team of top officials in the ministry of defence is scanning through more than 40 files running into several thousand pages to highlight alleged irregularities in the Rs 3,600 crore deal.

The team will assist the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate wade through technicalities and defence procurement procedure.

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Defence minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday held a two hour meeting with this core group of officers while preparing for his statement in Parliament, sources said. "He is going through all the documents himself and is also scanning through the Italian Appeals court order.

Why were air staff requirements (ASRs) tweaked, altitude ceiling changed, parameters altered - he wants to know the answers why and also wants to know on whose instructions were these changes made. Were the qualitative requirements tailor made to suit Agusta Westland? The team will help the CBI and the ED through the technicalities," sources said.

The first question Parrikar asked the team was - when alleged irregularities were highlighted in 2012 itself why did MoD wait till January 2014 to terminate the contract? Why was the matter not handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation immediately and why did Antony/MoD wait till the arrest of Giuseppe Orsi, Chief executive and chairman of Finmeccanica to do so.

"It was the current government that referred the mater to the Enforcement Directorate. Why did the UPA government not do so when it was apparent bribe money was paid,'' sources said.

At multiple levels the team will help CBI and ED seek answers.

Parrikar's attack is also expected to focus on the timing of Antony's actions. "The order was finally terminated in January 2014 when the government was legally compelled to do so. From February 2012 when Antony himself admitted to irregularities why was the `Integrity Clause' not invoked immediately to cancel the deal and recover the money. Why were 3 helicopters accepted in November 2012?'' sources asked.

The Agusta 'Hunt Team' has already started clearly identifying the irregularities in the deal.

Its task is now to help CBI and ED probe if there was political interference in the deal and whether there were 'waivers' for 'favours'.

The Congress denied there was any delay on the part of Antony. "All procedure was followed and Antony immediately handed over the case to CBI when irregularities were noticed," spokesperson Randip Surjewala said.

ALSO READ



Arrest Sonia Gandhi if found guilty in AgustaWestland scam, says Congress's Bihar ally JD(U)

AgustaWestland: Congress shields its last bastion



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Oh, poor litigant, people languishing in jails." His voice trembled a little. "In the name of development and progress, I beseech you," he looked at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "to rise to the occasion and realise that it's not enough to c-r-i-t-i-c-i-s-e." The sentence trailed off, pauses between words got longer. Heads jerked up and eyes widened. It was the sound of a man struggling to keep his voice from betraying his feelings. But it wasn't just any man. The 43rd Chief Justice of India, Tirath Singh Thakur, stood on stage, jaws tight, eyes averted, reaching into his pocket for a handkerchief to mop his eyes. The silence inside Delhi's Vigyan Bhavan on April 25 was absolute, people exchanged glances in shock and dismay. The prime minister looked on intently from his seat on the stage.

It actually took all of 37 minutes and four seconds for the CJI to force the nation to sit up and pay attention. Exactly the time in which judges around the country conclude 15 hearings and decide seven cases, on average. That's because judges in the busiest courts spend an average of 2.5 minutes to hear a case and about five minutes to decide one. Not because our judges are in a hurry. But because they can hardly devote more time to a case, such is the shortfall of judges in the country.As mentioned in the Lok Sabha on March 3, 2016, 44 per cent judges are missing in high courts, 25 per cent in subordinate courts and 19 per cent in the Supreme Court.

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Four noble truths

At the heart of the CJI's address were four strands of arguments: that judges are overwhelmed by the load of litigation; judicial vacancies are not being filled up; the appointments procedure is getting stuck at the level of the government for obscure reasons; and that without the wheels of justice turning smoothly, the common man will suffer the most. The Law Commission of India has been crying itself hoarse since 1987, along with 15 successive CJIs in the last 29 years, about the need to increase the number of courts and judges drastically for justice to have any real meaning. But it had stopped hitting the headlines. With the CJI's emotional tribute to the cause of justice, it has taken centrestage again. "Getting emotional is a weakness," said the CJI at a press conference later that day, "one should not get emotional?but (one has) some commitment towards the judiciary."

"It's deliberate negligence from governments that has pushed the judiciary into such a state of scarcity," says eminent jurist Ram Jethmalani. "The judiciary accounts for just 0.5 per cent of the budgetary allocation." The CJI's outburst caught the prime's minister's attention. Modi, who was not scheduled to speak on April 25, took the microphone to say he understood the CJI's pain. "Let us see how to move forward by reducing the burden of the past," he declared, inviting the CJI and his senior judges for a closed-door meeting with him and his Cabinet colleagues.

Tough tactics

The CJI has taken Supreme Court lawyers by surprise. Soft-spoken and patient, Justice Thakur is also known to be fiery and fearsome. Lawyers discuss countless occasions when he has ticked off the high and mighty of the nation: "Senior lawyer and Union minister Kapil Sibal was appealing for the release of Sahara chief Subrata Roy and the CJI told him, 'Argue on facts and law, don't lecture us every time'," they cite; they also talk about his tough stand on the BCCI reforms, the Saradha scam and even the PM's pet project of cleaning the Ganga. "Your action plan will not clean Ganga in 200 years," he famously told off the government solicitors.

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That reputation for tough dealing has created confusion and difference of opinion down the spectrum. Some lawyers express deep disappointment: "The CJI is extremely important in our Constitution. He should not have broken down before the PM." Some can't deal with the shock: "The CJI is known to be very tough, with a strong command of the courtroom. He can make senior lawyers sweat." Some say that the Supreme court could have issued a writ of mandamus to the government, to enforce its duty. Others point out how that would have been perceived as "judicial overreach". Yet others believe it was a tactical posture: "We need judges. Period. With the Modi government blocking all efforts of judicial reform, especially after its defeat over the NJAC, the only way is to call public attention to a crying need."

Spectre of overreach

Strangely, it was a moment that added the finishing touch to a tumultuous year between the Modi government and the judiciary. It was exactly on this stage last year, on April 5, that the showdown started. It was here that the chief executive of the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had taken the opportunity to rap the judiciary on the knuckles and in public. "While the Indian judiciary at all levels is getting powerful, it is necessary that it also becomes perfect to live up to the expectations of the people," he had said.

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In a way, it was an incident that triggered off months of flashpoints and face-offs between the two pillars of Indian democracy, finally leading to the failure of the PM's flagship legislative endeavour: the six-member NJAC, aiming to replace the collegium system of senior judges cherry-picking brother judges by a commission which would give the executive the power to influence appointments in higher courts and all ethics-related issues. "The government may have accepted it, but the clash between the judiciary and the political class is clearly not over," says Upendra Baxi, professor of law at the University of Warwick, UK.

It's not just the NJAC, but the thin line between judicial activism and judicial overreach that will continue to haunt the judiciary unless it gets its act together, and fast. There's a feeling that judges have wrapped themselves in a cloak of inviolability. As eminent jurist Fali S. Nariman says, how are they appointed? Why are they appointed? What are their shortcomings? How are these dealt with? "Ask and they'd say, 'It's none of your business. We know what is best for the system'," he says. At the root of it is, of course, the collegium system. The allegation of overreach also lies in the apex court's penchant for driving investigations and prosecution. That focus on investigating agencies is often seen as systematic and deliberate, resented enormously by the government of the day. The failure of the NJAC was seen as a "tyranny of the unelected"-in the words of Union finance minister Arun Jaitley.

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The CJI knows that. On December 2, 2015, as he took over the reins, he had said: "The judiciary is facing its greatest challenge in recent times." The striking down of the NJAC Act gave people the impression that the judiciary had claimed for itself the power to appoint judges. It needed to come up to their expectations, fill up vacancies in courts across the country. "Chief justices and judges of the Supreme Court, while selecting people for elevation, must go strictly by the beats of their conscience."

A few fixes

Focused on streamlining judicial appointments, the CJI had set up a constitutional court in January to reduce the burden of pending cases that involve interpretation of the Constitution. By February, however, things were clearly not going quite right and the CJI was calling for "an audit of the government's performance", blaming it for "sitting on" decisions of judicial appointments. From March, the CJI started questioning why the Intelligence Bureau should take months to verify judges recommended by the Supreme Court collegium. "Why can't the Prime Minister's Office ask the IB to send its report within 15 days?" the CJI asked on April 9, pointing to proposals for the appointment of 170 judges pending with the government for months, although 90 per cent were sitting additional judges.

The winter session of Parliament that had passed the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts Act, 2015, to transform the manner in which commercial cases are dealt with and bring down delays-has been a thorny issue: without separate manpower and infrastructure, the courts are being designated out of existing ones-which already have far too many vacant posts.

Another solution could be for the Bar Council of India to utilise judicial academies optimally. Academies are being set up in different states for training judicial officers and lawyers, set the standards for legal education, ensure law students from all law colleges have access to academic facilities. A separate judicial administrative corp can also supply much-needed manpower. The apex court has set a target of taking the combined strength of the judiciary to 30,000 in the next five years.

The key to judicial reform lies in taking initiatives, for instance, to quell the ease with which adjournments can be secured in courts. Shifting hearing dates repeatedly causes delay in civil cases. Limiting reasonable grounds for adjournments, some inhouse rules along with strict directive from the CJI, can reduce pendency considerably.

Introducing modern methods and technology can also solve delays to a large extent. From service to summons to bail, everything in the justice system is manual. Fifty per cent of judicial delay is due to non-service of summons, arguments over validity of summons, proper identification and so on. It's old-fashioned ethos, and not vacations, that keeps the courts clogged.

What about increasing work hours? The Supreme Court works for 193 days, high courts 210 days and trial courts 245 days a year. In contrast, in the United States, courts never close for summer break, just as in some European countries, such as France. The Supreme Court of Canada goes on vacation for just 11 days. In Britain, the court closes for 24 days in a year. But will our higher judges be able to handle the work pressure without down time?

Being a judge is "a privilege, a pleasure and a duty", wrote a legendary judge once. A distressed CJI clearly doesn't bode well for the brotherhood of Indian judges, or for the nation. The whys and hows will be debated for years. Meantime, an exclusive sharing of survey data by Bangalore-based legal resource, Daksh India, with india today, gives some clue to that puzzle.

Also read:

The state too is to blame





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By PTI: From K J M Varma

Beijing, Apr 30 (PTI) China has started construction of its biggest hydropower project in Tibet costing over USD 3 billion which will supply electricity to the economically well-off regions in the countrys eastern region.

The Suwalong hydropower project at the junction of Mangkam county in Tibet and Batang county in Sichuan province has a design capacity of 1.2 gigawatts and will be able to generate about 5,400 gigawatt hours of electricity a year when completed in 2021, official media reported.

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The design capacity is more than double that of the Zangmu hydropower plant on Brahmaputra river which Tibets largest existing hydro project.

It was completed in October last year. It is hoped that the 18 billion yuan (USD 3 billion) Suwalong dam, could pave the way for other projects in the headwaters of the adjacent Nu (Salween) and Lancang (Mekong) rivers to "fuel development" of hydro power in Tibet, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post quoted Chinese media as saying. PTI KJV UZM

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India Today accesses key Agusta tapes, currently in the investigating agencies' possession, that detail how middlemen Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa managed to send crores to Indian officials in exchange for key information from the ministry.

By India Today Web Desk: A series of audio tapes accessed by India Today reveal an intricate web of corruption stitched by middlemen between Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials and Finmeccanica. The tapes, which are currently in the investigating agencies' possession, detail how Haschke and Gerosa, the key middlemen in the Rs 3,600 crore scam, managed to send crores to Indian officials in exchange for key information from the ministry.

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India Today has also accessed a phone conversation between two middlemen of the AgustaWestland deal - elaborately discussing how they covered their trial of corruption. In another conversation, Haschke and Gerosa discuss the fallout of their probe and how their interests will remain intact.

Another audio tape accessed by India Today reveals how Haschke assured Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan that the law will not catch up with them. Khaitan was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate for his role in the scam, but a court later set him free.

Meanwhile, the agency today quizzed former deputy chief of Air Force JS Gujral for hours. Gujral, who is being questioned for the second time, is the first person to be examined after Italian court orders. CBI sources say that Gujral, who headed the procurement division of the Air Force when the AgustaWestland deal was signed, is cooperating with the investigators and the agency would continue to question him.

Sources told India Today that Gujral was asked about the meeting in 2005 that allegedly changed the specifications of the chopper and thus allowing AgustaWestland to take part in the race.

Former IAF chief SP Tyagi has already been summoned by the CBI in the case. The agency had registered a case against former IAF chief Tyagi along with 13 others including his cousins and European middlemen in the case. Sources indicate all Tyagi brothers will be called for detailed questioning next week. Till now, the agency has quizzed more than hundred people including all Indians named in the FIR.

When asked about the scale of investigation, a source indicated, Guiseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolin, both convicted by Italian court can be examined by CBI, if the agency requires. But the real challenge before the agency is to establish the alleged money trail that many fear, has gone cold. And more importantly who does it lead to as the final beneficiary of the alleged kickbacks.

MIDDLEMEN'S CONVERSATION ON TAPE



TAPE 1

Worried over investigations in Agusta Westland deal middlemen Guido Hashke tells partner Carlo Gerosa probe will take 10 years to reach Mauritius

Carlo Gerosa - What happens if probe begins into our dealings ?

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Guido Haschke - Don't worry, we have built such a complex maze of companies to route bribes to India that even after the probe began, no one would be caught. Even if investigations find the companies, it would take agencies 10 years to reach Mauritius.

Carlo Gerosa - What happens to the documents shared ?

Guido Hashke - Documents related to our dealing with Agusta Westland have disappeared from Lugano office in Switzerland. They are safe in my mother's house

Carlo Gerosa - Ok get me rest of them and I will hide them in my wardrobe



TAPE 2

Worried over payment Hashke and Gerosa consoles each other

Carlo Gerosa - No for argument's sake, moreover, I don't think they will stop paying completely now.

Guido Hashke - No I don't think so.

Carlo Gerosa - It would be an admission of guilt

Guido Hashke - Not only would it be an admission of guilt, but it would also make us rebel, so that at that point we would have no interest to keep our mouths shut

TAPE 3

Hashke tells worried Gautam Khetan to keep business as usual and keep going to office

Gautam Khetan - Hi Hashke, I am afraid the probe is moving very fast.

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Guido Hashke - Don't worry, I have cleaned my computer and made all documents and emails disappear. There are no bank accounts directly connected to us in this country.

Gautam Khetan - How do we proceed now ?

Guido Hashke - The lawyer told me not to stop going to AgustaWestland, just keep going with business as usual, as if nothing had happened, because otherwise it would look suspicious, why have you stopped?...And this is also the reason they will continue making all payments etc etc...business as usual, nothing, nothing...and stays perfectly clean.





- With inputs from Anindya Banerjee



ALSO READ | AgustaWestland scam: Jaitley rubbishes Antony's claims, says company was never blacklisted



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The Kalvari was to have joined the navy in 2012. Her commissioning is now set for September this year.

By Jugal R Purohit: When it comes to submarines, a usually buoyant Indian Navy (IN) experiences what can be termed as a 'mood swing'. However, this Sunday, there is reason to be upbeat. Its first French-designed conventional, diesel electric submarine in over 15 years, the Kalvari, is going to sea. Credible sources associated with the project (code named Project 75) have confirmed that Harbour Acceptance Trials (HATs) are 'largely complete' and she has been readied for 'Sea Trials', indicating the final stage of checks before she becomes a part of the fleet.

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"The crew along with supervisory authorities will sail out for the first ever set of sea trials for Kalvari. This process will play out over a period of 5-6 months after which comes the commissioning" said a source. The test was to have taken place last weekend however was rescheduled at the last minute on account of 'minor, logistical reasons'.

While HATs were about proving the boats structural integrity, working of the mechanical aspects including pumps and motors, the sea trials will mark a phase more complicated. From diving to navigating and carrying out maneuvers, the readiness of the platform for all sorts of eventualities will be tested. Once done, the boat will have to prove her capabilities in terms of her listening using sensors as well as carrying out firing of her missiles and torpedos.

The Kalvari was to have joined the navy in 2012. Her commissioning is now set for September this year. "This is the boat where the manufacturer has to prove each and every capability that has been promised to us. So there is little to hurry up for. Let us be satisfied with the demonstration of her capabilities," explained an officer. While there is excitement, there is also nervousness about the crucial tests and parameters which have to be verified. Project 75 consists of six submarines however the first in class always faces the utmost scrutiny. "The other five will benefit from what improvements are carried out on Kalvari," said an officer.

WILL SHE STAY THE COURSE

Even though Project 75 is a highly delayed one, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had worked out a timeline last year based on which the sea trials were to commence by early 2016. Based on this, the timeline worked out for commissioning was September 2016. "We are slightly late, I admit. On top of that, while we need 5-6 months to conclude the trials, we have just a month more before the monsoon sets in. Between June to mid-August the Arabian sea is especially rough and we may not take Kalvari out to sea as often as we would like to," added a source. There is uncertainty.

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ROAD AHEAD

After Kalvari, the subsequent five submarines will be delivered at a gap of nine months each. By 2020, all submarines of Project 75 will be delivered to the IN, as per the plan. IN fields a fleet on fourteen operational submarines which includes nine Russian-EKMs or Sindhughosh class, four German HDW Shishumar class and the nuclear-powered boat, INS Chakra, an Akula class submarine loaned from Russia. In the final leg of her sea trials is the Arihant, an indigenous nuclear-powered boat supposed to fire nuclear-tipped missiles.

The average age of the Indian submarine is a worrying 25 years. The submarine acquisition has floundered on account of the delay.

On the anvil are at least two more boats of the Arihant-class, six conventional diesel electric submarines, six nuclear powered attack submarines and an additional nuclear-powered Russian submarine on lease, the negotiations for which are continuing. Given the uptake, the navy is rapidly expanding its training and logistical facilities.

WHAT IS KALVARI LIKE

Length: 67 metre



Width: 6.2 metre



Displacement: 1550 tonnes



Weapons: Torpedos, tube-launched anti ship missiles (fired either underwater or from surface)

Cost: $ 3.5 billion (Project 75)



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WRITER IS A SENIOR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT WITH INDIA TODAY & TWEETS @JRPUR



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Shere Khuban gang- who is believed to be Rocky's rival, claimed responsibility for the attack on Facebook.

Gangster-turned-politician Jaswinder Rocky was shot dead by two unidentified men, at Parwanoo, 30 kilometres from Kalka-Shimla National highway on Saturday, police said.

Rocky was on his way from Shimla to Chandigarh when few assailants opened fire at him. While a bullet hit Rocky's head, another bullet hit his driver's nose. The assailants fled soon after the incident.

"CCTV footage has revealed that while two assailants came in a car, the remaining two were on a bike. The two men who were in the car fired at Rocky while the men on the bike picked up the empty shells. The assailants have been identified and will be arrested soon," IG Southern Range, SZH Zaidi said.

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Rocky was rushed to the ESI Hospital Parwanoo where he was declared brought dead. The driver has been admitted to PGIMER, Chandigarh.

Later, Shere Khuban gang- who is believed to be Rocky's rival, claimed responsibility for the attack on Facebook.

Vicky Gounder Bodla, the alleged aide of gangster Gurshaheed Singh, posted the following message on his Facebook wall.

The post in Punjabi, which was also addressed to SSP Bathinda Swapan Sharma, read: "Ajj apne veer Shere Khuban da badla pura ho gya...aah bnata MLA...nale ik gal hor SSP Bathinda Swapan Sharma CIA Bathinda ch mnu kehnda c mitti vich late par mein Rocky de yaar Swapan Sharma nu keha c k mein dsu jdo Rocky nu mitti ch lataya...Aah hunda asli latena SSP SWAPAN SHARMA G (We have avenged our brother Shere Khuban's death. He has been made an MLA. Also, SSP Bathinda Swapan Sharma and CIA Bathinda had once asked me to lie down on the ground but I then told him that one day you would know the real meaning of 'lying on the ground')".

Police have registered a case against the unidentified assailants but no arrests have been made so far.



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By PTI: a terrorist

Ghaziabad, Apr 30 (PTI) Threatening a protest, Ghaziabad Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (GSGMC) today demanded the Centre to remove the chapter from a textbook of the Delhi University in which freedom fighter Bhagat Singh has been called a "revolutionary terrorist".

Sardar Manjit Singh, President of GSGMC, today said that they have lodged their protest against the BJP government over the issue. The government has "insulted" martyrs who fought for freedom and died, he said.

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The Sikh body demanded that the chapter must be removed from the syllabus with immediate effect otherwise they will stage a protest.

It also demanded to ban the filmSanta Banta Pvt ltd.

The book titled "Indias Struggle for Independence" has been part of DUs curriculum for over two decades. Authored by noted historian Bipin Chandra and Mridula Mukherjee, the book mentions Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Surya Sen and others as "revolutionary terrorists" in Chapter 20. PTI CORR DIP SMJ DIP

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South Indian movie star Mohanlal's official website was allegedly hacked by Pakistani hackers who also posted anti-national message related to Kashmir on his defaced website.

By Mail Today: A group of Indian hackers claim to have defaced several Pakistani websites in retaliation to hacking of South Indian movie star Mohanlal's official website.

As per the reports, Mohanlal's official website was allegedly hacked by Pakistani hackers who also posted anti-national message related to Kashmir on his defaced website.

Several Indian hacking groups launched massive attack on Pakistani websites and have claimed to have defaced over 100 such sites. They posted Mohanlal's picture and a dialogue from one of his films. They went ahead and said that the website was intruded into as a payback for hacking the actor's website.

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"We have launched an attack on Pakistani sites and have brought down several government and online sites of Pakistan. We are also defacing websites of some prominent actors and we will continue to do this till Pakistani hackers do not stop such attack on Indian cyber space," said a hacker of Indian Cyber Security Force, which claims to be an NGO.

Earlier, Pakistani hackers posted pro-separatist message on the hacked page of Mohanlal's official website "Thecompleteactor. com". They had uploaded an image of Pakistan flag and posted anti-India messages and blamed it for killing innocent Muslims in free Kashmir. However, the page was recovered within hours.

In retaliation Indian hackers posted Indian flag on defaced Pakistani website with a message, "Feel the power of Indian, don't dare to mess with us, otherwise Kashmir toh hoga lakin Pakistan nahi hoga," said the post by Indian hacker.

Even a member of Kerala Cyber warrior told Mail Today that they have found vulnerability in many Pakistani websites and a mass attack will be launched.

However, this is not the first time that Indian hackers have hacked Pakistan websites in retaliation. A similar incident took place in September 2015 and in October 2014.

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Joarder was attacked with sharp weapons by two men on motorcycles as he sat in his tailor shop.

By AP: A Hindu man was hacked to death in central Bangladesh on Saturday, police said, following a spate of similar attacks in the Muslim-majority South Asian nation.

Authorities are investigating whether the killing of Nikhil Joarder was connected to a 2012 complaint against him for alleged comments he made against Prophet Muhammad, said Aslam Khan, a police officer in the district of Tangail, where the attack took place.

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Joarder was attacked with sharp weapons by two men on motorcycles as he sat in his tailor shop, Khan said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Joarder spent two weeks in prison in 2012 and was released after the complaint against him was withdrawn.

The attack on him was similar to recent killings of atheist bloggers, academics, religious minorities and most recently a gay rights activist in Bangladesh by radical Islamists.

Five people have already been killed in such attacks this year and nine were killed last year. While there have been some arrests - mostly of low-level operatives - there have been no prosecutions so far and authorities have struggled to make any headway in naming those planning the attacks.

For the 2013 killing of an atheist blogger, a court has sentenced two men to death and six others to time in prison.

Nearly all the attacks have been claimed by international Islamist extremist groups, including the Islamic State group and various affiliates of Al Qaeda. The government, however, has refused to accept that these groups have a presence in Bangladesh, and has blamed the violence on its political opposition.

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By PTI: From Anisur Rahman

Dhaka, Apr 30 (PTI) A Hindu tailor was hacked to death by machete-wielding ISIS militants in his shop today in central Bangladesh, the latest in a series of brutal attacks on intellectuals, activists and minorities by the dreaded terror group in the Muslim-majority country.

Nikhil Chandra Joarder, 50, a resident of the Dubail village under Gopalpur upazila of the Tangail district, was hacked to death this afternoon.

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"Three assailants entered Nikhils house-cum shop and slit his throat," Gopalpur police station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Abdul Jalil told reporters.

He said the assailants used a motorbike and fled the scene immediately after the murder. They left a black bag at the spot, which contained three to four bomb-like objects.

Asked about the possible motive behind the attack, Jalil told reporters that a case was filed against Nikhil in 2012 for making a "derogatory" comment about the Prophet of Islam.

He had been arrested for allegedly making the comments and then released. "It can be the reason for the murder," The Daily Star quoted Jalil as saying.

Meanwhile, US-based private SITE Intelligence Group said the Islamic State has claimed the killing.

ISIS Amaq Agency reported the groups responsibility for killing the Hindu tailor for blasphemy in Tangail district in Bangladesh, it said in a tweet.

The local media reports said that Nikhil served three months of imprisonment in 2012 when he was arrested for commenting "derogatory comments" against the Prophet.

"We are trying to track down the killers and called CID (Criminal Investigation Department) to probe the murder...(But) I will tell you nothing about the incident until the investigation is finished," Tangails district police chief Saleh Mohammad Tanvir told reporters.

There have been systematic assaults in Bangladesh in recent months specially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners.

In the recent attacks, a liberal professor was brutally hacked to death last Saturday by machete-wielding ISIS militants who slit his throat near his home in Rajshahi city.

Two days later on Monday, Bangladeshs first gay magazine editor was brutally murdered along with a friend in his flat in Dhaka by Islamists.

In February, a head priest was killed at a Hindu temple in an area bordering India, the first attack by the ISIS targeting the community.

Last year, four prominent secular bloggers were killed with machetes, one inside his own home.

In most of the cases, Islamic State or al-Qaeda in Indian Sub Continent claimed the responsibility.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, however, repeatedly denied existence of any foreign terrorist groups in the country and attributed the deadly attacks on homegrown extremists backed by main opposition outside parliament BNP and its crucial ally fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami. PTI AR/ZH ZH

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The protesters, who had gathered outside the heavily fortified district housing government buildings and foreign embassies, crossed a bridge over the Tigris River chanting, "The cowards ran away!" in apparent reference to lawmakers leaving parliament, one of the witnesses said.

Followers of Iraq's Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr are seen in the parliament building as they storm Baghdad's Green Zone. (Photo: Reuters)

By Reuters: Hundreds of supporters of Shia Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Saturday stormed Baghdad's Green Zone and some entered the parliament building after lawmakers failed to convene for a vote on overhauling the government, two Reuters witnesses said.

The protesters, who had gathered outside the heavily fortified district housing government buildings and foreign embassies, crossed a bridge over the Tigris River chanting, "The cowards ran away!" in apparent reference to lawmakers leaving parliament, one of the witnesses said.

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A guard at a checkpoint said the protesters had not been searched before entering. TV footage showed them waving Iraqi flags and chanting "Peaceful, peaceful!". Some were standing on top of concrete blast walls that form the outer barrier to the Green Zone.

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By PTI: From Sumir Kaul

Auckland, Apr 30 (PTI) With Indias Look East policy evolving into Act East, President Pranab Mukherjee has pitched for closer ties with New Zealand and said the region has gained even "greater salience" in New Delhis strategic thinking and economic engagement.

The President, who arrived here on a maiden three-day state visit, spoke about the importance being attached by India to the Pacific region which he termed as a "natural extension of our immediate neighbourhood of South East Asia".

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"With our Look East policy evolving into an Act East policy, the region has gained even greater salience in our strategic thinking and economic engagement. Most of Indias foreign trade flows through the sea lanes of the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. These lanes also bring us the bulk of our energy ? be it oil, gas or coal," he said in an interview to a local daily The New Zealand Herald.

Mukherjee, who becomes the first President to travel to New Zealand, arrived here this morning and was received by officials. He was later accorded a ceremonial reception at the Governor Generals House which included a traditional rubbing of nose gently with New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae.

"I believe, this region holds tremendous potential for enhanced trade and investment as well as people to people contacts," he said in the interview with the newspaper, which, however, focused on Free Trade Agreement and quoted New Zealand Prime Minister John Key as saying that their country wants advancement on FTA.

Other media reports quoted the Kiwi Prime Minister as saying that the visit of the Indian President will be a good opportunity to continue to talk trade and "discuss where were going". (More) PTI SKL NSA

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Captain David Warner slammed a fiery 50-ball 92 to set up a comfortable 15-run win for Sunrisers Hyderabad over Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League match on Saturday.

By India Today Web Desk: Captain David Warner slammed a fiery 50-ball 92 to set up a comfortable 15-run win for Sunrisers Hyderabad over Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League match on Saturday. (Scorecard)

Warner hit nine fours and five sixes and shared a 124-run stand for the second wicket with Kane Williamson (50) to power Hyderabad to an imposing 194 for 5 after they were put in to bat by Bangalore following a delayed start due to rain.

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The hosts then returned to restrict Bangalore for 179 for 6 and notch up their fourth win in seven matches.

It was RCB's fourth loss in six matches. For Hyderabad, all the five bowlers - Ashish Nehra (1/32), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/36), Mustafizur Rahman (1/34), Barinder Sran (1/36) and Moises Henriques (1/40) picked up one wicket each.

Chasing for the first time this season, RCB lost their first wicket when skipper Virat Kohli (14) stepped out and tried to play an uppish shot only to hand a catch to Ashish Reddy at backward point. (Full IPL Coverage)

Lokesh Rahul smashed a 28-ball 51 studded with six boundaries and a six but he was dismissed by Henriques on the last ball of the 10th over when he tried to run the ball down to third man only to end up giving a catch to wicket-keeper Naman Ojha as RCB slipped to 83 for 2.

AB de Villiers had conjured up hopes of a successful runchase for a brief period but he was soon caught at long-on by a diving Williamson.

The South African blasted 47 runs off 32 balls with the help of three fours and two sixes.

Shane Watson too was back to the hut when he tried to steal a second run and Sran's throw found him short of wicket in the 12th over.

Sachin Baby (27) and Kedar Jadhav (25 not out) tried their bit but it was too little and too late in the end.

Earlier, Warner played a captains knock, sharing a 124-run stand with Williamson (50) to lay the foundation for a huge score.

Playing his first game in IPL-9 after recovering from an injury, Williamson was perfect foil to Warner in an innings where he blasted seven boundaries in 38 balls.

Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques then provided the late charge with a 14-ball 31 laced with three sixes and a boundary to take Hyderabad close to the 200-run mark.

For Bangalore, Kane Richardson picked two wickets, while Shane Watson (1/33) and Tabraiz Shamsi (1/39) snapped one each at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

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Opening the innings, Shikhar Dhawan (11) blasted a couple of fours off Watson and Parvez Rasool before becoming a victim of Richardson in the fourth over. Looking to work across the line, he ended up giving a catch to the bowler.

However, Warner continued his rampaging form as he cracked a couple of boundaries of Richardson in the first five overs before picking up 16 runs off Harshal Patel which included two fours and a six.

Varon Aaron also gave away 11 runs each in the ninth and 13th overs as Warner and Williamson clobbered him for a couple of fours.

Warner exploded in the 15th over when he took Richardson to the cleaners, cracking two sixes and a four to amass 19 runs and also bring up his 100-run partnership off 65 balls with Williamson for the second wicket.

It was Tabraiz Shamsi who ended Warner's innings when he had him caught at long-off by de Villiers when the Australian looked to clear the ropes again to trigger a celebration.

Williamson completed a deserving fifty in the third ball of the 17th over but he was dismissed by Watson a ball later when the New Zealand skipper tried to play a short ball over the infield and ended up giving a faint nick to wicket-keeper Lokesh Rahul.

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In the next over, Henriques blasted two sixes after Richardson had dismissed Naman Ojha who miscued a shot and ended up giving a simple catch to de Villiers at long-on.

Henriques smashed a four and six in the next over as well to amass 14 runs to take Hyderabad to the big score.



(With PTI inputs)



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Delhi Daredevils all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite said their team's relaxed dressing room atmosphere was helping them on the field under pressure.

By India Today Web Desk: Unlike the previous seasons, Delhi Daredevils have looked solid this season with four wins from six matches so far. Zaheer Khan's side is sitting pretty at the second spot on the table after thumping Kolkata Knight Riders at home by 27 runs.



All-rounder Carlos Brathwaite said that they now have a 'fun dressing room' and it is helping them play well this year. (Full Coverage|Points Table)

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Brathwaite made a good comeback to the side after missing two games, scoring crucial 34 off 11 balls and taking three wickets on Saturday.



"I won't talk about past since I was not there but this year there is lot of stress on processes and solid preparations. It's a fun dressing room. Then players are good friends off the field and that unites them on the field under pressure," the West Indies batsman said. (Also read: Dejected Gautam Gambhir urges KKR players to fire)



Brathwaite also stressed that he was not dropped from the side in previous games.



"It's horses for courses. Imran Tahir did not play today but it's not that he was dropped. I was not dropped. Only thing is that only four foreign players can play but still the one who is missing out gives same support to the team."



Brathwaite also said that Feroz Shah Kotla track's changed nature suited his batting style.



"Then pitch was true. But Karun Nair and Sam Billings allowed me to bat where I wanted to bat. They laid the foundation," he said of their 105-run stand for the fourth wicket which helped them post 186 for 8 after being 32 for 3 in 5 overs.



He also said that he does not put himself under pressure and it was not possible to get big shots everytime he comes to the crease.



"It does not happen everyday," he said when reminded of his breathtaking 10-ball 34 that helped West Indies win the World T20.

(With inputs from PTI)



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Kings XI Punjab will play their remaining three home matches of the Indian Premier League in Mohali and not Dharamsala after the Himachal Pradesh state government refused to provide security.

By India Today Web Desk: Kings XI Punjab will play their remaining three home matches in Mohali and not in Dharamsala after the Himachal Pradesh state government refused to provide security to the Indian Premier League franchise.

Kings XI Punjab are among the three affected teams whose matches were moved out of Maharashtra due to severe drought situation in the state.

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Punjab had earlier opted for Dharamsala to be their new home but the franchise did not get any response from the Himachal Pradesh government.

Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants are the other two teams that have also been affected. The two sides will now play play their home games in Visakhapatnam.

The teams are complying with Bombay High Court's recent order of shifting the matches out of Maharashtra due to the drought crisis in the state.

The Bombay High Court had ordered that all IPL matches to be held in Maharashtra after April 30 must be relocated due to the prevailing water crisis in the state. The court later modified the order, allowing Rising Pune Supergiants to host Mumbai Indians on May 1.

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Monitors compiled the list dating back to the declaration of ISIS in June 2014, showing regular beheadings, shootings, stonings and other methods of murder such as throwing people off buildings and setting them on fire.

Men in orange jumpsuits held captive by the Islamic State (IS) kneel in front of armed men along a beach said to be near Tripoli. (Photo: Reuters)

By Press Trust of India: The Islamic State militant group has executed over 4,000 people within two years, a UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said, calling on the UN to stop the crimes and violations committed against the Syrian people by the outfit.

Monitors compiled the list dating back to the declaration of ISIS in June 2014, showing regular beheadings, shootings, stonings and other methods of murder such as throwing people off buildings and setting them on fire.

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The so-called offences of those executed included sodomy, apostasy and alcohol smuggling, SOHR notes.

It concludes that by the end of the 22nd month of the so-called "caliphate" under ISIS, 4,144 people had been executed.

SOHR said civilians made up the bulk of those executed, estimated at 2,230 people, including in three large-scale massacres of Sunni and Kurdish citizens.

The civilians, including women and children, are among the number, as are hundreds of ISIS' own members and enemy fighters from Bashar al-Assad's army and opposition rebel groups, 'The Independent' reported.

"The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights call again on the UN Security Council to work seriously to stop the crimes and violations committed against the Syrian people by the 'Islamic State' and the regime of Bashar al-Assad," a spokesperson said.

In the month until March 29 this year, 80 killings were recorded in ISIS territory in the provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Al-Hasakah.

A child was among 37 Syrian civilians executed, while 24 ISIS members, six rebels and fighters and more than a dozen Syrian army and militia members were beheaded and shot, SOHR said.

A former London student who joined ISIS in Syria last year described the reign of terror they enforce in their strongholds in an interview with the newspaper.

"I witnessed stonings, beheadings, shootings, hands chopped off and many other things," said Harry Sarfo, currently in prison in Germany awaiting trial for terror offences after fleeing Syria last July.

He added: "I've seen child soldiers 13-year-old boys with explosive belts and Kalashnikovs. Some boys even driving cars and involved in executions."

"My worst memory is of the execution of six men shot in the head by Kalashnikovs. The chopping off of a man's hand and making him hold it with the other hand," he said.

"The Islamic State is not just un-Islamic, it is inhuman.

A blood-related brother killed his own brother on suspicion of being a spy. They gave him the order to kill him. It is friends killing friends," he added.

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By PTI: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Apr 30 (PTI) Referring to decades-old fusion of the sound of Indian classical music with jazz, US President Barack Obama has said that jazz has opened up new exchanges with classical and eastern music.

"It (jazz) can be heard on the Scottish bagpipe, on the Indian sitar. It opened up new exchanges with classical music, and with Eastern music and it can make the oldest folk songs sound new," Obama said at the White House Jazz festival.

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Obama said from humble origins as the music of the black working class -- largely invisible to the mainstream -- it went on to become Americas most significant artistic contribution to the world.

"Jazz took shape in that most American of cities, New Orleans, where the rich blend of Spanish, French, Creole, and other influences sparked an innovative new sound," he said.

"By the early 20th century, you could walk down the street of the infamous Storyville district and -- maybe as you tried to stay out of trouble -- hear the likes of Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver and, of course, Louis Armstrong," he added.

Over the years, the sound travelled and changed -- hot jazz, swing, bebop, Latin, fusion, and experiments that defied labels. But its essence has always remained the same, the President noted.

"Jazz is perhaps the most honest reflection of who we are as a nation. Because after all, has there ever been any greater improvisation than America itself? We do it in our own way.

"We move forward even when the road ahead is uncertain, stubbornly insistent that well get to somewhere better, and confident that weve got all the right notes up our sleeve," he said.

"And thats whats attracted a global audience to this music. It speaks to something universal about humanity -- the restlessness that stirs in every soul, the desire to create with no boundaries," he said.

"Jazz is a good barometer of freedom," Duke Ellington once said. No wonder it has such an outsized imprint on the DNA of global music. It has spread like wildfire across the world, from Africa to Asia.

"And jazz blended with the bossa nova of Brazil or the tango of Argentina -- which, from here on out, I will endeavour to appreciate as a listener and observer, rather than as a dancer," Obama said.

Obama and the First Lady hosted a jazz concert in a large temporary building on the South Lawn for about 550 invited guests to mark International Jazz Day. PTI LKJ AMS ABH AMS

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She may be the poster-girl for women's rights, but this inspirational livewire says she got it from her momma...and nine other figures that shaped her into the powerhouse she's become.

By Tanishka Sharma: Asking Kalki's views on feminism is like asking a mechanic to talk shop-it comes so naturally and eloquently that everyone wants to do it. She's been more than vocal about the dire need for feminism, what we need to get about the concept ("once and for all-it's equality, please!" she sighs) and what we ought to be fighting for. But we couldn't help but wonder how Kalki grew up to be the fierce and feisty force she is. Turns out, there's a small army of women that share credit...



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1. "My Mother"

Kalki fondly describes her mother, Francoise, as a 'fiery, French woman' who taught her how to self-analyse. "She instilled in us this idea that self-improvement is organic, and it has to be an ongoing process. She made sure I studied Tamil and French rigorously-despite the fact I'd been enrolled in an English medium school." She also attributes her founding introductions to cinema through her mother. "I watched a lot of (Francois) Truffaut and (Jean-Luc) Godard because of her, and so I grew both acquainted with, and deeply fond of, French cinema. She ODed on films like Bandit Queen and Salaam Bombay and "'alternative' cinema like that," she smiles. She tells us that her mother's opinions always stood out in the house, and that she, herself, was encouraged to have an opinion. "Whether you were a boy or a girl didn't matter. I had to partake of everything. My parents split up when I was 12, and when there's no man in the house, you learn to do it all," she says, divulging that this is why she learned to change car tyres, amongst other skills. "It was just the way she raised us," she says, matter-of-fact-ly.

Also read: Fist pump! Kalki Koechlin just received a very special letter from Melinda Gates (and it's not about her acting)



2. "Ms Grimes"

Kalki describes her as "a sister-ish teacher who taught at my school in Ooty". "I entered that school well-versed in Tamil and French, but my English wasn't great. I was always lagging behind in class-until she took up my cause. She pushed me to take on extra reading, and I spent my holidays with Great Expectations and Oliver Twist. She inculcated the importance of reading in me." Considering she then went on to be a lit major (not to mention a writer), she reiterates her first surge of emotions about her teacher. "My God, I owe her!"

3. "Karuna Nundy"

...the Supreme Court lawyer, best known for fighting for women's rights. "I'm used to a different side of her, because I always meet her when we're drinking," Kalki laughs. On a more serious note, she talks about how much she's inspired by her indefatigable fight for women. "Just last year, we put together a 'womanifesto' about certain rights we wanted put into play. We pitched it to the government-and they approved!" she cheers. But she adds that it's people like Karuna who take care of a lot of the legwork for feminism to become a practical reality. "She's always out there, fighting the good fight."

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4. "Zoya Akhtar"

"She's grown up in the 'starriest' universe possible, but she's really got her head on her shoulders," Kalki says, adding that Zoya was the first female director she'd worked with-and what a learning it was! "There's a sense of independence in her-the way she travels, and talks about things. I can see her turning into a single mom one day!" Kalki laughs. "She's not going to wait for a man to have a kid. She's too cool for that!" She talks about how she's learnt to treat stars normally while working with Zoya. "She never mollycoddles anyone or treats them special. Everyone eats and chills together. She's very no-nonsense and equalising; it's brilliant to watch."

5. "Radhika Apte"

The kind of characters that Radhika plays, in Kalki's opinion, are revolutionary because of how they de-stereotype women. "The roles she chooses always show women in a very real way. And she is so forthright and opinionated! I feel like she'll be a great director someday," she muses. "She's also incredibly unafraid. She talks back, fights back, shouts back. Of the two of us, she's definitely the chatterbox! We're well-matched for opinions, and can have all-night-long arguments about a trillion subjects."

Picture: Cosmopolitan

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6. "Anamika Huksar"

"She's this incredible, Delhi-based theatre director who just moved to Bombay," Kalki explains. "I've done workshops with her. She's the kind of woman who will not even look at you if you're two minutes late to her class," she reminisces. "Oh, and if you ever dared try to pull off a piece you'd written without having done your homework, she'd see through your bullsh*t in 30 seconds! I once had to play a fisher woman, and she made me go to Versova fish market and sit with those really loud fisher women, and handle the fish. Like, proper method acting!" There's no one who taught her to 'live' the character better, in her opinion.

7. "Maya Sarao"

A street performance artist that Kalki adores, she "encapsulates feminist struggles through her work brilliantly," Kalki gushes. "For instance, she does this piece where she moves through minutes-minute one, minute two, etc-talking about something that's happening to a woman somewhere in every minute. It's powerful."

8. "Aditi Mittal"

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She thinks the stand-up comedian is wickedly funny--something women are stereotyped not to be. "She's uncensored and unapologetic. Her whole thought-process is 'Why should we be soft-spoken and gentle?' 'Why can't we be brash and crude?'" She describes a part of Aditi's act where she talks about menstruation and going to the store to buy sanitary napkins. "She jokes about how shopkeepers wrap up sanitary napkins in newspaper, and she goes, 'Some Afghan drug dealers don't have that kind of discretion!' It's that kind of proud notion busting that makes her truly applaudable."

9. "Joan of Arc"

Kalki mentions, first, that she's been obsessed with Joan of Arc forever. "I love that, so far back in history, a woman led an army by herself. It's always fascinated me that someone so young could be that fearless!"

10. "Anurag Kashyap"

Kalki breaks the '10 women' mandate, ending her list with a man--her ex husband. "Anurag always encouraged me to create and write, and took my opinions seriously. Even though he was older, he treated me like an equal, and let me grow as a woman. The kind of respect he gave me as a colleague and partner is crucial between friends or a couple," she ends.

The Cosmo Quiz The one TV show I can binge-watch to death is Game of Thrones. My spirit animal is a tiger. I have no idea how to say no to puppy eyes. The strangest thing I've ever eaten is blood pudding. I own a ridiculous amount of highly impractical heels. When I look in the mirror I think, 'I haven't slept enough!' I'd rather shave my head/ get my tongue pierced/get a tattoo. I'd rather work out/diet. The last person I fought with was my mother. A book I've read more than five times is The Little Prince.

This article originally appeared in the April issue of Cosmopolitan.

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By PTI: Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 30 (PTI) Close on the heels of CM Ommen Chandy, Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala today filed a petition before Chief Electoral Officer seeking action against CPI-M veteran V S Achuthanandan for making "false and defamatory" statements against him during the ongoing campaigning for the May 16 Assembly elections.

Chennithala in his petition submitted that the CPI-M leaders "baseless" allegation about corruption cases against him amounted to breach of code of conduct, election officials said.

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There was no basis for the allegation, he claimed, adding the charge had been made to create misunderstanding among voters and also amounted to character assassination by Achuthanandan, who is contesting from Malampuzha segment.

Chennithala sought action as per law against the CPI(M) leader for making "false" statements.

Chandy had earlier this week filed a complaint with the Election Commission seeking action against Achuthanandan for his "defamatory remark" against him over corruption cases. Besides, Chandy has also moved a court here by filing a defamation suit against the leader, seeking Rs one lakh compensation. PTI JRK VS SRY

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Releasing the NDA's vision document, Arun Jaitley said that for the first time, Kerala would see a tripolar fight.

With few days left for the Assembly election in Kerala, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today launched the Kerala unit of the National Democratic Alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Releasing the NDA's vision document, Jaitley said that for the first time, Kerala would see a tripolar fight.

"There is not much difference between the original two bipolar players. The Congress and Left are natural partners. The more Kerala advances towards tripolar politics, the closer Congress and Left will become," he said pointing out at the two parties' alliance in West Bengal.

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NDA's vision document includes a liqour policy for the state for total prohibition in a phased manner among others, targeting restricted sale of alcohol through beverages corporation outlets. A customer will not be allowed to take home more than 250 ml in a single transaction, the document specifies.

Attacking the saffron party, Congress leader AK Antony said that what Kerala needs is an assembly without the presence of BJP. "BJP will disturb the communal harmony in the state," he told media here.

BJP has never been successful in opening an account in Kerala assembly but has been increasing its vote share significantly with every election. And after the results of the local body elections in 2015 where it emerged as an electoral force winning 13 village panchayats, the party has high hopes. BJP had even pushed the Congress to the third position in Thiruvananthapuram corporation.

The party has also joined hands with the backward Hindu outfit Bharat Dharma Jana Sena aiming to garner the Ezhava votes that otherwise went to the LDF. But the Left isn't worried about this says CPM MLA Thomas Isaac. "There is no tripolar fight in the state. May be in two or three constituencies they (BJP) will put up a fight. In Kerala, it is always the UDF versus the LDF. Who doesn't know that?," he asks.

Almost all prominent national leaders of the BJP including PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu will campaign for its Kerala unit starting May 1.

Ten point promises of the NDA:

Second land reform: Within 2 years all the landless in the state will be given land by implementing second land reform. The entire homeless and those who live in ramshackle homes would be covered under this scheme. All adivasi youth who have passed 10th standard will be given government jobs. Farmers will be given Rs 3 lakh interest free loan emulating the Madhya Pradesh model. Cooperating with central government a Rs 10,000 crore package would be implemented to help build basic infrastructure in coastal region and for the benefit of fishermen. 1,00,000 small scale industries would be set up to help the youth cooperating with Mudra scheme. Rs 1,0000 crore package for traditional industries. Devoid of caste, creed and religion students from economically weaker sections will be given scholarship under the Mannam Scholarship scheme. Uninterrupted water supply for 24 hours. 10,000 flat apartments will be built in 2 years to eliminate slum dwelling.

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Modi ministers had a heated argument in the Upper House after an opposition lawmaker raised the issue of attacks on minorities in Jharkhand.

By Himanshu Mishra: Two central ministers had a heated argument in the Rajya Sabha on Friday after an opposition lawmaker raised the issue of attacks on minorities in Jharkhand.

Trouble broke out when a male minister said the state government will substantiate the facts of the case and JD(U) leaders trooped to the Well of the House.

A female minister said she would write to the Jharkhand government to get a detailed report. But the row raged on and the House was adjourned. The female minister then advised the male minister to be more tactful when dealing with parliamentarians.

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The male minister then said, "Of course, you'll say this since you come from the Congress. I'm an old hand in the BJP and know how to deal with these people." Two central ministers seated nearby were also stunned by these remarks.

The female minister then said she no longer felt needed in the government and was going to hand in her resignation letter to the PM.

She then called up parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu, finance minister Arun Jaitley as well as external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and complained about her male colleague's behaviour.

The senior ministers said they would speak to the concerned minister about the issue.

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According to officials of the fire and the emergency service department, the structure that housed a beer bar and a factory, tumbled down at around 2 pm. The two-storey building was reportedly under repair work.

By India Today Web Desk: At least six people died and several others were injured today in a building collapse near Grant Road railway station in Mumbai.

According to officials of the fire and the emergency service department, the structure that housed a beer bar and a factory, tumbled down at around 2 pm. The two-storey building was reportedly under repair work and an illegal floor was being added to the building.

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Amin Patel, MLA from Grant Road while speaking to India Today blamed Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority for the mishap. The MLA also said that the authorities should have evacuated the building before they initiated the repair work.



While four people have been rescued, it is feared that few others might be trapped under the debris.

As per reports, rescue operation is underway as five fire engines have been rushed to the spot.

- More details are awaited.





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By PTI: From Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Apr 30 (PTI) Nepal today honoured six mountaineers, including three foreigners, to mark the diamond jubliee celebration of the first ascent to Mt Manaslu and Lhotse.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari fecilitated three foreigners including Japanese Higeta Minoru, one of the first persons to climb Mt Manaslu and three Nepalese climbers.

Minoru, is the only surviving member of the first successful expedition to Mt Manaslu (8,156 m), that scaled the peak on May in 1956.

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Other two climbers who were felicitated include Ted Atkins from the UK and Billy Bielerger from Germany.

Three Nepalese climbers, who were felicitated today include Pertemba Sherpa, Pemba Norbu Sherpa and Mingma Sherpa.

Junko Tabei from Japan, the first female Everest summiteer, was also felicitated by Kathmandu Metropolitan Corporations acting chie Badri Tamang at a separate function.

The celebration was aimed at revamping Nepals tourism industry, which was badly hit by the last year Aprils devastating earthquake.

"We wanted to convey the message that Mt Everest, Manaslu, Annapurna and other major mountains and trekking routes are safe and we welcome international visitors and adventure seekers in the mountains, said Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of NepalMountaineering Association.

Mt Lhotse has an altitude of 8,516 metre.

"Over the past 60 years, 1067 climbers have scaled Manaslu peak and 604 have scaled Lhotse and we will honour all 1671 climbers," Sherpa said. PTI SBP UZM

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The state transport ministers have unanimously agreed to framing strict penalties for offences like over-speeding, drunk driving, talking over phone while driving and jumping traffic lights.

The proposal mooted by the group of ministers assumes significance in the wake of road accidents involving minors.

By Rakesh Ranjan: Various state governments in India have unanimously pitched for a strict penalty, including imprisonment for under-age driving.

In order to curb the menace, which is on constant rise, the group of ministers (GoM) on road safety has recommended amendments in the central motor vehicle rules to impose 'harsh' penalty on juveniles indulged in cases of drunk driving or traffic violations like rash driving. At the same time, the owner of the vehicle involved in violation will also be liable for prosecution.

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In its interim report submitted to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, the GoM has suggested review of some frequent traffic violations that pose a threat to public life and recommended stricter punishment. These include using mobile phones while driving which at present invites a fine of just Rs 100.

The state transport ministers have unanimously agreed to framing strict penalties for offences like over-speeding, drunk driving, talking over phone while driving and jumping traffic lights.

The proposal mooted by the GoM assumes significance in wake of road accidents involving minors.

In a recent incident in Delhi, a person was killed after he was run over by a speeding Mercedes being driven by a juvenile in North Delhi's Civil Lines area. As per the rules, a juvenile cannot be issued a challan even for minor traffic violations but the same is issued in the name of their parents or the owner of the vehicle.

For want of a deterrent, the cases of minors driving are on the rise, said Yunus Khan, Rajasthan's Transport Minister who heads the GoM on Road Safety and Ease of Transport.

"All state governments have agreed for revision of penalty. Once approved, these suggestions will be put before the public for their suggestions and objections," Khan said.

The proposed amendments would, however, be subject to inter-ministerial consent. The amount of penalty and punishment is yet to be fixed and will be done after proper study of CrPC and IPC provisions for which the transport department will take up the matter with the Law Ministry and the Union Home Ministry.

After failing to push new road safety bill in Parliament due to opposition from the states, the Centre had constituted the group of ministers for framing stricter traffic rules. The next meeting of the GoM would be held in Bangalore on May 20 followed by a meeting to finalise proposals on June 10.

The number of road fatalities in India has been increasing steadily.

As many as Rs 1.46 lakh road fatalities were reported in the year 2015. As a signatory to Brasilia Declaration, India is committed to reduce the number of road accidents and fatalities by 50 per cent by 2020.

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If Twitter is to be believed, the head of Chancery of Pakistan's Embassy in Paris wrote this hilarious letter of absence, stating homesickness as his reason.

By India Today Web Desk: Raise your hand if you live away from home and miss your city like crazy. Certainly, there are scores of you on the other side of the screen reading this.

In that case, you will be able to relate to this man and his unusual letter of absence.

If Twitter is to be believed, the head of Chancery of Pakistan's Embassy in Paris wrote this hilarious letter to get his leave granted.

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His reason for absence? Well, it is indeed a serious one: he has been suffering from "a severe case of homesickness". He clarifies his 'illness' further by adding that it is "more than a state of mind; it is a state of heart".

Now, who can argue with that? The heart wants what the heart wants, right? So, his boss approved the leave. But he did so with a wittier comeback.



Head of Chancery of Pakistan's Embassy in Paris asks for leave because of "homesickness" -- and is granted it! pic.twitter.com/D3a22gm3aQ omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) April 29, 2016





The green-inked response at the end of the letter, possibly from the ambassador, says he will send "a CD of Islamabad and Margalla hills" so that they can act as a "cure" for the time being.

But he also reminds the head of Chancery that the "matters of government are conducted by by mind and NOT through heart".

The boss surely knows how to play the good cop and the bad cop at the same time.



via GIPHY



While the veracity of this letter has not been verified, it definitely is a well-written piece that gave a lot of people a good laugh.

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The hike comes on back of Rs 0.74 per litre cut in petrol price and diesel by Rs 1.30 a litre on April 16.

By Press Trust of India: Petrol price was today hiked by Rs 1.06 per litre and diesel by Rs 2.94 a litre.

Petrol in Delhi will cost Rs 62.19 per litre from midnight tonight as against Rs 61.13 currently, said Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the nation's largest fuel retailer.

Similarly, a litre of diesel will cost Rs 50.95 compared to Rs 48.01 at present.

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The hike comes on back of Rs 0.74 per litre cut in petrol price and diesel by Rs 1.30 a litre on April 16.

"The current level of international product prices of petrol and diesel and the rupee-US Dollar exchange rate warrant increase in price of petrol and diesel, the impact of which is being passed on to the consumers with this price revision," the IOC said.

State-owned fuel retailers IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) revise rates of the fuel on 1st and 16th of every month based on the average oil price and the foreign exchange rate in the preceding fortnight.

"The movement of prices in the international oil market and the rupee-USD exchange rate shall continue to be monitored closely and developing trends of the market will be reflected in future price changes," the company added.

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The Congress asserted that the Samajwadi Party had no political base outside Uttar Pradesh and thus, could not possibly lead the country.

By Siraj Qureshi: Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections next year, NCP chief Sharad Pawar endorsed Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar as the most credible face to lead the 'united opposition' against the BJP-led NDA in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress in no time raised its guns at the NCP leader. Party leader Haji Jameeluddin said that party vice president Rahul Gandhi is the most likely prime ministerial candidate instead.

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The Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, also joined the verbal battle, when one of its leader said that party chief Mulayam Singh will be the next prime minister.

Talking to India Today, the SP leader said said that Mulayam is a powerful politician and an able parliamentarian; he has the biggest stake on the prime ministerial post in the country.

The leader also said that the BJP-led government had only created communal tension which went against Mulayam's secular policies.

Reacting to this, the Congress asserted that the Samajwadi Party had no political base outside Uttar Pradesh and thus, could not possibly lead the country.

Meanwhile, ridiculing the above statements, BJP City President Vijay Shivhare said that Nitish Kumar and Mulayam Singh Yadav were unable to control Bihar and UP, so it was not possible for them to rule the entire country.

Bahujan Samaj Party leaders chose to remain silent on the parliamentary elections issue. Instead, they took a jibe at SP and said that the party should first worry about their fate in the 2016 Assembly elections.

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For the first time, government hospitals will have separate administrative heads for important departments like emergency, mother and child care, etc.

Hospitals have been re-organised into smaller units under separate medical superintendents with one medical director who will be coordinating.

By Astha Saxena: The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government, in a first, has divided the powers of medical superintendents working in various government hospitals.

For the first time, government hospitals will have separate administrative heads for important departments like emergency, mother and child care, etc.

The move will take off the burden from the medical superintendents and will help the doctors focus on the large number of patients queuing outside the hospitals.

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Under the new move, hospitals have been reorganised into smaller units of management under separate medical superintendents (MS) with one medical director who will be coordinating among different MS.

"The medical director will overall handle the entire hospital functioning. We are planning to make doctors free from non-clinical work. The doctors will soon be able to dedicate all their time to patients," said Satyendar Jain, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Delhi government.

MAIL TODAY in its exclusive report on December 23 had reported how the government is planning to change the face of entire health system. In a meeting held on December 10, Jain along with some other senior health officials decided to improve some of the basic facilities in government hospitals.

The government then had decided to divide the powers of medical superintendents.

Hospitals like Guru Tegh Bahadur in east Delhi have got five new medical superintendents for mother and child care unit, surgery, accident and emergency.

"It is extremely difficult for an individual to handle the entire hospital alone.

Large numbers of patients face problems in the emergency ward as the doctor is also occupied with too much of work," added Jain.

The government reviewed the functioning of hospitals for a year and then decided to take this decision.

"We tried to understand the loopholes in the functioning of a hospital and the problems which are faced by patients.

The mother and child services are very important. To review the performance of the individual department, we have taken this decision to separate the administrative work," he said. Sources in the department said the government has bigger plans to improve this hospital's functioning.

"The government has also planned to set up six new dialysis machines at Guru Tegh Bahadur hospital and 10 at Dr Baba Sahed Ambedkar hospital. The tender for using dialysis unit through private agencies is to be floated," said a senior government official.

Patients who have been running from pillar to post to find about surgery will no longer have to do so. The government has thought about them too.

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Soon, the date for surgeries will be displayed on the website of the health department.

Meanwhile, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has approved the medical college of Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar hospital in Rohini.

The medical college will admit the students coming through the NEET from this session.

"The medical college with 100 seats will be admitting students from this session. The MCI has finally approved the college which was pending since long," Jain said.

ALSO READ



Delhi govt overhauls administrative system in its hospitals



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By PTI: From Sumir Kaul

Port Moresby, Apr 29 (PTI) After completing his two-day trip to Papua New Guinea, President Pranab Mukherjee today left for New Zealand on the first-ever visit by an Indian Head of State to the country.

His trip assumes significance as it is a first high-level visit from India in 20 years after Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhis visit to the island nation.

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India traditionally shared close relations with New Zealand with the Indian diaspora of 1,75,000 helping to further cement bilateral ties, said Jaideep Mazumdar, Joint Secretary (South), Ministry of External Affairs.

During the visit, the two countries will look at prospects for cooperation in agriculture, dairy, food processing, education and skill development as well as high technology, he had said.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key had visited India in 2011 and its Governor General in 2008, 2009 and 2011.

During his visit, Mukherjee will meet the Governor General, the Prime Minister and the leader of the Opposition besides addressing a gathering of top New Zealand businessmen.

The President is likely to address the Indian community, students and faculty of the Auckland University of Technology and interact with Indian students there.

"The number of Indian students in New Zealand has grown exponentially over the last few years. It now numbers about 23,000 and last year alone, the growth was about 67 per cent. New Zealand is also a magnet for Indian tourists. Last year 43,000 Indian tourists went to New Zealand and from the New Zealand side there were about 25,000 tourists to India," he had said. PTI ABS SKL ZH AKJ ZH

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During the telephonic talk, Singh assured the Governor of providing all necessary assistance to the state to control the forest fires and help in containing the damage, official sources said.

By Press Trust of India: As major forest fire engulfed parts of Uttarakhand, the Centre today assured the state government all assistance to douse the fire and those affected by it.



Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul regarding the incidents of forest fires in the state and reviewed the situation.



During the telephonic talk, Singh assured the Governor of providing all necessary assistance to the state to control the forest fires and help in containing the damage, official sources said.



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The Home Ministry has already sent teams of National Disaster Response Force to help the state administration control the forest fire.

Uttarakhand is under President's rule and the Governor is the administrative head.



Major forest fires raged today across Uttarakhand even as three teams of NDRF were deployed in Almora, Gauchar and Pauri and one team of SDRF in Nainital to extinguish the flames.



Since the beginning of forest fire incidents in the state in early February this year, 922 incidents have occurred so far killing six people including three women and a child, in separate incidents, injuring seven and blighting nearly 2,000 hectares of green cover.

ALSO READ: Uttarakhand forest fires: NDRF team to be deployed in Pauri to control flames



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In Sabash Naidu, Kamal Haasan is reviving the character Balram Naidu from his earlier work Dasavatharam. The witty character is known for his unique voice and high affinity towards his Telugu identity.

By India Today Web Desk: Kamal Haasan released the title of his upcoming trilingual film on Thursday. Titled Sabash Naidu in Tamil, the film will have his daughter Shruti Haasan and veteran Telugu comedian Brahmanandam in pivotal roles. The comedy film is titled Sabash Kund in Hindi.

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Saurabh Shukla will reprise the role of Brahmanandam in Hindi. Directed by TK Rajeev Kumar, the film also has Ramya Krishnan in a main role. Kamal said that he is planning to start the shoot in May and will wrap it up by July.

The crew is heading to the US on May 14 to start filming for the project.

In Sabash Naidu, Kamal Haasan is reviving the character Balram Naidu from his earlier work Dasavatharam. The witty character is known for his unique voice and high affinity towards his Telugu identity.

Maestro Ilaiyaraaja, after a decade-long gap, is joining hands with Kamal Haasan for the trilingual film. Kamal said that Ilaiyaraaja was the one to suggest the Tamil title for the film. He also revealed that Hindi title was Saurabh Shukla's idea.





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Narayan, an Indian-American, known for his English films including Good Night Good Morning and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, will play the love interest of Shruti Haasan in the multilingual film.

By India Today Web Desk: Shruti Haasan, who will play the daughter of Kamal Haasan in his upcoming film Sabash Naidu, will be paired opposite Hollywood actor Manu Narayan.

Narayan, an Indian-American, known for his English films including Good Night Good Morning and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, will play the love interest of Shruti Haasan.

Film critic-director Sudhish Kamath, who has earlier worked with Manu Narayan in the film Good Night Good Morning, took to Twitter to share his happiness over the development.

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Woohoo! @manu_narayan is a rockstar. Welcome back to India, brother. So happy for you. https://t.co/QeGjSbLa1Y Sudhish Kamath (@SudhishKamath) April 29, 2016

When a fan asked Sudhish how does it feel to give a hero to Kamal Haasan, the filmmaker revealed that it was Kamal Haasan who suggested Manu to act in Good Night Good Morning.

It was the other way around. @ikamalhaasan told Manu to do #GoodNightGoodMorning. Still grateful. :) Best actor ever https://t.co/L2yniLIgUI Sudhish Kamath (@SudhishKamath) April 29, 2016

Kamal Haasan's younger daughter is also playing a part in the film. She is reportedly working as the assistant director in the comedy drama.

Sabash Naidu also has veteran Telugu comedian Brahmanandam in a lead role. The film will be shot simultaneously in three languages: Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. It is titled Sabash Gund in Hindi. Saurabh Shukla will replace Brahmanandam in the Bollywood version.

For the first time Kamal Hassan, Shruti, and Akshara are coming together for a film.

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Shinde, who has been embroiled in a huge tussle with the makers of the show, recently saw Shubhangi Atre play the role of Angoori Bhabhi, the role she was once synonymous with.

By India Today Web Desk: The former Angoori Bhabi, Shilpa Shinde, sure has ruffled some feathers. After filing a complaint (of defamation, criminal conspiracy and extortion) against big industry bodies such as CINTAA, IFTPC and FWICE, Shinde has once again caught our attention. This time though, it's to do with what she thinks of Shubhangi Atre's portrayal of her former character, Angoori Bhabhi.

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Shilpa was replaced by Shubhangi to play the role of Angoori on &TV's wildly popular show, Bhabhi Ji Ghar Par Hai.

When Tellychakkar got in touch with Shinde to know what she thought of Atre's performance, this is what she had to say: "She is a good copy cat. I have seen her on the show. You can make someone look and dress like Angoori, but it's not easy to act like Angoori. She is a good actress and will definitely do well in her career if she stops imitating and does something original."

She went on to add that she wasn't asking for too much when she asked for a raise from the makers of the show: "Kya maanga tha maine (what did I ask for?) I worked hard for the show and my character became popular. Apni aukat dekh ke hi per-day maanga tha maine (I asked for the raise on the basis of my worth). What's wrong in that? It was such a small issue which could have been sorted out, but they blew it out of proportion. Now, let's see where it ends."

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The incident occurred in the afternoon when several people, mostly labourers from West Bengal, were present inside the building.

By Vidya : At least six people were killed and few injured after a partially-occupied building undergoing repairs came crashing down in Kamathipura Lane in south Mumbai on Saturday. As many as 60 firemen and 10 fire engines were pressed into service to rescue those buried under the debris and rush the injured to the hospital.

The incident occurred in the afternoon when several people, mostly labourers from West Bengal, were present inside the building. While one of the injured is recuperating at the nearby JJ hospital, the other has been admitted at Nair hospital.

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Chief fire officer Prabhat Rahangadale said, "The neighbouring buildings have developed cracks, they were been evacuated. The buildings were so dangerous that it could fall on the firemen during the operation."

Following the 3-hour-long operation, the area was handed over to other concerned departments, to begin their probe and devise a plan for the residents of the building.

"We have suggested to the building repair department to repair the buildings and then allow people inside," Rahangadale said.

According to residents, Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (MHADA) began repair works in the 100-year-old building just four years ago.

"When MHADA had started the repair work, how come these people were still allowed to work and reside inside the building? I have also been told that an illegal construction over this structure was being made. Perhaps that could be the reason behind the collapse", Congress MLA Ameen Patel said.

Patel said that he had asked MHADA to look into these aspects and hold an enquiry.

Former MLA Atul Shah also reached the spot and said that he would ask the chief minister and housing minister to conduct a survey of all the buildings in the area.

"There are more than 500 buildings in this area that are in a pathetic condition. Immediate attention needs to be given to them," Atul Shah said.

However, it is important to note that the building was never declared dilapidated and the residents were never asked to evcuate, even after a survey was conducted by the MHADA and the BMC.

Usually, surveys are carried out in March to estimate the number of buildings that are likely to be hit or affected by the rains. Residents are usually asked to leave the place if the building is found vulnerable. But, according to MAHADA CEO Sumant Bhange, residents do not agree to shift to transit homes and prefer to stay back instead.

"It is difficult to ascertain the cause behind the collapse till reports are released," Sumant Bhange said.



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By Radhika Bhalla/Mail Today: The sinuous form of a lady - the pallu of her sari covering her head - reaches out to pluck a fruit from a tree in the paintings of Padma Bhushan awardee artist A. Ramachandran which are on view at Vadehra Art Gallery.

As the tree bends towards her to offer its riches, nature swarms the canvas in geometrical shapes such as the pattern of flowers flowing towards the protagonist, and the ever present chameleon climbing up the tree trunk.

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The simple wonders of rural life live through the works of the Kerala-born artist, who counts masters like Ramkinkar Baij and Benode Behari Mukherjee as his teachers. Between 1961 and 1964, Ramachandran did his doctoral thesis on Kerala mural painting. By the mid-60s, he had moved to Delhi and in 1965 he joined Jamia Millia Islamia as a lecturer in art education.

Speaking of the ongoing exhibition, 'Earthen Pot - Image Poems 2016', Sonia Ballaney, Executive Director of Vadhera Art Gallery shares, "Ramachandran did these sketches when he was outside the country in 2015-16, and in this series he was working on drawings with emphasis on the line. The medium is coloured drawings, and brings to life the theme of women and change."

The artist turned to observing tribal scenarios in the 1980s, and has made numerous paintings on the Bheel community that lives a little ahead of Udaipur. At the same time, the colours and forms of the murals in the Kerala temples began to find its way into his paintings. Myths became a great resource for him.

The archetype of the young girl and women recurs in most of his works, and here too, she emerges as the focal point though not necessarily as a vulnerable protagonist. In a few sketches, the gaze is powerfully reverted, thus creating a fresh and more convincing dialogue with the viewer. The earthen pot with a childlike figure in the foetal position is another trope that runs through the current works. As Ballaney explains, "In this theme, the earthen pot has he himself in it. He is the observer of nature and its surroundings, yet he is hidden from the view of the participants. The pot can also be looked at as the womb, but he is not a part of it."

Given the position of the child-like artist in the vessel, it appears as though he is the unborn potential in the sketches, and since it belongs to the woman in it, he is also the unrealised potential of her inner strengths and capabilities.

Amongst the 21 sketches that are up for display, a few are also on sale. - 'Earthen Pot - Image Poems 2016' by A Ramachandran is on view at Vadehra Art Gallery, D 53 Defence Colony till May 21 from 11am to 7pm.

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Firhad Hakim said that he is being targeted for being a Muslim and that it was a communal conspiracy.

By India Today Web Desk: A day after his "mini-Pakistan" comment grabbed headlines, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's key aide Firhad Hakim today justified his comment, saying he has been misquoted.

Hakim compared his comment to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Pakistan visit. "If Modi goes to Pakistan, it's fine and if i say something, it becomes an issue," he said.

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Surprisingly, Hakim said that he is being targeted for being a Muslim and that it was a communal conspiracy.

"Is it because I am a Muslim? this is a communal conspiracy," he said.

Firhad Hakim, also known as Bobby, when asked about the infamous Narada sting operation, said he welcomes forensic examination of the tapes.

"I've not done anything unethical in my life and i shall be proved right. I welcome forensic test of Narada tapes," Hakim said.

The urban development minister lashed out at the Congress-Left aliance in the state, saying they don't have any ideology, and are therefore using false propaganda and personal attacks.

Speaking to prominent Pakistan newspaper The Dawn, Hakim offered correspondent Maleeha Hamid Sidiqqui a tour of his constituency, which he refers to as 'mini Pakistan'. The report was published by the newspaper on Friday titled 'Canvassing in 'mini-Pakistan' of Kolkata', and it immediately became 'viral' on social media, with many questioning what message Bobby wanted to convey about Indian Muslims in general and those hailing from Kolkata in particular to the Pakistan journalist.

In the Dawn article, Bobby takes pride in his Urdu with a Bihari twang. The correspondent, after seeing most of the signboards in Urdu in that part of the constituency, writes in the article that it is truly a "mini-Pakistan".

ALSO READ

Muslims in India condemn Pakistan's treatment of Kabir Khan



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During the fifth phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, an altercation with the central forces broke out after Guha was refrained from getting too close to the electronic voting machine inside the booth.

By India Today Web Desk: Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Sonali Guha today courted controversy after she was caught telling someone over the phone 'to beat and drive away the CPI-M agents' from a polling booth.

The Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly leader was also seen getting in an altercation with Central Armed Forces personnel at a polling booth in Satgachia area in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

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"Thrash the CPI-M agents and push them out of the polling booths. They broke the electronic voting machine. I am asking for a new machine but voters are turning away," Guha was heard talking over the phone.

"If voting has to go on till 9 pm, so let it be," she added.

During the fifth phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, an altercation with the central forces broke out after Guha was refrained from getting too close to the electronic voting machine inside the booth.

According to Guha, the incident occurred after she complained of a machine which had been malfunctioning for several hours. Outraged over the alleged inaction of the Election Commission, Guha called her supporters and ordered them to beat up the CPI-M polling agent and drive them out.

The CPI-M and Congress condemned the remarks and demanded Guha be arrested immediately. The Election Commission has asked the district administration to register an FIR against the TMC leader.

Also read: West Bengal Assembly election LIVE: Over 57 per cent voting recorded till 1 pm



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By PTI: From Lalit K Jha

Washington, Apr 30 (PTI) The US has dismissed Russian and Chinese concerns over its plan to deploy an anti-missile defence system in South Korea, saying the proposal is aimed at ensuring security of its ally after a stream of provocative statements, nuclear tests and missile launches by the North.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said US military and national security experts believe additional resources could be needed to ensure South Koreas safety and security.

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"The assessment of our military and national security experts is that it could be a good idea for them to do that. But ultimately, this is a sovereign country, and because theyre an ally of the US, were looking for ways to help them," Earnest said.

"This is one potential way we could offer some assistance to them and enhance their security," he said.

The US and South Korea have been discussing the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system (THAAD), a truck-mounted platform designed to counter short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles.

Russia and China have expressed concerns over the US proposal. Though US officials have said it would focus only on North Korean threats, China is worried the system could be used against its launchers.

At a briefing in Beijing with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said: "We both are gravely concerned about the US likely deployment of the THAAD system in South Korea."

Earnest, however, dismissed their concerns. "It is not at all in Chinas interest to have that kind of destabilising activity right on their doorstep."

"Theyre focused on getting North Korea to end their provocations is rooted in their own self-interest, which is that having all this provocative behaviour and this conflict and this destabilising activity on their doorstep is not in their interest," Earnest said.

The White House Press Secretary said US commitment to South Koreas security is rock-solid. South Korea is a close ally, and that means the US is prepared to invest resources in keeping them safe, he said.

"We have seen repeated provocations, particularly in just the last few months, from North Korea, vowing to use their military might against our allies," he said.

In February, North Korea claimed to have launched a satellite into orbit - a move some analysts saw as cover for testing a ballistic missile system that could potentially carry nuclear warheads. That was followed closely by what the North claimed was the test of a powerful hydrogen bomb.

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Earnest said this was the reason the US has engaged in talks with South Korea about deploying the defence system.

"Those discussions are ongoing. Ill just point out that that equipment would be oriented toward the threat that is posed by North Korea, not oriented toward China or Russia," Earnest said. PTI LKJ ABH

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Nearly 1.24 crore (1,23,97,832) voters across 14,642 polling stations, including 77 auxiliary booths, are eligible to decide the fate of 349 candidates - 3 of them female.

By India Today Web Desk: Polling for the crucial fifth phase of West Bengal assembly election ended at 5 pm with 78 per cent polling. The election will seal the fate of many ministers of the ruling Trinamool Congress. The Trinamool and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are contesting in all the seats in this phase.

All eyes are on south Kolkata's Bhabanipur, where chief minister Mamata Banerjee - seeking re-election - is facing a challenge from Left Front-backed Congress nominee Deepa Dasmunshi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose of the BJP.

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Here are the LIVE updates:



78.25 per cent voter turnout in the fifth phase of Assembly polls in West Bengal, says Election Commission.



72.19 per cent voting recorded till 3 pm.



Polling percentage was recorded at 57 per cent till 1 PM.

TMC MP Moon Moon Sen, her daughters Raima & Riya casts their votes.

EC asks south 24 pargana district administration to register FIR against TMC leader and Bengal deputy Speaker Sonali Guha for her open threat.

Former WB Chief Minister and prominent Left leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharya casts his vote.

TMC leader Firhad Hakim, who has stoked controversy by describing Garden Reach as 'mini-Pakistan' to a Pakistani journalist, casts his vote.



A civic police volunteer died after a bomb was hurled by unidentified people in Murshidabad's Beldanga in early morning hours.

Over 38 percent of the electorate cast their votes in the first four hours of polling for 53 constituencies.

Poll percentage for West Bengal polls 5th phase at 11 AM is 38.15 per cent.

BJP, Chandra Bose casts his vote for the 5th phase of West Bengal Assembly elections, in Kolkata.

Overall poll percentage for 5th phase till 9 AM has been recorded at 19.64 per cent.



CPM worker allegedly beaten up in Arambagh, Hooghly.

Sourav Ganguly casts his vote for the 5th phase of #WestBengal Assembly elections, in Kolkata pic.twitter.com/y3kS77EiO3 ANI (@ANI_news) April 30, 2016 Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly casts his vote from Behala.



Voters line up outside polling booths in Singur and Kolkata in large numbers.

TMC Leader Derek O'Brien after casting his vote for the 5th phase of #WestBengal Assembly elections, in Kolkata pic.twitter.com/IKUu8qfwUv ANI (@ANI_news) April 30, 2016 It will be a victory for TMC and its biggest ally -the people of West Bengal: TMC Leader Derek O'Brien after casting his vote.

Nearly 1.24 crore (1,23,97,832) voters across 14,642 polling stations, including 77 auxiliary booths, are eligible to decide the fate of 349 candidates.

Kolkata: Voters after casting their vote for the 5th phase of #WestBengal Assembly elections. pic.twitter.com/srqxxH5xWm ANI (@ANI_news) April 30, 2016

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Of late, Firhad Hakim, a first time minister and the young face of Mamata's cabinet has been embroiled in one controversy after another.

Senior West Bengal minister and Mamata Banerjee's close aide Firhad Hakim on Saturday defended his controversial statement given to a Pakistani daily on the eve of the fifth phase of elections in Bengal. Pakistani newspaper 'Dawn' has published a report quoting Hakim as describing a part of his constituency as 'mini-Pakistan'.

Calling it a communal conspiracy, the minister alleged that the opposition was targeting him because he was a Muslim. Speaking to India Today Television, Hakim said, "If Narendra Modi goes to Pakistan again and again, no one says a thing. But if a Muslim accompanies a Pakistani journalist, there's such a hue and cry. They don't criticise Modi when he drops in to Pakistan without notice? This is all a communal conspiracy."

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In its report titled "Canvassing in 'mini-Pakistan' of Kolkata", published on Friday, Dawn News quoted Hakim as saying, "Please come along and let us take you to mini-Pakistan in Kolkata." Explaining his conversation with the Pakistani journalist, Hakim claims, it was a gesture of goodwill for someone who had come from a neighbouring country.

"I didn't say that. But even I did, what's the harm. Even in Singapore there is a mini-India. She said she felt at home and that the streets were like Karachi. So I said you are welcome to your home," he explained. When India Today Television contacted the Pakistani journalist who interviewed the Trinamool minister in Kolkata, she said she would stand by her story.

While the Left condemned Hakim's statement, state BJP has threatened to take the matter to the Election Commission. "It's not just a case of breaching the model code of conduct. It's a question of India's integrity. And as a minister, Firhad Hakim has taken oath to preserve the integrity and sovereignty of India," said BJP state secretary Jayprakash Majumdar.

Of late, Firhad Hakim, a first time minister and the young face of Mamata's cabinet has been embroiled in one controversy after another. He was one of the several Trinamool leaders caught accepting money in a sting operation just before the elections. It was his ministry, the urban development department that was also under the scanner after the Vivekananda flyover collapsed in north Kolkata last month.

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The younger Levinson reiterated his outrage about his father being essentially neglected in a deal early this year that released four imprisoned Americans as part of a prisoner exchange. He went on to say that that outrage had been renewed in light of the fact that Iranian and American officials report that they are close to an agreement that will release two additional Americans who were arrested in recent months. In this context also, no mention has been made of Robert Levinson.

Once again, my father, a CIA contractor and ex-FBI agent who was the only one of the imprisoned Americans acting in service to his country when he was taken, is being abandoned, Daniel Levinson wrote. Weve lost track of how many times he has been left behind.

The elder Levinson was reportedly on Irans Kish Island in 2007 either as part of a private investigation or as a consultant with the CIA. He was kidnapped in March of that year, and his family has since received sparse images and video of him, the intent of which have never been entirely clear. FBI sources indicate that they believe Levinson to still be in Iran as a prisoner, although Iranian authorities have never formally acknowledged knowing his whereabouts.

In his editorial, Daniel Levinson also noted that, given his belief that the Obama administration was not doing enough to secure his fathers relieve, he undertook his own trip to Iran and Kish Island in February of this year. While there, he says, he was struck by the extent to which visitors to the country are closely monitored, adding that this makes it virtually impossible to believe Iranian authorities claims that nobody knows where Robert is.

Of course, this monitoring of visitors is just a symptom of Irans broader surveillance culture, which has considerable consequences for the native Iranian population, especially activists and other targets of political repression. So whereas Daniel Levinsons editorial is of unique interest to Americans and other people who are concerned with Irans foreign policies and treatment of outsiders, it is also another reminder of the overall problem of human rights violations in the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian judiciary will have a chance to partially rectify the situation for at least four victims of these abuses and the underlying surveillance culture this summer, according to an Iranian human rights website. It reports that four Iranian activists who have been given long prison sentences for their peaceful activities will appear together in an Iranian appeals court on July 5, in line with a recently issued summons.

The prospects for rectification are questionable, however. The judiciary frequently upholds even convictions that are blatant instances of political imprisonment, even though it does sometimes diminish the length of the sentence, thereby sparing the regime from the possibility of years of international activism on the case, while leaving the prisoner with a sense of the punishments that he or she may face in the case of continued activism.

One particularly notable recent example is that of Atena Farghadani, a young artist and activist who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for drawing and posting on Facebook a political cartoon criticizing the Iranian governments attacks on womens rights. The long sentence was seen as punishment both for this political activism and for exposing the abuse that she suffered at the hands of authorities following her initial arrest. This week it was reported that her sentence was sharply reduced from 12 years to 18 months, meaning she will ostensibly be released on May 11.

However, this release cannot be taken for granted any more than it can be taken for granted that the Obama administration will be able to convince the Iranians to release Robert Levinson. In the past, Iranian authorities have arbitrarily added charges to prisoners files in order to re-convict them, or have simply refused to release inmates upon expiration of their sentences.

A similarly unlawful tactic of repression involves the refusal to release prisoners, especially political prisoners, on medical furlough or to grant them access to essential medical treatment in the midst of health crises. This problem is so pervasive that several United Nations special rapporteurs including the special rapporteur for human rights in Iran issued a statement this week condemning the practice and urging the Iranian government to address the general issue of mistreatment of prisoners.

However, that statement itself was criticized by the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization, both for the lack of effective pressure on the Iranian government and for inadequate representation of some targeted groups among those cases that it specifically highlighted. Kurdish activist and managing director of Iran Rights Transparency Jalaml Ekhtiar pointed out, for instance, that a large number of Kurdish political prisoners are currently being denied necessary medical attention, but none were named in the statement.

UNPO also highlighted the need to bring attention to discrimination and repression against other groups such as the Ahwaz and Baloch. Indeed, there is a long list of religious and ethnic groups that are subject to routine mistreatment by the Iranian government, and sometimes this mistreatment does not stop with domestic policies but also extends to outward-directed propaganda.

A well-publicized example of that is the Iranian regimes anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic rhetoric, which has been known to include Holocaust denial among high-level politicians. In 2006, during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian government organized an international conference questioning the reality of the Holocaust, which coincided with a cartoon contest on the same topic.

Now, Tehran has subjected itself to new criticism following the announcement of a follow-up to that cartoon contest. Although the so-called moderate administration of President Hassan Rouhani has developed a reputation for keeping a less rhetorical tone on issues such as Irans policies toward Israel and Jews, many critics feel that these public statements misrepresent the actual sentiment of government figures.

Case in point, IranWire reported on Friday that Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif had claimed in a recent interview with the New Yorker magazine that the new Holocaust denial cartoon contest was not organized by or affiliated with government institutions. But IranWire points out that this is an apparent lie, seeing as one of the entities organizing the event is funded by the Islamic Propaganda Organization, which is directly supervised by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and funded by the Ministry of the Interior. Another organizing entity is known to be closely affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

This connection between the government and ongoing anti-Semitic rhetoric stands alongside various reports of ongoing or worsening human rights abuses to support the position of staunch opponents of the Iranian regime who claim that the Rouhani administration does not represent a shift toward moderation when compared to its predecessors and overseers.
The 55 outstanding seats are those for which no candidate received the requisite minimum percentage of the vote. The so-called moderate-reformist faction, or List of Hope, was fielding 58 candidates in the runoff on Friday, and the Associated Press indicated that 40 of them would need to win their seats for that faction to effectively take control of the parliament.

Another AP report indicated that the tensions in the race were running so high that some supporters of hardline figures such as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had clashed with supporters of the Rouhani faction. At least one such incident escalated to involve a shooting in which four people were wounded.

The AP suggested that such violence was indicative of the high stakes in the conclusion to this years parliamentary campaign. At the time of the regular vote and again this week, the supreme leader publicly urged supporters to turn out in large numbers, apparently both to hold back victories for the alternative faction and to give the perception of legitimacy in the Iranian electoral process.

However, also during both the regular and runoff elections, that legitimacy had been widely disputed by some Iranian citizens and by opponents of the Iranian regime. The turnout for the first round of elections was reported as 62 percent, which is comparatively high by the standards of previous Iranian national elections. However, many pro-reform Iranians were quoted in the international media as saying that they would boycott the election, in protest either against the lack of fairness in the electoral process or against the absence of true reformists on the ballot.

Rouhani himself has been described as a reformist by some international media and some Western policymakers, but this characterization has been hotly debated, with opposition groups such as the National Council of Resistance of Iran pointing to his career as a regime inside and his three-year record as president to support the notion that his faction does not significantly differ from the views of conservatives and hardliners.

Rouhanis supporters and foreign advocates claim that a resounding victory in the runoffs could give the president the support that he need to implement neglected campaign promises. Others feel that the lack of progress on any of the promises other than the conclusion of a nuclear agreement with the international community is indicative of an essential lack of interest in actually following through on actual reforms.

There is also some question about whether the potential makeup of the incoming parliament, which starts work in May, could actually reflect reformist attitudes.

Prior to the first round of elections, it was widely reported that the Guardian Council, which is tasked with vetting all parliamentary legislation and all candidates to high office, had disqualified the vast majority of reformist candidates. In one case, a female reformist was cleared to stand for election, but her seat was later vacated after she had won it in February.

Subsequent to the mass disqualifications, some reformists objected that the List of Hope had been formed by creating partnerships among moderates and conservatives, thereby effectively betraying truly moderate or reformist policy positions. Thus, contrary to how the runoff elections have been portrayed by the Associated Press and other media outlets, these critics do not view them as a genuine battle for ideological control over the parliament.

The NCRI and other staunch critics of the Iranian regime are convinced that the difference between the Rouhani and Khamenei factions is only one of tactics on issues like the countrys nuclear program, and not a difference of underlying strategy.

But even assuming genuine reformist intent on Rouhanis part, it is difficult to see how even complete victory in the runoff elections could lead to associated outcomes. That is to say, the unchecked power of the supreme leader and the Guardian Council will almost certainly continue to block legislation that is perceived to betray the regimes anti-Western, Islamist identity.
[April 29, 2016] Fitch Publishes Peruvian Insurance Dashboard for 2H'15

Fitch Ratings has published a dashboard report examining the performance of Peru's insurance industry during the second half of 2015. Key items covered include analysis of the current economic framework and its impact on insurance, premium growth trends, sector profitability and short-term challenges facing industry. Fitch expects attractive growing rates for almost all insurance business lines throughout 2016 despite the tighter economic growth expected for the country. However, a bill recently approved by congress allows withdrawing savings at the age of retirement, and this will likely constrain the annuities business in the short and medium term. In 2015, gross written premiums for the Peruvian insurance industry grew 15.7%, reaching PEN11,744 million (USD3,506 million), above 2014's growth (12%) and above the last three year's average growth (12.1%). Growth was extensive for the majority of insurance branches with financial business lines and property insurance seeing the sharpest improvements. The full report, 'Peru's Insurance Performance Dashboard 2H15', is available at www.fitchratings.com or by clicing on the link.



Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. Peru's Insurance Performance Dashboard (Second-Half 2015)

https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=880670 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/20160429006083/en/

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CHARLESTON -- Her fiddle appears to fit most comfortably in Gaye Harrison's hands, but her drawing pen probably isn't too far behind.

They're both tools of her trades but also of her generosity.

She uses her skills in both arts to help fund a worthy cause or help people know about it. For Harrison, it's a labor of love.

"I love to draw and I live to play music," she said. "I have no idea how I got so lucky to be in the arts my whole life."

Actually, it's her life's calling. With degrees in art education, Harrison put her knowledge to work in a variety of ways, most recently coordinating I Sing the Body Electric, a Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center program that addresses youth health issues, until her retirement in 2011.

She's also recognizable as one of the members of the popular local band Motherlode, which has been together for more than 25 years, doing paid performances but also shows for free to help worthy causes.

She said she doesn't perform as much these days, but donating fiddle lessons for an organization's fundraiser is one way she now uses her music to help others.

And since her retirement, Harrison has gone from selling the drawings she does of people's homes to donating them, also to help charities raise money.

Her willingness to lend her skills to worthy efforts led to Harrison's selection as one of this year's winners of the Jefferson Awards for public service.

It's always been her "policy" to "perform, publicize and promote," Ruth and Vaughn Jaenike said in their nomination of Harrison for the award.

In the past, Harrison took an active role in organizations such as the Charleston Arts Council to promote art events and HOPE of East Central Illinois to help with its programs for domestic violence victims.

Now, it's mostly helping "lots of organizations" raise money by donating violin lessons and "using my time to help people publicize their events," she said.

Harrison said she takes advantage of the popularity and wide reach of social media to share news about and events of non-profit organizations "any way I can." She that helps her deal with what she calls her "biggest pet peeve" about people not taking part in public events.

"I cannot abide somebody saying, 'I didn't know about it,'" she said.

Harrison said she thinks it "goes to heart and fabric of our community" for people to take part in events and activities, sharing experiences that "bring us together."

But Harrison's passion for and work with music is continuing in other ways, and they're taking place to explore and preserve music history.

She recently organized the Irish Music Circle, a weekly, informal gathering of musicians at Jackson Avenue Coffee Shop that she said is open to anyone who wants to join.

It's a chance to learn and share Irish and Celtic tunes and "explore music literature," Harrison said.

"I knew I wanted to keep on playing and fill my time with more music," she said.

And Harrison also wants to make sure that current and future musicians can turn to old-time fiddle and banjo tunes, some that date to the past century and to which she already had a connection.

A few years ago, the late Garry Harrison, her husband at the time, and colleague Jo Burgess compiled a book of sheet music called "Dear Old Illinois: Traditional Music of Downstate Illinois."

They visited musicians with the idea to learn and preserve "old home-spun music that was passed on by ear," Harrison said. The book comes with CDs of the songs for those who prefer to learn music just that way.

And because she loves "the idea of passing on things with the oral tradition," Harrison applied for a grant from the Illinois Arts Council to fund a project to teach the tunes to others.

"It's our heritage," she said. "It's what people were doing 150 years ago. It gives you the sense that you can touch time."

As for receiving the Jefferson Award, Harrison said she was humbled because she knows several others she thinks are worthy, people she calls "quiet heroes."

She credits her own sense of public serve to the influence of her father, a minister who felt it was an "ethos," a character of the community, to help others.

"You are so blessed," she said, recalling her father's advice. "It's pleasure to share."
Orthodox Christians mark Pascha

More than 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide will celebrate Pascha (Easter) on Sunday.

Nearly one month after the Western Easter celebration, the Orthodox date for Easter is based on a decree of the Council of Nicaea, Asia Minor, held in 325 A.D. According to this decree, Easter must be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon of the vernal equinox, but always after the Hebrew Passover to maintain the Biblical sequence of events of the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Orthodox Christian churches have strictly adhered to this formula. In 2017, both Easters will be celebrated on the same date -- April 16.

Westminster wins McCormick prize

World on a Plate, a ministry at Westminster Presbyterian Church, recently received second place in the 2016 McCormick prize for innovation. The prize comes with $1,000 to expand or continue the ministry.

Westminster associate pastor, the Rev. Jennifer Strickland, entered the essay contest on behalf of World on a Plate, a program that blends mission, stewardship, and fellowship. One Friday each month, small groups meet in each others' homes to share a potluck meal celebrating the cuisine in a country where Presbyterian Church (USA) Mission Workers are serving. The evening includes a program highlighting the mission work.

To date, "World on a Plate" has focused on Ireland, England, Germany, Nicaragua, China, Korea, Philippines, Brazil, Russia and Peru. "World on a Plate," founded by Kathleen Rohwedder, is now one of Westminsters most active small group ministries. For more information, contact Westminster at 402-475-6702.
OMAHA -- Berkshire Hathaway's idiosyncrasies were on display this weekend, as tens of thousands of people filled an arena to listen to Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger talk business for several hours Saturday at the conglomerate's annual meeting.

No other company can match the crowds who attend Berkshire's meeting, the 51-year-tenure of its top two executives or its eclectic mix of businesses. Though attendance was down from last year's 50th anniversary meeting when more than 40,000 attended, it still dwarfs any other corporate meeting.

In an adjoining 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall, Berkshire subsidiaries such as See's Candy, Fruit of the Loom and Geico insurance sell their products as executives chat with shareholders.

Buffett told shareholders that some of the keys to successful investing are avoiding envy and costly fees. The investor said it's important not to try to copy others who profited in a company's initial public offering or claimed a lottery jackpot.

"You don't want to get envious of somebody who bought an IPO or won a lottery. You have to do what makes sense to you," Buffett said.

That kind of advice  and Buffett and Munger's willingness to take almost any question  are part of what keeps people coming back to the meetings. Bob Shanahan returned for his second Berkshire meeting so his son, Tim, would have a chance to attend while the 85-year-old Buffett and 92-year-old Munger are still leading the company.

"You never know how much longer they'll be around," said Bob Shanahan, who lives in Castle Rock, Colorado.

It didn't take much convincing to get Tim Shanahan to make the trip. He is studying finance at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and has looked up to Buffett for several years,

"For someone my age, he's a good hero to have," Tim Shanahan said shortly after snapping a quick picture of Buffett touring the exhibit hall.

Shareholder David Parr said eventually replacing Buffett has to be a concern for Berkshire shareholders because of his age and remarkable talent, but he's confident that Buffett has a good plan in place and has a knack for choosing good people.

"His investing is not about a magic formula. It's about him," said Parr, who is from Superior, Wisconsin. "If it was a formula, everyone would be doing it."

In presidential politics, Buffett has long supported Democrat Hillary Clinton, so one shareholder asked what might happen to Berkshire if Republican Donald Trump were elected.

"That won't be the main problem," Buffett said before reassuring shareholders that Berkshire would prosper regardless of who is elected. He said U.S. businesses will continue to adapt and thrive.

"No presidential candidate or president is going to end that," he said.

Though Berkshire won't release its full first-quarter report until next Friday, Buffett offered a preview of results. The company's profit grew 8 percent, largely because of the way it had to account for its Duracell acquisition on paper, but profits fell at its BNSF railroad and at its insurance units.

Buffett warned shareholders that Berkshire's size  more than 90 companies and investments  will make it difficult to continue delivering exceptional returns.

"We had to forgo superior results for satisfactory," Buffett said. "We're quite happy with the satisfactory result."

Buffett takes a hands-off approach to managing all the companies Berkshire owns, allowing the individual CEOs wide latitude unless he's aware of a problem that needs his attention. He also encourages managers to focus on building the long-term strength of their brands.

Benjamin Moore paints CEO Mike Searles said running a Berkshire subsidiary has been a pleasant change after a career of working for public companies that focus heavily on each quarter's results.

"The way Berkshire runs its company, it's all about two things: the future and ethical performance," Searles said. "The culture is so long range."

One of Berkshire's latest acquisitions, Precision Castparts, received an intense welcome to the company when Buffett visited its booth displaying the aviation parts it makes.

Dozens of shareholders surrounded Buffett and Precision Castparts' CEO with their phones in the air to try to snap a picture, while security guards created a bubble around the executives.

The attention was a bit more intense than Precision Castparts executives were used to from industrial trade shows, but Jay Khetani said joining Berkshire has been great so far. Instead of drafting a quarterly earnings report and preparing to deal with questions from investors, Precision Castparts executives can focus on running the business, Khetani said.

A group of environmentalists tried to make an impression on Buffett with their resolution urging the company to write a report on the climate change risks Berkshire's insurance units face. Shareholders overwhelmingly rejected the resolution after Buffett argued that climate change won't hurt its insurance companies because they generally reprice their policies annually.

"It doesn't mean we differ on the importance of climate change to the human race," Buffett said.

The meeting gave the environmentalists and Nebraskans for Peace a prominent platform even if the resolution failed. Climate scientist Jim Hansen urged support of a fee on fossil fuels to discourage their use.

"As long as fossil fuels appear to be the cheapest energy, we will continue burning them," Hansen said.
LONDON - When democracy arrived in the eastern half of Europe a quarter century ago, imported from the West, it did not come in its purest, most Athenian form.

Of course the West loaned the East quite a few constitutional lawyers, as well as lots of idealists who could talk about judicial reform or give advice on how to organize an election. But on the heels of the idealists arrived another crowd of "experts": the spin doctors, the masters of negative campaigning and the public relations firms who had honed their craft in U.S. elections and were more than willing to sell their expertise in the East as well.

Famously, a group of California political consultants claimed to have masterminded Boris Yeltsin's campaign to win the Russian presidency in 1996. Even if their role wasn't quite what they spun it to be, that campaign, like many that followed, certainly deployed what were generally called "American-style" campaign tactics. Rock concerts, hip "get out the vote" MTV campaigns -- none of that had been used in Russia before. In the years that followed, copycat campaigns popped up all over what had once been the eastern bloc.

But now we may be about to witness the opposite phenomenon: the flow of political influence from East to West. Donald Trump's new campaign adviser Paul Manafort returns to U.S. politics after many years spent working for Viktor Yanukovych, president of Ukraine until he fled the country in disgrace in 2014. We don't really know what, exactly, Manafort did for his Ukrainian client. But we do know how Yanukovych won the Ukrainian elections in 2010, and how he ran the country.

To begin with, Yanukovych did undergo a profound "image makeover" strikingly similar to the one that Trump needs right now. Yanukovych was an ex-con, close to Russian--backed business interests in Ukraine. He had, in other words, "high negatives." But he cleaned up his act, stopped using criminal jargon and presented himself as a "reform" candidate, as opposed to the crooked establishment. Since everybody was genuinely sick of the crooked establishment, he won -- despite the fact that he was no more honest than the people he'd said he was trying to beat. This of course, is what Trump is going to try to do: persuade people to support him because he is an outrageous, truth-speaking "outsider," even though in reality he's as much of an "insider" as it is possible to be. Manafort, with his deep experience in this particular con trick, can help.

On his way to power, and once in power, Yanukovych also became famous for the use of rented thugs, known as "titushki," who could be used to intimidate opposition protestors, journalists, or whoever needed to be scared off. These weren't police, and they weren't security guards. They were just guys paid by Yanukovych to rough people up and scare them. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban's party, Fidesz, has recently made use of a similar method, deploying skinheads to prevent their political opponents from registering for a referendum. We've seen prototype versions of this tactic already in use at Trump rallies. Perhaps Manafort, fresh off his experiences in Ukraine, can develop the concept further.

Some of Yanukovych's tactics might be harder to deploy, such as falsifying election results (though it's not like that never happened in the U.S.) or abolishing the right to protest (though Trump at times sounds like he wouldn't mind passing such a law if he could). But others are already in use. Pro-Trump troll armies, for example -- fake Twitter accounts programmed to tweet the same message, a very popular tactic east of the Dnieper -- are already in the field.

Another Yanukovych tactic -- paid supporters at rallies -- is already in the Trump arsenal too. Let's just hope that, if Trump wins, we won't need a Maidan revolution to put American democracy back together again.
The Lincoln Unites! celebration of newly arrived immigrants who add zest and energy to the community promises to be a joyful and inspiring event.

Lincoln has a long tradition of welcoming new arrivals from many cultures, and that deserves to be celebrated as well.

The event scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at Tower Square includes a naturalization ceremony at which 29 new Americans will receive their citizenship.

Lincoln can and should be proud of the welcoming tradition that stretches back decades. In 1985 when then-Mayor Helen Boosalis pulled together a group that became known as the Immigrant and Refugee Task Force. Today the group has named itself the New Americans Task Force.

The best thing about Lincolns welcoming tradition is that it is more than a top-down effort.

A story earlier this month told of the Fork in the Road program started at Lincoln High by teacher Chris Maly and student Elizabeth Yost after they attended the Aspen Ideas Festival sponsored by the Bezos Family Foundation.

The program brings together students at the academically rigorous International Baccalaureate program with those in the Lincoln High English Language Learner program. Students in the program will share their stories during Lincoln Unites! events.

The welcome wells up unexpectedly and spontaneously through individual and group efforts.

Another story this month told of the South Sudanese refugees who worship at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Moses Bilew preaches in the refugees language at noon after the traditional service. In a special ceremony about 25 South Sudanese children were baptized. They told me, Moses, Westminster loves all the people in the world. Then I came to Westminster and I love it, Bilew said.

The Rev. Dr. Andrew McDonald says the congregation is making it up as they go: Its going to be exciting to see where this journey takes them, and takes us.

Still another story this month told of the Kurdish Elvis. Shlovan Saleh has become a social media star by posting humorous videos, like the first one in which he dressed up like a typical Kurdish father and yelled at his Kurdish son. The Lincoln Northeast High School grad and watch specialist at Dillards in Lincoln has hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram and Facebook. Communities of Kurdish refugees all over the world  northern Iraq, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, and Canada  click on the videos and laugh along at what Shlovan freely admits are stereotypical portrayals  a little bit of comedy with a lot of truth.

The humor is a warming touch, needed in a world that seems in some ways to be turning a cold shoulder to new immigrants. Lincoln Unites! affirms a tradition of Lincoln at its best.
Thank you, Journal-Star, for interviewing candidates for public office. Those running to represent District 1 on the Nebraska Board of Education apparently differ somewhat in their understanding of how to accurately relate science and religion. According to "Candidates discuss creationism in schools," (April 22) Stephanie Bohlke-Schulte thinks schools should have the option of teaching a balanced approach that includes creationism as a scientific alternative to evolution. Creation as a religious concept is compatible with science but creationism, presented as if it were science, is inaccurate scientifically and theologically. Evolution can and should be taught in a scientifically sound manner that is neutral regarding philosophical or religious worldviews.
State tourism officials accepted high-priced meals and gifts from contractors, reimbursed an advertising firm for more than $350 worth of alcohol and cigarettes, and paid a guest speaker $44,000 for an hour-and-a-half-long appearance at a conference in October.

Those are just a few of the questionable expenses state auditors identified Friday in a scathing, 79-page report on the Nebraska Tourism Commission's finances.

Auditors found the commission's director, Kathy McKillip, held what amounts to "unilateral control" over an entity that appears to have misused taxpayer dollars and may have violated state law, they say in the report.

McKillip, reached through a spokeswoman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Journal Star.

Lawmakers had already grown concerned about the Tourism Commission's financial integrity earlier this year, when it sought permission to spend an extra $750,000 each of the next two years.

The commission, which is primarily funded through the state's 1 percent lodging tax, appeared to be spending at a rate that outpaced its revenues, said Sen. John Stinner of Gering, a member of the Legislature's Appropriations Committee.

"We had really talked to them about having a budget that was sustainable," Stinner said.

The audit report, authored by state Auditor Charlie Janssen's office, was published online late Friday and covers a calendar year of activity on the commission's accounts from January to December 2015.

Much of the report centers on "significant issues" surrounding a nine-day, cross-state photo shoot in June aimed at promoting Nebraska to young people. That trip included commission staff, employees from the Omaha advertising firm Bailey Lauerman, and talent they hired for the shoot, including McKillip's daughter, who was paid $550 for her services.

Among the expenses noted by the auditors:

* $350 for alcohol, including several bottles of wine, three bottles of gin, a bottle of Canadian whisky, beer, cigarettes and other alcohol purchased during meals.

* $2,775 for use of the state airplane to fly a commission staffer from Lincoln to Valentine, then return a sick model and a Bailey Lauerman employee back home.

* $47,000 in staff time reimbursed to Bailey Lauerman at a rate of $115 per hour. One employee of the advertising firm was paid $11,397 for nine days' work, including days where the person reportedly worked more than 14 hours.

Auditors also questioned a series of expenses related to the commission's October conference in Columbus, including a single speaker who was paid $44,000  greater than the annual salaries for more than half the commission's full-time staff.

Meanwhile, McKillip and other commission officials accepted thousands of dollars worth of meals, drinks and other perks from contractors, and McKillip herself billed the commission for lavish meals in Las Vegas and Lyons, France.

The audit report also takes aim at the commission's overall culture, portraying that the entity has operated essentially without rules since it was established by lawmakers in 2012.

State tourism used to be part of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development but was spun off into its own entity about four years ago and is now overseen by nine commissioners who are appointed by the governor.

Since then, the commission has failed in fulfilling two of its legally required duties: establishing internal regulations and forming a strategic plan, the auditors wrote.

The commission never set out to craft its own internal rules, instead following old rules established under its previous arrangement. And a strategic plan it paid a Texas firm $180,000 to craft does not meet statutory requirements, the auditors wrote.

Commission staff also made major purchasing decisions without following an open bidding process, which is standard for public entities, the auditors wrote.

The Journal Star was still reviewing the findings late Friday.
May 6 marked the ribbon-cutting ceremony of a new amphitheater at 84th and Old Cheney Road. Festivities began at 11:30 a.m., and included a free lunch catered by Slim Chickens.

In contrast to the colossal Pinewood Bowl, this quaint 2.5-acre land parcel is on the southeast corner of the Lincoln Christian School campus and adjacent to the Cheney Ridge neighborhood.

But its not just the tranquil pond, winding trail or 400-plus tiered theater-in-the-round seating that makes this new open-air space so special. A clue to the structures true beauty can be found within the 40-plus attributes etched on the amphitheaters entry ...

Devoted. Passionate. Courageous. Vivacious. Silly. Inspirational. Wise. Sacrificial. Generous. Caring. Fun. Loyal. Noble. Curious. Encourager. Humble.

These are among the words shared by family members to describe one woman who exemplified the Proverbs 31 life.

Joan Robinson.

Killed at the age of 80 by the hands of her mentally ill son who lived with her.

***

My mother, Joan Robinson, was an extraordinary woman, said Jodi Osborn. When she was 12 years old, unbeknownst to her parents, she purchased a $10 raffle ticket and won a plane. She sold the plane to finance her higher education, earning a chemistry degree at a time when most women did not go to college.

Joan reached the Olympic trials for swimming at age 18. Met her husband when she was 7 and he was 8. Celebrated life as a stay-at-home mom to four children. Then founded her own business and later pursued her inner artist by creating beautiful 3D sculptures.

She was the matriarch of our family with 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, Osborn continued. My mom served and inspired others with her courage and adventurous spirit. She was also my best friend. There was rarely a day that I did not talk to her."

Thats one of the reasons why, on June 30, 2013, when her mom could not be reached by phone at her San Diego home, Osborn and other family members suspected something was not right.

***

Dale Robinson, then 55 years old, pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of his mother. At his sentencing five months following Joans death, family members testified to Dales history of drug abuse and mental illness.

Osborn and her two other brothers did not ask for leniency. She testified that our hearts will never be the same. Yet Jodi has found a way to forgive Dale.

Hes in prison for the rest of his life. Ive given him a copy of the Bible, along with a devotional from my Aunt Mary. I know they have been his source of strength.

***

My pain is not for nothing.

Over three years after her moms death, Osborn continues to see the power of Romans 8:28 in Scripture come to life  and believes that God works all things together for good.

Osborn now works as an elder abuse advocate. In partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Osborn travels throughout Nebraska and other states, educating people about elder abuse, neglect and early warning signs. This past year, she worked with Attorney General Doug Peterson on Legislative Bill 1007, which introduced language to further protect the elderly in Nebraska.

***

The 2  acres was presented to the school as a gift fMark Powell, Lincoln Christian development director. The amphitheater is part of a $5.5 million capital campaign, which includes constructing a science and technology center.

I was actually walking the grounds, as the plans were becoming more defined, when I heard the news about Joan. Thats when the idea came to honor the memory of Joan, said Powell.

Two of Osborns four children are Lincoln Christian School alumni. Osborns husband Ed has served on the Lincoln Christian Foundation board for several years.

Admittedly, naming a structure after an individual was new territory for our Christ-focused school, said Powell. But after much prayer, the Lincoln Christian school board approved dedicating its amphitheater to a woman who loved her Lord and embodied so many of His attributes - one in particular that she continually showed to a troubled son: unconditional love.

***

God gives us free will on earth. I would be the first to say that I do not understand it. However, God had nothing to do with what happened to my mom, Osborn insisted. There are so many verses in the Bible that describe great tragedies, yet because of Gods unconditional love, He turns those tragedies into something beautiful.

In addition to her calling to work as an advocate, Osborn spoke of her cousin Janey, who is an adjunct professor at Villanova and traveled to Lincoln on May 6. Many members of the Robinson/Osborn extended family from across the country attended the amphitheater dedication and ribbon cutting starting at 11:30 a.m.

Just three months after my moms passing, Janey created a six-hour workshop to train nursing students on ways to minister to those affected by domestic violence," Osborn said. "She also recently created a non-profit called Joan's Hope, which provides educational programs for health care providers on how to care for victims of violence.

***

As construction wraps up, Powell has shared with Osborn photos of Lincoln Christian teachers and students using the space for outdoor classes. Moms in the neighborhood can be seen strolling their babies down the trail. School chapels, pep rallies and all-school picnics are planned. Beyond school activities, Powell can envision concerts and other local celebrations.

Osborn couldnt be more excited. All of this is about Gods love, she said.

Its not just a memorial with a name etched in stone, but a gathering place abounding with new life. The Lincoln Christian Joan Robinson Amphitheater is a tribute to a woman who loved unconditionally. A daughter who embraced forgiveness.

And their Savior who served as the ultimate architect in turning tragedy into something beautiful.
The largest field in the history of the Cornhusker Trapshoot includes the defending Cornhusker Cup champion and a strong list of competitors for the three-day meet, which started Thursday and continues through Saturday (April 28-30).

More than 2,600 shooters are competing in the 47th annual Cornhusker Trapshoot, which is being held on the home grounds of the Nebraska Trapshooting Association (NTA) in Doniphan, Nebraska.

Many of the top shooters from 2015 return this year, including defending Cornhusker Cup champion Dean Rodgers of Papillion-LaVista South. Rodgers will go for two in a row against a field that includes six other shooters from last years top 10 overall.

One of the contenders is Zack Krzyzanowski of North Platte, who was third last year. He is the two-time defending champion at 16-yard targets. Over the past two years at 16 yards, Krzyzanowski has hit 349 of 350 targets, including shoot-offs.

Another is Brandon Kreikemeier of Omaha Creighton Prep, who finished fourth last year. He is part of the Creighton Prep Blue team that returns all five shooters from the 2015 high school team champion. The other team members are: Adam Misek, Noah Walz, Andrew Emodi and Isaac Sheilds.

The girls competition returns defending ladies champion Katie Petersen of Omaha Marian and third-place finisher Jade Krolikowski of Centura.

This is the largest and greatest youth event in Nebraska, said Shoot Director Terry Brentzel of Oshkosh. It not only draws youth but their families, as well. Its a great shoot with a state fair atmosphere.

Competition takes place in individual and team divisions. Junior high students shot 100 16-yard targets April 28. High school competitors shot 75 16-yard targets April 29, then 75 handicap targets April 30. The high school shooter with the highest combined score will earn the Cornhusker Cup.

Brentzel said this event, and trap, in general, are family activities. Its so neat to see the entire family involved in trap: Grandpa, Mom, Dad, brothers and sisters, he said. Its a family event. They can shoot as a family, and they can do it all of their lives. Girls can do it. Boys can do it. Kids of all physical abilities can do it. At the end of the day it makes you proud to be a part of it.

The Cornhusker Trapshoot is open nationwide to all shooters in grades 6-12. Last year, the event drew 947 junior high and 1,585 senior high shooters.

Visit Cornhusker-trap.com for more information.
The Optimist Club of Lincoln celebrated its 90th anniversary March 31 at the Venue Restaurant.

The Optimist Club's main focus is to work with youth through community activities such as Homer's Heroes; Pitch, Hit and Run; Punt, Pass and Kick; Fun Day in the Park; Academic Decathlon; and the Oratorical Contest.

The club also provides two $1,500 scholarships to high school seniors.

The Optimist Club of Lincoln partners with Saratoga Elementary School, honoring a student of the month, One Book, One Family, providing supplies for the school, donating to the Saratoga Food Bank and sponsoring a trip to the Lincoln Children's Zoo for the kindergarten class.
MADISON  A group of Democratic lawmakers is raising questions about the Gov. Scott Walker administrations handling of the Elizabethkingia bacteria outbreak in Wisconsin, days after the state Department of Health Services issued an update on its efforts.

Three Democrats in the state Assembly  Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, whose district includes part of Racine County; Assistant Minority Leader Katrina Shankland, D-Stevens Point; and Democratic Caucus Chair JoCasta Zamarripa, D-Milwaukee  sent a letter to the governor on Friday after the news that the bacteria was detected in an infant being treated in the neonatal intensive care unit at Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin.

The bacteria can lead to an infection that can be life-threatening for people with compromised immune systems. To date, DHS has identified 59 confirmed cases of the bacterias presence in Wisconsin  the largest outbreak of the strain in the country. The department also listed four additional possible cases and two under investigation.

Eighteen people with confirmed cases of the infection have died since the outbreaks onset in November. Most people who have contracted the bacteria are over the age of 65, and all have had serious, chronic pre-existing health conditions.

Since the onset of the Elizabethkingia anophelis outbreak, we have worked diligently to provide accurate, comprehensive information, and to prevent the spread of misleading information that can lead to unwarranted fear among the public, the DHS update said.

The department is working with the Centers for Disease Control to locate the source of the outbreak and earlier this month, Walker approved nine new DHS positions to assist with the search.

Democrats called into question the administrations timeline for addressing the outbreak in their letter to the governor.

The lawmakers posed the following questions:

Why didnt DHS request assistance from the CDCs Epidemiologic Assistance program until Feb. 2?

Why didnt DHS offer guidelines for dealing with the outbreak to health care providers until Feb. 24?

Why didnt DHS offer guidance to a broader net of health care providers until March 18?

We request information about what DHS will do going forward to address these systemic deficiencies in both staffing and communications with regard to dealing with future disease outbreaks or similar public health emergencies, said the letter.

A spokesman for the governor said DHS will respond to the legislators letter.

Our team at DHS Division of Public Health has been working aggressively to locate the source of Elizabethkingia outbreak since the first notification, Walker said in a statement earlier this month. We need to make sure we have the resources to address the risk, and do whatever we can to keep Wisconsinites safe.
RACINE COUNTY  Churches once were as prolific as bars, one in almost every neighborhood, as the faithful flocked for weekly services.

But Racine-area Evangelical Lutheran Church in America pastors say a societal shift is occurring, and fewer congregants gather in the pews every weekend to hear Gods word.

As a result, a string of churches in Racine and Caledonia are merging, are considering melding, or already have consolidated.

Theres no denying in all denominations there is a decline (in attendance), said Mary Janz, pastoral consultant and transition team adviser for Emaus ELCA. The institutional church is changing drastically. Its a huge shift. In our minds, we have to figure out what our mission is.

Emmaus Lutheran Church was founded about 165 years ago by Norwegians, said Janz, who was pastor there from 1991 until Feb. 1. Then seven years ago, a Latino congregation  Parroquia Emaus  formed in their building at 1925 Summit Ave., she said.

Emmaus Lutheran and Parroquia Emaus

But as times changed, the two congregations voted on Jan. 24 to merge. They will elect a bilingual church council on June 5, Janz said.

They propose to call a bilingual lead pastor, to join part-time interim Pastor Steve Wohlfeil and intern Pastor Gabriel Marcano, who is a Venezuelan native.

Our church is the only church where probably kringle and tamales are served at the same time, Janz said chuckling.

More churches are merging, or considering consolidating, though.

Some of these churches had been participating in Faithworks, a special partnership created in 2012 and originally consisting of five Racine-area ELCA churches. The churches were: Emmaus; St. Andrew Lutheran Church; Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 2219 Washington Ave., Racine; Atonement Lutheran Church, 2915 Wright Ave., Racine; and Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 2417 Drexel Ave., Racine. Lutheran Church of the Redeemer withdrew from that partnership in 2013.

We did sort of a trial partnership with St. Andrew over on 4 Mile Road for over a year, Janz said. When it came time to decide were we going to come together and be in one location, we at Emmaus said we cant abandon our location, and were so near the schools and the kids we serve (in after-school programs).

And congregants at St. Andrew, 1015 4 Mile Road, Caledonia, were not ready to abandon their building, Janz explained.

A message was left for St. Andrew Pastor Michael Mueller, but he wasnt available for comment.

Gethsemane Lutheran and Emmanuel Lutheran

Gethsemane Lutheran Church and Emmanuel Lutheran Church members voted to consolidate during a joint meeting on June 7 at Emmanuel, according to Kip Gustavson, church council president for Emmanuel/Gethsemane Lutheran Church. They hosted a service of leave-taking on April 24 at Gethsemane.

In an email, Gustavson wrote that church leaders expect to close on the Gethsemane building, at 3319 Washington Ave., sometime in mid to late May, then worship at Emmanuel, 725 High St., until that building sells and a new location selected.

Members of both congregations voted to sell the buildings and continue with consolidation efforts during separate but simultaneous meetings on Jan. 17, Gustavson said.

Nominations for a new name have been submitted and congregants will vote in May, he said. The names Emmanuel and Gethsemane were excluded.

As with many churches, weve experienced a steady decline in membership over the last few decades, Gustavson explained. Reasons for this decline include a failure to adapt to changing tastes in worship and the inability of our traditional spaces to accommodate modern worship styles.

Mainly though, its just a reflection of the overall attitudes of society regarding any type of organized worship, he wrote. There simply arent enough able bodies to do the work of the church in maintenance or mission and those that remain are wearing out fast.

The attendance drop also has pressed us financially as there are fewer dollars in the collection plates while costs continue to increase, he said.

We hope that by pooling our resources through consolidation, we can extend the life of our church long enough to figure out how to get leaner, bigger, younger and more effective in the service of God, Gustavson wrote.

Atonement and Our Saviors

Atonement Lutheran Church and Our Saviors Lutheran Church voted to consolidate on Jan. 31 after the two congregations began worshipping together in 2014, said Warren Williams, pastor of the combined church now named Living Faith Lutheran Church. The congregation voted on the new name on Feb. 14 after a selection process that spanned several months, Williams said.

We wanted to make sure that everybody felt included, he said.

The congregation meets at the former Atonement site, 2915 Wright Ave., and a satellite site in the Sturtevant Sportsplex, which Williams said the church has maintained for about 5 years. He said he isnt certain what will happen when The REAL School moves into the Sportsplex site.

Worship attendance peaked in the 1970s at about 80 percent, Williams said. Now, about 20 percent of the population attends church.

The church now is leaner, he explained, but more mission-focused.

St. Pauls Lutheran Church, 3011 Erie St., Racine, and Zion Lutheran Church, 3805 Kinzie Ave., Racine, partnered in 2013 to share the same pastor, John Bischoff, according to Zion Lutheran Church. A message was left for Bischoff, but he wasnt available for comment.
BURLINGTON  Grace Church of Burlington will honor those in law enforcement at 9 a.m. Sunday, May 1, at Cooper School, 249 Conkey St.

Each year for the past several years Grace Church has chosen a group who give back or serve with little or no recognition in our society. In the past the church has honored teachers, local government leaders, medical professionals, fire fighters and EMTs.

Sundays event will begin a free biscuit brunch in the school cafeteria. The special service honoring local law enforcement will begin at 10 a.m. in the gym.

Guest speaker is George Papachristou, a retired City of Milwaukee police officer who tragically had to use deadly force in the line of duty. Papachristou is certified as a law enforcement chaplain and private detective in Wisconsin.

The public is invited.

For more information, call the Grace Church office at 262-763-3021 or e-mail Susan Riddle at sriddle@gracechurchwi.org.
RACINE  A second Racine teenager has been charged with felony arson in connection with a fire at 1123 Geneva Street in March.

Ryan E. Makela, 16, of the 1500 block of North Wisconsin Street, appeared in Racine County Circuit Court Friday facing an adult felony count of arson of a building.

The Class C felony is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, 15 years on extended supervision and a $100,000 fine, according to court records.

According to the criminal complaint, Makela and Alexander J. Rodriguez, of the 5600 block of Byrd Avenue, entered the Geneva Street home March 25 and stayed there for 14 minutes. Five minutes after they left the residence, fire was visible, the complaint said.

Racine Police found video footage from a neighbor who had surveillance cameras and identified the two teens, the complaint said.

Both teens told police they were inside the house smoking before the fire started, the complaint said. But Racine Fire Department officials said the fire ignited too quick and moved to fast to be started by smoking materials, the complaint said.

At the scene, fire officials found a notebook and other materials that they determined were intentionally lit, causing the house to burn, the complaint said.

Rodriguez was charged with arson in March.

The fire caused $20,000 in damage to the vacant home, according to the Fire Department. No one was injured in the incident, according to authorities.

Racine Police Chief Art Howell said last month that the arson investigation was solved immediately due to a successful neighborhood canvass, which produced the video evidence.

Makela was in the Racine County Jail on Friday, jail records showed. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for May 12, court records show.
RACINE  A suburban Chicago village planner currently suspended from her job was recommended on Friday to fill the vacant Racine development director position by Mayor John Dickert.

Dickert said he would like the city to hire Amy Connolly for the position left vacant when previous development director Brian OConnell retired last July.

Connolly has served as director of planning for the Village of Tinley Park, Ill., a southwest suburb of Chicago. She was suspended and placed on administrative leave with pay Feb. 17, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune.

Connolly was put on leave while the village investigates the review process completed by her department for a proposed low- and moderate-income apartment complex that has come under fire from residents, the article said.

Dickert acknowledged Connollys current difficulties, but said he believes she is the right person for the job.

We believe that her actions were consistent with what we would expect from all of our employees, Dickert said. Ms. Connolly shared this information up front with our consultants and the city.

City staff and a search firm thoroughly reviewed the situation and believe that Connolly acted properly at all times by following the law, and keeping her superiors and elected officials informed about the progress of the new development, Dickert said.

The right person

Dickert instead focused on Connollys work, which included a major downtown development plan, innovative transportation projects, and new infrastructures for bicycles and pedestrians.

Hiring the right person was critical given the effect it will have on the citys ability to continue to grow and prosper, Dickert said. Ms. Connolly has the qualifications, experience, and temperament necessary to be successful in this position.

Connolly has 20 years of experience in planning and economic development, along with degrees in political science and regional and community planning from Kansas State University.

She also has been at the center of the controversial housing development, which has led to packed Tinley Park Village Board meetings, an outside investigation and legal action, according to Chicago newspaper accounts.

Next week, Tinley Park is expected to announce its new budget and appoint high-ranking positions such as village manager and planning director, a Tribune article said. The village at that time could decline to renew Connollys employment, the article said.
RACINE  A great architect, a Great Lake and a great pastry helped Racine County have a great tourism year in 2015.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Lake Michigan and kringle helped Racine County reap a record $232.3 million in tourism spending in 2015, state and local officials said Friday.

Visitors to Racine County last year spent 1.9 percent more than in 2014. Last year also was the fourth consecutive annual increase in tourism spending here, according to research conducted by national firm Tourism Economics.

Also, tourism supported 4,091 Racine County jobs that contributed $108.6 million in personal income in 2015; those local jobs generated $26.9 million in state and local taxes, the research showed.

Propelling the increases in tourism dollars have been visitors coming to see business and residential projects designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright, recreating on the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan, and eating kringle, the delightful Danish treat.

Those are the main items Real Racine  the nonprofit marketing organization that has overseen tourism promotion and development in Racine County since 1983  when promoting Racine County, said Real Racine CEO Dave Blank.

I think our message is getting out there, Blank said Friday. There is a lot of positive stuff happening. We are trying to take advantage of the resources we have.

We are thrilled to set another record for Racine County tourism spending, he added. This is a great place to live, work and play.

In the top 15

Racine Countys tourism spending impact in 2015 ranked 12th among the states 72 counties, the report showed. The report was released to kick off National Travel and Tourism Week, which runs May 1 to May 7.

Although Racine County didnt add any major tourism attractions in 2015, several companies added or tweaked services to increase tourism opportunities, Blank said.

SC Johnson, which features several prestigious facilities designed by Wright, increased the number of tours and the number of days open, Blank said. O & H Danish Bakery opened a large facility, cafe and store on Highway 20 to meet increased demand for kringle, he said.

Also adding to the tourism coffers have been major annual events like The Color Run Racine and the Ironman 70.3 Racine triathlon, he said.

And 2016 looks ripe for another increase, Blank said. Hotel revenue, which makes up about 25 percent of the countys tourism dollars, should go up this year, he said.

Two Racine bed-and-breakfast inns  the Lochnaiar Inn and Conference Center and the Christmas House  have re-opened. The Racine Architect and Conference Center in Mount Pleasant will become a Delta Hotel, while the Harbourwalk Hotel Racine will become a DoubleTree by Hilton. Also, a new Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites is planned for Interstate 94 in Mount Pleasant.

Real Racine also this year is working on new, unified signage to help designate and direct tourism traffic, sponsoring the inaugural Open House Racine County in May, and booking junior volleyball tournaments at North Beach all summer, Blank said.

Statewide, tourism had an overall $19.2 billion business impact in 2015, up $817 million, or 4.4 percent, from the previous year. Tourism supported 190,717 jobs that accounted for $5.1 billion in personal income.

Wisconsin continues to be a superior tourist destination, said Stephanie Klett, Wisconsin Department of Tourism secretary. In the Midwest, there are a lot of great states to vacation to and Wisconsins marketing is paying off in spades.
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Ryan Reynolds pays tribute to late fan

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Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Rain showers this morning with numerous thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High 81F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Mainly clear skies after midnight along with gusty winds. Low 53F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Higher wind gusts possible.
Yes, its hard to to tell when one enters the city limits

Yes, they will make the city more inviting

Maybe ... does it really matter?

No, the signs in place are fine

No, it would be a waste of taxpayer dollars

Vote

View Results
The Disability Action Network and the La Crosse Human Rights Commission will host a free community conversation to discuss how to increase opportunities for people with disabilities from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 10 at the Moose Lodge at 1923 Ward Ave. in La Crosse.

The network is a new grassroots group aiming to create a more inclusive environment by connecting people who are living with disabilities with support systems. The session is intended to surface their challenges and identify potential solutions.

DAN will take the ideas, insights and relationships created at the event and form strategies to overcome the barriers faced by people with disabilities and increase their opportunities within the greater La Crosse community, said DAN committee member Larry Hill.

The event will begin with remarks from members of the disability support community. Steve Johnson and Larry and Michelle Hill also will discuss challenges they have faced, how they have overcome them and the importance of people with disabilities in our community.

Light refreshments will be served.

To sign up for the session, visit the registration page at tiny.cc/DANConversation or call 608-785-3507.

For more information about DAN and to receive updates, go to the Disability Action Network community page on Facebook.
Late on a winter night in 2004 in Kewaunee County, six-month-old Samantha Treml was rushed to an emergency room, violently ill from bathing in water poisoned by manure spread on a nearby frozen field that seeped into the homes private well. The rest of her family got sick, too.

In 2014, seven people visiting Door County were sickened after manure from a large farm made its way into a homes private water well.

In 2015, Kewaunee County Board member Chuck Wagner discovered that the new $10,000 well he was forced to install two years earlier was again contaminated with viruses and cow manure. Wagner and his wife now use a reverse osmosis system to filter the water before drinking or cooking while they contemplate whether to dig a second new well.

And this year, the Algoma School District is offering free water to residents whose wells are contaminated. In early March, a group of local residents asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide emergency water for Kewaunee County residents with contaminated drinking water.

Its astonishing, the number of people who cant use their drinking water, said Algoma School District Superintendent Nick Cochart, whose own well is polluted.

Between 2007 and 2010, an estimated 18 percent of 3,868 private wells in Wisconsin tested positive for coliform bacteria  an indicator of disease-causing bacteria, viruses or parasites  according to a 2013 study by researchers with the state Department of Health Services.

That translates into as many as 169,200 of the 940,000 Wisconsin households served by private wells exposed to disease-causing pathogens. Most consumers are unaware of the danger; just 16 percent of private well owners in Wisconsin have them tested annually, the DHS study said.

The problem also plagues municipal water systems where coliform bacteria accounts for most of the violations of health standards recorded each year. The 2014 Department of Natural Resources drinking water report on the states public water systems found 3.7 percent, or 420 of the 11,420 systems, had detectable levels of coliform.

The report said those 420 systems serve about 92,290 people. Most of the violations, 351, were in small public water systems serving motels, restaurants, churches and campgrounds.

Contamination by pathogens is of special concern because unlike pollution by metals or chemicals, pathogens can sicken people after just a single exposure and can be life-threatening to some people.

Whether it was manure spread irresponsibly on a frozen field, a septic system compromised by pollution-prone geology or untreated municipal drinking water, incidents of pathogens in drinking water in Wisconsin have revealed weaknesses in government oversight of this most basic and necessary resource, the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism found.

Committees formed as a result of contamination in Kewaunee County recently proposed steps to better protect Wisconsins drinking water from agricultural pollution. These work groups, composed of farmers and residents and federal, state and local officials, were formed after Kewaunee County residents petitioned the EPA in 2014 for help with the countys water problems.

The recommendations included $300,000 for emergency drinking water and new wells, voluntary manure spreading restrictions, more DNR staff and better enforcement.

George Althoff, DNR spokesman, said the agency is actively working on formulating short-term and long-term plans to address water quality issues in Kewaunee County. He added that this has been and is a priority for the agency.

But some residents and others remain skeptical the DNR will take meaningful action, and they criticize the agency for taking too long to address what some are calling a crisis.

One-third of wells unsafe

How bad is it? Recent testing funded by the DNR found more than one-third of the 320 wells tested in Kewaunee County were unsafe to use because of coliform, E. coli or nitrate. The second phase of the study will show the exact source of the pollutants.

Wagner discovered in the most recent round of testing that his new well  which he built in 2013 to replace an old contaminated well  is now tainted by four bovine viruses as well as nitrate.

Wagner, who served for 10 years on the states Land and Water Conservation Board, said clean water and agriculture can exist side by side, but DNR must take action.

Were getting mad, Wagner said.

As for the Tremls, the family eventually was awarded an $80,000 settlement from the insurance company for Stahl Farms, which spread the manure that sent Samantha, now 12, to the hospital. The farm also paid a $50,000 fine to the state for violating its DNR permit.

Treml said she believes her familys move to Green Bay was the right decision.

In Kewaunee County, the problems have gotten even more horrific, she said. In 10 years, it hasnt improved at all.

Big farms, big waste

Kewaunee County is home to 20,574 people and 76,000 cows, according to county data. It has one of Wisconsins highest concentrations of large dairy farms, known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations or CAFOs. Such farms, which have up to 8,000 head of cattle, can produce as much feces as a city, and most of it ends up on nearby farm fields.

Kewaunee Countys 16 CAFOs contribute the bulk of the more than 555 million gallons of liquid manure that are spread on the countys fields each year, county figures show.

The likelihood that manure from such large farms will contain one or more pathogens is very high, according to the EPA. These pathogens include E. coli, Salmonella, Giardia and Cryptosporidium. All can cause severe diarrhea and can be deadly for those with weakened immune systems as well as infants, young children and pregnant women  about 20 percent of the U.S. population.

Legislation aimed at bolstering protections against manure pollution in areas with fractured bedrock, such as Kewaunee County, was introduced by Democratic lawmakers in January.

We are dealing with a public health crisis, said state Rep. Eric Genrich, D-Green Bay, who co-authored the bill with state Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay. We have communities in northeast Wisconsin where half of the wells that are tested are contaminated and the water is undrinkable, where residents no longer have access to safe, clean drinking water.

The bill did not advance in the Republican-controlled Legislature. In the meantime, state Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay, has introduced a bill of his own to raise the maximum household income from $60,000 to $90,000 under the Well Compensation Grant Program, which helps owners pay for replacement of wells contaminated by livestock feces. But he acknowledged the change is not a solution to the pollution problems.

Three counties  Brown, Manitowoc and Kewaunee  have acted on their own, passing ordinances that restrict manure spreading in vulnerable areas. A study of the new county regulations, published in 2015 in the journal Resources, concluded the rules have caused statistically significant reductions in well contamination compared to other counties with fractured bedrock that used voluntary efforts. Those counties saw no improvement.

Tim Trotter, executive director of the Dairy Business Association, the states most powerful dairy lobby, said farmers are serious about ensuring clean water. But they insist any new state regulations must take into account the impact on agriculture.

I think with any new rules there should be a balance between safety and being practical, said John Pagel, who owns a large dairy farm and serves on the Kewaunee County Board.

Lee Luft, a Kewaunee County Board member who is part of the DNR work groups, said residents will be watching the agencys actions closely.

If these recommendations are not implemented, he said, my sense is that whatever remaining confidence the residents have in the DNR will evaporate.

Groups charge DNR regulation lax

The DNRs seeming reluctance to address concerns about pollution from the big farms is not new, according to an April 2015 investigation by a group called the Socially Responsible Agricultural Project, based in the state of Oregon. The groups Rap Sheets report documented a lack of DNR enforcement on large-scale farms in Kewaunee County going back to the mid-1980s.

Using the DNRs own records, the group uncovered dozens of instances in which large dairy farms violated anti-pollution laws with no follow-up to ensure problems were corrected.

The agency disputed the report  saying it was enforcing the law to its fullest authority  but allegations of lax regulation continued to surface.

In October, Midwest Environmental Advocates filed another petition, this time on behalf of 16 residents from across Wisconsin, asking the EPA to rescind the states authority to enforce discharge permits under the Clean Water Act if changes are not forthcoming.

Somebody needs to provide clean water. The DNR certainly isnt, said Cochart, Algomas school superintendent. To me, its a basic human right to have clean drinking water.
Po Too has been no stranger to struggle.

The 23-year-old Western Technical College student will graduate from the colleges human services program today, with plans to get a bachelors degree in social work from Winona State University in Minnesota. A refugee and survivor of the Karen conflict in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, Po has overcome hardship, a language barrier and academic struggles to get where she is today.

No matter the situation, she always has a smile on her face, Human Services Instructor Ann Lichliter said of Po. She just has a really positive attitude.

Po was born in Burma, a country surrounded Thailand, India and China. Her family is part of the Karen ethnic group, which has been fighting for independence since 1949.

When she was 5, Po and her family fled the civil war into the jungles of Myanmar, hiding for weeks in the wilderness without food or medicine with other refugees. It was a scary journey, Po said, as there were land mines in the jungle, making every step nerve-wracking.

The family eventually made it to Thailand, living in Tham Hin, a refugee camp of 10,000 people the size of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse campus. The camp was crowded, with no privacy and a lot of sickness, but in 2006, when Po was in her teens, the United Nations stepped in and the family was able to settle in the U.S., moving to Lake Geneva, Wis.

One of the biggest hurdles for Po was language. But she found resources at her church in Lake Geneva and at Western to adapt to Western culture and her studies.

She chose Western for the beauty of the Mississippi River bluffs, the friendly people in the program and the chance to gain independence. Karen culture is very communal, Po said, and she wanted a chance to challenge herself and succeed on her own.

I dont want people to expect me to stay at home and be the wife, Po said. I want to tell people I can be like the men.

Both Lichliter and WTC international student specialist Max Vang have known Po for the three years she has been a student at the college. Both have been impressed with her strength and determination to succeed academically and socially on campus.

Po is a very strong person, Vang said. That strength comes from being raised in a very difficult situation.

Vang is very involved on campus and in the community, Lichliter said, just as likely to help a stranger in need as a close family member. After she finishes her studies at WSU, Po said, she hopes to either join the Peace Corps or find some other way to help people who are struggling.

Ive personally experienced what it is like to come here as a refugee, Po said. I just want to give back and let others know we are not alone.

Ive personally experienced what it is like to come here as a refugee. I just want to give back and let others know we are not alone. Po Too, Western graduate
Friday was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for University of Wisconsin-La Crosse students Josh Baker and Siiri Koski.

The two musicians, with Amanda Stenzel on the piano, practiced two movements of Libby Larsens piece Barn Dances while the famed composer listened and provided feedback. Larsen, a Grammy Award winning artist, co-founder of the American Composers Forum and former resident with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Charlotte Symphony and the Colorado Symphony, is this springs composer-in-residence at the university and will spend this weekend working with students performing her pieces.

Its a privilege to work with young musicians, said Larsen, who was born in Deleware but grew up in Minnesota. It is a great privilege to pass on my passion for music-making and my knowledge.

Barn Dances was inspired by cowboy barn dances, Larsen said, as she worked with Baker, who played clarinet, and Koski, who played flute. She helped them interpret the piece, which was challenging, as the piano part was meant to be loose while the two woodwind instruments had a more rigid structure for their melody.

She kept telling Stenzel to play more honky-tonk and looser while the other two students had to hit the rhythm like a robot. She also helped them with the tempo, which was slower than most dance music, as the musicians wanted to rush a bit.

For my money, I like that tempo, she said after going over a section of the song a number of times to slow things down. It gives that feeling of stretch.

Along with ensemble music, Larsen also worked with the UW-L Womens Choir, Central High School Robed Choir and the Logan High School Select Choir on music they were performing in concert Friday night. The Logan High School wind ensemble will perform a free concert with the UW-L wind ensemble on Sunday.

Im going to school because I want to be a composer, Baker said after Friday afternoons practice session. To be able to work with a world-renowned composer like Larsen is once in a lifetime.

Im going to school because I want to be a composer. To be able to work with a world-renowned composer like Larsen is once in a lifetime. Josh Baker, UW-L student
WASHINGTON -- John Kasich, at a campaign stop in Rockville, Maryland, on Monday, explained why Republican voters aren't buying what he's selling.

"I'm trying to peddle hope," said the Ohio governor. "Hope in the short term doesn't get you a lot of attention, because hope's too positive. Negative is what works."

As if on cue, a man in the back row, enraged that a Fox Business correspondent's live stand-up was distracting him from the candidate's positive words about hope, turned around and bellowed at the press risers: "Shut up!"

If self-righteousness were a state and not just a state of mind, John Kasich would win its primary handily. But there is no such commonwealth. And here in the United States of Anger in 2016, Mr. Nice Guy has struggled to lift off.

"I've got a new plan," Kasich told the few hundred supporters seated in a gymnasium in the Washington suburb. "I'm going to go down to the Kennedy Space Center. I'm going to get in the rocket, have a short flight, land in water, be fetched out of the ocean by a big Navy ship and have a press conference. The only reason I might not do it is they might not pick me up."

If naval rescuers are anything like this year's Republican voters, they might not even notice he splashed down.

Yet hope-filled Kasich somehow remains optimistic about his candidacy, which is why he entered Sunday night into an unorthodox alliance with Ted Cruz to try to force Donald Trump into a contested convention. Under their agreement, Kasich won't contest Indiana, to boost Cruz's chances there, and Cruz won't campaign in New Mexico and Oregon, to assist Kasich.

Kasich seems to think it isn't too late. He gamely declared Monday that of the 10 times Republicans have had open conventions, the front-runner has been rejected seven times. What Kasich didn't note: This hasn't happened in 76 years.

An hour before Kasich took the stage, Trump was doing what he does best: insulting people. He called Cruz a "pain in the ass" and Kasich a stubborn child who has "disgusting" eating habits. He accused the two of them of "colluding" -- and said that's illegal in business.

But in politics, alliances aren't illegal -- they're essential. The only outrage about the anti-Trump alliance is that one didn't happen sooner, when it could have done some good. Had the candidates ganged up on Trump months ago, they surely could have beaten the bully.

Now the Kasich-Cruz alliance looks to be a few months late and a few million votes short, even as more Republicans come to terms with the horror of Trump as the nominee. The conservative billionaire Charles Koch, who was largely silent during the primaries, just said, "I don't know how we could support" Trump. In an interview with ABC's Jon Karl, Koch called Trump's call to register all Muslims "reminiscent of Nazi Germany," and he called it "frightening" that Cruz's talk of carpet-bombing the Middle East would appeal to Americans. Koch even said it's "possible" he would support Clinton over the Republican nominee.

Kasich at times already seems to be talking about his candidacy as if it were in the past -- a reasonable tense to use for a man who would need 158 percent of remaining delegates to secure the nomination. "I am a fundamental believer in ideas," he told The Washington Post's editorial board last week. "And frankly, my Republican Party doesn't like ideas."

In the Rockville gym, one of Kasich's fans carried a hand-lettered sign: "Don't be so angry. You can't think straight. Vote Kasich." That message may make sense in the wealthy Washington suburbs, where many work for the federal government. Connie Morella, a moderate Republican who once represented the area in Congress, introduced Kasich with a lengthy treatment of his legislative bona fides, and Kasich spoke about doubling medical research spending, fighting man-made climate change and opposing the "absurd" idea of deporting 11 million illegal immigrants.

"Everything you say -- it resonates," a woman told Kasich during the Q&A. So why, she asked, is "the rest of the U.S. not picking up on that?"

"At the end of the day," Kasich replied, "people don't want to live ... in tension, negativity, conflict." As evidence, he pointed to a new poll in New Hampshire showing that Republicans who voted in that state's primary would now favor Kasich over Trump at a contested convention, 26 percent to 22 percent.

Alas, Trump already won the New Hampshire primary. And buyer's remorse isn't going to get Kasich the nomination.
Charter schools are public schools in that they are funded by taxpayer money, cannot charge tuition, and must be open to all students, through a lottery system if needed.

In Wisconsin, they must participate in the state assessment system, and their teachers must be state-licensed.

They are intended to foster innovation and parental choice and are free from many regulations that apply to traditional public schools.

There are two types of charter schools: independent ones, and ones that are part of a school district.

Madison has three in-district charter schools, meaning the School Board approved them and maintains ultimate control over them. These are Wright Middle School, the bilingual Nuestro Mundo Community School and Badger Rock Middle School.

Independent charter schools operate outside of the local school boards authority. They receive taxpayer funding but are led by nonprofit organizations or, in some cases, for-profit companies.

These are the kind of charter schools that Gary Bennett, as head of the new Office of Educational Opportunity at the University of Wisconsin System, will have the authority to authorize in Madison and Milwaukee.

Milwaukee already has more than two dozen independent charter schools. Madison has none.

Under current state law, 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 $8,100. The home district still may count the student for revenue limit purposes to the extent permitted by law. This can allow the district to tax its property owners for the balance that is not lost to the charter school, although this not necessarily true in all cases.
Gary Bennett wants to assure you hes not out to destroy the Madison School District.

The former legislative staffer leads the new Office of Educational Opportunity at the University of Wisconsin System. That makes him the unofficial charter czar, the guy who now has the ability to bypass local school boards and authorize independent charter schools in Madison and Milwaukee.

Its a controversial idea, deemed by opponents as unnecessary at best, poisonous at worst. Critics believe independent charter schools siphon money and resources from traditional public schools. Supporters contend theyre needed to stimulate innovation and correct failures in the current system.

In an interview, Bennett acknowledged that his new role is viewed negatively by some, but he suggested hes not the enemy. At times, he spoke rather kindly of the Madison School District.

How charter schools operate in Wisconsin Charter schools are public schools in that they are funded by taxpayer money, cannot charge tuition, and must be open to all students, through a lottery system if needed.

We have good schools here, said Bennett, 33, who has lived in Madison since moving to the city in 2008 to attend UW Law School. We just need more good schools in more areas.

Bennett started April 1 at an annual salary of $95,000. His hiring raised eyebrows from the start.

At the time he applied for the position, he was chief of staff for Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills. She was among Republican lawmakers who pushed for creating the office, and she is co-chairwoman of the Legislatures budget committee, which added funding for it.

Among the search committee members was Jessica Tormey, another former chief of staff for Darling who is now chief of staff for UW System President Ray Cross, who made the decision to hire Bennett.

Rep. Sondy Pope, D-Cross Plains, the ranking Democrat on the Assembly Education Committee, said hiring an individual whose boss was instrumental in creating the position reeks of cronyism. The new office strips Madison and Milwaukee of local control and opens the floodgates for unaccountable, for-profit charters, she said.

Others are willing to give Bennett more of a break. Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, while no fan of Republican education policy, said Bennetts hiring does not strike her as atypical.

Its not unusual that a staff member who had expertise like that would be hired for a job like that, she said.

Right person for the job?

Born and raised in Utah, Bennett earned a bachelors degree in political science from Pepperdine University, then joined the Teach for America program, which recruits college graduates to teach in low-income communities. He taught second grade for three years in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas while earning a masters degree in education.

After graduating from UW Law School, he and two others in 2011 started EdTogether, a Madison nonprofit organization that advocated for early childhood education and analyzed data from Wisconsin schools, including charter schools, to identify what was working.

The startup, now dissolved, lasted less than two years as the co-founders accepted other job offers, Bennett said. He was hired as an adviser to Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, where he worked for about 18 months before joining Darlings staff in 2013.

That was an interesting time, Bennett said, as he lost the trust of the Democratic caucus while initially being viewed suspiciously by Republicans as a possible spy.

Politically, Bennett describes himself as center right but said hes not a dyed-in-the-wool anything.

UW Law School professor Linda Greene rejects the idea that Bennett is a Republican partisan.

If you were to ask anyone at the law school, What is Gary Bennetts political affiliation? I dont think anyone would associate him with a particular party, said Greene, who taught him in classes and chose him to work for her as a research assistant.

The fact that Bennett has worked effectively with both Democrats and Republicans suggests he might be one of the best possible people to have working on this important issue in our current political environment, she said.

Darling, Bennetts former Republican boss, said, Gary will be a terrific proponent for educational-reform initiatives that will make a difference in peoples lives.

At this point, its not possible to compare Bennetts qualifications with other applicants. UW System denied an open records request for the names of other finalists. It cited another new state law that prohibits UW System from disclosing the names of any job applicants who request confidentiality, with limited exemptions not applicable in this case.

State budget committee approves letting UW System authorize charter schools Independent charter schools could be created in Milwaukee and Madison under the proposal.

Alex Hummel, a UW System spokesman, said 14 applicants met the minimum criteria to be considered for the position. All of the unsuccessful candidates requested confidentiality, he said.

To critics of his hiring, Bennett said he intends to prove them wrong through time, transparency and good work.

He insists that the process he will set in motion to create charter schools will be a collaborative one, with ideas bubbling up from the community, not imposed from above. He will seek to include diverse voices and to empower people who traditionally have been marginalized, he said. Its an approach informed by his background.

Im gay, Native American and Jewish, he said. Im a lot of historically oppressed groups wrapped up in one person.

Bennett said his biological father, who is deceased, was of the SKlallam tribe in Washington state. He describes himself as half-white, half-Native American and said he follows the Jewish faith.

The work ahead

Bennett is putting together a board that will assist him in determining whether to authorize charter schools, and he envisions a separate evaluation committee that would score and make recommendations to the board.

Its not just going to be me, he said.

He declined to speculate on how many independent charter schools Madison might have in five or 10 years. The earliest feasible launch for one would be fall 2017, but thats neither a goal nor a hard deadline, he said.

Madison School Board signals openness to employee share of health premiums The approach could be used to help fill a budget gap next year.

One big fear of critics is that Bennett will allow for-profit companies to begin operating charter schools in Madison. The current laws would allow for this, Bennett said, but he has no intention of doing so.

As long as Im in this position, only nonprofits will be considered, he said. This is about the community and kids. Period.

Bennett recently met with Madison Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham. He called the meeting productive, saying he wants honest, ongoing communication with the district.

Cheatham also called the meeting productive and said she was pleased to hear from Bennett that he is committed to working collaboratively with the district.

That said, she repeated her goal of making the district so successful that Bennetts office becomes obsolete.
The U.S. Supreme Court has an unprecedented opportunity to address the legality of coordination between campaigns and supposedly independent groups if it hears a case related to Wisconsins halted John Doe investigation into Gov. Scott Walkers recall campaign.

Thats the lead argument presented by three Wisconsin district attorneys in a redacted filing posted online Friday by University of California-Irvine law professor Rick Hasen. The filing was not available on the courts website and Hasen declined to say how he obtained it.

Hasen said theres a better-than-average chance the court will take up the case out of more than 7,000 petitions it receives each year, given its a high-profile case of which the justices are likely already aware.

Everything about this case is unusual, Hasen said.

As an example, Hasen, who specializes in election law, said he has never seen a petition filed with so many sections blacked out, including parts of the key questions presented to the court.

Those questions include whether the First Amendment protects coordination between a candidate and an issue-advocacy group, as the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in July, whether state prosecutors are entitled to a hearing before a panel of impartial justices, and whether justices must recuse themselves in certain cases.

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne and Iowa County District Attorney Larry Nelson submitted the petition this week, writing the Wisconsin Supreme Courts decision was described as the end of campaign finance law,  and rewrote First Amendment jurisprudence.

In the petition they lay out their case, which lines up with previous accounts that allege Walker raised money for the Wisconsin Club for Growth, which in turn spent money to help him win his recall election in June 2012. Previously, state law held that such donations must be reported and were subject to campaign finance limits. Because Wisconsin Club for Growth is supposedly a social welfare nonprofit with limitations on its political spending, its donations are not public record.

The prosecutors specifically cite $1.5 million contributed by John Menard Jr., owner of the home improvement retail chain Menards, and $700,000 from Gogebic Taconite to the club as examples of secret contributors who received special favors.

In the case of Gogebic, the company helped rewrite state environmental laws in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to build a massive iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin. Menards company was awarded up to $1.8 million in tax credits from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., the prosecutors noted.

They also argue justices Michael Gableman and David Prosser should have recused themselves from the case given the groups under investigation spent $3.34 million during Prossers 2011 re-election campaign  and previously took additional action to help elect Gableman. The reasons why Gableman should have recused himself are mostly blocked from view in the redacted document.

Subject to secrecy order

The document was blacked out consistent with other legal filings in the John Doe case, which has been subject to a secrecy order since September 2012. The identities of those under investigation, who have successfully challenged its legality so far, have been kept hidden in court documents, but public records and accidental court leaks have showed they include Walker and his campaign, the Wisconsin Club for Growth and its director Eric OKeefe, and Walker advisers R.J. Johnson, Keith Gilkes and Kelly Rindfleisch.

The prosecutors state in the petition that they have honored the secrecy order, while certain information has leaked because certain respondents have conducted a campaign of lies and disinformation intended to impugn the motives of the investigation.

The prosecutors argue that the actions of the Wisconsin Supreme Court belie prejudice against them. They highlighted the courts July ruling citing reports of pre-dawn raids to execute search warrants in October 2013, a characterization the prosecutors have disputed as overly sensational.

They argue the courts initial order to destroy evidence from the case without any party asking for such destruction was unprecedented. The court later amended its order so that the special prosecutor leading the investigation would have to turn over the evidence to the court.

They also note the state court denied their motion to allow an outside law firm familiar with Supreme Court appeals to handle the case thereby refusing to recognize the right of the district attorneys to be represented by counsel.

The court wrote no need has been shown by the petitioners whose appellate experience is limited to traffic and misdemeanor matters in the state court of appeals, they wrote.

Edward Greim, a lawyer representing one of the unnamed parties in the case, said in response to the filing that the investigation was unauthorized under Wisconsin law.

It was a massive overreach, and it was not a close call, Greim said.

Rick Esenberg, president of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, said the state courts reason for striking down the states anti-coordination law wasnt limited to the First Amendment. It also found the law didnt adequately define coordination. For that reason he said its very unlikely the federal court would review the case.

As for whether Prosser and Gableman should have recused themselves, Esenberg said the challenge of the prosecutors argument is that it creates a problem for all judicial elections where partisan groups are involved.

You cant go after all the conservative advocacy groups and then say it means conservatives must recuse themselves, Esenberg said. This is a poor vehicle to sort that out.
Beyonce opened her Formation World Tour to a full house on April 27 in Miami, Florida.

The pop superstar started the show with songs from her album "Lemonade,'' released just a few days earlier. The album release also came with a special television program starring Beyonce on the cable station HBO.

Much of Lemonade appears to be tied to Beyonce's life. Lyrics like, "Are you cheating on me?'' raised questions of whether her famous husband, Jay Z, had been involved with another woman.



Beyonce came onto the stage wearing black leather and a big country-western hat. Her performance included huge red lights and fireworks. Images of an electrical storm played on a screen behind her during one emotional song.



During the concert, Beyonce did not talk about her husband except for a quick thank you at the end. She also said little about her new album, except that her favorite song from it is "All Night.'' It begins with the line, "I've found the truth beneath your lies.''

She also did a quick cover of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams.'' And she sang her song Halo in memory of the pop star Prince, who died last week.

She thanked him for his beautiful music and told the crowd, He's an artist that inspired all of us.''



Later, images of Jay Z holding the couple's newborn child played as she sang. Wednesday's show also included a video from Jay Zs grandmother on her 90th birthday. In the video, she said she turned life's lemons into lemonade.



Beyonces album is expected to sell hundreds of thousands of copies in its first week. Billboard magazine says it is likely headed to the number-one place on its weekly Top 200 list of album sales.

Both Beyonce and her husband have appeared in photographs this week in which they are not wearing their wedding rings. But it is not clear if that means anything. Beyonces messages have seemed somewhat mixed. She did thank Jay Z with a song at the concert, saying I want to dedicate this song to my beautiful husband. I love you so much.

Of course, Lemonade can be both sweet and sour.

Im Caty Weaver.

Caty Weaver adapted this story from an Associated Press article, with additional reporting. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

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Words in This Story

full house - expression a theater or concert hall that is filled with spectators

lyrics - n. the words of a song

stage - n. a raised platform in a theater, auditorium, etc., where the performers stand

cover - n. a recording or performance of a song that was previously recorded by someone else

inspire - v. to make (someone) want to do something : to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create
A new report says freedom of the press declined worldwide last year to its lowest point in more than ten years.

Freedom House, a group that supports freedom and democracy, said only one person in seven lives in a country where reporters safety is guaranteed, and where media are not restricted or pressured by the government.

The report says media freedom worldwide has declined for the past 12 years. Jennifer Dunham of Freedom House described several reasons for the decline.

One is the, really the heightened level of violence against journalists around the world in, in various settings. And another primary reason is, kind of, the heightened level of polarization, or partisanship, in several different types of media environments.

Powerful media owners and armed militants pressure reporters to support political groups rather than to report objectively on all groups.

And dictators and other anti-democratic political leaders are trying to stop independent reporting.

The most dangerous subjects to write about include corruption, land development, religion, and crimes committed by organized groups.

Reporting from areas of conflict and war

Ms. Dunham says reporting from areas where conflict or wars are taking place has become so dangerous and deadly that reporters struggle to get information from those places.

In Syria and Iraq, we do see just reporters having to risk their lives to get any type of news whatsoever. And, you know, Syria was the place with the highest number [14] of journalists deaths in 2015.

Reporters lives are also endangered in nations with high crime rates. These nations include Mexico and some Central American countries, where local officials are paid bribes by powerful groups of criminals that grow, sell and transport illegal drugs.

Freedom is also limited in cyberspace. Many countries limit access to websites that may report criticisms of their governments.

And China has more reporters in prison than any other country. Officials there are also starting to examine more closely reporting on the economy and other subjects that were at one time considered safe to report on.

Sarah Repucci also works at Freedom House.

Theres government bans on certain topics that journalists choose to override, and choose to report on anyway, or choose to try to do investigative reporting on certain taboo subjects, like corruption of influential people.

The Freedom House report says journalists throughout the world refuse to stop trying to get information and report about it even though they face intimidation, danger and even death.

Russia

Russia is one of the countries that make life difficult for reporters. Russia often stops foreign reporters from entering areas it controls. Russia and other countries want people to know only their position on events, not the complete truth.

Media experts say press freedoms in Russia have been weakened by President Vladimir Putin. They say his government has increased state ownership of and influence on media. And it has restricted reporting that is critical of the government.

Most Russians learn about news events from television reports. The government has targeted television reporters. Most television stations are now completely controlled by the government.

However, one station in the Russian capital -- TV Rain -- remains independent. The privately-owned station is one of the few broadcasters in Russia that regularly reports criticisms of government policies.

Natalia Shanetskaya reports the news on TV Rain.

Were not a politically-motivated network. We dont really see it as our goal to, you know, to challenge the political establishment or anything like that. You know, we just try to be as objective as we can and, and, and thats really what were about.

Many of the employees of TV Rain decided to work there because it was independent of the government. Some of them left other television stations as the government increased its control. Shanetskaya is one of them.

Because I actually quit RT (Russia Today) about a month before the Crimea events. I just had a feeling that things there were tightening in a very uncomfortable way. And, as somebody who was there from the beginning, I found that disturbing.

But refusing to report only positive news about the government, like state media do, has hurt TV Rain. The station reported criticisms of Soviet military strategy during World War II. The government didnt like the story, and pressured cable companies to drop the channel in 2014.

Many people believe the government was looking for any reason to take action against the station. They include Ilya Klishin, the chief of digital media at TV Rain.

I sincerely believe that if it was, wasnt that story about, like, the siege of Leningrad they would find something else. Like, it was just a matter of days or weeks.

In an attempt to survive, TV Rain began putting its programs online for people who paid a fee. Seventy thousand people now pay to see the programs, and its website gets millions of page views every month.

But Klishin says TV Rain, like all Russian media, is being restricted by the government in what it can report.

We cover everything that doesnt violate Russian criminal laws. But, at some point, Russian criminal laws now are contradicting the issues of, of freedom of speech.

Im Christopher Jones-Cruise.

VOA Correspondent Zlatica Hoke reported on the Freedom House report from Washington. Correspondent Daniel Schearf reported on Russia Media Freedom from Moscow. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted their reports into Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

polarization  n. people and groups separated into opposing groups

partisanship  n. strong support for a particular leader, group or cause

objectively  adv. based on facts rather than feelings or opinions

override  v. to ignore; to defy; to make (something) no longer valid

taboo  adj. not acceptable to talk about or do

contradict  v. to say the opposite of (something that someone else has said); to deny the truth of (something)


Education spending in the United States differs from school to school.

In the southern state of Mississippi, a school in Brookhaven spends $6,417 per student. Just 100 kilometers west, Natchez spends nearly $3,000 more.

Shannon Eubanks is a school principal, or head of school, in Brookhaven, Mississippi. He told VOA Our kids dont have a chance.

Less money means students in Brookhaven dont have a music or arts teacher, Eubanks said. Students must share computers and they ride old buses that should have been removed from service years ago.

Eubanks worked hard on a proposal last year to increase money for every Mississippi public school. But Mississippi voters defeated it.

We just have to keep trying, Eubanks said.

Who is paying for the schools?

For six months, National Public Radio (NPR) worked on a detailed report about what it calls educations money problem.

It reported that even school districts located near each other get very different amounts of money.

The reason is that districts get money from a number of places, NPR explained. All states give money for schools, but some states give more than others.

Some states give more money to poor school districts than rich districts. The idea is that poorer districts need more help than richer districts. But other states give out money equally to rich and poor districts.

The federal government has programs to help poor districts, but the effect is limited. The federal government only pays for about 8 percent of Kindergarten-12th grade public school costs.

The largest share comes from local taxes on property. Communities with lots of wealthy people collect more property taxes and, as a result, have more money to spend on schools. The opposite is the case for poor communities.

Funding for education across the U.S.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported last year on school spending for the largest U.S. school districts.

In the largest school district, New York City, per student spending is $20,331, the Census Bureau said. That is nearly twice as much as in Los Angeles, California.

In Chicago, Illinois, it is $12,284 per student, $8,725 in Miami, Florida, and $8,295 in Houston, Texas.

Education Week also researched funding levels for all 50 U.S. states. The differences are large.

On average, New York, Alaska, and Wyoming spent more than $17,000 per student in 2013, while California, Oklahoma and Nevada spent about half that amount, Education Week reported.

The average for the U.S. as a whole is about $12,000 per student.

Here is how the small state of Wyoming came to be on the high end of school spending:

The state receives taxes from oil and coal production. In the past, the extra money helped communities with the most production.

That changed in the 1990s, when courts ruled all school districts in Wyoming should share in the oil and coal taxes.

It led to increased money for all Wyoming public schools, said Kari Eakins of Wyoming Department of Education. The biggest change was reducing class size in early grades. The state now requires no more than 16 students per teacher in grades kindergarten through 3rd grade.

Recent cuts in education funding

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities looks at public spending on services such as education.

It said the big U.S. recession in 2008 led states to lower spending on education. Falling house prices meant property taxes, which provide the majority of school funding, dropped, too.

The recession is over, but funding for schools remains below 2008 levels in most states, the center said.

The center said those cuts mean schools will produce fewer qualified workers to fill the growing demand for well educated workers.

How much money a school gets matters, said Eubanks, the Mississippi principal. His school serves 840 students in a rural community -- from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Eubanks said, We have a lot of issues well beyond education problems trying to serve poor students in a poor state. He added the school is not giving them services available in districts with more money.

I'm Bruce Alpert.

Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English with additional information from NPR and Education Week. Hai Do was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or share your views on our Facebook Page.

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Words in This Story

principal  n. the person in charge of a public school

district  n. an area established by a government for official government business
Our story today is called "The Purloined Letter." It was written by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe is generally known for his horror stories. This is the third of three stories he wrote about Auguste Dupin and how he solves crimes. The story is about a stolen letter. It first appeared in 1844 in a yearly magazine. It was reprinted in many publications, newspapers and books. This is one of Poe's stories that influenced the development of the modern detective story.

One evening in Paris, during the autumn of eighteen forty-five, I went to visit a friend, Auguste Dupin. We were smoking our pipes and talking when the door of his apartment opened. Mr. Germont, the head of the Paris police force, came into the room.

"I came to ask your advice," Germont said to my friend Dupin. "I am trying to solve a very important case. It is also a very simple case, so I really need your help. But I thought you would like to hear about it, because it is so strange.

"My men and I have worked on this case for three months," Germont said. "It is a very simple case of robbery. But we still cannot solve it."

Dupin took the pipe out of his mouth. "Perhaps the mystery is too simple," he said.

Germont began to laugh. "Too simple?" he said. "Who ever heard of such a thing?"

I looked at Germont. "Why don't you tell us the problem?" I said.

Germont stopped laughing and sat down.

"All right," he said. "But you must never tell anyone I told you this."

"The wife of a very important person needs help. I cannot tell you her name, because her husband is a powerful man in the French government. Let us just call her Madame X. Three months ago, someone stole a letter from Madame X. She is offering a large amount of money to anyone who can return the letter to her.

"We know that her husband's political enemy, Mr. D'Arcy, stole the letter. We also know it is somewhere in his apartment. D'Arcy plans to use the letter to embarrass Madame X's husband and destroy his political power.

"As you know, I have keys which can open any lock in Paris. For the last three months, my men and I have spent every evening looking for the letter in his apartment. But we cannot find it."

Dupin stopped smoking. "Tell me how you looked for it," he said. Germont moved forward in his chair.

"We took our time," he said. "First, we examined the furniture in every room. We opened all the drawers. We looked under the rugs. We searched behind all the paintings on the walls.

"We opened every book. We removed the boards of the floor. We even took the tops off the tables to see if he had hidden the letter in the table legs. But we cannot find it. What do you advise me to do?"

Dupin puffed on his pipe. "What does the letter look like?" he asked.

"It is in a white envelope with a red stamp," Germont said. "The address is written in large black letters."

Dupin puffed on his pipe again. "I advise you to go back and search the apartment again," he said.

About one month later, Germont came back to see us.

"I followed your advice," he said. "But I still have not found the letter."

Dupin smiled. "I knew you would not find it," he said. Germont became very red in the face. "Then why did you make me search the apartment again?" he shouted.

"My dear Germont," Dupin said. "Let me tell you a little story. Do you remember the famous doctor, Louis Abernathy?"

"No!" Germont shouted. "Get to the point, Dupin!"

"Of course! Of course," Dupin said. "Once, a rich old man met Abernathy at a party. The old man was not feeling very well. He decided he would get a medical opinion from the doctor without paying for it. So he described his problems to Abernathy. 'Now doctor,' the old man said, 'suppose you had a patient like that. What would you tell him to take?'"

"'Oh, that is quite simple,' said Abernathy. 'I would tell him to take my advice.'"

Germont looked embarrassed. "Look here, Dupin. I am perfectly willing to pay for advice."

Dupin smiled at Germont. "How much money did you say the reward was?" he asked. Germont sighed. "I do not want to tell you the exact amount. But I would give fifty thousand francs to the person who helps me find that letter."

"In that case," Dupin said, "take out your checkbook and write me a check for fifty thousand francs. When you have signed the check, I will give you the letter."

Germont looked at Dupin with his mouth open. His eyes seemed to jump out of his head. Then he took out his checkbook and pen, and wrote a check for fifty thousand francs. He gave it to Dupin.

My friend examined the check carefully and put it in his pocket. Then he unlocked a drawer of his desk, took out the letter, and gave it to Germont.

The policeman's hands shook as he opened the letter. He read it quickly. Then he put it in his pocket and ran out of the room without saying a word.

"Dupin!" I said, as I turned to my friend. "How did you solve the mystery?"

"It was simple, my friend," he said. "Germont and his policemen could not find the letter, because they did not try to understand the mind of the man who stole it. Instead, they looked for the letter where they would have hidden it.

"Mr. D'Arcy is not a policeman. He is, however, very intelligent. He knew the police would search his apartment. He also knew how police think. So, he did not hide the letter where he knew they would look for it.

"Do you remember how Germont laughed when I said the mystery was difficult for him to solve because it was so simple?"

Dupin filled his pipe with tobacco and lit it. "Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the police could not find the letter because D'Arcy had not hidden it at all.

"So I went to visit D'Arcy in his apartment. I took a pair of dark green eyeglasses with me. I explained to him that I was having trouble with my eyes and needed to wear the dark glasses at all times. He believed me. The glasses permitted me to look around the apartment while I seemed only to be talking to him.

"I paid special attention to a large desk where there were a lot of papers and books. However, I saw nothing suspicious there. After a few minutes, however, I noticed a small shelf over the fireplace. A few postcards and a letter were lying on the shelf. The letter looked very old and dirty.

"As soon as I saw this letter, I decided it must be the one I was looking for. It must be, even though it was completely different from the one Germont had described.

"This letter had a large green stamp on it. The address was written in small letters in blue ink. I memorized every detail of the letter while I talked to D'Arcy. Then when he was not looking, I dropped one of my gloves on the floor under my chair.

"The next morning, I stopped at his apartment to look for my glove. While we were talking, we heard people shouting in the street. D'Arcy went to the window and looked out. Quickly, I stepped to the shelf and put the letter in my pocket. Then I replaced it with a letter that looked exactly like it, which I had taken with me. I had made it the night before.

"The trouble in the street was caused by a man who had almost been run over by a horse and carriage. He was not hurt. And soon the crowd of people went away. When it was over, D'Arcy came away from the window. I said good-bye and left.

"The man who almost had an accident was one of my servants. I had paid him to create the incident."

Dupin stopped talking to light his pipe. I did not understand. "But, Dupin," I said, "why did you go to the trouble of replacing the letter? Why not just take it and leave?"

Dupin smiled. "D'Arcy is a dangerous man," he said. "And he has many loyal servants. If I had taken the letter, I might never have left his apartment alive."

The Purloined Letter was written by Edgar Allan Poe and adapted by Dona De Sanctis. The storyteller was Shep O'Neal. The producer was Lawan Davis.

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Quiz

Quiz - The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

Lesson Plan

This lesson plan, based on the CALLA Approach, teaches the learning strategies 'focus' and 'predict' to help students understand the story.

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Words in This Story

case - n. a situation that is being investigated or managed by someone (such as a police officer or social worker) in an official way

robbery - n. the crime of stealing money or property

embarrass - v. to make someone feel confused, foolish or ashamed in front of other people

puff - v. to breathe smoke from a cigarette, pipe, etc., in and out of the lungs

sigh - v. to take in and let out a long, loud breath in a way that shows you are bored, disappointed, relieved, etc.

check - n. a piece of paper that is used to make a payment to someone using the money in a bank account

checkbook - n. a book containing checks for use with a checking account

franc - n. a basic unit of money that is used in some countries where French is spoken

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Journalists attempting to work in Turkey are facing new pressures as the government enforces a ban on insulting the president.

American reporter David Lepeska was denied entry to Turkey on Monday. He told followers on social media that he was stopped at Istanbul Ataturk Airport and immediately put on a flight to Chicago.

Last Sunday, Turkish police detained Dutch journalist Ebru Umar at her home in the town of Kusadasi. Her detention resulted from a series of tweets on social media. In those messages, she repeated parts of her recent story about Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. She was later released, but told not to leave the country.

Erdogan has enforced the rarely-used law that makes it illegal to insult the president. Since his election in 2014, the government has brought charges against nearly 2,000 people. Many are reporters or work for media companies.

Sevgi Akarcesme is a Turkish journalist. To avoid legal action, she said, most people simply say or write the Palace -- meaning the offices of the president.

She said she has been in court not only for her tweets, but for a comment left, without her knowledge, under one of the tweets. She received a suspended jail sentence.

Akarcesme was the editor of the English language newspaper Todays Zaman. The courts seized the paper last month on suspicion of supporting terrorism.

Laws against terrorism have been used against two of the countrys most famous journalists. Can Dundar and Erdem Gul are with the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet. They were charged with publishing a story critical of the Turkish state. The article accuses the Turkish government of secretly giving weapons to Syrian rebels.

The collapse of the ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is seen as one reason for the governments campaign against journalists.

The government argues the country is facing an unprecedented threat from the PKK and the self-declared Islamic State militant group.

On Thursday, a Turkish court sentenced two journalists to two years in prison for inciting public hatred. But the journalists were found not guilty of insulting religious values.

The charges were announced after the two reproduced a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad. The picture first appeared in the French weekly Charlie Hebdo.

Concern about media freedom continues to grow among Turkeys allies, including the United States. The State Department, the European Parliament and Council of Europe voiced their concern about legal pressure against the media in Turkey.

Im John Russell.

Dorian Jones wrote this story for VOANews.com. Jim Dresbach adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

journalist  n. a person who collects, writes, and edits news stories for newspapers, magazines, television or radio

tweet  n. a message sent using social media

unprecedented  adj. never done or known before

cartoon  n. a simple image showing its subjects in a humorous way
State Senator Matt Williams of Gothenburg, who represents Dawson and Custer Counties in the Unicameral, said that a quick fix for the funding crises facing many rural school districts is unlikely.

When I sit with school boards in our rural communities, they are rightfully very unhappy, he said. A solution will have to be found that works for both rural districts and urban districts. The fact is there are more senators from Lincoln and Omaha than there are from the rest of the state.

Right now, two-thirds of Nebraska school districts receive no equalization aid. However, the one-third of schools that do receive aid educated 80-percent of the students in the state, he continued. Williams continued that every school in District 36 has seen a sharp decrease in aid with the exception of Lexington. Lexington profiles more similarly to an urban district than a rural one due to high rates of poverty and English Language Learners among the student population.

Sky-high agricultural land valuations, coupled with mostly static expenses for rural school districts, have created an imbalance in the states equalization aid to schools that has left many rural districts with massive shortfalls in their budgets for the coming school year. The Lexington Clipper-Herald previously reported the Cozad school system will receive more than $1 million less from the state next year than they did this year, and Overton Public Schools have seen aid decline by more than $800,000 since 2014-2015.

Williams explained that the states school funding formula weighs a districts resources against its expenses to determine how much aid it receives. Over the past several years, the value of agricultural land has increased significantly (so a rural school district technically has more resources available to it through property taxes), but the expenses of the school districts the ag land is located in have mostly remained the same, he continued.

Further complicating things is the fact that the high commodity prices that fueled the rise in the value of ag land have dissipated, leaving farmers with a significantly higher tax bill coming out of rapidly dwindling revenue. This has led to frustration in many smaller communities in Nebraska who feel they are left to fend for themselves when it comes to funding schools, while state aid flows to urban school districts.

Williams said the two issues of property taxes and school funding simply cannot be separated, because 60-percent of all property taxes collected statewide go to schools.

Property tax relief has been the subject of much discussion across the state, and in the Unicameral. Gov. Pete Ricketts has identified it as one of his top priorities, and to that end, some incremental steps, as Williams called them, were taken this legislative session.

The legislature passed, and Ricketts signed into law, LBs 958 and 959. LB 958 added $20 million annually to the states Property Tax Credit Fund available to owners of farm and ranch land. As for LB 959, previously school districts were penalized in their state air for not levying at least an 85-cent levy, Williams said. LB 959 removed that floor, and will make about $8.5 million available to rural districts, he said.

Williams acknowledged that neither bill is a true long-term fix. Its unsustainable for things to continue as they are, he said. School districts are limited in the amount they can increase their levies each year without going to a vote of the people, and thats what communities like Cozad may have to do. They may have to ask voters, Should we exceed our levy limits in order to educate our kids?

Another contentious issue that came back before the legislature was an matter pertaining to Dreamers, or individuals who have legal status in the United States due to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. In 2015, the Unicameral overrode the veto of Gov. Pete Ricketts to grant Dreamers the ability to obtain drivers licenses. This year, the legislature again overrode Ricketts pen, this time to allow Dreamers to obtain professional licenses.

Williams said that the bill to grant the professional licenses, LB 947, met with little to no opposition until the late stages of the legislative process.

When it came before the judiciary committee, which I sit on, we had 27 people come to testify, including people from Lexington. No one testified against it, and it advanced out of committee on an 8-0 vote. It had support from the Cattlemens Association, the State Chamber and the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Williams said. As it progressed, rumors began to circulate that the governor wasnt happy with the bill, and ultimately, he vetoed it.

Williams said he viewed it as an economic development issue. There is a distinct need for skilled labor in Nebraska, and Dreamers currently have legal status in the United States. We have jobs that require professional licenses that cant be filled in Nebraska, he said. It makes no sense that individuals who meet the academic and testing requirements for a license would be denied.

I wish the federal government would fix the immigration issue, Williams continued. Until then, we focus on things we can do in Nebraska.

The State of Nebraska is making progress in dealing with its prison overcrowding issue. The matter was brought to the forefront of the public forum by a May 10, 2015 riot at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution.

If you dont address overcrowding, you end up either releasing people before they are rehabilitated or you spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build a new prison, Williams said.

A bill he introduced, LB 919, will allow the state Supreme Court to expand the use of solutions courts, similar to the drug courts currently employed in DawsonCounty and elsewhere. LB 919 paves the way for the development of veterans courts, mental health courts, and DUI courts.

We use drug courts very effectively. Its not a free lunch. People in the program are required to work, required to frequently come before a judge, and required to attend meetings multiple times a week, he said. It takes about two years to complete, and a high rate of graduates do not reoffend.

Williams said his hope is these special courts can serve the dual purpose of better outcomes for participants, and saving taxpayers money. The cost for someone to go through drug court is approximately $5,000 per year, versus a cost of $36,000 per year to incarcerate them, he said.
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CB Technologies Hires New Exec To Bridge Digital Divide In Schools

Jimmy Sheridan

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Solution provider CB Technologies has added New Mexicos former public education chief information officer to its executive team to boost initiatives aimed at shrinking the "digital divide" in K-12 education, the company said.

The Orange, Calif.-based company -- No. 258 on the CRN 2015 Solution Provider 500 list -- said Michael Archibeque's pursuit of progressive, comprehensive education reform in New Mexico make him a good fit to serve as CBs senior vice president of government solutions.

CB praised Archibeques work leading the development and implementation of education support applications and databases, saying he improved New Mexicos education system.

[Related: The Top 25 Innovators Of 2015 ]

Archibeque said he will use his new position to continue CB Technologies' efforts toward closing the gap between students with access to IT and those who either have restricted access or no access at all -- otherwise known as the digital divide.

"I foresee my team providing solutions in support of CB Technologies' commitment to the education community, ensuring that every student, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or location, has the skills and opportunity to become a productive member in our workforce," Archibeque said in a statement.

Kelly Ireland, CB Technologies' CEO, said in a statement that the company is committed to deliver on the needs of the K-12, higher education and public sector customers, which she said will be even stronger with the addition of Archibeque.

"Mike's extensive experience with government and academic entities will have an immediate impact on current initiatives such as GenYes and development of our Learning Management solutions," she said.

CB Technologies is teaming up with GenYes -- a nonprofit dedicated to closing the global digital divide -- to train teams of students to manage the school's computing devices and networks, allowing schools in New Mexico to become self-sufficient as they ready themselves for a computer-based testing from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC).

In his new position with CB Technologies, Archibeque will not only focus on education, but will also manage and guide the companys federal, state and local government business.

As the CIO for New Mexicos Public Education Department for five years, Archibeque oversaw IT operations and managed the maintenance and support of infrastructure, hardware, applications and software agreements.

Before that, Archibeque spent two years as the CEO of program and project management services company MA Strategies. He also served a five-year stint as the vice president of government relations with IT consultant Bency and Associates.
Manoj Bajpayee, dressed in a bright checked shirt and trousers, lean and unassuming, has such a gentle and polite demeanour that it is difficult to imagine how he became the gregarious goonda Bhiku Mhatre in Satya. Or the violent, crude and disgusting Sardar in Gangs of Wasseypur. Or the mild, poetic, thoughtful, gay professor in his last film , Aligarh. Whether it is a big, small or short film like Taandav, Bajpayee gives himself to it one hundred percent.

Now, as Bajpayee gears up for his upcoming ensemble film, Traffic, his love for his craft comes through in this conversation :

You have just received Dadasaheb Phalke Foundation award for your performance in Aligarh. Congratulations. Is this huge for you?

No, its not huge, really. Actually, there is a misconception. Its a mainstream, popular award. Everyone thought this is given by the Government. But this award is from a private organization.

Are you expecting a National Award?

I hope so. If the jury thinks so. [Laughs]

You have already received widespread critical acclaim for it.

Yes, the response for Aligarh has been huge. I have been very lucky that I have usually got love and appreciation for most of my work. But Aligarh has topped all of it. In terms of appreciation, reviews, acceptance  its quite remarkable.

Like the professor in Aligarh, have you felt lonely as an artist? Some top actors claim so.

People say big stars are lonely. Since I am not a big star I cannot talk about loneliness. [Laughs] If I feel lonely, I try to find company. I am shy and a man of few words but I have not experienced loneliness. I interpreted the character through the people I know and the books I have read. I try to be the character.

You seem to transform completely with each different film. Whats your process?

I prepare for my scene according to the genre and the script and the directors vision. Then I add my own interpretation. At times something very magical happens in front of the camera.

Which is your favourite magical moment?

[Shrugs]There are many. When you are prepared well and work hard before the shoot, it happens. The character is inside you, he is guiding you all the time.

In Kapoor & Sons, a few big stars rejected Fawads role. Did you feel you were taking a risk in Aligarh?

The only people who can do these kind of roles are the ones who have nothing to lose or dont have much at stake. The stars have too much at stake. They are probably wary for that reason. I am an actor known to take risks. Risk taking is my asset. I never thought of it as a risk. Hansal is a dear friend; it was a great script and a great role. The only prime concern for us, was to do the role well. We completed the film and I started hearing that Manoj is taking a risk.

If given a regular role

I will never do it. Anybody can do it. They dont need an actor like Manoj Bajpayee.

Did you think about how Aligarh would affect your image, the way most actors do?

Please forgive me if I sound arrogant or flamboyant. I dont care about what anybody thinks. When I became an actor, I told myself Manoj Bajpayee, dont care about what people say, just follow your dream. I conduct myself with the same attitude today. In any case, I feel very strongly about gay rights. I would have anyway done the role as I care strongly for the issue.

What excited you about your role in Traffic?

Its not just the role; its the film in totality. I saw the Malayalam version and I said I want to be a part of the film. The story of the constable is so fantastic. He makes a mistake and he wants to redeem himself through this journey.

You have worked with directors like Shekhar Kapur, Shyam Benegal and Ram Gopal Varma. How different was it to work with the late Rajesh Pillai on a Malayalam remake?

Rajesh Pillai was very learned, very passionate and very clear about his audience. He was an amazing guy. He has made a taut and emotional thriller.

Shah Rukh Khan paid you a surprise visit during your film promotions. Any memory from your old times with him?

[Smiles] We are old friends. The first time I went to a discotheque, it was with Shah Rukh. He was quite a charmer. He always had a way with men or women. He was a big star even then.

Are you happy with where you are today?



Fantastically so.

Do you have a wish list?

I am just open to work. I want to work with new directors. I will choose a new director over an established one, any day. They come up with new kinds of scripts and ideas.
Seeking to recover their dues from beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya, lenders today initiated an auction of various brands and trademarks of the long-grounded Kingfisher Airlines, including its once-famous tagline 'Fly The Goodtimes', but bidders were hard to come by.

The auction began at 11:30 am and will continue for the next one hour. The reserve price for the trademark has been kept at Rs 366.70 crore, not even one-tenth of the price at which it was pledged with as a collateral for the loan.

Besides the logo, the 17 lenders led by SBI have put on sale other trademarks of the now-defunct airline such as the once-famous 'Fly the Good Times' tagline, Flying Models, Funliner, Fly Kingfisher and Flying Bird Device. The brand Kingfisher was collateralised to banks for a whopping Rs 4,000 crore (by Grant Thornton) in 2010, now down to a trickle.

The online auction of brand Kingfisher is being conducted by SBI Cap Trustee Company on behalf of lenders under the SARFAESI Act. Mallya had pledged the trademarks as collateral with banks at the time of taking loans from them.

At its peak, the Kingfisher Airlines was the largest airline in the country, with a five-star rating from Skytrax, according to the airline's annual report for 2012-13. Last month, the consortium of banks had failed in its attempt to sell the airline's erstwhile headquarter Kingfisher House here. The auction failed as none of the bidders came forward due to high reserve price of Rs 150 crore. The property has a built-up area of over 17,000 sq-ft in Vile Parle near the domestic airport.
Mumbai: Auction of brands and trademarks of Kingfisher Airlines turned out to be a damp squib today as lenders failed to attract a single bidder for sale of these pledged assets at a reserve price of Rs 366.7 crore in their efforts to recover unpaid loans from beleaguered Vijay Mallya.

This is the second failed attempt by the 17-bank consortium led by state-run behemoth SBI to recover some money from Mallya, after an earlier auction of Kingfisher House  the erstwhile headquarters of the long-defunct airline  met with a similar fate, with no bidder coming forward. The items on sale during today's e-auction included the the Kingfisher logo as also the once-famous tagline 'Fly the Good Times'. The other trademarks on sale included Flying Models, Funliner, Fly Kingfisher and Flying Bird Device.

The reserve price for the trademarks was kept at Rs 366.7 crore, which is not even one-tenth of the price at which it was pledged as a collateral for the loan. Sources, however, said the reserve price was "too high" for any bidder to come in.

"There were no bids, possibly because the reserve price was considered very high. Though the reserve price was set much lower than its original valuation at the time of taking the brand as collateral, people still found it to be high," a banking source said. The online auction began at 11.30 am and lasted for an hour without any success. It was conducted by SBICAP Trustee Company on behalf of lenders under the Sarfaesi Act.

The Kingfisher brand itself was valued at over Rs 4,000 crore by Grant Thornton when the airline was at its peak.

In its annual report for 2012-13, KFA said that at its peak, it was the largest airline in India, with a five-star rating from Skytrax. The airline's brand had been registered separately from the Kingfisher beer trademarks. A senior banker said, "The interest for this auction could have been from existing airline operators, but no one will come. It is better to start a new airline company than to buy this brand and revive it."

In a previous attempt at recovery of dues, which have ballooned to over Rs 9,000 crore after taking into account the interest component, the banks had conducted an auction of Kingfisher House last month, but did not find any takers at a reserve price of Rs 150 crore. Sources said the lenders might now try to lower the reserve price in both the cases in their future efforts to sell these pledged assets.

The Kingfisher House property has a built-up area of over 17,000 square feet in posh Vile Parle near domestic airport here.

Mallya, who left India on 2 March and is currently in London, has a non-bailable warrant against him in a money-laundering investigation. His passport has also been revoked. Earlier this week, the government said it has written to the British government seeking Mallya's deportation.

In an interview to Financial Times, the liquor baron, however, said he is in a "forced exile" and has no plans at the moment to return to India where things are flying at him "fast and furious".

"I definitely would like to return to India. Right now, things are flying at me fast and furious. My passport has been revoked. I don't know what the government is going to do next," he said.

Mallya said he wanted a "reasonable" settlement with creditor banks for his defunct airline, but they "are not getting any money" by taking his passport or arresting him.
British telecoms operator Vodafone has picked Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA), Kotak Investment Banking and UBS as joint global coordinators of its Indian unit's IPO, people familiar with the matter said, kicking off its long-awaited listing plan.

The IPO is expected to raise between $2 billion$2.5 billion, which, at the upper end, would make it India's biggest stock market listing since state-owned Coal India Ltd raised $3.5 billion in 2010.

Deutsche Bank, HSBC and ICICI Securities have won joint book-runner roles, the people added, declining to be identified as the information is not public. Vodafone is likely to launch the IPO early next year, they said.

The deal offers a rare opportunity for international banks in a market where equity capital raisings worth more than $1 billion are uncommon and where stock underwriting fees are amongst the lowest in the world.

Vodafone said in November it had started preparations for floating its Indian subsidiary. IFR, a Thomson Reuters publication, said in a report the IPO is expected to raise $2 billion-$3 billion.

The company was not immediately available for comment outside its regular business hours.

Vodafone, India's second-largest mobile operator behind Bharti Airtel, had raised the prospect of a listing in India as early as 2011. The company is one of the largest corporate investors in Asia's third-largest economy and is expected to use the proceeds to buy additional radio spectrum and further expand its operations across India's crowded and cut-throat telecoms market.

Indian mobile phone operators have been spending heavily in setting up fourth-generation (4G) mobile broadband data networks to meet expected demand.

Vodafone entered India in 2007, when it acquired a majority stake in Hutchison Essar and since 2014 has wholly owned Vodafone India, which operates in a market that has over a billion mobile subscribers  the second-biggest market in the world behind China.

Vodafone had invited foreign and Indian banks to pitch for the Indian IPO.

Kotak Investment Banking is a unit of Kotak Mahindra Bank.
New Delhi: The CBI on Saturday examined former Deputy Chief of Indian Air Force JS Gujral in connection with alleged irregularities in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper deal with AgustaWestland. Air Marshal (Retd) Gujral arrived at the CBI Headquarters here in the morning and appeared before the investigation team probing the case.

He was one of the many senior officials who were part of the meeting in 2005 when a decision to alter the required specifications was taken.

The agency has called former Air Chief SP Tyagi on Monday.

Both have been questioned at length in 2013 but the fresh round of questioning was necessitated after the 7 April order of an Italian court.

The CBI has so far maintained that Gujral was questioned as a witness but remains tight-lipped on whether he will still retain the same status.

The agency, so far, has not levelled any allegation against him.

The agency had registered a case against former IAF Chief Tyagi along with 13 others including his cousins and European middlemen in the case. Tyagi has denied the allegations. The allegation against the former air chief was that he had reduced flying ceiling of the helicopter from altitude ceiling requirement from 6,000 m to 4,500 m (15,000ft) so that AgustaWestland was included in the bids.

However, this decision was taken allegedly in consultation with the officials of SPG and the Prime Minister's Office including then NSA MK Narayanan.

The CBI has alleged reduction of the service ceiling  maximum height at which a helicopter can perform normally  allowed the UK-based firm to get into the fray as, otherwise, its helicopters were not even qualified for submission of bids.
Dehradun: Major forest fires raged on Saturday across Uttarakhand even as three teams of NDRF were deployed in Almora, Gauchar and Pauri and one team of SDRF in Nainital to extinguish the flames.

Since the beginning of forest fire incidents in the state in early February this year, 922 incidents have occurred so far killing six people including three women and a child, in separate incidents, injuring seven and blighting 1890.79 hectares of green cover, Principal Conservator of Forest (Research) B P Gupta told PTI.

Rudraprayag forest division is taking the army's help for fire-fighting operations especially along the highways, Gupta said.

Chamoli, Pauri, Rudraprayag, Tehri, Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh, Almora and Nainital are the worst-affected districts, he said.

The casualties due to forest fires which have spread to sparsely-populated remote hill areas, rose to six with another life lost in Nainital district on Friday evening.

About 1890.79 hectares of green cover have been destroyed by the fires which had an early start on 2 February this year due to a dry winter.

Governor K K Paul reviewed the rescue efforts underway via videoconferencing with officials in the field and asked them to speed up their efforts.

NDRF companies, assisted by expert teams and locals, are conducting fire-fighting and rescue operations in Garhwal and Kumaon regions.

IG Sanjay Gunjyal is cordinating with NDRF, District Magistrates concerned and the Principal Conservator of Forest to supervise the rescue operations.

Locals are being encouraged to report a fire incident to the District Magistrate concerned as soon as they see it so that it can be controlled in time.

The Governor has doubled the number of personnel deployed to control the fires from 3000 to 6000 and asked all agencies including SDRF, district administration and the rural population to contribute their bits in the exercise saying the forest department alone cannot accomplish the onerous task, Gupta said.

Forest fires are a natural phenomena in summer but this time they have occurred on a bigger scale as the fire season which normally begins by 15 February and ends by 15 June began on 2 February itself.

Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat has asked the Governor to declare Uttarakhand as a fire disaster struck state and involve locals as much as possible in fire-extinguishing efforts.

Pradesh Congress president Kishore Upadhyay has also written to party workers asking them to work unitedly to pull the state out of the "crisis."

The PCF said the scale of forest fires in Uttarakhand this time has been bigger due to little or no rain during winter at most places.

Pre-fire alerts listing possible fire points over the next seven days in forest areas is being made available on forest department's website www.forest.uk.govt, an official release here said.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul regarding the incidents of forest fires in the state and reviewed the situation.

During the telephonic talk, Singh assured the Governor of providing all necessary assistance to the state to control the forest fires and help in containing the damage, official sources said.
In early 2015, the esteemed former general manager and iconic photo editor of the Time-

Life News Services South Asia bureau, Deepak Puri, donated his historic collection of photographs to the Museum of Art & Photography, MAP, in Bengaluru. One of the most important archives of 20th century journalism in the country, this collection of over 150 photographs includes some of the best practitioners of the documentary aesthetic. In collaboration with Tasveer, as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, this exhibition  a selection from the larger collection, titled 'Legacy of Photojournalism'  will make these photographs available for public viewing for the first time.

Of the virtuoso, tales of whose exploits fill books and still circulate in high-powered circles around the world, British author Pico Iyer writes in his book The Open Road (2008)  the great and legendary office manager of Times New Delhi bureau...who seems to hold up much of the Time-Life empire and, I sometimes suspect, most of India single-handedly.

Representing the heart of Time Asia for a whole host of people, Deepak Puri was a wizard who made the impossible real, and ensured that the world saw the work of many photographic geniuses from Mary Ellen Mark to Raghubir Singh. His collection bears testimony to both the friendship and gratitude of several photographers, whose work he enabled and whose lives he touched.

Culled from this collection, Legacy of Photojournalism includes a selection of works from 30 photographers, including internationally acclaimed seminal photojournalists such as James Nachtwey, Sebastiao Salgado and Raghu Rai, to name but a few.

In an era before the widespread availability of not only the internet, but even television, photojournalism occupied a unique position in its capacity to capture and bring to light the truth of socio-politically significant events that were changing the world. Endowed with notions of indexicality and being present  photography at the time was the closest one got, to live action. Honouring that spirit, this collection therefore, brings together a range of images made historically momentous not only by their content, but also their style, emphasising both the role of photographs as socio-historical documents, as also highlighting the power of the still image and its affinity for story-telling  that cornerstone of the best of photojournalism.

In conjunction with the exhibition a new publication, produced by Tasveer in collaboration with MAP, will be available  serving as a catalogue and a commemoration of the donation of this remarkable collection to the museum. Two new original essays by Pico Iyer and Ned Desmond, and a foreword by Tim McGirk are included in the publication, as well as additional reproductions from the larger museum collection, aside from those already part of the show.

Legacy of Photojournalism will be on display until 26 May at Tarq, Mumbai.
Recently in the limelight for being the first Indian to receive the prestigious Parker/Gentry Award presented by Field Museum, Chicago (honouring an individual or organisation for significant contributions in the field of conservation biology), Dr Uma Ramakrishnan is an associate professor at the National Center for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bengaluru. Her work focuses on population genetics and evolutionary history of mammals, including work to save India's tigers. Uma believes, in an increasingly fragmented forest landscape, tigers find themselves in ever decreasing isolated areas, hence it becomes critical to improve plans for conserving them.

In an e-mail interview for Firstpost, Uma answers questions about her shift from physics to genetics, her love for the outdoors, and the challenges facing the survival of tigers.

How does it feel to have won the Parker/Gentry Award?

This is indeed a big honour! I feel very happy that our science based approach to understanding tigers has been recognised as important to their conservation. I have always believed this, but this award, which is for conservation, suggests to me that others think so too!

You transitioned from a Bachelor's degree in Physics to a doctorate in genetics...

I did a Bachelor's (many years ago!) in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics because I wanted to pursue ecology and evolutionary biology. The latter fields are quite quantitative, and require a good background in Math. If I had pursued Biology (Chemistry, Botany, Zoology), I would have had to drop Math, and I did not want to do this. Besides, the CBZ program involved lots of drawing (for the practical) and I just cannot draw to save my life!

Things are different now in India, the IISERs provide opportunities for students to get good training in Math alongside Biology. It is important we have this flexibility. As science becomes more and more inter-disciplinary, we must be trained in different areas, and not restrict to these pre-defined fields.

What was your work like before you came back to India (from the US) and started working on tigers?

I did my PhD at the University of California, San Diego and then a postdoc at Stanford University. I have done research all my working life, mainly on conservation and population genetics. I have worked on several different species, but it has always been research.

Now coming to tigers  how and what got you interested?

I read a paper in 2004, just before I returned to India that suggested Indian tigers did not have much variation. This made me curious; it seemed odd given that 60 percent of the worlds tigers live in India. After I returned to India, I was contacted by Dr Ullas Karanth, who asked whether I was interested in tigers. After that there was no looking back. The species was fascinating, and the data and results seemed very important and relevant.

From all your time in the field, visiting some great forests, what are your most memorable recollections?

I love being in the field, but our science is a balance of fieldwork, labwork and analysis. I have to say I love the Himalayas. Working at high elevations is physically tough, but you feel like you are at the top of the world, so free. I love handling animals, which we get to do in our rodent and bird work.

Fieldwork on tigers in Central India is also amazing. Being on foot and walking through protected areas makes it a very personal experience. Its amazing when you find a tiger scat and I wonder, who is this animal, what will I be able to learn about this tiger once I get genetic data in the lab?

What advice would you give to young researchers starting out?

Follow your passion. People around you may say that research is not a practical path, but listen to your inner voice, and do what you believe in. Remember that research takes long, and you will need a lot of patience. Try and pinpoint what fascinates you about what you are doing and enjoy your work.

Dream big. Dont try and address questions that are the next step or easy to do. Of course, the question you chose should be feasible, but try to think outside the box.

Talk about and discuss your work. We all feel nervous about sharing our results, but its very important to discuss and get constructive criticism and ideas from others. This will challenge you to be more rigorous and do better science.

Work hard. A lot of research is hard work! And it takes long. Realise this and stick with what you are doing.

Communicate. As scientists we must talk more about what we are doing. It is important to develop communication skills so you can talk about your work to a layperson. This is critical especially in fields like conservation.

What sort of challenges do you face in running a lab?

I could give you a long list! In some ways, the biggest challenges are getting funding for our projects, and getting all the logistics including forest department permits and the fieldwork organised. I have been very lucky to work with amazing students and postdocs, and this is why it all works out in the end. NCBS is a great place that facilitates research, our staff are very committed to helping us, and this makes a high difference.

As forest cover in India has now reduced to about seven percent, what are its implications for species like tigers and other large mammals?

It is going to be hard to have biodiversity amongst so many people. But maybe India can lead the way globally in finding options for co-habitation. It will definitely be hard for species that move long distances.

What are your views on recent reports of increase in tiger numbers? Is it a cause for celebration or caution?

While tigers have recovered in terms of numbers in some reserves,habitat has gone down overall, and the prey base (the most important thing for tigers) is still under threat in many reserves. The statements by Dr Ullas Karanth and others are valid, and we must be careful about interpreting and celebrating these numbers.

From my own perspective, I believe that connectivity is crucial for tiger survival and with increasing urbanization this will only go down. We must continue to monitor tiger populations and connectivity with good science. I hope this will allow us to propose mitigation measures to ensure connectivity despite ongoing development.

How can science keep pace with or what should its role be, in conservation challenges?

We must engage more with policy and we must somehow get our work done faster! The time scale of science and policy is different. We have to develop better methods that are fast and can be used to generate the data we need quickly. We also need more trained people and facilities that can enable this.

How can science help to conserve free ranging mammals like tigers in an increasingly developed and urbanised world?

Through studies on connectivity that allow us to evaluate alternate models of development. Next, we could use these genetic data and inferences to propose mitigation measures, and finally evaluate the impacts of those measures in connectivity.

There may come a time when connectivity between wild populations is not possible. At this time, it will be important to understand how connectivity can be maintained. When and if re-introductions are to be performed, which individuals are genetically more likely to do better? Finally, when populations do become isolated, science can help understand what might be the impacts of small population size. Do these isolated individuals have a higher probability of extinction? Can we understand what might aid their survival?

What is the scope for your work or science to engage with policy? How do you plan to do it?

I am not sure of the answer to this, but if scientists could get involved in projects before they are sanctioned we could have more of a dialogue.

How do you plan to celebrate this award?

Sequence many tiger genomes! No, just kidding...I would love to go visit researchers in Africa to learn more about the systems there. This has always been a dream for me.
The report on the deaths of eleven people with special needs, including eight children, staying at a government-run home near Jamdoli in Rajasthan due to suspected bacterial infection after allegedly drinking contaminated water surfaced on Friday. However, the backstory tells us that there is more to it than meets the eye.

Inside the government-run home, about 500 children and elders with special needs  suffering from frequent epileptic fits, cerebral palsy and other debilitating mental conditions  make frequent trips to the hall where the tank, located in the centre, is brimming with water.

The temperature is a searing 41 degree Celsius. Dry, hot wind  locally called loo  is sweeping through Jamdoli, a few kilometres from capital Jaipur. The inclement loo is sucking moisture from the wind, drying out throats, leaving cracks in lips that begin to bleed. Water is the only saviour from the scorching heat.

Some wash their hands in the tank after relieving themselves after using the toilets. Others dip their glasses into the same tank to quench their thirst with the water that is now a toxic mix of human waste and bacteria.

On 18 April, when 18-year-old Varsha suddenly collapsed and died, nobody bothered to find out the cause of the death. A few hours later, when 18-year-old Shanti started throwing up and died, again nobody rang the alarm bells.

As the management of the government-run home turned a blind eye, 12 children died in less than a fortnight, all of them because of dehydration, diarrhoea and infection. Killed probably by the contaminated water and food that was cooked with it, and certainly by official apathy.

On 21 April, when Megha, 13, became the fifth victim, the local administration wrote a letter to the chief medical health officer (CMHO) of Jaipur, drawing attention to the spate of deaths.

A team sent by the CMHO visited the home, went back with water samples and then forgot to follow up the matter. So, another five children died in the next five days.

Finally, on Thursday, when the local media picked up the issue, the government took cognisance of the incident. But, only to deny that there was anything unnatural about the 12 deaths in a children's home in the past two weeks.

"These children are not mentally developed. Because of their condition, their immunity gets compromised and they become susceptible to seasonal diseases," opined state's social welfare minister Arun Chaturvedi, brushing aside the incident as routine.

Read: Eleven, including kids with special needs, die at state-run home in Rajasthan

Doctors who treated the children  so far 25 have been admitted, 12 died  say the cause is clear: severe illness due to food and water contamination. "When children are made to drink water used for washing hands after using the toilet, bacteria found in human feces infect the stomach. Repeated exposure could be lethal," one of the doctors said.

The children were not treated on time either. Most of them were brought to the hospital when their illness had reached an advanced stage. They had lost water, minerals from their body and gone into a shock. "Even when they were sick, throwing up, dying of dehydration, the staff did not bother to give them Clean drinking water ," doctors at the JK Lone Hospital in Jaipur, where the children are being treated, told the government in their report.

Now that the media and society has raised a storm, tragedy tourism has begun. On Friday, Chaturvedi, minister in charge, finally paid visit to the home which is just an hour's drive from his office in Jaipur. Several BJP and Congress leaders too landed in Jamdoli, much to the amusement of the inmates, who, perhaps, were being visited for the first time by someone in years. Stirred into action by the bad press, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's office said now it will directly monitor the health of the inmates at Jamdoli.

Complaints of the government's apathy have also reached the High Court. It will hear a petition seeking strict action against the government on Monday.

Meanwhile, the children continue to drink from the same tank.
Mumbai: Five people, including a woman, were killed and three others were injured after a three-storey building in Kamathipura area in south Mumbai collapsed on Saturday, civic officials said.

The building, which was over 90 years old, was under repair when it caved in at around 2 pm, the official said.

"Four persons died on the spot, while one succumbed to his injuries during treatment," Chief Fire Officer Prabhat Rahangdale said.

Four tenants resided in the building that also housed a few shops and a beer bar, which was closed when the incident took place, another officer said.

The injured persons are undergoing treatment at the city-based J J Hospital and Nayar Hospital.

"We stopped the rescue operation after we confirmed that no one was trapped inside the debris. However, keeping in mind the dilapidated condition of the adjoining wall and the neighbouring building, we have kept two fire engines ready," the fire officer added.

Local MLA Amin Patel, who visited the spot, said an inquiry should be conducted into the incident.

"Keeping the safety of people in mind, a nearby building has been evacuated and the residents are being shifted to a transit camp," Patel said.

Meanwhile, state BJP spokesperson Atul Shah alleged that there are over 500 illegal structures that have come up in the area.

"We need to have an inquiry on such illegal structures. There has to be a proper development plan for Kamathipura, for which a micro survey needs to be done," he said.

When contacted, police said an inquiry into the matter was on, but no FIR has been registered against anyone in this connection so far.
Thiruvananthapuram: Sharpening the attack on Congress on the AgustaWestland chopper deal, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely today said the theory that the company was blacklisted during the UPA rule and it was lifted by NDA was a "figment of imagination".

Jaitley disputed the statement of former defence minister AK Antony that the UPA regime had blacklisted AugustaWestland and Finmeccanica after the bribe issue came out on the chopper deal.

Targetting Antony, he said the statement given by him to the party suffers from a "misnomer" as much as its mentions that the company was blacklisted by the UPA regime and that it was lifted by the NDA.

"This is a figment of somebody's imagination," Jaitley, a former defence minister, said during an interaction with the audience after releasing the NDA vision document for the 16 May Kerala Assembly polls here. He alleged that the decision to award the contract was influenced by bribery.

"The buck stops with those who took the decision and the decision was influenced by bribery. The fact that there was bribery is unquestionably there. There is a transaction in which bribe-giver is being convicted. We are only struggling to find out the identity of the bribe-taker," he said.

"Obviously, the bribe-taker has to be among those who influenced to ward the contract. Strangers don't get bribes. Those who influenced decision get bribes," Jaitley added.
It was the Bofors howitzer scandal that brought down the Rajiv Gandhi government in 1989. Since then, none from the dynasty has been the prime minister although the Congress has been in power.

Now, when its political fortune is at its lowest ebb with its tally of Lok Sabha MPs at a humiliating 45  a far cry from the 415 of the 543 elected seats it won in 1984  the Congress has been hit by yet another scandal. This time, it is not howitzers, but helicopters. But the charge is the same - embezzlement of funds by Congress politicians.

If Rajiv Gandhi was the prime suspect in the 1980s, it is his widow, Sonia, who is now in the firing line of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The needle of suspicion is pointing towards her because of the reference to "Signora Sonia" as the "driving force" behind the purchase of the helicopters in a letter written by a middleman, James Christian Michel, to the India head of AgustaWestland, Peter Hulet.

An Italian court has also noted that there is "reasonable belief" that the helicopter deal was not fair or above board.

There is little doubt that there's a long way to go before the Congress president or anyone else in the party is charged with incontrovertible proof against them. The case against Rajiv Gandhi, for instance, in the Bofors affair has never been conclusively settled notwithstanding the references in the Bofors chief Martin Ardbo's diary to an "N", widely believed to be Arun Nehru who was Rajiv's ministerial colleague at the time, "Q", probably the Italian businessman, Ottavio Quottrocchi, who was said to be close to "R" (Rajiv ?), and to an unspecified "Gandhi trustee lawyer".

But the difference between then and now is that the Congress is no longer in power, let alone be in an unassailable position as in the early years of Rajiv Gandhi's premiership. The Congress's clout at the time enabled Quottrocchi to leave India while the investigative agencies looked the other way.

Such dodgy manoeuvres will no longer be possible. The party is currently bereft of both the earlier nationwide political influence and the popularity of the first family which led to Rajiv Gandhi's massive victory in 1984.

Instead, the plethora of corruption cases which brought down the Manmohan Singh government in 2014 has made the Congress a byword for sleaze in public perception. The Agusta deal can be said to be a part of the series of shady transactions such as the scams relating to 2G spectrum, the Commonwealth Games, the Adarsh housing society or the coal block allocations which characterised Manmohan Singh's tenure.

In the present scenario, even if the Congress's piggyback ride on the Left in West Bengal fetches it a few seats, the success will not bring the party much joy. In any event, as long as the names of its top leadership are not cleared of malfeasance, the Congress's new friends are likely to maintain a safe distance from the party.

It will not only be the communists who will be wary of the Congress but also Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav, especially the latter, who will remember how Rahul Gandhi was reluctant to share the stage with him in Bihar because of the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader's conviction in the fodder scam. Now the boot is on the other foot.

For the BJP, the Congress's entanglement in yet another corruption case is a godsend as it will take much of the steam out of the Congress's aggression in parliament.

The BJP appears to have left it largely to its in-house maverick, Subramanian Swamy, to take on the Congress in both the Agusta and National Herald cases. The second litigation is about the first family's control over the assets of a newspaper, founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, which is no longer published.

The Congress's and the dynasty's woes suggest that a recovery is a long way off. The fact that the Agusta agreement took place at a time when two leaders known for their integrity - prime minister Manmohan Singh and defence minister AK Antony  were at the helm of affairs, is a pointer to the presence in the party of powerful individuals who are prone to cutting corners.

True, the deal was cancelled, an inquiry ordered and the company blacklisted by the previous government. But the Italian court is still not convinced that nothing untoward happened. The Narendra Modi government, on its part, should push ahead with the probe instead of trying to score political points from the Congress' discomfiture.

In the aftermath of the Bofors scam, there was an attempt, especially by Rahul Gandhi, to rid the Congress of its dubious reputation. The most visible of such endeavours was the tearing up of an ordinance by Rahul which was patently intended to nullify Lalu Prasad's conviction.

Since then, however, the Congress vice president has shown signs of "pragmatism", which is a euphemism for a compromise with wrong-doing.

Now, the Agusta revelations have made it more difficult for the Congress to claim that it follows the straight and narrow path.
Ahmedabad: A day after the Gujarat government announced 10 percent reservation for the economically backward among upper castes, jailed Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel today said he will study the decision before reaching a compromise to end the impasse over the quota.

However, community leaders involved in talks with the government are pushing for an end to the Patel stir, saying the community's two main demands have been fulfilled.

"I will first study the decision taken by the government and surely go for compromise (with the government over quota impasse) if it is in favour of the community," he told reporters outside a court in Visnagar, Mehsana district, around 90 km from here. The 22-year-old, who is in judicial custody and facing a slew of charges, including sedition, was brought to the court in connection with a case lodged against him in the neighbouring district.

"I will take the matter of 10 percent reservation to the (Patel) community after studying it properly. Solution to the issue is required for peace... and it is important for both the sides they compromise on the issue," he said. This was Hardik's first reaction to the reservation for EBCs (economically backward classes) announced by the BJP government for the poor among upper castes (up to annual family income of Rs six lakh), which also include Patidars, in jobs and education.

Yesterday, spokespersons of the Hardik-floated Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) had rejected the move as another "lollipop" extended by the BJP and the state government to "mislead" their community.

PAAS has been leading the stir for inclusion of Patidars, a dominant agrarian community, as OBCs. Meanwhile, leaders mediating between agitating Patels and government today met Chief Minister Anandiben Patel. Later, they said the agitation should come to an end now as two main demands of the community, reservation and releasing youths jailed in sedition case, have been fulfilled.

Mahesh Savani, a member of the Committee mediating between the two sides, said the government was moving in the right direction. After releasing five of the six Patidar youths (who were behind bars and got bail from Courts), it has announced 10 percent EBC reservation. "I believe the 10 percent reservation is a big step. Now, we are waiting for details on the EBC reservation. Once we get them, we will reach out to members of the community and explain them what this is all about," Savani told reporters after meeting the chief minister.

Savani said "two of our demands  that leaders jailed under sedition charges be released and government provide reservation to Patel youths  have received positive response from the government."

"About Hardik's release, the CM asked us to keep faith in the legal system. So we feel government's positive attitude towards Hardik's release and 10 percent reservation show that the agitation is now nearing its end," he said.

Hardik is behind bars in the two sedition cases. Friday's decision was taken at a meeting of Gujarat BJP's core group, where the party's national president Amit Shah was also present.
Pushed to the corner on the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, the Congress has made a strong retaliatory strike against the ruling BJP, particularly against its president Amit Shah, who a day ago had put some straight questions to Sonia Gandhi.

The Congress president, of course, would not respond to it but fielded Randeep Singh Surjewala, in-charge of partys communication department to take on the BJP president.

Sample his statement: Amit Shah and BJP leaders have become masters in pursuing politics of deceit and deliberate lies. No wonder, empty vessels make the loudest sound. BJP government and its leaders need to introspect, whether mudslinging and muckraking can ever replace the truth?

His statement runs into a few pages and some annexure attached claim that it was actually the Modi government which was at fault in shielding the bribe givers and bribe takers. One can make ones own judgment on the Congress leaders words that the chopper scam and the subsequent revelation originating through the Milan Court of Appeals judgement papers is just a part of the smear campaign and hatchet job of the BJPs dirty tricks department defend the Operation Cover-up of BJP government in helping AgustaWestland.

In his enthusiasm to ring fence his leader Sonia Gandhi and some others, the Congress leader tends to forget to answer simple questions: When did the scam take place? Did the Congress-led UPA government, despite an admission made by then Defence Minister AK Antony that bribe was paid to people in the Indian establishment, bring the guilty to book? Also, who was the force behind the decision the on Rs 3,600-crore deal for 12 helicopters to be used by the VVIPs.

Two days ago, in one of his rare appearances on a television show, Ahmad Patel, the all powerful political secretary of Sonia Gandhi, told Times Now that he was there to defend himself, his leader (Sonia Gandhi) and his party. What this actually meant that blame Manmohan Singh government as much as you want but spare the Congress president. The BJP is not falling into that trap.

On Friday, the BJP mounted a concerted attack and fired at the Congress from all possible quarters. In the morning, the irrepressible Subramanian Swamy filed a notice of breach of privilege against Congresss Ghulam Nabi Azad for willfully telling a lie in Rajya Sabha that AgustaWestland was blacklisted by the UPA regime, as also filing another notice challenging expunging of his words by the Deputy Chairman, which the BJP leader felt was arbitrary, unreasonable and against Rajya Sabha Rules. Outside, he can use the words, Sonia Gandhi and Italian Constitution, but not inside, not in Rajya Sabha.

Few hours later, Amit Shah issued a statement from Ahmedabad asking some biting questions to Sonia on Agusta scam. By night two more developments happened  first, Modi government issued an around 1500-word statement, a point-by-point rebuttal to the Congresss retaliatory strike. Second, the CBI and ED issued summons to the disgraced former Air Force chief SP Tyagi and another senior officer to appear before it for inquiry.

Interestingly, the official government statement on Agusta scam issued by the Information and Broadcasting ministry referred to charges made from quarters that Tyagi was part of Vivekanand foundation established and headed by Ajit Doval in his independent capacity. It didnt matter that the Foundation had through a tweet denied to this charge on 27 April: Ever since 2013, Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi is not associated with the Vivekananda International Foundation @vifindia in any capacity. The Congress and its sympathisers had continued making this charge to suggest that the tainted ex-air chief was close to the NDA regime not to the UPA.

A few have even sought to link one of the accused with Shri Ajit Doval, present NSA, as also Shri Nripendra Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. This is a totally baseless assertion, devoid of reason and logic, and indicative of malicious intent. In reality, there is no such connection, the government statement said.

The statement does not name the Congress because an official statement of Government of India cant respond to a political partys counter charges per se. But whats interesting that it refers to the Congress as a small section of Indian polity. The Congress which till recently ruled at the centre and in most Indian states surely would not take it kindly but has surprisingly not responded to it. It is perhaps waiting for its turn in Rajya Sabha when it opens on Monday to prove that it is still the biggest party.

It is indeed tragic that a small section of the Indian polity has attempted, unsuccessfully, to divert and diffuse the public discourse on this matter. They question the speed of the government processes, especially the investigation. But, they do not ask how the corrupt influenced the process of acquisition in the first place and bled the nation. They do not admit corruption; they instead boldly proclaim, catch us if you can, the statement said.

In the matter pertaining to acquisition of AgustaWestland helicopters, the undisputed central issue that stands out is corruption, especially bribery. Any other line of assumption, approach and effort, as is being attempted in some quarters, is misleading, tries to hide the wrong-doers and is driven by instincts of self preservation, it added.

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/agustawestland-make-in-india-congress-bjp-narendra-modi-sp-tyagi-ajit-doval-nripendra-mishra-2757262.html

Amit Shah has levelled some serious allegations on changing several clauses of the original tender to favour AgustaWestland and signing a deal with it even as it was not original manufacturer of the chopper. Chapter two, para two of the tender had clearly said that only original equipment manufacturers could participate on the bid, how come then AgustaWestland, which was not its manufacturer, was allowed to bid and even cleared for technical bid. His contention would mean that the deal signed was fraudulent.

To the charge that Modi government did nothing to pursue this case since it came to power two years ago, the ministry goes at length at action taken, beginning 3 July 2014 when it put on hold all procurement/acquisitions from AgustaWestland, Finmeccanica and its other subsidiaries.

To another charge made by the Congress and some others that Modi government permitted AugustaWestland to bid for 100 Naval Utility Helicopters in April, 2015, the facts suggest otherwise -- a techno-commercial Request for Proposal (RFP) for Naval Utility Helicopters was issued to eight vendors on 4 August 2012. In response to the RFP, M/S Eurocopters, France and M/S Agusta Westland SPA, Italy submitted their techno-commercial proposals on 4 March 2013. RFP of the procurement case was retracted by the government on 13 October 2014. Remember, by early 2013 UPA had claimed to have blacklisted AgustaWestland.

In October 2014, Indian Navy had hosted on the website a Request for Information for more than 100 Naval Utility Helicopter in October 2014. No Request for Proposal has been issued, therefore the question of permitting AgustaWestland to bid for the Naval Utility Helicopter in April 2015 does not arise. In their drive to divert the public attention from their own corruption, these charges were being made, the ministry said. It however, admitted that the government is exploring whether their manufacturing can be pursued under Make in India. By now the Modi government would have realized that the political cost of any such consideration would be too big for it.

Whatever the CBI had been doing for the last two years in this case have not yet led to any conclusion, or finding of any substantive leads. The Milan High Court order in Italy has given a chance to push CBI and ED harder to find the money trail and unearth other relevant documents.

Will Modi government and CBI succeed? Well no one knows. Will it remain inconclusive like Bofors? The broad pattern of AgustaWestland and Bofors are the same but what makes the two cases different is the fact that for some reasons Vajpayee government didnt have the political will to actively pursue Bofors investigations and court proceedings, the Modi government may not be found lacking on that score. Modi and Amit Shah would not like to let go an opportunity where they could keep on targeting Sonia Gandhi for long, with some valid reasons.
The first time I voted was in 1977. In the historic post-Emergency Lok Sabha elections that Indira Gandhi had decided to go in for, deluded by intelligence agencies that her wish was still the countrys command. It was hugely exciting, standing in a long, snaking queue for well over an hour, no one laughing or joking, eyes shuttered, everyone a closed book; it did not feel like a festival at all.

Of course, like most of India, I voted against the Congress and roamed the streets of Kolkata joyously with neighbourhood friends at 2 in the morning when the results were announced over the radio that not just her party but even Indira Gandhi herself and her bilious son Sanjay had been defeated and quite ignominiously. I have never voted for the Congress since, never ever, till this afternoon.

I could have voted in the 1971 Lok Sabha elections too, as I had already reached the voting age, 21 in those days, but I was out of the country then, as I was for the 1972 assembly elections in West Bengal. But I wouldnt have voted for the Congress even if I had been around. Their track record in this state was not inspiring to say the least.

The 60s had ended with two elected non-Congress governments in Bengal, albeit a hodge-podge of unlike-minded parties and inexperienced in governance to boot, being brought down by the shenanigans of Delhi under the thumb of Indira Gandhi. The start of the 70s witnessed the ruthless extermination of bright young firebrands who dared to dream, better known as the Naxalites, first under Presidents rule and then by the government of Siddhartha Sankar Ray, one of Indira Gandhis henchmen who would go on to become one of the architects of the Emergency in a few years, but who made his mark by stealing the 1972 elections in Bengal and pioneering the tradition of rigging and poll violence that still plague this state.

Since then there have been so many elections, routinely, dutifully, every five years or so, and I have voted or not, depending on whether I was in town or felt enthused enough to go and stand in line. For instance, the 1987 assembly elections, the Lefts ideological erosion was well under way but Rajiv Gandhi came and talked of Calcutta being a dying city and retiring the ageing Jyoti Basu and, like many Bengalis, my asmita was hurt. I went and voted against the Congress with vengeance. The Left continued in its merry, unwholesome ways.

Gradually, the Congress faded away, the Trinamool emerged. Then it happened. At last, in 2011. The Left was booted out, Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool party or TMC was voted in. No tears were shed for the dear departed, all hopes were vested in the newcomer. Five years down the line, we are having to choose again, to be with Mamata Banerjee or not. And I chose not to. Emphatically. Instead, I voted for a Congress candidate about whom I really know nothing.

In the heart of south Kolkata, ours is a traditionally Congress constituency, Trinamool in recent years. The Left has never won from here except in 1977. So it was no great wrench for the CPM to give up this seat to the Congress in their unofficial seat adjustment or alliance or jote, call it what you will.

Latterly, the BJP has begun making inroads, winning a sizeable chunk of the votes in the 2014 elections, taking everyone, including the candidate (now the governor of Tripura), by surprise. But then, voting for the Hindutva brigade is just not an option for me. Also, with the BJPs prospects of winning being virtually nil, voting for it would really mean voting for the TMC. And that simply cannot be.

To me, Mamata Banerjee stands for all that is wrong with Bengals polity today. The way she runs the party (complete autocracy bringing in its wake utmost sycophancy); her I-am-the-state attitude (so that all the roads, bridges, flyovers, subsidised rice, etc. in fact all welfare programmes are gifts from Didi, emasculating local self-governments from panchayats upwards); the use of government funds to further narrow political objectives (like donating money to local boys clubs who are then deployed for TMCs benefit, so much so that the Election Commission has had to take the unusual step of curbing their activities during this election); her give-them-bread-and-circus mindset (doling out a plethora of government handouts coupled with a surfeit of trumped of fairs and festivals, diverting attention from the lack of a long-term solution to job creation that inevitably leads to cancerous growths like the syndicate raj); her holier-than-thou attitude (making much of wearing white cotton saris and rubber flip-flops which are supposed to seal her claims to be a symbol of honesty even while scams and scandals envelope her followers); claiming to have brought about a change in the states political culture despite the hooliganism unleashed by her hangers-on, during election time or otherwise  the list can be very long indeed.

So, Ashutosh Chatterjee, the faceless Congress candidate from our constituency, be it. Calling him lightweight would be an understatement. No one even saw him campaigning. His camp office near the polling booth was a mere apology of one, with one red flag and two not-so-young men braving the sun and nary a Congress flag in sight. And he is battling Sovondeb Chatterjee, TMCs sitting MLA, who had himself once spoken out against the growing power of the thugs in his party only to be silenced forthwith but seen as a decent man nevertheless.

It would have been easier of course if I had been living in, say, Behala East, where my vote would have gone to Ambikesh Mahapatra, the Jadavpur University professor who was jailed by Mamata Banerjees police for forwarding a cartoon featuring the chief minister and her then righthand man Mukul Roy. Pitted against the mayor of Kolkata Sovon Chatterjee, who plays a stellar role in the Narada News videos, Mahapatra makes the choice so stark. But then, it doesnt really matter who the candidate is. As Mamata Banerjee herself has said, forget who is standing from where. I am the candidate in all 294 constituencies.

True, the Left-Congress alliance is no great panacea. But it is certainly a lesser evil. Fascism saps at our very moral fibre and that is what Mamata Banerjee represents: undiluted, unvarnished fascism. Not unlike India under Indira Gandhi in the Seventies with the saving grace that Mamata Banerjees writ does not run beyond the borders of Bengal. But within the state there will be more of the same if our Didi is returned to power. We were of course resigned to our fate even a few months back. But the Left-Congress alliance, which had seemed such an unlikely proposition then, has surprisingly been gaining strength as the various phases of the election have unfolded.

Sans organisation, sans resources, sans muscle power (even the suitably dubbed historic meeting, where Congresss Rahul Gandhi and CPMs Buddhadev Bhattacharya were framed within one ungainly garland, saw only a modest turnout, no crowds bussed in from all parts of the state, no freebies, nothing), the alliance seems to be a reflection of the spontaneous sentiments of people like me. Gathering courage from each other, taking hesitant steps towards a dream we had not dared to dream even when the elections were announced.

If the unthinkable really does happen on the 19th of May, Bengal will win handsomely. No one will dare take the Bengali voter for granted again. Unlike, say, Kerala or Tamil Nadu or most other states, we have a history of giving excessively long ropes to our governments. The rope may now be cut short to a five-year term only. Above all, it will show that you just cant buy people up by showering largesse without any permanent solution to their ills, a la Mamata Banerjee. If not  itll be long, uphill road ahead.
Dhaka: A Hindu tailor was hacked to death by unidentified men near his workplace on Saturday in north Bangladesh, the latest in a series of brutal attacks on intellectuals, activists and minorities in the Muslim majority country.

Nikhil Chandra Joarder, 50, a resident of the Dubail village under Gopalpur upazila of the Tangail district, was hacked to death on Saturday afternoon.

"Three young men riding a motorcycle have come to Nikhil's shop around 12 PM and called him to nearby road on which they hacked him. The killers left the spot promptly after the incident," Gopalpur police station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Abdul Jalil was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.

The attackers left a black bag at the spot, which contained three to four bomb-like objects, reports said.

Asked about the possible motive behind the attack, Jalil told reporters that a case was filed against Nikhil in 2012 for making a "derogatory" comment about the Prophet of Islam.

He had been arrested for allegedly making the comments and then released.

"It can be the reason for the murder," The Daily Star quoted him as saying.

There have been systematic assaults in Bangladesh in recent months specially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners.

In the latest attack, a liberal professor was brutally hacked to death last Saturday by machete-wielding Islamic State militants who slit his throat using sharp weapons and left him to die near his home in Rajshahi city.

Two days later on Monday, Bangladesh's first gay magazine editor was brutally murdered along with a friend in his flat in Dhaka by Islamists.

Last year, four prominent secular bloggers were killed with machetes, one inside his own home.
OSLO A helicopter ferrying passengers from a Norwegian oil platform crashed in the North Sea on Friday, killing at least 11 of the 13 people on board, rescue officials said.

The 11 passengers and two crew on the flight from the Gullfaks B oil platform, operated by Norway's Statoil (STL.OL), were all Norwegian except for one British and one Italian national, according to the Rescue Coordination Centre for Southern Norway.

"The helicopter is completely destroyed," it said. After several hours searching for survivors, 11 bodies were found and the remaining two people were presumed dead.

Norway and Britain suspended commercial flights of the type of helicopter involved in the crash, an Airbus Helicopters H225 Super Puma, a workhorse of the offshore oil industry.

Plumes of smoke rose from the scene in a stretch of sea with many small islands and debris could be seen on the rocks.

Several witnesses told Norwegian media they saw the rotor blades separating from the helicopter while still in the air.

"While I looked up, the rotor (blades) loosened and disappeared towards the north," John Atle Sekkingstad told the website of local paper Bergens Tidende.

"After that, the helicopter turned north and I saw fire at the top of the helicopter, where the rotor had been attached. It caught fire before it crashed."

The main body of the aircraft was lying under water, while its rotor was found on a rocky outcrop about 200 to 300 metres (220-330 yards) away, state broadcaster NRK said, quoting the rescue centre.

Oil worker Chris Andersen told NRK: "I saw the rotor separate ... It was horrible. There was a huge explosion that you could physically feel. You felt the vibrations."

The area, just west of Bergen, Norway's second-largest city, has frequent helicopter traffic to and from offshore oil installations. Weather conditions on the day were normal.

Norway's king and the prime minister expressed their condolences to the families of the victims.

"You are not alone in your sorrow," Prime Minister Erna Solberg, dressed in black, said in an address to the nation.

PRODUCTION, FLIGHTS HALTED

Statoil halted production at the Gullfaks B platform, a visibly upset company executive told a news conference.

"This is one of the worst accidents in Norwegian oil history," said Arne Sigve Nylund, Statoil's head of production in Norway, adding that the helicopter passengers worked for different companies, but were all on assignments for Statoil.

"This is a heavy day ... Some of our colleagues will never come home," he said in a trembling voice.

Flightradar24, an aircraft tracking service, said the helicopter dropped 2,100 feet (640 metres) in the last 10 seconds of flight.

Formerly known as the Eurocopter EC225 LP Super Puma, the aircraft is a long-range helicopter widely used in the oil and gas industry, as well as for VIP flights and search and rescue. Eurocopter changed its name to Airbus Helicopters in early 2014.

Imposing a temporary ban on commercial flights using the same type of helicopter, the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash.

Airbus Helicopters, a subsidiary of Airbus Group (AIR.PA), pledged full support for the investigation, which will be carried out by Norway with assistance from investigators based in France and Britain.

Norway said late on Friday it had found the two "black box" flight recorders, one capturing data and the other recording cockpit conversations, and would send them to Britain, which has experience of handling several recent helicopter incidents.

The crash deals a blow to an offshore industry already suffering weak demand due to low oil prices and puts the Super Puma back in the spotlight after a series of problems in the UK.

In 2012, Super Puma fleets were grounded after a pair of controlled ditchings that were later linked to gearbox cracks, prompting Airbus Helicopters to carry out modifications.

In 2013, four people died when an earlier version of Super Puma ditched off the Shetland Islands, off northern Scotland, in an accident blamed on crew.

The last helicopter crash in the Norwegian oil industry, in 1997, involved a Super Puma in which 12 people died.

The helicopter that crashed on Friday had been granted extended flying hours, or delayed maintenance, twice in 2015, an aviation authority official told Norwegian daily VG.

The flight was operated by Canada-based CHC Helicopter, owned by U.S. private equity firm First Reserve.

CHC confirmed that the life of a previous gearbox fitted to the helicopter had been extended, but said the gearbox fitted at the time of the crash was new. It also said the aircraft was fully compliant with Norwegian rules at the time of the accident.

"The main gearbox in the aircraft in question, which has at all times been fully airworthy and compliant, was subsequently replaced in January 2016," said CHC's head of safety and quality, Duncan Trapp, in an emailed statement.

(Additional reporting by Terje Solsvik and Nerijus Adomaitis and by Cyril Altmeyer in Paris; Writing by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Alistair Scrutton, Robin Pomeroy, G Crosse)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
BRASILIA A government led by Brazilian Vice President Michel Temer would press ahead with the country's corruption fight by strengthening anti-graft institutions and enacting tougher controls over state-run companies, according to a document seen by Reuters.

The 17-page document serves as a blueprint for policies on health, education and social issues under a future Temer government and is expected to be released next week.

Temer could be leading Brazil in a matter of weeks if, as expected, the Senate suspends President Dilma Rousseff for allegedly breaking budget laws.

The soft-spoken, 75-year-old constitutional lawyer is assembling his possible cabinet and mapping strategy with a small group of advisers.

His critics have said Temer would try to hamper Brazil's biggest ever corruption probe, known as Operation Car Wash, which has involved many politicians from his Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB).

The investigation has unveiled a massive corruption scheme at state oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA) in which construction companies bribed politicians and executives to get lucrative deals. Temer himself is not under investigation.

In the document seen by Reuters, the PMDB calls for guarantees of increased funding for the federal police, which is one of the institutions leading the Car Wash investigation.

The document also calls for the government to grant more powers of oversight to the national comptroller's office and legislation to impose tougher penalties for corrupt executives at state-run companies.

Infrastructure projects would be left in the hands of private companies under the new government, with measures ensuring enhanced scrutiny of major projects, the document says.

Temer's aides have said his government would step up concessions for private sector companies for infrastructure, urban transportation, basic sanitation and housing projects.

Rousseff, a leftist just over a year into her second term, has accused Temer of conspiring to oust her in a bloodless "coup."

The lower house this month recommended that the Senate put Rousseff on trial for breaking budget laws by using loans from state banks to boost public spending to aide her 2014 re-election campaign.

The leftist leader, whose approval levels are at record lows as the economy suffers its worst recession in decades, is preparing to announce a series of populist measures ahead of the Senate suspension vote, scheduled for May 11.

On Friday, Rousseff announced the extension of a controversial program that hires Cuban doctors to work in poor regions of Brazil.

Her government is also considering raising the budget of a popular cash-transfer program called Bolsa Familia, government sources told Reuters.

(Reporting by Alonso Soto; Editing by Tom Brown)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Australia faces a "perilous" water security future from climate change even as the Turnbull government eyes budget cuts to water programs and CSIRO halves climate investment, Rob Vertessy, the outgoing head of the Bureau of Meteorology, says.

Reservoirs in the Murray-Darling basin are now close to their lowest levels since the Millennium Drought and Tasmania is also facing "serious" issues", Dr Vertessy told Fairfax Media on Friday, his final day as the bureau's chief.

"Water shortage is a problem and climate change is going to be intensifying the drought and flood cycle," he said, noting that water demand is increasing. "Australia faces a really perilous water security challenge in the future."

The bureau's boss bows out just days before the federal budget on Tuesday will reveal whether the government axes funding for programs set up under the National Plan for Water Security. Begun in 2007 by then prime minister John Howard, the 10-year, $10 billion program funded a range of water policies, with almost $450m going to the bureau.
A video from actor Jack Thompson and a rowdy crowd of more than 300 Bondi residents was insufficient to convince the Liberal majority on Waverley Council to pause on its $38 million redevelopment of the iconic Bondi Pavilion.

A rescission motion moved by Labor and supported by Greens, independents and one Liberal, Joy Clayton, was defeated on the vote of the mayor, Sally Betts.

The residents now plan a concerted campaign which will target the local federal member - Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull - during the looming Federal election.

Despite Cr Betts calling a meeting at 8am on Saturday, angry Bondi residents crowded into the council chambers to boo and heckle as the Liberal majority first gagged the debate and then voted down a rescission motion. The motion would have reversed a decision to lodge a development application for re-development of the pavilion. That decision was taken two weeks ago, amid equally torrid scenes at the council.
Michelle Leng was stabbed at least 20 times before she was bundled in a car, driven more than 100 kilometres and dumped in the ocean, police will allege.

On Friday afternoon, her uncle, Derek Barrett, 27, was arrested by NSW homicide detectives and charged with her murder. He was formally refused bail in Parramatta bail court on Saturday. He will appear in Burwood Local Court on Wednesday.

Michelle Leng, 24, a Chinese international student who studied at UTS, has been identified as the Snapper Point murder victim. Credit:Facebook

Mr Barrett's arrest came amid rampant and tenuous speculation that Ms Leng had been communicating with an online love interest which ended in a fatal encounter after she went missing on Thursday April 21.

Instead, police believe Ms Leng - a 25-year-old Chinese international student - returned to her Campsie home on Thursday afternoon, where she lived with her uncle, aunt and cousin, after spending the day shopping in Sydney's CBD.
An Australia Defence Force member has been arrested in relation to a bank robbery at one of the country's largest military bases.

Robbery and Serious Crime Squad police arrested Private Sarah Royna, 24, on Friday, following a two-year investigation into the robbery at the Richmond Air Force Base.

Australian Defence Force member private Sarah Royna arrested over bank robbery. Credit:Channel Nine

Ms Royna, a serving member of the ADF and based in Victoria, was arrested at Surry Hills police station.

She was charged with robbery while armed in company, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession of a prohibited firearm.
Police have charged a man with the murder of a Chinese international student whose body was discovered floating face down in a blowhole on the NSW central coast last weekend.

Michelle Leng, 25, was reported missing by her family on Anzac Day after it was claimed she failed to return to her Campsie home from a shopping trip four days earlier.

On Friday afternoon, NSW homicide detectives arrested 27-year-old Derek Barrett, who is Ms Leng's uncle, at Campsie Police Station. He was later charged with her murder.
Jakarta: An Australian teenager has died after crashing his scooter while on holiday in Bali with his family.

Lochie Connaughton, from Orange in central western NSW, lost control of the scooter in the basement car park of the Stones Hotel in Legian where he was staying at 10pm on Thursday.

Lochie Connaughton, 16, who died in a scooter accident in Bali. Credit:Facebook

Kuta Police Chief Wayan Sumara told Fairfax Media the 16-year-old crashed into a concrete wall.

"He wasn't driving under the influence," Mr Wayan said. "We believe he didn't know there was a wall there."
The African Union has welcomed the formation of a new transitional government of national unity in South Sudan, calling it a positive step toward peace in the nation.

The formation of the transitional administration is part of the peace accord signed last year by President Salva Kiir and former rebel leader Riek Machar to end a conflict that left tens of thousands dead and many more displaced from their homes.

Erastus Mwencha, deputy chairman of the AU Commission, said high-ranking officials of the continental body were in Juba to help the new government.

I think it is everybodys relief that we now see what has gone on for more than two years is behind us, and that we can now concentrate on the institutions and the nation building, but also looking at humanitarian assistance, Mwencha said.

We have two of our elder statespersons who are based in Juba," he said. "Former [Botswana] President Festus Mogae and also former [Malian] President Alfa Konare are in constant touch with the government and the people of South Sudan, and part of their terms of reference is to continue to accompany the government to implement the peace accord.

Tension remains high in some parts of the country despite the formation of the government. South Sudanese groups called on the African Union, the East African Community and the international community to ensure the government implements measures to ease tension and avoid more violence.

Confidence from leadership

Asked how confident the African Union was about the ability of the new administration to ensure peace, Mwencha said it was in the government's interest to resolve citizens' concerns.

The confidence can only come from the leadership," he said. "And of course, our part is to accompany them, to encourage them" as they address the nation's challenges.

"No one can win the conflict through war," Mwencha added. "You can fight, but eventually, you will end up at the table. So the sooner this can happen, the better it is for the people of South Sudan, because already the people of South Sudan have gone through a lot of suffering.

Civil society and human rights groups called for the punishment of those found guilty of committing gross human rights violations during the conflict, which lasted more than two years. Mwencha urged the new government to come up with plans to resolve issues that confront citizens following the conflict.

Mwencha said the African Union launched an inquiry into human rights abuses. The report has been made public, and the next step was to form a hybrid court ... so that that process can move forward to bring this to its logical conclusion, he said.

We now need to focus on the key issues, the key elements of institutions and nation building ... and to appeal to the international community, because the tendency has been that once we reach a stage like this, the rest of the international community walks away," he said.

South Sudan needs the international community to provide resources, "because there are a lot of people in the refugee camps [and] there is support needed for institution building," Mwencha said.
Plumes of smoke filled the air of a muddy Nairobi National Park as Kenyas President Kenyatta presided Saturday over the burning of 105 tons of elephant ivory and 1.35 tons of rhino horns to send a message to the world that ivory is worth more on an elephant than it is in the market.

The torching of this stockpile made it the largest ivory burn in history.

The height of the pile of ivory before us marks the strength of our resolve, said Kenyatta. Before you, ladies and gentlemen, is the largest haul of ivory and horn ever to be destroyed in this manner. And our reason is crystal clear. No one  and, I repeat, no one  has any business trading in any ivory, for this trade means death. Death to our elephants, and death to our natural heritage.

The event marked Kenyas commitment to stopping the poaching epidemic, which has resulted in tens of thousands of elephants across the continent being killed every year for their ivory tusks.

In total, the ivory at the burn represented tusks from an estimated 8,500 elephants, a Kenya Wildlife Service spokesman said. KWS said a significant part of the stockpile came from ivory and rhino horn captured from poachers or seized in transit.

Critics have argued that poor countries like Kenya should sell the ivory to improve the lives of their people. The Kenya Wildlife Service has responded that selling these illegal trophies dramatically increases elephant poaching, threatening the animals' very existence. Living elephants have value, whereas ivory does not, it said.

Benefits of saving elephants

Heather Higginbottom, U.S. deputy secretary of state for management and resources, attended the event and said that saving elephants helps everyone.

There are economic benefits to tourism, to ecotourism, and that creates jobs and stability and ensures that there will be more and more demand to see these amazing creatures, said Higginbottom. That helps the people of Kenya, as well as the habitat and the animals.

Poaching has escalated to alarming heights in recent years, as 100,000 African elephants were killed between 2010 and 2012.

James Isiche, East Africa regional director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said such numbers represent a grave threat to elephants everywhere.

If the killing continues as it is now, said Isiche, then we cannot sustain the elephant populations in the next 20 years.

Kenya has had success in reducing poaching, from 384 elephants killed in 2012 to 96 killed in 2015. But conservationists say that this progress could quickly be reversed if people dont remain diligent.

But if they do, then Peter Knights, CEO of the wildlife conservation group WildAid, might be right about Kenyas 2016 ivory burn.

WATCH: Kenya Torches Ivory in Bid to Stop Elephant Poaching

This might be the image that represents the end of the ivory trade," he said.

Kenyatta said he would seek a total ban on the ivory trade at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species meeting in September.
Tensions between Russia and the United States have escalated over the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, but there were signs at an international security conference in Moscow this month that the Kremlin may be softening its tone toward the West.

The fifth annual Moscow Conference on International Security, hosted by Russias Defense Ministry April 27-28, included top military officials from more than 80 countries, as well as influential Russians seen as barometers of the Kremlin's attitude.

For example, the secretary of the Kremlins Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, who previously headed the Federal Security Service, Russias main security agency, has frequently given speeches at various forums condemning what he describes as the United States' "hostile" policy toward Russia.

Kind words

At the Moscow conference, however, he conveyed greetings from President Vladimir Putin that included uncharacteristically benevolent words about the U.S.

"Cooperation between Russia and the U.S. on Syria is a clear example of the fact that such cooperation is not only possible, but effective, Patrushev said.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu sent what appeared to be an even clearer signal to Washington: "Our countries are bound to cooperate more closely in the fight against international terrorism. We are ready; the ball is in Washingtons court.

Shoigu even spoke rather benignly about NATO, stating, "We prefer to communicate with the alliance at the negotiating table, not through gun sights."

German analyst

However, perhaps the most interesting signal that Moscow would like to reduce tensions with the West, and even cooperate in matters of security, came from a man many observers see as a kind of negotiator between the West and Russia on sensitive matters: Alexander Rahr, a well-known German political analyst who advises Gazprom, Russias giant state-controlled natural gas monopoly.

Rahr is a member of the Valdai Discussion Club, a forum at which political analysts and journalists from around the world have been meeting with Putin annually since the earliest days of his presidency. At the end of 2013, Rahr took part in negotiations for the release from prison of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former oil tycoon who became a Putin foe.

Rahr said at the security conference that "Russia is committed to cooperation with the West, not as an underling to liberal values, but based on pragmatic interests, including economic ones." He said in order to "limit the magnitude" of the "conflict of values" between the two sides, a new "Charter of Paris" should be signed on the basis of a new Helsinki process.

Rahr was referring to the charter signed in 1990 by European governments, the United States and the Soviet Union, on the basis of the Helsinki Accords, which were signed 15 years earlier in an attempt to reduce tensions between the Soviet bloc and the West.

According to some observers, given Rahrs close connections to the Kremlin, his comments most likely reflect the views of those in power in Moscow.

Soviet position

Military expert Alexander Golts, a visiting scholar at Swedens Uppsala University, believes Russia is seeking from the West what the Soviet Union sought nearly a half century ago.

"The Cold War that raged between the Soviet Union and the countries of the West for 40 years was a two-sided coin," Golts told VOA's Russian service. "One side [of the coin] was mutual military deterrence and the other side was peaceful coexistence. Thats the kind of peaceful coexistence that Russia now wants  one in which the West stops trying to teach Russia something, stops trying to fight for political freedom inside Russia and [stops] helping those who are fighting for those political freedoms.

The Kremlins current leaders, said Golts, want the West to abandon any attempts to foster a color revolution in Russia, like those that took place in Ukraine and Georgia.

According to Golts, the Russian proposal to "peacefully coexist" with the West comes with another condition, besides noninterference in Russias internal affairs.

"Certainly, on the list of Russian demands is the thesis, Forget about Crimea, " he said. And while it is clear that Crimea will not be forgotten, lets remember the previous Cold War: The United States did not recognize the annexation of the Baltic states, but this did not stop [the two sides from] reaching agreements on how to avoid blowing up the planet. And even after Afghanistan [the Soviet invasion of 1979], more or less substantive negotiations on many issues took place.

Political purposes

Still, Russia will maintain some level of tension with the West for domestic political reasons, Golts said, adding that in this regard, there are significant differences with the Soviet period.

It is obvious that Moscow doesn't have the kind of resources for waging a Cold War that were available to the Soviet Union, he said. [It has] no allies  in fact, the economy is very dependent on the outside world. [It has] an aging population, from which a vast army cannot be created. And, in this sense, the situation is rather more risky, because out of its old resources, the only [ones] that remain are its nuclear weapons.

"I believe that the Kremlins policy will become increasingly dangerous precisely in the nuclear field. The Kremlin will need to translate its gigantic nuclear arsenal into political potential."

Thus, despite the benign tone of Russian official comments at the security conference, tensions between Russia and the West will increase.

"This means that the West will more and more move toward military containment of Russia, to something resembling the policy of [U.S. President Ronald] Reagan, he said. It makes the situation more dangerous: We are moving toward an increasing military confrontation."

Andrei Soldatov, an expert on Russias security services and author of The New Nobility: The Restoration of Russia's Security State and the Enduring Legacy of the KGB, also noted that Russian officials at the conference sounded much less hostile toward the United States than in previous years.

'Softened' rhetoric

"The rhetoric was really considerably softened compared to last year, he said. Last year, the U.S. was directly referred to as the main bad guy; this time, they simply referred to some countries. And when the United States was mentioned, it was called a partner, with which [Russia] has good relations in the anti-terrorism area, and that it would be a good thing to expand [these relations]."

However, such signals are directed exclusively at the outside world, Soldatov said, adding that inside Russia, the West continues to be portrayed as the place from which the threat of "color revolutions" emanates.

"There is a narrative that is intended for the domestic audience, and another for external use only, he said. Inside the country, they need to make clear statements about how  the country is surrounded by enemies, but this narrative is not intended for practical use in the outside world  for example, in negotiations with the Americans.

"The Americans, by contrast, are clearly given to understand that Syria is the now the issue that can improve relations, and this is even being said by people from the Russian security services. But both narratives are simply rhetoric to achieve specific goals."
An animal rights group rescued more than 30 lions from abuse at circuses in Peru and Colombia and flew the animals to South Africa Friday in what it called the largest-ever airlift of lions.

Animal Defenders International (ADI), an American-based non-profit group, said almost all of the animals were abused while in captivity  some are declawed and have broken teeth. Another is missing an eye. Others, still, have health problems like parasites and disease, according to ADI President Jan Creamer.

Its truly wonderful that these lions, after a lifetime of suffering and abuse in circuses, are going home to Africa," she said. "All of their lives they haven't had enough food, so they have long-term malnutrition problems."

The lions left an airport in Lima, Peru late Friday night, and will arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa Saturday, at which point they will be released into the Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary, according to the ADI.

At the sanctuary the lions will enjoy large natural enclosures situated in pristine African bush, complete with drinking pools, platforms and toys, ADI said in a statement.

The lions were set free after Peru and Colombia banned the use of live animals in circuses in 2011 and 2013, respectively. The circuses in Colombia gave up nine lions voluntarily, but the rest of the lions in Peru were rescued only after police launched raids to free them.

In recent months, the lions have spent their days in cages in a refuge north of Lima, where they have been well fed and taken care of, Creamer said.

The trip cost about $10,000 for each of the lions, the ADI said, but for Creamer, the cost was justified.

These lions have endured hell on Earth, she said. Now they are heading home to paradise.
Scores of migrants were missing Saturday off the Libyan coast after their inflatable boat took on water and sank, European monitors said.

The International Organization for Migration said 84 people remained missing at midday, hours after an Italian cargo ship rescued 26 people who had been aboard the doomed boat.

A spokesman for Italy's coast guard told reporters the migrants had come from several West African countries and had most likely left Libya on Friday. He said the cargo ship had found the migrant boat taking on water, with survivors saying many passengers had fallen overboard and drowned.

Television footage showed the cargo ship transferring survivors to a coast guard cutter, which in turn delivered them to a migrant camp on the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The IOM said 1,244 migrants from Africa, the Middle East and South Asia have drowned so far this year while attempting to reach Europe by sea in overcrowded, unsafe vessels.

Earlier in April, witnesses and survivors told VOA that hundreds of migrants had drowned in the eastern Mediterranean when their boat overturned. The incident occurred April 8 but was not fully reported until 10 days later, after survivors were rescued adrift at sea.

Social media accounts described most of those migrants as Somalis trying to escape war and drought in their homeland.
A top Ukrainian official said that elections in eastern Ukraine will be possible only after Ukraine's sovereignty is renewed in the region and Russia's presence is eliminated in those territories.

A deputy speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, Oksana Syroyid, told VOA on Friday that from the Ukrainian perspective, any elections under current conditions would legitimize those who occupy Ukrainian territory. It would mean bringing them into Ukrainian politics, she said, which would end up destroying the Ukrainian state and its sovereignty.

WATCH: Kyiv Sees No Elections in Eastern Ukraine Until Russians Leave

In a broader sense, Syroyid said, Russian deoccupation should include eliminating the impact of Russian propaganda, reconciliation of all the people in Ukraine's Donbass region and the withdrawal of all Russian agents from the area.

Only after such conditions are fulfilled, she said, could holding elections in the occupied territories be discussed, and they should reflect the legitimacy of the people who live there, including those who now have the status of internally displaced people.

The current situation exists because Russia one day decided to invade part of a neighboring country, Syroyid said. The parties are not equal, she said; one is an invader and and one is a nation-victim, and the international community should not treat them the same way.

Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of giving military aid to the separatists in the Donbass region, something Russia has repeatedly denied, saying that those who fight alongside separatists are Russian volunteers.

Holding elections in the east is seen by Ukraine's European partners, Germany and France, as a way to end the two-year conflict in eastern Ukraine that has claimed about 9,200 lives.

US position on elections

State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner reiterated at a press briefing Friday what Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland said in Kyiv earlier in the week  that the U.S. has not set a specific deadline for when elections happen in eastern Ukraine.

Toner said that the U.S. is more concerned that Minsk require sufficient security and monitor access and that candidates have the ability to get their names on the ballot, and that citizens are able to hear from candidates before elections are held in the Donbass region.

A Ukrainian lawmaker said after meeting Nuland earlier in the week that she was setting a July deadline for the elections, which Nuland categorically denied.

The level of violence observed in eastern Ukraine since the cease-fire went into effect in September has been an issue of concern for the U.S., Toner said. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe blames separatists for most of the 30,000 violations in April alone.

A conflict of such proportions in part of Ukraines sovereign territory is certainly destabilizing to say the least, Toner added. The U.S. calls on Russia and the separatists that it supports to fully comply and observe the cease-fire, Toner said.



STAND for Ukraine Act

U.S. Representatives Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat, and Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, announced in a statement Friday that they had introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to address the crisis in Ukraine  The STAND for Ukraine Act.

Calling Russian annexation of Crimea illegal, the act calls for a clarification of the position of the United States on Crimea, as well as for tightening sanctions on Russia and providing new, innovative support for Ukraine.

The proposal also directs the State Department to implement a strategy to respond to Russian propaganda and disinformation.

Driven by President [Vladimir] Putin, Russias aggression in Ukraine has undermined that countrys sovereignty, and at the same time threatened our own long-term investment in a Europe that is whole, free and at peace, Engel said. The act makes clear that the United States will not just stand by as Putin bullies his neighbors, tests the resolve of NATO, and works to fracture Western unity.
With the two-month old cessation of hostilities in Syria rapidly disintegrating, the United States is finding itself in an increasingly uncomfortable position, trying to expand cooperation with Russia while not simultaneously playing into Russias hands.

The latest example of Washingtons quandary played out Friday as U.S. and Russian officials worked to reinforce cease-fires in Latakia and Eastern Ghourta, including talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

This is not something new but really a constant effort on our part, particularly with the Russians, a senior State Department official said Friday, adding the status of the northern city of Aleppo was also a deep concern.

Were talking to Russia urgently about it in terms of de-escalation and reducing or diffusing tensions there," the official said.

Whether the talks are ultimately successful in averting a worsening humanitarian disaster remains to be seen. But there are significant, lingering doubts that Moscow is interested in anything more than just talks.

Despite holding back initially, Russian forces in concert with [Syrian President Bashar al] Assad, are violating the cessation of hostilities, a U.S. intelligence official told VOA.

The official also expressed concerns about the fate of Syrias largest city, saying Russia has laid the propaganda groundwork for its support of Syrian regime activities around Aleppo.

Russia's aims

For weeks, U.S. military and intelligence officials have warned all indications point to an eventual Russian-backed assault on the city. And the recent spike in fighting, described by the United Nations as monstrous violence, is reinforcing the notion that what Russian President Vladimir Putin is after is something other than peace.

They would like a foothold in Syria so they can be a player, a U.S. official said on the condition of anonymity, noting the Russians already have plenty of military capacity.

Theres a move to be able to have that long-term capability, the official added.

Still, Syria seems to be just one part of Russias long-term plans.

Putins primary motivation to intervene militarily in Syria was to re-assert Russias central place on the world stage, the U.S. intelligence official said, escape the international isolation Russia faced after its forced annexation of Crimea.

Some U.S. officials have downplayed the link between Russian involvement in Syria and Russias plans in Ukraine. However, some analysts caution that could be a mistake.

I think the Russians look at the Middle East as a land of opportunity, said Reva Goujon, vice president of global analysis at Stratfor, a U.S.-based intelligence company.

Here is where you have an array of conflicts that threaten to suck the U.S. in at every turn, she said. If Russia can insert itself into these conflicts in a big enough way where the United States cant avoid dealing with Russia to manage those conflicts then that gives Russia some leverage in that broader negotiation.

Is it working?

For now, at least, it seems the strategy is working with the U.S. forced to deal with Russia in Syria while Washingtons European allies worry about Russias involvement exacerbating the migrant crisis.

Yet there have also been some cracks.

One of the biggest has been Russias failure to consistently have its proxies on the ground follow its directions. U.S. officials have said the much-hyped Russian announcement of a pullout from Syria was, in large part, meant to send a message to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. At the time, one official cited Russian frustration with the intransigence and incompetence of the Syrian regime.

The open question is how long Putin will allow Assad to be in charge and put Putins gains at risk, a U.S. intelligence official told VOA.

There is also the complicated relationship between Russia and Iran. Escalating tensions with Turkey could also help to derail Moscows plans.

Despite getting the U.S. and its Western allies to the table, Russia has yet to translate its leverage in Syria into concessions on Ukraine or elsewhere in Europe.

Russia has set up the chess board very well, said Stratfors Goujon. Its still a big question on whether they actually get everything theyre hoping for.
TWIN FALLS  Art Hoag received a rock star send off at Chobani.

Hundreds of workers lined a long corridor waving red pom poms, Chobani pendant signs and American flags.

They cheered as Hoag rode down the hallway, waving at the crowds. Then he rode past a crowd of community supporters waiting for him outside the Greek yogurt factory in Twin Falls.

Hoag only had one word to describe the scene: Wow.

Hoag is biking cross country from Twin Falls to New Berlin, N.Y. Chobani is sponsoring the bike trip and its $3,000 donation will help cover the upkeep of Mary Alice Park while Hoag is gone. A send-off event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Mary Alice Park. Then Hoag and his wife, Bonnie, and their dogs Bear and Sister will hit the road. Bonnie said she took off a couple of months from work to follow him in an RV.

I think this is going to be a great adventure, she said Friday.

A pledge card is available online where supporters can pledge as little as 1 cent for every mile Hoag will bike. Chobani will match all donations from the community. This money will be used for future projects and upkeep at the park.

Mary Alice Park opened in 2008 and is dedicated in memory of Hoags first wife, Mary Alice Nolan Hoag. In 2009, the park was donated to the Art Guild of Magic Valley. The park, 436 Main Ave. N. in Twin Falls, is open to the public. Hoag is also the founder of Art and Soul of Magic Valley, an annual community art festival and competition. Hoags friend Khiyam Zahroun will watch over the park in his absence.

Hoag plans to ride about 50 miles a day until he reaches his home state of New York on July 2, which is also his birthday.

Im just going to go for a ride, he said.

He was born in Morris, N.Y., and his family moved to Twin Falls in 1947. His last trip home was in the 1980s.

Hoag said he approached Chobani with his idea to sponsor his trip.

We absolutely love what Art embodies, said Michael Gonda, Chobanis vice president of corporate communications, in an email to the Times-News in March. His passion, his dedication and his love for two communities that we also call home. We cant wait to follow along on Arts ride and welcome him in Upstate New York as soon as he gets there.

He plans to blog during his journey so people can follow along.

He hasnt trained for the trip itself, but typically gets in 12 to 13 miles a day on his fat bike. His favorite area is the Snake River Canyon.

I never get tired of riding along the canyon, he said.
BURLEY  The Back Country Horsemen of Idaho High Desert Chapter is hosting their 6th Annual Gamblers Draw Ride on Saturday, May 21 at Niagara Springs Wildlife Management Area south of Wendell.

Activities begin at 9:00 a.m. and include a ride for prizes, lunch on the grounds at noon and a silent auction with interesting items.

Bring horses, children, friends and neighbors and join in the fun.

The Back Country Horsemen of Idaho, a non-profit organization, began in 1978 as a service organization that works with the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management by giving back to the back country by volunteering ground work such as clearing trails and improving campgrounds. We are also involved in agency management and promoting educational programs to the public to perpetuate the recreational use of stock on public lands. Nationwide the Back Country Horsemen of America donated 417,134 volunteer hours last year.

The local chapter, High Desert BCH, covers the Magic Valley area with 40 members. Nearby chapters are Cache Peak BCH in the Burley area and Sawtooth BCH in the Ketchum/Hailey area. In addition to being a service organization these local chapters participate in day rides, overnighters and sponsor activities with the public invited.

If you are interested in giving back to the back country we welcome new members. For more information for High Desert BCH, contact Karen Ambrose 208-543-9041, for the Cache Peak BCH, contact Mark Ottman 208-438-2276, and for the Sawtooth BCH, contact Jo Heiss 208-788-3802.
BURLEY  A 23-year-old serving 15 years of probation for permanently injuring a five-month-old boy could end up serving his time in prison instead.

On Friday, Michael Carnes, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to aggravated battery, said he picked up misdemeanors for driving without privileges and bought and smoked marijuana  two violations of his probation terms.

In exchange for admitting those violations, Cassia County Deputy Prosecutor McCord Larsen withdrew allegations of possession of a weapon, alcohol consumption and associating with another person on probation.

In March 2013, Carnes was babysitting the five-month-old when the baby was severely injured. Among those injuries were a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and bruises on the buttocks and legs.

The injuries caused the baby to be permanently blind. At a hospital in Salt Lake City, where he stayed for 34 days for multiple surgeries, the boy was unable to breathe on his own for more than two weeks.

Carnes told police that the baby hit his head on a bed frame at the home. The baby then fell asleep and when he awoke, there was something wrong, Carnes said.

Carnes did not call for an ambulance.

It wasnt until the babys aunt returned to pick him up that he was taken to Cassia Regional Hospital and then transferred to Salt Lake City. Doctors there said the eye injuries and bruising were evidence the boy was shaken and abused, court records said.

Aggravated battery in Idaho carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to 15 on probation and restitution.

The District Court in Cassia County will enter a disposition on June 7.
Cassia County

Felony sentencings

Jasmine Lynn Devalera; felony possession of controlled substance, guilty, $535.50 costs, $100 restitution, 60 months probation, one year determinate time, four years indeterminate time, 35 days credited, penitentiary suspended; felony major contraband introduced or to convey, possess, receive, obtain or remove in correctional facilities, dismissed on motion of prosecutor.

Augustin Gonzalez; felony driving under the influence (third or subsequent offense), guilty, $540.50 costs, $100 restitution, five years driver's license suspended, one year determinate time, six years indeterminate time, 114 days credited, defendant to serve one year starting 4/19/16; misdemeanor unlawful transportation of alcoholic beverage, dismissed on motion of prosecutor; misdemeanor driving without privileges (second offense), dismissed on motion of prosecutor.

Felony dismissals

Chris Ray VanEvery; felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon or instrument without the intent to kill, dismissed on motion of prosecutor.
TWIN FALLS  A federal grand jury has indicted four men on drug conspiracy charges, including a Filer man arrested this month in Twin Falls and two men arrested last week during a raid near the Twin Falls airport.

The indictment alleges that from Feb. 24 to April 20, the four men and others conspired to traffic methamphetamine in Idaho and elsewhere, and each faces up to 20 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine.

Those named in the indictment were James David Jones, 62, and William Lavelle Walker, 52, both of Twin Falls, Miguel Angel Otaegui, 37, of Filer and Jose Luis Hernandez.

Twin Falls police arrested Otaegui during a routine traffic stop April 5 and found methamphetamine, cash and a digital scale hidden in his car, court documents said. At the time, Otaegui was under investigation by the DEA and Mini-Cassia Drug Task Force.

During their investigation, detectives from the Mini-Cassia Drug Task Force made several controlled buys from Otaegui, who was convicted of drug delivery in Minidoka County in 2010 and released from prison on parole in 2013. The task force later enlisted the help of the DEA and attached a secret GPS tracking device to Otaeguis car.

Otaegui told an undercover officer his methamphetamine supplier lived near the Twin Falls airport, and data from the GPS device showed Otaegui going to a home near the airport before and after the controlled purchases, court documents said.

Twin Falls police served a warrant April 20 at the home near the airport where they arrested Jones and Walker and found several small bags of methamphetamine, a pipe and $3,085 cash, court documents said. Seventeen of the bills totaling $980 matched the bills that were used during a March 31 controlled purchase between Otaegui and an undercover officer.

Police also found seven guns including a .357 Magnum revolver reported stolen out of Gooding County and a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun, court documents said. Walker admitted to police to selling large amounts of methamphetamine around Twin Falls and said hes been selling about two pounds of the drug each month.

The day after their arrests, Jones was charged with possession of a controlled substance, Walker was charged with trafficking in methamphetamine and both were charged with conspiracy to traffic in methamphetamine.

They were scheduled for preliminary hearings on Friday but their cases were dismissed because of the federal indictment.

Otaegui was charged in Twin Falls County on a felony count of trafficking in methamphetamine and misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana. Online court records show his local case is still pending.

Hernandez was arraigned Thursday in Boise and pleaded not guilty to the conspiracy charge, and a detention hearing was scheduled for next Wednesday. In limited federal court documents available in the case, Hernandezs connection to the three men arrested in Twin Falls was not made clear.

Walker is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, while no arraignment dates have been set for Jones or Otaegui.
TWIN FALLS  A man convicted of punching a Twin Falls police officer last year was sentenced to three to seven years in prison but will likely appeal his sentence after telling a judge he received inadequate counsel.

Michael Anthony Loya, 26, of Twin Falls was convicted in March during a one-day jury trial on felony counts of assault or battery on an officer and possession of a controlled substance.

District Judge Richard Bevan on Monday sentenced Loya to three to five years on the battery charge and six months to seven years on the drug possession charge.

Deputy Prosecutor Suzanne Craig asked for the maximum of five and seven years on each charge after detailing the way Loya burst from his hiding place inside a bathroom and rained down punches on Twin Falls Police Officer Justin Cyr. She also detailed his long history of crime both as an adult and a juvenile.

A felon who beats up a police officer should go to prison for the entire time provided for under law, Craig said. Especially if that felon is absconding parole at that time. Especially if that felon is high on drugs or alcohol at that time. Especially if he possesses drugs and especially if he laughs about beating up that officer to his criminal buddies.

Given a chance to speak, Loya said he was unsatisfied with his public defender, Ben Andersen, and he criticized Craig for bringing up a past rape charge of which he was acquitted.

I was given insufficient counsel, Loya read from a statement. My attorney did not file the motions I had asked him to, nor did he object to the prosecutors closing statements to a case that was irrelevant to my case. I also feel that the prosecutor is no longer seeking justice, but conviction, by bringing up a case that I was found not guilty of, and the fact that she is asking for the maximum penalty to be served when justice was given by a jury of my peers.

Loya has 42 days to appeal his sentence, which Bevan said he expected him to do based on his statement.
TWIN FALLS  A Pocatello woman charged in three felony cases stemming from a January pursuit and 40-minute standoff in the South Hills pleaded guilty to possessing drugs and a stolen gun but will likely avoid prison.

Brooke Elena Gee, 26, pleaded guilty Monday in Twin Falls County District Court to felony possession of methamphetamine. She also entered an Alford plea to grand theft by possession of stolen property, meaning she maintains her innocence but admits a jury would likely find her guilty.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed two other felony drug possession charges and agreed to recommend a sentence of three to six years in prison with a retained jurisdiction, commonly known as a rider, which is a therapeutic and educational program directed by the Idaho Department of Correction. If Gee is sentenced to the rider and performs well in the program, she could be released to probation and avoid going to prison.

Tim Williams, Gees public defender, will be free to argue the sentence he thinks is appropriate, but ultimately District Judge Richard Bevan will decide Gees fate. While prosecutors have promised to recommend the rider, Bevan could sentence her to up to 20 years in prison, though that is unlikely.

Gees troubles began Jan. 24 in Jerome when she and Sinthia Ramirez, 22, of Kimberly fled a disturbance call at Jerome hotel. Jerome County deputies later found drugs and guns in the safe of the room where the women were staying and alerted other agencies to lookout for their Dodge Charger.

Twin Falls deputies spotted the Charger early Jan. 25 and pursued the car at high speeds until it slid off an icy patch of road in the South Hills. Ramirez and Gee finally emerged after a 40-minutes standoff.

Gee was originally charged with just a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest and was released on $300 bond, but a warrant was issued for her arrest after police impounded the Charger and found drugs, drug paraphernalia and more than $2,200 in Gees purse.

When she walked into the sheriffs office March 4 to retrieve the Charger, she was instead arrested on the warrant and charged with another drug possession felony after a deputy said he found a methamphetamine pipe in her jacket.

Gee was released after posting $10,500 bond on those charges, but she was back in trouble March 28 when she went back to the sheriffs office again to retrieve belongings from the car. In the trunk of the car, police had earlier found three guns, including one that was reported stolen out of Twin Falls.

Gee said one gun was hers and two belonged to Mauro Morales, who was charged Monday in Gooding County on a methamphetamine trafficking charge. But Gee was charged with grand theft by possession because one of the guns, which were all in her bag, was a stolen Beretta handgun.

The driver of the Charger, Ramirez, pleaded guilty to felony eluding in March and is set for sentencing May 9. Gees sentencing is scheduled for June 20.
RUSH VALLEY, Utah  The distrust and ongoing litigation often entrenched in the relationship between the federal government and the state of Utah over public lands management was nowhere to be found among the sagebrush in Tooele County recently.

A nearly $1 million effort to restore sage grouse habitat in the Sheeprocks area of Rush Valley is unfolding with the efforts of the Utah Department of Natural Resources and 14 other partners  including federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Utah.

The work is important and matters on so many levels because the continued health and improvement of greater sage grouse populations means it stays off the endangered species list  and that means greater autonomy over the land.

Both state and federal employees noted the progress made so far during a tour, surveying a western desert landscape full of fallen pinyon-juniper woodlands violently uprooted in an assault by heavy equipment.

In one removal method ominously called mastication, live trees are ground into nothing more than a pile of wood chips, all in a matter of minutes.

The vegetation removal helps the imperiled bird, improves the ability of desired grasses and other plants to thrive and boosts the overall health of the watershed by curtailing erosion and helping with groundwater recharge.

To me, what really saved us and pushed things forward is when everyone sat in a room together to address the problems on the landscape, said rancher and farmer Elizabeth B. Mitchell.

Mitchells ancestors started working the land in the 1880s, an area that at one time strained under the pressure of more than 100,000 horses, sheep and cattle.

That has changed over time, and ranchers and farmers are now working in tandem with government soil specialists, wildlife biologists and botanists to improve landscape health, instituting improvements such as rotational grazing, protection of streams and putting in pipelines to move cattle from place to place.

Todays immediate threats to the fragile sagebrush steppe ecosystem have shifted to the onslaught of invasive grasses and pervasive wildfires  six large scale fires over the last three years prompted the rehabilitation of 16,000 acres in the Sheeprocks area.

The neat thing about this effort is how much private dollars are going into it because (the partners) have caught the vision, said the state Department of Natural Resources deputy director Robyn Pearson. If we can stop these fires, it is not money that will be pumped down a hole.

Utahs Watershed Restoration Initiative, in its 11th year, is shepherding the effort to improve the Sheeprocks.

Over the last decade, more than 93,000 acres have been restored under the initiative.

The area is home to a sage grouse population that, contrary to other management areas in the state, is seeing a decline in numbers.

Alison Whittaker, a habitat conservation specialist with the state, said the pinyon-juniper woodlands is a chief culprit in the species decline.

One of our main goals is to push pinyon-juniper back up the hill where it belongs, she said.

The encroachment of the woodlands into sagebrush landscapes causes a number of problems. The trees allow a perch for predators of the sage grouse, so the birds instinctively avoid the area. Additionally, the root system of the pinyon-juniper is like a sponge, soaking up the water that does hit the arid landscape or capturing snow and enabling much of it to be lost to evaporation.

The greater sage grouse needs the sage brush to survive  in the winter it is its only available food source.

Over the last few months, the agencies worked with private landowners and initiated their own restoration efforts, with the Forest Service bringing on local contractors Giles Construction to unleash the bull hogging  or mastication machine  on dense stands of pinyon-juniper.

Restoration of the greater sage grouse in Sheeprocks involves more than just man-handling the trees, of course. Another effort that includes Utahs state wildlife agency and Utah State University successfully relocated 40 sage grouse to the Sheeprocks management area this spring from northern Utah, with researchers and biologists planning to track some of the birds movements with VHF radio-collars or GPS backpacks.

Nathan Schwebach, spokesman for the states natural resources department, said the often public controversies over land management gives the impression that state government and federal agencies are always at each others throats.

While he admits there are often tough conversations, he said it is initiatives like the one being carried out at Sheeprocks that demonstrates the results of successful collaboration.

The tour was followed up with a day-long workshop in Salt Lake City hosted by the Bureau of Land Management and being held throughout the West in states with sage grouse populations.

The mood was testy at times  the U.S. Department of Interiors deputy assistant secretary Jim Lyons got an earful from frustrated county and state officials  but he said the goal was to hear concerns and issues early on before the federal agency implements sage grouse management plans.

Lyons said he understands the local frustration, which is part of what is driving the workshops being held around the West.

Our goal is to make sure that any guidance we provide is flexible enough to deal with local conditions.
BURLEY  Four former patients are suing a Burley plastic surgeon in federal court, saying he injected them with counterfeit Botox and gave them counterfeit breast implants.

Dr. Temp Pattersons cosmetic surgery business, Magic Valley Laser Cosmetics, is now shuttered, according to its website.

Patterson secretly swapped out genuine Botox injections and breast implants for counterfeit items manufactured in China without their knowledge or consent, Dr. Richard Hearn with the Idaho Falls law firm of Hearn and Wood, said Friday in a statement.

The women all felt betrayed and hope Pattersons other patients will take appropriate action, said Hearn, who represents plaintiffs Suzette Baker of Hazelton, Camille Adams of Albion, Donjua Moseley of Heyburn and Jenali Graham of Rupert.

Due to Dr. Pattersons busy schedule with his ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) practice, he will be closing Magic Valley Laser Cosmetics and no longer offer cosmetic services, a notice on the business home page says.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, alleges fraud, medical malpractice, battery, breach of fiduciary duty and violations of the Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act.

The RICO violation alleges Patterson was part of an enterprise engaged in the distribution and sale of Chinese manufactured, non-FDA-approved Botox and implants.

Three of the plaintiffs had breast augmentation performed by Patterson and are having the implants removed, the statement said.

Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done about the counterfeit Botox that was injected into some of these women, Hearn said.

Patterson received his medical degree from University of Utah School of Medicine and has been in practice since 1996, according to the Idaho Board of Medicine. His medical license expires in June 2018.

A phone call to Pattersons office was answered Friday by a machine, which gave his business hours. The only address listed for Patterson is for his cosmetic surgery business at 1338 Hiland Ave. in Burley.
This appeared in the Idaho Press Tribune:

You have to appreciate Idaho Department of Correction Director Kevin Kempf. If ever there was a job that demanded its holder to be a realist, its this one, and Kempf couldnt be a better fit.

The states justice system has seen a return of many of its inmates from out of state. The reason for that is simple: more of the ones who have been incarcerated here, particularly for non-violent drug and property offenses, have been released. That has opened up beds for 173 inmates that had been sent out of state so they can return here.

Looking at the issue from a strict cost-to-taxpayers perspective, its a positive. Housing inmates isnt cheap  close to $50 per day per inmate. Thats the cost to incarcerate them in Idaho.

Sending them to other states can, and usually does, cost even more. So from a strictly financial point of view, it saves the state money. In our case, Idaho inmates were being housed in Colorado, and IDOC staff were required to travel there a few times per month, staying there for two or three days each time, to ensure the contract was being upheld.

On a national level, finding ways to reduce the incarceration rate has been a debate that has heated up, especially as our national debt continues to close in on $20 trillion. The United States has just 5 percent of the worlds population, yet its home to 25 percent of the worlds prison population. About half of those behind bars are there for drug offenses, leading those of a more Libertarian stripe to call for lesser penalties for more minor drug offenses.

But that point of view hasnt played itself out in Idahos lockups. Our state had the eighth-highest incarceration rate in the nation despite its relative low overall crime rate, and adults sentenced to prison for nonviolent crimes in Idaho were serving twice as much time as adults sentenced to prison for nonviolent crimes in other states.

So the Legislature passed the Justice Reinvestment Act unanimously with the expectation of lowering incarceration rates to the tune of $288 million in savings over five years.

So the good news is were lowering our lockup costs. But heres where Kempfs realism comes in  were putting offenders back on the streets sooner, and drug and property offenders have the highest rates of recidivism. Those released for more violent, serious crimes, as as general rule, tend to be more compliant with the terms of their parole.

So your celebration of the cost savings to taxpayers could be tempered rather significantly if one of these people goes on a car window-smashing spree in your neighborhood.

Another reform of the legislation was to reform penalties for parole violations. This has decreased parole violators being housed at the prison but has increased the caseload for probation and parole officers. There is also concern about removing discretion from the parole commission based on the circumstances of each case.

As Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue and Canyon County commissioners continue to debate the need for a proposed expansion to the county jail, the debate over who should be locked up will continue. Some say the county doesnt need more jail space because it incarcerates too many nonviolent offenders. Others have said limited beds have required officers to play catch-and-release with dangerous criminals because theres nowhere to house them. Calls for more treatment programs and alternative sentencing programs for drug offenders always seem to increase whenever anyone suggests building a new jail.

Based on how the previous three attempts at gaining voter support for that new jail have gone, its safe to say many in Canyon County are glad to see the reforms that are reducing the number of Idaho prisoners. But they should also realize that those statistics translate to more offenders with high recidivism rates out there on the streets.
The UN Security Council on Thursday lifted a 12-year-old arms embargo, travel and financial sanctions against Cote dIvoire, citing the countrys remarkable progress towards lasting peace, stability and economic prosperity.

The embargo was imposed in 2004 after the 2002-2003 civil war in the west-African nation.

The country fell into turmoil again in 2011 when incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down after losing an election to now President Alassane Ouattara.

The Thursday resolution, passed unanimously, welcomes an ongoing dialogue among all Ivorian political parties and the improvement of the human rights situation.

It is the continued positive evolution of the situation in Cote dIvoire, which has enabled the UN to enter the final stage of peacekeeping, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement on Thursday.

The mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission was renewed for a final period until June 2017, according to the statement.

The UN deployed peacekeepers in 2004 to take over from a regional African force that monitored a cease-fire agreement between rebels in the north of the country and government troops in the south.

There are currently some 6,900 UN troops and police in Cote dIvoire.
South Sudans President Salva Kiir on Thursday named a new cabinet including former rebels and members of the opposition in a boost for a peace deal aimed at ending more than two years of conflict.

I, President Salva Kiir do hereby issue this  decree for the appointment of ministers of the transitional government of national unity  effect from April 28, a statement read on the state television and radio said.

A third of the ministers in the new 30-member national unity cabinet were members of the SPLM-IO party led by Kiirs long-term rival Riek Machar.

The ex-rebels took the prominent portfolios of petroleum and mining as well as the interior ministry. Kiirs supporters hold the finance and defense ministries.

Riek Machar returned earlier this week to the capital, Juba, to take the post of vice-president in the new unity government.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed, and more than two millions displaced from a country that only came into existence in July 2011, when it gained independence from Sudan.

Machar fled Juba in December 2013 after he had been accused of trying to organize a coup.
South Africas High Court on Friday ruled that a decision to drop 783 corruption charges against President Jacob Zuma should be reviewed.

The hundreds of charges against Zuma, which include fraud and racketeering, were dropped in April 2009. The decision allowed Zuma to run for president the same month.

The courts decision at the time was based on phone intercepts presented by Zumas legal team that suggested the timing of the charges in late 2007 may have been part of a political plot against him.

The case, brought by the opposition Democratic Alliance, opens the way for prosecutors to reinstate the charges against president Zuma.

It was not immediately clear whether Zuma would appeal Fridays court ruling but the ruling adds pressure on him, knowing that he is facing calls for his resignation even from within inside the ruling African National Congress since a damning constitutional court judgment against him last month.

The court has ruled that President Jacob Zuma failed to uphold the constitution when he ignored a state order to repay some of the government funds used in an upgrade of his private residence, including a swimming pool and amphitheater
New research at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2016 Meeting suggests that to predictand possibly preventsevere asthma attacks in a community, physicians can look for clues in social media.

For the study, "The Twitter Asthma Pulse: Using Real-Time Twitter Data to Prospectively Predict Asthma Emergency Department Visits or Hospital Admissions in a Population," researchers collected tweets posted between October 2013 and June 2014 and narrowed them down to the 3,810 that mentioned asthma attacks and that originated in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. During the same time period, incidences of asthma-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations across the region area were recorded.

When the number of asthma-related tweets increased in a given week, the researchers found, the number of asthma emergency department visits or hospitalizations increased proportionally during the following week.

"If the number of asthma-related tweets increased by 20 in a given week, for example, we would expect asthma-related emergency department visits or hospitalizations to increase by 12 in the following week," said lead researcher Yolande Mfondoum Pengetnze, MD, medical director at Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation (PCCI), a non-profit research and development corporation in Dallas. "This is an important finding that can change the way health departments and other healthcare stakeholders monitor asthma activity in a community."

Currently, Dr. Pengetnze said, asthma activity in a community is usually measured after emergency department visits or hospitalizations already have occurred.

"By using real-time Twitter activity," she said, "health departments could actually anticipate asthma ED visits or hospitalizations in the following days and possibly intervene before some of them occur. For instance, a notification might be sent by the health department when there is an increase in asthma-related tweets in the community, giving people with asthma a heads-up to take necessary precautions, like avoiding exposure to asthma triggers or being more assiduous in taking their asthma medications." In turn, she said, this could help prevent some asthma flare-ups, improve people's health and decrease the number of asthma-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations.

"We live in the era of Big Data," said study co-author Sudha Ram, PhD, referring to increasingly immense sets of information that lends itself well to analysis revealing patterns of human behavior. "Our research is innovative and unique because it harnesses the power of Big Data from social media and other sources to address the problem of anticipating emergency department visits for a chronic condition, in this case asthma, in close to real-time conditions. We believe this work paves the way to address signal extraction and prediction for other chronic conditions and goes beyond current work that mostly looks at infectious conditions."

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Depression symptoms that steadily increase in older adults are more strongly linked to dementia than any other types of depression, and may indicate the early stages of the disease, according to the first ever long-term study to examine the link between dementia and the course of depression, published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal.

Symptoms of depression are common in people with dementia, but previous studies have often looked at single episodes of depression, failing to take into account how depression develops over time. The course of depression varies greatly between individuals - some might experience depressive symptoms only transiently, followed by full remission, others might have remitting and relapsing depression, and some might be chronically depressed. Different courses of depression may reflect different underlying causes, and might be linked to different risks of dementia.

The study included 3325 adults aged 55 and over, who all had symptoms of depression but no symptoms of dementia at the start of the study. The data was gathered from the Rotterdam Study, a population-based cohort study of various diseases in the Netherlands which allowed the authors to track depressive symptoms over 11 years and the risk of dementia for a subsequent 10 years.

Using the Center for Epidemiology Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression (HADS-D), the authors identified five different trajectories of depressive symptoms - low depression symptoms (2441 participants); initially high symptoms that decreased (369); low starting scores that increased then remitted (170); initially low symptoms that increased (255); and constantly high symptoms (90).

Of the 3325 participants, 434 developed dementia, including 348 cases of Alzheimer's disease. Among the group with low symptoms of depression, 10% (226/2174) developed dementia. The researchers used this as the benchmark against which to compare other trajectories of depression - the study did not compare the risk of dementia following depression with the risk of dementia for adults in the general population (without depression).

Only the group whose symptoms of depression increased over time was at an increased risk of dementia- 22% of people (55/255) in this group developed dementia (table 2). This risk was particularly pronounced after the first 3 years (table 5). Individuals with remitting symptoms of depression were not at an increased risk of dementia compared to individuals with low depressive symptoms. The authors say that this suggests that having severe symptoms of depression at one point in time does not necessarily have any lasting influence on the risk of dementia.

The authors say their findings support the hypothesis that increasing symptoms of depression in older age could potentially represent an early stage of dementia. They also say that the findings support previous suggestions that dementia and some forms of depression may be symptoms of a common cause. They say that at the molecular levels, the biological mechanisms of depression and neurodegenerative diseases overlap considerably including the loss of ability to create new neurons, increased cell death and immune system dysregulation.

According to Dr M Arfan Ikram, Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands, "Depressive symptoms that gradually increase over time appear to better predict dementia later in life than other trajectories of depressive symptoms such as high and remitting, in this study. There are a number of potential explanations, including that depression and dementia may both be symptoms of a common underlying cause, or that increasing depressive symptoms are on the starting end of a dementia continuum in older adults. More research is needed to examine this association, and to investigate the potential to use ongoing assessments of depressive symptoms to identify older adults at increased risk of dementia."

Writing in a linked Comment, Dr Simone Reppermund from the Department of Developmental Disability and Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, says: "In conclusion, several factors can contribute to the development of both depression and dementia. The questions are if, and how, the presence of depression modifies the risk for dementia. The study by Mirza and colleagues provides an answer to the first question: depression, especially steadily increasing depressive symptoms, seems to increase the risk for dementia. However, the question of how the presence of depressive symptoms modifies the risk of dementia still remains. More studies of depression trajectories over a long period, with inclusion of biological measures, are necessary to understand the link between depression and dementia, in particular the underlying mechanisms. A focus on lifestyle factors such as physical activity and social networks, and biological risk factors such as vascular disease, neuroinflammation, high concentrations of stress hormones, and neuropathological changes, might bring new treatment and prevention strategies a step closer."

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The vast majority of small children riding in taxis are not restrained in car safety seats, according to new research, even though there are tens of thousands of motor vehicle collisions involving taxis, limousines and car services each year.

With automobile accidents a leading cause of death among children in the United States, all 50 U.S. states require young children to be in car safety seats when travelling in a motor vehicle. However, in many municipalities taxis are exempt from these safety regulations.

Researchers will present the abstracts, "Underuse of Proper Child Restraints in Taxis: Are Weak Laws Putting Children in Danger?" and "Availability of Car Seats Offered by Taxi Companies in Urban U.S. Cities" at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2016 Meeting in Baltimore on May 1 and May 2 to shed light on how this legal exemption affects whether children are properly restrained while riding in taxis.

Stationed at 11 busy New York metropolitan area locations including airports, train stations, shopping malls and tourist locations, researchers looked for taxis loading or unloading passengers that included small childreninfants, toddlers and children whose height did not exceed the height of the side view mirror. They observed 69 taxis picking up or dropping off passengers that included a total of 116 children and found that only 11 percent of small children were properly restrained. Almost all of these were infants in infant carriers.

The researchers also called 97 taxi companies in the New York area, and 39 percent reported car safety seat availability. Of those offering safety seats, 18 percent of the companies said the seats were limited in quantity or required a reservation, and 8 percent stated that there would be an extra fee to use one. Reasons given for not providing child safety seats included health code restrictions and allergy and hygiene concerns.

"Given that there were more than 40,000 motor vehicle collisions involving taxis, limousines, and car services in 2015 alone, exemptions to car seat laws put unrestrained children at risk," said Sarah Koffsky, a student at West Islip High School in Long Island who served as the principal investigator in the study through a summer internship at the Cohen Children's Medical Center, Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. "Although it may be easier when travelling with young children to not have to worry about car seats, convenience should not factor into decisions regarding child safety," she said.

The study authors stressed that motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of death among children in the United States, with statistics showing that 70 percent increased risk of death or injury for 7 to 8 year olds not properly restrained. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants and toddlers be secured in rear-facing child safety seats and that children continue to be secured by car safety seats or belt-positioning booster seats until they reach the height of 4'9".

Changes in law or policy to mandate use of car safety seats in taxis are necessary to ensure that all children travelling in motor vehicles are protected, the authors said. "Given that car safety seats have been shown to significantly decrease the risk of death or injury from motor vehicle collisions, there should be no exemptions in car seat safety laws for taxi services. When it comes to child safety, even one preventable injury calls for a change in policy," said senior investigator Ruth Milanaik, DO.

Study coordinator Tammy Pham said increased competition among types of transportation may present opportunities to increase passenger safety. "As the face of transportation changes," she said, "we hope that responsible companies will step up to provide safe travel options for families with small children."

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A modified surgical technique may provide a simpler approach to the surgical treatment for one type of chronic headache, according to an "Ideas and Innovations" paper in the May issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Using an incision originally designed for another purpose, surgeons can gain direct access to the nerves involved in some types of chronic temporal headache, according to the report by ASPS Member Surgeon Dr. Ziv M. Peled of Peled Plastic Surgery, San Francisco. He hopes his new technique will "lower the bar to adoption" of effective surgical treatment for patients with this debilitating headache condition.

Efficient Approach to Surgery for Chronic Temporal Headache

In recent years, surgery has emerged as an effective treatment option for selected patients with chronic, severe headaches. Developed by plastic surgeons who noticed that some migraine patients had fewer headaches after cosmetic forehead-lift, these procedures address "trigger sites" linked to certain headache patterns.

Severe temporal headaches can result from muscle spasms or enlarged blood vessels putting pressure on specific nerves located on the side of the headspecifically, the zygomaticotemporal branch of the trigeminal nerve (ZTBTN) and sometimes the auriculotemporal nerve (ATN). During these operative procedures, surgeons seek to relieve pressure on these nerves or to disconnect the nerves in order to prevent them from triggering future headaches.

The technique is a new use of an approach that many surgeons are already familiar with: the Gillies incision, used for surgical repair of cheekbone fractures. Dr. Peled found that this short incision, placed in the temple behind the hairline, provides direct access to the ZTBTN and ATN. He describes his initial experience with the new approach in 19 patients.

All patients had chronic temporal headaches that did not improve with medications. They also had a positive result on preoperative testingeither injection of botulinum toxin (Botox) to temporarily block muscle activity, or local anesthetics to temporarily block the involved nerve. Before and after surgery, headache symptoms were assessed using a standard score, the Migraine Headache Index (MHI).

As in previous studies, surgery provided significant relief from chronic temporal headaches. Average MHI score decreased from about 132 points before surgery to 52 points afterward. Of the 19 patients, 16 had at least a 50 percent reduction in headache symptoms.

It's unclear why the three remaining patients didn't have good improvement, although Dr. Peled notes that two of the three had had temporal headaches for decades before surgery. None of the patients experienced complications, and there was little or no visible scarring.

The experience supports a growing body of research showing good outcomes with surgery for chronic temporal headaches. Most recently, a study in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery reported similar results whether the nerve is decompressed or disconnected. However, previous studies have used technically more complex approaches to access the ZTBTN.

The simplified approach using the Gillies incision combines the advantages of other approaches to chronic temporal headache surgery while minimizing the disadvantages, Dr. Peled believes. He comments, "This is a straightforward technique and effective procedure that may make it easier for plastic surgeons to adopt and offer surgical options for patients with this debilitating condition."

More information: Ziv M. Peled. A Novel Surgical Approach to Chronic Temporal Headaches, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (2016). Journal information: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Ziv M. Peled. A Novel Surgical Approach to Chronic Temporal Headaches,(2016). DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000002051
It is the most powerful job in state government most people cant name.

Floridas insurance commissioner has the unfettered ability to affect the cost of living in the state. From the property insurance policy of every homeowner, to the workers compensation plans of every employer, to millions of automobile, life insurance, medical malpractice and health care claims, the insurance commissioner has the final say on how much those rates will rise, and how much they fall  if at all.

The 262-person Office of Insurance Regulation touches nearly every aspect of life in Florida, from birth to death. It acts as the states financial sleuth, deciding if every one of those companies is financially sound enough to take on new customers, and when they are troubled enough to be shut down.

And with the stroke of a pen  and within the confines of the policies written by the Florida Legislature  the commissioner has the final say on which losses customers will pay  and which ones insurance companies must reimburse.

For the last 13 years, the job has been held by Kevin McCarty, a 27-year state bureaucrat, lawyer and graduate of the University of Florida, who steered Floridas complex insurance market past so many obstacles he has become one of the most recognized experts in managing catastrophe in the country.

On Tuesday, McCarty, 57, will officially retire from the agency, to be replaced by David Altmaier, 34, McCartys deputy commissioner for Property Casualty Insurance. But for the last four months, the two Cabinet officials who by law must agree on McCartys successor  Gov. Rick Scott and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater  were locked in an unprecedented feud over whose candidate will replace him.

The standoff underscored the political potency of the job, which not only impacts peoples pocketbooks but is a crucial cog in the states economic engine. More here.
@MichaelAuslen

Interim state Surgeon General Celeste Philip on Friday responded to a letter from 11 members of Congress demanding an explanation of how Florida changed its count of new HIV cases.

The members of Congress, which include Republicans and Democrats from across the state, wrote to Gov. Rick Scott earlier this week asking about why the Florida Department of Health revised the number of new infections reported in 2014 from 6,147 to 4,613.

That 25-percent change was much larger than adjustments made in recent years, a Tampa Bay Times analysis found. It was made as the state faced criticism for a spike in HIV cases, particularly in South Florida, which led the nation for new infections.

Philip directed the members of Congress to the HIV Data Center, a website launched Thursday that explains the basics of a process known as "de-duplication." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she wrote, comb through data reported from every state and try to identify possible duplicate cases, but the states are ultimately responsible for ensuring their case numbers are accurate.

She also said she is "happy to sit down and more closely explore the data with you at any time."

However, Philip did not provide details requested by the members of Congress about how the Department of Health's process for removing duplicate cases has changed, or specifics about how each infection was reclassified or removed.

The Times has been asking for this information since March and has not received an answer either.

A spike in reported HIV cases was among the reasons Surgeon General John Armstrong was not confirmed by the Florida Senate earlier this year. In the aftermath of Times reporting on the state's revised data, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, called for a federal investigation.
The life and legacy of the apostle Thomas were a shimmer of myth and fact that sent Tom Bissell across oceans and down alleys; he scribbled notes with a high fever and cried with dysentery and diarrhea in a church bathroom on a mountaintop in India.

In researching his new book, Apostle, Bissell, a writer of wanderlust and obsessed curiosity, spent years hunting the supposed tombs of disciples who for centuries have been gauzed in ecclesiastical mist, including Thomas the doubter, whose bones and relics have been scattered from Rome to Kerala, India.

Apostle is a ride-along through unanswerable questions about 12 imperfect men who set out in the first century to spread the word of Jesus Christ. The book is a trip into faith, history and skepticism. The story glows with enchanting asides and stitches together how Jesus life and meaning were edited and refined through the ages from contradictory accounts and incongruous translations.

What Christianity promises, I do not understand, Bissell writes. What its god could possibly want, I have never been able to imagine, not even when I was a Christian.

Apostle was a fitting undertaking for a fallen altar boy, beleaguered Peace Corps volunteer, adventure journalist and writer whose short fiction delights in the mishaps of expat Americans navigating foreign lands. When discussing the book the other day, Bissell, veering from biblical legends to primal urges, smiled like a man who had overheard an indiscreet whisper.

He settled back, quoted Longfellow and Monty Python, and sipped a beer outside his Nichols Canyon home. It was, appropriately or not, Good Friday. Black birds circled treetops, the skeleton of an unfinished house shone below and drawings by his soon-to-be-2-year-old daughter bloomed in pastel smudges on the porch. The air was cool, dusk not far off.

***

Apostle started as a critique of what Bissell regarded as nonsensical beliefs predicated on apocryphal yarns that included talking animals and necrophilia. Early Christian stories written before the New Testament, he said, were the first fan fiction. Deciding, however, that ridicule might not make a good thesis, Bissell amassed thousands of pages of text and visited nine countries in a study that blends travelogue with a vivid mosaic of emperors, evangelists and schisms that bent the course of history.

The book is about not only Christian storytelling but storytelling in general and the meaning we arrive at through characters we create and then send hurtling through time whether theyre fiction characters in a novel or Christian characters of legend, said Bissell, who has written for the New Yorker and other magazines. The weirdness of Christianity felt like an important thing to communicate.

The genesis of Apostle began when Bissell was a high school junior writing a report on Jesus that led to his realization that a true understanding of God seemed impossible. He left the Catholic Church, but Christianity continued to resonate. In his 20s he toyed with a doomed novel about the apostle John; later he found wonder in religious archaeological sites even as Christianitys central tenant remained as insubstantial as a dream.

What Christianity promises is eternal life. That I get, he said. But you get there through a very winding, complicated path, and to me the path is so complicated and so winding that the eventual destination of eternal life seems pretty dubious.  Its like a gift shop at the end of a really interesting museum experience.

One could sense a pastor wincing at the metaphor. A few coils of gray in his beard, Bissell, 42, could be a stand-in for an apostle at a community theater production of the Passion. He writes and speaks with fierce honesty and is fascinated by the crooked road and unknotting lifes inconsistencies, an inclination that can lead to splendid and scary places. Like the disciples he chronicled, he has endured troubles, including a cocaine addiction that fueled video-game bingeing.

Video games and cocaine feed on my impulsiveness, reinforce my solitude and make me feel good and bad in equal measure, he wrote in his 2010 book, Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. The crucial difference is that I believe in what video games want to give me, while the bequest of cocaine is one I loathe.

A bird cawed and soared on a wind current; small feet pattered across the floor behind the window.

I havent done drugs in five years, he said. I just stopped at a certain point. I realized it was always the same story over and over again. He was living in Portland when his cocaine guy came to tell him that he was moving away but would provide the name of another dealer. I stopped him. I said, Hey, you know what? Dont give me that number. 

Bissell has remained devoted to video games. Much of his income these days is derived from scripts he spins out for Gears of War and other franchises. They take me out of myself, he said, noting the miraculous conspiring of technology, programmers, designers and composers to create layered worlds of frenetic imagery that afford repose.

After elaborating on whether a script should call for bringing down a helicopter by a missile or colliding it with crane, he admitted that its not the work that I hope Im judged by when I go to literary heaven.

***

Bissell is a writer of magpie instincts, a man seeking enlightenment amid strangers in distant geographies. His entourage of translators, drivers, a monk, an archaeologist and assorted pilgrims are, like the apostles, colloquial and universal, restless and oblivious souls that are at once amusing and profound. His short-story collection God Lives in St. Petersburg and Other Stories is a map of such characters, and his memoir, The Father of All Things: A Marine, His Son and the Legacy of Vietnam is a study of personal sacrifice and national transgression.

Apostle follows the vein of how a contentious religious past resounds in the present. Bissell examines Johns legend in Turkey, traverses Kyrgyzstan looking for the ruins of an Armenian monastery devoted to Matthew and walks 500 miles across Spain where he writes with a degree of skepticism that James tomb was rediscovered in the ninth century. In Israel, Bissell looks for the place where Judas committed suicide after betraying Jesus, wondering why an omniscient God would turn the apostle into a pawn who would endure endless scorn.

The book recounts early Christian debates over the divinity of Jesus and the concept of the Holy Trinity. It clamors with voices and agendas; the discarding of some gospels and the inclusion of others until the Church  like a good Netflix series  had distilled its narrative. Bissell is enamored with Paul, an apostle but not one of the original 12, whose eloquent preaching and letters set the churchs painful evolution away from its Jewish roots to a Gentile Christianity.

Paul had inexplicable confidence, he said.

One of the great mysteries of early Christianity is Pauls ability to virtually look the original followers of Jesus in the eye and say wrong. And not only that but to win the argument.

***

As dusk crept closer to his back porch and shadows reached deeper into the canyon, Bissells summation of the gospel writers had the ring of a book critic: Mark is pretty much an idiot.  Matthew was a much more capable storyteller.  Luke knew how the Greco-Roman world worked. Hes the only proper gentleman scholar of the gospel writers.  John seems to have come from another planet altogether. His is the purest writers gospel  its also the most symbolic.

But what writer wouldnt forsake all he owned to have his work read 2,000 years after his death? All about a sandaled preacher who roamed hillsides, performed miracles, was arrested, beaten and crucified, and ascended into heaven. Bissell questions the truth and veracity of most of it but, with his daughter forming words inside and quiet falling over the treetops, he concedes it is a pretty story.

Take Jesus out of the compelling matrix of the narrative and hes just another rabble-rousing, wanna-be prophet, he said. Theres something to be said for the power of the gospel writers and how they fashioned something that ignited their world.
Tyler Brumfield peered into the machine to see the laser at work.

"It's kind of fun to watch," he said.

When the red light had traced the lines he'd directed, Brumfield opened the machine and pulled out the slip of cardboard.

The laser had burnt a fine line around the material, but it hadn't gone far enough.

"I've got to bump up the power on the laser so it will cut through," said Brumfield, a sculptor and graduate student at the University of Montana School of Art.

***

The teacup Nahtanha Voss created started out as a warm thin smear of plastic.

Voss, an undergraduate student, is working on a sculpture about memory that will include some 17 or so teacups, and she's making them on a 3D printer.

"I can't throw pots. The last time I tried throwing, I threw my back out," Voss said.

As of last week, she'd created about eight different cups, light pieces that began out of a corn-based plastic rolled into a rope around spool.

The 3D printer warmed the spool, and a nozzle laid the material in a pattern on a plate with instructions for dimensions that Voss had sent from a computer.

In the room, scraps of plastic were scattered like confetti on a table, and a team of bright yellow octopuses rested on one side not far away from a tortilla burned with an image reminiscent of the Pieta.

Inside the bowels of the laser cutter, red and yellowish lights flashed, and a humming sound came from one of the 3D printers.

The room is called the Fab-Lab, a fabrication laboratory on campus that puts equipment and machinery more traditionally used by manufacturers and scientists into the hands of artists.

The art students resist them some  and then they have their way with the various tools. This semester, they "hacked" a vinyl cutter so it used a ballpoint pen or crayon instead of a cutter, for instance.

The first Fab-Lab opened at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology decades ago, said Brad Allen, director of the UM School of Art. In 2009, he went to a conference and saw that artists' use of manufacturing equipment wasn't a fad but a direction, and he decided UM would invest in it.

Like the student art gallery, the lab is front and center at the entrance to the Fine Arts Building, having been built in the past two or three years.

"The message that sends is that new techniques in manufacturing and in imaging aren't relegated to the sciences, but can also be implemented and expanded in art," Allen said.

***

Allen first saw a fab-lab at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine, and when he saw the laser cutter in action, he said the whole idea made sense.

At UM, the seed for the lab sprouted in the sculpture room with an old 3D printer. Little by little, the idea grew, and a couple years ago, the School of Art took the opportunity to create the actual Fab-Lab inside the Fine Arts Building, Allen said.

The lab was designed with a philosophy of access in mind, he said.

First, it doesn't function in isolation, as some art labs do elsewhere. Rather, he said, it's designed as a hub that works in tandem with other areas of the School of Art.

Secondly, the equipment is open to all artists, not just students who have special permission, a limitation he's seen elsewhere. The AGL Foundation, a donor from Whitefish, has financially supported the lab from its inception.

"Our idea as a group was to make it accessible in every sense of the word," said Allen, who credited others with building the lab including associate professor of photography Matthew Hamon.

The lab contains computers as well as the laser cutter, vinyl cutter, a row of 3D printers, large paper printers, and the camera for an XBox360 (yes, used to make art).

All in all, the room holds some $50,000 worth of equipment, "not a staggering number when you compare it to a science lab," Allen said.

Last weekend, it served as host to nearly 300 high school students.

Daily during the week, it's open to students, with Voss as a guide to ensure people can not only operate the equipment, but can stretch with it in making art.

"I think we're in that stage right now where as a unit, as a school, we're trying to figure out what this technology means, art historically, and at the same time, we're trying to figure out how to use it to make art as part of a process," Allen said.

***

The first steps in the dance between the traditional artist and the manufacturing equipment can be hesitant ones.

Brumfield, from Oregon, said he's accustomed to making sculptures with his hands, and he likes that process.

"Relinquishing that control to a robot is a little tricky," he said.

At the same time, he sees the value, and he's interested in the intersection between sculpture and graphic design. Brumfield makes pieces out of cardboard sheets glued together, sandwiched with counter top material, and bound by bolts.

If he weren't using the laser cutter, he would have to hand cut 45 to 50 different pieces of cardboard using an X-Acto knife. It took him just four tries to dial in the laser cutter, and from there, it would punch out the exact piece he needed every single time.

Someone with arthritis can create art with the equipment that he wouldn't be able to make with bare hands, Brumfield said. Also, he said, the School of Art can print work that's created elsewhere and send to a computer in Missoula.

"So you can have an exhibition of someone else's work without having to ship it, which is pretty amazing," Brumfield said.

In the U.S., he said, the landscape inspires many artists, who use natural materials as media.

"Making the jump to using these kinds of materials is weird. It's a little uncomfortable," he said.

At the same time, Brumfield suspects it's the future: "I think there's value in trying to use new technologies because it's probably the direction the world is headed."

***

Nationally, schools are beginning to see fabrication labs as viable means of art production, Allen said, but UM remains unique in the state and fairly unusual in the region.

Going forward, he envisions an interesting relationship developing with people in the Media Arts program as both schools mature into the technology. Always, he'd like technology to remain in the background, the art to stay at the fore, and the students to remain inquisitive.

"Our students are amazing, and part of what makes them, I think, uniquely good at the creative process is constantly questioning their environment, relationships, contexts  and, certainly, technology falls into that," Allen said.

Voss, who speaks as easily about calibrating printer temperatures and speeds as she does about the concepts behind her teacup sculpture, sees and shares the opportunities.

Last weekend, she helped the high school students use the XBox camera to take scans of their own bodies and then send them to the 3D printers.

"They loved it," Voss said. "Definitely quite a few high school kids ... were pretty thrilled they got to take a sculpture of themselves home."
EAST MISSOULA  Gov. Steve Bullock emptied a trash bin on the banks of the Clark Fork River  and everyone nearby tried not to gag.

Bullock joined hundreds of volunteers Saturday morning for the 13th annual Clark Fork Coalition river cleanup. He threw on some waders and an Anaconda Disposal Service hat and hopped in one of six boats that put in at the Sha-Ron fishing access site and trolled the river, stopping at several access points to pick up trash.

The annual cleanup is one of the biggest  if not the biggest  volunteer events in Missoula. About 900 people turn out every year to comb the rivers banks, pulling on average 5 tons of trash. This years event took on special meaning since its also the 30th anniversary of the Clark Fork Coalition.

"We're trying to take care of a resource right here in town," said Clark Fork Coalition board member Tim Flynn, who also runs Anaconda Disposal Service. "It's a complete different deal than I'm used to. I'm used to the wild rivers out where nobody lives, basically: the Big Hole River, the Yellowstone River. They don't flow through cities of 60,000 people.

"You see the (Clark Fork) river every day, you can touch the river every day. I think that's a big part of it, to be honest with you."

***

While the community still came out in droves for Saturdays event, near the end of the float, organizers had decided on a change. Next year, they said, the cleanup will happen in the fall. The river will be lower, coalition members said theyll have a better shot at recruiting University of Montana students, and theyll have more to clean up after a summer of floating and river fun.

Its more than just about the ecosystem, its about the health of the state of Montana, Bullock told a crowd of volunteers beforehand in Caras Park. You know that our public lands, keeping them in public hands, makes it so that we can enjoy this. Its more than just about the critters, its also about our economy.

Its bigger than a single river or one day of volunteering, he said. Clean air and clean water help boost tourism and the economy. And Montana is one of the top volunteering states in the country, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service. It ranks No. 7, with about 38 percent of the states adult population volunteering. That, of course, doesnt take into account the hordes of Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and local students who helped out Saturday. Volunteerism is part of our DNA as Montanans, Bullock said.

"There's the tangible: I've got a sack full of trash, Flynn said of why this event draws so many volunteers. That's something you can feel, something you can touch, something you can say, 'Hey, I contributed because of this bag of garbage I picked up or this 20 bags of garbage or whatever.' "

***

Clark Fork Coalition executive director Karen Knudsen addressed the smaller crowd of volunteers at Sha-Ron before the boats began their journey, thanking them for their service. There also was a celebration: Saturday was Clark Fork Coalition board president Beth Brennans birthday, so Knudsen lit a candle in a cupcake as the group sang (though after Bullocks stinky trash find, the cupcake was left untouched in the boat).

Bullock asked for help as he started trying to empty the trash can. Flynn and the others rushed over, but their faces were full of regret. The stench was overwhelming  the trash had been sitting in the can, open, with rain pouring down on it for months. They double-bagged it, and essentially played a game of hot potato trying to put it in anyones boat but their own. It eventually wound up in Bullocks boat with Flynn and Brennan.

Its always where theres access that theres trash, Flynn said as he scanned the banks. When you give people access, this is what happens. I guess thats why were here today.

The boats stopped at access points along the river, pulling everything from a deflated intertube to beer cans to a pair of flip-flops (Bullock grabbed one but as his boat was pulling away he spotted the other  so they turned back to get it).

Flynn and the governor marveled at the beauty of the river and the mountains towering above it.

This was a highly polluted watershed, Bullock said of the past hazardous waste in the Clark Fork River, "until the removal of the Milltown Dam, which ultimately made this river go back to its natural state. But by the end of it the state, through the Natural Resource Damage Program, will have invested over $500 million into the restoration of the basin.

Flynn had to let the governor out early at Easy Street  Bullock had to strip the waders and run to an American Association of University Women event  then jumped right back in his boat. It was painful for him to have to rush the last leg to make sure the governor wasnt late.

Theres a milk jug! he said, reluctantly floating by. Oh, theres another one up there.
The American Association of University Women's Missoula branch honored Gov. Steve Bullock and University of Montana President Royce Engstrom on Saturday.

Bullock received the Gender Equity Award and Engstrom received the Combating Sexual Assault award  two efforts that have risen to the top of AAUW's priority list.

Montana women earned 67 percent of men's median earnings in 2013, according to the state of Montana's Equal Pay for Equal Work Task Force. Bullock established the task force in 2013. This gender pay gap puts Montana in 37th place in the U.S.

"We've taken some concrete steps in introducing wage negotiation trainings, job services, doing pay audits in the public sector and also proposing some legislation  some that passed, some that didn't," Bullock said. "It's one of these, from my perspective, both as a governor and as a father, things that is unacceptable that for the same work, this pay disparity still exists."

This award comes days before the state's third annual Equal Pay Summit at Montana State University in Bozeman.

"Awareness, transparency and education are a big chunk of this," he said. "Part of it fundamentally is ... employers should be asking, 'Are there pay disparities?' And certainly employees, this is where the mindshift is from the negotiation perspective, being willing to make sure to ask to get paid."

Sexual assault, particularly sexual assault on college campuses, continues to be at the forefront of the national discussion  and University of Montana in particular has been in the hot seat.

State Rep. Ellie Hill said Engstrom was being honored for his "leadership in sexual assault prevention."

"What it really means to me is to have this kind of recognition for the people at the university who have put in so much effort and work ... in these last several years to address this very serious issue of sexual assault on college campuses  on our campus in particular," Engstrom said.

"I think now we have most of the things in place that we need: the educational and prevention programs, the policies and procedures to help address sexual assault cases when they arise, the systems to care for survivors of sexual assault and the legal understanding of what our responsibilities are and how we interact with the federal government. I think mostly now, it's a matter of implementing all of those pieces to the best of our ability."
A proposal laying out a series of steps the city and county should take to reduce jail overcrowding was presented to a Missoula City Council committee during its meeting Wednesday.

Missoula County Sheriff T.J. McDermott commissioned the Jail Diversion Master Plan last spring, shortly after coming into office, to try to find solutions to chronic jail overcrowding. State Sen. Cynthia Wolken drafted the proposal.

Wolken laid out a series of recommendations from the plan during a meeting of the City Councils administration and finance committee, saying the goal behind the proposal is to divert nonviolent offenders from the Missoula County Detention Facility.

In 2015, Wolken said 83 percent of the 4,223 booked into jail were there for nonviolent offenses. More than a third of the nonviolent offenders arrested last year could not pay their bail amounts and stayed in jail throughout their court case, Wolken said.

Between 2007 and 2016, total bookings decreased 8.8 percent, but the length of stay increased 53.8 percent, she said. The jail is not crowded because more people are being arrested. It is crowded because people are staying longer.

The master plan also found that 35 percent of the nonviolent bookings from last year were people who were under the influence of drugs or alcohol, 9 percent were homeless and 16 percent had mental health needs.

Wolken also noted that of the people booked into jail last year, 20 percent were Native Americans, despite the Census Bureau recording the countys Native American population at less than 3 percent.

***

If approved by the City Council and county commissioners, the master plan would act as a guiding document to develop specific law and programs, similar to Missoula's Downtown Master Plan.

Among the proposed recommendations in the report is that the city and county partner with Providence St. Patrick Hospital and the Western Montana Mental Health Center to put together a plan to fund and build a facility with detox beds for low-income individuals.

It also asks for the city and county to partner with local hospitals to fund initiatives from the citys 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness, including paying for a drop-in center and more permanent housing options. Wolkens report cites around $4.5 million in uncompensated treatment costs for the local homeless population by local hospitals each year.

The diversion plan also called for warrants for misdemeanor and nonviolent offenses to be executed only during normal court hours, when the suspect could be brought directly to a judge instead of being taken to jail first.

The master plan calls for all people arrested to be screened to determine their risk level and recommend conditions of their release. It also asks the city and county to develop electronic monitoring or home arrests as an option for low- and moderate-risk offenders.

On a more statewide level, the report urged the city and county to support and lobby for legislation to eliminate all mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent crimes.

***

Following Wolkens presentation to the committee, several members of the public came to the microphone to provide their comments on the proposal. Among them were Jana Staton from Partners for Reintegration, who said taking the steps listed in the plan would help to stop what she termed the churning of the system, in which offenders end up in jail multiple times.

Probation and parole officer Landee Holloway said without appropriate services like those specified in the plan, incarceration alone does nothing for nonviolent offenders.

To prevent people from getting into the system makes a lot more sense, she said.

Municipal Court Judge Kathleen Jenks, who said that while she supported a majority of the plan, had several concerns about some of the details. In particular, she cautioned the City Council to consult its attorney regarding potential breaches of the separation of powers she felt the plan alluded to, saying it opened the door to potential litigation.

You cant force any of this on the judges, Jenks said, adding the city and county were not able to tell judges how to set bails, issue warrants or how to sentence people.

Jenks said for the master plan to work, all of the judges in Missoula would need to be on board with the mission.

Give me the options and I will use them, Jenks said.

Public comment about the jail diversion proposal can be sent to jaildiversion@co.missoula.mt.us.

Councilwoman Emily Bentley, who had referred the master plan to the committee, said they expect to accept public input for two to three weeks before seeking approval from the council. However, she said she thinks the county commissioners should approve the recommendations before the City Council takes them up for further discussion.
The University of Montana hired Thomas Crady to be its new vice president for enrollment and student affairs. Crady will succeed Teresa Branch, who is retiring in June after 13 years with UM.

According to an announcement issued Friday afternoon, Crady is the vice president for enrollment management at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, where he has been since 2010.

We conducted a rigorous national search, and Dr. Crady offered the right combination of outstanding experience in both enrollment management and student affairs management, UM President Royce Engstrom wrote in the statement. I am excited to add him to our team.

The vice president's position will oversee enrollment management, including developing strategies for recruiting and retaining students, as well as overseeing UM's Division of Student Affairs, which includes operations like Residence Life, UM Dining, Campus Recreation and the Curry Health Center. Crady also will manage departments that provide special services to Native American and veteran students, as well as those with disabilities.

Before working at Gustavus Adolphus College, Crady was the dean of the college at Dartmouth College for a year. He previously held several positions at Grinnell College in Iowa, where he started working in 1982.

Im honored to work for such a fine university, Crady said in the statement announcing his hiring. I was very impressed with the dedicated faculty, staff and students I met with during my time on campus. The university is well positioned to continue to attract dedicated and talented students from Montana and beyond, and Im thrilled about position and opportunities it offers.
ST. IGNATIUS  If you think there is drama in this years presidential elections, you ought to see whats going on in these parts.

A joint board that oversees three irrigation districts has voted to cancel Tuesday elections for three contested board seats.

Lake County says the board has no legal reason or authority to cancel the election, and that all ballots received by Tuesdays 8 p.m. deadline will be counted and the results certified by its elections office.

The Flathead Joint Board of Control, in response, has vowed to ignore the election results and continue doing business as if no election had occurred.

Lawsuits, presumably, could follow.

***

At issue are 754 ballots the board maintains the county intentionally withheld from voters in the mail-in election, when another 2,392 ballots were mailed out to qualified electors.

But the county says the board ignored its advice in February on how to make sure those out-of-state landowners and corporations had the opportunity to designate qualified proxy voters.

Board member Jerry Laskody, who is up for re-election and voted to cancel the election, calls the situation an outrage.

County officials  need to be held accountable for this egregious malfeasance, Laskody wrote in letters to editors of several local newspapers.

In a letter to FJBC executive manager Johanna Clark, Lake County Attorney Steve Eschenbacher fired back: (I)f you and the board spent half the energy on making sure everyone was compliant instead of trying to cancel the election, there would not be a problem.

***

The controversy has its roots in the proposed Confederated Salish and Kootenai Water Compact that some irrigators oppose, and some support.

In pre-compact days, Eschenbacher says Irrigation district elections were sleepy affairs without much controversy.

For the past few years, however, the proposed compact has pitted neighbor against neighbor and made those district elections extremely important, in Eschenbachers words.

(W)e at Lake County (both the County Attorneys Office and the Elections Office) agree completely, Eschenbacher wrote in his own letters to editors.

However, it is Lake Countys responsibility to administer the election for the Flathead Joint Board of Control within the laws of the State of Montana, he continued. Unfortunately, in the past there were elections that may not have been in accordance with the law. As a result, we have taken steps to bring the elections into compliance for the first time ever.

***

State laws that appear to conflict led to the problem, which former Lake County Deputy Attorney Mark Russell identified last year.

One says to vote in a Montana election, a person must be a resident of the state of Montana.

Another says holders of title or evidence of title to irrigable lands with the district  are entitled to vote in irrigation district elections.

What to do about landowners who reside in other states? Eschenbacher said the solution was found in a third law, which allows a landowner to designate a proxy who is a qualified elector to vote the landowners shares.

Although there was some discussion about which form to use to do so, one was eventually agreed to and Eschenbacher told Clark he would even take a delegation of authority on a cocktail napkin so long as it identifies who the owner is, who the designated elector to vote is, and it is notarized.

Since Feb. 29, there has been plenty of time to notify everyone that the notarized statement was necessary, and the majority has complied, Eschenbacher wrote to Clark. Unfortunately, a small minority of 754 did not comply. I can only assume that they did not receive instructions from you and your agency.

More than 100 of them have since contacted the Lake County Elections Office and remedied the problem, according to Eschenbacher.

***

Attorneys for the joint board say Lake County is at fault for not mailing the 754 ballots when the other 2,392 went out, and lacks the authority to override the joint boards decision to cancel the election.

Undeniably, the irrigation elections are the districts elections  not Lake Countys, Kristin Omvig of Rocky Mountain Law Partners in Kalispell wrote to Eschenbacher earlier this week. As a result of Lake Countys unilateral decision to not mail out ballots and its subsequent actions, this election has been compromised and is fraught with incurable legal violations.

Omvig cites state law that says all ballots in such an election must be mailed on the same day.

Eschenbacher says the election office mailed ballots to every eligible voter on the same day, and did not mail them to anyone who needed to designate a proxy, but had not.

To use an analogy, it would be the same as sending absentee ballots to people who were not registered to vote, Eschenbacher said.

However, as in a general election, if a voter in the district was to bring us a notarized form saying they had the authority to vote we would immediately give them their ballot and record their vote, the county attorney added. We will continue to do so until 8 p.m. on the 3rd of May when the election closes.

Because all voters deemed eligible did have their ballots mailed on the same day, Eschenbacher said, there has been no violation of the law, and there is no reason to cancel the election.

In fact, to cancel the election would be itself illegal, he said. Theyve seized on this idea that all ballots were not mailed out at the same time. But all that could be were.

***

Although the bulk of the irrigators are in Lake County, the three irrigation districts spill over into parts of Sanders, Flathead and Missoula counties, whose county attorneys are now receiving copies of some the correspondence flying back and forth between the two sides.

The joint board of control is made up of elected representatives from the Flathead, Mission and Jocko Valley irrigation districts.

Only one person filed for the Jocko opening, and that person was declared elected by acclimation.

The other two districts have contests.

In the largest district, Flathead, four candidates are seeking two seats  incumbents Wayne Blevins and Shane Orien, and challengers David Lake and Janette Rosoman. In the Mission District Laskody is being challenged by Ray Swenson.

If the county moves forward with the election against the wishes of the joint board, which voted 9-2 to cancel it, the FJBC will not honor any corresponding election results, Omvig wrote in her letter to Eschenbacher. Rather, the FJBC will maintain the status quo until such time as a valid election may be held.

Laskody has suggested county officials are being manipulated by a proponent of the water compact whose goal is to destabilize the joint board.

Eschenbacher said the countys only concern is administering a scheduled election according to the law.

We dont care who wins, we dont care how people vote, we only care about administering the election and recording the votes, he said.

The county attorney said its not even the countys concern if the joint board ignores the election results.

How the board proceeds is the boards business, Eschenbacher said. Administering the boards elections is our business.
GREAT FALLS (AP)  Police arrested a Great Falls woman on suspicion of felony endangerment in the death of her 10-month-old daughter, who prosecutors say had been exposed to methamphetamine and whose body was found in a "freezing cold" room in January.

Misty Marie Cutburth was arrested Thursday, the Great Falls Tribune reported.

Court documents say the state Division of Child and Family Services received two reports in October 2015 from people concerned about drug use by the mother.

Court records say the girl had been seen by a doctor on Jan. 7 for croup and had been prescribed steroids. She died five days later. The girl was not identified in court records.

An investigation has not been able to determine the girl's cause of death, which complicated the charging process, County Attorney John Parker said.

"We have laws in the state of Montana to establish criminal liability for extreme child neglect, even when there is not medical evidence establishing an exact cause of death," he said.

The investigation began when someone called 911 on Jan. 12 to report that a child was not breathing.

Responding officers found the baby unresponsive in a cold room where the window was wide open. A medical responder couldn't register the girl's skin temperature on a thermometer, court records said.

The girl and her 2-year-old sibling were covered in "white nail polish," court records said. An autopsy determined the girl had eaten earring backs and sunflower seeds. Her hair samples indicated she had been exposed to chronic methamphetamine use in the final weeks of her life.

Cutburth's boyfriend and his brother also were at the apartment. The brother told police that everyone in the home was an addict and that no one pays attention to the children, court records said.

The two men likely won't face criminal charges, Parker said, because a Montana Supreme Court ruling determined that to charge criminal endangerment regarding a child, prosecutors have to establish a duty of care.

"They don't have a legal duty of care," Parker said.

Cutburth was scheduled to make an initial appearance Friday in District Court in Cascade County. Prosecutors said she would be appointed a public defender.

The Division of Child and Family Services did not immediately return an email request for comment on the child's death.
A planned expansion of a horsemanship center in Dillon will include a $2 million arena that will benefit the community  as well as the University of Montana-Western.

The Montana Center for Horsemanship, 2 miles south of Dillon, partners with UMW, most notably for the school's Natural Horsemanship program.

Cost of the improvements comes entirely from donations, said William Kriegel, a native of France and now an American citizen. Kriegel founded the nonprofit center. He is also the face behind La Cense Montana, an 88,000-acre cattle ranch and natural-horsemanship education center.

The Montana Center for Horsemanship boasts an indoor and outdoor arena, three round pens, 84 stalls, and a maintenance barn. But after a two-phase expansion project, the center will add, among other updates, 44 additional pens and a 67,500-square-foot indoor arena, which alone will cost $2 million.

Kriegel said the center's donors are people with a passion for education and natural horsemanship  a form of training based on understanding equine behavior.

And it appears university students are passionate about natural horsemanship, too.

Rainier Butler, the college's public-relations representative, said UMW is the only university in the U.S. to offer a degree in natural horsemanship.

He added that students from across the country come to study in the program and its concentrations in management, psychology, science and instruction.

"It brings a great sense of diversity to the university," he said, adding that there is a waiting list to get into the program.

According to the Center for Horsemanship's website, the university had to turn away students in 2015 because there was not enough space to accommodate them and their animals.

For this reason, Kriegel maintained, the expansion is important for students, the university and the city of Dillon.

"It's a contribution to the town and the community," he said, reflecting on the center's ability to aid in economic development

Kriegel pointed out that the program boasts 120 students, who make up 10 percent of the student body.

Many of these students, he said, come from out of state and spend money to maintain their horses, which means out-of-state dollars are circulating within the community.

Butler also see the center as an asset.

"We wouldn't be able to offer this program without the center," said Butler, describing how students pay for boarding at the center as part of their tuition. "It allows student to keep their horses on site."

As for Kriegel, he says Montana will always be a special place for him because of the people and their values.

"I loved the West," said Kriegel describing what drew him to the area. "I find Montana to be a beautiful state."
Butte woman and homeless man taken into police custody Wednesday are facing forgery, identity theft and drug charges in connection with issuing fraudulent checks and possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell.

At their initial appearances in Butte justice court this week, Amanda Brooke Davis, 31, and Boris Argo Barry, 26, were each charged with felony forgery, misdemeanor theft of identity, felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute, felony use of property subject to criminal forfeiture, and misdemeanor criminal possession of drug paraphernalia.

They are each being held in the county jail on $100,000 bond. Preliminary hearings were slated for May 26.

Butte-Silver Bow County prosecutors allege Davis forged and altered checks using the identity of another individual at Murdochs Ranch and Home Supply, 3939 Harrison Ave., and Butte Copper Company, 2125 Harrison Ave., on April 18, according to the complaint.

Barry allegedly used the identity of a man named in the complaint and forged checks at various businesses in Butte in April.

The drug and criminal forfeiture charges stem from an incident on Wednesday at 122005 Nissler Rd., which is the address of the Motel 6. It is unclear if it occurred at the motel. Barry and Davis were found with meth, glass pipes, scales, scissors and rubber tubes, the complaints state.

Police declined to release details about the case Friday.
Luke Anderson founded UpTop apparel with his brother, Colt Anderson, who was born in Butte and went on to play in the NFL. UpTop currently rents office space and a warehouse in Uptown Butte.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Paul Wilts journey to Muscatine Community College began in a German shipyard and ends this semester after 38 years of industrial technology training for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges.

Wilts will sometimes make an appearance in the student center, but most of his time is spent in the MCC Industrial Technology Center where hes led major change in tech education. Unknown to most students and faculty, Wilts is a very interesting individual full of stories from his experiences as a ship builder, Vietnam veteran, and high school history teacher.

Wilts arrived at MCC in 1978 as a new college graduate to become a welding instructor.

His interest in industrial technology began when he took an apprenticeship that would forever forge a lifetime of memories and experiences.

Wilts was born in Zurich, located in the Ostfriesland province in Germany. It was the shipyards of Emden where he first learned the craft of metalwork and welding. I was 14 years old when I took on an apprenticeship to learn welding in a shipyard.

Wilts gained experience in metal work with real hands-on training in maritime welding.

We worked six days and went to school one day a week. It was not easy. We worked alongside our mentors, a journeyman who taught you, supervised you and expected great work from you. We learned everything from how to lay out a ship, fitting the pieces of a ship, then finally how it all comes together.

Industrial technology has changed a lot in the 38 years since Wilts arrived at MCC. The way students are taught now is a far cry from the rigorous testing we went through.

Welding safety equipment, like electronic self-dimming helmets, did not exist nor did the use of videos in the classroom. Students look at a computer to watch a technique. We had to observe and follow the verbal commands of our mentors.

In order to gain his certification and advance, Wilts says part of my career was a journeyman. In order to become one we had to take architectural, mathematic and practical tests finally to end with an oral test; nothing like what these kids have to do nowadays for a final.

What was really different back then was the oral test. We had to keep a journal and write down aspects of the job we learned over the two-year apprenticeship. Then we would be tested over the journal entries in the oral exam that was nearly 30 minutes long.

Wilts passed his exams and was promoted to journeyman with entry level wages, starting at 60 percent full pay and increased 10 percent every year, so I stayed four years working with other ship builders, before emigrating to the United States.

At the time I was 19 years old and looking for adventure. So I came to the U.S. because my uncle sponsored me.

Wilts moved to a German colony in Gilmore City, Iowa. I did lots of work repairing agricultural equipment with my uncle who was a blacksmith. His uncle was, from the days of past when blacksmiths worked with horses and forged metal.

Back when I was younger we used to shoe horses, but nowadays we dont, he said.

Another challenge? Learning the language. When I arrived in the U.S., there always was a language barrier. I did not know any English, but I learned as time went on because it was everywhere on TV and in books. Even though we lived in a German colony in Iowa, I realized I needed to take English classes.

During the Vietnam War, Wilts was drafted in the Army, but chose to enlist in the Navy. I wanted to put my skills to good use. He served in the Navy 1962 to 1966 as a ship fitter.

After the service, Wilts, like most veterans today, looked into continuing his education. He moved to California, one of two states offering a free GED at the time.

So funny enough I graduated from Alameda High school in Alameda, California. From there Wilts returned to Iowa with his GED in hand and attended the University of Northern Iowa to earn bachelors degree in German and industrial arts.

I wanted to teach German and pass on my knowledge of industrial arts to new generations.

My favorite classes were obviously the welding classes and history. In fact I taught U.S. history for two years at South Tama High School, in Tama, Iowa.

Wilts married in 1967. He met his wife by writing to her as a pen pal for three years, captivated by the letters they would write to each other from Iowa and Germany. When they finally met in Germany and gazed upon each other for the first time, he realized he had found his true love. They married in Germany and returned to the U.S.

He arrived in Muscatine in 1978 because, I was hired as a welding instructor at MCC. And Ive worked for EICC and taught for a total of 38 years, says Wilts.

Since then, the campus has gone through many changes. The MCC Technology center did not exist until 2005, so we use to be located in Larson Hall. Where the TV studio is, that use to be a carpentry shop, and where kids do math in the computer lab, that use to be an automotive shop. Now the driveway to the garage became parking spaces, and the welding lab where I used to teach has become the classrooms of Larson Hall.

In the 1990s, Wilts left the MCC campus to teach displaced workers affected by changes in the industrial tech field. His classroom was in EICCs downtown Davenport building, above the bus station.

Wilts faced large class sizes of nearly 60 students. I couldn't teach in the traditional lecture method so I adapted Hobarts school of welding curriculum.

The curriculum is made up of modules that allow students to go at their own pace. Other teaching tools also changed. We use to show 8mm films on projectors and then moved on to higher quality VHS cassette tapes and now we have DVD.

My teaching methods have evolved, the students never objected and I have always been with them every step of the way.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Spring is here, and while young minds thoughts turn to other endeavors associated with this transitional season, one group of minds is hard at work preparing for the next stage of their transition into the workforce. Coming off of the events of last Marchs Spring Leadership Conference in Des Moines, MCCs local Business Professionals of America chapter is poised to take on the National Conference May 5 in Boston with a full head of steam.

Each year with the formation of a new BPA chapter brings the opportunity not only to hone ones workplace skills in a simulated business environment by way of a classroom setting, it also gives individuals the chance to establish connections and exchange ideas through conferences. Here students are introduced to the concepts of public speaking and business decorum. They are also given lectures on pertinent topics for their entry into the workforce, as well subject matter to aid them in becoming more involved with their community on a local, state, and national level. Finally, and most relevant, conference participants are given the opportunity to compete with one another.

The group included local chapter President Kristine Korenberg, Vice-President Dustin Flake, Treasurer Madison Maurer, and Student Senate Representative Tyler Flake. They excelled at collaborative efforts, taking firstt in the Team Network Design presentation challenge.

"It's a little intimidating knowing I'll be competing with other people across the states, but knowing that they're just like me makes it a little easier," said Maurer.

It will definitely be on a larger scale, thousands of people compared to the hundred at state. I know it will be an amazing experience, Korenberg replied when asked about expectations on the upcoming National Conference.

The attitude of their intent rings out toward one single goal best summarized in Korenberg's own words; To do the best that we possibly can.

Results from state:

Dustin Flake

Network Design Team - 1st Place

Systems Administration Using Cisco  4th Place

Computer Network Technology  4th Place

Information Technology Support Concepts  5th Place

Network Administration using Microsoft  Honorable Mention

Tyler Flake

Network Administration using Microsoft  Honorable Mention

Computer Network Technology  Honorable Mention

Krissy Korenberg

Network Design Team - 1st Place

Systems Administration Using Cisco  3rd Place

Computer Network Technology  3rd Place

Business Meeting Management Concepts  5th Place

Management/Marketing/Human Resources  Honorable Mention

Project Management Concepts  Honorable Mention

Madison Maurer

Network Design Team - 1st Place

Systems Administration Using Cisco - Honorable Mention

Interview Skills  Honorable Mention

Note: Honorable mention means in the top 10.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Writers on the Avenue announced the winners of its poetry contest celebrating National Poetry Month.

The winners are:

In the youth category, Belinda Brain, for her poem The Apple Tree.

In the teen category, Cheyenne Severt, for her poem She didnt eat lunch. First runner-up in the teen category is Rules by Olivia Gwyan. Other runners-up include Paige Taylor for They say Im innocent and Jermee Boima for We must learn to take the bitter with the sweet.

In the adult category, Mary Kay Lane took first prize for her poem Since You Didnt Ask, Ill Tell you About the Pelicans Anyway. The first runner-up is Dan Rohdes Doll Poem and second runner-up is lay down my limbs by Ky Cochran. Bill Telle received an honorable mention for Every Time.

First prize winners will receive a cash prize. Runners-up will receive prizes donated by area businesses including Salvatores Restaurant and Arbys Muscatine.

Writers on the Avenue would like to congratulate the winners and extend a special thanks to all the area poets who entered the contest.
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 []
So many UpValley customers were driving south to Napas Computer Engineering Group for phone and computer repair service that the business owner, Jorge Zetina, decided it was time to expand northward.

Computer Engineering (CE) Group will mark the companys 11-year anniversary on May 6 with grand opening celebration from noon to 2 p.m. at the new St. Helena outlet at 1080C Main St.

The expansion is part of a growth pattern that accelerated over the past year, as the company doubled from seven employees to 14 and added several new services.

Our customers are happy with us, said Zetina, a resident of Napa, where he and his wife Angelica raise their family.

Zetina said the celebration, open to the public, will feature a free barbecue, a 50 percent discount on all in-house repairs at the St. Helena location, and a business card raffle for a chance to win tickets to see the San Francisco Giants. There will also be a live broadcast by Napa Valleys FM radio station, KVYN, the Vine.

The new stores assistant manager, John Shedlock, said opening the St. Helena store is going to reduce customers travel time.

We have a lot of clients from St. Helena who need our service but dont need to be in our Napa shop for two hours, Shedlock said.

Shedlock came to Northern California four years ago to run a cellphone repair business with his brother-in-law. He opened new stores in Santa Rosa, West Covina, San Jose and Fairfield.

A year later, he met Zetina, who hired him as a mobile device technician.

Ive never seen a clientele base so eager to spread the word about our business, said Shedlock. There are few communities as close-knit as Napa and St. Helena, where word gets around, which is why we have been so successful in growing the business.

Jordan Madison, a Napa native and a 2007 graduate of Vintage High School, will be the St. Helena stores lead technician for computer repairs. He worked at Office Depot for nine years before he came to work for Zetina last year.

CE Group has a huge clientele of busy St. Helena residents, said Madison. Arranging computer and phone repairs can be inconvenient and time-consuming. But now theres a good place where they know its going to be done right, and they dont have to drive all the way to Napa.

The crew at CE Group works to repair and restore all types of residential and commercial computers, phone, tablet and mobile devices, offering services including computer and mobile device repair and IT consulting.

Coming from more than 20 years of retail experience, I can honestly say that Computer Engineering Group is hands-down the greatest place for both internal employees and external customers, said Ron Bello, CE Groups regional manager for the Napa and St. Helena offices.

This companys first priority is giving each employee the tools they need to ensure that every customer is completely satisfied. When customers and employees are both happy, it makes for an exceptional experience, said Bello, a former Office Depot manager.

Zetina said the new stores main focus will be customer service for residents of St. Helena.

Following the devastating Lake County fires of 2015, CE Group was called upon to restore files and data from computers burned in the inferno. Customers dropped off their damaged hard drives to CE Group experts, who restored about 75 percent of the data, Zetina said.

The company specializes in IT service for businesses large and small, acting as the internal outsourced IT department for businesses that are too small to afford a full-time IT staff but have full-time needs.

CE Group also makes house calls for residents who are Apple and PC users. The company services and repairs Apple and Windows computers, hardware, software, desktops, laptops, cellphones, tablets, iPods, iPads and Samsung devices. CE Group experts also back up data, install new operating systems, monitor networks, manage web hosting and email, and provide security and anti-virus protection for personal and business users. Zetina warned of a new CryptoLocker bug, which requires computer owners to pay to regain control of their devices.

We can prevent this devastating bug from installing, Zetina said.

CE Groups corporate Napa office can be reached at ce-group.com or 257-9701. The St. Helena office is at 968-5101.
Incumbent Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza remains the champion campaign fundraiser among eight candidates in all three supervisor races after topping the $200,000 mark.

Pedroza is competing in the 4th District race. Ryan Gregory, a civil engineer, leads the 2nd District race with $136,834 and American Canyon City Councilwoman Belia Ramos, who is running unopposed in the 5th District, has raised $60,686.

Candidates had to file their latest campaign financial statement with the county Elections Division by 5 p.m. Thursday. The filing period covers from Jan. 1 through April 24. The Register has combined this years totals with last years totals.

DISTRICT 4

Pedrozas fundraising gives him a huge lead in his 4th District race. He has raised $203,519, Vision 2050 co-founder Diane Shepp $58,305 and local environmentalist Chris Malan $16,597.

The candidates addressed the disparity in recent weeks. Malan said Pedrozas big money lead doesnt worry her.

Ive been able to say everything I need to say, Malan said. I do more with less. He has a lot of money to throw around and talk about anything and everything, and is not focusing on the issues.

Shepp said shes proud of having a grassroots campaign. She noted Pedroza contributors include wine industry parties that have project applications going before the county.

I feel I represent the residents and voters  the people who really live here  not the moneyed interests, she said.

And Pedroza said having various vintners among his contributors doesnt make him beholden to the industry. Part of running a campaign is raising money, he said.

The only connection I have to the wine industry is my father was a farmworker. Thats it. I remain independent in that sense, Pedroza said.

Of the $203,519 Pedroza has raised since Jan. 1, 2015, $194,814 came in cash and $8,705 in non-monetary contributions. After spending, he reports a cash balance of $105,992.

But Pedroza raised only $18,895 of his total during the latest reporting period. His larger contributions this year include $2,500 from the California Real Estate Political Action Committee and $2,000 from Truchard Vineyards.

Shepp raised more money in the latest reporting period with $36,097.

Of her $58,305 raised since Jan. 1, 2015, $53,175 is in cash and $5,130 is in non-monetary contributions. She has a cash balance of $13,548.

Almost all of her contributions were a few hundred dollars to a thousand dollars, though she received $10,000 from Fatih Ozmen, chief executive officer of the Reno-based technology company Sierra Nevada Corp.

Malan raised $16,597, of which $9,001 came in cash, and $7,596 in non-monetary contributions. She has a cash balance of $7,286. Her single biggest contribution was $4,750 from Jane Mead of Atlas Peak Road.

DISTRICT 2

Gregory, incumbent Supervisor Mark Luce, business consultant Derek Anderson and long-time political observer James Hinton are competing for the 2nd District seat.

Gregory reported raising $136,834, of which $116,389 came in cash and $20,445 in non-monetary contributions. He has a cash balance of $79,230.

For the latest filing period, Gregory received contributions of a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars from such wineries as V. Sattui, Monticello Cellars, Reynolds Family Winery and Opus One.

Non-monetary contributions include a hot-air balloon with Gregorys name on it from his father, Steve Gregory. He received more than $4,000 in food and wine from Karen Fontanella of Fontanella Vineyards.

Luce raised $61,682, of which $55,182 came in cash and $6,500 in non-monetary contributions. He has a cash balance of $33,846.

His largest contributions included $2,000 apiece from Napa-based J&D Co. and Yolano Engineers Inc., and $1,000 apiece from the California Real Estate Political Action Committee, Trinchero Family Estates CEO Roger Trinchero and Leslie Rudd of Leslie Rudd Investments.

Anderson raised $13,819, of which $12,639 came last year from himself. He has a cash balance of $7,067.

Hinton has raised $3,510, all cash. He received $2,000 from Fairfield resident Anh Thi Nguyen, who does public relations for ReLeaf Alternative Healing and $600 from Kitchen Door restaurant manager Alexander McCart of Vallejo.

5TH DISTRICT

Though running unopposed, Ramos raised $60,686, of which $58,686 came in cash and $2,000 in non-monetary contributions. She has a cash balance of $41,619.

Her largest contributions for the latest reporting period are $1,000 apiece from the California Real Estate Political Action Committee, Donald Rickard of Napa and Rutherford Grove Winery.
ST. HELENA  New changes to city regulations will make it easier for developers to build multifamily residential projects in some St. Helena neighborhoods.

Builders will no longer need to obtain a use permit to build multifamily projects in St. Helenas High-Density Residential zones or on the seven key housing sites that are specified in the General Plan Housing Element and zoned Medium-Density Residential, according to a new ordinance introduced by the City Council on Tuesday.

Last year, the state Office of Housing and Community Development required the city to make the changes as a condition of approving St. Helenas 2015-2023 housing plan. City Attorney Tom Brown said that plan requires the council to act, and there could be dire consequences if the city fails to meet a May 31 deadline to adopt the new regulations.

Multifamily projects on the affected parcels will no longer require a use permit, but they will still be subject to the citys design review process and to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act.

The state had originally wanted the city to make multifamily development a by-right use in all Medium-Density Residential areas.

City staff were able to negotiate a compromise that would affect only the citys key housing sites, leaving the use permit requirement in place for the rest of the Medium-Density district. The key housing sites are listed on pages 123-125 of the citys Housing Needs Assessment at cityofsthelena.org.

In a further compromise, the state gave the city permission to create a new Low/Medium-Density Residential land-use designation that city staff is proposing as part of the General Plan update. The designation would lower the maximum densities allowed in many of the neighborhoods that are currently zoned Medium-Density.

Staff say the new designation would more closely match the existing densities in those neighborhoods, which are generally far below the maximum of 16 units per acre allowed by the Medium-Density zoning.
Voters in the June 7 primary will decide if Gov. Jerry Brown made the right choice for the 4th District Napa County Board of Supervisors seat.

In November 2014, Brown appointed then-City Councilman Alfredo Pedroza to fill the seat vacated by Bill Dodd, who had just been elected to the state Assembly. That leaves Pedroza as the unelected incumbent.

Long-time local environmentalist Chris Malan and Napa Vision 2050 founding member Diane Shepp are trying to convince voters that they are a better fit. But how do two candidates who stress environmental and land-use concerns avoid splitting the vote and handing Pedroza a victory?

Thats the conundrum, Shepp said. Thats the big question. Hopefully, the voters will go to all of our websites, go to the forums, listen to what the candidates are saying and vote. Theyve got to vote.

Malan portrayed herself as the true environmental candidate and Pedroza alternative, the only one calling for such things as a moratorium on winery growth. She sees Shepp and Pedroza splitting the vote and giving her the chance to win.

Pedroza, for his part, doesnt want to be painted with a broad brush. He said Napa can have a healthy environment and healthy businesses.

For me, my candidacy is more about sustainable growth, its not about being an environmental or being a pro-business candidate, Pedroza said. The lines arent as sharp as people make them out to be.

ALFREDO PEDROZA

Pedroza recently recalled how family trips to Mexico included stories from his parents about their childhoods. They grew up in an environment of scarcity where shower time and even the number of toilet flushes were limited.

I always came home feeling very grateful for the opportunities we have, Pedroza said. Now Im in a position to make it (even) better.

Pedroza is a Napa native and graduate of Vintage High School and Sonoma State University. He worked as a banking manager.

His local political career began in earnest on Dec. 4, 2012 at age 25. Thats when he took the oath of office and became the first Latino member and youngest member ever on the Napa City Council. His appointment to the Board of Supervisors came two years later.

When asked what hed like his signature accomplishment to be if elected, Pedroza took a broader approach. He said he is looking beyond a single issue to the bigger vision, which is the continued enhancement of the local quality of life.

Affordable housing is a part of his vision. RealtyTrac calculates the median price for a house in the county at $545,000, a price requiring average wage earners to spend 84 percent of their incomes to afford.

The premise of working hard and being able to live in Napa is being compromised, Pedroza said.

Napa County must focus on city-centered growth in such places as downtown Napa and American Canyon, he said. And, even though cities control their own growth destinies within their borders, Pedroza sees the county as having a role to play.

For example, the countys Health and Human Services Agency this summer is moving from its complex on Old Sonoma Road in Napa to a new home at the former Dey Laboratories. Pedroza sees the 8.5 acres at Old Sonoma Road as becoming a site for housing.

But that project requires the county and city to work together, since the city will zone the land. Pedroza sees the relationships he built while serving on the Napa City Council as a plus in these situations.

Housing and traffic problems are related, Pedroza said. The county needs to work with the cities, the wine industry and the hospitality industry to solve them, he said.

One traffic-fighting effort involves working with the countys core employers to establish shuttle buses that could travel Highway 29 and Silverado Trail bringing employees to work. They would be similar to the Google buses elsewhere in the Bay Area, Pedroza said.

Thats the future of Napa, Pedroza said.

Hillside vineyard developments in Napa Countys watersheds that require the removal of oak forests have become increasingly controversial. Pedroza noted the county requires erosion control plans and groundwater water sustainability analyses.

If the tools arent working, lets identify the gap and address the gap, Pedroza said.

But he doesnt see an emergency, and disagreed with the perception in some quarters that the wine industry is getting the red carpet for its vineyard approvals. It can take years to win permission to develop on the hillsides, Pedroza said.

Im thinking about neighbors and making sure their wells are not going dry, he added.

Earlier this year, Napa Vision 2050 presented to the county studies showing Napa County has one of the higher cancer rates in the state, including the highest rate for childhood cancer. Pedroza said one person affected by cancer is too much, but the county has to be logical in looking at the facts and variables.

The county Health and Human Services Agency is working with the state to examine the statistics.

The county is not sweeping this under the rug, Pedroza said. The supervisors arent trying to dodge this. Were addressing this.

Pedroza stressed the nuts and bolts of county governance, such as having a balanced budget and the financial stability to provide services. He said he wants to make certain the county can attract and retain talented, innovative employees.

While acknowledging that challenges face the county, Pedroza keeps an upbeat attitude. He sees the county creating jobs and taking on the housing issue. People feel safe living in the county, he said.

Those are all things that are part of the quality of life we all appreciate, Pedroza said. You see people want to raise families here.

DIANE SHEPP

Shepp recalls moving to Soda Canyon from her hometown of Berkeley 32 years ago. She and her husband wanted a more rural lifestyle where they could enjoy such pursuits as flyfishing. She received a surprise those initial nights.

It was so quiet, I couldnt go to sleep, Shepp said.

But in subsequent years, she has seen more wineries and vineyards go in along narrow, dead-end, seven-mile-long Soda Canyon Road. The proposed Mountain Peak winery spurred her to get involved in the public discourse three years ago.

We were concerned about the quality and quiet enjoyment of our neighborhood, as well as the safety on our road,  Shepp said.

That led to her helping to found the group that would become Protect Rural Napa. That group joined with other neighborhood and environmental groups a year ago to form Napa Vision 2050, a coalition that has questioned the countys land-use vision.

Shepp listed several goals shed like to achieve as supervisor that she sees as being related.

One is to make certain the county enforces its rules equally. Wineries out of compliance with their use permits might seek and find forgiveness. Meanwhile, she said, a resident who constructs a building without a building permit faces fines and a red-tagged structure.

Why not have everyone comply with their permits? Shepp said. Just make them comply. Get some penalty fees in there. Once you do that, youll probably get less of this asking for forgiveness thing thats going on.

The county is still formulating a revised winery enforcement approach. The Board of Supervisors favors phasing in strict enforcement in about two years, after working with wineries to clarify sometimes confusing use permit requirements.

Protecting watersheds is critical, Shepp said. She noted that city of Napa Water General Manager Joy Eldredge has expressed concern that hillside vineyard development could affect water quality in the citys Milliken Reservoir.

Napa Countys vision for vineyard development  as well as winery growth  is set forth in its 2008 General Plan.

Its time now to start revisiting that General Plan, Shepp said.

Citizens and the cities have to be involved with the effort, she said. Some formal structure is needed so that the cities and county together can work on a plan for the whole county. What happens in American Canyon or Calistoga affects everyone in the county.

She proposed easing traffic problems by starting a light- rail system that connects Napa Valley with Vallejo. She noted that Napa County a century ago had electric trains that ran up and down the valley.

If they had the technology and ability to do it 100 years ago, I would sure hope we could do it again, Shepp said.

The Board of Supervisors recently declined to raise the minimum wage in the unincorporated county because the state will raise it to $15 per hour in 2022. Shepp wants the Board to raise the local minimum wage to $15 immediately.

A $15 per hour wage, combined with housing programs, could take some of the stress off new families, she said.

Napa Vision 2050 has pressed the county for answers on high local cancer rates. Shepp noted that some neighborhood groups are worried that dust blowing from the Syar quarry might contain silica and other carcinogens.

A Syar environmental report done for the county found no cancer threat from the dust. Neighborhood groups say that the report is flawed.

I would strongly encourage the county to put in some kind of machines that actually monitor the air quality around there, Shepp said.

Shepp considered what Pedroza might be doing wrong and why voters shouldnt return him to office.

I dont feel that the supervisors are really hearing the concerns of local residents, Shepp said.

Going door-to-door for the campaign, shes found a lot of people are angry. They see the county focused on getting more wineries and visitor centers, but dont see the roads being repaired or traffic issues being solved. They are concerned about Napa Countys high cancer rates.

They feel like theyre getting just a lot of lip service, Shepp said.

CHRIS MALAN

Malan said issues she has stressed for years  among them protecting local watersheds from deforestation  are growing in resonance.

She said things have changed since she received 10 percent of the vote in the 2000 Board of Supervisors election. High Napa County cancer rates, climate change and the importance of clean, local water supplies amid the drought have been in the news.

We cant change the world, but we can change where we live, Malan said. We can change the county.

The Atlas Peak resident who has worked as a Napa County mental health professional for 35 years is ready to be an agent of change. One place shed start is with winery growth.

Napa Countys winery data base lists 483 wineries. The countys pending application list contains 22 major modification requests for existing wineries and 29 applications for new wineries. Some residents, including Malan, have expressed concern that wine country could drown in its own success.

Malan is calling for a moratorium on new wineries until the county can formulate a winery growth management plan.

The population is very frustrated and angry about the growth in the county thats changing neighborhoods and sucking water dry out of the aquifer, Malan said.

What a growth management law might look like would emerge from community discussions, Malan said. The county needs to look at the trajectory of winery growth and link that to its resources.

Theres a carrying capacity here, Malan said. Thats what we have to figure out.

The Board of Supervisors briefly considered a moratorium a year ago, but didnt pursue it. A county staff report said a moratorium could hurt the tourist industry by signaling that the countys problems are so bad that public health, safety or welfare require an immediate halt to development.

Napa Countys groundwater studies show stable levels in most places on the Napa Valley floor, with some exceptions. But Malan doesnt think the county is using the best possible data. For example, she said the county needs a baseline year before groundwater declines started.

Theyre not telling the truth about whats happening with the aquifer, Malan said.

She criticized the county for not moving ahead with forming a groundwater sustainability agency for the Napa Valley aquifer. Napa County instead wants to tell the state that it already has a successful groundwater management program and should be allowed to opt out.

I am disgusted with the smoke and mirrors and lack of transparency on a major issue facing our community going forward, Malan said.

Malan, like the other candidates, expressed concerns about Napa Countys high cancer rates. She doesnt want to wait until causes are pinpointed  something that may never happen  before taking what she calls common-sense steps.

One step would be reducing pesticides and other chemicals in farming and having more organic farms, Malan said. She said the county can build on its 150 organic farms, despite obstacles.

So we have the big corporations coming and theyre doing high volume and less sensitive projects, Malan said. They live out of state, theyre just making money  theyre not going to be encouraged to go organic.

But family farmers raising children and grandchildren here want to take care of the environment, she said.

On the traffic front, she talked of working with the cities and other counties on mass transit. She suggested having smaller, more luxurious vehicles with a greater variation in where they could go.

And I would say fun, Malan said. Lets make it fun so people get out of their cars and get into some kind of transit.

Many of Malans proposed solutions to Napa Countys challenges veer from the path being charted by the Board of Supervisors, such as her proposed winery growth moratorium. That raises the possibility that Malan, if elected, would simply be on the losing end of 4-1 votes.

I can make motions and they can be denied, Malan said. I can make another motion and it can be denied. But theres people in the audience now who come regularly to the Board of Supervisors and theyre going to be heard.

She said two supervisors  she wouldnt name names  would help her carry on a conversation on key issues. And she said future elections could steer the Board of Supervisors in different directions.

Im not in this alone, Malan said.
There are important elections coming up that impact our Napa County towns. In the past, we have enjoyed the security of having local people fill our political needs. This election year is different. In the state Assembly race, all the candidates are from Yolo County. Quite a change for us.

I am supporting Don Saylor, a Davis resident, for state Assembly. He has a depth of experience way beyond those of any of his opponents and, I believe, is the best person to represent us in the Legislature. He has held a steady stream of elective offices beginning with the Davis School Board on to the City Council of Davis, becoming mayor and then was elected Yolo County Supervisor. During that term, he was appointed chairman of the Sacramento Area of Council of Governments.

I mention these achievements because they show his dedication to public service, which I believe is important in anyone seeking public office.

Don recognizes the needs of our county, and has spent countless hours here listening to the people and giving important information and innovative ideas on how to make Napa County more effective and efficient.

As our Assemblyman, he would give attention to the expressions voiced by our community leaders. Like all public servants, he has a list of things that are of great interest to him. His non-exhaustive list includes public education, universal health overage, support of working families, agricultural economy, the environment and transportation.

To find out more about him, you can view his website DonSaylor.org. Please join me in supporting Don Saylor for state Assembly.

Joan Bennett

American Canyon

Editor's note: This letter has been modified to correct the city of residence of the author.
The New England Conservatory Youth Jazz Orchestra conducted by, features the music ofandin a free concert at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11 at NECs Jordan Hall, 290 Huntington Avenue, Boston. The NEC Youth Jazz Orchestra is comprised of extraordinary middle and high school students from across the region. For more information, log on to NEC Youth Jazz or call 617-585-1260.The program for the evening includes Giuffres Four Brothers, River Chant, Palo Alto, The Sad Truth, and Cry Want. Works of Williams to be performed are Scratchin in the Gravel (truth), Walkin and Swingin, Shafi, Scorpio, and Lonely Moments.The NEC Youth Jazz Orchestra includes bassist Aidan Dwyer of Lexington; drummer Noah Klavens, saxophonist Abigail Miller, and trombonist Harrison Miller of Newton; guitarist Isabel Tonelli- Sippel of Whitinsville; saxophonist Peter Goldberg, trumpeter Samuel Atallah, and trombonist Michael Sabin of Needham; saxophonist Lauren Galante of Marshfield Hills; saxophonist Samuel Schachter of Westborough; saxophonist Joseph Borsellino of Dedham; trombonist Peter Duke and trumpeter Liam Hines of Milton; trombonist Connor Lofdahl of Carlisle; trumpeter Hyun Shin of Southborough; and trumpeter Jason Altshuler of Brookline.Clarinetist, saxophonist, arranger, and composer Jimmy Giuffre was born in Texas in 1921 and enjoyed a long career as a performer, playing with artists including Dexter Gordon, Howard Rumsey, and Steve Swallow. His compositional output was influenced by jazz masters as well as contemporary classical composers such as Schoenberg, Debussy, and Stockhausen.African-American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer Mary Lou Williams was born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs in 1910 Atlanta. She was a child prodigy and a prolific writer and arranger, working for bandleaders including Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, and mentoring artists like Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis.YJO conductor Bob Nieske has worked with Jimmy Giuffre, the Either/Orchestra, George Russell, and Stephane Grappelli. As bassist, composer, and bandleader, his projects include a suite for his jazz trio, and the Lydian String Quartet, documented on his critically acclaimed CD Simplicity.Founded in 2008, the YJO is the only community jazz orchestra of its kind in the Boston area, open by audition to all musicians high school age or younger. The ensemble strives to give young musicians opportunities to learn and perform together in an environment of high expectations and standards.NECs Jazz Studies Department was the first fully accredited jazz studies program at a music conservatory. The brainchild of Gunther Schuller, who moved quickly to incorporate jazz into the curriculum when he became President of the Conservatory in 1967, the Jazz Studies faculty has included six MacArthur genius" grant recipients (three currently teaching) and four NEA Jazz Masters, and alumni that reads like a whos who of jazz. Now in its 44th year, the program has spawned numerous Grammy winning composers and performers. As Mike West writes in JazzTimes: NECs jazz studies department is among the most acclaimed and successful in the world; so says the roster of visionary artists that have comprised both its faculty and alumni. The program currently has 114 students; 67 undergraduate and 47 graduate students from 12 countries.
3, including one foreigner, arrested after illegal weapons, ammunition found in Armenia town house

Milliyet: Turkey has tightened control over the Bosphorus Strait due to mines in the Black Sea

Northern France hit by tornado

Armenia FM to head for Vatican on official visit

Police detains opposition activists in Azerbaijan

Armenia, Azerbaijan deputy PMs to meet in Brussels in first week of November

Why are PC sales falling and when should we expect market to recover?

Azerbaijani Defense Minister goes on working visit to Turkey

Artsakh ombudsman shows Azerbaijan destruction of Armenian cultural heritage

Azerbaijan president to travel to Georgia on working visit

Macron: Ukrainian conflict should not make us forget about Armenia, Syria, Iraq and other wars

Man, 38, dies after being hit by car in Armenia

Foreign cyclist, 38, dies in Armenia road accident

Marukyan: Why are you so nervous about expected international presence in Armenia if you aren't planning new aggression?

Cheap Xiaomi 12T Pro outperforms Apple and Samsung flagships in Genshin Impact

Driver dies in hospital 25 days after Armenia road accident

231 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia past one week

Komsomolskaya Pravda: PM Pashinyan is handing over Karabakh in order to take Armenia to the West

Yerevan State Medical University rector: Birth rate is 1.656 in Armenia, 1.86 in Azerbaijan, 1.75 in Georgia

Vedomosti daily: Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia leaders to hold face-to-face talks

Kanye West says he will love Kim Kardashian 'for life'

Russia to evade G7 plan to cap oil prices, export 90% of its oil?

Polls in private chats, avatars and speeding up audio messages: New WhatsApp features

Russia military forces announce reason for fighter jet crash in Yeysk

OSCE fact-finding mission visits Armenias Syunik Province (PHOTOS)

US dollar may be closer to peak than markets think

Mbappe to get 630M from PSG in 3 years?

La Liga: Barca win big

Serie A: Napoli beat Roma, are current leaders

Syunik governor in Frances Vienne, sister city of Armenias Goris, discusses implemented projects, future cooperation

Climate protesters throw mashed potatoes at Monet painting in Germany museum

There is chance for peace in Ukraine, Macron says

Serie A: Lazio beat Atalanta, climb to 3rd place

US, Russia defense chiefs discuss Ukraine situation for 2nd time in last few days

Salman Rushdie becomes partially blind after New York attack in August

Premier League: Tottenham lose to Newcastle

Armenias Arsen Harutyunyan wins world title 2nd time

La Liga: Atletico beat Betis, are 3rd

Turkey plans to set up 2 more military bases in northern Syria

Germany wants to use Israel UAVs to protect its key infrastructures

Bundesliga: Union Berlin lose to penultimate team but are still current leaders

UK defense secretary holds phone talk with Russia counterpart

US to attempt set Russia oil price cap above $60 per barrel?

Premier League: Arsenal play draw with Southampton

Russia, Turkey defense ministers confer about Ukraine situation

Armenia official: Terms for buying, building houses for those displaced from Artsakh have improved

Saudi Arabia forum set to draw American business leaders despite existing tensions

Barca to part ways with 4 captains

Iran plans to increase natural gas exports to Turkey

Iran army ground forces holding exercise in West Azarbaijan Province

Sovereignty renunciation to be punished in Armenia with 12-15 years of imprisonment, as per justice ministry draft

2 pilots killed in Russia fighter jet crash

Russia, France defense ministers discuss Ukraine

How AI offers dating based on a person's preferences: Igor Khalatyan talks about his project

Kanye West hires Johnny Depp's attorney to save his business

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150 residents of 3 Karabakh settlements handed over to Azerbaijan get compensation certificates

Rishi Sunak confirms UK premier bid

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Elite US troops conducting exercises on Ukraine border

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Xi Jinping elected Communist Party of China Central Committee general secretary

Haaland: Special game ahead

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Mkhitaryan: I had no energy left in final 15 minutes but I wanted to keep going to fight to the end

5 anonymous games you might be interested in

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Hungary to approve by years end Sweden, Finland petitions to join NATO

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Alexis Ohanian: We will never stop thriving, it will be a daily reminder that you failed

La Liga: Real beat Sevilla

Serie A: Mkhitaryan goal in extended time brings win to Inter

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Finnish delegation to visit Ankara to discuss NATO membership

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Social media giants are likely to oppose Turkey's new law

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Lithuanian President Nauseda is named most popular politician in country

Charles III will embark on longest tour of world in history of royal family

Deputy Director of Institute of Oriental Studies of RAS: Baku's goal is that Karabakh has no Armenian population

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Russia and Turkey begin to develop gas hub project
A black American, Gary Tyler, was released on Friday from the Louisiana prison where he had been held for 41 years on a sentence which later was acknowledged as unconstitutional, reported Reuters referring to the statement of 57 -year-old Gary Tyler and his family.

In 1974, Tyler was sentenced to death for the murder of 13 -year-old white boy Thomas Weber . The black teenager with his friends was passing on the bus by a band of schoolchildren , including Weber , when a shot roared . During a search of the bus the police discovered a gun. The police , based on the testimony of the white guys only arrested Tyler , accusing him of crime that applies a capital punishment. It was a jury made of white jurors only who was hearing the case, and who unanimously found the African American guilty.

In 1976, the sentence was replaced by the life imprisonment penalty. In the same year Louisiana and other states of the US abolished the death penalty. The witnesses later abandoned their testimonies enabling the authorities reduce the terms of the imprisonment three times . Finally, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard the case of 1974 and acknowledged the verdict of the jury as unconstitutional. The Court found that 16 -year-old teenager was unjustifiably judged as an adult and , moreover, the court did not adhere to the principle of presumption of innocence.

Tyler was deprived of a possibility to apply for a retrial of the case. He was held in a solitary cell for eight years, then he was transferred to  regular cell. Justice has triumphed only now, thanks to the abolition of life imprisonment in Louisiana (without the right to the amnesty) for juvenile offenders. It allowed to hold the second session on Friday, where Tyler pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 21 years in prison. Since he spent twice as much, he was immediately released from the custody, writes TASS.
YEREVAN.  Against the backdrop of the recent unprecedented events at the border, it is extremely important to pay special attention to the readiness of the staff, technical support and arms of the troops, and correct operation of military equipment.

The Minister of Defense of Armenia, Seyran Ohanyan, noted the aforementioned at Saturdays meeting of the defense ministers board.

The Ministry of Defense informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that the meeting was devoted to the organization of weapons and military equipment operation within the Armenian armed forces, and the preparations for the use and technical support of the troops.

Ohanyan underscored the continuity of the plans toward the replenishment of arms and military equipment.

The minister noted that the arsenal of the Armenian armed forces is ready and able to carry out its tasks. He added that this was proved during the events that occurred in early April at the Karabakh-Azerbaijan zone of contact.

Also, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan gave several instructions to those in charge of the respective domain.
The Karabakh conflict is not a territorial dispute, it is a matter of the right of Nagorno-Karabakh people for self-determination, Karabakh Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan said in an interview with Wiener Zeitung.

Mirzoyan emphasized that Azerbaijan sees only military solution to the conflict.

It is a country that is not seeking cooperation despite international efforts, he said, adding that Azerbaijan is presenting a wrong perception that the conflict as a dispute lies between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Asked whether Karabakh is likely to join Armenia after it is recognized as an independent state, Mirzoyan emphasized that Karabakh is historically and culturally part of Armenia .

We are independent, but we still consider ourselves as a part of Armenia, the Minister said, adding that the democratic people of Karabakh will decide on their future.

At the same time Mirzoyan called on Europe to be more active, since Karabakh is a part of the continent. Nagorno-Karabakhs only weapon is democracy, he said, adding that unlike Azerbaijan, Karabakh is moving forward.

Speaking about Turkeys support for Azerbaijan, the Karabakh Foreign Minister said Baku receives weapons from Turkey, but added that the speculations about a hybrid war between world powers diverts attention from the party responsible for the aggression.

Violence comes from Aliyev and his regime, he added.
STEPANAKERT.  The Foreign Ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh issued a statement comparing events that happened 25 years ago with the ongoing developments.

On April 30, 1991, 25 years ago, the operation "Ring" began with a massive shelling of Getashen and Martunashen, which became a prelude to the subsequent full-scale military aggression of Azerbaijan against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. During the operation, the Armenian villages were at first surrounded by the interior forces of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Soviet Army. And afterwards, the Azerbaijani OMON and militia entered those villages under the pretext of passport checks, but in fact for murder, robbery, terror against the Armenian population, followed by deportation, the statement reads.

The operation "Ring" became the continuation of a series of Armenian pogroms and ethnic cleansing in Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad and other settlements of Azerbaijan, as well as in the villages of Northern Artsakh in 1988-1991, which were intended to strangle at its birth the national liberation struggle of the Armenians of Artsakh and deprive them of their homeland. The Azerbaijani authorities did not conceal that they considered the operation "Ring" as the beginning of a large-scale deportation of all Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh.

As a result of the operation, during which tanks, combat helicopters and artillery were used, more than two dozen villages of Northern Artsakh and Shahumyan, Hadrut and Shushi regions were completely devastated and destroyed. Almost 10 thousand people were deported, more than 100 killed and several hundred taken hostage. The fate of many of them still remains unknown.

25 years later, on the night of April 2, 2016, the Azerbaijani authorities unleashed yet another aggression against the NKR, which as in 1991, was accompanied by numerous violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes committed against the civilians and soldiers of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, including targeted shelling of peaceful settlements, killings of civilians, as well as the mutilation and ill-treatment of the dead bodies.

However, both in 1991, and now all the attempts of the Azerbaijani authorities to intimidate and break the people of Artsakh, to suppress their strive for freedom and, eventually, to deprive them of their homeland, resulted in a complete failure.

Azerbaijan's criminal behavior only strengthens the determination of the people of Artsakh to build and develop their independent and free state as the guarantor of its security and peaceful existence. Acknowledgment by the international community of this fact, and, as a result of it, the international recognition of the NKR will put an end to the ongoing attempts of Azerbaijan to destroy Artsakh and eliminate its people, and ensure peace and security in the region.
00:15

Actress Kangana Ranaut on Saturday gave her statement to police in connection with an FIR filed by superstar Hrithik Roshan that an online impostor has been sending e-mails under his guise to his fans, a police official

said.

Cyber Crime Branch officials reached Kangana's residence in western suburbs, where the actress and her sister Rangoli gave their statements, the official said.

Their statements were recorded as witnesses in the impostor case filed by Hrithik. However, police refused to divulge any further details about their statements.

The FIR stated that a fake email-ID has been created and an impostor has been operating it under Hrithik's guise and misleading many of his fans, including Kangana.

Hrithik's lawyer had earlier claimed that since Kangana had not recorded her statement to assist in the probe, the proceedings in the legal battle between the two were stalled.

The two actors have been at loggerheads since the "Queen" star had hinted at Hrithik being her 'silly ex'.

The feud between Hrithik and his "Krrish 3" co-star turned nasty after they slapped legal notices on each other.

Hrithik, who was the first to send the legal notice to Kangana, has demanded that she apologise in a press conference and clear the air about their alleged affair which he firmly refutes.

A defiant Kangana, 28, had said she was not a "dim-witted" teenager and refused to apologise. She instead shot off a counter-notice to Hrithik warning him to take back his notice or face a criminal case.
The West Texas Intermediate for June delivery on Friday fell 11 cents to settle at $45.92 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for June delivery decreased 1 cent to close at $48.13 a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange, Xinhua news agency reported.

US oil surged about 20 percent in April, the largest monthly gain in a year, helped by a weaker US dollar and reduced US crude output. Traders were looking for excuses to lock in profit after recent solid gains.

The rising oil production from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members also weighed on investor sentiment. A Bloomberg survey showed that the OPEC boosted output by 484,000 barrels to 33,217 million a day in April.

Meanwhile, the active US rigs count of this week fell by 11 to 332, continuing losses into a sixth week, oilfield services company Baker Hughes said on Friday.

--IANS pgh/

( 173 Words)

2016-04-30-03:36:06 (IANS)
President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday invited New Zealand investors and entrepreneurs to participate in the "Make in India" initiative. "New Zealand has made tremendous progress in dairy development, food processing, communications and information technology, clean energy and water, disaster management, biotechnology, healthcare and services, to mention a few," Mukherjee said in his speech during a banquet hosted in his honour by New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae after his arrival here from Papua New Guinea earlier in the day. "We would very much like to enhance our bilateral co-operation in these areas, learn from the successful experience and practices of New Zealand and collaborate with you in creating new and innovative products and technology," he said. Stating that India looked forward to new partnerships with New Zealand in areas of common interest, he said: "We invite investors and entrepreneurs from New Zealand to join Indian counterparts in the 'Make in India' initiative of my government." Mukherjee said that bilateral relations between India and New Zealand gained a new momentum since the visit of New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to India in June, 2011. "In 2013, our bilateral trade crossed $1 billion," he said. "However, given the relative size of our economies and the wide convergence of interests in many areas, we both agree that the present level of trade and investment needs to be vigorously advanced in order to realise its substantial potential." The president sought India's cooperation in reforming the UN Security Council (UNSC) and said that India stood ready to shoulder greater responsibilities in the international arena. "In the United Nations Security Council, New Zealand has addressed issues of global security and highlighted the challenges faced by smaller states," he said. "The impressive support that New Zealand garnered in last years UNSC election revealed both the quality of your diplomacy and the trust that other countries have placed in you. We look forward to enhanced cooperation between our two countries both in the regional as well as global context. Referring to the Indian diaspora, Mukherjee said that New Zealand was home to more than 170,000 people of Indian origin. Our people to people contacts are growing. Indian students are increasingly opting for higher studies in New Zealand and we are seeing enhanced tourist flows in both directions, he said. Mukherjee's is the first ever presidential visit from India to New Zealand. According to the New Zealand country strategy paper, its goal is to have India as a core trade, economic, and political partner. The president's visit is aimed at realising that goal, Jaideep Mazumdar, joint secretary (South) in the ministry of external affairs, said at a media briefing in New Delhi ahead of the visit. New Zealand supports Indias aspirations for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. People-to-people ties between India and New Zealand have traditionally been close. The number of Indian students in New Zealand has grown exponentially over the last few years to about 23,000. Last year, 43,000 Indian tourists went to New Zealand and from the New Zealand side there were about 25,000 tourists to India. Apart from its strengths in agriculture and dairy farming, New Zealand has certain unique high technology skills and strengths as well. Security systems in the Indian parliament, Hindustan Aeronautics or the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) among other locations are developed and installed by a New Zealand company. While the Mumbai Police uses amphibious boats which are manufactured by a New Zealand company, the Coast Guard of India uses jet propulsion engines in their patrol boats that are manufactured by a New Zealand firm. Air cargo handling systems, conveyor belts and even the design of several malls in India has been done by New Zealand companies. New Zealand also has great technological abilities in cold storage supply chain management and post-harvest technologies, which are of interest to India . --IANS ab/bg ( 657 Words) 2016-04-30-16:34:10 (IANS)
Kavery Kaul is addressing the engagement between people of different cultures and faiths via her film Streetcar to Kolkata. The filmmaker, who is a name to reckon with in the world of documentary-making, says she likes to pan the camera to mirror the shifting sands of culture, race, class and belonging. Kaul shared that her journey from India to a different culture of the US turned out to be an inspiration for her to explore the filmmaking business. Every family has its own treasure chest of stories. I grew up with stories about Indias fight for independence from the British and the partition that followed. And then, there were stories of life at the sometimes-challenging, sometimes-comic, always-memorable intersection of the India my family came from and the America we came to. For all of us, the stories weve heard shape our beliefs, our practices and our perspective of the world, span.state.gov quoted Kaul as saying. A graduate of Harvard University, Kaul has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Artists Fellowship, multiple New York State Council on the Arts grants and two National Endowment for the Arts awards. The Fulbright Fellowship gave her the opportunity to research and film her latest documentary Streetcar to Kolkata. Kaul teaches at Columbia University in New York, where her courses include works by people of different races, cultures, religions and genders. Kaul, who picks up subjects like brain injuries, Calypso music, religion and Cuban art, added: In my case, as a student at Harvard, I heard that a new and unusual course on the films of the Indian director Satyajit Ray was being offered by an Englishman on the faculty. How could I not be inspired by Rays nuanced stories of the human experience in the face of overwhelming social and economic forces? In those days, I also frequented New York Citys art-house theaters. There, I saw Sarah Maldorors 'Sambizanga', a film about the Angolan War of Independence against the Portuguese. It was such a strong, moving story of a struggle against colonial powers. These stories held resonance for me. These directors made me want to be a filmmaker too. Talking about cross-cultural themes, she said: My documentaries tell stories that cross boundaries to explore the shifting sands of culture, race, class and belonging. Like the girls in 'Long Way From Home', I attended American independent schools and, later, an Ivy League college." As an advice to young Indians boarding flight to the US to pursue a career in the arts, Kaul says Keep an open mind. Remember that America means Mark Twain and Toni Morrison, Junot Daz and Jhumpa Lahiri. Take it all in. At the same time, hold on to who you are and the creativity that only you can offer as someone whose artistic vision stems from India, even as those roots mingle with your discovery of America. --IANS sug/nn/vm ( 498 Words) 2016-04-30-14:30:06 (IANS)
A Special CBI Court in Ghaziabad today extended the judicial custody of Yadav Singh, suspended Noida chief engineer, till June 3 in connection with the corruption case on allotment of tenders and possessing disproportionate assets.Special CBI Judge (Anti- corruption) G Sree Devi, remanded Singh to judicial custody till June 3. "The accused (Yadav Singh) remanded to judicial custody till June 3," Sree Devi said in her order. Singh was produced today in the Ghaziabad Special CBI Anti- corruption Court, after expiry of his judicial custody. The charge sheet, which the CBI had filed on March 15, had named 12 accused, including Singh. Others who were charge sheeted were Ramendra Singh, Yadav Singh's wife Kusumlata, Noida junior engineers Devi Ram Arya, Rajeev Kumar, R D Sharma, Om Pal Singh and assistant project engineer J P Singh, along with office bearers of three construction companies. Earlier on March 29, the same court, after taking the cognizance of the charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), remanded Singh to judicial custody till today. The court had on that day asked all the accused named in the charge sheet to be present in the court for today.B P Singh, public prosecutor in the case, said that the accused, Singh, has been arrested for allegedly orchestrating a massive tenders scam during his tenure in Noida.UNI XC RP1835 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-707376.Xml
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said Islam is a religion of tolerance and peace.''Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. Majority of the Muslims, barring a few, believe in peaceful co-existence, including the Muslims of India,'' Ms Mufti told reporters at the sidelines of a function.''This is the reason why Indian Muslims are respected all over the world, despite a cloud of suspicion hovering over Muslims at the global level. It pains me when I see hapless people in Syria, Libya and Pakistan being sucked into the vortex of violence for no fault of theirs,'' she added.However, welcoming the Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan, she said, ''J&K will benefit immensely, if the two neighbours come together and engage in a meaningful dialogue. ''I hope the two neighbours will be able to break ice so that lasting peace is established in the region,'' Ms Mufti observed.The Chief Minister said she was happy that despite Pathankot incident, the two countries have carried forward their engagement, which indicates their commitment to firmly entrench peace in the region.Describing terrorism as a global phenomenon, not confined to one region or nation, Ms Mufti said internationally, countries are coming together to jointly fight the threat of terror. ''Terrorism is a global concern and spreading its tentacles far and wide, even into Europe. I think the widening gap between rich and poor and the lack of employment opportunities are fuelling instability, which we are witnessing now,'' she said, citing the example of US-Iran rapprochement after several decades of confrontation.UNI VBH SHS RJ 2336 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0329-707836.Xml
The polling is being held for 31 constituencies in 24 Parganas Dakshin, 18 in Hooghly and four in Kolkata Dakshin.

About 1.24 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise to elect their representative from 349 candidates, including 43 women, at 14, 642 polling booths, including 1075 model booths and 390 ladies booths.

As many as 680 companies of central forces have been deployed in all the three poll-bound districts for smooth polling.

Strict Nakabandi checks are on in the poll bound districts. As many as 22,000 personnel of the Bengal Police have also been put on election duty.

The Central Security Forces have taken special measures to dominate the 5,298 sensitive pockets by launching day-night vigil and nak-checks.

Among others, Trinamool Congress chairperson and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bharatiya Janata Party's Chandra Kumar Bose and the Left-supported Congress candidate Deepa Das Munshi are in the fray from Bhawanipur constituency in Kolkata Dakshin. (ANI)
He impressed audiences with his six pack abs and his breathtaking action stunts in his debut venture 'Heropanti'. With his new film 'Baaghi', newcomer Tiger Shroff, son of veteran Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff, shows that his 'action hero' act in 'Heropanti' was no fluke. Watching him take on an entire army of adversaries with the ease of a professional muscleman and carry off 'Never- before-seen' stunts effortlessly truly pitches Tiger as the 'new age action hero' of Bollywood. He is a treat to watch in the action sequences which are the USP of 'Baaghi'.The film begins with the introduction of Ronny (Tiger Shroff) and the kidnapping of Sia (Shraddha Kapoor). Desperate for money for the treatment of a young boy, Ronny undertakes the task of getting back Sia from the clutches of the villainous Raghav (Sudheer Babu).The film goes into a flashback of events that takes viewers into Ronny's past - the blooming love story between Ronny and Sia and how Sia's money minded father (Sunil Grover) plays the villain in their love story and agrees to marry her off to Raghav, who lures him with oodles of money. Because of a certain misunderstanding between Ronny and Sia, their relationship breaks down.Ronny is send by his late father Colonel Samarjeet Singh to the Kerala based Academy Of Kalaripayattu, that's run by Guruji (Grandmaster Shifuji Shaurya Bharadwaj). In due course of time, Guruji tames the wild and carefree Ronny into an extremely disciplined student, in other words, a rebel with a cause. But, when Guruji gets to know about his son Raghav's plan of forcibly marrying Sia, he raises strong objection. That's when the emotionless Raghav kills his father.And when Ronny gets to know that Raghav, who has Sia as his captive, is also the one who killed Guruji, hell breaks loose and Ronny becomes uncontrollable. But, in order to reach Raghav, Ronny has to tackle a battalion of henchmen because Raghav stays in the well protected 'layered' building, whose each floor is also the domain of his extremely well trained henchmen. The rest of film is about whether Ronny becomes successful in reaching Raghav despite all the odds, or whether he is able to clear Sia's misunderstanding towards him. It also deals with whether Ronny succeeds in avenging the killing of his Guruji and is he able to rescue his ladylove Sia from Raghav. Though the story of the film is simple, it is the action sequences that lend an element of thrill to it. Tiger's natural flair for action, coupled with director Sabbir Khan's slick treatment imparts a stylish look to 'Baaghi'. In fact watching the action scenes, the audiences would feel as if they are watching a slick Hollywood thriller. The action sequences are a visual treat. The direction by Sabbir Khan, who earlier helmed the Tiger debut 'Heropanti', is commendable. Like 'Heropanti' and his earlier films Akshay Kumar starrer ''Kambakht Ishq', Sabbir again shows his finesse in action sequences that are truly world class. The kudos for this also goes to the movie's action directors Kecha Khamphakdee and Javed-Aejaz.He has also brought out the excellent chemistry between Tiger and Shradha that is one of the highlights of the film. The screenplay is good, in that it establishes the characters of Tiger and Shraddha well. Also the fast pace of the film keeps viewers on the edge of their seats all through.The 30 more minutes climax, which is full of action thrills, is spell binding. In terms of performances the highlight of the film is Tiger Shroff. The film, which shows him carry off 'never-before-seen' stunts effortlessly, is sure to pitch him as the 'new age' action hero of Bollywood. Fortunately for him, the film , which has action as its core, gives Tiger ample scope to display his prowess. As Sia, Shraddha has come up with another commendable performance after 'Ek Villian'. She comes across as endearing in the film. Her chemistry with Tiger is excellent and they both look cute together. The film also boasts of excellent performance from Sudheer babu as the villain. He dies an outstanding jib in matching up to the 'macho looking' Tiger. The music of the film is not much to talk about. However the background music is good and complements the screenplay. The cinematography is good with the scenes shot in Kerala and Thailand being visually appealing. 'Baaghi' is a perfect 'action thriller' and an ideal 'masala entertainer'. It is especially a treat for lovers of action films.Rating: 3.5/5: one for 'out of the world' action, one for slick direction by Sabbir Khan, one for outstanding act by Tiger as an action hero and his chemistry with Shraddha and 0.5 for cinematography).UNI AR PY PR 1147 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0139-708165.Xml
However, other leaders of the hardline HC who were put under house arrest to foil demonstration after Friday prayers have been released.

A spokesman of the HC Advocate Shahidul Islam told UNI that Mirwaiz was put under house arrest early this morning. He said a large number of security forces and state police personnel remained deployed outside his Nigeen house and he was not being allowed to move out.

Advocate Shahid said Mirwaiz was scheduled to address religious congregation at Badgam in the central Kashmir today. However, there was no restriction on other amalgam leaders, he said.

A spokesman of the hardline HC Aiyaz Akbar said Mr Geelani remained under house arrest since April 6 when he returned from New Delhi after two about two months.

He said security forces continued to remain outside his Hyderpora residence of Mr Geelani who was again not allowed to offer Friday prayers in a mosque.

Mr Akbar said another senior separatist leader and amalgam general secretary Shabir Ahmad Shah also remained under house arrest since his release from Rajbagh police station.

However, other leaders of the amalgam, including Mohammad Ashraf Sehrayee, Raja Mehrajuddin, Mohammad Ashraf Sehrayee and Nayeem Ahmad Khan who too were put under house arrest on Thursday have been released.UNI BAS PR PM1240

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Only one-way traffic will ply from Jammu to Srinagar today on the highway, connecting the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country, to allow free movement of vehicles, carrying Darbar move employees and office records. No vehicle, including those of security forces, would be allowed from Srinagar to Jammu, a traffic police official spokesman told UNI here. "Darbar", seat of the government, including office of the Chief Minister, her cabinet colleagues, top bureaucrats and heads of departments were closed yesterday at winter capital, Jammu to reopen in summer capital, Srinagar on May 9. He said in view of movement of vehicles carrying Darbar move employees and keeping in view the condition of road, strict one way movement of traffic shall be allowed on the highway. As such, he said, movement of traffic shall be allowed from Jammu towards Srinagar side only. Movement of all types of Kashmir bound passenger vehicles and oil tankers shall be permitted from Nagrota (Jammu) from 0400 hrs onwards whereas the movement of trucks shall be allowed from Jammu after 0600 hrs. He said from Nagrota movement of all kinds of traffic bound for Doda and Kishtwar shall be allowed from 0400 hrs onwards. No movement of traffic including convoys of Army, BSF, CRPF, SSB, ITBP and other Security forces shall be allowed from Srinagar towards Jammu today under any circumstances. These restrictions shall, however, not apply to the ambulances carrying emergency patients. He said on historic Mughal road, movement of traffic shall be allowed from 0800 hours upto 1200 hours from Bufluaz towards Shopian and from 1300 hours uoto 1600 hours from Shopian towards Bufliaz. However, road from Bandipora to border area of Gurez and Synthan-Kishtwar are still closed since December last year due to snow.UNI BAS PR NS1243 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-708197.Xml
A woman and her minor child are languishing in a Jammu and Kashmir jail for the past five years as the Pakistani government is yet to confirm her nationality despite having provided consular access. However, Jammu and Kashmir High Court has directed the state government to take steps within three weeks for deportation of a woman and her child to her native country after confirming her nationality with the Pakistan High Commission. Rubina, a Pakistani national, was arrested on November 6, 2012 and booked under section 14 of Foreigners' Act by police at Jammu. She was later convicted and lodged under Public Safety Act (PSA) at Kotbhalwal jail, Jammu, along with her minor child. The state government in the statement of facts stated that Rubina was provided consular access with the officials of Pakistan High Commission on February 26, 2013 at central jail, Amritsar. However, the Pakistan High Commission has not confirmed her nationality so far. The Court was apprised that Ministry of Home Affairs Government of India (GOI) is constantly pursuing the matter regarding the confirmation of petitioner's nationality through External Affairs Ministry and as soon as nationality of petitioner is confirmed, travel documents will be issued to her and she would be repatriated to Pakistan. However, the counsel for petitioner Rubina informed the court that all details about the petitioner in the application were filed in the court. The HC said that therefore it would not be difficult for the government to confirm the nationality of the petitioner with Pakistan High Commission and in making arrangements for deportation along with minor child.to her native country. The court had directed government to take steps for deportation of the petitioner within 4 weeks through an order on April 15, 2015. However, her counsel pleaded that she was presently lodged at the Kotbhalwal Central jail along with her minor child in violation of the court order. The court observed that perusal of the statement of facts filed by the state revealed that the matter had been taken up with Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs. However, they are asking for full details about the petitioner and it is only because of this, the case was stuck at the terminal stage. However, the court said, Primarily it is the responsibility of the state government to seek full details of the petitioner and to ensure deportation/ push back of the petitioner along with her child as directed by this court in terms of order dated May 12, 2014, while disposing of the Habeaus Corpus Petition. But the state government has left it to the petitioner, who is a woman without any human support, the court said adding that was the counsel of the petitioner who has come forward to help her and prosecute this petition. The court said that there should be no difficulty for the State respondents to ascertain the full particulars with reference to the nationality of the petitioner.UNI BAS PR NS1330 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-708176.Xml
Former Congress MLA from Uttar Pradesh was among the two dead in a road accident between a bus and a stationary truck on the National Highway 2, here today. Police sources here said the bus was on way to New Delhi from Lucknow, when it dashed against the stationary sand ladden truck on Tundla flyover at around 0400 hours. In the accident, the bus driver Sushil from Lucknow and the former MLA from Nidholi Kala in Etah district Hansraj Verma were killed on the spot, while 13 other passengers were injured. The MLA was sitting just behind the driver's seat when the luxury bus smashed from the front. Police and rescue team took around two hours to bring out the injured from the bus and all were admitted to the hospital here. Hansraj was elected from Nidholi Kala assembly seat in Etah district in 1980 on Congress ticket.UNI MB PR NS1302 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-708221.Xml
At least four members of a marriage party were killed, while five others injured including four critically, when their jeep was hit by a speeding truck near Rajwa Chowk under Bangra police station area in this district today. Police said here that the marriage party was returning from Salha village under Bochaha police station area in Muzaffarpur district when the jeep was hit by the truck. Four people were killed on the spot in the collision, while four others injured were rushed to Patna Medical College and hospital in critical condition, another injured had been admitted to a local government hospital. Bodies had been sent for the post mortem. The deceased were yet to be identified, sources added.UNI XC KKS PR NS1325 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-708224.Xml
According to Peth-vadgaon police, the deceased were identified as Vilas Parshuram Kamble (42) and Pandit Pundlik Kamble (45), both residents at Vathar-Vadgaon village of Hatkanangale tehsil of this district.

While both were on their way to Vadgaon on a motorcycle,their speedy motorcycle rammed into a truck from backside. The truck was parked at roadside by truck driver, Vijay Devidas Lokre of Barshi, Solapur district, who was taking meal in a hotel.

The collision was so severe that both were killed on the spot with serious injuries and their motorcycle was totally crushed.

After the postmortem at Nave-Pargaon rural hospital, the police handed over both the bodies to their family members..

Vadgaon police was investigating the incident. UNI SSS SF PR AN1410Two die after rash driving Kolhapur, Apr 30

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Several experts have said India must reinforce its nuclear deterrence policy and signal its commitment to a massive retaliation in response to an attack. The experts termed India's Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) effort as a factor of stability. Keeping in mind the emerging nuclear threats from both its nuclear neighbours, China and Pakistan, it was essential for India to articulate its nuclear doctrine in greater detail, reflected noted nuclear experts in a panel discussion organised by the Indian Pugwash Society, at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) here last evening. They called for a periodic review of India's nuclear doctrine, but cautioned that a review must be guided by sound strategic objectives. The panel of experts, including former Deputy National Security Advisor, Ambassador Satish Chandra; Director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, Lt Gen BS Nagal, and Prof Rajesh Rajagopalan of Jawaharlal Nehru University said strategic deterrence and credible minimum deterrence are valid options for India and the country should continue with it, though Gen. Nagal questioned the continued reliance on India's No First Use (NFU) policy. They argued the need for taking into account changes in country's strategic environment brought about by the technological advancements as well as the geopolitical shifts regionally as well as globally. The experts highlighted that India's 'No First Use' evolved out of the country's specific strategic environment. The policy seeks to enunciate that India's nuclear weapons were inherently non-threatening and is meant for defensive purposes. Earlier, in his opening remarks, Director General IDSA, and Convener, Indian Pugwash Society, Jayant Prasad said India's nuclear doctrine and its deterrence posture was a subject of discussion at all major events around the world relating to Asia's nuclear governance, regional security, and strategic stability. It was, therefore, opportune for the Indian Pugwash Society to hold a discussion on the subject, to bring out various dimensions of the doctrine, he said.UNI NAZ AE 1605 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-708510.Xml
Former All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) heavy weight and sitting MLA from Dinhata in Cooch Behar (SC) district Udayan Guha this time is in the fray as an All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) candidate that goes to the last phase of polls in West Bengal assembly election on May 5. Mr Guha, fielded by ruling AITC, is pitted against Left Front-Congress combine AIFB candidate Akshay Thakur. Besides the two stalwarts, BJP candidate Sachindra Nath Adhikari is also trying toconvert the contest into a triangular affair. Mr Guha was elected from Dinhata seat in 2011 Assembly elections as a Forward Bloc candidate defeating his nearest rival and independent candidate Dr Md Fazle Haque by a margin of 30026 votes. Amiya Kumar Barman of the Sharad Pawar led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) wasrelegated to the third place with just 13,093 votes. Though the Forward block, one of the Left parties, has been the dominating force in Dinhata winning the seat in a row since 1977 but for one slip in 2006, desertion of Udayan Guha, the sitting ForwardBlock MLA, from the constituency, in favour of Trinamool Congress had given the latter a boost before the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal. Mr Guha was elected from Dinhata seat in Cooch Behar district during 2011 Assembly elections as a Forward Bloc candidate. But in the recent past, he was very critical about functioning of the Blocleadership. He has left all positions in the party and later joined AITC last year. Mr Guha is the second sitting Bloc MLA who left the party. Sunil Mondal, another Bloc MLA from Galsi Assembly seat in Burdwan district had left the party and joined Trinamool Congress . The lion is the symbol of Udayan's former party, the Forward Bloc, which his father made an invincible force in Dinhata. But Udayan is now contesting as the AITC candidate on the grass-and-flower symbol. Udayan's campaign team has now realised that many voters seem not to have taken note of the leader's switch of political track and symbol. "I am aware of this issue. People here have voted for generations and have stood by my family, and naturally they have an affinity for the lion symbol. But simultaneously, they have the knowledge that I am contesting as an AITC candidate this time," Mr Guha said. Forward Bloc was the second largest Left constituent which won 11 seats during 2011 Assembly elections. Udayan's father Kamal Guha was a popular Bloc leader in Cooch Behar district and had helped the party to strengthen its mass base in the district which remained a Bloc stronghold since 2011. He was an eight time MLA from the Dinhata constituency Kamal Guha himself was a Bloc MLA from the same Dinhata Assembly seat in the district and was agriculture minister of the previous Left Front government. After Kamal's death, Udayan had contested the seat on a Bloc ticket and managed to retain the seat in 2011 when Mamata Banerjee ousted the CPM-led government from power in Bengal... Though Trinamool Congress had won the seat in the previous assembly election in 2006 when its member Ashok Mondal had trounced Udayan Guha, the party did not contest in 2011 because it was allotted to the NCP, an alliance partner of AITC at that time. Earlier Kamla Guha, father of Udayan Guha and former state agriculture minister had represented the seat eight times between 1962 and 2001. Dinhata is a part of the Cooch Behar (SC) Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituency of West Bengal. One of the seven assembly segments in the Cooch Behar Lok Sabha constituency, Dinhata has 2, 50,721 voters, out of whom 1, 31,459 are males and 1, 19,262 are females. On the other hand AIFB candidate Akshay Thakur is not a known face in this constituency.UNI BM ADG -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0134-708651.Xml
After the overwhelming response to the Save Democracy dharna at Delhi, YSR Congress party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy would sit on a three-day hunger strike on May 16, 17 and 18 at Kurnool with the slogan Save Krishna delta in protest against the 'faulty' irrigation policy of Chandrababu Naidu. Talking to newsmen here today, Jagan said 'Chandrababu Naidu has been silent and is scared of questioning Telangana government which is drawing away water from Mahbubnagar severely curtailing the inflow of water in to the state in wake of his involvement of cash for vote case while he has been liberal to contractors on irrigation projects which yield little or no benefit to the parched state.' 'While Telangana government is going ahead with Palamuru-Rangareddy and Dindi projects by lift irrigation drawing away more than 115 TMC and curtailing the Krishna waters which will severely affect the irrigation sector of the State, Chandrababu Naidu has no voice to question the injustice as he is deeply involved in the cash for vote case and is scared of broaching the issue,' he said. 'On the other hand, he has been very liberal to contractors, even blacklisted ones, who have undertaken works on the Pattiseema, which is a parallel to Polavaram, despite having no storage capacity and has been deeply involved in the scam which is laden with kickbacks,' he said. The works have been given at inflated rates despite no proportionate increase in raw materials, including cement, steel, petrol and diesel, he said.MORE UNI VV ADG -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0352-708414.Xml
Scores of Youth Congress leaders and activists carrying empty pots demonstrated in front of the Water board office near the busy Khairtabad area of the city demanding regular water supply to water-starved localities of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, today. The protesters, led by Youth Congress national general secretary Harshvardhan and its Telangana unit president Anil Kumar, squatted on the busy road and raised anti-government slogans. Police prevented the protesters who tried to gate crash into the board office. However, some representatives of the demonstrators met the board officials and complained to them about non supply of water to areas inhabited by poor people, while the supply was regular and abundant to upbeat colonies.UNI SMS JW AE 1531 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0364-708446.Xml
: AIADMK General Secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today urged Prime Minister NarendraModi to take steps to secure the release of 34 fishermen, who were arrested by the Lankan Navy, and release of 88 boats confiscated by them. In a Demi-Official letter to the Prime Minister, copiesof which were released to the media here, the Chief Minister said, 21 fishermen, who set out for fishing in three boats from Rameswaram on April 27, were apprehended by the Lankan Navy while fishing in Palk Bay and taken to Thalaimannar. Ms Jayalalithaa pointed out that already 13 fishermen and 85 boats were still languishing in Lankan custody. ''The prolonged detention and disuse of the boats would have damaged them, thereby causing immeasurable loss of livelihood to the poor fishermen'', she said. Urging the Union Government to secure the release of the fishing boats and restore them in a refurbished condition to the fishermen at the earliest, Ms Jayalalithaa requestedMr Modi to take immediate action to secure the release of 34 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and 88 fishing boats, including the 21 fishermen and three fishing boats apprehended on April 27. Ms Jaylaalithaa also reiterated her government's stand that the Centre 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 Supreme Court.UNI GV KVV AK 1650 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-708576.Xml
Police said that nine people, including 8 students were killed onthe spot and six others injured when a Cruiser vehicle, in whichthey were travelling, collided against a KSRTC and Private bus onNational Highway No 150 at Challakere in Chitradurga District in theearly hours.

The deceased students who were from DCM Hostel, Bellary werereturning after attending interview at a private company ParipurnaInfotech Center in Bengaluru when the mishap occurred. The deadalso included Driver.

The deceasedd were identified as Shruthi (20), Shanthi (21),Kavya (20), Sudha (20), Harshitha (20), Jayashree (21), Savitha(20), Bharathi (21), and driver Chandregowda (35).

The injured were admitted to government hospital at Challakere.

In Tumkur District three people were killed in two differentaccidents. One person was killed on the spot and eight othersinjured when a tempotraveller, in which they were travelling, dashedagainst a lorry on NH 4 near here. The dead was identified asNagesh (30). The injured were admitted to District Hospital at Tumakuru.

In another incident, two people were killed in a head oncollision between a car and lorry near Fire Station atChikanayakanahalli in Tumakuru District.

The deceased were identified as Chetan (26), and Kiran (25).UNI MSP CNR KVV AK1645

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The injured were shifted to Angul hospital for treatment. The deceased were identified as Sagar Kumar Swain (35) of Jagatsingpur district and Rajesh Sahu (21) of Jeypore in Koraput district.

The bus was on its way from Jeypore to Bhubaneswar and the trawler was heading towards Sambalpur when the accident took place.

Police said on a sharp turn after Handappa police station from Angul side, both the bus and trawler had a collision. Both the drivers were detained, police said, adding the vehicles have been seized. UNI XC-DP AKM AE CS1742

-- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-708703.Xml
Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav today alleged that communal forces seated at the Centre are bent on dividing the country through fomenting disturbances. "The Centre has failed to fulfill promises as neither did peasants receive better prices for their produce nor was the employment generation target achieved. There is no difference between policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress. Eighty-five per cent votes are with the majority community but about a dozen persons own more than half the country's property," he said here at a meeting of the JD(U)'s Madhya Pradesh office-bearers and district presidents, according to a release. Mineral wealth is being looted in this state and unauthorised mining is unbridled on the banks of the Narmada River, Mr Yadav said, adding that prohibition should be imposed in Madhya Pradesh as well. UNI SN-AC SHS RJ AN2234 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-709344.Xml
Deuba expressed his dissatisfaction over the nominations of Supreme Court Justices and ambassadors during the meeting held at his residence in Budhanilakantha on Friday.

He also accused the government of taking unilateral decision in nominating them.

Earlier on Thursday, Gharti had held separate meetings with Prime Minister K.P .Sharma Oli and UCPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to discuss the same.

The Parliament is still unable to endorse the Regulations to regulate its activities even seven months have already passed since the promulgation of the Constitution.

In its absence, the parliamentary hearings for appointments of the Chief Justice, 11 Supreme Court Justices and 21 ambassadors could not be held despite their nominations.(ANI)
Honduran officials fired more than two dozen top police officers in an aggressive move to purge security forces that have been accused of being infiltrated by organized crime.President Juan Orlando Hernandez is under pressure to clean up the country's police after the New York Times this month said high-level officers orchestrated the assassination of Honduran anti-drug tsar Aristides Gonzalez in 2009 on a drug lord's orders.The story spurred the government to create a special commission which yesterday said 27 of the country's 47 police commanders were removed from their posts. Four of the commanders have been accused of participating in Gonzalez's murder."This is a step toward the restructuring and purge needed to have a clean police force, unassociated in any way with organized crime," said Omar Rivera, a member of the special commission.One commander was suspended earlier this week as part of an investigation into the murder. Four more asked to step down voluntarily.This is the fifth attempt in two decades to purge Honduras' 12,000 strong police force, which has long been accused of working with criminal gangs in the poor Central American country.One of the commanders forced to stand down said that there were no accusations against him and the shake-up was protecting "certain officials.""We are the people most interested in the purge being carried out. But it should be the criminals who are going, it should be those who collaborated with organized crime. But its the innocent ones who are going," said Henry Osorto.Since taking office in 2014, Hernandez, a 47-year old conservative lawyer, pushed a plan to militarize police that has helped curb the murder rate.But Honduras still has one of the world's highest homicide rates next to neighboring El Salvador due to gang violence and drug traffickers.The violence is one of the main factors driving Honduran migrants towards the United States.REUTERS DS PR0733 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0137-708001.Xml
Tolo News quoted senior Afghan National Army (ANA) officials, as saying that pro-government forces had managed to gun down some key Taliban commanders and evict other militants from the strategically-located district.

The security forces also confiscated a large cache of ammunition and weapons from the militants.

Kunduz province is the gateway of the north and is used by the Taliban as a main stronghold for its operations.

Military experts believe that the recapture of the town is a milestone toward curbing the advance of Taliban insurgency in the area.

Residents of Chahar Dara have asked Afghan security personnel to take all steps to prevent the Taliban and other insurgent groups from re-establishing their presence in the area. (ANI)
Kabul, Apr. 30 (ANI) Australia has called on Afghanistan to step up efforts and cooperate in finding an Australian woman who was kidnapped in eastern Nangarhar province. The Australian national was kidnapped on Thursday, after a group of armed men wearing military uniforms stormed the DACAAR compound, a charity organization working for women empowerment in the country, and took her with them. She was associated with the organization for twenty years. The Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop had yesterday said that although the details of the report are yet to be confirmed but, the government was closely monitoring the situation. The details of the report have to be confirmed by the Afghan authorities, but they certainly believe that she has been kidnapped. We are trying to confirm all of the details, but we are in communication with her family, Tolo news quoted Bishop as saying. The Australian government does not as a matter of policy pay ransom to kidnappers, she added. The Australian foreign minister also called on the Afghan government to accelerate efforts and make sure they secure the safe release of the hostage. Meanwhile, the hostage's family has appealed for the safe release of her. While the efforts are on for her rescue, local officials in Nangarhar have said that the Afghan security forces have so far arrested several individuals allegedly involved in the kidnapping. The kidnapped woman's father Brian Wilson yesterday, appealed for the safe release of his daughter. Foreign affairs ministry phoned me and told me and said they would keep in touch. They knew no more than I did all the news was that she was kidnapped ... we don't yet know what the demand would be. But I presume you don't harm a hostage, because to did that is not good at all, Wilson said. Meanwhile, Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for Nangarhar governor said that several individuals have been so far arrested in connection with the kidnapping and efforts are underway to the arrest the main masterminds. (ANI)
The Himalayan Times reports that Prime Minister Oli visited the Nepal Academy at Kamaladi where the litterateur's mortal remains have been kept for tribute.

Litterateur 'Pradeep' passed away after a cardiac arrest at the age of 67 on Friday.

Sharma's body will be kept at the Academy premises until 12 noon.

It will then be taken to Pashupati Aryaghat for cremation.

CPN-UML senior leader Jhalanath Khanal, Secretary Pradeep Gyawali, Minister for Livestock Development Shanta Manavi and several other dignitaries paid tributes to the late writer.(ANI)
A suicide bomber driving a car killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 40 others today in an attack near a group of Shi'ite Muslim pilgrims in a southeastern suburb of Baghdad, police sources said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast at a market in the Nahrawan district but Islamic State regularly attacks civilians in and around the Iraqi capital. Police sources said the death toll could rise given the high number of injuries.REUTERS PY NS1347 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0298-708313.Xml
The attack took place in the morning when a booby-trapped truck went off at a crowded livestock market in Nahrawan area in southeastern Baghdad, an interior ministry source told Xinhua news agency.

The source said the toll could increase.

--IANS ksk/vm

( 75 Words)

2016-04-30-14:36:07 (IANS)
Man gunned down in Big Yard

Police reports say at about 11.30 am yesterday residents in Big Yard heard a volley of gunshots. Police were notified and a party of officers from the Western Division responded.

When they arrived, they found Supervilles body in a pool of blood.

A District Medical Officer ordered the body removed to the Forensic Science Centre in St James where an autopsy was scheduled for yesterday. Police sources said Superville had matters pending in court for gun-related charges.

He was known to police officers.

Supervilles mother admitted to reporters that her son had a chequered past, but insisted he had turned his life around. I will not do like other parents and say my son was a saint. He had his ups and downs just like many other young men...but he changed his life. He was doing very well. As soon as people see you doing good, they want to take your life, the anguished woman cried.

Residents said Big Yard was usually a quiet area. This is the first time anything like this happened here, said the villager.

This is a peaceful place. Now look at how things reach. Gunshot blasting and police all over the place. No arrest has been made and investigations are continuing.

The murder toll for the year now stands at 153.
Judge orders halt to Centrin workers funeral

The injunction was granted shortly before eight oclock last night. It is understood that the funeral service was scheduled for today at the Carapichaima home of Francis common-law wife Chandrawattie Nandlal. A first autopsy which was carried out on Monday by forensic pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov at the Forensic Science Centre in St James, revealed that death was due to hanging.

However, relatives of Francis questioned the autopsy finding and secured the services of pathologist Prof Hubert Daisley who conducted a private autopsy at a Funeral Home yesterday whose findings differed with the forensic autopsy done by Dr Alexandrov. Police sources last night indicated that Prof Daisleys findings indicated there were marks of violence about Francis body.

Newsday was told that lawyers for Mrs Francis were expected to serve the injunction on Nandlal last night paving the way for detectives to take possession of Francis body which would be kept at the Forensic Science Centre pending the outcome of ongoing police investigations.

Francis, it was reported, had become depressed after being among hundreds of workers laid off by Centrin following the closure of ArcelorMittal in March
Close encounter with a mapepire

After wading through what seemed like never ending river gorges and rushing rapids, slipping and sliding our wet selves down rocks and grassy inclines we made it to the falls. I dont think I was ever so glad to see the clear waters of a waterfall. Just the sight of it was enough to help blot out the never-ending trek through muddy rivers with hidden rocks that threatened to not only sprain an ankle but completely severe my foot from the rest of my body.

What a relief to just swim in the cool waters and soak bruised limbs and feet. Then came time to leave and the journey back out began.

Well is now the drama start! A female hiker ahead of the group closest to me had slipped and injured her ankle on the muddy slopes. Given the twisted expression of pain on her face, it was clear that her ankle was broken.

With the help of able-bodied men around she was supported on the arduous trek. We still had more than half of the journey to complete when someone yelled, Snake! Where? Look it there. It was mere feet away from us so close I could actually see it. And it was a mapepire! Whether it was a Mapepire Balsan or the Mapepire Zanana (aka Bushmaster) they did not say. And it mattered not to me for at the mention of this pit viper all the heat in my body dried up instantly.

Wait is two I think, I heard someone say. Lord have mercy! I want my mummy.

To say those of us around were frozen in fear is an understatement.

Those who werent standing still were looking back wondering if there was another path out. Talk of kill it! began to circulate. Immediately I remembered someone once saying to me that the only good snake is a dead one. We had an injured hiker in tow so it was slow going for the guys helping to carry her. I wondered if they would be able to make their way safely by without incurring the wrath of the snake.

The hike leaders were rather calm though. They decided to coax the snake further away from us rather than kill it. Two of them, one armed with a sizeable cutlass, stood guard with eyes fixed on the snake as it slithered into the bush, away from our path.

As I trekked past this area I did so with eyes firmly planted in the direction of the snake and henceforth, firmly planted along the trail paying close attention to where my feet went. I dont think I lifted my head much until we were almost out of the bush and I could see the paved road ahead. In fact I spent so much time looking at where my feet went I realized that the running shoes many of us were wearing were no match for a Mapepires bite. It would be like clamping its jaws into a piece of toffee.

The two species of Mapepire mentioned, along with two types of coral snakes, are the only poisonous snakes in Trinidad. They are deadly. Anyone wishing to familiarise themselves with the poisonous snakes in T&T (and all hikers should) can visit the website: http://asawright.org/venemous- snakes-of-trinidad-tobago/ . There are detailed drawings and pictures that make it easy to identify these mortifying reptiles.
Leave the Chinese alone

Is easier to get kill now than to make honest money, said a traumatised businesswoman Phoolmatie John, 52, as she and other patrons at the bar yesterday called for the violence on members of the Chinese community to stop. The same way they (Chinese) come here to survive, is the same way we going to America to survive, so leave them alone. John said all the young bandits do on a daily basis is embarrass their families.

Them young young boys only putting shame in their parents face. Johns establishment which has operating on the same spot for several decades was the scene of armed robbery that left Luo injured and sent one of the bandits to hospital.

Up to yesterday the unidentified man who was cornered and severely beaten by angry patrons, remained warded in critical condition under police guard at the Intensive Care Unit of the San Fernando General Hospital.

A police report stated that at 3 pm on Tuesday, two men stormed the establishment and announced a hold-up.

One of the bandits who was armed, ordered patrons into a room where they were proceeded to rob them of their cash, cell phones and other personal belongings.

While one bandit made good his escape in a vehicle  firing two shots as he left  his accomplice who went into another section of the building, was set upon and beaten almost to death by patrons.

Yesterday John and her regular customers expressed their disgust at what happened on Tuesday. I am really afraid now for my life, John told Newsday.

Since it happen I closing up early. Is like the bandits want to make you run from your business and you not ready to leave as yet.

Imagine all 10 oclock my customers cant even get a beer now, we have to close up early. She said gambling at the roulette machine is an income for many persons in the village.

Many of them play the machine and carry home winnings to buy food for their families.

Residents said the Chinese are welcome in their community and they will not allow persons to take advantage of them.

The injured suspect is believed to be out of the area. Police are still looking for his accomplice.
Taxing prevalent in secondary schools

Asked if the committee was another name for a gang operating in the school, she said, it was different from a gang even though they all display negative behaviour.

Asked how students who were caught taxing were dealt with, she said, they were suspended initially for seven days, but many students would see a suspension as a holiday.

To deal with the issue of suspension being seen as a holiday, child psychologist Dr Maraika Gooding said at present, the Education Ministry has embarked on a programme at learning enhancement centres to rehabilitate students who are sent on suspension, particularly extended suspensions. At the learning enhancement centres, she said that students are engaged in group guidance sessions on conflict management, anger management, decision making and problem solving.

The rehabilitation also involves individual work with children and parents.

Asked about the workload in counselling students, schools social worker, Allison Paul said in south-eastern Trinidad, we are overworked.

We have a lack of human resources or various resources.

Simple things like stationery. We are unable to meet the specific needs or unable to custom design interventions to suit each child because of the amount of cases. Guidance counsellor Andy Matamora said he has seven schools under his remit, two of which are secondary schools, to deal with in a fiveday work week. To ensure positive outcomes, he said, he would prefer to be assigned to one school. Matamora recommended one guidance counsellor and one social worker to a school, or to 259 students. In his case he has to deal with over 1,000 students.
Boot camp not good idea, says psychologist

Asked at the JSC meeting held at the Office of the Parliament, Port-of-Spain what psychologist and social workers thought about the idea of the boot camp and former military officers helping to rehabilitate students with deviant behaviour, senior psychology lecturer, Margaret Nakhid-Chatoor said that boot camp was synonymous with some punitive discipline for children who need rehabilitation to socially acceptable behaviour.

When children become bullies, she said they were themselves victims, because they lack social skills and they cannot interface with people, properly.

To Senator Ancil Antoine, a retired brigadier, who asked what they thought about former military officers giving of their service in the education system, she said that there was a problem of high incidence of domestic violence among military personnel and the protective services.

Antoine interjected saying, There is a lot of domestic violence among teachers. So dont even go there. However Nakhid- Chatoor continued, I am not going there, and which is why I am saying, before they (former military officers) even get involved with our students, they have to go through debriefing and training.
No-case submission in Piarco II

As he shifted through the evidence presented by the prosecution, Krolick has submitted that there is no direct evidence to support the allegations against his clients. Nothing unlawful came to play, he said, adding that there was no evidence to point to a criminal or unlawful act. When the matter comes up again for hearing, other defence attorneys will present their submissions.

The inquiry resumed before Espinet in March, almost three years after the matter was put on hold as the accused persons attempted to have the matters dismissed under the controversial Section 34 clause of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act. Apart from the companies, eight persons are before the court in the Piarco 2 inquiry, charged with conspiring between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2001, to obtain contracts and payments totalling $1.6 billion during the construction of the new airport.
Probe ongoing into hospital delays

The notice to patients surfaced only on January 18, the CEO explained, which directs patients who attend the EW MSC with referral letters from general practitioners or a health centre, to wait a minimum of six weeks when he or she would be contacted by telephone on the date that are to be seen by a medical doctor to further diagnose their ailment.

The notice triggered a hue and a cry by management of the South- West Regional Authority which complained two weeks ago, that patients who live in the catchment area of the North-Central Regional Health Authority, had been flocking to the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) seeking appointments for medical care. Medical Director of the SFGH Dr Anand Chatoorgoon, had complained that the reason such patients from EW MSC, was because of the computer- generated notice.

Chatoorgoon had raised the issue because he felt that in order for patients from the NCRHA-catchment area to refrained from accessing SWRHAs facilities, the former must pull back its notice to patients and implement a system like what he (Chatoorgoon) had implemented at SFGH. In a notice to heads of all surgical departments recently, Chatoorgoon instructed that a doctor be assigned to assess patients with referral letters from general practitioners or health centres, and to determine the urgency of their respective illnesses.

Yesterday, Boodram told the Newsday that the notice to such patients had in fact been pulled back when management realised was in fact been generated as an automated notice and handed to patients. An investigation was immediately launched, he added, as to where such a notice emanated and who authorised it. Boodram said, We have since pulled it back.

A preliminary finding revealed that an investigation must be conducted and a senior officer has been appointed and must submit a report within the next 45 days.

The board (NCRHAs board) will then be handed the report and the appropriate action would be taken based on the boards recommendation. Asked what the preliminary findings revealed, Boodram said that he could not divulge it, but reiterated that the top management of the NCRHA were unaware that the instructions to patients that they would be notified by telephone, were included in the notice to patients.
Prisoners to read to children

She said right now the inmates get two visits a year with their children, Fathers Day and Christmas Day and with this new programme, they will be able to see their children once a month.

Jacob works with the Wishing for Wings Foundation and she said they were trying to build a sense of literacy in the prisons.

Reading and writing is important, expression is important, a lot of them dont know that.

All they know how to express is anger and to see that develop and the kind of creativity that comes out of that when they can think and express beyond anger is just amazing, she said.

The programme is expected to begin in a few months time.

We have some books without words so even people who cant read and write can learn to tell a story.

We have low level childrens books so they can practice reading to their children, but what we also want to do besides helping them with expression and helping them with their reading and bonding with their kids, is develop a love for reading, she said.

At the workshop, US author and poet Reginald Dwayne Betts spoke to the inmates.

Betts spent more than eight years in prison where he began reading and writing poetry.

Jacobs said the inmates need to see people like Betts. For them to realise that there are people like them who get their stories out there. That is what I am hoping that they all realise that they have a story to tell in someway or another, music, even if its just the oral tradition, she said.

In a brief interview with Newsday, Betts agreed that literacy was very important for those serving time in prison.

We are talking about one of the most recognisable ways you could obtain employment so that a lack of literacy creates this impediment to your opportunities and the chances that you have to actually work and you cant walk away from that, that doesnt disappear, so I think literacy is hugely important, he said
Pride in being PNM-till-ah-dead

Delivering the feature address at the anniversary Launch at Balisier House, Rowley praised party founder Dr Eric Williams for his sacrifice for the country, saying if he had chosen not to return to Trinidad and Tobago and go into politics, Dr Williams could very easily have been very rich or his family could have been filthy rich.

But, he added, Williams was a different kind of person so he gave up academia and the opportunity to be an outstanding historian and instead chose to, let down his bucket in Trinidad and Tobago among his own people. The PM said that decision changed the future of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. One man who chose to do something that others might not have done, to give up maybe a comfortable life, maybe a privileged life, maybe an easy life. He said that instead of that, Dr Williams chose to take on his former colonial masters and the established privileged classes in Trinidad and Tobago and steer them to a place of sharing and understanding. Rowley reminded the audience of a time when the vast majority of the population were what he said could be considered peasants, relegated to selling raw materials such as bananas, copra and sugar to Europe for very low prices while foreign multinational companies creamed off the countrys wealth.

He said it was unfortunate that a lot of people now took for granted many of the gains achieved by the PNM, mentioning advances in telecommunications, the widespread availability of running water and electricity and recovering Chaguaramas from the Americans. He said Trinidad and Tobago enjoys a quality of life which was either established by the PNM or improved by that party.

Rowley said the PNMs enduring legacy is that it has preserved inter-racial harmony in Trinidad and Tobago. He said that in the face of resistance from, the privileged and those who know it all, Dr Williams created the Unit Trust Corporation (UTC) and today there was hardly a family in the country that did not have a member with some form of savings at the corporation.

He said it was fitting that on its 60th anniversary the party was about to turn the sod for construction of the Dr Eric Williams Memorial Building in the car park adjoining Balisier House, which he said would be an administrative and commercial complex.

In fact, he said that as soon as the tent under which the celebrations were being held, was removed, soil testing would begin as a prelude to construction.

He said contributions have already begun to come in to help fund the building, citing one one party group in the South which held a function and raised $15,000 and sent all the money to Balisier House for the construction project.
Deyalsingh: I think I was misquoted

I think I was misquoted. What I said was, at the press conference last week, at every press conference for the past month, I have been questioned over and over and over about abortion. At the last press conference last week Friday, the first four questions were again on the same thing, the same questions being asked in different ways, and at that point in time, I said I would take no more questions...on that particular day, Deyalsingh said.

He was addressing a press conference at the San Fernando Teaching Hospital, level 8 conference room, Chancery Lane, San Fernando yesterday.

I have no authority to stop a national discussion on abortion.

Let it happen, we welcome it. Its just that all the media is concerned about and here we go again. Zika is much more than abortion. His explanation came a day after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, addressing the post Cabinet media briefing on Thursday, pointed out that Deyalsingh was not the Government nor the country to say that he (Deyalsingh) was ending discussions on abortion. The Prime Minister said discussions were continuing and noted that the conversation on the legalisation of abortion was, something that our society needs to treat with and if so, how? Meanwhile, Deyalsingh said there were 21 confirmed cases of Zika nationally with four of those cases being in the Gulf View area.

I still want to implore, beg, cajole the public, without their support, Mr and Mrs Homeowner we cannot fight this menace of Zika. Zika is much more than simply talking about abortion and I am sure you would have questions about that.

The point I want to make is that my response as Minister of Health is source reduction at the level of homes, he added.

He also touched on the issue of maternal deaths saying he had appointed himself as Director of Womens Health on assuming office in an effort to bring down the thorny and vexatious issues of maternal deaths. When last have we had a maternal death in Trinidad and Tobago? Do you think that happen by guess. it happened because of policy intervention and when we had this cluster of maternal deaths when we assumed office, I assumed position of director of womens health until we had a substantive person to fill the post and we had a few stakeholder meetings at my home and did some short term measures to tackle this thorny issue of maternal deaths, he said.
Kamla again calls on AG for answers

In a statement issued to the media, the Siparia MP and former prime minister asked whether as AG Al- Rawi had ever properly recused himself over AM, as she cited a Newsday story of April 4 quoting Labour Minister, Jennifer Baptiste- Primus as saying she was consulting him and Finance Minister, Colm Imbert, on AMs closure.

I am therefore puzzled by his statements that he remained silent on the issue of AMs closure and non-payment of benefits when in fact his Cabinet colleague confirmed that she was seeking his advice, said Persad-Bissessar.

This report was never refuted or denied by the AG who is now distancing himself from the matter only after I publicly raised this issue. She posed three questions to Al-Rawi, including on the role of Minister in the Attorney Generals Office Stuart Young.

Why did you not publicly declare that you had a conflict of interest in relation to ArcelorMittal prior to my raising it? Why did you not inform the public that you and Minister Young had recused yourselves from all matters pertaining to ArcelorMittal? If both you and Minister Young recused yourselves, who was the legal advisor to Cabinet when the issue of the company was discussed? Persad-Bissessar continued, It is strange that the usually loquacious AG remained silent on the conflict of interest and recusal by not informing the dismissed workers and that he could not be of any assistance to them because he had in fact assisted ArcelorMittal.

This can be construed as a betrayal of the public trust, given the pleas from the desperate workers who were publicly begging him to intervene on their behalf. Persad-Bissessar stated if Al-Rawi had confirmed that Arcelor- Mittal was his client up until the 2015 General Election, he could have known about the imminent shut down of the company and the plan to avoid paying the workers their benefits
What you need to know about the Octagon Art Festival on Sunday in Ames

news
At least five people including a pregnant woman were killed and more than 10 injured early Wednesday on the front line in eastern Ukraine in the worst civilian loss of life there in months, separatist officials said.

The 2-year-old war has ravaged eastern Ukraine, killing more than 10,000 and displacing more than 1 million.

The war is not over.

Along the front lines, Ukrainian troops are dug in and ready for combat. As one soldier put it: This is my life now.

RussiaUkraine barrier  also known as Ukrainian Wall or European Wall  is a fortified border barrier currently under construction by Ukraine on the RussiaUkraine border. The aim of the project is preventing Russian military and hybrid warfare intervention in Ukraine

On 20 August 2015, it was announced that Ukraine has completed 10% of the fortification line, stating that roughly 180 km of anti-tank ditches had been dug, 40 km of barbed wire fence and 500 fortification obstacles had been erected. 139 million hryvnia out of 300 million allocated has been used for construction of the wall at this point, and that another 460 million hryvnia were budgeted for 2016.

Combined Russian-separatist artillery, tank, mortar and small arms attacks occur daily at hot spots near Donetsk, capital of the Donetsk Peoples Republic, one of two breakaway territories.

Its like this every day, John Slobodyan, 23, a soldier in the Ukrainian armys 93rd Brigade, said. He spoke as the bass notes of artillery cut through the air at a Ukrainian outpost near the town of Karlivka, about six miles from Donetsk.

There is no cease-fire, Slobodyan said.

Combined Russian-separatist forces attack Ukrainian positions in the area every day. They said the attacks usually comprise 120 mm and 82 mm mortars, small arms and sniper fire, although larger caliber artillery and Grad rockets sometimes are used. They also said tanks routinely fire at their positions in the town of Pisky, just outside the Donetsk airport.

The soldiers said the military supply chain has improved, but civilian volunteers still meet food and water shortfalls, and uniforms remain a hodgepodge from different countries. With no common uniform, soldiers attach colored tape to their helmets and body armor to distinguish themselves from their enemies.

At night, soldiers on watch in a blacked out observation post took turns peering through a single night-vision scope to scan separatist positions across 1,200 meters of no mans land.

Night-vision technology is still scarce within Ukrainian ranks, largely limiting combat to daylight hours. Lack of encrypted communications is another challenge. Ukrainian soldiers often communicate with off-the-shelf Motorola walkie-talkies, sharing frequencies with their enemies. The two sides sometime taunt each other over the open airwaves.

The War in Donbass (also called the War in Ukraine, War in Eastern Ukraine) is an armed conflict in the Donbass region of Ukraine. From the beginning of March 2014, demonstrations by pro-Russian and anti-government groups took place in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine, together commonly called the Donbass, in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution and the Euromaidan movement.

Following months of ceasefire violations, the Ukrainian government, the DPR and the LPR jointly agreed to halt all fighting, starting on 1 September 2015. This agreement coincided with the start of the school year in Ukraine, and was intended to allow for another attempt at implementing the points of Minsk II. By 12 September, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that the ceasefire had been holding, and that the parties to the conflict were very close to reaching an agreement to withdraw heavy weaponry from the line of contact, as specified by Minsk II. The area around Mariupol, including Shyrokyne, saw no fighting. According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak, violence in the Donbass had reached its lowest level since the start of the war. Whilst the ceasefire continued to hold into November, no final settlement to the conflict was agreed. The New York Times described this result as part of a a common arc of post-Soviet conflict, visible in the Georgian enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan and in Transnistria, and said that separatist-controlled areas had become a frozen zone, where people live in ruins, amid a ruined ideology, in the ruins of the old empire. This state of affairs continued into 2016, with a 15 April report by the BBC labelling the conflict as Europes forgotten war. Minor outbreaks of fighting continued along the line of contact, though no territorial changes occurred



SOURCES- Daily Signal, Wikipedia, Newsweek, BBC
China has agreed to provide a 400 billion-ruble ($ 6.2 billion) loan for Russias Moscow-Kazan High-Speed Rail Project, the Russian Railways company said Friday.

In late March, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich attended the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), where he invited Chinese business to take part in the implementation of high-speed rail projects in Russia, including the Moscow-Kazan railway and a high- speed railway between Samara and Tolyatti.

The project is initial stage of a high speed rail line connecting Moscow and Beijing and later one of lines connecting China to Europe.

China is discussions with India on several High Speed rail projects

India has tied up with Japan for its first high-speed train to run on a 505-km track between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. China is keen to work on other proposed routes. It is carrying out feasibility studies for high-speed lines on the 2,200-km Chennai-New Delhi route and the 1,200-km long New Delhi-Mumbai corridor.

The proposed Chennai-New Delhi corridor could be the second-largest in the world, after the 2,298 km-long Beijing-Guangzhou line, which was launched three years ago.

Comparing the pricing of tickets of various modes of transport, the Chinese railway chief said the fare for a regular passenger train is 10 cents per kilometer, while second class on HSR costs 48 cents per kilometer and first class costs 80 cents. An air ticket, on average, came to about 1 RMB (100 china cents) per km. This was after airlines had been forced to lower their rates since they were losing out to High Speed Rail.
The U.S. Air Force on Wednesday awarded billionaire Elon Musks SpaceX an $83 million contract to launch a GPS satellite, breaking the monopoly that Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and Boeing Co (BA.N) have held on military space launches for more than a decade.

The Global Positioning System satellite will be launched in May 2018 from Florida, Air Force officials said.

The fixed-price award is the militarys first competitively sourced launch service contract in more than a decade. It ends the exclusive relationship between the military and United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

ULA did not compete for the GPS launch contract, citing accounting issues, implications of trade sanctions limiting imports of its rockets Russian-made engines and, according to a former ULA vice president, SpaceXs cut-rate pricing.

The next Spacex launch is scheduled for May 4th at 1:22 am EST with a two-hour launch window. The company is expected to couple the launch with another rocket landing attempt on a drone ship out at sea.

The launch requirements for this next launch, the accompanied landing attempt will likely be more challenging. In order to reach the significantly higher orbit, the first stage on May 4th will be required to accelerate faster than the first stage on April 8th, which may make a soft landing attempt more cumbersome.

It was less than three weeks ago that SpaceX made their first successful rocket recovery on a drone ship.

Between now and 2018, the Air Force plans to solicit bids for contracts covering eight more satellite launches.

ULA did not immediately respond to a request for comment about bidding on future launch contracts.

In March, 2016, a ULA executive was fired for admitting ULA could not compete with Spacex on launch costs.

The most reliable US rocket company, United Launch Alliance, could not compete with upstart provider SpaceX during a competition in late 2015 for an Air Force payload, a senior engineer with the company said Wednesday. SpaceX was able to offer launch capabilities for as little as one-third the price of what United Launch Alliance could, said Brett Tobey, vice president of engineering for the Colorado-based rocket company.

The $82.7 million fixed-price contract awarded to Space Exploration Technologies, as the company is officially known, covers production of a Falcon 9 rocket, spacecraft integration, launch operations and spaceflight certification.

SpaceX holds more than $10 billion worth of launch service contracts for NASA and commercial customers.

The advertised price of a Falcon 9 is $61.2 million. Assuming that savings would be passed on to the customer, the price of a Falcon 9 with a reused first stage could drop to $42.84 million.

Getting to weekly launches by 2019 and twice a week by 2021

Spacex emphasis is on accelerating the production and launch rate for the Falcon 9. Weve had the luxury in years past of having to build only a few rockets a year, she said, so we really werent in a production mode. Last year would have been the first to require a high production rate of the rocket, she said, had it not been for the June launch failure that halted flights for nearly six months.

Now were in this factory transformation to go from building six or eight a year to about 18 cores a year. By the end of this year we should be at over 30 cores per year, she said. So you see the factory start to morph.

Those changes, she said, include doubling the number of first stages that can be assembled at one time from three to six. The company is also working to accelerate production of the Merlin engines that power the Falcon 9 since, at the higher production rates planned for this year, the company will need to build hundreds of engines a year.

Spacex is ramping up to two launches per month through 2016.

According to Shotwell, a pace of 16 more launches over the next nine months should shift to 24 launches in 2017. From there, SpaceX plans to continue accelerating its cadence, at a rate of 30% to 50% annually.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has long talked about launching payloads into orbit as often as once per week.

Weekly launches where they make $80 million per launch would be $4 billion and perhaps $2 billion in operating margin.

SOURCES- Spacex, Fortune, Space News, Reuters
The US Federal Reserve has voted to keep federal fund rates in the 0.25 to 0.5 per cent target range.

"This caution is especially warranted because, with the federal funds rates so low, the FOMC's ability to use conventional monetary policy to respond to economic disturbances is asymmetric", Yellen said, referring to the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Fed's monetary policy arm.

The Fed's decision was approved on a 9-1 vote, with Esther George, head of the Fed's regional bank in Kansas City, dissenting for a second straight meeting.

On the domestic side, the Fed stressed that labor market conditions have improved further, growth in household spending has moderated and the housing sector has improved while strong job gains point to additional strengthening of the labor market. "The market is likely to only reprice a June [rate-hike] if data improve sharply in the next few weeks, which remains unlikely", said Aaron Kohli, interest-rate strategist at BMO Capital Markets, in emailed comments.GDPNow, the Atlanta Fed's measure of economic growth, estimated first-quarter expansion at an annual rate of 0.6 per cent as of Wednesday. "Business fixed investment and net exports have been soft".

The committee said that they expect, with "gradual adjustments in the stance of monetary policy, economic activity will expand at a moderate pace and labor market indicators will continue to strengthen".

Cruz Taps Fiorina as No. 2

Ted Cruz's newly minted running mate picked up Thursday where she left off Wednesday - attacking front-runner Donald Trump . By contrast, both Cruz and Trump have high negative ratings even within their own party, according to an April AP-GfK poll.

The Fed's two-handed assessment of economic conditions appeared to confuse financial markets.

First, the Fed didn't add back the phrase about "balanced" risks. However, a rough start to the year kept the Fed on hold as worries about the strength and stability of the global economy plagued markets all around the world.

The Federal Reserve isn't budging for now. That suggests the Fed isn't ready for another rate hike.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) - led by Fed chair Janet Yellen - has several concerns including slowing global economic growth.

Fed's recent forecasts show most officials expect to raise rates twice this year, perhaps following their meetings in June and December.

Eagles pick guard in third round

In his sophomore season (2013), he moved to RT for two games after Oregon State suffered injuries along their offensive line. That means Seumalo will compete with Stefen Wisniewski, Allen Barbre, Andrew Gardner and Matt Tobin for the left guard spot.

As decided on March 10, European Central Bank did expand monthly bond purchases to 80 billion from the previous amount of 60 billion.

In March, Fed officials predicted two rate hikes this year, down from four last December.

"I am not sure they will have the confidence to send a signal this week that June is a go for a hike", said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Diane Swonk Economics in Chicago.

The toned down statement left investors continuing to wonder whether the central bank's next rate hike will come at its next meeting in June.

Gold has rallied 17 percent this year on expectations that the Fed will not raise rates aggressively this year due to global economic risks. Growth in the last quarter of 2015 was also weak, at 1.4 percent on an annualized basis, according to the Commerce Department.
President Pranab Mukherjee tonight left on a two-nation tour to Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, the first ever state visit by an Indian President to these two countries.

Asked what benefits would India get from increased ties or trade with New Zealand, President Mukherjee said, " New Zealand has strong expertise in areas such as agriculture, food processing, and high-end manufacturing which is of interest to India.

The pact will encourage cooperation between the Health Ministries of both the nations through joint initiatives in the sector.

Denver Broncos select QB Paxton Lynch in 1st round

Last season, the Broncos moved up in the first round to select linebacker Shane Ray with the 23rd pick of the first round. The Chiefs could have trumped Denver's deal with Seattle by giving the Seahawks a second-round pick in order to move up.

The President will reach New Zealand on April 30.

President Mukherjee announced that the Indian Government would provide retro-viral drugs and equipment for the treatment of 20,000 HIV patients in Papua New Guinea for one year.

Governor of West New Britain Province Sasindran Muthuvel, an Indian origin businessman, said PNG offers a good opportunity for Indian businessmen.

Cornerback Josh Norman bypasses 49ers, strikes it rich in Washington

"After a number of conversations with Josh's agent, we realized that a long-term deal was not attainable", Gettleman said . Norman was reportedly looking for $16 million per year and he and the Panthers were never reportedly close to a deal.

During the banquet hosted by the Ogio in honour of the President last night, the Governor General also said the linkages between the two countries go back to the second World War in which Indian servicemen, some 615 courageous sons who were part of the British Army and Allied Forces, fought and died in PNG.

"The challenge for Papua New Guinea is how to best utilise these abundant natural resources for value addition, generating employment and economically empowering her people", he told members of the Papua New Guinea Business Council here. Both leaders agreed that the Forum for India and Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit has been highly successful in strengthening the interaction between India and the Pacific region.

Papua New Guinea is the largest of all the Pacific island-nations.

Smartphone health: Apple releases software for medical apps

CareKit , which was unveiled in March, is a software platform on which apps can be built to monitor and track a person's health. Currently, the CareKit apps release by Apple aims to help Diabetics, pregnant women, and people suffering from depression.

"We are ready to cooperate with Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Island Countries in helping them secure their EEZs and also helping in disaster warning and disaster mitigation".
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Morocco has welcomed the resolution adopted Friday by the UN Security Council which renews the mandate of the MINURSO, the UN peacekeeping mission in the Sahara, for one year, for it reiterates the fundamental parameters of the political solution it defined since 2004.

This resolution reaffirms the parameters of the political solution, as defined by the Security Council since 2004 and clarified, in operational terms, in 2007, said the Moroccan Foreign Ministry in a statement released few hours after the vote of the resolution.

The Foreign Ministry deemed that the resolution constitutes a scathing setback for all the maneuvers of the UN Secretariat General.

These manoeuvers triggered tension between Morocco and the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, who had talked of the Moroccan presence in the Sahara as occupation. The UN Chief, who is leaving office at the end of 2016, also mentioned in his report on MINURSO the self-determination obsolete option.

For the Moroccan diplomacy these acts are all maneuvers aimed to alter the parameters of the political solution, to revive obsolete options and to introduce elements that are not recognized by the Security Council.

The Foreign Ministrys statement recalled that Morocco had responded in due time to the UN Secretary Generals inappropriate behavior and expressed, in an official letter, its reservations on his latest report immediately after it was made public. In this letter, Morocco also voiced its total rejection of some contents of this report.

The Foreign Ministry also welcomed the fact that the Security Council resolution extends the MINURSO mandate without making any change to its prerogatives, a reference to the attempts made in 2013 and 2014 by the General Secretariat and American diplomacy to expand the MINURSO prerogatives to human rights monitoring.

The Mission will work as it did in recent years, taking into account the developments of the issue, the statement said, adding that the Security Council has thus ruled on all the attempts to change the MINURSO mandate and expand it to missions not agreed upon and to tasks alien to its purpose.

It is in the context of this renewed mandate that the resolution calls for the full functionality of MINURSO, the Foreign Ministry said, adding that Morocco will continue dialog, in full compliance with the decisions it made, to reach a solution package likely to mitigate the serious missteps made by the UN Secretary General during his visit to the region, and to guarantee the proper functioning of the MINURSO, mainly regarding its core tasks consisting in monitoring the cease-fire and demining the buffer zone to the east of the defense wall.

MINURSO was established in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire between Morocco and the Algeria-backed separatist movement known as the Polisario Front. After more than a decade of failed attempts to organize a referendum on the status of Western Sahara, the UN decided in 2002 to abandon the idea and instead pursue a negotiated political solution to the conflict. In 2007, Morocco proposed a compromise solution based on broad autonomy for the Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty.

And Fridays resolution took note again of the Moroccan proposal and of the serious and credible Moroccan efforts to move the process forward towards resolution. It also reaffirmed all the previous resolutions which call for a negotiated political solution and make no mention of a referendum.

The Foreign Ministry also pointed out that Morocco regrets, that the member of the Security Council, which is responsible for the drafting and presentation of the first draft resolution, has introduced elements of pressure, constraints and weakening, and acted against the spirit of partnership binding it to the Kingdom of Morocco, in a clear reference to the United States, the penholder of the group of the Sahara Friends, which drafted and tabled the resolution.

In this vein, the Foreign Ministry recalled the speech delivered by King Mohammed VI during the Morocco-GCC Summit held in Riyadh on April 20 and wherein he had denounced the sources of inspiration, action and objectives of the parties which are hostile to the territorial integrity of Morocco and which seek to cause regional destabilization.

Morocco which relies on its rights and on the unity and solidity of its internal front will remain, in good faith and with determination, committed to the political process of the settlement of this artificial regional dispute, the ministry underlined, before concluding that as Morocco will remain committed to regional and international peace and stability, it will likewise remain vigilant to ward off any slips or attempts to harm its legitimate supreme interests.
The protesters, once they made it inside the Parliament building. Photo: Haidar Mohammed Ali/AFP/Getty Images

Hundreds of anti-corruption protesters breached Baghdads fortified Green Zone and stormed the Iraqi Parliament building on Saturday afternoon, according to the Washington Post and New York Times. While the protest was largely nonviolent, it nonetheless pushed Baghdad authorities to announce a state of emergency, increase security, and lock down the citys roads and checkpoints. The protesters, mostly supporters of the powerful Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, were reportedly motivated by frustration with corruption and sectarian quotas in the current government under Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Once they entered the Parliament building, the protesters not only waved Iraqi flags, but apparently used those flags to beat fleeing, berated lawmakers. They also took photos, broke some furniture, and smashed the windows of politicians cars.

Demonstrators climb over a concrete wall surrounding Parliament. Photo: Haidar Mohammed Ali/AFP/Getty Images

As the Times notes, breaking into the Green Zone is a largely symbolic act, as to many in Iraq, the heavily-fortified area represents the divide between the countrys elite and common citizens, as well as tyranny and corruption dating back to the U.S. occupation and before. No shots were reportedly fired by security forces guarding the Green Zone, which suggests that those guards may be sympathetic to the protesters views. Speaking at a news conference earlier on Saturday, the cleric al-Sadr said that he was standing and waiting for a major uprising of the Iraqi people, and his supporters seem to have responded.

Shiite Muslim cleric Moktada al-Sadr speaking at his Saturday press conference in the holy Shiite city of Najaf. Photo: Haidar Hamdani/AFP/Getty Images

The Iraqi government is already in a state of crisis as oil revenue drops and the war against ISIS persists, and indeed the protest followed an afternoon session of Parliament, which failed to reach quorum, at which Prime Minister al-Abadi was going to try and reshuffle his cabinet in response to criticism that it was too partisan and sectarian. In addition, when sessions of Parliament have been able to proceed, they have often been dysfunctional and even violent, as politicians have even attacked one another over disagreements.

The U.S. Embassy, which is also located in the Green Zone, was apparently not at risk during the breach, but the continuing political unrest in Iraq has U.S. officials worried, according to the Post, that Iraq will not be able to fulfill its role in the fight against ISIS, and last week President Obama warned the Iraqi government that now is not the time for government gridlock or bickering.

Here is a compilation of videos taken of the protests:
The ivory pyres are expected to burn for several days. Photo: Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images

More than 100 tons of illegal ivory were set ablaze by the president of Kenya on Saturday in Nairobi National Park, creating a bonfire that the country hopes will send a message of deterrence to wildlife poachers in the country and continent. The BBC reports that the 12 towers of now-buring tusks comprised all the ivory the Kenyan government had confiscated, representing about 5 percent of global ivory stores and some $100 million in value. The ivory is likely to have originated from as many as 8,000 elephants, according to one wildlife trade expert who spoke with CNN.

About $80 million worth of rhino horn, 1.35 tons, was also torched, as were a variety of animal skins and other poacher-sourced products. It was the largest-ever burn of illegal wildlife products by a factor of seven, and the fourth large burn conducted by the Kenyan government since 1989.

Some 450,000 to 500,000 elephants live in Africa, though more than 30,000 are killed each year by poachers for their ivory, and some experts fear the animals will become extinct over the next few decades if poaching isnt curbed. However, Kenyas bonfire has also drawn criticism from some in the conservationist community who say that destroying large caches of ivory only makes it more rare and valuable, and thus, encourages more poaching. That opposition to Saturdays burn included the government of Botswana, where about half of Africas elephants live, and which has enacted some of the strongest policies against poachers on the continent, including a shoot-to-kill order, and a total ban on all hunting in the country.

Others have suggested that Kenya sell the ivory and then use the money to bolster elephant projection efforts, but Kenya dismissed that rationale. Kitili Mbathi, director general of the Kenya Wildlife Service, says ignoring the stockpiles value is the point, noting that they were burning their confiscated ivory to demonstrate to the world that ivory is only valuable on elephants.

An elephant lies dead in the grasslands of Chads Zakouma National Park after poachers fired automatic weapons into a herd of elephants to kill them for their ivory. Photo: Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images

Anti-poaching crusader and current chair of the Kenya Wildlife Service Richard Leakey, who helped come up with the concept of mass-destroying ivory and spoke at the burn, told the crowd that after a previous large burn, the price of ivory dropped 98 percent. In an interview with Scientific American last week, Leakey also dismissed the logic of selling confiscated ivory instead of destroying it:

[After a largely successful ban by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in 1989] there was still a lot of ivory sitting around in storerooms, and some countriesSouth Africa in particular, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwethought that this could earn them money if it was sold. They persuaded CITES to allow them to put it on the market. We in Kenya felt that once the ivory trade got going again, it would be very difficult for people to distinguish between a valid export document and a false one. So, very quickly, ivory was again being poached and exported out with doctored documents. The price rose sharply and big criminal cartels started taking an interest. It was a deplorable situation.

Leakey said that he hoped Saturdays burn will get enough publicity to make the news  and a moral impact  in Asia, where most poached ivory and rhino horns are ultimately purchased.

As CNN points out, elephant conservationists also claim an elephant generates 76 times as much tourist revenue alive as its tusks do on the black market after its been killed. 12 percent of Kenyas GDP is from tourism.

Watch a video of Saturdays lighting ceremony in Kenya here:
Amy Schumer. Photo: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

Its a truism that if youre a celebrity, there are people who will think youve waived your right to privacy. Its a sentiment any woman would recognize, as the general population also often feels that being female in public is giving up your personal privacy. As both a famous person and a female, Amy Schumer is well aware of how people feel they have rights to her body and image  shes written some pretty searing sketches to that effect. Today that point was brought home by a pushy man in South Carolina who felt she owed him a photo.

Schumer was in Greenville, South Carolina, to perform a show on Friday night. Today, she posted an Instagram of a man, noting that while out around Greenville today, he ran up to her and demanded she let him take a picture, and despite her protests, shoved a camera in her face. I asked him to stop and he said, No its America and we paid for you, she wrote in her Instagram caption. She went on to explain, I was saying stop and no. Great message to [send] your kid. Yes, legally you are allowed to take a picture of me. But I was asking you to stop and saying no.

She finished the caption by noting, I will not take pictures with people anymore and its because of this dude in Greenville. The unnamed man in the photo is grinning widely and giving a thumbs up, seemingly completely unaware (or blithely contemptuous of the fact) that hes violated the personal space of a stranger on the street. Schumer followed up with a note on Twitter that expands on future picture requests, noting, Ill still take pictures with nice people when I choose to if its a good time for that. But I dont owe you anything.


Was he scared away because he saw Ezra Miller's toenails?

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well, have you seen them?

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I don't even want to know. But after reading Unholy Night (one of Seth's books) I doubt much of anything could scare him. Or make him ill.

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Grant Gustin's toenails could never!

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sounds like wan might be leaving aquaman too. DCEU is all but over imo.



only wonder woman can save it now

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Aww, what, bummer

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"only wonder woman can save it now"



like always. i think she's the only good decision in the entire DCU

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ugh i sincerely hope not but i can't blame him if he peaces out. james wan doesn't really need WB, they need him and after the troubles w/furious 7 i can't blame him if he just wants a smoother overall experience at this point.

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that's what i'm thinking.



still, i want him to stick it out and i want wb to give the guy some peace of mind.

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at least there's also suicide squad and possibly suicide squad 2

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Supposebly Suicide Squad is the Hail Mary pass.

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noooo i hope this doesn't happen

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fuck nooooooooo ugh

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Nooo

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I hope not, he and Jason are the only reasons I'm planning to watch :|

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If Wan leaves Aquaman I hope they actually put forth the effort to get another Asian or just non-white director, but this is the WB so I'm not gonna hold my breath on it. (The dream is that Momoa would help bring in more Hawaiian folks to the production and acting teams, but yeah.)

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that's just a rumour for clickbait at this point



nothing substantial about it

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Damn, Snyder's bad work is making waves.



I want good DCEU movies.

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Oh damn. Not a Flash fan, but I'm kind of a Seth fan.

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can it lose ugly bitch ezra miller too?

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But he already melted out of Bruce Wayne's computer.

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no one will notice if he looks different imo!

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lmao if you dummies wanted a more experienced director why didn't you realize this before you hired a dude with one tv credit to his name????

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Because WB doesn't have the best decision making skills.

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What's wrong with The Flash on TV? Why is Ezra Miller so unhygienic?

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WB, you fucking flops are so dumb. DCCU is potentially all falling apart because they're too stupid to realize Snyder is shit at his job and decided to hire a dude with like no credits to his name.



Edited at 2016-04-30 02:24 am (UTC)

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at this point, if it's jeopardizing the creative foundation of the EU, they need to demote the guy. fix this trainwreck asap. cry and beg and get george miller on JLA, find talented directors, see what patty jenkins and david ayer are doing and if either of them is onto something really great, give them more to do and more say in the creative direction, and get ben in the drivers seat of the whole thing. he's the only guy whose taste and opinions i trust in the DCEU right now. for the love of god.

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um it's the DCEU ok.



Get it right, they are unique

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Detective Comics European Union?

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they really are so dumb, I honestly do not understand what they're even trying to accomplish at this point.



It's almost like they're mad they've essentially been forced into this so they're punishing the public



It just all makes no sense at all

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Might as well go to their goto director, Zack Snyder.

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Just call it the DC Snydermatic Universe

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Aquaman by Michael Bay doesn't sound so crazy now, huh?

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I'd hurl tbh but really what more damage could he even do at this point? At least it'd probably be the same kind of suck instead of a whole new kind

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Ima need someone to leak WBs emails cause I know they got some funny shit in them.

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Why r you punishing the filmgoers

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i am rooting for the DCEU ultimately but omg i would kill for the e-mails after the reviews for BvS came out.

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Martha lady-spy origin story. Which Martha, you ask? All of them.

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Both Marthas were secretly CIA operatives in college like Sydney Bristow!



Except I would totally watch that...like a million times.

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That would be golden

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ikr?



To read their emails after BvS. I hope there's a smart ass in the mix like David Fincher's emails.





Or MCU's emails after BvS, which I imagine are exactly like CHanning Tatum's emails.



Edited at 2016-05-01 05:52 am (UTC)

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not a huge loss tho bc this guy pretty much has not directed anything

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I still don't get why they chose him to begin with. White male directors have it so easy.

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Just sitch together key episodes (the pilot, the season 1 finale, some Earth2 stuff) of the show and release that. Then let Gustin run around in the movie with Gal Gadot and Batfleck. Solved. Well we don't really need a Flash movie so i'm ok with this.Just sitch together key episodes (the pilot, the season 1 finale, some Earth2 stuff) of the show and release that. Then let Gustin run around in the movie with Gal Gadot and Batfleck. Solved. #hiremeDC

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well it's not like it's a big loss based on this dude's resume lol. although if the rumours are true and they lose james wan then that's a problem. oh to be a fly on the wall @ warner bros rn.

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that's what they get for making barry allen again when there's already a tv show. shoulda done wally.

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dc's boner for barry pisses me off. wally >>>>> barry and it kills me that the chances of me seeing wally/linda and their kids back in the comics again seems pretty much non-existent. the least they could do is give them to me in live-action form smh (still crossing my fingers that tv flash makes it happen).

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i don't know comics but it didn't make sense that they'd adapt barry allen again (esp since it was announced like the same week that tv flash premiered (poor grant)). there's a bunch of people that use the flash name? (or similar) why do the same guy?



wally's on the flash now but he won't ever be the focus of it? it's still barry's show. (unless grant were to leave and they could pass the mantle to keiynan)

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http://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/278172-will-ferrell-drops-out-of-film-on-reagans-alzheimers Will Ferrell dropped out of the movie

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that was fast

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it should have been that fast though.

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lol, that was fast.

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I'm assuming dementia is alzheimers?

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alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia (there are over 100 types)

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Dementia can be caused by things like when athletes have CTE (concussions causing encephalopathy) that aren't Alzheimer's

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They have similar symptoms but they're not the exact same thing.



I know this because my grandma had alzheimers and my grandpa has dementia.

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soz but this is incorrect. alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia (kinda like breast cancer is a type of cancer). your grandpa prob just has some other type of dementia (vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia etc...)

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how's that hottie in your icon? I need his IG.

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dementia is an umbrella term. alzheimer's is a type of dementia. there are other types of dementia like frontotemporal, vascular, etc.

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I saw on MSNBC earlier that Ferrell pulled out of this

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agreed on both counts



I'm all for dragging Reagan but mocking this makes a mockery of everyone who suffers from dementia which is not cool

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idgi why we cant make a good ol' fashioned hair dragging film about Reagan like we've done with 1000 other historical figures.



why the dementia comedy angle that's so inhumane and cruel? like, he was awful there's plenty of material for a movie.

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iawtc, it's so great. old white men are so filthy about it and its glorious. You just cant get away with the shit you used to, and its awesome

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YEP YEP! every time self hating young folk and salty baby boomers bitch about Millennials being the worst generation, I just smile knowing all they can think of for reasons why is "they want free stuff" (because paying taxes isnt considered paying for things I guess) and "they're too sensitive and PC".



like boo fucking hoo, you put an entire group of immigrants and citizens into war camps and forced young people into dying at war so I'll take the ~too PC~ complaint and many thanks dickwad.

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I really like Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee but Jerry comes off SO unlikeable. I like it for the other comedians though.



Like the Stephen Colbert one, he makes some off color transgender remark that Stephen blows off. Jerry then tries to talk about how men are becoming more feminine and Stephen again sorta deflects. Jerry clearly didn't respect Amy Schumer and clearly didn't really vibe with Jim Carrey, who I know is a crazy anti-vaxxer but otherwise seems like a really great person.



anyway, Seinfeld CLEARLY has a huge chip on his shoulder and it's so apparent when you watch his show. You realize how nasty he really is and how great all these other comedians are really.



That being said, Will Ferrell came off really sweet in his.

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Well before you drag a whole generation, perhaps you should do your homework first.



For you youngins out there, accusations of "PC" or "politically correct" is a retread from the 1990s. Conservatives may hate actual recycling, but they do recycle talking points often.



See also the backlash media it inspired (not that I recommend watching/reading): "PCU", Rush Limbaugh , campus report "newspaper", and "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher".



The only real difference between then and now is social media and the speed at which movements move/form. Back then, it was easier for reformers to be ignored and you basically just had clubs & 'zines.



Anyway the generation divides are just marketing tools to sell us crap and keep people busy fighting amongst themselves. It's time that shit was jettisoned and we all focus our efforts on making shit better. After all, Bernie isn't a millienial and Dylann Roof is probably the age of many here.



As someone that had two grandmothers with dementia, I don't think that the topic is off limits. There is dark humor in everything. It's how you survive and is an often a taboo and unexamined part of the human experience.



And as I mention downthread, the true horror is that a popular, mentally incompetent man was in charge of the country. His wife, who protected him, was using astrology to make crucial decisions. If I pitched that as a screenplay, people would think that it was too farfetched.



How could you not make something that actually happened into a movie? Why is Reagan so special?



I mean fuck there's already been 911 movies and now a Deepwater Horizon movie...

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Didn't he already drop out bc of the backlash? I also wonder what Seth Rogen thinks considering the "it's comedy!" argument people love to give about anything offensive but he's also a pretty big AD activist/charity supporter

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my paternal grandma is 78 and today my dad told me that she's been diagnosed with alzheimer's. i feel so bad for her because my uncle died a few months ago at age 45 from cancer and my grandpa is seriously depressed and she's the only one who is in charge of him. we would help her but she lives in another country. idk what's going to happen with her or what we're going to do.

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I'm so sorry bb :/

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I'm so sorry.

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oh no, i'm so sorry :(

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i really hope that none of my elders get dementia, and thoughts go out to any caretakers. my grandma lives at a nursing home since she had open heart surgery a couple years back and it's absolutely heartwrenching to see some of these people who have no idea who or where they are. One woman had reverted to a childlike state and couldn't remember anything past 12 yrs old. Other times you see people just wandering down the hall with a blank stare. They still have their motor skills but no one's home upstairs.

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I dunno, Alzheimer's runs in my family (my grandma had it, I heard it skips a generation so does that mean I will get it?) and I feel it's so depressing that sometimes you HAVE to laugh about it in order for it not to get to you, you know? It all depends on HOW it's handled - if it's handled insensitively in a slapstick way of course it's bad but I could see there being done right if the writing's good.



That being said many of us have laughed at Stephen Hawking jokes.

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the 'skips a generation' thing isn't true, dont worry. Having a family history puts you at increased risk but doesnt mean you will def end up with the disease. You can reduce your risk heaps by not smoking and keeping your heart healthy



also, i think only people with dementia can decide to joke about it. the rest of us can stfu!

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oh thank God, bless you for this comment

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the only way i could see it coming off as slightly acceptable is if they approached it in an "august osage county" way but I don't trust it at this point.

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Idk. I think the circumstances around dementia can be funny, but not the dementia itself, if that makes sense? My grandfather had terrible dementia in the years leading up to his death and it would find him in horrible states when we saw him, like clockwork, every week - sometimes he'd be a WWII soldier, in the midst of war, other times he'd be revisiting the death of one of his brothers - all three of whom died tragically before they were 40, or the death of my grandmother.



The night he died though he was back in the auction house where he'd worked for fifty years as an auctioneer. During his time there he was used to auctioning off whatever was given to him, and that night, he literally started auctioning off all his hospital equipment. All the IVs, all the monitors. He mostly seemed to know he was on deaths door too, and was doing it to cheer my dad (his stepson), and his daughters, and us grandkids up, and man, it was hilarious, and awful, and just warm, I guess.

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both my great grandfather and grandfather had dementia and it was fucking shitty seeing them spend their last days the way they did. to me idc if it's "comedy", it's not funny in any way shape or form.

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I'm really sorry your family had to experience that. I'm sure when this was first announced at lot of peoples' stomachs churned because of memories, including mine.

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SOURCE "The REAGAN script is one of a number of scripts that had been submitted to Will Ferrell which he had considered. While it is by no means a 'Alzheimer's comedy' as has been suggested, Mr. Ferrell is not pursuing this project," a spokesperson for the actor told the Post on Friday.

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OP I agree with your statement. Not a fan of Reagan but this sounds like a truly horrid idea for a movie.



My father suffers from dementia and it's so tough to visit home. He's worse every time I visit.



Last time I visited he didn't really know who I was.



I'm visiting home next week (haven't been since December) and I'm honestly scared. My mom warned me he's worse :\

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Im so sorry. I totally know how you feel. My grandma had dementia / early on-set Alzheimers (and then went full blown Alzheimers). It was so sad and scary to watch the downward spiralpoor sweet lady. When she stopped recognizing my dad (he was her only child), her sole caretaker, it became too painful watching him suffer because of his poor mothers suffering, etc. She was only 62 when she was diagnosed.



(Possibly TMI but FYI - She grew up on a dairy farm so, naturally, back then that meant having a big family. Out of all 9 of her brothers and sister all but the 2 very youngest developed dementia and/or Alzheimers. Really weirdand depressing. The whole something in the water thing comes to mind, etc. Im utterly petrified of getting it later.



I know what youre going through and it really is scary, not to mention the emotional trauma it very well can cause for all those involved. Just stay positive and maybe try to remember him for the way he was - that its the disease, not 100% him, controlling him. I know you prob know all this and heard it 100xs. The disease can be maddening and in throes of it sometimes optimism and perspective are easily thrown out the window.



A lot of times, people with dementia are a MUCH better in the mornings/earlier in the daytime (and sometimes can seem completely normal) - maybe try to plan around those times while visiting?



Stay strong. Hugs.

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I'm sorry about your dad, bb :/ dementia is an awful thing to see in a family member

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i'm so sorry. my grandmother has it and it's incredibly advanced and she hasn't known who we are for years. it's one of the hardest things i've ever dealt with.



having that be a parent must be that much harder. many hugs for this next visit.

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I think I read on the Daily Fail that hes pulled out of the movie, thank god. Alzheimers is anything but funny when you watch the slow, heart-wrenching demise of a friend or member - or even stranger for that matter - become just a shell of their former self. Terrifying shit for real. I hope hes ashamed of himself. So NOT funny.

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also its scary how a bunch of shit like benadryl and heavy antacid medicine like prilosec are coming out as potential causes for dementia and there doesn't seem to be much being done about getting it off the shelves.

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I didnt know this. Thanks for making me aware (luckily i dont use either but still ) *off to research more about the disease*.

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taking them off the shelves is extra. they're fine if they're not used heavily. and there's only been one study so far for each of them afaik.

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If it turns out it's a real cause, things are going to suck for a lot of people who rely on those meds to get by. At this point I agree. It's still just a possible relation and anticholinergics are important for a lot of people If it turns out it's a real cause, things are going to suck for a lot of people who rely on those meds to get by.

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anti-anxiety and sleeping pills are also associated with higher rates of dementia.

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i mean, they still don't know for sure if that correlation is actually causation yet, so they're probably not going to try to take it off the shelves until that happens. plus, it's not so much the drugs themselves that is the problem as it is the fact that people are taking them in way higher doses than directed and/or for way longer periods of time than directed. as a nurse, i see so many people who completely ignore the labels on OTC meds, whether it's because they don't take it seriously, or because they're so desperate for relief that they don't care, etc, and they just take whatever they want whenever they feel they need to. one of my very first patients had never been seriously ill their entire life, but they worked in construction and took at least a dozen advil every day for years to deal with his aches and pains from the job, which ended up causing a 30% decrease in his kidney function. that doesn't mean that ibuprofen should be taken off the shelves-- just that people need to actually take their medications as directed.



with prilosec, for example, many people in the studies were taking it for months/years at a time when it's only directed for two-week courses and isn't meant to be taken more than, like, three months total in the span of a year. so, if there is a solid correlation between the drugs and dementia, it seems pretty unlikely that it's going to be prevalent in people who are only taking benadryl for the occasional case of hives or hay fever, you know?

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There was even a recent study that suggested a link between Alzheimer's and STD's. I found that pretty shocking.

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I am so drunk and this is freaking me out

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same boat baby

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i'm so tired my brain processed this as "same, boat baby" instead of "same boat, baby" and i spent at least 30 seconds trying to figure out how one would acquire that nickname.

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i really like her i wish vampire academy would have been better so i could see her more.

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i don't really care about her but ia that movie was a shit adaptation of a decent YA book rip

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Yeah. It was so bad I couldn't even finish it.

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i just watched that movie last night and sort of loved it. lol

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See her in Everybody Wants Some! I just saw it yesterday and it was really great.

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I second this. I enjoyed the first three Vampire Academy books, so when I watched the movie I was happy with the casting... but that script. Too bad that the funding for the second film fell through, cause the script writer they got to write the second film actually did a decent job.

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She's adorable and was cute in Everybody Wants Some. Hopefully her future movies are also good, because lord, she was in a lot of crap before this year.

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she's cute but I hate late night talk show chat, it always seems so unnatural and forced

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I've been watching a lot of Conan clips on YT and thinking how much I hate that he has to interview celebs. It's so boring, all it is setting them up to tell some cute safe anecdote that they've already prepped



I wish he just had a show where he ran around doing stuff tb

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lol that would be amazing. like on the travel channel or something :D

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i like graham norton and alan carr. alan mostly because his opener with guests is getting them to choose their alcohol for the evening lmao

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honestly it's one reason i like fallon/the tonight show even though everyone here hates him. i like that they play games and sing.

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what the fuck, she's Lea Thompson's daughter?!

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don't be such a square, everybody who's anybody knows she's Lea Thompson's daughter

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I had no idea she was, too.

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lol honestly her fame makes SO MUCH MORE SENSE

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I thought that was a nickname for Zooey Deschanel before the video loaded.

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lol same like who tf is this nobody

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Obvious BTTF is the best Lea Thompson movie BUT it's almost tied with Space Camp for me.

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Some Kind of Wonderful is my fave of hers after BTTF

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I don't think I've watched that as an adult actually so I don't really remember much about it, I should watch it again sometime

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I love that one.

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yasss

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Space Camp was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid haha.

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Space Camp and Howard the Duck were two of my favorites as a kid. Still are, actually. I'm so happy to see other people even know of Space Camp. Growing up, I always talked about it and no one had even heard of it, much less seen it. It probably made my parents' lives hell, though, because I really wanted to go to the camp in Huntsville and we could never afford it. My dad did take me to see the Stennis Center and would wake me whenever the shuttles would land since the reentry would go directly over us and you could see it and hear the sonic boom. I still want to experience the real camp, though ... and I recently found out they have them for adults and I'm extremely tempted to make it a vacation one day.

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this movie fueling furry fantasies since the 80s, bless

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Zoobilee Zoo, Darkwing Duck, and CATS viewings during formative years are the largest known causes of furry in adult humans. There is no known cure. Parents need to be vigilant.

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I loved Zoobilee Zoo. Although as a kid I somehow thought it was meant to be scary. Like a horror children's show.

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smh will bananas in pajamas lead to people being fruities? #letthemadnessstop

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Darkwing Duck was amazing btw

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beauty and the beast, the lion king and disney's robin hood are the leading cause of people worrying they might be furries.



but don't worry dudes! thinking the beast was sexier before he turned human doesn't mean you're a furry, it just means you have good taste. no shame.

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I've mentioned it here before ... but Howard was my first crush when I was about five. I was already a weird little kid, so my parents probably got really worried when I told them I loved an anthropomorphic duck. I managed to not become a furry and sort of fear them, so maybe I got sent away to some treatment facility but have repressed memories.

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If she ever needs someone to play a younger her, Kiernan Shipka should get the call.

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whenever I think of Kiernan Shipka now, I think of her guest starring on Apt 23. OMG. Glorious.

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wat i had no idea she was lea's daughter.





i really like her in vampire academy (that movie is so bad but in a really enjoyable way)

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for some reason, i thought it was the girl from the breakfast club who was in that movie.

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Howard The Duck is HAWT.





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aw her mom is the mom from Switched at Birth, that's cute

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Lol. I can't tell if you're trolling or if that's genuinely where you know her from.

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I know her from Caroline in the City too but that didn't come to mind lmao

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I find Zoey so cute. I hope she lands more, bigger roles

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"American whatever" titles need to stop. it's confusing

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Totally thought this was going to be a remake as well.

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Mte. To add to the list above, "American Odyssey" which I saw on Netflix the other day.

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The only justified one (by the story of the show, I mean) is The Americans.



The other ones smh

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American beauty

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Here for MEW.

The other one looks awful.

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Wasn't there already an American Gothic?



I'm already confused with all these American ______ shows.

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I thought that was jason bateman in the 2nd trailer

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Anthony Starr?

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okay but does that mean that susanna from jtv is gonna end up leaving the show? bc dam I liked her with luisa

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These air in summer. Different production cycles. Could make both work.

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Someone tweeted Gina about being sad that Susanna was no longer on the show, and Gina said something like, "Don't be sad bc Megan got her own show and we're all so proud of her!" She could have been in the dark or holding out on us, but it didn't sound like Susanna's coming back. At least not this season, bc Megan was in Toronto during the rest of JTV's s2 filming.

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:///////



tbh I didnt expect her back this season bc luisa's not in any more eps (she was only gonna be in 12 and they've all aired) but aw its super sad that shes probably not gonna be back even in s3 :(

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lol MTE

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I'm looking forward to American Gothic, but it's making me miss the the mid-90s American Gothic, which also aired on CBS.

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Danny Pino needs to cut his hair imo :'(

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The Good Wife s1-5 was stellar television, so I trust the creators. Brain Dead better deliver.

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I hope so too. I also really like Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

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Unless the Kings don't manage to find their spines in time and let their star call all the shots again.

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Don't invoke Satangulies in this post pls

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Aaron Tveit is in Brain Dead, so I guess I'll be watching that.

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I don't like zombies, but I like the Kings, so I guess I'll give BrainDead a try...

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braindead sounds kinda fun. I remember the 90s american gothic p well. this sounds okay but I wonder how many people are going to be confused by the title like people (and me) in this post were.

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AMERICAN GOTHIC



This is where Detective Susanna Barnett has fucked off to... but I'm happy that Megan has her own show.

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gross

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this won't be messy at all lmao. i'll watch regardless. sounds like twisted which i actually enjoyed for what it was. the brown hair girl/"amanda" looks so much like a duggar (idk which one, jill or jessa) that it's kind of distracting



i'm so fascinated in this case and hayden panettiere as amanda was so awful it was actually amazing. that whole movie is a trip



Edited at 2016-04-30 09:26 pm (UTC)

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Jessa, definitely Jessa.

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The HIV part of the movie (dunno a whole lot of details about the real case) was super fucked up.

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i came in here just to see if someone else thought she looked like a duggar

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This doesn't sit right with me. =/



You couldn't think of any other ideas for a show, Freeform?



Bring back Higher Ground, plz.

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Yessss higher ground was so good!

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This Higher Ground shout out rn

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Aww is that AJ Cook and Jewel Staite?

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This gif gives me all the feels. I miss this show so much! :')

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SCOTT/SHELBY FOREVER

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omg tmf lmao so many memories

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Who the fuck are all these people who aren't Billy Zane?



i'd still hit it btw

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he's a cool dude

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i thought the lead girl was a duggar for a second

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She was stabbed 32 times. Do you really think that's the work of a jealous girl?



Honestly, yeah dude, because a knife is the second most likely weapon for a woman to use. Plus using a knife to murder someone usually means that it was a personal attack rather than a random one, so if you think she's jealous, then just put the pieces together, bro.

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mte like what



that does not sound impersonal....

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I know they probably just wanted that punchy exchange for the trailer and everything, but if the cop is that stupid...

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lol mte

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lmao omg this thread. yall watch too much discover ID

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Eh to be fair I have an inmate who just went apartment to apartment stabbing everyone 50-60 times a piece and he had never even met any of the people.



He just really likes to stab things he says. Lol

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to me there is no way amanda killed her (from everything I know about the crime and trial), but I think its stupid to say women arent capable of a crime like that either.

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Come on, give it four more twists to drop all connections to reality at least. I can't remember there ever being a show or film that did the ripped from the headlines thing well.

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How do you even make a tv series like that last for a long time?

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right? unless its a mini but even then have fun stretchin that story into something compelling lol

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they should ask the PLL producers

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I think everyone involved in PLL stopped knowing what was going on years ago

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the fact that pll is still on is just ridiculous

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Oh no, that's a horrible idea

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it sounds pretty similar to Twisted

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came to say this

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mte, which means they'll reveal her as innocent within the first season

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imo dont bother it will never top the hayden paneiteararre life time movie version

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that's pretty wrong to capitalize on a young woman's death and a young woman who was accused of her murder.

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i saw her out not too long ago. she was wearing flared jeans which bothered me greatly.

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[ ?? ] is bootcut acceptable..

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in 2003

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I can't wait for bootcut to come back, they're the only jeans that balance out my figure. Which is hourglass and apparently I should be grateful for, but dang my small waist and tree trunk thighs don't get any love from jeans.

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it's so crazy she was found guilty and sentenced to more time than the guy who's DNA was actually found at the crime scene

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the guys chose a shorter, different type of trial. i think it was that he gave up on having appeals in exchange for a reduced sentence? it was something like that

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First its new president, Jean-Bernard Levy, said French state utility EDF would delay a decision on its joint French-Chinese nuclear project in the UK, Hinkley Point. That was over a year ago. Then the CFO of EDF, Thomas Piquemal, quit reportedly because he opposed the project on financial grounds. That was a short time ago. Then after a slew of leaked memos, the French government just announced that EDF would be raising more money and the Hinkley decision would now come in September.

David Camerons government in the UK backs this exceedingly expensive project and the French government controls both EDF and Areva, the nuclear manufacturer that developed the nuclear system to be used at Hinkley Point. (Two other plants in Finland and China using this technology are still under construction, behind schedule and over budget.) As part of a plan to rescue Areva (which has lost money in each of the past four years and has negative equity, meaning the shareholder investment has been wiped out), EDF agreed, earlier in the year to buy Arevas nuclear engineering division. Clearly, France views its nuclear ambitions as a matter of national prestige and intends to support Hinkley Point. Related: Big Oil Surprises Analysts, Is The Worst Behind Us?

Now for the finances. These British nuclear units will cost roughly 18 billion ($27 billion). EDF has already sold a 35 percent share to the Chinese state nuclear company. However EDF still has to find more outside investors and get its ownership of the plant below 50 percent or it will have to consolidate Hinkley Point on its books and show all of the projects debt on its own balance sheet.

At the end of 2015, long and short-term debt made up 79 percent of EDFs capital, an already high number, and two of the three major bond rating agencies have assigned EDF's debt a negative outlook." EDF also needs more capital to take over Areva, finish the French nukes still under construction and refurbish its own domestic fleet of aging nuclear power stations. All this will take place during what amounts to a financial crisis within the European electricity markets. Related: Has the Oil Price Rally Gone Too Far?

So the French government just announced a $4.5 billion capital raising for EDF (the government will buy the lions share of the newly issued stock). But from the look of the numbers that share offering constitutes a modest fraction of what is required by a firm that will have to compete more and more in a competitive electricity market.

Last year EDF reported a return on shareholder investment of less than 5 percent (an adequate return for bondholders not stockholders). To reduce the total debt burden to a more manageable 70 percent would require the sale of another $16 billion of stock, a painful process, especially for existing shareholders when returns and share prices are so depressed. More than likely EDF will explore asset sales and other ingenious means to rearrange assets in order to shore up its overly indebted balance sheet. Related: $500 Billion In Lost Oil Revenues Forces Gulf Nations To Turn To Debt Markets

If we were gamblers we would not wager that EDF will take the obvious first step towards restoring its financial health and cancels the Hinkley project. Of course, if David Cameron loses the Brexit vote (a referendum to take the UK out of the European Union) and is ejected from Number Ten Downing Street, a new Prime Minister might take a more skeptical view of Hinkley Point.

The real point of this story is that nuclear power is not commercially viable but has become a state-sponsored technology. There is nothing wrong with state supported technology. But we could save a lot of time and money by not pretending that it is something else.

By Leonard Hyman and William Tilles for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Moving on to whats really going on in Libya, control of the countrys oil reserves is indeed in question. ISIS is not the biggest threat in this respect. The eastern government in Tobruk is using its own branch of the Libyan National Oil Company (of Benghazi) to attempt to export oil unilaterally. It has in fact sent out its first cargo, bound for Malta; however, Malta is not allowing the cargo to dock and the UN has blacklisted the tanker carrying it. Its since been ordered back to Libya, but its not going to offload its precious cargo without direct orders from the UN. The other Libyan government (the second of three) based in and controlling the capital, Tripoli, had

Lets get Libya out of the way first. It should not be necessary to mention this, and in general we find it inadvisable to comment on foreign policy issues brought up by the campaigning of Donald Trump; however, because the U.S. intelligence community has seen fit to respond, we will note only that the Islamic State (ISIS) is not known to be selling Libyan oil. It has not made it that far. There is also the question of what ISIS would actually do with a major oilfield. It can manage small ones, but does not have the capacity to run a big one. Right now, their tactic is to threaten the big fields in order to use that as leverage to throw a wrench in unity government negotiations.

Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict

Splitting the Libyan Spoils

Lets get Libya out of the way first. It should not be necessary to mention this, and in general we find it inadvisable to comment on foreign policy issues brought up by the campaigning of Donald Trump; however, because the U.S. intelligence community has seen fit to respond, we will note only that the Islamic State (ISIS) is not known to be selling Libyan oil. It has not made it that far. There is also the question of what ISIS would actually do with a major oilfield. It can manage small ones, but does not have the capacity to run a big one. Right now, their tactic is to threaten the big fields in order to use that as leverage to throw a wrench in unity government negotiations.

Moving on to whats really going on in Libya, control of the countrys oil reserves is indeed in question. ISIS is not the biggest threat in this respect. The eastern government in Tobruk is using its own branch of the Libyan National Oil Company (of Benghazi) to attempt to export oil unilaterally. It has in fact sent out its first cargo, bound for Malta; however, Malta is not allowing the cargo to dock and the UN has blacklisted the tanker carrying it. Its since been ordered back to Libya, but its not going to offload its precious cargo without direct orders from the UN. The other Libyan government (the second of three) based in and controlling the capital, Tripoli, had vowed to block this export move. So far, its winning this phase of the battle. Whoever controls Libyas oil, controls the government because its revenues are almost entirely dependent on oil.

Right now, Libya has three governments and two National Oil Companies and two Central Banksone each in Tripoli and Tobruk. That leaves the third governmentthe UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA)in a tight spot because it needs the support of both in reality, for any stability to emerge.

On 30 March, the GNAs UN-backed Prime Minister-designate, Serraj, showed up in Tripoli feeling a bit overconfident after the US and a handful of European countries recognized it as the legitimate government of Libya. They did this without any endorsement from the eastern government based in Tobruk, and without any support from the military factions of Libya. So basically, the GNA and the UN tried to move into Tripoli without any real backing, but they have made some headway (what price they paid for that, were not sure). On 25 April, the GNA took over the Foreign Ministry in Tripoli (and seven other ministries). In the meantime, the government in Tobruk has still not endorsed a GNA cabinet. So Tobruks move to export oil was immediately thwarted. The GNA, then, has largely won over the Central Bank and the NOC in Tripoli, and somehow managed to get past the Islamist-leaning government in Tripoli along the way, but the previously favored government in the east (the internationally recognized one) is playing

hard to get and its own NOC is trying to export oil alone.

Where the media-reading public probably gets confused is in the alliances here, which are anything but black and white and everything about divvying up the spoils. Readers tend to assume that the eastern NOC is the good guy in this scenario because, after all, it was the eastern Tobruk-based government that was internationally recognized, while Tripoli was being controlled by an Islamist-leaning government, which everyone in the West immediately associates with the enemy in a knee-jerk reaction. However, it with the NOCs and the Central Banks that it gets trickier. The Tripoli-based NOC and Central Bank have remained recognized as the legitimate branches of these institutions despite Libya Dawns control over the capital city, which did not extend fully into the NOC or Central Bank. Tobruk overstepped by trying to make an independent go at oil exports through a parallel NOC.

Croatia Back in the Syrian Oil Spotlight

Croatian media recently reported that the Syrian government has withdrawn its decision to grant oil fields owned by Croatian state-run INA to Chinese and Russian oil companies, after the intervention of former Croatian President Stjepan Mesic.

Vecernji List cited sources saying that Mesic used his previously established private relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to save INAs Syrian assets, as the Syrian government was against the companys return to oil fields. Assad, of course, had good reason to want the Croats out of the picturethey allowed their country to be used as a transport point for weapons shipments to Syrian rebels early on in the conflict. A large amount of weapons was sent to Syrian rebels from Croatia between 2010 and 2013. The Saudis are believed to have financed the bulk of these weapons shipments through Croatia.

While Mesic seems to have temporarily won INA a stay of execution with regard to its Syrian assets, their trouble isnt over. In 2013, Croatia declared that it recognized the Syrian National Council as the only legitimate representatives of the Syrian people. The coalitions main aim is to replace Assad.

But Mesic apparently has special relations with Assad, and while he was president from 2000 to 2010, he visited Syria several times, and Assad also visited Croatia. The two also held several one-on-one meetings since the Syrian uprising in 2011. Mesic served as the mediator between Assad and the U.S. and EU. He also offered to mediate contacts with Syria and to host peace talks in his country.

INAs Syrian oilfield investments are worth an estimated $1 billion. The assets include six oil, natural gas and condensate fields: Jihar, Palmyra, al Mahr, Jazal, Mustadira and Mazrur. INA began exploration activities in 1998 and concluded them in 2007, but it abandoned operations in 2012. Its an issue now because Assads force recently took over these fields from the Islamic State (ISIS). Now, INA is hoping to get back into the game, but Assad isnt all that pleased with Croatias conflict-time alliances and its role in arming Syrian rebels.

Back in 2011, INA was under the pressure of its majority shareholder to divest its concessions in Syria. The company is a subsidiary of Hungarian MOL Group, which owns 47.16 percent of INA, while the Croatian government owns 44.84 percent. The rest of the shares are owned by private investors.

At the time, Croatian media speculated that MOL wanted to sell INA's Syrian oilfields to Russian partner Rosneft in order to weaken the Croatian company.

The truth is that the two countries had a series of disputes since MOL secured management control of INA in 2009 and the Croatian government filed several lawsuits over misuse of INAs management rights. In 2012, Croatia found its former prime minister, Ivo Sanader, guilty of accepting a bribe in 2008 from MOL to grant it a dominant position in INA, without having to buy a majority stake. For its part, Hungary didnt investigate the bribery case, while the Croatian government sued MOLs CEO for bribery but a Hungarian court rejected the case.

Yemen Government Retakes Export Terminal

Yemeni government forces say they have retaken the country's largest oil export terminal, Ash Shihr, from al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). The terminal, which used to export 80 percent of Yemen's oil reserves, is one of a number of southern Yemen locations seized by AQAP since last year. The group tried to export some two million barrels of oil stored there but was unsuccessful.

Discovery & Development

 By far the biggest discovery news of this week brings us to Iran, which has announced a new shale find that could eventually add significant tension to the geopolitical playing field, and the Saudis will certainly find it unsettling. Iran says it has discovered new shale oil reserves in Lorestan Province, and its nearly half through with studying the reserves, but is already calling the find significant. Its not Irans first shale find, and Tehran has clearly been sitting on it for a while, keeping it fairly quiet and reviving the news for maximum effect. Its also made a fair amount of progress in studying the extent of the find, which is another reason for the news. This particularly discovery is in the Garoo formation in Lorestan Province, and the authorities suggest it is the largest shale find yet in Iran, with other discoveries made earlier in to other provinces: Kerman and Semnan. The overriding sentiment is that this is something Iran will hold onto for the future because it cant produce this shale at current market prices. Still, its a future threat to hold over the Saudis. For now, its got plenty of conventional resources to ramp up production of.

Deals, Mergers & Acquisitions

 Husky Energy has agreed to sell a partial interest in Canadian midstream energy assets to two Hong Kong-based firms for $1.35 billion in cash. Power Asset Holding and Cheung Kong Infrastructure will acquire a 65 percent stake in assets located in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Husky Energy will retain the remainder. The assets consist of around 1,900 kilometers of pipeline and 4.1 million barrels of oil storage capacity.

 Wood Group has signed a $500-million contract with BP to service its offshore Azerbaijan project. The deal covers eight offshore platforms for BP and includes the option of two, two-year extensions. Last October, BP awarded Wood Group project to provide subsea engineering services to these eight platforms, as well as to BPs existing subsea infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico and on the UK and Norwegian continental shelves.

 Suncor will acquire a 5% stake in Syncrude Canada joint venture from Murphy Oil for approximately US$743 million. This brings Suncors stake in the Alberta joint venture to 53.74%. Earlier, Suncor made a $4.5-billion acquisition of Canadian Oil Sands, which owns a 36.74% interest in the Syncrude project. The deal should boost Suncors production capacity by 17,500 bpd. This is light sweet synthetic crude.

Regulatory Updates

 Rio de Janeiro state in Brazil is raising oil and gas taxes to close a budget gap that has led to closures of schools and hospitals and delayed pensions and public salaries. Last year, the state legislature passed an environmental levy that would allow the government to collect 77 cents per barrel. The method of collection was published on 28 April. This will make it more expensive for the oil industry to develop its offshore resources, and adds insult to injury from the industrys perspective, as it is already reeling from the depressed oil prices. Rio de Janeiro produces two-thirds of Brazils entire oil output and around 40% of its natural gas.
The Texas Railroad Commission (RRC of TX) updated its online database a few weeks ago. The best estimates I have seen for Texas C+C and natural gas output are produced by Dean. Thank you Dean for sharing your analysis with us.

The following 4 charts were produced directly by Dean, output for Oil + Condensate, Oil, and Condensate are in barrels per day, and Total Natural Gas is in thousands of cubic feet per day.

(Click to enlarge)

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Related: Can Oil Continue To Rally Like This?

The chart above shows how Deans estimate for Texas Oil and Condensate has changed from August 2015 to Feb 2016, the most recent estimate is a dashed line.

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The chart above shows how the RRC estimates have changed from Jan 2013 to April 2016, generally the data is incomplete for about 18 months prior to the most recent data point. Look closely at the May 2015 dataset (most recent data point in March 2015) and you will see that it does not get close to the April 2016 data until September 2013. Typically when considering RRC data from the Production Data Query (PDQ) System one has to go back 18 months to find data that is within 1 percent of actual output.

(Click to enlarge)

In the chart above the upper and lower bound are each 1 standard deviation (sigma) above and below the CORRECTED estimate, this is different from Deans chart where the usual 2 sigma upper and lower bound is used. If the probability distribution is normal, the 2 sigma bounds covers 95 percent of the probability (there is a 2.5 percent chance output is higher than this range and a 2.5% chance it is lower.) The 1 sigma upper and lower bounds should encompass 68 percent of the probability assuming a normal probability distribution, with a 16 percent probability that output might be below the lower bound.

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The chart above shows an Estimate of Texas C+C output that is the average of the EIA estimate and Deans estimate. The dotted line is average output based on this estimate from Dec 2014 to Jan 2016.



Related: Has the Oil Price Rally Gone Too Far?

Dean recently sent Ron and I the following e-mail:

I have sent you a couple of additional analyses of Texas oil data:

1) A plot of the time evolution of my correcting factors for the first 12 (corrected) months

Plot is below.

(Click to enlarge)

2) The EIA Texas data C+C vs three alternative corrected RRC data:

1. my usual corrected data using the correcting factors averaged over the whole time sample available

2. my corrected data using the correcting factors averaged with data up to November 2015

3. my corrected data using the correcting factors averaged with data up to March 2015

The second plot was based on the evidence that some statistical tests highlighted a possible structural break in the dynamics of the correcting factors in April 2015, that is the correcting factors from April 2015 onward belong to a different statistical regime than the factors before April 2015.

I also added the case using the correcting factors averaged with data up to November 2015, because the data released by the RRC in the last 3 months are quite anomalous.

Thanks, Dean

(Second chart is below)

(Click to enlarge)

I asked Dean which of these 3 corrected estimates was best in his view.

From the limited data available he is not sure, but his best guess (my words) is that somewhere between Corrected Break Dec15 and Corrected Break Apr15 may be close to correct.

The Chart above shows the average of the Break Dec15 and BreakApr15 estimates from Deans recent analysis (previous chart) from Feb 2015 to Feb 2016 with exponential trend lines fit to different periods. The decline rate from the peak is 4.7 percent/year, for the whole range shown (blue dots) the decline rate is 4.4 percent/year, and from June 2015 to Feb 2015 the decline rate has slowed to 1.1 percent/year.



Related: Why Saudi Arabia Will Not Win The Oil Price War

The future decline rate will depend on many factors including the price of oil, my guess is that it will be between 1.1 percent/year and 4.7 percent/year. At 4.7 percent output in Texas would fall 210 kb/d over the next 12 months, the Bakken may fall about 200 kb/d, the rest of the lower 48 onshore maybe 100 kb/d, for a total decrease in U.S. L48 onshore C+C output of 500 kb/d in 2016.

An alternative estimate can be found by considering U.S. lower 48 onshore (L48 OS) C+C annual decline rates.

The chart above replaces the EIA estimate for Texas C+C with Deans best guess for Texas C+C to estimate U.S. L48 OS C+C output from Feb 2015 to Jan 2016, the decline rate is 7 percent/year, which would result in a 500 kb/d drop in U.S. L48 OS C+C output in the next 12 months if the decline rate remains 7 percent/year and Deans estimate is correct for Texas.

The decline rate from the peak in March 2015 is about 8.1 percent, if that trend continues for all of 2016, L48 OS C+C output will fall by 560 kb/d in 2016, increases in output in the Gulf of Mexico may offset this decline by 100 kb/d, if so U.S. C+C output would fall by 485 kb/d in 2016, assuming Alaska continues its 5 percent/year decline rate.

By Dennis Coyne via Peakoilbarrel.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Last month I saw a picture, a photograph that burned down the Potemkin village of American politics that tends to rise in even the most skeptical mind during the fever dream known as the presidential campaign. We all get caught up in it, especially those of us who've been following politics for decades, and were marinated for many years in a mainstream perspective.

I myself was raised as a "yellow dawg" Democrat in the South. The idea, of course, was that no matter who the Democrats nominated -- even it was a yellow dog -- you voted for them. My father -- perhaps to his credit? -- carried on with this ideal long after almost all of his fellow white rural Southerners had abandoned the Democrats for the dog-whistle racism of the modern Republican Party.

I remember well one of his most abiding pieces of political wisdom. It was 1984, and a neighbor of ours -- a big, hulking, slightly backward country boy who'd been devoted to my father since their school days -- told him: "Chief, I'm thinkin' about votin' for Reagan this time. What do you think?" My father leaned against the back of his pickup truck and said in a cool, even tone: "Buford, a man who'd vote for Reagan would eat sh*t." Buford nodded his head vigorously. "You right about that, Chief!" (But I'm sure he voted for Reagan anyway.)

So I'm well aware that it's hard not to get caught up in the horse race of the Grand Quadrennial Derby: "Was this a good move for Bernie? Will HRC take a hit from Bill's gaffe? Is Trump faltering? Will the GOP elites come around to Cruz?" And so and so forth with the myriad other permutations and speculations that can dazzle the mind -- and numb the moral sense -- while watching the political circus.

But then something will shake you -- or slap you -- awake. And so one day I saw a photograph someone tweeted from the Yemen Post. It showed a young girl -- 12, 14, the age was hard to tell. She was on her hands and knees face down in the dirt, trying to suck water from a hole in a dirty rubber pipe. And in that instant, all the silly, stupid, evil folderol of the campaign circus, all the earnest bunting that adorns the Potemkin village, fell away.

I saw the picture, and I knew -- once again-- this is America in the modern world. This is American foreign policy. This is what it is, this is what it does. This is a war that our Peace Prize-winning president has been conducting with his Saudi allies for more than a year. It's been responsible for the "excess deaths" of 10,000 children, according to UNICEF. (Let's repeat that: TEN THOUSAND CHILDREN.) It has driven millions to the brink of famine. It has destroyed schools, hospitals, infrastructure. It has been a gigantic boon for al Qaeda by attacking its deadliest foes in Yemen, the Houthis, and giving it scope to spread. It is a humanitarian disaster and a moral outrage of the highest order.

And yet ... there is no outrage. There is scarcely any notice, beyond a bare minimum of "marginal" websites and a few stories deeply buried, and stripped of context, in the bowels of the mainstream press. In the past year, a "progressive" administration -- whose policies will be continued by either of the Democratic nominees (yes, even Bernie says he wants to see more Saudi militarism in the region) -- has been directly complicit in the deaths of TEN THOUSAND CHILDREN. And no one involved in the presidential circus -- not the candidates, not the media, not the analysts, not the horse race aficionados -- gives the slightest damn.

None of them -- and nothing in the sinister clownery of his election -- deals with the reality of what we are doing in the world. No one will speak of its true, deeply criminal nature -- not even the "radical," "revolutionary" "Democratic Socialist" candidate. So what, in the end, are they really talking about? They're talking about nothing. They're talking about bullshit. They're talking about anything on God's green earth -- or rather, God's bloodstained, gouged-out, dying earth -- but reality.

The reality is a young girl forced to go down on her hands and knees to pry a few drops of water from a broken pipe. She could be your daughter. She could be you. She is a human being who did nothing wrong but be born in a place where a few "progressive" American elites -- headed by the Peace Prize-winning president -- wanted to play with their head-chopping, woman-hating allies to achieve and maintain dominance over the oil lands and their strategic environs.

In the end, it comes down to that brief scene in Warren Beatty's film, "Reds," where a plump, patriotic burgomeister from Portland calls on Jack Reed to explain "just what this war [WWI] is all about!" Reed rises amongst the tuxedos and pretty outfits at the gathering and says but a single word: "Profits."

That's why the Yemeni girl is face down in the dirt, scrambling desperately for water. That's all it's about, this "war on terror," that's the only thing it's ever been about: profits.

And whoever is elected, that's not going to change.


Bernie Sanders at ISU - 1/25/2016

(Image by aj.hanson1) Details DMCA



In trying to make this pivot, Trump benefits from decades of Fox-News-fueled lemmings, who have been trained to trust gut level prejudice, over complex analysis. This tendency is further exacerbated by twin trends that ignite the anger that Trump benefits from. The first trend is the very economic inequality that Bernie has emphasized throughout this campaign. Despite coming back from the brink of economic collapse under George W. Bush, today two-income families are less secure than the typical one-income family of the baby-boomers' upbringing. This trend is doubly potent for working class white men, who see themselves as struggling to keep their heads above water, while civil rights and civil liberties campaigns tell them that they've been entitled. Enter Trump's indignant aggression, (e.g., the war on "political correctness") and it's just what the doctor ordered.

But while Trump and Sanders might be tapping into the same well of anger, in at least one sense, Trump has a distinct advantage. In addition to the "Fox News effect," Trump benefits from the easy tangibility of the supposed "maker vs. taker" meme, which envisions the undeserving masses seeking to steal from the deserving one percent. All it takes is a story about "anchor babies," or "free stuff" to motivate that line of attack.

Sanders' message, on the other hand, requires a more abstract and complex understanding of data. He tries to compensate for this handicap by repeating phrases like "rigged economy" and "transfer of wealth." Unfortunately, to the typical Fox-News-viewing Trump voter, these phrases simply confirm the suspicion that Sanders wants to give out a lot of "free stuff" to the undeserving.

A recent study by the Economic Policy Institute tries to break down Sanders' argument in a series of graphs. Using data on wage stagnation, increased productivity, CEO pay, declining union power, and declining benefits, they buttress Sanders' argument that it is the bottom 99%, rather than the top 1%, that have been robbed.

Perhaps the most important graph concerns the gap between wages and productivity. According to the researchers, the minimum wage would be $18.00 per hour if it had kept pace with productivity. Sadly, the average voter does not think in terms of graphs; it is much easier to visualize what the supposed typical food stamp recipient may be buying the grocery store, than the value of the labor that the average worker is not being compensated for, but it is just as real.

Another source of the transfer of wealth Bernie so often talk about, is the explosion in the difference between CEO pay and worker pay:

'In 1965, these CEOs made 20 times what typical workers made. As of 2013, they make just under 300 times typical workers' pay."

The declining power of unions, in concert with the competitive pressure of international trade deals also contributes to increasing inequality, as these researchers note. One area that is not prominently mentioned in the EPI article, however, is the huge change in the tax code since the days of Republican President Eisenhower, when the top marginal tax rate was over 90%!

As he should, Sanders often adds to that, 1) the easy evasion of taxes by large multinational corporations; 2) the lack of consequences for Wall Street over the financial meltdown of 2007-2008; 3) the bail out of same by the American taxpayer; and 4) the comparative ease of getting taxpayer funds for dubious invasions, vs. the reluctance to invest in social programs.

With Trump looking like the presumptive Republican nominee, and Sanders' chances being reported as dismal by the mainstream media, one wonders if Bernie will have to resort to Perot-style charts and references to "sucking sounds" to match the easy sense of aggrieved entitlement(with all its racial and gender implications) that Trump represents. I hope it doesn't come to that. But before we find ourselves with President Trump, someone needs to tell this angry well of voters that it is not "political correctness" that has stolen their way of life. It is the rather a long series of decisions; as Thom Hartmann likes to say, under Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Bush; that have allowed a few at the top to benefit from the enormously productive labor of the many, while slashing their own contributions to the American economy.

(Article changed on April 29, 2016 at 17:30)
Now that it's increasingly likely that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will be the two major candidates for president in the general election, voters are once again left without a true anti-war candidate, or even a decisive break from the last decade-and-a-half of disastrous foreign policy.

We already know there's barely ever been a military engagement that Clinton didn't like. And Trump confirmed on Wednesday in his "big" foreign policy speech that he will be a chaotic and unpredictable aggressor whose opinion changes with the wind. When Bernie Sanders leaves the race, there will no longer be a credible voice saying that more bombing is not necessarily the answer to solving all the problems in the Middle East, many of which were caused by bombing in the first place.

Trump started off his speech on Wednesday by reading from a teleprompter in a rambling and incoherent manner, declaring that Obama has "depleted" our military (false), the Iran deal was the "worst agreement" (why?) and that we don't support Israel, "a force for justice and peace" (absurd) -- hallmark Republican conventional wisdom talking points.



He then did say some things that suggested he would not look to immediately start new wars in the Middle East and elsewhere, but it's hard to take anything he says on the subject seriously. He swung wildly from one position to its opposite on multiple occasions, contradicting himself at various times from comments he made years to mere minutes prior.

For example, he said that bombing Libya was "a disaster," but he then questioned why we aren't still bombing Libya right now. He claimed that "unlike other candidates for the presidency, war and aggression will not be my first instinct." Yet he's bragged in the recent past about wanting to bring back waterboarding, or "much worse," killing terrorists' entire families, and would not be opposed to using nuclear bombs, even in Europe. He remarked that there's "too much destruction out there -- too many destructive weapons," but just five minutes earlier in the speech, he said the US's nuclear arsenal was in dire need of "renewal."

Click Here to Read Whole Article
Thank you. Thank you for welcoming me to this hallowed ground, given meaning like the fields of Gettysburg by those who died here, far more than any speech can pretend to add.

Those deaths, here and in Nagasaki, those hundreds of thousands of lives taken in a pair of fiery nuclear infernos, were the entire point. After 70 years of lying about this, let me be clear, the purpose of dropping the bombs was dropping the bombs. The more deaths the better. The bigger the explosion, the bigger the destruction, the bigger the news story, the bolder the opening of the Cold War the better.

Harry Truman spoke in the U.S. Senate on June 23, 1941: "If we see that Germany is winning," he said, "we ought to help Russia, and if Russia is winning we ought to help Germany, and that way let them kill as many as possible." This is how the U.S. president who destroyed Hiroshima thought about the value of European life. Perhaps I needn't remind you of the value Americans placed on Japanese lives during the war.

A U.S. Army poll in 1943 found that roughly half of all GIs believed it would be necessary to kill every Japanese person on earth. William Halsey, who commanded the United States' naval forces in the South Pacific during World War II, thought of his mission as "Kill Japs, kill Japs, kill more Japs," and had vowed that when the war was over, the Japanese language would be spoken only in hell.

On August 6, 1945, President Truman lied on the radio that a nuclear bomb had been dropped on an army base, rather than on a city. And he justified it, not as speeding the end of the war, but as revenge against Japanese offenses. "Mr. Truman was jubilant," wrote Dorothy Day on the spot, and so he was.

People back home, let me be clear, still believe false justifications for the bombings. But here I am with you in this sacred place thousands of miles away, with these words flowing so well on this teleprompter, and I'm going to make a full confession. There has for many years no longer been any serious dispute. Weeks before the first bomb was dropped, on July 13, 1945, Japan sent a telegram to the Soviet Union expressing its desire to surrender and end the war. The United States had broken Japan's codes and read the telegram. Truman referred in his diary to "the telegram from Jap Emperor asking for peace." President Truman had been informed through Swiss and Portuguese channels of Japanese peace overtures as early as three months before Hiroshima. Japan objected only to surrendering unconditionally and giving up its emperor, but the United States insisted on those terms until after the bombs fell, at which point it allowed Japan to keep its emperor.

Presidential advisor James Byrnes had told Truman that dropping the bombs would allow the United States to "dictate the terms of ending the war." Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal wrote in his diary that Byrnes was "most anxious to get the Japanese affair over with before the Russians got in." Truman wrote in his diary that the Soviets were preparing to march against Japan and "Fini Japs when that comes about." Truman ordered the bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6th and another type of bomb, a plutonium bomb, which the military also wanted to test and demonstrate, on Nagasaki on August 9th. Also on August 9th, the Soviets attacked the Japanese. During the next two weeks, the Soviets killed 84,000 Japanese while losing 12,000 of their own soldiers, and the United States continued bombing Japan with non-nuclear weapons. Then the Japanese surrendered.

The United States Strategic Bombing Survey concluded that,"" certainly prior to 31 December, 1945, and in all probability prior to 1 November, 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated." One dissenter who had expressed this same view to the Secretary of War prior to the bombings was General Dwight Eisenhower. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral William D. Leahy agreed: "The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender," he said.

Apart from the question of how rudely Truman was maneuvered into the bombing decision by his subordinates, he justified the barbarous weapon's use in purely barbarous terms, saying: "Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, and against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international law of warfare."

He didn't pretend to any humanitarian purpose, the way we are obliged to do these days. He told it like it was. War need not bow before any humanitarian calculation. War is the ultimate power. During my presidency, I have bombed seven countries and empowered war making in all kinds of new ways. But I have always put up a pretense of exercising some sort of restraint. I have even talked about abolishing nukes. Meanwhile I'm investing in building newer, better nukes that we now think of as more useable.

Now, I know that this policy is creating a new nuclear arms race, and that eight other nuclear nations are following suit. I know the chance of ending all life through a nuclear accident, never mind a nuclear action, has multiplied several fold. But I am going to keep pushing the U.S. war machine forward in every possible way, and the consequences be damned. And I'm not going to apologize for the mass murder committed on this site by my predecessor, because I have already told you what I know. The fact that I know the real situation and must necessarily know what ought to be done, even though I never do it, has always been good enough to satisfy my supporters back home, and it damn well ought to be good enough to satisfy you people too.

Thank you.

And God Bless the United States of America.
See original here

New voters may know Susan Sarandon as a surrogate of the Bernie Sanders campaign, but the actress actually used to be a strong Hillary Clinton supporter.

"I had to break up with her," Sarandon joked. "I told her, don't go in Iraq. I'm very upset about that."

"So this was before 2003?" asked Late Show host Stephen Colbert.

"Absolutely," Sarandon confirmed. "And she went in. So I was like, who is this person, I can't trust her. And then she became Secretary of State. I'm an environmentalist. Fracking is absolutely the worst thing you can do for the environment. ... She goes 'behind my back' and she's selling it all over the world. ... She's selling Monsanto. ... How can I trust her? And I'm a feminist. [Women] need a $15 minimum wage, right?"

The crowd erupted.

"No, [Clinton] says, Impossible, impossible, impossible," Sarandon rambled on.

"She's changed her mind on that, right?" Colbert asked.

"No, she's still saying that," Sarandon said. "We went ahead and did it in New York and she goes up next to [New York Gov. Andrew] Cuomo and signs it. How can I go back with her? I don't trust her."



(Image by EcoWatch) Details DMCA



Colbert was curious. "What is it you see in Bernie? What makes you look so moon-eyed at him?"

"He's been consistently morally in the right place my entire life," Sarandon said. "He's always there before it becomes simple."

But Sanders supporters are becoming increasingly worried, especially after a rough Tuesday in the Acela primary.

"He's now 350 delegates behind," Colbert said. "Even to win he's got to get the superdelegates to come over to his side, which is an undemocratic thing according to him, so he would have to use the thing that he's criticizing [Hillary] in order to beat her. That would be like the good guys using the ring in The Lord of the Rings!" Colbert exclaimed.

"Yeah, we're going to have to have a contested one and people are going to have to discuss the whole process and the platform and really listen to people they're not normally listening to," Sarandon said.

Still, she's not ready to decide whether she"ll vote for Clinton in the general election if Sanders isn't the Democratic nominee.
Reprinted from Media Matters

The unfolding Republican primary season, which often resembles a soap opera with its endless drama and plot twists, saw a new media chapter when Fox News announced Megyn Kelly had landed her first interview with Donald Trump since the start of their public feud last year.

Scheduled to be included in Kelly's first prime-time Fox TV special on May 17, the sit-down came after Kelly, the target of relentless Trump insults, made a hush-hush visit to the candidate's New York City office to ask for an interview. (Kelly also reportedly asked Trump stop personally insulting her.)

The Fox News green room commotions just never end. Recall that in March, after going on a Twitter tirade in which he denounced Kelly as "crazy," Trump announced he was skipping another Fox News debate, which led to the event being canceled. Fox News headquarters answered back, claiming the GOP frontrunner had a "sick obsession" with Kelly. But that was awkward because Fox showered Trump with nearly $30 million in free TV time from May through December of 2015. So who's obsessed with whom?

The Fox News vs. Trump saga represents a completely dysfunctional relationship: Much of Fox loves Trump's right-wing politics; Trump loves to bully Fox. Now the latest love/hate chapter is that Trump has agreed to sit for Kelly's interview, which is weirdly being hyped as a major campaign showdown. (Remember when campaigns were focused on voters, not cable news hosts?)

Kelly's Trump interview represents good news for her, good news for Fox, and good news for Trump.

If he behaves himself, he might come across as magnanimous as he jousts with his foe. If Kelly uses the opportunity to aggressively challenge Trump, she'll likely garner more plaudits from mainstream outlets. (The interview also comes as Kelly is negotiating a new contract and potentially leaving Fox News for a less openly partisan outlet.)

And even if Trump flops, the interview will come so late in the primary season that it will likely have little impact on the final voting tallies among Republican voters.

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L'affaire Isa visa and India -Part 1 India's Modi government received applause when it granted e-visa to Dolkun Isa, a well-known Chinese dissident championing the cause of Uyghur Muslims from his perch in Germany. It received flak in equal measure when the visa was cancelled days before he arrived in India. This article unravels the Isa visa mystery. Friday, April 29, 2016India's Modi government received applause when it granted e-visa to Dolkun Isa, a well-known Chinese dissident championing the cause of Uyghur Muslims from his perch in Germany. It received flak in equal measure when the visa was cancelled days before he arrived in India. This article unravels the Isa visa mystery.

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Oregon Senate Republicans

So-called Coal to Clean plan wont even reduce carbon emissions in Oregon

Salem, Ore.  Senate Republicans issued the following statement on Wednesday following the signing of SB 1547, an expensive new renewable energy mandate, by Governor Kate Brown in Portland: Today, Governor Brown gave her stamp of approval to a new renewable energy mandate that will cost residential electricity customers in Oregon $190 more each year until 2040, said Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day).

The catch: this so-called Coal to Clean plan will not reduce carbon emissions in Oregon. Oregon families cannot afford more expensive utility bills. This mandate lines the pockets of the green energy industry at the expense of working Oregonians who get nothing in return. We asked Governor Brown to wait until next year when we could craft a plan that reduces emissions and protects ratepayers, but today she showed us where her loyalties lie.
Pennsylvania environmental regulators want to determine whether a series of minor earthquakes in the state this week were caused by nearby fracking operations by an oil and gas company.

Five tiny temblors, all too weak to be felt by humans, took place in a 22-hour span in Lawrence County, about 50 miles north of Pittsburgh and three-quarters of a mile from a natural gas well owned by Houston-based Hilcorp Energy Co. No damage was reported.

Hydraulic fracking, a method to extract gas or oil from underground shale, has been tied to earthquakes in neighboring Ohio and other states, but never in Pennsylvania, the nation's No. 2 natural gas-producing state.

The state Department of Environmental Protection is consulting with seismologists and plans to meet with Hilcorp "for them to present geologic data they have collected in the area during and prior to drilling and stimulation," DEP spokesman Neil Shader said Friday.

He didn't say what action DEP would take if Hilcorp is found to have caused the tremors.

"The investigation has to be completed before considering any next steps," Shader said.

The privately held oil and natural gas producer did not return a call for comment.

Hilcorp stopped fracking the well in Mahoning Township about 12 hours after the first quake was recorded. A staffer with DEP's oil and gas program visited the site Tuesday and verified the shutdown.

Fracking involves the injection of millions of gallons of water, along with sand and chemicals, at high pressure into a well, shattering the shale rock and freeing the gas. It has very rarely been tied to earthquakes strong enough to be felt.

But in March 2014, Hilcorp's fracking operations were blamed for causing 77 earthquakes in Poland Township, Ohio, a few miles from this week's tremors in Pennsylvania. One of the temblors was magnitude 3.0, strong enough to be felt by residents and "potentially one of the largest earthquakes induced by hydraulic fracturing in the United States," Miami University (Ohio) geologists wrote in a study last year.

Ray Beiersdorfer, a geologist at Youngstown State University, said the Pennsylvania quakes likely occurred on the same fault as the ones in Ohio.

"The No. 1 hypothesis is that it would be fracking induced," said Beiersdorfer, who has consulted with an anti-drilling group. "There's a correlation in space and time and I think it's highly likely."

Ohio regulators responded to the 2014 quakes by barring Hilcorp from fracking seven existing wells, and from drilling any more wells on the pad nearest the quakes. They also developed new regulations, requiring any horizontal production well within three miles of a known fault, or in an area prone to earthquakes, to install seismic monitors, according to Eric Heis of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The rules also apply to high-pressure injection wells that accept drilling wastewater, which have also been associated with seismic activity.

Explore further Fracking confirmed as cause of rare 'felt' earthquake in Ohio

 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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FORT MILLER | Fort Miller Reformed Church on River Road will host a roast beef dinner from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Saturday.

The menu will also include red potatoes, corn bake, carrots, coleslaw, rolls, Hawaiian cake and beverages. The dinner can be eaten in or taken out.

The cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 5 to 8 and free for ages 4 and younger. Reservations are not required.
SOUTH GLENS FALLS | A group gathering at Triangle Park in South Glens Falls on Mother's Day is hoping their silence will speak volumes.

All are invited to join them at the park in South Glens Falls at noon May 8 to meet for five minutes of silence, where participants may meditate on or pray for world peace at the outdoor gathering.

The event has been organized for the past several years by Adirondack Friends Meeting, a congregation that traces its roots to 18th century Quakers. No religious affiliation is required to attend the open event.

The Mother's Day event is a local offshoot of a national movement inspired by The Great Silent Grandmother Gathering, a short book written in 2004 by Sharon Mehdi about two grandmothers who inspire a world-wide movement by simply meeting in a park every day in silence. The book is subtitled A Story for Anyone Who Thinks She Cant Save the World.
MALTA | A man attacked his elderly father with a knife and then barricaded himself inside their mobile home Saturday, state police said.

They arrested Ronald T. Paige, 40, of Malta, on three class D felonies: second-degree assault; aggravated criminal contempt; and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Police said a judge had previously issued an order of protection for Paige's father, which ordered Paige to stay away. He violated that order when he went to the mobile home and got into an argument with his father, stabbing him several times.

His father fled to a nearby residence for help. Paige barricaded himself in the mobile home, but the state police negotiators and Special Operation Response Team took him into custody without incident.

He was arraigned in Stillwater Town Court and remanded to Saratoga County Jail in lieu of $40,000 cash or $80,000 bond. He is due to appear in the Malta Town Court on May 5.

His father's injuries are not life-threatening and he is in stable condition at a nearby hospital, police said.
FORT EDWARD  A business decision made two years ago has finally paid dividends to Washington County.

The county just received $210,000 from the state in Medicaid payments dating back to when the county ran the Pleasant Valley nursing home.

The county also just got $60,500 in delinquent payments from the families of patients at the home, and is about to get another $27,000.

Thats $300,000 that the county was not expecting and did not budget for this year. It will all go into savings, said Treasure Al Nolette.

He said most of the money came to the county because of a decision the county supervisors made when they sold the home.

They decided to continue paying four employees to hold with Medicaid billing after the home was sold. Two employees stayed on for six months, one for eight months, and one for 14 months.

That turned out to be money well spent, he said.

The first three employees sent in Medicaid claims for services provided, a task that is far more complex than it sounds. The final employee stayed on through a state audit of those claims.

It has been more than a year since then, with no word from the state on those claims. But finally state officials got to the Washington County claims  and approved them.

Nolette said he had been ready for the worst.

They can always go the other way on you. You never know, we could have actually been sent a bill for just as large a number, he said.

Without the work of those last employees, he predicted the county wouldnt have gotten any money.

No one would have been there to put the claims in, and go through the audit on those claims, he said. Whatever number the state gave us, we wouldve just accepted it and said OK, because we wouldve had no claims or paperwork to the contrary.

Hes still getting some old payments through a collections company as well. Patients who paid for their own care did not always pay in cash, but in promises.

They may have pledged a house against the bill, for example, and we have to go get it, he said.

So those funds have been trickling in. Most recently, he learned he would become the executor of a deceased patients estate. She had no living heirs in the United States, but she was born in Sweden, so the collections company asked the Sweden consulate to seek heirs as well.

No one was found, so Nolette will be appointed. His main job: to write the county a check from the patients remaining retirement funds. The county will get about $27,000, he said.
The Saratoga Springs gaming facility released its new brand with the addition of a hotel this summer.

The former Saratoga Casino and Raceway announced on Wednesday its new name, Saratoga Casino Hotel, according to a news release.

The facility is building a $40 million, 123,000-square-foot hotel expansion, which is set to open in July. The hotel will feature 117 rooms and suites. A restaurant, Mortons The Steakhouse, will also be featured, along with several other amenities including a lobby bar, cafe, an indoor pool, an outdoor terrace, a fitness center and a 3,000-square-foot ballroom for private events are part of the project.

The expansion is expected to add more than 100 jobs and a job fair is scheduled from 2 to 6 p.m. May 16 inside Vapor Night Club.

Not everyone is happy with the rebranding, the Saratoga Harness Horsepersons Association, who include owners, breeders, trainers, drivers and caretakers, said Thursday the decision to remove Raceway from the name translates to the owners turning their backs on the harness racing industry.

 Adam Colver

An interesting speaker

The USCAA Small College World Series will be held at East Field in May, beginning with a banquet on May 8. The featured guest should be, well ... interesting.

Jonathan Goldsmith will the keynote speaker for the event, being held at Heritage Hall. He is best known to most of us as the Most Interesting Man in the World, from TV commercials for Dos Equis beer.

Goldsmith has had a long career as a TV and film actor, though he is best known for his continuing role in the TV commercials. He lives in Vermont and is involved with several charity organizations.

The World Series runs May 8-12 at East Field.

 Greg Brownell

Scout honors

Boy Scout Troop 127, chartered by Christ the King Spiritual Center, recently celebrated its first two Eagle Scouts.

DArtagnan Fearon and Noah Heimbach each achieved Scoutings highest honor earlier this year.

Fearons project focused on Christ the King and included a new dock by the St. Patricks Pavilion, new horseshoe pits, canoe rack, pavilion sign, flagpole, monument base and fire pit, along with grounds cleanup.

Heimbachs project was at the Livingston Brook Rookery and included building 12 bluebird boxes and five wood duck boxes.

Tim Banfield is the troops scoutmaster.

 Bill Toscano

Students work published

Eighty-three students in grades seven through 12 from 19 school districts were honored for having visual art, written work, or both, accepted and published in the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES Talent Unlimited Literary Arts Journal.

The event was held on April 20 in Skidmore Colleges Palamountain Hall/Gannett Auditorium in Saratoga Springs.

This was the 30th annual edition of the Talent Unlimited journal, which is a collection of stories, essays, poems and illustrations from students around the area. The journal was started in 1986 by Phyllis W. Aldrich, who served as coordinator of gifted and talented education for BOCES.

The guest speaker for the event was Marika McCoola, who is a New York Times best-selling author of Baba Yagas Assistant, a graphic novel illustrated by Emily Carroll. McCoola is a 2005 graduate of Glens Falls High School, whose work was accepted and published in the journal in 2004.

She told the students to not let themselves be defined by just one aspect of their life, to keep their options open and to look back on their work over the coming years, according to a news release. She credited the educators in the region for giving students guidance, encouragement and resources for their creativity.

 Michael Goot
If the state or federal government wants to give our area money, well take it. If theres a line, well stand in it.

So it may be ungracious of us to question the details of funding obtained by our state representatives for local programs.

But sometimes, when politicians announce these grants, the details are so scant we have to wonder how the spending was justified. If money is so easy to get, how do we join the club? With summer on the way, we could use a new lawnmower  maybe one of those nice riding models  and we think improving the quality of our lawn could be categorized as neighborhood improvement.

Last week, Republican state Sen. Kathleen Marchione, from Halfmoon, announced a $250,000 state grant she helped get for recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.

Its a good cause. Volunteer firefighters are worth a quarter of a million bucks, and much more. But the people who run the organization getting the money  the Firemans Association of the State of New York  dont even know what theyre going to do with it.

We will be sitting down with Sen. Marchione to come up with specifics, said Josh DAlessandro, volunteer program coordinator for the Firemans Association.

We are glad hes going to sit down with Sen. Marchione. But isnt a need for the money supposed to be established before its awarded?

Isnt the usual process in state grants of taxpayer money for an organization to apply for the grant and show what it will do with the money and how it will benefit local communities?

Maybe were being old-fashioned about this. Maybe were too accustomed to the world of work, where you put in the time first, then get paid.

It turns out the Firemans Association got a few years ago a federal grant of $4.2 million for the same purpose. That money helped the association recruit 20,000 new firefighters statewide over the past few years. The association has also applied to renew that grant, which might make you wonder about the necessity of the state funding.

We imagine the association will put the states quarter of a million to good use, just as it put the federal $4.2 million to good use. But wed like to know how.

That we dont know just how the money will be spent  and no one does, at this point  is a symptom of the unaccountable way New York politicians put together the state budget. Most of the budget is allocated for specific programs and projects, which are written down in the budget next to the amounts that will be spent.

But a chunk of the budget  as much as $2 billion, according to Citizens Union, a good government group  goes into pots of unallocated cash that can be withdrawn at the discretion of the states most powerful politicians, starting with the governor.

These arent literal clay pots, standing on a cold cement floor in a hidden basement room of the Capitol. They are vaguely defined budget categories, like aid to municipalities and capital projects, for which hundreds of millions of dollars are set aside in the budget. When a politician with the right connections wants to pay for a pet project, he or she submits it under one of these categories and voila! The money slides out of the slot.

This system leads to the sort of magical act that Sen. Marchione just performed, where a large amount of money seems to appear out of nowhere for a need that no one knew existed. But the act awes the crowd at the inevitable news conference called to announce the funding.

This system also leads to corruption and abuse, as we have seen most notoriously with former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who dipped into discretionary funding for the bribery and kickback scheme that got him convicted of several felonies. His scheme was designed around a grant for cancer research.

New York is not a place where government funding can operate on the honor system. Taxpayer spending needs to be accounted for ahead of time. If the need is there, as it may well be in the case of the Firemans Association, then it can be budgeted.

As much as we rely on the commitment and courage of volunteer firefighters, and as willing as we are to take government money when its offered for good causes in our region, we cant celebrate the haphazard way this $250,000 grant was awarded. It is part of a broad system of political slush funds and pork barrel spending that our state would be better without.
The two unions are accusing him of presiding over massive corruption which is crippling the cocoa sector.

The Deputy General Secretary of GAWU, Edward Kareweh in an interview on Radio Ghana claimed that there is a lot of rot in COCOBOD and we think that the Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Dr. Opuni must be stopped which is why we are asking the government to carry out an investigation.

These accusations come on the back of a decision by the workers of COCOBOD to end their relationship with their mother unions; the ICU and GAWU.

The workers accused the two unions of failing to protect their interests and have since declared the formation of an in-house union.

In response, the ICU and GAWU accused the leadership of COCOBOD of fuelling the breakaway of its workers for selfish gains.

GAWU and ICU are therefore, challenging the decision at the Human Rights Court.

According to Mr Kareweh, the fight is not about GAWU and ICU alone, but rather, its about the whole of TUC and the whole of Organized Labour.

He said it will be difficult for the in-house union to effectively negotiate for proper conditions of service but the mother unions who are not paid by COCOBOD and so they have leverage.

The workers of COCOBOD will suffer a lot if they join the in-house union and immediately that union comes into being, the management will now clamp on them and they will have no other union or any person to protect them again.

He explained that you can only opt out of the union individually. You cant opt out of the union en bloc; it does not lie in anyones prerogative to write on behalf of workers that they are out of the union.
This, according to them will enlighten the youth on the need for online safety and security.

They have also called for refresher training programmes for ICT teachers on digital literacy knowledge assessment, so they could impart such knowledge to the school children.

Educators should no longer see young people as just consumers of media but producers as well in order to build their skills to match, Executive Director of J Initiative, Ms Awo Aidam Amenya, said during a forum organized by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA).

Participants at the forum also emphasized on the need to partner government to develop user services that will protect women and children to ensure their safety on the internet.

The forum held on the theme: Internet Rights for Women and Children in Ghana, was part of activities being undertaken under the MFWAs internet freedom project.

During her submission, Ms Amenyah, said at the moment, Ghana did not have a clear provision focusing on the protection of children online, no legislation that criminalized online grooming, cyber bullying.

There was also no legislation criminalizing access or visualization of child pornography, which were among critical challenges confronting children who use the internet.

She said although there were laws in Ghana that protected children, the issues of child online protection was not in the existing category.

She indicated that it was the duty of government to roll out a plan, which should take into consideration online risks faced by children and address them with a blend of approaches that included legislative, self- and co-regulatory, technical, awareness and educational measures, as well as positive content provision and best practices like child safety zones.

She advised children and young people to learn the netiquette, and terms of conditions to understand before they signed up on to a site, adding, Children should be mindful of their digital footprint.

Ms Dora Mawutor explained that the convening of the forum was to share with participants, a recent analysis and production of a report by MFWA on Child Online Protection and Gender Dimensions on Internet Rights in Ghana.

She said the public was largely unaware of the threats and risks the internet possess to children, and young people and women, and there was the need for stakeholders to come together and work collaboratively to improve the safety of children and women within cyberspace.

The reports highlighted issues that were currently impacting access and use of the internet by both women and children with recommendations to relevant stakeholders.

The policy brief offers a contextual analysis of the current Child Online Protection (COP) environment in Ghana and gives important recommendations on how to ensure that children can utilise the opportunities the Internet offers without the potential adverse effects.

Assistant Programme Officer at the Department of Gender, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ms Julian Abbeyquaye, said government was already in partnerships with various stakeholders to create a safer and secured internet environment for children and women.

Mr Derrick Laryea, Head of Research and Communications at Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, said majority of issues on online safety could be handled and addressed at home by parents and guardians who should be vigilant and regulate the usage of internet by children.
The newborn sadly did not live for long after its birth but it didnt stop some from wanting to buy the carcass of the so-called fawn - the mythical fusion of goat and animal.

Farmer Ibrahim Basir refused all cash offers after the goat was born on his property in Felda, Malaysia, instead choosing to hand it over to the Veterinary Services Department so it could be studied.

He said: When I went to check, I was quite shocked but fascinated too as its face, nose, short legs and even the condition of its soft body seemed like that of a human baby, whereas the light brown fur covering its whole body resembles that of a goat.

He added: "We kept the carcass in a polystyrene box filled with ice cubes before taking it to the district veterinary office at around noon yesterday.

Ibrahim thinks the animals looks were a result of being trampled by its mother.
Open defecation is the practice of attending natures call in the bush, at the beach, in drains and dump sites.

The Chief Officer at the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, WASH, Unit of UNICEF Ghana, David Duncan, notes that in the last 25 years, Ghana made one percent progress at eliminating the practice.

Duncan made these known at a workshop in Cape Coast for members of the Parliamentary Press Corps on open defecation.

According to him, though the current pace is nothing to write home about, he was hopeful Ghana could achieve an Open Defecation Free society within the four-year national target if actions are expedited on all fronts.

Duncan called for attitudinal and behavioral changes among the target groups. He also called for strict enforcement of building regulations to ensure that every household is forced to have toilet facilities.

The first deputy speaker of parliament, Ebo Barton Oduro, noted that an Open Defecation Free Society is possible if landlords would build toilet facilities in the homes.

He called for sustainable sanitation infrastructure in the country to help deal with open defecation.

Oduro added that it was sad to see Ghana lagging behind countries like Mali and Burkina Faso in the fight against Open defecation.

In November last year, president Mahama told Ga Wulomei that government had a $100-million facility for the provision of household toilets in Accra to enhance sanitation.

Ghana had been ranked second after Sudan in Africa for open defecation, with five million Ghanaians not having access to any toilet facility.

The country has also been performing poorly with sanitation coverage of only 15 percent, making the practice of open defecation a key sanitation challenge because people do not have access to key basic facilities.
According to IGP Kudalor, the distribution of the uniforms would start from the area.

His visit to the region, dubbed "Dialogue Series," is aimed at meeting key stakeholders in the upcoming elections on the proactive measures to ensure peaceful polls this November.

Mr. Kudalor called on the police administration to be fair and firm in the discharge of its duties before, during, and after the elections.

"The 2016 Election is going to be keenly and fiercely contested by all political parties and as the Institution mandated by the Constitution to maintain law and order, it is incumbent upon us to provide the atmosphere of security to enable them to campaign," he said.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Police service has resolved to embark on an electronic recruitment next week in order to avoid scams associated with recruitment in the service.
Kwabena Boakye, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and two counts of robbery.

An accomplice, Eric Adabreh a mechanic apprentice who pleaded not guilty to the same charges has been remanded into lawful custody to re-appear on May 15.

Meanwhile, Juilius Kafui Papah who bought one of the stolen items, had been fine GH 4,800.00.

Prosecuting Chief Superintendent of Police Mr Duuti Tuaruka said the complainants, Assumpta Adom Dickens and Madison Caruso are designer and an international volunteer respectively residing at North Kaneshie Last Stop.

On April 22 at about 11:30 pm, while the complainants were at a spot near Fadama Night Market, looking for a taxi to go home, Boakye and Adabreh and two others at large who were on two separate motor bikes suddenly appeared and ordered them to surrender their phones else they will kill them.

Prosecution said without any hesitation, the complainants handed over their Iphone 6S and Sumsung Galaxy A3 and the accused persons and their accomplices bolted.

On April 24, this year, the Iphone 6S which had a tracking device led to the arrest of Papah and the phone was retrieved.

During interrogation, Papah told the Police that it was Boakye who gave it to him to decode. Complainants however managed to identify Boakye Adabreh and the Sumsung Galaxy A3.

The motorbike used in the operation was also retrieved from Boakye.
Mrs Rawlings broke away from the NDC after she was defeated in the NDCs presidential primary.

She later formed the NDP in the lead up to the 2012 general elections but she was unable to contest in the polls.

Delegates of her party are currently voting to elect new national officers, as well as to endorse her as the partys flagbearer.
All is set for the event which comes off at 4pm sharp at the Great Hall of the KNUST. The two will be hosted by radio and TV presenter, Anita Erskine-Amaizo.

According to organisers of the event, the X-Men programme is an initiative that seeks to tell and highlight the business and success stories of distinguished personalities in Ghana with the youth and young aspiring business people.

Mr. Prince Kofi Amoabeng of UT bank in an interview expressed delight at the opportunity to engage with the youth. I am looking forward to a wonderful experience with the students of KNUST.

Director of Marketing at Vodafone Ghana, Agnes Emefa Essah said the X-Men Tour is in line with the company's brand promise of continuously introducing initiatives that empower Ghanaian youth.
President Mahama described the project as "truly transformational" adding that it will have a positive impact on the nation's economy.

The project is expected to produce dry gas of 180 million standard cubic feet per day for a period of not less than 20 years.

It is estimated that estimated that the facility will generate 1000 megawatts of electricity per day when its first gas is produced in the first quarter of 2018.

According to the President, it marks the beginning of his vision to make Ghana a petroleum hub with the creation of a petrol-chemical industry in the Western Region of Ghana.

"My vision is already becoming a reality. We have built our petroleum strategic stock to the highest level required. We are required to keep at least six weeks of supply of petroleum products. As I speak currently we have more than eight and half weeks of supply in our strategic reserves, he said.
I think we should help the lady, she needs help! Otherwise, she can live with this matter the way Victor Owusu, Professor Awoonor lived with, he said during a panel discussion on Accra-based Joy FM.

The former Minister who resigned after the $3.6 million bus re-branding scandal a few months ago has come under fire for asking the people of the Volta Region to retain the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in power; else the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) will only jail officials of the government who are Ewes should they win the November polls.

In Mr. Kweku Baako submission, he indicated that the former Transport Minister goofed big time because the claims she made to support her plea to the electorate in the Volta Region were flawed.

It is clear that based on facts, based on logic, based on records, she goofed and its worse when she sent it within the realm of ethnocentrism. If you want to continue with your propaganda that whatever happened was selective justice and persecution; that is your headache, he said.

Mr. Baako stated that when women err, it is important that they are treated in a very soft way especially when they are prepared to retract and apologise.
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The delegates will also elect new national executives to control the operations of the party.

Former First Lady and wife of the founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings is contesting the flagbearership position unopposed.

The national congress will take place at the Trade Fair Center at La, in Accra and it will be held under the theme: "United for change; probity and accountability."

The NDP which broke away from the governing NDC in the lead up to the 2012 general elections is determined to field Parliamentary candidates in all the 275 constituencies nationwide.
Maybe not the whole police force of the country, but a particular police officer directing traffic in Madina has gone viral; and for all the right reasons.

Last week Thursday [21-04-2016], several cities in Greater Accra were hit by a heavy downpour. The rain was so heavy that it was almost impossible to see beyond one's windshield (that is if you were driving).

However the officer, pictured above, braved the weather to do his job.

Yussuf Bouda, an Ghanaian DJ and radio host, took some shots of the officer in action and uploaded them on , heaping praises onto him. He wrote, "I want to wholeheartedly salute this Policeman who during the heavy down pour defied all odds to stand in the rain to direct traffic at Madina in the bid to save lives... God bless u unknown police officer.. with men like u on the street, Ghana has hope! Pls share!".

And that is exactly what people did. The pictures have amassed numerous comments; mostly praises, and the occasional reflection on the 'system'; much more 'likes' and even more 'shares'.

For most people, this brings back some faith in the which has been beleaguered with various demeaning situations; from issues with skyrocketing corruption in the force to fishy recruitment scams.

The policeman's effort were also highly praised considering that the newly installed traffic lights at the junction in Madina seemed to not have been working at the time of the rain.
In a recent interview with Pulse, this son of veteran actor, Pete Edochie says his conviction for throwing his weight behind the ex-minister, who is currently alleged to have been involved in corrupt practices, is as a result of her activities in Anambra state.

Read: Yul Edochie campaigns for Stella Oduah

Read his interview with Pulse here >>>

You were one of the actors that backed Stella Oduah's political move to the Senate, what was your conviction?

About backing Senator Stella Oduah. I have actually followed the things she has done for Anambra people. (not all publicised) and I believe she has a good heart and means well for Anambra so I decided to throw my full weight behind her.

Why do you think anyone will want to spread false rumour about you following the recent rumour that you were involved in an auto crash?

I think it came from facebook. Fake accounts using my name and pictures. Its their mode of operation. They say a celebrity had an accident, then they put an account number for concerned people to donate money for him. But Im not happy with some media people who started spreading the news without reaching out to me or my management to confirm. Not good at all.

Following your success and career, this is one of the series of attempt in smearing your name, another example is the gay who resides in Canada and claimed, you both had something going. Why do you think all these are happening?

As a celebrity or a successful person in life you should expect such things. Challenges, temptations will always come your way. People will try to bring you down. Its normal. But I focus on where Im heading to and I just take them in my stride and move on. I believe God will keep me where he has put me.

Of all your father's children, who are actively involved in Nollywood, you seem to be the one that has done brilliantly well for yourself. Was there any extra push from your dad?

No extra push from my father. He encouraged me to follow my passion, my dream, which is being an actor and film director. Thats all. But I worked hard on my own to be here. I started from the scratch.

Your appearance in Tinsel took fans and viewers to another understanding of your ability in the world of acting, how did the role come by?

About being on Tinsel. I guess when you love something so much it will come to you. I've been a fan of Tinsel for so long. And I have always wanted to be on Tinsel. And one day (last year) I got a call from them inviting me to be part of Tinsel and that was it. I guess my acting ability is appreciated in many quarters. I thank God.

What is the highest fee you have been paid as an actor since you joined Nollywood?

hahahaaaaaa!!! I wont talk about fee ooo! But Ill be honest, there's been good times and bad times. The industry has been good to me. And I still expect to earn more.
The drugs, smuggled from China via courier service, was meant for distribution to the local addict population. Following a police raid at a house in Bukit Mahkota Cheras, the parcels of drugs were found hidden in a portable air-conditioning to prevent detection by the authorities.

"We have arrested the 27-year-old man and seized 21 packets of drugs believed to be syabu," A police spokesperson told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.

"The drugs, weighing about 20.8kg, were stashed in a hidden compartment in the machines. Initial investigations revealed the suspect had brought the drug into the country from China, using a courier service company,"

"The suspect had just started trafficking in drugs in Malaysia about nine months ago and we are still tracking down the remaining members of the syndicate. The drug can meet the demand of for a month," he said.
Punch reports that Tosin who worked as a customer care representative for MTN met David after she had been transferred to Kwara State from Kano.

According to the dead woman's brother, David instantly took to her and made several attempts to win her over, but she was not interested in his overtures, especially after she learnt that he already had a wife.

This did not stop David who somehow got the contact of Tosin's siblings and began to ask them them for assistance in his bid to win their sister's heart. One of such messages, as revealed by the woman's brother reads;Your sister is giving me a serious headache. I dont know what to do. I love her so much but Join me in prayers that God should soften her heart.

He also got her mother's number, with a view to getting Tosin to love him.

Punch reports that the suspected became so frustrated after he threw a birthday party for her and she refused to show up, and also refused his gift - a car.

David, who is thought to have felt really embarrassed by Tosin's refusal to show up, then went in search of the woman, held a knife to her throat, forcefully took her ATM card, and withdrew money from her account.

A week afterwards, David visited her home uninvited and met Oluwatosin and her mother. He was asked to leave, and an argument ensued. He reportedly went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife and stabbed the women multiple times. Thinking they had both died, he left them in the room, and went away.

The daughter bled to death, but the older woman was able to get help as she was quickly rushed to a hospital in Iliron where a surgery was performed on her.

In a conversation with a correspondent on Whatsapp, the alleged killer simply rationalised his act by saying I was bewitched.

Asked if Oluwatosin provoked him, he said, It is well. What can I do now? I was bewitched. How would I attack a lady I claim to love?

He was asked why he stabbed Oluwatosins mother too, he denied it and simply said, Never. When told that the woman survived, he said, Thank God for her life.

The case was initially reported at the F Division of the Kwara State Police Command, which is located few metres away from where Oluwatosin lived.
A statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the presidents Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said president Buhari described the death of the Oba as a great national loss.

President Buhari extended his condolences and that of the Federal Government to Gov. Adams Oshiomhole, the people of Benin Kingdom and Edo State on the passage of the beloved monarch, who had ruled over his people since his ascension to the throne in 1979.

The President also extended special commiserations to Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa and other members of the late Oba's immediate family.

President Buhari assured them of the fullest sympathy and solidarity of the federal government and all Nigerians as they mourned the late Oba.

According to him, Oba Erediauwa will always be remembered as one of the most outstanding traditional rulers of his era.

``As the late Oba goes to join his very illustrious royal ancestors, President Buhari believes that his place of honour in the history of the Benin Kingdom and Nigeria has been assured by his long and highly successful career as a public servant, administrator and chief custodian of the much celebrated culture and traditions of his people, the statement added.

The President prayed that God Almighty would receive the late Oba's soul and grant him peaceful repose.

He also prayed that God would grant ``Crown Prince Erediauwa the wisdom and courage he will require to build on the laudable legacies of Oba Erediauwa.

In the same vein Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says late Oba Erediauwa of Benin was a role model, exceptional leader and leading light in the comity of traditional rulers in the country.

This is contained in a statement to mourn the passing of Erediauwa released by the Head of Media to Atiku, Mr Paul Ibe, in Abuja on Friday.

It said Erediauwa radiated royalty, majesty, wisdom, intelligence and nationalism even as he spared no effort in protecting the traditions and values of his people.

It stated that the passing of the monarch came at a critical time when the country was facing numerous challenges of nation-building and would miss his wise counsel.

The statement called on ``the proud people of Benin kingdom, the people and Government of Edo State and all Nigerians to take heart at the passing on of this illustrious royal personage.

``The remarkable life he lived, the place of the Oba in Benin and Nigeria history are assured.
According to a report by Punch Newspaper, the diplomatic process that will ensure the extradition of alleged corrupt politicians/ex-cabinet members in different countries will dominate President Buharis discussions at the world leaders summit.

Currently, plans are in top gear for a meeting of 60 world leaders scheduled to hold in the United Kingdom next month, and President Buhari has concluded plans to finalise talks on the extradition of corrupt officials hiding in different countries.

Top on the reported list of Nigerians and ex-cabinet members listed for extradition are ex-Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro; ex-Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke; her son, Ugonna; a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu; and a former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Force, Abdulrasheed Maina.

Others are the and a former Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko, whose house was raided in Abuja in January by the EFCC; Ex-Senior Political Adviser to ex-President and Coordinator of Goodluck Support Group, Prof. Rufai Alkali, who coordinated the disbursement of N320m allegedly collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria during the 2015 elections and the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, who is being allegedly investigated over $1.1bn Malabu Oil deal.

Offences for extradition

Obanikoro, the ex-minister and senator is believed to be in the United States and wanted in connection with the alleged payment of N1.45bn to his companies.

Muazu is reportedly wanted over disbursement of funds to PDP zonal chairmen. He was reported to be in Singapore.

Alison-Madueke and her son, Ugonna, are being investigated for N2.3bn disbursed to some staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission through Fidelity Bank before the 2015 general elections.
The Deputy Governor of the State, Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo, made the declaration in Enugu on Friday while presenting the governments position on the incident to the Defence Headquarters Committee on Persistent Clashes between Herdsmen and Farmers in Nigeria.

The committee led by Maj.-Gen. Edward Nze was in the state on the mandate of the chief of defence staff to find a lasting solution to menace of herdsmen in the country.

In the document, the state government called for immediate disarmament of the herdsmen across the country and a proper screening by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to repatriate the aliens among them.

It also said that in discussions with herdsmen, they accused the Shua Arabs headed by one Ahmed Adamu who was included in a peace committee as a major culprit in the security challenges.

There should be immediate disarmament of the herdsmen across the country, as they carry sophisticated weapons such as AK-47.

Adequate measures should be taken to ensure proper policing of the countrys borders to check the influx of irregular aliens and security men equipped to face challenges, it stated.

The state government called for a proper investigation into the circumstances that surrounded the invasion of the community where scores of residents were killed and compensations paid.

Having spent enormous resources in the construction of a heliport for the Nigeria Police Force in Enugu, the state government calls for effective use of the facility with regard to fighting crime.

Network providers should be made to provide network services to rural communities to enable security experts perform maximally and to share information among the citizenry, it stated.

The document was signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Gabriel Ajah.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation said that there was a compelling need for a military action to curtail the aspect of criminality and terrorism of the herdsmen.

Nze said that all levels of government must rise to the occasion to defeat the marauders.

The conflict between herdsmen and farmers has escalated over the last decade with adverse impact on national security and could lead to other consequences if not checked.

There must be a military solution to this problem because we observe that some elements of criminality and terrorism have reared their head in it, he said.

He said that the incidence in Enugu State had given impetus to the directive of the chief of defence staff on the urgent need to stop the marauders forthwith.

Nze said that the committee was set up to ensure a coordinated action against the menace, saying that it was unfortunate that the committee was in Nasarawa State when the marauders struck in Nimbo community.
DIG Sotonye Wakama, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Operations, made the disclosure at a meeting with stakeholders in Damaturu on Saturday.

He said the conventional police would resume duties while units of mobile police force would also be established in Gujba, Gulani and Yunusari local government areas.

The DIG said the police would take over patrols, cordon and search operations from the army in the affected local government areas.

He also said the police would engage in electronic mopping of the areas to clear possible mines.

They will also set fire on the bushes to clear farmlands of buried mines for the safety of farmers, he said.

He said the cooperation of all would assist in restoring confidence in relocating communities and in consolidating the success recorded in the fight against insurgency.

The DIG said the police had trained its personnel on respect for human rights and rules of engagement to ensure the success of the exercise.
In a statement signed by Paul Mumeh, the Media Assistant to Mark, the senator described the late Oba as ``a true African leader whose demise is a monumental loss to the nation.

Mark stated that Oba Erediauwa's reign was a unique era in the contemporary history of Nigeria, adding that it was characterised by peace, unity and progress in the kingdom.

``Nobody can deny the fact that Oba Erediauwa was a true African leader who placed high priority on the protection and welfare of his people at all times.

``He made the ancient city of Benin the centre of attraction and indeed accommodated both indigenes and foreigners alike.

``The harmonious and peaceful coexistence between and among different tribes and religions in Edo state during Oba Erediauwa's reign is to his credit.

``He was a great king who upheld the sanctity of the truth, no matter the circumstances and ensured that there was fairness and equity to all.

``His strongest weapon was the truth and he deployed it effectively in the administration of the Benin kingdom, he said.

Mark noted that the late Oba had left a huge vacuum and prayed for God's wisdom for the next Crown Prince and the Benin Traditional council to fill the vacuum effectively.
Speaking of her husband, the professor said, She is also lucky to have a gentleman like him too because without his support and sacrifice, she cant be where she is.

Other notable figures that graced the event included Barrister Femi Bamisile, Chief Charles Nwoji and Dr. Otun Rasheed among others. The comedienne seized the opportunity to officially unveil the members of her drama troupe.

'Live Burial' is Helen Paul's first work as a playwright, and she recently toured some Nigerian Uniiversities, performing the play with her crew.

The tertiary institutions attended include University of Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo University and Redeemers University. The drama received accolades from veterans like Olu Jacobs, Joke Silva and Dr. Ahmed Yerima.

The play will soon be performed in other institutions outside the country, considering how interest in the play has been developing.

According to Helen Paul, Interestingly, we have actually received messages from some international schools requesting that we bring Live Burial to their respective institutions. But we would be starting from Cameroon soon.
Rabat's retaliation against the mission, known as MINURSO, came after United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon referred to Morocco's 1975 annexation of Western Sahara after colonial power Spain's withdrawal as an "occupation." The U.N. has said the expulsions have crippled the mission

The U.S.-drafted resolution asked Ban to report back within 90 days on whether the mission's functionality had been restored. It does not threaten any punitive measures against Morocco if the mission remains understaffed.

Several council members said the resolution should have gone further in demanding the restoration of MINURSO's full strength.

Highlighting the disappointment at its contents, the text received 10 yes votes, just one more than the required minimum, along with two against and three abstentions. Venezuela and Uruguay opposed it, while Russia, New Zealand and Angola abstained.

"It should not have been like this," New Zealand's U.N. Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen told the 15-nation council. "The resolution should have stated the reality, that the expulsion of the civilian component has seriously compromised the mission and its ability to discharge its mandate."

U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said the weeks of haggling over the wording of the resolution on MINURSO's extension, one of the council's most heated annual battles, was even more difficult this time.

"This year's mandate renewal was challenging and contentious," she said. "That is an understatement."

Moroccan U.N. Ambassador Omar Hilale said Morocco would study the resolution. He did not address reporters' questions about whether Rabat will accept restoration of full civilian staffing levels.

"The important thing for us is that the military component should work well and we have already committed ourselves to provide them with all their needs," he said.

The Sahrawi people's Polisario Front independence movement wants a referendum on the idea of an independent Western Sahara. Morocco has said it would only grant autonomy. While the resolution does not explicitly call for a referendum, it "reaffirms" previous resolutions calling for a plebiscite.

Polisario's U.N. representative Ahmed Boukhari said the resolution was a "step in the right direction but it is not enough." He blamed veto power France for preventing the council from threatening punitive measures against Morocco if it refused to let MINURSO restore full staffing.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre said the resolution was balanced.
With election season well underway, the Nevada Department of Transportation wants to remind candidates and their supporters where campaign signs are not allowed.

With election season well underway, the Nevada Department of Transportation wants to remind candidates and their supporters where campaign signs are not allowed.

NDOT said that state road rights of way can extend beyond the roadside, fence line and sidewalks, in addition to freeways, highways and urban state roads. This applies to State Route 160 and State Route 372.

Federal and state highway beautification acts dont allow campaign signs within 660 feet of a national highway system or freeway route, unless they are less than 4-by-8 feet in size. Any sign larger than 4-by-8 feet needs an NDOT permit. This is enforced on U.S. Highway 95 through Amargosa Valley, Beatty, Goldfield and Tonopah.

Political signs are a very important part of our political process and rights, said Rudy Malfabon, NDOT Director. However, these laws are about safety. Signs that distract drivers, block the view of motorists, resemble official traffic signs or interfere with maintenance of our roadsides are not safe.

For further information you can call NDOT at 775-888-7000 or by visiting NDOTs website section entitled public involvement/sign rules and regulations at www.nevadadot.com.

NDOT employees will remove signs placed in the right of way and store them at the nearest NDOT maintenance station for retrieval by the sign owner. Sign owners have 30 days to claim their signs before they are destroyed.

Contact reporter Mick Akers at makers@pvtimes.com. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.
Iowa American Water announced Friday that it will be seeking a 13.7 percent rate increase with the Iowa Utilities Board that would boost annual revenue by $5.1 million.

Randy Moore, president of Iowa American Water, said the proposed rate increase would add about $5.10 to the average residential customer water bill in Clinton and the Quad-Cities. That would mean that the average monthly bill of $33.26 would climb to $38.36.

Of course, a customers usage will affect just how much of an increase the customer will see in a month, he said.

The increase will bring the companys total proposed annual revenue requirement to $42,795,000.

The rate increase is not to pay for future projects, Moore said, but for the $38 million the company already has invested in water treatment and delivery systems for Clinton and the Quad-Cities from 2013 through the end of 2016.

Because the process can take up to 10 months, Moore said the company will initiate an interim increase effective May 9 that will add $2.33 to the average monthly bill.

Company spokeswoman Lisa Reisen said that before Iowa American Water can ask for a rate increase to pay for investment in water treatment and delivery systems, we have to first make the investment.

Iowa American Water is not like other businesses or households that can save up to pay for something, she said. When a new system or a system upgrade is needed, the company has to make the investment right then. After the investment is made, the company has to justify any requested rate increase with the Iowa Utilities Board.

This has nothing to do with expenses, said Denny Williams, manager of rates and regulation for Iowa American Water. Its all about investments.

Moore said that since the last rate increase in 2013 through December 2015, the company has reduced operations and maintenance expenses by 10 percent, or $1.7 million.

Reisen said water usage in the Quad-Cities has gone down. It used to be the company would base average monthly water usage at 4,500 gallons. In 2013, the average usage rate was 4,200 gallons per month, and the average bill was $35.19.

Currently, Reisen said average water usage per month is 3,870 gallons with the average bill being $33.26.

People are using water more efficiently, Reisen said. Homes and business have more efficient dishwashers, hot water heaters, water taps, showers and toilets, she said.

Moore said the company is sensitive to customers who are struggling financially and there are programs in place to help them, including Project H2O, or Project Help To Others.

The company will hold three public hearings in May and June to listen to the concerns of the public.

In 2013, the company asked for an 18 percent increase, or $6.4 million annually. The company was granted a 10.9 increase, or $3.9 million annually, by the Iowa Utilities Board
Two women with personal experiences in war will speak on the plight of refugees during war on Tuesday at the Humility of Mary Center, Davenport.

"War and Refugees: Peace is Possible" features Kathy Kelly and Ann Wright. It is 7 p.m. Tuesday, and the visit is made possible by the Iowa chapter of Veterans for Peace.

Kelly is a three-time finalist for the Nobel Peace Prize and coordinates the organization Voice for Creative Nonviolence.

She was awarded the U.S. Peace Memorial Foundation Peace Prize in 2015, and after she is finished with several appearances in Iowa, she will return to Kabel, Afghanistan. There, she works with Afghan Peace Volunteers.

As an author, Kelly wrote "Other Lands Have Dreams, from Baghdad to Pekin Prison," after she served time in the federal prison near Peoria.

Wright is a retired reserve colonel in the U.S. Army and a 29-year veteran of the Army and Army Reserves. She worked for many years in the U.S. State Department until she resigned in protest over the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Wright will be in Iowa just as she concludes a speaking tour in Europe, which she started after working with refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos.

Davenport's speaking event is part of a state tour that includes Wellman, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. It is sponsored by the Congregation of the Humility of Mary.

Calling all Vacation Bible School organizers

Do you plan to host Vacation Bible School at your church? We'd like to know about that. Please send a message with information on your program to Deirdre Baker, or dbaker@qctimes.com. Include "Vacation Bible School" on the subject line and include church name, program name, details on the time of the program and how families may register for it, as well as a daytime phone for the organizer. The deadline for the information is May 16.
For all the multilayered financial deals Brian Hollenback, 56, grapples with as president of Renaissance Rock Island, you might think he studied business or finance in college or is an accountant.

But no. Although the Moline native is a member of the Illinois CPA Society, his training in finance occurred on the job, doing the actual work or attending continuing education classes.

After graduating from high school in 1977, he spent 14 years in mortgage banking in the South and the West. Along the way, he earned a degree in biblical studies at Logos College, St. Augustine, Fla.

He returned to the Quad-Cities in 1995 to work for Project Now.

His association with Growth began one evening when he was at the Martin Luther King Center to receive an award and happened to be sitting next to Dan Carmody, the now-legendary former president of Renaissance Rock Island.

"He leaned over and said, 'I need to talk to you.'"

Hollenback's work has been recognized, both personally and professionally. In 2002, for example, he received an award from the Rock Island Preservation Society for his hands-on renovation of a rundown Queen-Anne style home. He also has been selected as a Community Hero by the Community Caring Conference and as Rock Island Citizen of the Year.

And the recognition extends beyond the Quad-Cities.

In 2015, he received an award from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, a citation that "celebrates a true community development pioneer who tirelessly devotes his time, talents and energy to make Rock Island a better place for everyone."

Specifically, the award cited "substantial" achievements, including: triple-digit increases in organizational net worth and income, a successful New Markets Tax Credit transaction, more than $46 million invested in housing, the creation and/or retention of over 2,000 jobs, and an overall economic impact of $233 million."

He donated his $10,000 prize to eight charities.

Hollenback grew up in a faith-filled household  his father, Jack, was pastor of Central Baptist Church in Moline and longtime chaplain for the Moline Fire Department  and, yes, faith still informs his life.

"We want to know that we leave the world a better place," he said during an interview in his office in the McKesson Lofts. "That comes to the core of what spirituality and Christianity is about and realizing you can't do it yourself. That is how I start every day, with prayer and meditation, asking for guidance and strength to have discernment."

In his free time, he enjoys boating, riding his Harley motorcycle, listening to music, playing the keyboard and traveling. At Christmas, he sponsors a Toys for Tots program.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Isabel Rose Wester has been awarded a $500 educational award in a national competition with other students who are members of Modern Woodmen of America.

Wester is the daughter of Karra and Jason Wester of Muscatine and plans to use the grant to attend the University of Northern Iowa. She is one of 100 grant winners chosen this year.

Applications for the 2016-2017 scholarship program will be taken in the fall of 2016.
DES MOINES  Incendiary videos purportedly showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of organs from aborted fetuses contributed to the prolonged Iowa legislative session that came to a close Friday.

I think it was a motivating factor, Rep. Dave Heaton, R-Mount Pleasant, said about Republicans attempt to prevent state funds from going to Planned Parenthood and any other organization that performs abortions. It put it up on the front burner, believe me.

Although Rep. Lisa Heddens, D-Ames, thinks the videos have been thoroughly discredited, she agreed they contributed to the stalemate on the budget that continued 10 days beyond the scheduled April 19 adjournment.

It became part of their national effort to defund Planned Parenthood, she said.

In the end, Senate Democrats successfully resisted GOP efforts on Planned Parenthood, Iowas largest abortion provider. House and Senate conference committee members Friday reached agreement on House File 2460, the $1.836 billion human services budget.

Still, a compromise that doubled the adoption tax credit while continuing funding to Planned Parenthood as long as state dollars do not pay for abortions didnt sit well with some anti-abortion Republicans. Seven voted against HF 2460, which needed a vote from Rep. Sharon Steckman, D-Mason City, to be approved 51-41. The Senate approved it 26-19.

Steckman didnt plan to be the 51st vote or the lone Democrat to support the human services budget.

I vote the way I see things, she said, adding that her vote was in appreciation for the work of Sen. Amanda Ragan, D-Mason City, to include Medicaid oversight and protect funding for Planned Parenthood.

The compromise shows pro-life Iowans cannot count on Republicans to deliver for them, Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan, said. He expects abortion funding and end-of-life issues such as the proposed death with dignity legislation that was introduced during the 2016 session to be major themes in the fall political campaign.

Anti-abortion lawmakers preferred a compromise proposed by House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, to create a state grant program for 211 federally qualified organizations that provide womens health services and oppose abortion. It was rejected by Senate Democrats who, according to Heddens, didnt see any advantage in defunding Planned Parenthood and walking away from the family planning services already in place.

Why dismantle something that is working so well? she asked. The agencies Upmeyer wanted to fund dont have the same range of services or geographic coverage as Planned Parenthood, Heddens said.

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland has said $2.7 million, slightly more than one-quarter of the funding for its Iowa clinics, comes from public funds, such as Medicaid.

Democrats did accept a GOP proposal to double the one-time adoption tax credit to $5,000, an estimated $800,000 cost to the state in fiscal 2017.

Johnson was among those disappointed with the agreement because it doesnt address spending tax dollars on taking the lives of unborn children.

In the end, Upmeyer said, as much as we would like to expand the opportunities for womens health services in a much broader fashion, (Democrats) feel just as strongly they dont want to take that approach.

She promised it wont be the end of the discussion.

For sure, that will be on the table the next time we have the conversation, Upmeyer said.

After the November election, House Republicans will start a plan of action to deal with the dynamics we will have in the next Legislature, Heaton said.
Gary Wood, director of the Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce, signed a Statement of Support for the Guard and Reserve April 20 at the Belle Fourche Chamber office in front of more than 10 chamber board members.

The Statement of Support confirms Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce joins other employers in pledging:

We fully recognize, honor and comply with the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act (USERRA).

We will provide our managers and supervisors with the tools they need to effectively manage employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.

We appreciate the values, leadership and unique skills service members bring to the workforce and will encourage opportunities to hire Guardsmen, Reservists and Veterans.

We will continually recognize and support our countrys Service members and their families, in peace, in crises and in war.

Today, supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nations Guard and Reserve units said Ron Milke, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR ) state chair. I am asking all SD employers to take a look at their current human resources policies to incorporate policies supportive of Guard and Reserve employees.

"Many South Dakota employers provide support above and beyond what is required by law by offering pay differential to offset the loss of wages, and extension of health care benefits, which complement coverage provided by the military, when their employees are mobilized.

When asked about the criteria, Milke said By meeting the Statement of Support criteria, the Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce pledges to stand proudly with its Guard and Reserve employees, who continue to answer their nations call to defend our way of life. Their personal sacrifices are essential to the strength of our nation.

"It is a pleasure for the Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce, representing our Members, to acknowledge the Guard and Reserve's important role in our state and country and appreciate their service," stated Gary Wood, Director of the Belle Fourche Chamber.

ESGR seeks to foster a culture in which all employers support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the United States.

"The Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce joins a cadre of Fortune 500 companies, state and federal agencies and thousands of Americas employers in demonstrating support for our armed forces, added Ron Mielke.

ESGR facilitates and promotes a cooperative culture of employer support for National Guard and Reserve service by developing and advocating mutually beneficial initiatives, recognizing outstanding employer support, increasing awareness of applicable laws and policies, resolving potential conflicts between employers and their service members, and acting as the employers principal advocate within DoD.

For more information about ESGR outreach programs or volunteer opportunities, call 1-800-336-4590 or visit www.ESGR.mil.
More than 130 South Dakota students, fourth through ninth grade, participated in the state 4-H Quotes to Live By essay contest.

"The contest helps participants use critical thinking skills to examine how a maxim impacts their life. It helps them build a stronger character foundation by reflecting on their own lives and who they are and are going to be as a person of character," Karelyn Farrand, SDSU Extension 4-H Youth Character Education Field Specialist.

Teachers supported Farrand's comment by the following impact statements from the annual contest survey.

"The students grew as individuals when they reflected on their own life and shared that experience with others. My relationship with my students grew stronger too because I learned about their views on life I opened up too and shared moments in my life when these maxims impacted me," said Kama Konda-Varilek, Tri-Valley High School.

"The students read through the quotes (maxims) and found ones that related to their life. The students were amazed at the number of quotes (maxims) that were available or that they could relate to. After reading through the essays that the students wrote, I found that they related a lot more to these quotes (maxims) than to the ones that they would have just found on the internet," said Ashley Tollefson, Hitchcock-Tulare.

"The coolest thing happened while working on this contest with my seventh graders; I witnessed sides of my students I had not seen before. I came into a better understanding of their values and what they believe in," said Callie Hills, Lyman Middle School.

"This has been a wonderful opportunity for my son and I to explore and discuss wise and enduring truths using a variety of quotes. (maxims) This essay process inspired a variety of discussions among our family and made a lasting impression on us," said Helen Coronato, Homeshool, a fourth grade homeschool parent.

Offered to all South Dakota youth in fourth, seventh and ninth grade classes, the contest is designed to promote reading, critical thinking, and composition skills.

Participants choose a maxim from a predetermined list and write an essay that shows how the maxim fits into their lives.

The top five individuals in each grade level, were awarded a monetary prize: First Place - $200; Second Place - $150; Third Place - $100; Fourth Place - $75 and Fifth Place - $50.

Winners for the 2016 Quotes to Live By essay contest are:

Fourth graders: First place, Clara Fink, Plankinton; second place, Presley Bublitz, Altamont; third place, Cole Zabel, Selby; fourth place, Mataya Ward, Fruitdale and fifth place, Sophie Dowling, Murdo.

Seventh graders: First place, Makenzie Hoffer, Aberdeen; second place, Max Struck, Brookings; third place, Nathan Cole-Dai, Brookings; fourth place, Allison McManus, Reliance and fifth place, Tessa Stoltenberg, Brookings.

Ninth graders: First place, Morgan Robinson, McLaughlin; second place, Tristen Ruesch, Crooks; third place, Logan Klaudt, Menno; fourth place, Anonymous and fifth place, Shaeley Dupris, Mobidge.

"Quotes to Live By essay contest is another way to teach character education to their students," Farrand explained. "Across South Dakota, 669 student writers participated in local competitions, over doubling the participation from last year."

After judging this contest, one judge mentioned to Farrand, "After reading these essays, I think we will be in good hands in the future."

To learn how you can become involved in the 2017 Quotes to Live By Essay Contest contact Farrand at Karelyn.Farrand@sdstate.edu.
PIERRE | South Dakota state government has brought a civil lawsuit against four companies in Massachusetts, New York, Utah and California seeking to force them to collect and remit South Dakota sales tax on goods sold to South Dakota consumers.

The action from the South Dakota Department of Revenue was filed Thursday in Hughes County Circuit Court by Rich Williams, a South Dakota deputy attorney general.

The lawsuit claims that each of the companies meets one or both of the thresholds established by a new state law that the Legislature approved this winter in cooperation with Gov. Dennis Daugaard.

Legislators and three consecutive governors  the late Bill Janklow, now-U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds and Daugaard  have sought to bring more revenue into South Dakota and local governments through collections of sales tax from remote sellers who are based outside South Dakota.

The remote-seller law applies to businesses that have more $100,000 of gross revenue from sales into South Dakota or conducted 200 or more sales transactions for delivery into South Dakota.

State Revenue Secretary Andy Gerlach sent official notices on March 25 to four businesses informing them of the new state law and telling them to obtain South Dakota sales-tax licenses.

The four businesses were Newegg Inc. of City of Industry, Calif.; Overstock.com of Salt Lake City, Utah; Systemax of Port Washington, N.Y.; Wayfair of Boston, Mass.

South Dakota officials followed those notices with the lawsuit Thursday.

In turn two organizations are suing South Dakota at the same time over the new law. They are the American Catalog Mailers Association and NetChoice.

They are challenging the constitutionality of South Dakotas law under a pre-internet decision reached by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1992 known as Quill Corp. v. North Dakota. The majority sided with the company in that case.

South Dakota legislators have participated for several decades in whats known as the streamlined sales-tax effort at the national level.

But many more states charge income taxes than sales taxes and members of Congress have voted, for the most part, according to their home-state positions.

The legislation came from a bipartisan group of the Legislatures leaders in both chambers.
For many citizens in North and South Dakota, credit unions and small community banks offer local, affordable financial services. However, regulatory burdens increasingly create roadblocks for these institutions and their consumers. We know credit unions operate in a regulated environment, but the increase in regulations since the financial crisis has been dramatic and costly.

The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) conducted a study, gathering data on staffing costs, third-party expenses, capitalized expenses and reduced revenue opportunities to determine the financial impact on credit unions and how much it has changed since 2010. The results are staggering.

Since the financial crisis, credit unions and banks have been subjected to more than 200 regulatory changes. In 2014, those costs dded up to $7.2 billion  an increase of $2.8 billion since 2010. This subjected 105 million credit union members nationwide to a real cost of about $71 per year.

These costs averaged $115 per year for more than 215,000 North Dakota credit union members and $81 per year for some 258,000 South Dakota credit union members. Besides punitive monetary effects, including higher loan rates, credit union members and community bank customers feel the pain with longer waits for loans, less access to modernized technology, restrained services and products, and increased inconvenience.

It is important to point out that not one credit union has ever cost the American taxpayer a dime in any bailout. Despite this, credit unions are subject to the same rules designed to reign in the too big to fail banks, in essence, creating a too small to succeed scenario.

Over the last year, the Credit Union Association of the Dakotas, as well as our national trade association, CUNA, have asked the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to use their exemption authority under the Dodd Frank Act.

They have the authority to exempt any class of entity from their rules. Rather than continuing to write one size fits all rules that hurt consumers, credit unions and small banks, we asked the agency to tailor their rules so they dont have a negative impact. In a show of support, 329 members of Congress, including Rep. Noem, have asked the agency to write or implement rules that do not adversely impact credit unions or their ability to serve members.

On April 5, the Senate Banking committee, along with Sen. Rounds, held a special hearing on the Impact of Consumer Finance Regulations on Financial Institutions. In his opening remarks, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, said Because of the Bureaus structure and the means by which it is financed, it remains one of least accountable agencies in the federal government.

As a result, the very consumers the CFPB was designed to help have been harmed because some the rules make it more difficult for companies to lend and offer products in the marketplace.

On April 7, Richard Cordray, director of the CFPB, was in front of the same committee in an oversight hearing, during which he indicated that small institutions are responsible, close to their customers and provide good service. He also commented on the Payday Alternative Loan product that credit unions offer, saying it is a good product and we want to make sure theres room for that under any regulations we adopt.

Still, credit unions wait for the CFPB to use their exemption authority to tailor the regulations so credit unions can continue to serve their members in the same responsible way they have since the great depression.

Bottom line: The CFPB is allowing consumers to lose because credit unions and other community institutions have to curtail or withdraw products and services because of their regulations.

The question remains for Congress and the CFPB: Why are credit unions and credit union members being punished when they did nothing wrong in the first place?
FLORENCE  In the fall and spring, theres something happening in the night that most people dont know a thing about.

Most everyone looks to the sky during the daylight hours to enjoy the sight of migrating waterfowl headed north or south in huge V formations.

The smaller songbirds wait until darkness falls to make their move.

For years, avian scientists depended on the moon or even radar to get a sense on just whats going on in the night.

At the MPG Ranch  and this past year at the Florence-Carlton High School  a handful of researchers are making use of an inexpensive microphone, a plastic bucket and ever evolving computer program to paint a new picture on the nocturnal migration of birds in western Montana.

That evolving monitoring effort in the Bitterroot Valley began with at a conference in 2012 attended by MPGs Debbie Leick and Kate Stone.

Thats where we learned about the nocturnal flight call monitoring effort that began back east, said avian scientist Leick. Within two weeks of returning home, we were ordering the equipment that would allow us to do that here too.

The equipment is simple enough.

An acoustic microphone is placed in a plastic bucket that helps contain the zone where the birds nocturnal flight calls are collected onto a recording device.

Each call is then transposed into a digital image called a spectrograph. Each of those images is unique to a certain species.

Before this technology became available, there were many different ways that people were attempting to learning more about nocturnal migrations, Leick siad.

Researchers could stand outside and listen to the different calls. Or they could deploy a telescope on a night when the moon was full and then count the birds that fly through the moonlight. Weather or marine radar was sometimes used too.

All of those techniques couldnt give you an exact idea of what species were there, she said. This technique does that.

Once the MPG Ranch found success in establishing the monitoring sites, Leick reached out to longtime Florence-Carlton High School biology teacher, Craig Kuchel, to see if he might be interested in setting up a similar site at the school and getting his students involved.

He jumped at the idea.

There are so many things that happen at night that we know nothing about, Kuchel said. This was science that could have real implications and eventually show trends of what is happening with bird populations.

He recruited two of his students, Rylee Close and Conner Copeland, to take part in the first year of the monitoring effort.

Last fall, they set up the recording unit on the schools roof and the calls of the migratory birds were recorded on a computer in Kuchels classroom. The two students worked to analyze the data to determine the species of birds that flew over the school each night.

They were surprised at what they discovered.

On one September night alone, they recorded calls of 1,179 birds that flew over the school.

We always underestimate the number, Copeland said. That was a lot of birds for one night. We dont have an explanation for why that happened.

They also learned that the songbirds that were migrating over the school were quite a bit different than what the folks at the MPG Ranch were seeing just a few miles away.

Kuchel is a avid birder. Every year, he counts himself lucky if he spots one or two Wilsons Warblers.

They just dont seem to be that common here, he said. Over at the ranch, they found that several thousand moved through that area.

The warblers seem to mostly steer clear of the area above the Florence school.

Instead, the Savannah Sparrow was the most common bird call captured by the schools microphone.

We really dont know why that is, Kuchel said. It may be the light that attracts them here.

Copeland and Close created research projects that they presented at a gathering with other researchers at the MPG Ranch this spring.

I wanted to take part in this because I just like science, Copeland said. I like birds. I like birding. I just thought it would be satisfying.

It turned out to be much more than that.

Copeland found that he liked working with the scientists on the project. Beyond that, he found that he enjoyed working with the computer programming thats being used to discern and tally the different bird calls.

Next year, when he heads off to college, Copeland plans to direct his studies toward computer programming.

Kuchel plans to retire from teaching after this year. He said another teacher has already agreed to take over the research project. The folks at MPG Ranch hope to recruit him to carry this monitoring effort further afield.

A teacher at Darby has agreed to set up a similar monitoring station at that school.

Leick said she would wants to see the monitoring effort continue to grow.

My dream is to see it expand throughout Montana, she said. If we can get five years of solid data, well have a good baseline for long-term monitoring.

We can use this tool to see if populations are changing over time, Leick said. Just imagine, if we had been doing this for 50 years. What a difference it could have made.
The Bitterroot Public Library is hosting a multimedia presentation about the polar bears and arctic ecosystems of Canada on Saturday, April 30.

Presenter Frank Tyro, of the Salish Kootenai College, is president of the board of the Great Bear Foundation. He has traveled 37 times to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, the polar bear capital of the world.

I love the place and I love seeing people come to a better realization of the ecosystem and all the aspects of the arctic, he said. It has always been the canary in the coal mine. If you want to see the changes, go north and visit with people, particularly the natives, about the changes theyve seen and the scientific evidence as well.

Tyro said the presentation would be enjoyed by everyone, but especially people interested in wildlife and climate change.

Much of it focuses on polar bears and why Churchill is the polar bear capital of the world, he said. There are other species that are dependent on ice and some species we dont have in our back door like beluga whales and arctic foxes.

The presentation allows the audience to explore arctic ecosystems of Canada, learn about permafrost, Hudson Bay, bears, foxes, seals and many other animals that depend on the snow and ice for survival.

There are other aspects to this presentation, he said. The military history, Inuit peoples, other cultures and the fur trade. All of that makes Churchill an interesting place to visit.

The multimedia presentation is also to honor the late Charles Jonkel, a bear biologist and founder of Great Bear Foundation and the International Wildlife Film Festival.

Audience members can learn how they can visit Churchill as the Great Bear Foundation has three trips planned in August, October and November.

The Great Bear Foundation is the nonprofit sponsor of this presentation and has offices in Haines, Alaska and Missoula.

The Polar Bears and Arctic Ecology program is free, open to the public and appropriate for all ages. Several door prizes will be given away. Attend the meeting at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Bitterroot Public Library, 306 State St., Hamilton.
The Ravalli County Commission said this week that it generally supported the states decision to help pay up to $1 million for a forest restoration and fuel reduction project on national forest lands, but there were a few concerns.

In a letter written this week, the commission offered its input into Gov. Bullocks decision to invest in forest restoration and fuel reduction projects on national forest lands.

Bullocks Forest in Focus Initiative is a strategy designed to accelerate the pace, scale and quality of restoration on all forested lands in Montana. A key component is to work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to insure that restoration projects move forward on federal land by providing some funding to make the projects happen.

The 2013 Legislature approved the process of spending up to $5 million per biennium for fuel reduction, forest restoration and fire equipment on all forested lands in the state.

On federal lands, the state has already provided about $1 million in funding to help speed up the process in getting 15 projects statewide on national forest lands up and moving. Included in those first projects was about $136,000 set aside to help pay for the proposed Westside Collaborative Vegetative Project that would thin about 2,300 acres between Lost Horse and Roaring Lion creeks.

The state has just released its second request for proposals to spend up to another $1 million on projects on national forest lands.

In its letter the state Department of Natural Resources, the commission gave its general support of the proposal, but added some caveats.

We believe proactive forest management will create healthier economies, forests and citizens than the current management model which allows catastrophic fires that threaten public health and safety, sterilize the landscape, destroy wildlife habitat, negatively impact fisheries and viewsheds, the commissions letter read.

The letter said the process needed to be transparent and one that encouraged early public participation. It said the state should give higher credibility and more weight to duly elected representative of local governments, which represent thousands of residents. And it asked the state to take a hard look at the amount of roads being considered for decommissioning on projects being considered by the U.S. Forest Service.

Over the last few months, the commission has expressed concern about roads being decommissioned as part of timber sales and fuel reduction projects on the Bitterroot National Forest.

That theme continued in its comment letter.

The commission said it has noticed over the last few years that Forest Service vegetative management projects have included a road decommissioning component. In its letter, the commission said the state shouldnt be funding projects with fire suppression dollars that include obliterating roads that can be used to access land for vegetative management, emergency services and fire suppression.

Ravalli County objects to decommissioning roads, the letter read. There are a number of best management practices that can be utilized at road and stream intersections to mitigate erosive impacts at the crossings and still provide public access.

The commission said its position is that the Forest Service does not have the authority to decommission roads established prior to 1976 under RS 2477, a law enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1866 to encourage settlement through the development of a system of highways.

On the issue of influence, the commission said it believed that some special interest groups have been allowed to have too much influence on the outcome of decisions.

The NGOs (non-governmental organizations) have been allowed to disrupt and delay implementation of projects utilizing the Equal Access to Justice as a tool, the letter read.

Consequently, the threat of litigation oftentimes determines the outcome of a project instead of best management practices based on science.

The letter said the comments supplied by duly elected representatives of local government, like the county commission, should be given more weight based on the population of the jurisdiction.

That is, Ravalli County has 40,000 census residents, therefore, a comment letter from the Ravalli County Board of Commissioners represents 40,000 comments, the letter read.

Commission Chair Ray Hawk that the commission was generally supportive of the proposal to spend $1 million more on projects that put people to work to care for the forest.

Putting a million into these kinds of projects seems like a pretty good deal, he said.
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sacw.net - 1 May 2016

The uncertainty about the status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir has loomed large since 1947. Is Jammu and Kashmir a postcolonial state? Postcolonialism refers to a historical phase undergone by many of the worldas countries after the decline of the European empires by the mid-twentieth century. Following the dismantling of the empires, the people of many Asian, African, and Caribbean states were left to assess the cultural, linguistic, legal, and economic effects of colonial rule, and create new governments and national identities.

As a phenomenon, nationalism often arises at times of conflict between nations, or between colonizers and colonized, and perhaps most commonly, in postcolonial periods. Over the years, tremendous political and social turmoil has been generated in the Jammu and Kashmir by the forces of religious fundamentalism and by an exclusionary nationalism that seeks to erode the cultural syncretism that is part of the ethos of Kashmir. These forces are responsible for the shutting down of dissenters who voice cultural critique, repression of women, political anarchy, economic deprivation, lack of infrastructure, and mass displacements that have been occasioned by these events.

A visitor to Kashmir is required to take in the unpleasant reality of India and Pakistan, which is full of redoubtable paramilitary troops, barbed wire, and invasive searches; marginalization of the Kashmiri populace; dispossessed youths trained in Pakistani training camps to unleash a reign of disorganized and misguided terror in the state; custodial killings in detention centers and mothers whose faces tell tales of woe waiting outside those gloomy detention centers to catch glimpses of their unfortunate sons (an exercise in futility); burqa-clad women afraid of the wrath of fundamentalist groups as well as of paramilitary forces bent on undercutting their self-respect. Such occurrences do not enable the visitor to glimpse an autonomous Kashmiri life, devoid of the pressures that Kashmiris have been subjected to since 1947.

Since the inception of the insurgency in 1989, Kashmiris have been systematically alienated in their own home by the dominant political and military culture and by state-sponsored agencies. It has become a pipe dream to lead a sovereign and dignified existence which is not invaded by the unruly presence of paramilitary troops and militant organizations. Not only have Kashmiris been deprived of their sovereignty in the purportedly democratic republic of India, but they are treated like nationless pariahs in other parts of the world as well. When I applied for the renewal of my passport at the Indian Consulate in New York City in the early 2000s, it was an ordeal for a Kashmiri to get her/his passport renewed at an Indian consulate in any part of the world. The regular procedure allows most Indian citizens to get their passports renewed at a consulate within a day; the rules were different for people of Kashmiri descent. A person of Kashmiri descent was required to submit innumerable documents which were then sent to the government of Jammu and Kashmir for validation. This entire process takes a couple of months. During that nerve-wracking period, the individual was required to remain without her/his most important travel document in a foreign country where paranoia was a reality post 9/ 11. I was categorically told by an official at the consulate that the renewal of my passport would take a while because of my ethnicity.

This engenders a question that gnaws at me: which nation or nationality is the identity of the ordinary Kashmiri tied with? Is nationhood a myth which fails to represent the diversity of the actual national community and does it only represent and consolidate the interests of the dominant power groups within the Indian polity? Until these questions remain unanswered, Kashmir will remain a space in which the discursive forces of power operate on and through the people. Kashmir will be unable to legitimately claim the status of a postcolonial state.

(Nyla Ali Khan is a faculty member at the University of Oklahoma, and member of Scholars Strategy Network. She is the author of Fiction of Nationality in an Era of Transnationalism, Islam, Women, and Violence in Kashmir, The Life of a Kashmiri Woman, and the editor of The Parchment of Kashmir. She is editor of the Oxford Islamic Studiesa special issue on Jammu and Kashmir.)
Ban sought on Bipan Chandras book [The Hindu - aZApr 28, 2016aZ]

Hindutva activist Dinanath Batra has written to HRD Minister Smriti Irani to get the late historian Bipan Chandras book Indias Struggle for Independence abanned, recalled from everywhere and destroyed.a http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ban-sought-on-bipan-chandras-book/article8533688.ece

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DU stops sale, distribution of history books Hindi edition [Business Standard]

"The sale and distribution of the book "Bharat ka Swatantarta Sangharsh, a Hindi translation of the book authored by Bipan Chandra, Mridula Mukherjee, Aditya Mukherjee, Sucheta Mahajan and K.N. Panikkar, has been stopped," http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/du-stops-sale-distribution-of-history-book-s-hindi-edition-116042901460_1.html

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Deccan Chronicle - April 30, 2016

Misleading attacks

Mridula Mukherjee, Aditya Mukherjee & Sucheta Mahajan

The first time the term arevolutionary terrorisma is used in the book is on Page 142.

A vicious attack was launched by BJP MP, Anurag Thakur in the Lok Sabha in Zero Hour on April 27 and in a section of the media on Indiaas Struggle for Independence, a book published in 1988, 28 years ago, by Bipan Chandra, K.N. Panikkar and the three of us. Deliberate misrepresentation of Bipan Chandraas views on Bhagat Singh is being done by saying that he used the term arevolutionary terrorisma to denigrate the martyr. In fact, the first time the term arevolutionary terrorisma is used in the book is on Page 142. Chandra wrote two chapters on aa term we use without any pejorative meaning and for want of a different terma .

In his later writings, Chandra himself stopped using this term as the word terrorism had acquired a very negative meaning in recent years. For example, in his introduction to Bhagat Singhas Why I am an Atheist, published in 2006, Chandra does not use the word terrorism and says, aBhagat Singh was not only one of Indiaas greatest freedom fighters and revolutionary socialists, but also one of its early Marxist thinkers and ideologues.a

Chandra added further, aUnfortunately, this last aspect is relatively unknown with the result that all sorts of reactionaries, obscurantists and communalists have been wrongly and dishonestly trying to utilise for their own politics and ideologies, the name and fame of Bhagat Singh and his comrades such as Chandrasekhar Azad.a (Quoted from The Writings of Bipan Chandra: The Making of Modern India, From Marx to Gandhi) He had also wanted to make the change in Indiaas Struggle for Independence and had said so publicly. However, due to ill health and failing eyesight he could not revise the book as he had planned before his death. The co-authors had planned that the volume in its revised version will use the formulation that Bipan Chandra himself made in his later writings.

To attack a great scholar when he is no more, a scholar who did so much to bring Bhagat Singh to the centrestage, appears to be part of a larger design to silence critics. He was the person who first found and published in 1970 as a pamphlet at his own expense Bhagat Singhas now famous essay, Why I am an Atheist. His last public lecture was the Inaugural Lecture for the Bhagat Singh Chair at JNU in April 2011, in which he said that Bhagat Singh, if he had lived, would have been the Lenin of India, and his last (unfinished) book was a biography of Bhagat Singh.

A completely unfounded attack on the book by a section of the media is that it valourises Jawaharlal Nehru to the exclusion of other leaders. In fact, a special feature of Indiaas Struggle for Independence is the balanced treatment of all political trends, from liberals to socialists and Communists, and of all movements, from 1857 to Ghadar to Indian National Army, Swadeshi to Quit India, peasant and trade union movements, anti-caste movements and statesa peoplesa movements, and of all leaders, from Dadabhai Naoroji to Birsa Munda, and Lokmanya Tilak, and from Gandhiji and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to Jayaprakash Narayan and Aruna Asaf Ali.

Another completely baseless allegation made in the Lok Sabha is that while denigrating Bhagat Singh, the authors have praised Rahul Gandhi as a charismatic leader, an allegation that we strongly deny since none of the authors have written anything on Rahul Gandhi.

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SEE ALSO:

India: SAHMAT statement against the attack on Bipan Chandraas book (30 April 2016) http://sacw.net/article12653.html
The UN Security Council finally adopted on Friday a draft resolution on the Sahara, whose final version was more balanced after last substantive amendments introduced at the initiative of Moroccos friends.

Thanks to the support of France, Spain, Egypt and Senegal, Morocco has won this new diplomatic battle against all its opponents, including the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon who has recently adhered to the theses of the Polisario and Algeria, showing thus a flagrant bias.

In the United Nations corridors in New York, it is rumored that the Algerian diplomats and their Polisario acolytes could hardly hide their deep disappointment and anger after the contents of the final text of the resolution were disclosed. Contrary to their expectations, the text does not mention any sanction against Morocco for having expelled the 83 civilian experts of the MINURSO.

The disappointment of Algerian diplomacy, headed by Ramtane Lamamra, was exacerbated by the dismal failure of the usual supporters and parallel channels that are lavishly paid by Algeria in its lobbying against Morocco. Actually, among the 15 member countries of the Security Council, only Venezuela and Uruguay voted against the resolution, and only Russia, Angola and New Zealand abstained.

Furthermore, in its resolution, the Security Council has not only renewed the mandate of the UN mission in the Sahara for another 12 months, but it has brought no change to the status and prerogatives of MINURSO as hoped by Algeria, the Polisario and their supporters.

The Security Council has therefore made its decision on all attempts to change the MINURSO mandate and expand it to missions non-agreed upon and to tasks that have nothing to do with its own raison detre, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry said in a statement released Friday evening.

For his part, Moroccos Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, said that the Security Council has called, for the 5th consecutive year, for the registration of the Tindouf camps populations.

This repeated call is primarily addressed to Algeria, which, as the host country, is thus summoned to allow the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to conduct a census of the populations settled in the Tindouf camps, a census that Algeria has been refusing for 40 years, explained Omar Hilale.
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 "Louisiana Death Sentenced Cases and Their Reversals, 1976-2015" | Main | Emerging news about two new notable gun control and gun safety efforts 

April 30, 2016

Georgia continuing to lead and innovate state sentencing reform with new focus on mass probation

The most astute observers of criminal justice systems realize that tackling mass incarceration will always be an uphill battle if we do not also look closely at the realities of (even more massive) modern probation and other laws and rules that place many persons under significant criminal justice supervision. Consequently, I am encourage to see that the folks in Georgia, who have already been at the forefront of state-level sentencing reforms, are now turning to this issue. This local article, headlined "Nathan Deal aims to cut extraordinarily high number of Georgia offenders on probation," tells the basic story:

Fresh off another round of changes to Georgias criminal justice system, Gov. Nathan Deal said hell urge lawmakers next year to tackle the stubborn problem of the extraordinarily high number of offenders on probation in Georgia. He wants to target the rise of split sentencing in Georgia  a practice in which a defendant serves part of the sentence behind bars, and then often a greater time outside prison. He called it an unusual phenomenon, and we dont know why its happening. We have a significantly high number of people who are under probation supervision  an extraordinarily high number compared with most other states, he said. Youre going to see the general area of probation being a focus point. Georgia led the nation in placing its citizens on probation in 2015 and topped the charts for its probation rate, which critics said reflected an overuse of the system. The state moved to reform the misdemeanor probation system after an AJC investigation showed courts contract with private probation companies to supervise and collect payments from people who cant afford to pay off expensive traffic tickets and other misdemeanor fines on the day they go to court. Deals Council on Criminal Justice Reform has recommended that lawmakers consider taking another step in 2017 by decriminalizing most traffic violations and rethinking the length of probation terms.

April 30, 2016 at 12:05 PM | Permalink

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SAN CELEMENTE, Calif. | "Italian Renaissance" won't be the first words that pop to mind when you pull up to the gleaming white home on a hillside in San Clemente where Lawrence - "Larry" - and Sandy Armstrong have lived for 15 years. The precise lines, use of glass and curving walls will feel familiar to anyone acquainted with the German art school aesthetic of Bauhaus or will perhaps recall the modernist beauty of architect Richard Meier's Getty Center. "The white house," as the guard in this gated community calls it, is undeniably distinct in a neighborhood populated by more conventionally built homes.

Inside those pristine walls, the thoroughly modern use of clean lines, bare surfaces and sense of space continues down to every last detail of the open, airy two-story. But as the architect who designed the house for his wife and two kids, the designer who made much of the furniture within it and the internationally exhibited artist who creates the paintings and sculptures that fill the place - not to mention who is the CEO of the architecture firm Ware Malcomb in Irvine, Calif. - Larry Armstrong-the-modernist seeks to embody a very old idea: Renaissance man.

"I am a big believer in a couple of things," Armstrong says. "An architect should be a whole-brain person. The term 'Renaissance' gets used a lot, probably overused, but the idea for me is that you are not a left-brain person or a right-brain person; you use your whole brain."

It's telling that the most prominent title among the hardbacks lining the sleek bookshelves of the home's downstairs library is the best-selling self-help book "How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day" by Michael J. Gelb. "That book is a really important book for me. I really believe in it," Armstrong says.

The idea of being a whole-brain person is just one of the concepts the Armstrongs embrace. Add to that an insatiable curiosity, the continual refinement of the senses, recognition of the connectedness of all things, and a commitment to fitness and strength in the body. "So, to me, as you go through your life, you try to aspire to be good at many different things - at least I do," Armstrong explains.

A study-abroad program in Florence, Italy, set him and Sandy on this path half a lifetime ago when they were students at Kent State University. As a student studying for an architecture degree, Armstrong was of course familiar with the revolution in art and architecture represented by the Italian Renaissance, but living in Italy made the ideas come to life.

"Well, you know, when you're a middle-class kid from northeast Ohio and you go to Italy, it kind of changes your whole life," he says with a chuckle. "It was eye-opening. I knew about the history and everything, but to be there, you feel it emotionally."

The idea that we have to choose between being either an artist or a professional or a businessperson is a false one, he believes. "One influences the other, I always say. The art has really influenced who I am as an architect, and vice versa."

And in the C-Suite too. "As a CEO running a company I have always held on to the things I am most passionate about, which is design, but I also love understanding how to run a business, and to do that you have to have a great team behind you. Essentially you design a company - I have told people many times that I live to design my company."

Evidently it works. After advancing through the ranks at Ware Malcomb and becoming a shareholder, Armstrong in 1992 bought the company, which was then viewed as a good commercial architectural firm regional to Southern California. Today, expanded and diversified, the firm has 17 offices across North America and three international offices, employing a team of 300.

Whatever he is designing, be it an international firm or a dining room table, Armstrong follows the maxim that form follows function. "I think first and foremost it has to work, no matter what it is - if it is architecture or a car or a product, it has to work," he says. "Beyond that, I am a modernist, obviously. I am a big believer in it because I think it is a pure form. It is undecorated; everything you see is functional."

"We designed the house around sort of how we live," Armstrong notes. He points to the open-concept living and kitchen space on the first floor. "One of the biggest things while the kids were growing up, in the other homes we lived in we ended up in the family room/kitchen, so we knew this space would be used."

"Lots of school projects were done there," Sandy pipes up, pointing to the island made from part of an aircraft carrier, "and presents wrapped, and lunches made - too many to count."

The home mirrors the people in it: The couple, who have been together since they were teenagers, say they long envisioned designing a home with an elegant, welcoming, public side for entertaining ("This is an awesome house to throw a party in," says Armstrong. "We can have up to 200 people") and a luxurious, restful private side in the other wing of the house, where the master suite, extra bedrooms and office are located. The sketch for the wing they imagined together, which Armstrong drew on a napkin while at a cafe in Italy, is framed on a wall in their bedroom.

In almost all the rooms, there is a canyon view and a sense of looking through one room into another. This layered vision is a central concept in all of Armstrong's work, art or architecture. One view subtly opens to another and another - the result being a sense of depth and sophistication.

"We had so much fun designing this home, we've often talked of doing it again," adds Sandy.

He smiles. "Someday."

But for now, he has enough on his plate leading Ware Malcomb while keeping up with his ever-growing profile as a painter of abstract expressionism and sculptor.

"The art has taken off since we became empty-nesters," he says, noting that son James is a designer at his firm and daughter Lauren is finishing up a degree in psychology at Pepperdine University. "The kids were always the priority when I wasn't working. But once they were in college, the concept was: Let's start ramping up the art so when I am done being a CEO I can concentrate on being an artist full time."

The only problem? The art ramped up a lot faster than anticipated. William Braemer, director of Art Fusion Galleries in Miami, has called Armstrong's work nothing short of magnificent. The recipient of numerous awards, Armstrong now fields constant bookings throughout the nation and in Europe. "It challenges me to stay balanced," he says, "which is fine. That's OK." Such is life, after all, in the da Vinci mode.

Visit The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.) at www.ocregister.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
IRVINGTON, N.J. | In the age of podcasts and streaming services, you might think pirate radio is low on the list of concerns of federal lawmakers and broadcasters. You'd be wrong.

They're increasingly worried about its presence in some cities as unlicensed broadcasters commandeer frequencies to play anything from Trinidadian dance music to Haitian call-in shows. And they complain the Federal Communications Commission can't keep up with the pirates, who can block listeners from favorite programs or emergency alerts for missing children and severe weather.

Helped along by cheaper technology, the rogue stations can cover several blocks or several square miles. Most broadcast to immigrant communities that pirate radio defenders say are underserved by licensed stations.

"The DJs sound like you and they talk about things that you're interested in," said Jay Blessed, an online DJ who has listened to various unlicensed stations since she moved from Trinidad to Brooklyn more than a decade ago.

"You call them up and say, 'I want to hear this song,' and they play it for you," Blessed said. "It's interactive. It's engaging. It's communal."

Last year, nearly three dozen congressional members from the New York region urged the FCC to do more about what they called the "unprecedented growth of pirate radio operations."

So did the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, which said pirates undermine licensed minority stations while ignoring consumer protection laws that guard against indecency and false advertising.

The New York State Broadcasters Association estimates that 100 pirates operate in the New York City area alone, carrying programs in languages from Hebrew to Gaelic to Spanish. Many also broadcast in and around Miami and Boston; FCC enforcement data shows agents have gone after at least one pirate in nearly every state in the past decade.

The FCC has been discussing possible solutions, such as penalizing pirate radio advertisers, and last month urged landlords and government officials to look out for rogue broadcasters.

The alleged pirates include Jean Yves Tullias, a barber living in Irvington, about 15 miles from New York. The FCC claims he appropriated an unused frequency to broadcast his show, which includes church services, gospel music and a call-in program for fellow Haitians.

Tullias denies any wrongdoing. Cutting hair recently at his barbershop, he said a friend broadcast his Internet radio show without telling him he used a pirated frequency.

Tullias, 44, started his show because the local Haitian community "had no communication, nobody to help them," he said.

"When you get that radio station, that prayer line, you feel comfortable," he said of older listeners who speak little English and feel isolated. "You feel happy."

Broadcasters are increasingly concerned because the FCC has gone after fewer pirates in recent years. The commission issued more than 100 warnings and fines against alleged pirates last year, compared with more than 400 in 2010.

That number fell despite a "significant increase" in the number of pirate stations, tallied by David Donovan, president of the New York State Broadcasters Association.

Donovan said the signals interfere with the Emergency Alert System, which relies on a phone-tree-like chain of stations listening to one another. Listeners also can't hear the alerts, he said.

In his response to lawmakers' concerns, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler cited a stagnant budget and its smallest staff in 30 years. Fines and seizures are not enough, he added, because pirates often refuse to pay and quickly replace transmitters and inexpensive antennas.

For about $750, pirates can buy equipment to broadcast at a range of at least 1 or 2 miles, experts say.

An FCC spokesman said the agency remains dedicated to combating pirate radio and has added agents to its New York office. Meanwhile, lawmakers and FCC officials continue to discuss solutions.

The FCC has tried to encourage more diverse and underrepresented groups to start community stations through its Low Power FM effort, but it has had its limits.

The program has helped spawn 1,500 stations with a reach of about 3.5 miles since 2000. But there have been fewer opportunities in crowded urban radio markets, and anyone known to have pirated the airwaves is barred.

Charles Clemons Muhammad, who started an unlicensed Boston station for black listeners in 2006, is among those banned. The commission fined him $17,000, shuttering the station in 2014. He continues to broadcast online but must work to bring his older listeners with him.

"I did this to give my community a 24-hour voice," he said.

John Nathan Anderson, director of media studies and journalism at Brooklyn College, said pirate radio remains a "medium of last resort when you have no other way to communicate broadly to a community."

"A lot of people look at radio as dead," he said. "But what we're actually seeing in many respects is a renaissance of radio as it goes into its next 100 years."
AKRON, Iowa | As nearly 1  inches of rain accumulated around Siouxland Saturday, area rivers rose higher above their flood stages, continuing minor flooding along thousands of acres of low-lying farmland in Iowa and South Dakota.

The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls extended flood warnings Saturday for nine areas along the Little Sioux, Big Sioux, Ocheyedan and Vermillion rivers. Formerly expected to end early in the week, many of the warnings now continue into Wednesday or Thursday, or until further notice.

Sioux City Gateway Airport recorded 1.48 inches of rainfall as of 8 p.m. Saturday. Another quarter- to half-inch of rain was forecast Saturday night into Sunday, pushing back predictions of when the high river levels will subside.

With (Saturdays) rain coming in, it was not going to allow the river readings to decrease, said Tim Masters with the National Weather Service. Theyre actually going up again.

The Big Sioux River at Akron, Iowa, formerly expected to crest at 17.1 feet, reached 17.2 feet Saturday morning and is now expected to crest near 17.9 feet on Sunday -- nearly two feet above flood stage.

According to the National Weather Service, the river floods about 6,500 acres of farmland when it reaches 17 feet. The river is expected to drop below flood stage on Wednesday, and the flood warning will conclude Thursday afternoon.

The Big Sioux River at Hawarden, Iowa, measured 15.9 feet Saturday morning, nearly a foot above flood stage. The river was expected to crest near 16.1 feet Saturday and fall below flood stage on Tuesday. A warning continues through Wednesday.

Other flood warnings concluding Wednesday include the Vermillion River near Wakonda, South Dakota, and the Ocheyedan River near Spencer, Iowa.

A flood warning for the Little Sioux River above Spencer continues through Monday evening, and warnings for the Little Sioux at Cherokee, Spencer, Linn Grove and Milford, Iowa, will continue until further notice.

Adding to Saturday's dreary conditions were high winds blowing through northwest Iowa. Sioux City registered gusts of 37 mph Saturday, while several Iowa counties to the north and east recorded gusts in the high 50s. Clay County, Iowa, recorded gusts as high as 61 mph.

A reprieve from the rainy weather is on the way, though. Clouds are expected to clear Sunday night, giving way to a sunny Monday with a high of 64. The rest of the week will bring clear skies and highs in the upper 60s and low 70s, allowing the rivers to begin to lower.

The National Weather Service will release an updated weather statement Sunday morning.
PILGER, Nebraska | The Nebraska village of Pilger loves its trees. That was evident when a throng of volunteers gathered in the tiny town Friday  Arbor Day -- to plant 130 trees.

But the dirty hands and newly grounded saplings were part of a now two-year-long healing process after a tornado ripped through the town in June 2014.

An EF4 tornado touched down in the community of about 350 people on June 16, killing two people and injuring two dozen more. The town suffered heavy damage to homes and businesses.

Among the wreckage were about 325 trees -- trees that had helped Pilger gain Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation.

Since the tornado, volunteers have worked to replace the trees that provided shade, fun and a warm feel to the rural Nebraska community.

Pilger is pretty bare through the middle of it from the tornado, said Kim Neiman, village clerk treasurer for Pilger. Weve planted close to 150 trees in the last two years and were still trying to get more trees in.

The efforts to bring trees back to Pilger continued in connection with Arbor Day. On Friday, students from the Wisner-Pilger School District and other volunteers helped plant 54 trees purchased with a Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District grant throughout town and 75 trees provided by the Lindsay Corporation of Omaha and the Arbor Day Foundation.

Lindsay also donated an additional 75 trees spread across Beaver Crossing, Belden, Pierce, Wayne, Wayne State College and Plainview, Nebraska. Volunteers from Lindsay were scheduled to help with the planting Saturday, but the trees were planted Friday instead due to rain in the forecast Saturday.

Trees planted included hardwoods such as oak, crabapples and shorter trees to fit safely under electrical lines.

Neiman, who has helped lead the planting efforts, said the response from volunteers to bring the trees back to Pilger has been overwhelming, but heartwarming.

Its nice to know people want to come and help us and know the significance of what it means to plant trees, she said.

Wisner-Pilger High School junior Jacob Denton was one of the volunteers to help plant Friday. As a Pilger resident, he said hes thrilled to see a town once devastated from tragedy start to take its shape back once again.

When all these trees get planteditll make Pilger start looking more like a town, he said.

Fittingly enough, the Arbor Day Foundation was founded in Nebraska in 1972, 100 years after J. Sterling Morton founded Arbor Day in Nebraska City.

The foundation since its inception has helped provide and plant 60 million trees throughout the nation. One of its programs, the Community Tree Recovery Program, provides trees to communities who had theirs destroyed by natural disasters.

Abbie Eisenhart, program manager for the Community Tree Recovery Program, said the Arbor Day Foundation strives to make sure trees are part of every community. The chance to help towns in its own back yard, she said, provides a sense of duty to help out neighbors in need.

When it happens in our backyard, we want to be there to help, she said.

Eisenhart added that trees may seem like wooden statues lining city streets and parks, but they provide so much more to communities.

That old tree you climbed or the apple tree where you picked apples, when those are gone, theres a sense of loss felt, she said. Those trees meant a lot to them and they took pride in those trees.

The people of Pilger, Neiman said, do take great pride in their trees. Theyve welcomed the new trees so far, and will welcome many more.

Everybody wants trees around here, she said. I think if we had 1,000 more trees, we could find a place for them.
LE MARS, Iowa | A Remsen, Iowa, man has been charged with operating while intoxicated and two additional charges after the car he was driving crashed into a Le Mars residence early Friday morning.

Officer John Kaskie with the Le Mars Police Department said at 1:41 a.m., a 2002 Chevy Impala driven by Trevor Koontz, of Remsen, struck a residence at 600 Third St. SE in Le Mars.

Kaskie said Koontz had been traveling south on Sixth Avenue SE when he lost control of the vehicle, veering eastward into the residence. The vehicle breached the concrete in the basement wall and broke a water line inside the house, Kaskie said.

None of the residents of the house were injured, Kaskie said. Koontz was treated at the scene.

Koontz was charged with operating while intoxicated -- second offense, failure to maintain control and failure to provide insurance.

The Le Mars Fire Department assisted the Le Mars Police Department at the scene.
SIOUX CITY | Is it wrong to call somebody a "zombie" or is being a "living impaired" person a more politically correct term?

That was a query posed by intrepid video blogger Diane Rise, a character in "Interview with the Living Challenge," a student-made movie created for "Horror in Films and Literature," a class taught at Briar Cliff University.

"My character considers herself to be something of a social justice warrior," Claire Dufur, who portrayed Diane in the short film, explained. "More important, she's obsessed with zombies."

To be honest, Dufur is equally enamored with the undead.

"Everyone who knows me knows that I love to talk about zombies," the Briar Cliff English junior noted. "It's one of my favorite topics."

That made Dufur ideal for the three-credit course taught by Briar Cliff assistant English professor Matthew Pangborn.

"In this class, we view movies like 'Dawn of the Dead' and read novels like Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road,' while discussing the symbolism of zombie fiction," Pangborn said.

He added that the student-made films were designed to pull everything together.

Dufur got into zombies after watching inexpensively made movies uploaded to YouTube, while her classmate Megan Aschoff enjoys post-apocalyptic novels like Max Brooks' "World War Z" and Isaac Marion's "Warm Bodies."

Which makes sense, since Aschoff's student film "Cliffpocalypse: Briar Zombies 2" is actually set at Briar Cliff following a zombie apocalypse.

"In my movie, I play a character who escapes the zombies only to be led back to the scene and killed off," Aschoff, an English senior, said. "Characters don't always make the best decisions in zombie movies. In fact, that's one of the biggest cliches."

But that doesn't mean zombies can't have senses of humor. Or at least that's the hope of Maddi Underwood.

"I could only make it through one episode of 'The Walking Dead,'" Underwood, a Briar Cliff English senior said, shaking her head. "It was way too serious."

This is why she liked more tongue-in-cheek zombie fare like "Shaun of the Dead" or the satirical film she made with Dufur.

Yet, Underwood said, with or without humor, zombie flicks need plenty of bite.

It's certainly not a new phenomenon, according to Pangborn.

"Throughout history, we've used horror as a way to explain things we can wrap our heads around," he said. "(The undead) may look like us but they aren't us."

So can we call the pale cadaverous-looking creatures of the nights "zombies" or are they simply the "living impaired"?

"I call them zombies," Dufur answered decisively. "I think the name fits."
SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for having sexual contact with a young girl.

Chris Buhler, 30, pleaded guilty Friday in Woodbury County District Court to lascivious acts with a child and, in a separate case, incest.

According to court documents filed in the lascivious acts case, Buhler told authorities he committed sexual acts with a girl, who was under age 10, on three separate occasions in a Sioux City home in August or September 2013.

Buhler also was given a special sex offender sentence in which he will be on parole for the rest of his life after completing his prison sentence. If he were to violate terms of the special sentence, he could be sent to prison.
DES MOINES | Scott and Polk counties will receive $3 million in mental health care funding, and a mental health care property tax levy will be extended one year under plans approved Friday by state lawmakers.

Scott and Polk were chief among the counties that have expressed concerns with their mental health care budgets, saying a lack of state funding in recent years helped lead to budget shortfalls.

The counties asked for a funding boost from the state and an opportunity to increase their mental health care property tax levy.

Legislators allocated $2.5 million to Polk County and $500,000 to the Eastern Iowa mental health region that includes Scott County, and extended by one year the mental health property tax levy at its current level.

The deal, passed by legislators on the final day of the 2016 legislative session, still must be approved by Gov. Terry Branstad, who could veto the provisions.

Lori Elam, who works in the Scott County community services department and is the disability services coordinator of the Eastern Iowa mental health care region, said the $500,000 funding and levy extension will not provide enough help for the region, which has a $2 million budget shortfall.

Were disappointed, Elam said. We really wanted (the levy increase proposal) passed because that was the long-term funding solution. So by appropriating money one year again, its a Band-Aid. I think legislators are aware of that. Its just disappointing.

Iowa Rep. Linda Miller, a Republican from Bettendorf who was on the health care budget committee, said she knew Scott County mental health officials would be disappointed but insisted she got as much funding as she could for the region.

Miller said she hopes funding in other areas of the health care budget, such as money for home health agencies, will help lessen the burden on the Eastern Iowa mental health regions budget. Miller, who is retiring from the Legislature, also said she hopes the body can develop a long-term solution when it reconvenes in 2017.

I wasnt happy, but I have to compromise with the Senate, and I have to get a deal, Miller said.
Marketing a business online is no simple task. Theres a lot that goes into it. And members of our small business community have plenty of experience dealing with online and content marketing. Here are some of their top tips for online and content marketing.

Top Tips for Online and Content Marketing

Focus on Epic Content

Youve probably heard the popular saying that content is king. But thats not necessarily the case, if youre talking about creating short, generalized content. Instead, John Jantsch recommends in this Duct Tape Marketing post that you focus on creating content that is long and useful and epic.

Make Your Website a Better Salesperson

Your website can be a major factor when it comes to making sales. So you need to make it really work for you. Here, Joe Peters shares some tips for making your website a better salesperson in the Cirrus Insight blog.

Learn About Marketing Automation

There are plenty of different ways you can automate your marketing efforts to save time and make them more effective. Brent Csutoras shares some thoughts in this Search Engine Land post and Marketing Nerds podcast with James Loomstein. The BizSugar community also comments further on the post here.

Utilize Dynamic Remarketing

Remarketing campaigns can be incredibly effective when it comes to attracting customers who have previously bought from you or at least visited your site. And its not just for ecommerce businesses anymore either  as Laura Collins explains in this Marketing Land post.

Dont Overlook the Power of Social Media

Youve already heard about how businesses can use social media to interact with customers. But you might not be grasping just how big of a boost social media can provide. Mandy Edwards makes the case for social media marketing in this SteamFeed post.

Use the Crystal Effect to Unlock New Content Ideas

Coming up with a constant stream of ideas is essential to any good content marketing plan. To unlock all of those new content ideas, Jason Quey recommends using the crystal effect in this post on the ContentMarketer.io blog. And BizSugar members share their thoughts on the post here.

Solve Your Email Marketing Challenges With These Tools

Email is a great way to market to and communicate with customers. But youll likely need some of the tools outlined in this Exit Bee post by Vanhishikha Bhargava in order to really get the most out of your email marketing strategy.

Make More of Your Content

When youre utilizing content marketing, you need to be very intentional when it comes to planning, creating and sharing that content. Here, Nick Davies shares some ways that you can make the most of your content in the Pretty Pragmatic blog.

Use Kindness to Make Your Content More Successful

When creating content for your business, you have to consider many different factors. You want it to be relevant and valuable. But you can also use kindness to really make your content stand out, as Sara Wachter-Boettcher explains in this Content Marketing Institute post. You can also see conversation surrounding the post over on BizSugar.

Dont Believe These Misconceptions About Remote Workers

Businesses today dont necessarily need teams that all work out of the same office all the time. Whether youre considering hiring some outside marketing help or just letting your team telecommute from time to time, you might have some misconceptions about remote workers, like the ones outlined in this Redbooth post by Lisette Sutherland.

If youd like to suggest your favorite small business content to be considered for an upcoming community roundup, please send your news tips to: sbtips@gmail.com.
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
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. (April 29, 2016)A two vehicle, head-on collision shut down the Thomas Johnson bridge this afternoon for approximately 2.5 hours. One driver, a New Jersey man, was flown to Baltimore with critical injuries. The second driver, a Solomons man, was taken to Medstar St. Mary's Hospital.



The accident occurred around 12:38 p.m. The bridge was re-opened around 3:00 p.m.



Police investigators determined that a 2009 Dodge Ram truck was traveling north on the bridge when a 2010 Mercury Mariner traveling south crossed the double yellow center line striking the Dodge truck in a head-on collision. Both vehicles came to final rest in the northbound lane.



The operator of the Mercury Mariner was identified as Robert E. Bolan, 47, from Summit, New Jersey. Bolan sustained critical injuries as a result of the crash and was flown to R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore where he is listed in critical condition.



The operator of the Dodge Truck was identified as Steven Smethurst, 41, of Solomons. Smethurst was transported via ambulance to Medstar St. Mary's Hospital.



Due to the severity of the injuries, the Calvert County Sheriff's Office Collision Reconstruction Team responded to the Bridge and conducted their investigation.



At this time, driver error, speed and impairment are being investigated as contributing circumstances which led to the cause of the crash.



Anyone with information may contact Sgt. Selkirk at 410-535-2800 or selkirrc@co.cal.md.us.
Carole Benowitzs first encounter with LGBT issues was in 1986 when her gay son called off his wedding and nearly had a nervous breakdown.

But I didnt really get involved until I moved to Florida a couple of years later, she said.

At the 1992 Womens League for Conservative Judaism, she proposed a by-law change to allow lesbians to participate, and it passed unanimously. This first undertaking has led to the acceptance of LGBT rabbis in the Conservative Jewish Movement.

Today Caroles focus is on saving young lives by finding living accommodations for LGBT youth, 18 to 24, who have been thrown out of their homes  and often beaten  with no place to live. This is the most important work I can do, said Benowitz. Saving peoples lives.

Carole Benowitz has opened PFLAG chapters in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Puerto Rico, hosting monthly meetings here at Compass and elsewhere, said Julie Seaver, Center Director at Compass. Carole works tirelessly to provide endless support to families of LGBTQ people and to LGBT people themselves. You could even say it's her SOUL mission.
Western forces were only able to repel additional attackers with the aid of Italian and French warplanes and attack helicopters.

"Italian troops were among those killed or wounded in the battle, but there is no information whether there were British casualties as well," DEBKAfile reports. "Some reports say members of the Western force were taken prisoner by ISIS, although they have yet to be identified."

Sources also describe an effort by Western powers to silence reports of the incident.

"A joint command consisting of officers from Britain, France, Italy, Germany and the US that is responsible for planning the invasion of Libya, as well as the Italian and British defense ministries, imposed a media blackout regarding the battle," DEBKAfile reports.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A 6-storey building collapsed in Huruma on Friday evening, 58 people have been rescued, 29 have been taken to the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), while three have been confirmed dead, KTN said.

Eyewitness Jacob Kiruma told the TV station that "there were about 126 housing units, all single rooms, in the collapsed Huruma house."

The collapse occurred following heavy rain and thunderstorms that hit Nairobi on Friday.
+++VIDEO+++

Kenya will burn more than 100 metric tons of #ivory, more than ever. Will this help end poaching?https://t.co/0fIMAFicSt  DW - Business (@dw_business) April 29, 2016

Some 105 tons of elephant tusks and 1.35 tons rhinoceros horns, as well as exotic animal skins and many other wildlife products will be set ablaze on Saturday, the African countrys officials announced. The destruction of the ivory, said to be worth some $172 million on the black market, is aimed to tackle widespread illegal trade of the material.

From a Kenyan perspective, were not watching any money go up in smoke, Kenya Wildlife Service Director General Kitili Mbathi told CNN. The only value of the ivory is tusks on a live elephant.
Both Ahrar ash-Sham and Jaish al-Islam are Salafist jihadist organizations that share the same ultimate goal of first toppling Syrian President Bashar Assad and then proclaiming an Islamic state, he added.

"They dont want it to be a caliphate," Bokhari clarified. "They want it to be an Islamic state within the borders of Syria."

Exactly what the Islamic government would look like, Bokhari suggested, is anyones guess because none of the members of Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar ash-Sham themselves even know, outside of implementing sharia law.

Bokhari claimed that what these groups want, however, is irrelevant because of their limited territorial reach and dubious connections.

"One of the biggest problems with Ahrar Ash-Shams is that one of their biggest allies is Jabhat al-Nusra," Bokhari pointed out. "This is a big complication for the Americans."

Radio show host and political activist Stephen Lendman told Sputnik that Ahrar ash-Sham and Jaish al-Islam are not only proxies of Saudi Arabia and Turkey, but the United States as well.

"These terrorist groups are US proxy foot soldiers, serving US-led Western and Israeli interests along with Riyadhs and Ankaras," Lendman claimed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Lendman added, and other Russian officials have known all along that all of the Syrian anti-government groups are terrorists, not so-called "moderate rebels."

"Washingtons goal from the outset of the conflict along with its NATO and regional partners is regime change," Lendman noted.
Trump's exploratory speech on foreign policy had its bright moments, with the candidate emphasizing that US foreign policy disasters in the Middle East threw the region into chaos, and saying that the cycle of hostility between Washington and Moscow must come to an end ("from a position of strength only" on the US's part, naturally).

At the same time, long-standing non-interventionists including Ron Paul Institute political analyst Daniel McAdams weren't as enthusiastic about Trump's proposals, McAdams telling Sputnik that Trump's proposals are a mixed bag, since his advisors appear to be realists, and "that is not super satisfying to a non-interventionist and an anti-war person because realistslack the philosophyof avoiding war and avoiding entangling alliances."

Nevertheless, the neocons' incessant bashing of Trump has created the potential to make the candidate appealing to those Americans sick of aggressive policy against Russia, and those opposed to never-ending wars in the Middle East.
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International advocacy group Human Rights Watch reportedly described the death as "senseless" and a result of "Australia's inhumane refugee policies."

The second major incident involved an African woman, who is known only as "S99", who suffers from epilepsy. The woman was reportedly raped after she fell unconscious during a seizure. However, since she remains on the land of Nauru, she is prohibited from having an abortion. She is also prohibited from traveling to Australia to undergo the procedure.

Catherine Stubberfield, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 's regional representation in Australian capital Canberra, has called the current policy of offshore processing and prolonged detention "immensely harmful," while calling the system "untenable."

The Manus detention camp is going to be closed, as a result of Papua New Guinea Supreme Court ruling that the camp is illegal. The detainees' lawyers united to seek a sum of "billions" of dollars of compensation, as well as requiring Australian officials to have the refugees transferred not to mainland Australia rather than another offshore facility.

However, Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton reiterated on Friday there would be no policy change. Dutton suggested one option was to transfer those held on PNG to the Nauru facility.
HARARE (Sputnik)  On Friday, Russian Trade Minister Denis Manturov visited the Zimbabwean city of Bulawayo to attend the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, where Russia is presenting a number of products and services.

"I have been informed that the feasibility study of the project will be ready by July 2016. After that the construction of the first stage of the production complex will begin," Mumbengegwi said during the session of the Russian-Zimbabwean intergovernmental commission.
According to the foreign minister, the initiative is a continuation of plans put forward at the September 10, 2015 conference in Warsaw.

The conference, convened jointly by Poland and the Netherlands, was attended by 35 European state representatives who discussed pluralism and quality journalism in the Russian language media space.
Kiev launched a special military operation in Ukraines southeast in April 2014, after local residents refused to recognize the new Ukrainian authorities, which came to power as a result of a coup.

In February 2015, a peace agreement was signed between Ukraines conflicting sides in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. The deal stipulates a full ceasefire, a weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, an all-for-all prisoner exchange and constitutional reforms, which would give a special status to the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk peoples republics in the southeast.
The 9th regional public discussion forum, Nuclear Energy in the Arctic: Environment and Safety' will be held in Murmansk on May 12-13, the Murmansk Region's Ministry of Economic Development reports.

The forum is aimed at providing an open dialogue between the Rosatom State Corporation and industry related companies with regional and local authorities, as well as representatives from the public in the Murmansk Region.

The event will focus on Arctic environmental and socioeconomic issues and the role of the nuclear power industry in developing the northern territories while ensuring safety.

Representatives from the federal authorities, corporations, nuclear enterprises, the academic community, environmental, youth and other public organisations, as well as media representatives will take part.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The authorities of Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden are in favor of extending the temporary border controls within the European Union, which are due to expire in May, in the framework of the Schengen Borders Code rules, German media reported Saturday.

According to Die Welt, such proposal has been sent in writing to the First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans and the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos. In particular, the six countries called to extend the border controls for at least another six months in a bid to better control the migration flows.

According to the reports, the six EU states urge Timmermans and Avramopoulos to make a proposal to the European Council that would allow to extend or introduce controls at the internal borders of the Schengen area from May 13, if the EU member-states deem it necessary.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the United States is likely to provide two of the battalions, while two other battalions will consist of German and UK troops.

"The Russians have been doing a lot of snap exercises right up against the borders, with a lot of troops. From our perspective, we could argue this is extraordinarily provocative behavior," US Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work told the paper, confirming the overall size of the new deployment.
The statement comes after France's lower house of parliament on Thursday supported a resolution calling to lift the sanctions imposed on Russia. The resolution was opposed by the country's government and the lawmakers from parliamentary majority.

"These sanctions will not enable us today to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, because what can help end this crisis is the adoption of a law on decentralization of powers in the Donbass, which would allow for peace settlement and national reconciliation within Ukraine," Lellouche said.
According to Lellouche, Russia and the West have "converging interests with respect to the Islamist terrorist threat" in the Middle East.

"As to me, it is completely absurd today to replay the Cold War, and instead we must build a strategic alliance with Russia against Jihadism, Salafism and terrorism. We need Russia to work together on Syria and the Middle East," Lellouche told Sputnik.
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that NATO member states are preparing to deploy about 4,000 troops  four battalions  in the Baltic states and Poland as part of the Alliances strategy of military buildup on the Russian border.

"Allies have realized that in our region NATO is not only protecting the security of Estonia and the Baltic Sea region, but the entire NATO [member countries]. Everyone should understand that NATO defends its borders where there are security challenges, and now they are present in our region. The deployment of additional units here is totally understandable and welcomed. We have worked a lot in the name of this goal," Hanso said, as quoted by the ministry's press service.
Some 1,500 left-wing protestors took part in demonstrations against the populist, right-wing, Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Stuttgart on Saturday, around 400 of whom were arrested after clashes with police, regional television channel SWR Fernsehen reported

Shortly before 7am, "Many violent, masked, left-wing extremists attempted to gain entry to the exhibition center," and prevent the conference from taking place, a police spokesman told SWR Fernsehen.

The protestors also attempted to block access to the exhibition center's multi-storey car park.
During the event, the participants  many of them relatives and descendants of WWII veterans  march while carrying portraits of those who fought during World War II, honoring the sacrifice of those who made victory over the Nazi Germany possible.

This year, an Immortal Regiment march will also be held in Paris on May 8, organized by the 'Russia-France: Common Memory' collective, the 'Russia-France: Rapid Aid' mutual aid network and the Civil Collective for Peace.

A representative of the marchs organizing committee told RIA Novosti that in 2015 a similar event held in the French capital had attracted about 250 participants, but this year he expects an even greater number of people to take part in the event. He also added that the march will also be attended by the descendants of the French and Italian WWII resistance fighters and servicemen of other militaries, such as the Polish army, who fought against the Nazis.
The gang consisted of Muslim individuals of undisclosed countries of origin. At least one suspect named Dahir reportedly originates from Somalia. Interestingly, he allegedly relied on close ties to the family of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, but both Dahir's mother and sister are deeply surprised why the police arrested their brother and son.

"My father is a close friend of his. He [Mr. Corbyn] was able to vouch for my brother, for us, we are thankful to him. We had to prove my brother was innocent. Clearly if my brother was a criminal, he would not have participated," said Dahir's sister.

Jeremy Corbyn himself wrote a letter of support asking a judge for bail just before Christmas because he had "roots in the area" and was unlikely to abscond.

However, Commander Richard Walton, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command said: "This callous group of criminals stole vast sums of money from extremely vulnerable and elderly people from across the country. The targeting of vulnerable men and women in their 80s and 90s is quite simply beyond belief."

Other members were identical as Shakaria Aden, Yasser Abukar, Mohammed Abokar, Fahim Islam, Achmed Abdulaziz Ahmed, Makzhumi Abukar, Anrul Islam, and Mohammed Youssfi. Their ages range from 21 to 37. The gang's sentence is postponed until Wednesday, May 4th.
Such levels of pessimism about health services are the highest in Europe, the newspaper claimed citing the Populus pollster.

The NHS is the publicly funded health care system in the United Kingdom. The majority of the services it provides are free of charge for the country's citizens.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Colombia blames the attack on a section of the Cano Limon Covenas pipeline on the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group, RCN Radio said on Friday.

The bombing of the pipeline led to an oil spill into the Bojaba river near the border with Venezuela, which will have a serious impact on the environment and local residents, RCN Radio said.

The pipeline is owned by Colombias state-run Ecopetrol oil company and has the capacity to transport over 200,000 barrels of crude a day.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to Rivera, every officer found to be incompetent and dishonest or having links to organized crime in Honduras during investigations that will be conducted over the next 12 months will be fired.

"The process of purification and restructuring of the National Police is permanent," Omar Rivera, a member of the Special Commission told reporters as quoted by La Prensa on Friday.
According to the statement, Vasilenko is set to arrive in Moscow accompanied by a special convoy of Russian law enforcement personnel.

Vasilenko is accused of attempted illegal sale of drugs on a large scale, illegal acquisition and storage of narcotic substances on a large scale and forgery of a document.

In September 2008, he fled from prosecution in Russia and was put on the federal wanted list. Since April 2011, Vasilenko has been on the international wanted list.
The attackers used gasoline bombs that were prepared by some of the detained, while the rest were tracking down the movement of police patrols, according to the statement.

Attacks on police have been carried out in Bahrain since the 2011 Arab Spring-inspired protests, as the countrys population, particularly youth groups, have been standing up against the countrys Sunni rulers.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed kicked off a meeting with parties to the Yemeni conflict on Saturday despite fears of peace talks being suspended due to repeated ceasefire violations, local media reported.

On Friday, the Yemeni governments delegation threatened to exit the ongoing peace talks in Kuwait, blaming Houthi rebels for violating the truce regime. In its turn, the rebels accused Sanaa and a Saudi-led coalition of neglecting the ceasefire.

According to the Sky News Arabia broadcaster, the general meeting of delegations representing the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels started on Saturday as planned.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A "regime of silence," which entered into force earlier on Saturday in Syria, is observed for the most part, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

"From media reports, from what I have seen, I can say that the silence regime is generally holding, but I cant say anything else in more detail," Ryabkov told RIA Novosti.

Russia and the United States brokered the regime of silence that would be implemented in the Damascus suburbs for 24 hours and in the northern Latakia province for 72 hours starting midnight of April 30.
Earlier in the day, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed met with parties to the Yemeni conflict in the framework of the new round of UN-backed talks on Yemens reconciliation, which began on April 21 in Kuwait.

"The power of national unity will have to set up military committees that will monitor the withdrawal of armed groups from the cities and the surrender of heavy weapons," the source explained the proposal of Houthi rebels, Yemens main opposition force.
Some of them have entered the parliament building.

Pro Sadr protesters stormed #Baghdad green zone and #Iraq parliament. pic.twitter.com/mWsk5jkfPC  Lutfi Abu Aun (@lutfiabuaun) 30 April 2016

According to earlier reports of local media, Iraqi parliament, experiencing a split, was unable to vote on candidates for the new government, and rescheduled the hearing for Tuesday.

#Muqtada al-Sadr refuses to answer calls from political leaders to end the protests inside the #Green_Zone.#Baghdad  Mustafa Habib (@Mustafa_Habib33) 30 April 2016

Earlier media reports suggested that Iraqi parliament, experiencing a split, was unable to vote on candidates for the new government, and rescheduled the hearing for Tuesday.
DAMASCUS (Sputnik)  Five militants of the Asayish, the official security organization of Syrian Kurdistan, became victims of a suicide attack on a checkpoint in the north-eastern Syrian city of Qamishli, a Kurdish source told Sputnik on Saturday.

"A suicide bomber with explosives on the body approached the Asayishs checkpoint and blew himself up near the soldiers, killing five people and injuring another five," the source said.

NWAonline  Foes blast away in Syria city  DAMASCUS, Syria  The Syrian army and rebels unleashed deadly new https://t.co/aiuSxdoQr8  Arkansas News (@arkansasnews1) 30  2016 .

No terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack as of now.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The military command of Baghdad announced the state of the full combat readiness after the group of supporters of the Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada Sadr broke into the territory of the parliament building, media reported Saturday.

According to Al Jazeera TV channel, protesters are now inside the parliament building, with some of them smashing furniture.

Baghdad Ops Command announces emergency measures inside the city. IZ SOF have avoided clashing with protestors so far  Sajad Jiyad  (@SajadJiyad) 30 April 2016

Earlier media reports suggested that Iraqi parliament, experiencing a split, was unable to vote on candidates for the new government, and rescheduled the hearing for Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, the military command of Baghdad announced the state of the full combat readiness after the group of supporters of the Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada Sadr broke into the territory of the parliament building and began smashing furniture inside.

"Some members of parliament are in critical condition after the attack of demonstrators," Talal Zaubai said, as quoted by the Al Jazeera broadcaster.
 

         

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For those who have long advocated against the arrangement, the decision is a great relief. For others, the decision raises serious concerns about the future of the asylum seekers and Australias policy in dealing with this issue.

The detention centre has been in operation since 2012 after successive memoranda of understanding between the Australian and PNG governments in 2012 and 2013.

AUSTRALIAS asylum seeker detention and processing centre at Manus Island was ruled to be unconstitutional and illegal by the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court last Tuesday.

This article attempts to address the legal issues dealt with by the Supreme Court and the implications of the judgment for both Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Belden Namah initiated this case in his then capacity as Opposition Leader in 2013. The Supreme Court granted him standing to pursue the case. Although he was later removed as Opposition Leader, the case was allowed to continue as it was already on foot.

The main issue was whether the arrangement to detain the asylum seekers against their will was in accordance with the PNG Constitution. Namah argued that it was unconstitutional under section 42 of the PNG Constitution.

Section 42 is a human rights provision that prohibits a person from being deprived of his or her personal liberty arbitrarily except through established legal means such as when arrested and detained for criminal charges.

The government argued that the arrangement was legal because it falls under an exception provided for in Section 42(1)(ga) of the Constitution.

That provision allows a foreign national to be deprived of his personal liberty under arrangements made by Papua New Guinea with another country or with an international organisation that the (Foreign) Minister responsible for immigration matters, in his absolute discretion, approves.

Ironically, this provision was only inserted into the Constitution in 2013. It appears to have been an attempt to seal the detention centre arrangement between Australia and PNG.

The Supreme Court found that the amendments made to the Constitution to accommodate the arrangement were not within the spirit of the Constitution.

Unlike Australia, PNG has a bill of rights enshrined in its Constitution and the courts have always aspired to guard it against any intrusion. This is evident in the judgement:

Treating those required to remain in the relocation centre as prisoners irrespective of their circumstances or their status save only as asylum seekers, is to offend against their rights and freedoms as guaranteed by various conventions on human rights at international law and under the PNG Constitution.

The Court also found that there were irregularities in how debates on the laws in question were carried out in the PNG Parliament. The Court made similar observations last year when it overturned the constitutional amendments passed by the ONeill-Dion government to extend the vote of no-confidence period.

It appears to be a concern that successive governments have used their numerical strength to passed legislation of national importance without proper debates on the merits of such laws.

The effect of this decision is that the detention centre will be closed. Financially, Australia may withdraw the monetary package associated with the arrangement leaving PNG at some potential loss.

But PNG gains much from this decision as it shows that regional partnership and aid incentives should not undermine the countrys sovereignty. It also shows that the PNG justice system and its human rights regime are resilient.

This is the second time an Australia-PNG arrangement has been ruled unconstitutional. The first was the Enhanced Co-operation Program (ECP) Case in 2005 where the Supreme Court declared the Papua New Guinea and Australia Act 2004 to be unconstitutional for giving immunity to Australian Federal Police officers working in PNG from prosecution under PNG laws. In the ECP case, the Court was also concerned about the conduct of the executive arms of both governments.

These cases have significant implications for the constitutional development of PNG. They demonstrate a dominant executive that may need to be curtailed. While these cases are not binding on Australia, they should raise legitimate questions as to the degree of consciousness in the Australia-PNG bilateral relations.

As an established democracy, the region expects Australia to champion the cause of human rights, rule of law and have absolute respect for the sovereignty of independent states.

The ultimate question now is where the asylum seekers at Manus will be settled if not PNG. The decision may also affect discussions on whether Pacific island states will continue their dialogue with Australia on a regional resettlement agreement.

For now, the Manus Island case is sure to etch its place as part of a contentious period in PNG-Australia relations.

Bal Kama is a PhD Candidate in the ANU College of Law at The Australian National University
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Russian Embassy in Baghdad, where the demonstrations are taking place on Saturday, is operating normally, Embassy's First Secretary Alexander Kozin said.

Earlier in the day, the military command of Baghdad announced the state of the full combat readiness after the group of supporters of the Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada Sadr broke into the territory of the parliament building and began smashing furniture inside. Some Iraqi lawmakers have been severely injured in the attack carried out by protesters.

"The embassy is working normally. We are following the developments that are taking place, including in the area of the parliament [building]. According to local media, protests are peaceful, there are no evidence yet that there are violations of public order," Kozin told RIA Novosti.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The number of settlements in Syria, which joined the ceasefire in the country has risen to 83, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday in a bulletin posted on its website.

"In one day, the ceasefire agreements were signed with the representatives of three settlements (in the province of Homs  one, in Aleppo  two). The number of settlements that have joined the reconciliation process has increased to 83," the bulletin said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Three violations of the ceasefire regime have been recorded in the Syrian city of Aleppo in the past 24 hours, during which a mosque was shelled, killing 15 civilians and injuring 50, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday.

"The silence regime introduced on April 30 in the northern parts of the Latakia province and in Damascuss suburbs of East Ghouta is being observed. In the past 24 hours, 3 violations of the ceasefire regime have been registered in the city of Aleppo," the ministry said in a daily bulletin posted on its website.

The shelling of a mosque in the Bab Faraj district of Aleppo city by the Liwa Fursan al-Haqq militant group has claimed the lives of 15 people and injured some 50 civilians, according to the bulletin.
Earlier in the day, the military announced the state of the full combat readiness after the group of supporters of the Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada Sadr broke into the territory of the parliament building and began smashing furniture inside. Some Iraqi lawmakers have been severely injured in the attack carried out by protesters.

"All entrances to the capital, Baghdad, were closed completely, and only exit was allowed," the Baghdad military command said in a statement as quoted by the IraqiNews.com outlet.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) group shelled on Saturday the vicinity of the Iraqi capital Baghdad with 20 rockets, local media reported.

"ISIS terrorist gangs shelled al-Baghdadi vicinity with 20 rocketsThe shelling didnt result in any casualties among the civilians," Baghdad's Local Council Abdel Jabbar Obeidi told IraqiNews.com outlet on Saturday.

The Daesh is a designated terrorist group that has captured large areas of land in Syria and Iraq, where it proclaimed a caliphate. The terror group is outlawed in Russia, the United States and in several other countries.
On Friday, France secured a $40 billion submarine production deal with the Australian government in a surprise development that leaves the Japanese government on the outside looking in.

The Japanese originally had the inside track on the submarine deal, one of the worlds most lucrative defense contracts, and Tokyo has been left scrambling after false hopes were raised of redeveloping the countrys military-industrial complex.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Russia and the United States brokered a "regime of silence" earlier that will be implemented in the Damascus suburbs for 24 hours and in the northern Latakia province for 72 hours at midnight on April 30.

"There's no change to the Department of Defense's overall mission: to train, advise and assist local forces in the fight against ISIL [Daesh]," Rankine-Galloway stated on Friday.

Rankine-Galloway also noted that the regime of silence in Syria "will not impact our counter-Daesh operations, as it is occurring outside of areas plagued by Daesh."
"The US aircraft was operating in international airspace and at no time crossed into Russian territory. This unsafe and unprofessional air intercept has the potential to cause serious harm and injury to all aircrews involved," Lt. Col. David Westover of the US Air Force said.

Westover said that the US aircraft was "flying a routine route in international airspace over the Baltic Sea [when it] was intercepted by a Russian SU-27."
"In reality, this decision was another step toward securing American dominance in the world. It was clear that after 9/11, the world saw a new era of the geopolitical repartition of territories, with the US having an excellent opportunity to establish its military bases across Asia. Over time, rumors began to emerge in the world's media that Russia too was ready to regain access to some of its lost bases, and to get new ones."

"Specifically, it was reported that during a visit of the Russian delegation to Cuba, during which it was announced that Moscow would cancel the country's $32 billion debt, an agreement had also been reached on Russia's right to use the signals intelligence center in Lourdes. However, the next day, Vladimir Putin refuted the reports, saying that Russia has the ability 'to solve the tasks faced in the area of defense without this component'."

"It was also later written that Argentina had agreed to host Russian military bases. The information appeared at the moment when the whole world was fixated on the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. The Russian foreign ministry called the information nothing more than 'provocative hearsay'."

"But as far as the former base at Cam Ranh (Vietnam) is concerned, some progress really has occurred." In 2001, Russia decided not to renew the lease on the base, and to abandon it ahead of schedule, with the last Russian soldier leaving in May 2002. "But in November 2013, in the course of Russian-Vietnamese talks, both sides signed an agreement to establish a joint framework for the maintenance and repair of submarines at the base."

Apart from that, "until recently, the only Russian military base abroad, [outside the former USSR] was the 720th Material-Technical Support Point in Tartus, Syria, established back in 1971."

Russian Strategy on Bases Abroad

Ultimately, Zvezda notes, the question remains: "does Russia need military bases abroad or not?"

"Before answering this question, one should refer to Russia's military doctrine, which is based on the assessment of military threats and the political interests of the Russian state. If this document had implied that Russia has claims to world domination, or needs some oil-producing areas abroad, in the Middle East perhaps, then maybe we would need these bases in such oil-bearing regions, and perhaps throughout the world."
Australia has also boasted it spent additional $16 million in aid money on Manus Island  on top of the cost of building the detention centre  after PNG signed up to the so-called 'Pacific solution'.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has conceded the future of this additional aid to PNG must now be re-negotiated.

The inducements Australia offered in 2013 included an expansive new hospital, the deployment of 50 Australian police to bolster the local force, roadworks, and upgrades to the PNG university and law courts buildings.

AUSTRALIA pledged an extra $450 million in sweeteners to Papua New Guinea to settle refugees  but most of the money is yet to be spent and could evaporate with the closure of the Manus Island detention centre.

PNG prime minister Peter O'Neill had said in 2012, when first agreeing to host the Manus Island centre, the decision was not a question of finances.

"This is a regional issue; we're not interested in making money out of it," he said at the time.

But PNG politicians are now blaming Australia for failing to live up to its end of the Manus Island bargain, with most of the proposed building projects stemming from the refugee deal only in the planning stage and far from completed.

In one case, Australia had agreed to $8.5 million in "design work" for the Madang - Ramu highway on the PNG east coast, but the local transport minister this month said Australia had failed to lay asphalt on the rugged 195 kilometre highway, which is crumbling under land slips.

The deployment of 50 Australian federal police had an initial four-year budget of $132 million but nominally has two years to run.

"Most funding under the [Manus Island] agreement has not been spent," said Australian National University aid expert Stephen Howes.

"The PNG government will still claim that funding. They delivered three years of the detention centre, not expecting the asylum seekers to remain so long."

The project under most immediate threat appears to be the $400 million refurbishment of an asbestos and termite-ridden hospital in the country's second largest city of Lae.

Australia had agreed to pay $207 million towards half the cost for a new hospital, but Fairfax Media this month revealed a budget collapse in PNG stopped the local authorities matching the commitment.

An expensive masterplan, delivered only last year at unknown cost, is now being redrafted. Australia already spent $17.5 million on urgent repairs in 2013 after the hospital was declared to be in a "state of emergency", and another $10 million or so has been spent on site works.

But the $150 million pledged for construction is yet to be put out to tender.

Mr O'Neill made a point on Wednesday when announcing he would shut down the detention centre on Manus Island of welcoming any refugees to settle in the country, a commitment likely to be used to show PNG has lived up to its side of the deal with Australia.

Professor Howes said the decision of the PNG supreme court to rule the Manus Island detention centre unconstitutional made it unlikely Mr O'Neill could be persuaded with extra aid promises from Australia to keep the centre open.

"This is an unpopular deal in PNG," Professor Howes said. "I don't think aid is that important for him to use up political capital to go against the court."

The deal with PNG was known as a "joint understanding" with Australia. A spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the government was still working through the implications of the supreme court decision and Mr O'Neill's statement.

"The Australian and PNG governments will work together to determine the future of the regional processing centre on Manus Island and a decision on the [joint understanding] will be made at the conclusion of that process," the spokeswoman said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russian Navys Baltic Fleet will demonstrate modern warships combat capabilities in the waters of the town of Kronstadt near St.Petersburg as part of the 2nd International Military-Technical Forum Army-2016, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a press release on Saturday.

According to the press release, amphibious boat Serna will transfer the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun Shilka across water obstacles under the cover of Raptor patrol boats fire. An airborne assault group of the special forces will reportedly land on the Petrovsky Park pier to fight simulated underwater sabotage forces. At the same time, a small anti-submarine ship will conduct an artillery battle with a simulated enemy vessel.

Viewers will see scenes of liberation of a ship seized by pirates, an episode of emergency assistance to a ship, and sweeping of naval mines, the press release said.
During a visit to the southeastern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhya earlier this month, President Poroshenko said that he was confident that "by using the potential of our defense enterprises and the capabilities of our construction and production facilities, in the near future we will be able to create a new, domestic modern engine for Ukrainian fighter aircraft."

At the same time, speaking at the Zaporozhye-based Ivchenko-Progress Machine-Building Design Bureau, the president said that Ukraine is one of only a handful countries in the world that is capable of creating entirely domestically-produced aircraft. "Only five countries in the world have the opportunity to create an aircraft based fully on their own production. Ukraine is among the five most developed and high-tech countries [in this regard]," Poroshenko noted.

According to Ukrainian media, Ivchenko-Progress has presented the president with a project on the construction of a 'totally new' two-person multirole fighter jet, classified the 'LBL', deciphered into English as the 'Light Fighter Aircraft'.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The French National Assembly voted on Thursday to back a resolution that called on the government to scrap economic restriction that were imposed on Russia at the height of the Ukraine crisis in summer 2014. The vote was not legally binding.

"If we agree on a joint strategy on how to defeat Islamic State [Daesh, outlawed in Russia] and settle the Syrian crisis politically, well have to remove sanctions because you cannot have sanctions in place against allies," Fillon, a member of the French lower house of parliament, said at debates in Lausanne.

In January, Frances Economy, Finance and Industry Minister Emmanuel Macron said Paris hoped that anti-Russia sanctions would be lifted this summer.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are expected to discuss prospects of cooperation in trade-economic and humanitarian spheres at a meeting in Sochi on May 6, the Kremlins press service said in a statement on Saturday.

"At the upcoming talks, [the two leaders] are expected to discuss the state and prospects of bilateral cooperation in trade-economic and humanitarian spheres," the statement said.

According to the press service, Putin and Abe are also expected to hold an in-depth exchange of views on topical international issues.
At the same time, "only last week, in an interview with The New York Times, US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with concern about Russian heavy artillery being moved up to the areas of the fighting in Aleppo. Of course, he also pointed out that al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front, which is excluded from the truce, is involved in the region. However, there are also opposition groups present which had agreed to the ceasefire."

"It is doubtful," Smirnova notes, citing Kerry, "that the Syrian army can accurately distinguish one group from another. In any case, the taking of Aleppo would be an important victory for the regime."

Earlier this week, Russia asked the United Nations to add jihadi groups Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar ash-Sham to the list of officially recognized terrorist groups operating in Syria. Opposition figures have warned that such a move against the groups, both of which have representatives in the opposition's High Negotiations Committee, could result in the collapse of the Geneva peace talks.

"Over a month ago," Smirnova continues, "Russia announced the partial withdrawal of its forces from Syria. The operation was declared to be at an end; Russian pilots were welcomed home as heroes on state television. However, Russian Su-24 and Su-25 aircraft remain in Syria and continue, although less frequently, to perform combat missions. In addition, Moscow has sent new attack helicopters to Syria. Artillery and special forces have also remained in the country, and have actively participated in the liberation of Palmyra from Islamic State, alongside Russian fighters from private security companies."
The diplomat's words come on the heels of a decision by European foreign ministers last month to extend anti-Russian sanctions, ostensibly over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which Western governments have blamed on Moscow.

Mogherini explained the apparent discrepancy in policy away by noting that European officials had agreed on a policy of "selective engagement" with Russia in areas where there was a "clear European interest," the Artic being one of those areas.

"The Arctic clearly poses not only huge potential but also some critical challenges that we need to discuss together and also to which we need to find common answers," she said.
"We hope that this campaign will not be implemented and supported on the ground and by the Polish population. Because it will be the moment of truth, test for the strength of relations between states, but especially between nations. Our Polish partners have to understand that this issue is very sensitive to us and if something like this happens, it will not pass without consequences," Sergey Andreev told journalists.

Relations between Moscow and Warsaw have been strained by repeated cases of the demolition and dismantling of Soviet monuments in the country as well as alleged attempts by some Polish officials to distort history and belittle the contribution Soviet soldiers made to the victory over Nazism in World War II.
"It should be noted that we have no automatic bond in this matter: if one of the two countries decides to join the alliance, the latter must immediately do the same. On the contrary, the process now looks very difficult. And each country, of course, is responsible for their decision-making process on NATO," Niinisto told Yle media outlet.

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 Ukraine as a pretext for the move.
According to Liu Jieyi, "anything, anything, any proposal, no matter where the proposal comes from, so long it is conducive to a negotiated solution that will contribute to denuclearization and to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula should be studied very carefully."

According to Jieyi, sanctions and military exercises won't reduce tensions with North Korea. It would take a wider, "multidimensional" approach, if the parties are to resolve the issue.
"Deadly airstrikes on a hospital and a clinic in Aleppo show a disregard for civilian life and may amount to war crimes Deliberate or reckless attacks against civilians and civilian structures committed with criminal intent are war crimes," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement Saturday.

The organization called on the UN Security Council to investigate the incident.
SKANEATELES  Ayuna Dorzhieva and Alexander Sattar were a long way from home Saturday when they attended a poetry reading at the Skaneateles Library.

The Russian natives were invited to the reading as part of Central New York's chapter of the Fulbright Program, an international educational exchange program. Both Dorzhieva and Sattar made the trip from Syracuse University where they are studying public relations and philosophy as Fulbright scholars.

"The event sounded like fun," Sattar said. "I came to listen to some poetry works and then see Skaneateles itself."

Several Fulbright scholars, alumni and local college professors gathered at the library Saturday afternoon where professional poets Jack Hopper, Michael Jennings, Suzanne Shane and Mark Montgomery shared much more than poetry.

"These are real memories that will keep you warm for life," Tompkins County poet laureate Hopper said.

Some closed their eyes while others stared at the floor or ceiling as the participants recited poems from different places. Memories from a creek in Pennsylvania to a prison in California to the old mountains of the Middle East.

"I moved with my family to an oil community in Iran when I was 10," Jennings said. "When I came back to the U.S., I missed those mountains in Iran and I realized I was homesick for a place that was never really mine."

"But we make homes wherever we go," CNY Fulbright's president Elane Granger replied.

Janie Darovskikh, the event coordinator at CNY Fulbright, organized the reading as a way for people to share their experiences from different backgrounds.

"Poetry is another art form and way to exchange," she said. "It's a nice ice breaker and way to compare cultures."

And according to Granger, that's what brought the Fulbright Program to Skaneateles.

"Senator Fulbright felt that war happens because people don't communicate with each other," she said. "We're here to expose the community to international students from around the world. This poetry reading is a chance to share our feelings and get to know one another."
The Russian Defense Ministry responded to the Pentagon claims that a Russian aircraft allegedly performed an "unsafe" interception of a US jet over the Baltic region, saying that all Russian aircraft frights are carried out under international rules.

"All flights of Russian aircraft are held in accordance with international regulations on the use of airspace," ministry's spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told reporters.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon accused a Russian Su-27 of flying too close to another US spy plane operating in the Baltic, again a stone's throw away from Russia's borders. The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged the incident, but denied that unsafe maneuvers were performed.
Russian and foreign audiences will get their first chance to see Su-35S 4++ generation fighter jets at the May 9 Victory Day Parade on Moscow's Red Square , where collimator sights for use with the Russian Armed Forces' Ratnik personal combat uniform will also be unveiled, according to media reports.The upcoming military march is dedicated to the 71th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two.

A collimator sight is designed to reduce the time required to aim at a target and to increase accuracy. It is a type of optical sight which allows the soldier looking into it to see an illuminated aiming point, aligned with the device the sight is attached to, regardless of eye position.

The Ratnik infantry combat uniform is comprised of more than 40 components, including firearms, body armor, and optical communication and navigation devices, as well as life support and power supply systems.
Severodvinsk, the newest nuclear submarine of the Russias Northern Fleet, executed a flawless precision strike against a dummy target during a routine military exercise off the coast of Arkhangelsk Region. The attack was carried out using Kalibr (NATO codename: Sizzler) ship-based cruise missiles during a routine military exercise off the coast of Arkhangelsk Region.

This particular type of cruise missiles made somewhat of a sensation last October when the ships of Russias Caspian Flotilla successfully used them against Daesh targets located over 900 miles away in Syria.
On May 1, at Haymarket [Chicago, Illinois], in 1886, there was a large demonstration that sort of signaled the emergence of the American labor movement, Prashad explained. When this took place in the US, working class organizations started to say we need one day a year we can come out and say [that] we exist.

Authorities responded to the rallies with arrests of protesters and violent military repression, Prashad said, describing the reaction by the authorities as a major crackdown on American working movement.

Since then, the movement, as well as the holiday, has been suppressed either tacitly or overtly within the United States, he asserted.

During the McCarthy era, for instance, a different day was chosen to celebrate Labor Day in the US, because of associations between the Workers movement and the Socialist movement.

There were also troubles within the working class itself. Soon after its emergence, the movement began splitting into smaller groups. But the major blow to working class unity happened, in the view of Prashad, when white workers, expressing endemic regional racism, distanced themselves from black workers.

This was a big error, because the moment you divide the working class you weaken it. You cannot strengthen the power and dignity of the entire working class unless you tackle all the issues that erode that dignity, whether its sexism, misogyny or racism.
"The real number that is important for us to look at is not the unemployment rate, but the employment to population ratio over time," Puryear explained. "What percentage of the population that is of working age is working, based on a how many people are born today' rate. If I'm born today, is the economy keeping up to make sure I have a job when I can work?"

Positive news consistently touts the US economy regularly adding more jobs. But Puryear's calculations are not so optimistic. According to him, in order to have 100% employment for black males over 20, the economy would have to add 800,000 jobs in that demographic alone. Meanwhile, in August 2015 (when the figures were made), the economy as a whole added about 250,000 jobs.

"The economy is not actually producing enough jobs to keep up with the growth of the population over time," he said.

The Fed's adoption of the quantitative easing policy' also hasn't done much good, Puryear asserts. Policies that have pumped trillions of dollars printed by the national treasury into the biggest banks have only created a massive stock market bubble for those banks that were mandated with investing the money; those banks have chosen instead to hold on to the cash, deeming it more profitable.

"It's the illogical reality of capitalism, that you don't invest and you don't do things to meet any need of any human being. You do it only to make a certain amount of profit," Puryear said.

"And that's exactly why things like quantitative easing don't work. Because they assume some sort of altruistic motive on the part of the bankers."

He also noted that, under the Obama administration, there have been no criminal referrals for the bankers who sunk the economy in the first place. One of the obvious reasons is the acute concentration of wealth and power, where a vast majority of industries are controlled by a handful of corporations, and "if you start to take them out, the whole economy can collapse."

"Capitalism has set up a system where its unbelievably destructive behavior cannot be cured without calling the system into question," he said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Tuesday, Trump won five primary elections in the US states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Rhode Island, winning more than half of the Republican vote in each one.

We are now at 1001 delegates. We will win on the first ballot and are not wasting time and effort on other ballots because system is rigged!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 29 April 2016

Trump needs 1,237 delegates to guarantee his nomination at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio in July.

The 2016 US presidential election will take place in November.
Gary Tyler left Louisianas notorious Angola prison on Friday after spending 41 years there including eight in solitary confinement. His high-profile case ended when the St. Charles Parish district attorney's office vacated his conviction, and Tyler agreed to enter a plea deal to manslaughter receiving the maximum 21-year sentence.

Since he already served more than half that sentence, he was released.

Tylers time in Angola began when he was a teenager at a high school adjusting to racial integration.
"I shot through the hamper he was carrying," Gaither said. "It was a full metal jacket bullet. It went straight through the back of his leg. He started crying like a little baby."

Police have not resealed the identity of the intruder. They say he was taken to a local hospital. His condition is unknown.

Gaithers mom says the same man has robbed their home before.

"I hope you learn your lesson coming to this house, trying to steal stuff," young Gaither said referring to the robber.

As for his marksmanship, Gaither has his step dad to thank.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the USA Today newspaper, the incident took place in the early hours of Saturday in Texas. The bodies of the victims, four children and their grandmother, were found on the street.

'WITHIN MINUTES, THE WATER WAS WAIST DEEP': Grandma and four grandkids killed in Texas flood https://t.co/10riziy1nS pic.twitter.com/nYh4F5s6f1  New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) April 30, 2016

"The water was up to the roofline of the homes and thats what prevented the people from being able to get away. The water just came up too fast," Palestine Police Captain James Muniz said, as quoted to the media outlet.

Up to 10 homes were damaged in the flood, according to Muniz.
YEREVAN (Sputnik)  Defense Ministry of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on Saturday said that two of its army servicemen were killed in shelling from the Azerbaijani side the night before.

"As a result of shelling by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, late on April 29, Karabakh Defense Army servicemen Garik Movsisyan, born in 1997, and Vazgen Harutyunyan, born in 1968, were deadly wounded," the ministrys press service said in a statement.
After a three-hour chase through west Flagstaff Friday afternoon, wildlife officials caught and tranquilized an Arizona black bear in the Boulder Pointe neighborhood.

The bear, calculated to be 3 years old, was euthanized later that afternoon in accordance with Arizona Game and Fish Department policy, said Larry Phoenix, regional field supervisor with the department.

The policy, which requires the department to put down any adult male bear it has caught in a populated area, dates back two decades, Phoenix said. The policy was created after a 1996 incident near Tucson in which an adult male bear that was caught and released by Game and Fish returned to a campground and seriously mauled a teenage girl, he said.

The policy reflects that bears in that situation pose a risk of returning to the same area or to some other developed area and harming humans, said Shelly Shepherd, department spokeswoman.

We cant take a chance on that bear finding its way back to where people are, she said.

Male bears are more of a concern than females because they tend to be more aggressive and must search for territory away from other male adults, potentially pushing them into places where humans live, she said.

CHASE THROUGH FLAGSTAFF

Wildlife officials first started getting calls around 9:45 a.m. from people who reported seeing the bear around Flagstaff Ranch Road, said Erin Brown, a wildlife manager with Game and Fish.

The bear likely had been kicked out of its den and was looking for new territory, Brown said.

He doesn't know where he's going, I think he accidentally ended up here and once he got in here with all the houses and all the fences, he didn't have a way to get out and to escape, she said.

The team that chased the bear included personnel with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Flagstaff Police Department and the Coconino Humane Association.

There were several times when the team thought it had the bear cornered, then the animal would jump over one fence, and then another, Brown said.

Hes very fast and made it quite a ways, she said.

Spring is the time of year when bear activity starts to pick up, so Brown advised people to be extra careful with trash or other materials that could attract the animals.

We want to make sure people keep trash contained and covered. Dog food and cat food needs to stay inside, she said. We want to eliminate anything that could draw a bear into the area.

The bear did not appear to pose a threat to humans as it was being chased by wildlife officials and it appeared that it had not been handled by Game and Fish previously, Phoenix said. The last time a bear was euthanized in Flagstaff was five years ago, he said. The majority of bears the department deals with locally are females with cubs and yearlings that are caught and then released in locations far from town, Phoenix said.

The department did not try to call other animal rescue locations that could potentially accept the bear instead of euthanizing it because Game and Fish has never been able to give away an adult male bear, Phoenix said.

"We don't even call anymore," he said.

Jocelyn Monteverde, a spokesperson with Bearizona Wildlife Park near Williams, said the park would not have been able to take the bear in at this time.
The hypersonic tests by China and Russia are aimed at causing a threat to the US, which plans to set up a missile defense system in South Korea, the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper writes, quoting Professor He Qisong, a defense policy specialist at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.

His comment refers to the recent successful tests by the two countries of their offset Hypersonic Gliders.

The view is echoed by Beijing-based military expert Li Jie, who said that China was trying to use the recent DF-ZF test to warn the US that the PLA (Chinese Peoples Liberation Army) had another powerful weapon capable of countering the THAAD system.
KRASNOYARSK (Sputnik)  A US surveillance aircraft, which carried out a flight over Russia under the Open Skies agreement, has taken off from the Russian city of Ulan-Ude for US state of Alaska, a representative of the Baikal International Airport said Saturday.

"Today at 09:30 [local time, 06:30 GMT], [the aircraft] flew off to Anchorage," the representative told RIA Novosti.

The US OC-135B aircraft conducted the unarmed surveillance flight with Russian experts on board earlier this week.
Outages at oil production facilities in Africa and South America amid political instability have lessened the impact of the current oil supply glut, analysts told Bloomberg

Talks between 17 OPEC and non-OPEC petroleum producers aimed at agreeing upon a production freeze collapsed on April 17 after Saudi Arabia reportedly demanded that producers who were absent from the meeting, such as Iran, participate in the deal.

Despite the meeting's failure, the current daily 1.5 million barrel crude oil surplus is being curbed by outages in oil-producing countries such as Nigeria, Colombia, Libya and Iraq.
Earlier in the day, US media reported that NATO member states were preparing to deploy about 4,000 troops  four battalions  in the Baltic states and Poland as part of the Alliances strategy of military buildup on the Russian border.

"Now it becomes completely clear why the United States needed a hype around the interception of a US spy plane over the Baltic Sea and the incident with the Donald Cook destroyer. This was information preparing for the additional placement of four battalions of NATO in the Baltic region," Franz Klintsevich, the first deputy chair of the upper-house Committee on Security and Defense, told RIA Novosti.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  About 974 Daesh (IS) militants have been destroyed by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) since September 2014, the UK Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"The UK takes all steps necessary to minimise civilian causalitiesOur records show that there were no of civilian casualties for the period in question," the statement added.
HARARE (Sputnik)  Moscow and Harare condemn sanctions imposed on the two countries by Western states and urge to lift them, Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said Saturday.

On Friday, Manturov visited the Zimbabwean city of Bulawayo to attend the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, where Russia is presenting a number of products and services.

"We stand for the complete abolition of the unjust sanctions," Manturov said after the meeting of the intergovernmental Russian-Zimbabwean commission, co-chaired by the Russian official and Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Members of the US Congress Eliot Engel and Adam Kinzinger have introduced a bill offering to strictly bind the authority of the US president in lifting the sanctions against Russia to the Crimea status, a press-release by the US Congress said.

The legislation, dubbed the Stability and Democracy (STAND) for Ukraine Act, was announced on April 29.
Katie Said was barely heard in the early going, but spoke loud and clear through the stretch Friday night, powering past her foes for a second straight week in the $25,000 Open Handicap Pace for fillies and mares at The Meadowlands.

The Jimmy Takter trainee was in no hurry for the first half-mile, sitting last in the field of seven off quick fractions of :26.4 and :54.2. Katie Said, the 3-2 co-favourite, was in a live third-over flow as Divine Caroline, also 3-2, had the front as three-quarters was clocked in 1:22.2.

Driver Brett Miller tipped Katie Said off cover as the field straightened up with three-sixteenths to go, and other than a little rocking in the sulky, Miller did very little as the five-year-old daughter of Well Said exploded home in :26.4 to win by a half-length. A pair of longshots, Lovineveryminute and Empress Deo, rallied for second and third, respectively.

The winner returned $5 to her backers in taking her second victory of the year in as many starts for owners Black Horse Racing of Lebanon, New Jersey. The time for the mile was a lifetime-best equalling 1:49.4.

The 12th race 20-cent Jackpot Super High Five did not get hit again, upping the carryover for the next program to $199,678.47.

Total wagering on the card was $2,679,045.

Racing resumes at the Big M Saturday. Post time for the first race is 7:15 p.m.

Next week, the Meadowlands will alter its schedule. The track will go dark for live racing Friday and then race Saturday (May 7) at the usual 7:15 p.m. before a special Mothers Day program on Sunday, May 8, which has a special early post time of 12:40 p.m.

(Meadowlands Racetrack)
The Cowlitz County commissioners funding of the Love Overwhelming homeless shelter is a key issue in yet another political race.

On Friday, Kelso City Councilman Jim Hill announced that hes challenging incumbent Mike Karnofski in Commissioner District 1, which includes Kelso east of the Cowlitz River and the southern part of the county.

Hill, 67, said the commissions funding of Love Overwhelming has been a waste of money and duplication of efforts that has to stop.

On Wednesday, Frank Morrison, the director of the Community House on Broadway shelter, announced that he is challenging incumbent commissioner Dennis Weber in District 2, which includes West Kelso and most of Longview.

Morrison has differed with the commission over funding for homelessness in the past.

Hill said that though he admires Morrison and supports his candidacy, the two men arent running as a team.

Morrison is a Republican. Hill said he doesnt belong to a political party.

Theyve all failed us, just like our elected officials, he said. People are angry. Im one of the really angry folks out there.

Curtis Hart, who also has criticized Love Overwhelming, has said he will also run against Karnofski.

Hill said the commissioners wasted money when they approved what he said was $170,000 to write a plan for alleviating homelessness. It could have been done much more cheaply by copying another communitys plan, he said.

Karnofski said the county actually paid $135,000 for the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments to write and manage the countys plan to combat homelessness. You have to do your own plan for your own area, Karnofski said.

Hill said that rather than fund Love Overwhelmings operations, the county could have asked Community House on Broadway to modify its programs and put the money there instead. Love Overwhelming operates under the countys housing first model, under which sobriety is not required as a condition for getting help. Community House requires sobriety of its residents.

Karnofski said the county met with Community House on Broadway but it wasnt interested in becoming the coordinated entry agency for local homeless services. Karnofski said that nationally, the housing first model has been proven to be effective.

Hill said other local social service agencies such as the Community Action Program could have provided services rather than creating Love Overwhelming from scratch.

Because of Love Overwhelming, weve become a mecca for the homeless, Hill said.

As a commissioner, Hill said, he would support a slow transition away from funding Love Overwhelming.

In any case, the county needs to address the root causes of homelessness, such as mental illness, substance abuse and the lack of jobs, Hill said. Giving homeless people shelter for a few weeks is only a Band-Aid, he said.

Hill would like the county to create a new employer recruitment position and wants the county to work more closely with the ports of Kalama and Longview to create jobs. All three of his sons have had to leave the community to find work.

Karnofski said it makes more sense for the Cowlitz Economic Development Council, of which he is a board of directors chairman, to focus on job creation rather than create a new position at the county. He said hes personally traveled and lobbied to bring in new employers.

Hill, who was elected to the Kelso City Council last year, said hed have to resign from it if elected to the commission. Hed also retire from his job as manager of specialty products at Munnell & Sherrill, an industrial distributor.
hidden

Taking a break from the tradition where Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin shared the company's progress and vision every year, this time it was Indian-origin CEO Sundar Pichai who updated the world with some of Google's achievements and key highlights.

In a letter posted on official Google blog on Friday, Pichai reiterated Google's aim "to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful".

Touching upon artificial intelligence (AI), powerful computing platforms and cloud, he stressed that mobile phone has become the remote control for daily lives and people are communicating, consuming, educating and entertaining themselves on smartphones "in ways unimaginable just a few years ago".

"Search - the very core of this company. It's easy to take Search for granted after so many years, but it's amazing to think just how far it has come and still has to go. I still remember the days when 10 bare blue links on a desktop page helped you navigate to different parts of the Internet. Contrast that to today, where the majority of our searches come from mobile, and an increasing number of them via voice. These queries get harder and harder with each passing year-people want more local, more context-specific information, and they want it at their fingertips. So we've made it possible for you to search for [Leonardo DiCaprio movies] or [Zika virus] and get a rich panel of facts and visuals. You can also get answers via Google Now-like the weather in your upcoming vacation spot, or when you should leave for the airport-without you even needing to ask the question," he posted.

He also wrote about the launch of Google Photos to make it easier for people to organise their photos and videos, keep them safe and be able to find them when they want to, on whatever device they are using.

Pichai said all this was possible due to the machine learning and artificial intelligence.

"It is what allows you to use your voice to search for information, to translate the web from one language to another, to filter the spam from your inbox, to search for 'hugs' in your photos and actually pull up pictures of people hugging," he noted.

"... to solve many of the problems we encounter in daily life. It is what has allowed us to build products that get better over time, making them increasingly useful and helpful," he added.

Pichai said Google has been building the best AI team and tools for years and pointed out the recent win that DeepMind's AlphaGo registered against legendary Go - a complex Chinese board game that is considered the "quintessential unsolved problem" for machine intelligence - player Lee Sedol.

On the motive of "More great content, in more places", Pichai wrote that the company's core mission has improved discovery, creation, and monetisation of content from indexing images, video, and the news, to building platforms like Google Play and YouTube.

The migration to mobile has pushed the company to work hard to deliver great content from creators and developers to users.

"Google Play reaches more than 1 billion Android users. And YouTube is the number-one destination for video - over 1 billion users per month visit the site and ranks among the year's most downloaded mobile apps," Pichai pointed out.

Google has worked closely with publishers, developers and others in the ecosystem to help make the mobile web a smoother and faster experience for users by introducing Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project to create mobile-optimised content that loads instantly everywhere.

While talking about powerful computing platforms, Pichai said, the reduction in size and cost of processors and sensors allowed the proliferation of smartphones and now Android has more than 1.4 billion 30-day-active devices.

Today's proliferation of "screens" goes well beyond phones, desktops, and tablets. Already, there are exciting developments as screens extend to your car, like Android Auto, or your wrist, like Android Wear.

"Virtual reality is also showing incredible promise - Google Cardboard has introduced more than five million people to the incredible, immersive and educational possibilities of VR," he added.

Talking about cloud computing, Pichai said the cloud is more secure, cost effective and provides the ability to easily take advantage of the latest technology advances - be it more automated operations, machine learning or more intelligent office productivity tools.

"We have a broad and growing set of enterprise offerings: Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Google Apps, Chromebooks, Android, image recognition, speech translation, maps, machine learning for customers' proprietary data sets and more," he noted.

"Technology is a democratising force, empowering people through information. Google is an information company," he concluded.

IANS
`bKash` agent shot, robbed of Tk 2.20 lakh in city

Muggers looted Tk 2.20 lakh after shooting a bKash agent in the citys Gulshan area on Saturday. Quoting Nazrul Islam, nephew of the victim, police said four muggers riding two motorcycles intercepted Billal Hossain, 45, son of Shaheb Ali, near Road no 114 of Gulshan-2 and snatched away a bag containing Tk2.20 lakh from him while he was going to his workplace on foot around 9am. Resisted, the muggers opened fire on Billal and fled the scene with the bag. Later, he was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said Nayek Rafiqul Islam of the DMCH police camp. -- Dhaka, Apr 30 (UNB)
Japan ties should be based on coop, not confrontation : China

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (L) shaking hands with China\'s Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a meeting at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, in Beijing, China, on Saturday.

Reuters, Beijing :China's relations with Japan should be based on cooperation not confrontation, China's foreign minister told his Japanese counterpart on Saturday, adding that China would judge Japan's desire to improve ties depending on its actions.China, the world's second-largest economy, and Japan, the third-largest, have a difficult political history, with ties strained by the legacy of Japan's World War Two aggression and conflicting claims over a group of uninhabited East China Sea islets.Ties have been thawing recently, with meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but Beijing remains deeply suspicious of Japan, particularly of moves by Abe to allow the military to fight overseas for the first time since the war. Meeting in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida that ties had fallen to a low ebb, something Japan should be clear of the reasons for."We have recently seen the Japanese side repeatedly expressing its hope of improving the bilateral relationship. You have also shown your willingness to take the first step. If you come with sincerity, we welcome you," Wang said."As the Chinese saying goes, we should make a judgment based on not only what people say but also what they do. I am ready to listen to your opinion about how to improve China-Japan relations, and I am also going to see whether the Japanese side will match its words with deeds," he added."Facing up to history, abiding by promises and cooperation rather than confrontation should be the basis of China-Japan relations."Kishida, in comments in front of reporters, thanked Wang for expressions of condolence from China for recent earthquakes in Japan.China's Foreign Ministry said Wang made suggestions for how to improve relations.Japan "should have a more positive and healthy attitude toward the growth of China, and stop spreading or echoing all kinds of 'China threat' or 'China economic recession' theories", the ministry said in a statement."In terms of regional and international affairs, the two sides should respect each other's legitimate interests and concerns, and have essential communication and coordination in a timely fashion," it added."The Japanese side should cast aside the confrontation mentality and work with China to maintain peace, stability and prosperity of the region."
Hit-and-run

Northern Arizona University police arrested a student for a hit-and-run on campus this week.

According to the NAUPD report, officers responded to Sechrist Hall at about 10:30 p.m. Monday after learning a resident had been struck by a car in the adjacent parking lot. The victim and a friend were walking through the lot near the south exit of NAUs San Francisco Parking Garage when a silver Mitsubishi passenger car sped out of the garage.

The car slammed into the victim, throwing him into the air. He rolled off the hood and fell to the ground. Security footage from the parking garage showed the vehicle drove away without attempting to stop. The victim had a visible injury on his hand and complained of pain on other parts of his body but declined medical attention.

One of the bystanders who rushed over to see if the victim was OK knew the drivers name. It matched the name of the vehicle's registered owner, which officers were able to determine using the license plate number captured on the surveillance video. They stopped the suspect later that night when he entered Sechrist Hall.

The suspect initially denied he had driven his vehicle and claimed a friend who he could not identify was using it. When police questioned his story, the suspect admitted he was not looking forward when he struck the victim with his car. He also said he did not know what to do, so he drove to a friends house, where he smoked marijuana to calm his nerves.

Keaton Haluza, 18, was arrested by NAUPD and charged with a hit and run with injury. He was booked into the Coconino County Detention Facility.

Charged with DUI

 Seth Copley, 24, of East Sterling Lane was arrested by Flagstaff Police Department and charged with extreme DUI at 12:28 a.m. Wednesday.

City and county residents who want to report a crime but wish to remain anonymous may call Silent Witness at 774-6111 or (877) 29-CRIME, submit a tip online at www.coconinosilentwitness.org, or text the word Flagtip along with your information to 274637 (CRIMES). Rewards of up to $2,000 are given for information that leads to an arrest.
Clashes outside German right-wing AfD party congress, 400 arrested

Protesters try to block access to the party congress of right-wing populist party \"Alternative Fuer Deutschland\" (Alternative for Germany) in Stuttgart on Saturday.

AFP, Stuttgart (Germany) :

German riot police on Saturday arrested around 400 protesters trying to block access to the congress of the right-wing populist AfD political party, as clashes broke out between party members and left-wing activists.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is meeting in the western city of Stuttgart, where it is expected to adopt an anti-Islamic manifesto, emboldened by the rise of European anti-migrant groups like Austria's Freedom Party. The AfD congress comes a week after the far-right Freedom Party's Norbert Hofer sent shock waves through Austria's political establishment by winning the first round of a presidential ballot.

Heavily-armoured riot police used pepper spray to hold off protesters, many dressed in black and masking their faces, as officers escorted AfD members into the congress hall.

Clashes erupted between left-wing activists and AfD delegates, while demonstrators burned tyres and threw firecrackers at journalists and police -- who numbered over 1,000.

"No rights for Nazi propaganda," cried one group of demonstrators.

Now polling around 14 percent, AfD is eyeing entry into the federal parliament in elections next year after a string of state election wins.

The AfD was formed only three years ago and has since gradually shifted its policies to the right, while entering half of Germany's 16 state legislatures and the European parliament.

Having initially railed against bailouts for debt-hit eurozone economies, it has changed focus to protest against mostly-Muslim migrants and refugees, more than a million of whom sought asylum in Germany last year.

The AfD has loudly protested against Chancellor Angela Merkel's liberal migration policy but also channelled popular anger against established political parties and the mainstream press.

Around 2,400 members are expected at the weekend congress, which comes after AfD deputy leader and European parliament member Beatrix von Storch last week caused anger by labelling Islam a "political ideology that is incompatible with the German constitution".

Von Storch said the congress would call for a ban on Islamic symbols in Germany such as minarets on mosques, the call to prayer and full-face veils for women.

It will openly challenge the government position, repeatedly stated by Merkel, that today "Islam is part of Germany", a country that is home to some four million Muslims.




GAZIPUR: Inaugural programme of Tokai Unnoyon Society was held in Purbo Chandna area in Gazipur recently. Among others, Adv Ayesa Akter, Councilor, Ward No 29 was present as Chief Guest.
Computer classes for kids

Jasmine Evans :

The words "computer programming" and "coding" may bring to mind an image of young men with wild hair and thick glasses glued to a bright computer screen, furiously typing in a strange language. But that image is quickly becoming an antiquated stereotype, and that strange language is quickly becoming the cornerstone of careers across the country.

Jobs in computer science are appearing at a rate twice the national average, and experts project that there will be more than 1 million unfilled jobs in computer science by 2020. Knowledge of coding can give your child more options when it comes time to decide on a career.

Code.org

Code.org is a nonprofit organization focused on increasing the quality and quantity of computer programming education, in and out of the traditional classroom. It's endorsed by an impressive lineup of politicians, businesspeople and celebrities, and backed by a who's who list of high-tech moguls, including Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, Max Levchin, the cofounder of PayPal, and Drew Houston, the CEO of Dropbox.

The organization's "vision" is that computer science and computer programming find their way into the core curriculum across the country, so that every student in every school is required to learn coding before setting foot on a college campus.

This would be no small change in education. Doubters may want to know what a school that embraces this vision would be like before jumping on the bandwagon. Is there a school that does this already? Why, yes, there is!

Beaver Country Day School

For most students, college is too late to take up computer programming, says Peter Hutton, the head of school at Beaver Country Day School in Brookline, Massachusetts. "Conventional education continues to embrace the myth that only certain kinds of kids can learn programming," he says. "By doing this, schools eliminate an important opportunity for the vast majority of their students."

His school, which serves grades 6 through 12, requires a computer programming course for graduation, but coding principles are taught throughout math classes at all grades, says the school's math department chair, Rob MacDonald. "Our students are learning the habits of mind that are central to coding even when they're not explicitly coding," he says. "We're confident that the coding skills they learn will apply to a wide range of other courses and disciplines."

This application of a school subject isn't uncommon. For years, schools have taught math concepts that many students don't necessarily need in the real world. Even though we have calculators, for example, students across the country have to learn their multiplication tables and how to do long division. For forward-thinking schools like Beaver, coding serves a similar purpose.

The "Techie" Stereotype

Without the benefit of programming classes in high school, only "self-selected" students who pursue programming outside of school are ready, Hutton says. These eager, self-driven "techies" may have filled every computer science job back in the 1990s, but the field no longer makes up a remote subset of society. Only an institution as large as our educational system is big enough to possibly fill the rapidly growing demand of jobs.

"In conventional education, the strategy is to identify engineers at a young age and weed everyone else out, and then we wonder why there are not more engineers," Hutton says. His goal is to graduate more students who are interested in and able to pursue computer programming in college and beyond.

Women in Computer Programming

"Programming is seen as something boys do," Hutton says. While women have made headway in computer technology fields, they aren't doing so fast enough, in Hutton's eyes. In 2010, only 18 percent of computer- and information-technology degrees went to women, according to the National Center for Women & Information Technology.

And in 2012, just 23 percent of computer programmers were women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Beaver's focus on programming and coding doesn't just work on breaking the techie stereotype, but also a gender split.

What You Can Do

If you're convinced that your child could benefit from early exposure to computer programming skills, here are a few ways to take action:

Check and see what options your child's school has for computer courses. While many schools require no computer classes, there may be elective courses available.

Seek an extracurricular class. Code.org has put together a database of courses, online and in-person, that kids can take to learn coding.

Download programs, apps and games that teach programming skills. This is something you can do with your child. You can design basic computer games together or create your own website, or even a simple family blog.

Talk to the school. It can't hurt to ask your child's school to catch up with the times and offer elective computer courses. Starting a petition and speaking at a PTA meeting are both great ways to have your voice heard.

If recent history is any indication, computer technology isn't going away anytime soon.

It's only getting bigger. And exposing a child to advanced computer skills isn't only an opportunity for future success, but also a chance to bond over a new interest.
3-day int. workshop on Tec. Innovation begins at DIU

Md Sabur Khan, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Daffodil International University addresses as the chief guest at workshop on \'Managing Technological Innovation for Global Competition to Engage in Global Economic Community\' in the city.

Economic Reporter :

A three-day international workshop on 'Managing Technological Innovation for Global Competition to Engage in Global Economic Community' began at Daffodil International University Auditorium the city on Thursday.

Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman, BoT, Daffodil International University (DIU) was present at the program as Chief Guest while Professor Dr M Kamal Uddin, Director (Head), Institute of Appropriate Technology, BUET was also present at the program as Special Guest.

Professor Dr Nawaz Sharif, the workshop facilitator is the Principal Consultant of Myriad Solutions, USA. The workshop will end on April 30, 2016 (Saturday).

The program was also addressed among others by Mostafizur Rahman Sohel, Joint Secretary General, BASIS, K M Hasan Ripon, CEO, jobsbd.com, Feroz Mahmud, Director, HRDI, Syed Maruf Reza, Director, Career Development Center (CDC) and Syed Mizanur Rahman, Director (Student's Affair), Daffodil International University.

Addressing the Chief Guest Md Sabur Khan said, "We should proper use the technology to shine in career and if we know to use the technology in the right way then nothing is problem even traffic jam. We can control many things over using smart phone or other electronic devices, so no matter that we are in office or home."
Growth of China's migrant workforce declines: report

PTI, Beijing :

China's migrant workforce, one of the main pillars of its massive economic growth, continued its declining trend reaching 277.5 million last year as the Communist giant faced demographic crisis due to rapid rise in old age population and decrease in wages.

The migrant labour population reached 277.5 million last year, an annual rise of 1.3 per cent but the year-on-year growth rate has been decreasing since 2011, the National Bureau of Statistics said in a report on Thursday.


Ocean governance with the neighbours a must for blue economy

Economic Reporter :

The Bay of Bengal has emerged as ocean governance with the neighbouring countries vital prospect of blue economy for Bangladesh if the country takes the full advantage of its sea resources like gas, fish and shipping, a top official at the concern ministry said.

"Some foreign countries and companies have grabbed the opportunity. Bangladesh lags behind in this sector are mainly due to its lack of expertise and policy regime," Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan told the New Nation on Saturday.

He also said the blue economy encompasses the sum total of all economic activities associated with the oceans, seas, harbours, ports and coastal zones. It is related with sea-borne trade and commerce, resource exploration and exploitation, ocean science and observation, defense and security. Country's two seaports are considered as the gateway to foreign trade and another Sonadia deep sea port is under consideration.

The government signed deals with many foreign companies for exploring offshore gas and oil, which were severely criticised by the experts as they want to strengthen the state-run oil and gas exploration companies.

Besides, fishermen cannot tap the fishing opportunity in Bay of Bengal due to lack of state of the art equipment and modern sea boat. Consequently India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand avail the major share of marine fish in the Bay, according to the report.

In ocean shipping sector, the country cannot still make any significant progress. Due to mismanagement and proper policy option, Bangladesh Shipping Corporation has been faltering for many years, which is now almost unable to cope with the emerging blue economy.

Sea resources must be governed on the principles of mutual trust, respect and equitable sharing of benefits and therefore, collaborative partnerships in the wider space of ocean governance with the neighbouring countries especially Mayanmar and India need to be emphasized.

Blue economy can enable big corporations and small and medium-sized businesses to achieve a level where they produce no waste or emissions, and operate in an environment-friendly yet very cost-effective way. The rapid development of small-scale aquaculture, including export-oriented prawn farming in Bangladesh, has been likened to a blue revolution that influenced the socio-economic conditions of farming households within three broad elements of peoples' livelihoods i.e. farm-based rural livelihoods, market-based livelihoods, and multi-location nonfarm livelihoods. The sea can be a good alternative source of our foodstuff. Besides, a planned marine fish aquarium can be of great attraction for the tourists in coastal zones of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is a country of climatic vulnerability. Rising sea level and salinity intrusion in the existing farming land have posed existential threats for Bangladesh. The national oceanographic research institute can play an effective role in this regard to inquire into the science of ocean acidification and the meteorological behaviour and related aspects in the Bay of Bengal and therefore, it should be made more functional as early as possible.

Proper study of hydrography must be given priority in pursuing total benefit of blue economy including oil/gas exploration, dredging activities, offshore construction, environmental monitoring, aquaculture, mineral resources, energy, bio- medicines and oceanographic research.
The significance of May Day

Chris Remington :

130 years have passed since the infamous Chicago Haymarket protests. On May 1, 1886, approximately 35,000 workers walked off their jobs, demanding the standardisation of eight-hour workdays. Many labor historians point to this day in U.S. history as the inception of International Worker's Day, more commonly referred to as May Day.

Following the riots in Chicago, labour protests spread across France, Germany and the United Kingdom. As a result, European governments began to formally recognise International Worker's Day, but the U.S. government was still reluctant to adopt it.

However Nelson Lichtenstein, director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor and Democracy at University of California Santa Barbra, said in a phone interview with Need to Know that the origin of May Day stems from a much earlier time in history.

"May Day has ancient roots in the spring festivals of rebirth. It is a day from medieval England and other peasant societies. So for the working classes it's seen as a moment of rebirth."

"Because of the violence at the Hay Day markets, which stood for anarchy and revolution, the federal government adopts Labor Day instead and places it in September," Lichtenstein said. He also suggested that the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia on May 1, 1917 exacerbated the U.S. government's anxiety towards the holiday. In an attempt to change the day's meaning, "President Dwight D. Eisenhower declares May first Law Day in the 1950's. And prior to that, during the first World War, May Day was declared National Loyalty Day." The U.S. government continued to reject May Day's adoption throughout the Cold War.

Omar Enriquez, a board member with the National Day Laborers Organizing Network, was active in setting up May Day events around Long Island. These events focused specifically on the rights of immigrant workers. In an interview, Enriquez said he believes it is the immigrant population in the U.S. that has played a critical role in May Day's past and present day recognition.

"The working class in America has always had a strong immigrant base," he said. "The strikers during the 1886 Chicago Haymarket riots were predominantly Italian or Irish. Immigrants brought the tradition of International Worker's day from their homes to the United States for the holiday to be formally recognized here."

Fifty miles east, protesters gathered late in the afternoon for the Unified March for Immigrant and Worker's Rights in Manhattan. The parade was part of a series of events coordinated by members of the Occupy Wall Street movement, union representatives and labor rights activists.

Marchers carried flags and wore cultural garments representing nations from across the globe. Among those marching was New York City's Socialist Worker's Party candidate for mayor, Dan Fein. Emphasizing the importance of Socialism in May Day's history, Fein recognises that it is the protection of immigrant workers rights' that unifies contemporary protests.

He said, "At today's parade we have workers of different religions, languages and ethnicity who are bonded together to stop mass deportations and protect immigrant workers."

Lichtenstein indicated that in the past several years affecting immigration policy has been at the heart of May Day events. In particular, he found the 2006 May Day rally in Los Angeles to be the apex of the modern movement for worker's rights. There, nearly 500,000 immigrants and their supporters, the majority Latino, marched in the streets. According to Lichtenstein, the activists staged the events on a weekday to show society "how America would function without immigrant workers." Immigrant rights activists, therefore, dubbed this specific May Day, "A Day without Immigrants."

As the immigration debate continues in Washington D.C., Omar Enriquez is hopeful protests will have an impact on policy makers. "The immigration debate has always been defined as a political issue," he said. "It should be seen as a human issue. Hopefully, lawmakers in Washington will see the protesters on May Day and recognize the need to respect the rights of immigrant workers as humans."

--Need to know PBS
Readers Forum

Keep your home clean first :

In 1971, when we were fighting for our existence, the United States of America (USA) gave the Pakistan government all out supports, sent the nuclear arsenal outfitted Aircraft Carrier Enterprise in the Bay of Bengal to rescue sinking Pakistani troops. But the adventure was abandoned for fear of former Soviet Union's counter attack.

But we were fearless, undaunted, and ready to die for motherland. We are still indomitable and care not for the angry glance of the White House administration.

We shall, rather, advise the US government to stop indiscriminate killing of its own citizens at home and intimidating the foreigners. Early this week, a gunman killed nine persons of a family in Ohio and we do not know whether the killer has been rounded up by this time for trial in a US court. This is not the single incident, but of the hundreds.

The US Police are free to shoot at any person because they enjoy indemnity. It is ridiculous when a Police man says: I shot the man dead because it appeared to me that he had arms and might kill me. What a peculiar argument it is!

The US government should first reform itself, bring all its own killers to justice, must read Political Science to know the definition and jurisdiction of human rights, and refrain from interfering into the internal affairs of our country.

We condemn every murder and at the same time we believe that the government should bring all the criminals, promoters of crimes, and defaming of religious values to justice.



A Citizen

Dhaka
Party politics among workers is not good for workers

THE May Day is commemorated world over to protect workers from employers' exploitation. However, the occasion in Bangladesh is most conspicuous by slow steps in meeting out justice to over 1200 garment workers who lost their lives and twice as many injured with many more missing in Rana Plaza disasters in April 2014. Bangladesh is observing the occasion with various worker rights groups and Trade Union bodies calling for quick justice to garment workers with other programmes that include rallies and discussions in the capital and other industrial belts. The May Day is the day for taking new pledge by workers to make their workplaces safe and their rights recognized by the employers and the government. It includes creating congenial work environment in mills and factories, shops and other businesses. It is a day for reflection to treat workers properly in the light of domestic laws and international labour standards. As we see, labour safety and workplace standard in Bangladesh are not quite satisfactory, particularly at garment factories, fish processing and such other industries. There are many labour laws and regulations on paper but not fully implemented to claim that we have better workplace and workers are well paid. But it is also true that since the Rana Plaza and Tazreen Garment factory accidents, Bangladesh has achieved significant progress in workplace safety following global outcry to improve workplace and factory standard. So one can safely say that fire incidents at garment factories have reasonably come down. Meanwhile, the government has also amended labour laws and enacted new laws to allow workers rights to trade union at garment factories and Export Processing Zones. But we know workers at many less organized sectors remained much unprotected. Workers in agriculture sector are yet to be organized compared to highly organized transport workers. What it shows is that we have to do much more to protect our workforce to allow them a decent living. On this occasion today, we call upon the labour unions, industry owners and the government to create a congenial working environment at all levels so that peace is maintained to reduce productivity losses from labour unrest and achieve higher efficiency in industrial management. Our economy is growing fast and we must have well disciplined workers particularly in the manufacturing sector. It is unconscionable to use workers as a force of party politics. But we have no conscionable politics. It is easy to ignore economic interest or industrial production to show the might of a political party. This has not served the long term interest of the workers. Investment is not forthcoming except by those whose interest is to cheat bank and become rich in the easy way, the political way.
Khaleda to address workers` rally today

UNB, Dhaka :BNP's workers' front Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal is all set to hold its workers' rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the city on Sunday, marking ay Day. BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will address the rally as the chief guest. The programme is scheduled to begin around 2pm.Contacted, BNP vice-chairman Abdullah Al Noman, who visited the venue around 11am on Saturday, said they have completed almost all necessary preparations to hold the rally. "We're now ready to hold the rally."On Thursday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) authorities permitted Sramik Dal to hold the rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan. Earlier, Public Works Department also gave Sramik Dal permission to use the venue for the programme.Maruf Hossain, deputy commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told UNB that the permission was given on some conditions.Noman said thousands of workers from Dhaka and its adjacent areas, including Narayanganj, Fatullah, Tongi, Savar and Narsingdi, are expected to join the programme to make it a complete success.
PHOENIX -- Efforts to enact a $9.58 billion spending plan for the state crumbled late Friday as House Republican leaders gave up for the weekend.

The hang-up came as some moderate Republicans pushing for more funding for public schools could not get the language they wanted to guarantee the additional dollars into the budget. And without their support, the GOP leadership found itself without the necessary 31 votes for approval.

That breakdown came despite the fact that there was a deal, at least on paper.

Both Gov. Doug Ducey and Republican leadership had agreed to restore funding that a previously pushed budget plan had cut from schools. That includes a $31 million reduction in aid to schools due to a change in how the state would compute each district's number of students.

But that concession, by itself, was not enough to satisfy foes.

Rep. Heather Carter, R-Cave Creek, pointed out that there was only a "conceptual agreement'' to restore K-12 funds. What she had as of late Friday was still only "some bullet points on a sheet.'' And Carter told colleagues that wasn't enough to get her vote for the budget.

"What I would respectfully ask is for the language to be drafted, handed out, with enough time for the stakeholders to review the language so that we make sure that there isn't an unintended mistake,'' she said.

Rep. Chris Ackerley, R-Sahuarita, who also said his vote on the budget is contingent on satisfactory restoration of the K-12 funds, was more succinct about wanting to know exactly what is being promised.

"I'm not saying yes to a concept,'' he said.

The issue of K-12 funding -- and assuring doubters it really is coming -- is just part of the roadblock to getting the House to approve the budget.

Rep. Noel Campbell, R-Prescott, raised questions about another provision in the package that would have the state set aside more than $100 million that charter schools could use as a guarantee of sorts to lenders that their loans would be paid.

Campbell said he has no problem with the concept of reducing borrowing costs so that high-quality charter schools, even if operated by for-profit corporations, could finance expansion. But he said there's no reason the state should be in the business of providing payment guarantees so that a company could simply refinance its debt at a lower rate and pocket the difference in profits.

But that's only part of his concern.

"What is the guarantee that the state will be paid back (the payments it made) if the charter school goes belly-up?'' Campbell asked.

Other Republicans found themselves with their own objections to what was supposed to be a done deal.

Rep. Karen Fann, R-Prescott, wanted to be sure that all counties get at least a partial reimbursement of the costs they are being assessed for running the state Department of Juvenile Corrections.

There was also a bit of grumbling about what some lawmakers see as a lack of attention to properly funding state universities even as lawmakers find dollars for other things.

Rep. Kate Brophy McGee, R-Phoenix, wants $5 million to help reduce tuition and fees.

"If we're going to be investing in other types of projects, I think it's only fair that we provide students with tuition and fees relief,'' she said.

That $5 million is not just a random figure. It happens to be what's in the budget to provide permanent state funding for three "freedom schools,'' programs at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona which teach and promote free enterprise. They were set up with seed money from a foundation run by the Koch brothers.

"Is is not completely ironic that we are funding schools that are endowed by super successful billionaires with public money?'' Brophy McGee said. "We can do better.''

But the funding for the schools is unlikely to be removed from the budget as it has the backing of both Gov. Doug Ducey and Senate President Andy Biggs.

Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, has his own proposal on higher education he wants made part of the budget, one he said will save about $2 million a year: Virtually abolish the Arizona Board of Regents.

Under his proposal, the regents would still exist, as the board is a constitutional creation. But he wants to reduce the panel to a strictly advisory role.

Instead, each of the three universities would get their own governing boards made up of people appointed by the governor.

"I think the unvarnished truth is we've witnessed fiscal irresponsibility on the part of ABOR for a number of years,'' Finchem said.

"We have awards of compensation that are so far out of line with national averages that, frankly, we're astonished,'' he said, saying there is no reason the presidents of the three universities need to be paid what they are. Finchem said he envisions a system where the salaries of each school's top officials would be set by the Legislature.

Finchem also said that having a governing board at each university would make them more accountable

The other big fight that remains is over whether the state will restore funding for KidsCare program.

It provides health coverage for the children of the working poor, those whose parents earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but still make less than twice the federal poverty limit. For a family of three, that's between about $27,700 and $40,000 a year.

Arizona stopped enrolling children in KidsCare in 2010 to save the state's share of the largely federally funded program. The result is there are fewer than 1,000 left in the program that, at the time had about 45,000.

This year Congress has agreed to pick up the full cost if Arizona rejoins the program. Every other state has joined KidsCare.

Rep. Regina Cobb, R-Kingman, shepherded a bill through the House on a bipartisan 47-12 vote only to have Biggs refuse to give it a hearing. Biggs, a candidate for Congress, objects not only to the program but said he is concerned state taxpayers would be on the hook when the federal government no longer picks up the tab.

Cobb, who hopes to resurrect the fight as part of the budget, said she has put language into her amendment that ensures the state could stop new enrollments if that happens.
Everyone expects it to get worse

Syrians evacuate a toddler from a destroyed building following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Kalasa in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.

Al Jazeera News :The Syrian government has carried out more than a dozen fresh air strikes in Aleppo as the death toll from more than a week of escalating violence continues to soar, according to local sources. The strikes hit residential neighbourhoods across the opposition-controlled eastern part of the city on Saturday morning, though no immediate information about the number of deaths and injuries was available. "As I'm talking to you, we can hear air strikes," Zouhir Al Shimale, a local journalist, told Al Jazeera by telephone, adding that Saturday morning's strikes hit the areas of Bustan al-Qasr, Zobdia, Ansare, Jazmate and Kalasa. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that at least 244 civilians, including 43 children and 27 women, were killed since violence between government forces and rebel groups flared on April 22. On Friday night, government forces carried out air strikes in the eastern part of the city, while rebels fired mortars into residential areas into the western, government-controlled side.On Thursday and Friday alone, at least 44 civilians died in the tit-for-tat attacks, the Syrian Observatory said. While the Syrian government on Friday announced temporary truces in Damascus and the coastal city of Latakia, a support base for President Bashar al-Assad, Aleppo has been excluded from any cessation of hostilities. Sharif Nashashibi, a London-based analyst of Middle Eastern politics, explained that Aleppo is a key city in the ongoing conflict in Syria."Aleppo is the biggest city, it's an economic hub, it's close to the border with Turkey - there are a range of symbolic and practical reasons why it's so important," he told Al Jazeera, adding that neither side has been able to fully control since the conflict's outset. "With the support it's receiving from Iran, Hezbollah and particularly Russia, the regime feels that it is now able to do that," Nashashibi added. "The issue beyond that is the regime's inability to keep territory. Since Russia's intervention and before, the regime has been unable to keep hold of territory it has recaptured without help from foreign forces." Locals and rescue workers have struggled to evacuate civilians from the sites of air Shimale described the streets as empty as most people stay indoors. "People are doing nothing other than hiding in their homes," he said. "They rush in the morning to buy food and get home as quickly as possible so they aren't outside when the strikes start. There has been a lot of damage to buildings and cars." While some residents have packed their bags and fled, most have not because "the main streets out of Aleppo have been targeted and shelled heavily", he said. Several medical facilities have been destroyed in opposition-controlled districts. Among those was the al-Quds hospital, where more than 50 people were killed when government air strikes hit the hospital and the nearby Sukkari neighbourhood earlier this week. The al-Quds hospital was supported by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which announced that at least 14 staff and patients were killed in that attack.
Low-cost cigarette promoted in guise of UK flag

UNB, Dhaka :

Faltita Bazar is a rural market in Bagerhat. Recently most shops in the bazaar have been flying the Union Jack,

the flag of the United Kingdom. It took most shoppers by surprise, who had no idea why shops in independent Bangladesh would pledge

allegiance to the old colonial ruler like this. "One morning, two young boys came to my shop and inserted two of the flags on my shop. Firstly, I did not understand why they were inserting it," Nayan Biswas, a shopkeeper of Faltita Bazar, told UNB. It was only when they then proceeded to hang several packets of a new brand

of cigarette that he understood the reason behind the proliferation of Union Jacks - it was to advertise and promote

Briton, as Dhaka Tobacco Industries' new low-cost brand is known, at the point of sale, while getting around the advertisement ban for tobacco products. As might be guessed, the Union Jack features prominently in the logo and packaging of Briton cigarettes, produced in Bangladesh by DTI, a concern of Akij Group.

Yet its use for advertising purposes, as found not only in Faltita Bazar but also in parts of the capital or even the remote haor area of Tarail in Kishoreganj, is a direct violation of the law. According to the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) (Amendment) Act, 2013, tobacco advertising is prohibited in all print

and electronic media, as well as at the point-of-sale. It also prohibits promotion of tobacco products through leaflets, handbills, posters, printed paper, billboards or signboards, or any other way for that matter.

Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids grants manager Dr Mahfuzur Rahman Bhuiyan said the manufacturer DTI is not only advertising its new brand aimed at the lower-income groups by inserting the Union Jack at points of sale, it is also distributing T-shirts with seemingly the UK's flag to promote its brand among smokers, again violating the law. Dr Rahman said the government should take harsher steps against the tobacco companies for violating existing anti-tobacco law to protect public health from the adverse impacts of tobacco. Akij Group or DTI representatives could not be reached to comment on the allegations.

The Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Rule 2015, that made the use of pictorial health warning messages mandatory on the packaging of all tobacco products, came into effect on March 19, 2016.
Kenyan police officers and Kenyan National Youth Servicemen search the site of a building collapse in Nairobi, Kenya.
May Day today

Women labourers are active in road development work in the city.

UNB, Dhaka :The historic May Day will be observed on Sunday in the country as elsewhere across the world with a pledge toestablish the rights of workers. May Day, also known as International Workers' Solidarity Day, commemorates the historic uprising of working people in Chicago, USA, at the height of a prolonged fight for an eight-hour workday. The day is a public holiday.Trade unions and professional groups have taken up various programmes to observe the day to press for improving the working conditions with better wages for the workers and job security.Garment Workers Trade Union Centre will arrange separate rallies at Nabisco Shaheed Minar in Tejoan industrial area and Aftab Nagar in Rampura of the capital marking the day.Garment workers will bring out processions at Paltan in the capital and in different industrial areas across the country on the day, demanding justice for the victims of Rana Plaza incident.Bangladesh Trade Union Sangha and Bangladesh Jatiya Sramik Jote chalked out different programmes in the capital and different places of the country. Bangladesh Communist Party (CPB) will arrange a rally in the capital on the occasion.Newspapers will publish supplements while radio and television channels air special programmes.President Abdul Hamid in a May Day message urged all to come forward for ensuring welfare of the working class people through establishing their rights and dignity including due wage, safety and hygienic working environment. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, expressed hope that both owners and workers will put in their best efforts to boost production in their factories through maintaining good relations between them."We've implemented various programmes to maintain unity and good relations between workers and owners, and ensure a safe working environment and social safety net," she added.On May 1, 1886, 10 workers were killed when police opened fine on a demonstration in the US city of Chicago near Hay Market demanding an eight-hour working day instead of a 12-hour shift. On the height of agitation, the authorities had to accept the workers' demand and the eight-hour day has been introduced universally.On July 14, 1889 in Paris, an international workers' rally declared May 1 as the International Workers Solidarity Day in recognition of the Chicago workers' sacrifice and achievement and since 1890, the day has been observed globally as the International Workers Solidarity Day.
Million taka business!

AL men behind Sundarbans fire

Sagar Biswas :

A powerful crime syndicate allegedly backed by some local Awami League leaders are directly involved in igniting fire in the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest and UNESCO world heritage site, to grab water bodies to run their million-taka illegal fish business.

Specifying the issue, Dhan Sagar station Forest Officer Sultan Mahmud filed a case with senior judicial magistrate court on Saturday accusing six persons on charge of arson attack in the Sundarbans.

In the complaint, the Forest Department claimed that the fire has caused damage of forest in 3.5 acres of land. The amount of total loss of assets, including natural atmosphere, wild animals, trees and plants and biodiversity could be estimated after an investigation, the Forest Department also said in the complaint.

Police arrested one Khalilur Rahman, 35, of North Razapur under Sharonkhola upazila in connection with the arson attack. The Forest Department will seek arrest warrant against other accused persons placing the issue before a Bagerhat court on Monday.

"We have filed case accusing six persons in connection with the arson attack.

The crime syndicate has intentionally been setting fire one after another in the area to grab about 18-20 beels [water body] for farming fish like koi, cat fish and etceteras," Md Saidul Islam, Divisional Forest Officer [Sundarbans east], told The New Nation over phone yesterday.

"I can't tell the names of six accused persons for tactical purposeThe matter is highly sensitive. All the accused are local influential persons," he said.

But requesting not to be named, a senior forest official said that all the accused are leaders and activists of ruling party who have established a reign of terror in the Sundarbans and its adjacent areas taking advantage of relaxed mood of law enforcement agencies.

"As per our primary investigation, the criminals in a pre-planned away set fire at least in 20 separate spots in the Eastern Range of the Sundarbans. We've also identified that all of the criminals have come from Sharonkhola area," the official said.

With filing of the case, three cases so far have been filed accusing 17 persons, including local ruling party leader Shahjahan Howlader alias Shahjahan Shikari, in connection with four fire incidents in a span of only 30 days.

The latest fire which was caught on Wednesday morning at Tulatola area of Compartment no.25 near Dhan Sagar Station of Changpai Range in the eastern part of the Sundarbans was finally doused on Friday midnight after a frantic effort for three days.

In this situation, Chief Conservator of Forests Md Yunus Ali on Saturday visited the fire spots in the Sundarbans. Besides, Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju will visit the Sundarbans today [Sunday], officials said.

Earlier on Thursday, the Forest Department imposed restriction on the movement of fishermen, honey collectors and general people in the Changpai range areas with stopping issuance of pass and permit for uncertain period.

It is learnt that the forest department earlier had proposed the government to impose a ban on accessing all kinds of resources of the Sundarbans for one year. The Forest Department had also placed a Tk 700 crore project to provide 35 lakh forest-dependent people with alternative income-generating opportunities during the one-year-ban. But the concerned ministry did not pay heed to the proposal for reasons best known to them.

"The Forest Department had forwarded the plan to prevent criminals, including forest robbers, from entering the Sundarbans. The hardcore criminals are used to enter the forest in the guise of fishermen or honey collectors and have long been involved in tiger poaching also," an official of Forest Department said yesterday.


AUST teacher suspended on charge of sexual abuse

Hasan Mahmud :

The Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) administration has temporarily suspended a teacher on charge of harassing a female student of the University. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting held at the Vice-Chancellor's Office on Saturday.

The action has been taken against Mahfuzur Rashid Ferdous, Associate Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE). He was also serving as the Assistant Proctor of the University.

The University Administration has also asked him to explain his position.

Earlier, several hundred students of the University staged sit-in programme in

front of the Campus at Tejgaon in the capital for three hours and demanded punishment to the teacher.

The students alleged that there are numerous allegations against Ferdous. The teacher abused female students sexually several times.

"When a female student submits a written complaint against him, we urge the university authority to take stern action against him as soon as possible.

AUST Vice-Chancellor AMM Shafikullah said, "A powerful probe body was formed to investigate the incident. Besides, we have already suspended the teacher temporarily".


Khaleda wants dialogue with govt

UNB, Dhaka :Reiterating her call to the ruling party for engaging in talks with opposition parties without delay, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday said this regime will not be able to hang on to power for long depending on the power of "others" instead of people."The current government has no mass base as people don't support them. So they want to keep the country's people subservient depending on the power of others," the BNP chief said while addressing the national convention of Jatiya Ganotantrik Party (Jagpa), although she didn't expand upon who the "others" might be.She further said, "I think the current autocratic regime won't be able to cling to power this way. That's why I want to tell them to count on the country's people. Resolve the country's internal crises through discussions. Time is running out fast. Don't try to buy time further."Jagpa, one of the components of the BNP-led 20-party alliance, arranged the programme at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh marking its 36th founding anniversary. The party was established on April 6, 1980.Khaleda said the country is passing through a grave crisis as she alleged there is no democracy, representative government or legitimate parliament. "There is no effective opposition in the so-called parliament while the election system has turned into a farce."She alleged that there is no good governance, rule of law, and justice as all the country's institutions have been destroyed. "The government can't ensure anybody's security. Despite that, it's claiming the situation is normal and what are happening all these are separate incidents."The BNP chief also alleged that law enforcers cannot perform their duties as they are being used to protect the 'isolated regime' from public wrath. Mentioning the absence of a normal and congenial atmosphere in the country, she said 14 people, including women and children, are getting killed everyday on average in the country. "According to newspaper reports around 1,500 people were killed over the last three months."Khaleda voiced deep concern over what she called the alarming rise in the incidence of secret killings. "Bloggers, university teachers, writers, publishers, foreign nationals and embassy officials, and people of different religions are being subjected to secret attacks and killings. It's a matter of deep concern that the responsibility for the killings are being taken in the name of different militant outfits."She alleged that the government cannot stop the incidents of secret attack and killing. "Rather, they're shifting the blame to the opposition which is affecting the investigation and hiding the real offenders."Referring to a case in the US court over bribing an FBI agent to get information about the Prime Minister's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Khaleda alleged as per the document of the case, there was nearly Tk 2500 crore deposited in Joy's account there."What is the source of the money? The country's people want to know what amount of money they have in this way. People think this is their money. Huge assets are being amassed through siphoning off money earned through plundering and corruption," she alleged.The BNP chief said an investigation should be launched into the allegation and the money should be brought back to the country. "But the government is silent over the matter."Khaleda also alleged that the government is repressing journalist Shafik Rehman taking him on remand only to "hush up" any information received from the FBI about the alleged Tk 2500 crore in Joy's account.She called upon people to wage a united movement from their respective positions to restore peace, democracy, the rule of law, stop repression and harassment and ensure public security.
RU teachers, students continue demo on campus

Teachers and students of Rajshahi University continuing their protest programme for 7th consecutive day on Saturday on the campus demanding immediate arrest of killers of Prof. Rezaul Karim.

RU Correspondent :The teachers and the students of Rajshahi University on Saturday brought out a procession on the campus and boycotted their classes protesting the killing of Professor AFM Rezaul Karim Siddique.The teachers and students of English Department of RU brought out a silent procession at around 10 am and paraded the different roads of the university. Later, they held a rally at Mukul Mancha, a makeshift platform set up after the nickname of the slain professor.They demanded arrest and exemplary punishment to the killers of Rezaul Karim. The students staged another protest rally at Mukul Mancha around 12:30pm.Besides, Law Department, Bangla Department, Public Administration Department and Information Science and Library Management Department, among others, brought out procession on campus.
2 shot at in city: Tk 2.25 lakh snatched

Staff Reporter :

At least two persons were reportedly shot at by the unknown muggers in city's Gulshan and Paltan areas on Saturday morning. They also snatched Tk 2.25 lakh and two mobile phone sets from them.

The victims are Billal Hossain, a bKash agent, in Gulshan area and Iftekharul Alam Milton, a prive job holder, police said.

Quoting victims' relatives, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) Police Outpost In-Charge Mozammel Haque said, "Four armed muggers intercepted Belal Hossain, on Road No. 114 in Gulshan-2 area around 9:00am and took away Tk 2.20 lakh after shooting him in his left hand."

The victim was rushed to DMCH, the police official said.

Another mugger's gang shoots Iftekharul and snatched Tk 5,000, a gold chain and two mobile phone sets from him around 5:00am.

The muggers riding on a microbus attacked him after he got down from a bus at entrance point of Culvert Road and snatched the valuables shooting his leg.


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The Northern Arizona Leadership Alliance (NALA) announced the organizations unanimous endorsement of Proposition 123, the school funding measure that would increase the payout from the State Land Trust Permanent Endowed Fund for 10 years.

The resources provided by Proposition 123 are an important step toward reversing decades of defunding public education in Arizona, NALA leaders said in a press release. We look forward to continued work in our communities, with the Legislature, and with the Governor to create a well-crafted, sustainable solution to ensuring Arizonas students are among the best-prepared in the nation.
Pre-purchase property inspection is a relatively new thing in the United Kingdom. Its not something that most people have heard about, but it has become increasingly popular over the last few years with the rise in property prices and increased demand for high quality homes.

What are the benefits of pre-purchase building inspection? What can you expect to find out when you pay someone else to inspect your home before you buy it? And what should you look for during an inspection?

Many people want to know if theyre buying a house thats been well maintained or if its had any serious problems. If youve found a place on the market that seems attractive, but then discover some issues after moving in, you may not be as excited about buying it as you thought you were.

Its important to do your due diligence when looking at properties. A lot goes into making a property appealing to potential buyers, from the landscaping to the flooring to the kitchen appliances. The same applies when inspecting a property  there are many things that need checking over to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Here are some of the benefits of performing a pre-purchase inspection:

You get to see exactly what will happen to your money

When you go shopping for a new car, youll probably be shown several different models. You might even be shown one that looks like a great value, but doesnt fit around all of the extra features that you want. When it comes time to actually buy the vehicle, however, you wont have seen how your money will be spent on it once you drive it off the showroom floor.

Likewise, when you shop for a new home, you dont really know what youre getting yourself into until you move in. In order to get a feel for whether the home youre considering is what you want, you normally have to spend quite a bit of time inside it. This allows you to learn more about everything that youre going to be spending your hard-earned cash on.

A pre-purchase building inspection gives you much the same kind of experience without having to spend thousands of dollars. Since youre paying for the service, you can expect to see exactly what youre paying for, instead of just seeing a vague idea of what you might end up with.

You find out about potential major repairs

Some buildings are very expensive to maintain, which means that owners often neglect them for the sake of saving money. While youre paying for a building inspection, youre also paying for a professional who knows how to spot signs of trouble and repair work that needs doing.

If you notice that a particular area of your new home needs fixing right away, you can call in an expert to take care of it quickly. If you find that theres something wrong with your boiler, you wont have to wait weeks for a plumber to come over and fix it. Instead, youll have access to a solution immediately.

You can save hundreds of pounds by finding out about potential problems early on

One of the biggest expenses when you first buy a home is the cost of moving in. Many people dont realize this until its too late. Buying a home involves not only paying for the actual house, but also for moving costs, furniture, and other items that have to be moved along with the home.

Having a good idea ahead of time of what youre likely to encounter can help you avoid these kinds of costs. If you know youll need to replace the plumbing system, for example, youll be able to put together a budget for the expense and plan accordingly.

You can protect your investment by finding out if the homes been well cared for

While there are plenty of people who think that houses always look better when theyre newly built, youd be surprised at how well maintained older residences can still look nice. Sometimes, though, those homes need some additional maintenance to keep them looking their best.

This could involve repairs that arent so noticeable or small improvements that you wouldnt consider otherwise. Even worse, some houses have fallen into disrepair without anyone noticing. This is why having a professional perform a building inspection prior to purchasing a home is such a big benefit.

Not only will it give you insight into the state of the property, but it will also give you peace of mind knowing youre not getting taken advantage of. As long as youre aware of the potential pitfalls, youll have less reason to worry about the state of your new home.

You can use information gathered during a building inspection to negotiate a lower price

If youre worried about buying a home because you suspect that it may need extensive renovation work, you may already have a rough idea of how much work youll need to do to bring it up to scratch. That knowledge can come in handy if you decide to buy the home.

You can use all of the details that you gather during a building inspection to present a realistic picture of what the home is worth to prospective buyers. If a potential buyer thinks that the home is worth more than what you paid for it, you can try negotiating a lower price.

You can sell your home faster and for more money

If you decide to list your home on the market soon after buying it, youll need to price it accurately in order to attract buyers. But if youve already done a thorough building inspection, youll know exactly what work is needed and what the current market conditions are.

In other words, youll be able to make a more accurate estimate of the amount of money youve invested in the home and how much its worth. If you find that youre selling your house for close to its full market value, you can use this information to convince the potential buyer that your home is worth the asking price.

Even if youre planning to stay in the home for a while before you decide to sell, the fact that you did a thorough building inspection will give you more confidence when listing it. Prospective buyers will know exactly what theyre paying for.

Your home will hold its value longer

As mentioned earlier, the value of a home depends heavily upon the condition of the building itself. If your home is in bad shape, potential buyers wont be interested in buying it. On the other hand, if youve performed a thorough building inspection and know what sort of repairs are necessary, you can offer your prospective buyer a compelling reason to invest in your property.

When you buy a home, youre essentially agreeing to have it inspected periodically to ensure that it stays in top shape. Not only does this allow you to avoid expensive repairs down the road, but it can also increase the value of your home.

You can make smart decisions about property investments

Buying real estate isnt as simple as just driving a couple of minutes to pick up a house. There are lots of considerations involved, ranging from location to cost. The same is true when youre investing in property.

If you find a house that meets all of your requirements, youll want to make sure that you have a solid understanding of where it stands with regards to the rest of the market. If you havent spent enough time researching the area, you could inadvertently end up with a bad deal.

There are lots of resources available online that can help you determine the overall level of competition in your area. They can also help you figure out if there are any properties that meet your requirements that you didnt know about.

If you own rental property, you can use the information to identify tenants who might cause damage

If you own rental property and youve noticed that certain tenants consistently cause damage, you can use the results of a building inspection to identify them. You can then contact them directly to let them know that youre watching them closely and that you dont appreciate the problem theyre causing.

They might start taking better care of their homes, which would be good news for everyone. It could also be the case that youll find out that theyre responsible for previous damages that werent caught during a previous visit.

You can make smarter decisions about hiring contractors

If youve hired contractors to build or repair your home, you might want to ask them for references. However, unless you perform a thorough building inspection, you might not know exactly what to look for.

For instance, maybe you only checked the roof for leaks or the walls for cracks. You might not have looked underneath the foundation for anything that could cause a future issue. By performing a building inspection, you can ensure that you hire reputable contractors who will be trustworthy with your money.

You can avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition

Of course, the main benefit of structural inspections perth is that it helps you avoid purchasing a home thats in poor condition. Before you make the decision to buy a home, you should do whatever you can to find out about the state of the building.

You can also ask your realtor about what sorts of inspections are typically recommended. Some agents say that its standard practice to check the heating system, the roof, the electrical wiring, and the floors. Others will tell you that they recommend that you check the entire structure.

Either way, if you choose to hire an inspector, youll find out exactly what needs to be fixed and how much it will cost to do so.

As a result, it can be concluded that a pre-purchase building inspection is highly important for the buyers because it provides transparency regarding the current conditions of the structure. Additionally, the building owner is made aware of any upgrades or repairs that are required, which could lead to a fair deal throughout the purchasing and selling process.
PINCKNEYVILLE  It's a promotional video that shows men and women introducing themselves and saying they were addicted to sex, pornography, pride, alcohol, drugs, food and any number of other things.

These people go on to say they found freedom from their addictions and issues through Celebrate Recovery, a program birthed out of the church of "Purpose-Driven Life" author Rick Warren; Celebrate Recovery celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

The group watching this video is about 24 men and women sitting in the sanctuary of Pinckneyville's New Hope Community Church, which started the program there in August 2013. The church's pastor James Clardy started the program at the church.

"There are things people can't talk about in church, but in small group they can talk about those things and this is where people get healed, simply by confessing their faults, one to another," Clint Branon, ministry director of the church's Celebrate Recovery program, said. "And that's what we do, we talk about our issues. Things begin to change for that person. This provides an environment where that person can take that hurt and share that."

The Celebrate Recovery program is styled like a 12-step recovery program for those dealing with addictions to alcohol and drugs, but this one expands to include anyone dealing with an addiction of some kind: to gambling, to sex and even those impacted by depression and emotional and sexual abuse.

This program, though, gives a name to a "higher power," acknowledging him as Jesus Christ, and incorporates eight principles pulled from the Bible.

Branon said it's a program that works and he wants more people to know about it.

"It is an effective program," he said. "It's making people really talk about their hurts, habits and hangups. Its very successful in these areas."

Founded in 1991 by John Baker, an associate pastor at Saddleback Church, the church that Rick Warren pastors, the program has expanded to 28,000 churches in 70 countries. The curriculum and materials have been translated into 30 languages.

In addition to New Hope, a handful of other area churches host Celebrate Recovery programs: Christian Covenant Fellowship in Carterville; Cornerstone Church in Marion; and Redemption Church in Johnston City.

The program is confidential and anonymous, meaning that participants cannot talk outside the group about others who use the program. Men and women meet in separate sessions, he said. As long as Branon said he's been with the program, he said he hasn't heard anything in the community that's been discussed in the sessions.

Like other 12-step recovery programs, this one also pairs a newer member with someone who has more experience with the program, Branon said. It's an effective approach, he said, often helping someone who is about to relapse to arrest that behavior.

About three or four churches provide volunteers for the program, which is non-denominational, and four support it financially. Branon showed off some materials , including brand-new, still-wrapped "Celebrate Recovery" Bibles. The cost is about $15, which those who have the money are free to donate, but they are also given away to those who need them.

Celebrate Recovery is designed for those 18 and older and those with younger children can drop them off at the "pre-covery" program for 5 to 13 year olds downstairs. There, volunteers like Reta Miller, Sandy Miller and Bonnie Branon, Branon's wife, teach the younger children from a curriculum that mirrors the curriculum taught to adults.

"These types of programs do help people," he said.

"Celebrate Recovery does deal with some pretty heart-breaking situations," he said.

"Some of the depression that I have come across  I didnt even know it existed," he said. "Some of it is from their childhood, just whatever that environment was, some if it through divorce, some of it is through the  drug scene."

Branon said he was astounded to realize how pervasive the illegal drug issue is in Southern Illinois.

"There is a tremendous need in our area," Branon said. "You wouldnt think so  because were rural, this is Southern Illinois."
SPRINGFIELD  Laura Vivaldo considers herself fortunate among her Illinois college classmates who are in the U.S. illegally and struggle to pay tuition because they don't qualify for state or federal financial aid.

The 24-year-old Elgin resident has worked full-time at a restaurant and grocery store while attending college to help pay her tuition, and she has received help from privately funded scholarships. In all, it will take her eight years to complete her education.

"I actually know of more students from my community college that have either discontinued their education or dropped out," Vivaldo said.

A measure pending in the Illinois House would make the state among the few in the country to let immigrant students get financial aid regardless of their legal status. The bill cleared the Senate this month with bipartisan support.

"We've given these young men and women already an education. We've already invested in them. Why stop at the university level?" said Sen. Iris Martinez, a Chicago Democrat sponsoring the bill.

California, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington already give state financial aid to students illegally in the U.S., and 18 states, including Illinois, also allow those students to qualify for in-state tuition.

The proposal is geared toward helping students such as Vivaldo, who was 3 months old when she and her teenage mother moved from the Mexican state of Puebla to the Chicago suburbs to be with her father.

The privately-funded scholarships Vivaldo received have helped her first attend Elgin Community College and now Northern Illinois University, where she is studying political science. But the help, which has ranged from $500 to $2,000 scholarships, hasn't been enough to cover all her tuition. She said it's cost her about $15,000 for a year of study at NIU, where she expects to graduate next year.

Critics of the proposed legislation argue students in the country illegally shouldn't receive a benefit that would otherwise go to U.S. citizens, who also struggle to pay for school.

"I care about people as much as anybody else does," said Okawville Republican Sen. David Luechtefeld, who voted against the bill. "My concern was that if you voted for it you would have several hundreds of people who were not citizens getting scholarships, but if you do that you would have hundreds of citizens who are not getting those scholarships. It's a tough call."

Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno was among two Republicans who voted for the bill. Catherine Kelly, a spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, said the bill was under review.

If the legislation passes, an estimated 1,500 students would benefit. A total of 144,000 students attend Illinois' four-year colleges, which would be the only higher-education institutions covered with the bill. No additional state money would be required because the immigrant students would be competing for the same aid as everyone else.

To qualify for financial aid and scholarships, immigrant students would have to graduate from an Illinois high school and sign an affidavit stating they're pursuing or will pursue legal status in the country. They would not be able to access grants the state gives to low-income students and they would not be eligible for any federal aid.

Illinois' 4-year colleges and universities are supporting the bill.

"Colleges and universities are geared to educate our young adults and help them transform their lives. We shouldn't' leave any groups behind," said Tom Hardy, spokesman for the University of Illinois system. "These are students that have matriculated through our kindergartens and high schools."
CARTERVILLE  Thanks to funding from The Poshard Foundation, children living at The Nights Shield in West Frankfort will be better taken care of.

The Nights Shield, along with 28 other Southern Illinois agencies that serve abused and neglected children, will be able to better meet the needs of children thanks to grants totaling $100,000 from The Poshard Foundation for Abused Children.

Because of the state budget impasse and the withholding of state funds to local agencies, the Poshard Foundation increased the amount of the grants to these agencies. Originally, this years grants were expected to total $70,000. The total was increased by $30,000. Jo Poshard, director of the foundation, awarded grants during a news conference Friday at John A. Logan College.

Her husband Glenn Poshard, a former U.S. Congressman and SIU president, said social service agencies deserve to get what they are owed by the state immediately because they serve the most vulnerable population  abused and neglected children.

Gov. (Bruce) Rauner, I am pleading with you to get this budget issue solved now, Glenn Poshard said.

Jo Poshard said the social service agency workers are the most underpaid and overworked group, while dealing with situations that most of us cannot even imagine. She introduced representatives from each of the 29 agencies and asked them to comment on their grant projects.

Organizations include: Baptist Childrens Home, Carmi; Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale; Cairo Womens Shelter; Caritas Family Solutions, Carterville and Mount Vernon; CASA agencies of Franklin County, Jefferson County, Saline County and Williamson County; Centerstone; Childrens Home and Aid, Herrin; Childrens Medical Resource Network, Anna; Department of Child and Family Services, Southern Region; Family Counseling Center, Golconda; Hoyleton Ministries, Hoyleton; Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, Marion; Lutheran Social Services of Illinois Prison and Family Services, Marion; Mentors4Kids, Harrisburg; PAVE, Centralia; Perry-Jackson Child Advocacy Center, Pinckneyville; Pregnancy Matters, Carbondale; The Amy Center, Mount Vernon; The Guardian Center, Carmi; The Nights Shield, West Frankfort; The Womens Center, Carbondale; Two Rivers Child Advocacy Center, Anna; United Methodist Childrens Home, Mount Vernon; Williamson County Child Advocacy Center, Herrin; and Williamson County Family Crisis Center, Herrin.

Many of the agencies will use the grants to help provide bags or backpacks filled with items for children, recreational and therapeutic activities, counseling for children, child abuse prevention programs or training for parents, volunteers and staff.

The kids we take in seem unlovable. They are teenagers and often do not want to accept help, said Scott Kiser, director of Baptist Childrens Home Residential Care.

They will use their grant to take the teens camping, canoeing and on ropes courses to help build their confidence.

Two organizations will improve their ability to tape forensic interviews with children who are victims of abuse or neglect. LaDonna Richards of The Amy Center in Mount Vernon said they purchase a camera that can follow the child and better capture a victims emotions. Betty Mucha of Perry-Jackson Child Advocacy Center will purchase interview equipment for a new, grant-funded satellite office in Murphysboro.

"I think for everyone in the room our hope is we can break this cycle," Jean Alstat of Centerstone said.

For more information, contact The Poshard Foundation for Abused Children at 618-985-2828, ext. 8564, or email joposhard@jalc.edu.
MURPHYSBORO  In the past year, there have been 89 times that Southern Illinois University Carbondale students have volunteered with the Jackson and Union County Habitat for Humanity.

About four or five students come every week, even though they have fulfilled SIU community service requirements as honor students, said volunteer coordinator Barb Rester.

"They build a relationship with us, and so they just keep coming back and its really nice, too, because the homeowner is there every week," Rester said. "You just feel really good about what youre doing.

For its work with the students, the Jackson and Union County Habitat for Humanity is being honored with a Volunteerism Community Partner Award from SIUs Center for Service-Learning and Volunteerism. The group will receive the award at 2 p.m. Monday at the SIU Student Center.

The Jackson and Union County Habitat for Community is 20-plus years old, and in the past four years, its volunteers have averaged once house built in a year, Rester said.

Volunteers are working on a new house at 1924 Hamilton St. in Murphysboro. The roof and walls are already up, and it is being prepared for drywall, while volunteers work on the siding, Rester said.

The house construction is funded by Habitat for Humanity, which offers those selected for the homes a zero-percent mortgage loan, Hester said. This Habitat fund is supported by repayments made by past recipients of the Habitat for Humanity homes.

Rester said the Jackson Union County Habitat for Humanity is always seeking volunteers. Interested people can contact her at 618-521-5900.

Prospective volunteers are also welcome to come to the build-site, she said. The group typically works each Saturday, from 8 a.m. to noon.
COLUMBIA  An Orangeburg County church group has a received a top honor for anti-litter efforts.

PalmettoPride hosted the annual Adopt-A-Highway awards luncheon on April 21 honoring the groups for achievement in litter pickup.

The District 7 award was won by New Galilee Christian Church Mens Department in Orangeburg County. Other counties in the S.C. Department of Transportations District 7 are Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Clarendon and Hampton.

The state group of the year went to Mount Carmel Church of Williamsburg County.

Adopt-A-Highway volunteers accomplish more than just litter removal from state-maintained roads. This year saw an increase in groups, volunteers and miles covered but a decrease in the total amount picked up.

The results of the 2015 statistics indicate that the average volunteer picked up 40.2 pounds of trash per person, a 3-pound decrease from 2015. The cost avoidance to the state is estimated to be $1,754,387.

PalmettoPride manages the Adopt-A-Highway program for SCDOT. The collaborative effort has revived the Adopt-A-Highway program across South Carolina.

Others recognized at the event include:

P.E.A.R.L.S. in Bamberg County.

The Town of Neeses.

New Galilee Christian Church Mens Department in the Holly Hill area.
COLUMBIA  U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies in South Carolina are teaming up May 4 to provide two workshops aimed at helping Orangeburg and surrounding county residents with USDA investments in conservation practices, housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure.

The workshops are May 4 at 9 a.m. and again at 1 p.m. at the USDA Service Center, 1550 Henley St., Orangeburg. Each workshop will last approximately three hours. The same information will be presented each.

During the workshops, residents, landowners, community organizations, businesses, foundations, schools, universities, and faith-based and other groups can expect learn about a number of programs from cost-sharing and financial assistance to loans and grants.

The USDA in South Carolina is coming together to help grow our economy by investing in our rural communities, farmers, makers and innovators, and increasing opportunities for families, said Ann English, state conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service in South Carolina. We are one team working to bring economic opportunity directly to South Carolinians where they live.
A group of journalists, consisting of representatives of foreign media accredited in Azerbaijan, and the local media, visited the Garadaghli village of Azerbaijan's Agdam district, which was shelled by the Armenian side from April 27 evening until April 28.

Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4) April 28, the Armenian armed forces were firing at the Azerbaijani settlements and the Azerbaijani army positions in the Terter and Aghdam districts of Azerbaijan. Two people were killed and many more wounded as a result of the Aghdam shelling. At least 84 houses in the district were heavily damaged, some of them completely destroyed.

In the village the journalists surveyed the houses, which were destroyed by heavy artillery attacks and met with the village's residents, Trend correspondent reported Apr. 29.

The representatives of foreign and local media were accompanied by the Head of executive power of Azerbaijan's Aghdam district Ragub Mammadov, Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev and Head of the press service of Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry Vagif Dargahli.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
The village of Garadaghli of Azerbaijan's Aghdam district is one of the settlements shelled by Armenian armed forces on the night of Apr.28.

As many as 36 houses were damaged in the Garadaghli village, while five houses were completely destroyed.

Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4) April 28, the Armenian armed forces were firing at the Azerbaijani settlements and the Azerbaijani army positions in the Terter and Aghdam districts of Azerbaijan.

Two people were killed and many more wounded as a result of the Aghdam shelling. At least 84 houses in the district were heavily damaged, some of them completely destroyed.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Armenia's armed forces have inflicted heavy damage to the Evoglu village of Azerbaijan's Aghdam district having intensively shelled the village on Apr. 28 night, reports Trend's correspondent.

Houses and public facilities in the village were destroyed.

Farming and private sector were also affected by the Armenian shelling.

On Apr. 29, a group of journalists, consisting of representatives of foreign media accredited in Azerbaijan, and the local media, visited the Garadaghli village of Azerbaijan's Agdam district, which was shelled by the Armenian side from April 27 evening until April 28.

In the village the journalists surveyed the houses, which were destroyed by heavy artillery attacks and met with the village's residents.

Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4) April 28, the Armenian armed forces were firing at the Azerbaijani settlements and the Azerbaijani army positions in the Terter and Aghdam districts of Azerbaijan.

Two people were killed and many more wounded as a result of the Aghdam shelling. At least 84 houses in the district were heavily damaged, some of them completely destroyed.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
On Apr. 29, a group of journalists, consisting of representatives of foreign media accredited in Azerbaijan, and the local media, visited the Garakhanli village of Azerbaijan's Agjabadi district, which was shelled by the Armenian side from April 27 evening until April 28.

In the village the journalists surveyed the houses, which were destroyed by heavy artillery attacks and met with the village's residents, Trend correspondent reported Apr. 29.

Head of executive power of Azerbaijan's Agjabadi district Shahin Mammadov said that since the beginning of April, Armenians have been regularly shelling settlements located close to the frontline using large-caliber guns.



"The shelling was especially intense on the night of April 28," Mammadov said. "In total, more than 100 shells were fired at the territory of the district, and nearly 50 of them were fired at the Garakhanli village alone. Nearly 30 houses were damaged, and a part of them was completely destroyed."

The head of the district noted that the Armenian aggression doesn't allow people to live in peace, classes in schools are cancelled.

"The world community must ensure the relevant resolutions adopted by the UN are implemented," Mammadov said. "We want the conflict to be resolved peacefully. If this doesn't happen, all the population of the Agjabadi district is ready to fight after the order of the Supreme Commander."

The representatives of foreign and local media were accompanied by Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev and Head of the press service of Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry Vagif Dargahli.

Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4) April 28, the Armenian armed forces were firing at the Azerbaijani settlements and the Azerbaijani army positions in the Terter and Aghdam districts of Azerbaijan.

Two people were killed and many more wounded as a result of the Aghdam shelling. At least 84 houses in the district were heavily damaged, some of them completely destroyed.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the situation around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, RIA Novosti reported citing the Russian foreign ministry.



Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4) April 28, the Armenian armed forces were firing at the Azerbaijani settlements and the Azerbaijani army positions in the Terter and Aghdam districts of Azerbaijan.

Two people were killed and many more wounded as a result of the Aghdam shelling. At least 84 houses in the district were heavily damaged, some of them completely destroyed.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
"The world community must ensure the implementation of the UN Security Council`s four resolutions. We want the international community to avoid double standards and demand the withdrawal of the Armenian occupants from Azerbaijani lands," head of Aghjabadi District Executive Authority Shahin Mammadov has told a group of local and foreign journalists, who are on a visit in the frontline districts.





Mammadov said that the villages in the district were kept under fire by Armenian armed forces using large-caliber weapons on a regular basis.





"Around 100 shells fell in Garakhanly, Boyat, Hajilar, Yukhari Giyamaddinly and Mirzahagverdili villages. Some 50 shells fell in Garakhanly village alone. One of the houses was completely burnt down, nearly 30 houses, a school building, property and farms of the residents were damaged," Mammadov said.





"We are against war. We want to liberate our territories in a peaceful way. However, if the occupied territories are not freed soon, residents of Aghjabadi district as the whole Azerbaijani people are ready to execute the order of the Supreme Commander to fight for the territorial integrity of our country," Mammadov added.




Leading architect Santiago Calatravas falcon-inspired design has been selected by the UAE government for its official pavilion at the Dubai World Expo 2020.



Calatravas proposal was formally selected by National Media Council following a seven-month design competition managed by Masdar, Abu Dhabis renewable energy company, in its capacity as program manager.



The contest saw nine of the worlds most renowned architectural firms submit 11 concepts, said the council in its statement.



Each design was evaluated against specific criteria, including how fully the design expressed the main theme of Expo 2020 Connecting Minds, Creating the Future and how well it captured a distinct Emirati feel and a balance between the UAEs past and future, it stated.



Located facing the Al Wasl Plaza, which lies at the centre of the 200-hectare exhibition zone, the UAE Pavilion - whose design by Calatrava has been inspired by a falcon in flight - will represent the UAE to the 25 million visitors and participants from over 180 nations who are expected to visit the Expo from October 2020 to April 2021.



An architect, engineer and sculptor. Calatrava boasts of several international architectural projects. His most recent ones are the in-progress World Trade Center Transportation Hub and St. Nicholas Church in New York, as well as the Margaret McDermott Bridge in Dallas, Texas.



Minister of State and National Media Council chairman Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said: "The proposed design of the UAE Pavilion captures the story we want to tell the world about our nation. Our late founding father His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan used falconry expeditions to forge connections between tribes and to create a distinct national identity which ultimately led to the founding of the UAE."



"Now, the falcon design will symbolise how we are connecting the UAE to the minds of the world and how as a global community we can soar to new heights through partnership and cooperation," he added.



Minister of State for International Co-operation and director general of Expo 2020 Dubai Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy said the pavilion will be one of the Expo's greatest icons.



"The design will evoke the pioneering spirit and power of connections that transformed the UAE from a collection of small, desert communities, into a global connection point. The UAE pavilion will become an important cornerstone in our site and will have a legacy plan that will reflect our hopes and ambitions for the many years to come," he added.



On the win, Calatrava said: "I am deeply honoured that our practice has been chosen to design the national pavilion for Dubai Expo 2020, a project of national and global significance. I am confident that the final design will be a symbol of the bold and daring spirit of the UAE, reflected in what is poised to be the most inclusive and global Expo in history."



The pavilion is expected to cover up to 15,000 sq m and will include numerous exhibition areas, an auditorium, food and beverage outlets and VIP lounges. It will be designed to embrace sustainable building principles.



Masdar CEO Mohamed Al Ramahi said: "We will capitalise on our experience of developing Masdar City, which is on a journey to being the most sustainable urban development in the world, to ensure the delivery of an innovative, high-performance pavilion and community space that embraces the Expos themes of mobility, opportunity and sustainability."



Masdar was appointed program manager by the National Media Council for the UAE Pavilion on the basis of the renewable energy companys track record of successfully delivering highly innovative and sustainable projects, including the Leed Platinum-certified Siemens Middle East Headquarters.



In November last year, the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design had awarded Calatrava the 2015 European Prize for Architecture.

In August 2015, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat awarded his Turning Torso in Malmo, Sweden the 10 Year Award.-TradeArabia News Service
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said it has awarded a Dh105-million ($28.5 million) contract for the construction of a bridge that will link the north and south of Jebel Ali Free Zones.



The project, located near the 10th Interchange of the Sheikh Zayed Road, is being implemented in collaboration with the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza), said a statement from RTA.



Jafza is a thriving business community accommodating more than 7100 businesses including 100 firms ranked amongst Fortune 500. The area accounts for over 50 per cent of the total exports, imports and re-exported commodities within or outside Dubai.



The scope of work includes the construction of a dual carriageway of three lanes in each direction to link the traffic movement between Jafza North and Jafza South across the Sheikh Zayed Road, the RTA statement said.



The Jafza bridge project also includes improvement works on roads connected by the bridge at the North and South such as widening of some roads to three lanes in each direction, and the existing R/A at Jafza North to accommodate the traffic flowing from the bridge, in addition to lighting and infrastructural works like the shifting of impacted utility lines of water, electricity, irrigation, sewage, rainwater drainage, and communication lines.



The construction of the bridge, which stretches over the Sheikh Zayed Road linking the north and south Jebel Ali Free Zones, is expected to last 18 months, it added.



"This project has been undertaken as part of RTAs master plan for roads, bridges, crossings and tunnels aimed at improving the traffic flow in various parts of Dubai including areas under development or investment," remarked Mattar Al Tayer, the director-general and chairman of the RTA board of executive directors.



Upon completion, the project would ensure a smooth traffic movement between Jafza North and Jafza South, and alleviate the intense traffic on Al Maktoum Airport Road as well as the 10th Interchange on the Sheikh Zayed Road, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The Higher Corporation for Specialised Economic Zones (ZonesCorp) said it has signed a Dh335 million ($91 million) deal with Al Nakheel Hygienic Paper Manufacturing Company for the construction of a new production facility in Abu Dhabi.



As per the agreement, the Jordanian firm build a 144,000 sq m paper factory for production of hygienic household tissues at Icad 2 (Industrial City Abu Dhabi 2).



A key manufacturer of Fine tissues, a well-known brand of hygienic household tissues in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, Al Nakheel has facilities in Egypt (producing 80,000 tonnes and 70,000 tonnes a year respectively) from which it supplies the Mena region.



The facility is targeting an initial production capacity of 60,000 tonnes per year in the first phase with the potential to double its capacity to 120,000 tonnes per year in the second phase in the coming three to four years, stated Khalid Banat, the project manager at Al Nakheel Hygienic Paper Manufacturing Company, after signing the deal with Saeed Issa Al Khaili, the acting chief executive at ZonesCorp at a ceremony at the Hannover Messe Industrial Fair in Germany.



As part of its commitment to promoting its partner companies and sharing its expertise and knowledge, ZonesCorp is taking part in the 'the worlds biggest industrial trade fair in Hannover' with a high-level delegation of 19 important industrial manufacturing companies.



Welcoming Al Nakheel, Saeed Issa Al Khaili, the acting chief executive at ZonesCorp, said: "Its impressive high-tech facility in Icad 2 will be the biggest tissue paper manufacturing plant in the UAE and an important addition to our existing paper manufacturing cluster."



"We are looking forward to working closely with the Al Nakheel to help them fully realise their ambitions," he added.



According to Banat, the new facility will be fitted with the most advanced tissue making technology made by Swedish company Valmet that can produce 2,200 metres of tissue paper per minute.



The project will generate employment for approximately 500 people in Abu Dhabi and will serve the UAE and wider GCC markets.



"Once Phase One gets completed, the facility will be the biggest tissue paper manufacturing plant in the UAE and will represent a 40 per cent increase in production for Al Nakheel globally," he stated.



Banat said the Icad 2 was the most attractive proposition for its new facility. "Of all the potential sites we looked at for this investment, it has the most sophisticated infrastructure, and the offered plug and play model will allow us to get up and running in a relatively short time."



"In addition to that, the combination of low energy costs, ready availability of quality labour, the strategic location of Abu Dhabi to serve our target markets and the pro-industry business stance of the Abu Dhabi government makes ZonesCorp and Abu Dhabi the ideal choice," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Siemens, a global technology powerhouse, said it has been awarded a long-term service contract for a major power plant located 15km south of Doha, Qatar.



The deal for Umm Al Houl combined cycle power plant is the second major power generation services order from Qatar in past six months, it stated.



The 25-year long-term service contract was awarded by Umm Al Houl Power, a joint venture between Qatar Electricity and Water Company (QWEC), Qatar Petroleum (QP), Qatar Foundation (QF) and K1 Energy (a consortium of Mitsubishi Corporation and Tepco & Fuel Power, Incorporated).



The service agreement covers the plant's six SGT5-4000F gas turbines, four SST5-4000 steam turbines, 10 SGen5-1200A generators including instrumentation and controls service for a period of 25 years. It also provides for an electrical and a resident engineer to be located on-site.



On the contract win, Tim Holt, CEO of Siemens Power Generation Services, Power and Gas, said: "The long-term service agreement is designed to improve the operating capabilities, flexibility and profitability of the Umm Al Houl power plant by boosting efficiency, reliability and availability throughout its entire lifecycle."



Qatar, he stated, was experiencing a rapid industrial, economic and population growth.



"Supported by highly experienced technical experts, Siemens with its strong presence in the region and advanced services and maintenance solutions will help ensure this important new power plant operates reliably for many years to come," noted Holt.



The agreement will enable implementation of innovative service solutions through preventative maintenance, shortened lead times and on-site technical field assistance, he added.



The new power plant will be located 15km south of the capital Doha, adjacent to Qatar Economic Zone.



The plant will consist of two power blocks, each in a 3+2 configuration. Each block will consist of three gas turbines which will be used to generate the steam to drive two downstream steam turbines.



With a total electrical output of 2.5 gigawatts, and up to 618 million litres of drinking water per day, the plant will deliver almost one quarter of the nation's installed power generating capacity, said the statement from Siemens.



It will ensure adequate power and water supply to accommodate seasonal fluctuations and major events. Commissioning of the first phase is scheduled for 2017, with commissioning of the entire complex scheduled for mid-2018, it stated.



Siemens said it has received two major power generation service orders from Qatar in the past six months.

Earlier, Siemens had signed a long-term service contract with UAE-based Dolphin Energy for its gas project in the country.



Also Siemens has been providing service and maintenance for nine aero-derivative gas turbines from former Rolls-Royce Energy and the associated nine Dresser-Rand compressors over a contract period of 18 years.-TradeArabia News Service
State regulators lowered Peabody Energys reclamation costs by $138 million shortly before the coal giant filed for bankruptcy protection in early April.

Wyoming authorities framed the decision as a more accurate portrayal of Peabodys cleanup bill, one that accounts for lower diesel prices and the mining firms existing equipment.

But the decision has prompted concerns from environmentalists who worry the state is relaxing reclamation standards to aid financially battered coal companies.

We see it as part of a trend, a conversation that is happening, which is basically making excuses for these companies, said Shannon Anderson, a lawyer at the Powder River Basin Resource Council, a Sheridan-based landowners group.

In all, state regulators lowered Peabodys self-bonding total from almost $867 million to nearly $728 million prior to April 13, the date the company filed for bankruptcy.

Peabody applied for the change earlier in the year, and state regulators accepted public comment on the proposal before implementing the change.

The decision reflects coals new reality, said Kyle Wendtland, who oversees the Department of Environmental Qualitys Land Quality Division.

Mining firms and regulators paid less attention to estimated cleanup costs during the coal industrys boom days, he said.

Now that this market has become tighter, accurately defining that liability has become more important, Wendtland said. Were just taking a much harder look at that, and for good reason.

***

The lower cleanup estimate for Peabodys four Wyoming mines is based on two factors: lower diesel prices and a new shovel sharing policy.

Heavy haul trucks and bulldozers use vast quantities of diesel fuel in reclamation operations. A drop in diesel prices resulted in a $91 million reduction of Peabodys reclamation bill.

But the new shovel sharing policy, which lowered Peabodys cleanup tab by $47 million, is perhaps more controversial.

When regulators calculate a companys reclamation bill, they essentially estimate what it would cost the state if it had to pay for the cleanup itself.

Included in that estimate is the cost of purchasing a new shovel at each mine. The massive earth moving machines generally sell new for around $24 million, Wendtland said.

But if Wyoming had to reclaim Peabodys mines, it is unlikely the state would buy a new shovel for each facility, Wendtland said.

In Peabodys case, regulators implemented the new shovel share policy at the companys Caballo and Rawhide mines. Caballos self-bond included the price of a new shovel. Rawhides bond included the cost of moving and reassembling the Caballo shovel.

The shovel share policy ultimately saved the company $22.6 million at Caballo and Rawhide. It was also applied to Peabodys North Antelope Rochelle and School Creek mines, where it saved $24.5 million.

That is much more fiscally responsible use of the equipment, Wendtland said, noting the shovel share policy could be used only by companies that have multiple mines in Wyoming.

The change would require mines to rotate through the varying stages of reclamation, he said. A bulldozer would work at one mine to reduce the size of mining benches, while pits would be filled in with a shovel at a second mine, Wendtland said. The two mines would then switch.

Anderson, the Powder River Basin Resource Council attorney, questioned the change.

If this is the fiscally responsible thing to do, why havent we done it until now? she said. It is a fairly substantial change to the bonding program after doing it the same way after all these years.

***

The practice of self-bonding has drawn increased scrutiny in recent times, as the coal industrys fortunes plummeted and doubts over miners ability to pay for cleanup mounted.

Under federal law, mining firms are allowed to pledge their assets as a guarantee on future cleanup costs  provided they can pass a financial stress test. The U.S. Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement has ultimate authority over mine reclamation, but Wyoming is responsible for implementing oversight of cleanup operations.

For coal companies, the consequences of losing self-bonding status are particularly high. Those that lose the designation are required to obtain guaranteed financing like surety bonds, cash or letters of credit.

A reclamation bond, be it a self-bond or another form of financing, is required to maintain a mining permit.

Amy Schwetz, a Peabody executive, explained the importance of maintaining reclamation bonds in a bankruptcy filing earlier this month.

If any surety bonds lapse without renewal, or if the debtors (Peabody) are unable to self-bond or obtain new third-party surety bonds for certain purposes, the debtors could default on various obligations, which could severely disrupt the debtors operations and impair the debtors prospects for a successful reorganization, she wrote.

There have been growing calls to reform the self-bonding program. Senate Democrats have become increasingly vocal, expressing concerns that taxpayers could be left with the bill for mine cleanup.

Federal regulators have questioned Wyoming officials oversight of Peabody, writing in February that the mining giant may not have met the standards needed to qualify for self-bonding.

Arch Coal and Peabody maintained their self-bonding status right up until the time each filed for bankruptcy.

Wyoming regulators initially revoked Alpha Natural Resources self-bonding status before agreeing to a deal that secured 15 percent of the Virginia-based mining firms $411 million reclamation tab.

Wyoming officials, for their part, have defended their oversight of the program. Wendtland, in a letter to federal officials, noted that Peabodys self-bonds were guaranteed by a subsidiary  a practice allowed under federal regulations.

***

But there are indications that companies are moving away from the self-bonding program.

Executives at Cloud Peak Energy noted in a call this week with financial analysts that they are in talks to secure the companys $190 million in self-bonds.

We are proactively working to address the ongoing regulatory uncertainties regarding self-bonding programs by seeking to voluntarily transition fully to third-party surety bonds, Cloud Peak Energy Chief Financial Officer Heath Hill told analysts.

And in Colorado, state regulators are moving to transition coal mines away from self-bonds. Peabody Energy converted $27 million in self-bonds to surety bonds at regulators request. Colorado officials are also seeking to transition Tri-State Generation and Transmission Associations mines away from $80.5 million in self-bonds.

Yet the bond amounts in those cases are comparatively small to those found in Wyoming. Alpha, Arch and Peabody have a combined $1.6 billion in self-bonds.

Wyoming regulators are reviewing the states bonding policies as part of Gov. Matt Meads energy strategy. But they have shown little indication of moving away from the program.

The thing you have to remember there is OSM will play a role in that, Wendtland said, when asked if the state would transition away from self-bonding. The thing we dont want to do is change our rules, and then have OSM change theirs.

Peabody, meanwhile, is unlikely to be the last company to apply for a reduction in its self-bonds. Arch, Alpha and Cloud Peak are all expected to make similar requests, Wendtland said.
Power Service Inc., a Casper equipment manufacturer with hundreds of employees, is being sold to NOW Inc., the company announced Friday.

The sale was all-cash and the terms were not disclosed, according to a news release from Houston-based NOW. The deal remains subject to closing conditions and regulatory approval.

Power Service was founded in 1954 and describes itself as a one-stop shop for rotating and process equipment engineering, design, installation, fabrication and service.

NOW operates in more than 300 locations and employs about 4,500 people across the globe, the release said.

The company supplies products for everything from exploration and production to refineries, utilities, manufacturers and construction.

We are excited about the opportunity to add Power Services business to DistributionNOW, stated Robert Workman, president and CEO of NOW Inc. in the release. With their established position in the Oil & Gas turnkey tank battery solutions market, Power Service would provide a number of attractive synergies for DNOW. Similar to our previous large acquisitions since going public, Power Service would provide us with a unique, high value add solution for our existing customer base.

Power Service, Workman continued, would benefit from the companys larger scale, international presence and supplier relationships.

Tony Cercy, president and owner of Power Service, could not be reached for comment Friday.

Power Service has not been immune to the recent downturn in the oil and gas industry. It recently cut 50 positions from its Casper office, the first layoffs in the companys history.

Power Service has 14 offices in Green River, Salt Lake City, Denver, Billings, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Texas, according to its website.
More Wyomingites take advantage of retirement savings plans offered through their jobs than workers in other states, a recent study shows. And a local financial adviser says that while most Wyoming workers will be able to hold onto their retirement benefits during the economic downturn, a number may see retirement plans reduced or eliminated.

According to the study by the Pew Charitable Trusts, 63 percent of Wyoming workers had access to retirement benefits through their employers. Fifty-three percent of Wyoming workers participate in their plans. Employees usually have to sign up for plans, and sometimes contribute a portion of their earnings, which is why there is a difference between access to plans and participation in them, said John Scott, director of the retirement savings projects at Pew.

Nationally, 58 percent of workers have access to a plan, while 49 percent participate in one.

The Pew study was based on figures the Minnesota Population Center, which analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau collected from 2010 to 2014.

The Pew study found educated workers are more likely to have jobs with retirement benefits: 46 percent of Wyoming workers with high school diplomas have retirement benefits at work versus 65 percent of workers with bachelors and higher degrees.

Some occupations that have higher pay offer more benefits, Scott said. Generally pay and benefits tend to go together.

Wyoming employers are more likely to offer retirement plans to full-time workers than part-time workers, said David Bullard, senior economist for Wyoming Research and Planning, which analyzes data and publishes reports about the labor market.

Nearly 30 percent of employers offer a retirement plan and about 78 percent of full-time jobs in the state offer the benefits. Even though 30 percent might seem like a low number of employers, it represents a large portion of the workforce, Bullard said.

The large employers are more likely to offer the benefit, and of course, a lot of people work for the large employers, he said.

Although coal, oil and gas companies struggling and shedding jobs, most Wyoming workers who have retirement plans will probably keep them, said Jim Glover, a financial adviser with Edward Jones in Casper, who has witnessed previous downturns.

Glover said hes seen some workers lose their retirement benefits if their hours are reduced from full-time to part-time and the plans are offered only to full-time employees. Some employees will receive a lower level or no employer contribution to their retirement plans, in particular if they work for companies that make contributions to their employees retirement at the end of their fiscal years. Many energy companies offer both a guaranteed contribution and, when they have good years, an additional end-of-year contribution. The additional contributions may end, Glover said.

If an employer has committed to a match, I dont see that affected very much, he said. I think companies stand behind their commitment to match pretty well. Obviously if theyre on the ropes that has to be a factor too. But more likely the company waits till the end of the year, see what their year looked like, they make a discretionary contribution to the plan.
The principal of Park Elementary School has been placed on administrative leave in the wake of allegations that she failed to warn staff, parents and students of indecent exposure incidents reported in the neighborhood.

The move comes after a parent of a Park Elementary student accused principal Dawn Dewald of not sharing information about a man seen exposing himself in the area, including at the nearby Natrona County School District bus hub. Amanda Huckabay, whose daughter said a man exposed himself to her while she walked home from school, made the allegations Monday at a Natrona County School Board meeting.

Kelly Eastes, spokesman for the district, said he couldnt release further information, but confirmed that the principal was on leave.

The news came after prosecutors filed a more serious criminal charge against the Casper man suspected of exposing himself to Huckabays 9-year-old daughter as she walked home from school.

Brenden Nicholes Day now faces a felony charge of third-degree sexual abuse of a minor. Dressed in a green jail uniform, Day appeared Friday afternoon in Natrona County Circuit Court, where a judge set his bond at $15,000.

If Day is convicted of the felony, it could result in up to 15 years in prison.

The 20-year-old was charged last week with indecent exposure, a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. However, the less serious charge has been dropped in favor of the felony.

Prosecutors declined to comment on the reason for the change.

Police said Day was released from custody earlier this week after posting a $2,500 for the misdemeanor. He was at home when officer re-arrested him, this time on the felony charge.

On April 18, the Park Elementary student told officers a man exposed himself to her as she passed an alley near the intersection of Beech and Milton streets while walking home from school. She said the man shook his penis at her when he saw her.

The girl ran home and called her mother to tell her what had happened. Her description of the suspect helped authorities act quickly to apprehend a man theyd known about for months, Huckabay said.

After Days arrest, DeWald came under fire after Huckabay accused her of failing to warn parents about concerning incidents in the neighborhood.

She informed me that the Casper Police Department had informed her that there was someone in our neighborhood doing this, Huckabay told the Natrona County School Board on Monday. Had I known that someone was hanging out in my neighborhood, masturbating and targeting children, you can guarantee my daughter would not have been walking home.

DeWald hasnt commented publicly about the incident. Natrona County School District officials say they are investigating the situation and that they were unaware of the event until Huckabay told the school board.

The Natrona County School District lacks a policy for how schools should respond to an incident involving a possible sexual predator, a district spokesman told the Star-Tribune this week.

The district plans to hold a meeting next week to discuss possible policy changes related to the incident. A date hasnt been set.

Police say Day initially denied being the man who had exposed himself. However, he then stated he had urges and that the rage he was experiencing caused the impulse to masturbate in public, according to his arrest report.

He also told officers he had fantasized about abducting a person.
Casper College is holding an open meeting Tuesday to guide people affected by energy layoffs if they choose to return to school.

We created this event to help those caught in the economic downturn in Wyoming, said Kyla Foltz, admissions director. During these times of transition individuals might have the opportunity or the need to go to college to get their degree, finish their degree or receive specialized training to improve their job prospects.

The two-hour Go to College information session will offer prospective students career and job planning, information on degrees and certificate programs offered at the school, as well as financial aid services.

Casper College is not the only school trying to reach those affected by Wyomings rocky economy.

University of Wyoming officials visited Gillette on April 19 and 20, just days after two coal mines in the area laid off hundreds of workers.

A handful of prospective and current students, turned up for the information sessions, according to a university news release.

UW officials anticipate the need for their services in Gillette will grow and the school will hold similar public meetings there in the future, the release said.

One of the messages we received was that our presence in Gillette likely will be more important later on, when the end of severance packages, federal unemployment benefits and other issues will have people thinking about higher education options, said Alyson Hagy, special adviser to UWs president.

Hagy has been selected to coordinate outreach efforts from the school in light of Wyomings economic downturn, while UWs Outreach School Academic Coordinator, Dawn Keisel, is now permanently stationed on the Gillette College Campus. UWs next president, Laurie Nichols, will be speaking at Gillettes commencement ceremony May 13 and meeting with government officials and industry leaders in the community.

Casper Colleges meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Chapman Lobby at the Nolte Gateway Center.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Authorities on Wednesday resumed the search for a Colorado man who disappeared more than three months ago while hunting for a $2 million cache of gold, jewels and artifacts in a rugged part of New Mexico.

Officials at Bandelier National Monument confirmed that a search-and-rescue mission was underway in an area of the monument off-limits to the public.

Bandelier Superintendent Jason Lott declined to provide details but said authorities are encouraging people to stay out of the area, which covers steep slopes and loose rocks.

"It's rugged country and it takes a pretty high level of expertise to work in that area," he said. "We're actively pursuing the search and rescue and just ask that others don't try to engage in this."

The search was triggered by a backpack discovered last weekend. Authorities wouldn't say whether it belonged to Randy Bilyeu of Broomfield, Colorado, who disappeared in early January after he set out to raft a portion of the Rio Grande northwest of Santa Fe.

Bilyeu's dog and raft were found along the river, but authorities called off the search in mid-January when the trail went cold.

Bilyeu's ex-wife, Linda, has been helping to organize volunteers who have spent countless hours hiking along the river and using everything from drones to telephoto lenses and dogs to scan the area for clues.

There had been only speculation and frustration until last week, when the blue backpack was spotted at the upper end of a scree field near a waterfall at Bandelier. Linda Bilyeu said her ex-husband had a blue backpack.

It potentially marked the first clue in months.

Linda Bilyeu and her family have been steadfast, saying they're not giving up until they find out what happened to the father and grandfather who would have turned 55 on Feb. 21.

Randy Bilyeu had moved out West to live his dream  finding the treasure of Santa Fe antiquities dealer and author Forrest Fenn. Thousands have been inspired over the last several years to search for the cache using cryptic clues provided by Fenn in his self-published memoir.

Like Bilyeu, treasure hunters have scoured remote corners of New Mexico, Yellowstone National Park and other parts of the Rockies in vain for the small bronze chest.

Fenn believes some 65,000 people have gone looking for the treasure. He said his intent was to get people outside and onto an adventure.

Family and friends say Bilyeu bought a raft and set out on Jan. 5 after scouting for two weeks along the river west of Santa Fe. He had a GPS device, a wetsuit and waders, and brought along his little dog, Leo.

More than a week passed before a worried friend reached out to Linda Bilyeu, who filed a missing person's report on Jan. 14.

Bilyeu left maps with markings in his car that fellow treasure hunters used in an attempt to narrow their search for him. He also left food, suggesting that he hadn't planned to be gone long.

The community that has formed around the search for Bilyeu shared their support and prayers Wednesday as the search-and-rescue team worked at Bandelier. They were all hopeful for some kind of news.
CHEYENNE  Some state employees are concerned that projected state budget cuts could result in loss of employment or benefits.

On April 22, Gov. Matt Mead directed state agencies to cut 8 percent from their general fund budgets for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

The cuts were in order to address tumbling revenues from a bust in the fossil fuel industry. Wyomings budget is strongly associated with severance tax and other revenues from that industry.

The governor has asked agencies to propose budget reductions, David Bush, a spokesman for Mead, said this past week. Agency-proposed reductions will vary. The governor will review agency proposals as he considers the right course going forward.

But the question of where those cuts will be made remains, and some state workers are worried they could be out of a job.

Betty Jo Beardsley, the executive director of the Wyoming Public Employees Association, said the union is keeping an eye on how the budget cuts play out.

Whenever they talk about cuts, it is a concern where those cuts are going to be taken, she said.

Beardsley said the cuts may affect smaller state agencies more than large agencies, as smaller agencies have fewer items to cut from.

The concern is will it cut programs or will it cut people? she said. It does have to come from somewhere. I think that crosses everybodys mind.

The possibility also exists that employee benefits could be reduced or cut.

At this time, the governor has continued the hiring freeze and has asked the Department of Administration and Information to look at options on benefits, including insurance, Bush said.

Beardsley said in addition to the effect on current employees, benefit packages also can affect attracting future employees.

Right now, benefits are a huge factor in retention and recruitment for employees, she said.

The benefits package particularly matters for agencies that have a more difficult time with recruitment, like the Wyoming State Penitentiary, for example.

You can look at different occupations, and some are easier to recruit for than others, she said.

On April 22, the state Consensus Revenue Estimating Group released a report forecasting a possible state revenue shortfall of up to $130 million under projections for the current fiscal year.
Today youll learn about two extraordinary Wyoming originals.

One went out into the world to seek his fortune academic fortune, that is. Last month he returned to his home state with 10 Yale students in tow.

The other is a Platte County rancher who, at age 25, sustained a spinal cord injury in an altercation with a 5,000-pound steer. He has ranched from his wheelchair for 22 years.

Do you believe snowmobilers have the right to roar along Yellowstone trails? Are you a hiker who photographs the wildlife of a treasured national park  or are you incensed over the reintroduction of wolves? Perhaps you are a rancher in uproar over bison that wander from the park in search of forage: They might mingle with cows and infect them with the dreaded Brucella abortus.

As the worlds first national park, Yellowstone is globally recognized for its environmental preservation, yet the park and its surroundings are rife with environmental conflict.

Justin Farrell, a Cheyenne-born Yale scholar, examines conflicts between the old West ranchers and hunters who take pride in taming nature vs. the new West incomers, who decry them as environmentally destructive. His book The Battle of Yellowstone was hailed by the British journal The Economist as the most original political book of 2015. The reviewer says Farrell examines the venomous rows that have shaken Yellowstone National Park in recent decades, and why they are so intractable.

This groundbreaking work, says another reviewer, shows how the unprecedented conflict over Yellowstone is not all about science, law, or even economic interests, its about cultural upheaval and the construction of new moral and spiritual boundaries in the American West.

The new-west social order engenders struggles between the federal government, the National Park Service, environmentalists, local residents and elected officials. Farrell asks why it is that, with all the scientific, economic and legal efforts at hand, no resolutions have emerged.

Farrell teaches two Yale courses on the American West. One, a field course to western Wyoming, recently involved 10 days of travel with Yale students.

The trip was fantastic, he emailed. In meetings with agencies, students examined Wyoming Game and Fish versus U.S. Fish and Wildlife exigencies. They visited a Mormon community and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe.

Yellowstone is but one of Farrells interests. Lately Ive been writing about how corporate funding has become toxic in politics, he emailed. It paralyzes any practical progress.

***

Henry Poling emits cordiality through his facial features. Indeed, catching his eye will make you forget, here is a man with a disability. Because of his injury 22 years ago, Poling lost the use of both legs. Yet there was never a question in his mind that hed continue with his chosen vocation. His mothers ranching family had nurtured his interest early on.

I was in good shape physically when it happened, he reminisces. That helped.

When the surgeons at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, informed him that he would never again walk unaided, he merely asked, What do I have to do to get out of here?

One vertebra was splintered and had to be reconstructed. The chaps and belt he wore that day likely saved the others.

He told the doctors he planned to continue ranching. Often, people are more disabled in the brain than in the body, he tells me.

They sent in the hospital psychiatrist, he continues. They thought I was in denial.

His speedy rehab and recovery from complicated surgery amazed everyone. I went through it all in 25 days.

At first, what bothered Poling was the thought, People might look at me, thinking, poor thing. I agonized over peoples glances  until a friend reminded me, people have always been drawn to look at me.

What about marriage?

I like living by myself. Ill continue this way.

Its the daily tasks that lend his life structure and meaning. He designed and built his house. He runs his tractor, tends a greenhouse with aquaponics. In Wheatland, he volunteers with an outreach center.

In the early years, before she moved into a retirement home, his mother lived at his ranch in Palmer Canyon. Nowadays, my friend Clay helps on weekends. When branding, gathering cattle, and other tasks that require extra hands, my neighbors, the Hills, generously give of their time.

Sometimes he suffers from back pain and arthritis, particularly when the weather changes, but Poling plays the hand he was dealt. He gets on with life.
Editor:

Violence and selfishness have been a prominent part of human nature from the beginning of time. The strong have always dominated the weak. Various forms of religion have tended to moderate these tendencies to facilitate living together. The Christian faith has been the most successful of all religions to bring a semblance of peace to civilization. The atheists refuse to admit the existence of God so they have to deny the benefits of Christianity. It is easy to observe the behavior of people of other faiths to see the difference. Islam claims to be a religion of peace, but that is only for others of the same belief. The Hindus basically believe that a person should accept his status in life and live peacefully.

Randy Vlatch and Dino Wenino seem to believe that the behavior characteristics which Christianity teaches just come naturally to people. They refuse to admit that the benefits we enjoy in the U.S. were generated by the Christian philosophy of the writers of our constitution. The freedoms we take for granted do not exist in many other countries. Free speech is not universal and free speech is the only way we have to communicate free thoughts. We are seeing the restrictions in some of our universities.

It is almost universal among atheists to use slavery as their reason to dismiss Christ. They claim to have read the Bible several times but they fail to get the message. Christ did not come to change the law, he came to change man. The problem is that God gave man free will so man does not have to change unless he wants to and change requires effort. The message Christ gave concerning slavery was that if you have slaves, you should treat them like you would want to be treated.

Christianity is intended to be voluntary, but many people have tried to make it mandatory, but that is another example of free will being exercised. Love of your fellow man is a precept of Christianity but love cannot be forced. It has to be given freely and that is where many faiths fail.
LAS VEGAS  For one of the world's most endangered species, the Devil's Hole pupfish is having a pretty good year.

The population of 1-inch fish appears to be rebounding, according to a count conducted earlier in April in the water-filled cavern the species calls home 90 miles west of Las Vegas.

The annual spring count showed 115 pupfish, up from 80 last April, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Meanwhile, researchers at a multimillion-dollar lab less than a mile from Devil's Hole continue to make strides toward establishing a captive pupfish population for future breeding and research.

Since late 2013, the team at the Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility has successfully raised several dozen pupfish from 1-millimeter eggs painstakingly collected from Devil's Hole. The reserve population now totals about 50 adult fish.

That may not sound like a lot, but it's not bad considering how little material there is to work with. The females lay only one egg at a time, and researchers are limited to collecting no more than about 10 eggs each month to minimize the impact on the wild population.

The team has yet to successfully breed pupfish in the lab. Some of the lab-raised females have produced eggs, but none of those eggs developed.

"We're still trying to crack that nut," said facility manager Corey Lee from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Before 2013, pupfish had never been successfully hatched and raised in captivity using eggs collected from Devil's Hole.

In early 2014, the lab team released its first batch of 29 captive-raised pupfish into a state-of-the-art refuge tank at the facility. The 100,000-gallon tank is designed to replicate the fish habitat in Devil's Hole, right down to its shape and temperature. The 90-plus-degree water in the tank comes from the same thermally heated source that fills Devil's Hole.

In February, Lee and company moved a second, smaller batch of fish into the refuge tank.

"Pretty much the moment we moved them out there we started seeing tons of spawning activity," he said.

The Devil's Hole pupfish has been under federal protection since 1967, but extinction remains a very real possibility.

The population peaked at 544 in 1990 but began to decline in 1996 for reasons experts still can't explain.

The spring survey in 2013 turned up just 35 pupfish, the lowest total since regular counting began more than 40 years ago.

Now the numbers seem to be trending up again, as does the relative health of the population.

"The fish this year looked very healthy and active," said Kevin Wilson, an aquatic ecologist for Death Valley National Park.

Wilson was one of seven people who donned scuba gear to count pupfish during a series of dives on April 9 and 10.

At the surface, the pool is about 8 feet wide and 60 feet long, with a shallow shelf where the pupfish spend most of their time. But the cavern angles down into the groundwater table to an undetermined depth well over 435 feet. Some have called it "the deepest cave in North America," Wilson said.

The pupfish rarely go down more than about 100 feet, so that's where the population counts start.

Divers work in teams, logging fish at varying depths while researchers at the surface count the ones in the shallows, Wilson said. The entire process takes 45 minutes to an hour and is repeated several times to account for the vagaries involved in tracking tiny, moving fish.

"There is the possibility of counting the same fish more than once or missing a fish altogether," Wilson said.

The dive team also captures high-definition video footage that can accurately measure the fish using special software originally developed to chart the growth of far-larger test subjects, namely whale sharks and farm-raised tuna.

"We do that because we can't handle the pupfish," Wilson said.

Work in the lab can be even more time-consuming and tedious. Over the last six months of 2014, for example, researchers collected only a handful of viable eggs from Devil's Hole and produced just six fish.

"They were very well cared for," Lee said with a laugh.

The aquariums at the lab currently hold 17 pupfish, all hatched within the last two months.

Ultimately, they will need a couple hundred fish to establish a "self-sustaining population" in the refuge tank, Lee said.

The research team planned to head back to Devil's Hole on April 25 to gather more eggs.
The military is checking U.S. bases for potential groundwater contamination from a toxic firefighting foam, but most states so far show little inclination to examine civilian sites for the same threat.

The foam was likely used around the country at certain airports, refineries and other sites where catastrophic petroleum fires were a risk, but an Associated Press survey of emergency management, environmental and health agencies in all 50 states showed most haven't tracked its use and don't even know whether it was used, where or when.

Only five states  Alaska, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont and Wisconsin  are tracking the chemicals used in the foam and spilled from other sources through ongoing water monitoring or by looking for potentially contaminated sites.

A dozen states are beginning or planning to investigate the chemicals  known as perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs  which have been linked to prostate, kidney and testicular cancer, along with other illnesses. The rest of the states, about two thirds, are waiting for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to make a move.

In addition to the Aqueous Film Forming Foam used in disaster preparedness training and in actual fires, PFCs are in many household products and are used to manufacture Teflon.

Knowledge about the chemicals' effects has been evolving, and the EPA does not regulate them. The agency in 2009 issued guidance on the level at which they are considered harmful to health, but it was only an advisory  not a legally enforceable limit.

The EPA said then that it was assessing the potential risk from short-term exposure through drinking water. It later began studying the health effects from a lifetime of exposure. Those studies remain in progress, and the agency is also considering whether to establish a firm limit on PFCs in water.

The EPA required large public drinking water systems and some smaller ones to check for PFCs between 2013 and 2015.

The full results have not been released because data is still being submitted, but officials in several states told the AP that PFCs were found in their water systems during those checks. Detections were reported by six Massachusetts public water systems, for example.

To date, about 4,800 water systems have submitted their findings to the EPA. About 2 percent so far have reported measurable levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) or perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), or both, the agency told the AP on Thursday.

None of the PFOA levels were above the EPA's guidance, the agency said, but 17 of the PFOS levels were.

But beyond public drinking water, there may be contamination elsewhere that could affect private or other water supplies, including from any use of the firefighting foam. The five states forging ahead with wider tracking for PFCs are going well beyond the EPA's minimum requirement.

States that are not acting point to the cost of the testing and say nothing in federal law gives them the authority to require water utilities and cities to do it routinely.

"We don't have the resources to go out beyond what's required by the EPA at this point," said Mark Mayer, administrator of the drinking water program for the environmental department in South Dakota. "But we have been paying attention to it because there have been issues in other states."

A few states could pinpoint situations where the foam had been used. Utah's fire marshal said the fire service there uses it sparingly and only on large flammable liquid fires, which are rare.

The foam was also used at the state fire school in Delaware, but isn't anymore, according to the state emergency management agency.

In Issaquah, Washington, a large amount of firefighting foam was sprayed during a tanker fire in 2002 near a well that is now contaminated, though the city said it has not confirmed the source of the pollution. The city is installing a filtration system to remove PFCs from the well water by this summer.

Most states, though, said they have no way of knowing what individual fire departments are using.

Last month, U.S. military officials told the AP they would check 664 sites where fire or crash training was conducted.

The Navy has so far identified one site with contaminated drinking water and another with contaminated groundwater. The Army says there are low levels of PFOA in two drinking water systems.

The Air Force says there are chemicals in drinking water exceeding the EPA's guidance at three bases, including the former Pease base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Air Force has spent millions so far addressing the contamination there.

PFOA was found recently in wells in Vermont, New York and New Hampshire, near where a company making Teflon has plants. Residents in Vermont raised concerns, and the state responded by testing wells and looking for contamination elsewhere, said Danika Frisbie, an official in the state environmental department.

"We're responding to some pressure to make sure we're being thorough and planning ahead, and not waiting five to 10 years to see where else PFOA could be," she said. "I think it's just a matter of time before all states are dealing with this issue."

The 12 states that are beginning or planning to investigate the chemicals are California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington and Wyoming.

Details on what the five states actively monitoring for PFCs are doing:

___

ALASKA

The state is reaching out to agencies and businesses that may have used the foam and so far has found six sites with PFC groundwater contamination, including a fire training center in Fairbanks and at least two nearby private wells.

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MINNESOTA

The state's 3M Co. invented PFOA. It began to phase it out in 2002 in response to health concerns raised by the EPA, but wells near the manufacturer's disposal sites were contaminated. The state used money from a settlement agreement and consent order with 3M to sample water statewide for PFCs.

State officials say they're still monitoring groundwater and evaluating clean-up options at the Duluth Air National Guard Base and in the city of Bemidji after contamination was discovered in 2008 from the foam.

___

NEW JERSEY

State officials say they're focused on the Federal Aviation Administration's technical center near Atlantic City, where PFCs have been found in groundwater and in low levels in municipal wells near the center's fire training area. New Jersey has investigated industrial sites where the chemicals were used, too, and continues to do so.

___

VERMONT

The state is sampling water at sites where the chemicals were likely used, including at a fire training academy in Pittsford. The state said last week that the results at the academy showed no contamination.

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WISCONSIN

The Department of Natural Resources has sampled the groundwater at landfills for PFCs for the past eight years and plans to continue.

___

McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
WASHINGTON  A senior Pentagon official criticized the House Republican-led investigation into the deadly attacks in Benghazi, Libya, saying the panel has made a crescendo of costly, duplicative and unnecessary requests, including some based on claims made on Facebook or talk radio.

Stephen C. Hedger, an assistant secretary of defense, expressed frustration with the Benghazi panels potentially futile calls for witnesses and information, including some that were later withdrawn. Hedger also challenged a line of questioning of current and former military officials that focused on hypotheticals suggested by committee members or staff.

This type of questioning poses the risk that your final report may be based on speculation rather than a fact-based analysis of what a military officer did do or could have done given his or her knowledge at the time of the attacks, Hedger wrote Thursday in a letter to Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., chairman of the House Benghazi panel.

Four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, died during the twin assaults on Sept. 11, 2012. Questions about security at the diplomatic facility have dogged Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of state at the time.

Hedger complained in the three-page letter that the committee asked the Pentagon to track down four pilots who did not deploy to Benghazi on the night of the attacks, as well as an unidentified mechanic at an air base in Europe who claimed on Facebook that planes could have been sent to Benghazi to respond.

The panel also requested an interview with a person identified only as John from Iowa, who told a talk radio show he operated a camera for a remotely piloted aircraft and saw a video feed related to Benghazi on the night of the attacks, Hedger said.

The request to interview the four pilots was later withdrawn. Hedger called the proposed interview with the mechanic unnecessary and said officials were unable to locate John from Iowa, despite expending significant resources to locate anyone who might match the description.

The mechanics claim is easily dismissed by statements from a number of high-level officials already interviewed by the Benghazi panel, Hedger said.

A spokesman for the committee, however, called Hedgers letter further proof the Benghazi Committee is conducting a thorough, fact-centered investigation that includes interviews with dozens of people who were never interviewed in previous investigations.
Construction on a mosque is to begin this summer on Tucsons northwest side, adding to an already existing multipurpose building near North La Canada Drive and West River Road.

The approximately 7,500-square-foot mosque will be an add-on to 12,650 square feet of gymnasium and classrooms that opened at 5100 N. Kevy Place last June. The mosque will feature a dome and a 40-foot minaret.

The Muslim Community Center of Tucson plans to submit drawings of the new mosque to the county next week. It would like to see construction completed by the first quarter of 2017, said Maqsood Ahmad, a board member at the mosque.

Construction for the first phase of the community center started in November 2014 and lasted eight months, costing about $800,000. Phase 2 is estimated to cost $750,000, and the community is still fundraising. Vendors including architect Ahmed & Associates and contractor Coronado Custom Homes provided free services, Ahmad said.

Already, 250 to 300 Muslims are attending Friday prayers, kneeling on runners rolled out on the gym floor. The expanded mosque will have a mezzanine where the women will pray.

The whole idea is to service the Muslim community in all of its aspects, whether the religious needs or the social needs, said Ahmed Gaber, a board member.

Thats why the multipurpose building was built before the actual mosque. The vision for a new center for the community, and specifically for young people and families to gather, dates to 2003, when a group of local Muslims purchased the land for more than $200,000.

For years, nothing happened as the community focused on the growth and financial stability of the Islamic Center of Tucson near the University of Arizona.

That has long been the main mosque for the 8,000 to 10,000 Sunni Muslims in Tucson. But with limited parking, traffic and high-rise student housing units surrounding it, theres no space to grow near campus.

The new center is already hosting monthly family fun events, along with Arabic classes and healthcare clinics for the community.

The JCC is a great role model for us, taking care of community needs, having guest speakers, and doing things for the general community, Ahmad said, referring to the Tucson Jewish Community Center. But were just starting the phase of growing pains.

The Muslim Community Center wont replace the mosque near the UA, despite recent issues with residents from neighboring apartments tossing debris into the Islamic Centers parking lot.

The ICT is there to stay, said Ahmed Meiloud, the outgoing president of the Islamic Centers board. The ICT caters to primarily students, professors, people on campus and working in that area of town. Its in a central location and has no plans to relocate anywhere.

Depending on where Muslims work and live, they might bounce between centers for convenience, Meiloud said.

Although the two centers are separate, they serve the same community. In fact, some of the Muslim Community Centers leadership have backgrounds at the Islamic Center, including Ahmad, Gaber and Imam Watheq Alobaidi.

About four years ago, Bart Peters and his wife lived about 25 minutes from the Islamic Center and attended community prayer by commuting or with a small group on the east side.

When the Muslim Community Center opened, the couple followed it, moving northwest despite Peters electrical engineering work near Broadway and Country Club Road.

Its easier to be connected to the community and stop by for morning and evening prayers, Peters said.

To accommodate the growing Friday prayer services and special events, neighbor Northside Church of Christ has offered the mosque its parking lot. The two houses of worship have exchanged campus tours and conversation.

Our neighbors opened our hearts and our imagination, Ahmad said of the relationship, which has encouraged the mosques food bank and interfaith work.

About 30 years ago, Northside Church of Christ was in the same position, as an offshoot from another Tucson church.
Upset that Donald Trump received just a handful of statewide delegates during an electronic vote, his Arizona campaign manager is threatening to sue the Arizona Republican Party.

"This stinks to high heaven!" Jeff DeWit shouted at reporters, decrying the results of the at-large delegates.

He suggested the website Arizona Republicans used to choose delegates for this summer's national GOP convention, NeverHillary.SimplyVoting.com, was rigged. He offered proof in terms of a screen shot that suggests statewide delegates clicked on a slate supporting Trump.

"People clicked the trump button more than any other and we got hosed," he said.

Former governor Jan Brewer, a national candidate who supports Trump, agreed with DeWit.

"This stinks to high heaven," she said.

State Party Chairman Robert Graham stood by the results, saying the combined Ted Cruz and John Kasich supporters simply did better in the second half of the convention, getting a majority of the support.

Graham dismissed the legal threats from DeWit, saying elections have winners and losers.

He said he was confident in the results, saying the party set up a national delegate election that is completely transparent.

About 1,500 convention goers chose from five slates  one loyal to Trump, another to Cruz and another to Kasich, plus a "unity" slate set up by state party leaders and another that let convention goers choose their own list of candidates.

State delegates were asked to vote for 56 candidates - 28 delegates and 28 alternates.

In the late afternoon, state officials raised the possibility that flaws in some of the slates  some delegates were listed on multiples slates, for example  and missing candidates could require a re-vote.

Earlier in the day convention-goers chose district-specific delegates to the GOP convention in Cleveland this summer, Republicans from Congressional District 2 split in terms.

Statewide delegates from Pima and Cochise counties selected former state legislator Frank Antenori, state senator Gail Griffin and former Congressional candidate Gabby Saucedo-Mercer to represent Congressional District 2.

Antenori and Saucedo-Mercer are listed as delegates for Donald Trump, while Griffin is reportedly backing Ted Cruz.

In Congressional District 1, delegates backed Andrea Kadar, Dwight Kadar and Phyllis Ritter as national delegates. All are listed as supporting Trump.

Kimberly Ownes, Amanda Flores and Sophia Johnson, all slated for Cruz, were elected in Congressional 3.

Each Congressional District chooses three delegates and three alternates.

More than 800 people were seeking to represent Arizona at the national convention in July. In the first round of voting, delegates will have to vote for Donald Trump if he secures 1,237 votes before the convention. But if he doesn't, the Cruz and Kasich campaigns are pushing a plan to have delegates vote however they want on a second ballot. That strategy has politicized the usually low-key convention.

Three Arizona Republicans are guaranteed seats in Cleveland. Phoenician Robert Graham, chair of the state party, gets a seat automatically. Tucsonan Bruce Ash, who is running unopposed as the states national committeeman, will also keep his seat.

Lori Klein Corbin was chosen to replace Sharon Giese as the states national committeewoman.
Jeffries said he owes the broad support for the measure to the stakeholder process that formulated the pension fix.

By inviting everyone to the table, we ultimately could leave there with an agreement that we could all work with, he said.

Ethan McSweeney is a University of Arizona journalism student who is an apprentice at the Star. Contact him at starapprentice@tucson.com
A suspect in a shooting Friday across the street from ParkPlace mall turned himself in to police Saturday afternoon, a Tucson police spokesman said.

Robert Steven Balderrama, 19, was booked into the Pima County jail on suspicion of one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of aggravated assault with serious physical injury, said Sgt. Pete Dugan in a news release.

Police had released a photo earlier Saturday, from surveillance video taken near the scene. Balderrama turned himself in "after learning that his photograph had been posted throughout social media and on the news," Dugan said.

The man who was shot was hospitalized with injuries listed as nonlife-threatening, Dugan said.

The shooting occurred about 4 p.m. in the 5900 block of East Broadway, across the street from the mall near a jewelry store. The mall is on the south side of Broadway, west of South Wilmot Road.

Detectives were able to interview the wounded man at a hospital, where he was driven by a woman he was with before police arrived at the scene.

The victim and the suspect were involved in a verbal dispute near the mall and eventually walked across the street, Dugan said Saturday. "As the altercation continued, one of the men brandished a handgun and shot the other man multiple times."
State authorities have reduced the speed limit on a stretch of Interstate 10 near the New Mexico border from 75 mph to 45 mph after two dust storms caused pileups this week.

Officials also vow to act more quickly to close that stretch when needed as long as a tract of land denuded for agriculture remains in its current state.

Crashes on Monday and Thursday occurred in the same area around milepost 376 between Bowie and San Simon where land was stripped of vegetation last year. Dust also caused a two-vehicle crash at the site on April 7, said Bill Harmon, engineer for the Arizona Department of Transportations southeast district.

Officials from ADOT and the Arizona Department of Public Safety met with their New Mexico counterparts Friday to discuss strategies for dealing with the recurring problem.

Were going to be shutting the interstate down sooner. Were not going to be taking any chances, said Trooper Kameron Lee, a state DPS spokesman.

In Thursdays pileup, a DPS squad car was crushed by a semitrailer truck. Sgt. Stewart Shupe was out of his car directing traffic around an accident at the time and was not injured.

We did not get it closed in time before those accidents happened, Lee said.

On Thursday, 13 vehicles were involved in three separate crashes. Only three minor injuries were reported, Lee said. On Monday, a three-vehicle crash left a truck driver seriously injured.

So far weve been fortunate there have been no fatalities, said Harmon.

Lee said officials were told at Fridays meeting that dust from the recently disturbed desert plot south of Interstate 10 can become airborne if the wind is blowing at 15 mph.

The National Weather Service recorded gusts up to 45 mph in the area on Monday and Thursday.

UA meteorologist Mike Leuthold, who travels that stretch of highway regularly, said he witnessed dust blowing across the road in mild winds this winter.

I said, This is going to be a problem. They bladed the desert completely of all vegetation in preparation for planting groves. Leuthold estimated the plot to be about 200 acres.

State officials have not yet identified the owner of the land, but plan to do so quickly and urge mitigation measures. They have no legal authority to require them, said Harmon.

We dont have much leverage or influence in that regard. Right now, were working with the Cochise County Assessors Office to see if we can find the owner. Wed like to find out what theyre going to do, crops or orchards or whatever.

Lynne Taylor, who commutes between homes in Tucson and Portal along Interstate 10, said she has recently encountered billowing dust clouds at the spot on windless days, when tractors were operating there.

On Thursday she drove through dust again, after the accidents had occurred, but before the detour was enacted.

I find it frightening that public safety on an interstate highway is not being looked after because of pecan fields. If I owned that land, I would be absolutely dismayed by what I had done.

Leuthold said the growing number of orchards along Interstate 10 in the Bowie/San Simon area help cut down dust, when they are irrigated and mature.

Denuded land, however, is a dust storm waiting to happen. In addition, the area is an extremely windy spot on the lee side of the Chiricahua Mountains where winds accelerate downslope, Leuthold said.

The decision to close the interstate is not made lightly and is not easy to do, said Lee. It forces a 110-mile detour north on US 191 to Safford, then east on US 70 to Lordsburg, New Mexico.

Lee said DPS personnel were headed to the Arizona 191 intersection Thursday to close it while Sgt. Shupe was trying to slow traffic that had already passed the detour point.

He was tending to a crash in the eastbound lane when cars started piling up westbound. He crossed over the median and was moving cars off the road when his squad car was hit by the semi-truck, Lee said.

A San Simon Fire District emergency vehicle was also involved in a collision.

The crashes occurred in an area where the Arizona Department of Transportation has installed sensors to monitor visibility and electronic message boards to warn motorists. Those systems were operating Thursday, Lee said, but a low-frequency radio station that broadcasts highway information was not.

The crash-prone area is between two of ADOTs sensors. Harmon said an ADOT employee has been assigned to patrol that stretch of highway.

Harmon said ADOT and DPS have agreed to preemptively shut down traffic once weve seen precursor conditions.

Our observation is that the dust is generated at a somewhat lower wind velocity than in other areas, he said.

The National Weather Service office in Tucson had warned of blowing dust in its weather advisory early Thursday, as it had the Monday before. ADOT spokesman Doug Nintzel said electronic message signs warning of the danger were activated both mornings.

DPS, ADOT and weather service offices in Tucson and Phoenix have been meeting for five years to find ways to avoid crashes caused by blowing dust.

Ultimately, the problem is one of historically degraded or recently disturbed agricultural land.

Harmon said an electronic message board warning of the danger caused by the field has been installed at either end of the five-mile stretch with the 45 mph speed limit.

Nintzel noted that its not the only stretch of the interstate where dust-caused accidents occur, and motorists should heed the departments Pull Aside, Stay Alive message.

Dust storms and dust channels can occur in a number of areas across the state. Were getting into a general time of the year when they are likely to occur and can happen at any time, he said.

If youre caught with zero- or near-zero visibility, pull off the right side of the pavement, if possible. Turn off your lights and take your foot off the brake pedal.
Plenty of planes have gone through the Boneyard since it opened in the mid-1940s. Here are photos of some of them.

Read more about the boneyard >> http://tucne.ws/1ckp

Did you know? The Star has a throwback email newsletter! We send snapshots of Tucson history to your inbox every Thursday. Sign up >> tucson.com/timemachine
PHOENIX  Efforts to enact a $9.58 billion spending plan for the state crumbled late Friday as House Republican leaders gave up for the weekend.

The hang-up came as some moderate Republicans pushing for more funding for public schools could not get the language they wanted to guarantee the additional dollars into the budget. And without their support, the GOP leadership found itself without the necessary 31 votes for approval.

That breakdown came despite the fact that there was a deal, at least on paper.

Both Gov. Doug Ducey and Republican leadership had agreed to restore funding that a previously pushed budget plan had cut from schools. That includes a $31 million reduction in aid to schools due to a change in how the state would compute each districts number of students.

But that concession, by itself, was not enough to satisfy foes.

Rep. Heather Carter, R-Cave Creek, said there was only a conceptual agreement to restore K-12 funds. What she had as of late Friday was still only some bullet points on a sheet. And Carter told colleagues that wasnt enough to get her vote.

What I would respectfully ask is for the language to be drafted, handed out, with enough time for the stakeholders to review the language so that we make sure that there isnt an unintended mistake, she said.

Rep. Chris Ackerley, R-Sahuarita, who also said his vote on the budget is contingent on satisfactory restoration of the K-12 funds, was more succinct about wanting to know what is being promised. Im not saying yes to a concept, he said.

The issue of K-12 funding is just part of the roadblock to getting the House to approve the budget.

Rep. Noel Campbell, R-Prescott, raised questions about another provision in the package that would have the state set aside more than $100 million that charter schools could use as a guarantee of sorts to lenders that their loans would be paid.

Campbell said he has no problem with the concept of reducing borrowing costs so that high-quality charter schools, even if operated by for-profit corporations, could finance expansion.

But he said theres no reason the state should be in the business of providing payment guarantees so that a company could simply refinance its debt at a lower rate and pocket the difference in profits.

But thats only part of his concern.
BEND, Ore.  A routine jog Saturday by the Deschutes River nearly turned tragic for Garrett Bergby when his 10-year-old Llewellin setter suddenly bolted for a flock of ducks.

Kaya managed to get out of her leash and collar and went into the river, Bergby, 34, said, where she soon struggled to stay above water in the fast-moving current and eventually became marooned on an island.

Steve and Kari Strang happened to be nearby with their sons Jack, 12 and Ben, 10. The family was holding a solemn ceremony to remember two of their dogs who had recently died.

Bergby and the Strang family managed to rescue Kaya and are still amazed by the circumstances that brought them together.

"It's a terrible feeling to look at somebody you love and feel helpless," Bergby said Tuesday. "The fact that Kari and Steve and their kids came to the rescue without a doubt, that's just really cool community."

Bergby, originally from Eugene, moved to Bend 10 years ago at about the same time he got Kaya as a puppy. About twice a week he runs with her on the Central Oregon Canal Trail in southwest Bend.

Kaya went into the river Saturday in an area south of the South Canyon Trail Bridge, he said, which is about 1 miles upriver from the Bill Healy Memorial Bridge.

"It was an area where there wasn't a ton of rapids, but the current was enough to where she got caught into the bad rapids," said Bergby.

He said he couldn't get to her because it was too dangerous to wade out into the water. She got caught on a log in the river and started to struggle.

"If she would have gone under she wouldn't have come back up," he said. "The way the water was, she would have drowned. I felt completely helpless because I couldn't get to her."

Although it was a weekend afternoon, it was a cool day, in the high 50s, and Bergby hadn't seen many people on the trail.

He said he didn't want to lose sight of Kaya, so he did his best to watch her from the shore and ran back across the trail bridge to the other side of the river. Kaya made it onto an island, but "she was dead tired from trying to deal with the water," he said.

As Kaya ran around the island, desperate to jump off and swim to safety, she got caught in some branches in the middle of the island over a pool of water, Bergby said.

"It was just holding her down and she was struggling up and down and bobbing in the water," he said. "I thought she was going to die right then and there."

She barely got back onto the island and out of the branches, he said, when his cellphone died and he decided to run downstream and try to contact somebody.

It was then that he ran into the Strang family of Bend, who had gathered near the river to mourn the loss of their two chocolate Labs.

The Strang's 14-year-old dog, Sierra, had died two months ago. Their other dog, McKenzie, would have turned 3 on Saturday , but was struck and killed by a car two weeks prior.

"After losing Sierra and then to lose McKenzie that closely together, when she was so young, and in a traumatic way, for our family, was really sad," said Kari Strang, on Wednesday.

Kari Strang, 43, was running with McKenzie in the Good Dog! Trail off-leash area in the Deschutes National Forest southwest of Bend. The young dog ran after something suddenly toward Century Drive. McKenzie tried to dart across the road but was run over, Kari Strang said.

"We were there as a family to grieve," she said about being near the river Saturday. "We picked that day and planned on doing a birthday celebration for McKenzie."

Bergby and the Strangs knew each other from serving together on the board of Healthy Beginnings, a local nonprofit that provides healthcare to young children and their parents.

Kari Strang said she saw the panic in Bergby's eyes and the leash without a dog attached.

"I tell them what's going on and they immediately spring into action," Bergby said. "There's no question."

"All of us were like, 'Of course, what do you need?' It was never a thought when something like happens and somebody needs your help," said Kari Strang. "You just go."

After considering different options, Bergby and Steve Strang, 44, decided to use a log and place it across rocks and logjams to wade out to the island where Kaya was stranded. The cold water was chest deep in some areas, Bergby said.

Steve Strang and Bergby managed to take Kaya across from the island and reach the shore.

Bergby described the ordeal and the Strang's help in a Facebook post the next day. As of Thursday morning, the post had dozens of comments and more than 250 "likes."

"This town is full of so many good people," said Bergby. "The fact that they're mourning the loss of their dogs and then they're able to be in a position to help save another dog, that's just so cool."

Bergby said Kaya is a little sore, but for the most part has acted like nothing happened.

Kari Strang said the opportunity to take part in the rescue of Kaya has helped her family heal. The loss of McKenzie was personally devastating, she said.

"That accident is going to haunt me the rest of my life, but I think somehow this has somehow calmed a little bit of that pain," said Kari Strang.

She said she doesn't feel any less guilty about losing McKenzie, but the rescue of Kaya has brought a sense of peace and comfort.

"I come away with it seeing it as a sign of faith and hope and finding some light out of a pretty dark time for our family," Kari Strang said. "Regardless of your faith and belief there are some things that happen that don't just happen. I think it was something that we have had a hard time even explaining."

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Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com
PHOENIX  The Legislature adjourned for the weekend as negotiations over the state's $9.58 billion budget package fell apart in the House late Friday night before a deal could be reached.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle left the House in frustration as House Speaker David Gowan and Senate President Andy Biggs called it quits after discussions with a group of House Republicans on additional cash for K-12 schools hit a major roadblock.

The holdout House Republicans balked early in the week at what they believe are funding shortfalls for smaller schools, district-sponsored charter schools and those with declining enrollment. They struck a tentative agreement Thursday that brings new spending on those items to about $51 million, up from about $16 million.

Some conservative members are upset about the added spending. Democrats want more spending on schools and social services but majority Republicans don't need their votes to pass a budget.

Sen. Steve Pierce, R-Prescott, said Gowan was working on a deal with House members who believed they had an agreement for more spending on K-12 schools, but could not reach a final deal.

"People are pretty upset  it's a mess," Pierce said. "It's a total lack of leadership."

Democratic Rep. Bruce Wheeler of Tucson also blamed the failed effort on the leadership.

"Nothing got done for the fifth straight day and we are going home and try again on Monday," Wheeler said. "It's not just the House leadership but the governor who bears considerable responsibility for this breakdown."

Gov. Doug Ducey had negotiated the overall budget with Biggs and Gowan, who brought it to their members early in the week.

"The governor is committed to passing a balanced budget that protects K-12 education and we look forward to working with legislative leadership in the week ahead," Ducey spokesman Daniel Scarpinato said after the Legislature adjourned. "We look forward to working with all legislators."

Several Republicans expressed their irritation at the inability to come to an agreement with the holdouts in their own caucus.

"I have absolutely nothing to say other than I am disgusted," said Republican Rep. Mark Finchem of Oro Valley, a fiscal conservative.

The package passed by the House Appropriations Committee during a meeting that ended at about 3 a.m. Friday was supposed to include fixes for the education issues.

But wrangling continued throughout the day Friday and into the early evening. The House, set to gavel-in at 10 a.m., briefly met in mid-afternoon but then recessed to allow for more negotiations.

House appropriations chairman Justin Olson announced at the start of the meeting late Thursday that the school budget items would get extra money and funding for school construction also would be added. That followed a commitment earlier in the day from Ducey Chief of Staff Kirk Adams to fix the problem and bring school funding up to the previous year's level.

The meeting of the House panel  the only point where the public could comment on the spending plan  began at 9 p.m., and was sparsely attended. Some Democratic members complained that holding it at such a late hour meant many affected by the spending plan were effectively shut out of the process.

In recent years, once a deal is struck between the governor and House and Senate leaders they push to get it done in a week and will work overnight into the weekend to get the budget out.
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Vienna, January 11, SPA  International Atomic Energy Agency experts will revisit an earthquake-hit Japanese nuclear plant, the worlds largest, to check safety standards as part of efforts to restart the complex, Reuters quoted the IAEA as saying today.

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant leaked low amounts of radiation  below the maximum permitted under safety rules  when a 6.8 magnitude quake struck on July 16, exceeding the worst seismic impact the plant had been designed to withstand.

IAEA experts visited the plant in August and would now return on Jan. 28 and stay through Feb. 1 at the invitation of Japans nuclear watchdog NISA, the Vienna-based agency said.

The 12 members of the follow-up mission will hold discussions with Japanese experts and conduct an examination at the site in relation to the seismic safety of its seven units, it said in a statement.

The plants owners, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) , and NISA will also brief the IAEA experts on results of studies and investigations undertaken since the earthquake.

U.N. inspectors said in August it might take more than a year to restart power production at the plant since in-depth examinations of the reactor vessel and the fuel elements still had to be done.



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Kolkata : As many as 680 companies of central forces will be deployed in poll-bound districts of South 24 Parganas, Kolkata and Hooghly during the fifth phase of polls on April 30, Election Commission officials said here.

(A total of) 680 companies will be deployed. There has been slight realignment of observers. In each of the three poll going districts, two police observers will be deployed, an official said.

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Earlier, officials had said while Kolkata and Hooghly will have two police observers each, while in South 24 Parganas, three observers will be deployed.

According to additional chief electoral officer Dibyendu Sarkar, central forces deployed in 1,064 sectors spread across the three districts will be significant in maintaining law and order in the fifth phase.

In each sector, half a section of central forces will be present. There are 225 quick response teams and night intervention teams are active, he said.

Fifty-three constituencies spread across the three districts will go to the polls on Saturday.
Unified Communications Week in Review: T-Systems, 8x8, Sangoma and Dialpad

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By Rory Lidstone

Contributing Writer By Rory LidstoneContributing Writer

Although it wasnt the busiest week for the unified communications space, there were still some stories of note. Lets take a look at the highlights.

First up, T-Systems (News - Alert), a division of global telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom, launched Dynamic Unified Communications (DUC) software in South Africa. This unified communications product is meant to address the need for management of multiple communications channels within a single interface. As such, it offers businesses a common graphical environment for all channels, including calling and instant messaging, while facilitating access to them via desktop and mobile devices.





Next, 8x8 was selected by international car rental services provider Auto Europe this week to roll out a company-wide, modern cloud communications system. The system is now being used to manage Auto Europes global office telephony and call centers across the U.S., Australia and Germany. In particular, Auto Europe has replaced its on-premises PBX (News - Alert) equipment and home-grown call center solution with 8x8s integrated, cloud-based Virtual Office (VO) and Virtual Contact Center (VCC).

In other news this week, Sangoma (News - Alert) announced a new UC solution, PBXact Unified Communications (News - Alert). This fully featured business communications system offers more than the average PBX functionality, offering web conferencing and collaboration, CRM/Help Desk integration, and mobility/remote user integration, along with FoIP, IVR and a contact center feature set. Despite its vast feature set, the system can be up and running within 10 minutes thanks to a guided installation wizard and web interface for users. The system can support anywhere from 10 to 5,000 users, also offering a high availability cluster option to ensure exceptional performance.

Lastly, Denison University decided to upgrade its communications system this week, so it turned to the cloud-based Dialpad UC solution. Dialpad offers a full suite of tools for voice, text messaging and group interaction, while linking to popular productivity suites like Google (News - Alert) Apps for Education and Office 365.

Higher education is experiencing a period of unprecedented change as we shift from the old on-premises world to a digital workplace, and colleges and universities seeking to thrive, or even simply survive, in this environment must find new ways to support our communitys demand for high-quality, highly-personalized services that help faculty, staff, and students engage more effectively, said Dena Speranza, chief information officer at Denison.

That about does it for this week in unified communications, but be sure to check out the main page for more news in the space.
A sparkling combination on show from Bulgari Updated: 2016-04-29 08:04 By Sun Yuanqing(China Daily)

Chinese actress Hsu Chi (center) attends the ongoing Cinecitta and BeyondBulgari Jeweler to the Stars exhibition in the Beijing SKP mall.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Italian luxury jewelry house Bulgari has put together an exhibition showcasing more than 30 pieces of iconic jewelry from the 1930s until today, which are linked to films and stars. Sun Yuanqing reports.

Movies are all about fantasy, while luxury is based on people's dreams. So it's only natural for the two worlds to intersect. Italian luxury jewelry house Bulgari proves this with an ongoing jewelry exhibition in the Beijing SKP mall. Specially created for China, the exhibition called Cinecitta and BeyondBulgari Jeweler to the Stars celebrates the brand's connection with the movie world, showcasing more than 30 pieces of iconic jewelry from the 1930s until today.

The exhibition integrates jewels, photographs and videos, telling stories involving divas like Ingrid Bergman, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn.

Modern actresses like Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie and Anne Hathaway are also featured in the exhibition.
Photo shows Shenxianju scenic spot shrouded by clouds after a rain in Xianju county, East China's Zhejiang province on April 23, 2016. Shenxianju, literally meaning a dwelling for immortals, is a popular tourist attraction which has been awarded a 5A rating, China's top classification for scenic spots. [Photo/Chinapic]
Protests against anti-immigration party staged in Germany's Stuttgart Updated: 2016-04-30 19:48 (Xinhua)

FRANKFURT -- Hundreds of people on Saturday took to the street in protest against an anti-immigration party in southwestern German city Stuttgart, with clashes with police reported.

The protesters tried to block the roads in Stuttgart where the anti-immigration party Alternative Fuer Deutschland (AfD) is set to hold Federal Party Convention from April 30 to May 1.

Some 1,000 police officers surrounded the protesters and fired pepper spray, according to German media reports.

The right-wing AfD party came into being in 2013 and is critical of Euro currency and bailouts. After the resignation last year of its founder, the party focused on campaigning against government's refugee policy, calling for reintroduction of border controls.
Yesterday, Nigerian social media was on fire because TeeBillz, Tiwa Savages husband posted some condemning posts on Instagram, alleging a number of things: (1) That Tiwa was a horrible wife, (2) That Tiwa only cared about her singles and her brand (3) That for three years, Tiwa had not asked him if he had eaten, (4) That her mother mounted something  juju  on the roof of their house, and that that was what made her shine, and most damning of them all, (5) That she slept with Tuface, Don Jazzy, and Dr. Sid. And then he tried to commit suicide by jumping off the bridge. He later claimed that his account was hacked, but no one was buying it.

Nigerian Twitter was ablaze. There were so many jokes. Even Igwe got in on the joke when he called me from work to ask me when was the last time I asked him if he had eaten. And not to be outdone, I cooked dinner at night and told him that I was only doing that because I did not want him to commit suicide. I did not partake in the Twitter banter, nor did I blog about it, but I was itching to do so. I chose not to because I dont usually write about celebrity feuds. I assumed that this was just wahala between husband and wife, and that, they would work it out. But today, the story don climb level.

Tiwa Savage released a video, and if you have not seen it, its below. When youre done watching, lets discuss at the bottom.

Summary of the video: (1) TeeBillz has been cheating on Tiwa, (2) Tiwa Savage never slept with anyone, (3) She had a miscarriage and TeeBillz never checked up on her because he was busy sleeping with some woman in the hotel (4) Since their son was born, he has not spent one naira on him (5) TeeBillz has no job and no income (6) TeeBillz spends his time keeping up appearances (7) TeeBillz has been borrowing money up-an-dan, spending it on himself, (8) TeeBillz saved the number of his mistress as Edible Catering, and (9) TeeBillz borrowed 45 million naira (thats about $150,000 at the current exchange rate) and he is yet to pay it back. He did not tell his wife he was borrowing the money, nor does she know what he did with it, and (10) TeeBillz smokes crack/cocaine.

A man cheated on his wife several times, stole his wifes money, squandered their money, accused his mother in-law of doing diabolical things, fathered a child with another woman, endangered the life of his wife and son, has been verbally abusive to his wife, has accused her of being an adulterer, and has gone on social media to tarnish her name. But please, lets talk about the last time his wife asked him if he has eaten.

Tiwa Savages personal life has been displayed for all to see online without her permission, she has been the breadwinner of her home for years, she has been running from pillar to post to hide her husbands shame, she has been verbally abused, she has miscarried a child for a man who was busy shining congo with someone else, she has lost money because her husband is a reckless spender, and her name has been dragged through the mud. But please, lets ask her why she defended herself too quickly? Why did she not wait until it was more convenient for her accuser and abuser? Why did she not do it gently and privately  you know, like the way he did?

Tiwas story just goes to show again what a patriarchal society Nigeria is. Its always a lose-lose situation for women. Damned if you do, and damned if you dont. Tiwa is blamed for her husbands decision to be an asshole and blamed for her decision to defend herself and clear her name because she did it at a time that was presumably not convenient for TeeBillz. Its him, not her, who needs time to heal from the ordeal that he caused. Did TeeBillz ask her if yesterday was a convenient time for him to rubbish the name she has worked so hard to build  the name that puts food on their table?

Quick Lessons For Nigerian Women:

1. A woman should not have to dim her light to make her husband shine. Its actually possible for them to both shine. It is also possible for a woman to shine without having a husband.

2. Marriage is not by force.

3. Tiwa saw the signs before she married TeeBillz, and by her own admission, people even warned her about him, but she ignored all the signs and warnings.

4. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Na Maya Angelou talk am. You cannot love or polish a man into being what hes not. A cheating man will be a cheating man. A stealing man will be a stealing man.

5. Pretending to be happily married when youre really dying inside is an exercise in futility. It wont transform the marriage into what you want people to believe it is.

6. No matter how much you love him, you must love yourself first.

7. The wedding is just the party. After the wedding, thats when the real marriage starts. Tiwa was an absolutely beautiful bride, but how that one take consign price of fish for market?

8. There is no difference between Tiwa Savage and a single mother. Actually, I take it back. Single mothers are better because no one is putting them in debt.

9. Stay away from men that have dubious stories. I.E. Married men, separated men, men in some sort of relationship, men with children from different women, men who have children they dont take care of, men who are willing to date you while they have someone else, etc. You get the point.

10. Like my OG, Zebudaya said, A mistake that you are make in marriage are a mistake that you are make forever.

So for those who are wondering why Tiwa Savage had to respond so soon and/or why she had to respond at all, here are 5 reasons:

(1) The narrative of her life should not be told by someone else, especially by a man who does not care if she lives or dies.

(2) TeeBillz threw the first punch by taking their business online; she was only responding in kind.

(3) She has spent years covering his yansh, paying people off, and carrying a heavy load on her shoulders. She can sleep well now. No one can intimidate her anymore.

(4) Her name/brand is her source of income. If she does not clear her name, her business might die, and who will take care of her when the money goes? TeeBillz?

(5) The average human attention span is 8 seconds. If she does not strike while the iron is hot, she will never be able to reverse his damage. Even now, he has already done some irreparable damage. Some people will always believe him.

Moral of the story: dont marry an asshole. If you do, dont feel the need to die there. And if you are the asshole in question, dont borrow money you cannot pay back and try to escape your debt collectors by committing suicide and dragging your wife down while at it. Thats a punk move.

P.S. I dont think TeeBillz really wanted to die. If he did, there are many, many ways he could have done so without bringing so much attention on himself and begging for pity while inciting hate against others like TuFace, Don Jazzy, and Dr. Sid.

P.P.S. In his Instagram rant, TeeBillz also compared Tiwa Savage to Omawumi, saying that unlike Tiwa, Omawumi cooks for her husband. Well, maybe thats because Omawumis husband does not sleep around and put his family in jeopardy.

P.P.P.S. I dont know who the interviewer is, but even by Nigerias piss-poor standards of journalism, she did a shitty job. Very unprofessional. Did they force her to do the interview?
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The Nova Sagel Company received approval to build a housing and commercial complex project on Phu Nhuan Districts Pho Quang Street.  Photo ndh.vn

Viet Nam News -HCM CITY  HCM City authorities have given approval to five new housing projects worth a total of VN4.6 trillion (US$206 million).

The Tay Development Company is the investor in a residential project worth VN355 billion on Nha Be Districts Nguyen Huu Tho Street. It is expected to be completed in two years.

Another project, which is social housing on Pham Van Hoi Street in District 12, is valued at VN1.1 trillion. The investor, Thuan Kieu Service Corp, received approval from the city to carry out the project over a 42-month period.

The Nova Sagel Company also received approval to build a housing and commercial complex project on Phu Nhuan Districts Pho Quang Street. The project is expected to be completed in three years, with total investment of VN1.77 trillion.

In addition, the Nova Festival Corporation will be in charge of an office and apartment complex project on Hoang Minh Giam Street in Phu Nhuan District. The project, which costs VN869 billion, is slated for completion in three years.

And a low-rise housing project in District 9, worth VN531 billion, will be carried out by Khang Viet Company over three years.  VNS
Vinmec Nha Trang was inaugurated in the central province of Khanh Hoas Nha Trang City on Thursday.  VNS Photo

Viet Nam News -KHANH HOA  Vinmec Nha Trang, the fourth member of Vingroups hi-end hospital chain, was inaugurated in the central province of Khanh Hoas Nha Trang City on Thursday.

With an investment of VN630 billion (US$28.35 million), the 150-bed hospital is equipped with advanced medical equipment.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien praised Vingroups investment in the sector given that the State budget for public health remains limited.

He said Vinmec Nha Trang hospital should work closely with State-run medical units in Khanh Hoa to better serve local residents and tourists.

Vingroup operates similar hospitals in Ha Noi, Phu Quoc and HCM City.  VNS
It is time for everyone to know about how difficult it has become for langurs to survive.

Especially for people in Da Nang where the animals live, in the Son Tra Nature Reserve.

Some people have been caught for hunting the precious creatures.

People also break the law in the nature reserve by sawing down forest trees to make logs.

A NANG  The Biodiversity Conservation Centre, GreenViet, has launched a communication campaign to protect the red-shanked douc langur (Pygathryx nemaeus) in the Son Tra Nature Reserve in this city.

The centres vice director, Le Thi Thu Trang, said photos of the primates taken by French wildlife photographers Cyril Russo and Vietnamese Nguyen Truong Sinh have been posted on bus stops in a Nang main streets.

She said the move aimed to raise awareness among the community and the tourists on the need for protection of the red-shanked douc langur.

Trang said scientists and biologists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had agreed to list the red-shanked douc langur as critically endangered (CR) with unlimited protection status in the world. In 2013, IUCN had listed the animal as endangered (EN).

The Son Tra Nature Reserve, which is 10km from a Nangs centre, is known for its rich biodiversity, with 287 species of animals and 985 species of plants. The 2500ha reserve, which is 600m above sea level, is home to 300 red-shanked douc langurs  only found in east-central Laos and Viet Nam.

The reserve is a favourite tourism destination, with 10,000 tourists visiting the reserve every month.

Last year, the citys forest protection sub-department prosecuted a criminal case that involved the illegal killing of three red-shanked doucs in the reserve.

According to GreenViet, traps are still found in the reserve and illegal hunting continues.

Many restaurants built inside the reserve have been used for illegal hunting and wildlife trafficking in the area.

Illegal loggers have also destroyed a vast area in this protected nature reserve on the Son Tra Peninsula.

Two illegal hunting cases were documented in the reserve last year, while 2,000 traps were dismantled by rangers and volunteers.

Earlier this year, a monkey (Indochinese rhesus macaque) was killed by a motorcyclist on the Son Tra Mountain.

The a Nang-based GreenViet is also co-operating with the Frankfurt Zoological Society of Germany, the San Diego Zoo Global in the United States and the IUCN to protect the red-shanked douc langur through long-term campaigns.

The city plans to make the red-shanked douc langur the citys symbol of biodiversity at the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation Summit (APEC) in a Nang in 2017.  VNS

GLOSSARY

The Biodiversity Conservation Centre, GreenViet, has launched a communication campaign to protect the red-shanked douc langur (Pygathryx nemaeus) in the Son Tra Nature Reserve in this city.

A communication campaign is a special effort to get to talk to people.

Every living thing, plant or animal, has a scientific name, in Latin, which tells exactly what it is and where it fits into the animal or plant kingdoms. Pygathryx nemaeus is the scientific name of the red-shanked douc langur.

The centres vice director, Le Thi Thu Trang, said photos of the primates taken by French wildlife photographers Cyril Russo and Vietnamese Nguyen Truong Sinh have been posted on bus stops in a Nang main streets.

The vice director is the next person in charge, after the director.

Primates are the group of animals that includes humans, monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas, orang-utans and so on.

Trang said scientists and biologists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had agreed to list the red-shanked douc langur as critically endangered (CR) with unlimited protection status in the world.

A biologist is a scientist that studies and knows a lot about living things.

If an animal, or plant is endangered there are not many of them left and they are in danger of dying out forever.

The Son Tra Nature Reserve, which is 10km from a Nangs centre, is known for its rich biodiversity, with 287 species of animals and 985 species of plants.

A place with rich biodiversity has many different types of plants and animals.

A species of animal is a type of animal.

The reserve is a favourite tourism destination, with 10,000 tourists visiting the reserve every month.

A destination is a place you travel to.

Last year, the citys forest protection sub-department prosecuted a criminal case that involved the illegal killing of three red-shanked doucs in the reserve.

To prosecute means to start legal proceedings against someone.

A criminal case is a case that involves someone accused of breaking a law. Other cases, such as a civil case may involve people who disagree with one another rather than someone who breaks a law.

According to GreenViet, traps are still found in the reserve and illegal hunting continues.

A trap is a device used to catch animals.

Illegal loggers have also destroyed a vast area in this protected nature reserve on the Son Tra Peninsula.

An illegal logger is someone who breaks the law by chopping down trees in a forest to use them as logs.

Two illegal hunting cases were documented in the reserve last year, while 2,000 traps were dismantled by rangers and volunteers.

To document a hunting case means to make a record of it.

To dismantle a trap means to pull it apart.

Volunteers are people who work willingly for no money.

The a Nang-based GreenViet is also co-operating with the Frankfurt Zoological Society of Germany, the San Diego Zoo Global in the United States and the IUCN to protect the red-shanked douc langur through long-term campaigns.

Co-operating means working together.

Long-term campaigns are schemes that are planned to take place over a long time.

WORKSHEET

State whether the following sentences are true, or false:

Indochinese rhesus macaque is the scientific name for a red-shanked douc langur. There are 300 red-shanked douc langurs in the Son Tra Nature Reserve. The Son Tra Nature Reserve is in Ha Noi. IUCN stands for the Intercontinental Union for Compilation of Nature. Cyril Russo is Vietnamese and Nguyen Truong Sinh is French.

ANSWERS:

 Duncan Guy/Learn the News/ Viet Nam News 2016

1. False; 2. True; 3. False; 4. False; 5. False.
Pham Trong at, Head of the Government Inspectorate Anti-corruption Bureau, spoke to the Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper about the need to create a new anti-corruption body in Viet Nam.

What are some lessons learned after 10 years implementing the Anti-corruption Law 2015?

There are many lessons weve learned after 10 years implementing the law.

Under the law, all Government officials ranking from deputy manager of a department upward have to make an annual declaration of their assets and income.

But in reality, most of the declarations are just a formality.

In my opinion, the number of people who have to make annual asset declarations in Viet Nam is 100 times bigger than those in the Russian Federation. This means we should think about making some changes in the 2005 Anti-corruption Law. We think Viet Nam should narrow down the number of people having to declare their annual assets and income. And the assets and income disclosure must be posted in a public place in their offices for people to check and verify.

In your opinion, what should be changed in the 2005 Anti-corruption Law regarding officials asset declarations?

In my opinion, only people who are highly likely to be corrupt should have to declare their assets.

But what is more important is that when the list of people having to declare their assets is shortened, should their relatives also be required to declare their assets? Under the 2005 law, people who must declare their assets include Government officials themselves, their spouses and their children. However, in some cases, some officials may ask other people to act as their asset holders, including their parents, adult siblings, brothers, sisters or others. But, in my opinion, we have to think carefully about these ideas before writing them down in the law.

There was a proposal that the Government officials asset declarations must be posted on the internet and in public places where they live. However, until now the proposal remains just on paper. Do you know why?

This is a very sensitive issue. Where the information should be posted, we have to consider carefully.

Were living in a society ruled by law. No one can say Im a minister or a senior Government official, so I dont have to declare my assets.

Under the 2005 Anti-corruption Law, all senior Government officials have to declare their assets annually. Their declarations are only posted in their offices for their staff or colleagues to read and verify.

Do you think we need to establish an independent anti-corruption agency that we assign special tasks?

One of the duties of the Government Inspectorate Anti-corruption Bureau is to act in accordance with the Anti-corruption Law and the Inspection Law. But under the Inspection Law, the only right that we - government inspectors - have is to write petitions and proposals and submit them to authorised agencies to handle.

In my opinion, we should set up a new anti-corruption body that operates independently in its investigation into more serious cases.

Do you think Vietnamese anti-corruption agencies can handle foreign corruption cases involved in the Panama Papers scandal?

Yes. In the fight against corruption we have worked closely with foreign counterparts. The most notable case was the arrest of Giang Kim at, a former manager of the Business Section of Vinashin, who embezzle US$18.6 million while he was hiding in Singapore.

I think Viet Nam must complete its legal framework in the course of international integration, particularly in the fight against corruption._ VNS
Delegates from countries in the Forum for the East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) met yesterday in Hue.  VNA/VNS Photo Ho Cau

Viet Nam News -THUA THIEN-HUE  Delegates from countries in the Forum for the East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) met yesterday in Hue, to discuss the formation of a network of cultural cities among the forums member countries.

The formation of the cities network aims to enhance the conservation of cultural heritage sites in the countries involved.

The cities that took part in yesterdays meeting, including Kyoto in Japan, Sao Luis in Brazil, Luang Prabang in Laos and Yogyakarta in Indonesia, pledged to work towards greater cultural understanding.

They exchanged experience on heritage conservation and involving residents in their network member cities to join hands in the preservation of cultural values.

Speaking at the meeting, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Le Hoai Trung, said the formation of the network is necessary for local level co-operation among the Forums countries and to facilitate the development of tourism among the members.

The forum was formed in 1998 with the aim to create a link between East Asia and Latin America. Its objectives include the improvement of mutual understanding and partnerships among the countries.

The forum is also expected to tap the co-operative potential of various cultural, political and economic sectors among the countries, as well as to build a platform for emerging political and economic issues in the two regions.

Yesterdays meeting involved 83 participants from 36 member countries for ideas and discussions to form a network of cultural cities. A photo exhibition showcasing the co-operation between member countries is open at Hue Citys Cultural Museum.  VNS
President Tran ai Quang visits the Military Zone 5, praising the militarys contributions to the national revolutionary cause and current national construction and defence.  VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sang

Viet Nam News -A NANG  President Tran ai Quang ordered central a Nang city to co-ordinate with relevant ministries, sectors and localities to gear up for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit next year.

Hosting the APEC events in 2017 is one of the major tasks that the central city will carry out between now and 2020.

At a working session with municipal officials yesterday, the State leader said in the next few years, a Nang needs to foster economic growth in a rapid and sustainable fashion, enhance growth quality and the competitiveness.

It should promote effective urban planning and management, develop infrastructure and improve social and cultural aspects.

More opportunities and challenges will arise this year as Viet Nam is continuing intensive international integration, implementing the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress and the 2016  2020 socio-economic development plan, and electing the 14th National Assembly and all-level Peoples Councils.

At the meeting, municipal officials reported that a Nangs GDP expanded by 9.8 per cent and per capita income averaged VN62.65 million (over US$2,800) in 2015. While the services sector makes up 62.6 per cent of the local economy, industry  construction account for 35.3 per cent and agriculture has shrunk to 2.1 per cent.

Tourism has become an important industry, they said, noting that the city welcomed 4.6 million visitors, including 1.2 million foreigners, last year.

Later that same day, President Quang visited the Military Zone 5, praising the militarys contributions to the national revolutionary cause and current national construction and defence.

He asked the zone to continue consolidating defensive capacity, uphold the entire people and political system, and develop peoples national defence.

The President noted that the regional and world situation would become more complex in the future, urging the zones soldiers to heighten revolutionary vigilance and closely work with localities and other forces in building a strong national defence system. - VNS
A Corner of HCM City.  File Photo

Viet Nam News -HCM CITY  Authorities should work hard to improve HCM Citys ranking in the provincial competitiveness index (PCI), the city leader said on Thursday.

Speaking at a meeting to review socio-economic development in the first four months of the year, Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of the Peoples Committee, said the rank had dropped from fourth rank in 2014 to sixth last year, indicating peoples unhappiness with city authorities.

The PCI in Viet Nam is designed by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the US Agency for International Development-funded Viet Nam Competitiveness Initiative to assess and rank the performance, capacity and willingness of provincial governments to develop business-friendly regulatory environments for private sector development.

The ranks of only a few sub-indices remain unchanged or increased, with others like entry costs, transparency, informal charges, proaction, and human resource training falling, he said.

The biggest falls were in transparency and informal charges, the former sub-index dropping from fourth to 17th and the latter from 42nd to 54th.

The city also ranked low in the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance (PAPI) index, Phong said.

Describing this as the harsh realities of life he urged all relevant authorities to look for ways to improve the citys rankings in the indexes.

Su Ngoc Anh, director of the citys Department of Planning and Investment, said the economy has grown robustly with good performances by all sectors.

Retail sales had been worth VN230.9 trillion (US$10.5 billion), a year-on-year increase of 11 per cent, exports had amounted to $9.7 billion, up 5 per cent, and tax revenues had topped VN98.6 trillion ($4.43 billion), up 4.44 per cent.

Phong instructed all city agencies and district authorities to step up efforts to prevent explosions and fires, closely monitor prices, make street and pavements orderly, ensure public security, encourage entrepreneurs and create a conductive environment for establishing businesses.

He said they should quickly resolve problems faced by the public and spend more time on fact-finding tours to eliminate difficulties faced by the public and businesses.  VNS
QUANG NAM  President Tran ai Quang reaffirmed the duty to care for contributors to the national revolution at his visit to a nursing home in the central province of Quang Nam on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of National Reunification Day today.

Founded in 1976, the provincial centre is now nursing 35 Vietnamese heroic mothers, war invalids and those who have rendered services to the nation. It also provides services for nearly 4,000 revolutionary contributors in Quang Tri and 500 others from central and Central Highlands provinces every year.

It has recently undergone upgrades at a cost of nearly VN28 billion (US$1.26 million).

During the visit, the leader reiterated that the Party and State always kept in mind the contributors participation in and sacrifices to the struggle for national liberation and independence.

He was delighted that these heroic mothers and revolutionary contributors have been well cared for by the centres staff and Quang Nam province in particular.

Greater endeavours should be made in the caring of revolutionary contributors, he said.

The same day, Quang paid homage to late President Ho Chi Minh and martyrs at the Nuoc Oa national historical and cultural relic site in Bac Tra My district, and visited the commemorative house of the late acting President Huynh Thuc Khang.

The Nuoc Oa historical and cultural relic site once served as a revolutionary base of the High Command of Military Zone V during the America War.

From 1972-1973, the base was chosen as the venue of many important meetings and training courses for leaders and officials of regional provinces following the signing of the Paris Agreement, where they discussed how to lead people nationwide in the struggle for liberation of the South and national reunification.

The site won the national historical-cultural status in August 1992.  VNS
HA NOI (VNS)  The former general director and chairman of PetroVietnam Manpower Development and Services Company (Petromanning), 42-year-old ao Thanh Long of Ha Noi, was sentenced to nine years in prison yesterday.

Long was jailed for violating regulations on economic management, leading to serious consequences.

According to the verdict, in October 2010, Long, while still not at the top in Petromanning  a subsidiary of Petrovietnam  negotiated to buy two plots of land from a family in Trung Hoa Ward in Cau Giay District. He agreed to pay over VN58.8 billion (US$ 2.6 million) for a total area of nearly 800 sq.m to build mini-apartment buildings.

In December 2010, when Long officially became the companys general director, he signed the land purchasing contract.

He paid VN13 billion ($583,310) to Nguyen Thi Minh Huan, 37, of Ba inh District  a broker who promised to complete the application for the land-use right certificate for the two plots of land. Huan paid VN1 billion to Nguyen Khanh Tuan, an officer working at the Trung Hoa Ward Peoples Committee, to help the land buyer obtain the land-use right certificate.

Long also spent over VN7 billion ($314,000) in bribes to obtain construction licenses. He asked staff to falsify documents, increasing the land purchase contract value to VN85 billion ($3.8 million) from the actual amount of VN58.8 billion.

Also in court yesterday, broker Huan was sentenced to 10 years in prison and land officer Tuan received a 15-year prison term for giving and receiving bribes.  VNS
Farmers harvest chili pepper in central Quang Ngai Province. Farmers have been happy to see chili prices soaring over the past few days. Photo baocongthuong.com.vn

QUANG NGAI  Farmers in the central province of Quang Ngai have been happy to see chili prices soaring over the past few days.

The chili season often lasts from March to June. At the beginning of the chili season this year, prices were about VN4,000-5,000 (US$0.17-0.22) per kilogramme. Prices have increased gradually to the current cost of VN40,000 ($1.7) per kilogramme.

According to a Quang Ngai newspaper report, in many chili fields in Tinh Long Commune, Quang Ngai City, farmers eagerly went to the fields to harvest chili despite the extremely hot weather.

Tran Thi Thuy, a farmer in the communes Tang Long Village, said she has grown chili for the past 30 years, and the current price is the highest she has seen so far.

Thuy invested VN3 million into her chili field to buy fertiliser and seeds, and she expected to earn profits of about VN20-30 million ($800-1,300).

Tran Ngoc Minh, another farmer in the communes Ngoc Thach Village, said the peppers require a lot of water to grow.

The weather was severe this year, so the productivity level was only half of what it was last year. However, prices increased so Minh did not suffer any losses.

Minh is pleased with the current prices, but is also worried because the prices could drop suddenly.

Pham Thi Thu Thuy, owner of a chili dealer in Quang Ngai City, told the newspaper that prices could change daily depending on dealers along the northern border gates.

The prices increase or decrease depending on the Chinese market, and recently the Chinese market has had a high demand for chili, thus driving up prices, she said.

Every day, Thuy buys about 10-15 tonnes of chili peppers from farmers in the province. In recent days, three or four containers wait near her dealership to take chili peppers to China.

Thuy added that the price of VN40,000 ($1.7) per kilogramme is only temporary, so farmers should take advantage of the current benefits.  VNS
Authorities inspect a canteen in Central a Nang Province. Consumers drawn to shops advertising clean vegetables and fruit are beginning to question if the stores claims are valid.  Photo thanhnien.com.vn

HCM CITY Consumers drawn to shops advertising clean vegetables and fruit are beginning to question if the stores claims are valid.

A woman from HCM City with a two-month-old child, for example, often buys produce at a store in her district that sells safe food. But she is unsure about the quality.

Im confused about whether the food is clean and safe. I also want to know how the city authorities manage and check food at such stores, she said.

Other consumers in the city are becoming increasingly worried, especially after many reports of food containing banned chemicals or grown with excessive pesticides.

At a roundtable on food safety and hygiene held on Thursday by Phap Luat (Laws) newspaper, Huynh Le Thai Hoa, head of the citys Food Safety and Hygiene Division, said more shops, both online and traditional, had emerged to meet the demand.

Many owners of these stores, who have a genuine conscience, will access sources of food meeting safety and hygiene regulations to buy and sell it to consumers. But some store owners take advantage of consumers fear of unsafe food and advertise their food as being safe, Hoa said.

The city plans to strengthen surveillance and inspection among these stores, he added.

According to a representative of the citys Department of Industry and Trade, about 200 stores sell safe food in the city.

The designation is based on enterprises registration, he said, adding that the remaining were not registered at the department.

Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai, the deputy head of the Food Safety and Hygiene Division, said that consumers should buy food with a logo of a safe food supply chain provided by the division.

Nguyen Thi Le Thoa, head of the office for management of food safety at the citys Plant Protection Division, said the division would enhance surveillance at these stores besides all three wholesales markets, as well as farmers fields.

The division has a team that looks for advertisements of shops or people selling clean vegetables published on Facebook and other websites, Thoa said.

The team visits the places to ensure that the food is safe, she said, adding that the team provides guidance on food safety and hygiene regulations.

We create conditions for anyone who wants to sell safe food, Thoa said.

After guidance, store owners will be given time to correct their shortcomings, she said, adding that the division would then recheck at a later date.

In the case of violations, the shops and owners will be fined and even shut down.

However, it is difficult to do because of a shortage of personnel. We have faced difficulties in seeking addresses, Thoa said.

One online store will be given guidance in May. --VNS
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien visited patients to ask about their health and give out gifts at the HCM City Oncology Hospital in HCM City yesterdayPhoto suckhoedoisong.vn

HCM CITY The Cancer Patients Assistance Fund under the Ministry of Health on April 29 awarded 100 gifts worth VN1 million (US$45) each for children with cancer.

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien visited patients to ask about their health and give out gifts.

On Wednesday, children with cancer at the HCM City Oncology Hospital attended the 100th pink birthday party to celebrate birthdays of children born in April.

The monthly event is part of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspapers Uoc Mo cua Thuy (Thuys Dream) charity programme.

Twenty disadvantaged patients received VN6 million ($270) each to pay hospital fees, and a total of VN80 million ($3,600) was raised for birthday gifts and meals for child patients.

Participants were entertained with music and dance performances, magic shows and portrait drawing.

Vuong Thanh Lieu, deputy secretary of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Unions HCM City chapter, said that Uoc Mo cua Thuy (Thuys Dream) charity programme had helped thousands of children with cancer.

Around 550 children are being treated at the hospital, including 150 in-patients, said Pham Xuan Dung, deputy director of the hospital.

An average of two to three children have to share one bed due to overcrowding at the hospital, Dung said. VNS
The HCM City Department of Health is working with Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University to expand a programme to send recent medical doctors to hospitals in the outlying districts of Can Gio and Cu Chi.  Photo plo.vn

HCM CITY The HCM City Department of Health is working with Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University to expand a programme to send recent medical doctors to hospitals in the outlying districts of Can Gio and Cu Chi.

The department plans to ask the citys Peoples Committee to offer more preferential policies to attract doctors to these hospitals.

According to a department report, the current policies have not helped attract doctors to work at district hospitals.

For instance, Cu Chi District Hospital needs 60 additional doctors, but has only been able to hire 14.

To temporarily solve the shortage, the department yesterday approved the sending of 40 doctors who work at city-level hospitals to Cu Chi District Hospital.

The city-level hospitals are Paediatrics No1, Gia inh People, Tu Du Obstetrics and Binh Dan.

These hospitals are also required to provide equipment to Cu Chi District Hospital to ensure healthcare for local residents. Training courses for the district hospitals doctors are also being carried out.

Can Gio District Hospital has previously only had doctors from city-level hospitals working at its satellite health clinics.  VNS
Experts have warned of more severe weather conditions this year, particularly a drought and heat wave. Photo bnews.vn

HA NOI  Experts have warned of more severe weather conditions this year, particularly a drought and heat wave.

Le Thanh Hai , deputy director of the National Hydro-Meteorological Forecast Centre, said more severe weather conditions have been forecast for this year, which may intersect or clash with each other, with damaging results.

Houses and crops could be seriously damaged and the lives of people would be affected, he said.

Hai said the Central Highlands, the southern and northwest regions may experience a severe drought.

The weather will start becoming hotter earlier and will last from April till August, he said. The average temperature across the country will increase by 1-1.5 degrees Celsius compared with the average temperature of previous years.

Unusual weather conditions are also likely to occur, such as higher rainfall during the dry season and lower rainfall during the monsoon, Hai said.

Last year witnessed a similar situation when many central coastal provinces faced a 50-70 per cent rain shortage during the rainy season, while record rains were seen in localities such as a Nang, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai during the dry season.

The deputy director also warned the El Nino phenomenon would continue to affect the country in the first half of this year. Hot and dry weather was likely in the Central Highlands and the southern region in June, and in the southern coastal provinces in August.

Since last year, Viet Nam has been suffering from the impact of El Nino  likely to be the longest one in the last six decades  with nearly 40,000ha of agricultural land rendered inadequate water for production due to a massive drought across the central region, the Central Highlands and the southern region. The weather pattern also caused a water shortage that affected tens of thousands of peoples daily life.

In the latter half of the year, people should stay alert against more storms, and if the La Nina phenomenon follows right after El Nino, it will have the opposite effect of El Nino, resulting in more rain, flooding and the risk of landslides, he said.

Nguyen uc Hoa, the deputy head of the centres Medium and Long-term Hydro-Meteorological Forecast Office, warned residents to take precautions against hailstorms and whirlwinds, which often start in March and last till October. - VNS
The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre has called off all fruit exhibitions and festivals scheduled for this year, with authorities saying drought and saline intrusion have decimated its orchards and there is nothing more to show.  Photo laodong.com.vn

CUU LONG (MEKONG) DELTA  The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre has called off all fruit exhibitions and festivals scheduled for this year, with authorities saying drought and saline intrusion have decimated its orchards and there is nothing more to show.

Nguyen Huu Lap, deputy chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee, said a proposal by Cho Lach District to cancel an annual festival of good and safe fruits which would have been held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month has been approved.

Unlike in previous years Ben Tre has no more good fruits or high-quality young fruit trees to exhibit, he said.

The Cho Lach Peoples Committee said saltwater has damaged some 8,000ha of arable land, affecting the output and quality of 2,000ha of orchards, while over 350,000 small trees have withered from drought, causing losses of over VN32 billion (US$1.43 million).

A spokesman for the Peoples Committee said some of Ben Tres specialities have also been affected: mangosteen trees are not flowering while durian trees have withered and their fruits are falling off.

There are not enough young trees and bonsai for exhibitions and festivals, he said.

Besides farmers in the province are busy combating the effects of the prolonged drought and salinity, he added.  VNS
A special CBI court here charged Naveen Jindal, chairman of Jindal Steel & Power, with criminal conspiracy in a case of inappropriate allocation of the Amarkonda coal block in Jharkhand.

The court framed similar charges against former Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda and former Coal Secretary H C Gupta.

Shares of JSPL fell 6.56 per cent after the pronouncement by the court.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had alleged that Madhu Koda had favoured Jindal group firms  Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) and Gagan Sponge Iron Private Ltd (GSIPL)  in allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand.

Along with Jindal, Rao, Koda, and Gupta, a total of 15 people are also booked under Section 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code in the case pertaining to alleged irregularities in allocation of the coal block to JSPL and GSIPL. Section 120 (B) pertains to punishment of criminal conspiracy.

The court also charged five companies  JSPL, Jindal Realty Pvt Ltd, Gagan Infraenergy Ltd (formerly known as GSIPL), Sowbhagya Media Ltd and New Delhi Exim Pvt Ltd. These companies and persons are booked under Section 120 of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to criminal offence. The court will now put them under trial under the same and a final judgment will be passed in the next hearing.

The court has allowed Jindal to visit Austria and other Schengen countries along with United Kingdom from May 6 to May 13 on account of marriage of his nephew. The permission has been granted on the condition that Jindal furnish Rs 20 lakh and inform the court about his travel itinerary.

The court observed, various acts of omission and commission as committed by the accused persons, if considered comprehensively, prima facie show that they all were acting in pursuance to a criminal conspiracy whose sole objective was to accommodate M/s JSPL and M/s GSIPL in Amarkonda Murgadangal Coal Block.



JSPL in a statement said that it will stand vindicated. In the context of the special courts order with respect to allocation of the Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block and the charges thereof; JSPL reiterates it is confident that it will stand vindicated at the end of the ongoing judicial process. We deny all allegations made against our company and its management. We have full faith in the Indian judicial system and are confident to come out clean during the process.



The company maintained the said allocation was made purely on merits and all along the course of the investigation, the company and its officials have fully cooperated with the authorities, and whenever asked, explained and provided all supporting documents.

This is the second major judgment to come in the coal block allocation scam case. Last month, the special court had awarded a four-year jail term to R C Rungta, chairman and R S Rungta, director of Jharkhand Ispat Private Limited (JIPL). It also imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on each of the convicts held guilty for deceiving and defrauding the government to bag a coal block in Jharkhand. A fine of Rs 25 lakh was also imposed on JIPL.

CBI had started a probe against the allotment of coal, after a Comptroller and Auditor General report in 2012 alleged a Rs 1.86-lakh crore windfall gain to companies. A special CBI court was set up to exclusively deal with cases related to this scam.
The Narendra Modi governments U-turn on issuing a visa to Uyghur dissident Dolkun Isa to attend a China-focused conference on democracy in Dharamsala, also seat of the Tibetan government in exile, and later refusing visas to two other Chinese dissidents, has brought it national and international embarrassment.

It has been widely speculated, and is yet to be denied by the external affairs ministry, that at least Isas visa was withdrawn because of pressure from Beijing.

Government sources, however, attributed other reasons for denying visas to Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy activists Ray Wong and Lu Jinghua on inconsistencies in their documents. They claimed Lus documents were illegible and there was inconsistency with the purpose of her visit. In Rays case, there was data inconsistency in his documents.

The Uyghur leader, now a German national, is executive committee chairman of the World Uyghur Congress. The organisation represents Muslim ethnic groups of the Uyghur province of China. Beijing considers it a terrorist outfit and had issued a global notice nearly a decade earlier to seek the arrest of Isa. However, he continues to travel widely across the world.

Lu, known for her role in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, figures on a Chinese list of major criminals. She is now a US citizen. Ray is a Hong Kong-based pro-democracy activist.

While Isa has gone on record to state Delhi succumbed to pressure from China, Lu got to know of the visa being rejected only when she was about to board a flight to here from New York on Monday. The 54-year-old termed the treatment as harassment and said she was very disappointed with India.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said Isa was a terrorist, the subject of a 'red corner' notice from Interpol and the Chinese police. Bringing him to justice is the due obligation of relevant countries, she said.

In Delhi, the apparent nonchalance of the ministries of home and external affairs on the issue soon turned into panic. The MEA spokesperson said the Uyghur leader had applied and was granted a tourist visa when coming to India to attend a conference, which under the tourist visa rules is not permitted.

Until the statement by China, the Modi government was being lionised in the social media with the hashtag #ModiSlapsChina. Many saw a visa to Isa as the Modi government slapping Beijing for supporting Pakistan in blocking Indias attempt to have Masood Azhar, apparent mastermind of the Pathankot airbase terrorist attack in January, designated an international terrorist.

As the Washington Post put in a write-up earlier this week, the patriotic chest thumping over the weekend in India gave way to embarrassment and bitterness, with #ModiBowsToChina being a top trending hashtag on Twitter.

In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the now-ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Modi had criticised the weak-kneed foreign policy of the then Manmohan Singh-led government towards China. And, promised a more strong-willed policy. Those claims are now under a cloud.

The current government has continued with the policy of keeping China engaged.

In November 2011, the UPA government had postponed a key India-China meeting in Delhi as it was coinciding with a world Buddhist conference. Several top Union ministers, including the then PM, were scheduled to attend the conference but stayed away once Beijing flagged the issue. Similarly, India kept the Dalai Lama away from the Nalanda university project.

On Friday, Chinas state-run Global Times pointed to recent efforts by Delhi to forge closer defence ties with Washington and at the same time trying to step up a dialogue with Beijing as self-contradictory actions which could land it in a difficult position. In the Rajya Sabha, former diplomat Pavan Verma criticised the government for not waking up to the strategic import of the recent Nepal-China treaty to build multiple train routes between Nepal and China. He said the government suffered from diplomatic complacency.
Banks have collected 1,512 kg of gold from temples trusts across the country under the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) since its launch last November, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Friday.

GMS was launched on November 5 and it is too early to make an assessment of the impact of the scheme on the imports of gold," Sinha said. He added that there was considerable reduction in the quantum of gold imports during the past six months compared to the previous year.

Replying to a question on non-performing assets (NPAs), Sinha said the gross NPA of public-sector banks relating to the corporate sector rose to Rs 2.23 lakh crore. The government has taken specific measures to address issues in sectors such as infrastructure, steel, textiles  where NPA is seen to be high, he said.

The Reserve Bank of India has conducted an asset quality review (AQR) exercise under which all banks, including public-sector ones, were asked to make at least 50 per cent provision for the accounts identified as NPA under AQR in the December 2015 quarter and the rest in the March 2016 quarter, Sinha said.

Sinha informed the lower House that the total amount invested by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation in exchange traded funds (ETFs) of Nifty and Sensex-based index stood at Rs 6,577 crore as of March 31.

He noted the government was aware of the risks of more investment of funds of EPFO in the stock market. Employees' provident fund (EPF) has not invested in individual stocks. It has invested only five per cent investible surplus in ETFs of Nifty and Sensex-based index.



Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley replied to a query on the Panama Papers and said the government had issued notices to all the people named in it but tax laws do not allow the proceedings to be made public till the cases are filed in courts.

Responding to another supplementary question, Jaitleys deputy Sinha said the government was looking into the papers received from HSBC and Panama and the various laws, including the one on foreign black money, are being invoked.

The Panama Papers leaks contain an unprecedented amount of information, including 11 million documents covering 210,000 companies in 21 offshore jurisdictions. Each transaction spans different jurisdictions and might involve multiple entities and individuals.

On the recommendations made by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money, Sinha said the government benefited immensely from SIT's suggestions.
Labor warned energy prices to rise by up to 50 per cent in 2023 A source told Sky News Australia in the lead-up to Tuesday's federal budget the conflict in Ukraine was "99 per cent" responsible for the looming increases in the cost of energy.

Sydney soaked by wettest October ever recorded A Sky News Australia meteorologist has predicted how much rain Sydneysiders can expect for the rest of 2022 as two weather systems lash almost every inch of New South Wales.

Jurors in rape trial make request amid ongoing deliberations The 12-member jury of the Bruce Lehrmann rape trial have requested extra time to come to a unanimous decision on whether the former Liberal staffer sexually assaulted Brittany Higgins.

Lambie prays for Netball Australia after sponsorship mess Senator Jacqui Lambie has thrown her support behind Gina Rinehart as she slammed Netball Australia for losing a major sponsor while local sports clubs struggle to stay alive.
WATERLOO -- Waterloo police are investigating an abduction Friday of a teenager that led to an Amber Alert being issued, but later canceled.

The incident began about 10:20 p.m. Friday when police were sent to 1918 Sycamore St. on a report of a child abduction. Officers learned that Roy Baker had been assaulted and a 15-year-old female, Shakiya Baker, was abducted.

The suspects were described as two black males, and at least one of them was in possession of a gun.

They fled the scene in an older white conversion van that may have had a green stripe and may have had Missouri license plates, according to Waterloo Police.

Due to the nature of this incident, an Amber Alert was issued for Shakiya Baker.

On Saturday at 1:47 a.m., officers were informed that Shakiya Baker had been left on the side of the road at 2533 Burton Avenue. She was not physically injured.

The Amber Alert was then canceled.

This case remains under investigation and no arrests have been made.
WATERLOO -- A 20-year-old man was apparently shot at by an unknown person in a white vehicle Friday afternoon, and no arrests have been made.

Waterloo Police say officers were called to the area of East Fourth, Lime and Walnut streets at 1:19 p.m. Friday for a shots-fired call.

Once there, they found Shavondus Martin, 20, of Waterloo. Martin had no injuries.

Martin told police he was shot at by a person sitting in the passenger side of a white four-door vehicle in that area.

Martin said he did not know who was shooting at him.

Police continue to investigate.
WATERLOO  Kent Shankle always wanted to try holding the annual Latino heritage festival in the Riverloop Amphitheatres covered parking ramp.

Saturday, he didnt have much choice.

Fiesta!, the celebration of all things Hispanic and Latino, was moved from its usual spot at the RiverLoop Expo Plaza to the ramp because of the unrelenting rain and temperatures in the 40s.

You envision a warm, sunny and dry day, and thats not what we got, said Shankle, director of the Waterloo Center for the Arts.

But a crowd gathered anyway, coming for the traditional performances, mariachi band, car hop and other attractions at the all-day, free festival.

Despite the weather, were having a great time, he said.

Mayor Quentin Hart arrived to declared Saturday to be Hispanic Heritage Day and said more than 5 percent of Waterloos population identified as Hispanic or Latino. Shankle said thats one reason he isnt calling Fiesta a Cinco de Mayo celebration anymore  its the first year that largely American-ized reference has been dropped from the name of the festival, despite being so close to May 5.

We wanted to represent other Latino cultures besides just Mexican, he said.

Bundled-up families ordered pastries to start the morning from Marias Tacos food truck while they watched Christine Guevara and her three daughters  Cristina, Carolina and Florencia Guevara  perform a traditional dance to traditional music in colorful, embellished dress.

Christine Guevara said her family is one of the only groups performing that kind of dance in Waterloo.

I think (the turnout) is pretty good, considering the weather, she said.

The only people willingly standing outside in the rain were the low-rider groups, proudly showing off their customized cars and trucks.

Ryan Milligan, with Evansdales Custom Outlaws club, showed off the Lamborghini doors, 22-inch lift and 30-inch rims on his 1994 Chevrolet Caprice Classic.

Weve all got a passion for cars and custom stuff, he said. Its a lifestyle.

Jason Duck Richards, of the Waterloo chapter of wHardcore Concepts Lowrider Club, agreed seeing others work and showing off his own was the fun part.

I like meeting new people, hanging out with all these different clubs, he said.

Milligan said hes sunk $10,000 into his Chevy  so far. Its never done, he laughed. Youll get it to the point where youre happy with it, and youll go to a show and say, Hey, look at this!
VAN HORNE  Four Democrats who want to replace U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley stumped for support at Iowas congressional district conventions Saturday, saying its time to give the six-term Republican a retirement party.

We have the opportunity to send Chuck Grassley home to mow his lawn, former Lt. Gov. Patty Judge said at the 1st District convention in Van Horne. She was referring to a Grassley campaign ad featuring him operating a jerry-rigged combination of lawnmowers.

The others  state Sen. Rob Hogg, and former state legislators Tom Fiegen and Bob Krause  sounded similar themes in their appeals to the delegates, some of whom will go on to the state and national Democratic convention. The party activists also are among those most likely to vote in the June 7 primary election to nominate a Grassley challenger.

Hogg said hes running to do the job and make Congress work again.

Sen. Grassley made the decision to become the chief obstructionist in the United States Senate, Hogg said. He needs to either do his job or get out of the way so somebody else can do that job.

The key to winning in 2016, Fiegen said, is promising unconditional loyalty to working people  who are tired of having their hearts broken by Democrats.

He called on the other candidates to refuse contributions from corporate political action committees.

A Democrat cannot take corporate PAC money and work for working Americans at the same time, he said.

The Democratic Party has lost its way, Fiegen said, and has to commit to shared values such as raising the minimum wage, tuition-free college and a guaranteed living wage.

They all acknowledged defeating Grassley is an uphill battle in large part because of his campaign treasury. Judge said she has the name identification and network of supporters at the state and national level to wage a winning campaign.

For Hogg, the unanimous endorsement of the Iowa Federal of Labor as well as the backing of AFSCME Iowa Council 61 and other unions and labor leaders is a huge shot in the arm in the primary and general election.

In addition to whatever financial support labor provides, he said it will continue to magnify the grassroots enthusiasm for this campaign.

Krause cant match the millions Grassley has and will raise, but believes social media  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and that universe of things is how Democrats will beat Grassley.

You have to use the free stuff, he said. Dont be timid about sharing this stuff with your friends because reposting and sharing pro-Democratic messages has the same true value as a cash contribution.

He encouraged delegate that when you think about defeating Grassley  the fellow thats stopping the Supreme Court nomination, that has voted against women, against working people, that has voted against just about everything that you and I believe in, that you hit the share button.

Whichever candidate Democrat choose, this is going to be one tough race, Judge said. This going to take all hands on deck.

The convention delegates also heard from 1st District House candidate Pat Murphy and Monica Vernon who want to challenge Republican Rep. Rod Blum.

Every day we talk to voters across northeast Iowa about what really matters to them, and events like this are one more opportunity to do that, according to Vernon. She building a coalition of leading Democrats and an overwhelming number of labor unions who have endorsed me because they know that Im the only Democrat who can beat Blum.

Murphy called the convention an opportunity to talk to the biggest activists as well as build the party, not only for the primary election, but the general election in November.

These are the activists who are going to be involved, he said.
DES MOINES -- Incendiary videos purportedly showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of organs from aborted fetuses contributed to the prolonged Iowa legislative session that came to a close Friday.

I think it was a motivating factor, Rep. Dave Heaton, R-Mount Pleasant, said, about Republicans attempt to prevent state funds from going to Planned Parenthood and any other organization that performs abortions. It put it up on the front burner, believe me.

Although she believes the videos have been thoroughly discredited, Rep. Lisa Heddens, D-Ames, agreed they contributed to the stalemate on the budget that continued 10 days beyond the scheduled April 19 adjournment.

It became part of their national effort to defund Planned Parenthood, she said.

In the end, Senate Democrats successfully resisted GOP efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, Iowas largest abortion provider, as they have in each of the past five years. House and Senate conference committee members Friday reached agreement on House File 2460, the $1.836 billion human services budget.

However, a compromise that doubled the adoption tax credit while continuing funding to Planned Parenthood as long as state dollars do not pay for abortions didnt sit well with some pro-life Republicans. Seven voted against HF 2460, which needed a vote from Rep. Sharon Steckman, D-Mason City, to be approved 51-41. The Senate approved it 26-19.

The compromise shows pro-life Iowans cannot count on Republicans to deliver for them, Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan, said. He expects abortion funding and end-of-life issues like the proposed death with dignity legislation that was introduced during the 2016 session to be major themes in the fall political campaign.

Pro-life lawmakers preferred a compromise proposed by House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, to create a state grant program for 211 federally qualified organizations that provide womens health services and oppose abortion. It was rejected by Senate Democrats who, according to Heddens, didnt see any advantage in defunding Planned Parenthood walking away from the family planning services already in place.

Why dismantle something that is working so well? she said. The agencies Upmeyer wanted to fund dont have the same range of services or geographic coverage as Planned Parenthood, Heddens said.

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland has said about $2.7 million, slightly more than one-quarter of the funding for its Iowa clinics, comes from public funds, such as Medicaid.

Democrats did accept a GOP proposal to double the one-time adoption tax credit to $5,000  an estimated $800,000 cost to the state in fiscal 2017.

Johnson was among those disappointed with the agreement because it doesnt address spending tax dollars on taking the lives of unborn children.

In the end, Upmeyer said, as much as we would like to expand the opportunities for womens health services in a much broader fashion, (Democrats) feel just as strongly they dont want to take that approach.

She promised it wont be the end of the discussion.

For sure, that will be on the table the next time we have the conversation, Upmeyer said.

After the November election, House Republicans will start a plan of action to deal with the dynamics we will have in the next Legislature, Heaton said.
DES MOINES --- State legislators are headed home for 2016, and they leave the Capitol without addressing Gov. Terry Branstads top priority for the session: allocating new funding for water quality projects.

We worked on it all year. But I know its a big and a bold initiative and Im very hopeful that we can get it addressed in the future, Branstad told reporters this week.

At the start of the session in January, Branstad unveiled to legislators his plan to divert to water quality programs some future revenue from the sales tax devoted to public school infrastructure projects. According to his offices estimates, the plan would have generated $4.7 billion over 32 years for water quality programs.

But legislators of both political parties immediately were cool to the proposal, since it dipped into a funding stream approved by voters for education.

Lawmakers had no better luck striking out on their own.

House Republicans proposed diverting funds from the states infrastructure fund and from a water metering tax, but Democrats did not support the plan because it shifted money from other state accounts, including the general fund out of which public education is funded.

Some legislators called for a three-eighths of a cent sales tax for natural resources, but opponents balked at supporting a tax increase.

In his end-of-session statement issued Friday, Branstad said he was disappointed the House Republican proposal did not receive a hearing in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Were very disappointed that Senate Democrat leadership decided to bury the House bill with no debate and offering no alternative, Branstad said. Water quality is a critical issue and we will continue to work to build support for a long-term funding solution to address water quality efforts in Iowa.

Over roughly the next month, Branstad will review any remaining legislation passed during the session to determine which to sign into law.

Earlier this week, Branstad told reporters he believes it was a pretty productive session, and acknowledged lawmakers had to work within tight budget constraints.

He highlighted a criminal justice reform package that reduced mandatory minimums for some non-violent drug offenders, sustained funding for multi-year commitments to a commercial property tax cut and a teacher leadership program, and a new tax credit for biochemical producers.

Weve already got prospects that are looking at Iowa because of that (tax credit), Branstad said this week. So thats a significant step forward.
DES MOINES  Scott and Polk counties will receive $3 million in mental health care funding, and a mental health care property tax levy will be extended one year under plans approved Friday by state lawmakers.

Scott and Polk were chief among the counties that have expressed concerns with their mental health care budgets, saying a lack of state funding in recent years helped lead to budget shortfalls.

The counties asked for a funding boost from the state and an opportunity to increase their mental health care property tax levy.

Legislators allocated $2.5 million to Polk County and $500,000 to the Eastern Iowa mental health region that includes Scott County, and extended by one year the mental health property tax levy at its current level.

The deal, passed by legislators on the final day of the 2016 legislative session, still must be approved by the entire legislative bodies, as well as Gov. Terry Branstad, who could veto the provisions.

Lori Elam, who works in the Scott County community services department and is the disability services coordinator of the Eastern Iowa mental health care region, said the $500,000 funding and levy extension will not provide enough help for the region, which has a $2 million budget shortfall.

Were disappointed, Elam said. We really wanted (the levy increase proposal) passed because that was the long-term funding solution. So by appropriating money one year again, its a Band-Aid. I think legislators are aware of that. Its just disappointing.

Iowa Rep. Linda Miller, a Republican from Bettendorf who was on the health care budget committee, said she knew Scott County mental health officials would be disappointed but insisted she got as much funding as she could for the region.

Miller said she hopes funding in other areas of the health care budget, such as money for home health agencies, will help lessen the burden on the Eastern Iowa mental health regions budget. Miller, who is retiring from the Legislature, also said she hopes the body can develop a long-term solution when it reconvenes in 2017.

I wasnt happy, but I have to compromise with the Senate, and I have to get a deal, Miller said.
VINTON  For all the issues on which 1st Congressional District Democratic candidates Monica Vernon and Pat Murphy found agreement, they continued to clash over the definition of what makes a progressive.

Murphy, a 26-year veteran of the Iowa House, disputed Vernons claim shes a lifelong progressive, arguing she was writing checks to the Republican Party while he was passing legislation to raise the minimum wage and fund universal preschool.

Vernon, a former Cedar Rapids City Councilwoman, pushed back, pointing to Murphys past 100 percent rating from the Iowa Right to Life Committee.

Murphy and Vernon met for their third debate Friday night at the Iowa Braille School Auditorium in Vinton ahead of Saturdays 1st District Democratic convention.

My opponent needs to own his record that when it mattered the most for women in Iowa, he was not there for them, Vernon said in her opening statement.

Murphy, however, defended his record, noting while he was House speaker he did not allow any legislation to move forward that would have rolled back access to abortion.

While both Murphy and Vernon said they oppose to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, Murphy questioned her actual stance.

He pointed to a questionnaire from the New Democratic Coalition Political Action Committee that endorsed her that specifically asked about TPP. Vernon said she is a straight-shooter and explained her clear opposition to the trade agreement.

Then, release the questionnaire so we can see it in writing, Murphy said.

Vernon stressed the PAC bills itself as a moderate, pro-growth group of legislators and endorsed her over Murphy because of her willingness to work with people to solve problems.

She highlighted her list of endorsements by saying, Why is it, Pat, that the people who know you the best trust you the least? She pointed particularly to support from former House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller.

Despite the early clashes, the two candidates found plenty to agree on. They both support the Affordable Care Act and would like to see it expand to include more people. They both want to ensure that veterans get the care they deserve and want a foreign policy that includes Congress in military decisions.

While they both want to see a lower incarceration rate for people of color, Vernon criticized Murphy for focusing solely on drug conviction disparities. She focused on community policing and understanding the underlying issues driving racial clashes.

Murphy, however, noted his tenure as House speaker saw a dramatic increase in African-American lawmakers as well as growing in diversity.

Youre talking to the guy that elected more African-Americans to the Iowa Legislature than any other time in the states history, Murphy said.

Throughout the hourlong debate, the candidates focused more on contrasting with each than their would-be general election opponent, U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, R-1st District.

Murphy mentioned Blum once, though he regularly drew contrast between Democratic and Republican issues. Vernon used her closing statement to argue she is best positioned to beat Blum in the fall.

Murphy and Vernon will meet for a fourth debate May 13 at the Tama Ballroom. The primary election will be held on June 7 and early voting is already underway.
CEDAR RAPIDS -- An Iowa man accused of abducting a teenage girl is in police custody in Tennessee. The Washington County Sheriff's Office said police in Tennessee found Dominique Lloyd, 17, and Michael Knuth, 24, on Friday.

Lloyd was not harmed. Law enforcement in Tennessee is working to make travel arrangements to get her back to Iowa.

Lloyd was reported missing to the Washington County Sheriffs Office on April 23. Five days later, Iowa DPS issued an AMBER Alert at 5:46 p.m. which said Knuth took Lloyd from her hometown and the two could be heading to Florida or Georgia. Police believe the two are driving a black Mazda, license plate "DXL 519."

Georgia police stopped Knuth for a minor traffic violation before the alert was issued, according to Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar. Dunbar would not clarify where in Georgia or what day the traffic stop happened.

Neither Georgia or Florida issued an Amber Alert for Lloyd, which is a state-by-state decision.

Every investigation is different, but this is an ongoing investigation said Department of Public Safety spokesman Alex Murphy. As new information is developed and learned, it's the same in this case. Washington county learned information to meet the criteria to issue an Amber Alert and we agreed and issued the alert.

Murphy said Amber Alerts in Iowa expire after five hours if police dont receive new information, but Lloyds disappearance is still an ongoing investigation.

Micheal is a registered sex offender in the state of Iowa. Micheal was charged with third-degree sexualaAbuse for an incident on March 13, 2014, in Washington County, involving a victim between the ages of 14-17.

Micheal is wanted for violating a no-contact order, involving Dominique Lloyd, and failure to comply with the Sex Offender Registry.
WATERLOO  Mayor Quentin Hart said the city is strong and poised for growth.

But he challenged Waterloo residents during a State of the City address Friday to speak more positively about their hometown.

We have to watch the way that we talk about our community, Hart said. Every negative comment that we speak about our young people, about our community  whether were in the kitchen having conversations or looking at Facebook posts or letters to the editor, newscasts  all of those things have an impact on what we think about our city.

And every conversation we have about our city has an impact on our ability to recruit and attract business.

Hart delivered his 25-minute speech, the first formal state of the city address since the 1990s, at the Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence before a crowd of students, city staff and others.

We can never lose focus on what matters most, said Hart, explaining his choice of Cunningham school for the address. We must never forget that all of our youth matter; their lives matter; their education matters; and their success is critical to our future.

Hart used the speech to hint about his plan for a new neighborhood redevelopment initiative, upgrading the citys website and the citys plans to address gun violence by reaching out to community stakeholders and starting youth employment and mentoring programs.

The neighborhood program to be launched in the coming months has a goal of reducing dilapidated housing by 90 percent and putting vacant lots into the hands of adjoining property owners, he said.

Hart noted Waterloos crime rate has fallen 20 percent in the last five years but admitted theres still work ahead to end a spike in shootings.

Its not the sole responsibility of the police department to deal with all the challenges that we face, he added.

The tone of the address was largely positive, with Hart focusing heavily on the increasing economic development activity taking place throughout the city. He noted the City Council approved hiring an economic development specialist in the planning department to push for even more growth.

This tells me that our Chamber, our staff and our business community are working to make a difference, he said. We are seeing growth from every corridor.

We are poised, we are strong and we are Waterloo, from Ridgeway Avenue to Logan Plaza, from San Marnan to Martin Road, growth is evident, he added. We are stepping into 2016 with swag, with confidence and a renewed sense of self.
Issues with Beatrice elementary schools are not going away and the district is seeking public input in finding solutions.

Beatrice Public Schools administrators and Board of Education members discussed the issues again at the boards Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday night.

The district will determine a date to hold a community meeting, likely at the Hevelone Center at Beatrice High School. BPS Superintendent Pat Nauroth said their goal is to set the date and notify elementary students parents before the current school year ends.

The four BPS elementary schools are 60 years old, in need of major repairs and are tight on space. Additionally, the growing preschool program is split between two elementary schools and Southeast Community College-Beatrice. BPS board members said its a priority to move all preschoolers to one facility.

We cant do nothing, Nauroth said on Thursday night, and at past public discussions of the dilemmas regarding the facilities.

The district proposed a $34 million consolidated elementary facility last year that would have been paid for largely by bond revenue and built on the districts empty land located north of the high school. The facility would have included space for the preschool program. About 60 percent of voters turned down the idea at the polls in September.

Since then, administrators and board members have brainstormed other ideas of how to address the tight spaces and aging buildings.

At the future community meeting, leaders of the district will explain to the public potential solutions that may provide short-term or long-term relief.

At a community meeting at the Beatrice Senior Center on April 14, Nauroth shared three such ideas for the first time publicly. All three options involved the conversion of one of the four elementary schools into a preschool.

One option would be to disperse the elementary students from that school throughout the other three schools.

A second option would transform the other three elementary schools into grade level buildings  kindergarten and first grade in one building, second and third grade in another, and fourth and fifth in the last building.

The third option would move all of the students from the fourth school to Paddock Lane, which would require some shifting of special education programs.

The soonest the district could pitch a revised bond issue for a consolidated elementary facility is in the primary election in May 2018.

We dont have the money to remodel all four buildings, board member Janet Byars said during the discussion on Thursday.

Board members also mentioned adding portable classrooms outside of the elementary buildings, though none seemed to favor the idea.

All of these ideas will be discussed at the community meeting, the date of which is to be determined.

We need one meeting, at one time, board member Doris Martin said. We need to be realistic about the costs. We need direction from (the public). And they need to know none of us are stuck on one site or on grade-level buildings.

Martin said a challenge will be figuring out how to get residents of the district to attend the meeting.

There are going to be people there who are interested in programming and there are going to be people there interested in costs, so we need to be ready to answer those questions and to have people there to answer those questions, Martin said.

Three board members form a School Community and Staff Relations Committee. The committee meets with teachers and staff at a BPS school once each month. Board president and committee member Lisa Pieper said there were extra meetings in the elementary schools this year after the bond failed in order to receive feedback from staff.

Staff at the elementary schools have been very open with us, Pieper said. Theres a recurring theme with the concerns at each building  the lack of administrators and facilities issues.

Two principals each oversee two elementary schools. Board members expressed concern of this as well as the fact that none of the four schools have a cafeteria. Food is prepared at the high school and transported to the four schools daily. Board members said the district spends about $100,000 annually on this effort.

Board member Andy Maschmann said that before potential solutions regarding the elementary facilities are brought to the public, outlined plans and estimated price tags need to be attached.

We need to start the conversation now, provide an adequate plan, get feedback, adjust that plan accordingly and move forward, Maschmann said.

The meeting ended in agreement that administrators will gather thorough information to attach to the options before the community meeting. After the meeting, a survey with the same options and information will be administered to residents of the district. Board members mentioned June as a possible month to schedule the community meeting.
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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.
OMAHA  An Omaha man accused of stealing a gay pride rainbow flag and burning it has been found guilty.

Cameron Mayfield, 24, was found guilty Wednesday of arson. Prosecutors said that the charge was prosecuted as a felony, not a misdemeanor, because the incident was investigated as a hate crime.

Mayfield was accused of taking the flag from the porch of a lesbian couple who lived near him, setting it on fire and waving it in the middle of the street in March 2015.

James Martin Davis, who is Mayfield's attorney, argued the act was a drunken prank and not a hate crime.

"Just because the victims are gay doesn't make it a hate crime," Davis has said.

Mayfield had testified that he thought the flag was a spring ornament, not a gay pride flag, and that he had no idea that his neighbors were gay.

Prosecutor John Alagaban was more than a bit skeptical. He pointed out that Mayfield passed three or four neighbors' homes  and all the flags hanging on their homes. The prosecutor also pointed out all the steps Mayfield took to steal the rainbow flag.

"His actions were too purposeful to not be targeting this couple and that item," Alagaban said.

Mayfield faces up to two years in prison.
WYMORE  For the Wymore Volunteer Fire Department, this day was a long time coming  125 years, to be exact.

A contingent of city representatives, community members, current and former firefighters, and state officials gathered at the Wymore fire hall Saturday to commemorate the departments century-plus-a-quarter serving as protectors of the community.

And in that time, boy, how things have changed.

Wymores first pieces of firefighting equipment were a wagon to carry buckets and ladders, and a hose cart, according to a history provided by the fire department. In the intervening time there have been other trucks, each larger and more advanced than the last. The successive generations of vehicles have been maintained by the department, and all were on display Saturday as a testament to the departments long service.

During the commemoration, Fire Chief Jim Decker presented active and honorary members with medals in recognition of their service. Every one of them is a volunteer, many having devoted more than 100 hours to training in preparation for when they are needed. Their range of experience spans nearly half the history of the department  the longest-serving honorary member has been involved for 57 years, while the newest cadet was recruited just this year.

Gordon Michaelis, who has been an active member for almost 44 years and served multiple tenures as chief, said the most dramatic change during his time is the departments equipment, from what the firefighters wear to the increasing capacities of their trucks.

When I joined, there was no air packs, Michaelis recalled. Now we have air packs, because of the smoke and disease and everything else. He said the standard firefighting jacket 44 years ago was a leather coat with no protection from the heat. Today, they wear the bunker gear that has become the mainstay of fire departments.

Fighting fires has changed a lot, he said. The training has become so evolved, because of different ways weve learned heat rises, and about overhead heat, as well as new equipment. Michaelis said it has been a challenge to keep up with the advances.

He said firefighting tactics have changed, too. A lot of it now is that we pretty well try to fight it from the outside. If theres somebody in there, we go in, but every firefighter already knows his or her role in such a scenario, he said.

Among the visitors who arrived to celebrate the departments milestone were members of the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighters Association, who presented Chief Decker with a plaque recognizing the historic event.

Marlene Bomar, a 20-year firefighter with the Madison, Neb., Fire and Rescue Department, spoke on behalf of the state association and complemented her Wymore counterparts.

Theyre very strong and have pride in their department, Bomar said. Im very impressed with their dedication.

Bomar recounted for those gathered that she was the first woman hired to the Madison Fire Department. She had to prove herself then, which is something she said isnt necessary anymore.

We can do just as good and serve just as well as the guys do, Bomar said.

Four women currently serve as volunteer firefighters in Wymore, two of which joined the department in 2015. Several more are among the honorary department members.

The commemoration included addresses from several other notable local and state officials.

Nebraska Fire Marshal Jim Heine awarded certificates to those who have been department members for more than 25 years.

Wymore Mayor Milton Pike thanked the collected firefighters for their service. Roy Lauby, president of the Wymore Rural Fire Protection board, praised them for the many hours they have freely given, saying they are some of the most important among a community of volunteers.

State legislator Roy Baker told the group he had once been a volunteer firefighter years ago, and is impressed by the amount of training firefighters have now compared to then.

Lt. Gov. Mike Foley, speaking on behalf of Gov. Pete Ricketts, might have summed up the feelings of those gathered most succinctly:

The spirit of volunteerism is so strong in our state.
Faculty, staff recognized for achievement, service

Dr. Richard Williams received the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Dr. Qin Ding , Department of Computer Science

, Department of Computer Science Dr. Peter Francia , Department of Political Science

, Department of Political Science Dr. David Kimmel , Department of Biology

, Department of Biology Dr. John F. Kros , Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management

, Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management Dr. Laura Levi-Altstaedter , Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures

, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures Dr. Lori Jane Walker, School of Music

Dr. Joseph Kalinowski and Dr. Andrew Stuart , Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Dr. Xin-Hua Hu, Dr. Jun Q. Lu and Dr. Kenneth Jacobs , Department of Physics

, Department of Physics Dr. Rachel Roper , Department of Microbiology and Immunology

, Department of Microbiology and Immunology Dr. Paul Fletcher , Department of Microbiology and Immunology

, Department of Microbiology and Immunology Dr. T. Bruce Ferguson and Dr. Cheng Chen, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences; and Dr. Xin-Hua Hu, Department of Physics

Dr. William Banks , Department of English

, Department of English Dr. Eban Z. Bean , Department of Engineering

, Department of Engineering Dr. Zachary Domire , Department of Kinesiology

, Department of Kinesiology Dr. Cindy Elmore , School of Communication

, School of Communication Dr. Sony R. Hardin , Department of Graduate Nursing Science

, Department of Graduate Nursing Science Dr. Joy Karriker , Department of Management

, Department of Management Dr. Andrea M. Kitta , Department of English

, Department of English Dr. Jamie L. Perry , Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Dr. Tuan Tran , Department of Psychology

, Department of Psychology Dr. Guili Zhang, Department of Special Education, Foundations and Research

Robert Ebendorf was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Research and Creative Activity.



The University Awards Ceremony provided recognition for the service, leadership, ambition and spirit of ECU's faculty and staff.



Provost Ron Mitchelson served as master of ceremonies for the 2016 University Awards Celebration. (Photos by Cliff Hollis)

East Carolina University's faculty and staff were presented with awards recognizing their service, leadership, ambition and spirit during the seventh annual Founders Day and University Awards Celebration on April 27 in Hendrix Theatre.Provost Ron Mitchelson welcomed the audience to the event and commended the award nominees and recipients for their service to the university.Mitchelson said.Robert Ebendorf, artist in residence at the School of Art and Design, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity. Ebendorf, a goldsmith renowned for his contemporary jewelry, will retire this year. He commended his fellow educators and award recipients for their dedication, scholarship and research.he said.He described himself as both an artist and an educator and said that mentoring students has been an important part of his life at ECU.Dr. Shouquan Huo, associate professor of chemistry, and Dr. S. Raza Shaikh, associate professor of biochemistry, received the Five-Year Achievement Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity.Henry Hinton, an alumnus who serves as liaison on the UNC Board of Governors, presented the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching to Dr. Richard Williams. It is the highest teaching award given at the university and recognizes the sustained record of distinguished teaching by a tenured faculty member.Williams, an associate professor of recreational therapy, was one of eight nominees for the award. Williams is known for his enthusiasm and many of his students have gone on to successful careers in the field.In his remarks, Williams pointed out that the format of teaching  a professor standing in a room, sharing knowledge with students  has changed little throughout human history. "So how do we compete with new technology, how do we hold their attention? Why do they keep showing up in droves?" he asked. It comes down to narrative, he said."When there's a person telling a story, and he or she is feeling an emotion about that and reliving that emotion, then the listener ... our students are going to feel that. When there's sorrow in a story, they're going to feel that," he said.Williams also remarked on teachers' ability to have an influence that multiplies. "That's the subtle power that teachers have, we can work with our students, and send these ripples out into the world, and hopefully they take what they've learned, and make the world a better place," he said.The UNC Board of Governors also recognized six faculty members with the Distinguished Professor for Teaching Awards:ECU recognized faculty members who have received United States Patents:The Scholarship of Engagement Award, which recognizes one faculty member annually for sustained commitment to partnered scholarly endeavors with communities, was presented to Dr. Paige P. Viren, associate professor of recreation and leisure studies.Ten Scholar-Teacher Award recipients were initially recognized on March 31 during research and creative achievement week. The winners of the award in this, its 20th year, are:The ECU Alumni Association Awards for Outstanding Teaching went to Dr. Cody Chullen of the Department of Management and Dr. Sandra Lookabaugh of Human Development and Family Science. Dr. Laura Levi-Altstaedter received the Robert L. Jones Award for Outstanding Teaching.The College of Education's Dr. Steven W. Schmidt received the Max Ray Joyner Award for Outstanding Teaching in Distance Education. The award honors a faculty member who has shown commitment and enthusiasm in teaching and mentoring off-campus students and who has demonstrated excellence in the delivery of courses offered through continuing studies, distance education courses offered online or face to face.For the first time this year, the Diversity and Inclusion Awards recognized significant achievements in four categories. The Faculty Award went to Dr. Lori Flint, Department of Special Education, Foundations and Research; the Staff Award went to Aaron Lucier, director of housing operations; the Student Award went to Francisco Limon, Family Medical Therapy doctoral student; and the Academic Unit, Administrative Unit, University Organization or University Committee Award went to the College of Nursing Diversity Advisory Council.Also recognized at the celebration were 86 members of the ninth class of the Servire Society. These students, faculty and staff completed more than 100 hours of service to the community outside of the classroom during the previous calendar year.The James R. Talton Jr. Leadership Award was presented to Dr. Andrew Morehead, associate professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry. The award recognizes a leader who serves others in his or her work through collaboration, empathy, trust and the ethical use of authority.The Centennial Awards for Excellence represent the highest awards given to ECU faculty and staff for excellence in the areas of service, leadership, ambition and spirit. Recipients in the area of ambition were Dr. Michelle Eble, Department of English; Eugene Tashiro, Facilities Engineering and Architectural Services; and the MATCH Leadership Team.Dr. Paul Gemperline and Morehead, both in the chemistry department, and Terry Little, Facilities Services, were recognized for leadership.In the service category were Dr. Richard Ericson, Department of Economics; Kristal Gauthier, College of Allied Health Sciences; and Kevin Sugg, Moving Services.The recipients of the spirit award were Susan Howard, Department of Nutrition Science, and the Moving Services team.Mitchelson noted the contributions of not only the award recipients, but also the nominees, and said that ECU appreciates the dedication and sacrifice of all those honored during the awards ceremony.
The visiting Chief of Defence Staff of the Federal Republic of Nigeria held a working session with his Cameroonian counterpart on April 28, 2016 at Defence Headquarters in Yaounde.

The days of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, are counted. Cameroonian Defence Forces in conjunction with the Nigerian Army, operating under the Lake Chad Basin Commissions Multinational Joint Task Force, are carrying out mopping up operations in the last strongholds of the terrorist group. 237online.com The Federal Republic of Nigerias Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, was in Yaounde yesterday, April 28, 2016, to commend Cameroons Defence Forces for their efforts and commitment in fighting and destroying Boko Haram. Speaking to the press after a working session with Cameroons Defence Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Rene Claude Meka, General Olonisakin said his working visit was also aimed at seeking ways to further strengthen the efficient and fruitful military partnership between both neighbouring countries. He said joint operations have been going on well on the battlefront, with desired success recorded. Very soon, we will be looking at other aspects of the Multinational Joint Task Force, he further disclosed, to assure that more activities will be seen on the battlefield. Before leaving Yaounde aboard a special flight at 2 pm, the Nigerian military official met with the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the National Gendarmerie, Jean Baptiste Bokam. The Nigerian delegation also comprised the Nigerian-born Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force, Major General Lamidi Oyebayo Adeosun.

George MBELLA
Apr 30, 2016 | By Tess

Additive manufacturing technologies have helped to reinvigorate the aerospace industry in many ways, by allowing for faster prototyping, as well as the manufacturing of lighter, more efficient parts. The technology, however, has not only been useful in creating new and futuristic technologies within the industry, but has also helped to restore old aircrafts, helping to fill in the history of aviation. At the Topeka Air Combat Museum in Kansas for instance, one volunteer helped to restore the replica of a WWI fighter plane using 3D printing technologies, allowing for museum-goers to see the early aircraft in all its glory.

The aircraft, a De Havilland 2, was received by the museum in 2015, though only 80% of the planes structure was in tact as a rear-mounted engine was missing. The Topeka museum, which has relied on the help of dedicated volunteers to help restore previous aircraft models, asked one of their most talented volunteers, Gene Howerter, to take on the job, though at the age of 75, he decided it was too much work.

Fortunately, another volunteer, who had been working with the museum to create a virtual tour of their nearly 40 aircraft, decided he was up for the task. The volunteer was Huw Thomas, an associate professor of industrial design at the University of Kansas. Normally, the museums restorations required a number of innovative, traditional materials such as wood, metal scraps, glue, and paint to complete, though with Thomas heading the restoring process, he decided to take a different route: that of digital design and 3D printing.

According to Thomas, he was able to recreate a digital model of the planes missing rear engine with the help of a 1915 service manual that he managed to track down. Even the designing process took hm about 60 hours to complete. For the actual 3D printing of the engine, which was completed in a number of small parts, Thomas used facilities at the Univeristy of Kansas which were equipped with two LulzBot Taz 3D printers. To make the printing process go even faster, Thomas invested in his own 3D printer, so parts could be make at his home simultaneously.

With the 3D printers, it still took the industrial designer about 400 hours to print the airplane engine parts, as each of the engines nine cylinders were made in separate halves. After the printing, Thomas assembled all the plastic pieces using a strong adhesive. The restoration project, which began in November, was only just recently completed, as last Wednesday the 3D printed engine was given a propeller and fitted onto the back of the WWI fighter plane replica. In the end, the engine measured an impressive three feet in length and 14 inches in width, weighing just a few pounds.

The 3D printed engine, which was completed at no cost (except materials) by Thomas, will be unveiled to museum visitors tomorrow, on Wednesday April 26th, where it will be displayed in the museums main hangar. Currently, Thomas is working on designing the replica of a Lewis machine gun for the De Havilland, which he also plans to 3D print to help complete the plane model.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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University selectively enforces policy that requires permit for any kind of communication on campus

RALEIGH, N.C. Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Christian student group at North Carolina State University filed a federal lawsuit against school officials Tuesday over its policy requiring a permit for any kind of student speech or communication anywhere on campus. The university only selectively enforces the policy and did so against Grace Christian Life, a registered student organization, when officials told members of the group that they needed a permit to speak with other students in the student union.said ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer.In September 2015, NC State officials informed students with Grace Christian Life that, without a permit, they must stop approaching other students in the Talley Student Union to engage in religious discussions with them or invite them to attend Grace Christian Life events.The group obtained a permit to set up a table in the student union in January and were told at the time the permit was issued that they could speak with other students from behind the table or anywhere in the room; however, when they left the table on the permitted date, a member of the Student Involvement Office approached them and told them they must stay behind the table.As the lawsuit explains, the university has not placed the same restriction on anyone else. In fact, Grace Christian Life members observed and documented numerous other groups freely speaking with other students and handing out literature either without a permit or outside of the area reserved by their table permit-sometimes in full view of the same officials that stopped Grace Christian Life from doing the same.The university regulates student oral, written, and graphic speech through University Regulation 07.25.12, a policy that requires a permit for any form of commercial or non-commercial speech, which the policy broadly defines asThe policy specifies that any person "wishing to conduct any form of solicitation on University premises must have the written permission of the Student Involvement [Office] in advance." Depending on the location of the proposed activity, the speaker may also have to obtain the permission of the administrator responsible for the facility or location where the activity is to be held."The courts have well established that a public university can't require permits in this manner for this kind of speech-and certainly can't enforce such rules selectively," explained ADF Senior Counsel David Hacker.Edmund LaCour of Bancroft PLLC is serving as co-counsel in the lawsuit, Grace Christian Life v. Woodson, filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
How to watch and what to know about South Dakota State at North Dakota
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.
Section 1 Body Html

ACERs Board of Regulators (BoR), which met in Madrid on 27 April, appointed Dr Annegret Groebel as its new Vice Chair for a two and a half year term. She succeeds Walter Boltz.

The new Vice-Chair, Dr Groebel, has been Head of the Section International Coordination in the German Regulatory Authority for Energy, Telecommunications, Post and Railways (Bundesnetzargentur), since 2001 and was promoted Head of Department in 2009.

Dr Groebel, who also chairs the Agency's Monitoring, Integrity and Transparency Working Group, remarked that: "In the coming years, European regulators will be faced with the challenge of contributing to the Energy Union, an integral part of which is completing the internal energy market as well as ensuring wholesale energy market integrity and transparency which remain at the heart of ACER's work. I look forward to working with the BoR colleagues to meet this challenge."

In welcoming the new BoR Vice Chair Lord Mogg , BoR Chair, said: Dr Groebel is an excellent choice having been very actively involved with all aspects of our work and particularly in the implementation of the regulation for market integrity and transparency.
By Catherine J. Frompovich

Is there a concentrated plan actively in place to reduce the human population on Planet Earth?

What a question to ask! However, according to a March 2016 paper by Kevin Galalae published in the journal Epidemiology: Open Access titled Turning Nature against Man: The Role of Pandemics, Vaccines and Genetics in the UNs Plan to Halt Population Growth [1], Galalae sets out in his 16-page article whats been going on and summarized in the papers Conclusion, in part:

All epidemics and pandemics of the past 30 years are fabrications of the UN system and its partners in crime at the national level for the purpose of lowering births below the magic line of replacement level fertility and, more recently, also for limiting life to an economically acceptable and environmentally sustainable age. [2]

Galalae goes on to conclude:

The strategy of depopulation has evolved and has been accelerated and amplified. Having exposed the covert chemical, biological, psychosocial and economic methods of population control, and having destroyed our governments cover of secrecy, we have shut down their ability to commit genocide by turning man against man through the misuse of the institutions of state, concealment of vital information, abuse of the rule of law, perversion of science, falsification of facts, misappropriation of public funds, and the debasement of executive powers. [2]

While THIS information below probably is the most disturbing of Galalaes conclusions:

Vaccines now represent the newest battle line between the 1% and the 99% and between international and individual prerogatives. In the 21st century it is the needle not the bomb that causes death and disease at an unimaginable scale and at an unpredictable cost to the genetic endowment of mankind. But although the weapon has changed the goal remains the same, to stop and reverse our numbers so that by the end of the 21st century everybody will live just as long, just as sterile, and just as sick. The planet will be saved but mankind destroyed.

Why do I feel that Galalaes above conclusions are most disturbing? The answer, I feel, is to be found in the fact that most people are proselytized enough to accept, and even believe, either due to political correctness, peer pressure power, or whats rendered as factual media information, that the deliberate injecting of neurotoxins, anti-fertility and sterility agents (polysorbate 80 is one), squalene, foreign DNA, mycoplasmas, and nanoparticles into infants, toddlers, and teensin particularthe future of the human race, is called preventive medical care, which, ironically, is mandated by federal agencies and state laws! Hypothetically, ought it be called eugenics by vaccination needles?

The article explains how all Galalae discusses fits in with the increased urgency to accomplish the UNs Sustainable Development Goals plus countless new pathogens that threaten humans. [3]

That prompts me to ask these questions:

Where do those new pathogens come from?

Are they synthesized in government research labs like Fort Detrick, Maryland, and the infamous Plum Island off the coast of Long Island, New York? Was Lyme disease invented on Plum Island? [11]

Are such inventions designated to protect us from terroristic assaults thereby making them seem innocuous?

Who pays for them? Are taxpayers subsidizing our very own eugenics agenda?

Are we unknowingly fulfilling the Georgia Guidestones New Age first commandment? [12]

Where are accountability requests and investigations by Congress, the media, religions and their clergy, and most of all, we who are impacted by the New World Orders obviously sordid agenda?

One of the graphics included in the Epidemiology: Open Access article is a global map depicting global health threats in 2016. [4]

Missing from the above map is the recently media-hyped Zika virus for which theres now a fast-tracked vaccine in the works. Zika-blamed brain birth defects (microcephaly) realistically may be due more to, and result from, the chemical larvicide Pyriproxyfen [7] used for mosquito control in Brazil, since Zika has been tracked since the 1940s and 50s in Africa with no apparent brain anomalies being recordedonly minor flu-like symptoms [5]until just recently2015. What caused the Zika virus suddenly to become a teratogen, if thats what they want to blame? Was it genetically modified at some point? Or, are toxic chemicals placed in Brazils water supplies to blame? [6]

According to Galalaes article, what the New World Order folks probably want to effectuate and implement by using clandestine chemical birth control measures (vaccines) is what Bill Gates [8] so avidly endorses, i.e., using vaccines to reduce the population.

The graphic below illustrates that between 2010 and 2050, the smallest demographic is expected to fall between ages 0 to 64, which probably can be accomplished by the more vaccines they can pump into infants, children, and teens, in my opinion, and as Mr. Gates offers with his population control equation in his TED talk. The older folks are those who have not received all the vaccines that the last two generations have been mandated to receive under the guise of herd immunity and school attendance regulations, I offer. Can the projected demographics below also be the compelling reason for all the catch-up vaccines adults and senior citizens now are being mandated to get [13]?

Percentage change in the worlds population by age: 2010-2050. [9]

Galalaes paper presents some intriguing facts insofar as it states:

Under the pretext of curbing the spread of the polio virus from one country to another the WHO gave itself a plausible reason to intensify eradication activities, in other words to mass vaccinate entire populations in places where the total fertility rate is not under control. The countries targeted are all high fertility nations and hotspots of poverty, conflict or environmental degradation: Afghanistan (TFR 5), Cameroon (TFR 4.7), Equatorial Guinea (TFR 5), Ethiopia (4.6), Israel (3.1), Nigeria (5.7), Pakistan (3.7), Somalia (6.6) and the Syrian Arab Republic (3) [25].

On pages 7 and 8 of his thought-provoking article, Galalae presents charts estimating projected declining fertility rates for those countries. However, it should be noted he points out that Brazils national fertility rate is safely below replacement level, while





Brazils regional differences are significant. The northeast, which has the poorest and the brownest (62.5%) people in the country, [where the larvicide was sprayed into water supplies] also has significantly higher fertility rates than the rest of the country, approximately 2.4 children per woman compared to only 1.6 in the south where the population is 75% white. [10] [CJF emphasis]

Canadian activist and author Kevin Mugur Galalae has engaged in several hunger strikes over the years to bring awareness and influence consciousness on various issuessuccessfully, too. In April 2016 hes been camped out at the Vatican in Rome, Italy, to bring awareness to the human depopulation agenda. You can hear courageous Kevin interviewed on day 14 of his 2016 hunger strike on The Rickie Allen Show.

References:

[1] Galalae K (2016) Turning Nature against Man: The Role of Pandemics, Vaccines and Genetics in the UNs Plan to Halt Population Growth. Epidemiology (Sunnyvale) 6: 232. doi:10.4172/2161-1165.1000232

[2] Ibid. Pg. 15

[3] Ibid. Pg. 1

[4] Ibid. Pg. 2

[5] http://www.vox.com/2016/1/28/10861094/microcephaly-zika-virus-birth-defect-pregnancy

[6] https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/bang-not-zika-brazilianargentine-doctors-say-pesticides/

[7] http://www.gmwatch.org/news/latest-news/16706-argentine-and-brazilian-doctors-name-larvicide-as-potential-cause-of-microcephaly

[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6WQtRI7A064#t=4

[9] See [1], Pg. 6

[10] See [1], Pg. 14

[11] http://www.cbsnews.com/news/plumbing-the-mysteries-of-plum-island/

[12] http://www.surfingtheapocalypse.com/guidestones.html

[13] http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/downloads/adult/adult-schedule-easy-read.pdf

Catherine J Frompovich (website) is a retired natural nutritionist who earned advanced degrees in Nutrition and Holistic Health Sciences, Certification in Orthomolecular Theory and Practice plus Paralegal Studies. Her work has been published in national and airline magazines since the early 1980s. Catherine authored numerous books on health issues along with co-authoring papers and monographs with physicians, nurses, and holistic healthcare professionals. She has been a consumer healthcare researcher 35 years and counting.

Catherines latest book, published October 4, 2013, is Vaccination Voodoo, What YOU Dont Know About Vaccines, available on Amazon.com.

Her 2012 book A Cancer Answer, Holistic BREAST Cancer Management, A Guide to Effective & Non-Toxic Treatments, is available on Amazon.com and as a Kindle eBook.

Two of Catherines more recent books on Amazon.com are Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into Whats Probably Making Us Sick (2009) and Lord, How Can I Make It Through Grieving My Loss, An Inspirational Guide Through the Grieving Process (2008)

Catherines NEW book: Eat To Beat Disease, Foods Medicinal Qualities 2016 Catherine J Frompovich coming in Summer 2016
Need help setting up routines for your kids? Follow our checklist of organizing tips to create easy-to-follow structures that help your child grow and learn to be on time.

1. Give specific instructions. Put away the toys on your carpet on the shelf in the closet. Be consistent  if the toys are stored on the shelf one night, they should be put there every night. Children need to know precisely what you expect.

2. Assign tasks that your child is capable of doing on his own. Success builds confidence. The goal is to teach your child to do things independently.

3. Involve your child in discussions about rules and routines. It will help him understand goals and teach him to accept responsibility.

4. Write down routines as sequences of tasks (two to five items only), and post where easily visible (refrigerator, bathroom mirror). Review lists regularly with your child.

[Get This Free Download: Routines for Morning and Night]

5. Be realistic about time. Make sure youve set aside enough time for the child to complete his homework, clear the dishes, and get out the door in the morning. If the original time frame is leaving you five minutes shy, add five minutes.

6. Expect gradual improvement. It takes time to change old habits and form new ones.

7. Praise effort  not just results. If your child set the table but forgot napkins, acknowledge that shes trying. Reward good behavior more often than you punish bad.

8. Allow for free time in daily routines. Kids  and adults  need downtime.

9. If your child isnt taking to the routine, seek help from a counselor who specializes in ADHD. A pro can help get you on track.

10. Stay focused on the long-term goals. Above all, dont give up!

[A Daily Routine Tune-Up for Your Family]

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Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.
Public Service Recognition Week, which runs from May 1-7, provides an opportunity to recognize more than 2 million public employees who protect the nation through service in the armed forces. More than 176,000 of them are Air Force civilian full-time, part-time, term, temporary and non-appropriated fund Airmen.In todays Air Force, civilians contribute to every facet of the mission alongside their active-duty, Reserve and Guard service members. The Air Force civilian workforce comprises an incredibly diverse number of Airmen in various missions located in all 50 states and multiple overseas locations. Below are a couple of ways the critical component of the total force continuously serves the Air Force and nation.Herb Mason, an Air Force Special Operations Command historian, spent more than 50 years preserving the Air Forces story for generations to come. As the longest-serving historian, he chronicled his first Air Force history in 1965 and then spent the next 50 years providing hindsight to leaders for years to come. Mason retired in 2015 at Hurlburt Field, Florida. Click here to read the full story.Meanwhile across the Atlantic Ocean, civilians work 24/7 as switchboard operators at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, providing service not only to the base and U.S. Air Forces in Europe, but also to Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, and State Department personnel all over the world. Click here to see how they facilitate approximately 1.5 million calls per year.Back in the States, Pat Lee, a multiservice execution team office lead engineer, works with his team on the Distributed Common Ground/Surface Systems Integration Backbone. The DCGS will provide a common set of services and standards to facilitate the sharing of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information with the warfighter. Click here to see how this team enables warfighters to get intelligence information quicker and easier.While the Civil Air Patrol may not have been part of the traditional mindset of civilian Air Force members, that old paradigm shifted in August 2015 when the Air Force updated Doctrine Volume 2, Leadership, expanding the Air Forces descriptions of the total force to include active-duty, Guard, Reserve, civilian, and auxiliary members. Click here to see why Air Force leaders should consider each part of the total force, including the auxiliary, when determining the most effective and efficient ways to complete the mission.Saving money is always of importance when considering any new acquisition, reconstruction or taking care of Airmen. Therefore, when engineers from the 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, were able to ensure todays readiness with tomorrow's modernization and saved $8 million along the way, they deserve a little recognition. Click here to see how teams of military and civilian personnel enabled the Air Force to invest those dollars in other areas across the service's wide gamut of operations.Erik Straus began his Air Force career in 1987 as a security forces member then cross-trained into the space field where he joined 4th Space Operations Squadron in 2000. He led the launch teams for the final two Milstar satellites, before returning to the 4th SOPS as a civilian. To read more about Straus, click here This week, take time to thank all the civilians whose work contributes to the Air Force mission -- Global Reach, Global Power and Global Vigilance.
Amid controversy over alleged corruption in Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha today said investigators have the ability to find the money trail and the government will pursue the matter for citizens benefit.

These are investigations that our agencies are undertaking and they are very capable, Sinha said in response to a question on how confident the government is in proving the money trail to Sonia Gandhi or if it is just a political aggression.

They (investigative agencies) have the ability to be able to track down and find out what the money trail is. Of course, we will pursue the matter for the benefit of citizens of the country, wherever the investigation, wherever the evidence may take us, he said on the sidelines of the Enforcement Directorate Day here.

The ruling BJP has been making allegations of involvement of top leaders of the Congress in the chopper deal.

The VVIP chopper deal relates to a 2010 decision of the the UPA government to buy 12 helicopters from Italian manufacturer, Finmeccanica, a unit of AgustaWestland.

CBI, in 2013, had registered a case in connection with alleged bribes paid by the firm to Indians to clinch the deal for 12 helicopters to ferry VVIPs, including the President and the Prime Minister.

With regard to the Rs 9,000-crore loan default case involving Vijay Mallya, Sinha said these are commercial matters and banks are pursuing these cases.

It is obviously for them as well as as investigative agencies that are pursuing cases against Mallya. We have a very robust as well as a very independent process both on the commercial side as well as on the investigative side, he said.

Asked if Mallya would be deported to India for prosecution, Sinha replied, These are government to government matters that have to resolved taking into account laws of both the countries. We have made filing with respect to Mallya and we have to proceed as per the law.

Earlier this week, India asked the UK to deport Mallya, whose Kingfisher Airlines has been accused of loan default, citing the revocation of his passport and a non-bailable warrant against him.

Sinha stressed on the need for sharing of intelligence among various agencies and use of big data analytics for efficient investigation.

The one area that I think we need to do in the directorate and across other government investigative agencies is in big data analytics, particularly in being able to access data across different government investigative agencies, he said in his address at the Enforcement Day event.

For example, if you look at data that is maintained by RBI as part of the Fema and all of the foreign exchange that they track, that data are not correlated against the data that the Customs has in terms of transactions of bills of entry of goods leaving and coming into the country, he said.

If the different data are harnessed and shared among various agencies, the investigations would be more efficient, he added.

We will also be able to pre-emptively identify a pattern through big data analytics on what kinds of mechanism and schemes are being utilised to use foreign exchange or illegal activity or take advantage of drawback duty incentives, Sinha said.

 In BoB foreign exchange scandal, lots of transactions were not correlated between the bills of entry and the actual transmission of foreign exchange outside the country, added Sinha.
Auction of brands and trademarks of the long-grounded Kingfisher Airlines turned out to be a damp squib on Saturday as lenders failed to attract a single bidder for sale of these pledged assets at a reserve price of Rs 366.70 crore in their efforts to recover unpaid loans from beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya.

This is the second failed attempt by the 17-bank consortium, led by State Bank of India, to recover some money from Mr Mallya, after an earlier auction of Kingfisher House  the erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines headquarters  met with a similar fate with no bidder coming forward.

The items on sale in Saturdays online auction included the Kingfisher logo and also the once-famous tagline Fly the Good Times. Other trademarks on sale included Flying Models, Funliner, Fly Kingfisher and Flying Bird Device.

The reserve price for the trademarks was kept at Rs 366.70 crore  not even one-tenth of the price at which it was pledged as collateral for the loan. Sources, however, said the reserve price was too high for any bidder to come in.

There were no bids, possibly because the reserve price was considered very high. Though the reserve price was set much lower than its original valuation at the time of taking the brand as collateral, people still found it to be high, a banking source said.

The online auction began at 11:30 a.m. and lasted for an hour. It was conducted by SBICAP Trustee Company on behalf of lenders under the Sarfaesi Act.

The Kingfisher brand was collateralized to banks for a whopping Rs 4,000 crore (by Grant Thornton) in 2010.

In its annual report for 2012-13, Kingfisher Airlines said that at its peak, it was the largest airline in India, with a five-star rating from consultancy Skytrax. The airlines brand had been registered separately from the Kingfisher beer trademarks.

The interest for this auction could have been from existing airline operators, but no one will come. It is better to start a new airline company than to buy this brand and revive it, a senior banker said.

In a previous attempt at recovery of dues, which have ballooned to over Rs 9,000 crore after taking into account the interest component, the banks had conducted an auction of Kingfisher House last month, but did not find any takers at a reserve price of Rs 150 crore.

Sources said the lenders might now try to lower the reserve price in both the cases in their future efforts to sell these pledged assets.

The Kingfisher House property has a built-up area of over 17,000 square feet in posh Vile Parle near domestic airport here.

Mr Mallya, who left India on March 2 and is currently in London, has a non-bailable warrant against him in a money-laundering investigation. His passport has also been revoked. Earlier this week, the government said it has written to the British government seeking Mr Mallyas deportation.
You all have abused the character creator in ways that only Rainbow Snake could love, and now it's time to announce the winners (losers?). We always get some fantastic submissions for our contests, but picking the winners out of the entries this time was not easy. Everybody who participated did great work and congratulations to the winners!1ST PLACE (RAINBOW BIG WIG, TRILLIRUNERK'S FEATHER)Nuev - Siel2ND PLACE (RAINBOW BIG WIG, [EVENT] EVERLASTING CHRONANIMBUS CONTAINER)Nigglesworth - Beritra3RD PLACE (RAINBOW BIG WIG, RAINBOW SNAKE COSTUME)Rayashisback - SielWinners will be receiving their prizes on or before the maintenance on May 4, 2016.If you want to see all of the submissions, visit the forum thread here
Kathy Manos Penn

Call a library information line? Seriously? Believe it or not, that resource still exists and is used regularly. When I read an article in my local paper about the demand for this service, I had a flashback to my days working my way through college as a part-time administrative assistant. If I couldn't find an answer in my trusty Secretarial Handbook, I called the library. In those days before the fax machine, I even recall walking a few blocks to the library on my lunch hour to pick up a copy of the information I needed. And you're thinking, "How old is this person who didn't have a fax machine?" Hey, I was happy to have an electric typewriter and liquid paper.Back then, the only way to contact the librarians was in person, by phone or snail mail. Now they also get questions via email, fax, and online chat. The Virtual Reference Pod at the Atlanta library is comprised of four workstations. The reference librarians find answers the high-tech way but also have card catalogues and file folders filled with answers they've gathered over the years to questions like, "What are the names of Santa's Reindeer." That made me wonder how often they get asked for the names of the Seven Dwarfs.You might ask why folks just don't google the answer for themselves. The answer seems obvious if you've ever searched for information online for what seems like hours. There's just too much information out there, and not all of it accurate. Yes, the worldwide Web can be overwhelming for old and young alike. Even college students contact the "Pod" for help, and who's more tech-savvy than that demographic? Well, actually, the answer to that may be grammar school students. These days, it does seem as though the younger you are, the more you know about technology.So, despite predictions years ago that libraries were going the way of the dinosaurs, they are still alive and well. As a banker, this scenario reminds me of the same prediction for brick and mortar banks. Many folks use online and mobile banking and ATMs, but just as many still walk in the front door of the building. It's all about options, and now that I know I have the option to do an online chat with a reference librarian, I may have to give it a try.
April 29, 2016

Only four years ago, a meeting between an Iranian foreign minister and his US counterpart would have dominated news and stirred criticism by both Iranian and American hawks. Not anymore, thanks to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)  the result of record-breaking meetings between Mohammad Javad Zarif and John Kerry. Both men today know very well that this breakthrough was itself a true sip from the poison chalice for many in Tehran and Washington.

When the nuclear deal was announced on July 14, 2015, there were many in Tehran who poured into the streets to celebrate. There were also those who denounced the whole new Iranian approach, reiterating what late founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini used to say: Until the US and Israel say, There is no God but Allah, we wont accept it. It was mainly the hard-liners who were completely against the JCPOA  those on the very right of the political spectrum, well known in Iran as the Hezbollahis. They campaigned for their cause among the ranks of the regime who, during the negotiations, were very cautious not to make provocative statements that might reflect a sense of division within the establishment. It was mainly this collective consciousness that was pushing the majority of Iranian elites to build hopes of sanctions relief and economic prosperity, which at that political and diplomatic moment meant that all anti-deal voices should stay calm, no damaging comments were welcome and that pessimists should keep their thoughts to themselves.

Nine months are enough for a pregnant lady to give birth, yet nine months werent enough for the nuclear deal to give us anything, an Iranian official who spoke on condition of anonymity told Al-Monitor. The US wants everything from Iran, and they arent ready to give anything. This is only helping the anti-US sentiment grow in Iran, not only among the Principlists and their camp, but even among those who used to push for normalization [of ties with the West]. The Iranian official specifically cited the latest ruling by the US Supreme Court to seize $2 billion of Iranian assets. Indeed, [The ruling] provides a new standard clarifying that, if Iran owns certain assets, the victims of Iran-sponsored terrorist attacks will be permitted to execute against those assets, said Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who added, applying laws implementing Congress' policy judgments, with fidelity to those judgments, is commonplace for the Judiciary.

Among other US steps that have been seen as provocative by Iran were the changes to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which bars nationals of Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Syria, as well as nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to these countries in the past five years, from visa-free entry to the United States. Measures such as these are seen by Iran as discouraging businessmen who want to engage with Iran. The same applies to other steps, including the lingering banking limitations that are causing a delay in the return of around $55 billion worth of frozen Iranian assets. Yet Kerry told journalists after his most recent meeting with Zarif in New York, There are now opportunities for foreign banks to do business with Iran, adding, Unfortunately, there seems to be some confusion among foreign banks, and we want to clarify that as much as we can." Its yet unknown which steps are to be taken by Washington to clarify this confusion.

If the US fails to abide by the deal and continues to deprive Iranians of their rights, then things might get out of control, the Iranian official told Al-Monitor. Iran, abiding by the [supreme] leaders red lines, did its part of the deal  yet we havent seen anything serious in return. If this policy continues, then [it is] no surprise that one day this deal might fall, and then  given the failure in building trust  its going to be very difficult to reach a similar deal within a decade or two from now. According to the Iranian official, The only thing we can understand from whats happening is that they want us deprived from our strength  not to make peace, but to launch a war while we are defenseless. This isnt going to happen at any price. The Iranian official was referring to the pressure thats being exerted on Iran to give up its missile program, which is regarded by the US as a violation of UN Security Council resolution 2231, which was one of the results of the nuclear deal, but not a violation of the JCPOA itself.

All these moves have had a dire impact on the Iranian side, reviving memories from the 1940s and 1950s when the level of mistrust of the West reached its peak, especially during the last days in power of ousted Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. Its worth mentioning that the first anti-US slogans in Iran didnt emerge after the countrys 1979 Islamic Revolution as many might think, but during the period between 1951 and 1953. According to Ervand Abrahamian, professor of history at Baruch College and author of The Coup, these slogans first emerged during the visit of US diplomat Averell Harriman who came to mediate between Iran and Britain in the wake of the nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Such incidents multiplied long before the British-American-backed coup of 1953, which restored Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as Shah of Iran and ousted Mossadegh. Former US Ambassador to Iran Loy Henderson recalled in an interview with the Harry Truman library oral history program, I received a telegram from our consulate in Esfahan stating that several thousand persons bearing Communist flags and shouting in Persian Yankees, go home had been parading in front of the consulate. A third incident was during demonstrations on July 16, 1952, which saw protesters chanting down with Anglo-American imperialists, among other slogans.

Today, Hezbollahis in Tehran continue to chant Death to America slogans and raise banners and posters depicting President Barack Obama as Shimr, the man who killed Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad and the third Shiite Imam. Such moves would usually stir criticism from among the ranks of Reformists and even pragmatic conservatives who back the JCPOA. Nevertheless, after all these months after the signing and implementation of the nuclear deal, its very unlikely to hear such voices. Instead, those who might have criticized anti-US provocations might these days themselves be reading Iranian writer Jalal Al-e Ahmads 1962 bestseller Gharbzadegi (West-toxication), a book seen as the mother of anti-Western discourse and sentiments in Iran, or in other words  anti-West 101.
Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 2135 Jefferson Ave. S.W. in Birmingham, will celebrate its 125th anniversary on Sunday.

The Rev. Nathaniel Edmond, pastor of Second Missionary Baptist Church in Elgin, Illinois, will be the guest speaker at 10:45 a.m.

On Monday, May 2, and Tuesday, May 3, the church will continue its anniversary observance with a two-night revival. Edmond will be the guest evangelist.

The church recently underwent a major renovation and re-opened its sanctuary and new balcony last Sunday.

Greater Shiloh moved to its $6.5 million campus in West End in 2008, led by the Rev. Michael W. Wesley Sr., who has been senior pastor since 1988.

Greater Shiloh was founded in May of 1891 and has been an influential church in Birmingham history.

A previous Southside location was the site of one of the deadliest accidents ever at a church. On Sept. 19, 1902, a stampede after a Booker T. Washington speech killed 115 people inside the church at its former 19th Street building, which was torn down in 1927 to make room for the Veterans Administration Hospital. Washington spoke at the church during the National Negro Baptist Association's annual meeting. Shortly after Washington's speech inside a packed sanctuary, someone in the choir loft yelled "Fight!" which was mistaken by many in the crowd as "Fire!"

A rush for the door began, with a mass of people being crushed at the exit. Bodies were laid out in long rows for relatives to identify. Many of those killed came from around the country and were never identified.
An employee of a traveling petting zoo was arrested in Florence on Saturday after allegations he sexually abused two children visiting the attraction.

Daryl V. Raymond Jr., 48, of Stockholm, Maine is charged with two counts of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12, a Class B felony, according to Florence police. He is being held without bond in the Lauderdale County Detention Center.

Raymond is an employee of Jungle Safari.

According to police, the owner of the petting zoo told Florence Police Chief Ron Tyler that he will be closing the petting zoo and moving to another city.
Vicki Pickering just moved into Oak Trail Apartments in Leeds with her daughter and son-in-law on Friday. That night, they watched in shock as the huge apartment building next to theirs went up in flames.

Fire departments from Leeds, Birmingham and Irondale responded to the massive fire on Oak Trail Way shortly before 7 p.m. The entire 20-unit building was engulfed. It took hours to get the fire mostly out, but they were still battling hot spots and some interior flames four hours later.

Authorities went door-to-door to get everyone out when they arrived. Leeds Fire Capt. Joshua McDaniel said at least 30 people were evacuated.

Fire officials and apartment management confirmed everyone was safe. No firefighters were injured either.

McDaniel said the fire started on the right side of the building and quickly spread throughout. He said it appears to have spread through the attic, which had no breaks. The fire quickly stretched along to the far left, engulfing the whole structure.

He said the roof caved in and the interior damage was massive. The building was left structurally unsound and determined to be a total loss.

The fire was so extreme that crews couldn't enter. McDaniel said they deployed through the ground rather than the stairs and attacked the flames through the windows.

It's not yet confirmed what caused the massive fire. Among other possible causes, firefighters are investigating the possibility of a lightning strike from Friday night's storms. Several residents said they heard a loud boom and felt the building shake before it went up.

Displaced residents stood outside and crowded in the manager's office as their belongings burned. Some wept because their pets didn't make it out.

The Red Cross arrived to help the displaced residents. Management estimated between 50 and 60 people lived there but could not provide an exact count.

For Pickering, the sight was all too familiar. She said she lost her house in Jasper to a fire in December. She was not ready to experience something like that up close again so soon.

Pickering and her daughter, Christa Britt, were out shopping when her mother called her about a fire in Leeds. When her mother told her it was at Oak Trail, she was terrified she would be reliving the experience. They rushed back and were relieved to see their unit was unscathed.

"I'm just thankful it's not ours but God bless the people that lost everything," she said. "God bless the people that lost their stuff tonight because I know how they feel."

Pickering wasn't the only one this was a familiar site for. Tonia Smith and her two children were among several residents whose apartments burned in another building at this same complex in July.

Smith said they had to stay in hotel for 30 days before being allowed to move into another building at Oak Trail. Her new apartment happens to neighbor Pickering's in the building next to the one this latest fire took.

"They just took the tags off of their furniture and now they got to experience this," she said.

McDaniel said the July fire was caused by food left on a stove. He said it was contained to one building that was severely damaged but not a total loss.
Two days after Florida teenagers, Perry Cohen and Austin Stephanos, were reported missing, a pilot claims to have seen one of them clinging to two pieces of white Styrofoam tied together with a orange life preserver.

The sighting was about 25 miles off the coast of the Florida-Georgia border, pilot Bobby Smith told the Palm Beach Post.

"I could clearly see a (shirtless) young man waving his arms. He was on his back. He had dark shorts on. I dropped to about 200 feet. I circled three times," said Smith, 63, who owns Midcoast Aviation Services in Statesboro, Ga.

About 15 minutes later, though, the U.S. Coast Guard found no sign of the boy.

Cohen and Stephanos, then 14 and from Tequesta, Fla., went missing July 24, 2015 after leaving the Jupiter Inlet in a 19-foot Seacraft boat while on a fishing trip.

The the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released a video showing the boys leaving the Jupiter Inlet in July.

According to the Palm Beach Post, Smith's sighting was the same day the boys' boat was found capsized about 67 miles off Daytona Beach, which is about 180 miles north of the Jupiter Inlet.

The U.S. Coast Guard were unable to secure the boat and bring it back to shore. The boat was found again about eight month later, on March 18, about 100 miles off the coast of Bermuda by a vessel traveling to Norway.

Florida State University Professor of Oceanography and Climate Mechanics Allan Clarke told the newspaper it's possible the Gulf Stream could have swept a boy on a floatation device about 100 miles from Daytona Beach to the Florida-Georgia line.

"The boy could have moved faster north than the boat in the Gulf Stream because the boy would have less wind resistance than the boat," Clarke said.

Smith told the Palm Beach Post he has "no doubt" he and the two passengers on his plane saw the boy floating in distress. His 10-year-old granddaughter took three blurry photographs of the debris.
We all wish we could wake up one day and see that our undereye circles and crow's-feet have magically disappeared. While that may very well be a dream, there are a few things you can do to keep wrinkles and signs of aging at bay. We asked three dermatologists to share their best tips for making eyes look ten years younger.

Layer up. "I use multiple products to get the ingredient mix I want," says Vivian Bucay, a dermatologist in San Antonio. Right now, that means peptides (in NuGene Eye Serum) and niacinamide (in PCA Skin Ideal Complex Revitalizing Eye Gel).

Mask the issue. "After a late night, I wear Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels for ten minutes," says Los Angeles dermatologist Jessica Wu, explaining that they smooth crepiness for a few hours by pushing moisture into the skin. "I use them on my upper lip, too."

Take it easy. Holding your face still in the name of younger skin is a tall order, but "I don't squint because it gives you wrinkles," says Amy Wechsler, a dermatologist in New York City. She's not kidding. "I wear sunglasses whenever I'm outside to keep my muscles relaxed."

Inside the Allure Beauty Closet:
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AR's Editor Joe Shea Talks About Elections On Iranian TV Bear Stearns Saved By Fed As Lehman Bros. Falters; Major Bank

Failure Looms Over Wall Street, Sends Markets Into 200-Pt. Dive Lie Upon Lie Five Years Into the Iraq War

The Administration Still Churns Out Lies by Randolph Holhut A Small Tragedy Even at 90, As Friends Turn Cool

She Knows the Show Must Go On by Joyce Marcel I'll Take Me Imagine John Wayne or Arnold

In Heels, Silk and a Girdle by Elizabeth Andrews Sen. Nelson Calls For New Fla. Primary; Gov Crist Backs 'Do-Over' Who'll Win? Ask Spock Spock.com Engine Predicts Winners

By Site Searches; It Can be Wrong by Jay Bhatti Chatting Up The Cat God Gave Me Dominion Over Him

But I Think He's a Non-Believer by Constance Daley Death of a Thug The Life and Horrors of Suharto by Andreas Harsono ___________________________ This Just In Sierra Club: McCain Ducked All 15 Key Votes On Green Laws (AR) A Work By AR's T.S. Kerrigan Is Chosen As 'Best Poem' By Wordpress Site Murder At Mile 63

The Deadly Assault and

Bush Administration Cover-Up

by S. Eben Kirkesby

and Andreas Harsono 5427 14th St. West, Bradenton, FL 34207 $6.99 Fish Fridays! Manatee Co.'s Only 24-Hr.

FREE Wi-Fi Paid Advertisement On Native Ground

AFTER 5 YEARS, WE'RE STILL LIED TO ABOUT IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Next week is the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. And it is likely that sometime in the next couple of weeks, the 4,000th American soldier will die in Iraq. [MORE] Momentum

OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - It's 1931, and a 14-year-old girl is standing alone on a stage. She's small and lively with dark curly hair, widespread hazel eyes, slender wrists and an open, eager face filled with the wonder of performing. Her name is Rose, and one day she will be my mother. But now she is performing an Eugene O'Neill monologue called "Before Breakfast" for a ladies' club in a wealthy suburb of Long Island. [MORE] One Woman's World

COMFORTABLE WITH MYSELF by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I'm not sure but I think I may be socially incorrect. [MORE] On Native Ground

ENOUGH FOR A WAR, NOT FOR A PEOPLE by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Last week, the National Governors Assn. met in Washington, D.C. One of the tasks the NGA had on its agenda was to ask President Bush to increase federal spending on roads, bridges and other public works projects as a way to stimulate the economy. He rejected their pleas out of hand, claiming that infrastructure projects wouldn't offer any short-term economic boost. [MORE] Brasch Words

BEWARE THE SELF-REVERENTIAL PRESS by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Shortly before the primary votes this past week, Newsweek's Jonathan Alter called Sen. Barack Obama's surge to the Democratic nomination "inevitable." It also called for Hillary Clinton to "start her campaign for Senate majority leader." [MORE] Constance

A CONVERSATION WITH MY CAT Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Normally, when the cat starts his evening rant of meowing continuously until he makes his point, I just take it as long as I can, pick him up, and put him in the garage for the night. He doesn't want to go, but the meowing stops and I don't care if he likes it or not. [MORE] Momentum

OUT OF STRUGGLE, ART by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Here we are again at the crossroads of art and social change, having the opportunity to watch good and great films about the lives of women in support of the Women's Crisis Center. [MORE] Campaign 2008

HOW TO PREDICT SUPER TUESDAY II WINNERS? ONLINE SEARCH by Jay Bhatti NEW YORK, March 4, 2008, 7:00PM ET -- With the outcomes of the Texas, Vermont, Ohio and Rhode Island primaries to be decided tonight, how possible is it that online searching can predict who will win tonight's primaries? [MORE] One Woman's World

DON'T VOTE; IT ENCOURAGES THEM by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Call me angry and disgusted but don't call me un-American because I won't be voting come November. [MORE] On Native Ground

BUSH AND THE KEYBOARD COMMANDOS by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- As the days tick down toward the eventual departure of President George W. Bush from the White House, it's a hopeful sign that most Americans are no longer moved by his Administration's constant exploitation of terrorism for political gain. [MORE] Momentum

WHICH AMERICA DO YOU LIVE IN? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- It's a little confusing. [MORE] Make My Dat

THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] On Native Ground

FIDEL RETIRES: NOW THE COLD WAR IS REALLY OVER by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Maybe now, we can finally say the Cold War is over. [MORE] Make My Dat

THE LAWYER THAT ATE NEW YORK by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- I used to know a guy who, quite literally, didn't get hyperbole. He didn't understand exaggeration. As a result, he missed most jokes that came his way. [MORE] One Woman's World

POLITICS IS NO PARTY by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- Are you having a hard time focusing your eyes? Do you have faint red spots all over your body? Is there a ringing in your ears and do you see wavy lines when you look at your television set? Do your hands shake when you try to hold a cup of coffee? And have you recently been forgetting what day of the week it is - or what year? [MORE] Make My Day

FOR BETTER OR WORSE ... A LOT WORSE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- "Marriage: It's Only Going to Get Worse." [MORE] Constance

YOU CALL THESE RIGHTS? by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- When you express an opinion you hope to persuade others to your point of view. It doesn't always happen but still, opinion writers try. [MORE] Momentum

THE BRIDGE WOMAN by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - Out there in America - yes, still - is a generation of women who were born in the 1940s, raised in the 1950s, and who came to radical consciousness in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I am one of them. Hillary Clinton is one of them. [MORE] On Native Ground

OBAMA AND MY GENERATION by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- I originally planned on voting for Dennis Kucinich in the Vermont Primary on March 4. [MORE] The Willies:

WARNING: THIS MEDICATION MAY MURDER YOUR FRIENDS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla. -- You've heard the warnings, haven't you? Stop Prozac and you may take a shotgun, an Uzi or an AK-47 and mow down your family and friends, or even a whole classroom full of your fellow students. You didn't? Well, that warning is not on the bottle, but like countless mass-murder incidents before it, Friday's shootings at Northern Illinois University, as well as the Virginia Tech shootings that killed 32 last year, was probably precipitated by the effect of stopping medications that suppress anger and other powerful emotions but do not relieve the underlying cause. Isn't it time we started warning people - or stopped prescribing these medicines? [MORE] One Woman's World

DON'T KNOCK ON MY DOOR by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I wish I could feel delight in my poet's mansion being like Grand Central Station all the time, but I can't. And I wish my place was such a place that someone would one day write: "Her door was always open and she always made you feel all fuzzy and warm in her presence. She could make a cup of coffee seem like a banquet." [MORE] Reporting: Panama

PANAMA'S VIOLENT LABOR UNREST INTENSIFIES Mark Scheinbaum PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb, 15, 2008 -- After just one day of relative calm, wildcat construction strikes by some members of Panama's largest union flared up again Friday morning, four days after a police sniper shot one worker. More than 140 demonstrators have been injured and at least 500 arrested, authorities say. [MORE] Brasch Words

TO STIMULATE ECONOMY, BUY A CHINESE-MADE U.S. FLAG by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler. [MORE] Make My Day

THE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- To commemorate the death of noted shark exploder Roy Scheider, and the "Jaws" movies that resulted in Erik never setting foot in the ocean again, we are reprinting this column from 2003. Shark Experts 0, Sharks 1 [MORE] Momentum

THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - As I write this, it's raining ice. Maybe a half a foot of snow and ice has already landed up here in the woods of Dummerston. Our cars are encased in it, and the door to the house is blocked. The satellite dish that brings in our Internet service quit about 20 minutes ago - frozen solid. [MORE] The Willies

AMERICA TO HILLARY: GET OUT! by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2008 -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has adopted the Rudy Giuliani strategy, and it's working - for Sen. Barack Obama. It turns out to be the strategy all Democrats are seeking - an exit strategy. But it's not for Iraq. It's for her exit from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. [MORE] Constance

CONFESSIONS OF A DISAPPOINTED VOTER by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- A week ago at just about this time, I completed an article and was about to submit it as scheduled to The American Reporter. I was feeling rather elated, ready to show up on Super Tuesday morning, firmly touch the X next to Rudy Giuliani's name and get on with my day. He was my choice; he would get my vote. [MORE] Reporting: Florida

SIERRA CLUB SET TO SUSPEND FLA. CHAPTER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 10, 2008 -- The national Sierra Club is set to suspend its Florida chapter after years of divisive infighting, the president of the national club told Florida members in a letter delivered to some this weekend. It is the first time in its 116-year history that such a step has been considered by the club, according to news reports. [MORE] One Woman's World

PLANT A NEW WORLD THIS SPRING by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- For a little while, the men will just have to toss and turn in their fear-free-women beds. For a small space of time Hillary Clinton will just have to trudge on toward the White House without my faint applause in the background. [MORE] On Native Ground

VERMONT AND THE 5 STAGES OF CONSERVATIVE GRIEF by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- First, Vermont tried to convince the nation to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. [MORE] Make My Day

REBEL WITHOUT A TONGUE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Kids' brains work in amazing ways. At times, they can grasp complex concepts and make impressive discoveries. Other times, you have to wonder how we ever survived as a species. [MORE] The Willies

FOR DEMOCRATS, NOW IT'S ABOUT RACE, INCOME AND GENDER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- It's not a good time to be a Democrat. As the Super Tuesday results demonstrated, the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has divided the partly along clear racial, income and gender lines - the very distinctions the party has sought to erase in principle but has emphasized in its pursuit of diversity. [MORE] Momentum

SUPER TUESDAY BLUES by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Super Tuesday has come and gone and I still can't get excited about the upcoming presidential elections. [MORE] The Willies

ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY, YOUR PUSH IS NEEDED by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 5. 2008 -- I'm expecting a sea change tonight. I believe that for the first time in this nation's history we will once and forever banish racism as the deciding factor in the destiny of African-Americans, and indeed adopt diversity as our path to the future. [MORE] Campaign 2008

AT 88, EVERY VOTE REALLY COUNTS by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 5, 2008 -- Pearl Turner will caucus for Mitt Romney tonight in Denver. [MORE] One Woman's World

STAND BY YOUR WOMAN by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- The black vote. The gay vote. The fundamentalist vote. The Hispanic vote. [MORE] An AR Special

SUSPECTS IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION HAVE TIES TO MUSHARRAF by Ahmar Mustikhan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Gordon Brown this past Monday feted coup-leader-turned-President Pervez Musharraf at 10 Downing Street, Britain's new prime minister probably didn't ask the Pakistani dictator a question that is now on many minds: Did you order the murder of Benazir Bhutto? [MORE] Momentum

TO THE VERMONT DELEGATION: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt.  Back when President George W. Bush and Dick Vice President Dick Cheney were building up to their loathsome war in Iraq, very few people were brave enough to call the bullies' bluff. [MORE] On Native Ground

IF BUSH HAS HIS WAY, WE'LL NEVER LEAVE IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. - In his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28, President Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that it would endanger the process that has been made over the past year. [MORE] Campaign 2008

CLASH OF COMMENTS AND PROTESTORS AT CLINTON, OBAMA RALLIES IN DENVER by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 1, 2008 -- At least four presidential campaigns of both partiers rolled into in Denver this week ahead of the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries in 22 states, but it was the Democratic presidential contenders who drew the big crowds and duked it out Wednesday. If sheer numbers are any indication, Sen. Barack Obama - preceded by a buoyant and beautiful Caroline Kennedy - won the round handily. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Colorado primary next Tuesday. [MORE] The Willies

WHY THE FLORIDA PRIMARY STINKS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2008 -- I was with my wife and daughter driving the back way from Miami home to Bradenton when we stopped at a McDonald's in Clewiston, the only big town along the vast shore of Lake Okeechobee, the state's precious freshwater reservoir. The McDonald's had three televisions at a central seating area, each tuned to a different network, and our table was in front of CNN as the very first election results started to pour in around 7:30PM. With them, almost as counterpoint, suddenly came such an overwhelming odor of cow plop that my wife started to throw up as we all ran to the parking lot. [MORE] Passings: Suharto

DEATH OF A KEMUSU THUG by Andreas Harsono JAKARTA - A few minutes after hearing that former president Suharto had died in his hospital bed, Marco, a militia leader in downtown Jakarta, raced to Suhartos house, wearing his jungle camouflage and began guarding the Suhartos residence on Cendana Street. [MORE] Constance

I REMEMBER YOU by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.. -- It seems to be more often lately that the sentiment is spoken but it's always been out there: "You never get over the death of your child." This is true. But the heartfelt expressions come from some who cannot fathom the notion of losing a child; their own child is who is in their mind, not another mother's child. [MORE]
Green Bancorp Chief Executive Geoff Greenwade, eager to tamp down speculation of a potential sale, stressed during a conference presentation that the Houston company plans to remain independent.

Greenwade's comments, made at conference hosted by RBC Capital Markets, were made just days after Bloomberg News, citing unnamed sources, reported that the $3.8 billion-asset company was working with Sandler O'Neill on a potential deal.

"Any articles on us last week are out of left field," Greenwade said, blasting recent coverage as "rumors" and "gossip."

Green, instead, plans to remain a buyer in the coming months. The company, which bought the $1.4 billion-asset Patriot Bank in October, plans to announce another deal by the end of the year, Greenwade said.

Like many smaller banks along the Gulf Coast, Green has taken hits in its energy portfolio. Oil and gas loans account for about 9% of Green's total portfolio.

During the fourth quarter, nonperforming assets jumped nearly fivefold, to $57 million, or 1.5% of total assets, mostly because of bad energy credits.

Still, Greenwade insisted that recent media coverage  of both oil lending and Green's M&A plans  has exaggerated the challenges his company faces.

"The problem with journalists is that they've just got to sell some newspapers or magazines," he said.


The majority of Americans are furious at the government because the government serves itself, not the people.

Politicians do the will of their big donors  the donor class  not what the voters want. Unelected "civil servants" rule over the people by arbitrarily defining rules that conform to the liberal agenda  such as forcing nuns to support abortion.

Strangely, Trump supporters think the solution to this problem is to elect a member of the very donor class that has disenfranchised average Americans.

Trump trumpets his history of buying politicians to do what was good for Trump, not for the voters. Similarly, Trump is unapologetic about using the full force of the government to subject a widow to five years of legal hell in order to stay in her own home.

The reality is that Trump is not the solution to the problem. He is the problem.

Given that Trump has always used government to his own benefit, why should we think that he's suddenly going to change if he becomes president?

Is it because he's calling for a wall? Given that he has stated recently that pretty much everyone who has snuck into America would be let back in through that wall, it's unclear what good it would do. Further, we know from Trump's history that he has no problem with illegals and H-2B visa holders working on his projects, instead of Americans, because it saves him money.

Is it because he's so rich that he doesn't lust after even more? Anyone who listens to Trump knows that Trump is never happy with what he's got. Further, many members of the donor class have even more money than Trump, and they haven't stopped buying politicians for their own gain.

Is it because he likes and cares about us? Well, he apparently liked his first two wives, but that didn't stop him from dumping them when it benefited Trump. Should we honestly expect Trump to treat us better than he treated his own wives?

Is it because we think he can be trusted? Well, the folks who lost their hard-earned wages because of his four bankruptcies, while he continued to live in luxury, trusted him, and it didn't work well for them. It wasn't just the rich whom Trump ripped off; regular folks such as retirees and small contractors were left unpaid.

Is it because he's such a great businessman? Well, four bankruptcies and his unwillingness to release his tax returns indicate that perhaps his self-created image of business wizardry is about as real as the quality of Trump University. Trump started out with at least a $40,000,000 inheritance, and if he'd just invested that in stock market index funds, he'd be three times richer than he is now. Other businessmen like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates have grown their fortunes much faster than the stock market.

Is it because he's supposedly pro-life? Given that he's just said that the Republican Party should endorse abortion, it's unclear why anyone would think that Trump is really pro-life. Whenever he speaks off the cuff, his pro-abortion bias is clear. Whether it's praising Planned Parenthood or saying his sister, who thinks that partial-birth abortion is wonderful, would make a great Supreme Court justice, it's clear that the new Trump is like the old Trump: a pro-abort at heart.

Is it because he supports American values? Well, he just said that men should be able to use women's bathrooms, and his position on so-called gay marriage is inconsistent. It's useful to note too that Trump basically criticized North Carolina for standing up for women's rights because it cost the state business. That might be construed to indicate that Trump's ethics are based more on the bottom line than on a deeply held system of moral beliefs.

To an impartial observer, it would seem clear that Trump is running for president not to be a voice for the average American  whom he has consistently exploited for his own personal gain  but simply to reduce the cost of business by cutting out the middleman: the politicians he currently has to buy.

Let's be clear: if the choice is between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, Trump is the better choice. Clinton wants to destroy the American defined by the Constitution, while Trump is just out for himself and as such would do less damage to America.

But today, we have a much better choice than the donor-class Trump: Ted Cruz.

While Trump has desperately tried to portray Cruz as an establishment figure, that's simply a lie. Cruz has been hated by the Republican establishment since he hit the national scene. While Cruz was fighting the establishment in Washington, Trump was donating money to Hillary Clinton and praising her work as secretary of state.

It was Cruz who pushed the government shutdown so hated by the establishment but which resulted in the Republicans winning the Senate.

Trent Lott and Bob Dole  the establishment incarnate  prefer Trump to Cruz, as does Jimmy Carter.

Can anyone seriously think that Trump isn't a dedicated member of the establishment, given that Bill and Hillary Clinton attended his wedding?

If you want to overthrow the establishment in D.C., you need to vote for a real outsider, Ted Cruz, not for a man who boasts about stealing the government for his own benefit by buying politicians.

You can read more of Tom's rants at his blog, Conversations about the obvious, and feel free to follow him on Twitter.
Dictatorships have an interest in magnifying minor problems in liberal democracies in order to divert attention from their own oppression and brutality. One wonders if this interest played a role in facilitating a recent panel titled "Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the US: Challenges and Perspectives." The panel was sponsored by Harvard University's Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Islamic Studies Program (AISP), whose eponymous founder is an influential member of the Wahhabi Saudi regime. As every panelist was either a current or future Harvard alumnus, the event provided evidence of some disturbing trends in elite higher education today.

The discussion was held on a cold, rainy Monday evening in the Tsai Auditorium, which serves Harvard's Center for Government and International Studies, before an audience of about eighty, including a representative from the university's Office of the President.

Moderator and AISP director Ali Asani, a Harvard Ph.D., opened the program by arguing that anti-Muslim sentiment is attributed to social polarization and religious illiteracy, which is then exploited by unscrupulous politicians and terrorist organizations. He described panelist Omar Khoshafa, a Harvard senior who, in 2015, invited Holocaust-denying extremist preacher and Rhodes College religious studies professor Yasir Qadhi to speak at the university as a "superhero."

Panelist Lana Idris, a Harvard senior and campus activist, followed by lamenting:

We harbor some academics and professors on this campus that reiterate, sort of, ideas that help entrench anti-Muslim sentiment on campus, which is something that we really have to work on.

She provided a single example of this alleged phenomenon: an unnamed faculty dean declining to conclude that the 2015 Chapel Hill shooting was a hate crime before the details of the attack became available. In fact, the motive for that shooting remains unknown.

Christopher Bail, a Duke University assistant professor of sociology and Harvard Ph.D., characterized his lengthy broadside against critics of radical Islam as social science, but his talk did not rate well in a simple fact-check. To prove his assertion that Republican Party presidential primary candidates are fomenting "Islamophobia," he attributed an inaccurate quote to Marco Rubio and confused Ben Carson with 2012 African-American Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain.

According to Bail, Rubio called to close down "places where Muslims gather to be inspired." This was presumably a reference to Rubio's extemporaneous remarks on November 19, 2015, in which he spoke of "closing down any places where radicals are being inspired" (emphasis added), while expressly rejecting the equation of these places with mosques. Bail then lambasted Ben Carson for supposedly saying "that he would hesitate to appoint Muslims to his cabinet," when it was Herman Cain who stated in 2011 that he would not "be comfortable appointing a Muslim ... in [his] cabinet."

Repeatedly plugging his book, Terrified: How Anti-Muslim Fringe Organizations Became Mainstream, Bail argued that the "mainstreaming of anti-Muslim sentiment" in America is due not to terrorism, ISIS, or the attacks of September 11, 2001, but to:

... [a] very well-coordinated effort by a small network of anti-Muslim organizations who have succeeded not only in captivating the mass media but also, increasingly, in influencing our counter-terrorism policy and ... American public opinion about Islam.

The villains in Bail's story included the Middle East Forum and its president, Daniel Pipes; Frank Gaffney; the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI); and unnamed Christian Arabs he alleged were employed as "pseudo-terrorism experts" by anti-Muslim organizations. That Bail considers those who point out the all too real dangers of Islamism "anti-Muslim" reveals the bias of his arguments.

MEMRI, for example, had allegedly engaged in "media manipulation" for translating a line in a Palestinian children's program as "I will shoot the Jews," when, according to Bail, it meant "the Jews are shooting at us." Does Bail not know that MEMRI addressed and rebutted the alternative translation, that the context of the statement undisputedly included directing children to shoot "for the sake of al-Aqsa," or that incitement to kill Jews in Palestinian Authority media is routine? If such sloppiness reflects the quality of his research, it's little wonder he draws such bizarre, conspiratorial conclusions.

The panel's hostility and contempt toward law enforcement, the Republican Party, and anyone opposed to Islamic militancy were similarly revealing. None of the speakers called for combating jihadism within the Muslim-American community as a moral duty. Nor was there any acknowledgement that, according to the latest FBI statistics, anti-Jewish hate crimes are over 3.5 times more common than those against Muslims.

Reducing such crimes to zero is a laudable goal. But the panel's  and particularly Bail's  scapegoating, systematic use of "Islamophobia" as a cudgel to settle partisan political scores, demonstratively inaccurate research, and lack of objective analysis or constructive suggestions impede rather than advance that aim. One would hope for more from Harvard-trained students and scholars than biased data made to serve overtly political ends. One would be disappointed.

Caleb Jephson is a member of the Harvard community. This essay was sponsored by Campus Watch, a project of the Middle East Forum.
It has been claimed by others that no matter who wins the Republican nomination in 2016, the GOP will never be the same (see also here). This is likely true. How can the party go back to stuffy old white men who are out of touch with the modern American voter? Furthermore, if this proves true, I argue it is a good thing. The Republican Party has been in a political and ideological rut and there has not been a distinguishable leader of the party since Ronald Reagan left office. To illustrate, heres an intellectual exercise: who is the current leader of the Republican Party? If you have to think hard about it then youve proven the point.

The biggest problem -- among a myriad of problems -- with the party is its lack of a strong and coherent ideology. Ideology is not a bad thing. In fact, it is necessary for a political party to have -- not only to survive, but to grow, compete, and to dominate in the realm of politics. Ideology serves as both a political foundation and a political map and compass. When you have a definable ideology, voters can identify where you stand on issues and why you stand where you stand. Moreover, when new issues emerge in the public square, a values-based ideology can help determine a partys stance on a given issue. Democrats own social issues because they have a stance and they explain their stance to voters. The GOP loses these debates because they only say no; they never say why. Having a strong ideology would Republicans counteract this perception.

Another major problem is Republican leaders do not understand that they are at war with Democrats. How can you win a war you dont acknowledge is going on? Yes, the GOP has taken control of Congress, but has the party furthered an agenda? No. Did it push an agenda when it had control of the government from 2001 to 2007? No, and the reason is that the party has no agenda. It has no agenda because it has no coherent ideology. Democrats win because they do have an ideology. The problem is that its the wrong ideology, leading to nothing but destruction and despair. However, their ideology is strong, they live by it, and they push it hard. A perfect example of this can be seen here.

In his masterpiece Witness, Whittaker Chambers incidentally explained why the Republican Party has been so weak and ineffectual for most of its existence. In explaining why Communists were so dedicated to their cause, and were ultimately going to win against the West, Chambers said that they have a reason to live and a reason to die. Chambers then noted that if the West were to win this great human struggle, freedom-loving people would have to find a similarly strong faith. He cited faith in God as the only thing that could counteract communists fanaticism; but while religious faith is important, it is the values that emanate from faith that are vital in politics. We are up against the same enemy, who has this same faith and tenacity. Republicans, and therefore the country, are losing because they refuse to stand up against this rabid enemy.

Outside of Calvin Coolidge, Ronald Reagan, (perhaps) Dwight Eisenhower, and for a time behind Newt Gingrich, the Republican Party has rarely furthered a positive, active, ideologically-based agenda. Through much of its history, the GOP has reacted to Democrats. They are constantly on the defense, never positing their own ideas and policies. Also, the party fancies itself as the conservative alternative, but in reality, this is only true relative to Democrats radical liberalism. Champions of conservatism (and classical liberalism, which is another piece for another time) have largely been found outside the party structure: Russell Kirk, William F. Buckley Jr., Rush Limbaugh, and now Mark Levin. Ideologically strong leaders like Barry Goldwater, Jack Kemp, and Ronald Reagan have been few and far between. Ted Cruz could be added to this list; he is driven by ideology but voters inexplicably preferred a reality TV star to him this primary season.

Many criticize Barack Obama and other Democrats for being ideologically driven. While it is true that he is the biggest ideologue as president since Reagan, ideology in and of itself is not a bad thing. The problem with Obama is that he adheres to the wrong ideology -- one that seeks to strip individuals of their liberty. Obamas ideology is also one that constantly seeks a maximization of the state over the individual and the civil society. Reagans ideology, had it reached full flower, would have returned the United States to its original position, politically speaking. Individual liberty. Limited government. A vibrant civil society and middle class. Sadly, Reagan largely stood alone in the fight to stop the decades-long movement of the country to the left. Once he left office, Democrats, helped by Republicans, wiped out all of Reagans progress.

As a country, we stand at a precipice as much as a crossroads. Our debt is larger than our economy. We havent been this weak relative to other countries since before World War II. Our culture and military have been infected with the limp-wristed weakness brought on by political correctness and a terrible public education system. Both parties are to blame: Democrats because they have actively sought the fundamental transformation of America; Republicans because they have been too weak to stand up and fight. Why have Republicans been too weak? Because they have no ideological foundation and because they dont have the political foresight that a values-rich ideology would provide.

Whether the GOP survives this election cycle is anyones guess. It will surely survive in some nominal sense. It has been around too long to vanish after just one bad cycle. However, nominating the likes of Donald Trump is a sign that the party is on its deathbed. This raises two questions. Can the Republican Party be saved? More importantly, should the Republican Party be saved? I would argue yes, the GOP can be saved. The second question is more debatable. The party name and apparatus should be salvaged, but with new leadership and an adherence to a strong, conservative or classical liberal ideology. Reince Priebus and his ilk should be removed in favor of a strong, outspoken figure that can ignite the base and help grow the party. Though it will be tempting to form a new party, conservatives should follow Ronald Reagans advice and reform the GOP into one that flies bold colors, not pale pastels.

The Republican Party is definitely in trouble and it has few options moving forward. As this election cycle has shown, the base is tired of stale, establishment favorites. But because reality dictates the necessity of a party, voters need to insist on new leadership and a new, ideologically based platform. If not, Democrats will speed up this now century-long process and soon we wont have a country to complain about.

Layne Hansen is a PhD student in American politics. He can be reached for comment at layne.d.hansen@gmail.com.
Our Conservative Campaign Committee team has campaigned boots-on-the-ground for Ted Cruz in ten states thus far. We attended the taping of the Fox News Ted Cruz/Carly Fiorina town hall in Indianapolis, Indiana, hosted by Sean Hannity. The crowd was electric, overwhelmingly supportive of Cruz.

Hannity created an extremely relaxed and upbeat mood, telling the crowd that there were no rules; feel free to cheer and whatever. Enthusiastic Indianans for Cruz appreciated it.

During a break, several people in good spirits yelled to the stage, urging Hannity to push Trump to debate Cruz. The audience chanted, "Debate! Debate! Debate!" Hannity laughed, saying he was powerless in making it happen.

I was seated in the front row, close to the stage. During a break, I overheard a private conversation between Hannity and Cruz. Sean asked Ted how was he able to deal with the pressure and grueling pace of campaigning. Ted said, look at these people  they energize and inspire me. It was honest and sincere, folks. I saw it in his eyes. Keep in mind that we have been observing Ted, his wife Heidi, and recently Carly up close, off camera, and behind the scenes through several states.

At a rally in South Bend, Indiana the other day, Ted was on stage addressing the enthusiastic crowd. My wife Mary and I were positioned at the front of the hall holding our "Ted Cruz: Conservative Hero" banner. From our vantage point, I could see Heidi behind the curtain backstage, a big smile on her face as she directed staffers. Heidi appeared pleasant, laid back, and easygoing  truly a class act, folks. Heidi has consistently displayed the same pleasant calm and cool demeanor every time I have seen her.

Watching Ted at several events, I have noticed that he is so secure in who he is that he does not have to dominate the stage. At the Women for Cruz panel discussion in Wisconsin, Ted seemed very comfortable allowing the women to carry the conversation, only speaking when asked a question or when he had a substantive point to add to the discussion.

During the taping of the Fox News town hall, Cruz allowed Carly to shine on and off camera as she answered questions from the audience even during the breaks. Ted and Carly make a great team.

The point that I am making is that these are really good, honest, and sincere people (Ted, Heidi and Carly).

As I said, you see many unreported things when you are boots on the ground. Our CCC team has done countless sign waves for Cruz in ten states, with the number of motorists honking their horns in favor of Cruz far out numbering those against him. However, the minority against Cruz are over-the-top vitriolic, passionately giving us their middle finger or screaming, "F*** Cruz" from their cars.

Since I know who Ted, Carly, and Heidi are and how wonderful they will be for America, the vitriolic responses seem quite bizarre. Cruz is the only candidate who is the total package. Despite the cost, Cruz has a proven record of staying true to promises he made to voters who sent him to Washington  honest, trustworthy, and character-driven. Those who dislike Cruz don't know Cruz. Those who think he is too good have serious issues.

I caught a local Indiana "conservative" radio host basically say Cruz is so wholesome that he is creepy. I thought, dear Lord, have we grown so cynical, callous, and morally bankrupt that some Americans find a good man distasteful? Lord help us.

I knew women in my youth who only dated jerks who battered them. They found good guys too boring.

Are some Americans too sick, too tainted for Cruz?

Healthy Americans, please: let's put this brilliant, trustworthy, good man into our Oval Office.
It has taken a lot of concerted effort on the part of the grievance industry, but the bonds of civil society are finally fraying to the breaking point. In broad daylight at 10 AM Thursday, 19 year old nursing student Jessica Hughes was attacked and beaten by a pair of muggers whose race the media do not care to mention, as other passengers on the train did not lift a finger to help her.

"If you were seeing someone else getting abused, wouldn't you want to step in?" Hughes said.

I look at Ms. Hughess face and see a heartbroken young woman, probably an idealist judging by her chosen profession that aims at helping others. As her question indicates, she cannot comprehend that others did not care about her plight, for she automatically would come to the aid of another under trying circumstances.

Hughes said that perhaps more painful than the beating she took at the hands of two robbers while riding the "L", is that fellow passengers who saw the attack, did nothing to stop it. "I was yelling for help. There were two other guys on the train and they did nothing. They just watched as he beat me," she said. (snip) The freshman nursing major said that after most of the passengers in her rail car got off at the UIC-Halsted stop, one man moved to the seat in front of her. As the train left the station, Hughes said she got a bad feeling. That's when the 19-year-old said the man tried to take her iPhone. "He started pushing me and then he pushed me to the floor and when he pushed me to the floor, he started hitting on me constantly. His body was on top of me holding me down so I couldn't fight back," she said. But Hughes didn't let go of her phone, even when her attacker bit her hand. She says the woman her attacker was with then punched her in the face before both fled to another rail car without the iPhone or anything else. Hughes said she finally got some help at the Kedzie/Homan stop.

When the media decline to provide a description of assailants, it is a pretty good indication that they are a protected minority. The attack took place at a place on the Blue Line where the neighborhood starts to get sketchy, as a Chicagoan who used to commute on the same train put it to me.

At a minimum, we know that a sense of community is no longer enough to assure us that we have some backup if a predator decides to attack us. In an era where practically everyone carries a smartphone, salable on the black market, we are all vulnerable. And there are those who make excuses for criminals based on some sense of justice that sees inequality, other than in pro sports, as justification for violence and expropriation by force or by government action.
Protesters blocked the entrance to the Hyatt Regency hotel in Burlingame, CA where the Republican state convention was being held, forcing Donald Trump's motorcade to make their way around to the back of the hotel. Trump hopped a fence and made his way into the hotel via a rear entrance.

Out front, there was chaos as a polyglot group of demonstrators representing several different activist groups sought to disrupt Trump's speech.

CNN:

Protesters -- some of whom wore bandanas over their faces and carried Mexican flags -- blocked off the road in front of the Hyatt Regency here, forcing the GOP front-runner's motorcade to pull over along a concrete median outside the hotel's back entrance. Trump and his entourage got out and walked into the building.

"That was not the easiest entrance I've ever made," Trump said once he began speaking at the convention, adding, "it felt like I was crossing the border."

At one point before Trump arrived, about two dozen protesters tried to rush barriers near the hotel. Police officers then rushed to the building's doors, successfully blocking the protesters from getting in. Some of the doors' handles were handcuffed from the inside so they couldn't be forced open.

Several physical altercations, including shoving, could be seen between protesters and police officers, who were using batons to push them back.

After Trump arrived, protesters took down a barrier and flooded the entrance outside the hotel, where police again blocked them from entering. They chanted, "Get him out."

Earlier in the day, Chris Conway, a 51-year-old Trump supporter who was wearing the GOP front-runner's famous "Make America Great Again" cap, claimed he was kicked, punched and spit on by Trump protesters, though he wasn't seeking medical attention. Police, apparently concerned for his safety, eventually pulled him over hedges outside the hotel and away from the crowd.

Speaking to CNN Friday afternoon, Conway said he was "not surprised" by his treatment.

"To be honest with you, I'm glad it was me and not like an 8-year-old girl being pepper-sprayed or something like that," he said.

Burlingame Police Lt. Jay Kiely said later Friday that five people were arrested, including one who was with the crowd when it tried to rush the Hyatt's entrance. One injury was reported, but Kiely did not know whether it was a police officer, protester or supporter who was hurt or the extent of the injury.

Kiely estimated the crowd was in the hundreds, though he did not have a precise figure and did not know how many police officers were dispatched to the scene. He also praised the "incredible restraint" shown by authorities.
Are we insane or what? Just saw this story out of California about John Wayne:

What a California lawmaker intended as a benign resolution honoring a late, world-renowned movie icon exploded into an emotional debate over decades-old racist comments. The state Assembly defeated the official ode to John Wayne Thursday after several legislators described statements he made about racial minorities and his support for the anti-communist House Un-American Activities Committee and John Birch Society.

To be honest, I am a lot more familiar with John Wayne's movies than his political affiliations. It may be true that he made statements years ago that were not suitable for framing, as they say. However, so have others, including Democrats like the late Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia or President Woodrow Wilson.

John Wayne is a symbol of the legendary West or the cowboy culture. He is arguably the best known cowboy in the world. His movies are watched today in a number of languages. Wayne is one of the most popular Americans of all time. Do you hear any people of color objecting to his movies? (Not to mention that two of his three wives -- Esperanza Baur and Pilar Pallete -- were Latinas.)

So what's going on here? What would drive a state legislator to pick on John Wayne?

My good guess is that this legislator does not like American history or he or she sees our past as a racist one. Everything is about "racism" with many in the left.

Furthermore, all of this obsession with racism is not solving real world problems in California. Maybe state legislators in California should show this kind of hostility against the teachers' union holding back black and Hispanic kids in lousy schools or the Obama stimulus that did nothing to stimulate the state economy.

We are going insane in the U.S. and the left is leading the way. Thank God I don't live in California and can celebrate John Wayne every day.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
A nasty surprise for Target, Inc. as a petition to boycott the store over their transgender bathroom policies has now gathered more than a million signatures.

It's clear executives at the retailer failed to judge the strong, negative reaction against the policy.

Fox News:

The American Family Association launched a boycott of the nations second largest retailer a week ago  over Targets corporate policy allowing men who identify as women to use the bathrooms and fitting rooms of their choosing. We believe that everyone  every team member, every guest, and every community  deserves to be protected from discrimination, and treated equally, the company wrote in a statement. Consistent with this belief, Target supports the federal Equality Act, which provides protections to LGBT individuals, and opposes action that enables discrimination. American Family Association, one of the most prominent and respected family advocacy groups in the nation, warned that Targets policy puts women and children in danger. Nearly everyone has a mother, wife, daughter or friend who is put in jeopardy by this policy, AFA President Tim Wildmon said. Predators and voyeurs would take advantage of the policy to prey on those who are vulnerable. And its pretty clear that more than a million customers agree with the American Family Association. Everybody knows its wrong for men to use the same bathrooms and fitting rooms with little girls, Wildmon told me. Target has decided they dont care about the vast majority. They only care about the tiny, tiny minority. The American Family Association stressed that their boycott has nothing to do with the transgender community. We want to make it very clear that AFA does not believe the transgender community poses this danger to the wider public, Wildmon said. Rather, this misguided and reckless policy provides a possible gateway for predators who are out there.

Target won't dare backtrack now, so they appear to be trapped between transgender radicals and the bulk of ordinary Americans. Trans people may not think it a big deal that a man uses the women's room, but the majority of Americans do.

Target's stock prices are down $4.74 this week. The boycott may be partially responsible, but there are many reasons for a stock decline so the notion that the company's bathroom policies are affecting its bottom line is unprovable.

But the avalanche of bad publicity will impact Target's core customer base; white, middle class Americans. If even one in ten of those petition signers carries through with a boycott, Target will lose a significant amount of money.
For any politically informed person paying attention to the organized demonstrations against Donald Trump taking place in California, it is obvious that it is the hand of La Raza and other Mexican nationalist organizations like MEChA in all those sock puppets waving all those Mexican flags. It is also obvious that all those bulk-purchased banners are full-color commercials for Donald Trump. While surely unintentional, that is the effect they likely are having on a large segment of America that up until now might have considered Donald's dire warnings about illegal aliens and Mexican government encouragement to be exaggerated or even racist.

But not even Trump has accused the Mexican government of being complicit in and facilitating the southern border invasion as a means of regaining those territories of Northern Mexico lost to the United States in its westward expansion, whether by unjust war or unfair treaty. Long a goal of various Mexican nationalist organizations in the Southwest, which they call Aztlan, reunification of more welcoming parts of the region now appears to be underway.

I'm all for letting them have California as a test case. They'll probably be begging to rejoin the Union as soon as the Mexican government cuts off all their welfare, food stamps, and free health care. Perhaps then they'll recall why they fled Mexico in the first place. Let 'em back in?
Comedian Will Ferrell announced yesterday that he has decided not to participate in a comedy film project about Ronald Reagan suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Despite the trade press reporting that Ferrell would star in and produce the film, the actor's statement made it appear as if he barely heard of the project.

New York Post:

The Reagan script is one of a number of scripts that had been submitted to Will Ferrell which he had considered. While it is by no means an Alzheimers comedy as has been suggested, Mr. Ferrell is not pursuing this project, the rep said. The rep wouldnt say whether the decision was a direct result of the outcry from Reagans daughterPatti Davis, who on Thursday called the movie cruel and Farrell heartless. The flick offers an alternate take on history and is set at the beginning of Regans second term when hes struck by dementia, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which scored a copy of the script. Comedic bits center on the idea that president had no clue where he was or what he was doing through the term, the showbiz news site reported. In one scene, a low-level aid is tasked with convincing the commander-in-chief that he is an actor playing the president in a movie. In another, theres a mix-up over a wardrobe assistant named Libby and the country Libya. I want Libby gone. No more Libby! Regan proclaims  leading to the bombing of Libya.

Hardy har har. Perhaps Ferrell's spokesman would like to explain how the film "is by no means an Alzheimers comedy as has been suggested." Sure sounds like they're making fun of someone with Alzheimer's disease to me. But then, I';m not a liberal and can't grasp the nuance that Ferrell can.

Also, compare the statement above about Ferrell "considering" starring in and producing the film with what the trade press was saying.

The Wrap:

Will Ferrell will play President Ronald Reagan in Reagan, a political satire written by Mike Rosolio, whose script was voted to the 2015 Black List of Hollywoods best unproduced screenplays. Ferrell will produce under his Gary Sanchez Productions banner. The funnyman is no stranger to political comedies, having starred in The Campaign and Dick. He also played President George W. Bush on Saturday Night Live and the Broadway show Youre Welcome America.

The story doesn't say anything about Ferrell "considering" participating in the project. In fact, the implication is that the project has already gotten off the ground if they're looking for a director.

We might hope that this would be a career killer for Ferrell, but the nauseating insensitivity demonstrated by the actor has already been thrown down the rabbit hole. The film will still probably be made but without a big star.

That's show business.
Above the village of Kamarina, near Preveza, Greece, is the historic cliffs of Mount Zalongo. It was here in 1803, during the Souliote War, some fifty to sixty Souliot women, along with their children committed mass suicide in order to avoid being captured and enslaved by the soldiers of the Ottoman ruler Ali Pasha. According to the legend, the women defiantly danced and sang as one by one they threw their children off the cliff and then followed immediately after. The incident became known as the Dance of Zalongo.

The Souliotes were originally refugees from the Greek village of Paramythia who escaped the Ottomans and settled in the remote mountainous areas of Epirus, where they enjoyed an autonomous status. Attracted by the privileges of autonomy, immigrants from elsewhere assimilated with the Souliotes and they grew in strength and number until they were powerful enough to successfully resist Ottoman rule. The Souliotes didnt pay taxes to the empire, instead, they demanded tribute from the Turks of the area. At the height of its power, in the second half of the 18th century, they dominated over 60 villages in the region.

The Monument of Zalongo honoring the women who chose death over disgrace and misery. Photo credit: Harry Gouvas/Wikimedia

The Souliotes lived undisturbed for some sixty years, before the Sultan decided that the Souliotes need to be subdued. A series of conflicts ensued, but the Souliotes proved to be undefeatable, until Ali Pasha came into power.

In the first few fights, Ali Pashas men, like those who tried before, were soundly defeated. Finally, Ali Pasha realized that an enemy as formidable as the Souliotes can only be defeated through treachery. So first, he cut off all routes of supplies until the enemy was starving. Then with the help of a traitor within the Souliotes, Ali Pashas troops laid siege and the Souliotes were forced to surrender defeat. A treaty was signed where Ali Pasha promised no harm to the remaining Souliotes and allow them to relocate wherever they pleased. But Ali Pasha had no plans of honoring it. He ordered his soldiers to seize them as hostage.

The Souliotes who were heading to Parga managed to escape, but the men, women and children who went to Zalongo found themselves cornered. Over one hundred fifty villagers were captured. Some were murdered. One group of over fifty women chose death over enslavement. The women, holding their children in their arms, sang and danced on the cliff at Zalongo. Then one by one they threw themselves over the cliff.

The story of the mass suicide at Zalongo rang throughout Europe and reverberated in the imagination of the people. Tribute in the form of poems, songs, and dances poured out as commemorations of the heroic act. Monumental paintings were made, including one by the French artist Ary Scheffer, which now hang in the Louvre, and melodramas were produced on the stages of London and Paris.

In 1961, a hauntingly beautiful modernist sculpture honoring the women was constructed on the mountaintop site. The monument depicts six abstract female figures holding hands, as they did in dance, with the figures gradually growing in size and heroism towards the edge of the cliff. The 13-meters-tall Zalongo monument is now a popular tourist attraction in the region.

Les Femmes souliotes by Ary Scheffer (1795-1858). Photo credit: Ary Scheffer Museum/Wikimedia

Photo credit: Vassilis/Flickr

Photo credit: Stelios D./Flickr

Photo credit: n.p. photography/Panoramio

Photo credit: Ursula S/Panoramio

Sources: Wikipedia / www.helleniccomserve.com / www.visit-preveza.com / www.stthomas.edu
Web browsing is seen as old by some people. And many would rather just use an app instead of going to a website to do some browsing or even some purchasing. A big reason for this is passwords and logins. They can be a big hassle. Although many web browsers do have password management, its not super secure, and doesnt work with every single site on the web. There are also password management apps like LastPass, EnPass and many others, which are much more secure, and work more widely than Chromes password management system. Now Google is looking to take steps to fix that and make a better browsing experience with the latest Chrome Beta update which brings it to version 51 on Android. Essentially what Google is doing is giving us a form of Smart Lock on Chrome.

This API was created by the W3C, and basically makes an universal way for the browser to communicate with websites to use the password manager. So the API isnt about authentication at all, but better communication. Seeing as that is actually where the issue lies, thats not a big surprise, and its actually really easy for web developers to implement this API into their site(s).

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Another feature that comes to the beta version of Chrome on Android this time around comes in the form of making web pages smoother, and faster to load. Some websites are much slower than others, and Google is looking to speed it up by not loading videos, GIFs, animations, widgets, and stuff of that nature, until you actually see it on screen. So if you load up a website and there are widgets on the website, but you cant see them, they arent going to load until you scroll down. What this means is that youll have a faster experience in Chrome, even on websites that are notoriously slow.

Of course theres plenty more in this update to Chrome Beta, most of it is behind-the-scenes stuff, which you can all read about on the Chromium blog post which is linked below. You can pick up Chrome Beta from the Google Play Store right now.
A large number of leaks and various reports have come in regarding the Galaxy Note 6 in recent months, with sources running the gamut from utterly reliable to outright rumors. Things like the screen size, possible specs and a number of details have made their way to the web through various channels as the phone picked up hype, piggybacking off of the release of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. With a large number of reports coming in, its only natural that the world of Android journalism would be finding ways to look deeper into the issue.

When our source, Android Geeks, tried to dive a bit deeper into the rabbit hole, they wound up in contact with a current Samsung employee. Specifically, they reached an engineer for the OEM, who asked to remain anonymous. This engineer would not, for the most part, confirm or deny most of the rumors coming down the pipeline, but did talk a bit about the camera on the upcoming high-end phablet. According to the engineer, Samsung is doing internal testing on Galaxy Note 6 prototypes with infrared-based autofocus on the main camera. The presence of infrared autofocus means that the camera will be able to focus much better in low light, as well as having an easier time finding lifeforms on camera by relying on the presence of body heat, rather than a face detector tuned only to humans. Units are also being tested with the excellent super-close aperture camera from the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, which is currently the best smartphone camera that money can buy.

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Of course, the presence of multiple test unit types makes it clear that these are only test dummies and that the final camera may be an entirely different affair. There is always the possibility, of course, that Android Geeks anonymous source is adding fuel to the rumor fire with no credibility  as they wished to remain anonymous, theres no way to confirm or deny their credence as a Samsung employee. If what the engineer had to say is indeed true, however, that could mean that the Galaxy Note 6 will sport a camera thats radically different and much better in comparison to past flagships, even the mighty S7 family.
Le CBD, cette molecule active du cannabis a aujourdhui le vent en poupe. Et cela est en grande partie du au fait quil permet...
ENO said the American-born director would take up the position on 1 August, more than a year after the previous director, John Berry, resigned from the job. Daniel Kramer has divided opinion in the past, with some arguing he is one of the most exciting directors of his generation, while others have criticised his directorial style.
In many areas of the country lack of water and high temperatures means survival is at risk. 50 degrees reached in areas. Tons of fish and hundreds of species of animals - monkeys, reptiles, birds  have died in the last days. People wait for rainy season and the arrival of the monsoon.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews) - In many areas of Cambodia drought is killing tons of fish and hundreds of other animal species, putting at risk the very survival of the inhabitants of the villages that do not have enough - as well as food - drinking water.

Environmentalists and institutions report that almost all of the 24 provinces and special administrative areas in which the country is divided have experienced (in various capacities) water crises. However, in some areas the effects have reached alarming levels, water is scarce and stocks are being depleted.

According to reports from Radio Free Asia (RFA), the experts of the central province of Kampong Thom are intervening with emergency measures to try to staunch the situation. The goal is to prevent the death of the fish fauna of the river Chhmar, in Staung district, because of the high temperatures.

In the area the thermometer reached 47 degrees, and the heat wave has killed at least 60 tons of fish in the last eight days.

For the third consecutive year the temperatures have reached high levels, killing flora and fauna of the region; many experts in the country point the finger at global warming.

In the northeastern province of Stung Treng authorities have opened an investigation into the death of at least 200 cows and water buffaloes, again because of the ongoing drought. In an effort to save the animals, the children are foraging in forests in search of plants and herbs to feed them.

Excessive heat also killed 30 monkeys - as well as reptiles and birds - in the last two days in Battambang province; many more are destined to suffer the same fate if the rain does not come within a week.

The dry season in Cambodia begins in October and ends in April. The monsoons are expected in May, the period of rains, during which 75% of the annual quantity of water falls in the country.
by Melani Manel Perera

Colombo (AsiaNews) - The European Union has decided to lift the ban on fish imports from Sri Lanka. Minister of Fisheries, Mahinda Amaraweera, has stated that European countries have decided to "lift the ban without conditions. We can now resume fish exports to Europe. "



Special envoy of the World Forum For Fisher People (WFFP) and national secretary of the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) , Herman Kumara, commented on the news to AsiaNews. He stated that "the primary motivation of the call comes from the Iuu". The IUU is a European regulation approved in 2010 that aims to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The European legislation requires boats to expose their state flag and draws up a list of those authorized to fish and those who do not respect the laws.



The activist says that "vessels flying the flag of Sri Lanka will travel around the world. But it is the joint ventures that compete for fishing in international waters that cause the most damage to the fishermen of the motherland. The misbehavior of a few has had effects on the entire industry. "



The ban on the Asian island fish products was imposed in January 2015, due to the inability of the previous government of Mahinda Rajapaksa to prevent the illegal conduct of Sri Lankan fishermen who were fishing in international waters without permission. The fishermen's activities had been under surveillance since 2012, when the European Union had raised the "yellow card" lamenting lack of control, lack of deterrent measures and violation of international law on fishing.



The Colombo authorities declared a loss of $ 100 million a year because of the ban. The island was exporting 68% of its fish products to the EU; the remainder was directed to other countries, especially the US and Japan.



Herman Kumara confirms that the restriction has "caused serious damage to the fish industry, also due to the fact that the price of the fish dropped dramatically." He welcomed the EU decision and says that given that the European market absorbed almost all of the Sri Lankan tuna caught in deep seas, exports can now resume.



The elimination of the import ban, concludes the activist, "will lead to a further price increase. This will have positive effects on the lives of fishermen and their families, who have been extremely tested in recent months"
Speaking to the European parliament, the head of the Maronite Church warns that the conflicts in the region not just directly impacting Christians, but also the Mediterranean and the EU itself. Islamic extremism is wiping out centuries of dialogue and is a threat to world peace. Enshrine Lebanons neutrality and encourage Muslim nations to separate religion from the state.

Brussels (AsiaNews / Olj) - The Middle Easts conflicts are not just directly impacting on the regions Christians, but on the entire "Mediterranean basin and Europe itself. This is why it is in "our common interest to find solutions" to the various wars "that plague the area.

This was Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Rais wake up call to the EU during a speech delivered to the European Parliament in recent days. The cardinal was on an official visit to Belgium, where he met the institutional leaders of the continent and the country as well as a representative of the local Lebanese community.



Addressing a long and detailed speech to the highest political and institutional body in Europe, the head of the Maronite Church touched four essential elements: the theme of Christians in the Middle East; the consequences of conflicts for them; possible immediate responses; long-term solutions.



The growth of Islamic extremism and the spread of terrorist organizations, the cardinal said, "are likely to erase that moderate part of Muslims, which Christians and Muslims of this region have built in 1400 years of coexistence. Christians, he added, were "guarantors of moderation" and are used to sharing "spiritual, cultural, moral and social" values with Muslims.



This is why the head of the Maronite Church warns that "we must not give ground" to the spread of extremism, because it would be a "threat to world peace". Hence the patriarchs appeal to the European Union, to lobby the Security Council "to ensure the return of displaced persons to their home countries and help build a stable and peaceful world".

Cardinal Rai continued citing the example of Lebanon, the only country in the Arab world "which has a Christian President" [although the office has been vacant for almost two years, ed] and that "separates religion from the state implementing democratic standards and recognizing equality between Christians and Muslims".

Speaking of his country, the Cardinal appealed to the international community asking for the recognition of the principle of Lebanons "neutrality", to be "agents of peace, justice and human rights" in the region. The head of the Maronite Church at the same time warned that the Land of the Cedars is being "threatened in its culture, its identity and message of peace" by the presence of "half a million Palestinian refugees living in camps with undisturbed access to heavy and light arms ". And again, the half million Syrians "refugees whose number increases every year by 50 thousand units".



Among the short term solutions proposed by the cardinal, the resolution of conflicts that animate the region, followed by a political dialogue between the combatants, reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and support for the reconstruction of countries affected by war.

Long term solutions, proposed by the religious leader include encouraging Muslim countries "to separate the religion from the state", provided that "the state respects the dictates of faith." At the same time, Cardinal Rai hopes that Islam knows how "to free itself from fundamentalism" entering into modernity, accepting the positive elements that globalization provides and adopting the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - No one should distance themselves from God because of the obstacles posed by men, said Pope Francis this morning during the monthly extraordinary Jubilee audience. The pontiff then added spontaneously: "And this is true - and I say underlining it - for confessors: It is valid for them: please, do not put obstacles in the paths of people who want to be reconciled to God. The confessor is to be a father! He is the place of God the Father. "



The theme of the meeting, was "an important aspect of mercy: reconciliation. God has never failed to offer his forgiveness to men: his mercy is felt from generation to generation. Often we believe that our sins distance the Lord from us: in reality, sinning, we are the ones who distance ourselves from Him, but He, seeing the danger, seeks us out even more. God is never resigned to the possibility that a person remains distant to his love, provided, however, He finds in them some sign of repentance for the evil done".



Our own strength, however, is not enough to reconcile us to God: "Sin is really an expression of rejection of His love, with the consequence that we close in on ourselves in the illusion of finding greater freedom and autonomy. But distant from God we do not have a goal, and we are no longer pilgrims in this world but "wanderers". A common saying is that when we sin, we "turn away from God." That's it: The sinner sees only himself and thus pretends to be self-sufficient; for this reason, sin distances us ever more from God, and this can become a barrier. However, Jesus comes to look for us like a good shepherd who is not content until he has not found the lost sheep (cf. Luke 15:4-6).

Quoting the Apostle Paul - "Be reconciled to God!" - Francis adds: "Let us be reconciled with God! This Jubilee of Mercy is a time of reconciliation for all. Many people would like to reconcile with God but do not know how, or do not feel worthy, or will not admit it even to themselves. The Christian community can and must encourage a sincere return to God for those who feel his nostalgia.

Especially those who carry out the ministry of reconciliation "are called to be docile instruments of the Holy Spirit, so that where sin abounded the mercy of God may abound. No one should be distant from God because of obstacles placed by men".

And this is also true, he added moving from his script, "and I say underlining it - for confessors  it is valid for them: please, do not put obstacles in the paths of people who want to be reconciled to God. The confessor is to be a father! He takes the place of God the Father! The confessor must welcome people who come to him to be reconciled to God and help them walk this path of reconciliation. It is a beautiful ministry: it is not a torture chamber or an interrogation, no, it is the Father who receives and welcomes and forgives this person. Let us be reconciled with God! All of us! This Holy Year is the favorable time to rediscover the need for tenderness and closeness to the Father to return to Him with all our heart. "



Experience of reconciliation with God, the Pope concludes, "allows us to discover the need for other forms of reconciliation: in families, in relationships, in the ecclesial communities, as well as in social and international relations. Someone told me a few days ago, that there are more enemies than friends in the world, and I think he was right. But no, we must build bridges of reconciliation even among us, beginning in our own family. How many siblings have quarreled and become distant over even an inheritance. This will not do! This year is the year of reconciliation with God and with one another! In fact, reconciliation is a service to peace, the recognition of the fundamental rights of the people, solidarity and welcome for all".



Before special greetings to various groups, Francis also welcomed "with joy" the representatives of the armed forces and police, from many parts of the world, who have come on pilgrimage to Rome for the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy: "The police - military and police - have an objective to ensure a safe environment, so that every citizen can live in peace and serenity. In your families, in the various areas in which you work, be instruments of reconciliation, bridge builders and sowers of peace. "



The affirmation of peace, he concludes, "is not easy, especially because of the war, which withers hearts and increases violence and hatred. I urge you not to be discouraged. Continue your journey of faith and open your hearts to God the merciful Father who is never tired of forgiving us. Faced with the every day challenges irradiate Christian hope, which is the certainty of the victory of love over hatred and peace over war".
Is social media something that your law firm needs to be in? It depends. In this article we look at the realities of social media, and how to make a choice about whether or not to participate.



1. Align activity with strategy



Your decision about whether to take your law firm down Social Media road should be a result of interrogating your strategy. Misalignment will not help you achieve your aims.



Much of the existing narrative about social media says you should do it. There are good reasons to do it: So that you can better service your market, better connect with people, be more available, be more present, have new ways of selling.



Social can do all those things for you, if you use it right. But if your goal is sales or lead generation, you need to know the territory. In 2014, few marketers saw Twitter as a way to drive sales. And in March 2016, it became known that even the top Chief Marketing Officers are finding it hard to prove returns on investment. Getting consistent (or good) data can be tricky.



So how do you work out where you need to be? This depends on your firm's unique strategy, and your long-term play. Replicating what other people do is not going to be beneficial to you, because youll come in second at best.



2. Know your history to work out where the value is



Social media channels are not new. Twitter turned 10 in March 2016. LinkedIn and Facebook are a little bit older (starting in 2002 and 2004 respectively). They emerged as ways for people to stay in contact. Facebook was a directory of students faces and names that was intended to help them get to know each other (printed versions are called called face books in the USA). Twitter started as an alternative to text messaging. LinkedIn started to help business people connect online.



But make no mistake: The solution was initially about finding and connecting. The value is in feeling like you and your network are part of each other's lives.



The value to sales came when businesses started to realise that this connection was a great way of connecting with consumers. Listening to their conversations is powerful. Once youve listened, you know how better to serve them.



This is why just throwing links and expecting sales is not going to work for you. Social media is not like buying advertising: Its a different way of thinking. Its social, and social relationships take time and effort. This might be one reason why for a lawyer who bills every six minutes, 'just talking' in social media feels a lot like just setting fire to your bank account. Your expectations of the channels need to line up.



3. Being strategic is about more than personas and segments



Using social media ought to be strategic. This is not just about knowing who you're talking to. And its not about planning. Planning is not strategy.



Being strategic means knowing:



 Your firms three-year, five-year, 10-year vision

 Your firms intention and purpose

 The value that people receive from you. (As opposed to what you sell them.)



When this is clear, youll be able to assess (a) whether social media is for you; and (b) which channels are important, if the answer is yes. It will also help you understand how you need to use it.



If it makes strategic sense, investing in social can be powerful



Social media is one tool that you can put to work in service of your vision and strategy. When it works, it is powerful. In a society that values connection and communication using ad-hoc methods, social media may be beneficial for your firm.



But remember not to just follow the crowd: Make sure that social media is in service of your firm and your strategic vision; and that its not the other way around.



By Leticia Mooney, director of legal content strategy company Brutal Pixie.


The NSW government has announced $825,000 in funding for a not-for-profit legal organisation, Justice Connect.This funding will allow Justice Connect to provide around 200,000 not-for-profit community groups in NSW with free, online, up-to-date legal information; low cost training and a free telephone inquiry service, said family and community minister Brad Hazzard. DibbsBarker announced the Canberra office will leave the Dibbs banner and join McInnes Wilson, due to the offices differing strategic direction to the other DibbsBarker offices.The move to an association with McInnes Wilson has been driven by common values and close alignment of market strategies, Canberra co-managing partner John Buxton said.McInnes Wilson operates as a full service firm, as we do, and this will produce synergies not only for our firm but most importantly for our clients.A UK designer is claiming fashion house Alexander McQueen knocked off her design in the creation worn by Kate Middleton on her wedding day, saying she sent sketches of the designs to the Duchess prior to the royal wedding.We are utterly baffled by this legal claim, a statement released by Alexander McQueen said.Christine Kendall first approached us at Alexander McQueen almost four years ago, when we were clear with her that any suggestion Sarah Burton's design of the royal wedding dress was copied from her designs was nonsense.
Should be ok.



We did it q little differently.



We did the philippines passport into married name after the 820 and then changed everything else. We did have some confusion as of course when you change to married name your middle name changes too.



We had planned on doing a change of name in vic to make things easier but when we applied they said that because her passport was already in the desired name thry were of the view that an official change o name wasnt needed.



It all worked out in the end although it too, 4 different people to decide if they could change her name at vicroads using her marriage certificate and passport. In the end they just used the passport.



Lots of mucking around but all the dots line up ane everything is the exact same same
Hi

My name is Forouzan.

I came to Australia with my husband and my son in 2012 through a business visa subclass 160 . We just recently started working and this October our visa will expire .

My husband and I we are 49 years old . I studied French and I am a casual French teacher in sydney uni.

We have a boy who is 22 years old . We are from Iran and we are looking for finding the best solution in order to be abale to stay here .

We are from Iran

My questions:

1- is there any possibility to extend our visa or find a new visa which does not require two years of working?

2- is it possible to establish a new visa and ask for a new visa ?

3- is it possible to find a sponsored job?

4- is it possible to find a sponsored business to sponsor our company?

5 - is it a good solution to apply for a student visa ?

7- I have to pass ielts exam 6.5 or there is any English class to go and study and get a certificate of ielts?

8- if I get a student visa my son can include as he is 22 years old?

9-can I apply for a student visa or an agent should do ?



Thanks in advance

Forouzan
AMG

This week, MT released a 23-minute clip that was only available to On Demand paying viewers. It's a Head 2 Head episode featuring the mighty Mercedes-G65 and the 1973 Icon FJ44, which by the way is brand new and not built in 1973.Yet again Jonny Lieberman and Jason Cammisa join forces to make fun of each other and the cars at the same time. Mind you, these aren't your usual vehicles either, as we are dealing with the G65 AMG, the rarest of the brick 4x4s, and the custom-built Icon FJ44 that Toyota never got around to building.Ironically, both cost exactly $222,000, which is an obscene price to pay for any vehicle that was designed several decades ago. The review starts off with the natural stomping ground of expensive SUVs, Beverly Hills, where there are hundreds of Range Rovers for every Corolla. Why are they wearing hats and gloves? Because it's the one day when it's cold in California and the Icon doesn't have a roof.Even though it's the winner of this Head 2 Head, the G65 AMG is criticized a lot, mainly due to its engine. Mercedes asks $90,000 more than the G63 and gives you a car that's much heavier and slower. The V12 used here is very old and needs two spark plugs per cylinder, 24 in all, just to pass emission tests. The twin-turbo system also gives it lag and there are none of the high-tech features we expect from a modern AMG motor. As these guys put it, the only thing it does better than the G63 is drink more fuel.The Icon, meanwhile, is a great off-roader. But because Jonny forgets to lock the diff, it gets stuck in the mud. This eventually leads to the G65 crashing its front bumper into a rock while they try to loosen the FJ. Between the comic skid pad handing and the dyno test, we'd say that this is a video worth watching.
MPV

SUV

The six up top have already been launched or revealed and include the Megane hatch, Scenic, Koleos flagship, Talisman sedan, Talisman Estate, and Kadjar crossover derivative for China.The ones under the covers have not yet been revealed or detailed fully. One of them we already know about, as a sedan version of the Megane will target the compact car segment in 2016. It will ride on the same platform and use similar technology to keep weight and reduce fuel consumption.Multi-link rear suspension and engines with a maximum displacement of 1.6 liters will mean the replacement for the Fluence should weigh no more than 1.3 tons. Only time will tell if the formula leaves room for the Fluence GT with the 205 hp turbo and 4Control system.A 7-seat version of the Scenic is also planned and should fill the gap between the regular Scenic and the Espace flagship MPV. We get what's going on with these two, but not the other two names.One of them is a "PICK-UP 1T," which either means the Duster Oroch will be exported from Brazil to Europe or something else entirely will be developed. Only die-hard Renault fans will remember that besides the Alpine A 110-50, there was another important concept launched in 2012. It was called the Alaskan (photo below), and it may be related to Mercedes's plan to launch a truck.As you can see, it's not the same type of vehicle as the Dacia-based Duster Oroch built in Brazil. It's bigger and will compete with the Volkswagen Amarok.Finally, we get to the so-called B-segment crossover, which could be anything. We suspect it's just a mid-life facelift for the Captur, but we could be wrong.
Thirty-six houses were damaged as a result of the Armenian heavy artillery shelling of the Garadaghli village of Azerbaijan's Aghdam district, Trend correspondent reports.

Armenia's armed forces are regularly violating the ceasefire.

Five houses in that village were completely destroyed.

On Apr. 29, a group of journalists, consisting of representatives of foreign media accredited in Azerbaijan, and the local media, visited the Garadaghli village of Azerbaijan's Agdam district, which was shelled by the Armenian side from April 27 evening until April 28.

In the village the journalists surveyed the houses, which were destroyed by heavy artillery attacks and met with the village's residents.

Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4) April 28, the Armenian armed forces were firing at the Azerbaijani settlements and the Azerbaijani army positions in the Terter and Aghdam districts of Azerbaijan.

Two people were killed and many more wounded as a result of the Aghdam shelling. At least 84 houses in the district were heavily damaged, some of them completely destroyed.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
30 April 2016 12:38 (UTC+04:00)

The shelling by Armenian armed forces on April 28 night caused severe damage to farm enterprise 'Qara Inek' located in the Afetli village of Azerbaijan's Aghdam district, the country's economy ministry reported Apr. 29.

The Armenians destroyed the office building of the farm, barn, milk storage and other facilities as a result of the shelling. Besides, a large amount of cattle was destroyed, according to the report.

On Apr. 29, representatives of the National Fund for Entrepreneurship Support of Azerbaijan visited the farm, which was created at the expense of preferential loans of the fund.

Azerbaijan's economy ministry provides all the necessary assistance to restore the farm enterprise, according to the report.

Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4) April 28, the Armenian armed forces were firing at the Azerbaijani settlements and the Azerbaijani army positions in the Terter and Aghdam districts of Azerbaijan.

Two people were killed and many more wounded as a result of the Aghdam shelling. At least 84 houses in the district were heavily damaged, some of them completely destroyed.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
30 April 2016 10:08 (UTC+04:00)

Chairman of the Latvian Saeima Inara Murnietse will embark on an official visit to Azerbaijan, according to Latvian Ambassador Juris Maklakovs. He said the visit is expected to take place in mid-September of this year, Azertac reports.

As part of her visit to Azerbaijan, the chairman of the Saeima will hold high level meetings to discuss ways of developing the bilateral relations.

The Ambassador said that Riga mayor Nils Usakovs will also visit Azerbaijan. He said work was underway to organize a business forum for entrepreneurs of the two countries. On May 29 seasonal air flights will be launch from to Riga to Baku, the Latvian Ambassador added.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
30 April 2016 11:25 (UTC+04:00)

Presence of the Armenian troops in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is a threat to regional security, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's Spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev told reporters in Aghdam Apr. 29.

"Armenia's leadership is openly conducting an aggressive policy, that country doesn't recognize the negotiation process and has once again refused it," said Hajiyev.

He said Azerbaijan expects the international community to take urgent measures and put an end to Armenia's aggressive actions, adding that it is necessary to exert pressure on Armenia and force that country to a truce.

"Azerbaijan once again states that it is always ready for comprehensive, productive negotiations," Hajiyev said. "Azerbaijan is ready for peace talks on the basis of the four UN Security Council resolutions, under which the Armenian armed forces must be immediately and unconditionally withdrawn from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan."

He added that Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, together with other structures, is documenting the civilian casualties and the damage inflicted to the country, and has informed the international community about the gross violation of the Geneva Convention commitments undertaken by Armenia.

"Azerbaijan once again brings to the attention of the international community the fact that the presence of Armenian troops in the occupied Azerbaijani territories is a threat to the regional security," said Hajiyev.

On Apr. 29, a group of journalists, consisting of representatives of foreign media accredited in Azerbaijan, and the local media, visited the Garadaghli village of Azerbaijan's Agdam district, which was shelled by the Armenian side from April 27 evening until April 28.

In the village the journalists surveyed the houses, which were destroyed by heavy artillery attacks and met with the village's residents.

The representatives of foreign and local media were accompanied by the Head of executive power of Azerbaijan's Aghdam district Ragub Mammadov, Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev and Head of the press service of Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry Vagif Dargahli.

Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4) April 28, the Armenian armed forces were firing at the Azerbaijani settlements and the Azerbaijani army positions in the Terter and Aghdam districts of Azerbaijan.

Two people were killed and many more wounded as a result of the Aghdam shelling. At least 84 houses in the district were heavily damaged, some of them completely destroyed.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
30 April 2016 12:00 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan's armed forces close to the contact line of troops were instructed to give an adequate response to Armenia's aggressive actions, Vagif Dargahli, spokesman for Azerbaijan's defense ministry, told reporters in the country's Aghdam district Apr. 29.

He added that Azerbaijan will inflict retaliatory strikes on Armenia's firing points on the frontline.

Since April 26 Armenian armed units have been violating the ceasefire at nights in order to cause numerous losses among Azerbaijani civilians, Dargahli said.

He said that Armenians fired at Azerbaijani settlements using mainly mortars, howitzers and BM-21 multiple rocket launchers.

Dargahli added that the situation on the frontline is stable, and the armed forces of Azerbaijan are controlling the operational situation.

On Apr. 29, a group of journalists, consisting of representatives of foreign media accredited in Azerbaijan, and the local media, visited the Garadaghli village of Azerbaijan's Agdam district, which was shelled by the Armenian side from April 27 evening until April 28.

In the village the journalists surveyed the houses, which were destroyed by heavy artillery attacks and met with the village's residents.

Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4) April 28, the Armenian armed forces were firing at the Azerbaijani settlements and the Azerbaijani army positions in the Terter and Aghdam districts of Azerbaijan.

Two people were killed and many more wounded as a result of the Aghdam shelling. At least 84 houses in the district were heavily damaged, some of them completely destroyed.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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30 April 2016 12:24 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijans Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov has today been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by the Government of Japan, Azertac reports.

Co-chair of the State Commission on Economic Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Japan, Mr Sharifov was honored for his contributions to strengthening of relations, especially cooperation in economic sphere, as well as promoting mutual understanding between Azerbaijan and Japan.

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30 April 2016 13:13 (UTC+04:00)

Armenia will suffer itself if the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement is suspended, Ariel Cohen, founder of International Market Analysis Ltd., director of the Center for Energy, Natural Resources and Geopolitics, senior fellow at the Institute for Analysis of Global Security, told Trend.

Cohen was commenting on Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's recent statement on the country's refusal from the negotiation process.

The expert stressed that it is Armenia that will lose the economic development horizon, foreign investment and will suffer from continuing emigration as a result of the unresolved conflict.

The expert said that the Armenian president's recent statement is extremely unfortunate.

"This step by President Sargsyan would increase Russia's clout in South Caucasus," the expert added. "Moreover, it would increase potential the Iranian involvement, as Tehran is the ally of Yerevan."

Cohen said that however, the destruction of the peace process opens the door to the increased military confrontation with very negative results to peoples of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"The US, Russia and the EU have a duty to get the sides to resume the diplomatic process," the expert stressed.

The expert said that the governments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan have to finally get to the negotiating table.

Cohen added that any other alternative is much worse.



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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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30 April 2016 13:28 (UTC+04:00)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the situation around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, RIA Novosti reported citing the Russian foreign ministry.



Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4) April 28, the Armenian armed forces were firing at the Azerbaijani settlements and the Azerbaijani army positions in the Terter and Aghdam districts of Azerbaijan.

Two people were killed and many more wounded as a result of the Aghdam shelling. At least 84 houses in the district were heavily damaged, some of them completely destroyed.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

---

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30 April 2016 19:50 (UTC+04:00)

"The world community must ensure the implementation of the UN Security Council`s four resolutions. We want the international community to avoid double standards and demand the withdrawal of the Armenian occupants from Azerbaijani lands," head of Aghjabadi District Executive Authority Shahin Mammadov has told a group of local and foreign journalists, who are on a visit in the frontline districts, Azertac reports.

Mammadov said that the villages in the district were kept under fire by Armenian armed forces using large-caliber weapons on a regular basis.

"Around 100 shells fell in Garakhanly, Boyat, Hajilar, Yukhari Giyamaddinly and Mirzahagverdili villages. Some 50 shells fell in Garakhanly village alone. One of the houses was completely burnt down, nearly 30 houses, a school building, property and farms of the residents were damaged," Mammadov said.

"We are against war. We want to liberate our territories in a peaceful way. However, if the occupied territories are not freed soon, residents of Aghjabadi district as the whole Azerbaijani people are ready to execute the order of the Supreme Commander to fight for the territorial integrity of our country," Mammadov added.

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30 April 2016 12:13 (UTC+04:00)

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services does not expect electricity tariffs to increase in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan-based electricity utility Azerenerji's ratings published on S&P website said.

S&P said that Azerenerji's critical role for and integral link with the Azerbaijani government has remained unchanged.

"We assume that, without extraordinary state support, Azerenerji might face difficulties in servicing its debts because of unsustainable capital structure," the agency said.

"We do not expect the government to increase Azerenerji's tariffs, given its previous reluctance to do so due to social concerns, but we do assume the state might provide support by other means, such as paying Azerenerji's debt (all of which is guaranteed by the state as we understand), equity injections, tax write-offs," the agency said.

"Furthermore, the state's economic development and social mandates ensure reliable and affordable electricity provision," S&P said.

S&P lowered its long-term corporate credit rating on Azerbaijan-based electricity utility Azerenerji to 'BB' from 'BB+'. The outlook is stable. S&P affirmed the 'B' short-term corporate credit rating.

S&P also removed the ratings from CreditWatch, where we had placed them with negative implications on Jan. 11, 2016.

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30 April 2016 12:55 (UTC+04:00)

By using the Trans-Caspian corridor, shipments from Asia to Europe can be moved three times faster in comparison to the maritime route, said Azerbaijani ambassador to the US Elin Suleymanov's article, published in Washington Times newspaper.

"The transit corridor from China to Europe includes a sophisticated infrastructure and harmonized "software" of procedures and guidelines to speed up shipments of goods, shorten delivery times and decrease overall costs," the ambassador wrote.

"For American companies, the opportunities abound in a wide range of areas from logistics to construction to manufacturing to communications and services," Suleymanov wrote. "For instance, by using the Trans-Caspian corridor, shipments from Asia to Europe can be moved three times faster in comparison to the maritime route."

"Economic benefits are obvious; and so are the strategic ones," Suleymanov wrote. "Working with trusted partners to promote development, prosperity and security in one of the world's crucial neighborhoods is clearly in the United States' interest."

According to the article, importantly, this transit corridor is about public-private partnerships, where businesses, along with the region's governments, play a vital part in its formation.

"It is also about regional integration with the governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey working together to synchronize efforts and make the transit as smooth and efficient as possible for its users," Suleymanov wrote.

"As they do so, they build on their earlier successful experience of building the East-West energy corridor, and especially the strategic Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, delivering resources of the Caspian Sea to global markets," Suleymanov wrote.

"Trans-Caspian Trade and Transit Corridor East-West" large regional forum was held at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington on April 28-29, 2016. The forum was organized by the embassies of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey in the US and brought together representatives from more than 50 major international companies.

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30 April 2016 14:00 (UTC+04:00)

A two-day OSCE-organized seminar for 20 officers from the Traffic Control Police Service of Mary province, in southern Turkmenistan, on enhancing their capacity to

efficiently manage traffic and safeguard road security, OSCE said April 29.

The global road safety situation, traffic control and regulation measures as well as the use of new technologies for ensuring road safety were among the main topics addressed by the training course. International experts shared good practices in conducting effective

traffic safety campaigns, and elaborated on road safety risk management and mitigation as well as safety performance indicators, the statement said.

"Modern means of transportation are changing the world around us. While new types of roads are emerging and infrastructure is being improved, traffic law enforcement bodies are putting much effort to update traffic rules and traffic signals and signs which regulate the movement of vehicles and pedestrians," said Adam Walendzik, Project Co-ordinator of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

"Being well aware of the degree of dangers posed by road traffic, the international community has been undertaking several new initiatives aimed at spreading information on road safety issues and their solutions on the global level," he said. "It is highly commendable that the

Government of Turkmenistan adopted the National Programme for Road Safety for 2015-2017, and the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat is committed to providing further support in this field."

The course in Mary was preceded by a similar event in Dashoguz province in northern Turkmenistan, which brought together 21 participants, including officers from the Dashoguz Traffic Control Police Service and representatives of the Dashoguz city municipality.

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Its a good time to be a teacher if youre looking for work in Florida.

Many Florida counties have hundreds of teaching vacancies to fill

Sarasota County faces shortage due to DROP retirement program

Pasco County started early recruiting for positions in February

Statewide there is a teacher shortage, and districts are now trying to fill those openings before the new school year.

There is a teacher shortage statewide in Florida caused by people entering our DROP program, or retirement program, said Roy Sprinkle, Director of Human Resources with the Sarasota County School District. Theyre all kind of bubbling right now and leaving us at once, which is causing a high need for teachers in all of our systems statewide.

Five years ago, a number of teachers signed up for the retirement program because there were changes being made to it.

Sarasota Middle School Art Teacher, Elaine Gale is one of those teachers that made the decision to call it quits.

She is leaving a career in education after 40 years.

It means that I have to retire, said Gale. The fifth year of DROP, when you participate in it, you have to retire.

Sarasota County is looking to fill around 250 teaching jobs for the 2016-2017 school year.

Meanwhile, nearby Hillsborough plans on hiring around 800 new teachers, while Polk County has around 60 positions to fill.

Pasco County was expecting to fill 300 to 400 jobs for the new year, but that number dropped to 185, thanks to early recruiting.

We started our strategy back in February for filling our positions, said Lori Perreault, Human Capital Partner, with the Pasco County School District. We looked and made sure what positions we were going to have open so that way we could start filling them early.

To find new teachers, Pasco and Sarasota both report they are looking out of state in hopes of filling the slots.

We not only recruit at all of the universities statewide, we go outside the state, said Sprinkle. Probably our biggest state is Pennsylvania. We get more teachers there from anywhere else because they have very few jobs and lots of teaching colleges. Well also go to Illinois, Tennessee, and we do very well in the mid-west, especially after a bad winter. Were trying to get the best people from around country to come back to Sarasota County.

Despite all of the openings in Sarasota County, district officials said they dont think theyll have a hard time filling them.

Luckily we have a place where people want to live, said Sprinkle. We have the highest academic standards, and we have the highest average salaries in the state of Florida, thanks to our referendum.

Sarasota County has one of the highest teacher starting salaries among public school districts in Florida. Most teachers start out around $41,000 (more if teachers have experience and/or higher degrees).

Sprinkle said this is due in large part to community support for public education through an additional property tax to support local schools, which voters have approved four times, every four years since 2002.

Sprinkle said the last time they had this many openings was when the state changed the number of students per ratio for the class size amendment and they had to hire more teachers.
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A motorcyclist died Friday evening after a crash in St. Petersburg, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Russell Kirchoff, 73, was stopped to yield to oncoming northbound traffic in the left turn lane of 66th Street North.

A motorcycle, driven by Mark R. Riendeau, 34, was traveling southbound in the inside left lane of 66th St. N. approaching a green traffic signal at the intersection of 94th Avenue North.

According to FHP, as Kirchoff began turning left across the southbound lanes, Riendeau applied his brakes to avoid a collision with the Toyota Tundra. Troopers said Riendeau lost control of his motorcycle and overturned on his right side.

The rear side of the motorcycle hit the back of the pickup truck. Riendeau was ejected and subsequently run over by the pickup truck.

Riendeau was taken to Bayfront Medical Center where he later died from his injuries.

According to FHP, charges in the crash are pending.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) unveiled a plaque Saturday morning at the Hillsborough County Confederate Veterans Memorial Park that honors black confederate soldiers.

Sons of Confederate Veterans aim to honor all who fought for and under the battle flag

Group also fighting to to keep Confederate flag on display

Confederate Veterans Memorial Park also has plaques honoring Native American, Hispanic, and Jewish soldiers



"We have recognized the fact that many people made up the confederacy, all fighting for and under the battle flag," said David McCallister, commander of the local Sons of Confederate Veterans chapter.



H.K. Edgerton, a former NAACP branch president and advocate of Southern civil rights, was the key note speaker at the dedication. He also kicked off his "Southern Cross Revival March," where he will travel the state to speak about the importance of black soldiers in the Confederate Army.



"Far too many people dont know about the honor and dignity we have earned in the South end of America," Edgerton said.



Edgerton and the Sons of Confederate Veterans are also fighting to keep the Confederate flag on display. They said it's a symbol of honor to those who fought under it, not a symbol of racism.



"A flag in itself cannot be racist of non racist in itself," said McCallister. "It means what that people who are flying it want it to mean and we want it here to mean honor to men who defended Florida, defended the South when they were called by the state in its defense."



The Hillsborough County Confederate Veterans Memorial Park also has plaques honoring Native American, Hispanic and Jewish soldiers.


The Centers for Disease Control says one person who was infected with the Zika virus has died in Puerto Rico.

In the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the CDC said the patient died because of immune thrombocytopenia purpura, a condition in which the patient has a low blood platelet count as a result of another illness. The condition can cause dangerous internal bleeding in rare cases.

CNN is reporting that the patient was a 70-year-old man from San Juan who contracted Zika, was treated for the symptoms, but then returned to the hospital with signs of the bleeding disorder.

The CDC said although the man had some underlying health conditions, they were not life-threatening and should not have led to his death.

A spokesman for the CDC says there have been other cases of bleeding in adults who contracted Zika. The spokesman said researchers do not yet know whether there are risk factors associated with ITP in people infected with Zika.

They are noticing a similar relationship between Zika and Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Symptoms of Zika are normally mild and don't last longer than a week. The CDC says people rarely die of Zika or even get sick enough to go to the hospital. People may not even know they are infected.

Symptoms include fever, rash, joint or muscle pain and conjunctivitis.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, who has sponsored legislation to push for more funding for Zika research, issued this statement Friday:

"The death of an American citizen should serve as a wake-up call to all those in Congress who continue to block our efforts to stop the spread of this virus. While this may be the first Zika-related death in our country, it wont be the last if Congress does not start taking this virus seriously.

Information from CNN contributed to this report.


About 50 high school students protested Friday against the Marion County School Boards decision to require transgender students to use the bathroom that matches the gender they were born with.

Students protest Marion County Schools' new transgender bathroom rule

School board approved the rule after a parent raised concerns

The ACLU says litigation is likely

This was just a complete tragedy for us, said protester Riley Giberson.

The protest was held outside Vanguard High School in Ocala, the school at the center of the debate.

Not only are [transgender students] left out of things, but they also get discriminated against for it, and its just time that they get what they deserve," said Giberson.

The school board made the decision after a parent raised concern because a transgender student walked into the boys room while his son was in there.

The schools principal said he allowed the student to use the male restroom after the student wouldnt use an alternative bathroom.

Trans rights are basic human rights, said organizer Nich Rardin.

Rardin is the student who organized the protest. He hopes the rally will help change the boards decision.

The ACLU has sent the board a letter saying litigation is likely.

Marion County is in a lot of trouble because of this. All eyes are watching, said Rardin.
The Creatures of Spring on Oregon Coast: Birds, Baby Whales, More

Published 04/29/2016 at 7:11 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast)  Spring is literally buzzing and teeming with wildlife on the Oregon coast right now, with a lot happening with migrating birds, whales and their newborn, and maybe more purple jellyfish. (Photo: a baby whale and its mother, taken by Tiffany Boothe of Seaside Aquarium).

Seaside Aquarium's Tiffany Boothe shot the photos at bottom of a bunch of whimbrels on the north coast, creating a spectacle.

Whimbrels have been spotted in Seaside, Boothe said. They have stopped off here to have a snack before continuing their journey up north to breed. These guys were seen this morning gorging themselves on small sand crabs.

Scoters and buffleheads are also big on the Oregon coast right now. Even bigger at this moment are shorebirds (like the whimbrels), who are migrating in April and May, heading northward to breeding grounds in the Arctic.

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) said many of the birds use the beaches as their navigation route, and can often be seen resting and feeding on north coast beaches during the daylight hours. The agency suggests using binoculars along with a good field guide, to help in viewing and distinguishing the various species that may be encountered.

Keep an eye out for gray whales with their young. According to Whale Watch Center officials in Depoe Bay, some have already been spotted. But they may be a tad late this year, and only a few have been seen so far. Officials there believe they're still coming in decent numbers. They will be on their way to the rich feeding grounds in the Bering Sea. Some locations on the north coast to view whales from include the viewing platform at the base of the south jetty of the Columbia River (near Warrenton), Tillamook Head (south of Seaside), Silver Point (south of Cannon Beach), Cape Falcon and Neah-Kah-Nie Mtn. (north of Manzanita), Cape Meares (north of Oceanside), Cape Lookout (south of Netarts) and Cape Kiwanda (north of Pacific City).

ODFW said to avoid days when the weather is stormy as it makes viewing challenging, and bring your binoculars and/or spotting scope.

Once the baby whales start showing up Orcas will begin to appear as well. These are known as transient killer whales, and not much is known about them except that they're out to eat the newborn whales and they have a slightly more pointed snout than other Orcas.

Other creatures to look for: ODFW said more velella velella could be on their way (those odd little purple critters related to jellyfish). State experts also sent out alerts this week about seal pups on the beaches and that you must stay away from them. A handful of resting seals have been seen already, and many more are expected. See more on the seal pup warnings here. Oregon Coast Hotels for this - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours (Whimbrel and velella velella photos below courtesy Boothe, Seaside Aquarium).





















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Contestants had 15 minutes to prove their crawfish consumption worth, vying for the grand prize of a Bayou Classic Crawfish Pot and burner or Bayou Classic 25-quart Ice Chest, during the crawfish eating contest Friday night at Larry's French Market in Groves.
Lamar University's College of Engineering hosted their annual senior design symposium for seniors to display their design projects on Friday. The university's chemical, electrical, mechanical, industrial and civil engineering students showcased the work they've done.

Mechanical engineering students worked on projects including a fuel efficient car, a dune buggy for off-road racing and human powered vehicles, which are recumbent bicycles with aerodynamic shells. A team of electrical engineering students created an eye-tracking system that adjusts a car's side mirrors to prevent blind spots. Another group designed a police body camera that automatically turns on when the officer removes their firearm from the holster.
The following hospital and health system rating and outlook changes and affirmations took place in the last week, starting with the most recent.

1. S&P assigns 'AA/A-1+' rating to Mayo Clinic's bonds

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services assigned an "AA/A-1+" rating to Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic's series 2016 revenue bonds, affecting $75 million.

2. Moody's assigns 'A1' rating to Children's Hospital Colorado's bonds

Moody's Investors Service assigned an "A1" rating to Aurora-based Children's Hospital Colorado's proposed $242 million of series 2016A, 2016B and 2016C bonds.

3. Moody's assigns 'Aa2/VMIG 1' to Sentara Healthcare's bonds

Moody's Investors Service assigned an "Aa2/VMIG 1" rating to Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara Healthcare's proposed series 2016A and 2016B tax-exempt variable rate demand bonds.

4. Moody's downgrades McCamey County Hospital District's rating to 'Ba2'

Moody's Investors Service downgraded McCamey (Texas) County Hospital District's general obligation limited tax bond rating to "Ba2" from "Baa2," affecting approximately $24.1 million.

5. Fitch affirms Palmetto Health's 'BBB+' rating

Fitch Ratings affirmed the "BBB+" rating on Columbia, S.C.-based Palmetto Health's outstanding debt.

6. S&P assigns 'AA/A-1+' rating to Sentara Healthcare's bonds

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services assigned an "AA/A-1+" rating to Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara Healthcare's $98.84 million of series 2016A bonds and $98.84 million of series 2016B bonds.

7. S&P assigns 'A+' rating to Children's Hospital of Colorado's bonds

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services assigned an "A+" long-term rating to Aurora-based Children's Hospital of Colorado's $69.2 million of series 2016A bonds and $101.6 million of series 2016C bonds.

8. S&P assigns 'BBB+' rating to Palmetto Health's bonds

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services assigned a "BBB+" rating to Columbia, S.C.-based Palmetto Health's series 2016 bonds.

9. Fitch assigns 'A-' rating to NYU Hospitals Center's bonds

Fitch Ratings assigned an "A-" rating to New York City-based New York University Hospitals Center's $153 million of series 2016A revenue refunding bonds.

10. Moody's revises Midland County Hospital District's outlook to negative

Moody's Investors Service confirmed the "Aa2" rating on Midland (Texas) County Hospital District's $106 million of general obligation debt and revised the outlook to negative.

11. Moody's assigns 'A2' rating to West Virginia United Health System's bonds

Moody's Investors Service assigned an "A2" rating to Morgantown-based West Virginia United Health System's proposed series 2016A bonds to be issued through the West Virginia Hospital Finance Authority.

12. Fitch affirms Wise Regional Health System's 'BB+' rating

Fitch Ratings affirmed the "BB+" rating on Decatur, Texas-based Wise Regional Health System's $94.1 million of series 2014A revenue bonds.

13. S&P revises Henry Ford Health System's outlook to positive

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services revised the outlook to positive from stable on Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System.

14. S&P assigns 'A+' rating to North Colorado Medical Center's bonds

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services assigned an "A+" rating to Greeley-based North Colorado Medical Center's $110 million of series 2016 revenue bonds.

15. S&P assigns 'A' rating to West Virginia United Health System's bonds

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services assigned an "A" rating to Morgantown-based West Virginia United Health System's series 2016A fixed rate bonds, affecting $258 million.

16. Moody's assigns 'Baa1' rating to Ochsner Clinic Foundation's bonds

Moody's Investors Service assigned a "Baa1" rating to Ochsner Clinic Foundation's $155 million of series 2016 bonds to be issued through the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority.
The state of New Jersey has revoked the medical license of Amgad Hessein, MD, an anesthesiologist who submitted $1.5 million in false Medicare claims, according to NJ.com.

Dr. Hessein owned Advanced Pain Management Specialists, which has offices in Newark, Union, Belleville and South Orange. His brother, Ashraf Sami, was the office manager.

In 2011, Dr. Hessein and Mr. Sami were indicted after creating a "scheme of overbilling, upcoding and submitting fraudulent claims for treatments not rendered," according to a 2011 statement from the Union County Prosecutor's Office. At that time, Dr. Hessein's license was suspended, according to the report.

Now his license has been officially revoked. He has also been charged with a $130,000 fine, as well as a $308,750 fine to reimburse the state of New Jersey for investigative and legal costs, according to the report.
A witty look at the weird world of relationships hosted by Belfast-born television presenter Eamonn Holmes is set to hit our television screens.

Recording for eight episodes of It's Not Me, It's You will start next week for two months as Eamonn attempts to get to the bottom of the best and worst chat-up lines, dating horrors and relationship fads.

The new Channel Five show will feature a panel of celebrities and comedians as they undertake cheeky but fun games and challenges in an attempt to outdo each other to prove who knows the most.

It's Not Me, It's You will be one of the first shows Eamonn, who is best known for fronting ITV's This Morning with wife Ruth Langsford (55), will front since undergoing a double hip replacement operation.

The 56-year-old said that ever since having the operation - which left him immobile for nearly 10 weeks - in February, he had been "on the sidelines".

However, he is looking forward to throwing himself in to filming throughout May and June.

Ms Langsford, who has been with the Northern Ireland star nearly 21 years, told a magazine she feared Eamonn would not survive the surgery, but the charmer has since bounced back. He was pictured on his crutches after the operation, talking live from the hospital as he updated This Morning viewers on his progress.

Producers are tipping the new show as having something for everyone. An advert for it says: "Join us as we celebrate what it's like to be in, out of, and looking for, love; from drunken chat-up lines and celebrity couples to what happens when the honeymoon period is well and truly over."
It was love at first sight. The moment those saucer-like brown eyes gazed into mine, I was smitten. And I felt this was going to be for life. We met on January 4 this year, the day I arrived in Kampala, full of excitement and trepidation to volunteer with Hospice Africa Uganda, a charity whose mission is to ensure dying and seriously ill people in Africa have a peaceful and pain-free end of life.

My plan was to stay in Uganda for four weeks. I didn't bargain on still being here four months later. And I certainly didn't bargain on Pearl, and the way she would look at you, and the fact she would steal my heart.

Pearl is almost three years old. She is a tiny imp, bright as a button, and full of personality, mischief and fun. Her mum, Lydia, is 24 and unmarried, typical of so many young women in Uganda. Lydia got pregnant by Pearl's dad a second time last year and gave birth to Liam at the end of January. Again, typically in Uganda, Pearl's father is not around to support them.

Until Liam's birth, Lydia worked in the home of the founder of Hospice Africa and Hospice Africa Uganda, Dr Anne Merriman. The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr Anne, who is almost 81, is an inspirational woman. She introduced palliative care to Africa in 1993 and over the last 23 years her charity has ensured that 27,000 people have had a dignified end to their lives.

Dr Anne's house is full of love and activity. There are 10 dogs, six cats and lots of visitors passing through. But best of all there is Ryan, aged six, Vicky, aged three, and Pearl, children of the girls who work there.

I lived with Dr Anne for three months and it was joyful to come home from hospice in the evening - often stressed after a tough day on a home visit to a dying patient - to be met by three cheeky faces waiting to be entertained by 'Jaja' Miriam. (Jaja means grandmother in Uganda. I now have them trained to call me 'Aunt Miriam' instead.)

As I settled into life here, I began to learn a lot about the country and the culture. I was shocked to realise that education was not free and I saw first-hand how parents struggled to pay school fees so they could give their children a decent chance in life.

For people in low-paid jobs, there are three priorities in life: to provide a roof over the family's head, to feed them and to get the fees so the children can go to school. The children of the girls who work for Dr Anne are lucky because they have 'sponsors' - through Dr Anne's network - who pay their school fees. The girls and their children are part of Dr Anne's extended 'family'. She loves and cherishes each one dearly and takes a huge interest in their welfare and education.

One of the issues I struggle with here is the fact that so many women are second-class citizens and face huge challenges - discrimination, low social status, lack of money, and risk of HIV/Aids infection.

Men expect their women to be docile and subservient. They generally make the decisions and are often proud and boast of the fact that they have cheated on their wives. I have heard how men are unwilling to use condoms and force themselves on their wives or girlfriends. Dreadful in a country where HIV/Aids is still prevalent.

Sadly, many young girls sell sex for economic survival. It is common for girls to become sexually active at a much younger age than men, adding to the incidences of HIV/Aids.

Teenage pregnancy is also high and poses a huge risk to the health of both the mother and the baby.

Pearl's mother is a bright, pretty, intelligent woman with a bubbly personality. Lydia has completed a catering course and at one stage worked in the kitchen of an international school.

Her mother died when she was very young and she was raised by her dad, a good man who did his best for his family.

Lydia has a dream, and that is to bring Pearl and Liam abroad to live. She feels she and her family will have more opportunities there.

I was honoured and chuffed to be asked by Lydia to be Pearl's godmother. She had both her children christened at St Denis's Shrine in Munyonyo on April 10 by a wonderful Polish Franciscan priest, Father Adam Mutebi.

I knew that, unlike in Ireland, where godparents don't often play an active role in their godchildren's upbringing, being Pearl's godmother meant responsibilities. There is an expectation that I will guide and mentor her, and assist in any way I can with her upbringing.

As part of this role, I have decided to pay for Pearl's education. She starts kindergarten in Savannah Nursery School in Makindye, Kampala, in June, when she turns three. I visited the school last week. It's a happy, cheerful place.

Financially, it is not going to be a huge drain. Her term fee will be around 100 and I will also pay for her school uniform and books.

To put this in context, the most Lydia can expect to earn a month with her current skills is 40. There is no way she could pay for her children's education as well.

I will get Pearl's school reports every term and will closely follow her progress. I am looking forward to seeing her blossom and do well.

I am doing this for several reasons. Not to show off or be praised or to be told I am great.

First off, I love Pearl. Secondly, I am lucky that I am in the financial position to be able to pay for her school fees.

Thirdly, I would hate to think that Pearl might end up in the situation that so many young women in Uganda fall into.

I would love to help her so she gets a decent education and a good chance at life.

I am also helping Lydia with fees to do a night course in tourism and administration.

I know that with help and guidance, Lydia can make a real go of her life. She has the brains to do it.

Pearl is only one of thousands of children in Uganda who would flourish if they got the right start in life. I have already reared my own two children, now aged 26 and 24. They have been very lucky and blessed with their lives and they are very supportive of Pearl, their little 'god-sister'.

The last four months have been life-changing for me. My experience here has put lots of things into perspective.

I am proud to be involved with a charity that is giving people the greatest gift of all - that of a peaceful end of life.

And I am proud to be taking a little bit of Uganda home in my heart.

A little person called Pearl.

Hospice Africa Uganda has Give a Chance projects in the UK, Denmark and the USA which support young patients and children of patients, in their education. It is planning to start Give a Chance here later this year. If you would like to help, email miriamdonohoe@gmail.com
Northern Ireland people are among the worst for maintaining good oral hygiene in the UK, with nearly half the population not brushing their teeth at least once a day, a poll has claimed

Northern Ireland people are among the worst for maintaining good oral hygiene in the UK, with nearly half the population not brushing their teeth at least once a day, a poll has claimed.

The research of 2,000 UK adults was conducted to find out the public's feelings towards teeth, not just their own but also those of other people.

Nearly a quarter (23%) admitted to being ashamed of their own teeth, with 40% revealing they would never show their teeth while smiling, and 41% feeling too self-conscious to show their teeth in a photograph.

One in 10 admitted to never showing their teeth in a photo.

Britons aged between 26-34 were the worst at caring for their teeth, with over half (50.87%) not brushing at least once a day, while the most conscious brushers are the over-55 age group (68%).

The three areas with the best oral hygiene, and the lowest number who don't brush at least once a day, were the North East (23%), South East (33%) and East Anglia (37%).

The research conducted by Vital Statistics and published by dental company White Glo revealed the three worst offenders were London (47%), Northern Ireland (47%) and Wales (45%).

The latest poll comes after it was revealed that teenagers in Northern Ireland have the highest levels of tooth decay in the UK. According to the British Dental Association, the province "tops the league table for rotten teeth" with 72% of 15-year-olds suffering from decay compared to 44% in England and 63% in Wales.

The British Dental Association (NI) has recently called for a new oral hygiene strategy to be developed by the next Stormont administration to tackle the growing problem. In 2013, more than 5,300 young people here were admitted to hospital for tooth extractions.

Dr George Sotiropoulous, Head of Dental Research at White Glo, said: "The research is part of a wider research project we are conducting in the UK, so we were really shocked to find that so many are not taking their oral hygiene seriously. Brushing your teeth at least twice a day is important to keep teeth and gums healthy. Even if you only brush your teeth once a day, it should be at night to ensure food debris is removed from the day."
Michael McGibbon, who died after he was shot in north Belfast

The scene at Magowan Park in Derry where a man was shot in both legs and critically injured earlier this month

Violent paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland has resulted in 1,100 bombings and shootings over the past 10 years, along with almost 800 so-called punishment attacks and 4,000 cases of people being forced out of their homes.

The alarming figures, released by the Belfast-based Detail Data website, were compiled from police, prison, court and public transport records.

They make clear that there are still thousands of people associated with paramilitary groups responsible for acts of violence and intimidation.

According to the website, such groups were responsible for 22 killings, more than 1,000 shootings and bombings, 787 paramilitary-style attacks and nearly 4,000 reports of people forced to flee their homes between 2006 and 2015.

Between 2007 and 2015, just 80 convictions were secured under terrorism legislation, leading to a paltry 48 prison terms.

The Detail report said there was still a large amount of weaponry in circulation, and it criticised the authorities for failing to tackle violence some 20 years into the peace process.

A government-appointed panel is supposed to present recommendations on disbanding paramilitary groups just weeks after the May 5 Assembly election.

Police experts believe that 33 Northern Ireland's 134 organised crime gangs have direct links to paramilitaries, and that they make tens of millions of pounds each year from activities including illegal fuel laundering and drug dealing.

Detail Data also sent Freedom of Information requests to Translink and the PSNI asking about the number of security alerts and attacks that forced road closures and brought rail travel grinding to a halt.

The responses revealed that from 2013 to 2015, there were 193 road closures, while between 2006 and 2015, there were 176 security alerts on railway lines, halting more than 4,000 scheduled train services.

Alan McBride, from support group Belfast Wave Trauma Centre, lost his wife Sharon in the 1993 IRA Shankill bombing. He said the situation was a disgrace.

"At least 50% of our referrals today are in relation to ongoing intimidation," Mr McBride added. "In terms of this centre, we would have on average between 30 and 35 new referrals a month. I think that 18 years on from the Good Friday Agreement, that is not acceptable."

Despite the success of the peace process in ending large-scale violence, police seized 849 firearms and 495kgs of explosives between 2006 and 2015.

Police Federation chairman Mark Lindsay said the full picture was unclear because of the way data was collected.

"That is very much down to government recording methodology, which states that a terrorist attack is one that is against a national security target," he added. "Our issue is that it doesn't actually give you a true picture of where we are. We are missing all the paramilitary attacks, all the incidents of terrorism that aren't necessarily directed against police or military."

The Rev Dr Gary Mason from Rethinking Conflict, which has worked closely with loyalist paramilitaries to deliver peaceful outcomes, added: "At the heart of the loyalist groups, there would be a leadership of 30 to 40 people, then a membership of several thousand."
Emergency services at the scene of an incident at Donegall Quay ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph )

A man is feared to have died after being seen in the River Lagan close to Belfast's Donegall Quay.

Emergency services were called to the scene at 5pm last night after two men were spotted in the river close to the Big Fish sculpture.

Police and emergency services resumed searches of the River Lagan on Saturday morning.

The PSNI, fire service appliances and ambulance service crews were joined by Bangor Lifeboat, the Bangor Coastguard Rescue team, the Lagan Search & Rescue team, as well as a Belfast Harbour pilot boat.

The emergency teams established that one of the men in the water was a passer-by who had entered the river as part of a bid to save the other man.

The would-be rescuer was quickly and safely recovered from the water by the pleasure boat Mona - a vessel which is normally involved in taking tourists on sight-seeing trips around the city's harbour and former shipyard.

The man's condition was assessed on the quayside by paramedics who decided that he did not require hospital treatment.

As a crowd of concerned onlookers gathered in the Queen's Bridge area to watch the dramatic operation unfold, police divers began a systematic search of the deep water on the seaward side of the Lagan weir for the missing man.

However, as night began to fall and as the temperature steadily dropped, there was no sign of any good news and hopes were fading fast for the safe recovery of the person who had already been immersed in the chilly waters of the river for more than four hours.
A man who was severely beaten, allegedly for speaking out against IRA racketeering, is running against Sinn Fein for an MLA seat in south Armagh.

Martin McAllister suffered fractured eye sockets and has permanent numbness on the left side of face when two men attacked him outside his Monaghan home in 2012.

He now has an artificial bone in his left eye socket and has trouble seeing from that eye.

Mr McAllister was attacked after running a high-profile campaign against IRA racketeering and intimidation in the area, which included meetings with Brian Cowen, the former Taoiseach, and Matt Baggott, the then PSNI chief constable.

"A lot of people have said they are worried for my safety but I've decided to run as an MLA to show them that I'm not afraid and because we need a new voice in the area," said Mr McAllister.

He stressed he is "not looking for sympathy from anyone" but did want to stand up to IRA intimidation in the border areas.

He said he wanted to highlight the case of Paul Quinn, the IRA murder victim, and others who had been intimidated into silence in the area.

Mr McAllister is now running for a Stormont seat in the Newry-Armagh constituency, vowing a "new politics" for the border area. Mr McAllister was a member of the IRA's south Armagh brigade in the 1970s but said he soon tired of the romance of the cause after seeing the sectarian nature of the conflict.

In 2010 he helped set up a Fianna Fail office in Crossmaglen in south Armagh, where he met Brian Cowen.

The same year, he also met with chief constable Matt Baggott to talk about IRA-linked diesel running and other rackets along the border, which was widely reported by the media.

Mr McAllister, who is running as an independent, has already submitted his nomination papers. He was nominated to run by a local doctor, Patrick O'Fiaich, who is a nephew of the late Cardinal Tomas O'Fiaich.

Sinn Fein has not yet replied to a request for comment.
A 43-year-old woman is due to appear in court on Monday

Police are appealing for help in finding a patient from Downe Hospital who has gone missing.

Police say they are becoming increasingly concerned for the welfare of missing man, 49-year-old John McDowell.

Mr McDowell, who is originally from the Dunmurry area, was a patient in the Downe Hospital in Downpatrick.

He was last seen when he left the hospital around 2.15pm on Friday afternoon.

He is described as being 57 tall, of slim build, with short grey cropped hair.

When last seen he was wearing blue checked shirt, black fleece, black jeans and black trainers.

Police have appealed for anyone with information to contact them on 101.
Violet McAfee returns to the spot on Station Road where she was almost killed at last years North West 200

Stephen Thompson in the garden of his home on the shores of Lough Neagh

It's a date that has always leaped out of Stephen Thompson's diary. The middle of May... the North West 200. The seemingly endless wait for it to come round again; the tingle of anticipation as he swept down the A26 towards the Co Antrim coast.

The biker groups taking to the roads, squadron-like, on their annual two-wheeled pilgrimage, swelling the huge crowds already there. The camaraderie, the friendly rivalry, the banter.

The non-stop tinkering with the powerful machines, the ubiquitous Dunlops, the 'letting her rip' in practice... and, of course, race day itself.

Then, the nervousness, the smell of leathers, of engine oil, the reassuring roar of exhausts, the breathless moments before the race begins, the adrenaline charge when it finally does, the indescribable thrill of the contest, the chequered flag, the cheers, the adulation...

But not this year.

This year, Stephen Thompson will be as far away from the famous Triangle circuit as he can possibly get.

Last year, he was a fierce competitor; this year, it was thought he would at least have been travelling back up the A26 as an interested spectator.

But this particular middle of May brings the first anniversary of the horrific 150mph crash that left him in a coma for four days, fighting for his life with a broken femur, collapsed lung, bleeding on the brain, brachial plexus injury and a left arm rendered useless from the elbow down.

To widespread astonishment, however - and not least from his partner Charlotte - the 40-year-old from Crumlin, a man who had lost his uncle and two of his best friends to road racing, told this newspaper last September that he could not wait to get back on a motorbike.

Well, that day is still a long way off. And Stephen simply cannot face the other members of the road racing fraternity in a fortnight's time. He cannot even face himself in the hall mirror.

"I just feel left out," he said. "The North West happens, and then the Isle of Man TT happens - it's like a big circus... a club that I've been excluded from. I wish I could be out there racing. I miss it so much.

"I was invited to the North West as a VIP guest, but I'm not going. I might book a flight and go somewhere myself. It would annoy me to watch everyone else racing and having fun when I feel like I should be part of it."

Stephen insists that last year's life-changing accident - in which he cheated death for a second time on the unforgiving tarmac roads of Northern Ireland - has nothing to do with his refusal to attend this year's event.

"The crash itself doesn't weigh on me one bit," he said. "I'm just annoyed that I'm not racing. In fact, I'm more annoyed about that than I am about the crash."

Broken bones and other serious injuries sustained when "falling off" - the road racer's euphemistic description of a high-speed crash - are regarded as mere occupational hazards in this particular sport.

And Stephen is clearly haunted, not by last year and what it did to him, but by the unfairness of the accident even happening in the first place.

It was not Stephen who lost control of his machine on May 16 last year, rather it was Dean Harrison, the Englishman riding in front of him.

Stephen and another rider, Horst Saiger, crashed while taking evasive action. Harrison walked away unscathed and Saiger "only broke an elbow", but Stephen - and Violet McAfee, a spectator - will feel the effects of that fateful Superstock race for the rest of their lives.

Portrush civil servant Violet, who shattered her leg as a result of the carnage on the Station Road, will meet up with Lichtenstein native Saiger - it was his bike that hit her - at this year's North West 200, but the 44-year-old road racing fan's hopes of an emotional reunion with the local hero have now been dashed.

"I won't see Violet, but I hope she has a great time at this year's event," said Stephen, who has other things to concern himself with - notably his recovery, which has been dogged by morale-sapping setbacks.

"It's not been easy; to be honest it's been very, very tough," he said.

"Everything I try to do, there's always a complication that falls along with it. I'm currently taking 31 tablets a day for the pain - I might be down to 28 by next week if I stop my antibiotics."

The motorbike rider has had four operations since I last visited him seven months ago. The first - to remove a cage from his mangled left leg - was a success, but the second - a nerve transplant operation carried out in Dublin in November - ultimately landed him in the Ulster Hospital at Dundonald for eight days following an emergency dash in an ambulance from his home near the Lough Neagh shore back in December.

"Charlotte rang 999 and they kept her on the phone until the paramedics got here," Stephen told this newspaper.

"I'd got an infection, which resulted in another (a third) operation to drain an abscess of 150ml... it was life-threatening."

The fourth operation, on April 7 - the day his stepdaughter Fay turned 21 - was an attempt "to fix the nerve" in his upper back. It was not successful and he is going back to Dublin next month for a consultation to see if there is anything that can be done.

Stephen has had a prosthetic arm since March 20, but he does not like it and cannot use it because of the pain he is now in following the failed operation of three weeks ago.

"For what I want to do I'll probably need a more specialised prosthetic arm," he said.

"I'm going to get one made myself, but at the minute I don't know if I'm even going to be able to use a prosthetic arm because I'm still healing. That's what I'm worried about. But whatever it takes, I'll do it." Whatever it takes to get back into road racing, he means.

Notwithstanding all the setbacks, the rider remains fixated on that. The Ulster Grand Prix in August had been his aim when we last spoke, but that is now a pipe dream.

"If this infection hadn't happened, then things might have moved on a bit quicker, but they didn't," he said. I was angry about not being able to get back on a bike this year, but then my brother Paul (43) reminded me that I haven't quit and that I'm just injured."

Stephen's aspirations about returning to competition help cushion him from that other, metaphorical, hard road ahead.

"This is how I spend my days: I have physio, I go to hospital appointments, to doctors' appointments, I've got a counsellor," he told the Belfast Telegraph. "If you're getting one or two days at work, you're lucky.

"I'm in constant pain - some days are worse than others. It certainly hasn't become any more bearable."

Nor has his ability to accept how that pain manifests itself physically become any less of a hurdle. "There's a hall mirror that I still can't bear to look into - it's seeing me have no arm," he said.

"I've lost so much. I had a good life before, but this life, at the minute, isn't much fun. This, however, is what I have to put up with from here on in.

"In my old life I had the pressure of business (he and his brother Paul took over their father's plastering firm), the pressure of home and the pressure of bikes, and some days I used to wonder how I was going to get through (it all), but really it was nothing.

"This, every day, is about 10 times the pressure that that was. I didn't appreciate what I had when I had it. Even the hardest day at work now would be a breeze."

Stephen admitted that he had the classic road racer's mentality of caring more about the bike than himself.

"I wasn't worried about me, all I worried about was having no bike to race if I wrecked it," he said.

"I always had a back-up bike to make sure that I got to race. I was never concerned about me. Ever. I just knew that I was going to be all right."

Stephen said his partner of 14 years has been "a great help" with his recuperation. Working with Fay - daughter of Charlotte's late husband Lee Pullan, who died in a road race in Belgium 20 years ago - the pair have raised more than 13,000 towards his expensive treatment, and run a Facebook page that keeps fans up-to-date with their hero's progress.

Charlotte (43), an Isle of Man native, has made it very clear that she never wants to see Stephen, with whom she has another daughter Libbie (9), mount a motorbike again.

Yet despite all the excruciating pain, the suffering, the self-loathing, the depression, the feelings of exclusion, the debilitating setbacks - not to mention the missing lower left arm - Stephen will not let go of the notion that, one day, he will return to the North West 200 as a competitor.

"How do you stop doing something that you've known all your life?" he asked.

"It's not fair what happened to me. I wasn't to blame for that accident. It wasn't my fault. But crashing is part of it.

"The crash at Dundrod was bad enough when I broke my neck. It feels as if they have tried everything to stop me racing - and the only way to stop me racing was to cut a bit of my arm off. But even then I'm still not giving up."

When he mentions Dundrod, he is inadvertently referring to the miracle comeback he already has under his belt.

At the Ulster Grand Prix two years ago, while travelling in excess of 150mph, he crashed through a hedge. He credits the prompt action of Dr Fred McSorley - who worked alongside the late 'flying doctor' John Hinds - for saving his life that day.

Doctors advised Stephen to stay off bikes for 18 months. He returned in two, racing in Hong Kong, even though the extreme pain in his neck meant he could not turn around to see who was coming up behind him.

Even for stoic road racers, the day you break your neck is a pretty bad day. The day you lose a forearm is another.

However, the worst day of Stephen's life was three years ago - and there was not even a motorbike in sight.

"My mum Lorraine, who had cancer, was 61 when she died on October 24, 2013," he said.

"She had a heart attack in her bedroom and I tried to save her using CPR. She was so desperately ill, and at the time I kept thinking, 'I'm bringing her back into pain'.

"But I didn't stop trying to save her. I was selfish - I wanted another day with her. The doctor came up and we took it in turns to work on her until he told me to stop.

"I remember lying in hospital last year feeling sorry for myself, but I kept thinking that no matter how bad things got, it was never going to be worse than that day."
An Ulster Unionist Party candidate has been forced to resign from the military after deciding to run for the Assembly.

Upper Bann hopeful Doug Beattie did not comment last night on the decision of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to demand his resignation.

But senior colleague and party chairman Lord Empey said that he knew Mr Beattie, who has been decorated for bravery in Iraq and Afghanistan and for Nato service in Bosnia, was "bitterly disappointed".

Lord Empey now intends to ask the MoD why it could not allow him to safeguard his job as a reservist soldier if he was not elected.

He said: "Having completed 34 years in the Army, Doug, who is now a reservist after a 27-year regular career, informed the military he would be standing for election, and was then informed that he could continue with his service until the outcome of the election was known.

"However, with just three weeks until the election, Doug was informed he had to resign with immediate effect from his position as a full-time reserve service officer - in effect leaving him unemployed if he is not elected in May," he added.
A former circus lion looks out from inside a cage transporting it to South Africa, at the port of Callao, Peru (AP)

Thirty-three lions rescued from circuses in Peru and Colombia are heading back to their homeland to live out the rest of their lives in a private sanctuary in South Africa.

The largest-ever airlift of lions was organised by Animal Defenders International.

The Los Angeles-based group has worked with politicians in the two South American countries for years to ban the use of wild animals in circuses, where they are often held in appalling conditions.

The long journey began in Colombia on Thursday, where a caravan carrying the first nine lions departed the city of Bucaramanga for a 14-hour drive to Bogota's international airport.

From there, they were loaded onto a cargo plane and flown to Peru's capital to pick up the remaining 24.

They are expected to depart Lima for Johannesburg later on Friday.
Kenya's president has set fire to 105 tons of elephant ivory and more than one ton of rhino horn in a dramatic statement against the trade in ivory and products from endangered species.

Uhuru Kenyatta put a flame to the biggest of 11 pyres of ivory tusks and one of rhino horn. It is believed to be the largest stockpile ever destroyed,

Overnight torrential rains had threatened to ruin the event and created a mudfield on the ground around the piles inside the Nairobi National Park.

Mr Kenyatta said Kenya will push for the total ban on trade in ivory at the 17th meeting of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species to be held in South Africa later this year.

"A time has come when we must take a stand and the stand is clear ... Kenya is making a statement that for us ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants," he said.

The stacks of tusks represent more than 8,000 elephants and some 343 rhinos slaughtered for their ivory and horns, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Kenya decided to destroy the ivory instead of selling it for an estimated 150 million dollars (100m). Some critics had suggested that the money raised from the ivory sales could be used to develop Kenya and protect wildlife. But Mr Kenyatta said that Kenya wants to make the point that ivory should not have any commercial value.

Others said the burning will not end the killing of elephants because international gangs take advantage of Kenya's porous borders and corruption to continue the illegal trade.

Wildlife authorities say illegal ivory smuggling in Africa increased after the 2007 temporary lifting of an international ban on the ivory trade. The CITES group allowed a one-off sale by African countries that had stockpiles of ivory from elephants that had died naturally or problem elephants killed by wildlife officials.

Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe were granted a one-time exemption from a global ivory ban because of their thriving elephant herds.

But Kenya maintains that such sales, even though it is of approved ivory, fuel the ivory trade.
We have a warped relationship with the truth in Northern Ireland. Quite how warped, sometimes I think we forget. On Tuesday night, I attended a discussion about dealing with the past at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Journalist Brian Rowan and artist Colin Davidson were in conversation with the Victims' Commissioner, Judith Thompson, and academic Lisa Faulkner. The debate was ably and insightfully chaired by Lyric trustee Stephen Douds.

Yet while nobody could doubt the sincerity of the arguments put forward by both the panel members and the audience, I left the theatre feeling like I'd been walking through deep, foot-dragging bog for miles without hope of ever reaching my destination. That's the nature of any discussion about what to do for victims of the Troubles. The sheer weight of the emotional burden - the pain, the loss, the competing claims of legitimacy and illegitimacy - immediately becomes hugely overwhelming.

Likewise, the proposed mechanisms for dealing with the past become ever more finicky, finely balanced and complex - so complex, in fact, that the Victims' Commissioner struggled to explain the latest plan - in an attempt to find agreement and fulfil everyone's needs, which is impossible. With terrible irony, in this long, tortuous process of reparation for victims, it is often truth itself that comes in for the worst beating.

Brian Rowan said that he had "long come to the conclusion that there is not one truth when it comes to this place". Most liberal, right-thinking people subscribe to this idea. And it is correct in the sense that there will never be a single agreed narrative to which all sides can subscribe. However, it's also a move towards moral relativism, which is why former perpetrators, their apologists and other political ideologues like the notion so very much.

If truth is simply a matter of your own perspective at a particular time, then everyone's truth is valid, and uncomfortable issues like guilt or innocence can be swept away and safely forgotten about.

Under this rubric of convenient revisionism, a gunman can be a victim - of state oppression, of trauma or poverty, of real or perceived injustice - every bit as much as a kidnapped, beaten and murdered mother of 10 children who ends up buried on a lonely beach.

Out of the muddy mess of competing narratives, a pristine level playing field suddenly emerges, upon which we are encouraged to agree that everyone who was involved in the conflict suffered grievous loss and pain, at a human level. Many did, to varying degrees, and that includes some perpetrators and their families. Others retired in considerable comfort to Spain.

If these so-called ex-combatants have served their time, it is reasonable that they receive humane support from the government, if required. But no sane person could draw a moral equivalence between terrorists, or indeed illicit state forces, and the innocent bystanders blown to pieces by their actions.

It's merely another version of that old paramilitary favourite, beloved of both loyalists and republicans alike: "we were all responsible". Well, no, we weren't. Most of us wanted no part in those foul death cults, and merely wanted to live our lives free of their psychotic horror. In no sense did we enable the conflict. Rather, we cowered in the corners, keeping our heads down, praying for it all to end.

That's why it disturbed me to hear Judith Thompson, equivocate on the issue. She was responding to a question from a republican member of the audience who was advocating equality among victims. Thompson said that when you talk about good and bad victims, or deserving and undeserving victims, you end up in "a degrading debate" and "that conversation belittles everyone".

When pushed again on victim equality, the Victims' Commissioner responded that "some people are not at that stage yet".

Look, I know Thompson has a very difficult job to do. But in refusing to allow any differentiation between varying levels of culpability and innocence, and implicitly treating victim equality as some kind of enlightened state to which we all should aspire, the Victims' Commissioner banishes truth from the room.

Here's the real truth, as I see it. If we are to have any respect for ourselves as a society, we must not erase the distinction between victim and perpetrator.

It may not always be clear cut in every case - and it must be open to intensive examination - but to abandon it entirely consigns us all to an amoral netherworld, haunted by the wronged ghosts of the past.
To the plethora of mental illnesses in this mental illness-ridden age of ours, we can now add another.

Weve all heard of PTSD or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. During this past year, something we can call TTSD has emerged.

TTSD is Trump Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is also known as Trump-phobia, for such is the fear of those who suffer from it that the very mention of Donald Trumps name immediately corrupts their rationality.

Trumps break out presidential candidacy and the utter inability, in spite of every conceivable attempt (short of assassination), of any Establishment apologist to slow it down has led to an epidemic of TTSD among the political and chattering classes.

There are two particularly salient symptoms of TTSD. So as to not confuse them with symptoms of brain damage, it is important to note that they ordinarily only appear within a Trump-specific context.

The first is a pathological failure to perform simple arithmetic. For example, for the longest time the Trump-phobe would insist that because Trump managed to garner only 35%-40% of the vote, this proved that he had a problem. And Trump-phobes around the conservative media circuit would repeat this line even while the object of their panic was crushingnot just beating, but slaying16 competitors (i.e. whomever they were supporting).

Trump has now crashed through this ceiling with over 60% of the voteand in a three person race at that. Thus far, the Trump-phobe has not conceded the faultiness of his or her past calculations.

The second symptom is a chronic penchant for self-contradiction.

The Trump-phobe can be guaranteed to level any and every conceivable ad hominem attack against Trumpregardless of how profoundly one criticism contradicts the other.

At one and the same moment, the Trump-phobe can be counted upon to make comments like the following:

We need to grow the party by appealing to independents and moderates.

And: Too many independents and moderates are voting for Trump.

The Republican Party needs candidates who can reach across the aisle.

And: Trump has reached across the aisle too often in supporting Democrat candidates over the years.

Trump is really [secretly] a liberal Democrat or progressive.

And: Trump is really [secretly] a fascist.

Trump is a sexist who wants to arrest and incarcerate women for having abortions.

And: Trump wants to continue supporting Planned Parenthood, abortion, and every other Big Government program [ostensibly] designed for purposes of womens health issues.

Trump is anti-immigrant.

And: Trump hires [i.e. he creates jobs] for illegal immigrants.

Trump is racist.

And: Trumps definitely a liberal Democrat or progressive, for he supports affirmative action.

Trumps a neo-Nazi sympathizer, for he [allegedly] failed to [immediately] repudiate David Duke when the latter paid him compliments.

And: Trump is a liberal Democrat or progressive for having contributed to the campaign coffers of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schummer.

Trumps an Islamophobic bigot.

And: Trump doesnt care about fighting Islamo-fascism.

Trumps homophobic.

And: Trumps New York values make him a supporter of gay marriage and unisex bathrooms.

Trumps a madman with an erratic temper who will, essentially, get America involved in WWIII.

And: Trumps an isolationist.

Trumps a greedy, deceptive capitalist.

And: Trumps a protectionist, someone who will make free trade between nations more costly.

The Trump-phobe contradicts him or herself in many other ways as well.

In spite of having insisted for years and years that scores of Republican conservative voters who were less than enthused over their partys centrist or moderate presidential candidates must nonetheless vote for those candidates lest a Democrat gain the White House, the Trump-phobe is now just as insistent that a Democrat president would be preferable to a Republican presidentas long as this Republicans name is Donald Trump.

A Trump-phobe of the GOP variety unequivocally rejects Trump on the grounds that hes not a real conservative. Meanwhile, he or she continues to laud President Ronald Reagan as the penultimate conservative, and the quintessential conservative president. Yet the very anti-conservative positions that they attribute to Trump were not only shared by Reagan at different times throughout his career; unlike Trump, who has only ever been a civilian, Reagan had the power to implement those positions.

And implement them he did: As, first, governor of California and, later, a two-term president, Reagan legalized abortion; contended on behalf of universal healthcare in the Golden state; raised taxes repeatedly; grew the size and reach of the federal government; amnestied millions of illegal immigrants; appointed left-leaning, pro-abortion Supreme Court justices; and pushed for restrictions on the Second Amendment (gun-control).

Its true that Trump has spoken in support of some of these things at various times throughout his life. But he has done none of them. Yet to hear the Trump-phobe, one would think that it is Trump, and not Reagan, who walked this liberal walk. Trump is simply insufficiently conservative for supporting some liberal positions while Reagan, who actually implemented these positions and others, is a conservative heroor so the Trump-phobe would have us think.

The Trump-phobe of the Democrat species is no less irrational than his or her GOP counterpart. This Trump-phobe continues to charge the Donald with being a conman, a carnival barker, a liar. However, if Trump is faking anything right now, presumably he is faking being everything that self-styled progressives despise: a conservative Republican.

Yet this, in turn, implies that Trump is really a progressive or liberal Democrat himselfexactly what the Democrat Trump-phobe supposedly should want!

Trump-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a serious illness. One should never try reasoning with a Trump-phobe, for the subject is likely to get only more hysterical.
Many of us enjoy watching mobster classics like the Godfather or Goodfellas.

Beyond the Hollywood scripts, organized crime is not glamorous, and like the above mentioned filmstheres no leaving The Life unless you die of natural causes or someone puts a bullet in your back.

When the prayer of a woman gets involved, not even The Life can thwart Gods plan. Cammy Franzese knows. Shes married to Michael Franzese (The Yuppie Don), an ex-high-ranking member of the Colombo crime family syndicate of New York. This devout Christian helped her husband become the first member of the mafia to publicly walk away from a life of crime.

After his second imprisonment for violating parole (racketeering charges), his new life began. Michael Franzese walked away from the syndicate. Theres still a canopy of danger that exists. Michael currently has a contract on his life. The couple refuses government protection, trusting God all the way. Michael is now shepherding other mafia members who are looking to get out. Cammy talked recently with Beliefnet about her testimony in her new book, This Thing of Ours, released by Thomas Nelson.

Your mother was a strong prayer warrior. How did that influence you to stand with your husband?

Cammy: My mother was so strong in her faith and her beliefs. Her being that living example for me, instilling in me that life can be difficult and that God never promised everything was going to be lovely here. He promised that he will get you through it. He would be there with you. She said to be faithful and to be obedient to Gods word. God is faithful. In her marriage divorce was not an option. So divorce was not an option for me either. I guess just growing up with that, I wanted to kind of honor God and kind of honor her.

Did you know that your husband was involved in the mafia?

Cammy: I had no idea. There were a few innuendoes, but they just went right over my head. As time went on, obviously, it became clear to me that there was something going on. I thought, 'Well, maybe he's colorful,' totally clueless as to what really organized crime meant and of all of the things that were involved with it. I really didn't know that until we were married. If you had the opportunity to talk to a wife whose husband was in organized crime, what would you say to her?

Cammy: Just going through this with Mike, seeing some of his friends and meeting some of the wives, just sort of seeing their life--a lot of them are in the dark. But if you live in New York its hard to be in the dark about that kind of life because every single day its in the newspapers--theres something in the newspaper about organized crime. I lived there shortly after we were first married and became curious. But I would encourage women in that life to pray for their husbands and pray for their husbands salvation and pray for them to get out. But its so difficult when youre in it.

You are helping others leave that lifestyle

Cammy: Michael spoke to a gentleman who is looking to get out of this life, sort of do what Michael did. Michael and me were talking and he asked me, what would you say or what advice would you give to this wife? I said, I would give her all the advice I could about praying to God to give them an outlet to leave where they are. You have to leave. Michael gets emails from men and women who are believers themselves and have family members in organized crime, asking for prayer and asking for advice. There is more than a handful that he communicates with.

Michael has a contract on his life and you both refused government protection, right?

Cammy: When this thing started I really didnt know the capacity of it. But I could not live my life in fear. I felt God gave me his peace and that he got me this far and [God] will continue to be there for [me] again as he did. Michael is adamant that God is protecting him. Michael tells me we have to have faith that God has a plan for us and that hes not going to let that happen. With all that said, I did for the most part. But even now, I have that fear in me even now sometimes when he travels back East [They live in California]. I get a little concerned and I worry for him, because I know hes going back there and there could be somebody who wants to make a name for themselves. Pretty much anyone who had a problem with Mike is in prison for the rest of their lives or died. But theres always that one person that could be out there looking to make a name for themselves. I know God has such an amazing plan for Mike that he wont let that happen. Mike said look, Im not going to Brooklyn and have a pasta dinner where I shouldnt be.

You were praying for your husbands salvation while he was jail, correct?

Michael was a new believer when he went to prison. I knew it was going to be tough for him, coming from the life he was in. Yeah, the whole church was praying for him. My mother was praying for him. My brothers were always praying for himthey were all young but involved in the church. Michael had a lot of people praying for him.

When did you realize that God had a bigger plan for your life?

Gosh. I just had to put my book on audio two weeks ago and sit there and read through the whole book. I had such a difficult time getting through it; you know I was overwhelming for me. There were so many pivotal moments in my life when God was so real and so revealing when I was at my lowest point. My mother always told me that God had a plan and a purpose for my life and mine and Michaels life together. I think the second time that Michael got arrested, because he got another four and half years. I was sitting at home in a little sunroom and praying. [And] God kind of revealed to me the future he had. He [God] was going to really use these next four years to really strengthen Michaels walk with him and when Michael came he would become a stronger man and a better Christian--a solider for God, and we will serve him in an amazing ministry. My mother once said to me Watch what God is going to do with Mikes life. Hes going to speak to like millions.' I think it really hit me when I saw the change in my husband and how he started to be more faithful and rely more on God.

What would you like to achieve from writing this book?

People just dont value marriage anymore. When things get tough or theyre not happy anymore, or he doesnt make me happy anymore or Im not in love anymore--they get a divorce. I just want people to have hope and be encouraged. You know that you can get through it. As women we are strong and can instill that in our young daughters when they make commitments to their husbands and to their families. God will see you through it and he will honor you in the end if youre obedient to his word.

Read more on This Thing of Ours: How Faith Saved My Mafia Marriage here.
Some students at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi are waging a hunger strike over fines and punishments tied to a protest on campus, April 29, 2016.

A group of students at a university in New Delhi who face fines and suspensions for their roles in an on-campus rally on Feb. 9 entered the second full day of a hunger strike on Friday.

Administrators at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) indicated on Friday that they might consider some of the students demands but would not dismiss their punishments.

The strikers include Kanhaiya Kumar, the president of JNUs student union and two other students who were arrested and charged with sedition after the rally. The case has grabbed national headlines and raised questions about free speech in the worlds most populous democracy under the leadership of a Hindu nationalist-led coalition.

Nineteen students went on a hunger strike Wednesday night following a report released Monday by a High-Level Enquiry Committee (HLEC) into alleged anti-national sloganeering by students on Feb. 9, as they marked the anniversary of the execution of Afzal Guru in 2013 for an attack on the Indian parliament in December 2001.

We are ready to consider their demands if they come to us and ask for something. They are our students, after all. They were served notices for what they had done, JNU Chief Proctor A.P. Dimri told BenarNews.

Litany of fines

Clarifying the universitys stance, Dimri said the level of punishment may be reviewed and reduced, but would not be rolled back entirely.

Kumar, a doctoral candidate at JNUs School of International Studies, was arrested following the protest and released on bail days later. He was fined 10,000 rupees (U.S. $150) on grounds of indiscipline and misconduct.

Umar Khalid, a doctoral candidate at the School of Social Sciences, was suspended for a semester and fined 20,000 rupees (U.S. $300). Another student, Anirban Bhattacharya, was suspended until July 15 and barred from taking any course or participating in any activity for five years. PhD student Mujeeb Gattoo was suspended for two semesters.

And a fifth student, Saurabh Sharma, the student unions joint secretary and the only member of the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), an affiliate of Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was also fined Rs. 10,000.

The university issued fines of Rs. 10,000 to 20,000 against 14 students and barred two former students from entering campus. The fines are to be paid by May 13. Kumar, Khalid and Bhattacharya were freed on bail after being arrested and charged with sedition over the Feb. 9 event.

Gross deficiencies

Rejecting the HLEC report, 19 students began their hunger strike on Wednesday night. The strikers claimed to have the support of the JNU Teachers Association.

Officials and the students did not have any formal communication, according to Kumar, who said he did not expect any response from the university.

The HLEC had no representation of women, minorities, SC/ST/OBC (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes), who could have different perspectives and make it transparent. How can it probe issues against students belonging to the deprived classes? It had its own favorite members, Kumar told BenarNews.

The report itself has gross deficiencies and the fines are arbitrary. It fines 14 students, but the fines are different for each. The HLEC was rejected by the student council but was passed in the universitys general body meeting, he said.

Labelling the HLEC as undemocratic, Khalid called the report farcical, prejudicial and biased.

It was only meant to punish us and not investigate. They have deliberately chosen to come out with report at a time when students have exams, thinking there would be less resentment, he said. We would neither pay fine nor go out of the campus.

ABVP member Saurabh Sharma began his hunger strike Wednesday morning.

The report says we acted illegally. We fail to understand whether stopping someone from shouting anti-national slogans or blocking them is illegal. The whole administration is acting under the influence of Congress and Left parties, he said.
Rescue workers retrieve human remains from graves near a hillside site where shallow graves containing the bodies of 26 people were found in Padang Besar, a district in the southern Thai province of Songkhla, May 13, 2015.

Illegal boat journeys from Myanmar and Bangladesh have decreased significantly in the year since Thailand launched a crackdown on human trafficking, but the root cause of the problem still festers, an activist fighting for Rohingya Muslim rights told BenarNews in an interview.

A year ago Sunday, the discovery of graves in the jungles of southern Thailand that contained the remains of people trafficked from those two countries triggered a crackdown by the Thai government against human smugglers.

A Thai maritime blockade on people-smuggling boats followed, which in turn precipitated a humanitarian crisis when thousands of desperate Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi migrants came ashore in neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia.

In Thailand, at least 90 people, including a Thai general, are now on trial on human-trafficking charges.

In an interview with BenarNews, Matthew Smith, an expert on illegal migration in Southeast Asia, says the situation has improved drastically in some respects over the past year.

But Smith, director of the NGO Fortify Rights, says officials in Malaysia could do much more to protect victims  and Myanmars newly elected government could work to uphold the rights of Rohingyas and solve the root causes of their mass flight.

BenarNews: May 1 marks the anniversary of the discovery of migrants graves in Thailand. Can you comment on that?

Smith: We're still concerned that not all of the grave sites have been properly discovered, exposed, and investigated.

I've personally visited grave sites that were not included in the discoveries last year. We have reason to believe bodies litter the terrain in certain parts of Songkhla and other areas in the south. Thai authorities would be wise to continue the investigation, which at present is closed.



We're also concerned with the role of the Malaysian authorities. Thailand has received a great deal of negative attention about human trafficking, and for good reason, but Malaysia's role has somehow been largely ignored.

We were encouraged that Malaysian authorities uncovered a large number of graves, but the authorities there still fail to protect survivors of trafficking. Rohingya are systematically detained in Malaysia. Most are held in squalid detention, deprived of their liberty.

And Malaysian authorities have categorically failed to prosecute any traffickers involved in trafficking Rohingya. Malaysia only prosecuted three traffickers last year. Many traffickers roam free with no fear of justice knocking on their door. That's a problem.

BN: How does irregular migration in the region this year compare with last year?

Smith: The number of departures from Myanmar and Bangladesh decreased significantly this year.

We attribute this to the crackdown against trafficking in Thailand, as syndicates were working closely with many Thai officials, as well as the political changes in Myanmar. Many Rohingya are hoping the new government will improve their situation.

We hope for the same.

BN: Has the situation improved since Thailand launched its crackdown on human smuggling a year ago?

Smith: In some ways, the situation has improved drastically. This time last year there were several thousand Rohingya being held in torture camps in Thailand.

Today, those camps no longer exist. That is undeniably positive. But this time last year there were also thousands of Rohingya and Bangladeshis stranded at sea, facing death as a direct result of the so-called crackdown.

That was most definitely not a positive development. The ongoing trial against 92 defendants is positive, but it's also beset with problems. Witnesses have been threatened and [have] gone into hiding, and many perpetrators still roam free.

We were very impressed with the new Cabinet Resolution that, if implemented, would grant special protections to survivors of trafficking. It would allow survivors to remain legally in Thailand, it would allow them to work, and it would provide automatic witness protection.

In effect, it would free refugees and survivors from detention. These would be positive steps in the right direction, but the resolution still needs to be implemented. We hope it's not just words on paper.

Also, the root causes of the crisis, including systematic abuses in Myanmar, have not been addressed. Until those abuses are addressed, Thailand will still see refugees arriving on its shores. Until those abuses are addressed, we can't confidently say the situation has improved.

BN: Will the situation for Rohingya Muslims improve under the new government in Myanmar?

Smith: We have hope for the NLD [National League for Democracy] government. The NLD inherited an enormous responsibility to undo the human rights abuses of the past military-led regime.

That is no easy task.

However, the NLD has claimed the Rohingya will not be a priority for its government, and we think that's a mistake. Any failure to adequately address the abuses against Rohingya will backfire and ultimately damage the NLD and Myanmar as a whole. These abuses are bad for the entire country, and the entire region.

This is an international issue. In a worst case scenario, a failure to end the abuses against Rohingya could derail the NLD's other noble efforts to reform the country.

BN: Has Aung San Suu Kyi done anything to help improve the situation?

Smith: One of Suu Kyi's first orders of business was to ensure political prisoners were released. On her second day in office, nearly 200 were released. This was momentous and helped inject hope throughout the population, Rohingya included.

But she has not yet taken a strong position in defense of Rohingya rights, and that's a concern. Any failure to address the abuses risks complicity in those abuses.

The NLD would be well advised to support an independent international investigation into the human rights situation in Rakhine state. Such an investigation would provide the NLD with recommendations to improve the situation, and would help clarify the facts about what is happening in Rakhine state. The facts remain hotly contested.
The commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Win Naung, said: The main issue in Arakan State is the AA (Arakan Army). The AA and the Burma Army have recently been fighting in Arakan State and we heard rumors that the DKBA (Democratic Karen Benevolent Army) is sending weapons here so we are carrying out checks to prevent weapons from entering Arakan State.

His comments were made to the media at the Kyauktan checkpoint at the entrance to Sittwe on 27 April.



The Authorities Checking Vehicles on 27 April (Photo Narinjara) The Authorities Checking Vehicles on 27 April (Photo Narinjara)

The military, the police, anti-narcotic teams, and immigration department officials have been working together carefully checking buses, trucks and private vehicles. As well as checking for weapons they have also been checking for drugs.

Someone who was checked at the Kyauktan Inspection Gate said to Narinjara News: I felt scared because they were using so many forces to carry out the inspection. I was worried that something might happen to me, even though I had done nothing that would concern them.

Police Lt-Col Win Naung said that even though they have been carrying out the checks since fighting broke out between the AA and the Burma Army, until 27 April they had found nothing suspicious.

Translated by Thida Linn

Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
Residents of Shwe Yaung Pya village and surrounding villages in Thaton Township have made it clear that they want to get paid full compensation for 5,000 acres of land near Shwe Yaung Pya village that villagers claim was confiscated by Max Myanmar Company in 2004.

Local sources in the area alleged that under the former military government, the Max Myanmar Company, owned by U Zaw Zaw confiscated farm land owned by villagers from Shwe Yaung Pya, La Oh Kae (Wingyi), Kya Ta Raw (Zeewon) and Klaw Keh (Klout Inn).

Naw Mu Dah, a villager from Zeewon spoke to Karen News that with the changing political situation and the change of government, villagers now want to be paid compensation for the loss of their land.

Naw Mu Dah said that villagers face hardship without land and are having to rely on being employed as laborers for the rubber plantation that is growing on their confiscated land.

Speaking to Karen News, Naw Mu Dah said.

As the [company] confiscated our land, we now have nothing to work on. We have to work at their rubber plantation to earn our living. Although we didnt want to give up our land, we could do nothing. Their compensation was far less than our land price and they even had us signed papers. Its difficult to reclaim our land, but we want full compensation from the company.

Villagers claim that when Max Myanmar Company confiscated agricultural land in the area for their rubber plantations, locals were given 20,000kyat [$20] an acre as compensation. Then in 2014 and 2015, when villagers asked for 500,000 kyat an acre compensation, the company paid 200,000 kyat [$200] an acre.

Villagers claim they were reluctant to complain about the low compensation they got from the company as the company has strong links to military officials and that the company promised to build roads, bridges and schools for the region.

Saw Aung Moe Tun, the head of Shwe Yaung Pya village said that the company boss, U Zaw Zaw, promised to develop the infrastructure for the community, but up to now there has only been a few primary schools built for the community.

Speaking to Karen News Saw Aung Moe Tun said.

U Zaw Zaw said that they would do these thing when their project succeeded. Now rubber trees are old enough for them to produce rubber. But they havent done anything. Since the start, they have not negotiated with the locals about our land that they claim was vacant or fallow land and therefore owned by the government. In reality the land had been cultivated by the local villagers and it is in the KNU controlled area. In the past, we had no right to argue about it, but now we have the right.

Padoh Saw Thein Min, the chairman of the KNU Thaton district office said that many businesses had caused similar problems in the community and that local villagers did not understand all the laws and policies about land.

Companies took a lot of land  some local land owners received compensation and some didnt. While some were satisfied with the compensation, some were not. Land policy and the laws should be explained to the people.

There are more than 90 households affected by the alleged land confiscation by the Max Myanmar Company. The Karen Human Rights Group has documented the case and have said that although some villagers received compensation, there are still some who have not received any compensation at all.
Take a Bite out of the Big Apple

Amazing New York City is full of iconic architectural landmarks, cultural venues and stunning views. So why not explore the Big Apple to its core with a Broadway show, a game at Yankee Stadium or a ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty?

Whether you want to see chic Manhattan, culturally diverse Brooklyn or the birthplace of rap and hip hop in the Bronx, you can count on citys reliable subway or iconic yellow cabs that will take you there in no time. Dont forget to visit the top of the Empire State building and admire the great city panorama and iconic skyline.

New Yorks busy Times Square is the world's most visited tourist attraction and never fails to mesmerize with its impressive neon lights. Nearby Central Park attracts joggers, walkers and picnickers all year around who want a little break from NYCs frenetic pace.

The restaurants here are among the best in the world but be sure you try citys famous hot dogs too. The Fifth Avenue and its luxury shopping is the place to be for all the Carrie Bradshaws and other fashionistas of the world.

New Yorks John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports make travelling to downtown easy and taking a train into Grand Central Station is yet another sight to see. From budget hostels, to trendy apartments, to top-notch luxury hotels, Booking.com offers a variety of accommodations so you will always find the best solution for your New York holiday.
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Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 30/04/2016 (2368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Brandon judge has questioned how police and managers of a city group home handled a case in which its alleged a teenage resident held staff captive while armed with scissors.

Judge John Combs was told that Specialized Foster Homes didnt report the incident to Brandon police for seven weeks. He also questioned why it then took Brandon police nearly four weeks to act on the complaint with an arrest.

I have huge concerns about what happened here, Combs said. Not only from the way this matter was handled by Specialized Foster Homes and the police, but I also have concerns about what seems to be an inconsistent pattern of reporting these offences to the authorities.

Specialized Foster Homes social worker Jenn Sherb admitted there was a breakdown in reporting the incident, but vouched for her employer when it came to staff safety.

I can vouch that SFH will always take the drastic measures to keep our supports safe, and we will continue to do that, Sherb said.

Specialized Foster Homes is a series of group homes for troubled youth run under the direction of Dakota Ojibway Child and Family Services. The province describes SFH as a third-party foster home manager licensed by DOCFS.

The operation has come under scrutiny in recent years, and it was under scrutiny again in Brandon provincial court on Friday during a bail hearing for the teen accused of wielding the scissors.

Crown attorney Marnie Evans outlined the following allegations in court. At this point, they remain allegations and havent been proven in court, and the teen is presumed innocent.

Evans said that, around 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 14, a teenage female confronted three staff at a city Specialized Foster Home, accusing them of stealing her iPod.

While armed with the scissors, she threatened to hurt the staff if they didnt find the missing device.

She ordered one staff member to search a locked cabinet as she stood behind him. When he couldnt find the iPod, he went to sit down and the teen threatened to stab him if he sat.

Evans said there appeared to be a racial element to the crime.

The teen opened all the windows and doors to let in the cold. She then got a jacket and a blanket for herself and a Caucasian worker, but not the other two workers who Evans said are from Africa.

Evans said one of the workers later quoted the teen as saying:

Just let these ns freeze, you bitches are going to freeze  If you dont like the cold, then go back to Africa where youre from, you ns.

When one of the workers tried to remove his cellphone from his pocket, she threatened to stab him. He then tried to leave the room, but she again threatened to stab him.

Evans said that during the 40-minute ordeal, the teen made numerous racial slurs and comments toward the staff members from Africa.

The incident ended when one of the captive staff managed to secretly text message a supervisor who arrived and de-escalated the situation.

None of the staff were harmed.

Evans said the staff involved provided Specialized Foster Homes with written statements in March, but SFH officials didnt report the matter to police until April 4, when they had a sit-down meeting with police.

The Crown attorney backed the actions of police.

She suggested police were ensuring the investigation was thorough, and investigated from April 4, the day they received the report, right up to Wednesday, the day before the teen was arrested. Shes also accused of assault for spitting at a jail guard in March.

Evans noted that the teen is accused of assaulting another group home worker on April 23 by punching her in the mouth, while police were still investigating the incident with the scissors.

In deciding whether to grant bail, Combs focused on the safety of staff at the home and the risk the accused may pose to them.

Evans said two of the staff members said they feared the teen, and one believed she wasnt bluffing with the scissors, but court heard that no panic button was pushed.

Sherb said all the staff were wearing panic buttons around their necks at the time. She suggested the fact the buttons werent pushed may mean staff didnt feel in imminent danger.

She added that shift reports didnt highlight the incident, and the staff involved didnt bring it to the attention of SFH officials.

In this case, there was a miss in regards to reading of the reports, Sherb said. But in no way was it highlighted or brought to our attention by these supports until we approached them.

It was only when a community liaison officer approached the staff that the matter came to light and was forwarded to police, Sherb said.

Defence lawyer Andrew Synyshyn argued that, as SFH didnt report the matter right away and police didnt arrest the teen sooner, it shows both organizations believed the teen could be handled in the community.

Combs also questioned the consistency with which incidents at SFH are reported police.

Court hearings have shown that SFH has quickly reported previous assaults to police in the past, and been quick to report when youth are breaching their court-ordered conditions.

Yet based on what he was told of this incident, which Combs described as an escalation in violence, it wasnt reported quickly.

Besides panic buttons, when asked about staff safety, Sherb said staff are aware of the teens persistent mental health challenges, and she has access to psychiatric staff. Staff who dont feel safe in one home can work in another.

Combs, however, denied bail because he wasnt confident that group home staff were safe from this particular accused and her case has been put to May 9.

What court wasnt reminded of on Friday was that the same accused was previously convicted for the beating and hospitalization of another SFH worker in May 2014.

Later that same month, after another incident in which two other SFH girls burned down a barn, Dakota Ojibway Child and Family Services announced it would partner with Manitoba Family Services to review Specialized Foster Homes.

A provincial spokesperson said on Friday that the review hasnt started.

Meanwhile, the number of SFH homes in Brandon has expanded from six or seven to 12.

In recent months, Brandon courts have heard other cases in which young SFH residents have assaulted and threatened staff, other residents and corrections officers.

In one such case, Combs Brandon colleague, Judge Donovan Dvorak, said that group home workers are entitled to be protected by the courts and assault is not an acceptable part of their job.

 ihitchen@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @IanHitchen
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 30/04/2016 (2368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

That shortcut on the way to school or work will cost you the big bucks  if youre caught.

The fine for trespassing on railway property is $215 under the Railway Safety Act. With tracks nestled between residential areas, railway officers say walking across or along lines is an issue in the Wheat City.

Trespassing, for (the Canadian Pacific Railway), in the Brandon yard area, is an ongoing problem, CP Const. Johnathan Ross said. People are entering on land where theyre operating with heavy equipment trains. Trains arent able to stop as quickly as people expect, and theyre a lot more quiet than people expect, so its more of a safety concern.

Samantha Samson/The Brandon Sun Two people are seen trespassing across the Canadian Pacific Railway lines on Friday. The tracks lie between Pacific Avenue and Assiniboine Avenue, making it a popular short cut for school children, according to CP Police.

Both CP and Canadian National Railway have tracks that run through Brandon. CPs tracks are in a more industrial area, but the railway runs beside Assiniboine Avenue, just a street away from homes and stores. CNs tracks, however, wrap around houses and stores, seeing more foot traffic.

CN Const. Joe Jardine said he gives out about 10 trespassing tickets every week. While that number might sound low, he said he gives out more warnings because people simply have no idea theres a fine for trespassing. But there have been some intentional acts of trespassing that he just cant let slide.

I just handed out a ticket earlier this week  a 16-year-old and a five-year-old were trying to climb through the trains, Jardine said. I gave them one warning, told them to move along. As soon as they figured they were out of eyesight, they were trying to jump through it again.

Trespassing is considered being anywhere on railway property. That includes crossing the tracks where theres no designated area and walking along tracks.

Jardine said he handed the teen a ticket, but giving a child a ticket doesnt really help anyone. Thats why Jardine said he makes an effort to go into schools and chat about railway safety.

Receiving a $215 fine as a 12-year-old isnt going to do anything for kids, Jardine said. Its going to be more of an impact for their parents. Positive interactions, I find, are more effective.

Jardine said he believes the early education is working, but Clayton Westfall, who lives on the corner of Eighth Street and Van Horne Avenue, said otherwise.

Westfall said he sees trespassing every day, but has only seen repercussions once.

A lot of kids just walk right through all the time, every morning to school, Westfall said. A girl across the street got fined last year. I dont think (people) know its illegal.

If a fine isnt enough, Jardine said trespassing is indeed a legal offence. You can be arrested and charged with trespassing on railway property.

Even railway workers are trying to enforce the policy.

We see it all the time, said Brenden Hintz, who works track maintenance at CN. Its all the way out to 34th Street. Were supposed to always go and talk to the person, tell them its illegal.

His cousin, Blaine Hintz, who also does track maintenance for CN, said he sees trespassers every day, especially by the CN yard.

But who knows how many people are doing it in other areas, he said.

Jardine said pedestrians cant rely on being seen on the tracks to be safe since a lot of the rails are automated from Edmonton.

The presumption is, considering people arent allowed on the tracks, that there are no people on the tracks, he said. So when the trains are doing their movement, its not like a driver in a vehicle where they have their windshield, looking forward at all times and they see whats going on around them. They could be at the middle of the train, they could be at the back of the train. So someone trespassing across the tracks, they could be struck and no-one would really have any idea considering theyre not expecting them there in the first place.

And if that shortcut still seems appealing to save time, Jardine said think of it as saving your wallet.

I know for me, if I had to take a $215 hit in the pocket book, the grocery bill would suffer.

 ssamson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @samanthassamson
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 30/04/2016 (2368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised Bombardiers CSeries as an exceptional airplane on Saturday but would not hint whether his government plans to invest federal money in the Montreal-based aerospace giant.

Trudeau said his government recognizes the importance of Canadas aerospace industry and the jobs it creates.

Thats why were engaged in negotiations and discussions with Bombardier, and have been for quite a while, around the right business case for Canada to invest, Trudeau told reporters in Montreal, where he was attending the biennial convention of the federal Liberal partys Quebec wing.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters during the 2016 Biennial Convention of the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party of Canada in Montreal, Saturday, April 30, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

The Quebec government has promised US$1 billion of public money for Bombardier (TSX:BBD.B) and the company is seeking a similar sum from Ottawa.

Premier Philippe Couillard said this week that the pressure is mounting on Ottawa to do its part to after the announcement that Delta had placed an order with the company for 75 CS100 aircraft with options for an additional 50 planes.

Speaking on Thursday, Couillard called it paradoxical that the federal government hasnt hesitated to help Ontario with billions in public funds in the past to help with the troubled automobile sector while seemingly dragging its feet with respect to Quebecs key aerospace sector.

Trudeau praised the Delta deal on Saturday, calling it great news for Bombardier and the Canadian aerospace industry.

He also brushed off any inference that his government not pushing hard enough on files that matter to Quebec, saying there are extremely strong voices for the province in his cabinet.

He said he has not followed the tradition of naming a Quebec lieutenant because he represents a Montreal riding.

Why do you need a Quebec lieutenant when you have a Quebec general? he asked.

In his opening speech to the convention, Trudeau repeatedly referenced his partys strong performance in the province in last years federal elections.

Flanked by some two dozen Quebec MPs, he told a cheering crowd of party members that the province was better represented in Ottawa than at any time in the last 25 years.

This is the first time an entire generation of Quebecers and Canadians have seen so many Quebecers involved in running Canada, he said to loud applause.

He also strongly hinted the federal government would be open to providing funding for an electric light-rail project that has been proposed for the Montreal area, calling it exactly the kind of project were excited about.

The provinces pension fund manager has offered to put up $3 billion of the $5.5 billion project, but says the province and the federal government would have to fund the rest.

Trudeau said the project aligns with his governments priorities to improve infrastructure and public transit.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 30/04/2016 (2368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For a Latin American, witnessing the recent provincial election is a very interesting experiment.

Among the two strongest candidates, one was accused of being homophobic and also ambiguous about his properties overseas and time spent there while in public service. The other was accused of using fear tactics in his campaign and also of lying, when he said he was not going to raise the PST and actually did after the fact.

Still, when compared to Latin American politics these accusations are fairy tales. The same applies for the last national elections held in Canada in 2015.

Since the Latin American region became independent from Spain in the 19th century, much of the political history can be summarized as a constant struggle between leftist governments and right-wing governments where there have been predominantly right-wing governments.

Right-wing governments in Latin America are not part of the political and ideological spectrum like in Canada. Not necessarily believing in principles of economic and political liberalism, they are actually interest groups integrated by rich business people who legislate and govern to guarantee and advance their national and international businesses.

North American governments traditionally support these governments in Latin America because they also guarantee tax exemptions, low-wage workers, smooth operations and general well-being of capital invested in many companies and operations, most notably fruit plantations, oil and gas companies, infrastructure and tourism companies.

When leftist governments have won elections, they have immediately legislated to properly tax these companies, increase wages and secure and protect natural resources. Almost every time, the losing right-wing parties have reacted by conspiring with U.S. embassies and their intelligence agencies to overthrow the democratically elected government in a violent manner.

The last successful military coup to overthrow a democratic leftist government and put in place a rightist regime was in Honduras in 2009. Several failed attempts also took place in Venezuela during the last decade.

At odds with peoples will expressed through votes in democratic elections, right wingers had no other option than installing military, authoritarian regimes and dictators all over the continent.

This way, Latin American political stories belong more to horror novels than to the history of so-called democratic countries.

Augusto Pinochet  a right-wing dictator in Chile from 1973 to 1990  and his regime are responsible for 3,200 deaths and 38,000 tortured people. His crimes were design to literally make disappear leftists from his country. When he finally stepped down, he made sure to legislate himself a member of the national senate for life!

Guatemalan Efrain Rios Montt was a general during several right-wing governments, becoming a dictator through a coup detat on March 23, 1982. He is responsible for the massacre of 200,000 indigenous people and was formally indicted for genocide and crimes against humanity. His right-wing pals in parliament secured his immunity in successive governments. In 2003, he ran for public office again as a member of his party!

In Venezuela, right-wing leader Leopoldo Lopez was convicted as the intellectual mind behind a coup attempt where 43 innocent people died. Recently, the right wing won a majority in the Venezuelan congress and the first new law approved amnesty for Lopez and many other convicted criminals.

These examples of maximum corruption and violent crimes are difficult to believe but are proven history in Latin America. Repressive right-wing dictatorships and governments happened in virtually every Latin American country and today many of their ex-officials and family members seek to regain power and public office.

Keiko Fujimori is the daughter of Alberto Fujimori, a dictator in Peru during the 90s who is currently in jail for crimes against humanity, namely the killing and kidnapping of thousands. Fujimoris daughter has herself been linked with becoming wealthy through public funds appropriated during her fathers regime, yet she is the candidate leading the very questionable elections in Peru. If in office, she could seek amnesty for her father and many of his officers and legislate to avoid prosecution in the future.

During the last decade, leftist governments had a temporary re-emergence in the whole sub-continent, slowly approving economic reforms that benefited majorities while prosecuting war criminals, dictators, their sinister officers and collaborators.

If the sky in Manitoba looks blue today, in Latin America it looks very dark. Right-wing parties, dressed as democratic groups but formed by

ex-members of violent regimes, have slowly started to regain power in Venezuela, Peru, Argentina and many other countries. Their own laws and constitutions that were approved in the past to suit their survival, as well as their economic power, allow them to do so.

This brings fear to millions of Latin Americans who have suffered torture, killings, political persecution and a general deprivation of freedom in the past.

 Jaime Chinchilla is part of Brandons Latin American community and a member of the popular Son Latino Band. His column appears monthly. jaimech@gmail.com
Opinion

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This article was published 30/04/2016 (2368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They definitely, definitely loved their son, but as stated in our closing argument and even in our opening arguments, unfortunately, sometimes love just isnt enough. Parents still have to follow the standard of care that is set by the criminal law.

 Alberta Crown prosecutor Lisa Weich

A trial in Lethbridge, Alta., drew international headlines this week, after David and Collet Stephan were found guilty of failing to provide the necessaries of life in the 2012 death of their nearly 19-month-old son Ezekiel.

The couple were charged after using naturopathic remedies to treat the boy before he died from bacterial meningitis, and only calling 911 when he stopped breathing.

During testimony, the couple argued they thought their son had the flu or croup, but instead of taking the infant to a licensed medical physician, they tried to treat his illness with home remedies such as ginger root, mashed onion, hot peppers, horseradish root, maple syrup, juice with frozen berries and apple cider vinegar, according to a CBC report.

Ezekiel had apparently been showing symptoms of meningitis for at least two weeks prior to when he stopped breathing. After his parents called in medical professionals, he was then airlifted to a Calgary hospital. But by then it was too late  after five days, doctors took him off life support machines.

This trial has highlighted the dangers of relying on unproven pseudo science, and has set a precedent in this country that all parents need to be aware of. The couple was not found guilty because they didnt love their child. Its very clear that they did, and that they have suffered terribly since his death.

At issue here is the fact that the Stephans completely mistrusted medical science and the doctors who administer mainstream medicine. The CBC report stated that the Crown played tape of an interview between the couple and a police officer in which they explain that they prefer naturopathic remedies because of their familys negative experiences with the medical system. They also told him that a friend who happens to be a nurse told the couple that the boy likely had meningitis.

Nevertheless, they refused to seek proper medical attention for the child. Even now as they wait for the judge in this case to come down with a sentence, Ezekiels father seems determined not to take responsibility for what happened to his son. As the Toronto Star reported, in a Facebook post he made after the trial began, David still seemed to think of himself as a victim.

Since this court case has begun there has been a great deal of opposition and outright malicious attacks from various organizations, he wrote on March 8, suggesting that these attacks came from pharmaceutical interests or those with an agenda.

The value of naturopathic remedies is highly contentious in mainstream medical circles, as scientists suggest practitioners are peddling nothing short of quackery. Actual naturopathic doctors who are licensed in Manitoba under the Naturopathic Act consider their craft as complementary to hard medical science rather than as a replacement for it.

A representative from the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors told Global News this week that its members are required to identify when health issues are beyond their scope of practice and to refer patients to physicians or other health-care professionals. And according to testimony from Tracey Tannis, the naturopathic doctor the couple consulted, this is exactly what was done.

Meningitis is a disease that is treatable and in most cases curable if caught early enough. Unfortunately, it also carries all the symptoms of a flu virus, including fever, aches, and lethargy, a fact that can be confusing to parents.

But in two instances the couple were advised to immediately take their son to a doctor for proper treatment, and failed to do so. Given this, its not really surprising what verdict the jury came down with.

Unfortunately, as Weich said, love from

well-meaning parents is not enough. The health of a child must come before our personal beliefs and prejudices.
By David Raleigh

A notorious Limerick killer, has awoken from a coma after he was found last Thursday "unresponsive" in his cell at Mountjoy Prison, following a suspected drugs overdose.

Gary Campion, (aged 32), who was caught with 73 bags of heroin in his cell at Limerick Prison nine years ago, woke up at the Mater Hospital this morning "better than when he went in", a prison source said.

"It's hard to kill a bad thing," the prison source added.

"He is due back in (Mountjoy) today, unless doctors say otherwise," they confirmed.

"The medical people may want to keep him in the hospital overnight just for observation but he is scheduled to go back to prison today," the source said.

Campion, from Moyross, is serving two life sentences, for the 2002 murder of innocent night club security doorman Brian Fitzgerald, and the 2006 gangland murder of "Fat Frankie" Ryan.

He was rushed by ambulance to the Mater Hospital from his cell at Mountjoy on Thursday morning.

A Garda probe, and a prison investigation, will be launched into the circumstances that led to Campion falling ill.

According to a source in the prison service, Campion was under "special observation" when he collapsed in a cell.

"We believe he received a package earlier in the week, possibly Tuesday, on a visit. It was either hidden about his person or he ingested it internally," the prison source said.

"We believe a bag of drugs may have burst inside him."

The source revealed that Campion, who has over 40 previous convictions, was being held in a "close supervision cell" when he lost consciousness.

Campion, who was the first person in Ireland to be convicted of two gangland murders in the State, was in a critical condition in hospital and placed in an induced coma by doctors.

Sources at Mountjoy jail were "shocked" today when Campion woke up apparently feeling refreshed.

"He was on his last legs. It looked so bad for him that his family were immediately notified that they may be facing his imminent departure", the source added.

Until his incarceration for murder, Campion, a father of two, was a hired hitman for feuding criminal gangs in Limerick.

He was found guilty of murdering nightclub doorman Brian Fitzgerald on November 15, 2007, and he received another life sentence on May 28, 2009, for the murder of Frank Ryan.

Brian Fitzgerald, (aged 34), was shot dead outside his home at Brookhaven Walk, Corbally, on November 29, 2002, after finishing his shift at Docs night club.

Mr Fitzgerald, who was head of security at the venue, was gunned down on the orders of the Dundon mob after refusing to allow the gang sell drugs in the club.

Campion was convicted largely on the evidence of another hitman, James Martin Cahill, who shot Mr Fitzgerald.

Cahill admitted pulling the trigger and testified that Campion drove him to and from the murder scene on a motorbike.

Cahill is also serving a life sentence for the killing.

Campion murdered his former associate Frank Ryan while they both sat in a car in Moyross on September 16, 2006.

Campion, who Gardai regard as a psychopath, shot his former friend in the head as he sat directly behind him in the vehicle.

Campion's brother, William is currently serving life in prison for the murder of bachelor Patrick Skehan, from Bridgetown, Co Clare.

The 68-year-old farmer died in hospital after he was found beaten and unconscious, with his hands and legs bound with cable wire, and hanging upside down from the banisters.

Gary Campion's older brother Noel, (aged 34), was shot dead in April 2007 during the height of the Limerick gang feud.

In 2009 Gary Campion was given a four-year sentence at Limerick Circuit Court after he was convicted of having 73 ready-for-sale bags of heroin in his cell at Limerick Prison.
A Floridian who introduced himself to Becky Stahl at a Billings trade show last year offered her a business proposal that she had never experienced in more than a decade of running her business, Beckys Berries.

He was this young man and he said he wanted to sell Montana-made products at farmers markets in Florida, Stahl said. Floridas season for farmers markets starts late in the year, pretty much opposite of Montanas summer-oriented season, she said.

Stahl welcomed the opportunity to sell more of the jams, jellies, sauces and syrups that she makes in Absarokee. So far, both parties have benefited from the arrangement.

Im amazed at what he has been selling, Stahl said. He would put in an order every Monday.

Stahl sells her products at dozens of retailers in Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. Many of her top customers cater to tourists. Its no simple matter to calculate what percentage of customers who buy her products live outside of Montana. But Stahl believes that many who place orders at her website, www.beckysberries.com, became familiar with her products after visiting the Big Sky State.

We have shipped to a lot of people who said they were in Montana and they had bought it, and they wanted to buy our products for family and friends, Stahl said.

Stahl said her business continues to grow. Part of that growth might be attributed to the unique story behind Beckys Berries. She still has fond memories of picking berries along mountain streams while growing up in a Montana Hutterite colony. The recipes she uses in her business were inspired by the jams and jellies made by Hutterite women.

It stands to reason that most of the 11.7 million out-of-state residents who visited Montana last year spent money for things like restaurant meals, gasoline, motel rooms and groceries. But new research by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana shows that many travelers are seeking out Montana-made products that provide an authentic reminder of their visit.

In general, the more money that tourists spend on locally-produced goods  perhaps craft beer or locally baked goods as opposed to a rubber tomahawk made in Taiwan  the more the community benefits. Thats because money spent on local products continues to circulate in the economy. Money thats spent on imported goods exits through a phenomenon known as economic leakage, researchers say.

Noting the place of origin and type of products and services can further establish the strength or weakness of the economic leakage to an area, says the report, authored by Kara Grau and Norma Nickerson of UM.

More research in the area of tourism expenditures is needed, they say. But the survey helps confirm the idea that local economies prosper when visitors spend money on local products.

Whats more, certain types of tourists, those identified as strong geotravelers, spent more in the local community than people who just may be passing through. Geotourism was defined as sustaining and enhancing the local geographic character of place, including the environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and well-being of the local people.

Geototourism seeks to provide people with "authentic experiences" by focusing on the unique qualities associated with a particular destination, Grau said.

The researchers measured spending habits by surveying travelers at gas stations, rest areas and airports during the first nine months of 2015. Travelers were asked how much they spent on lodging, food, motor fuel, restaurant meals, bar purchases, groceries, guide service, Montana-made products and several other categories.

Sixteen percent of those surveyed purchased locally-made products or services. More importantly, those who purchased local products spent nearly $184 more than those who bought no Montana-made products.

Furthermore, travelers who purchased Montana-made products were more likely to be on vacation, they tended to be domestic travelers and were more likely to have flown into Montana. On average, they spent 4.39 more days in Montana than travelers who hadnt bought any local products.

Food, beer and souvenirs were the three most popular categories among travelers who purchased Montana-made products.

We've certainly been covering/addressing geotravelers in our research, but our 2015 nonresident data is the first time we've been able to look more closely at the Made in Montana spending, which is certainly a component of geotraveler characteristics, Grau wrote in an email.

Derek Aspinwall, chief executive officer of Aspinwall Mountain Wear, said there are benefits to participating in the Made in Montana merchandise branding program thats run through the Montana Department of Commerce. Products that meet the criteria are authorized to carry the Made in Montana sticker or tag.

We do see a bit of a bump as long as our products are competitively priced compared to something thats not made in Montana, Aspinwall said.

A lot of people think Made in Montana means huckleberry jam. But when we plop down shirts from Montana, its a cool way to market and advertise the state, Aspinwall said. Some people dont care if a shirt is made in Montana, but it definitely doesnt hurt, as long as the price is similar."

Sarah Widener said she first took up beading as a teenager. Her grandmother, Roseann Boyd, taught her.

I really enjoy it, Widener said. Its very therapeutic.

Sewing hundreds of beads in a detailed pattern requires plenty of dexterity and a fair amount of patience. As you go along you get quicker and more creative, she said.

Widener began selling her beaded crafts at powwows, then opened a retail store, Native American Beadwork by Sarah, at 3300 Second Ave N. Suite 4, several months ago.

Her crafts carry a unique tag: Native American Made in Montana.

Widener said a fair number of customers who buy her crafts at powwows are from out of state.

"When I was setting up at the MSU Billings powwow, I had a lot of college kids come up and buy my beaded items," she said.
Dozens of protesters have climbed over the blast walls surrounding Baghdad's highly-fortified Green Zone and could be seen storming into parliament, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against Iraq's government.

After months of protests, sit-ins and demonstrations outside Baghdad's Green Zone - home to most ministries and foreign embassies - Saturday's escalation marks the first time protesters have breached the compound's walls.
PESHAWAR: Land acquisition for the construction of the 30-KM Dir Motorway has been initiated and a committee is...
He attended schools in Crow Agency and Hardin. After graduation, he joined the CCC's and then the Army Air Corps in 1940. He entered flight school after war was declared and flew combat missions in P-38's out of Burma. After the war, he and his wife, Lorraine (Lansing) lived in Wallula, Wash. He returned to Montana in 1950, and married Kata Padanyi-Gulyas in 1952. He attended MSU and EMC, and worked as a draftsman in Billings and later for Cenex Pipeline. Jerry enjoyed his last years living at home with many visits from his friends and family.
LONDON: Penny Mordaunt, one of two candidates to be Britains next prime minister, is still in the leadership race...
A Canberra man who allegedly threatened to kill his parents and broke their front door has been granted bail.

Navid Lou, 25, who appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court with two black eyes on Saturday morning, was charged in relation to the incidents after an argument with his mother at his parents' Greenway home just after 5pm on April 1.

Navid Lou allegedly threatened to kill his parents on April 1.

Lou had allegedly yelled at his mother during a dispute about getting her to drive him places, before kicking and punching in two of the front door's four glass panels after leaving the home, court documents said.

Minutes later he allegedly called his father's mobile number and yelled, "I'm coming back and I'm killing you both", the documents said. The defendant had stayed over the night before.
For Jessie Obrecht, spending a year as a pastoral intern in Billings is a time of both learning and teaching.

Obrecht, 25, is in her third of four years at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. She is splitting her time between Peace Lutheran Church and St. Johns Lutheran Ministries after beginning the yearlong internship last August.

Obrecht is learning a lot about how to pastor people, including preaching and teaching at Peace and attending to both deaths and crisis moments at St. John's, among other things.

The first month or so you shadow various pastors and then you jump in, Obrecht said, sitting in the library at Peace Lutheran. Youre basically a pastor with supervision and guidance of other pastors.

She called the Lutheran community in Billings a nurturing one that has learned how to train leaders."

Through her work at Peace Lutheran, she has developed a four-week class on understanding poverty that shell teach at Mission Ridge on the St. John's campus the first four Tuesdays in May.

A native of Havre, Obrecht grew up as part of a really great congregation, she said. Then she attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.

I had a lot of questions about faith and how that all worked and about God, she said. And the people there gave me the space to question and wonder and figure out what it meant for me.

During her college years, she also spent a few months in Rwanda, researching the religious landscape in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide in which as many as 1 million Rwandans were killed by their fellow countrymen.

Obrecht was astounded by some of the people she met.

Theyd been through hell and back, she said. They talked about how faith lifted them up in a hard time. It didnt make their lives perfect, but it gave them something to hope in.

At seminary, Obrecht spent her first two years learning everything she could about being a pastor. But its one thing to learn and another thing to do.

After the first two weeks, I told my supervisors I had a pretty good idea, she said. But I had no idea. The hours that pastors put in, the things they end up doing, we kind of realize it but at the same time we have no idea.

One of the first things she recognized was that pastors dont work a regular 8-to-5 schedule. They can get called out at 3 a.m., work some half days or overtime on other days, depending on the need.

One day might involve preaching a sermon or meeting a congregant for coffee. Another day could include visiting a dying congregant or doing paperwork.

Yesterday, part of my job was playing ping-pong with a group of older adults ages 70 to 105, Obrecht said. And I got my butt kicked by a 94-year-old woman.

Obrechts office at Peace Lutheran is across from the food pantry the congregation runs to help low-income people. As she watched people stopping by the pantry to pick up food, she began to engage them in conversation, to learn their stories.

At the same time, Obrecht spoke to members of the church about the pantry project. Some were joyful and proud to be part of such a ministry, she said, but others were fearful that a segment of those who came to the church might be taking advantage of the pantry.

Thats when I decided lets have a talk about poverty,  she said. We used the book Bridges Out of Poverty as a springboard.

The book delineates the experiences of three different classes: people in poverty, those in the middle class and the segment of the population that possesses wealth. The mindset of poverty often is survival, Obrecht said, while the mindset of the middle class is based on achievement, and for the wealthy it is on legacy.

Wealthy people tend to focus on two generations down the road, she said, pondering where the family will be by then.

Folks living in poverty dont have the privilege to think two years down the road, Obrecht said. Theyre wondering How do we put food on the table today? 

In order to work with others, she added, We have to understand those mindsets  not only where others are coming from, but where were coming from as well.

She taught the series of four sermons at Peace, and now will give the series of four talks, which are open to the public.

Obrecht will head back to Chicago in August to complete her final year of seminary. Then, shes hoping to return to Montana to lead a church, but also would be open to an assignment somewhere in the Northwest.
For two nights last week I celebrated Pesach (Passover). With children, grandchildren family and friends.

Seated at a table laden with food and wine, we sang, "shmoozed", and introduced ourselves to the strangers who were invited, as it is an honour and duty to ask those who have no family or are alone on those nights.

Passover is celebrated by Jews around the world. Credit:Jim Pavlidis

I look around the table, young, old, frail, some recently widowed, some bringing along a new sweetheart, obsessed with each other. Some just embarking on a new career or a new relationship  and those who are leaving for overseas.

We recite prose from an ancient prayer book. Sing of slavery, the miraculous delivery out of Egypt, the plagues God rained down on the oppressors and the rush to leave, taking unleavened bread as there was no time for it to rise. Matza.
In light of the protection laws religious institutions enjoy today, it can be said that Australian society is remarkably tolerant.

Take a drive along any major highway in Australia and you will no doubt pass a multitude of dwellings devoted to numerous deities, each with their distinct mark of worship on public display.

Australia affirms its commitment to religious freedom by affording religious organisations exemptions from anti-discrimination laws.

Apart from the exclusive nature of certain cults, most churches are welcoming. Their doors are open to those who seek spiritual respite from secular life, offering holy balms for society's secular sores.

As much as most churches are open to all, they are also free to shut out those who do not comply with its ethos or threaten to injure the sensitivities of its congregants.
James Cook University scientists have found a way to manipulate the brain chemistry of ants  making aggressive ants more calm, and chilled-out ants cranky.

Professor Simon Robson, head of Terrestrial Ecosystems at JCU, examined Australian weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina, in collaboration with colleagues at Boston University in the United States.

An ant shows an aggressive display. Credit:James Cook University

The weaver ants' colonies can contain more than 100 nests and more than half a million ants. The bigger ants, known as major workers, have a length of eight to 10 millimetres, with minor workers are half that size. The aggressive major workers act as soldiers and foragers, and expand the colony. The more placid minor workers care for larvae.

The scientists modified levels of the neurotransmitter, the chemical octopamine, within the larger and smaller ants' brains while keeping every other factor constant, to demonstrate a causal relationship between brain chemistry and behaviour.
Dr Tim Soutphommasane. Credit:Andrew Meares "For 30 years, James Ruse has been pumping out very clever Asians," said University of Sydney vice-chancellor Michael Spence. "Where are they?" For Dr Spence, self-interest is a powerful incentive. His newborn son, Ted, is half-Korean. His five children from a previous marriage are of Anglo descent. A still from the "James Ruse style" satire video on YouTube. "I want to make sure that he has much opportunity as my other children," he said. "If you say mathematician you probably think east Asian in Australia - if you say leader, you probably think white man."

"We are only now beginning to say that there is a real issue to face of particular ethnicities. The disparity between the educational success and their leadership attainment is evidence of a bamboo ceiling and the university needs to do its best to overcome it. There are settled cultural patterns that need to be challenged." The unconscious bias goes right to the top. The country's Race Discrimination Commissioner, Tim Soutphommasane, has been asked if he worked in IT or Finance, or most recently, as an accountant. In 2014, Dr Soutphommasane gave a speech that said "the bamboo ceiling" was well and truly above our heads. Not much has changed. "But conversations are starting," he said on Friday. "People are beginning to recognise there's a problem." Across academia and business, tentative steps are being made to talk about the touchy subject of race and what is happening to the 99.95 ATAR club when they walk out the school gates. Public leaders are few and far between.

Dr Soutphommasane has initiated a partnership between the University of Sydney business school, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Westpac and Telstra to develop a blueprint for more diverse leadership. PwC alone has a target of 11 per cent of its partners being of Asian origin by 2020. It's the perceptions that Dr Soutphommasane, who was born to Chinese and Laotian parents, has spent his career battling against. "Leaders are expected to be charismatic, assertive and outspoken," Dr Soutphommasane said on Friday. "At the same time, certain stereotypes of Asian-Australians persist. There is a perception that Asian-Australians are shy, timid and withdrawn. "Put these together and you have an obvious problem. There can be an assumption that Asian-Australians make for better technicians than leaders. That they may not be able to master Anglo-Australian expectations of leadership." Part of the problem lies in the limited number of public faces of Asian identity on our most public platform, television.

Bing Lee and Victor Chang are often rattled off as icons, but you are more likely to find that the public faces of Asian Australians are given as TV chefs like Poh Ling and Adam Liaw. The ABC's outgoing managing director, Mark Scott, publicly acknowledged last week that the ABC had not done enough to promote cultural diversity on the public broadcaster. "On broader diversity, we have a way to go, frankly," Scott told Buzzfeed. "I draw a parallel to the BBC: when I watch and listen to the BBC when I'm in the UK, I think the on-air talent really represents a diversity of modern Britain and I'm not yet sure we represent the diversity of modern Australia." Dr Soutphommasane agrees. "Sadly, the issue doesn't appear to be treated with any urgency within Australian television," he said. "The proof is in the programming: what you see on screen doesn't remotely reflect the reality of modern Australia. And you still have parts of Australian television that appear comfortable in their periodic fits of casual racism."
It's the greatest mismatch since Darryl Kerrigan in The Castle took on city hall to keep his family home  and won.

This time, a Brisbane trolley collector and a data-crunching unionist have taken on one of Australia's most powerful employers and influential unions in a landmark legal case. Already, the challenge to the Coles workplace deal has won significant concessions, including higher penalty rates for tens of thousands of casual workers and higher junior pay rates.

Pay and conditions for 77,000 staff at Coles are under review in a high-stakes legal case. Credit:Edwina Pickles

That has cost Coles many millions of dollars.

Now at stake is the pay and conditions of all 77,000 Coles supermarket workers, many of whom, it is alleged, have been underpaid due to a cosy deal between Coles and the national retail union.
A manhunt for the gunman wanted over the fatal shooting of convicted killer Walid "Wally" Ahmad has shifted to Victoria following the discovery of an abandoned crashed car that may have been used in the escape.

Ahmad, 41, was gunned down on Friday at Bankstown Central shopping centre by a masked assassin who fled in a white Mercedes later discovered burnt out in nearby Greenacre. A 60-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman, believed to be associates of Ahmad, were also wounded and taken to hospital.

On Saturday, the NSW Police Force confirmed it had been contacted by its counterparts in Victoria following a single-vehicle crash on the Hume Highway at Benalla. A spokesman said: "Investigators are exploring whether the vehicle is linked to the recent shooting in Bankstown."

A Victoria Police spokesman, meanwhile, told Fairfax Media that by the time police arrived, the occupants had fled the scene. Both forces were tight lipped about the car's registration, stating only that inquiries were continuing "to determine the driver of the vehicle".
Hundreds of tributes have flowed in for a teenage girl who was killed while competing in the Sydney International Horse Trials on Saturday.

Caitlyn Fischer, 19, from Bairnsdale in Victoria, was fatally injured after she was crushed by her horse in the cross-country competition at the major equestrian event.

Organisers said Ms Fischer was riding her horse, Ralphie, in the one star competition when the horse's foot caught on the second fence about 10.40am.

The horse then fell on top of Ms Fischer. She was provided urgent medical attention by the on-course paramedic and doctor but could not be revived.
Before Queensland became a state, while it was still part of colonial New South Wales, an enterprising ex-convict, William Horton, opened an inn.

In the Darling Downs township of Drayton, Horton dreamed of establishing the finest inn in the area, one that catered to the variety of travellers who made their way through the region.

The Royal Bull's Head Inn.

For the less wealthy folk there were squatters' quarters out the back, but for those with a few pounds to spare, the Royal Bull's Head Inn offered glorious rooms with straw mats and maid service.

"It was very early days in the settlement," chairwoman of the Toowoomba National Trust, Stephanie Keays, says.
A detailed Queensland Government investigation into alleged mistreatment of animals at the Sunshine Coast's Australia Zoo linked worldwide to former Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin is almost complete.

A report is being finalised and will be handed to the government "in the coming weeks".

Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin.

It has been claimed for six months that inexperienced staff have been mishandling animals at Australia Zoo's animal hospital.

On October 3, the Sunshine Coast Daily newspaper reported that 12 animal hospital staff had left within six months.
The Yellowstone County Attorney's office has denied it withheld evidence from defense attorneys during a home invasion rape trial last November.

In March, two defense attorneys sought having all charges against their client, Jessy Lee Williams, dismissed because the Yellowstone County Attorney's office had withheld evidence regarding evidence tampering at the Montana State Crime Lab.

The Montana State Division of Criminal Investigations has continued to investigate drug tampering at the Montana State Crime Lab by former employee and police officer Steve Brester, a lab technician suspected of stealing drug evidence.

Two attorneys, Major Crime Unit Public Defender Tom Bartleson and private attorney Daniel Ball, said they were not told that the lab technician suspected of stealing drug evidence had handled some of the evidence in their case. They were also not told of the extent of the tampering or how long the tampering lasted.

Senior Deputy County Attorney Brett Linneweber said this was a "baseless allegation" and the motion had no merit.

Linneweber said Brester's only contact with the evidence was mailing it back after it was tested.

In criminal cases the prosecution has a duty to provide the defense with any evidence that might exonerate or clear those accused.

Linneweber said the Yellowstone County Attorney's Office had no reason to believe the evidence had been mishandled.

He said the defense also has access to the Montana State Crime Lab and can request the information.

"The defendant's motion is a factual and legal farce," Linneweber said.

Yellowstone County District Court Judge Gregory Todd will hear arguments and testimony on May 24.

A Brady violation objection, which means withhold evidence that might exonerate an accused person, have overturned convictions in Montana as recently as November when Richard Raugust accused of murdering his friend in 1997, was granted a new trial by Sanders County District Judge James Wheelis. The defense said testimony was withheld from the defense that could have cast some of the evidence in a different light. That trial is still pending.

In a 2013, a dissenting opinion written by Alex Kozinski, the former Chief Justice for the Ninth Circuit of Appeals, said there was an "epidemic" of Brady violations taking place across the country. He cited more than 20 cases that had come before the Ninth Circuit between 2007 and 2013 regarding Brady violations.

Kozinski's dissent revolved around the conviction of Kenneth Olsen, who was accused of manufacturing ricin, a highly toxic poison. Former Montana State Crime Lab employee, Arnold Melnikoff, who was working in Washington State at the time, determined the pills found in Olson's possession could be ricin.

Before joining the WSP, Melnikoff started and ran the Montana State Crime Laboratory. While there, he conducted a hair sample analysis that resulted in the conviction of Jimmy Ray Bromgard of Billings for raping an 8-year-old girl. When a DNA analysis exonerated Bromgard after he had spent 15 years in prison, officials in Washington and Montana were made aware.

According to Kozinski's dissent, Washington launched an investigation into Melnikoffs misconduct involving courtroom testimony and/or case analysis."

A month before Olsens trial began, a third Montana inmate was exonerated due to Melnikoff's case involvement.

Melnikoffs employment with the Washington State Police was eventually terminated, Kozinski said. The Washington Court of Appeals found "Melnikoff was incompetent and committed gross misconduct.
Maryborough wants its world record pub crawl record back and the regional city is intent on drinking its way back to the top, one glass at a time.

The city is gearing up for the Guinness World Records title for the biggest pub crawl challenge on Sunday, which will see thousands march the street in a bid to reclaim the crown.

The claws are out - Maryborough wants its pub crawl world title back.

Maryborough, the Heritage City, set the first ever pub crawl world record in June 2005 and held it on and off for the best part of the next decade, pushing away pub crawl challenges from London, New York and Hastings.

By 2013, Maryborough set a new record of 4781, but lost the title to Kansas City, Missouri, later that year.
There are probably as many Buddhists in Brisbane today as Baptists, if the 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics data can be a guide.

In 2011, 42,227 people in the Greater Brisbane area identified as Buddhists and just over 48,000 said they were Baptists.

Korean dancers and drummers perform at the Cultural Forecourt at South Bank as part of the Buddha Birthday Celebrations. Credit:Michelle Smith

More than 66,000 Queenslanders today see themselves as Buddhists.

The true figure will not be known until the results of the 2016 Census to run in August this year.
A man, aged in his 30s, has been arrested after allegedly barricading himself inside a Moonee Ponds pharmacy, in Melbourne's north-west.

The man was reportedly inside the Holmes Road pharmacy for up to three hours on Saturday morning.

Police were called to the chemist shop about 5am to an alarm going off, and discovered the man inside.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the man was taken into custody shortly after 9am.
Washington: A deadly US air strike in Afghanistan last year that destroyed a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders did not amount to a war crime but was caused by human error, equipment failure and other factors, a US military report released on Friday concluded.

Forty-two people were killed and 37 were wounded during an October 3 strike that destroyed the hospital run by the international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), known as Doctors Without Borders in English.

Injured Doctors Without Borders staff after the US air strike on their hospital in Afghanistan in 2015. Credit:AP

An initial US investigation in November found that US forces had meant to target a different building in the city of Kunduz and were led off-track by a technical error in their aircraft's mapping system.
Following the release of her complaint against the Office of the State Public Defender, Randi Hood has sought to block the release of the office's response.

Hood, 66, filed a complaint in November 2015 with the Montana Department of Labor and Industry Human Rights Bureau alleging the Office of the State Public Defender discriminated against her due to her age.

The Human Rights Bureau requires that both parties engaged in a dispute agree to release documents related to a complaint. Hood and the Office of the State Public Defender agreed to release the complaint, although Hood objected to allowing the response from the Public Defender's office to be made public.

"Ms. Hood is firmly objecting to the release of any additional information from the case file," Bureau Staff Attorney Tim Little said.

The Office of the State Public Defender has raised no objections to the documents being released.
Moorestown honors Percheron that helped build the town

Percheron Park opened in downtown Moorestown with a tribute to the horse of yesteryear and its owner, who first brought the breed to the U.S.
Group has launched its latest healthcare facility at Visakhapatnam which was built at a cost of Rs 150 crore.

It was also building a 100-bedded cancer hospital in this port city and is expected to be ready in the next six months.

The new 250-bedded hospital, which offers multi-disciplinary high-end tertiary care, addresses the long felt health care void in the city and the region and will now start attracting patients from neighboring regions and states, said Pratap C Reddy, chairman of Apollo Group.

Apollo group already has hospitals at Kakinada, Nellore besides Visakhapatnam and it plans to do more, according to Reddy.

"We will be having a 300-bedded hospital with an investment of Rs 200 crore between Vijayawada and Amaravati, the upcoming capital city of the state and hoping to get clearance in a month's time," he told the media.

Explaining about the new initiatives, the Apollo Group chairman said they were bringing the first Proton therapy machine in whole of Asia to Chennai.

The group currently have 11 cancer hospitals and will add 9 more in the next two years.
AskMe, a hyper local businesses-focused internet firm, has seen resignations from 650 people across its 40 offices in India. Most of the employees who were let go were in the annual salary bracket of Rs 2.5 lakh-Rs 6 lakh.

According to sources, the company, which is backed by Helion Venture Capital and Malaysia's Astro, is running out of funds. Reports earlier suggested that AskMe's monthly cash burn was more than $6 million.

When asked about the resignations, the company said: "It's the beginning of the new fiscal year and we continue to increase our productivity across functions through automation and better processes as in previous years. We continue to hire talent where required."



Several employees told Business Standard their annual appraisals were delayed this year. "We worked hard the entire year and we are let go without the pay we deserve," said an employee.

Some of the employees in Kolkata staged a protest. However, all they could get in return was a promise that their final pay would be released within a week.

Getit Infomedia (AskMe's parent company) has promised the employees they would be given a month's salary as severance payment. Some were told that they might get another job within the group or outside.

"Astro, which holds a majority share in the company, is seemingly no longer interested in funding Getit Infomedia," said an employee who survived the job cut. The employee said the last time Astro invested over Rs 150 crore in Getit, it had to jump through hoops but since then the group company has struggled to establish a foothold in the market. Helion has not shown any interest in doing a bridge round either. "The management has been shopping for other VCs but no one has shown any interest. More resignations may follow," an employee said.

Earlier, the company officials had told Business Standard, they were trying to raise $200 million from Chinese giants Alibaba and Baidu.

One of the reasons VCs have shown no interest is could be its foray into the grocery business, a source said.

grocery has a presence in 38 cities with 23 centres in Mumbai alone. It follows the Grofers-PepperTap business model of sourcing products from local retailers.

AskMe was in hot water recently when a furniture maker accused Mebelkart, a Getit Infomedia company, of defaulting on payment of Rs 28 lakh and selling brand imitations.

Established in 1986, Getit was a print-based classifieds company. Astro had made a significant investment in the company in 2010 and again in 2014. In 2013, Getit acquired AskMe from Network18. In 2015, it made two more purchases in the form of Bestatlowest and Mebelkart.
A man was sentenced to five years with the Montana Department of Corrections after he beat the same woman twice in six months.

William Louis Bartlett, 38, was sentenced Friday by Yellowstone County District Court Judge Ingrid Gustafson to five years with the Department of Corrections and ordered to pay a $500 fine. Bartlett was sentenced for two partner or family member assault charges and one charge of violating a no contact order.

According to charging documents, Bartlett was arrested in July after Billings Police were called to a disturbance at North Park when Bartlett had dragged a woman across the park, pulling out large chunks of her hair in the process.

Bartlett was later released and attacked the woman a second time in December. This time Bartlett had beaten her badly, according to charging documents. Witnesses reported to police that Bartlett had hit the woman about a dozen times and kicked her at least nine. The witnesses reported the woman looked "defenseless."

This was Bartlett's fourth conviction of partner or family member assault.
Vedanta-controlled Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (Balco) would be expanding its production capacity to 1 million tonne per annum (MTPA).

The proposal for the expansion and modernisation of facility located in Chhattisgarhs Korba district was designed in 2013. It was however put on hold following global economic slowdown. Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal, who visited early this week for the first time after taking over 51% stake in the company in 2001, asked the officials to revive the plan and expedite the expansion programme with immediate effect.

The Government of India holds remaining 49% stake in the company that was incorporated in the year 1965 as a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU).

The company would be investing Rs 10,000 crore for the expansion plan, spokesperson told Business Standard. The old plant would be dismantled and a new one with modern technology would be set up that would facilitate to enhance the capacity to 1 MTPA, he added.

At present, Balco is equipped to produce 575,000 tonne per annum aluminium. Because of power constrains, the plant is unable to run to the full capacity. The 1200-Mw power plant had been commissioned while the company had bagged the Chotia coal mine in the auction to feed it. The power plant was a major milestone as it would help feeding the proposed plant under the expansion programme.

The company is also eying bauxite mines in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh as the deposits in Chhattisgarhs Kawardha and Mainpath was depleting. The stock would feed the plants for another three years only.

After the capacity expansion in Balco, Chhattisgarh would emerge as the second largest aluminium producing state in the country. Earlier, the state was ranked third. The enhanced capacity would also help Chhattisgarh to produce 35% of the Countrys aluminium.
India is soon becoming the centre of every smartphone manufacturers universe as the countrys appetite for the devices continues to grow at a brisk pace, despite slowing global sales. In the first three months of 2016, sales of smartphones in India grew 23 per cent to 24.9 million units.

Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple, recently stated he sees India in the same position China was seven to 10 years ago.

While a majority of smartphones sold in India are entry-level models, the base for high-end devices such as Apples iPhone is also growing, with the company witnessing a 56 per cent growth in sales in the January-March 2016 period.

Its clear India is the next China not only for Apple but every smartphone manufacturer. The country has a base of 1.02 billion mobile subscribers, and with smartphones overtaking feature phone sales, it offers a huge opportunity for growth. This realisation has caused Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo and Lenovo to venture out of their home market and make inroads in India.

There is a massive opportunity for every player in the mobile value chain when the second largest market by volume is still under-penetrated and growing, while the rest of the worlds smartphone demand has waned. India is the next China, said Peter Richardson, research director at Counterpoint Research, a firm that tracks smartphone shipments both globally and in India.

Anticipation of this move has also meant two out of every three smartphones sold in India during the three-month period were 4G-ready. More, with the smartphone being the primary computing device of many Indians, the demand for devices with screens larger than 5-inch was huge  60 per cent of all smartphones shipped in the country in the three months to March 31 were phablets.

South Korean electronics giant Samsung continued to lead the Indian market with a 28.8 per cent share of the Indian smartphone market.

Micromax is at second spot with a 16.6 per cent share of the market. Homegrown brand Intex continued to hold the third spot, with 10 per cent.

Surprising everyone in the first three months of 2016 was Reliance Jios Lyf smartphone brand, which within a quarter was able to capture seven per cent market share to become the fifth largest smartphone vendor in the country.

This is the level of scale Jio is targeting once it switches on its LTE network later this year. This quarter, strong shipment was more of channel filling; the actual sell-through will happen in the second quarter of 2016, read Counterpoints report.

This is the level of scale Jio is targeting once it switches on its LTE network later this year. This quarter, strong shipment was more of channel filling; the actual sell-through will happen in the second quarter of 2016, read Counterpoints report.

Global smartphone shipments for the period under consideration clocked in at 344 million units with growth remaining flat. Sales of the iPhone dropped by 16 per cent globally on the account of weak demand from the US and China, its two largest markets. While Apples operation in India is still minuscule and the country is not expected to offset the decline in global demand for iPhones, the potential for growth in the long-term is certainly there.

Apple is also working on a strategy to bring refurbished phones to India, helping it compete in the low- and mid-range smartphone segments in the country. The company has floated this proposal to the Indian government, which has faced a lot of resistance from both local and global vendors that operate in the country.

The sub-$150 smartphone market is where most of the fireworks will be in the short-term with Samsung, Micromax, Lenovo, Motorola, Xiaomi and other such brands fighting it out for dominance. It will be important to keep an eye on what Chinese players do in the market since they have already captured a combined 21 per cent of the Indian smartphone market in the quarter.
Vodafone, the country's second largest mobile operator, has appointed six bankers to raise about $2.5 billion (Rs 16,500 crore) through an initial public offering this year, which could well make it the country's largest IPO in rupee terms.

Sources said Deutsche Bank, HSBC and ICICI Securities would be the book-running lead managers while Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofAML), UBS and Kotak Securities would be the global coordinators for the offering.

"It is expected to be a combination of offer-for-sale and issuance of fresh equity," said an investment banker aware of the development. "The issue is targeted for the last quarter of 2016," he added. The parent will dilute about 10 per cent of its equity in Vodafone India.

In 2010, Coal India had raised Rs 15,199 crore in the primary market, which was the largest issue in the country.

The names for the bankers were finalised after pitches in London early last week, also by Goldman Sachs, Citi and Axis Bank. The IPO is expected to bring handsome fees for the selected banks at a time when billion-dollar listings have become scarce.

New player Reliance Jio is also expected to launch its 4G services this year.

Vodafone India's listing has been awaited since it first spoke about it in 2011. "The IPO is expected at over $20 billion valuation for Vodafone India," said another investment banker familiar with the plans. Bharti Airtel had a market value of Rs 1.45 lakh core ($21.9 billion) on Friday.

Vodafone entered India in 2007 when it acquired a majority stake in Hutchison Essar, a deal that cast it in a dispute with the tax authorities. It is not clear if an IPO will help in resolving tax cases filed against the company in Indian courts and one that is in arbitration in London.

Vodafone Group has a wholly-owned subsidiary Vodafone India since 2014 after 100 per cent foreign direct investment was allowed in telecom. This also brought down its need for an IPO. Marten Pieters, former chief executive officer at Vodafone India, was disappointed that he could not come out with the company's IPO due to tax disputes.

The Indian market has over a billion mobile subscribers and the potential for data use is one of the highest in the world. Mobile phone operators have been spending heavily in setting up fourth-generation (4G) mobile broadband data networks to meet expected demand.
Car makers wait to sell diesel vehicles with an engine capacity of 2,000cc and more in the National Capital Region (NCR) has got longer. In a special sitting on Saturday, the Supreme Court heard the arguments of car makers but gave no relief. The hearing will continue on May 9.

The ban severely impacts companies like Toyota, Mercedes and Jaguar Land Rover. The automobile manufacturers told the Supreme Court that diesel passenger vehicles accounted for only 1.5 per cent to the air pollution in Delhi and has a tiny contribution of 0.5 per cent in the PM 2.5 emission.

Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), sought to vacate the December 2015 order. He told a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur that the ban on new diesel cars would be counterproductive, as the older versions pollute more. He said petrol was a major pollutant even as CNG emissions resulted in high levels of mono-nitrogen oxides (NOx), a major cause of respiratory and other diseases.

Singhvi cited a study by IIT-Kanpur to buttress his arguments. He said that road dust contributed 38 per cent pollution, industries 11 per cent, domestic activities 12 per cent, concrete batching six per cent and municipal solid wastes and diesel generator sets contributed a whopping 13 per cent. All vehicles together contributed only 20 per cent to Delhis air pollution, said Singhvi. Still, vehicular pollution was the major villain in the public perspective, he added.

According to manufacturers, diesel cars improve the countrys energy security, balance of payments and Indias commitment to lower carbon footprints through lower CO2 emissions.





The Supreme Court has indicated that an environment cess, or green tax, could be levied on large diesel vehicles. The government, in its February Budget, imposed a one per cent infra cess on petrol or CNG cars with an engine capacity of 1,200cc or more. For diesel cars with engine capacity of 1,500cc or more, the cess is 2.5 per cent of the price. The industry is against a further cess.

The apex court, however, allowed Delhi Police to purchase and register around 190 heavy duty vehicles for various uses on payment of a 30 per cent value as green cess. The industry wants a penalty on pre-BS IV vehicles rather than taxing the new vehicles which use fuel-efficient technology. Auto companies also recommended increase in price of diesel and scrapping of vehicles older than 15 years.

Senior counsel K K Venugopal, representing a group of children who suffered from ailments caused by air pollution, suggested model like California and London which cleared smog in those cities. He recommended retrofitting of catalytic converters on all vehicles which would drastically reduce air pollution. He provided technical data which should be examined by the Ministry of Transport.

Additional solicitor general Maninder Singh submitted that government institutions are already doing research on the pollution problem and Venugopals suggestions would be examined by experts. The government is totally committed to a time-bound programme to clean the air, he said.

Chief Justice asked him: What were you doing till now; you are waking up now? It affects everybody; are your people sitting in plush offices and only sipping coffee?



Companies have tried to overcome the crisis arising out of the ban. Largest utility vehicle maker Mahindra launched a 1,990cc diesel engine for vehicles in NCR. The new engine was launched in January, leading to resumption in sale of popular models like Scorpio and XUV500.

Mercedes was the worst-hit among luxury car makers since its entire diesel vehicle range is impacted. Seventy per cent of Mercedes sales volume is diesel-driven and Delhi is a significant market, contributing about 15 per cent of total sales in India. Toyota has also suffered since its two popular models  Innova and Fortuner  have not been sold in the NCR for over four months. It has seen double digit decline in monthly sales after the ban. Toyota plans to launch petrol variants of Innova soon.

No petrol, diesel taxis in NCR from today: SC



No petrol- or diesel-run taxis will be allowed to ply in the National Capital Region from Sunday, May 1, the Supreme Court directed on Saturday. The court refused to extend the deadline of April 30 for all taxis in the region to convert into CNG.

We gave sufficient time for private taxis to convert to CNG and we are not inclined to extend the deadline, the apex court observed. However, cabs with an all-India permit will be exempt from the rule.
Raging forest fires in have killed five people and blighted 1,890.79 hectares of forest land in Kumaon and Garhwal regions, prompting Governor K K Paul to seek deployment of three Disaster Response Force (NDRF) companies to douse the flame and conduct rescue operations.

Since early February, 922 cases of forest fire incidents in the state have occurred killing five people, including three women and a child in separate incidents, and injuring seven, Principal Conservator of Forest (PCF) BP Gupta said.

Pauri, Tehri and Nainital are the worst hit by these fires as they abound in Cheed and Sal trees which are highly inflammable.

"The NDRF companies, assisted by experts, will launch fire extinguishing and rescue operations in affected areas immediately," Chief Secretary Shatrughna Singh said, adding precaution is a must to minimise loss to forest wealth and wildlife.

IG Sanjay Gunjyal has been asked to coordinate with the NDRF, the district magistrates concerned and principal conservator of forest to supervise the rescue operations, he said.

Locals have been told to report a fire incident to the district magistrate concerned as soon as they sight it so that it can bee controlled in time.

" Governor KK Paul convened an important meeting of officials concerned last evening to review the steps being taken to control the forest fires spreading to residential areas," Gupta, who is also the nodal officer for fire incidents in Kumaon and Garhwal regions, said.

The governor has doubled the number of personnel deployed from 3,000 to 6,000 to control the fire and asked all agencies, including the SDRF, district administration and the rural population to contribute their bit, he said.

Forest fires are natural during summer but this time they have occurred on a bigger scale as the fire season, which normally begins by February 15, began on February 2 when two women were charred to death in the jungles of Uttarkashi, the PCF said.

The other three casualties, including that of a woman and her six year old child, were reported from Nainital and Pauri districts, he said.

The PCF said that the scale of forest fires in this time has been bigger due to little or no rain during winter at most places.

Pre-fire alerts, listing possible fire points over the next seven days in forest areas, are being made available in the forest department website www.forest.uk.govt.

Former chief minister Harish Rawat has asked the governor to declare Uttarakhand as fire-disaster stricken state and involve locals in fire extinguishing efforts.
Hitting back at for targeting leadership over the chopper deal, former defence minister today dared the Narendra Modi government to take "strong" action against "bribe givers and takers" if there was any evidence.

Asserting that no names were revealed in the Italian court which convicted former employees of for giving bribes in the deal, he said, "At every stage in the Italian court, our lawyer represented the case."



"They cross examined all witnesses. At no stage, names were revealed. My question is now -CBI is with present government, ED (Enforcement Directorate) is with present government. Why delay, if there is evidence?" he said.

When asked about launching an all-out attack against on the issue, he said, "Take strong action against bribe givers and bribe takers."



Antony, who is in Kerala to launch the party's election campaign for the May 16 Assembly poll, said, "The Italian court has convicted the bribe giver. Please take action against the bribe taker. CBI, ED are all with them."



Seeking to turn the tables, the Working Committee member said "the bribe giver-- the company, is part of the 'Make in India campaign' of the NDA government."



has been targeting Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other leaders on the chopper deal during the UPA II regime.

Congress has alleged that it was a political conspiracy to malign the party leadership in the chopper deal.
With the help of Colombo-based International Water Management Institute (IWMI), six Gujarat farmers have formed worlds first power cooperative society to sell surplus power generated from water pumps installed at their farms.

After conducting a successful pilot project of connecting farmer with the grid at Anand district of Gujarat, IWMI has now assembled six farmers of Dhundi village in Kheda district for the society. Having been trained on use of water pump and how to earn from connecting surplus power from it to the grid, these farmers have come together to form a solar cooperative society named Dhundi Saur Urja Utpadak Sahakari Mandali or Solar Pump Irrigators Cooperative Enterprise (SPICE).

The cooperative society has been registered at Registrar of Cooperative Society, Government of Gujarat.

It is for the first time that someone has set up solar cooperative society. We showcased our pilot project to these small farmers to help them understand that this could be a new mode of earning which eventually led to formation of the society,Tushar Shah of IWM said.

State discom Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Limited (MGVCL) and Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI) are also supporting IWMI for this project.

With the trial run of power supply to the grid being completed, farmers have begun supplying surplus power from solar pumps on commercial basis to MGVCL at the rate of Rs 4.70 per unit.

The cooperative society members being small farmers, IWMI had supported them financially for purchase and installation of pumps and solar panels. The institute has so far funded about Rs 40 lakh in the project.

Shah said: "Solar pump costs are not affordable for small farmers so we decided to provide funds to them. We have installed 58 kilo watts (Kw) solar water pumps in Dhundi village. However, we will not add more funds and would rather go for the governments schemes for solar water pumps when we induct new members in the solar cooperative society."

Four more farmers of Dhundi village have agreed to join SPICE and will be part of it by end of May. IWMI has also decided to showcase this model to other parts of Gujarat by inviting farmers.

Currently our focus is Gujarat. Once the model is properly operational we will take it to other states also. For now we are planning to invite other farmers to see the project from across the state, Shah told Business Standard.

MGVCL has signed an agreement with the society to purchase surplus power. It is also helping the society connect with the grid. SPICE is expecting to supply about 250 units power a day to the grid.

We have signed a power purchase agreement with the farmers of the solar cooperative society at the rate of Rs 4.70 per unit. This is not the end, if more farmers join, we will connect them also with the grid as part of the agreement, an MGVCL official stated.

Through the society, farmers are hoping to bring down costs as well as earn almost double through sale of surplus power.

The farmers at Dhundi are small farmers with average landholding of only one acre. Each farmer spends close to Rs 20,000 annually on diesel for irrigation. With SPICE, the farmers will not only save the costs on diesel but will also be earning close to Rs 40,000 per annum from sale of solar power, said P Raghu who is in-charge of the project.

On its part, GERMI is providing technical support to the society and educating farmers about operation of the pumps and connection with the grid.

According to IMWI, the local utility will also save on future subsidy of around Rs 50,000 per annum per farmer which they would have incurred had these farmers gotten electricity connections instead of solar pumps. Considering that India has close to 15-20 million electric pumps which annually absorb Rs 60,000 crore of farm power subsidies to earn a meagre income, the idea of SPICE offers wide ranging appeal.
USA-based semiconductor chip maker Corporation is keen to enter an alliance with the Odisha government to bring in investments to the state in the electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM) sector.

Intel, being a chip manufacturer, can hand hold the product manufacturers in using their technology and in selecting their preferred destinations to invest. There is a possibility that can play a pivotal role in bringing investments in the electronics sector. In that case, can play a persuasive role to bring in prospective investors to the state, a government official said.

Debjani Ghosh, vice-president (sales & marketing) and managing director (South Asia), Intel Corporation had a meeting last Wednesday with state information technology (IT) minister Pranab Prakash Das and top state IT officials.

Read more from our special coverage on "INTEL"

Short and productive visit to Bhubaneswar. Pleasure to meet minister IT Pranab Prakash Das. Great to see the energy and strong will to drive the change, Ghosh tweeted.

Commenting on the meeting, Das said, We had a fruitful dialogue with Intel on technology collaboration and hope for positive outcomes.

The state government is pulling out all the stops to promote investments in the ESDM space. Also, with Bhubaneswar ranked as the number one smart city, Intel can offer its technical expertise.

They (Intel) can involve themselves in the technological solutions of the smart city project. They want to give solutions for efficient technology management of the devices in the smart city project, said an official.

Intel has also expressed its keenness to improve the efficiency of the servers and hardware clusters like state data centre.

If invited, they have agreed to extend their technological support to improve the efficiency of the servers free of cost, added the official.

The state has doled out many sops to lure investors in electronics manufacturing.

Investors with investment exceeding Rs 200 crore and offering employment potential of over 500 would be entitled to 25% investment subsidy on capital investment, subject to a ceiling of Rs 50 crore. Further, if their project is financed by public sector banks, the state government would offer an interest subvention of 5%, among others. The state IT department has also been renamed as the department of electronics and IT.

The state is now looking to pull more investors in the IT and electronics space. The proposed greenfield electronics manufacturing cluster planned on 203 acres of land, located in Khurda district, is expected to house over 100 electronics manufacturing units with an employment potential of 10,000-12,000. The employee pool would be a mix of skilled and semi-skilled personnel.

The state government has already submitted the detailed project report for final approval. A sum of Rs 95 crore has been sought from the Government of India and the total project cost is pegged at Rs 205 crore. Similarly, a mega hub for IT & electronics has been planned at Naraj near Cuttack on over 700 acres of land.
In a big blow to major mobile players, Telecom Commission, the highest policy-making body of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has approved Telecom Regulatory Authority of India-recommended base price of Rs 11,485 crore per Mhz across India for 700-Mhz frequency as well as auction of all available spectrum.

If all available spectrum is sold during the auction, expected to happen by September this year, the government could earn Rs 5.36 lakh crore.

Operators have termed the base price for 700-Mhz band as "highly expensive". Analysts have predicted lukewarm response to the auction because of high base price. This frequency is being auctioned for the first time in India and is considered an efficient band for 4G/LTE services.

In its meeting on Saturday, the Commission also liberalised payment norms for the service providers after auction of spectrum.

Under the new norms, operators who get spectrum in higher frequency bands - above 1-Ghz like 1,800-Mhz, 2,100-Mhz, 2,300-Mhz - will have to make 50 per cent upfront payment and the rest in 10 years after a two-year moratorium. Earlier, operators had to pay 33 per cent as upfront payment after winning spectrum in the auction process.

For spectrum below 1-Ghz band such as 700-Mhz, 800-Mhz and 900-Mhz, companies will have to pay 25 per cent upfront and the remaining in 10 years after a two-year moratorium.

This, however, will have to be placed before the Cabinet for a final approval.

According to estimates in the Budget for 2016-17, the government would earn Rs 55,000 crore from the spectrum auction in the current financial year.

Hemant Joshi, partner, Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP, "For the next spectrum auctions, the government is offering spectrum in bands like 700-Mhz and 2,500-Mhz for the first time, apart from 800-Mhz, 900-Mhz, 1,800-Mhz, 2,100-Mhz and 2,300-Mhz bands. TRAI has recommended a base price of Rs 11,485 crore per Mhz for the 700-Mhz premium band which is almost four times the price of 1,800-Mhz band (Rs 2,873 crore for pan-India 1 Mhz spectrum). Hence, an operator will have to pay Rs 57,425 crore ($8 billion) for a pan-India 5 Mhz block of 700-Mhz spectrum," he said.

The demand for the spectrum is unlikely to be high as the operators have still not used the spectrum from last auction. With the debt of Rs 3.5 lakh crore ($53 billion), the telecom Industry is highly indebted and operators might not bid aggressively and may bid only for circles where they are in need of spectrum, Joshi added.

There was no decision on spectrum usage charges in the meeting. DoT will seek the opinion of Attorney General on the issue before taking a decision.

DoT had proposed to cut spectrum usage charges (SUC) at flat rate of 4.5 per cent. The policy change, if implemented, will help incumbent operators including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular, which pay a much higher SUC rate compared with the proposed one.

Currently, SUC is calculated on weighted average formula and operators pay a SUC of three to eight per cent of their adjusted gross revenues to the government. The SUC charges also depend on when the spectrum was acquired or whether it was allotted administratively.

This proposal, however, will also mean some revenue loss for the government.

Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has been demanding a uniform SUC rate of three per cent and a gradual one per cent charge.

SUC was earlier linked to quantum of spectrum holding of an operator in range of three to eight per cent of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR). After evaluating impact on the exchequer, government in January 2014 decided to cap SUC at five per cent on spectrum that was to be procured for future auction. The SUC collection was at 4.8 per cent level at that time.

Existing telecom operators were asked to pay the weighted average of their existing SUC (on old rate of three to eight per cent), and five per cent if they acquire new spectrum.

Trai has already recommended a uniform rate of 3 per cent SUC. However, the recommendation faced stiff opposition from Reliance Jio, which holds pan-India broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum on which only 1 per cent SUC is imposed. The government had then asked all BWA holders, including Aircel and Airtel to continue paying 1 per cent on BWA. But they were asked to pay 5 per cent of AGR on all spectrum they will purchase in future.

The 700-Mhz band is considered to be good for offering broadband and 4G services. It is in demand for long-term evolution (LTE) deployment because of its efficiency and high penetration inside buildings. As it has a lower frequency, it provides wider coverage, reducing the number of towers needed to set up the LTE network and cutting down capital expenditure.

But leading telecom players such as Bharti Airtel and Vodafone have expressed concern over the high reserve price of spectrum suggested by Trai.

Many analysts have also said the auction would not generate a huge interest as telecom players are already hard pressed for funds in a competitive sector.

Operators have been saying that the ecosystem for 700-Mhz band - low-cost handsets, network equipment - was not ready yet. According to estimates, the cost of delivering mobile services in the 700-MHz band is about 70 per cent cheaper than 2,100-MHz.

LARGEST-EVER SPECTRUM SALE

Auction of all available spectrum as per Trai recommendations approved



Govt could earn Rs 5.36 lakh crore from total spectrum sale



Companies winning spectrum in higher frequency bands - above 1-Ghz like 1,800-Mhz, 2,100-Mhz, 2,300-Mhz - to make 50 per cent upfront payment and rest in 10 years after a 2-year moratorium



In earlier auctions, companies were given option to make 33 per cent upfront payment



For spectrum below 1-Ghz band such as 700-Mhz, 800-Mhz and 900-Mhz, companies will require to pay 25 % upfront and rest in 10 years after a 2-year moratorium

Challenge for 4G-friendly 700-Mhz band
The youngest of the nine boys was 10. Now they are all dead, lying next to each other. Unburied. For more than 230 days. Their bodies are kept inside the refrigerator that was recently installed in the bare-bone morgue at the back of the district hospital.

Over two days, six of them were shot dead by the police. Three died of burns and injuries.

Just outside the morgue, nine symbolic empty coffins serve as a shrine to the dead. Many people from the town, besides members of the bereaved families, gather every day around it, all day and late into the night. To protest, pray, keep vigil, express solidarity and mourn. Protest and praying points, posters and reminders dot the rest of the town too.

This town in mourning is Churachandpur, a small valley and the headquarter of the southern hill district, also called Churachandpur in Manipur. It is home to the Kuki-Zomi tribal people. The tribe, predominantly Christian, usually call the town by its old name, Lamka.

Lamka's nine "martyrs" lie in the morgue refrigerator.

On August 31 last year, a young and angry mob burned down the homes of five local MLAs - one of them a senior minister in the state. They claimed the politicians had not protected their interests when the state Assembly passed three Bills.

"A friend of Paulianmang came over and told that the MLA's house in our locality had been torched. He went out to see. Messages on the local WhatsApp group poured in. Someone had been shot down by the police. I came to know it was my son," says Ngaikhanching, his mother, a widow. Paulianmang was 22. He worked part-time at a nearby school to pay for his siblings' education. He was the first to die.

The WhatsApp message spread like wild fire across Lamka. Next day, people came out in large numbers to take part in unarmed protests. By the end, nine were dead. People refused to bury their dead in anger. Lamka turned into a mass of protest.

"For me, justice will be served when the three Bills are taken back and those who killed my son are given befitting punishment," says Ngaikhanching. All the bereaved, gathered at the morgue have similar demands: either Sixth Schedule status for the hill district under the Constitution or withdrawal of the three Bills or exclusion of Churachandpur from their purview. And, justice.

The tinderbox called Manipur



Geographically, about 10 per cent of Manipur is a valley, traditionally home to the Meitei community. The other 90 per cent - the hills - are home to tribes from the Naga and the Kuki-Zomi groups. Churachandpur is home to the Kuki-Zomi people who also inhabit areas in Myanmar and Mizoram. A porous hill region, historically open to fluid migration of tribes, Manipur has seen its people struggle since it got fenced by freshly-minted political boundaries, first by the British and then by the state of India.

As a result, strong currents of identity-centric sub-nationalism and insurgent movements have kept the state on the edge. The impunity provided to state's armed forces and the manoeuvres of the political class and intelligence agencies to manage India's "frontier", coupled with the racism people from the region face in the mainland, have left generations alienated from India.



This, even as the support for insurgent groups has relatively dwindled, fuelled by degradation of the insurgencies' ideological base and rising aspirations of the new generation for peace and opportunities amid a fallow economy.

The hills, especially devoid of development over decades, blame both the Centre and the valley (which today dominates the electoral-democracy system) for its neglect, and seek political separation to different degrees. The valley, surrounded by the hills, feels it is under a siege and wants to retain Manipur' political integrity.

The Meitei community has seen fertile paddy fields slowly turn into a dusty and congested semi-urban landscape. As the agrarian economy withers away, job alternatives for the new generation continue to be the fast-saturating government employment and state patronage. The influx of even more marginalised tribals down into the valley, gaining slowly from the scheduled tribe status they enjoy, miffs the people in the valley; the Meitei people are not allowed to buy land in the hills under a special constitutional provision. The Meitei, a majority of whom converted to Vaishnav Hinduism in the 17th century, do not enjoy the scheduled tribe status.

Territory is identity



Against this backdrop, state Chief Minister Ibobi Singh, pressured by agitation in the valley that also left one child dead, got three Bills passed in the state Assembly. The valley had demanded protection against migrants.

"The three Bills were drawn without consultations with us in the hills. In the name of checking migrant influx from the plains, they target the tribal people and their lands," says Mangchinkhup, chief convener of the Joint Action Committee, the main civil society group spearheading the protest in Churachandpur.

One of the Bills set the definition for Manipur domicile: "Persons of Manipur whose names are in the National Register of Citizens, 1951, Census Report 1951 and Village Directory of 1951 and their descendants who have contributed to the collective social, cultural and economic life of Manipur."



"We all know back in 1951 what the level of literacy in the tribal hills was. Who kept the registers then? And, what does it mean to have contributed to the social and cultural life of Manipur? This will leave out many of us tribals," says an agitated Mangchinkhup. He points to another law that, in his view, loosens the regime restricting the Meitei in the valley from buying lands in the hills. "The valley people are also trying to equate themselves with us hill tribals through the three laws and consequently seek the scheduled caste status," he says (full interview online).

"It is about our identity, our territory. All we have is our land. There cannot be any compromise," says Muamuan Zomi, the 23-year-old who turned leader after he, along with some others, dedicated his nights to keep the bodies from rotting - constantly ensuring fresh ice slabs with bottle gourds to kill the stench - till the local administration got a refrigerator for the morgue. He now heads the youth group, All Tribal Movement of Lamka.

Pradip Phanjoubham, editor of Imphal Free Press, believes the chief minister, also a Meitei, likely thought the troublesome bits of the three bills would eventually be blocked by the governor and he could later claim that he had done his bit. He recognises the desire of the Meitei to also seek scheduled tribe status as the Naga outfit NSCN (IM) comes closer to a pact with the government of India (full interview online).

If this was the intention of the government, the cynical move backfired, as the hills took to agitation.

The governor referred the three Bills to the President, who has to now act on the advice of the Union government. Of course, the Bharatiya Janata Party wouldn't mind finding a solution that also helps tip out the Congress government in the state - like in Arunachal Pradesh. The Bills have been pending with the President for more than six months, while the dead bodies lie in the morgue.

"This is not just about the Bills. It is also a movement against our own corrupt tribal political leadership. For the first time, Churachandpur has witnessed youth groups, women groups and other civil society all rise up - without taking up arms. It has also united the hill tribes," says Benjamin Vualnam. He came back from Mumbai after his post graduation and is now part of the "movement".

More than 230 days later, mobilisation, gatherings, prayers, protest and late night congregations continue across Lamka. The mobilisation is to next spread to other villages. Alongside, money is being collected by people to themselves build a 14-km highway stretch connecting Churachandpur to Mizoram and Myanmar - an artery that shall leave the hills less dependent on supplies from the Imphal valley.

"One doesn't know how this will resolve, but one thing is certain after this people's movement, Churachandpur will not be the same again," says a senior priest who does not want to be named.

All churches, cutting across denominations, put their bells on silence to mourn the dead. But the unity between tribes of Churachandpur is fragile and has been tested in the past few months.

Phanjoubham acknowledges some parallels to the recent reservation-centred troubles in Gujarat and Haryana - an aspirational new generation of a historically dominant community feeling marginalised in the changing economic-scape. Social upheaval of a similar kind is palpable in Manipur as well.

Except, too often, the Northeast region falls on India's blind spot. So, at the morgue, on the poster with the photographs of the nine dead, it is written with chalk: 231 days. One of the young protestors corrects it: 232 days.
The woman who is accused of abducting a 5-year-old child, prompting a missing or endangered person alert, was charged Friday with custodial interference.

Velia Rodrigues Collins, 36, appeared before Yellowstone County Justice of the Peace Pedro Hernandez on one felony count of custodial interference after she did not return her child to Child and Family Services.

Hernandez held Collins in lieu of a $50,000 bond and ordered GPS monitoring should she post bail.

According to charging documents, the 5-year-old was removed from Collins' care through a court order on March 19. The order extended until May 31.

On April 4, Collins had an unsupervised visit with her child but did not return at the set time. Law enforcement discovered Collins did not intend to return to Montana and she told another person she was headed to California, according to court documents.

Collins and the child were discovered in North Dakota, where authorities arrested Collins on a $50,000 warrant.
Over 38% of the electorate cast their votes in the first four hours today in the fifth and penultimate phase of the assembly polls in West Bengal where three persons sustained injuries in sporadic incidents of violence.

Till 11 a.m, voter turnout of 36.97% was recorded from Hooghly district, 39.81% in South 24 Parganas while Kolkata South had the lowest turnout with 32.58%.

The Election Commission said the overall average turnout was 38.30%.

A report from Chinsurah in Hooghly district said a villager sustained head injury when he was allegedly attacked by Trinamool Congress supporters at Puin village in Arambag constituency.

N Babu, the villager, was attacked while returning after casting his vote, a police officer said.

He was rushed to Arambag sub-divisional hospital where he was released after first aid, the officer said.

Babu alleged that TMC supporters had warned him not to cast his vote the night before but he had defied them and exercised his franchise, thereby incurring their ire.

Police have arrested one TMC supporter.

A report from Canning in South 24 Parganas said two persons were injured as central force jawans used batons to disperse clashing Trinamool Congress and CPI(M) supporters in front of a booth in Kathaliya village under Bhangar constituency.

The two injured were rushed to Bhangar hospital and later discharged after treatment, a police officer said.

Trinamool Congress candidate from Bhangar, Rezzak Mollah rushed to the spot and was involved in an altercation with the central forces following the incident, the officer said.

In Bahareshole village in Goghat constituency in Hooghly district, Forward Bloc candidate Bishwanath Tarak complained to the Election Commission that he was pushed around by TMC supporters who had gathered in front of a booth.

The central forces swung into action and dispersed the TMC supporters.
for the crucial fifth phase of Assembly elections in West Bengal began Saturday in which a number of heavyweights, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, are in the fray.
Books on contemporary India tell us that the first instance of what was to become booth capturing took place way back in 1957 in Begusarai, a district in central Bihar. Even as the second general elections were underway, some goons belonging to one political party blocked supporters from a rival party to cast their votes.
In the matter pertaining to acquisition of Agusta Westland helicopters, the undisputed central issue that stands out is corruption, especially bribery. Any other line of assumption, approach and effort, as is being attempted in some quarters, is misleading, tries to hide the wrong-doers and is driven by instincts of self preservation. .

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Ever since the new government was given the responsibility to serve the people, it has acted with speed, drive and purpose to empower the country's masses. It continues to relentlessly pursue fearless and transparent governance. One of the core goals of our governance has been to unearth and uproot corruption, and punish the corrupt. .

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It is indeed tragic that a small section of the Indian polity has attempted, unsuccessfully, to divert and diffuse the public discourse on this matter. They question the speed of the government processes, especially the investigation. But, they do not ask how the corrupt influenced the process of acquisition in the first place and bled the nation. They donot admit corruption; they instead boldly proclaim, "catch us if you can". .

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The present government has taken effective action to bring out the truth and will leave no stone unturned in pursuing all means to bring to justice the corrupt and the wrong-doers in this case. .

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The investigative agencies remain determined to bring to justice the key perpetrators of this misdeed, both inside and outside the country. .

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The government has acted proactively and with alacrity against Agusta Westland International and Finmeccanica. It is the present government which through its order dated 3 July 2014, put on hold all procurement/acquisition cases in the pipeline of six companies figuring in the FIR registered by the CBI, namely: M/S Agusta Westland International Ltd., UK, M/S Finmeccanica, Italy, and its group companies, including subsidiaries and affiliates, M/S IDS, Tunisia, M/S Infotech Design System (IDS), Mauritius, M/S IDS Infotech Ltd, Mohali and M/S Aeromatrix Info Solution Pvt Ltd, Chandigarh. .

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In doing so, we did not let the preparedness of our defence forces suffer. At the same time, we also ensured that no new capital procurement was made thereafter from these companies in the tenure of the present Government. .

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The factually misinformed have also made a mention regarding clearance of a joint venture involving Agusta Westland by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. This proposal was approved on 2nd September 2011 based on an application by Indian Rotorcraft Ltd a joint venture of Tata Sons with Agusta Westland NV, Netherlands. This was later changed to Agusta Westland S.p.A Italy due to reorganization within the group. On 7th February 2012, an industrial licence for the manufacture of helicopters was granted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion to Indian Rotorcraft Ltd. However, the validity of licence has since expired. .

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In their drive to divert the public attention from their own corruption, some have said that the Modi government permitted Augusta Westland to bid for 100 Naval Utility Helicopters in April, 2015. The fact is that a techno-commercial Request for Proposal (RFP) for Naval Utility Helicopters was issued to eight vendors on 4 August 2012. In response to the RFP, M/S Eurocopters, France and M/S Agusta Westland S.p.A Italy submitted their techno-commercial proposals on 4 March 2013. RFP of the procurement case was retracted by the Government on 13 October 2014. .

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The Indian Navy has hosted on the website a Request for Information for more than 100 Naval Utility Helicopter in October 2014. No Request for Proposal has been issued, therefore the question of permitting Agusta Westland to bid for the Naval Utility Helicopter in April 2015 does not arise. The government is exploring whether their manufacturing can be pursued under "Make in India". .

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On the core issue of corruption, the timeline of actions taken by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate clearly shows due rigour and diligence with which these agencies have pursued all aspects of their investigations, including the arrest and extradition of three foreign nationals namely Mr. Carlo Gerosa, Mr. Guido Haschke Ralph and Christian Michel James. .

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CBI has so far investigated over 100 witnesses. In September and November 2014, couple of accused have been arrested and their property attached. A criminal complaint was also filed. Letter of Requests were sent out by ED and CBI to Mauritius (July 2013), Tunisia and Italy (December 2013), British Virgin Islands, Singapore and U.K. (September 2014), UAE and Switzerland (December 2014). The agencies are continuing to pursue responses to the LRs from the countries concerned. .

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Further, an open ended non bailable arrest warrant was issued by CBI against Mr. Christian James Michel on 24 September 2015. Red Corner notices were issued in December 2015 and January 2016 through Interpol under Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Prevention of Corruption Act on charges of conspiracy and abuse of official position in giving favours to M/s AWIL. .

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Extradition request has also been made for Christian Michel James. A request for provision arrest for the purpose of extradition was made to the U.K. authorities on 4 January 2016 by CBI. Enforcement Directorate, another autonomous agency to handle private money laundering and Foreign Exchange irregularities, has also separately sent a Red Corner seeking arrest and a request for his extradition from the U.K. on 29 February 2016. .

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By asking why did Prime Minister and BJP government not take any action on the alleged offer dated 08.11.2015 made by James Christian Michael to be questioned by CBI and ED including on Indian soil, some have even tried to side with a wanted criminal. .

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It is well known that any understanding/agreement with an accused outside the frame of law is a criminal act in itself. James Christian Michael is a criminal wanted by the Indian law enforcement agencies. We are pursuing all legal means to arrest him and have him extradited to India. Mr. Michel should submit himself to the Indian legal system rather than make elliptical references to offers that are suspect in intent and reality. We are determined that the law must take its course against Mr. Michel and his associates in this matter. .

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Those who cannot see Prime Minister succeed even hint at him cutting a deal. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Prime Minister Modi did not cut any deal of any sort. His only goal and priority is the development of comprehensive national power, and empowerment of our masses. .

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A few have even sought to link one of the accused with Shri Ajit Doval, present NSA, as also Shri Nripendra Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. This is a totally baseless assertion, devoid of reason and logic, and indicative of malicious intent. In reality, there is no such connection. .

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Individuals in some quarters have even gone to the extent of ascribing intent to the technicalities of the CAG audit of the state governments of Rajasthan and Chattisgarh. They ask as to whey did Modi government not take any action against Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Dr. Raman Singh despite an indictment of Chhattisgarh government by CAG in purchase of Agusta Westland Helicopter, which led to loss to public exchequer (according to CAG) of Rs.65 lakh? .

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But, the government has been proactive in seeking response from the State governments also. As per the State Government of Chattisgarh, the Public Accounts Committe of the Chattisgarh Vidhan Sabha took cognizance of the CAG report regarding the acquisition that was done in 2007, and took the evidence of State Government officials. After analyzing the evidence of officials and the report of the State Government, the PAC closed the matter. .

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Similarly, as per the State Government of Rajasthan, the alleged loss to public exchequer according to CAG was not on account of any irregularity in the procurement process, but due to the expenditure incurred on account of lack of planning and basic infrastructure prior to procurement, such as pilot training and maintenance. In this case too, the acquisition was done in 2005. .

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The Government appeals to the countrymen to recognize the nature and depth of corruption in Agusta Westland case. The investigative agencies will stay their course in unveiling the corrupt and holding them accountable to our public. .

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CP/GV
The first visit to China by a Japanese foreign minister in more than four years is seen as paving the way for a leaders' summit as Asia's two biggest economies seek to reduce tensions over territorial disputes and historical animosities. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida is meeting his counterpart Wang Yi Saturday morning in Beijing, before discussions with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The diplomatic push comes as China prepares to host Group of 20 leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at a get-together in Hangzhou in September, offering the chance for a rare ...
Bombardier's founding family is rejecting demands by Canada's government to loosen its control of the company in exchange for financial assistance. "It's not our intention to change anything in this regard," Chairman Pierre Beaudoin said in Montreal. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is said to be pushing for corporate governance changes, including the dual-class structure that allows the Beaudoin and Bombardier families to control the company. The two sides still aren't close to a deal, according to two federal officials who spoke on condition of ...
JPMorgan Chase & Co, the largest US lender by assets, said the Justice Department's criminal division is among regulators investigating its hiring practices in Asia. The lender is also facing probes by the Securities and Exchange Commission, JPMorgan said Friday in a filing. Regulators are seeking to determine whether the bank violated anti-bribery laws by hiring the children and other relatives of well-connected politicians and clients in China in exchange for having business steered to the firm, people familiar with the matter said in 2013. JPMorgan hadn't named the agencies in its ...
To tap business opportunities that the proposed payments banks will bring in, global technology company Microsoft plans to offer back-end support to these players. The company is in talks with some of these banks and hopeful of bagging projects.

Microsoft India Chairman Bhaskar Pramanik told Business Standard that a host of companies from various sectors, including banking financial services and insurance (BFSI), health care, e-commerce are either being powered by Microsofts cloud platform or would soon come on board.

We do plan to have customers from the upcoming payments bank segment. It is not just the new payments bank but also existing banks which have all kinds of payment systems. The talks have already started with various clients. Whether it is the new banks or payments bank, we are talking to everybody, he said.

Microsoft plans to offer solutions around data, security applications and analytics, for handling the large number of small transactions which would be made via these banks.

Microsoft offers analytics at a huge scale, machine intelligence capabilities and higher degrees of security. BFSI customers who are used to having their own data centres, have for various reasons, whether its for capacity purposes or workload they have, actually chosen to come to Microsoft, added Pramanik.

In August last year, 11 firms got the Reserve Bank of Indias in-principle approval to set up payments banks.

Of these, Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company opted out in March. The other 10 are a Reliance-SBI combine; Aditya Birla Nuvo (Idea Cellular); Airtel; Vodafone; Department of Posts; FINO PayTech; Tech Mahindra; National Securities Depository Ltd; Paytm; and Dilip Shantilal Shanghvi.

As far as Microsofts foray into the small and medium business (SMB) space is concerned, the company said it had around 150,000 customers of which 50,000 SMBs were brought in the past two years alone.

Last year, the software giant launched a cloud adoption programme for SMBs in India called 'Cloud Solution Provider' (CSP). SMBs can adopt value-added solutions and offerings supporting their specific requirements on the cloud through Microsoft CSP.

Microsoft's productivity offerings on cloud has been further integrated and strengthened with Windows 10 and Office 2016 features that boosts collaboration and efficiency of the workforce.

According to the company, its cloud service business has posted a healthy double-digit growth in the country. The company recently collaborated with Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) to assist around 200,000 SMBs across Karnataka to adopt technology with cloud computing.

While, the company does not give country specific investment numbers, it has spent $15 billion on cloud computing over the last five years.

Microsoft has 46 per cent market share as far as software-as-a-service is concerned. Overall cloud share, which includes infrastructure platform and software, the company has about 30 per cent of the market share. Our ambition is to get around 40 odd per cent by the next fiscal, Pramanik added.

The company also caters to a long list of e-commerce clients which includes Snapdeal, Meru Cabs, Just Dial, Pepperfry on its cloud platform.
(TTD), which attracts the highest number of pilgrims in the country, plans to move all the 7.5 tonnes of gold under the Gold Monetisation Scheme launched by the Central Government in November last year.

The temple trust of Lord Balaji has recently kept around 1.3 tonnes of gold with Punjab National Bank under the same scheme.

"We have roughly about 7.5 tonnes of gold and most of it is in the banks. Gold monetisation scheme was there for the TTD earlier. It is kept in various banks under different schemes.

The entire gold will be kept in the Gold Monetisation Scheme as and when the current schemes mature," TTD executive officer D Sambasiva Rao said here on Saturday.

He said they have requested the Government to make changes in the scheme so that the TTD earns the interest only in the form of gold on the yellow metal to be kept under the scheme.

The scheme, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, comes in short, medium and long term format carrying different payment modes. While the interest is converted as gold and paid to the investor in the short term scheme, the principal can be paid in the gold or cash form while the interest of 2.5 percent is paid in cash form only under the medium and long term monetisation scheme formats. TTD is keen to put its gold under long term format if it pays in gold.

If the Centre agrees to the changes in the long term scheme, TTD would get about 800 kgs to one tonne of gold every year on all of its gold stash, according to Sambasiva Rao.
The Australian national was kidnapped on Thursday, after a group of armed men wearing military uniforms stormed the DACAAR compound, a charity organization working for women empowerment in the country, and took her with them.

She was associated with the organization for twenty years.

The Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop had yesterday said that although the details of the report are yet to be confirmed but, the government was closely monitoring the situation.

The details of the report have to be confirmed by the Afghan authorities, but they certainly believe that she has been kidnapped. We are trying to confirm all of the details, but we are in communication with her family, Tolo news quoted Bishop as saying.

The Australian government does not as a matter of policy pay ransom to kidnappers, she added.

The Australian foreign minister also called on the Afghan government to accelerate efforts and make sure they secure the safe release of the hostage.

Meanwhile, the hostage's family has appealed for the safe release of her.

While the efforts are on for her rescue, local officials in Nangarhar have said that the Afghan security forces have so far arrested several individuals allegedly involved in the kidnapping.

The kidnapped woman's father Brian Wilson yesterday, appealed for the safe release of his daughter.

Foreign affairs ministry phoned me and told me and said they would keep in touch. They knew no more than I did all the news was that she was kidnapped ... we don't yet know what the demand would be. But I presume you don't harm a hostage, because to did that is not good at all, Wilson said.

Meanwhile, Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for Nangarhar governor said that several individuals have been so far arrested in connection with the kidnapping and efforts are underway to the arrest the main masterminds.
Telecommunications giant AT&T, which held its annual shareholder meeting at the Northern Hotel, is investing billions of dollars to remain the worlds premier telecommunications company, the company's top executive said Friday.

In his address to shareholders, Randall Stephenson, AT&Ts chief executive and chairman, said the company is keeping abreast of significant trends in technology.

AT&T is investing in so-called 5G, or fifth-generation mobile communications networks that will provide faster speed and better coverage than 4G networks.

AT&T's recent acquisition of DirectTV means that vast quantities of digital content are available to customers, Stephenson said.

The company will continue to be a leader in the trend described as the internet of things. Everyday objects, including refrigerators and even Stephensons hot water heater, are connected to networks and are capable of sending and receiving data.

These days, advertisements touting a cars horsepower and fuel economy have taken the back seat. Now, automotive companies advertise how their cars are connected as the industry evolves toward self-driving cars, Stephenson said.

This is also the era of "big data" because vast amounts of information can be stored inexpensively on computer servers scattered throughout the world. We have the tools to organize data and get insights that were not available only five years ago, Stephenson said.

The roughly 200 shareholders and company officials who attended Fridays meeting had a chance to try out a variety of new products, including remote-controlled drones and virtual-reality goggles.

It may seem unusual that a multinational company that logs billions of dollars in revenues would hold its shareholder meeting in Billings. Stephenson said the Dallas-based company has developed a tradition of holding its annual meetings in smaller markets.

Earlier this week, AT&T announced that it had invested more than $150 million in its wireless and wired networks throughout Montana between 2013 and 2015. Last year, AT&T made 125 upgrades to its wireless network in Montana.

Were committed to providing our customers fast, reliable, highly secure connectivity, said Tara Thue, director of external affairs for AT&T Montana.

Earlier this week AT&T also released its first-quarter financial results for 2016. For the quarter, AT&T earned 63 cents per share on $40.5 billion in revenue.

The meeting lasted less than an hour, as shareholders elected new directors, ratified Ernst & Young LLP as the companys auditing firm and approved plans for executive compensation.

Following the board's recommendation, three proposals brought forth by shareholders were rejected by wide margins.

A proposal from the Domini Social Equity Fund requested that the company provide a more detailed report on the companys direct and indirect lobbying expenditures.

A second proposal from Walden Asset Management requested that the company produce an annual report on lobbying policy, an evaluation of indirect lobbying through trade associations and a disclosure of AT&Ts membership in organizations that produce model legislation.

Under a third proposal, the chairman of the board would be an independent member of the board, not an employee of AT&T.

Prior to the meeting, members of the Communication Workers of America staged a demonstration outside the hotel. Union workers have been working without a contract since April 9, although negotiations have continued. CWA is bargaining for 17,000 workers in California, Nevada and Connecticut.

Were expressing our concerns regarding the state of bargaining and the retrogressive demands that AT&T is making regarding productive employees, said Louis Rocha Jr., a union spokesman who traveled to Billings from Sacramento, Calif.

Rocha said the term retrogressive demands means that the company is not offering retirement and other benefits for new employees.

Bargaining is going very slowly. It just doesnt make sense in that the company is very profitable and has highly productive employees, Rocha said.
Saying that the country has experienced two successive years of poor rains, Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Saturday said immediately after the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) monsoon forecasts in April last, recognising the gravity of the situation, the Centre in collaboration with state governments responded rapidly with a multi-pronged approach to mitigate the effects of the drought.

Outlining various measures taken by the government, Singh said the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA) in collaboration with the state agricultural universities prepared a Contingency Plan for 600 districts to implement location-specific interventions to sustain agriculture production.

Weekly video conferences with state governments to discuss rainfall patterns, supply of seeds, the impact of drought and other related issues were held. Weekly meetings of the Crop Weather Watch Group were also held. Adequate quantities of drought resistant seeds and seeds of low water intensive crops were made available.

He said the states took various measures like in-situ soil and moisture conservation, micro-irrigation and ground water re-charge to ensure that in spite of two successive droughts, the overall agriculture production does not dip and food stocks are adequate.

Drinking Water: There are 1.71 million rural habitations in the country, he said, adding that more than 25 percent of these habitations (441,390) are facing drinking water scarcity.

To address the situation the Governments have taken measures such as repair or restoration of 738,650 hand pumps; addition of 1,076,961 metres of riser pipe to boreholes in order to access deeper groundwater reserves; establishment of 1,398 temporary piped-water supply schemes; water trucking through tankers to 15,345 habitations; hiring of 13,372 private bore wells to augment water supply; and commissioning of 44,498 new bore wells.

The government has released Rs. 819.67 crore under ARDWP to the states as the first instalment for 2016-17. Further, the states have also been requested to utilise the Flexi Fund under the programme to mitigate scarcity of drinking water in drought affected districts.

Food: The Food Security Act (NFSA) is already implemented in all the drought-affected states, said Singh, adding that continuous persuasion with the states resulted in the number of States/UTs under NFSA increasing from 11 to 33 in the past year.

At present all beneficiaries in drought-affected states are receiving food grains under NFSA at NFSA prescribed rates. Additional allocation of food grains has been made to Maharashtra and Karnataka States on their request.

The Mid Day Meal Scheme provides for serving of meals to eligible schoolchildren during summer vacations in areas declared to be drought affected by the state government. The majority of the drought affected states have obtained financial approvals to serve mid-day meals during summer vacations in their drought affected districts or areas.

Assistance to distressed farmers:

The minister said the government enhanced the quantum of input subsidy (relief assistance to farmers) provided under SDRF/NDRF by 50 percent in April 2015. Further, the norms for assistance were also made more farmer-friendly by setting the threshold for assistance at a crop loss of 33 percent or above rather than the earlier threshold of 50 percent.

Under NDRF, Rs. 10,275 crore has been released to states - the highest assistance ever provided.

The Reserve Bank of India amended the criteria of crop loss from 50 to 33 percent in the guidelines for relief measures by banks in areas affected by natural calamities and all the state governments were advised to take necessary steps in coordination with banks and District Level Coordination Committees (DLCC) to implement the amended guidelines so that relief is extended to farmers.

Loans worth more than Rs. 1,50,00 crore have already been restructured.

Insurance companies were proactively persuaded to make timely payment of insurance claims. Claims to the excess of Rs.13,000 crore have either been paid or are being settled expeditiously. This is more than double the amount paid out last year. States have also been requested to send the claims for the Rabi season urgently.

The Centre said it has rolled out a new Crop Insurance Scheme called the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna from Kharif 2016. The scheme has the lowest ever premium for the farmer-1.5 percent for Rabi and 2 percent for Kharif. It has also enabled insurance cover to be provided for various risks that have hitherto been uninsurable. The scheme aims to increase the insurance coverage from 23 to 50 percent of the cropped area.

Employment

The Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee has been strengthened as a concerted response to tackle agrarian distress and to meet the demand for work in drought affected areas, creating durable, income generating assets in the process.

In 2015-16, states were asked to provide employment where needed, particularly in drought affected areas, with the assurance that the Centre would make the required resources available.

In response to this, 13 states generated person days beyond their estimated labour budgets for the Financial Year 2015-2016.

The financial commitments made to these states have been honoured. The programme achieved mile-stones such as 235 crore person days have been generated in the last FY (49 days per household), which is highest in the last five years; the expenditure of Rs. 42,253.75 Crore in FY 2015-16 is the highest ever since the inception of the programme; more than 63 percent of the total expenditure was on agriculture and related works with a focus on Natural Resource Management (NRM) and water conservation.

The entitlement has been expanded from 100 to 150 days of work to households in drought-affected regions, he said, adding that more than 20 lakh households in these regions have availed this opportunity and exceeded 100 days of work.

In 2015-16, Rs. 33,000 crore was initially allocated under MNREGA. This year, the initial allocation is Rs.38,500 crore, and this will be further augmented based on demand from the states. On April 7, the ministry directed all States to maintain the tempo of work from April to June, especially in drought affected regions. The government is fully committed to ensure that the necessary resources are made available to meet the demand for work.

Livelihoods:

Saying tghat Livelihood diversification is an essential part of the drought response strategy. Every block in the drought affected areas is being targeted for intensive work under the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Mission. This involves risk mitigation through the development of multiple livelihoods and by formation and support of self-help groups.

At least 18 lakh young people from households who have completed 100 days of employment in any of the last two years will undergo skills training through Project LIFE (Livelihoods in full Employment).

Water security and drought proofing:

Under the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), a series of activities have been undertaken to develop rainfed/degraded areas and wastelands. An amount of Rs. 1,064.23

The Government has also undertaken pre-monsoon preparedness by advising the affected States on a series of short and medium term measures to conserve water received during the monsoon period and to better manage the demand for existing water resources.

In addition to these actions, states have created district level plans which address local issues of availability of drinking water and fodder as well as the establishment of cattle camps and provision of food for those in need. For example, the State of Maharashtra has launched the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan in which village level plans have been prepared to renovate and rejuvenate water bodies to improve water security.
Jerry Mateparae, the Governor General of New Zealand on Saturday hosted a banquet in honour of President Pranab Mukherjee here in Auckland.

Speaking on the occasion the President said the governments and the people of India and New Zealand have, over the years, developed a close and fruitful relationship of friendship and co-operation.

"The two countries share a unique bond of trust and mutual understanding - based on our shared values and synergies. Though they may be separated by geographical distances, their co-operation has, in recent years, become increasingly multifaceted, dynamic and rewarding," President Mukherjee said.

President Mukherjee said ingenuity and innovation are qualities for which New Zealand is well known.

"New Zealand has made tremendous progress in dairy development, food processing, communications and information technology, clean energy and water, disaster management, biotechnology, healthcare and services. India looks forward to new partnerships with New Zealand in areas of common interest. India invites investors and entrepreneurs from New Zealand to join Indian counterparts in the "Make in India" initiative of our Government," he said.

The President said the two nations share an extraordinary convergence of values and aspirations and have demonstrated a remarkable degree of independence of spirit in defending and upholding democratic values that are vitally important to the comity of nations.

"Both our countries are active participants in regional and international fora and have worked together in close cooperation on matters of shared interest and concern. New Zealand is home to more than 170,000 people of Indian origin. Our people to people contacts are growing. Indian students are increasingly opting for higher studies in New Zealand and there are enhanced tourist flows in both directions. The most famous New Zealander known to Indians remains Sir Edmund Hillary. Both the countries have a broad convergence of interests on regional and global issues. India deeply appreciates New Zealand's support for India as a member of a reformed and expanded UN Security Council," he said.

The Indian President is on a three-day visit to New Zealand after completing his landmark visit to Papua New Guinea.
A memorial has come up for one of Manipur's greatest warriors of the 19th century in Khongjom, which located about 36 kilometers from Imphal on the Indo-Burmese Road.

The memorial is a dedication to martyrs of a war broke out that between Manipur and British India in 1891. It was in Khongjom that Major General Paona Brajabashi proved his valor against the superior force of the invading British Army in 1891.

President Pranab Mukherjee recently inaugurated the war monument on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the battle.

The war memorial has been built on the Kheba hillock in Thoubal district.

President Mukherjee lauded the spirit and bravery of the great Manipuri people who fought against British troops and urged their descendants to emulate them.

He also emphasized that Manipur is the jewel of India.

Miranda Paonam, a Britisher married to the grandson of Major General Paona Brajabashi, said, "We have made Manipur our home. This year, we have brought many clients to Manipur. My husband is a doctor. We wish to make a spinal alignment centre here and hope to bring to the world the secrets of Manipur."

A local resident said, "I think this is a beginning. Earlier they showed little interest, but now the Central Government has realized the importance of Manipur. So I think they have begun to take interest now."

For the nation, more so for Manipur, it is seen as a day to remember and honor the bravery and sacrifice made by countless Manipuri patriots in their struggle for freedom.

The monument is not only a symbol of pride but will attract tourists and boost the state economy.
At least two prominent commanders of the Taliban were killed and several injured in an ambush organised by the Afghan police forces in Afghanistan's southeastern Ghazni province.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) said that the two top Taliban commanders were killed in Deh Yak and Gilan districts of Ghazni, reports Khaama Press.

In a statement by the Ministry of Interior one of the commanders was identified as Khalid who was killed along with his 3 companions on Friday night.

While the commander was killed in Gilan district, three other militants were also injured in the ambush.

The Afghan police forces also seized weapons and ammunition during the ambush.

Meanwhile, the Taliban militants have not commented regarding the report so far.

Ghazni is among the volatile provinces in southeastern Afghanistan where militant groups including the Taliban insurgents operate anti-state activities.
The fifth phase of the West Bengal assembly elections witnessed 38.15 percent voter turnout till 11 a.m. The voter turnout recorded till 9 a.m. was 19.64 percent.

Several prominent personalities like former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, BJP's Chandra Bose and CPM's Mohammad Salim cast their votes.

Trinamool Congress MP and spokesman Derek O' Brein, after casting his vote from Ballygunge constituency expressed confidence of his party's win in the election.

Amidst polling, a civic police volunteer died after a bomb was hurled by unidentified people in Murshidabad's Beldanga in early morning hours.

A clash broke out between the workers of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the Arambag area of West Bengal's Hooghly. One CPI (M) worker is said to be injured in the incident.

Amid tight security, the fifth phase of the West Bengal assembly elections for 53 seats in 24 Parganas Dakshin, Hooghly and Kolkata Dakshin districts began here today at 7 a.m.

The polling is being held for 31 constituencies in 24 Parganas Dakshin, 18 in Hooghly and four in Kolkata Dakshin.

About 1.24 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise to elect their representative from 349 candidates, including 43 women, at 14, 642 polling booths, including 1075 model booths and 390 ladies booths.

As many as 680 companies of central forces have been deployed in all the three poll-bound districts for smooth polling.

Strict Nakabandi checks are on in the poll bound districts. As many as 22,000 personnel of the Bengal Police have also been put on election duty.

The Central Security Forces have taken special measures to dominate the 5,298 sensitive pockets by launching day-night vigil and nak-checks.

Among others, Trinamool Congress chairperson and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bharatiya Janata Party's Chandra Kumar Bose and the Left-supported Congress candidate Deepa Das Munshi are in the fray from Bhawanipur constituency in Kolkata Dakshin.
A clash broke out between the workers of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the Arambag area of West Bengal's Hooghly, where the fifth phase of the assembly elections is currently underway.

One CPI(M) worker is said to be injured in the incident, although the extent of his injury and his present state is yet to be ascertained.

The fifth phase of the West Bengal assembly elections began this morning amid tight secutrity in 24 Parganas Dakshin, Hooghly and Kolkata Dakshin districts. The polling is being held for 31 constituencies in 24 Parganas Dakshin, 18 in Hooghly and four in Kolkata Dakshin.

About 1.24 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise to elect their representative from 349 candidates, including 43 women, at 14, 642 polling booths, including 1075 model booths and 390 ladies booths.

As many as 680 companies of central forces have been deployed in all the three poll-bound districts for smooth polling.
Central Assistance sanctioned Rs.1,080 cr

Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation has approved an investment of Rs.9,005 cr for construction of 73,205 more houses for Economically Weaker Sections in urban under Prime Minister's Awas Yojana in the States of Maharashtra, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir.

An inter-ministerial Central Screening & Monitoring Committee chaired by Dr. Nandita Chatterjee, Secretary (HUPA) approved the first batch of housing proposals during the current financial year. These were also the first affordable housing proposals of these three States sanctioned under PMAY (Urban).

Maharashtra has been sanctioned a total of 71,701 houses in 10 cities at a total project cost of Rs.8,932 cr with Central Assistance of Rs.1,064 cr. Houses sanctioned include -61,946 under Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), 7,399 for Beneficiary Led Construction (BLC) and 2,356 for In-situ Slum Redevelopment.

Houses sanctioned city-wise in Maharashtra are: Virar-61,946, Kalyan-30,378, Thane-8,184, Gothegar-3,822 and the rest in Mumbai Metropolitan Region areas of Wave, Palghar, Pen, Nilaje Pada, Raygad and Kelawali.

For Punjab, construction of 1,280 houses for In-Situ Slum Redevelopment in Bhatinda was approved with a total investment of Rs.57 cr for which central assistance of Rs.12.80 cr was sanctioned.

For Jammu & Kashmir, construction of 224 houses under Beneficiary Led Construction component of PMAY (Urban) has been approved with a total investment of Rs.16.07 cr with central assistance of Rs.3.36 cr. This includes construction of 141 houses in Udhampur and 83 in Baramullah.

Under the components of AHP and BLC of PMAY (Urban), central assistance of Rs.1.50 lakh per house is provided while under In-situ Slum Redevelopment to be taken up private developers through monetization of existing land, central assistance of Rs.1.00 per each house is provided.

With these approvals, the total investment approved for affordable housing under PMAY (Urban) so far has gone up to Rs.43, 922 cr for construction of 6,83,724 houses for urban poor with total central assistance commitment of Rs.10,050 cr.

Under PMAY(Urban) launched in June last year, construction of 2 crore houses for urban poor by the year 2022 is targeted.

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Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has launched mobile app, namely, 'Indian Customs- Guide to Travellers'.

The mobile App has been developed by Bengaluru Customs to inform international travelers who may, inter-alia, be traders/exporters/importers about Customs Baggage rules.

The app is available on Android Play store, Apple Store and Windows Store.

This app serves as a ready reckoner of Customs Baggage Rules, 2016 and entitlements to International passengers. It is user friendly and serves as a useful tool for quick and effective dissemination of information about baggage rules and entitlements and thus serve to clarify doubts and concern of International passengers and also ensure better compliance.

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IPO price band fixed at Rs 220-227 per share

Parag Milk Foods, one of the leading manufacturers and marketers of dairy-based branded foods in India, has announced an initial public offer (IPO) which comprises of fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to Rs 300 crore and offer for sale of up to 2.05 crore shares from existing shareholders. The IPO opens for bidding on 4 May 2016 and closes on 6 May 2016. The price band for the IPO has been fixed at Rs 220-227 per share.

The three investors who are selling shares via the IPO are India Business Excellence Fund (IBEF) which is a unit scheme of venture capital fund Business Excellence Trust, India Business Excellence Fund I (IBEF I) and IDFC Private Equity Fund III (IDFC PE) which is a unit scheme of venture capital fund IDFC Infrastructure Fund 3. IBEF is selling 21.09 lakh shares, IBEF I is selling 39.17 lakh shares and IDFC PE is selling 82.59 lakh shares via the IPO.

From the promoter group, Netra Shah is selling 20.04 lakh shares and Priti Shah is selling 11 lakh shares. Other selling shareholders are selling a combined 31.81 lakh shares.

The company will utilize the proceeds of the fresh issue of shares to fund the expansion and modernisation at its existing manufacturing facilities at Manchar in Pune and Palamaner in Andhra Pradesh and improving the marketing/distribution infrastructure. The company has earmarked Rs 147.70 crore the expansion and modernisation plan. It has earmarked Rs 2.29 crore for investment in its subsidiary for financing the capital expenditure requirements in relation to the expansion and modernisation of the Bhagyalaxmi Dairy Farm. A sum of Rs 100 crore will be used for partial repayment of the working capital consortium loan.

Promoted by Devendra Shah, Pritam Shah and Parag Shah, Parag Milk Foods manufactures a diverse range of products including cheese, ghee (clarified butter), fresh milk, whey proteins, paneer, curd, yoghurt, milk powders and dairy based beverages targeting a wide range of consumer groups through several brands. The company currently has aggregate milk processing capacity of 2 million litres per day. The cheese plant has a raw cheese production capacity of 40 MT per day. The company's two flagship brands are Gowardhan and Go.

The company operates a diary farm through its subsidiary Bhagyalaxmi Dairy Farms Private Limited. It is a fully automated cow farm housing over 2,000 holstein breed cows with superior quality yields. It produces farm-to-home premium fresh milk, which is marketed under the Pride of Cows brand in Mumbai and Pune.

Based on the consolidated financial performance, Parag Milk Foods registered net profit of Rs 31.92 crore on revenue from operations of Rs 1230.60 crore for 9 months ended 31 December 2015. The company reported net profit of Rs 25.96 crore on revenue from operations of Rs 1438.70 crore for the year ended 31 March 2015. The company has stated in its Red Herring Prospectus that it has not declared any dividend in the last five financial years. The company has no formal dividend distribution policy.

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Receives bids for 55.31 crore shares

The initial public offer (IPO) of diagnostic chain operator Thyrocare Technologies received bids for a total of 55.31 crore shares on the third and final day of bidding for the IPO yesterday, 29 April 2016, as per data from the National Stock Exchange (NSE) website. The IPO was subscribed 73.55 times.

The qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) category was subscribed 73.17 times. The non-institutional investors category was subscribed 225.03 times. The retail individual investors category was subscribed 8.72 times.

Thyrocare Technologies has raised Rs 143.76 crore by selling 32.23 lakh shares to anchor investors ahead of the opening of the company's initial public offer (IPO). The shares were allotted to the anchor investors at Rs 446 per share, the top end of the Rs 420 to Rs 446 per share price band for the IPO.

Anchor investors allotted shares of Thyrocare Technologies include Nomura Trust and Banking Company, DSP Blackrock Emerging Stars Fund, HDFC Trustee Company, Birla Sunlife Trustee Company, Reliance Capital Trustee Company, SBI Magnum Multiplier Fund, ICICI Prudential, Tata AIA Life Insurance Company, Copthall Mauritius Investment, Spring Healthcare India Trust, FIL Investments (Mauritius), L&T Mutual Fund, Sundaram Mutual Fund and DB International (Asia).

The IPO of Thyrocare Technologies through the book-building route opened for bidding on 27 April 2016. The bidding for the IPO concluded on 29 April 2016. The issue comprised of offer for sale of up to 1.07 crore equity shares by existing shareholders of the company. The company will not receive any funds from the IPO. Private equity investor Agalia Private Limited is selling 1.02 crore shares via the IPO. From the promoter group, A. Velumani HUF and A. Sundararaju HUF are selling 1.8 lakh shares each and Anand Velumani is selling 1.77 lakh shares.

Promoted by Dr. A. Velumani and A Sundararaju, Thyrocare Technologies is one of the leading pan-India diagnostic chain operators. It conducts an array of medical diagnostic tests and profiles of tests that center on early detection and management of disorders and diseases, including thyroid disorders, growth disorders, metabolism disorders, auto-immunity, diabetes, anemia, cardiovascular disorders, infertility and various infectious diseases. The company primarily operates its testing services through a fully automated Central Processing Laboratory (CPL). It has recently expanded its operations to include a network of Regional Processing Laboratories (RPLs).

The company has built a nation-wide network of authorized service providers that source samples for processing and testing by the RPLs and CPL. As of 29 February 2016, the company had a network of 1,041 authorized service providers, comprised of 687 Thyrocare Aggregators (TAGs) and 354 Thyrocare Service Providers (TSPs) spread across 466 cities, 24 states and one union territory. The company offers wellness and preventive tests under Aarogyam brand. The company also operates a network of molecular imaging centers in New Delhi, Navi Mumbai and Hyderabad focused on early and effective cancer monitoring. This business is carried through its wholly owned subsidiary NHL.

Based on the consolidated financial performance, Thyrocare Technologies reported net profit of Rs 40.02 crore on revenue from operations of Rs 175.91 crore for nine months ended 31 December 2015. Net profit stood at Rs 44.43 crore on revenue from operations of Rs 182.95 crore for the year ended 31 March 2015.

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Last September, John Andrews suffered a brain aneurysm and was airlifted via helicopter by Life Flight Network from Anaconda to Missoula. He was charged $34,200, his health insurer paid almost half, and Life Flight Network billed him the balance: $18,678.

Upon arrival in Missoula, St. Patrick Hospital decided John needed to be airlifted via airplane to Seattle, this time by its own affiliate, NW MedStar. He was charged $57,867, his health insurer paid about one-third, and NW MedStar billed him the balance: $37,931.

Two flights. Two companies. Two large bills. One call to action.

John and families across Montana are why I am chairing an Air Ambulance Working Group to come up with solutions to protect Montanans from exorbitant air ambulance bills. Far too many Montana families are enduring what Johns family is enduring and State Auditor Monica Lindeens office is working with our hospitals, health insurers, air ambulance companies, and others to stand up for families like Johns.

Many hospitals don't have their own air transportation. If they call Reach Air or Life Flight Network (which recently acquired NW MedStar) patients will receive a balance bill for their flight, sometimes more than $90,000. Reach Air will work with us in helping you. They recognize that even though it's not their legal obligation, it is their moral obligation. Life Flight Network does not.

John's story is like every other story we encounter in our office for air transport of a child or adult. They had medical emergencies, they have health insurance, none of them chose who provided their air transport, and yet they are being pushed to financial ruin. It's wrong. It's unacceptable. And it must be fixed.

In a rural state like Montana, we need air ambulance companies because they save lives. But we don't need some of their billing practices.

The problem lies in the hands of Congress and nothing is easy in Washington, D.C., even if the solution is obvious and has bipartisan support. That's what we have, though, with a common-sense amendment sponsored by our own Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D.

Their amendment empowers states to rein in these out-of-control air ambulance bills. Many Montanans are strong advocates of state's rights, for good reason, but companies like Life Flight Network resist these efforts, putting Montanans at their financial mercy.

Whether Congress acts or not, our Air Ambulance Working Group is working on solutions with the Legislature, which will end the ridiculous notion that whomever gets called dictates whether your family will be financially stable after an air transport. We need help from our hospitals, health insurers, air ambulance companies, and you.

Call Rep. Ryan Zinke and Sen. Steve Daines and urge them to support Tester's bipartisan amendment to give Montana the ability to help ourselves when it comes to air ambulance transports.
Filmmaker Agneya Singh plans to release his film "M Cream", which has travelled to over 30 festivals, in July.

Singh told IANS: "We have been fortunate that the film has travelled to over 30 festivals, and has won 10 awards. Audiences across the world have told me that they haven't seen a film from India like this. It's been incredibly encouraging for us because we have travelled to so many festivals."

He added: "Even though we have been doing it for one year, we are planning to go ahead with the release of the film in July. Small films like ours which are independent usually don't have the budget that Bollywood films have so, it is important for us to showcase the film and get us that critical acclaim."

"M Cream" won the best feature award in Rhode Island following which the film hit the trade all over US and in Europe, where it's been premiered in Ireland, Italy, Germany, France.

The story of "M Cream" traces a road trip between four friends from Delhi to Himachal Pradesh to discover "M Cream", which is a 'magical' form of a drug, while expressing the rebel attitude in them. The film has been written by Singh and draws heavily from his own life, having lived in Delhi and seen the craze for the particular drug.

Actor Naseeruddin Shah's son Imaad Shah and Ira Dubey play important roles in the film, produced by Vindhya Singh under the banner Agniputra Films.

--IANS

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The Congress on Saturday demanded an apology from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah for spreading lies and misleading the nation on the AgustaWestland chopper deal.

"Amit Shah and BJP leaders have become masters in pursuing of deceit and deliberate lies. BJP government needs to introspect whether mud-slinging and muckraking can ever replace the truth," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

"Can 'smear campaign' and 'hatchet jobs' of 'BJP's dirty tricks department' defend the 'Operation Cover-up' of BJP government in helping AugustaWestland?"

Singh attacked the BJP president saying: "Amit Shah has called AgustaWestland and its parent company Finmeccanica a 'bogus company'. Will Amit Shah ask Modi government as to why it has been protecting the same bogus company for last two years as CBI/ED investigation has reached no conclusion?"

"Will Amit Shah and BJP answer to the people as to why the same 'fraud company' was permitted to be part of Prime Minister's 'Make-in-India' programme and participate in 'Aero India Exhibition'?" he asked.

He also sought to know from Shah to explain "why the same 'fraud company' was being given permission by Foreign Investment Promotion Board of Modi government as recently as on December 8, 2015?"

"Will he also answer as to why the same 'fraud company' was given permission to participate in defence contract as a 'sub-contractor' as also 'supplier to a contracting party' with government of India by order dated August 22, 2014 of Ministry of Defence?" the Congress spokesperson added.

--IANS

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The war of words over the AgustaWestland chopper deal intensified on Saturday with the Congress asking the government and the BJP a pointed question: Why a "fraud and blacklisted company" was allowed to participate in defence contracts in 2014?

The charge has been outright denied by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who also held the defence portfolio from May to November 2014. He said AgustaWestland's parent company Finmeccanica was never blacklisted by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

"Will BJP chief Amit Shah answer as to why the 'fraud company' was given permission to participate in defence contract as a 'sub-contractor' as also 'supplier to a contracting party' with government of India by order dated August 22, 2014 of Ministry of Defence?" Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewalla said at a press conference here.

He sought to know from Shah "why the same 'fraud company' was being given permission by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board of the Narendra Modi government as recently as on December 8, 2015?"

The Congress party earlier also flayed the BJP-led NDA government for allowing the tainted AgustaWestland to take part in the 'Make in India' initiative and the Defence Expo.

In Thiruvananthapuram, Jaitley dismissed the charge saying the claim that the company was blacklisted by the Manmohan Singh government and it was lifted by the NDA dispensation was not true.

"He (Antony) says the parent company of AgustaWestland, Finmeccanica, was blacklisted by the UPA government. No such thing has happened and I feel he is suffering from memory loss," said Jaitley.

Disputing former defence minister Antony's claim, Jaitley said: "What happened was that on May 12, 2014 as defence minister Antony issued an order directing to stop all dealings with Finmeccanica. The results to the Lok Sabha polls came on May 16 and the present (Modi) government assumed office on May 26. So Antony's order did not come through."

As the then defence minister, Jaitley said it was he (Jaitley) who had issued an order directing to stop all dealings with that company.

But to ensure that defence preparedness was not hurt, the old supplies were allowed and future contracts were put on hold, Jaitley explained.

In Delhi, BJP spokesman G.V.L. Narasimha Rao criticised the Congress for allowing the field tests of helicopters abroad and hinted that this was possibly done at the behest of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

"A.K. Antony, the then defence minister, had questioned the proposal to have these field evaluation trials abroad. This is what the CAG report also cites... Who in the UPA government, or who in the Congress party other than Sonia Gandhi and her advisor Ahmed Patel. Who has the authority to override Antony's objections?" he asked.

Congress spokesperson Surjewala attacked the BJP president saying: "Amit Shah has called AgustaWestland and its parent company Finmeccanica a 'bogus company'. Will Amit Shah ask Modi government as to why it has been protecting the same bogus company for last two years as CBI/ED investigation has reached no conclusion?"

"Will Amit Shah and BJP answer to the people as to why the same 'fraud company' was permitted to be part of prime minister's 'Make-in-India' programme and participate in 'Aero India Exhibition'?" he asked.

Meanwhile, the CBI on Saturday questioned Air Marshal (retd.) J.S. Gujral in connection with the VVIP helicopter $750 million deal.

--IANS

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An official in Andhra Pradesh has been arrested and sent to jail for amassing wealth said to be around Rs.800 crore, allegedly through corruption.

Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials continued their searches on Friday to unearth the assets of Mohan, a deputy commissioner in the transport department.

The simultaneous searches, which began on Thursday, were conducted at nine places in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka.

ACB officials recovered gold and silver jewellery and cash from the officer's house in Kakinada town in East Godavari district. Documents of several lands and flats owned by him and his family members in Nelore, Prakasam and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad in Telangana and Bellary in Karnataka were also found.

The market value of the assets could be around Rs.800 crore. Some bank lockers of the officers are yet to be opened.

ACB officials said Mohan (52) and his family members own as many as eight plots sft 450-500 square yards each at Kompally in Hyderabad. They also have four plots in Madhapur, the information technology hub. Other prime property in Hyderabad include a four-storey building in posh Jubliee Hills and a flat in commercial centre Panjagutta.

ACB official A. Ramadevi, who led the raids, said there were 10 house sites and seven acre agriculture land in Bellary, Karnataka in the name of Mohan's son-in-law.

The transport official owns 45 acres in Prakasam district while 9.5 acre land is registered in the name of his daughter in Nellore.

Mohan had also invested in five companies he had set up in the name of his elder daughter. Officials suspect the firms could have been used for money laundering.

The ACB took action following complaints against Mohan, a Group I officer in the state. A case of disproportionate assets was booked against him.

The officer had been serving as deputy commissioner at Kakinada since 2014. He had earlier served at various places in then united Andhra Pradesh.

--IANS

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be visiting Uttar Pradesh on Monday to attend a family function of his party colleague Sanjay Singh, a party leader said on Saturday.

Soon after his arrival by a commercial flight on Monday evening, Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party chief, would go straight to Sultanpur and attend the function at Singh's house, said Uttar Pradesh AAP unit spokesman Vaibhav Maheshwari.

Kejriwal would be accompanied by his Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, many other ministers, legislators and senior party leaders.

Party workers have planned a grand welcome for Kejriwal enroute to Sultanpur, as they will welcome him at Jagdishpur, Musafirkhana and many other places.

He will spend the night at the Sultanpur circuit house and adequate security arrangements have been made for the Delhi chief minister, an official informed IANS.

The chief minister will return to Delhi on May 3. It would be after a very long time that Kejriwal will visit Lucknow.

The last time he did was soon after the formation of AAP when he had launched an agitation against Congress leader and the then union external affairs minister Salman Khursheed's NGO.

--IANS

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Even two years since the launch of hyped flagship scheme, the National Food Security Act, most states "were yet to computerise" their Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), said a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in parliament.

The report, that covered the period 2013 to 2015, however, lauded "good practice" models of Chhattisgarh with regard the computerisation of supply chain management and of Karnataka, ahich had completed digitalisation of beneficaries and a transparency portal already in place.

With regard Bihar, the CAG said, while computerisation of supply chain management of foodgrains was implemented, "the online entry of store issue orders could not be checked" at all warehouses due to non-availability of system/laptop, internet and electricity connection.

This, the official auditor said, "shows lack of preparedness in so far as implementation of end to end computerisation is concerned".

Even for Delhi, the CAG said, "supply of household wise allocation of foodgrains of three selected fair price shops showed that data of 170 households was not completely digitised".

It further said that the Delhi government "did not provide the requisite information for detailed analysis by audit".

Citing "test check" in Assam, the CAG noted that amount of Rs 19.72 crore sanctioned by the central government to implement the Food Security Act was released to the executing agency only in February 2015 - "nine months" after the sanction made in May 2014".

The report also was critical about digitisation programmes in Uttar Pradesh.

"No software was installed to provide real time reports pertaining to movement of foodgrains at different levels," it said adding while in districts like Gorakhpur, Jhansi and Bulandshahr though money was spent, "computers had not been installed in the block godowns".

In Lucknow district, computers were not purchased during 2013-15.

The CAG pointed out that doorstep delivery of foodgrains was not implemented in Assam and only partially in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

"In Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, doorstep delivery was being done by fair price shop dealers themselves against the provisions of the National Food Security Act."

The official auditor also lamented that even after two years, "only 51 percent of the eligible beneficiaries had been identified and 49 percent beneficiaries were yet to be identified in all states or union territories".

It attributed the delay in implementation of the act to non-finalisation of a number of beneficiaries under the socio-economic caste census, lack of infrastructure facilities, insufficient funds and manpower.

Most implementing states did not identify the poorest of the poor called Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and priority households' beneficiaries as per the provisions of the NFSA, but only used the old database for extending the benefits, the CAG said.

--IANS

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida held talks in Beijing on Saturday in a bid to relieve tensions that have sparked mistrust between the world's second and third largest economies.

During the opening remarks, Wang stressed that China-Japan ties must be based on respect for history, adherence to commitment, and on cooperation rather than confrontation, Xinhua news agency reported.

China and Japan are neighbours, Wang said, stressing that China is willing to develop a healthy and stable relationship with Japan.

"We hope that your visit will play a positive role in actual improvement of China-Japan ties," said Wang.

The visit comes against the backdrop of simmering tensions between the countries over the sovereignty of some islands in the East China Sea for almost four years now, as well as over historical conflicts due to wars and the Japanese occupation of China in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Wang also praised Japan for having offered to take the "first step" to improve ties, echoing the words of Kishida before he embarked on the tour.

Kishida is also expected to meet with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang today to set the groundwork for a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, EFE news reported.

According to a Chinese foreign ministry statement, which does not include statements by the Japanese minister, Wang expressed China's wish to establish a relationship of cooperation instead of confrontation between the two nations, but remarked it had to be done "facing up to history".

Chinese media, however, said the latest actions by Japan are at odds with such "positive" signals, indicating, among others, Japan's decision to send twelve vessels to patrol an area close to the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands in early April, after a legislative package awarding greater powers to the Japanese Army came into effect.

The reform, which Tokyo says will strengthen its alliance with Washington, is seen by detractors, including China, as a way to end the pacifism so far favoured by the Japanese Constitution.

They also mentioned recent visits by Japanese leaders, including Prime Minister Abe, to Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine, seen as a symbol of the country's militaristic past by China.

--IANS

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that a draft bill for statehood of the national capital was ready.

"Draft bill for statehood of Delhi ready. Will be soon placed in public domain for comments and suggestions from the public," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said in a tweet.

Kejriwal has been batting for full statehood for Delhi, claiming the move will help him implement his plans better in the city.

--IANS

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Information technology ministers of the G7 countries, during a meeting in Japan on Saturday, agreed to tackle the digital divide by bringing internet access to more people, and pushing for policies free of political censorship.

The plan set out by the ministers of the G7 countries - Japan, the US, Germany, Britain, France, Canada and Italy - and European Union officials is to enable 1.5 billion more people to have internet access by 2020, EFE news reported.

It is believed that around 4 billion people, representing 60 percent of the world's population, still lack internet access.

"We believe that global digital connectivity should in particular contribute to improving the quality of life for all people everywhere, to generating economic growth," they said.

Meanwhile, in a message to countries such as China and Russia where governments censor web content, the ministers called for a free flow of information.

"We continue to support ICT policies that preserve the global nature of the internet, promote the flow of information across borders and allow internet users to access online information, knowledge and services of their choice," a joint statment issued after the meeting said.

The group also called for the active participation of governments, the private sector, civil society, the tech community and international organisations in matters concerning internet governance.

The meet emphasised the need to strengthen international and public-private cooperation to bolster cyber security and combat cyber terrorism.

Japan, which has the current rotating presidency of the G7, also proposed the development of a barometer to assess cyber risks.

The information and communication technology meeting of the G7 is the first to be held in 21 years, and its conclusions will be taken up in the upcoming G7 leaders' meet on May 26 and 27 in Japan.

The participating ministers, of the world's seven most industrialised countries, also pledged to follow up on the agreements at a meeting in Italy next year.

--IANS

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A student of the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IITG) here allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling of his hostel room, police said on Saturday.

Police said that student, S.I. Alam of West Bengal's Murshidabad, was found hanging around 10.30 p.m. on Friday by a co-resident who informed police. Although the student was rushed to a local hospital, the doctors declared him brought dead.

Alam was a first semester student of M.Sc. (Physics) and he was supposed to sit for his semester examination starting Saturday.

"We have recovered a note from near the body where it was written that no one is responsible for his death. We have sent the note to the forensic science laboratory for matching the handwriting with the deceased," said Rana Bhuyan, in-charge of the North Guwahati police outpost.

"It is difficult to ascertain the exact cause of the death as of now. However, preliminary investigation indicates it to be a case of suicide and the student must have taken the extreme step due to stress," he said.

--IANS

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During his 1864 re-election campaign, Abraham Lincoln famously cautioned voters that it is not best to swap horses while crossing the river. Its not known whether the president came up with the aphorism himself or simply popularized it, but his meaning was as clear as it was folksy: If your course of action is sound, dont abandon it just because the waters are rising.

The wisdom of his words resonates with us today. Spring testing season is well underway in schools across the state from Whitefish to Red Lodge. Students are sitting for assessments developed through the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. The exams have come under fire from various quarters, and the states adjustment to the new testing regime has been marred by frustrating computer glitches. But Montana policy makers and the Montana Board of Public Education  despite fierce opposition from some legislators  should be commended for sticking with Smarter Balanced rather than walking away when the political waters rose. Future generations of students will thank them for it.

Our organization, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, just conducted the first independent, comprehensive evaluation ever undertaken of Smarter Balanced and similar tests. In it, our analysts  highly experienced educators and content assessment experts  found that Smarter Balanced indeed delivers on its promise to be a high-quality, challenging assessment thats well matched to the new standards that Montana and most other states adopted in 2010.

This is a significant accomplishment. The standardized tests that most states had been using previously were criticized for decades, and for good reason. They were mostly cheap, low-level, multiple choice tests that were easy to game and encouraged teachers to spend endless classroom hours on mindless test-prep.

By 2010, when the Common Core initiative emerged, policy makers in Montana had recognized these problems and set out to address them. Their solution was to replace the old tests with next-generation assessments like Smarter Balanced and PARCC. About half of all states administered one of these two tests in 201415, including Montana  and these turned out to be the highest-rated tests in our evaluation.

Along the way, however, the Common Core became politically radioactive. Some governors and state legislatures promoted efforts to drop the standards; most of them failed, but a number of states took the opportunity to bail on the next-generation tests. Meanwhile, thousands of parents around the country simply kept their kids from participating in the exams.

At the same time, Smarter Balanced was delivering news that not everyone wanted to hear. The tests were much more rigorous than their predecessors; consequently, proficiency scores dropped far below their previous highs. With national disapproval brewing and sobering (but not wholly unexpected) test results at home, it would have been easy to kill the messenger  to drop Smarter Balanced and go back to dumbed-down assessments that painted a rosier picture, whether or not they aligned with what students were actually learning in the classroom.

Instead, Montana passed a crucial test: It chose to take a bracing look at the reality of its education system rather than settling for a pleasant fantasy. In doing so, the state has gained more than mere data. By adhering to loftier standards and adopting next-generation assessments, it will set its students on a path to learn more and achieve at higher levels than they otherwise would have.

Standardized tests are not universally loved. But theyre here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. They continue to influence classroom practice and are used to evaluate the strength of our schools. With so much riding on them, we need to make sure that the tests encourage the kind of curriculum and instruction we want for our kids. In the case of Smarter Balanced, our review has shown clearly that it does.

Montana has already done the hard work of adopting higher standards and a more rigorous assessment. But now that the state has chosen its horse, its just as important to stay in the saddle  even if your boots get a little wet.
JNU Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is facing sedition charges and is out on bail, met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad here on Saturday.

Visiting his home state Bihar for two days, Kanhaiya Kumar is also scheduled to meet other politicians who have been supporting him in a shared campaign against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

He also visited his father Jaishankar Singh who is suffering from paralysis.

Kanhaiya is also likely to meet BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, who has long been unhappy with his party's functioning.

Upon his arrival here earlier on Saturday, Kanhaiya told reporters: "I am not here to attend a political meeting. I am here to reach out to people with my thoughts. People of Bihar will understand what I want and where I stand."

Kanhaiya Kumar was welcomed at the airport by a large number of youths, mostly members of student wings of the left parties.

On Sunday, Kanhaiya Kumar will address a meeting here with 'Azadi' being the dominant theme, said a source in the All India Students Federation (AISF) to which he belongs.

Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on the charge of sedition in February in connection with an event at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus commemorating the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

It was alleged that "anti-national" slogans were raised during that event by Kanhaiya and other participants.

The Delhi High Court in March granted him interim bail for six months on the condition that the students' leader would not participate actively or passively in any activity "which may be termed anti-national".

On Monday, the JNU authorities imposed a fine of Rs.10,000 on Kanhaiya Kumar and rusticated three other students for taking part in the February event.

Kanhaiya and 19 other JNU students have since been agitating against the punishment handed out to them by the university.

On Thursday, the Delhi High Court heard a plea seeking cancellation of interim bail granted to Kanhaiya Kumar on the ground that his speech after his release from Tihar Jail in March was "anti-national" and he violated the bail conditions.

--IANS

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Kavery Kaul is addressing the engagement between people of different cultures and faiths via her film "Streetcar to Kolkata". The filmmaker, who is a name to reckon with in the world of documentary-making, says she likes to pan the camera to mirror the "shifting sands of culture, race, class and belonging".

Kaul shared that her journey from India to a different culture of the US turned out to be an inspiration for her to explore the filmmaking business.

"Every family has its own treasure chest of stories. I grew up with stories about India's fight for independence from the British and the partition that followed. And then, there were stories of life at the sometimes-challenging, sometimes-comic, always-memorable intersection of the India my family came from and the America we came to. For all of us, the stories we've heard shape our beliefs, our practices and our perspective of the world," span.state.gov quoted Kaul as saying.

A graduate of Harvard University, Kaul has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Artist's Fellowship, multiple New York State Council on the Arts grants and two National Endowment for the Arts awards.

The Fulbright Fellowship gave her the opportunity to research and film her latest documentary "Streetcar to Kolkata". Kaul teaches at Columbia University in New York, where her courses include works by people of different races, cultures, religions and genders.

Kaul, who picks up subjects like brain injuries, Calypso music, religion and Cuban art, added: "In my case, as a student at Harvard, I heard that a new and unusual course on the films of the Indian director Satyajit Ray was being offered by an Englishman on the faculty. How could I not be inspired by Ray's nuanced stories of the human experience in the face of overwhelming social and economic forces?

"In those days, I also frequented New York City's art-house theaters. There, I saw Sarah Maldoror's 'Sambizanga', a film about the Angolan War of Independence against the Portuguese. It was such a strong, moving story of a struggle against colonial powers. These stories held resonance for me. These directors made me want to be a filmmaker too."

Talking about cross-cultural themes, she said: "My documentaries tell stories that cross boundaries to explore the shifting sands of culture, race, class and belonging. Like the girls in 'Long Way From Home', I attended American independent schools and, later, an Ivy League college."

As an advice to young Indians boarding flight to the US to pursue a career in the arts, Kaul says "Keep an open mind. Remember that America means Mark Twain and Toni Morrison, Junot Diaz and Jhumpa Lahiri. Take it all in. At the same time, hold on to who you are and the creativity that only you can offer as someone whose artistic vision stems from India, even as those roots mingle with your discovery of America."

--IANS

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for continuous dialogue with Moscow, despite Berlin's consideration of a deployment to NATO's eastern borders.

"It is also Germany's concern to strengthen the security of all eastern member states," Merkel said on Friday during a joint press conference with visiting Latvian Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis, highlighting a stronger German involvement within the framework of NATO in Eastern Europe, Xinhua news agency reported.

Berlin's plan could see Germany deploy between 150 and 250 soldiers in Lithuania to lead a broader alliance force of some 1,000 rotating troops, according to German media.

Merkel went on to say that Germany's planned troop increase was in accordance with the NATO-Russia act, referring to a 1997 agreement on post-Cold War relations.

The pact notably bans the permanent stationing of "substantial forces" and equipment in former Warsaw Pact states.

The chancellor emphasized that the troop deployment in the east should not spark tensions with Moscow. "We must always be prepared to allow for dialogue. I think that is very important."

The German government, she added, is very much in favour of a resumption of dialogue within the NATO-Russia Council.

In mid-April, the NATO-Russia Council met for the first time in two years to discuss the Ukraine crisis.

--IANS

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A Muslim prayer hall was set on fire in Ajaccio, the capital of French island of Corsica, in the early hours of Saturday morning, President Francois Hollande's office said on Saturday.

"An investigation was immediately opened. It should determine as soon as possible the causes of the disaster," the Elysee added in a statement.

The perpetrators will be swiftly identified and punished, Hollande pledged, expressing his solidarity with the Muslim minority living on the French island.

"No anti-religious act should be tolerated," he stressed.

Late December 2015, a mosque in Ajaccio was ransacked following racial tension and anti-immigration protests.

--IANS

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There were no takers for the defunct Kingfisher Airlines' intellectual properties like brand names and trademarks, once valued at over Rs.4,000 crore, at an hourlong auction here on Saturday.

The auction, which started at 11.30 a.m., ended at 12.30 p.m. without notching a single bid against a reserve price of Rs.366.70 crores, said officials.

The IPs on the block included the famous Kingfisher logo, its catchy word mark 'Fly The Good Times', Flying Models, Funliner, Fly Kingfisher, Flying Bird Device, which are valid upto January 2017 and November 2024.

This was the second failed attempt by the consortium of lending banks led by State Bank Of India (SBI) to auction Vijay Mallya's IPs after a similar measure to dispose off his movable and immovable assets, including the Kingfisher House in Vile Parle on March 17.

Way back in April 2014, the SBI had invited offers of expression of interest for these IPs from various concerned parties, but the response to the same is not known.

Saturday's auction of the IPs was conducted by SBICAP Trustee Company under the Sarfaesi Act, through an online auction platform, AuctionTiger.net.

As on March 31, 2014, Mallya owes the 17-banks consortium Rs.6.963 crore plus interest which has piled up till date.

Last month, the banks had attempted to auction the 17,000 sq. feet Kingfisher House with a reserve price of Rs.150 crores, and later it tried to sell off the company's vehicles, office assets, aircoditioners, trolleys, tractors, etc., to recover some part of the huge outstandings.

Meanwhile, Mallya, who left India on March 2, has admitted he is staying put in London under a "self-imposed exile".

Mallya's diplomatic passport has been revoked, and a non-bailable arrest warrant has been issued by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case after he repeatedly failed to honour its summons in past two months.

Amidst reports that Mallya has acquired British citizenship, the central government has initiated deportation proceedings against from Britain.

--IANS

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Iran's interior ministry has announced the conclusion of parliamentary elections following two rounds of contests among the qualified candidates.

The second round of elections held in 21 of the 31 provinces in the country on Friday, in which the fate of remaining 68 vacant seats and the composition for new parliament, or Majlis, was completed, the ministry said on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Of at least 12,000 registered hopefuls, 6,229 qualified candidates competed for 290 seats in the Majlis, namely, some 21 people competed for each seat in the parliamentary election.

According to local media, the reformists and moderates gained ground in the 10th Majlis elections, but none of the heavyweight political groups have been able to seize the majority.

Of the 290 seats of the Majlis, 114 will be filled by the reformists and 12 by their moderate allies. The principlists, who are also referred to as conservatives, will occupy 107 seats, Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.

Independent candidates and religious minorities comprise 52 and five seats of the parliament respectively, according to report.

Also, Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) drew the balance of power in the new Majlis in favor of reformists with 120 lawmakers, while principlists won 83 seats. According to this report, independents gained 81 seats and religious minorities five.

--IANS

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Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje held a meeting in connection with the death of 11 people, including nine children, in a government-run residential facility for the mentally challenged.

The deaths occurred between April 16 and 27 in Jamdoli area near here.

"The meeting was attended by Social Welfare Minister Arun Chaturvedi, Medical and Health Minister Rajendra Singh Rathore and Chief Secretary C.S. Rajan," a senior state government official told IANS.

During the meeting, she said: "There has been gross negligence by employees and officials and we will take strong action against those found guilty."

Meanwhile, one more child was admitted on Saturday in the government-run hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) ward.

With this, nine people have been admitted in the government-run Sawai Man Singh and JK Lone hospitals, including four in critical condition.

The opposition Congress party has demanded an inquiry by a retired high court judge into the incident.

"Innocent children lost their lives because of gross negligence by state government officials. Vasundhara Raje government is now trying to sweep under the carpet the complete case," Rameshwar Dudi, leader of opposition in the state assembly and senior Congress leader, said.

"We want an inquiry by a retired judge," said Dudi.

Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, spokesperson of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee, has asked the chief minister to sack Social Welfare Minister Chaturvedi.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also issued notice to the Rajasthan government on the deaths.

The Rajasthan government on Friday had announced setting up of a high-level committee to probe the deaths, including of nine children, in a government-run residential facility for the mentally challenged.

"We have formed a high-level committee to investigate the deaths and the panel is expected to give its report in 15 days," Minister Chaturvedi said on Friday.

Chaturvedi said it seemed the deaths occurred due to some bacterial infection. The cause of bacterial infection has to be ascertained... why it happened and how it happened?

Doctors at the JK Lone Hospital are of the opinion the bacterial infection seemed to have been caused by either food or water.

Samples of drinking water have been collected and sent for testing. "We are awaiting the report," the minister said.

--IANS

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Reformist and moderate candidates backing President Hassan Rouhani came out victorious in the second round of legislative elections, winning at least 37 of the 68 seats at stake.

According to the first results announced on Saturday, still provisional in some constituencies, the conservative "principlists" would have obtained 22 seats, while the rest went to independent lawmakers in the elections held on Friday.

A provisional recount published by Iranian news agency Tasnim indicated that with these results, the Islamic Legislative Assembly, or Majlis, will finally be composed of some 155 "principlist" or independent lawmakers, besides 134 reformists.

The figure, in any case, spells success for the reformists considering their declaration in the first electoral round in February - when they registered a resounding victory in Tehran, the country's largest constituency - that their aim was only to prevent the principlists from getting an absolute majority.

With the latest results, none of the sectors in Iranian will be able to impose their own legislative will and will have to necessarily seek allies in other parties.

Moreover, any major legislations requiring the approval of at least two-thirds of the house members, will be a matter of consensus.

The previous parliament only had nine reformist lawmakers.

Iran voted peacefully in the second round wherein 136 candidates competed for 68 seats that were vacant following the February 26 voting.

The election was held only in 55 constituencies from 21 provinces in the country, mostly thinly-populated rural areas, with some 17 million Iranians eligible to vote, less than half of the electoral roll.

--IANS

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Softness in the US dollar, along with healthy inflow of foreign funds, are expected to support the Indian rupee during the upcoming week.

"The rupee has broadly remained stable in the 66-67 band for nearly two months," Bansi Madhavani, analyst, India Ratings and Research, told IANS.

"Globally, fragile recovery of major economies and ensuing risk-on sentiment keeps the rupee favoured in the near term."

According to Madhavani, the Indian rupee is likely to stay on consolidation mode over the coming week, as softness in US dollar strength aids the currency.

"Data on jobs' position in the US will be eyed, as the US Fed, in its last week's policy, remained non committal on path of future rate trajectory," Madhavani informed.

Besides, the global macro data such as PMI (purchasing managers index) manufacturing figures from China and Germany along with GDP (gross domestic product) of Eurozone will influence the currency markets.

Anindya Banerjee, associate vice president for currency derivatives with Kotak Securities said: "Over the next week we can see rupee stay within a range of 66.00-66.80 levels on spot. However, rupee may remain weak against euro and yen."

On a weekly basis, the Indian rupee gained 15 paise to 66.33 (April 29) against a US dollar from its previous close of 66.48 (April 22).

"Indian rupee gained this week against the US dollar as soft dollar trend globally helped the high yielding local currency to trade strong," Banerjee elaborated.

"April turned out be a low volatile month, in line with its historical volatility."

Market observers attributed the Indian rupee's rise on the increased inflows from foreign funds in the equity markets.

For the week under review, data with the stock exchanges revealed that FPIs (Foreign Portfolio Investors) purchased stocks worth Rs.1,060.89 crore during the week under review.

Figures from the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) showed that the FPIs invested Rs.1,681.68 crore or $252.48 million in the equity markets from April 25-29.

"The Indian rupee strengthened amid demand from FIIs who have been steadily buying Indian equities almost all through the week," Anand James, chief market strategist, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services, told IANS.

(Rohit Vaid can be contacted at rohit.v@ians.in)

--IANS

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Trinamool Congress candidate Sonali Guha on Saturday landed in a controversy after she was shown on TV telling someone over the phone to "beat and drive away the CPI-M agent" from a polling booth.

Guha, who is contesting from Satgachia constituency in the ongoing West Bengal assembly polls, made the controversial comment in relation to an electronic voting machine (EVM) that she complained had been malfunctioning.

"The EVM here has been malfunctioning; it has been more than an hour that polling has been stopped because of that, but the EC (Election Commission) has taken no action," she said.

Guha and her party colleagues protested against the alleged inaction of the Election Commission by a sit-in.

A little later, while talking over her mobile phone, Guha was shown by TV news channels as saying: "Mere baar kore dis CPM agentder ekdom, ora EVM kharap kore rekhe dia che. (Beat and drive out the CPI-M agent from the booth, they have done something to the EVM).

The CPI-M and Congress condemned the remarks and demanded Guha be arrested immediately.

Guha is the deputy speaker of the outgoing West Bengal Assembly.

--IANS

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Research in Rocky Mountain ice fields was recently chosen for the $100,000 Camp Monaco Prize.

The award-winning project, "Biodiversity of the longue duree: melting ice and the synergy of humans, bison, bighorn sheep, and whitebark pine in Greater Yellowstone," seeks to examine newly discovered plant, animal and archaeological remains in retreating ice fields.

Prizewinners Craig M. Lee (University of Colorado), David McWethy (Montana State University), and Gregory T. Pederson (U.S. Geological Surveys Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center) plan to develop a broader perspective and better understanding of environmental change and past human activity in the high elevations of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

The 2016 prizewinners hope to shed new light on past climate variability on high elevation environments and the use of these landscapes by Native Americans.

First awarded in 2013, the Camp Monaco Prize is an initiative of an international partnership of the Buffalo Bill Center of the Wests Draper Natural History Museum, the University of Wyomings Biodiversity Institute, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation-USA. The prize invites proposals from around the world; the jury received submissions representing more than 25 domestic and international organizations, institutions and agencies for the 2016 award.

Presented every three years, the Camp Monaco Prize is named for a hunting camp established near Yellowstone National Park in 1913 by His Serene Highness, The Sovereign Prince of Monaco Albert IIs great, great grandfather, Prince Albert I, and William F. Buffalo Bill Cody. That trip resulted in extensive press coverage and discussions of the American wilderness  much like the same conversations today. This year, HSH Prince Albert II awards the 2016 Camp Monaco Prize on June 30 at the Principality of Monaco as part of celebrations in honor of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the princes foundation.

One of the exciting aspects of the retreating ice fields project is that it takes advantage of a newly emerging source of information to understand our past and perhaps help predict our future, said C.R. Preston, founding curator of the Draper Natural History Museum and a jury member. This innovative use of the ice patch record in Greater Yellowstone carries significance for similar environments across the globe.

According to the project authors, What happens with ice patch research in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has profound implications for the preservation of this archive of biodiversity and its informative potential here and around the world.
President Pranab Mukherjee and a Maori chief rubbed noses in a traditional welcome after his arrival in New Zealand on Saturday on the second and final leg of a two-nation tour.

After his arrival in Auckland from Papua New Guinea, he started his official engagements with a traditional Maori welcome in the afternoon.

"Maori warriors initially greet visitor with aggression not knowing whether he is friend or foe," the Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted.

They then placed a fern in front of Mukherjee and asked him to pick it up if he arrived in friendship.

On being convinced that he has arrived in friendship, they asked him to follow them.

Maori men and women then sang and danced welcoming the president as a friend.

The ceremony concluded with the traditional rubbing of noses in friendship between President Mukherjee and the Maori chief.

He was then received by New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae at the Government House here and was accorded a ceremonial welcome.

--IANS

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Andhra Pradesh's opposition YSR Congress Party on Saturday urged the assembly speaker to disqualify 16 party legislators who defected to ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

A delegation of party legislators met Speaker Kodela Sivaprasad Rao Ahere and submitted a memorandum, demanding that those elected to the assembly on the symbol of YSRCP but crossing over to another party should be disqualified under anti-defection law.

The lone opposition party, which had submitted similar petitions to the speaker earlier, made another bid in the wake of four more of its members defecting to TDP this week. The development also assumed significance as YSRCP is planning to approach the court seeking disqualification of defectors.

YSRCP alleged that TDP president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is engineering defections. Party president and leader of opposition Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, during his visit to Delhi this week, met central ministers and leaders of various political parties as part of his 'save democracy' campaign.

Jagan, as the leader is popularly known, alleged that Naidu is buying each member for Rs.20 crore to Rs.30 crore. He also alleged that Naidu is using the corruption money from various scams to buy the legislators.

Jagan had also called on Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi to demand that all the MLAs who defected to TDP be disqualified.

Due to series of defections during last few months, YSRCP's strength in 176-member assembly has come down from 67 to 51.

--IANS

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This year marks the 20th anniversary of the commercial adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops, a period in which steady growth has been accompanied by persistent controversies over its health and environmental impact. In an email interview with Kanika Datta, Randy Hautea, global coordinator for International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, the GM crop advocacy group founded by Norman Borlaug, answers some of the charges. Edited excerpts:



One of the claims by supporters of biotech/GM crops is that it can solve malnutrition problems in developing countries. Though developing countries are among the major adopters of GM crops, there is no firm evidence to support this claim. So how is this assertion being made?



The first generation biotech crops occupied 179.6 million hectares in 2015 and delivered broad-based agronomic, economic, social and environmental benefits in the last two decades since they were first commercially planted on a wide scale in 1996. Additionally, it is estimated that farmers in up to 28 countries have reaped more than $150 billion in benefits from biotech crops since 1996. Most of these additional benefits accrued to 16.5 million small farmers and their families totalling about 65 million people, who are some of the poorest people in the world. India is a major beneficiary of genetically improved Bt [Bacillus thuringiensis] cotton commercially introduced in 2002. Bt cotton delivered benefits at both macro and micro levels. India is now the world's largest producer of cotton, and produces a quarter of the world's cotton. About 7.7 million small-holder cotton farmers adopted Bt cotton over 95 per cent of total cotton area, and have continued to plant it season after season, which by itself is convincing testimony of the farm-level success of Bt cotton. In the last 13 years, cotton farmers in India gained an additional farm income of $18.3 billion, which is one of the best yardsticks to measure the performance of Bt cotton technology in the hands of Indian farmers. Access to adequate, diverse, nutritious and safe food is largely a function of family income, and improved incomes of farm families as a result of biotech crops most certainly contribute to household food security.
Sir, core railway development is normally undertaken through capex. The Development Fund was a concept which was devised maybe decades ago. At that time, the only money that was available for spending on capital expenditure was the Development Fund. Now, we have gone through a huge evolution. We are now spending Rs 1.21 lakh crore for capex. What is the Development Fund? Please do not misunderstand me. The idea is not to... (interruptions) I am just telling... (interruptions) But do not draw the conclusion that it is inadequate to meet the demand.
Many among us, or dare I say most, have ideas on what ails the Indian polity, and what ought to be done. We can sit around wringing our hands and narrating to one another the latest story heard on past misdeeds and current misgovernance. In the housing complex where I live, we have an evening adda which we used to call 'Amar's adda' until that good friend moved recently to another city. Amidst the retelling of bad, ancient jokes and juicy rumours, we sometimes also speak of real issues. Profiting from such interchange, let me offer a personal list, after winnowing out the whimsical and the unattainable.
Randeep Surjewala, Congress communication chief, speaks to Kavita Chowdhury about the fallout of the Agusta Westland issue and the partys fight back



By raking up the Agusta Westland deal, the ruling BJP, it appears has put the Congress on the defensive. The Congress may have strongly refuted the charges with detailed documents, but it hasnt quite succeeded in countering the perception war...



All that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are doing is muckraking. Speaking a lie a hundred times doesnt make it the truth. The truth is that the Congress government cancelled the defence contract, it ordered the registration of a corruption case, it referred the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

For two years, the Modi government is in power, we ask them why have you not identified the bribe takers and taken action against them, why have you not proceeded against the bribe-giving company. Why have you become protector and benefactor of a company, which you call corrupt ie Agusta Westland? And, after the company was banned on July 3, 2014, why do you issue orders within 40 days  the then Defence Minister Arun Jaitley permits this company to participate in defence contracts with Indian partners or as a vendor of equipment. Thereby you undo everything against a company accused of being corrupt. Why did the Modi government allow this company to enter into a joint venture and then gave them Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) permission?



The defence ministry now has tried to mislead the country claiming no such permission was given; but as per a Press Information Bureau release of October 8, 2015, Modi government proceeded to give Agusta Westland FIPB permission. The government claims that it was they who finally blacklisted the company on July 3 , 2014, but it was the Congress government which had started the process on February 10, 2014 and the Modi government came to power in May 2014. There is no magic wand. We were the ones who had started the process of blacklisting.

The Congress image has taken a beating with this Agusta Westland scam and more so that of its top-party leadership...



It is a conspiracy by the BJP and the Modi government to tarnish the image of Congress leaders through false allegations. The prime minister forgets he is not the Leader of Opposition. He and his government are following the policy of shoot and scoot. None of these allegations will hold water. We will fight it out politically. And, we will continue to ask why Modi and his government were benefactors to this Agusta Westland company, why within 40 days they overturned the ban.

What is the connection between Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi, who has been part of the Vivekananda International Foundation and Ajit Doval (present NSA), and Nripendra Mishra (PS to Prime Minister). We believe, the Modi government was scared of being confronted with Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) scam, where banks were defrauded of Rs 20,000 crore. Modi as Gujarat chief minister was directly at the helm then, and the Comptroller and auditor general (CAG) had severely indicted the GSPC. In order to divert attention from all this, they are making the false allegations in the Agusta Westland issue.

But it is the recent verdict of the Italian court that has brought the Agusta Westland issue into the limelight and the references made therein to Congress leaders...



There is not even one line in the Italian court judgement, which is an indictment of the Congress and Congress leaders. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, one after another Union ministers have been levelling allegations. I have seen the judgement of the Italian court. This is the double game being played by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. In the Rajya Sabha, Jaitley says they are yet to identify the bribe takers and yet they are accusing senior Congress leaders.

The Oppositon Congress had entered this Parliament session on an aggressive stance, but that seems to have petered out a week into the session...



That is not correct. We in the Congress have nothing to hide, on the contrary it is the Modi government that is shielding the corrupt and is the benefactor. The Modi government has failed on multiple fronts. Be it the flipflops on foreign policy, the Gurdaspur and Pathankot terror attack and then inviting the Pakistan investigation team, which turned out to be a huge embarassment. With the subjugation of an elected government in Uttarakhand, they have egg on their face. Industry and employment figures are dismally low, there is severe rural and agricultural crisis  to deflect attention from all these, the Modi government is indulging in mudslinging and they are resorting to these false allegations and insinuations.

We are and will be on the front foot and raise these real issues like the murder of democracy in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, both within and outside Parliament.
Three women armed cadre of banned CPI (Maoist) were gunned down and a Maoist camp busted during a combing operation at Sahajkhaol Reserve Forest in Odisha's Kalahandi district today.

"As per the preliminary information received, three women Maoists were killed in the encounter with the personnel of Odisha Police," Superintendent of Police, Kalahandi, Brijesh Rai said.

He said the personnel of Special Operation Group (SOG), a special paramilitary unit in Odisha, and district voluntary force raided the Maoist camp based on intelligence input.

Stating that some items and arms ammunition were seized from the camp, the SP said the police have recovered three bodies of women cadre from the damaged maoist camp in the dense forest.

He said there was a heavy exchange of fire between the security personnel and the maoist ultras.

"We will be able to give details about the operation only after the jawans return from the place of operation," Rai said, adding the place of operation was located along the border of Kalahandi and Nawrangpur districts and very near to Ampani Ghat and NH-26.

The other Maoist cadre abandoned the camp and fled away, he said.

Several Maoist literature, daily needs, arms and ammunition including two .303 rifles and 9 mm pistol have been seized from the camp.

The police suspected that the slain women ultras could belong to the Chhattisgarh cadre of the outfit.
The roars of lions filled the cargo section of Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport as 33 lions rescued from South American circuses landed in South Africa where they will be released into a bush sanctuary for big cats.

It was the largest airlift of lions in history, said Jan Creamer, president of Animal Defenders International, which carried out the operation yesterday.

"These lion have suffered tremendously," Creamer said as the lions in crates were loaded onto trucks.

"They lived in small cages on the backs of trucks for their entire lives. Some of them had their teeth bashed in with steel pipes in circuses in Colombia and Peru. Some of them had their claws removed ... It is a wonderful feeling to bring them back to their home."



Nine of the lions were surrendered by a circus in Colombia. The remaining 24 were rescued in raids on circuses in Peru by the animal defence group and officials enforcing a crackdown on wildlife trafficking.

The lions will be placed in quarantine in enclosures at the 5,000 hectare Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in Vaalwater in northern South Africa, started three years ago by a single mother and her teenage daughter.

The 33 lions will be monitored by a vet for their first weeks in Africa. They will then be introduced to each other in a one hectare bonding enclosure. Many of the lions were never allowed to have direct physical contact with other lions and have never been together without a fence or a cage separating them.

Due to their poor physical state, the lions will never be able to hunt again and will have to be cared for with food and water for the rest of their lives. Emoya will feed the cats with game meat which it buys in bulk.

The enclosures will be fitted with drinking pools, platforms and toys to ensure the lions don't become bored and will be steadily expanded as they become familiar with their new life, Heuser said.

Emoya, in an area with a mix of habitats including mountainous regions, rolling grasslands, forests, cliff caves and river gorges, has a strict non-breeding policy, Heuser told The Associated Press.

Female lions may receive contraceptive medications so they can remain with their mates, while males may undergo vasectomies to make sure than no lions are bred in captivity.

"The animals have no conservation value whatsoever. Many of them have been inbred," she said. "When we are sure that no breeding will take place, we allow males to interact with females. By then a pattern will have emerged ... And we will know which lions can be placed together.
The Two Rivers Regional Detention Center, Hardin's troubled private prison, has suspended operations due to the lack of inmates.

Warden Ken Keller said that on April 13, they officially stopped holding prisoners. Employees were sent home, and only Keller and his program manager, Hope Keller, remain in the building.

"There's two of us here," Ken Keller said. "We're keeping the lights on and chugging away."

It's the latest setback in the facility's grim history. For years, the 464-bed facility sat empty. Last fall, the Bureau of Indian Affairs cut its contract with the prison, leaving Two Rivers without its main source of inmates.

By January, the prison had furloughed many of its employees but continued to limp along with a couple dozen inmates. They came from small contracts with individual American Indian tribes and with Williams County, N.D.

The prison gets paid on a per inmate, per day basis through contracts. In the absence of full beds, debt has piled up on the facility, reaching as much as $40 million in December.

The outstanding debt threatens to double the $27 million in bonds originally spent to build the facility.

Emerald Correction Management of Louisiana operates the jail, which is called the Two Rivers Regional Detention Facility. The Two Rivers Authority, the economic development arm of the city of Hardin, owns the building as a separate entity.

Without its main economic engine, the Two Rivers Authority has operated at a substantial loss. In 2014, the authority had $97 in revenue against $388,000 in expenses, according to city documents.

I really have nothing of any value to add to this conversation, said Jeff McDowell, executive director of the Two Rivers Authority, before hanging up on a reporter.

While McDowell declined to comment, the Two Rivers Authority website has a statement announcing the shutdown, which it deems temporary. The statement also said that Emerald advised Two Rivers that it has responded to negotiation moves by the BIA.

It could take up to 90 days for a contract to be awarded, according to the Two Rivers Authority's statement.

McDowell gives periodic updates to the Hardin Common Council regarding the prison. The city has kept Two Rivers Authority afloat and paid out $582,595 from 2004 to December 2015. About 45 percent of that money was paid before the jail opened in mid-2007.

Hardin finance officer Michelle Dyckman said that because the building is owned by Two Rivers, it is tax exempt.

Officials from the prison have made appeals to county officials in Montana, hoping that they will use the Two Rivers Detention Facility to ease county jail overcrowding. So far, there has been no movement toward the private facility.

Additionally, Keller said that he's been working on other small contracts. They recently finalized a deal with the Lummi Nation, which brought small numbers of inmates to Hardin before the facility ceased operation.

As for the BIA contract, Keller said that it's still a waiting game.

"Nobody seems to be clear," he said. "We're working on things."

Officials from Emerald did not immediately respond to calls. Since Nov. 30, the BIA has not responded to periodic questions from The Gazette about contract negotiations.
Apart from two-three stray "not so important" incidents, the fifth phase of pollings in the city for the West Bengal Assembly elections remained "peaceful", a senior Kolkata Police official said.

"The Force's mission to ensure peaceful pollings in the southern parts of the city today was achieved and it was done in a very professional manner", he told PTI.

"The day was absolutely clean. We had prepared ourselves to do so. Vigilance was stepped up and that helped in keeping a check on the happenings in and around the constituencies in the city," the officer said.

There were altogether 48 arrests, out of which 47 were preventive, and one on the basis of a specific complaint, he added.

"We followed a plan which was chalked out before the elections and that gave us the result," he said, adding that there were two-three 'not so important' incidents.

Apart from the central Forces, around 12,000 additional police personnel from Kolkata Police along with 6,000 police personnel from 42 police stations were deployed for today's pollings in the city.

Kolkata Police had marked around 800 pockets in the city as "vulnerable" while 1,467 booths were identified "sensitive" for today's elections. The city has 1,024 polling premises with 2,807 booths.

Another top officer in the KP said the Force received "pat on the back" from Commissioner Soumen Mitra, who described their performance as "commendable".
Wheat arrivals in Haryana were up by 16 per cent with total crop arrivals reaching 63.71 lakh tonnes of wheat, highest so far, in the ongoing Rabi Marketing season.

"63.71 lakh Metric Tonnes (MT) of wheat has so far arrived in the mandis of the state, which is the highest arrival till date. As compared to it, 54.98 lakh tonnes of wheat had arrived in the mandis during the corresponding period last year," said a spokesman of Haryana Food and Supplies Department.

He said that out of the total arrival, 63.70 lakh tonnes of wheat have been purchased by the government procurement agencies at Minimum Support Price.

Giving details of the wheat procured by government agencies, he said 16.85 lakh tonnes of wheat has been procured by Food and Supplies Department, whereas HAFED has purchased 23.35 lakh tonnes of wheat.

He said Food Corporation of India purchased 6.94 lakh tonnes of wheat, Haryana Agro Industries Corporation purchased 5.73 lakh tonnes, and 10.80 lakh tonnes of wheat has been procured by Haryana Warehousing Corporation.

Apart from this, 970 tonnes of wheat has been procured by traders, he said.
The fifth and penultimate phase of West Bengal Assembly polls in 53 constituencies today recorded a voter turnout of 78.25 per cent and polling was peaceful, even as FIRs were registered against two Presiding Officers and a TMC candidate for alleged intimidation of voters and for helping a particular party.

EC's Deputy Election Commissioner and in-charge of West Bengal, Sandeep Saxena told a press conference that, "based on SMS-based information from polling officers, at 5 PM the voter turnout in fifth phase was 78.25 per cent."



This is against 82.77 per cent final voting recorded during the 2011 assembly elections in the three districts of Hoogly, Kolkata South district and South 24-Parganas, that went to polls today. In 2014 Parliamentary elections, the said area recorded a polling percentage of 80.22 per cent.

"Three FIRs have also been registered in an otherwise peaceful polls and 17 arrests have been made so far and more arrests are likely," he said.

An FIR was registered against Sonali Guha, the Trinamool Congress candidate from Satgachhia assembly constituency, for allegedly intimidating voters by instructing her polling agents to shoo away the voters of opposite candidate.

Another FIR was registered against presiding officers in Tarkeshwar and Arambagh, for allegedly helping a particular candidate and party.
The fifth and penultimate phase of West Assembly polls in 53 constituencies today recorded a voter turnout of 78.25 per cent and polling was peaceful, even as FIRs were registered against two Presiding Officers and a TMC candidate for alleged intimidation of voters and for helping a particular party.

EC's Deputy Election Commissioner and in-charge of West Bengal, Sandeep Saxena told a press conference that, "based on SMS-based information from polling officers, at 5 PM the voter turnout in fifth phase was 78.25 per cent."



This is against 82.77 per cent final voting recorded during the 2011 assembly elections in the three districts of Hoogly, Kolkata South district and South 24-Parganas, that went to polls today. In 2014 Parliamentary elections, the said area recorded a polling percentage of 80.22 per cent.

"Three FIRs have also been registered in an otherwise peaceful polls and 17 arrests have been made so far and more arrests are likely," he said.

An FIR was registered against Sonali Guha, the Trinamool Congress candidate from Satgachhia assembly constituency, for allegedly intimidating voters by instructing her polling agents to shoo away the voters of opposite candidate.

Another FIR was registered against presiding officers in Tarkeshwar and Arambagh, for allegedly helping a particular candidate and party.

"By and large polling was held smoothly, while some



incidents of intimidation of voters were reported, which were immediately addressed to," Saxena said.

He said police forces were very active during today's polls and crude bomb was also detected by them.

Election Commission had taken some "very effective measures" for this fifth phase of polling, that included night patrolling by central police forces, additional nakas in the three districts, especially during night time to help avoid entry of outsiders into the constituencies, the Deputy Election Commissioner said.

Besides, he said, the international border in 24 Paranans district was also sealed to stop infiltration and the borders were effectively sealed from both river and road fronts.

Saxena said a total of 1,763 control and ballot units were used during these polls, in which VVPAT was also used. A total of 6,140 arms were also deposited in the area against a total of 7,863 weapons in the three districts.

The EC officials said for ensuring a peaceful poll, a total of 10,210 non-bailable warrants were executed during elections and 2,622 anti-social elements were rounded up.

During searches to ensure money power is not used for influencing voters, a total of Rs 1.33 crore was seized along with 374 illegal arms and 714 ammunition.

In today's polls, a total of 1.24 electors exercised their franchise, including 63.84 lakh male voters and 60.04 lakh female voters, besides 198 third gender electors. A total of 349 candidates were in the fray for today's polls, that were held in 14,642 polling stations at 8,313 locations.

Referring to poll percentage, Saxena said the two parts of Phase I saw 84.22 and 83.73 per cent voter turnout, while phase 2 witnessed 83.05 per cent voting and phase 3 saw 82.28 per cent voting. Phase 4 of polls recorded a voter turnout of 81.25 per cent.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today said both the Congress and BJP have "blackened" their hands in the AgustaWestland chopper deal and demanded action against those involved.

The party also asked the government to come clean on allegations that former Air Chief S P Tyagi had links with Vivekananda Foundation, a Delhi based think tank, once headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. It also wondered whether this was the reason behind the probe agencies going "slow" in the investigation.

"This deal started during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure. It was completed by the Manmohan Singh government and (it) cancelled the deal. It appears that since Congress and the BJP have both blackened their hands, this is why the Modi government is not taking any action against Sonia Gandhi," AAP leader Sanjay Singh said.

"If the intentions of Modi government is to combat corruption, then it should arrest those involved in it, right from Sonia Gandhi, Ahmed Patel to S P Tyagi and many other officers and politicians...Whose name in involved in the AgustaWestland chopper deal. Even some journalists are believed to have been involved," he said.

The party also posed six questions to the government over the investigations in the deal.

"What progress has the government done in the AgustaWestland chopper deal case and what is its outcome? If the government of Italy can send the culprits to jail then why was the government sleeping over it for the last two years.

"When the name of Sonia Gandhi and Ahmed Patel cropped up in the Appellate court in Italy the Modi government was pretending to remain active. Had the government been actually active in the last two years, then their name would have come in the probe done by the ED and the CBI. And why did it have to wait for Appellate Court's order," AAP leader Ashutosh said.

"It is evident that S P Tyagi has taken bribe. What is the connection of S P Tyagi with Vivekananda Foundation. NSA Ajit Doval and Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra, both believed to be very powerful bureaucrats linked to Vivekananda Foundation.

"So what is the link of the two with S P Tyagi. Why is he still not being sent to jail. Why should not this be believed that there is friendship between Ajit Doval and S P Tyagi and this is why the probe is not getting over," Ashutosh added.

Strongly refuting the allegations, the government termed attempts to link Doval and Misra to one of the accused as "totally baseless assertion and indicative of malicious intent".

Ashutosh also questioned the government for not



interrogating Gandhi in the case.

"Its been days that the Appellate Court came up with its judgement. Leave alone arrest. Why has the BJP not started the process of even interrogating Sonia Gandhi and other leaders.

"Amit Shah has asked Sonia Gandhi to name bribe-takers. Have they admitted the fact that CBI and ED are unable to find the truth which is why they are asking the Congress to reveal the names of the bribe-takers.

"The Congress party has challenged to investigate the matter in two months. If the culprits are challenging the government, then does the government accept the challenge and complete the probe and send them to jail by July 30, 2016," he said.

Likening the AgustaWestland Chopper deal with Bofors scam, Sanjay Singh said if action is not taken on this immediately then the matter will be put in cold storage.

In the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) yesterday, first after its reconstitution, the party has decided to intensify the attack on the Congress and BJP over the issue.

"On March 7, we will gherao the residences of Prime Minister and Congress President Sonia Gandhi. We appeal to our volunteers from across the country to come to Delhi on this day to participate in the protest," he said.
Delhi's full statehood issue raised by AAP government today was criticised by Congress and BJP, claiming the move was an attempt to "deflect" attention of people from the "failure" of its odd-even scheme.

"The Kejriwal government has raked up full statehood issue for Delhi to divert the attention of people from the failure of Odd-even 2," Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken said.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minsiter Kejriwal said the draft Bill for statehood of Delhi is ready and will be placed for comments and suggestion before the people.

"It is yet another ploy by Kejriwal to mislead the people of Delhi, as whenever he gets caught on some issues, he would come up with some new proposal to divert the attention of the people," Maken alleged.

If full statehood is given to Delhi, it would not be "financially viable" for practical purposes, he claimed.

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta said the Kejriwal government's move was aimed at "hiding failure" of second phase of odd-even scheme and its "continuing tussle" with the Centre.

"If Delhi government was serious about statehood of Delhi, it would approach Centre with a formal proposal because the chief minister knows very well that it will require a change in the Constitution," he said.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel termed the statehood issue raised by Delhi government as a "drama like the odd-even scheme," adding, if it is serious then it should build consensus with other parties.
The Centre's commercial motor driving training programme with self-defence skills for Scheduled Caste women, which was initially started from Delhi last year, is likely to be rolled out in some other metro towns, Union Minister Vijay Sampla said.

"The three-month programme, which was launched in Delhi a few months back, has been successful. We intend to extend it to other metro cities like Mumbai and Chennai," the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment said here.

The Union minister said the programme is a unique initiative and it will meet the objective of social and economic empowerment of women by creating job/self-employment opportunities.

"Already, first batch has passed out in Delhi. Under the programme, women belonging to the SC community are trained in driving skills after which they get the licence to drive. They are also taught self-defence skills and given some training in judo and other self-defence techniques," Sampla said here.

He said a stipend of Rs 1500 per month is given during the training programme. "In case, the selected candidate is a daughter of a Safai Karamchari the per month stipend is doubled," he informed.

Sampla said some of the women who have completed their training have got offers from well-known cab operators also.

"In Delhi, one such candidate who completed her course has got employment as DTC driver," he said.

He said 83 young women belonging to the SC community who completed their course have raised demand for three-wheelers.

"We will help them procure loans. Some have also applied for loan for taxis," he said.

The Minister said that in metro cities there was a demand for women drivers, particularly from a section of working women who travel alone.

He said under another programme, titled Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes, a sum of Rs 200 crore has been allocated towards credit enhancement guarantee for young and start-up entrepreneurs, belonging to Scheduled Castes.

"The objective to encourage entrepreneurship in the lower strata of the society resulting in job creation," Sampla, who is also Punjab BJP President, said.
In the first move of its kind in the country, most judges of the Allahabad High Court have agreed to cut short their summer holidays and attend to work during the vacations with a view to reducing the staggering backlog of cases.

According to court sources, 68 out of the 79 sitting judges of the High Court, including those posted here as well as the bench at Lucknow, have given their consent to the proposal mooted by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud that the summer vacation period (June 01-30) be utilised to clear long-pending cases, with top priority to those criminal appeals in which accused have been in jail for decades.

The move assumes significance in the backdrop of an emotional appeal by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur, who had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help in filling up vacancies in the higher judiciary.

According to the sources, the judges have agreed to Justice Chandrachud's proposal for "devoting 15 days out of the month-long vacation towards conducting special hearings for clearing the backlog" and that "the remaining judges are also likely to give their consent sooner or later".

Sources in the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) also confirmed having received a communication from the Chief Justice, requesting "cooperation of the Bar towards efforts by the bench to speedily dispose of long-pending criminal matters".
Andhra Pradesh Non Gazetted Officers Association (AP NGOs) and other public sector employees today demanded the government to settle the payment of pending three instalments of DA (Dearness allowance) arrears before May 15.

About 110 government employees associations of the state held a meeting here today under the chairmanship of P Ashok Babu to discuss the long pending issues and also to bring pressure on the government to meet their demands.

Later, Babu told reporters that their prime demand is to settle the pending three instalments of DA arrears before May 15 this year, finalising the retirement age of all public sector employees on par with AP government employees at 60 years.

Other demands include regularisation of contract employees and minimum wage of Rs 10,000 for outsourcing employees in various government departments.

He said that previously government had announced to hike retirement age at 60 for all government employees but only employees of (state) government departments have the provision of retirement age of 60.

Babu said that government also failed to implement the 10th Pay Revision Commission's recommendations for public sector employees on par with Government employees.

He said most of the government employees are unhappy with state government's adamant attitude to settle their issues and particularly DA arrears.
Auction of brands and trademarks of Kingfisher Airlines turned out to be a damp squib today as lenders failed to attract a single bidder for the sale of these pledged assets at a reserve price of Rs 366.70 crore in their efforts to recover unpaid loans from beleaguered Vijay Mallya.



This is the second failed attempt by the 17-bank consortium led by state-run behemoth SBI to recover some money from Mallya, after an earlier auction of Kingfisher House -- the erstwhile headquarters of the long-defunct airline -- met with a similar fate, with no bidder coming forward.

Read more from our special coverage on "KINGFISHER AIRLINES"

The items on sale during today's e-auction included the the Kingfisher logo as also the once-famous tagline 'Fly the Good Times'. The other trademarks on sale included Flying Models, Funliner, Fly Kingfisher and Flying Bird Device. The reserve price for the trademarks was kept at Rs 366.70 crore, which is not even one-tenth of the price at which it was pledged as a collateral for the loan. There were no bids, possibly because the reserve price was considered very high. Though the reserve price was set much lower than its original valuation at the time of taking the brand as collateral, people still found it to be high," a banking source said.The online auction began at 11:30 am and lasted for an hour without any success. It was conducted by SBICAP Trustee Company on behalf of lenders under the Sarfaesi Act. The Kingfisher brand itself was valued at over Rs 4,000 crore by Grant Thornton when the airline was at its peak.In its annual report for 2012-13, KFA said that at its peak, it was the largest airline in India, with a five-star rating from Skytrax. The airline's brand had been registered separately from the Kingfisher beer trademarks.A senior banker said, "The interest for this auction could have been from existing airline operators, but no one will come. It is better to start a new airline company than to buy this brand and revive it.In a previous attempt at recovery of dues, which have ballooned to over Rs 9,000 crore after taking into account the interest component, the banks had conducted an auction of Kingfisher House last month, but did not find any takers at a reserve price of Rs 150 crore.

Sources said that the lenders might now try to lower the reserve price in both the cases in their future efforts to sell these pledged assets.
WILLISTON, N.D.  Wastewater spills from North Dakota oil production have caused widespread water and soil contamination, researchers from Duke University say in a new study.

Researchers who took soil and water samples near the sites of some of North Dakotas largest oil-related spills found high levels of ammonium, selenium, lead and other toxic contaminants from produced water, a byproduct of oil production.

The magnitude of spills that we see in North Dakota I havent seen elsewhere, said Avner Vengosh, a Duke University professor who has been studying the effects of hydraulic fracturing since 2010 in several oil-producing states.

Researchers found that streams polluted by produced water, also known as saltwater or brine, contained levels of contaminants that often exceeded federal guidelines for safe drinking water or aquatic health.

The study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, also found that soil at spill sites was contaminated with radium, a naturally occurring radioactive element.

A North Dakota Department of Health official who reviewed the study Wednesday said the agency has long been concerned about the impacts of brine spills, which is why it has staff working in the field following up on spills.

There is some good information in there. Were going to be taking a look at it. We can always learn more, said David Glatt, chief of the Environmental Health Section. There was a lot of stuff that wasnt a surprise to us and weve been addressing for quite some time.

However, Glatt pointed out that the study focused on samples from a small number of spills while he said a vast majority of spills are cleaned up.

The research team, which included students Nancy Lauer and Jennifer Harkness, spent about a week in North Dakota in July 2015 collecting water and soil samples. A majority of the contamination researchers analyzed came from pipeline leaks or other infrastructure failures.

They took samples near the Blacktail Creek spill north of Williston, which was a nearly 3 million gallon spill discovered in January 2015, and at Bear Den Bay of Lake Sakakawea, the site of a July 2014 pipeline leak that involved 1 million gallons of brine.

In addition, the team collected samples from waters affected by smaller spills and samples from two spills reported in 2011 in Bottineau County.

Unlike spilled oil, which starts to break down in soil, these spilled brines consist of inorganic chemicals, metals and salts that are resistant to biodegradation, said Lauer, a doctoral student who was lead author of the study. They dont go away; they stay. This has created a legacy of radioactivity at spill sites.

Vengosh said he was surprised that researchers detected high levels of contaminants at the Bottineau County sites four years after the spills occurred.

The study calls for long-term monitoring of waters downstream from spill sites to assess impacts to drinking water.

But the Duke researchers did not contact North Dakota regulators to find out what monitoring is already being done.

Glatt said the health department does extensive water and sediment sampling at spill sites, including and taking samples to ensure there is no contamination to the states drinking water supply.

Weve shared that with anybody who will ask, Glatt said.

Vengosh said he thinks the results of any sampling that regulators do should be in the public domain.

Researchers plan to return to North Dakota to do more testing on the contamination from oil development, which they see as more widespread than other areas of the country, Vengosh said.

North Dakota is definitely standing out relative to the other places in the U.S., Vengosh said.

Funding for the study came from the National Science Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Lisa DeVille of Mandaree said the studys findings were not a surprise to her, particularly the tests from the Bear Den Bay spill, which is on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

You can see that the pollution, the contaminants. Its visible, said DeVille, a member of the Dakota Resource Council, which assisted with site selection and field sampling.

Glatt said health officials agree that brine spills are far more detrimental to the environment than oil spills. Thats why the agency is working with stakeholders to develop guidelines for soil cleanup, he said.

In addition, the North Dakota Industrial Commission is considering tighter regulations on gathering pipelines to prevent spills from occurring.

In a response to the Duke study, a spokeswoman for the Department of Mineral Resources said those proposed rules will provide remedies to many of the issues raised in the study.

However, some of those new regulations are being opposed by oil industry representatives who say the rules go too far and suggest North Dakota postpone those policy discussions to the 2017 legislative session.
Banks should focus on recovery rather than "going after borrowers", eminent banker Uday Kotak said today, a day after embattled tycoon Vijay Mallya remarked that arresting him will not help banks recover any money.

"In banking, crucial to focus on recovery of money lent as Arjuna's eye. In going after borrowers are banks and system losing this key point?," the CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank said in a tweet.

Mallya promoted companies, including the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines owe over Rs 9,000 crores to a consortium of 17 banks led by the SBI.

The consortium alleged in the Supreme Court that the industrialist was not cooperating in the investigation of cases lodged against him and was averse to disclosing his foreign assets.

In an interview to Financial Times, Mallya said he was in a "forced exile" and disclosed no immediate plans to return to India where things are flying at him "fast and furious".

Mallya, whose passport was revoked this month, said he wants a "reasonable" settlement with creditor banks for his defunct airline, but they "are not getting any money" by taking his passport or arresting him.

"I definitely would like to return to India. Right now, things are flying at me fast and furious. My passport has been revoked. I don't know what the government is going to do next," he had said.

The loans to companies promoted by Mallya were sanctioned in 2004 to 2007 and those turned into bad loans in 2009.

Mallya had left India on March 2, days before the Supreme Court heard a plea of clutch of state-owned banks seeking recovery of over Rs 9,000 crore from his group firms.
Welcoming the Bombay High Court's order in the scam, Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Ashish Shelar on Saturday demanded that Maharashtra government should lodge an first information report (FIR) in the case.

Some people had benefited in the scam and hence we want registration of an FIR first and not just re-inquiry, he said.

The Bombay High Court had on Friday ordered the demolition of the 31-storey scam-tainted Adarsh apartments in the heart of Mumbai and sought criminal proceedings against politicians and bureaucrats for "misuse" of powers, holding that the tower was illegally constructed.

"The ramifications of the case which involves cheating are wide. The role of politicians who helped their relatives obtain flats in the controversial needs to be probed," Shelar told reporters here.

During the previous Congress-NCP regime, the then governor denied permission to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to prosecute then chief minister Ashok Chavan in the case, he said.

After the BJP-led state government took over in 2014, the present Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao granted CBI the permission to prosecute the guilty, Shelar said.

The role of the officials of Mumbai civic body and those in the state government should also be investigated, he said.

"An inquiry will reveal everything but we demand that the government first file an FIR," Shelar added.

The posh 31-storey Adarsh Housing Society is constructed on a prime plot of land in Colaba here. It was meant for Kargil war widows and defence personnels.

However, politicians, bureaucrats and military officers allegedly conspired to bend rules and obtained flats for themselves or for relatives at below-the-market rates.

The scam that came to light in November 2010 had forced the then chief minister Ashok Chavan to resign.
Two persons including a BJP leader were killed and 12 others injured today when a bus in which they were travelling rammed into a stationary truck here, police said.

Former MLA and BJP leader Hansraj Verma was killed on the spot, while 12 others injured when the Volvo bus on its way to Delhi from Lucknow dashed into the truck on Tundla overbridge, SSP Ashok Kumar Sharma said.

The driver of the bus also succumbed to injuries in hospital, Sharma said, adding, the injured were rushed to hospital with help of the locals.

Hansraj Verma was Congress MLA from Nidhauli seat in Etah district and had later joined BJP.
As BJP projects itself as an alternative in the bi-polar polity of Kerala, former union minister A K Antony today said its goal was to ensure defeat of the ruling-UDF led by Congress in the May 16 assembly polls to weaken the party at the national level.

The UDF should ensure that BJP did not get a single seat in the elections so that communal harmony was preserved in the state, the senior Congress leader told a meet-the press organised by Kerala Union of Working Journalists here.

Antony, who is launching his whirlwind campaign tour from Kasargod tomorrow, also came down on CPI-M's 'politics of violence' and said LDF should not come to power as the Marxist party was 25 years behind in matters of development.

Taking a dig at the CPI(M), he said the Communist party, which was very active in the social media now had tooth and nail opposed the introduction of computers by Rajiv Gandhi and mechanisation of farm operations.

"CPI(M) was like a 'rip wan winkle' and wakes up only after a gap of 25 years. So, we should not allow it to come to power," he said.

Targeting the BJP, Antony said after the NDA came to power two years ago, there had been several instances of tension and violence from various parts of the country.

"Communal polarisation, creating communal divide and tensions" were the main agenda of the BJP, he alleged.

Since coming to power, the slogan of BJP-NDA was 'Congress free India', he said cautioning that if Congress was weakened, "there will be none to challenge them", he said.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi had been battling both inside and outside Parliament against the 'wrong' policies of the NDA government, he said.

As part of BJP's 'conspiracy' to weaken the Congress, governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were brought down, and in BJP ruled states of Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat, where Congress was the main opposition, attempts were being made to make it less effective, he alleged.

Antony also said the alliance forged by BJP with Bharat Dharma Jana Sena of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam in Kerala would not yield desired result to both parties.

"Kerala voters will not accept this alliance and I feel that both parties will suffer," he said.

BJP, which is yet to send a member to the Kerala assembly, is going all out to break the jinx this time and has lined up campaign rallies by top leaders led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will address six meetings, and party chief Amit Shah.

On UDF's prospects, Antony said he felt both UDF and LDF were neck-and-neck in the race now, while a couple of a days ago LDF did have an edge.

He wanted Congress and UDF workers to sink differences if any and work for the victory of the front.

"This is a do or die battle. UDF's victory is the aim. We should set aside small differences and fight unitedly to ensure that UDF emerges victorious," Antony said.
Hitting out at the N Rangasamy-led AINRC government here, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said the Union Territory requires good governance and honest administration.

"Puducherry had seen corruption in the previous Congress regime and also in the present administration of Rangasamy," he said, addressing an election rally here.

He said people of Puducherry had "tasted rule by Congress, DMK and AIADMK" and an opportunity should be given to BJP to ensure that the progressive measures of Prime Minister were implemented fast and a "corruption free government is available to the people."



"When medical colleges are encouraged in private sector why should Puducherry government ignore filling posts of teachers in government schools," he asked.

Introducing BJP candidates for the polls, he said it was indeed mind boggling that the Rangasamy led government had not taken steps to conduct civic polls.

"If BJP is voted to power in the assembly election, civic polls would be conducted immediately and there would be a reservation of 50 per cent for women in the decision making posts in civic bodies," he said.

Listing various welfare schemes NDA government had implemented for the betterment of the poor, he said the Prime Minister was keen on enabling the poor to open bank accounts, protecting the insecure sections of people and funding entrepreneurs through various innovative schemes like MUDRA.

"India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been treatedwith lot of respect and the image of the country has gone up now," he said.

"When the world economy is in tension, India isthe only bright spot and the growth rate in the country is 7.5 per cent,"'he said, assuring the people that BJP, if voted to power here, would make Puducherry an IT hub, "ensure that Puducherry developed in textile sector, and welfare of agriculturists and farmers would be taken care of."



Tourism would be particularly promoted in Puducherry in view of its relevance in Puducherry, he added.

Prasad said Centre was giving extra incentives and sufficient funds to Puducherry as it happened to be a Union Territory. "But the fast closure of industries and sufferings of unemployed youth are a matter of concern.
A car bomb targeting Shiite pilgrims killed at least 23 people near Baghdad today, as hundreds protested in the capital for reforms and parliament made another attempt to reshuffle the cabinet.

Iraq has been hit by weeks of political turmoil surrounding Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's efforts to change the government.

Both Washington and the United Nations have warned the crisis could distract from the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group, which carries out frequent bombings against civilians.

The car bomb, which also wounded at least 38 people, struck a road in the Nahrawan area used by Shiite pilgrims who are walking to the shrine of Imam Musa Kadhim in northern Baghdad for annual commemorations, officials said.

IS claimed the attack and said it was carried out by a suicide bomber who detonated a vehicle laden with three tonnes of explosives.

IS considers Iraq's majority Shiites to be heretics.

Kadhim, the seventh of 12 imams revered in Shiite Islam, died in 799 AD. The pilgrimage has in recent years turned into a huge event that brings the Iraqi capital to a standstill for days.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led military assistance have since regained significant ground.

The jihadists still control a large part of western Iraq, and are able to carry out frequent attacks against both civilians and security forces in government-held areas.

Last year's pilgrimage was also marred by attacks against worshippers that killed at least 13 people.

And four more were burned or shot to death when mobs torched houses and a Sunni religious endowment building after rumours of a suicide bomber sparked panic among a crowd of pilgrims.

The bombing came as hundreds of people turned out in Baghdad for a demonstration aimed at pressuring the government to carry out reforms, the latest in a series of such protests in the capital.

Demonstrators gathered at Baghdad's Tahrir Square and near the heavily-fortified Green Zone, where the government is headquartered.

"We are sending a message to parliament that today is the last chance" to accept "complete governmental change," said Hassanain Ali, one of the demonstrators.

Abadi has called for the current government of party-affiliated ministers to be replaced with technocrats, a move opposed by powerful political parties that rely on control of ministries for patronage and funds.
Visiting British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Philip Hammond reached an agreement on restructuring Cuban debt payments in a meeting on Saturday with President Raul Castro, officials in Havana said.

The agreement deals with Cuba's mid and long-term debt with Britain, according to a Cuban government statement.

The agreement "should contribute to the development of economic, commercial and financial relations between the two nations," the statement reads.

At the meeting, Castro and Hammond "verified the advances" in bilateral relations and "the potentials" in areas of mutual interest.

Neither the British embassy in Havana nor Cuban officials gave a figure for the debt, nor any further details on the agreement.

In December, reached an agreement with its creditors in the Paris Club  which include Britain, France, and Spain  to pay $2.6 billion in debt unpaid to foreign creditors for the last 25 years.

In exchange, the Paris Club is writing off the interest accumulated of $8.5 billion.

Hammond is the first British foreign secretary to visit since the 1959 revolution.

The visit also follows meetings in recent months between Castro and other top officials and leaders from the European Union.

Castro met with French President Francois Hollande on a visit to Paris in February.

In March, European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini became the highest-ranking EU official ever to visit when she travelled to Havana.

She signed a deal to normalise relations with Cuba, including an agreement on human rights.

Cuba's leaders have rejected criticism of their human rights record by the United States and Europe, warning that they will not tolerate meddling in their country's internal affairs.

Britain was the second-biggest source of foreign tourists to Cuba last year after Canada, with 160,000 Britons making the trip.

Hammond's visit comes one month after US President Barack Obama's historic visit to the Caribbean nation, which is opening up to warmer ties with its old Cold War rivals.

Although Havana and Washington restored diplomatic ties last year, the US trade embargo on Cuba dating to the 1960s remains in place.
Visiting British foreign minister Philip Hammond reached an agreement on restructuring Cuban debt payments in a meeting today with President Raul Castro, officials in Havana said.

The agreement deals with Cuba's mid and long-term debt with Britain, according to a Cuban government statement.

The agreement "should contribute to the development of economic, commercial and financial relations between the two nations," the statement reads.

At the meeting, Castro and Hammond "verified the advances" in bilateral relations and "the potentials" in areas of mutual interest.

Neither the British embassy in Havana nor Cuban officials gave a figure for the debt, nor any further details on the agreement.

In December, Cuba reached an agreement with its creditors in the Paris Club -- which include Britain, France, and Spain -- to pay $2.6 billion in debt unpaid to foreign creditors for the last 25 years.

In exchange, the Paris Club is writing off the interest accumulated of USD 8.5 billion.

Hammond is the first British foreign secretary to visit Cuba since the 1959 revolution.

The visit also follows meetings in recent months between Castro and other top officials and leaders from the European Union.

Castro met with French President Francois Hollande on a visit to Paris in February.

In March, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini became the highest-ranking EU official ever to visit Cuba when she travelled to Havana.

She signed a deal to normalize relations with Cuba, including an agreement on human rights.

Cuba's leaders have rejected criticism of their human rights record by the United States and Europe, warning that they will not tolerate meddling in their country's internal affairs.

Britain was the second-biggest source of foreign tourists to Cuba last year after Canada, with 160,000 Britons making the trip.

Hammond's visit comes one month after US President Barack Obama's historic visit to the Caribbean nation, which is opening up to warmer ties with its old Cold War rivals.

Although Havana and Washington restored diplomatic ties last year, the US trade embargo on Cuba dating to the 1960s remains in place.
Zydus Cadila group firm Cadila Healthcare today said it is planning to raise up to Rs 18,500 crore through issuance of shares and various other securities.

The board of directors at its meeting to be held on May 13, 2016, will consider raising funds through various options, the company said in a BSE filing.

The options include issuance of equity shares, convertible bonds, debentures through qualified institutional placement (QIP), GDR, ADR for an aggregate amount of up to Rs 10,000 crore.

Moreover, the board will also consider raising up to Rs 3,500 crore in the 2016-17 fiscal by issuing secured/unsecured redeemable non-convertible debentures on a private placement basis.

It will also consider issuing secured/unsecured foreign currency rated bonds/foreign currency convertible bonds for an amount up to Rs 5,000 crore, the filing added.

Headquartered in Ahmedabad, Zydus Cadila group has global operations in four continents spread across the US, Europe, Latin America and South Africa and 25 other emerging markets.

The group's operations cover healthcare solutions ranging from formulations, active pharmaceutical ingredients and animal healthcare products to wellness products.
Union Minister Haribhai Chaudhary's remark over special category status to Andhra Pradesh has evoked sharp reactions from across the political spectrum today with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu coming down heavily and terming it as "inappropriate".

"The union minister's statement on special category status is inappropriate. Not only should the Centre grant it but also extend full financial support to Andhra Pradesh till it grows on par with other states in south India," Naidu said in a public meeting in Visakhapatnam this evening.

On his part, YSR Congress president and Leader of Opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy sought to blame the chief minister for the Centre's attitude on the special status issue, alleging that Naidu "sold out" the state's interests to the Centre.

Jana Sena party chief and actor Pawan Kalyan-who supported the TDP-BJP combine in the 2014 elections and played a crucial role in the victory-too reacted on the issue asking the TDP to fight for the special status in Parliament along with opposition parties "before people of the state take to the streets".

The Union Minister of State for Home had yesterday said in the Rajya Sabha that there was no need to grant special category status to AP.

Congress, which raised the special status issue through a Private Member's Bill in Rajya Sabha yesterday, said the BJP betrayed the people of AP by going back on the promise of granting special status.

Replying to a debate on the Private Member's Bill moved by Congress MP K V P Ramachandra Rao, Choudhary questioned the need for granting special category status to AP.

"When the Centre is extending adequate financial assistance, where is the need for special status? The Centre is constantly reviewing what has been done so far and what has to be done further to AP," he added.

Reacting sharply to the remarks, Naidu today said gross injustice was done to AP due to the bifurcation.

"M Venkaiah Naidu (now Union Urban Development minister) raised this issue in Rajya Sabha (as opposition member in February 2014) and demanded special category state status to AP. The then Prime Minister agreed to it, though it was not included in the AP Reorganisation Act-2014," the chief minister pointed out.

The Centre should lend a helping hand to AP till the



"injustice is undone" and the state reached a level-playing field with other states in south India.

"I have been repeatedly pleading with the Centre on this issue. Not only the provisions in the (AP Reorganisation) Act, but also those that were not included in it should be fulfilled by the Centre," he said.

Referring to the union minister's claim that adequate financial assistance was being provided to AP, Naidu lamented that the Centre so far granted only Rs 2,500 crore as against the revenue deficit of Rs 16,000 crore.

"We need industrial incentives and Bundelkhand-type financial packages for the development of backward districts in the state. Polavaram multi-purpose irrigation project has to be completed by 2018. A new railway zone has to be established at Visakhapatnam," he said.

The Jana Sena chief said in a tweet that he hoped the BJP should not commit any mistake by going back on its promise of according special status to AP.

"Exactly two years ago, the Congress necked out MPs of Seemandhra region from Parliament and committed a grave mistake by splitting the state. People of the region neither forgot nor will forget that insult. I hope the BJP will not commit a similar mistake," Kalyan said.

"On behalf of Seemandhra people, I request the ruling party MPs to take their opposition colleagues along and fight (for special status) in Parliament before people take to the streets and launch an agitation," he added.

CPI state secretary K Ramakrishna said the Left parties would hold a meeting in Vijayawada on May 2 to chalk out the future course of action in the wake of the Centre's statement.

Meanwhile, YSRC president Jagan accused the chief minister of "deliberately watering down" the demand.

"He (Naidu) says special status is not a panacea. Now, the Central ministers are mustering courage to openly announce in Parliament that special status is not required for AP only because of Chandrababu's claims," Jagan lashed out.
SHERIDAN, Wyo.  When Terri Armstrong brought out a rack of eggs, the students couldn't hold back their excitement.

The six students gathered around a table in the commons area of the school recording their findings of their egg embryo project. They were going to have chicks in a few weeks. The students had been monitoring the embryos as a science project for the past month.

"We hope the eggs are going to hatch," Armstrong said. "How do we spell eggs?"

The older students wrote down the word in flawless cursive. The younger ones struggled with printing their name.

But they do almost everything as a group, no matter the grade or ability.

In the rolling hills between Sheridan and Gillette sits Arvada Elementary, a school with one of the smallest enrollments in the state. In the three-room school located in a town with a population of 30, you'll find two kindergartners, one first-grader, three second-graders and a fourth-grader.

There are no third-graders this year.

Juggling that many grades takes a special type of teacher. Arvada Elementary has two of them. Armstrong and Jan Gibbs have worked for years in one of the most unconventional classroom settings, but it has its advantages.

Arvada Elementary's school day operates like a well-oiled machine.

First thing every morning, they raise the flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance. Then it's on to classroom time  younger students in one classroom and older students in another.

Later, they gather again for projects, then lunch and more classes in the afternoon.

"We try to keep a routine here," Gibbs said. "We feel like the students do better in those situations."

But it took the teachers a while to figure out the method.

Despite earning her education degree, Gibbs, the classroom's main teacher, spent the first half of her life working on a ranch and substitute teaching before she became Arvada Elementary's teacher 13 years ago.

"I had no idea how I was going to plan for all of those grades," Gibbs said. "The first couple of years was really hard for me. It took me a while to learn how to manage it."

Armstrong followed a similar path. After working as an aide at Coffeen Elementary, she too worked at a ranch after she moved to Arvada with her husband.

But when another teacher's aide was needed for Arvada Elementary, word got out that Armstrong had education experience. The district reached out to her to come teach at the school.

"I think I was probably the only one in the area who had (teacher's aide) experience," she said laughing.

Not only do the teachers bounce between grades, they jump between school roles. With almost no staff working with them, Armstrong drives the bus in the morning; Gibbs and Armstrong also serve as school secretary and serve recess duty.

When the students get in trouble, they don't get sent to the principal's office  they have to deal with Gibbs.

In order to receive their electives, students are bussed more than 20 minutes to the Clearmont School, where they do weekly physical education classes, library courses and other programs that Arvada Elementary isn't able to provide.

This is their only time to plan for the rest of the week, but both Armstrong and Gibbs said they don't mind it at all.

"I really couldn't see myself teaching in anything but a multi-grade classroom at this point," Gibbs said.

Students range from 6-10 years old, but they work side-by-side.

Gibbs and Armstrong do as many projects together as possible.

"Project-based learning is really our friend, because we can have a theme or a topic then we can break it off for each grade," Gibbs said.

"You also have to teach to the standards, so you really have to be creative with your projects."

Older students are often told to help their younger classmates with their classwork, which reinforces previous years' lessons. Younger students sit in on lessons geared toward older students where they pick up on advanced concepts.

"Our second-graders are already doing multiplication because they are already seeing it, they are already hearing it around them," Armstrong said.

It also develops students socially. The teachers hold the older students to higher standards, which forces them to develop as leaders in the classroom. Meanwhile, kindergartners mature much faster being around older students, Gibbs said.

Standardized testing has placed an enormous amount of pressure on Wyoming's teachers, and despite their atypical classroom, Arvada Elementary is no exception. Generally, the school does well on the state's standardized testing, but it's sometimes tough to track because only a few students take the tests annually.

"It really depends on the year," Gibbs said. "Sometimes you will get a kid who really scores well on math then doesn't score as well on reading on the test ... but when you have these kids in the multi-grade classrooms and they are overhearing lessons geared for older grades, they generally are able to make a better guess because they've heard those words before."

Sheridan County School District 3 is under financial pressure as of late as well. With district enrollment declining, its schools are receiving less per-pupil funding.

At April's school board meeting, enrollment was projected to drop another 3-5 percent this year. Gibbs and Armstrong teach a class of seven students. It's the smallest class they've ever had.

Some may question the need for a three-room schoolhouse with seven students, but teachers say the school is necessary.

All but one of the students live on a ranch, Gibbs explained. It's sometimes an hour bus ride to Arvada Elementary, meaning students wake up at the crack of dawn and often get home late in the evening.

An extra 30 minutes on the bus to and from school in Clearmont would only cut short what little free time they have.

"If these kids had to go to Clearmont every day, they would spend hours on the bus every day," Armstrong said. "That's not good for any child."

"You can't do away with the small schools, you just can't," she added.

But there is also something to be said for the community bonding created at the school. Gibbs and Armstrong are neighbors with many of the students they teach; they've worked or continue to work alongside the students' parents on ranches. Every community event, they are together.

"You have connections with students and their families outside of the school," Gibbs said. "We really have a great community of kids and parents here."
China and Japan agreed to step up efforts to improve their relations frozen over rival claims on a group of islands as the Foreign Ministers of the world's second and the third-largest economies held rare talks after a gap of over four years.

On a fence mending visit, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida held talks with Chinesecounterpart Wang Yi. He also met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and State Councillor Yang Jiechi.

Receiving Kishida, Wang said "if you come with sincerity we welcome you".

"We have seen signs of improvement in China-Japan relations. However, there is still a lack of mutual trust between the two sides. Your visit this time is of positive significance," Wang said.

Outlining China's thinking over shoring up the ties between the two countries, Wang said they should have a more positive and healthy attitude toward the growth of China and should stop spreading or echoing all kinds of "China threat" or "China economic recession" theories.

Kishida highlighted that China's development means opportunities for Japan, saying that the Japanese side commends China for its positive role and contributions in many international and regional affairs.

As the world's third- and second-largest economies, Japan and China shoulder more responsibilities for the development and prosperity of Asia and beyond, Kishida said.

The two ministers agreed to step up efforts to accelerate the pace of improvement in political relations, Japanese agency Kyodo reported.

High-level ties between the two countries have remained largely frozen since Japan nationalised a group of uninhabited East China Sea islands claimed by China in 2012. The move sparked deep anger in China.

The uninhabited islands - believed to be rich with oil and minerals - are called Senkakus by Japan andDiaoyu by China.

The island dispute led to polarisation of sentiments in both the countries affecting their flourishing trade ties.

Kishida stressed the need of stronger mutual trust by promoting cooperation in various nonpolitical fields, such as economics, the environment and youth exchanges, according to the ministry.

Wang said that China-Japan ties must be based on "respect for history, adherence to commitment and cooperation rather than confrontation."



Wang said China and Japan are neighbours and stressed that China is willing to develop a healthy and stable relationship with Japan.
Foreign ministers of and Japan held rare talks on Saturday to reduce mistrust between the second and the third-largest economies and improve relations strained by rival claims over a group of islands, with Beijing saying the ties should be based on cooperation not confrontation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his visiting Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida that China-Japan ties must be based on "respect for history, adherence to commitment, and on cooperation rather than confrontation".

Kishida is paying an official visit to China, his first since assuming office over three years ago. It is also the first by a Japanese foreign minister in four-and-a-half years.

Read more from our special coverage on "CHINA"

High-level ties between the two countries have remained largely frozen since Japan nationalised a group of uninhabited East Sea islands claimed by in 2012. The move sparked deep anger in China.

The uninhabited islands  believed to be rich with oil and minerals  are called Senkakus by Japan and Diaoyu by China.

The island dispute led to polarisation of sentiments in both the countries, affecting their flourishing trade ties.

The maritime dispute has added to the bitterness generated by the Japanese invasion of China during World War II.

But the ties have been thawing recently after meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

China, however, remains deeply suspicious of Japan, particularly of moves by Abe to allow Japanese military to fight overseas for the first time since World War II. China objected to Japan changing its pacifist constitution.

In his opening remarks, Wang said China and Japan are neighbours and stressed that China is willing to develop a healthy and stable relationship with Japan.

"We have recently seen the Japanese side repeatedly expressing its hope of improving the bilateral relationship. You have also shown your willingness to take the first step. If you come with sincerity, we welcome you," Wang said.

"We hope that your visit will play a positive role in actual improvement of China-Japan ties," he added.

According to Wang, China-Japan ties went through twists and turns in recent years, due to reasons best known to Japan.

Wang said he was ready to listen to Kishida on how to improve ties, and equally important would be whether Japan will turn its words into deeds, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Wang expressed sympathy with Japan over the deadly earthquakes in mid-April. Kishida thanked Wang for expressions of condolence from China.
Industry body CII has signed a pact with 'Save the Children India' to address the needs of the most excluded and marginalised children in the country.

"Through this agreement, CII will look at engaging the corporate sector in shaping an agenda towards positively impacting the lives of children, particularly those from the poor socio-economic background," the chamber stated.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed yesterday in the backdrop of a CII interaction with Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Global CEO, Save the Children. Helle was the first woman Prime Minister of Denmark from 2011-2015.

The interaction, held between a group of senior industry leaders led by Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice-President, CII and the Save the Children team, focused on how India Inc can partner and contribute towards the betterment of children.

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Hero Cycles partners with Snapdeal to launch new range * Hero Cycles has partnered with e-commerce firm Snapdeal to launch a limited edition bikes endorsed by Hero Cycles' brand ambassador Arjun Kapoor.

Under the partnership, Snapdeal will launch two marquee models of bicycles endorsed by Kapoor, Hero Cycle said in a statement.

One of the limited edition bikes - Rx1, a double suspension mountain bike carries Arjun Kapoor's signature on the frame. The company said only 2,000 units of the bike will be produced.

The entire range of bikes will be launched on Snapdeal, with price ranging from Rs 7,075 to Rs 13,199.

Nasscom, Autodesk tie-up for tech design course in India



* IT industry body Nasscom today announced partnership with Autodesk for product design course to skill people.

"Through this tie-up we hope to provide Indian students an opportunity to upgrade their knowledge in the domain and be at par with global industry standards. Nasscom is confident that this course will help enhance the skills of professionals in the industry making them market ready," Nasscom President R Chandrashekhar said here.

Design software maker Autodesk has created course module and Nasscom will discuss it with various stakeholders for training students in universities, vocational traning centres like ITIs and other centres.

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Promius Pharma unveils new corporate brand * Promius Pharma, a subsidiary of Dr Reddy's Laboratories, today unveiled its new visual identity and corporate brand "The Power of Humans Being".

The new logo expresses the core belief at Promius Pharma that 'every patient is a person first" and its mission is to help patients get back to what matters most - being a person, Dr Reddy's said in a statement.

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Two Aus experts in India to build capabilities in mining, agri * Two Australian experts are helping Indians acquire a better understanding of ways to improve safety in the mining sector and create more effective farming systems.

Professor David Cliff and Professor Richard Bell are visiting under the auspices of the Australia India Education Council's (AIEC) Eminent Researcher Lecture Program.

"His visit has generated interest from a number of mid-sized mining companies for safety training courses and raising the profile of Australian mining technologies in India," the Australian High Commission stated in a release.

Both Cliff and Bell have been visitng various institutions across the country to deliver lectures on risk assessment, control of explosion hazards in mines, safety, emergency management systems for mines, and weed control and conservation agriculture and on mechanisation of crop production, respectively.

Adani Transmission raises Rs 1,000 crore via NCDs



* Adani Transmission today said it has raised Rs 1,000 crore through allotment of non-convertible debentures on private placement basis.

"The company has raised Rs 1,000 crores on June 30, 2016, by allotment of 10,000 rated, listed, taxable, secured, redeemable, non-convertible debentures of the face value of Rs 10,00,000 each issued under two separately transferable principal parts of NCDs on private placement basis," the company said in a BSE filing.

The said NCDs will be listed on the Wholesale Debt Market segment of BSE Limited, it added.

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Xiaomi India, MobiKwik partner for mobile payment * Chinese smart device maker Xiaomi and mobile wallet firm MobiKwik today announced partnership for payment service on Xiaomi's new operating system MIUI8.

Under the partnership, a feature in Xiaomi MIUI8 will allow users to pay bills and recharge their phones or DTH connections from within the messaging application, MobiKwik said in a statement.

"When a user receives a message from their telecom or DTH operator regarding low balance or bill payment, just below the same they will have a 'recharge now' button for instant recharge through MobiKwik," it added.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had promised inquiry into Ponzi schemes and certain multi-level marketing schemes, state BJP said today.

BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said here that MLM companies had cheated over 12 lakh people across the country in the last few years.

Naming certain firms, he said they claim that their products, priced very high, cure diseases, and loot people.

Bhandari also alleged that wife of a senior Congress leader was the legal adviser of one of these firms.

Chief Minister Fadnavis had assured inquiry against such firms, Bhandari said, adding that Fadnavis had also said that if needed, the state government will take the help of CBI.

Congress, however, dismissed the allegations regarding its leader. "As a professional, a lawyer can be attached to any company. If the BJP has proof, it can take action. Has BJP forgotten that it is in power?" said Sanjay Nirupam, Mumbai Congress chief, when asked for reaction.
The Madras High Court has appointed a three-member arbitration committee, headed by former Law Commission Chairman and former Chief Justice of Madras and Delhi High Court, Justice A P Shah, to find a solution to the contractual disputes between Chennai Metro Rail Limited and Gammon India.

The committee will comprise two techno-legal members nominated by CMRL and Gammon as well, the first bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M Sathyanarayanan, said.

While techno-legal consultant Kirti Dave of Mumbai will be Gammon's arbitrator, CMRL named P V Amarnadha Prasad of Hyderabad as its arbitrator.

The parties agreed to the court's suggestion to have Justice Shah to be presiding arbitrator.

Gammon had first moved the court against CMRL's threat to invoke its bank guarantees worth over Rs 171 crore and obtained an order in its favour.

The order forming arbitration committee was passed recently on appeals filed by CMRL against the September 8, 2015 order of a single judge.

Gammon-Mosmetrostroy had bagged CMRL contracts for design and construction of underground stations at Government Estate, LIC Building and Thousand Lights, Gemini, Teynampet, Chamiers Road, Saidapet and associated tunnels.

Though duration for completion of the project was originally fixed as 1,521 days from April 2, 2011, there were several delays and hindrances relating to handing over of work site, among others, and Gammon sought interim extension of time.

CMRL rejected the extension plea initially but did give an extension later on. When the contractors wanted further extension of deadline, CMRL decided to take up the delay with the dispute adjudication board.

Gammon's joint venture partner Mosmetrostroy unilaterally suspended their portion of work and abandoned the sites. CMRL responded by revoking the contract and took steps to invoke the bank guarantees, prompting Gammon to move the court.

The single judge had stopped CMRL from encashing the bank guarantees and suggested arbitrated settlement. The single judge permitted CMRL to encash the guarantees if Gammon failed to perform its contractual obligations and if its guarantees are not revived.

CMRL challenged the single judge's order.

However, during hearing, senior counsel for both sides took a "positive approach" and agreed that the controversy could be resolved through arbitration.
The BJP-led government in Goa should come out with a white paper on the issue of illegal mining in the state and the steps taken to recover the losses caused to exchequer because of it, Congress has demanded.

"The government should come out with a white paper on the issue. They should give details about the total losses (incurred) due to illegal mining and also on irregularities indulged in by individual mine owners," Goa Pradesh Congress Committee secretary Durgadas Kamat told reporters yesterday.

"The paper should also mention steps initiated by the government to recover losses to the state exchequer due to illegal mining," he said.

The Justice M B Shah Commission in its inquiry report, submitted to the Supreme Court, had stated that the illegal mining in Goa was to the tune of Rs 35,000 crore, Kamat said. The report had also named several mining firms pointing out to illegalities done by them, he added.

He said the panel of chartered accountants, appointed by the state government to conduct investigation into the illegalities by mine owners was just a "superficial exercise".

The Congress leader alleged that since mining lobbies fund the political parties, they are insulated from any criminal action against them.
Congress today took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of his educational qualification saying his government was a "habitual offender" on the matter.

"If the Prime Minister himself is seeking to hide his educational qualifications, then how could common man have the confidence to use the RTI as a tool to fight corruption," party's chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said when asked about the CIC's direction to universities in Delhi and Gujarat to provide proper responses to RTI applications seeking details of education qualification of the Prime Minister.

Recalling the degree row in which HRD Minister Smriti Irani was involved, he noted that a court case is also on in the matter. He said there is also controversy over the degree of Minister of State of HRD Ram Shankar Katheria.

Insisting that the Congress respected the Prime Minister despite being his opponent, Surjewala, however, said if the Prime Minister "himself hides his degrees, then how could be the Right to Information be defended".

He said that not only should the Prime Minister make public his educational qualifications, but he should also "act against those in the PMO who attempted to malign him by not giving the information".

He alleged that other BJP leaders too have "misled" on their educational qualifications and that they were "habitual offenders".

Surjewala's remarks came close on the heels of the Central Information Commission giving direction to the universities of Delhi and Gujarat to provide proper responses to RTI applications seeking details of education qualification of the Prime Minister.

The CIC's order came a day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote a letter to CIC saying he does not object to government records about him being made public and wondered why the Commission wants to "hide" information on Modi's educational qualification.
Amid escalating confrontation with the government, Congress today announced a gherao of on May 6 to highlight issues like Uttarakhand, drought and the campaign of "deceit and deliberate lies" against opposition.

Party chief Sonia Gandhi, Vice President Rahul Gandhi and a host of other leaders and party workers would march from Jantar Mantar early morning on next Friday to gherao .

Last year, the Congress had organised a rally at Ram Lila grounds on April 19 to protest the controversial Land acquisition bill which it had dubbed as "anti-farmer and pro-corporate".

Before that Sonia Gandhi had led a march of opposition leaders to Rashtrapati Bhawan on the issue.

The announcement was made by party's chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala, who said the gherao would be the culmination of a "save democracy" march.

He said it is being undertaken in the wake of attempts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government to "topple" duly elected governments as was witnessed in the "conspiracies" in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

In an obvious reference to the AgustaWestland issue, he said the march was also against the "drama" being enacted by the BJP and the government and the campaign of "deceit and deliberate lies" launched by it.

Surjewala said that the march was also to highlight the drought and the agrarian crisis that has forced a spate of suicides by farmers and has affected 40 crore people spread over large number of states.

A party leader said workers from adjoining states of Delhi like Haryana, Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh would participate in the protest action.

In Jaipur, PCC President Sachin Pilot said the Rajasthan unit of the party will participate in the march.

"We have seen the undemocratic face of the Modi government in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand," he said.

Sonia Gandhi, who took over as party chief in March 1998, had that year led a march of party workers in Delhi on the issue of price rise. That time the A B Vajpayee government was at the helm.
Citing a CAG report which rapped GSPC for mismanagement, Congress workers here today burnt an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they demanded a probe into the alleged scam in Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation.

A large number of Congress workers staged a dharna before the Collector's office, while five of them, including city unit vice president of youth Congress Nikesh Thakur, were arrested for burning the PM's effigy, police said.

"Our party has demanded a joint parliamentary committee or a special investigation team monitored by the Supreme Court to probe the scam at GSPC," city Congress chief Prashant Patel said.

Last month, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its report had criticised the state-run GSPC for mismanagement and wastage of money, especially with regard to exploration of gas and oil in the Krishna-Godavari basin.

Congress leader and party spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil alleged that a private firm was favoured unduly by the GSPC.

"Despite six CAG reports in the past against the GSPC, no action was taken against the officials who are responsible for the corruption. GSPC was making profits when Congress was in power," Gohil claimed in a statement.
Delhi, which is ranked among the most polluted cities, is expected to get green power from Madhya Pradesh starting next year to run its Metro trains.

"We are charting out the power purchase agreement to be signed between Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and developers of the world's largest solar power plant of 750 MW coming up in the state's Rewa district," Madhya Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Department Principal Secretary Manu Shrivastava told PTI.

"We issued tenders for setting up the power project last month," he said, adding that a meeting of bidders has already taken place on April 1 in Delhi.

"This meeting was also attended by DMRC Director (Electrical) AK Gupta," he said.

Significantly, the development has come at a time when the Delhi government is struggling hard to reduce pollution in the national capital and has even introduced the 'odd-even' number scheme to limit vehicular traffic - a major pollutant.

MP will certainly supply power to DMRC and paper work in this regard is in the last stage, Shrivastava said adding that the solar power plant at Rewa would be commissioned possibly by June 2017.

The Solar Energy Corporation of India and Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam (MPUVN) have joined hands to facilitate setting up of the green power station, christened Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Project, on 1,500 hectares area at Bandwar region in Gudh tehsil of Rewa district, said Shrivastava, who is also the Managing Director of MPUVN.

"World Bank is going to give Rs 250 crore for the project," he said.

Shrivastava said that the cost of the set up for 1 MW solar energy comes to around Rs 6 crore.

At present, the world's largest solar power project - Ivanpah Solar Power Facility of 392 MW - is at Mojave deserts in California, United States, officials said.

In February 2014, Narendra Modi, as BJP's prime ministerial candidate, had inaugurated Asia's largest solar power project in Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh.
GILLETTE, Wyo.  The video cameraman and sound man weaving their way through Jami Howe's fourth-grade classroom during a science project is clear evidence that Campbell County's work on teaching science is breaking boundaries.

There's a lot of interest in the science program, now in the fourth year of a federal grant that will ultimately revamp the way science is taught in the school district. The K-12 project has drawn a lot of interest statewide, and now the attention has grown nationally and internationally.

Two small northeast Wyoming communities in Campbell County are the focus of that attention.

John Tulenko of "Education Week/PBS New Hour" was at Paintbrush Elementary School with a film crew to view a hands-on science project on light and mirrors. The trio also visited other schools in Wright and Gillette throughout the week to report on the groundbreaking efforts to teach science. Tulenko said the report will likely air sometime in late May, around the time of this year's high school graduations in Gillette and Wright.

No other district in the state has attempted anything similar. And there are not many districts in the nation, if any, doing similar work, said Tulenko, who's covered education for the past 20 years.

The timing, with Wyoming considering adoption of new science standards for the first time since 2008 (the first public meeting on the proposals will be May 4 in Gillette), seems somewhat prophetic.

It's happening at a time when states were grappling with the debate over the national Common Core Standards and the Next Generation of Science Standards.

Despite that debate, Gillette educators decided to take a different approach, essentially changing the way science is taught.

"There isn't a lot of this," Tulenko said. "Gillette is pioneering it."

Revamping science

The science program is in its fourth year of a federal grant through the Wyoming Department of Education under the tutelage of University of Wyoming assistant professor Ana Houseal. It is something of an experiment in its own right. It's the science of teaching science.

It began in 2013 as an effort to revamp Campbell County School District's science courses in grades K-12. That first year, teachers in grades 3-6 were involved.

Even school district trustees were concerned that science was becoming the ugly stepchild in elementary school classrooms in Gillette. Science scores on the statewide PAWS tests were averaging only about 40 percent proficiency.

They wondered if Campbell County students were even being taught what they were being tested on.

In 2012, the trustees agreed to undertake a year-long study to determine if science was getting enough attention from teachers, particularly those at the elementary level. That same year, trustees passed a strategic goal of having 80 percent of Campbell County's students score proficient or above on the statewide assessment by 2017.

They also set a minimum time limit for teachers to use science reading or kit-based lessons for 40 minutes a week in K-2 classrooms and 180 minutes a week in grades 3-6. Secondary science teachers had to provide science instruction a minimum of at least 80 minutes over two days.

Part of the strategy also included reviewing the district's science curriculum, delivery and assessments to make sure it aligned with state and national standards.

"We needed an overhaul (in science) and we knew that," said Jodi Crago-Wyllie, district facilitator in elementary science and director of the Science Center-Adventurarium.

With leadership also from Christy Mathes, the school district's secondary science facilitator and junior high science teacher, teachers have helped take science to a whole new level in Campbell County.

"It's a huge shift. It's not the science we taught 10 years ago, but these are skills our kids need," Mathes said.

"It's exciting stuff," Crago-Wyllie said.

Home-grown approach

Teachers have taken the lead, designing the lessons at each grade level and then piloting the units to see what works and what doesn't.

That work likely will continue until the entire K-12 science lesson plans are rolled out in 2017-18. The district also will continue tweaking its lesson plans for many years beyond that with teacher communication and consistency being a key.

The district's grade 7-12 program is being piloted this year, Mathes said. By 2017-18, the Campbell County School District will have a complete 13-year program in place.

"It's been a lot of teacher training and a lot of shifts in thinking," she said, adding that "it's all about teaching science in three dimensions."

As the work has continued, several benefits have emerged beyond science. Teachers have made efforts to improve their teaching methods by working with their peers. They are becoming more effective teachers as a result.

And the lessons have been designed to incorporate other subjects, including reading, writing and social studies. What began as a science lesson now branches out to cover many subjects that will translate into a more rounded and meaningful education for students.

"Teachers have told me that kids are a lot more interested in science," Tulenko said, adding that "there's a lot more hands-on" in classrooms than he's seen before.

Kids also are more interactive in the lessons. In fact, they're responsible for learning on their own.

"I've noticed in a few classrooms that teachers have had to do almost no managing of the behavior of kids," he added. "They're really involved. The kids are modeling complicated concepts. That's good to see.

"I'm definitely learning from teachers that students are really into it."

Tulenko said the Next Generation of Science Standards is a 270-page document. It's asking a lot of teachers to incorporate that into their classrooms and some feel it will later be used to evaluate teachers.

But the approach being developed in Campbell County is about much more.

"It lets kids look at data and make their own conclusions," he said. "It's more about letting kids make the decisions themselves."

It's about Wyoming

While the lessons include information from across the nation and world, such as the Grand Canyon in a unit about land forms, it also focuses on Wyoming and the West.

Crago-Wyllie, a native of this area, takes a lot of pride in that.

"We still teach them (the Grand Canyon), but we start here," she said. "We really focus on Wyoming and the West."

It's not one-size-fits-all for the state, however.

Lessons and science kits designed for use in Gillette and Campbell County may not work as well for other areas of Wyoming, including the Grand Teton mountain range or the Red Desert in the southwest.

"You can't take it and run with it," Crago-Wyllie said. If school districts in other areas show interest, they will have to do some of the legwork themselves.

The exemplar lesson plans and units will be available on the school district's website, perhaps by the end of next year. It's not the property of the district, since the work was financed through a federal grant. But teachers have certainly taken ownership in it.

"I feel like we own this, this is ours and every district needs to make theirs," she said. "This is all about Campbell County. We're not teaching science in isolation anymore.

"This was created by teachers. I'm so proud of them. They put a lot of time and passion into it. Teachers really should get the credit for this. Their work is the meat to it."

The proving ground

Now that the pieces for Campbell County's full program are clicking into place, the next step is testing and assessment. That's already happening at the elementary level, with teachers designing assessments as they designed units.

And while there's no actual data to prove it, there's definitely anecdotal evidence that the elementary piece is already showing student improvement, Mathes said. The research data will start to become available next school year.

That's when the rubber will meet the road, essentially, although both Mathes and Crago-Wyllie believe the benefits are evident even now.

At the secondary level, it's become more of an approach of "how to teach it so it matters," Mathes added. "A lot of what we're doing is just good teaching. It's implementing ways of making kids show their thinking."

AJ Hermstad, 9, showed his joy of that in Howe's fourth-grade class while the filming was taking place.

"We got it!" he yelled, pumping his fists and trying out a few celebratory dance steps with partner Owen Lock, 10, who looked on, smiling. They had used a penlight and mirrors to focus a circle of light on a certain point in their box.

Their homemade kit, using items collected and stored in the Science Center, included only three mirrors. So their task was something of a head-scratching dilemma. They had hypothesized what would happen. Then their conclusion matched their hypothesis.

AJ's enthusiastic dance steps certainly shined a whole new light on the academic lesson of science. "I got it, I got it," he chanted with each step, celebrating as if he had won the Super Bowl.

In a way, he had.

Maybe we should call it the science bowl, instead.
A Delhi Police inspector was arrested after a 25-year-old woman committed suicide leaving behind a complaint against the officer, accusing him of "torture" and "harassment", police said today.

The inspector, Dinesh Kumar, is posted as the Station House Officer at Vijay Vihar Police Station in outer Delhi. He has been arrested under charge of abetment of suicide this morning after being suspended from duty, Joint Commissioner of Police (Central range) V S Chahal said.

Police received information around 3 PM yesterday that a woman was found in an unconscious condition outside Tis Hazari Court complex in north Delhi. She was rushed to a hospital, where she died during treatment.

"She was found in possession of a suicide note and a five-page complaint against Inspector Dinesh Kumar, levelling serious allegations of torture and harassment.

"Kumar was examined and he was found at fault during preliminary investigation, following which a case under IPC section 306 (abetment of suicide) was registered at Sabzi Mandi Police Station," DCP (North) Madhur Verma said.

The woman died after she consumed some poisonous substance and her allegations of torture and harassment against the officer are mental and physical in nature. The SHO is being interrogated, a senior police official said.

Police have also come across details that the woman was married to a proclaimed bad character in Vijay Vihar area and Kumar had allegedly thrashed him at the police station recently, following which he had to be admitted in hospital.

However, such details are yet to be verified, the senior officials said.

Kumar was detained for questioning at the Sabzi Mandi Police Station yesterday night and arrested this morning. Further investigation is underway.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on Saturday said that the Centre should not treat the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with Sri Lanka as a "settled question" as it had been challenged in the Supreme Court.

Stating this in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she sought his intervention for the release of 21 Tamil Nadu fishermen detained along with their boats by Sri Lankan Navy last week, the latest in continuing mid-sea arrests.

"Once again, 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 the 1974 and 1976 agreements have been challenged on extremely valid and legal grounds" in the Supreme Court, she said.

Read more from our special coverage on "J JAYALALITHAA"

She urged Modi to take immediate action in securing the release of all 55 fishermen and 91 fishing boats in Lankan custody.

She said the "prolonged" detention and "disuse" of the boats would have damaged them, causing immeasurable loss of livelihood to the poor fishermen.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said AAP government will soon make public draft Bill for Delhi's full statehood, bringing the contentious issue to the fore and setting the stage for another showdown with the Centre.

"Draft Bill for Statehood of Delhi ready. Will be soon placed in public domain for comments n suggestions from public," Kejriwal tweeted.

Sources said, the NDMC area which houses the Rashtrapati Bhavan, residences of the Vice-President, the Prime Minister, parliamentarians and foreign missions may remain untouched in the Bill which may be passed in a special session of Delhi Assembly.

"The government will make public draft bill for statehood of Delhi next week and seek comments and suggestions from the masses. After receiving suggestions and comments from people, the draft bill will be tabled in Delhi Cabinet for its nod.

"Once the draft bill is passed by the Cabinet, it will then be tabled in Delhi Assembly. If the bill is passed there, government will send it to the Centre for Constitutional amendment," a source said, adding, Parliament will take a final decision on the full statehood for Delhi.

Granting full statehood to the national capital is one of the major electoral promises of Aam Aadmi Party, in the absence of which it has frequently clashed with the BJP-led Centre over matters of jurisdiction since assuming office.

Last year, AAP had planned to hold a referendum on the issue, which was later shelved after constitutional experts said anything of that sort would be "unconstitutional".

The BJP has had an ambivalent stance on the issue although the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had introduced a Bill in Parliament in 2003 to confer full statehood to Delhi, which was never passed.

In its manifesto, AAP had declared that it will push for full statehood acting within the constitutional framework and using its moral and political authority.

"This will ensure that institutions such as DDA, MCD and Delhi Police will be accountable to the elected government of Delhi. There will be greater synchronisation and shared purpose among civic services and the law and order machinery will be accountable to the citizens," it had said.

(REOPENS DES31)



Senior party leader Sanjay Singh said AAP has been talking about granting full statehood to Delhi since its inception.

"Hurdles are being created over small issues. Questions are being asked on what did we do in the Sheila Dikshit (Commonwealth) case. Now the report is with the ACB and questions are being raised with Arvind Kejriwal.

"People ask Delhi Chief Minister questions if any crime is committed in the national capital. We can be held accountable if the police is with us," he said.

Party leader Ashutosh said of the 23 bills passed by the Delhi Legislative Assembly since last year, only 19 have been passed.

"23 bills have been passed with the Delhi Legislative Assembly. Of these four were Appropriation Bills. Why are the remaining 19 bills still pending. The Centre is creating constitutional crisis," he claimed.

"After one year, the Home Ministry says the Lt Governor should use his wisdom to pass the Bill. And, if there is any conflict then send it to the President. If he has any queries, then he will send it to us," Ashutosh said.
The Eastern Naval Command has embarked on a challenging task of summiting the twin peaks of 7756 m high Mount Kamet and Mount Abi Gamin in Uttarakhand.

Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral Harish Chandra Singh Bisht flagged off the expedition yesterday and presented a traditional ice axe with National Flag and Naval Ensign to the team.

The team comprises seven officers and six sailors, including a team doctor and is being conducted by the ENC as part of Navy's preparations for Mount Everest expedition planned next year.

Having achieved a resounding success on Mt Kun (7077 m) last year in September, the Navy has now set eyes at the summit of Mt Kamet in Uttarakhand, towering at 7756 metres. It is the third highest peak in India and the highest mountain open to climbers in the country.

Mt Abi Gamin (7355 m) is a neighbouring peak to Mt Kamet, both of which can be attempted through a common approach.

Adopting the twin peak challenge is envisaged to provide maximum opportunity for naval personnel to indulge in this extreme adventure sport.

The peaks are situated on the Indian side of the Indo-China border and offers breathtaking view of the entire Tibetan plateau to its north.

The members for the expedition have been selected from a pool of mountaineers groomed by the ENC as part of Mission Everest.

The team will be led by Lt Cdr S Karthikeyan, a seasoned climber, who has previously led three naval expeditions, including the formidable Mt Kun and is all set to lead the team to the pinnacle of Mt Kamet as well, according to a ENC release here.

The team will travel to Joshimath and thereafter commence the trek from the road head named Niti.

The journey thereafter is extremely gruelling and will see the climbers undertake 25-30 days of arduous climb to establish seven camps in the higher altitudes of the mountain before the final Summit attempt planned in early June.

Mt Kamet has not been climbed in the past five years, mainly due to its bone chilling temperatures and bellowing winds flowing across the exposed rocky terrain at such high altitudes.

The peak is sure to test the mettle and determination of these climbers and groom them for future mountaineering challenges. As the next step in the preparatory activities for Mt Everest, the ENC intends to undertake an expedition to Mt Saser Kangri I (7672 M) and IV (7416 M) post monsoon season, the release added.
The chief minister of Sri Lanka's Tamil-dominated Northern Province has said that the long-sought federal system in the North and the East to devolve power will not lead to the division of the country.

"Federalism is an arrangement to keep the country together, not to divide. There are many examples in other countries as to how federalism had not divided countries," Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran said.

Speaking to reporters in the northern town of Vavuniya yesterday, the Tamil chief minister said people in the country's south must study federalism to reach conclusions.

He said the minority Tamils advocate federal arrangements for the rest of the seven provinces too.

Wigneswaran, a former Supreme Court judge, has been under fire in the south after the adoption of a resolution in his northern provincial councils calling for a federal solution to the north and east provinces.

The resolution adopted by Tamil National Alliance (TNA) aims to have the federal solution included in the current constitution-making process.

The government headed by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has launched a process to formulate a new constitution replacing the 1978 statute.

The Tamil demand for a federal system dates back to the days when Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, became independent of the British rule in 1948.

Later, the campaign was extended to a separate state demand when the LTTE fought a decades-old war with the government to carve out a separate Tamil homeland.

With the defeat of the LTTE in 2009, the TNA adopted a softer approach to give up on the separatist demand.

However, Wigneswaran has expressed views which reflects the sentiments of the Tamil extremist polity. Politicians from the Sinhala majority have criticised Wigneswaran for raising communal passions at a time the central government was taking steps to achieve reconciliation with the Tamil minority.

The TNA hopes to submit the federal proposal when the draft for a new constitution is discussed in the national parliament.
A-gangster-turned-politician from Fazilka in Punjab was today shot dead by four persons near Timber-Trail in Parwanoo, police said.

Jaswinder Singh 'Rocky' was killed when the assailants fired at his car while he was returning to Chandigarh from Shimla, Solan SP Anjum Ara said.

While Jaswinder died on the spot, his driver Parambir Singh was seriously injured and was rushed to PGI, Chandigarh, the SP said.

Police suspect the assailants were chasing Jaswinder in a car and bike and fired from a close range at the bifurcation of Parwanoo-Pinjore four-lane road on Shimla-Kalka National Highway, 85 km from here.

"Gunmen fired indiscriminately at 'Rocky' from a close range," Inspector general of police (southern range) SZH Zaidi said, adding, CCTV footage revealed that the assailants came in two different vehicles, two in a car with two others were riding a bike and fled after committing the crime.

"While the two gunmen in the car fired at Rocky, the other two riding a motorcycle picked up the empty shells of bullets and assailants have been identified and would be arrested soon," Zaidi added.

Rocky, who was in his mid-forties, had unsuccessfully contested Punjab Assembly polls in 2012 from Fazilka.
People living in Haryana will soon be able to get any road repaired within 48 hours by sending a photograph of the damaged road to a number, a senior minister said today.

Haryana government will soon release a WhatsApp number through which anyone in the state can send a photograph of a damaged road which would then be repaired within the next 48 hours, Public Works (Buildings and Roads) Minister Narbir Singh said today.

"After a year, people coming from other states would feel the difference in roads in Haryana. The condition of roads in the state would speak of the development taking place here," an official release quoting him said.

The minister, who was speaking at a function in Gurgaon, also said the Department will spend Rs 213 crore on various development works in Gurgaon during the current financial year.

The Department will spend about Rs 108 crore on repair and strengthening of roads, about Rs 50 crore on construction of various buildings apart from the PWD rest house in Gurgaon, he said.

The minister said with that the help of the central government, construction of flyover at Hero Honda Chowk in Gurgaon on NH-8 is in progress and it will cost about Rs 200 crore.

Besides, the central government has also released Rs 1,000 crore for remodelling of three important intersections on NH-8 to resolve the problem of traffic jam in Gurgaon, he said.
Lifeguards across Goa beaches might go on a strike from coming week onwards "as government has failed to provide them relief which was assured in the past by the state tourism minister and labour minister", their union leader said here today.

"The decision on indefinite strike by lifeguards pressing for various demands would be taken tomorrow during Workers' Day (May one)," All India Trade Union Congress' State Secretary Suhas Naik told PTI here.

Lifeguards are likely to strike from coming week as government has failed to provide them relief which was assured in the past by State Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar and Labour Minister Avertano Furtado, he said.

The lifeguards are contracted to Drishti Lifesaving Services, a company which has won state government's bid to man beaches and make them drowning free.

The company (Drishti) had approached the Goa Bench of Bombay High Court recently seeking to pass an order staying any attempt of strike by lifeguards, who are covered under Essential Services Management Act.

The court had refused to pass any order while dismissing the petition.

The lifeguards had struck work between December 29, 2015 to January 13, 2016.

The strike was withdrawn following assurance by Parulekar and Furtado to fulfill all demands of the workers.

The workers were demanding hike in pay scales and also regularisation in their services.

State Tourism Department which was also a respondent in the petition had told the court in an affidavit that "the intervention of the minister(s) on behalfof the state government was to arrive at an amicable settlement between the petitioner (Drishti) and the workmen."



"The minister has (had) gone out of the way in order to facilitate the dispute between the petitioner and the workmen so that the tourism in the state of Goa does not suffer," the affidavit sworn in by State tourism Director Sanjiv Gauns Desai has stated.

Desai had told the court that the minister's intervention was only in the larger public interest so that the life of tourists who go to the beaches for bathing would be protected.
A hand grenade was accidentally discovered by a farmer at Thamnapokpi Mayai Leikai in Bishunupur district of Manipur today.

Police said the farmer was ploughing his land with a spade when he accidentally hit the grenade which was buried in the ground.

Bomb squad personnel of Manipur police later retrieved the grenade and safely detonated it after taking to an isolated place.

Meanwhile, a team of Manipur police commandos apprehended one Md. Ithem Khan (28) from Sangakpham Bazaar on April 27 last.

Police said, based on the disclosure of the arrested man, one .32 pistol was recovered from the foothills of Heingang foothills in Imphal East district.

Investigations also revealed that the man was involved in extortion activities, the police officer said.
Threatening a protest, Ghaziabad Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (GSGMC) today demanded the Centre to remove the chapter from a textbook of the Delhi University in which freedom fighter Bhagat Singh has been called a "revolutionary terrorist".

Sardar Manjit Singh, President of GSGMC, today said that they have lodged their protest against the BJP government over the issue. The government has "insulted" martyrs who fought for freedom and died, he said.

The Sikh body demanded that the chapter must be removed from the syllabus with immediate effect otherwise they will stage a protest.

It also demanded to ban the filmSanta Banta Pvt ltd.

The book titled "India's Struggle for Independence" has been part of DU's curriculum for over two decades. Authored by noted historian Bipin Chandra and Mridula Mukherjee, the book mentions Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Surya Sen and others as "revolutionary terrorists" in Chapter 20.
CHEYENNE, Wyo.  Jails are not known for their lavish accommodations, and the room where the women of G Pod do their work is no exception.

Situated on the ground floor of the Laramie County Detention Center, the room is as spartan as the plain coveralls the women wear: dingy white with gray trim, buzzing fluorescents overhead, the lone television set a dead, black rectangle.

Yet amid the dreary setting is a cornucopia of color: pastel pinks, greens and purples, bold Old Glory red, white and blue, all arrayed in shapes like stars, stripes, checkers, diamonds and hearts.

It's those splashes of color, the women say, that help them get through their day. And more and more, groups across the city have been coming to appreciate them as well as they're assembled into beautiful quilts and donated to charity.

The jail's quilting program is exclusive to the women of G Pod. It was launched three years ago by Laramie County Sheriff's Deputy Rick Watson as a sort of revival of an earlier program.

"They selected me as the inmate labor director, and going around, I found these quilts that had been made years ago, along with some sewing machines," Watson said.

"I started donating the quilts to Needs Inc., and they started giving me more materials."

Each woman is carefully screened to ensure they can work around needles, scissors and other sharp objects without cause for concern. And for those who are approved for the program, it has become a privilege they relish.

"Most of us work in the kitchen here, and when we get out, we'll jump straight into quilting, seven days a week," said G Pod member Jessica Jimenez, 33.

Jimenez has been at the jail for about a month; she was arrested on a bond violation and is still awaiting a resolution to her case. She finds quilting is not only a good way to pass the time, but also a way to bond with fellow inmates and to grow as a person.

"It helps them build self-esteem, pride in themselves," Watson said as he watched the group work.

"They're proud of their work," Watson said.

On that particular day, Jimenez was working alongside Sue Frerich, an outside volunteer with Cheyenne Heritage Quilters, who has been leading a quilting class at the jail for about a year and a half.

As she surveyed her students' work, Frerich noted many of the women who take part in the program begin with little experience, but demonstrate great potential that comes out as they build their skills.

"More often than not, they'll tell me, 'I haven't sewed since the seventh grade,'" Frerich said. "And it's fun to see some of the creativity that comes out of them. They just amaze me from one week to another."

Take Jimenez's latest quilt, for example: It's one of four patriot-themed quilts she has made over the last few weeks, and it's festooned with red-and-white stripe designs, pin wheeling blue star shapes and patriotic images, all entirely unique to the quilt, yet keeping in theme with the three others she's designed.

"They're of a quality that would fit in at any craft show," said sheriff's Detective Don Heiduck, who has been working to publicize the jail quilting program. "We've ended up with some really nice ones. We've auctioned some of them off to our employees and given the proceeds to other organizations, and I've started checking the local community for where we think these could be best used."

Last year, the inmates produced Christmas quilts for patients at the Cheyenne Veterans Affairs Medical Center. This time around, Jimenez said the goal is to get 25 patriot-themed quilts done in time for Memorial Day so they may be given to terminally ill veterans as a "final salute" to their service.

"What's so neat about this is, the fact of the matter is we have a number of veterans who may have spent time in jail, and it's that particular connection that I think is important to them," said Cheyenne VAMC spokesman Samuel House.

"Our veterans love these gifts. And I think for these inmates, if what they're doing is helping them get through their own healing, and for them to come out of it a more well-rounded individual, knowing the time they spent actually helped to benefit someone, I think that's important as well."

Along with Needs Inc. and the VAMC, Heiduck said inmate-made quilts have also been donated to Laramie County Head Start, STRIDE Learning Center and several local nursing homes. Both he and Watson would like to donate to more organizations, but they say they're currently limited.

But that's not due to the women's skills  with nothing but time on their hands, some G Pod members can crank out three quilts in a single day. Rather, it comes down to a lack of raw materials.

Though Needs Inc. has helped some, Watson and Heiduck said the quilting program relies mostly on individual donations from folks in the community.

"Batting (the material that goes inside the quilts) is the hardest thing to get," Watson said. "I usually have to pay for that out of pocket."

"We're always looking for more, and we're taking almost anything," Heiduck added. "For the VA, they're working on patriotic-type quilts, so anything that looks red, white and blue will work, along with any type of batting that goes into the quilts."

Though most of their work ends up either donated or auctioned off, the women of G Pod do enjoy one additional benefit in that each gets to make one quilt for herself or, more often, her children.

Laci Watters, 32, who was arrested in late February for a probation violation, said she has fashioned plenty of quilts for Head Start so far, but she's been holding off on making one for her own two kids. Instead, she's waiting until she's released to put her newfound skills to work.

"I just can't give one something and not the other," Watters said. "So I'm thinking, when I get out I'll take them both to the store and have them pick the fabric out. That way I can make one for each of them."
Accused of raping a Russian woman, the owner of a guest house in Morjim in North Goa is yet to be nabbed as he went untraceable after a complaint was filed against him, police said today.

The Russian woman had complained to the police that she was raped by James D'Souza, owner of Morjim Club guest house located in Pernem taluka near Panaji, where she had checked in early on Thursday.

"We have launched a search for James. He has gone missing since the time the police complaint was filed against him," police inspector Sanjay Dalvi told PTI.

According to police, the incident had taken place when the woman who is holidaying in Goa was asleep in her room.

Police said the medical examination of the victim has confirmed rape.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said the Andhra Pradesh government is taking all steps to promote Vizag as a health tourism destination to attract foreign patients.

"The city has excellent medical facilitates with natural beauty and also has hills on one side and sea on another. It has all the facilities to promote health tourism," Naidu said after inaugurating a super-speciality hospital here.

The state government has given lands for 28 corporate hospitals to establish their units here and 15 are now functioning.

Naidu also said his government had asked the remaining hospitals to start their work within the stipulated time, otherwise it will take back the lands.

Stating that medical treatment expenses in the country are very low compared to foreign countries though medical facilities are same both in India and abroad, he said several patients were visiting the country for treatment due to the facilities and low expenses.

Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman Pratap Reddy said the 250-bedded hospital has ultra-modern laboratory facilities and latest modalities for imaging and diagnostics.

He further said the group will also establish 100 bed cancer hospital with "latest technology" in the same premises within six months.
Union Minister Najma Heptulla today launched an exhibit of products by artisans at Banaras Hindu University here in a bid to revive the traditional business of wooden toys.

The launch is an effort by the Centre to encourage local workers to produce "international quality" toys using non-poisonous colours so that children can use them without any harm, she said.

The Minority Affairs Minister said the works of local artisans from minority communities will be exposed to the world market through e-commerce portal shopclues.Com under government's Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development (USTTAD) scheme.

Heptulla today held a meetingwith skilled workers in the toys business and also interactedwith artisans engaged in making of Banarasi and Jamdani sarees and zardoji (hand embroidery) here.

In her day-long trip, she also held discussions with knowledge partners under the scheme such as National Institute of Design (NID), National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) and master craftsmen and others on reviving the business.

USTTAD aims at capacity building and updating traditional skills of master craftsmen and artisans who, in turn, will train minority community members in various specific traditional crafts, especially local arts.
Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog today invited Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain's Labour party, to visit the Yad Vashem holocaust memorial in Jerusalem amid a row over anti-semitism.

Former London mayor Ken Livingstone said on Saturday he regretted the row that has rocked Britain's opposition Labour party, but refused to withdraw comments linking Hitler to Zionism.

Livingstone was suspended from the centre-left party on Thursday after saying Hitler initially wanted to move Jews to Israel, and "was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews".

His comments came in defence of Labour lawmaker Naz Shah, who was suspended on Wednesday in the face of widespread criticism for sharing anti-Semitic posts on social media two years ago.

Shah shared a graphic of Israel superimposed onto the United States under the words "Solution for Israel-Palestine Conflict -- Relocate Israel into United States", adding the comment: "Problem solved."



Herzog said he had written a letter to Corbyn.

"I have been appalled and outraged by the most recent examples of anti-Semitism by senior Labour party officials in the United Kingdom," he wrote in the letter in English, published on his Facebook page.

Herzog said "the views expressed by Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London and member of Labour's national executive, in which he claimed that Hitler 'was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews', were particularly horrific, and unthinkable for a British politician in the 21st century."



He said in the week ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel he was inviting a Labour party delegation to Yad Vashem "in order to witness that the last time the Jews were forcibly 'transported', it was not to Israel but to their deaths."



The Israeli Labour party leader concludes his letter by writing that while Livingstone "is surely anti-Semitic beyond hope of redemption", he believes that many Labour activists in Britain have "a willingness to engage and better understand the scourge of anti-Semitism".
A Hindu tailor was hacked to death by machete-wielding ISIS militants in his shop today in central Bangladesh, the latest in a series of brutal attacks on intellectuals, activists and minorities by the dreaded terror group in the Muslim-majority country.

Nikhil Chandra Joarder, 50, a resident of the Dubail village under Gopalpur upazila of the Tangail district, was hacked to death this afternoon.

"Three assailants entered Nikhil's house-cum shop and slit his throat," Gopalpur police station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Abdul Jalil told reporters.

He said the assailants used a motorbike and fled the scene immediately after the murder. They left a black bag at the spot, which contained three to four bomb-like objects.

Asked about the possible motive behind the attack, Jalil told reporters that a case was filed against Nikhil in 2012 for making a "derogatory" comment about the Prophet of Islam.

He had been arrested for allegedly making the comments and then released. "It can be the reason for the murder," The Daily Star quoted Jalil as saying.

Meanwhile, US-based private SITE Intelligence Group said the Islamic State has claimed the killing.

ISIS' Amaq Agency reported the group's responsibility for killing the Hindu tailor for blasphemy in Tangail district in Bangladesh, it said in a tweet.

The local media reports said that Nikhil served three months of imprisonment in 2012 when he was arrested for commenting "derogatory comments" against the Prophet.

"We are trying to track down the killers and called CID (Criminal Investigation Department) to probe the murder...(But) I will tell you nothing about the incident until the investigation is finished," Tangail's district police chief Saleh Mohammad Tanvir told reporters.

There have been systematic assaults in Bangladesh in recent months specially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners.

In the recent attacks, a liberal professor was brutally hacked to death last Saturday by machete-wielding ISIS militants who slit his throat near his home in Rajshahi city.

Two days later on Monday, Bangladesh's first gay magazine editor was brutally murdered along with a friend in his flat in Dhaka by Islamists.

In February, a head priest was killed at a Hindu temple in an area bordering India, the first attack by the ISIS targeting the community.

Last year, four prominent secular bloggers were killed with machetes, one inside his own home.

In most of the cases, Islamic State or al-Qaeda in Indian Sub Continent claimed the responsibility.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, however, repeatedly denied existence of any foreign terrorist groups in the country and attributed the deadly attacks on homegrown extremists backed by main opposition outside parliament BNP and its crucial ally fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami.
A Hindu tailor was hacked to death by unidentified men near his workplace on Saturday in north Bangladesh, the latest in a series of brutal attacks on intellectuals, activists and minorities in the Muslim majority country.

Nikhil Chandra Joarder, 50, a resident of the Dubail village under Gopalpur upazila of the Tangail district, was hacked to death this afternoon.

"Three young men riding a motorcycle have come to Nikhil's shop around 12 pm and called him to nearby road on which they hacked him. The killers left the spot promptly after the incident," Gopalpur police station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Abdul Jalil was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.

The attackers left a black bag at the spot, which contained three to four bomb-like objects, reports said.

Asked about the possible motive behind the attack, Jalil told reporters that a case was filed against Nikhil in 2012 for making a "derogatory" comment about the Prophet of Islam.

He had been arrested for allegedly making the comments and then released.

"It can be the reason for the murder," The Daily Star quoted him as saying.

There have been systematic assaults in in recent months specially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners.

In the latest attack, a liberal professor was brutally hacked to death last Saturday by machete-wielding ISIS militants who slit his throat using sharp weapons and left him to die near his home in Rajshahi city.

Two days later on Monday, Bangladesh's first gay magazine editor was brutally murdered along with a friend in his flat in Dhaka by Islamists.

Last year, four prominent secular bloggers were killed with machetes, one inside his own home.
German riot police today arrested some 400 protesters as clashes erupted outside a meeting of the right-wing populist AfD party, which is set to adopt an anti-Islamic manifesto amid a rise in European anti-migrant groups.

Left-wing demonstrators burned tyres and threw firecrackers as they tried to prevent delegates of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party from getting into the congress in the western city of Stuttgart.

The AfD meeting comes a week after the far-right Freedom Party's Norbert Hofer sent shock waves through Austria's political establishment by winning the first round of a presidential ballot.

Heavily-armoured riot police used tear gas to hold off protesters, many dressed in black and masking their faces, as officers escorted AfD members into the congress hall.

"No rights for Nazi propaganda," cried one group of protestors, who threw firecrackers at journalists and over 1,000 riot police battling to keep the standoff from escalating further.

The clashes delayed the opening of the congress by more than an hour.

Now polling around 14 percent, AfD is eyeing entry into the federal parliament in elections next year after a string of state election wins.

The AfD was formed only three years ago and has since gradually shifted its policies to the right, while entering half of Germany's 16 state legislatures and the European parliament.

Having initially railed against bailouts for debt-hit eurozone economies, it has changed focus to protest against mostly-Muslim migrants and refugees, more than a million of whom sought asylum in Germany last year.

The AfD has loudly protested against Chancellor Angela Merkel's liberal migration policy but also channelled popular anger against established political parties and the mainstream press.

Around 2,400 AfD members were expected at the weekend congress, which comes after deputy leader and European parliament member Beatrix von Storch last week caused anger by labelling Islam a "political ideology that is incompatible with the German constitution".

Von Storch said the congress would call for a ban on Islamic symbols in Germany such as minarets on mosques, the call to prayer and full-face veils for women.

It will openly challenge the government position, repeatedly stated by Chancellor Angela Merkel, that today "Islam is part of Germany", a country that is home to some four million Muslims.
With India's 'Look East' policy evolving into 'Act East', President Pranab Mukherjee has pitched for closer ties with New Zealand and said the region has gained even "greater salience" in New Delhi's strategic thinking and economic engagement.

The President, who arrived here on a maiden three-day state visit, spoke about the importance being attached by India to the Pacific region which he termed as a "natural extension of our immediate neighbourhood of South East Asia".

"With our 'Look East' policy evolving into an 'Act East' policy, the region has gained even greater salience in our strategic thinking and economic engagement. Most of India's foreign trade flows through the sea lanes of the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. These lanes also bring us the bulk of our energy - be it oil, gas or coal," he said in an interview to a local daily 'The New Zealand Herald'.

Mukherjee, who becomes the first President to travel to New Zealand, arrived here this morning and was received by officials. He was later accorded a ceremonial reception at the Governor General's House which included a traditional rubbing of nose gently with New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae.

"I believe, this region holds tremendous potential for enhanced trade and investment as well as people to people contacts," he said in the interview with the newspaper, which, however, focused on Free Trade Agreement and quoted New Zealand Prime Minister John Key as saying that their country wants advancement on FTA.

Other media reports quoted the Kiwi Prime Minister as saying that the visit of the Indian President will be a good opportunity to continue to talk trade and "discuss where we're going".

"India has demographics very similar to China," he said,



but added that "we do a lot less business with India than we do with China, and a lot less business with India relative to the size of the economy in India, so we're keen to really push that closer economic cooperation at some point."



In 2011, the New Zealand Prime Minister launched the NZ Inc India Strategy, a plan for India to become a core trade, economic and political partner for New Zealand.

The newspaper quoted Trade officials of New Zealand as saying that exports to India have fallen since 2011 from 900 million US dollar to 637 million dollars in 2015. Both countries had 10 rounds of negotiations on FTA.

On his visit to New Zealand, the first by an Indian leader since Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's visit to this country in 1986, the President listed many commonalities between the two countries.

"And, of course, we should never forget that cricket - followed so avidly in our two countries - is a strong binding force at a people-to-people level," he said.

He said India's large and expanding middle class, critical infrastructure and natural resource requirements, expanding economic and commercial presence in South-East Asia and close ties with Asia Pacific countries provide tremendous scope for intensifying bilateral economic and commercial ties.

"New Zealand has strong expertise in areas such as agriculture, food processing, high-end manufacturing, disaster management etc, which is of interest to India. Its tourism and education sectors also have significant strengths which could benefit India," he said.

Asked what significant change was witnessed in India during his Presidency, Mukherjee said an important change was seen when the electorate of the country "freed" governance from the "compulsion of coalition politics".

"One of the big achievements of the last two years has also been to tackle the problem of corruption. To this end, the government has transparently and through an open process, auctioned major public assets such as coal and spectrum," he said.

"India is today the fastest growing economy amongst the



large economies of the world. This achievement is particularly remarkable as this has been achieved in the face of global headwinds and a second consecutive year of below normal rainfall," he said.

He said the reform initiatives of the Government along with its commitment to calibrated fiscal management and consolidation bode well for growth prospects and the overall macroeconomic situation.

"To reap the fullest benefit of our growth potential, we have to overcome infrastructure bottlenecks, improve the quality of labour force by educating as well as skilling them appropriately and ensure better health standards. The Government is working on this and has launched a number of initiatives such as Make in India, improving the Ease of Doing Business," he said.

He said India has displaced China as the world's largest destination for attracting Foreign Direct Investment.

"We have undertaken a major program of opening up our economy to FDI and the entire economy is now open to foreign business. Given the growth potential, a booming consumer market and skilled workforce, India is one of the most preferred FDI destinations in the world.We have now displaced China as the world's largest destination for FDI," he said.

The President listed elimination of poverty remains among the challenges being faced by India.

"We are not satisfied with mere poverty alleviation. We have committed ourselves to the goal of poverty elimination. We firmly believe that the first claim on development belongs to the poor and, therefore, we are focusing our attention on those who need the basic necessities of life most urgently."



He said employment generation is critical to achieve lasting reduction in poverty.

"Climate change is a serious challenge for India. Our agriculture, water resources, and disease environment will be affected by climate change. That is why, for us cooperation on climate change is so important. We played a leading role in the COP-21 negotiations at Paris. We have ambitious plans to build capacity in renewable resources such as solar.

"Between now and 2030, we intend to re-write history by not only growing rapidly but also reducing the emission intensity of our GDP by 33 to 35 per cent compared to 2005.

He said New Zealand has become a favourite destination for Indian movie makers.

"Connectivity remains an issue but this will be addressed to an extent with the planned signing of a bilateral Air Services Agreement between our two countries during my visit. I foresee that we are on the threshold of a far closer people to people relationship between our two peoples than we have ever seen." he said.
Indian information technology firm Kellton Tech will set up its headquarters in eastern Ireland that will help create 100 additional jobs in the region.

Hyderabad-based Kellton Tech will set up its EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) headquarters in Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland.

Ireland's minister for jobs, enterprise & innovation, Richard Bruton, made the announcement earlier this week, saying the move will create 100 additional jobs in the region.

"The announcement by Kellton Tech that it is establishing its EMEA HQ in Drogheda, and creating 100 extra jobs is a major boost for the North East and for our regional plans generally," he said.

The Irish headquarters will also house an R&D facility to facilitate the localisation of Kellton's flagship product KLGAME, an IoT uptake using beacons, wearables, smartphones and other digital technologies for revolutionary applications.

"Ireland is home to one of Europe's best multilingual, tech talent pool and will act as our springboard to make inroads into the European market and beyond.

As a pioneer of digital transformation, we are the market leaders in India with strong penetration in US," said Krishna Chintam, co-founder and managing director, Kellton Tech.

"We are happy to extend our expertise to the EMEA market with Ireland as our base. We believe that this region is poised to emerge as our largest revenue-contributor outside of US," he added.

Kellton Tech says it enables businesses to make the digital leap through its broad range of IT offerings with particular focus on ISMAC (Internet of things, Social, Mobile, Analytics, Cloud) and ERP-EAI (Enterprise Resource Planning & Enterprise Application Integration).

"Given that the US region contributes substantially to our revenue, the Ireland office will also be best-equipped to support US operations.

"The language edge and time-difference makes Ireland a highly advantageous proposition for technical support, sales-enablement and accounting. We foresee a huge step-up in our hiring in near-term to support our ambitious growth plans," said Karanjit Singh, CEO, Kellton Tech.
Britain-based Indian tycoon Sanjeev Gupta has said his Liberty House group is evaluating a bid for other UK assets of the troubled Tata Steel after completing the acquisition of the firm's loss-making plants in Scotland.

Gupta was speaking as his firm completed the acquisition of former Tata Steel plate making facilities at Dalzell and Clydebridge in Lanarkshire, Scotland, on Thursday.

The deal involved a back-to-back transaction in which the Scottish government acquired the two plants from Tata Steel and immediately sold them to Liberty House.

The agreement to save the two plants was completed on March 24 and in coming months Liberty expects to create around 150 new jobs to get the plants up and running again.

"We're very grateful for the valuable support of the Scottish government and the trade unions in concluding this deal. Our team are continuing to evaluate the opportunity to make a bid for other Tata UK assets," said 44-year-old Gupta, executive chairman of Liberty House.

"We're very pleased to announce that we have completed the deal to acquire Tata's plate mills in Scotland and we now look forward to continuing to work with local management and the workforce to re-build these great businesses in the months ahead," he said.

Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said the government was "grateful to Liberty" to take up this "exciting opportunity in Scotland and for the energetic and speedy manner in which they worked with the Scottish government to help save these jobs."



"It has been a team effort which has paid off and once again the steelworkers of Scotland will produce world class products from Lanarkshire," added Scottish business minister Fergus Ewing.

Wales-based Gupta's family firm Liberty House and a possible management buyout are so far the publicly declared partieskeen on acquiring Tata Steel's Port Talbot steelworks in Wales, which went up for sale last month after the Indian giant announced plans to exit the UK market.

Gupta, a Punjab-born graduate from Cambridge University, is being dubbed UK's new "man of steel" after he emerged as a potential saviour of jobs if he were to acquire Tata Steel's Welsh units, which went up for sale last month.

Founded in 1992, the group has turnover approaching USD 7 billion with net assets of USD 1 billion.
CASPER, Wyo.  First Interstate Bank employees from Casper presented Joshuas Storehouse this week with a $20,000 donation  a combination of employee contributions, a double match from the corporate foundation and about 5 percent from the Casper bank itself.

The money will support the local food pantry's mission to provide short-term hunger relief to local, low-income families and individuals in the Casper community.

Bill Huppert, Wyoming regional president for First Interstate, said of the about 135 employees in the Casper branches, "a little more than 100," stepped up and donated to the cause.

"They felt so fortunate that we're OK when people are losing their jobs," Huppert said.

The plea to help Joshua's came at the same time that many employees received raises and small bonuses, according to Huppert.

"If their bonuses are about $250, then they get roughly half of that after taxes, and some of the donations to Joshua's were $100," he said. "People who received the least gave the most percentage-wise."

Huppert said he would never pressure employees to give to a charitable cause, because he doesn't know their own family situations.

"We just asked if they would do it, if you think it is the right thing to do," he said.

Huppert said originally they had hoped to get $5,000 from employee contributions, and planned to request a double match from the First Interstate BancSystem Foundation "to get to $20,000."

But the employees themselves kicked in closer to $6,300, and the foundation still was willing to double-match because of the recent spate of Wyoming layoffs in the energy sector putting pressure on Joshua's and other social service agencies.

"Because of those two numbers, First Interstate Bank in Casper actually contributed just about $1,000 to get to that $20,000," Huppert explained.

In 2014, Joshuas Storehouse distributed over 660,000 pounds of food to families in need. That number increased in 2015 to over 750,000 pounds of food, with the needs of the community anticipated to increase yet again in 2016.

According to Joshuas Storehouse executive director Jay Martin, First Interstates donation will allow the organization to purchase a 5-month supply of food to be distributed throughout the Casper community.

This generous donation from First Interstate Bank and their employees equates to $60,000 in distributed goods to the Casper community  a significant contribution, especially during these challenging economic times, Martin said.
A delegation representing 13 institutions from India has visited Birmingham City University in UK to explore potential partnerships in the higher education sector in the future.

The visit to the university was part of a week-long tour of UK higher education institutions by 35 senior and middle-level academic and non-academic staff from Indian universities, plus participants from the Indian Ministry for Human Resource Development.

The delegations representing institutions visited the staff from the institution's Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences, the International Office and the Department of Enterprise Innovation and Business Engagement.

They also enjoyed sessions on how Birmingham City University works internationally and how its links with industry are developed and sustained.

The visitors are in the UK as part of a leadership and management training programme which is being facilitated by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, with teaching taking place both in New Delhi and in the UK.

The course is being run in partnership with the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).

"We are delighted at this opportunity to share knowledge and experience with our friends from India and we hope that from this visit we are able to build further institutional links with the country," said Professor Julian Beer Pro-Vice- Chancellor Research, Enterprise and Business Engagement, Birmingham City University.

Another area of interest to the delegates was how the university is managing the value chain from innovation to commercialisation.

"Our visit to the university has offered a fantastic perspective on how an institution can successfully open up to position itself globally, with strong and mutually beneficial partnerships," said Upam Makhecha, Associate Professor Organisational Behavior and Human Resource Management Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli.

"Our experience today really makes me hopeful for fruitful collaborations with the University in the future," Professor Shyamanta Hazarika, Head of Department, Computer Science and Engineering, Tezpur University said.
A Delhi Police inspector was today arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of a married woman in north Delhi's Sabzi Mandi area.

The inspector, Dinesh Kumar, is posted as the Station House Officer at Vijay Vihar Police Station in outer Delhi. He has been arrested under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of IPC this morning, DCP (North) Madhur Verma said.

A senior official said that a woman who allegedly hanged herself at her residence in Sabzi Mandi area two days ago left behind a suicide note alleging Kumar made her take the extreme step.

A probe into the matter was initiated and later a case was registered.

During investigation, it emerged that the deceased woman was the wife of one Ramniwas, who is a proclaimed bad character in areas under the jurisdiction of Vijay Vihar Police Station.

It also turned up that the SHO had "severely thrashed" Ramniwas after summoning him at the police station, following which he had to be admitted in hospital, the senior official said.

Following the instruction of a Joint Commissioner-rank officer, Kumar was detained for questioning at Sabzi Mandi Police Station yesterday night and arrested this morning.

A departmental inquiry has been initiated in connection with the matter and further investigation is underway, the official added.
Amid controversy over alleged corruption in Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha on Saturday said investigators have the ability to find the money trail and the government will pursue the matter for citizens' benefit.

"These are investigations that our agencies are undertaking and they are very capable," Sinha said in response to a question on how confident the government is in proving the money trail to Sonia Gandhi or if it is just a political aggression.

"They (investigative agencies) have the ability to be able to track down and find out what the money trail is. Of course, we will pursue the matter for the benefit of citizens of the country, wherever the investigation, wherever the evidence may take us," he said on the sidelines of the Enforcement Directorate Day here.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has been making allegations of involvement of top leaders of the Congress in the chopper deal.

The VVIP chopper deal relates to a 2010 decision of the the United Progressive Alliance government to buy 12 helicopters from Italian manufacturer, Finmeccanica, a unit of AgustaWestland.

The Central Bureau of Investigation, in 2013, had registered a case in connection with alleged bribes paid by the firm to Indians to clinch the deal for 12 helicopters to ferry VVIPs, including the president and the prime minister.

With regard to the Rs 9,000-crore loan default case involving Vijay Mallya, Sinha said these are commercial matters and banks are pursuing these cases.

"It is obviously for them as well as as investigative agencies that are pursuing cases against Mallya. We have a very robust as well as a very independent process both on the commercial side as well as on the investigative side," he said.

Asked if Mallya would be deported to India for prosecution, Sinha replied, "These are government to government matters that have to resolved taking into account laws of both the countries. We have made filing with respect to Mallya and we have to proceed as per the law."

Earlier this week, India asked the UK to deport Mallya, whose Kingfisher Airlines has been accused of loan default, citing the revocation of his passport and a non-bailable warrant against him.

Sinha stressed on the need for sharing of intelligence among various agencies and use of big data analytics for efficient investigation.

"The one area that I think we need to do in the directorate and across other government investigative agencies is in big data analytics, particularly in being able to access data across different government investigative agencies," he said in his address at the Enforcement Day event.

"For example, if you look at data that is maintained by RBI (Reserve Bank of India) as part of the Fema (Foreign Exchange Management Act) and all of the foreign exchange that they track, that data are not correlated against the data that the Customs has in terms of transactions of bills of entry of goods leaving and coming into the country," he said.

If the different data are harnessed and shared among various agencies, the investigations would be more efficient, he added.

"We will also be able to pre-emptively identify a pattern through big data analytics on what kinds of mechanism and schemes are being utilised to use foreign exchange or illegal activity or take advantage of drawback duty incentives," Sinha said.

"... In BoB (Bank of Baroda) foreign exchange scandal, lots of transactions were not correlated between the bills of entry and the actual transmission of foreign exchange outside the country.
Iranians started voting today in second round elections for almost a quarter of parliament's seats, the latest political showdown between reformists and conservatives seeking to influence the country's future.

Polling stations opened at 8:00 am for the ballot which is taking place in 21 provinces, but not Tehran, because no candidate in 68 constituencies managed to win 25 per cent of votes cast in initial voting on February 26.

Reformists who backed moderate President Hassan Rouhani made big gains in the first round following Iran's implementation of a nuclear deal with world powers, which lifted sanctions blamed for long hobbling the economy.

Conservative MPs, including vehement opponents of the West who openly criticised the landmark agreement that reined in Iran's atomic programme, lost dozens of seats and were wiped out in Tehran where reformists won all 30 places in parliament.

However Friday's voting -- in which the top two candidates from the first round contest seats head to head -- covers 55 smaller towns and cities where conservative support held up in February.

The split result in February -- reformists won 95 seats and the conservatives 103 with nominally independent candidates and minorities sharing others -- meant no faction won a majority.

The outcome of the second round could potentially change that.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged strong turnout and has said that Friday's voting is no less important than the first round.

Mohammad Reza Aref, leader of the reformist pro-Rouhani List of Hope, has set a target of at least another 40 seats in the 290-seat parliament.

Gains for the president's allies would make legislative reforms more likely.

However if conservatives perform more strongly amid concern over the nuclear deal -- Iranian officials including Khamenei have complained that the United States is not honouring its commitments -- Rouhani's hopes for a more pro-government parliament could founder.

Although the conservatives went backwards two months ago they have not changed tack, keeping up pressure over what they say is a silent agenda among reformists to give up the principles of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

"We hope that people in this round can have a parliament in line with the goals of Imam and the leadership by electing principlists," said Gholam-Ali Hadad Adel, head of the conservative coalition.
YSR Congress President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy would hold a three-day fast from May 16 at Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh against the "faulty" irrigation policy of the TDP Government in the state.

"(Chief Minister) Chandrababu Naidu has been silent and is scared of questioning Telangana government, which is drawing away water from Mahbubnagar severely curtailing the inflow of (Krishna river) water into the state, in the wake of his involvement in cash-for-vote case.

"On the other hand, he has been liberal to contractors on irrigation projects which yield little or no benefit to the parched state," a YSRC release quoted him as saying today.

While Telangana government is going ahead with Palamuru-Rangareddy and Dindi projects, drawing more than 115 TMC of water and curtailing the Krishna waters which will severely affect the irrigation sector of the state, Naidu has "no voice to question the injustice as he is deeply involved in the cash-for-vote case and is scared of broaching the issue (with the neighbouring State)," Reddy alleged.

However, Naidu has been very liberal to contractors, even blacklisted ones, who have undertaken works on the Pattiseema (lift irrigation scheme in West Godavari district) despite having no storage capacity, "which is laden with kickbacks", the Leader of Opposition said.

The YSRC leader said he has decided to sit on a hunger strike, demanding due share of water for Andhra Pradesh and the intervention of Centre, as the ruling TDP has "proved its inefficiency in not raising the issue of such public importance".

The three-day protest is aimed at drawing the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh towards the "injustice" being done in water sharing, to save the 'ayacut' (farms under irrigation) of Krishna and Godavari and to highlight the "failures" of Naidu in mitigating the acute drought situation in the state, Reddy said.

Naidu's indifference towards the state came out in the open when the Union Minister (Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, MoS, Home) told Parliament special status to Andhra Pradesh would not be possible, he alleged.

"Modi, who shared the dais with Chandrababu Naidu and (Union Minister) Venkaiah Naidu during electioneering (for 2014 general elections), had said the (period of) special status (which entails a slew of sops) should be increased from five to ten years. Chandrababu Naidu had even said it should be further increased to 15 years," he maintained.

Special status to Seemandhra (new AP) was promised by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament when the Bill for bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh was passed.
India and the US have discussed efforts to advance the bilateral civil-nuclear cooperation and increase trade and investment between the two countries, a top American official has said a day after Foreign Secretary met Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken here.

Jaishankar in his meeting with Blinken discussed a range of bilateral and regional issues, during which efforts to advance civil-nuclear cooperation and to increase trade and investment came up, a State Department spokesperson said.

"They discussed a range of bilateral and regional issues including US-India efforts to advance our civil-nuclear cooperation and to increase bilateral trade and investment," the official said a day after the meeting between the two.

"The Deputy Secretary also expressed appreciation for India's contributions to the global effort to address climate change and both countries' historic signing of the Paris Agreement," the official said yesterday.

Jaishankar's visit to Washington came amid speculation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may visit the US in June.

There has been no official word from either New Delhi or the White House in this regard however.

Last week, a bipartisan group of four American lawmakers in a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan urged him to invite Modi to address a joint meeting of the US Congress during his visit, expected on June 7 and 8.

The visit would be Modi's fourth trip to the United States in two years.
Referring to decades-old fusion of the sound of Indian classical music with jazz, US President Barack Obama has said that jazz has opened up new exchanges with classical and eastern music.

"It (jazz) can be heard on the Scottish bagpipe, on the Indian sitar. It opened up new exchanges with classical music, and with Eastern music and it can make the oldest folk songs sound new," Obama said at the White House Jazz festival.

Obama said from humble origins as the music of the black working class -- largely invisible to the mainstream -- it went on to become America's most significant artistic contribution to the world.

"Jazz took shape in that most American of cities, New Orleans, where the rich blend of Spanish, French, Creole, and other influences sparked an innovative new sound," he said.

"By the early 20th century, you could walk down the street of the infamous Storyville district and -- maybe as you tried to stay out of trouble -- hear the likes of Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver and, of course, Louis Armstrong," he added.

Over the years, the sound travelled and changed -- hot jazz, swing, bebop, Latin, fusion, and experiments that defied labels. But its essence has always remained the same, the President noted.

"Jazz is perhaps the most honest reflection of who we are as a nation. Because after all, has there ever been any greater improvisation than America itself? We do it in our own way.

"We move forward even when the road ahead is uncertain, stubbornly insistent that we'll get to somewhere better, and confident that we've got all the right notes up our sleeve," he said.

"And that's what's attracted a global audience to this music. It speaks to something universal about humanity -- the restlessness that stirs in every soul, the desire to create with no boundaries," he said.

"Jazz is a good barometer of freedom," Duke Ellington once said. No wonder it has such an outsized imprint on the DNA of global music. It has spread like wildfire across the world, from Africa to Asia.

"And jazz blended with the bossa nova of Brazil or the tango of Argentina -- which, from here on out, I will endeavour to appreciate as a listener and observer, rather than as a dancer," Obama said.

Obama and the First Lady hosted a jazz concert in a large temporary building on the South Lawn for about 550 invited guests to mark International Jazz Day.
Nitish Kumar government in Bihar today rolled out the red carpet for JNUSU President who is on his first visit to his home state after release from jail on charge of sedition.

Kanhaiya was escorted by the policemen at the airport on his arrival from New Delhi and the JNUSU president moved with a convoy of security personnel in the capital.

Kanhaiya hails from Begusarai district of Bihar.

He is on a two-day tour of his home state and met both Nitish Kumar and RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav.

The two leaders had supported him when he was sent to Tihar jail on sedition charge and the JNUSU president met them at their residences.

The high-profile welcome to JNUSU president triggered reaction from political parties.

Questioning the welcome accorded by the Nitish Kumar government to a person charged with sedition, opposition BJP said it was a day of shame for the state.

Defending the welcome, state minister and Bihar PCC president Ashok Choudhary said Kanhaiya was a native of the state and since he was attacked earlier in Delhi and elsewhere it was proper to provide him fulproof security to avoid any such recurrence.

His party colleague and minister Madan Jha also echoed similar views.

JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar cited attack on Kanhaiya in Patiala court for the security cover provided to him.

Later, the JNUSU president attacked the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for growing intolerance in the country.

"Intolerance has increased in the country in the past two years under BJP government."



On total ban on liquor in Bihar, he said ideally it would have been left to individual freedom whether to drink or not.

"But in larger context considering domestic violence due to alcohol in households in a state like Bihar ban is right.
In the backdrop of SupremeCourt clearing the decks for National EligibilityEntrance Test (NEET) as a single common entrance test foradmission to MBBS and BDS courses, Karnataka government hasadvised the students to appear for both NEET and the CommonEntrance Test, conducted by it.

The government was seeking legal opinion and is likelyto decide by tomorrow on filing of an appeal, suggesting NEET asa single common entrance test, be considered from next year, Higher Education Minister Jayachandra said.

"There is ambiguity among students and parents whether to appear for exam on May 1...Weadvise students to appear for exam tomorrow," he told reporters here.

"Those who have applied should appear tomorrow, those who have applied for CET on May 4th should also appear forthe exam, and those who have not applied for NEET now have to utilise the opportunity by applying for NEET 2 exam to be heldon July 24," he added.

The apex court in its decision had approved theschedule put before it by the Centre, CBSE and the MedicalCouncil of India (MCI) for treating All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) fixed for May 1 as NEET-1 and holding NEET-II on July 24 for those who have not applied for AIPMT.

The combined result would bedeclared on August 17 so that the admission process can becompleted by September 30.

Jayachandra said: "We are not clear about the judgement yet as within two days after the judgement exam has approached."



He said: "Different states are party to the case thatis coming up on May 3rd... Advocate General is not in town,he will be coming tomorrow, we will have discussion on this and decide about the appeal. We are saying let's have NEET from next year, I think other states are also of the same opinion."



Responding to a question about CET conducted by the state government, Minister of State for Medical Education Sharan Prakash Patil said, "Whether to derive merit from CET or not, we will decide as per the Supreme Court judgement on the date of counselling."



On reservation that is given for students fromHyderabad- Karnataka and other backward regions of the state,he said, "The state's reservation policy will prevail, NEETjudgement has nothing to do with quota, to derive merit theyare conducting NEET.
Malaysia deported 32 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China today, Taiwan authorities said, leaving the island's government furious once more in the latest bout of cross-strait diplomatic sparring.

It comes after Taipei accused Beijing of "abducting" its citizens from Kenya earlier this month.

The deportations are seen by observers as a shot across the bows of Beijing-sceptic Tsai Ing-wen, who will be inaugurated as Taiwan's president on May 20.

"The government has filed solemn protests and regrets the development," presidential office spokesman Charles Chen said of the deportations today.

Taiwan would send a delegation to the mainland "as soon as possible" Chen said.

The 32 suspects arrived in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou last night, Taiwan's Central Agency reported.

They were part of a group of 52 Taiwanese detained by Malaysian police last month during five raids linked to telecom fraud, which also led to the arrests of 65 mainland Chinese and two Malaysians.

Twenty of the Taiwanese were deported back to Taiwan two weeks ago, where they were initially allowed to go free.

After complaints in Chinese state media, which labelled Taiwan a "haven of frauds", 18 of them were later arrested. They are currently in custody in Taiwan.

Questions had swirled over the fate of the other 32 suspects, with Taiwan saying it was negotiating with Malaysia for their return.

Taiwan's justice ministry said Saturday that it had raised concerns with China Friday after hearing the deportations were to go ahead.

But the Chinese side informed Taiwan Saturday that the suspects were being deported to the mainland, the justice ministry said.

CNA reported China had invited Taiwanese officials to go to the mainland to jointly investigate the case.

Taipei blasted Beijing earlier in April for being "rude and violent" over the deportation of 45 of its citizens from Kenya to China where they face investigation for fraud.

It has also filed a suit against several top officials in Kenya for ignoring a court decision which cleared some of the suspects and "illegally cooperating" with China to deport the Taiwanese.

Taipei has been increasingly isolated on the diplomatic stage with just 22 states recognising it after Gambia last month resumed ties with Beijing.

China considers Taiwan to be one of its provinces awaiting reunification, by force if necessary, even though the island has ruled itself since 1949 following a civil war split.
India's marine fish catch has dropped by 5.3 per cent in 2015 compared to the previous year, with oil sardines recording the sharpest fall of 51 per cent, the city-headquartered Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) said today.

As per CMFRI's scientific data, which was released here, the overall marine fish landings in the country dropped to 3.40 million tonnes during 2015 against 3.59 million tonnes in 2014, recording a fall of 1.89 lakh tonnes (5.3 per cent).

In a major setback for the fisheries, a sharp decline of 2.79 lakh tonnes (51 per cent) has been recorded in the landings of oil sardines mainly in the south west coast comprising Kerala, Karnataka and Goa.

"A catch of 2.66 lakh tonnes oil sardines were recorded during 2015 against 5.45 lakh tonnes during 2014. The contribution of oil sardine, which is the single largest contributor, towards the total catch reduced from 15 per cent in 2014 to eight per cent in 2015," it said.

The catch of other important species/groups recorded during 2015 are lesser sardines 2.56 lakh tonnes, Indian mackerel 2.38 lakh tonnes, penaeid prawns 1.99 lakh tonnes, ribbon fishes 1.77 lakh tonnes, threadfin breams 1.63 lakh tonnes, croakers 1.55 lakh tonnes, non-penaeid prawns 1.49 lakh tonnes, scads 1.12 lakh tonnes and Bombay duck 1.10 lakh tonnes.

Among these, the catch of lesser sardines, Indian mackerel, threadfin breams and scads improved compared to the last year while the other resources showed decrease in catch.

The high value fish Hilsa Shad, which is the main driver for the success of the fishery in West Bengal, showed improvement in the landings from 5,247 tonnes in 2014 to 20,659 tonnes in 2015, CMFRI said.

Of the nine maritime states and two union territories,



Gujarat ranked first with landings of 7.21 lakh tonnes (21.2 per cent of share towards total catch) followed by Tamil Nadu with 7.09 lakh tonnes (20.8 per cent share) and Kerala 4.82 lakh tonnes (14.2 per cent share).

According to the scientists who estimated the data, after the all-time high landings of 3.94 million tonnes in 2012, the marine fish catch in the country is showing a decreasing trend every year, four per cent in 2013, five per cent in 2014 and 5.3 per centin 2015.

However, the data showed, the value based on the price at landing centre increased to Rs 40,100 crores, a 26.3 per cent rise over the last year and registered 24.3 per cent growth at the retail level, touching Rs. 65,180 crores.

The unit price per kg of fish at landing centre recorded Rs 118 (32.8 per cent increase) and Rs 191 at retail level (30.8 per cent increase).

Kerala had the highest realisation of prices both at the landing and retail centers, registering a growth of 36.4 per cent and 33.5 per cent respectively over 2014.

According to the data, a remarkable decline of 16 per cent was recorded in marine fish landings in Kerala during 2015.

The overall fish landings in Kerala fell from 5.76 lakh tonnes during 2014 to 4.82 lakh tonnes during 2015.

In comparison to 2013, the decrease was 14 per cent in 2014 and it further decreased by 16 per cent now. A sharp drop in landings of oil sardine caused the drop in the total catch.

Oil sardine, the most dominated species along the coast since 1961, except for a few years between 1994 and 1996, was replaced by Indian mackerel in 2015. In Kerala, nearly 80 per cent of fish are landed by trawl and ringseine.

It said West Bengal contributed 3.5 per cent to the total marine fish landings with 1.19 lakh tonnes in 2015. Landings of Hilsa Shad slightly recovered after a dramatic drop in 2014.

"With a production of about 16,300 tonnes in 2015, Hilsa ranks first among the five most caught species in the state," it said.

The landings in Odisha improved to 1.41 lakh tonnes with a growth of 1.7 per cent. Lesser sardines, croakers and penaeid prawns, the three major resources formed more than one third of the landings.
A 15-year-old boy sustained bullet injury in his head while taking selfie with a revolver at his home at Shiv Nagar here, police said today.

With bullet stuck in his head, critically injured Ramandeep Singh was shifted to a hospital in Ludhiana, they further said.

The incident occurred last night when Ramandeep was trying to take a selfie on his mobile phone with the licensed .32 bore revolver while pointing the weapon to his head, Pathankot Deputy Superintendent of Police (City) Manoj Kumar said.

The revolver belonged to Ramandeep's father Gurkirpal Singh who is a property dealer.

"As per statement given by his father, Ramandeep sustained bullet injury while taking selife with a revolver and the shot got accidentally fired," DSP said.

At the time of the incident, Ramandeep's mother and other family members were present at home, he said.

"We shall try to record Ramandeep's statement as and when he is fit, to find out what actually happened last night. We shall also ask family's neighbours about incident," the DSP said.
Prime Minister will visit his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi tomorrow where he will launch solar-powered boats for plying on river Ganga apart from distributing 1,000 e-rickshaws.

The Prime Minister will arrive at the Babatpur airport from New Delhi by a special aircraft and will leave by helicopter for Ballia in eastern Uttar Pradesh to launch the Pradhanmantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).

The PMUY scheme aims to provide free LPG connections to about five crore families living below poverty line across the country.

From Ballia, the Prime Minister will fly back to Varanasi where will preside over a function to distribute 1000 e-rickshaws to beneficiaries at Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) ground.

Modi will then visit "Jnana Pravaha", a centre of cultural studies and research, in Samne Ghat area. The centre was founded in 1997 by city-borne philanthropist Bimla Poddar, who was conferred with Padma Shri last year.

The Jnana Pravaha boasts of a museum with rare artefacts belonging to ancient and medieval ages, a library equipped with rare books and manuscripts and a handicraft atelier where artisans churn out exquisite specimens of brass, copper and Ashtadhatu (alloy comprising eight metals).

The Prime Minister will thereafter head to the Assi Ghat on river Ganga, where he will launch 11 solar-powered "e-boats".

Widespread use of motorboats, mostly powered by diesel, has been a cause of concern in view of the alarming pollution level in the holy river. The introduction of"e-boats" is being seen as a remedial measure.

This will be the Prime Minister's third tour of his parliamentary constituency since January this year.
In a traditional welcome ceremony, President Pranab Mukherjee rubbed nose with the chief of an Indigenous group as he started his visit to New Zealand today.

Mukherjee was accorded a guard of honour after the Maori welcome at the residence of New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae.

"Ceremony concludes with traditional rubbing of noses in friendship between President Mukherjee and the Maori chief," Rashtrapati Bahwan tweeted.

Maori warriors also placed a fern in front of Mukherjee and asked him to pick it up if he arrived for friendship.

On being convinced that he has arrived in friendship, they asked him to follow them.

"Maori warriors initially greet visitor with aggression not knowing whether he is friend or foe," it tweeted along with the video of the ceremony.

Mukherjee arrived here from Papua New Guinea.

The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. The Maori originated with settlers from eastern Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages at some time between 1250 and 1300 CE.

Over several centuries in isolation, the Polynesian settlers developed a unique culture that became known as the "Maori", with their own language, a rich mythology, distinctive crafts and performing arts.
JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar who is out on bail in a sedition case today claimed that contractual labourers of Mumbai Municipal Corporation have volunteered to pay the fine slapped on him by the varsity in connection with the February 9 event.

"Contract labourers of Mumbai Municipal Corporation hv collected 10K to pay my fine. We will not pay the fine and fight the unfair HLEC of JNU. But our solidarity long live! Chatra, Mazdoor, Kisaan ekta Zindabad!," he said in a series of tweets.

The 29-year-old research scholar, who is among those on an indefinite hunger strike in protest against punishments awarded by JNU for involvement in the event, is in Patna today for a student meeting.

He also visited his family in Begusarai. Following the Patna visit he has plans to go to Kerala to campaign for a fellow JNU student who is in the fray for May 16 elections.

Kanhaiya along with Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya were arrested in connection with an event on campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. They are now out on bail.

On basis of the recommendations of a university probe panel, JNU had earlier this week announced punishments against several students in connection with the event.

While Kanhaiya has been slapped with a penalty of Rs 10,000 on grounds of "indiscipline and misconduct", Umar, Anirban and Kashmiri student Mujeeb Gatoo have been rusticated for varying durations.

Financial penalty has been imposed on 14 students. Hostel facilities oftwo students have been withdrawn and the university has declared the campus out of bounds for two former students.

ABVP member Saurabh Sharma, who was complainant of the event, has also been slapped with a fine of Rs 10,000 for blocking traffic.

25 students including 5 ABVP members are sitting on indefinite hunger strike since Thursday in protest against the punishments.

Bollywood director Vivek Agnihotri, who has claimed the plot of his film Buddha In A Traffic Jam is similar to the ongoing controversy at JNU, had also offered to pay fine of Saurabh.
North Korea today sentenced a detained Korean-American, Kim Dong-Chul, to 10 years hard labour on charges of subversion and espionage, China's official Xinhua agency said.

The announcement, which comes at a time of elevated military tensions on the Korean peninsula, followed an even harsher sentence of 15 years hard labour passed last month on a US student, Otto Warmbier, for stealing a propaganda banner from a tourist hotel in Pyongyang.

The brief Xinhua despatch from Pyongyang said Kim's penalty was handed down by North Korea's Supreme Court.

The 62-year-old, who became a naturalised US citizen in 1987, was arrested on espionage charges back in October.

Kim was paraded in front of media cameras in the North Korean capital a month ago, when he admitted to stealing military secrets and pleaded for clemency in a carefully orchestrated "confession".

His detention first came to public attention when he was produced in January during an interview CNN was conducting with a detained Canadian pastor in a Pyongyang hotel.

At that time, Kim said he had been living in China near the North Korean border for the past 15 years, commuting regularly to Rason -- a North Korean special economic zone.

According to the North's state media, he had been arrested in Rason as he was receiving a USB stick containing nuclear-linked and military secrets from his source.

Foreigners detained in North Korea are often required to make a public, usually officially scripted acknowledgement of wrongdoing as a first step towards a possible release.

Observers said the long sentences handed down to Kim and Warmbier reflected soaring military tensions following the North's nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch a month later.

The United States took a leading role in securing the resulting sanctions that the UN Security Council imposed on the North in March.
Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini today had a narrow escape as two vehicles in her cavalcade collided with each other under Highwaypolice station area here, police said.

"MP Hema Malini is safe," SP City, Mukul Dwivedi said.

The accident took place when the BJP MP was going to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Veterinary University and Gau Anusandhan Kendra to inaugurate a function.

"One of the vehicles in the MP's cavalcade suddenly applied the brakes, halting the movement of the other vehicles. Meanwhile, a speeding car entered into the fleet and brushed past the vehicle carrying the MP," Sanjai Govil, BJP leader, said.

The stray vehicle fled the spot thereafter, he added.

The Bollywood actor had met with an accident in Rajasthan last year, in which a four-year-old girl was killed and five others were injured, including Hema Malini.
Nepal today honoured six mountaineers, including three foreigners, to mark the diamond jubliee celebration of the first ascent to Mt Manaslu and Lhotse.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari fecilitated three foreigners including Japanese Higeta Minoru, one of the first persons to climb Mt Manaslu and three Nepalese climbers.

Minoru, is the only surviving member of the first successful expedition to Mt Manaslu (8,156 m), that scaled the peak on May in 1956.

Other two climbers who were felicitated include Ted Atkins from the UK and Billy Bielerger from Germany.

Three Nepalese climbers, who were felicitated today include Pertemba Sherpa, Pemba Norbu Sherpa and Mingma Sherpa.

Junko Tabei from Japan, the first female Everest summiteer, was also felicitated by Kathmandu Metropolitan Corporation's acting chie Badri Tamang at a separate function.

The celebration was aimed at revamping Nepal's tourism industry, which was badly hit by the last year April's devastating earthquake.

"We wanted to convey the message that Mt Everest, Manaslu, Annapurna and other major mountains and trekking routes are safe and we welcome international visitors and adventure seekers in the mountains, said Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of NepalMountaineering Association.

Mt Lhotse has an altitude of 8,516 metre.

"Over the past 60 years, 1067 climbers have scaled Manaslu peak and 604 have scaled Lhotse and we will honour all 1671 climbers," Sherpa said.
Police today attached the property of the alleged mastermind in the murder case of NIA officer Tanzil Ahmad and his wife.

SP Bijnor Subhash Singh Baghel said the property of absconding accused Muneer was impounded by eight police teams.

Uttar Pradesh Police had arrested two alleged killers including a relative of Ahmad even as the alleged mastermind, Muneer, is still on the run.

The STF and ATS are also on the lookout for Muneer and he would be nabbed soon, Baghel said.

Ahmad, probing terror cases related to Indian Mujahideen, was shot dead by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants who also wounded his wife when they were returning home from a wedding near UP's Bijnor town.

The officer's wife succumbed to bullet injuries at AIIMS hospital on April 13.
Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai today said that government will organise a 'thanksgiving event' at Chhatrasal Stadium on May 4 to thank all those who participated in making the second phase of odd-even scheme a "success".

Rai said the credit of the success of the scheme goes to civil defence volunteers, traffic police personnel who were deployed on roads during the road-road rationing plan.

"We will organise thanksgiving event on May 4 at Chhatrasal Stadium where civil defence and Delhi Police personnel, officials from DTC, transport department, metro will be thanked for making the odd-even scheme a success," the Transport minister told reporters here.

He also said the entire Delhi Cabinet, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, will also be present during the event, adding that people, who followed the scheme, are also invited to attend the event.

After the first phase of odd-even scheme, the Arvind Kejriwal government had also organised the same event at Chhatrasal Stadium.
CASPER, Wyo.  Power Service Inc., a Casper equipment manufacturer with hundreds of employees, is being sold to NOW Inc., the company announced Friday.

The sale was all-cash and the terms were not disclosed, according to a news release from Houston-based NOW. The deal remains subject to closing conditions and regulatory approval.

Power Service was founded in 1954 and describes itself as a one-stop shop for rotating and process equipment engineering, design, installation, fabrication and service.

NOW operates in more than 300 locations and employs about 4,500 people across the globe, the release said.

The company supplies products for everything from exploration and production to refineries, utilities, manufacturers and construction.

We are excited about the opportunity to add Power Services business to DistributionNOW, stated Robert Workman, president and CEO of NOW Inc. in the release. With their established position in the Oil & Gas turnkey tank battery solutions market, Power Service would provide a number of attractive synergies for DNOW. Similar to our previous large acquisitions since going public, Power Service would provide us with a unique, high value add solution for our existing customer base.

Power Service, Workman continued, would benefit from the companys larger scale, international presence and supplier relationships.

Tony Cercy, president and owner of Power Service, could not be reached for comment Friday.

Power Service has not been immune to the recent downturn in the oil and gas industry. It recently cut 50 positions from its Casper office, the first layoffs in the companys history.

Power Service has 14 offices in Green River, Salt Lake City, Denver, Billings, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Texas, according to its website.
A total of 1,370 constables were inducted into the newly raised Odisha Industrial Security Force (OISF) by the state government today.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik handed over the appointment letters to the constables at a function.

Patnaik said the state required a dedicated force in order to maintain a healthy industrial climate in Odisha, where industries are coming up.

"Conforming to the basic prerequisite, the state government has raised the Odisha Industrial Security Force which starts functioning today. I congratulate all the 1,370 constables for being part of this prestigious security force," he said.

The newly recruited personnel would be given nine months of training on lines of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

They will be responsible for protection and security of industrial undertakings of the state government and other establishments as well as strategic and vital installations.

The senior officers of the newly created OISF will be deputed from Odisha police, a state government official said.
After three consecutive adjournments over their demand for removal of Justice M M Das from the judicial commission probing the Chitfund scam in Odisha, opposition Congress and BJP today participated in the post-lunch session of the Assembly.

"As we believe in discussion and are worried over people's interest, Congress will participate in the demand discussion. However, our protest against Justice Das will continue," Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra of Congress said, slamming the government over its silence on the statements made by Justice Das at a BJD meeting in Cuttack.

Congress and BJP have been demanding resignation of Justice Das from the judicial panel for his statement.

The House was paralysed for the entire day yesterday as the opposition members staged protest.

However, the government passed the demand of two departments after the opposition members walked out of the House.

While addressing the BJD Lawyer's Forum meet in Cuttack, Justice Das reportedly said, "people had invested their money in the chit fund company out of greed to get double the invested amount. Since the state government has no role in it, there is no need for it to refund duped money to these investors. If necessary, the government should provide them financial assistance like it does during natural calamities."



Mishra asked, "Why the government is silent over the statement of Justice Das? Should it be understood that the government also accepts Justice Das's views. The members of the ruling party are giving clarification outside the House, but avoid to speak on the matter inside the Assembly. Why are you so afraid to the House.

Demanding a ruling from the Speaker, Mishra said, "If the Chief Minister is unable to make a statement on Justice Das's remark, at least a minister should be authorised to clarify the government's stand. Don't run away from the House."



Accusing the BJD government of having scant respect for democracy as well as the assembly, he said the budget demands are passed in absence of Opposition and government is adamant over the brute majority in the House.

"Ignoring minority voice is dangerous for democracy and for the ruling party," he said.

BJP member Pradip Purohit and Congress chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati also criticised the government for ignoring the opposition and aired the view that they relented for the better interest of the people. They too announced that the opposition demand on the removal of Justice Das would continue.

Government Chief Whip Ananta Das, however, said that the state was no way linked with Justice Das's statement.

"The government has set up a Rs 300 crore corpus fund to return money to the poor investors. There should be no doubt that the people will not get back their money," Das clarified on behalf of the government.

Earlier as soon as the question hour began in the House, the Congress and BJP members rushed to the well demanding the ouster of Justice Das from the Commission of Inquiry.

Amidst the uproar, Speaker Niranjan Puri adjourned the House thrice till 3 pm.

Meanwhile, the protest demanding Justice Das's ouster continued outside the assembly as investors in large number staged a demonstration in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and other places.
A total of 2,60,19,284 voters are eligible to cast their votes in the May 16 Assembly elections in Kerala.

Women accounting for 1,35,08,693 voters outnumbered men voters who stood at 1,25,10589, a release from the state Chief Electoral Officer's office said here today.

Of the electorate, as many as 23,289 are expatriates.

Malappuram district has the highest number of voters with 30.35 lakh and lowest is Waynad with 5.95 lakh, the release added.
Union Minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan today mocked at the chances of Nitish Kumar becoming the Prime Minister in 2019, stating there was no vacancy for the post in the next 15 years.

"Nitish Ji Apne Muh Miya Mithu ban rahe hain kyonki agle 15 saal tak PM post mein koyi vacancy nahi hain (Nitish Kumar is unnecessarily blowing his own trumpet as there is no vacancy for PM's post in next 15 years with Narendra Modi continuing in the chair)," Paswan told reporters.

The LJP chief was reacting on NCP President Sharad Pawar's recent backing of Kumar for the PM's post.

Paswan claimed Pawar had made the comment in a lighter vein since there was no serious thought in backing Kumar for the post.

On RJD President Lalu Prasad also supporting Kumar for the top post, Paswan, a Strong rival of both Kumar and the RJD leader said, "Lalu has his own game plan in saying so. Nobody has ever been secure after aligning with the RJD chief."



"Sharad Pawar has six MPs, Lalu 3 and JD(U) 2. Can he (Nitish) become PM on the basis of this much (number of) Parliamentarians," the Union minister for Food and Consumer Affairs asked.

He said the opposition should first decide who among Rahul Gandhi, Nitish Kumar, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Jayalalithaa, Mamata Banerjee and Navin Patnaik could be the PM contender.

Asked about his own chances for the PM's post, the veteran Parliamentarian said, "We are in NDA in which Narendra Modi is the leader and will continue to be so in future too."



During the press conference where the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Brishen Patel joined him, Paswan was asked about the possibility of merger of LJP, HAM and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, all BJP allies in NDA.

He dismissed any such merger and said "we are in NDA and will continue to be there in future."



On complete ban on alcohol in Bihar, the LJP chief said he was in favour of the move "but Nitish Kumar should answer why did he serve people with free flow of liquor in past 10 years.
In a bid to improve the lives of lakhs of people engaged in construction activities in the state, the Odisha government today announced a special package like provision of pension, scholarship for children and medical assistance for their families.

"The new package will be effective from from May 1," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced in the Assembly today.

He said the constrution workers aged 60 years and above who have registred with the Odisha Building and other Construction Workers Welfare Board, will be given pension at par with Madhu Babu Pension Yojana.

The chief minister said now scholarship will be given to children of construction worker families studying in Class- VIII at the rate of Rs 2,000 per year, Rs 3,000 for Class-IX and Rs 4,000 for Class-X.

This apart, Patnaik announced that one time cash award of Rs 10,000 will be given to meritorious Class-X students of construction worker families who pass with more than 90 per cent marks.

Girl students of construction worker families studying in Class VI and VII will be given cash incentive of Rs 2,000 per year, the chief minister said adding that cash incentive to pregnant and nursing mothers of construction workers families will be enhanced from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 over and above the assistance given under Mamata Yojana which is Rs 5,000.

Scale of assistance under Nirman Shramik Pucca Ghar Yojana will be enhanced by Rs 20,000 over and above the MGNREGS and Swachha Bharat Abhiyan incentive thereby enhancing the assistance for construction of each house to Rs 1.50 lakh, Patnaik said.

For health facility, the government also announced a medical assistance up to Rs 3 lakh for the treatment of nerve disorders, cardiovascular diseases, kidney problems, cancer and orthopaedic disorders provided they are registered for at least one year with the Board.

Besides, a provision of funds for Rs 5 crore has been made for implementation of programmes under Unorganized Workers Social Security Act, Patnaik said.
Confident about the LDF victory in the May 16 Assembly polls in Kerala, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury today said people have decided to vote against the "corrupt" Congress-led UDF government in the state.

"We will form the government... LDF will form the next government," he told reporters outside the International Airport here on his arrival from New Delhi to attend LDF election rallies in the state.

The CPI(M) General Secretary, who joined hands with Congress leaders in West Bengal to launch an electoral fight against ruling Trinamool Congress, cited corruption and lack of governance by the Congress-led government in Kerala to predict an LDF victory in the polls.

"We have seen (in the) last five years something which is unknown or unexpected in Kerala, that is corruption and lack of governance," said Yechury, who is also leader of the CPI(M) in the Rajya Sabha.

He, however, refused to specify how many seats LDF is expected to win in the crucial election to the Kerala Assembly, having a total of 140 seats.

"You must tell me," the CPI(M) leader shot back when asked how many seats LDF thought it would win in the elections fought among three major political fronts, including LDF, Congress-led UDF and BJP-led NDA.
A voter turnout of over 78.25 per cent marked the fifth and penultimate phase of assembly polls in West Bengal where 186 people were arrested in incidents of electoral malpractice and sporadic violence that left at least 15 injured.

Deputy Election Commissioner incharge of West Bengal, Sandeep Saxena, told the media in New Delhi that "based on SMS-based information from polling officers, at 5 PM the voter turnout in 5th phase was 78.25 per cent."



This is against 82.77 per cent voting recorded during 2011 assembly elections in the three districts of Hoogly, Kolkata South district and South 24-Parganas that went to polls today. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the same area had recorded a polling percentage of 80.22 per cent, he said.

The final figures of turnout today will be known tomorrow after data compilation.

An FIR was registered against Sonali Guha, the Trinamool Congress candidate from Satgachhia assembly constituency, for allegedly intimidating voters by instructing her polling agents to shoo away the voters of opposite candidate.

In the morning, Guha, who is the Deputy Speaker, was caught on camera allegedly ordering party workers over phone to beat up and drive away CPI-M polling agents in her constituency.

She was also seen involved in a heated exchange of words with central force personnel when asked not to enter booth.

Charges against her include interfering in electoral process, disobeying orders of a public servant and criminal intimidation.

FIRs have also been lodged against two presiding officers at Arambag and Tarkeshwar after they were found aiding voters in casting ballots and even allowing unauthorised entry into their booths, state chief electoral officer Sunil Gupta said.

Total complaints received during the day by EC was 2970, out of which 2846 were disposed off till 6 PM, election office sources said.

Today, voter turnout of 78.98 per cent was recorded in Hooghly district, 79.69 per cent in South 24 Parganas while Kolkata South, where chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is in fray in Bhowanipur constituency, had the lowest turnout of 63.10 per cent.

Besides Mamata, prominent contestants in today's phase included her key ministerial colleagues Firhad Hakim, Partha Chattopadhyay, Subrata Mukherjee and Kolkata Mayor Shobhan Chatterjee.

(Reopen CAL14)



Out of the 186 arrests, nine were in specific cases while the rest were preventive arrests by police, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma said.

Six crude bombs were found in Kolkata's Keyatala and Iqbalpur areas, he said.

During the day, 192 EVMs and 19 VVPATs were replaced due to malfunctioning.

In Arambagh constituency, there were complaints that CPI-M polling agents were not allowed to enter three booths in Kodoi High School by Trinamool workers.

The situation was normalised after sector officer was sent along with quick response teams. EC Officials said polling went on smoothly later on.

In Khanakul, one person was detained by the police for allegedly obstructing the entry of 50 female voters in the booth.

In Metiabruz, a clash was reported between CPI-M and TMC supporters after which a flying squad was sent to the spot. No injuries were, however, reported in the incident.

In Baruipur, five Trinamool workers were injured in a clash in which two of them received gunshot injuries in their hand and waist, police said adding six persons have been detained in the case.

Two clashes were reported from Bhangar in South 24 Parganas in which five persons were injured.

Four RSP workers were injured in a clash with TMC supporters at a booth at Bhangonkhali village in Basanti constituency after TMC activists allegedly prevented them from casting votes, police said.

In Kathalberia in the constituency, which is also in the same district, a six-year old child was injured in a lathicharge by paramilitary forces near a polling booth where his father was hawking drinking water. As the people protested, the paramilitary personnel fired in the air and disperse them.

A report from Chinsurah in Hooghly district said a villager sustained head injury when he was attacked allegedly by Trinamool Congress supporters at Puin village in Arambag constituency for casting his vote. One person was arrested in this connection.

Congress has demanded repoll in 15 booths of Basanti alleging malpractices.

Altogether, 349 candidates, including 43 women, are



trying their luck in today's election across three districts. About 1.2 crore voters were eligible to cast their votes at over 14,500 polling booths.

The centre of attraction in this phase was Bhawanipur constituency where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is pitted against former union minister Deepa Dasmunshi of the Congress.

The other prominent candidate in Bhawanipur is Chandra Kumar Bose, grand nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, a BJP candidate.

Other political heavyweights and key ministers like Manish Gupta and Javed Ahmed Khan tested their luck in this phase of poll.
President Pranab Mukherjee rubbed his nose with Maori chief and his wife as part of the traditional welcome accorded to him on his arrival here on his 3-day maiden visit to New Zealand.

As the President arrived at the lawns of Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae's residence, he was 'stopped' by Maori warriors as part of the tradition, originally conceived to ascertain whether the guest was an "enemy or a friend".

The 80-year-old President was briefed by an official about the significance of the tradition as the Maori fighters yelled their battle cries.

The warriors placed a fern in front of the President. According to the tradition, if a visitor picks up the fern, the warriors withdraw and accept him as a friend.

Mukherjee's ADC picked up the fern and handed it over to the President after which the 'aggressive' Maori warriors formally welcomed him with a song and dance performance.

Then came the most unusual part of the ceremonial welcome- rubbing the nose. An official of the Governor General escorted the President to the chief of the warriors who stood along with his wife. Mukherjee had to rub his nose with both before proceeding to inspect the guard of honour.

The rubbing of nose is a traditional Maori greeting known as 'hongi' in which two people press their nose and forehead against each other.

It has become a part of ceremonial functions in New Zealand and serves a similar purpose like a formal handshake.

The belief is that in Hongi, the "ha" (breath) is exchanged which is interpreted as sharing of two people's souls.

Mukherjee later had a meeting with the Governor General during which he spoke about air connectivity between New Zealand and India and also invited the Kiwi companies to be a part of India's Make in India programme.

The Maoris are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand and are believed to have settled in the country around 1280 AD.
The state-level single window clearance committee in Karnataka today cleared 42 projects worth Rs 3,028 crores, with employment potential for about 7,114 persons.

Out of these projects cleared by the committee headed by



Industries Minister R V Deshpande, eight worth Rs 449crore were expansion projects and likely to createemployment to 939 people, the government announced.

Rest 34 projects which are new is worth Rs 2581 croreand



will be creating employment to 6,175 people.

"Of the projects cleared today, for five ofthem MoU was



signed during Invest Karnataka meet. Investmentof these projects will be Rs 882 crore and will provideemployment to 2,913 people," Deshpande told reportershere.

The committee also approved the Central Instituteof Plastics Engineering and Technology's (CIPET) proposal toset up an Advanced Polymer Design and Development Research Laboratory (APDDRL), which was announced by Union Chemical and FertilizerMinister Ananth Kumar during 'Invest Karnataka Meet'.

"Five acres of KIADB land has been allotted in hi-tech,



Defence and Hardware Park at Devenahalli for APDDRL with an investment of 87 crore," he added.

CIPET will establish the centre with assistance fromthe



central government.

The state government was now in the processof identifying



a government building to temporarily start the activities on the request of the Union ministry.

On the proposed fertilizer plant and pharma park bythe



central government, Deshpande said "we are waiting for response from the Union Chemical and Fertilizer ministry, I have already written to them on this. We are ready to give the land."



"Pharma park is likely to come up near Mysuru, we havein



principle decided on it, government of India approval isalso required," he added.

On the proposed non-profit company 'Invest Karnataka' to



promote industries in the state, and for development of project proposals and market intelligence, Deshpande said thiswould be soon taken before the cabinet for approval.

The projects cleared by the single window clearance committee today include, Ruchi Soya Industries Limited in Dakshina Kannada with an investment of Rs 455 crore and employment of 1700 people; Indian oil corporation in Bengaluruurban Rs 150 crores, employing 180 people and expansion of TVS project in Mysuru with an investment of Rs 310 crore,employing 200 people.

Majority of the projects cleared are from sectors like



IT, food and agri-business, tourism, manufacturing.
Protesting the punishment awarded to him by JNU in connection with controversial February 9 event, ABVP member Saurabh Sharma today appealed to President Pranab Mukherjee to "protect nationalist and responsible students".

Sharma, who was complainant of the event on JNU campus during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, has been slapped with a fine of Rs 10,000 by the university after the probe panel found him "guilty" of blocking traffic.

"I along with the other responsible citizens and nationalist students of JNU had submitted an objection opposing the anti-national and seditious activity on February 9 to JNU administration. It withdrew permission accordingly. However, the organisers along with support of some student leaders continued with the event," Saurabh said in a letter to the President.

"I have been punished for opposing the procession and assisting the process of law in arrest of the accused who were organising the anti-India event. The JNU administration has failed to distinguish between the anti-India students and nationalist students. The office-order of the Chief Proctor warns me not to oppose any such event/procession in future," he said.

Alleging the action against him is an act of criminalising patriotism and nation-service, the student leader further said," this shall create a dangerous precedent for the nationalist and responsible citizen-students of India whereby they shall fear to oppose such the anti-national event and slogans for balkanisation of India".

"I request you to protect us and strengthen our confidence in nation-service and patriotism. I wish to ask to your esteemed authority whether opposing such anti-national seditious slogans and chanting 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' will be crime in this country," added Saurabh who is lone ABVP member in JNU students union.

Saurabh along with 4 ABVP members, are on indefinite hunger strike since Wednesday demanding withdrawal of punishment against him.

He also claimed that his glucose level has dipped according to the tests conducted at the university's health centre and he has been advised to call off the fast.
The residents of Thathri village of Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir today blocked the Batote-Kishtwar National Highway protesting against the "mysterious" death of a married woman.

Alleging foul play, the residents demanded a Special Investigation Team be appointed to probe the death of 23-year-old Shaista Begum.

Shaista was charred to death under suspicious circumstances at her house on Friday afternoon, two days after she lodged a complaint against her in-laws for domestic violence, a police officer said.

The police have registered a case of murder under section 302 RPC and arrested the husband and father-in-law of the woman.

The administration meanwhile had a tough time pacifying the protesters.

"An independent SIT has been formed headed by me for quick disposal of the case," Additional SP Bhadarwah Sargun Shukla said, adding that the SIT is already on the job.
Punjab will now have 'Kisan Vikas Chamber', to be set up on the pattern of industry outfits like CII, Ficci and Assocham.

The Chamber is being set up with an aim to bring state's dwindling agrarian economy back on track.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today laid the foundation stone of Punjab Kisan Vikas Chamber (PKVC)-farmers' advisory body to be constructed over two acres of land here in Aero City here.

The Chief Minister said this farmers' autonomous body shall certainly help them to do lobbying to get their genuine demands accepted at the Centre's level through persuasion within the democratic means.

He said this platform would prove to be a milestone in putting the views of eminent agriculture experts and economists across the state government as well as Government of India in streamlining the policies related to agriculture and allied farming.

He said this Chamber on the pattern of industrial organisations like Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), PHD Chamber of Commerce, Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) would provide affirmative say of peasantry in the policies and programmes related to agricultural and allied activities.

The Chief Minister said this would be a non-political forum exclusively dedicated to the cause of farming community. Eminent academicians and experts in different fields of Agriculture and allied services have been nominated in this prestigious organisation, Badal said adding that this body would surely reach zenith of its glory under stewardship of Chairman Punjab Farmers' Commission G S Kalkat as its patron and leading progressive farmer Kulwant Singh as its President.

Badal said the entire construction cost of the chamber's complex would be borne by the state government and the adequate land had been provided by GMADA free of cost.

The state government had initially provided Rs 20 crore as corps fund to run the chamber till it becomes fully self sustainable.

The Chief Minister said it was high time to set up such organisation to provide an interactive platform to farmers so as to enable them to take up their issues at an appropriate level for the quick resolution to their satisfaction.

Badal said the chamber would engage the services of renowned agriculture experts for seeking their advice on matters related to the agriculture sector.

This would help the chamber to contest their claims vigorously with the central and state government in a meaningful and result oriented manner.
Rajan Bargotra today assumed charge as Coast Guard Commander and Inspector General of Eastern Region here.

Bargotra, a sixth batch officer of the Indian Coast Guard replaces Satya Prakash Sharma who retired after serving the maritime force for 36 years. Sharma was given a traditional farewell at a function, a Coast Guard release said.

New Delhi-born Bargotra, an alumni of National Defence College, had served in many responsibilities in the Coast Guard including Chief of Staff, Coast Guard Western region, and Commander, Coasts Guard District, Gujarat among others.

Prior to taking up the new role, Bargotra was the Principal Director (Logistics) at the Coast Guard, New Delhi.

A recipient of 'Tatrakshak Medal' for meritorious service, Bargotra stressed on strengthening the Coastal Security mechanism and to expedite the growth of infrastructure towards supporting Coast Guard operations in the region.

The 'handing over taking over' ceremony was held at Coast Guard Air Station with full military honours, the release added.
Terrified residents fled a new wave of airstrikes on rebel-held areas of Syria's second city Aleppo today, as a "freeze" in fighting was held on two other fronts.

Aleppo was left out of the temporary US-Russian brokered truce, which appeared intact in the regime stronghold of Latakia as well as Damascus and the nearby rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta.

In Aleppo's rebel-held east, dozens of civilians left the battered district of Bustan al-Qasr early today morning, an AFP correspondent said.

"The situation has become unbearable," Abu Mohammed said as he prepared to flee with his wife and five children.

"One of my kids is terrified by the bombing and no one has been buying anything from my shop for a week," said the household appliance salesman. "Everything is paralysed."



Once Syria's economic hub, Aleppo and its surrounding countryside have suffered some of the worst fighting in a conflict that has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.

The city has been divided between regime control in the west and rebel control in the east since 2012.

More than 246 civilians have died in shelling, rocket fire and airstrikes in both sides of the city since April 22, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

At least six civilians died in rebel-controlled areas today, including Bab al-Nairab and Bustan al-Qasr districts, the civil defence said.

The few people out on the streets in the city's east watched the sky anxiously for regime aircraft, running for shelter when one launched a new raid.

The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a wide network of sources on the ground, reported 28 airstrikes on the area.

Some families have fled to safer districts nearby. Others left by the dangerous Castello road, the only route out of near-besieged east Aleppo that has been targeted by airstrikes and shelling.

Hospitals have also been bombed in nine days of escalating violence in Aleppo. Four medical facilities were hit in Aleppo yesterday on both sides of the front line, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

A raid on Wednesday hit a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross as well as a nearby housing, killing 30 people in an attack UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned as "inexcusable".

That strike also killed Mohammad Wassim Maaz, one of the last paediatricians in the rebel-held side of the city.
Government auditor CAG today asked the government to review export incentives to gems and jewellery sector to safeguard revenues and prevent round tripping.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) also asked the Department of Commerce to undertake an outcome analysis of the important schemes implemented to boost the G&J sector from an economic, trading and revenue perspective.

All inverted duty structures, transaction costs, related party transactions, re-export transactions, facilitation measures need to be carefully reviewed before designing an effective promotional scheme, it said.

In its performance audit report tabled in Parliament today, CAG asked the Department of Commerce to review "export incentives allowed on G&J exports, product category and country wise, considering the volume and value of re-imports involved, to safeguard the interest of revenue and to prevent round tripping".

Further, it asked the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) to consider rationalising the duty structure so that Foreign Exchange Earning could at least be at par with duty foregone under the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP).

The G&J industry contributes 15 per cent to the export basket. The major product categories of this industry are gold and diamond jewellery. India's diamond manufacturing sector employs about 10 lakh people across the country.

The CAG report on customs on gold, precious metals and jewellery points at its performance audit has a revenue implication of Rs 1,003.37 crore in addition to systemic issues worth Rs 19,522.67 crore and internal control matters which could not be quantified.

The import of gold, jewellery and related items increased from Rs 3.50 lakh crore in 2010-11 to Rs 3.81 lakh crore in 2014-15. Export of similar goods also increased from Rs 1.98 lakh crore in 2010-11 to Rs 2.53 lakh crore in 2014-15.

"The export growth in 2014-15 was much below the rate of 25 per cent envisaged in the Department of Commerce (DoC) strategy, affecting employment generation and other economic indicators," the report said.

On an average 64 per cent of imported gold jewellery was from Switzerland, UAE and Hong Kong out of the 120 odd source countries. However, the importing countries were not being exported to, except in case of UAE and Hong Kong.

Similarly, 63 per cent exports of jewellery were to UAE and Hong Kong.
Actress Richa Chadha, who is making her debut as a producer with a Punjabi short film, says she wants to back quality films.

The "Masaan" star joins the bandwagon of actress-turned-producers with upcoming film "Khoon Aali Chithi".

"It (producing film) just happened by accident. I had not really thought of turning producer. It's one of the experiments that I am doing. It's a great story and if by lending my name to it the film gets mileage then be it," Richa told PTI.

"I am not sure if I would produce films actively or would have my own production house. I haven't thought about all these things yet. I would want to back films that have story and content," she said.

The movie is doing the round of film festivals and has been selected for the International film festival of South Asia in Toronto.

"We would want to take it to all the film festivals. I am hopeful we will be able to find great space for it at film festivals. We just want more people to watch the film," Richa said.

The "Gangs Of Wasseypur" actress has not just supported the film financially, but has also given a lot of creative inputs.

"Khoon Aali Chithi", directed by Rupinder Singh, is a short film based on the terrorism in the 1980s and 1990s due to the Khalistan movement in Punjab.
Tamil Nadu Agriculture University (TNAU) has advised farmers to immediately sell black sesame on harvest as the prices of the crop are expected to remain around Rs 85 per kg during May-June.

The suggestion was put forth by the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies in TNAU, which analysed sesame prices in Sivagiri for the last 15 years.

The econometric analysis and market survey by the centre revealed that farmers could get a price of Rs 81-85 per kg for black sesame during May-June 2016.

Of the total sesame production of 7.25 lakh tonnes in India, 0.15 lakh tonne is used as seed for sowing, 3 lakh tonne for exports and the remaining is for domestic consumption.

Red and black sesame varieties are used for oil consumption and white sesame varieties for confectionery.

Country's sesame exports significantly declined 34 per cent over last year mainly due to increased production, combined with a reduction in demand with higher stock position in the domestic market, it said adding that increased acreage and favourable weather conditions helped.

Moreover, good production numbers in China and South America reduced demand from Central America, which has also affected India's sesame exports, it said.
Stating that it was wrong to take anybody's name including that of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in connection with the alleged irregularities in the AgustaWestland chopper deal, senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav today demanded concrete action against the accused.

"I believe that wrongdoing did take place. I want to tell the BJP that people have given them strength. They have all the means," Yadav told reporters here.

"Action should be taken against all whether those involved in financial wrongdoing or any other person...Or the ED or anyone. Whatever wrong has taken place in the Agusta deal should be caught and brought before the nation," he said.

Yadav further said that it was not right to take anybody's name, including that of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in connection with the VVIP chopper deal.

"Taking name of Soniaji or anyone in the Agusta deal is wrong. Instead of taking names every day, solid action should be taken. Whoever is accused should be booked," Yadav said.

The senior JD(U) leader was here to address a joint meeting of the party's state unit office-bearers, executive members and district presidents to chalk out party's future action plan.

Taking a swipe at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, Yadav said instead of giving speeches, the government should focus on work. "Although it is a BJP government, they are working like an opposition," he taunted.

When asked, Yadav welcomed the Bombay High Court's direction to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for demolition of scam-tainted Adarsh Society building in south Mumbai.
After CJI T S Thakur recently lamented government's "inaction" in dealing with the issue of shortages of judges, another Supreme Court judge today said the lawmakers should exhibit a similar "enthusiasm", as they do while creating new laws, in providing required infrastructure for disposal of cases under such new laws.

Justice Jasti Chelameswar put across these points to Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha while they both were attending the annual 'Enforcement Day' event organised by the Enforcement Directorate in the national capital here.

Chelameswar said he was taking up the subject here as there is a "debate" and "accusation" going on in the country on the issue of delays in getting decisions from courts.

He said he was specifically addressing the issue to Sinha as he, as the representative of the government at the event, can "only handle it."



"The enthusiasm exhibited by the legislature, be it Parliament or state legislature in making new laws, creating new rights and obligations...The same degree of enthusiasm is not exhibited by the government in creating the appropriate infrastructure.

"If you notice the pattern in law, every new law creates necessary obligations and leads to litigation. Litigation requires fora to adjudicate the rights and obligations but every law does not create a new forum," he said.

The apex court judge said that the jurisdiction (of the new created Act) is "dumped" on some existing forum.

"Take any decision in any state or Union Territory, the enactment under which the District Judge has the jurisdiction is mind boggling. So long as this situation continues it will be difficult for the district judges (to effectively mete out justice)...There is a limit for any systems' ability and capacity.

"However, brilliant, however hardworking, the individual is, if you ask a judge to handle 30 cases a month the efficiency level would be something. You ask the judge to deal with 300 cases you know what happens and what has happened," he said hinting that such a situation lead to pile up of cases.

Chelameswar said it was time "the lawmakers realise that every time they create a new law, they must create necessary provisions, both financial and administrative, for creating and sustaining a forum for adjudication...An independent forum.

"Don't dump this jurisdiction on the same old District Judge who is dealing with joint family partition matters or regular 302 (murder) cases or so on. Create new bodies, give this jurisdiction to new bodies which can exclusively deal with it," he said seeking additional facilities whenever a new law is enacted in the country.

Chelameswar said one has to be logical to find a solution



to mounting and pending litigation in the country.

"I am not saying that the delays are justified. Because there is no point in being rhetorical about it unless we are logical about it and analyse it. I am not saying this (lack of infrastructure) is the only reason that the delays take place.

"There are various other reasons and the forum for discussion of those reasons is not this. This is a forum where this (infrastructure) aspect is required to be taken note of and perhaps, it will, hopefully be taken care of in the future," he said.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Thakur had sought from the government, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, made a strong pitch for enhancing the number of judges from the present 21,000 to 40,000 to handle the "avalanche" of litigations.

"You cannot shift the entire burden on the judiciary. Nothing has moved since 1987 when the Law Commission had recommended increase in the number of judges from then 10 judges per 10 lakh people to 50," an unusually emotional CJI had said.

(Reopens DEL 29)



Justice Chelameswar, while talking about the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) which the ED enacts in the country, said he was "little amused" as to what was the legislative policy behind this law.

While stating that he was putting this question as a citizen of the country and not as a SC Judge, he asked what was the use of "mundane" offences like culpable homicide not amounting to murder being put under the category of predicate offences for the initiation of money laundering proceedings.

He also asked why the maximum punishment for PMLA offences was only 7 year imprisonment adding that someone who is laundering huge amounts of money should be given a more "rigorous" punishment.

"Is the sentencing policy in tune with aspirations of the law?," he said.

The SC Judge also batted for having some number of staffers in the ED as "permanent cadre" as the agency's work specialised requires a good talent pool.

The ED has almost 90 per cent of its investigators and staff coming to it on deputation at present.

While acknowledging that the conviction rate under "any crime" in the country was "very low", he said economic crimes were not being perpetrated by ordinary but by intelligent and sophisticated criminals.

The problem of establishing guilt in such cases is complex, he noted.

The SC Judge said technology has enabled that crime is committed with greater speed and accuracy.
A-57-year-old State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) personnel of Maharashtra police allegedly committed suicide today by shooting himself with his service revolver, police said.

Uttam Dhanvante, a jawan attached to 6th platoon of SRPF at Dhule and presently staying at the Maharashtra Police Academy in Nashik, took the extreme step this afternoon, Inspector S G Padvi of Gangapur police station said.

A case of accidental death has been registered and investigations are underway, he added.
Ultra Petroleum, Wyoming's largest natural gas company, said Friday it has "substantial doubts" over its ability to stay in business.

That statement, made in a financial filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, came amid predictions that the Houston-based company could file for Chapter 11 protection as early as Friday.

Ultra was once one of the shining stars of America's resurgent natural gas sector. The company played a key role in the expansion of western Wyoming's gas fields and was active in the Marcellus shale play in the eastern United States.

But a historic price decline has left Ultra struggling to pay its debts. The company has delayed payments to pipeline operators and sought extensions on a series of loans in recent months.

The grace period on those loans effectively ends Friday, leaving Ultra with little room to maneuver.

"Due to our current financial constraints, including the likelihood of the occurrence of events of default under our debt agreements, there is a substantial risk that it may be necessary for us to seek protection from our creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code," the company wrote in a quarterly filing to the SEC.

Ultra has long been one of the most productive drillers in the Pinedale Anticline. But moves to acquire more acreage in the western Wyoming gas field, as well as properties in Utah and the eastern United States, prior to the downturn in natural gas prices has weighed heavily upon its balance sheet.

The company had $3.7 billion in debt at the close of the first quarter, including $84 million in interest payments.

The company missed two interest payments totaling $102 million on March 1, but negotiated a waiver to defer the payments until April 30. It then missed a $26 million interest payment on April 1.

Ultra's deteriorating finances have left it at odds with pipeline operators. Rockies Express Pipeline notified Ultra in late March that its transportation agreement with the natural gas producer had been terminated. That notice followed a demand for payment of $303.2 million by April 20 from the pipeline operator. Rockies Express filed a lawsuit against Ultra in Harris County, Texas, on April 14.

Natural gas prices have been stuck in the doldrums for much of 2016, averaging less than $2 per million British Thermal Units. The company has said it needs roughly $2.50 per million BTUs to earn a 25 percent return.

Ultra's finances have suffered accordingly. The company had $281 million in cash at the end of the first quarter. Gas revenues fell from $183 million in the first quarter of 2015 to $138 million in the first quarter of 2016. And the company posted a $21.8 million loss for the first three months of the year. That compared to a $25 million profit the same time last year.

Wyoming's natural gas drillers find themselves squeezed by lower cost competition to the east and west. Cheap natural gas from Canada is displacing Cowboy State production in California while expanding production from the Marcellus is beating out Rockies gas in Chicago, said Sam Andrus, a natural gas analyst at IHS Energy.

"Rockies is caught," Andrus said. "What you see today is basically what youve got for the balance of the year."

Natural gas inventories ended the winter at record levels, tempering demand at a time of year when storage injections typically bolster gas sales. But with bulging surpluses, injections have all but come to a halt, resulting in 4 billion cubic feet per day of lost natural gas demand, Andrus said.

Ultra's troubles mark a sharp reversal in the company's fortunes. In 2011, the Houston firm's stock was valued around $50 a share.

However, the company embarked on a series of acquisitions that ultimately left it saddled with debts it could not afford at a time when gas prices are depressed.

Ultra paid $650 million for oil producing properties in Utah's Uinta Basin in 2013. The next year the company paid $925 million for Royal Dutch Shell's acreage in the Pinedale Anticline. The transaction made Ultra the largest natural gas producer in Wyoming.

On Friday, the company said it continued to pursue negotiations with lenders to restructure its debts, but noted it was "highly unlikely" to receive another waiver from its creditor.

"We have not been successful at accomplishing our plan," the company said.
"The Office" co-creator Stephen Merchant has joined the cast of "Wolverine 3", the latest in the Hugh Jackman-starring X-Men stand-alone franchise.

The British comedian, known for his work with Ricky Gervais, is the latest name to join the cast of the X-Men spin off, reported Deadline.

Few details about Merchant's role have been released. Richard E Grant has also signed up to play a "villainous mad-scientist type" in the new instalment.

"Narcos" star Boyd Holbrook, 34, will also portray a bad guy, while franchise regular Patrick Stewart will return as X-Men leader Professor X.

"Wolverine 3" is expected to be Hugh's last outing as the character, a role he has embodied since 2000.

The film, directed by James Mangold, is scheduled to be released in cinemas in March next year.
Pakistan is still negotiating with the US to purchase F-16 fighter jets despite difficulties in getting the USD 700 deal partially financed by American government, a top official said today.

The purchase hit snags after US Congress withheld 60 per cent of the aid earmarked for subsidising the deal opposed by some American lawmakers and India.

Tariq Fatemi, the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, responding to reports about the deadlock over the deal said that the "negotiations aren't over yet", reported BBC Radio.

He said Pakistan's mission in Washington is currently in talks with members of Congress to raise awareness of Islamabad's views on the matter.

"America understands how important a role these eight F-16s can play in the fight against terror, which is why the request was made in the first place."



According to the deal, Pakistan would have paid USD 270 million and the remaining USD 430 million was to come from the US.

"There is a strong opposition to provide subsidised arms to other countries in the US Congress, but the Obama administration's offer of military aid to Pakistan still stands," Fatemi told BBC Radio.

Those opposing the deal argue that these jets can be used against India in case of a war.
Deposed Chief Minister Harish Rawat today asked Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul to take cognisance of a sting operation video against him, claiming it carries enough evidence to prove there was a "criminal conspiracy" by BJP and Congress "backstabbers" to topple an elected government.

Rawat said he has been ready for any probe from day one as he knows he is innocent but the "so-called sting CD should be investigated in entirety and not in bits and pieces."



The CBI has initiated its preliminary investigations into the sting operation in which Rawat was purportedly seen talking to middlemen in a bid to strike a deal with rebel Congress MLAs.

The agency questioned the journalist allegedly involved in the sting operation at its headquarters in New Delhi yesterday as part of its preliminary enquiry.

Alleging that the reputation of the journalist who made the CD has always been under suspicion, Rawat said a close analysis of the content of the CD in totality puts it beyond doubt that there was a "criminal conspiracy jointly hatched by BJP and Congress backstabbers" to topple an elected government in Uttarakhand.

Reading out transcripts of the CD as it appeared on social media at a press conference here, Rawat said names of Vijay Bahuguna, Saket Bahuguna and Kailash Vijayvargiya had been mentioned in the CD as people involved in the plot to throw him out of power.

Questioning the antecedents of the journalist who had made the CD, Rawat alleged dozens of cases had been lodged against him during the tenure of a former BJP chief minister on the basis of which a red corner notice had also been issued against him.

"Why doesn't the BJP show the courage of instituting a probe against the man who made the CD. His reputation has always been under a cloud of suspicion," he said.

Claiming that he was innocent, he said the CD was made to "malign him - a fact corroborated by its timing exactly six months before the state was to go to polls."



However, he said he was ready for any probe and will cooperate with any impartial inquiry into the sting CD.
A school student was today injured after he fell off a private bus in Link road area of Suryanagar, police said today.

Arnav Kumar, a student of class I of a private school in Delhi had gone to watch movie organised by the school in the private bus.

Kumar fell from the window of the bus due to the negligence of the helper and the driver and sustained severe injuries on his head, police said, adding, the bus driver fled the scene after the incident.

The boy was taken to a nearby hospital by the locals.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today stressed on modernisation and strengthening of Punjab Police and said fast promotions of the personnel would be a top priority.

During a piping ceremony held at Panjab University law auditorium, Punjab police assured him that a policy of zero tolerance would be implemented towards drugs and corruption and no false case would be registered in the state, an official release said.

On the occasion, Sukhbir exhorted police officials to promote police-people relations in a constructive manner and also warned that corrupt officials would be weeded out from the force. He asked DGP Suresh Arora to prepare a list of such dishonest officers.

Advocating a change in the current perception of police, the Deputy Chief Minister assured that dearth of funds would not be allowed to come in the way of modernisation of police force and fast promotions of the personnel would be top priority.

He said it was his endeavor to resolve problems of Punjab Police so that the force could immerse itself in the task of better policing, tackling crime and nabbing anti-social elements.

Stressing that Punjab Police is one of the best forces of India, Badal batted for strengthening of the force and said as many as 3,000 promotions would be effected in the coming months taking the total number of promotions to 20,000 in previous nine years.

He also announced that dial 100 service would also be available for rural areas of the state in coming months.

Sukhbir said the SAD-BJP government has always taken care of all sections of society and more than one lakh youth were provided government jobs during its previous tenure and 1.20 lakh jobs will be given to youth in various departments in the coming months.

To reduce stagnation in the ranks of police force, he said government has decided to grant rank of head constable (personal rank) to those constables who have completed 16 years of service soon.
Inter-ministerial panel Telecom Commission on Saturday favoured auctioning of all available at base price suggested by regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, which could fetch the exchequer around Rs 5.36 lakh crore.

The panel has also favoured that companies winning in higher frequency bands  above 1Ghz like 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz, 2300 Mhz  should make 50% upfront payment and rest in 10 years after a 2-year moratorium.

Earlier, companies were given option to make 33% upfront payment.

Read more from our special coverage on "SPECTRUM"

For below 1Ghz band, such as 700 Mhz, 800 Mhz, 900 Mhz, companies will require to pay 25% and rest in 10 years after a 2-year moratorium. There has been no change in earlier practice of government.

The suggestion of Telecom Commission will be placed before the Cabinet for final approval based on which rules for the auction, to be held in July, will be framed.

The panel deferred the decision on annual spectrum charges.
Thieves today broke into the house of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's OSD Bhupeshwar Dayal in Sonipat and decamped with cash and valuables, police said.

Dayal's aged parents live in the house where the thieves barged this morning and robbed them of some articles, they said.

"After receiving information about the theft, our FSL team, dog squad, finger print experts arrived there. We have registered a case and are investigating the matter," a Sonipat police official said.

Dayal said his parents were alone in the house.

"The thieves broke the window grill to enter. They came inside at a time when my parents were sleeping in a room. Some intoxicant was also given to our pet dog by the thieves.

"My parents came to know about the incident in the morning and subsequently the police was informed," Dayal told PTI.

He said the thieves had looted some cash and valuables.

"What is important for me is that my parents are safe," he said.
Three bike-borne men today looted in a broad daylight gold jewellery and gems worth around Rs 40 lakh from a jewellery shop in Indirapuram area, police said.

"Three persons entered into the showroom of Rawalpindi jewellers in Indirapuram area, held the staff at gun point, looted ornaments and gems and managed to fled away with booty," City Superintendent of Police Salman Taj Patil said.

According to police, entire incident happened within 15 minutes, in which three youths entered the showroom while two others stayed outside the shop to keep a watch on the movement of passersby.

Patil said a case has been lodged and police is working on CCTV footage to ascertain the identity of the accused.
Accusing Central Paramilitary forces of "misbehaving and unleashing a reign of terror" during the fifth and penultimate phase of West Bengal assembly election, the Trinamool Congress today claimed that irrespective of it the party has already reached comfortable majority to form the next government.

"The Central paramilitary forces has unleashed a reign of terror. They have locked up clubs in various constituencies. The way they have been unleashing terror it seemed that they have been working under the instruction of someone else. They even misbehaved with voters," TMC vice-president Mukul Roy told reporters.

Roy, however, exuded confidence and claimed that TMC had already crossed the majority mark after the fourth phase of polls and will get a "comfortable majority" after fifth phase of polls.

"As we had said that we had already got the majority after the fourth phase of polls. But in spite of so much of terror we have achieved a comfortable majority after this phase," Roy said.

Earlier in the day senior Trinamool Congress ministers accused Central paramilitary forces of misbehaving with voters "in the name of maintaining law and order".

"The Central paramilitary forces in the name of maintaining law and order are misbehaving with voters and the common people. They are frisking people without any reason, beating voters. We condemn this. But irrespective of such intimidation, we will win the polls," senior TMC leader and state Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee said.

"The paramilitary forces have a language barrier. But local police is there to help them overcome that. We are 100 per cent sure about winning the polls after the results are announced," senior TMC leader and state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said after casting his vote in Behala West Constituency.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had during her election campaign few days back lashed out at Central forces for imposing "curfew" in areas where polls are on.

A heavy voter turnout of 78.25 per cent was registered till 5 PM today in the fifth and penultimate phase of Assembly polls in West Bengal, which saw sporadic incidents of violence that left at least 15 injured.
: Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, MDMK Chief Vaiko and a host of political leaders extended their May Day greetings to the labour community in the State.

"May Day is an occasion to recall with gratitude the great combination made by the workforce towards the growth and development of the economy", Rosaiah said.

"This day reminds us of our responsibility towards creating a safe and healthy environment, guaranteeing a secure life for the labour community and a bright future for their children", he said in a Raj Bhavan release.

"I extend all wealth and good wishes to the labour community who work for the progress and economic development of the nation on this occasion", Jayalalithaa said in her message.

MDMK Chief and People Welfare Front Coordinator Vaiko also extended his May Day greetings on the occasion.
Donald Trump took his outsider campaign to the inner sanctum of California's Republican party, making his case directly to the GOP's state party convention even as angry demonstrators shadowed him outside in a possible harbinger of the controversy he will bring as the nominating process shifts toward the nation's most populous and diverse state.

Trump spoke for about 30 minutes today in a basement banquet hall in this town just outside San Francisco airport. It was the sort of small-scale interaction with party activists and donors that he has generally eschewed for grander rallies. Trump came to make his pitch as the nominating calendar moves toward its end-game in California, which with 172 delegates at stake on June 7 could decide the GOP presidential nomination.

The billionaire front-runner told Republicans they needed to come together after their divisive primary but but also delivered a warning. "There has to be unity in our party," Trump said. "Would I win -- can I win -- without it? I think so, to be honest with you, because they're going to be voting for me" -- and not the party, he added.

Trump supporters snapped up tickets to the luncheon and cheered heartily for their candidate from a ring of tables around the perimeter of the ballroom. But Trump's speech got an icier reception from the party veterans and donors who sat just beneath the stage, separated from the rest of the room by a rope.

"We all listened politely," said Gregory Gandrud, an activist and donor from Santa Barbara County who backs Ohio Gov John Kasich.

Kasich spoke to the convention Friday evening, and Sen Ted Cruz and his new vice presidential pick Carly Fiorina, address it on Saturday. All three candidates are looking to galvanize supporters, sway undecided party members or poach from rival campaigns at the convention. "It's going to be a free-for-all," predicted the state party vice chairman, Harmeet Dhillon.

That label clearly applied to Trump's Orange County rally Thursday night, which filled the Pacific Amphitheatre to its capacity of about 8,000, with many hundreds more turned away.
The US has dismissed Russian and Chinese concerns over its plan to deploy an anti-missile defence system in South Korea, saying the proposal is aimed at ensuring security of its ally after a stream of provocative statements, nuclear tests and missile launches by the North.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said US military and national security experts believe additional resources could be needed to ensure South Korea's safety and security.

"The assessment of our military and national security experts is that it could be a good idea for them to do that. But ultimately, this is a sovereign country, and because they're an ally of the US, we're looking for ways to help them," Earnest said.

"This is one potential way we could offer some assistance to them and enhance their security," he said.

The US and South Korea have been discussing the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system (THAAD), a truck-mounted platform designed to counter short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles.

Russia and China have expressed concerns over the US proposal. Though US officials have said it would focus only on North Korean threats, China is worried the system could be used against its launchers.

At a briefing in Beijing with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said: "We both are gravely concerned about the US' likely deployment of the THAAD system in South Korea."



Earnest, however, dismissed their concerns. "It is not at all in China's interest to have that kind of destabilising activity right on their doorstep."



"They're focused on getting North Korea to end their provocations is rooted in their own self-interest, which is that having all this provocative behaviour and this conflict and this destabilising activity on their doorstep is not in their interest," Earnest said.

The White House Press Secretary said US' commitment to South Korea's security is rock-solid. South Korea is a close ally, and that means the US is prepared to invest resources in keeping them safe, he said.

"We have seen repeated provocations, particularly in just the last few months, from North Korea, vowing to use their military might against our allies," he said.

In February, North Korea claimed to have launched a satellite into orbit - a move some analysts saw as cover for testing a ballistic missile system that could potentially carry nuclear warheads. That was followed closely by what the North claimed was the test of a powerful hydrogen bomb.

Earnest said this was the reason the US has engaged in talks with South Korea about deploying the defence system.

"Those discussions are ongoing. I'll just point out that that equipment would be oriented toward the threat that is posed by North Korea, not oriented toward China or Russia," Earnest said.
Uttarakhand DGP B S Sidhu today retired after 37 years of service on a rather unsavoury note as a charge sheet was handed to him just a day before his superannuation in a land grab case.

"A charge sheet has been issued to Sidhu in a land grab case of 2013," Principal Secretary (Home) Umakant Panwar told PTI.

It is a departmental proceeding against the former DGP to which he has to respond within 15 days, he said.

Received in a closed envelope at the state police headquarters last evening, the charge sheet accuses Sidhu of grabbing land in a reserve forest area in Rajpur here and illegal felling of trees.

Earlier this week, a former woman employee of the railways had accused Sidhu of trying to molest her when he was chief security commissioner of Railway Protection Force in the Central Railways in Mumbai in 2004.

Levelling the allegation here on April 27, the woman, who worked as a clerk in the Chief Security Commissioner's office in Central Railways, had said Sidhu called her into his chamber while he was watching obscene videos and asked her out for lunch or dinner.

Accusing him of trying to touch her, she said she pushed him away and ran out of his room.

The woman said she had lodged a complaint in this regard with railway authorities at that time but instead of acting against Sidhu, they transferred her and finally dismissed her after some time.

Sidhu had later denied the charge saying it was baseless.

"The matter has already been probed and the woman had been found guilty of levelling a false charge against me," he said.

A 1979 batch IPS officer, Sidhu had taken over as the DGP of Uttarakhand in September 2013.
Violation of state tax laws like VAT should be made a predicate offence attracting action under anti-money laundering laws by agencies like ED which will act as a deterrent against economic crimes, the Vice Chairman of Special Investigation Team (SIT) on black money said today.

The Union government, only last year, has widened the category of predicate offences and included offshore tax evasion as a criminal offence based on which the Enforcement Directorate has been empowered to slap the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against offenders.

SIT Vice Chairman Justice (retd) Arijit Pasayat, who was delivering key note address during an Enforcement Directorate event here, also rejected criticism that probe agencies were slow, saying they need to be meticulous so that they can stand the scrutiny of law and obtain convictions, or else the criminals will take advantage.

He also said that probe agencies working under the high-power panel have revealed "horrifying" figures where it was found that there are "97,000 people who are Directors in more than 20 companies and 2,000 others are in this position in more than 100 companies in the country in gross violation of laws".

This despite the fact that there is a provision in the Companies Act that you cannot be a Director in more than 20 companies.

Referring to the money laundering Act, he said it "has a peculiar feature that it does not act on its own. Only when a predicate offence is committed then only the ED is triggered... You have murder and attempt to murder in those offences but unfortunately tax offences were not and are still not (in that category).

"Major of them (tax offences) are predicate offences. There is a need for that (to include them in predicate offences list).

"Somebody who does not file his income tax return correctly and suppresses his Rs 10,000 crore income actually murders the financial stability of the country. That fellow has to be properly tackled," Pasayat said.

The SIT deputy chief said that even tax offences under the jurisdiction of a state should also be brought under the predicate offences category.

"State tax laws like VAT, if they are made predicate offences that will also send some message to the business community.... There will be of course a large number of cases but somewhere you have to make the economic offences more subject to deterrent effect," he said.

The term predicate offence denotes the registration of a crime under IPC or CrPC provisions which is later taken cognisance by ED to invoke the PMLA against the same accused.

On the the probe being carried out in the 'Panama Papers' disclosure, where about 500 Indians have been named, Pasayat said the agencies are undertaking a "verification" of all such individuals and entities.

"First thing to be known is whether these (Panama) accounts are legitimate or illegitimate. Just because some name comes, that does not mean (wrongdoing). Without a verification if you show it (then it's not correct)... The process of verification has to be faster," he said.

The retired judge of the apex court said these disclosures were "complex transactions and wave of deceptions one after the other."



"You have to lift the corporate veil sometimes to find out the ultimate beneficiary that certainly is a very difficult task," he said.

"The job of tax agencies and ED is herculean. There is a belief now that we are slow paced...People attribute motives thinking that they (probes) should be fast tracked and not played like test match but like T-20 players not knowing that in a hurry if there is a slight mistake somewhere, ultimately the criminals will take advantage of it.

"You (probe agencies) have to match their (offenders) brilliant devilious intelligence to catch them, which itself is a challenge," Pasayat told the investigators.

(REOPENS DEL25)



The retired Supreme Court judge recounted the extent of the menace of shell and fake companies in the country as he gave out some numbers in this regard.

"From our investigation we got know some facts. There is a provision in the Companies Act that you cannot be a Director in more than 20 companies. We asked the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to give us a list of people who are Directors in more than 20 companies. To our horror, we found there are 97,000 people and there are 2,000 people who are directors in more than 100 companies.

"On the face of it, it's so shocking. Then we said give us the addresses of places where there are more than 20 companies operating. Of course, that is no offence but being a director of more than 20 companies is an offence which carries a minimum fine of Rs 25,000 per day," he said.

Citing an example, he said if probe agencies go a "little deep", probably every day they can collect more than Rs 20 lakh of fine from those people who are directors of more than 20 companies.

"To our horror, we found there are some small rooms in Kolkata and some places in Kolkata and Delhi which have offices of more than 20 companies," he said.

Pasayat, who along with SIT Chairman Justice (retd) M B Shah periodically reviews the work of at least eleven probe agencies in the country, also rued the fact that punishment for committing different quantum of economic crimes is on an equal footing in India.

"A man who takes a bribe of Rs 20 gets one year and a man who takes a bribe of Rs 300 crore also gets one year. That is the tragedy in this country," he said.

Pasayat said there cannot be a "Taliban-style" quick investigation of financial crimes in the country and the probe agencies should do be allowed to do their work "systematically and methodically" so that they can obtain good convictions and stand the scrutiny of law.

He added another area of practical difficulty for such agencies is lack of proper infrastructure.

"Problem is people expect too much from the agencies...," he said.

The SIT Vice Chairman said India has a robust judicial



system but at the same time "we must not allow the criminals to outsmart us".

"We have to tackle their intelligence with a right way to their wrong ways. For that you need innovation. I expect all of you to be innovative," he told the officers of the ED and those drawn from sister agencies.

He said the work of investigative agencies should be such that it "blacken the faces of black money holders".

"That's the only way we can show to the world that India lacks nothing. Not certainly the courage to deal with these criminals and whether they call it money laundering or whether they call it black money. We will blacken their faces," he said.

He added most of the foreign jurisdictions who were previously non-cooperating in black money probe cases, have now started cooperating with India.

"Now, we are getting a lot of information," he said.

Pasayat added that the mandate of the SIT, notified by the central government in 2014 on the directions of the Supreme Court, is to probe not only foreign but also domestic black money cases.

"In fact, most of our recommendations are for domestic...That is a misnomer (calling it SIT to probe illegal assets of Indians abroad)," he said the source and matrix of all such crime is within the country in many cases.
Six persons were arrested, including wanted criminal Kapil alias Nandu Sangwan, and Rs 10 lakh in cash and weapons were recovered from their possession from Renwal area here, police said.

"A team of Gurgaon police was chasing three criminals who were in an SUV yesterday and they opened fire at them near Jaisinghpura. They managed to escape and reached Renwal area where locals caught them and handed over them to Renwal police chowki under Phagi police station here," Jaipur Police Commissioner Sanjay Agarwal said today.

The staff, however, did not inform senior officers and instead stuck a deal to help the accused evade police. They also allowed them to speak to their aides in Delhi on cell phone following which three of their accomplices came to Jaipur to get them released for Rs 10 lakh, he said.

Meanwhile, with technical inputs the criminals were traced to the police chowky following which they were arrested around midnight.

"Action against the police chowki staff will also be taken," he said.

The officer said Kapil is the most wanted criminal of Delhi and was carrying a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. Another accused, Sachin Chinkara, was also carrying a cash reward of Rs 50,000.

A licenced revolver and two illegal weapons with live cartridges and Rs 10 lakh in cash were seized from their possession. The vehicle was also impounded, he added.
Swashbuckling opener David Warner slammed a whirlwind 50-ball 92 to set up a comfortable 15-run win for Sunrisers Hyderabad over Royal Challengers Bangalore in their IPL match here today.

Warner hit nine fours and five sixes and shared a 124-run stand for the second wicket with Kane Williamson (50) to power Hyderabad to an imposing 194-5 after they were inserted by Bangalore following a delayed start due to rain.

The hosts then returned to restrict Bangalore for 179 for 6 and notch up their fourth win in seven matches. It was RCB's fourth loss in six matches.

For Hyderabad, all the five bowlers -- Ashish Nehra (1/32), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/36), Mustafizur Rahman (1/34), Barinder Sran (1/36) and Moises Henriques (1/40) picked up one wicket each.

Chasing for the first time this season, RCB lost their first wicket when skipper Virat Kohli (14) stepped out and tried to play an uppish shot only to hold out to Ashish Reddy at backward point.

Lokesh Rahul smashed a 28-ball 51 studded with six boundaries and a six but he was dismissed by Henriques on the last ball of the 10th over when he tried to run the ball down to third man only to end up giving a catch to wicket-keeper Naman Ojha as RCB slipped to 83-2.

AB de Villiers had conjured up hopes of a successful runchase for a brief period but he was soon caught at long-on by a diving Williamson. The South African blasted 47 runs off 32 balls with the help of three fours and two sixes.

Shane Watson too was back to the hut when he tried to steal a second run and Sran's throw found him short of wicket in the 12th over.

Sachin Baby (27) and Kedar Jadhav (25 not out) tried their bit but it was too little and too late in the end.

Earlier, Warner played a captain's knock, sharing a 124-run stand with Williamson (50) to lay the foundation for a huge score.

Playing his first game in IPL-9 after recovering from an injury, Williamson was perfect foil to Warner in an innings where he blasted seven boundaries in 38 balls.

Australian allrounder Moises Henriques then provided the late charge with a 14-ball 31 laced with three sixes and a boundary to take Hyderabad close to the 200-mark.

For Bangalore, Kane Richardson picked two wickets, while Shane Watson (1/33) and Tabraiz Shamsi (1/39) snapped one each at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

(REOPENS DEL 49)



Opening the innings Shikhar Dhawan (11) blasted a couple of fours off Watson and Parvez Rasool before becoming a victim of Richardson in the fourth over. Looking to work a ball across the line he ended up giving a catch to the bowler.

However, Warner continued his rampaging form as he cracked a couple of boundaries of Richardson in the first five overs before picking up 16 runs off Harshal Patel which included two fours and a six.

Varon Aaron also bled 11 runs each in the ninth and 13th overs as Warner and Williamson clobbered him for a couple of fours.

Warner exploded in the 15th over when he took Richardson to the cleaners, cracking two sixes and a four to amass 19 runs and also bring up his 100-run partnership off 65 balls with Williamson for the second wicket.

It was Tabraiz Shamsi who ended Warner's innings when he had him caught at long-off by AB de Villiers when the Australian looked to clear the ropes again to trigger a celebration.

Williamson completed a deserving fifty in the third ball of the 17th over but he was dismissed by Watson a ball later when the New Zealand skipper tried to play a short ball over the infield and ended up giving a faint nick to wicket-keeper Lokesh Rahul.

In the next over, Henriques blasted two sixes after Richardson had dismissed newman Naman Ojha who miscued a shot and ended up giving a simple catch to de Villiers at long-on.

Henriques smashed a four and six in the next over as well to amass 14 runs to take Hyderabad close to 200-mark.
A day after Gujarat government announced 10% reservation for the economically backward among upper castes, jailed Patidar quota agitation leader today said he will study the decision before reaching a compromise to end the impasse over quota.

However, community leaders involved in talks with the government are pushing for an end to the Patel stir, saying the community's two main demands have been fulfilled.

"I will first study the decision taken by the government and surely go for compromise (with the government over quota impasse) if it is in favour of the community," he told reporters outside a Court in Visnagar, Mehsana district, around 90 km from here.

The 22-year-old, who is in judicial custody and facing a slew of charges, including sedition, was brought to the Court in connection with a case lodged against him in the neighbouring district.

"I will take the matter of 10% reservation to the (Patel) community after studying it properly. Solution to the issue is required for peace ... And it is important for both the sides they compromise on the issue," he said.

This was Hardik's first reaction to the reservation for EBCs (economically backward classes) announced by the BJP government for the poor among upper castes (up to annual family income of Rs 6 lakh), which also include Patidars, in jobs and education.

Yesterday, spokespersons of the Hardik-floated Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) had rejected the move as another "lollipop" extended by the BJP and the state government to "mislead" their community.

PAAS has been leading the stir for inclusion of Patidars, a dominant agrarian community, as OBCs.

Meanwhile, leaders mediating between agitating Patels and government today met Chief Minister Anandiben Patel. Later, they said the agitation should come to an end now as two main demands of the community, reservation and releasing youths jailed in sedition case, have been fulfilled.

Mahesh Savani, a member of the Committee mediating between the two sides, said the government was moving in the right direction. After releasing five of the six Patidar youths (who were behind bars and got bail from Courts), it has announced 10% EBC reservation.

"I believe the 10% reservation is a big step. Now, we are waiting for details on the EBC reservation. Once we get them, we will reach out to members of the community and explain them what this is all about," Savani told reporters after meeting the Chief Minister.

Savani said "two of our demands -- that leaders jailed under sedition charges be released and government provide reservation to Patel youths -- have received positive response from the government."



"About Hardik's release, the CM asked us to keep faith in the legal system. So we feel government's positive attitude towards Hardik's release and 10% reservation show that the agitation is now nearing its end," he said.

Hardik is behind bars in the two sedition cases.

Yesterday's decision was taken at a meeting of Gujarat BJP's core group, where party's President Amit Shah was also present.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said Himachal Pradesh has been sanctioned Rs 532 crore under MGNREGA to construct 2,267 kms of road as the state government was making efforts to connect all villages with a population above 250.

He said 214 detailed project reports (DPRs) have been approved for these projects under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, and added that construction of roads and bridges, health, education and drinking water were among the top priorities of his government.

During past three years, 1,366 kms of new motorable roads and 134 bridges were constructed, while 255 villages provided with road connectivity, he said addressing a public meeting at Chowai in Ani sub-division of Kullu district.

The chief minister said HP has a network of 34,500-km of roads and the government was now promoting construction of tunnels to reduce the distances.

He added that the 8.9-km Rohtang Pass, gateway to Lahaul valley, would be completed in two years, providing all-weather road connectivity to tribals.

Similarly, there was a proposal to construct a tunnel at Jalori Pass to reduce the distance between Ani and Kullu, he said.

Speaking on education situation in the state, Singh said, "As of now, we have highly trained teachers but it has been observed that a few teachers spend most of the time pursuing their self-interest and not concentrate on teaching."



Noting that HP stood second only to Kerala in terms of literacy rate, the chief minister said the state was moving fast towards achieving total literacy.

Speaking at another meeting at Ladagi, in a remote area of Kullu, the chief minister said prevalence of education among girls got a boost with the opening of government colleges in remote areas like Ani, where they outnumbered boys.
Yemeni government forces backed by an Arab coalition seized an Al-Qaeda training camp in the southeastern province of Hadramawt today along with "large amounts" of weapons, its governor said.

It comes during an offensive launched last month to recapture areas in the south overrun by Al-Qaeda and which on Sunday saw loyalist forces recapture Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla, which the jihadists had occupied for a year.

"The offensive is continuing in Qoton to hunt down Al-Qaeda militants," said Hadramawt governor Major General Ahmed bin Braik, referring to a town north of Mukalla.

Braik said government forces overran an Al-Qaeda training camp in the town where they "confiscated large amounts of weapons" and "arrested eight Al-Qaeda militants".

"Mukalla is now a safe city," Braik added.

An AFP reporter there said the situation had returned to normal as pro-government forces deployed across Mukalla with troops from the Arab coalition securing the ports.

Government troops that seized the city were backed by special forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as by coalition air strikes, the alliance said in a statement.

At least 27 Yemeni soldiers died in the fight to retake Mukalla, military officials and medics said.

And while the coalition has said that more than 800 jihadists were killed, Al-Qaeda issued a statement on Monday denying the claim as "lies" and saying its dead "do not exceed the number of fingers on both hands".

The statement addressing Hadramawt residents and signed by Ansar al-Sharia, another name for Al-Qaeda in Yemen, said that the jihadists withdrew only to spare Mukalla the destruction of fighting.

"We will fight the battle by our own rules and ways and not by those of the enemy," said the statement, adding that the UAE had played the biggest role in the fight for Mukalla.

An officer there had told AFP that residents of Mukalla, home to an estimated 200,000 people, had appealed to the jihadists to spare it and pull out.

The Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is regarded by Washington as the network's most dangerous branch, and AQAP militants have come under repeated US air and drone strikes.
North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem says a top priority is criminal justice system reform if elected governor in November but budget cuts could be a factor.

Stenehjem said such reform follow the states main priorities including education, property tax relief and public safety.

Recidivism among offenders, particularly in drug-related offenses, is a major concern and a drain on money and resources, Stenehjem said.

If you arent addressing the underlying issue youre going to see recidivism, Stenehjem said.

Senate Majority Leader Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson, agreed with Stenehjem that the issue is a priority.

But whether it gets addressed or not "depends on what kind of resources we have, Wardner said of next legislative session.

House Majority Leader Al Carlson, R-Fargo, said criminal justice system reform is on the Legislatures radar with an interim study underway on the state of the criminal justices system in North Dakota and opportunities for reform.

That (reform) would be one of many (issues), Carlson said. Theres no question we need to address this.

Carlson added, with the existing budget shortfall and the prospect of reining in spending further next session, big ticket items to address criminal justice reform will likely get set aside for the time being, along with major expenses in other budget areas.

At a recent meeting of the interim Incarceration Issues Committee, officials with the nonpartisan Council of State Governments Justice Center presented data on sentencing in the state.

The Justice Center began gathering state data last fall as part of a months-long review of the states criminal justice system. The intent is to develop legislation for the 2017 session to begin the process of improving the states criminal justice system in areas such as treatment, behavioral health, sentencing and cost.

The Justice Center informed the committee, which Stenehjem sits on, that felony sentencing for drug offense increased 2.5 times from 2011 to 2014. In 2014, 40 percent of sentencings were for drug offenses.

In a 2014 survey of North Dakota judges, more than two-thirds of them said theyve sentenced someone to prison to get them into mental or substance abuse treatment programs even if theyre not considered high risk offenders.

Wardner said in recent years, behavioral health and substance abuse treatment has become an increasing concern in the state. He said catching problems on the front end can reduce recidivism and costs.

The sheriffs offices  theyre constantly transferring people to Bismarck, to Jamestown, to Fargo, which comes at a cost, Wardner said.

Stenehjem is running against Fargo businessman Doug Burgum and Paul Sorum of Bismarck, who ran as an independent in 2012 for governor, in the June 14 primary for the Republican Party spot on the fall ballot.

The winner will face Rep. Marvin Nelson, D-Rolla, and Libertarian Party candidate Marty Riske in November.
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"This raises a ton of red flags for me. It does not smell right. This is being done on the backs of North Dakota taxpayers."

 Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck, reacting to information regarding reporting requirements and standards in North Dakota and Minnesota for granting and tracking angel fund tax credits. The interim Political Subdivisions Taxation Committee was discussing the funds.

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"What lands are these and who's charged with the responsibility of ensuring recreation and all that goes with it? The corps? The tribes? The Bureau of Indian Affairs? The tribal people don't want it."

 Terry Fleck, chairman of the Friends of Lake Sakakawea advocacy group, on plans by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to return excess land around Lake Sakakawea to the Three Affiliated Tribes.

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"I tell them it might cost them a $1,000 to get stuck a day or two, but the taxpayers have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to repair the roads."

 Dunn County Highway Superintendent Mike Zimmerman, on why Dunn, McKenzie, Billings, Stark, Williams and Mountrail counties closed gravel roads during the rainy spell.

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"It's that compilation of all of those factors, when you look at them together, that has ultimately led me to that conclusion that this is the best thing for the kids and for the district."

 School Board President Lawrence King, on the Bismarck School Boards decision to close Saxvik Elementary School.

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"We started out so wimpy. We didn't know what we were doing. Pretty soon, we have grown into this grand show."

 Susan Tschider, on how the Caring Hearts Quilters' show has grown over the years. The show will take place 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 7 at the Church of Corpus Christi's parish center.

q q q

"Because of the challenges facing the industry, it will be at magnitudes larger than what people have thought about historically."

 Mac McLennan, CEO of Minnkota Power Cooperative, on why the coal industry will seek financial help from the Legislature.

q q q

"I don't think you should feel sorry for yourself. I don't find it acceptable, and I don't accept the excuses."

 Rep. Bob Skarphol, R-Tioga, rebuking State Land Commissioner Lance Gaebe as he was responding to audit results during an interim Legislative Audit and Fiscal Review Committee meeting.

q q q

"Getting a grant is going to be a bit more difficult. You've got to have all your ducks in a row."

 Outdoor Heritage Fund Chairman Jim Melchior, explaining grants will be more difficult to receive because of a tighter budget.

q q q

"I don't think putting kids ... in a room, when they're struggling, and holding the door shut is a solution."

 Jenny Renton, Bismarck mother of a 14-year-old boy diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. The use of restraint and seclusion by North Dakota schools has become a topic of discussion.

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"The moisture really came at the right time. It helps with germination. It helps with getting those seeds starting to grow."

 Burleigh County Extension Agent Ashley Stegeman.
DENVER -- In Ed Conley's nearly 27-year career with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he has helped guide more than 200 emergency response operations worldwide.

But over that span, the retiring FEMA Region VIII external affairs officer has spent more time in North Dakota than anywhere else.

Conley oversaw federal response and recovery efforts as the field office manager during the catastrophic 1997 Grand Forks Flood, which is often cited as an international model for successful flood recovery.

In 2009, he served as a senior federal liaison to the city of Fargo during its historic flood fight.

In 2011, he helped coordinate the federal response in Minot and Ward County following their flood disaster.

He also has been a key leader in the federal response to the 20-plus-year-long Devils Lake Basin flood.

"I was up there every year from 1993 through 2011," he said in a telephone interview from his regional office in Denver. "You had disasters every year somewhere in the state."

He returned to North Dakota twice this year to introduce new FEMA officials to North Dakota Department of Emergency Management staff members and state leaders.

Conley, whose last day on the job was Friday, said his experiences in North Dakota provided him with lessons in disaster response and recovery.

"Strong local leadership matters," he said. "It drives everything. I saw that demonstrated just exceptionally well in North Dakota. I saw incredible people, elected and non-elected, strong positive leadership.

"Whether you're in a flood fight, flood response or flood recovery, what I saw and learned in North Dakota I carried with me to other states," he said. "I just feel that I got a lot more from that experience than I ever gave."

Well-traveled

In his FEMA career, Conley led federal crisis communications teams in New York following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, during hurricane seasons between 2004 and 2011, and in the aftermath of other natural disasters throughout the nation, the Western Pacific and Caribbean, and on tribal lands, according to a biographical sketch from FEMA.

More recently, Conley served as part of the Ebola Response Team on an assignment for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He was FEMA's external affairs director during the 2013 Colorado flood response and was the national spokesperson in New York following Hurricane Sandy.

He also established the U.S. government's Joint Information Center in Haiti following the catastrophic January 2010 earthquake and helped coordinate the nation's public information efforts during Operation Deepwater Horizon after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill while on an assignment for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Conley also has represented the federal Department of Homeland Security as a senior level liaison officer nationally and internationally.

Sharing lessons

Grand Forks has become, in many ways, a recovery ambassador, Conley said, adding that local leaders have traveled all over the country since 1997, sharing their experiences and advice with other cities that have been devastated by natural disasters.

"Grand Forks is still teaching. It has repaid the federal government's investment in Grand Forks' recovery a hundred times over through their efforts to help other communities through their difficult times," he said.

While Grand Forks became a model of flood recovery, Fargo has been a champion of mitigation, the effort to reduce loss by lessening the impact of disasters.

"They were talking about mitigation long before it was public policy," Conley said.

He also noted the determination and persistence of leaders in the Devils Lake Basin, who have endured more than 20 years of flooding since the early 1990s.

"Devils Lake is different from any disaster I've ever worked," he said. "It was a slow-moving event that lasted month after month, year after year. Challenging events cannot be solved by one organization. It takes everybody. Devils Lake personifies that."

"I really admire how the people up there did not let anyone forget," he said. "It was something that maybe was in the news, and not in the news. It was not easy to describe. They had to work hard to paint the picture of what was going on; how it affected them; what the risk was. There's no easy solution."

Returning the favor

Grand Forks leaders who were intimately close to the local flood recovery efforts credit Conley with leading the way.

"So many people are cynical about the federal government. But the role FEMA played in Grand Forks argues just the opposite," said Hal Gershman, a Grand Forks businessman who served as the City Council president during much of its flood recovery period. "Sometimes the burden is just too great for a city or a state to get through without the rest of the country. That's why we have the federal government.

"The thing about Ed was that he tried to see how things could be done, rather than how they couldn't be done," he said.

Ken Vein, who was a Grand Forks city engineer and public works administrator in the 1990s, said Conley provided critical guidance through each stage of flood recovery.

"I'll never forget him. He was a constant team member, a critical part of our recovery," he said. "FEMA was kind of the umbrella agency. They connected you with other departments, other agencies, got you in touch with the right people in the right places. He was the one who helped shepherd us through all of that."

Leaders

While Conley said he was hesitant to list names, he said a few stand out, including Gershman, Pat Owens, who was Grand Forks' mayor during the historic 1997 flood, and the late Dennis Walaker, who served as Fargo city engineer and later as mayor.

"Mayor Owens really brought people together," he said. "Those were difficult times. She was sometimes criticized in private but praised in public. Publicly, she had an amazing ability to bring people together."

Conley recalled the 2009 flood fight in Fargo, sitting in on meetings with Walaker and members of the Fargo city staff, along with representatives of state and federal agencies.

"Mayor Walaker -- he was just a hero to me; his compassion; his knowledge," he said. "Denny just presided with a sense of calm and confidence, of clear direction. What a fighter. You knew that if we lost it, he was going to bring the community back better.

"It's people like that you want to be with during a crisis," Conley said. "I've enjoyed being with them during some historic moments for the communities and historic moments for the nation. Their ability to bring people together, their understanding of the event -- of what we at the federal, state and local levels needed to do to help them recover. I was just privileged and honored to be around people like that."
MANNING -- Tears, smiles, hugs and handshakes were in abundance at the Dunn County Courthouse.

I think anyone that didnt feel something in this room didnt have a heart, and I think everybody felt something, said Alan Stieg, father of Nathan Stieg and grandfather of 14 year-old Jayden Concha, who were awarded Life Saver Awards, along with five others who received Good Samaritan Awards.

The seven were recognized by the North Dakota Peace Officers Association for their involvement in the Feb. 20 accident on Skunk Bay in northeast Dunn County that claimed the life of 60-year-old Fred Ewoniuk.

That fateful Saturday morning had started out like any other for Ewoniuk and Ed Shypkowski, both of Dickinson, N.D.

Early that day, the pair -- who were not only cousins but best friends -- traveled to Lake Sakakawea and drove their all-terrain vehicles onto the ice-covered Skunk Bay for a day of fishing.

They stopped and said hello to two people who were preparing to drill holes into the ice for their own ice fishing adventure about half-mile away.

Weve been fishing up there for quite a few years, Shypkowski said. We thought we knew what the ice conditions were like.  Thinking back on it, we based the quality of the ice on our ability to get on the ice at the boatramp. Our rule of thumb was if you can get on the ice, youre good. Well, it didnt work this time.

The ice that was once strong enough to hold the weight of an ATV, two men and their equipment started cracking beneath them.

Within seconds, they were in the freezing water without any way to get themselves out.

Shypkowski said, at that exact moment, his heart sank because he knew he and his best friend were in trouble.

Theres close calls in life where you look back and you think, Oh, I could have died in that incident. But in this case, you think you are going to die and not make it through.

Shypkowski said Ewoniuk started yelling for help first. He joined him.

Across the bay, Stieg and his nephew, Concha, were drilling a set of ice holes. They were unaware of the dangerous situation unfolding only a half-mile away until Stieg turned off his ice auger.

As soon as I shut the auger off, I heard a cry for help, Stieg recalled. So I stopped fishing and told him (Concha) to get on the four-wheeler and we rushed to the scene.

They used their ATV, equipped with 50 feet of cable, to try and rescue Ewoniuk. But during their attempts, they, along with their ATV, fell through the 2-inch thick ice.

I gotta tell you my heart sank, at that point, that our misfortune was bringing other people into that dangerous situation, Shypkowski said.

Stieg said he was worried about the situation that he and his nephew had found themselves in.

I knew we were in a hairy situation, he said.

Stieg and Concha, however, managed to crawl out of the water and get safely back on top of the ice in soaking-wet clothes while their equipment, along with the ATV, slowly sank into the bay.

Steig ran to his icehouse, cut 5 feet of rope and used that as their only source to continue the rescue attempt.

This time, Shypkowski was the closest and they attempted to save him. He was hanging on to a piece of ice, holding on to hope.

I was holding on to that piece of ice like it was an eggshell and I didnt want to break it, Shykowski said.

Steig encouraged him to try to get closer and stay motivated.

Nathan told me a few times to think about my family and think about what I have and that I gotta get out of there and get closer to him, Shypkowski said. I was able to do that because of him. Just his words helped me move.

After pulling Shypkowski to safety, Concha helped him walk back to the shore while Stieg assessed Ewoniuk.

It was then that Stieg realized the man he had been attempting to save had died in the water.

Shypkowski was exhausted mentally and physically, but teenaged Concha kept giving him encouragement, saying You gotta keep going.

And they did, walking almost 2 miles until they found the home of Kenneth Danks, who let them inside to warm up. They then began feeling the affects of hypothermia and worked to regain a normal body temperature.

Shypkowski, who had been in the water for an estimated 15 minutes, warmed up inside the house near Mandaree before emergency services arrived.

Danks was awarded the Good Samaritan Award for the help he gave on that day.

Brian Ritzke, John Kebble and Robert OConnell, all of the Mandaree area, were also honored with the Good Samaritan Award for helping emergency responders with recovering Ewoniuks body from Skunk Bay. Susan Pettit, also of Mandaree, was recognized with the award for tending to and waiting with Stieg and Concha until they were cleared by the medical responders and police.

The aftermath of that day still sits heavy on those involved.

If theyre like me, they are still thinking, What could I have done? Shypkowski said. As much as they tried, there wasnt anything they could do for Fred.

Ewoniuks family said at the ceremony that they know it to be true.

Eric Ewoniuk, Freds son, delivered his thanks for the selfless act shown that morning.

I want to thank everybody from the bottom of my heart for what you guys did, he said as tears welled in his eyes. It was unbelievable. It was courageous. Unfortunately, we lost someone. But fortunately we still have Ed with us. (Because of) your actions, instead of two funerals, we only had one.

Shypkowski, standing next to Eric, looked over the crowded room, said Thank you for being heroes and for doing the best you could with what you had.

Stieg, with a shaky voice, said, I know you would have done the same for us.

Shypkowski nodded his head and quietly but firmly said, I would have.
GRAND FORKS -- For the past 10 years, the Ten Percent Society -- the University of North Dakota's student-run LGBT organization--has been asking the university for a little bit of help.

As the sole resource for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population on UND's campus, organizers said the mostly self-funded group doesnt have the resources necessary to help educate the community as a whole.

Which is why they would like UND to step in with a university-funded LGBT center for all students. It would not be run by, or specifically for, Ten Percent Society members, a distinction incoming Ten Percent Society President Tieg Paulson said is important.

"We've been advocating for a center for at least 10 years now. It's not just for us but for the people we represent," Paulson said. "But the answer from the administration has always been 'We don't have the funds,' which is more prevalent this year."

At an April 19 meeting of the Student Fee Advisory Committee, a $62,000 request to hire an LGBT coordinator to operate within the Multicultural Student Services was denied.

UND has been planning for budget cuts for months, starting with a $5.3 million budget gap during the last fiscal year. Citing a revenue forecast shortfall, North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple ordered all state agencies to cut 4.05 percent of its budget. This includes UND's appropriated funds for the 2015-17 biennium, which came out to $12.6 million for the university and its School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Interim UND President Ed Schafer recently finalized a plan to cut the budget by $21.5 million in an effort to fund the university's priorities.

Student Body President Matt Kopp said the committee denied the creation of the position because the focus has been on budget cuts.

"We weren't considering new positions," he said.

Those interested in creating the coordinator position will be able to make another request next fall, Kopp said.

The LGBT center would be akin to UND-funded organizations like the UND Indian Association and the Women's Center, Paulson said.

The Ten Percent Society coordinates all events on and around campus, which Paulson said causes a strain on the students involved. The group has about 20 members that regularly attend meetings, and several more are registered for the organization.

UND professor Cheryl Terrance, who has been a faculty adviser for the Ten Percent Society for the past decade, agreed an LGBT center supported by a university-funded director is necessary.

"Having served as the faculty adviser for this group for 10 years, this has obviously demanded/placed a lot of work on a group that is run by students--LGBT programming (i.e., earlier this year we brought in Shane Britney Crone and showed his story "Bridegroom"), ally training/support, LGBT support, etc., is supported solely by this organization," Terrance wrote in an email to the Herald.

The group holds weekly meetings at the Christus Rex Campus Center, sponsoring occasional movie nights and speakers to discuss LGBT issues relating to students and the general population.

"And, of course, we have our monthly drag shows. However, these are not put on anywhere on campus," Paulson said of one of the group's most popular fundraisers. "At this point, our resources are a bit limited, which is another problem with having students attempt to cater to a whole population."

He said the group's main resources consist of connecting students to LGBT centers, where their needs can be met.

"Beyond that, we are an open-minded group where people can come and be themselves completely, which we believe is a resource in and of itself," Paulson said. "And we just really want to stress that we are willing to work with the administration to get something done."

Anna Burleson contributed to this report.
SHARE Contributed photo Comedian Jeff Dunham, seen here with the redneck and proud Bubba J., said touring is a challenge, but one he can't imagine not having. Contributed photo Jeff Dunham's cast of characters includes Achmed The Dead Terrorist, who exploded  fatally  onto the scene several years ago. Contributed photo Peanut, perhaps one of the best known of Jeff Dunham's suitcase dwellers, has an infectious laugh and signature move while poking fun at his puppet master.

By Bob Copes, Special to the Caller-Times vivacc@caller.com

How do you become one of the most popular comics on the planet? Don't give yourself a way out, said Dallas native Jeff Dunham.

"It's simply the 10,000-hour rule, helping me figure out what makes a lot of people laugh. I fell in love with this quirky art form, never left myself an escape route, and just kept pushing," Dunham said.

Jeff Dunham is bringing his unique combination of stand-up comedy and ventriloquism to the American Bank Center on Wednesday as part of the "Perfectly Unbalanced" tour.

Whether the measure is YouTube views, DVD sales or the ratings of his TV specials, Dunham ranks among the top of comedians, not just ventriloquists.

His skill as a ventriloquist comes from decades of commitment to the craft. Receiving a Mortimer Snerd ventriloquist dummy  Dunham prefers the term "figure"  as a Christmas present when he was age 8, he started a lifelong effort at perfecting his technique.

Dunham also studied the routines of Edgar Bergen, Mortimer Snerd's puppeteer, whose act was so popular it was, to the bewilderment of critics, on radio for nearly two decades. Dunham's audiences are likewise lost in the believability of his characters as he plays straight man to their comic wisecracking, which in large part explains his motivation to continue to tour.

"People love these little guys in my suitcases, and I still have a blast on stage," he said. "Writing and inserting a new joke in the show that gets a big laugh is like giving myself a piece of birthday cake. I absolutely love it."

He admits life on the road can be difficult.

"I hate being away from my family," he said, but added, "I can't imagine not having the next show to both dread and look forward to. And yes, both of those go hand-in-hand, for every single performance."

Dunham's popularity has grown dramatically from his early years playing smaller comedy clubs and theme parks to starring in Comedy Central and network TV specials and headlining arena tours.

He has pushed the boundaries of stand-up comedy as he's pushed the buttons of the politically correct. But if his nearly 10 million Facebook followers are any indication, he understands comedy like few others.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Dunham never travels alone and relies on his entourage of figures to deliver the funny.

They include:

Achmed the Dead Terrorist: Achmed has become a breakout star since exploding, fatally, on the scene.

Achmed Junior: The estranged son of Achmed, from whom he inherited his incompetence with explosives.

Bubba J: Bubba J is redneck and proud.

Jose Jalapeno on a Stick: The talking jalapeno pepper is frequently at odds with Peanut.

Little Jeff: Dunham's Mini-Me.

Peanut: This hyperkinetic Pacific island creature doesn't let his strange appearance keep him from making fun of Dunham.

Walter: Cranky and sarcastic, Walter has no filter as tells it like he sees it.

IF YOU GO

What: Jeff Dunham  Perfectly Unbalanced

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday

Where: American Bank Center, 1901 N. Shoreline Blvd.

Cost: $49.50

Information: www.AmericanBankCenter.com
SHARE Contributed photo Irene Kellogg Contributed photo Taylor J. Hendrix Contributed Photo The Corpus Christi Masonic Lodge No. 189 presented four $1,000 scholarships April 20 to Jordan Balboa (from left), Heston Hoyle, Worshipful Master David Scherzer, Scholarship Chair Geoffrey Rothenay, Kiana Sosa and Conner Yendell

Local woman publishes fifth book

Irene Kellogg, of Corpus Christi, published her fifth book, "Sugar's Tea House," officials said.

Other books include, "Crime On Waterfront Street" (murder/mystery), "Simple Reflections" (poetry), "Words Of Wisdom" (inspiration collection) and "Adventure With Friends" (children stories). Her books are published through the LuLu Publishing Company and are available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon and a couple of stores. Kellogg's book, "Simple Reflections" received an editor's choice award for poetry, officials said.

Rockport art center promotes director

Rockport Center for the Arts announced the appointment of Taylor J. Hendrix as director of visual arts, officials said.

Hendrix was born in Oklahoma yet spent his formative years primarily in Germany- the son of a military family. Hendrix and his wife Marsha Hendrix lived in Rockport for the past 12 years. Hendrix is the site manager for the Fulton Mansion, a State of Texas historic site.

Hendrix assumed the role of director of operations at the Art Center in 2012 but has been employed at the Art Center since 2010, initially hired as a program assistant, officials said.

In May he contributed to the display of Billie Keen's Sacred Voices and Rita Kirkman's Beauty of the Beast. In February he curated and installed the Clay Expo exhibit for Vorakit Chinookoswong, officials said.

Hendrix obtained a master of arts degree from Baylor University in Waco, and a bachelor of arts in English (cum laude) and a bachelor of science in biology from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. This week he is representing the Art Center at the Texas Clay Symposium in San Angelo.

City hosts essay contest

The Corpus Christi Fourth of July Big Bang Celebration is hosting an essay contest for fifth through seventh graders, officials said.

The winner will have a special place to ride in the Mayor's Fourth of July Parade, will receive a Kindle Fire HD 8" with HD Display, Wi-Fi and 8 GB provided by the Daughters of the American Revolution  Corpus Christi Chapter and attend a special luncheon with the chapter. Below are the essay requirements:

Essay prompt: Reflecting on the history and deeper meaning of the Fourth of July is important. It is also fun to remember the wonderful ways our nation celebrates. What does July Fourth mean to you?

Length requirements: 6001,000 words

Cover page should include: Full name, school, grade, and student and parent contact information (including address)

Final essay due: May 31.

Essays submitted by email should be in Word or PDF format (preferred) to FourthofJuly@cctexas.com Attn: Connie Paddock, Patriotism and Education Chairperson. Mailed and handwritten submissions can be sent to the Mayor's Office at 1201 Leopard St., Corpus Christi, TX 78401.

Information: 361-826-3100 or FourthofJuly@cctexas.com

Firefighters raise more than $118K for charity

More than 300 members of the Corpus Christi Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 936 raised $118,333 during the annual Fill the Boot campaign March 11, 18 and 25, officials said.

The funds benefit kids and adults with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases that severely limit strength and mobility.

MDA's spirited Fill the Boot campaign is an honored tradition in which thousands of dedicated firefighters across America hit the streets or storefronts asking pedestrians, motorists, customers and other passersby to make a donation, using their collective strength to help find treatments and cures for life-threatening neuromuscular diseases.

Funds raised help MDA's efforts to fund groundbreaking research and life-enhancing programs such as state-of-the-art support groups and Care Centers, including the MDA Care Center at Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi. They also help send more than 60 local kids to "the best week of the year" at MDA summer camp at no cost to their families at Camp Aranzazu in Rockport.

Masonic Lodge awards scholarships

The Corpus Christi Masonic Lodge No. 189 presented four $1,000 scholarships April 20 to Jordan A. Balboa of Carroll High School, Heston Hoyle of Bishop High School, Kiana Sosa of Flour Bluff High School, and Connor L. Yendell of Carroll High School, officials said.

Their mentors, Susan Erwin, George Luna, Justene Viera and Kyle Heflin received the Lamar Award for their service to public education and these students. The Lamar Award was created by the Grand Lodge of Texas in memory of President Mirabeau Lamar, the second president of the Republic of Texas and the Father of Public Education in Texas.

Local woman announces new book

Diane Klutz of Corpus Christi announced the release of her book "You Can't Sleep Here" published by Green Ivy Publishing, officials said.

"You Can't Sleep Here" is a story about three women, strangers at first, who form an unlikely alliance built on determination, inner strength, and friendship set within the economic recession of 2007.

The place is North Texas and the time is summer where the only reprieve from the unrelenting heat for many folks is the local super store. Call it chance or karma, but it is in this store on one particularly hot afternoon that three women-strangers to each other-meet. Thea, Jill and Lucy are as similar as horseradish is to cheese and under normal circumstances would not even notice the other. But, these are not normal circumstances.

Finding themselves and their children alone in the merciless world of homelessness, Jill, Thea and Lucy realize the only way to survive is to join forces. Yet, to do this means sharing truths about themselves that each kept hidden. It also means learning to trust, once again.

Her debut book "Round Eyes: An American Nurse in Vietnam" was published in 2012.

Both books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Nobel in paper and e-reader format.

Local radio station earns honors

Local noncommercial FM broadcast station KLUX-HD, was selected as the recipient of this year's National Gabriel Award for "Religious Radio Station of the Year," officials said.

The award is given for a station's ability to uplift and enrich the human spirit with its programming and community service. The Gabriel Awards, now in its 51st year, recognizes outstanding messengers of God's Good News in our media culture.

Entrants go through a highly selective process of preliminary screening and blue ribbon judging. Blue ribbon juries only present an award in a particular category when a level of excellence is achieved in values, content, creativity, artistic quality, technical quality and impact.

KLUX is in good company with other winners such as ABC News, NBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Company, New York Public Radio and the Eternal Word Television Network. The 51st annual Gabriel Awards Presentation will take place at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark on June 2, officials said.

KLUX 89.5HD  "Good Company", is in its 31st year of service to the Coastal Bend. The station is well known for its "Easy Listening" music format, public service, assistance in promoting the activities of local not for profit organizations, as well as its association with the Local Emergency Planning Committee and Emergency Management offices.

Compiled by Natalia Contreras
Contributed photo Caller-Times photographer Rachel Denny Clow (from left), Women's Shelter of South Texas Community Educator Stacey Barrera and Caller-Times reporter Krista Torralva

SHARE Contributed photo Caller-Times reporter Krista Torralva (left) listens to Caller-Times photographer Rachel Denny Clow thank Del Mar College and the Coalition for Crime Victims' Rights for awarding them the Crime Victims' Rights Outstanding Service Award as a Community Partner on April 15. Reporter Beatriz Alvarado also was honored with the award. Contributed photo Caller-Times photographer Rachel Denny Clow (left) and Caller-Times reporter Krista Torralva celebrate receiving the Crime Victims' Rights Outstanding Service Award as a Community Partner by Del Mar College and Coalition for Crime Victims' Rights on April 15. Caller-Times reporter Beatriz Alvarado also received the award.

Three Caller-Times staff members were honored April 15 at Del Mar College. Reporters Beatriz Alvarado and Krista Torralva and photographer Rachel Denny Clow received the Crime Victims' Rights Outstanding Service Award-Community Partner award. The Caller-Times began the Behind Broken Doors series last year to explore domestic violence, including how law enforcement investigates the attacks, how prosecutors pursue offenders in court, how advocates help victims heal, and what the community must do to reverse the deadly trend.

The award honors the work the three have done through the series to support victims and victims services.

The staff was nominated by Stacey Barrera, a community educator with the Women's Shelter of South Texas.
FARGO -- With mounting attention focused on the nationwide abuse of prescription painkillers, a new report seems to come at an opportune time for those supporting a proposed medical marijuana measure in North Dakota.

However, a Sanford Health physician who specializes in pain management said there's a selection bias to the information, and it won't change how medicine is practiced.

The survey, published in The Journal of Pain, shows medical cannabis use is associated with 64 percent lower opioid use in chronic pain patients. Opioid use has come under increased scrutiny in part due to an associated surge in heroin abuse. There have already been several fatal heroin overdoses in Fargo-Moorhead this year.

Rilie Ray Morgan, chairman of the North Dakota effort to get medical marijuana on the November ballot, welcomes the survey news.

"If we can provide those patients with some relief that has very little chance of addiction, I think it just benefits patients and society as a whole," Morgan said.

As part of the survey, 244 chronic pain patients who patronized a medical cannabis dispensary in Michigan between November 2013 and February 2015 were asked about changes in their opioid use before and after starting medical cannabis.

In addition to a decrease in opioid use among participants, cannabis use was associated with a 45 percent increase in quality of life, fewer medication side effects and fewer medications used.

Dr. Manuel Colon, Sanford pain specialist and anesthesiologist, cautions that it's merely a survey, not a scientific study. It lacks a control group and a study group.

"The group has already been pre-selected," Colon said.

He said there's not enough data to suggest that medical cannabis would help more than it hurts, and much more study is needed.

"I would warn that substituting one addictive drug for another is not necessarily going to be the answer here," Colon said.

Morgan maintains that the cannabidiol, or CBD, in medical marijuana is different than tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in marijuana used recreationally.

"The CBD's don't have the addictive qualities that THC's do," he said.

Morgan said doctors should take a hard look at the practice of prescribing opioids, and medical marijuana should at least be an option for physicians and patients to explore.

Supporters are circulating petitions in hopes of putting the legalization of medical marijuana to a statewide vote in North Dakota this fall. They need 13,452 signatures by July 11 to get the measure on the ballot.

Medical marijuana was legalized last year in Minnesota. A dispensary is expected to open in Moorhead this summer.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new recommendations in March aimed at reducing the number of pain pills being prescribed nationwide. Colon said Sanford Health is reviewing them.
Here's your guide to Corpus Christi's Dia de los Muertos festival

The goals for the event are to celebrate and honor the cultural heritage of Mexico and educate and unite the Corpus Christi community.
Caller-Times File Photo The San Domingo Cemetery in Normanna.

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By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

A national commander with the American G.I. Forum confirmed Friday evening that the group has filed a lawsuit against a Normanna cemetery for what they call a "whites only" policy.

Angel Zuniga said the lawsuit was filed on behalf of the American G.I. Forum of Texas by attorneys with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

According to a copy of the complaint, the suit accuses the Normanna Cemetery Association of violating state and federal laws protecting civil rights and prohibiting discrimination. It seeks an end to the policy, punitive damages and attorneys' fees.

The issue became national news in March when a Normanna woman, 75-year-old Dorothy Barrera, went to the San Domingo cemetery hoping to secure a plot to bury her late husband Pedro Barrera. Dorothy Barrera said cemetery officials denied her because her husband was Hispanic.

According to a previous Caller-Times story, a cemetery board spokesperson said the board quickly reversed the decision and offered a spot to Dorothy Barrera. The lawsuit contends the woman was offered a spot, but states "the Normanna Cemetery Association never rescinded its rule."

Barrera's lawyer, Sid Arismendez, told the Caller-Times in previous stories that he plans on filing his own lawsuit against the cemetery. He could not be reached for comment Friday night.

Zuniga expressed confidence in the lawsuit, saying he hopes it can end discriminatory practices at cemeteries.

"This problem may be more widespread than we think," he said.

Officials with the San Domingo Cemetery could not be reached for comment Friday night.
Hardly a draft dodger, Sid McMahen put in request after request until the U.S. Army transferred him to Vietnam.

McMahen had already served several years in the Army, having enlisted after high school. When the Vietnam war broke out, he was doing air defense artillery in Okinawa, Japan.

But his uncles had told him stories from the front lines of World War II and he always wanted a role in the action.

Finally, in January 1967, the Army granted his request and sent him from Germany to Vietnam, where he fought in the Tet Offensive and in Cambodia as an infantryman.

McMahen saw harrowing action during the war. One day, he was out on patrol and began to see and hear fire. His platoon sergeant said someone had been hit, and he and his fellow soldiers went up to find the man.

It was the first dead GI that McMahen saw, and "the memory of him sitting against that tree is scorched in my brain," he said. He decorated the man's grave for years after they returned from the war.

His squad brought the dead man back to the base and were soon faced with heavy rain and a ground assault at their perimeter. They stood in the dark, chest-deep in water, until air support dropped flares that allowed them to see.

"I'll never forget them flares come in through the trees. They were really haunting and they saved us," he said.

The next morning, his battalion and another headed out to face the opposing troops. Fortunately, McMahen was in the back, because the leading company was so badly beat up that they had to fall back. McMahen is still haunted by the images of the men on stretchers and the blood dripping off of them as they ran back.

On his second tour, McMahen was as an adviser to the Vietnamese Rangers, an elite division of the Vietnamese army. He and three other soldiers accompanied 500 rangers, acting as their connection to the U.S. forces.

McMahen said he got to know the rangers well, even though they didn't speak the same language. He carried a pistol instead of a rifle, in order to make the Vietnamese more comfortable with him.

The Americans had a young man with them named Kuan, who they called their "bat boy." He helped carry their stuff and cook as they traveled.

One night, they asked Kuan to find a chicken for dinner. Kuan fried the meat to a golden brown that had McMahen salivating over the fulfilling meal. But one bite told him something wasn't right; Kuan had accidentally fried the meat in motor oil.

McMahen would spend a total of 43 months in Vietnam. Asked what motivated his fight and willingness to extend his service, McMahen does not point to an overarching sense of purpose.

"My buddies are what meant something to me in Vietnam," he said, and he felt it was his job to win the war.

He would have re-enlisted again in 1971 but the Army was winding down the war in Vietnam and would only send him to Germany. He decided it was time to leave the service and go to work.

"I feel it was the best decision I ever made. I was young enough to get into something else and attain some success," he said.

McMahen had gone to high school in Watford City and moved to Williston to work on an oil pipeline. He later became a senior production foreman at Tenneco, managing 75 people and millions of dollars in oil construction. He credits his success as a manager to his experience leading soldiers through Vietnam.

"I wasn't afraid to handle people," he said.

Four years after he got home, he joined the National Guard and served with them through 1987.

McMahen says he has been lucky. The Purple Heart medal he received after nearly losing his leg, the PTSD, and the myriad health problems associated with his exposure to Agent Orange are minor, because he has his life.

There is a cemetery behind McMahen's house. One day, as he was walking among the gravestones, he noticed a Williston veteran who was killed in 1967. The man was a member of the 35th infantry  one of the divisions in which McMahen served, though he never met the man. He contacted the man's family and now lays a stone on his grave every year.

"I can't believe you guys never forget," the brother said to him.

"We never have forgotten and we never will," McMahen said.
Food

By: Cook Britain

With layers of airy sponge and sweet buttercream balanced by decadent coffee and walnut flavours, this cake is simply divine.

Read More
Beauty

New advances are making astonishing headway into the fight against cancer, but some cancer treatments can wreak havoc on your skin. Thankfully, these side effects are usually temporary.

Read More
"If you look at monthly comic sales Batman is our biggest seller hands down," he said. "In two years' time Superman is going to turn 80 and Batman has been around for something like 75 or 76 years."
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.
Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITM-K), Thiruvananthapuram has invited applications for admission to Master of Science (M.Sc) and M.Phil programmes for the academic year 2016.

Master of Science (M.Sc) admissions are offered in Computer Science with specialisation in Cyber Security, Machine Intelligence, Data Analytics and Geospatial Data Analytics.

Admissions to Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) are opened in Ecological Informatics and Computer Science programmes.

Find more details, Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITM-K)

Eligibility Criteria:

M.Sc Programme: Candidate should have completed bachelor's degree in any branch of Engineering/Technology/Science with Mathematics as a compulsory subject and also should have a minimum score of 60 percentage OR CPI/CGPA of 6.5 or above in 10 points

M.Phil in Computer Science Programme: Candidates must be holding M.Sc/MCA/M.Tech (Computer Science/ Information Technology/ Electronics/ Computational Science/ Geo-informatics) with minimum of 3 papers in Computer Science/Information Technology in the qualifying examination

M.Phil in Ecological Informatics Programme: Candidates must have M.Sc in Natural Sciences (Botany, Zoology, Environmental Science and Plant Science) or Physical Sciences

How to Apply?

Candidates should have to visit the official website to apply online

After online registration candidates need to take the print out of the application

Online application will be further processed only after receiving the signed application form from the candidate. Application should be enclosed with Demand draft, drawn in favour of "Director, IIITM-K"

Selection Procedure:

Selection of candidates for M.Sc programmes will be based on IIITM-K Common Admission Test(ITCAT)/ valid GATE score

Admission to M.Phil will be based on IIITM-K Research Aptitude Test (ITRAT) / valid GATE or NET score

Important Dates:
Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city.

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Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea
The Mercedes G63 AMG is, probably, the most recognizable 66 off-roader out there.



Yet even now, three years after its initial launch, youd have to dig come up with a six-digit figure in order to gets your hands on one. Fortunately, theres an alternative.

Thanks, in part, to Jeremy Clarkson and Top Gear, we know by now that Toyotas old trucks are indestructible and capable of withstanding pretty much everything you throw in their face.

Dubai automotive accessory maker NSV, together with Australian company Multidrive, went one step further and created the ultimate unstoppable Land Cruiser; or, as Multidrive says, they added guts and determination to a cage fighter.

The MDT Toyota Land Cruiser 66 and 64 design has evolved over a period of 30+ years and has been used in a wide array of applications in different markets, including military, mining, exploration, governmental, and, of course, recreational.

The model featured in the video is powered by a supercharged 4.0-litre V6, developing 400 HP. The power is transmitted to all six wheels through a five-speed gearbox, but it if youre interested in more torque, then a 4.5-liter turbodiesel is available as well.

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO
Photo: BC Tree Fruits

One year after BC Tree Fruits launched its first cider, two more varieties are being added to the mix.

The co-operative is launching its new products exactly 12 months after the original release of Broken Ladder.

Michael Daley, the cidery manager, says it was a labour-intensive recipe process.

The results are two new varieties of cider, Pears and the unique taste of Apples & Hops. These, in addition to Apples will be available in BC Liquor stores and private retail stores mid-April, he said.

They are made from 100 per cent Okanagan Fruit.

Just like the Broken Ladder apple blend, the two new ciders will have no added sugars or additives. The fruit is grown locally by the BC Tree Fruits co-operative.

The pear cider tastes like biting into a ripe, juicy pear just off the tree, said Shannon Forgues, the cidery promotions manager.

Hints of honey and melon balance the pear leaving a lingering citrus note on the finish. The smooth and effervescent taste is well balanced with no added flavours.

Pears contains 4.5 per cent alcohol and Apples & Hops contains 6 per cent alcohol  Apples remains 5.2 per cent alcohol.

Craft cider continues to be one of the fastest growing categories in the beverage sector, said Daley. We are an authentic homegrown producer. Apples and pears are handpicked and crushed right in our own mill, resulting in premium ciders.

BC Tree Fruits is made up of more than 500 families, representing over 80 per cent of the tree fruits grown in the province.
Photo: Contributed

A group of women working in the male-dominated wine industry is working to change the image.

Les Dames Wine is a local endeavour to raise scholarship funds for B.C. women in the beverage and food industry.

Coming full circle from her start in the wine industry, Mireille Sauve, director of the Wine Umbrella and member of the B.C. Chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier, is blending her wine skills with her desire to support women in wine, as she was given a boost when she first started.

Thanks to a scholarship from the Dames organization, Sauve became Canada's youngest female sommelier in 1997, and together with a team of women she is paying it forward with the production of the Dames Wine.

Proceeds from the sale of the wine, both a white and a red, will support food and beverage education for women in B.C.

"A number of extraordinary women have benefited from scholarship funds provided by Les Dames dEscoffier, and many are now taking part in this project to raise funds for future scholarships," says Sauve. "Everyone who buys this wine can savour each sip while supporting dynamic women."

Grapes for the two wines, which have limited production, have been sourced from vineyards throughout the Okanagan, and the wines have been produced at Meyer Family Vineyards in Okanagan Falls.

Bottling takes place at the end of this month with a release date in mid-May.

Fewer than 550 cases will be available for purchase and bottles will appear on wine lists at several B.C. restaurants.

"Creating the Dames Wine celebrates women in BC's wine industry," adds Sauve. "These are unique wines and the first project of its kind in Canada."

The Les Dames d'Escoffier is a a society of professional woman.

Its purpose is to promote the understanding, appreciation and knowledge of food, wine, hospitality, nutrition, food technology, the arts of the table and other fields as they relate to these disciplines.

Women in BC are invited to apply for scholarships annually to pursue their education in these fields.

For more information click here.
Photo: Facebook

The police officer who found 18-year-old Taylor Van Diest dying in Armstrong on Oct. 31, 2011, is suing B.C.'s justice minister and the federal attorney general over his treatment by the RCMP following that incident, in which he was accused of drinking on the job.

Const. Milan Ilic has filed a notice of civil claim in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops.

Ilic was first on the scene of the attack where he took his jacket off and placed it over the victim, in an effort to keep her warm, reads the statement of facts.

It was the first and only time the officer had been involved in what became a murder investigation and he was emotionally shaken by the experience and still suffering from trauma at the time of the trial in March 2014, says the document.

Following his testimony during the murder trial, Ilic says he was approached by the defence counsel and asked whether he had thrown a bottle of liquor out of his pocket at the scene. He denied it.

The issue came up again however when a witness testified she saw an officer throw away a bottle at the scene.

A subsequent interview with RCMP officers is said to have taken on the character of an interrogation, and on April 21, 2014, Ilic was advised a Code of Conduct investigation had been ordered into his actions.

According to the statement of facts, over the next few months:

Ilic was served with an official notice of Code of Conduct investigation into his "disgraceful" behaviour and for lying

told to take a polygraph, which he refused

supplied a DNA sample

suspended on Aug. 25, 2014

ordered to report daily to the Kamloops detachment, referred to by the officer's psychologist as a daily walk of shame.

The bottle found at the scene was tested and a DNA sample could not be obtained, says the statement.

Immediately following the lifting of his suspension in July 2015, Ilic was placed off duty sick on the recommendation of his treating psychologist.

The notice of claim says at no time during the investigation was a report to Crown counsel ever submitted seeking charges against the officer.

The conduct of RCMP members involved in the process has undermined the trust the plaintiff had in other members to back him up and left a permanent stain on any future potential career in the RCMP, according to the document. It further accuses fellow officers of harassment during the 14-month investigation.

Ilic is seeking general and specific damages as well as past and future loss of earnings and loss of benefits and court costs.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The American-led UN command on Saturday dismissed as unsubstantiated accusations from North Korea that U.S. troops at a border village tried to provoke its frontline troops with "disgusting acts."

A North Korean military statement Friday warned U.S. soldiers to stop what it called "hooliganism" at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom or they'll meet a "dog's death any time and any place."

It said U.S. troops pointed their fingers at North Korean soldiers and made strange noises and unspecified "disgusting" facial expressions. It also said that American troops encouraged South Korean soldiers to aim their guns at the North.

A statement from Christopher Bush, a spokesman for the UN command, said they looked into the allegations and determined they were unsubstantiated.

North Korea occasionally accuses South Korean and U.S. troops of trying to provoke its border troops and vice versa. After North Korea's first nuclear bomb test in 2006, the U.S. accused North Korean troops of spitting across the border's demarcation line, making throat-slashing hand gestures and flashing their middle fingers.

The latest North Korean accusation came a day after South Korean and U.S. officials said two suspected medium-range missile launches by North Korea ended in failure. In recent weeks, North Korea fired a barrage of missiles and artillery shells into the sea in an apparent response to annual South Korea-U.S. military drills that ended Saturday.

About 28,000 American troops are deployed in South Korea to deter potential aggression from North Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in an armistice and not a peace treaty.

Panmunjom, located inside the 2.5-mile-wide Demilitarized Zone that bisects the Korean Peninsula, is where the 1953 armistice was signed. It remains one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints, but Panmunjom  jointly overseen by North Korea and the American-led UN Command  is also a popular tourist spot drawing visitors on both sides.

Visitors from the southern side are often told by tour guides to be extremely careful about what gestures they make so as not to antagonize the nearby North Korean soldiers.
Photo: David Ogilvie

Emergency crews were called out to rescue a man who fell on a trail and possibly broke his leg, Friday evening.

The incident happened about 8:30 p.m., in West Kelowna, on a trail just 100 metres up from Westlake road.

Its unclear if the man was walking or biking on the trail at the time.

First responders stabilized the man and safely brought him down the hill.

Castanet will have more information as it becomes available.
Photo: CTV

Victoria's police chief has been suspended amid allegations stemming from reports that he sent inappropriate Twitter messages to the wife of one of his officers.

A new investigation into Chief Frank Elsner's conduct was announced by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner Friday involving new information that includes allegations of false statements and the deletion of data.

A spokeswoman for the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board said in an email that the adjudicator of the new investigation has ordered the chief be suspended immediately.

"The board is arranging to convene next week to discuss the implications of the order for suspension," she said.

Elsner stepped aside from his duties in December 2015, pending the results of two other investigations into his conduct.

Deputy police complaints commissioner Rollie Woods said Elsner now faces three investigations and a total of 11 misconduct allegations.

The latest allegations came to light from a team of senior Mounties and members of the Vancouver Police Department investigating Elsner.

"They provided a synopsis of some concerning information they had received during the course of the investigation," Woods said. "That information alleges conduct by chief Elsner, if proven, would be misconduct."

Two retired B.C. judges began separate investigations last December, with one focusing on the social media allegations against Elsner and the other involving several alleged workplace harassment complaints filed by Victoria Police Department employees through the police union.

Elsner filed court documents last month in an effort to block the investigations saying the commissioner did not have the authority to order another review after the completion of an internal probe.

The documents say allegations surfaced last year that Elsner may have been in a relationship with the wife of a fellow officer and that the woman was also an officer in a neighbouring district.

Woods said the new investigation involves three allegations that include Elsner asking someone to make a false oral or written statement, requesting a potential witness to destroy electronic data and Elsner accessing the police department's electronic database.

"There's evidence Chief Const. Elsner sought access to the Victoria police archive server and conducted various searches and erased or attempted to erase emails during the course of an ongoing investigation," he said.

None of the allegations against Elsner have been proven.

Elsner, who has been a police officer for 31 years, could not be immediately reached for comment about the new investigation.

In an affidavit filed last March, Elsner said he was shocked at the amount of information that has been made public about the allegations he faces.

"I strongly believe my reputation has been irreparably tarnished and my career in policing is over, regardless of the outcome of the investigations," he said in the affidavit.

Woods said such investigations of a police chief are unprecedented.

"It's unprecedented and it's unfortunate for the Victoria Police Department, I think, as a whole."

The Victoria City Police Union said in a statement Friday that it is aware of the new investigation involving Elsner but would not comment.
Photo: CTV

The proliferation of sex-for-rent ads in Vancouver is a growing concern for women's advocates.

A shortage of affordable housing is fuelling the problem, they say.

Ads on sites like Craigslist posted under "rooms & shares" offer free rent, seeking attractive female tenants in exchange for "discreet and mutual arrangements."

One ad seeks a "sexy roommate," who is open-minded, loves to laugh and will do some house cleaning.

Another promises free rent for the "right girl" ... "Let's drink tonight and see if we can make this work."

High rental rates and low availability add pressure to women who may be unable to find accommodation.

"They seek women that are the most vulnerable," Maria Paredes, a transition house worker for Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter, told CTV.

"It's really despicable to know that men are taking advantage of women's poverty and the current affordable housing crisis here in Vancouver," she said.

Parades says the ads are essentially soliciting prostitution.

Police say there's not much they can do if the arrangement is between two consenting adults.

"For the most part, these ads aren't illegal. The wording in them is left very general for a reason," Vancouver Police Const. Brian Montague told CTV.

"Obviously, it's implied that there's an exchange of sex for services  in this case free rent  but that's an assumption and we can't arrest people based on assumptions."

If public safety is a concern or a person is taking advantage or exploiting someone, that's a different matter.

Police advise women to think twice about responding to such ads.

"Some of them are individuals who would be predatory... Things can go very bad very quickly," Montague said.

Paredes said she's seen women in transition can struggle to find homes.

"Welfare rates are extremely low, housing rates are extremely high, and women always tell us how hard it is to be out there looking for housing."

She said politicians have a responsibility to have affordable housing and resources for women leaving abusive relationships.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Rob Moffat

Castanet is receiving reports of the war memorial at Rutland Lions Park being vandalized.

According to Kelowna resident Rob Moffat, the upper pillar of the monument was pushed off and is now lying on the ground.

"It's sad and a complete lack of respect," he said. "Because war memorials are sacred."

Moffat said the incident likely happened some time overnight and the RCMP is aware of the situation.

Castanet will provide more details as they become available.
This shocking video is reported to be that of the crash at Bagram Air Field. This is unconfirmed, the time is wrong at the bottom of the video, but other factors give this footage some credibility.

A civilian cargo plane owned by an American company crashed at Bagram Air Field, north of the Afghan capital, soon after takeoff on Monday, killing all seven people aboard, the U.S.-led military coalition said.

Photo: The Canadian Press - The Canadian Press. All rights reserved. Afghan Kuchi women walk along a road on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, April 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for downing the Boeing 747-400, but NATO said in a statement to The Associated Press that the Taliban "claims are false." The coalition says the cause of the crash was being investigated by emergency crews that rushed to the site, but there was no sign of insurgent activity in the area at the time.

Capt. Luca Carniel, a coalition spokesman, said the aircraft crashed from a low altitude right after takeoff.

The plane, owned by National Airlines, an Orlando, Florida-based subsidiary of National Air Cargo, was carrying vehicles and other cargo, according to National Air Cargo Vice-President Shirley Kaufman. She said those killed were four pilots, two mechanics and a load master, who was responsible for making sure that the weight and balance of the cargo is appropriate.

Five of the seven fatalities were from Michigan, said Kaufman.

"We are not yet releasing the identities of the colleagues we lost out of respect for their families who need a little more time to reach other loved ones," she said in an email to the AP.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority are investigating the crash, she said.

National Airlines was based until recently at Michigan's Willow Run Airport, west of Detroit in Wayne County's Van Buren Township. It carries cargo both commercially and for the military, Kaufman said. She said it employs about 225 people.

In another development, Afghan President Hamid Karzai accused U.S. forces of killing four civilians and wounding one in the eastern province of Nangarhar on Sunday after an American convoy was attacked by insurgents.

In a statement issued by his office, Karzai "strongly condemned the killing of innocent civilians."
Many thanks to Dr. Steven Locascio, the Director of Educational Leadership at Kean University, and Courtney Pepe, a Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction in New Jersey, for this guest post.

Leadership has transformed over the years. Long gone are the days when school leaders managed employees using a top-down approach. Today, school leaders are expected to not only be collaborative and run the day-to-day functions of the school but also serve as instructional leaders. It is also not enough for leaders to only have a fundamental knowledge of technology; they need to embrace it from an instructional perspective and utilize it as a platform to share ideas and best practices. The questions then become, how does this get accomplished? and what should it ultimately be called?

Educational leadership programs are numerous and teach many important topics. Yes, school law, school finance, organizational theory, and curriculum development will always be important; but it now appears as though digital leadership is a new frontier that is only minimally offered as part of leadership training. We recently had the chance to create our own digital leadership program from the ground up with Kean University Board of Trustee Member, Dr. Lamont Repollet.

To do so, we posed two essential questions: what should be focused on when considering digital leadership? and what should educational leadership programs be promoting? We think that the following key tips and suggestions should be considered moving forward.

#1: Digital Leadership is More Than 10K Followers On Twitter

Image Dr. Lamont Repollet, Superintendent of Schools in Asbury Park, NJ, uses social networking platforms such as Twitter to share school accomplishments with the community at large.

Sometimes it is important to remember that quality is better than quantity. We would never judge an educational leader by the number of Twitter followers that they have, but rather we should judge them by the content of their 140 characters. Digital leaders use tools like Twitter as part of their platform to establish a sense of connectedness with their school community and the community at large. We respect a school leader who follows and is followed by his or her teaching staff, custodial staff, parents, and students. Also, leaders should keep in mind that quality is more important than quantity when sending out tweets. Everything sent out by a leader becomes part of their personal digital brand and the brand of their school district. Dr. Lamont Repollet, who has been a turnaround superintendent in the Asbury, NJ School System explains that being a digital leader is about building a positive brand for our schools and extending our audience. Social media has allowed us to reach beyond the parents of our students and engage the greater community. Now when we celebrate student success, the community celebrates student success.

#2: Digital Leadership is Research Based

We recently had the opportunity to build four new course syllabi for various digital leadership courses at Kean University. An important step in building these syllabi was finding all of the peer-reviewed articles that relate to various components of the digital leadership concept. There are many research studies which relate to the implementation of the TPACK model in 21st Century education as well as articles and books written by Michael Fullan about the relationship between technology, content, and pedagogy. While not as many peer-reviewed articles about the SAMR model exist as one might expect, it is still a great framework to use with future school leaders.

#3: Digital Leadership Mixes Educational Theory with Practical Experience

While the courses we designed had a theoretical component, it was also important to make sure that future digital leaders have access to practical experiences when they take their courses. Candidates need to consider the relationship between Blooms Taxonomy, Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences, as well as educational leadership and technology. However, it is also important that students have a variety of case studies about which they can think critically. In a recent course unit, we had students compare five different pieces of evidence that we took from a school district where one of us worked that went 1:1 with 2000 iPads in 2011. Looking at the elements of the case study and analyzing them to determine if the iPad implementation was effective will help to make our students more effective leaders. Too often, when interviewing for a principal vacancy, superintendents complain that these candidates are not prepared to handle the job and have no experience with educational technology. We are hoping to change all of that.

#4: Digital Leadership Courses MUST Be Rigorous and Relevant

The process in higher education to change program learning outcomes and course learning outcomes can be a complex one. Because of this, syllabi can often not be updated. In fact, digital leadership courses may need to be updated even more regularly than curriculum leadership and organizational theory courses. Digital leaders should avoid taking courses that have learning objectives that reference outdated technology practices such as candidates will be able to use a personal computer or students should be able to create a PowerPoint presentation. College of Education Deans, Educational Leadership Directors, and faculty need to constantly be making sure that their digital leadership courses infuse the latest best practices.

#5: Recruit Outside Talent to Work As Adjunct Professors in Digital Leadership

Image We recruited Monica Burns as an adjunct professor. Her ACES framework, as it pertains to digital leadership, will be used in our Scannable to Wearable course.

In our efforts, we were able to recruit the internationally respected global educator Monica Burns. Monica recently published a book about the implications of scannable technology in schools. The concept of Scannable to Wearable Technology, a Voice for Generation Z will now actually be a course in our digital leadership certificate.

We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to create a new digital leadership certificate for Kean University. You can expect our graduates to conduct great research and to be innovative, 21st-century digital leaders in their schools.
It is not quite sure if he is referring to the nearly 4000 miles air distance from Poland to Myanmar or to the economic success of this European country. Poland's economy has grown continuously since its membership in the European Union (EU) in 2004. It was the only country in the EU that could keep this increase even during the world financial crisis in 2009.

Hoping to maintain this streak of success in the future, the Polish Chamber of Commerce signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) together with the UMFCCI on the 28 April. Representatives from eleven polish companies from food, IT and machinery sectors attended the ceremony to seek better relationships with local businesses.

"We have created a good base for further development. It is a first step mission ever done in history", says Marek Kloczko, Vice President of the Polish Chamber of Commerce, as there were no business relations between Poland and Myanmar before.

Nevertheless, the signing of the MOU is just the very first step in building up business relations, as it is not a real contract with legal effect. Every foreign country that came to Myanmar for business since the country began to open up has signed an MOU. Only time will reveal which companies will succeed in Myanmar as Polish companies look now for local partners to connect with.

Michal Portalewski represented the Airon Green Energy Turbines, which develops wind generators, at the meeting, "They are especially suited for off-grid areas, we can electrify schools, hospitals, remote areas, agricultural areas", he says. We are willing to enter the market with a strong partner to access these areas and to provide electricity and help your country develop. That is our idea for Myanmar," he continued.
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In a weirdly hostile and creepy press conference in Alabama this week, the state's Supreme Court Chief Justice complained about a variety of foes including "a tranvestite," plus "atheists, homosexuals and transgender individuals."

He says these foes brought forward a politically motivated complaint about his administrative order to probate judges not to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Chief Justice Roy Moore also blamed the Southern Poverty Law Center for getting in the way of his gay marriage squashing orders.

You can watch his wacky rant here.

Chief Justice Moore says their complaint should not have been issued to the Judicial Inquiry Commission of Alabama, which could determine whether Moore is brought up on ethics charges. Instead, Moore and his lawyer argued that the SPLC, the Human Rights Campaign, and other pro-marriage equality advocates in the state should be bringing their complaint to the U.S. Supreme Court.

From AL.com:

After the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 ruling that made same-sex marriage legal in America, Moore ordered the state's probate justices not to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. Moore maintained that the Supreme Court ruling had no bearing on Alabama's constitutional ban on gay marriage. "This is not about religion," Moore said at the press conference. "This is about my marriage and my legal orders."

In the video above, "Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore responds Wednesday, April 27, 2016, to complaints made in January by various groups protesting his administrative order explaining the Alabama Sanctity of Marriage Act and the Alabama Marriage Protection Act in Montgomery, Alabama."

Christ, what an asshole.


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An honest essay has numerous characteristics: original thinking, a good structure, balanced arguments, and plenty more.

But one aspect often overlooked is that an honest essay should be interesting. It should spark the readers curiosity, keep them absorbed, make them want to stay reading and learn more. An uneventful article risks losing the readers attention; whether or not the points you create are excellent, a flat style, or poor handling of a dry subject material can undermine the positive aspects of the essay. The matter is that a lot of students think that essays should be like this: they believe that a flat, dry style is suited to the needs of educational writing and dont even consider that the teacher reading their essay wants to search out the essay interesting. You might want to have online essay editor service to boost your confidence in writing with an error-free output. Academic writing doesnt need to be  and shouldnt be  bland. The excellent news is that there is much stuff you can do to create your essay more attractive, while youll be able only to do such a lot while remaining within the formal confines of educational writing. Lets study what theyre.

Have an interest in what youre writing about

Dont go overboard, but youll be able to let your passion for your subject show.

If theres one thing bound to inject interest into your writing, its being fascinated by what youre writing about. Passion for a subject matter comes across naturally in your essay, typically making it more lively and fascinating and infusing an infectious enthusiasm into your words  within the same way that its easy to talk knowledgeably to someone about something you discover fascinating.

Include fascinating details

Another factor that may make an essay boring maybe a dry material. Some topic areas are naturally dry, and it falls to you to form the article more interesting through your written style and by trying to seek out fascinating snippets of knowledge to incorporate, which will liven it up a small amount and make the data easier to relate to. A way of doing this with a dry subject is to create what youre talking about that seems relevant to the critical world, as this is often easier for the reader to relate to.

Emulate the fashion of writers you discover interesting

When you read lots, you subconsciously start emulating the fashion of the writers you have read. Reading benefits you a lot, as this exposes you to a spread of designs, and youll start to require the characteristics of these you discover interesting to read.

Borrow some creative writing techniques

Theres a limit to the quantity of actual story-telling youll do when youre writing an essay; in the end, essays should be objective, factual and balanced, which doesnt, initially glance, feel considerably like story-telling. However, youll apply a number of the principles of story-telling to create your writing more interesting.

consider your own opinion

Take the time to figure out what its that you think instead of regurgitating the opinions of others.

Cut the waffle

Rambling on and on is dull and almost bound to lose the interest of your reader. Youre in danger of waffling if youre not completely clear about what you wish to mention or havent thought carefully about how youre visiting structure your argument. Doing all your research correctly and writing an essay plan before you begin will help prevent this problem.

Editing is a vital part of the essay-writing process, so edit the waffle once youve done a primary draft. Read through your essay objectively and eliminate the bits that arent relevant to the argument or labor the purpose.

employing a thesaurus isnt always a decent thing

Avoid using unfamiliar words in an essay; theres too great a likelihood that youre misusing them.

You may think that employing a thesaurus to seek out more complicated words will make your writing more exciting or sound more academic, but using overly high-brow language can have the incorrect effect.

Avoid repetitive phrasing

Please avoid using the identical phrase structure again and again: its a recipe for dullness! Instead, use a variety of syntax that demonstrates your writing capabilities and makes your writing more interesting. Mix simple, compound, and complicated sentences to avoid your paper becoming predictable.

Use some figurative language

Using analogies with nature can often make concepts more accessible for readers to know.

As weve already seen, its easy to finish up rambling when youre explaining complex concepts  mainly after you dont know it yourself. One way of forcing yourself to think about a couple of pictures, present it more simply and engagingly is to form figurative language. This implies explaining something by comparing it with something else, as in an analogy.

Employ rhetorical questions

Anticipate the questions your reader might ask.

One of the ways ancient orators held the eye of their audiences and increased the dramatic effect of their speeches was by using the statement. A decent place to use a statement is at the top of a paragraph, to steer into the following one, or at the start of a replacement section to introduce a brand new area for exploration.

Proofread

Finally, you may write the top interesting essay an instructor has ever read. Still, youll undermine your good work if its plagued by errors, which distract the reader from the particular content and can probably annoy them.
Q: I am writing to pass along additional information in regard to researching vehicle titles. A Subaru Outback wagon that I owned was damaged in a flood years ago. Since that time, a national title registry has been established and the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System posted an advisory following Hurricane Sandy. Your reader from Warrenville, Ill., will want to check out the link to this site: www.vehiclehistory.gov. In particular, see the link titled: "The Potential Safety Hazards of Flood-Damaged Vehicles." The advisory notes that after Hurricane Sandy cars were reportedly bought in Louisiana, for example, and sold in the Midwest. If the dealer was duped, that is one matter, but if there is any indication that the dealer knew (or should have known) that the car was damaged in a flood, your reader may want to contact the Illinois attorney general's office and/or local consumer protection agencies. By the way, I happen to be a lawyer, but don't hold it against me. I fight for folks like your reader.
Kevin Martin, right, and Tabitha Garza, center, both 15, work with their classmates in Ben Gunty's literature class at Noble Street College Prep charter school Oct. 26, 2015, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

Eight charter school operators have submitted applications to open 13 privately run campuses in Chicago starting in the 2017-18 school year, a lower number than the amount initially projected early this year.

In February, 16 charter operators submitted letters of intent to open 21 new campuses in the city. The letters of intent didn't bind operators to open new schools, and a lengthy process to approve detailed charter campus plans must still play out.

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A summary of applications released by Chicago Public Schools on Friday shows the Noble Network of Charter Schools will continue to seek to open two high school campuses.

The New Life Covenant Church is pushing forward with its plans to open a charter school for seventh- through 12th-graders. CPS last year rejected the organization's proposal to renovate part of Hirsch High School for a separate performing arts school that would house up to 1,200 students.

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Intrinsic Schools seeks to open two campuses serving seventh- through 12th-grade students, and the city's branch of KIPP charter schools would expand one of its existing programs to include additional grades and open a new campus for kindergarten through eighth-graders.

Details of each operator's proposals won't be made public by Chicago Public Schools until late May.

The potential for more charters comes as CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union have wrangled over a contract proposal from the district that included restrictions on the total number of the privately operated but publicly funded schools.

The CTU rejected the proposal, which would have prevented CPS from increasing the number of charter schools beyond the 130 or so now open. That prospective offer has drawn questions about the legality of the arrangement from charter supporters.

CPS could reject some of the proposals, though charter operators can appeal some of the district's decisions to a state commission.

jjperez@tribpub.com

Twitter @PerezJr
Police officers investigate at the scene of a shooting in the 2200 block of South Kolin Avenue where a 30-year-old man was shot in the head early on April 30, 2016. (Alexandra Chachkevitch / Chicago Tribune)

A man was killed and at least 14 other people, including three 15-year-old teenagers, have been wounded in shootings between early Friday and early Saturday on the South and West sides, officials said.

The fatal shooting occurred about 2:05 a.m. Saturday in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side, said Officer Veejay Zala, a Chicago police spokesman.

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A 30-year-old man was on the street in the 2200 block of South Kolin Avenue when an unknown attacker walked up to him and shot him in the head, Zala said.

The man, who was a documented gang member, was initially taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital, Zala said.

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Most recently, a 24-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man were wounded in a shooting about 4:50 a.m. Saturday in the South Shore neighborhood on the South Side, said Office Janel Sedevic, a Chicago police spokeswoman.

Both were in the 1700 block of East 69th Street when they were shot. The woman was hit in the right knee, and the man was struck in the right hand.

Both were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where their conditions were stabilized, Sedevic said.

About 4:35 a.m., a 19-year-old man was critically hurt in a shooting in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side, Sedevic said.

The man was in the 1800 block of South Central Park Avenue when he was shot in the chest, left leg and side. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition, Sedevic said.

No other information was immediately available about the shooting, Sedevic said.

At 1:46 a.m., two men walked into Mount Sinai Hospital after they were shot in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side, Zala said.

A 20-year-old man and a 19-year-old man were in the 3900 block of West Wilcox Street when they were shot. The younger man was struck in the back, and he was listed in serious condition. The 20-year-old was hit in the right arm, and his condition was stabilized at the hospital, Zala said.

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About 12:10 a.m., a 37-year-old man was wounded in a shooting in the Park Manor neighborhood on the South Side, Zala said.

The man was in the 6800 block of South King Drive when he was shot in the right leg. He was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was listed in good condition, Zala said.

About 10:50 p.m. Friday, a 25-year-old man walked into a hospital after getting shot on the 4800 block of West Ohio Street on the West Side, Zala said.

The man was shot multiple times, and he managed to get to Presence Sts. Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center. He was later transferred to Stroger Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition, Zala said.

Earlier, about 8 p.m., a 15-year-old boy was shot in the Englewood neighborhood, said Officer Thomas Sweeney, a Chicago police spokesman.

The boy was in the 6800 block of South Sangamon Street when someone approached him on foot and began firing, Sweeney said. The teen suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his leg and was taken in serious condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center, Sweeney said.

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Earlier, a 25-year-old man was wounded on the South Side in the city's Back of the Yards neighborhood, he said. That shooting happened about 4:15 p.m. in the 4800 block of South Winchester Avenue.

According to reports, the man was outside when someone approached on foot and shot him in the abdomen, Sweeney said. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

Fifteen minutes before that attack, a 15-year-old girl was shot in the back in the city's Archer Heights neighborhood, Sweeney said.

According to preliminary reports, the girl was inside a parked vehicle in the 5100 block of South Kolin Avenue, when someone walked up and fired shots.

The girl, who suffered a back wound, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where her condition had stabilized, Sweeney said.

About 2:25 p.m., a 29-year-old man was shot in the back in the city's Englewood neighborhood, he said. That shooting happened in the 5600 block of South May Street.

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According to preliminary reports, the man was standing outside when someone jumped out of a vehicle and fired shots before fleeing the scene, Sweeney said.

The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was listed in good condition, he said.

About an hour earlier, a 15-year-old boy and a 23-year-old man were wounded in an attack on the West Side.

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That shooting happened about 1:20 p.m. in the 3300 block of West Jackson Boulevard in the city's East Garfield Park neighborhood.

The boy suffered multiple gunshot wounds to a leg and managed to get to Stroger Hospital. The second victim, also shot in the leg, drove himself to Rush University Medical Center. He was later transferred to Stroger, Sweeney said.

There was no information available about the victims' condition or the circumstances leading up to the shooting.

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On Friday morning, a 26-year-old man was chased down and shot in the chest after he left his Chatham neighborhood home on the South Side.

Shortly after 6 a.m., the victim was leaving his home when he was chased to the 600 block of East 80th Street, where he was shot in the chest, Officer Sedevic said.

The man was taken in serious condition to Advocate Christ, she said.

No one was in custody, and police believe the shooting could be gang-related.
Chicago State University on Friday said more than 300 employees are being laid off, a dramatic downsizing a week after the school received some long-awaited money from the state, the Tribune has learned.

The layoffs  which equal about one-third of the workforce  are effective immediately.

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"It's dreadful. I have spoken to people as they have been packing up their offices," Chicago State President Thomas Calhoun Jr. said in an interview with the Tribune. But, he said, "It is not disheartening for the future of the university. The university has been here 150 years and will continue to be here."

Calhoun said the cuts will touch every area of the university  from associate vice presidents to police officers, counselors and carpenters  and will reduce the number of noninstructional employees by nearly half. Faculty members were spared during this initial wave of cuts but are likely to be affected later.

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The cuts will save about 40 percent in payroll costs, or about $2 million a month, Calhoun said. They come after Chicago State and other Illinois schools went nearly the entire academic year without state money as lawmakers were unable to agree on a budget. Last week, lawmakers approved $20.1 million in emergency funding for Chicago State, part of a larger funding package for public universities, but it proved to be too little, too late.

"It was less than what we needed and later than we needed it, as much as we appreciated getting it," Calhoun said. "It really is a Band-Aid and not the solution."

Chicago State employees have been on edge since February, when officials sent notices of potential layoffs to all 900 employees. The university said it would not be able to meet payroll costs past April without state money.

Earlier this month, Calhoun instructed administrators and civil service employees not to return to work after April 30 unless specifically told otherwise through a recall notice.

Then, in a process that began Thursday and will likely continue through the weekend, some employees were "recalled," or told that their jobs were safe for now. Employees who did not get notified should understand that their jobs were cut, Calhoun said.

Calhoun also said employees can be recalled in the future if the university realizes their positions are needed.

"The recall process really is a process," he said. "If we find, for example, that we are short in an area that is creating a bottleneck or a way in which we cannot function ... we will make note of that and recall appropriately.

"We are hoping not to have a dramatic impact on the student experience because we want students to have a fulfilling day every day they come to the campus."

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Located on the Far South Side, Chicago State serves about 4,500 mostly minority and low-income students from the city.

It had nearly depleted its cash reserves when the state approved the emergency funding  less than 60 percent of what the university had expected to receive this fiscal year. The funding was part of a $600 million stopgap measure to ensure that struggling campuses would stay open through the summer after the longest budget delay in state history.

Of the $600 million, $356 million is for universities, $74 million for community colleges and $170 million for Monetary Award Program scholarships for low-income students. Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the bill Monday.

While the cash influx provided some relief, it was not enough to prevent the layoffs. Some of the money needs to go toward outstanding vendor bills. The university also has to prepare for a tenuous future, with uncertainty about student enrollment this fall and continued questions about if and when the state will approve more funding.

On Saturday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson lashed out at Rauner, saying the governor didn't care about how the cuts were affecting the community.

"We feel that the governor has deceived us. He has betrayed the people," Jackson told reporters at his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition headquarters in Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood.

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Jackson spoke of the palpable joy he saw in students and faculty last week when he attended commencement at the school where nearly 900 graduated.

"The governor gave a real false hope last week when people felt that they finally got enough money to tide us over," Jackson said, surrounded by young people and community members.

The governor's office didn't respond directly to Jackson's criticism but pointed to earlier comments in which Rauner said he hopes more funding for schools can be part of a broader budget agreement, which has thus far remained elusive.

"What we did was come together on a bipartisan basis to come up with a short-term solution to a crisis," Rauner said in downstate Auburn this week. "None of us want a university to close its doors, like Chicago State was on the verge of doing, none of us want professors at universities to lose their jobs. So this was a short-term solution and I'm supportive of that, what we've got to do is stay persistent to come up with a long-term solution with more money for our universities for (fiscal years) '16 and '17, a long-term solution with a balanced budget, new revenues, and  very critically  reforms."

Deep partisan rifts remain over the state budget. Some lawmakers have hinted that last week's funding could be the only state money that universities will receive for the 2015-16 school year, and the uncertainty will likely extend to next fiscal year, which begins in July.

Faculty members remain in limbo. Calhoun previously told them to work until May 15, the day their annual contracts end, and he said Friday that those positions are still being evaluated.

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"I do expect there is a likelihood that not all faculty will be recalled," he said. He also said the university will close some buildings this summer to reduce utility and maintenance costs and will evaluate academic programs, a routine process that will involve more scrutiny this year because of the fiscal situation.

"There are those kinds of tough decisions that certainly will be made as we go through this program review process," Calhoun said.

On Friday, Chicago State employees said they were left largely in the dark, not knowing whether they would be laid off or how many of their colleagues would be let go.

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"This is a staggering number. It is a lot more than I expected," said Robert Bionaz, president of the faculty union, which represents some academic service professionals who were laid off. "It's profound that you talk about laying off half of your noninstructional staff. I just don't know who is going to do the work."

Other schools also have cut staff this year.

Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago eliminated 65 noninstructional positions. Western Illinois University has cut 147 positions, including 30 faculty jobs, and about 500 employees are taking furlough days and pay cuts this spring. Northern Illinois University avoided layoffs during the budget impasse but has left 116 jobs unfilled during this academic year.

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While all public institutions have suffered this year, Chicago State has been the hardest-hit. The semester ended Thursday  two weeks early  to ensure that students could graduate before the money ran out.

Chicago Tribune's William Lee and Monique Garcia contributed.

jscohen@tribpub.com

Twitter @higherednews
The United States may soon have its first female president. And it may not be Hillary Clinton.

Over the past few weeks, the best answer to the question of who will emerge as the Republican presidential nominee  businessman Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, some other failed 2016 contender or even House Speaker Paul D. Ryan  has become "none of the above." In each instance, the case for why any one of these candidates probably won't be picked has gotten much stronger than the one for why each of the individual candidates would.

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In a front-runner's rout, Republican Donald Trump roared to victory April 26, 2016, in five contests across the Northeast and confidently declared himself the GOP's "presumptive nominee." (AP) (Associated Press)

Despite Trump's big victories this week, he's not the "presumptive nominee" he claims to be. He faces much tougher challenges in Indiana and California, where poor showings would likely leave him short of the 1,237 delegates needed to end the upcoming Republican convention chaos with a victory in the first round of voting. Despised and feared by the Republican establishment, Trump almost certainly will do worse with each passing round. A stone's throw is probably as close as he'll ever get to the nomination.

Cruz is on track to succeed as the spoiler of the Trump campaign. But with Trump romping on the East Coast, Cruz will likely finish hundreds of delegates and millions of votes behind. That's too far back. The possibility of allowing a big loser to leapfrog over a clear front-runner has not polled well among the party rank and file. It's a good bet it will flop at the convention, too.

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If it could, the Republican establishment would settle for finding its way to Kasich, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, new Cruz running mate Carly Fiorina or another one of the 2016 also-rans. But if the leap over Trump is too great for Cruz, the chasm will be prohibitive for a bigger loser.

For these reasons, much of the inside money recently shifted to Ryan. The scenario is powerful and straightforward: You have a deadlocked convention; choosing one of the three finalists is sure to fracture the party; the last nominee, Mitt Romney, is more bad dream than fond memory; and there sits Ryan, offering appeal to a broad spectrum of Republicans.

But even as this answer began to look better in recent weeks, the spotlight it turned on Ryan quickly became something of a glare. Whether or not it was of his own doing, Ryan began to look as though he was undermining the democratic process by angling for the job. Threatened with a damaging loss of credibility and harboring no great desire to be a sacrificial lamb in a losing year, Ryan shifted his denials from coy to resolute. Now, even if his heart still yearns for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., he may have slammed the door too forcefully to reopen it.

Still, someone has to do the job. Someone with more to gain than lose. Someone whose star is still rising. And someone who's in the fortunate position of being able to avoid Ryan's fate of looking as though she's trying to disrupt democracy by stealing the nomination from the voters.

Enter Nikki Haley. Generally beloved by the establishment and the insurgent outsiders in the Republican Party, the South Carolina governor is among the few who seek out the cameras without looking like a 2016 subversive. She has license to engage with the media all the way to Cleveland. And since any eventual nominee is certain to see in her a strong asset on the campaign trail, a Cabinet official or even a potential running mate, her reputation will stay unsullied as the daggers continue to fly. She can in all good faith even continue to believe  or at least act as though she believes  that all she is doing is helping put the best face on her party in a moment of need. Ignorance can be such profitable bliss.

But the understudy often fills in when the lead goes down. With "none of the above" becoming ever more obvious as Cleveland gets closer, Haley's convention speaking slot may need to be moved to Thursday night.

Washington Post

Howard Gutman was U.S. ambassador to Belgium from 2009 to 2013 and is managing director of the Gutman Group, an international consulting and investment group.
First and foremost, I was pleasantly surprised at how informed these 6- and 7-year-olds were about the election. It seemed as if a majority in the two classes I visited  thank you, teachers Anna Testone and Christina Buckman  knew most, if not all, of the candidates. John Kasich, not surprisingly, was low on the familiarity list. And you can easily guess who was at the top, considering which candidate is getting the most press these days.
The Rev. Theodore Poteres carries a shroud around Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral before placing it in a tomb on the altar. (Jim Karczewski, Post-Tribune)

Believers entered the most solemn day of the Orthodox church calendar Friday  Good Friday  looking forward to the redemption coming on Easter Sunday.

Congregants at Sts. Constantine and Helena Greek Orthodox Cathedral gathered at the Merrillville cathedral Friday afternoon to mourn Jesus' Crucifixion during Good Friday's afternoon services, a ritual that played out at area Orthodox churches. The mood was somber yet hopeful as the Rev. Ted Poteres took congregants through the brutal death of their lord and savior.

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As the afternoon service is devoted to when Christ died, Poteres re-enacted the burial by removing an icon carving from a wreath of white flowers on a cross and covering it in a crisp white shroud. After presenting the covered icon to the congregation, he placed it in a tomb on the altar.

He and his officiants then carried a second shroud around the church, symbolizing the funeral procession of Jesus to his tomb.

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But any sadness found in the procession should be short-lived, because as the story goes, the tomb was only a temporary stop for Christ.

"What an amazing day," Poteres said, smiling. "Today, we see the Creator has become the servant, offering himself for us. Death doesn't realize it's lost the battle, because the Lord is still working and ministering."

When the authorities went to the men guarding Jesus' tomb, they were convinced his apostles were going to steal him, Poteres continued, though the apostles were more scared than anyone of what was going to happen.

And then on that third day, Jesus was gone from the tomb and back to ministering to his flock, Poteres said.

"This is what the Lord gave for you! Give yourself in prayer; give yourself in forgiveness, and you will be glorified," Poteres said. "Fight the good fight, and you will finish the race."

While dressed in their finery, many Orthodox church members tend to wear dark colors during Holy Week, but especially on Good Friday, according to Stacey Siatras, of Valparaiso. After all, for many, Good Friday symbolizes the ultimate funeral service.

"It's a week of mourning, where we mourn the passion, betrayal and death (of Christ), she said. "We save color for Sunday, when He's risen."

They also save the fun of Easter for Sunday, according to Christina Dovellos, 9, of Dyer; her brother, George, 8, and Katerina Siatras, of Valparaiso and also 8.

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"I think the best part of Easter is being with family," Christina said, while her brother's take was a bit more to-the-point: "Eating lamb."

"I like food and family," Katerina added.

Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter with the Post-Tribune.
Dakota Yorke, right, a transgender Portage High School senior, talks about her run for prom queen alongside her mother Dawn on Friday, April 29, 2016 in their Portage home. (Kyle Telechan, Post-Tribune)

Should a high school student who was born male but who has long identified as female be crowned prom queen?

Dakota Yorke thinks so.

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Yorke, the 18-year-old Portage High School senior, is blazing a trail for other transgender teens amid our country's "gender panic" these days, including public bathroom usage.

Dakota, her birth name as a baby boy, came home a couple weeks ago and exclaimed to her mother: "I'm going to run for prom queen!"

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Out of respect, Dakota first asked school officials if it was OK. She was given a green light and she didn't hesitate to make her childhood dream a reality.

"I've always been more feminine and attracted to more girlie things," she told me.

Literally since birth, Dakota has identified as a girl more than a boy, said her mother, Dawn Yorke, who's supportive, protective and loving.

"To us, Dakota is just Dakota," Dawn said. "I never cared how she identified regarding her gender, as long as she was a good person who was kind and respectful to others."

When Dakota was a little girl, she dreamed of being a high school prom queen  tiara, sash and all. She still harbors this dream heading into her senior prom on May 7. The day I met her, Dakota found out she's one of four finalists for the crown, based on senior students' votes.

"I saw my name on the bulletin board and I cried," Dakota said, getting emotional again just talking about that moment.

Last year at this time, Dakota attended her high school prom sporting a tuxedo. She hated it. It fit her body but it didn't fit her mind. Or her blossoming sexual identity.

"I felt embarrassed," she said, scrunching up her face from the bad memory.

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I asked if she felt like she didn't blend in.

"I've never blended in anywhere," she quickly replied.

However, according to one PHS teacher I spoke with, Dakota has blended in quite well with her classmates and school environment.

"The kids accept her the way she is," the longtime teacher told me.

Such gender acceptance issues are being explored and debated across our country, more so than ever. Too much of this new narrative, however, is being tainted by misinformation, demonizing and fear-mongering, I say.

This isn't only with North Carolina's controversial bathroom law, which requires people to use the restroom that matches the gender on their birth certificate. But also the presidential election with political barbs from GOP candidate Ted Cruz, who recently told supporters, "If Donald Trump dresses up as Hillary Clinton, he still can't go to the girls' bathroom." Ha, ha, ha, ugh.

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Readers of this column may remember a transgender male, Kaden Jakeb Alexander, who I've been following for years through his transition from female to male. One year ago this week I wrote an update on Alexander, 21, who legally changed his birth name from Kaitlyn Sowers.

He has since undergone sex reassignment surgery to remove his breasts after months of injecting himself with weekly shots of testosterone. If you met him today, you would never know he was once female.

"The only thing that hasn't really changed is my shoe size," he told me with a chuckle.

Such radical transgender transformations can be difficult to understand, and even harder to accept, for casual observers. I understand this. Alexander understands this. Yorke does, too. But it's not an excuse for intolerance, discrimination or hatred against either of them or other transgender people.

"I'm really nice to everyone and everyone is nice back to me," Dakota said.

Her mother knows that such a simple "do unto others" philosophy doesn't work with everyone.

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"Middle school was rough," Dawn said, recalling when Dakota identified herself as gay, before fully understanding her transgender future.

"Sorry, I'm going to cry. This is a big deal for me, for us," said Dawn, who got emotional talking about her daughter's future.

I came away impressed with her loving protectiveness for Dakota, as any mother should be with a child who will face unfair aggression from the outside world.

"She's always been a little difficult, but in a good way that I hope will help her through all this," Dawn said.

By "all this" she means the upcoming and inevitable challenges facing her in America the Judgmental. Dawn's concerns also include her daughter's physical safety. For instance, Dawn wishes she had kept Dakota in taekwondo classes when she was younger, for self-defense reasons.

"You never know," Dawn shrugged.

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Dakota, who has two sisters, appeared unfazed by her mother's worries, as most teenagers are about their parent's fears.

"I only live once and I'm going to be who I really am," Dakota said defiantly.

Last summer, Dakota fully transformed herself with her entire image identified as female, complete with clothes, accessories and makeup.

"She's gotten much better with applying her makeup," her mother joked.

Dakota said, "I was like a caterpillar and now I'm like a"

Like a butterfly?

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"Yes, a butterfly!" she exclaimed, fixing her hair for a photo.

Dakota and her family haven't received any criticism or negativity from school officials or other parents.

"I've been real lucky with people understanding me, and me not having to explain my pronouns," Dakota said.

Dakota has received some mean comments via social media. She ignores them.

"Those who anger you control you," said Dakota, who shopped for a prom dress over the weekend.

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Dakota's latest emoji-laced Facebook post to friends and supporters reflects her voice  bubbly, upbeat and hopeful.

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"OMG HUNNIES! Tomorrow is the F I N A L VOTING DAY for Prom Queen. Seriously so excited I can't even deal! Cast your precious and final votes TOMORROW during your lunchtime. Stay kind and stay loving XOXOXOXO."

In the meantime, she attends cosmetology classes, posts videos on her YouTube channel, and has long-term plans of becoming a makeup artist in Los Angeles.

On May 7, she'll be adorned with a prom dress, not a tux, when the school's prom queen will be announced.

"This is not about winning that crown," Dakota insisted. "For other transgender teens, this is about following your dreams and being who you are, not who people think you are."

jdavich@post-trib.com

Twitter @jdavich
A continual flow of area residents visit the Griffith campaign office for presidential candidate Donald Trump to pick up signs, stickers and t-shirts, leading up to Tuesday's primary election. (Jerry Davich, Post-Tribune)

Jeremy Spurrier hustled out of the Griffith campaign office for Donald Trump carrying an armful of yard signs and a mouthful of hope.

"I don't believe Mr. Trump is a Republican or a Democrat. He is a conservative capitalist and that's what our country needs," he told me Wednesday afternoon. "I don't like the way the country is going."

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The 41-year-old blue-collar worker from Hobart seems to be the average Trump supporter in this area, and possibly in our country. He has found something to believe in, something he hasn't found with the other presidential candidates.

"He's an American success story," Spurrier said without a trace of exaggeration.

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Spurrier is not part of the radical fringe supporters who believe Trump's every campaign promise and who completely buy into his divisive political hyperbole. He's voting for the man, not the rhetoric.

"I believe a lot of what Mr. Trump says, but not everything," Spurrier said. "But he's a billionaire who's not beholden to anyone or any groups."

Spurrier got so inspired by Trump, he visited his website to join the campaign.

"I've never volunteered before for any political candidate," Spurrier said.

Spurrier spoke with a Trump campaign volunteer in North Carolina who directed him to the campaign office in Griffith for further instructions. Plastered with Trump signs, it's located on Broad Street, sandwiched between a bar and an eye care center.

Inside the small, crowded office, more than a dozen volunteers worked the phones, greeted incoming supporters or offered instructions to new volunteers. The day I visited, there was a continual flow of supporters in and out, mostly to pick up signs, posters, stickers or T-shirts.

"It's non-stop crazy here," said a volunteer named Karen who instructed Spurrier how to make phone calls for the campaign.

A large banner on the wall states, "GOD BLESS AMERICA  the Griffith Republican Party." Before I could talk with any volunteers, a supervisor named Cody politely told me that media personnel are not allowed inside the campaign office.

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"I'm sorry but it's the national rules," he told me as I walked outside.

There, I talked with several Trump supporters from across Northwest Indiana, some from as far away as LaPorte and Wheatfield.

"I'm for Trump because the guy knows how to balance a checkbook, among other things," said Patrick Petkovich, 70, a Gary native now living in LaPorte. "He's not racist, he's not a homophobe, and he's not against Mexicans, like he's been painted by the liberal media."

Supporters were abuzz with chatter about Trump's campaign speech Wednesday from Washington, D.C., regarding foreign policy. It didn't matter that Trump's "America first" speech was light on specifics and heavy on soundbites.

"It was the best presidential speech I've heard since Reagan," Petkovich told the others.

One female volunteer smoked a cigarette on the sidewalk and told Petkovich that some voters visited the campaign office that day strictly because of that speech.

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"I don't doubt it," Petkovich replied before taking a handful of campaign signs to his pickup truck.

Many of the supporters left the office while proudly hoisting campaign signs or stickers. A few motorists drove past and honked their horns in approval.

This local splash reflects the national tidal wave hitting state after state during Trump's run for president. The former Gary casino owner needs 1,237 delegates to earn a first ballot nomination at the Republican National Convention in July in Cleveland.

"If we win Indiana, it's over," Trump told thousands of supporters last week at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. "It's over."

For the first time in decades, Indiana Republicans are involved in a meaningful presidential primary election, Trump supporters told me. Our state's late primary usually renders our votes a needless afterthought. This fact hasn't escaped voters, who reminded me that Trump was first mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 1988.

"He has gone from a publicity stunt to a presumptive presidential nominee," Spurrier said while loading campaign signs into another supporter's car.

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Tuesday's vote is more crucial for Trump's leading opponent, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who recently announced his running mate, Carly Fiorina.

"If we nominate Donald Trump, we would be guaranteeing four years of Hillary Clinton in the White House," Fiorina said in an emailed statement to Cruz supporters.

The Trump supporters I spoke with feel offended by most media coverage that typically labels them as stupid, racist or gullible. They say they're tired and distrustful of the "rigged" political system in Washington and Trump is the best candidate to "fix" such a system.

Some supporters joined Trump's ranks when he tossed his yacht cap in the ring last year. Others jumped aboard his ship this year when it began looking like smooth sailing into the White House.

Many of them feel like they finally belong to a presidential campaign, a tangible movement or, in the very least, part of something that amplifies their voice and frustrations with this country. The large banner outside the Griffith campaign office aptly reflects their belief: "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN."

"I believe he will make America great again by strengthening our trade policies, bringing jobs back to America, and protecting our borders," said Antonio Gutierrez, 38, of Portage, who's been a supporter since Trump began his run.

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"I am voting for Trump because I believe he will be the greatest job-producing president our country has ever had," he said. "I like his trade policies ideas, and I also agree with his stance on immigration and, yes, I am Mexican."

Sharon Penix of Crown Point couldn't wait until Tuesday to cast her vote.

"I did early voting. I voted for Trump," she said. "Many of his platforms are similar to my own thoughts."

Penix, who described herself as an Independent, began backing Trump earlier this year.

"Taxpayers can't afford all the freebies Hillary (Clinton) and (Bernie) Sanders are promising," she said. "We can't walk our own streets in safety. Yet we are trying to patrol the world. It's time for a change."

jdavich@post-trib.com

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The Agricultural Development Bank of China (ADBC) provided more financial support to China's agriculture and rural development in the first quarter.

The major policy bank poured in 380.5 billion yuan (58.5 billion U.S. dollars) to support agriculture, rural areas and farmers in the first quarter, double the amount in same period last year, it said.

The ADBC loaned 251.57 billion yuan to support infrastructure construction in rural areas, including 26.16 billion yuan for renovation of shanty towns, 49.21 billion yuan for water conservancy projects and 38.37 billion yuan for road construction.

The surge in lending comes amid a government campaign to develop modern agriculture and increase farmers' income.

The bank's yuan-denominated outstanding loans stood at 3.74 trillion yuan at the end of March, up 23.8 percent year on year.
A "monument to peace" celebrating the development of cross-Strait ties was unveiled Friday by Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou.

The decision to erect the monument in Kinmen, a former military stronghold between Taiwan and the mainland, is significant as it not only commemorates the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties but is a sign of hope that peace and prosperity can be maintained, Ma said in his speech at the unveiling ceremony.

Ma also attended an event to mark the 23rd anniversary of the historic "Wang-Koo meeting."

In April 1993, Wang Daohan, then head of the mainland Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), and Koo Chen-fu, then chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), met in Singapore. The meeting is seen as the start of a better cross-Strait relationship.

ARATS and SEF are authorized by the mainland and Taiwan to engage in cross-Strait talks.

The Wang-Koo meeting saw the inking of four agreements, the first time that groups assigned by both sides had signed formal agreements, setting a milestone for future peaceful development of cross-Strait ties, he said.

The meeting also set a precedent for cross-Strait institutional consultation, ushering in a new era across the Taiwan Strait, which "dissolves hostility through negotiations and replaces confrontation with talks", said Ma.

The meeting followed the 1992 Consensus centering on one-China principle, according to Ma.

The progression from the signing of the 1992 Consensus to the Wang-Koo meeting is heralded as a huge step forward for cross-Strait relations, he said.

Since 2008, the two sides have signed 23 agreements. Last November, leaders across the Strait met in Singapore, the first time since 1949.

To push the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties on the basis of the 1992 Consensus is the only effective and right way, he stressed.

Ma Ying-jeou is ending his leadership term. The newly-elected leader Tsai Ing-wen of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party will take office on May 20.
President Xi Jinping has asked Party schools to keep their teaching consistent with the Communist Party of China (CPC) ideology and politics.

The key to achieving the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation is to have an army of CPC officials with "iron-firm" faith, discipline and responsibility. It is Party schools' responsibility to instill these qualities in officials, Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said in a speech first given on Dec. 11 and due to be published in CPC magazine Qiushi on Sunday.

"The Party's will should be the will of the schools and its mission should be their mission," he said.

Research by Party schools should focus on developing CPC theories so as to consolidate the Party's leadership over ideology and Marxism's guiding role in ideology, according to Xi.
A court in northeast China on Friday exonerated a man who had been sentenced to death with reprieve in a case dubbed the "Valentine's Day murder" 18 years ago.

The Higher People's Court of Jilin Province quashed the conviction of Liu Jiqiang, 52, and ordered his release.

This is the latest wrongful murder verdict to be corrected as China works to improve judicial justice and transparency, leading to the retrial of thousands of cases since 2013.

Liu was arrested in 1998 in connection with the murder of his girlfriend on Valentine's Day that year in Jilin. In 1999, a local court convicted Liu and handed down a death penalty with a two-year reprieve.

Liu appealed but failed in two retrials in 2002 and 2003.

During the third retrial, which began on April 19, Liu's lawyers said his conviction was based on insubstantial proof and that his confession was obtained as a result of torture and illegal questioning.

The court also said Liu's initial confession was invalid and that the previous convictions had been supported by insufficient evidence.

Fu Dazhong with Jilin Academy of Social Sciences said the pressure on local Chinese police to solve homicide cases resulted in a number of miscarriages of justice, and Liu's case should serve as a wake-up call.

China saw a number of false convictions corrected in recent years. One high-profile case was that of an 18-year-old man named Huugjilt who was executed in 1996 for the rape and murder of a woman. He received a posthumous pardon in 2014 after a serial rapist and killer admitted to the crime.

In another case, Nie Shubin, 21, was executed in 1995 for the rape and murder of a woman in Hebei Province, only to have another man confess to the crime years later. The case is still being reviewed.
A spring-cleaning [By Zhai Haijun / China.org.cn]

No one in his or her right mind can deny the tremendous impact of the internet upon every aspect of our daily lives. However, the easy and wide access of the internet has raised major concerns among the majority of people in general and governments in particular.The fundamental dilemma that is faced by most governments deals with the boundaries that should be established to control the accessibility of the internet.

China has been continuously criticized for restricting the use of the internet out of concern for the safety of its citizens and its national security. It has to deal with several essential questions such as "Should all venues of the internet be available to everyone? How can it protect the individuality and privacy of its citizens if anyone can access pertinent details about their personal lives through common sites of the cyberspace? How could it prevent exposing Chinese children to pornography and corrupting content?"

It is common knowledge that the internet created a shrewd category of criminals who victimize the vulnerable and na?ve users of the internet. The Chinese government has taken proper measures to accomplish its objective of minimizing the risks of using the internet to secure the lives of its citizens and to protect its regime.

Recently, China took major steps to join the ranks of developed countries benefitting from full access of the internet starting with President Xi's powerful speech to the symposium on cyber-security on April 19, 2016.

"The competition between major countries on internet security not only depends on technology but also on concepts and public opinions," said President Xi, emphasizing the importance of internet security and its dependency on technology, concepts and public opinions. He indicated that China must compete with major powers on ensuring the security of its cyberspace, saying that "China cannot and will not shut its door to the world." President Xi stressed the fact that China must open its doors to the world as an essential key to its internet development.

"We welcome foreign internet enterprises as long as they abide by Chinese laws and regulations," he continued.

Since the internet is accessible to users worldwide, it is very important to provide them with a healthy and clear cyberspace with high quality content through positive voices while reinforcing noble and virtuous views.

As a foreigner who has been living in China for more than twelve years, I found President Xi's speech at the symposium to be frank and refreshing.

He stated the facts regarding the importance of finding a balance between satisfying people's need to have the freedom to access all venues of the internet while protecting their safety, individuality and privacy.

He admitted frankly the shortcomings of the Chinese internet enterprises and their lack of collaboration in the fields of research and shortcomings in allowing the free flow of talent between them.

President Xi humbly confessed that China is lagging behind in the cyberspace security but that his government is taking major steps to alter that by joining the major countries in that domain.

From discussions with foreigners and from the social media that is available to expats, it is clear that foreigners in China were delighted by the openness and honesty of the speech given by President Xi.

Hopefully, Chinese internet firms and the Chinese authorities were paying enough attention to implement the constructive suggestions of their president.

Sava Hassan is a Canadian Egyptian author, poet and educator. He had published three books and written numerous articles on various topics in Canada, USA and China. Currently, he is residing and teaching in China.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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Two men from Birmingham on Friday appeared in a London court and were accused of giving money to a terror suspect in Brussels and Paris attacks, local media reported Friday.

Mohammed Ali Ahmed and Zakaria Boufassil, both 26, were charged with giving 3,000 pounds (4,389 U.S. dollars) to Brussels and Paris attacks suspect Mohamed Abrini when the latter was in Britain, British Sky News reported Friday.

It is alleged the two men met Abrini, known as "the man in the hat" in Brussels attacks, in a park in Small Heath of Birmingham in July last year, when they provided them the money.

They were accused of entering into an arrangement in which money was made available to another person, and that they knew, or had reasonable cause to suspect, it would or may be used for the purposes of terrorism.

Soumaya Boufassil, Zakaria Boufassil's 29-year-old sister, was also accused of collecting money for terrorism with Ahmed. The three people appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Friday.

They were among five people arrested on April 14 and 15. The trio were remanded in custody and are due to appear at the Old Bailey in London in May.
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Members of the UN Security Council are working on a statement in response to the latest test missile launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the council president told reporters Friday.

Liu Jieyi, the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations who holds the rotating council presidency for April, made the remarks while briefing reporters on his month-long president of the 15-nation council.

He revealed the discussions while endorsing a multi-dimensional approach that could include UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon using his "good offices" to help resolve the crisis. He also repeated calls for all parties to refrain from aggravating actions or words.

"The Security Council so far issued two presidential press statements on the 'tests' conducted by DPRK and we are working on a third one among members of the council," he said. "It is really a volatile situation."

Published reports said the DPRK had two test missile launch failures Thursday, despite prohibitions laid down by relevant council resolutions.

"The way out is to have political negotiations of the problems that we face and for us three objectives are there: first, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, second, peace and security of the Korean Peninsula and third, a negotiated solution," Liu said.

"The secretary-general of the United Nations is an institution in itself and it has the function as laid down in the (UN) Charter of carrying out good offices to calm the situation down and to address situations called to his attention, but of course for any such role to take place there should be necessary conditions," he said.

"The secretary-general's role would be welcomed and we hope that the conditions will be there for the secretary-general to play a constructive role to facilitate the settlement of the problems that we face on the Korean Peninsula to de-escalate tensions, to advise all sides, relevant sides, to refrain from any terminology or action that might aggravate the existing serious tension on the Korean Peninsula," he said.

Liu said the March 2 Security Council Resolution 2270 in response to a January nuclear test by the DPRK and a February missile launch "is not only about the necessary measures put in place but also about resumption of negotiations, de-escalation of the situation, particularly the references made to the Six-Party Talks and the Sept. 19 statement" in 2005.

In that statement, the DPRK agreed to end its nuclear testing.

"All these are areas where the relevant members of the United Nations should make an effort and should try to achieve progress," Liu said. "At the end of the day only negotiations can produce a lasting solution of the acute problems we face on the Korean Peninsula and also I don't see any better alternative than the Six-Party Talks as the effective platform for negotiations."

The Six-Party Talks involve the DPRK, South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. The talks have been stalled since late 2008.

"I think to try to find a solution to the very complex problems on the Korean Peninsula, we will need a multi-dimensional approach," he said.
Xu Xiang. File photo

Xu Xiang, known in China as "Hedge Fund Brother No 1" and three managers from Citic Securities have been formally arrested on insider trading charges.

The arrests were reported by Xinhua News Agency on Friday.

Xu, head of Shanghai-based Zexi Investment Management, was detained on Nov 1 during investigations into stock trading after a market rout in which China's A-share market lost $5 trillion in value between June and August.

Police froze more than $670 million of shares owned by Xu's mother in November after authorities started investigations into Zexi Investment, Xu's private equity company.

Zexi Investment managed four of China's top 10-performing hedge funds between June and August.

The average return of Zexi's five stock funds has ranked among China's top three every year since the firm was established five years ago, and yielded 249 percent between January and September, according to Shenzhen Rongzhi Investment Consultant Co.

In comparison, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index advanced by only 2.8 percent last year after the summer market turmoil, and Chinese hedge funds reduced 16.4 percent of their holdings in listed companies, according to WIND Information Technology.

Xinhua said on Friday that Xu was charged with stock market manipulation and insider trading, without giving further details. Authorities and police are still investigating the case, the report said.

A listed company, whose shareholders included Zexi, said in March it had been contacted by police in Qingdao, Shandong province, at the time.

A Beijing Morning Post report said Xu was under detention in Qingdao, and is likely to stand trial in the city.

Cheng Boming, general manager of Citic Securities, one of China's largest brokerages, and two other managers, Liu Jun and Xu Jun, were arrested on similar charges, the report said.

Last year, China's securities market regulator and police launched investigations into several enterprises, brokerages, individuals and officials.

They are being probed for alleged involvement in insider trading, manipulating stock prices, malicious short-selling, forcing up or dragging down share prices through margin trading with accounts registered under false information, and other illegal actions.

wuyiyao@chinadaily.com.cn
An employee welds the exterior of a vehicle along a production line at a factory in Qingdao, Shandong province. [Photo/Agencies]

Good start made in the first quarter, but downward pressure still exists, meeting told

China's leaders called on Friday for more targeted efforts to address some of the key challenges to maintaining stable economic growth this year.

Top leaders at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, presided over by President Xi Jinping, said that the economy had achieved a good start in the first quarter, while downward pressure still exists.

In the first quarter, China's economy saw 6.7 percent year-on-year growth, still within the 6.5-7 percent range which is the pre-set growth target for this year.

To meet the target, leaders attending the meeting said that it is important to step up supply-side reforms, push forward urbanization, and implement targeted policies to address structural and regional problems affecting the world's second-largest economy.

The Political Bureau is the top decision-making body of the CPC.

Niu Li, director of macroeconomics at the State Information Center, said the meeting set the tone for handling economic challenges and focused on some specific issues that need to be highlighted in the next two months.

"Even though some of the worrisome indicators posing a threat to the economy have picked up in the first quarter, there are still many structural problems that need to be solved," said Niu. "Economic performance in the next quarter is quite crucial - we don't have to worry too much about the services sector, which is well capable of sustaining good performance, but structural problems, such as those in real estate and industry, are quite crucial."

Niu said that some regions need to accelerate the process of cultivating new growth engines to fuel the economy.

Zheng Xinli, deputy director of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said that more efforts need to be made to push forward urbanization to help boost growth.

A total of 29 local governments at provincial and municipal levels have issued plans to speed up the reform process of the hukou, or permanent household residence, system to help migrants from rural areas settle in urban ones.

wangyanfei@chinadaily.com.cn
BEIJING - Action has begun against those implicated in the suspected leak of questions used in civil servant recruitment exams, authorities said Friday.

The exams were held in 26 provincial regions last Saturday. That evening, someone who sat the exam in eastern Jiangxi Province posted pictures of the exam papers on China's version of Twitter, Weibo.

Exam questions used in 24 of these regions came from the same question database, the examination and recruitment department of the State Administration of Civil Service (SACS) said.

Investigations have been launched.

Jiangxi police found evidence implicating an educational and training agency in profiteering from cheating.

Those involved have been put under "coercive measures," the SACS said, without specifying the exact measures, which may include summons by force, bail, residential surveillance, detention and arrest.

Investigators have not yet found any evidence of questions being leaked before the exam started.

SACS vowed zero tolerance for cheating and any action that compromises the fairness of recruitment exams, saying that organizations and individuals involved in organized cheating will be held to account.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) holds talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Beijing, capital of China, April 30, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a four-point requirement on improving China-Japan ties during talks with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in Beijing on Saturday.

Firstly, in politics, the Japanese side should stick fast to the four political documents between the two countries, face up to and reflect upon history and follow the one-China policy to the letter, Wang said.

No ambiguity or vacillation is allowed when it comes to this important political foundation of bilateral ties, he stressed.

Secondly, in terms of its outlook on China, Japan should translate into concrete actions its consensus with China that the two countries are cooperative partners rather than a threat to each other, according to Wang.

Japan should take a more positive and healthy attitude to the growth of China and stop spreading or echoing "China threat" or "China economic recession" theories, said Wang.

Thirdly, in terms of economic exchange, the Japanese side should establish the concept of win-win cooperation, discard the outdated idea that one side cannot do without the other side, or one side depends more on the other side than the other way around.

Instead, Japan should enhance equal-footed and pragmatic cooperation with China based on mutual benefit, Wang said.

Fourthly, in terms of regional and international affairs, the two sides should respect each other's legitimate interests and concerns, and communicate and coordinate with each other in a timely fashion, said the minister.

Japan should cast aside the confrontation mentality and work with China to maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the region, added Wang.

Kishida is paying an official visit to China from Friday to Sunday, his first since taking office over three years ago, and the first by a Japanese foreign minister in four and a half years.

There is still a lack of trust between the two sides although the China-Japan relations have shown signs of improvement, Wang said during the talks, stressing the root cause for twists and turns in bilateral ties is Japan's outlook on history and China.

Kishida's visit to China is of positive significance, Wang said, calling on the Japanese side to demonstrate sincerity, square its words with deeds and put the bilateral relations back on the track of sound development with concrete actions.

Next year marks the 45th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic ties; and the year after next, the 40th anniversary of the signing of China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty. Wang said these are important opportunities for the improvement of China-Japan relations.

Kishida highlighted that China's development means opportunities for Japan, saying that the Japanese side commends China for its positive role and contributions in many international and regional affairs.

As the world's third- and second-largest economies, Japan and China shoulder more responsibilities for the development and prosperity of Asia and beyond, Kishida said.

The Japanese side would like to reaffirm that China and Japan are partners rather than threats to each other, he said, noting Japan is willing to follow the four political documents and the four-point principled agreement between the two countries.

On the basis of reflecting upon history and pursuing peaceful development, Japan stands ready to join the Chinese side in building mutual understanding and trust, expanding exchanges and cooperation across the board, said Kishida.

He expressed willingness to work with China in properly managing differences and crises, and broadening the positive dimension of the bilateral relations to build a Japan-China relationship in the new era.

Kishida also thanked China for its sympathy with and assistance to Kumamoto Prefecture, which was hit by earthquakes in mid-April.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi also met with the visiting Japanese Foreign Minister on Saturday.
Editor's note: China has long used student evaluations of teachers for many different reasons, including employment evaluations, student satisfaction and quality control. Is it fair to rate teachers ? Do these evaluations have any educational value? China Daily readers share their opinions.

TedM (US)

All constructive assessment is of value. All professions require annual appraisals. One part of this is often to get the "customers" feedback. Such comments are a small part of the appraisal but nonetheless need careful structuring to avoid misunderstandings or false evidence. Were lessons appropriate, clear and interesting? Is the teacher helpful? I personally feel that whether a student or parent likes a teacher or not is irrelevant, but I understand that this is an important issue in China.
QUITO -- Chinese companies in Ecuador have actively engaged themselves in disaster relief operations immediately following the deadly earthquake in Ecuador, which struck the country's coastal regions on April 16 and left 659 people dead and over 4,000 injured.

The Chinese rescue team arrived in the coastal provinces of Manabi and Esmeraldas just a few hours after the quake. Construction company CAMC Engineering dispatched its employees to help find survivors in Manabi's capital Portoviejo and build a hospital there, according to the company's director in Ecuador, Yang Liang.

"We provided 17 machine including excavators, cranes and trucks for rescuing and removing rubble," he said.

In coordination with Ecuadorian rescuers, the company's personnel have found four people alive and pulled out 47 bodies in three days. Its experts and engineers also worked with the local police to assess the risk of the damaged buildings in Portoviejo.

The company also sent three search and rescuing teams to the town of Pedernales that suffered the highest casualties, and 13 trucks loaded with water, cereals, tinned food and other aid to the affected Guayaquil and Quito.

Another Chinese company participating in the relief was China International Water and Electric Corp, which has sent 24 employees to assist in Jama town in Manabi.

With the help of heavy machinery, the Chinese team cleared the main street, removed debris, and help restore traffic to facilitate the entry of outside medical and logistical personnel.

China's technical company Huawei is also on the move, helping within hours to repair the bridge devastated in the quake and restore the local electricity and telecommunication services in the city of Guayaquil.

Another bright spot is the establishment and operation of the emergency response system, which has played a vital role in dealing with the thousands of emergen

cy cases reported after the earthquake.

The Integrated Security Service (ECU 911), designed and built by China National Electronics Import and Export Corp. (CEIEC), has served as Ecuador's national emergency response system with 16 posts across the country connecting various security and disaster relief agencies from the police to fire departments, and transportation and paramedic units to the Red Cross.

In an interview with Xinhua, the company's director in Ecuador, Wang Fei, said that 20 Chinese engineers arrived at the ECU 911 headquarters in Quito minutes after the earthquake, so as to ensure the life-saving service functions well.

"This system was of great help to the authorities in making decisions to deal with the emergency," said Wang.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce for Chinese Companies in Ecuador, made up of over 120 Chinese enterprises including Huawei and Gezhouba, donated $138,000 on April 21 to help fund Ecuador's disaster relief.

"Our Ecuadorian brothers are in a difficult situation," said the Chamber's chief Zhao Xinjun. "We have an obligation and responsibility to help them."
China and Japan both reaffirmed that they are cooperative partners rather than threats, with Beijing urging Tokyo that it should translate this consensus into concrete actions.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said "Japan should have a more positive and healthy attitude toward the growth of China, and stop spreading or echoing all kinds of 'China threat' or 'China economic recession' theories," during talks with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

Dating back to 2012, high-level exchanges between China and Japan came to a halt when Tokyo illegally nationalized China's Diaoyu Island in the East China Sea. Its Kishida's first visit to China since he took office three years ago. Its also the first visit of a Japanese foreign minister in four and a half years, which is expected to amend frosty ties with Beijing.

Relations have gone through twists and turns in recent years due to reasons best known by Japan," Wang said, adding that China desires a healthy and stable relationship with Japan.

"Weve seen signs of improvement in China-Japan relations. However, there is still a lack of mutual trust between the two sides. Kishida's visit is of positive significance to put the bilateral relations back on the track.

Kishida commented on Japan's position of viewing China as a cooperative partner rather than threat, saying, Japan is willing to join hands with China to strengthen mutual understanding and trust. We are ready to manage their problems and differences on the basis of reflecting upon the history and pursuing peaceful development.
(Photo : Getty Images) A senior Chinese space official has confirmed that China is aiming to land an astronaut on the moon by 2036.

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China aims to send an astronaut to the moon by 2036, a senior space official said outlining the latest goal of the country's ambitious space program.



China must "raise its abilities and use the next 15 to 20 years to realize manned lunar exploration goals, and take a firm step for the Chinese people in breaking ground in the utilization of space," Lieutenant General Zhang Yulin, deputy commander of the China Manned Space Program, said.



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Chinese local media said that the senior space official's statement is the first official confirmation by the government about the manned lunar exploration program.



Space experts say that China would need several advanced technology including a powerful rocket and advance space units to achieve success in its ambitious lunar mission.



China has successfully placed a man in space with its indigenously built rocket in 2003, becoming only the third nation in the world to achieve this rare fest. Since then, the Chinese space program has grown in leaps and bounce, with several of its space projects achieving global recognition.



The Chinese government has pumped millions of Yuan into the country's space program, with a clear aim to make China one of the space superpowers in the world. Experts claim that Chinese space program is not only aimed at making China self-sufficient in technology, but also to boost its global image as a rising economic power.



However, several countries including the US look at China's space program with great suspicion, fearing that Beijing may use its increasing space capabilities for military purposes. The US has banned NASA from engaging in any space cooperation with the Chinese space agency.



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Tagschina, Chinese space prgram, Chinese Lunar Exploration
(Photo : Getty Images) Evergrande has purchased another $1.5 billion worth of Shengjing Bank shares.

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Property developer Evergrande Real Estate has agreed to buy an additional 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) worth of stakes in Shengjing Bank, the firm said during a filing at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Thursday.



Evergrande said it would purchase 1 billion shares via a subsidiary from five local shareholders of Shengjing Bank, raising its shares to 27.2 percent.



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"The acquisition is expected to generate high investment [returns] and will prove to be a reasonable investment," Hui Ka Yun, chairman of Evergrande, said during the filing.



Evergrande will pay a rate of 10 yuan ($1.54) per share, equivalent to a nearly eight percent premium on the bank's closing price at 9.27 yuan ($1.43) on Wednesday.



The deal follows a month after the developer recently bought 5.59 percent of the bank amounting to 3.25 billion yuan ($502.72 million).



"It's mainly an equity investment. Investing in a bank doesn't mean much to Evergrande's business," Kevin Leung, Haitong International Securities' director of global investment strategy, said. "I don't think the deal will create synergies or real business between the two companies," he told Finance Asia.



The Guangzhou-based firm has been on a shopping spree lately, causing its debts to pile up. According to analysts, it seems that Evergrande wants to improve its bank access for future funding, and securing over 20 percent of the stake means it is entailed to receive a record share of Shengjing Bank's profit as a major shareholder, the China Daily reported.



"Becoming a major shareholder of a bank helps Evergrande gain easier access to funding," Rose Lee, Bank of China Hong Kong Ltd. credit analyst, said."It seems like the company is aiming to have a controlling stake in the bank eventually, forming its own 'Evergrande bank'."



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TagsShengjing Bank, Evergrande, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, china, real estate, investment
(Photo : Kenzaburo Fukuhara-Pool/Getty Images) Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that Beijing will not allow war and chaos to reign in the Korean peninsula.

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The United States and South Korea continue talks on the possible deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) after North Korea tested its fourth nuclear bomb in January. The negotiations continue despite objections from China and Russia.



China and Russia urged the US to back off from South Korea in making anti-missile defense system against North Korea. The fourth nuclear bomb and missile launches conducted by North Korea violated resolutions set by United Nations. South Korea expressed concerns that North Korea may again attempt a fifth nuclear test this coming May 6, just ahead of its Worker's Party congress.



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According to the U.S. military, North Korea attempted to launch two intermediate-range ballistic missiles on Thursday. However, it appears that the test-fire failed.



The U.S. assured in a statement on Friday that the defense system will not threaten other countries if ever installed.



White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reportersthat "equipment would be oriented toward the threat that is posed by North Korea, not oriented toward China or Russia."



Earlier on the same day, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi together with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, called for the United States to hear out security concerns aired by their two countries with regards to the missile defense.



"This move goes beyond the defensive needs of the relevant countries. If it is deployed it will directly impact China's and Russia's respective strategic security," Wang said.



The continued involvement of the U.S. may escalate tensions an already tense situation. They said that North Korean's actions should not be used as an excuse for the U.S. to deploy an anti-missile system that could havoc the equilibrium of the peninsula. Beijing fears that effects of THAAD could reach its country.



Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that Beijing will not allow war and chaos to reign in the Korean peninsula.



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TagsNorth Korea and South Korea Relations, Negotiations between US and South Korea, THAAD missile system, THAAD, THAAD deployment, China-US relations, China and Russia Relations, North Korea nuclear test
(Photo : Getty Images) India has formally asked China to stop all construction activities in Pakistani Kashmir.

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Amid the growing diplomatic row over the 'Masood Azhar issue,' India has now requested that China halts all construction activities in Pakistani Occupied Kashmir (POK).



"The government has conveyed its concerns to China...and asked them to cease such activities," said Colonel SD Goswami, India's defence ministry spokesman.



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The statement comes following several media reports that India's military has spotted Chinese troops in POK. India claims that the Chinese troops are in POK to supervise various construction activities being undertaken by Chinese companies.



Islamabad has awarded several lucrative construction projects including the 46-billion dollar China-Pakistan economic corridor to Chinese multinational companies. Most of these construction projects pass through POK, which India is an integral part of its territory.



New Delhi claims that the construction activities in Pakistani Kashmir not only infringes on its sovereignty but also creates serious security concerns.



China has not responded to New Delhi's latest demand. However, Experts claim that despite Indian reservation, Beijing is unlikely to halt any construction projects in the Pakistani side of Kashmir.



Experts argue that the economic and diplomatic importance hinging on these projects is too high for Beijing, and therefore it would not backtrack from these projects.



Meanwhile, New Delhi this week imposed an import ban on Chinese milk products and certain Chinese smartphones. The decision is believed to be India's response to China's snub over the Masood Azhar issue at the United Nations (UN) last month.



Last week, India issued a visa to China's secessionist leader Dolkun Isa, but later revoked it following a strong protest from Beijing.



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(Photo : Getty Images) olicemen ride segways patrol on the Tiananmen Square during the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on March 3, 2016 in Beijing, China.

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Italy wants to get closer to its Chinese immigrants. Italy's interior ministry said on Friday that four policemen from Beijing will join the Carabinieri, Italy's police force, as a way of extending a friendly hand to its Chinese community.



Carabinieri officers were sent to Beijing in the past months to train Chinese officers. Beijing's chief of police will choose four policemen to send to the European country. They will first join Carabinieri patrols but will be subsequently dispatched to the crime prevention department.



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Two Chinese policemen will join a group of Carabinieri officers in patrolling Milan, especially Via Paolo Sarpi where Chinese residents, mostly from Zhejiang province, reside. The other two will set off with Italian officers to walk the streets of Rome, focusing on Piazza Vittorio, Santa Maria Maggiore, and Termini station.



The project will start on May 3 and will last for 15 days. Italy's Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said that this may only be the first phase of this particular China-Italy defense cooperation.



The Italian government hopes that by adding familiar blood to their Carabinieri, Chinese immigrants will abandon their natural mistrust in Italian police. This will also give them the opportunity to dive deeper into Asian criminal organisations.



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TagsItaly-China relations, Beijing Police, exchange program, Chinese immigrants, immigrants in Italy, Chinese immigrants in Italy
(Photo : Guang Niu/Getty Images) Police in Chengdu have arrested online scammers posing as pretty women to trick people to give them money.

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Authorities in southwest China were able to stop and capture online scammers through a door-to-door inspection held in a certain community.



Police from Chengdu in Sichuan province were able to arrest 22 people involved in an online scam that has already tricked more than 500 people into giving more than 300,000 yuan (about USD $46,341), reports the West China City Daily.



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Seven of these suspects were captured inside a flat where they were working last month. The other 15 were apprehended when police conducted door-to-door investigations the following week.



The 22 suspects, posing online as beautiful damsels in distress, were able to trick unsuspecting victims to send money into their mobile phone accounts. After receiving the money, the suspects then purchase gift cards or a type of virtual currency called Q coins, which they then offer in exchange for real money. All of them used Chinese messaging app Tencent QQ to communicate with victims.



Trainings Involved



The scammers receive training before they start their modus operandi. This training includes the process of selecting a photo of a pretty girl and then subsequently uploading it into Tencent QQ, an online blog, as well as training on how to communicate sincere care and concern to their unsuspecting victims through chats.



These scammers are effective in their operations that they were able to trick hundreds into naively sending thousands into their accounts. One victim from eastern Zhejiang province, for example, unsuspectingly sent 40,000 yuan (about $6,179) over a period of five days.



Another Scam



Meanwhile, another group of scammers were caught doing their thing in Wuhan, reports the Shanghaiist. These scammers are not working behind closed doors but rather outside in public  disguised as businessmen from Hong Kong.



The scammers, who hail from rural Anhui province, even had a Cantonese speaking accent that completes the package. They talk to their targets, convince them to lend them money, and then disappear.



Take for example the case of a university student named Chen. She was approached by a wealthy businessman who asked for directions to the nearest HSBC Investment Bank. After asking her for coffee, the man then proceeded with his M.O. and told Chen that he was in the mainland to pay for a friends medical bills.



The man then told Chen that he is unable to withdraw some money, and wanted to borrow some from her with a promise to pay her back the following day. Chen unsuspectingly lent him 3,000 yuan (about USD $463). Sadly, to her dismay and loss, the man did not return as promised.



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Tagsscam, Tencent QQ, Chat, pretty girl, Chengdu
A beech marten and its victim, the Large Hadron Collider.

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An animal, more precisely a creature belonging to the weasel family called a beech marten, knocked out the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) after it gnawed through a power cable on a 66,000 kilovolt electrical transformer.



CERN said repairs caused by the short circuit should take a few more days since some connections were damaged. It said it will be necessary to examine the entire LHC following the severe electrical perturbation caused by the beech marten, also called a fouine.



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The reason officials at CERN weren't first sure what this creature was that took out the world's most powerful atom smasher is that only its unrecognizable charred remains remained after it was fried by thousands of volts of electricity.



That suicidal snack, however, caused technical issues and was enough to force engineers to safely shut down the LHC. Arnaud Marsollier, spokesman for CERN or the European Organization for Nuclear Research, said they were pretty sure the power outage was caused by a small animal.



He noted these events had occurred a few times before and part of the life of an installation as large as the LHC.



"Some connections were slightly damaged and we are at work to repair, what would not take long. We will be back online soon with a very exciting scientific program as the LHC will explore further the world of particles at high energy," he said.



LHC is housed in a tunnel 27 kilometers in circumference buried 175 meters beneath the France-Switzerland border near Geneva, Switzerland. It allows physicists to test the predictions of various theories of particle physics and high-energy physics. The LHC's greatest accomplishment to date was proving the existence of the Higgs-Boson or the "God particle."



CERN recently released free to the public 300 terabytes of data collected by the LHC. In 2014, CERN released 27 TB of research data.



CERN scientists and engineers have already explored the data and is making it available publicly. Hopes to inspire students to take more interest in particle physics.



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Tagsweasel, Large Hadron Collider, CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research, beech marten, fouine
(Photo : Facebook/UC Browser) UCWeb's UC mobile browser is available in 12 different languages.

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Chinese mobile internet company UCWeb Inc., also known as UC Mobile, is looking to increase its expansion internationally by working with new media partners worldwide. Yu Yongfu, President and Founder of UCWeb, said the company plans to upgrade its UC mobile browser and transform it into a new media platform that will benefit both users and media outlets.



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For those who don't know, UCWeb is a mobile browser maker founded in 2004 and is based in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. The company was later acquired by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Limited in 2014.



UCWeb's UC Browser is currently the most popular mobile browser in China, India and Indonesia, with over 400 active monthly users worldwide. The browser, which is available in twelve languages on all major mobile operating systems, recently overtook Apple's Safari to become the second most popular mobile browser in the world.



According to a report by South China Morning Post (SCMP), Mr. Yu said that because more and more information are now pouring in due to the "development of mobile internet", UCWeb is seeking "to help users access more accurate and precise information that is tailored to their preferences."



The upgrade will allow users of the platform to personalize news feed and will also enable media outlets to have "content stores", similar to the way online merchants have stores in Alibaba's Tmall.com e-commerce website. UCWeb has already partnered with several online media portals in China including Sina Corp, China Business News and local internet company Netease.



As of this time, UCWeb's products have expanded into other areas in mobile technology such as mobile search engine, mobile gaming, and mobile reading, among other things.



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TagsAlibaba UCWeb UC Browser Media Platform, Alibaba Group Holding Limited, UCWeb Inc. China, UC Browser Upgrade, Mobile Browser, Mobile Technology Search Engine Reading Gaming
Many may be interested in studying topics offered at seminaries, but not everyone actually pursues those studies for various reasons, such as lack of qualifications, cost, or lack of time. A program through Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (GGBTS) is offering courses this summer that may be an option for such individuals.

The summer courses  one on theology, and another on Christian counseling  will be offered through one of the seminarys Contextualized Leadership Development (CLD) centers called Long Beach Harbor Zion Theological School (LBH ZTS). Those who have hesitated from applying for courses at a seminary may find that CLD courses like the ones being offered at LBH ZTS this summer fit their needs.

First, anyone  as long as they are born-again Christians  could be eligible to apply for programs offered through the CLD centers, even those without a high school diploma. The CLD centers were first established to train individuals regardless of background for effective Christian service.

Second, its relatively affordable. While many courses in theological schools cost about $500 or more per unit, the two courses being offered this summer through ZTS are $285 each including the registration fee, and both courses are worth 3 units.

Third, its flexible and short-term. The courses are only 10 weeks long and will be taking place on Saturdays and in the evenings on weekdays, allowing them to be accessible to full-time workers.

Units earned through CLD centers could also work toward a CLD certificate or CLD diploma. Those with CLD diplomas who eventually decide to apply for a Masters program at a theological school could also earn 10 or more credits upon enrollment. CLD diploma-holders also become eligible to be sent as missionaries from the Southern Baptist Conventions International Mission Board (IMB).

Some may wonder whether the classes will be somewhat superficial due to the fact that they are short-term. Dr. John T. Shin, who will be teaching both of the courses, says he makes sure to teach his students all that he knows about any subject he teaches in the time frames given to him.

It wont just be a survey, he said. Whatever the Lord taught me, Im trying to teach to my students.

The course on theology will explore the person and work of Christ, the person and work of the Holy Spirit, the work of the church, and preparation for the second coming of Christ, among other topics. The course on Christian counseling will discuss 43 different areas of counseling, including domestic violence, child abuse, crisis ministry, and pastoral ministry, among others, all with a focus on the role of the Holy Spirit to bring healing and guidance.

I feel like many churches are sleeping, or enjoying safe zones, Shin said. I hope that Christian leaders could be trained through these courses and that it would bring about an awakening movement.

Registration for these courses end on May 7. For more information, email jshinglobalms@hotmail.com.
home Entertainment Ark Encounter within the law for hiring only Christians, says legal organization

Answers in Genesis, the organization behind the Creation Museum, has received criticism for specifying that it will only hire Christians for their upcoming Ark Encounter theme park. However, a Christian legal organization now says AiG is within its legal bounds, citing Disney's Epcot theme park as an example.

"In the German Pavilion [at Epcot], they can hire people who are German; in the French Pavilion, they can hire people who are French a because it's part of their bona fide occupational requirement," Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, told OneNewsNow. "It is who they are a and that's why they have that exception. Without that exception, then we would not have the individuality of these different organizations."

He said that it is even more important for faith-based or religiously affiliated organizations "to be able to hire people who are consistent with their message and mission."

Answers in Genesis will be opening Ark Encounter in July, and their centerpiece is a life-sized replica of Noah's Ark. They will be hiring around 300 to 400 employees to man food services, ticketing, warehouse, and Web development, among others. To be considered, an applicant needs to sign a statement declaring that they "profess Christ as their savior" and, reportedly, agree to the organization's Statement of Faith.

"We are a religious group and we make no apology about that, and (federal law) allows us that," said Ken Ham, founder of AiG, as quoted by Fox News. "We're requiring them to be Christians, that's the bottom line."

A U.S. district judge had ruled in January that AiG can include religion as a requirement for hiring, based on the exemption to the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The theme park will be open to the public on July 7, which Ham finds fitting with Genesis 7:7, the verse that talks about Noah and his companions entering the ark. According to Fox 5, upon opening, it will be open for 40 days and 40 night since that was how long it rained in the Biblical story.
home World Chinese special task force rules in favor of Henan church over disputed land

China's campaign to remove "illegal structures" in the country had cost a woman her life as she tried to stop the demolition of a church. Less than two weeks later, the land in dispute where the incident happened was declared as her husband's and the church's.

According to international human rights organization China Aid, a village administrative committee along with the township government and the local ministry of land and resources ruled on April 25 that the land -- the site in Zhumadian, Henan province where Ding Cuimei died while the Betou Church was being demolished -- is owned by her husband Pastor Li Jiangong and the Church, and it can be used for religious purposes.

Jiangong and the group are appreciative of the ruling, although they are also hoping that the perpetrators would be made to pay for their crime.

"While we are glad to see that the local authorities acted swiftly and fairly under international pressure to resolve the church's right to their land, we are concerned that justice for the family of the martyr is still not done," said China Aid president Bob Fu.

Cuimei was buried alive in mid-April when she and her husband stood in the way of a bulldozing team, which, according to China Aid's earlier report, was dispatched by a government-backed company to destroy the church. The couple was reportedly pushed down a pit, which was then covered with dirt. Lo managed to dig himself out, but his wife suffocated and did not make it. Two of the demolition crew were detained although no information about the possible charges have been announced.

"Pastor Li's wife, Sister Ding Cuimei, was brutally killed on April 14," Fu said. "We appeal to the Chinese authorities to hold those criminal perpetrators accountable with a fair investigation and standard judicial process with full justice and unhindered legal representation by Beijing based human rights lawyer Li Dunyong."

The demolition of the church is part of the Communist Party's campaign to "beautify" China, under which thousands of crosses have been removed from structures and some churches have been destroyed.
home World Christian human rights advocate beaten & tortured in Vietnam

More than 30 organizations, including Amnesty International and Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), are calling on the Vietnamese government to conduct investigations on the case of a human rights advocate who was beaten last month.

The victim, Tan Thi Hong, is the wife of detained pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh. According to Christian Today, Hong was on her way to meet with the U.S. ambassador at large David Saperstein to discuss international religious freedom, but local authorities prevented her from doing so. They beat her and sent her home.

She never made it to the meeting, which took place in a certain hotel as scheduled. The ambassador later on confirmed that Hong had been stopped from going to the meeting.

Two weeks after the incident, Hong was forcibly taken from her home and brought to a place where she was interrogated and beaten. Her captors allegedly kicked her repeatedly, leaving her with serious injuries. Hong said they were demanding that she tell them what she and Saperstein talked about, even though she was not able to attend the meeting.

The organizations, which include both human rights and faith-based groups, addressed the issue in a statement:

"We condemn what appears to have been reliably established as the torture of Mrs Hong and call on the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to initiate a prompt, independent, impartial and effective investigation into the allegations of torture, prosecute any identified perpetrator, and provide Mrs Hong with proper medical care."

The groups also condemned the incarceration of Hong's husband, pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh, saying he was unjustly imprisoned. They called for his immediate and unconditional release.

Like his wife, Chinh sought to advance religious freedom. In 2012, he was arrested and convicted of "undermining national unity."

Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said the organization still receives reports of violence and harrassment toward religious leaders and communities in Vietnam.

Vietnam has a population of around 93 million, eight percent of which are Christians.
home Life Christian yoga: A contradiction or meditation that can deepen Christian faith?

Many Christians are practicing what is called "Christian yoga," but others are saying that, among other things, it goes against Christian theology, and it even has racial understones.

"Christian yoga sits alongside this real disdain and xenophobic views towards people in countries like India or south Asia and Eastern philosophies, but at the same time feeling like it's OK to take practices from those people," said Kamna Muddagouni, a Hindu writer based in Melbourne, Australia, as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald.

In an article on Daily Life, Muddagouni explained that yoga is a spiritual practice and is a part of what is considered as a philosophical school in Hinduism, which also includes meditation, liberation, and abstention. Yoga is "a multifaceted philosophy, medicine system and way of life," she said, and it is something more than how many people view it -- as physical exercise.

In an interview with ABC, Dr. Shameem Black of the Australian National University said that many people in and from India feel that their country has "in some sense given rise to this really fascinating and wonderful practice," yet they are not given recognition for it.

However, Shyamala Benakovic of Yoga Australia said, according to SMH, that no one owns yoga and even if one looks at its traditional practice, it's not related to a religion; rather, it's "a lifestyle" and is more about "a scientific system."

"It's more cultural rather than religious," she was quoted as saying.

Fitness ministry PraiseMoves, on the other hand, says that yoga postures are offerings to Hindu gods, and the ministry's founder, Laurette Willis, says they don't want to call what they practice as "Christian yoga," rather it is "the Christian alternative to yoga."

A non-profit ministry called Holy Yoga, meanwhile, describes their practice as "an experiential worship created to deepen people's connection to Christ."

Josephine Lau, Australia's first certified Holy Yoga instructor, told SMH that she has felt that her connection to God is much closer eversince she started practising Holy Yoga. This is particularly because one learns to put time for "that spiritual growth, the quiet time, the meditation."

The #HanSolo movie will shoot in Feb and we'll see some #StarWarsEpisodeVIII stuff towards Spring says Lucasfllm President Kathleen Kennedy pic.twitter.com/dMkgXfdFz9  lizo mzimba (@lizo_mzimba) December 15, 2016

"There's an awareness of your own being," she said "I'm just trying to use yoga as a tool or a platform to share what I believe in. I find that it really grounds me."

Holy Yoga diverts its teachings from Hindu philosophies to biblical teachings. They reportedly replace the names of poses with those more in line the Bible, and these are matched with verses.

A group who calls themselves Christians Practicing Yoga says that their members are drawn together through their own experience -- individually and collectively -- "that yoga and meditation deepens our Christian faith."
home US Joyce Meyer reveals she was raped 'at least 200 times' by her father

Famous preacher Joyce Meyer revealed this week that her father sexually abused her for years when she was young.

In a video posted on her website, Meyer said her father had repeatedly raped her until she was 18. He raped her, she said, "at least 200 times."

Although Meyer has not really kept secret the fact that she suffered sexual abuse from her father, this is the first time that she has shared some details about her experience. According to her, she did it to let people who are going through the same thing know that God cares about them.

The best-selling Christian author said she realized that there's a difference between saying that she experienced sexual abuse and that she was raped. It was only recently that she referred to the latter to describe what she went through. Even if her father did not force her physically, he still forced her to do things against her will, Meyer explained.

"He didn't force me physically, but through lies, and fear, and manipulation and threats," she said. There were also instances when he made her watch pornography. She shared that he did so many perverted things and took advantage of her when no one else was around that she despised going into any place in the house where she knew he would be.

"I was continually fearful that my mother would come in the room and blame me," she added.

Meyer said her father raped her at least once every week. Aside from this, she was also mentally, verbally and emotionally abused by her father. She lived through the pain and the shame for many years.

"All types of abuse are damaging," she said.

She was not the only one her father abused. She revealed that her father also took advantage of their neighbor's daughter, who was her friend. He also told Meyer to bring some of her classmates at home so he could abuse them as well, but she did not comply with this. She felt ashamed of herself and of her parents.

Meyer said she found healing in God. She felt grateful for the Bible verse that says, "Instead of your shame, you will receive a double reward. I will give you a two-fold recompense."

Meyer is now married and has a family of her own a with four children and 10 grandchilldren. She talked about the love of God and the goodness of God.

She said healing is possible because of Him, and now she gets to enjoy the life she has with her family. She reminded the people that God is alive and well, and He can transform their circumstances.
home US Oklahoma court rules sodomy is not rape if victim is unconscious from alcohol use

An Oklahoma court spared an outcry after declaring that sodomy cannot be considered rape if the victim is unconscious because of drinking too much.

The court ruled in a unanimous decision that according to state law, oral sex with an unconscious victim is not criminalized as rape because it cannot be considered as "forced."

Attorneys working on the case were angered by the court's decision because this means the law will not be able to protect rape victims who are intoxicated. They urged state legislators to amend the law.

The ruling was given for a case involving a 16-year-old girl. Apparently, the girl had been drinking with friends at a park but became too intoxicated to even walk on her own.

One of the boys offered to give her a ride home. They carried her to the car and the boy drove her to her grandmother's house. Because she was still unconscious when she was brought home, she was taken to a nearby hospital. Tests showed that her blood alcohol content was over .34.

The hospital staff also examined her for signs of sexual assault. They found the boy's DNA on certain parts of her body. When authorities confronted him, he said she consented to having oral sex, but the girl said she could not remember anything after leaving the park. Authorities charged the boy with rape.

State Rep. Scott Biggs said he will amend the existing laws to protect unconscious victims against forcible sodomy.

"I am horrified by the idea that we would allow these depraved rapists to face a lower charge simply because the victim is unconscious," he said in a statement. "I think the judges made a grave error, but if they need more clarification, we are happy to give it to them by fixing the statute. Unfortunately, legal minds often get stuck on questions of semantics, when it is clear to most of us what the intent of the law is."
home Faith Pastor Davey Blackburn forgives men who killed his pregnant wife, wants to preach gospel to them

The Indianapolis pastor whose wife was killed in November 2015 said he has forgiven her attackers and wants to share the gospel to them.

Resonate Church pastor Davey Blackburn revealed in an interview with his former pastor Perry Noble that although he knew he was never going to "feel like forgiving them," he also realized that forgiveness had nothing to do with emotion.

"You're never going to feel like forgiving someone for doing something to you that is irreparable. What I realized is that forgiveness is a decision. And it's not just a one-time decision. It's a daily decision," Blackburn shared.

He said he decided to forgive his wife's killers because he did not want to hold on to bitterness. He added that he found consolation knowing that God is the one who avenges people from those who have wronged them. He simply needed to trust that God is in charge of his affairs.

"On this side of eternity, who knows what's going to happen. But on the other side of eternity, Jesus is going to restore and make all things bad completely untrue, and so he's going to take care of vengeance, all I have to do is trust that he's got all this in control," Blackburn told Noble.

The pastor has also decided to go beyond forgiveness. He said he wants to have an opportunity to share the gospel to the men who killed his wife. If the three men would encounter Jesus, he said, that would be a "kick in the nuts" for the enemy.

Blackburn's wife Amanda was killed in November by three men who had broken into their home. Police speculated that the men went in when they saw Blackburn leave. She was sexually assaulted and shot in the head, which caused her death. She was 13 weeks pregnant at that time, according to Fox News.
home Faith Pastor Saeed Abedini says domestic abuse allegations are not true

After two months of being out of the Iranian prison that had held him for three and a half years, Saeed Abedini talked about how it felt like to be set free and how the accusations of abuse from his wife Naghmeh affected him.

In an interview with Christianity Today, Abedini confessed that he still feels like he is in prison, and that after he was released, he felt like he just moved into another one. The rest that he was hoping to have after months of torture did not come.

He said the most difficult thing for him when he got out of prison was that because of the accusations that came out, he could not share his joy with people who stood with him and prayed for him for years.

In November, Naghmeh announced on her Facebook page that she will no longer campaign for her husband's freedom because of the abuse she had gone through in their marital relationship. According to the post, he was abusive to her even when he was in prison, and he was addicted to pornography. She later said she would still advocate for his release but asked people to pray for their marriage.

Last month, she filed for legal separation and for a restraining order against Abedini.

When asked about his 90-day sentence for domestic abuse in 2007, Abedini said it was a mistake. Naghmeh reportedly called 911, but told the police that it was a mistake and that "he never did those things."

The authorities told him they dismissed the case. He found out only weeks ago that he was charged guilty.

"I believe courts can make mistakes too," he said. "I talked with Franklin Graham. He asked me to keep silent and not say anything about anyone. Graham encouraged me, 'Let other people defend you.'"

He said he still considers Naghmeh and his children as his heroes.

"Naghmeh is my hero; she stood strong for years. But no, I never abused anyone in my life, and I've never been addicted to anything," Abedini said.

He said that although he is a sinner, he knows God has forgiven him through the cross of Christ.

"Every day I should be concerned and careful that I don't lose my salvation, because we can lose it if we don't walk with God, if we don't keep our faith," he said.
Faith groups and NGOs urge international action on Syria: 'We cannot stand by in the face of this catastrophe'

More than 80 international NGOs and faith groups have issued an urgent plea to world leaders to stop the escalating crisis in Syria.

In a letter to US President Obama and Russian President Putin, the groups warn that "hope is crumbling on your watch".

"Violence across Syria has escalated alarmingly, reportedly claiming a life on average every 25 minutes in the past 48 hours. We cannot stand by in the face of this catastrophe," the letter says.

"Global NGOs and faith groups demand that President Barack Obama and President Vladimir Putin immediately use their personal diplomatic engagement to save what remains of the Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) agreement."

The letter refers to "unacceptable violations of Syria's CoH" in the past few days, warning that "the rules of international law have threatened to doom the initiative in its entirety."

"Numerous strikes on civilians, including several targeting medical facilities and rescue workers, have killed dozens. This must stop now," the letter continues.

"Just weeks ago, the US and Russia helped secure the CoH, providing a glimpse of what a respite from violence means for people in Syria. Fewer people died in the first month of Syria's ceasefire than at almost any other time since the war began. For many, it was the first time in years that they could walk the streets without fear. This was a first glimpse of hope. That hope that now hangs in the balance. Syria is yet again on the brink of humanitarian disaster and the need for action is urgent.

"President Obama and President Putin: these atrocities are happening on your watch. Please heed the call of the UN Special Envoy to Syria to take urgent steps to rescue Syria's cessation of hostilities and end attacks on civilians. Please act now to keep hope alive for Syrians."

The letter was signed by groups including Christian Aid, CAFOD, Islamic Relief, Oxfam and Tearfund.

It was also signed by the Methodist Church in Britain, the United Reformed Church, the Church of Scotland and Lord Bishop of Coventry, on behalf of the Church of England.
'Fast and Furious' 8 Spoilers: Production in Cuba Begins, Vin Diesel Admires Toretto's 'Homeland', Teases More Racing

The cast and crew of "Fast and Furious 8", also known as "Fast 8", are now filming some scenes in Cuba. That being said, photos and clips of the stars are expectedly coming out of the ongoing production in the country.

The social media accounts of the "Fast and Furious" movies are teasing that they are officially in production in the said country. One clip even shows director F. Gary Gray being welcomed by a group of beautiful women in Cuba.

In another clip posted by "Fast and Furious 8" lead Vin Diesel, who plays Dominic Toretto in the films, we see him hanging out with Gray in Havana, Cuba, which the actor said is "where the Torettos first started."

"We're in place that nobody ever thought would be possible," Diesel says, admiring the "paradise" aka his character's "homeland" and the love they got from the folks in the place.

"They didn't think it could be done," he adds, referring to the "Fast and Furious 8" filming in Cuba.

#Repost @vindiesel  The channeling of Dom begins here in Cuba. Gracias por todo mi Gente! @fgarygray #F8 A video posted by Fast & Furious (@fastandfuriousmovie) on Apr 27, 2016 at 7:35pm PDT

In another video, Diesel teased one of the many "incredible" race scenes in the film. "We heard you, we heard you wanted more racing in the movie," the actor said, talking to fans.

Que bola asere! Dom #F8 #Cuba A video posted by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on Apr 28, 2016 at 5:52pm PDT

Michelle Rodriguez is also in Cuba with Diesel. Charlize Theron, who will play the role of the antagonist in "Fast and Furious 8", is said to be there for filming as well.

Cuba, however, is just one of the many stops of the cast and crew. They will also shoot some scenes for "Fast and Furious 8" in Iceland and will circle back to New York and Cleveland.

Meanwhile, part of the production crew might be in Atlanta soon too. As listed in Project Casting, "Fast and Furious 8" casting directors are on the lookout for "tough and fit mercenary types" with military experience who are "ready to kick some doors down."

Interested guys age 18 to 45 can check the link for further details. The filming for these roles will take place from May 11 to June 17.

"Fast and Furious 8" hits the cinemas April 14, 2017.
ISIS targets Southeast Asia, possibly Philippines, as caliphate site as it loses its grip on Mideast, experts warn

As the Islamic State (ISIS) continues to suffer losses in manpower and territory in the Middle East as a result of the U.S.-led coalition's battlefield successes, counter-terrorism analysts predict that the militant group will eventually be forced to vacate the region, prompting it to look for another sanctuary somewhere else.

The experts now believe that ISIS is considering Southeast Asia as a fertile ground for the establishment of its caliphate.

Patrick Skinner from New York-based security consultancy The Soufan Group (TSG) said the ISIS could transfer its base of operation to one of these four Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, The Straits Times reports.

Skinner noted that these countries already host such terror networks as the Jemaah Islamiah, Jemaah Anshar Khilafah and the Abu Sayyaf, making it easier for ISIS to come in.

"These are existing sanctuaries that the Islamic State would love to plug in," he said.

"There is no such thing as a clandestine caliphate. They need sanctuary; they need a place for these people to go to, where they can say: This is where our flag is," said Skinner, who is a former case officer with the Central Intelligence Agency.

Skinner made these statements on Wednesday when he testified before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security about the terrorism threat in Southeast Asia.

On the same day, the TSG released a report written by Skinner, saying that while the ISIS has yet to establish a Southeast Asian state, "it is likely that it will do so this year, as its grip on Syria and Iraq weakens."

In the recent past, Libya was the country where ISIS was expected to extend its reach. However, Skinner said the jihadist group is finding Libya "a difficult place to remain (in) and expand."

"It is very possible that places like southern Philippines will be its next priority," he warned.

"Long-held assumptions about Southeast Asia not being fertile ground for violent extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State tend to downplay the previous several decades of terrorism in the region," Skinner said. "Now, concern is building among... the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore that the Islamic State has the region in its cross hairs."

Skinner's analysis matches those from other counter-terrorism experts. For instance, the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) confirmed that ISIS has already started a campaign to establish an Islamic caliphate across Asia.

The RSIS report said ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi seeks to fulfil his vision of a caliphate through affiliated militant groups in Southeast Asia, "turning them into a unified force."
Nuns protest $14.5-M L.A. convent sale to Katy Perry, saying Vatican decree used in deal was mistranslated

"Teenage Dream" songstress Katy Perry still can't claim final victory after she apparently won the right to purchase the 22,000-square-foot mansion that once housed the nuns of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary convent in Los Angeles, California.

The L.A.-based nuns are protesting the action taken by local church officials, accusing them of misquoting the Vatican that allowed Perry to purchase the convent for $14.5 million, according to Fox News. On Monday, the lawyers for Sisters Rita Callanan and Catherine Rose Holzman presented new evidence for the state Superior Court judge to considera translation of a document that shows how the Vatican decree used to decide on the sale was misrepresented.

"In fact, and completely contrary to what [L.A. archdiocese] represented to the Court, the Decree, when properly translated from its original Latin into English, stated in no uncertain terms that the dispute" was still being decided in Rome, the motion states.

There are only five nuns remaining from their order, which used to number at 52, and none of them currently live on the property. The nuns, who are all aged 70 years and older, claim the right to sell it and have already struck a $15.5-million deal with local developer and restaurateur Dana Hollister.

But after Hollister moved to the property, the archdiocese nullified the sale. Just two weeks ago, L.A. Superior Court Judge Stephanie Bowick ruled that church officials, not the nuns, had the right to sell the property located at Waverly Place in the Los Feliz section.

Bowick's ruling relied heavily on a decree translation from the Vatican, which was provided by the archdiocese's legal team. The nuns' lawyers are now insisting that the Latin decree was misquoted, but the archdiocese's lawyer believes otherwise.

"The translation was a proper, verified translation," says attorney Mike Hennigan. "This motion appears to be an effort to delay the Court's finding that the Hollister transaction was invalid."

On the other hand, the nuns' lawyer Margaret Cone says that the archdiocese only wants to control the proceeds of the sale, adding that the nuns have a legal paper trail that leads to the Holy See.

"The sisters have been five steps ahead of everybody all along. They have been dealing with the Vatican on this issue since last June," Cone says. "Katy Perry and others will learn: you don't mess with these nuns."
A man was hit and killed early Saturday morning when he attempted to walk across the feeder road of Interstate 45 near Louetta in north Houston.

The man, believed to be in his mid 20s, entered the feeder road from behind several large trees, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, around 4:55 a.m. Saturday. The driver was on his way home from work and didn't see the pedestrian in time to stop before hitting him, said Sgt. S. Wolverton.
A Ridge Point High School chemistry teacher was arrested on Thursday and is facing a felony charge of having an inappropriate relationship with a student.

Lillian Cameron was placed on leave after the school district discovered the alleged incident in March. She resigned from her position shortly afterward, according to a press release from Fort Bend ISD Police Chief David Rider.
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.
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Chagrin Valley Little Theater is presenting 'Me and Jezebel' through May 14 at its River Street Playhouse.

(Jeff Piorkowski/special to cleveland.com)

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -- The year was 1985 and a woman, married with a 4-year-old son, was about to live the 32-day experience of her lifetime.

Liz Fuller was about to get an unexpected visit from her all-time film idol, silver screen legend Bette Davis. As it turned out, Davis went on to stay in Fuller's modest Connecticut home for 32 days, much to the dismay of Fuller's husband, writer John Fuller.

That stay, and the amusing circumstances that came about because of it, were chronicled in a Liz Fuller magazine article, a book, and then the off-Broadway play "Me and Jezebel," named for the 1938 Davis movie "Jezebel."

Chagrin Valley Little Theater's production of "Me and Jezebel" opened April 29 in its River Street Theater, where it will continue through May 14.

Every bit the star to the outside world, and in her own mind, it's difficult to imagine the cussing, chain-smoking Davis visiting McDonald's, picking berries or spending a day at the beach. If it were fiction, it would make for some great, fish-out-water situations for a writer.

But, in fact, it actually happened.

Liz Fuller, originally from Cleveland Heights, met Davis through a friend. Soon after, due to a hotel strike in New York City, Davis made a surprise call to Fuller asking if she could spend one night, or perhaps, two, at her house. A thrilled Fuller eagerly agreed, and Davis was soon pulling up her potholed driveway in a limousine filled with luggage and a designer wardrobe.

What started as a fan's dream takes Fuller through many emotional twists and turns. For one, her husband, gets increasingly annoyed as Davis's stay continues on from days to weeks.

Son, Christopher, soon takes on Davis's penchant for salty language. And, as for Fuller, she gets to live the dream of being friends with her idol (or, at least she hopes she is Davis's friend), but also experiences the disappointments that closeness brings.

First, it must be said that Lisa Freebairn, as the 77-year-old Davis, gives a stellar performance. Freebairn sounds like Davis, shows excellent timing and delivery with all of the cutting comments Davis delivers throughout (many at the expense of her film rival Joan Crawford), and even moves about as Davis likely did at the time, having survived a stroke.

Along the way, Davis gives some opinions on Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra's hairpiece and, did we say Joan Crawford. Talking about the 1962 movie "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane" she made with Crawford, Davis accuses Crawford of wearing a lead belt in the scene Davis had to drag her co-star. There are also several asides about Crawford's sexual habits.

While at McDonald's with Liz and her son, Davis is noticed by fellow customers, who want to ask the star questions.

Fuller comments that, with frequent intrusions on her privacy, it must be difficult to be a star. Davis replies that "Being a nobody has its drawbacks." Before the word drawbacks, however, is a two-word adjective Davis likes to use often throughout the play.

With the language Davis uses, this isn't a play for children.

The bottom line is that the play is a fun, and at times very funny look into what a superstar's life is like on a a day-to-day basis, particularly one with Davis's eccentricities.

Playing the part of the starstruck and exuberant Fuller is Talia Valline. Valline has many parts to play as, in recounting for the audience the story of Davis's visit, she does so by recalling it as a story to be told.

Being that the show has but a two-woman cast, Valline's part requires that she tell the story by pretending to be Liz's husband and son, and Liz's friend, who comes to visit.

A two-character play has its good and bad points. On the good side, it makes it more intimate as two actresses act off of each other.

On the other hand, it might be good to see those other characters and the exasperation and reactions Davis's presence brings about.

But, this play does work on several levels. It works for Davis' fans; for those who like to laugh at the juxtaposition of a star living in a normal household; or as a story in which a woman gets to meet and live with the woman who, as a child, she spent so much time watching and admiring.

Liz Fuller is expected to return to the area to see a presentations of "Me and Jezebel" at Chagrin Valley Little Theater.

Chagrin Valley Little Theater's production of "Me and Jezebel" is being presented on weekends through May 14 at the River Street Playhouse, 56iver S., Chagrin Falls. All tickets cost $12. For more information, visit cvlt.org.
FAIRVIEW PARK, Ohio -- Saturday was a good day for a race, and more than 700 people laced up their running shoes in Fairview Park and did just that.

The first-ever community Derby Dash to benefit Gilles-Sweet Elementary School stepped off Saturday morning at Fairview High School. Cleveland Gladiators mascot Rudi led the pack at the start of the 5K race, which was preceded by a one-mile family run.

"We wanted to do an event that would bring health and wellness to the community and get everyone together," said event coordinator and Fairview physical education teacher Allison Klodnick. "We're very excited about this healthy fundraiser. Classroom teachers will use the money for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum."

Klodnick praised the Gilles-Sweet committee of 20 people who organized the event, adding her collaboration with Principal Barb Brady, whom she called "amazingly supportive," and Early Education Center Principal Trish Moran was essential.

Superintendent Dr. Bill Wagner ran the 5K and liked the concept behind the Derby Dash.

"This will be an ongoing opportunity to fund-raise that can get rid of a lot of the other fundraisers (e.g. wrapping paper sales, magazines, candy bars, popcorn, etc.)," Wagner said. "This can be the one event, and it's a lot easier than those catalog sales."

He also expressed appreciation for the large crowd.

"To have this kind of community turnout for an inaugural event like this is fantastic," Wagner said.

Board of education member Joe Shucofsky agreed, adding, "It says a lot about our district."

"The community supports the schools, the kids and these kinds of events," Shucofsky said.

But for Principal Barb Brady, the Derby Dash was a milestone moment.

"This is the most exciting event I've done in my entire 32-year career," Brady said. "Having a healthy, fun, family event that also raises funds for our school is something I've dreamed about with my staff. We're very overwhelmed. This will allow so many awesome activities for the kids in our school."

She estimated $4,000 in proceeds but said the overall benefit goes beyond just the students at Gilles-Sweet.

"Some of our mission is to bring our community together to do something fun and healthy that's also family-oriented," Brady explained. "Next year we're hoping to expand it from not only having the race but to have a family fest afterwards."

Event sponsors included Gunselman's Tavern, DynamicAir, Fairview Park Youth Association and Kiriworks. Hermes Sports and Events facilitated official times and race results.
CLEVELAND, Ohio --City officials today vowed they are making strides to catch up with a backlog of lead poisoning cases but still are in "emergency" mode when it comes to the daily response to lead poisoned children because of a lack of properly-qualified investigators.

Chief of Public Affairs Natoya Walker Minor updated The Plain Dealer Friday on the city's progress and its future plans, despite what Walker Minor says have been significant obstacles and a few setbacks.

Walker Minor, also interim head of the health department, took over for former Public Health Director Toinette Parrilla, who resigned in November after The Plain Dealer's series, Toxic Neglect, outlined the longstanding failures of the department to effectively address lead poisoning among the city's children.

After six months of work, the city is a little less than halfway done sorting through a backlog of almost 3,000 public health lead poisoning investigations that were never entered into the state's tracking database, city officials said today.

In February, it temporarily hired six workers who are combing through boxes of old records which were thrown "without rhyme or reason" into a storeroom in the health department, said Walker Minor.

"We got these temps, and when we went to the room where the data was I said 'you gotta be kidding me," Walker Minor said. "That's been the most frustrating part of this."

Walker Minor said that a combination of federal and local grant cuts in 2012, when the department's staff dropped from 12 to one employee, were likely the root cause of the disorder.

Before 2012, Cleveland's lead poisoning program was mainly paid for by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant awarded to the state and passed on to Cleveland and other cities that responded to families with poisoned children. The federal government cut funding for the CDC's lead programs by 93 percent in fiscal year 2013. The city also received grant funding from the Saint Luke's Foundation, which ended around that time as well.

"I just think that when those people left somebody packed that stuff up and threw it into a storage room," she said.

Since November, the Ohio Department of Health has been pressuring the city to deal with the aftermath, threatening to revoke its authority to handle local lead investigations if it did not deal with the backlog. The move came weeks after a Plain Dealer analysis of Cleveland lead inspection estimated that fewer than half of the reported residences associated with poisoning cases were inspected, and even when hazards were found they weren't always fixed.

Cleveland signed a corrective action agreement with the state that it's been working on since late last year outlining the steps it needs to take to maintain its authority.

The city's initial review of 1,334 of the older cases has revealed:

57 cases closed due to inability to contact;

946 investigations completed but compliance not yet reached, meaning that there may still be a lead hazard in the home;

300 investigations completed and compliance reached; and

31 investigations complete and notice of non-compliance issued to the homeowner.

In only 22 percent of the reviewed cases have the homes of poisoned children been both inspected and compliance with a plan to prevent further exposure reached.

City spokesman Dan Willams said city officials are prioritizing current cases, especially severe cases and ones that involve homes where multiple children live. The city will then review the older cases that need to be investigated.

There are still 1,738 cases from the 2003-2013 time frame that need to be examined to determine an outcome, Walker Minor said. She told members of City Council during a hearing on lead poisoning in February that her goal was to eliminate the backlog by May 31st.

She now thinks the end of September is a more likely completion date.

"I must have been in a fairy tale," Walker Minor said.

Inadequate staffing still a problem

Walker Minor acknowledged that while the city has been diligently "grinding" to catch up on old cases it has struggled mightily to staff the health department with hard-to-find public health lead investigators.

The investigators, who are required to visit the homes of children with blood lead levels above 10 micrograms per deciliter to look for sources of poisoning, are specially trained and must have special certifications beyond those required for regular home or lead inspections.

That means the city is still scrambling to respond to referrals it gets daily for children whose blood tests show they've been poisoned.

Until recently, the city, which has the most lead poisoning cases in the state, had only one public health lead investigator on staff, Vanessa Crumb, and contracted with another, Joseph Aude, to perform necessary investigations in the homes of children with elevated blood lead levels.

On April 15th, Crumb resigned, according to Walker Minor. Aude is still responding to cases, prioritizing the sickest kids, she said.

The city also signed a contract on April 22nd with local non-profit Environmental Health Watch for its staff to work on about 40 cases for the city this year. Another contract, with Cuyahoga County Board of Health, for up to 90 Cleveland cases, is in the works and should be signed soon, Walker Minor said.

Both contracts will only last through this year, and are aimed at helping the city reach the most serious cases while it tries to both replace and increase its staff.

Walker Minor said when the city recently advertised to hire three new public health lead inspectors, only six people applied and just one was fully qualified. Two city employees who currently work as food inspectors were taking tests Friday to get credentialed in another effort to ease the burden.

"This is an emergency," Walker Minor said. "We see it as an emergency...We're very conscious of that."

Despite the hiring and staffing challenges, Walker Minor said she was leading bimonthly meetings between the health, law, building and housing and community development departments to map out a future strategy that includes measures designed to prevent lead poisoning so children can be raised in healthier homes.

Most of the measures are in the early discussion phase, without a timeline as to when they might be accomplished.

Some of those include:

Integrating public health department information on hazardous homes with web-based building and housing code violations and the rental registry in order to help inspectors and housing advocates keep better track of problem properties and potentially target them for repair or abatement. Walker Minor said the city is spending $100,000 on that project and she anticipates that it will be done in six to eight weeks.

A partnership with Cuyahoga Community College to explore whether a program can be designed to train and create a pipeline of certified and credentialed public health lead professionals a field that is currently direly thin. Walker-Minor said a hurdle to that is extremely stringent state rules that require Public Health Lead Investigators to have three separate sets of licenses and credentials.

Working with local colleges and universities to create internships where students can help the with prevention, case management and monitoring of lead poisoning case while leading learning about the job of being a public health lead investigator.

Using the city's current rental registration laws, creating a lead-safe registry of homes and tracking how quickly lead hazard violation cases make it through the law department and to court to streamline the process. Walker Minor said she's pushing hard and her message to the department heads in charge of these tasks has been: "You can't start with no; That's unacceptable to me."

Walker Minor said the city still has a long way to go, and is looking for more partnerships to help pay for the work required to keep Cleveland kids safe. But she emphasized that for the first time in a decade, the city is looking at the lead problem comprehensively.

"What Mayor [Frank] Jackson said to me in particular is that he didn't want to just fix the issue as it related to our capability to inspect," she said. Jackson's marching orders were to address the healthy housing issue on a larger scale.

"How do we get in front of lead?...These houses aren't going away, so how do we better position ourselves to get in front of it?"
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Cleveland's familiar water crib, located three miles from shore, is one of four water intake sites used by the Water Department to obtain drinking water, but it is not the water intake under threat by a two-square-mile mass of polluted sediment.

(Lisa DeJong/Plain Dealer file photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A mass of toxic sediment lying on the bottom of Lake Erie about nine miles offshore is raising alarms at the Ohio EPA and the City Water Department as tests show it migrating dangerously close to an intake pipe that supplies the city's drinking water.

The two-square-mile blob contains poisonous material dredged from the Cuyahoga River shipping channel and dumped untreated into the lake during the years prior to the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972.

Recent tests of the sediment, located in a section of lake bottom known as Area 1, found alarmingly high concentrations of PCBs and PAHs -- both highly toxic pollutants and 100 percent fatal to aquatic organisms such as worms, crustaceans and insects that live in the soil and provide vital food for fish.

EPA Director Craig Butler sent a letter this week to Brigadier General Richard Kaiser, head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Great Lakes division, warning of the potential dangers of Area 1 and seeking action to remediate the toxic plot.

"Area 1 is within approximately five miles of a water intake for the city of Cleveland," Butler wrote in the letter dated Tuesday. "Sampling data in and around Area 1 clearly shows the ability of these sediments to migrate and further shows the sediment migrating in the direction of the water intake."

An Army Corps spokesman said the general had received an unofficial copy of the letter, "and we'll be discussing it with the Ohio EPA as they requested."

A battery of tests earlier this month showed no evidence of PCBs or PAHs in the raw lake water or treated drinking water, Butler said, although the city will continue testing for the rest of this year and next year.

Cleveland Water Department spokesman Jason Wood said Friday that the city has enhanced its monitoring of Area 1, and is prepared to respond if the toxic mass comes into contact with the water intake pipe.

"Based on our monitoring, we are aware of the migration of dredged materials towards the raw water intake for our Nottingham Treatment Plant -- one of four treatment plants in the Cleveland Water system," Wood said.

Wood would not provide the exact location of the water intake site due to homeland security concerns. The familiar bright orange crib, located three miles offshore from Edgewater Park, is not the threatened intake, Wood said.

"We want to assure our customers that their drinking water is safe. To date, our raw water sampling has indicated no cause for concern for our customers," Wood said. "If elevated levels of contaminants are detected in the raw water, our conventional treatment process is designed to reduce any potential risk to our customers."

The tainted water treatments would involve the application of increased amounts of chemicals, said Scott Moegling, the department's water quality manager.

"At the end of the process, I don't foresee any long-term effects on our water quality," Moegling said. "We could certainly treat it."

The EPA, meanwhile, will run additional tests to determine the rate and extent of the sediment migration in Area 1, Butler added.

Kurt Princic, district chief of the EPA's Northeast District Office, said Area 1 is the historic dumping ground for sediment dredged from the Cuyahoga River at a time when it was best known for catching on fire and was used as a dumping ground for industrial toxic waste. The dredged sediment has been stored in lakefront containment dikes since the enactment of strict water pollution regulations contained in the Clean Water Act.

More than four decades later, the river's dirty legacy continues to haunt Lake Erie at Area 1. Storms and currents have caused the tainted dirt to expand and creep toward the southeast.

"We have both tested the material -- the Army Corps more than us -- and we've both found elevated levels of PCBs and PAHs much higher than elsewhere in Lake Erie," Princic said.

News of the toxic hot spot comes as the Army Corps continues to clash with the EPA and the Port of Cleveland over the proper disposal of dredged sediment from the shipping channel. The Army Corps says their tests reveal the sediment is clean enough for open-lake dumping. The EPA and Port have challenged those findings, citing continued high levels of PCBs, PAHs and other pollutants in their soil samples.

One of the Army Corps' proposals calls for using the dredged sediment as a cap to be dumped on top of Area 1 -- a plan the EPA rejects.

"They can't just cover it up," Butler said during a meeting with reporters earlier this week. "It's a concern. As long as that material is there and it's still moving the Corps will be required to remove it. They cannot add new PCB-laden materials there."

Princic added: "It's a considerably large area, which is why we need to further evaluate this site so we can truly understand the potential impact to the lake."

PAHs -- an acronym for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons -- are organic compounds found in fossil fuels, especially coal tar-based pavement sealcoats. They cause cancer and mutations.

Polychlorinated biphenyls, known as PCBs, have been banned in the U.S. since 1979, but persist in the environment where they remain a health hazard. PCBs were widely used in coolant fluids and machine lubricants prior to being outlawed.

Since the early 1970s, all of the dredged material from the shipping channel has been stored in lakefront dikes. One of the first confinement areas -- Dike 14 -- is now an 88-acre park, the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve. The remaining dikes have sufficient space to store dredged sediment for decades, said Port of Cleveland President and CEO Will Friedman.

Last May, the Army Corps made a similar proposal to dump dredged sediment on top of Area 1, but was blocked by the EPA, which obtained an injunction from U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent.

In his order, Nugent concurred with the EPA that "the levels of cancer-causing PCBs in the water would be too high, despite the Corps claiming otherwise, if the sediment was dumped" in the open lake.

"Forcing the State to permit the introduction of pollutants into Lake Erie in order to guarantee the continued navigability to the Cleveland Harbor is deleterious not only to Ohio but would clearly negatively affect the general public interest," the judge wrote.

Last month, the EPA declined to grant the Army Corps a certificate that would have allowed open-lake dumping. If the Army Corps refuses to comply, Butler said he would ask Nugent for another injunction.

"At that point we will go back to the judge," Butler said. "I expect we'll have to work our way through the court system again, and the judge will tell us who is right."
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Two Parma sisters, 12 and 13 years old, made up a story about two men in a van chasing them on their way home from school Monday, police said Saturday.

(File photo)

PARMA, Ohio -- Two sisters admitted to police that they made up a story about two men chasing them as they walked home from school.

The girls, 12 and 13 years old, cooked up the story because they were late coming home from the playground at John Muir Elementary School, Parma police said.

The girls told their mother that they were walking north on West 24th Street around 7:50 p.m. Monday, when a white van pulled alongside them. The two men inside called the girls "pretty ladies" and offered them a ride, Lt. Kevin Riley told cleveland.com Thursday.

One of the men got out of the van and followed them on foot, while the van continued driving, the girls said.

The mother then called police.

The department released the description of the suspects to the media Thursday, in an attempt to find the culprits.

But the girls eventually told detectives that there were no culprits.

Investigators are considering whether to seek criminal charges against the girls in juvenile court, Riley said.

"Although these specific allegations were later shown to be false, the department would like to remind parents and families to talk with their children about personal safety when walking out in public," Riley said in a press release.

cleveland.com reporter Chanda Neely contributed to this report.

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
ATHENS, Ohio - Athens County schools were closed and police were on high alert Friday morning after an Ohio University student reported a social media threat to "American students," but officials now say that the threat is unfounded.

An Ohio University student made a police report to university police early Friday morning, stating that a video was recorded and posted in the Ohio University thread of a social media app called Yeti, according to a joint statement from Athens law enforcement posted on Facebook.

Yeti has been described by users as the "Snapchat for college students," according to reviews on the app's bio page in the iTunes App Store. Universities can use the app to create communities where students can share videos or photos that are specific and location-based.

In addition to location-based videos, users can search videos by keywords so that they can view what's going on at other college campuses or around the world.

Athens County school personnel cancelled classes Friday "in an abundance of caution" after receiving word of the threat, police said in a Friday morning press release. Ohio University remained open for finals and commencement.

About 3 p.m. Friday, authorities announced that the threat was posted by an anonymous individual in Europe, and that the student who reported the perceived threat viewed the video while searching key words. The video was not posted directly into the app's Ohio University thread, an updated press release states.

"Based on this latest information, we do not believe there is any specific threat to Athens or Ohio University at this time," a press release states. "We would like to commend the complainant who reported the video, as it is always best to take threats seriously."

If you'd like to discuss or comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
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Three southwestern Ohio women are now charged with murder after a 5-year-old boy died Friday morning after he was beaten nearly to death in their hotel room Wednesday.

(File photo)

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio - Three women were charged with murder Friday after one of two boys found badly beaten in a Middletown motel room died.

Alexander Stephens, 5, was found by police Wednesday night with his brother, 6, in a motel room at Middletown's Parkway Inn, WCPO reports. Police were called to the room on a report of a dead child.

Neither of the boys was dead, but they were both taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital due to the severity of their injuries. Alexander died Friday morning, according to WCPO.

Alexander's brother's current condition is unknown.

The Middletown police chief posted a heartfelt message on Facebook after receiving word of Alexander's death.

Tough day today for the Middletown police officers and fire medics who responded to the call at the motel Wednesday... Posted by Middletown Division of Police on Friday, April 29, 2016

The three women inside the room were the boys' mother, 26-year-old Theresa Hawkins-Stephens; Hawkins-Stephens' friend Rachael Bostian, 29 and Bostian's mother Ramona Bostian, 56. All were originally charged with two counts of felonious child endangering and assault, but now each faces a murder charge, WCPO reports.

The boys' mother and her friend Rachael Bostian received a $1 million bond during their Friday morning arraignment, while Ramona Bostian's bond was set at $500,000. The women are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 6 in Middletown Municipal Court, according to WCPO.

Court documents state that Hawkins-Stephens tied up her sons after they were accused of stealing food. They were repeatedly hit and slapped, and the boys were left tied up for more than 24 hours without food or water, WCPO writes.

Middletown is nestled about 50 miles north of Cincinnati and about 25 miles south of Dayton.

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
Cleveland police officer stock

A woman's body was found in an abandoned home on East 144th Street in Cleveland Saturday, police said.

(File photo)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland police have launched a homicide investigation after a woman's body was found in an abandoned East Side home.

A woman's body was discovered about 2:30 p.m. in a home in the 3700 block of East 143rd Street, Cleveland police said.

Investigators do not know how old the woman was, or what may have caused of her death.

Cleveland Homicide detectives are on their way to the scene. A cleveland.com reporter is also headed there.

The discovery marks the second time in less than a week that a woman's body was found in Cleveland.

Jessica Coleman was found dead about 3 p.m. Monday on railroad tracks at East 83rd Street and Holton Avenue, police said. Colton had been reported missing from her Warrensville Heights home the previous night.

Coleman had been shot in the head, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office.

Police have not indicated the two deaths are related.

If you'd like to comment on this post, please visit the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.
PORT ORANGE, Fla. -- A 2-year-old Ohio girl has drowned in a swimming pool while visiting her grandparents in central Florida.

Port Orange Police.

Port Orange Police reported that Trinity Fuson drowned Thursday in her grandparents' backyard pool, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

The girl's Ohio hometown was not released.

Lt. Kimberly Kilpatrick told the newspaper that Trinity and her 5-year-old brother had arrived at the home on Wednesday.



Trinity had been put down for a nap and it wasn't clear how she got into the pool, police said. The girl was found around 6:30 p.m. floating face down in the pool, which had no safety fence, WESH reported.

The girl's grandmother, Tabitha Roberts, was trying to revive the child with the help of a sheriff's dispatcher on the phone when officers arrived.



The child was pronounced dead at a hospital.



Kilpatrick said the children's parents were notified and the investigation continues.

The National Desk contributed to this report.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Statehouse offers visitors a glimpse into the past while allowing them to witness history being made in its legislative chambers.

But on one day each year, all of downtown Columbus hears some of that history in the form of a 12-pound Napoleon cannon firing every 15 to 30 minutes. The annual cannon firing is part of a Civil War reenactment on the Statehouse grounds.

The 1st Ohio Light Artillery A, a nonprofit group of volunteer reenactors, bring that cannon and three others stationed at the Statehouse to reenactments across the country. In return, the group holds historical talks, demonstrations, and ceremonies to educate people about the Civil War and Ohio's role in it.

Reenactors set up camp on the capitol's west lawn to coincide with the day President Abraham Lincoln's body was laid in state in the Statehouse rotunda.

On April 29, 1865, Lincoln's body stopped in Columbus on its way to Illinois. An estimated 50,000 people walked through the rotunda to pay their respects to the slain president -- more than double the population of Franklin County at the time.

The casket in the rotunda on Friday was an accurate replica made by the Batesville Casket Company, which made the original 1865 casket.

Watch the video above to see the recreated scene and learn more about the cannons.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The smokescreen worked. Well, kind of.

Though five-star defensive end Joshua Kaindoh of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG recently released a top four that consisted of Ohio State, Notre Dame Penn State and Michigan, he announced his commitment to Maryland on Saturday.

Recruits are always finding new ways to shock the world in recruiting, and Kaindoh did something new: He fake eliminated a program (Maryland) so the world would get off that program's track, then committed to it.

Interesting.

But the smokescreen only kind of worked because recruiting experts were predicting that Kaindoh would eventually announce in favor of the Terrapins even after they were eliminated from his list.

The 6-foot-6, 256-pound prospect accumulated more than 30 scholarship offers before narrowing his list, including ones from Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Maryland Miami (Fla.), Michigan State, Oregon, Tennessee, USC and many others.

Rated the No. 1 weakside defensive end in the 2017 class in the 247sports composite rankings, Kaindoh goes to school at a powerhouse in Florida but has technically decided to stay home for college.

Before Kaindoh trimmed his list on April 21 to remove Maryland, it was a shock because the Terrapins were high on his list. It all makes sense now considering Kaindoh transferred to IMG from Essex (Md.) Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Ohio State has two commitments from IMG prospects in four-star cornerback Marcus Williamson and five-star safety Isaiah Pryor. The Buckeyes also signed four-star defensive lineman Malik Barrow from IMG in the 2016 class.

The Buckeyes 2017 recruiting class currently has 13 members and is rated in the 247Sports composite rankings the No. 1 overall group in the country. Landing Kaindoh would have been a huge step in Urban Meyer's quest to secure his first top-rated recruiting class at Ohio State.

Ohio State likely only has one spot in the 2017 class for a defensive end, and it will probably still recruit Kaindoh.

But the Buckeyes are also interested in five-star weakside defensive end Chase Young of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic, who is rated the No. 2 weakside defensive end in the country in the 247SPorts composite rankings, behind only Kaindoh.
It's that time again! Jim Cramer rang the lightning round bell, which means he gave his take on caller favorite stocks at rapid speed:



Pure Storage : "It's an interesting play. Remember, we did a piece about how we liked Equinix, EQIX ... Yours is interesting, I like mine better."

American Tower : "When you see a John Legere come on [T-Mobile CEO] and hear that Sprint has to be able to build out its whole network, that means you have to own the tower stocks. I'm not backing away. I have been staying long AMT the whole way."

Read more from Mad Money with Jim Cramer

Cramer Remix: The truth about Facebook's future

Cramer: Don't just listen to Carl Icahn on Apple

Cramer: Raging bull market brewing for pharma

Robert Half International : "Oh boy that was not a good quarter ... Here's what we've got to do with this group: we've just got to stay away from it. We are just not going to be able to make any money, we don't need to be in there. Let's avoid it."

General Dynamics : "GD has had a nice spike. It's not my favorite. My favorite is what we own in my charitable trust, Lockheed Martin."

Blackstone Group : "I like Blackstone here. We are getting a better IPO market, that is going to be good for them. I don't want you to sell that stock. I'd rather be a buyer."

Hain Celestial Group : "Hain reports next week. I think the stock is down so low that it might be OK. But, it's in the penalty box. We've got to see how it does before we pull the trigger."
With this in mind, Cramer outlined the stocks and events that he will be watching:

"Maybe save the ideas for later in the week when the rosy hue is long since forgotten," Cramer said.

The market, however, historically loses that gain by the end of the week. Meaning, there is a Buffett bounce that occurs but it does not last.

The Street recently did a study on how the market performs on the Monday after a Berkshire Hathaway meeting, when Buffett will appear on CNBC. It found that in the last 10 years, the market rallied on average 0.5 percent the day after the meeting.

"Buffett is a welcome joy versus people who just blast away and call tops all the time or seek to make their negativity known with broad sweeping gestures," the " Mad Money " host said.

Jim Cramer likes Warren Buffet because he isn't a trader. Like many investors, he is simply looking for inexpensive stocks of well-run companies that deserve to be bought.

Maybe save the ideas for later in the week when the rosy hue is long since forgotten

Monday: Anadarko Petroleum, Denny's

Anadarko : Cramer thinks oil could trade toward $50 because of a decline in supply coupled with an increase in demand. The U.S. and China are using up oil and producing less of it.

Read more from Mad Money with Jim Cramer

Cramer Remix: The truth about Facebook's future

Cramer: Don't just listen to Carl Icahn on Apple

Cramer: Raging bull market brewing for pharma

Now that the major oils Exxon and Chevron have reported, he is interested to find out from an independent why the major integrated oils have not purchased the independents during oil's downturn.

Denny's : Something is happening in the dining space, and Cramer can't figure it out. Is McDonald's taking share from everyone? Cramer wants to hear what Denny's has to say about it.

Tuesday: Clorox, Cummins, CVS Health

Clorox is one of the least economically sensitive companies on the tape, and Cummins is one of the most. Cramer will be looking for patterns between the two to determine the market's mood.

Wednesday: Royal Dutch Shell, Whole Foods

Royal Dutch : Cramer warns that this one could get ugly. It is the most challenged of the major oil companies, and investors should listen to the forecast.

Whole Foods : There has been speculation that it will go private or catch a takeover bid. Cramer doesn't care about either of those things. What he cares about is how the new small-format stores are doing. If it is good, the stock is a steal. If it's bad, the downside won't be too huge.

Thursday: Activision Blizzard

Cramer is betting with its CEO Bobby Kotek, not against him. He's looking for a strong forecast and a beat on the top and bottom lines.

Friday: Non-Farm Payroll

The labor department will release its non-farm payroll report, which means investors should look out. If it is a good number, that means there will be more chatter about a rate hike from the Fed in June.

How to win the guessing game?

"Buy the banks. Now that oil has gone back up to where defaults are less of an issue and we may be on the verge of some rate hikes, why not go buy some JPMorgan or any other big bank?" Cramer said.
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton's social media team hit out at the GOP's Donald Trump  in an unusual way.

In a lengthy Snapchat story posted on Thursday, Clinton's campaign attacked Trump's "Republican values" by comparing him to former Republican leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, among others.

The campaign also used the face swap feature on the social media platform to superimpose faces of former presidents onto Trump's.
Ghost pepper, habanero, jalapeno or bacon-laced  pick your poison.

Whether used on eggs, oysters or chicken wings, hot sauce is becoming a big deal. U.S. sales of the spicy condiment topped $600 million as a category in 2015, according to Euromonitor International data, and nearly $2 billion globally. Hot sauce has registered sufficiently enough on the cultural radar that a serious conglomerate like General Electric launched a limited brand of its own this week  which quickly sold out within hours.

Read MoreGeneral Electric's latest invention: Hot sauce

Last week, New York's annual Hot Sauce Expo played host to dozens of budding condiment entrepreneurs, some of whom have won awards and came from as far as New Zealand to peddle their sauces. CNBC took a look around and sampled some of the more interesting flavors  which bore intimidating names like Carolina Reaper, an offering that is considered mild, by the way.

Take a look at the following pictures and see if you're brave enough to try any of them.

 By CNBC's Javier E. David

Posted 30 April 2016
watch now

"Do you want to sell sugared water for the rest of your life? Or do you want to come with me and change the world?" That was the famous question Steve Jobs posed to John Sculley in 1983. At the time, Sculley had risen through the ranks of Pepsi-Cola to become the brand's youngest president. Jobs needed a business-minded expert to effectively price, market and distribute his new Macintosh. From there, one of history's most influential business partnerships was formed.

Now, decades after that initial conversation, Apple's yearly revenue has grown from $1 billion to more than $233 billion in 2015. Despite having a mound of cash at its disposal, the company has hit some rough shoals lately. It turned in its weakest quarterly results in more than a decade, amid underwhelming sales of its new smartwatch and waning demand for its signature products like the iPhone and iPad. With that in mind, Sculley still sees potential for the tech giant he helped to build. This week, Sculley told CNBC that Apple could benefit from a unique partnership that could ultimately usher in a revolutionary era for global communications. "What if the Apple Watch became the perfect device for the next generation of smart messaging services? What if Tim Cook and [Facebook CEO] Mark Zuckerberg got together and said: 'Let's make the Apple Watch a great platform for Facebook messaging?'" Sculley said on CNBC's "Fast Money" this week. There appear to be no plans for such a move.

'Pull the genie out of the bottle'

Sculley was complimentary on the Apple Watch design, but noted that its true use has not yet been established. He believes that a messaging partnership with Facebook could offer Apple a new suite of utilities to work with, and that the move could potentially inspire new confidence from investors.

Apple's fiscal second-quarter results underscored how the company analysts once called "priced for perfection" has stumbled. Sales of the iPhone fell to 51.2 million in the period from 61.2 million a year earlier. The company's year-over-year revenue decline was its first in 13 years. With that as a backdrop, Sculley suggested Apple might take some pointers from Facebook's approach. "You can see how well Mark Zuckerberg's 10-year vision has been received," said Sculley, noting the Facebook founder's recent comments on what the next decade will look like for his company. "[With] platforms as huge as Apple, Facebook and Android, people in the industry have got to know what the long-term vision is."

Despite this, Sculley said he remained one of Cook's most steadfast supporters. "I'm a huge Tim Cook fan," said Sculley. "He's an incredibly talented executive with a great team around him." Sculley added that he remains long on Apple's stock, even if investors like Carl Icahn have bailed. The billionaire activist told CNBC this week that he had completely exited the iPhone maker's stock amid worries over China. For that reason, Sculley believes that people are beating up on Apple prematurely off the weak numbers, and that Cook is equipped to "pull genies out of the bottle" and restore confidence in the company.

New era, new venture

Steve Jobs, as Apple Computers chairman, John Sculley, as president and CEO, and Steve Wozniak, co-founder (l-r) unveiling the Apple IIc computer in San Francisco on April 24, 1984. AP
Trader Dan Nathan warned that investors need to be "careful" choosing biotech stocks amid headwinds like the ongoing criticism around drug pricing. He said he sees "value traps" in the sector.

Biotech stocks dragged on the market Friday, and some "Fast Money" traders contended that the pain may not be done.

Trader Guy Adami was also cautious on the sector, saying he would not buy any of its stocks until the biotech ETF cracks $285 per share. It closed at about $268 on Friday.

On Gilead specifically, Nathan noted that its sales have sagged.

Traders also looked to Amgen , which posted earnings Thursday that beat expectations. Still, its shares fell 1.4 percent on Friday.

Trader Tim Seymour said the results were "not extraordinary." Adami, though, called Amgen a "great company," saying its shares had a "cheap valuation."

Disclosures:

Guy Adami

Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck.

Steve Grasso



Steve is Long AAPL, BA, BAC, CC, DD, DIS, DECK, EVGN, KBH, MJNA, MU, OLN, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, GDX firm is long CVX, NE, OXY, RIG kids own EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY

Dan Nathan



Dan is long XLF may/ sept put spread. long PFE, long TWTR, long GE May 28 puts, long HYG June puts, long IWM May and September puts, long XHB June put spread, long XLE April/June put spread, FXI Long Aug Puts, SMH Long Aug puts, XLK long Sept put spread. TWTR long Sept risk reversal

Tim Seymour

Tim Seymour is long AAPL, AVP, BAC, BBRY, CLF, DO, EDC, EWZ, F, FCX, FXI, GM, GOOGL, GRMN, GE, GLNCY, INTC, LQD, MCD, MPEL, NKE, RACE, RAI, RL, SINA, T, TWTR, UA, VALE, VZ, XOM. Tim's firm is long BABA, BIDU, CLF, EWZ, F, HD, KO, MCD, MPEL, NKE, PEP, PF, SAVE, SBUX, SINA, VALE, VIAB, WMT, WEN, YHOO, short HYG, IWM, WYNN
Yahoo President and CEO Marissa Mayer delivers a keynote address at the 2014 International CES in Las Vegas, Jan. 7, 2014.

The total compensation package was down 15 percent from her 2014 pay, in a year when Yahoo's stock declined more than 30 percent. But according to the report, Mayer wasn't really awarded the full compensation because Yahoo's financial performance fell short of goals.

"The reported amount of security expense is especially reasonable in light of the fact that Ms. Mayer does not ask the company to reimburse her private aircraft costs for business travel," Yahoo said in the updated annual report. "In addition, during 2015 Ms. Mayer faced specific security threats that we believed were credible."

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer made $36 million in 2015, including $544,061 for a security detail, according to SEC documents filed Friday.

Of the $35.98 million in pay, Mayer only realized $13.89 million, by the company's estimate. The estimate discounts Mayers' stock- and option-based compensation, which is tied to performance measures like improving "mavens": mobile, video, native and social revenue.



Yahoo has faced pressure from activist investors to sell its slowing internet business, which has been overshadowed by the company's valuable stakes in Asian technology firms Alibaba and Yahoo Japan. In a recent settlement with activists at Starboard, Yahoo added four new board directors, two of whom will join the compensation and leadership development committee, Yahoo said in a statement.



Still, the paid security detail isn't necessarily unusual: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, for instance, received $4.26 million worth of security in 2015 and $775,000 in private aircraft use, SEC filings showed.

 CNBC's Steven Kopack and Robert Hum contributed to this report.
American International Group has raised HK$9.68 billion ($1.25 billion) by selling a large chunk of its stake in China's PICC Property and Casualty Co. Ltd. in a block deal, IFR reported on Sunday.

AIG sold about 740 million shares at HK$13.08 each, or near the bottom end of a marketing range, IFR said, citing sources close to the deal. Most of the shares were bought by institutional investors, it added.

With this, AIG has raised about $2.6 billion by selling PICC P&C shares since last year, after investing in the company ahead of its IPO in 2003.

AIG's stake sale is among the biggest block deals in Asia this year and comes at a time when several European and U.S. financial institutions have been trimming their exposure to Chinese banks and insurers.

Citigroup and Deutsche Bank both have sold their minority holdings in Chinese banks in recent months.

AIG had offered the shares in an indicative price range of HK$13.06-HK$13.35 each, an up to 8 percent discount to PICC's Friday close, a term sheet of the deal showed on Saturday. After the latest sale, AIG will be left with some 110 million shares in PICC, according to Thomson Reuters data. AIG has agreed to a 60-day lock-up on those shares, the term sheet showed.

The U.S. insurer has been cutting exposure to PICC P&C, and last year it raised about $1.3 billion in two separate selldowns. AIG acquired a stake in PICC P&C as a cornerstone investor in 2003, ahead of the Chinese insurer's stock market flotation.
Charlie Munger, the vice-chairman of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway , had some harsh words for people over-preaching about the health risks of drinking too much Coke.

The soft drink giant, along with others in the sector, has taken incoming fire from nutrition advocates concerned about the health impact of sugary drinks and fatty foods. Notably, an effort to ban soft drinks of a certain size in New York City failed in 2014, after a state court declined to renew the limit instituted by former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

"We ought to have a law ... where these people shouldn't be allowed to cite the defects without citing the advantage. It's immature and stupid," Munger said Saturday at Berkshire's annual shareholders meeting.

Berkshire has been a longtime shareholder of Coca-Cola and owns 9.2 percent of the Dow component, according to a 13-F filing from Dec. 31.
Education reform, a traditionally contentious policy issues in America, is one that has gotten short shrift in the current race for the White House.

A 2016 campaign largely defined by economic anxiety, immigration and fears of terrorism has devoted little illumination to the state of public education, which by many indications could use the attention. Just this week, the National Assessment of Educational Progress issued a dismal report that showed most U.S. high school seniors aren't prepared for college or a career.

This lamentable state of affairs is one that animates the schools choice movement, and charter school advocates such as Shavar Jeffries. The Newark native, Columbia-trained civil rights lawyer and a self-described progressive is one of a small and rare cadre of Democrats tilting against party orthodoxy by pushing to develop charter schools. These are free public schools that are run independently, set their own performance goals and methods, but do so without union-organized teachers and administrators.

In a recent interview with CNBC, Jeffries expressed frustration over the "muted" political conversation about deteriorating primary and secondary education quality. He argued increasing school choice was crucial to solving the seemingly intractable income gap problem, particularly among black and Latino students trapped in failing public schools.

"It's not just a winning policy issue, it's a winning political issue," said Jeffries, who lost a campaign for mayor of Newark in 2014 and who now heads the charter advocacy organization called Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), an advocacy group that lobbies other Democrats for educational reform.

The group's budget, which Jeffries pegged at $12-15 million per year, is supported through private contributions. That sum, however, is dwarfed by the resources of largest U.S. teachers unions, whose annual budgets run in the hundreds of millions and are supported by member dues. Jeffries told CNBC that most charters were publicly funded, though some have obtained support from Wall Street, hedge funds and technology companies.

Citing broad support among black and Latino students, Jeffries said school choice would "help ensure children are ready for the 21st century economy" with better educational and employment opportunities. He added that those concerned about growing inequality should pay more attention to K-12 schooling.



"I don't know how we're talking about income inequality and not talking about education," DFER's Jeffries said. "Fundamentally, for workers to get a higher share of wages, we have to increase their skill level."


Berkshire Hathaway Vice-Chairman Charlie Munger had some harsh words to say about Valeant Pharmaceuticals on Saturday, with Warren Buffett hitting the company's business model as "enormously flawed."

Munger said the much-maligned pharmaceutical turned out to be a "sewer" and those who created it deserved everything they got, after the Sequoia Fund was sued by shareholders for its lofty investments on the firm.

, shareholders claim Sequoia recklessly took a huge stake Valeant, causing more than $2 billion in losses. The Sequoia Fund held a large stake of Berkshire Class-A shares, as of Dec. 31.
ATM cash machines outside a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh. Getty Images

Royal Bank of Scotland has become embroiled in the global investigation into alleged corruption relating to Malaysia's state investment fund, 1MDB, with the Swiss financial watchdog opening a probe into the lender, according to two people familiar with the matter. The Swiss authorities have launched an inquiry in relation to "certain client accounts held with Coutts," the former Swiss-based arm of RBS's private bank, the bank disclosed on Friday, adding that it is also co-operating with regulators in other countries in relation to the same accounts. The people said both statements referred to accounts connected to alleged wrongdoing in Malaysia. RBS sold Coutts International to Union Bancaire Privee last year but the bank said on Friday that Finma's enforcement proceedings were focused on the period when it still owned the Swiss private bank.

Switzerland's attorney-general said in January he had found "serious indications" that at least $4bn had been misappropriated from Malaysian state companies, following a criminal investigation related to 1MDB. The affair has rocked Malaysia's ruling elite, and embroiled the prime minister Najib Razak, who chairs 1MDB's advisory board. More from the Financial Times:

Malaysia's 1MDB in default as Abu Dhabi dispute escalates

Singapore charges former private banker with money laundering

1MDB dispute intensifies as Abu Dhabi ends relationship

Swiss authorities say a small portion of the $4bn was transferred to accounts held in Switzerland by former Malaysian public officials, and former and current officials from the United Arab Emirates.

Those familiar with the situation told the Financial Times that two payments totaling $860m were made between September 2009 and September 2010 from 1MDB to an account in Coutts' Zurich branch, known as the Good Star account. Finma has said it is investigating four financial groups over 1MDB but has declined to name them. A spokesman declined to comment. A former private banker for Swiss bank and wealth manager BSI was charged with money-laundering in Singapore following an investigation linked to the broader 1MDB probes. BSI says it is committed to anti-money laundering controls and is co-operating with regulators. Another ex-BSI banker who is under investigation in Singapore formerly worked at Coutts, according to people familiar with the situation.
Nellie McClung, a crusader for womens rights and one of the Famous Five, is among candidates for the Bank of Canadas next series of notes, to be issued starting in 2018. Shown is an earlier note depicting a vignette of the Famous Five, leaders of the women's rights movement.

A Canadian woman will be featured on the first bank note of the countrys next paper currency series in 2018. Some 26,000 submissions were made to the Bank of Canada website set up for nominations.

A Canadian woman will be featured on the first bank note of the countrys next paper currency series in 2018. By the time of the April 15 deadline, 26,000 submissions had been made to the Bank of Canada website set up for nominations. All these came within a month of when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the initiative to choose a woman for the first time since the $50 Famous Five for womens rights in 2004.

Among the well known candidates are Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Ann of Green Gables; Laura Secord, a heroine from the War of 1812; Nellie McClung, a crusader for womens rights and one of the Famous Five; civil rights activist Viola Desmond; artist and writer Emily Carr; Tookoolito, an Inuk guide and translator for Arctic expeditions; and Agnes MacPhail, the first women ever elected to the House of Commons.

The names all go to a seven-member advisory committee appointed by the bank.

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The Louisiana Purchase Exposition official souvenir medal shows French ruler Napoleon and American President Jefferson, the rulers of each nation when the Louisiana Purchase was signed by France and the United States in 1804. In the background is a scene from the expo grounds.

When the Louisiana Purchase Exposition opened April 30, 1904, two American presidents (one future president, the other the current president) were there to partake in opening ceremonies.

It was kind of a big deal.

The exposition (also known as the 1904 Worlds Fair) drew an opening day crowd of 200,000, including President Theodore Roosevelt and his secretary of war, William Howard Taft (who would later become president). Another president had had a part in welcoming attendees as well.

In 1901, then-president William McKinley had said, In the name of the United States, I invite all nations of the earth to take part in the commemoration of the Louisiana Purchase.

St. Louis welcomed the world, showcasing the city symbolizing the great Western expansion. St. Louis was, after all, the fourth-largest city in the country at the time.

Some 1,500 buildings were erected on the 1,200-acre site, which now is home to Forest Park, the largest municipal park in the United States.

According to the Missouri History Museum, For the next seven months, St. Louisans and travelers from across the globe experienced the latest achievements in technology, fine arts, manufacturing, science, civics, foreign policy and education, the museum said. The Fair boasted extravagant exhibits from 50 foreign countries and 43 of the then 45 states.

Festival Hall, in the center of the Colonnade of States overlooking the Grand Basin, had a seating capacity of 3,500. Eight principal palaces surrounded Festival Hall.

By the time the fair closed on Dec. 1, 1904, an estimated 20 million visitors had passed through the gates, to view exhibits of a cultural, historical and entertaining nature.

Numerous medallic items (and even U.S. coins) were issued to commemorate the event.

One of these, the official souvenir medal, is among a class of pieces known as so-called dollars, for their size similarity with U.S. silver dollars.

Eighteen different medal designs are cataloged as so-called dollars, with the souvenir medal depicting President Jefferson and Napoleon the most common.
This fragment of a marble portrait head of Antinous, from the mid-second century A.D. is a centerpiece of a new exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago.

A Roman Provincial bronze coin of Antinous dating from 138 to 161 A.D. from the Ancrya Mint is on display in Chicago. The obverse depicts a bare bust of Antinous and the reverse shows a man holding an anchor and sceptre.

A silver Greek decadrachm from the ANS Collection is included in a new exhibit in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Ancient coins from the collection of the American Numismatic Society like this Greek tetradrachm from Alexander III feature prominently in two recent museum shows.

Ancient coins from the collection of the American Numismatic Society feature prominently in two recent museum shows.

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World is enhanced with loans from the ANS. Included in the exhibit is a Poros silver decadrachm struck in Babylon in relation to Alexander the Greats Indian campaign. The large silver coin, dating from 323 to 322 B.C., depicts Alexander on horseback, attacking Porus and mahout (riders) on elephant while the reverse shows Alexander holding fulmen (lightning) and spear and about to be crowned by Nike.

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Also included is a silver tetradrachm of Alexander III, struck in Babylon around the same time, depicting an archer standing with his bow drawn, while the reverse has an expressive depiction of an elephant.

The ANS coins are exhibited in the first gallery, in a case with other small objects from the Louvre and the Harvard University Museum that speak to Alexanders prominence as a military leader and royal patron of the arts.

The exhibition opened on April 11 and will continue through July 17. It represents a historic collaboration between the Metropolitan and the Pergamon Museum in Berlin and brings together 264 artworks that were created through the patronage of the royal courts of the Hellenistic kingdoms, with an emphasis on the ancient city of Pergamon.

Other museums contributed coins to the exhibit, including the Epigraphic and Numismatic Museum in Athens, Greece, which lent a gold stater of Mithridates VI Eupator Dionysus, dating from the late Hellenistic period, 86 to 85 B.C.

The Pergamon Museum houses one of the worlds greatest collection of antiquities and the museum is currently undergoing renovations. It is set to reopen in 2019, and Carlos A. Picon, the curator in charge of the Greek and Roman Art department at the Metropolitan told the Wall Street Journal, This [exhibit] wont happen again, adding, Once the museum reopens, they wont send one-third of its collection here.

As the Metropolitan notes: The conquests of Alexander the Great transformed the ancient world, making trade and cultural exchange possible across great distances. Alexanders retinue of court artists and extensive artistic patronage provided a model for his successors, the Hellenistic kings, who came to rule over much of his empire. For the first time in the United States, a major international loan exhibition will focus on the astonishing wealth, outstanding artistry, and technical achievements of the Hellenistic period  the three centuries between Alexanders death, in 323 B.C., and the establishment of the Roman Empire, in the first century B.C.

Ancients in Chicago

ANS coins also feature in the Art Institute of Chicagos new exhibit A Portrait of Antinous, in Two Parts, which includes four bronze coins from the ANS.

As the Chicago museum explains: An exceptionally beautiful Greek youth, Antinous was a favorite of Roman Emperor Hadrian. Following the young mans mysterious death by drowning in the Nile River, Antinous was proclaimed a god, and portraits of him appeared across the Roman Empire.

The exhibit reunites two pieces of marble sculpture depicting Antinous, that were long thought to have been from different artworks but that were recently identified as being from the same work. The Art Institute of Chicagos fragment was originally identified as the face of another bust, one in the collection of the Palazzo Altemps Museum in Rome.

The ANS contributions include two drachms, both minted in Alexandria, a coin minted in Mantineia, and a coin from a mint in Ancyra as well as a book from the Societys Rare Book Collection. The exhibit continues through August 28.
During the McDavid's six years in the city's top elected position, the former mayor said he learned to respect the public hearing and to make sure he was listening to constituents.
The Central Missouri Events Center has been used only sporadically since county voters defeated a proposed sales tax in 2014. Its closing means the county fair has been moved to Sturgeon this summer. The county wants the next property manager to consider bringing back the fair, and it would welcome multiple groups operating on the land simultaneously.
Ellen is an assistant city editor for spring 2017. She has reported on the Missouri General Assembly and Columbia city government for the Missourian. Reach her at: eccg25@mail.missouri.edu or in the newsroom at (573) 882-5720

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Use of VFW is 'first test' of homeless campus plan
Family aims to raise awareness about invisible illness

Michelle and Jason Kemp's two children were born with cystic fibrosis. The Columbia family shares their story to raise awareness about the genetic disorder.
Best of Business 2022: Learn Who Won Our 15th Annual Reader Poll

Local professionals chose their favorite business and professional services, products, healthcare, dining and more. Find out who their top picks are.
When it comes to the scourge of youth violence, Memphians may sometimes feel that we are alone in the struggle. We are not.

Violence against, and by, young people is a national problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes it as a significant public health issue. Others call it a public health crisis.

"More youth die from homicide each year than from cancer, heart disease, birth defects, flu and pneumonia, respiratory diseases, stroke and diabetes combined," according to a 2011 CDC report called "Preventing Youth Violence: Opportunities for Action."

The problem is particularly acute among African-Americans in large urban centers such as Memphis, where poverty and low educational achievement are breeding grounds for gangs and the violence they bring.

That same CDC report said the homicide rate among black youth ages 10-24 was almost 29 per 100,000 people, which was nearly 14 times higher than the rate for white youth.

And since we're talking numbers, let's recap two recent homicides in Memphis. On April 22, a 17-year-old boy was fatally shot on a Frayser playground while other innocent children were playing nearby.

Two nights later, a 15-year-old girl, who was hanging out with a group at the Foote Homes public housing complex near Downtown, was gunned down in a drive-by shooting. Her death brought the city's homicide total for 2016 to 69  compared to 45 for the same period last year.

And the average age of those arrested on homicide charges so far this year is 26, with the youngest being a 12-year-old.

Sixty-nine homicides in less than four months should equal a public health crisis in anyone's book.

Granted, other major cities are gripped by the same crisis. Last week, residents of Nashville were almost panic-stricken after a 16-year-old gunman allegedly opened fire on four people at a crowded bus station in downtown Nashville.

Thankfully, no one was killed. An 18-year-old was critically wounded  although his condition was later upgraded  and two 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old sustained minor injuries.

But like the incidents in Memphis, the Nashville shooting left people questioning the mindset of those who would put innocent lives in jeopardy just to settle a personal score.

Neither the CDC, local police nor anyone else has developed solutions that work long term. Those bent on committing deadly violence care little at that moment about the consequences.

More cops and stiffer prison sentences won't help either. The best we can do as a community is attack the gang problem at its source by reducing the allure of young teenagers to join up. And by helping families in poverty develop better parenting skills.

Deadly black-on-black violence is real and reaching the epidemic stage. Unless the entire community intervenes, it threatens to drag our city down the drain.
Carlisle Corp. has proposed building One Beale, a 30-story apartment tower on the Memphis riverfront, and a possible office building next door. So far, no major company has announced an interest in moving into the proposed office building. (Rendering submitted by Carlisle Corp.)

ServiceMaster, which employs 2,200 here, never has disclosed publicly which way senior executives are leaning  keep the headquarters in Memphis or move away.

By midsummer, ServiceMaster Global Holdings most likely will have announced a decision whether to relocate to another region or build in Greater Memphis.

Memphis low office vacancy rate, 9.1 percent in the first quarter, appears to be one reason for the search outside the area for a new headquarters site.

Company execs want a fair amount of top-grade office space  like filling about 16 floors in the 21-story Raymond James Tower located on the riverfront.

Thats 275,000 square feet of office space, but none of the metro areas 74 prime office buildings have that much room available for lease in big blocks  like 100,000 square feet on the ground floor, 75,000 on the second, 75,000 on the third, 25,000 on the fourth.

Theres no Class A office space we know of today in Memphis that can house the scenario we envision, ServiceMaster Global senior vice president Peter Tosches said.

Atlanta and Dallas are cited as regions the company is looking in, but word that a major public corporation is hunting has undoubtedly drawn offers of relocation incentives from an array of cities around the country.

ServiceMaster executives wont discuss the search or the timeline, although Tosches said the process began last fall.

Company planners can spend two months figuring out what kind of space is needed, another two to six months to identify a city and a site, then four to six months negotiating loans, pricing and lease terms, real estate brokers say. That appears to make the earliest threshold for an announcement late June.

Does Memphis have a chance?

Early in April, I contended yes, largely because Robert Gillette, named ServiceMaster chief executive in 2013, soon hired a new top staff, bringing them to Memphis. It seemed these executives would not want to relocate again.

Since then, whats become clear talking to Tosches and informally to a couple of other ServiceMaster employees is Gillette is trying to change the corporate culture.

This does not rule out Memphis although the idea the culture is being reworked leads to the notion Gillette would uproot employees for the right site  contemporary offices in a campus setting near restaurants and bars appealing to workers in their 20s and 30s.

Of course, the price has to be right. ServiceMaster reported $160 million in profit last year, but also owes almost $2.7 billion in long-term debt, an amount that slightly exceeds 2015 sales revenue.

Paying off an expensive headquarters and making the debt payments could burden the finances if the next recession saps profits. The debt isnt unwieldy, though it is substantial. Heres a rough metric: For every $1 in debt, ServiceMaster produced 13 cents in cash flow last year. In contrast, FedEx generated 73 cents in cash flow for every $1 in debt.

Finances aside, Gillette, a former aerospace executive, clearly has tried to change thinking in the company.

Bonuses for hundreds of employees are tied to performance metrics. Strategists look for ways to make the entire range of brands stand out online when consumers search for services. More franchisees will market sister brands  so a Furniture Medic carpenter inspecting an antique in someones attic might sell Terminix insect-proof insulation services for a commission.

Gillettes crew wants the seven brands interconnected, melded at the top, so the 75,000 service calls made daily to customers throughout North America and Europe can help market the entire enterprise.

This amounts to reworking the corporate culture. Tosches said the new office configuration must support this shift. Early in April, he spoke of recruiting men and women in their 20s and 30s to the company, although he later said the focus is less about attracting millennials than drawing people of all ages who flourish in a high-performance environment.

We think we can build the ServiceMaster brand and create a better awareness of all of our services, Tosches said.

Presently, ServiceMaster leases 860 Ridge Lake Boulevard and adjacent buildings off Poplar Avenue at Interstate 240. It continues to be a Class A office park, but the traditional configuration of walls inhibits the open collaboration Gillette wants among employees of the various brands.

We recognize the building we have today and how its constructed is not consistent with the company we want to be, Tosches said.

Memphians point out numerous settings Downtown, in East Memphis and the suburbs could fit if the company chose to wait for construction of a new building.

Carlisle Corp., the family-owned Memphis business planning One Beale, a proposed 30-story Downtown residential tower, has shown architect renderings for a possible adjacent office building.

But so far, ServiceMaster has not publicly disclosed any interest in One Beale. Nor has it openly discussed refitting another Downtown site of sufficient size, the empty Peabody Place shopping mall, or going into a possible new building on Main Street where Tri-State Bank is located. The bank is looking for a new place in the city.

Memphis developer Belz Enterprises owns the mall and recently bought the Tri-State property. The latter could support a high-rise hotel or office tower. At the same time, AutoZone is cramped in its Front Street headquarters. No serious talk has surfaced about pairing AutoZone and ServiceMaster in a new building on the Tri-State site.

Nor is there much talk about going into first-rate existing structures. The old FedEx headquarters off Democrat Road and the Holiday Inn offices on Lamar Avenue stand empty. And almost 200,000 square feet are vacant in Clark Tower, an East Memphis skyscraper where an extensive renovation is about to begin.

One reason little is being said publicly in Memphis about the site search is the companys secrecy policy.

Developers and real estate brokers who claim to have dealt with ServiceMaster insist the company made them sign nondisclosure forms. These prohibit divulging any details and go one step further. They ban public speaking even in broad generalities about the nature of the proposed project.

Are they going to leave? I still say no.

Dallas lease rates exceed Memphis by 20 percent. Atlanta commercial rates have reached record levels  about $24.50 per square foot on average in the suburbs compared to $20.50 in suburban Memphis. New office construction costs even more  about $33 per square foot of floor space here, much more in Atlanta.

But heres the question. About 1 million square feet of office space is being built at Atlanta. Georgia incentives include employer tax credits of $3,500 for each new job. That could be worth an estimated $7 million per year for ServiceMaster.

Would Gillette take such a deal?

Well find out, probably, by the end of next month.
April 28, 2016  Michael Rimmer listens during a motion hearing before of his new trial. He won a new trial after being sentenced to death in the 1997 killing of his former girlfriend Ricci Lynn Ellsworth. Ellsworth's body was never found. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal)

By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal

William Baldwin Jr., an evidence technician with the Johnson County Sheriff's Office in Indiana, was called to process a maroon Honda Accord.

He waited on a warrant and learned that personnel from the Memphis Police Department were going to observe him inspect the vehicle.

Part of the backseat was stained brown.

"It came back to be blood," Baldwin testified Friday.

Michael Rimmer, who is on trial this week in the killing of 45-year-old Ricci Ellsworth, had been pulled over for speeding in the Honda on March 5, 1997, in Indiana nearly a month after Ellsworth disappeared from her night shift at the Memphis Inn.

She was last seen alive Feb. 8, 1997, and Rimmer failed to show up at work two days later.

The car contained receipts that showed Rimmer's travels after her disappearance.

"Until his arrest, he traveled through Mississippi, Florida, Missouri, Wyoming, Montana, California, Arizona, Texas and Indiana," according to court records.

On March 25, 1997, Memphis police released its hold on the vehicle. It was transported to a salvage lot and resold, without Rimmer's defense counsel looking at it.

The defense eventually tracked the car to Arkansas, but the backseat had been removed and replaced.

Before she went missing, Ellsworth was scheduled to work the 11 p.m. shift Feb. 7, 1997, at the Memphis Inn near Interstate 40 and Sycamore View. Guests placed her at the office desk between 1 and 2 a.m. One guest noticed a dark "maroonish" brown vehicle with its trunk open near the entrance of the motel in the rain, according to the court record.

A railroad crew was staying at the motel, and the railroad management could not reach the front desk to contact the workers.

Raymond Summers, a supervisor with CSX Transportation, drove to the motel and saw no one at the desk. He heard water running in the employee bathroom where he found blood and what appeared to be a bloody towel.

The lid had been torn off of the toilet and the sink was cracked. About $600 was missing from the inn.

Summers flagged down Shelby County Sheriff's Office deputies who were leaving a Denny's nearby.

A jury of 11 women and three men, including two alternates, have heard the death penalty case since Thursday in the court of Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Chris Craft. Special prosecutors are trying the case following the recusal of Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich's prosecutors. The local DA's office provided an investigator and victim witness coordinator, who are for the retrial, with a provision that they remain separate and not report their work on the Rimmer case to their local supervisors.

Rimmer was sentenced to death in 1998, but a new trial was ordered in 2012 after Shelby County Criminal Court Judge James Beasley Jr. found Rimmer's defense failed to investigate the case properly. He found that a prosecutor currently in Weirich's office, Thomas Henderson, misled Rimmer's counsel about evidence.

The trial is expected to continue into next week.
Police were at an ATM in Raleigh on Friday for an attempted robbery involving a Brinks armored truck. (Photo by Daniel Connolly/The Commercial Appeal)

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By Daniel Connolly of The Commercial Appeal

A robbery of a Brinks armored truck employee at an ATM in Raleigh on Friday afternoon ended with one of the suspects being hit by the truck, and police are searching for another suspect who got away.

Police said the robbery took place about 3:45 p.m. at Regions Bank at Austin Peay and Yale. After the robbery, investigating officers and bank employees were bustling between the main bank building and a drive-through ATM that stood several yards away. By the ATM stood a Brinks truck that had run off the parking lot and onto the grass.

Police Major Angela Jenkins gave this account of the robbery, warning that some details were unclear:

She said the Brinks truck had pulled up near the ATM. One employee stayed at the wheel, one was transferring between the truck and the ATM.

At that point, a white truck appeared and positioned itself to block the escape route of the Brinks truck. One person stayed at the wheel of the white truck while another came out of the truck's bed, pointed a gun at the Brinks employee who was transferring the cash and demanded money.

The Brinks employee who was outside the armored truck ran away from the robber and behind the armored truck. The driver of the Brinks truck then drove forward and hit the gunman, as well as the white truck.

The suspect in the white truck drove away  the truck was found later and determined to be stolen, Jenkins said.

The suspect who was hit was taken to the Regional Medical Center in noncritical condition. Jenkins said he wasn't carrying identification and police still haven't confirmed who he is.

Jenkins said money was missing, but it wasn't clear how much. She said the investigation had been taken over by the FBI and the Safe Streets Task Force, which is a joint operation between federal and local police.

Bank employees were still at the scene about 6:30 p.m., but declined to talk to a reporter.
U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn. (AP Photo/Chattanooga Times Free Press, Dan Henry)

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By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal

WASHINGTON  U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann is convinced that crushing terrorist groups like ISIS will not only involve defeating them on the battlefield, it will mean beating them in the propaganda war, too.

"We need to use every tool in our arsenal," the Ooltewah Republican said.

One of the most potent tools in that arsenal, he believes, are the words of people have been involved in these organizations, impressionable men and women who have taken up their cause, observed the groups from the inside, fought alongside their fighters  and then have become disillusioned by what they've seen.

Fleischmann is pushing legislation that would require the Department of Homeland Security to use testimonials from former extremists and defectors to counter-message the propaganda that groups like ISIS offer up in their recruitment efforts.

The legislation, which the House approved Tuesday night on a 322-79 vote, is in part a response to last summer's shootings at two military institutions in Chattanooga that killed five servicemen. The FBI has said the gunman, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez, was inspired by foreign terrorist organizations.

No one will ever know for sure what causes people like Abdulazeez, who grew up in a middle-class neighborhood just a few miles from Chattanooga and led a mostly trouble-free life, to buy into the radical ideology that groups like ISIS are peddling, Fleischmann said.

But, "if we can we can prevent one person from going down that horrific path toward ISIS by using a bill like mine and other measures that are available to us, we need to have an all-out war to combat ISIS and their horrible ideology," said Fleischmann, whose congressional district includes Chattanooga.

"ISIS is spewing a very dangerous message to some people who are sadly impressionable and have taken the bait," he said. "We want to make sure that bait is poison."

ISIS runs a sophisticated social media and online network to spread its message and recruit young people to its cause. Besides producing slick videos, the group has also used hip hop music and video games as part of its recruitment tools.

Fleischmann's bill would enable Homeland Security to fight back by using TV, radio, social media  any means available  to circulate the first-hand accounts of former jihadists who can provide insight into "the corruption, the violence, the absolute horrific nature of ISIS," Fleischmann said.

The State Department already is doing some of that counter-messaging in foreign countries. Fleischmann's bill would permit that messaging domestically to reach young Americans who might be susceptible to the terrorists' propaganda.

In the United States, the principal threat of terrorism comes from home-grown, ISIS-inspired actors like Abdulazeez, counterterrorism experts told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in mid-April.

The FBI has said it has open counterterrorism investigations in all 50 states, and most of them are ISIS-related. More than 250 Americans also reportedly have traveled to Iraq and Syria  or have at least tried  to join ISIS fighters.

"Many of these individuals were pulled in by terrorist propaganda," Fleischmann said. "ISIS is luring Americans with empty and false promises that do not reflect the true reality on the ground in places like Syria and Iraq. The true reality centers on fear, suffering and the murder of innocent people throughout the region and around the world."

While Fleischmann's bill passed the House with strong bipartisan support, some Democrats objected because it did not address domestic terrorists who kill Americans and are a threat to the homeland.

"Domestic terror groups, just like foreign terrorist organizations, recruit and spread propaganda through social media and online platforms," said Rep. Bennie G. Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee.

Fleischmann said there's nothing in the bill that would prevent the targeting of domestic terrorists. But he said he didn't explicitly include such language in the legislation because it is "an anti-ISIS bill."

The bill now heads to the Senate, where Fleischmann said he expects it to have support among Republicans and Democrats.
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By Jamie Satterfield, Knoxville News Sentinel

A former senior TVA manager has admitted he was paid by the Chinese government for nuclear technological information while working for the utility, court records unsealed Friday show.

Ching Ning Guey has struck a deal to plead guilty to a charge of development of special nuclear material outside the U.S. The case, kept under seal for more than a year, is tied to an indictment announced earlier this month against a Chinese nuclear engineer and a Chinese-owned nuclear power plant alleging nuclear espionage.

Guey worked as a senior manager for the probabilistic risk assessment division of the Tennessee Valley Authority from 2010 to 2014. According to a plea agreement filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Atchley, Guey had access through his job to tightly-controlled information about the development and production of special nuclear material.

"The defendant received warnings and guidance on the restrictions and controls that pertain to the prohibitions against the distribution and sharing of this information with restricted countries," Atchley wrote.

But in November 2013, Guey was invited to travel to China at the request of a nuclear power company owned by the People's Republic of China. The trip was financed by the Chinese government, and Guey was paid by the Chinese government for three key Electric Power Research Institute reports that China was barred from accessing, Atchley wrote. All three reports provided key information about light-water and heavy-water nuclear reactors and are regulated by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Nonproliferation and International Security.

Guey, who was born in Taiwan but became a naturalized citizen in 1990, was recruited as far back as 2004 to provide the Chinese government with nuclear information, court records show. That relationship came as a result of Guey's meeting in the early 1990s with Chinese nuclear engineer Szuhsiung "Allen" Ho at a Chinese American Nuclear Technology Association event.

The payments to Guey included a check sent by Ho to a Chattanooga address totaling $15,555 for services in 2013 and 2014, according to court records.

Ho was arrested earlier this month in Atlanta on a federal indictment charging him, his firm, Energy Technology International, and China General Nuclear Power with conspiracy to commit espionage. He arrived in Knoxville this week, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Guyton on Tuesday set a June 27 trial date. That date is expected to change.

Atchley sought to keep Ho locked up pending trial, and Ho did not resist the move. Atlanta attorney W. Carl Lietz III has filed paperwork to represent Ho.

Prosecutors allege Ho conspired to lure nuclear experts in the U.S. into providing information to allow China to develop and produce nuclear material based on American technology and under the radar of the U.S. government. The indictment consists of one count of conspiracy to illegally engage and participate in the production and development of special nuclear material outside the U.S. and one count of conspiracy to act in the U.S. as an agent of a foreign government.

Six unidentified American co-conspirators were listed in the indictment. Guey was among them, although not identified by name. Court records unsealed Friday show Guey has been cooperating in the investigation of Ho and the Chinese government.

Ho's indictment lists incidents of Guey providing Ho and the Chinese-operated nuclear power plants technological information in addition to the one for which Guey is pleading guilty. Their allegiance dates back to at least 2004, when Guey worked for Florida Power & Light nuclear plant and provided "information regarding nuclear power plant outage times" for use at China General's Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant and provided consulting services to Daya Bay during that time, the Ho indictment stated.

Guey's plea deal includes a provision granting him immunity from prosecution for the other offenses outlined in the Ho indictment as part of his cooperation agreement. Such immunity deals, although not the norm, are not unusual when a defendant acts as a key witness against a co-conspirator higher up on the crime food chain.

Guey has a team of lawyers: Ann Short and Donald A. Bosch as current Knoxville counsel and veteran Nashville attorney Ed Yarbrough and his partner, Joseph Alexander Little IV, who negotiated the plea deal and immunity agreement. Guey is free pending sentencing, although a date for that has not yet been set.
SHARE Billy Patton

By Daniel Connolly of The Commercial Appeal

As a Collierville alderman, Billy Patton has often shown a willingness to challenge prevailing views. Now he's proposing a measure that could alter how power changes hands by suggesting term limits for the mayor and the town's five aldermen.

At the moment, Collierville elected officials face no term limits, other than the blessing of voters every four years and the natural limits imposed by the human life span.

Patton proposes that starting Jan. 1, 2017, candidates would face a limit of three four-year terms as alderman, then three four-year terms as mayor.

That's 24 years of government in all. And the clock would start fresh for Patton and the other current members of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, the six-member board that runs Collierville government.

Patton said he didn't want to make the term limits retroactive because the new rules might force out some current members. Politically, that's just too high a hurdle, he said.

"Term limits is tough enough to get passed by a local body. And by grandfathering it in, it will prepare us for the future of Collierville, to where no families, no professions could control or could populate a board."

The measure would force vacancies in some offices from time to time, and that's a good thing, Patton said.

"When a position is an open seat, no one has the right to that seat, which would allow three, four or five individuals to run for that seat and all shake hands and say 'May the best man or woman win,'" Patton said. "Whereas whenever you have an incumbent sitting on a seat for 25, 30 years, the odds of him being unseated is very slim."

He said incumbents benefit from name recognition and the ability to raise money.

"Not only that, I think after a while you need fresh ideas," he said.

Perhaps the best example of a long-running politician in Collierville was Herman W. Cox, who was first elected to the town board in 1959, elected as mayor in 1975, re-elected again and again, and finally decided to stop running in 1999, after 40 years in local government.

The question of who runs Collierville matters more now than it used to. When Cox took office, Collierville was a sleepy country town  the 1960 Census estimated its population at 2,020. But by 2014, its population had grown to an estimated 49,000 and today's Board of Mayor and Aldermen controls a budget of more than $50 million.

Patton owns a big computer store close to Town Hall. He was first elected to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in 2010 and won re-election in 2014. Members are on staggered terms, and though some of his colleagues are up for re-election this fall, Patton wouldn't be up for re-election until 2018.

He and Alderman Tom Allen sometimes find themselves on the short end of a 4-2 split on the board. The pattern held true this year when the pair voted against tax breaks for FedEx and manufacturer CCL Label. Patton says he sometimes votes against Allen, too, and tries to make decisions that serve the common taxpayer.

When Patton pitched his term limits proposal at an April 21 budget work session, some members of the board expressed skepticism.

"I don't see why it's necessary," said Maureen Fraser, first elected to the board in 2003.

The board members agreed to take it up later.

"I think there's gonna be some more discussion," town attorney Nathan Bicks said.

After a vote by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, the measure would have to go to the state Legislature for approval, he said.

Patton predicts that if the board passes term limits law, other local municipalities would do the same.

Some local suburbs, such as Bartlett and Germantown, do not have term limits. In September, the Lakeland Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance that would create a limit of two four-year terms for local officials. The measure is scheduled to go to voters in a November referendum.

Memphis voters in 2008 approved limiting the mayor and City Council members to two-four year terms.
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By Ron Maxey of The Commercial Appeal

Quinton Verdell Tellis, the man charged with capital murder in the 2014 burning death of Jessica Chambers, has a Louisiana court date in the coming days, and District Attorney John Champion says Mississippi has done all it can do to clear the path for this return.

Tellis is due in court May 9 in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, in connection with a case there. Champion  whose district includes Courtland, where Chambers' burning death occurred in December 2014  said Saturday he wasn't sure how long it would take to get Tellis back in Mississippi, but all the necessary paperwork has been filed through the governor's office for extradition.

"We've done all we can on our end," Champion said. "It's just a matter of how long it takes in Louisiana, and I'm not exactly sure what their procedures are."

Champion said it could take up to 60 days to process Tellis into Louisiana's criminal justice system, and that would be after any possible appeals to whatever happens on May 9. Earlier, Champion said it could be close to the end of the year before Tellis returns to Mississippi to face the Chambers murder charge.

Tellis, 27, was indicted by a Panola County grand jury and charged in February. He was charged as a habitual offender because of two previous burglary convictions and a felony fleeing conviction.

Tellis grew up in Courtland with Chambers and knew her before moving to Louisiana in 2015, authorities said.

Charging him with Chambers' death ended a 14-month investigation into the grisly burning death of the 19-year-old who died at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis hours after being found near her burned-out vehicle on a road not far from home.

The Louisiana court date stems from using debit cards belonging to Meing-Chen Hsaio, a 34-year-old who was stabbed to death in Monroe, Louisiana in 2015.

Champion said to the best of his knowledge, Tellis has not been charged with that death.
On May 28, 2013, Tonia Bryant (right) listened as Viola Johnson (left) described events surrounding the disappearance of her brother, James Irby Jr., during a traffic stop by Walls police near U.S. 61 and Church Road. With Johnson and Bryant is Irby's mother, Ethel Allen. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal)

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By Ron Maxey of The Commercial Appeal

Three years ago, James Irby Jr. dropped off the map.

In a wheat field alongside U.S. 61 in Walls, Mississippi, just north of the Tunica County line, the 55-year-old Memphis man disappeared into the tall stalks after a police pursuit May 4, 2013, and his family says they haven't seen or heard from him since.

Police  who said at the time they searched every tributary, creek and bog in the area but found nothing  speculated he slipped their grasp and found a ride. But family members contend it's unlikely a man of his age, with gout and prostate cancer, outran a younger police officer across a highway and into a field before vanishing without a trace and without any further contact.

"My gut feeling is that the police did something and buried him," Charles Hampton, first vice president of the Mississippi NAACP, says as the third anniversary of Irby's disappearance approaches.

Irby is African-American, the former Walls police officer involved is white.

The case was turned over to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which could not be reached despite repeated phone calls about the status of the investigation. Billy Myers, attorney for the Town of Walls at the time of the incident, said about a month later the FBI looked at the case and found no federal wrongdoing "on the part of any Walls official, uniformed or otherwise."

Family members and supporters, however, still want answers. Hampton said he has talked with Irby's Clarksdale, Mississippi, family "almost weekly" for the past three years and plans to have another conversation with investigators in the near future to try to revive interest in the unusual case.

"I've never been involved in another case quite like it," Hampton said. "We (the NAACP) have gotten involved in cases before where the person was never found, but they were cases where some time had passed. In this case, we've been in on it from the start, and it just didn't add up."

The mystery began on a Saturday, as Irby was on his way from his Memphis home to Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta for a funeral. Former Walls police officer Zach Jenkins stopped Irby in the tiny DeSoto County town, just before Tunica County's casino strip, for a traffic violation.

Gary Boisseau, who was the Walls police chief at the time, said Jenkins spotted what appeared to be drugs in the car and had Irby outside the vehicle. Irby was on the phone, according to Boisseau, and ignored requests to hang up. Video appears to show a Taser-like shock device being fired at Irby  it's inconclusive whether he was struck  before he began running across the divided highway and into the field, followed by Jenkins.

"The wheat was pretty high after about 100 yards," Boisseau, who is no longer police chief, said at the time, "so the officer turned back."

Helicopters doing low flyovers didn't spot Irby, and neither did search dogs.

Boisseau said Irby had a criminal record, but family members and James Mathis, a DeSoto County representative of the Mississippi NAACP, said he only spent time in jail, in Clarksdale, for traffic violations.

A couple of months after Irby's disappearance, town leaders voted not to reappoint Boisseau as chief. They said the decision had nothing to do with Irby's disappearance. Current Chief Herb Brewer declined to comment on the case, referring questions to MBI.

Jenkins, the officer, was placed on administrative leave in December 2013 following a second, unrelated incident that put him in the spotlight again  this time, for a mobile meth lab bust in which Jenkins put the contents in his patrol vehicle and returned to the police department. The DeSoto County Sheriff's Department had to be called to decontaminate Jenkins and the vehicle, and dispose of the meth lab.

Reginald Harris, interim chief at the time, said Jenkins' suspension was an internal administrative issue that had nothing to do with the meth lab. He did not mention Irby's case.

Jenkins is no longer with the department.

Walls Mayor Patti Denison had no comment on the current status of the case.

"I don't know what it would be," Denison said when asked if she wanted to say anything.

Irby's sister, Viola Johnson, said the family has as many questions and as few answers today as three years ago.

"We still haven't come up with anything," Johnson said. "We've talked to a lawyer, but they won't even take the case unless something turns up."

Nearly a year after Irby disappeared, in April 2014, family members joined other volunteers on a Saturday morning to conduct a daylong search in the area where Irby vanished near U.S. 61 and Church Road. The search yielded bones that family both hoped and feared might signal a break in the case, but investigators reported the bones were from a deer.

Since then, there's been nothing  no physical evidence to suggest Irby died or, according to family members and the NAACP representatives, any other type of evidence such as phone records or purchases to suggest he is alive.

Mathis, the DeSoto County NAACP representative, has been involved with the case since just after Irby's disappearance.

Knowing Irby's physical limitations makes it hard to believe he could elude police and escape undetected, Mathis said, but he believes Irby's nature makes it even more unlikely he would just run away and cut all family contact.

"This was a mama's boy," Mathis said of Irby, a "shade tree mechanic" who lived off S. Parkway near the interstate in South Memphis. Even though in his mid-50s, Mathis said Irby still called his mother daily and his car was registered in her name.

"He was never an independent boy," Ethel Allen, the mother, told state NAACP officials in 2013. "He wasn't as smart as some, and he always needed a little help to get along. He always needed to hear from me. That's the way he was."

Added Johnson, the sister, about the possibility of her brother being alive but not contacting family: "By the name of Jesus, he just wouldn't do that."

Unless or until there's a break that helps unravel the mystery, Johnson and other family members do the only thing they say they can do: remember. Johnson said the family plans to go Wednesday, the third anniversary of Irby's disappearance, to the area where it happened and release balloons.

"It's been hard," Johnson said. "It's hard just not knowing."
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By Mark Gilbert

Ikea, the Swedish retailing behemoth, is installing "Solar Shops" in its U.K. superstores to sell solar panels. It's a defiant move given that the British government has slashed subsidies for homeowners who sell surplus electricity to the national grid.

This suggests the market is picking up where government aid left off; perhaps Britain will achieve its target of generating 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 after all.

Harnessing the sun to meet our energy needs, from portable chargers reviving our mobile phones to sun farms spreading across acres of desert, remains key for reducing carbon emissions. But there's a much simpler way to help save the planet, in the form of the humble light bulb.

Science is transforming our ability to light buildings and streets more efficiently. An old-style fluorescent light tube, for example, consumes about 58 watts of power. A year ago, LED bulbs typically needed between 25 and 27 watts. Today, it's 22 watts, and will continue to drop.

"The technology improves every year," says Toby Costin, founder of a London-based company called Social Power Partnerships.

Costin has put together a deal for a London charity called Doddington and Rollo Community Association, which provides business units and community spaces in North Battersea, to replace its existing light bulbs with energy-saving LED devices. The total cost of switching out almost 600 bulbs is about 6,000 pounds ($8,760), with replacing blown bulbs in the coming decade expected to cost about 1,000 pounds per year.

But the charity will save some 6,500 pounds on its electricity bills per annum, freeing up much-needed cash for its community activities.

Social Power Partnerships is also working with U.K. housing associations, some of which control hundreds of households, to introduce similar "everyone wins" programs, with tenants paying an upfront fee to their landlord to cover the initial cost of bulb replacement in return for longer-term savings on their fuel bills.

Compact fluorescent lamps  the ones with a thick twirl of glass  started to challenge the dominance of inefficient incandescent bulbs about 10 years ago. Halogen bulbs briefly took the lead at the start of this decade, before light-emitting diodes took over.

Switching out light bulbs may become more popular, given recent cutbacks in U.K. government subsidies to solar, which have reduced the amount households can make selling surplus electricity to power companies by about two-thirds. "Solar is kind of dead as a retail model," says Costin. As a result, installations of small-scale solar power harvesters have collapsed:

Partly because of the subsidies, U.K. households had been almost three times as enthusiastic as companies in using photovoltaic panels on their roofs to generate power, according to figures compiled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

But if solar panels were installed on just half of the U.K.'s south-facing commercial roofs, the sun could provide 19 percent of the nation's electricity needs, say BNEF analysts Lara Hayim and Jenny Chase. That would ensure the country met its renewables target by the end of the decade.

There's no question that climate change is real, and that we humans are contributing to global warming even if long-term weather trends also play their part. Some experts are already predicting that 2016 will be the warmest year on record; the 21st century has seen 15 of the 16 record temperature years. Some 93 percent of the Great Barrier Reef corals in Australia are now suffering ecosystem-destroying bleaching because of warmer oceans and the El Nino weather system.

IKEA's "Solar Shops" and Costin's light bulb programs are two ways that the market, not government, is helping to address climate change. That is the best hope yet that the global agreements reached in December in Paris will not be just paper targets. Many hands, as they say, make light work.

Mark Gilbert is a member of the Bloomberg View editorial board.
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By Noah Feldman

New York's Legislature is considering a proposal to give police officers "textalyzers," gizmos that would enable roadside checks of drivers suspected of using mobile phones behind the wheel. Given the dangers of texting while driving, the technology may be a good idea. But is it constitutional?

The answer requires looking at two issues. One is the constitutional status of smartphones. The Supreme Court unanimously held in 2014 that the police need a warrant to search a phone. That implies that using a textalyzer without a warrant would be unconstitutional.

The second issue is the comparison between the textalyzer and the Breathalyzer. Under current law, states can take a driver's license away from someone who refuses to take a Breathalyzer sobriety test, which measures alcohol levels in blood circulating through the lungs. Just last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments about whether a state can also make it a crime to refuse the breath test  and it seemed to think it could.

So which is more intrusive: checking your phone or checking your body chemistry?

Start with the textalyzer itself. Reportedly, the technology will come from the Israeli firm Cellebrite, which makes a product that can be used to pull data from a smartphone at roadside.

The proposed textalyzer supposedly wouldn't scrape the content off your smartphone  that would require a warrant under the Supreme Court's 2014 ruling. The device would be programmed instead only to check whether the phone had been recently used.

But the fact that the textalyzer is derived from more powerful technology might make the justices nervous about whether a search is actually taking place. The textalyzer would presumably have to look at all your apps to ascertain whether you had been using one while driving.

Since there are plenty of app uses that are permissible while driving, such as listening to music or GPS directions, the textalyzer would have to evaluate the content of what you did on the app. If you were just listening, that would be fine. But if you altered your destination, that would probably count as texting while driving. The upshot is that the textalyzer probably would need to assess the content on your phone use to some degree.

The justices might also worry about the slippery slope. Once the police have your phone in their hands, will they really be able to stop themselves from searching it?

A related problem is whether you would have to unlock your phone for the textalyzer to work. If the answer is yes, then that would already seem to violate the court's ruling. The Federal Bureau of Investigation found a way to unlock the San Bernardino terrorist's iPhone, so maybe you wouldn't have to unlock your phone yourself. But it's not much better if the government breaks in.

All this suggests that the court might find the textalyzer to be a search tool, in which case a warrant would be needed to use it.

Even if the court differentiated the textalyzer from a full phone search, however, there's still the question of how it compares to the Breathalyzer, legally speaking.

Intuitively, it seems to me that it's more invasive to check the level of alcohol in your blood than it is to check your phone. I know studies say that most of us keep our mobile devices within arm's reach 21 hours a day. But hey, I try to keep my blood inside me the whole 24.

What's intriguing is that when the justices considered last week whether the states could criminalize the refusal to take a Breathalyzer test, the oral argument seemed to suggest they didn't consider the search unduly invasive. Justice Stephen Breyer pointed out that "what you breathe" into the Breathalyzer "is carbon dioxide, which is going to go into the environment anyway; you're not going to keep it."

For the record, I think that Breyer's comment misses the point, which is that the air you breathe out is being used to measure the level of alcohol in your blood, which stays inside you. For my money, a Breathalyzer test is a search. But I'm not the court.

If the court holds that breath testing isn't searching, could it later say that checking whether you've texted is more invasive? That would create an apparent contradiction. So a pro-government holding in the Breathalyzer case would be good news for the textalyzer.

My conclusion is that textalyzer searches ought to be held unconstitutional without a warrant  but in practice, there would be room for the Supreme Court to treat it as less than a search.

In the real world, a lot will turn on how dangerous the court considers texting while driving, and how limited the textalyzer technology is.

The justices last week seemed ready to stop states from making it a crime to refuse a warrantless blood test while allowing them to force a Breathalyzer test. They're worried about drunken driving and consider breath sampling noninvasive. If they feel the same way about distracted driving and the textalyzer, they might well allow it.

Noah Feldman, a Bloomberg View columnist, is a professor of constitutional and international law at Harvard.
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By Petula Dvorak

That "woman's card" everyone's talking about?

It didn't work that well for Kristen Jarvis Johnson.

Johnson, 33, climbed the ladder of Big Law until she reached a pretty sweet place, making $400,000 a year at Squire Patton Boggs and slaying legal dragons as a senior associate in its Qatar office. She specialized in international disputes.

But when we talked this week, she was still jetlagged after pulling the plug on all of it, putting her family on a plane and jetting home.

She'd had enough of the 24/7 work, not seeing her two young sons, even missing her grandmother's funeral.

But more important, she'd had enough of being one of the few women in the upper ranks of her white-shoe law firm. She'd had enough of hitting or exceeding all her targets and being told she didn't need a bonus. She'd had enough of being told she had to work harder after advising on a case in between contractions as she was in labor.

"I encountered blatant gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and a very clear glass ceiling," Johnson wrote in a Reddit post that started out being about her new idea  creating a boy version of the American Girl dolls, called Boy Story  but quickly became about her experience as a woman in a huge law firm.

"Having a baby apparently makes you worth less as a lawyer," she said.

Her former law firm didn't see it that way. Angelo Kakolyris, a spokesman for Squire Patton Boggs, said in an email that 13 of the 29 lawyers promoted to partner globally this year were women. He added that during the period when Johnson was in Doha, there were four partners in the office, two of whom were women. Throughout the firm's Middle East practice, he said, one woman made partner the year she was on maternity leave; another was made partner the year after she was on maternity.

"We were disappointed to see the comments made by Ms. Johnson and strongly disagree with these comments, particularly with her assessment of the firm's policies toward women," he said. "We are committed to a firm culture that promotes full and equal participation, advancement and retention of women."

In an interview, Johnson said she never expected to encounter discrimination when she began her law career.

"I went out of [American University] law school having never perceived there could be any problem, any issues with gender bias," she said. "It's only when you've started getting into the upper ranks do you see it."

When she thought she'd hit the glass ceiling, she talked to one of the few female leaders at her firm.

"Through tears, she described to me the massive number of instances where she had pushed forward an idea or proposal, and then the inner group of male leaders seized it, held meetings without telling her and took credit," Johnson said.

"This happened over and over and over. And I talked to others in the industry. Close friends in other big firms. Young mothers who were being told by male partners that 'they probably couldn't make it with kids at home' and 'the partnership isn't a place for working moms.' I am not kidding."

That woman's card did nothing but hold her back.

Donald Trump had no clue how stupid he sounded to millions of American women when he asserted Tuesday that "if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don't think she'd get 5 percent of the vote. The only thing she's got going is the woman's card."

Oh, really?

Eight years of duty inside the White House, two terms as an influential senator from New York and five years as secretary of state, and her experience amounts to two X chromosomes?

Here's what those chromosomes get women in the workplace: discrimination, a yawning pay gap and even blatant, physical sexual harassment.

Don't think any of that still exists? Watch the searing video produced by Just Not Sports, which reveals the abuse endured by sportswriters Sarah Spain and Julie DiCaro on Twitter.

Or consider the awful online harassment hurled at Virginia firefighter Nicole Mittendorff. The Fairfax County fire department is investigating whether her co-workers were the ones who savagely cyberbullied Mittendorff and whether that played any role in her suicide last week.

In a statement on Saturday, Fairfax County Fire Chief Richard Bowers vowed that "my department can not and will not tolerate bullying of any kind. We will thoroughly investigate this matter and take any appropriate actions needed."

But the department has faced numerous lawsuits in the past because of men who couldn't stop taunting their female colleagues about sex toys and body parts in the firehouse, who'd joke about rape and sex when handling pike poles and fire hoses.

Women had to fight to become firefighters. Just like the women who have made it in law, just like the women who have made it in tech.

In a casual conversation this week, a woman who works in tech and is a senior member of her team described the performance evaluation she'd just received.

"They had no complaints about my work," she said. Nothing but praise. "But they told me I use my eyebrows too much when I talk and I should smile more."

That's what the woman's card gets far too many of us: disparagement, discrimination, discouragement.

"It's like you're going and going, and then you hit this wall," the eyebrow woman said. "And the discrimination hits you in the upper ranks. And that's why we're having this whole new awakening."

Petula Dvorak is a columnist for The Washington Post.
Who has something to gain by talking up the idea that the row about Labour anti-semitism is a giant plot against Corbyn?

Well, many Corbynites have seized the opportunity to further beat up their mortal enemies, the Blairites  as you can see if youre happy to face the grim pit of conspiracy theory by doing a Twitter search for the word. After all, if you have to find an excuse for a serious problem in your Party and the leaderships incompetent handling of it, pinning the blame on internal opponents kills two birds with one stone. The twin facts that Corbyns grip on his party is tightening, not weakening, and that it is the Blairites who have cause to fear for their future if anyone does, dont appear to register.

Meanwhile, some on the anti-semitic wing of the left (such as Bradford Momentum, it seems) allege that Israel is delighted  and indeed organising and funding the scandal. To quote the blogpost shared by that Momentum branch:

What is happening is that the millions of pounds that the Israeli government has devoted to propaganda is being spent now to destabilise Jeremy Corbyn and the new Labour leadership. They are hunting down every tweet, email etc. in order to create an atmosphere of permanent instability.

Their motive is pretty clear  if you hate Israel, then of course any revelation that some of those on your own side are racists must be cooked up by Israel itself, trying to discredit your position.

Theres a third party here who has a distinct and separate motive for hyping up the talk of a conspiracy against the Dear Leader: George Galloway. He has been among the leading voices alleging that the story is being driven by anti-Corbyn coup plotters, seeking to create conditions for overthrow of their leader. The crisis, he says, is entirely synthetic, stirred up to hurt Corbyn.

He isnt a Labour Party member  nor has the Party sought to bring him back into the fold since the revolution last September. Hes a long-standing opponent of Israel, which explains his dislike of Zionism, but whats his specific interest in arguing that this is a conspiracy against the Labour leader?

Galloway is the politician who has lost the most from Corbyns rise. Since the hard left seized control of the Opposition, Labour has stolen many of his clothes (though not that hat)  the allegations of a neoliberal plot against the people, the railing against any efforts by the West to stop people like Assad or ISIS, and so on. The impact on RESPECT has been devastating: Galloway is currently floundering at zero per cent in the polls for the London Mayoral election, and has been relegated from leading star of his misguided movement to a fedora-clad sideshow, hawking for attention while a duller act performs his greatest hits act on the main stage.

Given that sorry position, its entirely in his interests to argue that Labour is in the grip of counter-revolutionary plotters, who are set to eject Corbyn at any moment. After all, if Labour is incapable of functioning as a vehicle for the type of politics Galloway is selling, then hard left voters should come back to him, the only pure and true voice, shouldnt they? Corbynites eagerly sharing his conspiracy theories on the topic should think twice about whether he really has their Partys best interests at heart.
Shaun Bailey is on the Conservative Party List for the London Assembly elections, and is a former Government Adviser and PPC for Hammersmith.

Housing remains the number one issue for Londoners. A booming population means that the price of an average home in the Capital is now over 500,000, which is over 12 times the median income in the city. This is why closing the gap between the home-owning aspirations of Londoners and the price of buying a home is a key priority for Zac Goldsmith.

Our mayoral candidate has made a commitment to start 50,000 homes every year of his term if he is elected on 5th May. This pledge is based on real economics, which means it can actually be delivered. Such a promise is not simply about mere headline numbers, it is about creating stable and safe communities.

Unlike Khans housing plan, which looks like an attempt to only build social housing, which runs the real risk of creating ghettos, as well as not giving Londoners the chance to invest in their future. The housing market works best when people can move on, something which social housing struggles to provide as families often get trapped.

Under Zacs plans, young Londoners and first-time buyers in particular would benefit from an expansion in housebuilding. As many Londoners who wish to own their home are locked-out of home ownership, a dramatic increase in housebuilding is required. Because of this, Zac has promised to ring-fence public land for Londoners only, so that new homes are reserved for those who live in the city.

However, it is not all about home ownership, as many in London want to rent privately  both young and old. The private rented sector is likely to grow significantly over the next decade from 860,000 privately-rented homes to over 1.4 million.

To boost the private rented sector, Zac has committed to ensuring that more land is released for the build-to-rent market to ensure that the private rented sector can grow and cater to the increasing demand for rented accommodation. In addition to this we need stronger regulation of the landlords to demonstrate to the public that Conservatives understand that the rental market is not just a market, but it is comprised of homes where people live and raise their children.

His counterpart, on the other hand, has not been productive or practical with his proposals. Sadiq Khan, Labours candidate for mayor, has said that he would introduce Soviet-style rent controls on landlords. Under his plans, rents would arbitrarily be capped at a third of average earnings, and not at market or sub-market rates as is the case currently.

While on the surface this may sound appealing, the economics of such a move would be disastrous. While there is recognised need for more social housing, Khans proposal will not deliver any new social housing or new privately-rented housing, for which there is an even greater need. This policy is a nod to Labours policy of old; well build them out of London.

Research by my fellow London Assembly candidate Andrew Boff found that Khans rent controls would reduce total rental revenues for landlords by 4.5bn. This would result in 51,000 fewer private rented homes in London by 2025.

By default, reductions in rental revenues limit the incentive for developers to invest in new homes for the private rented sector, any reduction in supply will increase the cost of renting in London, pricing out an ever increasing numbers of people. By imposing Soviet-style rent controls on London, Khan would irresponsibly be reducing the total levels of housing stock in the capital at a time when it needs it desperately.

Last year, the London Assembly Housing Committee hosted a session on this very subject, where experts demolished the idea of rent controls. Dan Wilson of Generation Rent said that landlords would sell-up if rent controls were imposed. Alan Collett from M&G Real Estate also said that investment would dry up if rents were controlled in such a fashion. Experts in the field agree that imposing statist price controls on rents in the Capital would be disastrous for Londoners.

This is Londons hour of need and Khans plans for housing pose a real risk to the prosperity of London. Zac Goldsmiths bid for City Hall is the Conservatives opportunity to show that we have a real and workable plan to address Londons housing crisis.

Solving the housing crisis is not about political point scoring, but about social cohesion, fairness and giving Londoners the chance of a prosperous future. We have to show the people of London that we dont only see London as a place of business, but also as home.
Over the last few days, the British politics-watching public has been entranced by the ongoing civil war inside the Labour Party over anti-Semitism.

The fact that even the likes of Ken Livingstone have faced only suspension, and the delay in demoting Naz Shah, seemed to have revealed a disciplinary regime in woeful disrepair.

But it does seem that there are circumstances where Labour HQ is quite capable of acting with decision and celerity: when its long-suffering Ulster wing decides, unofficially, to contest next weeks Northern Irish elections.

Iain McNicol, the General Secretary of the Labour Party, has told them that they shall automatically be ineligible to be or remain a member of the party if they proceed to stand under the title of the Northern Ireland Labour Representation Committee.

A brief background for those unfamiliar: Labour has a thriving Northern Irish branch and it wishes it didnt.

Ulster supporters actually had to threaten the party with legal action to even so much as be allowed to join, since when Labour have steadfastly refused to permit them to stand as candidates.

This is because of its long-standing relationship with the Social Democratic and Labour Party, the smaller and more moderate of the provinces two main nationalist outfits. The SDLP is nominally left-wing and returns three MPs to Parliament who can usually be depended on to vote with Labour.

Labour also has a long history of sympathy with Irish nationalism  which only gets stronger the farther left you get, as Jeremy Corbyns courting of the IRA during the 1980s attests.

With Andy Burnham having once again lost his bid to be Labour leader and no immediate prospect of the ban being lifted, Labours local branch have taken matters into their own hands.

Conservatives ought to applaud them. Since the 1990s it has been a foundation of our approach to the province that, with its constitutional status guaranteed by referendum, Northern Ireland would benefit greatly from non-partisan, normal politics.

But since running a close second in North Down in 1992, the local Tories have got nowhere. Even with CCHQs support theyve not managed to take a seat in the Assembly or win a significant council presence. Too often the NI Conservatives have seemed to be sitting around, waiting for defections.

The contrast is an unhappy one: the local Labour branch straining at the leash but hobbled by London, whilst the Tories have Londons backing but have fallen short.

Hopefully that will change next week. Neil Wilson, the Conservative candidate for Belfast East, is driving hard with a very professional campaign. Hes also receiving much more help than usual from the mainland: Ive been over, and other groups such as Conservative Way Forward and Conservatives for Liberty have sent troops over more than once.

Ulsters system of PR could also help: he won 1,121 votes in the first-past-the-post general election in 2015, and the sixth-placed MLA in 2011 was elected with only 2,194 first preference votes. Wilson only need woo an extra thousand voters, under a much more favourable system, to be in with a shot.

Whether he pulls it off or not his candidacy, and the support hes receiving from the wider party, stands in honourable contrast to Labour HQs shabby treatment of its local supporters. It should be seen as a moral duty for the main parties of Government to present themselves in every part of the country they plan to govern.
Just Say No To Corporate Rule

By Ron Forthofer

30 April, 2016

Countercurrents.org

In May 2014, Senator Elizabeth Warren talked about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. "From what I hear, Wall Street, pharmaceuticals, telecom, big polluters and outsourcers are all salivating at the chance to rig the deal in the upcoming trade talks. So the question is: Why are the trade talks secret? Youll love this answer. Boy, the things you learn on Capitol Hill. I actually have had supporters of the deal say to me, 'They have to be secret, because if the American people knew what was actually in them, they would be opposed.'"

In May 2012, Senator Ron Wyden, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committees Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness, said: Yet, the majority of Congress is being kept in the dark as to the substance of the TPP negotiations, while representatives of U.S. corporationslike Halliburton, Chevron, PHRMA, Comcast, and the Motion Picture Association of Americaare being consulted and made privy to details of the agreement.

A May 2012 letter to the US Trade Representative from 30 law professors in a few of the countries that are involved with the TPP negotiations also pointed out that: There is no representation on this committee for consumers, libraries, students, health advocacy or patient groups, or others users of intellectual property, and minimal representation of other affected businesses, such as generic drug manufacturers or internet service providers. We would never create US law or regulation through such a biased and closed process.

If you aren't already concerned about a deal being negotiated on behalf of giant corporations at the public's expense, consider the following. One chapter in the deal, the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) system, threatens democracy and the sovereignty of governments.

For example, Joseph Stiglitz, former chief economist at the World Bank and recipient of the 'Nobel Prize for Economics' in 2001, addressed this issue regarding NAFTA in January 2004. He said: But hidden in NAFTA was a new set of rights -- for business -- that potentially weakened democracy throughout North America. Under NAFTA, if foreign investors believe they are being harmed by regulations (no matter how well justified), they may sue for damages in special tribunals without the transparency afforded by normal judicial proceedings. If successful, they receive direct compensation from the federal government....

In an October 2015 article, Stiglitz and Adam Hersh added: "Imagine what would have happened if these provisions had been in place when the lethal effects of asbestos were discovered. Rather than shutting down manufacturers and forcing them to compensate those who had been harmed, under ISDS, governments would have had to pay the manufacturers not to kill their citizens. Taxpayers would have been hit twice  first to pay for the health damage caused by asbestos, and then to compensate manufacturers for their lost profits when the government stepped in to regulate a dangerous product."

According to Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, the TPP ISDS "tribunals are staffed by private lawyers who are not accountable to any electorate, system of legal precedent or meaningful conflict of interest rules. Their rulings cannot be appealed on the merits. Many ISDS lawyers rotate between roles  serving both as judges and suing governments for corporations, creating an inherent conflict of interest."

Allowing trade lawyers to have the final say on cases that threaten our health and well being as well as the health of the ecosystem and its ability to support all life forms is insane! This disastrous settlement process tramples democracy and sovereignty and prioritizes profit over our health and well being as well as our ecosystem and its ability to support life. An old Cree prophecy seems relevant:

Only after the last river has been poisoned,

Only after the last fish has been caught,

Only then will you find money cannot be eaten.

If this corporate-designed settlement process doesn't convince you to oppose the TPP, consider its rules for financial services. According to Public Citizen, these rules were written under the advisement of giant banks and work to undercut legislation meant to re-regulate Wall Street. Thus the TPP would expand the reach of failed policies that played a major role in creating the disastrous 2008 financial crisis. The TPP rules would also prevent nations from protecting their currencies in time of crisis. It's as if the 2008 crisis didn't happen.

Paul Krugman, another 'Nobel Prize winner in Economics' and a supporter of NAFTA, said it well in his March 9th column. "But its also true that much of the elite defense of globalization is basically dishonest: false claims of inevitability, scare tactics (protectionism causes depressions!), vastly exaggerated claims for the benefits of trade liberalization and the costs of protection, hand-waving away the large distributional effects that are what standard models actually predict."

Krugman concluded: "So the elite case for ever-freer trade is largely a scam, which voters probably sense even if they dont know exactly what form its taking."

The TPP and other deals such as the currently being negotiated Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will, if enacted, transfer more wealth to the top from the rest of us while further threatening our ecosystem. These deals must be stopped -- our lives and the lives of future generations depend on us stopping it now!

Ron Forthofer, Ph.D. is a retired Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, Texas; former Green Party candidate for Congress and for Governor of Colorado




Bangladesh: The Wages Of A Noxious Mix

By Fazal M. Kamal

30 April, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Regardless of whatever entertaining but ineffectual verbiage administration leaders may spew and regardless of the incredibly inaneand entertaining toostuff law enforcement honchos may regurgitate, the dreadful reality in Bangladesh is that nothing that they declare is of any consequence in stemming the trend of random murders that seems to persist unrelentingly.

As recent times have been worse than before, with more being killed almost at will in various parts of the country, it appears, that in spite of a whole lot of revelations (if prevarication can be euphemistically called that) and repeated assurances, the powers that be have been unable to substantiate their aural pronouncements with tangible results. Like actually getting the murderers.

That purported law enforcement personnel across the world have some rotten apples among them, isnt anything surprising. That in many countriesboth advanced and not-so-advancedrogue elements in the police forces are known to engage in atrocious behavior sometimes leading to torture and death of innocent persons, is also not an unknown or unheard of fact of life in the real world replete with human flaws.

Given that backdrop, the inefficiency, a lack of discipline, an obvious absence of appropriate training mingled with politicization and avarice can and in fact do create both a toxic environment and brutal modus operandi for law enforcement entities which often lead to offensive declarations (to state it mildly) that can only be described as unbridled hubris. Consequently, the benefits from such noxious bodies are barely discernible, if at all.

In the Bangladesh instance, itll be most inadvisable to ignore the very recent uptick in mayhem and murder especially given the perception that anythings possible in this country, and that its easy to, literally, get away with murder. And in view of the facts its, at the very least, difficult to deflect these and similar beliefs plainly because over the years murders, rape, torture, et al have received indulgent passes, astounding the citizenry.

As Prof. Ali Riaz of Illinois State University stated: The official explanations for these incidents have been quite confusing and somewhat contradictory. On the one hand, the government has insisted that these are unrelated incidents and that they do not pose any challenge to the security of the country; on the other hand, it has claimed that these are homegrown militants who are engaged in these heinous acts. While the country's home minister does not see any cause for concern for the safety of citizens, the chief of police has asked the citizens to create their own security circle.[!!! -- Couldnt help adding those exclamation marks given the contents of official statements.]

Simultaneously, compounding the confusion, administration leaders have oftenand within hours of a murderous incidentdeclared that these are the handiwork of the political opposition. This has by now become an extremely predictable ploy with clockwork regulatory but comprehensively failing to convince anyone except only the author of these bizarre contentions themselves.

Here, then, is one reaction to this game plan: The government is increasingly targeting the opposition and closing off its legitimate political activity, but its precisely that polarized political environment and limiting of the oppositions space to participate in the political process that is creating new space for the extremists, observed Lisa Curtis, a South Asia expert at the Heritage Foundations Asian Studies Center in Washington.

And in an opinion piece London journalist Gwynne Dyer asserted: She [Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina] also insisted that these murders were the work of the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), or more precisely of its political ally, the Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party. She firmly denied that foreign extremist forces such as Islamic State or al Qaeda (which would certainly approve of the killings) were active in the country.

Having stated that background Dyer concludes, This probably seems to Ms Hasina to be sound, practical politics, in a country where 90% of the population is Muslim.  It's also good politics for her to blame the violence exclusively on the opposition parties, since admitting that foreign Islamists are involved would mean that she was failing in her duty to defend the country. But the result of her pragmatism and passivity has been a rapid expansion in the range of targets that are coming under attack by the extremists.

Of course, its a known fact that not all the victims were atheist bloggers or irreligious thinkers because some of those murdered, in reality, had absolutely nothing in common with atheists or bloggers but were law-abiding and God-fearing individuals who were simply going about their business. And then, there are the yet-unsolved (and possibly never-to-be-solved) cases of young women raped and killed.

But thats a whole other story.

In the meantime, lets be clear here: To the honorable members of the Cabinet: No, these cannot by any stretch of anyones imagination be isolated episodes; theyve been occurring with shockingly tragic frequency. And to the law enforcement kahunas: The people of the country expect salubrious effects from your actions and words; not pontification in any shape, size or color primarily because that isnt any segment of your mandate.



The writer has been a media professional, in print and online newspapers as editor and commentator, and in public affairs, for over forty years.








Australias French Connection: The Submarine Saga

By Dr. Binoy Kampmark

30 April, 2016

Countercurrents.org

It was all a funny business, but it is very clear that the Australian relationship with France, at least when it comes to matters of defence, has changed over the years. From being belligerents keen to pursue nuclear testing in the Pacific, to being cheese eating surrender monkeys prior to the Coalition of the Confuseds attack on Iraq in 2003, France has stormed into fashion as a military supplier for the Royal Australian Navy.

The French military industrial complex, involving heavy state direction and motivated by Colberts principles of dirigisme, has long been one of the most active in terms of economic activity. Even as the French economy sags in tired despair, the selling of arms has proven lucrative. In the business of producing the machines of death, the French do splendidly. In recent times, it has done spectacularly so, with defence contracts with a string of Arab countries, and India.

What of the wicked Frenchman stereotype of the Pacific, flaunting his military hardware? Some Australians would remember the reaction to the 1996 nuclear tests in French Polynesia, when there were boycotts of French goods. (Sales of BeBoeuf Beujolais particularly suffered.) Matters were similarly hostile over the destruction of Greenpeaces Rainbow Warrior in 1985 by French commandos, and the seizure of the Rainbow Warrior II and MV Greenpeace after crossing the French-imposed 12-mile exclusion zone imposed around the Moruroa test site.

Fewer would remember the longevity of the French-Australian defence relationship, stretching back to the defence contracts of the 1960s, when the French Dassault Mirage III replaced US Sabre jet fighters over the problematic Lockheed F-104 Starfighter.

In 2014, it seemed that Japan would thunder forth with the offer the then Abbott government wanted: a contract to build 12 or so submarines. But the Japanese group failed to confirm that it would boost local skilled jobs in Australia, even as it was being outmanoeuvred by German and French contenders. Industrial partners in the defence side of things were few and far between, and Japans diplomats were caught asleep. The French, in particular, smelt a catch, employing Sean Costello, the CEO of the Australian branch of the French defence contractor DCNS, to dangle the line in front of Canberra.

In November 2014, DCNS CEO Herve Guillou convinced French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to visit Australia. In Albany, French and Australian officials congregated to commemorate the first sailing of Australian soldiers to France in the First World War.

A $50 billion contract dully followed, and will see 12 French-designed submarines from DCNS (of which 62 per cent is owned by the French government) supplied to the RAN. A few French media sources, notably Le Parisien, even went so far as to call it the contract of the century, showing how easy it is to catch the bug of comforting militarism. Some good deal of breast-beating followed, suggesting that the genius of French industry was behind the triumph. Forget the Germans, and the Japanese  the French can do just as well.

Timing on such occasions is everything, and French ceremonial acknowledgement should not be understated. This year marks the centennial since Anzac (Australian and New Zealand Corps) troops were first deployed to the Western Front in the murderous trenches of the First World War. The Australian Governor General, who is the putative representative of the Queen as Australias head of state, was wined and dined with keen interest.

The French have every reason to cheer about this. President Francois Hollande can argue that he brought home the bacon for a much needed economic boost. It has been predicted that thousands of jobs will be created in Cherbourg, Nantes and Lorient (all in all 4,000). Dirigisme has worked again. The return to Australia, for seeking out a contract of minimal worth in security, but considerable cost to the budget, will be far poorer. History will record it as one of the most expensive public endeavours in Australian history, and a risky one at that.

Submarine projects have a habit of being bungling in execution and costly in consequence. Spains S-80 Isaac Peral Submarine, hailed initially as the most advanced non-nuclear submarine in the world, cost $680 million and was found to be 75 to 100 tons overweight. According to the good engineers at Navantia, the firm responsible for what the Spanish Ministry of Defence called deviations, such a difference was critical enough to prevent resurfacing after submergence.

No matter the risks, says Turnbull. This is the traditional bribe needed for his government ahead of an election to shore up votes in South Australia, which is still being promised an indigenous component to the submarine construction. More to the point, it is being sold as a sovereign Australian venture, despite the previous disasters of the Collins submarine program.

In so doing, it also eases matters with the Chinese  if only for the one basic fact that the defence contract did not go to Japan. Tokyo has been making militaristic murmurings for some time, hoping that such an arrangement would boost its defence industry. Hideaki Watanabe, head of the Ministry of Defences procurement agency, dejectedly announced that, We will do a thorough analysis of what impact the result will have on our defence industry.

Costello is bubbling with enthusiasm. We set them up in Australia with French technology. We transfer that fully into the company and we require that supporting company in Australia to go on and further develop a bigger business  so that they can in turn come back to support us. So theres a virtuous cycle that is developed.

However much a marriage Le Drian deems it, much can change over the course of 50 years. The most important point will be whether the submarines even work. History, on that score, has not smiled favourably on Australian endeavours in that regard.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com










Financial Truancy, Economism And Moral Ambiguity In Public Debate Today

By Khaldun Malek

30 April, 2016

Countercurrents.org

No condition of life to which man cannot get accustomed, especially if he sees them accepted by everyone around him  Tolstoy

The recent expose of the so-called Panama Papers brings to light again the morally troubling issue of tax havens and the flight of capital from taxation. The fallout from this, as is now widely known, has had serious political implications. There is already a major political casualty in the form of the former prime minister of Iceland, who resigned amidst allegations of financial impropriety by a member of his family. Politically, the issue remains a highly charged one; even David Cameron, who in recent times was one of the most vocal proponents of reforms to curb the excesses of the financial truancy of both rich corporations and individuals has not been entirely absolved from the scandal.

Some financial analysts have claimed that this is merely the tip of a very large iceberg. If true, the implications are staggering, because it gives pause to even the deeply worrying report recently published by Oxfam highlighting the global inequities of wealth which exists today. While economic inequality is a serious source of concern, it is merely a part of a larger pattern of discrimination and deprivation that afflicts all societies in the present. This question extends to far more than just economic ones; in fact, arguably the fixation on economic inequality is in danger of shifting attention away from more fundamental questions of social justice and fairness. It also gives an undue emphasis on an economic solution rather than a real one.

One of the key, though somewhat under-emphasised, aspect of Thomas Pikettys global best-seller has not been to show the extent of the gaps between the rich and the poor but rather more pertinently how periods where the gaps have narrowed have been the rare exception rather than the rule. This in a sense gives us a more realistic appraisal of history. Seldom has the pursuit and agglomeration of wealth given pause to anything other than its own validation. If history is any guide, the impulse to accumulate wealth and power for its own sake is a universal drive that seems to transcend faith, cultures, language, politics and geography  as much as most faith and wisdom traditions counsel us against the deep spiritual and social ruin that will eventuate from such a pursuit. But in a global public culture dominated by a vain and arrogant, but more problematically, parochial secularity promoted by the West and their allies, such discourses carry little weight.

Worryingly, even among the more visibly religious nations, there seems to be little enthusiasm to find alternative visions of progress and development.Even so called alternatives to the dominant paradigms might not  on closer scrutiny  be so different. I think underneath the enthusiasms amongst Muslim nations, for example, over so calledIslamic finance, the same ideological drives persist. Financial institutions no doubt understand its attractions as a marketing exercise; a more affluent, growing Muslim middle class enthusiastically embraces a means of increasing their wealth whilst palliating their spiritual concerns!As global banks pursue this new wonderful marketing vehicle, we see hordes of both private and public conspirators  government agencies, university academics, financial consultants and so on  selling the public this new product!

However, at its centre nothing changes, and the practices of the past (profiteering for its own sake, the continued hegemony of the institutional structure of the present financial system, the ongoing valorisation of liberal capitalist values et al) continues. The terms of the process are now couched in a different language but the functioning and logical aims of the exercises remain the same. Moreover, the way in which global society speaks of the problem today  the way it has been conceived and what has been perceived as its effects is quite removed from similar episodes of social and economic distress in the past. Ill come back to this later.

Id wager that even the Wall Street Sit-In, applauded globally as a powerful indictment of the failures of a financial system run amok (a dubious pyramid scheme dressed under the sanctimony of the worlds most respectable financial institutions), symptomatizes the widespread moral vacuum surrounding the issue. Exemplified as a serious mass movement critique of developments which eventually led to the financial crisis of 2008, what it truly reflects is a reaction against the symptoms of failure rather than an outright questioning of the moral validity of its causes. In other words, one cannot help but wonder whether many of those who came would have bothered to do so if they had not themselves been affected by the fallout. If the prevailing system had continued to lavish the same returns it had done prior, would have there been a call to re-examine its principles or values? And what exactly are the majority angry about? The failure of the system? Or of the principles which underpin them? Then why is there a lacuna of serious attempts to frame these issues in broader terms? If we do not take the time to think within the context of the kinds of society we are trying to build, then to paraphrase Santayana, we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past in an unending vicious cycle.

One thing is clear. History tells us that the cycles of boom and bust is a natural part of the economic order. However, what is peculiar to the current malaise, is a seeming inability to articulate the problem(s) within any kind of moral compass. The way we talk about economic activity is disconnected to any view of how this is an intrinsic part of how we imagine the kinds of societies we wish to have. Even when we are angry about disparities between the rich and poor, this is seen and discussed in isolation from thinking about wider morality. It has not always been so. Even in the most celebrated totem of free-market thinking, Adam Smiths Wealth of Nations, published more than two centuries ago, the idea of free enterprise and the freedom of exchange, was an attempt to augment a liberalism and individual autonomy thought in the best interests of an Enlightenment morality. Free trade was seen as a critical element in the flourishing of a good society. It was grounded on a moral claim (what Smith terms as moral sentiments), not the kind of vacuous argument put forward today by economists talking about efficiencies.

This laxity, described so vividly by Tony Judt, as economism (the invocation of economics in all discussions of public affairs) is frankly, intellectually lazy. He asks a deeply pertinent question, why do we have such difficulty even imagining a different sort of society from the one whose dysfunctions and inequalities troubles us so?. Why is it we no longer seem to have the wherewithal to question the present in fundamental ways? Why is it so difficult to conceive a different set of arrangements to our common advantage? And perhaps most worryingly, we appear to lack a sufficient vocabulary to enter a public discourse without need for an arbitrative reference to profit and loss, or what Judt refers to as an etiolated economic vocabulary.

These questions are, of course, not new. Decades before the publication of his report which became in 1942, the foundation of the British welfare state, William Beveridge had given a lecture in Oxford in which he bemoaned the dangers of obscuring proper political philosophy with classical economics in public debates. In some ways anticipating the intellectual malaise we face in the present, he warned of the deleterious effects of restricting public policy considerations to mere economic calculus.

We seem to live in an age where the functioning of society is seen in almost purely instrumental terms. The economic and commercial, the pursuit of leisure, securing justice and fairness, political participation and the fulfilment of spiritual needs and religious obligations are almost always discussed and seen as separate realms of values and conduct  microcosmic and through separate flows of life seemingly unconnected with one another. This is of course, a false depiction of the human condition. Under such conditions, it is extremely difficult  if not downright impossible  to speak of society in a collective and holistic sense. All things are judged in their own terms and in their own sense; it is almost as if the kind of Thatcherite verbiage (there is no such thing as society, merely individuals and so on) we thought we had left behind in the 80s, has quietly subsumed the principles of public debate over everything from education, health, transport, housing and so on.

Over two centuries ago, one of the key figures of the European Enlightenment, and perhaps its keenest observer of the emergence of commercial capitalism, Marquis de Condorcet, anticipated the dire prospects that liberty will be no more in the eyes of an avid nation, than the necessary condition for the security of financial operations. For many of us today, this may actually sound too familiar for comfort.

Khaldun Malek is an academic who is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST).










A Conversation With VT Rajshekar, Editor Of Dalit Voice

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

30 April, 2016

Countercurrents.org

A conversation with Mr VT Rajshekar, editor, Dalit Voice on various issues, Ambedkarite movement and threats that we face today and future of Dalit Voice.

VT Rajshekar says that the Hindutva lobby compelled the printer to stop printing it. At the age of 85 VT still want to carry on but not from south but from Delhi which he did earlier too during VP Singh's Government and had to return to Bangalore in the aftermath of anti Mandal agitation in Delhi and other parts of the country. He faced lots of trouble due to his uncompromising views on the issues that we face today.

VT doesn't open up that easily but this is something special as he is candid in the entire one hour conversation.



Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a social and human rights activist. He blogs at www.manukhsi.blogspot.com twitter @freetohumanity Email: vbrawat@gmail.com








Carnage In Syria

By Mary Scully

30 April, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Just so we're clear on what supporting the Assad regime & foreign military intervention in Syria means:



Making a sarcasm out of the ceasefire, Syrian airstrikes in Aleppo for the past six days have killed over 200 people. The bombing is targeting residential areas & according to witnesses, no neighborhood of the city has not been hit. That death toll is expected to rise. Wednesday they bombed a hospital operated by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF/Doctors Without Borders), killing 27 people including children & three doctors. One of the doctors killed was the city's last pediatrician.

The Syrian military denies bombing the hospital & claims it has not been in residential areas where air raids were reported. Putin made a great display in March of ordering Russian warplanes out of Syria & has previously denied bombing civilian targets. The Russian defense ministry has not been available for interrogation about the current bombing, including of the hospital, even though it is reported that Russian warplanes are involved. So again, it isn't immediately clear whether the bombing is done by Syrian bombers or allied Russian bombers. But since they work in concert, is there an operative useful distinction?

This photo of people, including many infants & children, being rescued from bombed out buildings or people fleeing the bombing is played out all over Aleppo. Those rescuing them are of course civil defense volunteers, not Assad first responders.

Many people hold stubbornly to support for the Assad regime because it is (at least ostensibly) opposed by the US. The proof of Assad's political criminality is in the bombing which has gone on for at least five years, killed an estimated 470,000 people, & created one of the most massive refugee crises in the world.



No military intervention in Syria & Iraq! Stop the bombing, including by Syrian & Russian warplanes!

Mary Scully has fifty years of political activism behind her in the US: antiwar, women's rights, civil rights, Palestinian solidarity (since 1967), in particular. She is running as an independent socialist candidate for US president 2016.








The Forgotten Message Of Ambedkar To The Working Class

By K.S Sharma

30 April, 2016

Countercurrents.org

( The following are extracts from A paper presented by Dr KS Sharma at the XXXII Indian Social Science Congress held at New Delhi from 18'" December to 22nd December 2008. The Paper quotes Dr. B. R. Ambedkar extensively and seeks to bring out some views he had expressed at one stage in his political life. A few extracts focussing on parliamentary democracy from the same Paper were published in Countercurrents.org of 14 April, 2016, to mark the 125th birthday of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on April 14. The following Extract is relevant on the eve of May Day. Beyond paying lip service, neither Ambedkarites nor official Leftists, including those in trade union field, remember or remind these views. The previous extract begins with highlighting his statement thus : Parliamentary Democracy isin reality a government of a hereditary subject class by a hereditary ruling class : Ambedkar . And asks the working class to take note of this fact. Some statements may find repetition so as to clarify the subject. Emphases added. )

The following views of Dr.Ambedkar are extracted from the speech he delivered at the concluding session of the All India Trade Union Workers Study Camp held in Delhi from 8th to 17lh September 1943 under the auspices of the Indian Federation of Labour. This historic document seems to have been lost sight of by political pundits, who are severe critics of parliamentary democracy. After a perusal of Ambedkar's views presented on the above occasion, anybody would say that it looks as if he was speaking of Parliamentary Democracy as prevalent today..

In his opening remarks Dr.Ambedkar says that "as the autocracy of Despotic Sovereigns was replaced after a long and bloody struggle by a system known as Parliamentary Democracy, it was felt that this was the last word in the frame of Government. It was believed to bring about the millennium in which every human being will have the right to liberty, property and pursuit of happiness. It is therefore a matter of surprise that there has been a revolt against Parliamentary Democracy although not even a century has elapsed since its universal acceptance and inauguration".

Dr.Ambedkar says:

"I have no doubt that what has ruined Parliamentary democracy is the idea of freedom of Contract. Parliamentary Democracy took no notice of economic inequalities and did not care to examine the result of freedom of contract on the parties to the contract should they happen to be unequal. It did not mind if the freedom of contract gave the strong the opportunity to defraud the weak. The result is that Parliamentary Democracy in standing out as protoganist of liberty has continuously added to the economic wrongs of the poor, the downtrodden and the disinherited classes".

And adds : Democracy is another name for equality. Parliamentary Democracy developed a passion for liberty. It never made even a nodding acquaintance with equality. It failed to realize the significance of equality, and did not even endeavour to strike a balance between liberty and equality, with the result that liberty swallowed equality and has left a progeny of inequities". ( It may be added : In reality, in post-1947 India , even liberty remains a mirage, it disappears the moment rights are sought to be exercised by toiling classes and their supporters.)

Dr.Ambedkar further says: "All political societies get divided into two classes - the rulers and the ruled. This is an evil. If the evil stopped here it would not matter much. But the unfortunate part of it is that the division becomes, stereotyped and stratified so much so that the Rulers are always drawn from the Ruling Class and the class of ruled never becomes the Ruling Class. People donot govern themselves; they establish a government and leave it to govern them, forgetting that it is not their government. That being the situation, Parliamentary Democracy has never been a government of the people or by the people and that is why it has never been a government for the people. Parliamentary Democracy, not withstanding the paraphernalia of a popular government, is in reality a government of a hereditary subject class by a hereditary ruling class.

Dr.Ambedkar poses the question "who is responsible for this?" and answers it without mincing words, thus: "There is no doubt that if Parliamentary Democracy has failed to benefit the poor, the labouring and the down-trodden classes, it is these classes, who are primarily responsible for it". How true! The exploited classes have never been conscious of their exploitation and have not realized that they are the "masters" in a Democracy but have been reduced to "subjects", because of their unconsciousness and ignorance.

Dr.Ambedkar, presents his analysis as follows: "In the first place, they have shown most appalling indifference to the effect of the economic factor in the making of men's life.The labouring class far from being fat like pigs are starving, and one wishes that they thought of bread first and everything else afterwards . The labouring classes have failed to acquaint themselves with literature dealing with the government of mankind. Everyone from the labouring classes should be acquainted with Rousseau's Social Contract, Marx's Communist Manifesto, Pope Leo XIII's Encyclical on the conditions of labour and John Stuart's Mill on liberty, to mention only four of the basic programmatic documents on social and governmental organization of modern times. But the labouring classes will not give them the attention they deserve. Instead, Labour has taken delight reading false and fabulous stories of ancient Kings and Queens and has become addicted to it".

In the above analysis Ambedkar on the one hand alerts the labouring and the poor that, they are starving without necessary food and on the other, are illiterate and ill-equipped. He directs them to study basic works like that of Rousseau's Social Contract, Marx's Communist Manifesto, Pope Leo Kill's Encyclical on the conditions of labour and J.S. Mill's on liberty. Ambedkar strongly considers that every one from the working class must be proficient in the understanding of the above basic documents to enable oneself to fight the exploiters. He condemns working class reading fables of Kings and Queens, which are false and fictitious.

He continues to analyse this aspect and says: "There is another and bigger crime which they have committed against themselves. They have developed no ambition to capture government, and are not even convinced of the necessity of controlling government as a necessary means of safeguarding their interests. Indeed they are not even interested in government".

Dr.Ambedkar calls it a crime committed by the working class against themselves, for not developing the ambition to capture government. This caustic remark against the labouring class, should awaken this entire fraternity to their colossal ignorance and dawn on them the realization to become the governing class.

Dr.Ambedkar laments that of all the tragedies which have beset mankind the biggest is that whatever organization the working class has, has taken the form of Trade Unionism. He categorically states that "it would be a great mistake to suppose that Trade Unions are a panacea for all the ills of labour". He further says: "Trade Unions even if they are powerful, are not strong enough to compel capitalists to run capitalism better. Trade Unions would be much more effective if they had behind them a labour government to rely on. Control of government must be the target for labour to aim at. Unless Trade Unionism aims at controlling government, trade unions will do very little good to the workers and will be a source of perpetual squabbles among trade union leaders".

Ambedkar was very categorical and clear that until and unless trade unions aim at emerging as the governing power, they will serve very little purpose and would only be a source for perpetual squabbles among trade union leaders themselves.

Free independent nation-state turns to be the enemy of the working class under the hegemony of their masters

Dr.Ambedkar further said: "The third besetting sin of the labouring class is the very way which they are led away by an appeal to nationalism". This remark coming from Ambedkar exhibits the depth of his understanding of the class dimension of nationalism, which is a product of industrial revolution and came to be used by the bourgeois for strengthening and perpetuating capitalism. To put it in the words of Ambedkar himself :

"The working classes who are beggared in every way and who have very little to spare, often sacrifice their all to the so-called cause of nationalism. They have never cared to enquire whether the nationalism for which they are to make their offerings will, when established, give them social or economic equality. More often than not, the free independent nation-state which emerges from a successful nationalism and which reared on their sacrifices, turns to be the enemy of the working class under the hegemony of their masters. This is the worst kind of exploitation that labour has allowed itself to be subject to".

How realistic Ambedkar is when he presents this succinct analysis! This reminds one of the Marxian concepts of Bourgeois Nationalism and Proletarian Nationalism. The Nationalism practised by the capitalists, uses nationalism as an opium to intoxicate the workers into an unconscious state in which they are made to believe that they are working for the Nation, while they are in fact working for the capitalists, the Ruling Classes. Ambedkar rightly warns the working class against such day light betrayal.

Having pointed out the wrong organizational aspects, Dr.Ambedkar proceeds to suggest remedies for these maladies. He says: "If the working classes have to live under a system of Parliamentary Democracy then it must devise the best possible means to turn it to their benefit. As far as I see, two things are necessary, if this object is to be achieved". These necessities are spelt out by him as follows: "The First thing to do is to discard mere establishment of Trade Unions as the final aim and object of Labour of India. It must declare that its aim is to put labour in charge of government. For this it must organize a labour party as a political party. The Second thing for Labour in India is that without knowledge there is no power. Labour will have to prove positively that it can govern better".

The above prescriptions prescribed by Ambedkar have far reaching repercussions and consequences. The working class must become the ruling class and must through their power of knowledge and conviction, prove that the working class can govern better than the capitalist class.

Ambedkar gave certain directions to the prospective labour government. He said "Labour government cannot be a government of Laissez faire. It will be government which must essentially be based on a system of control. A system of control needs a far greater degree of knowledge and training than a Laissez faire government. Labour in India has not realized the importance of study". He concluded his analysis by stating "Labouring Classes have to be raised to the status of a governing class". This statement of Ambedkar is reminiscent of the statement of Karl Marx in "Communist Manifesto", wherein he said "The first step in the revolution by the working class is to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling class, to win the battle for democracy".

It is important to note that Karl Marx, the founder of Scientific Socialism had given this prescription of the Proletarian Class becoming the Ruling Class in order to put an end to the exploitative capitalist system.

What is surprising and perplexing is that, even though Dr.Ambedkar had the courage to tell Indians that it is "not the best product" and to be "beware of Parliamentary Democracy", the question that arises is, why did he subscribe to this form of governance, as the architect of the Indian Constitution? It looks paradoxical, but the only plausible explanation that can be given is that, after all he was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee, and he had no personal option, but to honestly reflect the wisdom of the Constituent Assembly,

**** **** *****

( Post- Script : It is another matter that Ambedkar himself, in the later years, did not focus on these goals that he set in his speech of 1943. Why ? This question needs to be further studied. Three points may be noted in this context:

1) For the present, it may be noted that his priorities and pre-occupations were undergoing a change culminating in his being coopted as Chairman of Drafting Committee of the Constitution, and later into Nehrus Cabinet:

---- Independent Labour Party (ILP) was an Indian political organisation formed under the leadership of Dr. Ambedkar in August 1936. It may be noted that the Labor Party in UK experienced a further split in 1932 when the the Independent Labour Party, which for some years had been increasingly at odds with the Labour leadership, opted to disaffiliate from the Labour Party. Thus ILP was the same name used in both India and UK.

-- April 1942, Dr. Ambedkar founded the All India Scheduled Castes Federation in Nagpur in the place of ILP. Later, after the Federation failed to make its mark in electoral politics, with Ambedkar himself being defeated in Loksabha elections in 1952 and again in bypolls of 1954, he decided, in the months before his death in 1956, to dissolve ALL INDIA SCHEDULED CASTE FEDERATION and contemplated an alternative party. On 2nd OCTOBER 1957, Gandhi Jayanti if only coincidentally, ALL INDIA SCHEDULED CASTE FEDERATION WAS FORMALLY DISSOLVED AND a NEW REPUBLICAN PARTY OF INDIA was launched. These organizational developments show the shifts in the policies and practices of Dr Ambedkar, the politician.

--Meanwhile , in 1941 July Dr.Ambedkar was appointed by the British to sit on the Defence Advisory Committee.

--On 1942 July 20, Dr.Ambedkar joined the Viceroy's Executive Council as a Labour Member.

--1944 Dr. Ambedkar founded "The Building Trust and the Scheduled Caste Improvement Trust".

2) The ideological roots of Ambedkar are one reason and the above should be seen in that light. Anand Teltumbde, for instance, analyses it in his article titled Ambedkar And Communists, published in Countercurrents.org of 16 August, 2012. Teltumbde writes:

Ambedkar was not a Marxist. His intellectual upbringing has been under Fabian influence in Columbia University and London School of Economics, the institution founded by the Fabians. John Dewey, whom he held in such high esteem as to owe him his entire intellectual making, was a known American Fabian. Fabians as is well known wanted socialism but not as Marx proposed. Bernard Shaw one of the pillars of Fabianism famously wrote, Marxs Capital is not a treatise on socialism; it is a gerrymand against the bourgeoisie. Fabians believed socialism could be brought in an evolutionary manner not through revolution. Notwithstanding these influences, Ambedkar without agreeing with Marx, took Marxism not only seriously but also used it as the benchmark to assess his decisions throughout his life.

3) It is to be noted that Ambedkars speech (1943) was made in the years of Second World War when bourgeois nationalism was at its worst and mired in wars, when Germany under Hitler claimed as its ideology National Socialism which was another name for fascism as it soon became clear to one and all. So Ambedkar was devastatingly critical of nationalism and alerted the working class against it. The British imperialists were in the opposite, anti-fascist camp. When Ambedkar made his speech, labor politics and economics were on the rise. The British Labor Party was on the rise reaching its peak during and after Second World War, polling almost 50 percent of vote. It became a ruling party in UK, off and on eversince 1924. It was the period of Labor socialism and Municipal socialism, guided by Keynesian Economics, as they were called. His pro-labor views and views on nationalism and may be viewed in that context. London School of Economics where many Indian and British politicians, including Ambedkar, were schooled had its own influence on Labor politics and economics. )

( Dr KS Sharma (born 1934), a Retired Professor of Law based at Hubli, Karnataka, has been a leader of working class for over 45 years now, focused on unorganized labor, and as Founder-President of Karnataka State Govt. Dailywage Employees Federation, successfully organized one lakh dailywagers of Govt of Karnataka who got regularized after 30 years of struggle that included street battles and legal battles going upto Supreme Court. He is a great teacher, poet, writer, dramatist, literary critic, columnist, publisher, orator, and an activistsocial scientist who was a Vice-President of ISSA , Indian Social Science Academy, for some time. Post-retirement, he did his doctorate on Indian State : From Marxian Perspective. He is the Founder President of a group of Institutions including an ITI, Institute of Naturopathy and Yoga, Dr. Da Ra Bendre (Jnana Peeth Awardee) Research Institute, Indian Institute of Marxist Theory and Practice, FMRRC- Fluorosis Mitigation Research and Resource Centre all located in Vishwa Shrama Chetana campus, Hubli. He may be contacted at : kssharmaji@rediffmail.com)










Now Reservation For Forwards

By Maanvender Singh

30 April, 2016

Countercurrents.org

The cauldron on the Jat agitation was not even silenced and the

Gujarat government has decided to extend reservation on economic basis

for the upper castes. In both the cases, the argument is in favour of

reservation for the forward or the dominant castes on the fallacious

grounds of economic status.

In India no policy issue has generated such controversy as the

extension of reservation beyond SCs and STs in educational

institutions and services. However, as much as has been the

disagreement over the criteria of backwardness, the forward castes

were always kept out of the bracket of such policies. Going against

this, the State Government of Gujarat has passed a law that provides

10% of reservation for all non- reserved categories based on their

annual income. The 10% quota will be available for those whose income

is Rs. 6 Lakh or less than that. This is clearly a violation of the

basic spirit of the Constitutional scheme, and is against the

principle of affirmative action as laid under Article 15(4) and 16(4)

of the constitution. Moreover, there is no such provision in Indian

constitution that approves of reservation for the upper castes.

However, this is not the first time that BJP has made an attempt to

intrude the much forward communities into the scheme of reservation.

This process was initiated by Atal Bihari Vajepyee in 1999 by

including Jats in Rajasthan to the list of backward classes, causing

the first invasion of dominant caste to the scheme of reservation.

Infact over the last one year, this is the third BJP- led state

government that has provided reservation to much forward communities.

It started last year in September with Rajasthan government

introducing 14% reservation to Economically Backward Classes (EBC) and

5% for the Special Backward Classes (that included Gujars), than Jat

quota in Haryana and now reservation for the general category in

Gujarat. As far as Gujarat is concerned, BJP actions comes after their

debacle in Panchayat elections and what might seems to be an attempt

to win back the confidence of Patel community, one should expect more

absurdity. The other parties are expected to join the course soon;

already Congress has raised the demand to increase the EBC quota to

20%.

On the other hand the order is bound to be taken to court and if

judged by the law, as declared in the Indra Sawhney judgment, will

hardly stand the test of law. The Gujarat government may seek to place

this law in the Ninth Schedule to ensure that the constitutional

validity of the amended provision is not struck down. However, laws

placed in Ninth Schedule after 1973 can still be challenged on grounds

of violating basic structure of constitution and this indeed is

distinctly possible in the present instance too. Further such

independent decisions by state government also challenge the validity

of institutions like National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBCs)

which was established after the Indra Swahney judgment to monitor the

list of backward classes and the possible cases of exclusion and

inclusion.

However, the more immediate agenda here seems to distort the scheme of

reservation by creating farce criteria and to further project it as an

alternative to the caste based reservation. Therefore such knee-jerk

legislation attempts to dissociate reservation from its original logic

and intent that is to dismantle the monopoly of few among services and

educational instituion. To do so backwardness is projected as a

relative concept, where the shoddier condition of castes/communities

in relation to more forward one becomes the criteria for enlisting

them to the backward caste list. Totally undermining the fact that

caste/community in concern has to qualify certain set of parameters,

such as established by the Mandal Commission Report and it is only

those which are well below the average, can be listed as backward

classes. More importantly such understanding projects poverty as the

basis of reservation, conflating the issue of discrimination (caste

based) with the deprivation (economic). And even though it is true

that poverty can lead to various forms of deprivation, a policy like

reservation which targets only the issue of institutional

backwardness, cannot be projected as the poverty eradication programme

or as an alternative to already exiting polices to tackle poverty. But

as the state has considerably failed to tackle the issue of economic

stagnation it seems suitable for them to promote reservation as a pro-

poor policy.

Even in this case, realizing that the balloon of Gujarat model is

punctured, now reservation is presented as the solution to settle down

those who might pose a challenge to Modi. For this Amit Shah was

dispatched to devise possible solution and as true lieutenant of the

Hinduvadi agenda, he has acted in the interest of upper castes. In all

this, one should not forget the fact that Patels who are now

declaring themselves as backward, spearheaded on of the most violent

anti reservation campaign in 1980s. Also it is a documented fact that

back in 1990 both the Sangh parivar and BJP were at the forefront of

anti- Mandal agitation, declaring reservation policy as divisive and

anti- national. Infact BJP-RSS started the political project of

wielding those who were opposed to the affirmative action to the

party. This was conveniently done through the project of Hindutava.

Therefore there stands to be a reason that there is a possible

alliance between Patidar and BJP to ensure that progress of lower

caste is checked and the caste hierarchy is maintained.

In the end as all this political drama surrounding reservation is

unrevealed in Gujarat it is quite agonizing to see that reservation,

once meant to break the power structure dominated by high caste and

wealthy people, is reduced as a political gimmick to accommodate any

agitating caste, irrespective of its place in the social hierarchy. On

the one hand, such measures take us back to the early years of

independence where caste (historically discriminated) based

reservation was rejected for economic criteria and on the other, it

seems to be a part of larger conspiracy, to limit the debate along

social justice to the affirmative action. So much so, a web of

illusion is woven around the reservation policies to project it, as

not a part but the only way to achieve social justice. And once you

can prove that the purpose of reservation is fulfilled, as enough jobs

are created for SCs and STs, one can easily raise the rhetoric of

economic disparities well detached from the caste and other social

dynamics.

Maanvender Singh, is PhD Scholar, Department of History,










The only time my mom took me to church I was too young to remember (my christening). And just once (1955) did she take me to an indoor movie. We saw, or tried to see, "Lady and the Tramp" at a packed Strand theater.

She didn't mince words with the woman sitting in front of us after I whispered in a 6-year-old voice, "I can't see the picture."

"Well, if SOMEONE would take off their big HAT, maybe you COULD," Mom harrumphed.

My mom  Tillie to everyone else  rarely attended school events, and never my sixth-grade track meets. She was an empty nester before she fully appreciated that dogs are people deserving to ride along to the Dairy Queen.

But please don't think this is a Mommie Dearest expose, not with Mother's Day just a week away.

My mother understood the magic (love) of Vicks Vapor Rub and how I fantasized my favorite read-aloud story (not politically correct today) about an Indian boy chased by four hungry tigers who melt into pancake butter.

She serenaded us with big band tunes, warned us about "deadly TV rays" if we sat too close and hammered home "starving children in China" if we didn't clean our dinner plate.

She was our brown-eyed drill sergeant, not my blue-eyed father who'd been in World War II.

I even had a game I played  Make Mom Smile  went I detected a Mount Rushmore stare. I knew SHE knew I'd been up to something, such as accidentally setting a grass fire that brought the fire department to Elm Street one summer.

Tillie was a tough cookie, but her four children inherently knew that below the surface was a petite, 112-pound marshmallow.

Mom had a Little Orphan Annie childhood, just 10 when her mother died in childbirth. Two months later her father was dead, shot by a quarreling cousin.

During the 1930s she and her five brothers and sisters were raised by their deaf Aunt Mary who took in laundry for a living. The brunt of ironing fell on Mom (the oldest girl) until she ran away from home at 16.

Hard times must build character because Mom was a woman of fortitude and grace, a moral compass who pointed us in the right direction.

In private she had a temper, but outsiders saw a softer version easy to like and respect, whether it was the Avon Lady bringing Persian Wood perfume to the house or store clerks uptown who hollered, "Hi, Tillie."

It tickles me now, but Mom astutely overcame the nickname my playmates gave her (wicked witch, for being strict) by handing out homemade popsicles and brownies before suggesting we run through the water hose.

Baking, especially desserts, was her forte. Her cakes and pies were famous among her kids and anyone else who pulled up a stool to the kitchen snack bar.

She'd stand at the counter while everyone else sat, gauging the reaction of guests taking a bite of devil's food cake or lemon meringue pie or a moist cupcake or a slice of cast-iron skillet cornbread.

Plenty of times, when it was just the two of us, Mom gave me a piece of advice, telling me once when I was in college that "life's a journey. Enjoy the trip."

Mom was a doer. Took a job as a waitress in the 1950s to buy my brother a piano. Was divorced and in her 40s, with her youngest child in third grade, when she returned to school and found a new career as a nurse.

Until the sunny afternoon she dropped dead near her iris beds, she never slowed down. There were new recipes to try and weeds to pull, walls to paint, clothes to hang outside, rose bushes to prune, small dogs in need of a ride.

I know Mother's Day is still a week away, but this was my chance to say thank you, Tillie, for being my mom.
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It's just like crossing the street. It's a simple idea that is simply astounding.

I am referring to advice given a century ago by a Belgian priest, Joseph Cardijn. He was meeting with some young people who had left the trades and farms of their families for jobs in the big city factories of the newly industrialized world. He helped them focus their general concerns about safety. "When you are in the factory, what do you see?"

Unprotected gears could catch clothing or the hurried hands of a factory worker, they said. An oil leak makes the floor slippery. Details such as these provided the foundation for action. With facts  not just general complaints  managers could respond. With guards on the gears and the oil leak ended, the factory became a better place.

Three words make up Cardijn's method: See, Judge, Act. It works in the factory, and it works in society. It's how to cross a street. Observe the traffic. Judge when it is safe. Walk to the other side. Or a better example: see the traffic, judge that high speeds are dangerous for children crossing and seek ways to lower the speed and guard the children.

For many who share my Catholic Christian faith, this is the simple but profound foundation of all works of social justice. Observe the world around you, judge what you see in the light of the Gospel, then act to make things better. Cardijn's advice helps me in my personal struggle to integrate faith and action. It is why I am committed to CAJE, Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment. My home parish, Saint Benedict Cathedral, is one of the 18 member congregations.

The CAJE process begins not with premature judgments but instead with the observed realities by members of our community. A few years ago, we saw jobs available along North U.S. Highway 41, and we saw willing workers without transportation. We concluded that this situation was not good for employers or employees and took action to improve public transportation.

We saw some members of our community who needed dental health care, and we saw health care professionals and community leaders willing to help  first in a stand-alone clinic and currently by linking people in need with dentists who care for the community.

Other observations in the past led us to judge and then to act, helping ex-offenders have a better chance to get a job, drug offenders to receive supervised treatment, homeless schoolchildren to get attention and lives to be saved despite lethal overdoses of opiates. At the CAJE Nehemiah Action April 25, we learned that at least seven people in the area have been saved from an overdose by first-responders equipped with the necessary antidote. We heard a mother's anguish when she heard of her son's overdose; we heard her joy when she learned he had survived.

Over the past year, the need to see before judging took CAJE volunteers and community representatives to San Antonio to learn about that city's mental health crisis care center and to Nashville to examine a functioning affordable housing trust fund.

Here at home, we see people paying so much of their earnings for rent that there is not enough left over for food or medicine or utilities. We see people who would work hard to own a home if affordable housing were available. We see a community with an Affordable Housing Trust Fund but with almost no funds in it. On April 25, we heard Evansville's Metropolitan Development director Kelley Coures say "yes" to CAJE. His commitment is to seek city council approval toward building up the trust fund with a small portion of casino money. That would help developers to build more homes for deserving families and individuals.

Today we see too few options for people in a mental health crisis: jail or the emergency room. There is no option for a nonviolent person desperately needing help. We see that the jail provides care in facilities not designed for treating mental illness. We see emergency rooms where long hours of waiting may be required for the person  and for the assisting officer. We see a community with caring institutions who could work together to establish a mental health crisis care center. We saw the reality and concluded that we could change it. On April 25, we heard commitments from Mayor Lloyd Winnecke and Wyeth Hatfield from ECHO to co-chair a commission to bring community leaders together toward establishing a mental health crisis care center.

See. Judge. Act. It's a simple process that simply demands years of effort and commitment, helping people in leadership see the needs of the people they serve.

Paul Leingang is the former editor and columnist for The Message, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Evansville.
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FORT WORTH, Texas (AP)  A concert musician who was not allowed to board a flight with her violin says she hopes the incident will raise awareness of regulations that permit violins and other small instruments as carry-on luggage.

Rachel Barton Pine was told by a flight attendant and captain of an American Eagle flight that she could not bring her 18th century violin on board the plane Thursday from Chicago to Albuquerque, New Mexico. They offered to valet-check the instrument, but Pine declined. The airline, which is based in Texas, later apologized.

"Violins are too delicate to be checked," Pine said in a phone interview Friday. "It's not a question of if it might break. It will break."

She said the fact that her violin, a 1742 Guarneri, is a rare and valuable instrument, is irrelevant: "It could be a $50 student violin and the same problem exists."

Pine said federal regulations and American Airline's own policies specifically say "a musician may carry a small instrument such as a violin onto the plane" to be stowed overhead or under a seat.

"A law is only helpful if people know what it is," said Pine. "I hope that bringing this to light will help other musicians know their rights and obligations."

In an email, American spokeswoman Leslie Scott said the captain of the American Eagle flight "determined that Ms. Barton's instrument could not be safely secured in an overhead bin or under a seat." Scott confirmed that the airline offered to valet-check the violin, but Barton declined. She was then rebooked for travel Friday morning on a bigger plane, which Scott said could better handle the instrument as a carry-on item.

"American has reached out to Ms. Barton directly to apologize for the inconvenience," Scott said.

Pine says she flies 100,000 miles a year with American in every type of aircraft  including the type of small regional jet she tried to board Thursday  "and I can guarantee that my violin easily fits on the airplane." There's even a photo of her instrument in an overhead bin on her Instagram account. She says while it's slightly longer than a standard rollerbag, it's narrower and thinner.

Pine also said that she offered to show the attendant that her violin would fit but she was not permitted to demonstrate, and that she cited the regulations allowing instruments on board to no avail. "There's not enough awareness about the existence of this law," she said, adding that American remains her favorite airline and that "this could have happened with any airline."

Pine said she was heading to Albuquerque to play for "inner city kids" and she made it to her Friday appearance on "two hours sleep." She was scheduled to solo Saturday with the New Mexico Philharmonic.
SHARE The tiny foot of a baby born slips out from under her blanket before being moved from the old Riley NICU unit to the new unit by a team of respiratory therapists, nurses, doctors and lifeline transport teams on Wednesday, June 19, 2013. Riley Hospital for Children undertook the massive and complicated task of moving its NICU unit, and the young patients in it, the span of a city block. Riley has long had a neonatal intensive care unit for infants such as these. In the coming years, however, Indiana University Health will move all its Downtown obstetrics services, including labor and delivery, to Riley. (Photo: IndyStar file photo)

By Shari Rudavsky/ USA Today Netowrk/ The Indianapolis Star

Youve heard of Riley Kids. Soon there will be Riley Babies.

Riley Hospital for Indiana University Health will start offering comprehensive maternity services, taking over for IU Health Methodist, where about 3,200 babies are born each year.

IU Health plans to move obstetrics from its 16th Street hospital to the childrens facility in about two years, hospital officials announced Friday. Methodist will not retain an obstetrics unit, said Russ Williams, Riley chief operating officer.

The idea of moving maternity care to Riley arose as hospital officials pondered how they could help the state address its dismal infant mortality rate. Almost 7 out of every 1,000 babies born in Indiana die in the first year of life, placing Indiana among the 10 highest states in this category.

Riley Maternity & Newborn Health at IU Health will serve as a statewide program, based out of Riley, that provides comprehensive expert care to women around Indiana, hospital officials say.

In addition, the new system will marry labor and delivery care with maternal fetal medicine, neonatology and other specialty care for the most fragile of infants under one roof. This is an amazing opportunity to congregate all those people in one building. Just being able to bump into colleagues in the hallway and then to prospectively plan from that perspective is much stronger, said Dr. David Ingram, medical director of Riley Maternity & Newborn Health. We see this as functioning not in silos but as an integrative program, which historically has never been done here.

Other childrens hospitals, such as Stanford Universitys Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital, have adopted similar systems.

At one point, both IU Health Methodist and University Hospitals had maternity wings. A few years ago, the unit at University Hospital, which is much closer to Riley, closed.

Currently, when a mother at gives birth at Methodist to a child with a medical issue, the infant is transferred to Riley, about two miles south, while the mother remains in the adult facility.

Thats the scariest time often for moms when a baby is born with an issue, they are immediately whisked away and then you have to come see your baby at a different hospital, said Marissa Kiefer, executive director of Riley Maternity & Newborn Health. Now mom and baby will be in the same hospital.

Moving maternity services to Riley solves that problem, but could pose another  what to do for mothers who require specialty care. One example comes from Texas Childrens Hospital, which has an obstetrics intensive care unit, staffed by experts trained in adult pulmonology, cardiology, and other specialties, Ingram said.

As part of its plan, Riley will also increase the number of maternal-fetal medicine specialists, who handle high-risk births, hospital officials said.

Eventually, Riley will have at least a dozen maternal fetal medicine doctors and their services will likely be expanded to include IU Health Arnett in Lafayette and IU Health Bloomington, Kiefer said.

Riley experts will also engage in outreach activities aimed to help lower the states infant mortality rate, Ingram said. Not only will its doctors provide care and devise innovative programs to educate pregnant women, they will also test the interventions they do to gauge their effectiveness. In Indianapolis, the new maternity program will include a center for mothers who are pregnant with children diagnosed with fetal anomalies, Kiefer said.

For now, though, its not clear where at Riley the obstetrics services will be located, Williams said. The Simon Family Tower is full but there are other connected buildings where space might be available. Williams said that the space will be in the ballpark of 150,000 to 200,000 square feet.

So far, theres no discussion of new construction.

Another decision that has yet to be made: Whether the hospitals name will change as it expands to include adults in its patient population.

That question has been asked. Its on the table, Williams said. At this point its Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health.
Somewhere on America's East Coast, a young man takes MDMA in what looks like a divorced stockbroker's studio apartment while an older married couple watches.

Via Dr. Michael Mithoefer

The flowers should be a bottle of bourbon, but close.

Contrary to that deeply misleading opening sentence, nothing the least bit kinky or illegal is going on here. The couple is Dr. Michael Mithoefer and his wife, Ann Mithoefer, a psychiatric nurse. The young man is a veteran of one of America's most recent wars, seeking treatment for his PTSD. Over the last decade-and-change, Michael and Ann have treated dozens of men and women this way -- combat vets, firefighters, survivors of sexual assault. One of their patients, Nicholas, told us how his therapy went:

"So, once a week you go in, no drug, and talk with them. Getting to know each other, what to go through ... and at the end of the month, you have an all-day session. You're given a drug in the morning. They give you a half-dose midway through; it keeps you going all day. And then you stay the night."

DEA

Which, frankly, sounds a little quiet for a full day of rave drugs.

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The Mithoefers are there in their capacity as psychotherapists. Nicholas describes their role as creating a "comfortable space" to act as a "vessel of healing." He says, "It's just talking for hours. ... There are times when I'd get my mind in knots and they'd say, 'Hey remember to use your breath,' or, 'Trust the medicine,' or, 'Do you think this would be a good time to lay down and go within?'" At no point did either of the Mithoefers wave a glow stick in Nicholas' face or try to sell him hits off a nitrous balloon for $5.
Sylvain Guintoli has been ruled out of taking part in race one at Imola after suffering a heavy high side crash during Superpole two qualifying and is a big doubt to be fit enough for Sunday's race two.

On his second flying lap in the pole position shootout the Crescent Pata Yamaha rider was thrown into a nasty-looking high side at the exit of Variante Alta which forced a red flag stoppage to the session. The French rider required medical attention trackside before being taken to hospital in an ambulance.

World Superbike medical officials have confirmed Guintoli is conscious but will not take part in Saturday's race one at Imola due to his injuries. The extent of the French rider's injuries have not been confirmed but he is already a huge doubt for Sunday's second race.
Mobility News

Report: Former Motorola Mobility President Osterloh Rejoins Google To Lead Hardware Division

Kevin McLaughlin

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Rick Osterloh, former president and chief operating officer of Google's Motorola Mobility unit, to head up a newly formed hardware product division, according to a report Thursday from Re/code.

Osterloh joined Google in 2012 and was named president of its Motorola Mobility unit a few months before Lenovo acquired it October 2014 for $2.9 billion. When the deal was announced, Lenovo partners told CRN they were because they felt it would help Lenovo gain much needed traction in the North American market.

Osterloh is now senior vice president of hardware at Google, reporting to CEO Sundar Pichai.

Nicky Parseghian, director of engineering at SADA Systems, a Los Angeles-based Google partner, said he sees Osterloh's hiring as an emphatic statement of the search giant's commitment to hardware.

"Rick Osterlohs return to Googles devices division outlines how serious Google is about reinforcing its position on the market," Parseghian told CRN. "His experience leading a devices-centric organization like Motorola Mobility, along with his experience working within the Google family, is definitely a massive advantage."

According to Re/code, Osterloh now has a much broader scope of duties than he had during his first stint at the company. He's responsible for Mountain View, Calif.-based Google's Nexus smartphone, the Chromecast media streaming device, Chromebooks, and Project Aura, the team that's working on the successor to the Google Glass product.

Google has has mixed results with Chromebooks. The devices have made inroads with consumers, and some Google partners have had success selling them in the education market. But Chromebooks have seen less traction in enterprises, although Google continues to promote them as lower-cost alternatives to Windows PCs.

Google Glass wasn't a hit when it hit the market a few years ago, but wearable computing is seeing growing mainstream usage. Parseghian said he thinks Osterloh will help Google fine-tune the areas of its hardware portfolio that need updating.

"Most of the devices within Osterloh's new realm are already quite successful. With that said, I am quite confident that Ricks leadership will drive product adoption to the next level," said Parseghian.
Welcome to the weekend!

SWIFT attacks, Ransomware, Daesh hackers, and Doxing are just some of the topics in this week's report covering news and items of note for the week of April 30, 2016.

Today marks the first post for Salted Hash Rehashed, a weekend recap of the week's news and other items of note in the security world. Clips listed here will include items posted on Salted Hash, CSO Online, or any other website where something interesting turned up.



Bangladesh Bank attackers used custom malware that hijacked SWIFT software

The crooks who stole $81 million from Bangladesh's central bank likely did so by using custom malware designed to target SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) transaction software. The custom malware deleted transaction records and printed out altered SWIFT confirmation messages.



SWIFT banking network warns customers about multiple attacks

Shortly after news of the attacks hit the wire, SWIFT issued a warning this week about "a number of recent cyber incidents in which malicious insiders or external attackers have managed to submit SWIFT messages." The warning suggests that the Bangladesh Bank incident was just one small part of a much larger problem. To address this, SWIFT pushed a software update to address the custom malware toolkit used during the Bangladesh attack.



Pro-Daesh hackers: More bark than bite, lacking in skills and resources

Earlier this week, a report from Flashpoint singled out the "United Cyber Caliphate" - or rather, the groups of pro-Daesh (al-dowla al-islaamiyya fii-il-i'raaq wa-ash-shaam, a.k.a. ISIS/ISIL) hackers who joined forces to create it. The problem is, together or alone, these groups are fragmented and they operate unofficially with little to no operational funding. Yet, the threat they pose to banking, media, and government entities shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. On the research front, Dr. Krypt3ia has uncovered two additional Daesh Caliphate websites on the Darknet. If these websites are any indication of skill within the groups, they're off to a bad start (which is a good thing). In related news, the U.S. Cyber Command has officially started launching network-based attacks against assets maintained by ISIS. "The goal of the new campaign is to disrupt the ability of the Islamic State to spread its message, attract new adherents, circulate orders from commanders and carry out day-to-day functions, like paying its fighters," the New York Times reported.



Malvertising: Exploit Kit pushes Ransomware to Android devices

Malicious ads are to blame for a recent Ransomware attack on Android devices discovered by researchers at Blue Coat Labs. The Ransomware is being delivered thanks in part to the Towelroot exploit, which is sent along with a previously leaked Hacking Team exploit. The attacks are aiming for the 4.x branch of Android. According to stats taken from devices running the latest version of the Google Play app, 59.6 percent of the Android devices in the hands of consumers are running version 4.4 or lower.



Website offers Doxing-as-a-Service and customized extortion

A website on the Dark Web, Ran$umBin, is offering to store collected Dox and hold it for ransom. If the ransom is paid, the submitter collects most of the payment  minus the website's cut and a payment-processing fee. In addition, the website will also collect Dox, with service fees depending on the amount of information being collected.



Examining the leaked passwords and PINs from Qatar National Bank

A data breach at Qatar National Bank exposed personal and financial records. Among them were customer passwords and PINs. Salted Hash examined the leaked credentials, and determined that some people have a fondness for certain numbers, and that even those accused of being spies have problems creating secure passwords.



Toy makers website pushed growing CryptXXX ransomware threat

The website for U.S. toy maker Maisto was hijacked this week and used to push Ransomware. As luck would have it, the Ransomware being delivered (CryptXXX) has a flaw  one that enabled Kaspersky to develop a decryption tool.



Georgia husband and wife plead guilty to their role in the Get Transcript data breach at the IRS

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a husband and wife team have pled guilty to abusing the Get Transcript application developed by the IRS. The 2015 Get Transcript breach at the IRS compromised more than 700,000 taxpayer records. The couple managed to steal at least $250,000 before being caught.



Windows 10 Upgrade nag screen takes over a weather report

This is just amusing. Earlier this week, a Windows 10 nag screen covered most of the map during a live weather report on KCCI in Des Moines, Iowa. You can watch the video here.



All next week, if you come across a blog post or news item, or perhaps just something amusing, and you think should be shared on Rehash, feel free to email me a link. General corporate news and product-based items are the only exemptions.
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BRIDGEPORT  If Brianne Bresky, Alicia Robinson and Eve Sarra  who teach different subjects in different parts of the city  have anything in common, it is patience.

It takes a while to develop who you are as a teacher, said Bresky, a history teacher at the Bridgeport Military Academy.

Students will test you. Its just what they do, added Robinson, a Roosevelt School music teacher. What is important is to not give up.

And Sarra, a math and computer science teacher at Central Magnet School, said changing the mindset of students who have been told their whole lives they cant succeed takes time.

My job is to say, Yes, you can do it as well as anybody, Sarra said. I have to believe in them more than they believe in themselves.

All three teachers are this years Theodore and Margaret Beard Excellence in Teaching Award winners.

More Information Beard Excellence in Teaching Award In addition to the Beard winners, these educators are being recognized by the Bridgeport Public Education Fund for Excellence in Education: Christine Blaszcynski, a computer literacy coach at High Horizons Magnet School Donald Brelsford, a music teacher at Hallen School Kara DeFilippo, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Bryant School Wendy Milson, a math teacher at Winthrop School Tavares Perkins, a fourth-grade teacher at Classical Studies Magnet Academy Alisha Price, a fifth- and sixth-grade teacher at Hallen School Bianca Rivera, a third-grade teacher at Roosevelt School Rebekah Tomlinson, a kindergarten teacher at Columbus School Also, Michele Matera, principal of the Skane Center, is receiving the George Bellinger Leadership Award, and University of Bridgeport President Neil Salonen is receivng the Elizabeth Pfreim Civic Award. All will be honored at a ceremony Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 1070 Main St., Bridgeport. See More Collapse

The award, which comes with a $25,000 cash prize paid over four years, has typically gone to one or two teachers each year since the program began in 2002.

This year, the pool of nominees  29  was record-breakingly large, said Alexis Bivens of the Fairfield County Community Foundation, which manages the award.

The selection committee visited the classrooms of 10 of the nominees and deadlocked on three finalists. The committee, along with the Beard family, decided that the award should go to all three.

The committee was highly impressed, Bivens said, noting that in their classroom visits this year, teachers spoke less and used time more efficiently.

More often than not, she said, students were self-directed and inspired to think.

Beating the odds

Statistics show that of nearly 48,000 students taking the Advanced Placement exam in computer science, only 20 percent are female and even fewer are Hispanic or African-American. Those three sub-groups describe most of Sarras Advanced Placement computer science students.

I feel like I am doing just a little drop in the bucket to make a dent in that, Sarra said. If they dont do well, it probably is more my lack of experience than their lack of ability.

Sarra is used to taking on challenges. When Central lost its computer science teacher to the new Fairchild Wheeler campus, Sarra, a second-career math teacher of 20 years, decided to fill the hole.

Most kids love computers, but they also get frustrated by their unforgiving nature, Sarra soon discovered.

It has got to be perfect, Sarra said. They will say, Miss, its not working. I tell them the computer does what you tell it to do, not what you want it to do.

Sarras is a mostly paperless class. She has more than 100 students and has barely been through two reams of paper the whole school year.

I absolutely love my job, Sarra said. I get up in the morning and cant wait to get here.

Commands respect

Evanna Dias, one of Breskys students at the Bridgeport Military Academy, called her history teacher one of the best.

The main thing is you have to focus in class, Dias said. Her class is different than most. She gets to the point. She wont let kids interrupt her.

Bresky, 36, said she learned from her mother, who was also a strong, tough teacher.

I always tell my students I am hard on them because I care about their education, said Bresky, a ninth-year teacher who grew up in the city but attended Catholic schools.

Most students dont appreciate the rewards of that rigor until they graduate.

I think what I do is important, Bresky said.

She dismisses the notion that it takes a lot of money to do what she does.

I find to teach well, you dont need a lot of props, she said. You can be creative and you can still deliver an excellent lesson.

Music with intention

During the first few years of her teaching career, Robinson taught the elements of music, but never in relation to math, science or language arts.

Then Turnaround Arts  a federally funded arts integration program  came to the district. Robinson became more deliberate about connecting content and core curriculum and has never looked back.

I was sold, said Robinson, 32.

Now, she helps teachers at other schools in the district find ways to integrate the arts into the common core curriculum and help cement learning for students.

A Bridgeport native whose love of music came from a middle school teacher at Dunbar School, Robinson said her aim is to be the same positive influence.

I know the type of student I work with, she said. I know the challenges they face every day and are going home to.

Unlike a classroom teacher who has one group of 29 students for the entire school year, Robinson sees more than 200 students, each for 35 weekly class periods.

Specialists need to forge relationships in much smaller periods of time, she said. But if they stick with the same school, they also can see students grow from one year to the next.

I tell new teachers you dont teach lessons, you teach the students, Robinson said. You dont have to stick to script.

lclambeck@ctpost.com; @lclambeck
WASHINGTON  The Obama administration on Friday laid out an ambitious timeline for spurring along smart-gun technology and ultimately using federal purchasing power as a marketplace incentive for development of weapons with features that minimize the chances of misuse.

As long as weve got the technology to prevent a criminal from stealing and using your smartphone, then we should be able to prevent the wrong person from pulling a trigger on a gun, President Barack Obama said in a Facebook posting to roll out a report by the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security.

The report set a timeline for developing baseline specifications by Oct. 15 this year for smart guns to be used by federal, state and local law enforcement.

Once developed, smart guns would employ technology similar to smart phones that permit access through a four-digit ID or a biometric measure such as a thumbprint. Chips embedded in guns could send location signals if guns are lost or stolen.

The issue has been watched closely in Connecticut because of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Adam Lanza used weapons that didnt belong to him to kill 20 kids and six educators in Sandy Hook, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Friday at a news conference in Hartford. Had Nancy Lanza bought smart guns, there might be kids and educators alive today in Newtown.

Theoretically, smart guns also could prove effective in cases where small children find parents guns and use them to accidentally kill themselves or playmates or siblings  or even parents themselves.

Earlier this week, a 2-year-old in Milwaukee picked up a loaded .40-caliber handgun in the backseat of car and killed his mother, who was driving.

This was a tragedy that never should have happened, said U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., who represents Newtown and has taken a leading role within the House Democratic minority on guns. This is where smart-gun technology can make a difference.

The 16-page report notes that although some smart guns have appeared in the marketplace, much work needs to be done to assure that such weapons are reliable and wont compromise police officers or federal agents needing quick access in high-stress situations when firearms are needed most.

To incentivize gun manufacturers, the administration will open up its U.S. Army proving grounds in Aberdeen, Md., for trials and award cash prizes of $5,000 and $10,000 for manufacturers that pass light- and heavy-duty testing phases.

The report makes clear the end game is not only to usher in widespread use of smart guns by law enforcement, but also to create marketplace incentives for gun manufacturers to produce them profitably.

Here, as in many other industries, the government can serve as a market participant, encouraging important technological advancements with the potential to benefit both law enforcement officers and the public at large, the report said.

The reports authors also said there would be no mandate that any particular individual or law enforcement agency adopt the technology once developed.

The National Rifle Association has said it does not oppose smart-gun development but insists the marketplace, not government mandates, should determine its use once it becomes technologically feasible.

On Friday, an NRA spokeswoman reiterated that position but argued White House interest in smart guns has political motivations.

President Obamas obsession with gun control knows no boundaries, said the spokeswoman, Jennifer Baker. At a time when we are actively fighting terrorists at home and abroad, this administration would rather focus the militarys efforts on the presidents gun-control agenda.

On Friday, the administration also announced it would convene a conference in May of state and local officials to figure out what works on the ground when it comes to keeping our communities safe, and then share those practices, as Obama put it.

Also, the Social Security Administration will put forward a federal rule to permit forwarding its records to the FBIs National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The aim would be to weed out individuals unqualified under federal law to purchase firearms, such as those adjudicated mentally ill.

dan@hearstdc.com
Berlin, Windber and North Star bring plenty of momentum into Week 10

Check out what we learned in Week 9 of the high school football season across Somerset County.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Charlie Crist square off in their only TV debate

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democrat Charlie Crist are expected to tussle over the economy, abortion and culture war issues.
Lifestyle | Daily Life | News | The Sydney Morning Herald

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The ruthless plundering of BHS confirms everyones worst prejudices about the greed and irresponsibility which still flourishes in big business and the City.

Huge amounts of cash were extracted by all involved in the ravaging of this once-popular high street chain  seller Sir Philip Green, buyer Dominic Chappell, corporate lawyers and accountants.

Meanwhile its workers face being thrown on the scrapheap and its pension fund is left with a massive black hole.

Scroll down for video.

The ruthless plundering of BHS confirms everyones worst prejudices about the greed and irresponsibility which still flourishes in big business and the City

True, the former British Home Stores had been ailing for years. In a brutally competitive market, it had simply failed to evolve. But the sale  for 1  which led to its demise was an utter disgrace.

Of many deeply disturbing questions raised by the deal, one stands out. How could Sir Philip think it acceptable to sell a company of such size to a multiple bankrupt and chancer like Chappell?

The Mail passionately believes in the free market and, if BHS was not strong enough to survive, its fate may have been inevitable. Furthermore, as owner of a private business, it was Sir Philips right to dispose of it as he wished.

But in doing so he had a moral duty to protect the interests of the 11,000 loyal staff around the country who helped make him rich and 21,000 members of the companys pension schemes.

Despite having squeezed more than 1billion out of BHS in his 15 years of ownership, this was an obligation to which Sir Philip seems to have paid scant regard.

He sold the 164-store chain to Chappell  a self-aggrandising playboy with no retail experience  for just 1 (showing how eager he was to dispose of it) and the result was catastrophe. Thirteen months later it went into receivership, though not before Chappell and his associates had taken another 25million.

Huge amounts of cash were extracted by all involved in the ravaging of this once-popular high street chain  seller Sir Philip Green, buyer Dominic Chappell, corporate lawyers and accountants

They have now walked away, leaving the pension schemes 571million in deficit and thousands of workers facing a poorer retirement. Its now for the Business Department, the pension regulator and possibly the Serious Fraud Office to probe every detail of this shabby deal.

Sir Philip has informally offered 80million in cash and other assets to help plug the pension gap but decency demands that he pay much more.

Some would say he ought to make good the entire shortfall. With his family wealth estimated at 3.2billion, he could certainly afford it.

But there is a broader issue at stake. Like BHS, British steelmaking  a vital national strategic asset  hangs in the balance. Tata Steel is seeking to dispose of its Port Talbot works and other facilities, possibly with the help of taxpayer loans and a public stake.

The BHS fiasco shows how crucial it is to investigate the bona fides of any potential buyer. Yes, the Government is right (albeit belatedly) to be trying to save the steel industry but, in their desperation to do so, ministers must not allow a repeat of this sordid affair.

While Project Fear concocts ever more apocalyptic forecasts about the perils of leaving the EU, Michael Gove today highlights a truly chilling consequence of staying in.

Writing on these pages, he explains how under EU enlargement plans, Britain could be forced to open its doors to another 88million migrants from Turkey and the Balkans, placing yet more strain on our already creaking public services.

Now that really is something to be afraid of.

This paper wholeheartedly welcomes George Osbornes pledge to cut business rates for local newspapers.

The regional press has suffered in recent years as advertising revenue has migrated to the internet and too many papers have gone to the wall.
By doing this, they are given the skills to solve problems for themselves

The idea is hands on learning that encouraged kids to explore

The Brisbane resident follows the Montessori philosophy with her kids

Kylie D'Alton runs the blog How We Montessori to share ideas with parents

At eight years old, Caspar D'Alton can confidently whip up a quiche.

But the Brisbane youngster is not a culinary prodigy, he has simply been taught practical life skills through the Montessori way of learning.

Caspar's mother Kylie D'Alton is an advocate for the philosophy, and told Daily Mail Australia the idea was to give children the skills to do things for themselves and in turn develop confidence.

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Helping out: Brisbane mother Kylie D'Alton has shared how to implement the Montessori philosophy in to the home

Hands-on learning: The mother-of-two runs the blog How We Montessori to share ideas with other parents

Little learners: She uses Montessori at home with her sons Caspar, eight, and Otis, five (pictured together)

'Montessori is an educational approach, I also think it's a parenting philosophy, that follows the children's developmental needs,' she said.

'It's important for their own confidence, they learn what they can and can't do.

'It's easier as a parent as your child is able to help themselves around the home  and it makes them feel empowered.'

Life experience: Montessori is an educational philosophy that encourages children to do things for themselves

In place: At home, things can be put at a child's level giving them the tools to be self sufficient

Self motivated: At home Ms D'Alton's kids have access to craft materials that they can use

WHAT IS MONTESSORI? Montessori is an educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montesori. It is based on the natural laws of human development. Children are encouraged to do things for themselves, explore and solve problems. Fore more, visit Montessori Australia.

Ms D'Alton, who lives in Brisbane, Australia, incorporates a Montessori philosophy at home with her two sons: Caspar, eight, and Otis, five.

At home the boys are given the tools to become more self-sufficient by placing things like their wardrobe, access to drinking water and brooms at a height they can reach.

This means from a younger age they are able to get their own glass of water instead of asking, they can dress themselves and even clean up if they spill something.

The practical life skills encompass all aspects of the home, including the kitchen.

Hands-on: At home Montessori encompasses a very practical way of learning

Learn and grow: Kids are encouraged to explore and solve their own problems

'Having kids in the kitchen is so important to me, as eating and preparing food is something we need to be able to do,' Ms D'Alton said.

'Even toddlers, though they might be a little bit messy, can get involved in the kitchen  and really help.'

Ms D'Alton runs the parenting blog How We Montessori, and a recent post was titled: What a three-year-old can do in the kitchen.

Skills included washing dishes, cracking eggs, cutting and chopping, kneading bread or using an egg beater, just to name a few.

In the kitchen: Children as young as three years old are able to help out in the kitchen

Challenging: By placing learning activities in easy to access places, children can shape their own educational path

Other posts she has done include activities for children broken down in to age groups, how to make Montessori affordable in the home and craft activities.

In an age where screen time for children is only increasing, Ms D'Alton said Montessori exposes children to the real world.

'Not only do they have a lot of screen time, but they're really overprotected in terms of parents don't want them outside climbing trees, playing in the creek or using kitchen knives,' she said.

'I think the long terms benefits are we have children who are confident and capable, and they are also really aware of their environment.'

MONTESSORI AT HOME: WHAT A THREE-YEAR-OLD CAN DO IN THE KITCHEN Ms D'Alton said there are plenty of ways toddlers can help out in the kitchen. IN a recent blog post, she shared her list of ways three-year-old's can do in the kitchen: Using an apple slicer (similar slicer) Washing dishes Cooking with heat - using a fry pan or skillet Cracking eggs! A favourite in our home Cutting and chopping Growing sprouts (we love and use this the small biosnacky sprouter) Making butter (using a butter maker jar) Putting dishes away (in their own kitchen drawer) Kneading bread (or making pasta) Using a mortar and pestle Identifying herbs Mashing (with this mini masher) Cracking nuts (olive wood nut cracker) Making breakfast (and pouring milk) Learning the parts of a plant we eat - fruit, roots, flower, leaves, stems (using matching card set with my own printed labels) Peeling Spreading (even better if it's child-made spread) Their kitchen rules: Giving children the skills to do things for themselves can make them feel empowered

School community: At school, children are placed in classes with kids from three to six years old so the older kids can help out

Ms D'Alton's children attend a Montessori school.

There they must meet the Australian curriculum, but children are given more freedom to learn at their own pace and choose their lessons from a range of options.

Students are also placed in classes with kids from three to six years old, so the older kids in the class can help with the younger students.

The schooling method allows children to work at their own pace, for example Ms D'Alton said while her son was learning to count to 20, another boy in his class was learning division.

Life skills: Giving children access to tools such as brooms enables them to clean up after themselves

The day's findings: Nature is a big part of the philosophy, with children encouraged to explore

Ms D'Alton said she started the blog because there was a lack of information available on how to incorporate Montessori at home.

'Anyone who is interested in Montessori school should go and have a look,' she said.
Advertisement

Old-school train travel may be making a comeback with the lavishly wealthy thanks to the $10 million Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe in Vienna that puts many private yachts to shame.

The luxurious seven carriage train boasts a total of 239 seats is a revival of the original imperial train used by the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I and his wife Elisabeth in 1891  which means it is quite literally built for royalty.

Unsurprisingly, the Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe has attracted wealthy luminaries from all over the world, including former President Jimmy Carter and Otto von Habsburg, the Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary.

Legendary locomotive: The Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe in Vienna is a revival of the original imperial train built for the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I and his wife Elisabeth in 1891

Exact replicas: The seven carriages were designed using the building plans from the original imperial train

Guests on the Majestic Imperator walk over over a red carpet and are personally welcomed with a glass of sparking wine before they step on board the historically-inspired locomotive.

Although it is not exactly known what foods were prepared for the Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth on the original train, the website suggests that shorter travel may have included only some snacks while longer travels most likely features all of the favorite dishes of the royal couple.

According to its website, the Majestic Imperator offers a 'well balanced menu course concerted to the duration and character of the travel and completed with an exquisite selection of high quality Austrian wines'.

The website also offers a selection of 'programmes' for guests to choose from, with many single-day trips that allow travelers to enjoy the train's lavish setting for just a few hours, while also indulging in a delicious fare of decadent dishes based on those eaten by Austrian royalty.

With all trips starting and ending in Vienna, at the Franz Josef station, each is based around a seasonal theme, with the next program offering a trip to the Midsummer Festival in the Wachau, which takes place overlooking the Danube River.

Another program offers travelers the opportunity to journey to a Christmas market at the nearby imperial castle Hof, while also giving them a chance to enjoy a five-course meal on-board the luxury locomotive.

But those are not the only opportunities to travel on the train - with private rentals also being offered to those guests who are not short on some cash to splash for the chance to experience the royal-approved mode of transport.

While prices are only available on request - and differ depending on the size of the group on-board - there are plenty of pre-arranged programs to choose from, as well as the opportunity to create your own itinerary, although this option likely comes with an even higher price tag.

Stately design: The Ambassador carraige boasts a portion of the original curtain from the emperor's balcony at the Vienna State Opera that is prominently displayed and features the hand woven crest of the Monarch

Room to relax: The luxurious train boasts a total of 239 seats, a combination of 197 dining seats and 42 salon seats

One particularly popular program sees guests taken on a tour around Austria, with stops being made in Salzburg, Bad Ischl, Innsbruck and Kitzbuhel.

Carriage rental for groups costs $4,500 plus tax, while catering costs depends on request. The entire train features a total of 197 dining seats and 42 salon seats.

But, for those who can't stand the thought of spending just a short amount of time on the train - and would prefer to call the Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe their own - the locomotive is priced at $10,059,670 on the luxury market place James Edition.

The price sale includes 100 per cent shares of the company, all seven carriages of the train plus two spare wagons that can be refurbished for operation or used for spare parts, and various antiques aboard the train.

In the 19th century, opulent locomotives were built for the ruling families of Europe, and Franz Ringhoffer, a renowned locomotive factory based in the Smichov district of Prague, created the original imperial train that the Majestic Imperator is based on.

Although much of the original train was destroyed during World 1 and II, he building plans survived and served as the basis for the modern version of the luxury locomotive.

A century after the imperial train was built in 1891, engineer Gottfried Rieck and his wife Sibylle set out to rebuild a carriage modeled from one of the originals.

Gottfried, who worked with the Austrian Federal Railways for more than 35 years, made his dream a reality after months of planning, adapting the original plans from the imperial train to meet with modern safety requirements and recreate the Salon 1 carriage.

Ornate designs: The Equipage carriage seats 36 guests for fine dining and features a picture gallery along the walls of the original train

Added touch: Guests on the Majestic Imperator walk over over a red carpet and are personally welcomed with a glass of sparking wine before they step on board the historically-inspired locomotive

The original Salon 1, which was the oldest carriage in the fleet, featured oak parquet flooring, brass trimmings with handles of ivory, and the cover plates of the keyholes were vermeil gold and monogrammed with the letter 'E'.

The Majestic Imperator's Salon 1 is a reproduction of the Emperor Franz Joseph's 105 parlor car, and includes 14 dinner seats in its coffee house style salon and and additional 18 regular seats in its three luxury compartments.

The updated carriage also comes equipped with a bar featuring a tea kitchen and a 360 degree panoramic view so travelers can admire their lush surroundings.

The website boats that Salon 1 'breathes that special feeling of coziness, known as "Gemutlichkeit", which Austria's coffee-houses are famous for', and other amenities include a piano player that can entertain guests upon request.

The Rieck family's determination to bring back the royal train and update it with modern amenities inspired nostalgic fans of historic locomotives, and in 2012 Stefan Gutmann took over the majority of the company's shares.

Other carriages include the Franz Josef dining room, which is dedicated to the emperor in respect to the upcoming 100th anniversary of his death in November.

Total luxury: The interior walls in the Equipage carriage are made of walnut and feature Italian inlaid woods and brass furnishings, white the curtains were made on the original Imperial weaving tables.

The wagon includes 42 dining seats, a kitchen, a bar, one DJ studio, and a silver screen for presentations.

The emperor's presence is felt in the finely woven Gobelin in the room. The Gobelins were a family of dyers who established themselves in Paris in the 15th century.

Other high-grade fabrics displayed on the room's walls feature ornate deco elements that 'bring back glamorous memories of the pompous emperor's era', and all the tables and chairs were manufactured in Austria.

Meanwhile, the emperor's small pipe is on display in a show case.

The Salon Elisabeth, which is named after the Empress Elisabeth, has been kept in blue, her favorite color, and features heavy silks in the boudoir, angora pelts in the sleeper, and handles made of ivory on brass fittings.

The ornate carriage has 24 dining seats in the salon and 24 luxury seats in four private compartments.

Fit for a royal: Some high-grade fabrics displayed on the carriages' walls feature ornate deco elements that 'bring back glamorous memories of the pompous emperor's era'

Work of art: The ceiling paintings from the original train were meticulously copied for the Majestic Imperator

Another one of the train's luxurious wagons, the Excelsior, took more than 5,000 hours of artistic wood-carving to be recreated.

In addition to the wood work, the ceiling paintings from the original train were meticulously copied, and the bar features inlaid woods and brass furnishings.

The carriage seats up to 43 guests for dining and boats a dance floor in the center; modern amenities include a BOSE system with a lighting system.

In the room guests will also find red fabrics from the original weaving tables from the imperial house, and the original mirror from Empress Elisabeth's carriage, one of the few items from the train that wasn't destroyed during World I and II.

Meanwhile, the Equipage carriage is said to be perfect for presentations and seminars as tables and chair can be removed and rearranged to accommodate everything from buffets to a ballroom dance floor.

High price: For those who want to call the Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe their own, the locomotive is priced at $10,059,670

Royal highness: Emperor Franz Joseph I is pictured leaving the imperial train in the early 20th century

It seats 36 guests for fine dining and features a picture gallery along the walls of the original train.

While the interior walls are made of walnut and feature Italian inlaid woods and brass furnishings, the curtains were made on the original Imperial weaving tables.

The Ambassador boasts a portion of the original curtain from the emperor's balcony at the Vienna State Opera that is prominently displayed and features the hand woven crest of the Monarch.

The carriage offers comfortable armchairs for up 36 guests for fine dining, and it also includes a stunning piano bar, a kitchen for catering, and a small luggage compartment.

Finally, the Fourgon car was originally built in 1927 as a dining car and later rebuilt by Majestic Imperator to be a supply carriage featuring staff quarters.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY A branch has broken off the tree. It didnt slide to the ground straight away. Other branches held it up and kept watch over it for several hours. From The Eighth Day by Christian Bobin (French writer, born 1951)

DEAR BEL

Its now nearly a year since I had to leave my wife after her affair.

Wed been married more than 30 years and I always thought we would grow old together and care for each other in our old age.

When I realised shed been seeing someone from work, my world fell apart. I had never known pain like it  I have no words to describe the devastation.

When she moved out I couldnt function, took sick leave and was prescribed antidepressants and sleeping tablets. After a couple of weeks she called and said shed made a big mistake and asked if we could try to patch things up. Over the moon, I brought her back home.

For a couple of months we seemed happy. She left her job and changed her phone number. I made a massive effort: as long as she was happy, I was happy. Then I sensed something and checked our joint mobile bill.

This week, Bel Mooney offers advice to a man who left his wife of more than 30 years after she had an affair

I couldnt believe my eyes; she had been calling and texting him dozens of times a day. I found out that as soon as I left for work she took a bus to meet him.

My life was just back on track: off all medication, back at work, looking forward to the future. Then another massive blow. I am ashamed to say I took an overdose.

Unfortunately, my daughter was in the house and threatened to call an ambulance if I didnt let her drive me to hospital. I had a breakdown and was admitted to a mental hospital and on release moved in with my daughter, where I was visited most days by a doctor.

It has now been nearly a year and Im still on antidepressants. There is the occasional good day, but mostly not. My wife wants a divorce, but I miss our old life so much  she is still the last thing on my mind at night and the first in the morning.

Sometimes I wake to think it was all a bad dream, then reality kicks in. When alone, I occasionally break down and long to end it all.

Im still hurting so much after all this time and wonder if I will ever feel normal again. I loved her more than words can say and my life will never be the same again. I never cheated on her in all our marriage and wonder what I did to deserve this. Please help.

ALAN

The anguish in your letter tears my heart. Please dont ask what you did to deserve such treatment. There is no justice in the universe, no reason for good people to suffer, no explanation or consolation for pain.

All of us who have been hurt know how the mind rolls round the what-ifs (What if she had never met him?, What if hed been run over by a car on the way to work? and so on) until they make you sick.

To sit amid the ruins of your castle of cards is the saddest, loneliest, most bewildering experience. Those injuries are mental, physical and emotional, like those of an accident victim. I know because Ive been there.

After finding out about her love affair, you took your wife back, which is exactly what I would have advised, because marriages can survive affairs. They are always cracked, yet not inevitably broken. But then to discover the extent of her deception was so much more cruel because this was your new start.

There cant be a single soul reading this who doesnt enfold you with compassion.

Tellingly, you say that your daughter unfortunately intervened in your suicide attempt. Let me suggest that you may still wish yourself dead, but that will not be the case in a years time.

You have so much to live for. What, you ask?

Well, your daughter, for a start, and other family and friends, and the world  the world which, in the guise of crisp green leaves and spring flowers and nesting birds, is currently holding out its arms to you. Go outside and see. Look up.

Oh, I know you will read that with bleak disbelief and dismissal. Nevertheless, I must stand up for its profound truth. Listen to me, Alan, life is better than death; lost love better than never-loved, powerful feelings of loss better than blank indifference.

You wont believe any of it, but I beg you to realise two things.

First, these are still early days and you still need maximum help. Second, that with the passage of time comes an eventual healing of scars. They are always there, but fade and become tolerable. By which I mean, they can be borne. They do not stop life.

That is not to say we get over the blows life deals us. I hate that phrase! It implies a kind of hurdle you manage to jump, then everythings OK. You wonder if youll ever feel normal again and state: My life will never be the same again.

My response to the first point is that in time you will do normal things and maybe even make a new relationship  who knows? None of us can possibly know anything that will happen.

As for the second point  you are absolutely right; life will indeed remain changed utterly, and I can tell you that years afterwards you will feel a sudden pang of longing for somebody who left you long ago. For the shared life and the future snatched away.

By then . . . well . . . in a strange way, the longing has become absorbed by you and is a powerful testimony to the love you had. I think of it as a fine, marble memorial, there for ever, and in that sense (yes, I know this sounds strange) not entirely lost.

You sound a good, loving man who deserves that new start. I wish you strength to get through the divorce and warn you that when those legal papers come in the post, the scab rips off. Be aware of this and seek the support of all those who care for you. Listen to the good things they say.

I hope you have counselling (ask your GP) to help you deal with the loss and pain. The Samaritans are also always available to call on 116 123.

I wish I could give you a massive hug. Most of all, I beg you to take back that word unfortunately and rip it into tiny pieces, as white as the cherry blossom outside my window.

Your daughter was there for you; now you must see your one life as a precious second chance. Be strong now and make it new.

Should we help our broke daughter?

DEAR BEL

Our married daughter, who is in her mid-50s, lost her well-paid job and now can supplement the family income only spasmodically by making and selling craftwork. She has been unable to find another position.

Her husband, who is the same age, earns income that covers their basic bills, but they have a large mortgage on which they are behind in payments. Before her job loss, they built up a huge credit card debt, amounting to 85,000, which they now cannot afford to pay off.

We understand that they have a very poor credit rating and it is therefore not possible for them to negotiate a loan or arrange an alternative mortgage.

As her parents, we are in a quandary as to what we could or should do to help them. This worry is dominating our whole thinking every day and we even find ourselves arguing over it. We have considered moving house, but downsized some years ago due to my husbands ill health.

We have little spare cash, as we are in our late 70s and do not know what our own future will bring.

We have considered equity release  but people warn us against this. We are left floundering and do not know what to do.

LAURA

A mother asks whether she and her husband should help their married daughter, who lost her well-paid job (file photo)

On more than one occasion, in recent years, my 94-year-old father has reminded me that your child remains just that  even if she is a successful writer in her 60s.

Now that my own two are parents and doing just fine (more or less), I recognise each day the truth of what my father said. They are still my babies, and I worry about them more than I should. We cant help it, can we?

Nevertheless, Laura, wise and experienced people will tell both of us that if we want to help our families, we first have to take care of ourselves.

This is not to counsel selfishness, but merely to remind you and your husband that if you become ill (youre losing sleep over this, arent you?), then all the familys worries are doubled and trebled.

For the sake of your health and your marriage, you have to take a firm hold of this big worry and tether it.

To be tough for a moment; no middle-aged couple should be so irresponsible that they rack up a credit card debt of that magnitude. What were they buying? Did they have expensive holidays?

That debt has nothing to do with your daughter losing her job  it was there before. It is about an attitude to money.

It makes me wonder whether you, from time to time, have bailed her out before and whether this began when she was a young woman.

We cannot change the past, but it is possible to gain insight by reflecting on it and being coolly analytical and honest about how people have behaved.

You are both in your 70s and must think hard about your own welfare and do nothing to jeopardise it. Equity release is certainly not on, as you know. If any further downsizing is to be done, then surely the couple themselves should consider that unwelcome step.

With no legal expertise, it would be unwise for me to talk about their situation, but what I can do is advise a careful look at the Citizens Advice website (citizensadvice.org.uk).

It sounds as if this couple should consider a debt management plan and consult the National Debtline for free information (nationaldebtline.org).

There is also StepChange, a charitable organisation which provides free credit counselling (stepchange.org) and Payplan, which is another free service (payplan.com). I would consult all three.

Then the Citizens Advice website offers a useful budgeting tool  step-by-step actions to help manage income.

Your daughter and her husband have to start helping themselves, acknowledge that their debts (not her job loss) are their own responsibility, and change their lifestyle as necessary to deal with this.

You cannot do that for them  and nor should you.

AND FINALLY... Thank you for your thanks

Vera (April 16: Is it time to drop my intrusive friend?) writes: I was amazed you chose to print my letter. Thank you for your wise advice . . . You articulated my feelings by what you said and I trust you. Thank you also for the gentle way you responded. Yes, I have had counselling for sexual abuse, but, as you say, its effects stay with us. Keep up the very worthwhile work.

TROUBLED? WRITE TO BEL Bel answers readers questions on emotional and relationship problems each week. Write to: Bel Mooney, Daily Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT, or e-mail bel.mooney@dailymail.co.uk. A pseudonym will be used if you wish. Bel reads all letters, but regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence.

Then Anita (April 23: Mums gone so should I cut off my poisonous stepfather?) responded: Thank you so much for your advice. It really has helped a lot.

My husband saw the paper, but I hadnt told him Id written so he was very worried. However it gave us a chance to talk honestly about how bad the situation had got.

The whole subject is emotive and to have a rational discussion has been almost impossible, but last Saturday night we were finally able to do that.

You have said exactly what he has been saying for a while about Mum having allowed things to carry on.

I agree, although dealing with it will be another matter. To that end, I will get some counselling to gain acceptance.

I want to extract some good points (apart from my gratitude for trust) for, as Vera says, sometimes just writing can clarify thoughts, leaving the reader ready for advice which chimes with them.

Anitas point about the letter being a catalyst for conversation is important. I hope some of you use the page that way even if you havent written in. Both realise that counselling can help  and I applaud that.
See more of the latest Kate Middleton news as she appears on the cover of Vogue at www.dailymail.co.uk/kate

LIZ JONES says 'there is nothing fashion or aspirational' about the shot and

The cover was months in the planning and the most talented people in the fashion industry worked on the shoot

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Months in the planning. Shrouded in secrecy. The most talented people in the fashion industry corralled for the Duchess of Cambridges first magazine shoot.

And what a result: the return of the Sloane Ranger in a field in Norfolk.

She was photographed for the cover of the historic 100th anniversary issue of British Vogue, and while Kate looks beautiful, and happy, there is nothing fashion or even aspirational about the shot: she is wearing a far-too-wintry suede Burberry trench weve seen everywhere, a white shirt, also by Burberry, that will never cause retail sites to crash, and a hat, of the sort Camilla might wear to muck out.

Kate has transformed from statuesque beauty into a parody of Meryl Streep in Out Of Africa in the Vogue shots, says Liz Jones

This is what a Vogue cover should look like, says Liz Jones: Dianas seminal Vogue images shot by Patrick Demarchelier in 1991, transformed her into a goddess: elfin, crop-haired, mischievous, confident. But Kate 'is wearing a far-too-wintry suede Burberry trench weve seen everywhere, a white shirt, also by Burberry, and a hat, of the sort Camilla might wear to muck out'

It is all a far cry from Dianas seminal Vogue images shot by Patrick Demarchelier in 1991. They transformed her from a Sloane with too much puppy fat and a fondness for heavy jewellery (as in her first posed Vogue cover in 1981) into a goddess: elfin, crop-haired, mischievous, confident.

This is what a Vogue cover should look like.

The opposite has happened here: Kate is transformed from statuesque beauty into a parody of Meryl Streep in Out Of Africa.

It is too rural, too hunting, shooting and fishing, when we were waiting for something red carpet. A Princess.

Vogue editor Alex Shulman says the shoot is a fitting tribute to a young woman whose interest in both photography and the countryside is well known.

The countryside! This a woman whose natural habitat was once the Kings Road, and the inside of Reiss!

All a bit Boden: The Duchess of Cambridge was photographed for the cover of the historic 100th anniversary issue of British Vogue

Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman and Director of the National Portrait Gallery Nicholas Cullinan look at two new portraits of the Duchess of Cambridge, which will feature in the Vogue 100: A Century of Style exhibition, at the National Portrait Gallery

The cover is shot by Josh Olins, who transformed Emma Watson from schoolgirl to dishevelled slut last year.

But the photo on this cover is so wholesome and toothy, it could almost be on the front of American Vogue (whose editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, must be spitting tacks she was pipped to the post).

Its hard to blame Vogue, as I cant imagine Kate was easy to handle.

I am happy she vetoed Mario Testino (too Hollywood) and Demarchelier (too airbrushed; Im super glad that in a portrait inside you can see Kates wrinkles).

But she has baulked at looking in any way sexy or modern. She has also refused to give up her heavy Scouse brow, not toning down the black make-up thats more Katie Price than Kate Windsor.

The photographs on display at the National Portrait Gallery: The pictures were taken in the Norfolk countryside earlier this year

Kate would also have called the shots when it came to clothes, not wanting to expose too much skin, fearing she would look too thin. Kate also didnt want to look too designer

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their children, Princess Charlotte and Prince George, during a private break skiing in the French Alps. But Kate has sold her soul to the devil that is vanity and elitism, writes Liz Jones

Kate would also have called the shots when it came to clothes, not wanting to expose too much skin, fearing she would look too thin. Kate also didnt want to look too designer.

So instead, for one of the new photos, she has opted for a Petit Bateau Breton top in what can only be called mauve  a pose described by Shulman as beautiful, but that I can only describe as Boden.

What can I say? The Norfolk countryside looks gorgeous, if chilly. Im sure someone from Vogue power-washed the Duchesss Land Rover Defender.

It is all a bit safe, a bit reverential, a bit Wellington boot room.

But here is my important problem. You only grace the cover of Vogue when you want to become an icon and have your ego massaged. You are joining the fashion elite.

Like Diana, who wanted to be a mother, a Princess, a charity worker, an everywoman, a pin-up, Kate has sold her soul to the devil that is vanity and elitism, and those fashionistas who judge others only by their BMI.

Kate, who up to now has protected her privacy and that of her children ferociously, has opened the floodgates to the sort of forensic scrutiny her late mother-in-law endured.
When Josh Carrick started getting back pain, he put it down to a long car journey and thought little of it.

But little over a year later, testicular cancer had claimed the life of the popular 23-year-old, leaving his family and friends devastated.

In testicular cancer awareness month, they have decided to share his story in a bid to save lives.

It comes after they set up the Josh Carrick Foundation in his memory - to fund research and raise awareness of the disease.

The charity encourages men, particularly under the age of 35, to check their testicles for any changes which could be a sign of the disease.

Scroll down for video

Josh Carrick thought the back pain he was suffering was caused by a long drive but it was actually a sign he had testicular cancer which claimed his life little over a year later

When Josh first complained of having backache, I never once thought it would be anything serious,' said his mother Arlene.

'He had been slouched behind the steering wheel on a long drive and we decided that must have been why his back was sore.

But when the pain didnt ease, he went to the doctor who referred him to hospital for tests.

Blood tests showed an inflammation in his blood, which doctors thought could be a kidney infection.

Josh was prescribed antibiotics but after a week of taking them, the infection hadn't gone.

In September 2010, Josh, from Luton, Bedfordshire, was given an X-ray.

To everyone's horror, this showed tumours on his chest and further blood tests revealed he had testicular cancer.

A doctor called me with the news, said Mrs Carrick.

They had already told Josh but I wish they had waited for me, Steve and Joshs twin brother Dominic to be with him at the time.

'When we got there he was very upset, yet he remained positive he would get better.

Doctors initially thought Josh, pictured here on holiday in Sweden, had a kidney infection but further tests revealed he had testicular cancer which had spread to his lungs

Josh, pictured with his twin brother Dominic and parents Arlene and Steve at Christmas, died within weeks of his cancer returning at the end of 2011

In a cruel twist of fate, the diagnosis came just days before Josh, then 22, was about to start a new job at computer hardware company, IBM.

He had recently graduated from the University of Nottingham and was excited to be starting a new career.

The company agreed to let him work but take whatever time he needed for treatment with doctors then confident he had a 75 per cent chance of being cured.

When Josh first complained of having backache, I never once thought it would be anything serious Arlene Carrick, mother

The doctor seemed confident. He described Joshs diagnosis as a hiccup that treatment would help resolve,' Arlene said.

'We also found out that Josh hadnt had a lump in his testes, but remnants of an imploded tumour were detected.

'Doctors didnt know how long the tumour might have been there.

Josh began 12 weeks of chemotherapy, which successfully shrunk the tumours

That Christmas, the family celebrated the disappearance of the cancer.

But months later in February 2011, Joshs hearing began to suffer and he had trouble passing urine.

By Easter we had been to see his oncologist again and after more tests, we got the worst possible news, Mrs Carrick said.

The cancer was back and it had spread to Joshs spinal column and brain.

'It had been making him unsteady on his feet and there were tumours pressing on his bladder area.

Josh had only recently graduated from Nottingham University with a computer science degree when he was given the devastating diagnosis. His family have set up the Josh Carrick Foundation in his memory

His girlfriend at the time, Abi Lambert (pictured) was at hospital with Josh when he was given the devastating news the cancer had returned and his only option was palliative care

SIGNS OF TESTICULAR CANCER During the early stages, testicular cancer typically presents as a hard lump or swelling in a testis. The lump is usually painless and can vary considerably in size but is typically the size of a pea and located on the front or side of the testicle. Not all individuals with testicular cancer will present with a lump in their testicles. Any enlargement or change in the way the testicle looks or feels

A sensation of heaviness in the scrotum

A dull ache in the testicle, lower abdomen (stomach) or groin region

A collection of fluid in the scrotum. Symptoms can be subtle and therefore easily missed which is why it is so important to familiarise yourself with how your testicles feel when they are healthy. If the cancer is not detected early, it may spread to other parts of the body and you may develop symptoms in parts of the body other than the affected testicle. These include: Back pain

Shortness of breath

A decreased libido

Fatigue

A cough

Swelling and tenderness in the chest However the good news is testicular cancer is very treatable, with around a 95 per cent cure rate. Source: The Josh Carrick Foundation Advertisement

The family were told he now had a 50 per cent chance of survival and it was suggested he have high-dose chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant.

Thankfully it seemed to work, his mother said.

Afterwards, the doctors said there was no sign of the cancer - but there was also no guarantee it wouldnt come back again.

Josh continued to be monitored every month.

Then following a routine blood test in September he phoned his mum.

He told me his oncologist wanted to see him,' recalled Arlene.

Me, Steve, Dominic and his girlfriend at the time Abi, went to hospital with him where we were told the cancer had returned.

'This time, the only option was palliative care.

'The news absolutely destroyed us all.

'Josh had stayed so positive throughout everything and had been more worried about others and their feelings than himself, but in that moment I saw how scared he was.

Just weeks later, in October 2011, Josh passed away.

'It felt so unfair and still does. He was only 23 and had his whole life ahead of him,' his mother said.

'All we can do is continue his legacy through The Josh Carrick Foundation.'

His mother and father, Steve, 56, established the charity the following year - which has since raised more than 300,000.

One of its aims is to encourage men to give themselves monthly testicle checks.

Other signs to look out elsewhere include shortness of breath, decreased libido, fatigue, a cough, swelling and tenderness in the chest, and back pain - Joshs initial symptom in August 2010.

Josh was a real character. He was always smiling and was the kind of person others gravitated towards,' Arlene said.

'He made a real impact on people, so much that his friends were compelled to carry on his legacy.

'Breast cancer is always talked about and most of us know how to check for the signs, so now its time for testicular cancer to get the same awareness,' Mrs Carrick said.

'To all men out there, please self-examine on a monthly basis. It might just save your life.

HOW TO CHECK YOUR TESTICLES

Once a month, men should check their testicles, ideally after a bath or shower. Rest each ball in the palm of your hand and gently roll each one between finger and thumb. See a GP if you find anything strange

Men who feel a lump (which might be painless), notice their testicle has increased in size, feel it is hard or feel pain or heaviness in the scrotum should see a GP

The graphics were created by South-West based testicular cancer charity It's In The Bag.
Bryan Ferry London Palladium On tour until July 9

Rating:

The lighting for Bryan Ferrys live show, which suddenly improved last year, is all about shadows and silhouettes.

This year, theres a new and darker shadow, not seen but strongly felt. Rock music, the most youthful of art forms, is now stalked by a sense of mortality.

The star next to Ferry in the firmament when he and Roxy Music emerged in 1972 was David Bowie.

Ferry is the father of the house of art-rock  the elder starman. He rises to the challenge with a set list that captures the artful diversity of a 45-year career in just over 90 minutes

They appeared together at the Rainbow, Finsbury Park, and for three or four years, in terms of creativity and flair, there wasnt much between them.

Bowies death in January set off a sombre sequence that has cut down Glenn Frey of the Eagles, Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire, Keith Emerson of ELP, George Martin, Merle Haggard and now Prince.

The upshot has been to make any tour by a veteran a more precious thing: this could be the last time, we dont know.

With Bowie gone, Ferry is the father of the house of art-rock  the elder starman. He rises to the challenge with a set list that captures the artful diversity of a 45-year career in just over 90 minutes.

A show of two halves begins as a whistlestop tour, dipping into nine albums.

Theres an opening salvo of mature romanticism (Avonmore and Slave To Love), a trip back into the retro-futurism of early Roxy (Beauty Queen, Ladytron), a homage to Dylan with the barbs offset by extra melodies (Dont Think Twice, Its All Right), a stylised take on an even older chestnut (Smoke Gets In Your Eyes), and a bittersweet singalong from the days when Roxy went mainstream (Oh Yeah). Even that came with an art-school twist: its a song about itself  theyre playing Oh Yeah on the radio.

IT'S A FACT Jealous Guy, the only Roxy Music single not written by Bryan Ferry, was released in 1981 as a tribute to the murdered John Lennon. It became the band's first and only UK No1.

After taking a breather, Ferry homes in on one album, Avalon, Roxys only million-seller in America (it took ten years to get there, the sign of a cult classic).

He plays six tracks from it, easing from the lush pop of Take A Chance With Me to the art-funk of The Space Between, and you see how it set the template for his subsequent solo career: its chiselled elegance, its interest in rhythm and moods, its soulful sadness.

On stage, hes never been one for patter. He addresses the crowd only to observe that Its good to be back in this beautiful theatre (he played here in 1988), to introduce the band (discreetly sparkling), and to say: Thanks for being a great audience.

The house is packed. They come because they know theyll hear beautiful music, and they want to see a legend in the flesh.

At 70, the flesh doesnt let them down. The flop of hair is still there, the suit still slim-fit. And the man himself is still a singular mixture, half nonchalant, half awkward.

He seems happier sharing the spotlight, especially with a woman. When Jorja Chalmers, the worlds slinkiest saxophonist, wiggles around him in her pencil skirt, this is Ferry as we will remember him.

His voice, a little whispery lately, has regained enough colour to approximate the playful yodel of his youth as well as the wistful croon that followed.

The evening culminates in the customary feelgood finale  the strut of Love Is The Drug, the sass of Virginia Plain, the wit of Do The Strand, the rush of Lets Stick Together.

Four hits from 40 years ago, still hitting the spot.

bryanferry.com

THIS WEEK'S ALBUM RELEASES

By Adam Woods

The Rolling Stones Exile On Main Street UMC/Polydor, out Friday

Rating:

Amid rumours of a new album comes a vinyl edition of their finest moment. Recorded in the sweltering basement of Keith Richardss rented Cote dAzur mansion, under conditions of considerable outlaw naughtiness, its a decadent spree through everything the Stones ever knew about blues, gospel, soul and rock n roll

Gregory Porter Take Me To The Alley Blue Note, out Friday

Rating:

Porter emerged from the jazz margins in 2013 with album Liquid Spirit . Porter, 44, isnt just an interpreter, hes a writer of fine, wise songs  Sunday-morning reflections, sorrowful torch songs, Seventies soul grooves. Holding On , once a dark club tune with dance duo Disclosure, returns as a rueful piano ballad on a kindly record thats often smooth but never slight

Thomas Cohen Bloom Forever Stolen, out Friday

Rating:

Cohen, widower of Peaches Geldof, cant dodge the obvious subject on his debut solo album. But he doesnt wallow in gloom, telling their tale through airy, Jeff Buckley-ish tunes that give up their chilling content only on close listening. My love had gone/she turned so cold/why werent her eyes covered and closed? he sings on the otherwise light, hopeful Country Home

THREE GIGS TO SEE THIS WEEK

By Tim de Lisle

James

Colston Hall, Bristol Tomorrow, touring to May 21

Nineties survivors ride again on the strength of a classy new album, Girl At The End Of The World . If youre on a streaming site, track down Nothing But Love , the stirring anthem which is a contender for song of the year

Christine And The Queens

Roundhouse, London Tuesday

The quirky synth-pop act could be the best thing to come out of French music since Daft Punk

Latitude Festival

Henham Park, Suffolk July 14 - 17
Doctor Faustus

Duke of York's Theatre, London Until June 25 2hrs 15mins

Rating:

Christopher Marlowes play is about the battle between good and evil for the soul of Doctor Faustus. Or should be.

But theres nothing good, in any sense of the word, and nothing remotely evil either about Jamie Lloyds production.

Its just plain bad. A play about being ravished by magic lacks both imagination and any enchantment.

Christopher Marlowes play is about the battle between good and evil for the soul of Doctor Faustus. Or should be. Theres nothing good, in any sense of the word, and nothing evil either about this production

Faustus is played by Kit Harington, best known as the hunky heart-throb goodie Jon Snow in Game Of Thrones, which is why the stalls, on opening night, were filled with girls gasping when Harington takes his top off to reveal his six-pack. Gorgeous.

But like so much in this bloody (awful) production  the unremitting ugliness, nudity and simulated sexual acts of all sorts  his striptease is wholly gratuitous.

Whatever Faustian pact Harington made to return to the stage, having not appeared since Laura Wades Posh at the Royal Court in 2010, it is not worth it.

Faustus is played by Kit Harington, best known as Jon Snow in Game Of Thrones, which is why the stalls, on opening night, were filled with girls gasping when Harington takes his top off to reveal his six-pack

I have always believed evil is seductive and sensual, irresistibly tempting.

IT'S A FACT Harrington was named after Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit. His eight-times great-grandfather was Charles II and his ancestors include several viscounts and baronets.

So it makes no sense when Haringtons Faustus, bored by his studies of logic and divinity, decides to explore black magic and is effortlessly seduced by unappealing, even hideous devils gyrating in grubby vests and pants, occasionally spewing ink-black vomit.

Presumably these are the sad, restless souls hell is filled with  and from which one would instinctively flee.

Lloyds single promising idea is to make Mephistopheles, the top devil, a woman, but this is undermined by the determined sexlessness of Jenna Russell.

With her hair cropped, she is both mannish and matronly in an old ladys nightie, though her mini-concert of Cliff Richards Devil Woman and Meat Loafs Bat Out Of Hell, again wholly gratuitous, provides the shows high point.

Haringtons Faustus fatally lacks charisma. His performance is as skin-shallow and unmoving as the rest of this messy, misguided production

Faustuss personal assistant Wagner, always appearing with a burst of Minnie Rippertons Lovin You, is also played by a woman, and it is she who stands in, somewhat anticlimactically, as the succubus of his dream woman, Helen of Troy.

Faustuss magic boils down to some levitation  in which the magic is all too apparent  and the schoolboy trick of conjuring up a flower.

Oh, and becoming a rock star playing air guitar to a stadium of worshipping fans in a new chunk of the play written by Colin Teevan.

Haringtons Faustus fatally lacks charisma.

His performance is as skin-shallow and unmoving as the rest of this messy, misguided production.

Forgive the blasphemy but Id cheerfully sell my soul to the Devil rather than sit through this again.

Funny Girl

Savoy Theatre, London Until October 8 2hrs 35mins

Rating:

Occasionally a show comes along with such a thumping star performance you cant argue with it. This is one of them, now transferred to the West End from the fringe.

As goofy Brooklyn comedienne Fanny Brice  who, with her charm, clownish talent and out-of-my-way determination, rises to become a Broadway star  Sheridan Smith bins all memories of duck-face Barbra Streisand in the 1968 movie.

Take-home moments from her are the glorious ballad People and the showstopping zinger Dont Rain On My Parade, but Smith doesnt just sing the songs, she really acts them.

As goofy Brooklyn comedienne Fanny Brice, Sheridan Smith bins all memories of duck-face Barbra Streisand in the 1968 movie

Although its totally her evening, shes well supported by Darius Campell as her Cary Grant-lookalike gambler hubbie Nick; by Joel Montague as her backstage ally; and by Bruce Montague, who adds a hint of avuncular perviness to legendary impresario Flo Ziegfeld.

After the interval, the plot gets rather bogged down with tedious financial details of hubbys debts, and theres a slump in excitement. But Smith is just so throat-catchingly good throughout, you really dont care.

Robert Gore-Langton

The Comedy About A Bank Robbery

Criterion Theatre, London Until Oct 2 2hrs 15mins

Rating:

After The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong, the Mischief Theatre company has finally drilled into the bank vault.

This is by far its best piece yet. It is a totally successful riot of slapstick, delightfully asinine Airplane!-style dialogue and cyclonic stage mayhem.

Dont ask me why but the play involves a flip-up double bed that wont stay down, trousers that wont stay up and insane levels of physical abuse that had two kids near me laughing so hard they nearly fell out of the dress circle.

The Mischief Theatre company has finally drilled into the bank vault. This is by far its best piece yet. It is a totally successful riot of slapstick, delightfully asinine Airplane!-style dialogue and cyclonic stage mayhem

Theres a brilliantly directed perspective scene, too, that has actors struggling on vertical flypaper.

As the booming bank owner, Henry Lewis heads a bruised cast in an evening that puffs a cloud of potent laughing gas over its audience.

The Comedy About A Bank Robbery replaces The 39 Steps at the Criterion after its nine-year run. I can see this crime caper getting a similar stretch.

Robert Gore-Langton

Legally Blonde The Musical

Curve Theatre, Leicester Until May 24 2hrs 45mins

Rating:

This is another chance to see the agreeably dotty 2013 West End hit (which originally starred Sheridan Smith, now wowing em in Funny Girl) based on the film with Reese Witherspoon.

Fashionista rich kid Elle Woods (signature colour: pink) goes to Harvard Law School to win back her preppy boyfriend and, despite meeting spitefulness and rejection, she discovers her inner attorney and a new man.

The X Factors Lucie Jones (right) is an excellent Elle, if rather let down by a bad wig and outfits that look affordable.

This is another chance to see the agreeably dotty 2013 West End hit (which originally starred Sheridan Smith, now wowing em in Funny Girl) based on the film with Reese Witherspoon

But shes got pizzazz and, in scenes whisking us from Harvard to prison to the courtroom, shes well supported by Jon Robyns as her legal love interest, Danny Mac as her ex-boyfriend Warner, and Ian Kelsey as her swaggering Harvard tutor.

Tupele Dorgu is a hoot as the beautician with a thing for Irishmen.

The band is tight and Nick Winstons choreography flat out. And by the end, my objections to the score were ultimately overruled.

This fun production comes with handy insights (Love is the No 1 reason for bad hair decisions)  and a star turn from a camp chihuahua.

Robert Gore-Langton

Wipers

Curve Theatre, Leicester On tour until May 21 1hr 35mins

Rating:

A barn near Ypres, 1914. Outside, a man, Khudadad Khan, is holding the Hun at bay with his machine gun  actions that would win him the VC.

Inside the barn an English officer and three Indian soldiers are holed up.

Former cab driver Ishy Din has created this absorbing new drama which  like all great war plays  is about camaraderie and fear.

Former cab driver Ishy Din has created this absorbing new drama which  like all great war plays  is about camaraderie and fear

The young officer can barely cope but the Indians snap off salutes and carry on with a fractious professionalism. There is a lovely MasterChef-style scene, too: how to cook dal with a bayonet.

The cast of four  Jassa Ahluwalia, Waleed Akhtar, Sartaj Garewal (left) and Simon Rivers  are terrific. Despite occasional modernistic slips (Get your act together), this looks at the colonial attitudes among the men naturally and without editorialising.

For British Asians especially, the play (at Watford Palace Theatre until Saturday and Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, May 12-21) will come across as a work of real pride. A reminder of the debt we owe to the 73,000 Indian troops killed in a war not of their making.

Robert Gore-Langton

Swan Lake

Theatre Royal, Glasgow On tour until June 4

Rating:

Ballet-lovers have seen the traditional vision of Swan Lake reimagined many times in recent years  Matthew Bourne, for instance, turned the love story homoerotic, while the Natalie Portman movie Black Swan painted it as a gothic horror yarn.

Now comes David Dawson, who has ruthlessly stripped away the supernatural fantasy and period trappings, leaving it looking a bit like a Gap advertising campaign.

Actually, his approach is a good deal more interesting than that  this is an unsensationalised and ungimmicky modernisation that dumps the evil owl-magician Rothbart and flocks of fluffy white tutus to focus instead on the bare bones of the plot and its core emotional significance.

Ballet-lovers have seen the traditional vision of Swan Lake reimagined many times  Matthew Bourne turned the love story homoerotic, while the Natalie Portman movie Black Swan painted it as a gothic horror yarn

Surrounded by well-wishing friends and girls eager to flirt, Siegfried is a lonely youth in smart-casual attire who wanders off in a grump; out in the wilds he encounters Odette, one of a bevy of shy and frightened creatures in cream-coloured leotards.

They fall in love, and she entrusts him with a jewel as a token of their commitment.

Cut to the second half, in which Odile, a vamp in silky black, aggressively seduces Siegfried at what looks like his 21st birthday party.

He immediately regrets his lapse and runs away to beg Odette for forgiveness. She grants it graciously but must leave him.

French prima ballerina Sophie Martin doubles up in an exquisitely beautiful performance as Odette and Odile that highlights her remarkable flexibility and eloquent arms

All this takes place against a mint-cool abstract set designed by John Otto, with chic, minimal costuming by Yumiko Takeshima.

Sometimes the peppermint spareness of it all becomes mere blankness, and because no social or psychological context is indicated, the characters motivations remain opaque.

But its also a relief to be rid of the usual balletic pantomime.

Out of the raw, clean residue shines a blazing honesty and immediacy, communicated through Dawsons impassioned and mercurial choreography: the two central pas de deux are wonderfully expressive, as are the defining solos for the three principal characters.

Scottish Ballets French prima ballerina Sophie Martin doubles up in an exquisitely beautiful performance as Odette and Odile that highlights her remarkable flexibility and eloquent arms.

Her Siegfried, Christopher Harrison, is required to mope around rather too much but he dances with unabashed fervour whenever he is given the chance.

The remainder of the cast sometimes let rough-edged exuberance get the better of accuracy and ensemble.

The sum of it is a helter-skelter ride, generating palpable excitement and intensity. Just dont ask too many questions.

scottishballet.co.uk




Captain America: Civil War Cert: 12A 2hrs 27mins

Rating:

Two years ago, Anthony and Joe Russo were responsible for what  for my money  is one of the best superhero films ever made.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a five-star delight from beginning to end, with a clever script, a neat line in repartee and a near-perfect mix of old-fashioned stunt work and seamless-looking CGI.

Captain America: Civil War is very much a sequel to Winter Soldier but, regrettably, too long, tryingly complicated and it takes the best part of 75 minutes before it breaks into anything resembling comic exuberance.

Captain America: Civil War is a sequel to Winter Soldier but, regrettably, too long, tryingly complicated and it takes the best part of 75 minutes before it breaks into anything resembling comic exuberance

So stuffed becomes the screen with Marvel characters that its easier to tell you who isnt in it rather than who is.

Theres no Thor (normally played by Chris Hemsworth), no Hulk (played, of late, by Mark Ruffalo), and, disappointingly, no Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).

Apparently, she and Tony Stark  aka Iron Man  are currently on a break, a fact that reduces the potential for sexual undercurrents by about 90 per cent, despite the presence of both Scarlett Johansson  back as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow  and Emily VanCamp.

The basic premise takes an age to arrive too.

After a heavy hint that the Winter Soldier is still alive, we catch up with Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, the once cryogenically suspended Captain America, plus a hefty slice of the Avengers gang, as they battle a terrorist attack on a bio-research lab in Lagos.

Of course  after a lengthy and moderately spectacular battle  they prevail, but in the process are accidentally responsible for a great many innocent deaths.

Ah, the vexed question of collateral damage has reared its head again.

So stuffed becomes the screen with Marvel characters that its easier to tell you who isnt in it rather than who is - theres no Thor (Chris Hemsworth), no Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and no Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow)

Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross  played with sinister relish by William Hurt  believes the Avengers have gone from being guardians of the world to vigilantes.

He wants them under the control of the UN, which becomes a lot more complicated after a special session of the UN, in Vienna, is devastated by a huge explosion.

CCTV captures a grainy picture of the man responsible. Yes, it seems the Winter Soldier  who those paying attention will know was once Rogers former wartime buddy, Bucky Barnes, until Hydra got their deadly hands on him  really is alive.

But for a long time, and I mean a really long time, this isnt the main point of the film.

That being that the Avengers disagree on whether they should be under UN control. Iron Man  perhaps aware of what a mess he made of things in Avengers: Age Of Ultron  thinks they should.

Captain America  somewhat oddly, given his military, order-following background  disagrees.

The action doesnt have the realistic edge they brought to the first film and relies on close-quarter fighting and most of the vital humour arrives dangerously late

The rest of the gang split in somewhat uninvolving ways. Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) are with the Captain.

Black Widow and Vision (Paul Bettany) are with the motor-mouthed Iron Man. The battle-lines are drawn, but not so that we ever really care.

Which is why its such a relief when Stark jets off to Queens to find a teenage Peter Parker (Spider-Man graces an Avengers film for the first time, oh the excitement) and the Captain recruits arguably the silliest character in the Marvel universe, the pint-sized Ant-Man (Paul Rudd).

IT'S A FACT Captain America was created in 1940 by artists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, who wanted to encourage the US to enter WW2, He was portrayed punching Hitler on the cover of the first issue.

At last, some real comic-book fun; at last some real spectacle until, at least, it all gets a bit super-sized and silly at an airport.

One of the slightly unfair problems Civil War faces is that the Russos raised the bar so high last time that whatever follows had to disappoint.

The action doesnt have the realistic edge they brought to the first film and relies on close-quarter fighting.

Lets hope the next round of Avengers films  the Infinity Wars movies are due out in 2018 and 2019  are better than this

Most of the vital humour arrives dangerously late, courtesy of the over-delayed arrival of Spidey (nicely underplayed by young Brit Tom Holland) and Ant-Man, while, in the absence of the lovely Pepper, efforts to introduce some hints of romantic and sexual tension are hampered by the fact that Johansson seems to have run out of superheroes with whom to flirt.

Lets hope the next round of Avengers films  the Infinity Wars movies are due out in 2018 and 2019  are better than this.

SECOND SCREEN

Son Of Saul (15) , which won the 2016 Oscar for Best Film in a Foreign Language, will be one of the most powerful and harrowing films youll see all year.

Set amid the horrors of Auschwitz in 1944 and directed by the Hungarian film-maker Laszlo Nemes, its the story of Saul, a Hungarian Jew forced to become a member of the so-called Sonderkommando.

Its members, prisoners themselves, were forced to work for their Nazi captors for a few short months, herding new arrivals to the gas chambers, stripping them of their belongings, valuables and jewellery, and dragging away the pieces, as the dead bodies are known, before being executed themselves.

One day, a teenage boy miraculously survives the gassing, only to be coldly murdered by one of the camps German doctors.

Saul, who witnesses the killing, has already decided that the boy is his son  rightly or wrongly; its never made clear  and determines that his body will be buried according to Jewish tradition.

But at Auschwitz bodies are burned, not buried, and few men are brave enough to admit to ever having been a rabbi.

However, Saul, played here with an unflagging intensity by Geza Rohrig, will not be swayed, regardless of the cost to himself or, indeed, to his doomed fellow prisoners.

Technically, this is a tour de force, with the camera  normally located just behind Sauls shoulder  tracking his every move.

Cinematographer Matyas Erdely employs what I can only call shallowness of field to simply brilliant effect.

Son Of Saul , which won the 2016 Oscar for Best Film in a Foreign Language, will be one of the most powerful and harrowing films youll see all year

From the moment Saul stumbles out of a blurry background into what feels like the sharpest focus youve ever seen, the appalling horrors of the concentration camp are either just out of focus or just out of shot.

But, of course, we never forget they are there  the camerawork only increases an appalling, almost unbearable sense of realism.

The multi-layered sound design by Tamas Zanyi is outstanding, too  at times, powerfully bringing to life atrocities that we cant see; at others adding to the atmosphere of horror.

Son Of Saul is unmissable either for those interested in the subject or in potent film-making.

Demolition (15)  is a strange film about grief directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, director of Dallas Buyers Club, and starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Davis, a New York investment banker grieving for his wife who died in a car crash.

Or to be more accurate, not grieving for a wife he isnt sure he ever loved at all.

This quirky, bittersweet comedy-drama spends too long feeling contrived and compares poorly with one of Adam Sandlers better films, Reign Over Me from 2007.

Only an unexpectedly sentimental ending sends you out on to the street with anything like a smile.

DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles is the unexpected force behind Golden Years (12A) , a would-be Ealing-style comedy about an elderly Bristol couple (Bernard Hill and Virginia McKenna) who, when faced with mounting pension problems, decide to take up bank robbery and prove surprisingly successful at it.
Sicily: Culture And Conquest

British Museum, London Until August 14

Rating:

We all know two things about the mountainous and spectacularly beautiful Mediterranean island of Sicily.

Its where the Corleone family comes from in The Godfather, and Inspector Montalbano solves crimes there.

Using 200 objects drawn from the British Museums own collection and loans such as the marble Warrior of Agrigento, the torso of a bashed-about 5th century BC soldier, we see 4,000 years of the island's history

The British Museum curators also know two things about Sicily.

Although this is a 4,000-year historical overview of the islands tumultuous history of repeated invasion, it boils down to a couple of propositions: the Greeks were great, the Normans were even better.

Using 200 objects drawn from the British Museums own collection and loans such as the marble Warrior of Agrigento, the torso of a bashed-about 5th century BC soldier with a six-pack, we see the island reach a zenith of creativity under the rule of the Greeks, who dominated the island for some 500 years from 750 BC.

We then fast-forward to Norman rule, and especially the reign of Roger II from 1130 to 1154  a luminous example, we are told, of creative co-existence where Muslim, Jew and Christian lived together in harmony.

This quadrilingual tombstone from the reign of Roger II (1130 to 1154) is a luminous example of the creative co-existence that arose where Muslim, Jew and Christian lived together in harmony

Wishful thinking perhaps, projected across the centuries from our own troubled times, but some genuinely wonderful objects make a half-convincing case for medieval Sicily as an Eighties Labour council run by geniuses rather than social workers.

The Letter of Adelaide, a bilingual decree in Greek and Arabic issued by Norman rulers to their Arab officers in 1109, is about as multicultural as the Middle Ages can get.

It is also the oldest-surviving paper document in Europe.

The exhibition is an overview of Sicily's (shown above in a 14th century map) tumultuous history of repeated invasion, but it boils down to a couple of propositions: the Greeks were great, the Normans were even better

If you are English, these Sicilian Normans are a revelation, not the haughty bullies of our history but sensitive patrons of the arts responsible for abstract glassware and the strange and angular 13th-century gilded bronze gyrfalcon that is one of the star pieces in this occasionally sensational show.

The Greeks were also master metal workers; a pair of 4th-century BC gold bracelets beaten into serpent forms and a gold dish from 600 BC flash unexpected colour from the display cases.

A startling gorgon-face roof decoration and terracotta waterspouts from a huge temple speak of Greek humour and the ingenuity that created cites such as Syracuse, where the mathematician Archimedes leapt from his bath in the original eureka moment.

The island reached a zenith of creativity under the rule of the Greeks, who dominated the island for some 500 years from 750 BC as seen in this terracotta altar dating to around 500 BC

Both Greeks and Normans were attracted to Sicilys agricultural abundance and dominating position at the centre of the Mediterranean. In fact, everybody was.

The Greeks were followed by Romans, Visigoths and then Byzantine Greeks before the conquering Arab armies of Islam arrived in 827 AD.

As well as their religion, the Arabs brought dazzling craftsmanship, plus new crops such as oranges and dates, and we see the elegant ceramics they produced to serve them.

The Greeks (who left this ceramic dinos with triskelion around 650-600 BC) were followed by Romans, Visigoths and then Byzantine Greeks before the conquering Arab armies of Islam arrived in 827 AD

They were in charge for only 200 years but Arab rule had a huge effect on the island, in part because the Normans adopted much of their culture.

Early Norman coins had the Shahada  the Muslim declaration of faith  on one side and a cross on the other.

The supreme example of this borrowing is the Palatine chapel in Roger IIs palace at Palermo  a combination of Arab, Byzantine and Latin work where an Islamic honeycomb ceiling sits above Christian icons.

This mosaic showing the Virgin as Advocate for the Human Race dates from the 12th century, when the Normans ruled Sicily who proved to be sensitive patrons of the arts

Initially the Normans  a small, aristocratic elite ruling over an 80 per cent Muslim population  were obliged to assimilate the culture of their new subjects.

But as they grew stronger they were interested in the trappings of power for its own sake and borrowed coin designs from the Fatimid rulers of Egypt without necessarily buying into the meaning of the beautiful Arab script.

The strange and angular 13th-century gilded bronze gyrfalcon is one of the star pieces in the British Museum's occasionally sensational show

Consequently, the most revealing object here is a replica of the ceremonial robe of scarlet Byzantine silk embroidered with gold and silver thread set with pearls, garnets, sapphires and a ruby, which Roger II wore.

The design mixes arabesques and Latin heraldry, but look closely and youll see the Christian lions have climbed on to the Arab camels backs.
I was rushing through Trafalgar Square, arm in arm with my mother, reveals Hollywood star Kevin Spacey, when she told me she wanted to stop in the National Portrait Gallery, just to get one last look at her favourite portraits of some of the most iconic and important subjects in British history.

His mother had been diagnosed with a brain tumour some months before and as we were standing in front of the portrait of Laurence Olivier  who created the National at The Old Vic theatre, which I would soon take over as artistic director  my mother leaned into me, her arm clasped in mine, and said: Theyre going to hang your portrait in here one day.

Kevin Spacey, painted by Yeo as Frank Underwood from House Of Cards, the Netflix political drama in which Spacey plays the US President

And I smiled at her and explained that my portrait could never hang in the National Portrait Gallery because I was not born in Britain. She looked at me and smiled and said simply: Theyll make an exception, in your case.

The reason Spacey now hangs there is the British artist Jonathan Yeo, and in his foreword to a new book collecting Yeos best-known portraits from his 25-year career, Spacey writes that his mother would tragically pass away a few months later and so, poignantly, never got to see her dream come true.

Despite having no formal art training  he was regularly told off for doodling at school  Yeo is now widely regarded as one of the worlds foremost exponents of figurative painting. His work hangs in galleries around the world.

Yeos success has drawn an ever-growing list of famous names to sit for him, including Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Idris Elba and, most recently, supermodel Cara Delevingne (above, posing as Groucho Marx)

Hes painted some of the most striking portraits of modern times, from a regal-looking Duke of Edinburgh to a serious-faced David Cameron and an ethereal Lily Cole.

Spacey, however, was initially reluctant to pose for the 45-year-old, having previously seen Yeos irreverent 2007 portrait of George W Bush, a collage made from cuttings of pornographic magazines.

I was worried he was going to utilise the same method of artistry with me, reveals the actor in the new book. I was relieved to find he wanted to do only a normal portrait.

Spacey is thrilled by his portrait as Frank Underwood - and by how it now hangs in the Smithsonian Gallery in Washington DC, alongside portraits of real US presidents

There was, however, a twist to the artists request: he wanted to paint Spacey not as himself but as Richard III from Sam Mendess Old Vic production.

The actor agreed, and in the artists studio the pair found a unique connection, an alchemy, says Spacey, that allowed one man to portray a character and the other to reveal it.

Yeo then asked Spacey to sit for a second portrait, this time as himself.

The actor instead suggested Yeo paint a portrait of another fictional character: Frank Underwood from House Of Cards, the Netflix political drama in which Spacey plays the US President.

Despite having no formal art training  he was regularly told off for doodling at school  Yeo is now widely regarded as one of the worlds foremost exponents of figurative painting. (Above, his portrait of Idris Elba)

I do not believe I am nearly as interesting a subject as the characters I bring to life, says Spacey.

The actor is thrilled by the work, which hangs in the Smithsonian Gallery in Washington DC, alongside portraits of real US presidents.

Spacey says: I liked the idea that when the Underwood portrait is hung high on a wall, the foot looms nearly as large as the presidents head and almost seems to threaten the viewer with a swift kick in the face. One never knows what Frank Underwood is about to do.

Yeos success has drawn an ever-growing list of famous names to sit for him, including Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Idris Elba and, most recently, supermodel Cara Delevingne.

In the age of selfies and camera phones, Yeo believes portraits, both traditional and modern, are increasingly relevant.

We are now much more avid consumers of portrait images, says Yeo, whether its in adverts, magazines or on Instagram.' (Above, his portrait of Nicole Kidman)

We are now much more avid consumers of portrait images, he says, whether its in adverts, magazines or on Instagram. We use images of ourselves to project exaggerated versions of our lives, perhaps more interesting, glamorous, clever, cool or talented than we actually are.

My series of paintings of Cara Delevingne [including one where shes wearing a comedy Groucho Marx disguise] were done to investigate this. Cara is a master of manipulation, having modelled and now gone into the world of acting. I tried to capture her almost restless, chameleon-like quality.
AgustaWestland helicopter deal has an interesting musical angle.

The deal took an interesting turn as it was revealed that Christian Michel, the Italian middleman who visited India for the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, had floated a 'fake' media company to export Punjabi music CDs from India.

The company, however, was never used for the purpose. Rather, it was started to be used for obliging former officials at the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

MoD officials were given world tour tickets in exchange for the chopper deal information.

By obliging MoD officials, Michel would in return get inside information about the chopper deal from the officials.

It came as a bit of a surprise for investigators, when they discovered that Michel, an absconder in AgustaWestland case, had floated a media company for exporting Punjabi CDs from India.

Investigations revealed that the company was just a shell or a frontal company.

Sources from the Enforcement Department (ED) have revealed that Michel with the help of a person named RK Nanda had floated the company called Media Exim.

A lot of funds were pumped into this firm. The money to this company came from Michels Dubai-based company Global Services FZE.

Investigations also revealed that the media companys travel agency was used to oblige former officials of the defence ministry.

The shell company was run from an office in posh Safdarjung Enclave flat in South Delhi.

After the discovery that company was fake, ED officers initiated move to attach the property after making their representations to the adjudicating authority.

An ED notice was found pasted outside the office building.

The facts came to light when Michels driver was nabbed by ED officials and was questioned at length.

Following his interrogation officers got to know the whereabouts of the firm.

The MoD officials were given free world air travel tickets and by doing this Michel had made inroads into the ministry.

ED is likely to quiz some former MoD officials in connection with the case.

Allegedly, some officials had also received money from the company.

The details of the case will be confirmed only when Michel will be caught and interrogated.

A red corner notice has been issued against him.

CBI quizzes former deputy IAF chief

By Mail Today Bureau

The CBI has swung into action and started another round of questioning after a recent order of an Italian court in AgustaWestland corruption case.

The agency quizzed former IAF deputy chief JS Gujral on Saturday for over eight hours in the case.

Former air chief SP Tyagi has been called for questioning on Monday.

CBI has so far maintained that Gujral, who was procurement chief in IAF in 2005, was questioned as a witness in 2013, but was tight-lipped on whether he retains the same status.

The agency, so far, has not levelled any allegation against him.

He is cooperating with us. We may call him again soon for another round, an official said.

Tyagi and Gujral have been questioned at length in 2013, but the fresh round of questioning was necessitated after April 7 order of Milan Court of Appeals - equivalent of Indian High Courts which indicated corruption in the deal.

The sources said CBI has examined over 100 people in connection with the case, including all the Indian accused, as it needs to examine five foreign nationals.

They said the agency has received response of Letter Rogatory from Italy while partial responses have been received from British Virgin Islands, the United Kingdom and Tunisia.

However, to arrive at any conlcusion CBI needs responses from other countries as well. CBI has sent judicial requests to eight countries with an aim to unravel the money trail of the alleged bribe of around Rs 400 crore which was paid to clinch the deal, they said.

The agency had registered a case against former IAF Chief S P Tyagi and 12 others, including his three cousins and five foreign nationals, in the case.
Modern life rebuilds itself on the primordial and the ancient. What Rome constructed around circuses, India builds around elections and IPL.

Both appear like staged spectacles and epic in terms of battle. But, both need new scripts. However, there is a fear of new ideas and new scripts.

One watches Harsha Bhogle treated literally as anti-national because his commentary was biased towards objectivity.

Come election time, everyone gets enthusiastic about prohibition, but all it creates is a hangover called electoral politics. Voters in Hooghly with their identity cards

Inspiration

Both events are expensive and between the two they represent the idea of fair play in India.

Yet of late there is a dullness to both, that is undeniable.

IPL no longer provides an epic sense of competition and hysteria and the elections last fortnight lacked a sense of fable or inspiration.

The elections in Bengal, Kerala, Assam looked like old replays without a sense of enthusiasm.

It is as if when politics runs outs of ideas an election loses out on becoming a transformative spectacle to become a deadening pantomime.

The cast of characters are old hangovers from an electoral Tussauds - Gogoi, Mamata, Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa.

It appears like an enactment of regional authoritarianism to balance the Modisque anti-drama at the centre.

Even the same lines make little difference.

Jaya fights Karuna and one can summon little enthusiasm for it.

Karunanidhi plays the electoral lion and creates a third rate script.

He offers his son Stalin as the possibility of the new and the electorate yawns over it.

Stalin will probably be a young leader at 70, before he inherits the DMK mantle.

As ancient Rome that thrived on spectacles of Bread and Circuses, politics in Tamil Nadu survives on the dole and the gift as spectacles.

Come election time, everyone gets enthusiastic about prohibition, but all it creates is a hangover called electoral politics.

There is no sense of a social movement and even Vijayakanths politics is ineffectual hardly qualifying for even cameo level possibilities.

There are no big issues around equality or justice, just the limbo of continuity. Jaya appears to continue like an implacable glacier and the whole electoral battle appears a much ado about nothing.

To put it ironically AIDMK and DMK which literally cinematised politics now seem frozen.

One is sure that a lot is happening but as far as elections go political ideas seem subterranean.

If the Punch and Judy show between AIADMK and DMK appears half dead, the battle between Mamata and CPM looks hysterical.

This is partly because Mamata Banerjees style can turn a morning walk into a crusade and CPM appears bereft without Bengal.

Once again the sheer absence of ideas and issues is amazing and Bengal seems caught in the tragedy of non-choice.

Politics

Any vote for any party dooms Bengal into a tragic non-development for another decade.

Politics in Bengal is still hysterical and galvanic, but there is little of the animation of ideas.

Assam boils with tension and yet it is clear that elections are not going to create reform.

Politics will be the same give or take a Gogoi or two.

The American army in World War 2 coined a word for such a situation, SNAFU, for an activity which expends a tremendous amount of energy, but alters the world not even a little.

As a spectator and a citizen, I do not deny that elections are important.

But, elections which look bereft of ideas, which present the same unpromising alternatives makes one worry about the possibilities for democracy.

Covering this with a sheen is the idea of Nitish Kumar as an alternative prime ministerial candidate.

Nitish of course is immaculately hypocritical denying that he has any prime ministerial ambitions.

In fact, that one act captures this election drama, where the politics of hypocrisy is presented as the politics of hope.

It embodies the conviction that the citizen who is a sucker for democracy will digest anything in its name.

Yet one is desperate for a rethinking of ideas and a renewal of political drama.

Symptoms

How does one look at symptoms of such a disease? Where does one begin a diagnosis as a movement into therapy?

I think one can sense three major threats to the democratic-electoral system. First is the fact that civil society is on the decline, that NGOs are under threat and there are no social movements to fight durable battles against the state.

It is as if there are few contending structures around the state today and one can sense that all political parties are relieved by the decline of NGOs and social movements.

Secondly, media has become dominant in the new middle class view of politics and given its current style highlights the hysteria of the middle class.

Deep down that hysteria hides the dullness, the lack of ideas. Finally one has begun to sense, that democracy in India has to go beyond electoralism to wider issues of rights, livelihood, migration and violence and our electoral system seems tone deaf to these issues.

May be one needs this sense of ennui to create the new. Let us hope democracy will ambush us with the unexpected.
'If any country believes it would continue to bleed India, we will make the cost unacceptable for them to do it', says National Security Adviser Ajit Doval

For the first time since Pakistan sent a five-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in early April to collect evidence against those accused of the Pathankot attack, National Security Adviser (NSA) AK Doval has expressed his satisfaction over the investigative team's visit and intent.

India Today Group has learned from sources that in an informal conversation with five former Pakistan High Commissioners at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday, Doval said: I was quite satisfied with the interest the JIT showed and also the assurances they gave us on the basis of the evidence that we provided them that they would be able to take effective action against culprits."

He also told the delegation that he expected, "Pakistan to deliver" on the matter soon.

Doval's statements have set to rest all the speculations that India was unhappy with the way the JIT had conducted.

This also negated the rumours on the investigation especially after reports in a section of the Pakistan media suggested that the investigative team found no substantial evidence during its visit.

A controversy had also broken out after Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit had remarked in a recent interaction with the press that a visit by a team from India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) was not "a question of reciprocity" and linked it with resumption of dialogue between the two countries.

Contrary view

Indian officials had maintained that this was contrary to the understanding they had reached over Pakistan's JIT visit.

At the conclusion of the JIT's investigations in India, NIA chief Sharad Kumar had said that India had planned to send an NIT team to Pakistan soon to probe the case "since the conspiracy was hatched there" and the JIT had welcomed the idea.

The terror attack at the Pathankot airbase on 2 January, had left seven security personnel dead.

Four terrorists were also killed. Evidence collected so far point to the involvement of the Pakistan based terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed headed by Masood Azhar.

The five former high commissioners - Humayan Khan, Riaz H Khokhar, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, Aziz Ahmad Khan, Shahid Malik and Salman Bashir - were in Delhi for an interaction organised by the Ananta-Aspen Centre, which was moderated by Karan Thapar and telecast live on India Today TV.

In their meeting with Doval, the former high commissioners also asked him about the alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav, who was arrested in Balochistan by Pakistan authorities recently.

Doval is said to have dismissed the charges against Yadav as "fabricated."

Sources said that Doval assured the delegation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was genuine in his desire to have good relations with Pakistan and that the efforts being made were not for posturing or to score diplomatic points.

Doval, however, is said to have made it clear to the former high commissioners that Pakistan has to deliver by controlling terrorists and it has to stop bleeding India. It has to abandon the path it had been following in the past.

Concerns

The sources also said that former high commissioners pointed out that there were concerns in some circles about Doval's hawkish approach towards Pakistan, as he had openly talked of an offensive defence posture in a speech, which went viral on YouTube in 2014.

Doval pointed out that he was not a part of the NSA when he gave that speech and such statements should be looked at in the proper perspective and not be taken out of context.

He then went on to explain to the delegation that the basic doctrine of any security mechanism by a country was to ensure that there is a deterrence against those who are trying to harm or bleed the country.

He told them that such a doctrine was only meant to warn the offending country that there will be a cost and a retaliation.
Three Delhi toddlers, who pushed for a ban on firecrackers last year while asserting their right to be brought up in a pollution-free environment, prodded the grown-ups again to clear the citys noxious air and persuaded the Supreme Court to back possible initiatives on Saturday.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, which was contemplating imposition of a heavy environment tax on diesel cars, said experts should examine the feasibility of fitting vehicles with filters that scrub fumes from tailpipe emissions.

Arjun Gopal, Aarav Bhandari and Zoya Rao Bhasin, all aged between 6 to14 months, are the apex courts youngest petitioners who were represented by their parents and a team of senior lawyers.

Youth Congress members take out a protest march against the odd-even scheme in the capital

The mounting levels of pollution that regularly cloak the Capital in smog often leave residents struggling to breathe in air quality that international agencies say is worse than in the Chinese capital of Beijing.

The legal team led by senior lawyer KK Venugopal and assisted by advocates Gopal Sankaranarayanan and Pooja Dhar suggested making it mandatory for all cars -old and new, petrol and diesel - to retrofit their engines with catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters, devices that worked wonders in California and brought down pollution level by nearly 85 per cent, changing toxic gases to less toxic pollutants.

When CNG was introduced in Delhi, people said it is not possible and others said it is too expensive, but ultimately people started using it. Earlier, it took more than three months to convert a vehicle into CNG, but now it takes around two to three days and costs just Rs 40,000 to Rs 80,000, Venugopal said, adding that retrofitting diesel vehicles will help reduce emission of particulate matter substantially.

Indian citizens have been demanding cleaner air as the World Health Organization estimates that more than 6,00,000 people die every year in the country because of diseases triggered by outdoor air pollution.

Court agreed to consider the plea for making it mandatory for all diesel cars to fit catalytic converters.

We were only thinking in terms of imposing a cess. But why cant we address pollution itself? Why cannot cars be modified? Let experts check, Centre examine, the CJI said during a special Saturday hearing.

If we find it feasible then why not? We are not shutting it out; we must consult others on it.

The chief justice said this to senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for a car manufacturer, appealing for the lifting of a ban imposed on December 15 on the sale of diesel vehicles with engine capacity of more than 2000 cc.

The court has told automakers such as BMW, Mercedes, Toyota and Skoda that it can end the prohibition only after imposing a 10 to 30 per cent green cess, based on the categories of cars.

The bench also pulled up the Centre for supporting Venugopals idea immediately without coming up with any such plans earlier.

This happened when the court wondered if catalytic converters can be made mandatory when there is no legal requirement.

When additional solicitor general Maninder Singh said legislation can be passed to enable it, the CJI shot back: Why did you have to wait till Venugopal made this submission?

You have woken up from slumber after Venugopal came up with this? You want somebody to point out this? What were you doing till now? See after all, this is affecting everybody. People are dying. What are the ministry officials doing? Simply sitting in their air-conditioned offices and sipping coffee? Thakur questioned Singh.

Venugopal said the government should put the matter before environmental panels, including one set up by the court, and assess the plans viability.

There are some converter companies to begin with and once it is a success, several others will come into the field, he said.

The hearing will continue on May 9. However, Sunita Narain, a member of the Environment Pollution Control Authority that has recommended a green cess on new diesel vehicles, shot down the idea of retrofitting cars as a measure to reduce pollution.

For retrofitting you need a cleaner fuel. Even otherwise, more than 15-year-old diesel vehicles and more than 10-year-old petrol vehicles have been banned by a court order, she pointed out.

So where is the question of retrofitting old vehicles? This can only be seen as a measure to save old vehicles which to my view should not be encouraged.

Odd-Even 3.0 only after more buses, smart card

By Sidhartha Rai

Delhi authorities vows to bring back bringing back the odd-even car-rationing scheme only after strengthening the transport system.

New buses, a common mobility card for travelers linking all forms of mass transit and increasing the efficiency of Metro services are among the measures in the pipeline.

Air pollution in the Capital reached alarming levels in the winter, which was referred by the Delhi High Court as a gas chamber.

A signboard put up near BJP leader Vijay Goels residence, which highlights the failure of odd-even scheme

The AAP government then imposed an odd-even formula for two weeks, barring private cars from driving on alternate days based on the registration plate of the cars.

The second round of the road-rationing scheme ended on Saturday.

Sources said that the Arvind Kejriwal-led government has set a three-month time frame to upgrade the citys transport system that will allow smoother implementation of the odd-even plan around August after the second round drew a barrage of criticism amid reports that pollution levels had actually gone up.

The government is in the process of adopting an advanced public transport system, which will make travelling in buses and Metro more comfortable and reliable, an official said.

Premium AC bus service is expected to roll out from June and 4,000 new buses will be added, which will give support to existing infrastructure.

The World Health Organization said in 2014 that New Delhi had the most polluted air among nearly 1,600 cities it studied.

Despite no significant impact on pollution level and an increase in traffic volume, the AAP government on Saturday termed the second phase of the licence plate- based driving ban a success, but said it will implement the next stage only after conducting a comparative study of the first two rounds.

Today is the last day of odd-even -II. Congratulations Delhi for again making it a success, the chief minister tweeted.

Transport minister Gopal Rai said the compliance rate of the scheme was 99.6 per cent.

A fleet of 1,000 cluster buses will be added to the roads from May while construction of 12 depots to has also begun, he said.

Tenders for 2,000 DTC buses will be floated this month and 1,000 mini-buses will also be purchased.

People using cars will be able to use comfortable premium AC buses which can be booked through mobile APP. By the end of June we will finish the work of e-ticketing process in all the DTC buses, he promised.

Trials of common mobility card will begin by first week of August, which can be used in both buses and Metro and it will be implemented further. By August-September we will be able to implement passenger information system through which residents will get real- time information of buses and locations on the website, mobile and social media.

'Petrol & diesel taxis cannot ply in Delhi, NCR'

By Harish V Nair

From Sunday, petrol and diesel taxis, including those run by aggregators like Ola and Uber, in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) cannot ply as the Supreme Court on Saturday refused to extend the April 30 deadline fixed for their conversion into less-polluting CNG mode.

We can't keep on extending the time. We are not extending it now and not going to make any exceptions. There is technology available, you convert, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur said while rejecting the plea that it would affect livelihood of poor drivers as there is no technology available for conversion of diesel vehicles into CNG ones.

Now you are asking for the impossible. To recall our order on the ground that you have loans and liabilities. This is just not done, the Chief Justice told senior lawyer Shyam Diwan, who appeared for the taxi associations.

The Supreme Court refuses to extend deadline fixed for their conversion into less-polluting CNG mode.

The bench, also comprising Justices AK Sikri and R Banumathi, had on March 31, extended the deadline till April 30 for conversion of all diesel taxis to CNG.

Diwan made a strong and emotional plea for modification of the order saying: We will not be able to earn our livelihood. Moreover, we have to pay the bank also."

A senior Delhi government official said about 60,000 taxis are registered in Delhi and of them 21,000 run on diesel.

There is already a ban on diesel cabs plying on local routes here. Taxis having all India permit are required to cover around 200km which is not a violation of the existing rules.

Taxis having all India permits cannot ply from one point to other point inside Delhi, the official said.

The deadline for the change had been extended twice. The apex court had initially asked diesel cab operators in the NCR to switch over to CNG by March 1.

That deadline was later extended to March 31 and then to April 30.

The Supreme Court, however, allowed Delhi Police and Delhi Jal Board to register their new diesel-run vehicles with an engine capacity of 2000 cc and above for transportation of undertrial prisoners, arms and ammunition and supply of water.
More than 100 years ago, while enumerating India and her problems, Swami Vivekananda said prophetically: The child is taken to school, and the first thing he learns is that his father is a fool, the second thing that his grandfather is a lunatic, the third thing that all his teachers are hypocrites, the fourth, that all the sacred books are lies!

Today, as the Bhagat Singh controversy rages across the nation, one more term is added to the list.

The child going to the school is also being taught to call the freedom fighters terrorists!

There's not a single mention of Bhagat Singh in the entire NCERT history textbooks from Class VII to XII.

The Oxford dictionary defines terrorism as the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

Were the violent acts of Bhagat Singh aimed against civilians?

Even a cursory glance would prove that Bhagat Singh was not an advocate of violence for the sake of violence.

Yes, on April 8, 1929, he threw two bombs, along with Batukeshwar Dutt, in the Central Legislative Assembly, but they were not aimed to kill but to make the deaf hear.

Singh wanted to dissuade the assembly from voting for a law, namely, the Public Safety and Trade Disputes Bill, whose implementation would have penalised Indian workers.

Now thats not the work of a terrorist.

The terminology gets all the more ludicrous, with a tinge of Orwellian humour, when one finds freedom fighters waging a battle against a repressive colonial government being called terrorists, while a bunch of misguided Maoists fighting an all out war against the worlds largest democracy is regarded as Gandhians with Guns.

Incidentally, these misguided idealists fit into the Oxford terminology of a terrorist.

For, about 90 per cent of the individuals killed by them are poor and labouring classes from the deprived section of the community, if the Report of the Advocates Committee on Naxalite Terrorism in Andhra Pradesh is to be believed.

Again an Orwellian doublespeak at play: Maoists killing the poor and downtrodden in the very name of the poor and downtrodden!

Coming back to Bhagat Singh and his ilk, the late historian Bipan Chandra is not alone in calling these freedom fighters revolutionary terrorists, as he did in his book Indias Struggle for Independence.

It has been a standard terminology used - and is continued to be in practice - by the Left and Left inspired intellectuals.

For instance, Prof Sumit Sarkar, another historical giant in India, doesnt even bother to tag the word revolutionary with terrorist.

In Modern India, he impishly uses the term terrorists or Bengal terrorists for the likes of Khudiram Bose and Prafulla Chaki.

Its a blatant lie when the apologists say these terms had been used without any pejorative meaning and that their usage has now been stopped since the term terrorism has acquired a very negative meaning in recent years.

For those pedalling this theory must read Sunil Khilnanis latest book titled 'Incarnations', published just a few months ago, wherein the author, who is hardly a die-hard Left intellectual, calls VD Savarkar the young terrorist.

The terrorism debate, however, is just the tip of the entire historical iceberg.

For, the malaise lies with how history has been allowed to be appropriated by a dominant section of the Congress led by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

The Class XII history textbook is a classic example. It provides one single chapter on Indias freedom struggle, and its heading, Mahatma Gandhi and the Nationalist Movement, says it all.

The mention of Subhas Chandra Boses INA exploits is conspicuous by its absence, even though they were regarded by the British as one of the most important reasons for them to leave India.

This was confirmed by no other than Clement Attlee, the then British Prime Minister, who at the same time dismissed Gandhis role as minimal. Bhagat Singh is even more ignored.

Theres not a single mention of the patriot in the entire NCERT history textbooks from Class VII to XII. (Maybe it fits into the framework of Nehruvian historical consensus; for Nehru himself, as pointed by Kama Maclean in A Revolutionary History of Interwar India (2016), wrote in his autobiography some three to four years after Bhagat Singhs death how he was popular despite his violence).

Similar is the fate of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and his endeavor to unite the country which was then divided into more than 550 princely states.

Incidentally, the NCERT textbook has an entire page devoted to a letter by Communist leader Somnath Lahiri, with a separate paragraph talking exclusively about him!

This brings us to the question: Whose history is it, anyway? Its definitely not Indias, or even that of the Congress.

Its just the history of a section of the party, which has been lucky enough to rule the country since Independence, vindicating Churchills statement: History is written by victors.

And as the victors are out of power now, its time India reclaims its real history.

The challenge is enormous as there is hardly any viable academic culture beyond the confines of the Left.

Even if there are some who are silently building up an alternative intellectual discourse, they more often than not live under the shadow of those loony, unintellectual elements for whom history is all about finding flying planes in ancient India and unearthing the stem cells exploit during the Mahabharata era.

As for those swearing by the intellectual integrity of Bipan Chandra, they must read 'India After Independence', wherein the eminent historian defends, in his own suave way, how Indira Gandhi was forced to impose Emergency by her opportunistic and anarchic political rivals!

Indias eminent historians did what their political masters wished them to do.

And, given the quality of the work they produced, it seems they crawled when they were merely told to bend.
COLEMANS MUSTERED Crisis-torn Co-operative Bank has appointed a deputy to take over from chief executive Niall Booker.

Liam Coleman, who has worked for Nationwide Building Society and RBS and is director of retail and commercial at the Co-op Bank, will become deputy chief executive on Tuesday.

The bank said he would succeed Niall Booker at a date to be determined.

LAST ORDERS A clutch of European beer brands are being eyed for sale as Anheuser-Busch InBev seeks backing for its 71billion takeover of SABMiller.

SAB and AB InBev said it was willing to offload beers including Dreher in Hungary, Kompania Piwowarska in Poland, Plzensky Prazdroj and Pivovary Topvar in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Ursus in Romania.

The proposal comes on top of last weeks 2billion deal to sell beer brands Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime to Japanese brewery giant Asahi.

TOUGH LESSON Education publisher Pearson saw a 4 per cent fall in revenues in the three months to March, compared to the same period in 2015, after losing contracts in New York and Texas, and amid falling US college enrolments.

It has issued a string of profit warnings in recent years. It announced 4,000 job cuts in January. Shares have fallen more than 40 per cent in the last year, and closed 1.17 per cent or 9.5p down to 805p.

DEAL DISASTER Ophir Energys shares lost nearly a fifth of their value after a deal with US group Schlumberger collapsed.

Oil and gas explorer Ophir has been in talks with the worlds largest oilfield services firm to partner it on its Fortuna project in Equatorial Guinea. Shares fell 18.4 per cent or 16.9p to 75p.

PLANE SAILING Airbus has signed three big deals. China Eastern Airlines has ordered 20 Airbus A350 XWBs, Philippine Airlines is finalising an order for six A350-900s, while two A320neos and two A320s have been ordered by Air Cote DIvoire.

Airbus builds wings and others systems in the UK.

SALES SURGE Laird saw revenues grow 15 per cent to 171million in the three months to March 31.
Fat-cat bankers and miners grounded from taking foreign trips by belt tightening bosses have caused sales to slump at British Airways owner IAG.

The airline group, which also owns Aer Lingus and Spains Iberia and Vueling, saw more than 5 per cent wiped off its shares after it axed routes because sales had been hurt by a change in the travel habits of multi-national companies.

Since the economic crisis few bankers have been jetting off to big financial centres such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Frankfurt and Madrid.

Turbulence: Shares in British Airways owner IAG slumped 5% after after Chief executive Willie Walsh Walsh said the airline group would cut its 2016 capacity growth to 4.9 per cent from a previously planned 5.2 per cent

At the same time a slump in commodity prices has seen a slowdown in oil and mining.

Meanwhile, the terrorist attacks in Brussels had also had a major impact on air travel as frightened tourists and businessmen from North America and Asia cancelled travel plans.

Chief executive Willie Walsh used a first quarter update to say early indications were that the coming months would see a slowdown in demand for business class travel.

He said: Some segments have been affected more than others. There has been softening in oil and gas as well as banking.

Business from banking has declined since the financial crisis in 2007 and we are clearly seeing all major banks going through restructuring in terms of their corporate travel.

This dip in demand means IAG will cut the amount of seats it offers by axing routes.

Shares fell 4.7 per cent or 26p to 525p after Walsh said the airline group would cut its 2016 capacity growth to 4.9 per cent from a previously planned 5.2 per cent.

He said the slowdown in the oil and gas market had hit demand for routes to Africa and he would scale back operations to Luanda in Angola, Lagos in Nigeria and Accra in Ghana.

In South America, where the Brazilian economy has taken a battering routes to Sao Paulo, and Rio would be cut after the Olympics in August.

Walsh said: We will make small changes to our overall network and in some cases not renew leases on aircraft.

'We have flexibility with our short haul aircraft and a number are leased. The Brussels attacks, which included a bombing in the departure hall of Zaventem airport that killed 32 people in March, has curbed travel appetite over the last six weeks.

The upcoming months are the most important period for IAG because it is when most Europeans take their holidays.

Walsh also said that Britains EU referendum may also have caused businesses to delay sending executives abroad as they wait to see what the landscape looks like after July.

He said: It is difficult to identify the real impact as corporates consider what impact a vote to leave would have on their business. People tend to travel less when things are uncertain. The anecdotal evidence is that this is clearly in the background.

For the three months ended March 31, IAG posted underlying operating profit of 121million, beating a consensus forecast of 113, due to lower fuel prices and cost cuts. Passenger revenues increased 8 per cent to 3.4billion.

The period included an early Easter, which fell into this quarter, and meant there was less business travellers.

Damian Brewer, an analyst at broker RBC said: The shares remain under the pall of the UKs EU referendum.
Undeserving? More than one in ten investors voted against AstraZeneca ceo Pascal Soriot's 8.4m pay

Two more British blue chips have been dragged into the row over fat-cat pay after facing a revolt from shareholders.

More than one in ten investors voted against the 8.4million Pascal Soriot was handed last year as chief executive of drug maker AstraZeneca.

It followed a series of huge rebellions on Thursday when millions of shareholders turned on the bosses of some of Britains biggest companies.

Rakesh Kapoor, chief executive of Nurofen and Durex owner Reckitt Benckiser, is now in the firing line ahead of his companys annual meeting next week.

The UK Individual Shareholders Society, or ShareSoc as it is known, described Kapoors 23.2million pay for 2015 as indefensibly high and urged investors to vote against it.

In a further blow to Reckitt, the company was fined 885,000 for misleading customers in Australia after a court ruled that pills that claim to target specific ailments, such as migraine or back pain, were in fact identical.

A Reckitt spokesman said: Nurofen did not intend to mislead customers in Australia and insisted Nurofen products in the UK are not affected and continue to be available.

Reckitt Benckiser shares fell yesterday 1.5 per cent or 101p to 6654p.

A string of chief executives have faced a backlash over fat cat pay so far this year in a so-called shareholder spring.

The most dramatic rebellion so far came on Thursday when more than 72 per cent of shareholders in FTSE 250 engineer Wier Group voted down a plan to allow executives to take home millions in share options regardless of how well the company performed.

Pharmaceuticals giant Shire also suffered a significant backlash when nearly half of investors opposed a 25 per cent pay rise for chief executive Flemming Ornskov to 15million.

The scale of the revolt at AstraZeneca was nothing like as big but underlined growing unease over high levels of boardroom pay.

Soriot took home 8.4million in 2015  up from 3.5million in 2014  after the company saw profits jump from 873million to 2.2billion.

But figures yesterday showed revenues rose by just 1 per cent in the first quarter of this year to 6.1billion and profits fell 15 per cent to 1.4billion.

Rival drug maker Shire reported a 15 per cent rise in first quarter revenues to 1.2billion.

Astra shares fell 0.8 per cent or 31.5p to 3928p while Shire was up 1.8 per cent or 74p to 4261p.




Restaurant Group was off the menu yesterday after a profit warning sent the share price spiralling.

The group behind the chains Chiquito and Frankie & Benny's warned that sales could be down as much as 5 per cent this year.

In a trading update the firm said profit for the full year was likely to be between 74million and 80million, down from 86.8million the year before.

Finance boss Stephen Critoph is leaving immediately, after 11 years with the group. The firm is searching for a replacement.

Shares slumped 26.7 per cent, or 99.8p, to 274.5p. They are down 60 per cent so far this year. Several brokers cut their target price for the stock on the announcement.

Gone cold: Restaurant Group's chains Chiquito and Frankie & Benny's warned that sales could be down as much as 5 per cent this year

Paul Hickman, analyst at Edison Investment Research, said: 'This announcement brings to an end a consistent run of almost uninterrupted profit growth lasting more than a decade.

'The strength of alternative models such as home delivery exemplified by Domino's Pizza and Just Eat arguably signals a change in eating out habits.'

Restaurant Group said it still expects to open more than 30 sites this year, despite being hit by reduced footfall and competition from food-focused pubs.

The firm put its lack of diners down to a rise in people doing online shopping, meaning fewer shoppers at the retail parks where its restaurants are located.

Perhaps that's why Cineworld shares took a dip yesterday too. The multiplex cinema chain which is often to be found on the same leisure park sites as Restaurant Group's branches, dropped back 4.9 per cent, or 26.5p, to 515p.

BA-owner International Consolidated Airlines shares landed 4.7 per cent, or 26p lower at 525p after the group announced it was slowing expansion plans following the Brussels terror attacks.

Several other airlines found themselves in the departure lounge as a result. EasyJet fell back 2.8 per cent, or 42p, to 1473p. The firm yesterday announced plans to recruit 450 pilots.

Tui shares retreated 3.2 per cent, or 33p, to 991p after the holiday giant revealed it was selling its hotel booking arm Hotelbeds for 930million.

The business will go to private equity firm Cinven and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

Flybe's shares bucked the trend, taking off 1.7 per cent, or 1p, to 58.75p.

It had been a positive start to the week for Flowgroup, a UK firm which develops energy efficient products such as boilers which generate low carbon electricity.

On Monday Flowgroup announced it was to enter the European market after Trillary Srl, part of an Italian heating consortium, signed a letter of intent to trial the Flow boiler for potential launch into the Italian market.

Shares heated up more than 5 per cent on the news.

But the price flowed back yesterday after the firm published its final results and reported an operating loss of 17.1million, up from a loss of 10million in 2014.

Flow also reported an uptick of 52 per centin the number of energy customer fuel accounts to 100,000 and revenue of 40.4million. Shares lost 17.8 per cent, or 4.5p, closing at 20.75p.

Oil firm Ophir Energy disappointed investors yesterday after it revealed its talks with drilling contractor Schlumberger had fallen through.

The two companies had been in discussions about funding Ophir's natural gas project in Equatorial Guinea.

Yesterday Ophir said the pair had been unable to agree terms on the deal. There had been talk in January of Schlumberger being given a 40 per cent interest in the project.

Ophir's shares were off 18.4 per cent, or 16.9p, to 75p as it continues to search for alternatives.

It says it has remained in discussions with other parties.

Jimmy Choo share's tiptoed down as investors concerns about luxury brands continue. The designer shoe maker crept back 3.3 per cent, or 4.2p, to 123.6p.

But RBC has a target price of 160p. Jimmy Choo is ranked the second most desirable luxury footwear brand, the broker said, with an extremely sticky customer base who are unlikely to 'trade down' to a cheaper brand.

Shoppers will know fruit importer Fyffes for its blue-labelled bananas.

In a trading update yesterday, it said it was raising its target earnings range by 7million to 49million-54million following its purchase this month of Highline Produce, Canadas largest mushroom firm, for 76.6million.

Dublin-based Fyffes also distributes pineapples and melons, and has branched out into snacks such as plantain chips.
Mark Dawson's life story should provide hope to the thousands of undiscovered authors around the world with half finished manuscripts under their beds.

The ex-lawyer and author of more than 20 thrillers has seen a million copies of his books downloaded in the space of a few years, and is now negotiating a film deal.

But this wasn't the result of a hard-nosed marketing campaign. Mark has found success without any help from a traditional publishing house.

Mark Dawson: 'I spent three hours a day on the train and that was the perfect environment to be creative'

Just two years on from uploading a manuscript onto Kindle Direct Publishing, the author is on course to earn a 'high six-figure' salary this year, more than he ever did as a lawyer - and has paid off his mortgage.

Mark, 42, was a lawyer specialising in cross border fraud when he had his first brush with literary success in 2000. His novel The Art of Falling Apart was published by Pan Books but failed to sell, which he says was a difficult experience.

'It was really fun until the book hit the shelves and a combination of it not being very good and the publisher not really promoting it meant it did not really do well or make back my advance.

'I knew it would make it hard once I had a few strikes against me to get published again, and the fun had gone out of it so I stopped writing for six or seven years.'

Mark picked himself up and went to work for the film classification board, but in 2014 became inspired by a friend who had used Kindle Direct Publishing.

The software program, offered on Amazon's e-reader Kindle, allows budding writers to upload their work to the online store within minutes - to be shared with a potential audience of more than 10 million readers around the world.

Work-life balance: Mark writes from a coffee shop

Depending on how much they decide to charge for their work, authors will get paid royalties of either 35 or 70 per cent.

Although the price of ebooks is usually lower than print books, it means authors who enjoy even a moderate level of success could make more money than the 12.5 per cent royalties typically earned through traditional publishing - they get the money quicker too.

Mark says: 'My friend was having great contact with readers, he was getting paid quite quickly in contrast to traditional publishing, which pays out quarterly or yearly. It was the impetus I needed to get going again.'

Over the course of that year, Mark self-published six books, which he wrote on his daily commute from his home in Salisbury to London.

He says: 'I had three hours a day on the train and that was the perfect environment to be creative. Further impetus was provided by the fact that I was selling books.

'Amazon was paying me more. I was getting good reviews. I had amazing responses from people who said they had returned to reading because of my books.'

Aside from being financially lucrative, Mark says becoming a stay-at-home novelist has worked wonders for his work-life balance.

He says: 'I'll write in a coffee shop for a few hours then go for a run and pick up my kids. When I was a lawyer I would get in when my kids had already gone to sleep, but now I can play a part in their lives.

'I started with a character and once I had him it became easy to to put him in different situations.'

That character was John Milton, an assassin with a troubled past who is hired by the government to do its dirty work. Mark has followed up this set of 11 books with the Beatrix Rose series, another assassin.

Mark Dawson: 'I would massively recommend self-publishing - it is not just a vanity press'

Today, Mark estimates his novels have been downloaded more than a million times - although around half of those were given away for free. But the author insists he doesn't feel taken advantage of.

'I would massively recommend self-publishing. Some people stigmatise it as vanity press but it's not like that.

Gripping: The author recommends writing a series

'This is my choice - I have sold enough and there is enough interest for me to probably quite easily approach a publisher and get a deal.

'But when you actually get into the royalties, I would get 12.5 per cent of the cover price, working out at about 40p per cover.

'Amazon, Apple and the other platforms will give me 70 per cent, so in financial terms it's hard to see how I could earn more.'

While Mark has had a good experience, clearly not all self-published authors have done so well.

While there's no magic formula, the author thinks he has a pretty good idea of how to maximise readership.

'To be successful you need a combination of a few things' Mark says. 'You have to be a pretty good writer, not a literary genius but you need to be able to write captivating fiction that readers like. Writing a series is good because you can hook people in.

'But equally important is that you need to know when to stop being creative and when to start focusing on business. In the mornings I write but in the evenings I work on business.'

This business focus currently involves spending a quarter of a million dollars on Facebook advertising this year alone in expectation of a 25- to 50 per cent return on investment. He's also negotiating a film deal for one of his books with a 'high-profile' US producer and a director.

With writing and promoting taken care of, there's one other aspect Mark credits for his good fortune.

'One of the main reasons I've been successful is I'm very focused on developing my relationship with readers.

'I reply to everybody, I don't pay someone to do it for me. Then the adverts I run attract comments and I try to at least acknowledge them. I try to turn readers into fans, into friends.'

Sharing the wisdom: Mark speaks at workshops about how to successfully self-publish

He also credits free online distribution with 'removing the gate-keepers' to publishing and bringing greater breadth to the fiction on offer.

'Some book publishers won't take risks on something that has such a small audience but with self-publishing you don't need a lot of readers to make money because of the higher royalties.'

Popular genres that have sprung up in the self-publishing world include 'shifter romances', in the vein of vampire/werewolf drama Twilight, and 'billionaire erotica' inspired by the success of 50 Shades of Grey, which was initially self-published as an ebook.

Of course, there is a good reason why some would-be novelists get rejected by traditional publishers, and Mark admits the ease of Kindle Direct Publishing 'is both a blessing and a curse'.

'Some of the stuff out there is pretty amateurish but there is a lot of information for readers to make a decision about what to read. For me, it's a golden age to be both a writer and a reader.'

As time goes on, he expects the medium to gather more credibility and blur the line with traditional publishing.

'My dream is to have a Mark Dawson book on one side of the Amazon page and Lee Child on the other and not be able to tell which one is self-published.
A friend of the white man accused of killing nine black parishioners during a Bible study at a Charleston church last year pleaded guilty Friday to lying to federal authorities.

He also revealed the suspect, Dylann Roof, told him he had intended to kill himself after the slayings, which he had planned for months.

The plea by Joey Meek, 21, marked the first conviction in a mass killing that stunned the nation, reignited discussions about race relations and led to the removal of a Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina Statehouse.

Roof, who is charged with the slayings, had previously posed for photos with a rebel flag.

Joey Meek, 21, (pictured) has pleaded guilty to lying to federal authorities about his friend, Dylan Roof's, plan to shoot up Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in order to 'start a race war'

Authorities have said Meek failed to tell investigators all he knew about Roof's plans to shoot the parishioners at Emanuel AME Church last June 17.

Roof, 22, is charged with nine counts of murder in state court and with hate crimes and other charges in federal court.

Meek signed a deal with prosecutors, agreeing to plead guilty to lying to authorities and failure to report a crime.

He could face up to eight years in prison when he's sentenced later, although prosecutors say they will argue he deserves less time if he's cooperative.

Meek, clad in a dark suit, sat silently looking ahead as more than a dozen relatives of the shooting victims were ushered to seats reserved on one side of the courtroom.

He spoke softly, often simply replying 'Yes, your honor,' to routine questions from U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel.

Roof (pictured) allegedly told Meek six months in advance that he planned to shoot up the church and would kill himself after

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in Roof's state murder trial set for next January for his nine counts of murder

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson noted that Meek not only knew about Roof's plans for the shootings but didn't tell law enforcement and told others not to tell as well.

'Roof told Joey Meek that he was going to shoot people at an AME church in Charleston,' Richardson said, adding Roof had even said he would do so during a Wednesday night Bible study.

Richardson also said Meek knew Roof had planned the attack for six months, had a gun and would carry extra ammunition in an attempt to start a race war.

He also said Roof told him he had planned to kill himself after the shootings.

The prosecutor said the morning after the June 17 shootings, Meek told a friend who had seen news reports not to call authorities.

The friend called the FBI anyway and only then did Meek call.

In an initial interview with the FBI, Meek denied knowing anything about the shootings beforehand but, during a second interview, changed his story and said he knew of Roof's plans, the prosecutor said.

When the judge asked if he thought Roof was the gunman when he heard the news the night of the shootings, Meek replied 'since he had told me a week before, I had an idea it was him.'

Prosecutor said the morning after the shootings, Meek told a friend who had seen news reports not to call authorities

Meek said he had only finished the 10th grade, is currently taking medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sees a psychiatrist.

His attorney, Debbie Barbier, declined to comment about the treatment after the hearing.

She told reporters that Meek feels remorse and hopes relatives of those slain will forgive him but understands they likely won't.

One of those relatives, 54-year-old Gary Washington, the son of Ethel Lance who was killed at the church, appeared before the judge who asked if any family members wanted to speak.

Washington, who is deaf, spoke through a sign language interpreter, telling Gergel that the day of the shootings he hugged his mother at the church, told her to be careful and then went to work.

He said he didn't find out she had been killed until later when all the victims' families were gathered at a nearby hotel.

'I don't understand why he did what he did,' he said of the gunman.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in Roof's state murder trial set for next January.

Federal prosecutors haven't said if they too will seek the death penalty.

No date for that trial has been set.

A day after the shootings Meek, who had hung out with Roof off and on in the previous weeks, told

The Associated Press that Roof had drunkenly complained to him that 'blacks were taking over the world' and 'someone needed to do something about it for the white race.'

Meek said called the FBI after recognizing Roof in surveillance footage from the church, down to the stained sweat shirt he had worn while playing videogames in Meek's home the morning of the attack.

When Meek's friend called police the 21-year-old then alerted authorities that he knew Roof had been the shooter

He said Roof told him he used birthday money from his parents to buy a .45-caliber Glock semi-automatic handgun.

Roof's federal defense team had no comment on Meek's guilty plea. The Associated Press left messages with his attorneys in the state case seeking comment.

Debra Gammons, a former prosecutor who now teaches at Charleston School of Law, says Meek's cooperation will be important to both state and federal prosecutors.

To prove murder in South Carolina, one must show premeditation.

'As far as the prosecution goes you now have this other person saying this is what the plan was,' she said, calling it good evidence for state and federal prosecutors.
A Colorado woman who cut a baby from a stranger's womb has been sentenced to 100 years in prison.

Judge Maria Berkenkotter said the harshest sentences for the most serious charges were justified by the brutality of the 2015 attack, described as performing a cesarean with a kitchen knife.

Berkenkotter also said the victim, Michelle Wilkins, as well as her family and the community needed Dynel Lane, 36, to express remorse.

Lane murmured a 'no' when the judge asked if she wanted to speak.

Dynel Lane (pictured), 36, was convicted in February of attempting to kill a fetus. She appeared during sentencing at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colorado, on Friday.

Lane cut an eight-month old fetus out of the stomach of Michelle Wilkins after the 36-year-old lured the pregnant woman to her home

Lane also did not speak in her defense during her trial, which ended in February when jurors found her guilty of attempting to kill Wilkins after luring her victim to her home with an ad for maternity clothes.

Jurors had heard that Lane went to elaborate lengths to feign her own pregnancy before attacking Wilkins.

They did not hear that in 2002, Lane's 19-month-old son drowned in what investigators ruled was an accident.

Relatives who spoke on Lane's behalf before the sentencing Friday said her remorse over losing her son may have led her to take an action they could not understand or explain.

Lane wept as she was sentenced to 100 years in prison by a judge who said she showed not enough to no remorse

Wilkins (from left) stands with her sister Sarah, their father Mark and mother Wendy, as Wilkins speaks with members of the media following the sentencing hearing for Lane

District Judge Maria Berkenkotter told Lane the victim and the courtroom was 'hungry' to hear her speak

Lane's attorneys did not dispute that she attacked Wilkins, but they argued there was no evidence it was a calculated murder attempt.

They urged jurors to convict Lane of the lesser charge of attempted manslaughter.

Berkenkotter sentenced Lane to 48 years for attempted murder and 32 years for unlawful termination of a pregnancy.

The remainder of her sentence was for assault charges in the attack.

She was given credit for the more than a year she has served since her arrest.

Kathryn Herold, the public defender representing Lane, told the judge Friday she would appeal and that Lane had the right not to speak.

Berkenkotter acknowledged that was Lane's constitutional right.

But the judge said that in weighing her sentence she had to take into account that 'people are hungry to hear from you, Miss Lane. Hungry, desperate to hear you express genuine remorse from the bottom of your heart'.

Prosecutors said they were unable to charge Lane with murdering Wilkins' unborn girl because a coroner found no evidence the fetus lived outside the womb.

Lane murmured a 'no' when the judge asked if she wanted to speak. Lane lost an 18-month-old baby in a drowning accident in 2002

Prosecutors said they were unable to charge Lane with murdering Wilkins' unborn girl because a coroner found no evidence the fetus lived outside the womb

That led Colorado Republicans to introduce legislation that would have allowed a murder charge. Democrats rejected the measure, the third time such a proposal failed in Colorado.

Over the objection of abortion-rights supporters, 38 states have made a fetus' killing a homicide.

Wilkins focused on her unborn daughter Friday.

She placed a large photograph of her dead baby, who appeared to be sleeping, on an easel next to the witness stand, then asked Berkenkotter to impose the harshest possible sentence.

Wilkins said after the sentencing that she saw the hearing as a day in court for her daughter, who she named Aurora.

'Judge Berkenkotter was clearly listening to everything that we were saying,' Wilkins told reporters, adding she felt justice had been served.

In court, Wilkins had directed her words to Lane, who sat straight and showed no emotion as her victim spoke.

Lane cried later in the hearing when a letter from one of her two daughters expressing love was read.

Lane's mother apologized in court to Wilkins and her family, as did her father in a letter his wife read.

Jurors had heard that Lane went to elaborate lengths to feign her own pregnancy before attacking Wilkins

Lane had posted online photos of herself with a distended belly and sent the man she said was the father of her child ultrasound images downloaded from the Internet.

David Ridley, who lived with Lane and her two daughters, testified at trial that Lane claimed for more than a year that she was expecting a boy, whom they planned to name James.

Friends even threw a baby shower.

Ridley had grown suspicious by the time Lane lured Wilkins to her Longmont home.

Wilkins testified they chatted for about an hour before Lane hit, pushed and tried to choke her, then used two kitchen knives to cut the baby from her womb.

When Ridley came home early from work that day to meet Lane for a doctor's appointment, he said he found the fetus in a bathtub and drove the child and Lane to a hospital, where she begged staff to save her baby.
An Argentine judge has banned all 'commercial dancing with live or recorded music' in Buenos Aires after five people died from drug overdoes.

It was not immediately clear how or if police would enforce the order which was created following the deaths at the Time Warp music festival on April 16.

Five people died after taking 'toxic' drugs at the electronic dance music event in the capital.

The ruling left party goers wondering if they might be arrested for dancing in clubs and bars.

In the 1984 film, Footloose, Kevin Bacon starred as the teenager who moves to a small American town where a minster has banned dancing and rock music

It was not immediately clear how or if police would enforce the order which was created following the deaths at the Time Warp music festival on April 16

And wedding officials are concerned the ban could make even receptions illegal.

Jorge Becco, head of the local disco owners' association, said: 'How do you obey a totally unconstitutional order like this one?'

'This is like, because there was a problem at the vegetable stand, we are going to order shut all butcher shops.'

The capital's tango milongas and dance get-togethersheld at cultural centers are exempt from the ruling by municipaljudge Roberto Andres Gallardo, which otherwise calls for an endto 'all commercial activity involving dancing with live orrecorded music.'

Nightclub owners said they would not follow the ruling,pointing out that the deaths took place at an electronic musicfestival at an events complex, not one of their venues.

The capital's tango milongas and dance get-togethers held at cultural centers are exempt from the ruling by municipal judge Roberto Andres Gallardo

The ruling said the closure will last until the citygovernment presents a plan for controlling illegal drug salesand irregularities at 'electronic music parties.'

The order is aimed at venues that play electronic music butsaid all clubs were being closed while authorities determinewhich ones feature that genre. The closure then will be enforcedonly on electronic music venues.
A Russian jet fighterintercepted a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance plane on Friday inan 'unsafe and unprofessional manner' over the Baltic Sea, thePentagon said.

The Russian pilot did a barrelroll over the U.S. plane, CNN reported.

The U.S. Air Force RC-135 plane was flying a routine routein international airspace when it was intercepted by the RussianSU-27 fighter, the Pentagon said.

It is the latest in a series ofsimilar incidents between the U.S. and Russian militaries.

A Russian jet fighter intercepted a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance plane (file photo above) on Friday in an 'unsafe and unprofessional manner' over the Baltic Sea, the Pentagon said

The Russian fighter came within about 25 feet of the American plane as it performed the dangerous, high-speedmaneuver, CNN reported, citing two U.S. defense officials in theBaltic Sea region.

'This unsafe and unprofessional air intercept has thepotential to cause serious harm and injury to all aircrewsinvolved,' Pentagon spokesman Commander Bill Urban said in astatement.

'More importantly, the unsafe and unprofessional actions ofa single pilot have the potential to unnecessarily escalatetensions between countries,' he said.

On April 12, Russian jets buzzed a U.S. guidedmissile destroyer, the USS Donald Cook, in the Baltic Sea.

Earlier this month, Russian jets buzzed a U.S. guided missile destroyer, the USS Donald Cook, in the Baltic Sea. A photo released by the Pentagon (pictured) appears to show the Russian jet passing at an extremely low altitude over the ship's bow

Aphoto released by the Pentagon appears to show the Russian jetpassing at an extremely low altitude over the ship'sbow.

'There have been repeated incidents over the last year whereRussian military aircraft have come close enough to other airand sea traffic to raise serious safety concerns, and we arevery concerned with any such behavior,' Urban said.

Russia accused the United States of intimidation by sailingthe Cook close to Russia's border in the Baltics and warned thatthe Russian military would respond to any future incidents.

NATO plans its biggest build-up in Eastern Europe since theCold War to counter what the alliance considers to be a moreaggressive Russia.

The Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, whichjoined NATO in 2004, have asked the alliance for a permanentpresence of battalion-sized deployments of allied troops in eachof their territories. A NATO battalion typically consists of 300to 800 troops.
The parents of a Hawaiian boy who has been missing for nearly 20 years have been charged with murder after authorities reopened the case.

Peter Kema, 45, and 46-year-old wife Jaylin were charged on Wednesday with killing their son, Peter Jr, back in 1997 when he was aged just six.

The parents have long been suspects in the alleged murder of their son, whose body has never been found, but police did not feel they had sufficient evidence to charge them until now.

Peter Kema Sr., 45, and wife Jaylin, 46, have been charged with murdering son 'Peter Boy' who vanished from their family home in Hawaii back in 1997

The Kemas had long been suspected of killing their son, but without a body or sufficient evidence they were never charged. Officers filed charges Wednesday after reopening the investigation in 2014

The couple made their first court appearance on Friday where they pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and were held in custody pending bond.

Hawaii County prosecutor Mitch Roth told KHON2: 'It is a day we've been waiting for a long time, and we're happy to bring justice to the family.

Peter Boy's siblings have detailed before that their sibling was often abused by his parents, and the new case is thought to rely on key family testimony

'On Sunday Peter Boy Jr. would have had his 25th birthday, so it's been a long time coming.'

Detectives reopened the case into Peter Boy's death in 2014, and while Roth said he would not get in specific evidence, it is believed new testimony from family members will be at the heart of the case.

Sources told KHON2 that key testimony from other family members, including Peter Boy's siblings, reveal that they were abused as children and witnessed the boy being abused as well.

The Kemas did not report their son missing for several months after he was last seen alive, and only did so after a social worker reported concerns to the authorities.

Peter Kema Sr. told he'd taken the child to another island, Oahu, and turned him over to a family friend, 'Aunty Rose Makuakane' who he did not know how to reach'

Police were unable to locate her or even confirm her existence.

In 2005, then-state Human Services Director Lillian Koller released more than 2,000 pages of heavily redacted documents, with details of abuse allegedly suffered by Peter Boy and his siblings at the hands of their father.

The youngest, Devalynn, told a psychologist in 1998 that she saw Peter Boy dead in a box, but the then-5-year-old girl also told the psychologist her brother was alive in Honolulu.

The psychologist noted the girl's understanding of death was consistent with her age and could lead her to believe a person could become alive again after death.

The girl, now an adult and known as Lina Acol, also told the psychologist that Peter Sr. gave both Peter Boy and her mother 'dirty lickins,' which she described as punching, hitting and slapping, and that Peter Boy was tied up with chains and ropes.

Kema Sr made his first court appearance on Friday where he pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and was remanded in custody in lieu of a $500,000 bond

Kema Sr previously claimed to investigators that he had given his son away to a relative in an informal adoption, but the woman was never traced and police questioned if she ever existed

In the wake of Peter Boy Jr.'s disappearance, records surfaced showing how time and again, state Child Protective Service officials missed or ignored signs the boys was being abused.

When Roth was elected in 2012, one of his pledges was to solve the island's many cold case murders, including Peter Boy Jr.'s.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s the boy became the face of a campaign for missing and abused children. Posters and bumper stickers asked, 'Where's Peter Boy?'

The boy's father is being held on $500,000 bail after being arrested Thursday on an unrelated traffic offense. The mother was arrested in Hilo and her bail has been set at $150,000.
He was sentenced to seven years in jail and is eligible for parole after three

Davidson failed to inform the school of his convictions against Mr Brown

It was until 50 years later that Davidson was arrested at his nursing home

The 84-year-old was a teacher at Sydney Grammar School in the 60s

An elderly man who committed a string of indecent assaults against former Greens leader Bob Brown in the 1950s has been jailed for sex offences relating to a Sydney boy in the 60s.

Ian Douglas Davidson, 84, will be behind bars for at least three years after he was found guilty at Sydney District Court of eight counts of indecent assault and one of buggery committed against an 11-year-old while Davidson was a teacher at Sydney Grammar School.

Davidson was charged and convicted of six counts of indecent assault against Mr Brown, then a schoolboy, in Armidale, NSW, in 1957, court documents state.

Ian Douglas Davidson, 84, convicted of six counts of indecent assault against former Greens leader Bob Brown (pictured) has been jailed for sex offences relating to a Sydney boy in the 60s

Then a young teacher, Davidson failed to declare his convictions to Sydney Grammar School when it employed him, the documents say.

They also state that during the period of abuse, the victim was scared he would be in trouble if he refused Davidson's advances.

'It was clear from (the victim's) evidence that he was acutely conscious of other boys becoming aware of his abuse,' judge Deborah Sweeney said.

A young teacher at the time of the offence, Davidson has been sentenced to seven years in jail and will be eligible for parole after three

It wasn't until about 50 years later that Davidson was arrested at his nursing home in the inner-Sydney suburb of Surry Hills.

When questioned, Davidson denied knowing or teaching the victim during his time at Sydney Grammar, despite police showing him copies of the victim's report cards that he had signed.

Judge Sweeney said the victim had told the court that the abuse left him struggling with 'anger, fear, loss of trust, self-loathing' .
A strict alcohol ban at Taji military base in Iraq has prompted grumbles from some Australian soldiers that their Anzac counterparts are to blame.

A blanket alcohol prohibition prevents diggers from having a single drink - even on Anzac Day or Christmas - at the base northwest of Baghdad, which is home to a joint force from Australian and New Zealand.

The hardline approach has frustrated some Australian troops who are blaming New Zealand military commanders, The ABC reported.

Air Vice Marshal Tim Innes (R) has defended the alcohol ban at Taji base in Iraq

'It's frustrating to think that even in Afghanistan we were allowed to have a rum in our coffee on Anzac Day, but here the Kiwis have pushed to ban alcohol completely,' a Brisbane-based soldier said.

But Australia's top military commander in the Middle East, Air Vice-Marshal Tim Innes, said the ban was not the work of the New Zealanders.

'Considering where we are and what we're doing on this operation I think it's entirely appropriate and I have not heard one comment [from the soldiers] whatsoever regarding that,' he told The ABC.

He said the rules will not be relaxed anytime soon, either.

The ban had the backing of Neil James from the Australia Defence Association, who said it was the commander's call and appropriate in a predominantly Muslim country.

About 300 personnel from the Australian Defence Force and 110 from the New Zealand Defence Force make up Task Group Taji.

Corporal Daniel Livesay (right) is one of about 300 Australian troops at Taji base in Iraq
The man charged with murdering his elderly mother suffers from depression, a court has heard.

Socrates Tamvakis, 44, faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Saturday morning following the death of his 74-year-old mother Violet Tamvakis in her Bentleigh home, 13km south-east of Melbourne.

Tamvakis had been in custody since he was arrested in a cafe on Wednesday, a short distance from his mother's house where she was found dead on Tuesday.

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Socrates Tamvakis, 44, is expected to appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court on following the death of his 74-year-old mother Violet Tamvakis

Concerns arose for Ms Tamvakis when her eldest daughter was contacted by her children's school because Ms Tamvakis had failed to pick them up in the afternoon

The court was told by Mr Tamvakis defence counsel he had been diagnosed with depression and required medication while in custody, according to The Age.

Ms Tamvakis is reportedly believed to have been killed sometime between April 25 and April 26.

One of Mr Tamvakis' sisters found their mother in a front room of her home, on Tuesday.

Homicide detectives had appealed to her 44-year-old son to come in for questioning.

The alarm was raised when Ms Tamvakis failed to pick up her grandchildren from school on Tuesday afternoon.

Concerns arose when her eldest daughter was contacted by her children's school because Ms Tamvakis had failed to pick them up in the afternoon.

He will reappear on Monday for a filing hearing.

75-year-old Violet Tamvakis was found dead in her home on Tuesday afternoon
Former BBC Weatherman Michael Fish (pictured) said temperatures on the May bank holiday can swing by as much as 20 degrees Celsius

Towards the end of his time in Downing Street in the late Seventies, the Labour prime minister Sunny Jim Callaghan had a brilliant idea.

He would reward the beleaguered workers of Britain for all their hard work with another bank holiday on the first Monday of May  just as governments behind the Iron Curtain had done.

However, it seems his communist sympathies may have blinded him to the practicalities of choosing such a date.

As a small group of islands on the edge of a vast Atlantic ocean, the British Isles have always had some of the most changeable weather in the world.

And a look at official records shows that never is that more true than at the start of May.

Figures stretching back to the Victorians tell us that, even though we are moving into summer, the first week of this month can be unseasonably cold and wet.

Just look at the weather round-ups in the news this week: thick blankets of snow in Lancashire and crazy lightning storms striking aeroplanes over London. Yet, as mad as it seems, this is totally normal.

The truth is, temperatures on this holiday have always been known to swing by as much as 20 degrees Celsius.

Of course, as a veteran forecaster of 42 years with the Met Office, no one knows better than me how emotionally involved our country is with the weather.

For many, I will be forever remembered as the weather forecaster who, in October 1987, reassured everyone that all was well  the night before the biggest storm for three centuries hit south-east England.

Snow worries: A snowman in a deckchair was one of the few enjoying the freezing temperatures in Cumbria this week

When I presented the weather on the BBC until 2004, we had to deliver it with no emotion, completely deadpan, and not nearly as casually as it is done today.

Yet it would be a hard-hearted meteorologist who does not appreciate the effect of his words on hopeful viewers who still seem to assume the words bank holiday magically confer the possibility of sunshine.

But the truth is, if you look at the statistics, you have to search very hard for a May 1 when we have had truly brilliant weather. Even the inaugural May Day in 1978 was described as a dismal wash-out by the BBC.

Around 80 per cent of the first May Day bank holidays were ruined by poor weather, whether it was rain, cold, gales, or thunderstorms.

On the May Day of 1979, there were reports of snow and hail. In 1983 there was flooding in Yorkshire and the North Midlands.

In 2010, downpours in the south and east led to nine flood warnings in the Midlands, East Anglia and Thames Valley.

Even though we dont associate the two, snow often makes it a White May Day, rather than a White Christmas. According to the Met Office, the deepest snow over a May Day bank weekend was on May 5, 1979 in Scotland, when 2.4in (6cm) fell. In 1997, snow was reported as far south as Derbyshire.

We had to wait until 1999 for our first truly warm and fine day all across the nation, when weather-watchers recorded more than 11 hours of sunshine in cities like London and Manchester and temperatures along the Devon and Cornish coastlines in the early 20s.

Britain has been carpeted with snow over recent days, pictured is the scene in the Peak District over the past few days

But perhaps these topsy-turvy statistics should have been no surprise to the Labour Government in the 70s.

It was the father of British meteorology, Alexander Buchan, who first spotted how wild the weather can be at this time of year, back in 1869.

His findings were backed by the doyen of British weather forecasters, Hubert Lamb, founder of the Climatic Research Unit in 1971, who believed it was due to the jet stream.

In the Spring, it starts to lose its strength as the temperature differences in the atmosphere weaken, meaning it drags fewer mild westerly winds off the Atlantic ocean.

This leaves the way for other weather systems to jostle for position over the UK, often bringing in cold north-easterly winds from the North Sea to remind us that summer is still some way off.

Flurry of snow: Sheep in a field blanketed in snow near Mungrisdale village in the Lake District as the wintry weather gripped Britain this week

On the other hand, some years we are lucky and areas of high pressure position themselves over central Europe, bringing us warm southerly winds and a taste of balmier weather.

The result is that, of all the four Monday bank holidays every year, the May Day break is the most difficult to forecast.

In my view, a much safer bet would be to move the bank holiday to the end of September or the start of October, when we have some of our best and most stable weather.
The number of European human rights cases against the British Government has fallen by two thirds since David Cameron announced an EU referendum.

Judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg have also backed the UK in a string of disputes.

Supporters of Brexit say the court is trying to avoid controversy in the run-up to the in/out poll on June 23.

The number of European human rights cases against the British Government has fallen by two thirds since David Cameron announced an EU referendum. Pictured: The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg

The European institutions are going easy on Britain until they see the outcome of the referendum, said defence minister Julian Brazier.

The judges are afraid of the restoration of parliamentary sovereignty and control of our own laws.

David Campbell Bannerman, a Tory MEP, said: They have turned the tap off for political reasons. The danger is they will turn it back on again, and if we vote to remain there will be a flood of new court rulings against Britain.

Court records show that Strasbourg heard 1,702 cases in 2012 in which claimants said British courts and laws had failed to honour their human rights.

In January 2013 the Prime Minister announced there would be a vote within four years and that year 908 cases were heard.

Supporters of Brexit say the court is trying to avoid controversy in the run-up to the in/out poll on June 23. Pictured: Flags of countries in Europe in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourgh

The total fell to 720 in 2014 and to only 575 last year  66 per cent fewer than in 2012.

Over this period a number of major judgments have gone in Britains favour in contrast with years in which Strasbourg has condemned this country over matters such as the shooting of IRA terrorists by the SAS in Gibraltar and the detention of Al Qaeda agent Abu Qatada.

The decrease coincides with the ECHRs new stricter approach to what constitutes an application Spokesman for the Strasbourg court

The reduction in British cases comes against the background of a 37 per cent fall in total cases  down from 64,937 in 2012 to 40,629 last year.

Three countries saw a bigger percentage fall in cases than Britain: Georgia, Serbia and Ireland.

A spokesman for the Strasbourg court said: The statistics refer to the number of applications allocated to a judicial formation.

The decrease coincides with the ECHRs new stricter approach to what constitutes an application. Stricter conditions for lodging an application have been applied since January 1, 2014.

The Strasbourg court is run not by the European Union, which has its own Court of Justice, but by the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states including Russia and Ukraine.
Ken Livingstone leaves home to walk his dog Cocoa on Friday

Ken Livingstone called his 2011 autobiography You Cant Say That. No doubt the title was meant to be defiant. Triumphalist even. Here was the Left-wing maverick who gave it to us straight.

He might have matured, as he liked to see it, into Cuddly Ken, the newt-loving, adenoidal everyman in a beige linen suit, but he would still tell the difficult truths when others dared not, or even if they tried to stop him.

There is a passage in the book which deals with a time when Livingstone was arguably at the height of his political success. It was early 2005 and he had just been re-elected as London Mayor, having forced the Blairite Labour Party to eat humble pie and readmit him to the fold.

London was a strong favourite to win the next Olympic bid. But there was still one fly in the ointment.

The only people giving me grief were the Board of Deputies of British Jews, he recalled. They always refused my offer to address them, so I didnt know what to expect when they sent a delegation.

Coming straight to the point, they asked me to tone down my comments about Israel, and gasped when I said I was already doing so, and went on to explain that my opposition to Israels policies had hardened.

'Sadly anyone questioning the injustice done to the Palestinians is denounced by hard-line supporters of Israel as anti-semitic.

Once again, according to Comrade Ken, he had said the unsayable truth, and was suffering the consequences.

There is an alternative, more sardonic, interpretation of You Cant Say That: that the author is an ideologue with a monstrous ego, whose default reaction to any opponent or opposing view is to liken them to Nazi Germany, which killed some six million Jews.

In other circumstances, such hyperbole might seem juvenile  student Marxism at its most risible. But 70-year-old Livingstone has been a major political figure in Britain for almost four decades, and lately a key part of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyns inner circle.

All too often during that time, his trademark use of the Nazi smear has informed his public opposition to the existence of the Jewish state of Israel and his abrasive relationship with Britains own Jewish community.

Add to this Livingstones past welcome to radical Islamists, and his latest provocation  claiming Hitler was once a Zionist  seems to be part of the alleged anti-semitism which has seen him suspended by a Labour Party in which such views are not unique.

Born in South London, Livingstone first came to prominence as Red Ken  the weedy, moustachioed former lab technician who staged a backroom coup to become leader of the Greater London Council in 1981.

Across the Thames at Westminster, Margaret Thatcher was in power and the Parliamentary Labour Party was being torn apart by Livingstones fellow travellers. From a County Hall draped in red flags and Marxist slogans, Livingstones loony left GLC offered an alternative opposition to the Thatcher government.

Many of the GLC initiatives drew national and international attention and widespread outrage among his opponents. His invitation to Sinn Fein and IRA leaders Gerry Adams and Danny Morrison to visit the GLC was blocked at the last moment by the government.

Instead, Livingstone went to Belfast where, he says, he told the terrorists that bombing London would be counter-productive  a strangely anaemic phrase from their council leader, some Londoners might have thought. Black flags were flown from GLC HQ to mark the death of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands.

MP John Mann confronts Ken Livingstone calling him a Nazi apologist and racist as he entered TV studios in Westminster

Some of the wilder shores of his beliefs were set out in a newspaper called Labour Herald, which he co-edited for a time.

There was a special photo report on North Korea. Instead of damning the personality cult dictatorship of Kim Il-sung, which was killing hundreds of thousands of its citizens, Livingstones Herald praised the regime as a model of successful, self-reliant socialist development.

But it was the Heralds editorial line on Israel which resonates to this day. Livingstones editorship coincided with Israels 1982 invasion of Lebanon. In response, he ran a cartoon and a review which critics attacked as anti-semitic.

The cartoon depicted the then Israeli prime minister, Menachem Begin, dressed in Nazi uniform, trampling on Arab corpses under the headline The Final Solution  the Hitler regimes phrase for the Holocaust. The Board of Deputies of British Jews complained to the Attorney General.

Thirty years later, in his auto-biography, Livingstone sought to justify the cartoon. He writes that as a young man, Begin had led (an organisation)  that for a time was modelled on Italian fascism and it had been likened by Albert Einstein to the Nazi and fascist parties.

The following year, Livingstones newspaper carried a review of Zionism In The Age Of Dictators. It was a book written by the Jewish-born American Marxist Lenni Brenner, and explored alleged links between Jewish groups and the Nazis in the Thirties and early Forties.

The Labour Herald review alleged that Jewish leaders had shamelessly used the sympathy stirred up  after the Holocaust for their own devious ends.

Ken Livingstone pictured with Arthur Scargill, right, and Ann Scargill, left. Born in South London, Livingstone first came to prominence as Red Ken  the weedy, moustachioed former lab technician who staged a backroom coup to become leader of the Greater London Council in 1981

The row began outside the Millbank broadcasting studios and continued inside the Westminster building

In his memoir, Livingstone writes: I was shocked by the revelations in Brenners book, (in which it was claimed) some German Zionists sent a memo to Hitler saying that we too are against mixed marriage and are for maintaining ... purity ... and that race separation was wholly to the good.

In his book, Livingstone also quotes leading Nazi Reinhard Heydrichs praise of the Zionists strict racial position. The comparisons being made between the two movements are clear. The Labour Herald was denounced for reviewing Brenners virulently anti-Israel work. But, recalled Livingstone, it helped form my view of Zionism and its history, and I was not going to be silenced by smears of anti-semitism.

One is reminded of what Lord (Alan) Sugar said yesterday, that Livingstone had at some stage become obsessed with Hitler, concentration camps and Jews.

When in 1986 the GLC was disbanded by Margaret Thatcher  I think she was a psychopath who in different circumstances might have killed tens of millions said Livingstone with typical restraint  its leader became MP for Brent East.

In 2000, his warfare against moderate Labour culminated in his expulsion from the party after he put himself forward as a rival candidate for London Mayor against official candidate Frank Dobson.

Livingstone won. It was his greatest political triumph.

His two terms will be remembered for his widely praised response to the 7/7 terror attacks, the successful Olympic bid and the imposition of congestion charging.

But controversy was never far away. In 2002, he had a child at the age of 57 with his long-term partner Emma Beal. It was generally thought to be his first. But six years later, after he and Ms Beal had had a second, it emerged there were three other Livingstone children from two other, previous, relationships. He was furious his secretive private life had been so exposed.

Veteran Labour politician Ken Livingstone, pictured, was described as a 'lying racist' by a Labour MP

Neither of the two women with whom he had the first three children was Kate Allen  the woman who was his partner for 20 years before he met Ms Beal.

In his memoir, he said one of the women, who was a local journalist, was an old friend who was keen to have children but was afraid of running out of time.

We had never been involved romantically, but I knew her well enough to know she would be a wonderful mother, and so I said I would like to be the father of her children.

A daughter was born in 1990, and another in 1992.

Then another friend said shed like to have children, and we agreed to have a baby. So it was that weeks after his second daughter was born, political activist Janet Woolf gave birth to his first son in the same North London hospital.

Livingstones complicated private life aside, the question of his relationship with the Jewish community would not go away.

In 2005, there was a strange incident outside a party which led to Livingstone being suspended for a month from his mayoral office.

He had been approached by a journalist from the London Evening Standard. The journalist, who also happened to be Jewish, asked him if he had enjoyed the event.

In reply, Livingstone asked him if he was a German war criminal. When the journalist said that he wasnt and found the remark offensive, Livingstone likened him to a concentration camp guard: You are just doing it because you are paid to, arent you?

The suspension was lifted on appeal, but the incident brought the Mayor into conflict with the Jewish community once again. In his memoir, Livingstone is dismissive: Phrases (like) behaving like a concentration camp guard and jumped up little Hitler are common jibes in Britain, he writes. No journalist had ever complained before 

But it seemed he simply could not help himself. In 2011, he likened mayoral election opponent Boris Johnson to Adolf Hitler; the choice between them was between good and evil.

The following year he met privately with a group of senior Jewish figures concerned about his links to radical Islam. They later claimed he used the words Zionist, Jewish and Israeli as if they meant the same thing, and that his language was close to classic anti-semitism.

They said he suggested that because the Jewish community was wealthy, it would not vote for him.

His relationship with Islamic cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi has also drawn criticism from many quarters. Invited twice to London by Livingstone, Qaradawi has allegedly refused to share platforms with Jews. According to revered social campaigner Peter Tatchell, the cleric preaches an agenda of misogyny, anti-semitism and homophobia. He does not respect human rights. Livingstone rejects the criticisms as falsifications.

His position as an insurgent within the wider Labour Party  a kind of newt-loving Che Guevara  ended with last years election of Corbyn to the leadership. Livingstone became a leading apparatchik. But his toxic approach to debate continued.

Last month, he came under attack from Labour colleagues for likening a donation to Labour MP Dan Jarvis from a hedge fund to Jimmy Savile funding a childrens group. It later emerged Mr Livingstone himself had accepted 8,000 for giving a speech to a hedge fund, leading to accusations of hypocrisy.

Indeed, his famed frugality has been called into question in the past. It was revealed that during his second term as Mayor, Livingstone had claimed 66,000 in taxpayer-funded expenses. This included a pair of 256 shoes, crates of fine wine and first-class travel.

Livingstone also claimed more than 600 on his City Hall credit card for two meals with then Treasury Minister Ed Balls, and had a dinner costing 220 with actor Kevin Spacey.

Now he is accused by colleague John Mann of being a Nazi apologist.
A Michigan woman convicted in the 1999 murder of her husband has finally admitted to the killing after maintaining her innocence for over 16 years.

In a remorseful letter sent recently to Genesee Circuit Judge Judith A. Fullerton, Sharee Miller, 44, admitted to arranging for her husband to be killed by her lover.

'Judge Fullerton, I did it. Almost the way the prosecutor said I did,' Miller wrote in a letter first reported by the Flint Journal.

'I knew [the murder] was going to happen and I allowed it. I allowed a man to kill another man based on my lies and manipulation.'

Sharee and Bruce Miller, pictured in the late 1990s. Bruce Miller was killed by his wife's lover, who then committed suicide and admitted to the murder in a letter that also implicated Sharee Miller

In a recent letter to a judge, Sharee Miller, pictured in a recent prison mugshot, admitted to arranging the killing of her husband in 1999

Jerry Cassaday, a former cop, admitted to killing Bruce Miller in his 2000 suicide letter. His accusation that Sharee Miller ordered the killing eventually led to her conviction

Excerpt from the recent letter in which Sharee Miller admitted to ordering the murder of her husband in 1999

Miller's husband, Bruce Miller, was killed by a shotgun blast inside his junkyard office on the evening of November 8, 1999.

Believing at first the death was a result of a botched robbery, police failed to find a credible lead and the case went cold for months.

In February the following year, Sharee Miller's lover, ex-cop Jerry Cassaday, killed himself in Missouri and left a suicide note in which he admitted to carrying out the murder and accused Miller of planning the deed.

Cassaday's accusation, and instant chat message logs left behind by the former police officer as evidence of the set-up, eventually led Miller to be thrown in prison for life on conspiracy and second-degree murder charges.

EXCERPTS FROM JERRY CASSADAY'S SUICIDE LETTER THAT IMPLICATED SHAREE MILLER IN HER HUSBAND'S MURDER I drove there and killed him. Sharee was involved and set it up, I have all the proof and I am sending it to the police, she will get whats coming. I have been so stupid, but now you know the real story of why I went into such a state of depression... because I just couldnt tell anyone the truth... [S]he just wanted all her money and no more husband, well she got her wish, but she is soon to learn that she cant do that to people... [N]ow I know it was all just more lies and games from [S]haree, she didnt care what it took or who she hurt to get what she wanted. Source: Sharee Miller v. Clarice Stovall Advertisement

Jerry Cassaday was found slumped in a chair with a bible in his lap, killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound

Cassaday left behind a briefcase that contained a suicide letter and chat logs that implicated Sharee Miller in her husband's murder

In 2008, Miller won an appeal and was released from prison the following year, after a judge agreed with her lawyers' argument that the suicide letter should not have been admitted as evidence against her because Cassaday was not available for cross-examination.

In 2012, Miller was sent back to prison to continue to serve her original sentence after a court re-interpreted the admissibility of the suicide letter, as the Flint Journal reported.

Throughout it all, Miller maintained she was innocent - so her admission of guilt came as a shock to Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton, who also received a copy of her letter.

'I was very surprised,' Leyton told the Flint Journal.

In her letter, Miller wrote that she was driven to admit the truth after watching her daughter cry as she was sent back to the Huron Valley Women's Complex in 2012.

Bruce Miller was found shot to death in November 1999 inside the office of the scrapyard he operated in Michigan

Bruce Miller pictured after he was discovered dead inside his scrapyard office in November 1999

Bruce and Sharee Miller, pictured at their wedding. Sharee Miller recently admitted to ordering her husband's murder to be carried out by her lover

'Something happened inside me when I had to come back to prison after three years of freedom,' Miller wrote.

'You see my daughter and grand daughter were living with me. Although I begged my daughter NOT to come with me when my roomate [sic] dropped me back off at this prison, [my daughter] would not listen.'

'When I was walking through those sliding doors, looking back at my daughter, she was crying so hard... I remember hearing her scream, "NO MOM, NO, DONT LEAVE [sic].'

'After that moment, Judge Fullerton, the FULL impact of what I had done to Bruce, his friends and family, Jerry and his friends and family, hit me with full force. They will NEVER get to see them again. My daughter will be able to come see me.'

In her letter, Miller also accused three different attorneys, including her current lawyer, David Nickola, of refusing to listen to her admission of guilt.

Nickola denied the accusation, and said that if Miller's confession had come sooner, she could have taken a plea deal offered before the trial, served 15 years in prison, and been a free woman by now, the Flint Journal reported.

The murder of Bruce Miller was widely covered at the time, and the criminal case was turned into a Lifetime television movie and a best-selling book.
Shadow cabinet member Luciana Berger, 34, says she has been sent thousands of insults

A leading Jewish Labour MP has showed the level of anti-semitism online by publishing abusive messages sent to her.

Shadow cabinet member Luciana Berger, 34, says she has been sent thousands of insults.

Some feature the yellow star Nazis used to label Jews, while others caricature her with a big nose or greedily rubbing her hands. Some even call her a pig or threaten to rape or kill her.

Miss Berger joined the attacks on suspended Ken Livingstone, saying on Thursday that his claims Hitler was a Zionist were a disgrace and have no place in our party.

She tweeted a selection of the sick material and stressed anti-semitism remained a danger.

A source close to the Liverpool MP said: They could be from Labour, they could be from further afield. Theres no way of knowing. With tweets you dont know whether theyre from the left or right, although a lot of the abuse in the past has been from far-right groups in America.

Miss Berger introduced her selection posting: For those in any doubt, this is just a little snapshot of what Anti-Semitism in 2016 looks like. It is very real.

An online troll calling himself AntiRacist Hitler told her Luciana Berger move to Israel, you dont belong in EuropeIts only going to get worse. Another called for her to be raped, she was branded a pig, and a call for her head on a spike followed.

Former management consultant Miss Berger, who married husband Alistair last year, first became a target two years ago.

She received a tweet from neo-Nazi Garron Helm, 21, of Litherland, Merseyside, using the hashtag Hitlerwasright. He was jailed for four weeks. Some 2,500 further vile copycat messages followed in just a few days.

This image was sent to Miss Berger, and features the yellow star Nazis used to label Jews, while also caricaturing her with a big nose and greedily rubbing her hands
Former London mayor Ken Livingstone told a hard-left meeting in east London that he could not be an anti-Semite as two of his former girlfriends were Jewish.

Speaking at the People's Philosophy, Politics and Economics meeting, Livingstone addressed the controversy, just hours before he was suspended by party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

He told people attending the meeting: 'It's absurd to call me an anti-Semite, as two of my ex-girlfriends are Jewish.

'It's offensive to them to say they were lying in bed next to someone who hates them.'

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Ken Livingstone reportedly told a meeting on Wednesday that he could not be anti-Semitic as he has ex-girlfriends who were Jewish and claimed it was deeply offensive to the two women themselves. He was photographed walking his dog Cocoa after the anti-Semitic storm

According to The Sun, the meeting took place just hours before he was eventually suspended by the party on Thursday. It was not clear which ex girlfriends he was referring to.

Mr Livingstone's recent comment suggests he has changed his mind about revealing details of his personal life, after saying in 2008 that his private life was not relevant to his job.

The former Mayor of London, 70, has five children and has been married twice. He first wed Christine Chapman in 1973 but the couple split up eight years later in 1981.

He then entered a 19-year relationship with Kate Allen, who is the Director of Amnesty International UK.

During that relationship, he fathered two daughters - Georgia and Lottie - with journalist Philippa Need in the early 1990s after offering his services as a sperm donor.

He first wed Christine Chapman (pictured) in 1973 but the couple split up eight years later in 1981

He then entered a 19-year relationship with Kate Allen (pictured) who is the Director of Amnesty International UK

During his relationship with Kate Allen he fathered two daughters - Georgia and Lottie - with journalist and friend Philippa Need (pictured) in the early 1990s after offering his services as a sperm donor

Mr Livingstone then fathered his son Liam with activist Janet Woolf in 1992.

He wed his current wife Emma Beal at the Mappin Pavilion in London Zoo in 2009 and the couple have two children, Thomas and Mia.

And following Mr Livingstone's recent comments, Corbyn has launched an independent review into racism including a code of conduct which would 'make explicitly clear for the first time that Labour will not tolerate any form of racism, including anti-Semitism, in the party' and provide guidance on acceptable language.

Mr Livingstone then fathered his son Liam with activist Janet Woolf (pictured) in 1992

Ken with his wife Emma on their 2009 wedding day. The couple have two children, Thomas and Mia

Former Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti has been appointed to head a panel tasked with drawing up 'a statement of principles and guidance about anti-Semitism and other forms of racism'.

The panel - whose vice-chairman is Professor David Feldman, director of the Pears Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism - is expected to consult with the Jewish community and other minorities and report within two months on issues such as 'transparent compliance procedures' and training.

Mr Livingstone (pictured) told people attending the meeting: 'It's absurd to call me an anti-Semite, as two of my ex-girlfriends are Jewish'

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has announced a review into racism within the party including a code of conduct which will make it explicitly clear that any form of racism, including anti-Semitism will not be tolerated

Mr Corbyn insists there is no 'crisis' within the party but his handling of anti-Semitism allegations, which have led to the suspension of long-time ally Ken Livingstone and Bradford West MP Naz Shah, has been criticised.

Corbyn announced: 'We have taken decisive action over allegations of anti-Semitism since I became leader, suspending all those involved from membership, and have set up an inquiry under Baroness Royall into reports of anti-semitism in the Oxford University Labour club and elsewhere.

'There is no place for anti-Semitism or any form of racism in the Labour Party, or anywhere in society. We will make sure that our party is a welcoming home to members of all minority communities.'

It came as an unrepentant Mr Livingstone suggested Labour will have to lift his suspension over controversial remarks linking Adolf Hitler to Zionism as the row over the party's handling of anti-Semitism allegations continued.
Britain will be forced to open its doors to potentially 88 million more people from Turkey and the Balkans if it votes to stay in the EU, Michael Gove warns today.

The Justice Secretary says EU enlargement plans mean migrants from Turkey, Albania, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro could soon have the right to travel to Britain and take up jobs, school places and housing.

Pro-EU campaigners have mocked Mr Gove for suggesting that Britain could adopt a trading relationship with the EU along similar lines to Albania.

But he hits back today, saying the real Project Albania is the one that would allow the former communist state, which is riven by poverty and organised crime, into the EU.

Michael Gove says migrants from Turkey and the Balkans could soon have the right to travel to Britain and take up jobs, school places and housing

Writing in the Daily Mail, Mr Gove warns that the scale of the influx from the applicant countries could dwarf that from Romania and Bulgaria.

And what will even more immigration from the EU mean for access to housing across the UK? How many more homes will we need and how many more green acres will go? he writes.

Can we... safeguard the jobs of the future and ensure people can maintain a decent standard of living when up to 88 million people from nations much poorer than our own will have the right to live and work here?

After saying that the introduction of the National Living Wage means the pull of the UK could prove irresistible, he adds: These troubling questions havent begun to be answered. And they are very far from the only problems with allowing these five nations into the EU.

David Cameron continues to back Turkeys application to join the EU. Government sources insist it will be many years before Turkey joins, and that we will demand restrictions on the free movement of its citizens to Britain for years more.

But Mr Gove points out that the UK is already committed to giving almost 2billion to Turkey and the other countries to help them join the EU.

He also highlighted warnings this week by Home Secretary Theresa May that the new states bidding to join the EU are countries with poor populations and serious problems with crime

The already unwieldy group of 28 is due to become a throng of 33, he writes. And Britain isnt just backing this move. Were paying for it.

Ministers previously dismissed warnings about an influx of migrants from Romania and Bulgaria. But Mr Gove points out that critics were right: Those who warned that around 50,000 of them would move here each year were accused of inflammatory rhetoric. Yet their forecasts have been proved almost precisely correct.

We are now faced with nearly three times that population total becoming entitled to migrate to Britain. That cannot be right.

He also highlights warnings this week by Home Secretary Theresa May that the new states bidding to join the EU are countries with poor populations and serious problems with crime.
Up to 30 Conservative MPs could rebel in a Commons vote against David Camerons refusal to let child refugees in Europe into Britain.

To avoid a humiliating defeat, ministers are now reconsidering whether to offer sanctuary to thousands of unaccompanied children in camps on the Continent.

The Tory rebels have signalled they intend to switch sides and back a compromise plan put forward by Labour peer Lord Dubs after his attempt to make Britain take 3,000 child refugees from the EU was blocked in a Commons vote on Monday with a majority of just 18.

Desperate: Syrian refugee children pictured at a camp in Turkey. Some 30 Conservative MPs couldnow rebel against David Camerons refusal to let child refugees in Europe into Britain

Tory rebels could switch sides and back a compromise plan put forward by Labour peer Lord Dubs (pictured) after his attempt to make Britain take 3,000 child refugees from the EU was blocked in a Commons vote

His amendment, which does not specify an exact number, was backed by the Lords on Tuesday.

The 30 Tories will be supported by eight members of the Democratic Unionist Party who indicated they were likely to vote in favour of the proposals when they come before the Commons on May 9.

This would wipe out the Governments working majority of 18 at a time when Downing Street is desperate to avoid contentious issues in the run up to the June referendum on the EU.

In a full-page leader on Thursday, the Daily Mail said: We believe that the plight of these unaccompanied children now in Europe  hundreds of them on our very doorstep in the Channel ports of France  has become so harrowing that we simply cannot turn our backs.

It added that strict checks must be made to establish that those granted asylum are genuine refugees and the age they claim to be, but in the exceptional circumstances of the crisis it would be wrong not to help such children, who should be allowed a one-off amnesty.

Tory MP David Burrowes said yesterday he would most likely support the proposal from Lord Dubs, 83, who came to Britain as a child fleeing the Nazis.

Calling for more compassion for unaccompanied minors, he added: I hope the Government can come forward with a way of making Lord Dubss amendment work. We need to enable more children who are at risk of trafficking to come to this country.

Ministers are reconsidering whether to offer sanctuary to thousands of unaccompanied children in camps on the Continent (pictured, child refugees at the Greek-Macedonian border)

Heidi Allen MP, one of his Tory colleagues who intends to vote in favour of the amendment, said: The Government has been concerned by the pull factor this could create [attracting more migrants] but Im urging them to look beyond this.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: Our campaign to offer sanctuary to the most vulnerable refugee children in Europe is gathering momentum.

More backbench Tory MPs are hearing from constituents and approaching me to say they now support the campaign. The Government needs to listen and act.

Mr Cameron is standing firm against the proposals, but insiders indicated No 10 is examining possible concessions, including allowing children into the UK if they have extended family here.

A Whitehall source said: They know they are in trouble. The Government has argued that taking in children from Europe would encourage others to put their lives at risk with people traffickers and on perilous sea crossings.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said the campaign to offer sanctuary to the most vulnerable refugee children in Europe was 'gathering momentum'

Mr Cameron said this week that children who had made it to Europe were in safe countries and did not need to come to the UK.

But Labours Yvette Cooper, a former leadership contender, argued that the thousands who were sleeping rough and vulnerable to sexual exploitation on the Continent were not safe.

No 10 said its position had been laid out in the Commons on Wednesday, when Mr Cameron said he would stick to the policy of taking refugees only from war-torn regions such as Syria.
Forced six branches in Melbourne's east owned by same couple

Homeowners and landlords will be compensated after funds from a LJ Hooker franchisee trust account went missing, the State Government says.

Consumer Affairs Minister Jane Garrett said on Saturday that the Victorian Property Fund would return money those out of pocket.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars had gone missing from the real estate agency trust, leaving homeowners and landlords out of pocket.

Six LJ Hooker branches in Melbournes wealthy eastern suburbs run by the same couple have been forced to close

Victorias consumer affairs regulator investigates substantial financial losses affecting over 100 customers

Six LJ Hooker branches in Melbournes wealthy eastern suburbs run by the same couple have been forced to close while Victorias consumer affairs regulator investigates substantial financial losses affecting over 100 customers.

Consumer Affairs Victoria said on Friday it had taken possession of the offices as it investigated allegations its directors Judy Nguyen, also known as Judy Thanh Truc, and husband Joseph Ngo spent customer funds that were meant to be held in trust.

LJ Hooker Glen Waverley, Keysborough, Mount Waverley, Burwood, Doncaster and Box Hill have been closed since April 21.

LJ Hooker Glen Waverley (pictured), Keysborough, Mount Waverley, Burwood, Doncaster and Box Hill have been closed since April 21

Consumer Affairs Victoria said on Friday it had taken possession of the offices as it investigated allegations its directors Judy Nguyen (left), also known as Judy Thanh Truc, and husband Joseph Ngo (right) spent customer funds that were meant to be held in trust

'Initial indications are there are more than 100 landlords and sales customers of the franchise impacted, involving substantial amounts of money,' Consumer Affairs Victoria said in a statement.

Victims Jan and Katarina Melih told ABC News they had yet to receive a $61,000 deposit from the sale of their home in Dandenong.

We trusted the LJ Hooker brand- we didnt know we were dealing with a franchise, Mr Melih, 73, said.

Im not the only one thats lost money.

A statutory manager has been appointed to deal with outstanding consumer, landlord or tenant transactions, and wind the business down.

LJ Hooker's head office is helping the regulator investigate and identify any losses, Consumer Affairs Victoria said.
George Osborne has pledged to cut business rates for local newspapers  and suggested the BBC licence fee may be used to protect the Press.

In a speech at a Westminster dinner, the Chancellor championed Press freedom as the ultimate protection against abuse of power.

Addressing a room of journalists, he announced extra support for the struggling local Press.

The Chancellor championed Press freedom as the ultimate protection against abuse of power

He said: For centuries in some cases, these papers have been the training grounds for journalists in the hearts of their communities.

But too many of these sources of local news are disappearing as advertising revenues decline.

He said: If we are going to have powerful elected mayors, local decisions taken on everything from health to criminal justice then we do need strong local media to hold them to account.

We need professional journalists present at those council meetings keeping tabs on what they are up to.

'As power is devolved out of Whitehall, a dynamic, vibrant local media is more vital to our democracy than ever before.

He said he and Culture Secretary John Whittingdale had been working on a package of support for local newspapers, which will include a cut in business rates for local newspaper offices from next April.

George Osborne and Culture Secretary John Whittingdale (pictured) have been working on a package of support for local newspapers, which will include a cut in business rates for local newspaper offices

He said they were in negotiations with the BBC over using the licence fee to support local independent newsgathering.

Mr Osborne added: There is no more precious freedom than the freedom of the Press, it is the freedom that underpins all others, the one guarantee of freedom of speech, the ultimate protection against abuse of power.

The most basic journalistic endeavour, the search for a story, means there is no cause and no plea for justice that is forever without a voice.

He ended his speech saying: It is the irreverence of journalism, the challenging, sometimes infuriating, occasionally wayward, always invigorating journalistic spirit that makes a free society truly free.
A second female Australian Defence Force member has been arrested in relation to an armed robbery of a military bank at one of the nation's largest airforce bases.

Following a two year investigation Sarah Royna, 24, was arrested Friday on charges relating to an armed robbery at the Australian Military Bank within the Richmond Airforce Base, 60km west of Sydney, in February 2014.

The serving ADF member, who is currently based in Victoria, was arrested at Surry Hills Police station on Friday and charged with robbery whilst armed in company, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession of a prohibited firearm.

Following a two year investigation Sarah Royna, 24, (pictured centre) was arrested Friday on charges relating to an armed robbery at the Australian Military Bank within the Richmond Airforce Base

After appearing in court, Tayla Stahl (pictured) was refused bail due to appear at a later date charged with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and firearms offences

Tayla Stahl, 21, (pictured left) was arrested in full uniform at the RAAF Base Richmond Air Force base on April 21

The arrest came a week after 21-year-old Tayla Stahl was arrested in full military uniform at Richmond Airforce Base and taken to Windsor Police Station on April 21. After appearing in court she was refused bail due to appear at a later date.

She was charged with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and firearms offences.

She allegedly was armed with a gun and wearing a balaclava when she entered the building and held-up a female staff member before fleeing with cash on 7 February, 2014.

Tayla Stahl and Sarah Royna are alleged to have been involved in the armed hold-up at RAAF Base Richmond's (pictured) credit union in 2014

The Robbery and Serious Crime Squad established Strike Force Potto to investigate the case and also worked with the ADF Investigative Service to carry out the arrest.

They conducted extensive inquiries into the robbery as well as forensic examinations of the financial institution.

'It will be alleged a woman armed with a gun entered the building and threatened a female staff member before fleeing with cash,' police said.

The Richmond base is a hub for the Air Force's logistical operations and is so big it has its own military credit union, public transport network and post office.

It is the headquarters of a number of groups including the No. 37 airlift squadron operating C-130 Hercules aircraft and the No. 35 transport squadron.

Police are asking anyone with information, particularly on the involvement of a second woman, to come forward and call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

It will be alleged a woman was armed with a gun and wearing a balaclava when she entered the building and held-up a female staff member before fleeing with cash on 7 February, 2014
The heartbreaking 911 call made moments after the aftermath of a two-car accident that killed four University of Georgia students has been released.

'The car swerved in front of me and I couldn't stop,' 27-year-old Abby Short can be heard telling the 911 dispatcher. 'I'm just hurting a lot. I'm sorry.'

Short was driving her blue Chevrolet Cobalt alone when a white Toyota Camry being driven by 21-year-old Agnes Kim veered into her lane on Georgia State Route 15 just outside of Watkinsville on Wednesday night.

The tragic crash between the two cars killed all four of Kim's passengers: Kayla Canedo, 19, of Alpharetta; Brittany Feldman, 20, of Alpharetta; Christina Semeria, 19, of Milton; and Halle Scott, 19, of Dunwoody.

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Abby Short (above) was driving her blue Chevrolet Cobalt alone when a white Toyota Camry being driven by Agnes Kim veered into her lane on Georgia State Route 15 just outside of Watkinsville on Wednesday night

Kayla Canedo (left) and Christina Semeria (right) were killed in a crash along with two other University of Georgia students on Wednesday night as they were in Kim's car

Halle Scott (left) and Brittany Feldman (right) also died in the crash in Kim's car around 9pm on Wednesday along Georgia State Route 15

The driver of white Toyota Camry carrying the four girls - fellow student Agnes Kim (pictured) remained hospitalized Friday in a coma

Their sudden death has rocked the campus of University of Georgia, where the girls were all beloved students on campus and in the community.

Kim, of Snellville, Georgia - remained hospitalized in a coma at Athens Regional Medical Center on Friday.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Short was treated at a hospital and was released Thursday morning.

The audio from the 911 call was posted to Oconee County Georgia Sheriff's Office Facebook on Friday afternoon.

'It breaks our hearts to put this up on the page. Quite frankly, we don't understand why we are getting requests for it...We are obligated under Georgia's open records law to release the recording,' they wrote on the page.

In the call, Short, who was leaving her job at National EMS in Athens when the accident happened, sounded frantic and shaken up as she speaks with the 911 dispatcher.

'I've been in accident,' Short can be heard saying at the beginning of the call. 'I'm on 15, I don't know where I am.'

On the 911 call, Short, who survived the crash, told the dispatcher: 'The car swerved in front of me and I couldn't stop. I'm just hurting a lot. I'm sorry'

The Camry was heading north when it veered into the southbound lanes and was struck on the passenger side by a blue Chevrolet Cobalt (above), the Georgia State Patrol said in a preliminary report

The five University of Georgia students were in a Toyota Camry (pictured) that ended up in a ditch on Georgia State Route 15 just outside Watkinsville

The 911 dispatcher asks her if she sees anything around her or a business, to which Short replies no and that she just got on the highway.

'Where am I at? I'm on 15. I'm in a lot of pain ma'am. I'm sorry,' Short tells the dispatcher frantically.

The dispatcher tells her that she's going to send an ambulance, but she needs a location.

Short tells her that another car pulled in front of her and her ankle and 'belly' hurts.

The dispatcher realizes that she knows Short personally and tries to reassure her to stay calm and still throughout the nearly seven minute recording until the call ends as help arrived.

The crash occurred near the Hot Thomas Barbeque restaurant, 11Alive reports.

The Camry was heading north when it veered into the southbound lanes and was struck on the passenger side by a blue Chevrolet Cobalt, the Georgia State Patrol said in a preliminary report.

It wasn't known why the Camry drifted into the other lane, however, the State Patrol said troopers don't suspect that alcohol played a role in the crash.

Troopers said they do not suspect alcohol was a factor in the crash. Pictured from left, Brittany Feldman, Kayla Canedo and Christina Semeria

A candlelight vigil was held in honor of the students on Thursday evening. Pictured, Kayla Canedo (left) with Brittany Feldman

'For an unknown reason, a vehicle crossed the center line and struck another vehicle,' Georgia State Patrol Sgt. Scott Andrews told Atlanta station WSB-TV.

It will be up to the Georgia State Patrol to investigate the cause of the crash, Sheriff Berry said.

Both cars were travelling at a high speed but no drugs or alcohol were found in either vehicle, he told CBS46.

'We are deeply saddened to learn of the heartbreaking and tragic loss of four students and critical injuries to another student in a terrible car accident last night outside of Athens,' University of Georgia President Jere Morehead said in a statement.

'We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of our students who were victims,' Morehead said.

'We ask that you keep these students and their family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.'

At a morning news conference, Morehead said the university community is devastated by the loss the students.

Jere W. Morehead, president of the University of Georgia, pauses as he speaks during a news conference on Thursday about the student's tragic deaths

Courtney White, chapter president of Alpha Chi Omega, is comforted by Jere W. Morehead, President of the University of Georgia, during a vigil to mourn the deaths of Georgia students killed on Wednesday

Morehead said he doesn't recall such a tragic event in his three decades at the university, where he was a professor and administrator before being named president in 2013.

'This is something that the university hasn't faced before,' he said, adding that 'we will face it, we will provide support for each other.'

He added they were very active in campus activities such as the Greek system and religious organizations.

'The loss of any student is very difficult,' Morehead said at the news conference on Thursday morning. 'A tragedy of this magnitude is truly devastating.'

'Anytime you lose a young person who has their entire life ahead of them that's a horrible tragedy, and in this case that's obviously magnified by the tragedy that happened last night.'

Friends, sorority sisters and relatives of the victims were gathered at the Athens hospital overnight, Sheriff Berry said. The university president was also there, talking to family members who arrived during the night.

'I told them that I cannot imagine how any of them are facing this kind of tragedy and loss, and that our university stands ready to assist them in any way, to support them in any way and we want them to know that they are not alone,' Morehead said.

A sorority sister cries during a vigil on Thursday, April 28, 2016, to honor four University of Georgia students who lost their lives in a car accident

University of Georgia students, faculty and family members hold candles to mourn the deaths of Georgia students killed in a car crash late Wednesday night

Students and staff at the school gathered on Thursday evening to reflect on the lives of the students and care for one another during 'this time of tremendous sadness.'

Georgia's governor also ordered flags at state properties to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the students until sunset on Friday.

Governor Nathan Deal said: 'Sandra and I join all Georgians in mourning the four University of Georgia students who passed away tragically on Wednesday evening. We pray for Agnes Kim and her family, as she fights for life.

'To honor the memory of these daughters, sisters, classmates, and friends, I've ordered flags to be flown at half-staff.

'Today, we are all Bulldogs,' Deal added, referring to Georgia's mascot.

In addition, US Rep. Jody Hice, R-Georgia, called for a moment of silence in the House of Representatives on Friday morning, according to the AJC.

Friends of the students took to social media to pay tribute to the students with the hashtag #prayforUGA

'The remarkable impact of these women upon UGA's campus is evidenced by the thousands of students, faculty and staff who gathered yesterday in an outpouring of love, support and remembrance,' Hice said.

'Mr. Speaker, this tragedy is every parent's worst nightmare, and our hearts ache for these families.'

Friends and classmates took to social media to pay tribute in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Canedo and Semeria were members of Alpha Chi Omega.

Kaelie Altizer paid tribute in a heartfelt Instagram post, writing: 'The sisters of Alpha Chi Omega lost two incredible girls last night. Kayla and Christina will be dearly missed.'

She added: 'My heart is with my sisters, the sororities that also lost sisters, Agnes who is thankfully still with us, and all of their families.'

In a statement on Facebook, the sorority said: 'The entire Alpha Chi Omega family mourns the tragic loss of our Beta Sigma sisters Kayla Canedo and Christina Semeria.

University of Georgia students gathered at a memorial for the victims at the campus in Athens Thursday

The gathering was a chance for students to pay tribute and care for one another during 'this time of tremendous sadness,' the school's president said

'Our hearts also go out to the friends and families of the other students lost in this terrible accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with our Beta Sigma chapter, and the entire University of Georgia community.'

Delta Delta Delta's UGA chapter paid tribute to Scott in a statement on Facebook, writing: 'Our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the loss of our sister, Halle Scott.

'Halle was an incredible, and loving woman who brought joy to everyone she encountered. She will be deeply missed, but she will be remembered in our hearts forever.
Police will be knocking on the doors of well-known gang members this weekend to find the person or persons responsible for killing well-known gangland figure Walid 'Wally' Ahmad.

Police don't wan't the shooting to further fuel a drug-related gang war and have told gang associates not to take the law into their own hands, Newscorp reports.

It has also been reported a senior police officer from the Middle Eastern Crime Squad has said people would 'be lining up to kill him'.

'In the past few months he has been spiralling out of control and bingeing on cocaine,' the Daily Telegraph reported.

Shocking footage has also emerged of the moment paramedics tried to resuscitate the convicted killer after he was gunned down in the 'targeted attack' outside a shopping centre.

Ahmad, 41, was shot dead in a 'well-planned ambush' on the rooftop carpark at Bankstown Central shopping centre in an attack which left his bodyguard and a 31-year-old woman reported by Yahoo7 to be his girlfriend, with injuries.

A large-scale manhunt is now underway for the shooter and the driver of a getaway car.

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A man gunned down in a busy shopping centre in a 'targeted' attack is believed to be convicted killer and standover man Walid 'Wally' Ahmad

Police are investigating possible links between a vehicle which crashed near Benalla overnight but say they are still yet to confirm the accident is related to the Bankstown shooting

The car had been crashed into trees off the Hume Freeway near Baddaginnie overnight but when police arrived it was empty

Police are investigating possible links between a vehicle which crashed near Benalla overnight but say they are still yet to confirm the accident is related to the Bankstown shooting.

The car had been crashed into trees off the Hume Freeway near Baddaginnie overnight but when police arrived it was empty.

Police are still trying to confirm who was driving the vehicle when it crashed.

Distressing images show Ahmad, who went into cardiac arrest immediately after he was shot, lying on the ground covered in blood while a man performs CPR on his chest.

Shocking footage has emerged of the moment paramedics tried to resuscitate gangland figure Walid Ahmad after he was gunned down in a 'targeted attack' outside a shopping centre

Police have voiced fears that a war between rival Sydney crime gangs, thought to have stemmed from a drugs debt, could escalate following the death of the convicted killer on Friday

Distressing images show Ahmad, who went into cardiac arrest immediately after he was shot, lying on the ground covered in blood

His family and friends can be heard screaming 'Walid, Walid! Don't die on me Walid!'

Ahmad, a known standover man, was wanted by police for questioning the fatal shooting of Safwan Charbaji at his smash repairs business earlier this month in Condell Park.

This has prompted fears that Friday's shooting could be 'payback' for the killing.

Ahmad was also jailed in 2005 after shooting dead Mayez Danny at Greenacre in Sydney's south-west in 2002.

Senior police told the Daily Telegraph they feared the killing of Ahmad in such a brazen manner would lead to retaliation.

'There are two distinct crime groups now involved in a feud and they are extremely violent,' one officer said.

It has also been reported a large drug debt was at the centre of the long-running dispute between the two crime gangs.

A woman is taken away by NSW Paramedics after she was shot in the leg in the car park at Bankstown Central shopping centre in Sydney's south-west just before 12pm on Friday

A man was treated by paramedics at the scene for gunshot wounds to his leg before being taken to hospital

Police have recovered a car believed to have been used after the deadly shooting at Bankstown on Friday

The gunman is believed to have escaped in a Mercedes, which was found burned out less than 1km away

'Somebody didn't pay protection for their coke run,' a source told News.com.au. 'Somebody owes 100 grand and that's what this is all about.'

Police are now investigating whether Ahmad's death was payback for the shooting at Condell Park.

'It's clearly targeted, this is not a random shooting,' Detective Superintendent David Eardley said.

'Certainly there's been a recent shooting in Condell Park. Those detectives will be reviewing this today.

'Obviously that will be the subject of an investigation to identify any linkages to the deceased man.

'We're certainly not ruling out any links - we're looking at all opportunists and all avenues of investigation.'

He said police believe the gunman may not have been working alone and that the victim was an intended target.

'The indication is that this gunman did not act alone - we had information of a white Mercedes vehicle being used,' he said. 'I can confirm that vehicle has been located burnt-out in the Greenacre area.'

Police have released CCTV footage showing the suspected getaway car used Ahmad was shot dead.

Police have released CCTV footage showing the suspected getaway car used (driving along the road)

Ahmad, a central figure among Sydney's middle eastern crime gangs, was shot dead in a 'well-planned ambush' at Bankstown Central shopping centre, west of the city, on Friday

Ahmad's family were seen looking distressed following the shooting at the shopping centre on Friday

The wounded man, named as Nael Hamid, is thought to be Ahmad's bouncer and made light of the situation by telling 7 News his injuries were due to 'fireworks'

The video shows a white Mercedes driving down a nearby street followed by a white hatchback, shortly before both cars were found burnt-out in Greenacre.

Police believe the Mercedes was driven into a car park at the Bankstown Central Shopping Centre about 11.50am.

A gunman then exited the car, and opened fire on three people sitting at a table at a cafe.

A woman and a 60-year-old man suffered non life-threatening gun wounds to their legs in the attack and they are now recovering in hospital.

The man, named as Nael Hamid, is thought to be Ahmad's bodyguard and he made light of the situation by telling Seven News his injuries were due to 'fireworks'.

Moments before the attack, a man and a woman reportedly ran into the shopping centre asking about store security.

'Where's store security? Where's store security? Can you call them?' the woman said, according to news.com.au.

But the man said: 'There's not enough f***ing time.'

The pair then ran towards an escalator, which leads to the third-level gym, cafe and carpark, where the shooting occurred.

It is not known who the people were or if they were hurt in the shooting.

Ahmad's niece told news.com.au how she received a panicked call from Ahmad's daughter.

Ahmad was jailed in 2005 after shooting dead Mayez Danny at Greenacre in Sydney's south-west in 2002

Ahmad was wanted for questioning over the fatal shooting of Safwan Charbaji (pictured) outside the A Team Smash Repairs in Condell Park on April 9

Police surround a man at the shopping centre but say no arrests have been made in relation to the shooting

The man who died is believed to have gone into cardiac arrest immediately after he was shot. Paramedics are seen here attending to the two injured people

There is believed to have been eight shots fired in the car park of the shopping centre on the corner of Stacey Street and Rickard Street

The shopping centre car park was closed as a precaution as police investigated

Witnesses say eight shots were fired in the busy shopping centre carpark

'She said, 'Come get me! He's dead! He's dead!' the niece said.

Ahmad was on the run after the fatal shooting of Safwan Charbaji outside the A Team Smash Repairs on April 9, according to The Daily Telegraph.

He was at the shop when the shots were fired and police wanted to question him in the days after the incident.

He was also jailed for seven years in 2005 after shooting dead Mayez Dany at Greenacre in Sydney's south-west in 2002.

At the time Ahmad was working as a bouncer at a King Cross nightclub owned by Hassan 'Sam' Ibrahim, Fairfax reported.

Mr Dany reportedly became angry when Ahmad punched his nephew and broke his jaw after refusing him entry into the DCM nightclub.

Ahmad later shot Mr Dany five times at a meeting at a Greenacre auto wreckers.

The 41-year-old, who is believed to be married with children, was also reportedly being investigated over his role in an extortion racket.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that he was well known for intimidation and stand over tactics, particularly in the automotive industry.

Police said a torched Mercedes used in the shooting was found in a street just one kilometre from the shopping centre

Investigators are looking into the possibility two cars may have been used by a man wanted over the shopping centre shooting at Bankstown in Sydney's south-west on Friday

Police were seen talking to residents in Greenacre not far from the street where the burnt-out remains of a vehicle used during a shooting was found

Witnesses say eight shots were fired at the busy shopping centre on Friday.

'As I was parking my car, I heard gun shots. I went upstairs and there were three on the floor, two guys and a girl,' a witness told 9News.

'There was a guy lying in a pool of blood. They were trying to revive him, but he [had] passed away already.

'I was in the war zone in Lebanon, but it wasn't as scary as what I just saw.'

Police say a crime scene has been established and it will be examined by detectives and forensic specialists.

Fatema Islam, who works at the nearby Bankstown Hospital, says she had just parked her car when she heard two gunshots and a woman screaming.

'I thought something probably fell from the fitness (shop) and I tried not to pay attention,' Ms Islam told reporters at the shopping centre.

'A lady came out from over there, screaming and crying, saying, 'Gunshots, gunshots'. I was like, 'That can't be true'.'

Bankstown Commander Dave Eardley said police believe the gunman may not have been working alone and that the victim was an intended target

A shocked witness said 'there was a guy lying in a pool of blood' in the carpark

Bankstown Central shopping centre is located about 20km south-west of Sydney

Police say a crime scene has been established and it will be examined by detectives and forensic specialists

Ms Islam says she ran inside after hearing the woman's cries.

'All of a sudden the police was here and I heard one person has died and two are injured,' she said.

'I'm sorry, I'm still scared myself. It's pretty scary, especially for local people like us. It's not a very fun place to be.'

Ms Islam said she was used to treating gunshot victims, but not like this.

'We deal with this all the time, but it's different when patients come to us with gunshot wounds,' she said. 'It's different when you actually see it on the spot - it's pretty scary.'

Another witness says she was parking her car when the shooting occurred.

'I saw him after he was shot. I was just getting out of my car. It was right outside the front door,' she told Newscorp.

The shopping centre car park has been closed as a precaution.

No arrests have been made at this stage.

Drivers are urged to avoid the area for the time being due to traffic delays.

Anyone with information that could assist police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Two university students being sued for allegedly racist Facebook posts have launched a complaint of their own, claiming the Australian Human Rights Commission discriminated against them because they were white heterosexual males.

Calum Thwaites and Jackson Powell are subject to a lawsuit by Queensland University of Technology administration officer Cindy Prior.

They claim the AHRC breached their human rights by failing to notify them of the complaint against them for more than a year.

The two are demanding an apology from the AHRC, compensation for legal costs understood to already be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and that the commission change the way it deals with complaints.

A student from the Queensland University of Technology (pictured) is facing a $200k legal bill over a 2013 post he wrote

In the complaint documents their lawyer, Tony Morris QC, claims the two were 'at all times treated by the AHRC with absolute, unequivocal and flagrant indifference, disregard, contumacy, hauteur, disdain, vilipendency and insouciance'.

He argues they were treated in that way because they were white male heterosexuals who were not active members of any religious sect or trade union and were not generally politically outspoken.

The case stems from a May 2013 incident in which Ms Prior asked three students to leave an indigenous-only computer lab at the university, prompting one of them, Alex Wood, who is also being sued, to post, 'Just got kicked out of the unsigned Indigenous computer room. QUT stopping segregation with segregation?' on Facebook.

Cindy Prior launched the legal action against Mr Wood, two other students and academics from the university for $250,000 in damages under the Racial Discrimination Act

The post attracted a string of comments, some of which were critical of the existence of the indigenous-only lab, including one from Mr Powell who wrote, 'I wonder where the white supremacist lab is..'.

Mr Thwaites has denied being behind a post referring to 'ITT N---s'.

Ms Prior is not mentioned by name in any of the posts but went on leave following the incident and is suing the three students and the university for almost $250,000 in lost wages and general damages, plus future economic loss.

Mr Wood allegedly wrote the post after being asked to leave a university computer lab reserved for the use of indigenous students (stock image)

She later claimed she felt unsafe leaving her home due to fears of being verbally abused and was unable to return to work in a role requiring face-to-face contact with white people.

Her complaint was initially handled by the AHRC, which tried to resolve the matter through conciliation with QUT.

But the students were not notified of the complaint until just days before a final conference in August 2015, despite the matter being with the AHRC for more than a year.

Three male students were using computers in the lab at Oodgeroo Unit at Queensland University of Technology before they were asked to leave (stock image)

The AHRC terminated the conciliation process a few weeks after that conference, paving the way for the current lawsuit and the students involved claim they were denied the opportunity to have the case thrown out while it was before the commission.

The AHRC has not commented on the case directly but says respondents are sometimes not notified of complaints at the request of the complainant.

It also said that it will sometimes ask an organisation, such as an employer, to notify individual respondents, and added that it was not uncommon for the organisation to negotiate a settlement with the complainant without the individual respondents being involved.




He said Australia's great music starts with live music in pubs

English comedian and playwright Ben Elton has painted a grim outlook on Sydney's live music scene, as the state government takes submissions that detail extending lockout laws statewide.

The We Will Rock You writer and director appeared on Channel 7's Sunrise program on Saturday to promote the theatre show's upcoming Australian tour, when he said the impact of lockout laws on Australia's music scene needed to be addressed.

But he noted the decline in Sydney's live music scene is a separate issue to the prevalence of 'dreadful' alcohol-fuelled violence.

Sunrise host Angela Cox asked Elton whether he thought the lockout laws were 'killing off' Sydney's live music scene.

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English comedian and playwright Ben Elton has painted a grim outlook on Sydney's live music scene post-lock out laws

Elton noted the decline in Sydney's live music scene is a separate issue to the prevalence of 'dreadful' alcohol-fuelled violence

'Those are very broad issues. There have been some terrible events on Sydney streets. There is no doubt about that. I do think clearly things have got to be looked at,' he said.

'Pubs were where people used to play and go and talk to one another.

'This is a broad subject but culturally, Australia has also punched very much above its weight with it's music industry. That absolutely starts live.

'It starts in the streets, it starts in the pubs. We need to address that but it is different to the dreadful issues.'

An independent review into NSW liquor laws were made public on Friday, receiving submissions from more than 1800 businesses, organisations, local councils, MPs and individuals.

The Last Drinks Coalition called for the lockout laws to be extended statewide.

It starts in the streets, it starts in the pubs' - Ben Elton said Australia's high calibre music scene started with live music, at pubs that are now being affected by the lockout laws.

In February, as many as 15,000 people marched on Sydney streets for an afternoon of live music and speeches to Keep Sydney Open in protest against the state governments lockout laws

An independent review into NSW liquor laws were made public on Friday, receiving submissions from more than 1800 businesses, organisations, local councils, MPs and individuals

'The measures have been proven to work in the greater Sydney CBD, so it is important other communities can now benefit from the decrease in alcohol-fuelled violence,' they wrote in their submission to the inquiry.

But the NSW Young Liberal Movement slammed the current state of Sydney's laws and said alcohol-fueled violence was the responsibility of individuals.

'There are alternative ways of directly addressing alcohol-fueled violence when compared to the current what would appear arbitrary impingement upon the freedoms of the people of NSW,' the submission read.

The Last Drinks Coalition called for the lockout laws to be extended statewide in their submission to the independent inquiry

'Individual responsibility is the foundation of a contemporary society, and as such, a part of the solution to the issue of alcohol-fueled violence is a return to placing weight on individual responsibility.'

In February, as many as 15,000 people marched on Sydney streets for an afternoon of live music and speeches to Keep Sydney Open in protest against the state governments lockout laws.
Target announced its policy on April 19; the petition began the next day

They say men will pretend to be transgender to abuse vulnerable females

A petition to boycott Target has collected more than a million signatures from Americans vowing to stay away from the chain's stores in protest of its inclusive restroom and fitting room policy.

The American Family Association (AFA), a Christian group, launched the petition last week, saying Target's rules put women and children at risk 'by allowing men to frequent women's facilities'.

The petition, which had 1,069,064 signatures as of Friday night, came after Target announced in an April 19 statement that 'we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.'

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On April 19, Target announced that it would allow transgender customers and staff to use the bathroom of their choosing; now a fast-growing petition hopes to reverse that decision

The petition was created on April 20, one day after the announcement, The Washington Post reported.

However, the petition appears to have picked up speed over the past week, with the signature rate rising by hundreds every minute.

The petition claims that Target's policy 'means a man can simply say he "feels like a woman today" and enter the women's restroom... even if young girls or women are already in there.'

'Targets policy is exactly how sexual predators get access to their victims,' it continues.

'And with Target publicly boasting that men can enter womens bathrooms, where do you think predators are going to go?'

It says that the policy is 'a danger to wives and daughters.'

However, a report by CBS on April 19 said that there has never been an example of anyone in America ever having pretended to be a transgender person in order to assault someone in a bathroom.

It did find just one incident in Canada, in which a mentally ill man assaulted two women in a women's shelter. He was placed in a secure hospital.

On the other hand, the report says, there were 21 murders of transgender people in the US in 2015 - more than 2014, which was previously the highest on record.

Petitioners say the policy puts women at risk from male predators who pretend to be transgender, and suggests unisex toilets (pictured), but critics say such a crime has never happened in the US

And the New York City Anti-Violence Project says in a report that in 2013 transgender women across the US were 1.8 times more likely to experience sexual violence than other survivors.

It also says that 72 percent of people killed in hate violence homicides were transgender women.

Target's statement, published last Tuesday, read: 'Inclusivity is a core belief at Target. Its something we celebrate.

'We stand for equality and equity, and strive to make our guests and team members feel accepted, respected and welcomed in our stores and workplaces every day.

'We believe that everyoneevery team member, every guest, and every communitydeserves to be protected from discrimination, and treated equally.

'Consistent with this belief, Target supports the federal Equality Act, which provides protections to LGBT individuals, and opposes action that enables discrimination.'

It then reiterated Target's decision to allow transgender employees and customers to use the restrooms and fitting rooms that correspond to their gender identity.

'Everyone deserves to feel like they belong,' the statement read. 'And youll always be accepted, respected and welcomed at Target.'

The petition was started by the Mississippi-based Christian organization which claims to 'restrain evil by exposing the works of darkness' while promoting 'that which is right, true and good according to Scripture.'

The petition has also been shared on Twitter under the hashtag #BoycottTarget.

The company is standing firm in its decision, saying that 'we continue to believe this is the right thing for Target.' As of Friday night the petition had garnered 1,069,064 supporters

On Monday, a Target spokesperson told NPR they were sticking with the policy: 'We certainly respect that there are a wide variety of perspectives and opinions.

'As a company that firmly stands behind what it means to offer our team an inclusive place to work - and our guests an inclusive place to shop - we continue to believe that this is the right thing for Target.'

Target's decision to let transgender customers and staff follows a wave of anti-transgender sentiment that has swept America in the past year.

The most notable example is North Carolina's decision to pass its House Bill 2, which - among other things - restricts bathroom usage in certain spaces, including government buildings, to a person's biological sex.

That bill received a series of withering attacks from across the country, with Pearl Jam and Bruce Springsteen being among many who canceled North Carolina concerts.

Meanwhile, PayPal reversed a decision to build a new office in Charlotte that would have brought 400 jobs to the state.
A total of 21 dogs allegedly living in squalid conditions have been seized from the home of a breeder due to animal welfare concerns.

The seizure comes less than three months after 52 other dogs were taken from Victorian cattle dog breeder Fiona McCoy and Dan Murphy, who run Maryheather Kennels.

The RSPCA said the dogs and puppies were removed on Friday due to serious concerns for their welfare.

Victoria RSPCA has seized 21 dogs from Fiona McCoy, a breeder in Ballarat

Fiona McCoy says she looks after her dogs and criticism of Maryheather Kennels is irresponsible

The animal welfare organisation alleged that many were living in squalid conditions at the McCoy's home in Ballarat.

The dogs and puppies, described as working breeds, have been transported to an RSPCA facility where they can receive immediate veterinary treatment and care, RSPCA Victoria said in a statement.

Fridays recovery is part of Operation Cacatua and follows the seizure of 52 dogs from Maryheather Kennels in February.

Authorities allege the dogs were in cages at a reserve and Ms McCoy had tried to hide them from inspectors - something the breeder denies.

On a gofundme page Ms McCoy established to free the animals from the RSPCA, Ms McCoy says the dogs were waiting to be transported from Wendouree to Tallandoon.

Ms McCoy told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday she was not doing very well after Fridays seizure, and had been receiving abuse on Facebook.

'We spend a lot of time thinking about what we're doing,' she said.

Mac a dog from Mayweather Kennels. In February 52 dogs held by the kennel were seized

Authorities allege the dogs werekept in cages at a reserve and breeder Fiona McCoy was trying to hide them

'There is a lot of thought going into it and we have never just bred for the sake of breeding.'

She denied the dogs were being kept in squalid conditions at her house and said claims Maryheather Kennels were puppy farmers were irresponsible.

She said the dogs were being kept in crates inside, as well as in an eight-berth trailer and a two-berth trailer outside.

The big trailer had timber floors which had a bit of a whiff to them, Ms McCoy said.

The smaller trailer has a steel base to it and there was a lot of hair on it all the time. The same with the crates.

Ms McCoy said she had been up for half an hour when there was a thump at the door about 9am and animal welfare inspectors, police and two people from Ballarat Council arrived.

A crate that contained four kelpie puppies and a bitch hadnt been cleaned out because she had only just got up, she said.

That is what they probably said were a squalid conditions, she said.

RSPCA Victoria has said investigations are ongoing and encourages anyone with information to contact inspectors.
A man charged in the killing of an Alabama teen had a relationship with both the victim and the victim's mother, police and attorneys said Thursday.

New details emerged in the preliminary hearing for the three men charged with the murder of Nicholas Hawkins, 19, who was found dead February 16 in a wooded area in Walker County after going missing three days prior.

The hearing was covered by AL.com, which has reported extensively on the murder case.

A state medical examiner determined Hawkins was killed by a gunshot wound and blunt trauma to the head.

Joshua Adam Reese, 21, who was charged with Hawkins' murder in late February, is accused of shooting Hawkins in the back after what police said was a drug-fueled truck ride through the backwoods of Walker County, AL.com reported.

No motive has been presented in the killing.

Officials did not elaborate on the claims that Reese had a relationship with Hawkins and the teen's mother, Daphne Webb. The nature of the alleged relationships was unclear.

Nicholas Hawkins, 19, left, was found dead February 16. Joshua Adam Reese, 21, right, was charged with the murder. On Thursday, police claimed Reese had a relationship with Hawkins and the victim's mother

Daphne Webb, pictured with her late son Nicholas Hawkins, was claimed to have had a relationship with her son's murderer. Police did not elaborate on the nature of the relationship

Cory Daniel Conner, 28, left, and Danny Lee Jarvis, 22, right, were also charged with murder. Police said they helped Reese kill Hawkins and dispose of the teen's body

On the night of the killing, police said Reese, Hawkins and two other suspects charged in the murder, Cory Daniel Conner, 28, and Danny Lee Jarvis, 22, were riding in Hawkins' Chrysler Sebring with Reese behind the wheel.

After an argument broke out between Reese and Hawkins, the suspect went into a camper home on Doliska Road in Dora, where he retrieved a blanket from the residents of the home.

While he was doing so, Hawkins called his mother to tell her he was worried Reese might hurt him. Hawkins' mother did not call the police after receiving the phone call.

When Reese returned to the car, he drove to a nearby abandoned lot, where he retrieved more blankets from an empty house.

After another argument broke out between Reese and Hawkins, police said Hawkins tried to run away.

As he was fleeing, he was shot in the back and gun-butted in the head, allegedly by Reese.

Next, Conner and Jarvis claimed that Reese threatened them to get their help to dispose of the body. Jarvis admitted to helping Reese wrap the body in a blanket and stuff it into a duffel bag which was placed in the trunk of Hawkins' car.

The trio allegedly buried the body in some nearby woods, with Conner acting as 'the lookout,' AL.com reported.

This social media photo shows Joshua Adam Reese posing with a shotgun. He is accused of using a similar weapon to kill Nicholas Hawkins, 19

From left to right, Colton Stephen Echols, 20; Tessa Wise, 23; Lawanda Marie Reese, 39. All three were charged with hindering prosecution of accused murderer Joshua Adam Reese

The next morning, Reese parked the car at the house of Tessa Wise, 23, police said. Soon, Hawkins' family showed up, and Reese fled through a back door.

After a warrant was obtained to search the locked car, police found a 12 gauge shotgun, duffel bags, t-shirts, Hawkins' drivers license, wire cutters, duct tape, shotgun shells, bleach, blood, and hair, according to AL.com.

Wise was later charged with hindering prosecution of Reese, along with 20-year-old Colton Stephen Echols, AL.com reported in February.

In the preliminary hearing, it emerged that on the day after the murder, Reese was asked by his mother whether he knew anything about Hawkins' disappearance.

He allegedly responded by making a throat-slitting motion and imitating pumping a shotgun, according to AL.com.

Reese's mother, Lawanda Marie Reese, 39, was charged with hindering prosecution of her son in early March, making her the sixth person charged in the case, as AL.com reported.
Room At My Place calls for people to register address and contact details

An online campaign launched to encourage Australians to house men detained on Manus Island while they await assessment has been launched.

The campaign comes as government officials travel to Papua New Guinea to discuss the fate of 850 men detained on Manus Island, after the country's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announced the centre would close.

Room At My Place is a Christian-run campaign that seeks to generate enough support to house the detainees of Manus Island by providing them with a private bedroom and food.

Room At My Place is a Christian-run campaign that seeks to generate enough support to house the detainees of Manus Island by providing them with a private bedroom and food

The fate of about 850 men remains unclear three days after PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announced the detention centre would close.

'Let's offer to provide practical assistance, and make a public statement of welcome at the same time,' a statement on the website reads.

'Imagine if we made it easy for the government to bring people from Manus to Australia? Imagine if households around the country offered a bed, good meals and caring support for these blokes asking for our protection?'

The fate of about 850 men remains unclear three days after PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announced the detention centre would close.

The federal government has ruled out bringing the asylum seekers and refugees to Australia, including to another detention centre on Christmas Island.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also appears unlikely to take up a New Zealand offer to resettle hundreds of refugees, saying it could be used as a marketing tool by people smugglers.

Mr O'Neill confirmed on Friday evening it had been agreed a delegation of Australian officials would visit Port Moresby.

Mr O'Neill confirmed on Friday evening it had been agreed a delegation of Australian officials would visit Port Moresby

Mr Turnbull has spoken with his PNG counterpart, reiterating the government's stance that the men would not be coming to Australia

'Australia understands the court decision and the meeting next week will consider options and processes required to move forward in an urgent manner as required by the Supreme Court ruling,' he said.

Mr Turnbull has spoken with his PNG counterpart, reiterating the government's stance that the men would not be coming to Australia.

He says their options are to return to Iran or other home countries or settle in PNG.

About 400 of the men have been assessed as refugees and could leave the detention centre if they chose to

About 400 of the men have been assessed as refugees and could leave the detention centre if they chose to.

The government had also been trying to find a third country to settle them, Mr Turnbull said.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has accused some asylum seekers of frustrating their processing because they believed it would prejudice their chances of getting to Australia.

The ABC reported on Friday PNG authorities were preparing to serve the Australian government with legal papers effectively asking it to find alternative housing for the men.
A new national security campaign aimed at raising awareness around terrorism will cost taxpayers more than $8 million.

The campaign, 'If it doesn't add up, speak up,' was launched this week and will run throughout the election period, finishing two days before Australians go to the polls on June 30.

It includes ads on television, radio, in print and in public spaces, and will cost at least $8.2 million, according to Government tender documents seen by the Sydney Morning Herald.

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The campaign, 'If it doesn't add up, speak up,' was launched this week and until two days before the election

The campaign urges people to report suspicious activity to the National Security Hotline

The Turnbull government also launched a multi-million dollar anti-domestic violence campaign this year

Mitchell & Partners, a Sydney-based advertising firm, have been contracted to run the campaign.

The Attorney-General's Department has also forked out $150,000 for 'market research', the paper reported.

The campaign encourages Australians to report suspicious activity to the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400.

Authorities want people to call about the use of websites or social media platforms promoting extremist ideology, dubious travel planning and 'radicalisation', among other concerns.

The 30-second television commercial shows a series of 'suspicious'-looking scenarios and opens with the voice over: 'In our fast paced world it's easy to miss anything unusual.

'But with the on-going threat of terrorism we all need to play a part by reporting anything suspicious.'

The ad then cuts to a busy cab rank near a shopping mall where a man drops a sportsbag on the pavement.

The ads on television, radio, in print and in public spaces, will cost at least $8.2 million

Australians are urged to report suspicious-looking scenarios as part of the new campaign

An older man notices a couple of passports, a few old mobile phones, some mobile phone batteries and a few large rolls of money in the partially unzipped bag.

In another scene a waitress at a cafe notices a man looking at what appears to be ISIS-related material on his laptop.

The final scene shows a woman walking her dog notice a rubbish bin with bomb-making material inside.

The campaign's print ad says: 'Even if you think its probably nothing, the smallest piece of information can be valuable.'

In the TV ad a waitress at a cafe notices a man looking at what appears to be ISIS-related material on his laptop

The ad says with 'the on-going threat of terrorism we all need to play a part by reporting anything suspicious'

Another scene shows a woman walking her dog notice a rubbish bin with bomb-making material inside
Employees manoeuvred the furniture in the store and gathered in a circle

Three workers appear to be celebrating over a game of monopoly

It all appears to have come to an end for Dick Smith as shelves clear, signs are taken down, doors are shut and the workers take a seat to reminisce over a board game.

Three men were seen to have manoeuvred the little furniture left in the store to gather around for a game of monopoly as Dick Smith closes its doors.

With only shelves still brandishing some of the walls, they are also being taken down and carpets pulled of the ground  slowly turning the store into a blank canvas.

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Three Dick Smith employees were photographed playing a game of monopoly on their last day of work

The last of the 363 stores have been closed on Saturday following an almost-four-month fire sale.

But the embattled electronics retailer Dick Smith is to be resurrected as an online-only store after a surprise acquisition by Australia's largest e-commerce department store - Kogan.com.

Entrepreneur Ruslan Kogan, 32, will breathe life back into the failed electronics retailer by permanently closing the doors to its brick-and-mortar businesses, instead launching an online-only store on June 1, 2016.

Kogan has now acquired the Dick Smith brand, trademarks, customers, loyalty databases and the existing online business in both Australian and New Zealand.

Dick Smith's doors closed on Saturday following an almost-four-month fire sale




Hasib Bin Golamrabbi, 22, arrested on Thursday and accused of murdering his parents, admits killing his father buy says he did not shoot his mother

The older of two brothers arrested on suspicion of murdering his parents in California had admitted shooting his father, detectives say.

Hasib Bin Golamrabbi, 22, and his 17-year-old brother Omar were arrested on Thursday and accused of the murders of Shamima and Golam Rabbi, aged 57 and 59, who were found dead on Sunday.

Police say Hasib is claiming he was assaulted at home by a stranger who ordered him to shoot his father, which he did, but says he did not shoot his mother.

However, younger brother Omar says his elder sibling shot both parents before asking him to check on his father's body, lying in a garage, to make sure blood was not seeping from under the door.

When he was satisfied the crime scene would not be uncovered, the pair drove to a nearby anime convention, police say. Omar made no mention of a stranger.

The brothers were arraigned on two counts of murder each in the slayings of their parents, who emigrated from Bangladesh decades ago.

Omar Golamrabbi is 17, but he was charged as an adult. Despite the elder boy's apparent confession, both pleaded not guilty, Santa Clara County district attorney's office spokesman Sean Webby said.

The parent's bodies, each shot once, were left on the floor of their home in San Jose, next to a chilling note that read: 'Sorry, my first kill was clumsy.'

Golam and Shamima Rabbi, 59 and 57, were found dead from a single gunshot wound inside thier California home on Sunday. The other son, 17-year-old Omar, is also accused over their deaths

They were discovered by concerned friends, who opened an unlocked sliding glass door at around 2pm on Sunday and found them lifeless.

Aside from the ominous message on the floor, another rambling message was written across the wall.

It said in part: 'I can't be like you, telling a lie. I can't love someone without telling them', and claimed that Mrs Rabbi begged for her life before she was killed.

The husband and wife often hosted relatives at their home since moving from Bangladesh to the United States.

Mr Rabbi, who was an engineer, liked to hunt and had several guns in the house, friends claim.

Evergreen Islamic Center in San Jose said the bodies of the parents were released Wednesday afternoon to relatives and the funeral is being planned for Friday at the Five Pillars Farm Cemetery in Livermore, KNTV reports.

Video courtesy: KRON

Mosque spokesman Faisal Yazadi did not know about the arrest of the younger son until notified by a reporter.

'Needless to say,' he said. 'This is one of those tragedies nobody ever wants to be in. All we can do is pray. This is a family matter and a police investigation.'

It was not immediately clear Thursday morning if the two sons have attorneys.

Hasan Rahim, from the Evergreen Islamic Center, said the Rabbis often attended services at the mosque.

But he said he had warned the couple of the dangers of keeping guns at home.

'I just said be careful. If you have weapons in the house be careful,' Mr Rahim said.

'I've known him for 30 plus years, so it's a loss,' he added.

Crime scene: Their bodies, each shot once, were left on the floor of their home in San Jose, next to a chilling note that read: 'Sorry, my first kill was clumsy'. Pictured: Police outside the property on Sunday afternoon

It was unknown how long the couple, who were Muslim, had been dead. Pictured: An ambulance at the scene

Worried friends opened an unlocked sliding glass door and found the couple dead inside their San Jose home

'People were in disbelief, in shock, they were stunned and the loss is so enormous that we are still finding it difficult to come to grips with the truth.

'I still cannot reconcile the tragedy of this whole situation. It is just unbelievable. It is just too much too accept.'

Friends described the the husband and his accountant wife as gentle and kind.

'We are surprised that they are no longer with us and especially going away in such a manner is something we just can't come to grips with,' Evergreen Islamic Center member Faisal Yazadi said.

'He always asked me about my family, now I can't answer him back. I can't ask him about his family,' he added.
There is still hope for Sydney home-buyers looking to purchase property with the convenience of public transport.

New quarterly figures from the House Price Report for March 2016 showed inner-western suburbs were the go-to locations for accessibility to public transport and value for money if residents were looking to remain in close proximity to the city centre, according to Domain.

The best value per kilometre within five kilometres of the city centre for commuters showed Erskineville houses and Newtown apartments both offered affordable property, with a reported average with a cost of $285,833 and $146,341 per kilometre from the city centre respectively.

There is still hope for Sydney home-buyers looking to purchase property with the convenience of public transport, similar to these homes in Darlinghurst

The best value per kilometre within five kilometres of the city centre for commuters showed Erskineville houses and Newtown apartments

'When considering the cost of inner-city living and the amenity of transport, Newtown looks very good as a value opportunity,' Domain Group senior economist Andrew Wilson said in the news report.

For those content with moving out further, the report said houses in Tempe, the cheapest option within 10km of the city centre, with $135,714 a kilometre while Chester Hill provided the most affordable option within 20 kilometres at $41,885 per kilometre.

Geoff O'Brien is selling his two-bedroom home at 54 Wells Street, Redfern home, five minutes from Redfern Station which doesn't have parking, making its proximity to public transport necessary, according to the report.

BresicWhitney sales agent Nic Krasnostein told Domain the property would have substantial interest with a buyers guide of $1.1 million.

Geoff O'Brien is selling his two-bedroom home at 54 Wells Street, Redfern home, five minutes from Redfern Station

BresicWhitney sales agent Nic Krasnostein said the property would have substantial interest with a buyers guide of $1.1 million

Geoff O'Brien's home doesn't have parking, making its proximity to Redfern Station necessary

In comparison, properties as far out as Penrith show apartments fetch an average $7511 per kilometre from Sydney's centre.

According to the report the highest valued train station for houses was Killara with $2.5 million and Milsons Point with apartments an average $1.64 million.

Comparitavely the cheapest train station for houses was Werrington with $480,000 and St Marys for apartments with $320,000.
Ron's memoir describes the moment he and his wife, Becky, escaped from the 'Gold Base' compound in California

The father of Scientology leader David Miscavige described the moment he and his wife 'escaped' from the Church's 500-acre compound in California known as the 'Gold Base'.

Ron Miscavige, 80, told ABC News 20/20 about how he and wife Becky planned for months what they called their escape from the Scientology compound ran by his son, David, in Hemet, California.

He explained that they conditioned guards into letting 'them make regular Sunday trips to the music studio across the street' from the compound that's located roughly two hours east of Los Angeles.

Ron described the moment he drove his vehicle up to the security gate at the 'Gold Base', where he had lived since 2006, and pressed the button which opened the gate.

'I drove out slowly so it wouldn't arouse suspicion,' he said. 'When I turned left, I put my foot right to the floorboard I knew we were free. I knew they couldn't catch us.

'It was an escape. You can't leave. You think you can just walk out? No. You will be stopped. I escaped.'

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The father of Scientology leader David Miscavige, Ron Miscavige (pictured) has spoken out about the moment he and his wife 'escaped' from the Church's 500-acre compound in California known as the 'Gold Base'

Ron Miscavige (right), 80, told ABC News 20/20 about how he and wife Becky (left) planned for months what they called their escape from the Scientology compound ran by his son, David, in Hemet, California

'Ruthless': Ron also told of how his son David (pictured) left the family home at 16 to join the church's Sea Org training and swiftly rose through the ranks

Ron said that he and Becky drove for three days straight to Wisconsin, where her mother lives.

He said that he eventually sent his son a letter asking for money soon after they left.

'In that letter, I said, 'Hey, listen, I spent a lot of years in the Sea Org, I couldn't live under those conditions, and I have very little money paid into social security. If you can give me some financial help, I would appreciate it,' Ron said.

Ron claims that David gave him $100,000 to buy a house, as the money reportedly came from an inheritance from his mother.

'Maybe he read it and he's thinking, you know, 'he is my old man and he's old, maybe I'll help him out,' Ron said.

'And then on the other hand I think, 'well, maybe he did it just so it would be insurance that I wouldn't do anything.' And I wasn't going to do anything.'

However, despite Ron's claims, the Church denies that him leaving was an actual 'escape.'

Scientology attorney Monique Yingling told ABC News 20/20 that the 'Gold Base is not a prison.'

'People can come and go as they please, and they do,' she said.

After escaping from the 'Gold Base' compound (above), Ron said that he and Becky drove for three days straight to Wisconsin, where her mother lives

Former Scientologist turned Church critic, Gary Morehead, refuted Yingling's claims to ABC News 20/20 and said that he would go through people's belongings to collect information on them while he served as director of security.

Morehead said that he had various ways in which he would discourage would-be deserters from leaving the 'Gold Base.'

'I wouldn't open up the gate,' he explained. 'I would send my rover guard down there to meet up with them face-to-face in case he started scaling in and I would try to calm, cool and collectively talk to him on the intercom.'

In addition, Morehead said the he would find people who had deserted and persuade them into coming back to the Church.

'I used to have to keep a statistic which is a printed out graph of security threats, and that was the people who wanted to leave or the people to had left that we brought back and were undergoing handling,' Morehead said.

'So every time somebody left, I learned something new to make it that much quicker for me to find somebody the amount of sheer pressure that I would get until that person was back here was incredible.'

Morehead said that at the time he thought he was 'helping that person'.

'They're obviously having troubles, they're leaving for a reason,' Morehead said.

'So I'm going to be the one to help bring them back and regain their spiritual enlightenment and that sheltered my true view of the way I should look at it.'

Marine vet Ron Miscavige (right) will reveal details of Scientology's inner workings and how his son, Scientology Church leader David Miscavige (left) turned into a 'ruthless' tyrant in his upcoming book

In a statement, the Church told ABC News that Morehead 'hasn't worked at any Church of Scientology for 20 years, his comments are false and, 'He is a teller of tales with no credibility.''

Ron also described how his son changed from a 'loveable kid' to a 'ruthless' leader after he abandoned his family for the church.

He said that he and his son had been close when David was a child, living at the family home in Philadelphia.

But aged only 16, David had left his loved ones behind to enter Scientology's spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, Florida, for 'Sea Org' training. Over the next few years the teen swiftly rose through the ranks of the church and into founder L. Ron Hubbard's inner circle.

David, who was Tom Cruise's best man at two of his weddings, would go on to become one of Hubbard's most trusted advisers and would assist in filming the recruitment videos.

By the time Ron joined Scientology in 1985, around a decade after his son, he found a very different man than the 'lovable kid' with a 'great sense of humor' who he raised.

He described one moment, where he called out to David after he saw him walking just 20 yards ahead of him.

'I said: 'Hey Dave.' And he turned to me and he looked at me like, 'Who are you talking to?'

'No words were said but that glance told me those days were over. I would never, I could never do that as a father to a son.'

Ron spent more than 40 years in the church before he finally escaped.

During that time, he says he was given a glimpse of Scientology's most inner workings.

He also got to see his son's short temper up close, along with his erratic and abusive management style. On one occasion, David shouted at him in front of other people for almost an hour, he said.

During an interview with ABC 20/20, Ron returned to the childhood home of David in Philadelphia (pictured)

The 80-year-old former marine claims his son had continued to seek power until he assumed his position of head of the church or 'Captain' the death of Hubbard

'I'm the one that got him into Scientology. I raised him, good or bad,' Miscavige said. 'And to come to this? What the hell is this? This is nuts.'

Ron's memoir, Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me, is expected to tell of his regret for creating the unyielding man who has ruled Scientology with an iron fist for three decades.

When asked about the title of his book, he explained: 'He wasn't always that way. When he was a kid, he was a lovable kid...'

The former marine claims his son had hungrily sought power until, following the death of Hubbard in 1986, he assumed his position of head of the church or 'Captain'

'There were no checks and balances on him [David], at a certain point, where he could just go ahead,' Ron said. 'He just assumed that power. And he had an authoritarian figure. He was a great talker.... he used to say, 'You have power if people will listen to you.' And people did listen to him.'

'When he got absolute control, he went absolutely bonkers,' David Miscavige's former number two, Mark 'Marty' Rathbun said.

Ex-Scientologist Lois Reisdorf told ABC News she first met David when she was at Flag looking for recruits to join Hubbard's Sea Org unit called the Commodore's Messenger Organization.

'Dave was just like a 16-year-old kid,' Reisdorf told '20/20.' 'He was very gung ho. He had a lot of spark.'

She challenged the church's claims that David had been 'groomed' for leadership by Hubbard who viewed him as his natural heir.

Instead, Reisdorf claims that he seized power in a bloodless 'coup' after Hubbard went into seclusion in 1980.

David Miscavige, who was Tom Cruise's best man at two of his weddings, is set to lay bare the inner working of the Church led by his son David Miscavige

'He started to get power and started to pull in people  onto his side, and it ended up being like a coup, where you had half of the management took over and kicked out the other half,' Reisdorf said.

Hubbard, she said, had always wanted Scientology to be run by a committee after his death - not just one person.

Reisdorf says that she was on the half of management staff that was relieved of executive duties.

'It was a betrayal,' she said.

Scientology refute the claims and insist that 'it was clear to everyone that David was the person that Mr Hubbard would want to take the Church forward.'

The church claimed that Reisdorf had been removed by Hubbard himself in 1982 and so could not have any knowledge of his plans for the future of Scientology.

In a statement, the church said Reisdorf had been removed from her management post because 'Hubbard found that she had 'systematically crashed' production by issuing destructive orders  He stripped her of all rank, and assigned her to clean rooms.'

Ruthless will be released May 3. The highlight of Ron's pre-launch publicity tour was the interview on ABC's 20/20 that aired Friday.

Ron is already facing a battle with his son about the release of the book, which will hit stores next week.

Tony Ortega, who runs the anti-Scientology website The Underground Bunker has obtained a copy of a letter from the Church of Scientology demanding that that the book not be published by Silvertail Books in Great Britain.

Scientology claims the book contains 'malicious, false, misleading and highly defamatory allegations relating to David Miscavige'.

Ortega says that US publisher St. Martin's Press has also received a copy of the letter.

The letter also claims David Miscavige has not had any 'meaningful' relationship with his father since he left home at 16. The bid to gag publication was rejected by Silvertail Books.

Publisher Humfrey Hunter told Daily Mail Online: 'Ron's story, Ruthless, shines a vital new light on the inner workings of the Church of Scientology and it is clearly in the public interest for his book to be published in the UK - as well as the rest of the world.

'He is a brave man to have written a book like this and Silvertail is proud to be helping him get it out to as many readers as possible. We are not changing plans: Silvertail Books will publish Ruthless on May 3.'

If Ron hadn't allowed his son to drop out of high school on his 16th birthday to join the church full-time, the ultra-ambitious David may never have caught founder L. Ron Hubbard's eye, and may not have been able to position himself to take command when he was just 26 after Hubbard's 1986 death.

The book was originally to be titled 'If He Dies, He Dies,' after a comment David allegedly made about his father when he thought he might be having a heart attack.

'This could be bloody, [David] Miscavige won't take this without a monumental fight,' one of the church leader's former assistants told Daily Mail Online. 'But don't expect Ron to cave in. This book has been in the pipeline over three years and he can't wait for his moment to come.

'It's going to be gnarly and messy  all out war. The whole might of the Church could come down on Ron, I hope he knows what he's let himself in for.'

The book is co-written by Dan Koon, a former high-ranking member of the church who has become one of David Miscavige's leading critics. Unlike many people who have deserted the church, Koon believes in Hubbard's original teachings but believes Miscavige has led the church down a dangerous path.

Koon, who, now calls himself an 'independent scientologist,' says the church should get back to its roots and blames Miscavige for 'misleading' the church. 'The most important target is to reform the church and put in a new management structure,' Koon says on a YouTube talk.

'The Scientology that a lot of us knew in the 60s and 70s has been lost and replaced by a much less friendlya much more authoritarian and dictatorial 'Scientology,' that is really much more akin to what goes on in North Korea,' he said.

'That is not what Scientology really is.'

Recent high profile defections have included Lisa Marie Presley as well as King of Queens actress Leah Remini and Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis who have both condemned Miscavige's autocratic rule.

Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me by Ron Miscavige and Dan Koon, published by St Martin's Press in the USA and Silvertail Books in the UK will be available on Amazon .com on May 3

Cruise's former wives, Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes, have also cut ties with the church. Miscavige was the best man for Tom at both weddings.

But other celebrities including Lisa Marie's mother, Priscilla Presley, actors John Travolta, Kirstie Alley and Anne Archer, Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss and Fox News's Greta Van Susteren remain committed Scientologists.

After she left, Remini made a report to Los Angeles Police that Miscavige's wife Shelly, who has not been seen in public for nearly nine years, was missing. The LAPD investigated and eventually said they had found her and she did not want to make a statement.

But now it's Miscavige's own father who is expected to turn against him in the most public way. According to one critic, Ruthless  which is subtitled 'Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me'  could be a 'nail in the coffin for Scientology.'

The church vehemently deny many of claims made by Ron in his book. In the letter, obtained by The Underground Bunker, it took particular issue with the following claims;

David Miscavige was never officially appointed to be L. Ron Hubbard's successor but rather seized power by out-maneuvering his rivals.

That Gold Base is surrounded by spiked fencing pointing inwards;

That working and living conditions at Gold Base were appalling and staff were not permitted to leave.

That David Miscaige created 'The Hole' as a means of punishing Sea Org members and that people were subjected to deprivation and violence while detained in 'The Hole'

That David Miscavige lives in lavish conditions whille Church staff live in poor conditions.

That David Miscavige's management style is erratic and abusive.

That Miscavige hired private detectives to carry out surveillance on Ron Miscavige.

'Furthermore,' the letter continues, ' the summary of the book on your website is equally outragous and defamatory with your allegations of our client's 'brutal approach to running the organisation today: and the disastrous effects that his leadership has had on countless numbers of Scientologists and their families.'
A book deemed 'pornographic filth' by a concerned mother has been removed from a primary school's curriculum.

Australind Primary, in South West Australia, agreed to remove young adult book The Black Dog Gang after Jackie Ronay angrily complained on a community Facebook page.

'I'd like to draw your attention to the book that the year six class has been given,' Ms Ronay wrote.

Young adult book The Black Dog has been removed from the curriculum at Australind Primary, in WA

'I'd like to know if anyone else finds it inappropriate because I am outraged that my 11-year-old son has been exposed to this kind of pornographic filth!'

Robert Newton's book is set in Sydney's Rocks area in 1900 and tells the story of a group of young boys.

It tackles themes like family, bullying, friendship and loyalty.

Australind Primary School principal Tracey Truss told WA Today the book was chosen by the teacher because it covered a number of issues young boys face as they moved into adolescence.

However, Ms Ronay disagreed and posted two pages from the book to show how inappropriate it was.

In one passage the novel's protagonist, Frankie, gives his neighbour Ms Donegan's 'magnificent breasts' a 'gentle squeeze'.

The book was dropped from Australind Primary's (pictured) syllabus after a parent complained

A brief exchange follows:

'D'ya like that, Frankie?' she breathed. 'D'ya like the way it feels?'

Once young Frankie regains his thoughts, he says Ms Donegan's breasts feel like 'jelly'.

Ms Truss said she did not agree book was pornographic, but as it was aimed at readers aged 12 and up some content was not suitable for Year 6 students.

The books will be donated to Australind Senior High School.




Imperial Tobacco campaign received a boost after a report released by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) backed E-cigarettes

The new face of e-cigarettes is shown using a helicopter to round up cattle

After using a helicopter to round up a large herd of cattle in the wild west, the Stetson-wearing herder pulls down her bandana and takes a puff from her blue-tipped e-cigarette.

The old fashioned Marlboro Man has been replaced by a woman for the face of the new e-cigarette ad campaign.

However her career was facing an uncertain future with television adverts promoting e-cigarettes set to be banned next month under an EU directive on tobacco.

The World Health Organisation had warned in 2014 that vaping was dangerous but now Imperial Tobacco's blu e-Cigs campaign received a boost after a report released by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) backed E-cigarettes.

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The old fashioned Marlboro Man has been replaced by a woman for the face of the new e-cigarette ad campaign

Eric Lawson portrayed the rugged Marlboro Man cowboy in cigarette ads during the late 1970s

The RCP's new report concluded that e-cigarettesbring benefits for public health and said they should be widely promotedto smokers to help them quit tobacco.

In a report likely to further fuel a debate over electroniccigarettes, the influential British doctors group also stressed thattobacco smoking is both addictive and lethal but concluded thate-cigarettes are 'much safer than smoking'.

E-cigarettes are not a gateway to smoking, the RCP said, anddo not lead to the normalisation of the habit - two issues oftencited by critics who fear the devices can lure children andyoung people into smoking habits.

'None of these products has to date attracted significantuse among adult never-smokers, or demonstrated evidence ofsignificant gateway progression into smoking among youngpeople,' the RCP's 200-page report said.

The RCP's new report concluded that e-cigarettes bring benefits for public health and said they should be widely promoted to smokers to help them quit tobacco

The slickly made advert for e-cigarettes shows the new heroine rounding up cattle using a helicopter

E-cigarettes, which heat nicotine-laced liquid into vapour, have rapidly grown into a global market for 'vaping' products that was estimated at around $7 billion in 2015

The Stetson-wearing herder pulls down her patterned bandanna and takes a puff from her e-cigarette

Many public health experts think e-cigarettes, or vapes, which do not contain tobacco, are a lower-risk alternative to smoking, but some questions remain about their long-term safety

E-cigarettes, which heat nicotine-laced liquid into vapour,have rapidly grown into a global market for 'vaping' productsthat was estimated at around $7 billion in 2015.

Tobacco smoking kills half of all smokers, plus at leastanother 600,000 people a year non-smokers via second-hand smoke.

This makes it the world's biggest preventable killer, with apredicted death toll of a billion by the end of the century,according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Many public health experts think e-cigarettes, or vapes,which do not contain tobacco, are a lower-risk alternative tosmoking, but some questions remain about their long-term safety.

Linda Bauld, a professor at Stirling University, deputydirector of the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies and aco-author of the RCP report, said that unlike tobacco, nicotinedoes not cause cancer, heart and lung diseases.

The anti-smoking group ASH UK welcomed the report, saying it showed 'that switching to vaping is a positive and sensible life choice' for smokers

Eric Lawson, pictured, portrayed the famously manly smoker from 1978 to 1981. He died of a smoking related illness on 10 January 2014

'The ideal is for people to use nothing,' she said, but whenthe alternative is smoking, people should be encouraged to usenicotine 'delivered in a cleaner form than in deadlycigarettes'.

'This is what tobacco harm reduction is - it reduces theharm from tobacco while recognising that some people will stilluse nicotine in other safer forms.'

John Britton, chair of the RCP Tobacco Advisory Group whichpublished the report, acknowledged that e-cigarettes were 'atopic of great controversy' but said his group's analysis 'laysto rest almost all of the concerns over these products'.

The anti-smoking group ASH UK welcomed the report, saying itshowed 'that switching to vaping is a positive and sensible lifechoice' for smokers.

'Electronic cigarette vapour does not contain smoke, whichis why vaping is much less harmful,' said Deborah Arnott, ASH'schief executive.
The search for the shooter who gunned down convicted killer Walid 'Wally' Ahmad and injured two bystanders has spread to another state.

Police investigating Friday's shooting in Bankstown, Sydney, have shifted focus to an abandoned vehicle found on the Hume Highway.

NSW Police confirmed on Saturday they had been contacted by Victoria police after a single-vehicle crash in Benalla, and were investigating if it was linked to the shooting, carried out by a masked gunman, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The car had been crashed into trees off the Hume Freeway near Baddaginnie overnight but when police arrived it was empty.

Police are still trying to confirm who was driving the vehicle when it crashed.

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Images of the crashed, abandoned vehicle in Victoria, which has led police investigators over the border from New South Wales

The car had been crashed into trees off the Hume Freeway near Baddaginnie overnight but when police arrived it was empty

Police are investigating possible links between a vehicle which crashed near Benalla overnight but say they are still yet to confirm the accident is related to the Bankstown shooting

Police are still trying to confirm who was driving the vehicle when it crashed

A man gunned down in a busy shopping centre in a 'targeted' attack is believed to be convicted killer and standover man Walid 'Wally' Ahmad

Shocking footage has emerged of the moment paramedics tried to resuscitate gangland figure Walid Ahmad after he was gunned down in a 'targeted attack' outside a shopping centre

Ahmad, 41, was shot dead in a 'well-planned ambush' on the rooftop carpark at Bankstown Central shopping centre in an attack which left his bodyguard and a 31-year-old woman reported by Yahoo7 to be his girlfriend, with injuries.

After the attack, shocking footage emerged of the moment paramedics tried to resuscitate the convicted killer after he was gunned down in the 'targeted attack' outside a shopping centre.

Distressing images show Ahmad, who went into cardiac arrest immediately after he was shot, lying on the ground covered in blood while a man performs CPR on his chest.

His family and friends can be heard screaming 'Walid, Walid! Don't die on me Walid!'

Police have voiced fears that a war between rival Sydney crime gangs, thought to have stemmed from a drugs debt, could escalate following the death of the convicted killer on Friday

Distressing images show Ahmad, who went into cardiac arrest immediately after he was shot, lying on the ground covered in blood

The man who died is believed to have gone into cardiac arrest immediately after he was shot. Paramedics are seen here attending to the two injured people

Police will be knocking on the doors of well-known gang members this weekend to find the person or persons responsible for killing well-known gangland figure Walid 'Wally' Ahmad.

Police don't wan't the shooting to further fuel a drug-related gang war and have told gang associates not to take the law into their own hands, Newscorp reports.

It has also been reported a senior police officer from the Middle Eastern Crime Squad has said people would 'be lining up to kill him'.

'In the past few months he has been spiralling out of control and bingeing on cocaine,' the Daily Telegraph reported.

Ahmad, a known standover man, was wanted by police for questioning the fatal shooting of Safwan Charbaji at his smash repairs business earlier this month in Condell Park.

It's feared Friday's shooting could be 'payback' for the killing, and police are investigating if indeed it is.

Ahmad, a central figure among Sydney's middle eastern crime gangs, was shot dead in a 'well-planned ambush' at Bankstown Central shopping centre, west of the city, on Friday

Ahmad was jailed in 2005 after shooting dead Mayez Danny at Greenacre in Sydney's south-west in 2002

'There are two distinct crime groups now involved in a feud and they are extremely violent,' a sebuir police officer told the Telegraph.

It has also been reported a large drug debt was at the centre of the long-running dispute between the two crime gangs.

'Somebody didn't pay protection for their coke run,' a source told News.com.au. 'Somebody owes 100 grand and that's what this is all about.'

'It's clearly targeted, this is not a random shooting,' Detective Superintendent David Eardley said.

'Certainly there's been a recent shooting in Condell Park. Those detectives will be reviewing this today.

'Obviously that will be the subject of an investigation to identify any linkages to the deceased man.

'We're certainly not ruling out any links - we're looking at all opportunists and all avenues of investigation.'

He said police believe the gunman may not have been working alone and that the victim was an intended target.

'The indication is that this gunman did not act alone - we had information of a white Mercedes vehicle being used,' he said. 'I can confirm that vehicle has been located burnt-out in the Greenacre area.'

Police have recovered a car believed to have been used after the deadly shooting at Bankstown on Friday

The gunman is believed to have escaped in a Mercedes, which was found burned out less than 1km away

Police have released CCTV footage showing the suspected getaway car used (driving along the road)

Police said a torched Mercedes used in the shooting was found in a street just one kilometre from the shopping centre

Police have released CCTV footage showing the suspected getaway car used after Ahmad was shot dead.

The video shows a white Mercedes driving down a nearby street followed by a white hatchback, shortly before both cars were found burnt-out in Greenacre.

Police believe the Mercedes was driven into a car park at the Bankstown Central Shopping Centre about 11.50am.

A gunman then exited the car, and opened fire on three people sitting at a table at a cafe.

A woman and a 60-year-old man suffered non life-threatening gun wounds to their legs in the attack and they are now recovering in hospital.

The man, named as Nael Hamid, is thought to be Ahmad's bodyguard and he made light of the situation by telling Seven News his injuries were due to 'fireworks'.

Moments before the attack, a man and a woman reportedly ran into the shopping centre asking about store security.

'Where's store security? Where's store security? Can you call them?' the woman said, according to news.com.au.

But the man said: 'There's not enough f***ing time.'

The pair then ran towards an escalator, which leads to the third-level gym, cafe and carpark, where the shooting occurred.

It is not known who the people were or if they were hurt in the shooting.

A woman is taken away by NSW Paramedics after she was shot in the leg in the car park at Bankstown Central shopping centre in Sydney's south-west just before 12pm on Friday

A man was treated by paramedics at the scene for gunshot wounds to his leg before being taken to hospital

Witnesses say eight shots were fired at the busy shopping centre on Friday.

'As I was parking my car, I heard gun shots. I went upstairs and there were three on the floor, two guys and a girl,' a witness told 9News.

'There was a guy lying in a pool of blood. They were trying to revive him, but he [had] passed away already.

'I was in the war zone in Lebanon, but it wasn't as scary as what I just saw.'

Fatema Islam, who works at the nearby Bankstown Hospital, says she had just parked her car when she heard two gunshots and a woman screaming.

'I thought something probably fell from the fitness (shop) and I tried not to pay attention,' Ms Islam told reporters at the shopping centre.

'A lady came out from over there, screaming and crying, saying, ''Gunshots, gunshots''. I was like, ''That can't be true''.

'I'm sorry, I'm still scared myself. It's pretty scary, especially for local people like us. It's not a very fun place to be.'

Ms Islam said she was used to treating gunshot victims, but not like this.

'We deal with this all the time, but it's different when patients come to us with gunshot wounds,' she said. 'It's different when you actually see it on the spot - it's pretty scary.'

Ahmad's niece told news.com.au how she received a panicked call from Ahmad's daughter.

'She said, 'Come get me! He's dead! He's dead!' the niece said.

Ahmad's family were seen looking distressed following the shooting at the shopping centre on Friday

The wounded man, named as Nael Hamid, is thought to be Ahmad's bouncer and made light of the situation by telling 7 News his injuries were due to 'fireworks'

Ahmad was on the run after the fatal shooting of Safwan Charbaji outside the A Team Smash Repairs on April 9, according to The Daily Telegraph.

He was at the shop when the shots were fired and police wanted to question him in the days after the incident.

The 41-year-old, who is believed to be married with children, was also reportedly being investigated over his role in an extortion racket.

He was also jailed in 2005 after shooting dead Mayez Danny at Greenacre in Sydney's south-west in 2002.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that he was well known for intimidation and stand over tactics, particularly in the automotive industry.

Anyone with information that could assist police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Ahmad was wanted for questioning over the fatal shooting of Safwan Charbaji (pictured) outside the A Team Smash Repairs in Condell Park on April 9

Police surround a man at the shopping centre but say no arrests have been made in relation to the shooting

There is believed to have been eight shots fired in the car park of the shopping centre on the corner of Stacey Street and Rickard Street

The shopping centre car park was closed as a precaution as police investigated

Witnesses say eight shots were fired in the busy shopping centre carpark

Investigators are looking into the possibility two cars may have been used by a man wanted over the shopping centre shooting at Bankstown in Sydney's south-west on Friday

Police were seen talking to residents in Greenacre not far from the street where the burnt-out remains of a vehicle used during a shooting was found

Bankstown Commander Dave Eardley said police believe the gunman may not have been working alone and that the victim was an intended target

A shocked witness said 'there was a guy lying in a pool of blood' in the carpark

Bankstown Central shopping centre is located about 20km south-west of Sydney

Police say a crime scene has been established and it will be examined by detectives and forensic specialists
Some doctors in Australia are charging patients up to $17,000 more than their peers for exactly the same operation, a shocking new report has claimed.

The analyses takes into account common procedures such as hernia operations and colonoscopies, and appears to expose a concerning issue that could leave patients unnecessarily out of pocket.

The report, carried out by Medibank and The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, revealed the fees charged by the highest billing doctors, highlighting the differences in cost for a range of surgery procedures, reports The Daily Telegraph.

A report by Medibank and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons has revealed the fees charged by some of Australia's highest billing doctors

This is one of the reasons patients are left with large gap fees that are not covered by their health funds.

In a statement, RACS president professor David Watters said the reports would provide surgeons with information to give them a better understanding of, and learn from variations in the service they provide to their patients and community.

'In addition to presenting the data and our analysis, we've also deliberately posed questions that every clinician can reasonably ask about the possible reasons for the variations and consider individual answers,' Professor Watters said.

Medibank chief medical officer Dr Linda Swan said information sharing was key to improving the delivery of healthcare, and ultimately to improving patient outcomes.

'These reports will enable surgeons to reflect on their practice, both as an individual clinician as well as part of a specialty field, and consider what could be improved or changed,' Dr Swan said.

Patients will also be able to use the information as a guide, to see if they are being overcharged.

It is hoped patients will be able to use the information in the report as a guide, to see if they are being overcharged and also to help them negotiate a better fee with their surgeons

It could also help patients negotiate a better fee with their surgeon for procedures.

In the report it shows that for gall bladder surgery the lowest charging doctor had a bill of $4,543, while some surgeons charged up to $21,419.

Half of the doctors did not charge a gap for this surgery but the maximum out of pocket fee for patients was $1,754.

In 91 per cent of cases the report also found that patients who had this surgery faced extra fees for other medial services including charges raised by the anaesthetist, assistant surgeon and for diagnostics.

A gastroscopy, where a tube with a camera attached is inserted to diagnose intestinal problems, cost $809 with the cheapest doctor, but $7,815 when patients saw the highest billing doctor.

The median cost of a hernia operation was $4,686 but some doctors charged more than $10,000.
Former boyfriend pays tribute and says she leaves behind her young son

Miss O'Brien, 36, a former barmaid, lived with her long-term partner in flat

She was discovered rolled up in a carpet in the property in Perth, Scotland

after the body of Louise O'Brien was found in a flat

Miss O'Brien, who formerly worked in a pub in central Perth, lived with her long-term partner at the flat. She was described as 'full of fun' by neighbours

The body of a 36-year-old mother was found rolled up in a carpet after she was stabbed to death.

Detectives have launched an investigation after the body of Louise O'Brien was found in a flat close to a police station in Dunkeld Road, Perth.

Her body was identified by neighbours after officers started making inquiries on Thursday night.

Miss O'Brien, who formerly worked in a pub in central Perth, lived with her long-term partner at the flat, which is next to a retail complex. She was described as 'full of fun' by neighbours.

It is understood the body may have been undiscovered for several days and that it came to light after another resident reported it to police.

A police spokesman said: 'Police Scotland is investigating the death of a woman in Perth. Police attended at a property in Dunkeld Road at around 9pm on April 28, 2016.

'The death is being treated as unexplained, and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.'

Police Scotland told MailOnline today that 'inquires were still ongoing'.

It was understood a man, who is known to the victim, has been helping officers with their inquiries.

The flats sit across the road from Frankie and Benny's Restaurant and 50 yards from the main Perth police station.

Stephen Johnstone, a former boyfriend, said he was shocked at Miss O'Brien's sudden death. It is understood she had a son.

He posted a picture of the himself and her hugging on Facebook. He said: 'Terrible news. Feel for her wee lad and family.'

Friend Sharon Meehan added: 'How tragic. RIP Louise. So young.'

Louise O'Brien with former partner Stephen Johnstone - he said he was shocked at her sudden death

Her body was identified by neighbours after officers started making inquiries on Thursday night

A police spokesman said: 'Police Scotland is investigating the death of a woman in Perth. Police attended at a property in Dunkeld Road at around 9pm on Thursday

One resident said: 'I don't know what's happened, but it looks serious. There's police at the front door, police at the back and one officer standing outside her door.

He added: 'Louise was always a good laugh and I'd meet up with her for a drink now and again. I'm not sure if she was working, but she used to be a barmaid.

'It's just such a shame. Everyone is in complete shock.'
A pensioner has been jailed for possessing a 'terrifying arsenal' of illegal weapons at his home in Greater Manchester - including guns, shells and a missile.

RAF veteran Harry Jones was secretary of the Tameside Gun Club for nearly 40 years and was a trusted authority on weaponry.

But his obsession with firearms led to him amassing the huge stash of weapons, including nine handguns and an Al Capone-style Tommy gun kept in a violin case - all in full working order.

The hoard could have caused carnage if it had fallen into the wrong hands, a court heard.

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Former RAF armourer Harry Jones, 78, left, was jailed for two years for possessing a 'terrifying arsenal of illegal weapons' while fellow gun club member John Robson, 71, right, was given a suspended sentence

Pictured: Some of the bombs, shells and guns kept by Jones at his home in Dukinfield, Greater Manchester

As well as the illegal weapons, police found his collection of legally-held carelessly firearms strewn around his Dukinfield home, including semi-automatic rifles lying on his bedroom floor and a deactivated machine gun by the sofa.

Former RAF armourer Jones was awarded a service medal for his conduct during the Aden Emergency in the early sixties and has held a lifelong interest in military history and memorabilia.

It took officers four days to sort the international collection of guns, shells and helmets which filled every room in his house, and an Army lorry was needed to remove it.

But Jones, described by his lawyer as 'a good man', has now been jailed for two years at Manchester Crown Court after admitting charges of possessing prohibited weapons.

The search of his home was prompted by a routine check of the Tameside Gun Club's premises at a converted army facility in Mossley , back on July 9, 2014.

Prosecutor Henry Blackshaw revealed that there was one locker which officers were unable to access, which belonged to John Robson, a 71-year-old engineer from Preston.

When officers forced entry to it they found turret machine guns from Lancaster bombers, wing-mounted machine guns from Spitfires, and nine buckets containing sub-machine gun components and armour piercing ammunition.

Police took four days to sort through Jones' vast array of weaponry, pictured, which 'filled every room in his house'

Among the guns Jones had were a Tommy gun kept in a violin case similar to ones seen in gangster films

Robson had scavenged eight cannons from WWII crash-sites, potentially disturbing war graves, after sneaking onto private land up and down the country.

He admitted firearms offences alongside Jones, but was spared jail.

The court heard that while police were examining the find, Jones pulled up at the gun club's premises. Knowing he kept weapons at home, police asked to go and search his property.

There, he gave them the first of the illegal weapons they were to recover - a Walther PP he kept under a pile of clothes in the hallway.

Legally held ammunition was kept in carrier bags in the hallway and kitchen in what Mr Blackshaw described as a 'chaotic and cluttered' house.

'There was a deactivated heavy machine gun next to the settee which his adult daughter was sleeping in, pointing at the patio doors', Mr Blackshaw said.

'The house was absolutely full of military paraphenalia. The Tommy gun was in the master bedroom.

Ammunition kept by Jones, who was secretary of the Tameside Gun Club for nearly 40 years

The weapons, including this rifle, were 'strewn around the house' so they would not be spotted in a routine inspection, the court was told

This Walther PP handgun was kept under a pile of clothes in Jones' home, Manchester Crown Court heard

'There was a violin case on the floor, which when opened had the component parts of a Thompson sub-machine gun, and ammunition for it, 19 rounds.

'Patented in 1915 by General Thompson, and developed to be a trench clearing weapon, after the war the Tommy Gun became the weapon of choice of Probition-era gangsters in America', the prosecutor added.

Three legally held semi-automatic.22 rifles in soft cases were also lying on the bedroom floor. Jones had gun safes - but none of the illegally held weapons were kept in them.

Instead, 'they were secreted around the property in a way they wouldn't be found by a routine inspection', Mr Blackshaw said.

Jones, who in civilian life had worked as a mechanical engineer, later told police that he had taken up to 'nine to 11' handguns into his possession over the years.

He said in each case he had been handed them by strangers. As a registered firearms dealer, he was entitled to have guns surrendered to him by the public.

But instead of handing them over to the police, as he was duty-bound to do, he took them home and kept them.

'His reason for retaining these guns', Mr Blackshaw said, 'was that he had a hope that when there was a change of government, 'the Connies', as he called them, would be returned to power - which he was right about - and that firearms law would be relaxed, so he would be able to possess such guns lawfully.

'He plainly, from the tone of his interviews', resented the change in the law, which he blamed on political opposition to the Conservatives.'

Jones, a mechanical engineer, told police he had possessed nine to 11 handguns during his life

The court heard Tameside Gun Club was one of only ten in England and Wales which had the authority of the Home Secretary to hold sidearms of 'particular value' on its premises - so as club secretary Jones was a trusted man.

He had a lengthy relationship with GMP's licensing unit, and he was also a skilled armourer who had the ability to make his own ammunition.

Patrick Cassidy, defending, said Jones had joined the RAF in 1958, had served in Aden (Yemen), Libya, Malta and Malaya, and had an interest of military history that spanned from the Boer War.

He had never been in trouble, had a history of raising money for charity, and had been secretary of the gun club since 1978.

Mr Cassidy said the state of his house reflected the 'certain decline of assiduousness' which had led to the offending.

He said: 'The malevolence is borne of his interest and fascination in military conflict, and not in any way, shape or form a connection with criminal activity.

'He would never ever have engaged in any activity which placed anyone at risk. Your Honour is sentencing a good man who is elderly, without any criminal intent to do harm - the fall from grace for Harry Jones has already been considerable.'

Recorder John Bromley-Davenport QC, sentencing, accepted defence arguments that the aircraft machine guns hoarded by Jones' co-defendant, John Robson, were unusable, that the ammunition didn't fit, and were kept securely at the club in the mistaken belief its license would cover his possession of them.

Robson, who admitted charges of possessing a prohibited weapon and ammunition was sentenced to 18 months behind bars, suspended for two years, with 150 hours unpaid work.

But while the judge said there were also exceptional circumstances that allowed him not to impose the mandatory five year minimum jail sentence in Jones' case as well, his case was so serious he had to go to jail.

'He knew what he was doing', the judge said of Jones. 'He knew he was holding prohibited weapons without a licence. He knew he ought to hand them into police, he knew perfectly well he should have kept them secure.

'As it happens, good fortune allowed that no harm came to them in the sense they didn't fall into the hands of criminal, but there was always the risk.
But the end of the week should be the start of a mini-heatwave, with temperatures reaching 19C (66F) on Friday

Six inches of snow fell on the runway at Leeds Bradford airport overnight, causing many travellers disruption

Snow remains on the ground in parts of northern England and Scotland, and more unsettled weather is expected

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Snow remained on the ground in some parts of the UK at the start of May Day bank holiday - but chilly temperatures are set to pass and later in the week Britons could bask in temperatures hotter than Istanbul.

But bank holiday Monday is set to be a washout, with a band of heavy rain forecast to cross the country after a cloudy start. Temperatures are expected to peak at 16C in the South East and there will be 'blustery' winds.

Unseasonable weather caused disruption to travellers at the start of the weekend, with six inches of snow falling at Leeds Bradford Airport overnight, forcing the runway to close for part of Friday.

The unsettled conditions will continue at the beginning of next week, but the Met Office predicts that by Friday temperatures are expected to reach 19C, which is hotter than Istanbul in Turkey.

Hope: Snow was still on the ground in some parts of the UK at the start of the May Day bank holiday. Elsewhere, such as at Sixpenny Handley in Dorset, (pictured) the weather remained fine

The storm ahead: A raging hail storm can be seen rolling in off the sea with Talacre Lighthouse, North Wales, in glorious sunshine in the foreground

Unseasonable: Sheep graze in the Calder Valley, West Yorkshire, which still had patches of snow this morning

Murky: Unseasonable weather caused disruption to travellers at the start of the weekend, with six inches of snow falling at Leeds Bradford Airport overnight, forcing the runway to close for part of Friday. The Calder Valley was shrouded in mist in the morning

Not long to wait: Unsettled conditions will continue on Monday, but the Met Office predicts that by Friday temperatures are expected to reach 19C, which is hotter than Istanbul in Turkey

Wintry: The snow which caused chaos in parts of the UK still remains in some places, such as the Calder Valley. Although this snow is unlikely to be repeated, most areas will remain chilly and damp

Stormy: Talacre Lighthouse beneath the changing skies on the North Wales coast

Ominous: Walkers prepare for the worst as storm clouds gather above Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol

Gusts: Walkers struggle with their wind-buffered brollies on Clifton Downs, Bristol

Another world: Meanwhile, in Brighton, a group of women dressed in Victorian outfits enjoy the sun during a hen party

Splash: The executive chairman of the Eclectic group and owner of the Brighton Pier, Luke Johnson, visits the pier and takes a ride on the attractions

Relaxing: Lisia, Sophie and Anna, from Newcastle, enjoy resting on beach chairs next to the seafront in Brighton

Surf: At Watergate Bay, Newquay, Cornwall, youngsters competed in the English National Surf Championships during bright and sunny conditions

Peaceful: Members of the public enjoyed the spring weather to get out and about in the small village of Lacock in Wiltshire

Splash: A boy surfs at Watergate Bay, where there is a moderate 15mph onshore wind and waves average two to three feet

Springlike: A deer rests among the bluebells in Odstock Woods, Salisbury. Later in the week, Britons are set to bask in temperatures hotter than Istanbul

Picturesque: Horses and their riders exercise on the Warren Hill gallops at Newmarket, Suffolk, which saw some of the best of the weather this morning

Colourful: The sun shines on people as they decorate their narrow boats with bunting and flags for the 2016 Canalway Cavalcade festival in Little Venice, Paddington

Tranquil: Walkers enjoy the bright spring weather on a sunny morning in the Wiltshire countryside as they go on a hike

The snow which caused chaos in parts of Scotland and northern England this week is unlikely to be repeated, but most areas will remain chilly and damp.

Met Office meteorologist Sophie Yeomans told MailOnline: 'Today it should be generally quite dry and sunny but there will be one or two heavy showers moving through for the whole of the UK.

'There might be some hail out towards the east and perhaps the odd rumble of thunder. Although it will be dry for a time there will be a few heavy bursts of rain.

'Temperatures will be 12C (54F) or 13C (37F), perhaps as high as 15 (59F) in London. The snow risk has diminished and any snow will fall mainly in the mountains in Scotland.

The days ahead: The weather is expected to remain unsettled over the weekend and on Monday before brightening up later next week

'It will be quite a cold night tonight with temperatures widely dipping below zero. Tomorrow it will be a frosty start in the early morning with mist around by dawn.

'Overnight tonight we do have a weather front moving through from the west.

'Parts of north-west Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will see this coming on Saturday morning. They will have grey and cloudy skies with bursts of rain.

Snow at this time of year is not as unusual as you might expect. Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkil

'These will move through the east through the day and start to cloud over, with rain in the afternoon. Monday will stay cloudy with light rain and some heavier bursts.

'It will start to clear on Monday afternoon and late into the evening. However, it will be quite windy during the day with a risk of gales in some areas.

'It will be 13C (37F) up to 14 (57F) through the early part of next week which is about what we'd expect it to be for this time of the year. But by the end of the week temperatures will reach 18C (64F) or 19C (66F).'

Ms Yeomans added: 'The main risk of snow now is only really up in the mountains of Scotland. Towards the end of next week it will turn much milder and the risk of snow is starting to diminish.'

Parts of England and Wales will see a chilly start to Sunday, with temperatures below freezing causing a frost, before a band of cloud moves in across north-western parts of the UK.

Temperatures are expected to reach highs of around 13C in the North and 17C in the South.

On the bank holiday Monday some parts of Northern Ireland and western Scotland will have a bright start, but for most of the UK it will be wet and windy for much of the day before brightening from the west in the afternoon.

Shock: Britain is carpeted with snow over the Bank Holiday weekend; pictured is the scene in the Peak District yesterday

Overturned: An upturned car lies abandoned on the A703 in Waterhead, Midlothian as Scotland woke to a blanket of snow on Friday

Flurry of snow: Sheep in a field blanketed in snow near Mungrisdale village in the Lake District as the wintry weather gripped Britain on April 29

Through the slush: A mother and her young children struggle through the treacherous conditions on their way to school in Keighley, West Yorkshire, on April 29

Snow worries: A snowman in a deckchair was one of the few enjoying the freezing temperatures in Cumbria yesterday

All hands on deck: A worker clears heavy snow in the village of Leadhills, in Lanarkshire, as extreme weather swept across Britain on April 29

White out: A driver navigates his way through the treacherous conditions around Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales

Battling on: A determined runner struggles through the bitterly chilly and extreme weather conditions in Peebles, on the Scottish Borders

Motoring organisations said up to twice as many cars will be on the roads than during last year's May Day break because the early Easter meant many families delayed their trips.

And with the added incentive of low fuel prices, many families could face delays of up to an hour-and-a-half on key routes.

The RAC estimates that 20million leisure trips will be made between Friday and Monday.

RAC spokesman Rod Dennis told MailOnline: 'We're expecting 20 million leisure journeys to take place before the end of the bank holiday.

'Motorists getting away this weekend are no doubt hoping for a taste of warmer weather, but might actually encounter four seasons' worth of weather in one day.

'Motorists will be contending with a seasonal but tricky combination of sun, wind, rain and ice. Get prepared for a few jams by making sure you have enough food and drink packed for your passengers.'

Transport information company Inrix predicted drivers will be delayed by up to 90 minutes on peak routes.

The main congestion hotspots at present include all sections of the M25, the M4 between Avonmouth and Chepstow, between Port Talbot and south Swansea and the M5 from Bristol to Taunton.

The M6 in the West Midlands, the M53 between Liverpool and Chester, the M55 between Preston and Blackpool and the A303 westbound through Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset are also busy.

No let up: A woman and her dog out for a walk in a snowy Peebles, on the Scottish Borders, as the country woke up to snow on Friday

Blanketed in snow: A gritter in Great Horton, Bradford, following heavy snow fall on the night of April 28 across the north of the country

White carpet: A walker navigates a snow-topped path in Oldham (left) while (right) a farmer feeds his sheep and lambs near Hartington

Braving the chill: Lambs in a field near Abington, in Lanarkshire - there are still yellow warnings in place across the south of Scotland

Refuge from the cold: A group huddle outside a Welcome Break in Abington, Lanarkshire, as snow fell north of the border

Extreme: A group of lambs desperately seek shelter in a field near Hawes, in the Yorkshire Dales as sleet whipped in

Those hoping to avoid traffic jams by taking the train will find a number of lines are disrupted due to engineering work.

Virgin Trains, Great Western Railway and TransPennine Express are among those affected. But Network Rail, which manages the railways and major stations, claimed it will be 'one of the least disruptive bank holidays for railway travel for many years'.

Around 96 per cent of the rail network are unaffected by works, although services would be disrupted on Southern, Great Western Railway and TransPennine Express services.

Buses will replace trains between Glasgow Central and various parts of north-west England between Saturday and Monday due to work on the West Coast Main Line.

Signalling improvements on the northern part of the Midland Main Line mean major alterations to services, including replacement buses running between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield on Sunday.

London Paddington will see reduced services over the weekend as Crossrail and electrification work continues.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill explained in an online blog that seeing snow at this time of the year is not that surprising.

He wrote: 'Snow at this time of year is not as unusual as you might expect.

'Based on records from 1981 to 2010 the UK average is for 2.3 days of snow in April, which is more than the 1.7 days for an average November.'

Frosty: A hare is spotted in a field in Beeley, Derbyshire, where conditions struggled to get above freezing

Uphill battle: An elderly man makes his way up a slippery slope with the aid of a walking stick in the village of Leadhills, Lanarkshire

Snow ball: Residents on the Isle of Coll, off the west coast of Scotland, enjoy the beautiful surroundings

Blizzard: A car struggles through a snow-storm near Nenthead, a village in Cumbria, as conditions turned extreme

Dusting of snow: Sheep take shelter near a wall in Cumbria as snow started to sweep across northern parts of the country

Arctic blast: Britain is set to shiver this Bank Holiday Weekend as icy winds from the Atlantic sweep across the country

This map shows the wind patterns around the UK, and the north-east tip of the European Continent, on April 30 at midday
Sunshine Coast prosecutors are seeking leave to appeal the decision

The overturning of the conviction of a drunken violent offender has sparked victim and police outrage.

Queensland District Court Judge Leanne Clare has been criticised for releasing Aaron Russell Haydon on appeal after he had only served two days in jail, the Courier Mail reported.

The 39-year-old Sunshine Coast man was sentenced to three months' jail for assaulting three strangers, including an elderly man in October, 2014.

Queensland District Court Judge Leanne Clare (pictured) has been criticised for releasing Aaron Russell Haydon on appeal after he had only served two days in jail

Now prosecutors are seeking leave from the Supreme Court to appeal the judge's decision, despite his sentence being downgraded from 12 months' jail suspended after three months.

Haydon allegedly punched, kicked, chased and knocked his victims to the ground near a noodle bar at Golden Beach, Caloundra, located 90km north of Brisbane.

Haydon pleaded guilty to two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and one of assaulting a person over 60.

The 'extremely aggressive and serious' incident, which police described as 'unprovoked gratuitous violence,' was carried out on victims Shelby Klein, 21, Brett Whitchurch, 42, and Desmond Sloane, 84.

Single mum Ms Klein, who was struck on the side of her head from behind, said the conviction did not deliver justice for the victims.

'His actions have caused me mental and emotional problems. The justice system has really let down the community even more.'

But Judge Clare said the conviction had not fully taken into account factors such as his deteriorating mental health and alcohol abuse disorder, mitigating his culpability for drinking.

The Maroochydore Magistrates Court also heard that Haydon was diagnosed with schizophrenia and suffered a brain injury from a drunken three-storey fall.

Haydon's defence lawyer Damon Locantro slammed the police for categorising every assault as a 'coward punch' attack.

'Prosecutors need to temper their submissions and realise not every case is one calling for prison,' he said.
Nicky Morgan accused a head teacher of sexism today for daring to ask her whether she was in control of her own department.

The education secretary made the controversial remark as she was questioned by members of the National Association of Head Teachers.

Her put-down came after one delegate asked her whether schools minister Nick Gibb was in charge of the Department for Education  rather than her.

Nicky Morgan (pictured) accused a head teacher of sexism for daring to ask her whether she was in control of her own department

Throughout her appearance, she was heckled by angry teachers who laughed, groaned and shouted rubbish and youre not listening.

But it was her claim of sexism that caused the biggest stir among school leaders, who said she had hid behind the claim to avoid addressing what she was asked. The question was put by Simon Kidwell, of Hereford Manor Primary School, who said the current primary testing system was discriminatory.

He said children with dyslexia and other issues would be branded failures aged 11 because of the tough tests in Year 6.

He asked her to allow teachers to make a judgement that reflects a childs true ability and base their assessment on best fit.

Mrs Morgan said she was reluctant to make changes and provoked laughter by saying this is not about pass or fail but measuring progress.

Mr Kidwell then said: Are you in charge of the department or is Nick Gibb?

Mrs Morgan responded: Im not going to dignify that sexist remark with a comment.

Her accusation provoked a loud groans from the audience and union members took to Twitter afterwards to vent their anger.

Past NAHT president Tony Draper wrote: Much anger that Nicky Morgan hid behind a "sexist" comment that every delegate clearly knows was not  inadequate judgement Nicky.

Headteacher Simon Kidwell asked Morgan, whether schools minister Nick Gibb (pictured) was actually in charge of the Department for Education

Deborah Holt added: Nicky Morgan claims question was sexist, could she please explain how??

Yesterday, teaching leaders said the comment from Mr Kidwell was well-meant and that he was voicing the concerns of many teachers as Mr Gibb often speaks on key education reform issues.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the NAHT, said afterwards: I dont think that was a sexist comment.

It was a concern around who was making different decisions on that front.

People are frustrated that they are saying their concerns and they dont feel that they are being listened to.

So they wonder who they need to go and speak to.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, added: I think theres an enormous amount of sexism in our society generally, I dont think that saying is Nick Gibb in charge arises from someone deliberately being sexist.

I think it is true that he [Nick Gibb] appears to have been leading on all of the things on which there have been apologies.

Mr Hobby said he did not think Mr Gibb was running the department.

Ms Blower added: 'There clearly is a lot of sexism in the world but I wouldn't have thought that anyone challenging her when Nick Gibb has been very high profile on the issues to do with assessment could possibly count as a piece of sexism.

Ms Blower said she thought it was a 'completely valid' question as she thought Mr Gibb had apologised for the 'chaos' schools were in, rather than Mrs Morgan. Recently a test for primary school children was acidentally leaked online.

'It seems to me that if something goes spectacularly wrong, like the putting of that test on the website then it should be the person, hierarchical though it is, at the top who apologises and not her deputy so I don't think this is about sexism this is about the buck stopping where the buck should stop,' she said.

'It would be a very good thing if she acknowledged that frankly at the moment there's a significant amount of chaos in the curriculum and in assessment.'

The incident comes as thousands of parents threaten to pull their children out of school for a day in a row over tests taken by six and seven year-olds.

The campaign called Let Our Kids Be Kids, is encouraging action on Tuesday May 3.

The tests are taken by children at the end of infant and junior school to measure schools performance.

Over the course of a week, children of six and seven sit two reading papers and two maths papers and were due to take two in spelling and grammar.

Meanwhile, Mrs Morgan is still wrestling a Tory backbench rebellion over her plans to force all schools to become academies by 2022  meaning they will no longer be under local authority control.

It is understood she is in discussions about a number of concessions which could see well-performing councils retaining some powers over schools.

During her speech to the union, she told delegates they would have more autonomy due to the forced academies programme, which would help raise standards.




Russia said on Saturday it hadsent a fighter plane on Friday to intercept a U.S. aircraftapproaching its border over the Baltic Sea because the Americanplane had turned off its transponder, which is needed foridentification.

The Pentagon said the U.S. Air Force RC-135 plane had beenflying a routine route in international airspace and that theRussian SU-27 fighter had intercepted it in an 'unsafe andunprofessional' way.

CNN reported that the Russian jet had come within about 100feet (30 metres) of the U.S. plane and had performed a barrelroll.

Russia said on Saturday it had sent a fighter plane on Friday to intercept a U.S. aircraft (file photo pictured) approaching its border over the Baltic Sea because the American plane had turned off its transponder, which is needed for identification

'All flights of Russian planes are conducted in accordancewith international regulations on the use of airspace,' theRussian Defence Ministry said in a statement.

'The U.S. Air Force has two solutions: either not to flynear our borders or to turn the transponder on foridentification.'

Friday's incident underlines rising tensions between Russiaand the United States over eastern Europe. NATO has said itplans its biggest build-up in the region since the Cold War tocounter what the it considers to be a more aggressive Russia.

The Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, whichjoined NATO in 2004, have requested higher and permanentpresence of the alliance, fearing a threat from Russia after itannexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Earlier this month, Russian jets buzzed a U.S. guided missile destroyer, the USS Donald Cook, in the Baltic Sea. A photo released by the Pentagon (pictured) appears to show the Russian jet passing at an extremely low altitude over the ship's bow

The Kremlin denies any intentions to attack the Balticcountries, but it has often said that they have become anaggressive 'Russophobic kernel' pushing NATO towards aconsistently anti-Russian course.

'We are already starting to get used to the insults of thePentagon regarding alleged 'unprofessional' manoeuvres when ourfighters intercept U.S. spy planes at the Russian border,' thedefence ministry said in its statement.

On April 12, Russian jets buzzed a U.S. guided missile destroyer, the USS Donald Cook, in the Baltic Sea.

Aphoto released by the Pentagon appears to show the Russian jetpassing at an extremely low altitude over the ship'sbow.

'There have been repeated incidents over the last year whereRussian military aircraft have come close enough to other airand sea traffic to raise serious safety concerns, and we arevery concerned with any such behavior,' Urban said.

Russia accused the United States of intimidation by sailingthe Cook close to Russia's border in the Baltics and warned thatthe Russian military would respond to any future incidents.

NATO plans its biggest build-up in Eastern Europe since theCold War to counter what the alliance considers to be a moreaggressive Russia.

The Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, whichjoined NATO in 2004, have asked the alliance for a permanentpresence of battalion-sized deployments of allied troops in eachof their territories. A NATO battalion typically consists of 300to 800 troops.
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Bikies clad in club colours have converged to pay their respects and bid their farewells to high-ranking Bandido member Maxwell Patrick Geary.

Gearys body was carried on a red coffin on the sidecar of a chopper as a fleet of fellow outlaw bikie gang members rode to a private service on a rural property outside Mission Beach in northern Queensland.

The 52-year-old former president of the club's Mission Beach chapter died last week after his station wagon swerved off the Palmerston Highway and crashed down a steep embankment, reports ABC.

Maxwell Patrick Geary's body is carried on a red coffin on the sidecar of a chopper as a fleet of fellow outlaw bikie gang members rode to his funeral

The 52-year-old former president of the club's Mission Beach chapter died last week after his station wagon crashed off the Palmerston Highway

Police expected 60 to 100 Bandidos from chapters around Australia to attend the private service in the state's far north

He was member of the Bandidos club for a total of 15 years and was the head of the former president of the club's Mission Beach chapter

Police expected 60 to 100 Bandidos from chapters around Australia to attend the private service, advising those who planned to attend to travel in pairs to evade infringing on the state's VLAD law.

Under the controversial laws bikie members cannot travel in groups of more than two and cannot wear club colours into licensed venues.

Mr Geary was sentenced to 10 years jail for drug trafficking in 2001, and in 2014 he was handed a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to possessing a weapon and ordering the theft of two jet skis.

He served as the gang's president in Cairns for a decade before leading the Mission Beach chapter.

He was member of the international Bandidos club for a total of 15 years but reportedly left the club in 2014 over concerns he would be charged under the state's controversial anti-bikie laws.

The Queensland Government is planning to scrap laws introduced by the Newman administration in 2013.

Police advised those who planned to attend to travel in pairs to evade infringing on the state's VLAD law

The gate to the Mission Beach Queensland property where the funeral service for bikie Maxwell Geary was being carried out is bolted shut after the body arrived on a motorcycle sidecar

He was member of the international Bandidos club for a total of 15 years but reportedly left the club in 2014 over concerns he would be charged under the state's controversial anti-bikie laws

The hearse carrying the coffin containing the remains of Geary leaves the private service on a rural property outside Mission Beach bound for the crematorium
A tourist hotspot has banned people from drinking on its streets - including bottles of water.

Tourists in San Antonio, Ibiza, face a 750 euro (600) fine if they break the law, which was approved after authorities became exasperated with holidaymakers consuming alcohol in public places.

The bylaw, which was approved on Thursday evening, applies to all drinks in order to stop revellers disguising alcohol in other bottles.

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Tourists in San Antonio, Ibiza, face a 750 euro (590) fine if they are caught drinking on the streets - including bottles of water

The move has prompted fears tourists could become dehydrated while wandering around the town or on nights out, with temperatures soaring higher than 30C in August.

People doing exercise and children are thought to be an exception to the rule, according to The Telegraph.

Despite the criticism, Mayor Pep Tur said the measure was brought in stop young people 'causing a nuisance'.

Aida Alcaraz, a town councillor, added: 'There are areas like terrace bars where of course people will be able to drink.

The bylaw, which was approved on Thursday evening, applies to all drinks in order to stop revellers disguising alcohol in other bottles. Above, the beach in San Antonio

'But what they won't be able to do any more is to take drinks out onto the streets in plastic glasses.'

However, councillor Jose Sala criticised the decision and said he was not prepared to accept the new bylaw.

Mr Sala, of the Popular Party, added: 'This is impossible and possibly even unconstitutional.'
by a fire in January, forcing the rescue of two tenants

The inner-city Sydney property was almost

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A Sydney property has sold for almost $1,000,000 despite its upstairs area being almost destroyed by a fire in January, forcing the rescue of two tenants.

The two-bedroom unrenovated 'shoebox' terrace, which sits on just 49 square metres at 48 Little Riley Street in Surry Hills, sold for $911,000, Domain reported.

The sold price was $11,000 above reserve despite the top floor bedroom being virtually unlivable due to the fire scorching the walls.

A Sydney property has sold for almost $1,000,000 despite its upstairs area being almost destroyed by a fire in January, forcing the rescue of two tenants

The two-bedroom unrenovated 'shoebox' terrace, sits on just 49 square metres at 48 Little Riley Street in Surry Hills, sold for $911,000

But the unrenovated aspect of the terrace was an appealing factor for bidders, who were mostly builders.

The winning bidder, Inacia Monica, acting behalf of her son, bid at $880,000 but had to fight off a late bidder who entered at $905,000.

Her son, 29-year-old builder and engineer Patrick Monica, is fond of Surry Hills and will move into the property once he's renovated it.

The inner-city Sydney property was one of 672 properties set to be auctioned off on Saturday.

Economist Dr Andrew Wilson told Domain Group that the clearance rate at 73.8 per cent was a positive result.

'Its definitely a post-Easter bounce-back on a much more typical market day than the previous holiday weeks.'

The property, nestled in a laneway, boasts a federation-style facade, a courtyard and two balconies upstairs.

Renovations could estimate for $200,000 to make the property liveable again and could then sell for about $1.5 million, Agent William Phillips of Bresic Whitney told Domain.

The sold price was $11,000 above reserve despite the top floor bedroom being virtually unlivable due to the fire scorching the walls

The kitchen remains liveable: The unrenovated aspect of the terrace was an appealing factor for bidders, who were mostly builders

The winning bidder, Inacia Monica, acting behalf of her son, bid at $880,000 but had to fight off a late bidder who entered at $905,000

Her son, 29-year-old builder and engineer Patrick Monica, is fond of Surry Hills and will move into the property once he's renovated it

The kitchen leads to a courtyard: The inner-city Sydney property was one of 672 properties set to be auctioned off on Saturday

The property, nestled in a laneway, boasts a federation-style facade, a courtyard and two balconies upstairs
A Brisbane mother of two is urging other mothers to follow her lead, by breastfeeding out in public even when she is out running in the park or in the supermarket.

Nicole Broadhurst, 29, said she will even feed her three-month old daughter Alexis while she is doing her weekly run in the park, reported Kidspot.

She said that breastfeeding mothers should not let the opinions of strangers dictate where they feed their babies.

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Mother Nicole Broadhurst said she breast feeds her three-month-old while running in Berrinba Wetlands (pictured) and grocery shopping

'I am of the belief that no matter where I am - grocery shopping, local park, theme park, farm - if Alexis is hungry I am going to feed her,' Nicole said.

'I am not going to make my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Hannah stop what she is doing and make her sit in a parents room for up to an hour where she will go stir crazy.'

Ms Broadhurst has done 64 park runs at the Berrinba Wetlands in Brisbane on Saturdays and said that feeding Alexis has not stopped her.

She said she slows to a walking pace during the 5km run and has fed her three-month-old three times like this.

'Some people just stare but mostly I get encouraging words from other parents,' she said.

'One of my fellow park runners calls it a milkshake when I walk and feed.'

While there have been some double takes from other shoppers, Nicole has also received encouraging comments from people in the supermarket.

The 29-year-old, pictured with her daughter Alexis, said some people stare at her when she breast feeds while doing chores, but she has also received encouraging words for other parents

She said she had been congratulated by another Mum when she was breastfeeding while grocery shopping, who said she did not have the courage to do the same thing.

Ms Broadhurst said she hopes she will inspire other mums who dont feel comfortable breastfeeding their babies in public places.

'I am not going to be put in a toilet to feed my girl. Would you eat your dinner in the bathroom,' she said.

'I hope by other mums reading this and seeing the pictures they will be brave enough to do the same.'

Ms Broadhurst said: 'I am not going to be put in a toilet to feed my girl. Would you eat your dinner in the bathroom?'
It comes a week after an English professor was killed in the country

Police are investigating whether it was linked to the comments he made

Nikhil Joarder was brutally attacked by men on motorcycles in Bangladesh

Man was today hacked to death on the streets after 'criticising the prophet'

A Hindu man was today hacked to death on the streets of Bangladesh by two men on motorcycles after he 'criticised the prophet Mohammed'.

Police officer Aslam Khan revealed authorities are investigating whether the attack on Nikhil Joarder is connected to a 2012 complaint that he made comments against the prophet.

The brutal attack in the central district of Tangail comes after a spate of similar attacks in the South Asian country.

It comes just a week after a university English professor was hacked to death by a gang of attackers while on his way to work in northwestern Bangladesh.

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A.F.M. Rezaul Karim Siddique (pictured) was attacked last week on his way to the state-run university in the city of Rajshahi, where he taught English

The brutal attack in the central district of Tangail (pictured) comes after a spate of similar attacks in the South Asian country

Officer Khan said that Joarder, who was in his early 50s, was attacked today with sharp weapons by two men on motorcycles as he sat in his tailor shop.

ISIS has reportedly claimed credit for the brutal attack on Joarder.

The attack was similar to recent killings of atheist bloggers, academics and most recently a gay rights activist in Muslim-majority Bangladesh by radical Islamists.

Joarder spent two weeks in prison in 2012 and was released after the complaint against him was withdrawn.

Sajidul Karim Siddique, a brother of the professor (pictured), said he was a 'very quiet and simple man' who was focused on studying and teaching. He was murdered last week. ISIS has claimed responsibility

Last week, A.F.M. Rezaul Karim Siddique was attacked on his way to the state-run university in the city of Rajshahi, where he taught English.

The attackers used sharp weapons and fled the scene immediately, according to deputy police commissioner Nahidul Islam. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the horrific attack.

The attack was similar to recent killings of atheist bloggers in Muslim-majority Bangladesh by radical Islamists.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi websites. No further details were available.

At least three other professors at Rajshahi University have been killed in recent years, allegedly by Islamist groups.

Sajidul Karim Siddique, a brother of the professor, said he was a 'very quiet and simple man' who was focused on studying and teaching.

He led a cultural group and used to edit a literary magazine.
The King has reigned since 1973 and his four-year-old granddaughter is second in line to the throne

Princesses Sofia and Madeleine also added a touch of glamour to the festivities at the Royal Palace in Stockholm

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They were dressed to impress for the King of Sweden's 70th birthday - but they were all outshone by one little girl.

Princess Estelle was the star of the show as celebrations got underway for her grandfather King Carl Gustaf's big day at the Royal Palace in Stockholm today.

The four-year-old, who is second in line to the Swedish throne, was spotted with a big smile on her face walking hand in hand with her parents, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel.

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Princess Estelle, centre, could not hide the smile from her face as she attended the birthday celebration of grandfather King Carl Gustaf of Sweden in Stockholm, hand-in-hand with parents the Crown Princess Victoria, left, and Prince Daniel, right

The second-in-line to the Swedish throne, left and right with her mother, was spotted waving to the cameras as she became the centre of attention at the royal festivities

The royals gathered to give crowds a wave during today's celebrations. From left to right: Christopher O'Neill, Princess Madeleine, Prince Oscar, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Princess Estelle, Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip

King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia later stepped out to wave to onlookers as they attended the choral tribute and cortege

The four-year-old, right, was also seen trying to get a better look at the celebration of the Swedish Armed Forces in honour of the King's birthday

The Princess was also popular with visiting royals, with former King of Spain Juan Carlos, right, taking a moment to chat to Estelle

The youngster could not hide a sense of wonder at the grand occasion as she took part in the day's formalities in Stockholm

Donning a pale blue coat over a white dress and white tights, she waved to the cameras as the rest of the Royal Family lined up to pay tribute to the King.

Princess Sofia and Princess Madeleine also added a touch of glamour to the occasion, with the former wearing a white coat and dress with silver heels and flowers in her hair, while Madeleine sported a pale pink coat, white dress and black fascinator.

Festivities began with a thanksgiving service at the Royal Chapel, with invited guests including Queen Margrethe of Denmark, dressed in turquoise with a matching handbag, and former King and Queen of Spain Juan Carlos and Sofia.

King Carl Gustaf, who has reigned since 1973, wore his military uniform and medals, having attained an officer's rank in the Royal Swedish Army, Navy and Air Force before he assumed the throne.

After a service in the palace chapel attended by the king's family and royal visitors from Japan, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, the outdoor pomp and celebrations for Sweden's monarch of 43 years included a tightly choreographed military parade.

In the palace yard, children gave the king flowers before gun salutes rang out, and he went on a ride through Stockholm in an open horse-drawn carriage.

Under a clear blue sky, thousands of Swedes, some wearing plastic crowns, lined the route to City Hall. In the crowd were fans snapping mobile phone photos and scouts in uniform, for the king is an honorary chairman of the World Scout Foundation.

At Stockholm City Hall, the king was visibly moved when he was greeted by a choir singing the Beatles hit All You Need Is Love - with the guests joining in.

Guests included the former Dutch queen, now Princess Beatrix, of the Netherlands, Spain's ex-King Juan Carlos, Denmark's Queen Margrethe and Japan's Princess Takamado.

King Carl Gustaf, pictured with Queen Silvia, wore his military uniform at a thanksgiving service at the Royal Palace in Stockholm

During the celebrations, the King was presented with a flower by a young girl dressed as a princess in the palace courtyard, pictured

Princesses Sofia, left, and Madeleine, centre, also added a touch of extra glamour to the event as they paid tribute to the King

He was then presented with a posey of flowers by a young girl dressed as a princess in the palace courtyard during a celebration of the Swedish Armed Forces.

But even the cute child could not take the shine off the real Princess for long, as she became the centre of attention while clutching her mother's hand.

The Princess, who is also Duchess of Ostergotland, was named Estelle because it has a special connection to her mother and the rest of the Royal Family, according to the King.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark was one of the visiting royals to attend the bash, dressed all in turquoise with matching bag and fascinator

The former King and Queen of Spain, Juan Carlos and Sofia, pictured, were also on the guestlist for the celebration in Stockholm

Beatrix of the Netherlands, centre, who was Queen from 1980 until her abdication in 2013, was another of the visiting dignitaries

There has been speculation that Estelle her name was given in honour of Countess Estelle Bernadotte, the American wife of Count Folke Bernadotte, who died in 1984.

She is also the first female member of the Royal family to be born with the right to inherit the crown that cannot be superseded by a male heir.

Since 2014 she has been at Aventyret Preschool in Stockholm. Founded in 1992, it uses the Ur and Skur outdoor teaching methods to focus on the natural world.

A portrait of the young princess with her mother Crown Princess Victoria and grandfather King Carl XVI Gustaf, forms part of a trio of stamps which has recently been released.

For the official picture, Princess Estelle wore a 195 Jacquard Star Dress by Marie Chantal for the occasion and sported a side plait in her blonde cropped hair.

The young Princess recently became a big sister to baby brother Prince Oscar Carl Olof who was born in March.

The king's popularity has dived after newspapers alleged that he visited strip clubs, resulting in a poll showing that many believed he should abdicate in favour of the 38-year-old Victoria. He has dismissed quitting.
A Florida man murdered a 52-year-old woman, used her credit card to go and eat at a waffle house, and then returned to the scene and had sex with her body for hours, according to police.

Timothy Johnson, 25, was arrested in connection to the murder of Judith Therianos who was visiting Florida as a tourist from Maine.

Police say that Johnson killed Therianos, a mother of two and a grandmother, while they were having sex, according to WTSP.

Officials believe that Therianos may have wanted Johnson to stop and that's when he allegedly murdered her. An autopsy revealed that Therianos died from blunt force trauma.

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Arrest: Timothy Johnson (left), 25, was arrested in connection to the murder of Judith Therianos (right). Police say he killed her and then had sex with her corpse for hours

Video Courtesy WFTS

Police say that Johnson had sex with the dead woman's body 'for a while,' after killing her.

According to an arrest affidavit, Johnson stole a credit card from Therianos and went to Waffle House and ate before returning to have sex with her decomposing corpse, report ABC.

Therianos' corpse was found off of US Highway 19 in Florida, a little less than a month after she disappeared. She had been missing since March 14.

Police believe that Therianos may have met Johnson at a liquor store on March 13. They reportedly made their way to a wooded area where Theranios' corpse was found with both her genitals and breasts exposed.

Sheriff Chris Nocco said he thinks Johnson may have committed other crimes.

Tragedy: Police say that Therianos may have met Johnson at a liquor store on March 13. She went missing on March 14 and her corpse was discovered a little less than a month later

Therianos, who had originally gone to Florida to take care of a sick friend, was last seen by another friend who lives in Florida and linked to another man.

The friend said she last saw Therianos picking up her clothes from the sick friend's home, according to a Facebook page dedicated to finding the missing woman setup by her family and friends.

The post said that Therianos was 'riding in a newer SUV with an older man'.

The man was described as having long white hair and a long white beard and mustache.

'He was very skinny and went by the name Charlie.'

At that point Therianos had a black eye, according to the Facebook post, and her friend asked her how she got it.

Therianos replied that 'she had fell but hinted to her with eyes and body language that he [Charlie] had something to do with it'.

The friend tried to convince Therianos to stay with her, but she declined.
Nearly 30 air strikes have devastated rebel-held areas of Syria's northern city of Aleppo today killing five people as nine straight days of bombardment have raised the death toll to 250.

A temporary 'regime of calm' announced by theSyrian army yesterday had appeared to have taken hold in the northwestcoastal province Latakia and outskirts of the capital Damascus.

The Syrian government said the 'regime of calm' - from which Aleppo had been exempted - was an attemptto salvage a wider ceasefire deal reached in February.

Nearly 30 air strikes have devastated rebel-held areas of Syria's northern city of Aleppo today

Fire fighters try to extinguish fire after regime helicopters target a medical center at opposition controlled Bustan el Kasr region of Aleppo

Civil defense workers and civilians carry out search and rescue operations after the Russian forces staged air-strikes in Bustan al Qasr Neighborhood of Aleppo

The February truce, brokered by Washington and Moscow, hasall but collapsed in fighting that has intensified, particularlyin and around Aleppo as peace talks in Geneva have crumbled.

At least five people were killed in Aleppo today in the latest round of air strikes, which were believed to havebeen carried out by Syrian government warplanes, the SyrianObservatory for Human Rights said.

The British-based monitoring group put the civilian deathtoll in government and rebel bombardments of neighbourhoods inAleppo since April 22 at nearly 250.

This figure included around 140 people killed bygovernment-aligned forces in air strikes and shellings ofrebel-held areas, including 19 children, it said. Insurgentshelling of government-held areas killed 96 people, including 21children.

Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war, has beendivided for years between rebel and government zones. Fullcontrol would be the most important prize for President Basharal-Assad, who has been fighting to keep hold of his countrythroughout a five-year civil war.

The British-based monitoring group put the civilian death toll in government and rebel bombardments of neighbourhoods in Aleppo since 22 April at nearly 250

Pieces of masonry and concrete litter the ground in the Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria

A health worker carries a girl, who has been rescued from the wreckage, after the latest air strikes

Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said government-held areas of Aleppo were 'a bit quieter today', but that shells fired by rebels were still intermittently hitting

Fire fighters try to extinguish fire after regime helicopters targetted a medical center in Syria

Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said government-heldareas of Aleppo were 'a bit quieter today', but that shellsfired by rebels were still intermittently hitting.

'There aren't clashes in Latakia, there aren't clashes inGhouta (Damascus suburbs),' only some lower-level violencebetween rival rebel groups outside Damascus, Abdulrahman said.

A resident of Western Ghouta, which is under governmentsiege, said shellings appeared to have ceased around the capitalin the hours after the start of the 'regime of calm' at 1 am on Friday.

'Until now there has been no military activity and no soundof bombardments in nearby areas, no sound of shelling or of warplanes,' the resident, Maher Abu Jaafar, told Reuters viainternet messenger.

A resident of Western Ghouta, which is under government siege, said shellings appeared to have ceased around the capital in the hours after the start of the 'regime of calm' yesterday at 1 am

Rescue race to the scene and prepare to help survivors trapped inside the rubble in Aleppo, Syria

A Friday statement from the Syrian army did not explain what military or non-military action a 'regime of calm' would entail

Members of the Syrian opposition forces clash against the Shiite militia forces in Khan Tuman village in southern outskirts of Aleppo

'It's the opposite of last night, when there was a lot ofbombing and the sounds of rockets and shells.'

A Friday statement from the Syrian army did not explain whatmilitary or non-military action a 'regime of calm' would entail.

It said it would last for 24 hours in Eastern Ghouta andDamascus and for 72 hours in areas of the northern Latakiacountryside.
Recent polling data shows Cruz and Trump head-to-head in Indiana, each collecting between 30 and 40 per cent of the vote

Cruz has 565 delegates at the moment and 57 will be at stake Tuesday

Ted Cruz believes Indiana's primary Tuesday will make or break his bid to be the next Republican presidential nominee.

The Texas senator said the Hoosier state's vote will be critical - but did not say whether he would drop out in case he lost.

Cruz spoke at a one-hour town hall hosted by Fox News on Friday in Indianapolis and spent the rest of the day campaigning in the state, stopping by Evansville and arriving to the taping with his newly announced running mate Carly Fiorina.

'It gives me great comfort that this primary is going to be decided by the Midwestern common sense of the Hoosier State,' he told anchor Sean Hannity.

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Ted Cruz attended a town hall hosted by Fox News in Indianapolis on Friday (pictured) and came with Carly Fiorina, whom he announced as his running mate earlier this week

Cruz (pictured hugging a business owner in Evansville, Indiana Friday) said the state's primary on Tuesday would be critical regarding his bid to secure the presidential nomination

Cruz currently has 565 delegates and 57 more will be at stake during Indiana's primary Tuesday.

It has become mathematically impossible for the Texas senator to secure the nomination before the GOP convention in July, but winning would bolster his bid - and keep Trump from getting closer to the 1,237 minimum.

The billionaire has secured 996 delegates so far and a complete victory in Indiana would place him less than 200 from the threshold.

Recent polling data shows Cruz and Trump head-to-head in Indiana, each collecting between 30 and 40 per cent of the vote.

But Cruz does not believe anyone will obtain 1,237 delegates and secure the nomination before the convention, he told Hannity during the town hall at the Indiana War Memorial on Friday.

He accused Trump of 'pretending to be an outsider' and called him 'one of the greatest frauds in modern electoral history'.

Cruz announced Fiorina as his running mate on Wednesday, the day after Trump won Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

The former CEO, who dropped out of the race in February, blasted Trump too during Friday's town hall.

Fiorina (pictured with Cruz and Fox News anchor Sean Hannity) blasted Trump during the town hall, saying he had made donations to Hillary Clinton and calling both of them 'the ultimate insiders'

Cruz (pictured campaigning in Evansville, Indiana on Friday) said it brought him 'great comfort' to know the primary would be decided by the state's 'Midwestern common sense'

She said Trump had 'contributed seven times to Hillary Clinton', adding: 'I'm sorry, it is not a choice or a contrast when Donald Trump agrees with Hillary Clinton on so many positions.'

Trump made seven donations to Clinton since 2002, Politifact reported last month, five of which went to her senatorial fund.

Two other donations went to her presidential campaign in 2007 and 2009, totaling $2,300, but were later refunded.

The billionaire had also donated at least $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation by June 2015, Politico wrote at the time.

'How long have Republicans and conservatives said we can only win by presenting a clear contrast, so here it is  people of Indiana, Cruz-Fiorina, Trump-Clinton,' Fiorina added Friday, calling Trump and Clinton 'the ultimate insiders'.

Cruz also hit back at former House Speaker John Boehner Friday, two days after Boehner called him 'Lucifer in the flesh' during a talk at Stanford University.

'I have Democrat friends and Republican friends. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a b**** in my life,' Boehner told the crowd according to the Stanford Daily.

Cruz accused Boehner of 'letting out his inner Trump'.

'Those comments reveal everything you need to know about Washington,' he told Hannity on Friday. 'Listen, we don't have two parties in Washington. We have one corrupt bipartisan mess in Washington.'

'I don't know Boehner,' he added. 'I don't think we've said 50 words to each other in our lives.'
It's been revealed a man who once admitted to assault was matched on Australian reality television show Married at First Sight to a woman suffering after being attacked by a man last year.

Controversial show competitor Jono Pitman admitted to assault and recklessly causing injury to a man during a bar brawl in 2008, and was ordered participate in an anger management course.

But although the 28-year-old didn't tell the organisers of the show as he has no criminal record, Nine Network, who produced the programme, knew of his past, the Herald Sun reported.

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Jono Pitman, 28, admitted to assault and recklessly causing injury to a man during a bar brawl which occurred in 2008

Mr Pitman was ordered to complete an anger management course and does not have a criminal record

The woman he was matched with on Married at First Sight was assault victim and post-traumatic stress disorder sufferer Clare Verrall, 31 (pictured)

Ms Verrall was attacked by a man while walking her dog in 2015 and suffered a black eye (pictured), broken nose and broken toe before escaping

Mr Pitman infamously said during the show that Ms Verrall was not what he had 'ordered'

Mr Pitman (left) and Ms Verrall were matched by organisers of the show

The couple look awkward during a shot from the television show. They split before filming finished

Reputed for his bad temper on the show, Mr Pitman had been matched with Clare Verrall, 31, who in 2016 was left with a black eye, a broken nose and a broken toe after a man attacked her while she was walking her dog.

She managed to kick him in the groin and escape, but has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder since.

Mr Pitman explained his history with Ms Verrall as the programme was filmed, the Herald Sun reported.

He'd appeared in the Ringwood Magistrates Court after the 2008 fight.

During the show, Mr Pitman said Ms Verrall wasn't what he had 'ordered' and referred to her as 'woman', which annoyed her

Jono Pitman (left) and Clare Verrall (right) became a couple on reality television show Married at First Sight, but clashed and split well before filming finished

Ms Verrall told the publication: 'I was very disappointed that, knowing my history of PTSD after a violent attack and knowing I had joined the show earnestly trying to put myself out there to find love, the show and psychologists partnered me with someone who had known anger management issues and who has been arrested for violent behaviour.'

She has discussed Mr Pitman's temper during Married at First Sight before, describing it as 'A bad temper. A definite temper'.

A spokeswoman for Nine said both went through 'exhaustive' checks before the show.

'Jono does not have a history of violence, he has no criminal record. He was involved in an incident eight years ago and attended an anger-management course, which was known.

'Clare and Jono discussed the incident on the honeymoon and at no stage did either request to withdraw.'

During the show, Mr Pitman angered viewers when he referred to his new bride, Clare Verrall, as 'woman' and voiced his not-so-charming opinions about her appearance.

Ms Verrall told AAP earlier in April Pittman's temper dredged up leftover anxiety from her April 2015 attack near her home in Prahran, Melbourne.

The pair split up before filming of the programme finished.

Ms Verrall has discussed Mr Pitman's temper during Married at First Sight before, describing it as 'A bad temper. A definite temper'
A personal trainer has been arrested on charges of leaving his eight-month-old daughter in his car while he worked out inside of a North Hollywood gym on Friday morning.

Solomon Allen, 25, is accused of meeting with a client at 9am while he left his crying baby girl inside of his unlocked vehicle, with the motor running.

It was parked in a garage across the street from the 24 Hour Fitness gym at 5300 block of Lankershim Boulevard.

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Personal trainer Solomon Allen (pictured), 25, was arrested on child endangerment charges after allegedly leaving his eight-month old daughter inside of his unlocked car with the motor running in a parking garage

Allen was charged with child endangerment. As of Friday night, he was still in custody in lieu of $100,000 bond, according to the New York Daily News.

The little girl was found by a parking garage maintenance worker after an hour, according to KABC. The worker then reported the incident to his supervisor.

'He went into panic mode,' said supervisor Jose Rivera. 'He couldn't believe what he was seeing. A baby. Nobody around in the parking lot, not even walking by.

'He knew the baby had been in his eyes abandoned inside the vehicle. And the baby just seem really bothered, in the baby seat and just constantly crying.'

According to Allen's social media pages, he is a personal trainer and founder of FitFiend Active Wear

The police were called and the child was evaluated at a hospital before being returned to her mother. The girl was not injured.

'It's extremely careless and it's very selfish to leave an infant that's 8-months-old in a car with the motor running, unlocked in a parking structure at a public business,' Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Stephen Carmona told KABC.

He noted that 290 vehicles had been stolen in North Hollywood this year.

Allen's Facebook page says he's the founder of FitFiend ActiveWear.

'He saved a life in my eyes,' said Rivera. 'Anything could have happened.'

Allen was reportedly meeting with a client at 9am on Friday at 24 Hour Fitness (above) in North Hollywood when he left his baby girl in his running car at 5300 Lankershim Blvd.








Australian scientists plan to release a herpes virus into the Murray River in South Australia to kill millions of European carp fish.

The $15 million National Carp Control Plan, part of the federal budget, is designed to destroy the fish by 2045 reported the Herald Sun.

The herpes virus will reportedly kill thousands of the fish in the first 24 hours of it being released into the river.

Scientists are releasing a herpes virus into the Murray River in South Australia to kill the European carp (pictured)

Carp breed in plague proportions in the Murray River and the huge fish, who suck mud up and spit it out, are responsible for bringing native fish numbers to the brink of extinction.

CSIRO scientists have tested the koi herpes virus for nearly a decade on other animals including chickens, mice, frogs, turtles and water dragons.

They said the virus will not infect other fish, animals or humans using the Murray River.

Carp breed in plague proportions in the Murray River (pictured) and are responsible for the declining number of native fish

The Sunday Telegraph has reported the virus is an Indonesian strain of 'carp herpes' that only affects European carp.

Science minister Christopher Pyne said: 'We know that (this) works, we know its safe, now we need to plan the best way to roll it out.'

Deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce said carp cost the government up to $500 million a year.
Changes in US policy could save 1.2billion gallons of gas by that year

They might be convenient, but roof racks are eating up serious amounts of gas every year, a new report has revealed - so much so that they're responsible for draining 100million gallons of US fuel last year alone.

For individual drivers that cost is even bigger: depending on the configuration, roof racks can use up to 25 percent of a vehicle's fuel.

And for the US, that problem is only going to get worse, Autoblog reported Thursday.

Carry on regardless: People who use roof racks, whether they're loaded or not, cost the US 100million gallons of fuel last year - and may be wasting 25 percent of their fuel, a research paper has revealed

Roof racks affect fuel usage by adding to the car's drag - that is, slowing it down, as air that would usually glide around the aerodynamic body of the car gets caught on the rack, pushing against the car, whether it is carrying something or not.

That means the engine has to fight harder to get up to speed, chewing up the gas - and eating into America's ever-dwindling supplies of oil.

And things will get worse, according to the scientific research paper, which was published in Energy Policy.

Usage of roof racks is on the rise - with an expected increase of 200 percent by 2040.

That will undo a lot of the work being done to create energy-saving and energy-efficient cars

According to the paper, the good done by fuel cell cars - which use self-contained hydrogen-and-oxygen 'cells' that create no emissions and are expected to save energy - will be counteracted by roof racks.

That's because the drag created by racks will use up six times the amount of energy that fuel cell cars will save.

And electric vehicles can expect to lose 40 percent of their fuel savings to racks in the future.

But there is some hope, according to the authors of the paper, Yuche Chen of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Alan Meier of Berkeley Lab.

They suggested that car manufacturers can help by making their racks more aerodynamic and easily removable.

They also said that energy efficiency labeling will help warn consumers of the cost.

And while they said having the government minimize roof rack usage is 'extreme,' they believe a combination of policy changes and improved design could save 1.2billion gallons of gas in the US between now and 2040.

That would be almost 11.8 million tons of CO2 emissions - the same amount 86,717 modern cars would emit in the US over that period - Autoblog said.

Government interference is a controversial topic, but that 25 percent fuel saving will look very tempting to many Americans.
Nye has a BS in Mechanical Engineering, but is not a scientist

Coleman, who introduces the movie was 'offended' that Nye is so popular

'It's not in the world's interest,' Nye said of the documentary film

Weather Channel founder John Coleman has attacked Bill Nye 'the science guy' for raining on his parade ahead of the release of new climate-change denying film 'Climate Hustle.'

Coleman, a meteorologist of 60 years who will introduce the film on its one-night-only screening on May 2, objected to Nye's remark that the film is 'very much not in our national interest and the worlds interest.'

'I have always been amazed that anyone would pay attention to Bill Nye, a pretend scientist in a bow tie,' Coleman said Friday, according to Climate Depot.

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Upset: Weather Channel founder John Coleman (left) attacked 'pretend scientist' Bill Nye (right) after the TV 'science guy' criticized 'Climate Hustle,' a climate-change-skeptical film hosted by Coleman

Coleman continued: 'As a man who has studied the science of meteorology for over 60 years and received the AMS [American Meteorological Societys] "Meteorologist of the Year" award, I am totally offended that Nye gets the press and media attention he does.'

The film, marketed with the tagline 'Are they trying to control the climate... or you?' suggests that man-made global warming is a hoax.

Its website says that an 'overheated environmental con job [is] being used to push for increased government regulations and a new "Green" energy agenda.'

Nye, a children's TV host who has made a career out of presenting science-themed shows, is highly critical of climate change deniers.

When asked by the filmmakers whether climate-change deniers should be jailed, Nye replied, 'Well, well see what happens. Was it appropriate to jail the guys from ENRON?'

He continued: 'Was it appropriate to jail people from the cigarette industry who insisted that this addictive product was not addictive and so on?'

Although Nye stopped short of actually recommending jail terms, Coleman - the original weatherman on ABC's 'Good Morning America' - said: 'That is the most awful thing since Galileo was jailed for saying the Earth was not the center of the Universe.'

'In 20 or 30 years, when Nye is an old man, he will realize how wrong he was as the Earth continues to be a just a great place to live.'

Engineer: Nye (pictured) is not actually a scientist - has has a BC in Mechanical Engineering - but his views align with those of most climate experts. Coleman says he is 'offended' by how much attention Nye gets

Although Nye is not a professional scientist - he has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering - his beliefs are in line with the majority of climate scientists, who agree that climate change is occurring due to man-made pollution.

And Coleman's belief that man-made climate change is not happening is in line with the majority of meteorologists - 64 percent of them in 2013, according to a study by social scientists from George Mason University, the AMS and Yale University.

That's because most meteorologists are not climate researchers or experts, nor do they have to perform climate research as part of their jobs, The Guardian reported.

Weather forecasters were specifically named as an example of AMS members who do not have to do any climate research as part of their job.

'Climate Hustle' will have a one-night-only screening, with an introduction by Coleman and followed by a discussion panel including Bill Nye, at select theaters on May 2.
He compared Trump to Jesus and wrote racist and hateful tweets about Muslims, African Americans, Michelle and Barack Obama

Roos told authorities he was upset by the death of anti-govermnent militant Robert 'LaVoy' Finicum, who was shot dead by FBI in January

FBI found four pipe bombs, Glock, 'AK-47-like firearm', rifle, shotgun and ammunition in his apartment after they were granted a search warrant

In one tweet he wrote: 'Why do Americans talk about Obama. He will have his head blown off by a patriots bullet. Maybe mine, GOD WILLING'

A 61-year-old Trump fanatic who wrote a stream of racist social media posts threatening to kill Barack Obama was arrested after authorities found four pipe bombs and loaded guns in his apartment.

John Martin Roos, of Medford, Oregon, was charged with threatening the president of the United States on Thursday, although he previously claimed the posts were his way of 'blowing off steam'.

In just one post of hundreds on Facebook and Twitter, he wrote: 'Why do Americans talk about Obama. He will have his head blown off by a patriots bullet. Maybe mine, GOD WILLING'

John Martin Roos, of Medford, Oregon, (left) was charged with threatening the president of the United States (right) on Thursday after he declared he would assassinate Obama in numerous social media posts. FBI agents found four pipe bombs and loaded guns in his apartment

In a criminal complaint filed Friday, Roos said the death of Arizona rancher Robert 'LaVoy' Finicum in January was what triggered his rage, although he previously claimed the posts were his way of 'blowing off steam'

FBI Agents and local police were granted a search warrant and found four pipe bombs, four guns including an 'AK-47-like firearm' and a .45 Glock, according to an affidavit cited by theHuffington Post. They also recovered hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

The state's explosive unit was called to the scene and the bombs were rendered safe and removed.

Roos, who is held at Jackson County Jail in Medford, has been charged with threatening the president and using an interstate facility to transmit threats.

In a criminal complaint filed Friday, Roos said the death of Arizona rancher Robert 'LaVoy' Finicum in January was what triggered his rage.

Finicum was shot dead by the FBI during the extended stand-off between law enforcement officials and anti-government militants who occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in rural Oregon.

Just five days after Finicum's death, Roos wrote: 'FBI acts like they are something to be feared after ambushing American patriots in Oregon, they are pu**ies. We will snipe them with hunting rifles everywhere.'

Roos also unleashed a barrage of hateful tweets disparaging Muslims, African Americans, and both Michelle and Barack Obama, while pledging his support for presidential candidate Donald Trump.

In one post, he wrote: 'Trump is god, truth. When he wins, Obama [will] go to jail in Syria, where he can get the goatf***er rape he so deserves, then liberals are next.'

On Christmas Eve last year, Roos declared: 'All hail Donald Trump, the savior of America. I'll bet he was born on Dec 25 just like Jesus.'

He marked Valentine's Day by claiming Scalia was murdered by the Obama administration, before adding: 'Enough Patriots and I am going to assassinate Obama. FBI come on and get me. No Lavoy here.'

When the FBI and Secret Service paid him a visit in March, Roos said he didn't intend to hurt anyone although he would 'punch Obama in the nose'. He claimed the social media posts were just his way of 'blow[ing] off steam].

Following the visit, Roos referred to the FBI and SS as 'America's gestapo' and scorned the warning saying: 'I guess you can't tell the world you hate Obama so much you will shoot him. Silly me. Oh well now you guys get the kinder softer John not LOL.'

In the complaint filed Friday, Roos admitted 'he doesn't have the physical ability to carry through on his statements.'

Roos' roommate was initially held when authorities searched the home, but he was released without charges after the 61-year-old was located.
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He's one of the most popular people in the world and some will do anything they can to get noticed by him - even in a crowd of thousands.

A group of pilgrims unfolded a huge banner asking the Pope for a selfie today as massive crowds swamped The Vatican while the pontiff held a special audience for the Jubilee of Mercy.

The banner reads 'Verola Cerca Papa Per Selfie #Oratoriogaggia', which roughly translates as 'Can Verola have a selfie, Pope?'

It is unclear whether the banner worked, but the leader of the Catholic Church certainly did his bit for the amateur photographers in the crowds, waving and posing for pictures.

The huge banner is unfolded in a crowd of tens of thousands, asking the Pope, centre, for a selfie at the Vatican City event

Pope Francis, pictured, held the special audience today as part of his Jubilee of Mercy, a year-long event emphasising forgiveness

It is unclear whether those with the banner were successful, but many others managed to get a snap of the Pope with their camera phones

Members of the police and armed forces across the world were especially invited to the event as they were honored by the pontiff, right

Members of the armed forces and police from across the world were invited to the special event to mark the Jubilee year, which began last December and ends in November 2016.

Francis, 79, told the servicemen and women in St Peter's Square to 'never lose heart' no matter what difficulties they came across an that by trusting in God they would become 'signs of Christian hope'.

The pontiff was also pictured shaking hands and kissing children, although at one point the weather got the better of him when his robes were blown over his head by a strong gust of wind.

One moment Francis would rather not have been caught on camera though is this one when the wind blew his robes up over his head

The blustery conditions did not get any better, leading to a cardinal suffering a similar fate when meeting the Pope, obscuring both their faces

Francis took the time to meet some people personally, kissing this boy, pictured, as he arrived for the ceremony at St Peter's Square

The pontiff wore a huge smile in the sunshine as he welcomed the thousands of pilgrims to St Peter's Square in The Vatican

And one of his cardinals was to suffer the same fate when greeting Pope Francis, with his robes sent flying over both their heads.

Francis launched the 12-month jubilee to emphasise what has become the leitmotif of his papacy: showing the merciful and welcoming side of a Catholic Church more often known for its moralising and judgment.

The Argentinian is the first pope to come from the Americas and is also the first Jesuit to hold the title.

Holy Years are generally celebrated every 25-50 years and over the centuries they have been used to encourage the faithful to make pilgrimages to Rome to obtain an 'indulgence'  the ancient church tradition related to the forgiveness of sins that roughly amounts to a 'get out of Purgatory free' card.

Unlike in Martin Luther's time, these Holy Year indulgences are free and available to those who pass through the Holy Door.

The last jubilee was in 2000, when St John Paul II ushered in the church's third millennium and some 25 million pilgrims flocked to a Rome that had undergone a multi-million-dollar facelift for the occasion.

Thousands of Christians clambered to get a good look at the Catholic leader, centre, as he made his way through the square

Italian marines were among the worldwide armed forces personnel to be invited to the Jubilee of Mercy audience today
Most customer service responses are akin to a grovelling apology. But when this business owner was contacted by an unhappy patron, she did not cushion the blow.

The owner of Pretty Fkn Embroidery  an Australian company who specialise in pillows emblazoned with profanities - has shared a hilarious exchange with an unhappy customer who contacted her Facebook page.

The owner, Cate, launched into a mudslinging match with her customer, Sam, after he made a rather rude inquiry about his order for one of her cushion covers.

The owner of Pretty Fkn Embroidery Cate (pictured) shared the hilarious mudslinging match with one of her customers

The exchange began when the customer, Sam, made a rather rude inquiry about his order for one of her cushion covers

Sam kicked things off with a fairly ill-mannered message asking: Where's my f*****g order???????

Cate was quick to point out without an order number she was unable to conjure the information Sam was seeking  before noting his grammatical errors.

Her reply further strokes Sams temper, who offers the order number amid further expletive laden demands for his order, which was made like 3 f*****g weeks ago.

Cate is quick to clarify the order was made 9 days ago  and moreover that the site clearly lists an order process time of two weeks.

The two engage in a lengthy battle of words as their attacks grow more and more personal

Pretty Fkn Embroidery is an Australian company who specialise in pillows emblazoned with profanities

Sams answer was a scathing and rather personal attack accusing Cate of being greedy and a f*****g rude bitch.

At the height of her fury, Cate unleashes a withering tirade against Sam and concludes, in an ode to the soup Nazi from Seinfeld, NO CUSHION COVER FOR YOU!

'Kindly go f**k yourself and have a nice day,' she concludes.
A serving soldier who has been charged with raping and maintaining a relationship with a child denies he's a paedophile.

The Australian soldier is under house at a Brisbane Barracks amid the allegations he committed crimes against his stepdaughter, now aged nine.

He cannot be named for legal reasons, but has made full admissions to police, the Courier Mail reported.

The soldier, who cannot be named for legal reasons, made admissions about the offending, but he denied being a paedophile, instead saying he was 'attracted to her personality' (stock image)

But while the soldier, who cannot be named for legal reasons, made admissions, he denied being a paedophile, instead saying he was 'attracted to her personality'.

He appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates' Court on Saturday facing 17 charges.

Magistrate Michael Quinn granted the man bail, as he had no criminal history.

However, he ordered him to have no contact with the girl or her family.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Mark Gorton said the alleged offences were 'ongoing' and included penetration and rape during a four-year period, according to the Courier Mail.

'He says he was not sexually attracted to her, however, he was attracted to her personality,' Sgt Gorton was reported as saying.

The Australian soldier is under house at a Brisbane Barracks amid the allegations he committed crimes against his stepdaughter, now aged nine (stock image)

That statement was repeated by the soldier's lawyer, Nick Hanly.

'He told me he doesnt identify as a pedophile,' Mr Hanly said.

The courier Mail reported that Magistrate Quinn responded to him 'incredulously': 'youre not going to tell me that its real love or something?'

Mr Hanly's answer was no.

The soldier would remain under house arrest in the Enoggera barracks until the completion of a psychiatric test.

If he had no medical needs, he'd be discharged immediately.
A Russian nuclear submarine fires a cruise missile from underwater during a show of military strength in the Arctic Sea.

The Severodvinsk submarine launched the Kalibr missile to destroy a coastal target in the Arkhangelsk region of Russia, during a combat drill.

Launching and then disappearing with a plume of smoke the missile went on to hit its target with 'high accuracy' reported a military source.

The Severodvinsk submarine launched the missile to destroy a coastal target in the Arkhangelsk region

According to the Mirror a spokesman said: 'A strike group of the flotilla has conducted firing drills using naval practice targets and hit them successfully.'

It is believed that over 20 ships from the Caspian Flotilla took part in the combat drills.

The display could be seen as another example of Russia's armed forces flexing its muscles, with two fighter jets thundering past a U.S war ship earlier this month.

The Su-24 jets were said to be just 30ft above USS Donald Cook when they made the manoeuvre over the Baltic Sea.

Russia's defence ministers accused the Americans of trying to intimidate their government by allowing the warship to enter waters so close to its border.

Speaking at a recent meeting between NATO and Russia, envoy Alexander Grushko, said: 'This is about attempts to exercise military pressure on Russia.

Launching and then disappearing with a plume of smoke the missile went on to hit its target with 'high accuracy' according to a military source

Aggression: Two low-flying Russian jets 'aggressively' buzzed a US warship sailing in the Baltic Sea

'We will take all necessary measures, precautions, to compensate for these attempts to use military force.'

However, the United States said its guided missile destroyer was on routine business near Poland when it was harassed by Russian jets.

Another controversial incident included a Russian SU-27 Flanker pilot barrel rolling over an American reconnaissance plane earlier this week.
The body of a man who ordered an airstrike on himself after being surrounded by ISIS militants in Syria is to be returned to Russia.

Alexander Prokhorenko, who was dubbed the 'Russian Rambo', was battling to save Palmyra in March when his position was compromised and he feared he would be tortured.

The 25-year-old decided to organise the deadly strike, ensuring he could not be killed or captured by ISIS fighters.

Now, his body is being flown back to Moscow in Russia so his wife Ekaterina, who is pregnant with their first child, can finally say goodbye.

Heroic: The body of Alexander Prokhorenko (pictured with his wife), who ordered an airstrike on himself after being surrounded by ISIS militants in Syria, is to be returned to Russia

Freedom: His death in March came just days after Syrian soldiers entered the destroyed city of Palmyra (pictured)

It comes as Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered Mr Prokhorenko to be posthumously awarded Hero of the Russian Federation, the country's highest honour, according to CNN.

Nadezhda Rusinova, a teacher at the school Mr Prokhorenko graduated from in 2007, said she would tell make sure she told pupils about his bravery.

She said: 'After all, order an airstrike on yourself is something that not everybody would be able to do.'

Mr Prokhorenko knew he wanted to join the military and enlisted in the Military Academy of Air Defence of the Armed Forces of Russian Federation after he left school.

Family: Ekaterina (pictured with Mr Prokhorenko on their wedding day) is pregnant with their first child but does not know if it is a boy or girl

Dangerous: Mr Prokhorenko (pictured) was deep inside ISIS territory identifying 'crucial ISIS targets' and passing the coordinates for strikes to the Russian air force

He and his wife wed nearly two years ago. Ekaterina did not known he was going to serve in an ISIS stronghold where he was identifying targets for bombing raids.

Following Mr Prokhorenko's death, a Russian military spokesman said: 'An officer of Russian special operations forces was killed near Palmyra while carrying out a special task to direct Russian airstrikes at Islamic State group targets.

'The officer was carrying out a combat task in Palmyra area for a week, identifying crucial IS targets and passing exact coordinates for strikes with Russian planes.
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A large group of migrants have set up an innovative new camp on the Greek border with Macedonia - taking over a petrol station.

The makeshift refuge has been set up as thousands of people remain stranded in the small village of Idomeni after the border was closed to block off a route into central Europe through the Balkans.

Families have set up tents across the forecourt while they have also set up washing lines between lampposts as they form a mini-community around the site.

A community of migrants stranded in the Greek-Macedonia border town Idomeni have set up a makeshift camp at a petrol station, pictured

Food, clothes, cooking equipment and other household items have been strewn across the forecourt and petrol pumps

Washing lines, pictured, have been set up across lampposts while stoves have been set up in the middle of the forecourt, centre

Many are staying in overcrowded camps in Idomeni and this is no different with tents set up just inches away from each other

The Greek petrol station itself appears to be empty and has been surrounded by families with young children, pictured,

Many are fleeing war-torn Syria and their possessions are strewn across the site, while the petrol station itself does not appear to be in use any longer.

The roof over the petrol pumps provides much needed cover for the families, many of whom have previously set up camp in muddy fields and park land.

But life continues as normal for the migrants, with some even pictured having their hair cut using hand-held mirrors as guides.

Tensions have mounted in the area recently, with violence breaking out between police and a group of around 300 migrants and refugees last month, while knife-fights have also occurred between asylum seekers in overcrowded camps.

Many are ignoring government instructions to move to organised shelters based in former army bases, leaving thousands forced into cramped conditions.

The migrants and refugees, many fleeing war-torn Syria, appear to be going about their daily lives, and the camp even has a hairdresser

Even elderly people have made the journey, such as this wheelchair-bound woman, although the prospect of the Macedonia border re-opening remains bleak

Thousands have been stranded on the border since it closed and a deal has now been struck between the EU and Ankara to return migrants arriving in Greece to Turkey

Migrants continued to reach Greece in large numbers, as smugglers appeared to be opting for more overnight crossings and increasingly dangerous routes

As previously reported, the EU and Turkey struck a deal last month to cut off the sea crossing from Turkey to the Greek islands that enabled 850,000 people to pour into Europe last year.

The agreement means all migrants landing on the Greek islands face being sent back to Turkey. New arrivals seeking asylum can apply for a fast-track process but if their claim is denied they will be returned to Turkey.

Migrants continued to reach Greek islands in large numbers, as smugglers appeared to be opting for more overnight crossings and increasingly dangerous routes.
Ted Cruz isn't going to have the last word in his feud with former House Speaker John Boehner, as the lawmaker who branded Cruz 'Lucifer in the flesh' is set to have some fun before all of political Washington at the White House Correspondents Dinner, MailOnline.com has learned.



Boehner is still seething over Cruz  having branded him 'Lucifer in the Flesh' during a Stanford University speech this week.

Boehner repeated his 'son of a bitch' characterization when the DailyMail spoke to him at a low-key DC waterfront watering hole just as most of DC was heading to glitzy lobbyist-subsidized parties.

'After he got elected, he never spoke to me a single time,' Boehner fumed  suggesting it was Cruz who was in bad form by not approaching the senior lawmaker with whom he had worked before.

Cruz put it differently on Thursday, when he said: 'I've never worked with John Boehner I've never known the man' as a way of fending off Boehner's searing attack.

Boehner did a video taping on Friday, suggesting he may play into some kind of a sketch Saturday night, but would only hint at what might be in store.

Boehner says Cruz 'never spoke to me a single time' after he got elected.

'Before the weekend, there'll be some news,' he said cryptically, after taking time to meet a group of young teachers at Jefferson Academy high school in DC.

Boehner has also clashed repeatedly with Tea Party conservative members of the GOP-controlled House who favored no-holds-barred tactics including shutting down the government if necessary to meet their goals, so it's unclear exactly who might get branded in his routine.

President Obama is set to speak at the dinner, while Larry Wilmore is delivering the traditional stand-up comedy routine.

Cruz, who is fighting hard to save his presidential campaign as Donald Trump hauls in delegates, hit back at Boehner on Thursday in Indiana after the 'Lucifer' comment made news.

'I've never worked with John Boehner I've never known the man' Cruz said Thursday.

'I've never had any substantive conversation with John Boehner in any respect,' he said.

The two men were not exactly pals on Capitol Hill, before Boehner quit Congress staring down a possible leadership challenge.

Cruz wants to direct his fire at Donald Trump, but has been taking fire from Boehner and other GOP bigs

A Washington Post article from 1998 revealed that Cruz acted as Boehner's attorney when the former Speaker of the House was the chairman of the GOP conference and engaged in a nasty spat with Democratic Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington.

Boehner says he hired Cruz when he decided to sue McDermott for allegedly violating wiretapping laws.

Boehner even made reference to the lawsuit during an appearance on the 'Tonight Show,' then hosted by Jay Leno, after Cruz rocketed onto the political scene as a firebrand Republican who regularly made GOP leaders sweat.

Lucifer: The prince of darkness was depicted in this 16th Century stained-glass 'The Torment of Saint Anthony' in a French monastery

'Ted Cruz used to be my attorney a long time ago. A good guy. I don't always agree with him, but he's a good guy,' Boehner told Leno.

A 1998 Seattle Times clip even shows Cruz commenting on the case, which involved a Florida couple who recorded GOP leaders plotting strategy over their cell phones.

'The fund-raising letter is much ado about nothing,' Cruz told the paper. 'Congressman McDermott has consistently attempted to delay the litigation and drive up the expense. It is reasonably expected that Congressman Boehner will use the means at his disposal to raise the funds to pursue this lawsuit.'

Speaking to reporters in Fort Wayne, Cruz made it sound like he'd barely ever encountered Boehner, even though he worked on the other side of the Capitol. Cruz also regularly meets with House firebrand conservatives in the House.

Cruz campaign spokeswoman Catherine Frazier told MailOnline Cruz was a 'junior associate' assigned to the Boehner case. 'His involvement in it didnt extend beyond assisting with briefs and attending meetings with Boehners staff. He doesnt recall personally interacting with Boehner during that time.'

Boehner doesn't dispute that characterization, saying Cruz was part of a legal team that handled the matter.




John Kasich said people are 'probably' born gay after a San Francisco resident confronted him about LGBT issues.

The Republican presidential candidate was holding a forum hosted by the Commonwealth of California Club when he was asked to respond to Kelly Bryan.

The 62-year-old said: 'Gay people are human beings and not a lifestyle choice. Please respond without prayer being an answer.'

Kasich revealed he and his wife recently attended a gay wedding and tried to call for tolerance, saying 'there is a balance between discrimination and people's religious liberties,' CNN reported.

John Kasich said people are 'probably' born gay after a San Francisco resident confronted him about LGBT issues (pictured in Burlingame, California on April 29)

Kelly Bryan said he asked the question because he was concerned about recent laws enacted in states like Mississippi and North Carolina that are discriminatory against the LGBT community. Kasich called for a balance between gay rights and religious liberty

Bryan said he asked the question because he was concerned about recent laws enacted in states like Mississippi and North Carolina that are discriminatory against the LGBT community.

North Carolina's notorious Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, passed in late March, requires people to use public restrooms according to their assigned sex at birth for example, while also preventing people from suing for discrimination.

Kasich responded saying: 'In terms of me, I don't believe in discrimination. I think there is a balance, however, between discrimination and people's religious liberties.

'But I think we should just try to, like, take a chill pill, relax, and try to get along with one another a little bit better instead of trying to write some law to solve a problem that doesn't frankly exist in big enough numbers to justify more lawmaking.'

When Bryan retorted that Republicans don't believe in gay marriage, Kasich said: 'The Republican Party is my vehicle, not my master. I have a right to define the Republican Party too.'

The Ohio governor clarified that he believed in 'traditional' marriage, but attended a gay wedding with his wife, remarking: 'It was great, it was fine.'

When pressed about whether gay people are born gay, Kasich tried to evade the question before finally saying: 'Do I think that people are, you know, born gay?

'Probably. I've never studied the issue. But I don't see any reason to hurt you or to discriminate you or make you feel bad or make you feel like a second-class citizen. I don't think that's right.'

He tied up the issue with a neat bow, calling for greater respect and tolerance before he added: 'And I'm not gonna sign any laws in Ohio that is going to create a discrimination against anybody.'

Ben Carson apologized after he said people 'go into prison straight and when they come out, they're gay' to prove his idea that homosexuality is a choice.

Ted Cruz has said he considered the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage is 'fundamentally illegitimate, lawless, and unconstitutional.'

Donald Trump has also said it was his first priority as president to protect religious liberty.
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Officials in Kenya have sent millions of pounds worth of ivory up in flames in a bid to stamp out the illegal wildlife trade and the slaughter of thousands of elephants every year.

Some ten towering piles - or 68 million ($100m) dollars worth - of ivory was incinerated in Kenya's Nairobi National Park today, in what was the largest ivory burn in history.

Compiled from the tusks of some 7,000 dead elephants, 105 tonnes of ivory smouldered as Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta condemned the illegal ivory trade which is decimating the elephant population across the African continent.

Lighting the fire in Nairobi's national park, the president demanded a total ban on trade in ivory to end the 'murderous' trafficking and prevent the extinction of elephants in the wild.

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Some ten towering piles - or 68 million ($100m) dollars worth - of ivory was incinerated in Kenya's Nairobi National Park today, in what was the largest ivory burn in history

Compiled from the tusks of some 7,000 dead elephants, 105 tonnes of ivory smouldered as Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta condemned the illegal ivory trade which is decimating the elephant population

A message to the poachers: An ivory statue, right, lies on top of pyres of ivory as they were set on fire in Nairobi National Park

'No one has any business trading in ivory,' said Kenyatta, addressing the huge crowds gathered in the muddy fields at the burn.

He added: 'This trade means death. The death of our elephants, and the death of our natural heritage.'

Kenya's ivory burn follows a steep rise in poaching across Africa in recent years. With estimates of one elephant being killed every 15 minutes, the species currently faces extinction within the next 10 years.

Celebrities including Sex and the City actress Kirstin Davies attended the event to show support for the burn and the all-out ban on illegal ivory Kenya is calling for.

Representing the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a Nairobi based organisation which rescues orphaned baby elephants, the actress said: 'It's very sad to see so much ivory in one place. I have no doubt that tusks from mothers of some of the orphaned baby elephants are in those piles.'

Africa is home to between 450,000 to 500,000 elephants, but more than 30,000 are killed every year on the continent to satisfy demand for ivory in Asia, where raw tusks sell for more than 680 ($1,000) a kilo (2.2 pounds).

The piles burned today contained some 16,000 tusks and pieces of ivory.

On the black market, such a quantity of ivory could sell for more than 68million ($100 million), and the rhino horn could raise as much as 54million ($80 million).

Rhino horn can fetch more than gold or cocaine.

Firefighters stand by as more than 105 tonnes of elephant ivory are set alight in Nairobi National Park - the largest stockpile ever destroyed

A Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) ranger stacks elephant tusks - part of an estimated 105 tonnes of confiscated ivory to be set ablaze - onto a pyre

A Maasai man in front of some of the confiscated ivory stockpile stacked up onto pyres. Lighting the fire, the president demanded a total ban on trade in ivory to end the 'murderous' trafficking and prevent the extinction of elephants in the wild

With estimates of one elephant being killed every 15 minutes in the wild, the species currently faces extinction within the next 10 years

A basket of rhino horn, left, burns next to pyres of ivory. Rhino horn can sell for as much as 54million ($80 million) - often fetching more than gold or cocaine

According to President Uhuru Kenyatta, the event today sent a clear message: Kenya's ivory is not for sale, and only by installing a complete ban can these animals remain in the wild forever

Speaking out against the poaching crisis gripping the continent, she praised the burn as a way of raising global awareness about the plight of elephants: 'people need to know we're going to leave the world to our children with no elephants in it,' she added.

Illegal hunting spiked in the three years to 2012 when about 100,000 elephants were killed, the equivalent of more than 33,000 a year.

In the 1970s, Africa had about 1.2 million elephants, but now has 400,000 to 450,000.

The situation for rhinos is more precarious. There are fewer than 30,000 left across Africa and one species, the Northern White Rhino, is on the brink of extinction. The last three are kept in Kenya under heavy guard.

As smoke and flames billowed from the ivory piles, renowned conservationist and chairman of the Kenyan Wildlife Service, Richard Leakey justified the burn.

Africa is home to between 450,000 to 500,000 elephants, but more than 30,000 are killed every year on the continent to satisfy demand for ivory in Asia, where raw tusks sell for more than 680 ($1,000) a kilo

The piles burned today contained some 16,000 tusks and pieces of ivory. On the black market, such a quantity of ivory could sell for more than 68million ($100 million)

Celebrities including Sex and the City actress Kirstin Davies attended the event to show support for the burn and the all-out ban on illegal ivory Kenya is calling for

He said: 'We did it before and the price dropped, so we're doing it again.'

His comments relate to the 1989 ivory burn which was successful in dropping demand for ivory globally.

However the demand steadily rose once more, particularly in Asia, and poaching across the continent took off once again.

According to President Uhuru Kenyatta and Richard Leakey, the event today sent a clear message: Kenya's ivory is not for sale, and only by installing a complete ban can these animals remain in the wild forever.

Kenya is seeking a total world ban on ivory sales when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meets in South Africa later this year as poaching poses an increasing risk to the species.

As armed police guarded the area, Kenyan park rangers piled up thousands of elephant tusks and rhino horns to burn, sending a message to poachers and smugglers that their trade will be stopped

Kenyan authorities said the ceremony will show Kenya's commitment 'to fighting wildlife crime and putting wildlife products beyond any economic use'

Illegal hunting spiked in the three years to 2012 when about 100,000 elephants were killed, the equivalent of more than 33,000 a year

Kenya is seeking a total world ban on ivory sales when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meets in South Africa later this year as poaching poses an increasing risk to the species
A ferris wheel at a newly opened dinosaur theme park in Bangkok burst into flames following an afternoon thunderstorm.

Shocking images posted on social media show one of the capsules engulfed by the blaze as clouds of black smoke billow over the five-storey high fairground ride in the Thai capital.

The park Dinosaur Planet said no one was on the ride, called the Dino Eye, at the time and no injuries were reported.

Blaze: The fire broke out on the five-storey high ferris wheel at the Dinosaur Planet theme park in the Thai capital, just a month after it opened

'At the time of the incident, no one was on the ferris wheel,' said the park in a statement on its Facebook page.

'As standard protocol, we stopped all operations of the Dino Eye before the rain, which is one of our safety measures for Dinosaur Planet.'

The fire began at around 2.30pm, according to the fire and rescue department of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control in 20 minutes, after the fire broke out following an afternoon thunderstorm in Bangkok

The 9.8million Dinosaur Planet has been a popular attraction since it opened on March 25 in central Bangkok

Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control within 20 minutes, according to the departments Twitter page.

The park is investigating the cause of the blaze, although an electrical short-circuit is currently suspected.
Clinton saw significant increase of 93per cent in South Carolina, from 140,990 in 2008 to 272,379 in 2016, which has been a crucial turning point

She went from nearly 59,806 votes in 2008 to 18,338 votes in 2016, and 69per cent decrease in Vermont, Sanders' home state

Hillary Clinton won fewer votes at this point in the presidential race than she tallied up in the same period during her 2008 run, a Breitbart analysis shows.

Although Clinton is expected to nab the Democratic nomination with a comfortable lead over Sanders, she has lost about 273,321 votes across the country so far compared to her 2008 race against Barack Obama.

Despite the slight dip in numbers, Clinton has amassed about two million votes more than her closest competitor Donald Trump so far, according to FairVote figures.

Hillary Clinton won fewer votes at this point in the presidential race than she tallied up in the same period during her 2008 run

Although Clinton is expected to nab the Democratic nomination with a comfortable lead over Sanders, she has lost about 273,321 votes across the country so far compared to her 2008 race against Barack Obama, a Breitbart analysis shows

A comparison between the number of voters who supported Clinton in the 2008 and 2016 primaries shows the biggest decreases in states like Vermont and Rhode Island both of which went to Bernie Sanders.

Hillary lost the greatest amount of votes between 2008 and 2016 in Vermont, capturing just 13.6per cent of the vote on Super Tuesday in an overwhelming defeat in Sanders' home state.

The state saw the biggest drop in Clinton supporters, where Hillary won a mere 18,338 votes compared to more than three times that in 2008 with 59,806 votes.

Clinton also received significantly fewer voters in Rhode Island, Ohio, Oklahoma this time around than she did in 2008.

On the flip side, Clinton saw an overwhelming increase of 93.19per cent of the popular vote in South Carolina, which proved to be an early but crucial win for her in February.

In 2008, she lost the state to Barack Obama in what was an early death knell for her campaign, but managed to triumph over Bernie Sanders this time around by winning back the black vote and securing 73.5per cent in South Carolina.

Despite the slight dip in numbers, Clinton has amassed about two million votes more than her closest competitor Donald Trump so far, according to FairVote figures

Clinton has also seen significant increases of 77.2per cent in Michigan, and 69.71per cent in Maryland.

Despite an overall decline of about 273,321 votes in the 2016 election cycle not counting Utah, which switched over from the primary to caucus format, Clinton seems poised to secure the party's nomination.

Looking at the popular vote in numbers compiled by FairVote, Clinton had more than two million votes over Trump, and three million votes over Sanders.

But the popular vote isn't what secures the presidency; Clinton knows this all too well.
When Spencer Wagner was hired to be Donald Trump's bodyguard, the martial arts expert probably thought he was onto a good thing.

Watching the backs of the billionaire and his then-wife, actress and present-day Dancing With the Stars contestant Marla Maples, must have seemed like a cushy position.

But he had no idea that the position would end in infamy and scandal - and destroy his spirit - as his ex-wife, Mary Miller, told Inside Edition Friday.

Married: Donald Trump was married to Marla Maples (with Trump, pictured at their wedding in 1993) when he hired martial arts expert Spencer Wagner to be his bodyguard

Bodyguard: Wagner (pictured) found himself having trouble dealing with Maples, who loved to party and pursued him 'aggressively,' his ex-wife Mary Miller told Inside Edition

Wagner found himself having trouble handling the party-loving actress, then in her thirties, Miller told said.

'She was out of control and he made no bones telling me that,' she said. 'She just loved to party a lot. She liked to go down to Miami and party when she was in town.'

Miller recalled: 'He said she would try to pull him into a bedroom in the house and she was aggressive.'

The pair grew closer, Miller says - and eventually found themselves caught up in scandal.

At 4am on April 16, 1996, a cop patrolling a beach near Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort in Palm, Beach, Florida made a surprising discovery.

He found Wagner, then 34, 'hiding under a lifeguard stand' on the beach, the NY Daily News reported that year.

According to a National Enquirer report, Wagner claimed he was there alone until Maples, then 33, emerged from underneath the stand wearing 'tight, black spandex leggings and a skimpy jogging top.'

The cop issued Wagner with a parking ticket and told the pair to move along, but the story broke soon after and tongues were set wagging.

Incident: It was near this plush Trump resort in Palm Beach, Florida, that Wagner and Maples were found at 4am on a beach by a police officer in April 1996. Both denied an affair, but Wagner was fired four months later

Crushed: Miller (right) told Inside Edition that Wagner (left) was 'crushed' by the scandal. His bodyguard business faltered, and he died of a drug overdose in 2012. She doesn't believe the affair happened

Maples claimed that she had been caught short and had to take a bathroom break, and Wagner denied claims of an affair too.

And a Trump spokesman said at the time, 'Along the lines of Elvis sightings and Martian invasions, the National Enquirer has once again fabricated a wholly unreliable cover story for this week's issue.'

But the rumors continued to swirl, media hounded Wagner, and four months later he was fired. The following year Trump and Maples split, and in 1999 they divorced.

'It probably bruised [Trump's] ego big time that here's this big strong Donald Trump and this bodyguard that he hires, ends up looking like he's having sex with his wife,' Miller told Inside Edition.

Miller said she doesn't believe her husband had an affair with Maples, and that he had denied the claims privately with her - 'He's not a sleazy guy,' she added.

But after he was fired, Wagner came forward and said he had slept with Maples after their 'passion boiled over.'

That may have been an attempt to get money, however, as the bodyguard business dried up for him after the scandal.

'These are older men with young wives and Spencer's a great-looking guy and a bodyguard, Miller explained, of her ex-husband's troubled career. 'C'mon!'

Wagner ultimately died on January 1, 2012 of a drug overdose - the result, she said, of a scandal that blew his life apart. 'It crushed him,' she said.

Marples moved to California, where she raised Tammy Trump, the daughter she had with her ex-husband. She most recently appeared on Dancing With the Stars.
A man and a woman violently attacked a female student in full daylight on a Chicago train, leaving her with a black eye, a broken nose and teeth marks.

Jessica Hughes, 19, told WGNTV she was going home in Berwyn, Illinois after a morning class when a man sat in front of her in a near-empty car on Friday.

The man, she says, jumped at her and asked for her phone, which was in her pocket.

Hughes says other passengers just stood by ignoring her calls for help as the man and a woman beat her up.

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Jessica Hughes (pictured), 19, says she was on her way home in Berwyn, Illinois, when a man and a woman brutally attacked her on a train

Hughes says the man jumped at her and asked for her phone, then pushed her on the floor, beat her on the head and bit her left hand, which now has teeth marks (pictured)

The 19-year-old says she knew something was wrong as soon as the man sat in front of her and looked right at her.

The blue line train was approaching the Kedzie-Homan stop.

'I had my headphones on, so he was yanking at my headphones, and then he pushed me to the floor, and then started beating on my head,' she told CBS. 'He bit me on my left hand.'

The attacker, she says, was with a woman who punched Hughes in the nose, breaking it.

Most passengers had left the train at a previous stop but two men witnessed the attack according to Hughes.

'They just watched,' she told CBS. 'I feel like people just don't want to get involved.'

She told WGNTV: 'He kept beating on me. I'm yelling help to the other people and no one came '

The man and the woman made off without her phone and police are now looking for the two suspects.

Security cameras captured footage of the attack. Chicago police with review the video as part of an investigation with the transit authority.

Hughes, who told CBS it would be hard to ride the train again, said the man who attacked her was African American, had facial hair and was in his mid twenties.

He wore a blue hat, a grey hoodie an baggy pants below the waist at the time, WGNTV wrote.

The woman was also African American and in her mid twenties, had long black hair and looked notably thin, Hughes told the network.

A woman who was with the attacker punched Hughes in the nose, breaking it, the 19-year-old says. She came out of the attack with a black eye (pictured)
The giant jail door clanks open slowly. Im waiting in a small, plain visitor room for a young woman named Erin Caffey. She is led in by a heavily armed guard, which seems almost laughably unnecessary given that shes only 4ft 11in.

Erin, now 24, has been detained at a high-security prison in Gatesville, Texas, for eight years. Shes blonde, blue-eyed, pretty, softly spoken and she has the voice of an angel.

My first impression is that she seems gentle, sweet and unthreatening, as befits someone from a loving, stable home, someone who had never been in trouble, and who sang in the church choir every Sunday with her parents and two brothers.

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Behind bars: Columnist Piers Morgan with murderer Erin Caffey, who orchestrated the slaughter of her mother and two younger brothers at the age of just 16

But to say shes not what she seems is the understatement of the century. In fact, Erin Caffey is the most dangerous woman I have met in my entire life. Someone who eight years ago, at the age of just 16, masterminded the astonishingly brutal, appallingly bloodthirsty annihilation of her family.

Erins three accomplices were her boyfriend Charlie Wilkinson, 18, his best friend Charles Waid, 20, and Waids girlfriend Bobbi Johnson, 18.

The two men did the actual killing: Erins mother Penny was shot, stabbed and almost decapitated. Matthew, 13, was shot in the head. Tyler, eight, was hunted down to a cupboard where he was hiding and repeatedly stabbed with a Samurai sword. Erins father Terry was shot five times and left for dead as the house was torched. Miraculously, he survived, thus creating a second extraordinary narrative to this story. Why did Erin do it?

The only motive appears to be that, a few days before the murder spree, Penny and Terry told their daughter that she could no longer see her boyfriend after they stumbled across his MySpace social media page, which revealed drinking and sexual exploits.

Filled with love-sick rage, Erin ordered Wilkinson and Waid to carry out her despicable revenge. I was shocked, angry and hurt  this was the guy I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with and he loved me, she told me. We were going to get married.

Ive never come across anyone as dangerous as Erin. And I hope I never do again. She was the best liar Ive encountered in my career. Criminal therapist Israel Lewis

When police arrested them all, Erin claimed to have been drugged and kidnapped. But the other three immediately said she had been the ringleader. It also emerged, extraordinarily, that after the murders, Caffey went back to Wilkinsons trailer, where they had sex.

As I sit now, just 2ft from Erin, its hard to understand how this beguiling woman could have been capable of such pure evil. But she was.

Ive never come across anyone as dangerous as Erin, said criminal therapist Israel Lewis, who worked with her after her capture. And I hope I never do again. She was the best liar Ive encountered in my career.

This was a girl who was so manipulative that she was able to orchestrate a horrifically evil act and then have intercourse afterwards.

I interviewed Erin as part of my new two-part ITV documentary series called Killer Women With Piers Morgan. In it, I meet three of Americas most notorious murderesses.

Erin (right) with her mother Penny, brothers 13-year-old Matthew and eight-year-old Tyler and her father Terry. Erin's boyfriend and his best friend killed her family with a gun and samurai sword on her instruction. She also intended for her father to die in the attack but he managed to survive

The second is Rhonda Glover, a former Texas beauty queen and cowgirl, who for weeks carefully planned the murder of her long-term lover, an oil baron. She lured him to the house they once shared and shot him ten times at point-blank range.

The third is Amanda Lewis, a Florida mother convicted of deliberately drowning her seven-year-old daughter Adrianna in the pool at their home.

The only witness? Amandas six-year-old son AJ, the dead girls little brother. His dramatic, heart-rending, sobbing evidence, all captured on court cameras, shocked and haunted America. Thats my momma, he told the prosecutor. Killing my sister.

This was the biggest miscarriage of justice I have ever been involved with. Defence lawyer for Florida mother Amanda Lewis

If she did, as the jury concluded, then Lewis is a heinous child murderer. But doubts about the case remain. Considerable doubts.

AJs testimony was riddled with the sort of inconsistency that you might expect from a young boy, and the verdict led Lewiss defence lawyer to quit the profession.

This was the biggest miscarriage of justice I have ever been involved with, he told me.

After spending an hour with Amanda at her prison  a place where she will now spend the rest of her life, with no chance of parole  I still dont know if she did it or not. Viewers, I suspect, will be equally torn.

This is the most fascinating TV series I have ever made. Murderesses are a rarity compared to male killers. And most women who kill do so as crimes of passion, or spontaneous outbursts of violence which they immediately regret. Very few carefully pre-plan and then murder.

I travelled to rural Texas and Florida, interviewing not just the killers but also the detectives involved in catching them, defence and prosecution lawyers, and friends and family of the victims and perpetrators.

As with the smash-hit Netflix documentary series Making A Murderer, each episode poses many questions, some of which may never be properly answered.

Terry Caffey has forgiven his daughter, Erin, who was just 16-years-old when she plotted to murder her family after her parents told her she couldn't see her boyfriend anymore

Terry Caffey now visits his daughter in prison after she was convicted on three counts of murder; Erin is not eligible for release until she is 59-years-old

The most bizarre and unsettling aspect of Erin Caffeys crime, for example, is that its so utterly inexplicable. There were no warning signs, no history of trouble, no hint that she was even thinking of harming her family. In fact, quite the opposite; Erin was almost the perfect child. As she herself tells me: You know, I was voted when we went to youth camp Most Likely To Succeed and Most Fun-Loving Person. Never did I think that Id be sitting here.

What the hell happened? I asked.

I guess what it all boils down to is choices, she said, almost matter-of-factly. The choices I made at a young age that I thought were just affecting me and the little stuff I was doing, but that little stuff adds up and then it just blows up.

When I look back now, this was all just stupid. I mean for what? They werent beating me, they werent starving me to death. I had it made  Daddy bought me a car, let me have a job

We all make bad choices in life, but what kind of shockingly twisted, deviant mind wakes up one day and decides to murder her entire family?

None of the youngsters involved was drunk or had taken drugs on the night of the murders.

While Wilkinson and Waid carried out the actual killings, the girls waited in a car a few hundred yards away.

Erin had slipped out of the house minutes beforehand, after repeatedly calling Wilkinson, as phone records later showed. This nailed her lie to police that she had been the victim of a kidnap.

Charlie Wilkinson, left, and Erin Caffey, right, plotted the murders two days after Erin's parents told her she could no longer date Wilkinson, who was then 19-years-old

The murders were carried out with diabolical savagery. The men sneaked into the house and burst into the bedroom, where Wilkinson opened fire on Erins parents. When his gun jammed, he used a samurai sword, nearly decapitating Penny. Then the killers ran upstairs to where Erins brothers were yelling. Waid shot Matthew at point-blank range, then Wilkinson took the sword and stabbed Tyler to death as he hid in a closet. Satisfied that everyone was dead, they then set fire to the house and rejoined the girls in the car.

Waid later told investigators that Erins first words afterwards were: Holy s***! That was awesome!

Perhaps the most surreal moment in my interview with Erin came when she sang Amazing Grace for me in perfect pitch. The words were appropriate:

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me,

I once was lost, but now I am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

I believe Erin knew exactly what she was doing and knows now exactly how culpable she was. But she also knows that, if she admits it, then she may never see her father again. And right now, hes all she has left as he is, despite everything, the only person who visits her.

In the case of Rhonda Glover, whats extraordinary is the level of planning that went into her murder of Houston oil baron Jimmy Joste.

You know, I was voted when we went to youth camp Most Likely To Succeed and Most Fun-Loving Person. Never did I think that Id be sitting here. Murderer Erin Caffey

He was described by family and friends as a kind, generous, fun-loving, wealthy guy who fell under the bewitching spell of a mad, bad, gold-digging beauty queen and rodeo girl. Joste lavished gifts on Glover, including a 200,000 engagement ring, until his money ran out. Prosecutors said she then decided Joste had served any useful purpose and had to die.

Glover was articulate, intelligent and charming when I met her in prison. But as the interview went on, she also displayed highly erratic and emotional behaviour. I dont think Ive ever looked into more insanely demented eyes than when I pressed her on why she had done it.

Glover insists she shot Joste in self-defence. But detectives discovered she had gone to a gun range a few weeks previously to practise firing at targets with the same gun she used to kill her victim.

She even asked instructors to help her simulate the exact circumstances in which she was to commit her murder, saying she was concerned about intruders.

Glover then visited another range just a few hours before the shooting to do some final practice.

The more animated she got with me, the more scary she seemed, and the more convinced I became that she is an absolute psycho. Yet her lawyers never used mental instability as a defence.

In the case of Amanda Lewis and her drowned daughter, the police discovered during their investigation that when she was just 17, Amanda had lost her 16-month-old son to a form of cot death.

There was no evidence that this was anything but a tragic accident, yet from speaking to the policemen involved, it was clear to me that they decided early on she was a serial child killer.

Perhaps thats true. But if it isnt  and having met her and grilled her, I still cant decide where I think the truth lies  then youre left with a woman who lost a baby son, then a seven-year-old daughter, and will never again see her other son, now aged 15. Of all three women, Lewis looked the most broken and beaten by what had happened.

This was a draining series to film, both mentally and physically. We traipsed across rural America in our convoy of vans for up to six hours a day, reminding us all of the sheer vastness of the country.

I learned a lot about the American justice system, particularly in those two giant, very conservative states, where punishment tends to be administered in an utterly unforgiving manner.

Piers Morgan also met with Texas beauty queen Rhonda Glover, who is serving 46 years at a prison in Gatesville, Texas, who lured her oil baron lover to the house they once shared and shot him ten times at point-blank range

Rhonda Glover is serving 46 years at the Dr Lane Murray Unit, a prison in Gatesville, Texas. Amanda Lewis is serving life without parole at the Lowell Unit in Florida. She will never get out. Erin Caffey is serving a minimum of 42 years at the Hilltop Unit  she is ineligible for parole until she is 59.

Wilkinson and Waid are serving life without parole but were spared the death penalty because Terry Caffey intervened and asked for it to be taken off the table.

The prisons were huge, grey, grim places, where miscreants are sent in many cases to rot and die. Theres a definite sense of the old Wild West about these parts of rural America. An eye for an eye is still very much the norm and the tools to commit horrific murder are simple to acquire.

This is gun country, where virtually everyone has one. To many Americans it seems perfectly logical to settle disputes with a bullet.

One retired police chief who worked on the Amanda Lewis case warned as we set off to visit Amandas old home: Be careful. Dont go on to that property without the owners permission or he might shoot you Be careful where you walk.

We survived, although we did walk and film very carefully.

It was a hard experience studying such horrific crimes, one that left mental scars on all of us in the production team. Ultimately, though, I came away overwhelmed by one shining light of positivity amid all the mayhem and death: the astonishing power of forgiveness displayed by Terry Caffey.

As he sobbed on my shoulder at the crime scene, remembering his beautiful wife and handsome young boys  and the heinous night they met their despicable deaths  I saw a man crushed by the enormity of what had happened to his family.

But this same man would a few days later make the eight-hour round-trip to the prison to see his daughter, the person who planned the mass murder and had wanted him dead too. He does it every month, and sits for a couple of hours in the same room where I met Erin. He is her only regular visitor and she is the only living remnant of his old family.

This was a vulnerable 16-year-old girl with a controlling, psychopathic guy. You mix that together and this is what you end up with. Terry Caffey, Erin's father

Do you believe her version of events? I asked him.

I feel like for the most part I believe her, he replied. You know what your children are capable of and what theyre not capable of. Erin had responsibility that night but I honestly believe she was not the mastermind and I dont believe she is evil.

This was a vulnerable 16-year-old girl with a controlling, psychopathic guy. You mix that together and this is what you end up with.

This might just hold water were it not for one sensational twist to the story. Erins previous boyfriend, Michael Washburn, came forward to reveal that she had said to him too that she wanted her family dead.

What caused the break-up between you? investigators asked.

Her mum and dad didnt want me seeing her.

Then Michael said: She told me that she was going to hire somebody to kill her parents.

Back to Terry Caffey.

Do you forgive her? I asked.

I do forgive her, he told me. I have to forgive her.

Does he?

Could you?

I think its a question millions of people will be asking in Britain after watching the programme.

Me? I just dont know what Id do. And like every parent, I sincerely hope I never have to find out.
Out of pitch darkness, a searchlight gleamed into life and Joe Akerman realised he was in unimaginable danger.

The light was fixed to the front of an armour-plated Islamic State suicide truck carrying ten tons of explosives  and speeding across rocky scrubland straight towards him.

Some months earlier the 37-year-old roofer, angry and frustrated by the horrifying events unfolding in Syria, had volunteered to travel to the war-torn country to fight alongside the Kurds against the ISIS terror group.

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Out of pitch darkness, a searchlight gleamed into life and Joe Akerman realised he was in unimaginable danger

Footage taken by France24 showing a Kurdish YPG attack on the ISIS (Islamic State) held town of Shadadi in North Eastern Syria

Until then, the greatest peril Joe had encountered came when he was replacing roof tiles on blustery days in his home town of Halifax, West Yorkshire. Now he found himself with a specialist Kurdish unit  called Sabotage  operating behind enemy lines on a freezing night in December and being hunted like wild animals.

Joe recalled: We were sent out to blow up a road near the city of Al-Hawl. I saw the searchlight from some distance away and, like the others, I ran for my life. We knew it was an ISIS truck. This was a tactic they were using more frequently. Their aim is to drive into you and detonate.

Joe, his commander and two others scattered. We were running towards mounds and rocks, anything that would make it difficult for the truck to follow, he said. My heart was pounding. It was getting closer and closer.

With seconds to spare, help came from above. Behind him came a shattering explosion. His pursuer, only about 450ft away, had been hit by an air strike.

Joe said: The relief was immense. Of all the things I faced out there, the suicide trucks were the worst.

Last week Joe, a former squaddie, and Jack Holmes, 23, an IT worker from Bournemouth with no military training, flew home after more than a year fighting with the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, the militia whose actions in north-eastern Syria have been supported by US-led coalition air strikes.

Jack Holmes during the Hul operation in Syria in November 2015

Alongside them in Syria were unpaid volunteers from across the globe: the US, Australia, Ireland, Israel, Germany and Romania.

Both British men fought ISIS at close quarters, learning skills as they went along, and came near to death on countless occasions. Many close friends died in front of them.

Joe was twice seriously injured by exploding land mines but, astonishingly, persevered and later became the only Western recruit to join the YPGs bomb-disposal unit. We crawled around on our hands and knees, stripped to our pants and T-shirts so our clothes wouldnt set anything off, cutting wires with a pocket tool-kit, he said.

It was, he says, as far removed from the sophisticated work of the bomb-disposal unit in the Hollywood blockbuster The Hurt Locker as is possible to imagine.

Jack was injured too, hit on the upper right arm by a sniper during a ferocious gun battle with ISIS near the town of Tel Tamer.

Their war ended in February in the city of Shaddadi, a strategically important ISIS city that they helped the YPG to recapture.

Searching the city house-to-house, Joes team found beard clippings hastily left by departing ISIS fighters, evidently anxious not to be identified.

They just threw the razors and shaving foam on the floor, he said. Both men spoke of their relief to be home  and of their pride in what they had achieved.

Unsurprisingly, when they left Britain separately last year  Jack in January and Joe in March  their families and friends thought them insane. But having followed reports of monstrous ISIS atrocities, they felt compelled to try to help, viewing the conflict as a clash between good and evil, shorn of the moral ambiguities war usually creates.

Like many Western volunteers, they joined the YPG through social media and flew to Iraq, where they were taken to a safe house for a few days before being smuggled across the border to Syria. The training only lasted a few days and didnt go much beyond learning to strip a Kalashnikov blindfolded, said Jack.

Afterwards he joined a unit  or tabor  of about 30 fighters, some from Australia and the United States. But it would be a few months before he saw frontline action.

Footage shot by Jack Holmes whilst in Syria fighting with the YPG against the Islamic State. Pictured are wrapped explosives, detonator and body strap discarded by a fleeing ISIS fighter

Joe Akerman, in an ex-Islamic State building in Ashshaddi, Syria, in February 2016. Akerman fought with the YPG in Syria against the Islamic State.

In March his unit moved north to the town of Tel Tamer in the Hasekeh region, sleeping along the way in abandoned houses or in makeshift tents, surviving on meagre rations of tinned sardines, tomatoes and occasionally pasta.

Plunged into a fierce night battle in a nearby village, Jack and two Kurdish comrades positioned themselves in a house less than 150ft from ISIS fighters concealed in buildings across street. There was no electricity in the village and there were tracers and tank fire and flashes of light that made everything look like Star Wars, said Jack. By dawn the firing stopped and we went for a sleep at a house in a safer spot.

But later, while out in the street, Jack was hit by a sniper. It had been less than 24 hours since his first battle started.

He remained in hospital in a nearby town for ten days. Curious locals who heard about the injured Westerner came to visit him, bearing gifts. One family took away his washing, returning it neatly pressed.

Joe was twice seriously injured by exploding land mines but, astonishingly, persevered and later became the only Western recruit to join the YPGs bomb-disposal unit

Joe Akerman with Australian Ashley, who disabled land mines in the Sengal Operation, Syria in November 2015

For several months Joe watched his colleagues at work before his commander finally agreed to show him how to disable mines

There were many moments as he lay recovering when he considered quitting, but he was moved by Kurdish kindness and he wanted to repay them by rejoining his unit.

By now, Joe was also in Syria and, after similarly experiencing a dull start, was transferred to a quick-reaction force.

His job was to pick up the battlefield dead and injured. Joe said: One night I was in a Humvee with the commander, a small wiry man in his 30s who had been a fruit-picker in Manchester.

He turned to me and said, using my Kurdish name, Are you ready to fight, Shiyar?

I sat in the back holding my 1968 Kalashnikov  it was older than me  and told him that I was more than ready.

At that moment he heard a ping, ping, ping sound  bullets hitting the side of the Humvee as they neared their destination. We loaded some dead bodies and injured and I said I would remain with the Kurdish fighters on the edge of a village where there was some fighting.

There was small-arms fire, some rockets and above us a US Spectre gunship was blitzing pockets of Daesh [ISIS]. It all felt very real now. Around me people were getting hurt. I aimed at muzzle flashes coming from buildings but it was impossible to know whether wed hit anything. Then we advanced forward, and just as we did a Kurdish fighter shouted at me to get down. Seconds later an air strike took out the building opposite us, 150ft away.

We could see three ISIS fighters running from house to house and I got down on one knee ready to fire. The Kurdish guy next to me put his M16 rifle on my shoulder and let off three rounds, deafening me in my right ear.

Then one of the other Kurdish lads stepped on an anti-personnel mine, killing four people and injuring seven, including me. I woke up many hours later in hospital. Id been hit by ball bearings on the back of my head and had fractured my skull. The doctor said if I had been hit a centimetre higher or to the side Id be dead.

Joe spent less than two weeks recuperating and says he blagged his way back to active service by pretending he had fully recovered

Joe was a few feet away and the shrapnel broke his jaw, sliced through his arms, and lodged behind his left ea

Joe spent less than two weeks recuperating and says he blagged his way back to active service by pretending he had fully recovered.

By now his fearlessness had attracted another commander who recruited him to Sabotage, whose chief role, as well as disrupting the enemy, involved mine clearance.

For several months Joe watched his colleagues at work before his commander finally agreed to show him how to disable mines. It was a ten-minute lesson. He drew a diagram and said dont cut two wires at the same time or it would be big dangerous. After that I was away.

In all, he cleared more than 100 mines and found the work nervy but rewarding. His darkest hour came when he witnessed the death of his Australian friend, 24-year-old Reece Harding, who died instantly after stepping on a landmine in the village of Misherfa, 22 miles north of the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa.

Joe was a few feet away and the shrapnel broke his jaw, sliced through his arms, and lodged behind his left ear.

It meant another stay in hospital and more soul-searching about whether to return home.

But I wanted to stay because of Reece, to carry on clearing mines, he said.

When Joe and Jack finally decided to return home last month, they were arrested for illegally crossing the Syrian border into Iraq and were held for 11 days in jail in Erbil, in Northern Iraq. It was a rather undignified end to their escapades  and they were also stopped and questioned on arrival at Heathrow on Tuesday.

But Joe said: We are just two people in a great big world, but we did our bit to help. Nothing was going to stop us doing that.

Joe plans to return to roofing, while Jack will work as a painter and decorator with his father.

It feels strange being back after all weve experienced, and I dont think it will be easy returning to civilian life, said Jack.
A 29-year-old woman who was riding on a motor scooter that collided with a Boston Duck Tours bus has died, according to police.

The unidentified woman was involved in the accident around 11:30am on Saturday while she was riding the scooter at the corner of Beacon and Charles streets, adjacent to Boston Common, according to the Boston Globe.

Investigators look for clues at the scene of a tragic accident that killed a young woman riding a motor scooter who crashed with a duck boat (above)

A Boston duck boat (pictured above at an earlier time) was involved in an accident that took the life of a 29-year-old woman, according to police. Details of the crash are unclear.

She was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital but later died of her injuries, according to Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans.

A man who was with her on the scooter was also injured, but not seriously, according to the Associated Press. The boat was carrying more than 20 people, according to Boston.com. None of the passengers had been reported injured.

Duck boats are amphibious sightseeing vehicles that can ride on water or road. In September, a duck boat in Seattle swerved into a charter bus carrying international students while crossing the Aurora Bridge. Four students died and 40 people were treated at the hospital.
Starbucks is too icy with its customers, says a woman who is suing the coffee chain for putting too many frozen cubes in its iced drinks.

Lead plaintiff Stacy Pincus has filed a $5million class action lawsuit against Starbucks for filling its cups with so much frozen water that customers are only getting half of what they're paying for, says the lawsuit, represented by Steven Hart with Hart, McLaughlin & Eldridge in Chicago, according to Court House News.

The company sells sizes in Tall (12 oz.), Grande (16 oz.), Venti (24 oz.) and Trenta (30 oz.), and the fluid ounces are advertised in the store.

Starbucks iced drinks are some of its most popular offerings but one woman says that the company is being sneaky with its drinks, and serving only one half of what the advertisements promise

However, once the barista adds ice, customers get a little over half those promised amounts, alleges Pincus - never mind that they pay for the full amount.

In addition, the Seattle-based company charges more for iced drinks than for hot drinks and makes higher profits off of them. In 2014, the iced tea was its most profitable product, says the lawsuit.

'In essence, Starbucks is advertising the size of its cold drink cups on its menu, rather than the amount of fluid a customer will receive when they purchase a cold drink - and deceiving its customers in the process,' state the court documents, filed in Illinois.

If you take all of the ice out of a Starbucks drink, you get a little more than half of what you pay for, says lead plaintiff Stacy Pincus, in court documents

Starbucks says that customers should expect that ice is an essential component of every iced drink, and therefore the lawsuit is without merit, according to TMZ. The company also said it would remake the drink of any customer who asked.

However, Pincus charges that the coffee franchise could make its cups larger, thus solving the issue.

Pincus wants to represent anyone who has bought a Starbucks iced drink in the past ten years.

She accuses Starbucks of breach of express warranty, breach of implied warrant of merchantability, negligent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment and fraud.

Last month, Starbucks was sued for skimping on its hot drinks. Two California residents, Siera Strumlauf and Benjamin Robles, claimed that Starbucks knowingly underfilled its lattes by 25 percent less than what was promised.

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The bill was given to her by her grandmother and after taking trips to the convenience store she got it from and the bank, it was

A Texas eight grader who used a $2 bill her grandmother gave her to buy school lunch last year found herself in the police's office.

Danesiah Neal only wanted to buy some chicken nuggets at Christa McAuliffe Middle School in Houston, but the school confiscated the $2 bill, told her it was fake and turned her into the authorities, according to ABC.

Neal, who has never had any problems with the school before, said that police told her she was in big trouble.

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Danesiah Neal wanted to buy some chicken nuggets at Christa McAuliffe Middle School with a $2 bill given to her by her grandmother Sharon Kay Joseph but she found herself in handcuffs

Real deal: The school confiscated the $2 bill and told her it was fake and turned her into the authorities

The school then called Daneishas grandmother, Sharon Kay Joseph, who told them the bill was real and that it was given to her at a convenience store.

Police then went to a bank which verified the authenticity of the bill. Since the bill was made in 1953, the school's counterfeit pen didn't work.

No charges were filed against the middle schooler but her grandmother is outraged and says she had to go hungry that day because the school took her money. The police finally gave Joseph her bill back.

'He brought me my $2 bill back,' Joseph told ABC. 'He didnt apologize. He should have, and the school should have because they pulled Danesiah out of lunch, and she didnt eat lunch that day because they took her money.'

'It was very outrageous for them to do it,' Joseph said.

'There was no need for police involvement. Theyre charging kids like theyre adults now,' she added.

According to ABC, between the 2013-2014 school year there were 40 Houston students investigated for using allegedly counterfeit money at lunch and that those investigated are disproportionately black and Hispanic.

Many of those students qualify for free school lunch and some of them could spend two to ten years behind bars.

Inconvenient: The school then called Daneishas grandmother, Sharon Kay Joseph, who told them the bill was real and that it was given to her at a convenience store (pictured)
She also revealed how sister Konnie warned her to distance herself from Corbyn as 'people don't like him'

At least one Labour MP is optimistic about her partys prospects  because she thinks Jeremy Corbyn is too old to continue as leader for much longer.

Rupa Huq, who has a wafer-thin 274 majority in her Ealing Central seat in West London, told a meeting of anti-Corbynites that it was not all doom and gloom because the Labour leader was not a young man.

The Cambridge graduate, whose sister is the television presenter Konnie Huq, entered Parliament for the first time last year  and fears that with Mr Corbyn in charge, she will lose her seat at the next General Election, due in 2020.

Labour MP Rupa Huq, left, with her sister Konnie, a presenter on the popular childrens show Blue Peter between 1997 and 2008, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, right

She told a meeting of the Blairite Progress group in West London: On national trends, Im gone very, very easily. This is just a five-year adventure.

But Dr Huq, who worked as a DJ and a political researcher after leaving university, took solace in the fact that Mr Corbyn will be 67 later this month.

Leaders come and go, she said, before adding in a reference to the next Election: This is four-and-a-half years away, isnt it?

'I think we shouldnt get all doom and gloom. Hes not a young man.

Dr Huq, whose remarks earlier this year were caught on a recording heard by The Mail on Sunday, also admitted that her sister, a presenter on the popular childrens show Blue Peter between 1997 and 2008, had urged her to distance herself from Mr Corbyn.

Dr Huq, 44, who is married with one son said: I did an end-of-year newsletter and I mentioned the words Jeremy Corbyn in it. Konnie rang me up and was dissecting it and said, You shouldnt say that because people dont like him.

Last week, Dr Huq blundered into the furore over Labour MP Naz Shahs controversial comments about Israel when she tried to defend her colleague on the grounds that she had just shared a post on Facebook  and compared it to the fact that she herself had once shared a picture of Boris Johnson on a zipwire. She was immediately accused of trivialising the issue.

Last night, Dr Huq told The Mail on Sunday: When I made that statement I was not aware of just how many miles Jeremy cycles.
Jeremy Corbyn has been branded a dead man walking after being told by his MPs to quit if he flops in this weeks local elections.

As the Labour leader desperately tried to contain the row over anti-Semitism rocking his party, he was warned that if he loses more than 200 seats, he has to go.

Amid mounting speculation that Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell is plotting a power-grab from his long-term ally, Mr Corbyns opponents are planning a media blitz against him next weekend if Labour crashes in Thursdays council polls.

Jeremy Corbyn has been branded a dead man walking after being told by his MPs to quit if he flops in this weeks local elections

The news came as Ken Livingstone hit the airwaves again yesterday to defend his incendiary remarks last week in which he claimed that Hitler had supported Zionism.

The former London Mayor said he regretted the disruption caused by his comments, which have led to his suspension from the party, but still insisted: I believe what I said is true.

However, yesterday, the leader of the Israeli Labour Party wrote to Mr Corbyn to say he was appalled and outraged by the alleged anti-Semitism.

Isaac Herzog, whose party is in the same international federation of socialist parties as Labour, invited Mr Corbyn to visit Israels Holocaust Museum to help the party better understand the scourge of anti-Semitism.

The row has deepened the sense of crisis and drift in the party, with Mr Corbyns critics arguing that an influx of Left-wing, pro-Palestine supporters since his election last autumn has led to an increase in anti-Jewish sentiment.

Mr Corbyn was directly challenged about his post-election plans by one of his backbench MPs last week. Neil Coyle was heard confronting his leader in the Commons voting lobbies, demanding: If we lose more than 200 seats, will you agree to quit?

Mr Corbyn was seen to ignore the Bermondsey & Old Southwark MP before storming off.

A Labour source said last night: This cant go on. The Livingstone row has highlighted the toxic cocktail of incompetence and poison which Corbyn has introduced to the party. He is a dead man walking and it is time to act.

If Mr Corbyn loses a significant number of seats on Thursday  about 150 or more  some of his most senior critics are planning to criticise him during a series of television and radio appearances.

Mr Corbyns inner circle is becoming increasingly suspicious that Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell is scheming against him.

The Mail on Sundays political columnist, Dan Hodges, today quotes one Shadow Cabinet member as describing Mr McDonnell as heavily on manoeuvres, with the McDonnell camp floating a plan to sit back and allow the moderates to topple Mr Corbyn  in exchange for a guarantee that their man could go on the ballot paper in the subsequent leadership contest.

Mr Corbyn yesterday tried to draw a line under the anti-Semitism row by ordering an independent inquiry into the matter and other forms of racism within its ranks. The probe will led by Shami Chakrabarti, the former head of human rights campaign group Liberty.

Amid mounting speculation that John McDonnell is plotting a power-grab from his long-term ally, Mr Corbyns opponents are planning a media blitz next weekend if Labour crashes in Thursdays council polls

The anti-Semitism row erupted after Mr Livingstone, 70, defended Labour MP Naz Shah for suggesting Israel should be moved to the United States. This led to Mr Livingstone being publicly labelled a disgusting Nazi apologist by furious Labour MP John Mann.

Today, former Labour Home Secretary Lord Blunkett uses an article in this newspaper to demand that Mr Livingstone be thrown out of the party.

Lord Blunkett says: The increasingly irrational, dangerous and divisive talk by Ken Livingstone means his suspension from the Labour Party is not enough. He should be expelled.

He adds: These remarks are frankly breathtaking This is why both the leadership of the party, of which I have been a member for more than half a century, and its National Executive Committee should get a grip.

Now is the time for cool heads and tempered responses. But one thing is clear: Ken has to go.

Mr Corbyns aides had hoped that the expected victory of his candidate, Sadiq Khan, in the London mayoral election on the same day as local elections would protect him from a party backlash.

A party spokeswoman said: Labour is totally focused on fighting to win every vote in next weeks elections.
The increasingly irrational, dangerous and divisive talk by Ken Livingstone means that his suspension from the Labour Party is not enough. He should be expelled.

Labour cannot and should not tolerate anti-Semitism in any guise.

In 2005, prior to his defeat by Boris Johnson in the contest to become the Mayor of London, Livingstone revealed his mindset during a clash with a journalist working for Londons Evening Standard newspaper.

Mr Livingstone was taped snarling at Oliver Finegold: What did you do? Were you a German war criminal? and, You are just like a concentration camp guard.

'The increasingly irrational, dangerous and divisive talk by Ken Livingstone means that his suspension from the Labour Party is not enough. He should be expelled'

When it was pointed out to him that Mr Finegold is Jewish, he didnt apologise but merely continued with his abuse.

For this he was suspended from his role as London Mayor for a month.

Then, last week, Livingstone fuelled the controversy over 2012 online posts by Naz Shah, the newly elected MP for Bradford West, by saying that Hitler had supported Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews. He also claimed that there was a well-orchestrated campaign by the Israel lobby to smear anybody who criticises Israeli policy as anti-Semitic.

Mr Livingstone has had a lifetime of knowing how to communicate and must have been fully aware of the impact of his words.

'Now is the time for cool heads and tempered responses. But one thing is clear: Ken Livingstone has to go,' says Lord Blunkett (pictured)

As we all grow older, we sometimes lose our touch.

But that does not excuse the fact that these remarks are frankly breathtaking.

Getting to grips with such creeping racism is critical for Jeremy Corbyn. Those who believe that the only way of arguing for justice for the Palestinian people and their right to self-government is to attack all Jewish people worldwide are not simply mistaken but dangerous.

It is perfectly acceptable to criticise in the strongest possible terms actions by Israel and its government, without in any way implying that those of the Jewish faith across the world carry responsibility.

More and more, we need to emphasise that labelling Jewish people because of the actions of those associated with Israel is unacceptable.

It is necessary, therefore, for those who wish to promote a fairer and more just world to exercise both care and restraint in their statements and actions. Fighting Islamophobia and combating anti-Semitism should go hand in hand.

And here is the rub. I am no Corbynista, but over the past few weeks Jeremy Corbyn, not least at Prime Ministers Questions, has scored some significant hits on David Cameron over the Panamanian tax avoidance scandal and the disarray in Tory ranks over education.

With the Conservatives at each others throats over Britains future in Europe, things were looking more optimistic for Labour  until Livingstone helped the Government out of a hole again.

This is why the leadership of the party of which I have been a member for more than half a century, and its National Executive Committee  of which Mr Livingstone has been a member  should get a grip.
Donald Trump has blasted the protesters who swarmed the outside of the state Republican Party's annual convention in San Francisco where he was due to give a speech.

In a tweet he posted on Saturday, the GOP front runner called the demonstrators 'thugs and criminals' after he was forced to sneak in the back door of the Hyatt Regency hotel in the suburb of Burlingame.

'The "protesters" in California were thugs and criminals. Many are professionals. They should be dealt with strongly by law enforcement!' Trump tweeted.

On Friday Trump had to be led across a grass highway median and in a back-door loading dock at the Hyatt Regency to avoid the furious protesters.

Donald Trump lashed out at the protesters who forced him to enter the Hyatt Regency in a San Francisco suburb through a loading dock because of their ferocious demonstrations

'That was not the easiest entrance I've ever made': Trump joked with the Republican crowd when he eventually took the stage after being smuggled into the venue, saying they got to walk through lobby while he was being pushed in the back

'I felt like I was crossing the border': Trump called back to his showpiece pledge about building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border

Trump felt like he 'was crossing the border, actually,' he said.

Led by his regular protective detail and Trump's private bodyguard Keith Schiller, the Republican front-runner's arrival became a full-blown media spectacle, with cable news channels interrupting their broadcasts for helicopter live-shots.

Their audiences were treated to the sight of the 69-year-old Trump hopping nearly three feet down from a cement barrier to the grass below, skirting between two chain-link fences, and then climbing uphill in his expensive suit and shoes while local police and California Highway Patrol kept liberal activists at bay on the other side of the hotel.

'That was not the easiest entrance I've ever made,' Trump joked when he eventually took the stage. 'My wife calls  she says, "There are helicopters following you"'

'And then we went under a fence, and through a fence. Oh boy, I felt like I was crossing the border actually, you know? I was crossing the border but I got here.'

'You all walk through the lobby. I'm going under fences!' he told the audience of party loyalists.

Outsmarted: Instead, Secret Service and private security guards led Trump (at center, flanked on all four sides) down a concrete ramp to a steep jump down to grass, and then uphill toward the hotel's rear loading dock entrance

Trump's motorcade traveled the three miles from San Francisco International Airport to Burlingame, California, but never approached the front door of the Hyatt Regency hotel where he was to address the California Republican party's annual convention. Trump is pictured directly in front of the silver van at center

With protesters gathering in front of the Hyatt (top right), the Secret Service's sleight-of-hand directed Trump and his closest aides across a grass median and in through a back door

As he finished his remarks, a mashup of his stump-speech themes, Trump looked offstage to his security detail that was getting ready to take him out the same way he came in.

'I know they're waiting,' Trump said.' They're gonna take me under a fence, through a field.'

'Oh, you have no idea the route they have planned for me to get out of here!'

At least one person was detained outside as shouting matches between anti-Trump protesters and pro-Trump supporters occasionally clashed. A few protesters even stole an American flag and burned it, drawing angry responses from both sides. A Trump effigy was also burned.

Angry protesters push over a barricade as they demonstrate against Trump outside the Hyatt in an attempt to get near the front door, completely unaware that he was nowhere to be seen

Detained: At least one protester was arrested during the demonstration outside the Hyatt, although it was unclear what particular issue this person was vocal about

Ready for action: A swarm of hundreds of anti-Trump protesters had gathered Friday afternoon but never got to see Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner

Didn't see the funny side: While Trump was being smuggled in the back, police in riot gear were forced to hold off angry demonstrators outside the Hyatt hotel

Crossing the line: Many protesters were chanting slogans in Spanish as the police looked on, although one particularly noticeable English chant was 'F*** Donald Trump!'

Friend or foe? Rabia Keeble hugs a Donald Trump pinata during the protest outside the California Republican Convention

Shut down Trump, Open borders: What was left of the pinata of The Donald could be seen in the crowd (left), while masked men chose to hide their identity (right) while making their feelings known

Many were in Spanish. One in English, repeated over and over, was: 'F*** Donald Trump!'

That message also appeared on at least one sign, waved along with some professionally printed placards from the Service Employees International Union and one home-made poster scrawled with the slogan: 'Capitalism only works on paper.'

'Capitalism kills. #DumpTrump,' another read.

CNN reported that protesters at one point started throwing eggs in the direction of police

Say what you really feel: Protestors earlier blocked traffic outside the convention, anticipating that Trump would arrive at the front

Eye-catching: Demonstrator Rebecca Marston holds up a bullhorn as she chose a topless protest calling on a ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. She was joined by another scantily clad woman calling on 'Drumpf' to go, echoing John Oliver's joke

Trump is known in California for upsetting advocates of citizenship for illegal immigrants, which are largely of Hispanic descent.

A law enforcement source told DailyMail.com that the rear-guard action to dodge protesters was planned before Trump's Boeing 757 jumbo jet landed at San Francisco International Airport, just three miles away.
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Thousands of Christians have gathered in Jerusalem for an ancient fire ceremony that celebrates Jesus' resurrection.

In a ritual dating back at least 1,200 years, they crowded on Saturday into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christian tradition holds that Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

During the annual ceremony, top Eastern Orthodox clerics enter the Edicule, the small chamber marking the site of Jesus' tomb.

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An Ethiopian boy holds candles during the Holy Fire ceremony at the Ethiopian section of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

Macedonian Orthodox Christians hold candles as they take part in midnight Easter services at the Saint Jovan Bigorski monastery, in Mavrovo, some 145 km west from the capital Skopje

Christian Orthodox worshippers hold up candles lit from the 'Holy Fire' as thousands gather in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City

A child holds a candle next to eggs and 'Kulich cakes', a traditional Russian Easter bread, placed for blessing during an Orthodox Easter service in Almaty, Kazakhstan

The majority of the Christians in the Holy Land belong to the Orthodox faith but traditionally do not play a major part in the procession

Ethiopian Orthodox worshippers dance during the Holy Fire ceremony at the Ethiopian section of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City

Patriarch Kirill (left) of Moscow and All Russia church and Vladimir Yakunin, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation of Apostle Andrew the First Called, light candles with Holy Fire delivered from Jerusalem during an Easter service at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Christian Orthodox worshippers hold up candles lit from the 'Holy Fire' as thousands gather in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right), Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (left) and his spouse Svetlana (centre) attend the Orthodox Easter holiday service in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral, Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill attend Orthodox Easter celebrations

A member of the clergy throws petals to welcome the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Metropolitan Theophilos (not pictured) as they walk towards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to take part in the Easter Sunday mass procession

An Ethiopian Orthodox worshipper holds candles during the Holy Fire ceremony at the Ethiopian section of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City

An Orthodox Christian worshipper on the roof of the Tomb of Christ as the miracle of the Holy Fire occurs in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, Israel

Russian Orthodox nuns hold candles lit from the 'Holy Fire' as thousands gather in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

A Russian nun holds a candle with the Holy Fire from Jerusalem as she takes part in the Orthodox Easter holiday service in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral, Russia

Thousands of Eastern Orthodox Christians visited the Tomb of Christ, pictured, as part of the miracle of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem

Pilgrims made their way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to light their candles, who pass on the flame to those outside in the street

The ceremony, which dates more than 1,200 years, marks the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the spot where he was buried

They then emerge to reveal candles said to be miraculously lit with 'holy fire' as a message to the faithful from heaven. The details of the flame's source are a closely guarded secret.

Roman Catholics and Protestants marked Easter in March, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Easter this week using the older Julian calendar.

The pilgrims, some carrying crosses and others praying, retraced the 14 Stations of the Cross and walked to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Jesus Christ is believed to be buried.

Hundreds of Israeli security forces were deployed inside the walled Old City, and around the church, which is in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Their presence was to regulate the flow of worshippers through the narrow streets rather than to calm fears of potential violence, despite weeks of renewed tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.

The Eastern Orthodox Easter is almost a month after that celebrated by Roman Catholics and Protestants due to a different calendar

Israeli security forces launched a major operation to ensure the safety of the pilgrims due to major tensions within Jerusalem

Some of the pilgrims in Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher had travelled to the Old City from Ethiopia

Crowds of pilgrims queued to enter the Holy Sepulchre, many scribbling prayers on pieces of paper which they planned to recite inside the church.

One pilgrim, Otyrba Ilojna, 36, of Abkhazia in Georgia said: 'We pray for the whole community. The Georgian Church does not give us our independence. All here are praying for it.'

Dragan Ilic, 35, who had travelled from Switzerland and was among a group of around 50 Serbians, kept his prayer secret.

But, like all the others, he said the visit was incredibly important to him.

Thousands of pilgrims came from Egypt, which is the only Arab country besides Jordan to have diplomatic relations with Israel even if the ties are often strained.

Christina Salama said: 'This pilgrimage is not an obligation. But it is the dream of all (Coptic Christian) Egyptians.'

The majority of the Christians in the Holy Land belong to the Orthodox faith but traditionally do not play a major part in the procession.

Thousands of pilgrims, such as these from Ethiopia travelled to Jerusalem's old city despite security tensions in the area

Pilgrims inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre passed the flame to those outside who were celebrating the Orthodox Easter

The historic tomb will undergo a major restoration once this weekend's Orthodox Easter celebrations have ended

The tomb where Jesus is said to have been buried before his resurrection in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre is to undergo major restoration. The work is due to start in the coming weeks after the Eastern church ends its Easter celebrations.

The restoration, entrusted to a Greek team, is expected to be completed in early 2017 and the site will remain open to visitors in the meantime.

The shrine, several metres tall and wide standing under the church's dome, has for decades been held together by a metal frame.

Its marble slabs have been weakened over the years in part by daily visits by thousands of pilgrims and tourists.

Broken or fragile parts will be replaced while marble slabs that can be preserved will be cleaned, and the structure supporting them will be reinforced.

The work is to be funded by the three main Christian denominations of the Holy Sepulchre -- Greek Orthodox, Franciscans and Armenians -- as well as public and private contributions.

The shrine was built in the early 19th century over the site of the cave where Jesus is believed to have been buried.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's government has agreed a new truce with pro-Russian insurgents which is due to continue past the Orthodox Easter.

A peace deal co-signed by France and Germany in February 2015 in the Belarussian capital Minsk was meant to end the fighting by providing rebel-held regions limited autonomy within a unified Ukraine.

But the two-year war has now killed more than 9,300 people as the sides trade blame for violating the truce and not taking the political steps required to resolving one of Europe's deadliest crises since the 1990s Balkans wars.

Many of the pilgrims retraced the 14 Stations of The Cross following the route marking the final few hours of Jesus

Eastern Orthodox Christians believe the flame spreads from the tomb across the globe and represents resurrection power
Kenyas president set fire to thousands of elephant tusks and rhino horns yesterday, destroying a stockpile that would have been worth more than 100 million to smugglers.

Armed soldiers stood guard as plumes of smoke rose from the flaming tusks piled up in a game reserve outside the capital Nairobi, burning 105 tons of ivory from about 8,000 animals.

It was the biggest incineration of its kind and the aim was to send a message to the world that the trade in ivory must be stopped.

An armed soldier stands guard as the 105 tons of ivory are burned in a game reserve outside the capital city of Nairobi, a stockpile that would have been worth more than 100million to smugglers

Addressing dignitaries before setting light to the first of almost a dozen pyres, President Uhuru Kenyatta said: Kenya is making a statement that ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants.

Kenya is seeking a world ban on ivory sales when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) meets in South Africa later this year.

Cites banned commercial trade in African elephant ivory in 1989, but still permits one-off sales. In the 1970s, Africa had about 1.2 million elephants. That figure has now fallen to between 400,000 and 450,000.

Kenya's president ordered the destruction with the aim of sending a message to the world that the trade in ivory must be stopped

The stockpile of ivory that was destroyed would have come from around 8,000 elephants. In the 1970s, Africa had about 1.2 million elephants. That figure has now fallen to between 400,000 and 450,000

The situation for rhinos is worse. There are fewer than 30,000 left across Africa and one subspecies, the northern white rhino, is on the brink of extinction. The last three live in Kenya under heavy guard.

Conservationist Richard Leakey urged all African nations to destroy their ivory stocks. Those who refused, he said, were speculators on an evil, illegal commodity.
Former BHS boss Sir Philip Green was spotted near his home in Monaco this weekend the firm's 11,000 employees face an uncertain future amid the retail chain's collapse.

The billionaire businessman was speaking on a mobile phone while walking down the street wearing a pair of shorts, t-shirt and grey sweat shirt.

The retailer bought BHS in 2000 but sold it last year for just 1, although he did take some 400 million in dividends from the company.

Sir Philip Green, pictured this weekend in Monaco, was talking on the phone as his former company BHS faced collapse with the loss of some 11,000 jobs after the firm was placed into administration by its new owners

The retailer sold BHS last year for 1 having bought the company in 2000 and taken 400 million in dividends

Sir Philip invested more than 100 million on his yacht Lionheart, pictured, which is based in Monaco

The retail boss is facing an investigation over whether he did enough to protect the pension funds of 20,000 BHS employees while he was in charge of the company

He sold the chain to twice-bankrupt Dominic Chappell, who paid 1 for the chain store which entered administration on Monday.

If it is found Sir Philip acted negligently, the courts could force him to reveal his UK assets, some of which he may be forced to hand back to BHS.

The Work and Pensions Committee and the Business Select Committee have demanded he gives evidence to both.

Frank Field, the chairman of the Work and Pensions Committee, said: 'We need as a committee to look at the Pension Protection Fund and how the receipt of pension liabilities of BHS will impact on the increases in the levy that will now be placed on all other eligible employers to finance the scheme.

'We will then need to judge whether the law is strong enough to protect future pensioners' contracts in occupational schemes.'

Asked whether Sir Philip would be called before the committee, Mr Field told the Press Association: 'I am sure he will be invited to give evidence.'

The department store chain collapsed into administration on Monday, putting 11,000 jobs at risk.

The retail boss, pictured on one of Monaco's most exclusive streets, is facing pressure from MPs to explain what happened to BHS while it was under his stewardship, especially the underfunding of the pension scheme

As Sir Philip strolled through Monaco, 11,000 of his former employees did not know if the firm would survive

Labour MP John Mann said Sir Philip should pay back the 400 million dividend or lose his knighthood

Sir Philip's ownership of BHS ran from 2000 to last year, when he sold the business for 1 to a group called Retail Acquisitions.

His tenure at the helm has been called into question on a number of fronts, including leaving it with a huge 571 million pension deficit while paying his family 400 million in dividends from the business.

Labour MP John Mann has called for Sir Philip to pay back the dividend or risk losing his knighthood.

Mr Mann said: 'Sir Philip Green has taken over 400 million out of the company and now must be held responsible for the actions that were taken under his stewardship. There is a very simple and honourable solution to this crisis; repay the dividends, live up to the name he has chosen for his new yacht, Lionheart, or lose his knighthood.'

Sir Philip, who owns the Arcadia group retail empire that includes Topshop, is yet to make a statement on BHS's collapse.

But he is now being urged to break his silence.

Tory MP Richard Fuller has demanded that he clarifies his involvement in the chain's demise, saying: 'Green and Arcadia need to put out a statement immediately clarifying their position. He has a responsibility, a duty.

'Arcadia should be made to make public the documents and correspondence between themselves and Retail Acquisitions so that we can ascertain if the correct due diligence was undertaken in terms of there being enough cash left in the business and to cover the pension liability.
She drifted away: Laura before she cut off contact with her family

When Laura Hue-Williams began having therapy with self-styled spiritual healer Anne Craig six years ago, her family didnt see any cause for concern.

The gregarious, privately educated graduate was already known as a young portrait painter of great talent and they saw her meetings with Mrs Craig as harmless affairs.

Yet today they are heartbroken and bewildered, having watched her gradually estrange herself from family and friends.

Neither Lauras father Timothy Hue-Williams, an old Harrovian stockbroker, nor his former wife Sarah Strutt, daughter of a former Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, have seen her for two years. They do not even know where she lives.

It is a distressing parallel to the case of society girl Victoria Cayzer, who as a Mail on Sunday investigation revealed last week, has cut all ties to her previous life while under Craigs care.

Lauras parents, too, are devastated at the personality changes in their daughter since she began seeing Craig, who calls herself a teacher.

Now they are campaigning for a change in the law to make psychological manipulation and mental abuse a crime.

As a father, the hardest thing to understand is that Laura is lost to us but there is no reason for it, Mr Hue-Williams says.

There is nothing in her childhood, her upbringing or her adult life to explain it. There has not been a massive argument. She literally just drifted away and then the drawbridge came up.

It is heartbreaking. Laura was everything you want from a daughter. Now she has no recognition of us as parents. It is like she has gone to a different place.

It is a really, really sad scenario and I hope we can find a way to stop it. The law has to be changed to cover circumstances like this.

Mrs Strutt added: It is terrible for her friends and family, but it is even more terrible for Laura herself.

She is in a psychological prison, without even knowing it, and separated from everything a human being values. Isolation is the worst form of punishment.

The change in the law we are campaigning for is not just about Laura. There are thousands of people affected by psychological manipulation. Mental abuse should be treated as seriously as actual bodily harm.

Lauras family say her estrangement comes as a disturbing contrast to her happy childhood.

Her maternal grandfather, Sir Charles Smith-Ryland, owned the Grade II listed Georgian manor house Sherbourne Park in Warwickshire, and his five children  including Lauras mother Sarah  settled within miles of the family seat.

Laura, 29, and her elder sister Sophie, 31, a public relations executive, spent their early years running free in the grounds of the sprawling estate.

When Laura was four, the family moved to Monaco, where she went to school. She then went to the public school Tudor Hall near Banbury, where, with her high IQ and creative personality, she found her niche.

Close bond: Laura, aged two, with the family pet. Laura, 29, and her elder sister Sophie, 31, spent their early years running free in the grounds of the Georgian manor house Sherbourne Park in Warwickshire

Dance stars: Laura (right) with her elder sister Sophie. Laura missed Sophies wedding two weeks ago

Victoria Cayzer (pictured) has been beyond the reach of her family for the past four years

As well as excelling at art and textiles, Laura was a talented musician and starred in school plays.

She was the most incredible actress, her mother recalls. I was mesmerised by her. When she left Tudor Hall, her art and drama teachers were both fighting over which career she chose. I was so proud.

In September 2006, Laura began a three-year-course at the prestigious Charles Cecil School of Art in Florence, where she distinguished herself as one of its best ever pupils.

While she was there she fell in love with her first serious boyfriend Simon, whose mother lived in Tuscany. She was so happy that she stayed on an extra term to perfect her oil painting.

I spent two weeks with her and we had a ball, says her mother. She drew me in the morning, painted me in the afternoon, and took me salsa dancing in the evening.

However, it was while Laura was in Italy that her parents separated, which she struggled to come to terms with. It was then, her family believe, that she sought counselling from Craig, whose daughter Tara was in her group of friends in Italy.

Craig, who is not registered with any recognised body, and does not appear to have any relevant qualifications, charges up to 110 an hour for therapy at the home in Battersea, South London, that she shares with her husband, a former Royal Navy commander who is chief executive of Londons prestigious University Womens Club.

I emailed Laura saying something like, Oh my goodness. This is the start of my new life as a divorced woman,  recalls her mother. She wrote back saying, Yes Mumma. Im on a new journey too. But in retrospect, it was the start of a nightmare.

Laura finished her course in December 2009 and returned to Britain to spend Christmas with her family.

The following month she joined them at the funeral of the second husband of her grandmother Jeryl Wheeler-Bennett.

She was so sweet, Mrs Wheeler-Bennett recalls. Sarah had told me that Laura would not be able to make the funeral because she was really busy but on the day, darling Laura appeared. She said, Granny, family is the most important thing. That says it all. She spoke from the bottom of her heart.

In September 2010, Laura moved into the former Cowshed pub in Ladbroke Grove, West London, and told her mother that she was seeing a therapist who healed from the heart.

I just thought, Oh my goodness, that sounds fascinating. A bit of healing after our divorce,  Mrs Strutt says.

It never crossed my mind that a healer would do anything but help someone heal.

Within months, alarm bells started ringing, as Laura abandoned painting portraits with her right hand in favour of dark abstracts with her left.

Estranged: Laura, pictured left between her parents, Sarah Strutt and Timothy Hue-williams, missed her sisters wedding

Talented: Lauras painting, entitled The Praying Man

Nonetheless, her talent shone through: during an exhibition that autumn, she sold 28 pieces.

From that moment on, Laura drifted away from us, says Mr Hue-Williams. Then, the following March, she broke up with her boyfriend and told her family she wanted to grieve alone.

By the autumn of 2011, Laura appeared to be back to her old self, turning up for her cousin Tobys 30th birthday party and  in what in hindsight appears extremely poignant  saying: I had forgotten how wonderful family is.

By this time her mother was dating Henry Strutt, the man who would become her second husband, and Laura was keen to meet him.

After dinner the following week, she agreed to paint him.

I felt very comfortable in her presence, Mr Strutt says. We formed a good working bond. Laura was warm and talkative. She spoke about her family in affectionate terms and was looking forward to spending Christmas with them.

But when Lauras sister Sophie took her for dinner on her birthday in 2012, she was clearly on a downward spiral.

She didnt want to drink anything, Sophie says. She only wanted to eat very healthy food.

Finally, that autumn, she failed to turn up at her brother Charless 21st birthday party or her grandmothers 80th. Suddenly she stopped taking my calls, Mrs Strutt said.

One morning I ran around to her flat, but her eyes glazed over and she got on her bicycle and said, Im late for work. They were virtually the last words she spoke to me.

Desperate to appease Laura, her family maintained their distance. Then, in November 2013, after getting engaged, the future Mr and Mrs Strutt turned up at Chelsea Fine Arts, where Laura was tutoring, to ask her to attend their wedding.

She was very cold and distant to us, Mr Strutt said.

She acknowledged that she had received my email about the wedding but refused to explain to us why she had estranged herself from friends and family.

The couple married the following month, but Laura did not attend. It was, in Mr Strutts words, fantastically distressing.

Concerns: Laura began having therapy with self-styled spiritual healer Anne Craig (pictured) six years ago

In early 2014, Mr Hue-Williams and Mrs Strutt made a last-ditch attempt to reach their daughter.

She would not even let us over the threshold, her father says.

She didnt want to get into a conversation  she just wanted to get away as quickly as she could. It was like talking to a stranger. My Laura wasnt there.

Since then Laura has missed her uncles funeral last year and Sophies wedding two weeks ago. Yet her family have not given up hope.

I live with the belief that one day we will get her back, says Mr Hue-Williams. There will be no recriminations. We will welcome her into the family and it will be a wonderful, wonderful day.

Cameron: My concern for this terrible abuse

By Adam Luck

David Cameron is backing a campaign for new laws protecting vulnerable adults from control or slavery by predators, including therapists.

Justice Secretary Michael Gove and Cabinet troubleshooter Oliver Letwin are examining how to clamp down on psychological manipulation and abuse.

The move follows a Mail on Sunday investigation into the activities of healer Anne Craig. Last week it was alleged that she had persuaded at least two young women from elite backgrounds into shunning their families.

Flashback: Victoria Cayzers story in last weekends Mail on Sunday. She has not had anything to do with her family for four years

Victoria Cayzer, the daughter of Lady Caledon, has not had anything to do with her family for four years.

Lady Caledon and her husband Lord Caledon, who is Victorias stepfather, have joined forces with the family of Laura Hue-Williams  another former Craig client who has severed contact with her family  to try to get the law changed.

They are backed by Sir Edward Garnier QC, the MP for Harborough and a former Solicitor General, and leading QC Sir John Nutting.

David Cameron is well aware of this question. It is fair to say he would like something to be done about this, said Sir Edward, who wants new measures to replicate laws in France and Belgium, where it is an offence to exploit vulnerable people.

He added: There is plenty of law to protect those under 18 and those over the age of retirement, but we do not have much to protect vulnerable adults in between those ages.

Charles Cayzer, the father of Victoria, lives in the Prime Ministers constituency, and in a letter to him, Mr Cameron described her disappearance as a sad and miserable situation.

Graham Baldwin, whose charity Catalyst helps the victims of psychological manipulation, said: We have been campaigning for 20 years to have a criminal law in place to deal with psychological manipulation.

I think the time has finally come to deal with this growing problem once and for all.

Now we need law to catch those who enslave minds

Comment by Sir John Nutting QC

Congratulations on last weeks investigation in The Mail on Sunday. It was a brilliant piece of reporting which said everything that needed to be said about this dreadful situation.

Your campaign is in the best traditions of this crusading newspaper. Two families have suffered grievously  and I know them both.

The trouble is this: it isnt an area covered by law, and that is really our complaint. It should be and must be covered by the law, so that vulnerable adults, like vulnerable children, can be protected.

There is no offence under English criminal law that captures the activities of these kind of people and it is hard to set down the principles by which they could be sued in a civil court.

The difficulty in either a criminal or civil case is getting the victim to give evidence.

The essence is that loyalty lies with Anne Craig and her like.

And the absence of a victims testimony makes it difficult to frame the legislation which might to catch them.

Yet other countries, such as France and Belgium, do have laws in this field, and I believe that our Government, too, can be persuaded to legislate.

I have spent my life as a criminal barrister and it is in the field of criminal law that I would want the Government to act.

Thankfully, The Mail on Sunday has brought this issue to public attention and that is critical, because that puts pressure on Members of Parliament and the Government, which must set aside time in order to draft a Bill and vote it on to the statute book.

Of course we must avoid snaring those who run genuine religious orders that, for example, recruit priests, nuns and monks.

The trick is to provide legislation that does not inhibit genuine religious work but does catch those who enslave minds.

I know the Home Office will throw up its hands to say the task is too difficult, but we must not be deterred.

We must try, and keep trying, until we are successful and the sheer misery caused by these people is brought to a stop.

Since this article was first published, we would like to add that Ms Craig's lawyers have said: "Anne Craig is not responsible for the fact that Laura Hue Williams has not been in contact with her family, nor is she responsible for 'mentally abusing' or 'psychologically manipulating' Ms Hue Williams. These allegations are vehemently denied by our client. They are based on the wholly incorrect supposition by the family of Ms Hue Williams who, rather than coming to terms with the fact that their daughter does not wish to be in contact with them any longer have chosen to blame our client. Ms Hue Williams has confirmed that our client never tried to influence her, has not somehow encouraged her to believe things that did not happen or talked to her in a suggestive way which has resulted in her believing things that are not true.
Paramedics working to help a teenage boy who fell into a bonfire at a party saw their ambulance doused with petrol.

Emergency service workers were called to Rossmore, south-west of Sydney, shortly before midnight on Saturday following reports a 14-year-old boy had fallen into a fire.

Two ambulances responded to the incident, and after initially treating the young boy at the scene, he was rushed to The Children's Hospital at Westmead with burns to his face.

An 18-year-old has been arrested after paramedics had petrol poured over an ambulance in Sydney's south-west

One of the ambulances was left at the scene as the boy was taken to hospital.

When one of the paramedics returned to the party about 1:45am to collect it, several teenagers still at the party 'became aggressive poured petrol over the vehicle', according to NSW Police.
Mardoche was 11 when I first met him, shivering in the corner of a youth psychiatric ward in Chelsea.

Before I could speak, he looked up. I am not a witch, he said. I dont even know what this kindoki [witchcraft] is.

This wasnt my first encounter with a sinister phenomenon taking hold across Europe and Britain.

Witch branding telling a child theyre possessed by witchcraft and face life-threatening exorcism  is already an epidemic in Africa.

Today there are hundreds of cases of witch branding in Britain, perhaps thousands.

Most involve people from Africa, where traditional beliefs in black magic are widespread.

There is a severe problem with child exorcism, writes Dr Richard Hoskins. Victoria Climbie (left) and the boy thought to be 'Adam' (right), whose torso was found in the Thames

Others involve Muslims who believe in jinns or spirits, an element of Islamic theology.

The children are cured with the utmost brutality: starvation, violence, sometimes torture, and in a number of appalling cases, death. As I know only too well.

I am a regular expert witness in the courts.

I am the only multicultural expert on the national police database and I know the trafficking of foreign children into Britain is getting worse.

Yet, content in our own well-meaning attitudes, we are doing nothing in response.

In fact we are complicit.

We are helping its spread through our porous borders, the weaknesses of our welfare state, and the hapless political correctness of our police and social services.

They live in thrall to the mantra that children are always best off cared for in their own racial community  even if that community is doing them harm.

Mardoche came to London from the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a toddler.

When he was about eight, his relatives accused him of being a witch.

Traumatised, he started struggling at school. Islington Social Services heard his family wished to return him to the Congo for an exorcism  or deliverance  ceremony.

This would cleanse him, they said, of the witchcraft, known in the local lingala language as kindoki.

Mardoches representative, Sarah Beskine, persuaded the judge I should be instructed.

I asked Islington Council if they would co-fund my trip to Africa to investigate.

To my astonishment, they funded half my costs to the tune of 2,200, although a council source informed me there was disquiet about a white person being instructed on a black case.

I went to the Congo in 2005 and spent a fortnight with Mardoches extended family. I interviewed them and spoke with the pastors who would conduct the exorcism.

Dr Richard Hoskins (right) has been assisting Mardoche Yembi (left) after his experiences involving exorcism. Kristy Bamu, 15, was found dead in an East London high-rise in 2010

In Kinshasa, I witnessed the exorcism of another young boy of Mardoches age.

His mouth was parched and he was close to fainting.

Prior to exorcism, a child is not allowed to eat or drink for several days.

Ive since seen children on the point of death after being fasted.

Over the next two hours, the boy was forced to stand upright while a dozen adults shouted and screamed.

Eventually, exhausted, he was bent double, vomiting on to the dusty floor where he passed out. See, a rotund pastor beamed at me. The witchcraft just left him.

Back in the UK, I told the court that sending Mardoche to the Congo for exorcism would place his life in grave danger.

The judge ordered he should be taken into foster care.

When I tried to question Islington Council, it clammed up. Why did they consider letting a child in their care be sent back to Africa for exorcism?

Who thought political correctness came above child protection? Every question was met by resistance.

They hid behind the Family Court and threatened me with contempt proceedings. They didnt want Mardoches story to be known.

It is a story that recurs with alarming regularity.

Victoria Climbie was eight when she was tortured and killed by her aunt Marie-Therese Kaou and partner Carl Manning in February 2000. They thought she was a witch.

The infamous cases of the eight-year-old Angolan orphan known as Child B and the torso in the Thames  named Adam by police and identified as a victim of ritual abuse and murder in my book, The Boy In The River  were also linked to accusations of witchcraft.

However, hundreds of cases go unreported thanks to the secrecy of family courts and local authorities.

Newham Council tried to prevent you ever knowing about the murder of 15-year-old Kristy Bamu, who was found dead in the bath of a bleak East London high-rise on Christmas Day 2010.

If I hadnt fought their gagging order at the Royal Courts of Justice, theyd have succeeded.

Kristy had been tortured for five days and suffered 101 injuries because his eldest sister, Magalie Bamu, and her boyfriend, Eric Bikubi, thought he was a witch.

These cases are the tip of the iceberg.

Screengrabs from a video of children in the Congo receiving exorcisms (pictured). There were 679 alerts in the past 18 months of children at risk of trafficking

The trouble is, no one is quite sure how deep the iceberg goes because authorities are petrified of conducting the research.

Metropolitan Police figures reveal there were 60 crimes linked to faith in London up to September last year, more than double 2013s total of 23.

Half of UK police forces do not record such cases.

In Britain, the only non-Governmental agency to deal with these issues, Children and Families Across Borders, says it had 679 alerts in the past 18 months in which a child was in jeopardy from being trafficked across borders.

In a recent case I worked on, Ephraim, 14, arrived at school with blood trickling down his neck.

A nurse found over 40 injuries.

His mother was arrested. That night police placed him back with his church pastor  whose message of witchcraft and exorcism had inspired his mother to torture him.

Its testament to Ephraims courage he stood firm against pressure to withdraw his evidence.

His mother was sentenced to nearly five years in prison.

For years it has been an unquestioned axiom of multicultural Britain that a community child is always placed with someone from that same community.

Perish the thought a black child could be fostered by white parents.

Alongside this, we have an EU whose porous borders have allowed the free movement of migrants without even basic security or child protection checks.

The EU has made the task of protecting everyone in Britain 1,000 times harder.

Three weeks ago, Mardoche called me out of the blue and told me he wanted to tell the world what happened to him.

Now 24, he wants to stop other children being accused of witchcraft.

When we shook hands, he looked me in the eyes. Thank you, he said. You gave me a future.
An NHS boss who is refusing to resign as the head of a scandal-hit mental health trust has amassed a pension pot worth almost half a million pounds.

Katrina Percy, chief executive of Southern Health in Hampshire, has resisted numerous calls to step down after a report found her organisation had failed to investigate hundreds of deaths of vulnerable people in its care.

On Friday, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published a new report, which concluded Southern Health was 'continuing to put patients at risk'.

Katrina Percy (pictured) , 43, boss of Southern Health, has accrued a pension worth 481,000 in 16 years of NHS service

It also stated its hospitals were unsafe, frontline staff were not supported, and there was poor leadership and governance.

The CQC report prompted chairman Mike Petter to resign, but Ms Percy refuses to budge.

Instead, she responded to Friday's report by saying it sent 'a clear message to the leadership... that more improvements must be delivered and as rapidly as possible'.

Now The Mail on Sunday has discovered that Ms Percy, 43, has accrued a pension pot worth at least 481,000 in 16 years of NHS service.

Almost half of that growth has taken place in the past four years  with corporate accounts showing its value increased by nearly 70,000 a year.

Southern has been under intense scrutiny following the deaths of hundreds of patients, including 18-year-old Connor Sparrowhawk who died in 2013.

Southern has been under intense scrutiny following the deaths of hundreds of patients, including 18-year-old Connor Sparrowhawk (right) who died in 2013

Dr Paul Lelliott, deputy chief inspector of hospitals and lead for mental health at the CQC, said earlier that the community mental health team staff lacked guidance on what to do when a patient fails to attend an appointment.

And he said some staff were still unsure of when and how to involve families following the introduction of a new system for reporting incidents and patient deaths.

He said: 'I am concerned that the leadership of this trust shows little evidence of being proactive in identifying risk to the people it cares for or of taking action to address that risk before concerns are raised by external bodies.

'Along with partners, including NHS Improvement and NHS England, we will be monitoring progress extremely closely.
Justine Greening (pictured) faces the axe as International Development Secretary following the row over the squandering of billions of pounds on foreign aid

Justine Greening faces the axe as International Development Secretary following the row over the squandering of billions of pounds on foreign aid, according to well-placed sources.

She is being tipped for the sack to take the heat out of public anger over her department blowing taxpayers money on wasteful and corrupt projects.

A senior source said: Justine is top of the PMs hitlist at the moment. She made clear from the outset that she didnt really want the job and has done the bare minimum to try to defend the Governments foreign aid policy against a storm of protest.

It follows a hard-hitting campaign by The Mail on Sunday against David Camerons commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on aid every year  meaning the bloated 12 billion bill will rise even further to 16 billion by 2020.

MPs have been forced to debate the issue next month after a parliamentary petition which we launched calling for the policy to be abandoned attracted more than 228,000 signatures.

Since The Mail on Sunday campaign started, Greening has been conspicuous by her absence from the debate.

At the start of last month we put ten questions to her, including whether she thought it was necessary to give away almost twice the proportion of income compared to the next most generous G20 nation.

We also asked whether she understood peoples concern about billions of pounds being sent overseas while domestic budgets were being cut.

Her only response was that the fixed 0.7 per cent aid target had been a promise in the manifesto on which the Government was elected, and to claim that there had been a root and branch review of aid spending.

Ms Greening was publicly attacked by Andrew Mitchell, her predecessor at the Department For International Development in this newspaper last month when he criticised her for failing to get out there and argue for the aid budget.

Im told she didnt awfully want the job, Mitchell said. Greenings fate could be sealed during a unity reshuffle the Prime Minister is widely expected to hold if he wins an In vote in the EU referendum on June 23.

His intention is to heal the rifts opened up by the campaign by promoting leading Brexit supporters such as Boris Johnson and Michael Gove. Favourite to replace Greening is former police minister Nick Herbert, who has abandoned a long history of Euroscepticism to take a leading role in the Remain campaign.

Ms Greening was publicly attacked by Andrew Mitchell (pictured), her predecessor at the Department For International Development last month for failing to get out there and argue for the aid budget

Camerons reshuffle is also expected to see Johnson handed a substantial portfolio such as Health or Education.

His hopes of becoming Foreign Secretary are described as vanishing-to-non-existent in the wake of his pro-Brexit attack on part-Kenyan Barack Obama during the US Presidents visit to the UK last month.

Justice Secretary Gove is likely to be handed a more powerful job such as Deputy Prime Minister.

Culture Secretary John Whittingdale has earned a stay of execution because he is in the middle of the contentious BBC Charter renewal process.
: The former Chancellor (left), who officially launched his campaign this morning, had more than double the number of publicly-declared supporters than Mr Johnson (centre). As of this evening, 228 out of 357 Tory MPs have gone public with their support. Mr Sunak is understood to have 147 backers, while Mr Johnson had the support of 57 MPs and Penny Mordaunt (right) just 24. Mr Johnson, though, has claimed he in fact reached the 'very high hurdle of 102 nominations', but tonight bowed out of the race because it is 'simply not the right thing to do'. He said: 'I believe I am well placed to deliver a Conservative victory in 2024 - and tonight I can confirm that I have cleared the very high hurdle of 102 nominations, including a proposer and a seconder, and I could put my nomination in tomorrow. There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members - and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday. But in the course of the last days I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You can't govern effectively unless you have a united party in parliament.'
A Los Angeles bar is trying to keep its customers safe by giving them a unique warning through the location's bathroom mirror.

When patrons go to wash up in the restroom and look in the mirror, instead of seeing themselves they'll see DUI convict Kris Caudilla dressed in blue prison scrubs.

The apparition often surprises the already buzzed guests and they will begin a dialogue with Caudilla, who asks them what they're drinking.

A new PSA to stop bar patrons from driving drunk allows them to come face-to-face with a DUI convict

Guests are often stunned when the restroom mirror begins speaking to them in the unidentified Los Angeles bar

Some answer back a whiskey sour or a whiskey coke, and Caudilla will tell them 'that's a good drink'.

But then after some 'small talk', the tone changes as Caudilla tells them he is in jail serving a 15-year sentence for killing a man while driving drunk.

In January 2010 he killed St Johns County, Florida, Deputy James Anderson Jr., a 44-year-old married father of four, in a head-on collision, NBC News reported.

Caudilla was driving drunk after a night out with friends.

Kris Caudilla (pictured in mirror) speaks to guests and tells them not to make the same mistakes he has made

Caudilla (not pictured) hit and killed a 44-year-old father-of-four police officer in a head-on collision while driving drunk

'I made the choice to drink. I made the choice to get in the car. You don't have to make that choice,' Caudilla says.

The ad was commissioned by the founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Candace Lightner, for We Save Lives, another anti-drink-driving campaign.

Y&R Miami Bravo advertising agency, who created the PSA, suggested to Lightner to focus on the perpetrator of a crime, rather than the victims.

'I said why not, because the numbers haven't shifted, even though more laws have passed and PSAs abound,' she told NBC News.

U.S. drunken driving deaths have remained flat in recent years after declining sharply from the early 1980s until 2010, according to NBC News.

Caudilla was filmed in advance and sensors on the mirror allow patrons to cue certain responses.

The PSA has been viewed 35 million times on social media in the U.S. since it was published on April 8.

He is now serving a 15-year sentence in a Florida prison for DUI manslaughter. When he speaks to patrons he tells them his story
British Special Forces have been ambushed by Islamic State suicide bombers in Libya, according to a well-informed Israeli website.

The attack is said to have happened last Wednesday and reportedly killed or wounded Italian troops travelling in a convoy with the Special Boat Service (SBS) personnel, who apparently escaped uninjured.

Vehicles packed with explosives drew up alongside the convoy transporting the Italian and British troops and blew themselves up, said the Debka news website.

Under fire: British Special Forces personnel have reportedly been in Libya for several months

Its report was based on unnamed military and intelligence sources and comes amid speculation that the SBS and Special Forces Support Group, alongside their allies, are planning an assault on the terror groups stronghold city of Sirte.

According to Debka, the ambush happened after the elite troops  accompanied by Libyan military  set off from the coastal city of Misrata, heading in the direction of Sirte, 150 miles to the south-east.

Other ISIS fighters shelled the convoy with mortars and strafed it with heavy machine gun fire, the website reported. The Western force was only able to escape after Italian and French warplanes and attack helicopters intervened.

The Ministry of Defence said last night: The MoD neither confirms nor denies claims about Special Forces activity.

British Special Forces personnel have reportedly been on the ground in Libya for months and Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has signalled that other troops could be sent to shore up the countrys fragile military in its fight against ISIS.

British Special Forces: The Ministry of Defence said last night: The MoD neither confirms nor denies claims about Special Forces activity'

Militants have seized control of strategic points along the Libyan coast over the past year and their headquarters in Sirte sits just 200 miles from Europe.

The UK is said to be considering deploying to up 1,000 personnel as part of 6,000 strong Italian-led peacekeeping operation.

Last week Mr Hammond warned that ISIS wants to turn Libya into a bolthole from which to launch attacks on mainland Europe.

The deployment of British Special Forces was said to have been confirmed by the King of Jordan in a confidential briefing to the US.

According to notes of the meeting in January, King Abdullah reportedly said his countrys own special forces will be imbedded [sic] with British SAS in Libya.
This is the incredible moment one Texas man captured dramatic video of a country road getting washed away - just moments after he had crossed it.

Allen Laneigh Childers was mere seconds away from becoming victim to the flooding that has ravaged parts of the state as it was hit with severe thunderstorms and heavy rain fall this weekend.

Childers was on his way to work in Lindale when he captured the dramatic footage on his cell phone, which shows two large drain pipes getting caught in the flood's current.

Allen Laneigh Childers captured on film the dramatic moment flash flooding split a county road in Lindale, Texas in half - just moments after he had crossed it

Childers was on his way to work when he captured the dramatic footage on his cell phone, which shows two large drain pipes getting caught in the flood's current

'Here goes the culvert!' Childers can be heard saying in the video as the pipes, carrying part of County Road 450 with them, drift into the downstream of flooded water.

'Oh my god, that is crazy. Thank you lord I got off that,' he tells someone off-screen. 'I just moved just in time, I was just parked over there.'

'You barely made it man,' another man tells him.

The road disappears in seconds but the drain pipes are saved from washing away after getting stuck in the deep muddy water.

'I just called my boss and told him I'm running late,' Childers can be heard saying behind the camera. 'Alright Tyler, here's your proof.'

Although Childers' story had a happy ending, the devastating flash flood has brought devastating death and destruction to the Lone Star State and claimed six victims.

'Here goes the culvert!' Childers can be heard saying in the video as the pipes, carrying part of County Road 450 with them, drift into the downstream of flooded water

The road disappears in seconds but the drain pipes are saved from washing away after getting stuck in the deep muddy water

'Oh my god, that is crazy. Thank you lord I got off that,' Childers (not pictured) tells someone off-screen. 'I just moved just in time, I was just parked over there'

'I just called my boss and told him I'm running late,' Childers can be heard saying behind the camera as he shows the washed out road. 'Alright Tyler, here's your proof'

Lenda Asbery, 62, and her four grandchildren were killed after being swept away from their home in Palestine early Saturday morning.

Asbery's grandchildren were identified as Voniyaejah Johnson, 9, Devonte Johnson, 8, Von Anthony Watkins, 7, and Jamonica Johnson, 6, a family member told CBS46.

Palestine Police Department Capt James Muniz said the water came up too fast for the family to escape.

'The water was up to the roofline of the homes and that's what prevented the people from being able to get away,' according to Muniz.

'The street was full of mud, so the water just came up. With the enormous amount of rain we had, we had people tell us that within minutes, the water was waist deep.'

More than 7 inches of rain fell in less than an hour on Friday evening.

One neighbor told authorities that he saw the family but lost sight of them as he waded through waist-deep water.

Police said that several people called to tell them that the grandmother and her children were missing.

Lenda Asberry, 62, and her four grandchildren were killed early on Saturday after a creek overflowed its banks, flooding an East Texas neighborhood as many residents slept

'The water was up to the roofline of the homes and that's what prevented the people from being able to get away,' said Captain James Muniz of the Palestine Police Department

Inside the flooded home in Palestine. One neighbor told authorities that he saw the family but lost sight of them as he waded through waist-deep water

Police said that several people called to tell them that the grandmother and her children were missing

'We started to get overwhelmed with calls,' said Muniz.

'We had fire and other city workers out looking for them and once the water receded, we found them,' he told NBC.

City crews found the five bodies near one of the homes before dawn after the floodwaters had receded. All other residents of area were accounted for.

Six to 10 homes in the cul-de-sac were severely damaged following heavy rainfall over the course of just a few minutes after midnight, according to Muniz.

The captain said a dump truck was also used to rescue one man from the roof of a home.

Floodwaters from a creek swept up Giovani Olivas, 30, away from his vehicle off US 79 shortly after midnight.

Olivas, who was also from Palestine, Texas, was the flood's sixth victim.

Submerged: Capt. James Muniz of the Palestine Police Department said that six to 10 homes in a Palestine cul-de-sac (Palestine pictured) were severely damaged

Tragedy: City crews found the five bodies near one of the homes before dawn after the floodwaters had receded. Pictured here is a bar under water nearby

'The water was rising so he got out of his vehicle. Some folks on the other side of the creek tried to help him, and he didn't make it,' Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor said. 'He washed away.'

Palestine police say all six bodies have been taken to Tyler for autopsies, which will be completed on Monday.

Residents who evacuated their homes are now trying to see if they can save their personal belongings from the damage.

The Red Cross is helping six to eight families in the neighborhood who were displaced by the flooding, NBC reported.

'All the residences are empty right now. The people are going to go back in and see if they can salvage anything,' Muniz said.

One woman recalled leaving a bar called The Shelton Gin in East Texas as it was beginning to fill with rain water.

There was over half a foot of rain fall that fell in Texas. The waters rose very quickly overnight in Palestine, Texas but the water became too deep for swift water rescues, said the fire chief

Under water: One woman recalled leaving a bar called The Shelton Gin in East Texas as it was beginning to fill with rain water

That was some total craziness now that it is all sinking in. Wow! Now I can't sleep! Wide awake thinking about what could have happened! Geesh!,' wrote Rebecca Longcrier Pue on her Facebook page about the bar

Aftermath: Pictured here is an Old Palenstine, Texas business destroyed by the flood that shocked the state

Rebecca Longcrier Pue shared photos of the bar filled with knee-deep water on her Facebook.

'I have never seen water rise that fast,' she wrote in the post. 'What a crazy night.'

'We lost some cars, my truck, and a some really cool businesses in the holler. We all made it out.'

'Now I can't sleep! Wide awake thinking about what could have happened!'

The flash flooding was the result of a storm that hit the South and the Plains on Friday through Saturday.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas until early Saturday.

A home in Fletcher, Oklahoma was also severely damaged but there were no injuries, officials said.

Tornadoes snaked across northern and eastern Texas, including in Lindale, and southern Oklahoma, causing severe damage as it knocked down tree limbs and power lines - slowing first-responders.

The heavy rain in East Texas began on Friday night continuing into the morning on Saturday. At least six to 10 homes in a Palestine cul-de-sac (not pictured) were severely damaged following heavy rainfall

This shows an image taken by weather satellite GOES East of severe weather in the Southern states

A suspected tornado came through the area Friday night in Lindale, Texas

Stella Quintero, 6, sits on the sidewalk collecting fallen leaves in front of her home in the Woodlands neighborhood of Lindale, Texas Saturday
Since the introduction of the pet travel scheme in 2000, weve been able to go overseas with our dogs and cats (or even ferrets) and back to the UK without having to quarantine the animal.

And while there are preparations to be made such as getting a pet passport, you dont need to plan too far ahead. You have to get your pet vaccinated against rabies only 21 days before bringing it back to the UK from EU and some other countries  until 2012, it was at least six months in advance. So its not surprising that growing numbers of dog owners are taking their pets overseas.

Yet according to the latest edition of Which? Travel, there is a major obstacle to taking our pets abroad. Our international transport operators  planes, ferries and Eurostar  have some of the most restrictive pet policies in the world, claims the consumer magazine.

In safe hands: Brittany Ferries allows pets in it's pet-friendly cabins so travellers need not worry

Most operators give us no choice but to risk trauma being inflicted on our pets if we want to travel abroad with them, either by not allowing them on board at all or by insisting that they travel alone in dangerous conditions.

Which? Travel highlights the fact that while you can take dogs and small animals on trains in the UK (for free), and on most trains across Europe, Eurostar only allows guide and assistance dogs on its services.

When I asked Eurostar why this was the case, it said: We choose to listen to what the majority of our passengers want, and the latest research shows that most would rather not have pets travelling on board.

Eurostar claims there are a number of alternatives to taking pets across the Channel. But as a foot passenger, there is in fact just one service  Newhaven to Dieppe with DFDS (dfdsseaways.co.uk). For North Sea crossings, foot passengers can take pets on DFDSs Newcastle-Amsterdam route and Harwich-Hook of Holland with Stena Line (stenaline.co.uk).

All ferry operators will let you take a pet with you if you are travelling by car. However, as Which? Travel points out, you often have no option but to leave it in your vehicle. This is the case not only on the 90-minute Dover-Calais routes operated by DFDS and P&O Ferries, but also on much longer crossings to France with Brittany Ferries, plus some services to Ireland. Even on the short crossings, leaving a pet unattended in a vehicle can be fatal: on a hot day in 2014, a pug died when left in a car on a P&O Dover-Calais ferry.

If you do need to travel by ferry in the summer and leave a pet unattended in a vehicle, the RSPCA recommends travelling early in the morning, late evening or overnight, when its coolest.

Before booking, establish the arrangements for checking on pets left in cars. While you cant normally visit car decks while ferries are at sea, you may be allowed to make the occasional check on a pet if accompanied by a crew member.

You can take dogs and small animals on trains in the UK (for free), and on most trains across Europe, however the Eurostar only allows guide and assistance dogs on its services

On short Channel crossings, its a no-brainer to use Eurotunnel (eurotunnel.com)  more than 70 per cent of pets entering the UK do so on its Folkestone-Calais trains. Not only do you remain with your pet in the vehicle, the 35-minute crossing is the shortest possible.

Another option with Brittany Ferries (brittany-ferries.co.uk) is a pet-friendly cabin with access to an exercise deck, as your dog will stay with you for the whole journey. These cabins are available on its services from Portsmouth to Le Havre, Bilbao and Santander.

Airlines also need to address their policies urgently. Major US and European airlines allow small dogs and cats to be transported in a container in the cabin. Yet on flights to the UK, all pets must travel in the cargo hold. And no major UK airline allows animals  other than guide dogs  in the cabin; those that do transport pets will only do so with them in the hold.

Its outrageous that British pet owners are getting such a raw deal, says Which? Travel editor Jill Starley-Grainger.

And given the number of pet owners in this country  nearly a quarter of households have a dog  I would add that it surely makes good financial sense for Eurostar to get its act together, and for airlines and ferry companies to allow our pets to travel with us in as comfortable and as safe a way as possible.
Last August, she found herself arrested for shoplifting at a LA-area Target which resulted in the penalty of three years probation, 52 AA classes and 30 days community labor.

However, now it appears Kim Richards may have to do the jail time she had worked to avoid, after failing to complete her AA classes.

According to TMZ, a judge issued a bench warrant for the star on Friday - with bail set at $26,000 - after she failed to file the paperwork proving she had undergone the classes.

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Back in hot water: Kim Richards is once again in trouble with the court after failing to prove she's completed her AA classes, in accord with her plea deal made back in August (pictured in New York City in March)

Later that afternoon, her rep appeared in court empty-handed, prompting the judge to set a probation violation hearing for June 3.

Should he decide on that day Kim did not make a sufficient attempt to complete the classes or community service, she could end up in prison.

Fifty-two classes were required as part of Kim's plea deal, which she made back in August, as shared by TMZ.

Additionally, she needed to complete 30 days of community labor, which also turned out to be an issue for the star.

Bad news: Due to her failure to submit the proper paperwork, a judge has set a probation violation hearing for June 3

Her attorney maintained that she could not do the labor - such as freeway cleanup duty - due to a foot injury.

Back in February the Bravo star came under fire for the excuse, as she was spotted on a red carpet in heels.

The judge then ordered her to come back to court on June 1, and either prove that she has since enrolled in a community labor program, or submit an official doctor's note explaining why she is not able.

Failure to submit the AA forms marks the second complication with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star's plea deal, likely aiding in the judge's decision to sign the warrant.

Whoops! Kim angered the court as despite saying she couldn't complete community labor due to an ankle injury, she was spotted wearing stiletto heels on the red carpet in November 2015 (pictured with Kathy Hilton, L, and Kyle Richards, R)

Kim had two high profile run-ins with the law in 2015, both resulting in plea deals that required her to deal with her addiction issues.

In April of that year, Tshe was arrested after a drunken altercation at The Beverly Hills Hotel - at which she is no longer welcome - where she had to be dragged out of a bathroom after refusing to leave the premises.

She was taken to jail and cited with public intoxication, trespassing, resisting arrest, and battery on a police officer.

Opting out: Kim had first maintained that she couldn't complete her required community labor because of a foot injury (pictured wearing flip flops and with a bandage on one foot in September, with sister Kyle)

Her struggles continued in August as she was arrested after allegedly attempting to steal over $600 worth of merchandise from the Van Nuys Target in California, as reported by TMZ.

Following the Target arrest, Us Weekly had reported that Kim's family had checked her into another hospital.

Prior to that she had checked herself into rehab following an intervention by TV's Dr. Phil, but checked herself out again to attend her daughter Brooke Brinson's May wedding in Mexico.

Then, after falling off the wagon at the wedding, Kim went back into a different rehab facility to continue working on her sobriety, checking out yet again in July.

Leaning on family: Following her shoplifting arrest, it was reported that Kim's family had her checked into hospital to focus on her drinking (pictured with daughter Kimberly Jackson in March)

Most recently, on a March episode of Watch What Happens Live, Kim discussed her past arrests, saying she was 'in recovery' and 'doing great.'

She declined to discuss the Target shoplifting arrest, saying that it was a legal issue, but she did speak on her public intoxication case.

Kim explained that at the time she was coping with her son Chad Davis being sick, her ex-husband Monty Brinson battling cancer, and co-star Lisa Rinna riding her on RHOBH over substance abuse suspicions.

She did tell host Andy Cohen that looking back she believes it all turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it lead to a 30-day stint in rehab.

'I'm kind of relieved it happened. I needed a break,' Kim shared.
She's in New York to attend the glamorous Met Costume Gala on Monday.

And model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looked right at home in a fashion-forward look while out in Manhattan on Friday.

The 29-year-old flashed her black bra under a unique leather jacket featuring a fur or faux fur vest on its outside.

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Always chic: Model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wore a mesh top and leather jacket over a black bra as she stepped out in Manhattan on Friday

Rosie, who go engaged to action star boyfriend Jason Statham, 48, in January, looked relaxed as she exited the building.

The Victoria's Secret model layered a mesh top over a dark bra, which was covered by her trendy outerwear.

The 5ft 9in stunner's clad her lean legs in a pair of black skinny jeans.

The British beauty accessorized with a structured bag, her engagement ring, shades and silver hoop earrings.

Legs for days! The 5ft 9in stunner wore an edgy leather jacket with a fur or faux-fur vest detail

Those legs! The 5ft 9in stunner's clad her lean legs in a pair of black skinny jeans

The Transformers actress completed her chic look with a pair of sued, open-toed booties.

Her lush, blonde hair was styled in a basic ponytail, allowing the her face to gather all of the attention.

The model's cheeks were full-on bronze, while her bee-stung lips were swiped with a classic rose-coloured shade.

Classic beauty: The 29-year-old, who is engaged to 48-year-old action star Jason Statham flashed her engagement ring

Beauty: Her lush, blonde hair was styled in a basic ponytail, allowing the her face to gather all of the attention

Subtle sexiness: The Victoria's Secret model layered a mesh top over a dark bra, which was covered by her trendy outerwear

Beautiful face: The model's cheeks were full-on bronze, while her bee-stung lips were swiped with a classic rose-coloured shade

On Monday, Rosie will attend the fashion world's version of the Oscar's red carpet, the Met Gala.

In an interview with Violet Grey, the supermodel gave some hints about what she'll be wearing to the star-studded event.

Her dress has been 'hand transported back and forth from L.A. for fittings multiple times over the past couple of months, so it will be awaiting me when I arrive!' she said.

'The dress has been completely custom made for me by a legendary designer (I cant reveal who they are just yet!), which is an exciting process and a huge honor.'
He's usually sat watching the acts from the comfort of the judges' table.

However, Simon Cowell was forced to take to centre stage as part of a deadly stunt for the next round of auditions in this year's Britain's Got Talent.

The unsuspecting 56-year-old was called upon by act Ben Blaque to assist him with his terrifying crossbow act.

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In the firing line: Simon Cowell was forced to take to the stage as part of a deadly stunt for the next round of auditions in this year's Britain's Got Talent

As he comes to the stage, the stuntman is heard to announce: 'For this next part I need some help. Simon, do you mind?'

With a nervous smile, Simon stands up and walks on to the stage, before asking the performer: 'Are you sure about this?'

The dangerous act consists of six crossbows all aimed at each other and ready to trigger each other off before finally hitting an apple above Ben's head.

To add more peril to the performance, the dare devil states that he intends to do it all blindfolded while firing towards the sound of the bell that he has asked Simon to ring.

The chosen one: The unsuspecting 56-year-old was called upon by act, Ben Blaque, to assist him with his crossbow act

Life in his hands: With a nervous smile, Simon stands up and apprehensively walks on to the stage

Bell ringer: Simon is asked to ring a bell for the performer as he intends to fire his crossbow while blindfolded

The other judges and audience members all looked stunned as Ben's beautiful blonde assistant places a bag over his head.

And Amanda is seen to hold her hands timidly over her mouth in a state of apprehension before Simon begins ringing the bell.

The judge is then heard to whisper: 'Simon is right in the way of that.'

Complex: The dangerous act consists of six crossbows all aimed at each other, which, when hit, will trigger each other off before finally hitting an apple above Ben's head

Gobsmacked: Amanda is seen to hold her hands timidly over her mouth in a state of apprehension before Simon begins ringing the bell

Unbelievable: The other judges and audience members all looked stunned as Ben's beautiful blonde assistant places a bag over his head

Meanwhile, even comedian David Walliams sits open mouthed in anticipation of what will come next.

However, after a tense few moments, Ben fires off the crossbow with perfect precision and the arrow lands straight through the apple which is balanced precariously just inches from his head.

And both the crowd and the judges cheer in disbelief.

Anxious: An unusually nervous Simon Cowell let his true emotions show as he prepared to take part in the stunt

No chances: Ben covered his full head with a bag so he was unable to see anything while he was firing the crossbow

Perfect timing: After a tense few moments, Ben fires off the crossbow with perfect precision and the arrow lands straight through the apple which is balanced precariously just inches from his head

In the forth episode of the brand new series of Britains Got Talent, Ben will be joined by other competitors, vocal group, Vox Fortis.

The varied line-up of acts competing to be crowned this year's winners are fighting for 250,000 and the opportunity to perform at the Royal Variety Performance 2016.

Watch Britains Got Talent on Saturday night on ITV from 8pm
On Monday, she accused Beyonce and Jay Z of setting up the drama over 'Becky with the good hair' to boost album sales.

And now Wendy Williams says that the term 'Becky' is a racial slur against white women.

The 51-year-old talk show host told her audience on Friday: 'Becky is, to me, a slur against white women and if I were you all, I wouldn't take it. I wouldn't.'

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Offensive? Wendy Williams says that the term 'Becky' is a racial slur against white women

The television host was talking about Iggy Azalea, who also raised concerns about the term and incurred the wrath of Beyonce's fans - known as the Bey Hive.

Iggy tweeted on Monday: 'Don't ever call me a Becky'.

'The Bey Hive has found its latest victim and that's Iggy Azalea,' Williams said, on her Friday show.

'Well you know, in Beyonce's song Lemonade she says "Becky with the good hair." And I said earlier this week that Becky is not a nice term - I find it offensive for you white women,' she went on.

'No. I do. If you called me Shanico I'd punch you in the face, okay? Becky?!' she exclaimed.

Debate: The television host was talking on Friday about Iggy Azalea, who also raised concerns on Monday about the term and incurred the wrath of Beyonce's fans - known as the Beyhive

Fans have been clamoring to figure out who 'Becky with good hair' is since the album was released on Saturday.

It has been rumoured that that 42-year-old fashion designer Rachel Roy is 'Becky' - the woman Beyonce refers to in the song Sorry, in what is believed to be a reference to the 46-year-old rap mogul's alleged infidelity.

The media personality gave her two cents about the ugly situation on Monday, as she said: 'Rachel Roy, first of all, you're not this fighting girl unless you're on Jay Z and Beyonce's payroll.

'And they paid you to mix it up to add, I guess, sales for Lemonade.'

Slur? Wendy explained the history of the debate

Hot topic: She read the details from a card on her talk show

Speaking out: The 51-year-old talk show host told her audience on Friday: 'Becky is, to me, a slur against white women and if I were you all I wouldn't take it. I wouldn't'

The rumors about Jay Z's alleged cheating re-surfaced after his wife Beyonce hinted he had not been faithful in songs featured on her new album Lemonade.

In the song Sorry, Beyonce sings: 'He only want me when Im not on there / He better call Becky with the good hair.'

Following the song's release Roy posted an Instagram message in which she appeared to out herself as the 'other woman' stating: 'Good hair dont care, but we will take good lighting, for selfies, or self truths, always. live in the light #nodramaqueens.'

Chat: The controversy started last Saturday when Beyonce released Lemonade

The themes of infidelity in Beyonce's new track were so strong that even Monica Lewinsky, who infamously had an 'inappropriate relationship' with former President Bill Clinton, made a joke about it.

The 42-year-old made a joke on Twitter as she wrote: 'hey, will someone let me know if it's safe for me to listen to #LEMONADE? #sarcasmfilter.'

The saga comes on the back of previous rumours of Jay Z, 46, cheating on his superstar wife and mother of his four-year-old daughter Blue Ivy with Roy.

His infidelity was believed to have been behind the infamous elevator fight between Jay Z and Beyonce's sister Solange in 2014 following the Met Gala.

Who is Becky? The rumors about Jay Z's alleged cheating re-surfaced after his wife Beyonce hinted he had not been faithful in songs featured on her new album Lemonade

Roy was at the celebrity-packed, invite-only Met Gala after-party, held at New York's Standard Hotel, when he and Solange began to argue.

Solange looked she would 'explode' when she approached Roy at the exclusive event, sources claimed at the time.

Later security footage of Solange leaving the event with her sister and Jay Z showed her arguing with the hip hop star as they got into one of the hotel's elevators.
Diane Sawyer enjoyed a leisurely stroll in Manhattan on Friday revealing she appears to have suffered some kind of foot injury.

The veteran ABC journalist was seen wearing a supportive brace on her right foot, while she wore a regular trainer on her left foot.

But the 70-year-old appeared to be in good spirits, despite the medical sandal over a thick wooly sock that assisted her.

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What happened? Diane Sawyer, 70, was spotted wearing a brace on her right foot as she walked in New York on Friday

For her stroll, Diane was well-dressed, layering a crisp, blue shirt underneath a black pea coat.

She added a pair of black slacks and walked with her hands in her pocket and purse hung over her shoulder.

Possible injury: The veteran news anchor wore a multi-coloured trainer on her left foot

Looking great: Diane is pictured in New York in February

In 2014, the journalist lost both her husband and mom within one month of each each.

Diane, who has always been a hard worker, has continued to keep herself busy with her work, and still lands high-profile interviews.

In April 2015, Diane spoke with Bruce Jenner, 65, before he legally changed his name to Caitlyn and underwent his gender transition.

Focused on work: In April 2015, Diane spoke with Bruce Jenner, 66, about his planned gender transition before the Olympian legally changed his name to Caitlyn.The duo are expected to speak again this year.

The duo are expected to speak again this year.

In March, the award-winning journalist spent one-on-one time with Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo, 43.

Their highly-publicized interview was due to the telenovela star's secret meeting with drug lord El Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.
Megan Gale has taken to motherhood like a duck to water since welcoming her first child more than 23-months-ago.

And as the model mum continues to relish in her role, the brunette beauty's spoken about the possibility of welcoming a sibling for her cherubic tot, River.

You do fall in love with them so much and all the different phases that they go through, and I love being pregnant too,' the 40-year-old told AAP on Friday.

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Expanding the brood! Australian model Megan Gale has spoken about the possibility of welcoming a sibling for her cherubic tot, River, admitting she's 'tempted' by the idea

'I love the idea of another one and perhaps giving him [River] a little play friend,' she concluded.

Earlier in the month, the Mad Max: Fury Road star took to Instagram to share a snap of her boy spending the morning playing with toys while looking overly stylish in winter threads.

While River, who turns two in May, is preoccupied with a giant wheel, his ever-watchful mother takes a sneaky snap and reveals mock jealously at her little one's wardrobe.

'My little man... He's obsessed with ANYTHING that has a wheel,' Megan captioned the black and white shot.

Doting mum: The Mad Max: Fury Road star took to Instagram to share a snap of her son River spending the morning playing with toys while looking overly stylish in winter threads

'I'm obsessed with all the cool winter boys clothes that are out there. It pains me to say he is more stylish than I. Although I am the one who dresses him soooooo....'

Megan and her AFL player partner of five years, Shaun Hampson, who are yet to get engaged, became parents for the first time on May 13, 2014 when they welcomed their son.

While chatting to Daily Mail Australia, the Mad Max actress said being a mother has taught her to relax and has shown her the importance of taking things slowly.

Growing up: Megan and her AFL player partner of five years, Shaun Hampson became parents for the first time on May 13, 2014 when they welcomed their precious little boy (Pictured May 2015)

Cuddles for daddy: The doting mum proudly posts shots across social media of her boys bonding

'Don't put so much pressure on yourself, especially in the first twelve weeks, to try and maintain a household, and the baby and the relationships  the baby really is the main focus,' she told DMA.

The L'Oreal Paris ambassador added, 'Don't feel so compelled that you have to catch up with people, do all those things. Just sort of take your time and make the baby a priority.'

Her next big on-screen appearance will be on Australia's Next Top Model.

Megan will step up to the show as a permanent judge, replacing her good friend Charlotte Dawson two years after her death.

She will also join veteran judge Alex Perry and Jennifer Hawkins and guest judges Cheyenne Tozzi and Didier Cohen on on the highly popular Fox 8 show, now in its tenth season.
Lindsay Lohan's parents have publicly accepted that their own troubled relationship had an impact on their famous daughter and her troubles with substance abuse.

Michael and Dina Lohan, now divorced, discussed the heartache they feel about how their behavior may have had a negative influence on the actress' life and choices during an appearance on the Steve Harvey Show.

'I think, inevitably I think we are responsible for the path that Lindsay took,' Michael acknowledged.

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Had an impact: Dina and Michael Lohan, who divorced in 2007, acknowledged the role they may have played in their famous daughter's struggles with substance abuse in an upcoming episode of The Steve Harvey Show

Troubled past: Lindsay Lohan, pictured in London in April, has been in and out of rehab multiple times in her life

'Our divorce, because of our relationship, affected Lindsay to the point where she drowned her sorrows and numbed her pain, he added. 'And it breaks my heart to think that she suffered because of the way I acted. I see it everyday, and I see how people struggle with it. This kid is such a talented girl and she's come such a long way.'

Dina also seemed to acknowledge they did shoulder some of the blame for their daughter's addiction.

'You know I think when she was little, she saw most of the abuse,' Dina said. 'So Lindsay did witness a lot, and I absolutely think it takes its toll on children.'

'It breaks my heart to think that she suffered because of the way I acted': Michael did not gloss over how he felt he contributed to his daughter's life

Brush with the law: The show displayed Lohan's numerous mugshots taken over the years

Lindsay has been in and out of rehab multiple times in her life, which included a stint in 2013.

The actress took viewers inside her life following rehab in the self-titled docuseries for OWN, which aired in 2014.

She worked in London at the start of 2015, having bagged a run in David Mamet's Speed-The-Plow.

Meanwhile: Lindsay became engaged this month to 22-year-old Russian heir Egor Tarabasov after dating for eight months, although her rep has denied it

Lindsay has lately been romancing 22-year-old Russian heir Egor Tarabasov.

The former child star, who moved to the UK years ago to escape her LA lifestyle, moved into an apartment with Egor in London last month.

While in New York City over the past week, the actress has been spending time with her mother Dina and model sister Ali Lohan, and even took to the stage to perform at a Duran Duran concert.
She's barely left his side since giving birth in February.

And as Rose Byrne hit the road to promote her latest film on Friday, it seems the new mother was eager to keep her baby son Rocco close to her heart.

The actress proudly sported a gold necklace bearing her son's name as she made her way through L.A.X. airport after leaving the tot at home in New York.

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Fresh faced: Rose Byrne showed off her flawless complexion as she jetted in to Los Angeles on Friday

Close to her heart: The doting mother wore her son's name around her neck for the journey

The new mother put on a stylish display as she made her way through the arrivals hall, showing off her impressive post-pregnancy figure in some jeans and a trendy beige coat.

Foregoing make-up for the journey, the 36-year-old's skin glowed as she arrived at the airport.

She wore her brunette locks loose, adding some glamorous black sunglasses to her look as she made her way outside.

Rose was dressed casually in some blue jeans, a black t-shirt and coat, and added the delicate gold necklace to her ensemble.

Style: The 36-year-old was dressed casually in some blue jeans, a brown coat and some black ankle boots

Mummy on the move! The actress gave birth to her first child, Rocco, just two months ago

She had a black handbag slung over one shoulder and finished the outfit with some black ankle boots.

In February Rose welcomed her first child with partner Bobby Cannavale.

Gushing over her son, Rocco, in an interview with Sunrise on Friday, she said: 'He's cute.

Under the weather? Rose appeared to stifle a cough as she made her way out of the airport

Busy schedule: Rose has been promoting her newest film, The Meddler, in recent weeks

'He's got a big fat head. Yeah, he's pretty mellow,' she said nonchalantly.

Joking with reporter Andrew Nelson about how she planned to honour his Australian roots, she said she would feed him 'Vegemite for breakfast, lunch and dinner.'

Actress Susan Sarandon, with whom Rose stars alongside in the forthcoming film The Meddler, revealed she had met the little one.

'He's so cute and so masculine,' she said.

Off we go! The beauty was quick to hop in to a waiting car after arriving at the airport
It was only back in November when Sylvia Jeffreys credited her Today Show colleague Lisa Wilkinson for teaching her 'to stand up for herself'.

But five months on, new reports suggest the Channel Nine personalities are not exactly each other's biggest fans.

The Sydney Morning Herald's Saturday Private Sydney column reports that there have been 'rumours that their relationship had cooled off dramatically, to the point where the women barely spoke off camera', though Channel Nine has been quick to deny this is the case.

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Feud? New reports suggest The Today Show's Lisa Wilkinson and Sylvia Jeffreys are not seeing eye-to-eye

A Channel Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday: 'they were rumours and based on no truth'.

Meanwhile, a source close to 56-year-old Lisa and 30-year-old Sylvia has also denied such a 'professional rift' exists between the show's main co-host and newsreader.

Explaining they are 'good friends', one source told The Sydney Morning Herald that 'Sylvia sees Lisa as a great supporter and mentor, and Sylvia has nothing but the upmost (sic) respect for Lisa'.

Both Lisa and Sylvia are managed by The Fordham Company, with its CEO Nick Fordham telling the publication there are definitely no issues between the pair and 'they really like each other'.

No bad blood here: Last Friday Lisa shared this throwback snap of the pair to wish Sylvia a happy 30th birthday

Stepping in: The past week has seen Sylvia co-hosting alongside Karl Stefanovic while Lisa has been away

Daily Mail Australia has also reached out to The Fordham Company for comment.

While Lisa has been co-hosting the network's breakfast program, The Today Show, alongside Karl Stefanovic since 2007, Sylvia's prominent involvement with the show is much more recent.

She had big shoes to fill when she replaced Georgie Gardner as newsreader in mid 2014.

Last November Sylvia actually revealed how Lisa helped her deal with the public backlash she faced after replacing fan favourite Georgie, 44.

'Lisa has shared a lot of personal experiences with me. She's taught me to stand up for myself', she told The Daily Telegraph at the time.

Host: Lisa has been co-hosting the network's breakfast program, The Today Show, alongside Karl Stefanovic since 2007

Celebrity couple: Sylvia is dating The Today Show co-host Karl Stefanovic's brother Pete who also works with the network

'Women can find it difficult to ruffle feathers but she's taught me it's okay to be a feather ruffler if it's something you believe in.'

The past week has seen Sylvia co-hosting alongside Karl while Lisa has been away.

And while she wasn't in the studio to wish her colleague a happy birthday last week, Lisa's social media post on Friday certainly suggested there is no bad blood between the pair.

'A huge happy 30th birthday to the super talented and completely gorgeous @sylviajeffreys - without doubt one of the best women I know. Have a gorgeous day SJ.xx (sic),' read the caption next to a photo of the two women at the 2015 Logie Awards.

The battle for breakfast has never been tighter, with The Today Show's rise in ratings recently against rival show Sunrise.
Nikki Phillips knows how to make heads turn.

And Friday was no different for the New Zealand born fashion blogger and model, who took to Instagram to show off her curves in a figure-hugging teal dress ahead of weekend celebrations.

Dancing in front of a colourful graffiti wall, the 31-year-old beauty made the most of her enviable figure in the structured party frock.

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Strike a pose: Nikki Phillips makes fans green with envy as she shows off her svelte figure in a green dress as she strikes a pose in front of a graffiti was

The stylish Ginger & Smart dress, which featured frilled sleeves and a low back, showed off the model's lithe pins and clung to every contour, including her ample assets.

The blonde beauty captioned the whimsical shot: 'Friday feels. Time to Dance'.

Nikki heightened her petite form with a pair of Jimmy Choo heels which not only elongated her silhouette but accentuated her sizeable calf muscles.

The wife of New Zealand DJ and jewellery designer Dane Rumble styled her glamorous outfit with minimal accessories, opting for a simple but chic watch.

Supporting her hubby: Nikki supported her husband, Danny Rumble, at the launch of his watch brand, Culet Automatiq in Sydney on Wednesday evening

The fashionista was polished to a high standard with her blonde locks styled out and straight, while impeccably-applied make-up intensified her natural beauty.

Days earlier, Nikki supported her husband at the launch of his watch brand, Culet Automatiq, in Sydney.

The blonde beauty gushed about Danny fulfilling his dream to create luxurious designed watches at the star studded bash, on Wednesday night.

'Extremely proud wife': The 31-year-old spoke at the event and told the crowd she is an 'extremely proud wife'

Speaking to attendees, Nikki said: 'I'm standing here as an extremely proud wife.

'My husband is not only the director of Culet Automatiq, but he is the creator, the designer and the mastermind of Ghost which is the most exquisite-made time piece that I'm sure you have seen tonight.'

She continued to tell the crowd - which included the likes of lifestyle blogger Zoe Marshall, wedding dress designer, Steven Khalil, as well as former Big Brother housemates Aisha McKinnon and Travis Lunardi - she liked to call the watch 'the other woman'.

'Not only does she keep all his time, his energy, his emotions, [she] keeps him in the office and all of those sporadic international trips.

Genetically blessed: The beauty showed off her gym-honed figure alongside her dapper looking husband

'So I was very eager to meet her and she landed in Australia about a month ago. I was shocked, overwhelmed, slightly jealous - she has better legs than me - and I was extremely proud.

'All his hard work for the last two-years has been shown in this beautiful watch and he is the most creative and incredible genius that I have ever met,' she concluded.

The Swiss made timepieces are valued at $2,300 and only 200 have been made available.
Fans of Channel Ten's Offspring certainly have a great reason to rejoice, as the Logie award-winning drama commenced filming of its sixth season this week.

On Saturday the popular show's official Facebook page shared the first photo of the main cast on set, with fan favourites Asher Keddie, Kat Stewart, Deborah Mailman and Richard Davies all returning.

Meanwhile newcomer TJ Power, famed for his role in Eat Pray Love, was also in the shot, announced as a new addition to the show alongside Australian actor Dan Wyllie.

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They're back: Channel Ten drama Offspring started filming of its sixth season this week - cast members TJ Power, Kat Stewart, Richard Davies, Deborah Mailman and Asher Keddie pictured on set in Melbourne

'New faces and familiar faves, we're excited to have begun filming for our new season... And we're even more excited to bring it to your screens,' read the start of the caption next to the photo.

'Joining us this season for the first time are Dan Wyllie and TJ Power. See you soon,' it concluded.

In the image the lead star Asher, who plays Nina Proudman on the show, was seen holding onto a clapper board to celebrate filming.

Sporting her character's usual eclectic fashion sense, she wore a loose-fitted blouse with sheer sleeves, tucked into a faded denim number.

It's all happening: The official Facebook page for the Channel Ten program shared a photo of the script for Season Six's first episode on Thursday

Time to film: Australian actor Patrick Brammall tweeted this on Tuesday as filming commenced

Leo is back! Patrick Brammall, who plays Asher's character Nina's most recent love interest Leo Taylor, will be returning for season six, but it's unclear if his character will still be as loved up with Nina in the new season

Standing next to her was Richard Davies who plays her younger brother Jimmy Proudman on the show, while Kat Stewart and Deborah Mailman, who portray Billie Proudman and Cherie Butterfield respectively, sat down on the couch in front.

A new face in the shot was TJ Power, wearing a blue coloured shirt and complementing jeans.

He arrived on set this week to play the handsome lawyer Will Bowen, and his inclusion will surely incite some heated speculation.

'The thought of bringing Offspring alive again, with all its great challenges, buoyancy, and enormous fun was irresistible,' Asher told News Corp in an article published on Saturday.

Could this be Nina Proudman's new love? Eat Pray Love actor TJ Power joined the cast of Offspring this week as filming for season six kicked off

Another addition: Underbelly and Puberty Blues star Dan Wyllie has also been announced as a new cast member

Set to return: Last year it was confirmed that the show would be returning in 2016 with Kat Stewart and Asher Keddie, who plays sisters Billie and Nina Proudman

''I'm breathless with excitement as we begin this sixth series, and couldnt be happier with the journey our writers have created.'

The lead actress and the network executives have kept the details of their relationship under wraps, but Asher left the possibility open in an interview last year.

'The way I saw it was that it [romance with Leo Taylor] was another phase of Ninas life but I never felt 100 per cent sure that she had found everything and was satisfied,' she told News Corp.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Network Ten for comment.

Fans are understandably excited about the return of the show, with the official Facebook page sending audiences into a frenzy by posting a snap of the first episode's script.

Alarm bells: Nina sensed something wasn't quite right at the end of season four when she found Patrick Reid, played by Matt Le Nevez on the side of the road after being hit by a car - he passed away in hospital shortly after

Family: The on-screen couple were expecting a gorgeous baby girl at the time Patrick's death, with Nina seen imaging her late love's presence in this hospital scene after giving birth

For more than a year the network had stated it was still locked in discussions with the show's producers to commission a sixth season.

In October 2014, Beverley McGarvey, Chief Programming Officer at Ten, told Daily Mail Australia a final decision regarding the popular program had not been made for 2015.

'We want Offspring to return in 2015. We are in discussions with the producers and they are, in turn, in discussions with the key creatives and cast,' she said.

It was announced in September 2015 that season six would be going ahead.
She recently tied the knot with My Kitchen Rules judge Pete Evans.

And following the nuptials there was only one more thing left for Nicola Robinson to do - make it Instagram official.

The 39-year-old fitness enthusiast has now changed her name on the social media platform to 'Nicola Robinsons Evans'.

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Taking the next step: Nicola Robinson has changed her Instagram name to 'Nicola Robinson Evans' after tying the knot with My Kitchen Rules judge Pete Evans

Slight change: Her handle @nutritionmermaid remains the same, though her name is now extended

Her handle @nutritionmermaid remains the same.

In an article published in New Idea magazine earlier this week, Nicola opened up about her decision to change her surname after marrying 42-year-old celebrity chef Pete.

'I've always felt reluctant to change my name out of respect for my own family, but it's definitely time for me to honour Pete and share his last name,' she told the publication.

The couple also shared some details of their farmhouse wedding in New South Wales with the magazine.

Making the switch: She told New Idea magazine 'it's definitely time for me to honour Pete and share his last name'

The couple revealed the intimate affair was complete with 'butterfly bridesmaids, four-legged guests and Paleo cake'.

'We didn't write vows, we chose to do what we call "winging it",' Nicola revealed of the pair's nuptials.

'We shared our deepest hopes, dreams and promises from our hearts.'

The pair's nuptials come after the celebrity chef proposed last year while they were on holiday in New York.

Loved up: Pete met his second wife Nicola in Adelaide four years ago, and she has been a driving force behind his Paleo lifestyle

They met four years ago in Adelaide and she has been a driving force behind his Paleo lifestyle.

Nicola was previously married to millionaire Warriors rugby league club owner, Eric Watson, though they didn't have children together.

Meanwhile Pete's two daughters are from his previous marriage with Astrid Edlinger, from whom he split in 2011.
Steve Irwin's brother-in-law, the long serving manager of Australia Zoo, was allegedly marched off site and has left his position after a spat with his widow Terri.

Frank Muscillo, who has worked at the Queensland attraction since 1978, is said to have been escorted out of the site amid growing animosity between Terri and the late crocodile hunter's family.

According to The Courier Mail, Frank, who is married to Steve's sister Joy, is the latest Irwin to have severed ties with the establishment.

Dispute: Terri Irwin is said to have had another spat with her late husband's family which has resulted in the departure of his brother-in-law from Australia Zoo

He declined to comment on the matter when approached by Daily Mail Australia as did the zoo.

A spokesman instead said: 'We don't disclose or comment on information regarding our team both past or present as a measure to protect their privacy.'

It comes after the news that Bob, Steve's father, has taken up campaigning for rival zoos in Queensland.

No comment: Frank Muscillo (above with his wife, Joy) left the zoo. He declined to comment when contacted

Family: Frank's departure brings an end to Steve Irwin's family's connections to the zoo, it was claimed

His rift with his grandchildren has been well documented, with Bindi admitting last year they had not spoken in years.

'Everyone deals with grief differently,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'When my dad passed away he chose to distance himself from everything that dad loved the most.

'At the moment were really just respecting his wishes because he hasnt had anything to do with us for a long time and he decided his own path.

Estranged: The late crocodile hunter's father Bob (left) has not spoken to them for years after a falling out with Terri

History: Frank has been involved with the zoo since 1978, according to its website

'Thats important so good for him.'

Terri is allegedly currently facing legal action over claims she and her children have not honoured contracts with the company which represents the family's brand.

Zoo Sky Media Pty Ltd is understood to have launched a case against the trio after she allegedly told them they were taking a break from commitments to 'reassess' their lives.
Production on the third Maze Runner film has been postponed indefinitely as a result of serious injuries sustained by star Dylan O'Brien in March.

The actor was badly hurt in an on set accident but Fox, the studio behind the film, had anticipated being able to resume filming on May 9.

However, the 24-year-old's injuries are more severe than originally thought, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and the production is now on hold pending his recovery.

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Badly hurt: Dylan O'Brien, pictured in September 2015, was injured in an on set accident while filming Maze Runner: The Death Cure in Vancouver, Canada, on March 18.

O'Brien was in a harness on top of a moving vehicle on set in Vancouver, Canada, on March 18 when he was pulled off unexpectedly and hit by another vehicle, sources told THR.com previously.

A report from WorkSafeBC described his injuries as including a 'concussion, facial fracture and lacerations.'

'His injuries are very serious, and he needs more time to recover,' OBriens publicist Jennifer Allen told the trade publication.

Action packed: The actor, 24, stars as Thomas and now production on the third film has been halted because he needs more time to recover from injuries sustained when he was hit by a vehicle in a stunt gone wrong

In a statement Friday, Fox said: 'We wish Dylan a speedy recovery and look forward to restarting production as soon as possible.'

Maze Runner: The Death Cure was slated for release in February 2017, but looks unlikely now to meet that schedule.

In the plotline for the third and final in the trilogy, O'Brien's character Thomas embarks on a mission to find a cure to a deadly disease known as the 'Flare.'
She's claimed she had an 'emotional affair' with her daughter Courtney Stodden's much-older husband.

And now Krista Keller has told US Weekly she was so traumatized by her time on The Mother/Daughter Experiment that she turned to Christian counselling to deal with PTSD.

The religious counselor said Courtney was under the devil's influence, and urged her to cut off contact with her daughter for 'five to eight years,' Krista said.

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Prayers: Krista Keller, seen in Los Angeles on Tuesday, says a Christian counselor advised her to cut off contact with daughter Courtney Stodden because she's under the devil's influence

'I am in Christian counseling due to post-traumatic stress syndrome from doing the show,' the 56-year-old told US Weekly.

The new therapist 'felt that the devil has his hands all over (Courtney's) situation and on some of the choices that are being made,' she said.

Knowing that it was out of her hands helped her move on from the drama stirred up by the show, Krista said.

'I just look at myself and try to be the best person I can be and pray for my daughter, lots of prayer for my daughter,' she said.

Happier times: Krista and Courtney at a Hollywood fashion show in 2014. Krista has claimed she had an emotional affair with her daughter's much-older husband, actor Doug Hutchinson

Controversial marriage: Courtney, 21, and Doug, 55, out on a date for Valentine's Day this year. The couple controversially married when she was just 16 years old, after getting Krista's legal permission

The Christian counselor also said Krista should cut out Courtney from her life for five-to-eight years until she 'comes back to God.'

The women hashed out their complicated relationship with Courtney's husband, actor Doug Hutchinson, on the Lifetime series this season.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kim Richards and her daughter Kimberly Jackson, and former The Hills star Heidi Montag and her mom Darlene Egelhoff are also on the show.

Tense situation: Doug joined the women on The Mother/Daugther Experiment last week, where he deniced any emotional affair and claimed Krista confessed she was in love with him

Courtney wed the X-Files actor Doug when she was just 16 and he was 50, after Krista gave her legal approval.

On last week's episode, Green Mile actor Doug made a surprise appearance for a heated therapy session, where he adamantly insisted that any 'emotional affair' between him and Krista was all in her head.

Instead, just two weeks into his marriage, Krista 'threw this thing into a nightmare' and passionately confessed her love for him, Doug said.

In the hot seat: Krista said she had an 'emotional affair' with her daughter's husband

Confrontation time: Courtney looked emotional as the trio hashed out their issues on the Lifetime show

'Krista was relentless about her feelings for me, how when she was lying next door she was thinking about me,' Doug said.

'It culminated into an unbelievable confession from Krista saying, 'When Courtney leaves here, I will be here for you - because I am in love with you.'

As Krista repeatedly insisted he was lying, Doug calmly said: 'I'm not the only one who knows that Krista is a compulsive liar.'
He became a father for the first time at the age of 62.

But being a new parent doesn't seem to have stopped Jeff Goldblum's social life.

The actor and his 33-year-old wife Emilie Livingston hit not one but two parties in Washington on Friday night.

Night off: New parents Jeff Goldblum, 63, and wife Emilie Livingston, 33, escaped their nine-month-old for the night to hit TWO parties in Washington DC on Friday night

The 6'4" Independence Day star looked sharp in black, matching his trouser, shirt and tie combo with a velvet suit jacket.

His Olympic gymnast missus meanwhile looked cute in a floral print short dress.

There was no sign - obviously - of nine-month-old Charlie Ocean, who decided to skip the party scene and give his parents the night off.

The loved up couple arrived at the W Hotel Rooftop for The New Yorker's annual party celebrating the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington.

Looking fly: The 6'4" Independence Day star looked sharp in black, matching his trouser, shirt and tie combo with a velvet suit jacket

At home: There was no sign - obviously - of nine-month-old Charlie Ocean, who decided to skip the party scene and give his parents the night off

Fit: His Olympic gymnast missus meanwhile looked cute in a floral print short dress

They were also spotted at the 'Celebration of Journalism', hosted by SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors GuildAmerican Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and Variety, celebrating the same thing.

Alison Janney and House Of Cards star Constance Zimmer were also rubbing shoulders at the shindig.

Emilie is Goldblum's third wife - he was married to Patricia Gaul from 1980 to 1986, and to thrice co-star Geena Davis from 1987 to 1990.

Hug it out: The loved up couple arrived at the W Hotel Rooftop for The New Yorker's annual party celebrating the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington

Party hoppers: They were also spotted at the 'Celebration of Journalism', hosted by SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors GuildAmerican Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and Variety, celebrating the same thing

There is less than two months to go until Jeff reprises his role as scientist David Levinson for the eagerly awaited Independence Day sequel, Resurgence.

Last week he revealed he is also open to returning to his other most famous role as mathematician Ian Malcolm in the Jurassic Park franchise.

'I'm nothing if not open. I'm like an open-faced sandwich. My door is not always open - I took the door off. I removed the hinges from the door,' he said. 'I'm too open. I'm like a chicken piccata.'
She's never been happier since getting together with her new beau Ronnie Bacardi.

And Freida Pinto's glow was evident as she arrived for an outbound flight at LAX airport, Los Angeles on Friday, putting on quite the trendy display.

The 31-year-old Indian actress opted for a structured bubblegum pink leather jacket over a plain white top, which she teamed with a pair of ripped skinny jeans.

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Jet-setter: Freida Pinto, 31, arrived for an outbound flight at LAX airport, Los Angeles on Friday

The jeans fell short of her ankles and showed off her stylish metallic loafers, which looked the epitome of comfort for the flight ahead.

Throwing her hair up in a ponytail served to exaggerate her pink smiley pout, and she shielded the rest of her face with a pair of dark tinted sunglasses.

Resting on her glistening collar bone was a delicate chain necklace, which added a touch of glamour to the outfit.

The Slumdog Millionaire star came well prepared with a boxy grey handbag, carrying her essentials in one hand and a large black hat in the other.

The former travel show host made her way in to the airport for her impending journey.

Feminine: The Indian actress opted for a structured bubblegum pink leather jacket over a plain white top, which she teamed with a pair of ripped skinny jeans

Jovial display: Throwing her hair up in a ponytail served to exaggerate her pink smiley pout

Comfortable and stylish: The jeans fell short of her ankles and showed off her stylish metallic loafers, which looked the epitome of comfort for the flight ahead

Freida has carved out quite the career for herself in Hollywood, however recently spoke to ELLE about the pressures she faces in regards to representing Indian women.

'Telling stories from my subcontinent is my way of making sure that I'm representing stories from my part of the world on a global scale,' she mentioned.

'After I did Slumdog Millionaire I made a very conscious decision, I wanted to make sure everything I make is enjoyed on a global scale. I want it to be for everybody, [because] I'm so proud of where I come from.

The essentials: The Slumdog Millionaire star came well prepared with a boxy grey handbag carrying her essentials in one hand and a large black hat in the other

'Talking about borders and boundaries is the biggest obstacle for diversity. As soon as we let that fade, it will be much better for all of us,' the brunette concluded.

Work aside, she has been enjoying her downtime with professional polo player since they met in October of last year.

They moved quickly, even holidaying in Vancouver together shortly after to celebrate Freida's birthday.

The attractive duo finally made their red carpet debut at the Vanity Fair Oscars party back in February.

The former model mentioned early last year that she's still 'good friends' with ex Dev Patel, who was six years her junior.

After her sudden split to the British actor, she relocated from London to Los Angeles where she is making full use of the city's resources.
Fans will be thrilled to know production for the tenth season of Australia's Next Top Model has kicked off in Sydney.

A few familiar faces are returning to the popular Foxtel series, as well as a few new ones that will be a pleasant surprise.

Supermodel Megan Gale joins the cast as a permanent judge, taking on the role in place of the late Charlotte Dawson.

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First look! Production for ANTM begins with the new cast from L to R with Zac Stenmark, Cheyenne Tozzi, Jennifer Hawkins, Megan Gale, Jordan Stenmark and Alex Pery

Megan showed off her incredible curves in a nay gown with the shoulders cut out and a full peplum skirt, clinching her waist with a thick black belt.

Meanwhile, Jennifer looked chic as always in a black, mid-length dress with a high neck and sheer panels around her waist to show a flash of her taut midsection.

Dark colours certainly seemed to be the theme for the evening, with Cheyenne also opting for a midnight hue with a high thigh split.

Hourglass: Megan showed off her incredible curves in a nay gown with the shoulders cut out

A good looking group! The six Australian fashion identities were introduced as the cast for Australia's Next Top Model last month

The Stenmark twins looked dapper as they always do in baby blue shirts, unbuttoned, underneath beautifully tailored blazers.

Fashion designer Alex went for a slightly more casual option of black biker trousers, a black T-shirt and a leather jacket.

He accessorised with his signature look, a pair of sunglasses placed on top of his head.

Joining the fray: It will be the first time the Stenmarks have appeared on the show as mentors, with Cheyenne returning to the show since first appearing in 2010

Leaving a legacy behind: Megan will be taking the place of the late Charlotte Dawson, who took her own life in February 2014

Megan will be taking the reigns as the first permanent judge of the show since Charlotte, who took her own life in February 2014.

Charlotte who had been a judge on Foxtel's reality series from 2007 to 2013, died after a long and arduous battle with depression, exacerbated by ferocious cyber-bullying.

The 41-year-old Megan began filming on the show's tenth season in Sydney on Friday, saying she feels privileged for the opportunity but certainly won't be attempting to replace her predecessor.

'For me it's a great way to keep talking about her and how great she was for the show, and it's a great way to keep her memory alive,' she says.
She's taking to the stage in her off-Broadway show Dry Powder.

And Claire Danes was spotted making her way to the theatre in New York City on Friday, rocking a laid-back look and displaying her radiant, make-up free complexion.

The 37-year-old Homeland actress was sporting a simple, all-black ensemble as she strolled along en route to the Public Theatre, listening to music through her headphones.

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Laid-back beauty: Claire Danes was rocking a casual ensemble as she made her way to the Public Theatre in New York City on Friday ahead of her off-Broadway production

Claire looked effortlessly stylish in her classic coat, bundling up against the chill by wearing the hood pulled over her head and accessorising with a patterned scarf.

The blonde beauty opted for a simple black skirt, worn with opaque tights and a pair of over-the-knee suede boots.

She carried a leather satchel on her back as she made her way to the theatre for another intense evening of treading the boards.

Treading the boards: The actress will be performing in Dry Powder alongside John Krasinski until May 1

Natural look: Claire opted to forgo make-up for her laid-back outing, looking every inch the natural beauty

Claire is juggling her theatre commitments with being a mother to her three-year-old son Cyrus with husband Hugh Dancy.

Her play at Public Theatre is directed by Hamilton's Thomas Kail, and is about a man named Seth (John Krasinski), who sets a desperate man up with a win-win investment which is then complicated by his counterpart.

The production, which also stars Hank Azaria, is scheduled to run through May 1 at the Public Theater in NYC.

Hectic schedule: Claire is juggling her theatre commitments with being a mother to her three-year-old son Cyrus with husband Hugh Dancy

Must see show: The play, directed by Hamilton's Thomas Kail, and centres around character Seth (Krasinski), who sets a desperate man up with a win-win investment which is then complicated by his counterpart

Meanwhile, Claire is signed up to return as Carrie Mathison for a sixth season of her hit Showtime series this September 2016.

It was recently revealed that the upcoming season of Claire's popular series would shift focus to be more 'domestically' based.

When asked for details, Showtime president David Nevins revealed at the Television Critics Association press tour: 'It will be set domestically, primarily in the New York area.'
They are one of Hollywoods most loved couples.

And away from their busy on-screen career, Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber looked every inch the doting pair as they huddled up together for a sweet family snap on Saturday.

Posing with their beloved children - Alexander, eight, and Samuel, seven - the A-list stars appeared to be in great and relaxed spirits as they kicked back during some quality time off.

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'My tribe': Naomi Watts cuddled up to handsome beau Liev Schreiber and their beloved children in a sweet family snap, which was posted on Instagram on Saturday

My tribe #family xxx, the 47-year-old actress simply captioned the candid selfie, which she posted on her Instagram page.

The lovely picture saw the happy family look downwards into the camera lens, while enjoying the balmy outdoor climes.

Naomi and Liev were recently reunited after the Spotlight actor returned from a stint of filming Ray Donovan in Primm, Nevada.

'Relationships are hard whether you're famous or not': Their bonding session also comes soon after the mother-of-two spoke openly about her 11 year relationship with her handsome partner

Their bonding session also comes soon after the mother-of-two spoke openly about her 11 year relationship with her beau in the spring fashion forward issue of Los Angeles Confidential.

'Relationships are hard whether you're famous or not, she confessed. I don't know anyone who doesn't have to work on it. Being an actor doesn't change anything.'

'I'm sure it's the same if you're a doctor or a couple of lawyers, she added.

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.'

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.
She plays the fierce matriarch Polly Gray in 1920s drama Peaky Blinders.

But Helen McCrory looked worlds away from the acclaimed role as she donned a quirky ensemble at the MAC Pro to Pro Textile Party at London's Camden Roundhouse.

The 47-year-old actress looked chic in a fur-trimmed mustard coat which she topped off with a jaunty trilby as she made a stylish arrival on Friday night.

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Quirky: Helen McCrory looked eclectic in a mustard fur-lined coat with a trilby at the Pro to Pro Textile Party at London's Camden Roundhouse on Friday night

The Harry Potter star - who is married to fellow thespian Damian Lewis - paired her statement coat with jacquard wide-leg black trousers and a white button-down top.

Keeping the rest of her accessories to a minimum, she added a touch of glitz to the proceedings with some sparkly cut-out stilettos

Helen, who is married to Homeland actor Damian Lewis, wore her brunette tresses pinned back in a simple up-do.

She accentuated her features with a sweep of iridescent eyeshadow and a dusky pink lipstick.

Monochrome maven: The Harry Potter star paired her statement coat with jacquard wide-leg black trousers and a white button-down top

Eclectic look: The 47-year-old actress accentuated her features with a sweep of iridescent eyeshadow and a dusky pink lipstick

The mother-of-two beamed as she mingled with the fashion pack at the lavish bash, posing with designer Ozwald Boateng and make-up artist Terry Barber.

Meanwhile, Helen, who will be returning to screens shortly as Peaky Blinders returns for series three, recently opened up about how she maintains her privacy.

The actress, who lives in Tufnell Park in North London with Damian, regularly eats out without any harassment, she told the Mail on Sunday's Event magazine.

Natural beauty: Helen, who is married to Homeland actor Damian Lewis, wore her brunette tresses pinned back in a simple up-do

Social butterfly: The brunette beauty mingled at the event with fashion designer Ozwald Boateng

Popular lady: The mother-of-two also spoke to make-up artist Terry Barber at the party in Camden

'You can easily avoid the limelight,' she said. 'I have not time for "Why were the paparazzi there when I was staggering out of The Ivy at midnight?"

'There is a perfectly good Italian near us on the Holloway Road that the paps won't be outside, so if you choose to go there you can keep the paps away.

'All our friends are in the area, none of them are in the business and I like it that way.'

Furry nice: Jodie Harsh attended the event in a fur and vinyl cropped jacket and fingerless gloves

Sheer-ly lovely: Artist Angel Rose wasn't shy when it came to her sheer ensemble

The Skyfall star - who shares a daughter Manon, nine, and a son Gulliver, eight, with Damian - opened up on how she loves that people view her husband as a 'pin-up'.

She confessed: 'It's lovely. Every wife wants to be with someone everyone finds attractive.

'Just like every husband wants to feel their wife is attractive. 'Marry someone you love and someone who you like. I am incredibly lucky. We are constantly apart and in stimulating situations; it's feast or famine.

'We try to see each other as much as possible it's not a rule, I just miss him when he is not there babbling to me for hours. We talk a lot. We both don't shut up. It's constant until your ears bleed.'

Sartorial mavens: Brix Smith and Melanie Rickey rocked outfits of double denim and green satin
She was famed for her incredible figure during her modelling days.

And Nicole Murphy, 48, put her fantastic, gym-honed physique on display as she arrived at Craig's restaurant in West Hollywood for a late night dinner on Friday.

The mother-of-five - whose divorce from comedian Eddie Murphy was finalised in 2006 - opted for a smart casual look than highlighted her ripped upper body.

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Stylish arrival: Nicole Murphy looked incredible in leather trousers and a floaty grey top as she arrived at Craig's restaurant in West Hollywood for a late night dinner on Friday

Nicole showcased her toned legs in a pair of figure-hugging leather trousers and simple strappy heels.

She balanced things out thanks to an oversized grey top with a flowing mullet hem and loose sleeves.

A sheer lace panel on the back of the garment offered a peek at her amazing figure and her black bandeau bra.

Cheeky detail: She added a touch of glamour to her look thanks to the see-through panel at the back of her top, flashing her black bandeau bra

Nicole upped the glamour with dazzling jewellery, inclduing dangling earrings and a pendant necklace.

The jewellery designer - who has modelled for the likes of Chanel, Valentino, Yves St. Laurent - is currently single after splitting from NFL star Michael Strahan.

Meanwhile, her ex-husband of 13 years is expecting a baby with model girlfriend Paige Butcher.

Casual outing: Eddie Murphy's ex-wife was enjoying a relaxing evening at the upmarket venue

Fit and fabulous: The striking star put her best foot forward in a pair of slim fitting leather trousers, adding extra height to her frame thanks to strappy black sandals

Paige and Eddie have been dating four years, but have known each other longer after meeting on the set of Big Momma's House 2 in 2006.

The duo announced their pregnancy in a statement last November and it's clear that Eddie can't wait to expand the family.

At the time, they said they 'couldn't be happier' telling MailOnline: 'Eddie really is a family man and loves all of his children, so hes so excited about having another one on the way.'

Father-of-eight Eddie has five children with Nicole, and one child each with his other former lovers, Spice Girl Mel B, Tamara Hood Johnson, and Paulette McNeely.

Mother-of-five: Nicole has five children with Hollywood joker Eddie, and the pair divorced in 2006
She attended the funeral of her close friend David Gest on Friday.

But Kristina Rihanoff was seen cheering herself up the day before the event on a shopping trip to Bvlgari's high end designer boutique in London.

The professional dancer brought her partner Ben Cohen along and the pair had the shop shut especially for them for over an hour so they could browse in privacy.

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Loved-up: Kristina Rihanoff and Ben Cohen had a private shopping session in Bvlgari's store on New Bond Street in London on Thursday

Blossoming bump: Pregnant Kristina, 38, wore a plain pair of black trousers, black suede shoes with a golden stiletto and carried her belongings in a handbag decorated with metallic detailing

Kristina, 38, rested her hand on top of her baby bump as the loved-up pair exited the store. Their security could be seen behind them swinging a couple of the designer's signature gold bags.

She wore a plain pair of black trousers, black suede shoes with a golden stiletto and carried her belongings in a handbag decorated with metallic detailing.

She also donned a smart white shirt for the upmarket shopping trip, which tied in a bow around her collar.

Boyfriend Ben Cohen, who she has been with since 2014, dressed far more casually than his former Strictly Come Dancing partner.

Upscale shopping: Boyfriend Ben Cohen, who she has been with since 2014, dressed far more casually than his former Strictly Come Dancing partner

Retail therapy: The pair's companions could be seen carrying their spoils, which were divided into at least four of the brand's signature gold bags

Expensive taste: The pair met while competing in Strictly Come Dancing in 2014 while Ben was still with his now ex-wife

Always chic: Kristina donned a smart white shirt for the upmarket shopping trip, which tied in a bow around her collar

He sported a T-shirt from his StandUp anti-bullying foundation and blue jeans, rounded off with a pair of white trainers and a grey jumper.

He looked cheerful as the group made their way down the street on Thursday evening, and could be seen putting his arm around a smartly dressed male companion, while smiling.

Kristina, for whom ex-rugby ace Ben Cohen left his wife Abby in 2014, made the shock announcement that she was pregnant during her appearance on the Channel 5 show earlier this year.

She will become a first-time parent when they welcome their child, while he already has twin girls, Harriette and Isabelle, with his estranged wife.

The Former England rugby union player Ben opted to wear his light grey All Saints jumper on the way into the New Bond Street store, but emerged in just his t-shirt and trousers

Happy families: Ben sported a T-shirt from his StandUp anti-bullying foundation and blue jeans, rounded off with a pair of sparklingly white trainers and a grey jumper in his hand

Former England rugby union player Ben opted to wear his light grey All Saints jumper on the way into the New Bond Street store, but emerged in just his t-shirt and trousers.

The pair spent over an hour inside the Italian jewellery and accessories boutique, leaving at about 7pm.

The next day, Kristina was seen attending the funeral of her friend David Gest, who she spent time with in the most recent series of Celebrity Big Brother.

Exclusive: The West End store shut early to accommodate the famous couple

Mourning: Kristina was seen attending the funeral of her friend David Gest, who she spent time with in the most recent series of Celebrity Big Brother




She's quite the exercise guru, shedding more than three stone which took her down to a size 8.

And Vicky Pattison wasn't been shy about showcasing the results during a fleeting work trip to Tenerife this week, where she spent time frolicking in front of the camera in swimwear.

The 28-year-old former Geordie Shore star looked sensational as she topped up her tan in a skimpy neon green bikini, straddling a fun flamingo float.

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Hard day's work! ; Vicky Pattison, 28, enjoyed quick trip to Tenerife where she put on a flirty display in a neon green bikini

Vicky teased a top-secret fitness campaign with a series of Instagram pictures capturing the sun-soaked pool day.

Her joy was evident as she flicked her head back, while expertly balancing a pair of cool tinted sunnies on her head while taking in the sunny rays.

The picture, which was shared as a throwback snap, was captioned: '#SwimsuitSaturday... Already' missing tennaz with the squad.. But this picture makes me smile!

She also credited the bikini as a piece from Ann Summers, which she is currently serving as the face of.

In another image from the same pool day, the fiery brunette sat with her back to the camera in a sexy, backless one-piece.

With a plate of fruit next to her, Vicky cut a lonely figure as she looked out at her stunning view.

Scenic views: In another image which seemed to be from a different swim session, the fiery brunette sat with her back to the camera in a sexy red one-piece, which showed off her toned back

Paying those bills: Vicky was in Spain to shoot a fitness campaign

The pool seemed to be on a balcony, overlooking the Spanish town where Vicky engaged in her photo-shoot.

Balancing out the jealousy-inducing snaps of her lounging poolside, the reality star shared a behind the scenes image of her on a shoot, being shaded by a palm tree.

Wearing a red sleeveless crop and a floral figure-hugging skirt, she looked the epitome of health as she posed up a storm.

The I'm A Celeb winner also honed her modelling skills earlier this week as her flaunted her fabulous figure for her latest fashion collection for online retailers, Honeyz.

THAT'S A WRAP!!!!: Vicky credited her glam squad for a fun few days in Tenerife, where she shot the campaign

She looked summer-ready in the outfits which ranged from tiny crop tops to glamorous maxi dresses.

Speaking about her collection, the TV personality said: 'Having my own fashion collection is just a dream come true.

'Everyone who knows me knows I am obsessed with fashion, whats hot, whats not, so to be involved from day one was incredible.

Summer chic: The former Geordie Shore star looked ready for summer for her latest fashion collection for online retailers, Honeyz

Style queen: Vicky Pattison proved she had earned her style crown as she showcased her designing prowess

She has also been putting on quite the sexy display whilst promoting the Ann Summers line.

The star, who strips down to seriously racy swimwear for the brand's latest campaign, has revealed that the sexy shots are the perfect f*** you to all the trolls who mocked her during her time on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline about the campaign, Vicky admitted: This was my f*** you to everyone who said anything negative about me.

Vicky, however managed to make it back in time from her Spanish trip to attend Ferne McCann's penultimate Gatsby performance at London's Union Theatre.

The Great Gang: Ferne McCann had the support of her reality star friends (L-R) Vicky Pattison, Danielle Armstrong, Ferne, Jess Wright) who attended the penultimate show of her musical Gatsby




She was forced to bow out of the 2014 season of MasterChef Austrlia thanks to the effects of a head injury she sustained a year earlier.

And Cecilia Vuong has revealed details of her brain surgery ahead of making her triumphant return to the cooking show this year.

'It has been quite a ride - I almost died,' said the 31-year-old in an interview with News Corp.

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'I almost died': MasterChef star Cecilia Vuong, 31, has revealed details of her brain surgery ahead of making her triumphant return to the cooking show this year

'They opened up my skull like a can of tomatoes all the way around and screwed it back with metal plates in there. It was very risky.'

Speaking to Who magazine recently, the single mother recounted her terrifying stroke and the subsequent brain surgery she endured in 2013, a year before she first applied for MasterChef.

'It felt like somebody was whacking my head with a metal bat,' she said, recounting the accident when she and son Nathan snowboarded during a trip to Mount Hotham in Victoria.

Comeback: Cecilia Vuong is set to make a triumphant return to MasterChef after withdrawing following a head injury

Shock exit: She sustained a head injury while snowboarding in August 2013, and had to exit MasterChef in 2014 early due to prolonged effects of her injury

Sent to hospital immediately after having a stroke, she underwent brain surgery.

After recovering, Cecilia decided to audition for MasterChef in 2014, but had to withdraw soon after due to chances her memory could fail her during high-pressure challenges.

Her exit from the stress-inducing show came as a shock to viewers and her fellow contestants, with judge Gary Mehigan saying 'It's not in her best interest' to continue.

Tough times: 'It felt like somebody was whacking my head with a metal bat,' she has said, recounting the accident when she and son Nathan snowboarded during a trip to Mount Hotham in Victoria

He said: 'As you know, Cecilia is recovering from a brain injury. We received expert medical advice instructing us that it is not in her best interest to continue in the competition.

'Cecilia is a brilliant cook and we all hope we see her next year in this competition.'

Cecilia was replaced by 18-year-old Georgia Hughes from South Australia who had just missed out on making the final 24.

'Cecilia is a brilliant cook': The judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston were full of praised for the maths teacher when she appeared on the show in 2014

The maths teacher had lost the ability to perform simple equations, however, as a result her creative instincts blossomed and she developed the desire to cook.

She floored the judges with her Jaffa and sesame macaroons, putting her through to the top 22.

In a promotional preview for the new season of MasterChef released earlier this month, Cecilia says in a piece-to-camera: 'I told my 12-year-old son Nathan that if you fall, you can get back up'.
As her Fifty Shades character Anastacia Steele, she's been seen getting steadily more glamorous on set in Vancouver, Canada.

But Dakota Johnson was demonstrating her own individual sense of style as she jetted into New Rok on Saturday.

The 26-year-old was wearing a quirky denim jacket with patches all over it - which costs an astounding $4,400 - as she was spotted at JFK airport.

Effortless glam: Dakota Johnson was demonstrating her own individual sense of style as she jetted into NYC on Saturday

The actress wore the distinctive Gucci shearling bleached denim jacket featuring colourful embroidered flowers and butterflies.

Combined with perfectly blown-out tresses and giant dark glasses, the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson looks to have fully embraced her superstar status.

Relaxed: The 26-year-old looked effortlessly stylish as she was spotted at JFK, looking every-inch the off-duty movie star

The brunette beauty combined the feature piece with simple skinny leg black trousers and white sneakers, with an orange sweater underneath.

She had kept her make-up to a minimum, showcasing her flawless porcelain skin, but appeared to have added a pink gloss to her pout.

She's been busy filming sequel Fifty Shades Darker with Jamie Dornan in Vancouver.

Flower power: The actress wore a distinctive Gucci shearling bleached denim jacket featuring colourful embroidered blooms and butterflies

Pricey: It may look like a casual item, but the jacket alone costs $4,400 new

Superstar looks: The daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson had perfectly blown-out tresses and giant dark glasses

Pretty: She had kept her make-up to a minimum, showcasing her flawless porcelain skin, but appeared to have added a pink gloss to her pout

The nepotistically-privileged actress also shared a snap of herself earlier in the week, filling her handsome co-star's trailer with birthday balloons, captioned: 'Happy early birthday, @jamiedornan!'

The stars return in the second film of the series which is based on the hugely successful trilogy of erotic books written by E.L. James.

Work is well under way for the upcoming film with a release date set for February 2017.
She's gearing up to attend the annual Met Gala next week, the biggest solo event in the fashion calendar.

And Rosie Huntington-Whiteley proved she's earned her place among the world's most stylish attendees as she stepped out in another stunning ensemble in New York on Saturday.

Opting for a classic monochrome ensemble, the 29-year-old model was a vision of beauty as she ran errands in the city.

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Stunning star: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley proved that she'd earned her place at the upcoming Met Gala as she stepped out in another stunning ensemble in New York on Saturday

Putting her supermodel pins on display, she donned a pair of skintight leather trousers that hugged her enviably lean and long legs.

Featuring a contemporary lace up fastening instead of a zip, the figure-hugging garment flattered her lithe limbs, which were elongated by a pair of heeled black ankle boots.

Striding forward, the Vogue covergirl also donned a plain white T-shirt that she wore beneath a tailored black blazer.

Back from a shoot? The blonde returned to her hotel with her hair free-flowing after what seemed like a shoot or a hair appointment

Long legs: She accentuated her incredible legs in a pair of leather trousers that were teamed with black boots

Chic: She added a collar choker necklace that set off the whole ultra-chic ensemble

Nestling a boxy black handbag in the crook of her arm, she also accessorised with a thick choker around her neck whilst she flashed her dazzling diamond engagement ring from fiance Jason Statham.

Rosie arrived back at her Soho hotel with gorgeous free-flowing locks but earlier, scraping her golden tresses back into a chic chignon bun, she exposed her pretty face, which bore a neutral make-up palette.

She finished off the look with a pair of wayfarer sunglasses and a glittering ear cuff.

Fashion forward: Rosie looked stunning as she left her hotel earlier that day with her hair slicked back

Magical in monochrome: Opting for a classic monochrome ensemble, the 29-year-old model was a vision of beauty as she ran errands in the city

Leggy lady! Putting her supermodel pins on display, she donned a pair of skintight leather trousers that hugged her enviably lean and long legs whilst she finished off the look with a pair of wayfarer sunglasses

Rosie's effortlessly chic ensemble gave a promising nod to Monday night's Met Gala, which will bring together the biggest names in fashion and the world's most stylish celebrities to help benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Arts Costume Institute.

With this years theme announced as Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology, Rosie spoke to Violet Grey about her intense preparations.

Explaining that her custom made dress 'has been hand transported back and forth from LA for fittings multiple times', she gushed: 'I cant wait to see it completely finished!'
She just showed off her toned pins when shooting a sexy commercial in Rome on Thursday.

And by Friday night supermodel Cindy Crawford was back in Malibu with her husband of 18 years, Rande Gerber.

The 50-year-old Vogue siren looked overjoyed in an Instagram photo with the bar owner - and best friend of George Clooney - as they were arm-in-arm outside the Malibu Cafe.

With her main man: On Friday night Cindy Crawford went on a date with her husband of 18 years, Rande Gerber, in Malibu

Casual in the Bu: The catwalker had on an olive green jacket over a black T-shirt, worn in jeans and short boots with a brown purse. In the former Revlon spokesperson's hand was a plastic cup

The catwalker had on an olive green jacket over a black T-shirt, worn in jeans and short boots with a brown purse.

In the former Revlon spokesperson's hand was a plastic cup.

Gerber was equally casual in jeans and a T-shirt and the same plastic cup.

She's hooked: On Wednesday the Illinois native shared a photo with Rande and their two kids Kaia and Presley from over a decade ago to wish the guy a happy birthday

The couple may have still been celebrating his birthday.

On Wednesday the Illinois native shared a photo with Rande and their two kids Kaia and Presley from over a decade ago to wish the guy a happy birthday.

The two married after her divorce from American Gigolo actor Richard Gere.

On vacay with the kids: The power couple with their children in the desert

This comes after the skincare guru looked sensational in an ivory dress as she shot an advert for San Benedetto with Gabrielle Muccino in Rome, Italy.

Every bit the effortless goddess of style, Cindy was filmed shaking out her locks and sipping from a water bottle with her catwalk-ready pins on display.

Still got it: Crawford looked sensational in an ivory dress as she shot an advert for San Benedetto in Rome, Italy on Wednesday

Back in action: The Nineties icon seems to have not aged one bit since she was the belle of the modeling world

The project has previously been shrouded in secrecy, but Cindy was flaunting her credentials in front of the locals when it came to Wednesday's shoot.

She put on a flirty display in dainty bow heels that complemented her floral summer dress to perfection.

And with her deep, golden tan, the superstar was glowing from top-to-toe, even with a minimal make-up look in front of the lens.

Water stunner: The brunette was looking ageless with her long legs on display in a flirty dress

Playful: She took sips from a bottle of San Benedetto, so distracted that she almost collided with a cyclist

It was a playful shoot that saw the mum-of-two so distracted by her bottle of glorious San Benedetto water that she almost collided with a cyclist.

In action mode, the brunette stood out from the locals who came outside cafes and stood on the cobbles to watch her at her supermodel best.

But off-duty, Cindy's shoot was plagued by a little rain and she cowered under an umbrella to preserve her screen-ready image.

Ever the professional, Cindy simply bundled herself up in a blanket and waited for the shower to pass.

Stand out star: Her model credentials meant that she stood out from the crowd

Exquisite: She wrapped up against the cold in a blanket, even looking gorgeous as she did it

Ever the professional: Even in the rain, the beauty still had a smile for the people joining her on set

Teasing the ad earlier this week, Cindy posted a behind-the-scenes photo on Instagram captioned: '#BTS On set in Rome - stay tuned.'

She smiled as she sat at an outdoor table covered in a checked tablecloth, as a waiter hovered nearby.

'Off again - Roma here I come!' she captioned the photo, which showed her leaning against the wall in a grey scarf and white jacket.

Secret project: She teased the photoshoot earlier this week without any details

Central focus: The cameras caught her every move, including the candid smiles

Her light in the dark: She almost shone out on a dill day in the centre of Rome

Stunning: It's little wonder why she was selected for the high profile campaign

Weather permitting: In the heart of Rome, the weather did not keep up with their shoot
Kim Kardashian has lost 70 pounds since welcoming son Saint in December, putting her at just 139s pounds.

And the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star is clearly very proud of her new frame.

Not only did the 35-year-old stunner flaunts her curves at the Thursday signing of friend Naomi Campbell's new book in Beverly Hills with the help of a tight red Balmain dress. But the wife of Kanye West also flashed her naked thigh while in a glam room with her crew in an Instagram snap from Friday.

Look at my leg! Kim Kardashian flashes her naked thigh while in the glam room on Friday

If you've got it...: The caption simply read: 'Set vibes.' She is surrounded by her makeup artist and hair guru and in front of her is what must be $5,000 worth of makeup.

The caption simply read: 'Set vibes.'

She is surrounded by her makeup artist and hair guru and in front of her is what must be $5,000 worth of makeup.

Most interesting though is that Kim flashes her naked thigh that has no cellulite or fat on it. Impressive for a woman who just gave birth four months ago.

She is also holding a jacket around her chest, suggesting she was almost naked. It is not known what she was getting glam for.

Book signing: Kardashian attended a book singing on Thursday featuring Naomi Campbell at the Taschen bookstore in Beverly Hills, California

On Thursday Kim looked sexy when stopping by the Taschen bookstore in Beverly Hills.

Kim rocked a tight red semi-sheer diamond-patterned Balmain dress with a high collar and long sleeves to the book signing. The star wore her dark hair up with a few loose strands framing her face.

Kim caught up with the English model who looked typically stunning in a silky red sleeveless gown.

The limited edition Naomi coffee table book comes brandished with a sculpting of Naomi's pert bust.

Lady in red: The reality queen looked fantastic in a figure hugging sheer red dress from Balmain

Big book: The reality star flipped through the large coffee table book

Famous faces: Naomi wrapped an arm around Kim at the book signing

Personal note: Naomi signed Kim's book as the reality star beamed

Flipping through: Kim flipped through the coffee table book at the event

Kim was spotted flipping through the thick book during its Los Angeles launch party.

Naomi recently talked to Vogue about the Naomi Campbell book and said: 'Ive been very candid. My life is an open book in many ways. Im honest about who I am.'

The book includes an image of Naomi's historic 1989 Vogue US cover that was the first September issue under the editorship of Anna Wintour.

Limited edition: The limited edition Naomi Campbell book features her pert bust on the cover

Self portrait: Kim took a selfie with Naomi

'I'm very proud of this cover to this day. I understood how much Anna had to fight for me to be on this cover, because there were powers that be that didnt want her to put me on the cover, and she had to fight to have a black girl on the cover,' Naomi said.

'Ill be eternally grateful to her and proud of this,' she added.

Naomi earlier this month promoted the book at the Taschen Store in London and was joined by her mum Valerie.
They've endured a tumultuous relationship over the past few months.

But after repairing the damage, Madonna, 57, and Rocco, 15, seemed to be making up for lost time as she shared a second cosy snap with her son on Instagram on Friday.

The pair were reunited earlier this month following a dramatic custody battle, and it appears their relationship has been going from strength to strength, if their sweet embrace on camera is anything to go by.

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Bonding: Madonna, 57, shared a second cosy snap with her son, Rocco, 15, on Instagram on Friday

The loving snapshot was the third in a series of images Madonna uploaded of her children, along with captions, which made up the phrase: 'Love is all we need.'

And the mother and son looked perfectly at ease with each other as Rocco grinned widely while Madonna rested her head on his shoulder and stared contentedly into the distance.

The photo has already gone down well with fans and over 63,000 people have currently liked the image on the social media site.

See more Madonna news as she shares second Instagram snap with son Rocco

Good times: Madonna (bottom right) took to Instagram on Wednesday to post a rare picture with her son Rocco (top right) as they enjoyed an evening with friends at London's Chiltern Firehouse

Many also commented to show their support.

Angelawendkosjackson, said: 'You're a great mother...in spite of it all...that's your greatest accomplishment. I wish I had had the strength to parent as you did. Well done.'

And Ma.boa, added: 'Maternal love is great.'

Madonna is mother to 19-year-old Lourdes, her daughter from a relationship with Carlos Leon, as well as David Banda, 10, and 10-year-old Mercy.

Earlier this month, Madonna shared her very first Instagram snap with her eldest son Rocco since their alleged fallout at Christmas.

Posing under a beautiful light fixture at the Chiltern Firehouse, Madonna and Rocco can be seen enjoying another fun evening together in the company of three friends.

Inspirational: Earlier this week, the Music hit-maker posed a quote from iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, hinting at her resilience and strong spirit

Gathered around a table, the gang are pictured enjoying a drink, looking happy and relaxed.

Madonna's fans were also thrilled with this snap, enthusing how good it was to see her hanging out with Rocco and having fun together.

Earlier in the week, the Music hit-maker posed an inspirational quote from iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, hinting at her resilience and strong spirit.

It read: 'I am that clumsy human, always loving, loving, loving. And loving. And never leaving.'

Madonna has reportedly been overcome with joy that she and her son have reunited following reports that he moved to London to be with his father Guy Ritchie.

Love: She pieced together the captions that featured on each image of her children (here with David Banda) to read: 'Love is all you need'

She is even said to have thrown a house party for her son after they put aside the dispute that saw him quit her Rebel Heart tour and move to the UK.

Rocco is thought to have chosen to live with his 'less strict' father and his new wife Jacqui, along with their three young children - Rocco's step-siblings - after his mother took away his phone, an act which insiders said 'pushed him over the edge'.

As soon as Madonna's global Rebel Heart tour ended at the start of this month, she returned to the UK in a bid to build bridges with her son.

Mummy's little angels: She also shared a throwback picture with Mercy (right) from when her youngest were little ones




Parenting seems to be Josh Hartnett and Tamsin Egerton's best role yet.

The acting duo appeared to have settled into looking after their five-month-old daughter with ease when they were pictured sharing a precious kiss on a romantic stroll in London on Saturday.

Making a very handsome young couple, US heartthrob Josh, 37, and 27-year-old British beauty Tamsin took family life in their stride as their daughter was seen for the first time.

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Sharing a kiss: Actors Josh Hartnett and Tamsin Egerton were the picture-perfect couple as tget headed out for a walk with their five-month-old daughter in London on Saturday

It was a precious display from the duo, and at one time, Josh was seen looking deep into his girlfriend's eyes as he tried to retrieve an eyelash.

Chalet Girl actress Tamsin's model figure was on show in skinny jeans, while any signs of fatigue were hidden behind glamorous oversized sunglasses.

She was effortlessly gorgeous in a leather jacket and a laidback T-shirt, twisting her hair into a low-fuss bun for their romantic stroll.

Peaky Blinders style Josh, meanwhile, looked youthful in a beanie hat and seemed to have maintained every inch of his heartthrob status through his latest - and most committed - role.

Too cute: Their little angel was seen looking cosy in woolen garments and adorable pink-toe socks

Happy couple: Josh and Tamsin seemed to be settling into parenthood perfectly

Doting dad: Josh was firmly on daddy duties, helping to get the newborn into a car after a walk

The hunk recently gushed about becoming a first-time father, telling the Live! With Kelly and Michael show this week that it had put 'everything into perspective'.

He said: 'I mean, your ego melts away when you have a new kid. Your heart kind of leaves your body and you give it permission to walk around with someone else for a while.

'Its really terrifying but its beautiful. I love it more than anything. I wish I would have started it earlier. But Im so glad that she is the one Im raising.'

Touching moment: The couple shared an intimate moment outside when he tried to retrieve an eyelash from her eye

Precious: The couple have been together since 2010 and have a new film out together this month

After admitting that he's been very tired of late, Josh gushed: 'The best moments are when you have those individual moments alone in the middle of the night.'

Josh and Tamsin were first seen with their baby days after welcoming the child last December, though a name for the child is as-yet unknown.

Seemingly just days after the new arrival, the couple were seen leaving London's St Mary's Hospital to take their baby home for the first time.

As well as taking on the duties of a parent together, the couple are also sharing the screen again in 2016.

Daddy duties: While mum Tamsin was able to text away on her phone, Josh took charge of the Cybex Priam stroller

Cool couple: The actors were effortlessly cool in their shades and low-key outfits

The actors star alongside each other in epic adventure movie Time Traveller, which was released in the UK on Monday on DVD and VOD.

Written and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Roland Joffe, Time Traveller is a sweeping romantic adventure epic set across continents, history and time.

Josh stars as present-day marine archaeologist Jay Fennel who, following a diving accident while rescuing his wife, is left brain-dead.

In his comatose dream state, Fennel is transported to India circa 1778, where a young British captain (also played by Hartnett) embarks on a life-threatening mission and a steamy romance with a female warrior (Bipasha Basu).

Let me get that for you: It was certainly a romantic scene for the couple who now share a five-month-old

Sweet kiss: With her model credentials, the British beauty almost matched her beau in height

The duo shot the film together in Queensland Australia, India and in the UK at Pinewood Studios and Englands south coast in Portland, Dorset.

They are thought to have met on the set of The Lovers in 2010 but reportedly didn't become an item item until 2012's Singularity, where they starred opposite each other again.

Josh has previously been linked to Hollywood actresses Scarlett Johansson, Amanda Seyfried and Mischa Barton though he has remained notoriously private about his current relationship.

Cool figure: New dad Josh looked cool in jeans and boots with a beanie hat

Daddy's girl: Josh was in control when it came to getting their daughter buckled up safely

Cute couple: As well as sharing parenting, the duo share the screen in Time Traveller this month
Farrah Abraham has come under fire after she lashed out at Blac Chyna with a racist comment on Instagram.

The former Teen Mom star wrote a bizarre, seemingly unprompted comment on Blac's account on Friday.

'F**kin monkey ewe s**t come up 4 what she is a nothing,' the 24-year-old wrote after Blac shared a video showing off a new lace choker.

Nasty comment: Teen Mom OG star Farrah Abraham lashed out at Blac Chyna with a nasty, racist comment on the model's Isstagram account on Friday

Bizarre attack: The adult film star made the mean comment seemingly out of the blue

But Farah deleted her attack after it set off Blac's fans, who were quick to come to the beauty salon owner's defense.

'Before you degrade somebody else don't forget where you came from,' wrote one commentator.

'Not knocking you but you were Teen Mom, and then became a pornstar or if that's what you like to call yourself! You are no better than anyone, and for you to say something so degrading and so nasty just shows what kind of person you are!'

Many of the NSFW comments pointed out Farrah's own humble beginnings and adult film career, and urged her to set a better example for seven-year-old daughter Sophia.

Music video model Blac, 27, has been in the spotlight since her surprise engagement to Rob Kardashian, 29.

The attack is not the first time Farrah has lashed out at celebrities on social media.

Social media spat: Farrah wore a black bodysuit over a pink skirt as she attended a meeting in New York on March 18

The Nebraska native took a shot at Nicki Minaj, after the rapper tweeted 'Farrah is a c*** to her mother' while watching a Teen Mom rerun in January.

The Pinkprint rapper then retweeted a comment joking about Farrah's porn career and her daughter Sophia.

Farrah tweeted back: 'Cause your (sic) a parent right? Your (sic) videos look like porn Horrible good luck being negative #Godbless busy making TV.'

Team Blac: Farrah's comment was quickly slammed by fans who jumped to Blac's defense and urged Farrah to be a better role model for her daughter

And Farrah dissed Blac's future sister-in-law Kim Kardashian last month, claiming she's 'surpassed' the reality star.

'I've been beating out Kim on a lot of things' the MTV star told the Nik Richie Podcast.

'I think I've surpassed her in certain aspects,' she went on, adding: 'Then again, I conduct myself and my brand in a different way and my life in a very different journey.'

'I think I'm doing very well, if not better.'
Earlier this week she looked pretty in purple as she showed off her $200m beau Josh Kushner at the Time 100 Gala in NYC.

But Karlie Kloss looked just as chic in more casual clothes on Friday.

The 23-year-old supermodel teamed a simple white, short-sleeved T-shirt with high-waisted black trousers that fitted her figure like a second skin.

Doing the splits: Karly Kloss was spotted out in a simple white T-shirt and high-waisted black trousers that fitted her figure like a second skin when she stepped out in NYC on Friday

The smartly pressed garment was split to the knee on the outside of the leg, giving the trousers a slight bell-bottom shape.

The statuesque 6ft 1in celebrity completed her outfit with a pair of black, pointy-toed, sling-back, flat shoes that had cute blingy ankle straps.

The former Victoria's Secret model pulled her blonde tresses into a high bun with a few strands of hair left to frame her beautiful face.

Karlie, who accessorised with a pair of black mirrored sunglasses, carried a takeaway cup of coffee.

She can't help but look chic: The 23-year-old supermodel looked elegant in her monochrome ensemble

Glued to her phone: The beautiful blonde chatted as she strolled along, carrying a coffee in her other hand

And she smiled as she spoke into her cell phone before disappearing into a building.

In the evening, Karlie stood out in a black dress with an intricate design in vibrant blue, yellow and orange embroiderie at the cocktail party.

Her millionaire businessman beau Joshua Kushner didn't appear to be with her on that occasion.

There's a surprise: Karlie's shapely derriere showed off a hint of VPL in the form-fitting trousers

Evening wear: On Friday, the former Victoria's Secret model stood out in a black dress with an intricate design in blue, yellow and orange at the White House Correspondents' Association Cocktail Party in Washington, D.C.

But the 30-year-old did accompany Karlie to the New York gala when she was honoured as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People for both her modelling and charity work on Tuesday.

Josh, who is the son of wealthy real estate mogul Charles Kushner, is the founder and managing partner of investment firm Thrive Capital and co-founder of Oscar Insurance.

His investor brother, Jared, is married to Donald Trump's 34-year-old daughter, Ivanka.
Fans were left concerned for Sheridan Smith this week after her West End show Funny Girl was prematurely cut short with the star allegedly slurring her words on stage.

But the actress, 34, was on top form as she returned to the Savoy Theatre on Saturday night, defiantly greeting scores of fans with a huge smile and signing autographs.

Emanating a healthy glow, Sheridan dressed in a stylish all-black ensemble complete with a bandana tied around her messy blonde updo.

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Back to her best: Sheridan Smith, 34, was on top form as she arrived at the Savoy Theatre on Saturday night, greeting scores of fans with a huge smile and signing autographs

She flashed a thumbs up and looked in great spirits ahead of the evening performance of the critically-acclaimed show.

Lively Sheridan covered up in a sophisticated knee-length black coat, a plain top, skinny jeans and beige boots with a modest heel.

Her cheeks had a touch of colour to them and her lips a slick of red lipstick, while her piercing blue peepers were enhanced by lashings of mascara.

Star attraction: Emanating a healthy glow, Sheridan dressed in a stylish all-black ensemble complete with a bandana tied around her messy blonde updo

Since Thursday night's cancelled show, which the theatre has attributed to 'technical difficulties', Sheridan seems to have brushed off the drama.

She once again appeared in good spirits following Friday night's performance, beaming broadly and chatting with fans at the stage door.

The actress couldn't keep the smile off her face as she headed into her waiting car ready to be whisked away.

Styling her golden tresses in a half up style, she framed her pretty face with a sweeping side fringe.

Blonde beauty: Her cheeks had a touch of colour to them and her lips a slick of red lipstick, while her piercing blue peepers were enhanced by lashings of mascara

Stylish: She covered up in a sophisticated knee-length black coat, a plain top, skinny jeans and beige boots with a modest heel

Painting her lips a deep shade of cherry red, she accentuated her flawless features by lining her sky blue eyes with lashings of mascara.

Matching her make-up to her ensemble, she donned a scarlet top that she wore underneath a leather jacket.

Slipping her slim pins into a pair of black jeans, she opted for a colourful pair of Nike trainers.

Rounding off her ensemble, she slung a giraffe print scarf across her neck that perfectly tied together the colour scheme of her outfit.

While she seemed in good spirits, Sheridan recently described her time in the show as an 'emotional rollercoaster', which leaves the audience in tears at one point and laughing the next.

Speaking at the opening night last week, Sheridan also joked that she'd be told off for her 'naughty' behaviour.

'Im naughty arent I. I know Im going to get reigned in. Im probably going to get told off eventually because I get too naughty', she said according to the Daily Mirror.

Fan favourite: Scores of people clamoured to get Sheridan to sign their merchandise

Crowd-pleaser: The star looked genuinely happy to interact with her adoring fans

Laughing and joking with her fans, she was no doubt in better spirits than on Thursday evening, which saw her performance of Funny Girl called to a halt after just 15 minutes then cancelled after a 40-minute delay.

The theatre put the cancellation down to technical difficulties, but it has emerged that the problem may lie with Sheridan.

Fans expressed concern for the well-being of the actress  who has since made her Twitter account private  after the performance at the Savoy Theatre.

One wrote online: I dont mean to sound nasty at all, but the show was really uncomfortable viewing from the start. Sheridan was slurring her words and forgetting her lines.

Another tweeted: At Funny Girl. Havent seen it before. Is Sheridan Smiths character supposed to sound a bit drunk? Strange artistic decision if so.

A statement released by producers said the performance had to be cancelled for technical reasons.

Happy Girl: Sheridan seemed to have brushed off the drama surrounding her Funny Girl show as she appeared in good spirits following Friday night's performance at the Savoy theatre in London

Blonde beauty: Styling her golden tresses in a half up style, she framed her pretty face with a sweeping fringe

But a well-placed theatre source said the Savoys claims did not make sense due to the nature of the show. They said: Funny Girl is the least technical show running. Everyone in theatre land has been talking about the shenanigans at the Savoy Theatre last night.

To say it is due to technical issues is rubbish.

Sheridan has problems but she is amazing at getting bums on seats  literally.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Sheridan for comment.

The production of Funny Girl has been hounded by problems stemming from Sheridan.

During its previous run at the Menier Chocolate Factory, she pulled out of the final week when her father was diagnosed with cancer.

She even threatened producers with legal action for supposedly trying to force her to perform in her emotional state. The actress expressed her anger at the theatre online, tweeting: You have no idea what Im getting pressured into. They dont give a f*** about my dad.

The show must not go on! Sheridan's West End show was cancelled mid-performance amid claims she was slurring her words; she is pictured here at a separate event

Sheridan, who has been awarded an OBE, previously described herself as a bit of party girl, and has often been pictured letting her hair down on nights out.

She was dropped by PR agency Public Eye for allegedly being high maintenance. The firm would not comment on the split but it is believed to be down to her difficult behaviour.

The award-winning actress, who starred in Cilla and Mrs Biggs, has a devoted fan base and many jumped to her defence after Thursdays show. One wrote: I was at the show last night & it was a tech issue. @Sheridansmith1 was amazing. She had no issues! Stop the gossip.

Another told Sheridan: From what I saw of you, you were stunning. Hopefully make it back soon to see the full performance.

Glitch: The performance of Funny Girl on Thursday evening was called to a halt after 15 minutes and then cancelled after a 40-minute delay. The theatre put the cancellation down to technical difficulties

Friday's performance went ahead with Sheridan in the lead role as Fanny Brice. Her only comment on Thursday nights issues was to tweet: Apologies to all affected by tonights technical failure at Funny Girl.

She has previously been accused of posting on social media while drunk.

One of her lowest points came last year when she used social media to vent about relationship problems with then-boyfriend, actor Greg Wood.
Seven Days in the life of Craig David may well be written differently these days, after he proved to be partying with the big hitters on Saturday night.

The British DJ sealed his successful musical comeback with an appearance at the One For The Boys' Charity Event, finding himself chatting with Hollywood legend Samuel L Jackson.

During a rare visit to London, Samuel seemed to have thrown himself into the spirit of the event and dressed for the masquerade theme, while Craig ever-so coolly side-stepped it.

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Worlds collide: Craig David (left) partied with Samuel L Jackson (right) at the One For The Boys' Charity Masquerave Event on Saturday night in London

One thing the pair did match on was their dress sense, even so, as the unlikely pair matched in of-the-moment black bomber jackets.

Craig wore his with a white jumper and hi-top trainers, while Samuel added a signature kooky edge in patterned trousers.

His gold eye mask somewhat tarnished his image, but he wore it on his head with round spectacles to hit the red carpet.

Masquerading: Craig and Samuel joined Sofia Davis, the founder of One for the Boys for a picture on arrival

Also in attendance: Faithless' Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz naturally arrived together to the event

The event, which was sponsored by Fiat, attracted the likes of Faithless' Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz, who naturally arrived together.

It wasn't such a rare thing to have actor Samuel in their midst though, it seems, after he recently admitted that he was tired of the people in Los Angeles and had a UK move in mind.

According to ITV News, he said this month: 'I'm tired of the fake people in LA and I'd rather just live in a place full of real, genuine people.

Campaigning: Samuel is just one of the high profile campaigners, as the long list includes Michael Douglas, Anthony Anderson and Sir Steve Redgrave

Dressing up: The star honoured the spirit of the bash in a gold eye mask

Having a laugh: Organiser Sofia posed with one of her star guests with a giddy smile

'I've been to Birmingham a few times over the years and the people there are real. I'm looking for a change in life and I think I've found that in Birmingham.'

Meanwhile, David has made his triumphant return to the British charts this year, kicking off his comeback with When The Bassline Drops.

The fundraiser was organised by Sofia Davis, who founded the charity to raise awareness of and money for male cancers.

Samuel is just one of the high profile campaigners, as the long list includes Michael Douglas, Anthony Anderson and Sir Steve Redgrave.

Strong supporter: Craig was lending his star power to a good cause, which helps raise money for male cancers
Piller grabs lead at weather-hit LPGA Texas Shootout

Gerina Piller tapped in for birdie at the final hole on Friday to take a one-shot second-round lead in the weather-disrupted LPGA Texas Shootout in Dallas.

The American landed her approach at 18 two feet from the pin and rolled in the putt for her sixth birdie of a bogey-free day. Her 10-under total of 132 gave her a one-shot lead over South Korean Ji Eun-Hee, who had six birdies and a bogey in her 66 for 133.

Overnight leader Hur Mi-Jung of South Korea had three birdies in her first 12 holes and was alone in third place at eight-under with six holes remaining when play was suspended for the day.

Gerina Piller signs an autograph for a fan after finishing with a six-under par 65 during the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout at Las Colinas Country Club on April 29, 2016 in Irving, Texas Scott Halleran (Getty/AFP)

The storms rolled in at Las Colinas in the Dallas suburb of Irving with all 24 of the afternoon groups still on the course.

Piller, a native of nearby Fort Worth, was pleased to complete her round before the weather hit.

"You know, it's one of those things where you just go out there and go OK, this could be my last hole before the delay," Piller said of playing on a day on which the forecast was grim.

However, the rainy week had it's benefits as well.

"The course is actually in soft conditions so that always helps to get the ball to stop," Piller said.

But accurate shots into the greens remained crucial, she said.

"These greens are pretty tricky. So getting it close is definitely huge out here because the greens, some of them are pretty big, and some of the breaks you can get pretty fast putts going downhill down grain, and you can also get really slow putts going the opposite way," Piller said.

"It definitely helps to be hitting it really well."

Ji opened the second round with a bogey at the par-five 10th. She bounced back with birdies at 14 and 18, then birdied four more coming home, including the par-four ninth to cap her round.

"Yeah, I was sleeping there," The 2009 US Open champion said of her three-putt opening bogey. "But the greens were a lot faster than yesterday because I played in the afternoon yesterday. I just figured out the putting speed -- it was better after that."

Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn got off to an even slower start, opening with three straight bogeys before posting six birdies and an eagle at the par-five 10th to sign for a 66 that put her in fourth place on seven-under 135.

The 70 players still to finish the second round will resume on Saturday morning. After a halfway cut is made, the third round is scheduled to start before noon.
Fears new rules could see US cigar factory go up in smoke

Eric Newman eases into an armchair on the top floor of his century-old factory, lights a cigar named after his grandfather, and ponders the prospect of his family legacy going up in smoke.

The 68-year-old Newman says new regulations on cigars expected any day now from the US Food and Drug Administration could snuff out his 130-year-old business, the J.C. Newman Cigar Company, by making it too costly and complicated to introduce new blends of cigars.

Health experts, however, welcome the government's plan to regulate a range of tobacco products for the first time, from tiny flavored cigars that appeal to young smokers, to e-cigarettes, hookahs and full-sized cigars.

New regulations on cigars expected from the US Food and Drug Administration could end the 130-year-old J.C. Newman cigar factory, according to the company president Kerry Sheridan (AFP)

"These regulations are killing us," says Newman, who has spent the last few years lobbying politicians for an exemption for his factory, the last making cigars in the Florida port city of Tampa, once known as the cigar capital of the world.

"We are not the enemy. We are not the culprit. Please leave us alone. That is our big message to Washington."

- 'An art form' -

One floor below, the noisy din of vintage machinery fills the factory, as workers flatten tobacco leaves and feed a complex array of moving mechanical parts, resulting in piles of thick, neatly stacked cigars.

Newman's grandfather, Julius Caeser Newman, an immigrant from Austria-Hungary, started the family cigar business in Cleveland in the late 1880s.

The company moved to the Tampa district of Ybor City in 1953. Today, the factory is a rare relic in that it still relies on the same machinery it has for years. Some of the equipment is up to 90 years old.

Tobacco is shipped in from Connecticut, Ecuador, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

The factory strips and humidifies the leaves, blends tobacco for various cigars, rolls them, packages them in cellophane and ships them.

About 65,000 cigars are rolled here every day by a team of 130 workers who earn an average of $17 per hour.

Newman says that of 13 billion large cigars sold in the United States every year, about 320 million are considered "premium cigars" like his.

"We are like a fly on the elephant," says Newman.

"But we are a craft industry. It takes a lot of skill. We are an art form."

- History of challenges -

Tampa has been known as the world's fine cigar capital since 1886, though these days the crown might belong to Nicaragua or Honduras, according to Rodney Kite-Powell, curator of history at the Tampa Bay History Center.

"At its peak in the 1920s around 500 million cigars were produced in Tampa every single year, by hand," he says.

"People coveted the Tampa cigar because of the quality."

The industry suffered a series of blows -- the Great Depression, two World Wars, and the Cuban embargo in 1961 which cut off the source of its tobacco leaves.

Higher tobacco taxes and an increasingly health-conscious public have also eroded the cigar's popularity.

Over time, the 150 factories that dotted the streets of Tampa faded away, leaving only J.C. Newman.

"It certainly seems that if the FDA's regulations come to pass that it will be one last blow to Tampa's cigar industry," says Kite-Powell.

"The financial impact of that might be just too great to overcome."

- Appealing to young smokers -

Health experts say wider regulations are needed to avoid a new generation of youth becoming addicted to products like battery-powered vaping devices, and cigars containing flavors like chocolate and strawberry.

"There is a lot of marketing now of cigars to younger people, and we are very afraid that that is going to lead them to then start smoking heavily," says Olveen Carrasquillo, chief of the division of general internal medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Even though people do not typically inhale cigar smoke, he says they are known to be dangerous.

"A lot of people have misconceptions that cigars are somehow safer than cigarettes. They actually have the same cancer-causing chemicals," Carrasquillo says.

"And many studies have shown that cigars are also strongly linked to many types of cancer."

An FDA proposal, announced in April 2014, considered including an exemption from the stricter rules for the type of premium cigars J.C. Newman specializes in, but exactly how "premium" would be defined remains unclear.

"Rulemaking is a complicated process and this proposed rule resulted in more than 135,000 comments," an FDA spokesman told AFP, declining to say when a final decision would be issued.

Once the rules are released, manufacturers would have two years to apply for marketing approval of their products.

"Cigar manufacturers have claimed that the sky is falling because of this regulation," says Vince Willmore, spokesman for Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

"We think that they greatly exaggerated the impact in their efforts to weaken or avoid regulation."

- Fears of consequences -

Back at the factory, Newman expects that the FDA will require tests on any new product made after 2007, which could take up to 5,000 hours and cost one million dollars.

And even though his firm markets its products on the basis of tradition and quality, Newman says his business thrives by constantly coming out with new blends. Therefore, the rules could eventually force him out of business.

"We are not the problem," Newman says.

"But we could very well become an unintended consequence."

Workers at the at J.C. Newman cigar factory use vintage machines, some 90 years old, to make cigars in Tampa Bay, Florida Kerry Sheridan (AFP)

Tampa has been known as a fine cigar capital since 1886 and at its peak in the 1920s around 500 million cigars were produced in Tampa every single year Kerry Sheridan (AFP)
Kenya torches world's biggest ivory bonfire to save elephants

Eleven giant pyres of tusks were set alight Saturday as Kenya torched its vast ivory stockpile in a grand gesture aimed at shocking the world into stopping the slaughter of elephants.

Huge white clouds of smoke spiralled into the sky as the flames took hold, fuelled by thousands of litres of diesel and kerosene injected through steel pipes.

Lighting the fire in Nairobi's national park, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta demanded a total ban on trade in ivory to end the "murderous" trafficking and prevent the extinction of elephants in the wild.

A ranger stands in front of burning ivory stacks at the Nairobi National Park on April 30, 2016 Carl De Souza (AFP)

"The height of the pile of ivory before us marks the strength of our resolve," Kenyatta said, before thrusting a burning torch onto the ivory.

"No-one, and I repeat no-one, has any business in trading in ivory, for this trade means death of our elephants and death of our natural heritage."

The tusks are expected to burn for days.

Kenyatta on Friday led a summit of African heads of state and conservationists pushing for a total ban.

"We will not be the Africans who stood by as we lost our elephants," he told the meeting in a keynote address.

The bonfires are the largest-ever torching of ivory, containing 105 tonnes from thousands of dead elephants, seven times bigger than any stockpile burned before.

Another 1.35 tonnes of rhino horn are also being burned, representing the killing of around 340 of the endangered animals.

- 'Evil commodity' -

President Ali Bongo from Gabon, who lit one of the pyres, spoke of the "massacre" of forest elephants in central Africa, and said he backed moves to stop the sale of all ivory.

"Unless we take action now we risk losing this magnificent animal," Bongo said at the ceremony, telling poachers he was "going to put you out of business, so the best thing you can do is to go into retirement now".

Africa is home to between 450,000 to 500,000 elephants, but more than 30,000 are killed every year on the continent to satisfy demand for ivory in Asia, where raw tusks sell for around $1,000 (800 euros) a kilo (2.2 pounds).

The pyres contained some 16,000 tusks and pieces of ivory.

Kenya has a long history of ivory burnings, spearheading a wider movement of public demonstrations across the world, but nothing on this scale before.

On the black market, such a quantity of ivory could sell for over $100 million, and the rhino horn could raise as much as $80 million.

Rhino horn can fetch as much as $60,000 per kilo -- more than gold or cocaine.

But Kenyatta dismissed those who put a cash value on the ivory.

"For us, ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants," Kenyatta said.

But despite the staggering size of the piles being burned, totalling some five percent of global stocks, the ivory represents just a fraction of the animals killed every year.

Kenya Wildlife Service chief Richard Leakey called on all African nations to follow Kenya in destroying ivory and rhino horn, saying it was "shameful" to keep stocks in case of possible future sale.

"They are speculators on an evil, illegal commodity," Leakey said.

- Tackle corruption -

The ivory seized from poachers and smugglers over several years -- as well as from animals who died naturally -- is equivalent to just a quarter of the number of elephants killed each year to feed demand in growing economies in Asia, eager for an elephant's tooth as a status symbol.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) banned the ivory trade in 1989.

Activists say destroying the stocks will put anti-trafficking efforts at the top of the agenda at the next CITES conference.

China, which has tightened its laws on ivory imports, allows the resale of ivory bought before the 1989 ban, but activists say the trade in legal ivory acts as a cover for illegal imports and call for a complete ban on sales.

But Kenyan media, which have covered multiple ivory burns ever since the first large pyre was torched in 1989, as well as the killing of elephants that continued unabated once the publicity event was over, appeared far more cynical.

All three main newspapers ran cartoons questioning the long term impact and motivation, pointing to the government's accountability in allowing the animals to be killed in the first place, and warning that without tackling corruption, poaching would continue.

The Standard newspaper's cartoon showed one image of the pyre on fire today, and another tomorrow with vultures marked corruption, greed and incompetence feasting on a freshly killed elephant.

Kenya prepares to burn its ivory stockpile

A ranger patrols near stacks of elephant tusks at the Nairobi National Park on April 30, 2016 Carl De Souza (AFP)
France says it will increase forces in Ivory Coast

France will increase the number of its troops in Ivory Coast, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Friday on a trip to the African nation which hosts a regional base for French forces.

"This summer the French forces in Ivory Coast will increase from 500 to 900 men and form the forward operating base for west Africa," he said while visiting French forces in the Ivorian capital.

The increase was already included in the military budget but comes at a time of growing regional terror threats, especially after an Islamist attack on the beach resort of Grand Bassam, near Abidjan, in March that left 19 people dead.

French troops based in Abidjan and a soldier from Ivory Coast's Republican Forces carry a soldier during a military exercise Issouf Sanogo (AFP/File)

Abidjan is one of three "reservoirs" of French troops in the world, along with Djibouti and the United Arab Emirates, providing entry points to the different regions, Le Drian added.

The forces can be deployed to support French troops engaged in external operations, such as Operation Barkhane in the Sahel region, or to intervene in a new crisis.

Last year, the French forces in Ivory Coast took over from Operation Licorne, which saw several crises in the country, most notably when they were deployed alongside UN troops in 2011 during unrest sparked by president Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to step down after losing an election.

The French military also trains about 600 Ivorian soldiers each year.
Rouhani allies win Iran parliament elections

Reformist and moderate Iranian politicians allied with President Hassan Rouhani won a big victory in second round parliamentary elections and capped a remarkable comeback Saturday after years of isolation.

The outcome represents a significant realignment of competing factions in the Islamic republic, with conservative MPs losing their dominance and being outnumbered for the first time since 2004.

It was also an implicit public vote of confidence in Rouhani, who won a landslide election victory in 2013 and went on to clinch a historic deal with world powers over Tehran's nuclear programme that lifted sanctions.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was voted into office in 2013 Aamir Qureshi (AFP/File)

Official results also showed 17 women were elected -- eight more than at present and the highest female representation since the country's revolution in 1979.

Almost a quarter of parliament's seats were at stake in run-offs Friday in what was a showdown between reformists and conservatives seeking to influence the country's future.

Although Iran's parliament has marginal powers -- under the country's theocratic rule clerics can veto legislation -- the result will help the government deliver economic reforms such as a new oil contracts law that could tempt foreign majors.

It could also speed up social change demanded by reformists.

Their return as a major force is a shake up for hardliners in Tehran after an era of diplomatic clashes with the West over a nuclear programme that, before Rouhani, had left Iran under threat of military attack.

Most lawmakers who opposed the landmark agreement struck last year after years of talks with Tehran's long-time foe the United States and other leading nations were rejected by voters.

That verdict should make Rouhani's job easier.

Iran does not have rigid party affiliations, making election outcomes notoriously opaque. Some candidates were backed by both camps and others stood as independents.

But of the 68 seats that were contested Friday, 38 went to the pro-Rouhani List of Hope coalition, 18 to conservatives and 12 to independents, according to final results published by the interior ministry.

That gives reformists 133 seats in the new 290-member parliament, 13 shy of a majority but more than their rivals' 125 MPs. Remaining seats went to independents and minorities who could hold the balance of power.

The second ballot on Friday was needed because no candidate won the minimum 25 percent required in the first round.

- A different parliament -

In stark contrast to the first two-and-a-half years of his presidency, the result should give Rouhani a supportive parliament. The outgoing conservative-led chamber repeatedly blocked him and even impeached one of his ministers.

Iran's reformists have encouraged foreign investment, support moves for greater diplomatic rapprochement and seek social change and fewer political restrictions at home.

Their electoral gains in February came just six weeks after Tehran's implementation of the nuclear deal.

Around 17 million citizens were eligible to vote on Friday and polling took place in 21 provinces, but not in Tehran, as reformists won all of the capital's 30 seats in the first round.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had urged a strong turnout, saying the vote was no less important than the initial poll.

Mohammad Reza Aref, a partly US-educated engineer and leader of the reformist pro-Rouhani List of Hope, had set a target of at least another 40 lawmakers.

Although that was narrowly missed, gains for the president's allies will make legislative reforms more likely.

The vote also buys some time for Rouhani to try to turn around a struggling economy amid concern over the nuclear deal. He faces a re-election battle next June and would have been severely wounded had conservatives staged a fightback in the second round vote.

Iranian officials including Khamenei have complained that the United States is not honouring its commitments and is in fact taking steps to dissuade non-American banks from doing business with Tehran.

Although the conservatives went backwards two months ago they did not change tack this time round, keeping up pressure over what they say is a silent agenda among reformists to give up the principles of the revolution.

But appeals for backing from Gholam-Ali Hadad Adel, head of the conservative coalition, who lost his own seat in Tehran because of the reformist surge in February, again went unheeded.

Around 17 million citizens can vote in the Iranian elections Atta Kenare (AFP)

Iran's political system

Iran parliament after the first round election results
China's 'Valentine's Day' killer acquitted of 1998 murder

A Chinese man sentenced to death for the Valentine's Day murder of his girlfriend 18 years ago has been acquitted, a court said, the latest wrongful conviction overturned in the country.

Liu Jiqiang, 52, was found guilty of strangling and stabbing his lover on February 14, 1998, earning him the notorious nickname "Valentine's Day killer" in the Chinese press.

But after spending nearly two decades on death row, the Higher People's Court of Jilin province in northeast China dismissed his conviction citing insufficient evidence, the court said Friday on its official Sina Weibo microblog.

In China forced confessions are widespread and more than 99 percent of criminal defendants are found guilty

Liu initially admitted to the killing, but his lawyers said his confession was obtained as a result of torture and illegal questioning, according to Xinhua news agency.

He was handed the death penalty in December 1999 with a two-year reprieve which in China often means life in prison.

He unsuccessfully appealed his guilty verdict twice, in 2002 and 2003, according to Xinhua.

China's courts are tightly controlled by the ruling Communist party, which has vowed to overturn mistaken verdicts in the face of widespread public anger.

Liu's case is the latest to highlight miscarriages of justice in the country, where forced confessions are widespread and more than 99 percent of criminal defendants are found guilty.

In February, the high court in eastern Zheijiang ordered the release of Chen Man who had been jailed for more than two decades on murder charges.

Of those exonerated in recent years, Chen had spent the longest time in prison, 23 years, state media said.

In 2014, a court in the Inner Mongolia region cleared a man who was convicted, sentenced and executed for rape and murder in 1996 at the age of 18.
Cambodian passenger train back on track after years-long hiatus

Cambodia's sole passenger train resumed a regular weekend service Saturday after being suspended for years, with Prime Minister Hun Sen climbing aboard to inaugurate the first trip.

"Today is a very important day for the railway," John Guiry, Royal Railway Cambodia's CEO, told AFP before the train rolled out of the capital Phnom Penh for Sihanoukville, a southwestern seaport.

The Southeast Asian country has more than 600 kilometres (375 miles) of track extending from its northern border with Thailand down to the southern coast, but decades of war and neglect have left vast stretches of the network damaged.

Cambodian passengers board a train at the Phnom Penh train station on April 30, 2016, as the railway service resumes after years of suspension Tang Chhin Sothy (AFP)

"The train and railway were almost totally destroyed by war more than 40 years ago," Hun Sen wrote on Facebook -- a forum the strongman has embraced with gusto in recent months.

"Because our country is now at peace, we have the opportunity to rebuild our transport infrastructure," he added.

The premier, who has been in power for more than three decades, also published several dozen photos of himself greeting local passengers and chatting to orange-robed monks in the packed train cars.

The nearly 270-kilometre route, which passes through farmland and follows part of the country's scenic coast, was reopened to passenger cars for a trial period during the Khmer new year holiday earlier this month.
Thousands demand justice for ex-slaves in Mauritania

Thousands of people have marched for the rights of former slaves in Mauritania and to denounce injustice against them in the west African nation where slavery persists despite being officially abolished decades ago.

The march on Friday in the capital Nouakchott was organised by a group calling for the rights of the Haratines which was launched on April 29, 2013.

The protesters, who included opposition leaders, called for "the end of exclusion and injustice built into the system against the Haratine community", according to a document from the organisers, a call echoed by various speakers at a meeting following the march.

People hold a banner reading "No to arbitrary arrests" during a demonstration against discrimination in Nouakchott on April 29, 2015

"Without all our struggle, nothing will be done and the manifesto is to continue the battle against the injustice committed against all the wretched of this country, without exception!" said Boubacar Messaoud, the main leader and spokesman of the movement.

Despite being officially abolished in 1981, slavery is still deeply entrenched in the vast, largely desert nation where light-skinned Berber Arab Moors enslaved local black populations after settling in Mauritania centuries ago.

Slave status is also often passed on from generation to generation, according to rights groups.

Messaoud, however, welcomed recent moves by the authorities to fight against slavery.

In August 2015, Mauritania adopted a new law making slavery a "crime against humanity" and doubling the maximum prison term to 20 years.

The country in December also set up three specialist slavery courts and decreed last month that March 6 would be national day for the fight against slavery.

On the sidelines of the protest, Messaoud called for the release of jailed anti-slavery activists, including Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid, the leader of the Abolitionist Movement in Mauritania.

In January last year Ould Abeid was jailed for two years along with two others for "belonging to a non-authorised organisation, protesting, and incitement to rebellion."

Their sentences were upheld on appeal in August. They took their case to the Supreme Court, which is to rule on May 17, according to a judicial source.

Australia-based Walk Free Movement estimated in its 2014 Global Slavery Index that there were 156,000 slaves in Mauritania, or some four percent of the population.
Bomb attack on pilgrims kills 23 in Iraq as hundreds protest

A car bomb targeting Shiite pilgrims killed at least 23 people near Baghdad on Saturday, as hundreds protested in the capital for reforms and parliament made another attempt to reshuffle the cabinet.

Iraq has been hit by weeks of political turmoil surrounding Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's efforts to change the government.

Both Washington and the United Nations have warned the crisis could distract from the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group, which carries out frequent bombings against civilians.

A policeman walks past the wreckage of a car at the site of a car bomb attack targeting Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad's Nahrawan area on April 30, 2016 Khalil Al-Murshidi (AFP)

The car bomb, which also wounded at least 38 people, struck a road in the Nahrawan area used by Shiite pilgrims who are walking to the shrine of Imam Musa Kadhim in northern Baghdad for annual commemorations, officials said.

IS claimed the attack and said it was carried out by a suicide bomber who detonated a vehicle laden with three tonnes of explosives.

IS considers Iraq's majority Shiites to be heretics.

Kadhim, the seventh of 12 imams revered in Shiite Islam, died in 799 AD. The pilgrimage has in recent years turned into a huge event that brings the Iraqi capital to a standstill for days.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led military assistance have since regained signficant ground.

The jihadists still control a large part of western Iraq, and are able to carry out frequent attacks against both civilians and security forces in government-held areas.

Last year's pilgrimage was also marred by attacks against worshippers that killed at least 13 people.

And four more were burned or shot to death when mobs torched houses and a Sunni religious endowment building after rumours of a suicide bomber sparked panic among a crowd of pilgrims.

- Protest in Baghdad -

The Saturday bombing came as hundreds of people turned out in Baghdad for a demonstration aimed at pressuring the government to carry out reforms, the latest in a series of such protests in the capital.

Demonstrators gathered at Baghdad's Tahrir Square and near the heavily-fortified Green Zone, where the government is headquartered.

"We are sending a message to parliament that today is the last chance" to accept "complete governmental change," said Hassanain Ali, one of the demonstrators.

Abadi has called for the current government of party-affiliated ministers to be replaced with technocrats, a move opposed by powerful political parties that rely on control of ministries for patronage and funds.

Key government posts have for years been shared out based on political and sectarian quotas, a practice demonstrators want to end.

Parliament has repeatedly been hit by chaos related to efforts to change the cabinet in recent weeks, with MPs holding an overnight sit-in at parliament, brawling in the chamber and seeking to sack speaker Salim al-Juburi before electing an interim replacement who has chaired his own rival sessions.

Lawmakers approved some of Abadi's nominees for the new cabinet on Tuesday, but MPs who opposed Juburi and sought to disrupt the session were barred from attending, raising questions about its legality.

Iraqi MPs were due to meet Saturday for a vote on additional candidates, but failed to reach a quorum for a morning session, leading Juburi to call for another in the afternoon.
Survivors call for US troops to face trial over Afghan hospital air strike

Survivors of a US air strike on a hospital in Afghanistan have called for those responsible to go on trial and dismissed an American military investigation that said the bombardment did not amount to a war crime.

The attack on the hospital run by medical charity Doctors Without Borders in the city of Kunduz last October left 42 people dead and sparked global outrage, forcing President Barack Obama to make a rare apology.

The Pentagon on Friday published a report of its investigation into the air strike saying the troops involved in the raid would not face war crimes charges.

Staff investigate the damaged Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital in northern Kunduz in November 2015 Najim Rahim (AFP/File)

"This report is an absolute insult to the victims of MSF hospital in Kunduz," Esmatullah Esmat, who works as a doctor for the charity, told AFP.

"We do not feel safe after this report, if we go to work, we fear the hospital might come under attack another time," Esmat said.

"We are very upset and demoralised... We are not satisfied, and we will not go back to work as long as justice is not ensured to our people," he added.

The bombing last October came as US special forces were deployed to Kunduz alongside Afghan forces in order to recapture the northern city from the Taliban, who had overrun it in one of their dramatic successes of the war.

Despite no fire coming from the hospital, an AC-130 gunship turned its enormous firepower on the target, pummelling it repeatedly over an extended period.

Doctors Without Borders branded the strike a war crime, saying the raid left patients burning in their beds with some victims decapitated and others requiring amputations.

Witnesses told MSF that the main central block of the security facility housing the intensive care unit was targeted precisely, with nearby buildings unscathed, and many patients burned to death in their beds.

- Calls for a trial -

"They should be publicly put on trial," Hamdullah, a 27-year-old who lost his uncle in the attack and worked in the laundry at the hospital, told AFP.

"This was a deliberate bombardment by the American forces, and we are not satisfied that they have said this was not a war crime. This is unacceptable for us," Hamdullah, who goes by one name, said.

General Joseph Votel, the head of US Central Command, said an investigation had found those involved made a series of mistakes and hit the clinic in error, while arguing that the troops were under battle stress.

He said that since the hospital was not deliberately targeted, the bombardment did not amount to a war crime. The 16 personnel found to have failed in their duties would face suspensions or reprimands rather than a court martial.

"It's a joke that the US said the incident was not a war crime," Zahidullah, 24, who worked as a cleaner at the hospital and lost a cousin in the strike, told AFP.

"What we saw that night is difficult for us to express in words," he said, calling for compensation for victims and their families as well as adequate medical care.

The hospital -- the only health facility in the province -- was forced to close after the attack.

The Afghan government welcomed the publication of the report.

"The Afghan government is satisfied that the investigation was done carefully and comprehensively, and believes measures were taken to ensure accountability," it said in a statement, adding that it "supports measures for preventing such attacks".

Doctors Without Borders said 42 people were killed during the 2015 air strike on its hospital in Kunduz, northern Afghanistan Najim Rahim (AFP/File)
Six dead as Sudan army, insurgents clash in Kordofan: rebels

New fighting has broken out between Sudanese troops and rebels in the state of South Kordofan, leaving six insurgents dead and several wounded, a rebel group said.

President Omar al-Bashir's forces have been battling the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan and Blue Nile since 2011, but in recent months the two southern states have seen long periods of calm compared with previous years.

The SPLM-N said clashes began on Wednesday and continued until late Friday, with fighting initially erupting west of the town of Um Serdiba.

President Omar al-Bashir's forces have been battling the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan and Blue Nile since 2011

"On our side we lost six comrades and 18 others were wounded," rebel spokesman Arnu Lodi said in a statement late on Friday.

He said the rebels had inflicted "heavy casualties" on the Sudanese troops.

The military spokesman was unreachable for comment.

Khartoum limits press access to the war-hit border regions, making it nearly impossible to verify the often-contradictory reports from the army and the SPLM-N about fighting there.

Rebels in the two southern states launched an insurgency against Bashir's Arab-dominated Khartoum government in 2011, and neither side has decisively gained the upper hand in fighting.

Bashir announced a ceasefire in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and the western Darfur region -- the scene of a separate insurgency -- in late 2015 and extended it by a month at the beginning of this year.

Sudan held a referendum in Darfur this month, with officials saying almost 98 percent of voters opted for retaining the region as five separate states.

The new fighting in South Kordofan follows weeks of calm since previous clashes in March.
Yemen foes hold 'productive' direct talks on key issues: UN

Yemen's warring parties held "productive" face-to-face peace talks on Saturday on "key issues" in a bid to end the conflict in the impoverished Arab country, the UN envoy said.

"The talks today were positive and productive... It is an encouraging beginning," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told a news conference after the first direct talks since the delayed negotiations began on April 21.

"Today, we heard the parties pledge total commitment to (UN Security Council) Resolution 2216 and related decisions, the Gulf initiative and results of Yemeni national dialogue as the basis for a peaceful solution," he said.

Yemen's UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed holds a press conference at the ministery of information in Kuwait City on April 30, 2016 Yasser al-Zayyat (AFP)

Saturday's talks came after the government and rebel delegations each submitted a framework for a political and security solution to end the 13-month war.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that despite the progress made "we still have obstacles and ideas are still far a part."

Most of the meetings in talks have so far been confined to encounters between rival delegations and Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

More than 6,800 people have been killed and around 2.8 million displaced in Yemen since a Saudi-led coalition began operations in March 2015 against Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who seized swathes of territory including the capital Sanaa.

Key issues include the withdrawal of armed groups, a handover of heavy weapons, the resumption of a political transition and the release of prisoners.

The government delegation said their proposal is based on implementing Resolution 2216, which states that the rebels must withdraw from seized territories and disarm before talks can progress.

The rebel delegation representing the Iran-backed Shiite Huthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh said that their proposals include "forming a consensus authority that would oversee (political) transition."

The rebel proposals also call for the lifting of the blockade imposed by the Saudi-led military coalition on Yemen.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed said although there has been an improvement in firming up the ceasefire that went into effect on April 11, some "grave violations" remain, especially in the besieged city of Taez.

The UN envoy also said that the Saudi-led Arab coalition has stopped air sorties in the past four to five days.
China wants 'cooperation, not confrontation' with Japan

Beijing wants to establish a relationship with Japan based on "cooperation, not confrontation", China's foreign minister told his Japanese counterpart Saturday.

Various territorial and historical disputes have soured bilateral relations in the past, but they have thawed more recently.

Fumio Kishida was on a three-day visit to China -- the first by a Japanese foreign minister in four and a half years.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (L) shakes hands with China's Premier Li Keqiang during a meeting in Beijing on April 30, 2016 Jason Lee (pool/AFP)

"We certainly wish to develop healthy, stable and friendly relations with Japan," said China's foreign minister Wang Yi at a meeting with Kishida.

But he added: "This relationship must be built on the basis of an honest view of history, respect for promises, and cooperation, not on confrontation."

Beijing and Tokyo are embroiled in a fierce dispute over the sovereignty of uninhabited territories in the East China Sea - islands administered by Japan as the Senkaku, but claimed by China under the name Diaoyu.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated in 2012 when Tokyo "nationalised" some of the islands.

Since then, the two largest Asian economies have taken steps to mend fences, with meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

But abuses committed by the Japanese military in China before and during World War II still fuel tension, with Beijing regularly accusing Tokyo of downplaying its role in the atrocities.

"We really want to regain relations in which we can visit each other frequently," Kishida said during the meeting, which was broadcast on Japanese television.

"The two countries need each other at a time when uncertainties are growing in the international economy," he was quoted as saying by the Japanese news agency Jiji.

"In China there is a saying - judge a person not by his words but his actions," said Wang.

During his visit, Kishida will discuss Sino-Japanese territorial disputes and North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program, according to Nippon Television Network.

Talks will also focus on the establishment of a "hotline" for direct communication between the two capitals in case of increased tensions over the East China Sea dispute, according to Jiji.
IS claims killing of Hindu tailor in Bangladesh: SITE

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the murder of a Hindu tailor in central Bangladesh on Saturday, a US-based monitoring group said.

Nikhil Chandra Joarder, who was hacked to death by at least two attackers outside his shop, may have been killed for making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed several years ago, police said.

"Elements from the Islamic State assassinated a Hindu in the city of Tangail in Bangladesh by stabbing him to death," the IS-affiliated Amaq news agency said, citing a source, according to SITE Intelligence Group.

Bangladeshi protesters in Dhaka demonstrate on April 29, 2016 against the killing of a university professor days earlier in the capital

"He was known for blaspheming the Prophet Muhammad," Amaq added in the Arabic-language message.

Police officials told AFP they were investigating whether the killing was linked to Islamist militants or tied to a family dispute.

"They came on a motorcycle and attacked him as he sat on a roadside," deputy chief of Tangail district police Aslam Khan said. "They hacked him on his head, neck and hand."

Muslim-majority Bangladesh is reeling from a series of brutal attacks on members of minority faiths, secularists, foreigners and intellectuals in recent months, including two gay activists and a liberal professor in the past eight days alone.

Many of the killings have been blamed on or claimed by Islamist groups -- and in several cases, attackers riding motorbikes hacked the victims to death with machetes or cleavers.

In 2012, local Muslims had filed a complaint with police against Joarder, who owned a tailoring shop, for making derogatory comments about the Prophet Mohammed.

Charged with hurting religious sentiments, he spent three weeks in jail.

The trial did not proceed "after the complainants withdrew the charges," Abdul Jalil, police chief of Gopalpur sub-district, told AFP.

The dispute appeared to have ended peacefully, another official said, adding that the victim's family said he was also being threatened by a relative.

- 'Claim has no base' -

The IS group has in recent months claimed responsibility for the killing of Christians, Hindu priests and members of the minority Sufi, Ahmadi and Shiite faiths in Bangladesh.

However, the government denies that international Islamists such as the IS group or Al-Qaeda have a presence in the country, blaming homegrown militants for the killings instead.

"There is no presence of Islamic State in this country. The claim has no base," Bangladesh home minister Asaduzzaman Khan told The Daily Star newspaper of the IS group claim Saturday.

"In the name of IS, a vested quarter is trying to destabilise the country."

Separately, police said Saturday they had arrested two members of a banned Islamist militant outfit, Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), in the case of a Christian convert brutally hacked to death in March.

"The JMB men are suspects in the murder of Hossain Ali Sarker," Kurigram district police chief Tobarak Ullah told AFP, adding that the arrests took place two days ago.

In February, suspected Islamists decapitated a top Hindu priest inside a temple complex in one of the country's northern districts, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

The murders come amid a long-running political crisis some suggest has radicalised government opponents. Analysts say Islamists now pose a growing danger in the South Asian country.

At least 30 members of religious minorities, secular activists, foreigners and intellectuals have been murdered in Bangladesh in the past three years.

Hindus, the country's largest religious minority, make up nearly 10 percent of Bangladesh's 160 million people.

In another killing claimed by the Islamic State group, a university professor was hacked to death in Dhaka on April 23, 2016 Str (AFP/File)
Protesters storm parliament in Iraq's Green Zone

Thousands of angry protesters broke into Baghdad's fortified Green Zone area on Saturday and stormed the Iraqi parliament building after lawmakers again failed to approve new ministers.

Jubilant crowds, most of them supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, invaded the main session hall, shouting slogans glorifying their leader and claiming that they had rooted out corruption.

The capital was already on high alert for a major Shiite pilgrimage, participants in which were targeted in a bombing that killed 23 on Saturday, but extra security measures were taken after protesters stormed the Green Zone.

Iraqi protesters climb over a concrete wall surrounding the parliament after breaking into Baghdad's heavily fortified "Green Zone" on April 30, 2016 Haidar Mohammed Ali (AFP)

"You are not staying here! This is your last day in the Green Zone," shouted one protester as thousands broke in.

Besides the parliament compound, the restricted area in central Baghdad houses the presidential palace, the prime minister's office and several embassies, including those of the United States and Britain.

Protesters pulled down several slabs of the heavy concrete blast walls that surround the Green Zone to create an opening and also climbed over the barrier.

They then headed to parliament, where some rampaged through the building and broke into offices, while others shouted "peacefully, peacefully" and tried to contain the destruction, an AFP journalist said.

Security forces were present but did not confront them.

Some six hours after the Green Zone was stormed and despite the chaos, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued a statement claiming the situation in Baghdad was "under the control of the security forces" and urging protesters to return to "designated protest areas".

- Chaos at parliament -

Parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi meanwhile issued a statement that referred to MPs as "representatives of the people, and their servants" -- descriptions with which many Iraqis would disagree.

Tear gas was used against protesters but violence did not escalate further, with both sides mostly seen fraternising.

An AFP photographer said members of the Sadrist militia group Saraya al-Salam were in control of the parliament building and were not permitting protesters to enter.

Demonstrators left parliament and began a sit-in at Ihtifalat Square inside the Green Zone.

Protesters earlier pulled barbed wire across a road leading to one of the Green Zone exits, attempting to prevent some scared lawmakers from fleeing the chaos.

They also attacked and damaged several vehicles they believed belonged to MPs.

Inside the main hall where lawmakers failed to reach a quorum earlier in the day, protesters sat in the MPs' seats taking "selfies" and shouting slogans.

One protester called a friend on his mobile: "I am sitting in Salim al-Juburi's chair, I have a meeting, we'll talk later."

"We are the ones running this country now, the time of the corrupt is over," said another, as crowds filled rooms throughout the building.

Parliament failed to reach a quorum on Saturday after approving some of Abadi's ministerial nominees earlier in the week.

The Green Zone unrest started as Sadr ended a news conference in the Shiite holy city of Najaf during which he condemned the political deadlock.

He had threatened to have his supporters storm the Green Zone last month, but did not order them to enter the area in his Saturday address.

- Baghdad on high alert -

The politicians "refused to end corruption and refused to end quotas", Sadr said, adding that he and his supporters would not participate in "any political process in which there are any type... of political party quotas".

Key government posts have for years been shared out based on political and sectarian quotas, a practice demonstrators want to end.

Abadi's efforts to change the system have been opposed by powerful political parties that rely on control of ministries for patronage and funds.

"The parliament and the government are simply not capable of reforming. They will always defend privilege over reform," said Zaid al-Ali, a fellow at Princeton University and the author of "The Struggle For Iraq's Future".

Given that, "it was entirely predictable that this was going to happen", said Ali, referring to the storming of the Green Zone.

According to interior ministry officials, the main entrances to Baghdad were temporarily closed, and measures were taken to protect the central bank and the airport.

Security forces had already been on high alert as tens of thousands of Shiite faithful converged on the city for an annual commemoration.

Both Washington and the United Nations have warned that the political crisis could distract from the fight against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

IS claimed a bombing that targeted Shiite pilgrims in the Nahrawan area near Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 23 people and wounding at least 38, security and medical officials said.

Iraqi protesters flash V-signs inside the parliament building after breaking into Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on April 30, 2016 Haidar Mohammed Ali (AFP)

Thousands of Iraqi protesters invaded the main session hall of the parliament in Baghdad on April 30, 2016 Haidar Mohammed Ali (AFP)

Protesters gather outside Iraq's parliament after breaking into Baghdad's heavily fortified "Green Zone" on April 30, 2016 Haidar Mohammed Ali (AFP)

Jubilant supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr invaded the main session hall of parliament in Baghdad, shouting slogans glorifying their leader and claiming that they had rooted out corruption Haidar Mohammed Ali (AFP)
Palestinians seek Eurovision apology over banned flag

A senior Palestinian official Saturday demanded an apology from Eurovision song contest organisers after the Palestinian flag was among a list of banned banners at next month's event in Sweden.

Palestine Liberation Organisation second in command Saeb Erakat made the demand in a letter addressed to the president of the European Broadcasting Union, Jean-Paul Philippot.

"The Eurovision song contest this year will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, the first EU member state in Western Europe to officially recognise the State of Palestine," Erakat wrote.

Palestine Liberation Organisation second in command Saeb Erakat has demanded an apology from Eurovision song contest organisers after the Palestinian flag was among a list of banned banners at next month's event in Sweden Abbas Momani (AFP/File)

"Your decision is totally biased and unacceptable.

"We call upon you to immediately revoke this shameful decision. It's also equally necessary for the European Broadcasting Union to apologise to Palestine and to millions of Palestinians around the world."

Organisers of the annual contest have already come under fire from Spain, which condemned a ban on the Basque regional flag.

"It is a constitutional, legal and legitimate flag and the Spanish government will defend it whenever needed," Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said Friday.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo spoke to Madrid's ambassador in Sweden "so that he could immediately tell the organisation that it is a constitutional flag and cannot be in that list", a ministry spokeswoman has said.

Eurovision has apologised to Spain and blamed the publication by mistake of a draft version of its flag policy listing banned banners, including that of the Islamic State group.

Under Eurovision rules, regional flags or those belonging to federated states, or including commercial, religious or political messages, are all banned.

Those that are allowed are the flags of countries taking part in the contest and any other UN member state, as well as the EU flag and the rainbow banner that represents the LGBT movement.
Yemen govt forces seize Qaeda-held military camp, arms

Yemeni government forces backed by an Arab coalition seized an Al-Qaeda training camp in the southeastern province of Hadramawt Saturday along with "large amounts" of weapons, its governor told AFP.

It comes during an offensive launched last month to recapture areas in the south overrun by Al-Qaeda and which on Sunday saw loyalist forces recapture Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla, which the jihadists had occupied for a year.

"The offensive is continuing in Qoton to hunt down Al-Qaeda militants," said Hadramawt governor Major General Ahmed bin Braik, referring to a town north of Mukalla.

Yemeni security forces inspect unexploded ordnance confiscated from Al-Qaeda militants in the Lahj province on April 29, 2016 Saleh Al-Obeidi (AFP/File)

Braik said government forces overran an Al-Qaeda training camp in the town where they "confiscated large amounts of weapons" and "arrested eight Al-Qaeda militants".

"Mukalla is now a safe city," Braik added.

An AFP reporter there said the situation had returned to normal as pro-government forces deployed across Mukalla with troops from the Arab coalition securing the ports.

Government troops that seized the city were backed by special forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as by coalition air strikes, the alliance said in a statement.

At least 27 Yemeni soldiers died in the fight to retake Mukalla, military officials and medics said.

And while the coalition has said that more than 800 jihadists were killed, Al-Qaeda issued a statement on Monday denying the claim as "lies" and saying its dead "do not exceed the number of fingers on both hands".

The statement addressing Hadramawt residents and signed by Ansar al-Sharia, another name for Al-Qaeda in Yemen, said that the jihadists withdrew only to spare Mukalla the destruction of fighting.

"We will fight the battle by our own rules and ways and not by those of the enemy," said the statement, adding that the UAE had played the biggest role in the fight for Mukalla.

An officer there had told AFP that residents of Mukalla, home to an estimated 200,000 people, had appealed to the jihadists to spare it and pull out.

The Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is regarded by Washington as the network's most dangerous branch, and AQAP militants have come under repeated US air and drone strikes.
84 migrants still missing after boat sinks off Libya: IOM

Eighty-four migrants are still missing after an inflatable craft sank off the coast of Libya, according to survivors cited by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Saturday.

Twenty-six people were rescued from the boat which sank on Friday, and were questioned overnight.

"According to testimonies gathered by IOM in Lampedusa 84 people went missing," IOM spokesman in Italy Flavio Di Giacomo wrote on his Twitter feed.

Migrants arrive at Lampedusa harbour after a rescue operation at sea off the coast of Libya, in a video capture released by the Italian Coast Guard on April 30, 2016

Di Giacomo told AFP that the survivors indicated 110 people, all from assorted west African states, had embarked in Libya.

In an email, he added that the vessel "was in a very bad state, was taking on water and many people fell into the water and drowned.

"Ten fell very rapidly and several others just minutes later."

Earlier Saturday, Italy's coastguard said an Italian cargo ship had rescued 26 migrants from a flimsy boat sinking off the coast of Libya but voiced fears that tens more could be missing.

The coastguard received a call from a satellite phone late Friday that helped locate the stricken inflatable and called on the merchant ship to make a detour to the area about four miles (seven kilometres) off the Libyan coast near Sabratha.

Rough seas and waves topping two metres (seven feet) hampered attempts to find any other survivors.

The rescued migrants were transferred to two coastguard vessel and taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Images released by the coastguard showed two women wrapped in shawls and blankets stepping off one of their vessels.

An IOM spokesman said five unaccompanied minors aged between 16 and 17 were among those rescued.

More than 350,000 people fleeing conflict and poverty have reached Italy on boats from Libya since the start of 2014, as Europe struggles to manage its biggest migration crisis since World War II.

Most of the 27,000 people who have made it to the Italian coast this year hail from Nigeria, Gambia and Senegal.

Some 500 were rescued on Friday by monitoring vessels in the area while Di Giacomo said two bodies had been spotted in one inflatable craft.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates 1,261 people have drowned in the Mediterranean this year, chiefly on precarious voyages to Greek islands, in desperate attempts to secure a new life.

The additional migrant flow from the Syrian conflict has put further pressure on search and rescue operation efforts.
UK strikes in Syria, Iraq kill 1,000 IS fighters: Ministry of Defence

British air strikes have killed nearly 1,000 fighters of the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq in the past 18 months, according to new Ministry of Defence figures.

Figures released under Freedom of Information laws revealed 974 militants were killed in Royal Air Force (RAF) strikes in Iraq between September 2014, when the British bombing campaign began, and last month.

Another 22 were killed in Syria between January and March this year, following the decision by the British parliament to extend the mission to Syria in December.

British Royal Air Force aircraft is seen on the tarmac at the British airbase at Akrotiri, Cyprus on December 3, 2015 Iakovos Hatzistavrou (AFP/File)

"Our records show that there were no civilian casualties for the period in question," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement released late Friday.

The ministry added that the numbers are estimates "based on post-strike analysis", noting that Britain "is not in a position to visit strike sites and verify the numbers of enemy killed".
Qatar requests 'emergency' Arab League meet on Syria

Doha has requested an "emergency" meeting of Arab League envoys to discuss deadly Syrian regime air raids on the war-ravaged city of Aleppo, the official Qatar News Agency reported Saturday.

Qatars permanent envoy at the Cairo-based pan-Arab body has requested holding "a meeting to discuss the dangerous escalation in the city of Aleppo and the Syrian regime forces massacres against civilians" there, said the statement on QNA.

The request comes after Russia said it will not ask the Syrian regime it backs to halt air raids on Aleppo, capital of the northern province of the same name and a key battleground in the five-year Syria war.

Syrians evacuate an injured man amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Al-Qatarji in Aleppo, on April 29, 2016 Ameer Alhalbi (AFP/File)

Some 250 civilians have been killed in Syrian regime air raids since April 22 or in army and rebel crossfire that has intensified despite a truce which came into force on February 27, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia late on Friday "strongly" condemned the raids and urged the Syrian regime's allies "to take all measures needed to stop these attacks and all crimes carried out by (President) Bashar al-Assad and his supporters against the Syrian people."

"Through this criminal act, the tyrant of Damascus Bashar al-Assad, affirms that he is not serious in responding to the demands of the international community or in moving ahead with the ongoing talks to peacefully resolve the Syrian crisis," said a Saudi foreign ministry official in a statement on the SPA news agency.

A new round of UN-backed peace talks is set to start on May 10 in Geneva.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia support Syrian rebels fighting Assad's Russian- and Iranian-backed regime in a conflict which has killed more than 270,000 people since it began in March 2011.

Another Gulf state, the United Arab Emirates, made similar remarks Saturday urging an end to violence and urging the UN Security Council to help end the bloodshed.

The UAE voiced its "deep concern" over the "Syrian government forces' immoral targeting of hospitals and medical services," in a foreign ministry statement on news agency WAM.

"This unjustified escalation against civilians" could derail the political process and the ceasefire, it warned.

A total of four medical facilities were hit in Aleppo Friday on both sides of the front line, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Russia will not ask Syrian regime to halt Aleppo raids: Moscow

Russia will not ask the Syrian regime to halt air raids on the war-ravaged city of Aleppo, as it believes they are helping to combat jihadist groups, Moscow's foreign ministry said Saturday.

"No, we are not going to put pressure on (Damascus) because one must understand that the situation in Aleppo is part of this fight against the terrorist threat," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told the Interfax news agency.

Aleppo, capital of the northern province of the same name, is a key battleground and of vital strategic significance to both sides in the Syrian civil war.

The damaged Al-Quds hospital building (R), pictured following airstrikes on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Sukkari in Aleppo Karam Al-Masri (AFP)

Despite a truce which came into force on February 27, what was once Syria's economic powerhouse has become the scene of some of the worst fighting in a conflict which has killed more than 270,000 people in the past five years.

The past week has seen a spike in fighting which has left more than 200 dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Dozens of civilians on the rebel-held side of Syria's second city had to flee their homes early Saturday for fear of a ninth straight day of air raids by regime aircraft, an AFP reporter in Aleppo said.

Some 250 civilians have been killed in raids since they began on April 22 or else been caught in army and rebel crossfire, according to the Observatory.

US officials have accused Moscow of backing the attacks by a Damascus regime which Russia supports as the Syrian government gears up for an expected assault on Aleppo.

On Thursday, Washington appealed to Moscow to keep President Bashar al-Assad's regime in check and the United States also expressed outrage over a deadly air strike on an Aleppo hospital.

Secretary of State John Kerry said the strike matched a pattern of Syrian government attacks targeting health workers.

The Russian army responded by denying it was backing the regime strikes and indicated that no Russian war planes have flown over the city in recent days.

"Our army and the US army discuss the situation in Aleppo daily," Gatilov said Saturday.

In its daily report on Syria, the Russian defence ministry said it had recorded "three ceasefire violations in the city of Aleppo", blaming them all on the rebels.
Iraq forces in major offensive on IS-held town

Iraqi forces launched a final assault Saturday to retake the Turkmen majority town of Bashir from the Islamic State jihadist group, Kurdish authorities said.

Pressure for an operation to retake the town had grown in March after IS launched a chemical attack from Bashir on the nearby town of Taza that killed at least three children.

"Bashir village is surrounded and 80 percent has been cleared," the Kurdistan Region Security Council said on social media.

Iraqi pro-government forces and Shiite fighters from the Popular Mobilisation units hold position in Kirkuk on April 30, 2016 as they launch an operation to retake the town of al-Bashir Marwan Ibarhim (AFP)

It said the push was launched at 0300 GMT to attack Bashir from the northern, eastern and southern sides.
Prospects for Syria political solution 'in danger': opposition

The prospects of finding a political solution to the Syria conflict are in danger unless the international community acts fast to pressure the regime, the head of the main Syrian opposition group said Saturday, after new air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo.

The assault on Syria's divided second city by the armed forces of President Bashar al-Assad has put in jeopardy a fragile truce that had given new hope to UN-backed peace talks in Geneva.

"The regime is not really interested in a political solution and they are not really interested in hearing the cessation of the hostilities initiative," the head of the Syrian National Coalition Anas al-Abdeh told AFP in Istanbul.

People walk amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Kalasa in Aleppo, Syria on April 28, 2016 Ameer Alhalbi (AFP/File)

"We think that unless the international community does something about that, the whole prospect for the political solution will be in danger," he added after a general assembly meeting of the main opposition umbrella grouping in the Turkish city.

Terrified residents fled a new wave of air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo Saturday, as key regime backer Russia rejected calls to rein in its ally.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Moscow would not ask Damascus to halt air raids on Aleppo.

"It's clear that Russia is still supporting the regime, and it's supporting the regime policy of aggression against the Syrian people," said Abdeh.

Russia in March had begun withdrawing its main contingent of troops from Syria but the announcement was greeted with suspicion by some observers.

"Russia isn't doing what it's supposed to do, which is to put enough pressure on the regime to show the restraint and to stop targeting civilians," he said.

Abdeh said it was up to Washington -- which has engaged in intense diplomacy with Moscow to find a solution in Syria -- to salvage the Geneva peace process after the latest fighting.

"I think the Americans know really well they have to do something special in order to revive the political process in Syria and to get the political negotiation back on track.

"I hope the Americans are doing that, otherwise all the good efforts of the past four months would go in vain."
Texas floods kill woman and four grandchildren

A woman and her four grandchildren died after heavy floods in Texas swept them away from their house overnight, police said.

Floodwater in the town of Palestine -- around 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Dallas -- rose quickly after a creek behind a residential area overflowed its banks, local media reported.

The victims were a 64-year-old woman and her grandchildren aged six, seven, eight and nine, police said in a statement.

Flooded streets in the Kelliwood Park neighborhood of Katy, Texas seen on April 18, 2016

"The water just came up extremely fast," Palestine police Captain James Muniz told NBC News. "Before they knew it, water was waist-high, then chest-high and then it was roof-line."

Police were informed the victims were missing shortly after midnight on Friday and discovered their bodies around 3:45 am (0745 GMT).

The fast-moving floodwaters displaced six to eight more families from their houses on the same block, police said.

Storms moving through central and southern states on Friday and early Saturday caused the flooding.
Herzog invites Britain's Corbyn to Israel amid anti-Semitism row

Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog on Saturday invited Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain's Labour party, to visit the Yad Vashem holocaust memorial in Jerusalem amid a row over anti-semitism.

Former London mayor Ken Livingstone said on Saturday he regretted the row that has rocked Britain's opposition Labour party, but refused to withdraw comments linking Hitler to Zionism.

Livingstone was suspended from the centre-left party on Thursday after saying Hitler initially wanted to move Jews to Israel, and "was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews".

Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem on February 10, 2016 Thomas Coex (AFP/File)

His comments came in defence of Labour lawmaker Naz Shah, who was suspended on Wednesday in the face of widespread criticism for sharing anti-Semitic posts on social media two years ago.

Shah shared a graphic of Israel superimposed onto the United States under the words "Solution for Israel-Palestine Conflict -- Relocate Israel into United States", adding the comment: "Problem solved."

Herzog said he had written a letter to Corbyn.

"I have been appalled and outraged by the most recent examples of anti-Semitism by senior Labour party officials in the United Kingdom," he wrote in the letter in English, published on his Facebook page.

Herzog said "the views expressed by Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London and member of Labour's national executive, in which he claimed that Hitler 'was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews', were particularly horrific, and unthinkable for a British politician in the 21st century."

He said in the week ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel he was inviting a Labour party delegation to Yad Vashem "in order to witness that the last time the Jews were forcibly 'transported', it was not to Israel but to their deaths."

The Israeli Labour party leader concludes his letter by writing that while Livingstone "is surely anti-Semitic beyond hope of redemption", he believes that many Labour activists in Britain have "a willingness to engage and better understand the scourge of anti-Semitism".
Moqtada al-Sadr, described by the Pentagon in 2006 as the biggest threat to stability in Iraq, pictured in the city of Najaf on April 15, 2018

Moqtada Sadr is the scion of an influential clerical family who raised a rebellion after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and has now reinvented himself as a reform champion to triumph at elections.

After the toppling of Saddam Hussein his militia fought fierce battles with American troops and he was identified by the Pentagon in 2006 as the biggest threat to stability in Iraq.

But after years on the sidelines, Sadr linked up with secularists with a promise to battle corruption and now appears to hold the keys to Baghdad.

The nationalist cleric's Marching Towards Reform alliance came out on top in Iraq's parliamentary elections earlier this month.

"Sadr -- often dubbed a firebrand cleric -- has come a long way from the days in 2003 when he was an outcast and a hunted man," said Nabeel Khoury, from the Atlantic Council think tank.

The election success follows three years of weekly protests, with Sadrists rallying alongside communists to call for an overhaul of the political class.

While Sadr has ruled himself out of becoming prime minister, he should become kingmaker and aims to form a technocratic government from a dozen parties.

Such a victory over internationally favoured prime minister Haider al-Abadi came as a surprise, but Sadr is well-known to Iraqis and US forces alike.

- Militia army -

The face of Muqtada al-Sadr adorning the plastic cover of a cell phone, on sale in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, on May 17, 2018

His rise to political power has been aided by the reputations of two famed relatives -- including his father, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr -- killed during Saddam Hussein's rule.

With a grey bushy beard and wearing the black turban of a "sayyid" or descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, Sadr gained widespread popularity in the months after the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

His Mahdi Army -- estimated to have had up to 60,000 members -- was once the most active and feared armed Shiite group in the country, and was blamed by Washington for death-squad killings of thousands of Sunnis.

But in August 2008, Sadr suspended the activities of the Mahdi Army after major US and Iraqi assaults on its strongholds in Baghdad and southern Iraq.

Following the ceasefire, US military commanders said Sadr's action had been instrumental in helping bring about a significant decrease in the levels of violence across Iraq.

He nonetheless continued his vocal opposition to the US military presence in the country.

- Holding onto the street -

Despite repeatedly bowing out of politics, reportedly pursuing religious studies in the Iranian holy city of Qom, he remained able to pull powerful political strings.

After throwing his weight behind Shiite politician Nuri al-Maliki in 2006, ensuring he became prime minister, Sadr then ordered his followers to pull out of the cabinet the next year, almost bringing down the government.

Sadr's bloc contested the 2010 legislative election in an alliance with the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, another Shiite group with links to Iran.

The inconclusive polls saw Maliki gain a second term as premier -- during which he was deemed a "dictator" by Sadr who called for his resignation.

More recently the former commander renewed his militia to defend Iraqi religious sites in 2014, after the Islamic State group overran large areas north and west of Baghdad.

Whether on a military, clerical or political path, Sadr has been careful to maintain the power base which has now given him an unrivalled level of political influence.

Iraqi supporters of Moqtada Sadr gather for a campaign rally in the capital Baghdad, on May 4, 2018, ahead of parliamentary elections

"Because he holds onto the street, he upsets numerous parties," said Iraqi political expert Essam al-Fili.

For the analyst, forming a coalition government with Sadr would result in "the political situation entering a phase of instability".
First woman tapped for dean at West Point academy

US President Barack Obama has nominated a woman to become the United States Military Academy's first female dean in its 216-year history.

He named Cindy Jebb, a graduate of the prestigious institution -- also known as West Point -- who currently heads its Social Sciences department, the school said in a statement Friday.

The nomination requires confirmation by the Senate.

Cadets from the US Military Academy at West Point march during the Veterans Day Parade in New York on November 11, 2014 Jewel Samad (AFP/File)

"This is a historic time for our military and I'm excited for West Point to have its first woman has to hold this position," said Acting Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy.

If approved, Jebb will be promoted to brigadier general.

"She's revered amongst the faculty and cadets and we're lucky to have her," said West Point's superintendent, Lieutenant General Robert Caslen.

In January, another woman, Brigadier General Diana Holland, became the first female commandant of West Point's Corps of Cadets.

Women play an increasingly important role in the US military, making up around 15 percent of personnel.

The Pentagon last year opened all combat positions to women, including elite special operations units.
Comoros court orders partial re-run of presidential poll

The Comoros constitutional court on Saturday ordered a partial re-run of the country's April 10 presidential ballot due to "irregularities", a decision that could reverse the close election result.

In a court ruling, president of the Constitutional Court Loutfi Soulaimane asked newly-elected leader Azali Assoumani and elections minister Mohamed el-Had Abbasto to take steps to re-run the second-round poll in 13 constituencies by May 15.

The repeat vote could throw into the question the entire election result because of the narrow margin by which former coup leader Assoumani won, according to provisional results.

Voters cast their ballot in Mitsoudje on April 10, 2016 during the second round of presidential elections in Comoros Ibrahim Youssouf (AFP/File)

Assoumani took 40.98 percent of the vote, narrowly ahead of Vice President Mohamed Ali Soilihi, the ruling party's presidential candidate, who picked up 39.87 percent.

Polling day was peppered with incidents, notably on Anjouan, one of the three islands which make up the Indian Ocean archipelago situated between Madagascar and Mozambique, including broken ballot boxes, interruptions in the voting, accusations of ballot stuffing and acts of violence.

Nineteen of the 25 candidates who stood in the first round rejected the outcome of that vote and demanded a recount, but the Constitutional Court ruled against them at the time.

Assoumani first came to power in 1999 after ousting acting president Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde in a coup. He then won the presidential election three years later, stepping down when his term ended in 2006.

The three islands that make up the Comoros -- Anjouan, Grand Comore and Moheli -- have a total population of just under 800,000 people, nearly all of whom are Sunni Muslims.
US demands Assad forces halt Aleppo strikes as residents flee

The United States Saturday demanded that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces halt their bombardment of Aleppo and help restore a nationwide ceasefire, with Secretary of State John Kerry due to head to Geneva for talks on the conflict.

Terrified residents fled a new wave of air strikes on rebel-held areas of the divided city as key regime backer Russia rejected calls to rein in its ally.

With the peace process hanging by a thread, Kerry was to fly to Geneva on Sunday for talks with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura and the Saudi and Jordanian foreign ministers.

Syrian civil defence volunteers evacuate a man and children following a reported air strike on the rebel-held eastern neighbourhood of Bab al-Nayrab in Aleppo Ameer Alhalbi (AFP)

In calls to De Mistura and the lead Syrian opposition negotiator, Kerry expressed "deep concern" about Aleppo, which has suffered some of the worst fighting in a conflict that has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.

"The secretary made clear that ending the violence in Aleppo and returning ultimately to a durable, nationwide cessation is a top priority," spokesman John Kirby said.

A truce was called in February between Assad's forces and a coalition of rebels but has since begun to break down, particularly in the besieged city of Aleppo where nearly 250 people have been killed in the last 10 days.

In the calls, Kerry dismissed Russian and regime claim that the Aleppo strikes were targeting the Al-Nusra Front, a jihadist force that is not party to the ceasefire.

"The secretary made clear that we urged Russia to take steps to stop regime violations, especially its indiscriminate aerial attacks in Aleppo," Kirby said.

Aleppo was left out of a new temporary US-Russian brokered truce that appeared to be holding in the regime stronghold of Latakia as well as Damascus and the nearby rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta.

A new round of UN-backed peace talks is set to start on May 10 in Geneva.

- 'Unbearable situation' -

In Aleppo's rebel-held east, dozens of civilians left the battered Bustan al-Qasr district early Saturday, an AFP correspondent said.

"The situation has become unbearable," Abu Mohammed said as he prepared to flee with his wife and five children. "Everything is paralysed."

Russia said that it would not ask Damascus to halt air raids on Aleppo.

"No, we are not going to put pressure on (Damascus) because one must understand that the situation in Aleppo is part of this fight against the terrorist threat," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said.

At least 246 civilians have died in shelling, rocket fire and air strikes in both sides of the city since April 22, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

At least 10 civilians died in rebel-controlled areas on Saturday, according to the civil defence.

The violence in Aleppo has severely tested the February 27 truce between the regime and non-jihadist rebels intended to pave the way to an end to the five-year conflict.

The few people out on the streets watched the sky anxiously for regime aircraft, running for shelter when one launched a new raid.

The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground, reported 28 air strikes on eastern neighbourhoods.

But in its daily report on Syria, Russia's defence ministry said it had recorded only "three ceasefire violations in the city of Aleppo", blaming them all on the rebels.

The SANA state news agency said shelling of western government-held neighbourhoods killed three civilians, including a child, and blamed Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front and its allies.

A pro-government newspaper said Thursday the army was preparing an offensive to recapture all of Aleppo and the surrounding province.

- Aid for besieged towns -

Hospitals have also been bombed in nine days of escalating violence in Aleppo.

Four medical facilities were hit Friday on both sides of the front line, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

A raid on Wednesday hit a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross as well as nearby housing, killing 30 people and sparking an international outcry.

On other fronts, fighting halted at 1:00 am Saturday (2200 GMT Friday) in a "freeze" set to last for 24 hours in Damascus and Eastern Ghouta, and 72 hours in Latakia.

Humanitarian convoys carrying food and medicine meanwhile entered the besieged rebel-held towns of Madaya and Zabadani, northwest of Damascus, on Saturday, the Red Cross said.

At the same time, trucks entered the besieged government-held towns of Fuaa and Kafraya, southwest of Aleppo.

Madaya became infamous in late 2015 after dozens died of starvation there.

Anas al-Abdeh, head of the Istanbul-based opposition National Coalition, Saturday accused the regime of "war crimes and crimes against humanity" in Aleppo.

Human Rights Watch also said the air strikes on medical facilities in the city "may amount to war crimes".

Qatar called for an emergency Arab League meeting, and Saudi Arabia condemned the regime strikes.

With the peace process hanging by a thread, US Secretary of State John Kerry was to fly to Geneva for talks with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura and the Saudi and Jordanian foreign ministers Paul J. Richards (AFP/File)

Syrian schoolchildren run past heavily damaged buildings in the rebel-held area of Jobar, on the eastern outskirts of the capital Damascus Amer Almohibany (AFP)
Kasich calls for balance on gay rights, religious beliefs

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Asked about gay rights and marriage equality, Republican presidential candidate John Kasich said Friday that more people should take a "chill pill" and try to get along with one another rather than turn to unwieldy legislation.

The Ohio governor appeared at a town hall hosted by the Commonwealth Club of California, where he answered questions on issues that included terrorism and health care as well as discrimination against gays and lesbians.

"Do I think people are born gay? Probably. I've never studied the issue, but I don't see any reason to hurt you or discriminate (against) you or make you feel bad or make you feel like a second-class citizen," Kasich said in a spirited exchange with a gay man in the audience.

Republican presidential candidate John Kasich arrives to Central Medford High School in Medford, Ore. on Thursday, April 28, 2016. (Jamie Lusch/The Medford Mail Tribune via AP)

"I don't think that's right. Because you know what? Everybody's created in the image of the Lord."

Kasich has walked a fine line on the issue, saying that he does not support same-sex marriage but that he also has attended a gay wedding. He said that he does not believe in discriminating against anybody, but religious views must also be honored.

His answer partially satisfied 62-year-old San Francisco resident Kelly Bryan.
Man pleads guilty in stalking case involving Joe Arpaio

PHOENIX (AP)  A man has pleaded guilty to charges of trying to stalk Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio last year.

Maricopa County Superior Court officials say 43-year-old Ruben Pena Jr. pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of attempted stalking and one count of a hoax.

His sentencing is scheduled for June 2.

Authorities say Pena went to the MCSO headquarters building on Dec. 8, requesting to speak with the sheriff regarding an identification issue.

They say Pena's request wasn't completed in a timely manner and he allegedly left behind a threatening letter.

Sheriff's investigators determined Pena had been in the building several other times making threatening statements against Arpaio.
Fugitive wanted in 2 states captured in southeast Alabama

TROY, Ala. (AP)  Authorities say a man wanted in Alabama and Florida on multiple charges including murder has been captured in southeast Alabama.

The U.S. Marshals Service says 39-year-old Raymond Pruitt was arrested Friday afternoon in Pike County after being sought after a crime spree that started on April 5. Authorities say Pruitt was captured after he crashed his vehicle following a high-speed chase with law enforcement.

Authorities say Pruitt allegedly stabbed his girlfriend and shot her with her own pistol.

Pruitt was initially sought by Montgomery Police on an attempted murder charge. He allegedly went on an armed robbery crime spree stretching across at least four Alabama counties.
President Obama celebrates jazz at the White House

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are celebrating International Jazz Day a day early with a concert at the White House.

Borrowing a line from trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie, who ran for president in 1964, Obama says he intends to turn the White House into the "Blues House" with Friday night's concert.

Obama says he first obtained an appreciation of jazz when a father he "barely knew" came to visit him for about a month in Honolulu. He says his father took him to see jazz pianist Dave Brubeck in 1971.

First lady Michelle Obama acknowledges musician Herbie Hancock as she speaks to high school students from across the Washington D.C. area in State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, April 29, 2016, as part of the International Jazz Day celebration. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Obama says the world that concert opened up for a 10-year-old boy was spectacular, and he was hooked.

The concert features Aretha Franklin, Al Jarreau, Herbie Hancock and others and is to be televised Saturday on ABC.

First lady Michelle Obama speaks to high school students from across the Washington D.C. area in State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, April 29, 2016, as part of the International Jazz Day celebration. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Indigenous dancers compete at North America's largest powwow

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Nearly 3,000 indigenous dancers representing hundreds of tribes from across the United States, Canada and other parts of the world kicked off one of North America's most prominent powwows on Friday.

With beating drums and jingling bells, the dancers twisted their way from the top steps down into the well of University of New Mexico Arena, spiraling clockwise until the arena floor was packed.

Spectators caught glimpses of feathered bustles, buckskin dresses, elaborate outfits with hand-stitched designs and hair pieces covered with intricate beadwork.

Nearly 3,000 indigenous dancers from across the United States and other countries participate in the first grand entry of the 33rd annual Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, April 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

It's no doubt a showcase of indigenous cultures and a means to preserving tradition, but it's also about competition.

"A lot of these dancers  most of these dancers in fact  train year-round for this first event of the year, of the powwow season," said Larry Yazzie, a champion dancer himself and founder of Native Pride Arts. "They're like athletes. They run, they bike, weightlifting, eat right, whatever they can to get that edge out there on the dance arena."

Most dancers at the Gathering of Nations compete for prize money during the weekend powwow.

Organizers say the annual event draws more than 100,000 people to Albuquerque.

Friday marked a special day for the powwow. Dancers took to the floor early to honor Spike Draper, an award-winning fancy dancer from Farmington, New Mexico, who died last year in a horse accident.

Draper was named posthumously the head man dancer this year, one of the highest recognitions within the powwow world. Draper's father danced in his place during Friday's grand entry.

Head dancers are chosen each year based on their experience and notoriety on the powwow circuit.

Representing young women this year is Jayda Gadwa, a fancy shawl dancer from the Kehewin Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada. Gadwa has been dancing since she was old enough to walk.

So what's it like to be in the heart of the arena, where the beating drums and pounding feet make for an almost deafening rhythmic rumble?

"Good vibes all around," Gadwa said of the feeling.

But there's also a seriousness that the competitors talk about, one rooted in years of practice and lessons about what the dances mean. Then there's the pressure to absorb it all for the sake of passing it on to the next generation.

"It's important. I believe us native, aboriginal people wouldn't be anyone without our culture," Gadwa said.

The four head dancers selected to lead the 33rd annual Gathering of Nations are recognized following the event's grand entry in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, April 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

Nearly 3,000 indigenous dancers from across the United States and other countries participate in the first grand entry of the 33rd annual Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, April 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

Nearly 3,000 indigenous dancers from across the United States and other countries participate in the first grand entry of the 33rd annual Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, April 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
Overturned truck carrying stones kills 14 in China

BEIJING (AP)  Chinese authorities say 14 people were killed when a truck carrying stones overturned and dumped its cargo onto a roadside activity center.

The central government's State Administration of Work Safety said Friday's accident in the southern province of Guizhou was apparently caused by brake failure.

The incident occurred on the eve of the three-day May Day holiday, during which millions of Chinese are expected to travel within China and abroad. Traffic police in recent days have been cracking down on overloading, poorly maintained vehicles and drunk driving in an effort to avoid the carnage regularly seen on Chinese highways during public holidays.
IS claims responsibility for Baghdad bombing that killed 21

BAGHDAD (AP)  The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a bombing Saturday east of Baghdad, according to a statement posted on an IS-affiliated website. The attack killed at least 21 people and wounded at least 42 others, according to Iraqi police and hospital officials. The IS statement described the attack as a three-ton truck bombing.

The attack targeted Shiite civilians shopping in an open-air market selling fruit, vegetables and meat in Nahrawan, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry. The IS statement and initial reports from local officials at the scene claimed the bombing targeted Shiite pilgrims walking to Baghdad's holy Kadhimiyah shrine.

"It was not a road for people walking toward Kadhimiyah," said Brig. Gen. Saad Mann, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry and Baghdad Operations Command.

Shiite pilgrims march toward the Imam Mousa al-Kadhim shrine to commemorate the anniversary of the Imam's death in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, April 29, 2016. The anniversary of the 8th-century Imam's death draws tens of thousands of Shiites from all walks to converge on his golden-domed shrine in northern Baghdad. The pilgrims typically march to the shrine while hundreds of tents are erected to offer them free food, drinks and services. (AP Photo/Ali Abdul Hassan)

The attack's casualty figures were confirmed by police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Thousands of Shiite pilgrims from across Iraq are expected to travel on foot to the shrine of 8th-century Imam Moussa al-Kadhim over the coming days to commemorate the anniversary of his death. Security in the capital has been tightened in anticipation of the crowds; additional checkpoints have been set up and roads have been closed.

The Islamic State group regularly carries out attacks targeting Iraq's Shiite majority, including attacks on Shiite pilgrims and civilians in Baghdad's Shiite neighborhoods. IS views Shiites as apostates deserving of death.

Mann said the attack in Baghdad was carried out by IS in response to recent territorial losses in Iraq. "The only strategic weapon left for them are (suicide bombers)," Mann said. While IS still controls large swaths of Iraq's west and north, the group has suffered a series of territorial losses over the past year. Most recently IS fighters were pushed out of the western town of Hit.

In the face of those losses, analysts and Iraqi security officials say the extremist group is increasingly turning to insurgent-style attacks in Baghdad and other areas far from the frontline fighting.

More than 40 civilians have been killed in high-profile bombings in Baghdad over the past month. On March 25th an IS-claimed suicide bombing attack on a stadium killed 29 and wounded 60.
Singapore bakery fires employee for discriminatory remarks

SINGAPORE (AP)  A halal bakery chain in Singapore has fired an employee for making discriminatory remarks against a Malay job seeker.

PrimaDeli, which has 40 outlets across the island nation, apologized Friday and said it had dismissed the employee.

Authorities in Singapore have routinely clamped down on those who stir anti-foreign and racial hatred in the predominantly ethnic Chinese city-state. Singapore's population is 74.3 percent Chinese, 13.3 percent Malay and 9.1 percent Indian, according to official statistics.

Reaction to a Facebook posting by the job seeker detailing the incident sparked an uproar, with reaction continuing to stream in on Saturday.

In her post, Sarah Carmariah said she had interviewed for the position of cake decorator earlier in the week. The process involved meeting the head of the baking department to demonstrate coating a cake, she said.

Gesturing at her, the department head allegedly said: "From what I see, and the way you look, and not trying to be racist ah (sic), but you Malay, I think you cannot la (sic)."

According to the post, he added: "You know ah (sic), Malays ah (sic) they over promise, promise I can do this I can do that, in the end, cannot make it, after two days disappear."

He also allegedly asked if she spoke Mandarin as it was the language preferred by co-workers.

Carmariah stopped short of naming the company, referring to it only as a "well-known halal bakery," before PrimaDeli took the rap.

"How can anyone judge another based on general racial stereotypes? In Singapore, of all places, a supposedly racially harmonious and fair country?" Carmariah wrote.

"Nobody should ever be told that they can't do something based on the color of their skin, but the sad reality is that this is real, and this is really happening."
Colorado woman gets 100 years for cutting baby from womb

BOULDER, Colo. (AP)  A judge sentenced a Colorado woman who cut a baby from a stranger's womb to 100 years in prison, including the maximum penalties for attempted murder and unlawful termination of a pregnancy.

Judge Maria Berkenkotter said the harshest sentences for the most serious charges were justified by the brutality of the 2015 attack, which she described as performing a cesarean with a kitchen knife. Berkenkotter also said the victim, Michelle Wilkins, as well as her family and the community needed Dynel Lane, 36, to express remorse.

Lane murmured a "no" when the judge asked if she wanted to speak Friday. Lane also did not speak in her defense during her trial, which ended in February when jurors found her guilty of attempting to kill Wilkins after luring her victim to her home with an ad for maternity clothes.

Michelle Wilkins, center, stands with her father Mark and mother Wendy, as Wilkins speaks with members of the media following the sentencing hearing for Dynel Lane, who was given 100 years in prison for cutting the nearly 8-month-old fetus from Wilkins's womb in 2015, at the Boulder County Justice Center, in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A jury convicted Lane, 36, in February, 2016 of attempting to kill Michelle Wilkins in 2015. Lane also was convicted of assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy after luring Wilkins with an ad for maternity clothes. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Jurors had heard that Lane went to elaborate lengths to feign her own pregnancy before attacking Wilkins. They did not hear that in 2002, Lane's 19-month-old son drowned in what investigators ruled was an accident. Relatives who spoke on Lane's behalf before the sentencing Friday said her remorse over losing her son may have led her to take an action they could not understand or explain.

Lane's attorneys did not dispute that she attacked Wilkins, but they argued there was no evidence it was a calculated murder attempt. They urged jurors to convict Lane of the lesser charge of attempted manslaughter.

Berkenkotter sentenced Lane to 48 years for attempted murder and 32 years for unlawful termination of a pregnancy. The remainder of her sentence was for assault charges in the attack. She was given credit for the more than a year she has served since her arrest.

Kathryn Herold, the public defender representing Lane, told the judge Friday she would appeal and that Lane had the right not to speak. Berkenkotter acknowledged that was Lane's constitutional right. But the judge said that in weighing her sentence she had to take into account that "people are hungry to hear from you, Miss Lane. Hungry, desperate to hear you express genuine remorse from the bottom of your heart."

Prosecutors said they were unable to charge Lane with murdering Wilkins' unborn girl because a coroner found no evidence the fetus lived outside the womb. That led Colorado Republicans to introduce legislation that would have allowed a murder charge. Democrats rejected the measure, the third time such a proposal failed in Colorado. Over the objection of abortion-rights supporters, 38 states have made a fetus' killing a homicide.

Wilkins focused on her unborn daughter Friday. She placed a large photograph of her dead baby, who appeared to be sleeping, on an easel next to the witness stand, then asked Berkenkotter to impose the harshest possible sentence.

Wilkins said after the sentencing that she saw the hearing as a day in court for her daughter, who she named Aurora.

"Judge Berkenkotter was clearly listening to everything that we were saying," Wilkins told reporters, adding she felt justice had been served.

In court, Wilkins had directed her words to Lane, who sat straight and showed no emotion as her victim spoke. Lane cried later in the hearing when a letter from one of her two daughters expressing love was read.

Lane's mother apologized in court to Wilkins and her family, as did her father in a letter his wife read.

Lane had posted online photos of herself with a distended belly and sent the man she said was the father of her child ultrasound images downloaded from the Internet. David Ridley, who lived with Lane and her two daughters, testified at trial that Lane claimed for more than a year that she was expecting a boy, whom they planned to name James. Friends even threw a baby shower.

Ridley had grown suspicious by the time Lane lured Wilkins to her Longmont home. Wilkins testified they chatted for about an hour before Lane hit, pushed and tried to choke her, then used two kitchen knives to cut the baby from her womb.

When Ridley came home early from work that day to meet Lane for a doctor's appointment, he said he found the fetus in a bathtub and drove the child and Lane to a hospital, where she begged staff to save her baby.

Lane said nothing to Ridley about Wilkins, who was unconscious at her home. Wilkins regained consciousness and called police.

Dynel Lane, convicted in February of attempting to kill a fetus, appears during sentencing at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A judge on Friday sentenced the Colorado woman to 100 years in prison for cutting the nearly 8-month-old fetus from a stranger's womb. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Michelle Wilkins, from left, stands with her sister Sarah, their father Mark and mother Wendy, as Wilkins speaks with members of the media following the sentencing hearing for Dynel Lane, who was given 100 years in prison for cutting the nearly 8-month-old fetus from Wilkins's womb in 2015, at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A jury convicted Lane, 36, in February, 2016 of attempting to kill Michelle Wilkins in 2015. Lane also was convicted of assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy after luring Wilkins with an ad for maternity clothes. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Mark Wilkins, father of Michelle Wilkins, reads a statement to the court during sentencing for Dynel Lane, convicted in February of attempting to kill Michelle Wilkins, at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A judge on Friday sentenced Lane to 100 years in prison for cutting a nearly 8-month-old fetus from Michelle Wilkin's womb. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

District Judge Maria Berkenkotter gives instructions before the sentencing for Dynel Lane, convicted in February of attempting to kill Michelle Wilkins, at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. The judge on Friday sentenced Lane to 100 years in prison for cutting a nearly 8-month-old fetus from Wilkin's womb. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Dynel Lane, convicted in February of attempting to kill Michelle Wilkins, appears for sentencing at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A judge on Friday sentenced the Colorado woman to 100 years in prison for cutting a nearly 8-month-old fetus from Wilkins' womb. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Michelle Wilkins gestures during the sentencing for Dynel Lane, convicted in February of attempting to kill Wilkins, at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A judge on Friday sentenced Lane to 100 years in prison for cutting a nearly 8-month-old fetus from Wilkin's womb. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Dynel Lane, convicted in February of attempting to kill a fetus, appears for sentencing at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A judge on Friday sentenced the Colorado woman to 100 years in prison for cutting the nearly 8-month-old fetus from a stranger's womb. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Bangkok ferris wheel catches fire, but no injuries reported

BANGKOK (AP)  The ferris wheel at a newly opened dinosaur theme park in Bangkok caught fire on Saturday, but the park said no one was on it at the time, and no injuries were reported.

The fire broke out following an afternoon thunderstorm in the Thai capital.

"At the time of the incident, no one was on the ferris wheel," the park said in a statement on its Facebook page. "As standard protocol, we stopped all operations of the Dino Eye before the rain, which is one of our safety measures for Dinosaur Planet."

An empty passenger car of a Ferris wheel burns at a newly opened dinosaur theme park in central Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, April 30, 2016. There were no reports of injuries and the cause of the fire, which was out largely because of a torrential downpour, is not known. (Shilpa Ko via AP)

The statement did not include details on how long it took to extinguish the fire on the ferris wheel, called the Dino Eye. It said the park was investigating the cause of the blaze.

Photographs posted on social media showed fire rising from one of the capsules toward the top of the ferris wheel, as black smoke billowed up.

Dinosaur Planet has been a popular attraction with residents and tourists since it opened a month ago in central Bangkok.

An empty passenger car of a Ferris wheel burns at a newly opened dinosaur theme park in central Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, April 30, 2016. There were no reports of injuries and the cause of the fire, which was out largely because of a torrential downpour, is not known. (Shilpa Ko via AP)
Protests in Germany overshadow anti-Islam party's convention

BERLIN (AP)  A national convention by a populist German party was overshadowed Saturday by clashes between leftists and police, who temporarily detained more than 400 demonstrators in the southern city of Stuttgart.

Protesters shouted "Refugees can stay, Nazis must go!" as some 2,000 members of the Alternative for Germany party arrived at the convention center Saturday morning.

The protesters also temporarily blocked a nearby highway and burned tires on another road leading to the convention center. Some 1,000 police officers were on the scene to prevent violent clashes between nationalist party members and leftist demonstrators.

Police detain a leftist demonstrator on the occasion of a party convention of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, in Stuttgart, Germany Saturday, April 30, 2016. (Christoph Schmidt/dpa via AP)

At the convention itself, party leaders tried to play down differences over the party's ideological orientation  in particular, its disputed closeness to the far-right party NPD or to the PEGIDA movement, which has been organizing weekly rallies against Muslims across Germany.

The nationalist party, also known by its acronyms AfD, has been growing in popularity and political influence as it campaigns on an anti-Islam platform.

It also advocates much tougher controls on asylum-seekers and has faced criticism for its comments, including an interview in which party leader Frauke Petry suggested that police could shoot refugees trying to enter Germany. Other prominent AfD leaders have asked for a ban on minarets and muezzins in Germany.

This weekend, the members of the three-year-old party plan to debate and approve an official party program that will likely include the statement that "Islam does not belong to Germany," the news agency dpa reported.

Petry told a cheering audience that many important questions are not being discussed openly in Germany  among them "the most dramatic demographic, economic and financial difficulties the country has faced in decades."

Germany saw over 1 million asylum-seekers enter the country last year, many of them from war-torn Syria.

Police detain a leftist demonstrator on the occasion of a party convention of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, in Stuttgart, Germany Saturday, April 30, 2016. (Christoph Schmidt/dpa via AP)

Police detain a leftist demonstrator on the occasion of a party convention of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, in Stuttgart, Germany Saturday, April 30, 2016. (Christoph Schmidt/dpa via AP)

Head of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, Frauke Petry collects her shoe after stumbling during their party convention in Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, April 30, 2016. (Christoph Schmidt/dpa via AP)

Head of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, Frauke Petry, delivers a speech during their party convention in Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, April 30, 2016. (Christoph Schmidt/dpa via AP)

Head of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, Frauke Petry, delivers a speech during their party convention in Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, April 30, 2016. (Christoph Schmidt/dpa via AP)

Head of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, Frauke Petry, delivers a speech during their party convention in Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, April 30, 2016. (Christoph Schmidt/dpa via AP)

Head of the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, Frauke Petry, delivers a speech during their party convention in Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, April 30, 2016. (Christoph Schmidt/dpa via AP)
AP EXPLAINS: Why Aleppo is Syria's fiercest battleground

As a two-month-old cease-fire collapses and peace talks stall, the northern city of Aleppo is once again a main battlefield in Syria's devastating civil war. More than 200 people have been killed in the last nine days in airstrikes and shelling on contested neighborhoods of the city.

A look at Aleppo:

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In this image made from video and posted online from Validated UGC, a man carries a child after airstrikes hit Aleppo, Syria, Thursday, April 28, 2016. A Syrian monitoring group and a first-responders team say new airstrikes on the rebel-held part of the contested city of Aleppo have killed over a dozen people and brought down at least one residential building. The new violence on Thursday brings the death toll in the past 24-hours in the deeply divided city to at least 61 killed. (Validated UGC via AP video)

HISTORY

Syria's largest city and once its commercial center, Aleppo was a crossroads of civilization for millennia. It has been occupied by the Greeks, Byzantines and multiple Islamic dynasties. As one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, Aleppo's Old City was added in 1986 to UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites.

But the civil war has damaged its landmarks, including the 11th century Umayyad Mosque, which had a minaret collapse during fighting in 2012, the 13th century citadel and the medieval marketplace, where fire damaged more than 500 shops in its narrow, vaulted passageways. Some historic sites have been used as bases for fighters.

Aleppo was one of the last cities in Syria to join the uprising against President Bashar Assad's government.

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SIGNIFICANCE

Because of its strategic location near the Turkish border and symbolic significance, it is often said that whoever holds Aleppo wins the war. Although it would probably not end the war, should Assad's forces recapture Aleppo, it would mark a turning point in the conflict and deal a devastating blow to the opposition.

Aleppo is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the Turkish border, and Ankara enjoys wide influence in northern Syria. Most of the rebels' supplies flow across the Turkish border. If the government succeeds in completely blockading the city, it would choke off the rebels and potentially force their surrender. It would also be catastrophic for tens of thousands of civilians still living there.

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A DIVIDED CITY

A number of insurgent groups control several neighborhoods of the city, which has been rocked by airstrikes and is being attacked from the west, south and east by government forces. The only rebel supply line is a corridor that links the city with northern parts of the province leading to the Turkish border.

Government forces and their allies control most of the eastern neighborhoods as well as the international airport and the nearby Nairab air base.

Militants from the Islamic State group used to control several neighborhoods in Aleppo, but they were forced out by other rebels in early 2014.

The main Kurdish militia, known as the People's Protection Units, or YPG, controls several predominantly Kurdish northern neighborhoods.
Educated migrants have edge as Germany aims for integration

BERLIN (AP)  Wafaa Askar arrived in Germany barely a year and a half ago from her Syrian homeland, but she already speaks German fluently and counts more Germans than Syrians as friends. Orhan Sahin arrived from Turkey more than three decades ago, but still feels like a foreigner and speaks in broken German.

The difference? Education.

Based on previous waves of immigration, experts say that the best indicator of whether someone will fit into society is their level of education  the higher, the better. That trend bodes well for many of Europe's newest residents even as many arrivals from long ago struggle to integrate.

In this photo taken Wednesday, March 9, 2016 psychologist Ozgur Cengiz, whose grandparents emigrated from Turkey as guest workers sits his office during an interview with the Associated Press in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 9, 2016. Germany is seeking to quickly integrate migrants into nations society and labor force after arrival of over 1 million last year, with Syrians making up the largest group. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Germany now is taking a more proactive stance toward better educating and integrating its more than 1 million newcomers, something it neglected in the past with the millions of Turkish guest workers.

"It's really the skills of the migrants that make the difference," said Wolfgang Lutz, director of the Vienna Institute of Demography, who is studying the most recent surge of immigration.

"There seems to be an indication that this wave was better-educated. I see some potential for integration, and it's clearly going to be the case that if they decide to stay in Germany, the better-educated will be more easily integrated."

Syrians were the largest single group of the estimated 1.1 million asylum seekers who flocked to Germany last year, many of them university-educated like Askar, a 41-year-old microbiologist, and her husband, a dentist.

They fled their Syrian hometown of Daraa in December 2012 and made it to Berlin in August 2014, after stops in Lebanon, Egypt and Libya. The couple are trying to get their university degrees recognized in Germany and find jobs, while their three children  sons aged 12 and 7 and a 4-year-old daughter  are already so comfortable with their new language that they speak German with one another.

"My sons are doing so well in school. I'm very proud," Askar said, noting that teachers had told her that both sons sounded close to native German speakers. And her daughter, in kindergarten, was already speaking a little too much German for her taste.

"I have to tell my daughter not to answer back to me in German. When they talk to their parents they should speak in Arabic so they won't forget that," she said.

For many of the 3 million or more Turkish ethnic minority, with decades of roots in Germany, striking a cultural balance remains a struggle.

When Sahin arrived as a 19-year-old in Berlin more than three decades ago, he was dreaming of becoming a chemist. But he came from a poor family in rural Turkey and had to work hard every night distributing newspapers to pay for his German classes during the day. He managed to enroll for a few semesters in university, but once he married and had three little children, he could no longer afford his studies.

"I wish Germany would have helped support my studies," Sahin said in heavily accented, broken German. Instead of becoming a scientist, Sahin worked long hours at a kebab store for a decade before he became a taxi driver in 2005.

"Germany is my home, I lived here for the longest part of my life and if I take my kids to Turkey on vacation, they become homesick for Germany after a few days," Sahin, 55, said as he maneuvered his cab through Berlin's bustling Turkish market along the Landwehr canal. "Still, most Germans refer to me as a foreigner. It's really upsetting.

"I've lived and worked here all my adult life  why do they still look at me as a stranger?"

Kazim Erdogan, who came to Germany from an Anatolian village in southeast Turkey in 1971, says many of his fellow Turks remain isolated, speaking a different language and following different religious and social customs. He says this reflects how Turks were invited to post-war Germany as "guest workers" who were not encouraged to settle for the long term.

Erdogan, a 63-year-old community leader in Berlin's lively Neukoelln immigrant neighborhood, said the "guest worker" attitude fueled an "us and them" outlook between Germans and Turks that persists in some quarters.

The stark gap between Germans and Turkish immigrants still shows in school and on the job market.

A third of Germany's students under the age of 20 have immigrant roots  mostly of Turkish origin  but they are under-performing. Ten percent of immigrants drop out of school without a degree, compared to 2 percent of Germans, according to recent studies.

The discrepancy is also evident on the job market  unemployed immigrants tends to outnumber jobless Germans by 2-1. Immigrants are also vastly underrepresented in academia, the media, as teachers and other jobs that require university degrees.

Germany has never  and still doesn't  encourage multiculturalism.

Chancellor Angela Merkel famously said in 2010 that multiculturalism had failed in Germany. While many Germans have moved away from demanding outright assimilation, mainstream society clearly still expects migrants to embrace the nation's culture, values and language. Strong cultural and religious ties to the old homeland are often eyed with suspicion.

Nonetheless, the Turkish influence is felt almost everywhere in today's Germany, where minarets dot the landscape next to medieval church steeples, and the doner kebab with garlic sauce is considered as much of a German culinary staple as the bratwurst or schnitzel.

Turks are the most visible among an estimated 16 million people  some 20 percent of Germany's population  who claim immigrant background. They include 400,000 refugees from the 1990s Balkans wars and 2 million ethnic Germans from Russia and other Eastern European countries who arrived following the end of the Cold War with little knowledge of German language or customs.

But the Slavs and Eastern Europeans tended to be better educated and "were very quickly absorbed by German society," Lutz said

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has complimented Germany for improving access to the labor market for asylum seekers but says it should lower barriers further.

"Refugee children and youth should be included quickly within the regular compulsory education system to avoid segregation and the standard curriculum should be supplemented with German language training," the OECD said in an April report.

The government unveiled plans to do just that, proposing better access to the labor market and integration courses along with increased expectations to learn German. It is also working to more quickly send home migrants who don't qualify for asylum.

Still, some Germans are responding to migrants with intolerance and violence.

Germany is experiencing a growth in attacks on refugee shelters, and rising popularity for far-right extremist groups and a new populist party, the Alternative for Germany.

But most Germans appear to be drifting away from the long-held belief that German citizenship requires a bloodline to previous generations.

"It's going to be a slow process, but I think it's inevitable through the fact that so many international people are living in Germany it will have to move to a more multicultural identity," Lutz said.

For Berlin-born Ozgur Cengiz, a psychologist whose Turkish grandparents came to Germany as guest workers, this can't happen quickly enough.

"Sometimes I wonder how many generations need to pass before one is no longer considered an immigrant in this country," said Cengiz, who noted how younger cousins barely speak any Turkish  and struggle to communicate with their own grandparents.

The Askar family credits German neighbors with helping them to find an apartment and fit in socially. But the mother's impressive fluency with German offers testimony to their own commitment.

"By now we have more German than Arabic friends," she said.

She said her husband frets that their children may become too German and lose their Syrian roots, but she thinks her kids will enjoy "the best of both worlds."

"It will be an advantage for them to speak both languages and feel at home in both cultures," she said, "the German and the Syrian."

In this photo taken Wednesday, March 9, 2016 pedestrian passes an advertisement poster of a supermarket offering Russian food and products in Berlin, Germany. Germany is seeking to quickly integrate migrants into nations society and labor force after arrival of over 1 million last year, with Syrians making up the largest group. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

In this March 18, 2016 photo people crowd the so-called Turkish market at the district Neukoelln in Berlin, Germany. The market runs mostly by vendors with a Turkish migration background and is located at the borough of Neukoelln which has one of the highest percentage of immigrants in Berlin. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

In this March 18, 2016 photo people crowd the so called Turkish market at the district Neukoelln in Berlin, Germany. The market runs mostly by vendors with a Turkish migration background and is located at the borough of Neukoelln which has one of the highest percentage of immigrants in Berlin. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

In this March 18, 2016 photo people crowd the so called Turkish market at the district Neukoelln in Berlin, Germany. The market runs mostly by vendors with a Turkish migration background and is located at the borough of Neukoelln which has one of the highest percentage of immigrants in Berlin. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

In this March 18, 2016 photo people walk on the sidewalk of a street in the borough Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany. The borough of Kreuzberg has a very large percentage of immigrants and descendants of immigrants, a lot of them with a Turkish ancestry. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
IS claims responsibility for killing Bangladesh Hindu man

NEW DELHI (AP)  A Hindu man was hacked to death in central Bangladesh in the latest attack claimed by radical Islamists in the Muslim-majority nation, police said.

Authorities are investigating whether the killing on Saturday of Nikhil Joarder was connected to a 2012 complaint against him for alleged comments he made against the Prophet Muhammad, said Aslam Khan, a police officer in the district of Tangail, where the attack took place.

The Islamic State group-affiliated Aamaq news agency issued a statement saying "elements of the Islamic State stabbed to death by knife a Hindu in Tangail in Bangladesh who was known for insulting Prophet Muhammad." It did not give further details.

Joarder was attacked with sharp weapons by two men on motorcycles as he sat in his tailor shop, Khan said.

Joarder spent two weeks in prison in 2012, and was released after the complaint against him was withdrawn.

The killing was similar to other recent attacks on atheist bloggers, academics, religious minorities and most recently a gay rights activist by Muslim extremists.

Five people have been killed this year, including Xulhaz Mannan, a U.S. Agency for International Development employee and gay rights activist, and Tonmoi Mahbub, a theater actor, this past week. Two days earlier on April 23, a university professor, A.F.M. Rezaul Karim Siddique, was hacked to death. Nine others were killed last year.

While there have been some arrests  mostly of low-level operatives  there have been no prosecutions so far and authorities have struggled to make any headway in naming those planning the attacks.

Two men were sentenced to death and six others to prison for the 2013 killing of an atheist blogger.
Trump, Clinton angle for advantage in politics of gender

WASHINGTON (AP)  She has no stamina. She shouts. She's got nothing going for her but being a woman.

Donald Trump, after toying with gender politics off and on during the campaign, is all in on a mission to undercut Hillary Clinton's credentials by syncing up his say-anything campaign strategy with his alpha-male persona.

The same Republican presidential candidate who mocked "little" Marco Rubio, dismissed "low-energy" Jeb Bush and promises to "cherish" and "protect" women as president is dismissing the former senator, secretary of state and first lady as little more than a token female who's playing the "woman's card."

FILE - In this April 28, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Evansville, Ind. After toying with gender politics off and on during the campaign, Donald Trump is all in on a mission to undercut Hillary Clintons credentials by syncing up his say-anything campaign strategy with his alpha-male persona. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

"Frankly, all I'm doing is stating the obvious," Trump insisted, when pressed about whether his latest Clinton take-downs were sexist. "Without the woman's card, Hillary would not even be a viable person to run for city council."

That message may resonate with one subset of the electorate and touch off outrage with another. But for many other voters, Trump's line of attack is simply baffling when America is trying to deal with far more complex matters of gender, such as gay marriage and transgender rights.

"It's a very simplistic notion of gender," said Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. She said Trump is "putting out there a notion of masculinity" that fits with popular images of the presidency. "He is playing the gender card but not connecting it to policy, instead connecting it to his own macho image and his bravado."

Trump's messages about women represent a tangle of views, said Stanley Renshon, a political psychologist at the City University of New York.

There's the Trump who has no qualms about advancing women within his business enterprises, the Trump who disparages women just because "I can say whatever comes to mind," and the retrograde Trump who never outgrew an adolescent fixation with desirable and beautiful women, Renshon said.

"I don't think he knows how to talk about them in a modern sensibility way," said Renshon, adding that the billionaire businessman is not used to having his utterances corrected by anyone.

Trump rival Ted Cruz says the GOP front-runner's attacks on Clinton are unsurprising.

"Donald Trump has a real problem with strong women," Cruz said. "It's one of the reasons he can't win a general election."

Trump's issues with women in the campaign extend well beyond Clinton.

He has mocked the face of onetime GOP rival Carly Fiorina, who's now Cruz's running mate. He's retweeted an unflattering image of Heidi Cruz, the Texas senator's wife, juxtaposed with a glamorous photo of his wife, Melania. He engaged in a long-running dispute with Megyn Kelly of Fox News in which he dismissed her as a "lightweight" and "bimbo," and described her at one point as having "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever."

He was just as unfiltered in his thoughts about women and their appearances before entering politics. In 1996, Trump reportedly described a Miss Universe who had gained weight as "an eating machine." He described Rosie O'Donnell as "my nice fat little Rosie" in a 2006 spat. In 2012, he tweeted that Huffington Post editor Arianna Huffington was "unattractive both inside and out."

None of this has seemed to bother Trump's loyal followers in the GOP primaries. But it could be a different matter in the general election, when Republican candidates typically suffer from a gender gap. In every presidential election since 1980, a greater proportion of women than men preferred the Democratic candidate.

"The challenge for Republican candidates has been trying to make some inroads into that women's vote," Walsh said. "And it's hard to imagine that Donald Trump, as of right now, is well positioned to be the Republican candidate to make those inroads, given the things that he's said."

A woman's candidacy can cut both ways with voters.

In an Associated Press-GfK poll in February, 14 percent said a female candidate would be at least somewhat less likely to get their vote. Likewise, 19 percent said a woman would be at least somewhat more likely to get their vote.

In the primaries, Trump has drawn a disproportionate amount of his support from men, with an average of 44 percent of men and 36 percent of women supporting him in states where exit polls were conducted.

Further, in a recent AP-GfK poll, women (66 percent) were slightly more likely than men (60 percent) to say they definitely would not vote for Trump in a general election.

Karlyn Bowman, a public opinion analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, cautioned that both Trump and Clinton "have a problem with gender in this election."

"Trump's is more serious," she added, pointing to his high unfavorable ratings with women, who make up a larger share of the electorate than do men.

Clinton, she said, shows significant weakness with white men, particularly white working-class males.

The question in November, Bowman said, will be whether party loyalty will trump gender politics.

"Party is really powerful in the end," she said.

Clinton is betting on gender.

After playing down women's issues in her 2008 campaign against Barack Obama, this time Clinton is embracing the historic nature of her candidacy and playing up her roles as grandmother and longtime advocate for women. She happily addressed Trump's accusations that she was making much of her candidacy as a woman.

"If fighting for women's health care, and paid family leave, and equal pay is playing the woman card," she said, "then deal me in."

As for Trump's intemperate remarks, Clinton told CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" that she "could really care less."

"I have a lot of experience dealing with men who sometimes get off the reservation in the way they behave and how they speak," she said. "I'm not going to deal with their temper tantrums or their bullying or their efforts to try to provoke me."

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Associated Press writer Scott Bauer in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and AP News Survey Specialist Emily Swanson contributed to this report.

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Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter at http://twitter.com/nbenac
Iraqi protesters pour into Green Zone, storm parliament

BAGHDAD (AP)  Anti-government protesters tore down walls and poured into the Iraqi capital's heavily fortified Green Zone on Saturday, where they stormed parliament in a major escalation of a political crisis that has simmered for months.

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have been holding demonstrations and sit-ins for months to demand an overhaul of Iraq's corrupt and ineffective political system, but Saturday was the first time they broke into the Green Zone, home to most government ministries and foreign embassies.

Iraqi security forces fired tear gas at one entrance of the zone but appeared to be largely standing down as protesters marched through the area, chanting and waving Iraqi flags. Hundreds were still pouring into the Green Zone as night fell.

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr storm parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Iraq has been mired in a political crisis for months, hindering the government's ability to combat the Islamic State group -- which still controls much of the country's north and west -- or address a financial crisis largely caused by the plunge in global oil prices.

Al-Sadr and his supporters want to reform the political system put in place following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, in which entrenched political blocs representing the country's Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds rely on patronage, resulting in widespread corruption and poor public services.

The major blocs have until now stymied the reform efforts of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who has sought to address the protesters' demands.

Earlier Saturday, al-Sadr repeated accusations that Iraqi politicians are responsible for blocking political reforms. He did not call for an escalation in the protests, but shortly after his remarks, his supporters began scaling the compound's walls. A group of young men then pulled down a section of concrete blast walls to cheers from the crowd of thousands gathered in the streets outside.

The Green Zone has long been the focus of al-Sadr's allegations that the government is detached from the people. The compound is off-limits to the vast majority of Iraqis, as security procedures require multiple checks and specific documentation to enter.

Shortly after the breach, cellphone videos uploaded to social media showed dozens of young men running through the halls of parliament, chanting slogans in support of al-Sadr and calling for the government to disband.

"We are all with you (al-Sadr)," one group of men yelled as they entered the building's main chamber.

Other videos showed a group of young men slapping an Iraqi lawmaker as he attempted to flee the crowd, and protesters mobbing another lawmaker's motorcade inside the Green Zone. The footage appeared authentic and corresponded with AP reporting.

Iraqi security forces initially responded by tightening security across the capital, sealing off checkpoints leading to the Green Zone and halting traffic on main roads heading into the city, according to the Baghdad Operations Command.

But Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces, who have in the past been called on to reinforce security in the capital, said they are standing down for now.

"We still view this as a demonstration," said Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the counterterrorism forces. "We aren't taking any part in this as it's not something regarding terrorism."

He added, however, that if the unrest escalates his forces may be forced to intervene to "protect the legitimacy of the government."

Al-Abadi issued a statement saying "the situation in Baghdad is under the control of the security forces," but also called on protesters to demonstrate peacefully without endangering the "property of state institutions."

Al-Abadi had been set to appear before parliament Saturday morning to seek the body's approval for the remainder of his Cabinet reshuffle, but the session was postponed until next week. The last time al-Abadi appeared before parliament, earlier this month, lawmakers hurled insults and called his leadership illegitimate.

The U.N. mission to Iraq said it was "gravely concerned." It issued a statement condemning violence against elected officials and urging "calm, restraint and respect for Iraq's constitutional institutions at this crucial juncture."

A broad-based protest movement last summer mobilized millions and pressured al-Abadi to submit a series of austerity proposals that he said would also fight corruption. As political progress stalled, al-Sadr's movement gradually came to monopolize the protests.

Al-Abadi presented a second proposal earlier this month to reduce the size of the Cabinet and replace political appointees with independent technocrats. But opposition from the very political blocs the proposal aimed to weaken stalled his efforts.

Al-Sadr, an influential Shiite cleric whose supporters once battled U.S. forces across Baghdad and southern Iraq, is not a member of parliament. But his supporters make up the second largest parliamentary bloc, with 34 seats in the 328-member assembly, and controlled three ministries before the latest upheaval.

Iraq is meanwhile struggling to maintain security in and around Baghdad, even as it has pushed IS militants back on a number of fronts elsewhere in the country.

Earlier on Saturday, a bombing in a market filled with Shiite civilians in Baghdad killed at least 21 people and wounded at least 42 others, according to police and hospital officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

IS claimed the attack, saying it used a three-ton truck bomb. The extremist group regularly carries out attacks targeting the security forces and the country's Shiite majority.

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Associated Press writer Murtada Faraj contributed to this report.

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr storm parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr storm parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr walk over the blast walls surrounding Baghdads highly fortified Green Zone Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr storm parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr storm parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr storm parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr raise the Iraqi flags outside parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr raise the Iraqi flags outside parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr storm parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr storm parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr storm parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr storm parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Civilians inspect a crater caused by a car bombing at an open-air market selling fruit, vegetables and meat in Baghdad's southeast suburb of Nahrawan, Iraq, Saturday, April 30, 2016. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a bombing Saturday east of Baghdad, according to a statement posted on an IS-affiliated website. The attack and wounded scores of civilians according to Iraqi police and hospital officials. The IS statement described the attack as a three-ton truck bombing. (AP Photo/Ali Abdul Hassan)
Labour Party figure sorry for furor caused by Hitler comment

LONDON (AP)  Former London Mayor Ken Livingstone says he's sorry for causing a disruption with his claim that Adolf Hitler supported Zionism early in his political career  but not sorry for saying so.

He said Saturday that he had only made a "statement of fact" concerning Hitler that had been seized on by his political enemies to stir up trouble.

Livingstone has been suspended from Labour's National Executive Council because of his comments and party leader Jeremy Corbyn has launched an independent inquiry into anti-Semitism and other forms of racism in the party.

The uproar over Livingstone's comments has unsettled Labour backers ahead of Thursday's elections, which include choosing a new London mayor.
Kenya burns huge pile of ivory tusks to protest poaching

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  Kenya's president set fire Saturday to 105 tons of elephant ivory and more than 1 ton of rhino horn, believed to be the largest stockpile ever destroyed, in a dramatic statement by this East African country against the trade in ivory and products from endangered species.

Uhuru Kenyatta put a flame to the biggest of 11 pyres of ivory tusks and one of rhino horn in a chilly afternoon. Overnight torrential rains had threated to ruin the event but stopped midday leaving a mud field around the piles inside Nairobi National Park.

"A time has come when we must take a stand and the stand is clear ... Kenya is making a statement that for us ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants," Kenyatta said.

A worker carries spray bottles of gel fuel to help the burning, as he walks past pyres of ivory that were set on fire in Nairobi National Park, Kenya Saturday, April 30, 2016. Kenya's president Saturday set fire to 105 tons of elephant ivory and more than 1 ton of rhino horn, believed to be the largest stockpile ever destroyed, in a dramatic statement against the trade in ivory and products from endangered species. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

The stacks of tusks represent more than 8,000 elephants and some 343 rhinos slaughtered for their ivory and horns, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Kenya will push for the total ban on trade in ivory at the 17th meeting of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species to be held in South Africa later this year, said Kenyatta.

The pyres were fueled with about 20,000 liters of jet fuel and oxygen, said Robin Hollister, the event's fire master, as a thick plume of white smoke billowed over the yellow flames consuming the ivory. Hollister earlier said it's not known how long the fire will take because the burning of such a quantity is unprecedented.

Kenya decided to destroy the ivory instead of selling it for an estimated $150 million. Some critics had suggested that the money raised from the ivory sales could be used to develop Kenya and protect wildlife. But Kenyatta said that Kenya wants to make the point that ivory should not have any commercial value.

Others said the burning will not end the killing of elephants because international gangs take advantage of Kenya's porous borders and corruption to continue the illegal trade.

Kenya Wildlife Service chairman and renowned paleoanthropologist and conservationist Richard Leakey said the burning of the ivory should encourage African countries to support a ban in ivory trade. He said a group of countries which is advocating for the sale of ivory in the continent should be ashamed.

"We will burn ivory and we hope every country in the globe will support Kenya and say never again should we trade ivory," Leakey said.

Africa had 1.3 million elephants in the 1970s but has only 500,000 today.

The elephant populations worst hit by poaching are in Tanzania, Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Republic of Congo and Congo. The years 2011, 2012 and 2013 witnessed the highest levels of poaching since a poaching crisis in the 1980s, according to Kenya's Wildlife Service.

Cameroon said it burned over 3.5 tons of tusks earlier in April as a statement against poaching.

Central Africa's forest elephants have declined by two-thirds between 2002 and 2012. Most of the remaining forest elephants are in Gabon and are under threat from armed groups, said Gabon's President Ali Bongo Ondimba, who attended Saturday's burning. He vowed to stop the decline of the species.

"To all the poachers, to all the buyers and foreign traders, your days are numbered," said Ondimba. "We are going to put you out of business and the best thing to do is to retire now."

An ivory statue, right, lies on top of pyres of ivory as they are set on fire in Nairobi National Park, Kenya Saturday, April 30, 2016. Kenya's president Saturday set fire to 105 tons of elephant ivory and more than 1 ton of rhino horn, believed to be the largest stockpile ever destroyed, in a dramatic statement against the trade in ivory and products from endangered species. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

A fireman walks past as pyres of ivory are set on fire in Nairobi National Park, Kenya Saturday, April 30, 2016. Kenya's president Saturday set fire to 105 tons of elephant ivory and more than 1 ton of rhino horn, believed to be the largest stockpile ever destroyed, in a dramatic statement against the trade in ivory and products from endangered species. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Firemen stand by at the ready as pyres of ivory are set on fire in Nairobi National Park, Kenya Saturday, April 30, 2016. Kenya's president Saturday set fire to 105 tons of elephant ivory and more than 1 ton of rhino horn, believed to be the largest stockpile ever destroyed, in a dramatic statement against the trade in ivory and products from endangered species. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

A ranger from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) stands guard as pyres of ivory are set on fire in Nairobi National Park, Kenya, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Kenya's president Saturday set fire to 105 tons of elephant ivory and more than 1 ton of rhino horn, believed to be the largest stockpile ever destroyed, in a dramatic statement against the trade in ivory and products from endangered species. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

An ivory statue, right, lies on top of pyres of ivory as they are set on fire in Nairobi National Park, Kenya Saturday, April 30, 2016. Kenya's president Saturday set fire to 105 tons of elephant ivory and more than 1 ton of rhino horn, believed to be the largest stockpile ever destroyed, in a dramatic statement against the trade in ivory and products from endangered species. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

A basket of rhino horn, left, burns next to pyres of ivory in Nairobi National Park, Kenya Saturday, April 30, 2016. Kenya's president Saturday set fire to 105 tons of elephant ivory and more than 1 ton of rhino horn, believed to be the largest stockpile ever destroyed, in a dramatic statement against the trade in ivory and products from endangered species. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
The Latest: Berkshire investors reject climate change report

OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  The Latest on Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholders meeting, where tens of thousands of people have listened to CEO Warren Buffett and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger talk business for several hours (all times local):

4:15 p.m.

Berkshire Hathaway shareholders have overwhelmingly rejected a resolution calling for the company to write a report about the risks climate change creates for its insurance companies.

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, center, views the BNSF booth as he tours the exhibit floor before presiding over the annual shareholders meeting Saturday, April 30, 2016, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

CEO Warren Buffett says he agrees that dealing with climate change is important for society, but he doesn't think climate change creates serious risks for Berkshire's insurance businesses.

Buffett says the fact that Berkshire generally writes insurance policies for one-year periods allows it to regularly re-evaluate risks, such as climate change.

The activists who proposed the motion tried to urge Buffett to take a public stance in favor of measures to reduce consumption of fossil fuels, but he resisted.

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3:20 p.m.

Warren Buffett says he doesn't think a nationwide bubble in real-estate prices has developed, but that real estate isn't as attractive of an investment as it was a few years ago.

Buffett told shareholders at the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting that he thinks many real estate markets, such as his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, continue to offer sensible prices.

Buffett says he doesn't think real estate will be the source of broad economic problems the next time the U.S. economy is in trouble.

But he says the current low interest rates may be encouraging people to buy homes at elevated prices they may eventually lose money on.

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2:20 p.m.

Warren Buffett says he doesn't think 3G Capital has overdone its cost-cutting and layoffs at Heinz and Kraft Foods.

Berkshire teamed up with the Brazilian investment firm 3G to buy Heinz and Kraft Foods.

Buffett says he thinks 3G has been extremely intelligent in its cuts and hasn't eliminated things that will hurt sales volume.

Buffett says all kinds of American companies are "loaded with people not doing anything or doing the wrong thing."

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1:15 p.m.

Warren Buffett says he thinks Berkshire Hathaway's unusual culture will endure long after he is no longer leading the company.

Buffett says Berkshire's board, managers and more than 350,000 employees will work to preserve the company's culture in the future.

Berkshire trusts its managers to largely run their companies themselves with little oversight. Buffett always encourages employees to protect Berkshire's reputation and strengthen their brand.

To eventually replace the 85-year-old Buffett, Berkshire plans to split his job into three parts  chief executive officer, chairman and several investment managers. Buffett wants his son Howard, who already serves on the board, to become chairman after he is gone.

Buffett, however, has indicated that he has no plans to retire, and he says he loves his work and remains in good health.

Buffett has said previously that the company has several outstanding internal candidates for CEO, but he has refused to name them.

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11:30 a.m.

In presidential politics, Buffett has long supported Democrat Hillary Clinton, so one shareholder asked what might happen to Berkshire if Republican Donald Trump were elected.

Buffett says the effect on Berkshire won't be the main problem if Trump is elected. But he reassured shareholders that Berkshire would prosper regardless of who is elected.

He says U.S. businesses will continue to adapt and thrive, and no president will end that.

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11:10 a.m.

The derivative contracts that big banks hold on their books can make them hard to evaluate, but Warren Buffett says he remains comfortable with Berkshire Hathaway's investments in Wells Fargo and Bank of America.

Buffett says he still thinks derivatives can be dangerous in large quantities.

Berkshire holds a portfolio of derivatives that act similar to insurance policies. Some of them cover whether certain stock market indexes will be lower years into the future. Others cover credit losses at groups of 100 companies, and some cover credit risks of individual companies.

Buffett told shareholders Saturday that he won't ever agree to a contract that Berkshire couldn't easily pay if it needed to.

Munger says the country would have fared better if banks had been prohibited from engaging in derivatives.

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11:05 a.m.

Warren Buffett doesn't think Coca-Cola's critics are right to blame the company's sugary beverages for obesity.

Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is Coca-Cola's largest shareholder, and Buffett says he gets about one-quarter of his calories from Coke products every day.

Buffett says everyone has a choice about whether to consume more calories than they need, and it's not Coke's fault if they do.

Buffett says he's probably happier because he's consumed so much Coke, fudge and peanut brittle in his life, and the 85-year-old remains in good health.

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This version of The Latest has been corrected to say right rather than write.

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11 a.m.

Billionaire Warren Buffett says one of the keys to successful investing is avoiding envy.

Buffett told shareholders at Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting Saturday that investors shouldn't envy someone who profited by buying shares in a company's initial public offering or claimed a lottery jackpot.

Buffett says the key is to find look for investments that make sense to you and think of stocks as a slice of an individual business that you'd be comfortable to own for the long-term.

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10:40 a.m.

Warren Buffett defended NV Energy's role in a recent rate hike that regulators approved for rooftop solar customers.

Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway owns the Nevada utility, so he was asked about the issue at Saturday's annual meeting.

Buffett says people with rooftop solar power systems were allowed to sell power to the utility at prices roughly three times the market price.

Supporters of renewable energy complained that the new rates will discourage solar power investments. But Buffett says the old rates had the effect of forcing other ratepayers to subsidize the small group of people who invested in solar systems.

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9:35 a.m.

Berkshire Hathaway's first-quarter profit grew 8 percent largely because of the way it had to account for its Duracell acquisition on paper, but revenue fell at its BNSF railroad and at its insurance units.

CEO Warren Buffett offered a preview of the first-quarter results at the company's annual meeting Saturday although Berkshire won't release its full report until next Friday.

Berkshire earned $5.589 billion, or about $3,400.89 per Class A share. That's up from $5.16 billion, or $3,143 per Class A share, last year.

During the first quarter, Berkshire traded roughly $3.8 billion worth of Procter & Gamble stock for Duracell and about $1.7 billion cash. That boosted the paper value of Berkshire's investments and derivatives to $1.85 billion this year over $920 million last year.

Berkshire also completed its $32 billion acquisition Precision Castparts during the quarter.

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9:05 a.m.

Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting again opened with a humorous movie filled with a mix of skits and ads for the company's products.

One of the bits in the movie showed Berkshire CEO campaigning to earn a spot in the Celebrity Apprentice show with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But Buffett, who served as a financial adviser to Schwarzenegger when he ran for California governor, was outmaneuvered by Berkshire Vice Chairman Charlie Munger.

Schwarzenegger picked Munger for the team after the 92-year-old's ruthless pitch that said "Hire me if you want to live."

The video also showed Schwarzenegger pretending to practice variations on "You're fired!" such as "You're terminated!" to prepare for the show.

Buffett and Munger will begin taking serious business questions Saturday morning and continue through the day.

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7:25 a.m.

A shareholder exclaimed "There he is" as he joined the throng of people surrounding Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett at the booth displaying aviation parts and other products made by Precision Castparts.

Buffett was again surrounded by dozens of shareholders trying to get close enough to take a picture as he toured the exhibit hall at Berkshire's annual meeting. The 85-year-old investor is treated like a rock star at the event.

University of Arkansas student Fabio Rivera says he and some friends drove up to attend the meeting to hear Buffett talk.

Rivera says he wishes he had opportunities to see top business leaders like this in his home country of Honduras.

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6:40 a.m.

A group of environmentalists hopes to make an impression on Buffett and the audience when they urge shareholders to support drafting a report on climate change risks Berkshire Hathaway's insurance companies face.

Tim Rinne with the Nebraskans for Peace group that submitted the resolution says he knows the measure is likely to be defeated given that Buffett opposes it and he controls nearly one-third of the votes, but he hopes they can persuade Buffett to speak out about climate change.

The group brought in climate scientist Jim Hansen and Illinois State University professor and insurance expert Jim Jones to make their case at Saturday's meeting.

Buffett said in his annual letter that the report isn't needed. He says it's reasonable to worry about climate change's effect on the world, but it shouldn't hurt insurance companies because policy prices are set annually based on that year's risks.

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6:25 a.m.

Shareholders began to fill Omaha's downtown arena for Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting before 6:30 a.m. Saturday.

The company let the crowd in the Centurylink Center early Saturday, so people could get out of the steady rain and begin filtering through the metal detectors security set up for the first time this year.

They'll have to wait a couple hours for Berkshire CEO Warren Buffett and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger to begin answering questions. That's the day's main attraction.

But in the meantime, they can grab breakfast or start shopping at one of the booths selling products made by Berkshire Hathaway subsidiaries in the 200,000-square foot exhibit hall. See's Candy and Dairy Queen offer plenty for a sweet tooth while Fruit of the Loom, Geico insurance and Brooks running booths can serve more practical needs.

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6:05 a.m.

Berkshire Hathaway's peculiarities are on display again this weekend with tens of thousands of people filling an arena to listen to Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger talk business for hours at the conglomerate's annual meeting.

The Omaha event features an adjoining 200,000-square-foot exhibit hall where Berkshire subsidiaries such as See's Candy, Fruit of the Loom and Geico insurance sell their products as executives chat with shareholders.

For the first time, Saturday's meeting will be broadcast online on Yahoo Finance. The crowd may be smaller than last year's 50th anniversary meeting.

Bob Shanahan returned to for his second Berkshire meeting, so his son, Tim, would have a chance to attend the event while the 85-year-old Buffett and 92-year-old Munger are still leading the company.

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett tours the exhibit floor before presiding over the annual shareholders meeting Saturday, April 30, 2016, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, center, views the BNSF booth as he tours the exhibit floor before presiding over the annual shareholders meeting Saturday, April 30, 2016, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett views the BNSF booth as he tours the exhibit floor before presiding over the annual shareholders meeting Saturday, April 30, 2016, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, center, tours the exhibit floor before presiding over the annual shareholders meeting Saturday, April 30, 2016, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, center, looks at products produced by Precision Castparts as he tours the exhibit floor before presiding over the annual shareholders meeting Saturday, April 30, 2016, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett looks at his watch while visiting the BNSF booth as he tours the exhibit floor before presiding over the annual shareholders meeting Saturday, April 30, 2016, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, center, looks at products produced by Precision Castparts as he tours the exhibit floor before presiding over the annual shareholders meeting Saturday, April 30, 2016, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett talks to reporters as he tours the exhibit floor before presiding over the annual shareholders meeting Saturday, April 30, 2016, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett tours the exhibit floor before presiding over the annual shareholders meeting Saturday, April 30, 2016, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett tours the exhibit floor before presiding over the annual shareholders meeting Saturday, April 30, 2016, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Probe of NYC mayor casts harsh light on lax campaign laws

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  A probe swirling around New York City's mayor has cast a harsh light on some of the nation's most lax campaign finance laws, with contribution limits so easy to get around that even government watchdogs acknowledge a ring of truth to the familiar excuse: Hey, everybody's doing it.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has been bedeviled by a criminal probe of an effort he helped organize in 2014 to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Democratic state Senate candidates. He insists that he and his team have done nothing wrong and suggested they have been unfairly singled out for a common practice in New York's famously opaque campaign funding system.

While New York law restricts individual donations to any candidate at just over $10,000  already among the highest such limits in the nation  party committees can receive individual donations of more than $100,000, and the committee can then transfer an unrestricted amount to the candidate.

FILE - In this April 28, 2016 file photo, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is surrounded by reporters as he leaves an event in New York after some of his aides were subpoenaed by state and federal prosecutors amid investigations into his campaign fundraising operation. A failed effort by New York City's mayor and a network of allies to elect three Democratic state senators in 2014 is under criminal investigation for financial practices their lawyer calls both legal and common. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

The legal restriction at issue in the de Blasio case is that such an arrangement can't be specifically worked out in advance. Money can't be given to a party committee with a direction that it's passed on to a particular candidate.

Even reform advocates acknowledge this restriction has been routinely flouted.

"Everybody knows how it's played so you really don't have to be explicit," Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group said about earmarking contributions.

Susan Lerner, of Common Cause, said it's a "systemic problem" and "should be solved systemically."

"We don't know what the facts are (in the de Blasio case)," she said. "What we do know is that this is a problem that did not start or end with Mayor de Blasio."

For his part, de Blasio said he and his allies  a network of committees, consultants, politicians and operatives  have done everything properly and suggested a political motive behind singling him out.

"Everything was done very carefully, meticulously, with legal guidance, and consistent with what so many other people have done," de Blasio told WNYC Radio on Friday.

The case referred by New York's Board of Elections in January to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. involves donations to Senate candidates Justin Wagner, Terry Gipson and Cecilia Tkaczyk. All lost contested 2014 races that kept Republicans in control of the chamber and able to thwart measures backed by left-leaning Democrats.

On Saturday, at an unrelated event, Vance said he couldn't comment on the ongoing investigation.

"We're doing our job and beyond that, at this point, I really can't add more," he said.

Elections board chief enforcement counsel Risa Sugarman, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, recommended the criminal referral. In a memo later leaked to the New York Daily News, she said it began with a pair of complaints by Republican officials in Putnam and Ulster counties, where the Senate races took place.

Her office subpoenaed bank records and work by prominent consultants involved.

Sugarman noted large, unusual donations to the two counties' Democratic committees that in turn made large donations to the candidates.

Campaign records show, for example, the Ulster committee got $60,000 that October from the New York State Nurses Association political action committee and $102,300 each from the PACs of Communications Workers of America District One and 32BJ Service Employees International Union United American Dream Fund. Over the next two weeks, the committee transferred $320,000 to Tkaczyk.

"Review of the documents revealed evidence of campaigns that were coordinated at every level and down to minute detail," Sugarman wrote, later calling the violations "willful and flagrant."

Attorney Laurence Laufer, representing de Blasio and others named in the memo, responded to Sugarman last week, saying she showed "profound misunderstanding of election law."

"There is nothing novel about the 2014 Democratic Party campaign to elect Democratic candidates to the state Senate, other than your attempt to selectively criminalize it," Laufer wrote.

In the same few weeks of the 2014 campaign, the Senate Republican Campaign Committee funneled $105,000 to candidates Tom Croci in a contested Long Island race that he won and $80,000 to Sue Serino who beat Gipson for that Hudson Valley seat, while the committee took in almost $500,000 in transfers from the campaigns of incumbent Republican senators with no serious challengers.

Campaign records show some of the same consultants  Metropolitan Public Strategies and AKPD Message and Media  mentioned in the Sugarman memo were being paid in 2014 by the state Democratic Committee, which Cuomo heads and was funding with millions of dollars from his own campaign account during his re-election race. Cuomo also publicly backed the three Senate candidates.

Sugarman's memo recommending a criminal investigation mentions neither the state committee nor the governor himself, who has been at odds politically with de Blasio.

Spokeswoman Dani Lever said neither Cuomo nor anyone on his executive staff authorized Sugarman's investigation of de Blasio and the others.

"The administration was first made aware of the reported investigations by the U.S. attorney, district attorney and Board of Elections when it was reported in the press," she said.

State Party Executive Director Basil Smikle said they routinely support Democratic candidates but neither the state party nor Cuomo campaign used the Putnam and Ulster county committees in the effort.

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Associated Press writer David Klepper and Colleen Long in New York contributed to this report.
The Latest: Iraq PM says situation in Baghdad under control

BAGHDAD (AP)  The Latest on anti-government protests in Iraq (all times local):

8:30 p.m.

Iraq's prime minister says the situation is under control after thousands of anti-government protesters poured into Baghdad's Green Zone and stormed parliament.

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr storm parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Haider al-Abadi issued a statement saying "the situation in Baghdad is under the control of the security forces." He called on protesters to demonstrate peacefully without damaging the "property of state institutions."

Al-Abadi had been set to appear before parliament earlier Saturday to seek approval for the remainder of his Cabinet reshuffle, but the session was postponed until next week.

The news of the postponement broke just moments before protesters began to storm the Green Zone. The last time al-Abadi appeared before parliament, earlier this month, lawmakers hurled insults and called his leadership illegitimate.

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6:40 p.m.

Iraqi security forces have fired tear gas on protesters at one of the entrances to the Green Zone as hundreds of supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr continue to stream into the highly fortified government compound.

Associated Press reporters at the scene say thousands of protesters have entered the Green Zone since breaching the walls and storming parliament earlier on Saturday.

The heavily guarded area is home to most government ministries and foreign embassies.

The entry of the protesters marks a major escalation after months of demonstrations and sit-ins by al-Sadr's followers, who are calling for wide-ranging political reforms aimed at combatting corruption and waste.

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6:15 p.m.

The U.N. mission to Iraq says it is "gravely concerned" after anti-government protesters breached the heavily-guarded Green Zone and stormed parliament.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) is headquartered in the Green Zone along with most government ministries and embassies.

After Saturday's breach, UNAMI issued a statement condemning violence against elected officials and urging "calm, restraint and respect for Iraq's constitutional institutions at this crucial juncture."

It says the U.N. mission "continues to operate from its headquarters in Baghdad's International Zone and is in constant contact with parties to facilitate a solution that meets the demands of the people for reform."

The protesters are supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has called for wide-ranging political reforms to combat the corruption and mismanagement that has bedeviled Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

5:30 p.m.

Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces, who have in the past been called on to reinforce security in the capital, say they are standing down for now after anti-government protesters breached the Green Zone.

Police and troops guarding the heavily-fortified zone, where most ministries and embassies are located, appeared to be taking no action after protesters breached the walls and stormed into parliament Saturday.

Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the counterterrorism forces, says "we still view this as a demonstration" and "aren't taking any part in this as it's not something regarding terrorism."

He adds, however, that if the unrest escalates his forces may be forced to intervene to "protect the legitimacy of the government."

The protesters, who support Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, are demanding political reforms to combat corruption and mismanagement.

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5:00 p.m.

Iraqi forces are tightening security in the capital after anti-government protesters breached the Green Zone and stormed parliament.

The Baghdad Operations Command says all traffic attempting to enter the capital through the city's main checkpoints was halted after the breach on Saturday, and additional police and military units have been deployed to the Green Zone, closing the checkpoints on the compound's outer perimeter and blocking internal roads.

The heavily-guarded Green Zone is home to most of Iraq's ministries and foreign embassies.

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the Green Zone earlier on Saturday, marking a major escalation after months of demonstrations and sit-ins demanding political reforms to combat corruption and waste.

3:30 p.m.

Dozens of protesters have climbed over the blast walls surrounding Baghdad's highly-fortified Green Zone and could be seen storming into parliament, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government.

After months of protests, sit-ins and demonstrations outside Baghdad's Green Zone  home to most ministries and foreign embassies  Saturday's escalation marks the first time protesters have breached the compound's walls.

Earlier Saturday, influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr accused Iraqi politicians of blocking efforts to implement political reform aimed at combating corruption and waste.

Increasingly tense protests and a series of failed reform measures have paralyzed Iraq's government as the country struggles to fight the Islamic State group and respond to an economic crisis sparked in part by a plunge in global oil prices.

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr raise the Iraqi flags outside parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr walk over the blast walls surrounding Baghdad's highly fortified Green Zone Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Security forces try to stop supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr from storming parliament in Baghdad's Green Zone, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Dozens of protesters climbed over the blast walls and could be seen storming the Parliament building, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
The Latest: 2nd funeral underway in Ohio shooting massacre

PIKETON, Ohio (AP)  The Latest on the shooting massacre in rural Ohio (all times local):

3:45 p.m.

Mourners are gathering in southern Ohio at the second funeral for a victim of the shooting massacre in rural Ohio that killed eight family members.

Cory Holdren makes sure the eight candles don't blow out by the wind that were placed into the ground to honor the eight that were killed in Piketon during the Pike County Vigil at the Pike County Fairgrounds in Piketon, Ohio on Friday, April 29, 2016. Cory was Hanna Rhoden boyfriend. (Kyle Robertson/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

The funeral for 20-year-old Hannah Gilley was being held Saturday in Otway, Ohio. She was the fiancee of victim Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden.

The Rhoden family members were found shot to death just over a week ago at four homes in the rural county about 85 miles south of Columbus.

Investigators remain tight-lipped about any suspects or a possible motive.

The funeral for victim Gary Rhoden was held Thursday in Kentucky.

A funeral for Frankie Rhoden, his parents, two siblings and his uncle will be held Tuesday in West Portsmouth.

Hundreds of people gathered at a vigil Friday night to remember the eight victims.

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10 a.m.

The second funeral is scheduled for a victim of the shooting massacre in rural Ohio that killed eight family members.

The funeral for 20-year-old Hannah Gilley was planned for Saturday in Otway, Ohio. She was the fiancee of victim Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden.

The Rhoden family members were found shot to death just over a week ago at four homes in the rural county about 85 miles south of Columbus.

Investigators remain tight-lipped about any suspects or a possible motive.

The funeral for victim Gary Rhoden was held Thursday in Kentucky.

A funeral for Frankie Rhoden, his parents and two siblings will be held Tuesday in West Portsmouth.

Hundreds of people gathered at a vigil Friday night to remember the eight victims.

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2 a.m.

Clutching lighted candles and launching balloons, hundreds of people have come together to recall eight people killed in a shooting massacre in rural Ohio.

The vigil Friday night at the Pike County fairgrounds brought together family members, friends and community residents, all commemorating the lives of those slain April 22 at four homes near Piketon.

The Columbus Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/1WYTxDr ) that many wore T-shirts with photos and messages on them. There were hugs, tears and stories from those who knew the victims well.

A funeral for 20-year-old Hannah Gilley is planned for Saturday in Otway, Ohio. The funeral for victim Gary Rhoden was held Thursday in Kentucky and other funeral services are scheduled for Tuesday.

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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com

Amber Cassell, 16, right, gets a hug from Margaret Williams, left, as they hold a candle into the air during the Pike County Vigil at the Pike County Fairgrounds in Piketon, Ohio on Friday, April 29, 2016. (Kyle Robertson/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Jacob Hoagland, right, places candles into the ground to form a G during the Pike County Vigil at the Pike County Fairgrounds in Piketon, Ohio on Friday, April 29, 2016. The G stands for Gilley and there was also a R in candles for Rhoden. (Kyle Robertson/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Leonard Manley, father of Dana Rhoden, talks to the media before the start of the Pike County Vigil at the Pike County Fairgrounds in Piketon, Ohio on Friday, April 29, 2016. (Kyle Robertson/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
Caribbean leaders to discuss banking concerns with Biden

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP)  Caribbean leaders say they'll ask U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to ensure that regulations don't force American banks to restrict vital relations with their institutions.

The 15-member Caribbean Community and Common Market says some U.S. banks are cutting ties with Caribbean banks because they fear increased federal oversight of money laundering in the region could lead to big fines or higher costs. They say such moves threaten to harm their economies and say they already comply with efforts to halt money-laundering.

U.S. regulators have described the Caribbean as a high-risk area for suspicious transactions.
Strahan-Ripa breakup isn't TV's first botched transition

NEW YORK (AP)  "Live with Kelly and Michael" host Kelly Ripa emerged from her brief "strike" this past week on stronger footing, having extracted an apology from Walt Disney Co. officials for giving her little advanced word that her co-host Michael Strahan was leaving for "Good Morning America."

She had briefly boycotted the popular daytime talk show, saying she had earned the right to better treatment.

Her audience gave Ripa a standing ovation upon her return Tuesday, and ABC said Strahan was leaving nearly four months earlier than expected.

FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2014 file photo, Deborah Norville attends 24th Annual Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame Awards in New York. Norville replaced Jane Pauley as co-host of the "Today" show in 1989 and then became host of "Inside Edition." (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

It was hardly the first time television executives had botched a transition, nor the most spectacular. Here are some other dropped batons:

THE YOUNGER WOMAN

Jane Pauley had been a mainstay on NBC's "Today" show for 13 years, first as co-host with Tom Brokaw and later with Bryant Gumbel, when the show's executives were seduced by a younger woman.

Deborah Norville, seven years Pauley's junior, lit up the screen on NBC's early-morning newscast. She was reassigned to "Today" in late summer 1989 with a big new contract, given a more prominent role than predecessor John Palmer. Norville was widely viewed as Pauley's successor, certainly to Pauley, who quit before she could be pushed out.

During her last show, on Dec. 29, the New York Daily News wrote that Pauley "often looked like she'd rather have been queued up in a 5-hour rice line in Bucharest." Most unfortunately, the show featured a long report on a horse that had been racing 11 years but had to be retired.

The optics were horrible. Women dominate the morning news audience, and "Today" was serving up their worst nightmare onscreen: a loyal woman approaching middle age pushed aside for a sexy new model. The show's ratings instantly fell behind ABC's "Good Morning America." They didn't recover until Norville left on maternity leave 19 months later and was herself displaced by Katie Couric.

Norville fought depression, then battled back as an author and host of "Inside Edition."

"It was personally devastating to, in less than two years, go from 'NBC's fastest-rising star' to a pariah in television," Norville wrote for The Hollywood Reporter in 2012.

TEAM COCO

If you still have a "Team Coco" shirt in a back closet, you remember late-night television's worst transition.

NBC thought it was being foresighted when it announced in 2004 that five years later, Jay Leno would retire as "Tonight" show host and be replaced by Conan O'Brien.

"I was blindsided," Leno recalled in a later "60 Minutes" interview, likening it to being told by a girlfriend that he was no longer wanted. He didn't feel much better five years later. He vacated the late-night perch, and was given a prime-time show that not many people watched.

Meanwhile, "Tonight" ratings sank when after O'Brien took over and NBC executives worried that the quirky sensibility that worked for O'Brien's later-night show didn't translate to a more mainstream earlier audience. They floated a plan to cut the "Tonight" hour in half, giving part of Leno and part to O'Brien.

O'Brien rejected it early in 2010, and began negotiations for a contract buyout.

With the axe near, O'Brien's "Tonight" show became white hot. Ratings soared, and his persona as the put-upon employee fueled superb comedy. Fans rallied around, buying "Team Coco" shirts, and Leno was brutalized regularly by fellow late-night hosts David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel as a turncoat, someone who couldn't give up his seat of power. Besides a reported $45 million buyout, O'Brien earned another late-night gig at TBS, where he works today.

Leno's transition to Jimmy Fallon in 2014 went much more smoothly. Fallon was an immediate hit, and Leno gracious in his exit.

Even then, though, he made sure to note that leaving wasn't his decision.

STAR TIME

Star Jones, panelist on daytime TV's "The View," surprised that show's audience in July 2006 by announcing after a commercial break that she would soon be leaving after 10 years.

"That's shocking to me," co-host Joy Behar said. It shouldn't have been. The show's creator, Barbara Walters, said later that Jones had known for months that the show was going in a different direction. Jones said in a magazine interview that appeared that day that she had been fired.

As Jones made her announcement, Walters sat at her side, glaring.

To the proper television doyenne, few things were as important as appearances and the illusion that the ladies of "The View" were a convivial bunch. She told The Associated Press that day that Jones' announcement was a betrayal.

The next day, Jones was gone. Walters said Jones had been given time to find another job so the transition would appear smooth. "I would have loved for Star to have left and not said 'I was fired' and not make it look like the show was somehow being cruel to her," she said.

It was six years before she was welcomed back onto the ABC show as a guest.

Even on a program that featured the colorful and combustible Rosie O'Donnell for two separate tenures, Jones had the most memorable flameout.

CRYING CURRY

Two decades after the Norville debacle, the "Today" show managed to top itself with Ann Curry's tearful exit.

Curry was a loyal soldier, reading the news for "Today" starting in 1997 and remaining after she was passed over for Meredith Vieira as co-host when Couric left in 2005. When Vieira quit in 2011, Curry earned the job next to Matt Lauer. Yet "Today" started fading in the ratings, running neck-and-neck with "Good Morning America" in the spring of 2012 after many years of dominance, and executives worried that Curry and Lauer had little on-screen chemistry.

They decided to replace her with Savannah Guthrie.

Curry's final show made for excruciating television. She was in tears seated next to Lauer on the show's couch, telling viewers: "For all of you who saw me as a groundbreaker, I'm sorry I didn't carry the ball over the finish line. But man, I did try."

Again, the effect was immediate. ABC's "GMA" took over as morning television's favorite and while things have been looking up lately, "Today" remains in second place. Lauer's reputation with viewers took a beating, especially when Curry did little to discourage accounts that she partly blamed him for her demise. After reporting primarily on international stories, Curry left NBC News in January 2015.

"It was a hard time for everybody," Lauer told the Daily Beast in 2013. "I don't think the show or the network handled the transition well. You don't have to be Einstein to know that."

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Follow David Bauder at twitter.com/dbauder. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/david-bauder

FILE - This June 5, 2003 file photo shows co-hosts, from left, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Joy Behar and Barbara Walters on the set of "The View" in New York. In July 2006, Jones surprised the audience by announcing that she would be leaving after 10 years. It was six years before she was welcomed back onto the ABC show as a guest. (AP Photo/Ed Bailey, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2014 file photo, Ann Curry attends the Panthere de Cartier Collection dinner & party at Skylight Clarkson Studios in New York. Curry, joined the "Today" show in 1997 and eventually became a co-host alongside Matt Lauer in 2011. She was replaced by Savannah Guthrie in 2012. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Secretary of State heads to Switzerland for talks on Syria

WASHINGTON (AP)  Secretary of State John Kerry is heading to Switzerland this weekend for urgent talks on Syria. His trip comes amid escalating violations of a fragile truce around the city of Aleppo.

The State Department says Kerry would leave Sunday for Geneva, where he would hold meetings the following day with the U.N. envoy for Syria as well as the foreign ministers of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Kerry will be reviewing efforts to reaffirm the truce nationwide and broaden the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged communities, the department said. He will also be looking at ways in which now suspended peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition can be restarted.
CA convention is a homecoming of sorts for Carly Fiorina

BURLINGAME, Calif. (AP)  When Carly Fiorina spoke at the California Republican Party convention at a hotel outside San Francisco airport Saturday night, it was a brief homecoming of sorts for the newly minted vice presidential candidate.

Fiorina grew up in the Bay Area and became chief executive officer of Hewlett Packard there before plunging into politics with an unsuccessful run against Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2010. But this is no usual Republican presidential primary, and Fiorina's appearance won't quite be the return of a favorite daughter.

She's running on a ticket with Sen. Ted Cruz, who's mathematically eliminated from becoming the GOP presidential nominee unless the Republican National Convention is contested. Fiorina left California for Virginia shortly after losing her Senate race and didn't pay several California operatives for years, until she was running for president herself this winter.

FILE - In this April 29, 2016 file photo Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, accompanied by vice-presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, speaks during a campaign stop in Indianapolis. When Fiorina speaks to the California Republican party convention at a hotel outside San Francisco airport Saturday night it will be a homecoming of sorts for the newly-minted vice presidential candidate. Fiorina grew up in the Bay Area and became chief executive officer of Hewlett Packard there before plunging into politics with an unsuccessful run against Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer in 2010. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

Even Fiorina's return was basically a toe-touch. She flew in after a day of stumping in must-win Indiana, gave a brief speech punctuated with digs at Trump then rushed out to fly back to Indiana. But she brought the crowd to its feet after a series of zingers aimed at the front-runner, mocking his insistence the previous day that he essentially had the nomination sewn up.

"The 30-yard-line ain't a touchdown. The 20-yard-line ain't a touchdown. The 5-yard-line ain't a touchdown. It ain't a touchdown until it's a touchdown," Fiorina said, adding: "I'm sorry, you cannot just throw an 'R' on your jersey and say you believe what our party stands for."

Fiorina's former home state is assuming outsized importance this primary season. Normally an afterthought in the presidential nominating contest, California's 172 delegates that are up for grabs on June 7 may decide whether Donald Trump becomes the party's nominee or if Cruz still has a shot to take the title on a second ballot at the Republican National Convention in July. Vice presidential selections rarely move votes in a general election, but Trump opponents are hopeful Fiorina can help Cruz in the Golden State's primary.

"She campaigned in this state very well, she won with these voters," said Rob Stutzman, a GOP operative helping with efforts to defeat Trump in the primary, referring to the base GOP voters who backed Fiorina in 2010. "She was a good Republican candidate here. She's the perfect surrogate for Cruz."

Fiorina won a bruising Republican primary in 2010, outflanking her opponents from the right to become the party's nominee to take on Boxer, a liberal who was viewed as vulnerable in the 2010 Republican wave. But Fiorina was trounced in the general election, losing by 1 million votes after being hammered for her stewardship of Hewlett Packard and role in outsourcing jobs overseas. Still, she won more votes in this overwhelmingly Democratic state than other Republican candidates for statewide office that year and displayed a hard-charging campaign style that endeared her to many Republicans.

State party chairman Jim Brulte said Fiorina was the first presidential candidate to respond to his invitation to appear at the state party convention that he issued to the entire presidential field in January, when she was still a contender for the top office. "That's probably because I sent it to her personal email account," he said.

Cruz spoke to the convention Saturday afternoon and highlighted his running mate, saying she'd be the first Californian on a national ticket since Reagan, although she lives in Virginia, home to many national political aspirants. Still, his references drew cheers and when he asked attendees if they knew why he picked Fiorina, one shouted, "Because she's good!"

Still, Fiorina disappointed some Republicans in California. GOP strategist Matt Rexroad was leaning toward Cruz but said the selection of Fiorina makes him question whether he'll support the Texan senator.

Rexroad allowed that Fiorina will be popular among the party faithful at the convention. But that group is a tiny minority of Republicans who'll vote on June 7. "That isn't necessarily reflective of the electorate," he said.

Even the Fiorina faithful may not be won over to Cruz's side by her selection. Phyllis Stout, 75, from San Luis Obispo in Central California, was thrilled that Fiorina was speaking to the convention. "I loved her," she said of Fiorina's 2010 Senate bid. "She knew her stuff. She was a very intelligent lady."

But she's not going to vote for Cruz  there's just something about the Texas senator that Stout doesn't like. Instead, she's leaning toward Trump.

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Follow Nicholas Riccardi on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NickRiccardi and Michael Blood at https://twitter.com/MichaelRBloodAP .
No serious injuries after train hits car in downtown Suffolk

SUFFOLK, Va. (AP)  Authorities say no one was seriously injured when a Norfolk Southern train struck a car in Suffolk, Virginia.

The city said in a statement that an Acura sedan became stuck on train tracks in downtown Suffolk and was struck by a westbound train around 1:30 a.m. Saturday.

A 26-year-old male passenger in the car was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. The car's driver sustained minor injuries that did not require her to be taken to a hospital.
South Africa: Opposition leader warns president to step down

JOHANNESBURG (AP)  Fiery South African opposition politician Julius Malema told 40,000 cheering supporters that President Jacob Zuma should step down before the army turns on him because of the corruption allegations against him.

"I am whispering to you, Zuma, wherever you are, those soldiers are going to turn their guns against you," said Malema to roars from the crowd. "Be warned, leave office before the soldiers turn their guns on you."

Malema spoke on Saturday to supporters of his Economic Freedom Fighters party who filled the Orlando Stadium in Soweto. Malema described the policies of his party ahead of local government elections which will take place in August this year.

Members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party arrive by bus for the launch of their municipal election manifesto, in Soweto, South Africa, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Fiery South African opposition politician Julius Malema told 40,000 cheering supporters that President Jacob Zuma should step down before the army turns on him because of the corruption allegations against him.(AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

He promised to give priority to South Africa's poor if his party is elected to government and he said the country will then truly belong to the country's black majority. He said many members of South Africa's current parliament are "agents of apartheid," referring to the country's former policy of racial discrimation.

Malema dismissed the treason charges pressed against him earlier this week by the ruling party, the African National Congress. The ANC filed the charges after Malema said he would take up arms against the government if he saw rigging in the elections. He challenged the government to arrest him.

"Anyone who wants to arrest me, here I am," said Malema.

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party leader, Julius Malema, addresses supporters at the launch of their municipal election manifesto in Soweto, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Fiery South African opposition politician Malema told 40,000 cheering supporters that President Jacob Zuma should step down before the army turns on him because of the corruption allegations against him.(AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party leader, Julius Malema, foreground, second from right, greets supporters on his arrival at the launch of their municipal election manifesto in Soweto, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Fiery South African opposition politician Malema told 40,000 cheering supporters that President Jacob Zuma should step down before the army turns on him because of the corruption allegations against him. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)
911 call: Hurt survivor explains aftermath of Georgia crash

WATKINSVILLE, Ga. (AP)  A survivor of the crash that killed four University of Georgia students fought through tears to explain what happened to a 911 dispatcher.

The Oconee County Sheriff's Office released a recording of the call Saturday.

State troopers say a Toyota Camry carrying the Georgia students went into the opposite lane of traffic Wednesday night. The patrol said it was struck by a Chevy Cobalt driven by 27-year-old Abby Short, who spoke with the dispatcher while trapped in her vehicle.

In the call, Short tells the dispatcher that she was stuck in a field and was in pain. Short said she was unable to get out the vehicle after hurting her ankle.
Parents of boy missing since 1997 plead not guilty to murder

HILO, Hawaii (AP)  Parents of a Hawaii boy who has been missing for nearly 20 years have pleaded not guilty to murder charges.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1TC7xAe) that in two separate courtrooms on Friday 46-year-old Jaylin Kema and her 45-year-old husband, Peter Kema Sr., pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

The boy's parents have long been suspects in the 1997 disappearance of then 6-year-old Peter Kema Jr., known as "Peter Boy," but prosecutors say there hadn't been enough evidence to charge them until now.

Peter Kem Sr., center, appears Friday, April 29, 2016, for arraignment in Hilo Circuit Court in Hilo, Hawaii. The parents of a Hawaii boy who has been missing for nearly 20 years have been charged with murder after authorities reopened the case and re-evaluated the evidence. The boy's parents have long been suspects in the 1997 disappearance of then 6-year-old Peter Kema Jr., known as "Peter Boy," but prosecutors said there hadn't been enough evidence to charge them until now. Kema Sr., had told authorities he took his son to Oahu and gave him to a longtime family friend. (Hollyn Johnson/Hawaii Tribune-Herald via AP)

Peter Kema Sr. had told authorities he took his son to Oahu and gave him to a longtime family friend.

Jaylin Kema's trial has been scheduled for Aug. 22, while her husband has a Sept. 19 date.

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Information from: Hawaii Tribune-Herald, http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/

FILE - Peter Kema Jr., known as "Peter Boy," is shown in this copy of a file photo provided by the boy's family. The parents of the Hawaii boy who has been missing for nearly 20 years have been charged with murder after authorities reopened the case and re-evaluated the evidence. The boys parents have long been suspects in the 1997 disappearance of the then 6-year-old, but prosecutors said there hadnt been enough evidence to charge them until now. ( Jeff Widener/The Honolulu Advertiser via AP, File) MANDATORY CREDIT

Peter Kem Sr., center, heads out of the court room Friday, April 29, 2016, after his arraignment in Hilo Circuit Court in Hilo, Hawaii. The parents of a Hawaii boy who has been missing for nearly 20 years have been charged with murder after authorities reopened the case and re-evaluated the evidence. The boy's parents have long been suspects in the 1997 disappearance of then 6-year-old Peter Kema Jr., known as "Peter Boy," but prosecutors said there hadn't been enough evidence to charge them until now. Kema Sr., had told authorities he took his son to Oahu and gave him to a longtime family friend. (Hollyn Johnson/Hawaii Tribune-Herald via AP)

Peter Kem Sr., right, appears Friday, April 29, 2016, for arraignment in Hilo Circuit Court in Hilo, Hawaii. The parents of a Hawaii boy who has been missing for nearly 20 years have been charged with murder after authorities reopened the case and re-evaluated the evidence. The boy's parents have long been suspects in the 1997 disappearance of then 6-year-old Peter Kema Jr., known as "Peter Boy," but prosecutors said there hadn't been enough evidence to charge them until now. Kema Sr., had told authorities he took his son to Oahu and gave him to a longtime family friend. (Hollyn Johnson/Hawaii Tribune-Herald via AP)

Peter Kem Sr., rightm appears Friday, April 29, 2016, for arraignment in Hilo Circuit Court in Hilo, Hawaii. The parents of a Hawaii boy who has been missing for nearly 20 years have been charged with murder after authorities reopened the case and re-evaluated the evidence. The boy's parents have long been suspects in the 1997 disappearance of then 6-year-old Peter Kema Jr., known as "Peter Boy," but prosecutors said there hadn't been enough evidence to charge them until now. Kema Sr., had told authorities he took his son to Oahu and gave him to a longtime family friend. (Hollyn Johnson/Hawaii Tribune-Herald via AP)
33 rescued lions arrive in South Africa in airlift

JOHANNESBURG (AP)  The roars of lions filled the cargo section of Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport Saturday evening as 33 lions rescued from South American circuses landed in South Africa where they will be released into a bush sanctuary for big cats.

It was the largest airlift of lions in history, said Jan Creamer, president of Animal Defenders International, which carried out the operation.

"These lion have suffered tremendously," Creamer said as the lions were loaded in crates onto trucks.

Airport cargo handlers attends to cages of former circus lions on their arrival at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Thirty-three lions rescued from various circuses in Peru and Colombia are heading to Johannesburg live out the rest of their lives in a private sanctuary in South Africa, organized and paid for by Animal Defenders International.(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

"They lived in small cages on the backs of trucks for their entire lives. Some of them had their teeth bashed in with steel pipes in circuses in Colombia and Peru. Some of them had their claws removed. ... It is a wonderful feeling to bring them back to their home."

Nine of the lions were surrendered by a circus in Colombia. The remaining 24 were rescued in raids on circuses in Peru by the animal defense group and officials enforcing a crackdown on wildlife trafficking.

The lions will be placed in quarantine in enclosures at the 5,000-hectare (12,355-acre) Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in Vaalwater in northern South Africa, started three years ago by a single mother and her teenage daughter.

The 33 lions will be monitored by a vet for their first weeks in Africa. They will then be introduced to each other in a 1-hectare (2.47-acre) bonding enclosure. Many of the lions were never allowed to have direct physical contact with other lions and have never been together without a fence or a cage separating them.

Due to their poor physical state, the lions will never be able to hunt again and will have to be cared for with food and water for the rest of their lives. Emoya will feed the cats with game meat which it buys in bulk.

The enclosures will be fitted with drinking pools, platforms and toys to ensure the lions don't become bored and will be steadily expanded as they become familiar with their new life, said Savannah Heuser, who started Emoya with her mother.

Emoya, in an area with a mix of habitats including mountainous regions, rolling grasslands, forests, cliff caves and river gorges, has a strict non-breeding policy, Heuser told The Associated Press.

Female lions may receive contraceptive medications so they can remain with their mates, while males may undergo vasectomies to make sure that no lions are bred in captivity.

"The animals have no conservation value whatsoever. Many of them have been inbred," she said. "When we are sure that no breeding will take place, we allow males to interact with females. By then a pattern will have emerged ... and we will know which lions can be placed together."

Emoya was opened in 2012, when Heuser was 16. The sanctuary's first cat, a lion rescued from Cairo called Chanel, arrived in June 2013. The sanctuary is currently home to eight big cats, including two Siberian tigers.

The lions are part of 100 animals that were rescued in Peru. Bears, monkeys, birds and other native wildlife have been relocated to sanctuaries in Peru and a tiger has been sent to a new home in Florida.

A former circus lion peers from inside a cage during their arrival at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Thirty-three lions rescued from various circuses in Peru and Colombia are heading to Johannesburg live out the rest of their lives in a private sanctuary in South Africa, organized and paid for by Animal Defenders International. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

A former circus lion peers from inside a cage on their arrival at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Thirty-three lions rescued from various circuses in Peru and Colombia are heading to Johannesburg live out the rest of their lives in a private sanctuary in South Africa, organized and paid for by Animal Defenders International.(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

A worker straps down cages that hold former circus lions on their arrival at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Thirty-three lions rescued from various circuses in Peru and Colombia are heading to Johannesburg live out the rest of their lives in a private sanctuary in South Africa, organized and paid for by Animal Defenders International.(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Airport cargo handlers, prepare to load a former circus lion cage on their arrival at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Thirty-three lions rescued from various circuses in Peru and Colombia are heading to Johannesburg live out the rest of their lives in a private sanctuary in South Africa, organized and paid for by Animal Defenders International.(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

A former circus lion peers from inside a cage during their arrival at OR Tambo International airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday, April 30, 2016. Thirty-three lions rescued from various circuses in Peru and Colombia are heading to Johannesburg live out the rest of their lives in a private sanctuary in South Africa, organized and paid for by Animal Defenders International.(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
2nd funeral Saturday for victim in Ohio shooting massacre

PIKETON, Ohio (AP)  The long goodbyes to eight members of a rural Ohio family killed more than a week ago continued Saturday with a funeral for a young mother as authorities remained silent in what they've said will be a lengthy investigation.

Rhoden family members were shot in the head at four different homes near Piketon on April 22. Authorities say the deaths were a pre-planned "sophisticated operation" and they haven't released any specifics on possible suspects or a motive.

Hundreds of family members, friends and community residents attended a vigil Friday at the Pike County fairgrounds to remember those who died. They clutched lighted candles and launched balloons.

Cory Holdren makes sure the eight candles don't blow out by the wind that were placed into the ground to honor the eight that were killed in Piketon during the Pike County Vigil at the Pike County Fairgrounds in Piketon, Ohio on Friday, April 29, 2016. Cory was Hanna Rhoden boyfriend. (Kyle Robertson/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Many wore T-shirts with photos and messages on them, The Columbus Dispatch reported. There were hugs, tears and stories from those who knew the victims well.

"This is a loving community," said Leonard Manley, Dana Rhoden's father, before the vigil began. "If you've got a friend who comes up and hugs you, that's the greatest thing in the world."

Hannah Gilley, 20, whose baby was one of three children who survived the massacre, was to be buried Saturday following a funeral in Otway, Ohio. Gilley was the fiancee of 20-year-old Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, another victim of the shootings.

The others were 40-year-old Christopher Rhoden; his ex-wife, 37-year-old Dana Rhoden; their three children, including Frankie, 16-year-old Christopher Jr., and 19-year-old Hanna; Christopher Rhoden Sr.'s brother, 44-year-old Kenneth Rhoden; their cousin, 38-year-old Gary Rhoden.

Besides Gilley's baby, Hanna Rhoden's infant and another young child also were unharmed.

Fifteen-year-old Samantha Tschudy attended the vigil. She had known Christopher Rhoden Jr. since kindergarten; he was a former boyfriend.

"This is the hardest day yet," she said.

Her mother, Melissa Tschudy, helped organize the vigil, which also was a fundraiser for the victims' families.

Gary Rhoden's funeral was held Thursday in Kentucky. Funerals for the six others will take place Tuesday.

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This story has been corrected to show the correct spelling of the name Rhoden, not Rohden.

Amber Cassell, 16, right, gets a hug from Margaret Williams, left, as they hold a candle into the air during the Pike County Vigil at the Pike County Fairgrounds in Piketon, Ohio on Friday, April 29, 2016. (Kyle Robertson/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Jacob Hoagland, right, places candles into the ground to form a G during the Pike County Vigil at the Pike County Fairgrounds in Piketon, Ohio on Friday, April 29, 2016. The G stands for Gilley and there was also a R in candles for Rhoden. (Kyle Robertson/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Leonard Manley, father of Dana Rhoden, talks to the media before the start of the Pike County Vigil at the Pike County Fairgrounds in Piketon, Ohio on Friday, April 29, 2016. (Kyle Robertson/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)
Briton aged 41 among 13 people killed in Norway helicopter crash

A 41-year-old British man working for oilfield services company Halliburton was among 13 people killed in a helicopter crash in Norway.

The Super Puma was carrying two crew and 11 passengers from the North Sea Gullfaks B oil field, around 74 miles (120 kilometres) off the Norwegian coast when it crashed en route to Flesland Airport in Bergen on Friday.

Field operators Statoil said the pilots - a Norwegian and an Italian - were CHC Helicopter staff and the Briton killed was a 41-year-old working for Houston-based Halliburton.

One Briton was among the 13 people killed when the Super Puma came down on the rocky shoreline of Turoey, a tiny island outside Bergen (AP)

The man is understood to be from Aberdeenshire in Scotland.

The 10 other Norwegian passengers were employed by companies including Schlumberger, Aker Solutions, and Statoil. Their names have not yet been released.

All UK commercial passenger flights using the Airbus EC225LP - or Super Puma - model have been grounded by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) following the accident.

The aircraft shattered into pieces when it smashed into the rocky shoreline of Turoey, a tiny island outside Bergen, Norway's second-largest city.

Emergency crews pulled the wrecked fuselage out of the sea on Saturday ahead of an investigation into the cause.

The Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority said the helicopter's flight recorders would be sent to Britain where data from the black boxes would be read.

The UK CAA said in a statement: "Following the accident the CAA has issued an instruction to stop any commercial passenger flights by UK operators flying the Airbus EC225LP helicopter.

"This mirrors action taken by the Norwegian CAA. The restriction does not apply to search and rescue flights."

A team from the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) was due to travel to Norway to assist with the investigation because it has carried out inquiries into several crashes involving helicopters operating to and from offshore oil and gas fields in recent years.

A statement from Halliburton said: "Halliburton is saddened to confirm four employees died in the helicopter accident that occurred yesterday off the coast of Norway.

"We are working with local emergency officials as they continue their investigation into this tragic event.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with our employees and their loved ones. Out of respect for the families' privacy, we are not releasing any additional information at this time."

There have been five incidents involving Super Pumas operating in the UK oil and gas industry since 2009.

In May 2012 workers were rescued when an EC225 ditched off Aberdeen and five months later everyone on board the same model was safely returned to shore after it was forced to ditch off the coast of Shetland.

Investigators identified a problem with the gearbox in both cases.

Passengers and crew survived a previous incident when an EC225LP went down off the coast of Aberdeen in February 2009.

Two fatal crashes involving the AS332L2 saw 16 lives lost when the aircraft carrying workers from a BP oil platform crashed off Peterhead in Aberdeenshire in April 2009, and f our oil workers died when the same model went down off Shetland in August 2013.

The use of several types of Super Puma was suspended for a time following the last tragedy, affecting thousands of North Sea workers who rely on the aircraft for travel to and from platforms.

The CAA has since introduced a series of measures to improve the safety of helicopter operations.

They include a no-fly rule in the most extreme sea conditions and o perators must now ensure every passenger is equipped with a more advanced emergency breathing system.

Audrey Wood, who lost her son Stuart in the 2009 crash, is supporting an online petition calling on the CAA to permanently remove the EC225 from service.

The petition, which has collected around 3,000 signatures in 24 hours, states: " We call on the CAA to put the lives of offshore oil workers and the pilots before vested interests, and revoke the air worthiness certificates for this aircraft. Failure to do this will result in more needless deaths."

Mrs Wood, from Newmachar in Aberdeenshire, wrote on the Change.org page: "Seven years on and my life has stood still.

"Wouldn't wish this heartache on my worst enemy. All variants of Puma should be removed from the oil industry, men should feel safe travelling to work not fear if they will ever see their loved ones at home again."

Industry body Oil and Gas UK said it was working closely with the CAA to understand the circumstances of the tragedy.

Director of safety Mick Borwell said: "We will be following developments closely but in the meantime speculation on the cause must be avoided.

"We will work with the helicopter operators to develop effective support to the workforce and offshore operations during this period of investigation."

The Step Change in Safety organisation, home to the Helicopter Safety Steering Group (HSSG), said: " We are aware that UK helicopter operators are already working on their resilience plans with a view to bringing additional alternative aircraft into the region.

"We fully support the action taken by the UK CAA and will continue to monitor the situation closely and communicate the facts as they become available."

Norwegian television showed footage of what appeared to be a helicopter rotor blade spiralling down minutes before the helicopter crashed.

The rotor was reportedly found on land while the fuselage was recovered from the sea.

Airbus Helicopters, manufacturers of the Super Puma, said the company was "deeply affected" by the crash.

A statement following the tragedy said: " At this point in the investigation, we do not have any information that allows us to understand the causes of the accident that involved the aircraft's rotor being detached, nor to make any links to events that have occurred previously.

"Airbus Helicopters is participating in the ongoing investigation and two technical experts are currently on their way to Norway to provide their assistance to the local authorities.

"The preliminary elements of the inquiry should become available in the coming days.

"Under these tragic circumstances, and until these elements are available, we are allied with the decision taken to put all commercial EC225LP passenger flights on hold."

Helicopter operator CHC said it was " greatly saddened" by the accident.
Danny van Poppel wins stage two of the Tour de Yorkshire

Team Sky's Danny van Poppel won stage two of the Tour de Yorkshire in a photo finish from overall leader Dylan Groenewegen in Doncaster.

The 22-year-old Dutchman scored his first win in Sky colours as he edged out stage one winner Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) on the line when the 136.5km stage from Otley came down to the final few metres.

Only a handful of people got to see it on a day when television coverage of the event was lost for pretty much the entire day - including the entirety of the women's race earlier in the day - due to a relay plane being grounded twice with different technical difficulties.

Danny Van Poppel, right, won the sprint finish on stage two

The riders were unaware of that as they raced into Doncaster, however. Four remaining riders from the early break - Josh Edmondson (NFTO), Nicolas Edet (Cofidis), Stijn Steels (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise) and Michael Morkov (Katusha) - were swallowed up with 10km left, and the lead-out trains began to battle for position.

It was still wide open as they tore down the final straight, with Van Poppel taking it by inches from Groenewegen and Giant-Alpecin's Nikias Ardnt.

"The team did a great job, that's the first thing to say," Van Poppel said."We were really motivated. The last two kilometres it was raining and really hectic. The team did the best they could to really take care of me and then in the last few hundred metres Dylan came really close, but I just knew that I'd won. It was a hectic few minutes."

Groenewegen could take consolation from the fact that he retains the leader's overall jersey for at least one more day - though he expects it to be no more than that - as he remains six seconds clear of Van Poppel, with Arndt eight back overall.

"It was very close," Van Poppel said. "We worked hard, did a good lead-out but I'm going too late and I got second.

"For tomorrow, the stage is too hard for me, but we'll work for Steven (Kruijswijk) and Primoz (Roglic). Maybe we'll keep the leader's jersey not for me but for Steven or Primoz."

Sunday's stage three from Middlesbrough to Whitby is expected to radically change the shape of the general classification with six categorised climbs facing the riders.

The route contains a number of the climbs which featured in stage one of last year's race, won by Sky's Lars Petter Nordhaug who went on to take the overall victory.

The Norwegian, back to defend his title, said he was feeling good going into the final day but was not certain he would be Sky's chosen man.

"I'm good, now we've won a stage I'm really happy and I'm feeling okay," he said.

"It's been great with so many spectators here and I expect a big day tomorrow, I'm looking forward to it.
Eurotunnel passengers hit by delays of up to five hours

Britons hoping to escape to the continent for the bank holiday weekend were met with delays of up to five hours on the Channel Tunnel.

Passengers travelling on the Eurotunnel service experienced lengthy delays during peak hours when a freight train broke down inside a tunnel early on Saturday morning.

The rail link was beset by further problems caused by a power outage at the UK terminal in the afternoon, requiring engineers to carry out an inspection before the route could be declared safe.

Eurotunnel apologised for the delays

Meanwhile, IT problems affecting passenger check-in and security systems caused some delays at Gatwick Airport on Saturday morning.

The delays came as holidaymakers attempted to get away for the long weekend, with some complaining of being stuck on a train for several hours and others deciding not to travel.

Among them was Craig Dibble, from London, who had planned a day trip to Calais with his wife Liz Anderson and their children Lowri, 10, and Alice, eight.

The 43-year-old said the family were booked on a 12.50pm departure and believed his train had not left until 6.50pm.

"As we were about to leave the Eurotunnel sent out a text message saying they were experiencing delays but check-in as normal," the IT engineer said.

"When we got there the car park was rammed and people were parking on the grass. Fortunately it was sunny so people were having picnics.

"The signs changed to say five-hour delays and there was no indication of what was going on - we only had any idea by looking it up on Twitter.

"There were people sitting on the F train for a few hours and we were on J so we did the maths and thought 'this is ridiculous'. We wouldn't have arrived in Calais until after 7pm so we left.

"The children were a bit disappointed they missed out."

A Eurotunnel spokesman said: "We had a problem with a freight train that got stuck in the tunnel and that caused some delays initially between 6am and 8am, which was the time when we get a lot of traffic coming in for the weekend.

"Then in the middle of the afternoon we had a reported delay of four to five hours, which is a worst estimate."

It is unclear what caused the electrical fault in the UK terminal, he added.

"We did not have long queues on the motorway and traffic was not that high - people were waiting on the terminal," the spokesman said.

"We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience."

People vented their frustration at the Eurotunnel delays on Twitter.

Kate Sharp said: "Trapped inside your train. Been waiting 5 hours at Eurotunnel Folkstone. Awful service! When will we be moving?"

Ryan Colley said: "Been waiting 3 hours and still saying 5 hours delay!"

A spokeswoman for Gatwick Airport said there were minor knock-on delays affecting flights into Saturday evening after staff had to revert to manual check-in procedures.

"Very early this morning there were IT issues affecting passenger systems. By mid-morning passengers were moving through," she said.
Jeremy Hunt 'not fit to wear' an NHS badge, says consultant

Jeremy Hunt is "not fit to wear" an NHS badge because his "militant" politics are destroying the health service, an A&E consultant has claimed.

Dr Rob Galloway, who works at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, said he was "blood boiling angry" after reading a letter sent by the Health Secretary thanking health workers for keeping patients safe during the junior doctors' strike last week.

In the letter, Mr Hunt said: "I would like to pay tribute to the NHS staff that have once again pulled out all the stops to keep services running effectively during industrial action."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been heavily criticised

He thanked the "dedicated" healthcare professionals who have "planned for weeks, worked long hours and pulled together to ensure services remained safe this week" and said they were a "credit to our world-class NHS".

But the letter published by the Department of Health angered Dr Galloway who questioned how the Secretary of State could write such a "nauseating" note.

"It's an embarrassing and pathetic letter made worse by the fact there is a picture of you on it wearing an NHS badge," Dr Galloway wrote in a Facebook post with a photograph of the letter.

"Any picture of you creates in me a Pavlovian response of upset. But this picture with an NHS badge on, has made my blood boil."

Dr Galloway demanded that Mr Hunt take the badge off his suit because he was at the helm of a "sinking" ship.

"You are not fit to wear it. You do not deserve to wear it. You demean and insult all of us who work and care about the NHS by wearing it.

"An NHS badge should be worn by someone who loves the NHS not someone who is at the helm whilst the NHS boat is sinking because of his leadership."

The post has been shared more than 7,000 times on Facebook and has received more than 3,000 likes.

In it, Dr Galloway also urged Mr Hunt to "stop, think and rethink" his policies, claiming that if he does not "patients will never forgive you".

He wrote: "Before it is too late and our NHS falls apart, please stop your madness. Now is time for conciliation and not escalation. Now is time to be reasonable and not a militant. Now is time to put our patients before your political ideology.
North Korea sentences Korean American to 10 years hard labour

By Jack Kim

SEOUL, April 29 (Reuters) - North Korea's Supreme Court on Friday sentenced a Korean American man to 10 years hard labour for subversion, North Korean media reported, in the latest conviction of a foreigner for crimes against the isolated state.

Kim Dong Chul, 62, was arrested in North Korea in October and had admitted to committing "unpardonable espionage" including stealing military secrets, the North's official KCNA news agency reported earlier.

Weeks earlier North Korea sentenced American Otto Warmbier to 15 years hard labour in March for trying to steal a propaganda banner.

State prosecutors had sought a 15-year sentence for Kim. His defence attorney requested leniency considering his age, KCNA said.

"The accused confessed to all crimes he had committed ... and gathered and offered information on its party, state and military affairs to the South Korean puppet regime, which are tantamount to state subversive plots and espionage," it said.

Kim was shown in photographs handcuffed and wearing a tie and blue jacket. He looked distressed and was flanked by guards.

North Korea, criticized over its human rights record for years, has used detained Americans in the past to extract high-profile visits from the United States, with which it has no formal diplomatic relations.

The U.S. State Department declined formal comment, citing privacy issues, but a State Department official, who did not want to be identified, said the United States was aware of media reports of the sentencing.

The official said that in cases where U.S. citizens were detained in North Korea, the United States worked with the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang, which looks after U.S. consular affairs in North Korea, to ensure their welfare.

North Korea has previously handed down lengthy hard labour sentences to foreigners, though eventually freeing them before they served their full terms.

Six foreigners, including Kim and three South Koreans, are known to be detained in the North.

Kim, who has said he is a naturalised American citizen, had confessed to committing espionage under the direction of the U.S. and South Korean governments and apologised for his crimes, according to the North's KCNA news agency in March.

He told foreign media then that he was born in 1953 in Seoul and moved to the United States when he was 19. He said he set up a business in the North Korean special economic zone of Rason in 2008.

Kim said his two daughters lived in New York and he had siblings in South Korea, KCNA said in March.
Finnish NATO membership would lead to crisis with Russia - govt report

HELSINKI, April 29 (Reuters) - If Finland joined NATO it would lead to a serious crisis with neighbouring Russia, a report commissioned by the Finnish government said on Friday.

Membership of the military alliance would strengthen Finland's security but trigger a harsh reaction from the Kremlin, affecting trade between the countries, according to the report prepared for Prime Minister Juha Sipila's centre-right government.

Militarily-neutral Finland shares a 1,340 km-long border and difficult history with Russia, its former ruler.

The report gave no direct recommendation on whether Finland should seek membership, but said a joint Finnish-Swedish application would be a better strategic option than either Nordic country joining the alliance alone.

"This is a question of grand strategy," Finnish Prime Minister Sipila told reporters on Friday.

"Small nations do not often change their basic foreign policy guidelines," he said, adding that leeway was needed in case the security situation changed.

Only 22 percent of Finns support joining NATO, while 55 percent are opposed, a recent poll by public broadcaster YLE showed.

Finnish membership of NATO would double the length of the border between the alliance and Russia and increase the NATO presence in the Baltic Sea.

But without Sweden, Finland would be an isolated outpost which NATO would have difficulty defending, the report said.

Sipila said the governments of Finland and Sweden had promised not to "surprise each other" on the issue.

Nordic countries have stepped up military cooperation since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.

This month two Russian warplanes flew simulated attack passes near a U.S. destroyer in international waters in the Baltic, according to the U.S. military.

On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview that if Sweden joined NATO, Moscow would take "necessary military-technical measures".

Sweden's government has said it will not join the alliance, but four opposition parties want membership.

Finland won independence during Russia's revolution of 1917 but nearly lost it fighting the Soviet Union in World War Two.
Ireland's two main parties agree framework for minority government

DUBLIN, April 29 (Reuters) - Acting Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny moved closer to ending weeks of political deadlock on Friday when his Fine Gael party secured the agreement of rival Fianna Fail to facilitate a minority government under his leadership.

"We have an agreement," acting transport minister Paschal Donohoe told journalists after weeks of talks between the two parties.

Under the deal Fianna Fail will abstain in key votes, enabling the government to pass legislation.
Mexico's ICA eyes pre-pack bankruptcy for some units -document

By Alexandra Alper

MEXICO CITY, April 29 (Reuters) - Mexico construction company ICA plans to file a pre-packaged bankruptcy for some units, exit its international business and sell its homebuilding operations as it seeks to restructure, according to a document seen by Reuters.

The document, which outlines minutes of a meeting this month at which Chief Financial Officer Pablo Garcia discussed the plans, said the builder hoped to conclude negotiations with bondholders in August or September.

Shares of ICA rose as much as 3.7 percent after Reuters reported the plans, but the stock reversed gains in late afternoon trading to end down 2.1 percent at 3.68 pesos.

Two people familiar with the matter confirmed that the company, whose formal name is Empresas ICA S.A.B. De CV, was aiming for a pre-packaged bankruptcy for some of its subsidiaries.

In a pre-packaged deal, a company and creditors reach a restructuring agreement prior to the bankruptcy filing to speed up the legal process.

ICA declined to comment on Thursday on whether it would pursue such a strategy, or on the contents of the document, which also revealed other parts of its turnaround plans. It could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.

ICA, which is holding a shareholder meeting on Friday, has not posted a profit since 2013 and has defaulted on about $60 million in interest payments since December. It has been hit by a hefty dollar-denominated debt load and insufficient new work.

Hiring Rothschild in October, ICA promised to release a restructuring plan by mid-February but has yet to shed light on the scheme. A boardroom shakeup, however, has been rapid.

Garcia replaced Gabriel de la Concha as CFO in December, while Chief Executive Alonso Quintana Kawage, grandson of ICA's founder, stepped down amid mounting pressure from the board in February. Co-CEO Alfonso Gonzalez Migoya resigned in March, just three months after his appointment.

The meeting minutes said the government has also gotten involved with the corporate reshuffle. "The government has expressed the need to ... make changes in management. That has led to changes in the company's executives that have been observed since December of last year," it read.

Neither Mexico's presidency nor the finance ministry responded to requests for comment.

ICA has also undertaken asset sales, including a proposed deal for a 1.5 billion-peso investment from real estate group Nemesis Capital for a venture with ViveICA, ICA's homebuilder. However, the minutes, which put ViveICA's equity value at around 250 million pesos, show the Nemesis deal has fallen through.

The company has also begun selling assets in Panama, Peru and the United States to slim down, the document showed.
Temer government would press ahead with Brazil corruption fight -document

BRASILIA, April 29 (Reuters) - A government led by Brazilian Vice President Michel Temer would press ahead with the country's corruption fight by strengthening anti-graft institutions and enacting tougher controls over state-run companies, according to a document seen by Reuters.

The 17-page document serves as a blueprint for policies on health, education and social issues under a future Temer government and is expected to be released next week.

Temer could be leading Brazil in a matter of weeks if, as expected, the Senate suspends President Dilma Rousseff for allegedly breaking budget laws.

The soft-spoken, 75-year-old constitutional lawyer is assembling his possible cabinet and mapping strategy with a small group of advisers.

His critics have said Temer would try to hamper Brazil's biggest ever corruption probe, known as Operation Car Wash, which has involved many politicians from his Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB).

The investigation has unveiled a massive corruption scheme at state oil company Petrobras in which construction companies bribed politicians and executives to get lucrative deals. Temer himself is not under investigation.

In the document seen by Reuters, the PMDB calls for guarantees of increased funding for the federal police, which is one of the institutions leading the Car Wash investigation.

The document also calls for the government to grant more powers of oversight to the national comptroller's office and legislation to impose tougher penalties for corrupt executives at state-run companies.

Infrastructure projects would be left in the hands of private companies under the new government, with measures ensuring enhanced scrutiny of major projects, the document says.

Temer's aides have said his government would step up concessions for private sector companies for infrastructure, urban transportation, basic sanitation and housing projects.

Rousseff, a leftist just over a year into her second term, has accused Temer of conspiring to oust her in a bloodless "coup."

The lower house this month recommended that the Senate put Rousseff on trial for breaking budget laws by using loans from state banks to boost public spending to aide her 2014 re-election campaign.

The leftist leader, whose approval levels are at record lows as the economy suffers its worst recession in decades, is preparing to announce a series of populist measures ahead of the Senate suspension vote, scheduled for May 11.

On Friday, Rousseff announced the extension of a controversial program that hires Cuban doctors to work in poor regions of Brazil.
Louisiana prisoner freed after 41 years of unconstitutional life sentence

April 29 (Reuters) - A Louisiana man walked free from the state's notorious Angola prison late on Friday after serving 41 years of an unconstitutional life sentence over the shooting death of a white high school student during a violent and racially charged chapter in the state's fight to segregate schools.

The high-profile case of Gary Tyler, 57, ended when he entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to 21 years - just over half of the time served - and told he could go home Friday, according to a statement released on behalf of Tyler and his attorneys.

Tyler is among a generation of prisoners who faced harsh conditions and years or even decades in solitary confinement for convictions during racially charged events in Louisiana.

Angola is considered among the toughest of the state's prisons, once a part of a Deep South plantation and known for seething racial tensions and harsh treatment of inmates.

At age 16 in 1974, Tyler was the youngest person on Louisiana's Death Row, where an all-white jury sent Tyler, who is black, to die for the slaying of 13-year-old Thomas Weber, a fellow Destrehan High School student in St. Charles Parish in southern Louisiana.

Tyler was aboard a bus filled with black students who were passing an unruly crowd of white students when Weber was shot, the statement said. Police found a gun on the bus and Tyler was charged with capital murder and tried as an adult.

After his death sentence, black and white students who testified against him recanted their stories. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals called his conviction fundamentally unfair and said he was never given his right to the presumption of innocence. But he never received a new trial.

In 1976, his death sentence was commuted to life after the state's mandatory death penalty was ruled unconstitutional. In the following two decades, the Louisiana Board of Pardons and Paroles voted three times to lessen his sentence.

Still, Tyler served eight years in solitary confinement and more than 30 years in the general population, where he became a mentor and a leader. His case drew national attention as an example of the unfair convictions and over-the-top sentencing and treatment of minorities in the Louisiana justice system at the time.
Puerto Rico Zika cases now include 65 pregnant women, 1 death -CDC

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO, April 29 (Reuters) - Health officials on Friday confirmed the first U.S. death of a patient infected with the Zika virus in Puerto Rico.

The man, who was in his 70s, died from severe thrombocytopenia, a bleeding disorder caused by abnormally low blood platelets, which are needed for blood clotting.

Dr. Tyler Sharp of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Dengue Branch in San Juan told Reuters the patient had Zika virus disease, which included symptoms of fever, rash and body pain.

Shortly after those symptoms subsided, the man developed "bleeding manifestations" which sent him to the doctor for treatment.

Sharp said the man was diagnosed with a rare Zika complication known as immune thrombocytopenic purpura or ITP, an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks blood cells, called platelets.

Sharp said the ITP case followed the same pattern as patients with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a paralyzing neurological disorder linked to Zika infections in which the immune system attacks nerves. In both cases, the autoimmune attack occurs after symptoms of Zika have cleared.

Sharp said researchers are studying how Zika causes these rare disorders, and are looking to see whether they are caused by the same mechanism.

"We are actively investigating that. It's very interesting scientifically. But this is something that is a significant cause of morbidity and now mortality here in Puerto Rico, where I live. These are my neighbors. It's of high public health importance that we figure this out and as quickly as we can design some interventions to stop it," Sharp said.

The death in Puerto Rico is the first U.S. Zika-related death. Previously, Colombia reported three deaths among Zika patients who had symptoms consistent with ITP, Sharp said.

Suriname has also reported one case of Zika-related ITP, and French Polynesia reported four such cases, but all of these patients survived.

Although deaths from Zika are rare, the Puerto Rico death "highlights the possibility of severe cases, as well as the need for continued outreach to raise health care providers' awareness of complications that might lead to severe disease or death," researchers said in a report published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality weekly Report.

In addition to the Zika-related death, Puerto Rico reported 683 confirmed cases of Zika, including 65 pregnant women with symptoms of the virus, the CDC said on Friday.

Of the confirmed cases, five patients developed Guillain-Barre syndrome and were hospitalized.

Zika, a virus known to cause the birth defect microcephaly, first began spreading in Puerto Rico in December.

In Brazil, Zika has been linked to 1,198 confirmed cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. Zika has also been linked to other severe birth defects and with stillbirth.

The World Health Organization declared Zika a global health emergency on Feb. 1. In addition to microcephaly, the agency says there is a strong scientific consensus that Zika can cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome.

U.S. health officials said Zika remains a public health threat in Puerto Rico, with more cases expected throughout 2016.

Residents of and travelers to Puerto Rico are urged to take steps to avoid mosquito bites including the use of mosquito repellent, take precautions to reduce the risk of sexual transmission of Zika, and seek medical care for any acute illness with rash or fever.
Honduras fires top police officials to purge criminal links

TEGUCIGALPA, April 29 (Reuters) - Honduran officials on Friday fired more than two dozen top police officers in an aggressive move to purge security forces that have been accused of being infiltrated by organized crime.

President Juan Orlando Hernandez is under pressure to clean up the country's police after the New York Times this month said high-level officers orchestrated the assassination of Honduran anti-drug tsar Aristides Gonzalez in 2009 on a drug lord's orders.

The story spurred the government to create a special commission which on Friday said 27 of the country's 47 police commanders were removed from their posts. Four of the commanders have been accused of participating in Gonzalez's murder.

"This is a step toward the restructuring and purge needed to have a clean police force, unassociated in any way with organized crime," said Omar Rivera, a member of the special commission.

One commander was suspended earlier this week as part of an investigation into the murder. Four more asked to step down voluntarily.

This is the fifth attempt in two decades to purge Honduras' 12,000 strong police force, which has long been accused of working with criminal gangs in the poor Central American country.

One of the commanders forced to stand down said that there were no accusations against him and the shake-up was protecting "certain officials."

"We are the people most interested in the purge being carried out. But it should be the criminals who are going, it should be those who collaborated with organized crime. But its the innocent ones who are going," said Henry Osorto.

Since taking office in 2014, Hernandez, a 47-year old conservative lawyer, pushed a plan to militarize police that has helped curb the murder rate.

But Honduras still has one of the world's highest homicide rates next to neighboring El Salvador due to gang violence and drug traffickers.
Ferrovial says won't run Australia offshore detention centres in future

SYDNEY, April 30 (Reuters) - Spain's Ferrovial said it won't offer in future the service of running Australia's controversial offshore detention centres for refugees and asylum seekers, after buying a controlling stake in the Australian firm that operates the centres.

Australia's detention of refugees and asylum seekers in offshore detention centres in Papua New Guinea and Nauru has previously drawn criticism from the United Nations.

In a statement on Friday, Ferrovial said the company had completed a buyout of 59 percent of shares in Australia-listed Broadspectrum.

On Wednesday, Papua New Guinea's high court ruled that the Broadspectrum-run detention centre in Manus Island housing more than 800 Australia-bound refugees was unlawful and the country's government said it would shut the camp.

"In relation to the provision of services at the regional processing centres in Nauru and Manus province, these services were not a core part of the valuation and the acquisition rationale of the offer, and it is not a strategic activity in Ferrovial's portfolio," the company said in a statement.

"Ferrovial's view is that this activity will not form part of its services offering in the future".
Ferrovial says won't run Australia offshore detention centres in future

By Jarni Blakkarly

Melbourne, April 30 (Reuters) - Spain's Ferrovial said it won't offer in future the service of running Australia's controversial offshore detention centres for refugees and asylum seekers, after buying a controlling stake in the Australian firm that operates the centres.

Australia's detention of refugees and asylum seekers in offshore detention centres in Papua New Guinea and Nauru has previously drawn criticism from the United Nations.

In a statement on Friday, Ferrovial said the company had completed a buyout of 59 percent of shares in Australia-listed Broadspectrum.

On Wednesday, Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court ruled that a detention centre in Manus Island housing more than 800 Australia-bound refugees was unlawful and the country's government said it would shut the camp. Broadspectrum runs the facility.

"In relation to the provision of services at the regional processing centres in Nauru and Manus province, these services were not a core part of the valuation and the acquisition rationale of the offer, and it is not a strategic activity in Ferrovial's portfolio," the company said in a statement.

"Ferrovial's view is that this activity will not form part of its services offering in the future".

It did not elaborate.

Several hundred people rallied in Melbourne on Saturday calling for the Australian government to bring those detained on Manus Island to centres on the mainland.

Chris Breen from the Refugee Action Coalition said that the Supreme Court ruling in Papua New Guinea provided Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull with the opportunity to change his policy.

"These camps are inhumane and now they have been ruled illegal, it is time we closed them," Breen told Reuters.

The government's response to refugees and asylum seekers trying to reach Australia by boat has long been a politically charged issue.

Turnbull is expected to dissolve parliament in the coming weeks and a federal election is widely expected on July 2.
Turkish warplanes hit PKK targets in southeast Turkey, northern Iraq-sources

DIYARBAKIR, April 30 (Reuters) - The Turkish army carried out air strikes in rural parts of southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq, targeting logistics posts used by Kurdish militants, security sources said on Saturday.

Twenty jets took off from Diyarbakir air base late on Friday and bombed sites used by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants for food and weapons support in Hakurk, Avasin and Qandil in northern Iraq, the sources said.

Two separate rounds of air bombardments were carried out in Sirnak province near the Iraq border after receiving an intelligence tip-off, the sources said.

The Turkish military has frequently carried out air strikes in the area in recent months after a 2-1/2-year ceasefire and peace process between the government and the PKK broke down last summer.

Thousands of militants and hundreds of civilians and soldiers have been killed since then and a handful of cities in the predominantly Kurdish southeast have been engulfed in the worst violence since the 1990s.

The government has refused to return to the negotiating table and has said it will crush the PKK, considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

Separately on Saturday, one Turkish soldier was killed and two police officers wounded in a rocket attack by PKK militants in Nusaybin, a town near the Syrian border, where a round-the-clock curfew has been in place since mid-March due to army operations.
Hindu tailor in Bangladesh hacked to death in attack claimed by Islamic State

By Ruma Paul

DHAKA, April 30 (Reuters) - Three assailants sped up to a Bangladeshi tailor's shop by motorcycle on Saturday, dragged out the Hindu owner and hacked him to death, police said, in an attack claimed by Islamic State.

Police official Abdul Jalil, quoting witnesses, said the attackers fled the scene after killing 50-year-old Nikhil Chandra Joardar outside his shop in the town of Tangail, 80 km (50 miles) northwest of the capital Dhaka.

Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the killing, saying the tailor had blasphemed Prophet Mohammad, the U.S.-based monitoring service SITE said.

The attack came days after a Bangladeshi gay rights campaigner and his friend were killed in a similar manner in a Dhaka apartment.

The Muslim-majority nation of 160 million people has seen a surge in violent attacks over the past few months in which liberal activists, members of minority Muslim sects and other religious groups have been targeted.

Police said they were investigating whether Joardar's killing was connected to a complaint made against him for making a derogatory comment about Prophet Mohammad.

He was jailed for a few weeks in 2012 but released after the complaint against him was withdrawn, said Jalil.

The Islamic State and a group affiliated to al Qaeda have issued similar claims of responsibility in the past, but the authenticity of Saturday's statement could not be immediately verified.

The Bangladeshi government has denied that Islamic State or al Qaeda have a presence in the country. Police say home-grown militants groups are behind the attacks.

Western security experts doubt that there are any direct operational links between Islamic State, based in the Middle East, and militants operating on the ground in Bangladesh.

But they do say that a "call and response" of claims and statements of support for militant attacks through their propaganda channels allows them to create the impression of being in league together.
Taiwan DPP condemns latest deportation of Taiwanese to China

TAIPEI, April 30 (Reuters) - Taiwan's ruling party on Saturday strongly condemned the deportation of 32 Taiwanese to China from Malaysia on suspicion of telecom fraud, and the outgoing cabinet said Malaysia had acted "under pressure" from Beijing.

The case comes weeks after 45 Taiwanese in Kenya, in another alleged telecom fraud case, were forcibly deported to China, in an incident which also drew protests from Taiwan.

Taiwan's cabinet said in a statement it had tried in vain to have the 32 suspected Taiwanese sent back to the island, but "under pressure from China", Malaysia deported the individuals to China on Saturday, without elaborating.

On April 15 another group of Taiwanese suspected of telecom fraud by Malaysian and Chinese authorities were deported back to Taiwan and are being held there on suspicion of committing "serious crime".

China's Ministry of Public Security has said Taiwanese have been heavily involved in telecoms fraud in China and have caused huge losses.

Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in a statement said China's "unilateral and tough action" in the latest deportation was "completely unhelpful to bilateral relations".

"Any of our nationals who commit crime abroad should be escorted back to Taiwan and face trial here," it said.

The cases have strained relations between the two sides ahead of the presidential inauguration of Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning DPP on May 20.

Beijing sees self-ruled Taiwan as a wayward province to be taken back by force if necessary, particularly if it makes moves toward independence. It wants Tsai to stick to the "one China" policy agreed upon with the outgoing China-friendly Nationalist government.
Aleppo bombed as Syrian army begins "calm" plan elsewhere

By John Davison

BEIRUT, April 30 (Reuters) - Nearly 30 air strikes hit rebel-held areas of Aleppo on Saturday as a temporary "calm" declared by Syria's military took effect around Damascus and in the northwest.

It was the ninth day of deadly bombardments in Aleppo, which has borne the brunt of increased fighting that has all but destroyed a February ceasefire and killed nearly 250 people in the northern city since April 22, a monitoring group said.

It also contributed to the break up of peace talks in Geneva, which the main opposition walked out of last week.

The Syrian army announced a "regime of calm," or lull in fighting, late on Friday, which Damascus said was designed to salvage the wider ceasefire.

A number of rebel groups appeared to reject the "regime of calm," however. "We won't accept any kind of... regional ceasefires," a statement from a number of groups including Jaysh al-Islam, which controls areas east of Damascus, said.

It said the main armed opposition as a whole reserved the right to respond to attacks on rebel factions in any part of the country, and criticised the United States for not doing enough to stop government bombardments.

The lull in fighting around the capital and parts of northwest coastal province Latakia, announced by the army, appeared to hold through most of Saturday but the bombing continued in Aleppo which was excluded from the plan.

Anas Al Abde, president of the Turkey-based opposition Syrian National Coalition, accused the government of violating the February truce "daily." The opposition was ready to reinstate the wider truce, but reserved the right to respond with force to attacks, he said.

All sides have accused each other of truce violations.

The United States said it was working on "specific initiatives" to reduce the violence in Syria and sees stopping the bloodshed in Aleppo as a top priority, a U.S. State Department spokesman said on Saturday.

In a statement detailing calls U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has made over the past two days with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura and with Riad Hijab, chief coordinator of the main opposition HNC bloc, State Department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry had made clear the United States wanted Russia to apply pressure to the Assad government to get it to stop "indiscriminate aerial attacks" in Aleppo.

Kerry is travelling to Geneva on May 1-2 to discuss the Syrian conflict with his Jordanian and Saudi counterparts as well as de Mistura, the State Department said on Saturday.

The Syrian army did not explain in any detail what military or non-military action the "regime of calm" would entail. It said it would last for 24 hours in the capital Damascus and its suburb Eastern Ghouta and for 72 hours in rural areas around the northern city of Latakia.

At least five people were killed in Aleppo early on Saturday in air strikes believed to have been carried out by Syrian government warplanes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war, has been divided for years between rebel and government-held zones. Full control would be a huge prize for President Bashar al-Assad.

Of the 250 casualties since April 22, 140 were killed in bombardments by government-aligned forces and 96 by rebel shelling. Forty children were among the dead, according to the Observatory's tally.

"A BIT QUIETER"

Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said government-held areas of Aleppo were "a bit quieter today," but that rebels were still firing shells intermittently.

State news agency SANA said at least one person had been killed by rebel shelling on government-held neighbourhoods.

Latakia and Ghouta were quiet with only some lower-level violence between rival rebel groups outside Damascus, Abdulrahman said.

A resident of Western Ghouta, which is under government siege, said shellings appeared to have ceased around the capital in the hours after the start of the lull at 1 a.m. (2200 GMT on Friday).

"There has been no military activity and no sound of bombardments in nearby areas, no sound of shelling or of warplanes," Maher Abu Jaafar told Reuters via the internet.

"It's the opposite of last night, when there was a lot of bombing and the sounds of rockets and shells."

Syrian helicopters later in the day dropped barrel bombs southwest of Damascus but outside the area where the lull in fighting was meant to take place, the Observatory said.

Abu Jaafar said he heard several explosions.

The United Nations has called on Moscow and Washington to help restore the ceasefire to prevent the complete collapse of talks aimed at ending the five-year conflict in which more than 250,000 people have been killed and millions displaced.

Agencies have continued to deliver aid in the west of the country, but say that access is not regular enough and that many Syrians in need still cannot be reached.

The International Committee for the Red Cross said aid had begun to enter the towns of Zabadani and Madaya, where there were reports of starvation earlier this year due to a siege by government forces and their allies.
Al Qaeda in Yemen confirms retreat from port city of Mukalla

DOHA, April 30 (Reuters) - Yemen's al Qaeda branch on Saturday confirmed it had withdrawn from the Yemeni seaport of Mukalla a week after government and Emirati soldiers seized the city used by Islamist militants to amass a fortune amid the chaos of civil war.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) said it had retreated from the port on Yemen's south coast to save it from destruction and that a handful of its fighters had been killed.

"We only withdrew to prevent the enemy from moving the battle to your homes, markets, roads and mosques," the group said in a rare statement posted on Twitter.

Around 2,000 Yemeni and Emirati troops advanced into Mukalla last Sunday, local officials and residents said, taking control of its maritime port and airport and meeting little resistance.

Mukalla has been the centre of a rich mini-state along the Arabian Sea coastline that AQAP built up over the past year as it exploited conflict between government loyalists backed by a Gulf Arab coalition and Houthi rebels supported by Iran.

"The coalition bombed an electricity plant and a food market that the Mujahideen recently built and a petrol station... that resulted in the killing of tens of Muslims," the statement said.

The Gulf Arab coalition said its offensive had killed 800 al Qaeda fighters and several leaders, though Mukalla residents told Reuters the number appeared unlikely and the group withdrew largely without a fight.

Government and Emirati forces based in Aden, about 40km (25 miles) away, have been mounting a ground push against towns held by al Qaeda along Yemen's coast.

The lightning advance is a shift in strategy for the Saudi-led coalition forces, which for over a year have focused their firepower on the Iran-allied Houthis who had seized the capital Sanaa and driven the government into exile.

The civil war has killed more than 6,200 people, displaced more than 2.5 million people and caused a humanitarian catastrophe in one of the world's poorest countries.
France to increase troop numbers in Ivory Coast after beach attack

GRAND BASSAM, Ivory Coast, April 30 (Reuters) - France will nearly double the number of troops it has in Ivory Coast, the defence minister said on Saturday on a visit during which he laid flowers at the site of an attack on tourists that killed 19 people.

Jean-Yves Le Drian placed a bouquet on the beach in Grand Bassam, a resort town 40 km (25 miles) from Abidjan, where gunmen shot swimmers and sunbathers before storming hotels last month, an attack claimed by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Four French citizens were killed.

Le Drian said France, the former colonial power, would increase its contingent of troops in Ivory Coast to 900 from 550.
Firebrand Malema rallies South Africa's poor pledging land, jobs, wifi

By Mfuneko Toyana

SOWETO, SOUTH AFRICA, April 30 (Reuters) - The firebrand leader of South Africa's Economic Freedom Fighters on Saturday launched his party's campaign for what are expected to be closely-fought local elections, promising to rescue voters from poverty, unemployment and corrupt government.

EFF president Julius Malema chose the highly-symbolic backdrop of Soweto, Africa's most famous township outside Johannesburg and just a stone's throw from Nelson Mandela's last home before his arrest, to lay down his challenge to the ruling African National Congress whose youth wing he once headed.

With the ANC's vast majority now straining under the weight of President Jacob Zuma's scandal-plagued leadership and high unemployment as the economy stutters, opposition parties have made inroads into the liberation party's strongholds.

Formed just three years ago the EFF won 6 percent of the vote at national polls in 2014 to become the third largest party and the second largest in opposition.

The radical left party has collected large chunks of support in working class areas, and is seen likely to gain further ground in forthcoming polls after scoring several political victories and championing economic causes such as mine nationalisation and redistribution of land.

The EFF last month pushed the Constitutional Court to deliver a ruling that Zuma had violated his oath of office and was liable for a portion of the $16 million spent on renovations to his rural home in Nkandla.

"I am happy to report to you that we have stopped the Nkandla corruption," Malema said to roaring cheers, just days after police said they were investigating him for "inflammatory speech" after he said the EFF was willing to take power by "the barrel of a gun" in a TV interview.

Lashing the ANC for its patchy record in providing basic services and accusing it of pandering to the middle-class, Malema pledged that the EFF would give the poor land, water and electricity, as well as free internet access.

"The EFF will not build bicycle lanes (for the affluent) as long as the people still stay in the shacks," said Malema, donning his trademark red, Che Guevara-style beret that has become a popular symbol of militant politics among young South Africans.

Some analysts expect another court ruling, to be handed down on Friday and ordering a review of a 2009 decision to drop 783 corruption charges against Zuma, to hurt the ANC at the ballot box.

"I'm not sure it's going to benefit the EFF in the elections, because the issues they are claiming credit for are not really grass roots issues," said political analyst at NKC African Economics Gary van Staden.

But rubbish collector and former ANC supporter Raymond Ngwana, 40, said it was because of Malema's EFF that corruption in national government and local municipalities was being exposed.
Around 20 Syrians readmitted to Turkey under EU migrant deal - Turkish PM

ISTANBUL, April 30 (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday around 20 Syrians had been readmitted to Turkey under an EU migrant deal designed to help stem migration to Europe across the Aegean Sea.

According to the text of an address to the nation supplied in advance to the media, Davutoglu said that in return 110 Syrians had been sent to Europe for resettlement.

Turkey and the EU last month sealed a controversial deal intended to halt illegal migration to Europe in return for financial and political rewards for Ankara.

Under the deal, Ankara gets more EU funding for refugees on its soil, revival of long-stalled EU accession talks and visa liberalisation for Turks travelling to Europe.

In exchange, Turkey is due to prevent migrants and refugees from departing from its shores for Europe via irregular routes and take back all who reach the 28-nation bloc that way.

While over a million migrants fleeing war and poverty from the Middle East and beyond reached Europe, hundreds have died making the short but precarious crossing from Turkey to the shores of Greek islands in inflatable dinghies.

Davutoglu said the deal with the EU aimed to stop the human tragedy. "We have made a great deal of effort in...showing our Syrian refugee brothers the right channels if they wanted to go to Europe," he said.

On April 27, the Greek government said that 12 Syrians returned to Turkey on a flight chartered by EU border agency Frontex. They had not applied for asylum and wanted to return.

A Turkish official said the 12 were flown to the southern Turkish city of Adana and were then sent to a camp in Osmaniye near the Syrian border.

The Commission is due to decide on Wednesday whether to recommend that member states approve by the end of June the visa waiver scheme which the bloc offered Ankara as part of the deal struck in March.

Turkey's minister for EU Affairs Volkan Bozkir said on Thursday he expected the Turkish legislation to fully meet the EU criteria on visa liberalisation on Monday.
Saudi hands over Houthi prisoners as Yemen peace efforts inch ahead - spokesman

DOHA, April 30 (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi movement said on Saturday its foe Saudi Arabia had handed over 40 prisoners as part of an agreement to quell border fighting as U.N.-backed peace negotiations to end Yemen's civil war crept forward.

The Iran-allied Houthis and Yemen's Saudi-backed exiled government are trying to broker a peace and ease a humanitarian crisis in the Arab world's poorest country where conflict has drawn in regional powers and killed at least 6,000 people.

"We received 40 prisoners, 20 of those were captured inside Yemen," Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam said in a statement. He did not say where the remaining prisoners had been captured.

On Saturday, a Houthi delegation in Kuwait, where the talks are being held, presented a plan to the United Nations for a transitional government to oversee a handing over of arms and freeing of political prisoners before elections.

The Houthis have demanded the exclusion of Yemen's exiled president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, from a vote, a negotiating source told Reuters.

Yemen's government want the Houthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh to hand over weapons and withdraw from cities captured last year before starting any dialogue, the source said.

"The atmosphere was positive... everyone renewed their commitment to cease hostilities," said United Nations envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

"We are working to develop a framework that builds on commonalities. Does this mean we removed all obstacles to a political solution? No, but we are getting there."

The stability of Yemen, where al Qaeda and Islamic State are vying for influence, is of international concern as the country neighbours Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, and is also near key shipping lanes.
Tufail Ahmad is a powerful and provocative voice for reform in Islamic society and in India in particular. He is also a key expert on national security issues in India, which is under siege by jihad.

His recent book  Jihadist Threat to India: The Case for Islamic Reformation by an Indian Muslim - is probably the most in-depth study of jihad, terrorism in India available, extending to its global implications.

Ahmads background is quite relevant, from a student at madrasas in Bihar, to study at JNU and work at the BBC. He knows his issues from the inside, having examined jihadi literature extensively. He does not have to rely upon secondary sources, nor does he excuse jihad for vested political or religious interests.

In short, he tells it like it is.

Jihad and Pakistans war on India

Ahmad details how the Al-Qaeda threat to India has arisen through the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He explains how ISIS is slowly radicalising Muslims in a number of states in India, with little scrutiny.

Behind the threat in India, he reveals how jihad is linked to the history of Pakistan and its identity as a nation. Pakistan is by nature if not a jihadi state, a state promoting jihadi sympathies and training jihadi warriors. This mentality extends to Pakistani textbooks that teach students to hate India with a religious fervour.

Yet Pakistani jihad is not just aimed at India, it is used to control minorities within the country, particularly Balochistan, which is subject to a brutaland violent suppression. This is because Pakistans identity is defined by religion and remains precarious when people awaken to their local needs.

Jihadist Threat to India: The Case for Islamic Reformation by an Indian Muslim, by Tufail Ahmad.

Ahmad uncovers Pakistans support from Saudi Arabia, as well as Saudis support for global jihad through its well-funded network of madrasas. Sympathy to jihadist activity is taught in Saudi funded and Deobandi schools throughout the subcontinent.

Ahmad examines the scope of global jihad, including the role of the US, Britain and Europe, noting the great blunders made by the West in dealing with it. Jihadist terrorism is not about disenfranchised or poor young Muslims who have no jobs or alternatives to express themselves. It is not about young Muslims in western countries who feel culturally inferior or rejected. Such factors may provide some fertile ground for Jihad but do not cause it.

To put it simply, jihadist terrorism is part of a proxy war. It cannot flourish without significant state support. Pakistan remains the focus of this proxy war relative to India, with Saudi help in the background, and an outdated Islamic theology as its ideological mooring.

Several other Islamic countries have lended state support to jihad or turned their eyes aside from terrorist funding from within their own borders.

A call for reform in Islam

Ahmad raises a compelling case for reform in Islamic society, notably promoting a secular education for the Muslim youth, particularly girls between the formative ages of 6-14. It is sad that governments are not taking up the cause of proper modern education for Muslim children, especially the girls, nor are NGOs.

Some Muslims may not be happy with his call for reform being combined with promoting Indias national security interests. But the fact is that jihad is a great danger to Muslims as well non-Muslims, such as we see occurring in Syria and in the attacks on Shias and Sufi sites in Pakistan.

Some leftists may be unhappy that he exposes Indian secularism as a pandering to minority vote banks that excuses jihad. It is not just the conservative elements in Islamic society that suppress Islamic reformers, it is also the Left and liberal elements in India and the West, who promote reform movements in their own societies, yet excuse fundamentalism, if not terrorism, coming from Islamic groups.
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.
A Central Virginia woman accused of defrauding multiple clients out of millions of dollars with her psychic readings business is expected to plead guilty.

Sandra Marks, also known as Catherine Marks, of the former Readings by Catherine on U.S. 29 in Albemarle County, will be pleading guilty in a federal court in Roanoke on May 17, according to her attorney.

Marks, 42, was indicted in April 2015 on 31 counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud and one count of money laundering. Ten months earlier, in June 2014, Marks business on was raided by federal authorities, who hauled away four vehicles and other items from the property.

The indictment states that Marks business offered services such as palm, candle, tarot card, astrological and spiritual readings to clients who had suffered from emotional distress and mental disorders, or had recently gone through personal traumatic events in their lives.

In doing so, Marks unjustly enriched [herself] and others by obtaining money, jewelry and other things of value from her customers and clients  based on false pretenses, representations, promises and omissions of fact, the indictment alleges. Marks would tell her clients that she had spoken to spirits and learned of a curse or dark cloud surrounding the clients families, the indictment states. She would then bury a box of the clients money or valuables and cleanse it through prayers, rituals or meditation, telling her clients that money was the root of all evil.

Marks allegedly told her clients that she would never use the money or valuables for her personal benefit and that once the items or cash were cleansed, they would be returned to the client.

According to the indictment, Marks received two pieces of mail, each containing $729,000, in 2011 from one of her victims,. The indictment also alleges she has received more than $2.1 million from five victims in North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Colorado. Cleansed or not, Marks actually kept that money for her personal use, the indictment states.

Three months after she was indicted, Marks was arrested in New York and denied bond by a federal judge, who considered her a flight risk. She would go on to file a motion in October, asking Charlottesville federal Judge Glen Conrad to revoke her pretrial detention. Conrad said at the time that he needed time to consider the motion; court documents do not indicate that the motion was ever granted.

Marks case was set to go before a jury the week of May 9 in Charlottesvilles federal courthouse, but court records show the trial has been canceled and a plea hearing has been set for May 17 in Roanoke.

Marks attorney, Bill Dinkin, confirmed that she will be pleading guilty, but would not give details about the plea agreement.
The U.S. Army has reversed a decision to discharge a locally championed Green Beret for "body slamming" an Afghani police commander officer accused of raping a boy.

Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland will be allowed to continue to serve at least through the end of his enlistment after an Army board on Wednesday determined that his personnel file contained an error or injustice, according to Stars and Stripes.

For everyone who fought for this, thank you, said Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper. This was not only important for Sgt. 1st Class Martland and his family. It was important to every serviceman and woman who when far away from home has wondered if the American people still care. The answer is yes.

A former Green Beret himself, Freitas took up Martlands cause in February, delivering an impassioned speech on the floor of the statehouse that went on to be viewed online by more than a million.

Martland has maintained the only blemish on his personnel record is an October 2011 memorandum of reprimand, issued by Brig. Gen. Christopher K. Haas, then-commander of the Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command in Afghanistan, according to the Army Times. The reprimand was issued after Martland and his commander hit a local police leader in September 2011 while deployed to a remote Afghani combat outpost.

The Green Beret shoved and slammed Abdul Rahman into the ground after hed admitted to chaining a 12-year-old boy and sexually assaulting him repeatedly for several days, according to the Army Times. Martland was relieved of duty and sent back to the U.S. for his actions that Hass wrote were the intentional assault of Rahman.

Freitas, like others, was outraged.

The question that every service member has to come in contact with when that episode happens is what are you going to do about it? Sgt. 1st Class Martland confronted evil. He punished it. He demonstrated to evil and to that boy and his mother that someone was going to be willing to stand up for them, Freitas said in his house floor speech.
As the Republican presidential race heads toward a finale, Virginia activists will gather in Harrisonburg this weekend to choose roughly one-quarter of the state's delegates to the party's national convention in Cleveland.

With 13 of 49 delegates at stake, the Republican Party of Virginia convention will decide Virginia's largest single delegate allocation Saturday at James Madison University.

The particulars of who represents Virginia at the national convention have taken on greater significance in the year of Donald J. Trump, with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Gov. John Kasich now hoping for the chaos of a contested convention.

After winning the March 1 primary in Virginia, Trump is guaranteed 17 of the state's 49 delegate votes in the first round of national convention voting. If Trump is denied the 1,237 delegates he needs to win the nomination outright, all 49 Virginia delegates can vote however they choose on subsequent ballots.

Cruz is winning the Virginia delegate push so far. Despite finishing third in the March 1 primary, his supporters have won election to five of six slots already filled at two smaller, district-level conventions.

Former state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli - who is leading the Cruz campaign's national delegate hunt - is on the list of roughly 80 people who have filed paperwork to be a Virginia delegate.

Graven Craig, an attorney who works with Cuccinelli in a law firm specializing in gun-rights cases, was chosen to serve as chairman of the nominating committee that will propose the initial delegate slate at the state convention.

"I think we're hopeful that the majority of those on the list will be second-ballot Cruz people," said Sen. William M. Stanley Jr., R- Franklin County, chairman of Cruz's Virginia campaign.

"The Cruz campaign has long been invested in laying the necessary grassroots foundation to secure the support of delegates, and Virginia is no exception," Cuccinelli said in a statement this month.

Corey Stewart, a Prince William County supervisor who heads Trump's Virginia campaign, called Trump the "presumptive nominee" and said he expects to see a "unity slate" featuring a mix of Trump and Cruz allies, as well as supporters of Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who finished a close second to Trump in the Virginia primary.

"I think the campaigns are pretty much in agreement that we want to have some sort of cohesion as we head into the national convention," Stewart said.

Stewart said an effort to pack the slate with Cruz supporters would have a "devastating impact on the party."

"It would make it almost impossible to unify after a convention is over, regardless of who the nominee is," Stewart said.

Pat McSweeney, chairman of the state GOP from 1992 to 1996, and now a Powhatan County Republican leader representing the 7th Congressional District on the nominating committee, said he doesn't know what to expect when the committee report hits the convention floor.

"We always had a pretty good picture by this time who the candidate was going to be," McSweeney said. "Now that Virginia is a more competitive battleground, the interest is more acute. So the national campaigns are more heavily involved than they've been in the past."

On the first ballot at the national convention, the Virginia delegation will cast 17 votes for Trump, 16 votes for Rubio, eight votes for Cruz, five votes for Kasich, and three votes for retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. Under party rules, delegates are bound even for candidates who have dropped out.

Most of the 33 delegates awarded from the state's 11 congressional districts won't be elected until next month. Three automatic delegate slots will be filled by the party chairman and the state's two other representatives on the Republican National Committee. They also are bound on the first ballot.

National Committeeman Morton Blackwell and National Committeewoman Kathy Hayden have announced support for Cruz.

Though Hayden will serve as a delegate to the national convention, she is not seeking another RNC term. Competing at the state convention to replace Hayden are Suzanne Obenshain, the wife of Sen. Mark D. Obenshain, R-Rockingham; Cynthia Dunbar, a lawyer and former member of the Texas State Board of Education; and conservative activist Audrey Dutton.

John Whitbeck, chairman of the state Republican Party, has faced an intermittent challenge from lawyer and Newt Gingrich ally Vince Haley, but Haley's name does not appear on the official list of candidates published by the party.

The two-day convention opens Friday night. No voting is expected until Saturday afternoon.
LONDON - England - Ed Vaizey MP has falsely stated that mobile phone roaming charges will increase if we Vote Leave. This is an untruth and not based on any facts.

Responding to Ed Vaizey MPs comments on roaming charges, Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of Vote Leave, said:

David Cameron sacrificed a key pledge on child safety to rush through his supposed deal on roaming charges. Now ministers are doing down consumer rights to try and win the referendum. These charges are being abolished across Europe and abroad, there is no evidence to suggest that they will go up if we Vote Leave. We should trust the power of consumers, not EU bureaucrats who waste the 350 million we hand them every week.

Contradicting his stance that roaming charges will rise in the event of a Brexit, Ed Vaisey previously said they would not: If we were to withdraw from the European Union, I still think that British consumers would benefit It is dangerous for any government Minister to comment on what may or may not impact on peoples views when they vote in this referendum. As we experienced with the Scottish referendum, it may be that everything, including the kitchen sink, is thrown into the argument and that roaming charges become part of that debate, but my instinct is that, should the British public decide to leave the European Union, that will not impact on their roaming ability in Europe.

Roaming charges are being abolished for those travelling to countries outside the EU. As the Government has argued, this is in the commercial interests of mobile phone companies.

The mobile network Three has abolished roaming charges for customers visiting the United States of America, under its feel at home scheme: This means you can use your device there at no extra cost. The scheme extends to Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Sri Lanka, Macau, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

Lycamobile has scrapped roaming charges for customers visiting Australia, Hong Kong, and the USA.

As the Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy, Ed Vaizey MP, has said: we have individual companies in effect abolishing them for their customers and using them to give them a competitive advantage in attracting customers If consumers feel that they can use their phone as they would domestically, they will keep their phone on, avoid their family and spend the entire time watching videos on YouTube and Twitter. There are plenty of estimates that show that over the next 10 years the abolition of roaming charges could see a net increase in revenues for telecoms companies.

Many tourists from the EU come to the UK each year. Increases in roaming charges would be to the detriment of consumers in other EU countries who visit Britain.

In 2014, there were 23.0 million visits by EU citizens to the UK. These consumers will not want to pay roaming charges in the UK in the event we Vote Leave.

The price for abolishing roaming charges was the outlawing of the UKs voluntary porn filters championed by David Cameron.

The Prime Minister has championed voluntary porn filters. In July 2013, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, stated that [t]he cultural challenge is the fact that many children are watching online pornography. He announced that the Government had reached an agreement with all major internet service providers (ISPs) that network filters on public wifi and home networks would be introduced by the end of 2014. This means that an adult account holder must opt out of the filter to access internet pornography. The Prime Minister described this as a really big step forward for child protection. This was a voluntary agreement between ISPs and the Government, which did not require legislation to implement.

The UK opposed attempts to abolish voluntary filters but was outvoted. The Prime Ministers voluntary agreement is about to be made illegal under new EU legislation. In September 2013, the European Commission proposed a legislative package, which was designed to safeguard access to the open internet. It soon became apparent that this posed a major threat to the porn filters introduced by ISPs. Before the general election, the Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy, Ed Vaizey said this was a clear breach of a UK Red Line and that the UK had voted against the proposal as a result.

The regulation which scraps roaming charges will outlaw voluntary porn filters. The regulation makes clear that users have a right to access, and ISPs have a duty to provide, access to all content without discrimination. The Regulation does allow for the denial of access to content where the content itself is illegal. This does not apply to pornography, which in general is not unlawful in the UK. Any restrictions on content must, in any event, involve compliance with the requirements of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The regulation also allows for blocking where it is authorised by EU or national law or by a court order . This does not apply to the UKs current filters which depend on a voluntary agreement between ISPs and the Government.

If ISPs maintain filters, they will be fined under EU law. The Regulation provides that the UK must lay down the rules on the penalties applicable to infringements of the new rights. Such penalties must be effective, proportionate, and dissuasive. The UK must notify the Commission that it has put in place such penalties by 30 April 2016. Recital (No 7) to the Regulation states that national regulatory authorities should be empowered to intervene against agreements or commercial practices which by reason of their scale, lead to situations where end-users choice is materially reduced in practice.

This regulation is binding in its entirety and directly applicable to the UK. It will apply from 30 April 2016 onwards. However, member states, like the UK, which have self-regulatory schemes will be able to maintain them in force until 31 December 2016, provided they notify the Commission by 30 April 2016. This means that the UKs voluntary filters will become illegal on 1 January 2017.

The Government has been forced to legislate to maintain filters. The Minister, Ed Vaizey, acknowledged in a letter of 9 July to the European Scrutiny Committee that the current filters could only continue by implementing the necessary legislation in the UK. This was despite his admission that: HMG was pursuing a specific exemption within the Regulation to avoid the UK having to place its current child online protection regime (both the voluntary parental control filters and the work of the Internet Watch Foundation to combat illegal child sex abuse imagery) on a legislative footing.

The new legislative filters could be challenged for inconsistency with the EUs Charter of Fundamental Rights. In a July 2015 briefing, the law firm Allen & Overy confirm that the UK has been forced to respond by proposing national legislation. They also suggest, however, that the legality of doing this may even be in doubt, stating: [I]f national legislation is more prohibitive than the Regulation, those rules will be subject to challenge by the ISP industry as inconsistent with the Regulation. There is also no room for national regulators to apply a stricter national interpretation of this exception. Even a legislative solution may therefore be subject to challenge for contravening EU law and the EUs Charter of Fundamental Rights.
NORFOLK - England - In a poll for Farmers Weekly, 58% of farmers will vote to leave the EU, as opposed to 31% who will vote to remain.

Commenting on the publication of a poll in Farmers Weekly showing a clear majority of farmers will Vote Leave, Farming Minister George Eustice MP said:

It is no surprise that farmers want to leave the EU. Virtually every problem they bring to me is a direct consequence of dysfunctional EU rules and regulations. The NFUs own recent study showed that, if we left the EU, there would be a firming in farm gate prices and a recovery in farm incomes. If we stopped sending 350 million a week to the EU, we would save more than enough money to fund a national agriculture policy. We would regain control and have the power to deliver the change that farming craves.

By 58% to 32%, farmers believe that their business will be better off or the same if the UK left the EU.

Sixty two percent of farmers are confident that the UK government would be able to negotiate preferential trade deals with EU member states and other countries if the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU.

The NFU leadership does not represent farmers, just as it failed to represent them during their failed campaign to join the single currency.

In June 2001, a poll suggested that farmers were against joining the euro by 2:1. Nonetheless, the NFU maintained that its stance that there are economic advantages for the industry in entering the euro.

In 2002, the NFU President, Ben Gill, said: The argument for the euro is overpowering. He was wrong.

Vote Leave on June 23
The makers are leaving nothing to chance for Balakrishnas 100th film Gautamiputra Satakarni. Directed by Krish, the films shooting will start in a few days in Morocco, with a war scene. And the arrangements are elaborate to say the least.

For this war episode, they spent nearly Rs 8 crore. Producer Rajiv Reddy and art director Bhupathi are already camping in Morocco and a source says that they are going to hire nearly 800 local junior artistes for the war scene.

Most people have Indian looks in the region so its not a big problem, says the source. The war scene will be shot for nearly two weeks. Nearly 4 tonne of material  weapons, war outfits etc.  has already been shipped to Morocco from Hyderabad. The makers gave contract to two factories in Hyderabad to supply the outfits for the warriors.

Morocco is a preferred filming destination for filmmakers worldwide for shooting war scenes of period films. Many Hollywood, Bollywood, Kollywood and other language war scenes have been shot here.

The source also added that they have already made a gym for Balakrishna. When contacted, producer Rajiv Reddy said, I am already in Morocco for the arrangements.
Hyderabad: The Joint Implementation Working Committee (JISC) working on developing Amaravati, will have representatives from both Andhra Pradesh and Singapore governments.

The JISC Singapore will have one co-opted member, namely, Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) executive director Khoo Teng Chye, and AP will have two. It will also have two secretaries, one each from AP and Singapore. Director Francis Chong from Singapore will be the secretary of JISC.

Singapore said the Joint Implementation Working Committee and Amaravati development partner will also take part in JISC. Singapore also said in its report that the Amaravati development partners were the Capital City Development and Management Corporation and the Singapore Consortium.

In the Swiss Challenge Proposal, Singapore said that the Singapore Consortium would consist of Ascendas, Singbridge and Sembcorp. CCDMC is 100 per cent owned by the AP government whereas Ascendas, Singbridge and Sembcorp Companies are not 100 per cent owned by Singapore.

Besides, the AP government did not call for tenders for the selection of the Amaravati development partner, Singapore seeming to assume that its consortium was the Amaravati development partner.

Both AP and Singapore will have Amaravati Project offices. Singapores Amaravati Project office will be led by the government of Singapore Head of Project office, director (governance and capacity building) and director (economic development). The Singapore agencies have made coordinated efforts to implement the Government to Government (G to G) MOU. The AP governments Amaravati Project office is the partner of the Singapore governments project office, led by the state governments head.

Singapore in its report also suggested what the structure of the Joint Implementation Working Committee should be like. The Singapore Co-Chair will look after infrastructure, such as roads, housing and electricity, water, waste water, solid waste disposal while the AP Co-Chair would take care of economic development, such as the AP Economic Development Board (Incentives) skills development, industry promotion and land allocation.

Municipal services, like education, health, security, traffic/ transportation, waste management and urban greenery will be looked after by both AP and Singapore.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not cut any deal of any sort in the Agusta investigations, a furious government said late on Friday evening while lashing out at the Opposition fiercely adding that the central issue in the matter is corruption and that any other line of assumption, approach and effort, as is being attempted in some quarters, is misleading, tries to hide the wrongdoers and is driven by instincts of self preservation.

The government also termed attempts to link NSA Ajit Doval and principal secretary Nripendra Misra, one of the accused, to the PM as a totally baseless assertion and indicative of malicious intent.

Those who cannot see Prime Minister succeed even hint at him cutting a deal. Nothing could be farther from the truth. PM Modi did not cut any deal of any sort. His only goal and priority is the development of comprehensive national power, and empowerment of our masses, the government statement said.

Read: UPA must answer who received kickbacks in Agusta deal: Parrikar

Lashing out at the Opposition and in a clear reference to the Congress without naming it, the I&B ministry said, It is indeed tragic that a small section of the Indian polity has attempted, unsuccessfully, to divert and diffuse the public discourse on this matter. They question the speed of the government processes, especially the investigation. But, they do not ask how the corrupt influenced the process of acquisition in the first place and bled the nation. They do not admit corruption; they instead boldly proclaim, catch us if you can.

Read: Copter deal: After CBI, Enforcement Directorate too summons former IAF chief

By asking why did the Prime Minister and the BJP government not take any action on the alleged offer dated 08.11.2015 made by James Christian Michael to be questioned by the CBI and ED including on Indian soil, some have even tried to side with a wanted criminal. It is well known that any understanding/agreement with an accused outside the frame of law is a criminal act in itself.

James Christian Michael is a criminal wanted by the Indian law enforcement agencies. We are pursuing all legal means to arrest him and have him extradited to India. Mr Michael should submit himself to the Indian legal system rather than make elliptical references to offers that are suspect in intent and reality, the statement said.

A few have even sought to link one of the accused with Ajit Doval, present NSA, as also Nripendra Misra, principal secretary to the PM. This is a totally baseless assertion, devoid of reason and logic, and indicative of malicious intent. In reality, there is no such connection, the government said.

In the matter pertaining to the acquisition of Agusta Westland helicopters, the undisputed central issue that stands out is corruption, especially bribery. Any other line of assumption, approach and effort, as is being attempted in some quarters, is misleading, tries to hide the wrongdoers and is driven by instincts of self preservation, the government said.

Ever since the new government was given the responsibility to serve the people, it has acted with speed, drive and purpose to empower the countrys masses. It continues to relentlessly pursue fearless and transparent governance. One of the core goals of our governance has been to unearth and uproot corruption, and punish the corrupt, it added. The present government has taken effective action to bring out the truth and will leave no stone unturned in pursuing all means to bring to justice the corrupt and the wrong-doers in this case, it further said.

The government has acted proactively and with alacrity against Agusta Westland International and Finmeccanica. It is the present government which through its order dated 3 July 2014, put on hold all procurement/acquisition cases in the pipeline of six companies figuring in the FIR registered by the CBI. In doing so, we did not let the preparedness of our defence forces suffer. At the same time, we also ensured that no new capital procurement was made thereafter from these companies in the tenure of the present government, it said.

In their drive to divert the public attention from their own corruption, some have said that the Modi government permitted Augusta Westland to bid for 100 Naval utility helicopters in April 2015. The fact is that a techno-commercial request for proposal (RFP) for Naval utility helicopters was issued to eight vendors on 4 August, 2012. In response to the RFP, M/S Eurocopters, France and M/S Agusta Westland S.P.A Italy submitted their techno-commercial proposals on 4 March, 2013.

RFP of the procurement case was retracted by the government on 13 October, 2014, the government statement said, adding, The Indian Navy has hosted on the website a request for information for more than 100 Naval utility helicopter in October 2014. No Request for Proposal has been issued, therefore the question of permitting Agusta Westland to bid for the Naval utility helicopter in April 2015 does not arise. The government is exploring whether their manufacturing can be pursued under Make in India.

Read: VVIP copter scam: Privilege war in Rajya Sabha, Amit Shah targets Sonia Gandhi

Individuals in some quarters have even gone to the extent of ascribing intent to the technicalities of the CAG audit of the state governments of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the government said.
Hyderabad: Industries minister K.T. Rama Rao who has been named the TRS in-charge for the Palair Assembly byelection, on Friday lambasted the Telugu Desam, a party that was founded on anti-Congress plank for supporting Congress party in the bypoll.

Addressing TRS workers at Palair on Friday, Mr Rama Rao said, I was just reaching Palair via Kusumanchi where I have seen TD, YSR Congress flags along with Congress ones asking people to vote for the Congress. It is amazing how the TD, a party founded by a great personality like N.T. Rama Rao on the anti-Congress plank, has decided to support the Congress in Palair. It is rather disgraceful. It is an example of opportunistic politics.

Reacting to the criticism from the Congress and TD over the TRS fielding its candidate in a bypoll and thus bypassing the tradition of not contesting against the family of a deceased MLA, Mr Rama Rao questioned the TD if it was so sincere in following tradition, why had it fielded a candidate in the recent Narayankhed bypoll.

Meanwhile, a total of 16 nominations were filed for the Palair bypoll by Friday, the last day for filing papers. R&B minister Tummala Nageswara Rao (TRS) and R. Sucharitha Reddy, wife of late Ramreddy Venkata Reddy (Congress) filed their papers on Friday.

CPM candidate Pothineni Sudarshan had already filed his papers. Except for these three candidates from mainstream political parties the other 13 are Independents. The TD, YSRC and BJP have not fielded their candidates. The TD and YSRC are supporting the Congress.
Washington: The situation is "very complex" and there is a threat "on the ground" in Bangladesh, the US has said after a series of bloody attacks on secular writers and minorities in the Muslim-majority country were claimed by ISIS and al-Qaeda.

"It is a very complex situation on the ground," State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner told reporters when asked about the series of killings of activists in Bangladesh.

"What we're asking for is that the government conduct an investigation into these attacks, these brutal attacks and these brutal murders, that identifies who the perpetrators are," Toner said on Friday.

There have been systematic assaults on minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners in Bangladesh in recent months. On Monday, a USAID employee and gay rights activist Xulhaz Mannan was slayed in Bangladesh.

A Hindu head priest was on February 21 hacked to death by gun-and-cleaver wielding Islamists. In September last, Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella was murdered by unidentified assailants in Dhaka, and within five days of that incident Japanese farmer Kunio Hoshi was killed.

al-Qaeda and Islamic State have claimed responsibilities for the killings. But Bangladesh's government denies that jihadist groups have been behind the spate of bloody attacks.

"There's been various claims of responsibility. We have no reason not to believe those claims of responsibility. But what is clear is that there is a threat on the ground," he said.

"I mean, we've seen several now murders, brutal murders, over the past several weeks. We want to see the government there take every step possible to protect its citizens."

A day earlier Secretary of State John Kerry called the Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

"He offered US support for the ongoing investigation into these recent attacks, certainly the one that killed our own employee and human rights advocate, as well as his friend and colleague earlier this week," Toner said.

"The Secretary did urge the prime minister to ensure a thorough investigation into these and other attacks, recent attacks, and to redouble efforts by law enforcement to protect these individuals who we believe are at risk," he said.
As male peacocks shake their long feathers in courtship, the iridescent eyespots remain nearly stationary and captivate females, according to a new study.





Courtship displays can signal the relative physical quality of males vying for females. A male peacock, for example, entices peahens by raising and vibrating his long train feathers, said Roslyn Dakin from the University of British Columbia in Canada.



The vibrations both make the feathers rattle and make the brightly coloured eyespots appear to hover motionless against an oscillating iridescent background. Males with eyespots that are the most iridescent win most of the matings.



Researchers used high-speed video to analyse the "train-rattling" movements of vibrating train and tail feathers in 14 adult peacocks, and measured the vibrations of individual feathers in the lab.



They found that displaying peacocks vibrate their feathers at or near resonance, giving the train the greatest vibrational amplitude and suggesting that these courtship displays may be energetically efficient.



Scanning electron microscopy then showed how the eyespots stay so still during displays. Dakin and colleagues found that eyespot barbs are locked together with microhooks much like those on flight feathers.



This gives each eyespot greater density than the surrounding loose barbs, keeping it essentially in place as the loose barbs shimmer in the background.



The findings showed that the longer the train feathers, the faster the males shook their feathers during courtship displays, requiring more muscular effort.



This suggests that the dynamics of feather vibrations could also signal male muscle power to choosy females.



"Charles Darwin observed that peacocks vibrate their feathers during courtship, but it took this multidisciplinary team of scientists to characterise the dynamics of this behaviour," said Suzanne Kane, a co-author of the study.

The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Bringing in multiple heads at a single hospital will lead to chaos in the administrative system and more doctors would get burdened with administrative work, several doctors argued.





The Aam Aadmi Party governments rejig of the administration of its hospitals announced on Friday drew mixed reactions from doctors.



Some felt that this will help run some departments at Delhi government hospitals more efficiently.



But others said that with city hospitals already stretched beyond capacity, more doctors holding administrative posts would mean they would focus less on clinical work.



Admin responsibilities

In the long run, Delhi government has promised to bring in management professionals to handle administrative responsibilities.



The government is not focusing on fresh recruits. There is already a shortage of doctors with long patient queues at every hospital.



The moment a doctor is assigned administrative duties, it is bound to affect his clinical duties. The aim should be to strengthen the staff strength instead, said a new medical superintendent appointee at an east Delhi government hospital.



Another medical superintendent of a hospital in west Delhi had the same view on the decentralisation system.



It is doubtful if the doctors holding administrative charges will be able to cope with attending to patients as well. The government has promised to bring management professionals in the future.



But the transition phase is going to be difficult. Also, this system will function well only when there is adequate coordination among the different medical superintendents in one institution.



Define responsibilities

Another medical superintendent of a tertiary care hospital said the order does not clearly define responsibilities.



I am not really sure of the role under the new order. Assigning multiple administrative charges also means removing me from my core area of specialisation, said the doctor, requesting anonymity.



Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the doctors will not be absorbed in paperwork as the government has already put the Central Procurement Agency (CPA) in place through which medicines and equipment are being procured centrally.



Currently, at least 30 per cent of their workload is administration-related. This will soon change. With additional charges, each head will be able to focus better on each department, said Jain.



Some doctors, however, felt the new system will strengthen the healthcare facilities in the capital.



Share workload

Assigning more than one medical superintendent means I will get to work with people with more expertise. It will help share the workload as well, said Dr Punita Mahajan, who has been appointed as the medical director at Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital.



Dr Sangeeta Basu, who has been appointed as the medical superintendent for maternity and child healthcare at Rao Tula Ram Hospital, said this will help her give a boost to the department at the hospital located on the periphery of Delhi.



Staff shortage

There is an acute shortage of resident doctors in this department. With the process being streamlined now, the individual head can now take the initiative in strengthening the departments which deserve more attention, she said.



My primary focus will be to coordinate with other hospitals so that more resident doctors are sent to hospitals like ours in the periphery of Delhi, Dr Basu said.


The Delhiites could face a water shortage in the coming summer months of May and June.





The water levels in both Tehri dam in Uttarakhand and Hathinikund barrage in Haryana have been falling, which could affect water supply in all the plants in the capital.

As of now, though the levels have fallen, the supply has remain unaffected.



The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) distributes 900 million gallons per day (MGD) of water to Delhi, out of which 543 MGD (almost 60 per cent) comes from Haryana and around 240 MGD from Uttar Pradesh through Upper Ganga Canal. Out of 240 MGD, Tehri dam contributes 470 cusecs (235 MGD) through the Upper Ganga Canal which is treated at Sonia Vihar and Bhagrathi water treatment plants and supplies water to East Delhi and parts of South Delhi.



"So far there has been no curtailing of supply from these two states and our supply is normal. But the levels are lower than previous years and it is likely that the raw water availability drops in May and June which will affect production. There will be an affect on all the water treatment plants in the capital and the residents could face some shortage," said a DJB official.



The board held a meeting on Thursday to review the situation and plan for arrangements if the supply from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana is curtailed.



The government, while releasing its 'summer action plan' on Tuesday, had said that the DJB has identified additional water sources and 12 new tubewells would be installed at Palla which would increase the supply of raw water there from current 20 MGD to 35 MGD. Also, 60 tubewells would come up across the city.



However, the official said that this would not be enough to meet the shortage likely to arise in the coming months.



"Since all the plants will be affected, the water would be rationed as per need," the official added.



Meanwhile, 250 new tankers brought by the DJB are standing idle as it has not been able to get them registered after a Supreme Court order banning registration of diesel vehicles of engine capacity of 2,000 cc and above.



The DJB has approached the Supreme Court and a hearing in this connection is scheduled for Saturday.



"The Transport department is not registering the tankers and wants clarification, so we decided to approach the Supreme Court. We are hopeful that we will be allowed to ply these tankers as these are for public purpose and not come in the category of SUVs and luxury vehicles," another official of the DJB said.


The fifth and penultimate phase of polling to the Assembly in West Bengal took place peacefully under a heavy security blanket of around 90,000 Central security forces on Saturday.



Percentage for the days polling, which witnessed a number of heavyweights in the fray, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, stood slightly above 80%.



Polling in 53 seats across south Kolkata and the 2 districts of South 24 Parganas and Hooghly was high from the days beginning with 38% votes cast within the first four hours.



While the percentage till 5 pm was 76.98 at South 24 Parganas and 78.98 at Hooghly, seats in Kolkata recorded around 64%, significantly lower that the districts, a phenomenon noticed in every election.



Barring a few stray incidents, there were not many complaints of assault or electoral malpractice throughout the day, Election Commission officials said.



The poll panel, however, lodged an FIR against Sonali Ghosh Dastidar, Trinamool Congress candidate from Satgachhia in South 24 Parganas and outgoing deputy Speaker of the House, after she was caught on camera instructing party workers to beat CPM polling agents.



The matter came to light after a Bengali news channel aired a part of the phone conversation in which she was heard saying, Beat them and throw out the CPM agents. They have damaged the EVM.



While around 1.2 crore voters stood in queues outside around 14,500 polling booths, braving high temperature and humidity, all eyes were on Bhawanipore in south Kolkata, Mamatas home seat, where she is contesting against Left-Congress coalition candidate Deepa Dasmunshi and BJPs Chandra Kumar Bose, grand-nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.



Interestingly, this is the first time the veteran CPM leader and former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and CPM Politburo member Mohd Salim will have cast their vote in favour of Congress because of the coalition.



With no Left nominees in fray at their respective constituencies, Bhattacharjee would have voted for Congress candidate Krishna Debnath at the Ballygunge seat and Salim would have voted for Dasmunshi at Bhawanipore.



Incidentally, Dasmunshi lost to Salim while fighting for her home seat of Raigunge in North Dinajpur in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.



The fifth phase also witnessed polling at Singur, which acted as Mamatas stepping-stone to power, when she launched a movement against land acquisition from the small hamlet in Hooghly.


President Pranab Mukherjee rubbed his nose with Maori chief and his wife as part of the traditional welcome accorded to him on his arrival here on his 3-day maiden visit to New Zealand.





As the President arrived at the lawns of Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae's residence, he was 'stopped' by Maori warriors as part of the tradition, originally conceived to ascertain whether the guest was an "enemy or a friend".



The 80-year-old President was briefed by an official about the significance of the tradition as the Maori fighters yelled their battle cries.



The warriors placed a fern in front of the President. According to the tradition, if a visitor picks up the fern, the warriors withdraw and accept him as a friend.



Mukherjee's ADC picked up the fern and handed it over to the President after which the 'aggressive' Maori warriors formally welcomed him with a song and dance performance.



Then came the most unusual part of the ceremonial welcome- rubbing the nose. An official of the Governor General escorted the President to the chief of the warriors who stood along with his wife. Mukherjee had to rub his nose with both before proceeding to inspect the guard of honour.



The rubbing of nose is a traditional Maori greeting known as 'hongi' in which two people press their nose and forehead against each other.



It has become a part of ceremonial functions in New Zealand and serves a similar purpose like a formal handshake.



The belief is that in Hongi, the "ha" (breath) is exchanged which is interpreted as sharing of two people's souls.



Mukherjee later had a meeting with the Governor General during which he spoke about air connectivity between New Zealand and India and also invited the Kiwi companies to be a part of India's Make in India programme.



The Maoris are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand and are believed to have settled in the country around 1280 AD.
Hemant Bhargava, Executive Director, LIC of India has taken charge as Zonal Manager of Northern Zone on April 30, 2016.





He has rich experience of more than 33 years in Life Insurance industry in India and abroad. He had been country head LIC Mauritius, Head of International operations SBU of LIC, founded Micro Insurance vertically in LIC, was ED Marketing and Product Development in the Corporation. He is the founder CEO LIC Cards Services Ltd. He is also founder president of Indo-Mauritian Business Group in Mauritius, a press release said.


Uyghurs still count on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hope for Indias support for their struggle against China, even as New Delhi cancelled visa issued to their frontline leader Dolkun Isa.





Uyghur leader Ilshat Hassan, who attended a conference of Chinese dissidents at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh this week, recalled a poem recited by the prime minister during his visit to Kazakhstan last year. The poem was been penned by legendary Uyghur poet Abdurehim Otkur. It is not by an accident that the Prime Minister of India chose to recite a poem penned by a Uyghur poet during his visit to Central Asia. It rather has some meaning and we should not miss it, Hassan, the president of Uyghur American Association, told DH on Saturday.



He was quoting from his own speech at the conference, which was attended by not only the representatives of religious and ethnic minorities of China, but also activists seeking democracy in the communist country. Modi recited a few lines of the English translation of poem by Otkur towards the end of his speech at Nazarbayev University in Astana (the capital of Kazakhstan) on July 7, 2015. Our tracks remain, our dreams remain, everything remains, far away, yetEven if the wind blows, or the sand shift, they will never be covered, our tracks, And the caravan will never stop along the way, though our horses are very thin; One way or another, these tracks will be found someday, by our grandchildren; Or our great grandchildren, Modi quoted from the poem after vowing to work with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev to build Silk Route of the 21st century for reviving connectivity between India and Central Asia. He said that India and Central Asia would redeem the promise of the poem. India has been opposed to One-Belt-One-Road initiative of China and has of late been stepping up effort to revive its ancient trade and cultural linkages with Central Asia.



Hassan said that Modi had possibly chosen to recite the poem to drive home the point that Uyghurs and their homeland East Turkestan (Xinxiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China) were the ancient bridge between west and east. Member of US body attends meet



The United States Commission of International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has sent a representative to attend the conference of Chinese dissidents at Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, reports DHNS from New Delhi.



Katrina Lantos Swett, a commissioner at the USCIRF, attended the conference, which of late came up as yet another irritant in Indias relations with China, sources told DH on Saturday.




Agencies quizzing former IAF officials in the VVIP chopper scam are seeking answers for several key questions, which will help them to crack the case.





Some of the important questions before the investigators are why the benchmark price was kept so high; why 4 additional Agusta choppers were purchased and why the Defence Ministry violated the procurement norms 8 times by using an emergency clause of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), 2006.



The benchmarked cost was worked out by the contract negotiation committee at Rs 4,877.5 crore (Euro 727 million) as against the total project cost of Rs 793 crore, as approved by the government in January 2006. The benchmark is required to negotiate the purchase price.



The deal was finally stuck at Rs 3,727 crore (Euro 592 million) almost 4.7 times higher than the price suggested by the Air headquarters, when it submitted the project for approval at the Acceptance of Necessity (AON) stage.



Such wide price difference raised eyebrows at the Finance Ministry, which in July 2009, pointed out that the difference between the final negotiated price and the estimated cost at the time of AON appeared to be abnormally high.



The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday questioned Air Marshal J S Gujral, former deputy chief of the IAF incharge of procurement. Former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, whose name figured prominently in the choppergate scam is likely to be questioned on Monday.



The CBI so far, has investigated more than 100 witnesses.



A subsequent audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General observed the Defence Ministry did not follow DPP-2006 to seek all cost-related information from the vendor before formulating the commercial offer. No such request was made.



This assumes greater significance in view of the fact that the contract negotiation committee has no clear reference base to arrive at a realistic cost, the CAG said.



Another question before the probing officials is why the number of helicopters went up to 12 though the Indian Air Force initially proposed to purchase only 8 choppers5 in VIP configuration and 3 in non-VIP configuration.



The requirement was increased at the insistence of the Special Protection Group (SPG), responsible for VIP security.



Past records of 11 years showing low utilisation (29%) of the VIP chopper fleet was ignored, resulting in an additional cost of Rs 1,240 crore for those four helicopters.



The SPG was also behind the change in the specification related to the height of the aircraft that ultimately favoured Agusta.



An emergency clause (Paragraph-75) of the DPP-2006 was used 8 times to deviate from the procurement norms, benefitting the company. BJP getting trapped in its own deceit



The BJP is getting trapped in its own game of deceit, the Congress claimed on Friday after the Centre issued another clarification in connection with the AgustaWestland controversy, reports DHNS from New Delhi.



Seeking to turn the tables on the BJP, Congress seized upon BJP president Amit Shahs reported remarks terming Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland, a bogus company and the delay in investigating the scam.



Will Amit Shah ask the Modi government why it has been protecting the same bogus company for the last two years as the CBI/Enforcement Directorate investigation has reached no conclusion, Randeep Singh Surjewala, incharge of AICC Communication Department, told reporters here.


The State-Level Single Window Clearance Committee on Saturday approved 43 industrial investment proposals worth over Rs 3,028 crore, including a Rs 495-crore investment by Hoskote Neo Homes Ltd in the IT sector in Bengaluru Rural district.





Briefing reporters on the committee meeting, Industries Minister R V Deshpande said Ruchi Soya Industries Ltds Rs 455-crore proposal to invest in food and agribusiness sector in Dakshina Kannada district was also cleared by the committee.



Ruchi Soya had signed a memorandum of understanding with the government for this purpose in the Investment Karnataka meet held a few months ago, he added.



The committee cleared a proposal by the Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technologys proposal to set up an Advanced Polymer Design and Development Research Laboratory in Bengaluru Rural district at a cost of Rs 87 crore.



The laboratory will be a research and development centre, which will be set up with financial assistance from the Union government.



Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Ananth Kumar, had during the investors meet proposed to set up the laboratory and urged the government to provide land. Hence, the government has decided to allot five acres of land at Devanahalli for the purpose.



Besides, the government has informed the Chemical and Fertiliser Ministry that it was ready to allot about 150 acres for establishing a proposed Pharma Park in Mysuru, Deshpande said.



Other proposals



The committee has also cleared a proposal by Wilderness Lodge Pvt Ltd to invest Rs 150 crore in the tourism sector in Kodagu; a project by Nirani Sugar Ltd to invest Rs 113 crore in the sugar sector in Bagalkot; the IOCs Rs 150-crore investment plan in Bengaluru Urban; and The Printers (Mysore) Pvt Ltds Rs 17-crore project proposal in Mysuru in the printing sector.



Section 8 company



This apart, the minister said the government had decided to establish a dedicated company called Invest Karnataka under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 1956, to attract investments to Karnataka.



The proposed company will have representatives from both the government and the private sector.



It will promote and market Karnataka as an investment destination, he said.

Dubbed as the first-of-its-kind initiative in India, the company will have experts and highly skilled staff.



Singapore has set up such a company for attracting investments. We want to try the same model with an intention to make Karnataka a most sought-after investment destination, he said.




The Karnataka government on Saturday said students aspiring for undergraduate medical courses will have to appear for both the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and the CET.





The government has, however, decided to move the Supreme Court against the conduct of NEET for the current academic year. The NEET Phase I examination is going to be held on May 1 from 10 am to 1 pm, in Bengaluru.



The government has made it clear that students seeking admissions to MBBS and BDS courses will have to compulsorily appear for the single entrance test NEET on May 1 (those who have applied under AIPMT). This is following the Supreme Court verdict which struck down appeals against the conduct of NEET this year. Those who have not applied under the AIPMT, will have to appear for the NEET Phase II on July 24. This apart, the government has mandated all students to appear for the CET. The ComedK exams will also be held as per the schedule on May 8, said A S Srikanth, Chief Executive, ComedK.



Following a day-long meeting, Minister of State for Medical Education Sharan Prakash Patil and Higher Education Minister T B Jayachandra told the media that this decision was arrived at as there was no clarity yet about the Supreme Courts judgment.



The students and parents are very anxious and confused. But as per the April 28 order of the Supreme Court, students are required to appear for the NEET. Several states have filed an appeal seeking the implementation of the NEET from next year and the hearing has been scheduled (on) May 3. Karnataka, too, will be making an appeal in the court. The private colleges are also set to file a petition, said Jayachandra.



He said the government would consult the advocate general to decide upon the grounds on which Karnataka will make its appeal.



Patil said the reservation policy would prevail and the NEET was being conducted only to derive the merit.



However, it is still unclear what will happen to the results of CET and Comed-K if the Supreme Court strikes down the appeals against the NEET, yet again. Asked whether Comed-K exam would be conducted, Patil said the government had nothing to do with exams conducted by private institutions. We dont know what their stand is  whether or not they will conduct the exams. But the Supreme Courts order clearly states that no other entrance exam will be considered valid. * NEET Phase I  May 1; Phase 2  July 24

* CET by KEA: May 4 & May 5

* ComedK: May 8

* CET exam fees: Rs 650 (general); Rs 500 (SC/ST)

* ComedK examination fees: Rs 1,200


The NEET Phase I will be held on May 1 for admission to MBBS and BDS courses across the country as the Supreme Court favoured it again on Saturday.





The All India Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Medical Test, scheduled on Sunday, is to be treated as the first round of NEET. The Supreme Court on Saturday once again favoured the holding of the examination, declining a plea for interference. The court refused to hear a plea by the counsel representing a group of students who wanted modification of the Thursday order for conducting the NEET in two phases on May 1 and July 24.



The students contended that since they only prepared for their state examinations, they would suffer adversely with the order. Please allow the examination to be conducted. Nothing will happen in the meantime. Matter had been heard by the bench and it is over for now, a three-judge bench, presided over by Chief Justice T S Thakur, holding a special sitting to hear Delhi pollution case, said. The court, however, allowed the counsel to file their petitions.



On Friday, a bench led by Justice Anil R Dave had declined a similar plea to stay the two-phase schedule of the single entrance test as announced by the CBSE. It also disregarded the concerns expressed by the Union government over the last-minute finalising of the NEET.



States like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra and Gujarat opposed holding the NEET. Tamil Nadu claimed its students were not trained to appear in any test for admission to medical colleges.


All taxis, including those operating under aggregators like Ola and Uber, would have to be run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) only in the National Capital Region.





The Supreme Court on Saturday declined to extend the April 30 deadline fixed for their conversion from diesel to the CNG mode of fuel. In an effort to curb Delhis pollution, a three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice T S Thakur rejected the plea for modification of the courts orders issued on December 16, January 5 and March 31, fixing the deadline for conversion of all taxis into the CNG fuel.



Appearing for taxi owners, senior advocate Shyam Divan contended there was no technology at all for converting diesel vehicles into the CNG mode. We will not be able to earn our livelihood. Moreover, we have to pay the bank also, Diwan said, seeking modification of the orders.



We are not going to extend the deadline, the bench, also comprising Justices A K Sikri and R Banumathi, said in a special hearing on court holiday.



The court had earlier fixed March 1 as the date for converting all diesel taxis into the CNG mode but subsequently extended it to April 30.



Meanwhile, the court pulled up the Centre for waiting for someone to wake it up from deep slumber even as the Union government agreed to examine a proposal to install a catalytic converter in the vehicles to reduce the pollutants in the emission.



Senior advocate K K Venugopal submitted that of the 25 lakh vehicles, including those that run on diesel, plying in the National Capital Region, can be fitted with catalytic converter with a minimum cost of a few thousand rupees.



He also cited a study done in California and claimed that with this, emission norm of BS-I vehicles could be raised to BS-IV standard.



This would also solve the problem of disposing old vehicles, he submitted.



Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, appearing for the Transport department, submitted that the government was ready to coordinate and examine the efficacy of the device and the cost incurred by it.


Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said a draft bill on statehood for the national capital is ready, signalling his governments renewed push to fulfil its electoral promise which may lead to a face-off with the Centre.





Draft bill for statehood of Delhi ready. Will be soon placed in public domain for comments and suggestions from the public, Kejriwal said in a tweet. The Aam Aadmi Party government had earlier come up with the idea of a referendum on the issue of statehood for Delhi in July last year. But that did not materialise.



The Chief Minister had on earlier occasions said the Central government can keep the New Delhi Municipal Council area or Lutyens Delhi and give the rest to the city government.



Delhi has a unique status in the Indian union. It is a union territory with a legislative assembly that limits the power of Delhi government.



Delhi Police and Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which owns land in the city, are under the central government, which exercises its powers through the Lieutenant Governor. Delhi government has no say on the issues of law and order and land use.



Transport Minister Gopal Rai on Saturday said the bill will be placed in the public domain for suggestions in the next few days. If Delhi is given full statehood, we will be able to work for the welfare of people with twice the current speed, he said.

When asked if the governments demand will lead to another confrontation with the Centre, Rai said all parties have been promising full statehood in their election manifestoes.



The BJP, however, made a tactful U-turn ahead of the Assembly polls in February 2015 and dropped the demand for full statehood from its manifesto, claiming that the issue needed wider discussion between stakeholders.



The AAP government has often claimed that proposal for statehood has been delayed due to lack of political will. AAP has political will. It is high time the people got it (statehood). We will not tolerate stepmotherly treatment towards people in Delhi, Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra had said earlier.
State health officials want to hire someone to keep an eye on marijuana legalization  at potentially one of the highest salaries in state government.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is advertising a position for a marijuana health effects and research manager. The job will involve monitoring the health consequences of legalization; gathering data from hospitals, emergency rooms and poison control centers; and helping to lead an advisory committee that produces a report on legalizations outcomes.

The position also could oversee research grants on the health impacts of recreational marijuana sales. The legislature has designated nearly $350,000 for the grants in the budget currently awaiting Gov. John Hickenloopers signature.

The position had been staffed by an epidemiologist, someone who has expertise in analyzing health patterns. But Health Department officials this time around wanted to put a doctor in the position. The job qualifications require both a medical degree and a masters degree in public health or equivalent experience.

Its just a better fit, said Mike Van Dyke, the departments chief of environmental epidemiology, occupational health and toxicology. It allows us to really have those physician-to-physician conversations, which are important.

That change, though, could boost the positions annual salary over $200,000 per year. CDPHE lists the jobs salary range as $137,172 per year to $215,124 per year. Van Dyke said the lower end is the minimum rate for physicians who work in Colorado government.

The upper end would make the job the fourth-highest-paying job in state government, excluding the salaries of university employees. Only the state commissioner of education, the executive director of CDPHE and a physician in the Department of Corrections made more last year, according to salary information provided to The Denver Post through a records request.

Van Dyke said CDPHE likely will hire someone on the lower end of the range.

In the 2013-14 fiscal year, more than 1,700 people working in state government made more than $100,000 per year, The Gazette reported.

John Ingold: 303-954-1068, jingold@denverpost.com or @johningold
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by Kathleen Gilbert BEIJING, September 7, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com)  Escaped Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng is leading international opponents of forced abortion in calling upon the worlds largest company to end compliance with the Chinas one-child policy. Family planning police have targeted employees (569)

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Church Militant, we need to band together to protect our religious liberties and win the culture war!
Unleaded 88 fuel is often cheaper, but should drivers use it?

Unleaded 88 fuel gives lower gas mileage than regular unleaded but with fewer carbon emissions. So, should you put it in your vehicle? That depends.
India destined to lead the world in clean energy: Piyush Goyal

India has exceeded its solar targets by 116 per cent this year in comparison to last year and has already awarded projects to generate 11,000 MW. India, with its huge, but achievable solar energy targets, will now lead the world towards clean energy rather than follow it, minister of state for power, coal and new and renewable energy Piyush Goyal said.

''The way things are progressing in the solar energy sector. We will definitely achieve our target. Solar energy is economically viable,'' Goyal said at the Concentrated Solar and Solar Cooker Excellence Awards.

''A target of adding 10,500 MW of solar power has been set for this fiscal year. It is four to five times more than last year. For achieving this target we have already floated tenders for 21,000 MW of solar power projects during the last fiscal year. With 21,000 MW of new solar projects out in the market, India has signalled to the world that we're ready to lead to the world,'' the Minister added.

Goyal further said that solar programme will not only ensure energy security of our country but also provide power to the last person at the bottom of the pyramid.

The minister said that individual projects have a vital role to play in achieving holistic solar targets and that the government will foster such efforts.

The awards were given to various stakeholder groups, including state nodal agencies, manufacturers / suppliers of the technology and a wide range of beneficiaries to recognise their achievements made in the sector.

The Excellence Award ceremony is part of National Workshop on CST and Solar Cookers organised by ministry of new and renewable energy to recognize notable achievement in off-grid and decentralised solar application.

The ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE) is implementing the programme on Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) technology under the 'off-grid and decentralised solar applications' programme of the National Solar Mission.

The programme aims to promote applications of CST technologies in the industrial sectors, commercial establishments and other institutions.

CST technologies can be used to provide steam / hot oil / pressurized water in the temperature range of 90 to 300C for various applications, including community cooking, laundry, space cooling etc.

While community cooking has become a popular application in both educational and religious organisations, CST technologies are being adopted to meet the process heat requirements in dairying, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, textiles and many other industrial sectors.

Over 200 systems covering a total area of around 45000 m2 have already been installed in various parts of the country. The Ministry is also preparing a roadmap to install 100 MW of CSTs by the year 2022.

MNRE's efforts are being supported for CST projects by UNIDO and UNDP to further promote and accelerate the use of these technologies in the country by removing its barriers to scaling up, each by installing 45,000 m2 of CST systems within 5 years.


B&B Ireland, based in Ballyshannon, has established a strategic partnership with its French counterpart, CleVacances, to share best practice and grow business for both organisations.

Representatives from B&B Ireland travelled to France last month, to check out the French B&B product. A return delegation from CleVacances has been visiting Ireland this week, to experience the Irish B&B offering at first-hand. They stayed in various B&Bs in counties Fermanagh, Donegal and Dublin. During their visit to Ireland, the CleVacances group attended an event hosted by Tourism Ireland  where they heard about the organisations extensive programme of promotions in France to grow visitor numbers this year.

France is one of our top four tourism markets, delivering about 505,000 visitors to Ireland last year (+11% growth on 2014).

Finola OMahony, Tourism Irelands Head of Europe, said: 2015 was the third consecutive record-breaking year for French visitors to Ireland and we have seen excellent growth in French visitor numbers so far again this year, with the latest CSO figures indicating growth of +12% for the first quarter of 2016. Tourism Ireland is determined to ensure that growth continues and we are rolling out a busy programme of promotions in France this year.

Pictured are: Representatives of CleVacances with Maurice Pratt, Chairman of B&B Ireland and Marielyse Zielinski, President of CleVacances (centre). Also pictured are Helena Healy, CEO of B&B Ireland (third left); and Finola OMahony, Tourism Irelands Head of Europe (third right).
Failte Ireland has welcomed the opening of the newly refurbished Fanad Head lighthouse as a vital contribution to the success of the Wild Atlantic Way and a boost for tourism in the north-west.

The lighthouses redevelopment was partly funded by 300,000 in Failte Ireland funding due to its status as a designated signature discovery point along the Wild Atlantic Way and its potential to truly showcase wild Atlantic moments and stories.

The lighthouse will offer visitors breath-taking and memorable experiences, telling the remarkable story of the sea, lighthouses past and present and the maritime and seafaring history of Ireland.

Speaking at an official ceremony on Friday to open the newly refurbished lighthouse, Failte Ireland CEO, Shaun Quinn said he believed the Wild Atlantic Way would be a game changer for north Mayo, Sligo and Donegal.

Mr Quinn pointed out that the project was a perfect fit for the Wild Atlantic Way and tied in with Failte Irelands plans to develop Donegal tourism, complementing as it does the tourism authoritys recent 3m investment in Sliabh Liag. The development at Fanad Head will also sit alongside Failte Irelands plans to substantially enhance nearby Malin Head. As an initial step, the tourism authority recently announced funding of 396,000 to Donegal County Council to develop visitor facilities at Malin Head which will significantly enhance the visitor experience at that site.

Mr Quinn emphasised: We want Donegal and the north west in particular to benefit from the Wild Atlantic Way. Along the southern part of the coastal route, most of those parts have traditionally thrived on tourism and the Wild Atlantic Way will grow their numbers. However, north of Galway  particularly through north Mayo, Sligo and up to Donegal  we believe that the Wild Atlantic Way will be a game changer and provide the boost to local economies and local employment that this part of Ireland sorely needs.

However, for that to happen, we need more overseas visitors. And, for visitors, we need good compelling reasons for them to visit. Investment in Sliabh Liag, Malin Head and Fanad Head Lighthouse is designed to provide just that."

Happy to invest in project

Referring to the specific project at Fanad Lighthouse he said they were very happy to support the project: We, in Failte Ireland, were more than happy to invest in the refurbishment of the lighthouse. While the scenery of the Wild Atlantic Way can speak for itself, we are anxious for communities along the western seaboard to tell their stories and attract visitors  and to persuade them to spend more time and money in places such as Fanad.

Restoration Work

The restoration works include an interpretation area in the lighthouse to give visitors the history of the lighthouse, the Fanad story, as well as the stories of marine life and nearby shipwrecks.

A permanent exhibition will include; lighthouse keepers records/log books; semaphore flags; replacement lights and old light systems; historical maps; stories and anecdotes from Fanad Head. Furthermore, on a more practical note, a new visitor facility added to the lighthouse will allow for greater numbers of visitors, providing as it does a reception and display area, an exhibition area and other services.

Overlooking Malin Head, the most northerly point in Ireland, Fanad Head lighthouse, which is still in operation, will mark its 200th anniversary in 2017. The lighthouse will also feature in the Commissioners of Irish Lights Shine a Light on Summer Festival which takes place this weekend and which also received funding from Failte Ireland.

Our photos show shows guests gathered on Friday at the official opening of the Fanad Lighthouse on Friday.

A spectacular aerial shot of Fanad lighthouse (Image courtesy of Great Lighthouses of Ireland).
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.
A high-speed chase with speeds exceeding 100 mph and two shootouts ended the manhunt for a fugitive wanted for murder and multiple armed robberies across Alabama and Florida.

According to a statement from the Troy Police Department, police arrested Raymond Jerome Pruitt, 39, of Montgomery, around 2 p.m. Friday after he crashed the stolen Hyundai Tucson he was driving into the side of the roadway.

Pruitt was wanted charges of murder and multiple armed robberies stretching from Montgomery to Pensacola, Florida.

According to a statement from the U.S. Marshals Service, law enforcement have charged Pruitt in connection with a crime spree that began on April 5 in Montgomery when he allegedly stabbed his girlfriend, and shot her with her own pistol as she tried to escape.

According to the statement, Pruitt has since been identified and charged in five armed store robberies in Montgomery, Ozark, Troy and Prattville.

According to a Troy police statement the following unfolded during Pruitts capture:

Officers received an anonymous tip that Pruitt was in the Troy area. They found his vehicle at the Sunoco station on Highway 87 around 1:45 p.m. and saw him leaving the station and entering nearby Southland mobile home park.

Officers attempted a felony traffic stop leading Pruitt to crash his vehicle through a chain link fence on Highway 87. Shots were fired at that scene .

Pruitts vehicle crashed into a truck driven by Troy Police Chief Randall Barr, and then continued on Highway 87 toward Enterprise, with multiple officers in pursuit.

The statement said speeds reached approximately 100 mph before Pruitts vehicle crashed.

He attempted to flee the scene, and additional shots were fired before officers subdued him, Barr said in the statement.

The officer-involved shootings are under investigation by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Barr said a weapon was found when Pruitt was arrested, and police believe it to be the gun used in the robberies.

The U.S. Marshals statement said Pruitt was taken into custody after he crashed his vehicle into a tree. The U.S. Marshals statement also said Pruitt suffered non-life threatening injuries from the crash and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The Troy police statement said the arrest involved a multi-jurisdictional effort with officers from the Troy Police Department, the Pike County Sheriffs Office, Troy University and the Alabama State Troopers.

According to the U.S. Marshals statement, Pruitt has since been identified and charged in five armed store robberies in Montgomery, Ozark, Troy and Prattville.

The Escambia County Sheriffs Office in Pensacola, Florida, also identified Pruitt and charged him in the armed robbery on April 26 in Pensacola where he allegedly shot and killed a store clerk.

According to the departments Facebook posts, sheriffs investigators have charged Pruitt with the robbery of the A&E Food Mart on Pace Boulevard around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday. During the robbery, the suspect shot and killed the clerk working behind the counter. The Escambia County Sheriffs Office charged Pruitt in the shooting death of 53-year-old Chung Lun Chiang, the owner of the A&E Food Mart.

Ozark Police Chief Marlos Walker said police charged Pruitt with the robbery of the Shell Station on U.S. 231 and Deese Road on April 20.

Walker said even though Pruitt is from Montgomery, it's believed he has family in the Troy and Ozark area.

According to a statement from Central Alabama Crime Stoppers, Pruitt faces eight felony charges from four different law enforcement agencies. The statement said Pruitt faces five felony counts of first-degree robbery, first-degree domestic violence, attempted murder and first-degree theft of property.
The Geneva County Sheriffs Office says two men have been arrested in connection with the home invasion robbery of an elderly couple last month.

According to a statement posted on the Geneva County Sheriffs Facebook page, investigators have arrested Gavon J. Petty, of Samson, and charged him with felony attempted murder, felony first-degree burglary and felony first-degree robbery.

Petty was booked into the Geneva County Jail.

The Geneva County Sheriffs Office said Sebastian Lemach Tolbert Jr., was also arrested after he turned himself in on similar charges of attempted murder, first-degree burglary and first-degree robbery.

According to the departments Facebook page, both Petty and Tolbert have been charged in connection with the home invasion robbery and assault of an elderly couple at Samson home on March 16.

Deputies responded to a reported robbery and assault of an elderly couple at their home on Steven Ferry Road just off Alabama Highway 87 in Samson. The robbery and assault happened between 7:30 and 8:20 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16.

Law enforcement officers do not believe this was a random event, it appeared to have been planned, the sheriffs statement said. These victims were targeted.

The investigation remains ongoing.

The Geneva County Sheriffs Office is being assisted by the Samson Police Department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the Houston County Sheriffs Office.
Jerry Pearson recently taught about the importance of forgiving others, and people acting as peacemakers in society.

Pearson taught the message through the use of American Sign Language (ASL) at the deaf church ministry held at Bethel Baptist Church in southeast Dothan.

Pearson asked the nearly two dozen people in attendance what it means to be a peacemaker as he signed the words to Matthew 5:9 from the Bible: blessed are the peacemakers. He said serving as a peacemaker also means encouraging people, and lifting them up.

You as Christians are peacemakers, Pearson said through sign.

If people had questions throughout the service they signed to them and Pearson answered back before moving on to the next point in the service.

Dr. Ricky Plummer, the senior pastor at Bethel Baptist Church, said the church has had a deaf church ministry for over 30 years. But he said they just started a deaf church around a year ago, which meets in the family life center of the church each Sunday morning and on Wednesday evenings. Plummer said Jerry Pearson serves as a lay pastor of the deaf for the church ministry.

Hes not ordained, but he does lead Sunday school, pastors the people and leads the sermon on Sunday mornings, Plummer said. Some studies have shown theres a very low percentage of believers among the deaf. Only about 2 to 3 percent of the deaf are actually believers. Theres just a need for the work among the deaf. The deaf need to hear the gospel as well.

Pearson also spoke, through using sign language, about the importance of forgiving others.

Pearsons wife, Diann, and Linda Johnson took turns interpreting for Pearson as he signed throughout the deaf church ministry church service last Sunday, which meant they spoke aloud his teaching for the hearing people in attendance.

He uses power point because the deaf are very visual, Diann Pearson said. He has the (Bible) verse on the screen and hes signing too.

Forgive each other as Jesus has forgiven us, Jerry Pearson said, as shown in scripture from Colossians 3:13, which was displayed on the screen as part of a power point slide presentation.

Pearson shared an example of Gods forgiveness from the Bible in the life of David, who he referred to as a liar, adulterer and murderer, but was instantly forgiven by God.

You got to forgive, Diann Pearson said as her husband signed it. Wipe it clean and let it go. Even a terrible awful person deserves to be forgiven.

Pearson also taught from the Bible verse Luke 17:4, which he had posted on a slide as saying If your brother does something wrong to you seven times in one day, but he says hes sorry each time, then you should forgive him.

Jesus came to earth and died on the cross for you and me, Diann Pearson said aloud as her husband signed. You have to forgive others. God forgives instantly.

Denise Tindell, who has attended Bethel Baptist in Dothan for 18 years, is actively involved in the deaf church ministry. She serves on the Sunshine Committee within the deaf church, which means she sends cards to first-time visitors and birthday cards to the regulars.

I feel the Lord has given me a home here with this group, Tindell said through sign language with Sharon Jones, who served as her interpreter.

Jones said the deaf church ministry is set up just like the main church service at Bethel Baptist, which includes music.

Jones said she used whats referred to as tactile signing for a deaf and blind man during the service so he could understand Pearsons Bible teaching.

Linda Johnson, a volunteer with the ministry, said for many years members of the church who were deaf attended the regular church service led by the head pastor. Typically either she or Jones served as the interpreter.

Johnson said Liz Edberg was the first deaf person to attend church at Bethel Baptist. She helped start the ministry at the church. Johnson said she learned sign language from Edberg. She has now been serving as an interpreter at the church for over 35 years.

We had deaf church once a month for many years, then he (Pearson) was able and willing to start coming every Sunday, Johnson said. This whole thing started with one deaf person who came to church here, and then she married and there were two and it grew from there.
The people of the Wiregrass now have a permanent place to drop off their unused and unwanted prescription medication.

Officials with the Dothan-Houston County Substance Abuse Partnership and several local law enforcement agencies announced Friday the placement of a drop off box placed in the front lobby of the Dothan Police Department.

Susan Trawick, the executive director of the Dothan-Houston County Substance Abuse Partnership, announced the placement of the drop box Friday as another way for people to dispose of medication.

The misuse of prescription medicines has been a problem for several years and it is getting worse, said Trawick in a statement. To cut down on the sources of this abuse, we have partnered with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service and Alabama A&M University to place the first Drug Take-Back Box in the tri-state region.

Trawick said prescription drug abuse is second only to marijuana in the United States.

Used or expired drugs are a public safety issue, Trawick said. Proper disposal of unused drugs saves lives. Its that simple.

Phillip Carter, an extension agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said the drop box was paid for through a federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Carter said hopefully having the drop box at the police department full-time will encourage more people to drop off their unused medication, especially since there are no people around monitoring who drops off what in the box.

With this disposal method now you dont need to flush them down the commode or throw them away, he said.

Carter said there have also been environmental concerns with prescription medication improperly disposed.

I believe prevention is the best solution thats what were trying to do with this program and partnership, Carter said. Were hoping it will have an impact, and people will use it.

The drop box will be available for people of the Wiregrass between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Trawick said the use of the drop box starts the day before a regularly scheduled drug take back day hosted by the Dothan Police Department.

People can drop off any unused medication on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Dothan Police Department located at 210 N. Saint Andrews St.
Growing up in Mississippi as a preachers kid wasnt always easy for Brent Parker.

As a child the challenges were more or less to make sure I didnt embarrass my father by my actions and by my words, the senior pastor at Selma Baptist Church in Dothan said.

As he got into his teen years , Parker began to take ownership of his faith.

It was no longer just what my dad talked about from the pulpit, he said. He began to understand that in the kingdom of God there is nothing to be inherited, its all to be personal relationship-oriented.

He said he didnt get it all right out of the gate. In college he definitely went outside the will of God in seeing what life was about and the opportunities that were available to him.

I will say in relation to ministry there was a strong resistance on my part because I had experienced the ministry and it was tough sometimes, Parker said. My dads time was very demanded of by a lot of people, which sadly in some cases meant that we would end up on the short end of the stick.

For years he lived with that resistance even though I had Godly mentors telling me they saw in me the spirit of pastoring, Parker said. They said youve got the gift. I rejected that.

After graduating from the University of Mississippi in 1999 with a degree in music education, he served in several ministry positions as m inister of m usic. He was in one of those posts when his mentor pastor confronted him in a staff meeting and said you realize this is not your calling. Youre living outside the will of God for your life.

Parker told him I dont know what youre talking about. The pastor responded Youre a pastor.

Parker surrendered to the call. He said he was blessed to have his dad preach his ordination service in 2003, and he didnt appreciate it then as much as he does now.

This past year Parkers father almost died from major medical complications. It put the lessons Parker picked up from his dad into perspective.

He showed me a lot in his ministry, a lot of what to do, some of what not to do, Parker said.

He guards his time more carefully.

My church, God bless, theyre not demanding of my time outside of this office, he said. Theyre very apologetic if they have to call me after hours, they apologize up and down, because they say we know thats your family time.

Parker said it took him a while to get through the resentment of not having his dad at his ball games or special events because he was at the hospital or a funeral or was counseling a family that was about to fall apart.

Well, I was a kid, he said. We were the only people that existed in my world and we were getting neglected. Well, now Im a pastor. Now I understand. Praise God, he put me together.

He knows now that ministry occurs around the clock. His father showed me a solid work ethic, Parker said. He committed himself completely to his ministry, and so a lot of what he was showing me at the time that I resented I now relish.

He sees some guys come into ministry expecting the work to happen in the church from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

A lot of my ministry is going to happen out here somewhere, Parker said. It might be down at that gas station, that convenience store.

Some of Parkers ancestors were in ministry. Parkers dads dad was a pastor. On his moms side, Parkers great-grandfather was a circuit preacher.

My grandfather told me stories of him leaving for two, three, four weeks, preaching various churches on the circuit, then coming back to the farm, kind of our home place, Parker said.

Parker said moving is part of being a pastor. He said his family didnt move much when he was growing up, but when they did it usually worked out well.

It challenged me to make new friendships, Parker said. It challenged me to not be able to huddle up in a little clique but to always be reaching out. In this ministry, thats a blessing.

Parker said his mother filled the gaps when his father couldnt be there.

She got me to the ballgames, he said. She always went above and beyond.

He said she was the one he and his older brother saw in the morning with her head bowed over, her Bible open.

She had been up since 4:30 or 5 oclock in the morning to get his dad off to work. In some cases Parkers father was doing construction work and pastoring.

Parkers mother was a stable force in the uncertainties of his schedule, Parker said. She always encouraged me to be the best at whatever I was doing.

Parker said he pursued masters and doctorate degrees his father never had the chance to get.

I was determined that I was going to be seminary-trained, he said. If I was going to stand before the people of God and say thus saith the Lord I was going to know what I was talking about.

As parents, Parker and his wife Jennifer have let their three children  Sarah, Anna and William  know the things that are going to be expected of them.

We reason with them, we explain to them that heres the reason why this is the way it is, he said. We dont want you to resent that. We dont want you to feel like youve got to meet some unrealistic expectations.

If his kids become involved in ministry or missions I would feel like that I had done my job, Parker said. I would feel like that I had equipped them to answer the call faithfully.

He said his daughters have caring hearts. Theyre very compassionate and loving toward others, he said.

In his son he sees a pastors heart.

He doesnt like to see people struggle, Parker said. You can tell it breaks his heart to see somebody struggle. My number one gift is mercy, and so when somebody hurts I hurt.

He has that, too.
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Home Four wheelers India Bound Renault Kaptur Begins Production In Russia oi-Ajinkya

Renault has commenced the production of its Kaptur SUV at its Moscow facility in Russia. Several global manufacturing facilities will receive help in local Kaptur production from Renault Russia. The French-based manufacturer has chosen Russia owing to its role in development.

The Kaptur SUV will be coming to Indian shores as well and will be placed above the Duster compact SUV model. Several components on the Kaptur could be shared with the Duster to keep costs in check. Renault is developing the Kaptur exclusively for emerging markets.

All-new Kaptur SUV is most likely to be launched in India by 2017. Once launched the Kaptur will compete with the likes of Hyundai Tuscon and Mahindra XUV5OO models. We expect the Renault Kaptur to be priced within the range of Rs. 17 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh ex-showroom.

So far, Renault has not confirmed the powertrains that will do duty in the Kaptur. We expect the SUV will be powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine, which will be borrowed from the Duster. An optional 2.0-litre diesel engine will also be on offer. Renault will also provide manual and automatic transmissions.
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Lockport Police Department in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration will host a Prescription Drug Drop Off from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday in the Municipal Building parking lot on the Big Bridge on Main Street.The purpose of this event is to give residents an opportunity to safely dispose of unneeded medications, no questions are asked.Residents are encouraged to stay in their car and drop off the medications at the Lockport Police Command Post.Paints, chemicals, needles, etc., are not accepted.
An army of 39,000 workers this week went on strike against Verizon in one of the biggest labor actions in the U.S. in several years. Fast food workers have joined in a show of support, and both Democratic candidates for president have entered the fray.

Thousands of wireline workers from Massachusetts to Virginia walked off the job at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning after the company was unable to reach an agreement with labor leaders on health benefits, flexibility to utilize technicians away from home, and a host of other issues.

Verizon has trained thousands of non-union employees under a contingency plan to make sure customers are not disrupted by the massive strike, the company said. The two sides appear to be hardened in their positions, and an immediate resolution does not appear to be on the table.

Were more than prepared, and thats our primary focus right now  meeting the needs of our customers with minimal disruption, Verizon spokesperson Ray McConville told the E-Commerce Times.

Verizons Story

Company negotiators have worked hard over the past 10 months to find a resolution with unionized workers, represented by the Communication Workers of America and the IBEW, Verizon maintained.

Unionized workers have an agenda that is rooted in the past and ignores todays digital realities, said Marc Reed, chief administrative officer at Verizon.

The average wage and benefit package of 36,000 employees involved in the strike is US$130,000 per year, according to Verizon. About 99 percent of those workers support the wireline business, which provided 29 percent of the companys revenue in 2015 but only 7 percent of its operating income.

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on Monday offered to provide mediation if the unions would extend the strike deadline, Reed noted, but they declined.

The Unions Side

Among the workers beefs is that Verizon has sent more than 5,000 jobs overseas and wants to outsource even more jobs, including call center jobs, according to CWA spokesperson Candice Johnson.

Verizon wants to make technicians work up to four months away from home in the mid-Atlantic region in order to help make repairs to the network or do emergency work, she told the E-Commerce Times.

Thats one reason Bernie Sanders and other politicians have joined the picket line, Johnson said, which resonated well with working class people who feel that the economy is rigged against them.

These companies are not sharing, if you will, the increased productivity gains with the workers at all, Johnson maintained.

Verizon has told them it is heavily focused on the needs of its wireless business at the expense of its landline business, she noted.

The company is under investigation for allegedly failing keep promises to build out broadband infrastructure in several jurisdictions, including Pennsylvania, some parts of New York City, and other communities, Johnson pointed out.

Promises to Keep

Verizon is in the wrong in this dispute, said analyst Craig Settles, who follows the broadband industry closely.

The workers have legitimate concerns, and these are also the concerns of customers and businesses that use Verizon services, he told the E-Commerce Times.

The buildout issue is of particular resonance, he said, noting that these communities in many cases exemplify the struggle to get adequate service for low-income and rural communities that Verizon and other telecoms do not view as potentially profitable.

Intense speculation that Verizon would put its wireline business up for sale began circulating late last year.

I think if Verizon could snap their heels together and make a wish, they would want to get out of local phone service, wireless industry analyst Jeff Kagan told the E-Commerce Times. Verizon has gone from nearly 100 percent market share 10 and 20 years ago to roughly 30 percent today, and its still dropping.

Meanwhile, the company is one of the leading candidates to acquire the Web assets of Yahoo in an effort to build up its content business, which includes America Online.
Apple has hired Chris Porritt, Tesla Motors former vice president of vehicle engineering, to work on special projects, according to news reports published Tuesday.

Porritt, who left Tesla last year, will take charge of Apples electric car initiative, Project Titan, according to Electrek, which first reported the hire.

He reportedly was given the purposefully vague title of special projects group PD administrator.

Apple is said to have a group of about 20 engineers, designers and other specialists working on Project Titan, its top-secret car program in Germany.

Engineering Prowess

Porritts hire wouldnt mark the first time Apple attracted someone from Tesla. The company last year recruited Jamie Carlson, a senior engineer on Teslas Autopilot self-driving program. The autopilot program, currently offered as an upgrade for Tesla drivers, allows the car to change lanes, manage speed and parallel park without human intervention.

Apple is a Tesla graveyard, where former employees wind up when they are no longer needed or wanted by Tesla, CEO Elon Musk famously quipped last year.

Before joining Tesla in 2013, Porritt worked as chief engineer at Aston Martin, which he joined in 1997. At Aston Martin, his group was responsible for the architecture of the VH Platform vehicles, including the DB9 and he V12 Vantage.

Porritt is credited with establishing Aston Martins vehicle engineering team. He was chief engineer of its One-77 supercar, which at one point was considered the fastest car in the world. In his first job, at Land Rover, Porritt rose from college intern to principal engineer in the vehicle dynamics unit.

Shifting Into High Gear

Hiring a senior person away from Tesla, which has been the center of the universe for new vehicle technology as of late, is a major achievement and demonstrates how serious Apple is about competing in this segment, said Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

However, we are in the early days of the electric vehicle and likely two or more decades away from autonomous vehicles for consumers, he told the E-Commerce Times, even though many, like Elon Musk, have much more aggressive predictions for autonomous vehicles.

There are a couple of ways to understand Apple move, noted Praveen Chandrasekar, mobility service manager at Frost & Sullivan.

It could be a move to replace Steve Zadesky, who was apparently in a big role at the rumored Project Titan and left recently, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Zadesky, a 16-year Apple employee, reportedly left the company for personal reasons.

The second could be that Apple needs the expertise of someone like Chris, who comes from Aston Martin and worked on the Model S and X at Tesla, to finalize a body style and segment for its EV, Chandrasekar suggested.

Porritts Aston Martin background could mean Apple is taking a premium route with its rumored electric vehicle, speculated.

The hire, while significant, will not cause an immediate shakeup in the electric car space because the next big move in the industry will be the rollout of the upcoming Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model 3 vehicles, he said.

These two products, we believe, will lay the groundwork for mass-market stylish and technology-heavy EVs, said Chandrasekar. Apple might join this group and make an affordable product  or take the usual Apple route and enter the market with a high-end product and then look at commodity.

Electric Isnt All That

Apple is not likely to confine its ambitions to the electric vehicle space, however, maintained Tirias McGregor.

Electric vehicles arent the ultimate vehicle technology, he explained. Electric vehicles still require the generation of electricity and require batteries that use rare materials and are not very recyclable. I think the Toyota CEO was correct when he said that hybrid vehicles will be the best solution for the near future, but Im still hoping for hydrogen or some other technology that is greener.

In any case, the end goal is not an electric vehicle, McGregor said. The end goal is an autonomous vehicle, which the entire auto industry and major tech companies like Google and Apple are striving to achieve.
(Photo:  Peter Kenny / Ecumenical News)Children frolic in front of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on Aug. 7, 2015

Catholics and Protestants have teamed up to fight the state of Missouri which is refusing to subside the resurfacing of a Lutheran school playground with the Christians group saying what the authorities are doing is discriminatory on religious grounds.

A schoolchildren's playground may not seem much to fight about, but the case is seen as part of a struggle for people of faith to fight against what they see as a whittling away of their religious rights.

The case, Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Pauley, is expected to go before the Supreme Court in the autumn, The Daily Caller reported.

The denial of the playground resurfacing grant to the Lutheran school empowers religious discrimination, not constitutional principles, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a Supreme Court brief, Catholic News Agency reported.

"Missouri's religious discrimination not only contravenes the First Amendment, it is profoundly demeaning to people of faith," the U.S. bishops said in their April 21 friend-of-the-court brief.

The brief backs Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Mo. in its suit against the Missouri government.

At the same hearing the Southern Baptist Convention's public policy agency argued that churches should be allowed to participate in government programs on equal footing with other civic organizations.

The SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission filed its brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case that observers say could radically alter the way courts have traditionally understood the separation of Church and State, Baptist News Global reported.

The Baptist ERLC is the Christian groups filing friend-of-the-court briefs siding with the church in Missouri.

PLAYGROUND SAFETY PROGRAM

It noted the church is denied the benefit of a state-run playground safety program because that provision in the state constitution that "no money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, section or denomination of religion."

The church's learning center had sought a state grant for the playground resurfacing with scrap tire material to improve playground safety at its preschool and daycare center.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources rejected the grant application, which could have given $30,000 in aid to the school.

In their brief the Catholic bishops argued that constitutional law does not authorize a blanket exclusion from public programs that provide "religiously neutral benefits" for secular purposes.

"Otherwise the government could exclude religious institutions from basic public services like police and fire protection."

The bishops said the religious school was otherwise eligible, but the State of Missouri denied it solely due to its religious affiliation.

The Missouri state constitution has since 1875 barred public money for the direct or indirect aid of any church or any minister or teacher.

The Catholic bishops rejected the claim that a grant would violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. They said, this claim could be used as "a pretext for penalizing religious groups whose beliefs or practices diverge from government-prescribed orthodoxy."
San Juan, Apr 30 (EFE).- Zika is spreading quickly through the Caribbean, where local authorities fear its link with microcephaly and other fetal brain defects, as well as the recent death of a Puerto Rican man infected with the virus, will cause a drop in tourism to the region.

"I was planning on traveling to Puerto Rico in May, but I admit everything you hear about Zika made me afraid. I'm trying to stay pregnant and it's terrifying to imagine that one simple getaway would lead to my future child having microcephaly," Carla Latorre, a New York resident who ended up deciding to visit New Orleans instead, told EFE.

The secretary-general of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, Hugh Riley, told EFE that for the moment large tourism operators have not reported any significant Zika-triggered decrease in demand.

The CTO says that no information is currently available on how the virus, which like dengue fever and Chikungunya is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, has affected the regional tourist industry and that it is too early to draw any conclusions.

But concern is palpable on the most affected islands, like cash-strapped and recession-hit Puerto Rico, where on Friday authorities confirmed that a 70-year-old man who had been hospitalized in February with fever died 24 hours later due to internal bleeding caused by a rare immune reaction to the virus.

The Puerto Rican government has launched a campaign aimed at convincing would-be tourists that it is safe to travel to the U.S. commonwealth, noting that less than half of 1 percent of the island's population has been infected with the virus.

In a statement before the first Zika-linked death was reported, the executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Ingrid Rivera Rocafort, said that "as a tropical island in the Caribbean" Puerto Rico has extensive experience fighting mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit.
The final two legs of The Amazing Race will be a wild ride. As Leg 10 revealed, these social media mavens are a wily bunch.

A Double U-Turn brought out the competitive edge amongst the final five teams on Friday. The general consensus was that Brodie and Kurt needed to go, and the sooner the better.

Leg 10 opened in Indonesia, and, instead of hopping a plane, The Amazing Race continued to take advantage of the Southeast Asian's balmy weather. After a staggered start, the teams headed to Nusa Lembongan Island to search for treasure. While our snorkeling pirates had no problem located the treasure chests, everyone wasted a significant amount of time trying to figure out where the clues were (they're in the tubes, folks! Get it together!).

Once the clues were removed form their waterproof vessels, it was time to locate a dancing money to obtain directions for the Detour. Titled Haul vs. Harvest, the challenge forced teams to choose between harvesting seaweed or carrying chickens and coconuts across a frighteningly unstable bridge. Every one opted for the latter, interestingly enough, and, after a brush with the islands poultry, the teams hit the Double U-Turn.

Tyler and Korey hit the site first and chose to use the first U-Turn on Brodie and Kurt. The ultimate Frisbee champs enjoyed a sting of first place success early in the race, but Leg 9 knocked them to the bottom. A U-Turn would be enough to slow them down, and Burnie and Ashley insured their elimination when they opted to use the second U-Turn on Tyler and Korey. Having already past that section of the race, the best friends were unaffected by the twist.

The rest of the race went smoothly. With Tyler and Korey caught up completing Harvest, the other teams went cliff jumping for their Road Block. Tyler and Korey snagged first place, and, although they finished last, Brodie and Kurt came in less than 20 minutes behind the leaders.

Do you think the right team was eliminated? Find out when The Amazing Race airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
Anti-terrorism investigations must not be communally biased.

The discharge of the eight accused in the 2006 Malegaon bomb blasts by the special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court recently, exposes and reaffirms the ingrained prejudice against Muslims among our law enforcement and investigative agencies. It also shows that despite dealing with a large number of acts of terrorism, these agencies neither generate confidence nor exhibit professionalism in their investigations. The trajectory of this particular casethere are others along similar linescontains many unique twists, all of them bordering on the farcical. However, there is nothing absurd about the human costs that these twists have demanded from their victims. The nine accused (one of them died last year) spent five years in prison burdened with the tag of terrorists, and their families faced financial and social ruin, not to mention the years of anxiety and sense of betrayal no citizen should be forced to endure in a democracy, solely due to his religion.

The facts of the case are popular knowledge thanks to the widespread media coverage. Nonetheless, the fact that the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) went ahead and arrested nine Muslim men for blasts that took place in a Muslim cemetery, adjacent to a mosque, after the Friday prayers and which claimed a majority of Muslim lives and injured mainly Muslims, is notable. Malegaon in Nashik District is known for its power loom and PVC pipe manufacturing industries and nearly 78% of its population is Muslim. In 2011, the National Investigative Agency (NIA) arrested four Hindus for the blasts and told the court it had no evidence against the nine original accused. Meanwhile, Swami Aseemanand, an accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blasts confessed that a Hindu right-wing body was responsible for the Malegaon blasts (the Muslim youth arrested for this blast too were released due to lack of evidence and alleged that they had been tortured in prison). He later retracted his statement. All the nine were granted bail in 2012 and the NIA continued to pursue the case against its second set of suspects. Later the NIA suddenly opposed their discharge.
Chocolate is divinely delicious, mouthwateringly smooth and unfortunately full of fat. But reducing the fat content of the confection makes it harder and less likely to melt in your mouth. That's why scientists are investigating additives that could reinstate chocolate's delightful properties in these lower-fat treats. Now, researchers report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry an analysis that sheds light on how adding limonene could improve lower-fat versions' texture and ability to melt.

Flavor and sweetness make strong contributions to the pleasant experience of eating chocolate, but so do look and feel. Reducing the fat in chocolate, however, often ruins its texture and viscosity. Previous research has shown that adding limonene - a compound found in lemons and oranges - results in a smoother, softer chocolate that melts more easily than typical reduced-fat chocolates. Annelien Rigolle and colleagues at KU Leuven in Belgium sought to investigate exactly how limonene impacts chocolate production. They focused on one part of this process: the crystallization of one of its main ingredients, cocoa butter, which undergoes several important transformations at different times and temperatures.

The researchers examined crystallization at 63 F and 68 F using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction to examine cocoa butter profiles when limonene was added. Surprisingly, they found that adding the compound accelerated cocoa butter crystallization at 63 F, but inhibited cocoa butter crystallization at 68 F. Varied concentrations of limonene also affected the crystallization steps of the cocoa butter differently, so they could ultimately affect the texture of chocolate. The study suggests that carefully choosing the amount of limonene and the temperature at which chocolate is processed could lead to a smoother, more luxurious reduced-fat chocolate.

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The researchers acknowledge funding from the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders, Belgium (FWO), and KU Leuven University.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With nearly 157,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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Turin, Italy: Although the publication of results of clinical trials carried out in the USA within 12 months of their completion has been mandatory since 2007, an astoundingly high number of Phase III radiotherapy trials did not do so, according to new research to be presented at the ESTRO 35 conference today (Saturday). An analysis of 802 trials with a primary completion date of before 1 January 2013 showed that 655, or 81.7%, did not publish even a summary result.

Jaime Perez-Alija and his colleague Pedro Gallego, medical physicists from the radiotherapy and oncology department, Hospital Plato, Barcelona, Spain, also looked at radiotherapy trials that began before the 2007 Act was passed, and found little difference; 422 out of 552, or 76.4%, did not deposit their results with the ClinicalTrials.gov database.

"These findings came as a surprise for many reasons, not least of which was that many of the trials had been funded by the US National Institutes of Health. Since we know that clinical trials produce the best data for decision-making in modern evidenced-based medicine, it is particularly worrying that the law is being ignored on such a wide scale," Mr Perez-Alija will tell the conference.

One possible reason for non-publication, say the researchers, is that some of the trials may have been granted a deadline extension. But, if this is the case, it is not publicly known. "Therefore, our first problem is that we do not know with any certainty whether a trial is truly overdue. The registry says clearly that all dates must be updated if an extension has been allowed, but it seems likely that this is not happening in many cases," says Mr Perez-Alija.

The researchers are investigating the issue further to see, for example, how many of the trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov or in other databases are being published in medical journals. They will also analyse bias, in the knowledge that it is easier and more usual to publish positive rather than negative findings. They intend to email principal investigators to ask why the mandatory deposition of results did not take place, and to enquire about the reasons for non-publication in medical journals of those trials where there is a published deposition.

"Interestingly, we found that company-funded trials are far better at complying with the rules than academic trials - 55% and 30% respectively. However, only one-third of all the trials we studied were company trials," Mr Perez-Alija will say.

The researchers broke down their results further by cancer sub-type. The only sub-type where more than half the trial results were published was eye cancer, with 47% unpublished, whereas in testicular and anal cancer the percentage of unpublished trial results was 100% for both categories. Even common cancers such as breast and lung fared badly, with 78% and 73.7% of results unpublished respectively.

"We have shown that a large number of study participants are routinely exposed to the risks of trial participation without the benefits that sharing and publishing results would have for patients in the future. This ethical issue should be at the heart of our current medical practice, and our leaders should be made aware that withholding these data poses a significant threat to public health. Both the US and, more recently, EU laws have made important steps to correct this situation. But if most trials - even those funded by public institutions - do not comply with these requirements, further measures need to be taken," says Mr Perez-Alija.

The US Act allows for economic sanctions to be taken against trial sponsors who do not comply with regulations. But the danger here, the researchers say, is that some investigators might decide not to begin a new trial if sanctions are a possibility. Having fewer trials could be damaging to the health system as a whole as well as to future patients.

A potential solution would be to institute a system whereby if clinical investigators apply for public funding, they would have to disclose results of all previously-conducted trials. And for privately-funded trials, results from all previous studies would have to be made available before the new trial could be registered.

"Millions of volunteers have participated in clinical trials to help find out more about the effects of treatments on disease, yet the important ethical issue of reporting results has been ignored widely. Information about what was done, and what was found in these trials could be lost forever, leading to bad treatment decisions, missed opportunities for good medicine, and trials being repeated unnecessarily. This situation should not be allowed to continue," Mr Perez-Alija will conclude.

ESTRO President Professor Philip Poortmans commented: "Patients who agree to participate in trials do so for the unselfish reason that they want to help others to have the best possible treatment in the future. Not to publish results is unfair to them, to future patients, and to medicine as a whole."

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Children with mild gastroenteritis and minimal dehydration experienced fewer treatment failures such as IV rehydration or hospitalization when offered half-strength apple juice followed by their preferred fluid choice compared with children who received electrolyte maintenance solution to replace fluid losses, according to a study published online by JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting.

Gastroenteritis is a common pediatric illness. Electrolyte maintenance solution is recommended to treat and prevent dehydration, although it is relatively expensive and its taste can limit use. Its advantage in minimally dehydrated children is unproven. Stephen B. Freedman, M.D.C.M., M.Sc., of the University of Calgary, Canada, and colleagues randomly assigned children age 6 to 60 months with gastroenteritis and minimal dehydration to receive color-matched half-strength apple juice/preferred fluids (n = 323) or apple-flavored electrolyte maintenance solution (n = 324). After discharge, the half-strength apple juice/preferred fluids group was administered fluids as desired; the electrolyte maintenance solution group replaced losses with electrolyte maintenance solution.

The primary outcome for the study was a composite of treatment failure defined by any of the following occurring within 7 days of enrollment: intravenous rehydration, hospitalization, subsequent unscheduled physician encounter, protracted symptoms, crossover, and 3 percent or more weight loss or significant dehydration at in-person follow-up.

Among 647 randomized children (average age, 28 months; 68 percent without evidence of dehydration), 644 completed follow-up. Children who were administered diluted apple juice experienced treatment failure less often than those given electrolyte maintenance solution (17 percent vs 25 percent). Fewer children administered apple juice/preferred fluids received intravenous rehydration (2.5 percent vs 9 percent). Hospitalization rates and diarrhea and vomiting frequency were not significantly different between groups.

The authors write that these results challenge the recommendation to routinely administer electrolyte maintenance solution when diarrhea begins, based primarily on an unblinded study in which blocks of participants were provided instructions for use of electrolyte maintenance solution or instructions plus a prescription for electrolyte maintenance solution at no charge. "The present study findings, derived from a larger and more heterogeneous population, confirmed via provincial registries, and conducted in an era when complicated episodes of gastroenteritis have become uncommon, may more accurately reflect the effect rehydration fluid choice has on unscheduled medical visits."

"In many high-income countries, the use of dilute apple juice and preferred fluids as desired may be an appropriate alternative to electrolyte maintenance fluids in children with mild gastroenteritis and minimal dehydration."

###

(doi:10.1001/jama.2016.5352; this study is available pre-embargo at the For The Media website.)

Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
On Thursday it issued a precautionary injunction, halting the transfer of a tranche of bonds (PTBENKM0012) from state-rescued Novo Banco back to bad bank BES and demanded they be transferred back to Novo Banco.

The move was requested by Merrill Lynch, an investor in the bonds. The Bank of Portugal was given 10 days to respond.

"There has been no definitive decision by the court," insists the Bank of Portugal. "The Lisbon administrative court provisionally issued a precautionary injunction concerning one series of bonds, without hearing the Bank of Portugal's position.

"The Bank of Portugal respects the provisional decision, but will immediately request that it be lifted."

The Bank of Portugal has taken an aggressive stance in its attempt to bail in bondholders and plug Novo Banco's capital hole. The patience of the Portuguese public has been sorely tested with a series of bank bailouts and the central bank's options are limited.

The transfer of these bonds together with four other tranches of bonds back to BES at the end of last year provoked uproar in the market and was an inauspicious debut for Europe's Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive.

For the full story see Banking: Portugals bail-in bombshell.
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Popular taxi booking app Uber has said it has no plans to come to Exeter, after launching in three new cities.

Cabbies in 20 towns and cities across the UK can be booked through the smartphone gadget.

But so far the closest to Exeter that Uber has come is Bristol.

However, now the service has launched in Cardiff, Portsmouth and Southampton as well.

That has fuelled speculation that Uber could be eyeing Exeter as its next stop.

Other places where Uber is available include London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle, Sheffield, Merseyside, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Leicester, Belfast, Sunderland and parts of the Home Counties.

But it appears Exeter will not see Uber anytime soon.

A representative of Uber told The Echo: "In order for Uber to launch in a new city we need two things. The first is an operator's license from the council, and the second is a team on the ground to run the business. At this stage Uber hasn't even applied for a license in Exeter. As such we have no current plans to launch in the city."

Uber works by connecting drivers with people who need a cab through a smartphone app.

All of the company's registered drivers are licensed and insured for private hire by the local authority.

When a customer books a taxi, they will be told who their driver is, what vehicle they are in and what time it is likely to arrive.

Some other cab firms also use that method to keep their passengers safe.
WASHINGTON  U.S. regulators want to put an end to a longtime Wall Street custom of giving executives multimillion-dollar windfalls when they leave for government jobs.

The practice, in which banks accelerate payments of stock options and other awards that may not be due for years, has benefited top appointees such as Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, as well as numerous lower-level officials. The payouts have come under scrutiny as lawmakers and the 2016 presidential candidates decry the closeness of Washington to the finance industry.

Language barring the immediate vesting of deferred compensation was tucked into a rule proposed last month that seeks to rein in improper risk-taking by bankers, brokers and asset managers. If approved, the measure could force financiers to leave a huge chunk of their bonus on the table, significantly changing the calculus for those considering a stint in public service.

Its good to see that regulators are concerned, said Heather Slavkin Corzo, director of the office of investment at the AFL-CIO, which has campaigned to limit such awards, arguing that they can lead to lax oversight. If somebodys just given you a big wad of money they werent required to give you, it might give you a warm, fuzzy feeling about them.

Speeding up payouts is often a perk reserved for employees who accept government positions. Those who jump to competitors usually lose deferred compensation, which is meant to foster loyalty and help banks retain their best workers.

Agencies slipped the provision into the bigger pay proposal released April 21, writing that accelerating incentive compensation is generally inappropriate, unless its for reasons out of the employees control  such as death or disability. The broader plan is required under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act.

The National Credit Union Administration was the first of six regulators to propose the rule. The regulation is subject to months of public comment and potential rewriting before a final version will take effect.

Lew joined the Obama administration in 2009 from Citigroup Inc., which had stipulated in his employment contract that it wouldnt pay incentive and retention awards if he quit. However, the agreement provided an exemption if Lew accepted a high-level position in the U.S. government. In a federal financial disclosure form, Lew noted that he was due to receive $250,000 to $500,000 worth of accelerated Citigroup stock when he left the company. He also reported $1.1 million of salary and discretionary cash compensation.

The issue of speeding up deferred pay got much more attention in late 2014 when President Barack Obama nominated Antonio Weiss, an investment banker at Lazard Ltd., for a top Treasury job.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, whos now seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren blasted the selection, arguing it was a prime example of the revolving door between Wall Street and Washington that results in regulators going soft on industry. Lazard agreed to give Weiss about $21 million in stock and delayed pay when he left, income he had earned but that had not yet vested.

At the time of the battle over Weisss nomination, Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO labor federation, sent a letter to Lazard and six other Wall Street banks arguing that accelerating payments was akin to receiving a golden parachute for entering government service.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Regulators benefit by hiring from financial firms, according to supporters, because an industry background provides expertise that cant be replicated in Washington. In addition, such experience can be helpful in ferreting out wrongdoing. Often top bankers give up seven-figure salaries for jobs that pay less than $200,000 a year.

Most people who go into government dont go because they want to get their stock options to accelerate, said Peter Wallison, a former White House counsel to President Ronald Reagan who is now a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. They want to build a career. And they want to learn things.

While the debate over whether companies gain when their executives join the government has long raged, it has become even more of a flash point after taxpayers were forced to bail out the biggest U.S. banks during the 2008 financial crisis.

Last year, Democratic lawmakers proposed legislation that would ban financial firms from issuing deferred compensation immediately.

No company would offer these payments if they didnt yield some benefits to them, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland said when announcing the bill in July with Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. Theres absolutely no reason that someone entering government service would need a payment from any outside source as a reward for that service.
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On that December evening, Shaun Conley walked through the door of his pretty brick house in The Woodlands, scooping up kids as they ran to him. His smile stayed bright through dinner, through baths and story time, never once betraying the churn in his gut.

How was your day? his wife, Christie, asked.

Fine, Shaun replied, as he had a thousand times before. Only later, after their three children were asleep, did he begin to fall.

He pulled his bewildered wife into their bedroom and closed the door.

We need to talk, he began, swallowing hard. I was laid off today.

In truth, it was not a complete surprise. Tens of thousands of people in the regions decimated oil and gas industries have lost jobs since the price of crude went into free fall. Still, his wife paced the room, cursing Baker Hughes, the global oil service giant and the only company for which 37-year-old Shaun had ever worked.

He told her they would be OK. She repeated it back to him. But in the predawn darkness, neither could sleep.

For Shaun, despair and math collided. How long would their savings last? Could they keep the house? Had he failed his family?

Christie was battling another panic, hers coming in a single thought: What will they do for health insurance?

It is a uniquely American predicament that strikes its middle class the hardest.

The Affordable Care Act has provided insurance to millions of poor and near-poor in recent years, but an unanticipated coverage gap has emerged for the middle and upper-middle classes. When people who once had good jobs with good health plans lose both, they suddenly are seen as too affluent to qualify for assistance yet in reality are too strapped to afford the policies available in the individual market.

In the U.S., losing your job could mean losing your health insurance. Most other countries dont do this, says Jessica Roberts, director of the Health Law & Policy Institute at University of Houstons Law Center.

There are options for people like the Conleys, but none of them is good. For them, the safety nets of this country fail to catch.

The most common advice is to turn to COBRA, a federal program that allows unemployed workers to keep their previous employer-based coverage. Some say it is well named because of its bite.

People who use COBRA often must pay for the entire premium of typically expensive policies without any employer contribution plus an additional administrative surcharge. That can bring premiums for a family well in excess of $1,000 a month, and they usually run out in 18 months.

The ACA, if anything, entrenched our dependence on employer-provided health insurance, Roberts says, explaining that under the law, large companies are now mandated to provide health coverage, which perpetuates the cycle. This is what we get when we link health insurance with employment.

It wasnt supposed to be like this. The majority of people in this country get their health insurance through their jobs, a perk that began in the post-World War II era and became deeply ingrained in the nations workplace culture. When the ACA passed in 2010, the assumption was that those without employer plans could turn to the health care exchange for affordable coverage.

Premiums would stay affordable because people with modest means could get subsidies to lower the price. The higher income brackets could afford to pay out of pocket.

But in the years since the law passed, coverage has narrowed, deductibles have risen and insurers have demanded double-digit rate increases in the individual market to counteract losses they say blindsided them.

Those with subsidies have been mostly shielded. But for those who dont qualify, health coverage is becoming increasingly out of reach.

Thats the hole, Roberts says. It is contrary to the spirit of the law.

Nowhere is that hole sinking faster than in Houston, a city built on oil and gas.

In the summer of 2014, crude oil was trading at $107 per barrel. Salaries and benefit packages were sky high to woo the best. Then came the crash, swift and brutal. Today, the price of oil has been slashed by more than half.

Last year alone, nearly 50,000 people in the Houston area, roughly the population of Biloxi, Miss., saw their energy-sector jobs vanish, says Bill Gilmer, an economist and director of the Institute for Regional Forecasting at the University of Houston.

On Dec. 3, Shaun Conley became one of the Houston 50,000.

Late in the afternoon, his boss texted him, asking to meet in the conference room. When Conley arrived, the first thing he saw was a woman from human resources with a blue folder. Everyone knew what the blue folder meant.

Shaun had worked for Baker Hughes for 15 years, hired out of college to work on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. He rose to operation manager in a glass office making just over six figures. When he returned to that office that day, two boxes for his belongings were waiting for him.

As he began working on his resume, his wife began working the phone, looking for health insurance.

Christie, a stay-at-home mother of children ages 5, 3 and 1, has severe allergies treated with immunotherapy injections. The company insurance plan, extended for three months as part of Shauns severance package, ran out early last month. Christies treatments will last until the end of April.

She first turned to the federal exchanges special enrollment period. But because a lump sum severance payment landed in January, the family income for this year is considered too high for a subsidy  even though neither is working.

The kind of coverage she hoped for cost about $1,200 a month out of pocket on the exchange.

But even if they paid it, none of the childrens doctors are in network on any exchange plans. Christies doctor told her he would not accept any plans off the exchange because they are too narrow and wont allow referrals for tests and treatments convenient for his patients.

Christie then looked to the private individual market. One plans premium was $1,300 per month and had a yearly family deductible of $13,000.

She found a more affordable option, an a la carte plan offered through Private Healthcare Systems that her doctor accepts. The stripped-down offering cost about $600 a month but allows only three sick visits each year per person. There is no coverage for checkups for her children or preventive care.

Still, she figured she could take the kids to community clinics for their immunizations since the state of Texas offers those for free.

Then she discovered the plan is not accredited under the health care law. That means the family would face a $2,300 penalty for being uninsured.

Which left COBRA. The Conleys now pay $1,740 per month  more than their mortgage payment.

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They know they are luckier than some. They stockpiled savings, and the childrens grandparents have stepped in to pay for the extras of childhood like swim lessons and preschool. But the bills keep coming. Money is tight and getting tighter. Starbucks is now a luxury.

Christie was a teacher before having kids. She could do it again but is not certified in Texas. Even if she found a teaching job, day care for three young children would run nearly $3,000 a month, erasing most if not all of her paycheck.

Shaun has sent out hundreds of resumes. Looking for work fills his days. Each Wednesday morning, he drives to the NorthWest Bible Church in Spring to the Between Jobs Ministry.

These days, he says, ministry meetings get so crowded, they are hanging from the rafters. Four hundred is not uncommon, many in suits and ties, clutching resumes to press into the hands of anyone who will take them.

He has had one interview in four months and didnt get the job. Hes starting to look in other fields.

Texas continues to lead the nation in both the number and rate of uninsured, with as many as 5 million lacking coverage. If the oil industry collapse continues, that number could rise.

This would be an entirely different population, Roberts says.

Its not like people want to be uninsured. Most people would love to have insurance, says Amanda Shiller, a 37-year-old Magnolia mother of two, sitting outside her mothers auto repair garage, where she now helps out.

As a senior buyer making $74,000 per year, she had dodged the layoffs that swept through Canrig Drilling Technology last January and April. On Oct. 20, it was her time to go. She remembers the dread of seeing a woman from human resources already there at 6 a.m. The police were parked outside in case anyone got too angry.

Shillers health insurance expired at midnight. She rushed to the drugstore and filled her prescriptions while she still had coverage. She has a thyroid condition, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder.

She used to have spells when she felt irritable, her brain racing. Then she fell into deep remorse.

The medication was like an immediate fix. I feel like Im myself all the time. I feel normal, she says, adding that her conditions did not interfere with her work when on medication.

Her husband, Josh, works for his stepfathers law office doing administrative work, but the job pays less and does not offer insurance. With her income and insurance gone, they could not afford $1,600 per month for COBRA. She looked online at the exchange plans but initially thought they also were too expensive. She found an off-exchange plan for about $450 a month, but it did not cover her $1,200-per-month prescriptions.

She considered skipping insurance. She has friends who now do that. She figured that with online pharmacy coupons she could get the price down and it would be cheaper to pay out of pocket even with the penalty for being uninsured. But her son plays sports, and his teams require insurance.

So with credit cards maxed out and bills piling up, she began rationing pills.

I would skip doses or take them every other day to make them last, she admits. When she stopped taking them entirely in late March, she felt the agitation creeping back. Stress makes her condition worse.

Earlier this month, she returned to the exchange. This time she called instead of logging on and was told her family qualified for a subsidy to reduce the premium to $483 per month.

She cashed out her entire 401(k) retirement account to pay off the truck, an old construction loan and all of the credit cards. When her unemployment runs out in May, she thinks they probably can make it.

I still view myself as middle class, she says, but life is changing for us.

jenny.deam@chron.com
When the head of the cruise line took the time to stop by and wish everyone well, we surmised this might not be an ordinary week on the water.

CEO Dan Blanchard of Un-Cruise Adventures addressed 75 of us in a ballroom in the Baranof Hotel in downtown Juneau and made it clear this would be like no other Alaskan cruise because of its focus on freedom to explore. Our week-long journey aboard the 232-foot-long, 1,425-ton Safari Endeavour also would be without Internet connectivity, souvenir shopping, glitzy musical revues and midnight buffets. Instead, we would venture into wilderness nooks and crannies to experience the glories of wild Alaska.

Anticipation intensified as my wife Shelley, 13-year-old daughter Beverly and yours truly  along with 25 other family members and friends in our group  boarded the Safari Endeavour on a drizzly mid-July afternoon. We located our compact-yet-comfortable cabins, unpacked our gear that included rain-repelling/warmth-conserving outerwear and rejoiced as the Safari Endeavour eased out of Juneau, bound for the Marble Islands and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Following a cruise overview in the ships cozy lounge, we went out on deck to see a half-dozen killer whales in search of their evening meal. Definitely a good sign of things to come, followed by a restful nights sleep in our bunks.

En route to Glacier Bay in the morning mist, we glided by rocky coastline populated by husky Steller sea lions, much more imposing than their smaller and more common California sea lion cousins. After breakfast, we attended an orientation that detailed the tempting menu of daily outdoor activities including kayaking, forays by skiff in search of wildlife, beachcombing explorations and standup paddleboarding. Personable crew members with encyclopedic knowledge of Alaskan flora and fauna shared their expertise as well as kept their eyes on every adventurer to prevent any mishaps.

Each day, we awoke in a different pristine inlet with low clouds interspersing the stands of tall evergreens that somehow clung to nearly vertical mountainsides. Saginaw Bay in the Tongass National Forest proved to be especially memorable because of a bushwhack, a challenging hike through seemingly impenetrable rain forest. A skiff put us ashore on a pebble-strewn beach at the edge of the dense forest, with countless downed trees to climb over and under, squishy moss underfoot and, in a few open areas, bogs filled with water and jet-black mud. Bear scat, or droppings, was everywhere, but no sightings or close encounters of the carnivore kind occurred during the all-afternoon-long bushwhack.

For less-hardy explorers, a leisurely beach walk or even a no-exertion-at-all skiff ride were alternatives. As a result, every member of our group  ranging in age from 2 to 82  found suitable adventures.

Another magical moment happened one afternoon when 20 or more humpback whales frolicked in the chilly Chatham Strait. They splashed, slapped the water with their flippers, dove and breached in amazing displays of acrobatics. During one unbelievable instance, seven or eight whales breached simultaneously and created not just a huge splash but a tidal wave. Members of the crew whove traversed Alaskan waters for years claimed they had never seen something quite so spectacular.

This summer, Un-Cruise Adventures will dispatch six small ships and yachts on seven different adventure-cruise itineraries lasting a week to 12 days. The itineraries have been arranged to allow travelers the option of combining up to three different weeklong cruises on the same vessel for voyages of 14 and 22 days. This will be Un-Cruise Adventures 20th year of plying Alaskan waters. When the summer cruise season ends up north, the scene shifts southward for adventure cruises in Costa Rica and Panama. Complete details about itineraries, amenities and costs can be found at www.Un-Cruise.com.

On the last day of the cruise, the Safari Endeavour eased past icebergs of all sizes in Endicott Arm on the way toward impressive Dawes Glacier. We boarded a skiff to get a close-up look at the bluish wall of ice and marveled at the high mountain walls around Dawes, the calving (huge chunks of ice noisily falling down from the glaciers face) and other glaciers straddling nearby mountain peaks. We also observed thunderous waterfalls spilling innumerable gallons of melting snow into the carved-out fjord, seals lounging on icebergs and the Safari Endeavour circling the inlet because it was too deep to anchor. Nature guide Sarah warmed us up with hot chocolate infused with peppermint schnapps.

Following a farewell dinner and remarks by Capt. Ron Short, everyone retired to the lounge for a 20-minute slide show of the weeks adventures. Then, as if on cue as the ship headed into Stephens Passage and north toward Juneau, several humpback whales showed up for a photo session at sunset.

As Blanchard pointed out, We specialize in wilderness explorations, and each trip is different. Thats the benefit of expedition cruising. Flexibility is freedom to explore.

Bob McCullough lives in the Hill Country and writes about travel as well as other timely topics.
Gary Coronado /Houston Chronicle

No new cases of the Zika virus were confirmed in Bexar County in the past week, according to an update released today by the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.

So far, the number of confirmed Zika cases in Bexar County stands at four, a statistic that hasnt changed since April 13. All four Bexar County patients who tested positive for the virus so far acquired the infection while traveling abroad.
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The discovery just before midnight Thursday of eight unsupervised children ages 10 months to 13 years, including two toddlers found leashed and chained in a backyard, shocked officials as they tried to piece together what had occurred at the home in Northeast Bexar County.

Its sickening, Bexar County Sheriffs Office spokesman James Keith said. To call this horrific would be an understatement. If it wasnt for our deputies and this caller who tipped us off, we know that this could have had an even worse outcome.

Porucha Denise Phillips, 34, who authorities believe is the mother of six of the children, was charged with a third-degree felony count of injury to a child by omission resulting in bodily injury and another resulting in serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony, the sheriffs office confirmed Friday.

Phillips was arrested at the home in the 8100 block of Chipping Drive in the Camelot II subdivision, an unincorporated area of Bexar County.

Investigators allege Phillips, who Keith later confirmed is pregnant, was also responsible for the care of a 3-year-old girl who was found tied to a door with a leash and a 2-year-old boy who was chained up in the backyard, although the exact nature of their relationship was unclear.

Late Friday, Phillips was being held in jail in lieu of $150,000 bail.

Deputies were initially dispatched to the home after an area resident called around 11:45 p.m. Thursday to report possible child abuse.

The caller told deputies they could hear a child that had been crying in the homes backyard for some time, Keith said. Deputies arrived shortly after and knocked on the front door of the house, but no one answered.

When the first responders grabbed a ladder to look into the backyard, they saw the 2-year-old boy chained to the ground and the 3-year-old girl tied to a door with a dog leash.

Deputies went into the yard and freed the children, who were taken to an area hospital to be checked out. Keith said the girl had a newly broken arm and was taken to an intensive care unit.

Authorities made their way into the home and found the six additional children inside, who did not show any signs of abuse, Keith said. While investigators were still at the scene, Phillips and the father of the children showed up at the house and were detained.

The father of the six children has not been charged. Keith said investigators believe the man was at work during the incident.

Keith said investigators are actively searching for the parents of the two children found in the backyard.

We have the name of the mother but are unable to locate her, he said. The phone number that Ms. Phillips has given us for this woman goes to a San Antonio business, but we dont know if it is legitimate.

All eight children are now in the care of Child Protective Services.

A neighbor who said shes close friends with Phillips, but did not wish to be identified, said shes not a neglectful person and takes good care of the eight children.

Both the neighbor and her relative Rosie Hardeman, who was visiting Friday afternoon, confirmed that two of the children did not belong to Phillips but said she takes good care of them.

The two said a woman from Sacramento, California, dropped the children off with Phillips about six months ago, although Keith said authorities had received conflicting information on when Phillips took possession of the toddlers.

Shes a good mother, the neighbor said of Phillips. She was just trying to help out.

On Thursday night, the neighbor said Phillips had gone to the store to buy milk and eggs, leaving the children in the care of her oldest child.

Some children in the neighborhood told Hardeman thats when another child tied and chained up the boy and girl in a cops and robbers game.

In fiscal year 2015, there were 4,941 confirmed child victims of abuse or neglect in Bexar County. Four children died from maltreatment. Last year, more than 5,400 children were removed from their homes in the county  the highest removal rate in Texas, said Anais Biera Miracle, a spokeswoman for the Childrens Shelter in San Antonio.

The home is owned by Pho Han D Family Limited Partnership, which owns at least two dozen other properties in Bexar County, according to appraisal district records. Calls placed to numbers associated with the partnership and properties were either not answered or the line has been disconnected.

Resident Moses Villasenor said Friday evening many of the residents keep to themselves and that there isnt often a need for authorities in the neighborhood. Another resident, who lives closer to where the incident occurred, said the houses often have drugs going through them and that theyre kept in poor condition.

In 2015, in a series of stories, Express-News editorial page columnist Josh Brodesky portrayed Chipping Drive and the surrounding Camelot II neighborhood, though a well-integrated, working-class subdivision, as often defined by its rampant trash, drug use, absentee owners and slumlords. Describing two townhomes at the corner of Oldham and Chipping, Brodesky wrote: They are packed with human and animal filth from the squatters and strays that pass through their broken doors and windows. Their insides have been stripped, gutted, tagged and torn.

Later Friday, the scene was quiet. No police or crime-scene tape were visible around the house, which had burglar bars covering the front windows and posters blocking views inside.

They didnt come out much, area resident Chris Tippery said. They keep (the kids) in the house for the most part.

Sometimes you would see them outside in their diapers.  they seemed like all right people, he said.

Staff Writer Melissa Fletcher Stoeltje and news researchers Michael Knoop and Misty Harris contributed to this report.
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Two new eyewitnesses say Marquise Jones was unarmed and running away when he was fatally shot by an off-duty San Antonio police officer in 2014, contradicting police reports about that confrontation, an attorney for Jones family said Friday.

Daryl Washington revealed the new information about the case in the lobby of the Frost Bank downtown as Police Chief William McManus was being deposed on the 18th floor in a federal lawsuit that Jones family brought against the city.

Officer Robert Encina was working security in February 2014 when he shot Jones, 23, in a parking lot near Chachos & Chaluccis, in the 8600 block of Perrin Beitel Road.

According to a police report, the incident began when one car bumped into another. Encina directed the driver to turn off the vehicle. Thats when Jones got out of the passenger side of the car. The police report said Jones had a handgun.

Friday, Washington said the witnesses: an employee of Chachos and a customer at the drive-through window of the restaurant, had given sworn testimony that Jones didnt have a gun that night. The attorney said both people reported they saw Jones get out of his car and that he was running away when he was shot.

The attorney declined to name the witnesses; their statements were not made available Friday.

In December, a Bexar County grand jury decided not to indict Encina, a six-year veteran at the time of the shooting.

Washington said not all of the information was given to the district attorneys office during depositions. The attorney claimed details that were withheld included that Jones was running from the scene. He also said only two individuals, Encina and another employee at Chachos, said they saw Jones with a gun.

That is very critical information, Washington said. And based on the statements of the new witnesses who have come forward, we are requesting that District Attorney (Nicholas) LaHood reopen this investigation and present the new information to the grand jury.

Washington said one of the witnesses didnt come forward earlier because he thought there was no doubt that the officer would be charged with murder.

After having an opportunity to review the case and discovering that the officer wasnt indicted, in good conscience he came forward, Washington said. He reached out to me.

Washington also said the location of a handgun about 15 feet from Jones body shown in a crime scene photo taken that night appears to be incompatible with the actions as described by Encina.

Police Sgt. Jesse Salame said the department wasnt aware of any new revelations regarding new witnesses.

This is a civil proceeding and because there is ongoing litigation, we cant comment on that, Salame said. Whenever there is a criminal case and a civil case, those two things tend to run on separate tracks, but if there is info that wasnt previously known before or there is new information that comes to light, of course that is something that can always be considered.

vtdavis@express-news.net
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On Friday, politicians from San Antonio and Austin sent a joint message to the federal government on clean air regulations: Let us handle it on our own.

Members of the Alamo Area Council of Governments and the Capital Area Council of Governments approved a resolution asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for more flexibility and local control over how to meet federal standards for ground-level ozone, the key component of smog.

The resolution comes days before a Tuesday vote by Bexar County commissioners on an order that would ban drivers of trucks 14,000 pounds or more from idling their vehicles for more than five minutes. It would apply to most heavy-duty commercial vehicles and buses. A similar ordinance will likely go before the San Antonio City Council in June, said Doug Melnick, the citys sustainability officer.

AACOG and CAPCOG committee members are hoping that voluntary measures such as this, plus a little leniency from the EPA, can help them avoid regulations that could make it difficult for new or expanding businesses to get air permits or for transportation planners to get new highway project approved, among others.

What were doing is trying to reduce the long-term pain, said San Antonio District 8 Councilman Ron Nirenberg, chairman of AACOGs air committee.

The resolution asks the EPA to factor in the uncertainty over how ozone is measured and averaged. It urges the EPA to also consider pollution that blows in from outside the region and legal nuances in the Clean Air Act that give the EPA some discretion in applying the rules.

The resolution is part of an attempt by both regions to avoid violating the ozone section of the EPAs National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

In 2017, the EPA could designate San Antonio and Austin as officially over the ozone limit for the first time in their history. San Antonios current average ozone concentration is 71 parts per billion, compared with Austins 69 ppb. Last October, the EPA lowered the federal standard from 75 to 70 ppb in an effort to protect public health.

Federal health scientists and others say ozone can cause coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath in the short term and may worsen asthma or lung disease over many years.

Colin Leyden, a state regulatory and legislative affairs manager for the advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund, was disappointed that the resolution included no language on public health. He attended the AACOG and CAPCOG meeting Friday.

I think it would be better to focus energy on figuring out how to meet the national health standards instead of technical and esoteric arguments asking the EPA to fundamentally change how they apply the Clean Air Act, he said.

Fridays resolution was the first such joint decision between the two groups. The two cities share air pollution that wafts to and fro and tens of thousands of highway commuters who live in one city and travel to the other, according to data presented by Andrew Hoekzema, CAPCOGs air quality program manager.

Were really destined to address similar air challenges, said Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, chairwoman of CAPCOGs air committee.

High ozone season typically lasts from April through early fall as hot, stagnant air creates the ideal conditions for ozone formation. This summer marks the last chance for the two cities to cut air pollution in the hopes of meeting or only barely exceeding the standard.

State air data show that most of the ozone-forming air pollution in Bexar County and surrounding counties comes from relatively small, spread-out sources such as cars, trucks, construction equipment, use of industrial chemicals, controlled burns and other such nonpoint sources.

Besides promoting Bexar Countys anti-idling order, AACOG has been trying to create more incentive programs for San Antonio commuters to share rides. It also gives awards to businesses, nonprofits and government entities that take steps to cut energy use and emissions.

The Austin area has taken steps of its own, too. In 2004, Travis and neighboring Williamson counties passed orders requiring drivers to get vehicle emissions tests, a strategy that could be on the table for San Antonio.

Those counties standard led to an 11 to 15 percent drop in emissions of ozone-forming chemicals from gasoline-powered vehicles, Hoekzema said.

It also came without severe political consequences, he said. A 2014 survey found above 70 percent approval among respondents who identified as very liberal or very conservative.

bgibbons@express-news.net

Twitter: @bgibbs
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AUSTIN  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton kept paying his scheduling director after she had left his office and exhausted all of her vacation time, the office disclosed Friday, bringing the number of aides who continued to receive paychecks after resigning to three.

The former scheduling director, longtime political aide Katie Lawhon, resigned her post in Paxtons office March 21 and ran out her vacation time earlier this week, but she continued receiving her roughly $85,000 annual salary under a status called emergency leave.

Paxtons former second-in-command and former communications director also got post-resignation pay under that status, which is supposed to be for state workers who have suffered a death in the family or have shown good cause for getting paid without working.

Unlike those officials, however, Lawhons time on emergency leave will be short-lived. After the story of her arrangement appeared Friday, the attorney generals office said her leave would end that day.

The office declined further comment other than to confirm that Lawhon had gotten three days of pay while on emergency leave.

Lawhon did not return messages seeking comment. She and the former communications director, Allison Castle, both told the Texas Tribune that they did not ask for any leave beyond earned vacation time. Castle told the Tribune that Paxton had asked for her resignation and that she had been given a prewritten resignation letter that included the terms of her compensation package, which she signed.

Critics decried the arrangement, saying it amounted to taxpayer-funded favoritism for high-ranking employees.

Paxtons use of emergency leave has drawn scrutiny since being revealed this month by the Dallas Morning News because it is unusual for that type of pay to be given to former employees.

The attorney generals office has defended the practice, including in a letter from its human resources department that called it compassionate, legal and ethical.

On Friday, Progress Texas, an Austin-based liberal advocacy group, asked the state auditors office to investigate whether Paxton broke any policies or laws.

A spokesman for Gov. Greg Abbott declined to say whether the governor thinks an investigation was justified.

All of those who have benefited from the unusual arrangement have been high-ranking members of Paxtons administration. Lawhon, former First Assistant Attorney General Chip Roy and Castle, the attorney generals former communications director, were among the initial hires announced by Paxtons transition team before he took office. All had worked for other politicians; Lawhon had advised then-Gov. Rick Perry and then-Comptroller Susan Combs.

Roy drew extra scrutiny because he left Paxtons office to join a super PAC supporting the presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. He eventually explained he was taking emergency leave so he could continue to take advantage of his state health benefits, a key consideration because he was in remission for cancer. He gave up the leave after it was revealed, saying he had gotten clearance from his doctor.

Marc Rylander, a Paxton spokesman, said Friday that five current and former employees were listed as being on emergency leave: Castle, Lawhon and three other staffers who do not appear to have left the agency.

Records released by the office also revealed that another high-ranking official has recently left: Zindia Thomas, an assistant attorney general and the agencys public information coordinator, who had been making an annual salary of about $90,000.

Thomas and Lawhon are the latest in a series of departures from Paxtons office, particularly in the communications arena.

In addition to Roy and Castle, the agency also recently lost its chief of staff, Bernard McNamee, and two prominent spokeswomen, Katherine Wise and Cynthia Meyer.

brian.rosenthal@chron.com

twitter.com/brianmrosenthal
AUSTIN  The U.S. Supreme Court refused Friday to block Texas voter ID law for the 2016 elections but left open the potential that it could intervene in the case in the near future.

In a one-paragraph order, the court snubbed civil rights groups challenging Texas law but gave a federal appeals court currently handling the lawsuit until July 20 to issue a ruling  or it might step in.

The court recognizes the time constraints the parties confront in light of the scheduled elections in November 2016, the order reads. If on or before July 20, 2016, the court of appeals has neither issued an opinion on the merits of the case nor issued an order vacating or modifying the current stay order, an aggrieved party may seek interim relief from this court by filing an appropriate application.

A federal judge in 2014 found that Texas law requiring voters to show picture identification at the polls violated parts of the Voting Rights Act. A three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with that ruling last year and ordered the law to be fixed.

However, the 5th Circuit has allowed the law to stay in effect without change after both rulings. The full bench of the appeals court has agreed to rehear the case May 24.

The civil rights groups argued that the 5th Circuits scheduling of the case is likely to prevent a ruling in time for the 2016 elections. Texas starts its election preparations in June, just days after the full appeals court will revisit the case.

U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, and civil rights groups suing Texas asked the Supreme Court last month to vacate the 5th Circuit ruling that has allowed the voter ID law to continue being used unchanged and to reinstate an injunction against the law.

Fridays ruling shot down that request after it was deliberated for more than month, a timeline that lawyers say indicates that the justices were split and possibly reached a compromise ruling. It would have taken the votes of five of the current eight justices to have blocked the law.

The ruling gave both sides leeway to claim some element of victory.

Attorney General Ken Paxton said: We appreciate the Supreme Court allowing the law to remain in effect at this time and look forward to defending the merits of our case in front of the entire 5th Circuit next month.

However, Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California-Irvine who has been following the case, wrote on his blog that the courts ruling included a bit of good news for opponents of Texas law.

I was very, very skeptical of the benefits of seeking this emergency order, but putting the 5th Circuit on a set schedule prevents not only dawdling but intentional foot-dragging so as to allow the law to remain in effect for the November election, he wrote.

Jose Garza, a lawyer for the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, said the Supreme Court sent a clear message.

The Supreme Court will not accept any more delay tactics from the Texas attorney general and has set a deadline for when it may take additional action if needed, he said.

And Manny Garcia, Texas Democratic Party deputy executive director, said the state party is pleased to see that the Supreme Court will be clarifying any confusion for voters before the presidential election.

It will soon be time for the high court to have a final say in this matter, Garcia said.

drauf@express-news.net
Shropshire

A Full-Time position is available for an assistant herdsperson on a family dairy farm in mid Shropshire. We have a 250 dairy herd rearing own replacements together with a b...
Effects of Solar Farms on Local Biodiversity

Solar farms can significantly boost local biodiversity, delivering benefits to wildlife and potentially even boosting pollination of surrounding crops, according to a new solar industry-backed survey.



Sponsored by a number of solar developers, the study enlarged upon preliminary ecological survey work in 2013 - by looking at four key indicators across a total of 11 solar farms during 2015.
New data revealed today shows bees can be exposed to more pesticides from contaminated wildflowers than from crops on farms.

The research, discussed at a scientific briefing in London today (28 April 2016) organised by the Soil Association, showed a staggering 97% of the neonicotinoids brought back to honeybee hives in pollen could come from wildflowers - not oilseed rape.

The briefing looked at the latest scientific research and its implications for the environment and the future use of neonicotinoid pesticides in the UK.

The panel included three leading experts on the impacts of neonicotinoid pesticides on pollinators - Professor Dave Goulson, Dr Lynn Dicks and Dr Penelope Whitehorn. Peter Campbell from Syngenta responded to the presentations from the three scientists.

The panel discussed the recently published, first ever assessment of pollinators by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), recent research on population impacts of neonicotinoids, and new research on the risk posed by neonicotinoids and other pesticides in wildflowers and hedgerows.

Professor Dave Goulson revealed new scientific research that found when neonicotinoids are applied to seeds, low concentrations are found in the nectar and pollen of the crop, which are then collected and consumed by bees.

But throughout spring and summer, mixtures of neonicotinoids and other pesticides are also found in the pollen and the nectar of wildflowers growing in arable field margins and hedgerow flowers like hawthorn, wild rose, blackberries and honeysuckle at concentrations that are sometimes much higher than those found in the crop.

'Contamination of wild plants near treated crops'

Dave Goulson said: "Indeed, the large majority (97%) of neonicotinoids brought back in pollen to honey bee hives in arable landscapes was from wildflowers, not crops.

"Both previous and ongoing field studies have been based on the premise that exposure to neonicotinoids would occur only during the blooming period of flowering crops and that it may be diluted by bees also foraging on untreated wildflowers.

"Here, we show that exposure is likely to be higher and more prolonged than currently recognised because of widespread contamination of wild plants growing near treated crops."

The Soil Association says one in 10 species of Europe's wild bees is facing extinction, and neonicotinoid insecticides are "increasingly seen as contributing to these declines.

"In addition to neonicotinoids, farmers may spray non-organic crops a dozen or more times while they are growing, with anything up to over 20 different chemicals."

'Pesticides key reason as to decline in bumbelees'

Peter Melchett, policy director at the Soil Association said: "This shocking new research shows that the very wildflowers that were designed to protect bees are actually killing them.

"The scientific panel agreed pesticides in general, and neonicotinoids in particular, are one of the key reasons why bumblebees and other pollinators are in decline.

"But the dramatic new issue raised at this briefing is that we cannot save bees while we continue any use of neonicotinoids - the current ban should be extended to all crops.

"The routine, regular use of any toxic chemical or drug is now seen as bad practice  and seed coatings like neonicotinoids are just that - used routinely, and long before any problem emerges - this prophylactic use of pesticides should be stopped."

To combat bee decline, the Governments Pollinator Strategy has focused on creating safe havens for bees by increasing flower habitats next to fields  yet research shows these flowers may be laden with dangerous chemicals.

'Manage the environment in a smart way'

The panel was chaired by Dr Alastair Leake who said: "We need to be as smart in the way we manage the environment as we are in the way we manage our crops."

Meanwhile, Dr Penelope Whitehorn concluded that neonicotinoids do have far reaching impacts on many different species.

Dr Lynn Dicks called for improving regulatory systems globally  some are not as robust as others and pollinators in countries like Africa are facing a rapid decline.

The panel concluded that the current ban on neonicotinoids should be maintained, and that more work needs to be done looking at chronic exposure to neonics.

They concluded the current regulatory system as being "flawed" and only looks at a limited period of exposure and does not include exposure to chemical cocktails.

The panel also called for more large-scale landscape studies.
Dog walkers in Edinburgh and the Lothians are being urged to keep their dogs on a lead or under close control after a spate of sheep worrying attacks in the Pentland Hills.

In just a matter of weeks there have been a number of incidents in and around Bonaly Country Park where dogs have chased sheep and young lambs.

As a result of these attacks one person has so far been charged with livestock worrying, according to Police Scotland.

The message is clear  keep your dogs under control, otherwise if they injure or worry sheep you could face prosecution.

NFU Scotland previously revealed that livestock worrying in Scotland last year is the highest it has been in six years. The issue is believed to be an under-reported one amongst farmers.

The Union has been working with stakeholders, including closely with Police Scotland as part of the national Scottish Partnership against Rural Crime to raise awareness of sheep worrying.

In early spring a nationwide campaign was launched to educate the public and remind owners to keep their dogs on leads around sheep.

'Robust approach to livestock worrying'

Gemma Thomson, NFU Scotlands Legal and Technical Policy Manager commented: "It is very disappointing that despite the extensive awareness raising that has taken place in recent months on this issue, members of the public continue to allow their dogs to worry sheep.

"NFU Scotland strongly supports a robust approach to this issue, including prosecution of irresponsible dog owners."

Lothians farmer Bob Barr, whose sheep have suffered a number of attacks recently, commented: "Whilst it is right that the public are able to enjoy the Scottish countryside, it is important that they respect us farmers who make a living there.

"These attacks have both a financial and emotional impact at an already stressful time of year.

"No one likes to see their stock distressed or killed, especially when it could so easily be avoided.

"The ewes and lambs are particularly vulnerable at this time of year; some are heavily pregnant, others have lambs which could be just hours or days old.

"It is vital the mother is not separated from her offspring at such a young age as the lamb will not be able to survive alone.

"Any dog walker exercising their access rights should ensure they are familiar with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and also ensure their dogs are adequately controlled so that they are unable to cause distress or injury to farm animals."

'Very damaging impact on farmers'

Inspector Liz Duthie of Police Scotland said: "The worrying of sheep and other livestock by domestic dogs can have a very damaging impact on the livelihoods of farmers as well as cause significant and unnecessary distress to the animals themselves.

"Police Scotland treats all such reports extremely seriously and will thoroughly investigate every incident.

"Sadly, on this latest occasion, one animal has died however local officers have now reported a man to the Procurator Fiscal in connection with this matter.

"I wish to take this opportunity to remind people of their responsibilities when walking their dogs in the countryside.

"Our advice is to always ensure that their pets are under control at all times. We also encourage people not to enter farm fields where livestock is grazing especially during calving season when the animals are more protective of their offspring."

Farmers and those who use the countryside are urged to report all incidents of livestock worrying to police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
Is Wawa coming to Fayetteville? Heres what we know.

Wawa, a Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain that residents have long clamored for, could be coming to the area.
Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin are set to join forces this summer for new romantic drama Me Before You.

Me Before You

Me Before You is a big screen adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jojo Moyes and sees Thea Sharrock in the director's chair. Moyes has adapted her own novel into a screenplay for the project.

Clarke and Claflin take on the central roles of Louisa Clark and Will Traynor and I am looking forward to seeing them in action. The brand new trailer for the film has been released and it looks like these two actors are going to have a great onscreen chemistry. Take a look:

Me Before You will mark the feature film directorial debut of Sharrock - she is best known for her television work with the likes of Call the Midwife and The Hollow Crown under her belt.

Me Before You sees her make the transition into feature film for the first time and it is always exciting when a feature film debut is on the horizon. Sharrock looks set to be one of the female filmmakers to keep an eye on over the next couple of years.

She has brought together a terrific cast list as Clarke and Claflin are joined by Jenna Coleman, Charles Dance, Janes McTeer, Brendan Coyle, Matthew Lewis, and Vanessa Kirby,

Oftentimes you find love where you least expect it. Sometimes it takes you where you never expected to go... Louisa "Lou" Clark (Clarke) lives in a quaint town in the English countryside. With no clear direction in her life, the quirky and creative 26-year-old goes from one job to the next in order to help her tight-knit family make ends meet. Her normally cheery outlook is put to the test, however, when she faces her newest career challenge.

Taking a job at the local "castle," she becomes caregiver and companion to Will Traynor (Claflin), a wealthy young banker who became wheelchair-bound in an accident two years prior, and whose whole world changed dramatically in the blink of an eye. No longer the adventurous soul he once was, the now cynical Will has all but given up. That is until Lou determines to show him that life is worth living. Embarking together on a series of adventures, both Lou and Will get more than they bargained for, and find their lives - and hearts - changing in ways neither one could have imagined.

Me Before You is released 3rd June.

by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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A new study has found that Brits have certain lines they have to cross before it's classed as cheating by their significant other.

Sex on Female First

One in ten Brits don't think that one night stands are cheating- and one in six think that kissing someone is absolutely fine.

The research found the things that Brits DO consider as being unfaithful- such as attending a strip show, sending private messages on social media or texting revealing pictures to someone else.

Surprisingly- the following were the things Brits did NOT consider to be cheating:

1. 'Dirty' dancing - 72% (of respondents think this does not count as cheating)

2. Flirting - 63%

3. Holding hands - 46%

4. Sleeping with other people if your partner is too - 34%

5. Membership to dating apps/websites - 29%

6. Having sexual relations with a member of the same sex - 22%

7. Kissing on the lips - 15%

8. One night stands - 10%

9. Having sexual relations when drunk - 9%

10. Having sexual relations with people abroad - 8%

This was closely followed by a list of things that are thought to be on the same scale as an affair:

1. Attending a strip show - 67% (of respondents think this does count as cheating)

2. Sending private messages on social media - 51%

3. Posting provocative pictures on social media - 41%

4. Watching pornography - 39%

5. Masturbation / using sex toys - 33%

6. Communicating with an ex-partner - 28%

7. Liking / publicly posting on social media - 26%

8. Flirting - 20%

9. Being close friends with a member of the opposite sex - 16%

10. Kissing on the cheek - 6%

When cheating was defined as 'sexual intention, contact or intercourse'- the couples were asked if they would forgive their partner if they did any of the above. The majority said 'no', unless their lover was drunk- in which case they might reconsider.

Only 28% would give their partners a second chance.

David Moore, Spokesperson for www.OneNightFling.com commented:

"Cheating can be a very difficult topic of conversation to have with your loved one. Everyone is different and all couples have different boundaries; what is acceptable for one person is a breach of trust to another. While some things are more black and white than others, we were very surprised by the variances in the results of this survey. I guess that what we can take from this is, if you want to explore your options, check with your partner first - they might just be ok with it!"
Sheridan Smith has been hit by claims she appeared on stage drunk.

Sheridan Smith

The 'Cilla' star is currently taking part in West End musical 'Funny Girl' at London's Savoy Theatre but was accused of being inebriated on stage when the show on Thursday evening (28.04.16) was halted after half an hour because of "technical reasons".

Abigail Richter, who attended the show, told The Sun newspaper: "It was an unbelievable disaster. Sheridan was all over the place. At one point she was standing centre stage and her leg goes from underneath her.

"She started in a Bronx accent but slipped into Irish. Then there was a dance scene where at one point she grabbed the dancers' balls. She walked off and they literally just dropped the curtains."

Whilst audience member Emma John added on Twitter: "@funnygirl. Haven't seen it before. Is Sheridan Smith's character supposed to sound a bit drunk? Strange artistic decision if so. (sic)"

But a source has claimed the reason for the early finish couldn't have been about technical problems because 'Funny Girl' - in which the 34-year-old actress plays Fanny Brice - is the "least technical show running".

They said: "Funny Girl is the least technical show running. Everyone in theatre land has been talking about the 'shenanigans at the Savoy Theatre' last night. To say it is due to technical issues is rubbish. Sheridan has problems but she is amazing at getting bums on seats - literally."

The show went on as normal on Friday evening (29.04.16) and a spokesperson for Sheridan has denied the claims, insisting it is "categorically not true".
It all started in 2007, when I was invited to judge a music and recitation competition at the Alipore Presidency Central Correctional Home in Kolkata. After the programme, the participants said they wanted to learn dance from me. Within a week, I was at the correctional home, teaching women and men. Arts have made such a difference to my own life. So, I thought, why not share this love with others.

Teaching the women was easier; the men took time to open up. Dance is considered by many in our society as being feminine. The male inmates considered themselves too macho. Besides, there is a kind of unwritten hierarchy in jails depending on the nature of the crime. I have seen the world of prison intimately... From the very first day, the inmates have been courteous. In fact, they are more well-mannered than some of my students in mainstream society! After we broke the ice, they started calling me Maa.

Soon more and more inmates started enrolling in my classes. I taught them dandiya and they competed with each other to impress me with their handmade dandiya sticks. After some time, I wanted to arrange a programme, where only inmates would participate, outside the correctional home. At the end of 2007, I took 60 men and women from the correctional homes to participate in the Uday Shankar Dance Festival at Kolkatas Rabindra Sadan auditorium. Each inmate had an escort and every time he or she went on stage, someone was holding his or her hand. Later, I took inmates to shows in cities like Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. We travel by train all over the country, but there has been no untoward incident till date.

Each convict gets five to seven days parole each year, when they go home and return unescorted. See, if you keep telling people that they are bad, they will internalise it and start thinking that they are indeed bad. But if you make them feel that they are innately good, they will do well. I am not a psychiatrist or a counsellor, but I believe in the power of the arts and love. I never ask them why they are serving prison terms; I let them tell me about their lives if they want to. I treat them as normal human beings. And that works wonders. Its not easy. For instance, when they are frustrated at times, they may take it out on me. Girls can cry, but boys tend to keep their emotions bottled up. Its difficult for them to see others walk free from the prison while they have to stay there. Under-trials are the worst sufferers. They cannot participate in my programmes or classes because they do not have the facilities usually given to convicts who are under the supervision of jail authorities.

You have to go through a laborious court procedure to procure permission for under-trials to take part in programmes outside the prison. It has been nine years since I started teaching dance to prison inmates. I have been able to help about 95 inmates return to mainstream life after their prison term. One of them has become a big name in Bengali cinema. Others are trying hard to make ends meet. Take for instance this young mother who jumped into the Ganga with her two young daughters to escape torture by her husband and in-laws. She was rescued, but her daughters didnt survive. She was put behind bars for killing her daughters. I arranged for her to work at a home I founded for children born to prison inmates. I dont support crime, but nobody knows what actually drives someone to kill their own. I strongly believe that no one is born a criminal. I go to the correctional home every day and just chat with them when I am not teaching. I tell them that I hope they all get released one day, while I become a lifer! Its my mission now to stand by them, come what may. They are part of my family.
Clean green valleys, snow-capped mountains, verdant forests and a spiritual experience... Bhutan offers all this and more. This country is for the traveller looking for an off-beat destination close to nature. Here are some of the most beautiful offerings of this Buddhist country where happiness and health score over GDP!How to get there: Indian passport holders dont have to spend the minimum USD 250 that other passport holders do. So you can get away with making your own arrangements, or taking a package tour for far lesser. Druk Air operates flights from Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, but remember to book well in advance since the numbers are limited and they fill up very quickly. The flight route from New Delhi to Paro Airport is the most scenic, as you pass the entire Himalayan mountain range, catching a glimpse of Mt Everest as well!




US-based private label Bioworld Merchandising, Inc, has acquired Noida-based online licensed apparel merchandise store Voxpop (previously known as Voxpop Clothing) for an undisclosed amount, according to media reports.Bioworld aims to increase its product portfolio, accessories and footwear for itself as well as for Voxpop, with over 100 brands. Voxpop will continue to operate independently, whereas Bioworld gets direct access to users in India.

US-based private label Bioworld Merchandising, Inc, has acquired Noida-based online licensed apparel merchandise store Voxpop (previously known as Voxpop Clothing) for an undisclosed amount, according to media reports. Bioworld aims to increase its product portfolio, accessories and footwear for itself as well as for Voxpop, with over 100 brands.#

The deal results in an exit for seed-stage venture capital firm Blume Ventures which had invested $1 million in VoxPop along with other investors in November 2014. In 2013, VoxPop had secured $400,000 from Blume Ventures and a few unnamed investors from India and the US.As part of the transaction, the entire VoxPop team will join Bioworld. Siddharth Taparia, founder and CEO of VoxPop said that while his company continues to be independent in the way it operates, the combined strengths of the two entities will unlock the opportunity to accelerate growth in the category. He refused to divulge the size of the deal.Taparia, an alumnus of Harvard Business School, said the firm which he founded in 2013, aims to be the one-stop shop for all popular culture merchandise needs in India.21 Trends Pvt. Ltd, which owns and operates VoxPop.com, provides original clothes and offers a collection of original T-shirt designs, accessories and footwear through collaboration with designers, artists and brands.Raj Malik, founder and CEO, Bioworld Merchandising, said the acquisition is a part of the company's growth strategy.Bioworld, which was established in 1999, is a global player in the design and distribution of licensed and private label merchandise for young adults with offices in Dallas, New York, Minneapolis, London, Toronto and Delhi. (SH)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
British High Commissioner to India Sir Dominic Asquith, has said that Britain looks forward to start more new ventures with India in the field of textiles, garments and leather among a host of other industries.Sir Dominic made the comment when he called on Tamil Nadu Governor Dr.K. Rosaiah in Chennai on Thursday, according to a Raj Bhawan press release.

British High Commissioner to India Sir Dominic Asquith, has said that Britain looks forward to start more new ventures with India in the field of textiles, garments and leather among a host of other industries. Sir Dominic made the comment when he called on Tamil Nadu Governor Dr.K. Rosaiah in Chennai on Thursday, according to a Raj Bhawan press release.#

He said that the UK is one of India's major trading partners, ranking 19th among 25 such partners.The British envoy also underlined that the relationship between the two countries is a highly constructive one, the release said. (SH)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Buying clothes for children can be a quagmire because sizing is often inaccurate. The problem is particularly acute for online sales of children's clothing, and for family members and friends who may wish to buy clothes but find picking the right size difficult. But one EU-funded project is on track to finding a solution.Kidsize has developed an app for smartphones and tablets that can take highly precise 3D measurements of a child. By taking a couple of photos of the child, the app can provide 30 measurements with just a 0.5 - 1 cm error factor. This compares to an error factor of 2-5 cm made when using a conventional tape measure, the European Commission has said in a report

Buying clothes for children can be a quagmire because sizing is often inaccurate. The problem is particularly acute for online sales of children's clothing, and for family members and friends who may wish to buy clothes but find picking the right size difficult. But one EU-funded project is on track to finding a solution. Kidsize has developed an app#

'Kidsize will help children's clothing companies to sell more by clearing up sizing concerns both online and in the shop itself  to the mutual advantage of the buyer and the clothing companies,' explained Alfredo Ballester, the technical manager of the Kidsize project. 'Moreover, it will help to cut down the expenses involved in product returns for the companies, and the hassle for the buyers and children.'Kidsize holds promising potential for boosting competitiveness in the EU's children's clothing sector. The project estimates that implementing its technology could save European clothing companies around 130.5 million euros within five years, teh report said.'Kidsize works with companies that provide high quality children's clothes, which is most European small and medium-sized children's clothing enterprises. Meanwhile, it will be distributed by wide-reaching European associations like Children's Fashion Europe, Nova Child and Asepri. We hope that an accurate sizing tool used by European brands will give the sector a significant competitive advantage,' Ballester continued.The Kidsize app works alongside the project's Size Allocation Engine. Based on the dimensions calculated by the app, the engine gives the user two sizing recommendations  the right size for wearing the garment straight away, and the best fit to allow room for the child to grow.The app works for children aged 3 to 12 years and it also provides special paediatric measurements for babies less than three years old.'Our project results show that KIDSIZE provides the right sizing recommendations 80 - 90 per cent of the time. This outperforms age or height-based recommendations which are right only 45 - 55 per cent of the time,' Ballester said.The project, which finished in March 2016, took the technology through its development, testing and demonstration phases. This included the creation of a demonstration shop which included the popular clothing brands Boboli and Sucre d'Orge. The app has been made available via Google Play in Europe for beta testers.'The next steps are making the app compatible with other mobile operating systems like iOS and Windows, refining the app to make it failure-proof and eventually rolling-out its use to a large number of manufacturers and brands,' Ballester said. (SH)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The British Fashion Council has announced that The Fashion Awards 2016, previously known as the British Fashion Awards, will take place on December 5 at London's iconic Royal Albert Hall in partnership with Swarovski.The Fashion Awards 2016 will celebrate the best of British and international talent from the global fashion community, in London.

The British Fashion Council has announced that The Fashion Awards 2016, previously known as the British Fashion Awards, will take place on December 5 at London's iconic Royal Albert Hall in partnership with Swarovski. The Fashion Awards 2016 will celebrate the best of British and international talent from the global fashion community, in London.#

The new format has a core aim - to raise significant funds over the next ten years for education scholarships to help the best talent attend leading fashion colleges. The Fashion Awards will be an annual fundraiser gala for the British Fashion Council Education Foundation charity.Our aim is to make the Fashion Awards 2016 bigger and better than ever and will celebrate the global fashion industry at the beautiful and iconic London venue, the Royal Albert Hall. Nadja and her team at Swarovski have made these awards possible and we are thrilled to be working in partnership with them once again. As a global industry we should make a commitment to support talented people from all backgrounds to fulfil their dreams and access the best universities in the world. Over the next ten years our ambition is to raise and invest 10million pounds to support young people in this goal. London is seen as the capital for the most creative new talent in the world that provides talent and energy for the global fashion industry, said BFC Chairperson Dame Natalie Massenet.Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Swarovski Executive Board commented: Supporting emerging talent and celebrating creativity is in Swarovski's DNA, so we are delighted to partner again with the BFC on the Fashion Awards, which are not only celebrating the most creative expression in fashion on a global scale, but also raising funds for education in fashion.Each year the awards are voted on by the BFC's international judging panel, made up of over 800 key industry figures, from all corners of the fashion community. This celebration has been an important part of the British fashion calendar since 1989.Last year's ceremony saw over 450 VIPs and industry heavyweights in attendance, alongside a sold out auditorium of over 2,000 guests, with attendees including Anna Wintour, David and Victoria Beckham, Karl Lagerfeld, Lady Gaga, Naomi Campbell, Nick Knight, Olivier Rousteing and Samantha Cameron. (SH)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Cotton Textile Export Promotion Council (Texprocil) Chairman R. K. Dalmia has said that even though the textile sector was at the forefront of creating employment in the country , the cotton textiles business is fast losing its market share worldwide.Reacting to a report of the Labour Bureau published recently, Dalmia said in a statement that it was a matter of abundant satisfaction that the textile industry was at the forefront of creating maximum employment in 2015 as compared to other sectors like Auto and IT.More employment can be generated provided the government gives greater priority to the needs of the textile sector and recognizes its huge potential by giving timely impetus in terms of policy support. Some of the issues relating to exports such as cost of funds and the adverse impact of preferential access given to competing countries need to be addressed on a war footing, he said.The Texprocil Chairman also said that it was a matter of deep concern that India has already lost market share to Pakistan in 19 textile and 18 clothing products during calendar year 2014 due to the preferential access extended by EU to that country under the GSP Plus Scheme. If urgent action is not initiated to address the issue then India stands to lose its market share in many more items, he cautioned.This has happened entirely due to the duty-free access given to Pakistan while Indian exporters were paying a duty of 9.6 per cent for made-ups and garments and 6.5 per cent to 8 per cent in fabric items.According to Dalmia, the signing of the Indo-EU FTA at the earliest would help the textiles sector gain immensely in terms of market access. He expressed concern at the slow progress of the negotiations being made on this FTA and urged the Government to revive the talks under the Indo-EU FTA and conclude it at the earliest, if need be as a separate sectoral agreement.Recognising exports as a priority lending sector and including cotton yarns in the MEIS and interest equalization scheme are a few other key issues that need to be addressed to keep up the momentum in exports which will further lead to employment generation, he said.

Indias overall merchandise exports have declined for the 16th successive month in March 2016 to $22.72 billion with exports falling by 16 per cent in fiscal year 2015-16 to $261.14 billion.



According to provisional figures released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, exports of cotton fabrics during April-January 2016 touched $1792.21 million as against $2050.77 million during the same period last year registering a decline of 12.60 per cent. Likewise, exports of cotton yarn during AprilJanuary 2016 touched $3038.43 million as against $3243.96 million during the same period last year registering a decline of 6.34 per cent.
Bangladesh Denim Expo (BDE), recently held in Dhaka from April 25-26 2016, showcased the latest trends and innovations in the denim industry through the medium of product display, seminars and panel discussions.

The event saw participation from 49 exhibitors coming from 13 different countries, who displayed their latest products and company news related to the denim value chain. Seminars were organised on topics like 'Denim Trends in 2017', 'Nostone and Waterbush' and 'Bangladesh Horizon 2021'.

A panel discussion on 'The Revolution of Denim Industry' was held during the course of the expo. There was also a trend zone which showed latest trends and innovations expected to rule the denim world in coming seasons.

Bangladesh Denim Expo (BDE), recently held in Dhaka from April 25-26 2016, showcased the latest trends and innovations in the denim industry through the medium of product display, seminars and panel discussions. The event saw participation from 49 exhibitors, seminars were organised and a panel discussion was held during the course of the expo.#

Apart from getting a clear idea about new denim products, trends, technologies and innovations, visitors also got an opportunity to understand the potential of jute, once 'golden fibre' of Bangladesh.

Commenting on the expo during an opening speech, Mostafiz Uddin, founder and CEO of BDE said, The aim of Bangladesh Denim Expo is to improve the country's reputation as a reliable denim manufacturer. It has successfully been doing this, and has become a much-awaited event in the international denim calendar.

Uddin also revealed details of an expo titled 'Bangladesh Green Apparel & Textile Expo' with an objective to support green momentum in the denim apparel industry. (MCJ)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk - India
Bangladeshi cotton spinners have expressed concern that they may lose their competitive edge if the government carries out a over a proposed gas price hike for captive power plants.The spinning sub-sector will be in trouble if the government increases the gas price again. Bangladeshi spinners will face pressures as international yarn producers will then supply products to the local industry at lower prices, Tapan Chowdhury, President of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) said at a apres conference during the World Cotton Outlook Summit in Dhaka this week.

Bangladeshi cotton spinners have expressed concern that they may lose their competitive edge if the government carries out a over a proposed gas price hike for captive power plants. The spinning sub-sector will be in trouble if the government increases the gas price again. Bangladeshi spinners will face pressures as international yarn producers#

The government has proposed to increase gas price by about 130 per cent to Tk 19.22 per cubic metre for captive power plants from the current price of Tk 8.36.Gas price was last increased in September 2015 when the government raised it to Tk 8.36 per cubic metre from Tk 4.36. At that time, the profit margin from the sale of yarn declined to below $1 per kg, according to industry insiders.For sustainability in yarn trade , a mill requires a profit margin of at least $1. But, it has now dropped to below 60 cents.Local spinners can currently meet 90 per cent of the demand for raw materials of the knitwear sub-sector and 40 per cent of the woven sub-sector. The rest is met through imports, mainly from China and India.Chowdhury said if the gas price is hiked, spinners will not be able to supply the raw materials to the knitters and garment makers at competitive prices. That would force local garment makers would depend on imported yarn.The demand for local yarn is higher due to a shorter lead time and better quality, he said.Currently, more than 400 mills have a spinning capacity of 10 million bales of cotton (one bale is equal to 218 kg). But they cannot use their full capacity due to higher power prices, and inadequate power and gas supply to production units.Bangladesh currently imports 6.1 million bales of cotton a year, most of it from India. Local growers can supply only one lakh bales. Chowdhury said. Cotton imports from India increased 36 percent year-on-year to 2.99 million bales in 2015. (SH)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vinatas) has asked US cotton producers to come up with a plan to set up a cotton bonded warehouse in Vietnam.Vinatas made the demand at the working session with the US Cotton Association, according to a Vietnamese media report If the US producers set up a cotton bonded warehouse in Vietnam, this would benefit the Vietnamese textile industry as it would help cut transport and protection costs.US cotton is favoured by Vietnamese textile enterprises and used in a large scale.Truong Van Cam, Deputy Chair and Secretary General of Vinatas, said the cotton price always fluctuates, while Vietnamese spinning enterprises have to import cotton from many different sources, including those that cannot provide high-quality products.Therefore, if the US partners agree to set up a bonded warehouse in Vietnam, Vietnamese enterprises would take initiative in arranging materials for their production, while cotton prices would be stable, which helps textile manufacturers control production costs, he said.Cam also said Vietnamese enterprises prefer using American cotton not only because the cotton has high quality, but also because the US is a member of TPP.If Vietnam uses cotton from the US, it will be able to satisfy the requirements to enjoy preferential tariffs offered to TPP members.

Vinatas believes the bonded warehouse will also be beneficial to the US. If the US can ensure the stable supply of cotton, it will be able to sell more products to Vietnamese businesses thanks to the warehouse which will benefit cotton traders as well as American cotton growers.



Vietnamese enterprises have been importing materials for domestic textile and garment production from China because of geographical proximity and cheap prices.



But other TPP countries can only provide cotton in limited quantity.



According to Vu Duc Giang, Chairman of Vinatas, bonded warehouses would be built in two large areas in Vietnam, including one in the north, possibly at the Hai Phong Port or Hanoi, and the other at Cat Lai Port in HCMC or in Ba Ria- Vung Tau City.



Giang said if bonded warehouses are set up, the major problems of the Vietnamese textile and garment industry would be eliminated. (SH)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA -- (Marketwired) -- 04/29/16 -- FP Newspapers Inc. (TSX: FP) invites members of the investment community and media to participate in the first quarter results conference call. Ron Stern, Chairman, Bob Cox, Publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press and Dan Koshowski, Chief Financial Officer will discuss the first quarter results. The review will be followed by a question and answer session. Please plan to connect five minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

FP Newspapers Inc. First Quarter Call, Wednesday, May 11, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern (12:30 p.m. Central).

Conference call

Participants may join the call by dialing 416-340-8530 or dial toll free at 800-766-6630 five minutes prior to 1:30 p.m. ET. The call will be available at any time for replay until June 11, 2016. To hear the replay dial 905-694-9451 or dial toll free at 800-408-3053. The replay code is 3031169.

About FPI

FPI owns securities entitling it to 49% of the distributable cash of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership ("FPLP"). FPLP owns the Winnipeg Free Press, the Brandon Sun, and their related businesses, as well as the Canstar Community News division, the publisher of six community newspapers in the Winnipeg region, The Carillon in Steinbach with its related commercial printing operations and the Carberry News Express weekly publication. The Winnipeg Free Press publishes six days a week for delivery to subscribers and single copy sales, and publishes a single copy edition on Sundays. Vividata, a third party research firm, which measures newspaper readership across Canadian markets, estimates that weekly 75% of all Winnipeg adults read the print or digital edition of the Winnipeg Free Press. The Brandon Sun publishes six days a week, serving the region with an average circulation of approximately 11,050 copies. Canstar Community News publishes weekly with an average circulation of approximately 200,000 copies. The businesses employ approximately 510 full-time equivalent people in Winnipeg, Brandon, Steinbach and Carberry, Manitoba. Further information can be found at www.fpnewspapers.com and in disclosure documents filed by FP Newspapers Inc. with the securities regulatory authorities, available at www.sedar.com.

Contacts:

FP Newspapers Inc.

Daniel Koshowski

CFO

(204) 771-1897

www.fpnewspapers.com




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 04/29/16 -- Stompy Bot Corporation (CSE: BOT) (the "Company") - A correction from source is issued with respect to the news release that was disseminated on April 29, 2016 at 15:03 (Eastern Daylight Time). In the fourth paragraph, the statement with respect to the sale of mineral properties was incorrect and should have stated that the Company is currently completing a private placement financing to secure sufficient funding to prepare and file the annual financial statements and MD&A.

Stompy Bot Corporation (the "Company") announces that it will be late in filing its annual financial statements and management discussion and analysis ("MD&A") for the year ended December 31, 2015, on the prescribed deadline of April 29, 2016.

The Company has made an application with the applicable securities regulators under National Policy 12-203 - Cease Trade Orders for Continuous Disclosure Defaults ("NP 12-203") requesting that a management cease trade order be imposed in respect of this late filing rather than an issuer cease trade order. The issuance of a management cease trade order generally does not affect the ability of persons who have not been directors, officers or insiders of the Company to trade in their securities.

The Company has been unable to complete the required filings due to a lack of capital to complete its audit. As a result, the Company requires additional time to raise sufficient capital to complete its annual financial statements, MD&A and audit.

The Company is in the process of completing a private placement financing and anticipates that it will be able to secure sufficient funding from the offering to prepare and file the annual financial statements and MD&A on or prior to May 31, 2016.

The Company confirms that it will satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines under NP 12-203 by issuing bi-weekly default status reports in the form of news releases for so long as it remains in default of the filing requirements to file its financial statements and MD&A within the prescribed period of time. The Company confirms that there is no other material information relating to its affairs that has not been generally disclosed.

Forward-Looking Information

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking information that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. This forward-looking information is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company, including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information. The parties undertake no obligation to update forward-looking information except as otherwise may be required by applicable securities law.

Contacts:

Jon Gill

Stompy Bot Corporation

416-722-1166

jgill@stompybot.com




BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Mobile phone roaming charges across the European Union will be reduced from April 30, the EU announced Saturday. The cost of making and receiving calls when abroad in the EU is now substantially cheaper than in 2007, when the EU first started to tackle excessive roaming charges. When traveling in the EU, mobile devices users will only pay a small amount on top of their domestic prices. Further interim cap on roaming charges comes into effect within all 28 countries of the European Union ahead of a full ban next year. Ed Vaizey, the U.K. minister for the digital economy said, 'From next year, roaming charges will be abolished entirely. The truth is: if you want the certainty of lower phone charges across Europe, along with economic security more broadly, you are better off in a reformed EU.' From today, the maximum surcharge for outgoing calls will be no more than EUR 0.05 per minute, incoming calls will be no more than EUR 0.014 per minute. 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.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 04/30/16 -- Across Ontario, workers are joining the Asian and South Asian communities in recognizing May as both Asian Heritage Month and South Asian Heritage Month. However, while the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) acknowledges and celebrates the rich history of Asian and South Asian Canadians and their contributions to our country, we are also fighting to tear down the economic and social barriers they continue to face.

A recent report on Chinese restaurant workers uncovered alarming rates of exploitation, including wages that are below the minimum wage, wage theft and widespread violation of employment standards and labour law. Further down the food chain, a group of Tibetan produce pickers have been fighting for five months to get a first contract that would bring their wages up to levels paid to their counterparts at the Ontario Food Terminal. These recent stories are all too common ones and fall against a backdrop of a recent rise in precarious work in Ontario that is hitting immigrant and racialized communities the hardest.

"Canadian workers are proud of the contributions that the hundreds of thousands of Asian and South Asian workers have made to our country and our labour movement, but today we are reminded that Ontario's outdated labour laws and lack of legal enforcement are conspiring against their success in our economy," said OFL President Chris Buckley. "While we challenge systemic racism, we must also raise the floor for every worker. Asian, South Asian, and other racialized and predominantly immigrant communities, won't be able to reach their full economic potential without broad improvements to employment standards, a $15 minimum wage and easier access to joining a union."

For the first time in over 20 years, the Ontario government has opened up the laws pertaining to employment standards and labour relations across the province. In doing so, it has given hope to many racialized workers in Ontario, who understand that better employment standards and easier access to union membership can be a pathway out of poverty.

"Poverty and precariousness continue to plague Ontario's racialized and immigrant people, and they drive a wedge between communities," said Ahmad Gaied, OFL Executive Vice-President. "Meaningful strides towards ending racism and inequality will not happen unless every Ontarian can fully participate in our society and our economy. Challenging racism is about much more than speaking out against prejudice and discrimination when we witness it, it is about standing together across diverse communities to confront the systemic barriers to equal opportunity."

Asians and South Asians have a long and proud history of immigrating to Canada as workers and finding a permanent new home. Many of them arrived very early in Canada's history, travelling from various Asian countries and the Indian subcontinent to the Americas. However, many other Asians have travelled to Ontario from such places as Uganda, Kenya, Australia, South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, United Kingdom, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, to name a few. Today, a diverse Asian and South Asian population makes up a significant proportion of Ontario's population. Proudly drawing upon their richly varied traditions and heritage, Asian and South Asian people contribute to many aspects of culture, commerce and public service across the province.

"Many Asian and South Asian people in Canada have responded to inequality and discrimination by actively challenging racism in all of its forms and making Canada a better place for everyone to live and work," said Gaied. "The trade union movement must not only support our Asian and South Asian members and allies, but we must also acknowledge their activism in our communities and unions everyday. Their accomplishments are a vital part of Canadian history."

The Asian Canadian Labour Alliance (ACLA) is an important part of Ontario's labour movement, with a mandate focused on social unionism and anti-racism. The OFL calls on its Asian and South Asian members to get active in the work of ACLA and help fight for equity in our workplaces, our unions and our society. For more information, visit: www.ACLAontario.ca.

The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow the OFL on Facebook and Twitter: @OFLabour.

Contacts:

Joel Duff

OFL

Communications Director

416-707-0349

jduff@ofl.ca




Avellino Labs to Pioneer the Development of Cornea Gene Therapy

MENLO PARK, California, April 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Avellino Labs, developer of the first and only commercially available genetic test for corneal health, today announced that Tara Moore, PhD has joined the company as R&D Director overseeing all of the company's global research programs, with special emphasis on gene therapy.

Logo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130514/SF12152LOGO

To view the Avellino Labs press kit for ASCRS 2016, please visit:

http://health-event-news.vporoom.com/AvellinoLabs-ASCRS

Professor Moore is currently the Director of the Biomedical Research Institute as well as Group Leader of Vision Science Research in the School of Biomedical Science at Ulster University. A Harvard graduate with a wealth of experience in working with universities and laboratories across the UK, Europe and the USA, Tara has made tremendous advances in progressing novel diagnoses and treatments for blinding eye diseases. The focus of her research is the optimization of gene silencing and gene editing to target the causative mutation in a personalized medicine approach to the treatment or prevention of corneal dystrophy. Avellino Labs welcomes Tara's unique expertise in molecular biology combined with two decades of ophthalmology research and use of novel preclinical human models to advance the translation of new therapies to patients. She has published over 100 peer reviewed international research articles, numerous book chapters, two books and manages a team of students and scientists in her university laboratory.

"I am excited and delighted to join Avellino Labs at this time of incredible growth and discovery. Working with the team already assembled at Avellino Labs, we plan to revolutionize the practice of medicine in ophthalmology by developing novel tools for the detection, treatment, and possible cure for anterior eye disease using state-of-the-art technology," commented Professor Moore.

"We are thrilled to have Professor Moore join our efforts. She brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and passion to our company," stated Avellino Labs Chairman and Founder, Gene Lee. "She will be a tremendous asset in achieving our goal to deliver personalized medicine to doctors and patients."

About Avellino Labs

Avellino Labs has developed the first and only commercially available genetic testing system for corneal health. Currently, the Universal Test detects the TGFBI mutations that are responsible for Granular Corneal Dystrophy type 1 (GCD1), Granular Corneal Dystrophy type 2 (GCD2), Lattice Corneal Dystrophy type 1 (LCD1), Reis-Bucklers Corneal Dystrophy (RBCD), and Thiel Behnke Corneal Dystrophy (TBCD). Based on the test's results, patients and their physician can make an informed decision when considering vision correction surgery. Avellino Labs' proprietary genetic diagnostics system provides fast, safe and affordable DNA analysis. The company continues to develop new applications for genetic analysis of various ocular conditions, with the ultimate goal of gene therapy for eye disease.

To learn more please visit http://www.avellinolab.com/us/.

Media Contact:

Paula Hook, Marketing Communications Director

+1 972.517.1784 / (cell) +1 214.356.4427

paula.hook@avellinolab.com
In some ways, Vijay Mallya, Chairman of the UB group of companies, may be right. He does rightly point out in a recent interview to Financial Times that the speed with which his passport was revoked is unprecedented in Indias history.

He is right in stating that in any other country bad debts are settled with haircuts, especially if the borrowing party is willing to pay up the entire principal amount.

But Mallya is wrong in many other ways. His debts were not purely a matter of business decisions going wrong. There is clearly an element of fraud which makes these borrowing a lot more than merely business borrowings.

This fraud can be understood a little more clearly when one realises that a bulk of the loans were taken against virtually non-existent collateral of meaningful value. Clearly, this is something that the banks too should be hauled up for.

Banks are not VC firms. The one big difference between a venture capital (VC) company and a bank is the willingness to take up risk.

Banks are chary of lending money without collateral worth a little more than the money borrowed. Typically, when a person goes in for home loans, the banks attach the house itself, even though the amount borrowed is just (a maximum of) 60% of the value of the property. Plus there is always the personal guarantee as well. In other words, for most people, banks insist on collateral worth 150% of the amount that is taken as loans. This rule was ignored in Mallyas case.

A venture capital company on the other hand is willing to lend because of business potential, not merely by picking up equivalent collateral. It adopts a strategy of high risk, high returns. The money that VC funds use is risk money  often put up by people who want higher returns. That is why VC funds work on an exit strategy before they commit funds.

Banks give out money that belongs to depositors, who are risk averse. If they have lent out without insisting on proper collateral, they have violated the principles of fiduciary responsibility. And the fact that Mallya thought he could get the loans without putting up proper collateral  even though it now turns out that he had several times that amount in the form of global assets  underscores his willing to defraud the banks and hence the entire banking system.

Moreover, he was taking money from public sector banks, which are owned by the government. Thus, he was defrauding the government itself. And since the money with government-owned banks belongs to depositors, who must now be bailed out by the government, he was defrauding the millions of taxpayers whose money will now be used to bail out Mallya and his ilk.

Three frauds

Using hindsight, it is easy to trace Mallyas rise and fall. But when one examines Mallyas acts there are three aspects that suggest fraud.

First, is the manner in which Mallya managed to persuade the banks to accept his pledging of the Kingfisher Airlines brand name to 14 lenders, including State Bank of India (SBI), IDBI Bank, Punjab National Bank, Bank of India and Bank of Baroda. This was under a debt recast agreement involving loans worth Rs 6,500 crore which were then restructured and converted into equity.

No bank in India, to this authors memory, has ever capitalised brand value in its balance sheet. It is, after all, an intangible asset. Merchant bankers do this while inviting risk capital. VC companies do this as well. But not banks. Mallya (and the bankers) could not have been unaware of this.

Second, was the conversion of debt into equity. Remember, Kingfisher was a subsidiary of UN Holdings Ltd (UBHL). By converting Kingfishers debt into equity, it ceased to become a subsidiary. So UBHL managed to wriggle out of total responsibility for all the loans that Kingfisher had taken. Fortunately for the government, however, many of the loans were guaranteed both by Mallya (a personal guarantee, which is now being invoked) and UBHL as is evident from an SBI Auction Notice. It is unlikely that Mallya was not aware of the consequences of this debt to equity swap.

Third, is the way he did not pay most of his his employees for several months (they remain unpaid till today), or even the government (the service tax component he was obliged to pay). He was thus guilty of making false assurances  to the banks, to the government and to his own staff.

It is the personal guarantee that has now come to be the albatross round his neck. As Mallya informed Financial Times just yesterday, he owes the banks around GBP 500 million (or Rs.5,000 crore) as the principal amount, and around GBP 520 million (Rs.5,200 crore) as unapplied interest. It is these sums that makes the total amount come to over Rs.9,000 crore. Mallya is right.

In other countries, banks settle quickly and take a haircut. But in other countries, bankers are prosecuted for allowing a promoter loans without collateral. Promoters too are promptly put behind bars for any attempt to defraud banks. This is international practice.

Mallya cannot talk about one global practice without talking about the other. And while there are those who talk about limited liability that a company enjoys, there is no limited liability for a personal guarantee, or for criminal liability. These are the issues that the government will use to bring Mallya to book.

The potential of charging Mallya with the attempt to defraud the banks, the government and common citizens of India is something that could get raked up anytime in the future. Whether the government invokes the relevant sections of the law to make this applicable to both colluding bankers and to Mallya remains to be seen.

But the Mallya case could go down in Indian history as a path-breaking case, in much the same way as two other cases in Indias corporate history.

One is the Supreme Courts enquiry into the working of the Sahu-Jain group of companies (The report of Justice Vivien Bose on the apex courts findings is both exhaustive and explosive to this day).

The second, even more dramatic, is the way the courts dragged the RBI governor, the LIC Chairman and even the Union Finance minister when enquiring into the Haridas Mundhra scandal. The court held public  not in-camera hearings  in Mumbai. And the audience keen on hearing the proceedings was so large that the court had to put loudspeakers and seat the public on the lawns to ease the restiveness in an agitated public. The Mallya case could be another such case.
Jammu: As many as 41 soldiers have died from 2013 till 31 March 2016, at the Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior army official said on Friday.

"Ten soldiers died in 2013, eight in 2014 and nine in 2015 at the Siachen Glacier. Another 14 soldiers have died till 31 March this year at the world's highest battlefield," said Col. S D Goswami, spokesperson of the army's Udhampur-headquartered Northern Command.

"Troops posted in high-altitude areas are trained in basic and advanced skills in mountainous and snow-bound areas. Troops posted in avalanche-prone areas are subjected to a series of training in the field formation area," he said.

"Weather conditions prevailing in the sector are closely monitored by the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment stations at Sasoma and Srinagar. Weather warnings are religiously followed in terms of restrictions on operation/administration related movement."

He said that adequate compensation was provided to defence personnel deployed in difficult terrains in border areas in the form of salaries and compensatory allowances.

These allowances are in addition to the Military Services Pay paid to defence services personnel.
An unfinished 31-storey Adarsh Housing society structure in Mumbai's prime real estate area of Colaba has for long stood as a living symbol of a corrupt nexus between the politicians, bureaucrats, some armed forces officers and builders. Worse, this scam was made out from what had began with a most noble cause idea  housing for Kargil war widows.

The might of this corrupt nexus could be assessed from the fact that despite the first big story on Adarsh scam breaking in The Times of India in October 2010, 'Top generals, babus and netas in land-grab' and the ministry of Environment and Forest in January 2011 ordering its demolition for violating coastal regulations, reminders from the Ministry of Defence to that effect, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) making scathing observations against it, an intensive CBI inquiry, a judicial inquiry and such other high-level inquiries, files moving up and down to desks of persons of authority of all hues, it stood where it was.

On Friday, it took the Bombay High Court to order the demolition of this 31-storey structure.

Besides the legalities or illegalities of the issue concerned, the high court order is intended to serve as a warning to the wrongdoers that they would not be spared, howsoever high and mighty they may be.

After all, this was a scam where then Maharastra chief minister Ashok Chavan had to be sacked by the Congress high command, under public pressure. But the proportion and connection of scamsters was so deep-rooted that the last Congress chief minister of Maharastra Prithviraj Chavan rejected painstaking findings of a Judicial Commission, constituted by one of his own party predecessors. Prithviraj did so perhaps because the findings of the report were too much for him and his party to bear. The report had indicted four former chief ministers  Ashov Chavan, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushilkumar Shinde and SN Patil, two former urban development ministers and 12 top bureaucrats.

Read what the CAG had to say in its report in 2011: "The episode of Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society reveals how a group of select officials, placed in key posts, could subvert rules and regulations in order to grab prime government land, a public property, for personal benefit."

Contrast that with explanation which Adarsh Housing society management gives on its official website:

"The Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society (CHS), Colaba was allotted state government land by the Government of Maharashtra as per a well-established procedure and was granted various permissions as per law by the Planning Authority. The entire Adarsh controversy hyped by media was a machination of jealous generals, mediocre bureaucrats and novice policemen. The Generals fraudulently claimed that the plot allotted to Adarsh was owned by the Ministry of Defence although the records of the Defence Estates show that it is a state government land. Some bureaucrats, who did not study the issues carefully, wrongly reported that the clearances given to Adarsh CHS were not legal and the policemen registered a criminal case without ascertaining the ownership of the land and without understanding the state governments procedure in allotting isolated pieces of land."

Josy Joseph who broke the story about the scam first in The Times of India, then wrote, "the story began a few months after the Kargil conflict of 1999 when the army vacated the controversial land in Colaba, handing it over to Adarsh Housing Society. Almost every army officer who was in the chain of command when this transfer and subsequent developments happened, including two former army chiefs, now have apartments in the highrise. Senior bureaucrats in the state who played important roles in the decision-making process hold apartments through their relatives, as do politicians from the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena. Almost everyone who could have objected to the project appear to have been silenced with apartments in the high-rise, which consequently rose from the original plan of six floors to the present 31 floors."

Although the Adarsh society, its builders and the Maharastra government can file an appeal in the Supreme Court, for now the judgment is sure to set the wrongdoers shivering. One can assume that other penal punishments for indulging in massive illegalities may follow.

But the key question is whether the order to demolish Adarsh will act as a deterrent to the corrupt neta-babu-police-builder nexus. Consider some such high profile cases of recent past and judge for yourself whether any lessons were learnt by those concerned.

It was not long ago when the Campa Cola society in Mumbai was in the news. Unlike Adarsh, the residents of Campa Cola society were mostly gullible home-buyers, some of whom who had invested their life savings in that society and had also lived there for a long time. But the what ultimately matters before the law was that they bought and lived in apartments that were unauthorised structures.

In Delhi, four upper stories of a posh White House apartments on Bhagwan Das Road in Lutyens Delhi was demolished in 1996. By urban standards, White House flats were huge and decently-built. The residents cried as their belongings were removed and flats razed to the ground.

Recently, the Allahabad High Court ordered the demolition of twin under-construction residential towers built by Supertech Builders in Noida for violating building regulations and the UP Apartment Act. It directed that the money should be returned to the home-buyers with 14 percent interest in three months. The matter is now pending in Supreme Court, which has, pending hearing, stayed the demolition.

Last week, the Greater Noida authority sealed over 1,000 flats of Supertech's Czar project in Greater Noida for violating the rules and building these additional flats beyond the sanctioned plan.

Remember Yadav Singh  the jailed engineer-in-chief for Noida and the Greater Noida authority, who didn't have a degree to go beyond an Assistant Engineer, but became a law onto himself in two most high-profile cities of UP. He symbolised corruption and the rot in the existing system. He rose and rose under Mayawati regime. His money power was such that a regime change in UP in 2012 didn't matter to him. He continued to prosper even during the Samajwadi Party regime. It could perhaps have been the only time that a state government  Akhilesh Yadav government in this case  went to the Supreme Court to protect a state government officer (challenging the Centre's decision to order CBI probe), whose tales of corruption have become a sort of folklore in the state.

The Narendra Modi government has yet to reveal what Yadav Singh has confessed before the CBI.

The Bombay High Court's order to demolish the 31-storey Adarsh tower thus becomes significant in more ways than one, which goes beyond mere deciding on its legality.
Patna: JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar morning arrived in Patna on Saturday on a two-day visit during which he will address meetings, meet top state leaders and travel to his native village in Begusari district.

Hundreds of youths, mostly student's wing members of left parties, welcomed Kanhaiya when he arrived at Patna airport.

Kanhaiya, who was arrested on the charge of sedition in February in connection with an event on campus against hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, was released on bail in March.

Kanhaiya is scheduled to meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and other leaders who had supported his campaign against fascist forces.

He is also likely to meet BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha.

Kanhaiya will address a meeting at the SK memorial hall in Patna on 1 May with 'Azadi' being the dominant theme of his discourses.

Kanhaiya is also likely to visit his village Bihat in Begusarai to meet his parents.
He has been the music director of the Minnesota Orchestra for over a decade. His recent and upcoming performances include his return to the Chicago and San Francisco symphony orchestras, The Cleveland Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

He regularly conducts the London Symphony and London Philharmonic orchestras, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Wiener Symphoniker and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and has developed strong relationships with the Helsinki Philharmonic, New World Symphony and the Mostly Mozart Festival, New York.

Osmo Vanska, 63, Finnish conductor, clarinetist and composer is recognised for his compelling interpretations of repertoire from all ages, passionately conveying the authentic message of the composers score. In one of his earlier interviews, he has stated that he took this as his first duty and responsibility  to be loyal to the composer; to do things as the composer intended them to be. He said that what he found fascinating about music was that there can be so many different interpretations of the music while still following the composers score.

A distinguished recording artist, primarily for the BIS label, his album with the Minnesota Orchestra of Sibelius Symphonies Nos 1 and 4 won a Grammy award for Best Orchestral Performance in 2014, following the nomination of Symphonies Nos 2 and 5 the year before.

Vanska is the recipient of a Royal Philharmonic Society Award, the Finlandia Foundations Arts and Letters award, and the 2010 Ditson Award from Columbia University. He holds honorary doctorates from the universities of Glasgow and Minnesota and was named Musical Americas 2005 Conductor of the Year. In 2013, he received the Annual Award from the German Record Critics' Award Association for his involvement in BIS recordings of the complete works by Jean Sibelius.

Before his first performance in Mumbai on May 4-5 with the Orchestre de la Sussie Romande ensemble, Vanska takes some time off to talk about this first visit to India, his home in Minneapolis and his love for his YAMAHA V Star. Excerpts...

What made you choose India as your destination for a concert?

This is part of the Tour of L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. They decided to play in India and China. I am really happy to have a chance to make music with them in India too.

Are there any special places in India that have fascinated you over the years and ones that you look forward to visiting?

I would love to visit India and spend some free time here. There are many interesting places I would love to see, including the Taj Mahal! This concert tour is going to be my very first visit to India. The schedule is too busy to see almost anything but I really wish to come back in the near future.

Setting up home in a restored 19th century flour mill in Minneapolis seems to reflect your love for the vintage. What made you set up home in one of these old buildings?

I really like to know that there is a good amount of history around me. Its located in downtown Minneapolis and its also by the Missisippi River. I just love that area!

You led the Minnesota Orchestra in a historic first visit by a major US orchestra to Cuba. Music does bind people. Did you experience the same in the audience response in Cuba?

Oh absolutely! We had two great concerts in Havanna and the way that the audience was living through the music with us was amazing. They welcomed us with open arms.

Each country across the world has its own music, especially classical. The people identify and understand the same. When you play Beethoven or Sibelius, say in India, do you think the audience here would relate to it?

There is no doubt about that because music is the only international language and the best composers like Beethoven, Sibelius, Brahms etc. have written the best music ever. Music does communicate all around the world. Am sure the audience here shall relate to it.

Is there a genre of music that you as a music director of a renowned orchestra has not yet attempted but would like to?

We have to work hard to be constantly more connected to the younger generations, to people who are using a lot of time with computers, new technology etc.

What, apart from music, holds your interest?

Food and wine, exercise, jazz and riding my motorcycle.

What got you interested in motorcycles? Where all do you ride?

My YAMAHA V Star is my passion.

I got interested in motorbiking a long time ago. That is a world in which nobody knows me and I enjoy the feeling just to ride out alone and at very fast speed. Of course I keep a focus on safety as well, but I like to push the limits of how fast it could be. I enjoy the power of a motorbike.

I love riding in Minneapolis, along the Mississippi River.

About Orchestre de la Sussie Romande:

Orchestre de la Sussie Romande is a globally renowned western classical orchestra set to perform in India for the first time with its 112 member team and the Grammy winning conductor Ozmo Vanska along with solo violinist Renaud Capucon.

The orchestra group that started in 1918 specialises in French and Swiss classical orchestra.

They give subscription concerts in Geneva and Lausanne, the City of Geneva symphony concerts, the annual UN Day concert, as well as opera performances at the Grand Theatre of Geneva.

The OSR is a partner of Pro Helvetia until 2017 for the project Oeuvres suisses. They have made legendary recordings for Decca (over 100 discs) and have also recorded for around a dozen other labels and won major awards.
Mumbai: The BJP and Shiv Sena on Friday welcomed the Bombay High Court's order on scam-tainted Adarsh Housing Society in south Mumbai terming it as "historic" while the Congress, which was haunted by the multi-crore case leading to the resignation of Ashok Chavan as Maharashtra Chief Minister, said the ruling has nothing to do with the party or its leaders.

"This is a historic decision by the High Court. This is the first time the Court has ordered the demolition of the building, almost 30 years after 'Pratibha' (a housing society off Warden Road) was demolished. This is a heavy blow to corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. Now (ex-CM) Ashok Chavan will have to face and answer more tough questions as he had given the required sanctions to construct the (housing) society," BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said.

However, Chavan, who had to step down as CM in 2010, in the wake of the controversy and is facing prosecution in the case, told PTI, "I have not received the copy of the order. Unless I get it in my hand, I cannot comment on the issue."

BJP leader Prem Shukla said, "Adarsh tower was erected on the corruption culture which was rampant in the Congress and today High Court has stamped it. Also, it should not be forgotten that it was the Congress which appointed Ashok Chavan, who lost his chief ministership on account of Adarsh scam, as the party's state unit chief later."

Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said the court order has "exposed the cancer of corruption" during the previous Congress-NCP regime.

"While in Opposition, we had raised this issue time and again in the State Legislature. The Commission set up by the previous government just before elections had tried to give them a clean chit against which we had raised our voice," Gore said.

"HC has been very clear in its decision. It reaffirms the irregularities and has exposed the cancer of corruption prevalent during the Congress-NCP government," she added.

Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said his party will continue with its legal battle to prove innocence of its leaders.

"The Congress party and our leaders have nothing to do with the demolishing of the building. The matter is between the petitioners and the High Court. As far as our leaders are concerned, we will fight the legal battle to prove we have not been involved in any wrongdoings," Sawant said.

However, former Union Minister Milind Deora tweeted, "Adarsh verdict sends a strong message to bureaucrats & ALL political parties: the days of profiting from government land are long gone."

Adarsh verdict sends a strong message to bureaucrats & ALL political parties: the days of profiting from government land are long gone  Milind Deora (@milinddeora) April 29, 2016

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said nobody is above law and if rules have been broken, the guilty should be brought to justice.

"If there are irregularities by bureaucrats or ministers, there should be action within the frame of law. Let the government take its decision. If anyone has violated rules, the court's decision should be welcomed. Nobody, whether it is minister or bureaucrat is above law. If power has been misused, nobody should be spared," Malik said.

IPS officer turned advocate Y P Singh also hailed the HC order and said that its a half judgement and officers and politicians are yet to tried and sentenced.

"High Court has ordered to demolish the tower that was built owing to corrupt practises due to nexus of politicians and bureaucrats. This is a very important step and nobody would be spared now," said Singh who drafted the pleas on the behalf of petitioners.
It was Trinamool vs Trinamool on a day the Election Commission cracked yet another almost blemish-less century and ensured free and fair voting in the fifth phase of West Bengal Assembly polls.

If Mamata Banerjee had the sounded the war bugle against EC and its "heavy-handed tactics", Saturday saw the reason why the ruling party has been feeling increasingly nervous. Using muscle power to subvert polling process is a blueprint created over decades by the Left and perfected in the last five years by Trinamool Congress. Last year's civic polls showed to what extent can violence decide the outcome of a democratic procedure.

This time, however, the EC under Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi has proved a very tough nut to crack.

From the minute fourth-phase voting ended on 25 April up until the morning of Saturday, the EC and Kolkata police took a series of well-planned, calibrated and stringent steps that ensured Phase 5 remains almost as incident free as Phase 4, notwithstanding a few stray incidents of violence and rigging that is unavoidable in an exercise involving 14,500 booths for a 1.2 crore electorate.

The 349 candidates across 53 seats in Kolkata, South 24 Parganas and Hooghly that went to vote on Saturday included the who's who of Bengal politics: the Chief Minister, mayor of Kolkata and members of Mamata Banerjee's core team  many of whom have found it difficult to erase the indelible ink of Sarada and Narada scams.

To contain trouble and ensure that outsiders do not queer the pitch on Saturday, the EC had a clear plan.

They started by liberally using Section 107 of IPC which ensured history sheeters were either put inside bars or had to fly their area of operation. The cops kept a close eye on all tainted criminals of port, Tiljala-Topsia, Tollygunge and Jadavpur area. The Kolkata police, under new Police Commissioner Soumen Mitra, prepared 43 quick response team. The EC also had at its disposal a 90000-strong security force (including state police) which was used to comb search for troublemakers.

Another significant step was to shut down all local clubs in every mohalla. This unprecedented step was triggered by an apprehension that clubs  hangout joints for local youths  were TMC strongholds and could be used as base to create trouble or rig the polls.

As a final step, the poll panel ordered imposition of prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPc in all the constituencies on polling day. Taken together, these steps ensured that violence was kept at a minimum.

Some incidents did take place though till about 5pm in the evening, an hour before official end of voting, sporadic violence in different parts of the state left 7 people injured while 27 so far have been arrested. The EC received nearly 3000 complaints and the biggest one came from Baruipur, a municipality in South 24 Paragans district.

In booth No 162 of Nabagram area under Baruipur constituency, four Trinamool Congress workers were injured in firing during a clash with CPIM activists. One 14-year-old, Ahmed Mollah, reportedly took a bullet in his hand while three others including a differently-abled individual were also hurt in firing. The injured have been admitted to the Baruipur Mahakuma Hospital. The Election Commission took suo motu cognizance of the incident and has sought an urgent report on the incident.

In the dock is one Rafikul Mollah though Sujoy Mistry, CPIM candidate in the area, has denied all charges. However, Kolkata mayor Sovon Chatterjee, the president of South-24 Parganas district TMC, blamed the CPIM for launching a calculated attack and accused the EC of inaction. Cops have so far arrested six, according to latest reports.

Other incidents of violence were reported from Goghat and Arambagh in Hooghly district. In Goghat, Forward Bloc candidate Biswanath Karak and his bodyguard were beaten up with the butt of a rifle by TMC-linked hooligans sparking off a massive search operation by central forces. Karak, who was on his way to visit some booths after getting reports of rigging, was waylaid by a biker gang. Police have arrested 5 TMC workers.

Sonali Guha, the new Didi in town

Mamata Banerjee isn't the only firebrand female leader in Bengal. Other women leaders have shown during this election that they can be quite incendiary as well. If it was BJP's Roopa Ganguly and Locket Chatterjee in earlier phases, this time it was Didi's colleague Sonali Guha's turn.

The TMC leader and candidate from Satgachia constituency landed in trouble after TV channels caught her inciting party workers over the phone. Guha, TMC candidate from South 24 Pargana's Satgachia constituency, was seen instructing party activists to "thrash and drive out CPM agents from booths". A malfunctioning EVM, which paused voting for over an hour in Kashibati Hindumoyee School (booth No 108), drew Guha's ire as she accused the CPM of damaging the EVMs and asked party members to drive them out. She also engaged in confrontation with paramilitary jawans when they prevented her from entering the booths.

The EC subsequently filed an FIR against her.

Trinamool vs Trinamool

As cops kept things under tight control, Trinamool's infighting came to the fore. Marxist-turned TMC leader Abdur Rezzak Mollah, who joined Mamata Banerjee's party in February this year, brought charges of sabotage against party colleague Arabul Islam.

Back when Mollah was a CPIM leader, Islam was his bitterest rival. That the relationship hasn't changed for the better despite a desperate attempt by TMC supremo to make Islam the 'poll manager' for Mollah's campaign became clear on Saturday. Amid reports that Mollah's men have been targeted in many places by Islam's followers, the veteran TMC candidate from Bhangar constituency told local TV channels that "there is 100% chance of sabotage".

CPIM rebel Mollah joined TMC in February this year. Mamata Banerjee's decision to field him as a candidate in Bhangar didn't go down well with firebrand leader Arabul and his men who have, for a long time, been at the receiving end of violence from CPIM under the veteran Marxist leader.

If Mamata calculated that Mollah's inclusion may consolidate the minority votes, it seemed to have backfired as Saturday saw prolonged clashes and infighting between TMC workers. In many places, Mollah's followers were beaten up those close to Islam. An irritated Mollah kept his temper in check all throughout the day until the final hours when it became clear that friendly fire may ruin his chances.

On being asked whether his poll manager Islam's action will be the deciding factor in this seat, Mollah quipped: "He was a factor. Now he is a tractor."
When Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, the tallest CPM leader from West Bengal and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, shared a dais and even a gigantic garland that was put around them, many quipped that this was nothing more than circus. Park Circus maidan, the traditional ground where circus teams used to pitch their tent in winter, is also the ground where this 'historic' moment unfolded. Whether this was 'historic' moment or a 'circus', time will tell. One thing is clear. What is shaping up as the 2016 Battle for Bengal will have far-reaching consequences with regards to the parliamentary elections of 2019.

The Congress badly needs a veneer of ideology and direction after its pathetic performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. While for long, the Congress has run with the hare and hunted with hounds by being a right-winger to some of its constituents and a left-winger to others and maintained a so-called centrist big capital-friendly social-liberal consensus, much of the centre-right space in the Hindi states and in the big cities of the Indian Union has been captured by the BJP. The Congress thus has to rebrand itself differently, even if cynically, and that is to appear more pro-people than it actually is. This is where the closeness with the CPM is immensely helpful where just by association it can create an impression of a certain kind without making any serious changes in its political programme.

If the CPM-Congress alliance is successful in Bengal, this alliance will probably go on till the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. And in this kind of politics, the ends do justify the means. The voices that are sarcastic at the spectacle of the CPM and Congress becoming political allies in a state like West Bengal where every neighbourhood and village is littered with martyrs memorials erected to remember the murder of the thousands of Congress activists killed by the CPM and vice-versa will find less currency if this alliance is able to dislodge the Trinamool from power in West Bengal in these Assembly elections.

These elections of Bengal have the potential to decide what kind of forces will form the main group that will challenge BJP at the centre in 2019. If the CPM-Congress alliance wins, this will no doubt form the core of a India-wide secularist with a 'human face' kind of alliance. Congress and its electoral clout and the CPM with its ideological and networking clout will be the main pillars of this alliance. Once this is successful in Bengal, certain other forces from the Janata camp and a section of federal parties will join this alliance. This will present a national alternative to the policies of the BJP. At least, they will claim to be very different. This will be a UPA-I like situation, where Congress will primarily call the shots, some policy tweaking will happen to due to CPM presence and other allies will be kept in line by carrots of central grants and sticks of CBI.

However, if the Trinamool wins, it will get busy in trying to bring pro-state rights parties together. It already made such an initiative during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in its call for a federal front but in the midst of a Modi wave in the Hindi belt, it was essentially a non-starter. However, with the string of successes of pro-federalism parties like Janata Dal (United), Aam Aadmi Party and older parties like the Biju Janata Dal with which the Trinamool has taken coordinated positions in the past, this grouping will surely want to become the pole which will take on the BJP at the centre. Such a situation is no good news for the Congress which might have to play second fiddle to a pro-federalism alliance that will want to devolve power to the states and hence hitting the traditional source of the legitimacy of the Congress, that is, power at the centre. This will also make the Left marginal.

The Congress and the CPM in such a case might have to offer some kind of support to the federal alliance, given their anti-BJP posturing. A federal front government at the centre has the potentially to fundamentally shake up how Delhi runs the Indian Union and might even see power moving to the states, stopping the bullying and black-mailing role that big 'national' parties typically play.

The outcome of the Battle for Bengal will decide the shape of things to come in 2019. It looks like a state Assembly battle but its consequences are sure to be far-reaching. The BJP surely will be part of the politicking for they will try to strengthen whoever who has a lesser chance or ability defeat them. As it stood in 2014, the expansion of the BJP was arrested not in Congress bastions but in states where pro-federalism parties were in power. Historically, big business has been staunchly opposed to the possibility of any government where either the Congress or the BJP is not the major driver. Given the unprecedented corporate money muscle that was at display during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, one can imagine which way these invisible powers have lined up in the 2016 Battle for Bengal. By May 19, we will know whether its a green light for the formation of a federalist alliance or a Congress-CPM led alliance for leading the charge in 2019.
HAVANA Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on Friday praised Cuban President Raul Castro for embracing the realities of the modern world after a meeting with the Communist leader that marked a further step in Cuba's thaw with the West.

He is the first British Foreign Secretary to set foot on the Caribbean island since its 1959 revolution, and his visit follows one by U.S. President Barack Obama in March.

Hammond said he had a "long and interesting discussion" with Castro about the octogenarian leader's push to update one of the world's last Soviet-style command economies.

"He is espousing a program of gradual change, embracing the realities of the world we live in," Hammond said in an interview at the British ambassador's residence in Havana.

"I was very struck by the fact that he described the Internet as the reality of our world, spoke positively about the benefits the Internet could bring."

Cuba still has one of the world's lowest Internet penetrations with access expensive and restricted.

The state says it wants to expand access and has been installing Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the country. But change is slow and critics suggest the government fears losing control of media and seeing new avenues of political opposition open up.

Castro has vowed to "update" Cuba's socialist model but market-style reforms have been implemented haltingly and even reversed in some areas. A Communist Party Congress this month proposed little new to tackle the country's economic woes.

"Castro is seeking to position himself in the middle between those who are resisting change and those who want much faster, more radical change," said Hammond, adding that Britain hoped to foster reforms through cooperation in certain sectors.

The Foreign Secretary said the government recognised its financial services sector was underdeveloped.

"Castro said to me directly 'we lack management expertise in banking services' and this is an area where the UK (United Kingdom) has something very clear to offer," he said.

The main sectors where Britain sees opportunities for its companies to do business in Cuba were financial services, tourism and renewable energy, Hammond said.

Challenges to doing business in Cuba remain however, he said, not least due to the U.S. trade embargo.

"We have also had discussions with the U.S. about the challenges for British and other European banks in doing business with countries that face U.S. sanctions," said Hammond.

"There are some problems here but we are working through them with the U.S. and hope to make progress in a way that will enable British businesses to do more business with Cuba."

Exports of British goods to Cuba rose 32 percent in 2015 compared with the previous year but the government deems there is scope for growth as other European countries export far more to the island.

(Editing by James Dalgleish)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Samsung at its Developer Conference in San Francisco has announced that the next version of Tizen OS, the Tizen 3.0 is set for debut in September.

The Tizen 3.0 will be a 64-bit operating system and a major upgrade for Samsung after the current Tizen version 2.4. While the company didnt have a release date for now, it said that the beta version is due in July and the devices with the Tizen OS 3.0 will ship later, once the final update is rolled out in September.

Tizen is a Linux-based operating system for smart devices and with 3.0 it now supports latest Linux LTS Kernel support. The Tizen 3.0 will also work with latest majority 64-bit ARM and x86 processors, alongside having 30% faster processing speeds. Furthermore, it can now support 4K resolution, Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi AC.

Samsung is eyeing a big IoT market and hence the Tizen 3.0 is IoT ready as well. Although the company is initially opening it up for its own Artik developer boards, and has introduced Artik Cloud services for the IoT devices. Other improvements in Tizen 3.0 include inbuilt virus and privacy protection, multi-users support, and improved voice control capabilities.
Facing twin threats from neighbors North Korea and China, Japan used to beg the U.S. to sell it -- or allow it to build copies of -- Lockheed Martin's (LMT 2.31%) vaunted F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet. When the answer turned out to be "no," Japan did the next best thing, and ordered Lockheed Martin's down-market F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter instead.

But now, finally, Japan is getting the fighter plane it really wants. And it's building it itself.

Introducing the Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin

Taking off to great acclaim from Chubu airport on Friday, Japan's new homegrown stealth fighter jet, the Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin, represents Japan's best effort to re-enter the field of fighter-jet manufacture. It may also represent a challenge to Lockheed Martin's international arms business.

X2 will feature radar-deflecting angles and radar-absorbing materials designed to reduce its radar cross section, rendering the aircraft invisible to radar. Like Lockheed Martin's F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters, X-2 will be a single-seat fighter. Like the F-22, it will feature two engines -- Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries XF5 turbofans capable of reaching Mach 2.2 speeds.

That's as fast as the F-22 flies, and faster than the F-35s Japan is buying. At an estimated 21,000 pounds empty weight, X-2 will be lighter than either of Lockheed Martin's stealth aircraft. And equipped with 3D thrust-vectoring capability, it could be more maneuverable than either of Lockheed's birds, as well.

Outmaneuvering the (sales) competition

One other way Japan's X-2 may outmaneuver Lockheed is in international sales. According to media reports, Japan is investing 39 billion yen -- more than $350 million -- in the X-2 project. Partly, Japan is making this investment to reduce its reliance on U.S. arms (that we may or may not agree to sell them). Partly, though, Japan is also looking to export fighter jets to foreign buyers itself, which would help it recoup the money invested in X2's development.

Will it succeed? Could a Japanese F-22 lookalike displace sales of the lower-rent F-35 that Lockheed Martin is trying to sell around the globe? The answer probably depends largely on how quickly Mitsubishi can bring X-2 to market -- and at what cost.

Mitsubishi says it will take about two years of testing to confirm whether X2 is worth building on a large scale. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin is making sales and locking up market share today.

Mitsubishi's X-2 may pose a bigger threat to Boeing's (BA 1.57%) struggling fighter-jet business, which recently lost yet another big defense contract in the Middle East. Among well-heeled buyers at least, Boeing's been having a hard time making the case for buying its fourth-generation F-15s and F/A-18s over Lockheed Martin's more advanced (and more expensive) F-35s.

Long story short: Yes, at the right price, Mitsubishi and its X-2 could pose a threat to Boeing's defense business.
Across America and around the world, no one sells more weapons than American defense contractors. According to a recent TIME magazine report, U.S. defense contractors account for more than 50% of all arms sales anywhere in the world -- and one of the hottest markets for weaponry anywhere in the world is the Middle East.

Don't look now, but that market just got a little bit bigger.

The news

Last week, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency -- the Pentagon arm responsible for coordinating arms sales between U.S. defense contractors and our allies -- notified Congress of an upcoming sale of RIM-116C rolling airframe missiles to the military of Qatar. Lightweight, supersonic, and guided by radar, the RIM-116 is a ship-defense anti-missile missile designed specifically to shoot down hostile anti-ship missiles. (It's called "rolling," by the way, because it spins in the air as a means of self-stabilization, helping the missile to fly straight.)

According to DSCA, Qatar is buying 254 of the missiles from Raytheon (RTN) in order to "protect its naval forces and nearby oil/gas infrastructure from air and missile threats." Raytheon, the principal contractor on the deal, stands to make $260 million from the sale of the weapons, plus "associated equipment, training, and support" services.

At the 13.2% profit margin that Raytheon's Missile Systems division earns on its missile sales (according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence), this implies a total profit of about $34.3 million for Raytheon, or roughly $0.12 per share. That's a significant sum -- but there could be even more money to come.

"Under-trained, under-staffed, and under-equipped"

Here's why: According to Raytheon, the RAM-116C is designed for use on a wide variety of warships, ranging from "95,000 ton aircraft carriers" all the way down to "500-ton fast attack craft." Currently, though, the biggest vessel we know of in the Qatari Navy doesn't meet even this lower threshold for size.

Rather, Qatar's navy and coast guard is equipped with a hodgepodge of about six dozen small coastal patrol craft -- a force GlobalSecurity.org describes as "under-trained, under-staffed, and under-equipped given the massive scale of their on-shore and off-shore energy infrastructure."

Buying a batch of high-tech missiles from Raytheon is certainly one step toward rectifying that situation. It does, however, raise the question of where Qatar intends to put the missiles.

Here's one possible answer.

Corvettes for Qatar?

According to a 2013 report by the Center for International Maritime Security, Qatar has been "actively seeking corvettes" to add to its Navy. Indeed, as recently as last year, DefenseNews.org noted that negotiations are progressing with shipbuilders such as locally owned Etihad Ship Building, a joint venture with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, believed to involve the upgrade or even the purchase of new ships for Qatar's navy.

Weighing in at roughly 2,000-plus tons displacement, a corvette is a modern warship of a size easily capable of supporting Raytheon's RAM-116C. More important to the defense contracting industry, it's a vessel that can easily cost $125 million or more -- each. And Qatar's order for hundreds of RAM-116C missiles suggests the country would need to buy multiple corvettes to field them.

Is such a sale in the offing, and if so, from whom? We don't know yet, but the size of Qatar's arms purchase is certainly suggestive. Here are a few likely suspects drawn from the U.S. small warship-building industry to consider -- just on the off chance Fincantieri doesn't win the contract.

And as soon as we know more, you'll know more.
The marijuana industry has had some incredible success expanding under less-than-ideal circumstances over the past 20 years. Since the first approval of medicinal marijuana in California in 1996, 23 additional states, along with Washington, D.C., have followed suit. We've also witnessed four states legalize the recreational use of marijuana, which even a decade ago would have seemed like a far-fetched idea.

The result? Legal marijuana sales tallied $5.4 billion in 2015, according to cannabis industry analysts at ArcView Market Research, and they could grow by a compound annual rate of 30% per year through 2020. You'll struggle to find a faster growing industry in the U.S., which is why it's attracting entrepreneurs, investors, and marijuana supporters alike.

Where does your state stand on marijuana?

But 2016 could really be marijuana's pinnacle year. While the nation's focus is primarily on the upcoming vote to elect a new president, we could see voters in more than a dozen states go to the polls to vote on marijuana initiatives and referenda. This year could involve marijuana's quickest single year of expansion ever.

Curious where your state currently stands on the federally illegal substance? Here's a handy guide to help you out.

State Recreational Marijuana Legal? Medical Marijuana Legal? 2016 Voting Outlook Alabama No No Medical marijuana initiative stalled in state legislature in 2015. Ballot initiative unlikely. Alaska Yes Yes Fully legal already. Arizona No Yes Recreational marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion appears likely. Arkansas No No Medical marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion appears likely. California No Yes Recreational marijuana initiative expected to be on ballot. Colorado Yes Yes Fully legal already. Connecticut No Yes Recreational marijuana bill being discussed in state's legislature. Delaware No Yes Recently decriminalized, but no recreational initiative on the table. Florida No No Medical marijuana initiative on ballot. Georgia No No Recreational marijuana initiative failed to make the ballot. Hawaii No Yes Recreational marijuana proposals seem unlikely at best from Hawaii's legislature. Idaho No No Medical marijuana initiative failed to make 2016 ballot. Illinois No Yes Decriminalization maybe, but no recreational marijuana initiative this year. Indiana No No No proposals expected from Indiana's legislature. Iowa No No No ballot initiatives expected. Kansas No No No ballot initiatives expected. Kentucky No No No ballot initiatives expected. Louisiana No No No proposals expected from Louisiana's legislature. Maine No Yes Recreational marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion appears likely. Maryland No Yes No ballot initiatives expected. Massachusetts No Yes Recreational marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion appears likely. Michigan No Yes Recreational marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion appears likely. Minnesota No Yes No recreational marijuana proposals expected by Minnesota's legislature. Mississippi No No Recreational marijuana initiative failed to get on ballot. Missouri No No Recreational and medical marijuana initiatives being considered for vote. Montana No Yes Recreational marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion appears likely. Nebraska No No Medical marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion somewhat iffy. Nevada No Yes Recreational marijuana ballot initiative confirmed. New Hampshire No Yes New Hampshire House of Representatives voted against recreational marijuana bill in February. New Jersey No Yes No recreational marijuana initiative expected. New Mexico No Yes Senate voted 24-17 in Feb. 2016 against putting a recreational initiative on the ballot in 2016. New York No Yes No proposals expected from New York's legislature. North Carolina No No State has decriminalized marijuana, but no ballot initiatives expected. North Dakota No No Medical marijuana ballot initiative under discussion. Ohio No No Medical marijuana ballot initiative likely; probably not including recreational marijuana this go-around. Oklahoma No No Medical marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion iffy at best. Oregon Yes Yes Fully legal already. Pennsylvania No Yes Approved medical marijuana bill through legislative process weeks earlier. Rhode Island No Yes Recreational marijuana ballot initiative expected. South Carolina No No No proposals expected from South Carolina's legislature. South Dakota No No Medical marijuana initiative failed to get on ballot. Tennessee No No No proposals expected from Tennessee's legislature. Texas No No No proposals expected from Texas' legislature. Utah No No Medical marijuana initiative failed to make 2016 ballot. Vermont No Yes Recreational marijuana bill expected to be proposed in legislature. Virginia No No No proposals expected from Virginia's legislature. Washington Yes Yes Fully legal already. West Virginia No No No proposals expected from West Virginia's legislature. Wisconsin No No No proposals expected from Wisconsin's legislature. Wyoming No No Recreational legalization initiative failed to make 2016 ballot.

Of course, you'll want to keep in mind that things are changing rapidly at the state level, so even though proposals have been submitted in numerous states, I can't in any way guarantee that an initiative will make it onto a state's ballot or not.

Key states in this year's voting

Despite marijuana's overwhelming popularity in the latest Gallup poll (58% favor legalization of the drug), it's not a shoo-in in each state it finds itself on the ballot. We need only look at the voting history in Florida, Ohio, and New Mexico to realize that marijuana balloting for residents and/or within the legislature can result in a failed initiative.

Likewise, there are individual states that stand out as particularly vital for the success of the marijuana industry in 2016. I'm thinking in particular about California, Florida, and Ohio.

With two-thirds of the Continental West Coast having already legalized recreational marijuana, it seems only logical that California voters will likely follow a similar route in 2016 when they head to the polls. California as a state represents the eighth-largest economy in the world by GDP, meaning the cannabis industry would almost certainly see a massive uptick in sales. More importantly, we'd probably see job creation and perhaps a trickle-down effect throughout a multitude of industries, including banking, staffing, and consulting. California is unquestionably marijuana's crown jewel in this election.

Florida would be an important win for two key reasons. First, it's a pretty large state when it comes to population, and it had the fourth-highest GDP in the U.S. in 2014, trailing only California, New York, and Texas. Medical marijuana approval in Florida would be another big notch on the belt for the marijuana industry.

More interestingly, Florida is also home to a large population of retirees -- and seniors tend to be the least supportive age group when it comes to legalization of marijuana for any use, especially recreational. If Florida voters manage to pass a medical cannabis law this November, it would firmly establish that even a growing population of seniors can't hold back the marijuana movement.

Lastly, it'll be important for Ohio to "get back on the horse," so to speak, after its thumping in the Nov. 2015 elections that saw nearly two-thirds of Ohioans vote against Issue 3.

What's notable about Issue 3's failure is that it likely didn't come about necessarily because Ohioans dislike the idea of marijuana being legal recreationally and medically. Instead, they seemed irritated with the design of the law, which allowed only 10 growers within the state and protected those growers from competition for years to come. Voters were clearly concerned about an oligopoly developing and that oligopoly driving up legal marijuana prices for the consumer. In 2016, it'll be important for Ohio legislators to show that they've listened to voters and returned with a new proposal, even if it's just a medical marijuana proposal.

Direct investment in marijuana is still a gamble

It's possible the 2016 elections could alter the investing landscape in marijuana by creating new opportunities in adjacent industries. For instance, imagine how California-based banks could fare if they're able to service the state's marijuana industry. By a similar token, consulting businesses could bloom as successful small-scale retailers look to expand.

Still, caution should be exercised as long as the federal government keeps its schedule 1 stance on marijuana. An unfavorable tax situation, and typically minimal access to basic banking services, have made expansion (and even profitability) difficult for most legal marijuana shops and businesses. Getting legal marijuana costs down to a competitive level against the black market has also proven difficult.

Until the federal government changes its tune, investing directly in the marijuana industry could prove harmful to your wealth.
At the end of a long career, tens of millions of Americans look forward to claiming the Social Security benefits they're entitled to receive. After decades of having Social Security payroll taxes withheld from their paychecks to help fund the monthly retirement benefits of older Americans, workers feel like they've earned their future benefits, and they want to keep every dollar they get from the program.

Yet many new Social Security beneficiaries are surprised to learn that under certain circumstances, a portion of the money they receive from the retirement program can be treated as taxable income, which means they'll have to pay income taxes on it each year. This is especially common among those who continue working while receiving retirement benefits, as their earned income can take them above the income threshold at which the IRS starts taxing Social Security benefits.

Yet even those who have retired for good can lose some of their benefits to taxation, regardless of whether they've reached full retirement age or not. Currently, almost 20 million people have to pay income taxes every year on a percentage of their Social Security retirement or disability benefits, and that number could rise steadily if the current laws governing benefit taxation go unchanged.

Below, we'll go over how much income you can earn before your Social Security benefits become partially taxable, and you'll also learn some of the strategies you can use to minimize or eliminate the tax burden that can come with receiving Social Security payments.

First, though, it's useful to look at the history of how Social Security benefits became taxable in the first place, as that provides some insight into why lawmakers created this controversial tax law and whether there's a chance it could be modified or eliminated in the future.

Why Social Security benefits were not originally taxed

Social Security was created in 1935, in the middle of the Great Depression. In 1940, it began paying monthly benefits to retired workers aged 65 and older. At the time, the Treasury Department issued specific tax rulings that made it clear that Social Security benefits were excluded from federal income taxation.

That may not sound like a controversial decision, but it was actually unusual at the time. In general, most private pension payments that retirees get have been at least partially taxable, even if employees' contributions toward those pensions were subject to tax throughout their careers.

Social Security also has the special characteristic of getting its funding from both employee and employer contributions. Workers aren't taxed on the money their employers pay in payroll taxes, so when retirees get their benefit payments, the portion that came from their employers' tax payments should, arguably, be fully taxed, as it wasn't previously included in the worker's income.

However, the Treasury considered the benefits to be gifts, rejecting the idea that they were directly tied to the payroll taxes that funded the benefits. That made sense at the time, since workers paying into the system for the first time were not yet eligible for benefits, and those retirees who could get Social Security generally hadn't paid much in payroll taxes.

Social Security's first funding crisis leads to tax change

That all changed in the late 1970s, when Social Security went through its first round of major financial difficulties. Starting in 1979, an advisory council on Social Security reform suggested taxing 50% of Social Security benefits, arguing that was more in line with how other types of retirement-related income got taxed. Lawmakers didn't like the idea of imposing tax on every retiree, so they proposed letting low-income retirees be exempt from the measure.

Further recommendations came in the early 1980s from future Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan's National Commission on Social Security Reform, which adopted a similar methodology to what had been proposed early on. In the end, the rules that lawmakers adopted in 1983 forced Social Security recipients to include some of their Social Security benefits in taxable income if their "combined income" -- that is, their adjusted gross income on their tax return plus tax-exempt bond interest and one-half of their annual Social Security benefits -- was higher than $25,000 for single filers or $32,000 for joint filers.

How Social Security gets taxed today

A decade later, Congress once again took up the issue of Social Security taxation and made its most recent revisions. Lawmakers proposed adding a second set of thresholds above which a greater percentage of Social Security benefits would potentially be subject to tax. In particular, for single filers making more than $34,000 in combined income, or joint filers making more than $44,000, as much as 85% of Social Security benefits could be subject to tax.

The exact amount that's subject to tax gets complicated because of this new set of thresholds. As you can see on this IRS worksheet, it takes 18 lines' worth of calculations to figure out how much of your benefits will be subject to tax under these rules. At the risk of oversimplifying, though, most people will see the percentage of their benefits that are taxed rise gradually from 0% to 50% as their income rises from the lower threshold to the upper threshold. Above the upper threshold, the percentage included will keep increasing gradually, eventually reaching 85% if their income is high enough.

These provisions passed in 1993, and they haven't been changed since. This table shows you how much income you can earn currently before part of your Social Security benefits could be subject to federal income tax.

Filing Status 50% Social Security Taxation Threshold 85% Social Security Taxation Threshold Single, Head of Household, Qualifying Widow(er) $25,000 $34,000 Married Filing Jointly $32,000 $44,000

These income thresholds were stated definitively in the law, with no provisions for any future changes to them. Unlike the majority of key federal income tax provisions, the numbers aren't subject to inflationary adjustments to keep up with the rising cost of living. Because incomes have also gone up steadily over time, that means is that as time goes by, it's more likely that your income will move above these thresholds, forcing you to pay tax on some of your Social Security benefits.

Some examples of how benefits get taxed

It's easier to see how the rules apply when you consider a simple example. Take a single person who gets $1,000 a month from Social Security, another $1,000 from investment income, and $1,000 from withdrawals from a traditional IRA. When you do the math, this person has $36,000 per year in total income. But for the purposes of determining combined income for taxing Social Security income, you only take half of the $1,000 in monthly Social Security benefits, along with the full amount of outside taxable income from investments and the IRA. Half of the $12,000 in Social Security is $6,000, and after you add the other $24,000 in investment and IRA income, the combined income amount comes to $30,000.

That $30,000 number is above the $25,000 initial income threshold for Social Security taxation. That means that theoretically, the person could be required to include up to half of total benefits, or $6,000, as taxable income. However, because the $30,000 income number is only $5,000 above the initial threshold, the lower amount of one-half of $5,000, or $2,500, is actually subject to tax.

The results are much different when you have someone with higher income levels. To keep things as simple as possible, take the same example above, but assume that in addition to the income listed above, the person is also still working and earns $2,000 a month from employment. That raises the combined income amount by $24,000 annually, bringing the total to $54,000.

$54,000 is well above the $34,000 upper threshold above which up to 85% of benefits can get taxed. Here's the simplified version of how to calculate the exact amount to include, using the IRS worksheet referred to above:

Take one-half of the difference between the $34,000 upper threshold and the $25,000 lower threshold. Half of $9,000 is $4,500.

Take the excess income above $34,000 and multiply it by 85%. $54,000 minus $34,000 is $20,000, and 85% of $20,000 is $17,000.

Add together the two numbers above. $4,500 plus $17,000 is $21,500.

Then, figure out what 85% of your Social Security benefits is. 85% multiplied by $12,000 is $10,800.

Take the smaller of the last two figures. Here, $10,800 is smaller than $21,500, so $10,800 is subject to tax.

As you can see, the calculations get complicated very quickly, but there are ways to get help coming up with precise figures. For instance, this Social Security income tax calculator gives you the ability to fill in your particular income numbers and then tells you how much of your benefit you'll have to include in your taxable income.

What about state income taxes?

As if paying federal income taxes weren't bad enough, some Social Security recipients also have to pay state income tax on their retirement benefits. Fortunately, most states have recognized how much their residents rely on Social Security benefits, and they don't want to chase away retirees by giving them an incentive to relocate to more tax-friendly states after they stop working.

Fully 37 states plus the District of Columbia impose no state or local taxes on Social Security income. The states are:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Mississippi Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington Wisconsin Wyoming

Some of these states don't impose any income tax at all, so granting an exemption to Social Security income doesn't seem particularly special. However, in the majority of the 37 states above, substantial income taxes apply to most types of income, so it's a significant concession for these state governments to waive their right to tax Social Security.

Meanwhile, quick math will tell you that if 37 states don't tax Social Security, 13 do. Those 13 are the following:

Colorado Connecticut Kansas Minnesota Missouri Montana Nebraska New Mexico North Dakota Rhode Island Utah Vermont West Virginia

However, the way Social Security benefits are treated for tax purposes varies greatly by state. Four of the states -- Minnesota, North Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia -- keep things relatively simple, using the same formula that federal income tax law uses to determine the proportion of Social Security benefits that must be added to state taxable income.

Some of these states allow you to exempt a certain amount of your Social Security benefits from state income tax. For example, in Colorado, you can earn a total of up to $24,000 in Social Security benefits and other types of retirement income without paying any state income tax. Only those who earn benefits above that exemption amount would face an added state tax on Social Security. New Mexico has a lower exemption amount of $8,000.

Finally, some states only tax the Social Security benefits of those earning income above a certain threshold. Those amounts vary greatly, ranging from Montana's use of the federal government's $25,000 and $32,000 income limits (for single and joint filers, respectively) to the much more generous limit of $100,000 for joint filers that taxpayers in Rhode Island and Missouri enjoy. Connecticut, Nebraska, and Kansas all have income thresholds somewhere in between, with Connecticut planning to boost its exemption amounts beginning in 2019.

How to minimize -- or avoid -- paying tax on Social Security benefits

The rules governing Social Security benefit taxation focus on income, so coordinating when you start taking Social Security benefits with when you expect to receive other sources of income can make a big difference in whether you have to pay taxes or how much you'll owe. In particular, arranging to have more Social Security income when you don't have income from other sources can help keep more of your Social Security untaxed. The following strategies can make sense in many situations:

Wait to claim benefits until after you've quit working. Many people claim Social Security benefits at the earliest possible time, even if they're still earning a paycheck. However, the wage income you receive can easily take you over the income thresholds at which your benefits will become taxable, and since you're working, you're more likely to be in a higher tax bracket than you'll be in after you retire. That's a double hit that you can avoid by claiming benefits after you've left the workforce for good.

Conversely, if you expect your income to rise later in retirement, then it might make sense to claim Social Security earlier. For instance, some early retirees become eligible for private pension payments once they reach a certain age, often somewhere between 65 and 67. If that income will be enough to make your Social Security benefits taxable, then you might do better taking early benefits and enjoying tax-free treatment before your pension income kicks in.

Those with tax-advantaged retirement savings accounts have some flexibility in deciding when and how to take withdrawals. In particular, if you have both traditional and Roth retirement accounts, you can balance your withdrawals from each to manage your taxable income. Roth withdrawals don't count toward your combined income, so if you take more money from a Roth account, you can take less money from sources that raise your combined income, thereby sheltering more of your benefits from taxation.

The best strategy depends on your individual circumstances, so it's impossible to give one-size-fits-all advice that will work for everyone. But by thinking through your own situation, you can navigate the Social Security taxation rules and cut the amount you have to pay to Uncle Sam.

Be tax-smart with Social Security

It comes as a nasty surprise to many retirees that Social Security benefits can be taxable. But by knowing that in advance, you can manage your affairs in such a way that you'll end up paying as little in federal and state income taxes on your benefits as possible. That'll leave more of your hard-earned benefits to go toward enjoying your retirement years with financial security and peace of mind.
About 40% of Americans plan to move to another part of the country in retirement. And with good reason -- after all, reaching the end of a career and having raised children affords an easy opportunity to move to a new a place for the first time in 20 or 30 years.

But there are a lot of different factors to consider when choosing a new place. Personal ones like proximity to loved ones, living in a place that suits your lifestyle and interests, available healthcare, and geographical factors like climate and surroundings are important, and then there are financial considerations, such as cost of living, real estate, and taxes.

As the economy has bounced back from the recession and more baby boomers are exiting their careers, moving in retirement has become more popular. Below, we'll take a look at the three most popular states for retirement -- what's attracting seniors, and what they can expect financially in their new homes.

1. Florida

Not surprisingly, Florida continues to draw more seniors than any other state. The Sunshine State beckons with warm weather year-round, miles of sandy beaches, and no state income tax. About 55,000 Americans over 55 move to Florida each year, twice the number that were flocking there during the great recession. More seniors call Florida home than any other state in the nation, with 19.1% of the state's population above 65. One county, Sumter, west of Orlando, counts over half of its residents as over 65, much more than any other country in the country.

Here's what prospective transplants to Florida should know.

Average home price: $220,000, slightly more than the national average of $215,000. Price per square foot is $126 vs. the national average of $117.

Cost of Living Index: 99.3 (100 is average)

Personal income tax: None

Average property tax: $1,773 (#23 out of 50 states), or 0.97% of home value, though some deductions are available for seniors.

While Florida's cost-of-living is average, the warm weather, lack of sales tax, and convenient travel connections to the Northeast and Midwest seem to make it the nation's favorite retirement destination.

2. Arizona

What Florida is for the East Coast, Arizona is for the West. The state offers desert heat, beautiful scenery, and a modest of cost-of-living. For those looking to escape the bustle and long commutes of cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, Arizona offers a promising alternative.

Phoenix is the most popular metropolitan area for retirees, according to the Brookings Institution, and annual retiree moves to the state have increased 18% in the post-recession years. Here are some fast facts on the Grand Canyon State.

Average home price: $209,000. Price per square foot: $105

Cost of Living Index: 100.3

Income tax rate: Top bracket is 4.54%, which ranks 13th lowest of states that collect income tax. Social Security is untaxed.

Average property tax: $1,356, or 0.72% of home value, ranking 31st out of 50 states.

Like Florida, Arizona seems to draw retirees because of its modest cost of living, relatively low taxes, and warm weather and pleasant surroundings.

3. South Carolina

Rounding out the list is South Carolina. Like Florida, South Carolina offers warm weather, beaches, and several coastal towns that are popular for retirees. Among them are Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head Island, Charleston, and Beaufort. Topretirements.com ranks three of those cities in its Top 10 retirement destinations people most often search for. Since the recession, the number of retirees moving to the Palmetto State increased 6%.

If you're thinking of moving to South Carolina, here are some facts you may want to consider.

Average home price: $179,000. Price per square foot: $94.

Cost of Living Index: 95.2

Personal income tax: Top bracket is 7%, but the state is generous to seniors. Social Security is untaxed, and seniors are allowed to deduct $15,000 in additional income.

Median property tax is just $689 (#6 out of 50 states), or 0.5% of home value.

While South Carolina's winters may be colder than Florida's, like other popular destinations the state offers mild weather, a low cost of living, and a low tax burden.
Electric-car maker Tesla Motors is arguably betting just as heavily on autonomous driving as it is on fully electric cars. This is evident by its aggressive rollout of its Autopilot, which includes both automatic steering and automatic lane changes. These two features combined put the automaker far ahead of the competition in automatic driving. But for the company to continue moving closer to fully autonomous driving as rapidly as it is, Tesla will need safety data to prove the new technology is improving safety.

Image source: Tesla Motors.

Fortunately for Tesla, the company is already garnering some impressive data on how Autopilot makes a difference, according to a new comment from Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Norway (via InsideEVs).

Safety will build trustWhen I asked Musk earlier this year during a question-and-answer session for the company's 7.1 Tesla software update about how long he thought it would take for the company to begin to make a compelling case that its autonomous-like features are superior to human drivers, Musk said, "I think we will probably be able to make some of those arguments this year."

The CEO continued:

And now the company has apparently reached a point at which it is beginning to be able to make arguments about the enhanced safety associated with its Autopilot.

Discussing autonomous driving with Norway Minister of Transport and communications Ketil Solvik-Olsen, Musk said it's already becoming clear that Autopilot is significantly reducing accidents:

The path to autonomous carsSafety data like this, combined with "extremely positive" customer feedback about Autopilot, prompted Musk to predict during the Norway interview that people will learn to trust autonomous driving technology "surprisingly quickly."

Musk predicted earlier this year that the company will be able to "summon" one of its cars across the country without a driver in as little as two years. The feat, he explained, would require a next-generation suite of autopilot hardware.

But even if Tesla can achieve such a feat in two to three years, it's possible regulation could lag significantly behind. However, if Tesla can keep bolstering its arguments for increased safety associated with autonomous driving, maybe regulation won't take as long as some might expect.

The article Tesla Motors, Inc. Autopilot Data Previews Safer, Autonomous Future originally appeared on Fool.com.

Daniel Sparks owns shares of Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Tesla Motors. 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.
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Medicare is one of the most important issues facing senior citizens, both present and future. Not only is Medicare spending growing rapidly, but the revenue coming into the program also isn't expected to be enough to keep Medicare solvent for too much longer. Here are the statistics about the state of Medicare, its projected future, and what can be done to fix the problem.

Medicare is a big part of our national expendituresJust to give you an idea of just how big Medicare is, consider these statistics about the program's size and just how reliant America's senior citizens are on the program.

There are about 55.2 million Medicare enrollees as of 2015 -- that's around 16% of the U.S population.

In a recent year (2013), Medicare represented 20% of all national health expenditures.

Medicare benefits are approximately $605.9 billion in 2015.

The average Medicare household spends $4,722 out-of-pocket on healthcare costs per year. This is in addition to the benefits mentioned above.

Many seniors are highly reliant on Medicare. Half of Medicare beneficiaries have household incomes of less than $24,150.

And the spending will keep growingAs big as Medicare is now, the scariest thing is what's expected to happen in the future. Just to name a few of the latest projections:

19.1 million people will enroll in Medicare over the next 11 years as baby boomers retire.

The senior citizen population is growing at seven times the rate of the rest of the adult population.

A total of 92.8 million Medicare enrollees are expected by 2050.

Between the 10-year period from 2014 to 2024, Medicare spending is projected to grow at a 7.2% annual rate (4.1% on a per-capita basis).

The Medicare trustees' report projects that Medicare spending as a percentage of GDP will gradually rise from 3.5% in 2014 to 6% in 2089.

Medicare is heading toward insolvencyMedicare is funded by a combination of general revenues (41%), payroll taxes (38%), and collected premiums (13%), plus a few smaller sources. However, this takes into account all of the "parts" of Medicare. Part A, which is the hospital insurance, is funded almost entirely by the payroll tax and the additional Medicare tax on high-income earners. And, the tax revenue isn't likely to be enough to keep Medicare solvent for much longer. Consider the following:

According to the latest Medicare trustees' report, the Medicare trust funds will be completely depleted by 2030, at which point the only available funding will be from incoming taxes.

Medicare is actually projected to run a slight surplus from 2015 to 2023, and then return to annual deficits after that time (There has already been a Medicare spending deficit from 2008 until last year).

The last time the Medicare tax rate was increased was in 1985, from 1.35% to 1.45%. The wage cap was eliminated in 1994, the additional 0.9% Medicare tax on high earners was implemented in the 2013 tax year, as was the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax on certain investment income.

Medicare is importantLastly, people care about Medicare, and they want to see some type of solution that will keep the program going.

According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey, 77% of Americans of all ages see Medicare as "very important", including a majority of both Republicans and Democrats.

In the same survey, 89% want to either increase Medicare funding or keep it the same.

The drive to reform Medicare is clearly there. However, the exact reform package that will eventually happen remains to be seen.

What can be done?There are several things that can be done to keep Medicare. Obviously, we could raise Medicare taxes, and if certain politicians get their way, this could certainly happen. In addition, there are other things that could be done. Just to name a few possibilities, we could:

Restructure benefits and cost-sharing arrangements.

Increase Medicare premiums for higher-income individuals.

Raise the eligibility age.

Allow the government to negotiate drug prices (currently this isn't allowed).

What will actually be done is uncertain. But given how important Medicare is, I'm confident that something will be done.

The article 15 Jaw-Dropping Stats About Medicare originally appeared on Fool.com.

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.
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Some companies are pretty easy to understand because their entire future is predicated on one thing happening. These all-or-nothing stocks can be very lucrative investments if that one thing goes the right way for them, but can also spell doom if the winds blow in the other direction. So if you are an investor in this type of stock, you need to know what that catalyst is and why it's important for the company's future.

We asked three of our contributors to highlight a stock in their respective sectors that fits this all-or-nothing description and what catalyst you should be watching to determine whether each will be a success or not. Here's what they had to say.

It doesn't get more "all-or-nothing" than a clinical-stage biotech whose entire value is tied up in the success or failure of a single drug. For that reason I've been keeping a close eye on ACADIA Pharmaceuticals , a red-hot biopharma based out of San Diego, as this company is only days away from the FDA ruling on whether or not it will approve the company's lead drug, Nuplazid.

Nuplazid was submitted for review last year as a new treatment option for Parkinson's disease psychosis, or PDP, which affects about 40% of patients who develop Parkinson's. Caring for patients with PDP can be a huge burden as the disease often causes patients to hallucinate and have delusions, which makes it very hard for them to care for themselves.

In clinical trials, Nuplazid was shown to be an effective treatment for alleviating some of the symptoms caused by PDP. If Nuplazid wins approval, then it could offer real hope to the roughly 400,000 patients in the U.S. alone who currently have PDP, as there are currently no approved treatment options available.

So what are the odds of success here? I'd argue they are quite good, as a panel of advisors to the FDA recentlyvoted 12 to 2in favor of giving Nuplazid the green light. That suggests that the FDA is likely to approve the drug on its May 1 PDUFA date.

With peak sales estimates for Nuplazid running in excess of $3 billion, I think the company stands a decent chance at continuing to climb from here. It's also possible that another big pharma company could make a bid to acquire ACADIA at some point if Nuplazid proves to be the real deal. This is one company I plan on watching closely.

This might be sort of a stretch for "all-or-nothing," but I'm going with Tesla Motors . Let's be clear that as an overall company, Tesla does not rely entirely on a single product. The electric automaker has had quite a journey so far with the three vehicles that it has launched to date: Roadster, Model S, and Model X.

But Tesla's incredibly high valuation is absolutely predicated on a single product: the forthcoming Model 3. The Model 3 unit volumes that Tesla hopes to deliver are the underpinning of its valuation. There's no other way that the market could justify Tesla's current market cap of over $30 billion when the company made just 50,000 vehicles last year. Model 3 has always been the end goal: a mainstream affordable EV with sufficient performance. If Model 3 fails or falls short in any way, Tesla shares would be punished badly. Whether or not Tesla can pull it off is an active debate and precisely why the company is such a battleground stock right now.

Tesla is also going all-in financially on Model 3. The majority of cash flow over the next couple of years will be primarily allocated to investing in the Model 3 production ramp-up. The company closed out last year with $1.2 billion in cash, much of which will be needed for the $1.5 billion in capital expenditures planned for 2016. With the launch at least 18 months out at a minimum, this is a stock to keep a close eye on.

Any oil and gas company that focuses just on the exploration and production side of the business is pretty much living off the possibility of decent commodity prices. Most of them do diversify by virtue of producing oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids from a well. Because of the technique that Denbury Resources uses for production, though, it is almost exclusively an oil producer, which makes it pretty much an all-or-nothing bet on oil prices.

Underground reservoirs will have a mix of oil and gas, and when freshly drilled, the pressure of the natural gas and oil will push both out of the ground. Denbury, though, produces its oil from a technique known as enhanced oil recovery. This involves going to older wells that are no longer pressurized with gas and injecting them with CO2 to get some of the last drops of oil from the reservoir. This also means that Denbury's production is overwhelmingly oil. During its last earnings report, Denbury said that oil made up 95% of total production.

Considering the precarious position that oil and gas producers have been in over the past couple of years, Denbury Resources has done surprisingly well. The company has used futures contracts to protect its sales prices, and despite some challenging debt renegotiations, the company has a rather modest debt load compared to other independent oil and gas producers. Still, for this company's stock to truly succeed, it needs better oil prices and only oil prices. You'll be hard pressed to find a company so singularly dependent on oil prices as Denbury is.

The article 3 All-or-Nothing Stocks To Watch Closely originally appeared on Fool.com.

Brian Feroldi owns shares of Tesla Motors. Evan Niu, CFA, owns shares of Tesla Motors andhas the following options: long January 2018 $180 calls on Tesla Motors. Tyler Crowe has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of Denbury Resources. 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.
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With hepatitis C sales leveling off, a recent competitor patent win,and an oncology flop,Gilead Sciences investors are eager for good news.

Earlier this month, the biotech juggernaut finally pulled the trigger on an acquisition, paying $400 million upfront to a small company, Nimbus Apollo, for access to its portfolio of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) liver treatments. Could this turn out to be the next "Pharmasset-like" acquisition like the one that brought Sovaldi, Gilead's flagship cure for hepatitis C, back in 2011? Investors will have to wait and see how this deal, which could result in an additional $800 million of milestone payments to Nimbus,pans out, given that its lead candidate is still in early phase 1 clinical trials.

But while we wait, here are three key pipeline developments that could also have significant impact on long-term value creation for the firm:

Simtuzumab (Liver Disease)Simtuzumab, an antibody which blocks the LOXL2 enzyme, is currently being evaluated in a phase 2 study for NASH.According to the National Institutes of Health, NASH, also known as the "silent killer," is a fatty liver disease that affects as many as 25 million Americans. Many scientists blame the obesity epidemic for contributing to the rapid rise in NASH cases. By 2020, NASH is expected to become the leading cause of all liver transplants, eclipsing hepatitis C.

Currently, there are no approved treatments for NASH. Other names, like InterceptPharmaceuticals and Conatus Pharmaceuticals, are also developing therapies to stop or slow the progression of NASH, all racing to be first in this huge, untapped market.

Gilead is banking on simtuzumab's ability to treat the secondary effects of NASH: fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver.If simtuzumab could actually reverse the scarring and hardening of the liver caused by these secondary effects, Gilead, in theory, could also dominate the NASH market. This is a very high-risk/high-reward bet, however, given that simtuzumab has already suffered back-to-back phase 2 failures in other disease classes.If simtuzumab can prove itself worthy of FDA approval, Gilead would easily have another blockbuster drug on its hands. Some analysts estimate the NASH market opportunity to be upwards of $35 billion by 2025.

Investors will be given an early peak at simtuzumab's efficacy when the phase 2, 96-week data read-out occurs sometime in the 4th quarter of 2016.

GS-9620 (HIV)GS-9620, aTLR7 agonist, is currently being evaluated in a phase I study for HIV.In simple terms, GS-9620 is theorized to "awaken" HIV-infected cells from their latent state so the immune system can target the cells and subsequently kill the virus.

While still very early in development, this phase 1 compound, when combined with other antiviral drugs, has the potential to fully eradicate the HIV virus from the body. In other words, GS-9620 could unlock the keys to a cure for HIV.

Seasoned biotech investors know to be skeptical anytime the "cure" word is thrown around. This is especially true for a phase 1 product. Keep in mind, however, Gilead is no stranger to successfully identifying and developing curative treatments. This is the same company behind Sovaldi and Harvoni, cures for hepatitis C. If approved, GS-96220 could ultimately become the foundational drug for the company's entire $11 billion HIV franchise.

It looks like we'll see a data read-out from the phase 1 study sometime in the first half of 2016, so stay tuned.

TAF-based therapies (HIV)Gilead's current commercial HIV franchise is based predominantly on a class of anti-retroviral medications, known as tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (or "TDF") products. But expect new tenofovir alafenamide (or "TAF") therapies to become the backbone of Gilead's single tablet HIV regimen moving forward.

The first approved TAF-drug was Genvoya, approved in late 2015, followed more recently by approvals for both Odefsey and Descovy.While these were U.S.-based approvals, it's expected that EU approvals will soon follow.

Ultimately, these TAF-based therapies should help replace existing sales of HIV drugs that will lose patent protection beginning in 2017, like Viread and Truvada, both TDF-based therapies. In addition, Gilead's TAF-based products have been shown to have fewer side effects and work more efficiently than Gilead's TDF-based portfolio of products.

Expect additional approvals abroad, as well as launches, for TAF-based therapies throughout 2016 and 2017. What will be key to watch is how well these approvals and subsequent launches actually translate into top-line growth for the HIV franchise. In 2016 alone, some analysts are estimating that these TAF-based product launches should help boost product sales and grow the HIV franchise to an estimated $11.4 billion in 2016, up from $11.1 billion in 2015.

The bottom lineExciting scientific advances aside, Gilead is a tremendously profitable biotech company trading very cheaply these days. The company is currently trading at a lean 8 times trailing earnings,and it generated over $19 billion in free cash flow in 2015. Gilead offers a rare biotech cash dividend yielding about 1.7%,along with a new $12 billion share repurchase program to go into effect once the previous $15 billion share repurchase program is completed.All of this makes Gilead very attractive to investors who are willing to stomach some risk.

Gilead has a proven track record for developing franchises, a robust pipeline to drive organic growth, and a high likelihood of more acquisitions on the way. Now, more than ever, may be the best time for investors to jump in on this biotech bargain.

The article 3 Key Pipeline Developments for Gilead Investors to Watch originally appeared on Fool.com.

Shannon Jones has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Gilead Sciences. 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.
Image source: Flickr user Kaiyan.

To suggest that America runs on plastic might be a pretty accurate statement.

According to statistics found on CreditCards.com, the average credit card debt per U.S. adult, excluding zero-balance cards and store cards, is a whopping $5,232. Furthermore, based on the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston data published in September 2014, 72.1% of consumers (basically three out of four) had at least one credit card. A national poll from Gallup in the same year also found that the average American who has at least one credit card has a mean of nearly four in their wallet.

Like I said, America loves its plastic, and there's a mountain of data and statistics to back up this assertion. Credit card companies also relish the fact that Americans love their credit cards. As of the third quarter of 2015, the average APR charged on credit cards was 12.1%, and the average APR on cards that were carrying a balance was a hair over 13.9%. As long as consumers remain current on their loans, lending and/or processing can be a very lucrative business.

Image source: Pixabay.

Convenience is one factor that draws Americans to use plastic instead of cash, but the potential for rewards, as well as consumer loyalty to a credit card brand, are additional factors that can play a key role in credit card usage. Understanding which credit card brands consumers favor could provide investors with a valuable puzzle piece when analyzing credit card companies for possible investment. Unfortunately, measuring brand loyalty in the credit card industry is far from simple. For that, we'll turn to New York-based research company Brand Keys and its 21st annual Customer Loyalty Engagement Index (CLEI).

The importance of brand loyalty To be clear, brand loyalty is important no matter what industry we're talking about. In terms of the credit card industry, customer loyalty can specifically be beneficial for the free word-of-mouth advertising it can bring. If a consumer is happy with his credit card company, he's liable to tell friends and family about his experience -- and friends and family are probably more likely to act on the recommendation of someone they know as opposed to an advertisement on television.

The other component to brand loyalty is that loyal customers tend to be very profitable. Within the credit card industry, this is going to depend on what, if any, rewards a credit company offers its customers. The better the rewards, in theory the more it could eat into profit margins. Conversely, the more a consumer uses the card, the better chance the credit card company has of racking up merchant fees and/or interest on a balance carried to the following month.

After questioning more than 42,000 people to understand on multiple levels how businesses engage with them, and how that in turn affects their loyalty, Brands Keys' CLEI ranked 10 credit card brands from worst to first. Let's take a look at how things shook out.

Image source: Flickr user Bryan Rosengrant.

Big banks and industry titans lagArguably what stood out most is that national banks, which would presumably have no problem with consumer recognition, lagged badly when it came to brand loyalty. JPMorgan Chasecame in fourth, Citibank, a division of Citigroup, ranked seventh, Bank of Americaslid into eighth, and Wells Fargosurprisingly took ninth. Only Barclaycard from Barclaysranked lower.

All of these banks are quite different in how they're attempting to grow their business, but it's quite possible the unpleasant memories of the Great Recession (namely the poor lending practices of banks that lend to a huge increase in mortgage defaults and foreclosures) could be playing a role in hurting national banks' brand loyalty.

Image source: Pixabay.

It's also interesting that Visa and MasterCard , which are basically synonymous with the credit card industry and could easily be its most recognizable brands, ranked just fifth and sixth, respectively. Although Visa and MasterCard are merchant staples when it comes to payment process facilitation, neither Visa nor MasterCard are physical lenders themselves. When credit delinquencies are on the rise, this can be great news for Visa and MasterCard, but having no direct lending capacity could be having an adverse impact when it comes to the CLEI rankings.

America's favorite credit card company is...The top three credit card companies in terms of brand loyalty were clear standouts for their own reasons, with the brand taking top honors being a bit of a surprise.

Capital One Financial seems to be a logical choice to finish high up in the rankings (third in this case) since credit card revenue accounts for the vast majority of its income, unlike traditional banks. The assumption here would be that Capital One is placing heavy emphasis on its rewards programs and ensuring consumers stay happy since the bulk of its profitability depends on it.

American Express came in second, likely as a result of its long-running relationship with America's more affluent credit cardholders. American Express is known for targeting wealthier customers, and in turn, the prestige of having an AmEx card tends to keep those consumers loyal to the brand. Additionally, AmEx's business benefits from having affluent clientele because they're less likely to be adversely effected by an economic downturn. This often means less concern about credit delinquencies for AmEx compared to other credit lenders.

But when it comes to America's favorite credit card brand, Discover Financial Services' Discover brand cards take the cake.

Image source: Discover.

Why Discover? Rewards could be a big reason. Earlier this year, NerdWallet released its "Best Credit Cards of 2016" annual report, and the "Discover it" card found its way among the top cards consumers should want in two highly coveted categories: balance transfers and rewards. First, the Discover it card allows consumers to transfer a balance from another card and pay 0% APR on that balance for 18 months. There's also a 0% APR on purchases for six months, as well as no annual fee. New cardmembers are also privy to Discover matching the cash back they've earned after their first year, making it a card to own for those looking for the best overall rewards.

Discover's emphasis on the customer also can't be denied. In 2015, J.D. Power released its own credit card satisfaction study, and not surprisingly Discover came in first in all six categories that were considered: interaction, credit card terms, billing and payment, rewards, benefits and services, and problem resolution. The report specifically cited Discover's ability to make its rewards appear attractive in the eyes of the consumer, as well as to expedite reward redemption as a key loyalty driver. Consumers who redeem their rewards more often are more likely to remain engaged and spend more to earn more.

There are a lot of great credit card companies to choose from, but Discover's credit card loyalty dominance gives it an edge that might intrigue investors. It could be time to add Discover Financial to your watchlist.

The article America's Favorite Credit Card Brand Is a Bit of a Shocker (Hint: It's Not Visa or MasterCard!) originally appeared on Fool.com.

Sean Williamsowns shares of Bank of America, but has no material interest in any other companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen nameTMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle@TMFUltraLong.The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends MasterCard, Visa, and Wells Fargo. It also has the following options: short May 2016 $52 puts on Wells Fargo, and recommends American Express and Bank of America. 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.
With all the options consumers have for spending their discretionary income today, it pays as an investor to look closely at those that keep us happy and coming back for more. And I think it goes without saying that Americans, in particular, couldn't do without two of our primary food groups: coffee and burritos.

So let's take a closer look at arguably the two best stocks to play that trend: Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) and Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG).

Which is the better buy today?

Unwrapping Chipotle's promise

Chipotle Mexican Grill has rebounded nicely in 2017. The fast-casual restaurant chain boasts a nearly $12 billion market capitalization after watching its shares climb 10% year to date, thanks largely to recent progress in Chipotle's ongoing turnaround.

Chipotle's revenue last quarter climbed an impressive 28.1% year over year, to $1.069 billion, including a 17.8% increase in comparable-restaurant sales. Of course, that figure was pitted against a painful performance in the same year-ago period, when the company was still reeling from multiple food-borne illness scares that devastated restaurant traffic. On the bottom line, Chipotle delivered quarterly net income of $46.1 million, or $1.60 per share, swinging from a first-quarter 2016 loss of $26.4 million, or $0.88 per share. And Chipotle continued building its restaurant footprint all the while, opening 57 new locations over the past year to bring its base to over 2,300.

Today, according to Chipotle CEO Steve Ells, the company is benefiting from "sweeping changes throughout the organization" aimed at improving the guest experience, as well as even more intense food quality measures to ensure it won't suffer a repeat of the events that made this recovery necessary in the first place.

But two weeks ago Chipotle stock pulled back after the company "reiterated and clarif[ied]" its guidance, leaving several Wall Street analysts to tweak their models based on the chain's expectations for increased food and marketing costs. As fellow Fool Adam Levine-Weinberg pointed out, however, Chipotle didn't actually change its 2017 guidance at all, but rather -- just as its filings indicated -- reaffirmed its expectations even in spite of concerns over a payment card security breach in late March and early April.

In the end, I think investors should be happy with the progress Chipotle continues to make. And with shares trading at roughly 35 times this year's expected earnings -- an acceptable premium given its current growth rates -- I believe the stock should have little trouble heading higher from here.

Sipping on Starbucks' momentum

Meanwhile, with its $84 billion market cap as of this writing, Starbucks remains every bit the dominant global coffee industry giant investors have enjoyed for the past two-and-a-half decades. Revenue last quarter climbed 6% year over year to $5.3 billion, and earnings per share increased an even better 15% to $0.45. Both set new company records in the process.

There was a caveat in Starbucks' strong results, however; comparable-store sales grew less than expected at 3%, as a 4% increase in average ticket size was partially offset by a 2% decrease in total transactions. That said, Starbucks also noted that comps were skewed due to order consolidation stemming from changes in its new Starbucks Rewards program. Adjusted for the effects of that consolidation, average ticket size was up 3% while transactions were flat compared to the previous year.

Starbucks management also voiced optimism for the year ahead. Thanks to investments the company is making to increase throughput and further "premiumize" the Starbucks brand, U.S. comparable-store sales accelerated sequentially with each month last quarter ending at around 4% in March. And comps continued to accelerate into April.

For those wondering whether Starbucks can possibly continue to grow from here, the company maintains an active goal of opening at least 2,000 stores around the globe each year. It added 427 new locations last quarter alone, bringing its total store base to nearly 26,200.

As it stands, Starbucks stock trades at around 24 times this year's expected earnings. I think that's a fair price assuming the company indeed continues to accelerate its revenue and earnings growth as this year progresses, and considering the stock offers a healthy dividend yielding 1.7% annually at today's prices. If Starbucks can maintain both its pace of new store growth and the comps momentum it exhibited at the start of the current quarter, shares should easily beat the market going forward.

The verdict

So which is the "better buy" today? I think that depends on your goals as an investor. On one hand, Starbucks is obviously thriving as it pushes forward its ambitious agenda for global growth, and investors willing to see that through over the long term can enjoy relative stability with its dividend and strong profitability in the process.

But I'm personally even more enticed by the prospect of Chipotle gradually reversing its fall from grace, especially in light of what I believe is the market's fundamental misunderstanding of its guidance clarification last month.

That's not to say there won't be bumps in the road for Chipotle along the way. Another unforeseen food-borne illness scare, however unlikely, could easily propel the stock to historic lows. But if Chipotle can keep moving forward and deliver on its promises to both diners and investors, and with shares trading just above half their all-time high set in 2015, I think Chipotle Mexican Grill is the better buy today.

10 stocks we like better than Chipotle Mexican GrillWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Chipotle Mexican Grill wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

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Steve Symington has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Chipotle Mexican Grill and Starbucks. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger made clear that they are no fans of embattled drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals International.

"In my view, the business model of Valeant was enormously flawed," Buffett said at the annual Berkshire Hathaway meeting on Saturday. Buffett responded to a question about whether he agreed with his right-hand man, Charlie Munger, who last year called Valeant's core strategy of buying smaller pharmacies and then raising prices of their drugs "deeply immoral."

Buffett implied that Valeant was similar, in some respects, to "chain letter" companies designed to fool investors.

Shares in Valeant have lost 87 percent of their value from their 2015 high, and its former chief executive was called to testify before Congress this week about the company's drug-pricing policies.

Buffett said the Sequoia Fund, which traces its roots to Buffett, took an "unusually large position" in Valeant, mainly a result of the fund becoming "overly entranced with the business model."

Sequoia, which at one point had more than 30 percent of its assets in Valeant, had 19 percent of its money in the drug stock as of Dec. 31.

Buffett noted the money manager responsible for Sequoia's investment in Valeant, then-chief executive Robert Goldfarb, has left the fund. Buffett said he also was approached by multiple people asking if he wanted to invest in Valeant and meet former Valeant CEO Michael Pearson. Buffett said he declined to do either of those things, and was wary of the company from the very beginning.

All told, Buffett expressed support for portfolio managers of the Sequoia, which has long invested in Berkshire and shared similar values, characterizing them as "very smart, decent people."

Munger concurred that Sequoia "reconstituted" itself. He added: "We think the whole thing is fixed. Valeant was a sewer, and those who created it deserved the opprobrium they got."

Friday, Sequoia said in a regulatory filing that the $5.3 billion mutual fund is reopening to new investors. It will accept direct purchases from new customers but remains closed to those seeking to buy through intermediaries.

(Reporting By Jennifer Ablan and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
Image Source: ExxonMobil corporate website.

Slowly but steadily, ExxonMobil's earnings have been on the decline ever since oil prices started on their downward trajectory. This quarter resulted in the lowest earnings results since 1999. As bad as that sounds, there is something to keep in mind here: ExxonMobil remains profitable. That's something that not a lot of oil and gas companies can say.

Let's take a quick look at this quarter's results, and what investors can expect in the coming months as the company continues to deal with bottom-of-the-barrel oil prices.

By the numbers

Results (in millions, except per share data) Q1 2016 Q4 2015 Q1 2015 Revenue $48,707 $59,807 $67,618 EBITDA $6,000 $7,443 $11,023 Net Income $1,810 $2,780 $4,940 Earnings per share $0.43 $0.67 $1.17

Source: ExxonMobil earnings releases and S&P Capital IQ.

This quarter was the first quarter where ExxonMobil's upstream production unit slid into a loss, and all of that loss came from the company's U.S.-based operations. At the same time, refining margins were a bit weaker in the fist quarter, which led to a modest decline in downstream earnings. The one saving grace for ExxonMobil this quarter was its chemical division, which performed very well, and made up for weakness elsewhere. Here's a quick breakdown of those results.

Image source: ExxonMobil earnings releases, author's chart.

From a cash-generating perspective, the company didn't fare much better than some of its peers. Capital spending declined about 33% from the same time last year, but the company didn't quite generate enough in operational cash flow to cover all spending needs. This left ExxonMobil with some funding gaps that needed to be plugged with debt. To be fair, though, the company saw a $1.8 billion build in working capital this quarter, which will likely decline in the coming quarters, and make cash-flow figures look better.

The operational highlights

Four major production projects -- Heidelberg truss spar, Gorgon LNG, Julia, and Point Thomson -- all started up in 2016

ExxonMobil is working on the appraisal of its Liza discovery off the coast of Guyana, and began exploration work off the coast of Uruguay

Total production increased by 1.8%, to 4.32 million barrels per day. Total liquids production increased 261,000 barrels per day, while natural-gas production decreased 140,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

The company had its credit rating downgraded from AAA to AA+.

Management gave its analyst day presentation that highlighted some of the major points of investment during the next several years.

Straight from managementThe CIA would probably have a hard time getting ExxonMobil's management to say anything revealing about the business. The statement made by ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson is very similar to the statement he makes every quarter:

It may be a little frustrating that the company rarely ever gives investors a deeper look into what management is thinking. Then again, this is what you should expect from a company that prides itself on being consistent throughout the ups and downs of the commodity cycle.

A look at the outlookExxonMobil plans to bring six more major projects online in 2016. One of them is the much beleaguered Kashagan facility in the Caspian Sea. This project has been the poster child for excessive spending and mega projects gone wrong for Big Oil companies, so finally turning it into a revenue generator will be a welcome change. Beyond that, the company still has a rather large suite of potential development projects it can tap, which suggests that today's declines in capital spending mean that they will get delayed rather than completely shelved.

What a Fool believesThis quarter's results weren't great by any measure, but most of the things that affected the company's profitability were out of the company's control. One thing that should give some solace to ExxonMobil's investors is that it has managed to remain profitable during even these extremely difficult times, while its peers fall deeper and deeper into the red. We may not be at the end of low oil and gas prices, but ExxonMobil is showing that it can manage the situation much better than others.

The article ExxonMobil Hangs on to Modest Profits for the First Quarter originally appeared on Fool.com.

Tyler Crowe owns shares of ExxonMobil.You can follow him at Fool.comor on Twitter@TylerCroweFool. The Motley Fool owns shares of ExxonMobil. 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.
At a time when most Chinese solar manufacturers have rapidly grown and then fallen on their faces, Canadian Solar seems to have made it out of the solar inferno alive. How did it beat out companies like Yingli Green Energy, Trina Solar, and the bankrupt Suntech Power, who got a lot more attention along the way?

YGE data by YCharts

Growing up in the solar market The growth path Canadian Solar has taken from 2006 to today isn't unusual for Chinese solar manufacturers, where the company produces most of its offerings. The company borrowed a lot of money to rapidly expand production and build scale in the process.

Image source: Canadian Solar.

But key to this strategy was focusing on the back end of the value chain that turned out to be less volatile than upstream parts of the supply chain. You can see below that Canadian Solar has always had more module capacity than cell and even less wafer capacity. This turned out to be fortuitous because polysilicon -- which is a step further upstream than wafers -- ended up becoming an oversupplied commodity business, leading to the downfall of LDK Solar and others.

Image source: Canadian Solar.

By building module capacity the company could control where the end product went and leverage the commoditization of polysilicon, wafers, and even cells in the solar industry.

The project business comes alive When you control the module, you can choose where to sell them or even install them yourself. And after the massive oversupply of modules that occurred in 2012 (coinciding with a lot of financial trouble for solar manufacturers) it became clear that the downstream project development business would be key for manufacturers. Not only did Canadian Solar hold the modules developers wanted, it moved into the development business faster than most competitors.

Image source: Canadian Solar.

You can see above the rapid move into project development over the past four years. And it should be noted that highly valued projects in Canada were a huge windfall for the company that really kept it afloat in hard times.

This aggressive move into project development ended up being what separated it from competitors. Instead of just selling panels into an increasingly commoditized market. And that will allow for the next round of innovation to keep the company in the solar business.

How Canadian Solar grows from here Being one of the world's largest solar manufacturers and having a big pipeline of projects is good, but we've seen companies with both qualities go bankrupt in the last few years. So, standing still isn't an option for Canadian Solar.

The next step to long-term value is launching higher efficiency solar modules and moving more of the components from field installation to the factory floor. On the efficiency front, the company has launched ONYX 1 that it says will increase efficiency and improve aesthetics. And a Mono PERC design is said to increase cell efficiency to nearly 21%. The company has also played around with micro inverters, although that doesn't appear to be a big part of its business today.

Canadian Solar has one of the best chances to build long-term value out of all of the Chinese solar manufacturers. But it needs to keep up the innovation and build a sustainable development business backed by a solid balance sheet. It's on the way, but the plan is easier said than done.

The article How Canadian Solar Inc. Outlasted Competitors originally appeared on Fool.com.

Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.
Image source: American Water Works.

If you take a big-picture view, American Water Works has a pretty reliable business. That said, it's looking to move into some new areas that may not be quite as steady. So you'd be right to ask yourself, how risky is American Water Works stock?

A solid coreAfter air, water is the next most important thing for sustaining life. And since American Water Works is a key provider of drinking water, it's a good bet that demand for what it sells will remain strong. Better yet, the vast majority of this business is regulated.

So American Water Works has a monopoly in the regions it serves. The offset, of course, is it has to ask regulators for approval when it wants to raise rates. But even that's a good thing, because so much of the U.S. water system is old and needs to be updated or replaced. Consdiering waters importance, regulators have a bias toward approving system upgrades and expansions, which leads to higher rates for American Water Works' customers. To give you an idea of the size of this issue, the company believes a trillion dollars will be spent in the United States to fix the nation's aging pipes over the next 20 year.

Built in growth, and moreThat means that American Water Works is set for growth. In fact, the company expects earnings-per-share growth of roughly 4% to 6% from the regulated aspect of its business alone.

But there's another side benefit here. Because the costs of upgrading system are so high, many municipalities have been looking to offload their water and waste water systems. That lets the sellers raise some revenue and avoid the big future bills. American Water Works is a happy participant in such deals, because it can tap the capital markets to buy the regulated assets. And, more important, as it spends on the upgrades, it generally earns more.

Is this what you want your water flowing through? Image source: American Water Works.

In fact, the company expects regulated acquisitions to add another 1% to 2% to earnings growth each year through 2020. But here's the thing: That means a best-case scenario of 8% growth from its core business. American Water Works is looking for growth of as much as 10% a year. Where's the other 2% or so coming from?

Core and exploreThe answer is American Water Enterprises (AWE) and shale water services, which, taken together, are expected to add 2% to 3% to the bottom line. Neither of these businesses is a complete departure from what American Water Works does, so you shouldn't be scared of them. But they are worth watching just the same, since they are different from the core regulated business.

For example, AWE provides water services to the military and is looking to expand its relationship with individual homeowners in areas such as wells and septic tanks, among many others. The military deals are long-term and contract based, so losing a contract would be a big issue, and if it doesn't win enough deals, growth won't live up to expectations. On the consumer side, it has existing relationships from which it should be able to develop new business. But that doesn't mean it will succeed or achieve good results if it does.

Drilling needs water, too. Image source: American Water Works.

Shale, meanwhile, is a touchier topic right now. The company provides water services to drillers in what is often a water-intensive business. That, on the surface, sounds great. However, with oil on the outs, the company expects well completions to be down 10% to 20% this year. It anticipates a pick-up next year, which sounds good, but it's still a big question mark. So this could be a solid business, or it could turn into a bust -- it's just too soon to tell right now.

Sunny, with a chance of rainSo what's the end takeaway here? American Water Works' core business looks pretty stable and should provide solid, albeit unspectacular, growth. The bigger risk comes from its expansion efforts outside the regulated space, which includes military contracts, direct-to-consumer non-regulated service businesses, and shale drilling water services. The concern is that these business flop and get sold at a loss or just closed and written off. (It wouldn't be the first time a utility overreached and left investors holding the bag.) But on the whole, American Water Works is a pretty safe stock. Just keep a wary eye on the non-regulated stuff, even though it's small potatoes right now.

The article How Risky Is American Water Works Stock? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Reuben Brewer has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.
As consolidation and falling fuel prices have driven profits to record levels in the airline industry, many airlines have started to reward shareholders with dividends and share buybacks.

No airline has taken that further than American Airlines . In the past two years, American has become increasingly aggressive in buying back stock. In fact, its board of directors has now authorized a total of $9 billion in share repurchases. Despite these huge buybacks, American Airlines stock is no higher than it was before the company started repurchasing stock in massive quantities.

American Airlines Stock Performance, data by YCharts.

Meanwhile, American Airlines reported a slight year-over-year decline in pre-tax profit for Q1 and expects an even bigger drop in pre-tax profit this quarter. Is the company just squandering its multibillion-dollar fuel windfall on share buybacks?

Getting more and more aggressiveIn July 2014, after reporting a record quarterly profit, American Airlines revealed plans to buy back $1 billion of stock by the end of 2015. Fuel prices began to plummet shortly after this announcement, allowing American to complete the $1 billion buyback a year early. It immediately announced a new $2 billion share buyback program, to be completed by the end of 2016.

During the course of 2015, American Airlines' profit rose sharply -- 50% year over year, in fact -- while its stock price started to move in the other direction. The company reacted to this unusual divergence by buying back more and more stock.

By the end of 2015, American's board had authorized two more buyback programs of $2 billion each and the company had spent $3.6 billion to buy back 85.1 million shares of stock. American continued its rapid buyback activity in Q1 2016, spending nearly $1.6 billion to repurchase 39.1 million shares.

American Airlines has spent billions of dollars on buybacks recently. Image source: American Airlines.

This nearly exhausted the company's buyback authorization. As a result, American Airlines' board authorized yet another $2 billion buyback program, bringing it to a total of $9 billion in authorized buybacks since mid-2014.

A waste of cash?Many commentators would argue that American Airlines is wasting its money by repurchasing so much stock. So far, it has spent more than $6 billion on stock buybacks at an average price of about $42 per share, more than 15% above the stock's recent price.

Meanwhile, American's debt burden has risen steadily as share buybacks have routinely outpaced free cash flow. American Airlines ended 2015 with more than $20 billion of debt and it is on pace to add another $2 billion or so in debt during 2016. In an industry downturn, this could become a significant burden.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker has defended the company's massive buyback program. He argues that since borrowing costs are around 4% before tax, it makes sense to finance its aircraft purchases with debt, freeing up cash for share buybacks. Parker and the rest of his leadership team also believe that American Airlines stock is woefully undervalued.

If you own the stock, you should like the buybacksUltimately, the wisdom of American Airlines' buyback binge depends on whether the stock is truly undervalued.

Just based on the raw numbers, it's easy to argue that the stock is cheap. While analysts' earnings-per-share estimates have declined significantly in the past few months due to continuing unit revenue weakness, American Airlines stock still trades for just 6.2 times projected 2016 EPS.

On the flip side, American Airlines' management has underestimated the difficulty of returning to unit revenue growth. The combination of rising costs and ongoing revenue softness could lead to further erosion of the company's earnings power. Given that airline profitability has been unusually high over the past year, it's entirely possible that American's earnings will decline to a level at which the current stock price would no longer seem like a bargain.

However, if you believe that American Airlines' profitability has peaked and will fall sharply in the years ahead, you shouldn't invest in the company in the first place.

American Airlines may be throwing good money after bad by buying back $9 billion of stock, just as its shareholders may be betting on the wrong horse. But investors who are confident enough in the company's prospects to own the stock should be glad that American's management and board are equally confident -- and willing to back that up with $9 billion of share repurchases.

The article Is American Airlines Making a $9 Billion Mistake? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Adam Levine-Weinberg is long Jan. 2017 $30 calls on American Airlines Group. The Motley Fool is long Jan. 2017 $35 calls on American Airlines Group. 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.
Japan's Defense Ministry took one look at the F-22's specs and told Mitsubishi: "Yeah, build me something like this." Image source: Lockheed Martin.

Facing twin threats from neighbors North Korea and China, Japan used to beg the U.S. to sell it -- or allow it to build copies of--Lockheed Martin's vaunted F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet. When the answer turned out to be "no," Japan did the next best thing, and ordered Lockheed Martin's down-market F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter instead.

But now, finally, Japan is getting the fighter plane it really wants. And it's building it itself.

Introducing the Mitsubishi X-2 ShinshinTaking off to great acclaim from Chubu airport on Friday, Japan's new homegrown stealth fighter jet, the Mitsubishi X-2 Shinshin, represents Japan's best effort to re-enter the field of fighter-jet manufacture. It may also represent a challenge to Lockheed Martin's international arms business.

X2 will feature radar-deflecting angles and radar-absorbing materials designed to reduce its radar cross section, rendering the aircraft invisible to radar. Like Lockheed Martin's F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters, X-2 will be a single-seat fighter. Like the F-22, it will feature two engines -- Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries XF5 turbofans capable of reaching Mach 2.2 speeds.

That's as fast as the F-22 flies, and faster than the F-35s Japan is buying. At an estimated 21,000 empty weight, X-2 will be lighter than either of Lockheed Martin's stealth aircraft. And equipped with 3D thrust-vectoring capability, it could be more maneuverable than either of Lockheed's birds, as well.

Outmaneuvering the (sales) competitionOne other way Japan's X-2 may outmaneuver Lockheed is in international sales. According to media reports, Japan is investing 39 billion yen -- more than $350 million-- in the X-2 project. Partly, Japan is making this investment to reduce its reliance on U.S. arms (that we may or may not agree to sell them). Partly, though, Japan is also looking to export fighter jets to foreign buyers itself, which would help it recoup the money invested in X2's development.

Will it succeed? Could a Japanese F-22 lookalike displace sales of the lower-rent F-35 that Lockheed Martin is trying to sell around the globe? The answer probably depends largely on how quickly Mitsubishi can bring X-2 to market -- and at what cost.

Mitsubishi says it will take about two years of testing to confirm whether X2 is worth building on a large scale. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin is making sales and locking up market share today.

Mitsubishi's X-2 may pose a bigger threat to Boeing's struggling fighter-jet business, which recently lost yet another big defense contract in the Middle East. Among well-heeled buyers at least, Boeing's been having a hard time making the case for buying its fourth-generation F-15s and F/A-18s over Lockheed Martin's more advanced (and more expensive) F-35s.

Long story short: Yes, at the right price, Mitsubishi and its X-2 could pose a threat to Boeing's defense business.

Boeing's F-15: A pretty plane, but can it compete with "stealth?" Image source: Boeing.

The article Japan Builds a Stealth Jet originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributorRich Smithdoes not own shares of, nor is he short, any company named above. You can find him onMotley Fool CAPS, publicly pontificating under the handleTMFDitty, where he's currently ranked No. 297 out of more than 75,000 rated members.The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.
"We expect [defense contract protests] to be rare.We expect it not to be used frivolously."-- Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter

Image source:Department of Defense photo byMaster Sgt. Ken Hammond, U.S. Air Force, via Wikipedia.

Once the Pentagon acquisitions chief, now its Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter has long fought the plague of defense contractors protesting contract awards, dragging out the process, and delaying the delivery of needed equipment to soldiers in the field. Mostly to no effect.

In just the past few months, we've seen Lockheed Martin protest Oshkosh's contract to build the Army's Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, and Boeing challenge Northrop Grumman's winning the Air Force B-21 Bomber contract (aka the B-3). Similar examples from past contract disputes are legion.

But now, the Pentagon may finally get the tools it needs to put an end to the practice.

A problem long in the makingFor as long as I can remember, Pentagon contract awards have more or less followed the following schedule:

First, the Pentagon invites companies to bid on a contract.

Next, the companies submit their bids.

The Pentagon picks a winner, and finally...

...the winner executes the contract, the losers protest the award, the losers file a lawsuit challenging the denial of their protest, the losers appeal the rejection of their lawsuit, and the winner -- finally -- gets to execute the contract.

Of course, by that time, six months have passed, the contract "winner" has had to reduce revenue guidance, and possibly take a charge to earnings to account for the delay -- and the troops still don't have the weapons they were promised. It's a fiasco of a system, and it has to end.

A do-nothing Congress prepares to do somethingLast week, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) announced plans to fix this mess. During the next several days, Thornberry and his colleagues will "debate" inserting into the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act new rules to require a defense contractor who protests a contract award to a rival and loses that protest to pay a penalty for its obstructionism.

One such penalty might be to fine unsuccessful protestors. That, however, would make the protest process an exercise in mathematics. A contractor will consider the fine, weigh whether it can do enough damage to a rival by protesting or have a good-enough chance of succeeding in its protest to make risking the fine worthwhile, and proceed based on the results of that calculation.

An alternative, more persuasive penalty might be to ban serial protestors from bidding on future contracts, potentially imposing a much higher cost on recalcitrance. But so far, no one seems to be talking about doing that.

Who's at risk? Whether anything substantive emerges from Congress's debate remains to be seen. But assuming it does, which companies are at risk of getting hit with penalties?

Actually, probably most of them. All the big companies, from Boeing and Lockheed Martin on down, play this game -- sometimes as protestor, other times as protestee. While Lockheed Martin protested Oshkosh's JLTV win last year, in 2008, it was Lockheed getting protested against -- by Oshkosh and Northrop Grumman -- on a previous JLTV contract. Simply put, everyone in the defense business has something to gain, and something else to lose, if Congress permits the Pentagon to penalize serial contract protestors.

In the end, I suspect that permitting the penalization of frivolous challenges to DoD awards would have a net-zero effect on the contractors. But investors will get better visibility into their investments' revenue streams, and soldiers on the line will get their equipment faster. For us and for them, penalties pose a "risk" that really has no downside.

The article Pentagon Plans to Punish Serial Contract Protesters originally appeared on Fool.com.

Rich Smithowns shares of Oshkosh. You can find him onMotley Fool CAPS, publicly pontificating under the handleTMFDitty, where he's currently ranked No. 297 out of more than 75,000 rated members.The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.
Fire one! Image source: Raytheon.

Across America and around the world, no one sells more weapons than American defense contractors. According to a recent TIME magazine report, U.S. defense contractors account for more than 50% of all arms sales anywhere in the world -- and one of the hottest markets for weaponry anywhere in the world is the Middle East.

Don't look now, but that market just got a little bit bigger.

The newsLast week, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency -- the Pentagon arm responsible for coordinating arms sales between U.S. defense contractors and our allies -- notified Congress of an upcoming sale of RIM-116C rolling airframe missilesto the military of Qatar. Lightweight, supersonic, and guided by radar, the RIM-116 is a ship-defense anti-missile missile designed specifically to shoot down hostile anti-ship missiles. (It's called "rolling," by the way, because it spins in the air as a means of self-stabilization, helping the missile to fly straight.)

According to DSCA, Qatar is buying 254 of the missiles from Raytheon in order to "protect its naval forces and nearby oil/gas infrastructure from air and missile threats." Raytheon, the principal contractor on the deal, stands to make $260 million from the sale of the weapons, plus "associated equipment, training, and support" services.

At the 13.2% profit margin that Raytheon's Missile Systems division earns on its missile sales (according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence), this implies a total profit of about $34.3 million for Raytheon, or roughly $0.12 per share. That's a significant sum -- but there could be even more money to come.

"Under-trained, under-staffed, and under-equipped" Here's why: According to Raytheon, the RAM-116C is designed for use on a wide variety of warships, ranging from "95,000 ton aircraft carriers" all the way down to "500-ton fast attack craft." Currently, though, the biggest vessel we know of in the Qatari Navy doesn't meet even this lower threshold for size.

Rather, Qatar's navy and coast guard is equipped with a hodgepodge of about six dozensmall coastal patrol craft -- a forceGlobalSecurity.org describes as "under-trained, under-staffed, and under-equipped given the massive scale of their on-shore and off-shore energy infrastructure."

Buying a batch of high-tech missiles from Raytheon is certainly one step toward rectifying that situation. It does, however, raise the question of where Qatar intends to put the missiles.

Here's one possible answer.

Corvettes for Qatar? According to a 2013 report by the Center for International Maritime Security, Qatar has been "actively seeking corvettes" to add to its Navy. Indeed, as recently as last year, DefenseNews.orgnoted that negotiations are progressing with shipbuilders such as locally owned Etihad Ship Building, a joint venture with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, believed to involve the upgrade or even the purchase of new ships for Qatar's navy.

Weighing in at roughly 2,000-plus tons displacement, a corvette is a modern warshipof a size easily capable of supporting Raytheon's RAM-116C. More important to the defense contracting industry, it's a vessel that can easily cost $125 million or more-- each. And Qatar's order for hundreds of RAM-116C missiles suggests the country would need to buy multiple corvettes to field them.

Is such a sale in the offing, and if so, from whom? We don't know yet, but the size of Qatar's arms purchase is certainly suggestive. Here are a few likely suspects drawn from the U.S. small warship-building industry to consider -- just on the off chance Fincantieri doesn't win the contract.

And as soon as we know more, you'll know more.

BAE-built corvette in Oman. Image source: BAE Systems.

The article Raytheon Tapped to Upgrade Qatar Navy originally appeared on Fool.com.

Rich Smithowns Raytheon stock. You can find him onMotley Fool CAPS, publicly pontificating under the handleTMFDitty, where he's currently ranked No. 297 out of more than 75,000 rated members.The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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.
Image source: Starbucks.

Stock gains of roughly 240% over the past five years and expectations for healthy earnings growth are reflected in Starbucks' forward P/E ratio of 36, and concerns about broader economic trends are prompting appraisal and reappraisal of the long high-performing stock. Amid these concerns, the coffee giant is also catching heat from customers and analysts about changes to its customer rewards system.

The controversial new rewards programsees the company apportioning points per dollar spent, as opposed to the previous system that awarded points based on number of visits. Adding extra juice to the matter, Dunkin' Brands has improved its rewards program in conjunction with a revamped mobile approach and has even taken the opportunity on social media to poke fun at Starbucks' perceived misstep.

Vocally dissatisfied customers and ample media coverage suggest that, to some extent, the dissatisfaction with the new Starbucks rewards program is real, but does the change represent a significant threat to the value proposition of Starbucks stock?

A brewing controversyThe big rewards shift comes at a time when the Seattle coffee giant's ability to deliver strong growth from its more than 24,000 global locations is debated in the context of volatility in China, domestic competition, and concerns that the brand could lose appeal in the event of significantly weakened economic conditions. Evidencing the sentiment that the rewards program could present a meaningful threat to Starbucks, a Deutsche Bank analyst recently issued a downward revision on the stock and cited the new rewards changes amid competing offerings from Dunkin' Donuts as a factor in the downgrade.

With a P/E that's roughly double that of the S&P 500 Index andunknown variables in key growth markets including China, there are valid reasons to take a cautious outlook on Starbucks, but the rewards program might not be as big an issue as initial customer dissatisfaction and the Dunkin' Donuts' marketing push might suggest.

Why the rewards program controversy could be overblownDunkin' Donuts' ribbing of Starbucks and the highlighting of its own ample April rewards offerings is well-timed and supported by a revamped mobile app and membership incentives, including a free beverage of any size for signing up with the program. The rewards push and app overhaul indicates movement on the company's stated desire to drive growth with better promotions, but it's far from a clear sign that the new rewards program will drive Starbucks customers to switch to Dunkin' in significant numbers or be a definitive factor in new customer acquisition. From its coffee and food items to its in-store layout, Starbucks is significantly differentiated from Dunkin' and most other competitors in the space, and the customers visiting Starbucks stores enough to be frequent participants in its rewards programs could prove among the most difficult for competitors to court.

While the switch to the new points-per-dollar system is clearly not universally loved, the promotional steps that Starbucks is taking with its rewards revamp might actually work to speed adoption of the company's mobile app -- a major focus as it seeks to create more personalized connections with its customer base and streamline its store experience with mobile ordering and other features. Like Dunkin', Starbucks revamped its mobile app with the rollout of the new rewards program, and is running a promotion that offers a year-long membership to Starbucks Gold Rewards program to users who make a purchase with Starbucks' app or regular rewards card by May 2. The Gold upgrade might not have the same immediate appeal as a free beverage from Dunkin', but the benefits of easy entry into Starbucks' upper-tier rewards program could win over skeptics with time.

In a worst-case scenario where the new rewards program proves to be a complete miss with customers, Starbucks wouldn't face great barriers in returning to its previous system and could offer extra freebies as a proactive gesture. It seems unlikely that such a move will be necessary, but the option for reversal is there if needed, and expecting Starbucks to deliver a rewards program that satisfies customers is not unreasonable, given the company's brand history.

More pressing issues for Starbucks investorsWhile the possibility of continued issues stemming from the rewards change exists and keeping the brand in top shape is greatly important, Starbucks' stock performance probably hinges on factors that are much bigger and more complex than the rewards controversy.

China is Starbucks' second-largest market, and the company is counting on big growth in the territory, anticipating that the country's middle class will have increased from a 300 million-person base in 2010 to 600 million in 2022. The company currently operates roughly 2,000 stores in mainland China and is targeting 3,400 by 2019, with room for significant further expansion if middle-class growth targets pan out as anticipated.

The company is also expanding its packaged-food strategy across territories, with a partnership with Chinese consumer-goods company Tingyi for a bottled-coffee release later this year and an effort with PepsiCo to scale up bottled distribution in Latin America. If discretionary spending in China and other emerging markets continues to see favorable trends and Starbucks continues to find success with its food and packaged innovations, it has strong growth prospects and the ability to reward continued investor confidence.

The level of strength assumed in those growth propositions relative to Starbucks' valuation should guide investor action, with the new rewards issue representing a more tertiary concern.

The article Should Starbucks Investors Be Worried About the Company's New Rewards Program? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Keith Noonan has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends PepsiCo and Starbucks. 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 solar industry has been reeling this week, trying to decipher how each company is going to react to the "injury" fining in the Section 201 trade case, which will likely lead to tariffs on solar imports. The exact decision President Donald Trump makes in relation to tariffs won't likely come down until early 2018, but companies are preparing for the worst.

While the U.S. was preparing for the destruction of the solar industry, there was some positive news from around the world. Here's a look at the week's highlights.

Suniva and SolarWorld lower tariff targets

The original trade case brought up by Suniva suggested that there should be a tariff of $0.25 per watt for solar cells and a tariff of $0.32 per watt for modules with a price floor of $0.74 per watt. The price floor is a reduction of $0.04 per watt and an earlier proposal contemplated a cell tariff of $0.40 per watt.

Reducing tariff demands may ease some of the pain in the solar industry, although the impacts would almost entirely be negative. Outside of existing manufacturing plants that Suniva and SolarWorld are selling or have in bankruptcy, there's no significant solar cell manufacturing capacity in the U.S. and it could take years to build enough to supply the industry.

What's key in the next few weeks is what Suniva and SolarWorld propose as actual remedies and what is proposed by others in the industry. That's where the rubber will hit the road.

AES is making moves in solar

This week, AES Corporation (NYSE: AES) announced it will build 100 MW of solar capacity in El Salvador with local firm CMI. The project is expected to cost around $160 million and will sell electricity to the national grid for $0.1019 per kWh.

AES's subsidiary in Brazil also announced it will buy 180 MW of solar plants. The company will pay $764.8 million for the asset, which diversifies a primarily hydroelectric company with more renewable energy.

News and notes

There were also some significant news items for the industry that was a little further off the beaten path.

Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ) will list the Canadian Solar Infrastructure Fund in Tokyo in a plan to own solar projects long term. The initial portfolio will be 72.7 MW of projects and could add more from Canadian Solar's portfolio in the country. This is analogous to the yieldco market in the U.S., but is a special fund structure allowed in Japan.

(NASDAQ: CSIQ) will list the Canadian Solar Infrastructure Fund in Tokyo in a plan to own solar projects long term. The initial portfolio will be 72.7 MW of projects and could add more from Canadian Solar's portfolio in the country. This is analogous to the yieldco market in the U.S., but is a special fund structure allowed in Japan. Siemens (NASDAQOTH: SIEGY) Gamesa is coupling a 28.8 MW solar farm with a 50 MW wind farm in India in an innovative new hybrid energy project. Combining the two energy sources could increase the energy density of land and reduce the variability of electricity flowing from renewable power plants.

(NASDAQOTH: SIEGY) Gamesa is coupling a 28.8 MW solar farm with a 50 MW wind farm in India in an innovative new hybrid energy project. Combining the two energy sources could increase the energy density of land and reduce the variability of electricity flowing from renewable power plants. ABB (NYSE: ABB), which is one of the biggest solar inverter suppliers in the world, will finance part of the largest lithium-ion battery plant being built in Sweden by Northvolt. ABB will not only invest, but will also research new products that could be produced in collaboration with Northvolt. This could advance the company's presence in energy storage, a key growth market for solar energy around the world.

(NYSE: ABB), which is one of the biggest solar inverter suppliers in the world, will finance part of the largest lithium-ion battery plant being built in Sweden by Northvolt. ABB will not only invest, but will also research new products that could be produced in collaboration with Northvolt. This could advance the company's presence in energy storage, a key growth market for solar energy around the world. The first solar plus storage plant without any government subsidy has been completed in the U.K. The 10 MW plant and 6 MW of energy storage will provide electricity to National Grid and show that even in a fairly low sunlight country solar energy can be extremely valuable.

That's all for this week in solar. Check back to fool.com next week for more on the industry and its plans ahead of the solar tariff ruling.

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Disney recently signed a multi-year deal to use Nokia 's Ozo cameras to produce 360-degree content for films, marketing materials, and other purposes. Disney previously used the $60,000 Ozo, which is equipped with eight 2K cameras, to produce VR extras for The Jungle Book .

Nokia's Ozo camera. Image source: Nokia.

Disney's decision to produce 360-degree content could help Facebook and Alphabet's Google, which have both been urging content creators to share more 360-degree content. Facebook recently unveiled Surround 360, an "open source" 360-degree camera design which lets content creators create their own high-end cameras for $30,000. Google developed the Odyssey, a $15,000 16-camera rig, with GoPro last year. Both tech giants consider 360-degree VR videos to be the next big evolution of streaming video, and mainstream awareness could support sales of VR headsets like Facebook's Oculus Rift.

However, Disney's choice to partner with Nokia for multiple years suggests that the Finnish company could be gaining an early advantage in the narrow market for high-end VR cameras. What does this partnership mean for Nokia, and should rivals like GoPro be worried?

What the Ozo means to NokiaThe Ozo represents one of Nokia's baby steps back into the hardware market after selling its handset division to Microsoft in 2014. The camera was developed from an in-house prototype by Ramzi Haidamus, President of Nokia Technologies, a division that was established to collect patent royalties and license new technologies.

Nokia Technologies licensed its brand and design to Foxconn last year to create the N1 tablet, which enabled the company to collect royalties without shouldering the costs of manufacturing and marketing the device. Last year, spokesman Robert Morlino declared in a statement that Nokia might return to smartphones with a similar "brand-licensing model" after its non-compete clause with Microsoft expires at the end of this year.

Yet the Ozo is unique because it's the only commercial device that is manufactured and marketed by Nokia. Since the total available market for $60,000 VR cameras is likely limited to a small group of professional filmmakers and studios, Nokia can probably handle the manufacturing process with its dramatically downsized hardware operations. However, even Disney-fueled sales of the Ozo are unlikely to move the needle much for Nokia Technologies, which generates the majority of its sales through patent royalties. Sales from the Nokia Technologies unit rose 170% annually last quarter andaccounted for 11% of Nokia's top line.

What Disney's deal means for other camera makersThe market for high-end VR cameras is still a fledgling one, but Disney's partnership with Nokia might convince other major media companies to follow suit if it produces compelling VR videos. If that happens, cheaper solutions like GoPro's Odyssey and Facebook's Surround 360 could become less desirable to major studios while remaining too expensive for mainstream consumers. Moreover, the Ozo's smaller form factor -- which is roughly the size of a cantaloupe -- could be more appealing to filmmakers than GoPro's and Facebook's larger circular rigs.

Facebook's Surround 360 reference design. Image source: Facebook.

This would be bad news for GoPro, which was likely hoping that the upcoming Odyssey could help it clear out some inventory by selling 16 Hero 4 Black cameras at a time. Meanwhile, its six-camera Omni rig, which can be pre-ordered for $5,000, could lose ground to much cheaper products like Ricoh's $350 Theta S and JK Imaging's $500 Kodak PixPro SP360-4K. Simply put, GoPro's VR dreams could crumble as it gets locked out of both the high-end and low-end markets. Other high-end hopefuls like Jaunt could suffer a similar fate.

But let's not get ahead of ourselvesNokia scored an early victory against GoPro and other VR camera makers by sealing a deal with Disney, but it doesn't guarantee that the Ozo will become the top choice for professional VR filmmaking. Material costs are constantly declining and companies are still innovating, which means that cheaper devices with better video recording capabilities and a smaller form factor than the Ozo could be just around the corner.

The article What's Behind Disney's Surprising Choice for Virtual Reality Content? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Leo Sun owns shares of Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Facebook, GoPro, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of Microsoft. 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.
Frontier Communications had a company-altering first quarter of 2016, but the major event that closed during that time period will not impact its results when it reports on May 3 at 8:30 a.m. before markets open.

During the quarter, the company received final regulatory approval for its $10.54 billion purchase of Verizon's wireline operations in California, Texas, and Florida. This acquisition will more than double Frontier's size as it will add approximately 3.3 million voice connections, 2.1 million broadband connections, and 1.2 million video subscribers, according to a press release, but the impact of that will not be felt until Q2.

Frontier introduced a new logo in January. Image source: Frontier.

Because the Verizon deal closed on April 1, the day after Q1 ended, that made the entire first quarter an exercise in patience for the company. Its results for the period, however, are likely to be telling in that customers purchased from Verizon are similar to the wireline subscribers it bought in late 2014 in its home market of Connecticut.

Because of the timing of Frontier's purchase, Q1 is relevant going forward only in that it's a bellwether for how the company will hold up in the face of challenging market conditions.

It's about growth and retentionIn a broad sense, Frontier's 2015 went roughly as the broadband and pay-television markets did. Overall, Internet service providers added about 3.1 million subscribers in 2015 and lost around 385,000 pay-TV customers, according to Leichtman Research Group (LRG).

Frontier finish the year with 2.46 million broadband customers, adding 28,500 in Q4 and 102,000 for the year. That was in-line with rest of industry and the overall trend of more people wanting to add broadband in order to use streaming services and other high-bandwidth Internet services.

The news was similar when it comes to video where Frontier ended 2015 with 553,700 video customers. It lost 5,800 in Q4 -- a period when most cable companies posted small gains -- which followed a third quarter loss of 9,600 cable users. The company also lost 5,500 video users in Q2 and 7,700 in Q1 for a total 2015 drop of about 28,600.

None of those trends vary much from industry norms and they suggest Frontier has performed about as well as its rivals.

Will it make money?In 2015, Frontier lost about $200 million but it had $236 million in expenses related mostly to the Verizon acquisition. In Q4, if you subtract an acquisition-related interest expense of $178 million, acquisition and integration costs of $86 million, and certain tax items of $7 million, the company had an adjusted net income of $56 million, according to the Q4 earnings release.

The first quarter should track along those lines with the company losing money overall, but making a small profit when you only consider its ongoing operations.

What to look for in Q1Frontier has been in a holding pattern over the last three months as it waits to bring the Verizon properties on board. There should be no surprises during its earning call since there is no reason to believe that the company would have experienced any major fluctuations in subscriber counts.

For Frontier, the future is ahead. For its stockholders, these earnings are really just a milepost on the way to a more important destination. There is no reason to hold shares if you do not believe that its growth strategy will ultimately pay off. We won't learn that answer on May 3 and will have to wait until Q2 to begin to see whether the company will succeed on a long-term basis.

The article What to Expect When Frontier Communications Reports Q1 2016 Results originally appeared on Fool.com.

Daniel Kline has no position in any stocks mentioned. He does not care for hiking. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends 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.
Image source: Pixabay.

The marijuana industry has had some incredible success expanding under less-than-ideal circumstances over the past 20 years. Since the first approval of medicinal marijuana in California in 1996, 23 additional states, along with Washington, D.C., have followed suit. We've also witnessed four states legalize the recreational use of marijuana, which even a decade ago would have seemed like a far-fetched idea.

The result? Legal marijuana sales tallied $5.4 billion in 2015, according to cannabis industry analysts at ArcView Market Research, and they could grow by a compound annual rate of 30% per year through 2020. You'll struggle to find a faster growing industry in the U.S., which is why it's attracting entrepreneurs, investors, and marijuana supporters alike.

Where does your state stand on marijuana? But 2016 could really be marijuana's pinnacle year. While the nation's focus is primarily on the upcoming vote to elect a new president, we could see voters in more than a dozen states go to the polls to vote on marijuana initiatives and referenda. This year could involve marijuana's quickest single year of expansion ever.

Curious where your state currently stands on the federally illegal substance? Here's a handy guide to help you out.

State Recreational Marijuana Legal? Medical Marijuana Legal? 2016 Voting Outlook Alabama No No Medical marijuana initiative stalled in state legislature in 2015. Ballot initiative unlikely. Alaska Yes Yes Fully legal already. Arizona No Yes Recreational marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion appears likely. Arkansas No No Medical marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion appears likely. California No Yes Recreational marijuana initiative expected to be on ballot. Colorado Yes Yes Fully legal already. Connecticut No Yes Recreational marijuana bill being discussed in state's legislature. Delaware No Yes Recently decriminalized, but no recreational initiative on the table. Florida No No Medical marijuana initiative on ballot. Georgia No No Recreational marijuana initiative failed to make the ballot. Hawaii No Yes Recreational marijuana proposals seem unlikely at best from Hawaii's legislature. Idaho No No Medical marijuana initiative failed to make 2016 ballot. Illinois No Yes Decriminalization maybe, but no recreational marijuana initiative this year. Indiana No No No proposals expected from Indiana's legislature. Iowa No No No ballot initiatives expected. Kansas No No No ballot initiatives expected. Kentucky No No No ballot initiatives expected. Louisiana No No No proposals expected from Louisiana's legislature. Maine No Yes Recreational marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion appears likely. Maryland No Yes No ballot initiatives expected. Massachusetts No Yes Recreational marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion appears likely. Michigan No Yes Recreational marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion appears likely. Minnesota No Yes No recreational marijuana proposals expected by Minnesota's legislature. Mississippi No No Recreational marijuana initiative failed to get on ballot. Missouri No No Recreational and medical marijuana initiatives being considered for vote. Montana No Yes Recreational marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion appears likely. Nebraska No No Medical marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion somewhat iffy. Nevada No Yes Recreational marijuana ballot initiative confirmed. New Hampshire No Yes New Hampshire House of Representatives voted against recreational marijuana bill in February. New Jersey No Yes No recreational marijuana initiative expected. New Mexico No Yes Senate voted 24-17 in Feb. 2016 against putting a recreational initiative on the ballot in 2016. New York No Yes No proposals expected from New York's legislature. North Carolina No No State has decriminalized marijuana, but no ballot initiatives expected. North Dakota No No Medical marijuana ballot initiative under discussion. Ohio No No Medical marijuana ballot initiative likely; probably not including recreational marijuana this go-around. Oklahoma No No Medical marijuana initiative being discussed, ballot inclusion iffy at best. Oregon Yes Yes Fully legal already. Pennsylvania No Yes Approved medical marijuana bill through legislative process weeks earlier. Rhode Island No Yes Recreational marijuana ballot initiative expected. South Carolina No No No proposals expected from South Carolina's legislature. South Dakota No No Medical marijuana initiative failed to get on ballot. Tennessee No No No proposals expected from Tennessee's legislature. Texas No No No proposals expected from Texas' legislature. Utah No No Medical marijuana initiative failed to make 2016 ballot. Vermont No Yes Recreational marijuana bill expected to be proposed in legislature. Virginia No No No proposals expected from Virginia's legislature. Washington Yes Yes Fully legal already. West Virginia No No No proposals expected from West Virginia's legislature. Wisconsin No No No proposals expected from Wisconsin's legislature. Wyoming No No Recreational legalization initiative failed to make 2016 ballot.

Table by author. Sources used: Ballotpedia, Medicalmarijuana.procon.org, and various news outlets.

Of course, you'll want to keep in mind that things are changing rapidly at the state level, so even though proposals have been submitted in numerous states, I can't in any way guarantee that an initiative will make it onto a state's ballot or not.

Key states in this year's voting Despite marijuana's overwhelming popularity in the latest Gallup poll (58% favor legalization of the drug), it's not a shoo-in in each state it finds itself on the ballot. We need only look at the voting history in Florida, Ohio, and New Mexico to realize that marijuana balloting for residents and/or within the legislature can result in a failed initiative.

Likewise, there are individual states that stand out as particularly vital for the success of the marijuana industry in 2016. I'm thinking in particular about California, Florida, and Ohio.

Image source: Pixabay.

With two-thirds of the Continental West Coast having already legalized recreational marijuana, it seems only logical that California voters will likely follow a similar route in 2016 when they head to the polls. California as a state represents the eighth-largest economy in the world by GDP, meaning the cannabis industry would almost certainly see a massive uptick in sales. More importantly, we'd probably see job creation and perhaps a trickle-down effect throughout a multitude of industries, including banking, staffing, and consulting. California is unquestionably marijuana's crown jewel in this election.

Florida would be an important win for two key reasons. First, it's a pretty large state when it comes to population, and it had the fourth-highest GDP in the U.S. in 2014, trailing only California, New York, and Texas. Medical marijuana approval in Florida would be another big notch on the belt for the marijuana industry.

Image source: Pixabay.

More interestingly, Florida is also home to a large population of retirees -- and seniors tend to be the least supportive age group when it comes to legalization of marijuana for any use, especially recreational. If Florida voters manage to pass a medical cannabis law this November, it would firmly establish that even a growing population of seniors can't hold back the marijuana movement.

Lastly, it'll be important for Ohio to "get back on the horse," so to speak, after its thumping in the Nov. 2015 elections that saw nearly two-thirds of Ohioans vote against Issue 3.

What's notable about Issue 3's failure is that it likely didn't come about necessarily because Ohioans dislike the idea of marijuana being legal recreationally and medically. Instead, they seemed irritated with the design of the law, which allowed only 10 growers within the state and protected those growers from competition for years to come. Voters were clearly concerned about an oligopoly developing and that oligopoly driving up legal marijuana prices for the consumer. In 2016, it'll be important for Ohio legislators to show that they've listened to voters and returned with a new proposal, even if it's just a medical marijuana proposal.

Direct investment in marijuana is still a gamble It's possible the 2016 elections could alter the investing landscape in marijuana by creating new opportunities in adjacent industries. For instance, imagine how California-based banks could fare if they're able to service the state's marijuana industry. By a similar token, consulting businesses could bloom as successful small-scale retailers look to expand.

Still, caution should be exercised as long as the federal government keeps its schedule 1 stance on marijuana. An unfavorable tax situation, and typically minimal access to basic banking services, have made expansion (and even profitability) difficult for most legal marijuana shops and businesses. Getting legal marijuana costs down to a competitive level against the black market has also proven difficult.

Until the federal government changes its tune, investing directly in the marijuana industry could prove harmful to your wealth.

The article Where Does Your State Stand on Marijuana? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Sean Williamshas no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen nameTMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle@TMFUltraLong.The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter servicesfree for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe thatconsidering a diverse range of insightsmakes us better investors. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The Powerpack could be a big product for SolarCity in 2016. Image by the author.

SolarCity and Tesla Motors are natural partners, especially because Elon Musk happens to be the biggest shareholder of both companies. But there's also another natural tie between the companies: SolarCity's effort to democratize energy production has a growing need for Tesla Motors' ability to store energy.

And it was recently uncovered by GTM Research that SolarCity has grand plans for Tesla Motors batteries in 2016.

SolarCity's energy storage plans Over the past three years, SolarCity has signed a number of supply agreement with Tesla Motors for energy storage systems, both in the home and for businesses. By GTM Research's estimates, Tesla Motors supplied SolarCity with 25.8 MWh of energy storage systems in 2015, or 36% of all behind-the-meter energy storage installed in the U.S. "Behind the meter" basically just means the utility doesn't control the energy storage system, it's on the customer's side of the meter.

Image source: GTM Research.

What's incredible is that Tesla expects to sell 116.5 MWh of energy storage systems to SolarCity in 2016, plus another 52 MWh that will go into the Kaua'I Island Utility Cooperative solar plus storage project in Hawaii.

Image source: GTM Research.

Based on GTM Research's estimates (which include the declining cost of batteries), Tesla Motors is expecting revenue from SolarCity to jump from $8.0 million in 2015 to $44.0 million this year. In other words, it's expecting 450% growth in 2016 from just one customer, and SolarCity will install 60% more Tesla batteries behind the meter in the U.S. than the entire market in 2015.

Is energy storage about to take off? What will be interesting to watch is where energy storage is actually deployed in 2016. States like California and New York are starting to see its value from a utility perspective, and in some cases commercial customers are installing it to reduce demand charges (fees based on the peak consumption, even if it's just for a 15 minute stretch of a month).

But the residential market has been a dud, as I highlighted recently, and Tesla Motors has even discontinued one of its Powerwall units. Hawaii could potentially emerge as a market where residential energy storage makes sense economically, but for now it doesn't look like a good investment in the rest of the country.

If Tesla Motors and SolarCity can tag team the energy storage market, it could be a big win for both companies. And 2016 could be a turning point for the business.

The article Will SolarCity Become an Energy Storage Power Player? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends SolarCity and Tesla Motors. 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.

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Prince was living the good life until his untimely death.

Ray and Juell Roberts of Peoples Organic restaurant were the late music icon's personal chefs. Following his death, the husband-and-wife team opened up to City Pages about what it was like working for a legend, Prince's high expectations and the last meal they ever cooked for him.

Ray said the final meal he prepared Prince was a roasted red pepper bisque and kale salad, though the musician never got the chance to eat it.

WATCH: Prince's Heirs: Meet the Late Music Icon's Family Members

The couple says Prince was a vegetarian -- but not a vegan -- and loved roasted poblano peppers, veggie wraps, Indian food, minestrone soup and desserts. "Some nights that's all he had to eat," Ray said of the cakes and cookies he would whip up.

As for Prince's dislikes, onions, feta cheese and mushrooms were among the banned ingredients.

Ray also shared a funny story about a rare time he was scolded by the renowned perfectionist:

"Once, there was a smudge on the outside of a package in which he had left an overnight meal. When he arrived to work the next day, Prince was in the kitchen waiting. He pointed at the smudge, and simply gave Ray the two-fingers-to-the-eyes 'I'm watching you' gesture."

"I know he really enjoyed my cooking," Ray added of his boss. "It made him really happy. I don't think that [level of satisfaction] was easy for him to get."

WATCH: The Real Prince, According to the People Who Knew Him Best

Ray also pointed out that The Purple One had an excellent sense of humor. "Prince was always funny. He had funny interactions," he said. "He was a breath of fresh air. All the people around there have so much joy and life."

Prince was found dead in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on April 21. Law enforcement sources confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday that prescription drugs were found in Prince's possession and at his home at the time of his death.
Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds recently penned an emotional farewell on his Facebook to a 13-year-old Canadian fan who he met through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Reynolds had been visiting Connor McGrath for three years before the teenagers battle with cancer came to an end earlier this week.

Connor was 13. But this kid He was smart. He was funny. And not just funny for a kid  or funny for a person battling something awful. He had that thing. That thing you see in great performers or comedy writers, the actor wrote.

Reynolds called McGrath Bubba and McGrath would call Reynolds Bubba2. They met because McGrath loved Deadpool and he was the first person to see a rough cut of the film.

He added that before people blast him for showing an R-rated film to a 13-year old, please know this kid knew more swear words than a British chef.

There were still huge sections with wires we hadnt yet painted out, jokes which werent working (and still arent) and green screens. Connor didnt seem to mind. And Id never felt luckier to get to be Wade Wilson, wrote Reynolds.

Wade Wilson, the main character in Deadpool, is a cancer patient that undergoes an experimental cure. The cure somewhat succeeds but also turns him into the Merc with a Mouth.

Reynolds wished McGrath could have stuck around a lot longer. He said that in a way McGrath reminded him of the superhero.

In a certain sense he WAS Deadpool. Or, at least everything Deadpool aspires to be; balancing pain, fearlessness, love and a filthy (filthy!) sense of humor in one body, he wrote.

The Deadpool star sent his condolences to the parents and family before signing off his emotional post with, See ya down the road, Bubba.

Deadpool 2 is set to hit theaters in 2017.
Famously known as the training grounds for incoming special agents, the FBIs sprawling academy in Quantico, Virginia also plays host to some 1,000 domestic and international law enforcement executives every year.

Since 1935, the agencys prestigious National Academy (NA) has brought together policing leaders of varying backgrounds for an intensive professional development course under the guidance of FBI leadership. There, law enforcement brass integrate for ten weeks, living together in academy dorms, undergoing strenuous physical training and classroom instruction by seasoned special agents and subject matter experts.

The National Academy is actually one of the FBI's cornerstone programs, said Mark Morgan, assistant director for the bureaus Training Division. We put them in an environment where we facilitate coursework, and really facilitate the students coming together, and create an environment where they can exchange ideas right now with the twenty-first century challenges faced in law enforcement.

Prompted by those twenty-first century challenges, FBI leadership has adjusted the NAs curriculum to address a host of issues ranging from threats posed by homegrown extremists to tensions between police departments and the communities they serve. Now in its 264th session, National Academy students undergo a mandatory classroom leadership course designed partly to address the contentious issue of police mistrust, which is front and center in several jurisdictions around the country.

Infused into those leadership discussions are findings outlined by the Obama Administrations Task Force on 21st Century Policing, which was commissioned in December 2014 with the goal of strengthening law enforcement and community relations nationwide.

Its an extremely tough year, said Stephanie Shannon, National Academy student and Commander at the Simi Valley, California Police Department. The pressures on law enforcement to try to perform at the levels that they want to be performing, but knowing that everything they're doing is being criticized, is very challenging and very stressful for the men and women that are doing this job.

Asked what she hopes to bring back to her department upon graduation, Shannon said enhanced community partnership and policing programs, emphasizing a desire to provide more transparency to the residents of Simi Valley.

But partnerships between law enforcement agencies and their respective communities are not the only ones being discussed at the National Academy.

One of the bedrock principles of the NA since its inception has been to build strong relationships amongst local, state, federal, and international agencies in order to enhance the flow of critical information and intelligence. And in the current terrorism threat environment and age of Internet radicalization, those bonds are more important than ever before.

I think people realize now that integration and sharing information is not something that's nice to think about. It's not a luxury, it's a must, said Morgan. I think everybody gets that  in the national security and law enforcement side  but that doesn't mean it's easy to do.

And given the robust threat climate the international community has been grappling with, whether it be an Al Qaeda plot targeting commuter trains in Madrid, Spain or a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California inspired by ISIS, local police are often the first on the scene.

"Now, in a global world it is important to have different links with other police, not just national but also international fellows," said Juan Gonzales Somovilla, National Academy student and lieutenant with Spains Guardia Civil. To work all together is essential at this moment.

And with the burgeoning digital threat that knows no borders, FBI leadership has added rigorous coursework in cybersecurity in order to familiarize law enforcement executives from departments of all sizes of the capabilities of modern day hackers.

Most law enforcement agencies out there are fifty sworn officers or less, Morgan explained. What can they do? What should they be doing in their department from a leadership perspective to help become part of combating the threat?
Syndicated columnist George Will said Friday on Special Report with Bret Baier that Indiana Governor Mike Pences endorsement of Ted Cruz in the states upcoming Republican presidential primary is tardy, timid, incoherent and inconsequential.

Will noted that the endorsement, just days before the primary, was not particularly resounding saying it was tardy in the sense that it comes on the eve of the voting and after early voting has been going on for a long time. It's one of the reasons early voting is such a bad idea, it happens before full information is before the voters.

Will said the endorsement is timid because the governor did not want to offend anybody.

It's a kind of poisoned chalice, because being endorsed by an incumbent governor in the year where everyone hates, we're told, the leadership class, is, it's a mixed blessing and whether or not it will be consequential is doubtful because at this point, surely there can't be six undecided voters in the state of Indiana.
Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman -- in prison on corruption charges and who got major support earlier this month for a White House pardon -- was put in solitary confinement Monday, his son says.

Siegelman, the states last Democratic governor, was transferred to solitary confinement after The Washington Post published a story in which he talked extensively about the Supreme Court this week reviewing former Virginia GOP Gov. Bob McDonnells 2014 conviction on public corruption, says son Joseph Siegelman.

Siegelman, also his fathers attorney, suggests the timing of the transfer to solitary confinement is suspicious.

Bureau of Prison officials would not confirm the transfer but said there was no connection.

"The allegation that Mr. Siegelman was punished for talking to a reporter is false," said a bureau spokesman, who declined to elaborate, citing confidentiality concerns regarding disciplinary matters.

Siegelman said his father had told him he was being punished for three infractions: running a business from prison, misuse of the mail and a catch-all prohibition against behavior that is disruptive of prison operations.

Siegelman reportedly sold a T-shirt on eBay for $4,500 that he will use to finish a documentary about his case. According to the note Siegelman posted during the eBay auction, such T-shirts can be purchased at the prison commissary.

He was convicted in 2006 for bribery and obstruction of justice.

The court found Siegelman sold a board appointment to HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy in exchange for contributions to his 1999 campaign to establish a state lottery.

He is serving a sentence of six-plus years in a federal correctional institution in Oakdale, La.

Scrushy has already has finished his sentence.

This is not the first time Siegelman has purportedly been put in solitary confinement. He allegedly was transferred after calling into a talk show in October 2015 to argue his innocence and say he is a victim of Republican politics.

The revelation this week follows more than 100 former state attorneys general asking President Obama, in a letter sent to the White House earlier this month, to pardon the 70-year-old Siegelman.

Former New York Attorney General Bob Abrams said the group thinks the conviction was unjust and tarnished by politics.

Presidential intervention is one of Siegelman's last hopes of getting his prison sentence cut. However, he and his son are also trying to get the Supreme Court to review their case, now that appellate courts have upheld the conviction.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
GOP presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz on Saturday made his pitch to California Republicans, saying their June primary will decide the GOP presidential race and vowing to bring back jobs while also protecting the states land and water-- vital to the state economy.

We can have a win-win scenario, protect the environment and protect jobs, said Cruz, arguing the state has lost 1,700 jobs as a result of misguided regulations.

In his speech at the California GOP convention, outside of San Francisco, Cruz repeatedly invoked the name of Ronald Reagan, the California governor who became president. And he said that California is going to decide this Republican primary.  Its going to be a battle on the ground, district by district.

The Texas senator trails front-runner Donald Trump 996-to-565 in the national contest to get 1,237 delegates and secure the party nomination before the GOPs July nominating convention.

And with 172 GOP delegates at stake in Californias June 7 primary, the race could indeed determine whether Trump reaches 1,237.

Cruz and his campaign on Saturday also hit Trump over his support for California Democratic politicians, including sending out a statement saying the billionaire businessman has given thousands of dollars to extreme liberals such as Gov. Jerry Brown and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.

However, Cruz also focused his attacks on Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, saying: Clinton wins, and the country is lost.

Trump told those attending the convention Friday that hes now winning landslides in primaries across the country.

To be sure, Trump won big earlier this month in New York, his home state, then swept in five Northeast primaries on Tuesday.

And he appears poised to do well in California. Trump leads Cruz 45.7-to-28.3 percent in the state race, according to the RealClearPolitics polls average.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, the third GOP presidential candidate, spoke Saturday at a town hall event in San Jose, Calif. He told the Silicon Valley-centric crowd that as governor he added more than 350,000 jobs, after Ohio had been losing hundreds of thousands of them.

Thats such a big deal to me, giving people a chance to work said Kasich, who has 153 delegates and whose only hope of winning the GOP nomination is with a contested convention.

Meanwhile, Cruzs wife, Heidi, and Cruz running-mate Carly Fiorina, who has strong California ties, were stumping for Cruz in Indiana, which on Tuesday holds a key primary.

Heidi Cruz promised a crowd in Plainfield, Ind., that her husband would restore constitutional freedom and return power to states.

Even Cruz has acknowledged his success in the Indiana primary will likely determine the future of the GOP nominating race.

Kasich has essentially bowed out of that primary to allow Cruz to win and slow Trumps roll.

In an effort this week to regain momentum, Cruz picked Fiorina, a former 2016 GOP presidential candidate, and picked up endorsements from Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Pence and former California GOP Gov. Pete Wilson.

Still, Trump still appears to hold a slight lead in Indiana, 37.5-to-35.2 percent. There are 57 GOP delegates at stake in the state.

Cruz was not greeted Saturday by the protests that confronted Trump, who was forced to enter the convention hotel, in Burlingame, Calif., through a back entrance.

That was not the easiest entrance Ive ever made, Trump said at the time. It felt like I was crossing the border actually.

The bulk of his speech was otherwise standard Trump fare, as the front-runner blasted what he called a rigged delegate system while mocking Cruz as having no path to victory.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Pentagon has ordered the USS Harry Truman to remain in the Persian Gulf for an extra 30 days to continue strikes against the Islamic State, the Navy announced late Friday.

Aircraft from the Truman carrier have dropped more than 1,000 bombs on the terror groups targets since arriving in the Gulf late last year, according to a statement announcing the extension.

The entire Truman strike group consists of the aircraft carrier, the cruiser USS Anzio and three destroyers  the USS Bulkeley, the USS Gonzalez and USS Gravely.

Adm. John Richardson, chief of Naval Operations said late Friday, the decision was essential to the effort to dismantle and roll back terrorist networks in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere."

He also called accelerating the fight against the Islamic the president's No. 1 priority and said the U.S. military is still trying to finish off the al Qaeda terror group.

Multiple defense officials tell Fox News that the Navy extended the Truman groups stay because there is not another aircraft carrier ready to take its place, in part because of China's continued militarization of the South China Sea and Russia's military resurgence.

In July, Adm. Richardson told Congress the Navy could not maintain a continuous aircraft carrier presence  or so-called carrier gap -- in the Gulf for the first time since 2007.

A French aircraft carrier helped with gap between the time that the USS Theodore Roosevelt's left the Gulf in October and the USS Harry Truman arrived in December.

The Navy is supposed to have 11 aircraft carriers but has been operating with 10 since the USS Enterprise retired in 2013. Its replacement, the USS Gerald Ford, will not be ready for deployment until 2021, according to Navy officials.

Vice Adm. John C. Aquilino, a deputy chief of naval operations for plans and strategy said this fall the Navy "severely overused the carrier force" from 2011 through 2013 driven by the need to maintain a presence in both the Mideast and the Pacific.

This week, Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, told Congress there are not enough attack submarines to meet the demand of his operational commanders.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this story.
Decades ago, serving in political office was a natural next step for those who served in the military.

Today, the veteran-turned-politician is a far rarer breed, at least at the national level. Stats show a steady decline in the number of veterans elected to Congress, raising concerns an important perspective increasingly is missing from the halls of Capitol Hill.

Its an alarm former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, a Vietnam veteran, rang at a networking event for vets on Capitol Hill last month.

At a time when everything is hair-triggered, everything is nitroglycerin, and miscalculations can lead to a lot of trouble, we need veterans input, he said, referring not only to the veteran void in Congress, but also the Executive Branch and beyond.

The 2012 election marked the first time in 80 years that neither major party presidential nominee had served in the military. Two years later, the 114th Congress was sworn in with the smallest proportion of veterans on record.

According to an October 2015 Congressional Research Service report, the high point was reached in the 92nd Congress (1971-72) when 73 percent of Congress had served in the military. Today, veterans make up 20 percent of the Senate and just 18 percent of the House of Representatives.

Part of the reason is simply that, in the era of the all-volunteer force, far fewer Americans are veterans than during the post-World War II period.

There are simply fewer veterans among the general population. Today, veterans only comprise about 9 percent of the adult population and after Vietnam, fewer members of the political elite looked to military service as a career path, said the American Enterprise Institutes Rebecca Burgess, co-author of a report examining veterans in public office.

Still, with Americans consistently ranking the military highly in public opinion polls, both political parties recognize the advantage a veteran candidate can bring. And there are exceptions to the trend-lines.

In 2012, solid victories by Arkansas Tom Cotton, and Iowas Joni Ernst, both veterans, helped the Republican takeover of the Senate. This year, Democrats heavily recruited Illinois Rep. Tammy Duckworth, a veteran, to challenge incumbent Sen. Mark Kirk.

Representatives from the Republican and Democratic congressional campaign committees would not specifically comment on their particular vet outreach efforts. But Sadie Weiner, spokeswoman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), said: It is definitely something we encourage and I think regardless of which political party, Americans recognize the qualities and leadership skills of those who served. Those are qualities which can translate into public office.

According to Andrea Bozeck of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, there are eight veterans running in open contests this year, including Nevada Senate candidate Rep. Joe Heck, an Iraq veteran. In Colorado, Navy veteran Ryan Frazier, retired U.S. Air Force officer Darryl Glenn and Iraq veteran Jon Keyser are battling each other for the opportunity to challenge Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.

Veterans weighing a run do have resources at their disposal, like the nonpartisan Veterans Campaign, which gives training for veterans considering a campaign. It offers workshops focused on issues like how to bulletproof your service record and how to avoid being characterized as just a veteran candidate.

Jon Soltz, an Iraq War veteran and chairman of Votevets.org, a veterans group that supports progressive candidates for office, said part of the problem is military service is often not conducive to running in the modern political landscape.

Soltz said long deployments often prevent servicemembers from establishing a presence in a community or district, which is critical in terms of fundraising and developing a public profile with voters.

They are at a disadvantage because they do not have the political and financial connections at the grassroots level that non-veterans do. That said, being a veteran also gives you a lot of pluses in terms of being respected, he told FoxNews.com.

In order for more veterans to make their way into public office, they may have to start small.

AEIs Burgess believes state legislatures reflect a more complete picture of veterans in public service and can serve as a useful pipeline for future members of Congress.

Veterans serve in the state legislatures of every state, and of 7,383 state legislators, 1,040 have military experience  260 state senators compared with 780 state representatives, according to AEI.

As veterans of Vietnam and World War II retire, veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are slowly becoming more influential on Capitol Hill.

Although only one half of one percent of the U.S. population have been on active duty since those wars began, eight House members and two senators are serving in the Reserves, and six House Members and one senator are serving in the National Guard, according to the Veterans Campaign.

On Capitol Hill, veterans are even underrepresented among congressional staffs. Justin Brown, the founder of HillVets, told FoxNews.com vets account for approximately 3 percent of congressional staff members, a figure that reflects the high barrier they face.

With two of the largest federal expenditures being defense and veterans  the two areas where we have a particular expertise, veterans are real assets to both the legislative and executive branches, he said. Hiring veterans is not about charity or a jobs program, but about taking their unique assets and skills and putting them to good use in government.
Four girls who apparently ran away from a facility for foster children near Tampa were found safe as they tried to sneak back onto the same property, authorities said Friday.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Debbie Carter said in an email that the girls  ages 13, 11, 10 and 4  were discovered just after 7 p.m. Friday trying to climb back over a fence near the rear of the property of A Kids Place.

The girls were reported missing after a bed check just before midnight Thursday at the Brandon facility.

"Preliminary information is that they originally ran away to a nearby park and then broke into an abandoned residence in the area by breaking a window," Carter said. "They stayed at the abandoned residence all day today and were attempting to return when they were discovered."

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has canceled an alert about missing children.

Earlier Friday, Sheriff's Col. Donna Lusczynski said law enforcement officers spent the day going door-to-door, looking for the girls. They also made contact with every registered sexual predator in a 2 mile radius.

The three younger children  4-year-old Allison Nelson, 10-year-old Anabella Gonzalez and 11-year-old Heavenlynn Gonzalez  are sisters who have been at the facility since March. The 13-year-old, Ashlyn Smith, has lived there since February.

Investigators interviewed all the children and staff at the facility and learned at least two of the girls had discussed running away with others, Lusczynski said.

Lusczynski declined to give details about why the girls were at the home, citing privacy issues. She said many times children end up there because of abuse or abandonment.

A Kids Place opened in 2009. It was described in local news reports as a $5.2-million, 60-bed facility that serves as a temporary shelter for children from birth to 17. The facility is where law enforcement brings children in the first traumatic hours after they are removed from their homes.
The Latest on the Iditarod banning a musher facing domestic violence charges from next year's race (all times local):

2:50 p.m.

The top officer for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race said the board intended to let the legal process play out before addressing a musher who has been charged in a domestic violence case.

Travis Beals of Seward, Alaska, had his case sent April 14 to a therapeutic court, where he will undergo treatment versus incarceration. Stan Hooley, the race's CEO, said they became aware of the charges in late January, but let him run in this year's race as the case worked its way through the court system.

But the Iditarod board met in Anchorage on Friday, and banned Beals from running in next year's race. They also determined Beals' future participation in the 1,000-mile race to Nome will depend on his court-ordered rehabilitation.

Beals didn't attend the meeting and was informed of the board's decision by telephone.

Hooley says it was hard news for Beals to take, but he's hopeful both parties will get the help they need and there is eventually a better ending to this story.

Beals didn't return messages to the AP for comment, and his public defender declined to comment, saying the case isn't yet resolved.

___

1:34 p.m.

Iditarod officials will not allow a musher who faces charges in a domestic violence case to participate in next year's sled dog race across Alaska and some races after that.

The Iditarod Trail Committee Board in a release Friday said it would not accept race applications from musher Travis Beals next year "and for an indefinite period of time thereafter."

Beals faces misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief charges filed in state court for a Dec. 21 incident. Charging documents aren't available on online, but the Alaska Dispatch News (http://is.gd/l8WLRH) reports the documents allege Beals put a woman into a headlock, picked her up off a couch, took her to the door and pushed her outside of a cabin they shared in the community of Willow, Alaska.

Beals didn't immediately return messages or a text Friday to The Associated Press.
The U.S. Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into Dole Food Co. over a listeria outbreak linked to four deaths in the U.S. and Canada and multiple other illnesses.

Dole has recently been contacted by the DOJ regarding the outbreak, which involved packaged salad produced in its Springfield, Ohio, facility, the company said, adding that it was cooperating with the investigation.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

The produce company in January stopped production at its Ohio facility and voluntarily removed products from stores in 23 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces after salads it produced were tied to fatal illnesses. The company said last week that it had restarted limited production in its Springfield plant, and would expand in coming weeks.

Separately, a government report reviewed by The Wall Street Journal showed that more than a year before Dole withdrew its packaged salads from grocery stores, the company had evidence of potentially dangerous bacteria in its Ohio salad plant.

Samples taken by Dole in its Springfield plant tested positive for the bacteria as early as July 2014, according to an inspection report by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Federal inspectors also found the company failed to adequately test its plant for potentially dangerous bugs.

The FDA reports deal with issues at our plant that we have corrected, said William Goldfield, a spokesman for Dole. We have been working in collaboration with the FDA and other authorities to implement ongoing improved testing, sanitation and procedure enhancements, which have resulted in the recent reopening of our Springfield salad plant.

Click for more from WSJ.com
Authorities said Friday a late-night phone led them to the discovery of eight unattended children at a Texas home, including a 2-year-old boy chained in the backyard and a 3-year-old girl tied to a door with a dog leash.

The San Antonio mother of six children found inside, who returned after authorities arrived at the home, was charged with two felony counts. Prosecutors said officials were still searching for the toddlers who were restrained outside. Authorities believe they were siblings.

"I would describe it as disgusting," Bexar County District Attorney Nicholas LaHood said of the scene. "It shocks your conscience when you think what kind of individual could treat children, who in my opinion are gifts from God, like this."

Bexar County Sheriffs Office spokesman James Keith said one of the toddlers found outside had a metal chain strapped to his ankle with the other end of the chain fixed to the ground.

It was the same kind of setup you would use for a dog, Keith added.

Two of the children, including one with a broken arm, remained hospitalized more than 12 hours after deputies first arrived to the house. The other six were placed in foster care. Officials were concerned that all the children may be malnourished, said Patrick Crimmins, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

The five girls and three boys were between the ages of 10 months and 10 years old, Crimmins said.

Porucha Phillips, 34, was charged with two counts of injury to a child by omission. Her bond was set at $75,000 on each charge, according to the website of the Bexar County Magistrate.

Authorities said Phillips is the mother of the six children found inside. Keith said the father had been working and showed up after deputies arrived.

Keith said authorities believe Phillips was responsible for the two children found outside. The family has no prior history with Texas child welfare officials, Crimmins said, but added that the agency was investigating a report that a home day care may have been operating at the address.

The brown townhouse had burglar bars covering the windows and posters obstructing the view inside.

Deputies arrived there after receiving a call just before midnight about a child crying for a long time, Keith said. The officers didn't get a response when they knocked on the front door, and when they looked in the backyard they discovered the two restrained children.

The two children found confined in the backyard also are in the temporary custody of child welfare workers, according to Fox 29. Keith said the boy and girl are believed to be siblings, and that authorities were "actively trying to find their parents."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Thousands of New Yorkers are being discreetly informed by NYPD detectives that their names have appeared on a list of potential targets, possibly compiled by terrorists, authorities confirmed to FoxNews.com.

NYPD officials confirmed the existence of the list of more than 3,000 names, but did not elaborate on how it was formulated or the process of contacting subjects. A Brooklyn woman who told FoxNews.com she was approached by two plainclothes detectives Wednesday and said they told her that her name was on the list, referred to a notecard and advised her to watch for fraudulent charges on her credit cards and other irregular transactions, she said.

Sources told FoxNews.com the NYPD was working with the FBI after the list was discovered, with the police doing the legwork.

"While our standard practice is to decline comment on specific operational and investigative matters, the FBI routinely notifies individuals and organizations of information collected during the course of an investigation that may be perceived as potentially threatening in nature, an FBI spokesperson said. Potential threats may relate to individuals, institutions, or organizations, and are shared in order to sensitize potential victims to the observed threat, and to assist them in taking proper steps to ensure their safety.

The woman who spoke to FoxNews.com is not a government worker or member of the military, and said she doesnt know why her name would surface on a list. Detectives offered few details, but said her name could have been added to the list after coming up in an Internet search.

Theyre (ISIS) hoping that a person with a mental health issue thinks theyre a soldier.  John D. Cohen, the former counterterrorism coordinator at the Department of Homeland Security

In October 2014, Fox News reported that U.S. military personnel were sent an Army intelligence bulletin warning them to be vigilant after Islamic State militants called on supporters to scour social media for addresses of their family and to show up and slaughter them.

John Cohen, the former counterterrorism coordinator at the Department of Homeland Security and currently a professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey, said the list sounds like a clumsy attempt by ISIS to create the impression it has global reach through the web. He said the names may have been randomly selected from a social media platform like Facebook.

They hope that some person may be sitting home and get inspired, he said. Theyre hoping that a person with a mental health issue thinks theyre a soldier.

Once such a list circulates, police are obligated to inform people whose names may appear, he said. At the very least, a terrorist group accomplishes one goal: Getting law enforcement to tie up valuable resources.

You have to stay vigilant, Cohen said.
Hawaii's most infamous cold case got a major break when the parents of Peter Boy Kema Jr. were indicted Thursday in connection with his death 19 years ago.

Peter Kema Sr. and Jaylin Kema were indicted by a Hilo grand jury and charged with second-degree murder in the death of their son. Peter Jr. was 6 when he vanished, and his body was never found.

The little boy, who suffered horrific and extensive abuse from the time he was just days old and endured abuse throughout his short life, became a symbol for critics who called for reform of child care services.

It was just absolutely horrifying the torture this child was subjected to, said Meaghan Good, founder and editor of The Charley Project, a website that is tracking 9,500 unsolved murder cases including that of Peter Boy Jr. I read all 2,000 pages about the case released by the Department of Human Services in 2005, and it very obvious what happened to Peter Boy Jr.

Speaking to reporters after the indictment, Hawaii County Prosecutor Mitch Roth said the charges were "a long time coming."

"Peter Boy, this Sunday, would have been 25 years old."  Mitch Roth, Hawaii County prosecutor

"Peter Boy, this Sunday, would have been 25 years old," he said.

Peter Boy disappeared from his Hawaii Island home in 1997. On Nov. 4, both his parents were arrested on unrelated charges. His father was charged with drug and gun offenses, but later released, while Jaylin Kema was charged with welfare fraud.

They had long been the main suspects in their son's disappearance, but police did not have enough evidence to bring charges. It is not known publicly what new evidence led to the indictments.

The Kemas could not be reached for comment. Their public defenders have not been assigned yet, according to the prosecutor's office.

The Kemas did not report him missing for several months after he was last seen alive, and only then after a social worker alerted police. Peter Kema Sr. told hed taken the child to another island, Oahu, and turned him over to a family friend who he did not know how to reach. Police were unable to locate her or even confirm her existence.

Peter Boy Jr.s three living siblings agree that although they were all abused by their parents, Peter Boy Jr. bore the brunt.

In 1998, they told authorities Peter Boy Jr. endured frequent beatings, was rarely fed and forced to eat off the floor. He was made to sleep either tied to the bed, on the bathroom or closet floor or outside without bedding, and was often left handcuffed or tied up with rope, they said.

It was so shocking and repulsive - the kind of abuse this kid suffered at the hands of the people he trusted, said Michael W. Perry of KSSK Radio, Hawaiis most well-known radio commentator. He was so young, and there were so many dark corners over so long a period time.

In the wake of Peter Boy Jr.'s disappearance, records surfaced showing how time and again, state Child Protective Service officials missed or ignored signs the boys was being abused.

When Roth was elected in 2012, one of his pledges was to solve the islands many cold case murders, including Peter Boy Jr.s.

It has been a long time in coming, Roth told FoxNews.com. We are happy able to start to bring closure for the family and for the community.

In an effort to solve the case, police and prosecutors have looked at the evidence with fresh set of eyes Roth said, reviewing thousands of pages of evidence, re-interviewing witnesses and following new leads.

We want the public and the family members to know we have not forgotten, and we are still looking for answers and justice, Roth said.
A pilot told FoxNews.com that two days after two Florida teenage fishermen disappeared at sea last summer, he may have spotted one of them desperately signaling for help on a makeshift raft off the coast of Georgia.

Bobby Smith, 63, believes he saw either Austin Stephanos or Perry Cohen with hands raised when his Piper Warrior flew over debris east of St. Marys, Ga., on July 26.

No doubt about it, Smith told FoxNews.com Friday. There was a small person lying on that debris. He described it as two large pieces of Styrofoam lashed together with a bright-colored life vest.

Smith told investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission what he saw during his search for the missing boys. The interview is part of a 128-page investigative report the agency released this week describing the unsuccessful effort to find the boys.

Stephanos and Cohen set out on a fishing trip from Tequesta, Fla. on July 24. They disappeared when their boat capsized during a severe storm. Their bodies were never recovered, but a Norwegian cargo ship spotted their 19-foot boat near Bermuda last month and recovered it. Onboard were Austin's iPhone and some fishing gear.

Heart-breaking aint the word for it.  Pilot Bobby Smith

The Cohen family filed a lawsuit this week asking that law enforcement be allowed to search the phone. A judge and both families agreed to send it to Apple in order to try getting the data inside.

Smith told the Sun Sentinel that after searching the water for two hours, his 10-year-old granddaughter spotted something in the water. He circled three time to within 200 feet for a closer look.

It was obvious it was a person lying on their back, Smith told the paper. When we circled, both arms came up. It was a shock.

He told the newspaper Thursday he was certain it was one of the teens.

Smith said his granddaughter took cellphone photos of what they saw as the plane climbed to a higher altitude so he could contact the Coast Guard. His step-daughter was also in the plane, he said.

The photos show a blurry object in the water.



A Coast Guard plane arrived at the spot within 20 minutes, but was unable to find anything in the water.

Heart-breaking aint the word for it, Smith told FoxNews.com.

He speculated that a wave may have washed over the debris before the Coast Guard got there.

He said he volunteered to search for the boys through a Florida friend.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
At least one girl died and another was injured after they were tossed from a ride at a Texas carnival Friday night, police said.

El Paso Catholic Diocese spokeswoman Elizabeth OHara said the teenage girl who died was ejected from The Sizzler ride and hit a metal barricade. The injured teen was taken to University Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, according to KFOX-TV.

A third ten who was in the ride was not injured, El Paso police said.

The accident took place at the St. Thomas Aquinas Church as it was having its Dia De Los Ninos Fiesta in east El Paso.

The father of the girl who was uninjured in the incident told KFOX-TV that the girls go to J.M. Hanks High School and that the three girls were the only ones on the ride. He said his daughter didnt fall off the ride because she hooked her hands to the metal handle bars and held on.

#breaking: police tell us the girls were ejected from the sizzler ride for unknown reasons. @EPPOLICE investigating pic.twitter.com/XomoceBLrX  Meghan Lopez (@MeghanKFOX_CBS) April 30, 2016

The Sizzler is a type of carnival ride that spins people around at a center point and also spins the riders in their seats.

Playtime Amusements Inc. is in charge of the rides and police said the carnivals are regulated by state statutes.

"There's inspections that are required, whether or not this vendor has been up to par with that hasn't been determined. That'll be revealed in the investigation," El Paso police spokesman Sgt. Enrique Carillo told the station.

Authorities are still investigating the accident.

Click for more from KFOX-TV.
A Tennessee high school teacher was suspended Thursday after students reported to school officials last week that they were shown an inappropriate film in class.

Jackson-Madison Consolidated School District Superintendent Verna Ruffin told The Jackson Sun Wednesday that the film shown in class was Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence).

Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) is the sequel to the horror picture Human Centipede. In this film, a man gets obsessed with the Human Centipede movie and tries to create his own centipede.

The 2011 film was temporarily banned in the United Kingdom and had also been banned for a short time in Australia. It is banned in New Zealand. The film has also been referred to by some as torture porn, according to The Sun.

Upon learning of an alleged movie viewing, the district immediately launched an internal investigation regarding the alleged viewing of an inappropriate film at Jackson Central-Merry High School, the press release said. This investigation is ongoing. At the time the incident was reported, the teacher was immediately suspended and remains suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.

Ruffin didnt say why the students were watching the film or how much they saw of it.

Click for more from The Jackson Sun.
The quarter stuck to the blob of gum in the ashtray, the dime wedged between the drivers seat cushionsthese are the coins of Ronnie Shahars realm.

The U.S. ships hundreds of thousands of tons of scrap to China each year, much of it comprising the aluminum remains of broken-down vehicles that have been fed through industrial shredders. The scrap is so laden with coins, many of them battered beyond recognition, that a new industry has emerged to reclaim and repatriate them.

Mr. Shahar, a 46-year-old entrepreneur, was among the first to realize the potential in pocket change more than 25 years ago. Today, he buys U.S. coins in bulk from Chinese salvage yards and exports them to his Oregon-based partner, who exchanges the coins at the U.S. Mint for a lump sum.

The Mint redeems coins that are bent, burned, fused, chipped or otherwise uncountable by machine at nearly their face value, under a program established more than a century ago.

The program has paid out more than $100 million since 2009, the year customs officials in Los Angeles noted a sharp increase in large coin shipments from China. The uptick was so sharp that federal law-enforcement officials have come to believe some of the dimes, quarters and half dollars arriving from the Far East are fakes.

Read more at the Wall Street Journal
NATO allies reportedly plan to put four battalions in Poland and other Baltic countries to beef up its Russian border as Moscow steps up military activity.

According to The Wall Street Journal Friday, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work confirmed the overall size of the force  about 4,000 troops  and said the reinforcements were a response to the increased Russian activity around the nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Western officials told the paper that the U.S. will likely provide two of the battalions and Germany and Britain will likely supply the other two.

The Russians have been doing a lot of snap exercises right up against the borders, with a lot of troops, Work said. From our perspective, we could argue this is extraordinarily provocative behavior.

Russia has repeatedly defended its increased military activity, saying they are a response to NATOs buildup and aggressiveness toward Moscow.

NATO officials said they want to make sure the force is as multinational as possible and are asking smaller allied countries to make contributions to supporting forces. Officials said Germanys role is particularly important because their Russian deterrence cements Berlins role as a major player in NATO.

The Journal notes that Germanys move is unlikely to go over well. But Chancellor Angela Merkel and her top officials have been pushing to make a bigger play on international security matters. German officials are eyeing to lead a Lithuania-based battalion, but havent come to an official decision.

Work said the exact U.S. contribution to the battalions were still being discussed and could be drawn from separate brigades the U.S. has said it would rotate in and out of Europe.

Tension between the U.S. and Russia has only increased in the last month after Russian jets have repeatedly buzzed U.S. warplanes and a Navy destroyer in the Baltic Sea. Work said the Baltic buzz was too provocative of a maneuver and Secretary of State John Kerry said the Navy couldve shot the plane down.

I grew up in the Cold War in the military, and when I heard the Russians buzzed the Donald Cook I said, What is new? But it was really new, Work said. This type of activity, this type of repeated simulated attack runs, at an extremely low level is unsafe and dangerous.

Russian defended its actions, saying the U.S. was operating too close to its military bases in Kalingrad.

Work said that more work has to be done to avoid a potential accident or crisis. The battalions need to be seen as a real deterrent against Russian aggression, U.S. and NATO officials have said.

Click for more from The Wall Street Journal.
The Russian Defense Ministry Saturday defended a Su-27s barrel roll over a U.S. spy plane in the Baltic Sea, saying the American jet had turned off its transponder and it wasnt identifiable.

A senior U.S. defense official told Fox News Friday that the Russian fighter jet flew within 100 feet of the U.S. RC-135 surveillance plane.

All flights of Russian planes are conducted in accordance with international regulations on the use of airspace, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. The U.S. Air Force has two solutions: either not to fly near our borders or to turn their transponder on for identification.

Its the second time in less than a month a Russian fighter jet has conducted a barrel roll over a U.S. spy plane. In the first barrel roll, on April 14, the jet flew within just 50 feet of the spy plane, Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters.

Russian aircraft have conducted a series of daring maneuvers calling out U.S. forces in recent weeks. Video on April 11 captured two Russian jets zooming past the USS Donald Cook, a Navy destroyer in the Baltic, flying only 100 feet off the ground. A U.S. defense official called it a "simulated attack profile."

Secretary of State John Kerry responded, "We condemn this kind of behavior. It is reckless. It is provocative. It is dangerous." He said forces on the destroyer could have shot down the jets under U.S. military rules of engagement.

But a Russian defense spokesman said the jet pilots carefully turned around. Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov claimed he didn't understand the "distressed reaction of our American counterparts."

The Pentagon called the first barrel roll "unsafe and unprofessional."

Fox News Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

Click for more from Reuters.
The comedy pair of Key and Peele, showing up in smaller roles for years, headline their own hilarious Keanu, essentially two nerds posing as thugs to reclaim a kitty cat.

With Jordan Peele the somber straight man to Keegan-Michael Keys constantly riffing jokester, the real humor comes from having the two docile, nerdy friends forced to act as tough thugs to steal their cat Keanu back from the gang who took him.

There are some truly hilarious moments as Keys Clarence, such a suburban dork, begins having a blast posing as a gang-banger.

Of course, in his approach to that, it means talking fellow felons into believing that George Michael music is dope, that a minivan is the way to avoid attention from police and that losing your appendix is sexier than getting cut by a rival.

Parents be advised that theres enough violence and bad language to keep youngsters from seeing this. Though the violence happens fast and suits the gang story, its a bit more than is needed in something really just trying to be funny.

And that this movie is, from the posters Peeles Rell makes of Keanu (a Fargo scene has the kitty in a down jacket) to the way Clarence helps the gang with their communication skills and self-esteem.

A supporting cast includes an effective Method Man as a gangster named Cheddar and Will Forte a hoot as a drug dealer named Hulka.
In the last month of 1955, a group of 10 Fredericksburg residents met to discuss forming a Unitarian congregation.

The next year, the fledgling Unitarian Fellowship of Fredericksburg began meeting in members homes and the basement of Beth Sholom Temple.

Sixty years later, a now thriving congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fredericksburg will celebrate its anniversary with a weekend of festivities.

In 1961, the congregation started worshipping in a building on Rowe Street in Fredericksburg. In 1985, the growing group needed space for its 40 members and moved to a historic church building on Caroline Street.

From the onset, the congregation had an activeand sometimes controversialcommunity presence, hosting forums on racism during the 60s and gay rights in the 90s.

The congregation continued to grow, and by 2005, leaders recognized that the landlocked historic church building couldnt expand to fit the need.

They began hunting for a new location, and decided to build on property in southern Stafford County.

That new location opened in 2012, featuring a large worship area, rooms for religious education and an art gallery.

The UUFF will celebrate its rich history with a spate of events this weekend. A coffeehouse will be held Saturday night, from 6-9 p.m. The event will include a potluck dinner, music, poetry readings, comedy routines and a historical trivia contest.

On Sunday morning, the Rev. Doug McCusker will preach a sermon called The Little Fellowship that Could.

We are an informal, welcoming church attracting people of all religious backgrounds and beliefs, said UUFF President Valerie Setzer. We are thriving. We are filling a need for our community. We encourage former members to return for the anniversary weekend, and invite new folks to come and learn what we have to offer.
ALEXANDRIAFormer cable news pundit Wayne Simmons admits hes a fraud. And he admits hes a felon. But despite all evidence to the contrary, he remains adamant that he was a CIA man.

Simmons, 62, of Annapolis, Maryland, struck an unusual plea agreement Friday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria. He admitted defrauding the government out of $78,000 by lying about his credentials to obtain jobs as a government contractor. He also admitted cheating a private citizen out of nearly $100,000 by claiming he could invest her money in real estate.

But when it comes to his claims about the CIA, the wording in his plea agreement walks a fine line. He admits that there are no records or any other evidence that the defendant had ever been employed by or worked with the CIA. And in his plea agreement, he acknowledges that continuing to claim a CIA career could result in an increased sentence because he would not get credit for acceptance of responsibility.

Still, Simmons made clear during and after Fridays hearing that hes sticking to his story about a life in the CIA, where he claimed a 27-year career as an Outside Paramilitary Special Operations officer, according to court records.

Asked after the hearing why the CIA would then be leaving him out to dry, his attorney, Bill Cummings, interjected and said, Thats what they do.

Cummings said there have been similar cases where the CIA has refused to acknowledge an officers work because it didnt want that work to be exposed.

Simmons said after Fridays hearing that he has been left to fend for himself on the allegation because my wingman disappeared.

Cummings cut off more detailed questions about why, if Simmons work was so sensitive, he touted his CIA career on cable news.

Meanwhile, the CIAs director of public affairs, Dean Boyd, was unequivocal about Simmons: Mr. Simmons never worked at CIA and were glad to see justice served in this case, he said.

Simmons will be sentenced July 15. He theoretically faces up to 40 years in prison, though he would likely serve far less than that. If the judge fails to grant him credit for acceptance of responsibility because of his continuing claims of work with the CIA, it would likely add several months to his sentence under federal sentencing guidelines.
NORFOLKPassengers on a cruise ship docked in Virginia have been sickened with norovirus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the Balmoral, which was docked Friday in Norfolk, reports 159 crew and passengers have reported being sick. The ship operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines left Britain on April 16.

A company spokeswoman, Ruth Burton, said conditions have improved and there were currently just seven guests in isolation. There are more than 1,400 passengers and crew aboard.

The CDC said it plans to have staff to evaluate the ship when it arrives in Baltimore today or Sunday.

Norovirus can be transmitted from contaminated food or water or an infected person. The gastrointestinal illness typically lasts one to three days and can cause stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.

According to the CDC, more than 90 percent of diarrheal disease outbreaks on cruise ships are caused by norovirus.

Norovirus can be especially challenging to control on cruise ships because of the close living quarters, shared dining areas and rapid turnover of passengers, the CDC states on its website. When the ship docks, norovirus can be brought on board in contaminated food or water or by passengers who were infected while ashore. Repeated outbreaks on consecutive cruises may also result from infected crew or environmental contamination, the site states.
VATICAN CITYVice President Joe Biden found common cause with Pope Francis on Friday at the Vatican for a global commitment to fund cancer research.

Biden spoke at a conference on regenerative medicine and ended up sharing the stage with the pope, who used his own speech to decry a profit-driven medical research system. With light streaming through stained glass into an ornate auditorium, the pope called for empathy for the sick and communal guarantees that all have access to care.

Research, whether in academia and industry, requires unwavering attention to moral issues if it is to be an instrument which safeguards human life and the dignity of the person, the pope said.

As hes done several times before, the pope gave voice to the moral argument behind a cause that Biden and President Barack Obama have sought to elevate, helping to skewer traditional partisan divides that tend to overtake political issues in the U.S. The Obama administration has turned to this pope for support on climate change, poverty, rapprochement with Cuba and refugees.

For Biden, the stately corridors and costumed Swiss Guards of Vatican City were an about-face from the scene just hours earlier, when the vice president visited Iraq on an unannounced visit. In Iraq, Biden worked to smooth over deep sectarian tensions threatening Iraqs political system; at the Holy See, he appealed for all religions to see defeating cancer as a means to express values of faith, love and hope.

Biden told the scientists, researchers and Catholic leaders that as he met with Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders in Iraq the day before, each had wanted to talk to him about one thing: the pope.

I think thats a pretty incredible thing, the vice president said.

Biden, who lost a son to cancer last year, called cancer a constant emergency for the planet and urged philanthropists, corporations and governments to increase funding and information-sharing in a bid to end cancer as we know it. Though he said the world is on the cusp of unprecedented breakthroughs, he added that still not done enough is being done.

Cancers not a national problem, its an international problem, Biden said. Its a human problem. It affects all races, all religions.

Before taking the stage, the pope greeted Biden privately in a room backstage, where the two exchanged small tokens, the White House said. They were also seen smiling and chatting together as they greeted conference attendees after their speeches, joined by the vice presidents surviving son, Hunter Biden, and son-in-law Howard Krein, a physician whos been involved in Bidens cancer push.

Last year, Bidens eldest son, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, died from brain cancer after his familys hopes of a last-minute medical breakthrough fell short. Months later, his father declared a moonshot to cure cancer when he announced he wouldnt run for president.

Since then, Joe Biden has launched a task force with Obamas blessing and the White House asked Congress for $1 billion over two budget years for research. Only a fraction has been approved so far.

While at the Vatican, Biden met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, at the gold-adorned Treaty Room of the Apostolic Palace. Then he left Vatican City for Palazzo Chigi, the Italian premiers office in Rome, where a military band and honor guard greeted Biden and Premier Matteo Renzi by playing the American and Italian national anthems.

The two held a private meeting before Biden returned to Washington.

Associated Press writer Frances DEmilio contributed to this report.
The teacher crisis is real, and were not going to work our way out of it simply by making it easier to hire teachers.
Advanced Medical Travel Therapy Receives Important SIA Recognition

Staffing Industry Analysts, Inc. has recognized Advanced Medical as one of America's fastest-growing staffing agencies, reports https://www.advanced-medical.net/.

--

Colorado-based Advanced Medical Travel Therapy has recently announced that the company has received an important recognition from Staffing Industry Analysts, Inc. SIA has recognized Advanced Medical as being one of the country's fastest-growing staffing agencies. This recognition helps to validate and solidify Advanced Medical's position as a leading travel therapy staffing company.

"There is no doubt that we have one of the hardest-working teams around," said Jonathan Crowe, a member of the team at Advanced Medical Travel Therapy. "We sincerely believe that our rapid growth in the last few years and the fact that SIA Recognizes Advanced Medical as one of the fastest-growing staffing companies is due to their dedication to our mission and their passion for the clients and candidates we work with. We are extremely proud of our team and know that there is no possible way that we could have accomplished this without them."

SIA's criteria for qualification required that Advanced Medical post at least $1 million in revenue in 2010 with compound annual growth of at least 15 percent for the next 4 years. With 102 companies on the list and only 22 percent of them in the healthcare sector, Advanced Medical took 53rd place overall. Their compound annual revenue growth rate was 23.8 percent, which was well above SIA's minimum requirements.

As Crowe continued to explain, "We are committed to growing as a company and doing so through teamwork and innovation. We have expanded our services and programs to include a New Grad program to help guide recent graduates move toward successful travel therapy careers and a mentorship program that pairs newer therapists with more experienced professionals who can help them achieve their goals. Our team is grateful for the recognition, proud of what we have accomplished so far, and looking forward to continuing to be a force in the healthcare staffing industry."

Those who would like to keep up with recent happenings at Advanced Medical Travel Therapy, including their AOTA 2016 Recap and their CSM 2016 Preview, should visit the company's website at www.advanced-medical.net.

About Advanced Medical Travel Therapy:

When Advanced Medical opened its doors in 1989, they kept one thing in mind: if they figure out what therapists need to be successful, their success will follow. It's been over 25 years and they are happy to be considered the premier travel therapy company, supporting an incredible nationwide network of talented Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Speech Language Therapists.

The Advanced Medical Team didn't get here by chance; they foster long-term partnerships with their clients and candidates and continue to energize the industry with programs like their ground-breaking New Grad program.

For more information about us, please visit https://www.advanced-medical.net/

Contact Info:

Name: Jonathan Crowe

Organization: Advanced Medical Travel Therapy

Phone: (866) 302-0073

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/advanced-medical-travel-therapy-receives-important-sia-recognition/113059

Release ID: 113059

For more information visit r



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Movement Workshop on Flying Low & Passing Through Goes Live at Nivesaa Bangalore

Nivesaa releases 5 previously unpublished facts about its upcoming Passages through Space - A Movement Workshop on Flying Low and Passing Through Technique of David Zambrano launch. Further information can be found at http://nivesaa.com/flying-low-and-passing-through/.

--

Ahead of the launch of its new 'Passages through Space - A Movement Workshop in Bangalore on Flying Low and Passing Through Technique of David Zambrano', Nivesaa is making public 5 as yet unreleased facts about the workshop, set to go live on Sunday 8th May, which fans and consumers within the Contemporary Movement space will find interesting...

The 5 items include nuggets listed below:

The idea for creating and developing the flying low and passing through technique of David Zambrano came about after having felt the exhaustion of the stressful movements during the practice sessions for dance classes in Bangalore....

The technique has actually been in development for two years and had a team of professional dance training program students around 10 in number working on it, which is considered a little more than average by industry standards. This goes to show that it takes more than a few great minds to pull something great together.

Nivesaa almost wasn't able to bring the movement workshop in Bangalore to see the light of day, when a few participants could not readily ingest the idea of moving horizontally along the gravity rather than moving against it in a vertical space. The problem was overcome by continuous improvisations making moving along the gravity in a horizontal space their first nature as opposed to their habitual vertical maneuvers in space.

Nivesaa has done something different compared to other businesses in the Contemporary Movement space, by recording a considerable increase in the participants' stamina using it as research statistics facilitating the psychological feedback mechanism encouraging the participants.

Passages through Space - A Movement Workshop in Bangalore on Flying Low and Passing Through Technique of David Zambrano will be released as part of Nivesaa's greater plans to make dancing as fluid as floating on the surface of water for as long a duration as one feels like doing. It's hoped this goal will be achieved in another few months as soon as a sufficient number of workshops are organized.

Nivesaa got its start providing dance classes in Bangalore when Co-founders Sahiba Singh and Aastha Gulati noticed a growing need for innovative ideas to put into practice in order to increase stamina and reduce exhaustion while rehearsing as well as while giving performances. With ten years of prior experience in the Contemporary Movement world, Sahiba Singh and Aastha Gulati decided to go ahead and start in 2013.

Sahiba Singh and Aastha Gulati are quoted saying: "We like to do things to connect with our consumers and customers... things like publishing a regular monthly newsletter, organizing get-togethers, interacting on social sites, celebrating occasions and performing in socio-cultural events; and releasing these little factoids ahead of our Passages through Space launch is what makes a difference."

The duo also uploaded a video on YouTube, showcasing the technique through recording a previous practice session: https://youtu.be/w1wqKra7iGQ

Nivesaa's 'Passages through Space - A Movement Workshop in Bangalore on Flying Low and Passing Through Technique of David Zambrano' is set to launch on Sunday 8th May. To find out more about Nivesaa and the new workshop, it's possible to visit http://nivesaa.com/flying-low-and-passing-through/

For more information about us, please visit http://nivesaa.com

Contact Info:

Name: Sahiba Singh

Email: info@nivesaa.com

Organization: Nivesaa

Address: 3366, Shiv Jyoti Complex, 13th Main, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore, Karnataka, India- 560008

Phone: +919611995709

Release ID: 112097

For more information visit r



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Poultry farmers are among the keenest in British agriculture to leave the European Union, an exclusive new poll for sister magazine Farmers Weekly has revealed.

Overall, the survey of almost 600 farmers found that 58% are currently intending to vote leave in the upcoming referendum (23 June) compared with just 31% who want to remain, with another 11% undecided.

This is seemingly at odds with the farming establishment, with all the main unions having now declared they see staying in the EU as the best option from an agricultural perspective.

See also: Full analysis of the Farmers Weekly survey

But the poultry sector seems even more at odds with this position, with 80% in the survey saying they wanted to leave the EU.

The analysis suggests this reflects the fact they operate in an unsupported market, so have less to lose than most in terms of farm support. Indeed, 67% of those surveyed believed they would be better off in a post-Brexit world.

The sector is also heavily influenced by EU regulation, both in respect of animal welfare and environmental control, which may be making some producers more inclined to leave the EU. Of those surveyed, 57% believed there would be less red tape outside the EU.

Trade deals

Trade is another key factor, and over 80% of the poultry farmers surveyed said they were either very confident or quite confident government would still be able to negotiate preferential trade deals with the EU and Third countries.

Given that the poultry sector is as dependent on customers in Africa and the Middle East as on those in mainland Europe, this may account for their greater willingness to leave the EU.

The British Poultry Council said that, while it was not taking a position on Brexit, it was aware of a dichotomy of opinion within the sector.

The business case generally falls into staying within the EU and maintaining the UK poultry sectors leading role in a large trading bloc, said the BPCs Richard Griffiths. But as the survey shows, the opinion of individuals within the sector can often lean towards leaving, although often for personal reasons outside of agriculture.

Poultry farmers may also have less reliance on Europe as part of an unsubsidised sector and so might feel less direct affinity.

What poultry farmers are saying

We need to have the bottle to leave the EU and stop being governed by people who have not been elected, certainly not by us. This government is undoubtedly not very interested in agriculture, but that should not let us be frightened into retaining the status quo. Midlands poultry farmer, with beef, sheep and vegetables

The net cost of being in Europe is a small price to pay for political stability, access to a huge market and financial security for most businesses. Midlands poultry farmer, with arable

I understand that many farmers will vote to remain because of EU subsidies and foreign, cheap labour. But I cannot see why we cannot continue both as a fully democratic sovereign nation. South-West poultry farmer, with pigs and cereals

I feel that we should return to what we originally signed up for in the EEC  free trade and security, and not the social reform, open borders, human rights and unscientific regulation imposed by the EU. Midlands producer, with beef and arable
Story Highlights 48% expect to live comfortably in retirement

74% of U.S. retirees say they are living comfortably

Many affluent Americans expect to take a retirement hit

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Almost half of Americans (47%) who are not retired think that when they do retire, they won't have enough money to live comfortably. And about the same number (48%) expect they will have enough. Those who have already made the move to retirement, however, tell a different story: 74% say they have enough money to live comfortably.

The gap between the percentage of U.S. nonretirees who think they will live comfortably once they retire and the percentage of retirees who actually are living comfortably is not a new phenomenon; it has existed since Gallup first asked both questions in 2002. The gap was widest in the economically tumultuous years from 2008 to 2012 -- a period when plummeting property and stock values caused many still in the workforce to grow pessimistic about their long-term financial prospects.

The combination of falling house prices and the financial crisis affected some of the key income sources many Americans count on for retirement. In an April 2007 Gallup poll, 24% listed stocks as an expected major source when they retired; 30% listed equity in their homes; and 52% named 401(k), individual retirement account (IRA), Keogh or other retirement savings accounts. As each of these potential sources shrank in value for many Americans, optimism about living comfortably in retirement fell from 53% in 2007 to 41% in 2009 and bottomed out in 2012 at 38%.

Among those closest to retirement during the 2008-2012 period, those aged 50 to 64, only 35% said they expected to retire to a comfortable lifestyle. The percentage has not risen much among those aged 50 to 64 in the past four years, averaging 41%.

However, in combined polls from 2014 to 2016, three in four (75%) younger retirees -- those aged 61 to 70 and therefore most likely to have retired since 2008 -- say they are living comfortably. The percentage is only a few points lower than the 79% of older retirees who say they are living comfortably. These findings suggest that fears of being short of money among those looking retirement directly in the face are generally not borne out once they actually retire.

Largest Gap Occurs Among Most Affluent, Those Closest to Retirement

Combining the data from the three 2014-2016 Gallup Economy and Personal Finance polls allows a look at how income and age potentially affect optimism about living comfortably in retirement.

Among younger adults, attitudes about current living situations come close to matching what they expect when they retire in the distant future. But at all other age levels, there is a pronounced gap. Sixty-three percent of those younger than age 30 say they are living comfortably now, and 58% expect to live comfortably when retired. The percentage expecting a comfortable retirement drops significantly among nonretirees aged 30 and older, while the percentage currently living comfortably stays at about the same level or increases. Among those between the ages of 60 and 69 who have not yet retired, 68% say they are living comfortably, but 50% expect that to continue when they retire.

Nearly one in three (32%) nonretirees with annual household incomes below $30,000 say they are living comfortably now, and the same percentage expect to live comfortably in retirement. A clear divide emerges between the two measures as income increases, and among those earning $75,000 or more, 90% say they are currently living comfortably, but only 64% expect to live comfortably once retired. Those in the $75,000-and-above bracket are twice as likely to think they will live comfortably in retirement as those who earn less than $30,000, but they are also far more likely to expect that they will lose their comfortable lifestyle when they retire.

Retirement Optimism Gap Grows With Age, Affluence Living comfortably now % Expect to live comfortably in retirement % Difference pct. pts. Age 18-29 63 58 5 30-39 65 46 19 40-49 70 46 24 50-59 60 42 18 60-69 68 50 18 Annual Income Less than $30,000 32 32 0 $30,000-$49,999 59 43 16 $50,000-$74,999 70 47 23 $75,000 and above 90 64 26 2014, 2015 and 2016 Gallup polls of 1,034 nonretirees

Bottom Line

Americans have had concerns about the affordability of retirement for decades. A 1989 Gallup poll found that 74% of workers aged 30 or older worried they would not have enough money to live comfortably when they retired. More recently, workers have been given plenty of reasons to worry. The housing market collapse of 2007-2012 eroded the value of homes, and the financial crisis in 2008 made major inroads on savings heavily invested in the market. Politicians and pundits have sounded warnings about the solvency of Social Security, and articles describing long-term financial dangers facing retirees have proliferated.

This atmosphere has created retirement worries that reach far beyond those Americans facing serious financial difficulties. In Gallup's three most recent polls, 25% of nonretirees earning $100,000 or more annually do not expect to live comfortably when they retire. In those same three polls, more than half (58%) of nonretirees who are living comfortably now worry about having enough money for retirement. Even among those who are retired and living comfortably, 31% worry that it won't last.

The experience of recent retirees, most of whom report that they are living comfortably, provides some evidence that fears of retirement woes have been overblown. But complicating factors -- including people living longer, the drying up of pension funds and the low levels of savings among Americans in recent years -- seem to guarantee that no clear answers will be known for years to come.

Survey Methods

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted April 6-10, 2016, with a random sample of 1,015 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.
Final Fantasy VII has many memorable and iconic moments, ranging from the silly to the serious. Though the Gold Saucer may not be as epic as the final confrontation between Cloud and Sephiroth, its mixture of goofy distractions and minigames holds a special place in fans hearts.

We talked among ourselves about the appeal of the Gold Saucer in the second episode of our Final Fantasy VII Game Club. However, during our visit to Square Enix for Final Fantasy XV, we were able to talk about it with the developers themselves, providing some additional insight and context to this strange and entertaining area.

Hiroki Chiba (now the director of World of Final Fantasy) was officially an event planner on Final Fantasy VII, but those duties included overseeing the entire Gold Saucer. I actually ran free with Gold Saucer, Chiba says. They let me create it in the way I wanted to. Of course, I didnt create everything myself. Its not just my idea.

In a game with heart-wrenching deaths and the threat of planetary annihilation, the Gold Saucer might seem like a light-hearted anomaly. Thats not an accident.

In terms of how the idea developed, we were thinking of it from the adventure standpoint  what you see when you enter this desert area, Chiba says. And then, for some reason, we came up with amusement parks. Obviously, there are fun and weird events that happen in that area, but then moving forward, you start to go into the deeper and heavier story elements. So, we created it to give players a bit of a break. And if it was to be a break, we wanted players to enjoy it to the fullest, so we implemented different kinds of features that would fulfill that goal.

Those different features come in all forms in the Gold Saucer: chocobo races, snowboarding, a battle arena, and more. We tried to implement everything  all the ideas that popped up, Chiba says. Some people developed a minigame and brought it forth, and then we implemented it, and packaged it within the Gold Saucer. I dont recall any of them being removed or rejected. I myself really wanted to do the chocobo game, so thats what I pushed for.

One of those minigames, Mog House, came from Square Enixs Takashi Tokita (who has been working on the series since the original installment). He didnt have an official role on Final Fantasy VII, but got roped into the project by chance. I was actually working on Parasite Eve in Honolulu at the time, but I was coming back to Japan to renew my visa, Tokita says. I was just supposed to stay here for a week, but I got caught by the FF VII team and ended up helping for three months.

Mog House was one of the many miscellaneous things Tokita worked on during his time on the project. In it, players feed a moogle in order to help him fly, which eventually leads to his having a family and a happy life. Think of it as a very simple Final Fantasy Tamagotchi pet  and it only came about because an artist made the background with no idea how it would be implemented in the final product. At the time, the graphic designer had already created the visuals in advance, but they didnt really think about what we would do with it, Tokita says. So, I thought it might be interesting to create this growth/nurture kind of game, where you feed the moogle and it would breed baby moogles.

The development atmosphere that gave rise to the Gold Saucer was unique, because the area wasnt carefully plotted in advance. Though Chiba is responsible for a majority of the area, various members of the team across multiple disciplines contributed ideas, making it easy to experiment. At that time, it wasnt like we had a rigid, set plan that we just followed, Tokita says. Mog House was a great accident, in essence, and one that wouldnt have come about without that collaboration.

That freedom and cooperation resulted in the Gold Saucer being one of the most memorable aspects of Final Fantasy VII. Sure, not all of the minigames and activities are fantastic, but the mere fact that they exist is part of what makes Final Fantasy VII so special; the team was able to play around, take chances, and be spontaneous. Today, we have a more clear and proper pipeline in place, Tokita says. In terms of percentage chance of something like that happening, its lower than before. That said, its likely to happen in the initial concept stages, or at the end when were doing everything we can to make a product better. There are still people who think that way and want to do that; there are always interesting things that come about from not setting things in stone. Thats the fun of game development.
I thought I was going to die.

Thats what Linn County Sheriff Senior Deputy Ryan Keys told Oregon State Police investigators during a debriefing on the March 25 high-speed chase that ended with a gunfight at close range with little to no cover.

Linn County District Attorney Doug Marteeny described the events during a Friday press conference at the Linn County Sheriffs Office, during which he also announced the officers involved were justified in their use of potentially deadly force during the incident.

The suspect, 39-year-old Brian Eller, was shot four times before finally surrendering.

Keys and fellow deputy Colin Pyle, 22, a recruit trainee fresh out of the police academy, were chasing Eller and his wife, Kimberly Eller, on foot into a grove of trees at the intersection of Seven Mile Lane and Plainview Road. The pair had fled deputies in a stolen Chevrolet Silverado after they initiated contact in the former Albany K-mart parking lot on Pacific Boulevard at about 9 a.m.

Deputies Keys and Pyle, along with Albany police officers, had pursued the pair as they exceeded speeds of 100 mph, cutting across a farm field and coming to rest in the mud near the grove, where they exited the truck and ran.

Chasing the pair into the trees, Deputy Pyle noticed Kimberly Eller had a holstered pistol in her hand, and made the choice to tackle her in order to neutralize the threat.

At the same time, Keys had readied his Taser when Brian Eller turned and fired several rounds from a Glock 9 mm handgun. Keys took cover behind a small tree and reported later that he could feel the percussion from the muzzle flashes of Ellers weapon and hear rounds crackling in the branches above his head. He returned fire, later telling investigators that he knew he had to keep firing until Eller stopped, because he believed Eller intended to kill both deputies.

Hearing the shots, Pyle also raised his weapon and returned fire, and Eller finally dropped to a knee and complied with shouted orders to lie flat on the ground.

Marteeny reported that both deputies, as well as assisting officers, began to render first aid to the suspect immediately after the shooting.

Sheriff Bruce Riley also spoke at the press conference, pointing to the value of both deputies training, as well as their bravery.

Bad things can happen at a moments notice, he said. "Their training and judgment allowed them to go home to their families.

Riley added that each day, officers and deputies strap on a bulletproof vest, hoping it never gets hit.

So maybe the next time you see an officer or a deputy out in the community, take the time to thank them for what they do to help keep our community safe.

Both deputies remain on administrative leave. Eller is still recovering, and is expected to be formally charged in coming weeks.
The Corvallis City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. at the downtown fire station, 400 N.W. Harrison Blvd. Councilors are scheduled to:

 Act on a request to expand Parking District B north of the Oregon State University campus.

 Make a decision on the citys response to Senate Bill 1573, a bill passed by the Oregon Legislature earlier this year that would limit voter-approved annexations

 Review a staff recommendation on a proposal for a homeless camp in South Corvallis. Staff is recommending not to consider any ordinance changes on the issue until next year.

 Set fees for land-use applications for the next fiscal year

Public testimony will be taken on any subject during the community comments portion of the meeting. Residents also can submit testimony in advance at www.corvallisoregon.gov/publicinput.

In other public meetings:

Monday

 The Corvallis City Club is hosting a 7 p.m. candidates forum with Benton County Board of Commissioners Position 2 incumbent Jay Dixon and his challenger in the Democratic primary, Xan Augerot, The event is at the Old World Deli, 341 S.W. Second St.

Tuesday

 The Benton County Board of Commissioners will hold a work session at 9 a.m. in the county boardrooms, 205 N.W. Fifth St. The agenda will include an update on the Bureau of Land Management resource management plan, guidelines for the countys Internal Sustainability Committee, a discussion of proposed Scenic Byway status for Highway 34 and an intergovernmental agreement with the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments regarding planning for a Monroe-area multi-use path

 The Corvallis City Council holds a work session from 3:50 p.m. to 5:40 p.m. at the Madison Avenue Meeting Room, 500 S.W. Madison Ave. Councilors will interview candidates for vacancies on the Historic Resources Commission and the Planning Commission.

 The Philomath Park Advisory Board meets at 5 p.m. at City Hall, 980 Applegate St. to plan the music in the park series.

Wednesday

 The Corvallis Land Development Hearings Board, a three-person subset of the Planning Commission, meets at 5:30 p.m. at the downtown fire station. The board will hold a public hearing on a request for a sign variance by Oregon State Credit Union on its new building on Southwest Research Way.

 A neighborhood meeting on unimproved streets will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. The targeted neighborhoods for the meeting are Wards 2, 4-7 and 9, but comments from anyone in the community are welcome.

 The Corvallis Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. at the downtown fire station with two major agenda items. The first is a public hearing that will review a series of applications for land at Corvallis Station off of Northwest Circle Boulevard east of the Pacific and Western Railroad lines. Corvallis Station LLC of Portland and Kaylan Hospitality of Colonial Heights, Virginia, are hoping to build a five-story, 102-room hotel at the site. Commissioners also will continue their deliberations on Oregon State University-related comp plan amendments.

 The Corvallis Library Advisory Board meets at 7:30 p.m. at the library.

Thursday

 The Philomath Budget Committee meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 980 Applegate St. to discuss potential uses of state revenue sharing and the Public Works Department budget.

Friday

 The Corvallis Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board meets at 7 a.m. at the Madison Avenue room.

May 7

 Ward 4 Corvallis Councilor Barbara Bull will be the government comment corner guest at 10 a.m. at the library.
For nearly 25 years, customers walking into the Philomath post office were practically guaranteed to get a lot of help and a little smile from clerk Tom Baca.

But on Friday, that smile wavered ever so slightly after dozens of customers poured into the building to wish Baca a happy retirement. Baca retired on Friday with nearly 32 years under his belt, after getting his start in 1984 working for various offices in California.

Baca, who started working at the Philomath branch in 1992, said he came to work every day making it his personal mission to know every name and face of every customer and make sure they left with a smile.

You give something a little extra or go one step further, people will appreciate it, said Baca, 66. A lot of people dont like coming to the post office. They dont like the lines, or the wait, or filling things out. It doesnt matter who the person is, or if theyre smiling or grumpy, I just try to make it pleasant for them. I always hope Ill change their attitude a little bit and that theyll be a little happier going out. I know theyll appreciate that.

Nearly every customer who stopped in Friday made sure to give Baca a big hug so that he knew he was appreciated as well.

Its made this whole thing very bittersweet, Baca said. Im looking forward to retirement. Ive been gearing myself up for a whole year on this, but Im really going to miss a lot of people here. The employees here and the postmaster and the people of Philomath are all good people, but Ive been ready for a year.

Bacas customers, however, were not ready for his retirement; many who stopped in Friday asked him to reconsider before wishing him well in his retirement. Philomath resident Andy Evans said people begged Baca to stay.

From day one Tom has always been a great smiling face, Evans said. Its sad to see him go but hes set a great example for all of these other folks at this fine post office.

Longtime customer Lois Best, 87, made sure to show her appreciation each time she visited Baca by saving him a little homemade peanut brittle when she came in. After hearing of Bacas retirement, Best stopped in Friday and promised to send Baca peanut brittle.

He has been a wonderful clerk for years, Best said. He deserves it.

Postmaster Seandra Reese said the bittersweet feeling Baca had Friday was shared by all of his customers and coworkers.

Were very happy for him but were sad to see him go, Reese said. He has always been very good at what he does. And he knows everyone and makes sure to call them by name and ask about their families. Hes one of those people you cant not like. He would always make it a point to help anyone with any problem they had.

Fellow clerk Denise Sally said she hoped that all of Bacas golden years turned platinum.

Hes one of the best clerks Ive ever worked with, Sally said. The post office is going to lose a lot when we lose him. Its a tough adjustment for the remaining clerks and the customers. It would be impossible to fill his shoes so I guess well have to find new ones.

Before working in the Postal Service, Baca worked in customer service at various hotels along the coast, including the San Francisco Hilton and the now defunct Agate Beach Hilton, which has since become a Best Western. Baca moved from Agate Beach to California in the 1980s to get a job in the Postal Service, but longed to come back to Oregon. In 1992, he got his wish, and moved to Philomath to work at the former post office on Main Street. When the office closed, Baca moved to the Applegate Street location.

I left the service industry and came to the Postal Service because I wanted a secure retirement, he said. My wife and I have always loved it here. I look back on it and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Baca said he is ready for his next adventure and he and his wife, Angie, are planning to travel up the coast in July to be closer to their kids, who live in Washington.

Tom Baca and will join Angie and his children Rick, Michael, Kevin, Joe and Aaron for his retirement party from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Randy Kugler Community Hall at 299 S. 23rd St. in Philomath. The public is invited.
This log includes incidents in which there might have been a public disturbance or a risk to the public. Information comes from the Corvallis Police Department, the Benton County Sheriffs Office and Oregon State Police. It does not include all calls for service. The status of incidents might change after further investigation. Locations are approximate. People arrested or suspected in crimes are considered innocent until proven otherwise.

Corvallis Police Department

FRIDAY, APRIL 29

TRESPASS: 2:50 a.m., 3228 N.E. Lancaster St. Officers responded to a home after a woman reported that Gabriel Oliver Robbins, 18, of Corvallis "attempted to kick in the front door" of her house. The woman also reported that Robbins continued to pound on the door and refused to leave. Robbins was arrested and charged with second-degree criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, second-degree criminal mischief and possession of alcohol by a minor.

THURSDAY, APRIL 28

STOLEN BIKE: 5:18 p.m., 400 S.W. Twin Oaks Circle. Officers contacted Michael Brandon Leslie Cole, 20, of Corvallis outside of a vehicle. Officers noticed a Specialized bicycle in the open trunk of the car. Officers reported they got consent to check the serial number of the bike. Cole allegedly claimed ownership, but the search of serial number confirmed the bike as stolen. Officers charged Cole with second-degree theft and possession of methamphetamine after Cole allegedly surrendered a meth pipe and baggies during the arrest.

METH: 1:08 p.m., 1786 N.W. Ninth St. An officer arrested and charged Dusty Lee Risland, 28, no address given, with possession of methamphetamine. The officer reported seeing Risland throw a meth pipe into a pickup bed while he was approaching.
Weekend : News in Brief

Bonn/Region Heres a short summary of news from our region.

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A 20-year-old man was hit by a train on Fridayevening near the crossing of Kaiserstrae/Weberstrae. According topolice information, he tried to cross the tracks betweenWeberstrae and Konigstrae illegally at around 7:20 p.m. The areawhere he tried to cross was not an official crossing zone. Hesuffered a serious injury to his thigh. Lucky for him, that was hisonly major injury and paramedics happened to be on the train andtended to him immediately. Train traffic was delayed in the areauntil 8:11 p.m.

Ford auto workers took part in a massive strike ofIG Metall, the major metal workers union in Germany. Around 2,000Ford employees from the Cologne plant participated in the strikeearly Friday morning and 10,000 workers did not report for work.This is one of the first major strikes in connection with wagenegotiations for IG Metall members this year. If necessary, JorgKohlinger of IG Metall says there will be more strikes beforemid-May.

Two major demonstrations are planned for the Bonn innercity on the weekend. The umbrella organization for German unions(DGB) will march on Sunday in their traditional May Day gathering,beginning at 11 a.m. About 1,000 participants are expected to meetat the DGB building on Endenicher Strae. They will walk over theViktoria Bridge, on to Heer Strae and Max Strae and eventuallywind up at the Marktplatz in front of City Hall where they willhold a rally. A second demonstration will take place on Sunday witharound 200 persons from a private initiative called Libertarer1.Mai. It will begin at 2 p.m. on Kaiserplatz, wind through theAldstadt and make its way to the Bonn Frankenbad. A small but happydemonstration with around 60 persons will take place in front ofthe Poppelsdorfer Schloss between 1 and 3 p.m. They will berecognizing World Smile Day 2016.

Biking for climate, health andcity: Between May 1st and 21st, there is a competition between Bonnand other cities with organizations interested in protecting theclimate. Anyone who is interested can sign up as a team of two ormore, or if you are alone you can join the open team. You have tolive, work or study in Bonn to participate. The way it works -participants write down every kilometer covered between May 1st and21st and put them into the team record. At the end of thecompetition, organizers will add up all of the kilometers biked anddetermine which city is the most active on their bikes. If you wantto represent Bonn in this competition, you can sign up online at:www.bonn.de/@stadtradeln
'Feels Like Home Season 2' offers something real and tangible to think about; takes home a pertinent point - if your intentions are good, there is nothing in life that isn't achievable.
Centcom Commander: Communications Breakdowns, Human Errors Led to Attack on Afghan Hospital

By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2016  Communications and equipment failures and human error compounded by the stress of combat contributed to the mistaken airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders trauma facility in Kunduz City, Afghanistan, last October, the commander of U.S. Central Command said here today.

Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel told Pentagon reporters that 16 service members were disciplined because of the tragic attack by an AC-130 aircraft that led to the deaths of 42 people.

Votel again apologized for the incident and said the command will do all it can to learn from the incident.

Unintended Target

The general stressed that none of the personnel involved in the attack knew they were firing on a hospital. "The intended target was an insurgent-controlled site which was approximately 400 meters from the Doctors Without Borders Trauma Center," the general said. "The investigation found that an AC-130 gunship air crew in support of a U.S. [Army] Special Forces element that was supporting an Afghan partner ground force misidentified and struck the Doctors Without Borders Trauma Center."

Votel put the mistaken attack in context. U.S. special operations personnel and their Afghan partners on the ground in Kunduz had been engaged in intense fighting for several consecutive days and nights and had repelled heavy and sustained enemy attacks, he said.

"The ground force was fatigued from days of fighting, still engaged with an aggressive enemy, and running low on supplies," the general said. "In response to this urgent tactical situation, the AC-130 aircraft and crew launched from the base 69 minutes earlier than originally planned."

The urgent situation meant the aircrew did not have time to receive all pertinent information, to include identification of no-strike areas such as the hospital. The aircraft's satellite radio failed en route to Kunduz and the aircrew could not receive the no-strike information once in flight.

Incoming Missile

"Shortly after arriving on the scene, the aircraft was fired on by a surface-to-air missile and subsequently moved several miles away from the city center," Votel said. "From this distance, the aircrew received the grid coordinates of a Taliban-controlled building."

When they attempted to plot the coordinates of the enemy building, he said, the system directed them to an open field, which was obviously not the correct location. "The aircrew attempted to find the intended target in the nearby area, but instead, they found the Doctors Without Borders trauma center that generally matched the physical description of the building relayed over the radio by the ground force," the general said.

The aircrew mistakenly believed that the trauma center was the Taliban-controlled building, which was actually about one-quarter mile away, Votel said. "The investigation found that throughout the engagement that followed, the ground force commander and the aircrew mistakenly believed that the aircrew and aircraft was firing on the intended target," the general said.

Protected Facility

The general emphasized that the trauma center was a protected facility and was on a no-strike list. "Our forces did not receive fire from the trauma center during the incident, nor did the investigation find that insurgents were using it as a base for operations," he said.

The investigation concluded that certain personnel failed to comply with the rules of engagement in the law of armed conflict, but this did not rise to the level of war crime, the general said. "The label 'war crimes' is typically reserved for intentional acts -- intentional targeting [of] civilians or intentionally targeting protected objects or locations," he said.

Votel said the 16 service members -- including a general officer -- received appropriate administrative or disciplinary action, including suspension and removal from command, letters of reprimand, formal counseling and extensive retraining.

"In light of the report's conclusion that the errors committed were unintentional, and after considering other mitigating factors, such as the intense combat situation and equipment failures that affected the mission, from a senior commander's perspective, the measures taken against these individuals were appropriate to address the errors they made," he said.

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Work: U.S., NATO Must Use 21st-Century Approaches for Deterrence, Dominance

By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity

BRUSSELS, April 29, 2016  The strategic landscape is at an inflection point that demands the United States and NATO use 21st century approaches to address threats large and small and to strengthen conventional deterrence against potential adversaries, Defense Secretary Bob Work said here yesterday.

During a speech here at the European Policy Center, an independent nonprofit think tank, Work discussed the Defense Department's third offset strategy and related plans for retaining military advantage over great-power competitors such as Russia.

His visit was part of a weeklong trip to discuss with military and government officials in Sweden and Belgium topics such as regional security, accelerating the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and working with NATO to plan for a fast-moving future.

"We believe very strongly that we're at an inflection point in the strategic landscape ... and as part of that strategic landscape, Europe -- and by extension NATO -- is facing threats from the south, from the east, from the north and from within," Work said.

Each challenge is different, he added, but each must be addressed with vigor, determination and most importantly collaboration across the Atlantic and within the NATO alliance and the European Union.

Fighting Global Terrorism

Beginning with global terrorism, Work praised the contributions of European countries, NATO and Gulf partners in the fight against ISIL.

The United Kingdom is contributing significantly to the air campaign and to the advise, train and assist mission, he said. Italy has provided key enablers and is helping defend against ISIL's shift to Libya.

The French continue to battle ISIL and other terrorist groups across the Sahel in Central Africa, and in Iraq and Syria. And European nations, including Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and many others, are contributing to the accelerated fight, Work added.

"We have to do more and we're asking NATO to consider doing more, especially in the area of training Iraqi security forces in three primary areas -- police, logistics and border security. So, in addition to the bilateral agreements we have with our allies, we're asking NATO to step up also," the deputy secretary added.

Disrupt, Dismantle, Destroy

"The lasting defeat of [ISIL] and other extremist groups is a global undertaking," he noted, "because they're a global threat."

Work added, "We're not recommending that NATO get involved in the internal security of countries on the continent. We're asking all governments to act to disrupt, dismantle and destroy extremist capabilities, recruiting and finances within their own borders."

Broadly, he said, that means improving the ability to gather intelligence, share intelligence among all nations, improve counterterrorism cooperation and partnerships, and enhance training of security forces.

"The United States stands ready to help whenever asked," the deputy secretary said.

Resurgent Russia

The other main challenge to NATO is a resurgent Russia, Work added, a situation the United States is helping address with a request to Congress for $3.4 million to fund the European Reassurance Initiative. The initiative's next step is to establish a heel-to-toe military rotation on the continent.

"Every time a brigade moves out, another brigade will come in," he explained. "That means an armored brigade combat team will be on European territory 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year."

By the end of September 2017, he said, "we will have a full division of U.S. troops in Europe all the time, with an airborne brigade in Italy, a Stryker brigade in Germany, and an armored brigade that rotates in constantly and that is backed up by a prepositioned set of [military] equipment for another armored brigade combat team."

The department is taking these steps to strengthen deterrence," Work said. "That's what this is all about."

NATO must think anew about such concepts, he added, because responding effectively to Russian aggression and confrontation requires the exercising of strategic muscles for the first time in decades.

Third Offset Strategy

"That's why we're exploring the third offset strategy," Work said. "It is a combination of technology, operational concepts and organizational constructs -- different ways of organizing our forces -- to maintain our ability to project combat power into any area, at a time and place of our own choosing."

The third offset, he added, is about preserving peace, not fighting wars.

Today -- unlike the environment in which the first offset in the 1950s-1960s and the second offset in 1970s-1980s took place, the deputy secretary explained, competitors have access to many of the same commercially developed technologies that the department relies on, and they can quickly mimic state-of-the-art DoD systems with globally sourced components.

Work said the "technological sauce" of the first offset was miniaturization of nuclear components. In the second offset, he added, that "sauce" included digital microprocessors, information technologies, new sensors and stealth.

"We believe quite strongly that the technological sauce of the third offset is going to be advances in artificial intelligence and autonomy," which will allow the department to create collaborative human-machine battle networks, he said.

Battle networks consist of three interconnected grids, Work explained -- a sensor grid; a command, control, communications and intelligence grid; and an effects grid.

Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy

"AI and autonomy put inside these battle networks is going to allow collaborative human-machine operations to absolutely new levels, letting the machines do what they do best and humans do what they do best in what we call human-machine symbiosis," the deputy secretary added.

The capabilities are being driven by revolutions in artificial intelligence, computer processing power, deep-learning machines and autonomous control systems, he said.

"DoD is going to leverage AI technology, particularly in things like cyber defense, electronic warfare defense and missile defense. But it's also clear to us that we need to go to new levels of human-machine symbiosis," Work added.

"These technologies are going to happen because they're happening in the commercial realm and they're going to affect all of our lives," the deputy secretary said. "We will inevitably use them no matter what happens to our competitors, and they will allow us to be more efficient [and] make us less likely to have casualties because we'll be able to use unmanned systems in many different ways that take men and women out of danger."

He added, "We're in a competition where people use commercial technologies, and we have to stay ahead of them."

Conceptual Reawakening

Work said it's time for a NATO conceptual reawakening, and that the alliance must examine how it can deploy and sustain highly agile lethal formations in the face of conventional guided munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles, cyber and electronic warfare.

"We think, for example, that NATO might consider standing up a new operational fires force  that would allow any soldier operating anywhere in NATO to call in fires," he added. "We think this would be an incredibly important way to improve deterrence because it is inherently defensive and would also, hopefully, convince any Russian military planner that they would not be able to succeed."

As the United States increases its focus and investments on conventional deterrence, the deputy secretary said he hopes NATO allies will start to do the same.

The United States also urges all NATO members to remain on the current upward trajectory of modernizing their forces and reversing recent declines in defense spending, Work added.

"In our defense budgets, our planning, our capabilities and our actions," he said, "we have to demonstrate to any strategic competitor that if they start a war, we have the capability to win it on our terms. And that's the best way to underline and strengthen conventional deterrence."

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Release

No. NR-155-16 April 29, 2016

Statement by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on the Kunduz Investigation Report

After a thorough and transparent investigation, U.S. Central Command released today the final report on the tragedy that resulted from a mistaken attack on a Doctors Without Borders field hospital in Afghanistan last October. I want to once again express my deep condolences and regret for the loss of innocent life.

In light of the report's finding, I support the actions taken by General John Campbell and General Joseph Votel, and I want to thank them for the careful attention they devoted to their reviews of the facts. I also want to thank General John Nicholson, our new Commander in Afghanistan, who recently traveled to Kunduz to express his condolences and pledge the United States' full support to helping Doctors Without Borders rebuild a hospital there should they so choose.

The U.S. military takes the greatest care in our operations to prevent the loss of innocent life. When we make mistakes we must own up to them and hold individuals accountable as necessary. Learning from the past and applying that knowledge to improve how we operate in the future is also a core value of the Department of Defense. That is why, after consulting with Chairman Dunford, I am directing the Combatant Commanders and Service Chiefs to take a number of specific actions to improve our Joint Force and mitigate the potential for similar incidents in the future. This report provides important and painful lessons, and as I have directed senior leaders across the Department, we will now act upon them.

Link to the Secretary's memo here

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/746216/

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Transcript

Presenter: Army General Joseph Votel, commander, U.S. Central Command April 29, 2016

Department of Defense Press Briefing by Army General Joseph Votel, commander, U.S. Central Command

GENERAL JOSEPH VOTEL: Well, good morning, and thank you all for being here today.

I have a statement to provide and then I'll take your questions.

Today, U.S. Central Command is releasing the results of the investigation into the strike on the Doctors Without Borders trauma center in Kunduz City, Afghanistan, which occurred on October 3rd, 2015.

Let me first state again our deepest condolences to those injured and to the families of those killed in this tragic incident. I can assure you that we are committed to learning from this tragedy and minimizing the risk of civilian casualties during future combat operations.

As many of you know, General John Campbell, then the U.S. Forces-Afghanistan commander, directed the investigation into this incident and appointed U.S. Army Major General William Hickman as the lead investigator, along with two deputy investigating officers, U.S. Army Brigadier General Sean Jenkins and U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Robert Armfield.

These general officers were selected because of their years of professional experience and understanding of the complex operational environment in Afghanistan. They were also selected because they came from assignments outside of Afghanistan and could bring an objective and independent perspective to the investigation.

These officers and a supporting staff of more than a dozen associated subject-matter experts visited the Doctors Without Borders trauma center in Afghanistan and various other key locations in Kunduz City; interviewed more than 65 witnesses; and engaged each echelon of the command involved in this operation.

This was a thorough investigation done with painstaking attention to detail, followed by an in-depth review process.

The progress of the investigation was guided by a pursuit for an accurate account of the facts and contributing factors associated with the incident. Following his review, General Campbell approved the investigation on November 21st, 2015.

Subsequently, we were able to begin the process of redacting the more than 3,000 pages making up the report and its exhibits to ensure no classified or otherwise protected information was released, while remaining true to our commitment to be as transparent as possible regarding the investigation.

In line with this commitment, following today's briefing, U.S. Central Command will post the redacted investigation report to Central Command's Freedom of Information Act reading room website, which is accessible to the public.

Before I get to your questions, I'll briefly provide an overview of the investigation findings and outline the actions that have been taken to reduce the risk of a similar tragedy from occurring again in the future.

Importantly, the investigation concluded that the personnel involved did not know they were striking a medical facility. The intended target was an insurgent-controlled site which was approximately 400 meters from the Doctors Without Borders trauma center. The investigation found that an AC-130 gunship aircrew in support of a U.S. Special Forces element that was supporting an Afghan partner ground force misidentified and struck the Doctors Without Borders trauma center.

The investigation determined that all members of both the ground force and the AC-130 aircrew were unaware that the aircraft was firing on a medical facility throughout the engagement. The investigation ultimately concluded that this tragic incident was caused by a combination of human errors, compounded by process and equipment failures.

Understanding the context in which our forces were operating that evening is important. Leading up to this incident, U.S. Special Operations forces and their Afghan special operations partners had been engaged in intense fighting for several consecutive days and nights in Kunduz, and had repelled heavy and sustained enemy attacks.

The ground force was fatigued from days of fighting, still engaged with an aggressive enemy, and running low on supplies. In response to this urgent tactical situation, the AC-130 aircraft and crew launched from the space 69 minutes earlier than originally planned. As a result, the crew did not get all the preparatory information they would normally have received before a mission, to include identification of no-strike areas.

Their ability to receive this information while in flight was lost when one of their satellite radios failed. Shortly after arriving on the scene, the aircraft was fired on by a surface-to-air missile, and subsequently moved several miles away from the city center. From this distance, the aircrew received the grid coordinates of a Taliban-controlled building.

When the aircrew attempted to plot the coordinates of this enemy building, the system directed them to an open field, which was obviously not the correct location. The aircrew attempted to find the intended target in the nearby area. Instead, they found the Doctors Without Borders trauma center that generally matched the physical description of the building relayed over the radio by the ground force.

At this point, the aircrew mistakenly believed that the trauma center was the Taliban-controlled building, which was about a quarter-mile away. The investigation found that throughout the engagement that followed, the ground force commander and the aircrew mistakenly believed that the aircrew and aircraft was firing on the intended target.

I want to emphasize that the trauma center was a protected facility and was on a no-strike list. Our forces did not receive fire from the trauma center during the incident, nor did the investigation find that insurgents were using it as a base for operations.

Some insurgents were treated at the trauma center, but hospitals and patients are protected on the battlefield. The trauma center was a protected facility, but it was misidentified during this engagement.

The investigation concluded that certain personnel failed to comply with the rules of engagement in the law of armed conflict. However, the investigation did not conclude that these failures amounted to a war crime.

The label war crimesis typically reserved for intentional acts -- intentional targeting of civilians or intentionally targeting protected objects or locations.

Again, the investigation found that the incident resulted from a combination of unintentional human errors, process errors and equipment failures, and that none of the personnel knew they were striking a hospital.

The investigation identified 16 U.S. service members, whose conduct warranted consideration for appropriate administrative or disciplinary action, including a general officer.

General Campbell took the action he deemed appropriate regarding 12 of the 16 personnel involved in this tragic incident, who were in Afghanistan, including the general officer.

The actions included suspension and removal from command, letters of reprimand, formal counseling and extensive retraining.

General Campbell also forwarded the investigation to me at U.S. Special Operations Command, where I was serving as the commander at the time, to consider action regarding the five personnel who had returned to the United States.

I subsequently took action with respect to four of these five personnel by issuing letters of reprimand and admonishment, and direction that the flight crew be referred to a U.S. Air Force flight evaluation board to assess their suitability for future flight duties.

I referred the fifth service member to Lieutenant General Ken Tovo, the commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, who issued a written reprimand and directed recertification in the service members' job specialty.

It is important to point out that these adverse administrative actions can carry severe repercussions on the careers and professional qualification of these individuals, that could include denial of promotion or advancement, and possible -- denial of promotion or advancement, and possible separation from the service.

In light of the report's conclusion that the errors committed were unintentional, and after considering other mitigating factors, such as the intense combat situation and equipment failures that affected the mission, from a senior commander's perspective, the measures taken against these individuals were appropriate to address the errors they made.

Let me add that we are not publicly releasing the names of these service members to protect the privacy of the individuals, and because some of them remain assigned to overseas, sensitive, or routinely deployable units.

In addition to these personnel accountability actions, General Campbell also ordered supplemental training for U.S. forces in Afghanistan on the Applicable Authorities Framework, rules of engagement and the commander's tactical guidance -- all of which are designed to minimize the risk that a tragedy like this would occur.

This training was delivered to over 9,000 personnel and completed in November of 2015. We also directed a comprehensive review of the targeting process, and published an order reinforcing the application of the no-strike list.

Aircraft systems are now preloaded with key information, including the no-strike list database, to minimize the reliance on post-launch communications.

General Campbell also issued a revised tactical directive and targeting standard operating procedure to address this situation.

U.S. forces in Afghanistan also provided the leadership of Doctors Without Borders with the means to facilitate direct contact with our command centers.

And today, Secretary of Defense Carter will release a memo directing all of the services and senior commanders to take a series of corrective actions as a result of Kunduz.

His guidance is clear: We must learn from this tragedy and take steps to reduce the risk of similar incidents in the future.

Before I conclude, I'd also like to highlight that we have made it a priority to engage with Doctors Without Borders and the Afghan government to keep them updated and to offer our support where we can. Senior U.S. Government and Central Command representatives, including me, have spoken with Doctors Without Borders officials, including the organization's executive director, over two dozen times to express our condolences, explain how this tragic incident occurred, and outline our future steps.

Additionally, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan leaders have offered their sympathies and provided condolence payments to more than 170 individuals and families affected by this tragedy. These modest payments are not designed to compensate the victims or place a value on their lives, but are a gesture of sympathy.

And the Department of Defense has approved $5.7 million in funds to construct a comparable structure in Kunduz that is suitable for use as a medical facility.

In conclusion, we are deeply saddened that this tragedy occurred and again offer our sincerest condolences to all of those who were affected. We are committed to learning from the mistakes that were made and will work hard to train and put systems in place that reduce the risk of such an accident occurring again in the future.

I'll be happy to take your questions now.

STAFF: (inaudible) -- Bob Burns from A.P.

Q: General Votel, Bob Burns with A.P.

On the matter of accountability, given the number of mistakes and the severity of the consequences, and despite the fact that, as you said, these actions were unintentional, could you explain in your own words why this did not amount to negligence, warranting more severe punishment?

And also, could you in your own words explain why this is not a war crime?

GEN. VOTEL: Right. So let me take the last part of your question first here. And as I mentioned in my remarks here, by the interpretation here, the legal interpretation and our understanding of this, the fact that this was unintentional -- an unintentional action takes it out of the realm of actually being a deliberate war crime against persons or protected locations.

So that is the principal reason why we do not consider this to be a war crime.

To your earlier -- the earlier part of your question, I personally expended a great amount of effort and time in adjudicating the cases that were provided to me. I had the opportunity to review the investigation in great detail. I consulted with my legal advisers. I consulted with my chain of command on both the Army and the Air Force side. And I personally met with the four officers that I adjudicated against.

And what I concluded after that was that this was an extraordinarily intense combat situation. The ground force commander, as I mentioned in my remarks, and his force had been engaged for about four days in pretty intense combat. And up to the time of this particular strike, had been actually fighting at the location where they were.

So this was an extraordinarily intense situation. They were doing a variety of actions at the same time. They were trying to support their Afghan partners. They were trying to execute resupply operations, and they were trying to defend themselves. So the picture I'm painting for you is a very intense situation on the ground.

The aircrew, as I mentioned, arrived over Kunduz; shortly after arriving there, was engaged by a surface-to-air missile. That's a very significant thing. That does not happen very often in Afghanistan. And so they took the appropriate measures; got off-station, and it just so happens that the coordinates for this location were passed while they were offset. Due to some kind of technical aspect of the system, it flew to a location that was obviously not the right one. And they went through the process of communicating between air and ground to do their best to identify where the location was.

They ultimately arrived at the wrong -- the wrong location. And so, in my evaluation of that, and as I talked to each of these individuals that were involved, their intention was true. They were absolutely trying to do the right thing; they were trying to support our Afghan partners; there was no intention on any of their parts to take a short cut, or to violate any rules that were laid out for them. And they were attempting to do the right thing.

Unfortunately, they made a wrong judgment in this particular case, and ended up targeting this Doctors Without Borders facility.

STAFF: David Martin.

Q: General, you -- the written statement here talks about one of the -- the fifth service member who was referred to you. You referred that case to the commander of Army Special Operations Command.

And he was directed to -- he was recertified. Does that mean he was -- this one officer who, I believe, is described in here as the ground commander. Was he kicked out of the Special Forces?

GEN. VOTEL: No. And let me just -- let me just correct some -- just let me state this.

The fifth member that I referred to, General Tovo, was an enlisted member, he was a noncommissioned officer. And in my estimations as I went through this, General Tovo had all of the right tools available to him to adjudicate this.

My interest as the SOCOM commander at the time was to specifically address the actions of the officers that were involved in this, that included the ground force commander and the three officers who were in the aircraft.

STAFF: Courtney.

Q: Hi, General. Courtney Kube with NBC News. Just a couple of clarifications.

The flight evaluation board for the aircrew, what did that determine? Since you're not providing their names, can you tell us, are they still flying?

GEN. VOTEL: To my knowledge, they -- and up until the time I had left SOCOM here, was a little over four weeks ago, they had not flown.

My understanding is that the flight evaluation board is in progress and it should be completed. I am not aware of -- that is an Air Force process, so I am not aware of what they have concluded from that.

Q: They haven't -- their boards are not complete? So what --

GEN. VOTEL: It is in the process of being completed.

Q: And then can you say how much the condolence payments is worth that you made?

GEN. VOTEL: The condolence payments that were made were $3,000 for wounded and $6,000 for those who were killed.

Q: And then finally, you mentioned that the ground commander, in the -- (inaudible), he had been fighting at that location for several days.

I think a lot of people would be sort of surprised to hear that, to hear that he was actively engaged in combat, in Afghanistan, when they are not supposed to be engaged in combat.

Can you explain that a little bit, what was --

GEN. VOTEL: Sure. Yeah, absolutely.

So, this element -- this special forces element, actually isn't -- wasn't permanently positioned up in Kunduz. They were actually in another location in Afghanistan.

And so, when -- when the situation in Kunduz, as a result of the Taliban attack that took place there, really presented a very significant security threat, he was directed by his chain of command to take his team and move up to Kunduz, and to link up with our partner, with an Afghan partner force on the ground.

And so, he did that. And so, he was very clearly in an advise and assist role there, but of course, they are in -- they are having to do that -- from locations that brought him under -- and him and his -- he and his team and the Afghans they were supporting, under -- under direct fire.

And so they were very much in an intense situation here.

STAFF: Patrick.

Q: Thanks. The report and its predecessor by John Campbell, list a number of critical problems with the AC-130 used communications system that you just alluded to -- some sort of technical problem that resulted in bad targeting after an evasive maneuver.

Are you undertaking any sort of audit or evaluation of the equipment on the AC-130 to see how systemic this? And also, are you undertaking any review of the policy that JTAC's eyes on-site aren't required before an AC-130 strike?

GEN. VOTEL: We always look at all of our processes. And we're in a constant -- constant effort to look at the things we're doing and ensure that they match the situations in which we're operating and they're applicable to it.

With respect to the aircraft, Air Force Special Operations Command, of course, has looked in great detail at -- at that particular problem. In my estimation, this was not a systemic problem. This was a failure at that point of this -- this specific radio system and antenna that is designed to receive data and transmit data to the ground.

So I am unaware that this is a systemic problem. It was a problem that night, obviously, that contributed to this issue right here.

With regard to the other part of your question on JTACs, the processes that we use, of course, do account for the fact of whether we can see the target that we see, or that we cannot. I remain confident in our procedures to do it either of those ways. So I do not foresee us changing anything with respect to those particular techniques and procedures that we use.

I think the key point that I would highlight to you here is that the procedures are good. What does need to -- what we do need to -- what we did learn from this is the very -- the significant importance of clear communication between the ground and the air. And that is a specific area that I in my previous role as the SOCOM commander, I really focused our commanders into, and one that we will continue to press on.

Q: Did the aircraft crew actually have a visual feed of the hospital and could see that there was no fire coming from the hospital?

GEN. VOTEL: Yes, but that's not unusual, frankly. As an individual who has looked at a lot of sensors and a lot of other things here, you don't always see fire coming from a building. So that in and of itself, the fact that they don't see fire coming from a building, which is very difficult to see, in my estimation, is not particularly unusual.

STAFF: Phil Stewart, and then Barbara.

Q: Hi, Phil Stewart from Reuters.

If you step back for a minute and you look at this -- you talk about the strain that these forces were under after four days of combat. And, you know, there's a very limited American footprint in Afghanistan compared to at other times. And there's plans right now to drawdown further.

What extent does this speak to the strain on U.S. forces in Afghanistan, given the variety of attacks that they've been asked to carry out. And to what extent does it add to concerns about potentially reducing that footprint further?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, I won't comment on any of those discussions that are ongoing in terms of what our force levels will be going forward here. But I would add that the capabilities that we have on the ground now that allow us to pursue our counterterrorism objectives and allow us to continue to work with our Afghan partners to advise-assist, I think are appropriate to what we have.

This, I would highlight to you, was an extreme situation. And I can't sit here and tell you we won't have more of those in the future, but this was an extreme situation that we were dealing with, in an area where we did not have a normal presence of American SOF forces.

STAFF: Barbara.

Q: General Votel, I actually wanted to follow up on that very point, because while it's not a direct comparison, you've actually had another incident with that battle down in the south, where the team had to remain out over night with wounded, because you were unable to get to them, though I know you had air support for them.

I guess the question is, you've now had two of these incidents where your teams are in the field, in extreme combat, running short of supplies -- is this still a risk? Are you satisfied with the risks right now, or do -- now that you've had two incidents, does it raise concerns for you and some adjustment in your mind?

And I have a quick follow up, sir.

GEN. VOTEL: Well, first off, I remain extraordinarily confident in our forces and in our leadership to make right decisions on the ground and to evaluate the risk factors associated with the missions that we are undertaking in support of the Afghans and make proper risk calls.

And so, this is a topic that we talk about incessantly in our training, in our preparations to deploy people about how we make these kinds of decisions, how we assess risk and how we do that.

Certainly, the fact that we don't have as many people on the ground now as we did several years ago does affect how we do things. And so, what it requires us to be is be more deliberate, be more thoughtful in how we are applying our forces and how we are managing the risk with that.

But in my estimation, I am -- remain very, very confident in our leadership's ability to do that.

Q: Can I ask you a quick ISIS followup? The president has said that he can no longer tolerate Raqqa and Mosul being centers of power for ISIS to plan attacks.

The secretary is now talking about having enough forces to -- Iraqi forces to envelope Mosul, having them assembled by the beginning of Ramadan.

What is your assessment about the ability to get moving against Mosul and Raqqa? And if you could meet the president's objective of not tolerating them, if you could get Mosul and Raqqa back out of ISIS' hands, what's your assessment on what that would do to ISIS?

GEN. VOTEL: I think my assessment is that it would be devastating to ISIS; it would take away one of their key pillars, and that is their ability to control terrain, which ultimately gives them the ability to govern and gives them the ability to control populations.

So, I -- the -- as the secretary as pointed out repeatedly, and others have pointed out, Raqqa and Mosul remain extraordinarily important objectives that we are focused on.

And there will be other areas that we will have to work on, as well. But those two are -- remain extraordinarily important to us.

STAFF: Tony, and then Dave.

Q: Yes, Tony Capaccio with Bloomberg.

I want to go back to the equipment question. The American public spends $100 billion a year on procurement. They expect the equipment to work. In your press release, you kind of lump it all today, process, human error and equipment failure.

If the equipment had worked -- this radio system -- if they had worked properly, would the -- the tragedy have been averted, in your view?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, possibly. Again, let me -- the equipment failure is that -- let's talk about equipment failures, here.

The first equipment failure we talked about was the radio system, the antenna system that prevented them from receiving digital information that would have told them of no strike areas and other things, and then would have been able -- allowed them to send a picture to the ground.

That's an important aspect, right there. And that -- that may have contributed to it. But I would also just remind you that, as the aircraft got up on station, it was engaged by a surface-to-air missile.

And so, they followed the proper procedures, got off station, and then were given the grids. And the angle -- again, I won't get into all of the technical aspects of this, but the angle at which they were trying to acquire that caused the system to come up with a wrong -- a wrong location.

So there -- I wouldn't point you to any specific thing that if we had not done this would have prevented this, but the combination of all of these things in an intense combat situation I think contributed to this very unfortunate accident.

Q: (inaudible) -- did not have a chronic mean-time between failure problem over the years that hadn't been fixed. This was an acute, one-time-only from what you saw?

GEN. VOTEL: Tony, I'm not aware of the mean-time between failure for this particular system right here. To me, it was not something that I'm aware of as a systemic problem that we have seen on these aircraft over a long period of time.

STAFF: Jamie, and then Jennifer.

Q: General, I just want to be clear that I understand the authority under which the strike was conducted. As it's been described to us at the Pentagon, the U.S. authorities in Afghanistan are limited; that airstrikes can be conducted to protect U.S. forces on the ground; to go after remnants of Al Qaida; and in cases where Afghan forces are in extremis.

Which of those criteria applied in this case? And can you explain why?

GEN. VOTEL: The ground force commander made the decision to conduct the strike under self-defense authority, because he considered himself and his -- by extension, the Afghan forces that were in his proximity and that he was supporting as part of his force. So he chose to apply the self-defense authorities to orchestrate the strike.

Q: If I could just follow up for a moment. So, in that scenario, and we've seen that several times in Afghanistan, it almost appears that commanders in Afghanistan are getting around the limitation against supporting Afghan forces in the field by simply embedding U.S. forces with them, and then authorizing the strike under the self-defense authority, rather than the -- which to get around the restriction against just helping the Afghans in their combat operations as they were trying to repel the Taliban attack. Is this a way to get around that restriction?

GEN. VOTEL: No, I don't think so. And I would not -- I have not reached that conclusion, and I would not reach that conclusion at this point. I think our commanders attempt to apply the rules of engagement and the authorities that are given to them in exactly the right way that they're intended.

But unfortunately, we get into situations like this that are confusing. There is a lot on the ground. It's a fast-moving situation. And we have young people -- young leaders out there that are trying to make the right decision in the heat of combat. And sometimes it comes up wrong.

But I don't, and I would not tolerate, frankly, our commanders trying to use go-arounds to apply fires in ways other than they're intended.

STAFF: Jennifer and then Tom.

Q: General Votel, I have two questions.

One, the MSF doctors say that they called to military headquarters to say that they were under attack within minutes of it starting, and that the attack continued for 60 to 90 minutes later. Can you explain how that happened? Was that a result of radio communications being down? Why did they not get that message in the air and stop?

And secondly, can I get your comments on Sergeant First Class Charles Martland being reinstated -- the Green Beret who struck the Taliban commander who had raped an Afghan boy? Can you assure us that his future promotions will not be affected by this incident?

GEN. VOTEL: I've not -- let me take the second part here first.

I'm not familiar with that, so I won't comment on that. And those would normally be a service responsibility and not a U.S. Central Command responsibility.

To your -- the first part of your question, what the investigation reveals is the strike -- the lethal effects lasted for 30 minutes. What the investigation established was that at about 10 minutes into it, the Doctors Without Borders contacted one of our command centers and passed that information to us.

That went through a series of layers to get to the people on the ground. Frankly, the ground force commander was not tracking a medical facility, so when that information first got to him, that didn't immediately register. So, it took a few moments -- a few minutes to figure that out, that they actually were firing at it.

But what I would add, as soon as they made that determination, they stopped firing.

(CROSSTALK)

STAFF: David, then -- (inaudible).

(CROSSTALK)

Q: That's different from the original investigation, which said that the attack was over -- completed by the time anybody in the airplane realized that -- what they were shooting at.

GEN. VOTEL: What the investigation characterizes is that when they were notified, they stopped -- they stopped firing.

Q: General, you've talked about a string of errors here -- technical, human errors. I just want you to walk us through, when you look at this report, you're a very experienced officer. Is there something in particular with the human error -- errors that jumps out at you? Is it the fact that these guys had a visual on a target that they thought looked like the intended target? Is it the doctors frantically trying to call U.S. military officials to get them to stop shooting, and it took, you know, 18 minutes?

When you read this report, with your experience, is there one thing that jumps out at you and you say to yourself, "how could this possibly have happened"?

GEN. VOTEL: Yes, I think the one thing that as I went through this that jumped out at me was the communication between the air and the ground. And it was -- it was relatively concise, brief communication back and forth. And in a -- I think in a very confusing situation like this, what I think it merited was more discussion between what was going on.

There was a -- there was not complete situational awareness on the ground with what the aircraft was seeing. There was not complete situational awareness from the aircraft with what was happening with the ground force.

And so to me, that is about communications. And I think in this -- again, I think these -- both of these elements were exactly trying to do the right thing. They were trying to get to the right answer here and do the exact right thing. And of course, with the authorities they had, you know, and unfortunately they came up short. And I think that communications contributed to that.

Q: (inaudible) -- they were shooting at this hospital for quite some time -- a half-hour. Were they using all the guns? Were they using the 105? Were they using everything?

GEN. VOTEL: To my knowledge, I think they used all the systems that were available on the aircraft.

Q: So the 105 howitzer?

GEN. VOTEL: I believe so.

Q: Clearly, when they're looking at this building, there's no indication of enemy fire. There's no indication of fighting around there. Are you concerned that they were hitting a target, but there's no indication of any hostile intent?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, this is an area that we did examine in some -- some great detail as we went through this. And frankly, as I mentioned earlier, it's not uncommon to not see fire coming from a building or from a location, from -- through a sensor system. And that is my own personal experience. I -- some -- (inaudible) -- trained analyst perhaps can, who has looked at a lot of this over a lot of time and focused on it, may be able to do that. But it's not uncommon to not be able to identify that.

So, you know, yes, I -- the other aspect that we looked at was what was the pattern of life around this particular facility. And I think one of the contributing factors here was that what was being described by the ground force commander happening at the intended target was very closely being replicated at the Doctors Without Borders.

So I think they found about the same number of people, about the same general locations outside of the building. And so, they --

Q: Was anybody shooting? Nobody was shooting at the hospital, correct?

GEN. VOTEL: Nobody from the Afghans.

(CROSSTALK)

GEN. VOTEL: Right. Right. Right. It was at a different location.

Q: But wouldn't that -- (inaudible) -- something wrong here, (inaudible)?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, again -- yeah, again, there is a mistaken identification of the target. So the aircraft is looking at one location. The ground force is thinking they're looking at another location. There's no way to visually confirm that back and forth between them. And their discussions, as you look at the transcripts, don't add clarity to that.

Q: Again, I don't want to belabor this, but looking at what they saw, there was no one shooting. There was no one running around with RPGs. There was no fire-fight on the ground. So why would they just keep hitting it?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, again, this is -- that is -- that, you know, again, in the experience of -- of these individuals right here, who have done these types of operations before -- what they were seeing was frankly in line with what was being described from the ground, and with their own experience.

I mean, the enemy does adapt to how we operate. So they don't operate in quite an open fashion where we can always see everything that we have. That is a known factor that is mixed into this with the crew.

STAFF: We've got time for two more. Thomas and then Tara.

Q: Hi, sir. Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Washington Post.

I kind of want to walk through a couple of issues that I have, starting with the equipment failure -- the satellite radio. I understand that that was a video downlink that would have been -- would have gone to the JTAC, correct?

GEN. VOTEL: That's right.

Q: Second, moving on, the surface-to-air missile -- that's kind of a loose term. Am I to understand that was a MANPAD, some kind of heat-seeking -- (inaudible) -- counter-measure -- (inaudible)?

GEN. VOTEL: That's our assessment.

Q: Next, moving on to the hospital, what the AC-130 can see; what the ground forces can see. The JTAC that was talking to the aircraft -- did the JTAC have eyes on the NDS? I understand they were supporting a raid.

GEN. VOTEL: To my knowledge, he did not have eyes on either of the locations, the intended facility or the other one.

Q: Okay. Did any American have eyes on the intended target?

GEN. VOTEL: Well, they were all located where the JTAC was. So my understanding is no, they did not.

Q: Got it. And from what I understand, you know, you had Afghan forces forward. That's who we were supporting. This airstrike was authorized in self-defense of Americans. So if there were no Americans near the target location --

GEN. VOTEL: Again, as I mentioned, the ground force commander made the determination that the Afghan forces that he was partnered with were part of his force. And so he made the decision to apply self-defense in support of his force that included these Afghan partners.

Q: Okay. So, I understand that. The Afghan partners at the national directorate building were under heavy fire. Correct?

GEN. VOTEL: On their way to that facility, yes.

Q: On their way to that facility. So the facility was targeted by the AC-130 in extremis? And so, I mean, when there were no effects on target, why did the AC-130 -- what I don't understand is you're using the AC-130U with a full suite of guns. You know, you pick the guns for the situation.

So if they're not taking, you know --

GEN. VOTEL: Well, the report was that they were taking fire from the NDS building. And that's what prompted the call for self-defense fires.

Let me just clarify one thing on the JTAC actually seeing the building. As you are probably aware, we have a variety of techniques that allow us to call for fires properly, safely, whether we can see the intended location or whether we cannot.

So, in this case, they were using that -- those procedures.

Q: The talk on. They used the talk on procedure.

GEN. VOTEL: Right, right.

STAFF: Final question, here.

Q: Thanks, General. You know, the release of this report occurs at the same time that another Doctors Without Borders facility has been struck in Aleppo.

Can you affirmatively say that the U.S. air power had no role in the attacks on that facility?

GEN. VOTEL: I can affirmatively say U.S. air power had no role on the attack of that facility.

Q: Can I clear up one inconsistency to the general?

STAFF: Okay.

Q: When General Campbell briefed us in November, he said that the aircrew was notified that they were striking the wrong target at one -- at some point during the attack on the hospital. And that -- I think that the word that was used was that they remained fixated on the hospital because of the physical location -- I mean, I'm sorry, the physical description of the building.

But it sounds as if that fact is different than what you're saying here today, that they were not -- they were never notified during the actual bombing of the hospital. They were never notified that they were striking the wrong target?

GEN. VOTEL: That's my understanding. They had no idea that the facility that they were striking was a medical facility. And when -- that was determined by the ground force commander. He stopped their firing.

STAFF: Thanks, everybody. Thank you, General.

GEN. VOTEL: Thanks, everybody.

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/746686/

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U.S. Department of Defense

Press Operations

News Release

No. NR-154-16 April 29, 2016

Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work's Visit to Belgium

Deputy Secretary of Defense Spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Hillson provided the following:

Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work visited Belgium April 27-29 for meetings with NATO officials to discuss the Department's development of the Third Offset Strategy.

Work met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and ambassadors from the United States' 27 NATO allies to discuss the Third Offset Strategy. He also held a working lunch with NATO military representatives and staff to discuss operational concepts and NATO's involvement in the offset strategy.

Work delivered a speech hosted by the European Policy Center, an independent policy research organization, in which he emphasized the fact that developing innovative ideas and initiatives together with allied nations is essential to the pursuit of the Third Offset Strategy. He explained the need to coordinate and collaborate, leverage unique capabilities, and push our establishments to innovate in technology, operational concepts, demonstrations and wargames. His also discussed the progress of the campaign to defeat ISIL.

In a meeting with Belgian Defense Minister Steven Vandeput, Work expressed his condolences to the Belgian people for those killed and injured in the March 22 terrorist attacks and thanked Belgium for its significant contributions to the counter-ISIL campaign.

Work also visited Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, where he thanked Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, departing Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and commander, U.S. European Command, for his distinguished service.

Prior to visiting Belgium, Work visited Sweden and participated in a U.S.-Nordic-Baltic meeting hosted by Swedish State Secretary Jan Salestrand.

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/746196/

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US Forces, Australian Defence Force Complete Fleet Synthetic Training

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS160429-06

Release Date: 4/29/2016 1:14:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sara B. Sexton, Commander Task Force 70 Public Affairs

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- Commander, Task Force 70 units, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15 units, Army and Air Force assets and units from the Australian Defence Forces participated in a Fleet Synthetic Training-Joint exercise 16-72, April 29.

FST-J is a computer-based synthetic training that allows geographically separated units to integrate in a tactically and operationally demanding virtual environment.

"This FST-J exercise is conducted according to 7th Fleet requirements to ensure the units are current on their training and certification," said Capt. Richard Haidvogel, commanding officer of Tactical Training Group, Pacific. "Ultimately the goal of these exercises is to improve interoperability with our joint partners and allies."

FST-J 16-72 is a multiplatform scenario designed to integrate air, land, and sea units.

Participating units in FST-J 16-72 include USS Antietam (CG 67), USS Barry (DDG 52), USS Benfold (DDG 65), USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), USS Curtis Wilber (DDG 54), USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), USS McCampbell (DDG 85), USS John S. McCain (DDG 56), USS Mustin (DDG 89), USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), USS Shiloh (CG 67), USS Stethem (DDG 63), DESRON 15 personnel, units from USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, units from the Australian Air Defence Force, Australian Maritime Defence Force, and a number of other units from the United States armed forces.

"The benefit of conducting this exercise on multiplatforms is that it's a 'dress rehearsal' that prepares us for deployment," said Lt. Cmdr. Craig McDonald, CTF 70 joint interface control officer. "We have the ability to flex our tactics, techniques and procedures with all of the other commands."

The various units worked together for more than a week, operating under a synthetic simulation environment designed to mimic warfighting in a "peer threat" environment.

"The purpose of this exercise is to get our joint players, the Command Task Forces in the area along with our other allies and units, to simulate any threats that might occur in the area and stimulate our systems to ensure that they are working effectively," said Haidvogel.

Synthetic training exercises such as FST-J improve the capabilities of the interoperability between the U.S. and other units. Each FST-J exercise is specifically focused on a different mission with the ultimate goal of maintaining readiness to support security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.

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USS Arleigh Burke Successfully Completes Missile Firing Exercise

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS160429-08

Release Date: 4/29/2016 1:25:00 PM

By Ensign Michelle Kim, USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The crew of USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) launched a Standard Missile-2 (SM-2) missile off the coast of Virginia, April 26.

The ship was at sea conducting a post-availability SM-2 (PASM) missile-firing event as part of their post Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) availability shakedown.

"A lot of work and effort went into getting the ship to this point, and my ship and crew were ready," said Cmdr. Tom Myers, Arleigh Burke commanding officer. "We could not have gotten where we are today without the dedication and commitment of the maintenance community and our Aegis Modernization Team. Their support was truly outstanding during all phases of the planning and preparation, readiness reviews, shipboard training and event execution."

Myers went on to say the PASM event was completed with exceptional results due to the tremendous team effort by all involved.

Arleigh Burke recently completed a complex, year-long maintenance period in which the ship's combat systems suite was upgraded to the Navy's latest Aegis Baseline 9 system. The ship is scheduled to start combat systems ship qualification trials in May.

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GHWB Completes INSURV Phase II

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS160429-16

Release Date: 4/29/2016 1:42:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Mario Coto, USS George H.W. Bush Public Affairs

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- Aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) completed the second phase of the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey, April 29.

INSURV Phase II is a five-day visit by the INSURV Assist Team to help the ship's crew prepare for INSURV by identifying discrepancies on the ship that aren't up to Navy standards.

"I, and the rest of team, have come on board to get to know the crew and engage with as many of them as possible," said Clete Strausbaugh, INSURV Assist Team Leader. "The purpose of this team is to make sure CVN 77 has a successful INSURV."

According to Strausbaugh, each inspected area receives a score from the INSURV team.

"Damage control, combat systems, information systems, engineering, auxiliary, electrical and deck, to name a few," said Strausbaugh. "Out of those 18 functional areas, you'll receive a score -- red, yellow, or green for each area. The best score you'll want to get in your area is green."

INSURV itself is a five-day inspection of the ship's overall material condition to verify it meets official Navy standards and to ensure all systems are functioning at the intended level.

"Congress established INSURV 130 years ago to inspect our Navy ships and to report on their readiness," said Lt. Cmdr. Chris Reedy, command INSURV coordinator. "It's a thorough inspection to examine ships against known Navy standards to determine readiness in sustained combat situations."

A successful inspection depends on the combined effort of the entire crew, as well as the guidance and experience of officers and senior enlisted personnel. INSURV is critical not only to ensure ships are ready to meet the needs of the Navy, but also to assure the nation each vessel is properly cared for.

"INSURV is important to the Navy because it demonstrates to Congress and the taxpayers that we are maintaining this national asset to the highest standards of material readiness," said Reedy. "We are obligated to ensure our ship lasts its entire lifespan, and the public needs to know that our Sailors are taking care of the ship properly."

Inspectors go through every space on the ship, and all Sailors aboard are responsible for their spaces.

"Our ship has to work as a team to ensure every piece of gear the crew is responsible for operates to specification and functions within guidelines," said Reedy. "This ensures CVN 77 is ready to carry out our assigned mission with all systems working the way they should be."

GHWB is currently undergoing a planned incremental availability period at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

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Russian Su-27 Performed Flyby of US RC-135 Plane in the Baltic Sea

Sputnik News

22:55 29.04.2016(updated 03:34 30.04.2016)

As the US continues to patrol Russia's borders, it has accused another Su-27 fighter of performing a "barrel roll" over an American surveillance plane.

With tensions rising in the Baltic Sea following an incident involving two Russian fighters and the USS Donald Cook, US officials claim that an Su-27 has performed another "unsafe" flyby of an American surveillance aircraft in the region.

Two US defense officials claim that a Russian jet performed a "barrel roll" within 100 ft. of a US Air Force RC-135 spy plane, according to the Telegraph.

A statement from the Pentagon later claimed that the incident actually occurred within 25 ft. of the US plane.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov denied similar allegations from a separate incident earlier this month.

"The reports of foreign media saying that a Russian Su-27 allegedly flew in dangerously close proximity to a US RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft in the skies over the Baltic Sea on April 14 are not true," he told reporters.

"To identify the target, one of the Su-27s of the Baltic Fleet aviation forces on duty was sent."

Washington also accused Moscow of "unsafe" maneuvers near the USS Donald Cook destroyer as it sailed through the Baltic earlier this month.

"We condemn this kind of behavior. It is reckless. It is provocative. It is dangerous. And under the rules of engagement that could have been a shoot-down," US Secretary of State John Kerry said in an interview with the Miami Herald.

While the US has filed formal protests against these actions, many have pointed out that the Pentagon could avoid these situations by not encroaching on foreign borders.

"We send naval warships, equipped with the latest equipment, 50 miles from Russian territory in the Baltic Sea, conducting military exercises. The Russians are annoyed and irritated, and we say 'Oh my goodness, how aggressive, how dare you,'" Daniel McAdams, director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity told Radio Sputnik's Loud & Clear.

The US has had similar responses to instances in the South China Sea and the Korean peninsula.

"There's no sense that there's a reaction to our actions, that we're responsible for our actions."

 Sputnik

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Not Without My Neighbor: Finland, Sweden Ponder NATO Membership, Again

Sputnik News

18:56 29.04.2016

Finland and Sweden should follow the same line with respect to joining NATO; otherwise there may be trouble. Should either of the countries venture into NATO alone, the growing voltage may set off sparks on Russia's part, says a report by an expert group on behalf of Finland's Foreign Ministry.

It has been almost ten years since the Finnish government last investigated its relations with NATO. During that time, some major political changes have occurred both on the international and the European level.

The study on the consequences of Finland's possible NATO membership has been carried out by a panel of renowned diplomats and researchers, featuring Mats Bergquist (Sweden's former ambassador to Helsinki), Francois Heisbourg, (political scientist and former French diplomat) Rene Nyberg (former Ambassador to Moscow) and Teija Tiilikainen (Director of the Foreign Policy Institute), Finland's national broadcaster Yle reports.

Don't make Russia cross!

A Finnish NATO membership would certainly trigger a fierce Russian response, says the study. The Finnish-Russian relations would be damaged beyond repair, whereas the Russian rejoinder most likely would be sharp and probably also "personal," which the incident involving the Russian fighter jet shot down by the Turkish air defense clearly showed, the authors write.

The investigators predict a vigorous initial reaction from Russia, a loud-mouthed opposition to NATO extension, accompanied by political and economic threats and followed by a quiet acceptance of the facts.

Focus on Article 5: "one for all, all for one"

According to the study, Russia's war against Georgia and the takeover of Crimea has once again stressed the importance of the famous Article 5, which refers to the principle of collective defense. As NATO partners, neither Finland nor Sweden is covered by the mutual defense clause.

United we stand

Investigators proceed from the scenario in which Finland and Sweden seek NATO membership simultaneously. Other scenarios may incur various difficulties whereas by working together, the two Nordic countries may achieve a greater influence, be it in inside or outside NATO.

Should Sweden join NATO alone, Finland would become more fragile and vulnerable. Should Finland instead join NATO, a precarious situation may arise, in which Finland becomes an outpost with almost no land border with the rest of NATO, the report says.

Parliamentary decision or referendum?

According to the study, an application for membership in the Atlantic Alliance would take place amongst international tension. Investigators take no stance on whether the issue should be solved through a referendum or a parliamentary decision.

However, simultaneous referenda in Finland and Sweden could potentially lead different to outcomes, which would result in a tricky situation, according to investigators.

Mutual benefits in store as long as no nukes are involved

According to the study, full-scale NATO membership would yield mutual benefits for the parts involved. Finland would hereby obtain a clearer picture of the air situation near Russia, whereas NATO would make use of Finland's territorial defense, which is considered superior to the Baltics'. In addition to the territorial defense, Finland's IT skills and cyber defense would be appreciated, as well as the country's special expertise in hybrid warfare, the study suggests.

Increased defense spending

Economically, the possible membership is bound to cost Finland more. NATO's goal for all member countries is a defense output of two percent of GDP. However, only five of the 28 members lived up to the goal in 2015. Finland currently spends about 1.3 percent of its GDP on defense, so the outlay is expected to rise.

Finally, a direct quote

"The NATO membership would obviously strengthen Finland's immediate security, as the country then would be subject to security guarantees under Article 5, with the membership strongly deterring possible attacks against the country. However, the membership is also likely to lead to a serious crisis with Russia for an indefinite period. Tensions would rise, but an open conflict is unlikely to ensue, since Russia would be aware that any assaults could lead to retaliation from the whole alliance."

 Sputnik

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Joint Statement on South Sudan Peace Process

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

April 29, 2016



The text of the following statement was issued jointly by the Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Norway.

Begin Text:

The members of the Troika (United States, United Kingdom, and Norway) welcome the long-awaited formation of South Sudan's transitional government of national unity. We also welcome the April 26 statements by President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar calling for cooperation, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence. We call on South Sudan's leaders to continue this spirit of cooperation and to start the difficult task of rebuilding their country. While formation of the transitional government is a step forward, with thousands dead, widespread atrocities committed and millions displaced from their homes during the conflict, this is no time for celebration. Today the international community stands united in urging the transitional government to start to work for the people of South Sudan. The fighting must stop, decisive action must be taken to tackle the economic crisis and there must be full cooperation with the UN and humanitarian agencies to ensure aid reaches those in need; formal and informal impediments must be removed.

The Troika countries will remain long term partners and friends of South Sudan's people. We stand ready to support the transitional government if it shows it is serious about working for the good of the country and implementing the peace agreement in full. In that regard, decisions undermining provisions the parties agreed to in negotiations, such as not fully meeting obligations for women's participation in the council of ministers, sets a concerning precedent at the beginning of the transition. We expect the transitional government to honor its commitments. The people of South Sudan deserve nothing less.



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Beijing Urges Washington to Assess New NGO Law Objectively

Sputnik News

15:08 29.04.2016

The Chinese Foreign Ministry urged the United States on Friday to objectively assess its non-governmental organization (NGO) law objectively and to respect Beijing's sovereign right to adopt laws.

BEIJING (Sputnik)  Chinese President Xi Jinping ratified the new legislation requiring foreign organizations to receive official approval to operate in mainland China on Thursday, after its approval in the third and final hearing in parliament. US State Secretary John Kerry said he was "deeply concerned" that the law would "negatively impact important people-to-people ties between our two countries."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying noted at a daily briefing that the new law "must be suitable to the conditions that exist in China."

"We hope that the countries concerned will respect China's right to enact laws in their country and will see the law in an objective and positive point of view," Hua told reporters, commenting on Washington's criticism.

The law stipulates that foreign NGOs must be registered, regulated and supervised by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. The law authorizes Chinese police to conduct searches and to seal the offices of foreign organizations, as well as to questions their employees and to inspect documents.

Chinese media reports suggest the new restrictions will impact more than 7,000 foreign NGOs, active mostly in the fields of environmental protection, science and technology, education and culture.

 Sputnik

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Obama Scraps Subsidy in $700Mln F-16 Sale to Pakistan

Sputnik News

16:53 29.04.2016

US President Barack Obama's administration plans to abandon the plan to subsidize the $700 million deal to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, a senior US State Department official said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the BBC broadcaster's Hindi desk that the Obama administration "is still very much in favor" of selling the F-16s to Pakistan. Islamabad would however have to bear the full cost of the eight fighter jets, the State Department official added.

The original arrangement required Pakistan to pay $270 million for the aircraft, with the remaining $430 million paid by the US taxpayer.

The decision to scrap the subsidy comes as the US Congress blocked the funding for the deal after Pakistan's regional rival India expressed dissatisfaction with the deal. A factor for some of the US lawmakers' opposition was the 2011 arrest and the 33-year sentence on charges of treason of a doctor who exposed Osama bin Laden's location through a fake CIA vaccine program in Pakistan.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said that the State Department had approved the sale of eight F-16 combat aircraft and other equipment to Pakistan on February 12.

 Sputnik

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Syria's 'Silent' Period to Fail Without UN Oversight  Syrian Militants

Sputnik News

19:42 29.04.2016(updated 19:43 29.04.2016)

The US-Russia-brokered "silent" period in the Latakia and Damascus provinces will not work out without UN oversight, a spokesman for a Damascus-based militant group told Sputnik on Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Earlier in the day, a source told Sputnik that Russia and the United States had agreed to introduce state of cessation of hostilities in northern Latakia province and suburbs of Damascus in Syria from midnight on April 30.

Following the announcement, media reports emerged claiming that Aleppo would also be involved in the "silent period," but were refuted by a different source.

"The regime will not succeed without instruments to control it or UN-led observers," Hossam Salah Alian, from the Martyrs of Islam Brigade, told Sputnik.

The Brigade is a US-armed militant group which is part of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). It operates in Darayya, a southern Damascus suburb.

"If there are controls in place, there will be a 100-percent ceasefire, and we as well as FSA pledge to observe the regime," Alian said, adding ceasefire should be enforced across entire Syria.

The Syrian General Staff has already confirmed that the 'silent' period has been implemented and that it will be in force for 24 hours in Damascus and its suburbs, and in Latakia and its suburbs for 72 hours.

 Sputnik

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France Condemns Damascus' Plans to Carry Out Operation in Aleppo

Sputnik News

17:25 29.04.2016(updated 17:26 29.04.2016)

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault condemned in his Friday statement the Syrian government's plans to pursue an offensive in the Aleppo province warning that the opposition would not return to talks without improvements of the situation.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The French Foreign Minister's remarks come two days after a deadly airstrike on the al-Quds hospital in the Syrian city of Aleppo that, according to rights groups, killed 27 people. The Syrian army on Thursday denied reports of its responsibility for the airstrike.

"The announcement of an imminent offensive to retake Aleppo with the support of its allies, who did not deny [the statement], made by Syrian regime on April 28, is very worrying," the minister said.

He added that lack of significant improvement of the situation on the ground does not allow the opposition to return to the Geneva peace talks noting that Syria witnessed death of over 200 civilians as well as serious violations of the humanitarian law this week.

"I strongly condemn the outbreak of violence in the Aleppo province that is a serious threat to maintaining cessation of hostilities and continuing the political process as recalled by Staffan de Mistura [Special UN Envoy for Syria] to the [UN] Security Council on April 27," the statement read.

Ayrault called for mobilization of the international community to exert pressure on the Syrian government so that it respects the ceasefire and agrees to implement political transition.

 Sputnik

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Syrian Army Plans to Launch Offensive on Deir Ez-Zor, Raqqa

Sputnik News

08:28 29.04.2016(updated 09:16 29.04.2016)

The Syrian armed forces plan to retake the city of Raqqa from Daesh, and Russian aviation is expected to support the operation, according to Russia's UN Office envoy.

GENEVA (Sputnik)  The Syrian army is planning to launch an offensive on Deir Ez-Zor and Raqqa with the support of the Russian air group deployed in Syria, Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva Alexei Borodavkin said.

"In line with UNSC [UN Security Council] Resolution 2254, the ceasefire regime in Syria does not apply to Daesh, al-Nusra Front and other terrorist groupsAs a result of operations by the Syrian armed forces with [the] support of Russian combat aircraft [the Syrian] city of Palmyra has been liberated, and now further offensive operations are being planned in the direction of Deir Ez-Zor and Raqqa," Borodavkin told reporters in Geneva.

Syria Ceasefire Mostly Holding but Some Forces Attempt to Disrupt It

"There are forces that are deliberately provoking the failure of the cessation of hostilities. We are constantly talking about the need to block the Turkish-Syrian border through which terrorist group fighters flow and weapons, military equipment and ammunition are smuggled. It is necessary to firmly curb this flow in order to strengthen the ceasefire regime," Borodavkin stressed.

According to the Russian envoy, the United States and Russia are making joint efforts to put an end to the Syrian conflict.

"We are well aware that there are opponents of the cessation of hostilities and they will do everything they can to disrupt this regime, which is what is happening now," Borodavkin said, adding nonetheless that "in general, the regime is being adhered to."

A US-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force across Syria on February 27. Syria has been mired in civil war since March 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. The truce does not apply to terrorist groups such as Daesh and al-Nusra Front.

More Militant Groups Cut Ties With al-Nusra Front, Join Ceasefire

"The groups that want to join the cessation of hostilities must sign relevant documents, report their exact location and disengage from Nusra Front units because, at present, they are, unfortunately, heavily mixed on the battlefield," Borodavkin told reporters.

According to Borodavkin, "certain progress" has been observed in the US work with illegal armed groups in Syria.

"Contacts and cooperation between Russian and US militaries have recently intensified. Phone conferences between Hmeymim [Russian air base in Syria], Amman, Moscow and Washington are regularly held. Our militaries are meeting at the negotiating table with maps and necessary intelligence data that help to prevent violations of the cessation of hostilities and strengthen it. I think that in the near future many issues will be resolved within this US-Russian military cooperation," Borodavkin told journalists.

No Evidence Jaish al-Islam, Ahrar ash-Sham Join Truce

"We heard statements from these groups that they have allegedly joined the cessation of hostilities [in Syria] but we have no official confirmation [of these statements]," Borodavkin told journalists.

The envoy recalled that the leadership of Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar ash-Sham had repeatedly stated they were fighting "shoulder to shoulder" with al-Nusra Front militants and called on the jihadists to unite in their fight against government forces.

"If Ahrar ash-Sham and Jaish al-Islam are serious about finding a political solution to the conflict in Syria, they have to radically change their positions," Borodavkin emphasized.

On Tuesday, Russia requested to add the two groups operating in Syria to the UN sanctions list that already contains Daesh. The Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee (HNC) of the Syrian opposition includes representatives of both Ahrar ash-Sham and Jaish al-Islam.

 Sputnik

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Background Briefing On Syria

Special Briefing

Senior State Department Official

Via Teleconference

April 29, 2016



MODERATOR: Thank you very much, Brad. And thanks to everyone for joining us for this background call. We felt given some of the news reports out of Syria this morning that it was important and helpful for all of you in terms of coverage to walk through some of what is going on on the ground in Syria today and in the future days, or in the coming days rather. And to that end we're very fortunate to have [Senior State Department Official] and who will henceforth be known as a senior State Department official to walk us through a little bit of that and also to answer, more importantly, your questions about what's going on.

So without further ado, I'll go ahead and hand the mike over to [Senior State Department Official], who I think will just make a couple of brief remarks, and then we'll open it up to your questions. So go ahead.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Thanks, [Moderator], and thanks to all of you for participating. I'll be extremely brief and then we can go to the questions. I just want to emphasize that we've been involved in trying to de-escalate fighting even before the cessation of hostilities came about on February 27th, and then since February 27th obviously we've been trying to build a foundation of the cessation of hostilities and to deal with outbreaks of violence. And we have done that, so in that sense this is not something new but really a constant effort on our part particularly with the Russians.

So obviously the fighting has increased of late, and now you see what we're working on in a couple of areas. But let me impress upon you that we're really working on all areas where we think there are significant threats to the cease  to the cessation of hostilities. There are still quiet areas, but there are several, as you know, areas that are real problems, and it's quite  the fighting is intense and obviously the casualties are, particularly the civilian casualties that we've seen.

So we are talking about a couple of discrete areas in the immediate sets of this, but we are actually working on all of the areas. So it's not just about Latakia and Damascus, Eastern Ghouta east of Damascus, but also about Aleppo and other areas where we see problems or potential problems that we're trying to get back  get and then get this cessation of hostilities back on track.

And the only other point I would make at the outset is that we're also very, very intensively involved on the issue of humanitarian access where the regime is obstructing that access, in some areas wholly to some areas preventing it; in other areas, as you know, taking medical supplies out of convoys; in yet other areas not allowing  not permitting or not giving permits for all of the medical professionals that seek to get into an area, and even questioning the number of people who the UN believes and has assessed are in need, so that the regime says it's a much lower number. In our view, of course, it's the UN that should decide this. And in any event, as part of the cessation of hostilities, both sides committed to full, unimpeded, sustained access throughout the country, wherever people are in need.

So with that, over to your questions.

MODERATOR: Great. We're ready to take some questions. Go ahead, Brad.

OPERATOR: And if there are any questions from the phone lines at this time, once again, please press * followed by the 1 on your touchtone phone. You'll hear a tone indicating you've been placed in queue. And our first question today day comes from the line of John Hudson with Foreign Policy magazine. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi, thanks. I just wanted to ask: Is the reason  is it true that Aleppo is not included in this silent regime that was reported in Russian media? And is that more because the rebels want to continue fighting or because the regime wants to continue fighting or both?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No. First of all, the premise isn't correct. It's not that there's a place that's excluded from this at all. We are working on Aleppo. We're talking to the Russians about Aleppo, so we are working on that. It  this is the first part of that that we're  that we want to have this  these particular two places get started now, but we are  nothing at all  there's no reasoning and there's no effort to exclude any place, never mind Aleppo, because the fighting is quite intense in Aleppo. Aleppo is a very important place. And then you've seen the horrific civilian casualties there. So we are working on Aleppo just as we are working on the other places. For the moment, this is what we have to go forward with, but we are working constantly on Aleppo and other areas.

OPERATOR: And we do have a question from the line of Margaret Brennan with CBS News. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi. Can you just talk us through what is concrete about this, the beginning and duration of time, does this just roll over day by day, who's monitoring it, and whether this is in any way linked to a resumption of talks? I mean, this has been described by other diplomats as a  an offer by the Russians of a real halt to fighting for a fake peace. What's reality at the table? Are the Syrians actually negotiating anything?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Right. Okay, Margaret, thanks. So what this is about in this initial phase of Latakia and  what we hope would be an initial phase to Latakia and Eastern Ghouta  get  will be implemented, hopefully starting tonight  tomorrow  first thing tomorrow morning there, and that the fighting should in fact cease right after midnight. And it's a kind of a recommitment to or reaffirmation of cessation  of the cessation of hostilities.

And as to how far, how long it would last, we obviously want it to continue and last. Let's see how this goes. This is all something of a test, obviously, that we want to work, and we're working hard to make sure that it works. So hopefully in the end it will be open-ended. So that's the first part of it.

The second part of it, this  there isn't specifically a linkage to the political negotiations. We've just finished this round, but you have to have the environment. As you know, we've never set preconditions for going into this round of negotiations or that round, but we have always said that you need the right environment. And the right environment is a successful cessation of hostilities and successful delivery of humanitarian relief supplies  both of those issues, not as absolute preconditions for negotiations but as the things that can improve the environment for this.

As for the larger question of the political talks, we just have to wait still to see. Staffan de Mistura came up with his ideas of where he thinks there's commonality and differences. We still very much believe we can push the negotiations forward. It's true that we didn't  there is  there was no mention of a particular time, because I think, again, we have to improve the environment for the next set of these negotiations, and that's about the cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access.

And as to your question about  I don't know if you were asking about bona fides. This too is a test about how much the regime is  how far the regime is going to go. What was different about this round than the past is that there's an acknowledgement of transition. If you remember, there wasn't previously an acknowledgement of a need for a transition. But of course, what is the definition of that transition and then also ideas about constitution, those are still out there.

MODERATOR: Great. Next question, please.

OPERATOR: We do have a question from the line of Felicia Schwartz with The Wall Street Journal. Please, go ahead.

QUESTION: Hey, thank you so much for doing this. A few questions. Going back to Aleppo and why it was or wasn't  or why it wasn't included at this point, was it something that kind of  didn't  you guys couldn't pull it together, I guess, in time for this first agreement? Like, anything more on why you would agree to something without Aleppo?

And then can you shed any light on when you think you might  if you think that you can get there  somewhere on that front in the next few days or when that might happen?

And then also, Staffan de Mistura earlier this week called on Russia and the U.S. to engage at the highest levels to repair the ceasefire. So can you talk about some of the contacts or maybe, like, specific contacts between the two governments since he made that call and if we will expect more contact between Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov or President Obama and President Putin as you're trying to flesh this out?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Thank, Felicia. So to get quickly with the last question first, at least from the State Department perspective, I can't say anything about, at this point, about any further communications between President Obama and President Putin, but I can say that the Secretary has just spoken or is speaking with Minister Lavrov, and this is a regular occurrence.

So when you're talking about Staffan de Mistura called for this, he was doing that publicly but we talk all the time, and the Secretary and Minister Lavrov talk frequently about this. So it was not  you shouldn't take what Staffan said as an indication of something that was not going on. He was out there in public, of course, and he's just trying to  totally understandably  urge maximum action given that there were real threats or are real threats to the cessation. So I wouldn't read more into it than that. He knows  he's very well aware of the intensive discussions that we have, not just the Secretary and Lavrov but at various levels where we're talking to the Russians, including in Geneva. Remember we have a whole setup in Geneva. We have the cessation task force  the ceasefire task force, rather, and we have the humanitarian task force. And those are  with respect to the ceasefire task force, we and the Russians are the co-chairs and the UN chairs the humanitarian one, but obviously a lot of it is us and the Russians. So that's really an ongoing process.

With respect to Aleppo, as I said, I really want to get away from any impression that Aleppo is left out of this or there was an intention. No, none whatsoever. It is complicated, as you can just see on the ground, and we are working hard to bring  to try to get reaffirmation of the cessation in  throughout Aleppo province, I should say. We're not  we're talking about Aleppo province. And so the sooner we can deal with that in the same way, to de-escalate, diffuse tensions, obviously the better. And we're working very hard at it. I just want  it was not  there's no  shouldn't be any thinking that anything was set aside. These are not easy issues, obviously, and so we have been able to move forward on what we were  we have moved forward on what we were able to move forward with right now, because it's very important to get this going to turn around  turn the momentum to prevent further cycles of violence. Because everybody watches everywhere  all Syrians, regardless, you're watching the entire country. You're not satisfied with your town if another place, there's lots of fighting or there are violations of the cessation. So it really is looking at it as a whole and I hope that we can make progress on Aleppo as well as quickly as possible.

MODERATOR: Thanks. Next question please.

OPERATOR: And our next question comes from the line of Lesley Wroughton with Reuters. Please go ahead.

QUESTION: Yes, hi. I was wondering, what do you put as the reason behind this new  what the UN is calling a monstrous violence in Syria? And are there any plans for Kerry to travel to Geneva and to discuss these  the ceasefire? Can you also  who's agreed to what exactly? It's  from what our understanding is, is that the government has not agreed to Aleppo. So can you be very clear on who has agreed to what and what the Russians' role is and what the U.S. role is?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Okay. So I can't tell you anything  first of all, Lesley, I can't say anything about the Secretary's travel. I just don't have any information at this point. With respect to the UN, are you  Lesley, were you thinking about the UN  is it commissioner? I can't remember what the exact title is, the special representative on human rights?

QUESTION: Yeah, he called this "monstrous violence."

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: No, no, I heard what you said, I just didn't know if that's what you were referring to. Yeah, no, I saw that. You'd have to ask him. I mean, we all think that what's been going on is horrific. I'm assuming  I have to assume, but you really have to ask him  that he was particularly focused on and took the occasion because of the terrible civilian casualties and the striking of hospitals in the last few days.

So that would not  again, not be any surprise to me that he would be focusing and wanting to focus publicly on that, but again, we all know  we know when the event happens how horrible it is. We see the pictures and we know, and that's why we're trying to get to try to prevent this from happening. And I do want to remind everybody that even before UN Security Council Resolution 2254, going back further to the International Syria Support Group meetings and those statements, there are not supposed to be attacks on civilians, period. And there is supposed to be full humanitarian  access for humanitarian relief supplies. So that's not just considered not  violations or not compliance with the  with what the resolution has called for. It goes back even further. But whatever other motivations he might have had, I think you'd really have to ask him.

And as for what this initial arrangement, let's say, to have the fighting stop one minute after midnight  meaning tomorrow, in Damascus time  it's really our call, the United States and Russia, in the areas to abide by this recommitment. So we'll have to see what they do, but it is really to stop the fighting and to stop moving  to kind of stop offensive actions that we may have been seeing. And I would say if you  you look back at what the groups pledged when they signed on to agree to be a participant in the cessation of hostilities, and I take you back to the February 22nd joint letter between the United States and Russia as the guide, the annex to that is the real guide, which is that there would be no acquisition of territory from another member that is participating in the cessation of hostilities, or attempts to acquire territory from those groups. And again, another one of those commitments was to approve  allow full humanitarian access.

So that's really the baseline that we're using in this case. And obviously, we hope that the parties will indeed recommit and then comply with that recommitment.

MODERATOR: Great. Time for just a few more questions, I think. Next question, please.

OPERATOR: And we do have a question from the line of Karen DeYoung with The Washington Post. Please go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi. Can you hear me?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Sure, Karen. Yes, go ahead.

QUESTION: In your discussion of de Mistura, you seem to say that he didn't really mean it when he said he wanted Russia-U.S. resolution of this thing. I mean, I think he acknowledged in his press conference the other night that the task force was meeting and that phone calls were going back and forth, but he specifically called for involvement at what he said was the highest level. And he said only that was going to resolve it. He specifically mentioned President Obama and President Putin, and he specifically called for a meeting of the ISSG.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Right.

QUESTION: Do you feel like he just was exaggerating the situation?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Oh, Karen --

QUESTION: And secondly  wait, I have a second question.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Sorry, go ahead.

QUESTION: I wonder if you could give us your assessment of what's really going on in Aleppo. There have been charges and counter-charges. Lavrov the other day accused the United States of appeasing its regional allies by allowing al-Nusrah and Islamist groups to fight together. Can you give us your assessment of what the problem is there, and are the Russians  do they have a point at all?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah. So --

QUESTION: Not on appeasement, but on the groups together.

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah, no, right, right. So on the first question, no, I wasn't implying that at all, and please don't infer that from anything that I said. Staffan de Mistura is absolutely seriously about this, and he was making an entirely legitimate point. My only point was that we have already been discussing this. And in fact, as you know, President Obama has spoken to President Putin about this. The Secretary is talking regularly with Secretary Lavrov about it. And Staffan is trying to call attention to a very bad problem, and we agree entirely for calling that attention. All I'm saying is that we are working on it. That was my only point.

So please don't read in  anything else into what I said. And he is  like I said, he has a responsibility to bring these groups together and to actually get a political settlement. But we all know that he really can't do  it's very hard for him to do his job and we don't want to complicate his job by having problems in a cessation of hostilities. We need a functioning  a well-functioning cessation of hostilities where the parties are abiding by their commitments, and we need humanitarian access as a means of really helping create part of the foundation for what he is trying to do.

So we understand, we commend the job that he's been doing. And in fact, we're trying to help him, obviously, make progress in the political discussions.

And with respect to the ISSG, we support having an ISSG ministerial. We'll work on the timing of it, but we agree that for all of these issues  not just the political issues, but for the cessation of hostilities and for the humanitarian relief, for example  these are all subjects which the ISSG has already handled, but which needs to handle them anew now. And I can't say when that would be, but we absolutely agree 100 percent that there  we need to bring the ministers of the ISSG back together, because the ISSG in effect created  it allowed the cessation of hostilities. It did get what we have gotten so far on humanitarian relief, although that is far from satisfactory. But it was the ISSG push and then as part of that  remember, the ISSG met just before the Security Council met to pass 2254, and that's where it was really  that was the beginning of the resolution.

In terms of Aleppo, I mean, we do have, obviously, clashes going back and forth. There is a Nusrah presence in Aleppo; nobody's saying that there isn't. And we do  you know that our view is that there are two designated terrorist groups in this conflict, and that's Daesh and Nusrah. Our point has always been  so Nusrah  neither Nusrah nor Daesh, of course, can avail themselves of any of the protections that exist under the cessation. But we have always said from the outset and continue to say  to go back to another portion of those commitments, which is to prevent attacks on any of the groups participating in the cessation for  so for as long as  for the groups that are participating in the cessation of hostilities, we've tried to prevent any attacks on them both to sustain the  sustain the cessation itself but to sustain the kind of buy-in that we would have from these opposition groups. So it is complicated, very complicated fighting in Aleppo, and you have to address that fighting where it is flaring up most and try to separate people  one side from the other  and to get that kind  de-escalation and a diffusing of tensions, and it's a very sensitive area.

But the problem is another part of  or an additional problem is these attacks on civilians and  which, yes, they  the last couple have been particularly horrific. But striking civilians is not something new for the regime. It has been going on for a long time, and we've tried to stop it for a long time and to get the Russians to help stop it over a long period of time, and really it has to stop right now. Besides, there's the obvious benefit, because you have to stop  you cannot  there is no justification ever for the killing of civilians in such a situation.

But the other part is  you asked about the kind of genesis of fighting. If civilian areas are struck, then that benefits groups like Nusrah and Daesh. It doesn't  they can point and say, "This is exactly why we're doing what we doing vis-a-vis the regime and exactly why we are not a participant in the cessation of hostilities." And that's what's  apart from just the humanity  the issue of humanity to it, it's also undermining  it undermines the fight against the extremists and the terrorists.

MODERATOR: Great. I think that's  I think we have one  time for one more question. Thank you.

OPERATOR: And our last question comes from the line of Elise Labott with CNN. Please go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you. I mean, I'd like to go back to the very beginning about what really has been negotiated here and why you don't think that Russia has  do you think it's that Russia hasn't used the influence that it has on the Syrian regime to not make these violations? I mean, what do you see this as a reaffirmation of  the Russian commitment to put pressure on the regime to get them to stop, a commitment on the part of the regime to stop? And what makes you think that this new cessation of hostilities is just not another stopgap that will need to be renegotiated in a few weeks? I mean, it  this cessation of hostilities isn't very long  hasn't gone on very long, I feel, for a need to kind of reaffirm. So I just want to  if you could be a little bit more clear about what was negotiated, who's agreeing to it, and how you are confident that it's going to stick. And what is a regime of silence, I mean, this particular regime of silence that the Russians are talking about?

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: I think, on the last point, Elise, what we're really just talking about is a stoppage of the fighting. But look, I guess I would disagree  you said, well, why bother, it hasn't been going on that long; why do you need to reaffirm it? I see  I think we see value in this because of what's been going on, the stakes involved. People are  people in the areas where the fighting is going on are saying  let me put it this way: There was  there is, and developed very quickly, a constituency for the cessation of hostilities. People liked the idea that things were quieter, obviously. People liked the idea of being able to go out to a marketplace that they couldn't go to before or some other aspect. And we have to fight for those people and broaden that constituency, but Syrians will support it and want to support it, but they also need to see that it's working.

So I see value in the reaffirmation. Whether it's a reaffirmation from us, which it is  the United States and Russia  we've been working to secure a general recommitment to the cessation by all the parties in Latakia and in Eastern Ghouta, again, at least as a first step hopefully to be  and hopefully to do this elsewhere, including Aleppo. We're talking to Russia urgently about in terms of de-escalation and reducing or diffusing tensions there. So it's both our commitment and what we hope to see at the end of today, beginning of tomorrow in Syria  the commitment of the parties in these two areas and then we go forward.

So what we're trying to do in some cases is to prove to the Syrian people that this is delivering benefits. If you look at Latakia, I don't think they've really seen the benefits of the cessation of hostilities, whereas other places, whether in southern Syria and some other places  and even Aleppo and Homs and Hama, at least initially, people saw the benefits of it and it made a difference to their material lives beyond the fact that the number of casualties was significantly reduced and we need to get back to that. They  we created the  we all created an expectation and we have to try to meet that.

So that's the standard. The standard is quiet. I don't really  the name really doesn't matter. It's about stopping the fighting and getting  and re-establishing some quiet and  so you can  people can try to go about their lives a little bit more and they can contribute, also very importantly  obviously contribute to the environment for the political negotiations. So that's what we're expecting, and we want it to go  to last and we want it to be extended further to the areas  to any, really, areas of  where fighting has increased. And that, I think, given the number of casualties, particularly in the civilian casualties, and given the level of fighting in these few places  these are significant places  it was very much time to get that reaffirmation, that recommitment, and to show that we could in fact get the parties to do that. And now we'll have to see. We will certainly do our best and we expect the Russians to do their best.

MODERATOR: Great. Well, we'll have to end it there. Thanks to our senior State Department official for walking us through some of these issues. I very much appreciate [Senior State Department Official] time and appreciate all of you joining us. Again, just to repeat the ground rules here, this was on background with a senior State Department official. Again, everybody have a great afternoon and hopefully a calm weekend and see you soon.

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More Airstrikes on Aleppo as Fighting Spreads Across Syria

by Jamie Dettmer April 29, 2016

Fighting between Syrian rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad spread throughout the war-torn country Friday as Syrian government and Russian warplanes maintained their airstrikes on the former commercial capital, Aleppo, for the eighth straight day.

The Syrian Coalition, the Western-favored political opposition to Assad, accused his government of war crimes with the bombing raids on rebel districts in Aleppo, saying the airstrikes "represent a coup de grace" to the U.S.-Russian brokered cessation of hostilities, which was agreed to in February.

In Aleppo, a clinic was hit Friday in an airstrike a day after a bombing raid destroyed a hospital, civil defense officials said. The clinic, which had been providing treatment for patients with chronic illnesses and dental services for about five years, was badly damaged. A nurse was among several people wounded.

On Wednesday, al-Quds Hospital in the rebel-held Sukkari district was destroyed in airstrikes. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the attack on the hospital appeared to have been "deliberate."

On Friday, Medecins Sans Frontieres (or Doctors Without Borders)  one of the medical charities that supported the hospital  raised the death toll, saying 50 people died at al-Quds, including 14 medical staff.

The International Committee of the Red Cross denounced the attack on al-Quds, saying it was "unacceptable" and warned that Aleppo was being "pushed further to the brink of humanitarian disaster."

Among the medical staff killed at al-Quds was Aleppo's last remaining pediatrician, Muhammad Waseem Moaz. In a Facebook tribute to the 36-year-old, a colleague, Dr. Hatem, the director of the Children's Hospital in Aleppo, praised Moaz's "humanity and bravery," saying, "he was the loveliest doctor in our hospital."

'Planes didn't sleep'

Thursday was the deadliest day in Aleppo since violence flared last week, leaving 54 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitoring group. The observatory said 226 civilians  including more than 50 women and children  have been killed so far in the eight days of heavy bombardment of Aleppo.

"The planes didn't sleep and didn't let us sleep either," a resident told the French news agency. "The Earth is shaking beneath our feet."

Friday prayers were suspended at city mosques in rebel-held neighborhoods in fear of more violence.

In retaliation for the airstrikes, rebels fired mortars and rudimentary rockets on government-controlled parts of Aleppo. Syrian state media reported Friday that rebels shelled an Aleppo mosque in the Bab al-Faraj neighborhood, killing at least 15 and wounding 30.

'Monstrous disregard for civilians'

Aleppo wasn't alone Friday in being rocked by the breakdown in the cessation of hostilities.

Renewed fighting was widespread across the country with the rebels and government trading shells in Hama, the regime bombarding villages in southern Idlib just to the west of Aleppo, and fierce clashes reported by activists in the Homs countryside.

U.N. rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement Friday that the renewed violence in Syria this week showed a "monstrous disregard for civilians' lives by all parties to the conflict."

Activists also reported clashes between Islamic rebel factions and regime forces in the areas of Al-Bilaliyah, Bala and Al-Bahariyah in Eastern Ghouta after the regime sought to make advances. Rebel commanders told VOA that Assad forces had shelled al-Skik village in the southern countryside of Idlib and that government helicopters and warplanes struck the town of al-Hbit.

Peace talks 'barely alive'

On Thursday, the U.N. envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, pleaded with the United States and Russia to intervene "at the highest level" to revive struggling peace talks. He warned a partial truce reached in February was now "barely alive." Rebel leaders said the cease-fire was dead in all but name.

Opposition leaders Friday dismissed the idea of resuming their participation in peace talks. The vice president of the Syrian Coalition, Muwaffaq Nyrabiya, said it is impossible to "talk about any political approach to resolving the conflict amidst these barbaric, systematic crimes against the Syrian people."

The Russian envoy to the U.N. in Geneva, Alexei Borodavkin, said in Geneva that Washington and Moscow are making a joint effort to halt the fighting in Syria; but, he added, "Only Syrians are capable of finding a way out of the crisis."

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US, Russia Seek Localized Cease-fires in Syria

by Esha Sarai, Pamela Dockins April 29, 2016

With Syria's February cease-fire showing signs of fraying, the United States and Russia have announced plans to try to reinforce localized cease-fires in the coastal province of Latakia as well the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta.

A Syrian government statement said the truce would begin at 1 a.m. local time Saturday (2200 UTC Friday) and last for 24 hours in Damascus and Eastern Ghouta. It said a similar arrangement in Latakia province was expected to last for 72 hours.

About 230 civilians are believed to have been killed in fighting between the government and the rebels during the last week in Aleppo, which was Syria's most populous city before civil war broke out five years ago.

Among those killed were at least 50 people in a hospital that was hit in an overnight airstrike.

"It is our view that this, essentially, would be a refreshment of the cessation of hostilities and getting both sides to commit to refreshing the commitments that they made," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.

U.S. officials said Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed details of the plan Friday. However, officials said, talks on the renewed cessation had been underway for some time.

Officials said the U.S., Russia and other members of the 17-nation International Syria Support Group would use their influence with either the Syrian regime or the opposition to try to get both sides to comply.

A senior State Department official said that in focusing on quelling unrest in Latakia and Eastern Ghouta, the escalating violence in Aleppo was not being ignored.

"There should not be any thinking that anything was set aside," the official said in a Friday briefing.

"We have moved forward on what we were able to move forward with right now," the official added, saying negotiators hoped to be able to make progress on Aleppo as soon as possible.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the plans for Latakia and Eastern Ghouta would test the commitment that all parties made to the initial cessation of hostilities.

"This is a recommitment and it is a test for the Russians, for the regime as well as for the opposition," he said.

Rebels continued to hit government-controlled neighborhoods in Aleppo with rocket and artillery fire Friday. State media said a direct hit on a mosque killed 15 people and wounded 30.

The Syrian government also kept up its bombing raids. Civil defense officials said the regime's airstrikes hit a well-known medical clinic, wounding several people, just over 24 hours after similar raids destroyed a hospital in Aleppo.

The medical charity Doctors Without Borders said 50 people, including six of its staff members, were killed when the al-Quds Hospital in the rebel-held Sukkari district was destroyed by airstrikes late Wednesday night.

Kerry, speaking in Washington, said targeting of the hospital appeared to have been "deliberate." There was no clear account about whose planes were involved, but reports from Aleppo said they were either Russian or Syrian aircraft.

More than 80 international and Syrian NGOs signed a statement Friday demanding that Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin respond to U.N. appeals to try to stop the bloodshed.

"These atrocities are happening on your watch," the statement said, addressing the two presidents by name. "Please heed the call of the U.N. Special Envoy to Syria to take urgent steps to rescue Syria's cessation of hostilities [the partial, ineffective truce that began several weeks ago] and end attacks on civilians. Please act now to keep hope alive for Syrians."

Doctors' letter

Doctors in Aleppo issued a separate open letter to Putin and Obama mourning the death of the city's last pediatrician, one of at least 730 doctors and nurses killed in the civil war.

"Soon there will be no medical professionals at all left in Aleppo. Where will civilians turn to for care and attention?" the letter asked.

From Geneva, U.N. rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said this week's violence in Syria showed a "monstrous disregard for civilians' lives by all parties to the conflict."

Rebels demanding the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the government troops opposing them control separate parts of Aleppo, and portions of the surrounding province are in the hands of numerous other fighters, including members of al-Qaida and the Islamic State terrorist group.

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TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Apr 29, 2016) - Carpathian Gold Inc. (CSE:CPN) (the "Corporation" or "Carpathian") advises that further to the previously announced agreement by Yamana Gold Inc.'s Brio Gold division ("Brio") to purchase from Macquarie Bank Limited ("Macquarie") and the subsequent completion by Brio of such purchase of all Macquarie's rights and interest in its secured loan to the Riacho dos Machados gold project of Mineracao Riacho dos Machados Ltda. ("MRDM") in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Brio has acquired all of the Corporation's interest in MRDM in accordance with the amended and restated restructuring agreement (the "Amended Restructuring Agreement").

On April 29, 2016, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) issued an order approving, among other things, a credit bid transaction, which was initiated by Brio with the cooperation of the Corporation, and the sale to Brio of all of the Corporation's direct and indirect equity interests in MRDM (the "Restructuring").

Brio has delivered to the Corporation and the directors of the Corporation and certain of its subsidiaries a full release and discharge with respect to any liability under (i) the project loan facility, the gold purchase agreement and the gold sale and purchase agreement and related guarantees previously entered into by Macquarie and the Corporation, MRDM and certain other subsidiaries of Carpathian, and (ii) Macquarie's security in respect of the foregoing agreements previously acquired by Brio from Macquarie, including the Corporation's guarantee thereof.

None of the other assets of the Corporation have been affected by the Restructuring, and the Corporation continues to own its Romanian assets.

Furthermore, as contemplated by the Amended Restructuring Agreement, Brio has entered into a subscription agreement with the Corporation whereby Brio has agreed to purchase 70,194,444 common shares (the "Shares") in the capital stock of the Corporation at a price of CAD$0.018 per Share for aggregate gross proceeds of US$1,000,000 (CAD$1,263,500) on a private placement basis. The subscription price for the Shares is based on the 20-day volume weighted average price thereof as of the close of business on April 26, 2016. The Corporation applied for and was granted an exemption from the Canadian Securities Exchange's minimum price rule in this regard. Closing of the private placement is expected to take place on May 2, 2016.

About Carpathian

Carpathian is an exploration and development company whose primary business is focused on advancing its exploration and development plans on its 100% owned Rovina Valley Au-Cu Project located in Romania.

Forward-Looking Statements: Statements and certain information contained in this press release and any documents incorporated by reference may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation which may include, but is not limited to, information with respect to the Corporation's expected production from, and further potential of, the Corporation's properties; the Corporation's ability to raise additional funds; the future price of minerals, particularly gold and copper; the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources; conclusions of economic evaluation; the realization of mineral reserve estimates; the timing and amount of estimated future production; costs of production; capital expenditures; success of exploration activities; mining or processing issues; currency exchange rates; government regulation of mining operations; and environmental risks. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements/information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements/information is based on management's expectations and reasonable assumptions at the time such statements are made. Estimates regarding the anticipated timing, amount and cost of exploration and development activities are based on assumptions underlying mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates and the realization of such estimates are set out herein. Capital and operating cost estimates are based on extensive research of the Corporation, purchase orders placed by the Corporation to date, recent estimates of construction and mining costs and other factors that are set out herein.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Carpathian and/or its subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include: uncertainties of mineral resource estimates; the nature of mineral exploration and mining; variations in ore grade and recovery rates; cost of operations; fluctuations in the sale prices of products; volatility of gold and copper prices; exploration and development risks; liquidity concerns and future financings; risks associated with operations in foreign jurisdictions; potential revocation or change in permit requirements and project approvals; competition; no guarantee of titles to explore and operate; environmental liabilities and regulatory requirements; dependence on key individuals; conflicts of interests; insurance; fluctuation in market value of Carpathian's shares; rising production costs; equipment material and skilled technical workers; volatile current global financial conditions; and currency fluctuations; and other risks pertaining to the mining industry. Although Carpathian 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 to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking information contained herein or incorporated by reference are made as of the date of this presentation or as of the date of the documents incorporated by reference, as the case may be, and Carpathian does not undertake to update any such forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained or incorporated by reference in this document is presented for the purpose of assisting shareholders in understanding the financial position, strategic priorities and objectives of the Corporation for the periods referenced and such information may not be appropriate for other purposes.

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
TORONTO, April 29, 2016 /CNW/ - Galane Gold Ltd. ("Galane Gold" or the "Company") (TSX-V: GG) is pleased to announce the release of its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2015. All amounts are in United States dollars unless otherwise indicated.

A copy of the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015 prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and the corresponding Management's Discussion and Analysis will be available under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com.

Galane Gold CEO, Nick Brodie commented: "The financial results for 2015 reflect the challenging gold price environment that all gold producers faced in 2015. Despite this, the Galane management team managed three significant achievements in the year.

Firstly, the commencement of commercial production at Tau underground in the third quarter of 2015. The work required to build an underground mine and restructure an operation from an open pit mine cannot be underestimated. We have now started exploration from underground of the Tau ore body and are hopeful that this will form the long term backbone of the Mupane operations.

This was followed closely by our acquisition of Galaxy Gold Mining Limited and approximately 1.5 million ounces of gold. The Galaxy Gold mine in South Africa met all of our acquisition criteria, including that the property is near term production, cost a fraction of replacement cost, has the ability to increase production with minimal capital requirements, has a drill ready plan to potentially increase the resource and is surrounded by prospective targets. It is our aim to restart production in 2016 and generate positive operating cash flows from the operations before the year end.

Lastly, the most significant achievement of Galane Gold's management team was to restructure the business over the course of 2015 as the price of gold fell. These efforts by management put the Company in a positive position in 2016 to take advantage of an increasing gold price.

The Galane management team has committed itself to making 2016 another transformative year for the Company as we look to commence production at Galaxy."

2015 Highlights

Commercial production commenced at Tau Underground in Q3 2015. In 2015, 93,617 tonnes at a head grade of 2.74 grams per tonne ("g/t") were mined.

Galaxy acquisition completed in Q4 2015 with measured and indicated mineral resources of 602,696 ounces of gold and an inferred mineral resource of 886,199 ounces of gold acquired for approximately $8.50 per ounce. (1)(4)

Operating cash cost (2) of $1,039 per ounce (excluding royalties) for the year and $823 per ounce for Q4 2015.

of $1,039 per ounce (excluding royalties) for the year and $823 per ounce for Q4 2015. Produced 24,321 ounces of gold at the Mupane property. Production during the year was managed to control operating costs due to the low gold price environment.

Closing cash balance of $1.9 million after: Operating cash inflow of $2.3 million; Repayment of $2.0 million of the Samsung facility; and Capital investment in Tau underground of $5.2 million.

Loss attributable to Galane shareholders after tax for 2015 of $8.6 million.

Outlook(3)

Mupane Property

The Company completed a new five year mine plan for the Mupane property which will form the guide for the Company's short term goals and long term strategy. The Company intends to utilize the following resources during 2016:

Tau Underground  the Company has previously disclosed its intention to exploit the reported measured and indicated mineral resources of approximately 128,600 ounces of gold for Tau through underground mining. (4)(5) The Company commenced stoping in August 2015 in the Eastern mineralised body which will continue for approximately six months. Development will continue in some instances through reef to reach the main mineralised body which lies under the current open pit. It is currently anticipated that the Company will commence stoping on the main mineralised body in Q3 2016. It is estimated that the Company will process approximately 200,000 tonnes at an average grade of 2.4 g/t with the grade increasing when we reach the main mineralised body. While developing underground the Company intends to commence exploration to attempt to confirm the extension of the Tau mineralised body at depth.





The Company commenced stoping in August 2015 in the Eastern mineralised body which will continue for approximately six months. Development will continue in some instances through reef to reach the main mineralised body which lies under the current open pit. It is currently anticipated that the Company will commence stoping on the main mineralised body in Q3 2016. It is estimated that the Company will process approximately 200,000 tonnes at an average grade of 2.4 g/t with the grade increasing when we reach the main mineralised body. While developing underground the Company intends to commence exploration to attempt to confirm the extension of the Tau mineralised body at depth. Low Grade Stockpiles  the Company will process approximately 700,000 tonnes of low grade stockpile at an average grade of 0.80 g/t, which is located at the run-of-mine pad at the processing plant. The stockpiles being used form part of the 1.4 million tonnes of low grade stockpiles which it reviewed during 2015.





Tekwane  the Company will continue to selectively strip mine the high grade areas and will use a screening plant at the mine site to reduce the tonnage and increase the potential grade to be delivered to the plant. It is planning to process approximately 23,000 tonnes at an average grade of 2.3 g/t.

The Company's mine plan for Mupane is subject to change according to the prevailing gold price. The Company will adopt the appropriate plan for that prevailing gold price environment.

The Mupane processing plant continues to focus on on-going stabilisation and optimisation of the processing operations. There are no major plant projects scheduled at the Mupane property for 2016 as the Company believes it has implemented all material optimisation projects.

Galaxy Property

The Company acquired Galaxy in Q4 2015. For the remainder 2015, the Company prepared a short term plan to refurbish the existing plant, construct a new tailings retreatment facility and recommence underground mining operations at the Galaxy property. Implementation of the plan is subject to the Company raising sufficient funds, which the Company is currently targeting to do in Q2 2016.

Plant refurbishment  the plant is a standard crush, mill, float and carbon in leach ("CIL") with a capacity of 15,000 tonnes per month. To refurbish the whole plant, the Company estimates that it will take three months and material parts of the refurbishment will be a new crusher, maintenance of the conveyors, a new ball mill gearbox, relining tanks, new gearboxes and agitators for the CIL plant, complete refurbishment of the elution plant and a new cyanide plant.





Tailings retreatment facility  the Company plans to build a CIL plant within the footprint of the existing plant to process 25,000 tonnes per month of tailings material. It is estimated that the construction of the plant will take four months from commencement. It will involve the construction of six CIL leach tanks, a CIL feeding section, carbon recovery plant and the associated civils.





Underground  the underground operations have been maintained to a good standard while under care and maintenance. Operations underground can be recommenced within a month of commencement with minor refurbishment to the tramming infrastructure, new hoppers, increased ventilation, a new compressor and refurbishment of the electrical cabling. The Company intends to use the same mining contractor it uses at the Mupane property and the contractor will provide the necessary underground labour and mining equipment.

The short term plan will process material from three sources(6):

Giles and Woodbine  Giles has a measured and indicated mineral resource of 898,268 tonnes at 3.94 g/t and Woodbine has a measured and indicated mineral resource of 614,813 tonnes at 3.82 g/t. Mining will be done using the reef over hand method in stopes that have already been developed. (4) It is estimated that in the first year of mining 20,000 tonnes at an average grade of 3.0 g/t can be mined taking into account dilution.





It is estimated that in the first year of mining 20,000 tonnes at an average grade of 3.0 g/t can be mined taking into account dilution. Princeton  Princeton has a measured and indicated mineral resource of 1,094,862 tonnes at 4.87 g/t. Mining will be long hole stoping using trackless mining equipment. (4) It is estimated that it will take up to five months to undertake the necessary development to restart operations and annual production from then on will be approximately 135,000 tonnes at 4.5 g/t based on the Company's internal mine plan.





It is estimated that it will take up to five months to undertake the necessary development to restart operations and annual production from then on will be approximately 135,000 tonnes at 4.5 g/t based on the Company's internal mine plan. Tailings  next to the existing plant are the Hostel East and West Dumps which contain 1,443,397 tonnes at 0.79 g/t. These will be sluiced to the plant with feed going to the new tailings retreatment facility and into the existing plant to fill the plant as required.

The short term plan estimates that in steady state annual production will be approximately 17,000 ounces of gold.

Work has already commenced on an expansion plan to take annual production up to 60,000 ounces of gold over nine years with the expansion commencing in year three after commencement of the short term plan. It is currently envisaged that the Company will commence a desk stop study first, the results of which will then be used to support a pre-feasibility study to be completed within two years.

About Galane Gold

Galane Gold is an un-hedged gold producer and explorer with mining operations and exploration tenements in Botswana and South Africa. Galane Gold is a public company and its shares are quoted on the TSX Venture Exchange and the Botswana Stock Exchange under the symbol "GG". Galane Gold's management team is comprised of senior mining professionals with extensive experience in managing mining and processing operations and large-scale exploration programmes. Galane Gold is committed to operating at world-class standards and is focused on the safety of its employees, respecting the environment, and contributing to the communities in which it operates.

Notes:

(1) The purchase price equation for Galaxy in the December 31, 2015 annual financial statements estimates a preliminary purchase price of $12,526,313 and the technical disclosure regarding mineral resources and mineral reserves is reported in the technical report in respect of the Galaxy Gold mine entitled "A Technical Report on the Galaxy Gold Mine, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa" which was issued January 4, 2016 with an effective date of September 1, 2015 (the "Galaxy Technical Report"), and was prepared by Minxcon (Pty) Ltd and approved by Daniel van Heerden, B Eng (Min.), MCom (Bus. Admin.), Pr. Eng., FSAIMM, AMMSA, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101"). The Galaxy Technical Report satisfies the requirements to be a pre-feasibility study and was reviewed by the Directors of Minxcon (Pty) Ltd, specifically, Daniel van Heerden; Uwe Engelmann, BSc (Zoo. & Bot.), BSc Hons (Geol.), Pr.Sci.Nat., MGSSA; Dario Clemente, NHD (Ext. Met.), GCC, BLDP (WBS), MMMA, FSAIMM; and Johan Odendaal, BSc (Geol.), BSc (Min. Econ.), MSc (Min. Eng.), Pr.Sci.Nat., FSAIMM, MGSSA, all of whom are Qualified Persons as defined by NI 43-101 and independent of Galane Gold for the purposes of NI 43-101. (2) Total operating cash cost excluding royalties is a non-GAAP measure. Refer to "Supplemental Information to Management's Discussion and Analysis" in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2015 for reconciliation to measures reported in the Company's financial statements. (3) This is forward-looking information and is based on a number of assumptions. See "Cautionary Notes". (4) Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Inferred mineral resources are estimated on limited information not sufficient to verify geological and grade continuity or to allow technical and economic parameters to be applied. Inferred mineral resources are too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them to enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that mineral resources can be upgraded to mineral reserves through continued exploration. (5) On March 18, 2013, Galane Gold issued an update to the mineral resources in respect of the Mupane property with an effective date of December 31, 2012. The full text of the update is available on Galane Gold's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The following table summarises the results at Tau:

Category

Measured Indicated Measured and Indicated Inferred Deposit Cutoff

grade

(g/t) Tons

( 000) Au

(g/t) Au

(000

oz) Tons

( 000) Au

(g/t) Au

(000

oz) Tons

( 000) Au

(g/t) Au

(000

oz) Tons

( 000) Au

(g/t) Au

(000

oz) Tau 0.80 578 3.00 55.7 824 2.75 72.8 1,402 2.85 128.6 723 3.05 70.9

Note:



1. Resource tonnages and gold grades were reported at a 0.5 g/t Au cut-off grade. Resources from contiguous portions of the mineralisation outside of the optimized pit shell, and potentially amenable to underground mining methods, were reported at a cut-off grade of 0.8 g/t Au. A 0.8 g/t Au grade shell was used and a gold price of US$1,700 was used. (6) Certain mineral resources and mineral reserves for the Galaxy property are summarised below from the Galaxy Technical Report:



Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource Inferred Mineral Resource

Tonnes t Grade Au g/t Content Oz Tonnes t Grade Au g/t Content Oz Woodbine 614,813 3.82 75,471 1,021,635 3.36 110,321 Giles 898,268 3.94 113,856 1,267,906 3.86 157,273 Princeton 1,094,862 4.87 171,522 1,249,489 6.14 246,484 Hostel East Dump 958,401 0.76 23,562 164,506 0.68 3,581 Hostel West Dump 484,996 0.86 13,367 107,961 0.85 2,947 Total (underground and surface) 6,226,907 3.01 602,696 8,095,521 3.40 886,199

Note:





1. Manual mineral resource estimate from block plans. Mineral resources estimated from adjacent modelled areas for grade distribution; ore body volume estimated from digital wireframe. Mineral resource estimate was carried out by Mr. P. Obermeyer of Minxcon (BSc Hons (Geol.), Pr.Sci.Nat.) under supervision of and verified by Mr. U. Engelmann, as qualified person of this Report. The inferred mineral resources have a large degree of uncertainty as to their existence and whether they can be mined economically or legally. Only mineral resources lying within the legal boundaries are reported. Mineral resources are inclusive of mineral reserves. Mineral resources are declared at cut-offs shown in the table above. All figures are in metric tonnes. 9. 1 kg = 32.15076 oz.

Summarised Galaxy Gold Mine Mineral Reserve Statement as at August 31, 2015

Mineral Reserve Category Tonnes t Grade Au g/t Content Oz Probable Mineral Reserves 1,457,322 3.37 169,586 Total Mineral Reserves 1,457,322 3.37 169,586

Note:





1. Tonnages refer to tonnes delivered to the metallurgical plant. All figures are in metric tonnes. 1 kg = 32.15076 oz. Different dilution, recovery and mine call factor applied to each ore body and tailings storage facility. Pay limits calculated: USD/oz. = 1,130 and exchange rate of ZAR11.70/$1.00

Cautionary Notes

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those regarding the Company's future financial position and results of operations, strategy, proposed acquisitions, plans, objectives, goals and targets, and any statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words "believe", "expect", "aim", "intend", "plan", "continue", "will", "may", "would", "anticipate", "estimate", "forecast", "predict", "project", "seek", "should" or similar expressions or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements.

Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially include, but are not limited to: the Company's dependence on two mineral projects; gold price volatility; risks associated with the conduct of the Company's mining activities in Botswana and South Africa; regulatory, consent or permitting delays; risks relating to the Company's exploration, development and mining activities being situated in Botswana and South Africa; risks relating to reliance on the Company's management team and outside contractors; risks regarding mineral resources and reserves; the Company's inability to obtain insurance to cover all risks, on a commercially reasonable basis or at all; currency fluctuations; risks regarding the failure to generate sufficient cash flow from operations; risks relating to project financing and equity issuances; risks arising from the Company's fair value estimates with respect to the carrying amount of mineral interests; mining tax regimes; risks arising from holding derivative instruments; the Company's need to replace reserves depleted by production; risks and unknowns inherent in all mining projects, including the inaccuracy of reserves and resources, metallurgical recoveries and capital and operating costs of such projects; contests over title to properties, particularly title to undeveloped properties; laws and regulations governing the environment, health and safety; operating or technical difficulties in connection with mining or development activities; lack of infrastructure; employee relations, labour unrest or unavailability; health risks in Africa; the Company's interactions with surrounding communities and artisanal miners; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquired assets; risks related to restarting production; the speculative nature of exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities or grades of reserves; development of the Company's exploration properties into commercially viable mines; stock market volatility; conflicts of interest among certain directors and officers; lack of liquidity for shareholders of the Company; risks related to the market perception of junior gold companies; and litigation risk. Management provides forward-looking statements because it believes they provide useful information to investors when considering their investment objectives and cautions investors not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law.

Estimates set out above under "Outlook" in respect of Tau Underground, Tekwane, Low Grade Stockpiles and Galaxy are preliminary in nature and include inferred mineral resources. There is no certainty that such estimates will be realized. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Inferred mineral resources are estimated on limited information not sufficient to verify geological and grade continuity or to allow technical and economic parameters to be applied. Inferred mineral resources are too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them to enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that mineral resources can be upgraded to mineral reserves through continued exploration.

Information of a technical and scientific nature that forms the basis of the disclosure in the press release has been approved by Charles Byron Pr. Sci. Nat., MAusIMM., MGSSA and Chief Geologist for Galane Gold, and a "qualified person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Galane Gold Ltd.
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Matter debated among council, public

By Matthew Waller

The city's curfew for juveniles is back on the books. The law, established in 1996, goes under review every three years, and on Tuesday the San Angelo City Council unanimously approved its continuation after the police chief said it was a good way to keep crime down, according to the department's crime statistics.

The late-night prohibition for juveniles didn't pass without scrutiny, however. Councilwoman Charlotte Farmer took the item off a consent agenda after receiving requests to review information related to the curfew. The public couldn't view the presentation materials on TV during the previous council meeting because of technical problems, Councilman Paul Alexander said. So Police Chief Tim Vasquez went through his presentation again on Tuesday.

"Adults may have even gone through the curfew" when they were younger, Vasquez said. "The curfew helps us. It's a good tool. The numbers don't lie."

The curfew started in 1996 because of an increase in juvenile gang activity. With certain specific exceptions, the ordinance prohibited people younger than 17 from being abroad from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight to 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Vasquez showed a slide of crime levels decreasing: Juvenile assaults dropped from 375 assaults to 157 from 1995 to 2012, for example.

Curfew citations have also gone down from 235 curfew violations in 2000 to 38 in 2012.

Councilman Johnny Silvas asked for more effort to advise the public about the terms of the curfew ordinance. Vasquez said the police department could send out a news release. A release went out late afternoon on Tuesday with information about the curfew.

Betsy Ryan, a San Angelo resident, spoke to council during the public comment period and said she hoped the curfew would be temporary.

"Texas curfews are put into place until a specific problem ... has been abolished, and then freedoms reinstated to our young citizens," she said. "Are we basing our current need on things in the past?" she said regarding the declining crime rates.

She wanted the time to be for review, not rote renewal, she said.

Ryan said the police department readily gave information when she asked for it, but she wanted the general public to see more of it.

Many parents and children don't know about the curfew specifics, Ryan said.

The decrease in crime could have come from community efforts and other law enforcement programs, she said.

She was appreciative, however, of the figures the department broadcast in Tuesday's meeting.

"I'm very happy with what they've presented," Ryan said.

Councilman Paul Alexander said he has six kids, and asked if he directed children to come back home at near midnight on a Thursday if they're at a friend's house, if that would be OK.

Vasquez said a judge would have to decide, but if a guardian accompanied them, it would probably be OK. If told to come straight home, they probably wouldn't be getting a citation, he said.

With only 38 citations for 2012, "we're not arbitrarily handing out citations," Vasquez said.

Councilman Dwain Morrison noted that juveniles could be out on errands for parents with no detours.

Councilman Fredd Adams asked to know if there was a crime statistic threshold at which the curfew should be eliminated.

"I don't have a magic number," Vasquez said. He said he was afraid of taking away a good tool.

City curfew ordinance

Ordinance states: "It shall be unlawful for any minor to knowingly remain, walk, run, stand, drive or ride about, in or upon any public place in the City" during prohibited hours.

Prohibited hours are from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight to 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday for people younger than 17.

Prosecution defenses: Accompanied by the minor's parent or guardian; On an errand at the direction of the minor's parent or guardian, without any detour or stop; In a motor vehicle involved in interstate travel; Engaged in a employment activity, or going to or returning home from an employment activity, without any detour or stop; Involved in an emergency; On the sidewalk abutting the minor's residence or abutting the residence of a next door neighbor if the neighbor did not complain to the police department about the minor's presence; Attending an official school, religious, or other recreational activity supervised by adults and sponsored by the city of San Angelo, a civic organization, or another similar entity that takes responsibility for the minor, or going to or returning home from, without any detour or stop, an official school, religious, or other recreational activity supervised by adults and sponsored by the city of San Angelo, a civic organization, or another similar entity that takes responsibility for the minor; Exercising First Amendment rights; Married or had been married or had disabilities of minority removed; or (b) It is a defense to prosecution under Section 8.802(c) that the owner, operator, or employee of an establishment promptly notified the police department or a peace officer, that a minor was present on the premises of the establishment during curfew hours and refused to leave.

A first offense for a minor issued a curfew violation is $200, and second is $300.

Source: San Angelo Police Department
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By Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

It would be hard to exaggerate the importance of oil in Saudi Arabia. So when an influential young prince started talking this year about selling shares in the state-owned oil company and weaning the economy off its dependence on petrodollars, many were skeptical both inside and outside the conservative kingdom.

This week, the world got a closer look at what the ruling Saud family has in mind.

In an interview with Saudi-owned broadcaster Al-Arabiya, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman outlined a sweeping plan dubbed "Saudi Vision 2030." It includes listing for sale less than 5 percent of the Saudi Arabian Oil Co., building the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund, reducing government subsidies and developing sectors such as tourism and mining.

With these steps, the prince said, "I think that if oil stopped in 2020, we can live."

The bold assertion signaled a growing urgency among the country's leaders to chart a new course for the world's largest exporter of crude in an era when vast stores of petroleum reserves are no longer a guarantee of flush government coffers.

Saudi Arabian officials have long recognized that the kingdom's traditional reliance on petroleum products for 90 percent of state revenues is not sustainable. The population is growing, some 70 percent of working Saudis are employed by the government, and the private sector depends heavily on government spending.

Economic policymakers have been speaking about diversifying for decades. But when oil prices were high, there was little pressure to act.

"It's now urgent because of the low oil price," said Jane Kinninmont, a Middle East scholar at the Chatham House think tank in London.

When oil prices fell from around $100 a barrel in mid-2014 to less than half that last year, it pushed Saudi Arabia into an economic crunch that saw the government burn through some $116 billion in foreign-exchange reserves and post a budget deficit of $98 billion.

At the same time, Kinninmont said, "You have now someone at the top of royal family decision-making who is very young, who buys into the idea that the private sector needs to be an engine of growth and employment and who is staring the end of the oil era in the face."

Mohammed, King Salman's son and second in line to the Saudi throne, has been entrusted with unusual power for someone in his early 30s. As defense minister, he oversees the kingdom's costly war in neighboring Yemen and other efforts to counter the influence of archrival Iran in the region. He also serves as chief of the royal court and chairs a council responsible for the kingdom's economic policy. Western diplomats and some media have dubbed him "Mr. Everything."

In meetings with diplomats and journalists, Mohammed has been unusually candid about the challenges facing the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has an "addiction to oil" that has hurt development in other sectors, he told Al-Arabiya in the interview that aired Monday.

Jamal Khashoggi, a leading Saudi journalist who was invited to a gathering hosted by the prince that day, said Mohammed is convinced that new technologies and the pressures of climate change will make oil obsolete before the kingdom runs out of reserves.

"He is predicting that in 20 to 30 years, the oil will be pushed out," Khashoggi said.

The monarchy has used the kingdom's oil wealth to heap benefits on the country's 21 million citizens, including cheap energy and free education and health care. The low price of oil  something to which Saudi Arabia contributed by refusing to limit output unless rival producers follow suit  poses a threat to the unwritten social contract that underpins the Saud family's absolute rule.

At the end of last year, the government took the difficult steps of cutting spending and raising the domestic price of water, electricity and fuel. New taxes and fees on undeveloped land, sugary drinks and luxury goods also have been announced.

"The steps are impressive for their range and ambition  unprecedented, really, in a country where taxation has been politically taboo for decades," said Steffen Hertog, an associate professor at the London School of Economics who studies Saudi Arabia. But he said it would take some creative accounting to achieve in so short a time frame the ambitious targets approved Monday by the Cabinet.

Some observers have suggested that the royal family may be attempting to negotiate a new deal with its citizens.

Steps have been taken to curb the powers of the religious police, who are charged with enforcing the kingdom's ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam. There has been talk of bringing greater transparency to the country's economic affairs  one of the main benefits of the initial public offering in the national oil giant Aramco, according to Mohammed. He also has spoken about issuing green cards for expatriates, providing new sport and leisure options for Saudi youth and bringing more women into the workplace.

But others say it is too soon to talk about a new social contract. Khashoggi for one believes the government is attempting to shore up the arrangement it already has.

"There is no mention of democracy," he noted.

Some resistance to the plan appears inevitable. The sudden rise in water rates, along with costly billing mistakes, already generated a social media backlash. This month, the minister in charge of water and energy was removed from office, although the new prices remained in effect.

Mohammed told his interviewer Monday that there were plans afoot to further "rationalize" subsidies but said the cuts would apply only to the 70 percent of the population with above-average incomes  "such as me and you."

Turki al-Dakhil, Al-Arabiya's general manager, took issue with that, telling the prince, "You have your own category. I am one of the people who expect to receive subsidies."

"Do not let me say on television what you have, Turki!" the prince retorted, according to a translation provided by Al-Arabiya.

The prince offered few details about how the government proposes to implement its plan. Those will come later, he told reporters in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Previous government attempts to diversify the economy and encourage private enterprise have yielded some notable failures, including a $10 billion project to build a glitzy financial district in Riyadh that failed to attract many of the banks and other high-end clients it was intended to house. The government is now reportedly proposing to convert parts of the development, launched in 2006, into housing, hotels and commercial establishments.
FILE - In this May 17, 2015 file photo, Andrew McCarthy arrives at the at Disney Media Distribution International Upfronts in Burbank, Calif. McCarthy stars in "The Family," airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)

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By ALICIA RANCILIO, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP)  Andrew McCarthy has been recognized in some pretty odd places.

He was there when the Berlin Wall came down and was singled out by an East German guard as he tried to take a piece of the wall as a souvenir.

"It was chaos and these East German guards were pushing people back and this guard just looked at me, 'You.' I'm just like, 'Everybody else is taking it, too!' He said, 'Catholic Boys,' which is a movie I did."

And he says his 1989 film, "Weekend at Bernie's," seems to be everywhere.

For someone so recognizable, McCarthy, also known for roles in films like "St. Elmo's Fire," ''Pretty in Pink," ''Less Than Zero" and "Mannequin," has spent most of his time working behind the camera as a director.

"I love telling the whole story, and the older I've gotten the less interested I am in just my subjective point of view and worrying about what my hair looks like. It became boring to me to a certain degree. I was never particularly comfortable being the center of attention just on a personal level," he said in a recent interview.

McCarthy, 53, has directed episodes of TV series like "The Blacklist," ''Orange is the New Black", "Gossip Girl" and the new ABC series "The Family" (Sunday, 9 p.m. EDT). He also has a role in that series, which stars Joan Allen, Rupert Graves and Alison Pill.

"The Family" is the story of a family torn apart when the youngest child goes missing. They assume he's been killed, and McCarthy plays the creepy neighbor, Hank Asher, convicted of the crime. Ten years later, a young man appears and says he's the missing child. McCarthy's character is released from jail, but will he be accepted as an innocent man?

McCarthy says that when he was approached to appear on "The Family," the character that really interested him was "this strange, disturbed, little man who lives next door."

"Hank is probably the most misunderstood guy in town and every mother's worst nightmare all in one," McCarthy said. "He has these really bad sexual predilections and yet he hates himself for having them. He's not just a monster going around doing evil. He's someone trying to fight against it. No one has more hate and contempt for him than himself."

Meanwhile, when he can fit it in, travel is McCarthy's favorite thing to do.

"I prefer to travel alone. I love traveling with my family and my kids but ultimately I think I'm a solo traveler. ... Travel was the university of my life, I like to say. Travel changed my life."

___

Online:

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-family/

http://andrewmccarthy.com/

__

Follow Alicia Rancilio at http://www.twitter.com/aliciar/
Humans are experts at destruction. In our history on this planet, we have demonstrated an amazing ability to break and kill. When you consider the things we actually manage to build and create, we seem to excel most at building things that destroy.

Most of the inventions we now enjoy in the modern era were the product of war efforts. Planes, computers, the Internet, orbital flight, nuclear power, GPS, wristwatches, stainless steel and even the microwave oven all have their origins in war in the 20th century alone. Our most successful efforts at creativity were stumbled upon as we intentionally sought out ways to kill each other better.

The number of weapons available to any single person with which to do harm to another is staggering. There seems to be no practical way to get rid of weapons because there is no way to get rid of the desire to use them on each other. One of the most interesting, dry reads you can find on the Internet is the Texas Penal Code Chapter 46, entitled "Weapons,"  32 pages of definitions and regulations.

Every weapon listed in state law is designed to harm, kill, maim, disfigure or disable another person. So the challenge for any weapons designer would seem to be inventing a weapon that actually benefits the person on whom it is used.

I can think of one.

In Ephesians 6, after Paul points out that other people are not our enemies, but rather "the rulers, ... the authorities, ... the powers of this dark world and ... the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12), he describes the aspects of our life in Christ that serve as armor for us in the fight. Everything we have is defensive except one. In our fight for truth, we are afforded a single offensive weapon. Paul urges us to "Take ... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17).

Sometimes it becomes necessary to reason and debate with someone because we love them and want them to find freedom in the truth (answering "Why should we fight?"). We may then recognize we are fighting not against that person but for them (which speaks to "Whom do we fight?"). The next question that naturally arises is, "What do we fight with?"

Words are our weapon.

"The tongue has the power of life and death" (Proverbs 18:21), so let us be careful with such a dangerous weapon. Often, I think some Christians make a mistake in the way we think about our words. We tend to fall into a habit of thinking that because we are given some authority by the one with all authority, we are able to do more with our words that we actually can. But the fact remains that speaking my own words  like every other weapon I have at my disposal  will be essentially destructive and self-serving. We can still fight with our own words, but that way will only lead to destruction and harm.

Instead, the "sword of the Spirit" is "the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17). The authority God gives us as followers of Jesus is limited by God's own words. When Jesus asked his disciples if they were planning to leave him, Peter so wisely acknowledged, "To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).

This sword, which is God's own word, "is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). The sword of the Spirit  God's word  stands unique as the only weapon that actually heals and helps the person against whom it is employed.

Consider what happens when God's word is read and taken seriously. For instance, a young and then relatively unknown monk in Germany who read the Bible and believed what it said forever changed the church because he simply posted a list of how what he noticed in his own church did not really line up with what the Bible said. You may have heard of Martin Luther.

The change wrought on an individual by God's word, however, is much greater than that. Martin Luther was fearful and anxious until the sword cut him and made him bold and assured of God's grace.

Before God's sword cut into me, I was hard, manipulative, uncaring, selfish, arrogant and abrasive. I find that the longer God's word works on my heart, the more soft, tolerant, careful, selfless, humble and gentle I become.

What do we fight with? What weapon will you choose? As Paul discussed disagreements and arguments in Corinth, he admonished his brothers and sisters to "learn from (him and Apollos) the meaning of the saying, 'Do not go beyond what is written'" (1 Corinthians 4:6). I would give you the same advice. We have no weapon for actually helping people but God's word. Let your mouth be filled with it that you may build up rather than tear down as you fight for truth and people.

Kyle Hooks is the associate pastor at Angelo Bible Church. Contact him at 325-716-4258 or kyle@lookingupfrombelow.com. You can like Looking Up at facebook.com/lookingupfrombelow.
Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News Brian Massey, with Sonrise Ministries, stands in a vacant lot where a house will be built to provide housing for people with loved ones in the hospital.

SHARE Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News Brian Massey, with Sonrise Ministries, plans to build a house on a lot in the 3000th block of Hickory Street.

By Loretta Fulton, Special to the Reporter-News

Anyone walking along Hickory Street a block or so south of Interstate 20 would see a vacant lot on the west side of the street as just that  a vacant lot.

But to Brian Massey, the grassy lot shaded by trees on the eastern edge looks like something biblical, the Promised Land to be exact. He closes his eyes and envisions a 400 square-foot house sitting on the lot, with perhaps a husband and wife inside, grateful for the place to live either for free or at minimal cost while one undergoes long-term treatment at a local medical facility.

To Massey, providing that housing solution for the sick who can't afford a hotel room fulfills a mandate from Jesus to care for the sick. Jesus' mandate, as recorded in Matthew 25, calls for followers to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, offer hospitality to the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner and care for the sick.

"There's wonderful ministry for all of this," Massey said, "except caring for the sick."

Abilene is a medical hub for the West Central Texas area, Massey noted, and many people travel here for treatment, particularly for radiation and chemotherapy. For many, the distance is too far to go back and forth each day for the duration of the treatment.

Some can afford to stay in a hotel or get a room at the Hendrick League House, which charges $40 per night, according to its website. Both for others, even the $40 is out of reach.

And that is where Massey sees his Sonrise Ministries coming into play. The Sonrise Ministries congregation, led by Massey, meets Sundays at 126 S. Mockingbird Lane in a building owned by WolfePak, a business software development company where Massey's wife, Karen, is an accountant. But Sonrise Ministries is more than a congregation.

"We're a ministry that has a church," Massey said.

For years, Massey worked in the electronics industry, originally installing and supporting equipment and then being involved in research and development. But he knew that wasn't his true calling, although he wasn't sure what that was until rereading Matthew 25. Then, it was crystal clear. Providing housing for sick people was the answer.

"This is the calling that's been upon me all the time," Massey said, "and I didn't know it."

Now that he does know it, Massey is hard at work bringing his vision to life. His goal is to engage churches in Abilene to sponsor the 20 houses he wants to build. The church's role would be to help with expenses such as utilities and to assist the family living in the house with food and other necessities.

Massey has had discussions with Jeff Addison, pastor of Ridgemont Baptist Church, about sponsoring the first house, which already is funded for construction. Massey met with Addison and Ridgemont's missions team, which liked the idea, Addison said.

The next step will be to present the idea to the entire congregation for approval. Whether Ridgemont eventually sponsors a house or not, Addison sees a bright future for Sonrise Ministries.

"I think it's going to be well supported," he said.

Construction will start on the Hickory Street house as soon as Massey learns from the city whether the lot's zoning allows for the type home Massey envisions.

"Lord willing, we're going to build the house," Massey said.

Other land will be purchased and houses built as funds are raised.

Massey also wants to involve area churches in what he calls a "lighthouse community." A church in a larger community such as Sweetwater would serve as the liaison between people in need in a nearby small town, such as Roscoe, and Sonrise Ministries.
Contributed photo Hannah Smith (from left), Hannah Lamar, Kasi Bailey, Megan Lamberth and Julia Lamberth pose at the Ritsona refugee camp in Greece. The five young women traveled to Greece recently as an independent volunteer group. They shared their faith through their works and shared God's love, reminding the people that they matter.

SHARE Contributed photo Refugees walk the path on a typical day at the Ritsona camp in Greece. The majority of refugees are Syrian, but some are also from Iraq and Afghanistan. After the E.U. (European Union)-Turkey Accord was passed in March, the borders were closed and many refugees were stuck in Greece. Julia Lamberth and Megan Lamberth teach refugees an Arabic and English education class at the Ritsona camp in Greece. Megan Lamberth recently graduated from Sam Houston State University with a degree in criminal justice and Middle Eastern studies. The refugees learned basic phrases to equip them in looking for jobs and asylum.

Wichita Falls women tend to refugees in Greek camp

By Sarah Johnson, Wichita Falls Times Record News

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me into your home."

 Matthew 25:35

This Bible verse was put into action recently by a group of young women in Wichita Falls who come from different backgrounds and different denominations, but joined together with a common desire to help people.

Megan Lamberth, 22; Julia Lamberth, 24; Kasi Bailey, 24; Hannah Lamar, 25; and Hannah Smith, 22, traveled to Greece recently as an independent volunteer group. They decided on Greece as the area of the world with one of the greatest immediate needs. And the plight of the refugees there tugged at their hearts.

"Due to the [European Union]-Turkey deal, many refugees are stuck in Greece for the time being," Smith said. "The Ritsona camp is intended to be a long-term solution for refugees. Because many refugees were there for a longer period of time than most transit camps, we were all to connect with them on a deeper level. We shared our faith through our works and shared God's live in opportune moments."

The strengths of each volunteer were put into action at the refugee camp.

Megan Lamberth, who recently graduated from Sam Houston State University with a degree in criminal justice and Middle Eastern studies, speaks Arabic and taught the group basic words and phrases the women could use to establish relationships with refugees.

"The refugees we met were mostly Syrian, with others from Iraq and Afghanistan," Lamberth said. "These families have fled their home countries due to violence, extremism and political instability. Many of these families' homes and towns were destroyed and many lost family and friends. These refugee families were hoping to use Greece as a transit point to go into Europe. Once in Europe, they would apply for asylum. The E.U. borders were closed after the E.U.-Turkey accord was passed in late March."

When the group arrived at the Ritsona refugee camp, it had only been open for one month and there were questions as to how the camp would function and what needs had to be met. The shower and bathroom facilities were not meeting the standards of basic quality life, Smith observed.

"While we were there, Megan and Julia began and conducted an adult education class to equip refugees with basic English phrases and vocabulary when they apply for jobs and asylum," Smith said. "Hannah Lamar and I helped build and establish a tent meant as a haven for women and babies, where they could come to relax and receive extra nutrients for women who were pregnant. Kasi was a hospitality representative. She naturally bonds with so many families and individuals and has spent quality time with so many and allowed herself to hear their stories and remind them that they matter."

Smith said that Americans are not getting a true portrayal of the refugee crisis. The group will share their firsthand account, as well as pictures and a question-and-answer session, in a Tuesday evening session.
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By Mike Kelly of the San Angelo Standard-Times

Yard signs and billboards, video and print promotions and other forms of election pleas from candidates continued to seek the attention of San Angelo voters as the final days of early voting approached in the march toward the May 7 civic election.

Friday was the deadline for candidates to file their last campaign finance reports before voting day, and contributions for this election cycle exceeded $193,000 for the 12 candidates in four races.

Expenditures by the candidates for the two reporting periods  the 8-day and 30-day required filings  amounted to more than $170,000.

The race in Single Member District 1 seemed muted compared to the others, with candidate Trinidad Aguirre declaring two contributions totaling $700 and expenditures of less than $200. His opponent, Bill Richardson, declared no contributions and expenditures of $200.

In Single Member District 3, Harry Thomas declared $3,400, most of which came as a $3,000 contribution from the San Angelo Association of Realtors. Thomas showed no expenditures and maintained contributions of $7,132.

His opponent, Daniel Cardenas, did not file a report by 5 p.m. Friday, according to the city clerk's office.

In Single Member District 5, incumbent Elizabeth Grindstaff reported more than $5,000 in contributions, only $172.91 in expenditures and a maintained balance of more than $10,000. Lane Carter declared $3,380 in contributions and $4,646.74 in expenses.

The Grindstaff campaign also announced she had received the endorsement of the San Angelo Association of Realtors, although it was not known Friday whether the endorsement would include any cash support.

R.A. Cantrell reported $49.50 in contributions and $733.94 in expenses. Martin Guinn, as he did in the previous report filed April 7, declared no contributions and no expenses.

Police chief candidate Jeff Davis contributed another $2,500 to his own campaign, which has been entirely self-financed, according to his campaign finance reports. Davis spent $5,468.69 and showed a balance of $473.53 maintained. Davis, with contributions and expenditures both exceeding $70,000 so far, has run by far the most expensive campaign among all 12 candidates.

Mike Hernandez declared $2,190 in contributions, $4,181.38 in expenditures and a maintained balance of $7,163.91.

Incumbent Chief Tim Vasquez declared $1,093 in contributions and expenditures of $5,405.94 for the period. His maintained contributions amounted to $3,315.84.

Nearly all the individual contributions reported for the period were less than $1,000. The exceptions were the Realtor association contribution to Harry Thomas, a $2,000 contribution to Lane Carter's campaign from Frank "Doc" Carter (not the police chief candidate) and Mamie Carter, and a $1,000 contribution to the Grindstaff campaign from Ben Stribling.

Early voting continues 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the county elections office, 113 W. Beauregard Ave. The use of paper ballots this election is restricted to early voting. Voters who choose to cast their ballots on Election Day will have to use electronic machines.

Tom Green County Elections Administrator Vona Hudson said late Friday 2,270 ballots had been cast in early voting; 50,646 people are eligible to vote, she said.

The early voting station in Wall, where voters have to decide whether to approve a $19 million school bond, registered 391 ballots as of late Friday.
Steven Bazany, with Sgt. Korby Kennedy's family behind him, speaks at a memorial ceremony for Kennedy on Friday in front of the San Angelo Police Department.

SHARE Officer Steven Bazamy talks to Kennedy's family at the conclusion of Friday's memorial ceremony. Participants in the Texas Peace Officers Memorial Bike Trek hold a plaque to present in honor of Kennedy on Friday. San Angelo police officers stand at attention during Friday's memorial service. Members of the Texas Peace Officers Memorial Bike Trek ride in for a memorial service for Sgt. Korby Kennedy on Friday.

By Mike Kelly of the San Angelo Standard-Times

"We dont all wear the same color uniform, but we do have one thing is common, and that is that we are a family, Steven Bazany, a San Antonio bicycle officer, said Friday at a memorial ceremony for Sgt. Korby Kennedy in front of the San Angelo Police Department.

San Angelo police officers stood at attention, listening, and Kennedy's family stood behind Bazany during the service.

Participants in the Texas Peace Officers Memorial Bike Trek presented a plaque in honor of Kennedy, a longtime SAPD officer who died in a crash June 25 while on escort duty. The group came through San Angelo as part of a 2,000-plus-mile journey to remember fallen officers across the state.
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By Billy House Bloomberg News (TNS)

WASHINGTON  A Pentagon official complained that the Republican-led House committee investigating Hillary Clintons response to the 2012 Benghazi, Libya, attacks has launched a crescendo of new demands for interviews and other information that the Defense Department considers unnecessary.

Committee staff have threatened to subpoena some service members because the department is unable to move quickly enough to respond to multiple and changing requests, said Steven Hedger, assistant defense secretary for legislative affairs, in a letter to committee Chairman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina.

Subpoenaing our service members, when the department is working diligently to accommodate your requests and when no service member has refused to appear voluntarily, is unfair to our uniformed men and women and an unproductive way forward, Hedger wrote in the letter released Friday.

Hedger said some Defense Department personnel were repeatedly asked during interviews to speculate or discuss hypothetical situations, regardless of their knowledge or expertise.

This type of questioning poses the risk that your final report may be based on speculation rather than a fact-based analysis of what a military officer did do or could have done given his or her knowledge at the time of the attacks, Hedger continued in the letter.

A House official has said Gowdy is aiming for a July completion of the committees report into the administrations actions leading up to and during the attacks on U.S. outpost in in Libya that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

Clinton, who is moving to secure the Democratic presidential nomination at the partys convention in July, was secretary of state at the time of the attacks. Republicans have been trying to prove that she failed to bolster security before the assault and should share blame for what they say is the Obama administrations initial, erroneous account of what happened. The committee also is investigating Clintons use of a private email server while secretary of state.

Republicans also have raised questions about whether the Obama administration could have done more to rescue Americans during the Benghazi attacks. Leon Panetta, who was defense secretary at the time, wrote Congress in 2012 that while Obama ordered all available Pentagon assets to respond, no armed planes were near Benghazi at the time.

The U.S. armed forces did everything they were in a position to do to respond, Panetta wrote.

A spokesman for Gowdy and other Republicans on the committee, Matt Wolking, said in a statement Friday that Hedgers letter is further proof the Benghazi committee is conducting a thorough, fact-centered investigation.

Its unfortunate it took the threat of subpoenas for the Pentagon to make witnesses available earlier this year. This delayed the committee from learning a tremendous amount of new information from several witnesses, Wolking said. What is DoD so afraid of? Why are they supposedly unable to find their own employees?

Democrats have said the committee is geared more to political goals than fact-finding. The investigation of Clintons use of private email has weighed on her presidential bid.

Hedger told Gowdy the Pentagon is committed to aiding in the investigation of the Benghazi attack, though he said some requests seem unnecessary even for a comprehensive investigation. The committee has requested more than a dozen new interviews in the last three months, including four people identified last week, the Defense official said.

The top Democrat on the Benghazi committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, responded that, Republicans continue to squander millions of taxpayer dollars chasing right-wing conspiracy theories and forcing Pentagon officials to waste their time on this partisan fishing expedition.

Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement, After two years of a politically driven innuendo and $6.7 million in wasted taxpayer money, the last thing we should be doing is subpoenaing our service members.
West Texas to see return of rain, cooler temperatures to start week

But don't expect that fall front to bring the first freeze of the year for most of the region just yet.
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Over the next six weeks, Republican voters in the remaining primary states from Indiana to California face an unenviable choice. They can vote for Donald Trump, a boastful vulgarian who hasn't thought much about how he would govern beyond building a wall on the border.

Or they can try to keep the GOP nomination open by voting for someone else  which in most states means Sen. Ted Cruz, the oleaginous absolutist from Texas.

To most Americans, including me, neither option looks very appetizing. As South Carolina's puckish Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said, it's like a choice between "being shot or poisoned."

But it's the dilemma millions of voters face, especially in winner-take-all states that give extra delegates to the first-place finisher. In those states, votes for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a less angry conservative, won't do much good. That's why so many establishment Republicans, from Mitt Romney to Jeb Bush to Graham, have sheepishly announced their support for Cruz over the last few weeks  even though they don't like him.

"He's certainly not my preference, but he's a reliable Republican conservative," Graham said. "I think he's the best alternative to beat Donald Trump."

Graham is right. There are two reasons voters should prefer Cruz over Trump.

First, unlike Trump, Cruz has thought seriously about the job. He's issued coherent  if bracingly conservative  proposals on tax policy, health care, defense spending and foreign policy. In most of those areas, Trump is still improvising.

And Cruz, a Harvard-trained lawyer, is a serious student of the Constitution. (As a boy conservative, he memorized the document.) He's a devotee of limited government. He even has a libertarian streak, and briefly allied with Rand Paul in criticizing government surveillance programs (although he backed off after rising fear of terrorism made that stance less popular).

By contrast, Trump's acquaintance with the Constitution seems tenuous. He has described the Supreme Court as "signing bills" and sounds impatient with the First Amendment; he's threatened critics with reprisals and said he'd like to make it easier to sue newspapers for libel.

Second, a Cruz candidacy would be a useful experiment in American politics: It would test the conservative argument that Republicans would win more elections if they only nominated unambiguously right-wing candidates.

"We need to learn from history," Cruz said in 2014. "If we run another candidate in the mold of a Bob Dole or a John McCain or a Mitt Romney, we will end up with the same result, which is millions of people will stay home on Election Day. The only way for Republicans to win, I believe, is to run a candidate who runs as a strong conservative with a positive, optimistic, hopeful message."

That's been an article of faith in the conservative movement since the era of Ronald Reagan. But Reagan combined rugged Republican ideology with a winning personality. Nominating Cruz, who has none of Reagan's charm, would be a purer test.

"If Cruz loses to Hillary  conservatives will have no choice but to reassess the idea that too little conservatism has been the only problem with recent national tickets," Republican writer Dan McLaughlin wrote in National Review, referring to Hillary Clinton, while listing reasons GOP moderates should vote for Cruz.

Besides, he added, if Cruz doesn't get the nomination this time, he's sure to be back four years from now. "If you think Cruz is a disaster waiting to happen, better to let him happen now and have a chance at a more moderate or at least more moderate-sounding nominee next time."

If Trump won the nomination but lost the presidential election, that would teach the GOP no lesson at all. Republicans would dismiss the campaign as an aberration  as the year their party temporarily went mad.

Unlike Graham and other establishment Republicans, I'm not making an argument about electability here. I'm not urging GOP voters to choose Cruz because he'd be a stronger candidate in the general election  because I don't think we can know whether that's true.

Cruz isn't an easy candidate to love. He's capable of breathtaking opportunism and demagoguery. He spent much of last summer praising Trump ("I think Donald's terrific") when that looked like a way to attract Trump's followers; now he says Trump is a danger to the republic. He has matched Trump's hard-line stands on deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally and barring Muslim refugees from entering the United States.

Last week, he took the Republican race into the bathroom, painting transgender people as potential sexual predators. "Grown adult men, strangers, should not be alone in a bathroom with little girls," he said, defending the North Carolina law that would force transgender people to use the restroom corresponding to the gender on their birth certificate. (On that controversy, Trump struck an unexpectedly sensible note; why not let people use whatever bathroom they're comfortable in?)

So my heart goes out to GOP voters who face this choice: a buffoonish megalomaniac versus a calculating zealot. Lindsey Graham was right. It's like a choice between being shot or poisoned. So take the poison. At least it will help clarify a thing or two about the Republican Party.

Doyle McManus is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Readers may email him at doyle.mcmanus@latimes.com
Tired of waiting for Congress to approve a tax on Internet sales, nearly two dozen states are moving to pass bills or change regulations in ways that deliberately invite lawsuits from Internet retailers. The goal? Landing the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court.On May 1, South Dakota became the first state to implement new legislation allowing it to collect a sales tax from out-of-state retailers who sell products over the Internet to South Dakotans. Because the legislation calls for an expedited path for judicial challenges, experts believe the law will produce a crucial first test case that the nations top court could take up as soon as the end of this year.Putting the issue of taxing online sales before the courts is part of a new coordinated effort by state legislators across the country. All told, 34 bills in 22 states have been introduced this year that would allow states to collect sales taxes from remote retailers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. About a half-dozen of those bills have moved forward in some fashion.Other states, like Alabama, are revisiting their existing regulations. The states revenue department recently began enforcing an old law it says allows it to tax out-of-state sellers and then, possibly, audit for noncompliance.The renewed push comes after more than a decade in which states have tried to get Congress to consider a national law that would require online retailers to remit a sales tax for purchases made in states where that retailer doesnt have a physical presence. Proposed federal legislation has taken various forms over the years but has never gained much traction, despite having bipartisan support. In 2013, states got a huge victory when the U.S. Senate passed the so-called Marketplace Fairness Act. But since then, the bill has languished in the House. By some estimates, states are collectively missing out on more than $23 billion annually in potential online sales tax revenue.Meanwhile, states have watched with great frustration as Congress has repeatedly extended -- and recently made permanent -- a law that bans states from collecting a tax on Internet service providers.Online retailers and others argue that allowing Internet sales taxes wouldnt level the playing field, as some hope. Large companies that have a presence in multiple states generally have the infrastructure in place to collect a sales tax. But its more challenging for smaller retailers that dont have the computer systems and accounting staff to ensure compliance with 10,000 nationwide tax jurisdictions and 46 state tax auditors, argues NetChoice, a trade association promoting e-commerce.If the issue does make it to the Supreme Court, it would challenge a 1992 decision, Quill Corp. v. North Dakota. Under that ruling, states can apply sales taxes only to companies with a physical presence in the state. But that decision, says the National Governors Associations David Quam, is severely outdated because it revolved around the mail-order catalog industry. Today the Internet has completely changed the economy, says Quam. It allows for a level of commerce across state lines that nobody anticipated back in 1992.At least one U.S. Supreme Court justice agrees. Last year, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy invited a fresh challenge to the Quill decision. A case questionable even when decided, Kennedy wrote, Quill now harms states to a degree far greater than could have been anticipated earlier.
Late one night, while riding along with a police officer on patrol, the mayor of Fishers, Ind., asked the officer what kinds of calls most concerned him. He got an unexpected answer: mental health situations. They were occurring almost once a shift.Mental illness isnt readily visible in a place like Fishers, an affluent suburb of Indianapolis with just under 90,000 residents. In our community, Mayor Scott Fadness says, there are a lot of people living in quiet despair and suffering from mental health issues, but theyre not being addressed in a systemic way.In the country as a whole, mental health situations are responsible for about 1 in 10 police calls. Many stem from undiagnosed conditions unknown to police and first responders. The consequences can be tragic. While about 3 percent of U.S. adults suffer from a severe mental illness, they make up a quarter to one-half of all fatal law enforcement encounters, according to the nonprofit Treatment Advocacy Center. Similarly, a recent internal review by the Los Angeles Police Department reported that 37 percent of police shootings last year involved suspects with documented signs of mental illness.Municipalities like Fishers are seeking ways for public safety personnel to better assist the mentally ill and respond more effectively to potentially dangerous situations. Fadness noticed last year that suicide attempts and similar crises in Fishers appeared time and time again on weekly police summaries, so he convened a mental health task force One of the resulting recommendations was a call for additional training. All police patrol officers in Fishers will soon complete a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training module covering de-escalation techniques and how to spot mental health symptoms. Its not brand-new -- the model was first implemented in Memphis in the late 1980s and has spread to over 3,000 departments. But the majority of agencies and officers nationwide still lack the necessary training to implement it. Michael Woody, president of CIT International , says incident reports are often misclassified because officers are not aware that mental illness is involved.Even when they are aware and mentally ill individuals threaten to harm themselves or others, police often are left with no choice other than to contact a family member or take the person to jail. The nations largest individual mental health providers are now, in fact, correctional facilities, like the Cook County, Ill., jail. When I became a police officer in 1977, we had health facilities, Woody says. Now, theres no place to take them to.In Fishers, police are encouraged to identify mental illnesses and transport individuals to a mental health facility, if necessary. They did so 211 times last year.Police responding to mental health situations frequently face a conflict between what they feel they should do and what theyre legally able to do. They must act on what individuals are willing to tell them. Seeing a house in disarray may indicate a person needs help, but officers may not be authorized to intervene.The proliferation of community policing hasnt helped, either. John Snook, executive director of the Treatment Advocacy Center, says it places officers in more frequent contact with the mentally ill, but gives them no real treatment options. This isnt a law enforcement problem, he says. Police are forced to be the first responders for mental health calls, something that they arent suited to do.Traumatic mental health episodes pose serious safety risks for police. Departments that have implemented CIT training report reductions in officer injuries. After an Indianapolis officer was gunned down, the Indiana General Assembly passed a law allowing police to seize and retain firearms from mentally ill persons considered dangerous.Nationally, reliable information on the role of mental illness in fatal police encounters is scarce, according to the Treatment Advocacy Center, which compiled its estimates from a review of academic studies and media reports. Several federal databases track officer-involved fatalities, but all suffer from a limited number of participating agencies, reports that arent standardized or other shortcomings. There isnt a good carrot or stick for states to report this information, says Snook.Mental health advocates say comprehensive solutions are needed. In Fishers, fire and emergency personnel will work with local hospitals to follow up with patients to make sure theyre taking prescribed medications after theyre discharged from hospitals, helping to cut costs from frequent emergency room visits. The citywide initiative also includes partnerships with behavioral health providers and efforts to better treat mental illness within the school system. Our goal is to ultimately help people before they get to a crisis situation in the first place, says Mitch Thompson, an assistant city police chief who served on the task force.One practice that research has found to be particularly promising is assisted outpatient treatment, which permits judges to order treatment plans for offenders suffering from severe mental illnesses as a condition for remaining in their communities. Such treatment programs offer addiction services, housing, job opportunities and a range of other assistance.While the Fishers initiative isnt yet fully implemented, one early result has been greater empathy on the part of law enforcement, Thompson says. Officers arent used to interacting with the mentally ill unless theyre going through a crisis, so part of the CIT training aims to help police understand the types of everyday conditions people are suffering from. Just coming to the table and talking about it, Thompson says, is quite sobering.
Amazon Web Services is luring potential government customers again this year with its AWS City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge The contest awards $250,000 in cloud service credits to eight government and company customers that exemplify excellence in the categories of Best Practices, Partners in Innovation, and Dream Big  a category extolling the virtues of ambitious innovation. While a play to enhance innovation and modern methods in the public sector, the contest also doubles as a strategic move by the Seattle juggernaut to create enticing use cases it can transform into selling points to draw new public-sector customers.Microsoft, Google and IBM have long employed similar tactics with their own programs. Marketplace motives notwithstanding, governments may find the awards incentivizing if their current IT strategies and projects can double as compatible submissions.In a blog post, AWS listed three standout examples of previous winners. In 2014, the London City Airport won the Best Practices award for an Internet of Things (IoT) project that applied IoT technologies to improve customer boarding and airport management through real-time data collection and analytics. In 2015 the company Park Smart snagged the Partners in Innovation award for its parking space availability app, and also in 2015, Chicago won the Dream Big title for its OpenGrid project that allows residents easy access to geographical city data.In its post, Chicago Chief Data Officer Tom Schenk was quoted as an endorsement of the competition.With the AWS Cloud, the city of Chicago was able to launch OpenGrid, a first-of-its-kind, open data website and mobile app that city residents can use to search for useful information and events around them ranging from real-time weather, Tweets and requests for city services to street closures, transit data and potholes nearby, Schenk said.AWS has set May 13 as its deadline for entries, and on June 21, judges will announce winners.
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Published on 2016/04/30 | Source

Actress Ku Hye-sun has released her first full-length album, her management agency said on Thursday.

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The album contains a dozen songs, including some previously released as single albums.

Koo wrote and composed all of the songs on the album except one.

On the personal front, Koo is set to marry actor Ahn Jae-hyun on May 21.
Published on 2016/04/29 | Source

On the episode 13 of tvN's weekend drama, "Memory", Park Tae-seok (Lee Sung-min) began his revenge against Lee Seong-ho (Yeo Hoe-hyeon) in full scale after he found out that Lee Seung-ho was the criminal of the tragic hit and run that killed son Dong-woo.

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Lee Chan-moo (Jeon No-min) had been committing so many additional crimes to cover the fact his son Seung-ho had killed Dong-woo 15 years ago. He even hired Tae-seok at the Taeseon Law Firm and made him to work as a defense lawyer for the corrupted lawsuit such as Sin Yeong-jin (Lee Ki-woo)'s case. When Park Tae-seok realized he had been living as a slave of money without knowing the truth, he shuddered at his stupid past life.

Although it was a tough situation, Park Tae-seok went to Na Eun-seon (Park Jin-hee) to let her know the truth.

After Na Eun-seon heard everything, she flopped to the ground and broke down in tears. She yelled, "I'm going to kill him right now. I don't need law even". Park Tae-seok told her, "I've been living like trash. But, I'm going to use everything left to me to reveal the truth for Dong-woo".

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Members of specialist organised crime units are on high alert as a young thug responsible for a jail attack on a member of the Hutch family is set to be released from prison.

Jamie Griffin (21) is suspected of being involved in the attack on Derek 'Del Boy' Hutch, a nephew of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch and the brother of feud victim Gary Hutch.

The young criminal (right), who is originally from the south inner city, is currently serving a jail sentence for a violent attack at a bookmakers in Dublin.

Sources revealed that the violent thug is set to be released next month, and added that he's not expected to face any charges for the attack on 'Del Boy'.

It is believed Griffin, along with his older brother Leon (26), were offered a 10k bounty by the Kinahan cartel to carry out the vicious attack on the convicted armed robber.

However, Hutch only suffered defensive slash wounds in the attack after three brave prison officers intervened and managed to restrain the Griffin brothers.

Speaking about the attack at the Prison Officers' Association's annual conference, the organisation's president, Stephen Delaney, said: "The officers, using only bare hands and courage, pulled him (Hutch) from certain death."

Both brothers were moved from Mountjoy jail in the wake of the attack, with Leon being transferred to Castlerea Prison, Co Roscommon, and Jamie to Wheatfield Prison.

Garda intelligence has linked Jamie Griffin to associates of the Kinahan cartel, and detectives are on alert over the foot soldier's impending release.

A source told the Herald that local and national units are fearful that the violent criminal could become further involved in the feud, and that he will also be a target of the Hutch gang.

Assault

"He is a young criminal who is completely reckless - he has no qualms about carrying out an attack. Gardai believe that he could become very much involved in the current feud," the source said.

"He is also very much a prime target of the Hutch gang due to being involved in the 'Del Boy' attack."

Six people have so far been murdered as part of the deadly Hutch/Kinahan feud.

The Griffin brothers are considered among Ireland's most volatile inmates and have over 40 disciplinary reports between them from prison authorities in the past 22 months.

Sources say that Jamie's behaviour has been much worse than that of his older brother, and he has come to the attention of the authorities for breaches of discipline several times. Only last month had a contraband phone seized after posting a selfie on his social media account.

Associates of the brothers are suspected of involvement in the gun murder of Declan O'Reilly in September, 2012, while Leon Griffin was involved in a brutal assault on murder victim Michael Kelly in a south inner city pub in August, 2012 - less than a year before he was shot dead at a Luas Line.
Government ministers say that they are adamant gangland criminals will not drag down the good name of the capital after holding crisis talks with senior gardai.

Acting Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said the name of the capital will not be sullied by the recent spate of gang violence, following a meeting which included acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny and senior members of the gardai.

The meeting detailed the use of targeted and intelligence-based operations aimed at disrupting and preventing incidents, along with potential prosecutions for those involved in the shootings.

The minister said gardai will have access to "all resources necessary" in their fight against organised criminals, adding: "We will not let the safety and good name of our capital city be dragged down by the violence and thuggery of these gangs.

Intolerable

"The recent cycle of gang violence is shocking and disturbing. The loss of life, including the life of those who played no part in gang-related feuds, is intolerable."

Garda Assistant Commissioner Jack Nolan said armed patrols across the city will continue amid fears of more murders.

Both Mr Nolan and Ms Fitzgerald refuted any claims that there has been a reduction in overtime hours for gardai counteracting gang-related crime.

"There are no cuts for the armed patrols that are out," Mr Nolan said. "There is a schedule of garda checkpoints, armed patrols and high-visibility patrols across the city every day of the week, and those will be continuing into the future - I'm very confident of that."

Ms Fitzgerald said gardai have successfully faced down gangs who believed they were above the law in the past, adding that the State will use whatever resources necessary to "bear down on the deadly activities of the gangs".
BLUFF CITY, Tenn.About 35 people, including both black and white residents, gathered this afternoon in Bluff City for a Black Lives Matter march and event.

The event, organized by local pastor Carol Keith, began at noon at the pavilion. With an escort from the Bluff City Police Department, the participants, holding signs with a variety of messages, walked through a portion of the town. There were several Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter signs among the marchers.

They stopped for prayer at the senior citizens center, where Keith once held church services. She said she was forced to stop after an incident in 2013. She added that the town failed to provide protection for the church.

A number of individuals from the NAACP in the Tri-Cities joined the event.

Town police officers who provided an escort through town declined to comment on the march and referred questions to the organizers.

Sullivan County District Attorney General Barry Staubus confirmed Saturday that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating Keith's allegations.

"When it is complete I will review it and meet with Ms. Keith," Staubus said. "It should be complete soon."
HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP)  Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says he won't run for governor in 2017.

Cuccinelli told The Associated Press on Saturday at a state GOP convention that he had decided not to run.

The outspoken conservative who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2013 said another gubernatorial campaign would be too taxing on his family life.

If he'd decided to run, Cuccinelli could have been a formidable challenge to other 2017 GOP gubernatorial hopefuls  former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie and U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman.

Cuccinelli has been a key campaign surrogate of presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to be the Democratic nominee.
According to a police report, the arrest stemmed from an incident that occurred at the intersection of Oakland Avenue and Unaka Avenue, where Gonder used the vehicle he was driving to intentionally cause a collision with another vehicle. Police said the incident was initiated after Gonder observed a vehicle which is registered to him and he claims was stolen. However, no stolen vehicle report was completed by Gonder.
GROTTOES, Va.As of Friday night, the entire 105 mile stretch of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park is open again. As the final flames of the Rocky Mountain Fire burn out, officials are lifting restrictions and giving hikers access to the area again.

In some cases, the limitations were immediately lifted, like the temporary flight restrictions around Shenandoah National Park. That restriction hadnt shut down local airports, but it did mean that planes had to avoid the area around more than 10,000 acres affected by the fire. Thats no longer the case, as park officials say the smoke is nearly all thats left of the fire and even that is dying down. People in the Valley got a small taste of it Friday afternoon, as winds blew the smoke into parts of Augusta County and near Waynesboro, where people walking in downtown saw it surround Afton Mountain.

Because of the remaining smoke, Skyline Drive might be open, but thats not the case for the Appalachian Trail. The part of the Trail from Powell Gap at mile marker 70 south to Doyles River Overlook at mile marker 82 remains closed, along with the Brown Mountain Trail, Big Run Portal Trail, Rocky Mountain Trail, Rockytop Trail, Big Run Loop Trail, Austin Mountain Trail, Lewis Peak Trail, Patterson Ridge Trail, Madison Run Spur Trail, Madison Run Fire Road, the Rocky Mount Trail, the Gap Run Trail and the Onemile Trail in Shenandoah National Park.

Portions further up, like Black Rock Gap at mile marker 87.5, are available to hike again. Park officials expect the smoke to clear out over the next 24 hours and those trails to be reopened by Monday at the latest.

The number of fire crews working the blaze also continues to drop. As of Friday afternoon, the number was down to less than 130 firefighters, with nearly all of the out of state crews having left. The Southern Area Red Team also packed up, officially turning over control of the fire response to park officials as of 6 a.m. Saturday morning.
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"This was an extreme situation" complicated by combat fatigue among U.S. special operations forces, Gen. Joseph Votel told a Pentagon news conference. Votel headed U.S. Special Operations Command at the time of the tragic attack last fall. In March he took over U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Sixteen military members have been disciplined for their roles in the tragedy, Votel said. None face criminal charges.

Doctors Without Borders, the international charity organization whose hospital was destroyed in the attack, said in a statement Friday that it would like to see an "independent and impartial" investigation. It said the punishments announced by the U.S. military are inadequate and "out of proportion" to the deaths, injuries and destruction caused by the mistaken attack.

"The lack of meaningful accountability sends a worrying signal to warring parties, and is unlikely to act as a deterrent against future violations of the rules of war," the organization said.

Votel said investigators concluded that certain personnel failed to comply with the rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict, but that those failures did not amount to a war crime, he said.

"The label 'war crimes' is typically reserved for intentional acts  intentional targeting (of) civilians or intentionally targeting protected objects or locations," Votel said. "Again, the investigation found that the incident resulted from a combination of unintentional human errors, process errors and equipment failures, and that none of the personnel knew they were striking a hospital."

Meinie Nicolai, president of Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French initials MSF, took issue with Votel's assertion.

"The threshold that must be crossed for this deadly incident to amount to a grave breach of international humanitarian law is not whether it was intentional or not," Nicolai said, noting that with various countries fighting in the region with different rules, "armed groups cannot escape their responsibilities on the battlefield simply by ruling out the intent to attack a protected structure such as a hospital."

Votel expressed "deepest condolences" to those injured and to the families of those killed and said compensation payment was made to victims' families.

Zabihullah Neyazi, a nurse who lost his left arm, eye and a finger in the attack, said administrative punishment wasn't enough and that a "trial should be in Afghanistan, in our presence, in the presence of the victims' families, so they would be satisfied."

Votel said the trauma center was on a U.S. military no-strike list but that the gunship crew didn't have access to the list because it launched its mission on short notice and did not have the data loaded into its onboard systems. He said the military has sought to avoid similar mistakes in the future by requiring that such data be pre-loaded into aircraft.

The Pentagon on Friday released a memorandum from Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordering military commanders to take a series of steps over the next four months to "mitigate the potential for similar incidents in the future." Among other things, Carter ordered that the Kunduz scenario be incorporated into pre-deployment training as an example of the kind of complicated situations that troops may face in Afghanistan or other war zones.

Central Command released a redacted version of the full investigation report on Friday, including details about what exactly led a U.S. AC-130 gunship to bomb the hospital and how those mistakes were made.

"The investigation determined that all members of both the ground force and the AC-130 air crew were unaware that the aircraft was firing on a medical facility throughout the engagement," Votel said. "The investigation ultimately concluded that this tragic incident was caused by a combination of human errors, compounded by process and equipment failures."

Votel said none of the names of the 16 disciplined personnel will be released to protect the privacy of the individuals and in some cases because they are still assigned to sensitive or overseas positions.

According to one senior U.S. official, a two-star general was among them.

A number of those punished are U.S. special operations forces. Some were given letters of reprimand and admonishment; one officer was removed from command; some were suspended from their duties and some were given extensive retraining. No one was sent to court-martial.

"It is important to point out that these adverse administrative actions can carry severe repercussions on the careers and professional qualification of these individuals," Votel said, to include possible denial of promotion or advancement and possible removal from the service.

The crew of the AC-130, which is armed with side-firing cannons and guns, had been dispatched to hit a Taliban command center in a building 450 yards from the hospital, the U.S. military said in November. Hampered by problems with their targeting sensors, the crew relied on a physical description that led them to begin firing at the hospital even though they saw no hostile activity there. Votel on Friday confirmed that no hostile firing was seen there.

A separate U.S. report on the incident, obtained last fall by the AP, said the AC-130 aircraft fired 211 shells at the hospital compound over 29 minutes before commanders realized the mistake and ordered a halt.

Associated Press writers Deb Riechmann in Washington and Rahim Faiez in Kabul contributed to this report.
Business / Economy

by Staff Reporter

Newly appointed South Africa to Zimbabwe Ambassador Mphakama Mbete has said even though Zimbabwe is thirsty for development "it's not easy to get investors.""Zimbabwe is a country that is determined to be successful and is thirsty to develop going forward from where it is now. I'm happy that the country is trying to rebuild its economy."This brings opportunities for South Africa and Zimbabwe to work together towards mutual objectives because both of us are building our economies as developing countries,".He said South Africa was engaging various institutions in Bulawayo including the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) to discuss the way forward in reviving the economy."I had a meeting the other day with the Mayor of Bulawayo, Councillor Martin Moyo, to discuss these issues. I'm sure things will work out in the near future. Of course, it's not easy to get investors to come but we'll surely get there".
Eamonn Kelly, a science teacher at St. Columbkille Partnership School in the city's Brighton neighborhood, plans to run the race Saturday to raise money for student scholarships and financial aid.

"After the operation I thought this would be a good milestone," said Kelly, 32, who has cystic fibrosis. "But this is also a big event for the school, which has been so supportive of me and is such a wonderful community."

Cystic fibrosis is a deadly disease that affects the digestive system and lungs, making it difficult to breathe. About 30,000 Americans have the condition, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Kelly was active as a child growing up in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, but it was never easy running, biking and participating in martial arts.

Getting ready for Saturday's race was physically grueling.

Kelly, a 2006 graduate of Boston College who is currently pursuing a master's in educational leadership at BC's Lynch School of Education, was encouraged by his doctors the day after the operation to get up out of bed and walk around.

He soon started running for just 15 seconds at a time, and gradually worked his way up to three miles, making him confident he can complete Saturday's run. He figures his lung capacity is at about 85 to 90 percent.

"I know I can do it," he said. "My best time for three miles is about 38 minutes, but I am not so concerned about time. My main goal is to run straight through without stopping to walk."

He'll have help from his wife, Elana, who will run alongside him.

In addition to proving to himself that he can complete the race and raise money for his school, he wants to honor the person who donated their lungs, and spur awareness about organ donation.

"If people see what I am doing, perhaps it will inspire them to become organ donors and give other people the same second chance as me," he said.
News / Local

by Staff Reporter

Newly appointed South Africa's Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mphakama Mbete, has said Zimbabwe is thirsty for development.Talking to the Chronicle, he said although Zimbabwe is a good investment destination "it's not easy to get investors.""Zimbabwe is a country that is determined to be successful and is thirsty to develop going forward from where it is now. I'm happy that the country is trying to rebuild its economy."This brings opportunities for South Africa and Zimbabwe to work together towards mutual objectives because both of us are building our economies as developing countries."He said South Africa was engaging various institutions in Bulawayo including the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) to discuss the way forward in reviving the economy."I had a meeting the other day with the Mayor of Bulawayo, Councillor Martin Moyo, to discuss these issues. I'm sure things will work out in the near future. Of course, it's not easy to get investors to come but we'll surely get there".
Kim Dong Chul was sentenced after a brief trial in Pyongyang by North Korea's Supreme Court, which found him guilty of espionage and subversion under Articles 60 and 64 of the North's criminal code.

North Korea regularly accuses Washington and Seoul of sending spies in an attempt to overthrow its government. Outsiders say North Korea seeks to use its U.S. detainees to wring concessions from Washington.

Further details were not immediately available. When Kim was paraded before the media in Pyongyang last month, he said he had collaborated with and spied for South Korean intelligence authorities in a plot to bring down the North's leadership and had tried to spread religion among North Koreans before his arrest in the city of Rason last October.

Some previously arrested foreigners have read declarations of guilt that they later said were coerced.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service, the country's main spy agency, has said Kim's case isn't related to the organization in any way.

Gabrielle Price, State Department spokeswoman for East Asia and the Pacific, said the U.S. was aware of the reports that a U.S. citizen has been sentenced to 10 years of hard labor, but could not comment further due to privacy considerations.

According to department policy, the U.S. can only comment publicly on cases in which the citizen has signed a privacy waiver. It was not immediately clear whether the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang has had access to Kim. The embassy handles such consular matters for Washington as the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea.

Kim's sentencing Friday came as North Korea also accused U.S. soldiers of trying to provoke its frontline troops with "disgusting" facial expressions and by encouraging South Korean soldiers to aim their guns at the North. A North Korean military statement warned U.S. soldiers to stop what it called "hooliganism" at the border village of Panmunjom or meet a "dog's death any time and any place."

The U.S. and South Korean militaries had no immediate official response.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen during weeks of annual U.S.-South Korean military drills, which end Saturday and are usually one of the most anxious times on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has issued a steady stream of threats to the United States and South Korea over the drills, which it says are preparations for an invasion. Outside analysts say the North also hates the drills in part because it forces the impoverished country to stage its own expensive military responses.

North Korea in recent weeks has fired a barrage of missile and artillery shells into the sea in a show of anger. On Thursday, South Korean and U.S. officials said two suspected medium-range missile launches by North Korea ended in failure.

In March, North Korea sentenced Otto Warmbier, an American university student, to 15 years in prison with hard labor. It said he engaged in anti-state activities while visiting the country as a tourist earlier this year.

Most Americans who have been sentenced to long prison terms have been released before serving their full time.

North Korea has often waited until senior U.S. officials or statesmen came personally to seek the release of the detainees, all the way up to former President Bill Clinton, whose visit in 2009 secured the freedom of American journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling. Both had crossed North Korea's border from China illegally.

About 28,000 American troops are deployed in South Korea to deter potential aggression from North Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Panmunjom, located inside the 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) -wide Demilitarized Zone that bisects the Korean Peninsula, is where the 1953 armistice was signed.
News / Local

by Staff Reporter

APPROXIMATELY 2000 vendors and kombis that were scheduled to vacate the Basch Street terminus popularly known as Egodini are still doing 'business as usual' despite a Bulawayo City Council (BCC) resolution compelling them to vacate the premises by April 30 (today) to pave way for the construction of a mall.The local authority last month announced that all informal traders and kombis operating at the terminus would be relocated in preparation for the construction of a state-of-the-art mall at the beginning of May. BCC officials went further to embark on a sensitization programme aimed at alerting commuters and vendors about the new development.However, Bulawayo24 news has it on good authority that the municipality has temporarily reneged on the resolution as a result of the chaos that has rocked the local authority concerning the tendering process for the construction of the mall following an order by the ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to have the deal investigated under unclear circumstances.According to Saviour Kasukuwere's led ministry, the tender process, which saw Terracorta, a civil engineering company based in neigbouring South Africa winning the tender, was not done above board. But the city fathers are vehemently denying the allegations, a development which might throw the deal into further disarray, further delaying the commencement of the much-awaited project.However, the delay might be a blessing in disguise to thousands of kombi operators and vendors  who, despite having no option  would have been heavily affected by relocating to new venues without compensation.In separate interviews today, kombi operators and vendors who seem to enjoy another unplanned extension, said: "We will continue with our business here because BCC has in the past few weeks been silent about our relocation.""Yes we are aware that we should be out by today but we last had from BCC officials two weeks ago. They used to move around making the announcement but they have since stopped that," a kombi driver who refused to be named said."We heard rumours that the deadline to vacate this place has been extended to May 4 but we didn't get an official announcement," added a vendor operating at the premises.According to the informal traders BCC officials were seen removing billboards at the premises this week but they reportedly did not communicate with anyone concerning the closure of the terminus for construction.BCC public relations department personnel said they could not comment when they are not at work.Although an official comment could not be sought from BCC, insiders say the project could be further stalled for another six months if the tender is reversed.
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News / National

by Staff Reporter

RUSSIA'S Minister of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov has pledged more mega deals with Zimbabwe.Speaking to reporters at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo on Friday, he said Russia was keen to exploit opportunities in mining, energy, agriculture, education and infrastructure development.Manturov said, "We've had discussions with Zimbabwe that will see a number of business partnerships being established."This is a platform which gives us the opportunity to improve the economies of both our countries."We've already started investing in the mining sector, where we're exploring platinum deposits in Darwendale. This project started several years ago and it's going on well."We'll start mining by the end of this year and by the year 2018, we will be producing over 3 000 tonnes of platinum per year."He said consultations were ongoing over a $34 million partnership with the Grain Marketing Board (GMB)."One of our companies will build an industrial complex in Harare and finance the purchase of top-of-the-range equipment that will assist the storage and milling of different products."The project is expected to assist the GMB to store enough grain for the nation and ensure food security."The equipment includes a storage elevator that has a capacity of 50000 tonnes. The elevator can also store other kinds of cereals. The project also includes a 300-tonne mill for wheat and a 500-tonne mill for maize. We will also provide chemicals to treat all types of grain."
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It is said that there are always two sides to every story and the truth lies somewhere in between. But in Manipur, the truth lies not only somewhere in between, but it is unfailingly wrapped in several layers of conflicting interpretations.

Take, for example, the simmering Churachandpur case. The tribal-hill district erupted on August 31, after the state legislature passed the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015, and two amendments: The Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (7th Amendment) Bill and the Manipur Shops and Establishments (2nd Amendment) Bill. The Bills were the culmination of an agitation by the non-tribal Meitei in the Imphal valley for introducing an Inner Line Permit system to regulate and curtail the entry of non-Manipuris into the state. The hill people, mainly tribals, did not take part in these agitations.

READ: Manipur agitation for ILP raises worries about exclusivist agenda

While the Congress government claims that the three Bills were drawn up after a thorough consultation with all MLAs, including tribal representatives, tribal groups deny it. They allege that they were not consulted and that the Bills will lead to an encroachment of tribal areas by the people of the plains  mostly Meitei.

The tribals versus Meitei issue is an old one in the state; tribals allege that the hill districts are under-developed as compared to the Imphal Valley. This allegation is not untrue. While the tribals have land, the Meitei people have political power  40 seats in the 60-seat legislative assembly are Meitei seats.

The passage of the three Bills led to protests by tribal student groups on August 31 and September 1 in Churachandpur. The police over-reacted and shot several locals. It has been 245 days since the killings but tribals are refusing to bury nine protesters, six of whom were allegedly killed by the police. They want a rollback of the three Bills.

READ: A Manipur town refuses to bury its dead, demanding tribal rights

The police never use live bullets during protests in the Valley. But in the hill district they have done so repeatedly, T Romeo Hmar, convener, Manipur Tribal Forum Delhi, told me when I met him at BJP MP Tarun Vijays residence recently.

Hmar was leading a delegation comprising the mothers of some young men killed to the residence of Vijay, who has taken a keen personal interest in the issue. These people want a solution within the constitutional framework of the country and a panel must be set up to look into the issue  Their voice must be heard in Delhi, Vijay told me.

Though Vijay said that his interest in the matter had nothing to do with the assembly elections in 2017, not many are buying the argument. They are still not a force in the state but in November, the party won two by-elections in two assembly constituencies and opened their account in the assembly.

READ: Insurgency: Manipurs one and only functioning industry

Vijay said that he would impress upon the government to set up a panel to look into their demands and promised to take them to meet home minister Rajnath Singh, who said he would look into it but is yet to give any concrete solution. Two days later, Hmar said: We have been let down by both the state and central governments. When will the tribals of Manipur be given the protection as enshrined in the Constitution?

In Imphal, of course, the Congress thinks the Centre is instigating the unrest. It is a law and order situation and we will sort it out, Manipur Pradesh Congress president Biren Singh told me, adding that the Centre must ensure that the underground groups that have suspended operations are confined to camps and are made to follow ground rules, referring mainly to the machinations of the NSCN(I-M), which signed a peace pact with the Centre last year.

How to break the logjam now? No one seems to have an idea and every stakeholder is busy securing his own corner. The government says it wants to talk, the tribal leaders say thats not the indication they have got. Journalists in Imphal say they dont know where things are going, and those on the ground in Churachandpur dont want to comment, lest they upset the tribal groups. The tribal community is still holding on to their stand that they will not bury the bodies without any resolution.

Its now a question of who will blink first.

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The Gujarat governments decision to expand reservations to include the economically backward sections among general castes will have a domino effect across the polity.

It marks one more instance of how intense electoral competition, and intense competition for government jobs, has led to a relentless expansion of the architecture of affirmative action.

Here is the context.

For the past year, Gujarats Patels demanded either their inclusion as an Other Backward Class (OBC) group eligible for reservations or abolition of reservations altogether. The OBCs already benefiting from the system did not want to share the pie, and opposed their inclusion. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was in a fix. It could neither alienate the OBCs nor did it want to risk the wrath of the Patels. Losses in local elections made the party even more apprehensive.

And so it came up with a new formula. Expand reservations: non-Scheduled Caste (SC), non-Scheduled Tribe (ST), non-OBC families with annual incomes of less than Rs 6 lakh would now be eligible for 10% reservations in government jobs and educational institutions. The legality of the decision is questionable, for reservations now exceed 50% cap set by the courts.

But expect political consequences.

India has witnessed a steady expansion of the framework of reservations. Originally meant only for SCs and STs to redress historic injustice, OBCs became eligible for reservation benefits. These were dominant rural castes, but did not have social assets which come with formal higher education and government employment. The number of groups wanting to be listed as OBC, or even SC or ST, steadily increased over the years.

Gujarats new decision now gives a tool to those who are in the general category in other states to seek their own inclusion in the reservation framework. Caste groups like the World Brahman Federation have often spoken of making economic status the basis for quotas instead of caste. In states like Uttar Pradesh, headed for polls next year, do not be surprised if powerful upper castes  Brahmans and Thakurs  begin political mobilisation around the issue.

The politics of the general category is driven by two key impulses. The first is resentment and a sense of victimhood about how they  the meritorious  lose out. The second is changing the political economy. Young people are moving from rural agrarian economy to an urban setting; there arent enough jobs in the private sector and thus, a government job becomes a key aspiration. Reservation is a tool to enable it.

But all of this has meant the original logic of reservations is now in question. As political scientist Pratap Bhanu Mehta has asked, Is reservation an anti-discrimination device? Is it to redress historical injustice? Is to overcome backwardness? Is it to create a middle class in each caste group? Is to ensure that the distribution of positions in state institutions should mirror the exact population mix? He believes it has moved to becoming essentially a power-sharing arrangement.

The Gujarat decision shows that rather than injustice and backwardness, a political assertion can win you reservation benefits. Other general castes are watching.

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The innards of a boat engine, and a fishing net. At Else, All Will Be Still, photographer and environment activist Ravi Agarwals show at Gallery Espace, the mundane tools of a fisherman transform into high art, where the colours and textures in the pictures are to be admired, and layers of meaning wait to be unraveled.

But what is high art for the urban spectator has a different meaning for the fisherman  for him, the engine and the fishing net only signify the daily struggles of earning a livelihood. The hues of the water, and that of the skies above in the photograph, The Sea, might be awe-inspiring beauty for the outsider, but the fisherman finds no romance in these sights. Or rather, he cannot afford to. So, how do they relate to the sea? Agarwal deliberates on this question in his work, and tries to tell a different story of the sea, and of the relationship of man with nature.

Read: Exploring the many lives of Mirza Ghalib

In Agarwals pictures, nature is not an object to be admired or enjoyed, it is, rather, a lived relationship. And one which is not bereft of the intersections of power, capital and technology.

For those who live near the sea, things are changing, he says. And worse, those whose lives are at stake are not even aware of this, says Agarwal, who heads the city-based NGO, Toxics Link. Exhibits at this show  photographs, videos, and even a wooden catamaran (planks of wood tied together to make for a simple boat on which fishermen venture out in the sea) embossed with poetry  started taking shape about two years ago in Pondicherry, when Agarwal met Selvam, a fisherman.

Read: View finder | The best of photo editor Deepak Puris archives on display

Through Selvam, who could speak a smattering of English, the photographer discovered that technology had not necessarily brought good fortune for the smaller fishermen. While those who had access to land and money bought bigger, more powerful boats with diesel engines  ones that could travel 20 km into the sea and withstand the rough waters  those who couldnt afford to do so have to be content with their wooden boats and smaller nets. Agarwal captures this hierarchy in Engines 20 km, the matrix of pictures of different engines tied to boats and covered with coloured plastic sheets. The fishermen have moved inside villages, while the shores have turned into places of retreats, with highly commercialised resorts, he says. For those such as Selvam then, its a struggle to keep their ties with nature intact. They may have moved inside the villages, away from the sea, but at night, the fishermen come to sleep at the beach, he says. Life may have changed, but the air on the beach is still cooler, and the sound of the waves still acts as a lullaby.

What: Else, All Will Be Still

Escape, 16, Community Centre, New Delhi

When: 11am - 7 pm

Till May 14, 2016

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This Sunday, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, will be face to face with Delhiites. It will be 78th time theatre enthusiasts in the city will peek into the life of the famous poet who has fans spanning generations. Ghalib, the play by Pierrots Troupe, portrays four phases of Mirza Ghalibs life. Veteran actor Tom Alter plays the eldest part.

Sayeed Alam, playwright and director with Pierrots says, The play is a portrayal of an average person who was an extraordinary poet. This Ghalib with all his flaws and strengths, says Alam.

Sometime in 1994, Alam, former journalist and political science lecturer met Ashok Purang, founder of the theatre group Pierrots Troupe in Delhi. Alam, who hails from Basti, Uttar Pradesh, pursued higher studies from Aligarh Muslim University. He spent much of his time in the University watching plays. In his meeting with Purang, Alam spoke vehemently about his disenchantment with the theatre scene in the capital. Based on the theatre he watched in Aligarh, he told Purang that he found Delhis theatre scene quite dull. I was mighty surprised to discover that 75 per cent of plays were adaptations of European plays. It spoke volumes about lack of creativity and originality. World- over, you find 75 per cent originals and rest adaptations, says Alam.

Read: Kathak, poetry and couplets to remember Mirza Ghalib

What also appalled him was how theatre was considered a directors medium.

Theatre personality M Sayeed Alam has carved a niche for himself by doing what he calls bio- theatre or plays centred on lives of significant historic personalities such as Iqbal, Maulana Azad, Ghalib, etc. (Saumya Khandelwal/HT Photo)

Alam, whose association with theatre until then was only as audience, joined Pierrots Troupe, as a playwright. Incidentally, the first project he worked on was Hindi and Urdu adaptation of Italian author and journalist Oriana Fallacis novel Letter to a Child Never Born. In spite of my grouse, Ashok sir said first play had to be an adaptation, recalls Alam.

Read: Film, couplets to pay tribute to Mirza Ghalib

In 1997, he directed Cut, Cut, Cut  a funny portrayal of backstage of a stage performance.

He has carved a niche for himself by doing what he calls bio- theatre or plays centred on lives of significant historic personalities such as Iqbal, Maulana Azad, Ghalib, Shahjahan and Mumtaz. Alam says he had a fascination for biographies from student days.

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Governor Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Raghuram Rajan in Bhopal stressed the need of launching a campaign to increase financial literacy among farmers and students.

Rajan expressed his views while meeting chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here on Friday.

As per the governments spokesperson, the RBI governor also said financial literacy should be a part of school syllabus and its draft was being prepared.

He also said assistance would be extended to banks to increase recoveries. Banking correspondents system would be strengthened and attention would be paid to training and certification.

He said after expansion of payment bank and mobile banking, status of payments under various schemes in villages would improve. District cooperative banks functioning should be streamlined further. Necessary infrastructure should be made available to micro, small and medium enterprises.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said states rating should be done on the basis of their financial condition. States with good financial condition should be encouraged.

CM said investment in all sectors was increasing in the state. Mukhyamantri Yuva Udyami Yojana had been implemented to promote young entrepreneurs. A roadmap had been chalked out in the state to double farmers income in 5 years. An ideological Mahakumbh was being held to give a global message for human welfare.

He said banks should make efforts to ensure that credit-deposit ratio of the state increases constantly. Cash availability in banks should be increased so that farmers can be paid amount against wheat procurement within 7 days. Refinancing from NABARD should be increased to 50%. It would benefit farmers.

Additional chief secretary Finance AP Shrivastava, RBI regional director Ajay Michhiyari, principal secretaries to CM Iqbal Singh Bains and SK Mishra, commissioner Industries VL Kanta Rao and principal secretary Cooperatives Ajit Kesari were also present on the occasion.
A team from the BKC cyber police station police on Saturday recorded the statement of actor Kangana Ranaut as part of their investigation into allegations and counter-allegations between her and actor Hrithik Roshan.

Hrithik had earlier filed a complaint with the cybercrime cell, claiming an imposter had been emailing Kangana from a bogus email id, pretending to be him.

Kanganas lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui questioned the genuineness of the entire complaint lodged by Roshan.

The five-member cybercrime team, which included three women, arrived at Kanganas Khar apartment to record her statement on Saturday evening.

Read: Black magic, physical abuse, Hrithik mania: Adhyayan Suman on Kangana

The team had sent her a summons, but Siddiqui replied saying that since she is a woman, her statement should not be recorded at the police station.

Apart from Kanganas, the police also recorded the statement of her sister Rangoli. Sources said the two women are witnesses in the case.

Their statements were recorded for over three hours, during which the police asked Kangana about her email exchanges with the alleged impersonator.

Read: Hrithik Roshans lawyer damns Kangana Ranaut leaked pic as a lie

Siddiqui told HT, We gave the police the time of 4pm and they arrived 45 minutes later. They were extremely happy with her statement as a lot of facts have come to light. Now, the genuineness of [Hrithiks] entire complaint has become more questionable.

Hrithik, in a letter to then commissioner Rakesh Maria and the BKC cybercrime division, had alleged that an impersonator was contacting his friends and fans using a bogus email address,hroshan@email.com.

Hrithik had earlier filed a complaint with the cybercrime cell, claiming an imposter had been emailing Kangana from a bogus email id, pretending to be him.

He said he learnt about the fake account when he started receiving calls from friends asking why he was not replying to their emails.

Kangana became involved in the case after email exchanges between her and the person behind the bogus email address were leaked in the media.

Curious case of imposter

The cyber crime police station recently registered an FIR against an unknown person for allegedly impersonating Hrithik by creating a fake email ID in his name and using it to communicate with his fans.

Hrithiks father, Rakesh Roshan, approached the police station recently with a written complaint reminding them of the complaint made in December 2014 to initiate action against the impersonator.

Read: Proud of my Bollywood journey, fun to be misfit: Kangana Ranaut

The Mumbai police then issued summons to Kangana, asking her to record her statement in connection with the case.

Kanganas advocate Rizwan Siddiquee had said that Kangana will not accept the summon as the cops have no legal right to ask her to appear before them.

The police then withdrew the summons and requested Kangana to record statement in the case.
Dressed in a white, off-shoulder gown, and seated on a sofa, Sonam Kapoor is a picture of radiance. While she has always been known for her sense of style, the actor has also progressively proven her talent by doing different kinds of films  from playing a small-town girl in Raanjhanaa (2013) to an airhostess in Neerja.

Read: Will never talk about my personal life, boyfriend, says Sonam Kapoor

We are seated in a hotel room, when the actor says she hasnt received a bad review for her performances in the past five years.

I have some time on my hands so shoot some questions my way and I will answer them in my App. Download link in my bio #SonamAppOut A photo posted by sonamkapoor (@sonamkapoor) on Apr 29, 2016 at 6:00am PDT

When asked if she ever feels pressurised to constantly look good because of the style icon tag, Sonam says, There is nothing in my life  including wearing clothes or acting in movies  that I do for other people. I do everything for myself.

Read: My personal life will never make for a newsworthy story, says Sonam Kapoor

Elaborating on the same, the actor explains, I do not believe in dressing up for somebody else or signing a movie for anybody. I do not believe in conforming and following [set norms]. I believe in doing things that make me happy. One day, if I decide to be in pyjamas, Ill wear them and come for an event. How I dress has nothing to do with what people think of me.

For the #hellohalloffame Beauty by @namratasoni in @naeemkhannyc styled by @rheakapoor #photography @thehouseofpixels A photo posted by sonamkapoor (@sonamkapoor) on Apr 11, 2016 at 8:27am PDT

Ask her if its possible for actors to function without managers and PRs today, and Sonam says, No, we cant. Theres too much media, and too many things that keep happening. We are professionals; we arent working in a cottage industry, but in a multi-crore industry. I think it is very important to work as professionals. You need these people to manage you and create your brand, so that when you have to work as an artiste, you can concentrate on that.

Read: Sonam Kapoors new fitness obsession is aerial yoga

Coming to her personal life, the actor has always maintained that she is guarded about it. Do incidents such as the Hrithik Roshan-Kangana Ranaut controversy convince her that its better not to reveal details about her relationships to the media? Not at all, says Sonam. I have been like this since I was 21. I have certain principles that I stand by. I believe in honesty, doing the right thing and not treading on other peoples toes to go ahead [in ones career].

In @eliesaabworld !!! Love this dress!!!! Styled by @rheakapoor assisted by @chandiniw and @vani2790 A photo posted by sonamkapoor (@sonamkapoor) on Mar 29, 2016 at 1:09am PDT

The actor goes on to say that because of these qualities, she has a positive image in the media today. I think theres a lot of positivity towards me in the media and on social media. I have never looked at the media as an enemy, because I dont have anything to hide. Theres no smoke without fire, she says.

Read: Sonam Kapoor reveals why Neerja isnt a Bollywood product

Talking about whether the PR machinery comes in the way of a journalists personal rapport with an actor, Sonam says, I dont think thats true. I have personal connections with journalists who care to have relationships with me, and vice versa. If they want to make a good copy with you, they need to nurture that relationship.

#nofilterneeded @namratasoni A photo posted by sonamkapoor (@sonamkapoor) on Mar 20, 2016 at 8:51am PDT

The Bollywood actor is currently in the news for having launched her app, which allows fans to get a sneak peek into her world, follow her fashion tips, and be in constant touch with her. Though its a given that only popular celebrities can have their apps, but Sonam doesnt consider herself a star.

Read: Sonam Kapoors new fitness obsession is aerial yoga

I dont think Im immodest enough to do that, she says, adding, I just know that there are a lot of like-minded people. They have the same kind of world view as me, and they follow me on social media. I do not look at them as people who are inferior to me. I look at them as equals. They might aspire to have a life like mine, but I might aspire to have a life like someone elses.
Its 3 pm on a scorching afternoon in the Sambhali Gate area of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. The lanes in this densely populated pocket of the city are silent except for a scrap dealer doing the rounds with his cycle cart. Sitting on the floor of the entrance corridor of her house, Arshi Hashmi, 42, is reading Khatoon Mashriq, one of the oldest surviving Urdu magazines for women. Creases appear on Hashmis forehead as she hears the whistle of a pressure cooker. She rushes to the kitchen. It is an addiction. Once you are hooked to it, you are in for your lifetime, says Hashmi, on her 20-year association with the magazine.

In an age of daily soaps and shrinking reading habits, a subculture of Urdu periodicals exists in Muslim households in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Hyderabad, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Odisha. Hashmis generation has grown up reading magazines such as Khatoon Mashriq, Pakeeza Anchal, Bano, Mashriqi Dulhan and Mashriqi Anchal delivered by postmen or bought from neighborhood markets. Not to mention hundreds of reading groups - many formed by women within the extended family - in which these magazines are exchanged.

Publishers of womens magazines in Urdu say that they are dependent on the current generation of readers who have been loyal to their magazines for decades; no new readers are getting added (Mohd Zakir/ Hindustan Times )

For the price of a basic McDonalds burger, readers get tips on fashion, cookery, embroidery and hairstyles, and a smattering of short stories, poems and translations of best-selling crime novels. Chances are that in almost every Muslim household, you will find a mother, grandmother or aunt who is a fan of these journals. They are to Urdu what Grihlakshmi and Grihshobha are to Hindi.

Click below to listen to an excerpt from a debate on purdah (veil) system published in Ismat magazine in 1935



The characters and their dilemmas set in traditional Muslim families have remained with me for years. They make up for the loss of cultural values we see around us, says Hashmi. Imagine a print version of the Zee Zindagi TV channel.

Commenting on the role of such publications, Gail Minault, professor emeritus, department of history at the University of Texas, Austin, US, noted in a 1998 essay on the subject, Like etiquette books, cookbooks, and various types of how-to-manuals, they constitute a vision of everyday reality that is hard to duplicate in other literary forms.

Once enjoying cult status due to the writings of influential Urdu authors such as Ismat Chugtai, Krishan Chander and Qurratulain Haidar, zanaana risaale (as the magazines are called in Urdu; literally, womens journals), however, they now face an existential crisis.

Khatoon Mashriqs office is in a dilapidated building in Matia Mahal, one of the bylanes of Old Delhi. Publisher Fareed Farooqui, 42, is shortlisting stories for the next edition of the 87-year-old magazine. From a peak circulation of 1.3 lakh, it is down to 35,000 - a death knell for a publication that survives on subscriptions. In 2013, Fareeds wife Shabana joined him after he had to let his team of eight go due to budget constraints. Farooqui says every time he thinks of shutting the magazine down, its legacy makes him change his mind. Iskaa naam poore Hindustan mein hai (It is popular across the country). Also, I dont have any other skill, he says.

He sees multiple sources of recreation and dwindling Urdu literacy among the masses as reasons for this genre of magazines staring at a bleak future. No new readers are getting added. Once the current crop of readers is replaced by the mobile and Facebook generation, publishers like us are going to be in trouble, he adds.

Khalid Mustafa Siddiqui, 76, managing editor of Pakeeza Anchal and a veteran in the Urdu publishing industry, set aside Rs 50 lakh in 2015 for his dream project, Khawateen Ki Duniya, a monthly magazine with production quality at par with mainstream magazines. He says he knew it would be short-lived but went ahead with it as a passion project. We had to cease publication after eight editions... but I have no regrets about launching it, says Siddiqui, sitting in his study in a plush apartment in South Delhis Friends Colony East.

Click below to listen to an excerpt of a short story from the May 2016 edition of Pakeeza Anchal

There are efforts underway to reinvent content, tone and style. Characters in many stories occasionally use English words that are added in the annotation along with the Urdu script.

In 2015, Khatoon Mashriq introduced a segment, Qalmi Dosti (Pen Friends) allowing readers to befriend people they find interesting. Mumbai-based writer Aftab Ajmeri, who helps film actors improve their Urdu pronunciation and has written dialogues for the TV serial Jodha Akbar, writes regularly for the magazine and says he keeps in mind the changing milieu. While I ensure that my stories have social messages, I cannot continue to use the tone and tenor that was in fashion five decades ago. The era of aap janaab is over. Even nawabs dont talk like that nowadays, says Ajmeri.

What Ajmeri describes as social messages, however, are perceived by many as stereotyping of women. The content is designed to create the idea of a perfect housewife. They occasionally talk of womens rights but there is complete silence about non-implementation of these rights. You will not find any holistic debate on triple talaaq, or articles on contemporary issues such as inter-community marriages or property rights of women, says Farhat Rizvi, a senior journalist based in Delhi who has been researching the Urdu media.

Rizwi says when she submitted pieces on such themes to some of these journals, publishers told her, Ye hamaare mijaaz ki cheez nahin hai (This is not in keeping with our character). In that context, she says, the approach is similar to the audience will not watch it argument of commercial filmmakers who avoid offbeat films.

The earliest womens periodicals in Urdu - notably, Tahzib-un- Niswan, Ismat and Khatoon - founded in the early 20th century in the backdrop of the Nationalist movement -- were more progressive. A piece in Ismat in 1935 made a strong case against the purdah (veil) system. We did not bother about the preaching of Quran and Hadith before imposing the purdah system and throttling the voice of women. Similarly, given the current social scenario, we should not consider religious scriptures and we should ban purdah with immediate effect. The community should realise that purdah is harming us socially, politically and economically, the article stated.

Click below to listen to an excerpt from an article on womens participation in Khilafat & Swadesi movements, carried in Ustani magazine in 1920

An essay titled School ki Ladkiyan (School Girls) in Tahzib-un-Niswan in 1927 noted, Those who oppose womens education keenly observe the circumstances and conduct of school going girls. If they find anything going against tradition, they blame it on education.

An edition of Ustani in 1920 documented in detail the participation of Delhis women in Khilafat and Swadesi movements.

Purwa Bharadwaj, who edited the Hindi transliteration of these magazines for Nirantar, a centre for gender and education, says these journals once contributed immensely to breaking the stereotypes of Muslim women. Earlier, the only two images which would come to ones mind were of a woman from royal family or a burqa-clad woman. These magazines made us understand that Muslim women were serious about crucial issues; had diverse aspirations and exposure to the world, just like women from other communities and sects.

Womens journals in the post-Partition era, however, were relatively moderate and inward-looking. They addressed Muslims in India who were experiencing seclusion.

The contemporary phase began in the early 1980s. This was when publishers of these magazines realised that while the popularity of the Urdu script was in decline, Urdu literary culture was gaining unprecedented popularity, says Hilal Ahmed, assistant professor at the Centre for the Study of Developing Studies.

Far removed from this literary discourse, in Moradabads Sambhal Gate, Hashmi is busy expanding her reading list. The other day, I came across a new risaala. I paid extra to the person at the book shop to get me all the previous editions, she smiles.

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News / National

by Staff Reporter

Minister of Rural Development, Promotion and Preservation of National Culture and Heritage, Abednico Ncube has told rural district councils not to behave like pressure groups.Ncube was responding to vehicle demands by councillors who had said they should be treated like legislators.Moses Gutu, the Nyanga RDC chairperson, said council chairpersons deserve equal treatment as Members of Parliament as in some cases they do a lot of work on the ground entailing a lot of movement.Gutu said councillors had a lot on their plate in terms of workload when compared to MPs, hence they deserve vehicles."In some instances, a councillor covers about five constituencies whereas an MP covers only one constituency. This means we travel a lot more than them. We're requesting that government puts utmost consideration into this issue as we wish to drive ourselves through our wards, just like MPs," he said.Responded Ncube "I would like to remind you not to behave like pressure groups or trade unions but work in support of government."As a Ministry we expect you to work hard in support of the government so that we develop and excel. Your agenda should be the same as that of government, hence when you make demands, let them be reasonable," Ncube said.
In a recent interview with Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic magazine, President Obama compared ISIS to the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). The Middle East is like Gotham, a corrupt metropolis controlled by a cartel of thugs. Then the Joker comes in and lights the whole city on fire, he said. The comparison demonstrated Obamas ability to simplify a deeply-convoluted political reality.

But clearly, there is more to the Middle East than this over-simplified comparison. For instance, why couldnt the Western powers foresee the implications of a Middle East governed by a cartel of thugs, the so-called kings and princes? Could anyone explain such abrupt love for democracy and human rights, that too for specific countries in the Middle East? The problem is that Western leaders are not willing to accept their poor understanding or their mistakes that have created an unprecedented catastrophe in the region. The mindless pursuit of national interest of some powerful nations is at the heart of man-made tragedies like the Syrian refugee crisis. Nicholas Henins Jihad Academy provides crucial insights into the mistakes of the Western nations, and urges them to look for early resolutions.

Read: Fighting Islamic State, ending blowback terrorism

Written before the Syrian refugee crisis and Russias intervention, the book is obviously bereft of any reference to these headline-grabbing developments. However, it does hint at the depth of the crisis. Incidentally, Henin was held captive by the Islamic State for 10 months along with two dozen Western hostages, including the Americans James Foley, Steven Scotloff and Kyala Muller, and the Russian Sergei Gorbunov. Henin was the only one to be released alive.

What makes his account particularly unique is that his book is not about his own experience of suffering at the hands of Islamic State, which is often the case with books written by victims. Instead, Henin has chosen to reflect on the larger issues concerning the conflict, the circumstances that led to the existence of Islamic State, and why and how it has had such a long lease of life. He places the blame squarely on the West. That the author has chosen not to make his unfortunate experience a marketable subject and has, instead, used it to reflect on the growing pattern of security crises causing larger humanitarian tragedies is especially worthy of appreciation. In his words, Once free, I soon felt shocked -- not by the cruelty of the ordeal I had undergone, but by the mistakes made by the entire international community, which had led the Middle East I love to such a momentous tragedy,

The chapter entitled Birth of a Jihadist is an interesting one. Here, Henin argues that since the Islamic State is a creation of the Syrian regime, the Assad regimes claim of fighting IS is bogus. His discussion of the Jihadi Highway, which several Jihadis used to pass through the Syrian-Iraqi region mainly to thwart American intervention in Iraq, is based on his meetings with Jihadists between 2002 and 2004 and, subsequently, during the Syrian revolution. He also discusses how the Syrian regime has supported Jihadi groups like Fatah Al Aslam in Lebanon. The Islamic state, according to Henin, is a bogeyman, on which Syrian warfare largely depends. The author is deeply skeptical about the Assad regimes intention to fight the Islamic State and cites much research to demonstrate this point.

Read: How the Internet helped Islamic State snag terror recruits in India

What are the Islamic States social and economic roots? Enough media reports point to the Islamic States grip on considerable resources that enable it to run its savage operations in various parts of Syria, Iraq and other regions. It also runs an effective trade network dealing in oil and arms in addition to the information network to figure out various Western strategies. Using a widely publicized report by Ruth Sherlock, Daily Telegraphs Middle Eastern correspondent, that shared secrets about the complex web of oil trafficking between the Syrian regime and the Islamic State, the author argues that the fight against the Islamic State is not just half-hearted but is also propelled by legitimate business interests. He also recognizes that American air strikes have aggravated human suffering, and that western interventions have given legitimacy to the Islamic State, and its recruitment processes. The Syrian regime, however, has been able to seek support from particular friendly regions with the help of financial support from Russia and Iran. In subsequent chapters, Henin explains how the Western understanding of security and jihadi violence barely recognizes the suffering of local people. He also blames the West for radicalization.

As things stand, the world could perhaps see the end of three distinct states including Syria, Libya and Iraq in addition to the perennially wounded Afghanistan and Pakistan. Yemen too could be added to this growing list. The failure of the global system of crisis management seems to have created more opportunities for conflict and an arms race than even the Cold War. Western powers do not seem to have any understanding of the Syrian refugee crisis. The allegation, therefore, that the West is not serious about this crisis, despite its engagement in the ceasefire, is credible.

This is an invaluable source for scholars of international security or jihadi politics. Henin uses primary sources such as his own interviews and the arguments of various experts on the region to advance his narrative. The reader also realizes that the institutions of the post-Second World War have been completely co-opted by Western powers driven by narrow-minded national interests. As a result, their methods of dealing with conflict have become redundant and have opened the possibility for more conflict of this type in the coming years. All in all, this book is an important contribution to the study of terror and the Islamic state.

Jihad Academy: The Rise of Islamic State

Nicolas Henin

Bloomsbury, London

Rs 399, PP 141

Dr Rehman is the editor Communalism in Postcolonial India: Changing Contours (Routledge 2016). He teaches at Jamia Millia Central University, New Delhi
When the NDA government first issued and then withdrew a visa to Chinese dissident leader Dolkun Isa last month, it was a tangle twice over  and a grim reminder that for Indias symbolic elephant, countering the Chinese dragon is as difficult as embracing it. India-China relations have a chequered history, and the faux-pas only brought into focus the need to calibrate relations with Beijing. It is a conundrum with several equations to be resolved. I would call it the algebra of 21st century geopolitics.

READ: Dolkun Isa suppressed facts while obtaining visa: India

Some of this has its roots in the Bandung conference of 1955, in which China and India warmed up and laid the foundations of the Non-Aligned Movement. That was also the Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai phase of the Nehru era. The subsequent flight of the Dalai Lama in 1959 to India queered the pitch for the two and the bitter fall-out of the 1962 war has left the festering wound of a border dispute.

All of that came back to haunt New Delhi this month, exactly 61 years after the Bandung conference, as if to suggest nothing has changed. But the truth is that a lot has changed while some things have not, and this requires diplomatic jugglery of a kind that the Modi government seems to find difficult.

Isa was invited for a conference at Dharamshala, the abode of the Tibetan government in exile, and you cannot expect Beijing to take kindly to an axis involving a man it calls a terrorist  though to the world he is a pro-democracy leader. Later in the week, Lu Jinghua, a well-known Tiananmen activist, said she was about to board a flight from New York when she was told her Indian visa was off.

READ: India cancels visas for Chinese dissidents Lu Jinguha, Ray Wong

India has become a strategic ally of the US, but China is no longer a fellow developing country like it was in the 1950s. From all indications, the Dharamshala conference had some Western blessing, which proves tricky. India needs to revisit the spirit of Bandung to be somewhat non-aligned in the China-US equations. I have reasons to believe New Delhi, instead of maintaining a measured equidistance, is falling between two stools.

This is a pity because a great start was made two years ago.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted President Xi Jinping in 2014 in a visit that began on Modis birthday. Eight months later, Modi went to China in a visually inspiring visit that saw him pose with the famous terracotta warriors at Xian.

But the Silk Route is decidedly slippery, and here is where hard facts intervene. India, Pakistan, China and the US now form a four-cornered trapezium in geopolitics. China and the US, the US and India, and India and China form separately significant economic alliances. On the other hand, Nepal and Pakistan have never hesitated to cosy up to China.

What last months events show is a decisive tilt that China has towards Pakistan. Its special equation with Maoist-tinted Nepal towers like the Everest, and needs no elaboration. The key point is that Indias friendship with the distant US cannot be allowed to spoil its neighbourhood peace. All the more so because the US heads for a tumultuous presidential race in which Donald Trumps rise as the Republican nominee is a big X factor in international relations.

Current events show India needs to be extra alert  but the kind of pussyfooting about we have witnessed between the South Block, which houses the ministry of external affairs, and the North Block, which houses the finance and home ministries, shows a state of drift.

Tongues are wagging that the flip-flop on Dolkun Isa was to pre-empt any embarrassment that President Pranab Mukherjee may face during his scheduled visit to China this month. Surely, this must have been factored in earlier in the calculations?

READ: Uyghur visa mess shows diplomatic chinks

Beijing, which blocked Indias attempts to declare Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist at the UN, describes the issue as a bilateral one between New Delhi and Islamabad. That probably wont wash if Azhars details were compared with those of Isa, but we are evidently constrained.

May I gently remind all that China took Aksai Chin in Kashmir after the 1962 war and in that sense is a part of the Kashmir problem and hence had to act more responsibly. But I am only too aware of Chinas famous silence and stubborn action on critical matters. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his counterpart held border talks this month with claims of progress but Beijing is not even including Aksai Chin there.

Now, shift the focus to Pakistan, where army chief Raheel Sharif has been raising his profile. He accuses India of challenging the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which will partly cover Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The corridor will connect to Pakistans Gwadar deep sea port, where Chinese workers are busy building infrastructure facilities. Sharifs raising the pitch against India can be directly linked to Chinese aid. The $46 billion promised by China is three times the amount Pakistan got as FDI in all of the past decade.

Let us shift attention to the economy. Indian IT companies and traders are active in China, while a host of consumer and mobile phone brands and equipment makers like Huawei are active in India. But there is the persistent complaint of Indias small and medium enterprises being hit by Chinese imports. Tyre manufacturers also want the government to impose an anti-dumping duty on Chinese imports. As a signatory to WTO rules, India cannot ban Chinese goods, commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman rightly told angry MPs last Monday. But on that very day, some electronic items, milk products and some steel products were banned over quality concerns. This can at best be called tinkering.

Why do I get this uneasy feeling that we seem helpless on so many fronts in dealing with the Chinese dragon? There is a clear China-Pakistan coalition and I am not sure if the governments virtual silence on the matter is due to discretion or ostrich-like ignorance. There is a need for a clear-cut China policy, keeping in mind the Pakistan axis, uncertainties in the US and threats to Indias economic welfare in a multilateral world.

Like I said, this requires an algebraic clarity. Maybe I can pun on myself for relief, and say we need a true Chinakyaniti for a new world. Sovereignty is supreme, and a healthy dose of responsible self-interest on the economic front may not be a bad thing after all.

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A Nepalese national was arrested with skins and parts of three leopards in Pithoragarh district on Friday.

A joint team of the Special Operation Group (SOG) police, forest officials and Delhi-based Wildlife Protection Society of India arrested Kashi Ram, a native of Anchal Mahakali in Nepal, who admitted to have killed big cats in Nepal. He was smuggling the parts via Kali River that divides Indo-Nepal border.

The accused was bringing the animal parts worth Rs 8 lakh from Nepal for sale in the district.

SOG in-charge Shishupal Rana told Hindustan Times: We have presented the accused before the chief judicial magistrate court. He is in police custody for 14 now. The skins of one male and two female leopards are about four months old.

On January 26, four people were arrested with seven leopard skins along with nails, four bones and skull in Kotdwar, Pauri. The seizure from Kotdwar was the biggest since state formation. The same day, a skin was seized from Dehradun.

Over 70 leopard deaths, 10 this year, were reported in the last two years.

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Changes are likely in the Delhi governments anti-corruption branch top brass in the next few days.

Police sources said additional commissioner of police SS Yadav, who was appointed by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to the anti-graft branch, is likely to be transferred.

The transfer of anti-corruption branch (ACB) chief Mukesh Meena, who was promoted to the rank of special commissioner is imminent, sources said. There is no sanctioned post for a special commissioner at the ACB.

Sources said that with Meena gone, the ACB would be directly under the control of SS Yadav, a 1997-batch IPS who is also due for promotion as a joint commissioner within the next few weeks.

To prevent an officer considered close to Kejriwal from heading the ACB, Yadav is likely to be replaced by Alok Kumar. Kumar is an additional commissioner rank officer presently posted at the special cell.

Getting Alok Kumar into the ACB is going to solve the problem. The Delhi government had alleged that Mukesh Meenas appointment by the L-G was wrong because there is no sanctioned post for him (Meena was a Joint CP when he joined). Meena managed to stay because there were other joint CP officers at the ACB in the past. Now that he has been promoted, the government is going to protest because neither the post for a special CP exists at the ACB nor has any officer of that rank served there to date, said a senior officer.

The ownership of the anti-graft unit has been a bone of contention between the Lieutenant Governor and the Delhi government for long. Within weeks of appointing Yadav, the ACB had launched an investigation into all the past cases registered at the ACB.

The ACB sleuths had arrested Delhi police personnel and registered FIRs against them. The Delhi police had termed these cases frivolous.

The Delhi government has in the past tried removing Meena from the ACB but the transfer orders issued by them was nullified by L-G Najeeb Jung.
A Delhi Police inspector was on Saturday arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of a married woman in north Delhis Sabzi Mandi area.

The inspector, Dinesh Kumar, is posted as the Station House Officer at Vijay Vihar Police Station in outer Delhi. He has been arrested under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of IPC this morning, DCP (North) Madhur Verma said.

A senior official said that a woman who allegedly hanged herself at her residence in Sabzi Mandi area two days ago left behind a suicide note alleging Kumar made her take the extreme step.

A probe into the matter was initiated and later a case was registered.

During investigation, it emerged that the deceased woman was the wife of one Ramniwas, who is a proclaimed bad character in areas under the jurisdiction of Vijay Vihar Police Station.

It also turned up that the SHO had severely thrashed Ramniwas after summoning him at the police station, following which he had to be admitted in hospital, the senior official said.

Following the instruction of a Joint Commissioner-rank officer, Kumar was detained for questioning at Sabzi Mandi Police Station yesterday night and arrested this morning.

A departmental inquiry has been initiated in connection with the matter and further investigation is underway, the official added.
They were among the best dressed in the market. Their fellow vendors envied their style as the trio went around selling fruits and vegetables dressed in Levis jeans and Polo shirts.

Little did they know that the trio  Sardar Valli Khan (36), Mohammad Nasim (21) and Phool Miyan (19)  were burglars, who had taken up day jobs as fruit vendors to build an alibi for themselves.

Delhi police on Saturday arrested the three men, all residents of Badaun in UP, and claimed to have solved six burglary cases reported from south Delhi.

Thirty stolen mobile phones, recharge coupons, nine expensive designer dresses and some tools used to break into houses and shops were recovered from them.

There was a rise in the number of incidents of burglaries around Masoodpur Market, Rangpuri and Mahipalpur and we formed a special team to apprehend the gang. Vigil was increased in these area, especially at night, and we talked to our sources to help crack the cases, DCP south, Ishwar Singh said.

He added: A police team came across some fruit vendors who lived a lavish life that couldnt possibly have been supported by their source of income. The police team developed intelligence and found that one of the suspects, Mohammad Nasim, wore expensive clothes he could not have possibly brought from his income. We brought him for questioning and he admitted to have stolen the clothes from a showroom.

An FIR was registered and eight customized sherwanis, 20 coats, 25 pants, 50 shirts worth `2 lakh he had stolen from different showrooms were recovered.

Mohammad Nasim admitted he was a fruit vendor in front of a showroom in Mahipalpur near Vasant Kunj and he really liked the clothes sported on the mannequins. He said he kept a watch on the movements of the owner. At night after the market shut down, he used to revisit the area and carry out the theft. In another incident, a CCTV footage caught Sardar Valli Khan, Nasim and Phool Miyan coming out of a second showroom with stolen goods. On Nasims instance, Valli Khan and Phool Miyan were arrested, Singh said.

The men used to hang out in front of showrooms in the garb of fruit vendors and kept a track on the movement of the owners. At night the men used to carry out the thefts and transport the stolen articles to Badaun, police said.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday a draft bill for full statehood of the Capital is ready, setting the stage for fresh conflict with the Centre ahead of municipal elections next year.

The draft legislation calls for statehood for all of Delhi except areas controlled by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which houses 1.5% of the citys 16 million residents, including top bureaucrats and ministers.

This will effectively mean bifurcation of the city administration.

Draft bill for statehood of Delhi ready. Will be soon placed in public domain for comments n suggestions from public, Kejriwal tweeted on Saturday.

The AAP is looking to use the statehood issue  one of its longstanding demands  to corner the BJP that controls the east, south and north municipal corporations. The two parties are locked in a tough battle in Punjab that goes to the polls next year.

As the national capital, Delhi has a unique constitutional position.

An elected city government looks after local administration but police, services, land and important agencies such as the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) are under the lieutenant governor, who reports to the Union home ministry.

This confusion is responsible for shoddy administration and rising crime in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party has repeatedly alleged.

If given full statehood, the DDA, law and order and the three corporations will come under the city governments jurisdiction. This will lead to better coordination, AAP says.

The issue of statehood is quite crucial for Delhi since a number of projects get delayed due to multiplicity of authorities, a Delhi government official said.

The bill is likely to be made public next week and will be forwarded to the Centre for approval after a month-long public consultation. Parliament will have to clear the final bill.

Granting full statehood to Delhi was one of AAPs poll manifesto promises in 2015. Kejriwal has repeated clashed with the Centre over the statehood issue in the past, issuing orders and transferring officers without the mandatory approval of L-G Najeeb Jung.

The draft is likely to have a provision for a separate police force for the NDMC area. The police of non-NDMC areas will come under the state government.

We have no problem with NDMC area as it is governed by a separate act. For non-NDMC area, there should be a unified body and separate police, which should be under the state government, the official added.

The draft will be posted on the website of Delhi government and city residents will have a say in whether the Capital should become a state or not.

Full statehood for Delhi has been a hot political issue since the Delhi assembly was formed in 1993. The BJP put it in their manifesto until the 2013 assembly elections but dropped it for the first time in the 2015 polls.
Finding a taxi in Delhi could become more difficult as nearly 50,000 diesel cabs will be off the roads in the national capital region (NCR) from Sunday. The Supreme Court ruled on Saturday that all diesel-run taxis must convert to green fuel CNG.

The top court refused to extend the deadline for commercial passenger vehicles to switch to CNG by April 30, a ruling aimed at reducing pollution in the Capital that has been ranked number one on a WHO list of cities with the foulest air.

Also, the ban on registration of diesel vehicles of 2000cc and above continues as the top court did not conclude its hearing on petitions challenging the restriction. The case will be heard again on May 9.

We are conscious and firm about our order. This argument of you having liabilities will not hold good. Ply these vehicles wherever you want to but not in Delhi-NCR, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur said at a special hearing on air pollution.

Read | No new diesel vehicles of over 2000cc in Delhi till March 31: SC

The taxi operators had pleaded for leniency, saying they were saddled with financial liabilities and have to altogether discard their cars as no technology is available to convert diesel-run vehicles to CNG.

In 1998, the SC said commercial passenger vehicles must run on CNG. Why did you buy diesel cars? We cant keep extending deadlines, the court said.

The ban will impact 35,000 diesel taxis registered in Delhi and app-based cab operators Ola and Uber. Ola has more than 5,000 diesel vehicles on its platform while Uber has 8,000.

The court exempted taxis with all-India tourist permit (AITP) from switching to CNG if they operate outside NCR.

The court-appointed environment panel has asked the city government to take an undertaking from AITP operators that they will not run their cabs on local routes to ferry people from Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and other satellite towns in NCR.

This will bring down the availability of cabs in the Capital as most diesel taxis ply on local routes.

Carmakers tried to argue that their new fleet is Euro-IV emission compliant. In Europe, your tall claims of vehicle emissions have fallen flat. They have turned to be false, the bench said, referring to the Volkswagen scandal without naming the German automaker.

The court had made it mandatory on December 16 last year for taxis to shift to CNG. It doubled the entry tax of trucks entering Delhi and ordered that 10-year-old commercial vehicles powered by diesel will be off the citys roads.

On March 31, the court extended the deadline for diesel-powered taxis to move to the green fuel.

As an incentive for commercial CNG vehicles, the bench on Saturday exempted them from paying environment compensation cess at toll booths before entering Delhi.

The court ordered the citys transport authority to get 250 Delhi Jal Board water tankers to replace the existing fleet, which is more than 10 years old. It also permitted the Delhi Police to purchase 190 new diesel vehicles with more than 2000cc engine capacity on payment of 30% cess to the state pollution control board.

The Centre got a piece of Chief Justice Thakurs mind on a suggestion to retrofit engines of old diesel vehicles. You people sit in air-conditioned offices, sip coffee and do nothing, he said.

Delhi transport minister Gopal Rai directed officials to catch diesel-run cabs plying on locals routes in the Capital on Sunday.

We will deploy our teams at several points. If a diesel cab is caught, our officials will ask commuters about the pick-up point and their destination following which it can be ascertained if it is following rules, an official said.

Read | Automakers fear big losses after NGT curbs diesel car sales

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Whatever happens between them, India and Pakistan should keep talking. Six former Indian envoys to Pakistan and an equal number of their Pakistani counterparts could agree on this after deliberations in New Delhi on Thursday and Friday.

As Shivshankar Menon, former Indian national security adviser and high commissioner to Islamabad, said, India-Pakistani relations are accident prone, but that doesnt mean we shouldnt make the effort.

This first-of-a-kind dialogue, organised by the Ananta Aspen Centre of India, ended with six of the participants holding a public dialogue, part of which was televised. Earlier in the day, they met national security adviser Ajit Doval and former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

While agreeing there was no excuse not to talk, on the specifics of bilateral relations, the two sides disagreed more often than not.

They did agree that nothing much had come out of the recent foreign secretaries meeting, though the Pakistani issuance of a statement 20 minutes into a 90-minute meeting had at least provided comic relief.

Said SK Lambah, one of the architects of the dialogue, The talks didnt take us much further, but the very fact they talked was good.

Noting how New Delhi has blown hot and cold in the past two years, Salman Bashir said, We in Pakistan are at a loss to understand if (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi has a Pakistan policy.

The Indian envoys pointed out that the uptick in violence along the Line of Control followed by the Pathankot attack had led Modi to make a U-turn on Pakistan.

Lambah, special envoy on Afghanistan and Pakistan and leader of the Indian delegation in the back-channel talks held during Singhs time, argued a successful dialogue needed four elements: a peaceful LoC, no cross-border terrorism, genuine investigation of the Mumbai and Pathankot attacks and the bringing of the guilty to justice.

T he back- channel, said Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, Pakistans envoy during the Kargil war, was dead, though it was part of a period, said Menon, of relative success between the two countries that needed to be recreated.

On Pakistans capture of Kulbhushan Jadhav, whom Pakistan accuses of being a RAW saboteur, Aziz Ahmed Khan declared Jadhav was the first proof of Indian interference in Balochistan.

G Parthasarathy rubbished the Pakistani claim, noting that Iran had confirmed Jadhav ran a shipping line in their country and there had been several previous attempts to kidnap him from their soil.
The police have arrested a 23-year-old IT engineer working in Delhi for allegedly uploading private pictures of a 20-year-old BTech student on social networking sites.

The photos were reportedly taken when they were in a relationship and uploaded on mobile photo sharing website  Instagram.

Police said the suspect is an engineer with a company in Delhi while the girl is a BTech first-year student at a private engineering college in Gurgaon. The accused and the complainant, both from West Bengal, were in a relationship but broke up recently, police said.

On Friday, the girl stated in a police complaint that the suspect uploaded her personal pictures on Instagram on April 24. The intimate pictures were clicked when both of them were friends, she said in the complaint. The girl alleged that the accused used to beat and intimidate her.

On the basis of the complaint, the police booked the accused under sections 323 (voluntary hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 66E, (violation of privacy) 67 (publishing material with obscene content), and 67A (publishing material containing sexually explicit content) of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

The accused was arrested from Delhi and produced at a local court that granted him bail on Friday, said Vikram Nehra, station house officer, Bhondsi police station.

The police seized the mobile phone which the accused allegedly used to upload the pictures. The officer said the pictures have been removed from the website.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

NetOne acting chief executive officer Brian Mutandiro has said the mobile network provider does not "just milk customers and abandon them in their hour of need."Mutandiro said this while donating mealie meal to nearly 2,000 households in Insiza South, one of the areas hardest hit by the current drought.Each household in wards 6 and 7 received a 10kg packet of the staple food.Mutandiro said the telecoms company would continue assisting communities in dire need whenever possible."As NetOne, we do not just milk our customers and abandon them in their hour of need. We are cognisant of the devastating effects of this drought and also more importantly to us, the loyalty of the people of this constituency to our brand. NetOne is a network for the people and it provides the widest coverage in our country, our footprints are all over."
A 25-year-old Saudi Arabian died after his superbike, a Suzuki Hayabusa, crashed into a divider on the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road on Saturday.

The police have identified the deceased as Salman Hussain Falarjani, who worked as a counsellor in the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Delhi and lived in Ambience Island in Gurgaon.

The police said the man was riding his 1300cc white Suzuki Hayabusa with four other bikers around 8:15am when his two-wheeler hit a divider at a U-turn near Bandwari crossing on the GurgaonFaridabad Road, leaving him severely injured.

His friends rushed him to Paras Hospital where he succumbed to injuries a couple of hours later. The police said the body will be handed over to the Saudi Embassy after a post-mortem examination on Monday.

His friends said that he was driving at a normal speed when his two-wheeler hit the divider near Bandhwari crossing. The post-mortem examination formalities will be completed on Monday, Amit Kumar, station house officer of DLF Phase 1 police station, said.

The police were informed about the accident around 10:45am. Before the police team from DLF Phase 1 police station could reach the hospital, Salman succumbed to injuries around 11:45 am.

The two-wheeler with a Delhi registration number was purchased in 2016.

We generally book bike riders for rash driving under IPC 304A (causing death due to negligent driving). Apart from that, the police also impound the vehicle and impose a fine on the vehicle owner. But, we cannot keep a watch on bikers all the time, an officer said.
The Office co-creator Stephen Merchant has joined the cast of Wolverine 3, the final movie in which Hugh Jackman will star as Wolverine.

Read: Hugh Jackman reveals Wolverine 3s first teaser image

The British comedian, known for his work with Ricky Gervais, is the latest name to join the cast of the X-Men spin off, reported Deadline.

Read: Final X-Men: Apocalypse trailer sidelines Professor X, teases Wolverine

Few details about Merchants role have been released. Richard E Grant has also signed up to play a villainous mad-scientist type in the new instalment.

Narcos star Boyd Holbrook, 34, will also portray a bad guy, while franchise regular Patrick Stewart will return as X-Men leader Professor X.

Read: The Wolverine 3 adds an extra special character...

Wolverine 3 is expected to be Hugh Jackmans last outing as the character, a role he has played since 2000.

The film, directed by James Mangold, is scheduled to be released in cinemas in March next year.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
The BJP and Shiv Sena have welcomed the Bombay high courts order on the scam-tainted Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai, while the Congress, which was haunted by the multi-crore case leading to the resignation of Ashok Chavan as Maharashtra chief minister, said the ruling on demolition has nothing to do with the party or its leaders.

This is a historic decision by the High Court. This is the first time the Court has ordered the demolition of the building, almost 30 years after Pratibha (a housing society off Warden Road) was demolished. This is a heavy blow to corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. Now (ex-CM) Ashok Chavan will have to face and answer more tough questions as he had given the required sanctions to construct the (housing) society, BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said on Friday.

Read: Bombay HC orders demolition of Adarsh Housing Society building

However, Chavan, who had to step down as CM in 2010 in the wake of the controversy and is facing prosecution in the case, told PTI: I have not received the copy of the order. Unless I get it in my hand, I cannot comment on the issue.

BJP leader Prem Shukla said: Adarsh tower was erected on the corruption culture which was rampant in the Congress and High Court has stamped it. Also, it should not be forgotten that it was the Congress which appointed Ashok Chavan, who lost his Chief Ministership on account of Adarsh scam, as the partys state unit chief later.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe said the court order has exposed the cancer of corruption during the previous Congress-NCP regime.

While in Opposition, we had raised this issue time and again in the State Legislature. The Commission set up by the previous government just before elections had tried to give them a clean chit against which we had raised our voice, Gore said.

Read: Adarsh order may spell trouble for 200 Navi Mumbai buildings

HC has been very clear in its decision. It reaffirms the irregularities and has exposed the cancer of corruption prevalent during the Congress-NCP government, she added.

Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said his party will continue with its legal battle to prove innocence of its leaders.

The Congress party and our leaders have nothing to do with the demolishing of the building. The matter is between the petitioners and the High Court. As far as our leaders are concerned, we will fight the legal battle to prove we have not been involved in any wrongdoings, Sawant said.

However, former Union minister Milind Deora tweeted, Adarsh verdict sends a strong message to bureaucrats & ALL political parties: the days of profiting from government land are long gone.
Charging the BJP of playing divisive politics, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi blamed the caste friction in Haryana on the national party on Friday.

Gandhi said the violence over reservation for Jats was the premeditated handiwork of BJP, and was a replica of the Gujarat model of disruptive politics, indicating the 2002 Godhra incident that led to the communal riots. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was chief minister of the state at the time.

I am not just insinuating. I am saying this very clearly that there is a clear design to divide people on caste and community lines by the BJP, he said while interacting with journalists at his Tughlak road residence.

Citing a lack of violence during the Congress almost decade-long rule in Haryana, Gandhi said, I see a well thought out design here. The BJP has been in power in the state for just 18 months and the state is already burning.

As for his rather muted response when Haryana was in turmoil, Gandhi said he wanted to visit the state and interact with people but could not due to unavoidable circumstances.

The leader further accused the saffron party of believing in a centralisation of power and ideas.

Theres no conversation going on there. This breakdown of conversation or lack of it has left Kashmir and Haryana burning.

Training his guns on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) too, the BJPs ideological progenitor, Gandhi said the problem was that neither organisation is ready to listen to people or even their party men. I often interact with RSS people in Lok Sabha on several issues. And at the end of it, their response is  you will not understand. They are so full of themselves and believe they know everything. This attitude is ruining the country. There is no dialogue at all.

On brother-in-law Robert Vadra and other BJP allegations

During the interaction, Gandhi had to field questions of his brother-in-law currying favours with the Congress government in Haryana over land deals. But he deftly deflected them by turning them back on the NDA.

If that is the case, why the BJP government in the state has not initiated any legal action even after 18 months of their rule? Why dont they produce the evidence, Rahul asked.

He even took a dig at the party for their allegations of him holding UK citizenship.

As for the ongoing slugfest over the AgustaWestland scam, Gandhi alleged the BJP-led NDA was dredging up the issue to divert attention from real problems.

The BJP knows very well that we are going to raise the Gujarat oil scam and nail the perpetrator. So in comes Subramanian Swamy who is very deft at using such diversionary tactics.

Going solo in Uttar Pradesh

The Congress vice-president said the party will go it alone in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections this time. You might think I am crazy when I say that we will not have an ally in UP. But thats how its going to be.

As for their humiliating defeat in the Delhi assembly polls, he said the party paid the price for its arrogance.

He further thanked Modi for the 2014 election experience, stating it made him a better politician.

The more heat they (BJP) generate the more refined I will emerge, he said.

Shift in Punjab

Focus has been growing on Punjab that goes to polls early next year, aside from Uttar Pradesh. Parties like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have been attempting to build their voter base there. However, Gandhi claimed there was a shift in favour towards the Congress in the past week. He further alleged AAP-chief Arvind Kejriwal was pumping money earned from Delhi in to Punjab poll campaign.

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The CBI on Saturday questioned former deputy air force chief JS Gujral over his participation in a 2005 meeting where a key technical specification was tweaked that allegedly enabled UK firm AgustaWestland (AW) to bag a deal with India in 2010.

Air marshal (retired) Gujral, who was responsible for procurements, was questioned for nine hours at the agencys headquarters and has been called again.

He was asked about the circumstances under which the March 1, 2005, meeting was convened by then National Security Advisor and the rationale behind reducing the service ceiling of 6,000m to 4,500m, said a CBI source.

Service ceiling is the optimum height at which a chopper can fly.

The alteration allegedly helped AW bag the contract even after its chopper was disqualified by the air force in 2002 as it could only fly at 4,500m. Its subsequent plea for a re-consideration was also rejected.

Gujral attended the March 2005 NSA meeting and was asked for information and clarifications related to the earlier meeting, said the source.

Sources said Gujral cooperated and clarified on the role played by those in the decision-making chain, including air chief marshal SP Tyagi (retd).

The CBI is assessing Gujrals role and whether his testimony could be treated as a witness account. Sleuths are also analysing the records to decide the charges to be pressed against the accused named in the FIR, including former IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi (retd), and his three cousins.

The agency has also summoned Tyagi for re-examination on Monday over allegations that he received bribe from AW, via his three cousins, to help reduce the service ceiling.
The Congress demanded on Saturday an apology from BJP chief Amit Shah for his politics of deceit and attempts to create a smokescreen to befool the people on the controversial AgustaWestland helicopter deal.

For its part, the BJP fired a fresh salvo at the Congress chief, alleging that Sonia Gandhi had overridden then defence minister AK Antonys objection to the tainted manufacturer conducting field trials abroad for the helicopter.

Who in the UPA government or who in the Congress other than Sonia Gandhi and her adviser Ahmad Patel has the authority to override Antony? The only one who could tell him to keep quiet, who could silence him was Sonia Gandhi, party spokesperson GVL Narsimha Rao said.

The Congress remained unfazed and asked if the Narendra Modi governments defence procurement procedure doesnt provide that trial can be carried out abroad.

In Thiruvananthapuram, Antony dared the BJP-led government to take strong action against bribe givers and takers if there is any evidence.

As the BJP tried to drag Gandhi into the controversy, the main opposition party accused the BJP-led NDA government of allowing Finmeccanica, the Italian parent company of AgustaWestland, to participate in 2015 Aero India show. The Congress asked why companies related to AgustaWestland were allowed to take part in Prime Minister Modis Make in India projects.

AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Italian defence giant Finmeccanica, allegedly paid Rs 375 crore as bribe to secure a Rs 3,727-crore contract to supply 12 VVIP choppers to the air force. The previous UPA government scrapped the deal over charges of kickbacks to Indian agents.

The controversy resurfaced this April after an Italian court found two company executives guilty of corruption. Since then, the BJP and Congress have been trading charges.

Can smear campaign and hatchet jobs of BJPs dirty tricks department defend the Operation Cover-up of its government in helping AgustaWestland? asked Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala. The BJP government and its leaders need to introspect whether mudslinging and muckraking can ever replace the truth?

The Congress contested the governments clarification, denying allegations linking former air force chief SP Tyagi with national security adviser Ajit Doval and Prime Minister Modis principal secretary Nripendra Mishra. It asked the Prime Minister to reveal the connection, if any, that his government has with Tyagi, who is an accused in the chopper deal.

Surjewala posed a number of questions to BJP chief Shah, who reportedly dubbed AgustaWestland and Finmecanica as bogus companies. Will Amit Shah and BJP answer why the same fraud company was permitted to be part of the PMs Make in India programme and participate in Aero India show? he asked.

In Dehradun, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said investigations will make it clear how kickbacks were paid and to whom. But the manner in which the deal was inked and efforts were made to favour a particular company will have to be explained by those in power at the time, he said.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley refuted the Congress argument that AgustaWestland was blacklisted during the UPA rule and that the NDA lifted it. This is a figment of somebodys imagination, he said in Kerala.
Jawaharlal Nehru University students union president Kanhaiya Kumar morning arrived in Patna on Saturday on a two-day visit during which he will address meetings, meet top state leaders and travel to his native village in Begusari district.

Hundreds of youths, mostly students wing members of left parties, welcomed Kanhaiya Kumar when he arrived at Patna airport.

Kanhaiya, who was arrested on the charge of sedition in February in connection with an event on campus against hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, was released on bail in March.

Kanhaiya is scheduled to meet Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and other leaders who had supported his campaign against fascist forces.

He is also likely to meet BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha.

Kanhaiya will address a meeting at the SK memorial hall in Patna on May 1 with Azadi being the dominant theme of his discourses.

Kanhaiya is also likely to visit his village Bihat in Begusarai to meet his parents.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi on Sunday where he will launch solar-powered boats for plying on river Ganga apart from distributing 1,000 e-rickshaws.

The Prime Minister will arrive at the Babatpur airport from New Delhi by a special aircraft and will leave by helicopter for Ballia in eastern Uttar Pradesh to launch the Pradhanmantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).

The PMUY scheme aims to provide free LPG connections to about five crore families living below poverty line across the country.

From Ballia, the Prime Minister will fly back to Varanasi where will preside over a function to distribute 1000 e-rickshaws to beneficiaries at Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) ground.

Modi will then visit Jnana Pravaha, a centre of cultural studies and research, in Samne Ghat area. The centre was founded in 1997 by city-borne philanthropist Bimla Poddar, who was conferred with Padma Shri last year.

The Jnana Pravaha boasts of a museum with rare artefacts belonging to ancient and medieval ages, a library equipped with rare books and manuscripts and a handicraft atelier where artisans churn out exquisite specimens of brass, copper and Ashtadhatu (alloy comprising eight metals).

The Prime Minister will thereafter head to the Assi Ghat on river Ganga, where he will launch 11 solar-powered e-boats.

Widespread use of motorboats, mostly powered by diesel, has been a cause of concern in view of the alarming pollution level in the holy river. The introduction of e-boats is being seen as a remedial measure.

This will be the Prime Ministers third tour of his parliamentary constituency since January this year.
Nitish Kumar government in Bihar rolled out the red carpet for Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar who is on his first visit to his home state after release from jail on charge of sedition.

Kanhaiya was escorted by the policemen at the airport on his arrival from New Delhi and the JNUSU president moved with a convoy of security personnel in the capital.

Kanhaiya hails from Begusarai district of Bihar.

He is on a two-day tour of his home state and met both Nitish Kumar and RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav.

The two leaders had supported him when he was sent to Tihar jail on sedition charge and the JNUSU president met them at their residences.

The high-profile welcome to JNUSU president triggered reaction from political parties.

Read | JNU sedition row: Kanhaiya on indefinite hunger strike against fine

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar meet with RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav in Patna on Saturday. (PTI)

Questioning the welcome accorded by the Nitish Kumar government to a person charged with sedition, opposition BJP said it was a day of shame for the state.

Defending the welcome, state minister and Bihar PCC president Ashok Choudhary said Kanhaiya was a native of the state and since he was attacked earlier in Delhi and elsewhere it was proper to provide him fulproof security to avoid any such recurrence.

His party colleague and minister Madan Jha also echoed similar views.

Read | Kanhaiyas book to launch on digital platform Juggernaut

JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar cited attack on Kanhaiya in Patiala court for the security cover provided to him.

Later, the JNUSU president attacked the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for growing intolerance in the country.

Intolerance has increased in the country in the past two years under BJP government.

On total ban on liquor in Bihar, he said ideally it would have been left to individual freedom whether to drink or not.

But in larger context considering domestic violence due to alcohol in households in a state like Bihar ban is right.

Read | JNU rusticates Umar, Anirban for a semester; Kanhaiya fined Rs 10,000
The four suspected Pakistani terrorists killed in the Pathankot airbase attack in January are likely to be buried because its becoming a challenge to preserve their rotting bodies in the mortuary.

The bodies have started to decompose as the freezers in a Pathankot hospital mortuary, where they are kept, dont work efficiently because of frequent power cuts. Besides, it takes 11 policemen to guard the corpses, which Pakistan has not shown any inclination to accept.

Unbearable stench is emanating from the bodies. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has collected the DNA samples, fingerprints and other evidence necessary for identification of the bodies and shared these with the Pakistani joint investigation team (JIT), a senior official said.

Read | Pak accuses India of engaging in blame game over Pathankot attack

The four alleged members of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group were killed after they attacked the airbase on January 2.

The bodies were not immediately shifted to the freezer, the official said. For almost five days they were kept in the open.

Officials will soon identify a place for the burial.

When the Pakistani probe team visited India in March, Indian authorities offered to take the officials to the mortuary. The JIT members laughed at the offer and asked for the DNA samples instead, which were provided to them, home ministry officials said.

Read | Parrikar slams Pakistan for not acting on Pathankot evidence

The NIA identified the attackers as Nasir Hussain of Mohammad Chak in Vehari, a town 100km from Multan in Pakistani Punjab; Hafiz Abu Bakar of Gujranwala in Punjab province; Umer Farooq of Shahdadpur in Sindh; and Abdul Qayum of Chachar in Sindh.

NIA chief Sharad Kumar refused to comment on the agencys plan to dispose of the corpses.

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News / National

by Thobekile Zhou

A Zimbabwean has reportedly been found dead in a South Korean hotel.The deceased is said to have been working for a Hwange company dealing in transformers, Bulawayo24.com heard on Saturday.Details of the cause of death are not yet clear.
Congress on Saturday announced a gherao of Parliament on May 6 to highlight issues like Uttarakhand, drought and the campaign of deceit and deliberate lies against opposition, amid escalating confrontation with the government.

Party chief Sonia Gandhi, vice president Rahul Gandhi and a host of other leaders and party workers would march from Jantar Mantar early morning on next Friday to gherao Parliament.

Last year, the Congress had organised a rally at Ram Lila grounds on April 19 to protest the controversial land acquisition bill which it had dubbed as anti-farmer and pro-corporate.

Before that Sonia Gandhi had led a march of opposition leaders to Rashtrapati Bhawan on the issue.

The announcement was made by party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, who said the gherao would be the culmination of a save democracy march.

He said it is being undertaken in the wake of attempts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government to topple duly elected governments as was witnessed in the conspiracies in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

In an apparent reference to the AgustaWestland issue, he said the march was also against the drama being enacted by the BJP and the government and the campaign of deceit and deliberate lies launched by it.

Surjewala said that the march was also to highlight the drought and the agrarian crisis that has forced a spate of suicides by farmers and has affected 40 crore people spread over large number of states.

A party leader said workers from adjoining states like Haryana, Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh would participate in the protest action.

Sonia Gandhi, who took over as party chief in March 1998, had that year led a march of party workers in Delhi on the issue of price rise. That time the A B Vajpayee government was at the helm.
When Vinod brought home his 17-year-old wife last September, little did he know he was committing a crime that would land him in jail for months.

A 21-year-old Paniya tribal youth from north Keralas Pachilakkad, Vinod was simply following community customs dating back centuries, where the age of the bride is immaterial and marriage allowed post puberty.

But two days later, he was picked up by police and charged under Indias tough new child abuse law.

He hadnt heard of the 2012 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso) before.

He isnt the only one. Last month, a tribal youth, Babu, was sentenced under Pocso to 10 years in prison for raping his underage wife in spite of the woman pleading before court to let him go.

Dozens of young tribal men in Keralas Wayanad district have been charged under Pocso in the past three years but local residents say the boys were merely following tradition that doesnt recognise modern definitions of adulthood.

They allege the tough law  brought in to crack down on rising child sexual abuse cases  was being misused by police as local tribal population had little awareness.

When even those in cities are not aware of Pocso, how can you expect tribals to know about it when there are no awareness programmes? said Dr Hari PG, a tribal activist.

Vinods friend Shibu found out about the law inside jail once he remanded to prison for two months under Pocso.

Our parents dont interfere when we bring our partners home and age is not usually their primary concern. We are not justifying child marriage but pointing out the lack of awareness of laws like Pocso among our community, said

Biju, an activist from the Paniya tribe.

A majority of tribal youth in Keralas prisons come from the Paniya tribe, a 98,000-strong community that were mainly bonded labourers for centuries. Most are still landless with 30 families often dependent on half an acre of land.

In 2015 alone, 12 child marriage cases among tribals were registered in the state, according to official Child Welfare Committee(CWC) estimates.

Tribals make up nearly a tenth of Indias population and live mainly in rural and forested regions, following customs that are often at odds with modern laws.

Their poverty and lack of formal education aggravate the problem of obtaining bail. Vinod pledged the title deeds of his aunts property and Shibu mortgaged his mothers land.

Considering their past as bonded labourers, it would be difficult for them to claim land even under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), says Sheethal at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

The arrests have triggered mass protests. On April 11, hundreds of tribals walked to the special Pocso court in Wayanad town  a rally made conspicuous by the unusual absence of mainstream political leaders in election season.

Wayanad district collector Keshavendra Kumar -- also the head of the district SC/ST monitoring committee -- directed police to abstain from using Pocso on customary tribal child marriages occurring with the support of family.

We have taken up the issue with the ST and law department. If there is any doubt whether Pocso should be invoked in a case, police can refer it to the district government pleader or bring it to the notice of the district level committee, said Kumar.

In the future, such cases will be addressed within the bailable provisions of the British-era Child Marriage Restraint Act, said Pocso special public prosecutor Venugopal.

But relaxing the norms for tribals has sparked criticism. Wayanad CWC chairperson Father Thomas Joseph said the law was acting as a deterrent. Statistics that claim 30-60 tribals are undergoing Pocso imprisonment is exaggerated. If bail provisions give them trouble, it can be addressed legally, he said.

Babu Narikuni of the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights argued for more awareness instead of doing away with Pocso. We found several cases were not customary marriages, but rather 13-year-old girls marrying 30-year-old men, he said.

Senior lawyer Kaleeswaram Raj noted the issue called for a realistic approach. If there is no malicious intention behind their practices, the executives should see it as a part of a custom and not a penal offense, he said.

(Vaisakh E Hari is based in Thiruvananthapuram)
The Congress partys claim that its government blacklisted an Italian armament company at the centre of a corruption scandal was a figment of imagination, said finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday.

AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Italian defence giant Finmeccanica, allegedly paid more than Rs 375 crore as bribe in a deal to supply 12 VVIP helicopters to the Indian Air Force. The deal was scrapped in 2014.

The issue rocked the ongoing Parliament session after a Milan court convicted two Italian officials for bribing Indian officials and politicians to secure the Rs 3,727-crore contract in 2010.

Read: In 5 points: All you need to know about AgustaWestland deal

The buck stops with those who took the decision and the decision was influenced by bribery. The fact that there was bribery is unquestionably there.

There is a transaction in which bribe-giver is being convicted. We are only struggling to find out the identity of the bribe-taker, Jaitley said in Thiruvananthapuram.

Jaitley, a former defence minister, was interacting with the audience after releasing the National Democratic Alliances (NDAs) vision document for the May 16 Kerala assembly polls.

Strangers dont get bribes. Those who influenced decision get bribes, he said.

Although the Italian court did not indict any Indian politician, the ruling BJP has sought to corner the Congress over references in the court documents to middlemen talking about Signora Gandhi - believed to be Congress president Sonia Gandhi - being the driving force behind the deal.

Jaitley also said blacklisting of a company takes place if guilt is established. He said the defence minister of the UPA regime had passed an order saying that all contracts with Agusta should be put on hold in May 2014 when its ouster was imminent.

After the NDA came to power, a detailed order putting on hold all transactions with Agusta was passed on June 9, 2014. The matter was referred to the attorney general, who said the past supplies might require some repairs and spare parts.

Read: BJP refutes Congresss charge of slowdown in AgustaWestland probe

Defence prepardness of the country may be hurt if we stop that also...Therefore those can go on, but future contracts shall be put on hold till the matter is investigated, Jaitely said, adding an order in this regard was passed on July 3, 2014.

Former defence minister AK Antony, who was in office when the controversial deal surfaced, said AgustaWestland was now involved in the Make in India campaign of the Modi government.

We request the government not to involve this company in the Make in India campaign, said Antony.

He said during the trial in the Italian court, the CBI and ministry of defence officials participated at every stage.

All the witnesses were cross-examined and no names were revealed, he said, even as his party dared the government to take action against the culprits within two months.

Read: Come out with AgustaWestland deal truth in 2 months: Congress dares govt

Wont lie low: Swamy rocks Rajya Sabha over AgustaWestland on first day
The police have registered a case after a groom was injured in celebratory firing during a wedding ceremony in Haryanas Hisar.

We have registered a case on the basis of the statement of the injured persons father, station house officer Mandeep Singh told ANI.

#WATCH: Groom injured in celebratory firing during a wedding ceremony in Haryana's Hisar (28.4.16).https://t.co/iOOBggZsaO  ANI (@ANI_news) April 30, 2016

The incident comes after another man was hit and killed by a bullet apparently fired by celebrating members of his wedding party in Uttar Pradesh in February. The groom, who fell from his horse after being hit, was taken to hospital in Lucknow where doctors declared him dead.

Although outlawed, celebratory firing at weddings and other events is common in the country, across South Asia and in other regions.

In February, an eight-year-old boy was killed in Shamli district when ruling political party workers fired shots to celebrate their victory in municipal elections.
Over the past few months Virat Kohli has shown that there is always place for classical batsmen in the shortest format. T20 is not all about slam-bang from the word go.

On Friday, Steve Smith corroborated Kohli. The Australian is not a big hitter, but his orthodox approach with a touch of aggression helped the Pune side put on a decent total and also made him the third batsmen to score a century in this edition of the IPL. He finished with 101 off 54 balls, his best in 53 outings in the league.

During his innings, he made sure he put the loose balls away, was quick off the blocks to take those singles and twos and in between, hit some classical shots which would have delighted the purists as well.

The conditions were to his liking as well with the ball coming on to the bat much quicker than it had done in the two previous matches. Even luck went his way as he was called back after being bowled by left-arm chinaman bowler Shivil Kaushik as replays showed it was a no ball. That was the only time when he went for a cross-batted heave and for the rest of the match stuck to the tried-and-tested shots down the ground or in the mid-wicket region.

As if to compensate, Smith hit the very next delivery bowled by the debutant for a six. It was Smiths first six of the tournament and he went on to hit four more.

Smith, the most experienced of the foreigners in MS Dhonis squad after the departure of Kevin Pietersen and Faf du Plessis though injuries, showed urgency in his batting but never really looked as if he was going overboard; controlled aggression, one would say.

He got a loose one on the legs to start with, which he glanced to the boundary and from there he never looked back.

As the innings progressed, even James Faulkner and Dwayne Bravos slower ones didnt deter him. It was a crucial innings for him from the Australian point of view as well as he had a sedate outing in the recent World T20.

Smith was in his element on a ground where he once used to be a substitute fielder during his time with the now defunct Pune Warriors.

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On a downward spiral after suffering their fifth loss of the season, debutants Rising Pune Supergiants will look to plug the holes in their bowling to get their campaign back on track when they face title-holders Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Pune on Sunday.

Led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rising Pune Supergiants have not had the best start in their debut season, losing five of the seven matches they have played so far.

The Pune outfit is presently languishing at the sixth spot in the eight-team standings with just four points, while the Mumbai Indians are third with eight points from as many games.

With the business end of the tournament nearing, time is running out fast for Pune to get a series of wins and return to the top four.

On Sunday, Pune will fancy their chances against Mumbai, having comfortably defeated them by nine wickets in the tournament opener.

But it will be easier said than done as Dhoni faces the uphill task of selecting a balanced bowling combination which can deliver results for him.

The absence of two main players in Faf du Plessis and Kevin Pietersen, who have been ruled out due to injuries, notwithstanding, Punes batting unit has lived up to its reputation with Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith and Dhoni himself delivering the goods for the side.

Punes batting will also be bolstered by the inclusion of Australian Usman Khawaja, who replaces du Plessis.

Rahane has been among the runs, scoring another half-century against Gujarat Lions, but going into Sundays game the most heartening fact for Pune will be Steven Smiths 101 off just 54 balls on Friday in a losing cause.

And thats the reason why the bowling is Dhonis biggest worry.

Despite putting up 195 for three on Friday, Pune bowlers failed to defend the score against Gujarat, losing the match by three wickets in a last-ball finish.

The likes of Albie Morkel, Ashok Dinda, Thissara Perera, and Ravichandran Ashwin all went for runs.

Rajat Bhatia and young spinner Murugan Ashwin showed some restraint but what is hurting Pune the most is the poor form of R Ashwin.

On the other hand, Mumbai Indians are on a high with back-to-back victories over Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders in their last two games.
Baaghi: A Rebel For Love

Direction: Sabbir Khan

Actors: Tiger Shroff, Shraddha Kapoor, Sudheer Babu

Rating: 2/5

Baaghi: A Rebel for Love is a mostly ridiculous film powered by the poetry of Tiger Shroff.

Tiger is the Platonic idea of a Bollywood action hero. He romances and dances with utter conviction. His expressions wobble in dramatic scenes but his sincerity carries him through. And then theres the action. Tiger breaks bones with the grace of a ballet dancer. He pirouettes and swivels and glides and back-flips with such elegance that you are forced to stay interested in this hare-brained mishmash of a movie.

Read: Can you copy these five Tiger Shroff combat moves?

Director Sabbir Khans strategy seems to be, when in doubt, showcase the abs. So as often as he can, he puts Tigers chiselled, granite body on display. In fact, Baaghi is one of those rare films in which the heros body is more fetishised than the heroines. Is this some warped version of gender equality?

There has been a lot of conversation about Baaghi being a copy of the blockbuster Indonesian action film The Raid: Redemption. Yes, the idea of the villain holed up in the top floor of a building echoes that film. But Baaghis romantic track comes from a Telugu film starring Prabhas, called Varsham. As in Varsham, here too the heroine Siya (Shraddha Kapoor) is obsessed with the rain. She and the boy Ronny (Tiger) meet on a train. Theres a good-for-nothing, conniving, greedy father who keeps them apart. And a powerful villain, Raghav, played by Sudheer Babu, who also falls in love with Siya and will go to any lengths to get her, including kidnapping.

Watch the trailer here

Producer Sajid Nadiadwala bought the rights for Varsham and entire sequences have been recreated. Sabbir and his writer Sanjeev Dutta also throw in a pinch of The Karate Kid  at the beginning Ronny is an arrogant brat, but a martial arts guru in Kerala teaches him the art of being a moral warrior.

The characters have all the depth of stick figures so its best to focus on the action sequences, which are beautifully choreographed. But the action doesnt grip you because you are never truly afraid for Ronny. I knew that no matter how many international warriors Raghav stacked up on each floor of his building, Ronny would eventually make a bhurji out of them. There is no fear, and therefore little excitement.

Siya (Shraddha Kapoor) is obsessed with the rain.

Though it was fun to watch Shraddha punch out some of the baddies, I wish her character had more substance  this could have been the Ramayan reworking where Sita takes charge. But no such luck. Siya is too simpering to be fiery or fun.

Read: Director says Baaghi is based on Ramayana, so is Tiger playing Lord Ram?

I also enjoyed Sudheer Babu as the baddie  especially in the end when he decides that hes had enough of both the lovers. And watch out for Kazu Patrick Tang, who played Atilla in Rocky Handsome. Here hes saddled with a bad wig and a silly name, Yong  hes also referred to as a China se import kiya hua killing machine. But he gets to show off some nimble moves.

Baaghi will best serve people who are interested in moves rather than movies.

Read: Next, Tiger Shroff wants to do a remake of dad Jackies Parinda

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Special Correspondents

Director - Ricky Gervais

Cast - Ricky Gervais, Eric Bana, Kelly MacDonald, Vera Farmiga

Rating - 1.5/5

To make a satire on the current state of news is risky business. For one, prime time news has morphed into a dystopian hellscape. It has turned into a fairly accurate parody of itself, no help required. Sidney Lumets classic film Network predicted as much. But back in 1976, when Howard Beale yelled out Im mad as hell, and Im not going to take this anymore, it meant something. Fast forward 40 years to Ricky Gervais new Netflix movie Special Correspondents, the sentiment may be similar, but it packs all the passion of a Doordarshan broadcast from the mid-nineties.

Its a farce, on multiple levels. What is Gervais even trying to say here? It cant possibly be something as tired and unoriginal as it appears, can it? After all, this is Ricky Gervais were talking about  the proud provocateur whose very mention sends Hollywood stars running to their lawyers and Golden Globe organisers to their checkbooks.

Read more movie reviews here

The writing in Special Correspondents is distractingly dull, as is the filmmaking. It is a blemish on the memory of Lumet and writer Paddy Chayefsky and everything they created in 1976. Over the last few years, there were signs that Gervais had matured as a storyteller. From his decidedly controversial take on life and death in his show Derek, to his last feature film, the subdued coming of age drama Cemetery Junction  there were signs. But this sets him back by a decade.

Ricky Gervais and Eric Bana wouldve made great VICE reporters.

Perhaps its all the fault of his uncoupling with frequent collaborators Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington. But as the farce sprawled as aimlessly as a recent college grad, a realisation struck: I had not laughed even once. There isnt a harsher criticism that can be made of a comedian.

Read: Netflixs Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Sword of Destiny review

Follow @htshowbiz for more

The author tweets @NaaharRohan

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A crack team of policemen raided a gang of about 25 drug peddlers at Wadi Bunder, Mazgaon, on Thursday night. The raid was planned after police commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar received several complaints about drug peddlers in the area.

The police apprehended Nigerian nationals Infunanya Ginika Minke, 37, and Ique Chikwneni Emaniyal, 24, after a chase but the rest of the 25-odd peddlers managed to escape. The police also seized around 40 grams of cocaine, Rs 50,000 in cash and weighing machines (each the size of a smart phone).

The raid began at 11.45pm after 70 policemen, including 20 officers, arrived at the Wadi Bunder bridge in private vehicles. They moved in smaller groups to apprehend about 25 peddlers. On seeing the police, some of the peddlers began throwing stones and fleeing.

Others, however, assaulted the cops, and police inspector Santosh Bagwe was shoved to the ground. One of the peddlers tried to smash his face with a stone but was scared away when another officer fired three rounds in the air. Bagwe is undergoing treatment at JJ Hospital. Apart from him, police officers Ajay Sawant and Dashrat Vitkar and four constables also sustained injuries. Minke and Emaniyal were apprehended after a foot chase on the train tracks between Masjid and Byculla stations. Minke, the alleged kingpin of the cartel, was released from prison in 2015, an official said.

We made elaborate plans. The officers who took part in the raid were handpicked from many units. We also identified a dilapidated four-storey structure in the area that belongs to the Mumbai Port Trust, where these people used to take shelter during raids by the local police, said Atulchandra Kulkarni, joint commissioner of police (crime).

An official said that the peddlers would arrive at the spot in taxis to sell cocaine in half-gram or one-gram packets. Buyers would arrive on motorbikes and in cars, buy the drugs and leave quickly.

The official added that the peddlers would operate from two open grounds at P DMello road, but would shift to Wadi Bunder bridge  which gave them an easy escape route via the train tracks  during raids by the Dongri police.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

Zanu-PF Bikita West legislator Munyaradzi Kereke on Friday told a court that his religion is against fondling of breasts, kissing and body contact.Kereke told the court that he joined Johanne Marange apostolic sect in 2009.Kereke said this while warning a private prosecutor, Charles Warara, who is handling his rape case to stay away from his wives.Kereke said he viewed Warara as "a threat" after he saw him speaking to his estranged wife outside court.While responding to a question that he loves women, Kereke advised Warara to stop poking his nose into his love life"When the court adjourned the other day, I saw the private prosecutor and a journalist talking to my estranged wife," said Kereke. "I advised her not to talk to Warara because it affects my case." Warara asked why Kereke was angry that he talked to his ex-wife."Stay away from my girl. There's a possibility of reconciliation because we haven't finalised divorce. You're a threat. You might end up attracted to her and fornicating."All men do love women. Love is a key feature of existence and you're even one of them," said Kereke. Warara told Kereke that he felt threatened after seeing him talking to his ex-wife because he knew he had skeletons in his cupboards.Warara asked why Kereke had multiple sexual partners, and he said his religion and the Constitution allows polygamy. "You abuse the complainants in the guise of being playful (chiramu)," said Warara. Kereke replied that his faith does not allow fondling of breasts."Fondling breasts, kissing and body contact is called gwiti, it's a sinful act which leads to banishment from the church. You can only do that to someone you have married. The only thing allowed is a handshake," replied Kereke.Warara told Kereke that he joined the church after the rape and started growing a beard.Kereke told the court that he joined Johanne Marange apostolic sect in 2009 before the alleged rape."My latest wife loves the beard and at church we're allowed to grow it," said Kereke much to the amusement of the gallery. "I feel comfortable in it and my beard is as important as my arm."
The civic body may have just opened up one of Mumbais few remaining green lungs to exploitation.

In its revised draft development plan 2034, the civic body has for the first time not only recognised Adiwasipadas or tribal settlements, but also granted it a floor space index (FSI) of 1.5.

Simply put, this move may allow 27 tribal settlements in the Aarey Milk Colony alone, and several others around Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Gorai to be opened up for redevelopment.

Read more: Moving Metro depot from Aarey will raise cost, says CM

Activists support developers proposal for Metro depot

This is along with proposing a metro car shed on 30 hectares of Aarey, and a reservation of 250 hectares for a zoo as an extension to the Byculla zoo.

Green activists are not happy with the move to grant FSI for Adiwasipadas in such natural areas. There are about 59 such Adiwasipadas and 27 are in Aarey alone. The civic body should look at preserving our habitat, as we are the original settlements here. We never demanded any additional FSI, all we ever demanded was recognition and care, said Prakash Bhoir, a resident of one of Aareys Adiwasipadas and the deputy district head of Shramjeevi Sanghatna, a group working for the rights of tribals in the city.

The BMCs Development Control Regulation also states an FSI for reconstruction or redevelopment of any property in Gaothans, Koliwadas and Adiwasipadas shall be 1.5 for plots fronting on roads less than 9 meters wide.

Biju Augustine, environmentalist and a part of the Save Aarey Group, an umbrella body of protesters fighting the chopping of 2,298 trees in the colony, said, There is no need for any redevelopment, such habitats only need protection and recognition. The civic body, in the first place, should leave Aarey alone and not plan anything here as it is the only existing green lung and should not be destroyed.
Seeing the potential of religious tourism, the Centre is looking into starting air service to connect the holy city with Nanded in Maharashtra.

Union civil aviation minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapati Raju made this announcement during his visit to the Golden Temple here on Saturday.

Interacting with mediapersons, the minister said he has noticed that trains going to Nanded from Amritsar are full of Sikh pilgrims. Parliamentarians from Punjab have also raised the demand of starting the flight. So, we will increase the capacity of Guru Ram Das International Airport in Amritsar and motivate the airlines to start the flight to Nanded, he said.

Hazoor Sahib, one of the five takhts in Sikhism, is located in Nanded.

Talking about induction of more direct international flights from and to Amritsar airport, the minister said it depends on the traffic. He said more direct international flights can only be introduced in case there is enough traffic at the airport.

The minister made the same statement in case of the new Chandigarh international airport as well. When asked about the demand of giving the acquired land back to the farmers, he said only the high court could take such a decision.

Replying to a query about development of Ludhiana and Bathinda airports, he said seeing Indias growth rate, there was scope of developing the two airports, for which`100 crore each was needed. We want performing assets, and not non-performing ones. So we will check the viability of these airports first, he said.

Pays obeisance at Golden Temple

Earlier, the minister, along with his private secretary N Srinivasan Rao, officer on special duty Apa Rao and commissioner and executive officer YV Anuradha, paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and partook of the langar in the community kitchen.

Sharing his experience of the visit, Raju said the holiest Sikh shrine provides peace of mind to a human being and disseminate the message of harmony and brotherhood to the world.

The Golden Temple has four gates that symbolise the doors of this shrine are open for followers of all beliefs, and that all human beings, irrespective of their ideology, race, religion or caste, are creation of one God. No such example is available anywhere in the world, he said.

Led by chief secretary Harcharan Singh, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee authorities also took up the issue of Sikhs facing problems due to their kakars (religious items) while boarding Air India flights. They also urged him to start a flight from Amritsar to Chandigarh. The minister assured them to resolve all the issues after consultation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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A day after the BA-3 sociology question paper had to be cancelled following leak, a handwritten question paper of history, examination of which is scheduled for Saturday, has gone viral on the social media, sending the Punjabi University authorities in a tizzy.

At the time of filing of this report, the university authorities were trying to check the authenticity of leaked paper. I cant give details. We are verifying the content to ascertain whether the paper has actually leaked, said varsity registrar Devinder Singh.

Sources in the varsity, however, confirmed that paper trotting on the social media was a copy of the original paper set by Punjabi University. The question papers had already been dispatched to nearly 200 examination centres across Punjab.

Meanwhile, perturbed over the repeated leak of papers, vice-chancellor Jaspal Singh on Friday announced that the entire examination branch will be computerised on the lines of Punjab Technical University.

Let me make it clear, that the guilty will be punished. I wont tolerate any type of laxity in the examination process, which decides the future of students. I have asked the dean, academic affairs, AS Chawla, to take steps for the computerisation of the examination process, the vice-chancellor said.

He said using information technology techniques, the university will provide unique logins and password to each centre and examination paper will be uploaded half-an-hour before the exam for downloading and printing at the centres. This will leave no scope for leak as papers will be printed only after students sit in examination centres, he said.

He said the centre where the sociology paper reportedly leaked has been cancelled and a probe has been initiated. Answer sheets will be scrutinised to find out students who had attempted only the questions which were leaked. It will take time, but I am sure we will reach the bottom of the wrongdoing and find out the real culprit, he said.

He said the university has decided to lodge an FIR against the Thursday leak as police were capable of tracing the phone number that first put the paper on WhatsApp.

University authorities have got some information about some suspects in the leak and the details have been passed on to the police, he said.

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The police claimed to have arrested a man, identified as Majeed Mian, a resident of Bettiah district, Bihar, with 8-kg charas (cannabis) from a Haryana Roadways bus at Bapror village near Rajpura town of the district. He was produced before the local court from where he was sent to 14-day judicial remand.

The police stopped a bus near Vardhman factory on the national highway for a routine checking. As the police started the search, a passenger got off the bus and started running towards fields. The cops chased him for a distance and managed to nab him and recovered 8-kg charas from his possession.

Investigating officer (IO) Janpal Singh said that the accused had bought the drug from Nepal and was going to supply it to workers of factories at Ludhiana, Khanna and other industrial towns of the state. A case has been registered under sections 20/61/85 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at Shambu police station of the district.
Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday took a jibe at Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) over its complaint against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)s political programmes in Canada, months after the party leaders had addressed meetings there.

Read more: Now, SFJ wants Canada to dismantle AAP campaign

It is like locking the stable after the horse has bolted, he said in a statement here, pointing out that the AAP leaders had already held political rallies in Canada and nobody, including SFJ, complained against them then.

What is the point in filing a complaint when the AAP leaders have already held several public meetings last year and this year? he asked. This is just an afterthought by the anti-India group as I had questioned its silence on the AAP holding similar functions in the past, Amarinder said.

He said SFJ is playing into the hands of those who were opposed to his programmes in the US and Canada, like the AAP, and after being exposed, had now filed a token complaint against that partys programmes there.

But I am thankful to these people as they have exposed themselves and the Punjabis across the globe have understood their machinations in trying to prevent me from meeting my fellow Punjabis in North America, he said.
The district authorities impounded five vehicles and fined seven others on Saturday as they cracked down on school buses that put students at risk by violating safety norms.

Assistant district transport office Manjit Singh said the team conducted a surprise check at Green Land School, Dugri phase-2, and found buses and auto-rickshaws stuffed with children.

The vehicles fined were charged with overloading, installing more seats than allowed and their registration certificates and the licences of their drivers were forfeited.

Five other vehicles, including two autos, were impounded for not possessing either permits or not depositing taxes in time.

The fines will be decided soon. These checks are carried out either on a periodical basis or after getting complaints, Manjit Singh said.

The Punjab and Haryana high court has asked authorities in the state to ensure safe travel of students.

District transport officer Dalwinderjit Singh said his office was evaluating safety of school buses on 16 parameters such as speed governor, CCTVs, retracting steps, emergency doors, vertical seats (not horizontal), experienced drivers and fitness of vehicles.

We have been carrying out checks at different schools in city. Earlier, we covered KVM (Kundan Vidya Mandir) and BVM (Bhartiya Vidya Mandir) schools, now it was Green Land School. Our emphasis is on ensuring safe travel for students, he said.

Manjit said: We have formed a team, and after getting instructions from the higher authorities, are conducting checks and identifying loopholes. Then we ask school authorities to rectify them within the stipulated time frame.

Rajesh Rudra, chairman-cum-director of Green Land School management board welcomed the inspection. Laxity on part of parents is partly to be blamed for this as they hire autorickshaws and private buses on their own, he said. Rudra alleged some private buses were using the schools name and promised action.

We have impounded some buses and handed over to DTO about three months ago. We ensure that students travel in safely, he added.
Gangster-turned-politician Jaswinder Singh Rocky was shot dead on Saturday by unidentified gunmen near Parwanoo on the Shimla-Chandigarh highway around 9.45 am on Saturday.

Rocky had been vacationing in Shimla and had left the hill station in the morning for Chandigarh.

It is believed that he was shot at by members of a rival gang.

Gunmen fired indiscriminately at him from a close range, inspector general of police (southern range) SZH Zaidi told Hindustan Times.

Police claims that the assailants have been identified. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the gunmen had been tailing Rockys Toyota Fortuner.

The firing took place on the Shimla- Kalka highway near the junction bifurcating the road to Parwanoo and Chandigarh.

Solan SP Anjum Ara rushed to spot to inspect the spot of crime.

A bloodstained visiting card of slain gangster-politician Jaswinder Singh Rocky

While scanning CCTV footage, it was revealed that the assailants came in two different vehicles, two in a car with two others motorcycle-bound,  Zaidi said.

The two gunmen in the car fired at Rocky, the two riding a motorcycle picked up the empty shells of bullets, Zaidi said. We have identified the assailants and will apprehend them soon, he added.

Murky past

Rocky had been involved in a number of high-profile crimes such as the murder of gangster Prabhjit Singh Dimpy in Lake Club in Chandigarh in 2006.

He had organised several gangs in Punjab that had close links with criminals in Uttar Pradesh .

In 2012, he unsuccessfully contested elections from Fazilka as an independent candidate. He had secured 30,000 votes.

Also read: Gangster-politician Jaswinder Rocky shot dead near Parwanoo

Rocky vs Sekhon: Old gang rivalry to fore again
Four labourers were hospitalised after a major fire broke out at a hosiery unit at Bahadurke road in Ludhiana on Saturday.

One of the injured, who has been referred to CMCH, is said to be critical. Three others are undergoing treatment at Jain Hospital.

More than 10 fire tenders rushed to spot after the fire broke out. Efforts are on to bring the fire under control.
In what could prove to be an embarrassment for the ruling party Shiromani Akali Dal, its Mansa municipal councillors (MCs) exchanged blows on Friday after meeting deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal at his residence in Badal village.

Last week about 21 councillors, most of them from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), led by Narottam Singh Chahal, had rebelled against the council president and Akali leader Balwinder Kaka and demanded a a no-confidence motion against him.

The Shiromani Akali Dal councillors were called for a meeting with deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal to resolve the dispute but it ended up with both the factions exchanging blows.

Mandeep Gora, councillor of ward 21 said, We met the deputy chief minister and told him about all the wrongdoings of the council president Kaka. The deputy chief minister heard our grievances and directed DIG Bathinda zone Ranbir Khattra to probe the whole issue.

The moment we came out of the meeting room a henchmen of Kaka attacked one of our councillor Gurmail Singh and in the scuffle his turban fell off. Even I got hurt when I intervened to pacify them, he said.

He further said that the deputy CM has asked the DIG to register an FIR against Kaka. Meanwhile the council president has denied the allegations of his supporters attacking the councillors of his rival group.

We attended the meeting, however the deputy CM was unmoved by whatever was narrated to him by the other group.

 This is just a political stunt of other councillors to dethrone me and gain sympathy. I dont know the attackers nor do they have any allegiance with me.

Kaka further alleged that the councillors have rebelled only because the state government was about to dole out grants worth crore for the developmental work and they are all eyeing on it.

The deputy chief minister was conveyed the real intention of the rebel councillors and even he told that the grant might be channelised through other departments like Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) or PWD.

Speaking to HT, DIG Ranbir Khattra, however, tried to downplay the whole incident and termed it a small commotion.

SHO Gurpreet Singh Bains said that Gurmail Singh, the councillor who was allegedly attacked upon, has recorded his statement against council president Kaka and the case was being investigated.

No FIR has been registered yet and we are investigating the case based on the statement of Gurmail Singh.

Though both the factions are claiming to have won the confidence of deputy chief minister, the issue of whether Balwinder Kaka would be dethroned, still remains unresolved.

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Former director general of police (DGP) SK Sharma and three other former police officers on Friday withdrew their petitions from the Punjab and Haryana high court, whereby they had challenged framing of charges in the alleged fake encounter case under Morinda police station in 1991.

The Rupnagar sessions court in 2014 had framed charges under Sections 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code against Sharma; former deputy inspector general SPS Basra; and two other officers, Balkar Singh and Gurcharan Singh.

Deceased Kuldips father, Ajaib Singh, had alleged that his 21-year-old son, a student of Punjabi University, was picked up by the police on October 24, 1990 from Morinda town. On May 15, 1991, Ajaib read in the papers about the polices claim that one Kuldip of Amrali village, wanted in many cases of extortion, robbery and dacoity, was killed in an encounter on May 1.

Ajaib approached the authorities for justice, and a case was registered at Morinda police station on August 13, 1998. After investigation police filed the cancellation report but Ajaib filed a protest petition, treating which as a complaint, the court summoned SK Sharma and others on August 28, 2010.
News / National

by Staff reporter

SOUTH Africa's Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Mphakama Mbete, has commended Zimbabwe's commitment to turn around its economy.Mr Mbete told our Bulawayo Bureau yesterday that South Africa was happy to work closely with Zimbabwe to develop the economies of both countries. He was speaking in an interview at the South African exhibition stand at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair."Zimbabwe is a country that is determined to be successful and is thirsty to develop going forward from where it is now. I'm happy that the country is trying to rebuild its economy. "This brings opportunities for South Africa and Zimbabwe to work together towards mutual objectives because both of us are building our economies as developing countries," said Ambassador Mbete.He said South Africa was engaging various institutions in Bulawayo including the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) to discuss the way forward in reviving the economy. "I had a meeting the other day with the Mayor of Bulawayo, Councillor Martin Moyo, to discuss these issues. I'm sure things will work out in the near future. Of course, it's not easy to get investors to come but we'll surely get there."Zimbabwe is a good investment destination because there're many areas in which Zimbabwean authorities want to develop the economy as reflected in the Zim-Asset policy framework. So there are a lot of opportunities, especially in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors," said Ambassador Mbete.He said the duty of the South African government was to make sure that all business deals are mutually beneficial. "We're trying to educate our business community to understand the needs of the Zimbabwean economy and we hope that with continuous discussions between both business communities, strong partnerships will be established."We want to encourage stronger bilateral relations. The Presidents of Zimbabwe and South Africa might meet this year under the auspices of the bilateral national commission which they signed last year and agreed to meet annually," said Ambassador Mbete. He said a few weeks ago, there was an investment trade mission led by South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry which visited three cities in Zimbabwe."We're planning to do a follow- up before the end of this year on the discussions," said Ambassador Mbete. He said he was impressed by the response received by the South African companies exhibiting at the ZITF."The response is overwhelming. The companies exhibiting here are having positive engagements with the people of Zimbabwe and other countries and they're hoping that good business deals will come out of these engagements," said Ambassador Mbete.
SBS Nagar

A Punjab Police head constable was attacked and his service weapon was snatched at a filling station around 8am on here on Saturday.

The cop, who was injured in the incident, has been identified as Sukhdev Singh, deputed with the police control room staff on night duty. The police said an unidentified man riding a Bajaj Discover motorcycle fled towards Chandigarh Chowk after snatching the weapon.

The head constable has been admitted to the local civil hospital. The incident was caught on CCTV cameras installed in the area.

The police said around 8 am when he reached the filling station in his private vehicle, an unidentified person took away his weapon at knifepoint. As the cop resisted, the accused hit him on his head. The filling station employees did not come to the rescue of the cop out of fear. Later, police personnel reached the spot and took Sukhdev to the hospital where his condition is stated to be stable.

The CCTV footage shows the accused crossing the SSP office on Rahon road with the snatched weapon.
Heated arguments were witnessed during a meeting between the management of Shiv Jyoti Public School and representatives of the Punjab Parents Association on Saturday when they were discussing the re-admission fee issue.

The meeting was held by the management after parents held a series of protests in the school. Parents were present during the meeting when president of the association Kamaldeep Singh asked why the school was charging the re-admission fee.

He also raised a question on why the school was not there in the list of 70 institutes that were recognised by the education department. The parents told Suvikram Jyoti, one of the members of the management that the teachers were forcing the students to take tuitions, but the management said that the school teachers never force any students to take tuitions.

It is also reported that the parents had an argument over the signed attendance sheet claiming that the meeting was not official and there was no need of any signatures.

Kamaldeep said they had earlier signed in agreement, but later they found that every member of the management was not present, and then we demanded the sheet back.

When we asked them to return the paper having our signatures, some people siding with the school management tried to attack us, Singh alleged.

Earlier, fearing protest by parents, the school had also deployed police outside its premises citing security reasons.

The parents also raised slogans against the management and held a protest on the campus.
A 15-year-old boy in Punjabs Pathankot who allegedly shot himself with his fathers revolver while taking a selfie died in Ludhiana on Sunday.

Amandeep Singh, a student of Class 10 of Char Marla Quarter school, was purportedly attempting a selfie with his sister while putting a revolver on his head on Friday.

The gun went off, injuring Singh who was rushed to a private hospital. He was later moved to Apollo Hospital in Ludhiana.

Read | What drives people to put their life at risk for a selfie?

Singhs body has been brought back to Pathankot and a post-mortem will be conducted, police said.

Several such incidents have been reported across the country of late. The Washington Post has reported that of at least 27 selfie-related deaths around the world last year, about half occurred in India.

In February, a teenager was run over and killed in Chennai as he tried to take a selfie in front of an oncoming train.

Read | Mumbai Police identify 16 no-selfie zones after drowning

In January, Mumbai Police moved to crack down on dangerous selfies after a man drowned trying to save a girl who fell into the sea while snapping one.

A man was seriously injured in April by an elephant when he tried to snap a selfie with the chained animal at a festival in Kerala in April.

Read | Selfies gone wrong: India leads in number of selfie related deaths
Punjab chief minister, Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday announced a housing scheme for lawyers of Punjab and Haryana high court to be constructed in SAS Nagar.

You want to build houses yourselves or opt for government constructed ones? Decide among yourselves, and apprise me. I will take it up with PUDA (Punjab Urban Development Authority), the CM said while announcing a housing scheme for lawyers in SAS Nagar.

Presiding over the lawyers induction program, organised by Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana (BCPH) at Law Bhawan in Sector-37, the CM announced in case of death of a lawyer, the affected family would get a compensation of 10 lakh in place of Rs 4 lakh being given presently. For the purpose, he said an amendment in Punjab Lawyers Welfare Fund Act would be required, and would be done in the next assembly session. All those lawyers covered under the Act would get the benefit. The CM also announced a legislation for the welfare of lawyers in state and said it would be brought during the next assembly session.

Badals visit comes a day after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals visit at BCPH in which he had targeted his government. Kejriwals visit had led to fissures in BCPH over extending the invite to him.

Badal skirted any reference to Kejriwals visit and talked of lawyers issues only. He exhorted the inductees to work hard. The advocate generals of Punjab and Haryana, Ashok Aggarwal and BR Mahajan, respectively, Punjab and Haryana high court Bar Association president, HS Brar and former BCPH chairman, Lekh Raj Sharma were also present.
A week after groping in dark in the Shiv Sena leader murder case, police have announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh for information on killers.

Shiv Sena labour wing leader Durga Prasad Gupta was gunned down by two assailants on April 23 at Lalhedi Chowk in Khanna.

Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Satinder Singh said any person who wants to provide any information on killers can contact him on 98140-54946, 95929-14043. He said the identity of the person providing information would be kept secret.

He said a special investigation team (SIT) has been set up to look into the case.

Its is the second time within a month that the Ludhiana police have announced a reward for information on killers in a murder case. Police had announced an award of Rs 10 lakh for information on killers of Namdhari sect matriarch Chand Kaur, who was gunned down on April 4.

Director general of police (DGP) Suresh Arora has asked ADGP, internal vigilance cell and human rights, Prabodh Kumar, to supervise the probe into six major cases relating to attack on right-wing Hindu leaders in Punjab in the past few months.
With the Punjab assembly elections approaching, the womens wing of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is to begin its three-day chintan (introspection) programme on May 6 to work out strategy.

The venue will be Gurdwara Paonta Sahib in the serene environs of the Yamuna river banks in Himachal Pradesh. Three years ago, in April 2013, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal had taken the party leaders to Goa for a similar brainstorming session. The Goa visit, of which I was also a part, was very fruitful, but since I want Akali women workers to have a religious bent of mind, well gather at a gurdwara, said partys womens wing president Bibi Jagir Kaur, who will lead the touring party of nearly 250 women.

The wings state- and district-level office-bearers, besides zila parishad members and other activists will be packed in five luxury buses and taken 120 kilometers from state capital Chandigarh. The three-day programme will include recreation, Gurbani recital, and lectures on womens empowerment, said Bibi Jagir Kaur, adding: Women are keen to learn the nuances of election campaigning. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is emerging as a strong contender and the SAD cant afford to keep any end loose.

Women have an advantage in campaigning, she said, Only they can enter any house, bedroom, or kitchen, to reach out to women voters, who can further get us their families votes. Male campaigners cannot step beyond the main gate of many homes.

She said she would teach the woman workers to conduct themselves politically and win peoples confidence. She will address the session on development, leadership qualities, womens role in the party, and social and religious values. The part will screen a documentary on its history, besides animation movie Char Sahibzade, at the venue.

The camp will conclude on May 8, with an open house in which delegates will be free to raise any issue of her choice. The womens wing will use these lessons to make a strategy for each district and rally in the run up to the polls, said Bibi.

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Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Avtar Singh Makkar has taken strong note of Shaheed Bhagat Singh being called a revolutionary terrorist in a book that is part of Delhi Universitys history curriculum.

In a statement issued here on Friday, Makkar called upon Union human resource development minister Smriti Irani to take necessary action against the publisher and authors of the book, Indias Struggle of Independence.

The SGPC chief also asked the university authorities to either withdraw the book from the curriculum or get the controversial portions deleted from it.

An inquiry should also be ordered to find out the reasons as to why the martyr was labelled as a terrorist, he said.
Shot dead at the age of 39 near Himachal Pradesh Parwanoo on Saturday morning, gangster-cum-politician Jaswinder Singh Rocky lived a life of crime and infamy.

He was booked at various police stations in at least 23 cases, including those of murder, and had been acquitted in 18. But he was eyeing a life primarily as a politician for some years, hobnobbing across parties. He had taken a step towards that life in 2012, when he lost a close assembly election to Surjit Kumar Jyani of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), from his native town Fazilka.

Born in a farming family at Chugian Kesar Singh village near the main town, Rocky did his schooling from Fazilka. His tryst with crime, that too within the family, came when he was barely 20 years aold, as he got registered a case against his brother Romi Singh for the fatal shooting of their father Mahinder Singh. Romi remained in jail but was later on acquitted. His family life remained disturbed. He was unmarried, while his mother had once asked for security due to threat from Rocky, though she later settled their disputes before the 2012 Punjab assembly polls.

His tryst with big crime started in the late 90s and early 2000s when he went to Chandigarh to study after Class 12 but got involved in gangs instead.

The big public show of strength had come in 2009 after he was released on bail after a while in jail, when he came in a convoy of over 400 vehicles from Ferozepur to Fazilka; thereafter his political ambitions soared. He reportedly remained thick with Uttar Pradesh-based gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, whom he saw as a role model.

During the 2011 floods in Fazilka, he earned goodwill in border villages by distributing essential commodities much before the state government could come to the peoples aid. In 2012, he got 30,000-odd votes in the assembly poll and finished a close second, by around 1,600 votes, to Jyani, who is now a state cabinet minister. Cadres of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), senior partner of the BJP, were said to be supporting Rocky in that election, so much so that SAD president and deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal had to announce from Jyanis stage that anyone supporting Rocky would be thrown out of the SAD.

In 2013, he was photographed with the then Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde in a delegation with Congressmen Raj Kumar Verka and Ravneet Singh Bittu on the Parliament premises in New Delhi.

He was often resolving disputes of locals in Fazilka, and in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls he openly supported Akali nominee Sher Singh Ghubaya who won.

Recently he was seen attending the wedding of Ghubayas son at Jalalabad where Sukhbir Badal was present too.

Read also II Gangster-turned-politician Jaswinder Singh Rocky shot dead

Rocky vs Sekhon: Old gang rivalry to fore again
Kamal Haasans next film, a rib-tickler titled Sabaash Naidu, will see him working with daughters Shruti and Akshara for the first time. The Tamil star will reprise the role of the humorous Balram Naidu from his 2008 hit Dasavatharam for the film.

The film will see Kamal joining hands with well-known Malayalam filmmaker T K Rajeev Kumar after a period of over two decades, when the duo gave the critically acclaimed Chanakyan, a revenge saga.

Read: Im just following Brando, Kumar, Ganesan, says Kamal Haasan

While Shruti will play an important role in the film, Akshara has joined the team as an assistant director. Akshara has joined the project and she will be assisting director Rajeev Kumar. This is the first time Kamal sir will be working both the daughters on the same project. Shruti Haasan will be playing his daughter in the film, a source from the films unit said.

It is a trilingual film to be made in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi and went to the floors on Friday. The first look of the movie showed Haasan precariously perched on a bike with top Telugu comedian Brahmanandam on the pillion.

Kamal Haasan and Brahmanandam in the first look of action-comedy, Sabaash Naidu.

In the three versions in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu, the movie will have popular actors like Saurabh Shukla, Ramya Krishna, Farida Jalal and Brahmanandam, a press release said. Ace musician Ilayaraja will score the tunes while Kamal will handle the story and script. Shukla will pen the dialogues for the Hindi version, titled Sabash Kundu. The film will be extensively shot in the US.

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News / National

by Lloyd Gumbo

Thirty-two Zimbabwean women who were lured to Kuwait to work as housemaids, but ended up as sex slaves, are expected back in the country today after a Parliamentary delegation secured their evacuation from the gulf country.A Parliamentary delegation led by National Assembly Speaker Advocate Jacob Mudenda and chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs Kindness Paradza, which went to Kuwait at the weekend, secured the release of the 32 young women among about 200 Zimbabwean women believed to be captives.The women were located with the help of the Zimbabwean Ambassador to Kuwait, Mr Mark Grey Marongwe. A local businessman, Mr Wicknell Chivayo chipped in with air tickets to have the women flown home following a request by Adv Mudenda.Paradza confirmed yesterday that all travel documents had been processed and air tickets issued out. "All the tickets have arrived and we are leaving Kuwait at midnight via Dubai and will be arriving in Harare at 5pm," he said."We have identified five more who are still in captivity and are crying for help. The embassy here is working flat out to make sure all those girls who were brought here under false pretences are accounted for and brought back home," he said."What is disgusting is that one of the girls is now pregnant from sexual abuse. Ambassador Marongwe also told Adv Mudenda and his delegation that one of the girls was now mentally disturbed from excessive abuse while in captivity."Paradza said slavery was a multi-billion-dollar industry in Kuwait as it was encouraged by a section of that country's laws."We want the Government to ban the issuance of visas to Kuwait under Articles 18 and 20 which commit our girls into slavery. as This removes the person's rights on arrival in Kuwait. The law gives total authority over anyone coming under that visa," said Paradza."In Harare, we have arranged that the Speaker will on arrival hand over the girls to Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Priscah Mupfumira and her Health and Child Care counterpart Dr David Parirenyatwa. Government will take over after the handover," he said."The girls will be taken to a safe house where they will be counselled and debrief our security services. We are grateful to the Zimbabwean Embassy and Registrar-General, Tobaiwa Mudede in Harare, who worked flat out to issue Emergency Travel Documents to the 23 girls whose passports were confiscated by their captors."Paradza said Adv Mudenda was appealing for clothes and other toiletries to give the women because they ran away from their captors leaving behind all their clothes and documents such as passports. He said their delegation also identified four Zimbabwean women who were working in cahoots with human traffickers."They use Whatsapp pictures and messages lying to innocent girls back home that domestic work is a lucrative job here in Kuwait. The truth is it's all slavery and slavery."The traffickers target young and pretty girls aged between 17 and 22 who are HIV negative so that they can be used as sex slaves. All in all the Speaker would like to pay tribute to Wicknell Chivayo for providing the air tickets," said Paradza.Mr Chivayo yesterday said he was elated that the women were finally coming home and that he would have wanted to welcome them at the airport."The Speaker of Parliament Honourable Jacob Mudenda had requested me to be available at the airport to welcome my sisters and meet their families but unfortunately I have a very important business meeting in Paris, France that I have to attend. I will definitely be with them in spirit," he said."But I instructed my finance manager to wait for the women and give each of them $100 for transport to their respective homes."I did this sincerely out of the goodness of my heart. So meeting them face to face or having their bunch of relatives thanking me in numbers was never the objective. Best wishes to all of them and may the Lord bless them," said the businessman.Mr Chivayo said he had faced a backlash from some online media organizations particularly from Britain and the United States of America for assisting the women."They were shouting at me for helping the women saying I should not have assisted them because it is Government's responsibility."But I believe that every good citizen must always chip in whenever they can instead of waiting for the Government to do everything. Instead these people should be glad that I have assisted our sisters who were being abused," he said.
Has road tripping always been on your bucket list? The time is ripe to tick it off. Scour through 80 trip options from Mumbai and Pune on a four-month-old app, Easy Roads, which offers road trip itineraries from Gir to Gokarna.

Easy Roads offers theme-based itineraries too.

The app has three sections: Discover, with a list of curated routes you can take, with information on pit stops, attractions and accommodation; Easy Reads, a blog with relevant information, from packing to playlists; and Car-o-Bar, for rent-a-driver, 24/7 roadside assistance and car check-up services.

Read: Heres how to travel the app way!

Users can customise their own route and save a trip too, for rides that can last up to 10 days. For instance, you can choose specific activities based on your preferences and budget, such as a lion safari in Gir, scuba diving in Tarkarli or a Parsi food binge in Talasari. In July, the company plans to introduce activity-led packages, for users will be able to pay via a payment gateway. The packages will include a car rental, accommodation based on your budget and activities.

Read: Now plan better road trips with Google Maps

People often associate road trips in India with safety concerns, bad roads and lack of information. At Easy Roads, this is the misconception we want to change, says founder Sachin Parikh, who has 13 years of experience in the tech-corporate world.

There are many undiscovered regions within Maharashtra itself, which are accessible only by road. You will be surprised at how beautiful they are. Our attempt is to make this trip hassle-free, by providing on-road assistance and services.

Read: Why travel apps are a necessity, not a luxury

Media professional Vinitha Shetty, 25, read about the app on Twitter, and took a two-day trip to Dapoli through it. This was the first time I took a road trip  the app suggested that we stop at Panhalekaji caves and at a vada pav stall on the way  this really added so much fun to the trip, she says.

In the future, Easy Roads plans to add routes from across the country.
Most actors are known to attend workshops before they start shooting for their films. Television actor Avinash Sachdev says that there should be a similar provision for TV actors as well.

According to him, due to hectic schedules, actors on the small screen hardly get time to do any research for their roles.

Television actor Avinash Sachdev says that TV actors need to know their characters well before they start shooting. (HT Photo)

Its not how it works in a film, where actors have so much time to attend workshops to get into the skin of their characters. There are no Sundays or holidays in our schedules, and therefore, there is never any time for these workshops. I feel that this is something that we must work on including in the TV space, he says.

So, we do all the research that we can from Google. I often watch YouTube videos to get my characters right. For example, I play a doctor in my current show. On the first day, I had to perform a surgery, and before that, I needed to see how real doctors do it, adds Avinash, who has acted in shows such as Hatim, Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil and Chotti Bahu  Sindoor Bin Suhagan in the past and is currently seen in the show, Balika Vadhu.

Read: Balika Vadhu leap: Meet Anandis daughter and other new characters

While Avinash appreciates the work film actors do, he doesnt want to join films. I dont want to be a part of Bollywood because I dont want to let go of my privacy. I have seen that happens a lot, especially with film actors, he says, adding, I want to try different roles on the small screen itself. I always make it a point to pick up something different every time. I want to now take up a negative role, as I feel as a villain, I will get to act more, he says.
Twenty-three people were killed and 45 others wounded in an attack by a suicide bomber driving a car in Baghdad suburb on Saturday. The attack targetted at a group of Shia Muslim pilgrims has been claimed by Islamic State, Iraqi police sources said.

Iraq has been hit by weeks of political turmoil surrounding Prime Minister Haider al-Abadis efforts to change the government.

Both Washington and the United Nations have warned the crisis could distract from the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group, which carries out frequent bombings against civilians.

The car bomb, which also wounded at least 38 people, struck a road in the Nahrawan area used by Shiite pilgrims who are walking to the shrine of Imam Musa Kadhim in northern Baghdad for annual commemorations, officials said.

IS claimed the attack and said it was carried out by a suicide bomber who detonated a vehicle laden with three tonnes of explosives.

IS considers Iraqs majority Shiites to be heretics.

Kadhim, the seventh of 12 imams revered in Shiite Islam, died in 799 AD. The pilgrimage has in recent years turned into a huge event that brings the Iraqi capital to a standstill for days.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led military assistance have since regained signficant ground.

The jihadists still control a large part of western Iraq, and are able to carry out frequent attacks against both civilians and security forces in government-held areas.

Last years pilgrimage was also marred by attacks against worshippers that killed at least 13 people.

And four more were burned or shot to death when mobs torched houses and a Sunni religious endowment building after rumours of a suicide bomber sparked panic among a crowd of pilgrims
Pakistan Peoples Party leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday invoked Narendra Modi to launch a scathing attack on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, accusing him of back-pedalling on the Kashmir issue because of his friendship with his Indian counterpart.

Bilawal made the remarks while addressing a rally at Kotli in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where he kicked off the PPPs campaign for upcoming elections to the local assembly. The PPP has been in power in PoK since 2011.

He repeatedly referred to Sharif, the head of the PML-N party that is in power in Islamabad, as Modi ka yaar (Modis friend) during the speech and said the PPP would always back the Kashmiri people.

Whenever I talk about Kashmir, Modi Sarkar and the Indian media start propaganda against me, our pictures are burnt, our website is hacked. Why? Because they know the voice of a Bhutto is heard round the world, Bilawal said.

Let us all come together to defeat Modis friend Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharifs defeat will be Modis defeat and the victory of Kashmir, he added.

The PPP lost power in the 2013 general election and the party currently rules only one of Pakistans four provinces, Sindh. Bilawal is the partys nominal chief while the real power is wielded by his father, former president Asif Ali Zardari.

Bilawal accused Sharif of keeping silent on the Kashmir issue since the PML-N came to power three years ago. He said Sharif never spoke about alleged atrocities by Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. I will inform the world about the oppression of Modi Sarkar, he said.

He further accused Sharif of letting his national security and foreign policies be influenced by his business interests.

Bilawal also demanded the resignation of Sharif over the revelations in the Panama Papers leaks. You must step down until the investigation of the Panama Papers leaks is completed. If you are cleared, you can return to the office of Prime Minister, he said.

The leaks of documents from a Panama-based law firm showed that 220 Pakistanis, including Sharifs two sons and a daughter, own offshore assets. Sharif has said a judicial commission will probe these allegations.
China on Saturday blamed Japan for tense bilateral relations and laid out a four-point agenda to improve ties, telling visiting Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida there is lack of mutual trust between the two sides.

The two countries are embroiled in a territorial dispute in the East China Sea and have a contentious history.

Kishida is paying an official visit to China from Friday to Sunday, his first since taking office more than three years ago, and the first by a Japanese foreign minister in four-and-a-half years.

Besides meeting Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, Kishida called on Premier Li Keqiang and met State Councilor Yang Jiechi. Yi referred to the problematic history of the two countries during his meeting with Kishida.

Wang said the root cause for twists and turns in China-Japan relations is Japans outlook on history and China. We have seen signs of improvement in China-Japan relations. However, there is still a lack of mutual trust between the two sides.

He outlined four points for improving bilateral ties.

In the political area, the Japanese side should stick fast to the four political documents including the China-Japan Joint Statement, face up to and reflect upon the history and follow the one-China policy to the letter. No ambiguity or vacillation is allowed when it comes to this important political foundation of the bilateral ties, Wang was quoted as saying by state media.

He added: In terms of its outlook on China, the Japanese side should translate into concrete actions its consensus with China, that is, the two countries are each others cooperative partners rather than threats.

It should have a more positive and healthy attitude toward the growth of China, and stop spreading or echoing all kinds of China threat or China economic recession theories.

On the economic side, Wang said Japan should establish the concept of win-win cooperation, discard the outdated idea that one side cannot do without the other side, or one side depends more on the other side than the other way around.

In terms of regional and international affairs, the two sides should respect each others legitimate interests and concerns, and have essential communication and coordination in a timely fashion, he said.
Torrential rainstorms in the Kenyan capital have left at least 14 people dead, police said Saturday, including at least seven crushed when a six-storey building collapsed, as rescue teams shifted rubble in a desperate search for survivors.

One survivor was pulled from the huge pile of debris shortly after dawn, Kenya Red Cross said, some 10 hours after the building collapsed Friday night and as skies cleared after a night of ferocious storms.

We have lost seven people after the house collapsed last night, Nairobi police chief Japheth Koome told AFP. We have 121 others who have been rescued and taken to hospital.

Kenya Red Cross, who along with police and other rescue services continued to search the piles of crumbled concrete rubble, said a total of 150 households had been affected.

Two neighbouring buildings in the densely-populated and poor Huruma neighbourhood were declared unsafe on Saturday and are being evacuated.

In other separate incidents, two people drowned when their vehicle was swept away by storm waters in the capitals Industrial Area, another person died in floods, and four were killed when a wall collapsed, Koome added.

Nairobi Deputy governor Jonathan Mueke, who visited the scene of the destroyed building on Saturday morning, said an investigation would look into why the two-year old building had collapsed.

The building went down during the heavy rains, but we still want to establish if all the procedures were followed when it was constructed, he said.

The building collapsed at around 9:30 pm (1830 GMT) Friday following some of the heaviest downpours since the start of the rainy season.

They have caused flooding and landslides in many areas of the city. Kenya Red Cross spokeswoman Arnolda Shiundu said the site had been complete chaos and teams were still searching, assisted by a crane.

We dont know how many people are under the rubble, but we fear there are still several of them, she said.

Pictures broadcast by local media showed soldiers, policemen and civilians searching through the rubble of the collapsed buildings for survivors.

Nairobi has been in the middle of a building boom for some years but the quality of materials used and speed of construction have sometimes been called into question.

The growing middle class has triggered an explosion in demand for housing and a rise in real estate prices in the east African capital.
The US has dismissed Russian and Chinese concerns over its plan to deploy an anti-missile defence system in South Korea, saying the proposal is aimed at ensuring security of its ally after a stream of provocative statements, nuclear tests and missile launches by the North.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said US military and national security experts believe additional resources could be needed to ensure South Koreas safety and security.

The assessment of our military and national security experts is that it could be a good idea for them to do that. But ultimately, this is a sovereign country, and because theyre an ally of the US, were looking for ways to help them, Earnest said.

This is one potential way we could offer some assistance to them and enhance their security, he said.

The US and South Korea have been discussing the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system (Thaad), a truck-mounted platform designed to counter short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles.

Russia and China have expressed concerns over the US proposal. Though US officials have said it would focus only on North Korean threats, China is worried the system could be used against its launchers.

At a briefing in Beijing with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has said: We both are gravely concerned about the US likely deployment of the Thaad system in South Korea.

Earnest, however, dismissed their concerns. It is not at all in Chinas interest to have that kind of destabilising activity right on their doorstep.

Theyre focused on getting North Korea to end their provocations is rooted in their own self-interest, which is that having all this provocative behaviour and this conflict and this destabilising activity on their doorstep is not in their interest, Earnest said.

The White House press secretary said US commitment to South Koreas security is rock-solid. South Korea is a close ally, and that means the US is prepared to invest resources in keeping them safe, he said.

We have seen repeated provocations, particularly in just the last few months, from North Korea, vowing to use their military might against our allies, he said.

In February, North Korea claimed to have launched a satellite into orbit - a move some analysts saw as cover for testing a ballistic missile system that could potentially carry nuclear warheads. That was followed closely by what the North claimed was the test of a powerful hydrogen bomb.

Earnest said this was the reason the US has engaged in talks with South Korea about deploying the defence system.

Those discussions are ongoing. Ill just point out that that equipment would be oriented toward the threat that is posed by North Korea, not oriented toward China or Russia, Earnest said.
A Hindu man was hacked to death by unidentified assailants in Bangladesh on Saturday, the latest in a string of attacks on members of minorities, rights activists and secular bloggers.

The attackers, who were riding a motorcycle, targeted Nikhil Joarder, a 50-year-old tailor, at Dubail village of Tangail district, according to a report on the website of The Daily Star newspaper.

The Islamic State claimed the murder, saying Joarder was killed because he blasphemed the Prophet Mohammed, according to the SITE Intelligence Group that tracks jihadi organisations.

Police said they suspected that a derogatory comment about Prophet Mohammed allegedly made by Joarder in 2012 might be the reason for the attack. Abdul Jalil, the officer-in-charge of Gopalpur police station, said a case had been filed against Joarder for allegedly making a derogatory comment about the Prophet.

Joarder was sitting in his shop when two men drove up on a motorcycle at 12.30pm.

They swooped on him with machetes and kept on stabbing him, confirming his death, Aslam Khan, the additional superintendent of police of Tangail district, was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.

The attackers left a black bag, which contained three to four bomb-like objects, the report said. A bomb disposal unit was called in to defuse the devices.

There have been several assaults on minorities, intellectuals, academics, secular bloggers and foreigners in Bangladesh in recent months. On Monday, a USAID employee and gay rights activist Xulhaz Mannan was killed in Dhaka.

A Hindu head priest was hacked to death on February 21. In September last year, an Italian aid worker was killed by unidentified assailants in Dhaka, and a Japanese national was killed five days later.

Al Qaeda and the Islamic State have claimed responsibility for the killings, but the government has said these groups have no presence in Bangladesh.

On Thursday, US secretary of state John Kerry called Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and asked her to step up law enforcement to prevent attacks targeting liberal voices.

The killings have added to fears that the moderate nation is under threat from Islamic extremists.

Kerry offered Hasina US support for the investigation into the killing of Xulhaz Mannan and his friend, Tonmoi Mahbub, a theatre actor.

The killings began in 2013 but have intensified in the past year.
A blind lion, one that is missing an eye, and 31 others that had worked in circuses began the journey to a South African wildlife sanctuary from Lima, Peru, on Friday in what their rescuers called the biggest transfer of animals in captivity ever undertaken.

These lions have endured hell on earth and now they are heading home to paradise. This is the world for which nature intended these animals for, Jan Creamer, president of Animal Defenders International, said in a statement. It is the perfect ending to ADIs operation which has eliminated circus suffering in another country.

A former circus lion looks out from inside its cage in Callao, Peru. (Reuters Photo)

The organisation said it rescued 24 of the lions in surprise raids on circuses in Peru. They were living in deplorable conditions in cages on the backs of trucks.

A former circus lion rests in a cage on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. (AP Photo)

Nine were voluntarily surrendered by a circus in Colombia. Almost all of the rescued lions have been mutilated to remove their claws, one has lost an eye, another is almost blind, and many have smashed and broken teeth so would not survive in the wild, it said in the statement.

(Reuters Photo)

The lions are destined for the Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in the African bush.

Eva Chomba, a veterinarian with Animal Defenders International, said the trip to Johannesburg would take about 16 hours with a stop in Brazil to refuel.

(Reuters Photo)

Were going to take care of the animals throughout the whole trip. Three of us are going on the plane ... to tend to the animals needs, to give them chicken meat and water because the trip is very long and they need attention, Chomba said.

African lions born in captivity in Peru are embarked for Johannesburg, South Africa, in Lima. (AFP Photo)

Its the biggest transfer of animals in captivity ever in the world, Creamer said before boarding the plane to accompany the lions.

A former circus lion is given a piece of meat to lick, held outside its cage to help sooth it before it's transported to South Africa. (AP Photo)

Savannah Heuser, founder of Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary, said in the statement, The lions are returning to where they belong.

A former circus lion looks out from inside its cage in Callao. (Reuters Photo)

This is their birth right. African sun, African night skies, African bush and sounds, clouds, summer thunderstorms, large enclosures in a natural setting where they can remember who they are.

Donate to the cause and read more about the journey of the lions here.
Kenya will burn 105 tons of elephant ivory and more than one ton of rhino horn, believed to be the largest stockpile ever destroyed, in a dramatic statement against the trade in ivory and products from endangered species.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to set fire to 12 pyres of ivory tusks to be witnessed by dignitaries including visiting presidents.

A general view shows stacks of elephant tusks to be burnt. (Reuters)

Kenyatta said Kenya will push for the total ban on trade in ivory at the 17th meeting of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species in South Africa, later this year.

A Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) ranger holds the horn of a rhino. (REUTERS)

Kenyan wildlife authorities say illegal ivory smuggling in Africa and the killings of elephant and rhino increased after the 2007 temporary lifting of a ban on trade in ivory.

A Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) ranger stands guard in the rain near stacks of elephant tusks. (REUTERS)

A woman takes a picture with her mobile phone of the stacks. (REUTERS)

A sculpture with ivory finishing is seen among ornaments arranged near a pile of elephant tusks. (REUTERS)

And then they set it ablaze. (AFP)

It was around 105 tonnes of ivory and a tonne of rhino horn. (REUTERS)

This was the world's biggest ivory bonfire, after demanding a total ban by Kenya on trade in tusks and horns to end "murderous" trafficking and prevent the extinction of elephants in the wild. (AFP)

(AP)
Opinion / Columnist

We are in Germany today! Understanding the concept of multi-culturalism in German political landscape

Ugogo omncane

Chirikadzi



Nomazulu Thata is a political activist, an engineering metallurgist by profession, author of two books, a chemistry teacher and lecturer in her present occupation. Her essays are purely personal and do not reflect any political party affiliation. She can be contacted on Nomazulu.thata(at)web.de

Is she now going crazy to think that African problems can find answers in western countries like Germany? African problems, problems relating to ethnic tensions are solved in African continent and not in Europe for goodness sake! The writer does not think so at all. There is a lot that peoples can learn from other cultures, good or bad. Germany has a history of World Wars within one century: twentieth century. From that dark past, Germany has transcended to be one of the most successful economic giants globally and politically an envy to most progressive countries regarding their social, economic and multi-culturalism.Racism is a buzz-word for Germany in any part of the globe. Germany was one of many European countries that scrambled for space in Africa. As luck would have it, German South West Africa and Tanganyika were initially German colonies at the beginning of the 20th century Millennium. The genocide that took place in German South West Africa is still a bad taste in the mouth of the Herero peoples of Namibia. European rule in all the colonies in Africa was replete with bloodshed and uttermost brutality. It was the living space (lebensraum) that the Germans wanted in these newly found colonies that led to perpetration of crimes such as genocide.The Herero peoples since 1883 resisted the Colonisation of their territory and the uprisings were met with absolute brutality. The actual genocide took place between 1904 and 1907 when the Herero's were defeated by the Germans at the battle of Waterberg. Several and untold atrocities were meted on the Herero and Namaqua people, were forced in to the Kalahari Desert as a way to exterminate them by starving them to death in those harsh conditions of the Desert. There are still horrible pictures of the Herero population that perished in the desert.The second genocide now on the German soil and in some countries in Europe was meted on the German Jews when racist Hitler came to power in January 1933. He was obsessed with race and its ideas, all evident in his speeches and writings and this race ideology was incorporated officially into government legislation. Posters in public places and the social media were contracted to propagate this notion of supremacy.Hitler believed in the purity of race and the superiority of the German people against other world nations. He even went further by believing that the German race could be improved by limiting the reproduction of German people who were considered inferior. With the help of German scientists, such people were selectively sterilized never to reproduce.Among other people who were deemed inferior were the Roma peoples, (Were insulted and called Gypsies) the handicapped, mentally ill people, those born deaf and blind, Germans with African American background. (Those children born by black US soldiers with German mothers during the First World War also called mulatos, or half casts, "mischlinge" a better insult)The Jews were considered poisonous race in the German society. At schools teachers practiced what was called racial science that meant establishing pupils and students: who were Aryans race and who were inferior Germans? Their eyes were checked to find out if they were blue, their nose were measure to see if they were long enough, their height was checked if they were tall enough, it just went on. Jewish and Roma children would be laughed at by other children not for any other reason either than the fact that they were Jewish or Roma.The definition of Nazism is a combination of a variety of totalitarian ideas and fascism and their goal was to establish a totalitarian state with modern bureaucratic governance. This was possible because Hitler himself was an extremely charismatic person who had the backing of the military. His government was absolutely dominant of the German population whose purpose was to monopolize all human activities be it private or public. Nazism was anti-ideology, anti-democratic, anti-communist, anti-Semitic, anti-capitalist and anti-western.Sure most Germans were not aware of the danger of having Hitler as their "Fuehrer" because some of the reforms he made were appealing to the German people, like remodelling the working class to focus on "higher levels" than traditional class struggle. This led to Germans dangerously moving to extreme levels of nationalism, racism and military might. There was mass creation of jobs, to the satisfaction of the majority of the population and some improved standards of living albeit for a short time.Here, it has to be mentioned why and how Hitler and the Nazis came into power in the first place. Reason why Nazis came to power are variable: Germany was a mixture of a modern industrialized society and some remnants of feudalism. After the loss of WW1 the German nationalism in the minds of most Germans became strong. They decided to legitimatize the biological racial ideas of supremacy: they were Aryans; the general people accepted and respected this race notion. Again it became stressful to them to live with the idea that they lost the WW1 and their economy was in ruins. There was mass unemployment in most German towns and cities.Enemies had to be invented so that all the blame had to be put-paid on them: the Jews, the Roma, liberals of German origin, pacifists of German origin, free masons, Jehovah's Witness, homosexuals, communists. But their main enemy remained the Jews; they were even labelled as the ones who made the Germans lose the First World War! That humiliating peace treaty forced-fed on the Germans to accept defeat was the fault of the Jews after all, they said!All these ideas surfacing in the German "Third Reich" of Adolf Hitler as the Fuehrer, (he wanted Germany to be a Third Reich) he had planned this long back when he was in a prison cell. In 1923, he and other Nazis staged a failed coup that was to be called the "Beer Hall Putsch" in as far back as 1924 all his ideas were written in his famous book "Mein Kampf" a book he wrote single handed.Hitler planned to collect thousands of Jewish artefacts and build a museum after the war, of an extinct race: Jews. This was the magnitude of his hatred against the Jewish peoples of several nations in Europe and elsewhere.His worldviews were summarised in his book "Mein Kampf" as follows: a racist interpretation of world history where the Aryan race is presented as creating culture and the Jews race as the destroying culture, a social Darwinist view of life that says the strong survive and the weak should perish, love of militarism, only in war does man show his true abilities, his belief that Germany become a world power. It was the anti-Semitism that translated into hostility towards Jews, an explanation of all that went wrong with GermanyThe sequences that followed, we all know the magnitude of killings that went on from 1941 to 1945. Jews from several countries in Europe faced genocide that shocked the world to this date. There were extermination camps (Vernichtungslager) and death camps (Todeslager) where six million Jews perished and one million of them were children. It started with mass shooting that ended when the officers who actually did those mass killings some of them went mad or the committed suicide for reason of stress related, and post traumatic depression disorders.Some experiment was made to kill them by gassing them instead of mass shooting. They started by using Carbon monoxide (test gas) to kill disabled, mentally ill, inferior Germans later the cyanide-gas was found to be the better option. This mass killing was called the "final solution" of the Jews. Included in those death and extermination camps were people who were also classified as undesirable some of which were Germans too, Germans who opposed Nazism, beggars, criminals, vagrants' and hawkers.Now coming back to my essay: what does all this information about the two genocides perpetrated by Germany: one in African soil and the other in Germany itself (and other European countries) to do with our ethnic problems in Zimbabwe? I would like to recap issues on genocide in both countries Zimbabwe and Germany: the genocide in Germany particularly against Jews was well planned firstly by Adolf Hitler in his autobiography "Mein Kampf." When Adolf Hitler came to power he just perfected his plan together with his ruling elite behind the back of the entire German population. Hitler used the army to carry out genocide in these camps. The majority of the German population were coerced to support the Hitler regime and its Nazis ideology.Hitler's top notch henchmen, among many other officers were Heinrich Himmler, who was head of Gestapo and Waffen SS; Herman Goering, Joseph Goebbels, Reinhardt Heydrich, Adolf Eichmann, Rudolf Hess Albert Speer just to mention who few at the top.Adolf Hitler never set his foot in any of the death- and extermination camps. All the dirty work was done by his minions. On cue, his minions went on a killing spree until some of them got mad, and some committed suicide because they could not live with their consciences. Equally President Robert Mugabe sent his minions to do the dirty work for him. On cue, the Fifth Brigade went on a killing spree in Mathebeleland and Midlands. He later concurred: Well it was a moment of madness!To this day he still has his killing squad intact! (Where is Itai Dzamara, a resent evidence of his ruthlessness against dissenting voices?) On several occasions President Mugabe has gloated openly that he never killed anybody! He says his hands are clean. The whole Vice President Mphoko said: the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe is so innocent; he reads his three Catholic rosaries everyday! Whatever that means! But he (VP Mphoko) on the aside is a full Seventh Day Adventist!In Zimbabwe, the genocide was perpetrated by the Zanu ruling elite against the people of Mathebelelands and Midlands. Gugurahundi was a master-mind of a few Zanu elite that used a specially military, trained by North Koreans' to be called the Fifth Brigade to decimate the defenceless victims. There was a Grand Plan of 1979 that hatched idea of eliminating a certain section of people who were of a tribe and those peoples of Mashonalands who were of Zapu political party. Among other of those in the elite was Enos Nkala of Ndebele ethnic group. This aspect of Enos Nkala as part of the killing machinery should be underlined as it creates a complex mix of what this Zanu killing cabal consisted of.Mugabe's top notch among many other officers were: the then Prime Minister Robert Gabriel Mugabe, the commanderin-chief; Emmerson Mnangagwa, Minister of State for Security; Sydney Sekeramai, Minister of Defence Forces; Enos Nkala who held several portfolios; Simbi Mubako former home Affairs minister; the entire high command, General Solomon Mujuru, Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces under the Prime Minister's Office; Josiah Tungamirai as Air Force Marshall; Colonel Perence Shiri, Commander of the Fifth BrigadeThe peoples of Mashonalands generally were not aware of the genocide, when it happened, very little information filtered to those other parts of the country for them ever to comprehend the magnitude of loss of life in other parts of new Zimbabwe, killings in most barbaric style. If at all they knew, independence was still too good and intoxicating for them to worry about the "other" who were then called dissidents, a word that was synonymous to Ndebele tribe.The victims of mass killings in German genocide were buried in mass graves but later they decided to incriminate them. Before they were incriminated they removed gold teeth from their tooth fillings, sometimes the hair was cut for use as mattresses. The victims of Gugurahundi were buried in mass graves and disabled mine shafts. Their belongings such as cattle were stolen by the soldiers. Some shallow graves do resurface to this date as raw evidence of the Gugurahundi atrocities.To be able to kill them, the Jews had to be dehumanised first, reduce them from being people to something less, were told to go to gas chambers because they wanted to remove lice from their bodies. In the same manner, the Gugurahundi atrocities were committed by first of all dehumanising the peoples of Mathebeleland and Midlands by calling them cockroaches. All is evidenced in the Chronicle Newspaper article of March 5 1983. He was reported uttering those exact words, likening the dissidents to cockroaches and bugs, the bandit menace had reached such epidemic proportion that the government had to bring DDT (Five Brigade) to get rid of the bandits. These are the words said by VP Emerson MnangagwaThis is evidence that the patterns of genocide are the same everywhere. German genocide had many levels and dimensions as it did not target Jews only: decimation of Jews, decimation of Roma, decimation of inferior Germans, decimation homosexuals, decimation of Germans who opposed the Nazism, decimation of pacifists, decimation of free masons, disabled people and decimation of Jehovah's Witness. In Zimbabwe it was the decimation of the peoples of Mathebelelands and Midlands and Zapu members of the party also of Shona ethnic groups.In German, there is a word for analyzing and learning to live with the past in particular the holocaust: Vergangenheitsbewaltigung. Immediately after the WW2 in 1945 Germany had the task to build democratic Germanys. There were two German countries that were created at the ashes of the WW2: one was the Federal Republic of Germany and the other was Democratic Republic of Germany. The two Germans needed to deal with their past and how they were going to economically, socially and culturally develop at the glare and scrutiny of the international community.Politically the two countries had limited space to articulate their freedom. The separation of the two Germans created another dimension of conflict: the cold war. Because West Germany was then part of the Nato allies and the East Germany was part of the Soviet allies, this geopolitical also ideological conflict was then never about Germany but about the immerging super powers, The Soviet Union and its Eastern Block allies on one hand and the USA and its Western allies on the other hand, the battle ground was Germany and the German control.To remain focused on our own essay, how did Germany solve its ethnic dimensions, and what we can learn from it, it is best to recognise the political, economic and social developments of the two countries after the WW2 as separate states. It would be advisable to subdivide the topics into more parts once more. Part 4.1 will deal with East German and part 4.2 will analyse West Germany, part 4.3 will do the conclusion, what do we as a nation of Zimbabwe learn from other nation's painful histories.I pen off for now
Pakistan has not given any assurance on the release of the jailed doctor who helped CIA agents hunt Osama bin Laden despite repeated request, a senior American official has said.

We believe hes been unjustly prisoned, and we have clearly and repeatedly communicated our position to Pakistan on the Shakeel Afridi case, both in public and private, our opposition to his imprisonment, State department deputy spokesman Mark Toner told reporters on Friday.

We continue to raise this issue at the highest levels in any discussion we have with the Pakistani leadership. The Pakistani government has assured us that Dr Afridi is being treated humanely and is in good health, but we believe hes being unjustly imprisoned, he said.

Pakistan has given no commitment on the release of Afridi, who was jailed in 2012 for 33 years for running a fake vaccination campaign that is believed to have helped the US intelligence agency track down bin Laden in Abbottabad in May 2011. That sentence was overturned in 2013 and the doctor is now in jail awaiting a new trial.

We dont have any kind of firm commitment. Again, we dont have any firm commitment about his release or any firm details about his possible release. But we continue to press his case, Toner said.

Republican Presidential front-runner Donald Trump has said that if elected, he will free the Pakistani doctor.

I think I would get him out in two minutes, he said in response to a question during a Fox News interview Thursday, when asked if he would free Shakeel Afridi.

Asked how he would do it, Trump said, I would tell them let him out and Im sure they would let him out.

He plans to leverage US aid, because we give a lot of aid to Pakistan. We give a lot of money to Pakistan.
Reformist and moderate politicians allied with Irans President Hassan Rouhani won most seats in second round parliamentary elections, local media reported Saturday.

Unofficial and incomplete results said that of the 68 seats being contested at least 33 had gone to the pro-Rouhani List of Hope, with conservatives gaining 21 more MPs.

The second ballot to complete a new 290-seat parliament took place Friday because initial polls on February 26 did not produce clear winners in the 68 seats.

According to Fars news agency, close to the conservatives, 33 seats went to the Rouhani allies -- 31 reformists and two moderates-- while only 21 seats were taken by the conservative coalition.

The remaining 14 seats went to independents, the report said.

Another conservative news agency, Tasnim, said pro-Rouhani allies of moderates and reformists had gained 35 seats so far.

Official results are expected later Saturday.

Rouhanis allies made huge gains in the first round of elections, on February 26, when voters drove many conservatives out of the parliament.

Results from Fridays second ballot will decide who has the most power when lawmakers are sworn in next month, opening or potentially closing a politically delicate path to even limited social and cultural change in the Islamic republic.

Tension over the votes high stakes was dramatically underlined by a shooting involving supporters of rival candidates in a southern province. The rare political violence left four people wounded, a security official said.

Around 17 million citizens were eligible to vote on Friday in 55 towns and cities. There was no voting in Tehran as the List of Hope swept all 30 of the capitals 30 seats in the first round.
Hundreds of rowdy protesters broke through barricades and threw eggs at police outside a hotel where Donald Trump addressed the states Republican convention. Several Trump supporters said they were roughed up but no serious injuries were reported.

The protest just outside San Francisco occurred Friday, a day after anti-Trump protesters took to the streets in Southern California, blocking traffic and damaging five police cars in Costa Mesa following a speech by the leader in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Demonstrators at both locations waved Mexican flags, an action meant to counter Trumps hard stance on immigration and disparaging remarks about Mexico.

Because of the protest, Trump was re-routed to a back entrance. In a surreal scene, news helicopters showed the billionaire businessman and his security detail walking between two concrete freeway barriers before hopping down onto a grass verge and walking across a service road.

That was not the easiest entrance I ever made, Trump quipped when he started speaking to the convention delegates. It felt like I was crossing the border.

Outside, crowds of anti-Trump demonstrators broke through steel barricades and pelted riot police with eggs as the officers stood shoulder-to-shoulder to keep the demonstrators from entering the hotel.

A man wearing a red hat bearing the Trump campaign slogan Make America Great Again was punched in the head from behind while being jostled by a group of shouting protesters. Another Trump supporter said he was punched and spit upon by demonstrators who also threw his phone to the ground.

It went gangbusters. They attacked me, said Chris Conway, a mortgage broker from San Mateo.

Burlingame is right outside San Francisco, a liberal bastion that became the focal point of the immigration debate last year when an immigrant in the country illegally, and who had been deported multiple times, shot and killed a woman walking with her father.

Immigration has been one of Trumps main issues and he often has highlighted the San Francisco killing while touting his plan to build a wall along the entire Mexican border.

Californias primary is June 7, a date once seen as too late to influence the selection process. Now it is seen as the election that either gets Trump over the threshold needed for the nomination or leaves him just short.

Hell likely make many visits to California in coming weeks. That and his hard stand on immigration in a state where millions of immigrants live and thats run by Democrats who generally support more benefits, services and job opportunities for those in the country illegally raise the prospects of more raucous demonstrations.

In Orange County, once a Republican stronghold but now home to a surging Hispanic population, a vocal but peaceful demonstration before a rally and Trump speech turned violent afterward. At least 17 people were arrested, five police cars were damaged and an officer was hit in the head by a rock but not seriously hurt, authorities said.

One Trump supporter had his face bloodied in a scuffle as he tried to drive out of the Pacific Amphitheatre area.

Dozens of cars  including those of Trump supporters trying to leave  were stuck in the street as several hundred demonstrators blocked the road, waved Mexican flags and posed for selfies in front of lines of riot police.

There were no major injuries and police did not use any force.
A late-night phone call to police about a crying child led to the discovery of eight children unsupervised at a San Antonio home, including a 2-year-old boy chained in the backyard and a 3-year-old girl tied to a door with a dog leash, authorities said Friday.

The mother of six children found inside, who returned after authorities arrived at the home, was charged with two felony counts. Prosecutors said officials were searching for the parents of the toddlers restrained outside, who authorities believe are siblings.

I would describe it as disgusting, Bexar County district attorney Nicholas LaHood said of the scene. It shocks your conscience when you think what kind of individual could treat children, who in my opinion are gifts from God, like this.

One of the toddlers found outside had a metal chain strapped to his ankle with the other end of the chain fixed to the ground, said Bexar County Sheriffs Office spokesman James Keith. It was the same kind of setup you would use for a dog, he said.

Two of the children, including one with a broken arm, remained hospitalized more than 12 hours after deputies first arrived to the house. The other six were placed in foster care. Officials were concerned that all the children may be malnourished, said Patrick Crimmins, a spokesman for the Texas department of family and protective services.

The five girls and three boys were between the ages of 10 months and 10 years old, Crimmins said.

Authorities have arrested a woman who is the mother of six of eight children who were found unsupervised in the middle of the night at a San Antonio home (shown in picture) (AP)

Porucha Phillips, 34, was charged with two counts of injury to a child by omission. Her bond was set at $75,000 on each charge, according to the website of the Bexar County Magistrate. It was not clear if she had an attorney and The Associated Press couldnt find working phone numbers for family members.

Authorities said Phillips is the mother of the six children found inside. Keith said the father had been working and showed up after deputies arrived.

Keith said authorities believe Phillips was responsible for the two children found outside. The family has no prior history with Texas child welfare officials, Crimmins said, but added that the agency was investigating a report that a home day care may have been operating at the address.

The brown townhouse had burglar bars covering the windows and posters obstructing the view inside.

Deputies arrived there after receiving a call just before midnight about a child crying for a long time, Keith said. The officers didnt get a response when they knocked on the front door, and when they looked in the backyard they discovered the two restrained children, who Keith said are believed to be brother and sister.
On May 13, 1846, the U.S. Congress declared war on Mexico, unaware American troops had already fought and won two battles.

The hot days at Fort Texas were about to get a lot hotter. In the three weeks since their arrival in late March 1846 soldiers of the 7th U.S. Infantry Regiment had watched as Mexican troops rolled guns into position along the south bank of the Rio Grande in Matamoros, opposite the Americans rough earthwork fortress. Now a large procession across the river flowed from gun to gun, as priests in turn blessed each of the cannon pointing north. The 500 men at Fort Texas were caught between those guns and nearly 4,000 troops of Mexican Maj. Gen. Mariano Aristas Army of the North, which had crossed the river on April 24. The Americans only possible relief force, 2,200 men under Brig. Gen. Zachary Taylor, was two days march away. The governments of the United States and Mexico were not yet officially at war, but military events on the Rio Grande would soon outpace politics.

When the United States annexed the Republic of Texas in 1845, it acquired both a vast new territory and a potential war. Despite his defeat and capture at the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto, and his pledge in a subsequent secret treaty to recognize Texas independence, President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna had never accepted the loss of the breakaway province. Mexico had officially repudiated the treaty, prompting nine years of cold war broken by sporadic border clashes and abortive invasions. The admission of Texas into the Union turned the boundary dispute with Mexico into a federal issue. Washington adopted Texas claim that the Rio Grande marked the international border, while Mexico insisted it ran along the Nueces River, more than 30 miles farther north. The diplomatic impasse worsened after annexation, and President James K. Polk ordered troops to southern Texas to defend the disputed tract between the rivers. Soldiers began landing at the mouth of the Nueces near Corpus Christi in July 1845.

It took months for the U.S. Army to scrape up an expeditionary force from men posted at its lonely frontier posts and sleepy, undermanned coastal forts. Even then dragoons turned up without mounts, while artillery units arrived with neither horses nor guns. Eager to save money, the Quartermaster Department had resisted sending Army horses, insisting instead that units capture and break Texas mustangs and adding that the tough, wiry animals could live off prairie grass instead of expensive feed. According to one disgruntled officer, however, the mustangs were about as useful as goats when it came to pulling heavy guns and wagons.

By October some 3,500 men were camped at Corpus Christi; they comprised more than half the entire U.S. Army and were by far the largest assembly of American troops since the War of 1812. Officers who for years had only drilled companies of men had to learn to maneuver as part of a regiment or a brigade. As cavalry made up a high proportion of the Mexican army, the men frequently practiced forming infantry squares to repel horsemen.

A great tent city sprawled across the wide, sandy beach. It dwarfed Corpus Christi, at the time a small, scruffy settlement that survived in large part on revenues from smuggling. On a map that stretch of the Texas coast seemed a good disembarkation point, but its waters were so shallow that none of the ships could land, thus goods and men had to be transferred aboard lighters. Smugglers turned an honest dollar by renting their shallow-draft boats to the Army.

The U.S. commander, Zachary Taylor, was born in 1784 on a Virginia plantation and reared on the Kentucky frontier before joining the Army in 1808. Nicknamed Old Rough and Ready, the tobacco-chewing 61-year-old veteran of the War of 1812 and Indian wars cared nothing for military pomp and splendor. On campaign he often dressed more like a dirt farmer than a general. Taylors men loved his courage, his willingness to share their hardships and his sense of humor, and they were happy to follow him when in February 1846 he finally received orders to march south into the disputed Rio Grande territory. Among his junior officers were Ulysses Grant, Jefferson Davis, George Meade, James Longstreet, William J. Hardee and Braxton Braggmen who would make their names in a later, far bloodier conflict.

Supporting Taylors infantry was an artillery contingent of four 18-pounders and three of the Armys five batteries of flying artillery. Under the command of Major Samuel Ringgold, the latter units were renowned for their extraordinary readiness and mobility. Gunners rode their own mounts, rather than having to hold on to the caissons and limbers, thus they could move, emplace and fire their brass 6-pounders far faster than regular artillery. The coming battles would be their first test in combat.

En route to the disputed zone Taylor split his army, sending a detachment to set up a coastal supply depot at Point Isabel while the rest pushed on to the border. On March 27 the Americans raised the Stars and Stripes on the Rio Grande across from Matamoros. There, under the glare of a Mexican army fast building its own fortifications, the troops built a strong earthen star fortress ringed by a moat. They dubbed it Fort Texas.

Commanding the Mexican forces arrayed against them was 43-year-old General Mariano Arista, who had enlisted as a teenage cadet in Spanish forces toward the end of the colonial era. After Mexico gained its independence, he rose to command the Army of the North. Entrusted with defending Mexicos claimed border with Texas, his force contained some of the nations best units.

Though war had not yet been declared, tensions flared across the riverine border over the next few months. In the most serious incident 1,600 lancers under Brig. Gen. Anastasio Torrejon crossed the Rio Grande upstream from Matamoros. On April 25 an 80-man force of U.S. dragoons under Captain Seth Thornton went to investigate and rode straight into an ambush. Torrejons men killed 11 dragoons, wounded six and captured the rest, including Thornton. As far as Taylor was concerned, hostilities had begun.

As serious a blow as the Thornton affair was, Taylor was actually more worried about his supply lines. His army was running low on food, and the lightly guarded Point Isabel depot was vulnerable to capture. In order to secure the vital port, Taylor and most of the army marched back to Point Isabel on May 1, leaving Major Jacob Brown, the 7th Infantry and a handful of artillerymen to hold Fort Texas.

While Arista believed an all-out attack on the fort would prove too costly, he thought a siege might reduce it. On May 3 the guns in Matamoros opened fire on Fort Texas, to which the Americans responded with counterbattery fire from their 18-pounders, quickly dismounting two of the Mexican guns. A Mexican heavy mortar emplaced behind the fort, set deep in the ground and protected by earthworks, was harder for the American guns to seek out. No one can tell where the confounded things are going to fall, wrote one soldier of its shells. Casualties mounted, and on the third day of the siege Brown himself was mortally wounded. The defenders also began running low on ammunition.

On March 7 Taylor was finally able to leave for the Rio Grande with his 2,200 men, 200 wagons and two more 18-pounders, each pulled by six yokes of lumbering oxen. Two batteries of flying artillery, under Ringgold and Captain James Duncan, rounded out the force. They marched about 7 miles before halting to make camp.

Taylor didnt know it, but Arista was also on the move. Early on the morning of May 8 his 4,000 men waited for Taylor on the Matamoros Road at a place called Palo Alto (Tall Timber). The name derived from low ridges crowned with trees and brush that stood out from the surrounding prairie. The Mexican line, anchored by cavalry on each flank, stretched more than a mile. Around and behind it were dense thickets of chaparral, while between the armies lay coastal prairie pocked with rain-filled hollows.

By noon Taylors men had closed to within a dozen miles of Fort Texas when they caught flashes of sunlight glinting off polished Mexican lance tips and bayonets. The Americans approached through stiff, shoulder-deep prairie grass that 2nd Lt. Ulysses S. Grant of the 4th U.S. Infantry described as pointed at the top, and hard and almost as sharp as a darning-needle. There was no natural shelter for the supply wagons, and the men suffered from heat and thirst during the march, but they arrived on the prairie to the welcome sight of a pond. Perched atop his horse, Old Whitey, and calmly chewing tobacco, the general ordered a halt. While Old Rough and Ready planned their opening moves, each company dispatched a platoon, loaded down with canteens, to the waterhole.

Even on horseback Taylor lacked a clear view of the enemy line, as it was largely obscured by the prairie grass and chaparral. But Lieutenant Jacob Blake, a young engineer with his advance guard, had made a daring horseback reconnaissance within 150 yards of the Mexican line, and his reconnoiter had revealed the location of concealed enemy batteries, as well as the swamp and wooded rise that protected Aristas flanks.

At about 2 p.m. Aristas guns opened fire on the American line, which had formed behind its batteries about a half-mile away. The Mexican gunseight 4-pounders and two 8-poundersthrew copper projectiles that landed well short of their targets. Experiencing his first action, Grant recalled the enemy shot ricocheted through the tall grass so slowly that the men would see them and open ranks and let them pass.

Given the distance, the American gunners instead used solid iron shot, and their 18-pounders ripped into the Mexican line with especially deadly effect.

Noting the carnage wreaked by Taylors guns, Arista sent Torrejons lancers to either turn the American right or fall upon the wagon train. A flustered German-speaking messenger ran to warn Taylor, pointing frantically toward the right flank and sputtering, Die Mexican! Die Mexican! But stands of brush obscured the generals view of the approaching enemy. After several anxious moments a staff officer who knew some German was able to coax more details from the messenger, and Taylor immediately advised Lt. Col. James S. McIntosh of the 5th U.S. Infantry to form an infantry square.

McIntoshs voice boomed out: Fifth Infantry! Form square! The tedious drilling at Corpus Christi was about to pay off. Two sides of McIntoshs square, bolstered by two of Ringgolds guns under Lieutenant Randolph Ridgely, faced the onrushing horsemen. Torrejons lancers, slowed by the soggy field and peppered by American musket volleys, drew up some 40 yards short of the square. The lancers returned fire but were soon driven back. Torrejon regrouped and struck at Taylors left, but the Americans again repelled the charging horsemen. Two hours into the fight burning wads from the American guns sparked fires in the prairie grass, choking the battlefield with smoke and suspending the fight for nearly an hour. Torrejons cavalry hadnt returned to its original position on the Mexican left, and under cover of the smoke Taylor pushed his right to about where the enemy line had been.

When the smoke had cleared sufficiently, the American gunners immediately opened fire. The gaps they tore through the Mexican ranks were plain to see, but Taylor recalled that the constancy of the enemy troops under this terrible fire was a theme of universal remark and admiration. Aristas artillerymen brought their guns to bear on the deadly artillery, particularly Ringgolds battery, which had pushed out well out in advance of Taylors right. The major was surveying the action from atop his celebrated white thoroughbred, Davy Branch, when a 4-pounder ball hit saddle-high, breaking two pommel-holstered pistols, killing the horse and tearing through Ringgolds upper thighs without breaking the bones. Thrown to the ground, the mortally wounded major waved on his men. Dont stay with me! he barked. You have work to do.

The fighting surged back and forth, neither side gaining a decisive edge by the time darkness fell. Taylor held the position the Aristas army had occupied that morning, but he had not been able to break the Mexican line. Still, the Americans had sustained only four killed and 48 wounded, compared to Aristas 250-plus casualties. The moon shone gently through the haze of the still-smoldering grass fires as the exhausted men settled into camp. Lieutenant Blake, who had survived his daring gallop before the entire Mexican line that morning, tossed aside his pistols before turning in. One struck the ground and discharged a ball that killed him.

Early on May 9 Arista fell back from Palo Alto and staked out a new defensive line at Resaca de la Palma, 5 miles south along the Matamoros Road. Buffered by stretches of dense chaparral and trees, the dry former riverbed of the Rio Grande made a fine breastwork. Arista knew the superior American artillery would be of little use in this tangled labyrinth. On the other hand, his cavalry also couldnt maneuver in the chaparral.

Just after dawn Taylor summoned 13 of his officers to a council of war. Their mood was cautious; while they had held their own against a larger enemy force, only four of the officers favored an aggressive attack. The rest wanted either to dig in and await reinforcements or to return to Point Isabel. Taylor thanked them for their opinions, then stated bluntly, I will be in Fort Texas before night, if I live.

Of course the only clear route to the fort was along the Matamoros Road, by then well covered by the muzzles of Mexican artillery where the road crossed the resaca. Arista, certain the American commander would consider his line impregnable and leave it alone, settled into his tent to write reports.

Taylor sent his wounded to Point Isabel, left the supply train under the protection of the 18-pounders and a pair of 12-pounders, and set off after Arista. Around 2 p.m. the light companies Taylor had sent probing through the chaparral reported contact with the enemy. The light troops and Ringgolds battery, now under Ridgelys command, engaged the Mexican guns on the Matamoros Road, while the 3rd, 4th and 5th U.S. Infantry regiments spread out to either side in the chaparral.

Ridgely faced three Mexican batteries, numbering eight guns in all. Backing the guns was the Tampico Battalion, among the Army of the Norths finest units, whose men never wavered, even as Ridgelys guns tore into their ranks. After sustaining heavy return cannon and musket fire and repulsing a charge by Mexican lancers, Ridgely sent for help.

Taylor sent Captain Charles May of the 2nd Regiment of Dragoons to charge the Mexican batteries. As May approached Ridgelys position, he asked the artilleryman to point out the enemy guns. Hold on, Charley, till I draw their fire, and you will see where they are. After a furious exchange, and before the Mexican gunners could reload, the bugle sounded the charge, and Mays 60 dragoons broke into a gallop, disappearing into the smoke between the lines. The dragoons rode down or stampeded the enemy gunners from their pieces, but the momentum of the charge carried them past the guns. Mays dragoons were so scattered by the time he reined up, he found himself with scarcely a half-dozen men.

The wild-eyed, bearded captain managed to round up his dragoons for a return sweep, and when they reached the enemy guns May found Mexican Brig. Gen. Romulo Diaz de la Vega pinned between the wheels of one of the pieces, refusing to surrender to anyone but an officer. When May confirmed he was a captain, the combative general agreed to turn over his sword. His opponents and American newspapers alike admired de la Vegas stubborn valor, and Taylor later handed him back his sword.

Back home Mays charge became the most celebrated incident of the battle, inspiring countless romanticized prints. His superiors, though, scoffed at the public perception of the young dragoon captain single-handedly winning the Battle of Resaca de la Palma. Indeed, caught in a heavy infantry crossfire with no reinforcements on the way, May was forced to abandon the captured guns and return to Taylor with his prisoners. His men didnt even pause to spike the pieces, and Mexican gunners re-manned them as soon as the dragoons galloped away.

As May returned to the American line, Taylor snapped to his infantry officers, Take those guns, and by God, keep them! The 8th Infantry, which had just come up, joined the 5th in an attack that ultimately overran the enemy batteries. Around the captured guns desperate Mexican foot soldiers clawed their way into the chaparral, shoving their comrades ahead of them into the interlocking tangle of thorns. Musket balls cut branches and slashed leaves. Whole companies dissolved into bands of a half-dozen or fewer men, and the battle disintegrated into countless little skirmishes and bayonet fights. Retreat, at least fast enough to avoid being shot in the back, was impossible.

Grant, finding himself temporarily in command of his company, wrote that he pushed blindly through the chaparral somewhere on the right flank, taking advantage of any clear spot that would carry me towards the enemy. Although he and his men couldnt see their opponents, the lieutenant recalled that balls commenced to whistle very thick overheadso I ordered my men to lie down, an order that did not have to be enforced. When the firing died down, Grant again moved forward and soon found a clearing in the brush. Spotting a handful of Mexican soldiers, he and his men charged, capturing them with no resistance. Grant was sending the prisoners to the rear when a private appeared from the front with a wounded American officer. The disappointed young lieutenant realized his men had recaptured Mexican troops already secured by advancing Americans. The Battle of Resaca de la Palma would have been won, just as it was, he mused, if I had not been there.

About the time Grant was rounding up his prisoners, the entire Army of the North was crumbling. The terrific slaughter, the capture of their guns and their loss of confidence in Arista had doomed their stand at the resaca. As retreating Mexicans burst from the brush near Fort Texas, heading for the Rio Grande, the men in the fort opened fire on their former besiegers. The crossing proved as deadly as the battle itself. Many soldiers drowned while trying to swim the river. Still others died when a Mexican officer capsized a ferry by jumping his horse onto it.

American losses over the two days of fighting at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma totaled 37 killed and 137 wounded. Arista claimed 600 casualties, although U.S. reports put his losses far higher. Taylors men captured the Mexican generals personal papers and baggage, as well as eight guns (six of which were loaded when captured), hundreds of British-made flintlocks marked with the arms of King George IV, and the colors of the Tampico Battalion. To the average American foot soldier, though, the most important items captured were thousands of Mexican cigars.

News of Taylors victories reached Washington on May 23, 10 days after Congressresponding to news of the Thornton skirmishhad declared war on Mexico. Up to that time many Americans, including senior government officials, had considered it a waste of money to maintain a standing army, not to mention the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Volunteers and militia, they had argued, could handle any national emergency better than the epauletted loafers of the professional ranks. Now, however, just such an army filled with West Pointtrained officers had smashed a larger enemy army, and with minimal American casualties. The general public was thrilled, and many doubters were convinced of the value of the national military academy.

New tunes such as the Palo Alto Triumphant Grand March and The Battle of Resaca de la Palma waltz swept the country. Theatrical productions, heroic poems and Currier & Ives prints celebrated the battles. Several towns popped up named Palo Alto, Resaca and Ringgold. Two such towns in GeorgiaRinggold and Resacahosted Civil War battles. And the roar of guns would again echo across Texas own Palo Alto battleground. On May 1213, 1865, nearly 19 years to the day after Zachary Taylors unlikely victory, the last battle of the Civil War raged at nearby Palmito Ranch.

Freelance writer David A. Norris is a frequent contributor to HistoryNet magazines. For further reading he recommends John S.D. Eisenhowers So Far From God: The U.S. War With Mexico, 18461848, and the website of the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park [nps.gov/paal].
A new study from researchers at the University of Hawaii suggests that the C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) comet was created in the inner solar system at the same time as Earth before being ejected. The results reveal that the comet has ancient origins and was eventually preserved in the low temperatures of the Oort Cloud for billions of years.

"We already knew of many asteroids, but they have all been baked by billions of years near the Sun," said Karen Meech of the University of Hawaii and lead author of the study. "This one is the first uncooked asteroid we could observe: it has been preserved in the best freezer there is."

C/2014 S3 possesses a long orbital period of approximately 860 years and was originally deemed a weakly active comet. Now, scientists believe that after originating in the Oort Cloud, it was recently pushed into an orbit closer to the sun.

The researchers noticed that C/2014 S3 lacks the tail that is observed in typical long-period comets that come into close proximity of the sun, prompting them to name it a Manx comet after the tailless cat. Using the European Space Agency's (ESO) Very Large Telescope, the team gathered spectra of the faint object.

The study reveals that the light reflected by the unique comet mirrors that of S-type asteroids that are commonly found in the inner asteroid main belt. Its rocky characteristics conflict with the common icy characteristics of comets that stem from the outer solar system.

C/2014 S3 is composed of material that suggests a long deep freeze, and its weak comet-like activity - typically associated with the sublimation of water ice - is a million times lower than that observed in active long-period comets that are an equal distance from the sun.

The results suggest that C/2014 S3 is composed of recent inner solar system material that originates from the Oort Cloud and is only now travelling back into the inner solar system.

"We've found the first rocky comet, and we are looking for others," said Olivier Hainaut from the ESO and co-author of the study. "Depending on how many we find, we will know whether the giant planets danced across the solar system when they were young, or if they grew up quietly without moving much."

The findings were published in the April 29 issue of the journal Science Advances.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Travelling has become an essential component of our everyday business and leisure life. Thus, the more the "habit of traveling" sets in, the more efficient room layout and smooth fruition of both services and facilities in a hotel are taken for granted and are not noticed, unless the hotel gets them wrong.

The world is changing rapidly, hence any type of business needs to adapt to evolving market dynamics. The hospitality industry is no exception and, even though it is often viewed as a slower adopter of technology, hoteliers continuously look for the latest innovations, which would enable them to improve operational efficiencies and customer satisfaction. Especially the latter becomes an issue when the guest profiles range from techno-yuppies to seasoned veteran travelers who despise remote controls. Thus, technology in hotels has to be adaptive and make a perceivable improvement contribution.

What are the recent technology standard additions and what is now common in hotels? Where is technology leading hospitality service and room features? How do hotels adapt to changing demands in worldwide travel patterns? Which practices can enforce efficient and environmentally sustainable operations?

It is all about the experience

According to a study conducted by Cornell Centre for Hospitality Research in 2014, it is estimated that the Millennial generation will represent 50% of all travelers by 2025. This clearly emphasizes the importance to attract Millennials among others by meeting and exceeding their travelling requirements. If this is true for them, then it will also apply for other target segments (i.e. Generation X and Baby Boomers) who are sometimes also as tech savvy as Millennials

Millennials are known to have redefined the parameters of traditional luxury consumption giving more importance to experiences than material products. As such, there is more prestige attributed to travelling and generating memories, than buying expensive items. Millennials also characterize by their high concerns for and awareness of the environment. Being constantly online through their social media channels, they gather a large part of the information on which to base their travelling decision from online resources and friends' experiences. At the same time,they are also very fast in posting bad reviews, thus exposing the service provider to quick and major reputational risks.

An astute businessman would therefore reach out to these travelers and gauge their attention in order to influence the booking decisions. But the efforts are not finishing there as it is also important to actually maintain Millennials' satisfaction throughout every interaction during their stay. The interactions that happen between the customer and the hotel are at the basis of the guests' overall experience and therefore online reputation of the hotel.

How are hotels around the world using technology to keep their guests engaged for the duration of their stay?

Experience 1: The Booking Process

The first interaction between a guest and a hotel usually takes place during the reservation process: this is when the decision-making process actually materializes; hence, it is critical for the hotel to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information about the property and its amenities / services. Whether it is an online travel agency or a direct booking channel, hoteliers aim to maximize conversion for their properties. As such, they supply websites with quality visual impressions, facility description and contact details, making the User Interface (UI) and payment procedure as smooth as possible.

Some brands, such as Loews Hotels, go as far as introducing an option of making a room reservation using a hash-tag on Twitter. Hilton's HHonors app, on the other hand, allows its loyalty program members to select the exact room location and configuration (king bed versus two separate beds) a day before arrival.

Experience 2: Sense of Arrival

Traditionally, guests that have arrived at the hotel approach the reception desk in order to check in and receive a room key. However, the trend is now leaning towards automated registration techniques. As more online traffic to the hotels' websites is now driven through mobile devices rather than computers, hotel operators continue to innovate their reservation systems and checkin procedures. Ultimately, the goal is to minimize the amount of time guests spend, from the moment they arrive in the hotel lobby, to the point they reach their selected room.

As such, hoteliers have introduced a mobile check-in option, which enables guests to use their mobile devices as a key, through mobile applications and Bluetooth. For example, Starwood have rolled out the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Keyless initiative across some of its Aloft, Element and W properties. The program members are able to access their rooms, skipping the reception and related paperwork. As this option is only available for the SPG loyalty customers,guests are incentivised to book through the company's direct channels, which is a win-win for both customers and operator.

Keyless entry experience has been introduced to not only high-end properties, but also to budget hotel chains. For example, the reception desk in Formula 1 is only open during 4 to 6 hours a day, while all the remaining time visitors can open the hotel room directly by swiping their credit card. For a budget hotel, this represents a dramatic saving in costs, as there is no need to maintain receptionists for more than one shift per day.

Another aspect of the front office that is seeing an impact of increased mobile utilization is the concierge desk. As more hotel brands  and also attractions typically booked by a concierge in the past - introduce mobile applications with an online concierge service, the need to interact with the hotel employees is kept at a minimum. For example, Marriott Hotels have launched a digital concierge service called Mobile Request in May 2015. The app allows guests to request any service they would have otherwise had to contact a concierge for. Not only does this advancement have an impact on the customer experience, but it also positively affects the hotel's bottom line.

The above are just few examples of the limitless possibilities of good interactions which could extend to knowing when your client is approaching the hotel and making sure their selected room is ready on time, mentioning the name of the client if the client's profile has a picture and so on.

These examples lead to a conclusion that both reception desk and concierge service will soon become obsolete, as more hotel companies will adopt the electronic versions of these services, especially in the middle and upscale tiers.

Experience 3: Hotel room

One of the main draws of any hotel is the room. The basic expectations of room amenities have changed dramatically over the last years while the physical aspect of the room has in fact not changed at all. Going far beyond just a clean and comfortable bed, guests now want the room layout to be user-friendly and accessible for multiple digital devices.

Regardless of whether travelling on business or leisure, connectivity is nowadays the most valued feature of the room. In fact, many travelers make their booking decisions based on the availability of free Wi-Fi. Yet, brand standards are still based on characteristics such as rooms' size and type of furniture rather than connectivity. Hoteliers who treat their customers "as kings" by providing large room sizes but then forcing them to spend all their time in the lobby because internet in their rooms is not working properly will not survive  nor will charging for internet access.

As anyone who has travelled extensively would know, sometimes rooms lack the amount of electricity plugs that any traveler would consider basic as well as energy adaptors for different sockets. The result of the inability to instantly connect devices to a (sufficient number of) power source is immediate irritation and frustration to the customer.

Similarly, the position of furniture within the room can be a nuisance to the traveler if placed incorrectly. We have all had the annoying experience when a room's function was inaccessible due to the poor layout. It is not unheard of, for a guest having to move the bed in order to access a power socket. Worse still is when the next day the housekeeping staff returns the furniture to itsoriginal position, complying with the Standard Operating Procedure Manual but not with any guest's common sense.

It strikes that, despite the use of ultimate technology, hoteliers still fall prey to simple mistakes such as impracticable room layouts  likely because infrastructure changes in rooms are CAPEX intense..

Despite the negatives however, there is increasing progress for in-room technology. Hotels often offer tablets in the rooms, enabling guests control the room features, including TV programs, room temperature and such. Some hotel companies go as far as establishing their own techfriendly hotel brands, usually in a 4-star lifestyle positioning. For example, Carlson Rezidor has set up their Radisson Red brand with a focus on art, music and technology. The brand intends to tap into the tech-savvy market by introducing an app that will allow guests to skip the reception desk upon arrival, access the online concierge service and adjust the environment within the room in accordance with their moods and preferences. A hotel on the Seychelles for instance completed abandoned in room phones and instead provide PDAs to use all room and hotel features.

Going beyond WiFi and applications, one of the recent primary drivers for the technology sector is the Internet of Things (IoT), which in 2015 was ranked number two by IT research firm Gartner in their world renowned strategic annual technology trend list.

This development promises the ability for any object to be connected to a network and thereby gain some addressable intelligence. It is expected that 50 billion ''Things" will be connected to the Internet by 2020, and we foresee that more and more hoteliers will be looking for IoT solutions that enable them to innovate and enhance the guest experience in their hotels.

IoT as an enabler to improve Service and Efficiency

A number of hotel companies have already recognised the benefits IoT can bring to their hotels and are now piloting initiatives around the Internet of Things as an opportunity to improve guest service, efficiency and revenue.

While adoption of IoT in the hospitality sector is still in an early stage, promising use cases already exist; ranging from the application of iBeacons for targeted location-based guest marketing and enhanced guest convenience, to mobile key solutions, wirelessly-connected appliances in the rooms to automate energy saving and operations, and real-time staff and asset tracking in hotels.

For example, most hotels currently employ dedicated staff to check and replenish the mini-bar in each and every room in the hotel on a daily basis. According to the Carniege School of Hospitality Management, however, only 20-25% of mini-bars are used daily. Through an affordable and simple wireless retro-fit door contact, operations teams know in which rooms the mini-bar has been opened since the last check. This means only these rooms need to be checked, allowing staff to focus on other services that enhance the guest experience.

This is just one example, and while not all applications can be anticipated at this point, we do know that the majority of these IoT use cases are based on Bluetooth communication, with the ability to provide a flexible, upgradable and maintainable infrastructure in a hotel.

The advice to hoteliers is to ensure they put systems in place that are ready to leverage the Internet of Things in the future. When building or renovating a hotel, the right, flexible and scalable infrastructure should be put in place to allow for IoT technology to be deployed. A number of providers of Guest Room Management Systems have recognized this and provide upgrades to their existing products to offer future-proof solutions that are ready for this development.

IoT as an enabler of Sustainability

Aside from the guest experience benefits and operational efficiencies, hoteliers are increasingly looking for sustainable in-room technology that enables them to optimize their energy consumption and reduce their carbon footprint, without impacting guest comfort and experience.

For a number of years, this was limited to a focus on reducing their properties' energy consumption in terms of heating and lighting, and we are seeing measurable results in this space. However, water consumption remains a huge challenge for hotels, particularly for resorts in the warmer climates of the world. On average, an overnight guest staying in a luxury hotel consumes between 300 and 1,400 liters of water, significantly more than the typical local population in the same area.

Both operators and guests are becoming more conscious of this challenge, and we expect systems that allow hoteliers to effectively manage water heating and consumption in the room in an intelligent manner to become commonplace in the near future.

For instance, with an online configurable water supply infrastructure, operators could specify the maximum temperature for hotel guest use. At the same time, the system would know when housekeeping staff enters the room and could allow them to use water of a higher temperature for cleaning purposes.

Such a system could also provide an additional guest experience differentiator, as designers can take advantage of modern digital control interfaces to combine light and water for new experiences or make it easier for guests to set their preferred water temperature rather than struggling to find the correct hot and cold mix and wasting water in the process.

This kind of approach is expected to resonate well with the millennial generation, therefore having a double advantage: making the hotel stand out from competitors and enhancing its overall onand off-line reputation.

Customer loyalty and Social media exposure

Customer loyalty and feedback is now more important than ever. So is the ability of hotel staff to handle guests' complaints in a timely manner. This is because Millennials are characterized as being extremely quick to react to certain experiences, positive or negative, thus they request an immediate fix to their problems by the hotel. The adverse impact of a property failing to do so may be severe.

Public perception of a hotel is largely formed through the digital channels, especially now that social media platforms are perking up in popularity. Hotels dedicate staff to monitor their social media profiles, run campaigns to engage the audience and increase their international awareness. These campaigns also form the 'personality' of the hotel, which in turn serves as a competitive advantage to differentiate the property. The new potential guests get an impression that they are familiar with the place even if they have never been there, while the repeated customers strengthen their loyalty, as they remained engaged with the hotel.

Another implication of heavy social media exposure on the hotel industry is the fact that customer feedback, positive or negative, frequently goes viral. It happens quite often that an upset client decides to penalize the hotel by making sure potential future customers avoid the place. And all he has to do is to post a note on his social media page describing his recent bad experience. It is also not unusual that customer feedback has been picked up by so many internet users that it went viral and got published in international news articles as well. It is important to acknowledge however that this trend can work in hotel's favor if excellent customer service is delivered. It is also true that customers get impressed when the hotel goes an extra mile to take care of the guests, as when they face arrogant service. However, the old adage still stands: a bad experience gets relayed 10 times more likely than a good one

Gone are the days when hotel's employees tried to recognize the mystery shopper among the guests: equipped with a mobile phone and social media access, each customer now has the power to become a brand ambassador, if the hotel delivers outstanding service, or a brand murderer, if the service fails to comply with their basic expectations.

To conclude, hoteliers cannot afford to miss out on the latest consumer behavior trends, which largely rely on utilization of technology devices. From the perspective of customer service, these innovative solutions help speed up the traditional procedures and reduce the guest's input otherwise required to facilitate their requests and preferences.

From the perspective of hotel management, the trend towards the connected room and the proliferation of the Internet of Things will be a main driver for technology related improvements in the guest experience and hotel layout / operations in the coming years.

Hoteliers should therefore act smart and use the technological advances in their favor: if applied efficiently, despite the initial capex, hotel technology is a powerful tool that can strengthen the public image of the hotel, smoothen the operational efficiency of the standard procedures, increase loyalty to the brand and, what is more, considerably minimize operational costs. Is it not the right time to embrace the technology challenge?

About INTEREL

INTEREL powers the modern hotel through its Hotel of Things ecosystem that connects people, devices, and data. Its award-winning connectBsmart IoT infrastructure is built into its Guest Room Management Systems, and its new low-cost EOS Wi-Fi networked thermostats will revolutionize the guest experience, increase operational efficiency, and drive sustainability in the hospitality industry. INTEREL is backed by European technology investor, Jolt Capital SAS. With offices across four continents, INTEREL's solutions are deployed in over 45 countries and have been used by over 50 million guests. To learn more, please visit: www.interel.com

Anne Bleeker

Managing Partner, In2 Consulting

+971 44558499

INTEREL
Opinion / Columnist

Redcliff town had been for decades the proud backbone of Zimbabwe's economy, as it was the home of steelmaking giant - the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (Ziscosteel) - but today it has become a home of despair, hopelessness, and needless deaths since the closing down of the company in 2009.So many tearfully touching stories have happened in this small town - from the eviction of people, including a 90 year old widow, from their homes onto the streets due to their failure to pay rentals to the town council, to the recent deaths of babies in shallow wells due to the perennial water shortages in the town.These recent deaths of two babies, in the Rutendo suburb of Redcliff, in shallow wells has sparked so much outrage amongst residents, such that they assembled at the civic centre on Friday 29th April 2016, in an attempt to demonstrate against the town council's failure to adequately and consistently provide safe, clean and potable water, as enshrined in Section 77(a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.However, the demonstration was immediately stopped by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), who insisted that a written request be made to them prior to any such demonstrations - something that is clearly contrary to the Constitution, as the right to peacefully demonstrate and petition is guaranteed in Section 59.Nevertheless, I understand that a formal request has since been made to the ZRP and a massive demonstration is now being organised to put pressure on the town council to step down or solve this water crisis once and for all.This is very refreshing news indeed, as Redcliff residents - and in fact, Zimbabweans in general - are worryingly too 'nice' and relaxed for their own good - much to their detriment - as the powers-that-be find it all too easy to trample upon their rights with impunity, without any fear of any resistance or fight-back.Redcliff residents can be all fiery - breathing fire and brimstone - when water supplies are disconnected, but as soon as they are temporarily re-connected - all is quickly forgotten, until it is disconnected again two weeks later.And the cycle keeps repeating itself!It is about time that Redcliff residents - and Zimbabweans as a whole - started biting more than they bark.We do have Constitutionally-enshrined teeth, and we should use them relentlessly.It is reported that Torwood suburb has been without water for at least four months, and Rutendo suburb for at least two months, whilst Redcliff suburb has suffered immensely as well.However, the water crises in Redcliff goes far beyond what the eyes can see, as there are so many factors involved, such that this issue can no longer be left to just the town council and the residents to resolve on their own.The closure of the state-owned Ziscosteel in 2009, left the vast majority of Redcliff residents without any means of livelihood.None of the retired or retrenched workers received any terminal benefits, and those that stayed on have seldom been paid their salaries.The company - which was once the pride and joy of this country - was riddled with corruption and maladministration, which was reported by a Commission of Enquiry set up by the government of Zimbabwe in 2006.Although the report fingered very high-ranking government officials in corruption at the state-owned entity, none of them were ever exposed or brought to book, as they were shielded by the government.Needless to say, the company was fleeced of millions - if not billions - of dollars, resulting in its collapse, and subsequent failure in paying its longsuffering workers even a cent for their sweat and toil at the company - some of whom having dedicated nearly four decades of their lives.Presently, some of the retired workers are earning a measly US$28 to US$60 per month from the National Social Security Authority (NSSA).Those who were recently forced to go on leave, and the rest who are still going to 'work', similarly do not receive anything - except a pathetic US$50 once in a blue moon.What is one expected to do with such a miserable amount?These current and former workers seriously need to get together and engage lawyers, such as the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), so that they can fight for what is truly theirs - and also fearlessly engage in other constitutionally-enshrined activities that put unrelenting pressure on the government and state-owned company to 'yield to Caesar, that which is Caesar's'.One blatant fact we, as the people of Zimbabwe, seem to ignore is that politicians are not so benevolent, and will never yield to the people out of the kindness of their hearts, because - quite frankly - politicians, generally, do not have a heart!If people need something from those in power, all too often, they may have to wring it out of them.There are people today who are living lavishly from the plundering of resources at Ziscosteel, whilst those that actually toiled at the company receive nothing at all, and are living in abject poverty.This lack of financial capacity by Redcliff residents has been a contributor to the incessant water problems in the town, as most of them are failing to pay for this finite resource.On the other hand, the Redcliff town council stands accused by the residents of mismanaging the water issue - as they allege that they do pay the little that they get, but the local authority misappropriates the money.Since the Redcliff town council buys the water from the Kwekwe city council, the latter regularly disconnects water supplies to the former if it does not receive any payments.It is reported that the Redcliff town council owes the Kwekwe city council an excess of US$1 million.This is where the central government needs to show leadership by intervening in the matter, as this clearly can never be solved between the local government and residents alone.The Minister of Local Government Saviour Kasukuwere, and the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government need to step in and institute a thorough and in-depth investigation into this issue, as well as map the way forward for this town, as failure to do so will only lead to more deaths - since water-borne and hygiene-related fatal diseases are not too far in the horizon.It is only prudent for the Zimbabwean government to be pro-active and urgently deal head-on with this crisis - and impending disaster - before they start running around when a cholera or typhoid fever epidemic strikes the town.Furthermore, the residents of Redcliff are becoming more and more restless and desperate with each passing day, and government should not be surprised if civil unrest is witnessed in the town soon.The problems bedevilling Redcliff have to be attended to as a matter of urgency.The root causes of the problems have to be identified and seriously attended to.Ziscosteel former and current employees have to be paid what is due to them, and the Ministers of Industry, and Finance have to also be seen to be actively doing something about it.I know that the majority of people have lost all confidence in the ZANU PF government's ability to deliver, and doubt whether it even cares if the people of Zimbabwe die or live, but this a chance for the government to show some leadership.Minister Kasukuwere has been intervening in predominantly Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led cities, such as Gweru, Mutare, and Harare, under the pretext that he is 'concerned' about the plight of residents.We challenge him to show that same 'concern' for the residents of Redcliff - which is a ZANU PF-led town.If he is sincere, I would not want to think that he is only 'concerned' about residents in MDC-led towns, and apathetic to those in ZANU PF-led towns.If so, then residents of ZANU PF-led cities and towns should vote for the MDC en mass in the next elections, as that is the only sure way they can get the government to be 'concerned' about their plight.The dire situation in Redcliff can no longer be ignored, as human lives matter, and government can not continue being so apathetic to the grave plight of the suffering people, as doing so is only a recipe for disaster and impeding peril. Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice activist and commentator, writer, and journalist. He writes in his personal capacity, and welcomes any feedback. Please feel free to call/WhatsApp: +263782283975, or email: tendaiandtinta.mbofana@gmail.com
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More than 2,000 college students know Pelican Island as home to Texas A&M University at Galveston. Tourists know it for Seawolf Park, which has fishing piers, picnic sites and the USS Cavalla submarine. But officials now are focusing on the island's undeveloped land and the potential for industrial companies that, ultimately, could create high-paying jobs.

After years of discussion, local officials and the Port of Houston Authority are moving forward on a roughly $100 million project to replace the two-lane drawbridge that connects Pelican Island to Galveston. They say the bridge is impeding industrial development because it's too narrow and doesn't have the weight capacity for trucks hauling especially heavy products and equipment across the bay.

"It really is the single most important economic project we have in our sights right now," County Judge Mark Henry said.

Last week, the Port of Houston Authority agreed that its land on Pelican Island could be used for a new vehicular bridge connecting to Galveston Island. It was among the final entities to approve the plan that's been years in the making, with the city and county already clearing the way.

"It was done in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration with Galveston County," Port of Houston Authority spokeswoman Lisa Ashley said, "and in the best interest of our region."

The current bridge causes traffic jams whenever boats need to pass. It also goes through the center of the expanding A&M-Galveston campus.

College congestion

"It'd be advantageous for us to cut down congestion for the safety and welfare of the students, faculty and staff," said Bill McClain, adviser to the school's chief operating officer.

The terminus of the proposed four-lane vehicular bridge would be outside of the campus. It would be capable of supporting industrial truck traffic, and it would be tall enough for ships to travel beneath.

Officials hope the modern bridge would attract developers to the island. The Port of Houston Authority has about 1,000 acres of undeveloped land on Pelican Island. The Port of Galveston has about 550 acres on Pelican Island, and 285 of those are undeveloped. That includes some 100 acres of prime channel-front real estate.

"It makes everybody's property more valuable for economic development," said John Ford, president of the Galveston County Rural Rail Transportation District.

The Rail Transportation District was created in 2012 to facilitate a railway to Pelican Island, but Ford said he quickly realized a vehicular bridge was more pressing. The railway has been kept in the plans and was approved by the Port of Houston Authority, but it's on the back burner.

"It assures there is rail access for Pelican Island if the market demand is ever there for that to happen," Ford said.

Michael Mierzwa, port director for the Port of Galveston, would like to see a railway but said it would be a tough sell. Officials won't build a railway until there's business demand, and it may be tough to attract certain businesses without the railway.

"That's going to be a challenge going forward," he said.

Gulf Copper, which operates a shipyard on Pelican Island, said there was one incident where a large amount of steel was shipped by rail. The steel had to be unloaded from the rail, reloaded onto trucks and then loaded onto a barge.

Cyclists, pedestrians

Such scenarios are rare, Gulf Copper vice president Jonathan Hale said. He is more excited about the new vehicular bridge. He said it would cut back on delays caused by the drawbridge, and it will be safer for cyclists and pedestrians who make him nervous on the narrow span.

He also likes that the new bridge wouldn't cut through the A&M-Galveston campus, and it could hold more weight. In the past 10 years, Gulf Copper has probably lost four significant jobs because of the current bridge's load capacity, he said.

Mierzwa said the new vehicular bridge would help the port market properties on the island, which could provide an economic boon to the area.

"Any kind of development over there is going to result in jobs," he said, "in good-paying jobs."

And when there are new jobs, people will buy houses in Galveston County, eat at nearby restaurants and shop locally, said Henry, the county judge.

"It is an economic game changer for this area," he added.

Gina Spagnola, president and CEO of the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the new bridge would be "vital to the growth of this city and the region."

"The job creation and the opportunities to invest over there are endless," she said.

The next step is for Galveston County to spend roughly $2 million on preliminary engineering and environmental studies. Ford ultimately expects the vehicular bridge to cost $100 million, and it could be constructed in five years.

After the preliminary studies, a developer will seek funding sources for the bridge, Henry said. The funds could come in many forms, such as private money, federal or state money, or a combination.

Ford said the county has given the rail district $120,000 to determine if the project was feasible and if so, to help kick-start it. He said the money was used to hire Goodman Corp. as a consultant that helped create the plans for the bridge rights-of-way.

He said he does not know what might happen to the current bridge, which is owned and operated by the Galveston County Navigation District No. 1.
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Hillary Clinton needs to drop her anti-fracking rhetoric if she's serious about fighting climate change.

To her credit, she never talked about an outright ban like her opponent Bernie Sanders, she just promised to smother it in regulations.

"By the time we get through all of my conditions, I do not think there will be many places in America where fracking will continue to take place," she promised during a presidential debate last month.

But now that she's won the primaries in Pennsylvania and New York, where anti-fracking movements are strong, she should acknowledge that fracturing has done more to lower America's carbon emissions than any environmental regulation. Banning it would hasten global warming, which ironically, she says is the biggest threat to the world today.

This will come as a shock to green-minded progressives because activists who want to ban fossil fuels have played fast and loose with the facts to manufacture unrighteous outrage.

Take, for example, the Carroll County Concerned Citizens of Carrollton, Ohio. This not-in-my-backyard group hired researchers at the University of Cincinnati Department of Geology to drill up the dirt on fracking. When researchers came back with no evidence that it hurts the environment, the Concerned Citizens stopped funding the research.

"I am really sad to say this, but some of our funders, the groups that had given us funding in the past, were a little disappointed in our results," said Amy Townsend-Small, the lead researcher, explaining in a video posted to YouTube why she cannot release the report.

Like any energy source, fracking does raise some environmental concerns, but some simple regulations can address the biggest problems.

Americans need to first understand the engineering and tune out the hyperbole.

All wells can potentially contaminate groundwater because they begin with a drill bit cutting thousands of feet into the earth and passing through the water table. To protect groundwater, which is within the first 1,000 feet, drillers are required to pour cement around the pipe so that oil and gas don't flow up the hole and mix with the water.

In conventional wells, the oil and gas flows up the pipe by itself. But to release the oil and gas from shale, operators must pressurize an immense amount of water mixed with sand and chemicals to break the rock at the bottom, 5,000 to 8,000 feet down.

Anti-fracking activists complain about gas getting into well water, insidiously suggesting that the broken rock 8,000 feet down somehow contaminated the water at 1,000 feet. But peer-reviewed research shows drillers don't pour the cement properly in 1 percent to 3 percent of all wells and that causes the contamination.

The Environmental Protection Agency last year found no evidence that fracking causes "widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water." States can solve the decades-old contamination problem by requiring well operators to use a special tool that inspects the cement before the driller accesses the oil or gas.

Activists also like to blame earthquakes on the fractured rock, but scientists again point to another culprit: wastewater disposal wells.

Oily water has always been a byproduct of drilling, and operators have disposed of it in old wells for decades. But because fracturing produces millions of gallons of wastewater, disposal companies have injected it under pressure into some old wells that are near fault lines, triggering earthquakes.

When the disposals stop, so do the earthquakes. Requiring operators to clean and recycle the water would end the temblors and address complaints about water consumption.

Lastly, numerous studies have shown that drilling natural gas wells releases large quantities of methane into the atmosphere. Again, responsible operators are already sealing up those leaks, and the EPA is generating rules to make it a requirement in the future.

Solve those problems, and the benefit of cheap natural gas is indisputable. Widespread fracking began in 2008, when natural gas prices were $9 for a million British thermal units, and U.S. wells produced about 2 trillion cubic feet. The U.S. produced 15 trillion cubic feet in 2015, and the price this year is below $2, a major achievement championed by the Obama administration.

That low price triggered huge investment in gas-fueled power stations that will generate more electricity than coal in the U.S. for the first time in decades. As a result, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions dropped to a 27-year low last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

A fracking ban would cut U.S. gas production by 30 percent, drive the price up to at least $6 and make coal cost-efficient again, Rice University researchers Ken Medlock and Peter Hartley found. A return to coal would boost greenhouse gas emissions.

When Clinton was secretary of state in 2012, she encouraged other countries with shale gas to adopt fracturing to replace coal. Candidate Clinton needs to put party politics behind her and promote fracking at home.
WASHINGTON - Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has been on a campaign since last October to impeach  literally  the tax collector.



But the Utah Republican has found little appetite among House leaders to call for a hearing, much less a vote to remove John Koskinen as head of the beleaguered Internal Revenue Service. Instead, Chaffetz says he is in conversations with his GOP colleagues about a vote on the lesser but still harsh charge of a censure.



"My foremost goal is impeachment and I'm not letting go of it," Chaffetz said in an interview, "But if censure is the right precursor while we go through the process of educating our members, I have a [censure] bill drafted and ready to go."



Chaffetz and his fellow Republicans have a slew of grievances against Koskinen's management of the tax agency he took over in 2013, and last week the House passed six anti-I.R.S. bills by party-line votes to mark Tax Day.



But the effort to remove Koskinen, whose term has just eight months left, stems from a scandal that preceded him  the IRS's treatment of conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.

More for you IRS extends tax deadline for flood victims



Chaffetz says Koskinen should be impeached for violating the public trust and lying to Congress as it investigated the IRS's singling out of conservative groups for scrutiny. The congressman has accused the commissioner of erasing back-up computer files containing thousands of emails written by Lois Lerner, the central IRS official in the scandal. Koskinen has told lawmakers his staff turned over all emails that were relevant to the investigation, and when some were found to be missing, said they were unrecoverable.



Chaffetz filed his articles of impeachment days after the Justice Department closed its investigation of the case and declined to file criminal charges.



"The Department of Justice should have taken action itself," Chaffetz said. "We've got to stand up for ourselves. Our constituents are fed up with the inaction of the House."



A censure resolution, rare in Congress's modern history and far more common against lawmakers than government officials, would be a formal rebuke that states the House's lack of confidence in Koskinen and calls on President Obama to fire him.



It would fall short of outright impeachment, with no real consequence other than the announcement of the vote itself and a good measure of humiliation.



Chaffetz says he now has 60 co-sponsors for his impeachment resolution. But he acknowledged that it has gotten little traction with House leaders, including the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which would need to approve the measure. The House leadership spent last week focusing on IRS reforms but did not seek to highlight the effort to oust the agency's leader.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., when asked about the impeachment effort earlier this month, said "the IRS is not being led well" and "misled Americans" but stopped well short of backing Koskinen's ouster.



"What I think we need to do is win an election . . . get better people in these agencies and reform the tax code so we're not harassing the average taxpayer with a tax code they can't even understand," Ryan said. His spokeswoman, AshLee Strong declined to comment on Chaffetz's censure proposal.



The Judiciary panel, meanwhile, has kept busy on other issues, including an ambitious reform of criminal sentencing and a rewrite of drug laws to address a spike in narcotics abuse. Spokeswoman Jessica Collins said only that the committee "continues to review" the impeachment resolution.



Earlier this month, a half-dozen Republican lawmakers  most of them members of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus  went to the House floor to call for Koskinen's impeachment in a mostly empty chamber.



"It's really a question of the House's self-respect: How much longer can we as elected officials allow the bureaucracy to simply walk all over the Congress? said Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., who has been among the most vocal advocates for Koskinen's ouster.



Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said he is "still talking and still pushing" with House leadership to get impeachment articles considered, but he welcomed Chaffetz's censure proposal.



"Getting the ball moving make sense," Jordan said. "How that is manifest, I'm open to all kinds of ideas. All I know is that what this guy did was wrong, and he deserves to be impeached, so let's get it moving."



An IRS spokesman said in a statement, "Commissioner Koskinen and the IRS workforce remain focused on wrapping up work on a successful filing season for the nation's taxpayers. In addition, we continue making progress on a number of important issues involving taxpayer service, tax enforcement and cybersecurity."



White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters last week that President Barack Obama has full confidence in his tax commissioner.



"Mr. Koskinen has an extraordinarily difficult job, and it's made only more difficult because Republicans seek to try to cut the funding of his agency," Earnest said. "He is somebody who undertakes that work with a lot of professionalism and seriousness of purpose, and he deserves our gratitude for his good work.



Congress, led by House Republicans, has slashed the IRS budget by about $1 billion over the last five years. Customer service has deteriorated as a result. One of the measures passed last week requires bonuses to be withheld from every employee until customer service improves.



Said Chaffetz: "Look at all the problems at the IRS. The list has grown beyond the destruction of evidence. Just because there's eight months left in the administration does not mean you let improper acts go."




WASHINGTON - Smog is traditionally thought of as an urban problem, driven largely by the industrial activity and huge volumes of vehicles moving around within cities like Houston and Los Angeles each day.

But as the U.S. government in recent decades has tightened limits on ozone, the pollutant that constitutes smog, rural areas have also found themselves in violation. Along with factors like wildfires or air pollution drifting over from Asia, local oil and gas operations are also being flagged for pushing areas with little other industry and sparse populations into what the government classifies as nonattainment.

As the Obama administration readies to roll out even tighter controls on smog in the interest of reducing the risk of asthma and other respiratory conditions, those nonattainment areas threaten to expand.

That could potentially force more oil and gas drilling areas in states including Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah and Pennsylvania to work on reducing ozone, adding to a growing body of air pollution controls on the industry rolling out over President Barack Obama's last 10 months in office.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is still reviewing pollution data from around the country, to figure out which counties will be placed in violation. An announcement is not expected until late next year, but the EPA said existing air pollution rules are expected to go a long way to reducing ozone pollution in the decade ahead.

"EPA expects that the vast majority of U.S. counties outside of California will meet the revised standards by 2025 without taking additional action to reduce emissions," a spokeswoman said in an email.

Higher costs

Still, the oil and gas industry is worried and has joined a lawsuit led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and states including Texas asking judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to block the EPA.

"Areas of the country that fail to comply with these impossible standards will be subject to costly new regulations that will harm our economy and kill jobs," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in December. "Texas has proven that we can reduce ambient ozone concentrations without stifling growth, and my office will continue to defend our state from the EPA's harmful and overreaching regulations."

Recent analysis commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute shows the tougher ozone standard could potentially create new nonattainment areas in oil and gas regions including Texas' Eagle Ford Shale, eastern Utah and possibly central Oklahoma. And it could create more restrictions on drilling in areas already classified as nonattainment, including the Barnett Shale in North Texas, the Marcellus Shale in western Pennsylvania, and northern Colorado.

Ozone is one of a slate of new federal initiatives in the works impacting oil and gas drilling, including rules to reduce escaping methane emissions, to stop drillers on federal lands from flaring natural gas and raising safety standards in the Gulf of Mexico to prevent a repeat of BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.

High background levels of ozone in the western United States, which scientists attribute to factors from altitude to air currents moving across the Pacific Ocean, make any industrial activity in some areas difficult even under the current standard, said Kathleen Sgamma, vice president of government and regulatory affairs at the Western Energy Alliance, which represents oil and gas companies operating in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah.

"We're definitely worried. We're used to operating in an environmentally responsible manner, but a nonattainment area might have a bit of a higher cost," she said. "Regulations tend to have a cumulative effect and you can't say this is the one straw that broke the camel's back. But every basin has a break-even price."

Focus on Houston

Right now attorneys representing industrial and environmental groups are preparing to argue the new standard before a panel of federal appellate judges this fall, with a decision expected next year.

The Sierra Club and the American Medical Association are making the case the new standard set by the Obama administtration of 70 parts per billion is too high. A recommendation made to EPA in 2014 by its own Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee said that in order to protect public health the cap on ozone should be lowered to 60 parts per billion.

That set off a lobbying blitz by industrial and business groups, predicting such a standard would put almost the entire country into nonattainment and damage the national economy.

"In our view [the Obama administration] got cold feet and didn't follow the science," said David Baron, an attorney at the nonprofit law firm Earthjustice. "It's really unfortunate because the science shows us at the level EPA set there are going to be thousands of asthma attacks and hospitalizations that would be avoided with a protective standard."

The majority of the interest in the new ozone standard is focused on how heavily populated areas like Houston and Dallas, which have long been classified as nonattainment areas, would further reduce the emission of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, which when exposed to sunlight react and produce ozone.

With the power to cut off federal transportation funding, the EPA could force cities to start slowing development. Many of the tools used in the past, like scrubbers on power plant stacks and advanced fuel formulations, have been exhausted, said Dan Byers, senior director for policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy.

Not a current worry

That could force businesses from bakeries to power plants to participate in auctions for the right to emit ozone causing pollutants - though Byers said he expected the EPA would try and avoid such a scenario.

Some drillers near urban areas, like those in the Barnett, on the western edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, have long operated in nonattainment areas.

Ed Ireland, executive director of the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council, said that despite increased ozone controls the region had still undergone a drilling boom that increased natural gas production more than five-f0ld between 2004 and 2012.

Production has dropped off since then, as oil and gas prices continue to trade at a fraction of what they did in the late 2000s. Tighter ozone standards are not high among companies' worries right now, Ireland said.

"Certainly not now. But it might make a difference in the future," he said.
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Penelope Loughhead's house in the leafy neighborhood near Rice University abuts the land where, nearly a decade ago, a proposed high-rise sparked a land-use battle that resonated citywide and throughout the local development community.

This week marks two years since a judge ruled the proposed Ashby tower could go forward after a monthlong trial and jury verdict that agreed with residents that the 21-story tower would be a nuisance to surrounding property owners. The judge agreed to some of the roughly $1 million in damages jurors assessed against Houston-based Buckhead Investment Partners but denied residents the permanent injunction they were seeking to halt the project.

Yet the 1.6-acre lot sits empty as both sides await a decision on their appeals.

"It feels like we're in limbo," Loughhead said. "We're in the dark. We know they are allowed to build, but no ground has been broken."

The developers declined to comment, citing the ongoing appeals process. They did not answer questions about the status of the project, although they previously told the Chronicle that the construction was moving along despite the appeal.

An attorney for the developers previously said that Buckhead lost its contractor and that construction costs led to delays.

Development, particularly of multifamily family buildings inside the 610 Loop, boomed in the wake of the Ashby ruling, but depressed oil prices have now led to tightened financing for such projects. Real estate experts say that the market is overbuilt for high-end apartment projects in Houston.

"The delay from litigation may actually have benefited the developers by avoiding an adverse market," said John Mixon, a retired University of Houston law professor who specializes in property rights. "I doubt that the developers would have chosen this outcome, though."

'Even the well-to-do'

But Mixon also said the Ashby fight exemplifies the downside of Houston's lack of zoning.

"Even the well-to-do can't prevent unwelcome development from impacting their neighborhood," he said.

One direct result was a new city ordinance requiring high-rise projects to include a residential buffer between the building and any single-family homes. Part of city code was also adjusted to create additional traffic impact rules for dense projects in smaller neighborhoods, said Josh Sanders, executive director of Houstonians for Responsible Growth, which represents developers and formed as a result of the Ashby case.

He said some developers became more savvy in the wake of Ashby.

"We went through a massive development boom, and projects are rising all over the place," Sanders said. "Has it had this chilling effect? No, it sure hasn't."

Attorneys for both sides made their cases during an appellate hearing in September. A decision could come down any day, attorneys say.

In documents filed with the 14th Court of Appeals, the attorney for the developers, Raymond Viada, argued against the damages that jurors awarded 20 residents who live near the Ashby project's 1717 Bissonnet address. He wrote, in part, that the developers altered plans for the project after the jury's decision and before the injunction hearing. Therefore, the project discussed in trial, which was ruled by the jury to be a nuisance, was no longer what his clients were proposing.

Viada wrote that the developers, who have already invested $14 million in the project, changed plans to reduce lighting from the garage, place planters on the amenity deck to add privacy and reconstruct its foundation to limit the impact of damage to surrounding homes. He wrote that the developers expect to net $72 million in profit if the project is not stopped.

Rejecting zoning

"Whether Houston will move to some form of zoning by prospective legislation as an alternative to zoning by judicial fiat is unclear," Viada said this week. "However, what is clear is that zoning by nuisance litigation is highly disruptive to that orderly, fair development of the city, and the courthouse is being used more and more as a means for imposing post-hoc land-use controls, even though the people of Houston have repeatedly rejected zoning."

Residents' attorney Jean Frizzell countered that the court was wrong to deny the permanent injunction to stop the tower, after the jury found it would constitute a permanent nuisance. Frizzell said in the appeals documents that the developer is attempting to disprove each of the complaints of the residents, instead of reviewing evidence as a whole.

When the Ashby project was announced in 2007, the neighborhood rallied against it, wielding yellow-and-black signs decrying the "Tower of Traffic." Residents argued in court that the project would increase traffic, lower property values, damage foundations of nearby homes, cast unwanted shadows and invade the privacy of neighbors.

Loughhead, a social worker who has lived on Wroxton Court for 20 years, says she is realistic that the 21-story tower will likely be built. But she hopes the plaintiffs' efforts at least might have a positive effect on awareness of the need to protect property rights.

"I still hope for a park back there," she said, "or at least something just not so overwhelmingly tall."
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Bill Arning was trying to explain the artist Mark Flood.

Somebody had to because Flood wasn't talking, at least not to the Chronicle, before the opening of his first museum survey, "Mark Flood: Gratest Hits."

"Gratest" is not a typo. Think verb, like shredding cheese.

Arning, the director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, pointed to the towering painting that introduces visitors to the show. It reads, in all caps:

"Everything Here Is By Mark Flood Famous Successful International Insert Hometown Hero Narrative Mark Flood Doesn't Like Explaining He Lets The Audience Figure It Out Mark Flood Is Somebody Who Did Something Somewhere Formerly Nowhere Mark Flood Lives In Houston."

"This was a big negotiation," Arning said of the artist's statement. "We don't have his birth date or his original birth name." (For the record, he was born in 1957. More on his name later.)

Museums don't assume everyone coming through their doors has heard of the artist whose work is on display. Arning would have preferred to provide more context for the wild and wooly show, which is bisected by a huge, zig-zaggy wall made of large paintings bolted together. A green tinsel curtain beckons you backstage, a kind of "Welcome to Tinseltown" gesture.

Behind it lies a pile of several thousand small paintings lettered "LIKE." That's a piece called "5,000 Likes." It's interactive. Flood wants you to move them next to your favorite things in the show, a physical version of Facebook's appreciation culture.

This is one of the reasons critics and other artists love Flood: He's an astute and biting observer of pop culture.

Arning has been determined since he arrived in Houston six years ago to mount a show by the reluctant Flood, who became "Famous Successful International" after about 25 years of being just another Houston artist who worked at a museum for a living.

Unlike most of the artists working at museums now, who have come through art-school graduate programs, Flood doesn't have any degrees. He was an assistant at the Menil Collection for about 15 years, and before that he worked for Texaco.

In the beginning, all of Flood's work was intentionally, punkishly ugly. (Now only some of it is.) One of the best-known pieces is a crude, collaged, black-and-white spray-painting on cardboard from 1989 with the words "Eat Human Flesh" and a picture of a now-forgotten teen celebrity. It poked fun at news stories about demonic teenagers who tortured cats and such.

Arning said Flood gave the painting to a friend, and Houston authorities seized it after they saw it in a window. So Flood made about 20 more and put them up all over Montrose.

Flood's life and art changed after he read Dave Hickey's influential book "The Invisible Dragon: Essays on Beauty." About the same time, the legendary iconoclast Walter Hopps, Flood's boss at the Menil, suggested he paint something people would want to put on their walls.

Flood started cranking out large, seductively pretty paintings with patterns lifted from lace. In the beginning, he used the textiles to create figures, as in 2006's 20-foot-tall "The Warrior." Now his signature is a lacy border, often with a central field of watery waves. Flood produces the waves with a contraption made of multiple paint brushes.

The lace paintings were a "liberation strategy  that was also meant to be just a little bit self-critiquing and dumb," Arning said.

Collectors couldn't resist them. Today, galleries in Berlin, London and New York represent Flood. In 2014 and 2015, about the least paid for a Flood painting at auction was $11,000 (for an "Eat Human Flesh"). Several lace paintings went for more than $100,000.

Flood isn't the only cynic who has benefited from the perverse logic of a whacked-out global art market, although Arning said he was one of the first.

Arning said it took him years to persuade Flood to do a museum show, so he gave the artist free rein to make it happen. Thus, that big, tongue-in-cheek "wall text" painting by the front door.

"He's a moralist, in a way that can almost be annoying. He says everything that gets in the way of the artist-to-viewer relationship is anathema to him. One of which is museums," Arning said. "He has things he will and won't do. I said, 'The one thing I can't get you out of is being the hometown hero.' "

'Confusion and awe'

Arning did not expect Flood to show up for Friday night's opening because Flood never shows up for his openings.

Instead, two guys who usually impersonate him at gallery openings were scheduled to appear inside a cage.

This seemed to amuse Arning greatly.

"So this idea of having his doppelgangers in a cage, where they can be poked, is about how he feels having this much of himself on view," Arning said. Flood had promised to be there for a public tour Saturday, Arning added, "but you know he's going to throw a twist, and I don't know exactly what it's going to be yet."

Flood's Houston friends say the artist is sincere, and they respect him for it.

"There's a certain confusion and awe about everything he's done," said Aaron Parazette, a long-time friend who teaches painting at the University of Houston. He admires Flood's intelligence.

"He is quite compelling when you meet him," Parazette said. He also thinks Flood's ability to be a "reluctant participant in his own festival" is a fascinating anomaly. "His success is not an example to anyone. It's not reproducible."

Nick Koenigsknecht of Peres Projects, Flood's Berlin Gallery, came to Houston for a patron's dinner before the show opened. He admires Flood as "somebody who has really done it his own way," he said. "And working with him is like going down a rabbit hole - the knowledge, depth and experience he brings."

Texas Gallery owner Fredericka Hunter, who has watched Flood for years, calls him brilliant. She laughs thinking about how often he's changed his name. She knew him as Jon Peters when he worked at the Menil and Perry Webb when he led the punk band Culturcide. (At the museum, in the Culturcide cubbyhole where you can play the band's illegal record, "Tacky Souvenirs of Pre-Revolutionary America," his name appears as John Peters on a document.)

"Some people still call him Perry  or Jon, his given name," Hunter said. Lately, he's been threatening to switch to Mark Freud or Fraud "or something funny and pun-ish," she said. "I bet it makes you laugh like it does us."

Support for fellow artists

The Houston art community doesn't just love Flood because he's funny.

He's used his "juice," as Parazette calls it, to support a number of younger Houston artists, mounting shows of their work in New York and Miami at his own expense - even taking out full-page ads in Artforum.

"He has been influential in ways that go beyond the scope of his own work since he had 'a salon' back in the days," Hunter said. "He was a very important force in the '90s generation for that fact alone, and it has only gotten better and more interesting."

Two early Flood proteges, Jeremy DePrez and Will Boone, are now internationally known. El Franco Lee II, a more recent beneficiary, doesn't expect to quit teaching any time soon but said Flood has shown him how to be fearless with subject matter, such as his figurative paintings about African-American culture.

Flood also supports a bevy of studio assistants who are well-paid and have a good time. He is all about hanging out.

"He loves the way his career began, where he and a bunch of friends would get in a space, put on a show, their band would play and they would give their work away at the end of the night," Arning said. "A ton of people in Houston have these Mark Flood paintings that are now worth more than their houses because they went to these early shows."

I asked Arning what about Flood's work might still resonate in 100 years.

"If I was in a collecting museum and I wanted to buy them, I would by the 'Another' paintings or the very simple text ones, like 'Drink Blood,' " he said.

It's hard to know what Flood considers serious art, but his text-work signatures include canvases that read "Another Painting." Seven of them in DayGlo orange and blue hang on the walls of the museum show's best room, a black-light lounge with leather furniture and a small TV screen that plays a loop of the promotional videos Flood makes for his shows.

Arning, ever the jaunty, good-natured showman, blithely posed as we finished our tour for a photo in front of a painting that reads "Whore Museums."

Arning said Flood has a love-hate relationship with "people talking about him." He said the artist declined to be interviewed or photographed for this story because, in his hometown, he didn't want his "last bit of anonymity to be blown."

Maybe Flood should change his name to J.J. Watt.
Kelli Anderson is at the center of a blur of activity. Workers are swarming across her backyard laying sod, and she's in the thick of it, her red hair pulled into a ponytail and her sneakers ringed in dirt.

Inside the Galveston home she and her husband, Michael, are restoring are other laborers, finishing kitchen cabinets, installing bathroom sinks and putting finishing touches on the tile work in the laundry room and an upstairs bathroom.

She pauses to call the gas company. A force of nature, she sweet-talks them into moving her gas meter two feet  OK, maybe three or four feet  and into turning on the gas in the next two weeks.

Noisy saws buzz on and off in yet another room and extension cords are draped across many of the dark wooden floors. Kelli Anderson and crews of eight to 10 people have been restoring this home  the James and Violet Waters House  full-time for nearly a year.

In preparation for its Galveston Historic Homes Tour debut  set for Saturday and Sunday and May 7-8  they have refinished, cleaned, restained or restored every inch of flooring, woodwork, windows, walls and ceilings. The bathrooms and kitchen were updated for modern life with custom-made cabinets that honor the originals.

More for you Houses on the 2016 Galveston Historic Homes Tour

The Waters House, as it is called by the island's historic preservation community, was built in 1893 by James Stephen Waters, who was the Galveston County treasurer for 16 years. It's where he and his wife, Violet, raised their three sons, James Jr., William and Fenelon.

In fact, three generations of the Waters family lived in the home over 121 years before the Andersons took it on as their passion project.

Galveston Historic Homes Tour When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. April 30-May1, May 7-8

Where: Start the tour at any of the nine houses; go to www.galvestonhistory for a map.

Parking: You'll have to find your own parking near each tour home. There is no shuttle service.

Special events: Separate from the weekend home tours are special dinners, bicycle tours, a home rehab tour and mid-century modern tour. Events are priced separately; go to www.galvestonhistory.org.

Tickets: general admission $25 for non-members before April 30, $30 after. Available at galvestonhistory.org, Randalls stores or at any tour home during the event. See More Collapse

"In the beginning my husband thought I was throwing money away, but it was a labor of love that we could do together and remember forever," Anderson said. "We realize we're leaving our own legacy."

Dwayne Jones, executive director and CEO of the Galveston Historical Foundation, said the city has more than 20,000 homes that are at least 50 years old  the beginning of "historical" criteria. Only 10 to 15 percent of those are considered National Historic Landmarks or Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks.

"History is part of our economy because of tourism. People here really get into the stories of the people who lived in their houses," Jones said. "The property owners see themselves as stewards of the property to take care of it for another generation."

The annual homes tour draws around 5,000 people over two weekends and is one of two major events planned by the city's historical foundation. The other is Dickens on the Strand, its biggest fund raiser, held each December.

Reclaiming the past

The nine-home tour showcases the variety of the historical district from grand homes like the Waters House, to a small cottage that was once a tenant house.

Connie and Jeff Patterson bought the 3,700-square-foot Howard and Kate Mather House in July of 2013, started renovation work a week later and still have a short list of things to fix.

Jeff Patterson retired last fall from his job of 35 years at Dow Chemical. Connie Patterson, a self-taught artist, has devoted herself full time to returning virtually every inch of the house to its 1887 glory.

Their Victorian home with English Aesthetic Movement features had changed hands a number of times and most recently had been used as a bed and breakfast.

Past owners had changed a variety of things: removing staircases, moving walls, painting woodwork and windows, and hanging sheetrock over some brick walls.

"Our goal was to replicate what the house did look like or should look like," said Connie Patterson, who turned into a historical detective when a trove of old photos showed the home's visual history.

She began by gutting the house, installing heating and air conditioning, new electrical wiring and plumbing.

Once the home's bones were made new, she tackled layers of paint and varnish that had been applied liberally to wainscoting, fireplace mantels, stairwells and door casings. Other than the floors, every inch of wood had been painted over.

Patterson removed it all: long-leaf pine wainscoting was taken from the walls, dipped and stripped, then restored to what is surely its original luster.

Two staircases  one indoors, one outdoors  were rebuilt. Even two antique wall phones were brought to life, although the Pattersons can receive calls on them, but can't call out.

Now that Jeff Patterson is retired and the home is livable, the Houston couple has relocated to island life. "This is our personal home. We worked hard putting ourselves through college, and raising our kids  we've earned it," Connie Patterson said.

The oldest home on the tour is that of Suzanne and Jim Jackson, the Charles and Catherine Albertson House, circa 1870.

The Jacksons live in Houston and use their Galveston home as a weekend gathering place for their children and grandchildren.

Both of their homes are filled with antiques, a needlework collection, quilts and pieces of furniture that bring their own stories of past lives. The walls are filled with bright watercolors that Jackson painted herself.

There's a carriage house out back, and Jackson uses that as her art studio.

"The lower level is too small for anything but a Smart Car," she quipped. "Carriages were a lot smaller than cars."
LOS ANGELESThere's a new player in the porn star website game with the peppy name of CrushGirls. And given that adult stars Jessa Rhodes, Romi Rain, Summer Brielle and Jaclyn Taylor are already on the roster, the network clearly intends to live up to its name.

Parent company Crush Media announced today the launch of this new home for adult performer sites. The newly formed network's home site at CrushGirls.com is emblazoned with the tagline Whos Your Crush? More crush-worthy performers are slated to join forces with the aforementioned performers whose sites are now part of the network.

Having close relationships with some of the leading porn stars in the industry has been key to launching CrushGirls.com with such top talent, a Crush Media company source said. We made the decision to utilize the ModelCentro platform to allow us to direct our focus on customizing the site designs, the affiliate marketing and handling the front end.

ModelCentro will handle the back end and software development.

Were proud Crush Media chose us to power the websites of Romi Rain and other models in the porn star network CrushGirls, said a ModelCentro team member. We wish Crush Media continued success in using our platform to run their CrushGirls.com model sites.

According to a company release, Crush Media boasts "a combined 40 years of adult industry experience" with a history of success with the porn star and solo paysite model and internet marketing.

For more information, visit CrushGirls.com.
If there's one cocktail that exemplifies the personality of the new Canard bar, it's the evocative Belladonna. A ginless take on the gin-fueled Arsenic and Old Lace, Canard's lavender-hued Belladonna features sweet and white vermouth infused with apple peel and rose geranium leaf. It's built on a base of Creme de Violette and floated with absinthe clouded to opalescence by water, which creates a tiered effect when looking at the cocktail from the side. Skimming the surface is a nasturtium leaf with a tiny micro orchid resting on top.

"When I look at that drink, that's as much a work of art as a painting," said bartender Leslie Ross, creative director of Canard. "There are colors, there are flavors, and there are layers. It gets people drinking things they think they're afraid of, like vermouth and absinthe.  People want it because it's just so beautiful. I feel you eat with your eyes, so you should also drink with your eyes."

At Canard, Ross is giving customers a lot to feast on. The wee bar at 4721 N. Main, which seats only 45, is a teal jewel box padded in purple velvet and decorated with gold-rimmed granny teacups. But those dainty cups aren't just for show - they're among the serviceware and glassware employed for a drinks menu stocked with what must be the city's most cerebral, elaborate, thought-provoking cocktails.

As boutique as a boutique bar can get, the new Canard - another concept from the Treadsack hospitality group that also owns the bar's next-door neighbor, Foreign Correspondents - is the intensely personal vision of a bartender deeply immersed in the science of flavors and formulas of modern mixology. Ross can also go baroque when creating recipes and backstories for her complex, multichapter compositions. In the end, though, she just wants cocktail aficionados to enjoy the magical offerings from her high-octane genie bottle.

It's a wonder that Ross, the 33-year-old bartender who impressed many a cocktailian with her work at Triniti before joining Treadsack as bar director, had any juice left for Canard. In the past year, she has helped shape the bar identities of four Treadsack concepts that came in quick succession: Johnny's Gold Brick, Hunky Dory, Bernadine's and Foreign Correspondents. Through all those high-profile openings she managed to tuck away creative reserves for the work she knew would be her most intimate project: her own bar.

She knew what she wanted from that bar even before going to work for Treadsack. In 2012, during a cocktail competition, she met the owners of White Lyan, a progressive London bar that changed her way of thinking about cocktails. "Creativity is the discipline to forget all that you know" is the White Lyan philosophy that empowered her new outlook - a freedom to explore the possibilities within the familiar structures and profiles of classic cocktails.

Canard's menu features cocktails including Hemingway Goes to Hebrides (Scotch whisky meets cantaloupe seed horchata, cashew orgeat and lime distillate); Rosicrucian (an Old World-inspired floral theme in which cognac, rose liqueur and pink champagne offer a rose-petal raft filled with drops of beeswax and labdanum); and the Lyan and the Unicorn (a teacup holding a clear elixir of Bombay Sapphire gin, Dolin's Genepy des Alpes, Manzanilla sherry, Creme de Violette and cucumber, served with a teaspoon and a "sugar cube" of compressed young coconut jelly infused with aloe and cucumber liquor).

The ultra-nuanced cocktails are served by an all-female staff fronting a terribly chic bar that has, since it opened, become decorated with duck figurines. With the name Canard, Ross said she deliberately avoided any type of duck motif or symbolism. But the ducks flocked.

"Ducks show up weekly," Ross said of customers who brought in duck decorations. "They all came with a special story. There are little ducks everywhere."

And yet "canard" has a second meaning: a false report or unsubstantiated rumor. That, where Canard's cocktail prowess is concerned, is surely not the case.

For now, Ross is just happy to be back behind the bar working with creative people while still overseeing bar operations for the Treadsack group. At Canard, she's in her element.

More Information Canard 4721 N. Main, 713-864-8424; treadsack.com/canard/ See More Collapse

"I just want to enjoy the ride," she said. "We know the car runs; now let's see how fast it can go. That's my intent with this bar."
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Harris County Constable May Walker settled in to the chair in her Precinct 7 office and made the appeal that's been on her mind since mid-April: help Houston police investigators find the person who shot her deputy.

It's been more than two weeks since the night of April 13, when a man ambushed Alden Clopton, shooting the 48-year-old Precinct 7 deputy constable four times in the back and side as he was chatting with a colleague after a traffic stop.

"We need some more information so we can find this perpetrator," Walker said. "We felt that was an ambush. We want to make sure none of the law enforcement officers in Houston or anywhere else is subject to anything this bad."

The shooting sent Clopton to Memorial Hermann's Texas Trauma Institute. Though doctors initially said he would be able to leave the hospital in a week, the married father of six remains there in "fair" condition, according to the facility's doctors. His recovery could take between six months and a year, Walker said Friday.

"We're just trying to keep the message alive and hope he'll be out of hospital and start his recovery and know we did go out and find the suspect," she said.

The shooting highlighted the dangers peace officers face, said Harris County Deputies' Organization President David Cuevas, who separately urged tipsters to come forward.

"Any time there's an ambush-type shooting, it always raises a concern among the rank and file as well as the public," he said, of the impact such incidents have. "We're just reiterating to our members - to be cautious while doing their job, and it brings reality to how things can change from day to day and call to call."

Crime Stoppers of Houston, a nonprofit public safety organization, has doubled a reward to $10,000, for information leading to the arrest of the shooter.

The Houston Police Department, meanwhile, has been investigating the shooting, initially questioning a man who they said matched the description of the shooter. That lead didn't pan out, however, and after watching the case fall off the public radar, Walker and her colleagues took to the airwaves Friday in support of her deputy, making a public plea for information.

"You can't solve a crime unless someone gives you some information," Walker said, urging tipsters to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS or at www.crime-stoppers.org.

Clopton, an 11-year veteran of the Harris County Precinct 7 Constable's Office, has several brothers in law enforcement. His wife and son are both peace officers as well.

The shooting comes months after the August killing of Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Darren Goforth, killed at a northwest Harris County gas station. In that case, authorities have charged a 30-year-old man with capital murder.

"The mindset of some of these suspects is the same - they have a negative opinion of police officers - whether you do something to them or not," Walker said. "We just need some leads so HPD will have something to work with."

She had a simple message for the shooter.

"Turn yourself in," she said. "Don't prolong it.  Sooner or later we'll get (you); it's just a matter of time."
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Of all she's been through in less than two weeks - watching floodwaters rise swiftly in her apartment, evacuating by boat with her toddlers and husband, then returning to a nearly empty home - it's the loss of her mother's ashes that distresses Ashley Freilich the most.

The cremated remains, along with almost everything else she and her family possessed, were cleared out earlier this week by contractors.

Freilich, who turned 25 on Thursday and is seven months pregnant with her third child, said officials with Commons at Vintage Park apartments in northwest Harris County had given them until Monday to clear out their unit.

But when Richard Freilich returned Wednesday afternoon for an appointment with a Federal Emergency Management Agency inspector, he found that all of their things were gone.

The 34-year-old bowling alley manager said complex officials had assured him on April 22 that his family did not need to hurry to remove their items, which had been placed up high to keep them dry.

"When we came here once the water had receded, they said that if we needed anything thrown out to let them know and they would do that for us, but they wouldn't throw anything out without us authorizing it," he said. "I told them they could throw out the couch and the bed - and that was it."

Richard Freilich had the unenviable task of informing his wife that their belongings - including a vial that contained a portion of her mother's ashes - were gone. Peggy Estes Sullivan, 59, of Houston, died in September while under hospice care in Wimberley.

"I had an urn necklace that was given to me by my sister who took care of my mom and the letter that she wrote me before she passed away," Ashley Freilich said while surveying their former home this week. "We cherished it and we made sure that we put it up high to be saved, and they treated it like trash."

On Thursday, the family returned to salvage the few material goods contractors left behind in the two-bedroom apartment. They found one TV in the breezeway. There were clothes in the washer and dryer. Pots, pans and plastic containers in lower cabinets remained. An expensive bottle of wine Richard Freilich said he placed up high is "magically gone," he said.

Appliances had been pushed to the middle of the living room.

The toddlers - 3-year-old Cole and 15-month-old Rebecca Lee - scampered around the stripped-down apartment. The plastic Red Flyer wagon given to the boy by his maternal grandmother was gone, but plants and some leftover Legos were still on the patio.

"It's just appalling," Richard Freilich said, adding that the family had enjoyed living in the complex. "We thought we had stuff and now we don't."

Quick work was necessary

Emergency conditions and the well-being of tenants who will continue to live in the complex compelled quick work on the repairs, the property management company said in a written statement.

The complex, in the 9700 block of Cypresswood near FM 249, was formerly known as Cypress Commons, and the name remains on the entry sign. Adara Communities, a new owner-management company, took over April 1 and renamed the development.

Tina Rivera, who works in legal and resident relations for Adara, released a statement Thursday that said management made "diligent efforts" to contact all first-floor residents by phone, email and social media about the company's "intentions" for their units and to provide additional time for residents who needed longer to collect their belongings.

The complex "did not receive any response or communication" from Richard Freilich and "proceeded as we notified we would," the statement said.

"As management, we must protect the property and the residents that remain from adverse conditions. Due to the amount of water the property sustained, mold is a serious threat and we must be diligent in preventing it," the release said.In a brief phone conversation, Rivera declined to discuss a timetable for repairs to first-floor apartments at the complex.

Richard Freilich said that if he had known which of the half-dozen dumpsters to search on Wednesday, he would have taken that dangerous dive.

The flash floods that struck the Houston area April 17-18 devastated homes in northwest Harris County near Cypress Creek. Many of those residents lived in low-lying apartments off Cypresswood.

A few dozen people from some of the hardest hit areas remained in American Red Cross shelters Thursday, said Harris County Community Services spokeswoman Cindy Gabriel.

Officials canvassed devastated communities Friday with fliers offering recovery information, and those who need a Red Cross appointment to address emergency financial, food, medical or housing needs are asked to call 866-526-8300.

Gabriel said organizations such as Northwest Assistance Ministries and Catholic Charities also were operating in the area.

FEMA likewise has initiated efforts to assist in Harris County after Monday's federal disaster declaration. Agents are headed to the Houston area to establish disaster recovery centers, FEMA spokeswoman Debra Young said.

Left by boat

The Freilichs realized they were in trouble when water began to fill their apartment on April 18.

"When water started rising at 9:30 p.m. on Monday, we started gathering supplies, moving things up high - appliances, the cable boxes, the kids' toys, her mother's ashes, pictures," Richard Freilich said.

The family left by boat Tuesday. Both of their cars were destroyed.

This week, the apartment complex appeared more like a construction site than an established development.

A forklift dropped sodden mattresses and upholstered furniture into dumpsters. The parking lot was smeared with white, chalky residue from drywall and debris. Almost every first-floor apartment had a water heater on its patio and its windows open. Salvageable wooden furniture had been set out to dry under the week's hot sun.

Wreckers removed cars in the parking lots while other vehicles had grease crayon markings on their windows indicating that adjustors had stopped by.

Ashley Freilich takes some comfort in knowing she still has two bottles with a portion of her mother's ashes. But the loss remains.

"I took those with me because I didn't want to leave my mom, but I forgot about the necklace. All of my siblings have one so that we can carry her with us," she said. "It feels like a part of me is missing."
State Rep. Ron Reynolds has been ordered to pay $504,000 in damages for failing to give a grieving mother her share of settlement money from a 2010 lawsuit.

The embattled lawmaker, who is also an attorney, failed to give his former client, Nancy Ann Calloway, her share of a $250,000 settlement from a lawsuit stemming from her 23-year-old daughter's death in a car crash, a Harris County judge ruled Friday.

After the award was handed down, the 55-year-old flight attendant teared up as she described Reynolds repeatedly putting her off when she asked for money that she had earmarked for a tombstone for her daughter, April Cherisse.

"It's more pain in a painful situation," Calloway said. "It's a tragedy."

Reynolds, a Missouri City Democrat who is facing a runoff election next month, has a history of dubious business practices.

He was convicted last year of illegally soliciting five different clients in Montgomery County, and the state is considering whether to suspend his law license. Lawyers are generally prohibited from contacting prospective clients to ask for business, a misdemeanor called barratry. He is appealing those convictions and fighting the state's efforts.

Reynolds did not respond to Calloway's lawsuit and did not appear in court Friday. Calls to his law practice and his statehouse office seeking comment were not returned.

State District Judge Grant Dorfman agreed with Calloway that the lawyer owed her $168,000 in actual damages and $336,000 in punitive damages.

'Cruel' practices

Reynolds had given Calloway about $82,000 - about half of what he owed her - about 18 months after he received the settlement check, according to testimony.

On Friday, the judge agreed that Reynolds should forfeit his share of the mediated settlement because of his misdeeds.

After he ruled, the judge told Calloway that he had seen other consumers wronged by unethical business practices, but said Calloway's circumstances were "crueler" than most.

"It's especially troubling that it is a member of the state bar, much less a state rep," the judge said.

It was in his capacity as a state representative that Reynolds approached Calloway, she testified Friday. He came to her home to console her two days after her daughter's death in his role as her local legislator, she said. He then offered to represent her in a lawsuit.

Calloway's attorney, Jim Culpepper, said authorities may also look at the case as another charge of barratry or in a grievance to the state bar, the agency that licenses attorneys and has the power to disbar them. Culpepper said he has not pursued those kinds of actions because he did not want to be accused of seeking criminal charges to leverage his position in the lawsuit.

The lawyer, who has sued Reynolds in the past for defrauding a client, did not mince words about the legislator.

"He's a coward," Culpepper said. "He is a coward who takes advantage of mothers who have lost a child."

In a separate hearing Friday in Austin, the state Board of Disciplinary Appeals took under advisement a request by Reynolds not to suspend him from practicing law while his five convictions for barratry in Montgomery County are on appeal. The Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel had filed to have him suspended because of the convictions.

Runoff pending

In a response filed Thursday, Reynolds' attorney, Jeffrey Wagnon of Bryan, said no action was taken against six other attorneys who were arrested at the same time as Reynolds, and argued that Reynolds will likely get the charges dismissed on appeal because he was convicted "on emotion rather than facts" because evidence of a barratry scheme was lacking.

"Every single state witness admitted that there was no written or testimonial evidence that proved that Respondent had knowledge that Robert Valdez, the ringleader of the barratry scheme, was illegally soliciting clients," the filing by Reynolds' attorney states.

No date has been set for a decision in the case.

The hearing in Houston was attended by political observers who are backing Angelique Bartholomew, the challenger in next month's runoff for the Democratic nomination for House District 27.

Four Democratic candidates competed to represent the district, which extends across eastern Fort Bend County and takes in most of Missouri City and parts of Houston and Sugar Land. Reynolds led in the March 1 primary but came up 250 votes short of the amount needed to avoid a runoff May 24.

Despite his legal trouble, Reynolds has remained popular among Fort Bend Democrats. He is the first African-American elected to the state House from that county and serves as the House Democratic Whip.

The Democratic winner will face Republican nominee Ken Bryant, a lawyer, in November's general election.

Mike Ward contributed to this report.
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday struck down Houston's air quality ordinances, ruling the city overstepped its authority to police polluters and handing industry advocates a major victory.

In an 8-1 decision, the justices ruled that ordinances requiring businesses to pay registration fees and allowing criminal sanctions for emissions violations were inconsistent with state law.

The Business Coalition for Clean Air Appeal Group, which includes giants such as Exxon Mobil and Dow Chemical Company, accused the city in a 2008 lawsuit of creating an "enforcement regime" that goes beyond its role permitted under state law.

In 2014, about 2,800 businesses were registered with the city, which collected nearly $1.5 million through the program that year.

"What the city is trying to do is not consistent with what the Legislature has decided," said Evan Young, an attorney for the coalition. "This ruling sends the message that clear, evenhanded statewide regulation is something the Texas Supreme Court takes seriously."

City Attorney Donna Edmundson issued a statement saying the court's decision "will not dampen the city's efforts" to assist the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality with the enforcement of environmental laws. The statement said the city will employ "other legal mechanisms" allowed under state law to monitor and take action against polluters. A spokeswoman said the city hadn't decided whether to appeal.

Adrian Shelley, executive director of the advocacy group Air Alliance Houston, said the decision was "not the least bit surprising" but dismaying nonetheless.

"It's pretty in-keeping with both previous judicial decisions and the direction in which our state government is moving," he said. He cited the state Legislature's passage of a bill last session that caps the amount local governments can collect through environmental lawsuits, Gov. Greg Abbott's filing of a brief in support of the industry advocates in this case, and a prior legal case that made its way to the Texas Supreme Court.

"There will be more polluters who pollute with impunity," Shelley said. "There will be a little poorer public health in the city as a result."

Frustration with TCEQ

Houston battled smoggy skies for decades and has failed to comply with federal ozone standards. The 10-county area includes the largest petrochemical complex in the country, hundreds of chemical plants and a bustling port.

Under the ordinances, the city collects registration fees from companies in order to investigate potential violations of air pollution laws.

City officials have defended the ordinances since their passage in 2007, arguing they helped fill an enforcement gap created by understaffing at TCEQ, the state agency responsible for monitoring and punishing polluters.

The city said legal mechanisms it could use against polluters include requesting that TCEQ investigate suspected polluters, seeking injunctive relief and penalties in civil court against suspected violators and notifying TCEQ of violations deemed to be criminal in nature.

Former Mayor Bill White pushed for the ordinances after growing frustrated with TCEQ. He and City Council members voted to amend a 1992 ordinance and start requiring businesses to pay registration fees based on their size and emissions. The fees range from $130 for a dry cleaning plant with fewer than six employees to $3,200 for plants emitting more than 10 tons annually of airborne contaminants.

The ordinances also authorized city health officers to seek civil, administrative and criminal sanctions for violations that can be prosecuted in municipal court, with fines of up to $2,000 per day for repeat violators.

Undermining state authority

For years, industry groups have argued that the city ordinances interfere with TCEQ's enforcement authority.

A Harris County district court judge sided with industry advocates and enjoined the city from enforcing the ordinance in March 2011. The city appealed, and in 2013, the First District Court of Appeals overturned the lower court's decision.

Abbott filed a brief in August in support of the industry group, saying the city's ordinance interferes with TCEQ's enforcement powers and could harm mom-and-pop businesses like dry cleaners.

The justices wrote in their opinion Friday that if the TCEQ chose not to take enforcement action against a company, it did not give the city the legal authority to step in.

"By authorizing criminal prosecution even when the TCEQ determines an administrative or civil remedy - or even no penalty at all - to be the appropriate remedy, the city effectively moots the TCEQ's discretion and the TCEQ's authority to select an enforcement mechanism," the opinion states. "This is impermissible."

City inspections allowed

Similar ordinances are in place elsewhere in the state, including in San Antonio.

Even without the city ordinances, state law allows city personnel to enter and inspect facilities, Young added. Cities also can contract with TCEQ to help with enforcement under its supervision.

Local governments also can sue polluters in civil district courts, but only with approval of the local governing body and if TCEQ joins as a party.

Young said the industry group "has never tried to undermine the importance of state environmental law."

"What matters," he said, is that enforcement is "done in a safe, efficient, clear, evenhanded way."
WASHINGTON - Waves of campaign staffers are being dispatched to battleground states. Advisers are starting to consider locations for a splashy convention rally in Philadelphia. An army of lawyers is scrutinizing more than two dozen possible vice presidential picks.

Though she has yet to clinch the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton and her team are taking early steps into a general election campaign. Aides are working under the assumption that Republican front-runner Donald Trump will be her opponent.

Six months before the presidential election, they're looking beyond primary rival Bernie Sanders and preparing their candidate and party for what may be a hard-fought - and personally ugly - fall campaign.

'Game face on'

Starting this week, Clinton campaign employees are heading to battleground states across the country, among them Ohio, Florida and Colorado. Democrats are also eyeing the possibility of making a run at traditionally Republican-leaning states such as Georgia, North Carolina and Arizona, calculating that Trump's penchant for controversy could put minority and female voters in play.

"Everybody's got their game face on," said Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who was going to South Dakota on the weekend to campaign for Clinton.

Aides from the primary are getting general election marching orders. Simone Ward, political director of the campaign committee for Senate Democratic races, will run Clinton's Florida operation. Emmy Ruiz, who led a crucial Nevada primary win for Clinton, will handle Colorado. Mike Vlacich led New Hampshire operations in the primary and will do the same in the fall.

Convention plans

"The sooner you can get up and running, the better," said Dan Pfeiffer, who advised President Barack Obama. "On the Republican side, Trump has not built anything resembling the sort of field operation it takes to win."

Plans are also beginning to take shape for a convention that will feature Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton and the vice presidential nominee. It's not clear, however, what role Sanders will have.

Clinton's campaign has started the internal search for a running mate, though people familiar with the process say that effort is in an early stage.
INDIANAPOLIS - As Sen. Ted Cruz seeks every possible edge to stop Donald Trump, he has seized on a once-obscure issue with a proven power to inflame conservatives: letting transgender women use women's bathrooms.

Cruz mentions it constantly in Indiana, a state with many social conservatives that is all but a last stand for him in his fight to deprive Trump of the Republican presidential nomination.

With polls showing a narrower lead for Trump in Indiana than in the five Eastern states he swept Tuesday, the Cruz campaign's private polling indicates that the bathroom issue has the power to help close the gap.

Moreover, it is fresh in Indiana voters' minds because of high-profile battles in the state in recent years over gay rights.

"Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton both agree that grown men should be allowed to use the little girls' restroom," Cruz said Tuesday night as a crowd in Knightstown booed heartily. He made the remarks after coming before the crowd with his two daughters, 7 and 5, who wore matching pink dresses.

Cruz has alternated between mockery and outrage nearly every day in highlighting Trump's stance, seizing on it after Trump said last week that people should be free to "use the bathroom they feel is appropriate." Trump was responding to the furor over a North Carolina law that stripped legal protections from gay and transgender people.

Topic at convention

In leveraging the issue, Cruz has raised the specter of sexual predators in women's restrooms, which conservatives around the country have effectively invoked to defeat anti-discrimination laws - and which gay rights advocates denounce as a myth.

The topic could surface in July at the Republican convention, where a fight is brewing in the platform committee to overturn the party's historical objection to same-sex marriage.

In a little-noticed move this winter, the Republican National Committee called on states to pass laws limiting access to school bathrooms and locker rooms based on students' "anatomical sex."

Social conservatives in Indiana have been on high alert since last year, when Gov. Mike Pence and fellow Republican lawmakers amended a so-called religious freedom law, bending to an outcry that the legislation would let businesses refuse service to gays and lesbians.

One social conservative leader who objected to what he called watering down the law, Micah Clark, executive director of the American Family Association of Indiana, campaigned this week with Cruz.

He said Cruz's attack on Trump was meant to show that Trump is a liberal who supports the right of transgender people to "choose the bathroom that aligns with their identity that day."

Though Clark said bathroom access was not at the top of voters' concerns, he predicted that Indiana Republicans would reject Trump on the matter.

Issue thrust by N.C.

In Houston, Cruz's hometown, voters repealed a broad anti-discrimination ordinance last year after opponents said it would allow sexual predators to enter women's restrooms.

But it was North Carolina that thrust the issue into the nation's consciousness last month, after state lawmakers passed a law prohibiting transgender people from using a public restroom that does not correspond to the gender on their birth certificate.

Trump waded into the debate in a television interview last week, saying there had "been very few problems" with transgender people using public bathrooms, and advising North Carolina to "leave it the way it is."

He said he would be fine with Caitlyn Jenner, the former Olympic gold medalist in the men's decathlon and a reality television star, using any bathroom she wanted to at Trump Tower.

Later, Trump amended his stance, saying it was up to cities and states to decide on their own.

Cruz attacked Trump for political correctness and yoked him to Clinton as a liberal.
The U.S. Navy is loosening its rules governing tattoos effective Saturday in response to their growing popularity among young people and to remove a potential barrier for desired recruits.

Under the new rules, there will be no limit to the size or number of tattoos sailors can have below the elbow and the knee.

Previous rules restricted the sizes of tattoos on arms and legs. And for the first time, sailors can have a neck tattoo, although it cannot be longer than an inch in any direction.

Popular among young

"We just got to the point where we realized we needed to be honest with ourselves and put something in place that was going to reflect the realities of our country and the needs of our Navy," Mike Stevens, master chief petty officer of the Navy, told The Navy Times. "We need to make sure that we're not missing any opportunities to recruit and retain the best and the brightest because of our policies."

A Harris Poll conducted last fall found that 3 in 10 Americans have at least one tattoo, up from about 2 in 10 four years earlier.

Tattoos are especially popular among younger Americans, with 47 percent of millennials and 36 percent of members of Generation X saying they had at least one, Harris reported.

Those demographics represent an important pool of potential sailors for the Navy.

The United States Naval Institute reported that the average age of recruits in all the armed services is 20 but that the 17-to-24 age group is a shrinking population.

Further, as the economy has improved, fewer young people are interested in enlisting.

Tattoos have long been entwined with American seafaring culture, which developed a repertory over time of anchors, dragons and pinup girls, among other symbols.

Jeff Phillips, 42, of Jacksonville, Fla., said that during his Navy service in the early 1990s it was seen as odd if you were enlisted and did not have a tattoo.

"It was a rite of passage," said Phillips, who got a tattoo of Bugs Bunny near his left biceps. " 'You don't have a tattoo yet? What's wrong with you?' "

John-Henry Doucette, 42, of Virginia Beach, Va., who served from 1991-1996, said he got a "tremendously bad version of Hemingway" on his upper right arm two years after enlisting.

Told about the relaxed tattoo rules, he said, "It doesn't sound like the Navy I served in."

Business impact

But, Doucette said, if it helps attract young, smart recruits, all the better, adding that it does not matter what sailors look like or how many tattoos they have.

What does matter, he said, is: "Do your work. Be good to each other. Have a good ship."

At All-Out Tattoo in Norfolk, Va., Jason Sumners, a tattoo artist of 22 years, said he expects the new Navy rules to mean little to business, even if the city is home to Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval complex in the world.

Sumners, who is known as Hero, said newly enlisted personnel are the most conscientious about the rules, but sailors who have served even a few months disregard them and get what they want.

"As soon as they get in and figure it out, they don't care," he said.

Sailors are seldom seriously punished for infractions, he said.

Sumners said that although he knew of the military regulations, he would be the last one to enforce them.

"Why would I let money walk out the door?" he asked.

But, he added, "If you get something on your face, you're an idiot."
OSLO, Norway - A helicopter carrying 13 people from an oil field in the North Sea to the city of Bergen crashed Friday off the Norwegian coast, and there were no signs of survivors.

Eleven passengers and two pilots - identified as 11 Norwegians, one Briton and one Italian - were en route from the Gullfaks B oil platform of the Norwegian energy company Statoil, the company and Norwegian authorities said. The cause of the crash was unclear.

A search on land and at sea recovered 11 bodies, according to the Norwegian Joint Rescue Coordination Center, which was conducting the rescue operation with assistance from Statoil. The center said on Twitter that the two other passengers were also presumed dead, and that the rescue operation had been halted.

Television footage showed thick smoke rising from the island of Turoy, northwest of Bergen, on Norway's southwest coast. A rescue boat could also be seen.

George Langeland, who lives in Turoy, said he saw the helicopter explode and fall from the sky from the terrace of his home. "It was a large explosion," he said by telephone from the island. "I don't know better how to describe it."

Langeland added that he saw the rotor break off the helicopter. Part of the helicopter's hull was underwater, about 65 feet from the shore, with debris scattered around it, according to the rescue team.

Rescue coordinators told journalists that a flight ban, including for drones, had been imposed for three nautical miles around the site of the crash, and a Statoil spokesman said the company had grounded all helicopters like the one that crashed - a Eurocopter EC225, known as the Super Puma. Morten Eek, the Statoil spokesman, also said that production aboard the Gullfaks B had been temporarily halted.

The same type of helicopter crashed in Norway in 1997, killing 12 people, the last fatal crash the country's oil industry suffered, according to Henrik Fjeldsbo, a union officer and adviser to the Department for Health and Security in the Energy Industry.
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PYONGYANG, North Korea - North Korea on Friday sentenced a U.S. citizen of Korean heritage to 10 years in prison with hard labor after convicting him of espionage and subversion, the second American it has put behind bars this year.

Kim Dong Chul was sentenced after a brief trial in Pyongyang by North Korea's Supreme Court, which found him guilty of espionage and subversion under Articles 60 and 64 of the North's criminal code.

North Korea regularly accuses Washington and Seoul of sending spies in an attempt to overthrow its government. Outsiders say North Korea seeks to use its U.S. detainees to wring concessions from Washington.

A confession?

When Kim was paraded before the media in Pyongyang last month, he said he had collaborated with and spied for South Korean intelligence authorities in a plot to bring down the North's leadership and had tried to spread religion among North Koreans before his arrest in the city of Rason last October.

Some previously arrested foreigners have read declarations of guilt that they later said were coerced.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service, the country's main spy agency, has said Kim's case isn't related to the organization in any way.

Gabrielle Price, State Department spokeswoman for East Asia and the Pacific, said the U.S. was aware of the reports that a U.S. citizen has been sentenced to 10 years of hard labor, but could not comment further due to privacy considerations.

According to department policy, the U.S. can only comment publicly on cases in which the citizen has signed a privacy waiver. It was not immediately clear whether the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang has had access to Kim. The embassy handles such consular matters for Washington as the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea.

Exercises raise tensions

Kim's sentencing Friday came as North Korea also accused U.S. soldiers of trying to provoke its frontline troops with "disgusting" facial expressions and by encouraging South Korean soldiers to aim their guns at the North.

A North Korean military statement warned U.S. soldiers to stop what it called "hooliganism" at the border village of Panmunjom or meet a "dog's death any time and any place."

The U.S. and South Korean militaries had no immediate official response.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen during weeks of annual U.S.-South Korean military drills, which end Saturday and are usually one of the most anxious times on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea has issued a steady stream of threats to the United States and South Korea over the drills, which it says are preparations for an invasion. Outside analysts say the North also hates the drills in part because it forces the impoverished country to stage its own expensive military responses.

North Korea in recent weeks has fired a barrage of missile and artillery shells into the sea in a show of anger. On Thursday, South Korean and U.S. officials said two suspected medium-range missile launches by North Korea ended in failure.
CALGARY, CanadaAVN Award-nominated Canadian MILF performer Shanda Fay will be appearing April 30 dressed in full Bat Girl body paint at one of the biggest pop culture conventions in Canada: the Calgary Expo at Stampede Park in Calgary.

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Shanda Fay is one of Canada's most prominent adult performers. Last year Shanda signed a content partnership with Pure Play Broadcasting for cable television rights.

Her website, ShandaFay.com. has been nominated the last two years by AVN for Best Solo Girl Site. She is part of the popular VNA Girls network of websites, which includes stars such as Julia Ann, Nikki Benz, Vicky Vette and others.

Shanda Fay said, "It's amazing that my official site is more popular than ever. One of the reasons is the popularity of my 'Bat Girl' videos, which the fans love. It's a very complicated time-consuming body paint outfit. I have not appeared in it before at a convention and I am VERY excited. The Calgary Expo is one of the biggest in Canada. I am sure Bat Girl will fit right in!"

Shanda Fay is live most Fridays at ShandaFay.com.

ShandaFay can be followed on Instagram and Twitter (@ShandaFay).
A Texas Department of Motor Vehicles proposal to revamp its fee structure for vehicle registrations and drive motorists to do business online has all the feel of a carrot-or-stick business proposal.

In this case, the business is vehicle registrations and titling, and the aim is to centralize and modernize the online renewal process by giving customers a financial incentive to do it online.

Under the plan, presented at the April DMV board meeting, in-person and mail-in registrations would be charged a $3 and $4 processing fee increase, respectively, over the current fee. The carrot is a 25-cent decrease in the current fee when the registration is done online. The latter would result in counties receiving less revenue per transaction than they do at current rates.

There's little to dislike about the overall plan, which DMV Executive Director Whitney Brewster said underwent extensive research and review before it was unveiled. But Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Mike Sullivan believes it could trigger $1.7 million in loss revenue for Harris County. He said his counterparts in Dallas, Bexar and Travis counties have similar concerns. Brewster, however, explained the aim of the proposal is to "modernize and streamline" the way DMV delivers services. One way is to reduce the number of walk-in DMV transactions as Texas approaches 24 million registered vehicles. The plan centralizes the processing of online registration renewals that is now the responsibility of county tax offices.

About 20 percent of state registration transactions now are done online. Raising that percentage could mean a reduction in county tax office wait times, and county workers could focus on providing better service to those who still must complete in-person transactions.

Sullivan said his office, where 44 percent of employees work in the auto department, last year processed more than 3.6 million vehicle renewals, including 1.9 million walk-ins, 525,000 over the Internet and 271,000 by mail. Sullivan believes the plan leaves counties with more time-consuming work, and with less compensation per registration-renewal transaction. Brewster, however, is asking tax assessors-collectors to weigh total cost savings to determine the net impact of the proposal.

The DMV plan also calls for a cap on the amounts that title-service companies can charge for registration ($5) and title transactions ($10.) But that change would not affect Harris County, where those services are handled by the tax office.

A public comment period for the proposal ends May 23, and the nine-member DMV board could make a decision in June.

The DMV plan to push online renewals would drive down costs for customers and the county tax offices. Those are reason enough to urge the board to make it happen.
Mayor Sylvester Turner was right to say during the April 6 Houston City Council meeting that the Texas Legislature needed to "address issues with the taxation of commercial property in Houston." The only problem is that his argument is misguided.

The mayor pointed to a "spiral downward of commercial property values" caused by the "median" tax rates that commercial property owners pay as being the root of the issue; however, data does not support his theory.

The reality is that commercial real estate across Houston has experienced skyrocketing appraisal increases over the last several years without proportionate reductions in tax rates.

In 2013, Houston commercial property valuations increased 53 percent on average. In the central business district, increases were as high as 70 percent. These double-digit increases continued in 2014 with an average 18 percent increase in commercial property values. Unfortunately, 2015 was no different: Commercial property valuations increased 12 percent - some areas of Houston experienced a staggering 100 percent increase in commercial property values in just three years.

Based on the numbers, it's clear that commercial property owners are not taking advantage of a major loophole. The real issue is uncontrolled valuation increases.

It is understandable for the city of Houston to be concerned about its current financial situation, but to take it out on the hard-working residents doing business in Houston is not the way to solve the problem. Uncontrolled valuation increases have placed an incredible financial burden on Houston businesses - from the major corporations to the mom-and-pop establishments. Even worse, a continued approach of uncontrolled valuations will eventually force businesses to leave the city.

Additionally, Mayor Turner stated that, "taxes from hard-working homeowners should not subsidize wealthy commercial property owners." However, according to the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association (TTRA) and the state comptroller's office, this statement also holds little weight. In fact, an independent study by TTRA and the comptroller's office found no evidence that commercial property appraisal appeals are forcing homeowners to pick up the slack.

On the contrary, the report found that a booming housing market and a reduction in manufacturing jobs across the state has simply made residential property a larger part of Texas' tax base.

According to the TTRA report, "all available information - be it from the appraisal districts on the disputes they handle, or be it from the Comptroller's review of local values - does not offer evidence of the widespread undervaluation of commercial property."

Commercial property owners are eager to pay their fair share of property taxes, but demand that the appraisal process be fair. Commercial property owners should not have to file a lawsuit to have their voice heard by an appraisal district. More important, budgets for essential public services should not have to face sudden cuts because of a flawed appraisal system.

We agree with Mayor Turner that the system needs to be fixed, but the Legislature needs to focus on fixing the issue that is taxing businesses right out of town - an unfair appraisal process. This is the real issue that needs to be addressed.

State legislators should pass legislation that limits the impact of this flawed appraisal system.

Betancourt is chief executive officer and executive vice president of the Houston Building Owners and Managers Association.
Donald Trump now looks set to be the Republican presidential nominee. So for those of us appalled by this prospect - what are we supposed to do?

Well, not what the leaders of the Republican Party are doing. They're going down meekly and hoping for a quiet convention. They seem blithely unaware that this is a Joe McCarthy moment. People will be judged by where they stood at this time. Those who walked with Trump will be tainted forever after for the degradation of standards and the general election slaughter.

The better course for all of us is to step back and take the long view, and to begin building for that. This election - not only the Trump phenomenon but the rise of Bernie Sanders, also - has reminded us how much pain there is in this country. According to a Pew Research poll, 75 percent of Trump voters say that life has gotten worse for people like them over the last half-century.

This declinism intertwines with other horrible social statistics. The suicide rate has surged to a 30-year high - a sure sign of rampant social isolation. A record number of Americans believe the American dream is out of reach. And for millennials, social trust is at historic lows.

Trump's success grew out of that pain, but he is not the right response to it. The job for the rest of us is to figure out the right response.

That means first it's necessary to go out into the pain. I was surprised by Trump's success because I've slipped into a bad pattern, spending large chunks of my life in the bourgeois strata - in professional circles with people with similar status and demographics to my own. It takes an act of will to rip yourself out of that and go where you feel least comfortable. But this column is going to try to do that over the next months and years. We all have some responsibility to do one activity that leaps across the chasms of segmentation that afflict this country.

We'll probably need a new national story. Up until now, America's story has been some version of the rags-to-riches story, the lone individual who rises from the bottom through pluck and work. But that story isn't working for people anymore, especially for people who think the system is rigged.

I don't know what the new national story will be, but maybe it will be less individualistic and more redemptive. Maybe it will be a story about communities that heal those who suffer from addiction, broken homes, trauma, prison and loss, a story of those who triumph over the isolation, social instability and dislocation so common today.

We'll probably need a new definition of masculinity, too. There are many groups in society who have lost an empire but not yet found a role. Men are the largest of those groups. The traditional masculine ideal isn't working anymore. It leads to high dropout rates, high incarceration rates, low labor force participation rates. This is an economy that rewards emotional connection and verbal expressiveness. Everywhere, you see men imprisoned by the old reticent, stoical ideal.

We'll also need to rebuild the sense that we're all in this together. The author R.R. Reno has argued that what we're really facing these days is a "crisis of solidarity." Many people, as the writers David and Amber Lapp note, feel pervasively betrayed: by for-profit job-training outfits that left them awash in debt, by spouses and stepparents, by people who collect federal benefits but don't work. They've stopped even expecting loyalty from their employers. The big flashing lights say: NO TRUST.

That leads to an everyone-out-for-himself mentality and Trump's politics of suspicion. We'll need a communitarianism.

Maybe the task is to build a ladder of hope. People across America have been falling through the cracks. Their children are adrift. Trump, to his credit, made them visible. We can start at the personal level just by hearing them talk.

Then at the community level we can listen to those already helping. James Fallows had a story in The Atlantic recently noting that while we're dysfunctional at the national level you see local renaissances dotted across the country. Fallows went around asking, "Who makes this town go?" and found local patriots creating radical schools, arts festivals, public-private partnerships that give, say, high school dropouts computer skills.

Then solidarity can be rekindled nationally. Over the course of American history, national projects like the railroad legislation, the WPA and the NASA project have bound this diverse nation. Of course, such projects can happen again - maybe though a national service program, or something else.

Trump will have his gruesome moment. The time is best spent elsewhere, meeting the neighbors who have become strangers, and listening to what they have to say.

Brooks is a New York Times columnist.
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Facial Recognition Software Is Outing Pornstars To Their Families

Trending News: People Are using This Facial Recognition App To Out Pornstars

Why Is This Important?

Because this brings up lots of questions about privacy, feminism and sex workers' rights.

Long Story Short

A facial recognition app based in Russia called FindFace is searching out porn actresses and sex workers and outing their identities to their families and friends. What the app makers are doing may feel illegal, but police can't do anything about it.

Long Story

What if your sister or cousin was doing porn or posting nude photos online? Would you want to know? An app in Russia has made it possible to find out the identities of porn actresses and sex workers who have nude photos online by matching their faces with their profiles on the Russian Facebook, VKontakte.

If you answered yes to wanting to know, answer the following question: is it any of your business?

The people behind FindFace (presumably all dudes), told Global Voices that women in the sex industry are corrupt and deceptive, but who are they to out these women's identities and potentially disrupt their family lives? Those behind the app also don't know the stories behind the faces that could answer questions like: how long ago were these taken (everyone has photos they want to forget about somewhere) and was this a one-time thing? Even if it was, nude images of women is a practice that's ages old, it's not going away by ruining some young woman's life.

Clearly there's a lot of questions here and I'm pretty fired up about it, but while the app may seem to be a clear invasion of privacy, police have no way of shutting the site down, according to a Russian security firm quoted by Newsweek. The firm wrote in a blogpost that with nothing to stop services like these, a similar app could be launched that stores data from Facebook or Instagram.

Wonder if the government in the U.S or if Facebook would be stronger and blocking immoral services like these.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Did these vigilantes go too far?

Disrupt Your Feed

It's none of their damn business.

Drop This Fact

Russia's social network VKontakte, also known as VK, is more popular than Facebook in the country.
The British political system has been decaying for decades. The main parties are split into hostile factions. They play games with our fragile constitution clumsily, like children playing with boxes of matches. The American diplomat Dean Acheson once observed that Britain had lost an empire but not yet found a place in the world. That remains true. Britain is only half in Europe, a semi-detached member punching below its weight and size. Foreign invasions, terrorism and mass migration have bred fear and insecurity, conditions easily exploited by extremists.

Our increasingly disunited kingdom is threatened by powerful forces of nationalism - pressure exerted by those who would quit the European Union or the United Kingdom or both, and from those who would impose their values and beliefs on the rest of us. That threatens our secular tradition. There is a risk that our governors may sleepwalk into leaving the European Union, and that Scotland may leave the rest of the UK, and that Northern Ireland will remain politically polarised.

Disintegration and disengagement would weaken our capacity to tackle the problems that cannot be solved by a single country - perplexing problems of corruption, inequality between rich and poor, racism, xenophobia, the misuse of religion as a weapon of mass destruction and the devastation of our eco-system.

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The Astronomer Royal, Martin Rees, has warned that we are "destroying the book of life before we have read it". The pressures of a growing human population and economy, on land and on water, are already high and we have a responsibility 'to our children, to the poorest, to steward the diversity and richness of life on earth'. Working across Europe and beyond it, we must also tackle world hunger, disease and over-population; the effects of wars that have destroyed stable societies and resulted in millions of refugees; terrorism, racism and political extremism.

This is the worrisome context in which my book explores the five ideas I have chosen to fight for - human rights, equality, free speech, privacy and the rule of law. They reflect my practical experience and personal choices.

In 1968, Harold Wilson's Labour government rushed an emergency bill through Parliament in three days and nights. It took away the right of British Asians from East Africa to enter and live in the UK. It was racist, in breach of a pledge by a previous British government - that if East Africa's newly independent governments expelled British Asians', they would retain the right to settle in the UK. But because the Westminster Parliament is supreme and the courts cannot strike down Acts of Parliament, the only way of challenging the law was to complain to the European Commission of Human Rights in Strasbourg. That seemed to me to be absurd.

I tried to persuade our judges to take human rights more seriously, quoting American and European analogies. My successes were few. I was able to achieve more in two years as special adviser to Roy Jenkins at the Home Office - in 1974-76 - than in ten years at the Bar. We shaped sex and race discrimination laws and advanced the case for a British Bill of Rights.

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Back at the Bar I developed a practice in what is now known as public law - the judicial review of the actions of public bodies to ensure they act lawfully, rationally and fairly. I argued before a new generation of judges whose values were very different from their predecessors. There were clear limits to what could be achieved using the judicial process. In 1993 I became a Liberal Democrat peer focussing on constitutional and human rights issues.

Peers are unelected and independent-minded - counter-majoritarian and sometimes in the vanguard of ground-breaking reform. About a fifth of the House of Lords are not appointed by the political parties and sit on the cross-benches. That secures our independence. Because of them, the government does not have a commanding majority and can be defeated by cross-party alliances. We have much more time than members of the Commons to debate and introduce reforming Bills. And among the politicians of yesteryear are experts in many fields, including law and government. It is a community that includes many women, those from ethnic and religious minorities, the professions and universities.

For all but the five years of coalition government, I have sat on the opposition benches under Conservative and Labour governments, working with colleagues from all parties and none, as well as civil society. I used public lectures and questions to Ministers and private member's bills to achieve reforms - bills on human rights, equality, civil partnership, forced marriage, constitutional reform and defamation.

Liberal Democrats suffered a devastating defeat in the 2015 Election, but I do not believe that the British people meant to reject liberalism. The current government wants to suppress extremist activity, and the Prime Minister and Home Secretary define extremism as 'vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values'. Those surely are the values of a liberal society that include freedom for political dissent and respect for human rights and the rule of law.

Those values are threatened not only by terrorists but the State and its agents and populist politicians. Human rights are under threat at home and abroad. So is the international reputation of the UK as a country that respects the European rule of law. David Cameron's government was elected with a pledge to tear up the Human Rights Act, replacing it with a British Bill of Rights. It is not likely to give greater protection to our rights and freedoms than we have now. The European Court of Human Rights is under attack by Ministers for having supposedly undermined the sovereignty of the Westminster Parliament.

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I hope that my book might encourage readers to fight for the country we love - and for a more open, democratic society based on equal justice under the rule of law. Each chapter highlights the threats we face and what we must fight for.
Fairfax Media

It's election season in Australia, and with that comes a set of tried and true traditions -- candidates kissing babies and shaking hands in shopping centres, election day sausage sizzles, and immigration policy. For almost every election since 2001, the year where the word 'refugee' blazed itself into the Australian mainstream with the Tampa incident, immigration and asylum seekers have been a headline election issue; and so it is again in 2016.

A string of events has occurred in recent days, throwing major spanners in Australia's controversial and stained history of offshore detention. Australia's detention centre on Manus Island was ruled illegal by the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court, while a chain of suicide attempts on Nauru -- culminating in the tragic and horrific death of a 23-year-old Iranian refugee, who had set himself alight -- cast doubt on the suitability of that island as a stop-gap replacement measure. Such a confluence of ugly and politically damaging events is rare, and should have had the Labor opposition jumping for joy.

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They weren't. Because, of course, Labor is as much to blame for Australia's marred detention policy as the Coalition government is. Opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton have been sparring publicly and strangely in a tit-for-tat press release war, each accusing the other of being the softest on immigration. All the while, refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru allegedly swallowed razor blades and washing powder, and the men on Manus were left in limbo as to what their future would be.

This election will be a race about who is the toughest on immigration. Influential commentators Phillip Coorey and Waleed Aly have already noticed (here and here). Both Liberal and Labor have been posturing and chest-beating, naming their respective policies the toughest and their opponents' the weakest. Expect this to continue. The Greens have been preaching compassion, for the asylum seekers to be brought to Australia and processed on-shore. Both major parties have all but ignored the Greens' ideas. Expect that to continue, too.

Aly called it the "monstrous failure of our bipartisan asylum seeker policy".

For as far back as 2001, the Coalition locked itself into a "tough on boats" policy. John Howard famously told us that "we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come". Tony Abbott wouldn't stop telling us about how he "stopped the boats." It locked Labor into espousing similar policies, lest they be seen as weak on borders, and -- as the Coalition has, and will continue to, hammer home -- by extension, weak on national security.

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Nauru

2001 was about the Tampa and children overboard. Since then, "boats" and "boat people" have been the boogeymen that politicians have tried to scare us with. Most elections since then, respective leaders have outlined their plans to change that policy or close this detention centre or open that swap deal with that country.

"Whatever decision the Australian Government takes, it must not risk sending a green light to people smugglers that they can revive their deadly trade," Marles said in a release.

"The reality is Labor will talk tough before an election and cave-in in government bringing a return of the people smugglers boats and the illegal maritime arrivals. Labor will never keep the boats stopped," Dutton shot back.

But while the major parties cater their messages to the (not small) crowd who don't want "boat people" arriving in Australia, neither are looking at the other end of the spectrum -- the large, and growing, part of society who recoil in horror as a man sets himself on fire on Nauru, who are alarmed at others swallowing washing powder and razor blades, who are disgusted at vulnerable women being raped and being denied abortions in detention centres, who think there must be some middle ground between stopping people smugglers while avoiding placing people fleeing from some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones in tents in far-flung foreign islands they've barely heard of.
MarkRubens via Getty Images Wine collection: White and red grapes on table in vineyard. Blurred lights in background.

In the fire and flame of Australias red centre, something unexpected is being forged.

Its here amid the sand and spinifex, that some of the countrys premiere research into the humble grape is taking place.

The CSIRO and the Arid Zone Research Institute (AZRI) in Alice Springs have partnered to breed and test new table grape varieties in central Australia, with a view to creating grapes that will grow well in some of the countrys harshest conditions.

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Among the 15 different selections to be tested are grapes that ripen early or late and those that keep well in long term storage.

Theres also the possibility of exporting the grapes to new markets, the NT Department of Primary Industries said.

Bred by CSIRO Agriculture, these selections will be tested against the three commercial varieties - Menindee, Crimson and Magic Seedless - to identify new superior varieties adapted to Central Australian conditions, Primary Industries and Fisheries Minister Gary Higgins said.

The researchers hope the new grapes will limit low fruitfulness, berry collapse, and production costs in a challenging grape-growing climate.

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Over three decades, the Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries and CSIRO Agriculture have maintained a vine improvement program in Central Australia to provide viticultural industries with material suited to Australian conditions and industry needs, Higgins said.

This trial of the new grapes is an integral stage in that research.

And to answer the question youre all thinking -- no, this wont lead to the creation of new desert wines, for those who like their merlot extra-dry. But it could help in creating grapes better suited to Australian tastes -- according to the experts, we like em big and crunchy.

The Australian market likes large table grapes. The size at the supermarkets has grown over the years, theyre usually about 20mm now up from 15mm, manager of the Central Australian Horticulture Development Project at AZRI, Stuart Smith, told The Huffington Post Australia.

He says resistance to heat and rain are other key characteristics they want to develop in the grapes.

Here they have to put up with an environment that can be absolutely scorching hot in harvest. They have to be tolerant to heat. And we can get late storms in harvest time, so a bit of rain resistance at harvest time can be really valuable.

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CSIRO research into grapes and vines is having an impact in other areas, too. As climate change narrows the optimal harvest time for grapes across Australia, the organisation has developed a vine rootstock that can slow harvest by seven to 10 days.

Other viticulturists are taking to using grape sunscreens -- clay-based creams that could be sprayed onto grapes -- to protect them from rising temperatures.

"Basically it's used in a very similar to how we use sunscreen on ourselves for protection from the sun," Eden Hall Wines viticulturist Daniel Falkenberg said.

"In red grapes especially, extreme temperatures can damage the berries but by applying products like Surround, it provides adequate protection to the exposed berries reducing the impact of crop loss.
"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." H. L. Mencken

The nature/nurture debate on the causes of mental disorder generates no end of silly controversy by proponents on both sides.

The biological reductionists act like the secret of psychiatric disorders is written in the genetic code. They are "mindless"- dismissing the crucial role of environment in how our brain develops and of psychology and social context in how it functions.

The environmental reductionists go to the opposite "brainless" extreme- argueing that a psychiatric disorder is a direct reflection of life stresses and dismissing the crucial role of biological vulnerability, particularly for the severe mental disorders.

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Both sides fail to appreciate the complexity of interaction among biology, psychology, and social setting. The brain is the most complicated thing in the known universe. It contains more than 100 billion neurons (equal to the number of stars in our galaxy), each firing dozens to hundreds of times a second, and connected to each other by 240 trillion synapses. There is no way that our 20,000 genes could in any simple top/down fashion instruct the intricate wiring and firing of so many connections. The miracle is that this complex system usually works as well as it does.

Experience must play the crucial mediating role in facilitating appropriate adaptation. Neurons that fire together, wire together. It is equally silly to deny the role of biology in providing the hardware as it is to deny the role of experience in helping to shape the software.

Having a close relative with a psychiatric disorder is usually the most predictable risk factor for developing that disorder yourself, but the relationship is not inevitable. Even identical twins (who have identical genes) as often as not do not develop the same psychiatric disorder.

The intense fifty year search to figure out how heredity works has produced many hyped claims, false starts, blind alleys, and failed replications. This is a confusing minefield of contradictory findings, difficult for the non-expert to interpret.

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Luckily we have the perfect guide. Steve Dubovsky MD is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the State University of New York at Buffalo and Adjoint Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine at the University of Colorado.

Dr Dubovsky writes: "You can hardly watch TV or open a magazine these days without coming across advertisements for practitioners with the latest scientific and most 'personalized' methods to diagnose and treat whatever might ail you. Among these modern wonders is the claim that genetic testing, can tell you exactly which medication will work best for your condition. Such promises are encouraged by an escalating number of studies demonstrating associations between versions (alleles) of various genes and illness subtypes, as well as increased availability of genetic testing.

Some of the information emerging from genetic studies currently has clinical applications in limited areas of medicine, a certain amount is deceptive, and most, while promising, is not yet ready for prime time. How can we tell these categories apart?

First some basic principles. Genes do not cause illnesses; they make proteins, usually by making messenger RNA. Because proteins have discrete functions, different proteins coded by different genes frequently interact with each other to produce complex manifestations called phenotypes.

Different genotypes (patterns of genes) produce different phenotypes. A few medical illnesses are phenotypes that are the downstream result of an aberrant allele of a single gene that produces a malfunctioning protein. For example, Huntington's disease is caused by an abnormal protein called huntingtin produced by a single defective gene. If you have the gene, you will get the illness. Not one of all the psychiatric disorders is in this category of simple gene causation.

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Even though you are born with all the genes you will ever have, their expression varies over the lifetime and under different circumstances.

Many different interacting processes- environmental factors, experience, inner states, illnesses and medications- vary whether a gene does or does not get expressed. Because of 'epigenetics', the person's genotype (summary of alleles of various genes) does not inevitably predict phenotype.

This brings us to risk assessment based on genetics. About 10% of cases of breast cancer have a familial pattern that suggests the influence of a mutation of one of two genes, called BRCA1 and BRCA2. Although defective versions of these tumor suppressor genes (which produce proteins that block proliferation of cancer cells) convey a significantly increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer, only a small minority of women who have breast cancer have these genes. The breast is the simplest organ in the body, but we still don't understand much about the diseases associated with it.

It is therefore no surprise that is so difficult to sort out any consistent pattern for psychiatric disorders that are based on the most complicated interaction between a ridiculously complicated organ and a ridiculously complicated environment.

Every time a new study reports that a particular gene is found more frequently in people with a particular psychiatric disorder than normal subjects, it seems that the gene must be the cause of that disorder, or at least a reliable marker. And then another disorder turns out to have the same marker. And another. Or the study doesn't replicate at all.

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What happened? For one thing, even though most major psychiatric disorders have a genetic component, that component is the sum of hundreds if not thousands of genes, each with a small effect, not to mention epigenetic influences on the expression of those genes.

It would take comparisons of millions of subjects with different diagnoses to show that a particular subtype is associated with a particular constellation of genes. And the finding would likely apply only to a very small percentage of people with the disorder.

In addition, there is a great deal of symptomatic overlap between psychiatric diagnoses (e.g., patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, delusional disorder, personality disorders and dementia can all experience psychosis). The genetic factors may be more related to discrete symptoms than to overall disorders.

The conclusion? There is not yet any genetic test for any of the psychiatric disorders.

The next question is whether genetics can predict the effects of psychiatric meds.

The body's metabolic machinery for handling, breaking down, and eliminating xenobiotics (foreign material, usually from plants) consists of enzymes. These are proteins that move material in and out of cells (transporters) and receptors. Medications, many of which resemble plants, are affected by these enzymes, some of which have different levels of activity depending on the genes that code for them.

For example, one of the best studied metabolizing enzyme, cytochrome P450 2D6, has 4 major phenotypes depending on whether the genes inherited from mother and father convey great activity, moderate activity, or no activity. Even this apparent simple situation is complicated by the fact that it is possible to have multiple copies of the same functional or nonfunctional gene. The situation is complicated even further by the fact that most medications are metabolized by multiple enzymes, so if activity of one pathway is low, another pathway will hypertrophy to eliminate its substrate normally. Even if genotypes could predict the actual level of a medication in the blood, there is no clearly demonstrated relationship between blood level and clinical effect or side effects for most psychiatric medications.

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A number of studies have attempted to take into consideration the actions of networks of enzymes and other proteins coded by multiple genes in predicting which medications will be best tolerated and/or most effective for a given patient. Of the independently funded studies, the Genome-Based Therapeutic Drugs for Depression (GENDEP), the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study, and the Munich Antidepressant Response Study, which involved a total of 2641 depressed patients, as well as the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) study involving 738 schizophrenia patients, found no combination of genetic markers that predicted treatment response.

In not surprising contrast, two studies supported by the manufacturer of a composite report of genotypes done on a total of only 271 patients found a positive result. Unlike the independently funded studies, patients were not assigned to receive genetic monitoring or no monitoring, and treatment and assessments were not blinded to the use of monitoring to guide treatment. As a result, the finding that patients whose antidepressant treatment was guided by genetic testing seemed to have a better outcome could well be due to patients with monitoring feeling better about getting a new approach or evaluators knowing whether monitoring was used. The company did a third study of 51 depressed patients who were randomly assigned to monitoring or no monitoring and had blinded assessments, but there were not significant differences between patients whose medications were or were not chosen according to genotype. In a fourth study from the same company, only 97 patients were studied with equally inconclusive results.

The Bottom Line: The rush to apply each new genetic finding to the clinic before it can be examined critically in studies that take into account the complexity of human neurobiology and experience is an example of the aphorism that the faster you go, the longer it takes to get where you are going. Right now, genetic studies give us an early insight into interacting dimensions of illness that are influenced not just by genes, but by interactions of genes with regulatory components, experience, and the actual illness and its treatment.

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The fact that we cannot yet directly translate the influence of genetic factors into practice does not mean that this research is not helpful. When we learn how to consider specific features that are more closely tied to genetic influences, and how to assess the expression and interactions of multiple genes, and when studies are conducted that are designed to compare outcomes in different and very large populations, we will be better able to start to apply gene network findings to predicting aspects of treatment outcome.

But no matter what emerges in further research, we will never be able to do without the expertise and experience of clinicians and the depth of human experience. Anything less than that would be demeaning for patients and boring for clinicians."

Thanks so much, Dr Dubovsky, for clarifying the murk that surrounds genetic testing.

Decoding the genome has been one of mankind's greatest intellectual achievements- an affirmation of all that is best in human nature. Selling the genome before its time for greedy commercial gain is an example of intellectual dishonesty that reflects a less exalted part of human nature.
Mexico Flag

Much has been said during the 2016 presidential race about the need for a wall on the U.S./Mexico border, the asserted perils of the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the crimes attributed to undocumented immigrants. These opinions are formed primarily by candidates with little personal connection to the U.S./Mexico border. John Kasich, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders are all northeasterners (Ohio, New York, and Vermont). Only Ted Cruz from Texas comes from a state on the border.

These distant perspectives make the benefits of the U.S./Mexico relationship essentially invisible to the public because the dialogue has been skewed by politics and limited or erroneous facts, creating a public reaction detrimental to the growing and mutually-beneficial economic ties between the two countries.

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"U.S. exports of goods and services to Mexico supported an estimated 1.1 million jobs in 2014."

For starters, U.S./Mexico trade was valued at $583.6 billion in 2014 and Mexico provides the U.S. with its second largest export market. Mexico purchased more than 15 percent of U.S. exports, valued at $267.2 billion, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. In return, the U.S. purchased $316.4 billion in goods and services from Mexico. U.S. exports of goods and services to Mexico supported an estimated 1.1 million U.S. jobs in 2014.

The Wilson Institute reports that every product dollar the U.S. imports from Mexico contains forty cents of U.S. products. Canadian imports contain 25 cents, China four cents, and the European Union two cents.

Exports to Mexico are important to state economies, too. According to the Foreign Trade Division of the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas benefits most with more than $94 billion in merchandise sales to Mexico, almost 40 percent of the U.S. total. California was second with nearly $27 billion in sales.

Significant economic benefit goes to Midwestern states where anti-trade sentiment is centered. Michigan had the third most U.S. exports to Mexico with $11 billion in sales in 2014. Ford, a Michigan company, has been criticized by some candidates for moving a manufacturing plant to Mexico. However, a significant percentage of U.S. parts needed for production in the new plant, some made in Michigan, will likely be exported to Mexico before the final vehicle is imported back into the U.S.

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"The Wilson Institute reports that every dollar of products that the U.S. imports from Mexico contains forty cents of U.S. products. Canadian imports contain 25 cents, China four cents, and the European Union two cents."

Other Midwestern or non-border states in the top ten of U.S. exports to Mexico include Illinois ($9 billion), Ohio ($6 billion), Indiana ($4.8 billion), Tennessee ($4.7 billion), and Pennsylvania ($4.2 billion).

The value of the relationships between the two countries can be better understood by looking at the ties between San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Baja California. Known as the CaliBaja Megaregion, these adjoining metropolitan areas have a combined population of six million residents, three million each. The political, business, cultural, and policy communities on both sides of the border clearly understand how the bi-national economies benefit each other.

On April 15, 2016, more than 50 community leaders attended a planning meeting of Tijuana Innovadora (Innovative Tijuana). Innovadora is a week-long event held every two years in Tijuana and planned by leaders from both sides of the border. The event brings Nobel Prize winners, international newsmakers and regional innovation leaders to Tijuana. Guests have included Al Gore, Carlos Slim and many other luminaries. Innovadora is organized through ten spheres of influence that include business development, sports, volunteerism, the digital community, environment, art, and youth.

Among the attendees at a planning meeting for Tijuana Innovadora on April 15, 2016, were (from left to right) U.S. Consul General William Ostick and Co-Chairs San Diego philanthropist Malin Burnham and Innovadora founder Jose Galicot Behar. Photo credit: the author.



Visitors to Tijuana enter the city at San Ysidro via a modern port of entry and travel down Paseo de los Heroes, a large boulevard with a tree-lined and landscaped median. They pass fine restaurants, U.S. big box stores like Costco and Home Depot, a Pizza Hut, an Applebees, and the CECUT, Tijuana's cultural center. This modern city is home to more than 600 maquiladoras (Mexican factories run by a foreign company) that produce high quality electronics, medical devices, aerospace and automobile parts, and other products.

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Former San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, now the CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, likes to say that all of the Toyota Tacoma pickups sold in the U.S. are made in Tijuana, and that more medical devices are made in that city than anywhere else. One maquiladora, SMK Electronics, makes two million remote controls each week for a variety of name-brand companies.

Sanders' Chamber of Commerce has made cross-border trade and relationships one of the pillars of its programs. The organization annually sponsors trips to Washington D.C. and Mexico City attended by approximately 100 leaders from both sides of the border to push for mutually beneficial initiatives. Local, state and federal agencies and other organizations together support projects that reduce border wait times. $1.3 billion in U.S. border improvements have been completed or are underway on the U.S. side. Complimentary Mexican projects have also been built or are near completion.



Elected officials, community and business leaders from both sides of the border met on April 15, 2016, to celebrate $1.3 billion in border infrastructure improvements. Photo credit: the author.

Those improvements are needed because the San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, and Tecate ports of entry in San Diego County together represent one of the world's largest border crossings. In 2014, on average, 130,000 people legally crossed the border into the U.S. through one of these ports of entry each day. At San Ysidro alone, 29.5 million people crossed the border into the U.S. in 2014, and an equal amount crossed in the other direction. The two-way traffic count included 39.5 million private vehicles and buses at the three ports of entry and 1.7 million trucks.

This bi-national economy brings $6 billion in direct economic impact to San Diego annually, and the infrastructure improvements are designed to capture some of the additional $7 billion in local economic benefits lost because of long border wait times.

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A new fourth crossing will be paid for by tolls, charging for the opportunity to save time. To determine what the market will bear, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) commissioned a study that showed 36 percent cross the border to work and 37 percent to shop. Of those crossing for work, 45 percent work in Mexico and 44 percent work in the U.S. These statistics and others indicate the two-way benefits to both San Diego and Tijuana and, by extension, the U.S. and Mexico.

"We share families, culture and jobs," says Chamber CEO Sanders, "and the brainpower and universities on both sides of the border make us an economic powerhouse." Sanders backs his claims by pointing out that Mexico is producing more engineers each year than the U.S., and that they are equally capable. That capability is contributing to Mexico's growth from an economy with a GDP ranked fifteenth in the world to one some economists say will move into the top ten in coming decades.

That brainpower is leading to cross-border academic relations, too. University of California, San Diego, Chancellor Pradeep Khosla signed an MOU on March 3, 2016, with Dr. Fernando Leon Garcia, the President of CETYS University, one of Mexico's top technical universities, adding to MOU's previously established with the Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COCEF) and the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California. Another long-term relationship exists between San Diego State University and COCEF, and Southwestern College hosts the San Diego Center for International Trade Development. These and other academic relationships throughout California and the nation support the bi-national 100,000 Strong initiative that hopes 100,000 college students from each country will eventually be studying in a university across the border.



CETYS University President Dr. Fernando Leon Garcia (l) and UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla (r) enjoy a light moment after signing an MOU between the two schools on March 3, 2016. Photo credit: the author.

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San Diego and Tijuana share the environment, too, including a coastline on the Pacific Ocean and the Tijuana River. Flooding and pollution coming across the border into the Tijuana River Valley has long been a contentious issue between the two countries but is now being addressed by the Tijuana River Valley Recovery Team, a collaborative group of agencies, organizations and stakeholders from both sides of the border.
"Kill the infidels... Count them in number and do not spare one." Blatant religious incitement of this sort feels like such a caricature of radical Islam that it borders on the implausible. Yet it is happening right under the noses of six prestigious American universities on their satellite campuses in Qatar.

Although this incitement violates a prominent pledge by Qatar's government to the U.S. administration, President Obama gave Qatar's Emir Tamim a free pass on the issue after they met in Riyadh on Thursday. Their one-on-one meeting was on the sidelines of a U.S.-Gulf summit, following which the President signed onto a joint communique that said America "commended" the Gulf states for their efforts to combat terrorism. Among these, it praised "actions by Gulf partners to counter ISIL's hateful ideology and message, and more broadly to counter violent extremism."

Yet there can be no more pivotal component to the Islamic State's hateful ideology than its call to murder infidels. Thus, even if President Obama has chosen to give the Qatari regime an undeserved A+ report card on combating religious incitement, legislators who represent these public and private American schools must urgently speak out. Similarly, conscientious students, faculty, and other community members at these schools should spread the word and stand up in opposition to this dangerous new development on campus.

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["Northwestern University in Qatar's Entrance located in Education City, Doha"; Source: Wikipedia]

These particular hateful remarks about killing infidels were delivered on March 18th by preacher Mudassir Ahmed at the main mosque in Education City - a project of the quasi-governmental Qatar Foundation. The sprawling Education City campus, located not far from downtown Doha, is also home to satellite programs for Virginia Commonwealth, Cornell, Georgetown, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, and Texas A&M Universities. Since the mosque was inaugurated last year, the Foundation has promoted a slew of appearances there by speakers with records of religious incitement.

The Foundation's newspaper regularly encourages readers to "join the QF community for prayer" at the Education City Mosque and to "avail the services of the Education City buses to and from the mosque." The Foundation's Housing and Residence Life office reportedly emailed students to inform them that the mosque's Friday sermons would be translated into English "to ensure that everyone is benefiting." As for hate preacher Mudassir Ahmed in particular, the Foundation promoted his sermon in advance on social media, posting and reposting a flier with its logo as well as that of Qatar's Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs.

That sermon, however, was not the first time incitement was uttered from the Education City Mosque. Last November, less than a week before Michelle Obama visited Doha to address a conference at the Foundation, Saudi preacher Tareq al-Hawas used its pulpit to condemn "the aggressor Zionists," urging God to "count them in number and kill them completely; do not spare one." And just this month, a different preacher with a record of glorifying Hamas (including specifically its military wing) called at the campus's mosque for God to "render victorious our brothers the mujahideen... in every place" and even to "guide their shooting."

Such language should not have come as a surprise. Ahmed had delivered similar remarks in a 2013 sermon at Qatar's state-controlled Grand Mosque, where another preacher called just last year for Allah to "destroy" Christians, Alawites, Shi'ites and Jews. Also in 2013, Hawas reportedly lamented on air that Hitler had not "finished off" the Jews, thus "relieving humanity" of them. And in spite of Hawas's 2015 incitement at the Education City Mosque, he was just invited back, delivering additional militaristic remarks there on March 11th, just one week before Ahmed's outrageous appearance.

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In fact, every Friday preacher at the mosque this March has had a distinguished past record of religious incitement. Omar Abdelkafi, who addressed the mosque on March 25th, is an Egyptian fundamentalist who recently declared that the Charlie Hebdo murders in Paris were "the sequel to the comedy film of 9/11," in which Muslims "played no part." He also seems to have instructed pious Muslims not to shake hands with Christians or even walk on the same sidewalk.

And on March 4th, the Education City Mosque hosted Mohammed al-Arefe, a prominent hardliner from Saudi Arabia with more followers on Twitter than Beyonce. In the past, Arefe has reportedly described Shi'ite Muslims as purveyors of "treachery" and "evil," and in 2013 as "non-believers who must be killed" according to Human Rights Watch. He has allegedly offered tips on wife-beating, called Osama bin Laden a "sheikh," and proclaimed that "one's devotion to jihad for the sake of Allah and one's will to shed blood, smash skulls, and chop off body parts... constitute an honor for the believer."

This was not the first time any of these four preachers was permitted to deliver a guest sermon at the Education City Mosque. Nor are they its only speakers with a record of hate speech. When the facility was inaugurated a year ago, the Foundation misleadingly proclaimed that it reflected a "strong commitment" to pluralism.

Yet the mosque's guest preacher for that very event was Saudi cleric Saleh al-Moghamsy, who had previously opined on Qatari TV that bin Laden died with more dignity than any Christian, Jew, Zoroastrian, apostate, or atheist simply by virtue of being a Muslim. Moghamsy has also asserted that God created women as an "ornament" to men. Another guest preacher at the mosque has previously declared that "the dumbest girl is that who judges her beauty with the number of those who molest her. This poor idiot girl does no [sic] know that flies fall only on stinking things."

Freedom of speech is a touchstone of the American academy, and freedom of religion is a fundamental American value enshrined in the Bill of Rights. But that doesn't mean these six U.S. universities should remain silent in the face of such blatant hate speech. President Obama missed a real opportunity to make clear that Qatar's embrace of such hate preachers violates its 2014 pledge to aid the fight against the Islamic State by "repudiating their hateful ideology." Even the Emir himself has embraced several such hate preachers in the past year. And providing prestigious platforms to those who advocate killing infidels would seem to be a rather blatant violation of that 2014 pledge.

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Further, if these six American colleges turn a blind eye to the problem, they would convey the impression that they care more about Gulf petrodollars than creating a tolerant atmosphere for female students and religious minorities, for whom such incitement could pose even a physical danger on campus. The U.S. universities with programs in Qatar reportedly receive a combined $320 million a year from the Qatar Foundation to sustain their campuses in the energy-rich city state. Cornell alone reportedly receives an astonishing yearly outlay of $122 million.

Of course, such generous, recurring payments give school administrators a powerful incentive to remain silent about the revolving door of hate preachers at the Education City Mosque. But improving the selection of these guest preachers would actually make U.S.-Qatari education programming more sustainable by removing one of the biggest potential obstacles to continued cooperation.

Regardless, these schools may have no choice in the matter. Their students and faculty have already begun to raise concerns about systematic labor abuses in Qatar, as well as potential risks to academic inquiry in a nation that throws people in jail for insulting religion or the ruler.

There are many more people of good conscience in student government, campus groups, faculty bodies, and university boards who would be shocked to learn about the appalling promotion of hate speech inside Qatar's glittering Education City. They can and should let their voices be heard.
Totem Pole

After a decade of deliberation, the US state of California may soon let its companies meet part of their emission-reduction obligations by saving forests in places like the Mexican state of Chiapas. For it to work, the process must not only be socially and scientifically rigorous; it must also be well-communicated.

By Felicia Line

This story is cross-posted on Ecosystem Marketplace

While participating in a recent workshop on climate change and the role of forests in the Lacandon Forest in Chiapas, Mexico, I asked a participating member of the indigenous Lacandon community if he knew what REDD+ stood for. He correctly answered, "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation".

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"And the 'plus'?" I asked.

"Redd more... money!"

A friend of mine told a similar tale: while he was explaining REDD+ to people from the Tseltal community, an elderly man stood to speak.

"I don't know about this REDD+ you're talking about," he said. "I only know about Red Cross!"

Another colleague of mine recalls his confusion when members of a different community in the Lacandon Jungle asked him when the "big net" was going to descend over the forest - but his confusion dissipated when he realized they had literally translated the Spanish word red into "net".

Even government officials have got their terminology muddled, and one of them expressed relief after coming to a workshop and discovering that it was about forests and not computer networks.

Such confusion is understandable here, because the previous governor of Chiapas used the term "REDD+" to describe a program that funneled money from the state's car tenure tax to indigenous landowners in the Lacandon Jungle. They received 2000 pesos (around $150 dollars) per month as an emblematic "thank-you" for being "guardians of the forest" - without anyone monitoring to see if they were effectively conserving the forest or not.

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An introduction to the Lacandon indigenous group and their history as strong forest stewards in Mexico's Lacandon Jungle.

Some of the Lacandon indigenous people were pleased to receive money for doing nothing, and most say they spent the money on food and medicine. Many, however, claim that a lot of the money received by the neighboring Choles and Tseltales indigenous people was reinvested in agriculture and livestock - defeating the point of a conservation subsidy - while others claim the money was spent on alcohol, cars or cheap goods that weren't always in the best interests of the family.

It is clear that this program lacked any scientific or social justification, but was instead a political creation, designed to win votes from those forest people it funneled money to. It had nothing to do with the national or state REDD+ strategy that is being collectively built in Mexico, and it was rightfully scrapped after a few years - but not before the disinformation brigade misleadingly equated it with the REDD+ initiative currently being debated in the state of California.

For a disinterested summary of the debate, see MongaBay's "Debate Heats up Over California's Plan to Reduce Emissions via Rainforest Protection".

The California (Dis)Connection

Like all disinformation campaigns, this one had a germ of truth to it. In 2010, Chiapas Governor Sabines Guerrero signed a memorandum of understanding with California Governor Arnold Swarzenneger and Jorge Viana, the governor of Acre, Brazil to explore options of REDD+ offsets for California's ARB32 climate change law. The MOU explicitly referred to a jurisdictional REDD+ approach developed in conjunction with all stakeholders, and it led to a set of stringent standards endorsed by indigenous people, policymakers, and the scientific community, cumulatively known as the REDD+ Offset Working Group.

It may have also inspired Sabines Guerrero to launch his pseudo-REDD initiative, in the mistaken hope that it will eventually be recognized by the state of California and financed by the offset program. That, however, is a far cry from being "linked to California's cap-and-trade program through a complex 'carbon offset' scheme," as one skeptical organization put it - especially since the current Chiapas administration seems intent on avoiding a repeat of this mistake, and it's taking a more rigorous and participative approach to building its state REDD+ jurisdictional Strategy.

The State of Play

California has been exploring options for REDD+ offsets outside the state, partly due to rising prices of their carbon credits, and partly due to the success of some of their domestic forest offset programs.

Potentially, in the next few years or so, a market for carbon offsets from California's cap-and-trade system could provide carbon finance for forest communities, but the demand is not as high as expected. Only 8% of the total emission-reductions will be allowed to be offset from other sectors such as agriculture or forestry projects in California, and of this, only 2% will be allowed to come from international offsets. From these international offsets, only a small percentage will be REDD+ credits, which in itself is a fairly unattractive and risky investment.

California last year signed a memorandum of understanding with Mexico, providing a potential basis for linkages with any of Mexico's forest emissions reductions initiatives, not just Chiapas, depending on accountability within Mexico's climate change law framework.

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REDD in Mexico

The face of "REDD+" has changed radically in recent years, and is now focused not just in the Lacandon but in Mexico's five Early REDD+ Action Areas, moving up from the project scale to the jurisdictional scale that requires many more components than just payment-for-environmental programs.

Multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral groups such as the Consultative Technical Committee on REDD+ (CTC-REDD+) have been working at both the state and national level on building a more inclusive, stringent REDD+ strategy that includes monitoring, reporting and verification of emission-reduction results to ensure environmental integrity and safeguards to ensure there is no harm to communities in implementing REDD+. This state REDD+ Vision and Strategy bears no resemblance at all to the "REDD+" Program that Chiapas implemented, but many challenges remain, such as politics, corruption and dissonance between environmental and agricultural sectors.

The National REDD+ Strategy was written by multiple stakeholders from a wide variety of sectors, and it has taken many years to reach consensus. The focus has shifted from Payments in Cash for "protecting" the forest to a more integrated focus on land-use management, which aims to identify and align policies and programs while helping to conserve and increase the remaining forest carbon stocks.

The distribution of benefits and payment-for-result mechanisms are still being determined, and the National REDD+ Strategy is still undergoing consultation. Those communities most likely to benefit are the ones with clear land-tenure rights and stronger capacities for planning, implementing and monitoring actions that reduce the causes of deforestation. We should, therefore, aim to support women and youth - not just landowners - to implement cooperative mechanisms that detonate an income from low carbon activities, which should not be limited to REDD, but could include exporting certified timber and non-timber products and ecotourism, among a plethora of other activities.

In the Lacandon region, lessons learnt from past policies implemented by the federal and state government are being documented, and examined in order to figure out which policies have been more successful and deserve to continue. The most imminent payment-for-results program is the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility's Carbon Fund, and this year Mexico will present a proposal to the World Bank for Early REDD+ Action areas, including the Lacandon Jungle, for payment-for-results eligibility. The activities to be implemented in the field will be decided in the Investment Programs, to be submitted in the upcoming months, and based on a proposal that addresses the causes of deforestation identified in key areas that have been consulted with local communities.

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This should hopefully move away from the traditional "payments for environmental services" model to more innovative policies that address deforestation at its cause, combining better agricultural practices and sustainable supply chains. The indigenous people who live in the forest are clear on what the causes and solutions to deforestation are - it's just a question of listening to them and supporting them, and ensuring that the activities implemented are effective and sustainable. This is what jurisdictional REDD+ is really about, and what is being communicated and consulted in Mexico.

This is the fourth in a continuing series examining the role of traditional and indigenous people in managing Mexico's forests. The next installment examines the role of Lacandons in monitoring their forests.
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 11: U.S. President Barack Obama pauses as he speaks during an event to recognize emerging global entrepreneurs May 11, 2015 at the South Court Auditorium of Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC. Entrepreneurs from across the U.S. and around the world participated, ahead of President Obamas travel to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Kenya this summer, in the event which focused on investing in women and young entrepreneurs. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Earlier this month "The Atlantic" magazine featured a cover story, "The Obama Doctrine", written by Jeffery Goldberg. Based on the author's many hours of interviews with President Obama, it represents an attempt to find a coherent framework with which to understand the President's overall foreign policy. It was both disappointing and damaging.

It was disappointing in that it presents a portrait of a President who appears to have given up trying to deliver on the promise of his 2009 Cairo speech. He has resigned himself to an "unfixable" Middle East and "thrown in the towel", blaming the Arabs for this failure.

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At the same time, the article is damaging in that the President is quoted saying things that are deeply insulting to Arabs, causing hurt that will be lasting. The Obama who emerges from the article appears condescending and dismissive. I understand that there is much in the piece that is Goldberg and not Obama, but there are still enough direct quotes, which the President does not deny, that are deeply troubling. One, in particular, stands out for its anti-Arab animus:

"Contrast (the Middle East) with Southeast Asia, which still has huge problems...but is filled with striving, ambitious, energetic people...the contrast is stark. They are not thinking about how to kill Americans. What they're thinking about is 'how do I get a better education? How do I create something of value?"

Not only does the quote ignore the recent bloody history of and current repression practiced by several countries in Southeast Asia, it also slights the dynamic entrepreneurial spirit that is driving economic growth and social change across the Arab World, particularly in the Arab Gulf countries. The comments sounded more like something Donald Trump might have said, not Barack Obama.

Admittedly, this President began his term in office facing a greater set of challenges than any of his immediate predecessors. The country faced the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. Not only that, but after two failed wars and the Bush Administration's disastrous handling of Hurricane Katrina, Americans were facing a crisis in confidence. Similarly, American prestige around the world had plummeted to all-time lows, in particular, in the critical region of the Middle East. And to make matters worse, politics in Washington had become increasingly toxic, with Republicans determined to defeat the President's every effort to address the country's economic and foreign policy crises.

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Facing down these overwhelming challenges, the new President projected hope and optimism. Working with the Democratic leadership in Congress he moved a series of measures designed to rescue critical industries, stabilize financial institutions, stimulate the economy, expand health care coverage, and create new employment opportunities.

In an effort to address the grave challenges America faced in the Middle East, the President took a number of constructive steps and then traveled to Cairo where he delivered an historic address promising "a new beginning" in the US-Arab relationship. It was a remarkable speech that: admitted shared responsibility, called for mutual understanding, presented a constructive agenda for change, and closed with the President acknowledging that because "no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust" it was imperative that bold action be taken quickly to address the issues that divide our two worlds.

The Arab World responded positively, hoping the new President would deliver. His opponents at home, on the other hand, immediately attacked him, pledging to derail his efforts to change course on Iraq, Guantanamo, Israel/Palestine, and improving ties with Muslim countries--and they did.

Seven years later, the promise of that Cairo speech remains unfulfilled. And expectations have been dashed to the ground. The reasons for the failure are many--some, though not all, of which can be planted at the feet of the weaknesses in the Arab World. There were others. Israeli intransigence blocked any reasonable effort to move toward peace. The Palestinian leadership, so weakened, deformed, and discredited by the US and Israel's mishandling of the so-called "peace process", was unable to play the role they were unfairly asked to assume. The Arab Spring created new uncertainly and instability in the region. The US military, eviscerated by the disastrously long and demoralizing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, was reeling in exhaustion. And poisonous partisan domestic politics made it difficult for the President to find the support he needed to deliver on promised change.

All of this is lost in Goldberg's "Obama Doctrine". Rewriting history, the Cairo speech is presented as an effort "to persuade Muslims to more closely examine the roots of their unhappiness". Those were Goldberg's words, but they were followed by this Obama quote: "My argument [in Cairo] was this: let's all stop pretending that the cause of the Middle East's problems is Israel". True enough, but if the US couldn't live up to its responsibility in this "new beginning", it is surely unbecoming to place the blame solely at the Arab's doorstep.

The President still has almost nine months to correct and act to deliver on the expectations he created. He can take bold initiatives: support a nuclear free zone in the Middle East; recognize Palestinian sovereignty and statehood; and take steps to rein in Iran and create a regional security framework. I hope he does take steps like these because it would be sad if the epitaph describing the trajectory of his Administration's Middle East policy were to end up being "From Cairo to Goldberg".
Barcelona, New York, London, Hong Kong, and even Nice according to Forbes Magazine, quoting a study by Juniper Research which reported: "Now with greater use of technology, a number of cities are accumulating data, delivering innovation, and enhancing lives of citizens."

Globalization 3.0 --allowing individuals all over the world to talk, work and enjoy leisure activities--would not be possible without the spread of the Internet and the worldwide web. Not mentioned is the effect such globalization 3.0 is having on the nation state, and the rise of "region-states"--new forms of government with new and unlimited power.

Kenichi Ohmae, writing in Foreign Affairs, first seemed to see this dramatic shift in power almost 20 years ago when he pointed out that:

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"The nation state has become an unnatural, even dysfunctional, unit for organizing human activity and managing economic endeavor in a borderless world. It represents no genuine, shared community of economic interests; it defines no meaningful flows of economic activity. In fact, it overlooks the true linkages and synergies that exist among often disparate populations by combining important measures of human activity at the wrong level of analysis."

As San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said more recently at the City Innovate Summit:

"Cities today are the engines of the greatest surge in innovation, creativity and problem solving in human history ... and cities that think of themselves as platforms will become stronger, attract better talent and become smarter from the bottom up."

Think about it. Little seems to get done by congresses or parliaments, and the executive leadership is more constrained without their cooperation, without their help. It is no surprise why people seem frustrated, angry and to have lost patience. This is not just an American dilemma.

Fortunately, cities across the world are starting to change the focus, deploy technology and prepare our citizens to out innovate, out educate and out build every other community and thus every other nation, every other community, in the world.

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Technology, particularly the "Internet of Everything" (IoE), where everything is connected to almost every other thing, is providing cities and their elected officials with the tools to ensure safer cities, better transportation, health care, energy and water conservation, clean air and environmental services. By installing the broadband necessary for the IoE, cities are also building the platform for innovation.

The new broadband infrastructure coupled with Big Data analysis can serve to make government more efficient, more transparent and also encourage individuals and companies to develop innovative products and services.

As IBM, a truly global company which launched a "smart cities initiative" in the last few years put it:

"As cities grow in both numbers and population, they are taking their place on the world's center stage, with more economic, political and technological power than ever before. Economically, they are becoming the hubs of a globally integrated, services-based society. Politically, they are in the midst of a realignment of power -- with greater influence, but also greater responsibility."

The emphasis cannot rest on successful deployment of technology alone.

Indeed, according to the New Cities Foundation, a new independent non-profit with offices in new York, Toronto, Geneva and Paris, art and culture are extremely important ingredients to future cities. This the reason so many cities are establishing "art and culture districts" designed to create a critical mass of art galleries, dance clubs, theaters, art cinemas, music venues, and public squares for performances. More often, such places attract restaurants, cafes, and retail shops.

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" Over the next decade, some $ 250 billion will be invested in the creation of new cultural districts around the globe" ... "success is not just getting an arts building or series of buildings out of the ground, it is about ensuring that they are viable and play a central role in their communities."

The reasons why such districts are popping up in cities around the world vary but in most cases they are designed to nurture, retain and attract the talented 21st-century workforce so vital to success and survival in the global knowledge economy.

The strength of a nation's economy and as well as their political prowess in the world are inextricably linked. And it is cities , and more precisely regions - not the national government - best positioned to renew and reinvent nations for the new, global, knowledge-based economy.
Ten years ago, when I started making an investigative documentary into what happened in the 2004 election in the deciding swing state of Ohio, I wondered what thwarting an election might look like and how I could even show such a thing, let alone make it watchable and credible.

I would end up interviewing election officials, newspaper editors, investigative reporters, authors, bloggers, activists, lawyers, professors, party leaders, statewide candidates, community organizers, lobbyists, whistleblowers, elected leaders, religious leaders, the Secretary of State of Ohio, and local voters.

I discovered no lack of evidence that the 2004 Ohio elections had been subverted; I found more damning information than I could even fit in the film. I had to learn a lot about how elections were administered to be able to comprehend the myriad of ways one can screw them up.

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For instance, I found out that each of Ohio's 88 counties had its own methods of casting votes and counting them, selected from voting options provided by the Secretary of State. I came to understand that while everyone is looking at the totals on election night, efforts to undermine the election can be underway long before--and after--that night.

I was so compelled to find out what was happening at the polls in Ohio, I co-founded Video the Vote to report on voting problems on Election Day 2006. The goal then was to be able to report on any issues while the polls were open, using a new website YouTube.com, working with a bucket brigade of videographers, runners, and uploaders responding to voter hotline calls.

Whereas I had hoped just to find a few people in Ohio to help, we ended up having thousands of volunteers nationwide. Come Election Day, I was given a front row seat to election problems across Ohio and around the country: long lines, poll workers giving wrong instructions, voting machines that didn't work, polling places that didn't open on time or even have ballots, misinformation tactics, voter intimidation, purged voters, the list goes on.

We worked tirelessly to release this documentary to raise awareness during the presidential election in 2008, since it showed how the last two presidential elections were gamed in 2000 and 2004. When it was released, FREE FOR ALL! was well-received but met with resistance to the idea that our elections might be rigged somehow. Some didn't want to appear conspiratorial, some doubted it outright, some were worried it would discourage more from voting.

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Ten years later, faith in our elections appears to be at an all time low. I see state after state confront massive electoral dysfunction, citizens unable to vote because of new state laws intended to make voting harder, along with some asserting that any election their candidate didn't win must be rigged.

In FREE FOR ALL! we investigate and list a staggering number of approaches to voter suppression and election theft: Biased officials, voter registration prevented, wrongfully purged voter rolls, voter intimidation, voter misinformation, confusing polling places, untrained poll works, voter ID barriers, long lines, provisional balloting, and that's all before you even get to cast your vote on what may be a touch screen voting machine unable to verify your vote was properly recorded.

I also learned that there are a lot of election officials who take their job seriously, want to be fair, and are trying to operate with equipment they have been issued by state officials who may be partisan, or may be responding to voter demand with new systems. It's the presumption of working professionally and transparently that allows partisans to run rampant given the chance to oversee themselves.

Seeing as how it took generations of struggle for this democracy, and that our right to vote is written in blood, I believe it is a fundamental responsibility to vote, and it is also our responsibility to make sure every vote is counted. Privatized election companies threaten the transparency of our vote totals if their voting machines, tabulators, and electronic poll books can't be audited due to trade secret. Boards of Elections in each county and your Secretary of State are the ones who determine vendors for election contracts.

There's a reason Diebold voting machines were abandoned in Ohio, California, and elsewhere--mobilized citizens with proof of DRE's fallibility were persistent in making the case to their elected officials and the press that touch screen voting machines were unreliable. Even skeptical journalists had to take note when the C.E.O. of Diebold promised in a letter to Bush donors that he would deliver Ohio's votes for George W. Bush.

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When we started Video the Vote in 2006, we needed a video camera and a tape deck to upload a video to YouTube; today smart phones let us broadcast live worldwide immediately, but we still need to know what to look for. While there has been much attention to exit polls of late, and we cover the disputed exit polls from 2004 in FREE FOR ALL, the surveying of a small fraction of voters is a sampling aimed at finding out why a voter voted the way they did and what types of people voted for what, it's not an effort at a parallel election. If we want to rely on elections that count every vote, it seems misplaced to over-emphasize a sampling of dozens, perhaps hundreds of voters, out of hundreds of thousands of people voting.

That's not to say discrepancies in exit polling do not belie vote flipping--just that it is not logical evidence of votes being changed.

Similarly, there has been much attention to voter purges in New York, Arizona, and elsewhere following primary elections where thousands of people discovered they were not registered to vote. I observed that Maricopa County, AZ, was a hotbed of voter complaints on Super Tuesday in 2008, so the electoral meltdown this year was not surprising. A state's voter rolls do have to be purged over the years to remove dead people and old addresses, an important step in preventing voter fraud. Given the under-funded bureaucracies that administer and process local elections, it can be hard to determine if a would-be voter was not registered because of a mistaken purge, or they didn't update their voter registration with their new address, or the DMV failed to process their registration properly, which is often.

That's not to say there aren't voters purged from voting rolls with the intent to disenfranchise--as we cover in FREE FOR ALL, Katherine Harris and Jeb Bush purged hundreds of thousands of Florida voters illegally in 2000 claiming they were felons (so we can stop blaming Ralph Nader already). In 2004, the RNC organized a massive operation to challenge voters who did not respond to certified mail, a tactic known as "caging."

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But these tactics are just playing cute when it comes to passing legislation outright with the clear intent of making it harder to vote, like the restrictive voter ID laws that sprung up since the Supreme Court ruled in April 2008 to uphold Indiana's photo ID law in Crawford vs. Marion County. Given that the Supreme Court saw fit to gut the Voting Rights Act in June 2013 for Shelby County vs. Holder, the urgency of filling the vacancy on the Supreme Court can't be stressed enough, as this is an opportunity that comes once in a generation.

There is no one way our votes are at risk, and there is no one time we need to be paying attention to our local elections. Since all elections are local, you have a right from living where you are to make sure your elections are secure, your vote is verifiable by recount, and your registration is accurate. That means getting involved in the election integrity movement, beyond your candidate's campaign. This means pushing for laws that expand voting, it means refuting myths of in-person voting fraud which are used as justification for disenfranchising voters with selective photo IDs. It means learning your state's voting technologies and making sure your voting machines are not "cheap pieces of crap," as we discover in FREE FOR ALL. This means making sure you are registered, and like Santa's list, you are checking it twice.

We can't always tell the difference between maladministration and malfeasance when it comes to fixing our broken elections. But we can start now on making it harder to not get it right.

From now until May 8, FREE FOR ALL: One Dude's Quest to Save Our Elections is streaming for free at SaveOurElections.org, along with PAY 2 PLAY: Democracy's High Stakes.
As she approached her 40s, Kayt Sukel (above) suffered a midlife crisis... in reverse. Instead of binging on wild adventures--bungee jumping, big-game hunting, flings with Bieber-aged men-- Kayt became a play-it-safe suburbanite, which is not how she sees herself. In her youth, she was the kid who'd climb the highest tree and accept the biggest dare. As an adult, she swam with sharks and trekked through Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. For Dirty Minds, her book on sex and neurobiology, she experienced an orgasm while undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging scan (no, she doesn't have a radiology fetish-- she volunteered for a study at Rutgers University).

Then came middle age. Kayt endured a difficult divorce, tackled new responsibilities as a single mom, and found less time for excitement. She became, she says, "more of a spectator than a participant in life." And it bothered her.

So Kayt, being a top-notch science writer, conducted research on her fading fearlessness. She investigated the four key factors that affect our willingness to take risks, from gender to genetics (a specific gene has been linked to impulsive behavior and novelty-seeking), from age to our brains (as we get older, our frontal cortexes--the part of the brain that controls behavior--become more mature, which can inhibit risk-taking). Kayt shares these findings along with her personal journey in a fascinating new book, The Art of Risk. I met Kayt in 2011 at a writer's conference in Dublin and I recently asked her to share her biggest, most beneficial lessons.

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Lesson #1: Small risks are as important as big risks.

We often think risk involves frightening experiences, like skydiving or attending a Trump rally. But even tiny risks can be valuable. "I try not to immediately say no to new experiences- whether it's tasting some weird food or trying Sudoku," says Kayt. "These are all little things but they can keep your brain supple and help you learn--and bring a big sense of accomplishment and wonder."

Lesson #2: Successful risk takers are careful planners.

When Kayt interviewed big-time risk takers-- from a BASE jumper to a sex worker to an Army Special Forces operator--they all said the same thing: "I don't take risks." But when she suggested that parachuting from cliffs or making underwater incursions into enemy territory IS a bit risky, they'd say, "Well, okay, but I don't take unnecessary risks." And that's a key point: Successful risk takers are thoughtful and prepared, says Russ Poldrack, a researcher who studies decision making at the University of Texas at Austin. Conversely, dysfunctional risk takers only look at immediate outcomes. Think of it this way: Space travel is dangerous, but NASA plans for nearly every scenario. They don't impulsively shoot astronauts into space and say, "Wait--did someone pack the Tang?"

Lesson #3: Self-awareness leads to better decisions.

"Know your default response to risky situations," says Kayt. "Are you impulsive? Do you drag your feet? Are you anxious? Understand how factors like your social group, your stress level, and your emotions can influence the way you approach risk." Let's say you're an impulsive person and you're about to bet $50 on a horse named Gertrude (because it's the same name as your mother--wow!). Take a step back and ask, does this horse have other worthwhile attributes? Should I consider other horses? Or, if you know you're going to bet regardless, bet $5 instead of $50. "It's all about being thoughtful, reasoned, and aware," says Kayt. And it works: Business leaders who understand their own strengths and weaknesses better managed risk at work, a study of executive leaders found.

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Lesson #4: Risk-taking adds zest to life.

We're all risk takers. It's what we do. "Few decisions come with any sort of guaranteed outcome," says Kayt. "There's risk involved in what you eat for breakfast and in accepting a marriage proposal. There's risk in going out into the world. And there's risk in staying home." Kayt has regained her risk-taking mojo (along with a new husband), but she's less interested in wild Thelma-and-Louise-style risks than in risks that bring her joy. "Safety is, well, safe," says Kayt, "but will it help me achieve the things I really want for my life?"

Ken Budd is the host of 650,000 Hours, a web series launching in 2016. You can follow 650,000 Hours on Twitter and Facebook. Ken is the author of the award-winning memoir The Voluntourist and his writing credits include The New York Times, National Geographic, Smithsonian, The Washington Post, and The Chicago Tribune. This post also appears on 650000Hours.com.

Earlier on Huff/Post50:
Protecting animals in the Rage of Humanity: A conversation with world renowned photographer Tom Mangelsen and environmental writer Todd Wilkinson who are working hard to protect the bears

In an increasingly human dominated world, in an epoch called the anthropocene, nonhuman animals (animals) are suffering greater than ever before. The anthropocene is also called "the age of humanity," but I like to call it the "rage of humanity."

Numerous people can help other animals, not only academics including biologists, conservation psychologists, sociologists,and anthrozoologists, for example, but also photographers and nature writers who are able to reach a broad, wide-ranging audience.

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A new inspiring book called Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek, the most famous bear on earth, American grizzly 399, is igniting a national conversation. You need to read this story. At hand is the question, "Should America's iconic grizzly bears in Yellowstone and Grand Teton be put in the cross-hairs of trophy hunters if they cross outside the invisible national park boundaries?" Should we be "sport hunting" grizzlies at all?

In recent weeks a national controversy has erupted and soon it could go supernova. One of the catalysts is the new dramatic book Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek by world renowned and award-winning American wildlife photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen and environmental journalist Todd Wilkinson about Jackson Hole grizzly mama 399. She is considered the most famous bear in the world and potentially she could become America's own tragic version of Cecil the lion.'

Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek tells the story of 399 and her extended family of bears. I've never seen another book like it. What few readers may realize is that Greater Yellowstone's grizzly population doesn't belong to the federal government. These popular bruins belong to all Americans. And we need to take action to protect them.

A discussion with Tom Mangelsen and Todd Wilkinson

Recently, I sat down with Tom Mangelsen and Todd Wilkinson to ask them about the book and the controversial topic it addresses, namely, the federal government's proposal to remove Greater Yellowstone grizzlies from federal protection under the Endangered Species Act and to open the door to these bears being hunted for sport, which means hunted for fun.

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Marc Bekoff (MB): Who is Grizzly 399?

Thomas D. Mangelsen (TM): She is a 20-year-old grizzly mother who weighs about 400 pounds and stands about seven feet tall on her hind legs. She makes her home in Grand Teton National Park just south of Yellowstone. Over the years, some 15 offspring (cubs and cubs of cubs) are descended from her. She also has a famous daughter known as research bear 610. Soberingly, over half of 399's brood have already died in various kinds of negative run-ins with humans.

MB: Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek, your new critically-acclaimed book, has been getting a lot of attention. It has really put Grizzly 399 on the map of international public discussion. I've been told that even policymakers in Washington DC are reading it.

Todd Wilkinson (TW): I've been writing about grizzlies for 30 years and I've never found a group of bears that provide a better window into understanding the profound challenges of survival greeting grizzlies in the modern world. I wanted the narrative to show the life and death interactions of both bears and people. What's really breathtaking are Tom Mangelsen's photos. He's spent the equivalent to two years during the last decade documenting 399 and her cubs. That's what makes these photos unprecedented.

TM: Besides being a charismatic grizzly, 399 is really a poster child for the controversy surrounding whether federal protections for the Greater Yellowstone bear population should be lifted and whether bears should be subjected to trophy sport hunting.

MB: And what do you think?

TM: There is a lot of compelling evidence showing that removing grizzlies from safeguards under the Endangered Species Act and giving states control is unwarranted and premature. I,and many others, including your good friend and mine,Jane Goodall, find the notion of recovering the country's most iconic grizzly population in order to turn around and kill bears for sport to be repugnant. Millions of people enjoy watching grizzlies like 399 live. To shoot them so that a few individuals can be shot dead and turned into rugs and trophy heads on the wall is disgusting. We owe these bears more. I have a serious problem with those who are motivated by the thrill of killing wolves, cougars and especially Yellowstone-area grizzlies for "fun and sport." People don't eat grizzly bear meat. Grizzlies are highly intelligent and sentient creatures. They have emotions, feel pain, and are incredibly social and dependent on their mothers for survival for several years after they are born.

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MB: What about the science of delisting grizzlies? Don't available scientific data support protecting, rather than delisting them?

TW: A number of prominent independent scientists have expressed serious concerns about the loss of key grizzly bear foods, some of it exacerbated by climate change, and how that might be affecting fertility rates and causing bears to roam further in the ecosystem where they are coming into lethal contact with elk hunters and livestock. The National Park Service has weighed in saying transboundary grizzlies that spend most of their lives in the national parks shouldn't be subjected to hunting in the states when they cross park lines, but Park Service demands have largely fallen upon deaf ears by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Critics say the push to delist grizzlies is being driven by politics, just as politics were recently identified by a federal judge in a case involving wolverines. The Fish and Wildlife Service was ridiculed for ignoring science that undermined its arguments. Recently, Jane Goodall issued this video opposing delisting and hunting Greater Yellowstone grizzlies.

MB: 399 has been likened to America's version of Cecil the African lion.

TM: That's right and fortunately she hasn't been killed by poachers or big game hunters. But like Cecil, she is a transboundary animal. 399 lives much of the year inside Grand Teton National Park and dens in the adjacent national forest. In the fall she follows the sound of gunshots and the smell of gut piles left behind by deer and elk hunters in the national forest. It's hugely risky.

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MB: Some people in Wyoming have said if sport hunting of grizzlies begins again, they intend to specifically target 399 because she has such a high profile. 399 is a bear who gives a lot of people joy in seeing her. But there are folks who want to kill her because they hate grizzlies, they hate the Endangered Species Act, and they hate environmentalists trying to protect bears.

The powerful impact of wildlife images

MB: Let's switch gears a bit. Some of your wildlife images, Tom, have been counted among the best photographs of all time. Last year, a book of yours called The Last Great Wild Places won a national outdoor book award. I've always felt that images of wild animals could be incredibly influential for exposing people to the fascinating animals with whom we share our magnificent planet, especially people who are unable to meet these animals up close and personal. What did you think.

TM: I agree. The Last Great Wild Places was a compilation of my favorite photographs taken over the last 40 years and I'm enormously pleased by the public response the book has received. Animals like polar bears, tigers, African lions, elephants and gorillas face dim prospects for survival the deeper we get into this century. Apathy is not an acceptable response. Humankind needs to take action to save them now.

MB: Your limited-edition photographs are collected as fine art objects and the list of people who hang your images on their walls is pretty impressive. It includes major corporate CEOs, politicians and celebrities, but I've been told you try to make your work affordable for everyone.

TM: One of the nature photographers who inspired me was Ansel Adams who pioneered high-end collectible photography. Adams took great delight that his nature photography helped to popularize modern wildlife conservation. Collectors often tell me, 'I buy your photographs because I can hang them on the wall and they reflect my own love for the natural world.' If I can help collectors bring wildness into their hearts and living spaces, I consider my mission a success.

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MB: What kind of impact has Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek had?

TW: In late April, I moderated a panel about bears, wolves and the Endangered Species Act in Washington D. C. The event was held in the U. S. Capitol and sponsored by members of the House Natural Resources Committee. Tom showed images of bears and testified. The story of 399 is igniting a national conversation that hasn't existed before.

MB: The book has received praise from Jane Goodall, Tom Brokaw, Ted Turner, and Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia clothing company. Several reviewers have said Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek is a necessary primer for people who are headed to Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Jackson Hole on their summer vacations and hope to see bears. And what about youngsters?

TM: We hope so. It's a powerful thing to see travelers, especially kids, get animated when they see 399 and the other grizzlies in Greater Yellowstone. Parents tell me that having the opportunity to see bears with their kids changed their lives and made their vacations. These kinds of things are powerful cures for things like nature-deficit disorder in young people.

MB: Todd, what's a message you want readers to take home?

TW: That Americans realize grizzlies and the federal public lands that bears inhabit belong to them. Most citizens aren't even aware of this. Whether you live in the city or countryside and no matter what your cultural background is, you have a rightful say in the future of grizzlies. It's important that you get involved.

MB: How can people learn more and where can they get the book?

TM: Weve set up an informational page about grizzly 399 and grizzly bear conservation here. If Huffington Post readers use the code PCAUTO they can buy books autographed by both Todd and I and receive free shipping.

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MB: Tom, what do you hope to accomplish with the book?

TM: The book will leave people smarter about grizzlies and hopefully inspire them. It certainly makes clear that the irrational fear people have for grizzlies is unfounded. Humans can co-exist with grizzlies. The question is, "What are we willing to do to keep bears alive and insure they will be enjoyed by future generations?"

Everyone can make a difference

The plight of grizzly bears is only one among many in which nonhumans suffer in an increasingly human dominated world. Conservation psychologists and anthrozoologists can play an important role in protecting other animals and books that contain fact-tilled text along with wonderful photos of the animals also are instrumental in changing people's heads and hearts. I feel privileged to have been able to have had this discussion and I hope that others feel the same.

You can sign petitions here, here, and here.
This week marks the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe. More than an accident, it was the beginning of the meltdown of the Soviet Union and defrosting of the Cold War. Mikhail Gorbachev has written that Chernobyl "was an historic turning point" and "perhaps the real cause of the collapse of the Soviet Union five years later." The secretive, cover-up culture of the Soviet state, he recalls, kept timely information from getting to the top so a quick response could be formulated. "The Chernobyl disaster, more than anything else," says Gorbachev, "opened the possibility of much greater freedom of expression, to the point that the system as we knew it could no longer continue. It made absolutely clear how important it was to continue the policy of glasnost."

The Russian nuclear physicist Evgeny Velikhov, who led the belated emergency effort to shut down the Chernobyl reactor, told colleagues at the time that this is, "Worse than Hiroshima. That was only one bomb, whereas here the amount of radioactive substances released was ten times greater, plus half a ton of plutonium." As Velikhov told me later in Moscow, the accident made all too real the abstraction of nuclear war and fueled the sentiment of the top Soviet leaders for winding down the arms race with the United States. Ironically, three decades later Ukraine is once again the flashpoint between Russia and the West, now feeding the opposite sentiment toward a new buildup. As former U.S. Defense Secretary Bill Perry wrote recently in the WorldPost, "the risk of nuclear catastrophe is greater today than during the Cold War."

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Writing from Chernobyl, Ioana Moldovan is alarmed at what might happen to the aging nuclear reactors in Ukraine as recession debilitates maintenance and civil war threatens not far away. Najmedin Meshkati, who has visited both Chernobyl and Fukushima in Japan, worries that complacency and poor "safety culture" at nuclear power plants portends more accidents. These 360 degree photos show what a ghost town Chernobyl still is.

This week also marked the one-year anniversary of the earthquake in Nepal. Mariela Magnelli tells the inspiring tale of how women have been at the heart of the emergency relief effort. In his role as U.N. special envoy for global education, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown calls for a change in our thinking about humanitarian aid to places like Nepal, which, in his view, should also include funds for schooling. "Humanitarian aid," he writes, "rests on the belief that a crisis is a short-term event lasting days, week or months, not years. From Syria to Sudan, history says otherwise."

World Reporter Charlotte Alfred notes that the return this week of opposition leader Riek Machar to serve as vice president is a major breakthrough for peace in South Sudan. Reporting from Kilis, Turkey, WorldPost Middle East Correspondent Sophia Jones tells the story of refugees who fled their homes in Syria only to be faced with deadly rocket barrages on the other side of the border where they had hoped to be safe. Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta and others laud a new generation sympathetic to the travails of migrants. This generation, they write, "identify with one another more than they ever have in the past. They are the #StarWarsGen: just as no one cares where you are from on Endor or Coruscant in 'Star Wars,' for these kids, being from planet Earth is enough information, thank you very much."

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"Forgotten Fact" this week focuses on the tragedy in Fallujah where as many as 60,000 civilians have been caught, and starving, in this ISIS-controlled city under siege by Iraqi government forces. Former top Iranian official Hossein Mousavian and analyst Sina Toossi say the future of the nuclear deal is under threat -- and it's not Iran's fault. If the U.S. does not uphold its part of the bargain, they write, "years of diplomacy will be undone and a zero-sum mentality will once again take hold between the two countries -- with disastrous consequences for the region."

Philosopher Slavoj Zizek reviews a new film by Udi Aloni that made waves at both the recent Berlin and Tribeca Film festivals. For Zizek, the message at the heart of Junction 48 is that, "Palestinians do not need the patronizing help of Western liberals; even less do they need the silence about 'honor killing' as part of the Western leftist's 'respect' for Palestinian ways of life. These two aspects are the two sides of the same ideological mystification." Kristin Szremski details how her photographs of a trip to Palestine were auto-generated in a Google album labeled "Trip to Israel."

Writing from Manila in advance of elections in the troubled Philippines, Richard J. Heydarian scores the "autocratic nostalgia" for a Marcos-like strongman who will put messy democracy aside and establish order.

U.N. Special Envoy for Malaria Ray Chambers is optimistic that, "The end of malaria is within our grasp. Now it is our collective obligation to meet the call." But Under-Secretary General of the United Nations Philippe Douste-Blazy worries about a new resistance to insecticides by malaria-bearing mosquitoes. In a podcast with former U.S. Ambassador David Shinn, Eric Olander and Cobus van Staden explain how Turkey hopes to capitalize on the fall of Chinese investment in Africa. These charts on economic slowdown and labor unrest offer a snapshot of China's "new normal."

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In an eloquently written meditation on relativity and quantum theory, science journalist George Musser suggests why space and time might be an illusion. He writes of ashes not turning into ashes, but into "nothingness" in black holes and questions how the big bang could be the beginning of time.

We report that Elon Musk announced his plan this week for SpaceX to land on Mars by 2018. "Either we spread Earth to other planets," he says, "or we risk going extinct." Watch this 360-degree scan of Mars, captured by the Curiosity Rover and check out how NASA is using space-age technology to track and stop air pollution on Earth. Our Singularity series looks at the nanomachines that could drive the medical revolution of the future. You'll want to visit the beautiful "blue city" of Jodhpur, India once you see these pictures. Finally, Sikh artist Baljinder Kaur paints a "wonderland of spirituality." "'As a Sikh,'" she says, "'there is no distinction between what is or isn't spiritual.'"

WHO WE ARE EDITORS: Nathan Gardels, Co-Founder and Executive Advisor to the Berggruen Institute, is the Editor-in-Chief of The WorldPost. Kathleen Miles is the Executive Editor of The WorldPost. Farah Mohamed is the Managing Editor of The WorldPost. Alex Gardels and Peter Mellgard are the Associate Editors of The WorldPost. Katie Nelson is the National Editor at the Huffington Post, overseeing The WorldPost and HuffPost's editorial coverage. Eline Gordts is HuffPost's Senior World Editor. Charlotte Alfred and Nick Robins-Early are World Reporters. Rowaida Abdelaziz is Social Media Editor. CORRESPONDENTS: Sophia Jones in Istanbul EDITORIAL BOARD: Nicolas Berggruen, Nathan Gardels, Arianna Huffington, Eric Schmidt (Google Inc.), Pierre Omidyar (First Look Media) Juan Luis Cebrian (El Pais/PRISA), Walter Isaacson (Aspen Institute/TIME-CNN), John Elkann (Corriere della Sera, La Stampa), Wadah Khanfar (Al Jazeera), Dileep Padgaonkar (Times of India) and Yoichi Funabashi (Asahi Shimbun). VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS: Dawn Nakagawa. CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Moises Naim (former editor of Foreign Policy), Nayan Chanda (Yale/Global; Far Eastern Economic Review) and Katherine Keating (One-On-One). Sergio Munoz Bata and Parag Khanna are Contributing Editors-At-Large. The Asia Society and its ChinaFile, edited by Orville Schell, is our primary partner on Asia coverage. Eric X. Li and the Chunqiu Institute/Fudan University in Shanghai and Guancha.cn also provide first person voices from China. We also draw on the content of China Digital Times. Seung-yoon Lee is The WorldPost link in South Korea. Jared Cohen of Google Ideas provides regular commentary from young thinkers, leaders and activists around the globe. Bruce Mau provides regular columns from MassiveChangeNetwork.com on the "whole mind" way of thinking. Patrick Soon-Shiong is Contributing Editor for Health and Medicine. ADVISORY COUNCIL: Members of the Berggruen Institute's 21st Century Council and Council for the Future of Europe serve as the Advisory Council -- as well as regular contributors -- to the site. These include, Jacques Attali, Shaukat Aziz, Gordon Brown, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Juan Luis Cebrian, Jack Dorsey, Mohamed El-Erian, Francis Fukuyama, Felipe Gonzalez, John Gray, Reid Hoffman, Fred Hu, Mo Ibrahim, Alexei Kudrin, Pascal Lamy, Kishore Mahbubani, Alain Minc, Dambisa Moyo, Laura Tyson, Elon Musk, Pierre Omidyar, Raghuram Rajan, Nouriel Roubini, Nicolas Sarkozy, Eric Schmidt, Gerhard Schroeder, Peter Schwartz, Amartya Sen, Jeff Skoll, Michael Spence, Joe Stiglitz, Larry Summers, Wu Jianmin, George Yeo, Fareed Zakaria, Ernesto Zedillo, Ahmed Zewail, and Zheng Bijian. From the Europe group, these include: Marek Belka, Tony Blair, Jacques Delors, Niall Ferguson, Anthony Giddens, Otmar Issing, Mario Monti, Robert Mundell, Peter Sutherland and Guy Verhofstadt.

MISSION STATEMENT

The WorldPost is a global media bridge that seeks to connect the world and connect the dots. Gathering together top editors and first person contributors from all corners of the planet, we aspire to be the one publication where the whole world meets.
This morning, I received a phone call from a voting parent in my district who is opposed to the so called bathroom bill, correctly known as Transgender Public Accommodation bill. I was fortunate that my constituent left detailed reasons on my answering machine explaining why she opposes this legislation.

This is one of many people who share these concerns. As such, I am writing down the concerns my constituent articulated, and explaining why these are based in misunderstanding rather than the facts and current laws.

Myth: This bill allows people to use the bathroom that the gender the associate with, not the gender they are.

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Fact: There is a big misunderstanding on the difference between gender and sex. Gender is what it is to be psychologically male or female and sex is what it is to be biologically male or female. This bill only allows a person who identifies as a male to use a male bathroom and who identifies as a female to use a female bathroom. It does not permit crossdressers or perverts or pedophiles from using whatever bathroom they want.

Myth: This bill allows a man to use a woman's bathroom.

Fact: A transgender woman is a woman who happens to have the anatomy of a man. The person using the bathroom is a person who thoroughly identifies as a woman. This is not a man. Furthermore, women's rooms have stalls with doors. The only way you will know that the person has the anatomy of a man is if YOU are looking.

Myth: This is unsafe for women and children.

Fact: This bill does not ease any restrictions on assault of any kind. Any behaviors that are currently threatening or illegal towards anyone, not just women and children, will still be illegal.

I have written about the safety aspect of transgender public accommodations in the past, which can be found in this link here, here, and here.

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Perhaps no one said it better than a transgender person herself:

The legislators introducing these bills [to ban anti-LGBT legislation] claim they are about public safety. But it's important to know that in the 18 states (and more than 200 cities) that have laws and ordinances protecting transgender people from discrimination, there have been no increases in public safety incidents. None. Why? Because there are laws in every state which make it illegal for anyone to enter a restroom to harm or harass people, or invade their privacy. Police use those laws to arrest perpetrators and keep people safe. Protecting LGBT people from discrimination doesn't change that!



Myth: This bill allows for predators and perverts access to bathrooms and locker rooms.

Fact: This bill does not permit a predator or pervert access to a bathroom or locker room; it is only allowing a transgender person access to all public accommodations. A predator or pervert is not being given access with this law. If a predator or pervert tries to gain access to an opposite sex bathroom or locker room, that is already against the law. Furthermore, over 90% of assaults on children are done by someone the child knows. Only with extreme rareness is it someone who is using a restroom, and that is and will continue to be against the law.

Myth: A transgender woman is just a crossdressing man.

A transgender person is someone whose gender identity is through and through part of their true identity. A crossdresser is someone who is doing the act of wearing opposite sex clothes, but this is not the same as their gender identity.

Myth: It is a good idea to have a law that requires businesses to have unisex bathrooms.

Fact: For existing businesses, the state is not allowed to impose unfunded mandates on cities or businesses per Chapter 29 Section 27c of Mass General Law. For new businesses this may be an option.

Myth: I don't want to see a man dressed as a woman in a woman's bathroom.

Fact: Women's rooms have stalls with a door. Unless YOU are the person looking over the walls or in the cracks, you won't know if it is a man or a woman in there with you.

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A transgender woman is dressed as a woman. A transgender woman is a woman. A transgender person is not a crossdresser. You can tell the difference between the way they act and look.

Myth: I am OK with a transgender person who has had a sex change operation but not someone who has not.

Fact: Women's rooms have stalls with a door. Unless YOU are the person looking over the walls or in the cracks, you won't know if it is a man or a woman in there with you.

Can I promise you that no one will ever try to exploit this legislation? No. But I can't promise you that guns, cars, alcohol, or the internet won't be abused either. And we don't deny people the right to bear arms, drive a car, or use the internet because others may shoot someone with a gun, drink and drive, or promote child abuse on the internet. In short, we don't deny someone's rights because others may abuse those rights. That would be wrong.

Gender identity is at the core of who we are. No one should be discriminated against based on their gender identity. That is why I support transgender public accommodation rights.

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The Vision 2030 plan announced by Saudi Arabia this week is nothing short of astonishing. It is a renaissance project built on pragmatic and scientific foundations, and a collective workshop aiming to substitute nationalization, rentier, and top-down models with a liberal economic and social approach, a philosophy of rewarding creativity and excellence, and a policy based on citizenship and participation. The new Vision lays down the foundations for a historical leap that will no doubt shake up Saudi Arabia and the Arab region. It is the antithesis of the outcome so far of the Arab Spring, which had shaken things up without sustainable foundations. Yet the Vision is neither a revolution nor a coup, unlike what the Arab region has become accustomed to, in terms of change through ideology and cycles of anger and revenge. It is a calculated leap of development with an implementation mechanism, to the surprise of the Saudi citizen and the world. Some have reacted to it with apprehension and resistance to change, and to the loss of privileges under the welfare state system. Others were receptive to the modernizing and enlightened bid for reform and development, and to being part of a national project, feeling as if awakened by a beautiful dream. The announcement of the Vision 2030 closed the curtain on the era of gradual change in Saudi Arabia, yet without losing respect for that chapter of Saudi history. As soon as it was declared, the Vision was put into effect with immediate changes, inaugurating a new pact not based on blind compliance with the state, but on participation in effecting the future transformations, through creativity, innovation, and initiative-taking, and through embracing technology in medicine, education, agriculture, human capital, and employment. What happened this week in Saudi Arabia is a recognition of the need for evolution, change, and keeping up with the technological revolution with a new and unprecedented philosophy in Saudi Arabia. This major event will also have extraordinary regional implications in the economic, social, and political spheres. Indeed, Saudi Arabia is building a new regional political order with clear features, one that is bold, visionary, modernising, and liberal-leaning while also mindful of heritage and tradition. No doubt, this bid will be met with resistance by traditional conservatives and the beneficiaries of the entitlement culture, but the young people of the Gulf and the Aran region will ultimately heed the call of the future coming to them through the roadmap of creativity launched through the Vision 2030 initiative with awareness and dynamism.The young people of the Gulf are more fortunate than their peers elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa, not only because of the abundance of natural resources, but also because of the coolheaded governance revolutions taking place in the Gulf away from the ruckus of populist coups.The UAE was the pioneer of visionary thinking and extraordinary initiatives. Its leaders have played a leading role that has galvanized young people and imparted on them a yearning for stability and happiness. These were no rhetorical slogans; happiness comes from reassurance about the suture, and from social and economic guarantees for their tomorrow. It comes from job opportunities and conscious plans for retirement, beyond healthcare and education.Thus, the leaders of the UAE were the first to tweet to welcome the plan announces by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, deputy crown prince, minister of defense, and head of the Economic and Development Council in charge of the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative and plan. The ruler of Dubai and Vice President of the UAE, Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a pioneer of renewal, said the Vision was full of ambition and hope for the kingdom and the region, and proclaimed that Saudi's young leadership will surprise the world with its achievements. He also said the plan is reason for optimism and hope for cultural renewal for the Arab nation, towards a better exploitation of its energies, resources, and young people.For his part, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, said the vision was an "ambitious program by the king of decisiveness". In turn, Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed said the project is a "giant step not only for Saudi Arabia, but also for the region towards further progress and achievement." "Integration with Saudi Arabia is our approach" he added, stressing that while some spread terror and chaos, "we, led by the wise Kingdom, our approach is building and happiness."However, the celebration of this injection of reassurance does not mean that Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states are in guaranteed prosperity in a bubble that isolates them from what is happening in neighboring countries, or the Arab region and the Middle East in general. In truth, part of the new and unusual policies of the Gulf nations is the move by Saudi Arabia to lead an Arab coalition in Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen, the consistent political positions on the Syrian question, and the economic steps vis-a-vis Egypt, for example.In the Yemeni issue, the Saudi leadership believes its intervention was a necessity, as part of a calculated preemptive policy to contain the Houthis in Yemen before they expand to Saudi Arabia, and to make it clear to Iran that violating Saudi borders is a red line.This thinking is similar to the American thinking in Iraq and the Russian thinking in Syria, namely, that it is necessary to right wars "there" rather than "here", in Russia, US, or Saudi soil.The Saudi leadership also believes that it has scored major achievements by pulling the likes of Sudan and Djibouti from the Iranian lap, using investment partnerships and not just political accords. In the Saudi Vision 2030, for example, there is mention of investment in agriculture in Sudan - a model qualitative leap that is necessary in the context of practical alliances and visions. Such multifaceted pragmatism characterizes the Saudi vision, whose launching and implementation has been supervised by Prince Mohammed bin Salman. For one thing, Sudan is in dire need for Saudi capital and agricultural development and technology to increase production. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, would benefit from Sudan's natural resources, vast and fertile farmlands, and abundant water. This cooperation also comes to serve the objectives of food security. It is a win-win equation, one that is pragmatic, economical, and politically shrewd based on expanding alliances, especially with countries that had been previously coopted over by the Islamic Republic of Iran.Tackling Iranian expansionism as the Saudi leadership sees it is a firm and serious decision that Riyadh will not backtrack from. However, Saudi Arabia is adopting non-traditional policies in the process. What matters for Saudi's leadership is to confine wars outside the kingdom, no matter the cost.According to the view of the leadership, the war in Yemen is neither lost nor costly, and will not become a quagmire for Saudi Arabia, contrary to what experts have been saying. Some analysts have called for precautionary measures to prevent becoming implicated in a quagmire in Yemen, but Saudi officials have responded that keeping the war in Yemen contained within Yemen has been an achievement. Meanwhile, the current negotiations are serious and intend to secure an exit strategy for the Houthis, and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh has lost the means to drag Saudi Arabia into a quagmire, hence the negotiations taking place in Kuwait, the officials argue.In Syria, some are calling for a new military strategy to support the political strategy towards Syria, similar to the one pursued by the axis of Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah. They are calling for supplying the Syrian opposition with Chinese-made anti-aircraft missiles stocked in Gulf warehouses - to avoid the US veto. These missiles' range can hit Syrian planes but not Russian planes, which fly higher than their range.The main challenge to such a call is that there is no confidence in two main things required by the desired strategy, namely, momentum and sustainability.If these two elements are otherwise secured, then it may be possible to induce a radical change in the negotiating equations, which remain far from being able to ripen a solution. But whether the negotiations conclude with a settlement or the devastating war in Syria is prolonged further, it will not be possible for Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Tunisia, or Egypt or pretend they are immune to the Saudi-induced transformations in the regional political order. Nor will Iran be able to ignore the challenge coming from Saudi Arabia in a radical and fateful way, whose key title is political openness, privatization, and diversity. This is a new philosophy for the Gulf States that Tehran had not expected to see come out of Riyadh. Iran had wagered instead on the weakness of the traditional philosophy that had bound Saudi Arabia and given it a reactionary reputation around the world to the advantage of the mullahs of Iran, some of whom took to the world their smiles of "reform" and "moderation" while hinting that Saudi Arabia is rigid and incapable of modernizing. Now, things will be different, requiring Iran's leaders to reassess their policy based on the old rigid Saudi Arabia rather than the new liberal-leaning Saudi Arabia. This will have implications for regional policies, from Iraq and Syria to Lebanon and Yemen.Indeed, it is not possible that the countries of the Middle East would be unaffected by the new regional political order launched by Saudi Arabia. To be sure, the entire Middle East is poised to change and be affected by the new liberal reforms, including the Gulf countries and Egypt, and trade between the Gulf, the East, and the West is set to receive a huge boost, amid major investments and an unprecedented new role for the private sector. All this is part of a renaissance at the level of all sectors, from industry, agriculture, and administration to health, education and employment, as privatization is unleashed, ministries are restructured, and mechanisms are developed for monitoring and accountability.The tough decision has been taken, and the implementation will now begin as part of mechanisms that are new for the Arab region. The decision has been made to stop the tradition of slacking and entitlement, and with the abolishment of the paternal welfare state that has killed the Gulf and made its people over reliant on oil. Nationalization has been replaced with competitiveness, creativity, and talent.A quiet revolution has occurred in the relationship between the private sector and the traditional ministries under the Vision 2030. Oil, at the decision of the government, will now be outside state control, and the powers of the Ministry of Oil have been reduced in favor of the board of Aramco. This is no simple matter, particularly since the oil wealth in the Gulf region is a strategic and extraordinary commodity, according to a Gulf veteran. This would be the first time a company manages oil resources in the Gulf rather than a government. And for the first time in the history of Saudi Arabia, the decision of privatizing part of the national wealth in the local and international stock market will proceed, with 5 percent of Aramco's shares offered for purchase, worth according to some reports more than $2 trillion. As the deputy crown prince put it, putting only 1 percent of Aramco's shares to a public offering would be the largest in the history of the world, which would bring benefits including making Aramco more transparent and under the monitoring of Saudi and international banks.As for the sovereign fund, which will ensure the government's revenues come from investments rather than oil, this in turn is the result of the conviction that there has been an addiction to oil, as Prince Mohammed bin Salman put it, that has disrupted development. The fund will control 10 percent of the investment capacity in the world, and will not be run by Aramco.However, investment and economic reform are not the only feature of the quantum leap in the Saudi vision. Indeed, it has also tackled the issue of improving life for expats and benefiting from them economically, and improving the role of Saudi women in the labor force, with their participation set to increase to 22-30 percent.The right to excellence, merit, competition among talents, and creativity are new themes in the Arab region, particularly Saudi Arabia. Fulfilling citizenship through equality rather than the size of the tribe or sectarian identity is a major development. These are grand leaps that are not part of the traditional concepts and approaches based on gradualism. It is a quiet pragmatic revolution with a practical approach and mechanism, towards a new, exciting chapter in the region's history. Translated by Karim TraboulsiArabic: http://www.alhayat.com/Opinion/Raghida-Dergham/15327141/%C2%AB%D8%B1%D8%A4%D9%8A%D8%A9-2030%C2%BB--%D8%AB%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A6%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%BA%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%87%D8%AC-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A2%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA
When invasive species are discussed, most people think of plants, birds and perhaps a few mammals. But Africa has become home to another, less well known kind of invader: freshwater crayfish.

One species has already caused enormous problems in Kenya. Another is threatening the Okavango Delta, which is a World Heritage Site.

Crayfish interlopers slow down plant growth, eat rice seedlings and can even make dams' banks collapse. In Europe, alien crayfish have decimated native crayfish species partly through competition. North American species also carry a fungus to which they are immune but which is deadly to native European crayfish.

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So how did freshwater crayfish end up in Africa's waters? And what can be done to manage these populations?

First arrivals in a million years

Freshwater crayfish are a highly diverse group of decapod (ten-legged) crustaceans. More than 600 species have been described. They are divided into three large families: the Cambaridae, Astacidae and Parastacidae, which are geographically and physically distinct. Both the Cambaridae, with by far the highest number of species (423), and the Astacidae, with about 39, are confined to the northern hemisphere. The Parastacidae, consisting of 176 species, only exists in the southern hemisphere - specifically in Australia, South America and Madagascar. Continental Africa has no native freshwater crayfish species.

Over the years, mostly because of aquaculture practices and the aquarium trade, humans have introduced crayfish species in areas beyond their native ranges. Many of these species survived and now thrive in areas where they were not supposed to exist. Freshwater crayfish invasions have occurred all around the world.

These human activities have introduced freshwater crayfish populations to Africa's mainland for the first time in millions of years.

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The introduction and spread of any alien species into a new region threatens native communities. Alien species can act as novel predators, competitors and parasites, and they can carry diseases. They may also breed with indigenous species.

Freshwater crayfish are famous for being high-impact invaders: they alter the structure and functioning of the ecosystems they invade.

One species' African story proves this point. The red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) is native to North America. It has been introduced into Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Zambia, Sudan and South Africa.

The crayfish's introduction into Kenya's Lake Naivasha in 1970 became world famous because of its devastating consequences.

The crayfish managed to spread over the lake in a very short time, almost totally destroying its floating and submerged aquatic plants. These plants had provided food and refuge for fish and other aquatic animals. The crayfish also decreased native populations of snails and freshwater crabs from adjacent rivers.

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Fishermen's livelihoods were affected too. The crayfish ate fish caught in gill nets, getting entangled in or destroying the nets and disturbing the reproductive and breeding activity of many bottom-spawning species.

This crayfish is now present in large areas of Kenya. There is a high risk that it will reach Lake Tanganyika soon - with similarly devastating consequences. And it's not the only alien crayfish species threatening Africa's lakes.

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Other invaders

Four other alien crayfish species have been introduced into Africa. Three are originally from Australia: the Australian redclaw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus), the smooth marron (Cherax cainii) and the yabbie (Cherax destructor).

These three species were introduced into South Africa during the 1970s for aquaculture purposes. From there they were translocated to Zambia. The marron and the yabbie have not established wild populations, remaining confined to aquaculture facilities.

The Australian redclaw crayfish is a different story.

A prospective aquaculturist applied to farm this species in South Africa and was turned down by the authorities. He managed to get permission for his venture in neighbouring Swaziland. Several rivers make their way through Swaziland before re-entering South Africa. It was exactly through one of these - the Komati river - that the redclaw crayfish made its way into South African freshwaters about 16 years ago.

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The crayfish is now present in a large part of the eastern Mpumalanga province and in some scattered locations elsewhere in South Africa. It is also found in all Swaziland's main rivers and in large areas of Zambia, and is spreading through Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

In Zambia it mainly exists on the Kafue Flats and in Lake Kariba. In the Kafue area, artisanal fishermen have complained that these crayfish damage the fish caught in their gill nets.

In both Zambia and South Africa, the redclaw crayfish has introduced an alien temnocephalan ectoparasite that might be harmful to native crabs.

An isolated population was recently reported spreading on Zambia's Barotseland floodplain. There is an extremely high risk of this population spreading to the Okavango Delta, with potentially disastrous consequences to this World Heritage Site.

Another species that bears mentioning is the marbled crayfish or "Marmokrebs" (Procambarus fallax). It was introduced to Madagascar for mysterious reasons, but there may be a link with a road building project carried out by foreign contractors in 2003/2004. In 2005, biologists at the University of Antananarivo noticed it being sold in markets close to the capital.

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This particular crayfish has a peculiar history: nobody knows where it comes from. It simply appeared in the German aquarium trade in about 1995. It is also the only decapod in the world known to be able to reproduce by parthenogenesis - a female is able to reproduce without being fertilised by a male. This means that a single individual is sufficient to start a whole new population. As such, this species seems very likely to pose a serious threat to freshwater biodiversity in Madagascar.

Managing the problem

Freshwater crayfish are carried downstream by currents. They can also swim or even walk upstream. Human beings use them as fishing bait for bass, for aquaculture and for sale. Some people keep them as pets. They're here to stay.

The question is how to manage these populations. African countries need to develop better strategies to prevent further spread and to reduce the possible impacts of invasion. More stringent legislation and more scientific research will also be crucial. Ordinary people must be taught about the risks and potential impacts of spreading invasive crayfish.

If these species keep spreading unchecked, the future of Africa's freshwaters doesn't look bright. Hopefully there is still time to act so the continent's freshwater biodiversity can be conserved.

Ana Luisa Nunes, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University
More than your typical spring snow storm, this was a blizzard: two feet on the ground, flakes piling up by the minute, it was not a day to be driving. But how could I not? I was leaving for Paris in three days and referred by a glow-skinned friend to Stacy Webb for her signature "Triple Threat" facial. I poured my down-covered self into the Subaru, headed to an unassuming shopping strip in Uptown for a bit of spa sanctuary... and it was perfect. Derived from ancient Egyptian language, the Lotus flower was once known as Sesen; a revered symbol of rebirth, regeneration and beauty. Entering Sesen Skin Body Wellness , a blissed-out-feng-shui space, I calmed as I unbundled, enjoying a cup of hot herbal tea. The place is not fancy-frou-frou, just super clean, unpretentious and relaxing; giving one the feeling that regeneration is possible.

A lifelong student of natural and medical skincare, the self-proclaimed science/ skincare geek and para-medical esthetician, Stacy Webb, developed the no-nonsense Triple Threat in 2014 to address the most common concerns of her clients and bundling them for maximum impact. This three part anti-aging ritual addresses fine lines, wrinkles, skin tone, hyperpigmentation and loss of firmness. The results are as real as they are dramatic.

Stacy began cleaning and preparing my face for step one- an exfoliating microdermabrasion to remove dead skin cells, enhancing the effectiveness of step two, microneedling. In this medi-treatment protocol the skin is perforated with fine needles which stimulate the production of collagen and elastin through homeostasis. Much like the idea of a fractional laser, small 'injuries' in the dermis prompt the skin's natural healing response without being invasive like a laser can be. While this part of the treatment is not comfortable, it certainly doesn't hurt.

Following up with a soothing serum, we moved on to the LED therapy which according to a Harvard study is effective in "reducing pain, inflammation and edema, promoting healing of wounds, deeper tissues and nerves, and preventing tissue damage".

And the results? Fantastic. I was a little pink the day of service, but went to Paris feeling beautiful and glowing and returned with more of the same. In fact, because results are cumulative, I just booked it again!

(Photos provided by the Nagler Agency, photo credit Jennifer Olson Photography)
By Nguyen Phuong Linh

The South China Sea - or West Philippine Sea - dispute does not play as important of a role in the Philippine presidential election on May 9 as some analysts have suggested. Neither will the election transform the country's policy towards China in the foreseeable term. Foreign policy and national security have never appeared to be strong vote earners in the Philippines where politics is driven by a few powerful families and well-connected elites.

Under President Benigno Aquino III, confrontations with China in the South China Sea have become of significant concern. The Philippines recently filed a case against China with the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague, which raised the question of how the presidential candidates would approach the issue during the election campaign.

But does the South China Sea really matter in the 2016 election?

Among the four major contenders in the presidential race: Mar Roxas, Grace Poe, Rodrigo Duterte, and Jejomar Binay, none appear to have a clear and strong strategy in dealing with China's maritime claims and activities in the South China Sea. No candidate has even stated how they would follow up on the PCA case against China.

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Roxas, who lost as a vice presidential candidate in 2010 and is now Aquino's choice, would likely pursue the same tough approach to the South China Sea as Aquino. This includes beefing up defence ties with not only the United States and Japan but also other countries in the region.

Senator Poe, who is an economic liberal but a neophyte on foreign policy, has not developed clearly how she would address the looming threat in the South China Sea and maintain economic ties with China.

The other two front-runners are even bigger wildcards. Binay, the current vice-president, has promised that he will prioritize strengthening economic ties with China while downplaying maritime disputes. Duterte, mayor of the city of Davao, essentially has no foreign policy experience and, like Binay, wants the Philippines to move closer to China by sharing natural resources in the sea. Thus marking a return to the policies of Aquino's predecessor, Gloria Arroyo, and the "golden age" of bilateral relations between the Philippines and China.

Whoever wins in May, their policy towards the South China Sea issue will not be an element in their victory. Most Philippine politicians hail from elite families and the presendential election is an arena in which they compete for political influence with the wealthiest clans. According to a report from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), all presidential and vice-presidential candidates in the 2016 election spent PHP4.47 billion (US$96 million) by the end of March. Money is not only used to fuel campaigns but also to buy actual votes. A single vote can "cost" PHP1,500 according to PCIJ's 2013 data. Therefore, the candidate who spends more will likely win regardless of their policies.

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If surveys are reliable, Duterte who has an extensive link to the country's elite, and Poe, who is the adopted daughter of the country's two biggest film superstars, are topping the most recent polls and seemingly have spent the most amongst the candidates.

Furthermore, China does not play such an important role in the everyday lives of Filipinos to the extent that it could influence the people's choice of leader. The anti-China sentiment among the Philippine people is not extremely high, much lower than its Southeast Asian neighbour Vietnam, which also has a tense relationship with China in the South China Sea. A survey by the Pew Research Center in September 2015 showed that 54 percent of Filipinos expressed a favourable opinion of China while only 19 percent of Vietnamese shared the same thought.

The political relationship between China and the Philippines may look tense over the South China Sea dispute but economically the two countries are still very close. Manila joined the Beijing-founded Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in December last year and is expected to contribute nearly US$200 million to the bank's coffers. With China being a crucial economic partner of the Philippines, the two countries' relations is not as toxic as evaluated by several analysis and conflict with China in the South China Sea might not be the ultimate goal of the Philippines.

Thus, the South China Sea dispute is not a game changer in the May 9 presidential election. Will the next president be softer on China? Time may be on China's side.
Inderpal Singh Ahuja/Facebook

A mobile shopkeeper in Ludhiana committed suicide after posting a suicide note on his Facebook page accusing the police of harassing him in their hunt for a notorious gangster.

Inderpal Singh Ahuja, who ran a mobile phone recharge shop, killed himself by jumping in front of a running train.

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He was being interrogated in connection with a murder case registered against gangster Gourav Sharma alias Goru Bacha, reported The Indian Express.

Ahuja on his Facebook post alleged that three policemen investigating the murder were blackmailing him and that the trio had extorted  1.25 lakh from him after threatening to implicate him in a false drug smuggling case.

In the post, being treated as his suicide note, Ahuja said though he had no proof of the harassment meted out to him, he hoped justice will be done after his death.

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(Singh wrote a death note on his Facebook page before killing himself.)

Hindustan Times reported that the police summoned Ahuja in connection with the murder of an auto-rickshaw driver that took place on 7 April, since the accused, Goru Bachcha, used to recharge his mobile phone at Ahuja's shop.

Bachcha has been absconding since.

Ahuja, who was missing since April 28, took the drastic step after much consideration and his mutilated body was found near the Himmat Singh Nagar railway crossing in Ludhiana late on Friday.

The three police officers named in Ahuja's suicide note have been suspended and an investigation has been ordered against them on extortion charges.

Inderjit Singh, SHO, railway police station, said IE, "The victims mother, Kuldip Kaur, has given a statement that he was depressed since a few days and that they did not want an FIR against anyone. After the postmortem examination, the body has been handed over to the family."

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MICHAEL BRADLEY via Getty Images Indian President Pranab Mukherjee (C) is greeted with a Hongi, a traditional Maori greeting, during a welcoming ceremony at Government House in Auckland on April 30, 2016. Mukherjee is in New Zealand for a three-day official visit. / AFP / MICHAEL BRADLEY (Photo credit should read MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP/Getty Images)

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee got a pleasantly peculiar welcome in Auckland on his maiden trip to New Zealand when he rubbed noses with the Maori chief, which is a traditional form of greeting for the indigenous Polynesian people.

Mukherjee, who arrived in New Zealand on Saturday, was given a traditional welcome in a mark of friendship by the Maori warriors where men and women sang and danced.

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In what is the first visit by an Indian president to New Zealand ever, Mukherjee after his landmark visit to Papua New Guinea, arrived in Auckland on a three-day visit to New Zealand, news reports said.

Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted the video of the traditional Maori welcome.

Ceremony concludes with traditional rubbing of noses in friendship between #PresidentMukherjee and the #Maori chief pic.twitter.com/i5Z43m29X9  President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) April 30, 2016

"Maori warriors initially greet visitor with aggression not knowing whether he is friend or foe," the tweet read.

The warriors first placed a fern in front of the Indian president and asked him to pick it up to show that he was extending a hand of friendship.

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After being convinced that the president had indeed arrived with friendship, the warriors concluded with the traditional song and dance and rubbing of noses in friendship between President Mukherjee and the Maori chief, news channels reported.

Later, Mukherjee was received in a ceremonial welcome by New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae at the Government House.

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Hutchinson's Salvation Army started in 1894

In 1910, under Captain George Seeds, the citadel at 114 West Sherman St. was built.
Claude Shannon was born on April 30th 1916 and is credited with being the Father of Information Theory, or more colloquially the Father of the Bit, which explains today's Google Doodle.

Of course, in binary digits (bits) the anniversary number should be 1100100.

It was Shannon who first used the word 'bit' in print, in his seminal paper A Mathematical Theory of Communication which originally appeared in 1948 in the July and October issues of Bell Systems Technical Journal in July and October of that year.

In the paper Shannon credits his colleague at Bell Labs, John Tukey (best known for the development of the FFT (Fast Fourier transform) algorithm), for devising the term:

The choice of a logarithmic base corresponds to the choice of a unit for measuring information. If the base 2 is used the resulting units may be called binary digits, or more briefly bits, a word suggested by J. W. Tukey.

Binary arithmetic for computers is now so taken for granted as the fundamental building block of the digital age, or the information age, that we don't even think of the link between on and off and 0 and 1 as being something that had to be discovered. However this is what Shannon did.

He was introduced to the work of George Boole during his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan and then moved on to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where worked on Vannevar Bush's differential analyzer. It was while studying the circuits of the differential analyzer that he saw how Boolean logic could be used as an organizing principle and he expounded it in his Master's Thesis, A Symbolic Analysis of Relay and Switching Circuits in 1937.

As the article in I Programmer's history section, Claude Shannon - Information Theory and More makes clear, Shannon was also interested in artificial intelligence and in 1950 he wrote a paper called "Programming a digital computer for playing chess" which essentially invented the whole subject of computer game playing.

He also built a relay controlled mouse, called Theseus after the legendary king of Athens who escaped the labyrinth of the Minotaur, that could run a maze and learn by storing the maze pattern as relay states.

Today's Google Doodle also reminds us that, having an interest in juggling, Shannon built the first juggling robot in the 1970s. It was a three-ball bounce juggler built using an Erector construction set.

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Pittsfield's Stacia Bissell delivers the keynote speech at Friday's BFAIR annual meeting. Bissell spoke of her experience after suffering brain trauma four years ago. Doris Sartori, left, and her family were presented the inaugural Lifetime Advocacy Award from BFAIR for the advocacy of their three special needs children. The city of North Adams was this year's Employer of the Year. Pictured are Mayor DIck Alcombright, Administrative Officer Michael Canales and Kelly Brennan, director of employment services at BFAIR. PreviousNext

BFAIR Meeting Shows How Far Services Have Come

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  It was a different world when Doris and Aldo Sartori began raising three boys with developmental disabilities.

Their second child, Dennis, was born with special needs in 1953. Twin boys, both with developmental impairments, came along 12 years later.

"Services available to help a family with their children consisted of little more than institutional care," BFAIR Executive Director Rich Weisenflue said on Friday morning. "That was what was recommended often by physicians.

"In Doris' case, that wasn't going to happen."

Berkshire Family and Individual Resources on Friday recognized Doris Sartori and her family with BFAIR's inaugural Lifetime Advocacy Award at the nonprofit's annual meeting.

Weisenflue explained just how difficult a road Doris and her late husband Aldo faced when they became advocates for their three children, one of whom, Bobby, now is a model employee at the North Adams Big Y through a program operated by BFAIR.

"The Individuals With Disabilities Act wasn't signed into law until 1990, granting a free and appropriate education to all children," Weisenflue said. "The Americans With Disabilities Act was also signed into law in 1990, giving people with disabilities equal opportunity to benefit from programs, services, education, employment and health care.

"The Sartoris did not have that education to lean on when they were advocating for any kind of services, support or education."

They also did not have BFAIR, incorporated in North Adams in 1994.

Today, BFAIR is a national- and state-accredited human service agency serving people with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries throughout Western Massachusetts.

And, as shown at Friday's annual meeting, it is an agency growing in leaps and bounds.

"Highlights for the year include the renovation and opening of a satellite campus on Roberts Drive in North Adams," said Alex Kastrinakis, vice chairman of BFAIR's Board of Directors. "Habilitative services went through a [Commission on Accreditation and Rehabilitation Facilities] accreditation process and received accreditation for three years, not to mention the positive accolades by the site reviewers.

"BFAIR received a grant from the Department of Developmental Services to open a Memory Cafe, the only of its kind in Western Mass, for people living with memory issues and their caregivers. This grant will allow BFAIR to offer supportive, structured, cafe-style experiences with a focus away from the memory issues and on to recreational engagement.

"Our residential services program is expanding to meet the needs of a population living with acquired brain injuries."

In the next few weeks, BFAIR will open homes in Pittsfield and West Stockbridge to provide independence for people currently living in long-term care facilities.

Traumatic brain injury was a major focus of Friday's meeting, where the keynote speaker was Stacia Bissell, an educator from Pittsfield whose career was derailed and life turned upside down when she suffered a brain injury 4 1/2 years ago in a bicycle accident on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail.

Speaking largely extemporaneously, Bissell captivated the hundreds who attended the morning meeting at the Williams Inn, detailing the challenges she has faced, her road to recovery and her determination not to stop recovering.

"I didn't know how strong I was until being strong was the only option," Bissell said.

Bissell, who awoke from her accident remembering nothing about it and could not figure out why she had a cast on her arm, said the concussion she suffered was not a major concern for the medical personnel who treated her.

"It's really surprising that they [were not more concerned] because apparently the story goes that I asked the same 12 questions over and over and over and over again in a rapid fire sort of way  apparently, according to my husband, about 30 times in a row," she said. "I just simply could not retain the answers.

"Question No. 9 was traumatic to me.  Question No. 9 occurred when I looked down and I had this ring on my finger. It belonged to a friend of mine who had died a few months before this.  I'd look at my hand and see the ring and say, 'Why am I wearing Pat's ring? Where's Pat?' And I'd be told she passed away, and I'd cry and I'd cry and I'd cry. Then I'd ask questions 10 through 12 and 1 through 8 and I'd get to Question No. 9 again, and I'd say, 'Why do I have Pat's ring on my finger?'

"Thirty to 40 times in a row, I had the additional trauma of learning that my friend had died."

Bissell was injured in September and returned to her job in the Pittsfield Public Schools in May on a part-time basis. She stayed in the job for two years, against her doctor's advice, because work was her identity, she said. She needed the job more than ever as her social circle began to contract because of people's reactions to her condition.

"My family and my husband's family  between them, I was called names, I was asked if I was 'faking it,' and I was mocked openly in front of others in public the first time I went out because I couldn't read the menu," she said. "One of my closest friends who works with the disabled population told me if I would just get up and start moving, I'd get all better.

"I learned sometimes your [social] circle decreases, but that increases its value."

With the help of her cognitive therapist, Bissell is learning to deal with the continuing symptoms of her brain injury, which include: chronic headaches and migraines; fatigue; sleep disorders; noise and light sensitivities; memory problems; depression; personality changes; speech, hearing, motor skill issues; difficulty assimilating in new environments; and trouble concentrating.

Today, she is a self-advocate and holds herself as an example for the estimated 1.7 million Americans who suffer a traumatic brain injury each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"I'm not working right now, but I'm doing some things that are work-like and feel good," she said. "I've branched out into some website development. I recently did one for an equine therapy business in Middlefield. It's fantastic to learn about their business. I've spearheaded a coalition with the [Brain Injury Association] of Massachusetts and some interested legislators and an area pediatrician who deals with concussion in children. We're trying to develop some professional development packages to get into the schools to educate the educators on what concussion should look like when kids come back to school.

"I want to do the same thing for what concussion should look like in the workplace and what it should not."

A major part of BFAIR's mission is helping individuals with brain injuries or other disabilities integrate themselves in the workplace.

On Friday morning, among the honorees at the annual meeting was the city of North Adams, recognized as BFAIR's Employer of the Year.

"The city creates opportunities for our crews to have meaningful employment," said Kelly Brennan, the agency's director of employment services. "This is exactly what BFAIR is all about and why we chose the city of North Adams.  They truly show our crews they are part of the team.

Mayor Richard Alcombright, who accepted the award on behalf of the city, said it was honored to be a partner with BFAIR.

"Work is an ethic we all share," Alcombright said. "It establishes confidence, promotes integrity and provides independence. The city is pleased, proud and privileged to have all of you on our team."
61 Percent of Recently Married Couples Admit To Exceeding Their Set Wedding Budget

New York - Its a day many dream about their whole lives and the $60-billion-a-year wedding industry knows just how to stoke expectations and drum up sales. While many couples have a limit on what they plan to spend on their wedding, a new Consumer Reports survey found that many of them go over budget, with some even dipping into savings and retirement accounts to pay for the occasion.

Consumer Reports National Research Center surveyed 464 Americans whod had a wedding reception in the last five years; 78 percent of those newlyweds reported they had budgeted for their reception. But almost two-thirds of those who went over budget said they had overspent by at least 20 percent. To afford the bill, 41 percent said they withdrew from savings; 11 percent took out a loan from a bank or credit union; and 9 percent, all under age 50, withdrew some money from a 401 (k) or 403(b), or IRA  a move that can trigger a tax penalty and be a potential threat to savings.

What Consumer Reports found when it sent its secret shoppers out to determine whether couples planning a wedding are being overcharged may explain why some people may go over their budgets. Pairs of shoppers called the same photographers, florists, limousine services, caterers and other party vendors at least a week apart and got comparative estimates for a wedding and a 50th anniversary party that were identical in every other respect. They gathered prices from 40 vendors in 12 states. Among the results that could be compared, vendors quoted higher prices for the wedding than for the anniversary party in more than a quarter of the cases.

Among the findings uncovered by Consumer Reports secret-shopper investigation were built-in wedding-based gratuities up to 26 percent and a $7 per person cake-cutting fee buried in some caterers fine print; photographers who inflated their prices because the affair was a wedding; and limousine companies that priced bridal packages higher than other, comparable services.

If youre planning a wedding, you need to be aware that you may be paying a premium for products and services in some cases, said Tobie Stanger, senior editor at Consumer Reports. You may not think to bargain, but you should. While our findings arent enough to indict an entire industry, theyre a warning to wedding shoppers to read fine print, ask smart questions, and negotiate before signing anything.

The full report, Get More Wedding for Your Money, appears in the June 2016 issue of Consumer Reports and online at ConsumerReports.org. In addition to the survey and secret shopper investigation, the article also features 31 money-saving strategies, advice on avoiding wedding-shopping gotchas, what to spend on a dress, wedding planner costs, and how much guests should give as a gift.

How to Get More Wedding for the Money

According to The Wedding report, Americans now spend an average of $27,000 on a wedding, but there are ways to keep a lid on costs. Below are some money-saving strategies that were uncovered:

Negotiate. Consumer Reports secret shoppers were able to strike deals with different types of vendors including limousine companies, photographers and florists. Its worth asking for a lower price, all the vendor can do is say no.

Choose low-demand season, day or time-of-day. In many locations, January and February weddings are the least expensive. Friday and Sunday weddings are less costly than those on Saturday nights. Booking a venue before dinnertime for lunch or brunch can also yield savings; 21 percent of survey respondents said they chose a less timely-cost of day for their reception.

Compare buffet and sit-down pricing. Thirty-five percent of respondents to Consumer Reports survey said they chose a less costly menu. Surprisingly, a buffet may sometimes be more costly because people eat more and often there is more variety offered than in a sit-down menu.

Save on alcohol. Limit the open-bar to a certain amount of time. Skipping premium brands and sticking to the venues house spirits can also reduce costs. Find a caterer that allows you to provide the booze and ask them to hire a licensed bartender. Then you can take home what hasnt been used.

Forget the favors, or DIY. If not, give something people may really use. Order enough for half the guests and still expect to see leftovers. In Consumer Reports survey, 22 percent of respondents said they made favors themselves to save money.

About Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports is the worlds largest and most trusted nonprofit, consumer organization working to improve the lives of consumers by driving marketplace change. Founded in 1936, Consumer Reports has achieved substantial gains for consumers on health reform, food and product safety, financial reform, and other issues. The organization has advanced important policies to cut hospital-acquired infections, prohibit predatory lending practices and combat dangerous toxins in food. Consumer Reports tests and rates thousands of products and services in its 50-plus labs, state-of-the-art auto test center and consumer research center. Consumers Union, a division of Consumer Reports, works for pro-consumer laws and regulations in Washington, D.C., the states, and in the marketplace. With more than eight million subscribers to its flagship magazine, website and other publications, Consumer Reports accepts no advertising, payment or other support from the companies whose products it evaluates.
National Reentry Week, Reducing Barriers to Reentry and Employment for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals

Washington, DC - An estimated 70 million or more Americans have some kind of criminal record. Each year, more than 600,000 individuals are released from Federal and State prisons, and millions more are released each year from local jails. Promoting the rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals who have paid their debt to society makes communities safer by reducing recidivism and victimization; assists those who return from prison, jail, or juvenile justice facilities to become productive citizens; and saves taxpayer dollars by lowering the direct and collateral costs of incarceration.

Providing incarcerated individuals with job and life skills, education programming, and mental health and addiction treatment increases the likelihood that they will be successful when released. Policies that limit opportunities for people with criminal records create barriers to employment, education, housing, health care, and civic participation. All of these are critical to reducing recidivism and strengthening communities.

As part of National Reentry Week, the Administration has taken a series of steps to reform the federal approach to reentry by addressing barriers to reentry, supporting state and local efforts to do the same, and engaging the private sector to provide individuals who have earned a second chance the opportunity to participate in the American economy.

Today, the President will sign a Presidential Memorandum establishing the Federal Interagency Reentry Council to lead the Governments work on the rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals returning to their communities from prisons and jails. The Attorney General has successfully led a Cabinet-level working group for the last five years, and this Memorandum will build on that success and ensure that the Federal Government will continue this important work.

The Administration is taking important steps to reduce barriers to employment for formerly incarcerated individuals:

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is publishing a proposed rule that would prohibit federal agencies from asking questions about criminal and credit history to applicants for tens of thousands of jobs in the competitive service, as well as the career senior executive service, until a conditional offer of employment has been made. People with criminal records are already eligible to compete for the vast majority of federal jobs; the proposed rule builds on current practice at many agencies by ensuring that hiring managers are making selection decisions based solely on applicants' qualifications. Early inquiries into an applicant's criminal history may discourage motivated, well-qualified individuals who have served their time from applying for a federal job. Early inquiries could also lead to the disqualification of otherwise eligible candidates, regardless of whether an arrest actually resulted in charges or a conviction, and regardless of whether consideration of an applicant's criminal history is justified by business necessity. These barriers to employment unnecessarily narrow the pool of eligible and qualified candidates for federal employment, while also limiting opportunities for those with criminal histories to obtain the means to support themselves and their families. The rule would also allow agencies to request exceptions where there are legitimate job-related reasons why they might need to obtain a candidate's background information sooner in the hiring process. Unless an exception is granted, only after a conditional job offer is made will candidates be asked questions about criminal and credit history that may bear on their suitability for federal employment.

The Presidential Memorandum directs all agencies and departments to review their procedures for conducting a suitability determination for a job applicant with a criminal record. These suitability determinations evaluate each individuals character and conduct and consider such factors as the relevance of any past criminal conduct to the job; the nature, seriousness, recency, and circumstances of any criminal conduct; the age of the individual at the time of the conduct; contributing societal conditions; and whether any efforts have been made toward rehabilitation.

The Presidential Memorandum directs all agencies with discretion to grant or deny occupational licenses to revise their procedures, consistent with the need to protect public safety, to ensure that a criminal record is not an automatic disqualifier and that the determination to grant or deny a licenses is made after consideration of all relevant facts and circumstances.

Engaging the Private Sector and Honoring Champions of Change

The President continues to call on members of the private sector to improve their communities by creating a pathway to a job for a formerly incarcerated individual. On April 11th, the White House hosted 19 companies to launch the Fair Chance Business Pledge, including American Airlines, Busboys and Poets, The Coca-Cola Company, Facebook, Georgia Pacific, Google, Greyston Bakery, The Hershey Company, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System, Koch Industries, Libra Group, PepsiCo, Prudential, Starbucks, Uber, Under Amour/Plank Industries, Unilever and Xerox.

In the two weeks since these initial companies took the pledge, an additional 93 companies and organizations have joined the pledge, including Microsoft, Best Buy, Lyft, Kellogg Company, Staples, TrueBlue, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Catholic Charities USA, NAACP, Manufacturing Alliance of Philadelphia, American Civil Liberties Union, the American Sustainable Business Council and dozens of small and medium-sized companies from across the country.

Together, these 112 companies and organizations employ well over 1.5 million people. By joining the pledge, they are committing to take action to reduce barriers to a second chance, such as banning the box, ensuring information regarding a criminal record is considered in the proper context, and engaging in hiring practices that do not unnecessarily place jobs out of reach for those with criminal records. Companies and organizations interested in joining the pledge can continue to do so by visiting www.whitehouse.gov/fairchancepledge.

This past Wednesday, the White House honored 10 individuals as White House Champions of Change for Expanding Fair Chance Opportunities. These individuals were recognized for their leadership and tireless work to remove barriers to a second chance for those with a criminal records.

Additional Federal Agency Actions To Reduce Barriers During National Reentry Week

As part of National Reentry Week, the Federal Interagency Reentry Council agencies have announced additional steps to improve the rehabilitation and reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals:
Joint Statement on South Sudan Peace Process

Washington, DC - The members of the Troika (United States, United Kingdom, and Norway) welcome the long-awaited formation of South Sudans transitional government of national unity. We also welcome the April 26 statements by President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar calling for cooperation, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence.

We call on South Sudans leaders to continue this spirit of cooperation and to start the difficult task of rebuilding their country. While formation of the transitional government is a step forward, with thousands dead, widespread atrocities committed and millions displaced from their homes during the conflict, this is no time for celebration. Today the international community stands united in urging the transitional government to start to work for the people of South Sudan. The fighting must stop, decisive action must be taken to tackle the economic crisis and there must be full cooperation with the UN and humanitarian agencies to ensure aid reaches those in need; formal and informal impediments must be removed.

The Troika countries will remain long term partners and friends of South Sudans people. We stand ready to support the transitional government if it shows it is serious about working for the good of the country and implementing the peace agreement in full. In that regard, decisions undermining provisions the parties agreed to in negotiations, such as not fully meeting obligations for womens participation in the council of ministers, sets a concerning precedent at the beginning of the transition. We expect the transitional government to honor its commitments. The people of South Sudan deserve nothing less.
Secretary of State John Kerry's Call With Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina

Washington, DC - Secretary Kerry called Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina on April 28 to offer U.S. support for the investigation into the attack that killed human rights advocate and U.S. Embassy employee Xulhas Mannan, along with Tonmoi Mahbub, earlier this week.

The Secretary also condemned other incidents in a recent spate of violence.

The Secretary urged Prime Minister Hasina to ensure a thorough investigation of all of these incidents, and to redouble law enforcement efforts to prevent future attacks and protect those who are at risk.
On the Occasion of Poland's Constitution Day

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I congratulate the Polish people as you celebrate the 225th anniversary of Europes oldest written constitution on May 3.

"The President and I look forward to joining you in July for the NATO Summit in Warsaw, which will be a fitting showcase for the continued strength and resolve of our Alliance in a period of considerable stress.

"The bonds between our two peoples extend back to the period of American independence, were invigorated through solidarity at Cold Wars end, and have been strengthened further by our joint commitment to shared ideals of democracy and the rule of law. Today, our nations collaborate closely on a range of economic and security issues, and our soldiers serve side by side in regions around the world. Together, we are determined to resist all threats to the safety and well-being of our citizens.

"During my last visit to Poland, I was deeply impressed by the young researchers, entrepreneurs, educators, and innovators I had a chance to meet. These talented individuals are crafting a bright future for Poland and developing ideas that will make life better and more prosperous for us all.

"Best wishes to all the people of Poland as you celebrate Constitution Day."
Ethiopia's Charges of Terrorism Against Political Leaders

Washington, DC - The United States is deeply concerned by the Government of Ethiopias recent decision to file terrorism charges against Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) First Vice-Chairman Bekele Gerba and others in the Oromia region who were arrested in late 2015.

We again urge the Ethiopian government to discontinue its reliance on the Anti-Terrorism Proclamation law to prosecute journalists, political party members, and activists, as this practice silences independent voices that enhance, rather than hinder, Ethiopias democratic development.

We commend Ethiopian officials for pledging to address legitimate grievances from their citizens and acknowledging that security forces were responsible for some of the violence that took place during the protests in Oromia; however, the government continues to detain an unknown number of people for allegedly taking part in these protests and has not yet held accountable any security forces responsible for alleged abuses. This undermines the trust and confidence needed to produce lasting solutions.

We urge the Ethiopian government to respect due process of those detained by investigating allegations of mistreatment, by publicly presenting the evidence it possesses against them, and by distinguishing between political opposition to the government and the use or incitement of violence. We reaffirm our call on the government to protect the constitutionally enshrined rights of its citizens, including the right to participate in political parties, and we urge the Government to promptly release those imprisoned for exercising these rights.
Alissa Adams(MESA, Ariz.) -- Officials removed a controversial poster from the Desert Ridge High School library in Mesa, Arizona, Thursday after some students took offense at its message that appears to be a humorous attempt to highlight the schools dress code.

I dont get offended easily, but this definitely crossed the line for me, senior Alissa Adams, 18, told ABC News.

The poster, which had a photo and cartoons attached, claimed that girls who came to school looking pretty cute made boys see them as meat, and its distracting. It went on to say that boys would make lousy grades as a result, but the girls end up with one of them anyways because he thought you looked HOT!

It suggested that the distractions posed by a girl left a boy underemployed because he learned nothing in school, leaving the girl to support him.

When Adams first saw the poster a couple days ago, she took a pen and wrote on the bottom, So its the girls fault, right? #feminism, she said.

Adams said she approached the librarian who put up the poster, but she declined to remove it, saying that Adams was the only person who took offense. Later that day, she said, another student alerted the principal, who directed the librarian to remove it.

Hanging of the poster was inappropriate and very poor judgment on behalf of the librarian, school spokeswoman Irene Mahoney Paige said in a statement. It is not reflective of the spirit and community of Desert Ridge High School or the Gilbert Public Schools District.

School officials said they had no idea who created the poster, only that the librarian put it up after she found it lying around. The school district declined to make the librarian available for comment.

Even after it was removed, Adams and other students voiced concern about the message.

They shouldnt have compared boys to animals and girls as meat, Adams said. They couldve done it better.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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People across Europe are going to be charged much less for using their phones abroad  and David Cameron says the change shows why Britain should stay in the European Union.

New EU regulations have forced mobile operators to cut roaming charges by 75 per cent, according to the European Commission. And from 2017 roaming charges will be removed entirely, so that people will be charged the same as they would be at home.

The rules are meant to avoid bill shock, when people go abroad and dont realise they are paying often much higher charges until they get home and see their bill.

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The Prime Minister said the changes were an example of why Britain is better off in the EU.

EU roaming charges now down to near-zero; gone entirely next year, a tweet from the official Number 10 account read. Consumers are better off remaining in the EU.

It wasnt clear what would happen to the charges if the UK left Europe following Junes referendum. The controls are being introduced through an EU regulation, rather than a directive, which means that they are not put into UK law and so wont stay in force in the event of Brexit.

Recommended Read more EU mobile phone roaming charges set to change

Commissioner Gunther H Oettinger, who is responsible for digital economy and society, said the agreement showed that the EU could deliver tangible results to improve the daily life of people who live in it, adding that "roaming charges will be soon old memories".

But Leave.eu, which is campaigning for Brexit, rejected the idea that the savings would be enough to encourage people to vote against Brexit.

"If David Cameron thinks the British public will vote to stay because they'll save a few quid on their phone bill, he is seriously deluded," a spokesperson told The Independent. "It just shows how much he and the rest of the Europhile elite are out of touch with ordinary voters"
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Google is working on a computer that can be injected into peoples eyeballs.

A new patent filing shows plans for a device that would stick into peoples eyes and correct their sight, but also provide extra powers. Though the technology in the patent may never actually be released, it is another example of Googles apparent interest in getting computers onto and into peoples eyes.

The injectable machine would be put just behind the visible part of the eye, focusing light so that it can correct poor vision.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

It would also include storage, a radio and lenses, the patent says. It would power all of that using an energy-gathering antenna. That antenna would allow it to connect to another device outside of the eye that would help it process information.

Google had previously tried to create an eye-linked computer with Google Glass spectacles, but that idea ran into problems and is now being relaunched as a product specifically for the workplace.

Patents since then have appeared to show that Google is making steps to place technology onto the eyeball itself, rather than just an external visual aid. In 2014, it filed another patent for smart contact lenses that could display information and monitor their wearers glucose levels.

Work on the technology in that patent appears to be ongoing and the company is collaborating with a healthcare company to develop similar technology. But many technology patents never actually make it to market, so the injectable computer might not actually be in peoples eyes any time soon.
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The storming of the parliament building in Baghdad by protesters chanting the name of populist Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is a sign that the political system built up since the US invasion in 2003 is disintegrating. The Iraqi security forces stood back and did nothing as the protesters burst into the Green Zone, graphically illustrating the weakness of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and of state institutions generally.

The eruption by Sadrist supporters into the heavily fortified Green Zone, the heart of government power in Iraq, came minutes after Mr Sadr ended a press conference in the Shia holy city of Najaf during which he condemned politicians for refusing to end the political stalemate. He has been demanding that Mr Abadi appoint a non-sectarian government of technocrats that would end corruption and other abuses. Since early in the year, he and his followers have been holding mass rallies but he has previously restrained them from invading the Green Zone, though it was always likely that the security forces there would not stop them.

It is unlikely that Mr Sadr wanted the invasion of parliament because it will lead to further weakening of the government rather than its reform. In the past, he has alternated between making moderate demands, but at the same time threatening that the anger of the people could not be contained. He himself, symbolically, entered the Green Zone a month ago, but instructed his followers not to follow him.

Mr Sadr comes from a family of Shia clerics that owes its iconic and almost semi-divine status in Iraq to its long resistance to Saddam Hussein and the Baathist regime. He was 25 in 1999 when his father, Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, and his two brothers were assassinated by Saddam Husseins gunmen. They had led a populist religious movement drawing support from the poor as well as many tribes that had become visibly hostile to the regime in Baghdad.

Muqtada al-Sadr remained under house arrest in Najaf until 2003 when he emerged as the leader of a movement that opposed the US occupation and fought against it in 2004.

 Mass protests in Baghdad pressure Iraq's parliament

The Mahdi Army, that battled the US army in Najaf, later played a leading role in the sectarian war in Baghdad in 2006-7 in which tens of thousands died. Mr Sadr later disavowed many of his followers who carried out sectarian killings and retired to Iran to carry out religious studies. But on his return to Iraq, he continued to lead a political, powerful and well organised movement that elected an important group to the Iraqi parliament and held several ministerial posts.

There were reports of protesters leaving the Green Zone, but they may not all go and what has happened once can happen again. Foreign embassies may pack up and go because they fear they will be targeted next time round for political reasons or simply as places to loot. The other danger is that there may be units in the Iraqi army such as the elite Golden Brigade  that might shoot down demonstrators. The other main Shia political factions are also capable of mobilising their own militias to defend their interests, which they see as being threatened by the Sadrists. This may lead to battles between the different armed groups.
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In its time the Google Doodle has celebrated mathematicians such as John Venn, George Boole and Hertha Marks Ayrton - as well codebreaker Alan Turing, the 100th anniversary of whose birth was 23 June 2012.

Now it is the turn of Claude Shannon, who worked with Turing on Allied codebreaking during the Second World War - not at Bletchley Park, but in Washington, where Turing had been seconded in 1943 to bring the US up to speed with British cryptanalytic developments. Shannon was four years younger, 26 to Turing's 30.

Although Shannon's war-time work was crucial to the Allied effort, he did devote some of his energies to more frivolous projects.

Juggling robot

In the 1070s, Shannon built the world's first juggling robot, using an Erector Set (the equivalent of a Mecanno set). The robot, which was built to look like the Vaudevillian and film comedian WC Fields, was able to juggle three balls at one time - but bounced and caught them, rather than throwing them in the air and catching them.

Ultimate Machine

Shannon built what he called the Ultimate Machine, which he kept on his desk. It was a simple box with a single switch on it that, when you pressed, opened the box's lid to reveal a mechanical hand that reached out, flipped off the switch, and then pulled itself back inside its box, rather like a reclusive Jack-in-the-box. Sci-fi writer Arthur C Clarke saw Shannon's machine and wrote: "There is something unspeakably sinister about a machine that does nothing - absolutely nothing - except switch itself off."

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The wearable computer for breaking the bank

Shannon was fascinated by game theory, and used to visit Las Vegas with his wife, Betty, and fellow MIT mathematician Ed Thorpe. There they used to play Blackjack, using their mathematical theories to count and predict card sequences. The two men also invented a small computer that could be concealed about one's person, to aid them in playing Roulette. This is considered one of the earliest wearable computers.

Claude Shannon died in 2001, although as he had been suffering from Alzheimer's Disease for some years, he was oblivious to the digital revolution he had helped create.
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Up until three months ago, Sheena Shirani was a prominent journalist living in Iran, where she worked as a newscaster at the state-funded, English-speaking Press TV news network.

Ms Shirani made headlines globally earlier this year when she spoke out about the sexual harassment she had allegedly experienced while at Press TV. Her claims reverberated around the world, resulting in Press TV releasing a statement in Persian confirming the suspension of two men. It did not identify who the men were.

In her role as an anchor, Ms Shirani found herself exposed to criticism from a society where a womans position is expected to be one focused on submission, domesticity and servitude to the family.

She was also a divorced single mother in a country where oppressive laws ensure women remain firmly under the control of the men in their family. For women, studying and even leaving the country can require the permission of their spouse.

Living independently and without any support, she needed a job and an income in order to provide for her son. And despite being the sole carer of her child, she still had no legal rights over him as a mother and couldnt even get him a passport without her ex-husbands permission. Iranian law gives all legal rights to the father after their children turn seven.

The countries with anti-women laws Show all 5 1 /5 The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws

Ms Shiranis experience as a female anchor inside an Iranian network changed over her nine years with the network. Press TV was initially broadcast for Western audiences, and Ms Shirani said the management had taken a more liberal attitude. She was pleased to find that she could wear make-up on camera and dress in colourful clothes.

But over time, Ms Shirani found she was being asked to observe increasingly conservative rules about her appearance. Despite conforming, she said she still found herself the victim of harassment. It also didnt stop her getting fined portions of her salary for wearing excessive make-up and inappropriate clothing on air, she claimed.

The Independent spoke to Ms Shirani about her experiences as a woman working in Iranian TV and about wider issues of harassment, sexism and subjugation affecting women across Iran.

Can you explain what it is really like to be a woman working in a high-profile role on television in Iran?

Being a woman means you will still be strongly discriminated against. In a country where women are forced to wear the hijab (the strict Islamic dress code for women) and have very little to say, when it comes to any of their basic rights  their right to work, their right to receive an education, their right to marry a man of their desire without the consent of a male guardian, their right to dress as they wish, their right to believe in whatever they choose to believe in, holding a high-profile job on television means having to deal with all sorts of prejudices and injustices on a regular basis. Why? Because you, as a woman whose role is better fulfilled as being a submissive wife and a self-sacrificing mother at home, are not only crossing those ideological boundaries by taking on a more active social life and pursuing a career, you are entering the lion's den by being in the spotlight.

Being the face of a TV channel means all eyes are on you. The way you walk, talk, your mannerisms, your interactions with men, your attire, your private lifestyle and every minute detail of your life comes under scrutiny. Every aspect of your life comes under scrutiny. Even when you are abiding by the rules and regulations, there are always men who find it hard to respect you in a professional manner and you continue to be looked down upon because the majority of society believes that a woman should be confined to her housekeeping role and that being in the forefront of society is not meant for her. True, women are more and more visible within Iranian society, but if you take a closer look, you see a less feminine picture of these women.

What barriers did you face when trying to becoming a TV broadcaster? You said you didnt even have a contract. Are women treated less well than men in the workplace?

Finding a prominent job in Iran is a heinous task for the majority of Iranians, regardless of their gender. Unfortunately, your education and qualifications don't really play as much of a role as the people you are linked to within the system. And, obviously, with the patriarchal social structure that oppresses and dominates women, being a single mum was an outright disadvantage. My only advantage was my English literacy and the fact that I was raised in Scotland.

I suffered from all sorts of cultural, social and legal discrimination as a single mother living in Iran. I worked as a teacher, translator and interpreter before finding a job with the IRIBs English-speaking radio service and later joining Press TV, and throughout all these years, even the rights and benefits that, according to the Iranian Constitution and law, I was entitled to have were often denied to me. I worked for Press TV for nine years without having a contract, health insurance, government pension, annual leave or paid sick leave. I constantly ran the risk of being made redundant, and to me, a divorced woman who was single-handedly looking after myself and my son, losing my job and my only source of income would mean my family and I would be hurting. I worked four night shifts in a row to be able to juggle responsibilities at home and work, and being sexually objectified and harassed at my workplace was the last thing I needed.

What made you decide to finally speak out about harassment?

I realised there is no authority, no legal body, no human rights organisation, absolutely no-one in my country that can save me from having to cope with sexual harassment on a regular basis. I would talk to my female co-workers and friends and they would tell me they go through the same ordeals and that I need to get married and have a man protect me. I would talk to authorities and men in higher positions of power and they would question me and my mannerisms for what befalls me. [They would say] You should dress more modestly. Dont smile. Dont laugh. Dont talk to men. Men are weak by nature. They cant control themselves. Youll only shame yourself if you talk about issues of such nature. Plus, opening up to these men and confiding in them only opened the doors for them to do the exact same thing. I had done everything within my power to conform, to comply and to fit into Iranian society. I had no social life. My friends no longer recognised me. I hardly recognised myself. I had turned into what society wanted from me and yet I was being sexualised every single night.

What happened in the office was the last straw. I was afraid of the reaction I would receive. I was afraid of not being believed. I was also aware that had I stayed there for any longer, I would have actually been giving the man the green light to do anything he wants with me. I had witnessed other instances of women being sexually harassed and being reprimanded or sacked for speaking to their bosses about it. I had absolutely no choice but to quit my job. I went public with my story so that other women could find the courage and strength within themselves to do the same. No woman deserves to be sexually objectified.

Why do you think those who allegedly harassed you behaved like this?

Sexual harassment in public places is a ubiquitous reality of everyday life for Iranian women. In fact, it has become so habitual that most women dont bother to bring it up anymore, unless there is a special instance of outright groping, for instance.

What gave the men the audacity and right to behave the way they did was the fact that they feared no consequences. I needed my job. I was doomed to stay in Iran because I didnt have custody of my son and I hadnt been able to get him a passport. I was vulnerable being a single mother who was not receiving any kind of financial support or aid from anyone. They knew they had the support and backing of the elite. Why not abuse power, when there are no consequences for doing wrong?

Do you think the men who allegedly harassed you would have ever been suspended if you had not gone public, and will any serious action be taken?

Definitely not. These men were improved in rank because of their power and associations with the Islamic Republic. These men are powerful in Iran. Press TV has taken a number of drastic measures under the radar, but if believed I had the slightest chance of seeing justice served in my own country, I would have sued many men in power. They are only examples of how many men in my country have been programmed to treat women. You can't punish two men who were taught that it's OK to abuse their power and sexually objectify women without looking at what turns these men into monsters in the first place. There are plenty of sick monsters that Iran's domestic policies have created throughout the years. The men who harassed me are pretty much the victims of the sick ideology that they've been exposed to.

Is your alleged experience of sexual harassment something many of the women you know in the industry, or in any workplace, have faced as well?

Recommended Read more Iranian women call on Western tourists to violate hijab law

I was a journalist and even though not much attention was given to domestic issues at Press TV, Ive heard the stories of many different Iranian women. I don't mean to demonise all Iranian men because that is hardly the case. But why is it happening on such an enormous scale? Thats what needs to be addressed.

Segregating girls and boys from a very young age, limiting their contacts and their interactions, not allowing them to socialise, enforcing the hijab on women, giving men absolute power over women, and many of the policies that the Iranian regime has adopted have all led to what we are seeing now. There are many instances of women being sexually harassed within their families, on the streets, in universities and in their workplaces, and as long as women are slut-shamed and blamed and no one raises this issue, the problem will not be addressed and resolved.

Can you tell me what it was like to be forced to wear a hijab on television?

I understand that many workplaces have dress codes, particularly workplaces in industries in which image is highly valued. I had no problem understanding that and respecting it. I had turned into what Press TV had wanted from me: loose black manteaus  the jacket worn by Iranian women  instead of chador, long scarves, flat shoes. My make-up was done by the make-up artists hired by the channel. I had absolutely no say when it came to how I look, yet I was still being harassed on a regular basis. Its humiliating to have cameramen, sound men, content advisors, directors, all these different kinds of men you are working with, giving themselves the right to talk to you about your body, to point to your chest and tell you that you need to fix your scarf, that your neck is showing, that your hair can be seen. It is painful to be stared at, to be told by men that you have to change your outfit because it is too tight around the waist area, the chest area. It's disgusting to feel the piercing eyes of men looking for your breasts under your thick clothing without even the slightest pretence of hiding. I wasnt breaching any of the rules. I was doing as I was told. I was on camera, and what I was wearing was seen by the world. I was covered from head to toe, however, none of that saved me from being sexually harassed regularly.

How strict was state TV about you wearing a hijab?

I first started my journalistic career at the states English-speaking radio service as a presenter. I can describe the treatment I received by the female security guards at the entrance gates of the IRIB headquarters as nasty, derogatory and horrible. I remember them preventing me from entering the campus and almost missing live broadcasts for wearing a thin eyeliner or having the slightest make-up on. They spoke with profound vulgarity when addressing you. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOURE GOING LIKE THAT? Pull your scarf forward and wipe off that lipstick!

When I was first asked to do a camera test for Press TV, I was actually surprised that it was done in a far less conservative environment. In fact, they sent me all the way back home after my first camera test to change into a more bright and colourful outfit. They also told me that it would be alright for me to put make-up on. I was told they wanted it to appeal to Western audiences. I was overjoyed. Female presenters at Press TV were not obliged to adhere to the [same] strict and rigid dress code of local female presenters. The entire building was allocated outside the IRIB campus, so that foreign nationals working for the station would not be harassed by the guards.

However, a year after the launch of the channel, things changed drastically. Press TV started being broadcast in Iran. Security guards were lined up at the doors of the building to monitor entrances and exits. The dress code that was initially in place kept getting harsher and stricter. Many foreign nationals working for the station left as a result of the rigid rules and limitations. More and more conservatives and hardliners were hired by the channel and Press TV went from what you would call a more liberal working environment to a completely closed one. I was caught up in the midst of all these changes, and even though I was dancing to their every whim, I was still being strongly discriminated against. I was fined for having long eyelashes, for wearing high heels, for wearing a ring. The list just goes on and on.

What kind of reaction have you had since the recordings became public? Are people supporting you?

There were mixed reactions after I published the voice recording on my Facebook page. Many of my former colleagues reached out to express their support and encouraged me to speak out for them and to be their voice. Many Iranians expressed their admiration for what I had done. Many women from across the world, who identified with me, contacted me to share their personal experiences of sexual harassment and abuse. But, there were also those who laid the blame at my door. There were comments by women of my own country suggesting I was the culprit in this incident. Many Press TV viewers also felt the necessity to bash me and tell me to be silent.

Do you think you will ever be able to return to Iran?

No, unless the current regime changes. I received numerous threats after my story went viral. Press TVs official statement said that the audio file was made with the help of "people opposing the Iranian system with political motives" while also suggesting that the case was "suspicious" because I had not lodged a criminal complaint. That statement, in itself, implies they are alleging that I've been conspiring against the countrys national interests, which is equivalent to treason, and we all know what repercussions that can have for me. I have also received numerous hate messages by supporters of the regime who told me I deserve to be stoned to death and accused me of being a foreign agent who had infiltrated into Press TV in order to embarrass it at some later point.

What are the biggest problems facing women in Iran now? How are they treated in society?

Women in Iran have been trying to attain rights equal to men for many years. As it is today, they can only benefit from their most basic rights under the authority of a man in their family, such as their father or husband. Hijab is one of the ideological pillars of the country, and it's been compulsory for all Iranian women since 1979. It's not just a piece of clothing when you take into account the various forms of harassment, abuse and discrimination that Iranian women undergo on a daily basis for not observing the proper hijab. It's not something that can be taken lightly when you understand the limitations and deprivations Iranian women face in relation to their careers, education, public services and participation in cultural or recreational spaces if they violate hijab laws. It becomes a means of oppression. It is only one of the many schemes that the Islamic Republic has devised to control not only the bodies but the lives of Iranian women and exclude them from full participation in society, relegating them to their homes. Contrary to what the religious figureheads in Iran claim, the hijab cannot and will not stop men from assaulting women. Women are constantly admonished; they must observe a modest dress and cover themselves up. Society has instructed women to keep a low profile, not to talk too much, not to laugh, to mind their own business and to stay silent in the face of sexual assault and discrimination. Why? To "protect" us.

Yet what we are in fact seeing is that these restrictions have not only helped protect us from being sexualised and objectified, but they have created scores and scores of sick sexual monsters. Even if the only part of a woman's body that shows is her shadow, deviants will sexualise and fetishise it.

Not only have they enslaved women, they have also enslaved men by telling them that they have no control over their primitive sexual urges.
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Ryan Reynolds has penned a moving goodbye letter to a 13-year-old friend and Deadpool fan after his death from cancer.

Reynolds became friends with Connor McGrath three years ago through the Make A Wish foundation after he was diagnosed with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Reynolds travelled to his home in Edmonton, in Canada, to surprise him when his cancer returned in 2013.

He also took Connor to a special screening of Deadpool after its release, making him the first person to ever see the film.

In an open letter on Facebook, the Canadian actor paid tribute to Connor and his parents after the teenager passed away at his home. For three straight years, my friend, Connor McGrath drop-kicked cancer... Not sure how... Maybe the cancer cheated... But the fight came to an end two nights ago.

People news in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 People news in pictures People news in pictures 7 October 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in an ice hockey match between former NHL stars and officials at the Shayba Arena in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vladimir Putin spent his 63rd birthday on the ice, playing hockey with NHL stars against Russian officials and tycoons EPA People news in pictures 6 October 2015 German designer Karl Lagerfeld (R) and model Cara Delevingne (C) appear at the end of his Spring/Summer 2016 women's ready-to-wear collection for fashion house Chanel at the Grand Palais which is transformed into a Chanel airport during the Fashion Week in Paris, France Reuters People news in pictures 5 October 2015 Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne addresses the Conservative party conference in Manchester. The Chancellor argued that reducing the payments to people in low paid jobs would give them economic security by reducing the Governments spending deficit Getty Images People news in pictures 4 October 2015 Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston takes a moment in the centre of the field with his daughter Frankie Thurston, holding dark-skinned doll, after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final match between the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The image quickly became the talking point of Australias National Rugby League Final and provoked a strong reaction on social media, with many praising Thurston for giving his child a toy that promotes inclusiveness and diversity Getty Images People news in pictures 3 October 2015 Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up as he greets people at the end of an audience to the participants of a meeting organized by the "Food Bank" at the Paul VI audience hall in Vatican Getty Images People news in pictures 2 October 2015 Britain's Finance Minister George Osborne (L) throws an American football as he meets with former American football players Dan Marino (2nd R) and Curtis Martin (not pictured) at 11 Downing Street in London, ahead of the New York Jets playing against the Miami Dolphins at London's Wembley Stadium on 4 October Getty Images People news in pictures 1 October 2015 An honor guard opens the door as Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to attend a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia People news in pictures 30 September 2015 Former Mrs America Lisa Christie, who alleges misconduct by Bill Cosby, holds up photos of her younger self during a news conference at the law office of attorney Gloria Allred in Los Angeles People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Matt Damon has defended himself against claims that he instructed gay actors to remain in the closet. He had said I think youre a better actor the less people know about you and sexuality is a huge part of that. Whether youre straight or gay, people shouldnt know anything about your sexuality but an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show said, I was just trying to say actors are more effective when theyre a mystery. Right? Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Marion Cotillard has said that there is no place for feminism in Hollywood. Speaking to Porter magazine, she saidFilm-making is not about gender/ You cannot ask a president in a festival like Cannes to have, like, five movies directed by women and five by men. For me it doesnt create equality, it creates separation. I mean, I dont qualify myself as a feminist." Getty People news in pictures 29 September 2015 Actor Paul Walkers daughter, Meadow, is suing Porsche over her fathers death in a lawsuit that claims he was trapped in the burning car because of design flaws and the seat belt. The Fast and Furious star was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was a passenger in hit a pole in California in 2013. The driver, his friend Roger Rodas, also died when the vehicle burst into flames. AP People news in pictures 28 September 2015 Robert Mugabe waits to address the United Nations General Assembly. The leader of Zimbabwe reportedly exclaimed 'We are not gay!' as he criticised Western nation's "double standards and attempts to prescribe new rights that are contrary to our values, norms, traditions and beliefs. In 2013 he described homosexuals as worse than pigs, goats and birds. Reuters People news in pictures 28 September 2015 South African comedian Trevor Noah hosts the first 'Daily Show' since taking over from Jon Stewart as host. Stewart had presented the US satirical news show since 1999 and was described by Noah during the show as a 'Political father' 2015 Getty Images People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Sir Elton John may have received a phone call from the real Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin's spokesman announced he had made contact weeks after the singer was duped by pranksters pretending to be the Russian President. Getty People news in pictures 25 September 2015 Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was mistakenly declared as the artist who produced the Mona Lisa by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith. It was in fact Leonardo da Vinci. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 A new biography claims Donald Trump expected to be dead by 40 and never marry. The Guardian says the a new book also claims that in 1980, Mr Trump manufactured a fake vice-president of his real estate conglomerate, whom he called John Baron. People news in pictures 24 September 2015 The Dalai Lama has said that Britain's policy towards China is just about 'Money, money, money.' And asked 'Where is morality?' People news in pictures 24 September 2015 Puff Daddy secured the number-one spot on the Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings list, with the publication calculating he made an estimated $60million (39m) between June 2014 and June 2015.

In my wildest dreams, I can't imagine how hard this is for his parents Kim and Gerald - along with his extended family in Newfoundland.

Connor was 13. But this kid... He was smart. He was funny. And not just funny 'for a kid' - or funny 'for a person battling something awful'. He was unqualified funny. He had that... thing.

I'm grateful I got to orbit Connor's world for a brief time. Grateful for the pages and pages of hilarious texts between us. Grateful to his parents for allowing Connor to spend time with a foul-mouthed child in the body of a 39-year-old.

I called Connor, 'Bubba'. And he called me 'Bubba2'. We met because he loved Deadpool. In a certain sense, he WAS Deadpool. Or, at least everything Deadpool aspires to be; balancing pain, fearlessness, love and a filthy (filthy!) sense of humour in one body. I wish he could've stuck around a lot longer.

Connors family had been trying to raise $800,000 to pay for an experimental chemotherapy treatment at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. They had raised $35, 522 before his death, according to the Edmonton Journal.
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A man who says he was assaulted for looking like Shia LaBeouf received a voicemail from the actor himself.

LaBeouf was so upset to hear that Mario Licato was allegedly attacked for having a similar appearance he called him to apologise over the incident.

Licato, an advertising art director, was punched in the face at a subway station in New York. He told Gothamist that as he was falling down the stairs, his attackers said: This is because you look exactly like Shia LaBeouf.

His story soon went viral and even attracted the attention of an appalled LaBeouf, who commented on his picture and left a voicemail on his work phone offering his sympathy and commiserations.

It was a pretty long voicemail, Licato told Cosmopolitan. He was like, Hey, this is Shia LaBeouf  I just read an article that you were punched in the face because you look like me? And he was like, Aw, man. That sucks. Im so sorry. But I get it. Its happened to me before. And then he was like, I dont know. I wish I was in New York. Id come bring you soup. He was just like, This sucks. I dont even know what to say. Im sorry. People are just crazy. Just because you look like me?

Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done Show all 8 1 /8 Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done He wore a paper bag on his head to the premiere of Nymphomaniac declaring I am not famous anymore Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done He ran around an Amsterdam museum 144 times as part of a #metamarathon Corbis Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done He purposefully slashed his face to make his Fury character look more realistic Columbia Pictures/IMDB Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done He was arrested and led away in tears after disrupting a Broadway performance of Cabaret starring Michelle Williams Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done He head-butted a man in a south London pub, who had allegedly insulted his girlfriend Getty Images Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done He plagiarised a graphic novel by Daniel Clowe for a short film he made for the Cannes Film Festival Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done He quoted footballer Eric Cantona at a press conference before walking out: When the seagulls follow the trawler, its because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea Getty Images Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done Weird things Shia LaBeouf has done He announced his retirement from public life after being accused of plagiarising Daniel Clowes work

The Transformers actor also asked him to give him a call back so they could giggle over this, according to Licato.
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Woody Harrelson has lost his bid to open his own marijuana business in Hawaii.

The Hunger Games actor had his sights set on opening one of the states first medical marijuana dispensaries in Hawaii, where he is a resident, after 15 July. He was one of more than 60 people to apply for permission to open a dispensary.

A four-member panel representing the state selected eight businesses to receive licences on Friday, but Harrelson, whose company was listed as Single Organic Living, was not among them, according to the Associated Press.

Recommended Read more Woody Harrelson applies to open medical marijuana dispensary in Hawaii

Applicants were required to have lived on the Hawaiian islands for at least five years and prove their companys financial stability and ability to cater to patients using their service.

Successful dispensary applicants are required to pay a $75,000 license fee to the Department of Health within a week of receiving their written letter confirming their selection.

Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Show all 14 1 /14 Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Barack Obama "As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life. I dont think it is more dangerous than alcohol. Getty Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Bill Maher "Look, I have never made a secret of the fact that I have tried marijuana... About 50,000 times." Getty Images Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Boris Johnson "It was jolly nice. But apparently it is very different these days. Much stronger. I've become very illiberal about it. I don't want my kids to take drugs." AP Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Bill Clinton "I experimented with marijuana a time or two." Reuters Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Jon Stewart Do you know how many movies I wrote when I was high? Comedy Central Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Harriet Harman "I did, when I was at university, smoke cannabis once or twice." But she quickly added she had not taken the drug since then. "I have indulged in the odd glass of wine but not cannabis." PA Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Martha Stewart Of course I know how to role a joint. Getty Images Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Bill Gates In Stephen Manes biography about the Microsoft founder, he writes: As for drugs  well, Gates was certainly not unusual there. Marijuana was the pharmaceutical of choice Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Oprah Winfrey Asked by Andy Cohen when the last time shed smoked cannabis was, she answered: Uh  1982. Let's hang out after the show, Cohen joked. Okay, Winfrey said, laughing. I hear it's gotten better. Getty Images Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis George W. Bush "I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried." Getty Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Sarah Palin "I can't claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled. AP Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis David Letterman I went through one period when I smoked a surprising, a really breath-taking, amount of grass almost every night. Getty Images Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Morgan Freeman "Never give up the ganja." Getty Images Unexpected successful people who have admitted to smoking cannabis Steve Jobs The best way I would describe the effect of the marijuana and the hashish is that it would make me relaxed and creative.

Harrelsons spokesperson declined to comment to AP on the decision. The DoH says it will release each applicants scores within the coming weeks.

The 54-year-old has been a longtime supporter of legalising marijuana use, telling Esquire in 2008: ...Marijuana's about marijuana. That's consensual, victimless crime. That's saying, I think I should have the freedom to do whatever the hell I want to do if I'm living in a so-called free country, as long as I'm not hurting someone else. That's freedom. If I'm gonna hit myself in the head with a hammer, so be it. That's freedom.

He also expressed this position in 2002, telling the Independent: I think that it's absurd that you throw people in jail for smoking a joint when alcohol is more destructive.
On May 14, the U.S. Postal Service and the National Association of Letter Carriers will host their 24th annual Stamp Out Hunger initiative, a major community food drive effort supporting the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.

Chattanooga area residents are encouraged to leave non-perishable food next to their mailbox prior to their regular scheduled mail delivery. Postal workers will collect these food donations throughout the day as they deliver mail.

All food will be delivered to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and redistributed throughout the community. Last year, area letter carriers collected over 164,000 lbs. of food, which equates to nearly 137,000 meals.
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One man died and two paramedics were rushed to hospital after suffering from deadly carbon monoxide poisoning at a house in County Down, Northern Ireland.

The ambulance staff were called to a house in Newcastle on 29 April, and fell victim to the lethal gas, being taken to hospital themselves along with three others who had become ill.

But despite being treated at the scene with oxygen, a 60-year-old man believed to be one of the three people taken out of the house, was confirmed dead the following day.

A police spokesperson told The Irish News that one man had died and an investigation into the suspected gas leak was underway.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the sudden death of a 60-year-old man who was found in a house on the Castlewellan Road in Newcastle last night, Friday 29 April, the spokesperson said.

A multi-agency investigation is now underway and a post mortem examination will take place to determine the cause of death.

Paramedics had treated the three victims and themselves while at the house on Friday night before calling four other ambulances and the fire service out to help transport them to hospital where they received further treatment and tests.

Those affected are being checked for carbon monoxide contamination but are not believed to be in a critical condition.
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A charity has accidentally charged tens of thousands of donors up to 100 times the amount that they pledged.

Concern Worldwide, a global development organisation, said an administrative error caused their system to erroneously process about 25,000 of its supporters normal monthly direct debit donations at a far higher rate.

It apologised and promised to pay all of the money back and to meet any additional charges its supporters may have been hit with as a direct result of the error. It said it had been unable to stop the payments from going through and promised to write to each donor to explain.

Supporters vented their frustration on social media.

Iain Moss wrote on Twitter: How do you think it's acceptable to not transfer me the 1600 you erroneously took from my bank account immediately?

Mistakes happen  it's how you respond to them that will keep people supporting you. You have to cancel these direct debits now.

Chrissi Taylor added: I've been charged 800 instead of 8. I don't even make that much in a month. Sorry, but I can't continue to donate.

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. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2022 Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave at well-wishers on the Long walk at Windsor Castle AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 9 September 2022 King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort wave after viewing floral tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace Getty UK news in pictures 8 September 2022 A screen commemorating Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in Piccadilly Circus, London Britain EPA UK news in pictures 7 September 2022 Police officers stand guard after Animal Rebellion activists threw paint on the walls and road outside the Houses of Parliament in protest, in London, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 6 September 2022 Queen Elizabeth II welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland, where she invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2022 Visitors at the PoliNations garden in Victoria Square, Birmingham, which is made up of five 40ft high tree installations and over 6,000 plants. The PoliNations programme aims to explore how migration and cross-pollination have shaped the UKs gardens and culture PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2022 Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews take part in the traditional Pier Walk along the harbour walls of St Andrews before the start of the new academic year PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2022 The Massed Pipes and Drums parade during the Braemar Highland Gathering at the Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2022 Number 12 Company Irish Guards at Wellington Barracks, central London, before commencing their first Guard Mount at Buckingham Palace PA

Concern Worldwide responded to Ms Taylor's tweet, saying: "We're really sorry this has happened  we are working to return money as soon as we possibly can and will reimburse any costs."

And statement on its website said: An error has been made processing the monthly Direct Debits of some of our supporters. Because of this, we have requested a larger amount than the normal monthly donation.

On discovering this error we did our absolute utmost to stop the payments but unfortunately this was not possible. If this has affected you, we deeply regret any problems caused and will refund you the full amount.

In the meantime, we would like to apologise again to our supporters. We are hugely appreciative of the donations they make, which do so much for the worlds poorest people.

Concern Worldwide is a charity focussed on nutrition and tackling worldwide hunger problems. In 2014, it said it had helped 17.5 million people in 26 countries and received 23.5m in the UK to support its work. On its website, it notes: Concern is supported by generous donors. We also receive money from governments and other partners.
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A dog stayed on a London night bus for hours after being abandoned by its owner, prompting the driver to take to social media to find the animal's home.

The dog was nicknamed Buster by bus driver Amos Paul Mac, who spotted the Staffordshire bull terrier while he was driving the 158 bus through Leyton, East London, asking passengers on the bus who he belonged to  but nobody came forward.

Mr Amos told the Daily Mail: I was driving the 158 bus when a dog came on at around 9.30pm. It looked like it came on with two men, but the pair soon got off.

The dog then stayed, so I stopped the bus for five minutes and asked on the tannoy if anyone owned the dog, but nobody came forward.

Everyone on the bus was quite sympathetic, but it seemed like the dog was on its own.

Unable to find the owner of the dog, who was described as shaking with nerves, or persuade it to leave the bus, the vehicle was taken out of service and was driven to the depot in West Ham.

Mr Amos had offered to take the sad-looking pet home with him for the night, but his company told him it he was not allowed to take the dog home in case it bit him, and so the dog remained on the bus for the night.

Buster has now been taken in by animal welfare, who had been unable to come out to the bus the previous night, and attempts are being made to find the owner  including by bus driver Mr Amos, who shared a picture of the dog on his Facebook page and asked for help finding its owner.
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Air strikes in Iraq and Syria by the RAF have killed nearly 1,000 enemy "combatants" but not a single civilian, the Ministry of Defence has claimed.

Royal Air Force (RAF) strikes killed 974 fighters and injured 94 others in Iraq and killed 22 fighters and injured four in Syria between September 2014 and March 2016, according to a freedom of information request into the civilian death toll of attacks targeting Isis (also known as Islamic State and Daesh).

The statistics reveal a significant increase in the number of killings since UK defence secretary Michael Fallon announced around 330 militants had been killed by British airstrikes in Iraq in 2014/15.

Chris Woods, director of international air strikes monitor Air Wars, cast doubt on the statistics, describing the claims there have been no civilian casualties as ridiculous. Air Wars said RAF air strikes in the Isil-held cities of Mosul and Ramadi may have killed 32 civilians in December 2015 alone.

Even with the widespread use of relatively precise weapons by the West, air strikes are the most lethal weapon against civilians. It would be unprecedented in the history of warfare for it not to have killed civilians," Mr Woods told The Independent.

It is a matter of public record there have been a huge number of civilian casualties and yet the Ministry of Defence continue to deny any caused by the UK.

I dont understand why they are making a virtue of the failings of this project. We have no one on the ground to follow up. Our ignorance is being claimed as a sign of perfection.

The latest government statistics show there to have been 750 UK strikes against Daesh, as of 24 April.

According to figures collated by Air Wars, the US-led coalition of international air forces has carried out 11,937 attacks in Syria and Iraq since August 2014. Over that period, it estimates there have been a minimum of 1,172 civilians killed.

The US is the only country to have admitted its air strikes have caused any civilian casualties. Earlier this month, the US military announced at least 20 civilians had been killed and 11 injured since autumn 2015.

Chris Cole, founder of Drone Wars UK, told The Independent: It is very unlikely and I find it difficult to believe.

In pictures: Aleppo bombing Show all 14 1 /14 In pictures: Aleppo bombing In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Smoke rises after airstrikes on the rebel-held al-Sakhour neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family runs for cover amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Al-Qatarji in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man reacts as he stands on blood stains at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel held area of Aleppo's al-Fardous district, Syria, April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damage of the airstrikes in the rebel-held area of Aleppo on April 28 Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damaged the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)-backed al-Quds hospital after it was hit by airstrikes, in a rebel-held area of Syria's Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians evacuate an injured man amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following an air strike on a rebel-held of Aleppo on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo People inspect the damage at a site hit by airstrikes, in the rebel-held area of Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man leads a woman in tears and child out of the scene after airstrikes hit Aleppo AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Civil defence members search for survivors after an airstrike at a field hospital in the rebel held area of al-Sukari district of Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian boy is comforted as he cries next to the body of a relative who died in a reported air strike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Soukour in the northern city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family walks amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike in the Bustan al-Qasr rebel-held district of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers and rescuers remove a baby from under the rubble of a destroyed building following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Kalasa in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians help a wounded youth following an air strike on the Fardous rebel held neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers evacuate people from a damaged building following a reported airstrike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Tareeq al-Bab in the northern city of Aleppo

There is a real issue with the credibility of these statements, and it is perpetuating this idea that you can have a bloodless war. And that is simply not true. The UK government needs to be honest about the reality of the situation.

Amnesty International called for a comprehensive investigation into the impact of UK air strikes on civilians.

Kristyan Benedict, the charitys Syria campaign manager, told The Independent: It's all very well the UK government saying there have been no civilian deaths resulting from its airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, but until there's a comprehensive, independent and impartial investigation it is impossible to know if this is true.

Any investigation must include analysis of cockpit data and footage in order to ascertain the truth. The findings from such investigations must be made public.

The Ministry of Defence said the RAF used precise, low collateral weapons systems but refused to respond further to criticisms of the accuracy of the figures.

Michael Fallon, Defence Secretary, said in a statement sent to The Independent: We are making solid progress against Daesh. Theyve lost 40 per cent of their territory, their oil revenue has been cut by around a third and they are sustaining heavy losses. Now we must push on and defeat them.
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Head teachers have heckled the Education Secretary as she defended the Governments plans to force all school to become academies in a speech.

Nicky Morgan was speaking at the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) conference when she angered some delegates by claiming the Governments policy would allow schools to make the right choice.

She met with pointed laughter, jeering, and cries of rubbish by senior teachers as she said her door was always open to the teaching profession.

In response to the cries, she said: I hear the strength of feeling in the hall.

On current projections, around three-quarters of secondary and a third of primary schools would convert to academy status by 2020, she told head teachers in the speech.

Before the white paper was published I was constantly being asked, at events like this one, whether this government wanted all schools to become academies.

Teachers, head teachers, Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democrat MPs, as well as local government leaders from all those parties have criticised the policy.

Just three per cent of school leaders polled by the National Union of Teachers believed the policy is appropriate, according to the union.

What does five more years of the Tories mean for Britain? Show all 8 1 /8 What does five more years of the Tories mean for Britain? What does five more years of the Tories mean for Britain? Welfare payments will be slashed One of the most controversial parts of the Conservative manifesto was to cut benefits for the working age poor by 12 bn over the next three years. But during the campaign they only said where 2 bn of these savings would come from. That leaves 10 bn still to find. Some experts think the only way they can close that gap is by means testing child benefit  with millions of families losing out Getty What does five more years of the Tories mean for Britain? There will be tax cuts for those in work and those who die The Tories will increase the threshold at which the 40p rate of tax becomes payable to 50,000 by 2020. They havent said so but it is also likely that at some point in the next five years they will abolish that 45p rate of tax altogether for the highest earners. They also want to increase the effective inheritance tax threshold for married couples and civil partners to 1m Getty What does five more years of the Tories mean for Britain? There will be an in/out EU referendum in 2017 The next two years are going to be dominated by the prospect of a referendum on Britains membership of the EU. First off David Cameron has the daunting task of negotiating a deal with other EU leaders an acceptable deal that he can sell to his party so he can go into the referendum campaigning for a yes vote. This may be unachievable and it is possible that the Tories may end up arguing to leave. Opinion polls show Britain is divided on EU membership, one poll this year showed 51% said they would opt to leave compared to 49% who would vote to stay in Getty What does five more years of the Tories mean for Britain? There will be more privatisation of the NHS Having won the election the Tories now have a mandate to go further and faster reforming the NHS. In order to make cost savings there is likely to be greater private involvement in running services, while some smaller hospitals may lose services they currently provide like A&E and maternity units Getty What does five more years of the Tories mean for Britain? There will be many more free schools  and traditional state schools will become a thing of the past The Tories plans to create 500 new free schools and make 3,000 state schools become academies. They will also carry on reforming the Department of Education and remove more powers from local authorities over how schools are run Getty What does five more years of the Tories mean for Britain? On shore wind farms will be a thing of the past and fracking will be the future Government spending on renewable energy is under real threat now the Lib Dems are no longer in power with the Tories. Subsidies are likely to be slashed for off-shore wind farm and other green energy supplies. Meanwhile there will be generous tax break for fracking as ministers try and incentivise the industry to drill for onshore oil and gas Getty What does five more years of the Tories mean for Britain? There maybe more free childcare  but not necessarily In the campaign the Tories pledged to double the amount of free early education for three- and four-year-olds from 15 hours a week to 30. The extra hours would only be offered to working families where parents are employed for at least eight hours a week. However they have not said where the money will come from to fund the pledge Getty What does five more years of the Tories mean for Britain? Workers' rights could be reduced The Tories want to slash business regulation, merge regulator and cut costs. The Lib Dems stopped them from reducing the employment rights of workers in power  but these are now under threat Getty

A September poll conducted by PTA UK found that 97 per cent of parents would like to be asked before their schools were turned into academies, while polling by ICM conducted in 2014 found that 57 per cent of people oppose academy schools in general compared to just 32 per cent who support them.

There are signs the Government may face a backbench rebellion on the policy after some Conservative MPs, particularly those with rural village schools in their constituencies, quietly indicated that they were opposed.

George Osborne unveiled the plan to convert every school in England into an academy by 2020 in his March Budget. The move would essentially end the century-long role local authorities have in managing education.

The policy's proponents say it will raise standards in schools by giving them more autonomy, while its critics say it amounts to replacing local authorities with centralised Whitehall control.

Some head teachers and parents are also angry about the Governments plan for harder testing for seven and 11 year old children, with some saying the policy is setting children up to fail.

Ms Morgan tried to allay those fears, telling the conference: As you know, if a school meets the progress standard it is above the floor altogether. We have made sure all who hold schools accountable are aware of this too, and we will continue to do so.

Historically, the floor standard has identified only a small proportion of schools every year which are below that standard - and this year I can reassure you that no more than 1 per cent more schools will be below the floor standard than last year.
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The leader of the Israeli Labor Party has written to Jeremy Corbyn to say he is appalled and outraged at examples of alleged anti-Semitism in Labour.

Isaac Herzog, whose party is in the same international federation of socialist parties as Labour, invited Mr Corbyn to visit Israels holocaust museum to help Labour better understand the scourge of anti-Semitism.

Labour has been rocked over the last week by the suspension of MP Naz Shah, and then Ken Livingstone, a Labour national executive committee member and former MP.

Recommended Read more Corbyn launches independent inquiry to tackle antisemitism in Labour

Ms Shah was revealed to have endorsed a suggestion about relocating Israel to North America before she had become an MP, and Mr Livingstone himself raised Adolf Hitler while defending her in broadcast interviews.

I would like to take this opportunity, in the week leading up to Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel, to invite you to bring a delegation from the British Labour Party to Israels national Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem, Mr Herzog wrote.

By doing this, perhaps we can ensure that the anti-Semitism expressed in recent days is not the example to set to [sic] British young generation, but rather one of tolerance and acceptance of all people, regardless of faith.

Mr Herzog added: As someone whose father served in the British army and risked his life fighting against Hitler and the Nazis, the views expressed by Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London and member of Labours national executive, in which he claimed that Hitler 'was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews' were particularly horrific, and unthinkable for a British politician and the 21st century.

Such a visit would likely be a test for Mr Corbyn, who has long been a vocal critic of Israels policies towards Palestinians.

Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said Show all 14 1 /14 Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On Israel and Palestine The simple fact in all of this is that Naz made these comments at a time when there was another brutal Israeli attack on the Palestinians; and theres one stark fact that virtually no one in the British media ever reports, in almost all these conflicts the death toll is usually between 60 and 100 Palestinians killed for every Israeli. Now, any other country doing that would be accused of war crimes but its like we have a double standard about the policies of the Israeli government Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On Antisemitism in the Labour Party As Ive said, Ive never heard anybody say anything antisemitism-Semitic, but theres been a very well-orchestrated campaign by the Israel lobby to smear anybody who criticises Israeli policy as antisemitic. I had to put up with 35 years of this Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On Naz Shah Its completely over-the-top and rude, but who am I to denounce anyone with all of that. It was wrong. I dont think she is antisemitic, it was incredibly rude but I dont believe she is an antisemite. When the NEC investigation is finished they'll say it was rude and over the top but they wont find any evidence that she actually hates Jews. Weve got to investigate all these charges and the context in which they are made. If she is antisemitic like the other three or four members weve found who are antisemitic, shell be expelled Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On other alleged antisemites in Labour That is part of the classic antisemitic thing about an international Jewish conspiracy  that is the reason we need to have an investigation. Ive got an open mind. Ive seen nothing to suggest to me that she is antisemitic. I wouldnt have supported her if I [thought] she was antisemitic Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On whether what Hitler did was legal, as stated by Naz Shah Thats a statement of fact  Hitler, Im sure, passed all those laws that allowed him to do that  its history  literally, Hitler was completely mad, he killed six million Jews. Shes not saying its legal to kill six million Jews: what they were doing in that country allowed them not just to kill six million Jews, kill all the communists, kill all the leftists like me, my father almost died when a Nazi sub sank his boat. I have no sympathy with Hitler Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On another alleged antisemite in Labour No, that is, and thats why shes been suspended or expelled. What Ive said is that in 47 years of the party in all the meetings Ive been in Ive never heard anyone say anything antisemitic. There are bound to be in a party of half a million people youll have a handful of antisemites, youll have a handful of racists. Youve managed to dig out virtually every antisemitic comment that Labour members have made out of half a million people. Ive never met any of these people. Theres not a problem. Youre talking about a handful of people in a party of half a million people. Jeremy Corbyn has moved rapidly to deal with them Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On Jeremy Corbyns response to the allegations He met with Naz and she agreed she would stand down while the investigation is going on. He called her in to see her. Theres been a huge investigation of virtually everything that anybody put on the internet  many of these people are quite new and recent members of the party that joined in the big influx. 300,000 new people came in Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On his meeting a man accused of antisemitism in London This is the man who called for Muslims around the world to donate blood after the attacks of 9/11 when he came to London I went with him to the Regents Park mosque where he said no man should hit a woman and you should not discriminate against homosexuals. So I cant equate what I heard him say he made no antisemitic statement while he was here in London. I dont investigate people. Ive simply said what I believe to be true which is that Naz was not antisemitic. She was completely over the top, very rude, but that does not make her an antisemite Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On John Manns comments He went completely over the top. I was actually doing a radio interview at the time that he was bellowing that Im a racist antisemite in my ear. Ive had that with John Mann before a few weeks ago screaming that I was a bigot down the phone. Im not an apologist for anyone who makes antisemitic statements. What Im saying is dont confuse antisemitism with criticism of the Israeli government policy Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On calling a Jewish journalist a concentration camp guard whilst Mayor of London I cant tell if a journalist is Jewish or Catholic or anything. If a journalist is chasing you down the street at nine of clock at night you might be rude to them. Some people might have hit him! He said he was just doing his job. We went all the way to the High Court and the judge opened his judgement by saying I hope no one here is going to suggest that Mr Livingstone is antisemitic. We won the case Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On claims about Hitler and Zionism I cant tell if a journalist is Jewish or Catholic or anything. If a journalist is chasing you down the street at nine of clock at night you might be rude to them. Some people might have hit him! He said he was just doing his job. We went all the way to the High Court and the judge opened his judgement by saying I hope no one here is going to suggest that Mr Livingstone is antisemitic. We won the case Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On John Mann Id simply say to John Mann go back and check. Is what I say true, or is it not? The BBC, youve got a huge team of researchers, it will take just an hour or two to go back and confirm. I was asked a question, I answered it. I have never in 45 years since I won my first election, I have never lied. I have always answered the question Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On raising the issue if Hitler It lays you open to people smearing and lying about you. Ive always answered the questions put to me and that simple fact is weve had a handful of people saying antisemitic things in the Labour Party, theyve been suspended, some of them are on their way to being expelled, some of them have been expelled already Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On people calling for him to be suspended All my usual critics  but the simple fact is I agree with them; there is no place for antisemitism in the Labour party. For them to suggest I am antisemitic is a bit bizarre considering we worked with Jewish groups and put on exhibitions about the scale of the holocaust, we worked with Jewish groups to tackling the scale of antisemitism back in the 1970s. Ive always opposed every form of racism whether its against black people or Jews. Im going to stay in the Labour party and continue to fight against all forms of racism and discrimination as I have my entire life

The Israeli Labor Party leader said the reports about comments by Ms Shah sicken[ed] all those of moral conscience to the core.

Over the last week Mr Herzog himself has been subject to criticism after he was filmed telling activists we need to stop giving the impression that we are Arab-lovers.

He was lambasted for the statement from across the political spectrum, with some MPs branding the comments racist and calling for his resignation.

The letter is not the first time the Israeli Labor Party has intervened in the UK since Mr Corbyns election.

In February Mr Herzog distanced himself from Mr Corbyn, describing him as naive and said he did not understand the reality of the Middle East.

In September Michal Biran, an MP from the party, told a fringe event at party conference that Mr Corbyns election would be a disaster for Israel.

Labour today announced it had launched an independent inquiry into how to tackle antisemitism in the party.
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At least 12 people have died after a six-storey building collapsed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi following days of torrential rain and flooding.

Rescuers at the citys Huruma residential estate pulled out 128 people after the collapse on Friday night, according to the Kenya Police, but dozens more were feared trapped under the rubble.

President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered the arrest of the building's owner. He told Kenyan broadcaster NTV: If we use heavy machines the rubble might crumble, so we must be very careful."

Mr Kenyatta said survivors would be given temporary shelter at the nearby Daima primary school, adding: We will be supporting the victims, and we are registering them and giving social support, as some are traumatised.

Venant Ndigila, a spokesman for the Red Cross, said the charity is working frantically on the rescue operation. He added: "We can still hear voices of people who are still inside."

Charles Owino, a spokesman for the police, said in a statement: "It's an old building ... we don't how how much the heavy rains could have caused the building to fall. There could be other technical reasons."

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. 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Steven Oundo, the chair of Kenya's National Construction Authority, said there would be an investigation into whether the building had a certificate allowing people to live inside. A survey carried out last year found that more than half the buildings in the capital were unfit for habitation.

Heavy rainfall was set to continue over the next week in Nairobi, the Kenya Meteorological Department said, adding that there was also a risk of lightning strikes.

Mr Kenyatta last year ordered an audit of all the buildings in the country after a spate of collapses.

Police said at least 14 people have died as a result of the Nairobi rains, including those in the collapse.

In other separate incidents, two people drowned when their vehicle was swept away by storm waters in the capital's industrial area, another person died in floods, and four were killed when a wall collapsed.

The rainfall has caused landslides, washed away houses and flooded roads. More than 1,000 homes have been displaced by the flooding, according to Kenya's Red Cross.

In 2015, a seven-storey building collapsed in the same district.
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A police officer from Florida has been fired and arrested after he was caught on video beating a handcuffed woman.

Probationary officer Akinyemi Borisade from Jacksonville, was captured on the footage repeatedly hitting 31-year-old Mayra Martinez on Wednesday at the Duval County Jail. Ms Martinez, the employee of a strip club, had been detained after a disturbance at the club she had worked at.

At the jail, Mr Borisade struck Ms Martinez several times after she had tried to kick him. She then sat slumped next to a rubbish bin can as other officers looked on.

Martinez was charged with trespassing and resisting the police. Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (Jacksonville Sheriff's Office)

There are ways that this could have been dealt with without striking her, Undersheriff Pat Ivey told the Florida Times-Union.

The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office said it had both fired and arrested Mr Borisade, 26, who had been with the department for little more than a year.

When we see an officer do something like this, we have to respond quickly, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams told reporters on Friday.

We are accountable to the community for how these officers act. They are accountable for their actions.

Reports said the incident had happened on Wednesday after officers were called to Scores Gentlemen's Club in after receiving complaints of Ms Martinez's behavior.

An employee said Ms Martinez consumed four shots of 100-proof liquor, according to the Times-Union, and decided to quit her job even though she had just starting working there. When officers arrived, she resisted and did not want to leave.

Ms Martinez was charged with trespassing and resisting the police.
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A US air strike that destroyed a charity-run hospital in northern Afghanistan, killing 42 people, was due to human error, violations of combat rules and equipment failures, a senior American general has said.

Sixteen military personnel were given administrative punishments that could end their careers, but no one faces a court martial. Among those being disciplined is a two-star general, according to the Defence Department.

The Pentagon confirmed on Friday that the October 2015 attack on the hospital run by charity Doctors Without Borders was not a war crime because it was unintentional. During the attack, a US gunship mistook the hospital at Kanduz for a building that had been seized by Taliban fighters and fired on it with a AC-130 gunship, which is armed with side-firing cannons and guns.

The gunship fired on the hospital for 30 minutes before the mistake was realised and the attack was halted, General Jospeh Votel, commander of US Central Command, told a news conference. The intended target, an Afghan intelligence agency building, was just 450 yards away.

Pentagon officials have said they cannot discuss the case because of investigations (AP)

Investigators concluded that that the US ground and air commanders should have known, but according to Gen. Votel, no one knew the targeted compound was a hospital.

Zabihullah Neyazi, a nurse who lost his left arm, eye and a finger in the attack, told Associated Press that administrative punishment for the American service members wasnt enough. He said: "A trial should be in Afghanistan, in our presence, in the presence of the victims' families, so they would be satisfied."

24-year-old pharmacist Khalid Ahmad still has shrapnel embedded in his waist and cannot move his right leg. He told AP that those responsible are criminals, and they must be jailed.

"The threshold that must be crossed for this deadly incident to amount to a grave breach of international humanitarian law is not whether it was intentional or not. <p>Meinie Nicolai, president of Doctors Without Borders</p>

Doctors Without Borders, an international charity organisation known by its French acronym MSF, said in a statement on Friday that the punishments were inadequate and out of proportion to the deaths and injuries caused by the attack. They called for an independent and impartial investigation.

Votel expressed deepest condolences to those injured and the families of those killed, and told reporters that the US government made gesture of sympathy payments of $3,000 to each injured person and $6,000 to each family of those killed.

But Meinie Nicolai, president of Doctors Without Borders, told AP: "The threshold that must be crossed for this deadly incident to amount to a grave breach of international humanitarian law is not whether it was intentional or not. With various countries fighting in the region with different rules, she noted that "armed groups cannot escape their responsibilities on the battlefield simply by ruling out the intent to attack a protected structure such as a hospital."

Votel said that the names of the sixteen who will be disciplined will not be published to protect the privacy of the individuals and, in some cases, because they are still assigned to sensitive or overseas positions.
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Isis has claimed responsibility for hacking to death a tailor outside his shop in Bangladesh.

The militant group said it was behind the killing of 52-year-old Nikhil Chandra Joarder, who was working at his shop in Tangail when two men on motorbikes rode up to his premises, dragged him outside and hacked him to death.

They came on a motorcycle and attacked him as he sat on a roadside. They hacked him on his head, neck and hand, AFP reported Aslam Khan, deputy chief of Tangail district police, as saying.

A possible motive for the attack is that the victim had been jailed in 2012 for blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammad after a complaint was made to police, although when the complaint was withdrawn he was released, having served several weeks in prison.

However, police are yet to draw any conclusions and are also said to be investigating whether the murder could be linked to a dispute of some sort.

Attacks against minorities by extremists in Bangladesh are on the rise, with several activists, the editor of the countrys first LBGT magazine and a Hindu priest hacked to death since February.

Following the increase in attacks on religious minorities, Bangladesh was reported to be considering dropping Islam as the countrys official religion, although the idea is unlikely to gain popular support.

The government has denied there is an Isis presence in the country, but Islamist groups Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh and Ansarullah Bangla Team are believed to have carried out at least seven attacks on foreign and minority people in Bangladesh in the past year.
Students from Lee University and Southern Adventist University prepared sweets with the residents of The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer's Center of Excellence, Collegedale. Cutting out fun cookie shapes and pondering over puzzles, the students and residents had nothing less than a full day of fun activities to share.





As a part of the Meaningful Day programming, the Life Enrichment Program at The Lantern invites area schools, colleges and organizations to spend time with residents at the memory care community.




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Claims US troops taunted North Korea's army with disgusting acts have been dismissed by the American-led UN command.

The North Korean military accused US troops in the demilitarised border village of Panmunjom of mocking North Korean soldiers by pointing their fingers at them, making strange noises and pulling disgusting facial expressions in a statement on Friday.

It also accused American soldiers of encouraging South Korean troops to aim their guns at the Korean Peoples Army (KPA) at the Oryonggye guard post on 20 and 21 April, insisting the dangerous provocations began on 7 April and continued until 26 April, Yonhap news agency reports.

The statement warned US troops to stop the hooliganism or face dogs death any time any place.

North Korea launch short range projectiles Show all 6 1 /6 North Korea launch short range projectiles North Korea launch short range projectiles A man watches a TV news program showing a file footage of the missile launch conducted by North Korea, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, AP North Korea launch short range projectiles North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaking during a ceremony for the scientists, technicians, workers and officials who worked on the recent successful launch of a satellite EPA North Korea launch short range projectiles People watch a TV news program showing a file footage of the missile launch conducted by North Korea, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, AP North Korea launch short range projectiles North Korean soldiers guard the truce village of Panmunjom at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which separates the two Koreas, in Panmunjom, North Korea AP North Korea launch short range projectiles People watch a TV news program showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea AP North Korea launch short range projectiles An undated file picture released by the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North Korean ruling Workers Party EPA

"The US imperialists and their stooges should not forget even for a moment what a miserable end they will meet as they recklessly act in the area at the risk of death, a KPA spokesman said, the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports.

Spokesman for the UN command, Christopher Bush, said it had looked into the allegations and found them to be unsubstantiated.

The accusations came a day after South Korean and US officials said two suspected medium-range missile launched by North Korea ended in failure.

The North Korean military insinuated the serious provocations were timed to coincide with the annual joint US-South Korea military exercises, which began in March and are set to end on Saturday.

This is not the first time allegations of unruly behaviour have been made between the two sides. In 2006, US troops claimed North Korean soldiers spat across the borders demarcation line, made throat slashing gestures and flashed their middle fingers following Pyongyangs first nuclear bomb test.

Around 28,000 American troops are deployed in the so-called "Truce Village" of Panmunjom, just north of the de facto border between North and South Korea, which saw the signing of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement that paused the Korean War.

The village is visited regularly by tourists who are warned not to make gestures that could anger North Korean soldiers nearby.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
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Hundreds of left-wing protesters have clashed with people attending a far-right party conference in the German city of Stuttgart.

Around 1,000 officers were deployed at the Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) party conference, as 400 arrests were made.

Demonstrators burned tires on a motorway and threw fireworks and flares at officers, according to a police spokesman. A police helicopter was sent to the scene, while water cannon and pepper spray were used on the crowds.

The conference at the Stuttgart Exhibition Centre, which was attended by nearly 2,000 AfD members, was delayed by an hour.

Footage on social media showed the protesters shouting slogans such as: "Keep refugees, drive Nazis away!" and "We'll get you all."

#afdstoppen #demo #refugeeswelcome A video posted by @schmidt_in on Apr 30, 2016 at 1:17am PDT

AfD, which wants to ban the burqa and outlaw minarets in Germany, is expected to announce that it is explicitly anti-Islamic during the meeting.

The party was due to set out its manifesto ahead of country's general election next year.

Proposals under consideration include withdrawing from the euro and the reintroduction of army conscription. But there are divisions among the party, particularly between its less extreme members and the leadership.

 Hundreds arrested in Germany as far-right party meets

The anti-immigrant party won three key states in regional elections last month, claiming almost a quarter of the vote in the relatively poor eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. AfD is now represented in eight state legislatures.

It has campaigned against Angela Merkel's open-borders approach, labelling the German chancellors decision to accept a million migrants and refugees in 2015 as catastrophic.
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More than 80 refugees are feared dead after a migrant boat sank off the coast of Libya.

An Italian merchant ship rescued 26 people following the disaster but survivors said more than 100 had set sail for Europe on Friday.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said testimonies gathered from asylum seekers taken to safety on the Italian island of Lampedusa indicated that 84 people were missing.

The Italian coast guard said it received a call from a satellite telephone on Friday but heard no voice on the other end.

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.

Rescuers tracked the signal to a location about seven miles off the Libyan coast and diverted a merchant vessel in the area for the rescue.

A spokesperson said they found a sinking rubber boat of the kind that is usually packed with up to 120 people by smugglers.

The closure of land routes through the Balkans and the controversial deal seeing migrants deported back to Turkey from Greece have raised fears that refugees fleeing conflict and persecution will take longer and more dangerous routes to Europe.

The Central Mediterranean route from Libya to Italy has been the deadliest stretch of water for refugees so far this year, seeing more than 900 drown so far.

As of Wednesday, another 370 had died in the Aegean Sea attempting to reach Greece according to the IOM, which puts refugee deaths at more than 1,300 since January.


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The body of a Russian special forces officer who ordered an air strike on himself after becoming surrounded by Isis militants in Syria has been returned home.

Senior Lieutenant Alexander Prokhorenko, 25, died last month during battles by regime forces and supporters to re-take the city of Palmyra.

Vladimir Putin awarded him the title of Hero of the Russian Federation and the Kremilin co-ordinated with Kurdish forces to recover and repatriate his body.

Smoke billows from the Palmyra citadel as Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes took back the city from Islamic State (Getty)

It arrived back in Moscow on Friday, the Russian defence ministry said.

Following special joint steps taken with the participation of representatives of the Syrian authorities and the Kurdish militia, the officers body has been delivered to Moscow, a spokesperson told Tass news agency.

Returning the body of Hero of the Russian Federationwas a matter of honour for the Russian Defence Ministry.

Lt Prokhorenkos funeral will be held on 6 May in the village of Gorodki, in Russias Orenburg region.

The 25-year-old had been tasked with guiding Russian air strikes on Isis targets during the advance on Palmyra, also known as Tadmur, by Bashar al-Assads forces last month.

 Palmyra after Isis

Lt Prokhorenko was hailed as a national hero after he reportedly ordered Russian planes to target his position when it became surrounded by militants on 17 March.

The so-called Islamic State was driven out of the city 10 days later.

The Russian President posthumously awarded Lt Prokhorenko the title of Hero of the Russian Federation for courage and heroism in the performance of his military duties earlier this month.

Palmyra, famed for its ancient ruins, had been overrun by Isis in May last year and became a backdrop for a series of gruesome execution videos.

Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Show all 10 1 /10 Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Graffiti on the ancient stones reads in Arabic Shooting without the permission of the chief is prohibited Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Damaged artefacts lay inside the museum of the historic city of Palmyra Reuters Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Syrian pro-government forces rest by Palmyra Citadel as they take control of the city from the hands of Isis Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces The UNESCO world heritage site appears surprisingly intact after its recapture from the militant group Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Many had feared the ancient city would be destroyed following its capture by Isis in May Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Smoke billows from the Palmyra Citadel as Assads forces drive the Jihadist group from the city Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Palmyra is one of the most important cultural centers of the world Unesco says Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces Pro-government forces play football in the streets following the recapture of the city Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces The extent of the destruction caused by Isis 10 month occupation of the city has yet to be fully realised Getty Palmyra recaptured by Syrian government forces Palmyra recaptured by Syrian pro-government forces The City Council of Palmyra building in ruins Reuters

Russian special forces have been on the ground in Syria since Mr Putin launched an intervention in support of the Syrian regime last September.

Colonel General Aleksandr Dvornikov said they conduct ground reconnaissance for air strikes in remote area, as well as other unspecified tasks.

At least eight Russian servicemen are believed to have died so far in Syria, including two pilots whose helicopter crashed earlier this month, the pilot of a fighter jet shot down by Turkey and a marine killed by rebels during a mission to rescue him.

Two others were killed in mortar attacks and bombardment, while a 19-year-old soldier died in disputed circumstances at his air base in Latakia.

The United Nations and humanitarian organisations have raised concern about the death of civilians and opposition fighters in Russian air strikes, but the Kremlin insists it has been targeting Isis and terrorists
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A car bombing in southeastern Baghdad has killed at least 21 people and wounded 42 others, according to local police and hospital officials.

The attack targeted Shia pilgrims walking to a holy shrine in Kadhimayah, a suburb of the city, police at the scene said.

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, Isis has carried out similar attacks in Baghdads Shia neighbourhoods in the past. Isis claims Shias are apostates who deserve death.

Thousands of Shia pilgrims are expected to travel on foot from across Iraq to the shrine to 8th century Imam Moussa al-Kadhim over the coming days to commemorate the anniversary of his death.

Iraq has been plagued by sectarian violence since the American invasion in 2003, when US troops deposed the largely secular Baathist government of Saddam Hussein.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has come under increasing in recent months following political instability and the cost of the fight against Isis (Reuters)

Haider al-Abadi, Iraqs Prime Minister, is under increasing public pressure after the failure of repeated attempts by his government to combat economic problems and carry out political reforms.

Analysts and Iraqi security officials say Isis is resorting to insurgent-style attacks in Baghdad and other areas after a number of defeats on the battlefield.

It has lost approximately 40 per cent of the populated territory it once held in Iraq, according to the BBC.

In March, Isis claimed it carried out a suicide bombing attack on a stadium in Baghdad, which killed 30 and injured 95 others, according to Al Jazeera.

More than 40 civilians have been killed in large-scale bombings in Baghdad over the past month.

Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Hundreds of protesters have stormed Iraqs parliament building, waving flags and taking selfies, in a demonstration against a government deadlock.

Supporters of the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr broke through gates of the protected Green Zone in Baghdad after politicians failed to convene to vote in a new cabinet.

A state of emergency was declared in the capital as the unrest continued on Saturday afternoon; security officials said entrances to the city had been shut as a "precautionary measure".

Followers of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr outside the parliament building in Iraq on April 30, 2016. (Reuters)

Witnesses said the protesters gathered outside the heavily fortified district housing government buildings and foreign embassies before crossing a bridge over the Tigris River chanting the cowards ran away in apparent reference to departing MPs.

There were no immediate reports of clashes with security forces, but special forces personnel were dispatched with armoured vehicles to protect sensitive sites, security officials said.

Some compounds used by United Nations staff and Western diplomats were reportedly locked down as the unrest continued.

A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office told The Independent that it was following the situation closely and working with local authorities.

All British Embassy staff in the Green Zone were understood to be safe and there were no evacuations underway.

One video posted online showed protesters attacking an armoured SUV with sticks and other objects, while other footage showed a man believed to be an MP being beaten.

Inside the building, some protesters were reportedly jumping on tables and chairs, while others were heard shouting at them not to break anything.

A Kurdish Peshmerga guard at a checkpoint told the Reuters news agency that crowds surged in after security forces pulled back from an external checkpoint in an unsuccessful effort to secure the parliament building.

Local television broadcast footage from inside the parliament building showed hundreds of protesters dancing, waving Iraqi flags and chanting pro-Sadr slogans.

Some appeared to be breaking furniture and ransacking the building, while others took videos and selfies in the main chamber, where politicians had been meeting minutes earlier.

Followers of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the parliament building on 30 April 2016 (Reuters)

Thousands more protesters remained at the gates of the district chanting, peaceful, peaceful.

Police and troops guarding the area appeared to be taking no action, and a spokesperson for Iraq's elite counter-terrorism forces, who have previously been called on to reinforce security in the capital, said they were standing down.

"We still view this as a demonstration (rather than a terrorist incident)," spokesperson Sabah al-Numan said, adding that the unit may be forced to intervene to protect the legitimacy of the government".

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) urged calm, restraint and respect for Iraq's constitutional institutions at this crucial juncture in a statement expressing concern, but said it continued to operate from inside the Green Zone.

Supporters of Mr Sadr, whose fighters once controlled swathes of Baghdad and helped defend the capital from Isis, have been demonstrating in Baghdad for weeks in response to their leader's call to put pressure on Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to follow through on promises of reform.

There were rumours that Mr Abadi had fled Baghdad after the storming of parliament, but television footage showed him walking inside the Green Zone with dozens of armed guards, discrediting the reports.

 Iraq parliament fails to approve new cabinet again

Mr Sadr threatened to storm the Green Zone with supporters earlier this month, calling for the removal of the parliamentary speaker, Salim al-Jabouri, and held a political sit-in calling for a new cabinet to be appointed.

Shortly before Saturday's breach, he made a speech from the holy city of Najaf, saying: Either corrupt (officials) and quotas remain, or the entire government will be brought down and no one will be exempt from that.

Political parties have resisted efforts to replace some ministers  chosen to balance Iraq's divisions along party, ethnic and sectarian lines  with technocrats in order to combat corruption.

Advocates warned that any delay to the vote could hamper the war against Isis, which controls vast swathes of northern and western Iraq.

The terrorist group claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed at least 21 people and wounded many more in an attack targeting Shia pilgrims on Satruday morning.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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Isis is believed to have executed more than 4,000 people in less than two years for 'offences' including sodomy and apostasy in Syria.

Monitors compiled the list of atrocities dating back to the declaration of the so-called Islamic State in June 2014, showing regular beheadings, shootings, stonings and other methods of murder, including throwing people off buildings and setting them on fire.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that by the end of the 22nd month of the caliphate, 4,144 people had been executed.

Civilians including women and children were among those killed, as are hundreds of Isiss own members and enemy fighters from Syrian President Bashar al-Assads army and opposition rebel groups.

 Islamic State is 'On the Defensive' in Iraq and Syria - Obama

In the month to 29 March this year, 80 killings were recorded in Isis territory in the provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Al-Hasakah.

A child was one of 37 Syrian civilians executed, while 24 Isis members, six rebels and Kurdish YPG fighters, and more than a dozen Syrian army and militia members were beheaded and shot, SOHR said.

Monitors listed a series of charges, including acts banned under sharia law like sodomy and apostasy, and espionage.

Alleged co-operation with enemies including al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, the YPG and the Crusader alliance  the US-led coalition  was also a capital offence.

Isiss warped ideology was evident in many of the supposed offences, which reportedly included working according to human law instead of Sharia and corrupting in the land.

Accusations of attempting to defect or escape Isis territory were a cause of several its members deaths, as well as military cowardice.

Harry Sarfo, who appeared in an Isis execution video, spoke to The Independent after fleeing the group

A former London student who joined Isis in Syria last year, described the reign of terror jihadists enforce in their strongholds in an interview with The Independent.

Harry Sarfo is currently in prison in Germany awaiting trial for terror offences after fleeing the brutality he saw in Syria in July.

I witnessed stonings, beheadings, shootings, hands chopped off and many other things, he said.

I've seen child soldiers  13-year-old boys with explosive belts and Kalashnikovs. Some boys even driving cars and involved in executions.

My worst memory is of the execution of six men shot in the head by Kalashnikovs. The chopping off of a man's hand and making him hold it with the other hand.

The Islamic State is not just un-Islamic, it is inhuman. A blood-related brother killed his own brother on suspicion of being a spy. They gave him the order to kill him. It is friends killing friends.

Isa Dare and an unidentified Isis militant believed to be a British teenager in a propaganda video released in February 2016

Isis carries out many of its executions in public, while carefully staging and filming others in propaganda videos like those that showing the deaths of James Foley and other Western hostages.

A four-year-old British boy was among the children used as executioners, with ever more gruesome methods of murder including rocket launchers and explosives.

Analysts say the displays of brutality are part of propaganda attempts by Isis to terrorise the West and its enemies, while quelling any possible resistance from those trapped inside its territories.

SOHR said civilians made up the bulk of those executed, estimated at 2,230 people, including three large-scale massacres of Sunni and Kurdish citizens.

The next largest group is believed to be members of President Assads forces and pro-regime militias captured in battle  around 1,100  followed by Isis members.

More than 400 of the organisations own fighters and followers were recorded executed according to SOHR's count, including many foreign fighters murdered after being arrested by the organisation when they were trying to return to their countries, monitors said.

Timeline: The emergence of Isis Show all 40 1 /40 Timeline: The emergence of Isis Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2000 Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (pictured here) forms an al-Qaeda splinter group in Iraq, al-Qaeda in Iraq. Its brutality from the beginning alienates Iraqis and many al-Qaeda leaders. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2006 Al-Zarqawi is killed in a U.S. strike. Al-Zarqawis successor, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, announces the creation of the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI). Reuters Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2009 Still al-Qaeda-linked ISI claims responsibility for suicide bombings that killed 155 in Baghdad, as well as attacks in August and October killing 240, as President Obama announces troop withdrawal from Iraq in March. Getty Images Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2010 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi becomes head of ISI, at lowest ebb of Islamist militancy in Iraq, which sees last U.S. combat brigade depart. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2012 In Syria, protests (pictured here starting in Daree) have morphed into what president Assad labelled a real war with emergence of a coalition of forces opposed to Assads regime. Syria group Jabhat al-Nusra are among rebel groups who refuse to join, denouncing it as a conspiracy. Bombings targeting Shia areas, killing more than 500 people, spark fears of new sectarian conflict. Sunni Muslims stage protests across country against what they see as increasingly marginalisation by Shia-led government. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2013 Al-Baghdadi renames ISI as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or Isis, as the group absorbs Syrian al-Nusra, gaining a foothold in Syria. In response, al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri (Bin Ladens successor) concerned about Isis expansion orders that Isis be dissolved and ISI operations should be confined to Iraq. This order is rejected by al-Baghdadi. AFP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - January Isis fighters capture the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, giving them base to launch slew of attacks further south. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - June Isis declares itself the Caliphate, calling itself Islamic State (IS). The group captures Mosul, Iraqs second largest city; Tal Afar, just 93 miles from Syrian border; and the central Iraqi city of Tikrit. These advances sent shockwaves around the world. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - June Around the same time Isis releases a video calling for western Muslims to join the Caliphate and fight, prompting new evaluations of extremists groups social media understanding. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - June Isis take Baiji oil fields in Iraq - giving them access to huge amounts of possible revenue. EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - August James Foley is executed by the group as concerns grow for second American prisoner, fellow reporter Steven Sotloff. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - August Obama authorises U.S. airstrikes in Iraq, helping to stall Isis along with action by Kurdish forces following the deaths of hundreds of Yazidi people on Mount Sinjar. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Isis release video showing Steven Sotloffs murder prompting Western speculation his executioner is same man who killed Mr Foley. EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Obama tells us that America will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Isis release a video appearing to show David Haines, who was captured by militants in Syria in 2013, wearing an orange jumpsuit and kneeling in the desert while he reads a pre-prepared script. It later shows what appears to be the aid worker's body. Rex Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - September Peshmerga fighters scrabble to hold positions in the Diyala province (a gateway to Baghdad) as Isis fighters continue to advance on Iraqi capital. AFP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - October Aid worker Alan Henning is killed. Self-imposed media blackout refuses to show images of him in final moments, instead focuses upon humanitarian care. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - October Isis raise their flag in Kobani, which had been strongly defended by Kurdish troops. The victory goes against hopeful western analysis Isis had overextended itself, while alienating much of the Muslim population through the murder of Henning. Victory causes fresh waves of Kurdish refugees arriving in Turkey. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2014 - November American hostage, who embarced values of Islam, Peter Kassig and 14 Syrian soldiers are shown meeting the same fate as other captives. But intelligence agencies will be poring over the apparently significant discrepancies between this and previous films. Seramedig.org.uk Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February Isis has released a video revealing the murder by burning to death of a Jordanian pilot held by the group since the end of December 2014. Reuters Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February Isis militants have released videos which appear to show the beheading of Japanese hostages Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February American aid worker, Kayla Mueller was the last American hostage known to be held by Isis. She died, according to her captors, in an airstrike by the Jordanian air force on the city of Raqqa in Syria, though US authorities disputed this. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February Isis militants have posted a gruesome video online in which they force 21 Egyptian Coptic Christian hostages to kneel on a beach in Libya before beheading them. Egypt vowed to avenge the beheading and launched air strikes on Isis positions. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - February The British Isis militant suspected of appearing in videos showing the beheading of Western hostages has been named in reports as Mohammed Emwazi from London. Rex Features Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - March Isis triple suicide attack has killed more than 100 worshippers and hundreds of others were injured after the group members targeted two mosques in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - April Iraqi forces have claimed victory over Isis in battle for Tikrit and raised the flag in the city. EPA/STR Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - April Isis has claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan that killed at least 35 people queuing to collect their wages and injured 100 more. EPA Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - April Isis media arm released a 29-minute video purporting to show militants executing Ethiopian Christians captives. The footage bore the extremist groups al-Furqan media logo and showed the destruction of churches and desecration of religious symbols. A masked fighter made a statement threatening Christians who did not convert to Islam or pay a special tax. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis has been "incapacitated" by a spinal injuries sustained in a US air strike in Iraq. He is being treated in a hideout by two doctors from Isis stronghold of Mosul who are said to be "strong ideological supporters of the group". Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isis has also claimed responsibility for killing 300 of Yazidi captives, including women, children and elderly people in Iraq AP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isis attack on Prophet Mohamed cartoon contest in Texas was its first action on US soil. Two gunmen were shot and killed after launching the attack at the exhibition. Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi have been named as the attackers at the Curtis Culwell Centre arena in Garland. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isiss deputy leader, Abu Alaa Afri, a former physics teacher who was thought to have taken charge of the deadly terrorist group, has been killed in a US-led coalition airstrike. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May US special forces have killed a senior Isis leader named as Abu Sayyaf in an operation aiming to capture him and his wife in Syria. Getty Images Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Iran-backed militias are sent to Ramadi by the Iraqi government to fight Isis militants who completed their capture of the city. Government soldiers and civilians were reportedly massacred by extremists as they took control and the army fled. Charred bodies were left littering the city streets as troops clung on to trucks speeding away from the city. Ramadi is the latest government stronghold to fall to the so-called Islamic State, despite air strikes by a US-led international coalition aiming to stop its advance in Iraq and Syria. AFP Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May Isis rounded up civilians trapped in Palmyra and forced them to watch 20 people being executed in the historic citys ancient amphitheatre. The Unesco World Heritage site was overrun by militants, threatening the future of 2,000 year-old monuments and ruins. Thousands of Palmyras residents fled but many are still living within the city walls, while the UN human rights office in Geneva said it had received reports of Syrian government forces preventing people from leaving until they retreated from the city. Getty Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - May A group of Isis-affiliated fighters have captured a key airport in central Libya. The militants took control of the al-Qardabiya airbase in Sirte after a local militia tasked with defending the facility withdrew from their positions. Affiliates of Isis, already control large parts of Sirte, the birthplace of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and a former stronghold of his supporters. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June The US Air Force has destroyed an Isis stronghold after an extremist let slip their location on social media. According the Air Force Times, General Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, said that Airmen at Hulburt Field, Florida, used images shared by jihadists to track the location of their headquarters before destroying it in an airstrike. Reuters Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June Kurdish forces captured a key military base in a significant victory in Raqqa as well as town of Tell Abyad. YPG fighters, backed by US-led airstrikes and other rebels, consolidated their gains, when they seized the key town on the Syria-Turkey border. They are now just 30 miles to the north of Raqqa and have cut off a major supply route deep inside Isis-held territory. Ahmet Silk/Getty Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June Isis has released gruesome footage claiming to show the murder of more than a dozen men by drowning, decapitation and using a rocket-propelled grenade as it seeks to boost morale among its fanatical supporters. Timeline: The emergence of Isis 2015 - June Isis has begun carrying out its threat to destroy structures in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, blowing up at least two monuments at the Unesco-protected site as Syrian government troops made advances on the Islamists positions. AFP

At least 300 Islamist and opposition rebels, including from Jabhat al-Nusra and Kurdish groups, were also killed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights call again on the UN Security Council to work seriously to stop the crimes and violations committed against the Syrian people by the Islamic State and the regime of Bashar al-Assad, a spokesperson said.

Recent weeks have seen several bodies crucified in Isis de-facto capital of Raqqa, where militants have reportedly been imposing harsh penalties and taxes on civilians amid the US-led coalitions campaign to strangle its revenue streams.

Earlier this month, Barack Obama said the strategy was working and that the number of fighters was falling under pressure from air strikes and other operations.

Their ranks of fighters are estimated to be at the lowest levels in about two years, and more and more of them are realizing that their cause is lost, the US President said.
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More air strikes and rockets were raining down on Aleppo on Saturday as the divided city remained excluded from a partial ceasefire agreed elsewhere in Syria.

Bashar al-Assads government said it would adhere to a regime of silence that started at midnight and was due to continue for 24 hours in Damascus and 72 hours in Latakia province.

Rebel groups, excluding Isis and Jabhat al-Nusra, are not part of the agreement brokered by Russia and the US.

But in the countrys second largest city, where hundreds of civilians are believed to have died in recent days, air strikes and bombardment showed little sign of slowing

 Dozens killed in wave of air strikes in Syrias Aleppo

At least five people were killed in Aleppo early on Saturday in the latest round of air strikes on rebel areas, which were believed to have been carried out by Syrian government planes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Rami Abdulrahman, director of the UK-based monitoring group, said government-held areas were a bit quieter today, but that shells fired by rebels were still intermittently hitting.

There aren't clashes in Latakia, there aren't clashes in Ghouta (Damascus suburbs), and only some lower-level violence between rival rebel groups outside Damascus, he added.

At least 22 civilians were killed and 80 injured on the government side of Aleppo in the 24 hours to Saturday afternoon, state media reported.

It was the ninth consecutive day of deadly bombardments in the city, which has borne the brunt of increased fighting that has almost destroyed a fragile ceasefire agreed in February.

Rocket and artillery strikes attributed to Bashar al-Assads forces hit a medical centre and other civilian areas of rebel-controlled Aleppo on Friday.

Meanwhile, rebels possibly including Islamists al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra were held responsible for rocket barrages fired into the government-held side of the city.

In pictures: Aleppo bombing Show all 14 1 /14 In pictures: Aleppo bombing In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Smoke rises after airstrikes on the rebel-held al-Sakhour neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family runs for cover amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Al-Qatarji in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man reacts as he stands on blood stains at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel held area of Aleppo's al-Fardous district, Syria, April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damage of the airstrikes in the rebel-held area of Aleppo on April 28 Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damaged the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)-backed al-Quds hospital after it was hit by airstrikes, in a rebel-held area of Syria's Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians evacuate an injured man amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following an air strike on a rebel-held of Aleppo on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo People inspect the damage at a site hit by airstrikes, in the rebel-held area of Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man leads a woman in tears and child out of the scene after airstrikes hit Aleppo AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Civil defence members search for survivors after an airstrike at a field hospital in the rebel held area of al-Sukari district of Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian boy is comforted as he cries next to the body of a relative who died in a reported air strike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Soukour in the northern city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family walks amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike in the Bustan al-Qasr rebel-held district of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers and rescuers remove a baby from under the rubble of a destroyed building following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Kalasa in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians help a wounded youth following an air strike on the Fardous rebel held neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers evacuate people from a damaged building following a reported airstrike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Tareeq al-Bab in the northern city of Aleppo

At least 16 worshippers were killed after Friday prayers at the Malla Khan mosque in regime-controlled Bab al-Faraj, officials said, while the Russian Consulate said its building was hit the previous day.

In rebel areas, strikes reportedly left at least 11 dead and destroyed a medical facility on Friday - the second to be hit in a week following the internationally condemned bombing of Al Quds Hospital, where more than 50 died.

Barrel bombs were also reported to have smashed into residential neighbourhoods as rescue workers struggled to cope with the destruction.

The SOHR documented more than 220 civilians killed in Aleppo between 22 and 29 April, including 134 in rebel-controlled areas and 84 in government districts.

Violence started to rise earlier this month despite the ongoing cessation of hostilities implemented in February, which excluded internationally designated terrorist groups.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the monstrous disregard for civilian lives by all parties to the conflict and called for urgent de-escalation.

The violence is soaring back to the levels we saw prior to the cessation of hostilities, Zeid Raad Al Hussein said.

There are deeply disturbing reports of military build-ups indicating preparations for a lethal escalation.

The situation Aleppo showing the situation on 30 April 2016. Regime areas and attacks are shown in red, rebels in green, Kurds in yellow and Isis in black. (Liveuamap)

Rebel areas of Aleppo are almost surrounded by the Syrian regime, leaving only one major road in and out, raising fears that Assads forces are preparing to cut it off for a final assault.

The US government accused the Syrian regime of deliberately targeting a hospital during bombardment on Wednesday night, where more than 50 people were killed including a leading paediatrician.

John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, said American authorities were still gathering information but believed the hospital strike was a deliberate attack by Syrian forces, adding: This follows the Assad regimes appalling record of striking such facilities and first responders.

A Syrian military official in Damascus denied the government had hit the hospital and Major General Igor Konashenkov said Russian planes had not flown any missions in the region for several days.

A proposed UN resolution that supporters hope will be adopted next week demands that all parties to conflicts protect medical workers, hospitals and medical facilities against violence and attacks.

The draft resolution circulated on Friday expresses deep concern that the number of attacks is increasing despite obligations under international law, and condemns the prevailing impunity for war crimes.

Security Council members are due to vote on the resolution on Tuesday after a briefing from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the presidents of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Additional reporting by agencies
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During his first major foreign policy address earlier this week, Donald Trump  sticking to a teleprompter  deliberately avoided some of the more incendiary statements that have marked his campaign for the US presidency. But his speech did nothing to reduce a widespread sense of alarm in the Middle East over his run for the White House.

Galia Golan, an Israeli political scientist and a founder of the Israeli Peace Now movement, believes the most telling indicator of what Middle Easterners can expect from Mr Trump if he wins the presidency are what she  and many others  see as his racist pronouncements towards Mexicans and Muslims, including his call in December for a temporary ban on Muslim entry to the United States. I start from the premise that he's a bigot, said Ms Golan. There's nothing in his campaign to suggest he would be a rational leader.

I would expect him to be very anti-Arab, not because he's trying to please the Jewish lobby, but rather because he's bigoted. He will probably look on Arabs as inferior. I suspect he would be a strong supporter of Israel out of disdain for Arabs as a people. Israel could expect the continuation of all the military aid it gets and support at the UN.

But some whose sympathies lie with the ruling Israeli right are also finding cause to worry about Mr Trump's stunning successes. They see in Mr Trump's invocation of an America First position, a possible harbinger of a foreign policy of isolationism that would harm Israeli interests. Trump is an unknown, I think he himself doesn't know what he would do, but the worrying thing is that he is speaking the language of isolationism, said Shmuel Sandler, a political scientist at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv. The US has been disengaging in the region under [President Barack] Obama and we want this to stop. Israel greatly needs the US in the region. Isolationism would leave the door open for Iran and Russia.

In his speech, Mr Trump said that containing the spread of radical Islam must be a major foreign policy goal and added that he would work closely with US allies in the Middle East to combat extremism. He reiterated his past opposition to the nuclear agreement with Iran and hit out at the Obama administration for allegedly having a tepid attitude towards Israel, while enabling Tehran to emerge as a great, great power. He also criticised the Obama administration for mistaken policies towards Syria, Iraq and Libya that facilitated the growth of Isis, a group whose days, he said, would be numbered under a Trump administration. He flayed the administration for backing the ousting of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and enabling the rise of Muslim Brotherhood rule there, part of policy-making that he said was based on a dangerous idea that we could make Western democracies out of countries that had no experience or interests in becoming a Western democracy. He did not mention the word Palestinian or refer to Arab-Israeli negotiations.

Talal Awkal, a Gaza based columnist for Al-Ayyam newspaper, bristled at Mr Trump's terming of Israel a force for justice and peace.

This means that he is committed to the historical policy and strategy of the US based on strengthening Israel and seeing it as the only democracy in the area. In his estimation, the Palestinians have no rights compared to 'democratic' Israel, Mr Awkal said. He added that he has no expectation that the US will adopt a more even handed policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, no matter who becomes president.

In Cairo, Kamal Mugheeth, a scholar at the National Center for Educational Research, voiced concern that human rights in the region would deteriorate under a Trump presidency. ''The racists who divide humanity up by colour or religion are by definition against human rights. For sure he'll support the actors hostile to human rights throughout the Middle East. His victory will be extremely bad for all the Middle East.''

 Donald Trump Flubs Pronunciation of 'Tanzania'.mp4

Emad el-Din Hussein, editor in chief of the Cairo newspaper Al-Shorouk, told the Associated Press that Mr Trump would be the best gift to Isis because his presidency would strengthen violent anti-Western sentiment in the Middle East.

But Sabri Rbeihat, a former minister for political development in the Jordanian cabinet, said that Mr Trump would be different when in power, compared to the person people see out on the campaign trail. I don't think he'll make it to the presidency but if he does it doesn't worry me that much, he said. First of all he'll try to mend the cracks that he made. He knows that not everything he said will translate into action because of the reality of the world. He will not risk the relations [that have been] established for a long period of time.

Mr Rbeihat said that proposals from Mr Trump, such as trying to prevent Muslims from coming to the US do not have the support of allies.

He added: [Mr Trumps] hate speech is very alarming but there will be a huge difference between the rhetoric and the reality of governing the world.''

People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Show all 8 1 /8 People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Miley Cyrus 'God he thinks he is the f***ing chosen one or some shit!  Honestly f*** this sh*t I am moving if this is my president! I dont say things I dont mean!' Jemal Countess/Getty Images People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Whoopi Goldberg 'I dont think thats America. I dont want it to be America. Maybe its time for me to move you know' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Samuel L. Jackson 'If that mother**er becomes president, Im moving my black ass to South Africa' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Raven Symone 'My confession for this election is, if any Republican gets nominated, Im gonna move to Canada with my entire family. Is that bad? I already have my ticket. I literally bought my ticket, I swear' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Cher 'If he were to be elected, I'm moving to Jupiter' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Neve Campbell 'Im terrified. Its really scary. My biggest fear is that Trump will triumph. I cannot believe that he is still in the game ... [I'll] move back to Canada' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Jon Stewart 'I would consider getting in a rocket and going to another planet, because clearly this planets gone bonkers' People who will flee America if Donald Trump wins Randy Blythe 'He could just be a clown. If he is the president, though, I am leaving America 'till he's gone'

Walid Phares, a Trump campaign adviser for foreign policy, dismissed the criticism that Mr Trump is racist during an interview published in the London-based Arabic language daily al-Hayat. There is no evidence of that on the personal side, indeed the opposite is the case. His companies have a large number of employees of various ethnicities and Muslims, and women have a central role in his companies. An important share of his investors are from the Arab and Muslim worlds and he has Arab and Muslim partners

In an assertion Mr Trump himself has not made as he courts the Jewish vote, Mr Phares went on to predict that Mr Trump could achieve more for the Palestinians than any previous American president. He'll be a fair mediator. He has good relations with the Jewish community and credit with the Israelis; he's the only one capable of making a balanced peace that achieves the interests of both sides. He knows solving the Palestinian issue is a guarantee for achieving stability in the region.
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Q We have arranged a two-week holiday to New England in October to see the Fall. Can you recommend six must-see locations?

Kevin Pugh

A You may well be flying in and/or out of Boston, which is one of Americas greatest cities. The Massachusetts state capital is where the US was born. You can immerse yourself in the story of Americas 18th-century struggle for freedom from its British colonial overlords, or simply indulge in cuisine and culture. Our most recent 48 Hours in Boston is here: bit.ly/48Boston.

Next, visit Spectacle Island in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, which provides you with a boat trip from Boston as well as some good hiking trails and beaches; the Atlantic should still be warm in September, though cooler in October.

Heading south, Rhode Island is an adorable little state; the city of Providence is a smaller, more manageable version of Boston, while Newport is fascinating for its old money extravagance in lovely natural surroundings.

New Haven is the home to Yale, an Ivy League university with superb museums and galleries. It is also the birthplace of the hamburger, at least according to Louis Lunch (established 1895).

My final two recommendations are both in southern Maine, near Portland. Old Orchard Beach is a classic US seaside resort, with superb food on offer as well as a good old, fashioned pier and funfair. And Chebeague Island, accessible by ferry from Portland, is a magical combination of beaches, lobster huts, woodland and quiet charm.

Every day, our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles readers questions. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder
Lee University has announced the winners of its contest for students, faculty, and staff to name the School of Nursings new nursing simulators.

Submitters of winning names include Brian Conn, Camille Heartfield, Tylor Hudson, Grayson Long, Evelyn Leung, Giulia Mugnaini, Beth Seymour, and Megan Wimpelberg. Winning manikin names often made a play on words, such as Manny Quinn, Petey Atricks, or Les Payne. Submissions were received from faculty, staff, and students.

We were glad to see such a wide variety of submissions from the entire campus," said Dr. Sara Campbell, dean of the School of Nursing. "While it is a new School with a new building going up, we are one piece of a larger campus community and it is important to us to include that community in our program."

According to Dr. Campbell, Lees new nursing simulators, known in the nursing community as manikins, provide opportunities to practice hands-on nursing techniques in the classroom through a variety of realistic patient scenarios.

Winners of the contest whose name ideas were chosen were awarded $20 in Burgundy Bucks, money redeemable at any dining location on Lees campus.






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A Colorado woman has been sentenced to a total of 100 years in prison for attempted murder after cutting a seven-month-old foetus from the womb of an expectant mother.

Dynel Lane was found guilty by a jury for trying to kill Michelle Wilkins in March 2015 in the Denver suburb of Longmont and was also convicted of the unlawful termination of a pregnancy. The baby, later named Aurora, did not survive the attack.

Judge Maria Berkenkotter said the sentence was justified by the brutality of the attack, which she described as performing a caesarean with a kitchen knife.

Prosecutors had asked for the maximum sentence of 188 years.

Lane faked a pregnancy for months before luring Ms Wilkins, 28, to her apartment by creating a Craigslist ad for maternity clothes.

Lane hit Ms Wilkins over the head with a lava lamp and stabbed her in the neck with the broken glass. She then cut Ms Wilkins abdomen, removed the unborn baby and left the victim for dead.

When the judge asked Lane if she wanted to speak, she declined.

In 2002, Lanes 19-month-old son drowned in what investigators decided was an accident. Relatives who spoke on Lanes behalf before the sentencing said her remorse over losing her son may have led to the attack on Ms Wilkins.

Ms Wilkins spoke to her attacker in court in Friday, in front of a photograph of her dead baby on an easel next to the witness stand.

It is clear that you need healing and I hope that you get it, Ms Wilkins said to Lane.

Ms Wilkins asked Judge Berkenkotter to impose the harshest possible sentence on Lane. She said after the sentencing that she saw the hearing as a day in court for her daughter.

Judge Berkenkotter was clearly listening to everything that we were saying, Ms Wilkins told reporters.

Prosecutors said they could not charge Lane with murder of the baby because there was no evidence the fetus lived outside the womb.

Colorado Republicans introduced legislation that would have allowed such a murder charge, but it was rejected by Democrat politicians.

To date 38 US states have made the killing of a foetus a homicide despite objections from abortion-rights supporters.

Reuters contributed to this report
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The past is never dead. It's not even past. So wrote William Faulkner, and so it is with Americas eternal demon of race. And so it is with Georgetown University here in Washington DC, founded in 1789 and alma mater of Bill Clinton among others, not just the oldest university in the nations capital, but the oldest Catholic college in the country.

The election of a black president, some hoped, would end the centuries of division, heralding a post-racial society in which age-old tensions and prejudices could finally be laid to rest. If anything, the opposite has happened. As Faulkner might have predicted, outrages of the present  police shootings of unarmed black men, the murder of black congregants in a South Carolina church by a deranged white supremacist  have meshed with, and propelled, a jarring re-examination of outrages of the past. And nowhere more than in the august confines of Georgetown.

It is a terrible tale, which has been several years in the unearthing by university historians. But it only came to wider public attention with a front page article in The New York Times this month (ed: April), that traced the descendants of 272 slaves living on plantations the university owned in nextdoor Maryland, who were sold and shipped in 1838 to Louisiana, to work on sugar plantations, where conditions were notoriously brutal.

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The proceeds of the sale, arranged by Georgetowns then president Thomas Mulledy, helped pay off the universitys debts and thus keep it in existence. But Mulledy compounded his sin by callously flouting an order that the slave families should be kept intact. And all this at an institution that was not just Catholic, but Jesuit, that had betrayed the orders humanist traditions in the name of money.

However wretched Georgetowns behaviour, it is but the latest celebrated US university forced to confront an ambiguous past. Harvard Law School is facing demands to redesign its seal, which featured the family crest of slave owners, while Yale is for now resisting pressure to re-name its Calhoun college  the Calhoun in question being an alumnus who was the seventh US vice-president, and famously declared that slavery was a positive good.

In few countries, added Calhoun, is so much left to the share of the labourer, and so little exacted from him, or where there is more kind attention paid to him in sickness or infirmities of age. Tell that to the Georgetown slaves who were sold off as chattel to Louisiana for a few hundred dollars apiece.

And then theres Princeton, another of Americas great seats of learning. Princeton is above all identified with Woodrow Wilson, who was a student and then president of the university before becoming the 28th president of the United States. Abroad, he is above all known as the idealist who tried to create a lasting peace after World War I. But Wilson was also an unreconstructed segregationist. The university beat back an attempt by activists to have his name removed from its prestigious School of Public and International Affairs  just as Oxford refused this year to take down a statue of Cecil Rhodes, imperialist and racist, but also a huge benefactor of the university. As a consolation prize however, Princeton has just agreed to remove an unduly celebratory mural featuring Wilson from one of its dining halls.

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As Faulkner said, the past is not even past. The events in question may have taken place 100 or 200 years ago, but they could have been on the to-do list of Black Lives Matter, the movement that emerged after the shooting of the unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin by a neighbourhood watch vigilante in 2012.

The protests are admirable and in most cases long overdue. However they raise two questions: Where does this re-examination of US history end, and what should be done to make amends? Slavery was not an isolated problem. It was Americas original sin, an evil that consciously or unconsciously influenced virtually every walk of national life, and whose legacy persists to this day.

You can take down the name of Thomas Mulledy from campus buildings, as Georgetown is doing. But what of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, the first, third and fourth presidents, founders of their country, great statesmen all, but each the owner of hundreds of slaves? Remove their names and the map of the United States would be a patchwork of blank names. Like Wilson, they are part of US history, and history cannot be sanitized. Removing the visible mementoes of those who have given offence induces merely amnesia.

The answer, obviously, is to face the facts and make amends, symbolic or otherwise. But that too is often easier said than done. In the case of Georgetown, the solution seems reasonably simple: a permanent scholarship fund for the descendants, estimated at 12,000 or more, of those shipped off to Louisiana. Thanks to the rigorous record-keeping of the Jesuits, their ancestors names are known.

But when you move from the particular to the general, the problem becomes infinitely more complex. Symbolic steps can be taken, like the announcement 10 days ago the slave-owning Andrew Jackson, Americas seventh president, will be replaced on the $20 bill by Harriet Tubman, runaway slave, and heroine of the abolitionist movement. She will be both the first woman and the first African-American to grace a Federal Reserve note.

But direct financial reparations for slavery, as demanded by some, are simply impracticable. The sum, by economists' calculation, would run into the tens, even hundreds of trillions of dollars. Records are scanty or often missing entirely: just who would be eligible? And where geographically, to draw the line? Slavery dates back to colonial America. Should the British, the French, the Spanish cough up as well?

Better, surely, to concentrate on making today's America a better place for the descendants of slaves, and have its monuments tell the full story. History, warts and all, must be faced up to  not rewritten. Places like the Soviet Union tried to do that, but ultimately there is no escaping the truth. The past never dies.
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More than 200 political leaders, conservationists and businesspeople from Africa and around the world have gathered in the foothills of Mount Kenya to find ways of protecting Africas elephants and battling the poachers who have left them facing extinction.

In his opening speech, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta declared that everyone must care about these gifts God has given us.

He added: Thank you for your commitment to working to stop those who wish to kill our wildlife for profit. Thank you for caring about this precious planet.

"Because of what we can achieve together in the days, weeks and years to come, we are safeguarding natures greatest and most endangered species for our children, for their children, and for all those children yet to come.

The African elephant, the worlds largest land mammal, faces extinction as poaching fuelled by demand for illicit ivory surges in Asian markets. Between 20,000 and 33,000 elephants are killed every year across the continent.

At the two-day summit African heads of state will join other politicians, the UN, wildlife groups, scientists, and businesses as they seek ways to finance and conduct the battle against the poachers, and conserve the elephant population. President Ali Bongo of Gabon and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, also members of the Giants Club, addressed delegates this afternoon.

Among the announcements, Helen Clark, head of the United Nations Development Programme, will unveil a $60 million fund from the Global Environment Facility to combat the illegal wildlife trade in Africa. It will help rangers, local communities and other groups work together to protect the continents endangered species.

The British Army, which has a training base in Kenya, will commit to building a huge fence to protect farmers and their crops from being trampled by elephants.

President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya with Independent owner Evgeny Lebedev

Events will climax at 3pm tomorrow with the burning in Nairobi of Kenyas entire stockpile of seized ivory. More than 105 tonnes  eight times more than has ever before been destroyed at once  will go up in flames at a ceremony attended by thousands of people. At the same time, more than a tonne of rhino horn will be destroyed.

Max Graham, founder and chief executive of Space for Giants, implementation charity of the Giants Club, said: These two days see all the people who need to be together to accelerate progress on elephant protection to-gether in one place: Africas leaders, conservationists, philanthropists and investors, and people with the influence to bring others to our side.

That is what makes this event so special  and will help secure elephants and the landscapes across which they roam forever.

The Giants Club was founded by the Presidents of Kenya, Gabon, Uganda and Botswana, and Evening Standard proprietor Evgeny Lebedev, the patron of Space for Giants and the Giants Club. It was created to unite African governments, businesses and conservationists to find a solution to the poaching crisis and assist in the implementation of the Elephant Protection Initiative.

To find out more about The Giants Club Summit go to: http://spaceforgiants.org/giantsclub/summit. To donate go to: http://spaceforgiants.org/giantsclub/donate
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This huge stockpile of poached ivory will today become the single biggest haul ever to be burned.

In a ceremony organised by the Kenyan government, the 105 tonnes of tusks  which have spent months under round-the-block armed guard in Nairobi  will go up in flames.

It will mark the end of The Giants Club Summit, a historic gathering of African heads of state dedicated to averting the elephant poaching crisis, and it signals Kenyas commitment to ending the blight of poaching.

The countrys environment secretary, Professor Judi Wakhungu, said, Kenya is once again boldly leading the way by demonstrating ivory must be put beyond economic use by burning our entire stockpile.

[The burn] is evidence of our zero tolerance approach towards poaching and illegal wildlife trade. Kenyas wildlife is a major contributor to not only our economic wealth but also our national pride and heritage. The time to ensure its preservation is now.

A short timeline of elephant poaching Show all 10 1 /10 A short timeline of elephant poaching A short timeline of elephant poaching 1880s.jpg Robert H. Milligan, New York Public Library A short timeline of elephant poaching 1910.jpg Creative commons A short timeline of elephant poaching 1979.jpg Surreal Name Given, Flickr A short timeline of elephant poaching 1980s.jpg Scotch Macaskill A short timeline of elephant poaching actual elephant forensic.jpg Space for Giants A short timeline of elephant poaching 1990s.jpg Space for Giants A short timeline of elephant poaching 1999.jpg Vidhi Doshi A short timeline of elephant poaching Ivory elephants.jpeg Space for Giants A short timeline of elephant poaching elephantfence.jpg Space for Giants A short timeline of elephant poaching Elephant dust (1)_1.jpeg Space for Giants

Last year, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta burned 15 tonnes of tusks in what was considered to be the largest such destruction of ivory  the 10ft pyre was reduced to ash over several days. Today's burning will be seven times bigger.

The plight of African elephants is growing ever more severe. In the past three years 100,000 have been killed by poachers. Proceeds from the illegal wildlife trade support other criminal activities, armed conflict and terrorism. Rangers have been killed and injured in their hundreds trying to protect animals from poachers, and experts have warned that if current rates of decline continue extinction could be only decades away for Africas elephants.

The burning questions When was the first ivory burn?

In 1989 President Daniel arap Moi of Kenya burned 12 tonnes of ivory in Nairobi National Park, telling the press I appeal to people all over the world to stop buying ivory. Why burn ivory?

Apart from the powerful symbolism of seeing large stockpiles go up in flames, burning has become more popular because it is expensive to guard them. Ivory worth millions must be kept in secure facilities with 24-hour guards, seen as a burden by many countries. But doesnt burning increase the value of ivory in circulation?

Some experts have argued that taking ivory out of circulation reduces supply, and risks making trafficking and poaching more lucrative. Detractors of the method say it has had negligible impact on the illegal trade. Is there any empirical evidence of the effects of burning?

There is little empirical evidence. Most advocates talk instead of sending out a message. They believe getting rid of state-owned stockpiles removes any reason for poachers, traders, speculators and consumers to believe the legal ivory trade will be reinstated. What are the practical challenges of burning ivory?

It is surprisingly difficult  prolonged exposure to extremely high temperatures is needed to ensure total destruction. It can take up to a week for a large pyre to be reduced to ash. For this reason, some countries, notably the US and the Philippines, favour crushing as a method of disposal.

The Giants Club Summit has seen the announcment of key frontline measures to conserve elephant populations. African heads of state were joined by business leaders and conservationists at the meeting in Kenya which started yesterday. It was hosted by Mr Kenyatta in partnership with wildlife charity Space for Giants, whose patron is the The Independent's proprietor Evgeny Lebedev. He said the gathering would achieve real progress in securing a future for Africas elephants.

The summit was the first time African heads of state met on African soil with the express purpose of saving the continents elephants.

They aimed to find a lasting solution to the poaching crisis by agreeing frontline protection measures, boosting international agreements to combat the ivory trade and funding conservation efforts.

The Giants Club was founded by the presidents of Botswana, Gabon, Kenya and Uganda and is backed by The Independent. Its objective is to bring together business leaders, politicians and philanthropists to provide the political will and financial resources to secure Africas remaining elephant populations and the landscapes on which they depend.

'We must save these magnificent animals' - Evgeny Lebedev

Evgeny Lebedev at the Green Hill Valley Elephant Sanctuary, Burma (Kirill Serebrennikov)

Stacked unceremoniously in a strip-lit stock-room, its hard to fathom the wanton slaughter that this stockpile represents. For every pair of tusks, an elephant died a violent death, machine-gunned or poisoned by criminal gangs desperate for the fleeting riches ivory can bring.

Africas elephants face a perilous future. Tens of thousands are being killed every year. As Prince William recently warned, theres real danger our children and grandchildren will not know this magnificent creature in the wild  unless we act now.

The Giants Club Summit answers the Princes call to action. Convened by the Kenyan government in partnership with Space For Giants, this historic gathering of business leaders, conservationists and heads of state will see real progress in securing a future for Africas elephants.

To underline its commitment to combating poaching, the Kenyan government will follow this momentous event with the biggest ivory burn ever staged. To burn ivory is to send a signal: never will the Kenyan state profit from this illegal trade. Never will it countenance the short-sighted robbery of Africas wildlife, identity and future economic prospects.

As President Kenyatta wrote in this paper, Kenya and Africa depend on natural resources for tourism and a stable economy. Africas elephants, it must be realised, are worth far more alive than dead. We preside over their destruction at our peril.

Evgeny Lebedev is proprietor of The Independent
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What sticks in my mind from the last few days is the image of a fellow journalist at a news conference given by the Prime Minister in a Cambridgeshire car park. As David Cameron spoke about the importance of Britains membership of the European Union, my colleague was listening on his headphones to Ken Livingstone on the BBCs Daily Politics explaining why he thought it was important to talk about Hitlers early policies towards the Jews.

Cameron cannot believe what is happening. The mood in Downing Street is far from triumphalist. Instead it is a mixture of incredulity and dismay. The Prime Minister needs a functioning Labour Party to help to get the vote out in the referendum. With no other votes on 23 June, turnout may be low and local organisation will be important. Because most Conservative Party members support the Leave campaign, the only organisation with get-out-the-vote experience on the ground to which the Remainers can turn is Labour. The partys demoralisation over the past five days can only have made it slightly harder for the pro-EU cause to win.

The phone polls give Remain a solid lead, an average of 55 to 45 per cent, but Cameron is nervous. Internet polls, including ORB for The Independent yesterday, have it 50-50. I am persuaded that phone polls are more likely to be accurate: online panels tend to have too many Ukip-minded respondents on them. But you can see why the Prime Minister is worried.

He is like all party leaders. A surprising amount of their time is spent working out how they might lose power and trying to prevent that happening. Gordon Brown had a healthy contempt for those plotting against him. He thought they were a bunch of shambling amateurs, and so they were, but they could have brought him down. For the Tories, William Hague was paranoid about Michael Portillo, who was indeed out to get him.

That is why Cameron still spends a whole morning preparing for Prime Ministers Questions. Despite appearances of going for a walk in the park, Im told he still feels a shudder at 10 minutes to 12 every Wednesday. He doesnt have to be afraid of Jeremy Corbyn to know that it is still important to do well on such a closely observed occasion.

His immediate concern is about the referendum. He knows that if he loses it, he will be gone, although Matthew dAncona recently wrote that there is a plan to put off his actual departure for rather longer than the 30 seconds predicted by Kenneth Clarke.

What surprised me, however, in a recent conversation with a top source in Number 10, was how insecure Cameron appears to be about what happens even if he wins the referendum. I had thought that talk about an attempt by Tory MPs to depose him if the people vote to stay in the EU was a delusion of the irreconcilables. But Im told that the Prime Minister doesnt rule it out.

It would need 50 Tory MPs  15 per cent of the parliamentary party  to write to the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Graham Brady, to demand a vote of confidence in the party leader. That could happen, Cameron thinks, even if he thinks he would win the vote of confidence that would follow.

Even a failed attempt to get rid of him would be damaging. It would also be pointless, as hes going anyway before the next election. But one of the consequences of Labours disarray is that the leash of electoral discipline has been taken off the Tory dogs.

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The huge question, if Britain votes to stay in the EU, is how the Tory party responds. If the result is decisive, say more than 60-40 for Remain, it is possible that the Tory Outers will knuckle under and go back to complaining about the foreign aid budget. Anything closer than 55-45, though, could result in the Outers declaring a moral victory and intensifying the struggle, SNP-style. And that could cut off Camerons leadership long before his personal target date of 2019.

I have written before about the inevitability of Boris Johnson. Recently there has been a bit of a backlash against him. Tory MPs are not rallying to his camp in the way they did to Brown and to David Davis, with different results, in previous succession struggles. But the commentators who say Johnson has made a big mistake in coming out for Brexit are those for whom the idea that any intelligent person might sincerely conclude that Britain would be better off out of the EU is outlandish.

I am told that Cameron accepts that the party will want an Outer to succeed him. Their hearts beat in that direction, he says. And there isnt another Outer apart from Johnson who could be leader. More to the point, there isnt an Inner either, even assuming the party could accept the result of the referendum. Its hard to see how George Osborne can come back from deep unpopularity this time. Theresa May doesnt seem to want it. Nicky Morgan has reverted to Education Secretary type by annoying teachers and parents. Stephen Crabb is just starting on the vote-repelling universal-credit brief.

The Prime Minister is not paranoid. Even if he wins the referendum, Johnson is out to get him.
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The Silly Season must have come early. Nas Shah posted a rather stupid thing on social media long before becoming an MP and when exposed, apologised and was suspended from the Labour Party. This created a feeding frenzy in the media, both print and broadcast, aimed at suggesting that closet antisemitism is common in the Party and allowing the Tories respite from coverage of their own damaging schisms.

Is this overreaction to claimed antisemitism really an opportunity to move away from the tedium of the referendum debate with the same arguments being recycled over and over again ad nauseum? I am sure journalists are by now heartily sick of covering the referendum and the prospect of two more months of it is a great incentive to grasp at anything as a diversion. In other circumstances Ms Shah's suspension would be a two day wonder at most and not an item of national importance.

Patrick Cleary

Devon

Brexit and the baby-boomers

It took a decade or two for the benefits of our membership of the EEC/EU to help us achieve the increased prosperity our country enjoys today. Were we to leave it would take a similarly long time for the impacts to be seriously felt.

Many of the older voters whom Andrew Grice tells us ('Out campaign edges ahead in referendum race' - Saturday 30th April) are the most likely to vote in the referendum will by then be dead or incapacitated. The 'baby-boomer generation' is already thought by many to have mortgaged their descendants' futures; it would be a tragic were their votes (possibly driven by nostalgia for empire or yearning for the pre-digital age) to add further to the next generation's woes.

Along with extending the franchise to 16 year-olds, shouldn't we perhaps think about withdrawing it from those of us who are over 65? This simple step, along with saving cash by reducing the number of people needed to count the votes, might even encourage our governments to think a bit more long-term.

Brian Hughes

Cheltenham

Hillsborough has been set right in history

Police forces, and those in authority over us generally, do themselves, and those they purport to support, an enduring disservice when they deny truth and justice.

The tale of the Hillsborough tragedy is a story writ small for the history of peoples everywhere. If the humble people of Liverpool had not been able to establish the truth of what had happened on that fateful day, a massive lie would have been written into the history books.

This unjust denial of the essential need of the victims' loved ones to establish the truth would have bred long-lasting distrust and disrespect for authority and policing in particular. Another narrative would have been established, one that would be passed down from generation to generation, that authority is anti-people and cannot be trusted.

When those in authority recognise the veracity of this they will understand that truth and justice denied (or delayed) makes the job of keeping public order much more difficult and is not conducive to the bringing about of harmonious societies.

Geoff Naylor

Hampshire

Who killed the NHS? Let the conspiracy theories begin

John Rentoul, from his vantage point at the heart of the Labour party, is able to reveal: "Not even Jeremy Corbyn believes Hunt and the Tories want to dismantle the NHS," and goes on to ask "so why the conspiracy theory?" (27, April).

As a conspiracy theory, however, it does have some supporting evidence. The book Hunt co-authored with several of his colleagues offered an alternative to the principle of funding the NHS via general taxation to one " by way of universal insurance, to purchase health care from the provider of their choice, and continues Our ambition should be to break down the barriers between private and public provision, in effect denationalising the provision of health care in Britain.

Hunt was happy to have his name published as co-author until 2010 when on being made Health Secretary he was challenged by his Labour Shadow, at which point he demurred from those sentiments, crediting Douglas Carswell with these musings.

So an ex Tory MP, Tory MPs Michael Gove, Daniel Hannan, Greg Clark, David Gauke, and Kwasi Kwarteng, along with Hunt felt confident enough in their collective plans for the NHS and much else, to put them on public display, but Rentoul is able to authoritatively tell us that even Corbyn does not believe the Tories intend to privatise the NHS, despite the views of a number of Tory MPs in positions of power. That so many Tory MPs, MEPs, Peers, their friends and families have private health insurance, enjoy executive positions on the boards of, and hold shares in, private health care companies can't possibly be an indicator of where there hearts are?

Conspiracy, or conspiracy theory, John?

Eddie Dougall

Suffolk

Can Brexit guarantee workers rights?

Michael Gove MP, has, described EU employment laws as excessive and says they should have been devolved to national control. Another Brexit campaigner, Dominic Raab MP, in 2011 called for a full repeal of the working time rules.

Amongst the regulations from the nameless bureaucrats in Brussels (as they like to say) are the following protection rights for workers:

Rights for agency workers; maternity and paternity leave; anti-discrimination laws; equal pay for women for work of equal value; paid holidays for all, including part- time workers; parental leave with time off for urgent family reasons; and protection for the workforce when companies change ownership.

Can we afford to risk these rights by leaving the EU?

Mike Dods

Ken Livingstone insenstitive or antisemitic?

I have two books on my bookshelf that I have never read. However the title of one in itself speaks volumes, The Transfer Agreement, The Dramatic Story of the Pact Between the Third Reich and Jewish Palestine, by Edwin Black. The back cover states that, as part of this pact, the Zionists halted the worldwide Jewish-led anti-Nazi boycott that threatened to topple the Hitler regime in its first year. The other, Zionism in the Age of the Dictators, by Lenni Brenner, shows on the cover a medal struck in Germany in 1938, which has a swastika on one side and the Star of David on the other. It tells the story of how that medal came about. Brenner says that the Haavara (pact) removed the million-strong Zionist movement from the front line of anti-Nazi resistance.

Edwin Black agues that, in the terrible circumstances of the time, the pact was justified and I am not implying that he is wrong.

What I am saying is that what Ken Livingstone recently said about Hitler may have been expressed in insensitive, even stupid language, but it was not antisemitic and it was not based on ignorance.

Brendan OBrien

London
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For Saudi Arabia to break its addiction to oil sounds a bit like the Catholic Church trying to end its addiction to Christianity. It is not only the worlds largest oil exporter; it also sits on the worlds largest oil reserves. But this was indeed what the man overseeing the Saudi economy, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, proposed in the Vision 2030 plan, launched last week.

The plan, in a nutshell, is to start selling off stakes in Aramco, the state-owned company that controls Saudis oil industry, and use the money both to build up the countrys sovereign wealth fund and to help it diversify the economy into other industries. At one level it is a story about the long-term direction of a country over-dependent on a single product, and as such it makes a lot of sense. Oil accounts for 90 per cent of government revenues, while the government accounts for 60 per cent of GDP. It would be much safer to build up other industries, and much healthier for the private sector to be larger relative to the public. Quite how you achieve this rebalancing is another matter, and there are many issues about the geopolitical role of the Saudi state more generally. But in economic terms the aim it is straightforward enough.

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There is, however, the wider context of the worlds reliance on oil, or rather on hydrocarbons, for gas is as important as oil in the contribution it makes to primary energy supplies. Earlier this month the Rockefeller Family Fund announced that it would divest itself of shares in ExxonMobil, saying that morally reprehensible to invest in oil  a nice twist, since it was the predecessor of Exxon, Standard Oil, on which the Rockefeller fortune was made. It will invest instead in renewable energy sources.

Separately, the Government Pension Fund of Norway said it was selling its investments in a number of energy companies, especially those in coal. Coal isnt oil, but a similar point could be made: an enterprise whose wealth is built on fossil fuels is seeking to move out of them.

Is this the start of a more general retreat from fossil fuels, driven not so much by government policies but by financial forces? Up to now the push to alternative sources of energy has been largely political. So we have the subsidies that have been given to the electricity industry in the UK and Europe to develop alternative sources of energy, and the payments to homeowners to put solar panels on their roofs. But there are limits to what politics can achieve, and there is already plenty of evidence of push-back. For example, the high energy charges to fund renewables are one of the reasons why steel-making has become so unprofitable in the UK, and despite huge subsidies, it looks as though the Sizewell C nuclear plant will never be built. But if economic forces could take over from political ones, then the transition to a low-carbon economy would be assured.

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The issue really is one of timescale. Coal, for environmental and other reasons including transport costs, will contribute a smaller proportion of primary energy. But the share of oil and gas may not fall much, if at all. While the use of energy in developed economies is more or less stable, it will still rise for another generation at least in the emerging world. In another 100 years time fossil fuels will be much less important. But in 20 years time they may be more so.

The reason for such uncertainly is the pace of technology. Some things are moving at a reasonably predictable pace. Incremental advances in energy efficiency are making new cars and new aircraft more efficient every year. Homes are being better insulated. Technology is streamlining distribution.

Other technologies are less predictable. The cost of solar power and of storage of electricity is falling much faster than predicted. The cost of nuclear power is rising quite sharply rather than falling, now that decommissioning costs are being properly considered. If nuclear power continues to shrink as a proportion of primary energy supply, other non-carbon sources of energy will have to rise very fast to offset this. Indeed, if coal use goes down, it is almost inevitable that oil and gas use will continue to rise for at least a couple of decades.

The implications of this for Saudi Arabia are that it has some time to make its transition. The cash from the sale of shares in Aramco should enable it to build its Public Investment Fund from $160bn (110bn) to $2,000bn. To put that in perspective, it would mean it would a wealth fund roughly the same size as the UKs national debt. Or looked at another way and depending on the price at which shares could be sold, the market value of Aramco could be five or 10 times that of Exxon, the largest oil company in the West. But that, in a way, is the easy part. Building a different society with a wider economic base will be much harder.
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Robert Hutton suggested this one, pointing out that Manhunter turns on film processing, and that Road Trip depends on someone posting a video cassette to his girlfriend. Many old films wouldnt work with mobile phones and the internet, although I rejected Don Connigales nomination of Romeo and Juliet. The plot hinges on the Friars message not getting through to Romeo and, as he says, a simple text message would have resulted in a happier outcome. But Juliets phone could have been out of credit.

1. The Lord of the Rings. Frodo travels to Mount Doom by Ryanair. Lands further away than at the start. Tom Peck. (Not Air New Zealand, above.)

2. High Fidelity. Couldnt happen now that record stores are all Costa Coffees, says Amalia Illgner.

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3. Serendipity. After their date John Cusack finds Kate Beckinsale on Facebook. The End. Mark D.

4. The Ten Commandments. Meeting with God is live broadcast with Periscope. Charlton Heston texts key bullet points. Geraint Preston. Instead of running amok with the golden calf in the absence of Moses, the Israelites stay on the strait and narrow.

5. Some Like It Hot. Curtis and Lemmon would just tell Sweet Sue they identified as women, says Issy Flamel.

6. Mary Poppins. The Fidelity Fiduciary Bank is clearly too big to fail and would be supported by the taxpayer, points out Andrew Graystone.

7. Casablanca. Airport security means you couldnt have that late exchange on the tarmac, says Dan Gledhill.

8. Psycho. Probably turns out differently with a quick check on Tripadvisor, says Adam Drummond.

9. Taxi Driver. De Niros murderous plan derailed by series of one-star Uber ratings: Tom Peck again.

10. My Beautiful Laundrette. Their get-rich plan is launderettes, says Jill Lawless. 

An honourable mention too for No Way Out, which Rob Ford and Mr Memory tell me depends on restoring an already exposed camera film and on very slow computers.

Next week: People whose first name begins their surname (such as Jo Johnson and Chris Christie)

Coming soon: Acronyms you may not have realised were acronyms, such as Pakistan and gulag

Your suggestions, and ideas for future Top 10s, in the comments please, or to me on Twitter, or by email to top10@independent.co.uk
The defendant charged with filing a false report after he told authorities an animal attacked him last September pleaded guilty in Campbell County Criminal Court this month.

Michael Savage, 28, of LaFollette, claimed he was walking along Demory Road in LaFollette in the early morning hours of Sept. 4, when he was attacked by an animal with dark coarse fur that was possibly a bear. Savage had multiple lacerations on his chest and face; however they were inconsistent with injuries typically sustained in bear attacks. After a thorough investigation by the TWRA, there was no evidence to support the claim and Savage was charged with the felony violation.

Savage appeared in front of Judge Shayne Sexton in Campbell Co. Criminal Court on April 11 and entered a guilty plea to the charge of felony false report. Prior to the plea, he had served time in jail from Jan. 7-Apr. 11 while awaiting a plea bargain with ADA Thomas Barclay who handled the case for the state. Following the plea, Judge Sexton sentenced him to serve an additional 95 days in jail with two years unsupervised probation and $3,130 in court cost and fines.
Job cuts are being sought at a Glanbia fresh milk packaging facility after it was dealt a blow by the loss of part of a contract with supermarket retail giant Tesco.

The dairy and ingredients firm has moved to seek 30 redundancies from the 120 workers at the plant in Ballitore, Co Kildare. Some 15 redundancies have been applied for on a voluntary basis.

It is understood it is in part linked to the loss of a portion of Glanbia's liquid milk contract with Tesco after it was put out to tender in the tight margin business. The contract is for supplying fresh milk to Tesco's 'own brand' label and does not impact on Glanbia's well-known Avonmore brand.

Rival processors Tipperary-based Arrabawn and northwest-based Aurivo will now share the milk pool for Tesco's own brand labelled milk.

Glanbia Consumer Products declined to comment on the loss of part of the Tesco contract. However, it has retained the contract to supply Tesco own brand butter and cream.

It comes in a week where Glanbia's chief executive Siobhan Talbot, whose remuneration increased by 16pc last year to 1.9m, warned milk prices for farmers may "get a bit worse before it gets better" due to volatility on the world markets.

Prices

Glanbia confirmed total revenue from all its businesses was 2.5pc lower in the first three months of the year, with price declines of 5.8pc due to depressed dairy prices.

The move at Ballitore follows the creation of 25 jobs with the launch of a new on-site blow moulding plant last October to allow it to create high-density plastic milk bottles as part of a partnership with Nampak Plastics, a milk packaging company.

Glanbia has pointed out that the Nampak partnership has on the whole been a net creator of jobs. It is understood six of the 15 redundancies came from the positions created with the Nampak partnership.

However, Pat Keatley, a machine operator employed at the company for almost 35years, blamed the partnership with the UK packaging company Nampak for the loss of the jobs.

"The company are looking to outsource to Nampak. Employees at Glanbia are not getting jobs, they are being given to Nampak. There was a loss of contracts from Tesco recently," said Mr Keatley, a Siptu shop steward at the plant.

Management at Glanbia Consumer Products said it was talking with employees and union representatives and around 15 of the redundancies have already been applied for on a voluntary basis. It is understood these had been agreed before the Tesco contract was cut in recent weeks.

"New shift arrangements at the site will also form part of the discussions," a spokesperson said. However, staff stated this would result in pay cuts of up to 25pc with the change in shift patterns.
TV3s three-part 1916 drama Trial of the Century, which began tonight, sets out its stall from the jump. In a pre-opening credits sequence, we are told, Between May 3rd and May 12th 1916, the senior leaders of the Easter Rising were executed by British forces. Their deaths turned the tide of public opinion and changed the course of Irish history.

But what if the executions never happened?

The British were able to prove that the rebels had conspired with their wartime enemy  Germany. As evidence of the German plot, they used a letter written by Patrick Pearse. Without this letter the British may have been forced to give the leaders a full trial.

Cut to Pearse (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) writing the aforesaid letter, to his mother, in which he incriminates himself and his colleagues. A sympathetic priest stops him sending it, arguing that a day in court will serve the cause better. Meanwhile the British authorities are told by their legal experts that, under the Defence of the Realm Act, they can only hand down the death penalty if the rebels are proved to have assisted the enemy.

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Whatsapp Pictured in Green Street Courthouse, Tom Vaughan Lawlor stars as Padraig Pearse in TV3s new 1916 commemorative three-part series Trial of the Century.

Pearse, ever in love with easeful death, insists that the whole thing must end in martyrdom. Like a character out of a Don DeLillo novel, the man seems to have had an unerring sense of political act as theatre or performance art.

His hand is stayed, literally; the letter is never sent, thus there is a trial. And so were into TV3s alternate-history drama, which concludes tomorrow and Monday night at 9pm.

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Hugh Travers and Colin Murphys screenplay imagines how that legalistic showdown might have gone. In the Crowns corner, lead prosecutor Sebastian Banks (Andrew Bennett). In the Irish corner, Pearses senior counsel Edward Greene (Denis Conway). And in the balance, the fate of several men  and possibly an entire nation.

This first episode of Trial of the Century had a tight, literate script, which manages to make labyrinthine matters comprehensible, and dry legal arguments entertaining. The tension is palpable; you get that tingle that something momentous is about to happen here.

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The show also boasts top-notch acting across the board. Vaughan-Lawlor will probably, and understandably, get most of the attention, and hes as excellent as youd expect (once you tell your brain to shut up about the fact that Nidge has gone back to the past). But the others are just as good, especially Bennet, who gives a subtle, nuanced portrayal of a complex and, I felt, honourable man.

The main problem for me is something thats probably impossible to solve: Trial of the Century looks and feels like, and essentially is, a stage-play transplanted to television.

Expand Close Pictured in Green Street Courthouse, Andrew Bennett stars as lead prosecutor Sebastian Banks in TV3s new 1916 commemorative three-part series Trial of the Century. Picture: Brian McEvoy / Facebook

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Almost all the action takes place within one smallish room. While director Maurice Sweeney does his best by keeping the cameras moving and switching perspectives, theres only so much you can do in a situation like this: its still a group of people debating in a room.

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While the viewer has no problem accepting that in live theatre, for some reason the eye or mind doesnt like it so much on a screen. I guess were conditioned to expect more edits and changes of scenery and outdoor shots and all the rest; one (virtually static) setting just doesnt sit well with the TV-watching brain.

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That aside, Trial of the Century is ambitious, intelligent and provocative. It ends on a nicely dramatic note too, with Pearse  himself a barrister  sacking his legal counsel and declaring that he will defend himself. I look forward to seeing how it plays out.
Aaron Hanrahan (12) with his parents Marianne and Peter, who got a 3.5m interim payout. Photo: Courtpix

Teenager Mary Malee with her parents Marty and Maura, who settled her case for 7m. Photo: Collins Courts

A teenage girl with cerebral palsy has secured 5.56m and an apology from a hospital under a final settlement of her High Court action against the HSE over alleged negligence in the circumstances of her birth.

Mary Malee, a 16-year-old Transition Year student, said in a statement afterwards: "Cerebral palsy won't kill me but I have to learn to live with it...it's for life...This shouldn't have happened to me and others like me.

"Justice has been done and I'm bringing closure to this, we can move on with our lives," she said.

The settlement brings the total sum for Mary Malee to over 7m.

President of the High Court Mr Justice Peter Kelly said he had "no doubt" Ms Malee would achieve her ambition of becoming an advocate for people with disabilities and described the girl and her family as "heroic".

Ms Malee of Bohola, Swinford, Co Mayo, sued the HSE through her mother Maura over alleged negligence in the circumstances of her birth at Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar on October 11, 1999.

In the apology read in court, the general manager of Mayo General expressed the hospital's "deep regret" to Mary and her family "for the circumstances surrounding your birth on October 11, 1999".

The apology acknowledged "the many challenges that you have faced as a result of the treatment provided to your mother Maura at the time of your birth", adding that the hospital management did not underestimate "how difficult this has been for you and your family".

Ms Malee secured a 1.5m interim payment in 2014 under a settlement made without admission of liability.

Her case was adjourned at the time in the expectation that laws allowing for phased payments for catastrophically injured claimants would be in place. But because that did not happen, she and her parents sought a final settlement.

Mr Justice Kelly approved the final 5.56m settlement as a "very good result".

He said he was "astonished", having read of her disabilities, at what Ms Malee had achieved.

And he said he believed she would, as she hoped, become an advocate for the disabled.

The court earlier heard Mrs Malee had attended as a private patient with the same gynaecologist who had delivered her other three children.

Meanwhile, South Tipperary General Hospital yesterday apologised to a 12-year old boy who was catastrophically injured at birth as part of an interim settlement of his High Court action for 3.5m.

The apology was read out in court as Aaron Hanrahan, who has spastic quadriplegia and cerebral palsy, settled his action against the HSE.

Counsel for the HSE, Brian Foley BL, read the apology to Aaron and his parents, Marianne Cunningham and Peter Hanrahan, of Alleen, Donohill, Co Tipperary.

He said the hospital wished to "sincerely and unreservedly apologise for the catastrophic injuries suffered by Aaron at the time of his birth and the tragic outcome for him and his family."

Aaron, through his mother Marianne, sued the HSE over the circumstances of his birth at South Tipperary General.

It was claimed the baby was exposed to unnecessary risk by delivering him at a hospital which was not suitably staffed or equipped with appropriate facilities to deal with premature babies.

Speaking after the court proceedings, Marianne Cunningham said in a statement that she and her husband were delighted their lengthy battle for justice for their son had been successful.

"We can now look forward to a much improved but, more importantly, a much deserved quality of life for our beautiful son," she said.
Police at the scene where a serious sexual assault was carried out at Peatlands Park, Dungannon, on Wednesday morning

A 23-year-old has been charged with rape following an attack on a woman in an Irish park earlier this week.

The victim was set upon by a man at around 2.45pm in Peatlands Park, near Dungannon, Co Tyrone on Wednesday.

A man has now been charged with the attack, and is due to appear before Omagh Magistrates' Court on Monday.

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Eileen Calder, a former rape crisis councillor and women's rights activist, said stranger rape was a very real danger.

"This so-called advice is given out to women - that they should not be alone at night, that they should watch what they wear, that they should stay in groups and get taxis," she added.
Colonial Dames Seventeenth Century members of Prudhomme Fort Chapter presented books to the genealogical reference section of the Chattanooga Public Library.

Reference books placed were Barbados and Scotland Links 1627-1877, by David Dobson, 2005; and Scots in the West Indies 1707-1857 (Volume II) by David Dobson, 2006.



The genealogy reference books were placed in memory of Bernice Pitts Nelson, a genealogist and former member of the chapter.

The Colonial Dames Seventeenth Century Prudhomme Fort Chapter invites prospective members to become a part of a growing chapter. The group is active in community service in Chattanooga and nationally, with scholarship awards; service to veterans; and recognition of historic sites.
A number of prisoners challenging their detention, following the striking down of suspended sentencing laws, are expected to apply to be released on bail.

Nine inmates who are in jail after their suspended sentences were activated have launched High Court challenges claiming they are being unlawfully detained. It follows a significant ruling last week by Mr Justice Michael Moriarty.

However, their applications have twice been adjourned due to the fact Mr Justice Moriarty has yet to make final orders in relation to the ruling.

Several of those applications came before Mr Justice Seamus Noonan yesterday.

He told lawyers for the applicants that it would be premature for him to issue any ruling when Mr Justice Moriarty had not yet finalised his decision.

He adjourned matters until May 12 when they may be heard if the final orders have been issued.

However, Mr Justice Noonan agreed to an application on behalf of one of the men from Micheal P O'Higgins SC for leave to apply for bail at a sitting of Cloverhill District Court next Tuesday. Other legal representatives also indicated they may seek bail for their clients.

The court heard that another application, which came before Mr Justice Paul McDermott earlier yesterday, had also been adjourned.

Last week, Mr Justice Moriarty found that Section 99 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 was unconstitutional, as it curtailed the ability of individuals to appeal convictions.

Draft emergency legislation has been prepared by the Attorney General to address the ruling. However, acting Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has said this cannot be finalised until Mr Justice Moriarty's final orders are known, which could be a number of weeks.

The new legislation will also need the approval of both the Dail and the Seanad.

"All necessary action to address the implications of the judgment are being taken with all possible speed and it is the intention that any legislative proposals would be enacted as soon as possible after Cabinet approval," a spokesman for the minister said.
A double killer who fell into a coma after a suspected drugs overdose has made a Lazarus recovery and is now on his way back to prison.

Gary Campion (32), from Moyross in Limerick, was discovered unresponsive in his Mountjoy prison cell on Thursday morning and rushed to hospital.

Prison and medical staff at the Mater Hospital believed Campion, who murdered innocent nightclub bouncer Brian Fitzgerald in 2002 and former associate Frank Ryan, was going to die.

But Independent.ie has learned that Campion staged an incredible recovery overnight on Friday and is now due to return to the prison.

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A senior source said: Lazarus wouldnt have a patch on him.

Everyone thought he was gone and it was only a matter of time. But he was sound as a bell this morning.

He was up talking to doctors and giving grief to prison staff.

He will be moved back to the prison this weekend unless medical staff want to keep him under observation further.

Campion, who became the first person in Ireland to be convicted of two gangland murders in the State, was observed receiving a package on Tuesday by staff at Mountjoy Prison on Dublins North Circular Road.

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He was moved to a segregation unit where he was discovered unresponsive on Thursday. He later fell into a coma.

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Until his incarceration for murder, Campion was a hired hitman for feuding criminal gangs in Limerick.

He was found guilty of murdering Brian Fitzgerald on November 15, 2007, and he received another life sentence on May 28, 2009, for the murder of Frank Ryan.

He began an appeal against both convictions last year.

Mr Fitzgerald (34) was shot dead outside his home at Brookhaven Walk, Corbally, on November 29, 2002, after finishing his shift at Docs nightclub.

He was gunned down on the orders of the Dundon mob after refusing to allow the gang sell drugs in the club.

Campion was convicted largely on the evidence of James Martin Cahill, who shot Mr Fitzgerald.

Cahill admitted pulling the trigger and testified that Campion was the driver.

Campion also murdered his former associate Frank Ryan while they both sat in a car in Moyross on September 16, 2006.
US funding for projects carried out by Irish charity Goal in Syria has been stopped as part of an investigation into alleged supply chain irregularities. Photo: Getty

US funding for projects carried out by Goal in Syria has been stopped as part of an investigation into alleged supply chain irregularities.

The Irish charity has been told by US authorities to halt the procurement of materials with American grant money.

Investigators are looking at the fact inferior quality products were being supplied by commercial operators in Turkey to charities.

Goal is one of a number of international charities involved. The investigation is being led by the US Office of the Inspector General.

Goal said it is cooperating with the investigation and it aims to restore its full service to those in need in Syria as soon as possible.

It is now working with American investigators on a daily basis.

Sources close to the probe told the Irish Independent that no Irish funding is affected by the investigation.

However, Goal was told not to use any funding provided to it by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to buy food and non-food items while the investigation is ongoing.

Another international charity was suspended from using USAID money for four months prior to this investigation.

Sources said they hope this investigation will be shorter, because the team examining the issue know what they are looking for.

A spokesperson for USAID said the investigation is ongoing but they could not put a definitive timeframe on it.

"The USAID Office of Inspector General (OIG) has raised concerns about potential mismanagement of some aspects of humanitarian aid programmes for Syria by an implementer based in Turkey. An investigation is underway for the programmes identified by the OIG."

Goal said it is cooperating with the investigation.

Suspended

"Pending the outcome of the investigation, US funding for certain procurement aspects of Goal's Syria aid programme, has been suspended," said a spokesperson for the charity.

"Goal's remaining ongoing and urgent humanitarian relief effort in Syria continues."

The US Office of Inspector General carrying out the investigation last night said it was not possible to comment on an ongoing matter.

The investigation does not impact on the charity's work with USAID to provide water and sanitation in Syria.

It can also continue to offer vouchers to people to buy food and supplies in areas where markets are still in operation.

"Goal continues to support hundreds of thousands of people in northern Syria through the provision of water and sanitation facilities, the provision of vouchers and through our agriculture and livelihood programmes," said a Goal spokesperson.

Grants from USAID are worth more than 75m to the charity's international relief efforts.

In 2014, Goal received 44.5m in grants from the agency, accounting for 35pc of their total income for the year.

It is currently managing a programme in Syria worth more than $100m.
A HOMELESS man has described his shock at discovering a dead man clutching a sleeping bag in St Stephen's Green on Monday.

The man - named locally as Thomas Kearney (31), from Ballyhennessy, Lixnaw, Co Kerry - had travelled to see his county take on Dublin in the GAA National League final at Croke Park last Sunday.

His body was discovered by a homeless man - who has just been named as 'Jay' - in St Stephen's Green park.

Gardai were called to the scene and an investigation is underway. However, his death is not being treated as suspicious.

Jay, who has been homeless for 15 years, told RTE's Drivetime how he found the man's body shortly before 9am.

UNRESPONSIVE

"As I got into the middle section of St Stephen's Green, I noticed somebody who looked like they were asleep on the ground," he said.

"You could see a bit of his face and he didn't look right. I kept looking at him - I just had this feeling that there was something wrong. I was calling at him, asking him was he okay, and I didn't get a reply."

Jay became concerned and called for help when Mr Kearney failed to respond.

"I called 999 and I told them that I was after coming across a chap who was unresponsive," he said.

"I actually touched his hand and his hand felt cold. I got an awful shock then."

A male passer-by administered CPR on the man, and Dublin Fire Brigade paramedics also tried to revive him.

"Unfortunately, it was too late," Jay said.

"He was on the ground on his side, and he had a sleeping bag clutched in his arms."

The president of Lixnaw GAA Club, Michael Maher, said the club "provided a guard of honour" for Mr Kearney's remains at his removal to St Michael's Church in the village on Thursday evening.

"He lived at home with his parents on the family farm, and travelled to Dublin for the match on Sunday," he confirmed, referring to the Kerry- Dublin game last weekend.

The Dublin Region Homeless Executive said they had no record of Mr Kearney being involved with homeless services, but a charity said he was issued with a sleeping bag the night before he died.

Now, homeless charities are calling on the government to do more to help rough sleepers and the homeless community, less than 18 months after the death of Jonathan Corrie outside the Dail.

The Peter McVerry Trust said homeless service users are vulnerable.

"Outside of large urban areas - if there is a service - individuals may find themselves unable to access those services because they are full or because a service won't meet their particular needs," a spokesperson said.

"There is a high visibility in Dublin and a lot more space and areas where people sleeping rough can be hidden in woodland and parkland."

He added that politicians must stand up and take note of the issue.

"It is very much a stark reminder for the politicians sitting down today to discuss the housing crisis of how vulnerable huge parts of the population are to becoming homeless," he said.

Action

"Those with no homes are very much at risk of passing away in homeless services because of issues they are facing.

"What we want to see - as these people sit around the table to discuss the homelessness problem - is some real action.

"There are lots of policies and lots of strategies, but at the end of the day we need to stop people becoming homeless, and start building houses."

Dublin Simon Community said homeless people from outside Dublin were also putting pressure on the capital's support services.

"Normally, what we advise people to do is to go to the local authority where they last had a registered address," said a spokeswoman.

"Obviously, if a person was up in Dublin we would help them, but the first thing to do would be to register as homeless - because then you can get access to the emergency services."

The spokeswoman said homelessness was a national issue affecting all the county.

"There are different types of homelessness," she said.

"People might be rough sleeping, or 'couch surfing' with friends."
A surrender letter handwritten by Padraig Pearse three days before his execution is to be auctioned in Dublin with an estimated value of 1.5 million.

This is the highest estimate ever assigned to any work of art or historical item offered at auction in Ireland.

Adam's Auctioneers described the handwritten, single-page letter as "the most significant Irish document to be offered for sale".

The rare letter was penned by Pearse in Arbour Hill Prison on April 30, 1916 - exactly 100 years ago today.

It states: "In order to prevent further slaughter of the civil population and in the hope of saving the lives of our followers, the members of the Provisional Government present at Headquarters have decided on an unconditional surrender, and Commandants or Officers commanding districts will order their commands to lay down arms. P.H. Pearse, Dublin, 30th April 1916."

Auctioneer Kieran O'Boyle, told The Irish Times that the letter is being sold by a private client who bought it from Adam's Auctioneers at auction 11 years ago for 700,000.

Mr O'Boyle said the man wished to remain anonymous and he declined to identify his nationality or country of residence.

The letter was written the day after the surrender at the request of the Capuchin Order because rebels in Church Street refused to believe there had been a surrender until they saw a letter from Pearse.

Captain Patrick Holohan, who was in charge of the Four Courts command, ceased hostilities and surrendered after reading it.

It was hand-delivered to Captain Holohan by Father Columbus, who held on to the letter.

It only came to light, nearly 90 years later, when it was consigned to auction by the previous unnamed owner in 2005.

The estimate then was 50,000 - 80,000.

The State is unlikely to bid for the Pearse letter given the high estimate.

The National Museum of Ireland already has two letters written by Pearse to other garrisons in Dublin.

The official surrender document of the Rising - typed by the British and then signed by Pearse on April 29, 1916 - is housed in the Imperial War Museum in London.
People brave the bad weather in Dublin city centre during the week. Photo: Gareth Chaney

Winter is stubbornly refusing to release its icy grip on the country with the first bank holiday of the summer set to be marked by frost, hail and some heavy showers.

Met Eireann warned revellers to expect a mixed bag of weather conditions for the May bank holiday weekend - with the best news that the icy temperatures caused over the past week by northern winds will slowly be replaced from tonight by milder albeit wetter conditions.

An estimated one million Irish people will be on the move this weekend by road, rail, ferry and aircraft.

Almost 320,000 passengers are expected to travel through Dublin Airport this May weekend with passenger figures 14pc up over the same weekend last year.

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Iarnrod Eireann urged its customers to check all timetables before departure given new schedules and line maintenance works. The firm pointed out that there was a line closure between Connolly and Howth/Malahide for resignalling works today and tomorrow which would affect Dart and mainline services.

There are also revised schedules on all routes to/from Heuston today and tomorrow due to continuing line improvement works between Hazelhatch and Portlaoise.

Ireland's monthly weather data won't be released until next week but April is expected to prove one of the coldest on record.

Met Eireann's weather measurements for the past seven days revealed that average temperatures at Dublin Airport were, at 6.1 degrees Celsius, an incredible three degrees lower than the normal average.

All 15 Met Eireann monitoring stations nationwide recorded temperatures well below 30-year averages.

There will also be yet more frost and hail in some inland areas and along higher ground today.

However, most areas will also witness patches of bright sunshine over both today and tomorrow.

Festivals including the Listowel Military Tattoo will benefit from the sunny spells.

The best of the sunshine will be in Leinster and parts of Munster. Met Eireann pointed out that a band of heavy rain would cross Ireland tonight from the Atlantic.
A woman has been killed in a road crash near Roscrea, Co Tipperary.

The woman was the driver of a car which was involved in a head-on collision with a van at around 3pm yesterday on the old N7 between Roscrea and Dunkerrin. Gardai said the woman's husband, aged in his 70s, and another male, aged in his 50s, who were both passengers in the car, were being treated for serious injuries at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

The driver of the van was not injured, gardai said.

The woman and her husband, who are from Tallaght, west Dublin, were airlifted by the Shannon-based Coastguard Rescue 115 helicopter and the Athlone-based Air Corps Emergency helicopter.

The woman was pronounced dead at UHL.

Ambulance crews from Nenagh, Birr and Portloaise also attended the scene.

Gardai in Roscrea are investigating the incident.

The driver of the car is said to have sustained "multiple" and "catastrophic injuries", according to a source.
Construction of the National Broadband Plan is to be delayed by six months, with work starting no earlier than the middle of 2017, according to the outgoing Minister of Communications, Alex White.

Mr White described the delay in connecting 750,000 rural homes and business to fibre broadband as a "minor adjustment" and said that 60pc of the network would be built by 2019.

However, the delay means that 300,000 rural homes and businesses will not now see the beginning of any state-subsidised broadband build-out to them until 2019, with completion of the network set for 2022.

"Most of that work would be done in the first two years," Mr White said. "You can appreciate that the remaining homes will take a little longer because it's more remote." Mr White said that the Department of Communications had to proceed carefully because of stringent regulatory procedures required under EU law.

"This short delay is to avoid a much longer delay," he said. "If we don't carefully follow state intervention rules, we could risk putting this back for years. But we should be able to sign a contract around the middle of the next year."

He said that completion of the state-subsidised scheme would happen by 2022 "at the outside".

The contract to build the network out to 750,000 rural homes and businesses could be worth upwards of 500m in state funding, with the government seeking an unspecified amount of matching investment from winning tender bidders.

Mr White said that the government was currently considering bid proposals from five companies. These are understood to include pitches from Eir and Siro, the joint venture between Vodafone and the ESB.

Independent TDs and rural lobby groups have heavily criticised the delayed process, arguing that their communities are losing out in investment and economic opportunity.

The chief executive of Eir, Richard Moate, said that the telecoms company will extend its broadband network to reach 300,000 of the 750,000 rural homes and businesses targeted by the state plan. However, he said it would not be completed for four years.
Rupert Grint is starring on stage in the US

It is a truth universally acknowledged that people with ginger hair have it hard.

From playground bullying to endless 'carrot top' jokes, redheads have to put up with more than their fair share of teasing and taunting. Indeed, just this month, online dating giants Match.com kicked up a fuss by running an advertisement that suggested freckles and red hair were 'imperfections'.

But whilst the colouring clearly comes with some downsides  studies have shown that people with ginger hair are more susceptible to diseases from Parkinson's to skin cancer  there are also several little-known but not insignificant benefits that come with crimson hair...

1. Redheads age better

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Earlier today, scientists revealed that a gene which keeps people looking young is the same gene responsible for red hair and fair skin - meaning that ginger people are significantly less likely to age badly.

The research, conducted at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, suggests that those who carry a variation of the MC1R gene  which causes ginger hair  look on average two years younger than they actually are.

Published in the journal Current Biology, the new study asked participants to guess the ages of 2,700 elderly Europeans, and found that those who carried the 'ginger gene' were consistently attributed younger ages.

"For the first time a gene has been found that explains in part why some people look older and others younger for their age," commented Dr Manfred Kayser, Professor of Genetic Identification at Erasmus University. "Looking young for one's age has been a desire since time immemorial. The desire is attributable to the belief that appearance reflects health and fecundity."

2. Ginger people can produce their own Vitamin D

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Redheads also boast a secret genetic weapon which enables them to fight off particular deadly illnesses more efficiently than others - they can produce their own Vitamin D.

People with ginger hair can't absorb sufficient Vitamin D due to low concentrations of eumelanin in their body. But, as they can produce their own personal supply of the compound, this means that redheads are significantly less likely to develop rickets, a disease which weakens bones, or contract the lung disease tuberculosis, which can be fatal.

Low vitamin D levels have also been previously linked with diabetes, asthma and arthritis.

3. Redheads are less susceptible to certain pain

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In 2012, a Danish study suggested that people with ginger hair, although more susceptible to the cold and toothaches, are less likely to suffer from skin pain and can tolerate much more spicy foods than those with blonde, black or brunette hair.

"Our tests showed that redheads are less sensitive to a particular type of pain: skin pain," said Professor Lars Arendt-Nielsen, lead researcher on the Aalborg University study.

"They react less to pressure close to the injected area, or to a pinprick. They seem to be a bit better protected, and that is a really interesting finding."

Arendt-Nielsen hypothesised that the increased tolerance was due to the genetic subgroups MC2R, MC3R and MC4R - that are found in those with red hair and affect the way in which the brain functions and processes pain.

4. Ginger people have more sex

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Research has proved that, despite the teasing, redheads enjoy more sex - and all of the health benefits that accompany regular sexual activity.

Lead researcher Dr Werner Habermehl, of the Hamburg Research Institute in Germany, studied the sex lives and hair color of hundreds of German women in 2006 and found those with red hair spent more time in the bedroom. Suggested explanations for the findings include that ginger hair may be more attention-grabbing, red locks are rarer and thus could be more coveted, or vibrant hair may be seen as an indicator of youth and fertility.

The sex lives of women with red hair were clearly more active than those with other hair color, said Dr. Habermehl. The research shows that the fiery redhead certainly lives up to her reputation.

5. Ginger men are half as likely to develop prostate cancer

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Three years ago, researchers at Finlands National Institute for Health and Medicine, in Helsinki, published evidence that men with ginger hair were up to 54 per cent less likely to develop prostate cancer than those with blond, brown or black hair.

After studying over 20,000 men for over 30 years, scientists discovered that the MC1R gene - the same gene that helps redheads age better - may help to control the way in which cancerous cells divide and grow, adding yet another disease to the list of conditions ginger people need not worry about.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
A developer is asking to be allowed to use freight storage units as a buffer and for storage at a St. Elmo development.

The townhouse project is at the north end of St. Elmo Avenue behind Southern Saddlery.

Collier Construction made the request, which must receive City Council approval.

The buffer would be from a nearby railroad.

The freight storage units would go along an old right of way.
Cruising has come of age in the Irish market, says our Travel Journalist of the Year.

I used to think I knew about cruising. Then I tried a cruise.

Of course, my inaugural effort (on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas) had its buffets and blue rinse brigades. But I also got to scale a rock-climbing wall with Palma de Mallorca as a backdrop. I supped coffee in Corsica.

Several myths were debunked.

I'm not alone. Cruise holidays have changed, as has our perception of them.

We see the value in all-inclusive pricing, the convenience of not having to pack and unpack every morning, and the variety in itineraries ranging from the Caribbean to the Arctic Circle, and from river cruises to rock concerts at sea. A survey by cruise specialist e-travel this year showed 42pc of Irish cruisers were under 50.

It's full steam ahead for next year, too.

Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas will launch as the world's largest passenger ship, while Seabourn's new Encore will carry just 604 passengers. MSC will home-port two ships in Havana, and Abu Dhabi plans a new cruise terminal.

Tips & Tricks

My advice? Book an ocean view, know what's included (excursions, drinks and Wi-Fi are typically extra) and talk to a travel agent. People like John Galligan, Sandra Mooney at Cassidy Travel or Nikki and Will at ClickandGo.com know the difference between cheap and value for money. This is one holiday worth picking up the phone for.

All aboard: A reader's cruise tips

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We asked our Facebook followers ( facebook.com/IndoTravel.ie) for cruise tips, and one Dun Laoghaire reader blew us away with her response.

"On a cruise, you travel alone but with the safety net of a whole ship behind you," says Liosa McNamara, who runs Anchorbird Photography (that's her photo, above).

Here are her top tips:

Tip 1: "Don't be in a huge rush to get off at port," Liosa says. "Having the ship to yourself can be a really relaxing time; it's an opportunity to try activities without the pressure of a queue, plus you get to watch the crew drills... which is great fun!"

Tip 2: "Use the buffet to make sandwiches to take off the ship for your beach day lunches!" Liosa also recommends bringing walkie-talkies to keep in touch with each other. "Your phones won't work at sea! This is great for families with teens."

Tip 3: "Lastly, there are phones all over the ship - if you have kids in the kids' club you can use them to call the room to find out how they are instead of having to go up there every time."

Deals of the week...

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USA & Caribbean

The newly rebranded American Holidays (americanholidays.com) has some nifty cruise and city break combos for 2016, including two nights in Orlando and seven nights on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas from 1,199pp next September.

Mediterranean

Looking for an affordable cruise holiday? Try the Med in winter. Independent Travel (independent.ie/traveldeals) has seven nights on MSC Preziosa, including flights and full-board accommodation (inside cabin), departing February 19 from just 529pp. Ports of call include Barcelona, Marseille and Palermo.

Greece & Italy

Cork's J Barter Travel Group (travelnet.ie), celebrating 150 years in 2015, was declared ITTN Travel Agency of the Year at the Irish Travel Trade Awards last month. It has a seven-night cruise taking in several stops around Greece and Italy departing Istanbul next July 16. The cruise costs 1,137pp and must be booked before December 14.

NB: All prices subject to availability.
A 15 million addition to the CHQ Building is Dublin's biggest new tourist attraction since the Guinness Storehouse.

Priced at 16/8, EPIC Ireland is described as an interactive visitor experience celebrating the global journeys and influence of the Irish disapora.

Opening to the public on May 7 after an official launch by Mary Robinson, the attraction is set in the brick vaults of CHQ on Custom House Quay.

It is entirely privately funded, developed at a cost of 15 million by Neville Isdell, former Chairman and CEO of Coca Cola and member of the Irish diaspora.

On a preview tour, my experience was of a bold series of 20 galleries slickly fitted with at times breathtakingly immersive technology-driven displays.

Designed by Event Communications, the award-winning designers of Titanic Belfast, EPIC Ireland aspires to tell the story of "10 million journeys", with galleries organised into themes of migration, motivation, influence and connection.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Epic Ireland: Inside Dublin's newest visitor experience. Photo: Pol O Conghaile Inside the vaulted galleries of EPIC Ireland. Photo: Pol O Conghaile Wherever green is worn: members of the Irish disapora celebrated at EPIC Ireland. Photo - Pol O Conghaile Epic Ireland: Walking through the vaults of the CHQ building in Dublin's newest tourist attraction. Photo: Epic Ireland. Visitor passport at EPIC Ireland. Photo: Pol O Conghaile Epic Ireland: Receiving a visitor passport at Dublin's newest visitor experience. Photo: Epic Ireland. Epic Ireland: Musicians with Irish roots, celebrated at Dublin's new visitor attraction. Photo: Pol O Conghaile The 'Emigration' desk at EPIC Ireland. Photo: Pol O Conghaile Epic Ireland: Interactive books in Dublin's newest visitor experience. Photo: Epic Ireland. Epic Ireland: Interactive books in Dublin's newest visitor experience. Photo: Epic Ireland. / Facebook

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Why did people leave? What was their influence overseas? How has the emigrant experience changed over time? All are questions integral to the experience.

"The vision and objective of EPIC Ireland is to be the essential first port of call for visitors to Ireland," said its Managing Director, Conal Harvey.

75pc of visitors are expected to come from overseas, with 25pc coming from the island of Ireland, according to Dervla O'Neill, its head of marketing.

She described the experience as "a real deep dive into the Irish DNA".

Visitors receive a passport as they enter the attraction, stamping it at various points before using it to send a virtual postcard as their tour concludes.

Some 70 living characters are included among the galleries, ranging from Magdelene daughter Mari Steed to Graham Norton and President Barack Obama.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Epic Ireland: Walking through the vaults of the CHQ building in Dublin's newest tourist attraction. Photo: Epic Ireland. Epic Ireland: Inside Dublin's newest visitor experience. Photo: Pol O Conghaile Inside the vaulted galleries of EPIC Ireland. Photo: Pol O Conghaile Wherever green is worn: members of the Irish disapora celebrated at EPIC Ireland. Photo - Pol O Conghaile Visitor passport at EPIC Ireland. Photo: Pol O Conghaile Epic Ireland: Receiving a visitor passport at Dublin's newest visitor experience. Photo: Epic Ireland. Epic Ireland: Musicians with Irish roots, celebrated at Dublin's new visitor attraction. Photo: Pol O Conghaile The 'Emigration' desk at EPIC Ireland. Photo: Pol O Conghaile Epic Ireland: Interactive books in Dublin's newest visitor experience. Photo: Epic Ireland. Epic Ireland: Interactive books in Dublin's newest visitor experience. Photo: Epic Ireland. / Facebook

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A rogues' gallery evokes characters like Ned Kelly and Typhoid Mary, whilst others celebrate the achievements of scientists like Ernest Walton, musicians like Morrissey, and literary giants ranging from Bram Stoker to Edna O'Brien.

I wondered whether the 16 price is too high (though it falls short of the 20 fee at the Guinness Storehouse), felt the soundtrack leaned a little heavily on sentimental Irish airs, and would have preferred a less 'Oirish'-feeling gift shop.

All told, however, this is a much-needed and extremely polished addition to Dublin's deck of tourist attractions - at a time when the city is badly in need of new competitive edges to re-position a somewhat tiring image.

Tickets are now available at epicirelandchq.com.
There was a point this week when it appeared the "talks" were going nowhere. For most observers, this represented a disappointing failure of politics; a straightforward example of an inability to shift from fixed positions to a reasonable compromise. Another election loomed, an option to which I viewed as being preferable to a total cave in by Fine Gael to Fianna Fail's populist policy of abolishing Irish Water and water charges.

But as it turned out, Fine Gael did roll over. Such a reversal of a major public policy as the price for Fianna Fail facilitating a minority government is a spectacular example of unprincipled politics. After all, it was Fianna Fail in Government that legislated for the imposition of water charges in line with the EU Water Framework Directive. But later, for base political motives, it reversed that policy so as not to be outdone in opposition by Sinn Fein and the other protest parties.

Former Fianna Fail environment minister Noel Dempsey struggled to defend the party's changed position on water. Bad enough that Fianna Fail is back to its old tricks of populist giveaways as in the 1970s, it was disgraceful to use the issue as a deal-breaker for the formation of a government.

It is true that Irish Water had flaws; its initial profligacy on consultants and salaries was just the start of its problems. From the start it was a lightning rod for street protest and anti-austerity resistance, leading inevitably to climbdowns, concessions and changes. But despite all the controversy, the new body has succeeded in correcting many of the problems that have beset the public water and sewage system for decades.

Neglect of water infrastructure, poor governance by local authorities and inadequate funding had resulted in a degraded and at times dangerous water supply. Over 800,000 people were being supplied with potentially contaminated water; more than half of drinking water in the public system was being lost through leaks; and a third of waste treatment plants were overloaded. Thousands of people were boiling water before they could use it and there was a health risk in major cities caused by lead piping.

In a relatively short period of three years, the new utility has begun to tackle major defects, installing 820,000 meters and collecting water charges with over 60pc compliance. Now all this progress could be set at nought.

Strangely, in the most recent ructions over water, few had the courage to champion the compelling environmental and economic argument for staying the course with the new utility, given the dire need for major investment. Even those in Fine Gael and Labour who support Irish Water and the principle of charges, with a few notable exceptions, seemed to lose their bottle. Fine Gael negotiators, spooked at the prospect of another election, caved in. Both sides will be congratulating themselves on the fudge, which kicks the problem into a commission and a suspension of charges. But the truth is that it is a victory for old-style, weak-minded politics.

It is disappointing too that the Green Party's two TDs were not stronger. Of all parties, this is their pitch and they are best placed to advocate the environmental arguments for charges. Opting to stay in opposition, for reasons of self-preservation, instead of backing the Fine Gael position on water within government, was in my view ill-judged.

Some people in Fine Gael are mortified by this forced climbdown. Backbench TDs Michael D'arcy and Regina Doherty questioned the merits of government at any cost, particularly when the Fine Gael parliamentary party voted so recently to hold firm on the Irish Water policy. They are right.

Acting Environment Minister Alan Kelly, who bore the brunt of the anti-water charge protests, warned that the "deal" would deprive Irish Water of billions of euros in investment, claiming it amounted to "environmental treason". And by requiring that water services have to compete with other public spending priorities, the suspension of charges will deprive health and social housing of much needed resources. Political expediency is being placed before public welfare and good governance.

Fianna Fail may see this as a gratifying humiliation of Fine Gael with more to be extracted on other policy issues. In my view, it will rue the day it stooped so low as to sabotage Irish Water. The party will forever be associated with unprincipled politics, under the guise of honouring an ill-judged election promise. It had a good election eight weeks ago, suggesting that its core voters were willing to migrate back to the mothership after a long period of banishment. It didn't take long for the party to revert to form.

It rejected out of hand the offer to share power with Fine Gael, which was the most obvious and popular option. Not having the numbers to form a government itself with independents, it chose instead to put in place as many obstacles to the formation of a Fine Gael minority government as it could muster. The party brazenly tried to call the shots on government policy from opposition. The farce of the last eight weeks will live long in the memory of Irish voters.

Regrettably, this will be a government compromised by an unprincipled fudge from the very start. The anti-austerity parties and Sinn Fein are unlikely to turn down the heat on the demand for abolition of charges. In addition, the State may be fined for non- compliance with the EU directive to add to the expense of potentially refunding the 900,000 people who have paid their water charges. If Fianna Fail continues to exert its influence in the fashion witnessed since the election, the minority government is doomed to a short life. Another election would be preferable.
Yesterday more than 1,400 shops, restaurants and cafes around Ireland took part in a campaign called 'One For Ireland', asking their customers if they would like to add 1 to their bill to help raise 1m as a response to the homeless crisis.

The idea was Max Doyle's, a 23-year-old Trinity graduate who contacted the Irish Youth Foundation (IYF) last August. He wanted to help the estimated 1,500 homeless children and young people, which had increased by a staggering 73pc on the previous year.

The IYF is committed to providing opportunities for all children and young people to achieve success in their lives, and there is no more fundamental opportunity than the right of a child to have a secure home from which to begin their life's journey. We took up the challenge of organising the campaign with Max, but in just six months the numbers had jumped alarmingly. By February of this year 912 families, including 1,881 children, were homeless. In Dublin, there were 790 families and 1,616 children. A further 85 families were added in March.

Unfortunately, with all these figures it is easy for the numbers to become the focus of the story, and for us to zone out and lose sight of what it means to be a child growing up without a home. How does it affect their lives, their education, their development and their relationship with family and the world around them?

The IYF works to fund over a hundred child and youth projects around the country each year. As members of the Children's Rights Alliance subcommittee on youth homelessness, we can accurately report that being without a secure home affects children and young people acutely, and creates a unique set of problems, not to mention those faced by their parents.

Moving from one temporary accommodation to another dissociates young people from their friends, separates them from their extended family and interrupts their education. This can lead to isolation and feelings of dislocation, and puts the young person even further on the margins of society.

The quality of emergency accommodation being offered to families in hotel rooms and B&Bs is often inappropriate for family life. Children are living in unsuitable housing not designed for families, and usually provided without appropriate support services.

Hostels, B&Bs and emergency accommodation are not subject to standards for child safety, leaving young people at risk. It can expose them to the negative and problematic activities of the other adult residents, such as alcohol and drug addiction and violence. There is often no safe and secure areas for children to play or do homework, and in many cases children have to travel long distances to remain in the school which they were attending prior to their family becoming homeless.

Focus Ireland research shows that the average distance homeless children in Dublin need to travel to school is 8.75kms, with the longest distance being 34kms. A lack of adequate public transport can make this daily commute even more challenging.

Homeless families also have great difficulty in accessing healthy food. Many are living in one room with no privacy and no access to safe cooking and washing facilities. This often leads to a total reliance on processed fast food.

It is accepted by the agencies working to improve the lives of children that long-term living in emergency accommodation is not conducive to a child's development, well-being, health and education, and the difference a secure home makes is phenomenal.

The Robert Emmet Community Development Afterschool Project is one of 100 projects grant-aided by the IYF. It is a fantastic resource which serves the children of the Oliver Bond Street area of Dublin's south inner city, and provides them with a safe, nurturing after-school environment.

Manager Mairin O Cuireain has worked with children from families who have become homeless, saying it creates chaos in their lives which is reflected in their behaviour and attitude.

A family of five children that Mairin is particularly familiar with recently found a home after being homeless for two-and-a-half years. She has seen a remarkable difference.

"When the children were coming here from the various emergency accommodations they displayed the very disruptive behaviour of traumatised children and it got worse every week," she says. "No concentration, aggression, starting fights with the other children, causing chaos and physically lashing out. It got so bad that we considered asking them not to attend for brief periods as it was very distressing and disruptive for the rest of the group. However, their parents made every effort to keep them here. They recognised the stability it gave their children, along with the fact that they received a hot meal every day after school. There was no capacity to cook in many of the different accommodations they lived in."

During this time, their health deteriorated and they required admission to hospital. But last Christmas, the family were housed, and the difference in the children is "black and white". Mairin says they are settling, calming and able to relax and enjoy the programmes. Their confidence has improved, they are doing their homework better and they are happier in themselves.

"A wonderful thing happened a few weeks ago," she adds. "Their mum took home one of the healthy recipes that we did with the kids. They made it together in their kitchen and ate it together. This mightn't sound much to many people, but it is a huge positive step in the right direction for that family."

In this particular case, the mother was herself homeless for a time as a young person. Research shows that those who experience homelessness at a young age are far more likely to become homeless as adults. Therefore it is vital that whatever government is formed in the coming weeks acts quickly to avoid an exponential worsening of the problem in the future.

Niall McLoughlin is chief executive of the Irish Youth Foundation. For more information or to donate see www.oneforireland.ie or www.irishyouthfoundation.ie
Did you remember to express a silent note of gratitude to George Boole today? Probably not, but you really should have done. The mathematical genius, to whom a statue was unveiled at University College Cork earlier this week, continues to impact on every aspect of modern life even 150 years after his death.

The world we live in relies on Boole's mathematical discoveries. Every device from computers to smartphones, televisions, transportation and the very act of communication itself is based on the concept of Boolean Logic. Had the 19th century, mild-mannered UCC Professor of Mathematics not existed, the modern world we take for granted would cease to exist.

The elegantly simple theory he discovered in the 1850s distilled the essence of a future dawn of technology down to a numerical form based on 1 or 0, true or false.

Without Boole, there would be no Google, no Amazon, no Intel, no Apple. But it was only in the 1930s that his breakthrough was transformed into an engineering concept, key to the development of the first digital computer.

An individual who frequently lost track of time in endless contemplation of the world's complexities, Boole was inspired by the dilemmas of mankind and what makes us human. That journey began with the publication of his landmark 1854 treatise, 'The Laws of Thought', and continues today every time we dial a number, switch on a TV or start the car. Using 1 and 0 as the hinges for the storage and retrieval of all information, he lit a path from the Dark Ages to today's world which we take entirely for granted.

The son of a humble cobbler and lady's maid, Boole was born in Lincoln in 1815 and had mastered Euclid, Greek, Latin, French and Italian by the age of 10. Shortly after his second birthday, he went missing during a shopping trip with his mother. After a frantic search, he was found sitting in one of Lincoln's squares, surrounded by a crowd of people shouting difficult words at him. The infant George was fluently and articulately spelling out the words and being showered with coins as a reward.

He arrived in Cork as the first Professor of Mathematics at the-then Queen's College in 1849. In many ways, he was the stereotypical absent-minded professor. Arriving for a lecture one morning, his students found Boole pacing up and down the classroom deep in a mathematical conundrum. Forty students sat quietly and waited. Two hours later, the class ended, with Boole still pacing and unaware of his pupils, all of whom quietly departed. On arriving home that night, Boole exclaimed to his wife: "My dear, a most extraordinary thing happened today. None of my students came to my lecture!"

Ironically, it was Boole's obvious affection for his students that may have contributed to his premature death. Walking to college one morning, he was drenched in a sudden downpour, and rather than return home to change his clothes, he continued about his normal working day. As a result, he contracted pneumonia, and died on December 8, 1864.

The plaque erected near his grave at St Michael's Church in Cork reads: "To the memory of George Boole, in whom the highest order of intellect cultivated by unwearied industry produced the fruits of deep humility and childlike trust."

Despite this stunning legacy, his genius lay unappreciated until recently. As you dial a friend today, spare a thought for the man who made it possible.
I was one of the 900,000 or so people who paid their water bill. As noted in the editorial comment (April 28) we 'complied with the law' and duly paid up. We also duly applied for the conservation grant, but perhaps the less said about this the better.

When Irish Water first became a going concern we never even considered not paying. It was the law and that was that. Fast forward to today, and we are being classed as 'mugs' and 'rich, gullible gobshites' by commenters.

I find it quite amusing as we most definitely are not rich, though I may have to agree we feel like 'mugs' right now.

We paid our money and we don't expect to see it again; I would be shocked if we received any type of refund.

But it is not the money that really rankles with us.

What we take issue with is being labelled as 'gobshites' for doing what we felt was right and lawful. I was raised to follow the law, so would never have considered not paying. I chose to do what I felt was the right thing.

Equally those who didn't pay did what they felt was the right thing. As it turned out, they made the better move but in a brilliant example of how some people can be sore winners, the attitude from some non-payers has been one of condescension and superiority.

Instead of commiserating with those who have lost money, we find ourselves being made pariahs for our refusal to stand with the 'cool' crowd.

Since when did Irish people ever fall in with what the majority were doing?

Last year, when Marriage Equality was given an overwhelming thumbs up, I was so proud to live in this country; a country who allowed its citizens the freedom to do their own thing. But today that feeling has long faded.

I thought we were a nation who allowed each other follow our own path, but I see now we are really a nation ready to rip each other apart in a poor game of one-upmanship.

The real issue here is a government who failed its people, all of its people. Perhaps we should focus on that instead of tearing each other apart.

Ann-Marie O'Doherty

Waterford

Is the Census really accurate?

In the last week I took a holiday abroad. Nothing unusual about that, you might say. But possibly slightly more unusual is the fact that it was my first trip aboard in eight years.

Yet according to the Census of Population 2016, I don't exist except in the completion of a one-page form in which I fill out my name and address, and the address of where I stayed abroad on the night of Sunday, April 24.

I know the population of a country varies constantly and depends on the number of visitors, and the number of people who normally reside that are abroad.

But is a Census really accurate if someone like myself, who has been continuously resident in the country for the previous eight years, is temporarily absent on the night of the Census, and is to all extents excluded?

Tommy Roddy

Lower Salthill, Galway

On a blowdry blowout

400 for a hairdryer seems like a hair-raising price to me.

Then again who am I to split hairs, if folk want to part with that kind of money.

Tom Gilsenan

Beaumont, Dublin 9

The five stages of election grief

DENIAL - Fianna Fail: I won the election!

Fine Gael: I didn't lose the election!

ANGER - FF: I hate you Fine Gael. Everything is your fault.

FG: I hate you Fianna Fail. Everything is your fault.

BARGAINING - FF: If I force Fine Gael to back down on water charges I will be in control (and I'll sink FG when I want to) - I won the election!

FG: If I compromise on water charges, become Taoiseach, and form a minority government, I will be the first ever leader to win a second term for the party - I won the election!

DEPRESSION - FF: I'm sick of talking to FG and talking to the media about talking to FG. I don't want to get out of bed.

FG: I'm sick of talking to FF and talking to the media about talking to FF. I don't want to get out of bed.

ACCEPTANCE - FF: I didn't win the election. Actually I'm beginning to think I might be quite similar to FG.

We both want to help the wealthy keep their wealth. Will I consider a civil partnership with FG, or marriage even?

I wouldn't mind the inheritance if FG passed away.

I'm going to propose a new party name for our joint venture.

Ideas: #the-anti-pro-treaty-alliance-party #ALittleBitRightwing

FG: I didn't win the election. Actually I'm beginning to think I might be quite similar to FF. We both want to help the wealthy keep their wealth. Will I consider a civil partnership with FF, or marriage even?

I wouldn't mind the inheritance if FF passed away. I'm going to propose a new party name for our joint venture.

Ideas: #ALittlePropertyTaxisagoodthing #LetsKeepTheStatusQuo

Alison Hackett

Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin

Fewer gardai on the beat

At our recent residents association AGM, it was disclosed that Garda numbers are down by more than half.

It was stated by the local community Garda that when he started in Clondalkin just over ten years ago, ten gardai and two sergeants would be on the beat. It is now less than half of this.

There was I, and many others, thinking numbers had increased, if you were to believe the caretaker Minister for Justice who just happens to be my local TD.

Paul Doran

Clondalkin, Dublin 22

More fudging from the parties

We have had many years of discussion, expert analysis and reports. Many, many millions of euro have spent during that time, yet water supply and waste water treatment ends up being thrown in the bargaining pot for political power. Even then, our decision dodgers employ the classic lack-of-leadership option of appointing an unelected, unaccountable commission to prepare another report.

Other nations set goals of going to the moon within a few years, or beating cancer. I have a dream. That one day we will know the value and price of drinking water and water treatment in Ireland.

James McCarthy

Blackrock, Co Dublin
On Saturday night I headed for Lennon's Bar in Tallanstown where a rather special 70th birthday party was being held for owner Patsy Lennon and there to make sure he had a fantastic night was wife Jean, kids Eoin, Patrick and Anne along with grandkids Ben, James and Tommy along with a huge collection of relations, friends and regulars in the popular watering hole.

Patsy had absolutely no idea that everyone was waiting for him when he and his family went for a meal in Dooley's and when he walked into the lounge, everyone got to their feet and sang happy birthday to him and cheered him on.

I wasn't too long in the door when I met up with Theresa Donnelly and Maureen Kennedy both from Tallanstown who told me he hadn't a clue everyone was waiting for him and they were out to make the best of the night along with Oliver Donnelly and Pearse Kelly, Patsy's next door neighbour, although Oliver did try to convince me it was going to be a quiet celebration.

Seated close by were Phil Farrell and Patricia Sweeney both from Bachelors Walk who told me that Patricia's daughter Rosemary is engaged to Patrick Jnr and wanted to wish Patsy all the best on his big night.

Also in their company were Patsy's niece Deirdre O'Connor from Woodtown with her husband Ken, the birthday boy's sister Teresa and Paddy Skelly from Woodtown, his brother Ben and Eileen Lennon from Woodtown who were all up for making it a major night of fun along with Laura and nephews Paddy and Dermot Skelly from Lobinstown and his main woman Joanne Cunningham from Ardee and Pat Dillon from Bigstown who were up for making it a real night to remember and told me the celebrations were going to be nothing short of epic.

Making my way over to another table I then caught up with Rita Duffy from Pepperstown and Mary Farrell from Tallanstown who told me they drink in Patsy's pub and were delighted to be there to share in his celebrations.

Next I got talking to Pat Cash from Louth Village who was having a laugh with Gerry Leonard from Lis Na Dara and Irene Williams from Seatown Place who were in great form when I caught up with them and were looking forward to a major night of fun.

After this I headed for a table where I met up with Adrian and Brigid Dullaghan from Tallanstown who were with Michael and Renee Higgins from Carrickmacross who told me that Michael had come home from England specially to be there for Patsy's big bash and they all wanted to wish Patsy a very happy birthday.

Not too long later I met a man I hadn't seen in years, yes it was Bisto Farrell from Tallanstown who was there with his wife Caroline and friend Siobhan Myles from Tallanstown who wanted a special mention for her boyfriend Bubble Farrell who couldn't make it to the party because he is working over in Germany and was definitely missing out on an epic night.

Also in their company were Christina Myles from Tallanstown, Paula Leonard from Knockbridge Sean, Sharon and Colin Callan from Reaghstown who wanted to wish all the best to Patsy on his big night.

After this I met up with Dean, Anne and Pat Farrell from Tallanstown who were up for making it a real night to remember with their favourite bar owner.

I then ventured over for a chat with Niall Murtagh from Westmeath who was having a laugh with Paula Edwards and Gerry Murphy who told me they just live across the road from the pub, so it would be remiss of them not to join in their neighbour's celebrations.

It was around this time that a totally 'in shock' Patsy arrived in and I then caught up with Dolores and Pat Grimes from Collon who are family friends who said "the party stars here!"

Making my way through a cheering pub I then met up with Gerard and Catriona Lynch who were with Lisa Carolan and her sister Pauline McKeever who told me they'd be singing and dancing all night long, but Gerard's idea of a free bar was definitely going to have to be ratified by the main man!

They were sitting with Shane and Kate Farrell from Tallanstown who are regulars in PJ's and were delighted to be there to join in the celebrations.

After this I met up with future daughter-in-law Elaine Goss who was there with her main man Eoin and kids Tommy, Ben and James, all were having a great night at the party, except Tommy who was trying his best to, but when you're teething, it kinda ruins the buzz!

Finally, before I departed I had the pleasure of talking to Mary Donoghue from Woodtown who was there with daughters Antoinette and Maria and sons Edward, Patrick, Sean and granddaughter Niamh O'Connell. She told me that Patsy had worked with her family for 29 years in Woodtown and she was there to wish him all the best on his big night.
On Friday night I headed for the County Museum for the launch of 'A Nation Rises' an exhibition of paintings from Carol Wallace depicting the leaders and poignant scenes from the 1916 Rising.

The exhibition drew its inspiration from the book A Nation Rises by Piaras Mac Lochlainn published in 1966, a collection of letters from the 16 leaders who were executed after the rising. The 32 strong acrylic collection of portraits, specific episodes and events from the rising recently finished an 8 week showing in the Pearse Museum in Rathfarnham in what was St. Enda's school, it is here for three weeks and then moves to the Maritime Museum in Dun Laghaoire on July 1st.

I wasn't too long in the door when I met up with Patrick McCourt from Fatima Park and Sheila Traynor from Bay Estate who told me they thought the exhibition was wonderful. Peter told me he is one of Carol's students in St. Olivers and he was delighted to see her work being shown.

I then came across a grandnephew of executed leader Micheal O'Hanrahan and it was Liam and son Stephen O'Hanrahan from Barrack Street who told me they had been up for the Easter Rising celebrations in Dublin and were very impressed with Carol's work and wanted to wish her all the best.

Not too long later I caught up with Sr. Patricia, Sr. Christine and Sr. Marianna who told me that they too have been taught by Carl in Mount Oliver and thought her work is exceptional saying that it is "history brought to life".

After this I headed over for a chat with Brigid Treanor from Blackrock who told me that Carol takes classes in St. Anne's Daycare Centre on Thursdays and she's lucky to be there for them. She was there on the night with her daughter Bernadette McMahon from Ashbrook and they told me they thought the pictures were fantastic and so life like.

I then made my way over for a word with more of the grandnephews and a grandniece and they were Dickie and Ita O'Hanrahan from Glenwood, Harry O'Hanrahan and Margaret Culligan-O'Hanrahan both from Dublin Road, Pearse and Breda O'Hanrahan from St. Alphonsus Road who had all been up for the main celebrations in Dublin and agreed that President Michael D. Higgins completely stole the show with his speeches.

After this I headed over for a chat with Dolores Conroy from Phillipstown, Anne Carr from Blackrock and Fintan Farrelly from Carlingford who were all there representing Dealgan House Nursing Home where Carol also takes painting classes and they said they thought her work was spectacular and very dramatic add wanted to wish her al the best with the exhibition.

Next I had the pleasure of talking to Maurice and Mary Carroll from Forkhill whom I'd met at one of Carol's St. Oliver's Exhibitions where I'd joked about Mary's broken wrist! They too were taken aback by her work, as was everyone attending the exhibition.

Not too long later I caught up with my old friend Peter and Philomena McArdle from Greenacres who told me they thought that Carol's work was brilliant and really depicted the leaders and some of the more important scenes during the struggle over a century ago.

After this I got a quick word with principal of St. Malachy's girls school Brid Galligan from Priorland House who said she thought the exhibition was fantastic, the colour was exceptional and wanted to congratulate Carol on her excellent work.

I then caught up with a man who was torn between where he was supposed to be on the night. Conor MacGuill from Seatown Place said his grandfather James MacGuill was being honoured in the Town Hall and four of his siblings were there representing him, so he decided to stick with the arts and was very appreciative of Carol's interpretations of the armed struggle. He was with Tom Hardy from Gibbstown and they also wanted a big shout out for Rose McEnteggart from Rock Road who couldn't make it on the night.

Not too long later I then met up with Nicola and Enda Gartlan from Blackrock who told me they thought the whole exhibition was fantastic, the detail was exceptional and it really captured the atmosphere of 1916.

Finally, before I departed I met up with Paddy and Martina Grant who were with Barry, Annette and daughter Andrea O'Hanrahan from Blackrock who said it was a fabulous exhibition and agreed with me that one of the stand out pieces was the painting of two of his grandaunts who had just received the news that their brother had been executed.

This is one of the best exhibitions I've had the pleasure to attend, it runs for the next three weeks, don't miss the chance of seeing it, I guarantee your certainly won't be disappointed.
Protegee. Pioneer. Heroin addict. That there were many shades to musician Miles Davis' life is a given. But what's not, is that a memorable life lived means a memorable biopic made.

Happily then, Hotel Rwanda and Boogie Nights actor Don Cheadle does a sterling job-or numerous jobs-as the co-writer, leading man and co-producer in Miles Ahead, his directorial debut about the late jazz trumpeter's 65 years.

Like Davis' music and the mythology surrounding him, Miles Ahead follows its own rules, swerving the standard cradle-to-grave structure and instead offering up an elegant snapshot of Davis' life in the late Seventies.

Set five years on from his self-induced exit from public life-and his subsequent pause in releasing new music-Miles Ahead sees him drug-addled and in pain from a chronic hip complaint.

Living alone in a chemically induced stupor, he is taunted by memories of the breakdown of his marriage to muse and dancer Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi) some years before. That the relationship was marred with his infidelity and abuse is neither glossed over nor glamorised, and consequently the portrayal is all the better for it.

Equally plaguing his thoughts are demands from his record label, who are desperate to bring the world another recording.

When wily-and fictional-Rolling Stones journalist Dave Braden (Ewan McGregor) forces his way into Davis' house to get the scoop on a rumoured tape of his latest compositions, the mercurial musician is seething and angrily accompanies him to the record label which, according to Braden, arranged the chat.

There they meet unscrupulous music executive Harper Hamilton (Michael Stuhlbarg), who sneakily gets his mitts on the recording.

Hamilton is hell-bent on delivering a new Miles Davis record to his fans and, in doing so, netting a handsome profit for the company. He's also eager to secure Miles' support for his new jazz wonderkid Junior (Lakeith Lee Stanfield), which would also create a healthy and lucrative buzz around him.

Unfortunately for Hamilton, Miles couldn't give a fiddle about sales and ingenues and stops at nothing to take back what is his, taking Dave with him to write up his adventure.

United though they are in the pursuit; buddy movie this ain't. If anything, the distance and cold resentment-though there are occasional flashes of camaraderie-between Miles and Dave adds a pitch-perfect humour to the already whip-smart script.

Told through flashbacks, which are more free flowing than formulaic, and sharp performances, Miles Ahead is a stylish and instructive sideways glance at the late legend's life, that like all good things, leaves you wanting more.
19-Year-Old Woman Beaten On Blue Line While Bystanders Look On

By Mae Rice in News on Apr 29, 2016 8:12PM



via Carl's Captures

Updated at 6 p.m. with details from police: On a Blue Line train Thursday, a 19-year-old woman was beaten and bitten on the hand by a man trying to steal her phone. The two male bystanders in her train didn't help her.

They just watched, Jessica Hughes, a student at DePaul, told WBBM. I feel like people just dont want to get involved.

The attack, which happened at 10 a.m. just past the UIC-Halsted stop, left Hughes with bruising on her head, and a bite mark on her hand, according to CBS. She was taken to Mt. Sinai with minor injuries, police said.

Hughes reports that the attack happened just after most passengers had gotten off at UIC-Halsted. A man came and sat down next to her in the mostly-empty car, and started grabbing at her headphones in an attempt to steal her iPhone from her pocket. He then pushed her to the floor and "beating on my head," she told CBS.

Hughes told CBS her attacker was with a woman, and that he and his companion left without her phone. The investigation is ongoing, and Area North detectives are still determining if the incident was caught on video, police said.

We recently covered another instance of bystander effect in Chicago, where a man was run over by a car and killed in River North in February. Bystanders didn't help him after an assailant punched him and left him unconscious in the street; in fact, passersby robbed the man while he was unconscious.
A 52-year-old man whom, it is alleged, pointed a pistol at a Garda who gave him a lift home five weeks after the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe claims it was an 'imitation or toy' gun.

Dundalk District Court last week heard an outline of the allegation against Gerry Stewart, whose address was given as Carrickasticken Road, Forkhill, who has been charged with possession of a firearm at Marian Park, Dundalk, on March 4 2013. The DPP had directed the case could be heard at the district court, but only if the judge agreed.

Judge Conall Gibbons was told that Gardai allege they had taken Hughes home that day and he had been given a lift in the patrol car. Stewart went into a house in Marian Park while the officer was still in the car, and, it is alleged, he 'emerged from the house with a pistol pointed at the Garda who was in the driver's seat of the car'.

The officer claims he believed it was a real gun and was in fear of his life. It was revealed in court that Stewart asserts that it was an 'imitation or toy' gun but it has not been recovered.

Solicitor Eoin Hughes said the evidence in the case is 'limited to what the Garda perceived to be a firearm' when 'the item was an imitation gun or toy gun'.

Mr Hughes said Stewart is 'a middle-aged man with mental health difficulties'.

Judge Gibbons said the 'big question' was that if Stewart was found guilty of the offence, 'would the district court have sufficient capacity to response in sentencing'. He said that while the DPP was independent and entitled to recommend a case be prosecuted at the district court, as he judge he too is independent and is allowed to exercise discretion, 'taking into account all matters'.

Mr Hughes said that if the 'DPP was under the impression it was a real firearm, there would be no hesitation in sending this case to trial on indictment'.

But Judge Gibbons said he felt the case should be before the circuit court, adding: 'The district court is not designed for this type of offence. These are allegations, but if they were proven I don't believe the district court has sufficient capacity to respond in sentencing'.

He refused jurisdiction and the case was adjourned to May 25 for DPP's directions.
A Dundalk man overcame his two biggest fears to complete a nerve wrecking sky dive, all in aid of charity PIPS!

Louth County Council employee Andy Califf recently took on the 13,000ft Tandem Skydive Challenge to raise vital funds for the PIPS Newry and Mourne charity.

The Public Initiative for Prevention of Suicide and Self harm offers counselling, and support for individuals, families and anyone else who has felt impacted by a death by suicide.

The charity also provides suicide prevention, awareness and training programmes to the community.

Andy, who was also tackling his two biggest fears, flying and heights explained how the experience was both exhilarating and terrifying!

'It was incredible, I was extremely nervous all week and on the day too,' said Andy.

'But once the tick tock clock told me it was my time, I went for it, It was the most amazing experience, and I'm proud that we raised a fantastic total for this great organisation.'

A total of 10,055.00 (12,980) was raised by Andy and the group of eighteen skydivers, many of whom were overcoming phobias to bravely take part in the fundraiser.

Since its inception PIPS have evolved in response to community needs, establishing a one-stop shop and 'protect life resource centre' for information and compassionate assistance for those in crisis.

'We are here for anyone facing crisis and personal turmoil. We provide comprehensive crisis services that are efficient, accessible, responsive, and fully integrated into the community,' said a PIPS spokesman. The charity also operate a 'drop in' centre to provide facilities for listening, counselling, therapy and training and carry out home-visits to affected households within the community

PIPS welcome volunteer fundraisers to sign up for the next skydive on August 27th 2016. Contact (048) 30266195 for more information.
Dundalk Fire Service came under attack once again while responding to call outs last weekend.

The brigade were responding to a call on Sunday night in the Marian park area when they faced a group of missile throwing youths.

Louth chief fire officer Eamon Woulfe told how the unit were subjected to the attacks.

'There was a fire up on a hill at Oakland Park, and firefighters got out to carry out an assessment when they saw youths running towards them.'

He said that one of the officers on duty, Vincent Duffy was struck by stones being thrown. He was hit on the shoulder and had to be medically assessed.

'They were doing their best to get to it,' said the chief fire officer.

He added that it was an unexpected attack on an otherwise ordinary night.

'Normally this sort of thing could happen on bonfire night,' added Mr. Woulfe.

The brigade had previously come under fire in a similar incident just a matter of weeks ago.

One unit of the fire service were called to the scene of a bonfire at an area between Aisling Park and Patrick Tierney Crescent.

During that incident, fire officers were attempting to deal with the fire when they were hit with a number of objects

Again, those involved were reported to be group of teenagers. Amongst the items to have struck the appliance were cans of beer.

That incident forced firefighters to pull back from the bonfire, where they continued to monitor it from a safe distance.

Meanwhile a Dundalk based firefighter contacted the Argus yesterday (Monday) to express the brigade's shock at facing such attacks.

'We turned out at Cox's Demesne on Sunday night, this was the second time in the same area in four weeks.

The fire was set after the gates were closed in the park. It felt like a trap.

We didn't go inside the gate, but as we were gathering up we came under a barrage of stones.'

He added that one of his colleagues was struck by some of the stones.

'He was hit on the shoulder, and had to go to hospital.

He was put off duty for the rest of the night, and will be out for a couple of days.'

The firefighter explained why he had decided to speak out against the attacks.

'We are trying to highlight what is going on here. We are going to get a call down there, and we won't be able to deal with it.'

He said those involved were youths, most of whom were aged between 15 and 25 years old.

'The council has a responsibility to act here, to talk to community groups, to get people to understand they can't do this.'

'We have had serious calls in this area before, and we can't do our jobs when we are looking over our shoulders.'
A number of events are planned to mark the 40th anniversary of the murder of Mountpleasant forestry worker, Seamus Ludlow, who was found shot dead on May 2 1976.

No-one has ever been charged in connection with the brutal assassination of the innocent Mr Ludlow was murdered by what the family believe was a British security forces' sanctioned Loyalist death squad.

In November last year, relatives of the Ludlow family announced that one of the country's top lawyers, Belfast-based Kevin Winters, had initiated legal actions North and South in a bid to get justice for the family.

Around 20 members of the Ludlow and extended family were joined at a press conference in the Crowne Plaza by Mr Winters. The solicitor and the family met with Sinn Fein TD Gerry Adams who has raised the Seamus Ludlow case in Leinster House.

The family said: 'Our campaign for truth and justice for Seamus Ludlow was begun by Seamus' brothers and sisters, some of whom are now deceased, while others are elderly but still unshaken in their determination to get justice for their murdered brother'.

On Bank Holiday Monday, May 2, members of the family will hand in a letter to Superintendent Gerard Curley at Dundalk Garda station before they gather at Thistle Cross at 5pm to walk the short distance to his memorial for a private service at 5.30pm.

Following the conclusion of the private event, members of the Ludlow family will attend a public meeting at the Lisdoo on the Armagh Road where they will outline their case so far.

It is expected that Gavin Booth, from Mr Winters's office, will give an update on the status of the legal actions taken by the family at the event, which will be chaired by Margaret Urwin from the campaign group, Justice for the Forgotten.

Mr Ludlow's nephew, Jimmy Sharkey said: 'Everyone is welcome to attend the event at the Lisdoo, which is expected to get underway at around 7pm where it is hoped there may an announcement about the civil action being taken'.

There will be added sadness at this year's anniversary after the passing in February of Mr Ludlow's 85-year-old sister, Kathleen Donegan. She attended the press conference last November where the family's legal plan was outlined. In 2015, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald wrote to the Ludlows telling them the government will not establish the commission as requested by the family and as recommended by the Joint Oireachtas Justice Committee in 2006.

Mr Booth told the Argus that a number of legal avenues continue to be pursued in the search for justice for the Ludlow family. He said: 'We have written to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) about the case and we are awaiting a reply. In addition, we have been in contact with the Police Ombudsman in the North and we are taking judicial review proceedings against the Minister for Justice in the Republic for the failure of the government to implement the recommendations of the Barron Report.

'We are waiting for a date to be given to us for a full judicial review hearing, which we hope will be before the end of the legal term in June; we are saying this is an urgent case that needs to be heard'.
Launch of Paul Dillon's book of poetry 'Going Home' at the Hot Spot Greystones: Paul Dillon (centre) with Richard Halperin and Mike Fitzgerald

Greystones poet Paul T Dillon launched his first full collection of poetry in his hometown last Thursday.

The big reveal took place in the Hot Spot on Thursday night, where gathered fans got to hear some of the work read by poet Richard W Halperin.

Mr Halperin described Mr Dillon as 'a master of language', adding that it was 'stupefying that Going Home is a debut collection'.

Speaking after the launch, Mr Dillon extended his thanks to his publisher and to everyone who turned up on the night.

'I am very grateful to my publisher Dennis Grieg, Lapwing Publications, for taking on this book, my first full collection of poetry,' he said.

'I believe that poetry, one of the deepest forms of expression in any language is capable of working its way into the soul, the heart and minds of people in a way that uplifts and affirms the human condition or expresses the terrible risks and dangers inherent within it when it leans towards nihilistic darkness and away from love.'

Mr Dillon's poetry has previously been published in journals and magazines in the UK and US and he has given readings at venues in Ireland and France. The collection includes the poem 'New Shoes', which was nominated for the international Forward Prize for a single poem in 2015.

Going Home is published by Lapwing Publications, Belfast and is available from lapwing.poetry@ntlworld.com at a price of 10stg.
The 5th Annual Celebration of International Jazz Day will be celebrated with a star-studded event featuring some of the greatest jazz musicians in a concert to be hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House on Friday night, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here.

It will be webcast on International Jazz Day as a one-hour program, "Jazz at the White House," Saturday evening on the UN, the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the U.S. State Department and White House websites, Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

In addition to UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and jazz legend Herbie Hancock, the concert will feature Sting, Aretha Franklin, Hugh Masekela, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Pat Metheny and many others, he said.

At last count, nearly 150 countries will be hosting Jazz Day events over the next several days, he added.

In November 2011, the UNESCO officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Day in order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe.

Washington, D.C. will serve as the International Jazz Day 2016 Global Host City. As International Jazz Day celebrates its 5th anniversary, the U.S. capital will host a multitude of jazz performances, community service initiatives, and education programs in schools, libraries, hospitals, community centers and arts venues across the city.
Annie Verwijis hands over the Chain of Office to incoming president Sarah Wray at the Soroptimists AGM at Chamber House

Sarah Wray has become the new President of Bray Soroptimists.

Ms Wray received the chains of office from outgoing president Anny Werwijs at the group's AGM last week.

A long-time member of the group, Sarah is looking forward to the challenge of the role during the months to come, as she continues her ongoing work with community groups in the area.

'Working with club members to enable people in our community is key to Soroptimism, while having fun and developing networks with organisations,' she said. 'I'm really looking forward to all the possibilities we can achieve as Soroptimists and friends in the coming year.'

Sarah thanked Anny Verwjis and the club members for their enthusiasm, encouragement and commitment to the club and all the work it continues to do.

Before concluding her term as president and passing on the chains, Anny reminded members of what they had achieved together over the past year, organising fundraising events for local charities in Bray, including WH Five Loaves, Marino School, Open Door, Bray Women's Refuge and Malawai Girls. Members also hosted a public speaking competition for schools in surrounding areas.

The aim of Soroptimist members worldwide is to inspire action and create opportunities to transform the lives of women and girls through a global network of international partnerships. Soroptimists have UN status and recently took part in the Commission on the Status of Women in New York.

Over the past 55 years, Bray Soroptimists have travelled worldwide to join other clubs at conferences, to raise awareness on issues like access to education and leadership for women and girls.

For further details about the work Soroptimists do, visit www.soroptimistireland.com
All is in readiness for the forthcoming Cork County Fleadh Cheoil which will be hosted by Charleville's Craobh An Rath Comhaltas group and held for the first time ever in the North Cork town.

Branch secretary Liz Cotter says that two years of planning and preparations are almost complete as the members of CCE Craobh an Rath look forward with great excitement staging the largest county fleadh in Ireland.

"We are a relatively new branch, founded in 2011, which has gone from strength to strength in the last five years. This is a very special weekend for the branch as it is the first Cork County Fleadh Cheoil to be held in Charleville," she said.

"A fantastic line up of events are scheduled and full details are contained in our programme which is available locally.

"All music competitions will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 7/8 in 13 venues in the Charleville Park Hotel. A music 'gig rig' will be erected in the Town Plaza in Charleville, so come along between 1pm and 6pm to enjoy some top class traditional music by top class musicians.

"There will be pub session trails on Saturday and Sunday in many establishments. The Charleville Park Hotel will be the venue for a concert headlined by Sharon Shannon on Friday, May 6, followed by a Ceili on Saturday with music by North Cork's own The Shandrum Ceili Band, the current All-Ireland Senior Ceili Band Champions.

"Sunday will see the closing of Fleadh Cheoil Chrocai with a special traditional concert/ historical evening to commemorate 1916, where Sean Kelly, MEP and former president of the GAA, will officiate at the Forfhogra Ceremony where the nominated recipients from the seven local organisations, who have been selected, namely, Charleville Camogie, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Shoestring Theatre Company, Charleville Vintage Club, North Cork A.C., St. Patrick's Brass and Reed Band and Charleville Heritage Society, will be recognized for their exceptional contribution to their organization and community," said Ms Cotter.

Playing support to Sharon Shannon at the traditional concert at the Charleville Park Hotel will be musicians and music teachers from CCE An Rath along with harpist Anna Sheehan.

Craobh an Rath (Charleville Comhaltas) and the fleadh executive committee would like to sincerely thank all their sponsors who have been so generous in their financial contributions towards helping financially in running Fleadh Cheoil Chorcai 2016 in Charleville. "We especially acknowledge the support of Comhaltas and our main sponsors," said Ms Cotter. "Without all your support and encouragement we would not have been able to run an event of this magnitude, for your sponsorship, we are deeply grateful and thankful.

"We look forward to welcoming you all to the Fleadh and hope this is a fantastic event for Charleville and environs.
The cast of Moonshine which is performed by the Bunclody Kilmyshall drama group

Bunclody Kilmyshall Drama Group have qualified for the RTE All-Ireland Drama festival in Athlone for the second year running.

This year's production by the talented group is Jim Nolan's Moonshine.

Set in a seaside village of Ballintra in the south of Ireland, McKeever the local undertaker and the Church of Ireland rector are both struggling with professional and personal crises.

Moonshine tells the story of McKeever attempting to stage 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' on Easter Sunday. But the gods seem to be conspiring against him as his actors start dropping out. Will he succeed in his quest? The Rector is consumed with the impending death of his wife and the closure of his church due to the loss of his congregation.

In order to qualify for Athlone the group has performed on the Amateur Drama circuit during February, March and April with appearances in Claremorris, Roscommon, Wexford, Mountmellick, Carnew, Kildare, Kilmuckridge and Rathangan with wins in Roscommon, Claremorris and Rathangan.

The very talented cast are: Ronan P Byrne; Tommy Murphy, Tim Connaughton, Padraig D'arcy, Mairead Connaughton, Hannah McNiven and Josephine Byrne.

The play is directed by Kieran Tyrrell who is now firmly established as a director of note.

Planning and preparation for the production started last October with set design and building, props, costumes, administration, sound and lighting design. The top nine drama groups gather to compete for the All-Ireland title in Athlone from April 28 to May 6, with a gala event on May 7 to announce the winners. Bunclody/Kilmyshall will perform on Wednesday, May 4.

Bunclody/Kilmyshall drama group was reformed in 1998 under the guidance of the late Fr. Francis Stafford and has competed each year since then on the Amateur Drama Circuit.

In 2006 the group qualified for the 1st time for the All Ireland Confined finals and in 2007 went on to win the All Ireland Confined tile in New Ross with 'Portia Coughlan' by Marina Carr. In 2008 the group moved up to compete in the Open section and made the finals in Athlone in 2009 and 2012 and 2015. Last year they received the following awards in the final in Athlone; Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Stage Management.

The group will perform in St. Brigid's Hall, Carnew on Friday and Saturday night with both performances starting at 8pm.
It was applause and cheers all round as long serving Cub Scout Leader Anna Hickey was presented with Scouting Ireland's Highest honour 'The Order of Cu Chulainn'.

The honour was bestowed on Anna at the Annual General Meeting of Malahide Sea Scouts by the Chief Scout Christy McCann. The Chief Scout remarked on the length of time that he has known Anna and the extent of her commitment and dedication to young people in scouting firstly in Whitehall and then in recent times in Malahide totalling some 40 years of service to the scout movement.

Reading from her citation Provincial Commissioner James O'Toole said: 'To all, Anna is the very essence of what scouting is about; always there, prepared to help, supportive of young people, helpful, courteous, respectful and loyal with an approach and attitude that makes her a natural leader of people.'

It was an evening of awards and presentations for what is the largest Scout Group in the Country. The Annual General Meeting which took place this year in St Sylvester's GAA club while the Scout den is undergoing major refurbishment.

Addressing the assembled Leaders and Parents, Group Leader Colin Lynch reported on progress on the Scout den refurbishment which is now at the halfway stage and thanked the many local organisations who have supported the Group while it goes through this transformation.

After various sectional reports given by youth members themselves, another significant award on the night was a Chief Scouts Award and Bronze Gaisce award to Sea Scout Aisling Lynch. Again reading from her citation Sea Scout Leader Stephanie McCann outlined the challenges and Commitments that Aisling undertook to achieve the award including an Expedition, Leading a Camp and various Community service projects.

Other Chief Scouts awards were presented to Cub Scouts by the Chief Scout under the watchful eye of Chief Scouts Award mentor Jim Quill.

A Bronze Merit Award to Group Boatmaster Colum McCaffrey.

Chief Scouts Commendations of Merit were presented to Stephen Scanlon, Noelle Ameijenda, Jim Quill, Niamh Manning, Emer Somers, Leonie Lynch, Paul Guyett, Cameron Newman, Stephen O'Reilly, Finn O' Neill, Aoife Lawlor, Eoin Manning and Mark Barry.

Ten Year Service Awards were presented to Alice Geraghty and Gerard Duffy. Five Year Service Awards were presented to Brian Finnegan, Linda Fleming, Margaret O'Riordan and Stephen O'Reilly. Presentations were also made to Veronica O'Connor and Maeve Manning outgoing members of the Parents and Friends Committee.
A five-year-old boy's family is appealing to the generosity of people to donate money to help him walk for the first time.

Fionn Jones, the son of Garristown woman Lynn Carberry and her husband Mark Jones, was born more than five weeks premature and was diagnosed with Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy - a condition that makes it impossible for him to walk, dress or do things his friends and family can do.

Fionn has now been approved for a groundbreaking surgery in America called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy, which is not available in Ireland.

The surgery will remove his spasticity and help him walk for the first time. Fionn and his family will be heading to Missouri at the end of June where Fionn will be treated by the most experienced surgeon in this area.

However, the cost of the surgery and physio over a two year period is amounting to 100,000.

His family are now in the process of fundraising for the operation and have organised a number of fundraising events to date and have set up a fundraising page at www.fionnsjourney.com.

Fionn spent the first few days of his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Holles Street followed by several weeks in the Special Care Baby Unit.

He was born with a cleft lip and palate which meant his situation was even more complicated. He finally got home when he was four weeks old and had an operation at three months old to repair his cleft lip and palate.

It was while he was having his palate operation at nine months old that his parents had him assessed by a Consultant Paediatrician as they felt he was slipping behind in his developmental milestones.

Their worst nightmare was confirmed - Fionn's development was badly delayed and further tests were carried out before he was diagnosed with Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy.

Spastic Diplegia is a very serious condition and a disabling form of Spastic Cerebral Palsy which affects Fionn's lower limbs. It makes his limbs stiff and his body weak, making it impossible for him to walk, dress or use the bathroom independently.

Fionn attends the Central Remedial Clinic school and through some of the other pupils there Fionn's parents became aware of the potentially life-changing operation available.

The surgery will result in Fionn's spasticity being permanently reduced, an improvement in his sitting and standing postures, his balance will improve and he will be able to walk with the aid of a walker - a dream come true for Fionn and his family.
'Lost souls landed in the middle of nowhere' is how an aid volunteer from Rush has described 11,000 refugees stuck in a camp on the border between Greece and Macedonia who have been fired on upon with tear gas and rubber bullets by Macedonian forces trying to prevent them from crossing the border.

Lisa Kelly from Rush was witness to that attack and although the Macedonian authorities have not admitted using rubber bullets, she told the Fingal Independent that she saw 'children shot in the head with rubber bullets' and that aid volunteers had handed over a rubber bullet to authorities on the Greek side of the border, investigating the incident.

Lisa joined her sister Anne, at the refugee camp in Idomeni, earlier this month and the sisters were both there on April 10th, when an already deplorable situation turned violent.

Lisa was inspired to join the aid effort at the camp by her sister who has been working full-time as an independent aid volunteer, helping mostly Syrian and Iraqi refugees, seeking asylum in Europe and fleeing devastating wars in their own countries.

'My sister asked me if I fancied going out and she showed me a video of what was going on out there. My conscious just wouldn't rest after seeing it,' Lisa said.

Lisa is a social worker by profession and has done more than her fair share of volunteering all over the world, working in orphanages in Romania and Moldova and working with homeless people in the United States.

But what she saw when she pitched up at the Greek and Macedonian border, was nothing like she had ever encountered before.

'It's horrendous. It's just a few fields out in the country with no infrastructure whatsoever. The town itself only has about 150 people and one small shop. These people have really been landed in the middle of nowhere.

'The camps are close to a motorway and if you look up to the motorway, all you can see are families, walking, walking, walking. There are three smaller camps just off the motorway and that is an accident just waiting to happen.

'The longer people stay there, tension is getting higher and people are getting more and more desperate. I'm really afraid of what is going to happen to them.'

Describing the desperation in the camps, the Rush woman said: 'People queue up in their thousands for food and clothes and there are people begging for food and things like toilet roll and some of the most basic things you need - it is just chaotic.

'There is fighting in the lines for food. They are given two pieces of bread, an egg, an orange and a small piece of cheese and there are thousands of people queuing for this small bit of food.'

The Rush woman said her sister bought hundreds of packs of playing cards, just to give the men something to do in the camps and to try and quell tensions between the refugees themselves, who have been forced together in desperate circumstances.

Lisa said the treatment of these refugees in the Europe of 2016 is 'inhumane' and the conditions in the camps are getting worse. The camp is 'the end of the line' for refugees seeking to cross the border into Macedonia, a border that was shut in February. Since then, the refugee camps on the border have been growing and tensions have been rising, culminating in a major flashpoint on April 10th.

Lisa reflected on that awful day, saying: 'A lot of rumours were going around, and I don't know who started them, that the border was going to open. A number of refugees walked towards the police and asked the police on the Macedonian side if the border was going to open - what followed was just crazy in the Europe of 2016.'

'Tear gas, rubber bullets, water canons and stun grenades' were fired across the border and were aimed at the refugees, according to the Rush woman.

'We had a rubber bullet in our hands and we handed it over for the investigation. There were a couple of kids shot in the head with rubber bullets. It got to a stage where the Macedonian police were shooting into family tents where children and old people were sitting and we have got video footage of all of this.'

The conflict raged for more than nine hours and left a number of refugees injured.

'People were screaming and crying and we were running around to try to help people the best way we could. It was shocking to see this on European soil. I haven't seen anything like this anywhere I've worked and to see it happening in Europe is just terrible - these people are being just left to rot.'

That atmosphere continues to be tense in the camp and Lisa intends to return in a couple of weeks but is home now with her own two children and trying to raise some money to help the refugees back on the Greek and Macedonian border.

Lisa has teamed up with two Dutch volunteers in a bid to purchase 1,000 'WakaWaka' solar lights. The Rush volunteer said the camp of 11,000 is 'dark and scary' at night and leaves many people feeling vulnerable and afraid.

Bringing some light to the camp would make an enormous difference, particularly to the more vulnerable members of this giant refugee community and Lisa has set up a gofundme page for that reason, which you can find by searching for Lisa Hughes Kelly on gofundme.

Lisa has sharply criticised the EU's response to this crisis and said that the asylum application system in Greece was appalling. She said that refugees were required to make a Skype call to have their applications processed and in two weeks at the camp, volunteers had managed to successfully connect just four asylum seekers to that number.

She said: 'We are torturing these people and the Macedonians are torturing them too and they are being left without any human rights. They have gone through a horrendous journey and the saddest part of it is they say they would go back to Syria because it's their home and where they belong but they know they have no home left there to go back to - they are lost souls.'

As the summer comes and the temperatures rise in the camp, Lisa fears further tension and violence and says that the spread of diseases in the camps will also become a critical issue.

She said she has been surprised by how few Irish people she has met out there volunteering and encouraged anyone with a couple of weeks to spare to go out there and volunteer to help.

'Everywhere I have been there have been Irish people helping but I've found it extremely strange out there because I haven't met many. We are always there to lend a helping hand and there is no problem getting out there and finding work. There is a great team out there and a great community of people who are helping in anyway they can. These people need you.'

Lisa said that the overwhelming majority of the refugees are from Syria and Iraq and 'they are artists and engineers and from all kinds of backgrounds and they are running from war and many don't even know if their homes are still standing.'

Lisa's sister is a retired businesswoman and is now devoting her life to helping refugees and is now working in Turkey.
The council is 'losing the battle' against illegal dumpers and fly-tippers and the problems needs greater resources and greater focus, according to a local county councillor.

Cllr Justin Sinnott (NP) said the council was 'losing the battle' against illegal dumping and called on the local authority to devise a new plan to tackle the probable and look at what other councillors are doing to tackle litter and illegal dumping so it can 'implement policies based upon best practice'.

Cllr Sinnott said he believed the fines for illegal dumping were too low and that budget constraints had hit local authorities' resources in tackling the problem.

Cllr Philip Lynam (SF) supported Cllr Sinnott and said that fly-tipping was an 'ongoing problem' and catching those who are responsible was a bit like 'chasing after a rat'.

He said that given the council says that widespread CCTV for dumping black spots is prohibitively expensive, could the local authority try signage which suggested their could be cameras watching.

Cllr Grainne Maguire said the council needed to be 'proactive' in tackling the problem and she supported the controversial practice adopted in Dublin City of publicly posting photographs of convicted fly-tippers.

Cllr Tony Murphy (IA) supported additional signage in black spots warning the public that the council takes the issue very seriously and will prosecute offenders.

Cllr Adrian Henchy (FF) said an idea mentioned by a member of the public at a Joint Policing Committee public meeting in Swords, is to have a 'roving camera' similar to traffic speeding camera vans. 'If people knew, at some stage, there was a probability they could get caught, they may not do it,' he said. Cllr Joe Newman (NP) and several other councillors praised the work of council operatives in swiftly dealing with illegal dumping when it happens and Cllr Ken Farrell (Lab) said that sometimes, council workers are so efficient that the dumpers begin to treat certain spots like 'a collection point' for their waste. He said pictures of illegal dumpers should be published in the local press, if and when they are prosecuted for the offence.

Senior council official, Shay Barker said that his staff 'take a lot of pride in trying to keep Fingal as litter-free as possible'. He said the 'naming and shaming' policy in the city was 'interesting' but was seen by some as 'double punishment'.
A major recruitment drive is underway at Oberstown Children's Detention Campus as the campus bids to recruit 53 new staff members, bringing the total employed at the Lusk facility to over 300.

Now the only children's detention centre in the country, Oberstown has been undergoing a 56 million expansion programme and over the last year or so, it has already recruited 69 new staff members.

Overseeing all of that from a HR point of view, has been Bernadette Raleigh who joined Oberstown last summer just as the facility was hitting national headlines for the wrong reasons after a number of young people escaped the facility.

She admits that period made the job of recruitment to the facility difficult and says her own family questioned her decision to take up a job at Oberstown but since making that decision, she has found the reality of life inside Oberstown is quite different from the perception.

She said: 'We have had 56 million invested in the expansion of the campus and of course there were teething problems and we did have incidents.

'When I applied, I got a phone call from my dad telling me not to go in here but what I've found since I came is completely different to the perception.

'Yes of course, there are incidents but our staff do a fantastic job at managing any incidents very well. We review each incident and learn from it and put measures and controls in to either prevent it happening again or to deal with it better the next time.'

She told the Fingal Independent that Oberstown provides a safe environment in which to work and she recommended the facility to an prospective job applicant, saying that from her own experience: 'I can say I am proud to work at Oberstown and I look forward to working with all the new recruits in supporting them in supporting our young people to move forward and reintegrate into society.'

It is that ultimate aim of the detention centre that first attracted Bernadette to the job and one that she hopes will also attract 53 new recruits to Oberstown, including some 45 new social workers.

She said that Oberstown provides a unique opportunity to people in the care business as the only young person's detention centre in the country and jobs there come with an attractive remuneration and benefits package and amount to 'permanent and pensionable jobs'.

As well as the 45 social workers, the campus is also looking to recruit general operatives, day and night supervisors and nurses as well as a third deputy director at the campus who will be in charge of operations.

Bernadette said she joined Oberstown because she felt she could 'make a difference' and appealing to qualified people to apply for the new jobs, she said that the facility offers a 'unique and different opportunity to make a difference in our young people's lives'.
The number of users of counterfeit mobile phones in Tanzania has dropped in four months from 30 percent in December last year to 13 percent in March, the country's communication regulatory said Friday.

"The drop in the use of counterfeit mobile phones has been caused by the approaching deadline to switch off all fake mobile phones on June 16, 2016," said the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) acting Director General, James Kilaba.

The drop was positive because TCRA will not change the date for switching-off the phones, Kilaba told a news conference in the east African nation's commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

He attributed the achievement to the International Mobile Station Equipment Identity system (IMEI) which the country launched last December to identify counterfeit mobile phones.

"There are also ongoing awareness campaigns among the public over the importance of assessing their phones to establish whether they are original or counterfeit," said Kilaba.

However, Kilaba said there were dishonest traders who were reducing prices of the counterfeit phones in a bid to lure customers.

In March, this year, TCRA said it will soon release figures on fake mobile phone handsets now being used in the east African nation, the region's second largest economy.

Innocent Mungy, TCRA communications manager, said a survey carried out in 2012 indicated that at least 38 percent of the handsets in use then were fake.

Many sub-standard and counterfeit mobile phone products entered the local market illegally and that it has been difficult to control such influx, said Mungy.
A retired Fingal County Council engineer and experienced aid worker is back in the field with Concern Worldwide in Lebanon, helping to save some of the millions of people displaced by the war in Syria.

PJ Howell, who will be 63 in May and retired from Fingal County Council in 2013 after 30 years of service, is using his engineering skills and experience in water services to provide clean drinking water to thousands of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon.

The former director of water services at Fingal County Council explained how he got involved: 'I was asked if I would be available to help and I said 'yes' because this is the greatest humanitarian disaster in the world today.

'These people need help and they need clean drinking water, which is what the programme I am involved with is helping to provide.'

PJ has a long association with Concern Worldwide, stretching back to the 1970s.

He said: 'When I qualified as a civil engineer in 1974, I went to Bangladesh with Concern as a volunteer and was there for 18 months.

Then subsequently I worked in Uganda as a volunteer for six months when there was a severe famine in Karamoja in 1981.

'I was involved with rehabilitation of the water bore holes, which were all over Karamoja, but in severe disrepair so we had crews who repaired them so that thousands of women did not have to walk vast distances each day to collect water from streams and shallow wells that would often dry up.'

PJ continued to use his skills and expertise to save the lives of those living in extreme poverty and worked alongside renowned humanitarian and former Concern chief executive, the late Fr Aengus Finucane. He was elected to the Council of Concern in 1982 and remained a member until 2009. He served as the organisation's chairperson from 1991 to 1995.

He said: 'During those years I was working in the county council and I used my holidays each year to visit a number of Concern fields - such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Zaire in 1994, where thousands of people had fled after the genocide in Rwanda .'

PJ also revisited Bangladesh, following his retirement in 2013, and was struck by the very significant advances made by both the country and Concerns programme there , some 40 years since he had first worked there.

He also chaired a working group, two years ago that looked at the future of volunteering with Concern.

He is now Concern's WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) programme manager, based in Halba in the Akkar district in Lebanon - and his work not only provides water people can drink, but prevents disease and further devastation in a region were so many are destitute.

He explained that they are working on a reservoir that provides water to a town with a population of over 12,000 people - including Syrian refugees - so that the Lebanese authorities running it can cope with the increasing surge in new arrivals.

PJ said: 'We are working with the municipalities to improve the overall performance of the water supply scheme that is part of a larger existing water supply scheme for the town. When it is finished in 6 months' time it will be handed over to the local municipality who will manage it.'

In places where no clean tap water is available, Concern provide people with water from tankers that are filled and driven to each area in need.

It is also beginning to work on a new prototype bio-energy powered' waste water treatment unit that is made in Britain and can be shipped and dropped into any refugee camp.

Each of these mobile waste-water treatment units are self-fuelled by the dried solids left behind from treated sewage water.

PJ, who will be working on the project for three months, said his experience as Director of Services and water services management with Fingal County Council has helped significantly in dealing with the local Lebanese authorities.

To donate to or volunteer for Concern please log onto their website www.concern.net or call 1850 410 510.
Kilmuckridge local Tidy Towns group and secondary students of Colaiste an Atha joined forces recently to give their village its annual spring clean. The volunteers spread their work over two days, with eight Tidy Towns volunteers picking up over 20 bags of rubbish on the first day.

On a separate day the Leaving Certificate Applied students from the local community school took time off class and gathered a further six bags of trash from the roads approaching their school.

Sam Paya, secretary of Kilmuckridge Tidy Towns group, said the event was part of the An Taisce annual National Spring Clean and that she was shocked at the amount of rubbish thrown in the ditches, ranging from cans of lager to bags of nappies.

'Its disgusting the amount of rubbish that is thrown out of car windows, and/or illegally dumped things like bin bags of dirty nappies, and a huge amount of fast food packages and cans that get hidden in the undergrowth'.

The voluntary litter pickers collected trash from along Wells Road, around the village square and along the roads approaching the school and near the grotto.
Fianna Fail TD for Wexford James Browne says tackling soaring motor insurance costs needs to be a top priority for the next Government.

Deputy Browne (pictured right) raised the issue in the Dail and highlighted how consumers and businesses have had to overcome crippling premium increases year on year since 2011.

'The Central Statistics Office has pointed out that motor insurance is now the fastest rising item for households and businesses in Ireland. Premiums have increased by almost 40 per cent since last year, and insurers are warning of further increases of up to 25 per cent this year. Despite this the outgoing Government has done little to address the spiralling cost of motor insurance,' said Deputy Browne.

'The increase in motor insurance costs reflects a combination of government imposed costs, poor regulation, mismanagement by the insurance sector and legislative failure. The result is a situation whereby motor insurance is now a major squeeze on the finances of households. People simply cannot afford to absorb any further increase in costs.

'Hackney and taxi companies are also facing substantial increases in the cost of their insurance. This is resulting in the withdrawal of such services in communities across Wexford at a time when more people are having to rely on them because of cutbacks to public transport services. People with disabilities are also finding their insurance is increasing above the average rate.'

Browne said the Motor Insurance Advisory Board which was previously successful in reducing insurance premiums should be re-established.
A child who has been kept on a general ward at Wexford General Hospital for almost three months following two suicide attempts, has been moved to a mental health facility following pleas from her mother and others for her to receive appropriate treatment for her condition.

The 13-year-old girl's mother had blamed the family support agency Tusla for the long delay in referring the child for treatment, saying that it preferred to leave her in Wexford General, which she said is ill-equipped to deal with a suicidal child.

Describing her daughter's transfer to a mental health facility in Dublin as 'a great step forward', the child's mother said, however, it had been a difficult transition and her daughter had been very upset when photographs are other items she had collected during her stay in Wexford General were not allowed to travel with her to the secure centre.

'It is brilliant and a great relief, but it is very difficult because there's very little feedback. How long she's going to stay there we don't know, it could be six weeks, it could be six months.. I've had to walk away, leaving her in tears. She know she needs to get better, but she doesn't know when she's going to see me again,' said the woman.

'There are phones in the ward, but when she can use them is at the staff's discretion and all calls are monitored,' she said, adding that she believes the move to the mental health facility is an important step in her daughter's recovery.

'I've had two phone calls from here since she went in, but she was very guarded and you wouldn't know how she is doing and I don't know if she is trying to put on a brave face for mother,' she told this newspaper, 'but I feel she is in the right place.'

In late January, the girl overdosed on prescription tablets, but was sent home after one night's observation. Eight days later, she was again admitted to hospital after taking another overdose and had remained there since, on a general ward where she was receiving a one-hour visit a week from a psychiatrist.

Her condition deteriorated while in Wexford General and no mental health facility deemed her suitable for in-patient treatment until last week, when she was assessed by a specialist and received confirmation that she qualified for the type of care available.

Last month, a Wexford-town based advocate for the child's family described the situation as 'horrific'.

'No-one wants to take responsibility.. no matter who has got involved in this case, they (the State agencies) have refused point blank to do their job and have relied on red tape to get out of doing it,' she told this newspaper.

Cllr George Lawlor, who was very active in the fight to find the child an appropriate place, said he had meetings with senior HSE officials who had promised to treat the girl's plight as a priority.

'Hopefully this is the proper and correct treatment she requires,' Cllr Lawlor told this newspaper.

The girl's mother said that since being admitted to the centre, her daughter had been able to resume her schooling, which in itself was very positive. 'I'm trying to put the other half of the family back together now, so that she has a proper home to come back to,' she said.
Controversial accountant Alan Hynes faces a High Court battle with US bank Goldman Sachs next month over 7.5 million.

Alan Hynes was recently barred from the Institute of Chartered Accountants following complaints from investors who lost more than 18 million on his property ventures.

Following a ruling by Mr Justice Brian McGovern last Wednesday, Goldman Sachs-controlled Ennis Property Finance will seek judgment against the Wexford accountant and his wife Noreen for 7.5 million on May 25, the Irish Times reports.

The case is expected to take at least four days.

Mr Hynes was not in court on Wednesday, but has indicated that the couple intend to defend the case.

They have represented themselves in court and by Wednesday did not appear to have hired lawyers. It is claimed they originally borrowed the money from Bank of Scotland for property deals in Dublin and Wexford.

The bank began legal action for repayment in September 2014. Goldman bought the debt from the lender early last year.

It also emerged that Mr Hynes intends to bring a High Court challenge to last year's ruling by the Chartered Accountants' Regulatory Board excluding him from the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

One of the issues with which the court was dealing on Wednesday was Mr Hynes's motion to involve a number of other parties in Ennis's case. These included AIB, which has a judgment against him for 2 million, but which Mr Hynes is suing; and Neil Hughes, the liquidator of a Hynes company, Tuskar Asset Management. The judge struck out this motion and criticised Mr Hynes for failing to turn up.
President Michael D Higgins was the guest of honour, but it was much-loved cleric Monsignor Padraig O Fiannachta who was the star of the show at the Irish premiere of a little gem of a film directed by a Ballyheigue native.

The Uncountable Laughter of the Sea blazed onto the big screen in the Tralee Omniplex on Wednesday in a proud night for its director Patrick O'Neill, his family and friends and, of course, for the 'guide' to the whole piece, Mons O Fiannachta.

Patrick and his crew captured Kerry in all its majesty - shooting in some of the most heart-stoppingly beautiful places on Earth; from Gleninchaquin to Corca Dhuibhne, the Gap of Dunloe to the Skelligs.

Throughout it all was the presence of Mons O Fiannachta; in voice and in the flesh.

A meditation on the spirit and the importance of our fragile environment, the film left its audience moved. Not least President Higgins and its star, Fr O Fiannachta; the latter watching it for the first time as a whole work.

One of the most arresting parts of The Uncountable was a piece the Monsignor did not even realise was being filmed: his moving to-camera account of a tragedy that rocked his family decades ago.

"When I was describing the drowning of my brothers I had no idea it was being filmed, but I was pleased because it came out naturally," he told The Kerryman.

"I had seen pieces of the film, but I didn't think they would all fit in so well together. Patrick has great imagination. I was on location for ten days without a break and it was wonderful."

Patrick's nephew Colin O'Mahony and first cousin Claire Godley - each insisting they were in no way biased - were left gobsmacked. "It was amazing to see what Patrick has done and to see Kerry in that light," Colin said.

It moved as an 'absolutely magical' experience for Claire:

"It was so captivating and the highlights for me were the scenery and Fr Padraig. The fact it was dedicated to my late aunt Mim, Patrick's mom, was very special and I really felt her spirit moving through the piece."
Parents, friends and supporters of St Oliver's National School in Ballycasheen, Killarney gathered for a special fundraiser last week at the Killarney National Park.

Over 460 participants took part in the inaugural fun whole-school event which consisted of a three mile run or six mile run as part of the school's 2016 fitness challenge to raise much needed funds for services such as occupational therapy and play therapy.

As part of the challenge, staff at St Olivers ran a combined 2,016 miles in the three weeks prior to the fundraiser with the hope that participants would match that incredible mileage on the day. They did.

Deputy Principal, Tim Horgan said that the school is very grateful to everyone who contributed to the fun atmosphere: "Everybody really enjoyed it. There was a great level of enthusiasm, especially from the younger students and we are hoping to do it again next year," he said. Mr Horgan also credited the committee of parents, SNAs and teachers.
China's Baosteel Group said in a statement on Friday that accusations by United States Steel Corp. (U.S. Steel) against it were groundless and untrue.

Baosteel Group strictly abides by laws and regulations and respects the rules of the market, the statement said.

The accusation that the company had stolen commercial secretes in particular is baseless speculation and subjective assumption -- an absurd statement, it said, adding that it was an insult to the company's hardworking research and development staff.

"Baosteel will protect its legal rights in accordance with related international regulations and laws," the Baosteel statement said.

An unnamed official with the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Wednesday that China and the United States should improve dialogue and communication on global steel overcapacity, following a trade complaint from U.S. Steel.

U.S. Steel lodged a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on Tuesday, under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, against around 40 Chinese steel producers and their distributors.

Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel said in a statement that its complaint regarded "alleged illegal unfair competition methods and [it] seeks the exclusion of all unfairly traded Chinese steel products from the U.S. market."

The ITC has up to 30 days to decide whether it will initiate the case.

The MOC official said he hoped the ITC would overrule the charges as the provision cited by U.S Steel had mostly been used in intellectual property rights (IPR) dispute cases.

"Steel products are relatively mature and there are no IPR disputes regarding them. Charges of IPR infringement are groundless," the official said.

The steel industries in the United States and China should strengthen dialogue and communication to jointly address overcapacity, which is a result of anemic global economic recovery and tepid demand, the official added.
Killocrim National School student, Jack McElligott, was a dab hand at proving that Listowel is still the home to many literacy masterminds after claiming the Kerry County Bee title at the Eason Spelling Bee.

The 12 year old fought off stiff competition from 24 other spelling enthusiasts and will now be entered into the Spelling Bee Provincial Finals for an opportunity to grab a much coveted place in the All Ireland Finals in June.

Jack loves reading and noted Jeff Kinney's 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' as his favourite book.

The nationwide competition is part of an overall Eason literacy and reading initiative that aims to inspire children to develop a greater appreciation of words in a fun and educational way, and to encourage them to perfect their spelling and pronunciation skills.

Group Head of Marketing at Eason, Brendan Corbett, was delighted with this year's record number of entries with over 1,100 schools participating.

"The Eason Spelling Bee is not only great fun for the children but it is also very beneficial as spelling is a great way to help develop reading and literacy skills," he said.

The All-Ireland winning school will receive a mountain of books for their library to the value of 7,500 and the winner themselves will be awarded a goodie package full of books.
There's only going to be one colour in Listowel come Saturday next, April 30, as the town prepares to go yellow in an act of vital awareness-raising ahead of this year's Darkness Into Light.

Thousands took part in the inaugural Listowel event last year in one of the single biggest DIL walks in the entire country.

This year, organisers are sounding the cry once more in aid of the Pieta House charity - one of Ireland's most important mental health services.

The DIL walk takes place on Saturday, May 7, in Listowel; leaving at 4.15am from the Island, on a 5km-circuit back to the Racecourse again.

But first, it is hoped traders will do their part to get the message out there with a splash of yellow on Saturday..

"Our idea basically is that we are turning Listowel Yellow!" organiser Cora O'Brien said.

"We are asking traders and publicans to wear their darkness into light t-shirts on Saturday, April 30, next at work and as well as this we are asking that they put a candle on their window to symbolise HOPE," Cora explained.

"We are asking residents to do the same with the candle on the window!"

It's hoped businesses with yellow lights will light up again on May 7: "In order to turn the town yellow on the night, as many premises that have outside lighting will hopefully light-up."

It's an act to get the whole community involved as it is the whole community, Pieta House supports. You can register for the 2016 DIL Listowel at Lawlors cake shop, 35 Church St, every Saturday from 11am to 5pm or simply go on-line at dil.pieta.ie
A Listowel man who admitted stealing a Mexican woman's suitcase containing her passport, VISA card and clothes as he got off a bus in Listowel has been sentenced to four months in prison.

Eoin Douglas of 31 Feale Drive - who is currently serving a five month sentence for theft - was 'operating in the throws of addiction' at the time of the offence, his solicitor said, but openly admitted everything when questioned by gardai some months later, while in prison.

The court was told that on December 31 last year, the woman and her partner were travelling on a bus from Tralee to Limerick, via Listowel. When the bus stopped in Listowel, the woman spotted a man getting off the bus with a purple suitcase in his hand.

Realising that it was similar to her case, she checked the luggage compartment and noticed her own bag was missing.

In Limerick, the Mexican lady - who lives in Tralee - reported the theft to gardai in Roxboro and CCTV footage later identified Mr Douglas as the man with the case. In it were the lady's passport, her VISA card and clothing worth 700.

At Listowel District Court on Thursday, solicitor Pat Enright admitted that his client's history of 70 previous conviction was poor for a man of just 23 years of age, but said Mr Douglas had been 'bedevilled by drug and alcohol addition' from a young age that led him to get involved in a number of incidents of petty crime.

He said he was in the throes of this addiction when he stole the suitcase, telling the judge that he made full admissions when questioned in prison the following April, as is his 'natural habit'.

He said that while the suitcase and its possessions were never recovered, Mr Douglas had been saving his 'modest' prison allowance since February to put together compensation for the victim and presented 200 in court.

He said Mr Douglas is hoping to save the rest as he serves out the rest of his sentence.

Mr Enright added that the 23-year-old had completed a number of classes and courses while in prison and now has the loving support of a partner who is standing by him and together they are hoping for a better, trouble-free future.

Judge Tim Lucey described the incident as 'particularly bad' saying that people travelling expect their belongings to be safe.

He acknowledged Mr Douglas' co-operation with gardai, his full admission and his plea at the earliest opportunity, and sentenced him to four months in prison to run concurrently with the sentence he is currently serving.

Mr Douglas was also convicted of possessing 10 worth of cannabis herb at Feale Drive on May 30, 2015 - an offence he also pleaded guilty to.
Bombshell Belles, Vikings, Romans, Yanks and Jerries - Listowel is bracing itself for battle as the fifth year of its now famous Military Tattoo looms.

The past is to come to life like never before this year as the history expands to include the Viking conquests of Ireland and the glories of Ancient Rome - courtesy of new re-enactors taking part in the Living History extravaganza on the Bridge Road.

It is also this year witnessing a reunion weekend for the 15th battalion of the FCA, with a special Mass at 6.15pm on Saturday in St Mary's to honour members of the force, as well as a reunion in the Arms later that night from 8pm - being organised by founding Tattoo member Jim Halpin.

One devastating military machine above all others is being highlighted this year - the Spitfire.

"We're unveiling the full-size Spitfire built by volunteers in Listowel in recent months at the Square at 1pm on Saturday next," Damian Stack - one of the founders of the Tattoo - said.

"It's being unveiled in honour of Victor Beamish from Dunmanway, who was one of the most celebrated Spitfire pilots with the RAF."

Up to 50 members of the Beamish family are meanwhile heading to Listowel for the special event.

The Living History display takes place off the Bridge Road with Vikings and Romans entering the fray this year too - on Saturday and Sunday (11am to 5pm both days).

The Veterans' Parade will take place on Saturday from the Emmets' pitch at 4pm and Sunday is the big day for battle re-enactments in the Square - at 1pm and 4pm; before all head to the Arms for the big 1940s hangar dance with the Bombshell Belles and Tralee group Foyer Jazz, amid a myriad other colourful events on a military theme making Listowel the place to be this weekend.
Banna wasn't the only place where President Higgins received a rapturous reception last Thursday.

A large crowd, including many who were unable to make it out to Banna Strand for the day's main ceremony, lined the southern end of Denny Street to greet the President when he arrived at The Ashe Memorial Hall.

The President concluded his long day of Kerry engagements by visiting The Kerry County Museum to officially open the new Casement exhibition. Though by Thursday evening the President and his entourage were running over an hour late, the assembled crowd - some 200 invited guests in the museum and over 100 more on the steps outside - were happy to wait.

On his arrival President Higgins and his wife Sabina were greeted by Museum Curator Helen O'Carroll and her staff, along with a number members of the Casement and Montieth families.

Before delivering an inspiring address to the guests on hand for the exhibition opening, his fourth lengthy speech of the day, President Higgins was given a private tour of the new exhibition.

A man with a noted and renowned interest in history the President was clearly impressed by the exhibition and spent considerable time examining the many fascinating pieces assembled by Helen O'Carroll and her team.

Indeed, it is an excellent exhibition that anyone with even the most passing interest in 1916 should make sure to visit.

The items in the exhibition, many donated by London's Imperial War Museum and Metropolitan Police Museum, include numerous items found at Banna after Casement's arrest.

Signal lamps, lifejackets and maps - even German train ticket stubs and a pouch of tobacco Casement and his comrades carried in their pockets all the way from Berlin to Banna - all feature in this engagingly-presented collection.

There is also an array of other interesting local artefacts, such as a minute book used by Irish Volunteers in Kerry, Austin Stack's original Volunteer uniform cap and a contemporary rifle.

In pride of place is the small row boat used by Casement and his two comrades to get ashore from the u-boat.

There has been some debate as to whether it is indeed the boat Casement used as the North Kerry Museum still maintains it has the actual boat.

Helen O'Carroll insists the boat at the museum is Casement's landing vessel and its origins have been thoroughly checked out.

President Higgins did jokingly allude to the debate in his speech , saying he was pleased it had stirred up a classic Kerry controversy.

While he did not expressly come down on one side or another The President did make the point that the boat in the museum, on loan from the Imperial War Museum, was originally presented to King George V as a trophy of war after The Rising.

Whatever your opinion on the boat's origins the exhibition, which runs for a year, is an absolute must see .
One of the most important remnants of the great oak woods of Ireland escaped a massive illegal gorse fire when fire fighters stopped it in its tracks within 500 metres of the wood.

The Irish Air Corps was on standby to mount a massive air fire fight as the gorse fire raced towards Tomies Wood over Wednesday and Thursday of last week.

Set on commonage on the northern flanks of Tomies Mountain near the Gap of the Dunloe, it came within metres of the vital oak wood habitat.

"We were deeply concerned over its proximity to the National Park at Tomies," Southwest Regional Manager for the National Parks and Wildlife Pat Dawson told The Kerryman.

"But thanks to the efforts of the Kerry Fire Service under Assistant Chief Fire Officer Michael Flynn, who was on the ground in charge of the operation, it was eventually brought under control. The wind was also with us thankfully, but for this and the fire fighters' efforts it would have been absolutely devastating for the country."

The fire scorched the scrub on the slopes of Purple Mountain and had it reached Tomies wood would have threatened an oak habitat that is home to sika and red deer as well as countless other species of flora and fauna; the area is also vital to the Eagle project.

"Tomies is one of the last remaining native oak woods in the entire country in an extraordinarily biodiverse habitat for so many species.

"However, as the fire was outside the wood and National Park we could only maintain a watching brief with a ranger on the ground in regular contact with the Fire Service. It came within 500 metres of the wood," Mr Dawson explained.

The Irish Air Corps were ready to deploy at a moment's notice had the fire reached the wood.

"They were very effective in protecting the National Parks last year against other gorse fires and unfortunately this is a fraught time of year for us anticipating unauthorised fires.

"We would appeal to the public not to set fires outside the legal time limit like this. Not only can they threaten National Parks but they can ultimately threaten homes and human life. It behooves everyone to act responsibly," Mr Dawson added.

Tralee was also hit by wild fires in last week's dry weather as a gorse fire blazed across the popular walking area to the south of the town at Tonevane on Sliabh Mish.
Irish Water has issued a statement on its plans for a sewerage treatment plant for the Duncannon area.

After the recent poor water quality result for Duncannon beach based on historic results, the water utility is progressing plans to improve water quality in the area through the plant which is due to be built by mid-2018.

An Irish Water spokesperson said; 'We have appointed a design team to develop solutions for this and other similar sites, with Duncannon as a priority. We expect to have a preferred site and scheme by mid-year to go to planning and hopefully procurement. Our current plans are to have a contractor on site in mid-2017 and to have the scheme in place within a year from that date.'
Fethard RNLI launched their inshore lifeboat on Wednesday following concerns that a person may have been missing on the Hook Peninsula.

A false alarm was raised with good intent when a man did not return from a walk at Hook Head at the expected time.

The volunteer lifeboat crew responded quickly to a launch request by the Irish Coast Guard following a report of the possible missing person on the Hook Peninsula at 4.30 p.m.

The D class lifeboat, Tradewinds, helmed by John Colfer, together with three volunteer lifeboat crew, launched at Slade Harbour within minutes of the pager alert, assisted by five shore crew who began a shoreline search.

At 5.15 p.m. the search was stood down with the notification that the man was found safe and well.

Speaking following the call out, Hugh Burke, Fethard RNLI Deputy Launching Authority, said: 'We would like to commend the member of the public who raised the alarm when they were concerned.

'We would always rather launch to a false alarm with good intent than not launch at all. Our volunteers responded quickly to aid in the search at sea and on the shore but we were stood down quickly on hearing the good news that the man was not missing but overdue and had been located safe and well.'
Tom Morrissey, Fr Tom Dalton, Catherine Jordan, Ger Colfer, Mary Moran, John Nolan, Joan Etchingham and Jim McGillicuddy who were all instrumental in the fundraising for Nepal

Trocaire has praised the people of the Diocese of Ferns for raising 170,000 for Nepal earthquake appeal.

Commenting on the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake, in which almost 9,000 people killed and more than half a million homes were destroyed, Trocaire said the enormous efforts of Wexford people was inspiring.

Riverchapel parish priest Fr. Tom Dalton was one of eight trekkers from Wexford who had just arrived on a visit to Nepal when the earthquake struck.

On their return, the group led a series of fundraising events to bring vital aid to Nepal.

Among the events held were a concert at the National Opera House and benefit nights at Kelly's Hotel, Whites of Wexford and Tara Vie Hotel. Local schools also got behind the fundraising efforts, with bake sales held at Riverchapel National School and Gorey Community School, while St Mary's National School held a non-uniform day to support the campaign.

Several other events were held, including charity runs and a link-up with Apple Green petrol stations.

'The enormous efforts of Fr Dalton and the group generously supported by the people in the Diocese of Ferns contributed to Trocaire and our UK partner, Cafod, reaching 300,000 people in Nepal with vital aid such as food, blankets, tarpaulins, cooking utensils, beds, solar lamps and gas stoves. We are continuing to support water and sanitation initiatives and are helping people to rebuild their livelihoods and earn an income,' said Trocaire's Executive Director, Eamonn Meehan.

'Fr Dalton and his group's determination to support people in Nepal on their return to Ireland is truly inspiring, as is the tremendous support given by Wexford people,' said Mr Meehan.

'On behalf of everyone who was helped as a result, we say a huge thank you,' said Mr Meehan.

'This support will be felt in Nepal for years to come.'

The eight Wexford trekkers caught up in the quake were Catherine Jordan, Mary Moran, John Nolan, Jimmy Morrissey, Fr Dalton, Jim McGillicuddy, Ger Colfer and Joan Etchingham.








Chinese President Xi Jinping (R front) speaks at a meeting with a group of scientists and researchers, model workers and young representatives in Hefei, capital city of east China's Anhui Province, April 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Tao)





Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked officials to place more trust in intellectuals, welcome their criticism and limit interference in their creative work.

Xi made the remarks at a meeting on Tuesday in Hefei with scientists and researchers, model workers and young people during his inspection tour of east China's Anhui Province, according to a press release published Friday.

Communist Party and government departments should fully trust intellectuals and create a favorable environment for them to exercise their talent and develop their careers, the president said.

Officials were urged not to "interfere in the creative work of intellectuals so that they can concentrate on their work." They should, however, improve communication with intellectuals and help solve difficulties at work and in their personal lives.

Officials should welcome advice and criticism from intellectuals and become "true friends," Xi stressed.

"When opinions are meant well, they should be warmly welcomed. We should accept constructive criticism and be more tolerant and inclusive, even if some opinions are biased or incorrect," he said, adding that intellectuals should not be blamed or punished for expressing their opinions.

Even if opinions are biased or incorrect, the authorities should not avoid or reject their point of view, rather they should engage with the intellectuals and discuss their views, according to Xi.

The president also expects intellectuals to put the country and people first, uphold "the right path" and pursue the truth.

"Under no circumstances should [intellectuals] damage national dignity or violate their conscience," he said.

To better understand the situation of China and the rest of the world, they should not be disparaging toward themselves nor repeat others' words without thinking, he said.

Xi encouraged them to take the lead in the innovation drive and contribute to the country's economic and social development as well as improvement of the people's welfare.

They should sharpen creativity, expand the horizon and remain devoted to hard work, Xi said.

Xi said some workers may temporarily lose their jobs as China's economy enters the "new normal" and major restructuring. He asked authorities to ensure basic living standards and create more jobs.
A Carnew theatre director is celebrating qualification for the RTE All-Ireland Drama Festival.

Kieran Tyrrell, for the second year running, is the director of the Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group's entry which will be staged for adjudicators in Athlone on Wednesday, May 4.

This year's production is 'Moonshine' by Jim Nolan. Set in a seaside village of Ballintra in the south of Ireland, McKeever the local undertaker and the Church of Ireland rector are both struggling with professional and personal crises.

Moonshine tells the story of McKeever attempting to stage 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' on Easter Sunday. But the gods seem to be conspiring against him as his actors start dropping out.

The Rev is consumed with the impending death of his wife and the closure of his church due to the loss of his congregation.

In order to qualify for Athlone, the group has performed on the Amateur Drama circuit during February, March and April with appearances in Claremorris, Roscommon, Wexford, Mountmellick, Carnew, Kildare, Kilmuckridge and Rathangan with wins in Roscommon, Claremorris and Rathangan.

Kieran has made quite a name for himself on the local theatre scene in recent years, both as a playwright and director and says he is very much looking forward to the All-Ireland event.

Wicklow theatre lovers will get the opportunity to see the show on April 29 and 30 at St Brigid's Hall, Carnew.

Both shows commence at 8 p.m.
An Arklow entrepreneur is celebrating a win at the recent Micro Business Awards.

Dt Media Ireland, owned by broadcaster and writer Dave Thomas won the first ever award in the category of 'Best Reinvention' of a Business.

'While I started the company in 1998, we focused on radio production, public relations and event organising. Then in 2009, I placed the company on hold, so to speak, while my partner and I became foster carers.

'While we loved fostering, I was anxious to return to writing, broadcasting and being creative again, something I missed a lot, so I relaunched the company in January 2015,' explained Dave.

However, instead of returning to only radio production, Dave decided to focus his attention into film and television production. This meant forming new contacts in this area, and developing new skills.

'We have a lot of exciting projects in the pipeline', said Dave.

'We have a short film going into production later this year, and this film will be entered into the many film festivals all over the world. We also have a feature film being developed, a game show, a documentary film and a television series in development.'

'Winning the award was a surprise, but more so a thrill to receive the recognition of what we did, taking a bold and brave move to totally reinvent the company.

'It really feels like starting out all over again, however, this time we have almost 30 years of experience and skills under our belt as we venture into this new exciting world of film and television.

'It seems Ireland is finally being seen as the place to be when it comes to film and TV. Just look at the success the industry has received with the Oscar wins, among many others, and the amazing talent we have right across every aspect of film production. It's really taking off now and I feel this is the perfect time to place Dt Media Ireland in the thick of it.'

'I am very interested in hearing from any writers, directors, producers, camera people etc., that would like to collaborate on future projects. I also have some short film scripts ready to go, if someone is keen to make their own movie,' said Dave.
Rebecca McNally, who along with Stephanie Hood and Saoirse Mullen was named Eastern Winner, modelling A Tribute to Ziggy Stardust

What you might regard as a pile of old junk could be anything but that in the right hands.

Pupils from two Wicklow schools proved just that when they picked up awards at this year's Junk Kouture fashion show finals for their eyecatching and innovative designs.

The contest invites secondary school pupils to design and model couture pieces, made solely from recycled items.

A Tribute to Ziggy Stardust was the offering from Rebecca McNally, Stephanie Hood, Saoirse Mullen from St Kevin's Community College, Dunlavin, who picked up the overall Eastern Winner title.

Under the direction of Ms Breda Heaney, the trip came up with a dazzling suit made of paper shopping bags, old scraps of material, broken CDs, netting and magazines.

The title of Best Performance went to Orla Bass from Colaiste Bhride for her design entitled 'Smash it'.

Orla designed and modelled her dress made from old badminton shuttlecocks and mosaic tiles.

Both schools took part in the Junk Kouture fashion show at the 3Arena following their regional finals last March.

The judging panel comprised model and TV presenter Vogue Williams, stylist and TV presenter Rob Condon, art and design educator Dr Tracey Fahey and Vogue India Stylist Lorna McGee along with guest judge Louis Walsh who joined for the Best Performance category.
E-commerce is crucial to any business but especially small ones

The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources explains why trading online is important and outlines how its 2,500 grant (Trading Online Voucher Scheme) can help small businesses

What is the Trading Online Voucher scheme?

Expand Close Gear Jewellers in Dublin availed of the Trading Online Voucher Scheme through the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Gear Jewellers in Dublin availed of the Trading Online Voucher Scheme through the Local Enterprise Office (LEO)

The Trading Online Voucher Scheme is a Government initiative to assist small businesses to trade online. It is targeted at micro businesses with 10 or fewer employees and less than 2m in annual turnover. It provides a flexible incentive for small business owners/managers to address the barriers for their business to trading online.

Operated through the national network of 31 LEOs, the scheme offers a financial incentive of up to 2,500 to develop their trading online capacity along with training, mentoring and networking support

Why is the Government involved in boosting e-commerce among small businesses?

Irish consumers spend over 7bn annually online or around 850,000 per hour, 24 hours a day. With up to 70% of Irelands annual online spend currently going overseas, targeting Irish businesses for online trading is a key jobs and economic imperative.

The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources recognises the importance of enabling all citizens and businesses to realise the full social and economic potential of the digital world. Irelands digital economy is driving sweeping change in business, education, public services and utilities, home life and recreation.

A key element of the National Digital Strategy is focused on helping enterprises to move online. It recognises the significant potential for growth that comes from online trade, from finding new customers in new markets, to engaging and retaining current customers and adapting to their needs.

Expand Close Fabucci Footware, Naas, Co. Kildare, availed of the Trading Online Voucher Scheme through the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Fabucci Footware, Naas, Co. Kildare, availed of the Trading Online Voucher Scheme through the Local Enterprise Office (LEO)

The Departments Trading Online Voucher Scheme is specifically designed to help small and micro businesses to access the benefits of internet-based commerce. European Commission research suggests that companies which develop a meaningful online trading presence grow twice as fast, export twice as much and employ twice as many people.

Why is it so important that small businesses start trading online now?

Expand Close Olivia Smyth of The Stork Exchange used the Trading Online Voucher in 2014 to develop a purpose-built website with an integrated booking system which allows her to efficiently manage bookings and closely monitor stock. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Olivia Smyth of The Stork Exchange used the Trading Online Voucher in 2014 to develop a purpose-built website with an integrated booking system which allows her to efficiently manage bookings and closely monitor stock.

The revolution in business brought about by digital technology and content has grown over the past decade to the extent that it is now being widely referred to as the fourth industrial revolution.

Customers and suppliers are increasingly driven by digital technology, from research and buying, to product innovation and the logistics and fulfilment value chain.

All Irish businesses are affected by the changes occurring in consumption patterns. How customers find your business and how they evaluate what you have to offer has changed dramatically.

The customer journey is impacted by two things: the always-in-your-pocket-or-bag digital device and the array of digital connections from social media, forums discussions etc. These devices, and the people they connect, determine more and more the amount of business you do.

Why have so many small businesses not yet started trading online as yet?

We estimate that although most small businesses have a web presence less than one in four actually trade online. Trading online can appear to be a complex challenge with so many technologies available, so many experts to talk to as well as the investment needed to make it happen. Help is now available through your Local Enterprise Office (LEO). Despite the temptation to kick the can down the road, the reality is that nearly 90% of Irish consumers use the internet to research and buy products and services.

What types of businesses have availed of the scheme so far?

Over 2,000 vouchers have been awarded to businesses so far under the scheme while double that number benefitted from expert advice and peer-to-peer support by participating in the LEO information seminars. Businesses from every county have been involved.

What has been the impact of the Trading Online Voucher Scheme?

Our research on businesses which have participated in the scheme shows that sales grow by over 20%, leads by over 80%, three out of five businesses start exporting and job numbers grow by 35%.; In addition, 80% of respondents to our survey said the application process also helped them in business strategy planning.

For many businesses, the question is not should I be trading online?. The question is how do I start trading online?. At least 2,000 small businesses have found answers to that question and a helping hand to take that step through the Trading Online Voucher Scheme. Some of them are your competitors.

The first port of call for any small business thinking of developing their trading online capacity is to contact their relevant LEO.

Contact details and more information can be found at www.localenterprise.ie

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Megan Fox and husband Brian Austin Green split earlier this year but the actress debuted her baby bump at an event in April

Pregnant Megan Fox and estranged husband Brian Austin Green are reportedly moving back in together following their split last year.

The Transformers star made headlines earlier this month when she debuted a baby bump at a film event in Las Vegas, and it was later revealed she was expecting her third child with the former Beverly Hills, 90210 star - even though she had filed for divorce in August, 2015.

The pair sparked reconciliation rumours by stepping out together, and last week, Megan and Brian were photographed on vacation together in Kona, Hawaii.

Pictures obtained by Dailymail.com showed Brian cupping Megan's growing bump and the smiling duo holding hands during a stroll along the beach, while other snaps showed the dad-to-be tenderly touching the actress' hip and lower back while they stood in the shallow water.

Expand Close Actors Megan Fox (L) and Brian Austin Green have two sons Noah and Bodh. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Actors Megan Fox (L) and Brian Austin Green have two sons Noah and Bodh.

They have since returned to Los Angeles, where they were seen out with their sons, Noah and Bodhi, last weekend.

The New York Post reports Megan and Brian are deciding to give their marriage another chance.

"They're a couple again," a source said.

"They're moving back in with each other."

The actors have yet to comment on the status of their relationship, but Brian recently opened up about the new baby.

"You know, nothing is planned...," he told People.com.

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"None of them (the children) are ever planned. You kind of just go with it. At my age, to be having three babies, is crazy... I'll be 43 this year."

He also has a 14-year-old son Kassius with his former co-star, Vanessa Marcil.

Megan, 29, did not immediately reveal the identity of her unborn child's father, and even teased who it could be on Instagram after her red carpet reveal by posting pictures of co-stars Shia LaBeouf, Will Arnett and Jake Johnson with the caption, "#notthefather."

The parents-to-be wed in 2010.
Philip Treacy puts the final touches to the headpiece worn by Sarah Morrissey at the Lexus Irish Fashion Collective show at TCD. Photo: Marc OSullivan

Hailed as one of the world's most influential designers of hats, Philip Treacy flew into Dublin to help out an old college friend raise money for Saint Joseph's, Shankill, a centre dedicated to dementia care.

Fashion designer Deborah Veale studied with Philip at NCAD in the mid-1980s and her dad, Ken, is living with dementia. Deborah came up with the idea of fundraising through fashion and when she and former top model turned PR consultant, Mari O'Leary, picked up the phone and asked Philip to take part, he agreed to come . . . and brought 16 amazing hats for last night's sell-out Lexus Irish Fashion Collective at TCD.

Philip opened the 10-designer, 14-model show. His Rapid Protyping 3D printed headpiece (below left) is totally futuristic and a far cry from those early days 40 years ago when Philip made his first hats from feathers in Co Galway.

"It's interesting to work with new technology, it's like 'Star Trek'. You feed all the information into the computer, perfect the shape, and a laser hits a vat of liquid and it starts to appear out of thin air," he explained.

His 9,300 blue hat has featured in a campaign for Royal Ascot 2016 where new style rules decree that sheer is out and hats must be at least four inches wide.
A national convention by a populist German party was overshadowed by clashes between protesters and police, who temporarily detained more than 400 demonstrators in the southern city of Stuttgart.

Protesters shouted "Refugees can stay, Nazis must go" as some 2,000 members of the Alternative for Germany party arrived at the convention centre on Saturday morning.

The protesters also temporarily blocked a nearby highway and burned tyres on another road leading to the convention centre. Some 1,000 police officers were on the scene to prevent violent clashes between nationalist party members and leftist demonstrators.

At the convention itself, party leaders tried to play down differences over the party's ideological orientation - in particular its disputed closeness to the far-right party NPD or to the Pegida movement, which has been organising weekly rallies against Muslims across Germany.

The nationalist party, also known by its acronym AfD, has been growing in popularity and political influence as it campaigns on an anti-Islam platform.

It also advocates much tougher controls on asylum seekers and has faced criticism for its comments, including an interview in which party leader Frauke Petry suggested that police could shoot refugees trying to enter Germany. Other prominent AfD leaders have asked for a ban on minarets and muezzins in Germany.

This weekend, the members of the three-year-old party plan to debate and approve an official party programme that will likely include the statement that "Islam does not belong to Germany," the news agency dpa reported.

Ms Petry told a cheering audience that many important questions are not being discussed openly in Germany - among them "the most dramatic demographic, economic and financial difficulties the country has faced in decades".

Germany saw over one million asylum seekers enter the country last year, many of them from wartorn Syria.
The Large Hadron Collider has been immobilised by a weasel (Cern)

One of the world's most complex machines has been temporarily immobilised - by a weasel.

The world's largest atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider at Cern outside Geneva, has suspended operations because a weasel invaded a transformer that helps power the machine and set off an electrical outage on Thursday night.

Authorities say the incident was one of several small glitches that will delay plans to restart the collider by a few days.

Spokesman Arnaud Marsollier said that the weasel died - and little remains of it.

Officials of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, known by its French acronym Cern, have been gearing up for new data from the 17-mile circuit that runs underground on the Swiss-French border.
Jim Colwell has proven an arresting sight for some of his female admirers (Devon and Cornwall Police/PA Wire)

A new police chief has been hailed as Britain's sexiest officer - with scores of women saying they would love to be handcuffed by him.

News of Chief Superintendent Jim Colwell's promotion has caused a stir on Devon and Cornwall Police's Facebook page.

His photo has attracted more than 1,400 likes and prompted more than 300 comments - most of which talk about the policeman's good looks.

Facebook user Lisa Wood wrote: "Appears there might be a spike in criminal women activity in the area".

Married Plymouth woman Kerry Williams added: "What exactly do I need to do for him to handcuff me???! Well, he is rather splendid isn't he!"

And others even came up with elaborate ploys to encounter the senior officer.

Rachel Talbot wrote to her friend Louise Brockley saying: "OK here's the plan. I'm going pretend to kidnap you and drive you all the way down here and I won't stop driving until Mr Cutie comes and arrests me."

However, despite a flood of flirty comments, others praised Mr Colwell's professionalism.

The Leicester University graduate joined Devon and Cornwall Police in 2001 before rising through the ranks to become one of its key investigating officers.

A force spokeswoman said: "He is known for his thorough investigative skills and for leading investigations into high profile cases such as a fatal speedboat incident in Padstow, as well as co-ordinating the initial response to numerous major incidents including homicides and kidnaps across the force."

The force said it was "aware" of the Facebook comments about Mr Colwell.
The South China Sea issue has become increasingly complicated and serious, typified by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter postponing his scheduled visit to China because of the issue. A statement on maritime security was issued after the Hiroshima G7 foreign ministers' meeting. Although not explicitly mentioning China, the statement clearly criticized its conduct in the South China Sea.

A new lighthouse has been put into use in the South China Sea, built by Chinas Ministry of Transport, on April 5, 2016. The establishment will provide orientation and other safety services to ships and boats. [Photo: Xinhua]

U.S.-Philippine joint military drills, Japan's involvement, Australian and other countries' expressed concerns undoubtedly target China. It is not difficult to see that the role of the United States is of great importance. Although the Chinese government has time and again stated that the South China Sea issue involves China's sovereign affairs, as well as a bilateral dispute between China and its neighbors, the United States adopts an interventionist policy.

Some observers detect a more united and consistent policy among countries in the region toward China. A new alliance, led by the United States targeting China, is emerging, above all seeking to force China to make concessions.

From a Chinese perspective, there's little space to retreat. As a rising power, it has no reason to give up its identified sovereignty. In the South China Sea, just as Vietnam and the Philippines have nationalist sentiments, so does China.

So, is the pessimism of certain observers justified? Will the issue lead to open conflict?

This is a complicated issue and needs a detailed analysis. The South China Sea issue is actually comprised of three levels, namely, the relationship between China and the United States, the relationship between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the relationship between China and other national claimants.

In regard to China-U.S. relations, there are several factors behind the latter's policy. First, the main concern of the United States is "freedom of navigation" which means it can freely go anywhere it wants. Second, the United States is wrong in its strategic judgment that China's land reclamation and island building is "territorial expansion." Third, the United States worries China's "militarization" will hinder regional peace.

Interpretative contradictions in international law

Japan has its own wishful thinking regarding the issue. It wants to use the U.S.-Japanese alliance to intervene in Southeast Asian affairs.

The ASEAN countries can be divided into two parts, namely claimant and non-claimant countries, of which the latter have no conflict with China on sovereignty, but they are still concerned about navigational freedom, regional stability, and organizational solidarity. A regular phenomenon in international politics is that big countries are not willing to resort to international law to protect themselves but small countries are.

There is a huge conflict between International Maritime Law and the historical rights of China in the South China Sea. The "nine-dash line" is the historical product that China inherited, while International Maritime Law is a very contemporary entity. In China's view, such a contemporary law cannot solve complicated historical problems like the South China Sea issue.

China now stresses its sovereignty over the islands, but the safety of maritime navigation is the concern of all countries. China has no reason to damage navigational safety in the region. Any problem occurring in the South China Sea will impact negatively on China's national economy, because more than 80 percent of its import and export trade passes through these waters.

In recent years, China has proposed a "dual-track" approach in which claimant countries properly solve the issues through negotiations so that China and ASEAN jointly safeguard the peace and stability of the South China Sea. In other words, the sovereignty issue is resolved through bilateral negotiations, while the safety of maritime navigation should be settled through multinational negotiations. In this regard, China is trying to avoid such a scenario: The ASEAN is inclined to reach consensus on what is bad to China, but diverges on what is good to China.

China plays a key role in solving the deadlock

The relationship between China and other claimant countries is the key. China and these countries are neighbors and it knows well how to get along and how to resolve problem. For example, China made a number of concessions in the settlement of its land border dispute with Vietnam. This case shows that there is no justification for accusing China of being "a big country bullying a small one."

If the South China Sea issue is deadlocked, this may not be a bad thing, because it is better than a hurried, poorly-thought-out solution. However, each party must ensure that the issue doesn't escalate into a public conflict or even a war.

China, therefore, must be aware of the following points.

First, it now takes the leading position. Previously, China always had to respond to other countries' actions; now, the situation is reversed.

Second, China must be patient and behave rationally.

Third, China must have self-confidence. The costs for the United States in the South China Sea are much higher than those of China. As long as China has no ambition to expand, the U.S. cannot hold on too long.

Fourth, China and ASEAN still have a lot of space for diplomatic mediation. Most of the ASEAN countries want to be friendly with China. In fact, economic interdependence between China and ASEAN is quite high.

Fifth, there is still room for the improvement of the relations between China and other claimant countries. Unlike the United States, who cut off relations with Cuba for half a century, China never goes to extremes. For example, over the past years, China has still maintained good economic and trade relations with Vietnam and the Philippines despite the chill in political and diplomatic relations.

Sixth, China may treat the big countries outside the region more openly. For example, it can allow the United States and ASEAN countries to also use its facilities to jointly safeguard maritime security.

Seventh, even after relevant countries actually occupy disputed islands, China can still advocate a return to the negotiation table and a return to the principle of "shelving disputes and joint development" which was advocated by Deng Xiaoping a long time ago.

For China, any major international conflicts in the South China Sea will undoubtedly have a very negative impact on its internal construction and foreign affairs. Stabilizing the regional situation and settling the problems peacefully will make China a model in regard to a peaceful rise. It has a great potential in solving regional issues.

Zheng Yongnian is director of the East Asian Institute at theNational University of Singapore and an expert in China issues.

This article was translated by Li Jingrong based on the original unabridged version published in Chinese.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Donald Trump has made his case to California's Republican establishment as protesters shadowed him from the southern to northern ends of the state and clashed with police.

Demonstrators swarmed outside the hotel near San Francisco airport where Mr Trump was scheduled to meet with local power brokers before giving a lunchtime speech at the state party's convention. On Thursday night, protesters tangled with authorities and damaged police cars after a Trump rally in Orange County.

Tensions mounted as the contest moves into its final stages in one of the nation's most liberal and diverse states. The state party convention amounts to the starting bell in the contest, with Ohio governor John Kasich appearing later on Friday and Texas senator Ted Cruz and his new running mate, Carly Fiorina, up on Saturday.

California's primary usually comes after the party nominees are known but this time looms as a decisive contest that could either clinch the prize for Mr Trump or force him into a contested convention in July.

All three candidates are looking to galvanise supporters, sway undecided party members or poach from rival campaigns at the convention. "It's going to be a free-for-all," predicted the state party vice chairman, Harmeet Dhillon.

That label clearly applied to Trump's Orange County rally on Thursday night, which filled the Pacific Amphitheatre to its capacity of about 8,000, with many hundreds more turned away.

Protests that stayed mostly peaceful during the event grew in size and anger afterward.

Police in riot gear and on horseback pushed the crowd back and away from the arena, and one Trump supporter had his face bloodied in a scuffle as he tried to drive away.

One man jumped on a police car, leaving its front and rear windows smashed and the top dented, and other protesters sprayed graffiti on a police car and the venue's marquee.

About 20 people were arrested, said the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

On Friday, hundreds of demonstrators pushed to the front doors of the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame before being moved back by police in riot gear. Some protesters infiltrated the hotel building and hung a giant banner reading, "Stop Hate." State party chairman Jim Brulte said demonstrators had tried to block Mr Trump's motorcade but that the candidate got through.

Mr Trump's remaining rivals cannot beat him in what is left of the primary season. Their only hope is to deny him a majority of delegates heading into the July convention and wrestle for the prize in multiple ballots there.

But questions persist in the party - nationally and in California - about Mr Trump's electability and his conservative credentials. So the reception Mr Trump in particular receives from the state's party activists and grassroots organisers will be noteworthy.
Donald Trump has called for unity at California's Republican Party convention as protesters demonstrated outside.

Mr Trump spoke to the convention for around 30 minutes ahead of the state's primary on June 7, which could be crucial to him winning his party's presidential nomination.

There are 172 delegate votes at stake in California and they could be vital to the billionaire businessman, who is chasing the target of 1,237 needed to clinch the nomination and avoid a contested convention.

The Republican front-runner told party members they needed to come together after their divisive primary but also delivered a warning.

He said: "There has to be unity in our party. Would I win - can I win - without it? I think so, to be honest with you, because they're going to be voting for me (not the party)."

Mr Trump's supporters bought tickets to the event and cheered for their candidate from a ring of tables around the perimeter of the ballroom. But his speech received a cooler reception from party veterans and donors who sat just beneath the stage.

Ohio governor John Kasich, who remains in the Republican race alongside Texas senator Ted Cruz, speaks to the convention on Friday evening. Mr Cruz and his new running mate, Carly Fiorina, address the convention on Saturday.

All three candidates are looking to galvanise supporters, sway undecided party members or poach from rival campaigns. The state party's vice chairman, Harmeet Dhillon, said: "It's going to be a free-for-all."

Hundreds of demonstrators pushed to the front doors of the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame before being moved back by police in riot gear. Some protesters infiltrated the hotel building and hung a giant banner reading: "Stop Hate."

The US Secret Service led Mr Trump in through a rear entrance to the hotel. He joked that he "felt like I was crossing the border".

Mr Trump's remaining rivals cannot beat him in what is left of the primary season. Their only hope is to deny him a majority of delegates heading into the July convention and fight for the prize in multiple ballots there.

But questions persist among Republicans - nationally and in California - about Mr Trump's electability at the general election in November and his conservative credentials.

Mr Trump is viewed suspiciously by two camps in California - those who want to expand the party and those who view some of Mr Trump's positions as betrayals of the conservative movement.

The convention crowd defies expectation in a state known as a Democratic fortress. There have been pushes toward moderation, but the group is strongly conservative and favours calls for free markets, tax cuts and shrinking the size of government.

It is also socially conservative. The state party's platform defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and wants the US Supreme Court's affirmation of abortion rights reversed.

Mr Trump has spoken favourably about Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion services. He has warned against cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, often targets for conservatives who want to slow government spending.

Mr Trump was a popular draw at a brief VIP reception, where he posed for pictures with party stalwarts. He later joked about having mud and dirt smeared all over him from his unorthodox entrance.

Henri Houdre was thrilled to see Mr Trump. "We see him as that alpha kid in high school with the leather jacket and slicked-back hair who everybody wants to be," said the 18-year-old college student from San Francisco.

Mr Trump's call to unity resonated with some. Kevin Krick, the Bay Area regional vice chairman for the Republican Party, said: "That's the thing every Republican needs to keep in mind, that we're the same team."

Kersti Buchanan, 70, a retired translator and party activist from Mendocino County, who backs Mr Kasich, was shocked at all of Mr Trump's supporters - and by his speech.

"He's probably the most narcissistic person I've ever listened to," she said. "It was fairly shocking to see this many people who are eating it all up."

On Thursday night, protesters tangled with authorities and damaged police cars after a Trump rally in Orange County.

Protests that stayed mostly peaceful during the event grew in size and anger afterwards. Police in riot gear and on horseback pushed the crowd back and away from the Pacific Amphitheatre, where the rally was being held.

One of Mr Trump's supporters had his face bloodied in a scuffle as he tried to drive away. One man jumped on a police car, leaving its front and rear windows smashed and the top dented, and other protesters sprayed graffiti on a police car and the venue's marquee.

About 20 people were arrested, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
Caves on the planet Mars could be teeming with life, scientists have said, as they carried out an experiment with the astronaut Tim Peake to see if rovers could operate in the gloom of subterranean tunnels.

Pictures from orbiters have shown the entrances to intriguing underground networks which are thought to have been created by lava flows that carved out the rock. But none of the rovers on Mars have even ventured into these pitch black mysterious worlds.

Yesterday Major Peake linked up with Airbus's "Mars Yard" from the International Space Station to practise driving a rover into the dark of a mocked-up cave system.

Future Mars missions are likely to involve astronauts orbiting the planet and controlling or supervising rovers on its surface, to cut out the time delay experienced when controlling rovers from Earth. The latest experiment is aimed to test the technology.

Dr Elie Allouis, co-principal investigator for Meteron experiment at Airbus, said: "The cave is ideal to find traces of life because it will be sheltered from the external elements and so that would be a prime location to explore.

"Unfortunately, as soon as we enter the cave we lose solar power and we have to rely on batteries. That means that the activities we need to perform must be done fairly quickly in a challenging environment with low light. What would be ideal would be to find traces of microbes in the caves, or on the rocks and shielded from the radiation outside.

"What we have seen on Mars is evidence of lava tubes and therefore when a lava has potentially collapsed or solidified we can see the openings and we can peer through, providing a tantalising glimpse of what is inside. Potentially, there is a whole world to explore."

The Airbus Mars Yard, in Stevenage, near London, has been built to recreate conditions on the planet, and is comprised of 300 tons of very dry red sand, strewn with rocks and boulders. Major Peake was given just 10 minutes of training before taking control of the rover, named Bridget, after Brigitte Bardot.

For the first part of the experiment, Bridget was commanded from the ESA Operation Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, to the edge of the shaded "cave" area, before control was handed to Major Peake. To make it as realistic as possible, the astronaut was given no idea of the terrain inside the "cave" and had to map the area as he went along using only visual cues.

Dr Allouis added: "If we were to find traces of life on Mars then that means that life is not such an odd thing in the solar system, maybe we could find it elsewhere as well."

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
A growing thirst for prosecco has thrown up an unexpected threat to northern Italy's winemakers: thieves are stealing newly planted vines.

There has been a spate of night-time raids across the rolling hills of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the regions where the sparkling wine is produced.

Big money is at stake. The prosecco sector was worth more than 1.7bn last year and production was up by a sixth on the year before.

About 70pc of the wine is sold abroad, half of that to Britain, the largest market.

The vines are reportedly stolen to order, then sold on to unscrupulous producers setting up new vineyards, often outside the traditional area between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene in the hills north of Treviso.

Last week, two men were arrested after stealing 1,600 newly planted vines, worth several thousand euros, from two vineyards near the villages of Pagnano d'Asolo and Monfumo.

The men - a student and a cook - passed on their haul for just 500 to a middleman, who then sold them to a wine estate near Padua.

All three were arrested less than 24 hours later.
Shi'ite pilgrims gather at Imam Moussa al-Kadhim shrine to mark his death anniversary in Baghdad's Kadhimiya district, Iraq May 25, 2014

People gather at the site of a suicide bomb attack in a southeastern suburb of Baghdad, Iraq, April 30, 2016

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a bombing on Saturday east of Baghdad, according to a statement posted on an IS-affiliated website.

The attack killed at least 21 people and wounded at least 42 others, according to Iraqi police and hospital officials.

The IS statement described the attack as a three-ton lorry bombing.

The attack targeted Shiite civilians shopping in an open-air market selling fruit, vegetables and meat in Nahrawan, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry.

The IS statement and initial reports from local officials at the scene claimed the bombing targeted Shiite pilgrims walking to Baghdad's holy Kadhimiyah shrine.

"It was not a road for people walking toward Kadhimiyah," said Brigadier General Saad Mann, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry and Baghdad Operations Command.

The attack's casualty figures were confirmed by police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Thousands of Shiite pilgrims from across Iraq are expected to travel on foot to the shrine of eighth-century Imam Moussa al-Kadhim over the coming days to commemorate the anniversary of his death. Security in the capital has been tightened in anticipation of the crowds; additional checkpoints have been set up and roads have been closed.

The Islamic State group regularly carries out attacks targeting Iraq's Shiite majority, including attacks on Shiite pilgrims and civilians in Baghdad's Shiite neighborhoods. IS views Shiites as apostates deserving of death.

Brig Gen Mann said the attack in Baghdad was carried out by IS in response to recent territorial losses in Iraq.

"The only strategic weapon left for them are (suicide bombers)," Brig Gen Mann said. While IS still controls large swathes of Iraq's west and north, the group has suffered a series of territorial losses over the past year. Most recently IS fighters were pushed out of the western town of Hit.

In the face of those losses, analysts and Iraqi security officials say the extremist group is increasingly turning to insurgent-style attacks in Baghdad and other areas far from the frontline fighting.

More than 40 civilians have been killed in high-profile bombings in Baghdad over the past month. On March 25th an IS-claimed suicide bombing attack on a stadium killed 29 and wounded 60.

Saturday's attack also comes amid a political crisis in Iraq as the country's prime minister Haider al-Abadi is under increasing public pressure after repeated failed attempts at political reform to combat corruption and waste.
Circuit Court Judge Alex Macaulay considers setting Robb Alverson's bond Wednesday.

SHARE Robb Alverson listens as Circuit Court Judge Alex Macaulay sets his bond at $250,000. Robb Alverson listens as his defense attorney, William Phillips, speaks at his bond hearing Wednesday. Robb Alverson speaks with his defense attorney, William Phillips, during his bond hearing Wednesday. Alverson is charged with criminal sexual conduct with two people dating back to 1984. Robb Alverson gives a thumbs up to supporters after his bond hearing Wednesday. Circuit Court Judge Alex Macaulay set Alverson's bond at $250,000.

By Mike Ellis of the Independent Mail

The director of the Alverson Center Theatre in Anderson was granted a bond Wednesday for two charges of criminal sexual conduct involving a minor.

Robb Alverson, 57, was accused this summer of offenses that date back to the mid-1980s.

Prosecutors said during the Wednesday hearing that Alverson forced a boy, who was 15 when the alleged acts began, to engage in anal and oral sex in several locations including Alverson's home and in the theater building on East Whitner Street.

"The defendant promised to make the victim a star," prosecutor Kristin Reeves said.

Judge Alexander Macaulay set a bond of $250,000 along with an order that Alverson have no contact with anyone under the age of 18.

In the mid-1980s, Alverson was a costume and set designer and director for plays at the Greenville Little Theater and Fine Arts Center, where he met the alleged victim, prosecutors said.

Defense attorney William Phillips said he first met his client in 1996 when Alverson took over the Anderson Community Theater.

"In 1996 my daughter was 4 and she wanted to be in a play," Phillips said.

His daughter was cast in a role and became a regular fixture at the theater for several more years, the attorney said.

"I've observed Mr. Alverson interact with children on a regular basis and never did I or anybody that I knew observe anything inappropriate," Phillips said.

Alverson vehemently denies all of the allegations and is preparing a vigorous defense, Phillips said. He said his client had no criminal record.

The alleged victim is now in his 40s and lives in New York. He was not present at the hearing but his parents spoke, reading a written statement from their son.

"This abuse and molestation has affected my entire life," according to the alleged victim's statement. "I tried unsuccessfully to forget this time and move on. No one else needs to endure the pain I had to. Again, I request that bond be denied."

The parents also spoke for themselves, saying that Alverson had manipulated their son into stopping talking to them or friends his own age.

Fourteen friends and supporters of Alverson came to the hearing in an Anderson County courtroom. Phillips said each of them had signed an affidavit testifying to Alverson's good character and positive work with local children.

One of the supporters, Byron Burns, said he has known Alverson since 1980, when Burns was 16.

"I have been onstage with him, I've been alone on numerous occasions where we were the only two individuals in his home and in the theater," Burns told the judge. "At no time did I have a suspicion of any impropriety. The charges are absolutely preposterous."

Macaulay deliberated at length before deciding on a bond, saying he was weighing the serious charges and Alverson's continuing position as theater director against the possibility of keeping him behind bars for months before a trial could happen.

Prosecutor Reeves said that she would work with defense attorney Phillips in an effort to reach a settlement but that if no deal is reached, a trial would likely be delayed because of her anticipated maternity leave from December through March.

"It would seem that through no fault of the state, there is the prospect of no trial before spring," Macaulay said.

Alverson remained in the Anderson County Detention Center as of Wednesday night.

He also faces four counts of criminal sexual conduct of a separate minor victim, acts also alleged to have taken place in the mid-1980s. Both sets of charges were filed this summer.

Alverson earlier faced a different judge for the other set of charges and was granted a $20,000 personal recognizance bond that time.
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By Mike Eads of the Independent Mail

Jury selection could start in early January in the federal lawsuit about Kinder Morgan's 2014 gasoline pipeline leak near Belton.

Eric and Scott Lewis are suing Kinder Morgan subsidiary Plantation Pipe Line for unspecified damages related to the December 2014 pipeline leak of more than 250,000 gallons of gasoline into the soil and groundwater of more than 350 acres the Lewis family owns northwest of Belton.

Spartanburg attorney Gary Poliakoff represents the family. He said Friday that attorneys for both sides are still identifying witnesses and gathering evidence. He said he is haggling with Kinder Morgan's defense team over confidentiality requests concerning the company's corporate records and said attorneys would take depositions from witnesses and experts sometime this summer.

"I'd say the progress of this case is similar to most civil cases pending in federal courts," Poliakoff said.

U.S. District Judge Henry Herlong has told the two sides to seek mediation, which he said is standard for civil cases in federal courts, and has given attorneys until early fall to take depositions and round up evidence.

Herlong ordered on April 18 that he wants to proceed with jury selection and a trial sometime in January should mediation fail and the two sides not agree to some kind of settlement.

Kinder Morgan's defense team could not be reached for comment Friday.

The Houston-based pipeline operator has publicly admitted responsibility for the spill. Dozens of retention wells have been sunk on the Lewis land and neighboring properties, and contractors have extracted more than 200,000 gallons of gasoline mixed with groundwater mixed over the last 16 months. Work is monitored by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, which has yet to announce a completion date for the cleanup.

Kinder Morgan recently abandoned plans to build the $1 billion Palmetto Pipeline from a tank farm near Belton to Jacksonville, Florida. Company officials blamed moves by Georgia state officials to prevent the company's use of eminent domain to force landowners to grant easements for the pipeline.

The South Carolina Senate also passed a measure this year to keep Kinder Morgan and other unregulated pipeline operators from using eminent domain. S. 868 passed the Senate in early March and was sent over to the House Judiciary Committee, where the bill has lingered since without so much as a subcommittee hearing.

Rep. Anne Thayer, an Anderson Republican and member of the House Judiciary Committee, said Friday that the House has been busy trying to pass its own bills ahead of weekend deadline.

"Because of the May 1 crossover date, we didn't take up many Senate bills, as we were trying to get our House bills to the Senate," Thayer said.

Thayer did not speculate on the chances for passage of S. 868 this year.

Follow Michael Eads on Twitter @MikeEads_AIM
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Pakistan's Federal Minister of Planning Development and Reform Prof. Ahsan Iqbal addressing a seminar on "Industrial Parks in Pakistan," participated by Chinese enterprises and government functionaries from both sides in Beijing, April 29, 2016.

Pakistan's Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal for Planning Development and Reform said that with the momentum of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a world of opportunities have opened up, setting fundamentals of industrial cooperation between Pakistan and China fast in place.

Minister Ahsan Iqbal addressed a seminar on "Industrial Parks in Pakistan," attended by Chinese enterprises and government functionaries from both sides in Beijing on April 29.

The minister said that CPEC -- the flagship project of China's "Belt and Road" initiative -- had made tremendous progress within last two years in completion of infrastructure and energy projects and the time was ripe for businesses from both sides to develop further on the foundations laid by governments and for business-to-business cooperation to be taking the lead. Chinese investment and technology and Pakistani location and low production cost combined together made a winning combination, he pointed out.

Ahsan Iqbal said that through various energy projects, energy shortage would be overcome, which was the first prerequisite of industrial development.

He said that the second requirement of industrial development was strong infrastructure and in next two years, Gwadar port would also have further improved infrastructure through road and modern airport. As for peace and security, a requirement for industrial investment and development, he mentioned that the government had taken solid steps not only to improve the security situation in the country, but both countries were working together to improve the security situation in the region.

Describing the opportunities in Pakistan, he said that with a large middle income population, Pakistan was an attractive choice. The distance from Kashgar to Gwadar port being 2,500 km was far shorter compared to the distance from Shanghai port to Arabian sea, which was more than 15,000 km. The land route through Gwadar port could also provide logistics to enterprises particularly in west China through rail and road links, he added.

Discussing the prospects of cooperation in industrial parks in Pakistan, he explained the available opportunities in engineering, automotive industry, information technology, chemicals, construction materials, textiles, agro-based industry, fisheries, marbles, small and medium enterprises, particularly cottage industries, and highlighted their potential to create employment at the grass root level. He also advised Chinese businesses to join joint ventures to make win-win platforms for both Pakistani and Chinese businessmen so as to develop and maintain goodwill by more mutual and partnership based relationship.
No more than 17.6% of urban solid-waste (garbage) was processed as of March 2016, against a target of 30%, set last year under the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The Missions second target, door-to-door trash collection, did better: 42.3% of urban Indias garbage was being collected from homes as of March 2016, against a target of 50%.The government reported progress to Parliament in this answer.The Swachh Bharat Mission (urban) aims to not just provide sanitation to Indias towns and citieswhich, as we reported in the first part of this series, has also failed its March 2016 targetbut also reduce trash and process it for disposal.Chandigarh processes all its waste, followed by Meghalaya, which processes 58%, and Delhi, 52%. In Chandigarh, waste is collected from every household, and roadside waste is swept up, which means slums are also covered. The collected garbage is then taken to a facility to be separated.None of the five states at the bottom of the waste-processing ladder process urban waste, implying it is dumped. For instance, little appears to have changed in Patna, described in 2008 as the City of Garbage by the Patna High Court. The citys wastewhen it is collected, much of it is notis dumped at several sites, and, despite a high-court order, there is no solid-waste management plan.Chandigarh and Goa collect all household waste from homes. After them is much larger Andhra Pradesh, where 90% of urban garbage is collected from doorsteps.The government is monitoring progress of cities and issuing cleanliness rankings. Mysuru leads those rankings currently, as IndiaSpend reported last month, followed by Chandigarh.In most of the bottom five states, in wards where there is no garbage collection, trash often ends up on the streets or festers in randomly chosen dumps.Only 3% of Uttar Pradeshs urban wardsthe state is Indias largest by populationhave garbage-collection facilities, prompting a notice from the National Green Tribunal to the UP government for the poor waste management.At the national level, 64.2% wards were found to have a dumping place for solid waste, according to the Swachhata Status report released by the national Sample Survey Organisation. This means more than 35% of India does not even have waste dumps, let alone processing ability.Urban India, home to 377 million people, generates 62 million tonnes of garbage daily, making India the worlds third-largest garbage generator, after China and the US.However, its not the amount of waste generated thats as much of an issue as the fact that more than 45 million tonnes, or 3 million trucks worth, of garbage is untreated and disposed of by municipal authorities daily in an unhygienic manner leading to health issues and environmental degradation, IndiaSpend reported in 2014.These 3 million trucks, laid end to end, would wind their way around Indias land borders and coastline.With rapid urbanisation, industrialisation and an explosion in population in India, solid-waste management is a key challenge for state governments and local municipal bodies.The Swachh Bharat Mission was launched on 2nd October 2014, on Mahatma Gandhis birth anniversary; its target completion date is 2019, Gandhis 150th birth anniversary. Indiaspend.org is a data-driven, public-interest journalism non-profit/FactChecker.in is fact-checking initiative, scrutinising for veracity and context statements made by individuals and organisations in public life.)
The consolidated net sales for March 2016 quarter have grown by 7% to Rs 1307.03 crore. Volume grew by 10.5%.OPM has increased by 260 bps to 16.6%. The net profit increased 26% to Rs 138.44 crore due to increase in OPM and other income

Company Performance

Consolidated Results

For quarter ended March 2016

The net sales have grown by 7% to Rs 1307.03 crore. Volume grew by 10.5%.

The FMCG Business in India achieved a turnover of Rs 986 crore (USD 147 million) during the quarter, a growth of about 4% on the back of a healthy 8.4% volume growth. The Business continues to gain market share in more than 95% of the portfolio. The volume growth was bolstered by the strong growth in categories of Parachute Rigid Coconut Oil, Edible Oils and VAHO and arresting the decline in Youth portfolio. An overall deflation of 5% during the quarter was primarily on account of the price corrections in Parachute coconut oil. The operating margin was 23.6% before corporate allocation. Higher operating margins can be attributed mainly to gross margin expansion led by softer inputs costs. In the near term, the OPM are likely to remain in higher band (20-22%) although the Company would be comfortable with a band of 18-19% in the medium term

Parachute's rigid portfolio (packs in blue bottles), recorded a strong volume growth of about 6%. At the beginning of the quarter, the company had initiated another 6% price reduction making it a cumulative decrease of 12% for the year. The input costs have come down by 41% as compared to Q4FY15 and by 19% as compared to Q3FY16. The full year decline in copra prices is 27%. The company has continued to respond to the decline in commodity prices judiciously using mix of tactical price offs and strategic price correction to maintain volume growth momentum. The franchise continues to outperform the category growth, which is evident from the fact that during the 12 months ended March 2016, Parachute along with Nihar increased its market share by more than 63 bps to 59%. Further, in line with its philosophy to protect the consumer franchise & maintain the volume momentum, in April 2016, the Company has further taken a weighted average MRP correction of 6% across SKU's after observing fall in copra prices over the past few months in addition to the price reduction taken in FY16.

The Saffola refined edible oils franchise grew by 13% in volume terms. The near term outlook for this franchise is positive with double digit volume growth prospects. Over the medium term, the company is also looking at the innovation pipeline especially in the premium segment. The Company is confident of maintaining double digit growths over the medium term. The brand gained market share of 322 bps and further strengthened its leadership position in the super premium refined edible oils segment to 63% during the 12 months ended March 2016.

Saffola's foray into healthy foods, Saffola Oats, has emerged as a strong no.2 brand in the oats category with a value market share of 27%. Saffola Masala Oats launched two new exciting flavors viz. Chinese and Italian during January 2016. These flavors have been developed keeping in mind that consumers crave for novel and exciting flavors during snacking occasions. The brand has also signed on celebrity chef Kunal Kapoor as its brand ambassador to partner with the brand in creating many more superior product offerings for the consumers. Focus on value added offerings in the oats segment has enabled the Company to capture 70% value share in the flavored oats market on a MAT basis. The portfolio is consistently gaining share with Q4 FY16 value market share of 72%. The franchise crosses Rs 100 crore (USD 15 million) of top line in this fiscal and is well poised to crossRs 200 Crore (USD 30 million) landmark by FY18. The Company's ability to localize the product to suit the Indian palate and drive consumption by increasing the occasion of use apart from breakfast to in-between meals has been the key catalyst in creating and succeeding in this category. The Company has also driven distribution expansion to improve availability. Focus on improving the margins in this franchise with focused cost management initiatives will ensure long term sustainable profitable growth.

Hair oil brands (registered a growth of 11% during the quarter. The Company further strengthened its market leadership by 179 bps to 32% volume share (for 12 months ended March 2016) and with value share gain of 132 bps to 25% for the same period. Going forward, the Company will continue its focus on premiumization to drive growth in the category. The Company's Value Added Hair Oils portfolio crossed Rs 1200 crore (USD 179 million) landmark this year with 4 strong brands.

Nihar Shanti Amla continues to gain market share and achieved a volume market share of about 37% for the 12 months ended March 2016 in the Amla hair oil category (MAT March'15: 32%). The exit market share of Nihar Shanti Amla was more than 38% reflecting a continued strong trajectory of growth. The increased scale of the franchise enables the Company to benefit from operating leverage thereby improving net margins despite competitive pricing. A new Rs. 5 spout pack is being prototyped in Northern Rural India. Nihar Naturals Sarson Kesh Tel, a value added mustard oil targeting loose mustard pool was launched across markets in North and parts of East India after promising results from the prototype in Rajasthan

Hair Fall Control (Clocked a top line of circa Ras 60 Crore in this fiscal)

Parachute Advansed Ayurvedic Oil, with presence in southern states, continues to grow rapidly.

Parachute Advansed Ayurvedic Gold Hair oil, after its successful prototype in Maharashtra has now been extended to all the Non-Southern States in February 2016. With a different formulation (Sesame oil) compared to the Parachute Advansed Ayurvedic Oil (Coconut Oil), this variant is aimed at a more broad-based play in northern and eastern India.

The company expects to cross top line milestone of Rs 100 Crore (USD 15 million) by FY18.

The youth portfolio grew by 19% in value terms. However, for the full year, the business did not witness growth. The Youth brands portfolio plays in three categories i.e., Hairs Gels, Leave-in serums and Deodorants. The Set Wet gels and Livon portfolio (which also consists of a hair gain tonic) forms 3/4th of the Youth portfolio.

Set Wet Gel brand completed one full year after it was re-launched in Q4 FY15. Riding on focused brand building efforts, new pack and expanded distribution, the portfolio continued to grow handsomely in double digits in the 4th quarter too. It has also been gaining market share consistently which is testimony to the effectiveness of the revamped strategy. The market share has grown by 1197 bps in last 12 months and currently stands at 54%. The Gels now comprise circa 40% of total Youth Portfolio. The Gels category has grown in strong double digits for FY16 driven entirely by Set Wet Gels.

Taking a leaf from the Set Wet Gel success book, the 'Sada Sexy Raho' campaign has been extended to Set Wet Deodorants too. Ranveer Singh, as the brand's ambassador, will help Deodorants get back lost volumes and market share. The refreshed new product which hit the markets in March, 2016 promotes the 'day usage' practice unlike the other brands which focus only on 'party / night usage'.

Livon Franchise declined in the quarter 16 over same quarter last year. The Livon Hair Gain franchise got impacted by counterfeits (especially in the E-Commerce channel) and the resultant loss in credibility in the Hair Gain segment. The Brand launched its new communication showcasing real life consumer experiences with the objective to build credibility about the product's efficacy. The anti-counterfeit measures on the pack were also strengthened with the introduction of Unique Identification Number on each pack. Results of these initiatives are under observation.

In order to revive the growth in Serums category, the Company restaged Livon Serum in Q2 FY16. Key pillars of the restage include a better formulation, refreshed packaging, celebrity brand ambassador, new communication campaign and low unit packs at Rs 5. The results of the restage are being closely monitored. While the medium term prospects for this brand are promising, in the near term, it will take couple of quarters to return to growth path, given the category creation task.

The Hair Gels and Creams (Set Wet and Parachute) and Leave-in Conditioners (Livon and Silk and Shine) now have 59% 12 months MAT value share and 79% 12 months MAT volume share in their respective categories. Overall, given the initiatives rolled out for all the three verticals, the Company is confident of a double digit (>20%) value growth in near term.

Rural and urban sales grew by 3% in the quarter. The continued focus on distribution expansion in rural markets has pushed the Company's rural sales to 34% of total India sales in FY16. In rural, incremental direct coverage provides an ideal platform to enhance the reach of the Value Added Hair Oils portfolio. As a step towards increasing rural reach, the Company is prototyping Rs 5 spout pack of Nihar Shanti Amla in rural India. Sales in Modern Trade (9% of the India turnover) continued the good run with growth of 17%. CSD and Institutional sales (8% of the India turnover) grew at 12%.

International market recorded a turnover of Rs 321 crore. The constant currency de-growth was 13% excluding the sales of the divested BCS business in Vietnam from the base. The Core markets delivered good growths with Bangladesh growing at 11%, MENA at 13%, South East Asia (Excluding BCS from the base) at 15% and South Africa at 10% on constant currency basis. The plan of expansion in adjacent markets such as Pakistan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, North & East Africa etc., is largely on track. The business in Nepal, where the company was facing short term headwinds due to border blockade resumed in Q4 FY16. Overall, the strategy of focusing on strengthening the core and investing behind capabilities seems to have started showing positive results. The operating margins (before corporate allocations) are at 14.4% as against 16.6%. The lower margin in this quarter can be attributed to the higher A&P spends. The Company shall endeavor to maintain international margins at ~ 17% and continue to invest and plough back savings to drive growth.

The Bangladesh business reported a constant currency growth of 11% albeit on a lower base of Q4 FY15. In the current quarter, Parachute coconut oil grew by 5% in constant currency terms due to price correction (volume growth: 15%) maintaining leadership position with 82% share. During Q4 and FY16, the non-coconut oil portfolio grew at a rate of 37% and 13% respectively in constant currency terms. In FY16, the entire value growth has come from non-Coconut Oil portfolio considering the deflation in Parachute Coconut Oil.

In the last couple of years, the Company has made significant investments to expand its non-coconut oil portfolio such as Value Added Hair Oils (VAHO), Hair Dyes, Deodorants, Leave-in conditioners, Masala Oats and Premium Edible oils. These products have been accepted well and are expected to create a portfolio of the future in Bangladesh. During Q4 and FY16, the non-coconut oil portfolio grew at a rate of 37% and 13% respectively in constant currency terms. In FY16, the entire value growth has come from non-Coconut Oil portfolio considering the deflation in Parachute Coconut Oil. From FY17 onwards, more than 80% of the incremental growth in the Bangladesh business is expected to come from the non-coconut oil portfolio backed by modest growth in core coconut oil business.

The Middle East business continued the positive momentum and grew on constant currency basis by 19% resulting in eight quarters of double digit growth. The business has reported operating profits for the quarter and also for the full year. This trend of improvement is expected to continue and the management expects the business to become consistently profitable in FY17.

Amidst tough macro-economic conditions, the recovery in Egypt business is going to be slow and gradual; the business grew by 4% in constant currency. The company positive about the medium term outlook on this market.

Business in South East Asia (of which Vietnam is a significant contributor) grew by 8% in constant currency terms. On a like to like basis (without considering BCS, which was divested during Q1FY16), the constant currency growth was 15%. X-Men maintained its leadership in male shampoos and the number two position in male deodorants. Over the medium term, the Company remains well poised to participate in the category growths when economic growth picks up. The Company continues to scale up its presence in neighboring countries like Malaysia and Myanmar. Myanmar ended the year with a turnover of USD 6 million.

The South Africa business reported a constant currency growth of 10% during the quarter amidst challenging macro conditions. The rapidly depreciating South African Rand (ZAR), however, impacted the top line growths. The currency has devaluated by 22% over last 12 months. The Company has initiated its organic footprint in sub- Saharan African markets. We believe these markets are Invest to Grow markets and will be backed by adequate marketing initiatives.

OPM has increased by 260 bps to 16.6% due to fall in raw material cost by 1020 bps to 44.9% of adjusted net sales. The operating profit has increased by 26% to Rs 216.60 crore.

The average market price of copra, the largest component of input costs, was 41% lower YoY. Also, the market prices of liquid paraffin were 25% lower YoY. The market price of safflower oil was up by 5% and rice bran oil was up by 3%

Other income has increased by 47% to Rs 27.56 crore includes post tax EO income of Rs 7.5 crore which is on sale of Goa plant. Interest cost increased by19% to Rs 6.69 crore. Depreciation and amortization has inclined by 63% to Rs 32.59 crore. The increase is on account of change in useful life of moulds, capital asset additions and impairment provisions in the current quarter. The profit before tax has increased by 25% to Rs 204.87 crore.

The tax outgo has increased by 22% to Rs 64.37 crore. The effective tax rate (ETR) declined from 32.1% to 31.4%. The net profit after considering minority interest has increased 26% to Rs 138.44 crore due to increase in OPM and other income

For year ended March 2016

The net sales increased by 7% to Rs 6132.05 crore. The company clocked a volume & value growth of 7%. Overall OPM has increased by 220 bps to 17.3% due to fall in raw material cost. The operating profit has increased by 22% to Rs 1062.48 crore.

Other income has increased by 59% to Rs 93.37 crore. Interest paid has decreased by 12% to Rs 20.25 crore. Depreciation and amortization has inclined by 21% to Rs 101.84 crore. The profit before tax has increased by 26% to Rs 1033.76 crore.

The tax outgo has increased by 25% to Rs 297.13 crore. The net profit after considering minority interest has increased by 26% to Rs 724.79 crore.

Market/Distribution Channels

Project ONE (Outlet Network Expansion) was conceived with an objective of increasing the company's direct coverage in its top 6 metros. Project ONE has significantly augmented the reach of the Company's brands by improving assortment and availability at the outlet. It gives retailers convenience of service and access to promotions. With the coverage objective achieved, the initiative has been merged into regular distributor coverage. The project has resulted in optimizing distributor sales and store delivery apart from reducing service costs to these stores. Incremental turnover of Rs 60 crore (USD 9 million) was garnered through Project ONE in FY16. The Company has expanded the coverage of this initiative to the next level of 14 towns.

E-commerce has become an important pivot of growth. The Company has taken definitive steps to stay ahead of the curve in this space and has identified and appointed dedicated resources for e-commerce. As a result of these initiatives, Company has been able to double its annual revenue in e-commerce channel as compared to FY15.

Outlook by Management:

FMCG Business in India

The year has begun with deflationary pressures and a severe drought in many parts of the country, impacting at least 25% of the population. These headwinds may limit the volume growths in the short term. However, the forecast of a normal monsoon augers well for the country. This should help lift the consumption levels, especially in the second half of FY17.

The Company will strive to drive volume growths and maintain medium-term growth rates in the range of 8-10% by growing the core and rapidly scaling New Products. In the near term, however, given the Y-o-Y deflation, the top line growth will be subdued.

In Parachute Rigids, the Company aims to grow volumes in a range of 5-7%, both in the near term and medium term.

Saffola is likely to grow by circa 10% in the near term due to combination of wider participation and selective pricing inputs. The medium term growth prospects are also similar.

The Foods franchise is expected to contribute up to Rs 200 crore (USD 30 million) by FY18. This translates to aggressive growths in the coming two years.

New launches / prototypes in value added hair oils space will aid in premiumizing the Company's offering and will further strengthen its Value market leadership. The launches will also help reaching the mass market segment by widening the product offering thus extending the gains in volume market shares. In the medium term, the company aims to grow this franchise at a volume growth rate of 12-15%.

The Anti-Hair fall franchise is expected to contribute up to INR 100 Crore (USD 15 million) by FY18.

On the back of a continued healthy performance of Gels, renovation of Deodorants and expected demand due to restage of Livon serum, the Youth portfolio is expected to grow at high double-digit (>20%) in FY17 and at 15% in the medium term.

The direct distribution initiative of Project ONE is expected to supplement volume growths in the Tier I and Tier II markets. Strategic initiatives in sales and supply chain will aim at ushering in efficiency in selling and go-to-market.

Over the medium term, operating margin of about 18% to 19% is sustainable. However, in the near term, given the soft commodity price tables, the operating margin is likely to remain in the band of 20-22%.

International Business

Over the last 12-18 months, the company has systematically invested in the core international markets to strengthen both the brands and the organizational capability to handle growth. The company is confident that in FY17, each of these markets is well-poised to capitalize on the market opportunities.

With such augmented efforts to build a robust organic growth capability and a stronger organization, the Company is also looking at inorganic growth both in terms of new markets and acquisitions / alliances to step up the overall growth in International markets leveraging the current management bandwidth.

The Company believes that the core markets of Bangladesh, Vietnam and MENA are Invest to Grow markets and the Company will continue to drive growth with brand restages, new product launches and capability building initiatives apart from aggressively tapping and growing new markets.

Rest of South East Asia and East Africa are the new growth engines for future. The Company will aim for organic and inorganic growth in these markets

It expects to clock an organic top line growth of ~ 15% in constant currency in the medium term. However, in the near term, given the deflationary headwinds, especially in the Bangladesh market, the growths may be a tad lower.

The structural shift in operating margins is expected to be sustained at around 17%.

Overall

The Company will aim at a volume growth of 8-10% and a topline growth of ~ 15% in the medium term. In the near term, though, the value growths may be in single digit given the Y-o-Y deflation in key commodities in core markets.

The Company will focus on fewer but bigger innovations to create growth engines of the future.

Market growth initiatives in core categories and expansion into adjacent categories will be supported by investments in ASP in a band of 11-12% of sales with focus on brand building. In the near term, Advertising Inputs to remain in the band of 12-13% taking advantage of lower input costs.

The Company will continue to invest in increasing its direct reach and Go To Market transformation initiatives in all of its key markets.

The Company is focusing on Digital initiatives in a big way to improve consumer engagement, drive sales through e-commerce for internet savvy consumers and build data Analytics capabilities

In FY17, there are plans to revitalize the cost management initiatives with specific focus on front-end spend effectiveness.

Operating margin is expected to be maintained in a band of 17-18% over the medium term. The Company will focus on deriving synergies from the unification of India and International FMCG businesses. This includes acceleration of cross pollination & portfolio harmonization, talent mobility, supply chain synergies and process harmonization leading to cost arbitrage. In the near term, however, given the soft commodity prices, the margins will witness an upward bias.

The Company will continue to support various initiatives which are true to its Purpose of Make a Difference.

Tax Rate

The expected ETR during FY17 and FY18 could be around 28-30%.

Other Developments

The estimated capital expenditure in each of the year FY17 and FY18 is likely to be around Rs 100-125 crore (USD 15-19 million).

Increase in share capital from Rs 64.5 crore to Rs 129.02 crore due to issue of bonus share.

Valuation

The scrip was trading at around Rs 258.3 on BSE.

The promoter shareholding at present in the company is 59.67%.

Marico: Consolidated Results

1603(03) 1503(03) Var. (%) 1603(12) 1503(12) Var. (%) Sales 1307.03 1226.25 7 6132.05 5732.98 7 OPM (%) 16.6 14.0 17.3 15.2 OP 216.60 171.28 26 1062.48 870.08 22 Other Income 27.56 18.76 47 93.37 58.89 59 PBIDT 244.16 190.04 28 1155.86 928.96 24 Interest (Net) 6.69 5.61 19 20.25 22.95 -12 PBDT 237.47 184.43 29 1135.61 906.02 25 Depreciation & Amortisation 32.59 20.04 63 101.84 84.36 21 PBT before EO 204.87 164.39 25 1033.76 821.66 26 EO 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 PBT after EO 204.87 164.39 25 1033.76 821.66 26 Tax 64.37 52.77 22 297.13 236.77 25 PAT from ordinary activities 140.51 111.61 26 736.63 584.88 26 Minority Interest 2.07 1.58 31 11.84 11.43 4 PAT 138.44 110.04 26 724.79 573.46 26 EPS * 4.3 3.4 5.6 4.4 Annualized on current equity of Rs 129.02 crore.

Face Value: Rs 1/- each

LP: Loss to Profit PL: Profit to Loss EO: Extraordinary items

EPS is calculated after excluding EO and relevant taxes

Figures in Rs crore

Source: Capitaline Corporate Database

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What are your IPO plans?

How much are you raising via IPO?

What are the objects of the issue?

What outlook do you see for the healthcare sector?

Any plans to step up production capacity & export in Surat?

What are the new product launches?

Comment on your Capex plans?

done his Diploma in Pharmacy from L. M. College, Ahmedabad in the year 1983, Ketan has contributed years in this industry. He started his carrier with a small retail medical store in the year 1984. Apart from being strong and clear about his work, Mr. Ketan has made good health accessible to local communities and society by setting up Heath Camps. Ketan Zota is always focused on achieving the mission to make his company a globally acclaimed pharmaceutical company.is in the business of manufacturing and marketing quality medicines since 1995 with an aim to provide eminent and affordable medicines to people. It is the fastest growing Indian Pharmaceutical group with a portfolio comprising of a wide range of Pharmaceutical formulations along with Nutraceutical as well as Ayurvedic products available in India as well as abroad. Since its inception, ZOTA has always strived to develop best-in-class pharmaceutical formulations in the health care arena. We offer high quality branded pharmaceutical formulations but through our R&D and in depth technological skills.Replying toof, "We are planning to file DRHP by May 2016."The amount that we are planning to raise through our IPO is Rs. 40 to 50 Crore."We are planning to file DRHP by May 2016. Once the appointment of investment banker is confirmed by April 2016, the company will start working on Red Herring Prospectus. Since the original planto come up with the IPO was June 2016, the process of filing the DRHP will be completed by May 2016. As of now, the net tentative amount that we planned to raise has been agreed upon.The amount that we are planning to raise through our IPO is Rs. 40 to 50 Cr. The company has plans to expand its export business. Other than that, the company also plans in strategizing and developing its manufacturing and research division. Zota Healthcare will launch new brands in the near future for which part of the funds may get utilised.With the proposed IPO plan, we intend on raising funds in order further expand the manufacturing and R&D units, thereby increasing working capital. The company also plans to focus on the marketing objective and activities of its upcoming brands. Besides this, the company also plans to expand and diversify by initiating new projects that are in the pipeline. New-phase developments are currently in process of being launched and should be seen in markets.The health care sector is at present quite steady owing to the fact that its products and services are largely consumed by the population. Even during economic downturns, people still require medical attention that produces consistent demand for goods and services. This type of pattern makes health carecompanies less sensitive to business cycle fluctuations. Given the lack of economic sensitivity, the key drivers of growth within the sector tend to be more long-term.The company has various upcoming projects that will soon be launched in the healthcare sector. Different new brands are lined up to be launched soon for which marketing plans are currently under process.The company plans to invest more resources in the Development of Manufacturing unit and R & D department. In terms of marketing however, the exact percentage of activity has not been decided as yet.We are proud to expand our line of business with upcoming brands in the segment of beauty products. Some of the products that Zota Healthcare will introduce to the pharma sector will include a new range of kits for Acne, Dark Circle Removal, Hair, Post Pregnancy kits for mothers and Muscular Pain Reliever kit.Other new launches entailing complete care for new born include Nutravedic ACNOBYE kit, Nutravedic Glowtouch DCR Kit, Nutravedic Hair Kit, Nutravedic Happimom Kits, Nutravedic Its Relax Kit & Nutravedic Baby Kit respectively. All products of Zota Healthcare will be entirely Ayurvedic and each kit will contain 3-4 products that will serve a unique purpose.We are currently in the process of comparing our long-term strategies with business aims. As of now, Zota Healthcare is still deciding on the final figure to be deemed appropriate as planning for a Capex is significantly important and complex.
Out of 11 major irrigation dams in the drought-hit Maharashtra, seven have no water left in them, official figures revealed. (BL)Domestic air traffic grew 25.3% in March on a yoy basis as carriers flew 7.8mn passengers in the month. (BS)India is likely to impose anti-dumping duty of up to USD279.78/t on imports of a chemical used by pharma, agro and fragrance industries from China and Russia to protect domestic manufacturers. (ET)The Government has recommended a slew of reforms to be implemented by ministries and departments if India has to grow by 10 per cent per annum until 2032.India has replaced China as top global destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) by attracting US$63 billion worth projects in 2015, says a report.
Adani Gas Ltd (AGL), the natural gas distribution arm of Adani Enterprises, is targeting the growing market for cooking gas in East India and Bangladesh, reports a business daily. Ltd (AGL), the natural gas distribution arm of Adani Enterprises, is targeting the growing market for cooking gas in East India and Bangladesh, reports a business daily.

AGL has proposed to set up a 650-km pipeline network that will connect the Adani's planned 1.6-million tonne (mt) liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminal at Dhamra port in Odisha to Asansol in West Bengal and Duttapulia near the Indo-Bangladesh border, says the financial newspaper.

The company has submitted an Expression of Interest (EoI) to the Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), seeking authorisation for laying the pipeline.

"The import terminal will be operational by mid-2018. The initial volume is expected to be approximately 1.6 mt per annum (mtpa) which will be subsequently increased to 2.5 mtpa in the subsequent phase," according to AGL.

Setting up an LPG import terminal of 1.6 mtpa capacity might entail an investment of ~INR 1,500 crore, says the paper quoting some experts.

It may be recalled that AGL has been operating city gas distribution (CGD) networks in Vadodara and Ahmedabad in Gujarat since 2004 and in Faridabad since 2009.

The company also holds a 50:60 JV with Indian Oil Corp (IOC) authorised by PNGRB to develop and operate CGD networks in Allahabad, Chandigarh, Panipat, Daman, Ernakulam and Dharwad.
In the matter pertaining to acquisition of Agusta Westland helicopters, the undisputed central issue that stands out is corruption, especially bribery. Any other line of assumption, approach and effort, as is being attempted in some quarters, is misleading, tries to hide the wrong-doers and is driven by instincts of self preservation.

Ever since the new government was given the responsibility to serve the people, it has acted with speed, drive and purpose to empower the country's masses. It continues to relentlessly pursue fearless and transparent governance. One of the core goals of our governance has been to unearth and uproot corruption, and punish the corrupt.

It is indeed tragic that a small section of the Indian polity has attempted, unsuccessfully, to divert and diffuse the public discourse on this matter. They question the speed of the government processes, especially the investigation. But, they do not ask how the corrupt influenced the process of acquisition in the first place and bled the nation. They donot admit corruption; they instead boldly proclaim, "catch us if you can".

The present government has taken effective action to bring out the truth and will leave no stone unturned in pursuing all means to bring to justice the corrupt and the wrong-doers in this case.

The investigative agencies remain determined to bring to justice the key perpetrators of this misdeed, both inside and outside the country.

The government has acted proactively and with alacrity against Agusta Westland International and Finmeccanica. It is the present government which through its order dated 3 July 2014, put on hold all procurement/acquisition cases in the pipeline of six companies figuring in the FIR registered by the CBI, namely: M/S Agusta Westland International Ltd., UK, M/S Finmeccanica, Italy, and its group companies, including subsidiaries and affiliates, M/S IDS, Tunisia, M/S Infotech Design System (IDS), Mauritius, M/S IDS Infotech Ltd, Mohali and M/S Aeromatrix Info Solution Pvt Ltd, Chandigarh.

In doing so, we did not let the preparedness of our defence forces suffer. At the same time, we also ensured that no new capital procurement was made thereafter from these companies in the tenure of the present Government.

The factually misinformed have also made a mention regarding clearance of a joint venture involving Agusta Westland by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. This proposal was approved on 2nd September 2011 based on an application by Indian Rotorcraft Ltd a joint venture of Tata Sons with Agusta Westland NV, Netherlands. This was later changed to Agusta Westland S.p.A Italy due to reorganization within the group. On 7th February 2012, an industrial licence for the manufacture of helicopters was granted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion to Indian Rotorcraft Ltd. However, the validity of licence has since expired.

In their drive to divert the public attention from their own corruption, some have said that the Modi government permitted Augusta Westland to bid for 100 Naval Utility Helicopters in April, 2015. The fact is that a techno-commercial Request for Proposal (RFP) for Naval Utility Helicopters was issued to eight vendors on 4 August 2012. In response to the RFP, M/S Eurocopters, France and M/S Agusta Westland S.p.A Italy submitted their techno-commercial proposals on 4 March 2013. RFP of the procurement case was retracted by the Government on 13 October 2014.

The Indian Navy has hosted on the website a Request for Information for more than 100 Naval Utility Helicopter in October 2014. No Request for Proposal has been issued, therefore the question of permitting Agusta Westland to bid for the Naval Utility Helicopter in April 2015 does not arise. The government is exploring whether their manufacturing can be pursued under "Make in India".

On the core issue of corruption, the timeline of actions taken by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate clearly shows due rigour and diligence with which these agencies have pursued all aspects of their investigations, including the arrest and extradition of three foreign nationals namely Mr. Carlo Gerosa, Mr. Guido Haschke Ralph and Christian Michel James.

CBI has so far investigated over 100 witnesses. In September and November 2014, couple of accused have been arrested and their property attached. A criminal complaint was also filed. Letter of Requests were sent out by ED and CBI to Mauritius (July 2013), Tunisia and Italy (December 2013), British Virgin Islands, Singapore and U.K. (September 2014), UAE and Switzerland (December 2014). The agencies are continuing to pursue responses to the LRs from the countries concerned.

Further, an open ended non bailable arrest warrant was issued by CBI against Mr. Christian James Michel on 24 September 2015. Red Corner notices were issued in December 2015 and January 2016 through Interpol under Prevention of Money Laundering Act and Prevention of Corruption Act on charges of conspiracy and abuse of official position in giving favours to M/s AWIL.

Extradition request has also been made for Christian Michel James. A request for provision arrest for the purpose of extradition was made to the U.K. authorities on 4 January 2016 by CBI. Enforcement Directorate, another autonomous agency to handle private money laundering and Foreign Exchange irregularities, has also separately sent a Red Corner seeking arrest and a request for his extradition from the U.K. on 29 February 2016.

By asking why did Prime Minister and BJP government not take any action on the alleged offer dated 08.11.2015 made by James Christian Michael to be questioned by CBI and ED including on Indian soil, some have even tried to side with a wanted criminal.

It is well known that any understanding/agreement with an accused outside the frame of law is a criminal act in itself. James Christian Michael is a criminal wanted by the Indian law enforcement agencies. We are pursuing all legal means to arrest him and have him extradited to India. Mr. Michel should submit himself to the Indian legal system rather than make elliptical references to offers that are suspect in intent and reality. We are determined that the law must take its course against Mr. Michel and his associates in this matter.

Those who cannot see Prime Minister succeed even hint at him cutting a deal. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Prime Minister Modi did not cut any deal of any sort. His only goal and priority is the development of comprehensive national power, and empowerment of our masses.

A few have even sought to link one of the accused with Shri Ajit Doval, present NSA, as also Shri Nripendra Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. This is a totally baseless assertion, devoid of reason and logic, and indicative of malicious intent. In reality, there is no such connection.

Individuals in some quarters have even gone to the extent of ascribing intent to the technicalities of the CAG audit of the state governments of Rajasthan and Chattisgarh. They ask as to whey did Modi government not take any action against Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Dr. Raman Singh despite an indictment of Chhattisgarh government by CAG in purchase of Agusta Westland Helicopter, which led to loss to public exchequer (according to CAG) of Rs.65 lakh?

But, the government has been proactive in seeking response from the State governments also. As per the State Government of Chattisgarh, the Public Accounts Committe of the Chattisgarh Vidhan Sabha took cognizance of the CAG report regarding the acquisition that was done in 2007, and took the evidence of State Government officials. After analyzing the evidence of officials and the report of the State Government, the PAC closed the matter.

Similarly, as per the State Government of Rajasthan, the alleged loss to public exchequer according to CAG was not on account of any irregularity in the procurement process, but due to the expenditure incurred on account of lack of planning and basic infrastructure prior to procurement, such as pilot training and maintenance. In this case too, the acquisition was done in 2005.

The Government appeals to the countrymen to recognize the nature and depth of corruption in Agusta Westland case. The investigative agencies will stay their course in unveiling the corrupt and holding them accountable to our public.
ITC Chairman YC Deveshwar said on Friday that the Government must have a 25-year plan to curtail smoking, as there are 48 million people dependent on the tobacco industry. said on Friday that the Government must have a 25-year plan to curtail smoking, as there are 48 million people dependent on the tobacco industry.

"At ITC, we are able to enter into so many new product areas. Farmers and those who are dependent on the tobacco sector also must get a window of opportunity to switch to other activity. First, you have to create alternative jobs for them," Deveshwar said at Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.

ITC buys two-thirds of tobacco from Andhra Pradesh and the remaining one-third from Karnataka for its cigarette manufacturing division, which accounts for over 40 per cent of the group's total revenues.

Earlier this month, ITC and other cigarette makers restarted factories after shutting down the manufacturing operations over the Government's instructions to increase the size of pictorial warning on cigarette packs.

ITC has lost 15 per cent sales volume due to the shutdown, Deveshwar said.

The Government need not terrorise the consumer with large pictorial warnings to make him quit smoking, as the existing warning signs are sufficient to create awareness, he added.

Deveshwar said that money was coming to the NGOs from the US to kill the local cigarette brands while the consumption of the smuggled cigarettes was rising.

"Indian brands are going to be impacted here. Indian farmers are going to be affected by this," he said.
Yahoo Inc. has shortlisted 10 bidders in the auction for its Internet assets, including Verizon Communications Inc. and most offers involve cash, according to media reports. has shortlisted 10 bidders in the auction for its Internet assets, including Verizon Communications Inc. and most offers involve cash, according to media reports.

The shortlist also includes private-equity (PE) firm TPG Capital LP and excludes small companies that proposed a merger deal, according to the report.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) last week reported that Verizon was among the bidders for Yahoo.

The company's core Internet business could fetch between US$4 billion and US$8 billion in auction.

Some bidders that did not make the shortlist because their first-round offers were not specific enough are still being kept close to the process by Yahoo's advisers, according to reports.

One of those bidders is Liberty Media Corp Chairman John Malone.

A sale of Yahoo's core Internet assets for cash, followed by a divestment of its 35.5 per cent stake in Yahoo Japan, would leave the company owning just its 15 per cent stake in Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
I dont care.

What did you say? my grandmother responded.

I said that I dont care.

Dont you ever say that again.

I was in 8th grade and instead of being at school, I was at my grandmothers home. I had been suspended five days for fighting during science class. I was depressed because I had ruined my perfect attendance; I had perfect attendance from kindergarten up until this suspension. The girl I fought, who was also Black, had made it her mission each day to remind me how I was not Black enough and how I was trying to be white. I knew too many answers. I helped too many classmates. I had hair longer than most of the Black girls at my school. I followed the rules. Every day she would find a new issue with me.

I told the science teacher. I told other teachers, but they did not understand. They told me not to worry about it; if I ignored her, she would stop. Even if she did stop, how did that help my real problem? I wanted to be successful in school but I also wanted to fit in. My white teachers did not understand my struggle. Was an education worth my Blackness being questioned?

When people dont care, they become reckless. Reckless people are dangerous.

I was confused. I didnt feel like I was a dangerous person. Yes I fought, but it was a knee-jerk reaction to harassment. As my grandmother continued to explain, it became clearer.

My family came here, child, for a better life. If I can help anyone better themselves, then I will lend a hand. When you dont care you become apathetic and apathy is dangerous to our community. Dont worry about how others perceive you, just keep doing what youre doing. Keep learning and keep helping. Keep helping our community

I would later find out from my father that my grandmother was the first of her siblings to be born in Indianapolis and her family came here because the Ku Klux Klan burned down their house multiple times in Georgia. She wanted to become a school teacher, but her circumstances did not allow that dream to become a reality. She believed our community had a responsibility to reach out and help each other move forward.

Although she was not able to achieve her dream of becoming an educator, I did. I do this work because I know how important it is for students of color to have educator who looks like them and live in the community where they live. It is easier for a teacher to help a student when he or she has had the same struggle. It is hard for students to believe they can achieve success and have a better life than their parents when they do not see anyone who looks like them, and has a similar background making those achievements.

I am completing my 10th year as an educator this school year. Over these past years, to help my students succeed, I have visited their homes, helped their parents who are in school with their homework, organized family literacy nights, sponsored clubs and volunteered to tutor students after school, ate lunch with my students to work on classwork for my class or another class or just to talk, offered online office hours where students could email me for help with their homework, attended their personal events with my husband and children and advocated for them, when at times, no one else would. I think one of my former students said it best, Mrs. Barnes is not going to give up on you. She doesnt care what type of student you were last year. She is going to get in your business and stay in your business until you get on the right track.

It is not easy being an urban educator, but how dare I have accomplishments without reaching out to help others like me do the same?

Shawnta S. Barnes is an educator at Wendell Phillips Elementary in Indianapolis Public Schools and a 2016 Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellow and a Teach Plus Change Agent.
Malayalam film actor Jinu Joseph was arrested at the Abu Dhabi airport on Friday, at least that's what his Facebook status said. According to a number of updates posted on his Facebook page, the actor was aboard an Etihad Airways flight flying from New York to Abu Dhabi when he got into a bit of a disagreement with the on-board staff. While all this happened, he updated his ordeal via status updates and a video.

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The actor apparently wanted to catch some rest, but the staff refused to switch off the television. He asked one of the crew members to help him. and recorded the conversation on his phone. However, only voices of the two having a conversation can be heard in the video upload on the social media site.

The crew also apparently threatened him with an arrest once the flight landed.

His next update said that he did, in fact, get arrested once the flight landed in Abu Dhabi. But thankfully, he was let go shortly after he reached Kochi safely.
Tightening the noose around Vijay Mallya, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are looking at around 40 companies in which he is said to have a stake, directly or indirectly.

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Most of these companies (TOI has the list) are based abroad, including in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, South Africa, China and Nepal, and it is being suspected that the money allegedly embezzled by him from bank loans was routed to these companies. Mallya, the ED and the CBI have found, also owns a large number of immovable properties in many countries, which are being investigated.

"The worth of properties owned by him, including some palatial houses and his shares in the companies is being estimated," said a source. The ED alone is probing 25 companies where it is suspected that Mallya has either 100 per cent or part stake. "We also have information and details of his movable properties, including his yacht and vehicles in some of these countries. We need to question him about his investments/shareholding in many companies but since he has refused to join the probe, we are gathering evidence through different channels and taking assistance from agencies abroad," said an ED official.

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At least six countries, sources said, were approached for information. Sources said the Financial Intelligence Unit, which looks into suspected investments by Indians, has gathered information about these companies and has shared it with CBI, ED and the income tax department.

Mallya fled to London in March, a move which has irked the government and investigation agencies. The government has since revoked his passport and has officially requested the UK to deport him to India. Both CBI and ED have registered separate cases of cheating and money laundering against Mallya in the Rs 900 crore loan taken by now defunct Kingfisher Airlines from IDBI Bank.

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As part of its larger probe into non-performing assets of banks, the CBI is probing loans given to Kingfisher Airlines by other public sector banks including UCO Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India, Vijaya Bank, Bank of Baroda, Corporation Bank, Bank of India, United Bank of India, State Bank of Mysore and Indian Overseas Bank.
Search giant Google has an annual tradition of founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin penning a letter to employees on the company's progress and priorities during the year. The custom dates back to the year 2004 when Page and Brin wrote the famous letter titled "Google is not a conventional company. We do not intend to become one."

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This year, Google's new CEO Sundar Pichai got to write the letter. This follows the massive restructuring that Google underwent in August last year in which it separated its core internet business from its other 'moonshot' projects and clubbed them all under a new umbrella company called Alphabet.

The letter starts with a small introduction from Google co-founder Page, where he praises Pichai for his performance as the new Google CEO. In his message, Pichai outlines six core areas of focus for Google across product lines.

Below is the letter with Page's introduction (as it appeared on the Google blog).

This year's Founders' Letter

April 28, 2016

Every year, Larry and Sergey write a Founders' Letter to our stockholders updating them with some of our recent highlights and sharing our vision for the future. This year, they decided to try something new. - Ed.

In August, I announced Alphabet and our new structure and shared my thoughts on how we were thinking about the future of our business. (It is reprinted here in case you missed it, as it seems to apply just as much today.) I'm really pleased with how Alphabet is going. I am also very pleased with Sundar's performance as our new Google CEO. Since the majority of our big bets are in Google, I wanted to give him most of the bully-pulpit here to reflect on Google's accomplishments and share his vision. In the future, you should expect that Sundar, Sergey and I will use this space to give you a good personal overview of where we are and where we are going.

- Larry Page, CEO, Alphabet

(Pichai's letter begins)

When Larry and Sergey founded Google in 1998, there were about 300 million people online. By and large, they were sitting in a chair, logging on to a desktop machine, typing searches on a big keyboard connected to a big, bulky monitor. Today, that number is around 3 billion people, many of them searching for information on tiny devices they carry with them wherever they go.

In many ways, the founding mission of Google back in '98"to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful"is even truer and more important to tackle today, in a world where people look to their devices to help organize their day, get them from one place to another, and keep in touch. The mobile phone really has become the remote control for our daily lives, and we're communicating, consuming, educating, and entertaining ourselves, on our phones, in ways unimaginable just a few years ago.

Knowledge for everyone: search and assistance

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As we said when we announced Alphabet, "the new structure will allow us to keep tremendous focus on the extraordinary opportunities we have inside of Google." Those opportunities live within our mission, and today we are about one thing above all else: making information and knowledge available for everyone.

This of course brings us to Searchthe very core of this company. It's easy to take Search for granted after so many years, but it's amazing to think just how far it has come and still has to go. I still remember the days when 10 bare blue links on a desktop page helped you navigate to different parts of the Internet. Contrast that to today, where the majority of our searches come from mobile, and an increasing number of them via voice. These queries get harder and harder with each passing yearpeople want more local, more context-specific information, and they want it at their fingertips. So we've made it possible for you to search for [Leonardo DiCaprio movies] or [Zika virus] and get a rich panel of facts and visuals. You can also get answers via Google Nowlike the weather in your upcoming vacation spot, or when you should leave for the airportwithout you even needing to ask the question.

Helping you find information that gets you through your day extends well beyond the classic search query. Think, for example, of the number of photos you and your family have taken throughout your life, all of your memories. Collectively, people will take 1 trillion photos this year with their devices. So we launched Google Photos to make it easier for people to organize their photos and videos, keep them safe, and be able to find them when they want to, on whatever device they are using. Photos launched less than a year ago and already has more than 100 million monthly active users. Or take Google Maps. When you ask us about a location, you don't just want to know how to get from point A to point B. Depending on the context, you may want to know what time is best to avoid the crowds, whether the store you're looking for is open right now, or what the best things to do are in a destination you're visiting for the first time.

But all of this is just a start. There is still much work to be done to make Search and our Google services more helpful to you throughout your day. You should be able to move seamlessly across Google services in a natural way, and get assistance that understands your context, situation, and needsall while respecting your privacy and protecting your data. The average parent has different needs than the average college student. Similarly, a user wants different help when in the car versus the living room. Smart assistance should understand all of these things and be helpful at the right time, in the right way.

The power of machine learning and artificial intelligence

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A key driver behind all of this work has been our long-term investment in machine learning and AI. It's what allows you to use your voice to search for information, to translate the web from one language to another, to filter the spam from your inbox, to search for "hugs" in your photos and actually pull up pictures of people hugging ... to solve many of the problems we encounter in daily life. It's what has allowed us to build products that get better over time, making them increasingly useful and helpful.

We've been building the best AI team and tools for years, and recent breakthroughs will allow us

to do even more. This past March, DeepMind's AlphaGo took on Lee Sedol, a legendary Go master, becoming the first program to beat a professional at the most complex game mankind ever devised. The implications for this victory are, literally, game changingand the ultimate winner is humanity. This is another important step toward creating artificial intelligence that can help us in everything from accomplishing our daily tasks and travels, to eventually tackling even bigger challenges like climate change and cancer diagnosis.

More great content, in more places

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In the early days of the Internet, people thought of information primarily in terms of web pages. Our focus on our core mission has led us to many efforts over the years to improve discovery, creation, and monetization of contentfrom indexing images, video, and the news, to building platforms like Google Play and YouTube. And with the migration to mobile, people are watching more videos, playing more games, listening to more music, reading more books, and using more apps than ever before.

That's why we have worked hard to make YouTube and Google Play useful platforms for discovering and delivering great content from creators and developers to our users, when they want it, on whatever screen is in front of them. Google Play reaches more than 1 billion Android users. And YouTube is the number-one destination for videoover 1 billion users per month visit the siteand ranks among the year's most downloaded mobile apps. In fact, the amount of time people spend watching videos on YouTube continues to grow rapidlyand more than half of this watchtime now happens on mobile. As we look to the future, we aim to provide more choice to YouTube fansmore ways for them to engage with creators and each other, and more ways for them to get great content. We've started down this journey with specialized apps like YouTube Kids, as well as through our YouTube Red subscription service, which allows fans to get all of YouTube without ads, a premium YouTube Music experience and exclusive access to new original series and movies from top YouTube creators like PewDiePie and Lilly Singh.

We also continue to invest in the mobile webwhich is a vital source of traffic for the vast majority of websites. Over this past year, Google has worked closely with publishers, developers, and others in the ecosystem to help make the mobile web a smoother, faster experience for users. A good example is the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project, which we launched as an open-source initiative in partnership with news publishers, to help them create mobile-optimized content that loads instantly everywhere. The other example is Progressive Web Apps (PWA), which combine the best of the web and the best of appsallowing companies to build mobile sites that load quickly, send push notifications, have home screen icons, and much more. And finally, we continue to invest in improving Chrome on mobilein the four short years since launch, it has just passed 1 billion monthly active users on mobile.

Of course, great content requires investment. Whether you're talking about Google's web search, or a compelling news article you read in The New York Times or The Guardian, or watching a video on YouTube, advertising helps fund content for millions and millions of people. So we work hard to build great ad products that people find usefuland that give revenue back to creators and publishers.

Powerful computing platforms

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Just a decade ago, computing was still synonymous with big computers that sat on our desks. Then, over just a few years, the keys to powerful computingprocessors and sensorsbecame so small and cheap that they allowed for the proliferation of supercomputers that fit into our pockets: mobile phones. Android has helped drive this scale: it has more than 1.4 billion 30-day-active devicesand growing.

Today's proliferation of "screens" goes well beyond phones, desktops, and tablets. Already, there are exciting developments as screens extend to your car, like Android Auto, or your wrist, like Android Wear. Virtual reality is also showing incredible promiseGoogle Cardboard has introduced more than 5 million people to the incredible, immersive and educational possibilities of VR.

Looking to the future, the next big step will be for the very concept of the "device" to fade away. Over time, the computer itselfwhatever its form factorwill be an intelligent assistant helping you through your day. We will move from mobile first to an AI first world.

Enterprise

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Most of these computing experiences are very likely to be built in the cloud. The cloud is more secure, more cost effective, and it provides the ability to easily take advantage of the latest technology advances, be it more automated operations, machine learning, or more intelligent office productivity tools.

Google started in the cloud and has been investing in infrastructure, data management, analytics, and AI from the very beginning. We now have a broad and growing set of enterprise offerings: Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Google Apps, Chromebooks, Android, image recognition, speech translation, maps, machine learning for customers' proprietary data sets, and more. Our customers like Whirlpool, Land O'Lakes and Spotify are transforming their businesses by using our enterprise productivity suite of Google Apps and Google Cloud Platform services.

As we look to our long-term investments in our productivity tools supported by our machine learning and artificial intelligence efforts, we see huge opportunities to dramatically improve how people work. Your phone should proactively bring up the right documents, schedule and map your meetings, let people know if you are late, suggest responses to messages, handle your payments and expenses, etc.

Building for everyone

Whether it's a developer using Google Cloud Platform to power their new application, or a creator finding new income and viewers via YouTube, we believe in leveling the playing field for everyone. The Internet is one of the world's most powerful equalizers, and we see it as our job to make it available to as many people as possible.

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This belief has been a core Google principle from the very startremember that Google Search was in the hands of millions long before the idea for Google advertising was born. We work on advertising because it's what allows us to make our services free; Google Search works the same for anyone with an Internet connection, whether it is in a modern high-rise or a rural schoolhouse.

Making this possible is a lot more complicated than simply translating a product or launching a local country domain. Poor infrastructure keeps billions of people around the world locked out of all of the possibilities the web may offer them. That's why we make it possible for there to be a $50 Android phone, or a $100 Chromebook. It's why this year we launched Maps with turn-by-turn navigation that works even without an Internet connection, and made it possible for people to get faster-loading, streamlined Google Search if they are on a slower network. We want to make sure that no matter who you are or where you are or how advanced the device you are using ... Google works for you.

In all we do, Google will continue to strive to make sure that remains trueto build technology for everyone. Farmers in Kenya use Google Search to keep up with crop prices and make sure they can make a good living. A classroom in Wisconsin can take a field trip to the Sistine Chapel ... just by holding a pair of Cardboard goggles. People everywhere can use their voices to share new perspectives, and connect with others, by creating and watching videos on YouTube. Information can be sharedknowledge can flowfrom anyone, to anywhere. In 17 years, it's remarkable to me the degree to which the company has stayed true to our original vision for what Google should do, and what we should become.

For us, technology is not about the devices or the products we build. Those aren't the end-goals. Technology is a democratizing force, empowering people through information. Google is an information company. It was when it was founded, and it is today. And it's what people do with that information that amazes and inspires me every day.
It's a time to rejoice in the Indian Army. It's first French-designed conventional, diesel-electric submarine in more than 15 years, the Kalvari, will finally hit the sea. Credible sources associated with the project, that has been code named Project 75, has confirmed the same according to India Today. It is also confirmed that the Kalvari's Harbour Acceptance Trials (HATs) are pretty much complete, and she has been readied for 'Sea Trials', post which, she will become a part of the fleet.

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"The process will play out over a period of 5-6 months, after which comes the commissioning" a source was quoted saying. The test was supposed to have been done over the weekend but had to be rescheduled due to "minor, logistical reasons".

HATs are done to check the nitty-gritties of the submarines. From diving to navigating and carrying out maneuvers, all possibilities are tested. The Kalvari will also have to prove how capable it is as far as carrying missiles and torpedoes are concerned.

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The Kalvari joined the Navy in 2012 but is finally set for commissioning in September this year. Project 75 consists of six submarines but the one that comes first among the six will face the most gruelling tests. Project 75 costs a whopping $3.5 billion.

The Kalvari is 67 metres in length, is 6.2 metres wide and weighs a considerable 1550 tonnes. The beast can fire torpedoes and tube-launched anti-launch missiles both from underwater or from the surface. But what's worrying is the time delay, since the average age of an Indian submarine still remains 25 years, which isn't very impressive keeping in mind the technological advancements India has made.

H/t: India Today
This sounds like one of those cases where your childhood obsession refused to die down even after you grew up. But for one man, his unrelenting obsession has landed him behind bars, that too, for 19 years. 32-year-old Jitender Singh stalked his 'lover' from college for nearly ten years.

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This, starting from India, all the way to the USA!

It all began when the two met in a college in Delhi. Even though they were just classmates, Singh proposed to the girl in 2006, which she turned down. A dejected Singh continued to harass her even after she left for the US in 2007 for studies.

Singh followed the girl to New York, where he attempted to enroll at the same university. However he was denied admission and was ordered by the university to stay away from the campus.

The Hindu/ Representational Image

When the victim moved to California for an internship, Singh tracked down her address and followed.

You cant hide from me," authorities say Singh told the victim when she refused to see him. "I will always find you.

When the woman moved back to New York, the harassment followed.

In 2011, the victim moved to Plano, where she was hired by an information technology company. Authorities say for the next three years, Singh harassed the woman by phone and internet.

Police say Singh eventually tracked down her Plano address in 2014 and broke into her home, where he stole personal items, including her social security card, passport, and jewellery.

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Singh was arrested on charges of burglary after the victim's neighbour alerted the police.

Out of the 19 year sentence awarded to Singh, 17 years is for burglary of a habitation and two years for fraudulent use of information.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Environment and Forest declared that the tiger population of India was on the rise for the first time in years. The announcement was met with much ire from wildlife conservationists.

The total tiger population in India has been recorded at 2,226 in 2015, which conservationists claim is the result of better tracking equipment and counting methods.

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For the first time after decades of constant decline, tiger numbers are on the rise. This offers us great hope and shows that we can save species and their habitats when governments, local communities and conservationists work together, Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International, had said in a statement.

The Wildlife Protection Society of India has released the latest numbers, and that works as a killjoy. The total number of tigers killed by poachers in 2015 stood at 25. What is even more appalling is that in only four months of 2016, 28 cases of tigers killed by poachers have already been recorded!

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"The population numbers are always estimates," says Tito Joseph, Programme Manager with the Wildlife Protection Society of India. "There is no way to confirm the exact number of tigers in the wild. That is not the case with tigers that have been poached. The count is on the basis of body parts and incidents from across the country. These are exact numbers."

What do the numbers mean?

"There has been an increase in the tiger population in India," says Joseph. "But it could be a result of a different way of counting the animals." Several other wildlife conservationists argue that tigers that had never been considered in the calculations before may be adding to the image of a "conservation success" in India. The reality, however, is stark.

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Instead of focusing on the numbers of the tigers, it is time to prevent widespread tiger poaching. "The increased incidents of poaching are indicating two things. First, that there is a larger demand of tiger parts and second, there is a lack of proper enforcement of law," Joseph adds.

"Poachers with five tigers each were captured in two separate locations in 2016 itself," he says. "One of these locations is the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar." The tiger reserve has been in the news frequently for poaching activities.

Without strict enforcement of the law, and tough punishment meted out to poachers, the future of the tiger population is still very much in the dark.

Don't let any fancy graphs or colourful charts make you think otherwise.
1. Uttrakhand Forest Fire Claims Five Lives Even As Government Steps Up Effort To Bring It Under Control

The raging wildfire which has engulfed hundreds of hectares of dense forest land in Uttarakhand has claimed the lives of five people, including three women and a child. Seven others have also been injured in separate fire-related incidents since February.

48 incidents of forest fire have also been reported in the Corbett Tiger Reserve and Kalagarh Tiger Reserve, and these destroyed 260.9 hectares of the forest.

Taking serious note of the grave situation, the government has stepped up efforts to control the damage. Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul has deployed three NDRF companies to douse the flame and conduct rescue operations

2. Government Razed Key Files Relating To Netaji, Reveals Declassified Documents

A crucial file, that had papers relating to the investigations on the circumstances leading to the death of Subhas Chandra Bose, was destroyed in "routine course" by the Central government decades back. This is one of the revelations from the 27 files relating to Bose disclosed on Friday by the government.

That the crucial PMO file was destroyed came to light when the Justice Mukherjee commission, inquiring about the disappearance of Netaji, sought this file in 2001.

The Prime Minister's Office told the commission after searching, that the file had been weeded out in routine course in 1972, but the summary contents of the file could be found in the cabinet secretariat.

3. Come 1st May, There Will Be No Petrol, Diesel Taxis In NCR

No petrol or diesel-run taxis will be allowed to ply in the National Capital Region from Sunday, May 1, the Supreme Court has said. Cabs with an all-India permit are exempt from the order to convert into CNG-using cars.

The top court today also refused to extend the deadline of April 30 for taxis to convert into CNG. Taxi owners pleaded before the court that there's no technology available in the market to convert a diesel car into one that uses CNG.

4. Just Like The Kingfisher House, No Takers For The Airlines' Logos In Auction Held By Banks

There were no takers for the brands and trademarks of Kingfisher Airlines - not even for its once-famous tagline 'Fly The Good Times' - in an auction held by banks on Saturday.

A 17-bank consortium was seeking to recover money owed to them by liquor baron Vijay Mallya's now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines. Last month, the consortium of banks had failed in its attempt to sell the airline's erstwhile headquarter Kingfisher House here.

The reserve price for the trademark was set at Rs 366.70 crore, which was not even one-tenth of the price at which it was pledged with as a collateral for the loan. Besides the logo, the 17 lenders led by SBI put on sale other trademarks of the airline like Flying Models, Funliner, Fly Kingfisher and Flying Bird Device.

Facebook, the world's largest social network, has made it tougher for offensive content to be taken down and will do so only if it gets a legal or government notice, in keeping with a recent Supreme Court ruling.

"We have changed our process. So now, before we restrict content in India for illegality, we require that the government submit legal process to us and we scrutinise that with our legal teams," Facebook's global policy head Monika Bickert said. "We would not restrict the content if somebody in the community, somebody outside the government, flagged that content."
When a special flight took off from Peru's capital, Lima, on Friday it was one that gave 'passengers' on-board a new lease of life.

Jan, Tim & Eva ensured the seating plan was adhered to so each lion flies close to family. https://t.co/saoaOdVjMh pic.twitter.com/WUdsonwWOQ  ADI (@AnimalDefenders) April 29, 2016

Because the passengers on-board were no ordinary passengers - they were lions - a staggering 33 of them!

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All of them were rescued from years of torture and abuse in circus companies in Peru and will now spend the rest of their lives in South Africa's Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary.

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One of them had even lost his eye sight due to abuse. The lions were rounded up with the help of authorities by Animal Defenders International, an animal rights charity, after use of lions in circuses was outlawed in Peru in 2011.

These lions have endured hell on earth and now they are heading home to paradise. This is the world for which nature intended these animals for, Jan Creamer, president of Animal Defenders International, said in a statement.

Seized from circus & attacked by cagemate in zoo, Kala will be reunited with family #33lions https://t.co/saoaOdVjMh pic.twitter.com/7Y38ugr4SQ  ADI (@AnimalDefenders) April 27, 2016

ADI said this was the biggest transfer of such large captive animals ever, adding that the cost of the transfer is $10,000 per animal.

The lions are returning to where they belong", Savannah Heuser, founder of Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary, said.
A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.
Save the Date and plan to join us as we return to the The Westin La Paloma amid the mountains of Tucson for Copper College 2016!

Copper College is held biennially and is the Council's keystone event. The full educational program is made up of panels, workshops and presentations combined with several recreational and social opportunities. Past Copper Colleges have been held in Scottsdale and Tucson, Arizona, as well as in Mexico City and San Diego. In attendance are 150 senior executives who serve as CEO's, CFO's, purchasing managers, and marketing executives representing all areas of the copper industry, including producers, wire and brass mills, merchants and brokers, scrap dealers and consumers.
The Joke of U.S. Justice and Accountability When They Bomb a Hospital By Glenn Greenwald April 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " The Intercept "- Ever since the U.S. last October bombed a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Kunduz, Afghanistan, the U.S. vehemently denied guilt while acting exactly like a guilty party would. First, it changed its story repeatedly. Then, it blocked every effort  including repeated demands from MSF  to have an independent investigation determine what really happened. As May Jeong documented in a richly reported story for The Intercept yesterday, the Afghan government  rather than denying that the hospital was targeted  instead repeatedly claimed that doing so was justified; moreover, they were sympathetic to calls for an independent investigation, which the U.S. blocked. What is beyond dispute, as Jeong wrote, is that the 211 shells that were fired . . . were felt by the 42 men, women, and children who were killed. MSF insisted the bombing was deliberate, and ample evidence supports that charge. Despite all this, the U.S. military is about to release a report that, so predictably, exonerates itself from all guilt; it was, of course, all just a terribly tragic mistake. Worse, reports The Los Angeles Times W.J. Hennigan, no one will face criminal charges. Instead, this is the justice being meted out to those responsible: One officer was suspended from command and ordered out of Afghanistan. The others were given lesser punishments: Six were sent to counseling, seven were issued letters of reprimand, and two were ordered to retraining courses. MSF continues to insist that the attack was a war crime and must be investigated by an independent tribunal under the Geneva Conventions. In a statement this week, Amnesty International said that it has serious concerns about the Department of Defenses questionable track record of policing itself. The LA Times story notes that Physicians for Human Rights said in a letter to the White House that the gravity of harm caused by the reported failures to follow protocol in Kunduz appears to constitute gross negligence that warrants active pursuit of criminal liability. But none of that matters. The only law to which the U.S. government is subject is its own interests. U.S. officials scoffed at global demands for a real investigation into what took place here, and then doled out punishments of counseling, training classes, and letters of reprimand for those responsible for this carnage. Thats almost a worse insult, a more extreme expression of self-exoneration and indifference, than no sanctions at all. But thats par for the course in a country that has granted full-scale legal immunity for those who perpetrated the most egregious crimes: from the systemic fraud that caused the 2008 financial crisis to the worldwide regime of torture the U.S. government officially implemented. Yesterday in Syria, an MSF-run hospital was targeted with an airstrike, almost certainly deliberately, by what was very likely the Syrian government or the Russians, killing at least 50 patients and doctors, including one of the last pediatricians in Aleppo. On behalf of the U.S. government, Secretary of State John Kerry pronounced: We are outraged by yesterdays airstrikes in Aleppo on the al Quds hospital supported by both Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which killed dozens of people, including children, patients and medical personnel. On the list of those with even minimal credibility to denounce that horrific airstrike, Kerry and his fellow American officials do not appear. Glenn Greenwald is one of three co-founding editors of The Intercept. He is a journalist, constitutional lawyer, and author of four New York Times best-selling books on politics and law. His most recent book, No Place to Hide, is about the U.S. surveillance state and his experiences reporting on the Snowden documents around the world. Prior to co-founding The Intercept, Glenns column was featured at The Guardian and Salon. He was the debut winner, along with Amy Goodman, of the Park Center I.F. Stone Award for Independent Journalism in 2008, and also received the 2010 Online Journalism Award for his investigative work on the abusive detention conditions of Chelsea Manning. For his 2013 NSA reporting, he received the George Polk award for National Security Reporting; the Gannett Foundation award for investigative journalism and the Gannett Foundation watchdog journalism award; the Esso Premio for Excellence in Investigative Reporting in Brazil (he was the first non-Brazilian to win), and the Electronic Frontier Foundations Pioneer Award. Along with Laura Poitras, Foreign Policy magazine named him one of the top 100 Global Thinkers for 2013. The NSA reporting he led for The Guardian was awarded the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for public service.
Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy the Oil Thriller

By Pepe Escobar

April 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " RT "- The famous Hollywood adage  'nobody knows anything'  seems to perfectly apply to the current turbulence in the oil market. So in an effort to clarify where the global oil economy is heading to, lets engage in a Battle of the Oil Analysts.

Relying on these Oil Analysts (OA) does not necessarily mean you will be handed straightforward answers, but perhaps with some luck you will see a ray of light.

Saudi Arabia is saying that they are raising oil production to 12 million barrels a day. Thats highly debatable. Russia is saying that they can raise oil production to 13 million barrels a day. OA1 cuts to the chase: Both are bluffing. Prices are still rising. That means no one believes them.

OA2 kicks in, reminding that, oil price is holding because of the 1.5 million barrels a day pulled off the market by a strike in Kuwait of about 10,000 workers. That cut their 3 million barrels a day production in half. Now they are going back to work. Yet the price of oil is still rising.

I had explained before how the oil price was holding over $40.00 a barrel even with concerted Washington pressure over Saudi Arabia to keep it down. Then, OA3 had told me: thats because oil demand and supply is tightening.

But then OA4 came up with a totally different outlook; the whole thing was about 'The Big Long', upon which I based my prediction of $45/$50 per barrel when I was in Tehran in November 2011 and the price was approaching $100 a barrel. The Saudis have been supporting the price and while they have plenty of capital to do so at high prices, storage is finite. Aligning with this, OA4 added that: the market is about to crash, and is only being supported by the financial positions of the Saudi/GCC support operation, now unwinding."

OA5, predictably, could not agree that the Saudis are supporting the market and about to let it collapse. He elaborated on how hard it is to predict day-to-day prices. The only way you can know what is happening is to watch by satellite or surface observation the tankers coming out of each exporter, assume they are full, check their names to look up their capacity, and then add up what is leaving each exporter. What they say otherwise means nothing. There are services that do this that cost about $300,000 a year.

OA6 kicked in with some perspective, explaining what happened in the middle of 2014: The oil price started to crash with no visible increase in production. The deduction had to be that the surplus in the Gulf - which was the only place where there was a surplus - was being dumped in the market by the Gulf States, under orders from Washington. And this fit geopolitically with the uprising in Kiev as a replay of Afghanistan.

If there is a consensus amongst most OAs, it is that Saudi Arabia is hurting. OA7 says hes been watching the markets, and a lot of this static comes from Iran trying to break into the market. The Gulf States are trying to prevent that as much as possible and trying to cut Iran's throat.

However, I do not see overall that the situation is deteriorating. Such a severe drop in price restrains production. The amount of excess was not more than about 5 percent of the market; not 20 per cent, as in 1985. It has to be tight now based on macro-logic and that is why a famous Goldman Sachs former trader who picked the collapse is not massively buying.

Still confused? You should be. Because now another variable kicks in  the rise of US gasoline demand. OA8 has a fine take on the matter: I was expecting this in the second quarter, not now. We should be over fifty to sixty dollars a barrel then. Fundamentals always prevail in the end.

So a credible scenario seems to be a world not exactly awash in crude oil, and with the price of a barrel going up soon. And right at this juncture we find Chinas CNPC making a play to become a major shareholder of Rosneft  Russias top oil producer, which plans to sell 19.5 percent of its shares.

Predictably, US analysts dont seem to understand why Rosneft may become a top Russia/Chinese-owned corporation. This has nothing to do with selling oil assets when prices are down; Rosneft shares are doing fine, by the way. Its about the energy/financial consolidation of the Russia-China strategic partnership  from Pipelineistan (those massive, $300 billion gas deals clinched in 2014) to the close connection of Moscow and Shanghai stock exchanges. Translation: all these sophisticated moves further bypass the US dollar.

Oil, in this complex equation, is just one component. For instance, the Ministry of Economic Development in Moscow works with two basic hypotheses: best case at $40 a barrel, and worst case at $25 a barrel. It is duly preparing for both.

And now comes what could be a potential game-changer: the House of Sauds vision for a post-oil economy.

These are the basics, as announced by Warrior Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 30, the conductor of the  illegal - war on Yemen that is overflowing with collateral damage. Saudi Arabias power stems from its possession of Mecca and Medina, and geostrategic Arab and Muslim depth; its central to global trade, with 30 percent passing through the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf; and the future lies in the creation of a $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund, coming from the sale of 5 percent of shares in Aramco, the number one oil company on the planet.

Riyadh, we got a problem. Assuming that Aramcos partial IPO will yield that astonishing $2 trillion, and these funds are invested all across the West, Saudi Arabia could collect around $100 billion a year. Not much; in fact, only 1/6 of Saudi Arabias GDP in 2015 ($653 billion, of which 70 percent come from oil exports). In a nutshell: this plan will not deliver Saudi Arabia a viable post-oil economy.

As if this was not enough, the oil hacienda is currently invested in two expensive wars  in Yemen (directly) and Syria (indirectly). Crucial: the Warrior Prince de facto conducts both. Moreover, the House of Saud will continue to buy spectacularly costly weapons from the usual suspects - the US, UK and France - like theres no tomorrow.

Back to our OAs. OA8 says that the Saudis under the Warrior Prince made a major mistake: They have now antagonized the Russians and the Americans. Brennan wants their blood no matter what he says as he thinks of them as terrorists. Also, he believes that they have nuclear tipped missiles from Pakistan. The US cannot reconcile themselves to this.

Moscow, on the other hand, wants friendly relations with Riyadh, but theres a perception Russia was betrayed at Doha (cutting oil production was a done deal until the Warrior Prince scuttled it on the very day of the signing.)

Which brings us to OA9:  The self-inflicted wound of cutting the oil price by the Saudis for market share is foolish. The time now is to conserve oil and refrain from selling it, awaiting the tripling of the Chinese economy with the Belt and Road plan. Demand in five or ten years would be massive and oil will be then near $200 a barrel.
More Confessions of an Economic Hitman: This Time Theyre Coming for Your Democracy By Sarah van Gelder April 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Huffington Post "- Twelve years ago, John Perkins published his book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, and it rapidly rose up The New York Times best-seller list. In it, Perkins describes his career convincing heads of state to adopt economic policies that impoverished their countries and undermined democratic institutions. These policies helped to enrich tiny, local elite groups while padding the pockets of U.S.-based transnational corporations.

Photo by Paul Dunn for YES! Magazine Perkins was recruited, he says, by the National Security Agency (NSA), but he worked for a private consulting company. His job as an undertrained, overpaid economist was to generate reports that justified lucrative contracts for U.S. corporations, while plunging vulnerable nations into debt. Countries that didnt cooperate saw the screws tightened on their economies. In Chile, for example, President Richard Nixon famously called on the CIA to make the economy scream to undermine the prospects of the democratically elected president, Salvador Allende. If economic pressure and threats didnt work, Perkins says, the jackals were called to either overthrow or assassinate the noncompliant heads of state. That is, indeed, what happened to Allende, with the backing of the CIA. Perkins book has been controversial, and some have disputed some of his claims, including, for example, that the NSA was involved in activities beyond code making and breaking. Perkins has just reissued his book with major updates. The basic premise of the book remains the same, but the update shows how the economic hit man approach has evolved in the last 12 years. Among other things, U.S. cities are now on the target list. The combination of debt, enforced austerity, underinvestment, privatization, and the undermining of democratically elected governments is now happening here. I couldnt help but think about Flint, Michigan, under emergency management as I read The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. I interviewed Perkins at his home in the Seattle area. In addition to being a recovering economic hit man, he is a grandfather and a founder and board member of Dream Change and The Pachamama Alliance, organizations that work for a world that future generations will want to inherit. Sarah van Gelder: Whats changed in our world since you wrote the first Confessions of an Economic Hit Man? John Perkins: Things have just gotten so much worse in the last 12 years since the first Confessions was written. Economic hit men and jackals have expanded tremendously, including the United States and Europe. Back in my day we were pretty much limited to what we called the third world, or economically developing countries, but now its everywhere. And in fact, the cancer of the corporate empire has metastasized into what I would call a failed global death economy. This is an economy thats based on destroying the very resources upon which it depends, and upon the military. Its become totally global, and its a failure. van Gelder: So how has this switched from us being the beneficiaries of this hit-man economy, perhaps in the past, to us now being more of the victims of it? Perkins: Its been interesting because, in the past, the economic hit man economy was being propagated in order to make America wealthier and presumably to make people here better off, but as this whole process has expanded in the U.S. and Europe, what weve seen is a tremendous growth in the very wealthy at the expense of everybody else. On a global basis we now know that 62 individuals have as many assets as half the worlds population. We of course in the U.S. have seen how our government is frozen, its just not working. Its controlled by the big corporations and theyve really taken over. Theyve understood that the new market, the new resource, is the U.S. and Europe, and the incredibly awful things that have happened to Greece and Ireland and Iceland, are now happening here in the U.S. Were seeing this situation where we can have what statistically shows economic growth, and at the same time increased foreclosures on homes and unemployment. van Gelder: Is this the same kind of dynamic about debt that leads to emergency managers who then turn over the reins of the economy to private enterprises? The same thing that you are seeing in third-world countries? Perkins: Yes, when I was an economic hit man, one of the things that we did, we raised these huge loans for these countries, but the money never actually went to the countries, it went to our own corporations to build infrastructure in those countries. And when the countries could not pay off their debt, we insisted that they privatize their water systems, their sewage systems, their electric systems. Now were seeing that same thing happen in the United States. Flint, Michigan, is a very good example of that. This is not a U.S. empire, its a corporate empire protected and supported by the U.S. military and the CIA. But it is not an American empire, its not helping Americans. Its exploiting us in the same way that we used to exploit all these other countries around the world. van Gelder: So it seems like Americans are starting to get this. What is your sense about where the American public is in terms of readiness to do something? Perkins: As I travel around the U.S., as I travel around the world, I see that people are really waking up. Were getting it. Were understanding that we live on a very fragile space station, and its got no shuttles; we cant get off. Weve got to fix it, weve got to take care of it, and were in the process of destroying it. The big corporations are destroying it, but the big corporations are just run by people, and theyre vulnerable to us. If we really consider it, the market place is a democracy, if we just use it as such. van Gelder: I want to push back on that one a little bit because so many corporations dont sell to ordinary consumers, they sell to other companies or to governments, and so many corporations have such an entrenched reward system where if one person doesnt perform by exploiting the earth theyll simply get replaced with somebody else who does. Perkins: Ive recently been speaking at a number of corporate conferences. I hear time after time after time that many of them want to leave a green legacy. Theyve got children, theyve got grandchildren, they understand we cant go on like this. The big corporations are destroying it, but the big corporations are just run by people, and theyre vulnerable to us.

So what they say is, Go out there, start consumer movements. What I want is to receive a hundred thousand emails from my customers saying, Hey, I love your product but Im not going to buy it anymore until you pay your workers a fair wage in Indonesia, or wherever, or clean up the environment, or do something. And then I can take that to my board of directors and my big stockholders, to the people who really control whether I get hired or fired. van Gelder: Those campaigns, as you know, have been going on for decades now, and sometimes they result in small changes around the edge. But theres enormous resistance from corporate executives because of the profits to be made in continuing the system as is. Perkins: I think weve seen tremendous changes, though. Just in the last few years, weve seen organic foods become very big. Twenty years ago they couldnt make a go of it. Weve seen women having bigger positions in corporations, and minorities, and we need to get better at this. Weve seen the labeling of many foods. GMOs arent included yet, but nutrition and calories and so forth are. And what we really need to do is convince corporations that theyve got to have a new goal. Weve got to let corporations know what their job is: Its to serve a public interest, and make a decent rate of return for investors. We need investors, but beyond that, every corporation should serve a public interest, should serve the earth, should serve future generations. van Gelder: I want to ask you about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and other trade deals. Is there any way that we can beat these things back so they dont continue supercharging the corporate sphere at the expense of local democracies? Perkins: Theyre devastating; they give sovereignty to corporations over governments. Its ridiculous. Weve got to let corporations know what their job is: Its to serve a public interest, and make a decent rate of return for investors. Were seeing terrible desperation from people in Central America trying to get away from a system thats broken, primarily because our trade agreements and our policies toward Latin America have broken them. And were seeing, of course, those similar things in the Middle East and in Africa, these waves of immigrants that are swarming into Europe from the Middle East. These terrible problems that have been created because of the greed of big corporations. I was just in Central America and what we talk about in the U.S. as being an immigration problem is really a trade agreement problem. Theyre not allowed to impose tariffs under the trade agreementsNAFTA and CAFTAbut the U.S. is allowed to subsidize its farmers. Those governments cant afford to subsidize their farmers. So our farmers can undercut theirs, and thats destroyed the economies, and a number of other things, and thats why weve got immigration problems. van Gelder: Can you talk about the violence that people are fleeing in Central America, and how that links back to the role the U.S. has had there? Perkins: Three or four years ago the CIA orchestrated a coup against the democratically elected president of Honduras, President Zelaya, because he stood up to Dole and Chiquita and some other big, global, basically U.S.-based corporations. He wasnt assassinated but he was overthrown in a coup and sent to another country.

He wanted to raise the minimum wage to a reasonable level, and he wanted some land reform that would make sure that his own people were able to make money off their own land, rather than having big international corporations do it. The big corporations couldnt stand for this. He wasnt assassinated but he was overthrown in a coup and sent to another country, and replaced by a terribly brutal dictator, and today Honduras is one of the most violent, homicidal countries in the hemisphere. Its frightening what weve done. And when that happens to a president, it sends a message to every other president throughout the hemisphere, and in fact throughout the world: Dont mess with us. Dont mess with the big corporations. Either cooperate and get rich in the process, and have all your friends and family get rich in the process, or go get overthrown or assassinated. Its a very strong message. van Gelder: Tell me about your time spent in Ecuador with indigenous people. Im wondering if you could talk about how that experience has changed you? Perkins: Many years ago when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Amazon with the Shuar indigenous people there, I was dying. I got very ill, and my life was saved in one night by a shaman. Id come out of business school this is 1968, 69, and I had no idea what a shaman was, but it changed my life by helping me understand that what was killing me was a mindsetwhat they would call the dream. I spent many years studying all this, and working with many different indigenous groups, and what I saw was the power of the mindset. The shamans teach usthe indigenous people teach usonce you change the mindset, then its pretty easy to have the objective reality change around it. So, instead of the kind of economy we have now, a death economy, if we can change the mindset we can very quickly move into a life economy. van Gelder: So what are the mechanisms by which a change in consciousness actually shifts things on the ground? Perkins: Well, in my opinion the biggest catalyst that needs to go forward to change this is weve got to change the corporations. Weve got to move from that goal that was stated by Milton Friedman in the 1970s, that the only responsibility of corporations is to maximize profits regardless of social and environmental costs. We change the big corporations by telling them were not going to buy from you anymore unless you change your goal. No longer should your goal be to maximize profits regardless of social and environmental costs. Make a decent rate of return for your investors, but serve us, we the people, or were not buying from you. van Gelder: You quote Tom Paine in your book: If there must be trouble let it be in my day that my child may have peace. Why did you decide to use that quote? Perkins: Well, I think Tom Paine was brilliant in that statement. He understood how that would impact people. And he wrote that statement in December 1776. Washington had lost just about every battle he ever fought; he wasnt getting any support from the Continental Congress; they werent giving his men guns or ammunition or even blankets and shoes, and he was bogged down at Valley Forge. Paine realizes that hes got to somehow write something that will rally people, and theres nothing that rallies people more than to think about their children That to me is where were at right now. Ive got a daughter and Ive got an 8-year-old grandson. Bring on the trouble for me, OK, but lets create a world theyre going to want to live in. And lets understand that my 8-year-old grandson cannot have an environmentally sustainable and regenerative, socially just, fulfilling world unless every child on the planet has that. And this is new. It used to be all we had to worry about was our local community, maybe our country. But we didnt have to worry about the world. But what we know now is that we cant have peace anywhere in the world, we cant have peace in the U.S., unless everybody has peace. Sarah van Gelder wrote this article for YES! Magazine. Sarah is co-founder and editor at large of YES! Follow her on Twitter @sarahvangelder.
Remember the Golan Heights? By Eric Margolis April 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - During the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, Syrian forces had surprised Israel and were fast approaching the edge of the steep Golan Heights, captured by Israel during the 1967 war. It seemed as if Syrian armor and infantry would retake Golan, then pour down into Israeli Galilee. Soviet recon satellites observed Israel moving its nuclear-armed, 500km-range Jericho missiles out of protective caves and onto their launch pads. At the same time, Israel was seen loading nuclear bombs on their US-supplied F-4 fighter-bombers at Tel Nof airbase. Believing Israel was about to use nuclear weapons against Syria and Egypt, Moscow put huge pressure on both to rein in their advancing forces. Damascus, already in range of Israeli artillery on Golan, ordered its armored forces on Golan to halt, allowing Israel to mount powerful counter-attacks and retake the strategic heights. In 1981, Israel formally annexed the 580 sq. mile portion of Golan that it occupied. This illegal annexation was condemned by the United Nations, the United States and Europe powers. But Israel held on to Golan and implanted 50,000 there in some 41 subsidized settlements. The world has pretty much forgotten how close it came to nuclear war in 1973 over Golan. The heights became a primary nuclear trigger point along with Kashmir, Germanys Fulda Gap, and the DMZ, Koreas inner border. Golan recently resurfaced in the news when Israels rightwing prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told Russias president, Vladimir Putin, that his nation would never return Golan to Syria. In a speech soon after, Netanyahu vowed Israel would hold on to Golan for all eternity. He also admitted for the first time that Israel had made dozens of cross-border attacks on Syria. The long basalt plateau is indeed a valuable prize. It extends from snow-capped, 9,200 ft. (2,814 meter Mt. Hermon in the north to the Sea of Galilee and Yarmouk River in the south. Golan supplies 15% of Israels scarce water and may contain gas or petroleum deposits. Israeli artillery on Golan can hit Syrias capitol Damascus; Israeli electronic sensors blanket Damascus and cover all Syrian military movement below. Having walked much of the Golan on both Syrian and Israeli-held sides, I can attest to its remarkable military importance and thick defenses. After the 1967 war, Israel ethnically cleansed Golan, leveling the capital, Kuneitra, with bulldozers and expelled almost all Golans 130,000 Druze and Arab inhabitants. Jewish settlers were brought in to replace them. The US shielded Israel from UN action and world-wide protests. Before 2011, Israel hinted that it would return Golan to Syria as part of a comprehensive peace agreement  provided Damascus ceased supporting Palestinian claims to their lost lands. But once the Syrian civil war conveniently began, there was no more talk of Golan. In fact, its pretty much clear that Israel has been quietly fueling the Syrian conflict by discreet arms and logistics support to so-called moderate Syrian rebels and lobbying for the war in Washington and with the US media. Netanyahu has even said  with a straight face  that Israel cannot return Golan or even negotiate, until calm returns to Syria and Iraq. Netanyahu is clearly following the grand strategy of the founder of his rightwing Likud Party, Zeev Jabotinsky, a militant Russian Zionist. Jabotinsky asserted that the Arab states were an artificial, fragile mosaic of inimical Arab tribes. Hit them hard enough, claimed Jabotinsky, and they will shatter into small pieces, leaving Israel master of the Levant (central Arab world). The destruction of Iraq and Syria have confirmed Jabotinskys theory. Accordingly, Israel is delighted to see Syria, a primary foe, lying in ruins as a result of a US, British, French, Turkish and Saudi-instigated civil war. Damascus is in no shape to demand the return of Golan, and the rest of the world does not care. The destruction of Syria as a unitary state offers the expansionist Likud government many opportunities to extend influence into Syria  as was the case in Lebanon during its bloody 1975-1990 civil war. Or even carve off more Syrian territory to protect Israels security. The words of Israels founding father, David Ben-Gurion, still resonate: the state of Israel is a work in progress and its borders should not be fixed or even defined. Notably the borders with Syria and Jordan. Eric S. Margolis is an award-winning, internationally syndicated columnist. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune the Los Angeles Times, Times of London, the Gulf Times, the Khaleej Times, Nation  Pakistan, Hurriyet,  Turkey, Sun Times Malaysia and other news sites in Asia. http://ericmargolis.com/
President Obama: The Race for the Imperial Legacy By James Petras President Obama is racing forward to establish his imperial legacy throughout Russia, Asia and Latin America. In the last two years he has accelerated the buildup of his military nuclear arsenal on the frontiers of Russia. The Pentagon has designed a high tech anti-missile system to undermine Russian defenses. April 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - In Latin America, Obama has shed his shallow pretense of tolerating the centerleft electoral regimes. Instead he is has joined with rabid authoritarian neo-liberals in Argentina; met with the judges and politicians engineering the overthrow of the current Brazilian government; and encouraged the emerging far right-wing regimes in Peru under Keiko Fujimori and Colombia under President Santos. In Asia, Obama has clearly escalated a military build-up threatening Chinas principle waterways in the South China Sea. Obama encouraged aggressive and violent separatist groupings in Hong Kong, Tibet, Xingjian and Taiwan. Obama invites Beijing billionaires to relocate a trillion dollars in assets to the laundry machines of North America, Europe and Asia. Meanwhile he has actively blocked Chinas long-planned commercial silk route across Myanmar and west Asia. In the Middle East, President Obama joined with Saudi Arabia as Riyadh escalated its brutal war and blockade in Yemen. He directed Kenya and other African predator states to attack Somalia. He has continued to back mercenary armies invading Syria while collaborating with the Turkish dictator, Erdogan, as Turkish troops bomb Kurdish, Syrian and Iraqi fighters who are engaged on the front lines against Islamist terrorism. President Obama and his minions have consistently groveled before the Jewish State and its US Fifth Column, massively increasing US tribute to Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, Israel continues to seize thousands of acres of Palestinian land murdering and arresting thousands of Palestinians, from young children to aged grandparents. The Obama regime is desperate to overcome the consequences of his political, military and economic failures of the past six years and establish the US as the uncontested global economic and military power. At this stage, Obamas supreme goal is to leave an enduring legacy, where he will have: (1) surrounded and weakened Russia and China; (2) re-converted Latin America into an authoritarian free-trade backyard for US plunder; (3) turned the Middle East and North Africa into a bloody playpen for Arab and Jewish dictators bent on brutalizing whole nations and turning millions into refugees to flood Europe and elsewhere. Once this legacy is established, our Historic Black President can boast that he has dragged our great nation into more wars for longer periods of time, costing more diverse human lives and creating more desperate refugees than any previous US President, all the while polarizing and impoverishing the great mass of working Americans. He will, indeed, set a high bar for his incumbent replacement, Madame Hilary Clinton to leap over and even expand. To examine the promise of an Obama legacy and avoid premature judgements, it is best to briefly recall the failures of his first 6 years and reflect on his current inspired quest for a place in history. Fear, Loathing, and Retreat Obamas shameless bailout of Wall Street contrasted sharply with the desires and sentiments of the vast majority of Americans who had elected him. This was a historic moment of great fear and loathing where scores of millions of Americans demanded the federal government reign in the financial criminals, stop the downward spiral of household bankruptcies and home foreclosures and recovery Americas working economy. After a brief honeymoon following his historic election, the historic President Obama turned his back on the wishes of the people and transferred trillions of public money to bailout the banks and financial centers on Wall Street. Not satisfied with betraying the American workers and the beleaguered middle class, Obama reneged on his campaign promises to end the war(s) in the Middle East by increasing the US troop presence and expanding his drone-assassination warfare against Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Syria. US troops re-invaded Afghanistan, fought and retreated in defeat. The Taliban advanced. The US expanded its training of the puppet Iraqi army, which collapsed on its first encounters with the Islamic State. Washington retreated again. Regime change in Libya, Egypt and Somalia created predator-mercenary states without any semblance of US control and dominance. Obama had become both a master of military defeats and financial swindles. In the Western Hemisphere, a continent of independent Latin American governments had emerged to challenge US supremacy. The Historic President Obama was dismissed as a clueless hack of the US Empire who lacked any rapport with governments south of the Panama Canal. While trade and investment flourished between Latin America and Asia; Washington fell behind. Regional political and economic agreements expanded, but Obama was left without allies. Obamas clumsy attempts at US-backed regime change were defeated in Venezuela and elsewhere. Only the small, corrupt narco-state of Honduras fell into Obamas orbit with the Hillary Clinton-engineered overthrow of its elected populist-nationalist president. China and Russia expanded and flourished as commodities boomed, wealth expanded and demand for Chinese manufacturers exploded. By 2013 Obama had no legacy. The Recovery: Obamas Lost Legacy Obama began the road to establishing his legacy with the US-financed coup in Ukraine, spearheaded by the first bona fide Nazi militia since WWII. After celebrating the violent regime change against Ukraines elected government, Obamas new oligarch-puppet regime and its ethno-nationalist army have been a disaster, losing control of the industrialized Donbas region to ethnic Russian rebels and completely losing the strategic Crimea when the population overwhelmingly voted to re-join Russia after 50 years. Meanwhile, the oligarch-president Poroshenko and his fellow puppets have pilfered several billion dollars in aid from the EU all in pursuit of the Obama legacy. Obama then slapped devastating economic sanctions against Russia for its role in the Crimean referendum and its support for the millions of Russian speakers in Donbas, and in the process forced the European Union to make major trade sacrifices. For their role in creating a real American legacy for Mr. Obama, the Germans, French and the other twenty-eight countries have sacrificed billions of Euros in trade and investments  alienating large sectors of their own agricultural and manufacturing economy. The Obama regime placed nuclear weapons on the Polish border with Russia, pointed at the Russian heartland. Estonians, Lithuanians and Latvians joined Obamas military exercises stationing US ships and attack aircraft in the Baltic Sea threatening Russias security. Obamas Legacy in Latin America The Obama regime intensified its efforts to re-establish supremacy with the demise of the center-left regimes following elections in late 2013 to the present. Obamas legacy in Latin America is based on the return to power of neo-liberal elites in the region. Their successful elections were the result of several factors, including: (1) the rise of right-wing economic power in Latin America; (2) the decay and corruption of political power within the Left; 3) incapacity of the Left to develop its own independent mass media to challenge the media monopoly of the right; and (4) the failure of center-left regimes to diversify their economy and develop growth outside the boundaries defined by the dominant capitalist sectors. The Obama regime worked closely with the political-business elite, organizing the political campaigns and controlling key economic policies even during the center-Left governments. The Left regimes had financed, subsidized and rewarded right-wing business interests in agro-mineral industries, banking, and the media as well as in manufacturing and imports. As long as worldwide demand for primary materials was strong, the Center-Left governments had plenty of room to adjust their social spending for workers while accommodating business interests. When demand and prices fell, budget deficits forced the Center-Left to cut back on social spending for the masses as well as subsidies for the business elite. In response, the business sector organized a full-scale attack on the government  in defense of elite power. The Center-Left failed to counter the growing power and position of their business elite adversaries. The business elite launched a full-scale propaganda war via its captive mass media  focusing on real or imagined corruption scandals discrediting Center-Left politicians. The Left lacked its own effective mass media to answer the Rights accusations, having failed to democratize the corporate media monopolies. The Center-Left parties adopted the elites technique of financing political campaigns  namely, through bribes, contract concessions, patronage other deal making with billionaire private and state contractors. The center-Left imagined it could compete with the free-market right-wing in financing campaigns and candidates via swindlers  and not through class struggle. This was a game they could never master. The Right, however, mobilized their allies within police, judicial and public institutions to prosecute and disqualify the Center-Left for committing the same crimes the Right had evaded. The Center-Left did not mobilize the workers and employees to establish even minimal controls over the elite and assume some managerial power. They thought they could compete with the Right on its own terms, through shady business and chicanery. The Center-Left relied on financing its administration and policies through the commodity boom in demand for its natural resources  overlooking the fundamental instability and volatility of the global commodity market. While the Right openly condemned the weakness of the Center-Left  in private, it pursued policies even more dependent on overseas speculators and narrow elites. In Argentina, as the economy declined, the leadership of the right-wing, led by Mauricio Marci, launched a successful presidential campaign involving the mass media, banks, middle class voters and agro-mining elites. Immediately upon taking power, the Macri regime cut social services for workers and the lower middle class, slashing their living standards and lay off thousands of government employees. Obama saw Macri as his kind of legacy savior and viewed Argentina as the new center of US power in Latin America  with plans for more regime change in Brazil, Venezuela and throughout the region. In Brazil, the Center-Left Workers Party (PT) faced a massive attack on its power base by the extreme right-wing parties. Corruption scandals rocked the entire spectrum of the political class, but the PT was most heavily implicated by massive fraud in Brazils huge national oil company, Petrobras. The PT regimes troubles intensified as the country entered a recession with the drop in demand for its agro-mining exports. Growing fiscal deficits compounded the regimes problems. The Brazilian hard Right mobilized its entire apparatus of elite power  the courts, judges, police and intelligence agencies  in a bid to overthrow the PT government and impose an authoritarian neo-liberal regime seizing all financial, business and productive assets The Center-Left had never been very left, if at all. Under Presidents Lula and Rousseff (2003-2016), the powerful mining and agricultural elites flourished; banking, investment and multi-national enterprises prospered. The Center-Left made some paternalistic concessions to the lowest income classes, and increased wages for labor and farm workers. But the PT relegated labor to the background while it signed business agreements and granted tax concessions to capital. It failed to engage Brazilian workers in class struggle. The Right was never engaged in any struggle with a genuine leftist government pressing business for structural changes. Nevertheless, the Right sought to eliminates even the most superficial reforms. It would accept nothing short of total control, including: the privatization of the major national oil company, the reduction of wages, pensions and transport subsidies and a slashing of social programs. The Brazilian Right-wing coup  a fake impeachment organized by indicted crooks  is designed to vastly re-concentrate wealth, and re-establish the power of business, while plunging millions into poverty and repressing the principal organized mass movements. In Brazil, the elite-controlled media, courts and politicians act as judge, jury and jailers  against a center-left regime which had never taken control over the major institutions of elite power. Obama and the Axis of his Legacy Political rightists join police to control the multitudes and seize power, re-establishing deep ties among Brazil, Washington and Argentina. They will then move toward the neo-liberal re-conquest of all Latin America. Against this new wave, it must be understood that Obamas Latin American legacy is too recent, too hasty and too disjointed  the new Right exhibits the same or even worse features of the recently deceased Left. Argentinas Marci borrows $15 billion at 8% interest, when the economy is fracturing, employment is collapsing, exports and worldwide demand is declining. At the same time, President Mauricio Marcis cabinet is plagued by major financial scandals a la Panama Papers. The entire political party-trade union-employed working class is profoundly disenchanted with Marcis minority rule. Argentina may not turn out to be Obamas enduring Latin Legacy: While Macri may open the door for a brief Washington take-over, the results will be catastrophic and the future, given Argentinas recent history of popular street uprisings, is uncertain. Likewise in Brazil, the impeachment/coup will result in new and more numerous investigations with trials of post-impeachment politicians and a deepening economic crisis. Brazils Vice-President, who turned against Rouseff, now faces corruption charges, as do his supporters. The prolonged confrontation precludes any basic continuity. The right-wing regimes policy of slashing wages, pensions and poverty baskets will detonate large-scale confrontations with the polarized population. Obamas legacy will be a brief episode  celebrating the ouster of the Workers Party President followed by a long period of instability and disorder. Rightist regimes in Venezuela, Colombia and Peru will be part of Obamas legacy but to what lasting end? The Venezuelan right-wing congress  dubbed the MUD  seeks to overthrow the elected president. It demands the release of several right-wing assassins from prison, the privatization of the oil industry, and a deep cut in social programs (health and education). They would reduce employees wages and eliminate food subsidies. The MUD has no competent plan or capacity to grow the oil economy and overcome chronic food shortages. The MUD would merely replace the Lefts subsidized economy with massive price increases for basic commodities  reducing domestic consumption to a fraction of its current level. In other words, the right-wing offensive may defeat the Chavista left but it will not stabilize Venezuela or develop a viable neo-liberal alternative. Any new right-wing regime will deteriorate rapidly and the chronic problem of criminal violence will exceed the current levels. The alliance between Washington and Venezuelas far right will hardly support Obamas claim to a historic legacy. More likely, it will serve as another example of a failed right wing state unable to replace a weakening left regime. Similar circumstances can be found among other emerging rightist regimes. In Colombia, the current right-wing President Santos talks to the FARC guerrillas, but also accommodates the paramilitary death squads. His talks of peace settlements and social reform are linked to the genocidal right, led by the former President Uribe. Meanwhile, the economy stagnates with oil and metal prices collapsing on the world market. Colombian living standards have declined and the promise of a right-wing revival grows dim. The US-Colombian alliance may undercut the FARC but the right-wing does not offer any prospect for modernizing the economy or stabilizing the society. Similarly in Peru, the right-wing wins votes and embraces free markets, but growth declines, investments and profits dry up and mass disenchantment grows among the poor promising street conflicts. The Obama legacy in Latin America has followed a series of brutal victories, which have no capacity to re-impose a stable new order of free markets and free elections. The initial wave of favorable investments and lucrative concessions will fail to revive and recalibrate a new growth dynamics. More ominously, Obama relied on mass murder to replace an elected leftist-nationalist president in Honduras and imposed a regime of terror against the poor and indigenous population. Meanwhile, illicit offshore handouts reward speculators in Argentina. Obamas legacy in Latin America reflects an entire spectrum from illicit right-wing coups to oust the elected governments in Brazil and Venezuela, to elected authoritarian presidents in Peru and Colombia with historic links to death squads and multi-million dollar overseas accounts. Obamas contemporary Latin American legacy reeks of gross electoral manipulation preparing the ground for bloody class wars. Obamas Legacy in the Ukraine, Yemen, and Syria The Obama regime thought it could manage widespread conflicts, uprisings and wars to advance its global supremacy. To that end, Obama spent billions of dollars in weapons and propaganda arming Neo-Nazi para-military troops to seize power in Ukraine. A grotesque, brutal gang of oligarchs (and disgraced, foreign fugitives  like the ousted Georgian leader, Mikhail Saakashvili) served Washington in the puppet Kiev regime. Critics, journalists, jurists and citizens are being assassinated. The economy has collapsed; prices skyrocket; incomes declined by half; unemployment tripled and millions have sought refuge abroad. Wars raged between Russian ethnic citizen armies in the Donbas and the puppet Kiev regime. The people of Crimea voted to rejoin Russia. Meanwhile, economic sanctions against trade with Russia have exacerbated shortages for the people of Ukraine. Under Obamas stewardship the Ukraine became a world-class basket case: so much for his European legacy. He can rightly claim credit for imposing a thoroughly retrograde regime of Klepto-capitalism with no redeeming feature. Obama embraced Saudi Arabias war against Yemen  destroying the life and cities of the poorest nation in the Middle East. Obamas legacy in Yemen stands for the systematic obliteration of a sovereign people: Obama performs his tricks for billionaire Saudi despots while savaging the innocent. To the Israelis in Palestine and the Saudis in Yemen, Obama pays homage to the criminals responsible for millions of shattered lives. What of the Obama legacy in Syria and Libya? How many million Africans and Arabs have been murdered or fled on rotten boats in destitution. Only the rankest gang of corrupt media pundits in the US media can pretend this gangster President should evade a war crimes tribunal. Conclusion The Obama regime has pursued wars of unremitting destruction. It has forged partnerships with terrorists and death squads as it seeks short-term imperial victories, which end in dismal failures. The imperial legacy of this historic president is a mirage of pillage, squalor and destruction. The effect of his political lies has even begun register here among the American public: Who trusts the US Congress and the President? And in Europe, who trusts Obamas European partners as they eagerly pushed for wars in the Middle East and North Africa and now fear and loathe the millions of their victimsrefugees fleeing to the cities of Europe, with the drowned corpses of uprooted communities spoiling their beaches? Obama pushed for wars and the Europeans receive the victims  with fear and disgust. Obamas victories are temporary, blighted and reversed. Obama bombed Afghanistan yesterday and now flees renewed resistance. Obamas allies are again plundering Latin America but face imminent ouster via popular uprisings. Obama terrorized and fragmented Syria yesterday but lost elections the day after. Obama threatens Chinas economy while eagerly buying Chinas products. The Obama legacy began as a failed military and economic offensive accompanying a profound social crisis. During his final year in office, Obama tries to forge alliances with the dregs of the hard right to save his legacy. His brief advance into this sordid world of neo-liberals, neo-Nazis and Saudi despots is a prelude to more retreat and chaos. Obamas public celebration of the right turn in Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East applauds the most retrograde alignment of forces in modern times: Saudis and Israelis; Egyptian generals and Libyan jihadis; neo-Ottoman Turks with Ukrainian gangster-oligarchs. Regime changes in Argentina and Brazil encourage Obama to claim vindication of his imperial legacy. His moment of imperial truth is brief, all too brief. Everywhere, we witness the rapid rise of imperial success followed by a series of debacles. Throughout Latin America capitalist profiteers plunge into wild financial adventures, theft and chaos. In the Middle East, the US stands on the crumbling palaces of a moribund Saudi regime. The much-proclaimed imperial advances are based on grand theft everywhere, from Egypt and Turkey to the Ukraine. Simply stated: the US formula for a successful legacy is failing at the precise moment that it claims success! Obama and the Right have created a world of chaos and disintegration. Obama and his legions, the US and Europe have no future in peace or war, election or defeats. There is no imperial legacy for the historic President Obama! James Petras is a Bartle Professor (Emeritus) of Sociology at Binghamton University, New York.http://petras.lahaine.org/
Western Media Break Their Silence on Aleppo with Flagrant Lies, Omissions, Obfuscations By Eva Bartlett



April 30, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " In Gaza "- Terrorists mortars, rockets, and Hell Cannon-fired gas canister bombs continue to rain down on Aleppo for the past few days (a dramatic increase from the sporadic but frequent terrorism Aleppo residents have been ravaged by over the years). Since April 23, over 1000 terrorists rockets/missiles/gas canisters have ravaged Aleppo (see: Syria: Aleppo is Burning and Western Media is Silent), killing at least 40 residents and injuring over 300, according to al-Alam journalist, Rabea Kalawandys April 27 report. In a more recent update, Kalawandy wrote:      #         8 martyrs so far. In # Aleppo as a result of the moderate opposition shells including children and women. The actual number of those murdered will likely be far higher, particularly with many of the injured being critically-injured. Al Masdar news reported on April 26: 6 civilians were killed, 25 others wounded when Islamist rebels fired a barrage of mortars and homegrown missiles into the government held districts of Ashrafiyah, Nile Street, Mokambo and Al-Khalidiyah, in the northern city of Aleppo. In a video published by Anna News, Aleppo residents spoke out about their daily suffering from the rebels constant shelling that took away many lives and did massive damage in Government-held Aleppo. A resident speaking in the video had one month prior lost two sons, as well as his hand and forearm to terrorists shelling on his neighbourhood.

LYING MEDIA PLANTING NATO AGENDA ARTICLES: In a lengthy April 27 BBC propaganda piece, when it finally got to the issue of Aleppo, the article said nothing about the current situation in Aleppo, and for some reason felt the need to use quotation marks when referring to established terrorist groups Daesh and the Nusra Front:  Russia, of course, has said it is largely striking at IS and al-Nusra terrorists. Granted, the piece is meant specifically to be anti-Russian propaganda, but yet, not a single mention of the past few days of al-Nusra and other terrorists horrific bombardment of Aleppos residential areas. Instead, BBC inserts an undated photo of Aleppo subjected to airstrikes, a photo with two hefty men resembling Nusra or other terrorists in the background, one of whom seemingly wearing military fatigues, incidentally. A search on BBCs website, using the query Aleppo, unsurprisingly turns up zero other articles (other than the anti-Russia piece) on Aleppo the past four days of terrorists bombardment of Aleppo. The Guardian ran the same photo in its April 26 piece by authors based in Turkey, this time with the photo caption: A wounded boy is helped out of a ruined building after an air strike on the Fardous neighbourhood in Aleppo. The Guardian omitted the fact that Fardous is occupied by terrorists. Further, had the Guardian done a search on the photographer, Ameer al-Halabi, they would have found photos like this showing the photographers proximity to clearly armed terrorists, as well as this Feb 2016 photo showing so-called White Helmets rescuers in Aleppo. Rather than being civilian rescuers, White Helmets have a different claim to fame: foreign-funded regime change propagandists & terrorist allies operating primarily in al-Nusra and Daesh strongholds, as explained in detail in investigative writer, Vanessa Beeleys, Syrias White Helmets: War by Way of Deception and Syrias White Helmets: War By Way of Deception ~ Moderate Executioners. As for the Guardian piece, it is full of the standard MSM obfuscations, and does not highlight the crisis that is Aleppo under terrorists bombardment. Instead it employs the standard accusatory rhetoric, mourns for the Civil Defence aka White Helmets aka terrorist supporters and propagandists. In fact, BBC, Guardian, AFP, CBC, etc, all read from the same tired, lying script: pretending that WH are rescuer workers, lambasting the Syrian army/airforce/government, and utterly ignoring or downplaying the immense tragedy of the massacres actually taking place by western-backed terrorists. None of this is surprising, but it is most certainly infuriating. There is no respect for actual loss of life by terrorists in Syria; the humanitarian cards are played and manipulated only to serve the long-dead rhetoric of the NATO-alliance criminals. ENDURING THE BOMBARDMENT: Syrian political analyst and freelance writer, Kevork Almassian, noted an uplifting development:  The Syrian Specialist Hospital in Aleppo declares it will treat the injured civilians by the Turkish Western backed terrorists for free. But as western/corporate media continue to ignore the terrorists bombardment of Aleppo, and as Syrians there continue to endure the worsening situation, independent media must ensure that the reality is told and the lies refuted.
Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States, is truly an awe-inspiring figure along with his beautiful and brilliant wife Michelle Obama. He is, after all, the President of the most powerful nation on Earth, which would make the POTUS the most powerful man on Earth as well.

But, he is not just our POTUS; he is also a married man who has an exceptional marriage, which is a huge inspiration to many of us. The way in which the First Couple handles their marriagedespite the attention it getsis remarkable. I invite you and yours to take a page from their book to grow your marriage as it becomes just as strong as the Obamas.

Here are 10 secrets that will give you insights into how the Obamas have such a successful marriage that you can have too!

SECRET #2  DONT MAKE A BIG ISSUE ABOUT LITTLE ISSUES

The biggest arguments generally erupt over small issues. Look beyond the trivial irritants that put so much pressure on a marriage. Focus instead on the positives such as the fun you have, the life you build up together and the value each of you brings to the marriage.

Talking on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Michelle Obama said:

I kind of give him a pass now when he leaves his socks on the floor or tells that story for the one hundredth time and wants us to laugh at it as if we first heard it.

SECRET #3  LOOK AT THE PERSON AND NOT THE PERSONA

If you wish to have a happy life and stable marriage, do not focus on money, looks or any other similar things. Focus on the person.

Michelle Obamas advice to all women as expressed in an article in Glamour Magazine is:

Dont look at the bankbook or the title. Look at the heart. Look at the soul. When youre dating a man, you should always feel good.  You shouldnt be in a relationship with somebody who doesnt make you completely happy and make you feel whole.

SECRET #4  EXPRESS YOUR LOVE

As we have clearly seen time and time again, the First Couple is not ashamed of a little or a nice respectful size of PDA (Public Displays of Affection) to demonstrate their love for each other. They are often seen holding hands, touching and kissing even in the most unanticipated public places. The comfort level they share is evident in their interaction.

SECRET #5  BE PLAYFUL AND FLIRTATIOUS

Having an element of fun in a marriage provides much-needed bonding in a marriage. The Obamas are informal, open and flirtatious even in front of the media and their children as they set an exemplary precedent for their children.

President Obama joked after someone in the crowd blurted out a compliment to his wife Michelle Obama:

We know it is Black History Month when you hear somebody say, Heeey, Michelle! Girl, you look so good!

The First Lady didnt miss a beat and returned with:

Hes all right. You look good too, baby!

SECRET #6  RESPECT EACH OTHER

Clearly, the Obamas have immense love and most of all respect for one another. They consider marriage as a partnership, where each has to invest something to make it work.

Michelle spoke about it with Oprah Winfrey:

It has to be a true partnership, and you have to really, really like and respect the person youre married to, because it is a hard road.

SECRET #7  HAVE TRUST AND LOYALTY

Trusting and being loyal to each other is the foundation to a happy and successful marriage.

Michelle Obama said in an interview with Gayle King at CBS News:

I do care deeply about my husband. I am one of his biggest allies. I am one of his biggest confidants.

SECRET #8  MAINTAIN AN ELEMENT OF SURPRISE

No matter how seasoned your marriage may be, always maintain an element of surprise. Astound yourself by discovering a new facet of your spouse and similarly surprise them occasionally with something they did not know about you.

Barak Obama said in a 1996 interview:

Even if one builds a life together based on trust, attentiveness and mutual support, I think that its important that a partner continues to surprise.

SECRET #9  BE FRIENDS FIRST AND ALWAYS

Once you get married, the routine of life makes you forget how you were before you married. Do not let marriage take over your friendship. Be friends, share, confide, trust and depend upon each other.

Michelle Obama is attributed to saying:

Our marriage was first a friendship. It took off from there.

While the President said of his wife in his 2008 election victory speech:

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years 

SECRET #10  HAVE PERSEVERANCE

One of the biggest secrets of a successful marriage is perseverance. Here is what President Obama had to say about perseverance to Barbara Walter:

Weve been married now 20 years, and like every marriage you have your ups and you have your downs, but if you work through the tough times, the respect and love that you feel deepens.
Whether its in Mushin, Bariga, Iju or Ajegunle, the trend is pretty much the same for parties in these areas. There is no need to buy the celebrant any present as all that matters is your presence. People who live in Lekki, Ikoyi, Magodo or any other part of Nigeria and have had no reason to attend a party in one of these aforementioned areas would be wondering what a birthday party in these areas might look like. Well, INFORMATION NIGERIA in this piece would tell you a thing or two about it

Hemp smoking; This is like the holy grail of ghetto parties. There is always weed smoking happening everywhere and anywhere at the party venue.

No food; In a typical Mushin party, there is usually like 2 precent food and 198 percent booze as against what obtains else where. The party organizer only has to provide small amount of food and fill everywhere with alcohol.

More guys than girls; You are most likely to find more than two guys dancing with one girl on the dance floor and they taking turns to dance with the few girls available. Here there is nothing like monopolozing any girl except shes your girlfriend.

Dry gin vendors everywhere; A party day in Mushin is a huge market day for alomo sellers. These sellers troops to party venues with their wares and party goers would definitely buy from them because the organizers wouldnt be able to provide all the drinks that would cater for both invited and uninvited guests.

No invites necessary; Party organizers dont even bother to make some because people in Mushin dont need one to appear at the party. A party organizer just only needs to inform one or two persons and hes rest assured of having the whole community stop by.

Loud music; There is no limitation as to the volume of the music. Every early on the day of the party, residence of the area already know there would be a party on that day because the DJ comes with all his equipment and starts to thrill them with music from that time to when the party starts fully and when it closes at past mid night.

Never ends; Unless of course, something bad happens to the DJ or his equipment or the generators or a fiasco erupts, the party is just going to go onendlessly.

Who can relate.
At least seven people have been confirmed dead and 121 rescued so far after a residential building collapsed in Haruma, Kenyan capital Nairobi, late Friday night following a heavy downpour.

Rescuers including Kenyan Red Cross search and rescue team is leading efforts to find people feared trapped and possibly killed.

The Red Cross said they managed to pull three children and an adult from the remains of the six-story building, adding that 150 building units and adjacent homes were affected.

Live TV footage showed the National Youth Service and firefighters removing stones and a crowd cheering as a child was removed from the rubble.

Nairobis Police Chief, Japheth Koome who confirmed the death toll said hours-long traffic jams caused by flooded roads delayed.

AP reports that man who said he lived in the house adjacent to the one that collapsed , said the building was constructed shoddily The building had been constructed in less than five months and the 126 single rooms were quickly occupied at a rent of $35 a month.

Area legislator Stephen Kariuki said this was the second building to collapse in a year. He blamed the county government of failing to follow through with demolitions of buildings that were identified as unfit for human occupation.

Meanwhile, President Uhuru Kenyatta just arrived at the scene of the incident.

More photos

Source: Daily Nation/AP/Kenya Red Cross/NTV Kenya
In a nation ravaged by war, where children have little to no access to quality literature, a school teacher is trying his best to make a difference. Saber Hosseini, who teaches children in the city of Bamiyan, central Afghanistan, has converted his bicycle into a mobile library which he rides to remote villages. I came up with the idea for this project six months ago. I talked about it to friends in literary circles, who donated money and got some of their friends abroad to donate as well. I started alone with 200 storybooks for kids, and started riding to remote villages throughout Bamiyan province. Soon, I recruited more volunteers  now there are 20 of us, and we have a collection of about 6,000 books. Most of these books are imported from Iran.

Hosseini revealed that he chose to use bicycles for his mobile library project for a number of reasons. Many of volunteers simply cannot afford cars and most of the villages in his province are only accessible by bike. But there was also a symbolic meaning to his choice. The Taliban used bicycles in their bomb attacks  so I wanted to replace violence with culture, he said, speaking to The Observers.

Saber loads his cycle with books every weekend and rides to remote villages, most of which dont even have schools. Many of those children are old enough for the third or fourth grade, he told Business Insider. But in fact, they have not learned to read or write at all. This should not be happening. He keeps track of all the books he has left behind, so that he can bring new ones for the kids the next time around.

We work as a sort of library  every week, we bring kids new books and take back the old ones to distribute to children in other villages. Some of the adults have even taken to borrowing our more advanced books. At first, I chose very simple books, but now most of the older kids are able to read more serious books  for example, weve got simplified versions of books by Victor Hugo, Jack London, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Samad Behrangi, and Ferdowsi.

Hosseini does more than just distribute books to children  he also stops to talk to them about a topics such as peace, tolerance, and why they should stay away from drugs. One time, I talked to children in a village about guns, using the slogan say no to guns and yes to books, he recalled. The next time I went to their village, the kids had gathered up all of their plastic toy guns and handed them over to me  but they had one condition: they wanted their village to be the first in the next round of book deliveries so they could get first pick. It was the most joyful moment of my life!

OCentral.
The Syrian government has carried out more than a dozen fresh air strikes in Aleppo as the death toll from more than a week of escalating violence continues to soar, according to local sources. The strikes hit residential neighbourhoods across the opposition-controlled eastern part of the city on Saturday morning, though no immediate information about the number of deaths and injuries was available.

As Im talking to you, we can hear air strikes, Zouhir Al Shimale, a local journalist, told Al Jazeera by telephone, adding that Saturday mornings strikes hit the areas of Bustan al-Qasr, Zobdia, Ansare, Jazmate and Kalasa. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that at least 244 civilians, including 43 children and 27 women, were killed since violence between government forces and rebel groups flared on April 22.

On Friday night, government forces carried out air strikes in the eastern part of the city, while rebels fired mortars into residential areas into the western, government-controlled side. On Thursday and Friday alone, at least 44 civilians died in the tit-for-tat attacks, the Syrian Observatory said.
Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, on Friday, paid a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, where he lauded the Presidents recent overseas trips aimed at attracting foreign direct investments into the country.

Ambode who spoke to State House Correspondents shortly after the visit expressed high optimism that the Presidents trips would in no short time begin to yield benefits in the interest of all Nigerians.

He said the investment pact signed with the Chinese Government when the president visited the Asian powerhouse will benefit the people of Lagos, especially with the coming of the Lagos-Kano Rail Project and the Lagos Metro-rail project expected to cost about $2.5 billion.

Ambode said his visit to the Aso Villa was to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for his laudable plans for Nigeria and especially Lagos State.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the Bayelsa State-owned Niger Delta University (NDU) has commenced a sit-at-home protest following the inability of the Governor Seriake Dickson-led administration to pay lecturers of the university five-month salary arrears.

The ASUU Chairman in NDU, Stanley Ogoun, confirmed the development and said lecturers could no longer be discharging their duties without money to run their daily expenses.

We have started the sit-at-home action and this means suspension of all academic activities relating to teaching and examination of students, he said.

The Bayelsa State Government, however, appealed to ASUU and other workers in the state not to despair over the economic crisis facing the state insisting that clearing their backlog of salaries remained the first-line charge of Dickson.

The government in a statement co-signed by the two political advisers to the governor, Mr. Fyneman Wilson and Mr. Steven Diver, said the governor and his team were going through sleepless nights to pay the workers.

To this effect, paying workers salaries always come first before other financial obligations. Steps are already being taken to ensure the payment of salaries within the shortest possible time.

We are appealing to workers to exercise some patience because they will soon receive their pay. We also appreciate Bayelsans for displaying sense of maturity and understanding despite the difficult time they are going through, the statement said.

The Dicksons administration is the one that values all workers in the state and committed to improving the welfare of workers including paying gratuities and pensions of retired workers.

The governor has also taken steps to strengthen the Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR). He should be commended for looking inwards, the statement added.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to House of Representatives Committee on Agricultural Production and Services on the incessant clashes between Fulani herdsmen and pastoralists, farmers and farming communities across the country voicing its opposition for the National Grazing Reserve Bill which is said to have passed its second reading in the National Assembly.

The memorandum which was articulated by a professor in the Department of English at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies said CAN was against the National Grazing Bill because it believes it is a subtle way for the Federal Government to Islamise the nation.

In order to alleviate and prove our fears wrong, such a bill should never be passed into motion because it is not a legislative issue, it stated, adding we are of the opinion that there should be constant dialogue with all the stake holders to formulate a holistic plan that will promote peace, harmony and advancement of our Livestock industry, so that we dont divide Nigeria into Southeria and Northeria either overtly or covertly.

The memoranda outlined a seven-point recommendation including:

* No grazing rights, routes or reserves (3Rs) because it is private business and tax payers money should not be used as in other normal private businesses in the country.

* Loans should be sourced for through banks, Federal/State ministries, like other businesses in Nigeria to facilitate their education as an association to improve themselves so that they can fit in with 21st century Nomad practices in line with the millennium development goals. It is a well known fact that the Federal Government has released billions of naira for Grazing Reserves in Northern Nigeria which we presume should be enough.

* Lands should be sourced at state level or through Northern Governors forum where the cows will be in their natural habitat in northern Nigeria. This should not be done by coercion, manipulation, intimidation, enforcement of law or the passing of any bill into motion but with persuasion and encouragement. State governors should be adequately educated on what they stand to benefit.

* Ranches/Reserves should be restricted to state of origin of Nomads or anyone into animal husbandry and the remaining untapped, uncultivated vast land space on the entire planet which happens to be in Northern Nigeria.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo said: Tap and pipe water from the Atlantic Ocean to irrigate the whole of Northern Nigeria like other deserts of the world and you will feed the entire world from here. There should be no driving of herds all over the nation as the excuse to mass murder Nigerians in the South, the group said.

All Nigerian borders should be tightened, because most of these so called Fulani herdsmen who are actually Boko Haram and illegal immigrants from neighbouring Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Benin Republic etc. They are definitely not our Nigerian brothers, the memoranda stated.
A college professor in China has been suspended after giving his students a rather controversial test during their final exam. In a bid to prepare them for real life, he asked his students to gulp down glasses of baijiu, a Chinese liquor, grading them based on how much they were able consume. Youre all going to do sales jobs after graduation, drinking baijiu is the thing you must learn! Gu Ming told the students of his Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) class at Guizhou Anshun Vocational Institute. He had poured the alcohol into dozens of plastic cups and laid them out on the desk in his office, asking his students to drink up.

Those who ganbeied (finished) a full glass of liquor get a full 100 mark for their exam, half glass gets 90 marks, and a sip gets 60, one of Gu Mings students later posted on Chinese social media website Weibo. Those who do not drink at all will fail. It sounds like the easiest exam ever, but it was actually quite difficult  baijiu is a rather potent beverage made from grain, with an alcohol content of 40 to 60 percent. But Gu Ming apparently decided to give it to his students anyway, because it happens to be the beverage of choice in the Chinese business world.

Photographs uploaded to social media showed that most of the students passed the test with flying colors, having managed to down their glasses of baijiu. Several students were later reported to have been found in an inebriated state on campus. If the test was intended to be a joke, the institutes deputy director Fu Guisheng did not see the humor in it, suspending Gu Ming over the issue. The incident also did not go down well with others outside the institute  it sparked an intense online debate with many lashing out against the professor. Only a few sympathized with him, stating that he was trying to help his students.

OCentral.
According to a media statement from National Media Centre Corporate Communication South African Police Service, four men,-two customs officials, an airline employee and a Nigerian national, are expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrates Court next Tuesday after they were arrested by OR Tambo International Airport-based police for drug dealing and defeating the ends of justice.

On Thursday, 28 April 2016 members of the South African Police Services Trans International Investigation Team and Crime Intelligence arrested the two customs officials and an employee of Air Namibia and a drug mule after the latter was allowed to pass through the airport with as much as 1,5 kilogrammes of cocaine worth nearly R425, 000,00.

Information at polices disposal show that the two customs officials escorted the 29-year-old suspect to a hotel, where they were shortly joined by an Air Namibia employee who apparently came to collect the ejected drug bullets from the suspects body.

The alleged drug mule had landed a few hours earlier from Sao Paolo, Brazil, and was apparently in transit to Lagos, Nigeria.

The customs officers have been charged with defeating ends of justice while the drug mule and the airport employee will face drug dealing charges.

All of the four suspects are currently in custody pending their first court appearance on Tuesday.

Source: National Media Centre Corporate Communication
A child has been pulled alive from the rubble after a building collapse in Nairobi killed at least seven people. The survivor was found 10 hours after the building collapsed on Friday night in the poor neighbourhood of Huruna as torrential rain lashed the Kenyan capital. More than 120 people were rescued and taken to hospital, according to AFP. It is unknown how many people are still trapped in the debris.Nairobi Deputy Governor, Jonathan Mueke, said an investigation would look into why the building collapsed.

The building went down during the heavy rains, but we still want to establish if all the procedures were followed when it was constructed, he said. Area legislator Stephen Kariuki said this was the second building to collapse in a year. He blamed the county government for failing to follow through with demolitions of buildings that were identified as unfit for human habitation. Nairobi has seen a building boom over the last few years, but there are questions about the quality of materials used and the speed of construction.

President Uhuru Kenyatta last year ordered an audit of all the countrys buildings to see if they are up to code after eight buildings collapsed, killing at least 15 people. The report from the audit by the National Construction Authority found that 58 percent of buildings in the capital are unfit for habitation. The majority of Nairobis estimated 4 million people live in low income areas or slums. The collapse happened during some of the heaviest downpours of the rainy season which started in March.

The rains also killed at least seven other people across the city, including two people who drowned when their vehicle was swept away by flood waters, and four who were crushed when a wall collapsed.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said that a multinational taskforce will soon be established to patrol the waters of the Gulf of Guinea.

Speaking at an audience with the French Minister of Defence, Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, President Buhari said that patrols by the multinational taskforce will augment and boost on-going efforts to improve security in the Gulf, and curb crude oil theft and piracy.

President Buhari and Mr. Le Drian also discussed on-going French support for the Federal Governments efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency.

The President expressed his governments appreciation of the assistance and support of France and other G7 countries, which he said, has helped Nigeria achieve significant successes against Boko Haram.

When we got into office in May, last year, Boko Haram was effectively controlling at least 14 local government areas. But now, it is no longer so, and they have resorted to attacking soft targets with Improvised Explosive Devices.

We are determined to secure all of our territory effectively. We are doing our best and our troops are now operating in the Sambisa Forest, President Buhari told the French Defence Minister.
Not long ago, police officers went door to door, asking residents for their questions, comments and concerns to improve their relationship with the community.

Rob Teuteberg, Chippewa Falls Police Departments public information officer, remembers doing this. He still does this, but in a very different way.

That would take days to get to every house, he said. Now, I can hit send on one Facebook post that can reach thousands of people in minutes. This is community policing at its finest, having that transparency and interaction that was unprecedented ten years ago.

Teutebergs embraced social media for the department  hes the one posting 99 percent of the time  and said he cant think of a better way to stay connected with the community.

With just over 8,500 likes on Facebook, the Chippewa Falls Police Department is one of the top-followed law enforcement agencies in the state. He said they receive questions almost daily, through personal messages or comments, about city laws, ordinances and other information. They also receive tips, almost weekly, from people about things such as drug activity, parking violations and animal complaints, though he said tips about drug activity are the most common.

The department has also started #WantedWednesday, where is posts pictures and names of people for whom there are warrants for their arrest. Teuteberg said this has seen about a 90 percent success rate.

Theres a good percentage we catch with tips, but within a matter of days people often turn themselves in, or go pay their fine or whatever their warrant is issued for, he said. If we can get the situation resolved and you can do it yourself, even better.

Earlier this month, the department unveiled its new website, an extension of its current one, but more interactive and updated.

The old website will remain with department and officer info, while the new one has a wanted page for both criminal and child support warrants as well as the ability to send in anonymous tips.

The department also has a Twitter page, but he said for whatever reason that hasnt caught on like Facebook has in this area.

In light of recent events across the country casting a negative shadow on law enforcement, Teuteberg said its more important than ever to maintain transparency with the community.

Facebook and Twitter are two ways of doing that. But their newest idea, a YouTube channel, might be the best one yet.

Though still getting it up and running, he hopes to eventually use YouTube to put together public service announcements and showcase footage of some of the stops officers make on a daily basis. And with several body cameras in use as well as squad cameras, theres a lot of footage to use.

Police do extraordinary things every day, and its not always reported or known, he said. We thought, what a great way to display or showcase our officers and the good and interesting things they do in this community.

Nationally, recruitment rates in law enforcement have declined in recent years, he said. He attributes some of this to the nationwide trend of doubting or mistrusting police officers.

Ten years ago, that was not the case. Shortly after September 11, 2001, happened, Teuteberg worked traffic control for a rally Chippewa Falls held at the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. Numerous people came up to thank him for the work he was doing, and that just doesnt happen anymore.

I will mark that day in my memory as one of the greatest days of being an officer, he said. Fast forward to now, where youre seeing the national rhetoric of anti-law enforcement ... Were not immune to that. When we hear those things, it does affect officers.

Generally, he said he doesnt think people share those sentiments in Chippewa Falls, and most residents support and are glad to have them there.

But he thinks having a YouTube channel can only improve that transparency and close the gap even further between the department and the residents.

Though it may seem silly to have an officer dedicated to updating social media, Teuteberg said its honestly one of the best ways to inform the community, get feedback and tips  all in a matter of minutes.

It doesnt cost anything, just your time, to reach everyone in your community instantly, he said. We only have 20-some people down here. Theres 13,000-some people out there that have eyes and ears and information for us.
The native chalk has broken, said Chief Sam Igbe, the Iyase of Benin, as he announced on Friday that the Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa, had passed on.

According to him, the Oba passed on at Ugha-Ozolua, situated inside the palace.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that before making the disclosure, Igbe, dressed in a red and white attire, performed series of consultations along with other palace chiefs, including the Esogban of Benin, Cheif David Edebiri.

All Benin sons should shave their hair and all major markets are expected to be shut down indefinitely, Igbe said.
Miley Cyrus was pictured spending some quality time with boyfriend Liam Hemsworth & his family.

The couple were seen walking together as they arrived to meet with his family in a restaurant in Byron Bay, Australia.

After the lunch, she joined Liams sister-in-law/Thor star Chris Hemsworths wife, Elsa Pataky for a shopping trip. See more photos
Dr. Ekundare Folu, Chairman of National Association of Government and General Medical and Dental Practitioners in Ekiti, has accused policemen of demanding N4,000 to move the corpses of the six doctors who died in a road accident.

Ekiti State was thrown into mourning following the death of six doctors in a road accident which occurred on Sunday a few kilometres to Kaduna on their way to Sokoto for a free medical mission organised by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).

In his report, Salisu Galadunci, Sector Head of Operations, Deputy Corps Commander, attributed the accident to over-speeding.

Twelve medical doctors and a driver were in an 18-seater bus travelling to Sokoto for Nigeria Medical Association (NMA)s annual conference and had a tyre burst due to over-speeding, he said.

The vehicle overturned with the occupants and six of the doctors died along with the driver while six others survived with various degrees of injuries. Bodies of the victim were evacuated to St. Gerard Hospital for depositing and medical attention.

However, Folu, one of the six survivors of the accident, on Wednesday, denied that the driver over-sped, saying that no FRSC official could have given an accurate picture of the accident, as they arrived 40 minutes late.

In a message posted on social media, he added that he personally offered to give N3,000 to the policemen which was rebuffed until after another doctor added N1,500.

SEE THE FULL POST

The comment credited to the Sector Head of Operations, Deputy Corps Commander, Salisu Galadunci, of the FRSC is very unfortunate.

This is an FRSC that got to scene of the accident more than 40minutes after the accident.

This is an FRSC that were reluctant to take us to the hospital claiming they dont have fuel and didnt budge until one of the injured promised to buy fuel for them.

The Deputy Corps Commander was not at the scene of the accident.

Neither himself nor any representative of his spoke to any of the people in the vehicle, 6 of whom myself included survived.

The Deputy Corps Commander did not even see the vehicle either at the scene of the accident or at the police station.

How he jumped to that conclusion is beyond me. The comments is an insult to my dead colleagues and a slap on those of us that survived.

For his information this is not a driver we picked off the road to take us for the journey. This is a man that has been working with us for more than 4 years. He is indirectly telling the world that a bus of 12 doctors including several senior consultants could not control a driver we employed and pay salaries to.

I was in the same vehicle sitting in the row behind the driver and I checked the speedometer from time to time. The bus also makes a beeping sound once the speed exceeds 110km/hr. Let me state categorically that the bus driver was not speeding.

The FRSC are probably only trying to justify their intention to sell their speed limiting device to Nigerians hence associating every possible accident to excessive speeding. And it is sad that they would even attempt to use such a sad event to do such.

Even the police would not convey the bodies to the mortuary in their van until we parted with 4000naira. I personally dropped 3000naira but the police officer rejected it, dropping the money on their vehicle until the NMA Chairman, Dr Akinbote, added N1500.

The second police vehicle that conveyed those of us unhurt and our luggage to join the others to the hospital also had to be topped with N3500 black market fuel paid for by me.

Gov Ayodele Fayose. God bless you for your care and support.

Special thanks to the Senator representing Doka LG in Kaduna for deeming it fit to visit us in the hospital.

The NMA Kaduna was also wonderful. Thank you so much. CMD neuropsychiatric hospital God bless you. All others who helped, assisted or visited us in Kaduna thank you.

Dr. Ekundare Folu, NAGGMDP Chairman Ekiti State.

Source: The Will
President Muhammadu Buhari said on Thursday in Abuja that it was a matter of great concern to him that nearly two-thirds of the states of the federation are still having difficulties with salary payments despite the bail-out funds provided to them by the Federal Government.

Speaking at a meeting with members of the Nigeria Governor Forum at the Presidential Villa, President Buhari said that he was very disturbed by the hardship which state government workers across the country and their families were facing due to the non-payment of salaries.

To ameliorate the hardship being faced by affected workers, the President said that the Federal Government will strive to make more funds available to the states by expediting action on refunds due to them for the maintenance of federal roads and other expenses incurred on behalf of the Federal Government.

President Buhari also said that he will establish an inter-ministerial committee to study a Fiscal Restructuring Plan for the Federation which was presented to him by the governors.

The President said that the committee will review the plan to improve the finances of state governments and make recommendations on how proposals in the plan should be dealt with by the Presidency, the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly through legislation.

President Buhari urged the governors, however, to understand that while he was ready to do all within his powers to help the states overcome their current financial challenges, the Federal Government also has funding problems of its own to contend with.
On this day in 2010: Rebels in the restive Niger Delta claimed to have blown up a Shell pipeline in the creeks of the southern oil producing region and threatened further attacks.

Also on this day in 2010: The Federal High Court sentenced six (6) Ghanaians and one (1) Nigerian to eight (8) years in prison each after they were found guilty of stealing 4,000 tons of oil products.

Equally on this day in 2012: A suicide attack on a senior police officials convoy in Taraba killed eleven (11) people, including one policeman.
A statement by the Acting Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman:

Troops have intensified efforts to clear the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in various parts of the north east through various military operations on daily basis. It is in line with this that troops of 7 Division Strike Group Team B attached to 22 Brigade embarked on combination of foot and mobile fighting patrols on daily basis to deny the Boko Haram terrorists freedom of action in their area of operations.

Yesterday Thursday, 28th April 2016, they embarked on such efforts in the general area of Bogoro, Duguno 1, Duguno 2 and 3. However, on reaching Mbaraka, they encountered some elements of the Boko Haram terrorists who engaged the patrol team in a gun battle.

The troops rose to the occasion and successfully cleared the terrorists and proceeded to Jadda village which was suspected to be strong hold of the Boko Haram terrorists. As rightly believed, a large number of them were discovered to have the terrorists groups flags hoisted in their domains.

The troops engaged the Boko Haram terrorists and killed 4 of them. The patrol team also made another startling discovery, a big pit where the Boko Haram terrorists used for dumping bodies of hapless victims of their nefarious activities to decompose.

It was also discovered that the terrorists held lots of people as hostage in Jadda. The fighting patrol team also succeeded in freeing those held hostage and recovered an AK-47 rifle with registration number OF-4814, 30 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition, 12 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition, 14 Dane Guns, 1 motorcycle, 2 Solar panels and food storage facility. Other items include 120 litres of AGO and packs of Panadol.

Sadly, one of our soldiers suffered gunshot wound and was evacuated for further medical treatment. We are glad to state that he is in stable condition and responding to treatment.

Source: Linda Ikejis blog
The Nigeria Police Force has clarified that the order given by the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, on arrest of petroleum hawkers was targeted at those hoarding and diverting petroleum products.

In a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olabisi Kolawole, the Nigeria Police explained that further to the Nigeria Police Force directives on the activities of unscrupulous elements who engage in illegal sale of petroleum products, there is need to make some clarification that the directive was specifically targeted at those who are involved in hoarding and diverting the petroleum products.

However, those with genuine intention to use the products for their legal and genuine business are allowed to purchase the products.

The IGP emphasized that no stone will be left unturned by the Police to checkmate those with the attitude of causing discomfort to the innocent citizens in the country.

Recall that Arase had directed all Zonal Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and FCT/State Commands Commissioners of Police to arrest anybody found selling petrol and other petroleum products in plastic container.

The IGP said apart from the hardship this act is causing to fuel buyers, it has also rendered some innocent and law abiding citizens homeless due to fire outbreak from jerry-can petrol storage.

The IGP had noted that fuel products such as petrol are highly flammable and if not stored and handled properly, can seriously endanger people, property and the environment.

Similarly, the Inspector General of Police IGP Solomon Arase has disclosed that between January 2014 to December 2015 278 police officers paid the supreme sacrifice in the discharge of their statutory mandate in relation to enhancement of community peace and security in the country.

According to him, 194 others sustained various degree of injuries while between January to April 2016 72 police officers lost their lives even as he said 78 others were injured in the line of internal security duties.

He also noted that cases of killing of police personnel have increased since 2009 due to terrorist attacks by Boko Haram.

The IGP made the disclosure in Jos while speaking on the topic, Police-public partnership in prevention and control of violent crimes and conflicts in Nigeria organise by the advancement office of the university of Jos.

He added that in order to performed its function effectively of preventing and controlling crimes, the police require diverse skills noting that the work of police became more difficult in societies like Nigeria where there is mutual distrust between the police and the public.

Source:Leadership
On a good day, Holly Schindler hangs out in her barn with her nine horses, or maybe she works with a trainer on her miniature service horse, Mocha. On a very good day  and with some help  she can get up and ride one of those horses (well, except for Mocha).

Many days are not good days, but 16 years after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Schindler has learned to really, really appreciate the good days.

MS is a horrible disease, Schindler acknowledged. But its done more than one beautiful thing  you have to search to find beautiful things with MS, but I have a wonderful, beautiful life.

When she participated in Walk MS: Eau Claire 2016 at UW-Eau Claire Saturday, she wanted to showcase all the trainers, doctors, former coworkers and friends whove been there for her in the last 16 years by having them walk with her  either in person or virtually, if they cannot attend the walk  and, of course, mini-Mocha.

Maureen Waslicki, marketing communications director for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society-Wisconsin chapter, said the donations and funds they raise from these walks around the nation have contributed to finding 16 treatments for MSs most common form, compared to having no treatments just 25 years ago.

600 residents in the Eau Claire area pre-registered for the walk, and more are expected to register the day of the event. They will join nearly 6,700 people throughout the state of Wisconsin to walk this weekend.

This is Schindler and Mochas third time walking, but unlike previous years where its been all about raising awareness and donating money to the Wisconsin chapter, this walk is for her and all the people shes met along the way.

Of course, if anyone wants to donate, it will definitely go to the National MS Society, but this time I want to thank all the people behind the scenes whove helped me, she said. To say, look at all this togetherness, this power behind the helpfulness of humans, because together we are truly stronger than MS.

That statement is perhaps more true than ever for Schindler.

Sixteen years stronger

Often unpredictable, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society defines MS as a disabling disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.

There are many symptoms, including numbness, blindness, cognitive issues and paralysis  all of which Schindler has experienced at some point. Sitting at a table in her rural Chippewa Falls home, where she lives with her horses and rescue dog, Buddy, she said shes spent more time in hospitals and nursing homes than shed wish on anyone.

Gaining her sight back, at least temporarily, she said the new MS thing for her is cognitive functioning. Her brain cannot process more than one item at a time, and she noticed shes easily distracted  she was quick to point out the sticky notes covering her fridge, and was honest about the reason alarms went off on her phone to keep her on task.

Before she was diagnosed, Schindler worked with the Department of Workforce Development and, before that, in the mail room at Marshfield Clinic in Eau Claire. She described herself as a workaholic, and in her free time use to pack backpacks for skydiving.

Within the course of several months, all of that changed.

Its one thing to lose a foot, a leg, a hand, she said. But its another to lose yourself, to lose the essence of Holly.

Schindlers essence may have changed, but its impossible to know her and think shes lost herself as a person, perhaps one of her best friends, Taylor Williams, said.

Williams has known Schindler for longer than either of us can remember, and said she knows it was difficult for her, especially at the beginning. But Williams said she couldnt imagine a person more helpful or inspiring than her friend.

She never complains. Shell tell me shes calling me to whine and I dont think Ive ever heard her whine a day in my life, Williams said. Her story needs to be out there because shes such an incredible human being, not because she has MS, but just because she goes out of her way to help people.

Active in a different way

She and Mocha volunteered to ring bells around Christmas, participated at the Fall Festival at Natures Edge in Rice Lake and help educate people on what MS is and what it means to have a service animal.

After the Center for Independent Living answered many of her questions when she was diagnosed with MS, Schindler now helps those who are newly diagnosed learn to cope and offer advice on how to stay optimistic.

Its taken a lot of life out of me, and I was scared when I was first diagnosed, Schindler said. I dont know where Ive found that strength, but I think Ive found it.

When shes not volunteering, she spends her free time with her horses and dog, all of which are rescue animals. As a child, she was terrified of the animals, but now shes found an unbelievable joy in riding  when she can  or just spending time with them.

Schindler got her first horse, Desi, when she heard a radio ad advertising a free horse, four years after Schindler was diagnosed with MS. On a whim, she called the number. Now, she owns eight horses and her miniature horse, who does everything with her.

I didnt own horses when I was healthy, didnt ride when I was healthy, she said. Ive done everything upside down and backwards.

Mocha was a rescue from a foundation in the Twin Cities, which certified him as a service horse but shut down shortly after Mocha came into Schindlers home three years ago. As a result, Mocha is still learning how to work with Schindler, and she with him.

We are a work in progress, but weve come so much further, she said. In the last year, Mochas been stellar  comes to me when I call his name and knows when I need him to keep me steady, hes there.

Horse trainers like Robert Goodland, from Eau Claire, also help the duo. Hes known Schindler for a few years, and has helped her with some basic training for Mocha. He appreciates her love for horses, but even more so her willingness to help.

Holly has been pretty influential, she organizes lessons for me, 4H things to get kids interested in horses, Goodland said. She is a lot of fun to be around, and she loves to expose people to her horses and bring new people around. Thats huge in my world.

In return for free training sessions, Schindler lets Goodlands students practice on her land.

Staying positive

Despite the unpredictability of her disease, Goodland said hes never seen her let it get the best of her.

I appreciate her determination, grit, he said. She knows she has limitations but doesnt let it alter her attitude about her life.

And Williams, who has seen Schindler persevere through it all, said shes always been fiercely independent and wouldnt have expected anything different from her.

She has been through more and suffered more than most people can imagine in a lifetime, yet she still has a very positive outlook on life, Williams said. She doesnt understand that she inspired so many people, she thinks shes just an ordinary person but shes so beyond ordinary.

Neither Goodland nor Williams were able to physically join Schindler for Saturdays walk  both are out of the state  but said they were there in spirit, or virtual walkers as Schindler called them.

And she couldnt be more thankful. Which, of course, is what the whole walk was about.

Its just this awesome journey, she said. There are so many people in my 16 years of MS, or just in last dozen years of horses, that have helped me out, and its time to recognize them.
E arrivata lufficialita, dopo una giornata di voci rincorrenti: per il triennio 2018-2021 sara lemittente Sky a godere dei diritti televisivi per trasmettere, in esclusiva assoluta, le partite non solo delle prossime edizioni dellEuropa League ma anche quelle della massima competizione continentale, la Champions. Un pacchetto da favola per il quale la tv satellitare di Rupert Murdoch avrebbe messo sul piatto unofferta giudicata piu congrua di quella presentata dalla concorrente Mediaset. A dare lannuncio dellaffare concluso e stata la stessa Sky che, in un comunicato, ha spiegato che il nuovo format sviluppato dalla UEFA ci consentira di portare ai nostri abbonati un prodotto rivoluzionario per il calcio europeo in Italia. Per la prima volta la UEFA Champions League e la UEFA Europa League saranno insieme in unesclusiva offerta integrata, che permettera agli appassionati di seguire fino a 7 squadre italiane, mai cosi tante prima dora, impegnate nelle sfide con i migliori club europei.

Sky: Rafforzata leadership

Anche il livello tecnico dellofferta sara altissimo ed e ancora lemittente a rivelare i dettagli: Continueremo a fare innovazione, trasmettendo le partite piu importanti anche in 4K HDR. Questofferta senza precedenti rafforza la posizione di Sky come leader della programmazione sportiva in Italia ed e anche un altro passo importante di sostegno al calcio italiano. Insomma, per i prossimi tre anni, sara unegemonia totale quella della satellitare sul calcio europeo, avendo mantenuto il pacchetto Europa League (gia sua esclusiva) e affiancandola a quello ancor piu appetibile della Champions League ad appannaggio Mediaset dal 2015 al 2018.

Sfida Serie A

Ora la sfida fra i due colossi delle trasmissioni sportive si spostera sui diritti televisivi della prossima Serie A, per la quale si e ancora in attesa di un nuovo bando che, come annunciato dal commissario della Lega, Carlo Tavecchio, avra le stesse caratteristiche del precedente, andato pero a vuoto: solo una delle offerte presentate per i cinque pacchetti, infatti, superava la soglia minima richiesta dalla base dasta. Niente di fatto, quindi, anche in virtu della stessa Mediaset che, in sostanza, ha disertato il bando (giudicato inaccettabile) non presentando alcuna offerta. La battaglia, anche in questo caso, sara sulle esclusive: del resto, dopo essersi vista scivolare via una componente importante come la Champions, sulla Serie A Mediaset dara sicuramente battaglia.
What Is Net Worth?

Net worth is the value of the assets a person or corporation owns, minus the liabilities they owe. It is an important metric to gauge a company's health, providing a useful snapshot of its current financial position.

Sometimes called net wealth, one's net worth is used in the financial world to qualify certain individuals for particular investment strategies or financial products such as hedge funds, structured products, or other complex or alternative investments. Net worth has also become a fixation of popular culture, with lists ranking the people with the highest net worth as well as the net worth of various celebrities.

Key Takeaways Net worth is a quantitative concept that measures the value of an entity and can apply to individuals, corporations, sectors, and even countries.

Net worth provides a snapshot of an entity's current financial position.

In business, net worth is also known as book value or shareholders' equity.

People with substantial net worth are called high-net-worth individuals (HNWI).

Elon Musk currently has the highest net worth of any individual on the planet.

2:09 What is Net Worth?

How to Calculate Net Worth

Net worth is calculated by subtracting all liabilities from assets. An asset is anything owned that has monetary value, while liabilities are obligations that deplete resources, such as loans, accounts payable (AP), and mortgages.

Net worth can be described as either positive or negative, with the former meaning that assets exceed liabilities and the latter that liabilities exceed assets. Positive and increasing net worth indicates good financial health. Decreasing net worth, on the other hand, is cause for concern as it might signal a decrease in assets relative to liabilities.

The best way to improve net worth is to either reduce liabilities while assets stay constant or rise, or increase assets while liabilities either stay constant or fall.

Net worth can be applied to individuals, companies, sectors, and even countries.

Net Worth in Business

In business, net worth is also known as book value or shareholders' equity. The balance sheet is also known as a net worth statement. The value of a company's equity equals the difference between the value of total assets and total liabilities. Note that the values on a company's balance sheet highlight historical costs or book values, not current market values.

Lenders scrutinize a business's net worth to determine if it is financially healthy. If total liabilities exceed total assets, a creditor may not be too confident in a company's ability to repay its loans.

A consistently profitable company will register a rising net worth or book value as long as these earnings are not fully distributed to shareholders as dividends. For a public company, a rising book value will often be accompanied by an increase in the value of its stock price.

Net Worth in Personal Finance

An individual's net worth is simply the value that is left after subtracting liabilities from assets.

Examples of liabilities include debts like mortgages, credit card balances, student loans, and car loans. Liabilities can also include obligations that must be paid such as bills and taxes.

An individual's assets, meanwhile, include checking and savings account balances, the value of securities such as stocks or bonds, real property value, the market value of an automobile, et al. Whatever is left after selling all assets and paying off personal debt is the net worth.

People with a substantial net worth are known as high net worth individuals (HNWI) and form the prime market for wealth managers and investment counselors. Investors with a net worth, excluding their primary residence, of at least $1 millioneither alone or together with their spouseare "accredited investors" in the eyes of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and, therefore, permitted to invest in unregistered securities offerings.

Important Note that the value of personal net worth includes the current market value of assets and the current debt costs.

Example of Net Worth

Consider a couple with the following assets:

Primary residence valued at $250,000,

An investment portfolio with a market value of $100,000,

Automobiles and other assets valued at $25,000.

Liabilities include:

An outstanding mortgage balance of $100,000

A car loan of $10,000

The couple's net worth would, therefore, be calculated as:

[$250,000 + $100,000 + $25,000] - [$100,000 + $10,000] = $265,000

Assume that five years later, the couple's financial position changes: the residence value is $225,000, investment portfolio $120,000, savings $20,000, automobile and other assets $15,000; mortgage loan balance $80,000, and car loan $0 because it was paid off. Based on these new figures, the net worth five years later would be:

[$225,000 + $120,000 + $20,000 + $15,000] - $80,000 = $300,000.

The couple's net worth has gone up by $35,000, despite the decrease in the value of their residence and car. As we can see above, these declines were more than offset by increases in other assets, in this case, the investment portfolio and savings, as well as a drop in liabilities owed.

Negative Net Worth

A negative net worth results if total debt is more than total assets. For instance, if the sum of an individual's credit card bills, utility bills, outstanding mortgage payments, auto loan bills, and student loans is higher than the total value of their cash and investments, net worth will be negative.

Negative net worth is a sign that an individual or family needs to focus its energy on debt reduction. A tough budget, the use of debt reduction strategies such as the debt snowball or debt avalanche, and perhaps negotiation of some debts with creditors can sometimes help people climb out of a negative net worth hole and start building up their resources.

Early in life, a negative net worth is not uncommonstudent loans mean even the most careful-with-money young people can start out owing more than they own. Family responsibilities or an unexpected illness can also push people into the red.

When nothing else has worked, filing for bankruptcy protection to eliminate some of the debt and prevent creditors from trying to collect on it might be the most appropriate solution; however, some liabilitiessuch as child support, alimony, taxes, and often student loanscannot be discharged. Its also worth bearing in mind that a bankruptcy will stay on an individual's credit report for many years.

What Is a Good Net Worth? Determining what a "good" net worth is will vary for every individual, according to their life's circumstances, financial needs, and lifestyle. The average net worth of an individual in the U.S. was $121,700 in 2019, according to the latest data from the Federal Reserve.

How Do I Calculate My Net Worth? To calculate your net worth, you subtract your total liabilities from your total assets. Total assets will include your investments, savings, cash deposits, and any equity that you have in a home, car, or other similar assets. Total liabilities would include any debt, such as student loans and credit card debt.

How Much Should I Have Saved? How much you should have saved will depend on your age, your career, your lifestyle, and your life's circumstances. Fidelity, for example, recommends having saved three times your annual salary by the time you are 40 across all of your retirement accounts.

How Many People in America Are Considered "High Net-Worth"? The United States had the most HNWIs in the world in 2021, with more than 7.4 million such people.

The Bottom Line

Net worth is a good way of understanding the true wealth of an individual or business. Looking only at one's assets can be misleading since this is often offset by some amount of liabilities, such as debt. One's net worth can be increased, therefore, by increasing assets while reducing debts and other liabilities.
Gold funds provide investors with exposure to the commodity without having to deal with the hassle of taking delivery of or delivering physical gold assets, which is typically required in the commodities futures market. Gold funds may be used as a hedge against geopolitical instability or interest rate risk.

Although Vanguard does not offer a pure gold fund, it does offer a fund that invests around one-quarter of its portfolio in precious metals and mining companies, providing indirect exposure to this market: The Vanguard Global Capital Cycles Fund (VGPMX).

Fund Characteristics

VGPMX looks for opportunities arising from changing investor sentiment resulting from cycles of under- and overinvestment in capital-intensive industries. At least 25% of the fund is invested in precious metals and mining securities.

This mutual fund was established on May 23, 1984, with the sponsorship of Wellington Management, which later became a subsidiary of Vanguard. As of December 2021, the fund has generated an average annual return of 4.39% since its inception.

The fund's benchmark was the spliced index, which includes data from the S&P/Citigroup World Equity Gold Index through June 30, 2005, the S&P Global Custom Metals and Mining Index through September 25, 2018, and the S&P Global BMI Metals & Mining 25% Weighted Index thereafter. The benchmark return over the same period has been 4.28%.

The Vanguard Global Capital Cycles Fund charges a relatively low annual expense ratio of 0.35%, which is lower than the average expense ratio of mutual funds with similar holdings. It requires a minimum investment of $3,000.

Fund Strategy

According to the Fund's prospectus, Vanguard Global Capital Cycles is actively managed and invests in U.S. and foreign equity securities, where it seeks to generate above-average compounded returns by purchasing securities in companies and industries where capital spending is declining, and seeks to avoid companies, assets, and business models that can be easily replicated.

Companies, assets, and business models that cannot be easily replicated may include those with differentiated offerings, a low-cost advantage, or that maintain an advantage over competitors in their same industry. The Fund typically invests across a range of sectors, a mix of developed and emerging markets stocks, and typically holds companies across the market capitalization spectrum.

The fund also concentrates its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its net assets) in securities of issuers whose principal business activities are in the precious metals and mining industry

As of Dec. 2021, the fund holds 45 stocks and has total net assets of $1.8 billion. As of the fiscal year ending in January 2022, it has a turnover rate of 34.7%. The fund holds global stocks, and its country exposures are concentrated in North America, Europe, and emerging markets.

Risk and Modern Portfolio Theory Statistics

Since the Vanguard Global Capital Cycles Fund provides specialized exposure and may invest a substantial portion of total net assets in foreign securities, it is exposed to currency risk, country or regional risk, non-diversification risk, industry concentration risk, stock market risk, and investment style risk.

As of Jan. 2022, based on trailing 10-year data, the VGPMX has an average annual standard deviation (a proxy for risk) of 26.17% and a Sharpe ratio of -0.04. When measured against the MSCI ACWI NR USD Indexthe global standard index, it has an alpha of -12.48 and a beta of 1.00.

The fund's Sharpe ratio indicates it provided investors with an adequate average annual return on a risk-adjusted basis. Its alpha, however, indicates it underperformed the global standard index by an average of almost 12.48% annually over this same period.

Based on modern portfolio theory (MPT), the fund is only suitable for highly risk-tolerant investors. Moreover, the Vanguard Precious Metals and Mining Fund is best suited for long-term investors seeking an investment that primarily holds foreign securities in the precious metals and mining sector. The fund should be held as a satellite holding in a diversified portfolio with a long-term investment horizon.

Investopedia does not provide tax, investment, or financial services and advice. The information is presented without consideration of the investment objectives, risk tolerance, or financial circumstances of any specific investor and might not be suitable for all investors. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Investors should consider engaging a qualified financial professional to determine a suitable investment strategy.
Choosing investments can feel overwhelming. There are thousands of investment choices for you to evaluate and choose from, especially when trying to get the right asset allocation in place. Luckily there is an alternative to sorting through and using excessive numbers of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to get the right allocations.

The Vanguard Group offers funds that allow for broad exposure by investing in just a few funds. With just three to five funds, you can achieve that goal of being diversified. Additionally, many of Vanguard's funds are available as both mutual funds and ETFs so you can use your preferred investment tool and get the same results. Here are few of Vanguards funds that allow for easy allocation and diversification. (Note: All fund figures as of 11/30/2017.)

U.S. Stocks

The Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSAX) mutual fund invests in the U.S. equity market with more than 3,600 stock holdings in this one fund. This allows you to invest in large-, mid- and small-capitalization stocks in one investment. Even better is that both the mutual fund and the ETF version, Vanguard Total Stock Market (VTI), have fees that are only 0.04%. Hard to beat this diversification and expense ratio.

International Stocks

The Total International Stock Index Fund (VTIAX) covers a wide range of international stocks including emerging markets and some international small caps. With more than 6,200 stocks in its portfolio, this can be your only international holding. The expense ratio for the mutual fund is just 0.11%. Again the ETF version, Vanguard Total International Stock (VXUS), has the same fees as the mutual fund so you can select the fund that works best for you. (See also: ETFs Commonly Found in Retirement Accounts.)

If you prefer to add more emerging markets exposure than the Total International Stock Index provides, you can supplement your international exposure with the Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index (VEMAX). With a fee of only 0.14%, you can gain exposure to more than 1,000 stocks from emerging markets such as Brazil, India, and China. Again, the ETF version, Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets (VWO), has the same expense ratio as the mutual fund.

Bonds

The Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund (VBTLX) will give you exposure to almost every area of the U.S. bond market. This includes government bonds and corporate bonds of maturities varying from short to long term, with the average effective maturity of 8.4 years. The expense ratio is only 0.05% for both the mutual fund and the ETF, the Vanguard Total Bond Market (BND). (See also: Evaluating Bond Funds: Keeping It Simple.)

If you want to gain exposure to international bonds, then you can add the Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund (VTABX). This fund invests in bonds outside of the U.S. and includes government and corporate. Most of this fund is invested in developed countries' bonds. The expense ratio is 0.11% for both the mutual fund and ETF, the Vanguard Total International Bond (BNDX).

Specialty Funds

Vanguard offers many other specialty funds that you can add to your portfolio to fit your needs and investing approach. Examples include the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation Index Fund (VDADX), for those that are wanting more dividend income; the Vanguard Health Care Fund (VGHCX), for those that want more exposure to health care companies; and the Vanguard REIT Index Fund (VGSLX) for exposure to real estate investments. (See also: Index Mutual Funds vs. Index ETFs.)

The Bottom Line

By using broad-based, low-cost funds from a company like Vanguard, you can easily save for retirement without having to manage a large number of funds and still achieve the right asset allocation and diversification. (See also: Top 3 Vanguard Managed ETFs.)
WASHINGTON  In the days following the 2001 terrorist attack on America, plenty of things were done that probably should not have been. One of these was called rendition, the act of kidnapping suspected terrorists and those thought to be connected with them from foreign cities, spiriting them to a secret location and subjecting them to interrogation that often included torture.

The practice was carried out by the CIA despite the fact that it violated every tenant of this nations founding charter and was morally and legally reprehensible. In the beginning, it generally found a sympathetic audience among millions of Americans clearly in shock from the tragedy of 9/11.

Whatever it takes, became the mantra of the people and their government.

As things cooled down, however, more opposition developed here and abroad and even our allies became alarmed. So much so that the agents involved in carrying out the actual events and even those at the fringes of this policy became vulnerable to prosecution from nations where the action took place.

One of these  Italy  has gone as far as to indict and convict in absentia 26 Americans that its courts say were involved in the 2003 rendition of Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, a cleric in Milan.

None of the convicted were expected to suffer any real prison time or other consequences because they were in the United States before the trials took place and some have been pardoned. But it now seems that one CIA employee who appears to have had little or nothing to do with the kidnapping is facing the possibility of four years in an Italian jail.

Her crime, she told the Washington Post, was to have served as an interpreter a year before the kidnapping between U.S, and Italian intelligence strategists about the possibility of rendition. She said Abu Omar wasnt even mentioned. A year later when he was a victim of rendition, she was chaperoning her sons high school ski trip.

Sabrina De Sousa left the agency and moved to Portugal to be near relatives, knowing the risk. She was arrested at the Lisbon airport and is now facing the probability of extradition to Italy while so far her own government is stonewalling her pleas for intervention. Hillary Clinton, when she was Secretary of State, it seems, never answered her pleas.

Lets get one thing straight: Rendition was the policy of the highest levels of the American government, from the White House to Congress to the director of the CIA  none of whom face any responsibility for their actions. Those who actually carry out these assignments at the operational level are left holding the bag if things go wrong. Even those whose participation is less than tangential are unprotected.

Under those circumstances, it is a wonder that anyone would accept such an assignment  one that carries a disavowal by those who dreamed up the entire mess.

The De Sousa matter has become a concern for the cloak-and-dagger manipulators. Morale of undercover CIA operatives is endangered by the governments refusal so far to provide immunity and other protections for her. As I have said, what person wants to toil under those conditions? Failing to extend diplomatic cover for those you have enlisted is inexcusable. Good faith and patriotism is a two-way street.

Italy is an ally, a member of NATO. The Italian Government, which obviously had knowledge and participation through its own intelligence operations, has an obligation to advise its courts of this. But justice in a country where the Mafia is still a major factor doesnt seem to be all that important. The Washington Post was told by the prosecutor in the case that the Italian court doesnt need a smoking gun to convict.

Swell. In other words, if they just think she is guilty, complete lack of evidence makes no difference. And what about Abu Omar? He was interrogated, tortured and ultimately released.

Meanwhile, a 60-year-old American woman who apparently had nothing to do with his kidnapping is likely to be incarcerated because she wanted to be near relatives.
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) is a leading global biopharmaceutical company based in New York. The company makes money by developing and manufacturing drug treatments to promote health and prevent disease. Its single operating segment spans a range of therapeutic areas, including oncology, internal medicine, hospital, vaccines, inflammation and immunology, and rare diseases. In FY 2020, Pfizer generated $9.6 billion in net income on $41.9 billion in annual revenue. The company's market capitalization was $280.1 billion, as of market close on Aug. 20, 2021.

Pfizer's best-selling drugs in FY 2020 were: Prevnar 13/Prevenar 13, a pneumococcal disease vaccine, which generated $5.9 billion in revenue; Ibrance, used to treat certain breast cancers, which brought in $5.4 billion; and Eliquis, used to treat nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism, and which generated $4.9 billion

Several other large, global drug manufacturers present Pfizer with significant competition. They include Roche Holding AG (RHHBY), Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY), AbbVie Inc. (ABBV), Novartis AG (NVS), and Merck & Co. (MRK). We take a closer look at these five giants of the pharmaceutical industry below. They are ranked by market cap as of the close of trading on Aug. 20, 2021. Roche Holdings' revenue for specific drugs were converted from Swiss francs to U.S. dollars on Aug. 23, 2021.

Key Takeaways Pfizer is one of the leading companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.

Pfizer's top-selling drugs in FY 2020 were Prevnar 13/Prevenar 13, Ibrance, and Eliquis.

Pfizer's main competitors are Roche Holding AG, Eli Lilly and Co., AbbVie Inc., Novartis AG, and Merck & Co.

Market Cap: $344.4 billion

FY 2020 Revenue: $62.2 billion

FY 2020 Net Income: $15.3 billion

Top Drug by Revenue (FY 2020): Avastin

Revenue from Top Drug (FY 2020): $5.5 billion

Roche Holding is a global healthcare company with headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. Its business is organized into two main divisions: pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. The company develops drugs and treatments across a range of areas, including oncology, neuroscience, infectious diseases, immunology, cardiovascular and metabolism, ophthalmology, and respiratory. Roche's top-selling drug in FY 2020 was Avastin, which is used to treat advanced colorectal, breast, lung, kidney, cervical and ovarian cancer, relapsed glioblastoma, and liver cancer. Other top-selling medicines in FY 2020 include: neuroscience drug Ocrevus, which brought in $4.7 billion in revenue; and oncology drug Perjeta, which generated $4.3 billion.

Market Cap: $257.6 billion

FY 2020 Revenue: $24.5 billion

FY 2020 Net Income: $6.2 billion

Top Drug by Revenue (FY 2020): Trulicity

Revenue from Top Drug (FY 2020): $5.1 billion

Eli Lilly is a global drug manufacturing company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Its business focuses on the discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of human pharmaceutical products. Those products span different therapeutic areas, including diabetes, oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and more. Eli Lilly's top-selling drug in FY 2020 was Trulicity, which is used to treat type 2 diabetes as well as reduce the risk of significant adverse cardiovascular events. Other top-selling medicines in FY 2020 include: diabetes drug Humalog, which generated $2.6 billion in revenue; and oncology drug Alimta, which brought in $2.3 billion.

AbbVie Inc. (ABBV)

Market Cap: $211.4 billion

FY 2020 Revenue: $45.8 billion

FY 2020 Net Income: $4.6 billion

Top Drug by Revenue (FY 2020): Humira

Revenue from Top Drug (FY 2020): $19.8 billion

AbbVie is a global biopharmaceutical company based in Chicago. The company's single business segment is engaged in the research and development, manufacturing, commercialization, and sale of innovative medicines and therapies. Its products span a range of healthcare-related areas, including immunology, oncology, aesthetics, neuroscience, eye care, women's health, and more. AbbVie's top-selling drug in FY 2020 was Humira, which is a biologic therapy used to treat a number of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, adult Crohn's disease, and others. Other top-selling drugs in FY 2020 include: hermatologic oncology drug Imbruvica, which brought in $5.3 billion in revenue; and hepatitis C virus drug Mavyret, which generated $1.8 billion.

Market Cap: $210.0 billion

FY 2020 Revenue: $49.9 billion

FY 2020 Net Income: $8.1 billion

Top Drug by Revenue (FY 2020): Cosentyx

Revenue from Top Drug (FY 2020): $4.0 billion

Novartis is a global healthcare company with headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. Its business is organized into two primary divisions: innovative medicines, which develops patent-protected, prescription medications; and Sandoz, which develops generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars. The company's focus areas include oncology, immunology, hepatology, dermatology, ophthalmology, neuroscience, cardiovascular, renal, metabolism, and respiratory. Novartis' top-selling drug in FY 2020 was Cosentyx, which is an injectable, fully-human, monoclonal antibody used to treat several immunological diseases. Other top-selling drugs in FY 2020 include: neuroscience drug Gilenya, which generated revenue of $3.0 billion; and cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism drug Entresto, which brought in $2.5 billion in revenue.

Market Cap: $198.7 billion

FY 2020 Revenue: $48.0 billion

FY 2020 Net Income: $7.1 billion

Top Drug by Revenue (FY 2020): Keytruda

Revenue from Top Drug (FY 2020): $14.4 billion

Merck is a global healthcare company based in Kenilworth, New Jersey. The company offers prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and animal health products. Its two operating segments are pharmaceutical and animal health. It offers a variety of treatments across a wide range of areas, including oncology, vaccines, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, diabetes, women's health, livestock products, and companion animal products. Merck's top-selling drug in FY 2020 was Keytruda, which is used to treat patients with a range of different types of cancer, such as cervical cancer, classical Hodgkin Lymphoma, certain lung cancers, and numerous others. Other top-selling drugs in FY 2020 include: diabetes drugs Januvia/Janumet, which brought in $5.3 billion of revenue; and Human Papillomavirus vaccines Gardasil/Gardasil 9, which generated $3.9 billion in revenue.


Under certain infrequent circumstances, a stock will trade for less than the amount of net cash per share on the company's balance sheet. Net cash per share is defined as cash and equivalents minus total debt, divided by the total number of shares outstanding of the company.

While such a stock may appear to be an irresistible bargain, a considerable amount of analysis is needed to determine whether it is a good deal or too good to be true.

Net Cash Per Share

As an example, consider a hypothetical company called Bargain Basement Co.BBC, for shortwith stock that is trading at $10, with 10 million shares outstanding. Assume that this company's latest balance sheet shows a cash holding of $150 million, with total debt of $25 million. Therefore, the net cash balance (cash minus debt) amounts to $125 million, and net cash per share is $12.50.

Why is the net cash figure used, rather than just the cash amount on the balance sheet?

Because the object of the exercise is to evaluate the net cash amount that would theoretically be received by equity shareholders in the event of the company's liquidation. Therefore, any debt outstanding has to be subtracted to arrive at the net cash figure.

Note that the net cash per share metric does not consider the value of other assets, such as inventories. It only provides part of the picture as far as a company's value is concerned, whereas a measure, such as tangible book value (book value minus intangible assets, like goodwill) may provide a more complete picture.

Enterprise Value

Here's another way of looking at this metric. A company with stock that is trading below its per-share cash value will have a market capitalization that is less than the net cash amount on its balance sheet. In the previous example, BBC has a market capitalization of $100 million, as compared with its net cash balance of $125 million.

In other words, the enterprise value of BBC is -$25 million. Enterprise value is the value of the whole business; in its simplest form, it is defined as market value of equity plus debt minus cash and equivalents. In BBC's case, this works out to $100 million (equity) plus $25 million (debt) minus $150 million (cash).

The value of a company lies in its ability to generate positive cash flows for years or decades into the future. But how can a company have a negative enterprise value, or be valued at less than its cash holding?

When Does a Stock Trade Below Cash Value?

As is to be expected, stocks rarely trade below cash value. However, under certain circumstances, such as those listed below, they may do so:

In bullish markets, since investors are willing to pay higher valuations for stocks, they seldom trade below cash value. However, during a protracted bear marketwhen uncertainty reigns and valuations collapseit is not unusual to find a significant number of stocks trading below cash value. For example, in October 2008, as global financial markets were caught up in an unprecedented sell-off, 876 stocks were reportedly trading below the value of their per-share cash holdings.

Stocks trading below net cash may be clustered in a specific industry or sector if investors are extremely bearish regarding the prospects of that sector. For example, following the "tech wreck" of 2000 to 2002, a number of technology stocks were trading below the value of their net cash holdings.

A stock may also trade below cash value if the company operates in a sector such as biotechnology, where a high "burn rate" (the rate at which cash gets used up for operations) is the norm and the payoff is uncertain. In such cases, this may signal that the market views the company's cash balance as only being sufficient for a few more quarters of operations.

Stocks may also trade below cash value when there is a great deal of uncertainty about the valuation of assets and liabilities on the balance sheet. During the ferocious bear market of 2008, a number of banks and financial institutions traded below cash value for this reason.

Sign of Value or Impending Failure?

The fact that a stock is trading below its cash value may be an indication that investors think the company is worth less as a going concern than it would be if it were wound up or liquidated (and the proceeds distributed to investors). This generally indicates an extremely pessimistic view of a company's prospects that eventually may or may not prove to be justified.

A stock trading below cash value may be a true value stock in situations where the pessimism surrounding its prospects is not justified. This could occur when a company is in the early stages of a turnaround and its business outlook is improving, or when a company is developing a drug or technology in which the chances of success are viewed with undue skepticism by investors.

A stock trading below cash value may signal impending failure in cases where the company may be unable to raise additional capital before its cash runs out or there are significant liabilities that may not be apparent on the balance sheet (e.g. a pending lawsuit or environmental issues).

In most cases, as noted earlier, a stock that is trading below net cash per share is not necessarily a bargain and it is necessary to look behind the numbers to identify the reason for the anomaly.

When to Invest

Broadly speaking, it may be best to invest in stocks trading below net cash value when market sentiment is positive and equities are in a firm uptrend. As such, the best time to do so is at the start of a new, sustainable bull leg before such stocks attract broad market attention. In 2003, for example, investors were able to reap substantial gains on select technology stocks that had traded below cash value for months beforehand.

Note that the majority of stocks trading below cash value are likely to be small-capitalization stocks that have been ignored by investors and the media. There is generally too much investor and media interest in larger stocks for them to trade below cash value for long. Small-cap stocks have their own unique risks, and investors looking to invest in them must ensure that they are familiar with these risks and can tolerate them.

A stock with sound fundamentals will seldom trade below cash value for long. Once market sentiment improves, investors usually catch on and stampede into it, thereby driving up the stock price. Otherwise, it is likely to be acquired by a rival company.

The Bottom Line

The initial impression of a stock that is trading at less than net cash per share may be that it is a bargain. However, it is recommended that an investor contemplating an investment in such a stock do a significant amount of analysis and look behind the numbers to ascertain whether it is a genuine bargain or a "value trap."
Four U.S. lawmakers proposed a bill on Thursday that would block Norwegian Airs plans to introduce a new route between Cork and Boston, unless the carrier complies with basic, fair U.S. or European Union labor standards.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Transport (DOT) gave tentative approval to the airlines application for a foreign carrier permit, allowing it to begin offering international service to the United States.

The low-cost airline had intended to start flights in August.

The four Congressmen who introduced the bill opposing the plan have called the departments decision short-sighted, reports NewsTalk.

Democrats Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen, and Republicans Frank LoBiondo and Lynn Westmoreland are behind the bipartisan bill.

A statement released on the bill says: NAI established itself in Ireland, where labor laws permit the airline to hire its pilots and flight attendants on individual employment contracts under non-European law in order to cut costs.

NAIs overt practice of labor forum-shopping violates our Open Skies agreement with Norway and the European Union and gives it an unfair competitive advantage in the transatlantic market.

Consumers may purchase tickets on Norwegian.com and they may board planes marked Norwegian in big bold letters, but this airline is Norwegian in name only. The DOT record shows that Norwegian Air International is headquartered in Ireland and employs contract crews based in Thailand to circumvent Norways fair and strong labor standards. Its a virtual airline set up to undercut competition by exploiting cheap labor. Our bipartisan legislation sends a strong message to DOTwe must stop this race to the bottom, and protect the open and fair transatlantic aviation market, said DeFazio.

However, the airline has repeatedly stated that it will hire US and European pilots and crew for its transatlantic flights.

Norwegian Air issued a statement opposing the legislation that it called a "last ditch attempt to derail the approval."

"NAI's application is supported by scores of U.S. airports, communities, travelers, travel, tourism and business interests," the airline said in a statement.

The statement addressed its Irish operations, saying: Opponents claim that Ireland is simply a flag of convenience. In reality, NAI is headquartered in Dublin with 80 employees, 37 aircraft registered in Ireland, and already operates flights to and from Ireland, with many more routes planned.

The transportation department is asking for additional comment through May 13, before it finalizes its approval, USA Today reports.

The DOT has ruled that, as part of its tentative approval, the airline is financially and operationally fit to fly, and that Irish safety oversight meets the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Michael Mallin was born in Dublins rebel Liberties in 1874. At an uncles urging, he joined the British army at the age of 14 and spent six years in India.

During his time there he wrote home saying: We aught [sic] to leave the poor people aloneif I were not a soldier I would be out fighting for them. It was at this time that he became a nationalist, a socialist and a trade unionist.

Read more WATCH: Historic newsreel shows 1916 Easter Rising aftermath in Dublin

Because of his 14 years in the British army, Mallin was instrumental in drilling the Irish Citizen Army (ICA) where he was second-in-command to James Connolly. His objective on Easter Monday was to seize St. Stephens Green and the College of Surgeons. Unfortunately, he could only muster 36 men for this venture.

We will be fighting in a short time, he said, and we will have to fight alone. He went on to add that it will be short and sharp. We will all be dead in a short time.

His lack of manpower may have been the reason that Mallin made a crucial error when he failed to seize the most prominent building on the Green, the Shelbourne Hotel. Not only did it have plenty of provisions, but it also had a commanding view down into the Green. The British did seize the Shelbourne and began machine-gunning the Green forcing the ICA to retreat to the College of Surgeons.

Mallins official second-in-command at the Green was Christopher Poole, but legend has always declared it was the fiery and remarkable Countess Markievicz. She was a true believer in what Connolly was preaching. She was instrumental in setting up barricades and is said to have shot a sniper (and perhaps even a Dublin Metropolitan Policeman). Whatever her position, it can be stated with certainty that with her ebullient personality she made her presence in the College of Surgeons felt.

Read more Six interesting facts about Easter Rising 1916 leaders

Towards the end of the siege, she went looking for a bayonet. Mallin dryly said to her: You are very blood-thirsty. His military relationship with the Countess would later come into play when he was court-martialed.

With Pearses surrender orderconfirmed by ConnollyMallin gave up his garrison at the College of Surgeons. His men were marched down Grafton Street and had to be protected by their British captives from the vitriol of the local Dubliners.

At Richmond Barracks, he was court-martialed and faced what many of the married rebel leaders facedthe quandary between their love of Ireland and love of family. Mallinwith a pregnant wife and four childrentried to downplay his role in the rebellion and put the onus on Countess Markievicz who he incorrectly described as his superior.

Mallin at his court-martial declared: I am a silk weaver by trade and have been employed by the Transport Union as band instructor. During my instruction of these bands, they became part of the Citizen Army and from this, I was asked to become a drill instructor. I had no commission whatever in the Citizen Army. I was never taken into the confidence of James Connolly. I was under the impression we were going out for maneuvers on Sunday but something altered the arrangements and the maneuvers were postponed till Monday. I had verbal instructions from James Connolly to take 36 men to St. Stephens Green and to report to the Volunteer officer there.

"Shortly after my arrival at St. Stephens Green the firing started and the Countess of Markievicz ordered me to take command of the men as I had been so long associated with them. I felt I could not leave them and from that time I joined the rebellion. I made it my business to save all officers and civilians who were brought in to Stephens Green. I gave explicit orders to the men to make no offensive movements and I prevented them attacking the Shelbourne Hotel.

Read more 1916 Easter Rising made the front page of the New York Times 14 days in a row

At Richmond Barracks, he confessed to fellow prisoners to putting the responsibility on Markieviczs shoulders because I question if they will shoot Lizzie [Markieviczs nickname]. It was probably the least chivalrous moment of the entire Rising.

His comments did not fool the British. In a memo to Prime Minister Asquith, General Maxwell said: This man was second in command of the Larkinite or Citizen Army with which organization he had been connected since its inception. His sentence was death.

With his sentence in hand, Mallin seemed to embrace what he had done. He wrote to his wife: I do not believe that our blood has been shed in vain. I believe Ireland will come out greater and grander but she must not forget she is Catholic, she must keep the faithI must now Prepare these last few hours must be spent with God alone. Your loving husband Michael Mallin, Commandant, Stephens Green Command.

To his parents, he wrote: I tried with others to make Ireland a free nation and failed. Others failed before and paid the price and so must we.

Before his execution, he was described by his priest as being serene, though very much affected. He was shot on May 8 between 3:45 and 4:05 a.m.

Read more 50 facts about the Easter Rising

But the story of Michael Mallin does not end there. It stayed very much with us through the life of his son, Father Joseph Mallin who still walked the earth until Easter 2018, when he died aged 104.

From his cell at Kilmainham, Mallin wrote to his children: Una my little one be a Nun. Joseph my little man be a Priest if you can James & John to you the care of your mother make yourselves good strong men for her sake and remember Ireland. Both Una and Joseph followed their fathers dying wish.

My father, I think, said Father Mallin, was rather quiet but very thoughtful about the political things and the state Ireland was in. He was determined to do something about it for the good of the peoplethe good of the country.

"He would follow what he thought was right and just, no matter what the consequences were.

Father Mallin also had sympathy for the conundrum his father found himself in at the time of his surrender: Of course it wasnt true [about Markievicz being in charge]. A family of four, one coming, were destitutewhere does his duty lie? What answer do you give?

Father Mallin was awarded the Freedom of the City of Dublin in 2016. The Lord Mayor of Dublin at the time, Criona Ni Dhalaig, said that Father Mallin was not only receiving tribute for being the only surviving child of one of the 1916 martyrs but also for his nearly 70 years of devoted work for the people of Hong Kong and Macau.

~~~~~~~~~~

*Dermot McEvoy is the author of "The 13th Apostle: A Novel of a Dublin Family, Michael Collins, and the Irish Uprising and Irish Miscellany" (Skyhorse Publishing). He may be reached at dermotmcevoy50@gmail.com. You can follow him on his website or Facebook.

*Originally published in 2016.

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University College Cork has launched a new crowdsourcing project aimed at creating the largest online collection about the Vikings.

According to a press release about the venture, called the World-Tree Project, it will be a world-first attempt to crowdsource material on the Vikings from across the globe.

The UCC School of English-based project, which is funded by the Irish Research Council, is asking for the publics help in developing an interactive digital archive for the teaching and study of Norse and Viking cultures. People are invited to submit everything from a translation of Norse poetry to a film of a Viking re-enactment or an original artwork.

Dr Tom Birkett, the Principal Investigator on the World-Tree Project, said that the Vikings have never been so popular, thanks to glossy TV dramas, blockbuster exhibitions and recent high-profile finds, and the World-Tree Project aims to capitalize on this enthusiasm.

The time is certainly ripe for such a collection: interest in Ireland is at an all-time high in the wake of the Battle of Clontarf centenary, and theres a need for a resource that fulfills an appetite for more information about the Vikings.

According to researcher Dr Roderick Dale, everyone knows that the Vikings travelled huge distances, colonizing Greenland, exploring North America and leaving a legacy across Europe. What were hoping is that the public will help us to gather together this wealth of material by taking photos in their local area and submitting items to the project.

The World-Tree Project is also interested in modern interpretations of the Vikings.

If we hope to learn anything about how people perceive and use the Viking past, we need to understand how the Vikings are being used in tourism and popular culture. In this sense, a Viking brand or a souvenir is as interesting to us as the legacy they left in the form of literature, language and material culture, Dr Dale added.

The press release states that as the collection grows, it will be curated by researchers at UCC and developed into a series of exhibitions accessible to everyone.

For more information on the World-Tree Project and to contribute items, visit www.worldtreeproject.org.
A drug dealer caught after he left his photo identification in a discarded jacket stuffed with heroin and crack cocaine has been jailed, UK police said.

Mohammed Mahmood, 30, was found guilty of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs worth around 6,000.

Police officers found the jacket, which had been thrown from a balcony, after being called to reports of a disturbance at the Hastings House block of flats in Woolwich on November 11 last year.

Inside they found 100 wraps of crack cocaine and 197 wraps of heroin as well as Mahmood's ID.

He was arrested nearby and detectives later discovered CCTV footage showing him wearing the jacket moments before it was found.

Mahmood, of Robert Street, Woolwich, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, the Metropolitan Police said.

Pc Martin Langley, from Greenwich borough, who oversaw the investigation, said: "I am extremely pleased that the jury has convicted him after being presented with what was overwhelming evidence.

"In Mahmood's eagerness to rid himself of a significant amount of Class A drugs, he forgot to remove his photographic ID from the jacket, which easily led to his arrest.

"The Greenwich Gangs Unit is committed to tackling the supply of drugs on the borough, and this sentence should act as a deterrent to those who choose to live this lifestyle with complete disregard for the impact their crimes have on the local community."
Kenya's president has set fire to 105 tons of elephant ivory and more than one ton of rhino horn in a dramatic statement against the trade in ivory and products from endangered species.

Uhuru Kenyatta put a flame to the biggest of 11 pyres of ivory tusks and one of rhino horn. It is believed to be the largest stockpile ever destroyed,

Overnight torrential rains had threatened to ruin the event and created a mudfield on the ground around the piles inside the Nairobi National Park.

Mr Kenyatta said Kenya will push for the total ban on trade in ivory at the 17th meeting of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species to be held in South Africa later this year.

"A time has come when we must take a stand and the stand is clear ... Kenya is making a statement that for us ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants," he said.

The stacks of tusks represent more than 8,000 elephants and some 343 rhinos slaughtered for their ivory and horns, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Kenya decided to destroy the ivory instead of selling it for an estimated $150m (130m).

Some critics had suggested that the money raised from the ivory sales could be used to develop Kenya and protect wildlife. But Mr Kenyatta said that Kenya wants to make the point that ivory should not have any commercial value.

Others said the burning will not end the killing of elephants because international gangs take advantage of Kenya's porous borders and corruption to continue the illegal trade.

Wildlife authorities say illegal ivory smuggling in Africa increased after the 2007 temporary lifting of an international ban on the ivory trade. The CITES group allowed a one-off sale by African countries that had stockpiles of ivory from elephants that had died naturally or problem elephants killed by wildlife officials.

Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe were granted a one-time exemption from a global ivory ban because of their thriving elephant herds.

But Kenya maintains that such sales, even though it is of approved ivory, fuel the ivory trade.
The pilot and passenger on board a light aircraft which crashed in North Yorkshire have died, police have said.

The aircraft crashed in fields in the Ryedale area between Castle Howard and the A64 at around 10.40am today.

North Yorkshire Police tweeted: "We can now confirm that, sadly, two men, the pilot and passenger in the aircraft that crashed near Castle Howard, died in the crash."

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch have been informed.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "Roads in the area have been closed to allow emergency services to deal with the incident and members of the public are advised to keep away from the area."

Up to 20 firefighters attended the scene and set up a foam blanket around the aircraft in case it caught fire, a North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said.

The spokesman added: "We have sent three appliances and one incident support unit with its own appliance.

"They are assisting police and have set up the external foam equipment around the perimeter."

An air ambulance and a land ambulance were also sent to the crash site, a Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokeswoman said.
Sorrell has headed the advertising giant for three decades.

The worlds largest ad company is identifying internal and external chief executive officer candidates, the chairman, Roberto Quarta, said in the annual report on Friday.

Mr Sorrell, Britains highest-paid chief executive, is receiving compensation valued at 70.4m (90.5m) for 2015, according to the report.

Most of the sum comes from a controversial incentive plan, which has triggered protests from shareholders and public interest groups.

While Mr Sorrell, 71, hasnt announced any plans to step down, it will be a challenge to find a leader who can bring similar visibility to WPP, as it seeks to outpace rivals, Publicis Groupe, Omnicom Group, and Havas.

Mr Sorrell is known for more than his marketing know-how, weekly appearing on television, and attending events such as the World Economic Forum, to comment on everything from economics to politics and fashion.

He popularised terms such as bathtub-shaped to describe economic recoveries, and gray swans to foreshadow trouble.

He has a legacy almost on the level of Steve Jobs, with what hes done to the world of advertising, with Publicis and Havas having always followed, said Cyrus Mewawalla, a media analyst at CM Research, in London.

Sorrell has brought traditional advertising into the digital age, he said.

Mr Sorrell bought wire-shopping-basket-maker, Wire & Plastic Products, in 1985, and used it as a shell to build an advertising conglomerate, which today operates in 100 countries and boasts a valuation of 21bn.

Although hes led the company from the start, he has faced calls, from investors, in recent years, to outline succession plans.

Shareowners should have no doubt that we already have a strong pool of internal and external candidates to draw from, Mr Quarta said in the annual report.

I, and the other independent members of the board, will continue to focus on this in 2016, and beyond, he said.

Under Mr Sorrells leadership, WPP acquired ad agencies, Ogilvy & Mather, Grey, and Young & Rubicam, and his companies have crafted campaigns such as the Dove Real Beauty commercials.

Mr Mewawalla said WPPs goal should be a successful succession, like the one undertaken at Microsoft, where Satya Nadella took over from Steve Ballmer, in 2014.

Nadella is in charge and everyone knows that and hes gotten no overhang from Ballmer, or former CEO Bill Gates, Mr Mewawalla said.
LAKE HALLIE  The afternoon of Friday, April 8, found Lake Hallie police officer Adam Meyers having to make the most difficult decision a law enforcement officer has to make.

Officer Meyers had to decide whether he was going to shoot and possibly kill a person. There is no way to sugarcoat it.

Melissa M. Abbott, 25, formerly of Black River Falls and a resident of the Northern Center of Wisconsin, had obtained a hatchet and was posing a threat to the health, safety and welfare of the customers of the Walmart store and its employees. Officer Meyers was unable to resolve the matter in any other way.

I have known Adam Meyers since he came to work for the Lake Hallie Police Department. Adam is a kind and gentle person. He holds to his religious beliefs and has a warm and giving personality. I have lost track of how many calls we have worked on together, but if I was in a pinch I know I could rely on Adam.

In an age of Blue Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter and every civil rights issue I thought we had finally overcome, our bigotry reveals itself to be a figment of our imaginations. One of the reasons I trust Adam is because I know him. In Chippewa County we are fortunate to be able to know our law enforcement officers.

This is not the case in many, many communities around the nation. Our law enforcement officers are unknown to the general public because in many cases the communities are simply too large. Unless an officer lives next door or down the block from you, then you have no investment in a cop as a person.

In the case of the Lake Hallie Walmart incident, the needs of an individual, Ms. Abbott, were being balanced by the needs of the community. I know it is with deep regret that Ms. Abbott was killed. But for those who believe that Ms. Abbott should have been locked up and never taken on an outing, you are simply wrong.

As much as we struggle with the culture of guns in America, we struggle more with mental illness. Far too many people simply wish that people with mental illness should snap out of it. Each day new discoveries are being made that indicate that more and more mental illness may be genetic, or a chemical imbalance within the brain itself. In fact you may be no more able to snap out of it than being able to stop your kidneys from working.

We have in our midst every single day people who are struggling with depression, addiction, bipolar disorder, anxiety and panic attacks.

In Wisconsin we have the largest binge drinking problem in the nation. Is it a matter of willpower, social upbringing or acceptance that limits Wisconsin in its efforts to deal with drinking and alcoholism? I dont know.

Chief Cal Smokowicz of the Lake Hallie Police Department wrote in his press release the police department sends its condolences to everyone involved, including the family and friends of the victim and the numerous shoppers in the store. Our department strives to resolve issues in the least intrusive means possible, however every situation is unique and complex. Given the close proximity of other citizens and dangerous and threatening behavior of the subject, the officer believed he had no other choice than to use deadly force.

I believe those words to be true.

A recent newspaper article and an editorial dealt with police interaction with those people who are developmentally disabled. The editorial went to great lengths to state that it was in no way a criticism or a condemnation of Officer Meyers. It pointed out that once again training is the key to many situations.

I also agree with that statement. However, both the article and the editorial were short on the methods to deal with someone who is wielding a lethal weapon in a confined space with customers and employees all around. In that regard, you have to trust the judgement of the officer.

I trust Officer Adam Meyers. I wish him all the best in dealing with the aftermath of a very difficult decision.
The Edinburgh-based bank, which was rescued with a 46bn (59bn) UK state bailout during the financial crisis, has still not made an annual profit since 2007.

RBS is still 73% owned by the British government.

The plans of RBS on its dividend and the sale of its shares by the UK is closely watched here. Bank of Ireland  which is 14% owned by the Irish government  signalled earlier this week that it was hopeful of resuming paying dividends early next year.

Meanwhile, the sale of a 25% stake in fully-owned AIB may likely be delayed to next year, at the earliest.

In the latest quarter, RBS reported a net loss of 968m, up from 459m in the same period last year. Income dropped 13% to 3.06bn.

The shares slumped as much as 4%. RBS said Ulster Bank in the Republic had an operating profit of 78m in the quarter, down 6% from a year earlier, because of fewer write-backs.

Ulsters income grew 11% to 205m and new lending indicators remain positive, with new mortgage lending increasing, it said.

RBSs overall results were also hit by a 1.2bn payment to end the British governments prior claim on any dividends, a 238m restructuring bill and a 226m impairment charge in its shipping loan portfolio.

That bill includes the mounting costs of separating its Williams & Glyn business.

Analysts are sceptical of the banks ability to deliver on its promise to divest the business by the 2017 deadline. With the excess capital now being tied to ... the W&G surgery where we have no option but to trust managements view on complications, we have decided to get out, analysts at Bernstein said in a note to clients.

RBS did not record any major provisions for repaying customers mis-sold payment protection insurance but it warned that it expected to shell out more than 1bn in restructuring charges this year.

This would come on top of hefty penalties from the US authorities for mis-selling mortgage securities.

* Reuters and Irish Examiner staff
The company has contradicted the minister responsible for its implementation by claiming it remains unclear as to how long rural home and business owners will have to wait for high-speed broadband.

The Irish telecom said the exact delay in the provision of high-speed broadband to rural areas under the National Broadband Plan needs to be clarified.

Earlier this week, the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources confirmed that it would not be in a position to award a contract for the plan this year  leaving 750,000 home and businesses guessing as to how long the delay would be.

Minister Alex White yesterday claimed the delay would see the process set back just a matter of months.

There has been no delay, or no substantial delay, in this project. The delay that were looking at can be measured in months; maybe six months, he said.

Mr White said the department had allowed interested parties a months leeway to make their submissions which he claimed was the reason behind what is now expected to be a six-month delay in awarding the contract.

This has just emerged in the last few weeks because we have five different consortia have that have said theyre interested in providing this rural broadband. They were supposed to come to us by the end of February [but] they asked for an extension to the end of March.

So, the submissions came in at the end of March. Were looking at them, were assessing them and were of the view that we wont be able to award a contract by the end of 2016 after all because of the complexities involved.

We should though be able to award a contract by the middle of 2017 which is around about May or June of next year, Mr White told RTE Radio 1.

The short delay would ensure the plan didnt run into longer delays due to infringements of State aid rules which prevent the Government from providing broadband in an area where a private operator also plans to do so, he added.

Once the contract is awarded in 2017 the stated three- to five-year implementation timeframe remains unchanged and crystal clear, according to the minister.

Eir chief executive Richard Moat yesterday contradicted the minister however, by claiming the exact delay to providing rural broadband remains to be determined.

Its a bit unclear. Certainly it seems that the contract wont be awarded until into 2017 now.

Whether there is then a delay in the period during which the roll-out is to be anticipated I think still remains to be clarified, Mr Moat said.

Mr Whites suggestion that the successful bidder may be able to implement the plan quicker than the anticipated three-to-five years suits our agenda, an Eir spokesperson added.

Mr Moat said the company had no plans at present to expand its own provision of rural broadband to more than 300,000 customers despite the newly announced broadband plan delay.

Meanwhile, Eir issued third-quarter results showing year-on-year revenue growth to 321m and 4% earnings before tax, interest, depreciation, and amortisation growth to 125m, excluding storm costs.
The settlement brings to over 7m the sum for Mary Malee, a 16-year-old transition-year student, who said in a statement afterwards: Cerebral palsy wont kill me but I have to learn to live with it. Its for life. This shouldnt have happened to me and others like me.

Justice has been done and Im bringing closure to this, we can move on with our lives.

The President of the High Court, Mr Justice Peter Kelly, said he had no doubt Ms Malee would achieve her ambition of becoming an advocate for people with disabilities, describing the girl and her family as heroic.

Ms Malee read a statement to the judge in which she said that while she aware this was a final settlement, and I dont know what the future holds for me, the stress of ongoing engagement with the HSE and the courts is not what I want.

There is an undeniable reality to the circumstances put upon me because of the HSE and their doctors, she added.

Ms Malee, of Shanaghy, Bohola, Swinford, Co Mayo, through her mother Maura, sued the HSE over alleged negligence in the circumstances of her birth at Mayo General Hospital, Castlebar, on October 11, 1999.

In an apology read in court, Mayo General Hospital expressed deep regret to Ms Malee and her family for the circumstances surrounding your birth.

It acknowledged the many challenges that you have faced as a result of the treatment provided to your mother Maura at the time of your birth, adding that it did not underestimate how difficult this has been for you and your family.

Ms Malee secured a 1.5m interim payment in 2014 in a settlement without admission of liability.

Having heard from Bruce Antoniotti, for Ms Malee and her mother, Mr Justice Kelly approved the final 5.56m settlement as a very good result.

The judge said he has long advocated using mediation in such cases without need for a full trial and said it was regrettable that legislation allowing for phased payments is not yet a reality despite years of waiting and years of promises.

Previously, the court heard Mrs Malee had, during her pregnancy, attended as a private patient with the consultant gynaecologist who had delivered her other three children. On October 8, 1999, he advised her she had raised blood pressure, to go to hospital the next day, and be prepared for induction of labour.

The gynaecologist, since deceased, told her he could no longer attend her as he had just been diagnosed with cancer, was about to begin treatment, and her care would be transferred to another consultant, it was claimed, Mrs Malee was admitted to the Mayo hospital on October 9 with symptoms of pre-eclampsia. On October 11, she was transferred to the labour ward and a fourth CTG shortly after 6am showed decelerations. When the consultant to whom her care was allegedly transferred was contacted at 6.07am, he called back at 6.25am saying he was in Letterkenny, it was claimed.

Another consultant was contacted who assisted in the delivery. It was complicated and the baby was not born until 7.20am, in poor condition. A caesarean section should have been carried out earlier, it was claimed.
Samples from hundreds of babies born at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow are being studied for molecules which stay inside unborn children when their mothers drink.

Results from an initial pilot study suggest around 40% of mothers consume some alcohol while pregnant, with about 15% drinking more than one or two small glasses of wine a week.

Drinking in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to the baby, and the more alcohol consumed, the greater the risk, the Scottish government warns.

Previous research found that even moderate drinking during the earliest months of pregnancy may be damaging.

Funded by Glasgow Childrens Hospital Charity, the latest study is to take 750 samples of meconium  the first faeces of a newborn  to look for high levels of alcohol by-products. Mothers will also be asked to complete a lifestyle questionnaire.

The occasional drink will not be highlighted by the study, researchers said.

It is hoped the work will lead to targeted messages and interventions and reduce the effects of foetal alcohol syndrome, a condition where children suffer developmental problems because their mothers drank during pregnancy.

Consultant neonatologist Dr Helen Mactier, who is leading the research, said: Alcohol consumption in pregnancy is almost certainly contributing to a lot of learning disability in Scotland and learning disability is associated with poor school performance and criminality in the long term.

Dr Mactier said mothers from all walks of life are involved in the study.

She added: There is an assumption that all problem drinking in pregnancy is associated with poverty and there is no evidence to confirm that.

It is much easier to conceal problem drinking if you are affluent and if you are clever.

She added: I think were very well aware that women commonly under-report alcohol consumption in pregnancy. They are scared of repercussions and of being stigmatised and alcohol consumption is normalised in the west of Scotland particularly.

What one person considers a small drink could be considered a larger drink by someone else. I would concur with the chief scientists message that women should not be drinking at all in pregnancy.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service said pregnant women need support, not surveillance.

A spokeswoman added: This appears to be a worrying development in what is now the increasing policing of pregnancy.

It is known that consuming large quantities of alcohol throughout pregnancy can result in lifelong learning disabilities, but little evidence of this at lower levels.

It is unclear how the information gathered in this study will be used, and whether this will set a precedent for more widespread testing of babies  in order to test their mothers claims of how much drank while pregnant.
CEO and founder of the Jack and Jill Foundation, Jonathan Irwin, said real problems were raised at the 10-day oral hearing at the end of last year.

Anyone who was involved in the hearing has eight weeks to seek a judicial review of An Bord Pleanalas decision to grant planning permission.

Mr Irwin said a number of people were considering applying for a judicial review. While the issue is not being led by us, I am aware that people are thinking about it very seriously, he said.

The planning authority received over 100 project observations, and most were critical of the development.

Parents outside of Dublin are very angry. They see this as a real slap in the face for rural Ireland, said Mr Irwin.

The Jack and Jill Foundation wanted the hospital to be built beside Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown on the outskirts of Dublin.

We have no vested interest in Connolly, except to say that it would be better for children, said Mr Irwin.

The childrens charity which supports chldren with brain damage who suffer severe intellectual and physical trauma had a profession team that led its campaign during the oral hearing.

I am aware that it is possible to apply for a judicial review of the decision. I am going to meet with our professional team next week and will be guided by them, he said.
The staff, members of the Teachers Union of Ireland, object to the proposed appointment because they say the qualifications sought in the advert for the position do not meet standards set by a nationwide agreement.

They have further concerns that the duties advertised go outside those defined by this agreement, and they say CIT has ignored standard procedures by pressing ahead with the appointment process despite the unions opposition.
Irish Aid, the overseas aid arm of the Department of Foreign Affairs, said it was a cause for serious concern that USAID had suspended the programme through which emergency food supplies for Syria are procured.

We have this morning demanded as a matter of urgency, a detailed report from Goal on the overall situation and on any implications for Irish Aid funding, said a department spokesperson.

Irish Aid provided 17.2m in grant funding to Goal in 2014, for humanitarian programmes in several countries, including Syria.

Meanwhile USAID, the lead US government aid agency, issued a statement saying its inspector general had raised concerns about potential mismanagement of some aspects of humanitarian aid programmes for Syria by an implementer based in Turkey.

The implementer is understood to be Goal. USAID allocated more than 44m to Goal in 2014, the charitys biggest single source of income in 2014.

USAID said an investigation was underway into the programmes identified by the Office of the Inspector General.

However, on RTE radio yesterday, Goal CEO Barry Andrews said Goal was not under investigation.

He said there was a wider investigation involving a number of parties and as with any of these things we are limited in what we can say about it.

He said they were working on an hourly basis with USAID to have suspension of our procurement lifted.

I think all parties recognise that the humanitarian crisis thats going on there [in Syria] requires every bit of energy we have to try and make sure that we continue to supply [emergency food supplies and non-food items], Mr Andrews said.

He said they hoped to have the suspension lifted in the very near term and, in the meantime, they had been making strides with other agencies to have its procurement carried out in a different way. He said Goal had engaged accountants BDO to do an internal investigation to find out whatever shortcomings or vulnerabilities we have in our procurement process.

The USAID investigation, Mr Andrews said, was into supply chain irregularities, involving multiple parties, of which Goal was one. He said Goal had suspended its procurement programmes about eight days ago, before USAID indicated it should do so, but he conceded it was the US agency that brought the issue to its attention about a month ago.

However, he said other Goal programmes were continuing in Syria.
The countrys biggest energy supplier announced yesterday it will cut the rate by 6% from June 1.

This reduction will benefit Electric Irelands residential electricity customers with a saving of 57.75 (including Vat) or 5.2% per year on an average customer bill, it said.

In November 2014, the company cut residential bills by 2%, which equated to a drop of 25.27 in the average annual bill. A year later, a further 2% cut meant bills fell by 24.11.

Jim Dollard, an executive director, said: We are committed to continually offering the best-value products to our customers in a very competitive energy market place.

The announcement is good news for Electric Irelands 1.2m residential electricity customers  it means the average annual residential bill for our customers will have reduced by more than 100 over the last 19 months.

David Kerr of the price-comparison website bonkers.ie said it would be interesting to see if other suppliers follow Electric Irelands suit and cut their prices too.

I would encourage energy customers to take advantage of the huge savings that are also available to them through discounts and new customer offers, he said.

Right now an average customer can save 214 by switching to the cheapest electricity deal and dual fuel customers can save 376.

Eoin Clarke of switcher.ie said: Only 15% of Irish consumers switched energy supplier last year. This means a huge proportion of customers are missing out on potential savings.
Mark Cassidy, aged 31, from Burnfoot, was led away in handcuffs at Letterkenny Circuit Court after he admitted possessing two bombs which exploded beside a familys 4x4 in 2013.

Judge John OHagan said Cassidy had used his expertise as a soldier in the Defence Forces to play a role in the attack on the Coyle family home in Manorview Park, Letterkenny, on November 22, 2013.

Cassidy had pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing explosives.

He admitted driving the car to the scene of the crime but claimed he had been put under duress by others to do so. He is already serving a sentence for possessing a bomb at his Burnfoot home.

It was the distinctive silver, two-door Mercedes car driven by Cassidy and captured on CCTV which first alerted gardai to his possible involvement.

Judge OHagan said Cassidy was discharged from the Defence Forces when he was sentenced for the earlier offence in February 2014.

He said it was clear Cassidy had served with distinction overseas but has used his profession as a soldier to be involved in the bomb attack on the Coyle family 4x4.

He said this was an aggravating factor and puts the case on the higher level of seriousness in such cases.

The judge dismissed suggestions Cassidy was acting under duress. There is no evidence of that whatsoever. He knew exactly what he was doing.

The fact he did not know the Coyles makes it worse  he didnt care.

Judge OHagan sentenced Cassidy to eight years in prison on each charge, to run concurrently, with the final two years suspended.
Carlos Cruz Soriano, aged 76, began responding to phishing emails after becoming isolated and depressed following his retirement from a glittering career, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was told. The scammers told him a long-lost relative had died and he was due to inherit $2.3m.

They gained Sorianos trust over a number of years, including sending him on a dry run to Hong Kong, before flying him to Columbia, where he was given the paperwork for his inheritance as well as a gift in a red bag for Irish banking officials who would facilitate the transfer of funds.

Soriano, of Cove Circle, Riverview, Florida, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine valued at 107,000 inside the red bag in the arrivals hall at Dublin Airport on September 1, 2015. He has no previous convictions and has been in custody here since his arrest.

Judge Melanie Greally said Sorianos isolation and the deterioration in his mental health had contributed to him being susceptible to manipulation by sinister forces. She said she accepted he did not appreciate the serious nature of his conduct.

She noted that, rather than availing of other options, he had chosen to plead guilty at an early stage.

Judge Greally indicated that she would impose a five-year sentence, which she would fully suspend on condition that he leave the country.

She adjourned the case until next week for finalisation to allow arrangements be put in place for his return to the US.

Sergeant Fergal Finnegan told Pieter Le Vert, prosecuting, that immigration officials had concerns about Soriano on his arrival in Dublin, as he had no return ticket to the US and only $300.

Soriano, who had travelled to Ireland from Bogota via Panama and Paris, told customs officials that a red bag he was carrying contained a gift for banking officials which would facilitate the transfer of a $2.3m inheritance from a long-lost relative he had never heard of until recently.

He was very co-operative with the officials and agreed to allow them x-ray and examine the bag. It was found to contain 1.86kg of cocaine in three packets.

Sgt Finnegan said gardai were initially sceptical that Soriano could have fallen for the scam but, as interviews went on, they became aware that there were underlying issues.

Gardai found documentation that Soriano had printed out about other phishing scams. He said that he knew they were scams but he was lonely and would respond to them for a little bit of fun. Sgt Finnegan said that, despite this, he remained adamant that the inheritance was still due to be claimed.

Soriano told gardai he had become isolated and very lonely at home after martial and family problems arose when he lost money on a previous occasion to a Nigerian phishing scam.

Sgt Finnegan agreed with Caroline Biggs, defending, that Soriano had a glittering surgical career over the course of 40 years but had become very lonely after his retirement. The communication with the email scammers had become his only contact with the outside world.

He agreed with Ms Biggs that Soriano had become excited when it was explained to him he was going to prison as he thought he would be around people and have a chance to make friends.

Ms Biggs told the court Soriano had an eminent career as a surgeon

.
Although Fianna Fail and Fine Gael negotiating teams finally hammered out an agreement last night, both parties will now spend the weekend fully drafting the final document before putting it to each of their parliamentary parties for approval.

Then comes the task of trying to woo at least six Independents to join them in a Fine Gael-led minority administration.

And with no government in place for more than 60 days, significant issues are now boiling under the surface. These include:

An escalating homeless and housing crisis.

Delays in the roll-out of rural broadband, meaning families and businesses in regional areas could have wait six more years for high-speed connection.

A two-tier health system which has seen public patients waiting 20 times longer for cancer scans than private patients.

Potential strike and protest action by teachers, nurses, gardai, and other public sector workers.

Mounting anger among farmers over plunging milk prices over the last two years which has taken at least 630m out of farm incomes.

A continuing hospital Emergency Department crisis which saw 364 people on trolleys on Wednesday.

Planned strike days this autumn by members of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) over Junior Cycle reforms.

An escalation in gangland violence, which has seen four men murdered since the election was called.

A legal loophole on suspended sentences, which has yet to be closed and has allowed a prisoner walk free from court.

The threat of a Brexit.

For each day that the political wrangling has dragged on, three families have become homeless.

Focus Ireland says around 180 families have become homeless since the election on February 26.

Roughan MacNamara, of Focus Ireland said: There has been so much talk, yet sadly the homeless crisis continues to get worse so far this year.

At this time in 2012, eight families a month were becoming homeless in Dublin. This monthly total has now shot up more than ten-fold with nearly 300 families becoming homeless in Dublin alone in the first three months of this year.

Rent allowance is set be increased by up to 15% under the Fianna Fail/Fine Gael deal. However, the Irish Examiner understands a recent review carried out by the Department of Social Protection found that it would cost 25m to increase rent supplement by just 8%, money which would be hard found.

This week it was revealed that public patients can be left waiting up to 20 times longer for cancer tests than those with private healthcare, while trolleys continue to line hospital corridors.

Gerard OCallaghan, chief operating officer for the South-South West Hospital Group, yesterday told Newstalk radio: Its not something that I am happy about, the sooner we can reduce the waiting times the better.

An incoming education minister will have a number of major and urgent issues to tackle on entering office.

The ASTI teachers union is to ballot on withdrawal from the Croke Park hours and have already balloted for strike action over Junior Cycle reform.

Farmers are also angry that the Irish agricultural sector faced unprecedented challenges and threats on almost every front but had been ignored in the negotiations about the formation of a new government.

ICMSA president John Comer said falling milk prices over the last two years has seen farmers income drop by at least  630m with a loss to the rural economy of at least 1 billion.
Activists in Dublins north inner city said there should have been an immediate response by the Government to the shootings but said that no one has even bothered to ring them.

Three people have been shot dead in 11 weeks in the area by the Kinahan crime cartel, which is feuding with the rival Hutch gang.

Community leaders said the political parties negotiating deals for the next government were too busy fighting among themselves to actually see what were living with in this area.

The groups are considering holding a peaceful demonstration, possibly to coincide with the new government, to send a message that the shootings and drug dealing must stop.

Anna Quigley of Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign said that there was reputedly a list of people lined up to be killed on top of three people already shot dead in the locality.

A lot of those would be in the area. What other community has ever had to live with that? she asked. That there is a list of people lined up to be killed. And wheres the minister of justice? She should come over.

Marie Metcalfe of the Community Policing Forum said the minister, who is involved in talks over the next government, hadnt even bothered to make a statement about whats happening in the area.

They are too busy fighting among themselves to actually see what were living with. Were not involved in the feud, but were living the feud. There has been nothing from the Government asking is there anything we can do to help.

She said the community had already been devastated from 24-hour open drug dealing in the area and the intimidation with that.

The situation before the shootings kicked off was the community was drowning. Now we have the feud on top of that of the drugs, she said. She said before people were scared to go to the shops because of dealing on their doorsteps, now they could be shot on their way.

Ms Metcalfe said that when homeless man Jonathan Corrie died near the Dail in December 2014 homelessness became a huge issue  despite the fact that rough sleepers were dying in her area and no one cared.

She said it appeared that the only way the Government would respond to the shootings if someone was shot on their doorstep near the Dail.

The frustration and anxiety among activists in the area was on display at yesterdays meeting, which was organised by the Inner City Organisations Network.

Network chairman Seanie Lambe said the criminality and violence on the streets was shocking and particularly shocking for locals.

The reaction of people when they hear a siren or a helicopter, the automatic reaction is that someone else has been shot.

He said the area had been demonised and that there was a perception that locals were helpless and hopeless, which was not true.

Pat Gates of Young People At Risk said: The state has abandoned people, particularly the young people of this community to crime barons and drug lords.

Yesterday afternoon, the justice minister and the Taoiseach issued a statement that all necessary resources including overtime would be provided to gardai.
The prosecutor also said that, if it was a case of accident or suicide, David Mahon was the most unfortunate man in Ireland, who had given a good impression of someone who had committed murder.

Remy Farrell was giving his closing speech in the trial yesterday, where the Dubliner is charged with murdering his stepson, Dean Fitzpatrick, who was the brother of missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick.

Mr Mahon, aged 45, has pleaded not guilty to murdering the father-of-one on May 26, 2013.

The 23-year-old received a stab wound to the abdomen outside the apartment his mother, Audrey Fitzpatrick, shared with Mr Mahon at Burnell Square, Northern Cross. The Central Criminal Court has heard that he bled to death internally.

The court heard the accused voiced the possibility to gardai that Dean had walked into the knife he was holding on purpose.

Mr Farrell noted that the accused had not mentioned the possibility of suicide or any terrible accident to the friend with whom he had spent the following hours.

Thats something he cooks up later for the gardai, said the barrister.

He said that Mr Mahon had, instead, fled the scene.

David Mahon gives a very good impersonation of someone who has committed murder, he said.

Mr Farrell asked the jurors to look at the remarkable number of lies that he said the accused had told gardai and to question the reason for each one.

Youll be satisfied they point to guilt, he said.

He said that the biggest lie the accused told was about the seriousness of the injury; Mr Mahon had told gardai that he thought the knife had just nicked or grazed his stepson.

Mr Farrell said his fleeing the scene and his telling his friend that he thought the knife had gone right through suggested that he knew the extent of the injury.

He also noted that the knife had hit the spine and left a groove.

The defence will deliver its closing speech on Tuesday.
Instead, the Department of Environment wants housebuilders to install sealed stoves as they are a more efficient way of heating a home. The Asthma Society is to begin baseline research into indoor air quality in Irish homes as it believes that awareness needs to grow of how particles from solid fuel fires are exacerbating respiratory difficulties.

There are 470,000 people with asthma in Ireland. One in five children has asthma while one in 10 adults are sufferers.

Advocacy manager, Kevin Kelly said: Research internationally has shown that high levels of fine particles are emitted into the air from burning fuel in an open fire, They get into the lung and exacerbate asthma.

We had one elderly woman from Sligo who had acute asthma. She was immobile. We asked her about how she lived her life and it turned out she sat by an open fire all day, totally unaware of its health impact.

Mr Kelly argues that fuel- burning stoves are a better option for asthma sufferers as the fine particles are released up the chimney and not back into the room.

The Asthma Society will begin its research this summer using Nuwave air- quality sensors which allow the easy collection and analysis of indoor air quality data in family homes.

Meanwhile, architects in Britain are concerned that poor ventilation in new homes is leading to health problems for occupants.

A lack of air vents or open windows leads to a hard-to- detect build-up of pollutants and chemicals from furniture, flooring and plastics, Glasgow School of Arts Mackintosh Environmental Architecture Research Unit said. The unit says modern homes are increasingly being built to be near airtight, which can cause health problems for people if they are not ventilated properly.

Recommendations include keeping vents or windows open when cooking, showering and cleaning; drying laundry near an open window; and opening windows at night.

It is clear from this research that buildings are simply not well-ventilated and this could seriously impact on occupants health, especially vulnerable people such as those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, said Professor Tim Sharpe, head of the research unit.

The unit works in architectural design and scientific research. It carried out a study of 200 modern homes and found widespread evidence of poor ventilation, with bedrooms being a particular problem.

Earlier this week, chair of the Royal Institute of Architects Sustainability Task Force, Darragh Lynch said fully airtight homes in Ireland will have a heat- ventilation recovery system.

Mechanical heat ventilation recovery systems ensure proper ventilation in an airtight home and ensure the airtight home is not only comfortable but there are also added health benefits, he said.

Meanwhile, engineering companies have contacted the Irish Examiner to say mechanical units and fire balloons can be used to limit heat escape in open fires. One such is the Irish-made firegenie damper and draught excluder. Like a fireplace balloon, it can close off the chimney and stop central heating from escaping when the fire isnt on.
A former mayor has appealed to the local authority to backtrack on plans for an 18m footbridge, with government funding of 6m already approved.

John Gilligan warned that the amenity would only provide more opportunities for distressed people to take their own lives.

The walkway is between Arthurs Quay Park and the Kings Island quarter.

Limerick City and County Council is to make up the funding shortfall while a private individual has also shown an interest in contributing.

Its a joint ego trip, Independent councillor and former mayor Mr Gilligan said.

I have been dealing with gardai who believe that erecting this bridge is tantamount to allowing people to commit suicide.

At present we do have a high number of people who have committed suicide in the Shannon  very, very unfortunate people and our hearts go out to them and their families.

The point is, many of these people are committing suicide off the existing bridges, but every one of those bridges can be accessed by a garda patrol car, an ambulance, or a rescue service.

This will bring you right out into the middle of the Shannon and, at the dark of night, nobody will hear, nobody will see, and nobody will be able to stop them.

The number of people taking their own lives on the river in Limerick has reached epidemic proportions, with the volunteer Corbett Suicide Prevention Patrol manning the citys bridges some nights.

Mr Gilligan urged city council bosses to come back down from their ivory towers... and look at the monster they are going to create.

I think this bridge is absolutely asinine. Its about time this bridge was taken off the agenda. We dont want it. Its a bridge too far.

A feasibility report conducted by Limerick City Council stated the bridge would act as an economic driver for the city.

It will be a new tourism attraction where the user seeks the unique perspective afforded by the new vantage point over the River Shannon and takes into consideration the urban infrastructure and impact towards creating a new architectural symbol which has the potential to transform Limerick Citys image, it added.

Mr Gilligan said: It will take away from the entire vista in Limerick.
Mayor of Cork County John Paul OShea said the details in their proposed bill and their references to Irish labour laws are inaccurate and insulting to the people of Cork and Ireland.

The US Department of Transportation [DoT] has already stated that there is no legal impediment to the granting of a foreign carrier permit, Mr OShea said.

There is quite simply no validity to this proposed bill and I would call on the four congressmen to withdraw this bill and support the Cork to Boston route for the many Irish, Irish-American, and American people awaiting this new direct link.

One aviation source close to the process said: We are outraged at this development. We believe it is anti- competitive, anti-consumer, in effective breach of the EU- US Open Skies agreement, is based on false assertions which have already been refuted, and frankly insulting to the Irish people.

Cork Chamber chief executive Conor Healy said they are now urging their members to make submissions to the US Department of Transportation (DoT) supporting the granting of a licence to Norwegian Airlines Irish subsidiary, Norwegian Air International (NAI), to operate flights between Ireland and the US.

A spokesman for Norwegian also hit back and said many of their opponents are repeating misleading allegations that were dismissed and proven false several times in the past two years.

The low-fares airline, based in Dublin, is planning to launch a Cork-Boston service this year, and a Cork-New York service next week, and is also eyeing expansion from Shannon.

The DoT granted tentative approval for the granting of NAIs licence earlier this month after ruling that its application complies with the Open Skies agreement, and stating that there was no legal impediment to the granting of the permit.

It triggered a consultation process which should conclude with a final decision late next month.

However, it emerged on Thursday night that US representatives Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen, both Democrats, and Republicans Frank LoBiondo and Lynn Westmoreland have introduced a bipartisan bill that, if made law, would prevent the DoT from permitting a foreign air carrier to operate between the EU and US unless the carrier complies with basic, fair US or EU labour standards.

They have claimed NAI model violates the Open Skies deal and would give the airline an unfair competitive advantage in the transatlantic market, and compromise the competitiveness of American air carriers.

Mr Healy pointed out that the bill is outside the DoT process, which will ultimately make a decision on the licence. Its raising the same issues that have been raised over the last number of months, all of which have been ruled on by the DoT in their tentative granting of a permit, he said.

The fact is the Open Skies agreement is designed to facilitate enhanced competition and greater choice for consumers and business.

Granting this permit would be in line with that, and these recent developments are outside the spirit and terms of that agreement.
Blue eyes. Really really blue eyes. Thats what strikes me when I meet actor Chris Pine at Londons Soho Hotel.

The Hollywood heartthrob, known to most for his role as Captain Kirk in the 2.0 Star Trek movie franchise, is in town as the face of Armani Code PROFUMO  the latest in the Armani Code fragrance range.

The slick campaign, which features a split-screen to reflect the brands two scent styles, features Pine perambulating a party in an Armani tux (the inspiration for the PROFUMO bottle).

Today, however, the LA native is decidedly off-duty in a sweater, slimline trousers and sockless brogues  a duality which interestingly plays out in our brief, albeit revealing, chat.

Reflective and deliberate, Pine in person is more earnest than his on-screen persona would suggest.

He may be shiny and all-American on the outside but internally, theres a brooding sensibility at play.

Im keen to talk accents. After all, hes tackled a Galway lilt in Martin McDonaghs award-winning play The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2010), not to mention the nuances of New England in The Finest Hours (released here in February).

Whats his process?

The 35-year old offers a respectful caveat when he learns Im from Galway (he visited the Aran Islands on a day trip he confesses).

The production took place in LA so the accent was more stage than authentic for the purposes of the audience.

Im sensing credibility is key for the actor who won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circles lead appearance award for his part in the production.

This spills over into discussing his most recent role as crewman Bernie Webber in The Finest Hours  a historical disaster drama film based on the true story of a Coast Guard rescue attempt off the Cape Cod coast in 1952.

The character is a version of a real person, he tells me, so the accent is really an extension of the soul.

Wow. These waters clearly run deep.

Does he choose movie roles in the same way?

Is he intuitive or logical; head or gut when it comes to his career?

Im faced with a considered pause before his well-crafted response.

In Buddhism theres a concept called the middle way.

I like to try and follow this even though I would have have been raised to break down a question and look at it logically before making a decision.

If you go more towards path A or more towards path B you are apt to go too far.

The ideal is to create balance by finding the middle ground between the two.

Clearly, its this balance which is reflected in a growing portfolio of roles from sci-fi to rom com; action to drama  a testament to his range.

His fanbase (known as Pine Nuts) have grown exponentially since assuming the role of Captain James T. Kirk in 2009.

Acting though is most definitely in the genes and the heart.

Pines father Robert co-starred on CHiPS as Sergeant Joseph Getraer; his mother and maternal grandmother were also actresses.

Lineage aside, Pine is most enthusiastic when discussing the intricacies of his craft.

Unsurprisingly, when asked about the elaborate costuming for the upcoming Wonder Woman film (due for release in 2017), he shows genuine praise for Oscar award-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming, known for her work on the Batman trilogy.

Lindy did such a great job, enthuses Pine.

Its such a big process. I learned so much about the language of clothing and the narrative it tells within the story from why a specific fabric was chosen to why it was chosen in a specific colour.

"These details are so important. Its not just costuming but hair and make-up; all aspects of production.

Pine, who plays Steve Trevor  Wonder Womans love interest in the film  then has a full speed fashion moment about a Dunhill suit made specifically for his character (details of which are under wraps).

Its appears craftsmanship is definitely his jam.

I am very lucky, he says of his success.

Ive worked very hard to get to where I am but I also know that there is no guarantee in this business that if you work hard you will find success.

So something else is at play. Im not sure what to call it but for now Ill call it luck.

Today though, hes here to talk perfumes and scents.

Im attracted to certain smells independently; lets say of their owner, he says.

But a smell on a certain person can change the smell itself or can, in combination with the other senses, affect my perception of the person.

Of course things happen in the blink of an eye but they happen nonetheless. A smell can bind itself to its wearer and the relationship they have is unique.

He was thrilled, he says, to work with Armani.

I was struck most by the breadth and extent of his work.

You think, my god, this man has done all of this, and he started when he was 40! And hes still going!

He is an artist, first and foremost, and I have great appreciation for that.

I really love his sensitivity. I never get a sense from him that he craves the limelight.

I get the sense that he loves his work.

That is his passion and that is his goal: to create.

Even when he grabs your hand I feel that he is an artist who loves the tactile, the interaction between people, more than he does showing up and presenting himself at a party.

But what else inspires him?

From films dealing with the ordinary every day hero to the female superhero; not to mention the members of the Starfleet, Im curious to find who his personal hero is.

It throws me a bit when we start discussing politics and Bernie Sanders  the US presidential candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2016 election.

I like what he represents, he says, as an alternative to the jaded Washingtonian.

Does this make Pine an optimist? He pauses once more.

I dont know if Im an optimist, he muses.

I definitely have an inner misanthrope.

That said, the actor does have an eternal soft spot for old Blue Eyes.

I am a huge Sinatra fan. My assistant knows that if Im ever in a bad mood, she just needs to put on Sinatra, he laughs.

Pine, by his own admission, is a die hard jazz fan.

He names off a lengthy laundry list of artists he loves: Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Benny Goodman, Dizzie Gillespie, Billie Holiday  to name but a few.

I tell him he should be in New Orleans right now celebrating Mardi Gras.

Then I backtrack with a much better counter offer.

You should come to the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival this October.

Consider it an open invitation.

There you have it.

Come autumn, should you spot a set of really blue eyes crooning to Old Blue Eyes in one of the city venues, youll know who to thank.

The latest addition to the Armani Code range, Code PROFUMO is inspired by the Giorgio Armani tuxedo; 54 30ml; 73 60ml, 88 110ml
My jaded interiors palate has been revived by a jaunt to Newcastle West, County Limerick, where a home interiors shop called Objekt has window displays to prompt a rubber-burning slam of the brakes.

Its a happy discovery on the N21 to Tralee, beside the banks of the Arra, with a Fitzgerald-built castle a near neighbour: ancient and modern sitting comfortably together.

Newcastle West is a charming town which enjoys a gentle busyness, where you can still buy a crusty sandwich for 2 in the bakery on the square; where friendliness and helpfulness are a given, and where mammy rather than the American mom prevails.

So too does contemporary European design, thanks to Aoife Hayes, a trained interior architect who ten years ago, opened Objekt.

The time was right, she says.

The building came up and so did the opportunity to open in my home town.

But, in the last decade, when shops were closing en masse during recession, Objekt, which sells Missoni Home rugs for 4,500, survived.

People still needed to buy wedding presents, house-warming gifts, and to give themselves little treats, says Aoife, so we stocked more of the smaller items like kitchen accessories.

For as little as 3.50, you can pick up a Charles Viancin flower-shaped bottle stopper to plug a bottle of wine or an oil decanter, something I discovered while ambling around with a coffee in hand, dispensed by Aoife in the shops mini-cafe.

This clever inclusion means you could easily lose yourself for an hour, satisfying your home interiors soul as well as your caffeine urges.

She has a local clientele and, thanks to the N21 location, she also benefits from drivers passing through.

Every day, 12,000 cars drive past, so we get people from Dublin going to Kerry on holidays stopping for coffee and shopping while the children have a run around.

But not all shops selling furniture, lighting and accessories would make you stop en route to your holidays when everyone in the car is whinging.

Objekt is different, with accomplished styling by Aoife which stages room sets rather than a confrontation of sofa after sofa where its difficult to imagine how anything could look at home.

Daylight streaming though huge windows enhances the room sets making the idea feel achievable and homely at the same time.

We keep moving things around to keep it all fresh, Aoife explains.

At the moment we have accessories grouped together by colour.

Its a simple idea but, for the DIY home decorator who needs a few bits and pieces to match a colour scheme, its an accessible solution.

But not all her working day sees Aoife keeping shop.

To stay up-to-date with developments she visits some of the major trade shows around Europe sourcing new suppliers, but she can also be found stacking shelves, and has no aversion to picking up a brush to paint a wall to show off her stock.

The more I explore, the more my eye-span fills with colour and shape in covetable lighting, clocks, textiles, and lightweight chairs I cant stop thinking about  you know the ones  that dont hide a beautiful dining table from view?

Theres certainly a curated feel to how everything is laid out, and its clear as we walk and talk that her ability to run Objekt and see it through tough times doesnt just draw on her professional background.

As the daughter of a woman who ran a clothes shop while raising six children, retail is in her genes.

Aoife now follows in her footsteps, juggling the shop with married life and bringing up a little daughter, Robyn, and son, Theo.

Surrounded by all this interior loveliness, I wonder what her house is like.

I bought lots of nice pieces and a gorgeous pink Leolux chair for my apartment when I was single, she says, but home life evolves and, now we have children, things are different.

While I put down my cup to admire a teapot that doubles up as a kettle, she makes a coaxing call to her dad for help with a delivery, laughingly explaining that she sometimes enlists family help.

It seems practicality and a down-to-earth attitude prevail amongst all this design beauty.

Ill bet she calls her mother Mammy.

www.objekt.ie
The contour Coca-Cola bottles  that fabulous fistful of beady glass which together with some sparkling flavour, made one company a national and then global marketing giant.

Its a rare treat to actually hold a contoured Coke bottle thats not a mixer here in Ireland, and given its admirable modernity, its easy to forget that this treasure of merchandising design is a full century old this year.

An Atlanta pharmacist, Dr. John Styth Pemberton, is credited with the still highly secret blend for Coca Cola, first mixed and tasted by barman Willis Venables in 1886, and touted as an all round feel-good brain tonic for the warmer months.

The sweeping Spenserian Coca-Cola script (the typical educated writing style of the day) was the creation of John Pembertons book-keeper, who was creative beyond his brief, coming up with the name too.

Initially the Coke syrup, which including a terrifying dash of real cocaine, was added directly to plain, carbonated water or served by soda jerks at local drug stores. Interestingly, the syrup is still made up with water by some larger food service outlets today.

Still, in 1894 having been beaten to the mark by one of his suppliers, Joseph Biedenharn, who was privately bottling Coke for customers going on picnics, tantalising bottles of Coca-Cola were brought to market by Asa G Candler, who bought Coca-Cola from Pemberton in 1888. Full of energy, Candler seriously touted his drink with all sorts of offers on free goods and prizes for loyal cola drinkers.

These early Hutchinson bottles and later, straight-sided bottles, used in the 1920s, can command two to even three figure sums today.

The rights to bottling Coca-Cola became enormously valuable, and in 1900 they were snatched up by two foresighted lawyers, Joseph Whitehead and Benjamin Thomas.

By 1920, Coca-Cola on tap and in bottles was being sold in all states across the country with 1,200 bottling plants operating under license to The Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

Coca-Cola was besieged by competition and cheeky imitators who would change one or two letters in the name for their own caramel style beverage (who could resist trying a Koka-Nola).

Straight sided, 6 stoppered, brown pop bottles were commonplace and dull, even emblazoned with Cokes diamond shaped logo and their magical contents.

The executives at Coca-Cola determined on packaging more distinct that just the script or the design of the label, something possibly textured that could be instantly recognised  even hunting for the drink in the dark.

The trustees were so enthused by the idea of brand recognition in the glass, that the then huge prize-money of $500 was devoted to the development of the bottle in league with the bottling companies contracted to Coca-Cola.

The contour bottles design was honed between 1915 and 1920, and achieved that feminine line largely from moulding supervisor Earl R Dean, and a team of four workers at the Root Glass Company in Terre Haute in the state of Indiana.

Patented in the name of shop foreman Alexander Samuelsson, Samuelsson is sometimes erroneously credited as the designer of the prototype. The bulbous upper portion with its vertical soft grooves was taken from an illustration in Encyclopaedia Britannica of a cocoa pod.

They played around with the shape, as early versions proved unstable when upright and rocked off the factory belt.

Released in 1916 to four bottling firms, in 1920, the hefty 14.5oz bottle in green German or Georgia glass was gifted a less pregnant form, a sinuous girl retaining a ribbed corset that plays beneath the fingers.

The enticing coloured glass with its hygienic metal crown top, became an advertising standard for the company, and in terms of design, the shape of the contour bottle remains one the most recognised symbols across the World along with the VW Bug and the Christian cross.

Industrial designer Raymond Loewy, who drew up new family sized bottles in the 1950s, famously described the 1920 Mae West bottles, as the perfect liquid wrapper.

CEO of Coca-Cola, Robert Woodruff, refused to appear on the cover of Time magazine in 1950. He suggested a picture of their then clear contour bottle star instead  which it did, crossing a new line for a commercial product between advertising and editorial.

Bottles were by then produced in the beloved shape from 6.5 to 26oz with the name of the bottling company moulded in the base, and the patent moulded beneath the name on the bottle.

The variety of producers and sizes spurs the interest of collectors today. Early six pack carriers (introduced in 1923) with a full set of period bottles are highly prized.

The year of production of the mould is moulded in the first four digits on the bottle base.

Pre-1950s bottles may carry the name of the city in which the bottles were produced  an interesting touch. White applied print, rather than textured lettering appeared in 1957.

On April 12 1977, Coca-Colas iconic packaging achieved the unusual status of a trademark even without the name Coca-Cola printed on it  the line was enough.

Coca-Cola was, and is perceived as being the national drink of Americans.

Every hiss released seemed to speak of the very essence of the state-side spirit, and little wonder Andy Warhol chose it in the 1960s as one of his repeating, levelling, universal symbols of popular culture.

For more information on collecting early Coca-Cola bottles go to: www.coca-colacompany.com
Irish-based Adventure Holidays is to expand its programme with the introduction of guided walking holidays to the Basque Country.

The activity holiday specialist has a 1,900 deal to include seven nights accommodation based in San Sebastian at the four-star Hotel Zenit with breakfasts and lunch included, and there is an eight-night up-market package to include visits to museums, vineyards and more but at a costly 4,290.

Details on www.adventure-holidays.ie

MEXICAN PARADISE

Tropical Sky has cut the price of a seven-night Mexican package by over 700 to bring the price down to 1,799.

The deal is available for a stay at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya between August 17 and September 30.

The resort is located on the shores of Puerta Aventuras and comes with a selection of restaurants, adult only pools, and private beach.

Flights are from Dublin with Virgin Atlantic.

Visit www.tropicalsky.ie or call 01 664 9999.

LAST-MINUTE DEALS

Falcon has late deals from Dublin to Turkey departing on May 30 with prices pitched at 349 for a week.

The company has priced a May 14 break in Majorca (ex-Cork), staying in the Deya apartments in Santa Ponsa at the low level of 239, but also offers the More Hotel in Alcudia (half board) for about 500 based on a May 17 departure.

Details: www.falconholidays.ie or call Falcon Direct on 1850 45 35 45.

CRUISING ALONG

The cruise liner Norwegian Jade hosts an eight-night cruise of the Greek Isles and Croatia (from October 8) and Cork-based Shandon Travel has a deal priced from 985 that includes a drinks package.

Ports of call include Venice, Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos, Piraeus, and Split. Details of this and many other packages are available on www.shandontravel.ie or 021 4277094.

TURKEY BREAKS

Good deals are available for those willing to travel to Turkey slightly outside of peak season.

Sunway offers 14 nights in the four-star Golden Day hotel in Kusadasi with prices starting from 599 on May 28.

The golden Day Wings Hotel is a favourite with Irish holidaymakers and suitable for singles, couples, and families.

Sunway clients can avail of a full check-in baggage allowance of 20kg. Details on 01-2311800 or check online at www.sunway.ie
Bring back the Troika. At least they would know what to do.

The firm spanking of German leather on the backsides of our politicians is exactly what is needed to break the nine-week impasse in forming a government.

This country has been a political basket-case since they left at the end of 2013 and it is only getting worse.

Now, it is often said we get the politics we deserve. And the antics of the last week have shown that we as a people are utterly incapable of governing ourselves.

The deal between Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, which will see water charges suspended, is a victory for political pragmatism over what is generally best for the country.

Described to me by one astute political apparatchik as Fianna Fails waterboarding of Fine Gael, the deal is, quite simply, a gross betrayal to common sense.

Waterboarding is defined as a form of water torture in which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilised captive, causing the individual to experience the sensation of drowning.

In political terms, that is exactly what has happened to Fine Gael, who, by their own words, have been trapped into trying to form a messy minority government.

But momentarily away from their own woes, the citizens of this country have been let down by their political leaders.

Because of the deal, those leaders now have sacrificed the future of the countrys water supply for political expedience.

The decision to scrap water charges is a slap in the face to the 950,000 homes who paid their water charges. All of those people have been made suckers of.

While technically the parties are only agreeing to a nine-month cessation, in truth we know water charges are now off the table for at least a generation.

Fianna Fails Sean Fleming confirmed as much on the radio with Keelin Shanley yesterday.

The cave-in from Fine Gael was the worst betrayal of the 105 councillors who lost their seats in 2014 largely because of the water issue.

It is also a betrayal of common sense in terms of the future of water provision.

The decision to essentially neutralise Irish Water places billions of euro worth of investment in the pipe network in jeopardy.

But, worst of all, the decision is a betrayal of taxpayers, who are going to be paying more income tax to cover the shortfall in charges.

Outgoing Environment Minister Alan Kelly and Health Minister Leo Varadkar were absolutely spot-on in their criticisms of the deal.

While both are outspoken loudmouths, the pair spoke with right and logic on their side on this occasion.

Kelly took to his feet in the Dail on Wednesday to brand the deal as environmental treason.

Kellys blistering attack on the deal continued for more than 10 minutes, as he described it as economic and political sabotage.

Kelly accused Fianna Fail of environmental treason over its call to abolish charges. He warned that the proposed deal has echoes of the 1977 decision to abolish rates, which he said was a massive mistake.

I believe Fianna Fail are guilty of environmental treason and the Labour Party stands behind the important public service of water provision, he said. Politics is failing the people of the country again. Utopian populism is winning again. Its groundhog day. We will regret it, just as we did in 77.

Then, on Thursday, Varadkar chipped in with his own invective. Speaking to Keelin Shanley, Varadkar said he thought the fact that Fianna Fail went to the wire over Irish Water was ridiculous.

Varadkar said: Water charges are being suspended, theyre not being abolished. But its the wrong thing to do. Its not in the public interest to do this.

He said he has always been in favour of water charges and he stands by that, because a dedicated stream of income is needed to upgrade and maintain the water system while also promoting conservation.

There was a collective dropping of jaws at his no-nonsense comments, particularly the timing of them, when a deal with Fianna Fail is not yet finalised.

His comments to many came across as petulant, given he is one of the Fine Gael team negotiating the very deal he was bemoaning. To others, it seemed like his opening audition for the looming leadership in Fine Gael.

But this mess all came about because Fine Gael had to capitulate to Fianna Fail, who temselves are looking over their shoulder at a ravenous Sinn Fein, who are themselves looking over their shoulders at the hard left.

So, in a way, you could argue all of this is Paul Murphys fault.

The deal was heartily welcomed by Murphy and his colleagues as a victory for the anti-water charge movement: the body of people who refused to pay, who defied the rule of law in this country  and they have been vindicated by this shoddy deal.

Had temporary Taoiseach Enda Kenny not caved, there was a very real chance that a second election was imminent. While a deal eases that threat, chances of this arrangement falling apart remain real.

This weekend, the focus will shift back to the Independents who are demanding much more than a simple consultation with the big parties.

They want their day (or three) in the sun and they want their share of the spoils in terms of ministerial appointments.

As my colleague, political reporter Elaine Loughlin, astutely reported yesterday, divisions among the independent ranks are emerging as to who will be in government. She also detailed just who is and isnt likely to sign up.

But relying on the support of Independents whose commitment and stomach for the harsh realities of high office is questionable at best is not a recipe for a long-lasting administration.

Hence, this is why we need the Troika back in town.

Barrett misses out

This week also saw the Seanad elections and while many bright new faces have made it into the Upper House, there have been some notable losers. Among them was Trinity senator and economist Sean Barrett, who was not re-elected.

A welcome dissenting voice, Barrett was one of the most effective legislators and strongest critics on public sector waste. He will be missed.
The former is always more difficult  hey, a gal has needs  but I quite enjoy how sanctimonious the latter decision allows me to become.

In my twenties I would have trampled over Matt Talbot to get to that blind musician first, stolen the fiddle and his First Holy Communion money to have cash for beer.

But at the age of 31 a teetotal, yoga/salad/meditation-loving lifestyle has never sounded more appealing.

Of course, that can be difficult to achieve when, to the average Irish person, there are few legitimate reasons to eschew drinking.

These are as follows:

1. Youre on antibiotics.

2. Youre a recovering alcoholic.

3. Youre pregnant.

And even at that, glasses of Guinness may be pressed upon you because its very high in iron.

So tell me, my sister keeps asking me, how will you ever find a boyfriend, then?

(She has a point, our dating rituals begin and end with a bottle of wine.)

Sure, why would I need a boyfriend? I tell my sister, cuddling my Yorkshire terrier to me in an iron vice grip. I have Jinky!

I cant be certain but I have a feeling when I left the room she held a toy dog in front of him and asked him to point out where the crazy lady had touched him.

In the last few years, I definitely drink a lot less.

Im not the sort of person who would have a glass of wine with their dinner. I dont go out every weekend.

My problem is that when I do drink, Im bad at it. Not bad, bad.

I dont get aggressive or drink-drive. Its nothing like that.

My problem is the gaping disparity between what Im like when Im sober and what Im like drunk.

When Im drunk, deviant Louise arrives and she wants to get messed up.

Sober: Im lovely. Im considerate; I listen to what other people have to say because thats what having a proper conversation is about.

Drunk: I monologue at random boys about my writing process and my plans to liberate teenage girls from a patriarchal society.

Calm down, dear. I make up stories for a living. I am not the second coming of Christ.

I start talking in non sequiturs to such a degree that I imagine I must sound something similar to this: People should wear tinfoil hats ... Dishwashers ... Why is there no nice word for female genitals? ... SIMON COWELL ... I love my dog ... Do you think Santa exists? ... mumble mumble ... patriarchy ... I love my dog ... I like mango but pineapple makes my tongue swell up ... I love him appropriately ... Tell me where you stand on cyclists? ... Waaah ... eyelashes...

I ask questions like, What do you want to do for the rest of your life? What makes your heart sing?

(YES. I actually used those words. Im blaming Oprah. Our parents didnt know their inner child from their spleens and they turned out OK.)

And I tell the most outrageous, unfailingly pointless lies.

When drunk Ive read every book, Ive seen every movie, and Ive visited every country on the planet.

I once spoke with a stranger at a hostel in Cartagena for an entire hour about my travels in Cambodia and the beautiful people I met there. (Ive never been to Cambodia.)

But the very worst has to be the sexy dancing, as anyone who has seen a 1.30am stampede onto the dancefloor when Beyonces Crazy In Love is played can attest to.

Angela, one of my closest friends in New York, who spoke like Lil Kim and danced like Josephine Baker, told me: You got some moves for a white chick but lets face it. White people cant dance.

Sober Louise remembers this advice. Drunk Louise also remembers it and decides to PROVE HER WRONG. Shudder.

I could probably live with making a complete idiot of myself on a Saturday night if it wasnt accompanied by the Horrors on a Sunday morning.

At first its a lovely black hole of nothingness, a sort of soupy amnesia.

Then, like hand grenades, the memories explode one by one, creating a Fear so terrible that Hunter S Thompson would be forced to make a fort out of his bedclothes and hide away forever.

After a few hours of manically texting friends and receiving no replies, I have convinced myself that I have had sex with someones boyfriend/father/grandfather and that they all HATE ME.

It always turns out that theyre just still asleep (phew).

It was fine when I lived in a city where I was totally anonymous except for the handful of people that I was out with.

But in a small town, there are always multiple witnesses to your shame.

Most of them were also too drunk to remember but there are always the smug few who refuse to be cool, and who can and will tell you every mortifying detail of your Jagerbomb-induced attempts to emulate Dita Von Teese.

God, those smug non-drinkers. How I love being one of them.

I want to be a smug non-drinker all the time.

Its my perfectionism and control issues, friends say sagely, throwing out any old catchphrase from a vintage J-17 or Sugar article on anorexia and theyre probably right.

I can be hard on myself. Its the same mentality that in the past has made me believe that if you dont come first, you may as well have come last, only weak people get the flu, and that I have to be twice as good as everyone else in order to be vaguely acceptable.

Maybe I should just be nicer to myself? Spend more time alone, practising self-love? (Why does everyone keep laughing when I say that? Oh. Wait)

I do know that when Im teetotal for months at a time that I think more clearly, Im more focused, and I have more energy - all of which are incredibly useful when attempting to write a novel.

So here goes. Book 3.

Welcome back, Boring Louise.

Oh, how Ive missed you.
Prince William said it was apt that Mr Attenborough and his grandmother Queen Elizabeth were both turning 90 within weeks of each other as both were national treasures.

Astronaut Tim Peake, speaking in a message recorded on the International State Station, wished him a happy birthday and said: Your adventures and your words have inspired us enormously and changed the way that we look at our earth.

David Attenborough has inspired generations to learn more about the natural world, bringing adventure and wonder, dinosaurs and polar bears, into the homes of millions of television viewers.

The reassuring, hushed and reverential whisper has narrated every journey, as he surveys almost every aspect of life on earth. He sometimes seems barely able to contain his excitement as he watches incredible behaviour in the animal kingdom.

Born on May 8, 1926, his interest in nature started as a child when he collected fossils. He went on to gain a Natural Sciences degree from Clare College, Cambridge after attending Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys in Leicester.

He served in the Royal Navy from 1947 to 1949 before joining the BBC but was initially discouraged from appearing on screen because his bosses thought his teeth were too big. Despite their dental misgivings, he launched his Zoo Quest series in 1954.

He writes all his own scripts, and although he says he dislikes writing, he won a major literary prize for his book The Life of Birds before the series even screened.

His combination of charm and an ability to put across his wide knowledge in an attractive and compelling way has been much-imitated but rarely replicated.

Long before environmental issues were making daily headlines, he was a fervent eco campaigner both on and off screen. His 2000 series State of the Planet and Are We Changing Planet Earth? in 2006 dealt heavily with environmental issues such as global warming.

As a younger man, he famously often travelled in economy class on flights, only accepting upgrades if they were extended to his crew as well. When he turned 75, the BBC reportedly told him he should fly in business class.

He has shown a lack of fear in alarming situations, including being attacked by an army of ants and an amorous capercaillie.

When his career began, wild creatures were seen as curiosities to be tracked, captured and brought back to British zoos to be stared at, and Zoo Quest reinforced that Victorian notion. In the series he would travel with staff from London Zoo to a tropical country to capture an animal for the zoos collection. In his much later series Attenborough: 60 Years in the Wild, the transition to a more respectful attitude towards animals and the natural world was a dominant theme.

The brother of the actor Richard Attenborough, who died in 2014, his pioneering efforts on screen have been matched by those off camera, as the man responsible for introducing colour television into Britain after he became controller of BBC Two in 1965.

Over the years he had made such iconic programmes as Life on Earth, The Living Planet, The Trials of Life, Life in Freeze and narrated The Blue Planet and The Life of Mammals.

Even as he approached his 90th year, he has continued at a prodigious pace, bringing more about the wonders of planet Earth to the masses.

He has been confirmed as the presenter of Planet Earth 2, a series of six one-hour natural history programmes that will air later this year.
Jon Sjursoe, a spokesman for Norways Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre, said the Eurocopter EC-225 helicopter was carrying 11 Norwegians, one Briton, and one Italian from the Gullfaks B oil field in the North Sea to Bergen, 120km away on the Norwegian mainland.

Norwegian broadcaster NRK said 11 people on board were employed by the Norwegian oil and gas company Statoil ASA.

Police spokesman Morten Kronen said the helicopter totally smashed as it hit the island of Turoey, near Bergen, and the 11 victims were found on land. Two were reported missing but officials later said that they were also presumed dead.

The helicopters fuselage was found in the water off the island while its rotor system was on land, Mr Sjursoe said.

It is a very small island and (helicopter) parts are spread partly on land, partly in the sea, he added.

Norwegian media posted photos of huge billows of smoke.

Witness Rebecca Andersen told Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang that the helicopters rotor blades came rushing towards us.

Then we heard a violent explosion, Ms Andersen was quoted as saying.

Statoil said that it had mobilised its emergency response team and had temporarily grounded all equivalent traffic helicopters.

The company also said it is sending support staff to Bergen to help families of the crash victims.

Statoil said psychologists and other experienced staff will be available at a Bergen hotel. It confirmed that the chartered helicopter was on assignment for Statoil.

British authorities are deploying air accident investigators to Norway to help assist in the inquiry.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is taking part because the UK has investigated several crashes involving helicopters operating to and from offshore oil fields in recent years.
The new regime of calm, that was due to begin from 1am this morning, would last just one day in the capitals eastern Ghouta suburb and three days in the northern countryside of the coastal province of Latakia, the army said in a statement.

Both districts have seen intensified fighting in recent days. The statement made no mention however of the city of Aleppo, scene of the worst violence, which is divided between rebel-held and government areas.

An air strike on an Aleppo hospital killed at least 27 people this week.

Russian news agencies quoted an opposition figure saying the new truce would also apply to Aleppo, but there was no separate confirmation of this.

The Syrian military statement gave no details of the meaning of the term regime of calm, but Russias Interfax news agency quoted the officer in charge of a Russian ceasefire monitoring centre as saying it meant all military action would cease.

Damascus described the truces as an attempt to salvage a wider cessation of hostilities agreement.

That ceasefire has been in place since February to allow peace talks to take place but has all but completely collapsed in recent days along with the Geneva negotiations.

The UN human rights chief, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, said violence was soaring back to the levels we saw prior to the cessation of hostilities.

There are deeply disturbing reports of military build-ups indicating preparations for a lethal escalation, Zeid said. The reports revealed a monstrous disregard for civilian lives by all parties to the conflict, he added.

The UN has called on Moscow and Washington to help restore the ceasefire to prevent the collapse of peace talks, which broke up this week in Geneva with virtually no progress after the opposition walked out.

The cessation of hostilities and the Geneva talks were the only game in town, and if they are abandoned now, I dread to think how much more horror we will see in Syria, Zeid said.

Air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo and shelling of government-held areas of the city resumed yesterday after a brief dawn lull.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said air strikes and government shelling had killed at least 131 civilians including 21 children in rebel areas in the past week, while rebel shelling of government areas had killed 71 civilians including 13 children.

At least six people died and more were injured and trapped under fallen buildings in air strikes yesterday on rebel-held areas, the Observatory said.

Bebars Mishal, a civil defence chief working in rebel-held areas of Aleppo, said there were a number of air attacks in the morning, many of them around mosques in rebel-held areas. Mishal said one hit a clinic in Aleppos Al-Marja district.

Syrian state television said people had been killed and wounded and a building set on fire during shelling of government-held quarters in Aleppo, which included a hit on a mosque as people were leaving Friday prayers.

The war in Syria has killed more than 250,000 people, with the UN envoy giving a toll as high as 400,000.
Her new role means that she can lead male and female soldiers into battle  one of the last male-only bastions of the army.

Ms Griest was one of two women who made history last year after becoming one of the first female soldiers to pass the armys gruelling course to qualify for the elite Rangers unit.
Burma Burma Thirsts for Bottled Water, But Quality Leaves Bad Taste

Rising demand for purified drinking water in Burma has led to a proliferation of brands, some of which are unlicensed and lacking hygiene standards.

RANGOON  When Myo Arkar returned to his home in Rangoons North Dagon Township after working through a long, hot day, he opened a cold bottle of purified water to quench his thirst, but as he drank he sensed a rusty smell and taste, and then noticed brown particles swirling in the bottle.

Disgusted, he threw it away. I informed everyone I know of this incident, and reminded them not to drink that brand, he said of the water, which is produced at a small purifying facility in Shwepyithar Township.

Many residents in Burmas towns and cities consume bottled water that they presume is properly purified. But a rapid growth in demand for such water and a lack of government oversight means many small, unlicensed operators produce questionable quality water that regularly leaves consumers with a bad taste in their mouths.

I have used more than four brands of drinking water last year. The new brand that I am using now has had no problem yet, remarked Thura, a taxi driver from Sanchaung Township, who said he switches brands after drinking bad quality water, rather than file a formal complaint with health authorities.

Unlicensed Brands on Sale

Among Burmas town and city residents, around a third drink bottled water, according to data from the 2014 census, as urban water supply systems are often of a poor standard. Though urban consumers drinking water problems pale compared to those in the countrysidewhere many poor households rely on tube wells, ponds and lakes that might be unclean or even toxicthey could easily be consuming an unlicensed brand.

Dr. Tun Zaw, director of the Ministry of Healths Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said an inspection of markets in Rangoon and Mandalay last December found 21 unlicensed bottled water brands on sale.

A countrywide FDA survey of bottled water conducted early last year approved some 750 brands, but found 73or close to 10 percentof brands lacking in quality, or having failed to register with the FDA. The FDA subsequently released a list of these banned brands and their production locations.

By law, drinking water producers are required to register with the FDA and allow it to inspect their facilities for hygiene, production methods and quality tests.

Dr. Kyaw Linn, a former FDA director, told Myanmar Now that consuming unlicensed drinking water could carry health risks. Fungus and bacteria in this drinking water can pose health hazards, such as diarrhea and worms, as well as other bad consequences depending on the harmful chemicals in the unhygienic water, he said.

More needs to be done to improve enforcement of FDA standards, he said, adding, Unregistered brands will not guarantee hygiene, they might even use tap water.

Growing Thirst

Burmas economic growth of recent years has led to rising demand for bottled drinking water in both urban and rural areas, said Ba Oak Khaing, chairman of Consumer Protection Association of Myanmar. Setting up a small-scale purification facility is fairly simple and can even be done in a residential house or a compound, he said, adding that small facilities produce about fifty to a hundred 20-litre bottles per day.

Tun Zaw said such facilities had proliferated in recent years and it was impossible for the FDA to inspect all new brands coming on to the market, adding that enforcing a ban on brands was also difficult. If we announce that a brand name produces unhygienic drinking water, they will just change their name, for example from Sein to Shwe, he said.

Tun Zaw said the FDA works with municipal authorities to enforce drinking water controls. The agency conducts tests and checks, and issues recommendations, while local authorities are responsible for granting licenses and implementing a ban and shutdown of facilities.

Ba Oak Khaing said his association, the FDA, staff of the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) and the police conducted surprise inspections of water producers facilities in Rangoon in February and found that 13 failed to meet hygiene standards.

These small water-purifying facilities are built in the compound of regular houses. They do not observe the rules of hygiene, he said, explaining that some operations were situated in the open air, sometimes even near grazing cattle or sewage run-off.

Ba Oak Khaing said the FDA and municipal authorities issued bans against the 13 companies, but no further checks have been carried out since to enforce the order.

Ar Kar, the owner of Pin Lone Water, a large, licensed purifying plant in Rangoons Hlegu Township, said many small operators had entered the growing drinking water market in a bid to capture a share, and some cared little for quality and hygiene standards.

Some purified water might be tainted with dust and smells because the old water bottles were not thoroughly cleaned when they were re-used, he said. Such small water-purifying plants are copying our brands and these things may tarnish our popularity.

One small, unlicensed bottled water producer from South Dagon said his facility turned out about fifty 20-litre bottles per day, which were sold in two residential quarters in the township. The man, who asked not to be named, admitted to not registering with the FDA, but said consumers of his water have nothing to fear.

Most of the market for my brand is only in the nearby area, and I am focused on the hygiene of the water, he said.

This story originally appeared on Myanmar Now.
Business The Irrawaddy Business Roundup (April 30, 2016)

Domestic aviation sector unsustainable, says report; tripling of exports envisaged; new telecoms operator coming together; Telenor sees steady growth; and Americans eye Burmese coffee.

Local Aviation Sector Unsustainable: Report

Airline mergers and exits from Burmas domestic aviation market are inevitable, according to a new report from the CAPA Centre for Aviation, which highlighted oversupply on both internal and international flights.

In an online preview of its new report Myanmar Aviation Outlook: 2016, the Sydney-based market intelligence firm said the countrys aviation market is ripe for a shake-up, which should ultimately improve conditions and profitability.

Myanmar has huge potential but for at least the short term it faces monumental challenges, it said.

Domestically, the report said, some 10 local airlines are now competing for a market of less than 3 million passengers.

Mergers and exits are inevitable. The current situation, with several airlines competing on relatively small trunk routes, is unsustainable, said CAPA. The new government could pursue reforms that shake up Myanmars airline sector and improve profitability. However, change is hardly a certainty.

The preview also touches on competition between the state-run Myanmar National Airlines, which only last year returned to the international scene, and Myanmar Airlines International, a spin-off of the national carrier that is run by Burmese conglomerate Kanbawza (KBZ) Group.

Both airlines are now flying the highly competitive routes between Rangoon and Singapore and Rangoon and Bangkok, and both are eyeing more expansion around the region. MNA has recently launched flights to Hong Kong, with the previous government declaring that it was comfortable making a loss on a venture it believed was necessary to restore the countrys international reputation.

CAPA suggested the new Aung San Suu Kyi-led government that took power in late March may relook at the previous governments decision to fund ambitious international expansion for MNA, which previously only operated domestic services.

A partnership or even merger between MNA and MAI would be sensible as the current situation seems unsustainable, it added.

New Commerce Minister Targets Tripling of Exports

Burmas new commerce minister reckons the countrys exports can triple in the governments five-year term, identifying international markets as the key source of growth.

State media on Sunday reported comments from Than Myint, the National League for Democracys selection to head the Ministry of Commerce, during a meeting with exporters in Rangoon.

Our country must strive for a threefold increase in its exports in five years, he was quoted as saying by the Global New Light of Myanmar. He pointed to the example of nearby Vietnam, which saw its export volumes increase fourfold in eight years, he said.

Than Myint also decried the current reliance on neighboring countries for selling Burmese goods. He said he wants exporters to find markets further afield in Asia, as well as in the United States and Europe, the report said.

Burma has run high trade deficits in recent years, with exports largely consisting of products from natural resource extraction or agriculture. A report from Chinese state media last month, quoting the Commerce Ministry, valued Burmas total exports for the 2015-16 fiscal year at $10.5 billion, compared with $15.8 billion in imports.

Few specific economic policies have been announced so far by the new government, and the new minister was apparently bombarded with complaints from exporters over issues ranging from the price of land to the countrys black market.

Without going into detail, the report cited Than Myint pledging to cooperate with relevant organizations to shut down illegal trade as a national concern and to give capital and technology to private small and medium sided [sic] businesses.

A former Ministry of Finance official, 72-year-old Than Myint has served as an economic advisor for the NLD since 2012.

His credentials came under scrutiny when he was nominated to serve in the new cabinet, however, as it emerged that a doctorate he claimed to have was from a school in Hawaii known to offer qualifications for money. Regardless, the minister was identified by the Global New Light of Myanmar as Dr. Than Myint.

New Telecoms Joint Venture Could Be Formed Next Month

The new joint venture that is set to become the fourth operator in Burmas rapidly expanding mobile phone market is likely to be formed in May, according to a Vietnamese news report.

Citing information confirmed by Viettelthe Vietnamese military-owned telecommunications firm named by the government in March as the only qualified foreign bidder after a tender processVN Express reported that negotiations on the new joint venture are expected to be completed next month.

Viettel is in talks with Star High Public Company, a consortium of local firms overseen by the Burmese military, to form the venture. [T]he parties hope Myanmars government will grant a license in June, VN Express said.

The joint ventureexpected to invest about $1.5 billion to build its networkwas approved in the last month of the outgoing previous government.

A report on Deal Street Asia also said the joint venture could be formed by the end of May.

The report quoted the director of one of the public companies involved confirming that the new operator would have access to the military-owned Myanmar Economic Corporations network of CDMA phone masts that are currently used by a military-run phone provider under the name MecTel.

We will have the admittance to the CDMA towers and would get the opportunity to take up the space. We will also work on a resource sharing with the towers operators already existing, Zaw Min Oo, a director of consortium member Myanmar Technologies and Investment Corporation, told Deal Street Asia.

Telenor Reports 1.8m More Subscribers in First Quarter

Telenors growth in Burma remained almost steady in the first three months of 2016, with the Norwegian company now claiming 15.5 million subscribers, according to results published this week.

Telenor grew rapidly after launching in September 2014, putting on 3 million subscribers in the first quarter of 2015, for example. The firm has raced ahead of its private license-holding rival, Ooredoo, which now has 6.9 million customers in Burma.

Growth in subscriber numbers has slowed for Telenor, but appears to have steadied. Telenor put on an additional 1.8 million subscribers in the first quarter of this year, compared with 1.9 million subscribers added in the final quarter of last year.

Telenor also said it now has more than 5,000 towers across the country, adding 838 sites in the first quarter.

Qatar-based Ooredoo also reported new figures for quarter one this week. The company has brought in a new CEO, who has pledged to take a more mass-market tack in order to win more market share.

The company said it had more than doubled its subscriber base since the first quarter of 2015, when it had 3.4 million customers. But Ooredoos growth remains slower than Telenorscomparing the latest announcement with its subscriber figure announced at the end of 2015 shows that only about 1.1 million new subscribers were added in the first three months of this year.

The former monopoly holder, Myanma Posts and Telecommunications (MPT)now run as a joint venture between the government and Japanese investorsclaims more than 18 million subscribers.

American Interest in Burmese Coffee

Trade publication Roast Magazine says Burma is beginning to be seen as a potential source of specialty coffee for US buyers.

The publications Daily Coffee News website reported on an event held by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) in Atlanta, Georgia, earlier this month, where Burmese coffee producers met with potential buyers.

The report said buyers in the competitive US market are in constant search of new and exciting specialty coffees to present to their quality-concerned customers, and therefore Burma presents an enticing proposition.

Efforts to build the infrastructure to export high-quality coffee from Burma were being closely watched, the report said, noting that the SCAA recently awarded 56 of 60 Burmese coffees at specialty-grade or above at a cupping competition.

The report pointed to projects by the Coffee Quality Institute and US nonprofit Winrock International that are providing funding and on-the-ground assistance to Burmese coffee farmers.

Also in attendance was the Myanmar Coffee Associations chairman, Ye Mint. We are sharing the knowledge and sharing the information with all of our people, he told Daily Coffee News. We start with following the good practices for the processing technology.
Dateline Irrawaddy: Shwe Mann Could Have Done More to Build Trust

This week, the panel discusses the recent purge of 17 senior members of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, including its former chairman Shwe Mann.

Ye Ni: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! This week, well discuss the recent purge of 17 senior members of the Union Solidarity and Development Party [USDP], including Thura U Shwe Mann. Political commentator Dr. Yan Myo Thein and chairman of the Democratic Party for a New Society Ko Aung Moe Zaw will join me for the discussion. Im The Irrawaddy Burmese editor Ye Ni.

Ko Yan Myo Thein, Ko Aung Moe Zaw, as you know 17 party members including Thura U Shwe Mann were recently purged from USDP. People say that it is the sequel to the midnight purge [when Shwe Mann was removed as chairman of the then-ruling USDP last August].

The USDP contested the November election and suffered a humiliating defeat. Afterward, U Shwe Mann cooperated with Daw Aung San Suu Kyis government. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi described her government as a government of national reconciliation and worked together with U Shwe Mann. Now, U Thein Sein has taken the reins of the USDP. Does the fact that U Thein Seins leadership has ousted U Shwe Mann suggest that the USDP is not willing to cooperate with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and, instead, wants to stand in opposition [to her government]?

Yan Myo Thein: I dont view the purge of 17 members including U Shwe Mann as [the work of] an internal faction within the USDP. But I guess it may be a political move to push U Shwe Mann closer to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Looking at the current situation of the USDP, it experienced an overwhelming defeat in the November election. And it does not garner peoples interest. Most people are not interested in and dont support U Shwe Mann, who is the ex-leader of the USDP. So his removal isnt an unusual move for the USDP, I dont think.

YN: In his statement, U Shwe Mann said that it is an intra-party issue. But he also said that it may concern the interests of the entire nation. What does he mean by this?

Aung Moe Zaw: I assume the purge is just the internal work of the USDP. I dont think it is a big issue that will spill over and affect the entire country. Again, speaking of national reconciliation and building democracy, they [the National League for Democracy-led government] have to work toward reconciliation with the military and armed groups as well as build trust between political forces. But we have to consider carefully whether [Suu Kyis cooperation] with U Shwe Mann should really be viewed as a national reconciliation effort. As Ko Yan Myo Thein said, the USDP is not a strong opposition party, based on the election results, though I dont know how strong it is in terms of the size of its network, including businesses and assets. Still, its not a strong party. Today, the party is not in a position to shake up the country politically. The purge was just a normal intra-party issue, Id say.

YN: Its fair to say that the USDP is a rich party, considering its possessions nationwide. But if this faction results in a conflict of interest regarding the partys possessions, can this lead to a situation that can harm the interests of the country, as Thura U Shwe Mann said?

YMT: If the USDP has ousted U Shwe Mann and other members in line with party rules and regulations, its just an intra-party issue that was handled accordingly. The partys possessions are another problem. To understand this, we need to go back to the time when the party was a social organization [the Union Solidarity and Development Association]. That association was heavily backed by Burmas previous governments. It grew thanks to this support and was transformed into a political party just prior to the election in 2010. No one knows exactly how the possessions were transferred when the association was transformed into a political party. If U Shwe Mann can show that this issue could have larger implications for the rest of the country, then more people would surely be interested.

YN: There is also speculation that U Shwe Mann will establish a party of his own. If he does this, how would he ask for his share of [the USDPs] possessions, including the partys flags, emblems and so on, within the existing legal framework?

AMZ: It depends on the Union Election Commission [UEC]. As far as I understand, it was U Thein Sein who signed the registration as chairman when the party was registered with UEC. And its not like the party split in two and that U Shwe Mann left with a large number of followers when he was ousted. And they were removed in accord with partys rules and regulations. So, they [Shwe Manns faction] have little legitimacy to appeal to the UEC, I think. If he wants to set up a party, he has to do it himself. Some of his followers from the USDP and his outside supporters may join a new party. But it would be difficult for him to claim the partys possessions and flags and emblems.

YN: Another interesting thing is that the USDP is now back under the leadership of U Thein Sein. Do you think the party will be a major opposition to Daw Aung San Suu Kyis government?

YMT: At present, there are only around 40 lawmakers from the USDP in Parliament, which is less than 10 percent of total lawmakers in Parliament. I find no reason to believe that the USDP will become a strong opposition in Parliament with such small numbers. No way! Moreover, they dont t have the support and trust of the people. Its strong neither inside nor outside Parliament. So how can it become a strong opposition? Theres little chance of this happening. Still, they are very financially strong and may have a strong network of contacts because of the role they have played in the past. If they take advantage of that, then they could enter and engage with civil society through the guise of extra-parliamentary politics. Anyway, I dont think at all that the USDP will gain strong public support in the next five years.

YN: What is your view, Ko Aung Moe Zaw?

AMZ: The more democratically transparent our country becomes, and the faster our countrys transition becomes and the more our country meets democratic norms, the faster ex-authoritarians and their associates will fade away. The 2015 election clearly showed that people do not want them at all.

YN: Lets go back to U Shwe Mann. Many believe that U Shwe Mann was purged from the USDP because he chose to work together with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, with the USDP accusing him of betraying the party. Under such circumstances, what advice do you think Daw Aung San Suu Kyi would give him? Hes done a lot to help Daw Aung San Suu Kyi achieve many of todays successes.

YMT: Personally, I dont think most people are interested in the purge of U Shwe Mann and other members of the USDP, though the media and educated people may be interested in the issue. In my view, we need to assess whether the cooperation between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Shwe Mann has really served the purposes of national reconciliation and democratic reform for the country. As Ko Aung Moe Zaw said, there are many different entities that should be involved with reconciliation. For example, until 2010, [the NLD] failed to build understanding and trust with political alliances it had previously worked shoulder to shoulder with. Only after 2012 did it try to build these relationships. We need to think about whether this is really a step toward national reconciliation.

Again, U Shwe Mann served as the third-highest official in the military [junta]. If he had been dedicated to national reconciliation, he could have done a lot more by now to build trust between democratic forces and the military as well as between ethnic armed groups and the military. Looking at his actions over the past three, four years, I dont find them satisfactory at all. The country and people have not gotten benefits from [Shwe Manns] cooperation with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, but U Shwe Mann has gotten [them].

YN: Ko Yan Myo Thein, Ko Aung Moe Zaw, thank you for your contribution.
Rick Osterloh, former president of Motorola, is coming back to Google to run a new division and unify the company's disparate hardware projects.

According to the online publication re/code, a Google rep confirmed that Osterloh has rejoined the high-tech and Internet search company Google as its newest Senior Vice President. Osterloh will report to CEO Sundar Pichai and run the new hardware product line.

The same publication reports that Google has struggled for years to ensure a unified management of its various hardware initiatives. The company was striving to deliver products that consumers actually use, moving delicately to handle its business partners.

In this context, now Osterloh will come to oversee Google's new hardware division. This centralized hardware department will focus on Nexus devices and also include a suite of products called the "living room."

In his new role, Osterloh will take over hardware development on Google's flagship Android phone as well as its OEM partnerships. He will work closely with Hiroshi Lockheimer, Android SVP, who will now focus more on platform and software development.

Osterloh will also manage Google's development of the TV streaming stick, one of its best-selling hardware devices. In the matter of consumer hardware, Osterloh will manage the development of the new Pixel C device that runs on Android and Chromebook laptops.

The wireless home router OnHub that used to belong under the Access company within Google's Alphabet, now it is directly under Google and Osterloh. Google's modular phone effort, Project Ara and portions of the experimental hardware lab now report to Osterloh as well. Project Aura, the new team that is building the next version of the wearable headgear Google Glass, is also moving under Osterloh.

During Google's ownership of the hardware maker Motorola, Osterloh worked his way up the ranks. Following the exit of Dennis Woodside for Dropbox, Osterloh moved from head of product management to president of the business.

Following Google's sale of the Motorola business to Lenovo, Osterloh remained as the head of the company, but amid a broader reorganization at the Chinese hardware company, he left last month.

According to Computerworld, this move could help make life easier for Google's chip and hardware partners working on different projects with different parts of the companies. This also hints at Google's plans for the Google Glass, the living room, ChromeOS and Nexus.
Japan's space agency announced on Thursday, April 28, that it abandoned efforts to restore the operations of its multimillion-dollar satellite officially known as ASTRO-H, or Hitomi.

According to the website phys.org, Hitomi had the mission to use its X-ray telescopes, gamma ray detectors and imagers for probing the mysteries of black holes and observing neutron stars and galaxy clusters. After determining that it was "highly likely" that its two solar arrays had broken off at their bases, the Japanese Space Agency said it would stop trying to fix the satellite.

More than a month after its launch from southern Japan on Feb. 17, the satellite lost contact with the ground space command on March 26. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) previously announced on Feb. 29 on its official website that the satellite reached orbit and it was in a stable condition.

But little over a month after its launch, in the evening of March 26, JAXA announced that it lost Hitomi. Initially, it was thought that the lack of communication with Hitomi was just an anomaly, and while working toward a recovery, the space agency was able to receive a short signal from it.

According to International Business Times, later investigation revealed that, while the main body remained spinning in orbit, the satellite had broken up into several pieces. The spin has been accelerated by incorrect signals and incorrect programming. The solar battery panels and an observation platform were torn away by the resulting increase in centrifugal force, according to a Thursday report on Asahi Shimbun.

Director of JAXA's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Saku Tsuneta, explained on Thursday during a press conference that the malfunction was caused by human errors. But since they were not able to detect those errors, a bigger problem lies with the entire system.

JAXA also acknowledged in a statement on Thursday that the signals previously thought to be originating from Hitomi after March 26 were actually from another satellite, as they proved to have a different frequency. and were actually from another satellite.

JAXA's statement also said that based on information from overseas organizations and its own analyses, the space agency will stop its efforts to restore Hitomi and will resume only "on the investigation of anomaly causes."
How do you find, access, and collaborate with large amounts of data when offices can span regions, operating systems, and often on multiple PCs, servers, and clouds? Browser based solutions are usually inadequate and often insecure.

Dropboxs Project Infinite is a technology preview that addresses a major issue its users have asked the company to solve. The amount of information being created and shared has exploded, but most people still work on devices with limited storage capacity.

Project Infinite is essentially a desktop interface that disregards where things are stored. It will enable users to seamlessly and securely access both their local and Dropbox files from the desktop, without having to download to the local hard disk.

Everything in the companys Dropbox that a user is permitted to access, whether its stored locally on a server, or in the cloud, will show up in Dropbox on the desktop. If its synced locally, it will show the familiar green checkmark while everything else will have a new cloud icon.

Through Project Infinite, teams will gain:
Adoption of Dropbox Business has enabled Campos to streamline work between its network of international growers, with files updated seamlessly and access to store activities at the click of a button.

Started by Will Young and Raf Bartkowski from a small cafe in Newtown, Sydney, it has grown to more than 60 outlets in Queensland, NSW, and Victoria. It is a strong supporter of direct trade, choosing to buy its beans straight from coffee growers.

And it is that growth and diversity that have driven it to the cloud  Dropbox Business.

Dropbox Business is geared toward groups like ours  its a platform that will grow with our business as it grows. On top of that, the customer service is faultless. We know exactly who to call for help and always get a very quick response which is brilliant for such a large, expansive product, Young said.

In a move to address file visibility issues and a clunky intranet system, Campos deployed Dropbox across its network, from internal file sharing to collaborating on recipes and techniques with their barristers across the country.

For Campos, Dropbox use cases include storing and sharing large pictures among team members and partners from Panama to Papua New Guinea to emailing growers in Columbia to share field videos to check crop health. Improved visibility has allowed Campos to deliver a consistent quality product, which is passed on to the consumer.

We used to have to wait for weekly reports to come to us through email, with Dropbox Business, we get updates daily and can track our stores performance or fix problems so much faster. It really helps us manage the entire company more effectively, said Young.

The Dropbox user interface is simple to navigate making staff on boarding straightforward and time efficient, according to Internal communications and executive Assistant Rose Cole.

Within a week or two of signing up, we rolled out Dropbox Business to everyone. It was very smooth. Some of our staff already had Dropbox installed, and everyone seemed to understand how to navigate it and get started, she said.

Dropbox Business has positioned itself as a serious player in the enterprise IT space, gaining traction in the market with companies such as Wesfarmers, Unilever, Bauer Media and Servcorp embracing Dropbox Business for benefits such as simple collaboration, robust admin control, security and improved internal processes.
Unlike traditional labour outsourcing, BPO is all about contracting the operations and responsibilities of a specific business process to a third-party service.

I interviewed Accentures Russell Ives, Managing Director of Operations in Australia and New Zealand responsible for the delivery of Accentures Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) programs.

He joined Accenture in August 2012 from IBM where he was leading the IBM BPO sales team for IBMs growth markets (Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, Latin America).

Over the past 25 years, he has worked with clients in multiple industries, in particular, Financial Service, Communications, and Utilities, with deep experience across consulting, systems integration and business transformation. For the past ten years, he has focused on transformational BPO  ensuring that clients achieve the full value of BPO through global delivery, industry capabilities, analytical insights, and innovation.

He holds Bachelor degrees in Science and Commerce from the University of Melbourne, and a Master of Management (Technology) from the Melbourne Business School, completing research into information management.

The remainder of the interview is paraphrased to avoid overuse of he said.

Want are Accentures main industry focuses?

Communications, media, and technology

Financial services

Government and public service

Products  an interesting bag covering retail, department stores, travel, transportation

Resources  mining, energy, utilities

It has industry based consulting groups in each area that know what is happening in their markets, technologies, changes in dynamics, and operating models.

It is heavily into digital strategy  multi-channel, security, analytics, implementation  with a focus on the cloud, virtualised desktops and technology.

What is BPO?

I see BPO as an end-to-end change vehicle for organisations to drive operational efficiencies and new capabilities.

Business process outsourcing (BPO) is a subset of outsourcing that involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of a specific business process to a third-party service. It typically involves back office  like HR, finance, and accounts or front office like customer facing contact centres.

Ives thinks it can be almost any aspect of business as long as it is cost effective and delivers a better outcome. It can be related to peak needs or ongoing needs.

But he is trying to differentiate Accentures offerings by adding strategic consulting and digital strategy (technology) to BPO customers. There is a real difference between operational and infrastructure BPO and real line of business process outsourcing. Accenture is more process oriented  not just providing bums on seats.

What has been the evolution of BPO?

The 1st generation of BPO was to get operating functions and headcounts off the books. That was the mid-90s.

The 2nd generation was to lower cost by going off-shore - early 2000  offshore labour arbitrages

The 3rd generation is about service levels  mix and match of on-and-off shore with a heavy focus on continuous improvement

The 4th generation is about using analytics to structure contracts to committed outcomes  real objectives and outcome oriented contracts

The 5th generation is interesting  up until now most of the BPO has been delivered on a clients own technology - IT - and now we see it delivered by cloud and service. BPO as a service!

But the bulk of the market is still at the 3rd generation  labour oriented. But there is a very strong move to add technology and innovation to BPO. Clients need to look at BPO as an end-to-end process.

What we are seeing is that clients are getting cost and labour advantages but have not really moved the business forward. Where do I go next? The answer is to use digital transformation and end-to-end processes using digital channels to deliver not only more efficiency but do it differently  better and change the balance to a technology-enabled model.

In many respects the latest 5th generation is best  it is very focused on what the client wants to achieve. It is more of a partnership based on trust. BPO is not just about the basics but a focus on what is really important. And thats also about payment models to  the move to OPEX over CAPEX.

But the organisation has to be ready for change, and its leadership has to be ready!

What about Analytics  what do you mean by the term?

For my sins, my masters thesis was on business intelligence. To me simplistically there is a spectrum of reporting that comes from ERP and core systems, and then it is sliced, diced and charted. But there is a huge challenge in drawing additional insight and inferences from that data  statistics and predictive modelling.

Analytics, arguably, is the most pervasive of these trends, and we will see more and more insight being gleaned from the masses of data that can be accessed inside and outside of the organisation. Insights that can be applied to operational improvements, customer engagement and net promoter scores, product, and marketing, channel design and optimisation, employee engagement and development. The more effective BPO providers are in collating data and generating valuable insights, the better positioned they will be to drive value inside BPO and for clients.

Perhaps that is the 6th generation where BPO is not about process outsourcing but digital transformation via machine learning, advanced analytics, workflow analysis and even robotics. Do we really need a person to do the job?

What impact is cloud computing having on BPO?

Technology is the enabler. Some predict it will make some providers redundant. Others are talking about the potential of BPaaS (Business Process as a Service) to add significant value to clients and providers.

Managed Services, BPaaS, and 5th generation BPO are the key trends for the industry over the next five years. Clients will be able to reduce their traditional IT spend by taking advantage of cloud-based applications (SaaS) while getting the operational and service quality advantages that BPO can provide. Clients are already requesting the integration of SaaS and BPO, and providers will need to develop new capabilities to be able to respond.
USB Flash drives left around offices in government, education, enterprise or given away at trade shows are the easiest way for cyber criminals to gain backdoor access.

Security vendor Sophos tested USB keys purchased at a lost property auction and found 66% had malware or virus.

To complicate the matter, a new study from the University of Illinois has found that of nearly 300 abandoned flash drives planted at the University campus, 48% inserted the drive and looked at the contents with a median time of 6.9 hours  the first was opened 6 minutes after being found.

A recent experiment by CompTIA littered four US cities  Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.  with 200 unbranded, rigged drives, leaving them in high-traffic, public locations to find out how many people would do something risky. About 20% of users plugged in the drives and proceeded to engage in several potentially risky behaviours: opening text files, clicking on unfamiliar web links, or sending messages to a listed email address.

And the recent Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASC) conference, 12-14 April in Canberra, imposed tight new regulations on USB usage, with presenters prohibited from bringing slides in on the devices. USBs were not able to be included in satchel bags nor handed out at booths, in the interest of cyber security.

So that is the bad news  no more stray USB drives, please.

Of those who did engage in risky USB insertions

16% scanned the drive with their anti-virus software.

8% believed that their operating system security features would protect them, e.g., I trust my MacBook to be a good defence against viruses

8% sacrificed a personal computer or used university resources to protect their personal equipment.

There are a few things you can do to protect your computer from USB hijack.

Turn off auto-play to prevent any executable files or batch files from launching

Format the device immediately on insertion  never open any files

Consider encryption for any files you put on the device

Use a reputable antivirus/malware program like Sophos that automatically checks USB drives

Sophos security expert Bruce Schneier asks which is more idiotic: plugging in a potentially malware-laced USB key, or designing them to be this dangerous?

People get USB sticks all the time. The problem isnt that people are idiots, that they should know that a USB stick found on the street is automatically bad and a USB stick given away at a trade show is automatically good. The problem is that the operating system trusts random USB sticks. The problem is that the OS will automatically run a program that can install malware from a USB stick. The problem is that it isnt safe to plug a USB stick into a computer unless you are absolutely sure of its pedigree.
In fact, many speakers will challenge Australian Business and the World Business Forum, May 25-26 at the Star in Sydney.

Business Executive Education (BEE) and World of Business Ideas (WOBI) have announced that Sir Richard Branson, one of the worlds best known and most admired entrepreneurs, will be speaking at this years World Business Forum (WBF).

This year's forum focuses on Story Makers. It brings together eight internationally renowned business personalities from a diverse range of fields, as well as three prominent Australian business leaders. The business icons will challenge current business and leadership practices while providing practical ideas and tools to help Australian decision makers grow their organisations.

Alberto Saiz, Asia-Pacific CEO of the World Business Forum, believes this years event is set to be the most inspiring yet.

Delegates will have unparalleled access to some of the worlds greatest thinkers like Sir Richard Branson and Chris Gardner, who will deliver the best management content worldwide and help business leaders from Australia and New Zealand to further build upon the knowledge they need to take their organisation to the next level.

The conference will host the biggest congregation of senior executives in Australia and New Zealand, ranging from CEOs of multinational listed companies, to small business owners and key decision makers across all departments. It really is a unique opportunity to network with business leaders from a wide range of industries, said Mr Saiz.

The conference will also host a panel discussion where high profile Australian business leaders, such as NABs Andrew Thorburn, will discuss how they have successfully taken on business transformation amid uncertainty.

The speakers for the 2016 World Business Forum include:

Sir Richard Branson  Founder of the Virgin Group - Lessons from a Rebel Entrepreneur

Chris Gardner  Author of The Pursuit of Happyness - Inspiring Others to Reach Their Full Potential

Robert Kaplan  Professor of Leadership Development, Emeritus at the Harvard Business School What You Measure is What You Get

Nicholas Negroponte  Founding Chairman of MIT Media Lab and Founder of One Laptop per Child - Creating a More Peaceful Planet through Technology

Tamara Erickson  Executive Fellow of Organisational Behaviour at the London Business School -Creating a Culture that Fosters and Engages Talented Individuals of All Ages

John Mattone  Leading Author and Expert on Leadership - Unlock Your Massive Leadership Potential. Unleash a Winning Culture

Rita McGrath  Professor at the Columbia Business School and Expert on Strategy - Elements of the New Playbook for Strategy

Mauro Porcini  Chief Design Officer of PepsiCo - Design Thinker: A Different Breed of Innovator

CEO Panel Discussion - Business Transformation amid Uncertainty - Professor Brandon Lee from Melbourne Business School will host Andrew Thorburn, CEO of NAB, Rob Sindel, CEO of CSR, and Jackie Fairley, CEO of Starpharma Holdings, in a discussion on the individual, organisational and market-level challenges inherent in business transformation.

These speakers join a list of previous World Business Forum speakers including two-time chairman of the US Federal Reserve Dr Ben Bernanke, Co-Founder of Apple Steve Wozniak, former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, father of strategy Michael Porter, Saatchi & Saatchis Kevin Roberts and Facebook's former Marketing Director, Randi Zuckerberg.

For 12 years, the World Business Forum has been inspiring business leaders by hosting annual events in Bogota, New York, Milan, Madrid, Mexico City and Sydney.

World Business Forum Sydney is proudly sponsored by NAB, Hitachi Australia, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Chartered Accountants ANZ, Melbourne Business School, Bupa and Australia Post.

World Business Forum takes place on Wednesday 25th May and Thursday 26th May at The Star, Pyrmont, Sydney. Registration opens at 8:00am on day one and 7:30am on day two. For further information on the forum or to register to attend, please click here.
For medical diagnostic equipment maker Alere, master data management was the key to unlocking its digital transformation.In hindsight, we carried our legacy process for years and years, says Jason Jarrett, senior director of business intelligence and solutions at Alere. If I could do it again, I would have done this sooner. Youre skeptical about disruption, but it would have been better to go ahead, bit the bullet and implement.

As a medical device company with annual revenue of about $3 billion, Alere uses third-party distributors to sell its products to hospitals and doctors offices. To process incentive compensation for its sales force, it purchases data from those third-party distributors to evaluate sales performance and changes in market share. But getting the information on time and processing data from disparate sources  each distributor uses a different reporting method  became a significant challenge.

[ Related: How to succeed at digital transformation ]

We would have one distributor call it Florida Hospital, spelled out in its full name, Jarrett says. We would have another call it FL Hospital. We would have another call it a completely different name. So aggregating that information for our sales force was impossible.

Its in inconsistent formats, not standardized, he adds. The reps, you know, would have a great month and all of a sudden theyre waiting for their paychecks. It brings to light a trust factor. With the process, we needed to improve the timeliness, we needed to improve data integrity and also generate a platform that people could consume the information and Alere could use it to evaluate market changes and react to it in a much more timely manner.

50 ways to manage data

With limited visibility into their own customer base, Jarrett made it his goal to transition Alere to a single-source data strategy with an integrated customer master that could be a data and reporting foundation for the entire organization. The first step was to get the customer data in order.

The only problem? Alere has 50-plus distributors and little in the way of incentive to get them all to adopt a common technology and process. Even if it could achieve that, Aleres finance personnel would still have to clean the data and manually process it using Access and Excel. As with any manual process, accuracy and timeliness were issues. When errors were discovered the team had to start the entire process over again. Jarrett says a whole team of analysts and managers were spending more than 500 hours per month cleaning and processing data.

[ Related: Digital transformation will shape 2016 ]

Jarrett knew the process needed to be reimagined from top to bottom. Alere brought in integrated sales and marketing services specialist ZS Associates to help it map out its existing process and the data at its disposal.

We had them come in and map the current state of the process, Jarrett says. We evaluated the gaps and the issues with it. We went to them and they essentially designed a new process. We went back and forth, just kind of collaborating on what would work for Alere.

ZS filled in the niche that we needed on the development side, he adds. They were good at helping us to brainstorm. The hardest part was taking legacy processes and putting them down in detailed documentation. We had to take all that information, go through it and make it consistent. In doing it, we better understood our processes and where we could make even greater improvement.

[ Related: CEOs force CIOs, CMOs into digital transformation bunker ]

In all, he says, the process, including the creation of a new data collection and compensation process involving third-party distributors, took five to six months. The partners created the following:

A vision for a well-run process in finance and a new master data management strategy for the firm

Scorecards that rate each distributors efforts to submit data as an incentive to deliver better data, on time

A master data management solution built with ZS partner Reltio that enables data stewardship

A new reporting platform that provides visualization and ad hoc analytics

The core of the solution is ZS ARTiS business intelligence platform, which serves as the primary database. It orchestrates feeds of data from multiple sources, including Reltio to create Aleres new single-source data feed.

Twenty-five days processing time has now become 10 days of Alere processing time, Jarrett says. This has given us 500 hours we now can spend on pricing optimization, marketing strategies and campaigns, evaluating margins, product performance, etc. Internally, we saved about $400,000 or so of development costs. Alere could never have developed the same level of solution capability that ZS gave us with the solution that we have now. ARTiS is a backbone of that process and its an automated solution. We dont have to go through the manual process of every month doing the same thing over and over and over again.

Making change management manageable

As with any such undertaking, Jarrett notes that change management was an important component in making the project successful.

Its because were changing what your culture is used to, he says. You have to educate them about the value. You have to essentially sell it a little bit.

Ultimately, though, he says getting sales on board wasnt that difficult because his team focused on showing them how the new tools would make their work easier.

The important things are to be patient and dedicate a project team, he says. I think its important to dedicate at least a few people so they can fully engage, fully immerse and really make sure theyre covering the end user perspective. How does it look for each person, from each users perspective?
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Sony may be canceling the PS5 release date to make way for the PS4K. Apparently, the company will improve the PS4 instead.

The Inquisitr reported that the PS5 release date "is probably not going to happen." It was revealed that the console may have been ditched for something that should have been included in the PS4 launch.

The publication noted that PS4 and Xbox One, despite the hype surrounding them, did not really have a "major improvement" over their predecessors, the PS3 and Xbox 360, respectively. The upcoming PS4 update should, hopefully, be a significant upgrade from the current console.

According to Game Spot, gaming veteran Lorne Lanning asked PlayStation president Shuhei Yoshida about the PS5 release date and other details. The two met during a private dinner at the DICE event last Feb. 2015.

"I said, 'What does the PlayStation 5 look like?'" Lanning recounted. "And he said, 'You mean if...' And I was like, 'Whoa. Are you willing to say that on stage?' And he said, 'Yeah, it's an if.'"

The topic was not discussed in the presentation. However, Lanning has admitted that he is in support of the PS4.5 or PS4K's development.

"It was a really interesting thing; he didn't give me a clear answer, but he's hinting at, 'We need to be more agile, none of us know what the future really looks like so how do we adapt to it faster?' he added. "To me, that's the way he was sort of thinking about it, which I think is the right way think about it."

Meanwhile, Kotaku added that developer sources have confirmed with them that Sony is planning a new version of the PS4. The rumored console is believed to come with increased graphical power and will have games running at 4K resolution.

Moreover, the company has reportedly started to brief developers. PS4.5 or PS4K is said to include an upgraded GPU and more processing power.
Recent Yahoo sale news revealed that a prank has caused the company to be put up on a fake Craigslist ad. This comes in the midst of the Internet giant's search for buyers.

Mashable reported that the company has now been listed for sale on Craigslist. The ad was posted on the website last Thursday.

"A rare find, this one-of-a-kind Internet original is now available to the public for a limited time," the post read. "A beautiful piece in good-to-fair condition, showing some signs of wear but easily restored in the hands of the right person. Sadly, the original owners can no longer maintain it."

Apparently, Yahoo has been listed as worth $8 billion. Of course, there is a possibility that there might be an even better offer.

The company was filed in the antiques section of the website. The following are said to be included in the package:

1 billion users, more or less

Web email system (now 62% spam free!)

Bottomless archive of Kim Kardashian photos

Flickr & Tumblr

Fully equipped Nautilus gym

A really nice cafeteria

The Yahoo Weather app

Several warehouses filled with Kind bars

Katie Couric

Moreover, Next Shark noted that the ad contact's name is Marissa. The publication added that the humorous advertisement "makes light of the company's misfortune."

Meanwhile, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer may get a whopping $55 million for severance benefits according to USA Today. This would come to pass if ever she is terminated without cause.

In previous Yahoo sale news, it was reported that the Internet giant has bowed to activist hedge fund Starboard Value LP. The company has agreed to add four new members to its board.

Yahoo has finally reached a deal with Starboard to introduce four new independent directors to its board. The agreement showed that the company's board and management were pressed by major shareholders to settle the proxy battle.
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A federal judge ruled Friday that some evidence about claims of racial discrimination will be allowed in a lawsuit involving three Mocksville police officers who allege they were fired for reporting allegations of corruption in the police department.

Former Maj. Ken Hunter, Lt. Rick Donathan and Detective Jerry Medlin filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in 2012 against the town of Mocksville, former Police Chief Robert Cook and current Town Manager Christine Bralley. They alleged that Cook and Bralley violated their free-speech rights when Cook fired them on Dec. 29, 2011. Cook retired in 2013.

The trial starts Monday in U.S. District Court in Winston-Salem and could take two weeks.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder considered several pre-trial motions, including two from attorneys on both sides seeking to limit certain evidence.

Stephen Dunn, one of the attorneys for the defendants, argued that allegations of race discrimination should be limited because they could inflame the jury and create prejudice against the defendants. Dunn objected to the testimony of three members of the Davie County chapter of the NAACP as well as testimony from another former Mocksville Police officer who alleged racial discrimination. He also objected to mention of Cook allegedly using a racial slur in 2007 while on a fishing trip with Hunter, who is black.

The officers met with local leaders of the NAACP before they called the N.C. Attorney Generals Office and then the Governors Office, according to the lawsuit.

Dunn said he didnt object to race discrimination being mentioned during the trial because the officers say they mentioned it when they called the Governors Office in December 2011. But he said it would be prejudicial if theres too much discussion of race. It would create the impression that the Mocksville Police Department and Cook were racially insensitive.

Schroeder agreed to a certain extent.

I dont want to turn this into a mini-trial about race, he said.

Robert Elliot, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, said thats not the intention. He said only one NAACP member would be called for about 20 minutes of testimony. But Elliot argued that some evidence of race discrimination has to be allowed in because thats one of the things that the officers were concerned about. Hunter believed that Cook stripped him of his supervisory duties in a reorganization of the department in November 2011.

Schroeder said he would be inclined to let in some of the evidence, but definitely not anything about Cooks alleged racial slur because it took place in 2007.

The 4th Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals decided last year that the lawsuit could go to trial, and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld that ruling. Town officials have denied allegations that the officers were fired for contacting the Governors Office.

Attorneys for the defendants have sought to introduce evidence that Cook fired the officers for other reasons, including concerns about their performance. Elliot said in court Friday that many of those reasons were fabricated after the officers were fired. Theres nothing in the officers personnel records that indicated that they were about to be fired, he said.

The officers accused Cook and Matthews of mismanaging police department money. They also said Cook drank excessively and posed as a certified law-enforcement officer when he was not. They also alleged that Cook fixed traffic tickets for his friends.

Hunter, Donathan and Medlin each are seeking at least $100,000 in damages and their jobs back.
The cries rang out in the dead of night: Someone reported hearing a child crying for "a long period of time" and that the sounds emanated from a San Antonio back yard, authorities said.

It was nearly midnight when Bexar County sheriff's deputies arrived at the house. Their knocks went unanswered, spokesman James Keith told the Associated Press, and then they discovered a terrible sight in the back yard: two children, tied up.

"One of the toddlers was chained to the ground; the other was tied to a door with a dog leash," the sheriff's office said in a release.

"It's sickening. To call this horrific would be an understatement," Keith told the San Antonio News-Express. "If it wasn't for our deputies and this caller who tipped us off, we know that this could have had an even worse outcome."

Inside the house, deputies found six more children, ages 10 months to 13 years. No adults were at home, according to authorities.

The parents of the six children returned to the house early Friday morning, the sheriff's office said.

The mother, 34-year-old Porucha Phillips, was arrested Friday afternoon and faces two felony charges of injury to a child. Jail records show she is waiting to go before a magistrate to be officially charged.

"It's believed she was responsible for the care of the two children who were found tied up outside," the sheriff's office said in a release.

The child tied with a dog leash, a 3-year-old girl, had a broken arm, Keith told the News-Express.

A metal chain fastened to the ground had been strapped to a 2-year-old boy's ankle, "the same kind of setup you would use for a dog," Keith told AP.

Deputies released both children, who were taken to a local children's hospital to be "treated for a variety of issues," the sheriff's office said in a release. All eight of the children are in the care of Child Protective Services.

Earlier Friday, the sheriff's office said, "Investigators are also working to track down the parent(s) of the two children who were found outside."

Keith told the News-Express: "We will dedicate every ounce of energy to making sure that those responsible are held accountable and that these children are never harmed again."
WASHINGTON  Donald Trump claims the Republican presidential primary system is corrupt and rigged against him. If anything, the opposite is true: The partys rules have largely operated in Trumps favor. Witness the fact that, going into Tuesdays primaries, Trump had won just 38 percent of the popular vote but 47 percent of the delegates awarded so far.

Still, Trumps griping seems to have resonated even beyond his own supporters. The dispute highlights the friction between the parties institutional interests in self-preservation and voters convictions that they run the show. This inherent tension tends to be submerged in less contentious election years, when those competing imperatives can both be accommodated.

Trump has discovered what a lot of Americans have discovered, which is that the nomination of a president is not a public process, the Brookings Institutions Elaine Kamarck told me. Its a party process that the parties in modern times have allowed the public to participate in.

Until the 1970s, nominees were mostly chosen by party regulars (more loaded word, bosses). In the early 20th century, some states instituted primaries at the urging of progressive reformers. Let The People Rule was Theodore Roosevelts catchphrase in his comeback bid at the 1912 GOP convention, as Geoffrey Cowan relates in his new book with that title.

But these contests remained barely relevant, except for upstart candidates seeking to demonstrate appeal. In the 1952 Democratic nomination contest, as Kamarck recounts in Primary Politics, Estes Kefauver won 12 of 15 primaries and 3 million votes, compared to 78,000 for his chief rival, Adlai Stevenson, who hadnt even run. Stevenson won on the third ballot.

Things changed  for both parties  after the rancorous 1968 campaign, when Democrats Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy won the vast majority of primary votes but Hubert Humphrey, who did not compete in the primary, secured a first-ballot nomination. A post-election Democratic commission ushered in a new era for both parties in which, Kamarck wrote, mass persuasion replaced elite persuasion.

Yet that system entails choosing rules, which in turn embody choices about how much power the party should cede to voters:

Should a majority be required? Actually, a party looking for an acceptable general election candidate could rationally require a super-majority. Democrats once had a two-thirds rule  although that can produce chaos, as when the 1924 convention required 103 ballots over 16 days.

u Should the primary be open, giving voice to independent voters whose views will matter in November, or should it be closed, better reflecting the preference of committed partisans?

Should delegates be chosen, as Democrats mandate, by proportional representation, which empowers longer-shot candidates and risks a more drawn-out contest, or by some form of winner-take-all allocation, as Republicans allow states to choose in later contests?

Is there a role for superdelegates, party leaders and elected officials to mediate the popular choice? Democrats created superdelegates in the aftermath of the 1972 George McGovern debacle and 1976 election of outsider Jimmy Carter.

Should delegates be required to vote for the candidate that voters in their state backed, and, if so, through how many ballots? Republican Party rules bind most delegates on the first ballot. Democrats rules  following Ted Kennedys unsuccessful bid to free delegates committed to incumbent Jimmy Carter in 1980  are slightly looser, requiring delegates to in good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.

Ironically, the Republican Partys approach  winner-take-all states; no superdelegates; binding first-ballot votes  works in Trumps favor, notwithstanding his bellyaching.

Will the legacy of 2016 be to further empower voters  or the GOP reasserting control to prevent future Trumps? Political scientist Marty Cohen, co-author of The Party Decides, said Republicans would do better to nominate Trump  and use the ensuing disaster to tighten control.

They can say this is what happens when the voters are left to their own devices ... and make sure it doesnt happen again, Cohen said.

Maybe, although the party might be wary of further inflaming grass-roots voters, and the history of rules changes suggests the likelihood of unintended consequences  as with the GOPs move this year to shorten the period during which it required that delegates be awarded proportionately. The intent was to produce a nominee faster, but the tweak ended up fueling Trump.

In the meantime, dont be fooled. Trumps real gripe isnt with the rules. Its with himself, and how badly prepared he was to exploit them.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) answers questions during his weekly news conference Friday at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Credit: Getty Images

The Wisconsin Voter The Journal Sentinel's Craig Gilbert explores political trends in a purple state and beyond. SHARE Click to enlarge

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Paul Ryans popularity has ticked upward in his home state of Wisconsin since he became House speaker.

But the improvement has come entirely from voters outside his conservative Republican base, a review of his polling numbers shows.

Ryan is getting his best ratings in years from moderates and independents.

His image has improved among Democrats and liberals, too.

Meanwhile, his ratings with Republican voters, while positive, are down slightly.

In short, Ryan has become a less polarizing figure back home during his brief speakership, not a more polarizing one.

Thats the very opposite of what happened when Ryan joined the GOP ticket four years ago, the last time he occupied such a high-profile national role in his party.

He is sort of presenting himself as the face of constructive conservatism (and) in notable contrast to Donald Trump. And I think that is potentially very appealing to moderates and independents, says political scientist Matt Green of Catholic University, an expert on the speakership.

Ryans national numbers are not as good as his Wisconsin numbers. But in a nationwide poll in April by The Wall Street Journal and NBC, Ryans rating among moderates also improved over last fall.

Green says several things could be at work: a honeymoon effect for the new speaker among voters outside his party; a noncombative tone and style; his public differences with Trump; and the fact that Ryan has yet to experience the kind of legislative crisis, caucus rebellion, or bitter partisan standoff that has scarred other House leaders in the past.

Its still pretty early, said Green. If, say, we have a Zika outbreak and the House hasnt passed a budget to provide funding for it, or theres a big fight with the (conservative) Freedom Caucus, those kinds of thing may hurt Ryans reputation among these voters  Being speaker is really hard. You get a lot of ugly fights.

Ryan is about to complete his sixth month as speaker and faces a GOP primary challenge back home this summer from Paul Nehlen, a businessman with some tea party backing.

We looked over four years of Wisconsin polling on Ryan by the Marquette University Law School to see how his numbers have changed since became speaker, and whether they hint at any vulnerability at home.

Here are some take-aways:

Ryans standing in his own party. Ryan was viewed favorably by 76% of GOP voters in Wisconsin and unfavorably by 14% in Marquettes most recent statewide poll, taken March 24-28.

Thats a little worse than in 2014 and 2015, when Ryans negative rating with Republicans averaged around 5%. But it still points to a very positive image in his party, in his home state.

We dont have reliable public polling data on Ryans standing in his southern Wisconsin congressional district, where he faces an August primary. But Ryans numbers with GOP voters in the Milwaukee media market, which includes most of his district, are also good. In fact, theyre better than his statewide numbers: 79% favorable and 11% unfavorable in March.

There is no evidence in the polling at this point that Ryan faces serious unhappiness within his party, whether thats southeast Wisconsin where his voters would be, or the rest of the state, says Marquette pollster Charles Franklin. I think you do see a group of intensely anti-establishment Republicans who are critical of him and are calling for his defeat  but were not seeing that element of the party represent a substantial fraction of voters at this point.

Ryans standing outside his base. Here are Ryans numbers with moderates, averaging three Wisconsin polls during his speakership (last November, January and March): 45% favorable, 31% unfavorable.

Here are his numbers with independents: 46% favorable, 29% unfavorable.

In both cases, they are the best ratings Ryan has gotten with those groups in 16 different surveys by Marquette over the past four years. In almost all of those earlier polls, Ryan had a negative rating with moderates.

Ryans policy views are quite conservative on most issues. But Franklin says a variety of factors may be leading moderates in Wisconsin to view Ryan in contrast to the most conservative voices in his party: in taking the speakership, he was cast as a more mainstream Republican, not the champion of the partys right wing (the Freedom Caucus); he has drawn periodic fire from the right; and his rhetoric in frequent speeches and interviews has emphasized civility and substance over political conflict.

Ryans occasional but highly publicized criticisms of Trump may be another factor, since the GOP front-runner is deeply unpopular in Wisconsin with independents, moderates, Democrats and liberals.

Ryans numbers have improved with all four groups in recent months.

From 2012 through 2014, Ryans favorable ratings from liberals rarely topped single digits in Wisconsin. When he was Mitt Romneys running mate in 2012, his unfavorable rating approached 80% with liberals and 90% with Democrats, as voters polarized over the presidential election.

But those ratings arent nearly that bad today.

In Marquettes last poll, 21% of liberals viewed him positively, 60% negatively.

Among Democrats, 26% viewed Ryan positively, 51% negatively.

Those numbers may not look like much, but theyre far better than what GOP politicians typically get in Wisconsin.

Ryan compared to other Republicans. Ryans polling profile differs in key ways from that of Wisconsins other leading GOP politician, Gov. Scott Walker. Walkers net favorability (the percentage of voters who view him positively minus the percentage who view him negatively) is 9 points better than Ryans among Republicans, 14 points better among tea party supporters and 32 points better among very conservative voters in Marquettes March survey of more than 1,400 registered voters.

But Ryans net favorability is 45 points better than Walkers among moderates (plus 15 compared to minus 30) and 35 points better among independents (plus 23 compared to minus 12). And its far less negative among liberals, Democrats, and union households (Ryan is plus 15 among union households in Wisconsin; Walker is minus 32).

Other than GOP presidential candidate John Kasich, the Ohio governor, Ryan is the only Republican in Marquettes 2016 polling with a positive image among moderates.

His overall popularity rating  48% positive, 31% negative  in the most recent survey was his best ever in Marquettes four years of polling.

And 14% of Wisconsin voters have a favorable view of both Ryan and Democratic President Barack Obama, which is a big overlap in such a polarized state.

Looking ahead. Ryans improving polling numbers in Wisconsin come with a few big caveats. One is that it has proved very difficult for high-profile GOP politicians to sustain popularity with both conservative Republicans and moderates at the same time. Ryan is doing that right now with home-state voters, but nationally his numbers are not as strong with either Republicans or moderates. He had a slightly negative image with independents in the recent Wall Street Journal/NBC national poll.

Another caveat is the nature of the speakers job, which is a perilous one. Many voters nationally are still forming their opinions of Ryan.

Its common for a new speaker have a kind of honeymoon effect, says Green. As their speakership continues, things happen that are controversial  and you start to see the positives go down.

Its easy to imagine a failure to pass a House budget, an uprising by conservatives in the GOP caucus, a major political collision between the president and the House, or conflicts with Trump if hes the nominee, costing Ryan support among conservatives or moderates or both.

Theres a good reason we havent had a speaker as president in a long, long time, says Green. Its a job that can make a lot of people unhappy.

Follow Craig Gilbert on Twitter @WisVoter

Graphic: Paul Ryan's rating among independents and moderates
Richard Meeusen, president and chief executive officer of Brown Deer-based Badger Meter Inc., is making the passage of institutional knowledge on to the next generation a top priority.

SHARE Griselda Aldrete, a rising millennial, is the consummate young professional chasing the American dream. She is president and CEO of Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee. Mike De Sisti

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Most baby boomers in the C-suites today can see the end of their careers on the horizon. It may seem to be distant, but it's out there, nonetheless.

For many, the millennials coming up behind us seem like mysterious creatures.

That need not be the case. You want to know how they are wired? Ask them. And then help show them the path forward.

According to research released this past week by Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. Inc., two-thirds (66%) of U.S. adults still believe they can attain the American dream, and only 16% believe it is out of reach.

The survey is the first set of findings from the 2016 Northwestern Mutual Planning & Progress Study, an annual research project commissioned by the company that explores Americans' attitudes and behaviors toward money. The research was conducted in February among more than 2,000 U.S. adults, with an intentional "oversample" of millennials.

In today's view of the American dream, happiness and security are valued considerably more than wealth, opportunity and moving up in social class. When asked about the most defining characteristics of the American dream today, the top two answers were: "Having a happy family life" (59%); and "Being financially secure" (58%).

"The goal today seems to be more about outcomes  happiness, security and peace of mind  rather than material wealth or the opportunity to advance," says Rebekah Barsch, vice president of planning and sales at Northwestern Mutual. "The white picket fence is still important, but today Americans seem to care more about what's going on inside the house."

Richard Meeusen, 61, sees his retirement on the horizon. As president and chief executive officer of Brown Deer-based Badger Meter Inc., Meeusen is making the passage of institutional knowledge on to the next generation a top priority.

"My career is winding down. It's time to be the old lion, not the young lion. I think the Northwestern Mutual survey is accurate from what I've seen," says Meeusen, who guided his company to record sales and earnings in the first quarter.

"The millennials are deferring chasing the same dream that most baby boomers chased in their 20s," Meeusen says. "They're moving out to the suburbs later. It's the same dream; they're just pursuing it a little later than we did."

Millennials are far more eager and likely to change employers more often over the course of their careers, creating a significant challenge to the task of passing along the deeper knowledge that comes from working at one employer for a longer tenure, Meeusen says.

"Twenty years from now, how do you hold on to (corporate) culture and how do you hold on to institutional knowledge? That's my biggest concern about the millennials," Meeusen says. "When you have millennials who want to change jobs every few years...I think at Badger Meter we are looking for ways to create stickiness for our younger employees, getting the employees to stay for a longer period of time. How do you improve the stickiness between a company and millennials? One way you do that is you give them new challenges. You have to constantly be giving them new challenges, new tasks."

For boomers, Meeusen says, the top priority has been to move their careers in one direction: up. Millennials are far more comfortable making "sideways" moves that broaden their knowledge and experience bases, he says.

Griselda Aldrete, president and CEO of Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee, is in many ways a poster child for millennials pursuing the American dream. She moved to Milwaukee from Mexico at age 11 and has been chasing it ever since. Her journey continues at age 35 today.

"If you look at my resume, it may look like I lack direction and/or a linear path that has led to my current line of work. However, I know firsthand that every experience, both professional and educational, has prepared me for this very moment in my life and career," says Aldrete, who will host approximately 700 people at the HPGM Five Star Gala on May 14 at the Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. "My experiences as a journalist, event planner, fundraising professional, foundation director and program manager have all prepared to lead one of the leading Hispanic professional nonprofits our city currently has. I'm also currently pursuing my law degree part-time because I know that job security is not a guarantee. I am not resistant to change, but rather, embrace change as an opportunity to self discovery and explore new challenges."

Aldrete, like Meeusen, believes that "being intentional in passing the torch" is critical for executives to extend institutional knowledge to the next generation.

"The intentionality on behalf of those in key decision-making roles has to be there, and the intention and outcome has to be known by all, including the young professional, so that the reciprocation of loyalty on both sides is established and that true institutional knowledge, mentorships, stewardship and leadership is achieved," Aldrete says.

Steve Jagler is the business editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Send C-Level ideas to him at steve.jagler@journalsentinel.com.
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A 39-year-old Milwaukee man was fatally stabbed during a street fight with up to 10 other people at 1:30 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of W. Bow St. and S. Muskego Ave., Milwaukee police said.

After the stabbing the man was able to flee to the 1500 Block of S. Pearl St., where he succumbed to his injury despite the lifesaving efforts of the Milwaukee Fire Department.
Faculty senators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are expected to cast votes on a no-confidence resolution aimed at System President Ray Cross and the Board of Regents. Credit: Mark Hoffman

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A tumultuous academic year is drawing to a close with faculty at more than half the state's public universities contemplating drastic votes of no confidence in University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross and the governing Board of Regents.

The Faculty Senate at UW-Madison will consider a symbolic no-confidence resolution Monday, and discussion on a similar resolution is expected at UW-Milwaukee the week of May 9. Faculty on campuses in Green Bay, Eau Claire, River Falls, Superior and Whitewater also are considering voicing dissatisfaction with UW System leaders' advocacy efforts on behalf of campuses, as well as their hopes for change.

"If Madison passes it, I think there will be a tidal wave of others," said Rachel Ida Buff, an associate professor of history at UW-Milwaukee. "There has to be a pushback against austerity, and I would like to see Ray Cross lead it. I would hope he hears us in a way he hasn't before."

UW-Madison's Faculty Senate  220 senators representing more than 2,200 faculty  ultimately may take a step back from voting no confidence.

There's no unanimity of opinion on a vote of no confidence with the political risks involved. Advocates of the no-confidence vote say faculty shouldn't live in fear of the Legislature making further budget cuts out of retribution, and that they should make the strongest statement possible to Cross and the regents.

"(Cross and the regents) need to stop talking about accepting these new budget realities," said David Vanness, an associate professor of population health sciences at UW-Madison who is lobbying for the no-confidence vote.

"They need to advocate that we need to change course, or Wisconsin is going to fall behind," he said. "Who's standing up for us? That's what we're asking for, and we're not getting."

UW System spokesman Alex Hummel said Friday that system leaders are focused on several priorities, including college affordability and better understanding the student experience in light of racial incidents on several campuses in recent months.

"Everybody respects the faculty's right to make a statement," Hummel said.

As well they should, said Richard Legon, president of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.

"The board should be respectful of the faculty expressing their views," Legon said. "Perhaps No. 1 among the elements they need to consider are the reputational issues their decisions and the decisions others make; how their actions affect the institution they are charged with overseeing."

At the end of the day, Legon said, governing boards "have a responsibility to protect assets, interests and the mission of the system they've been appointed to serve."

Backlashovercuts, tenure

The underpinnings of the potential no-confidence vote are complicated.

Faculty say UW System leaders should have fought harder against the $250 million state budget cuts in the 2015-'17 biennium and the changes lawmakers imposed to weaken what were widely considered the strongest layoff protections in the country for tenured faculty.

Cross also should not have scrapped plans for chancellors to give presentations during a public Board of Regents meeting earlier this month on the effects of budget cuts, faculty say. Soft-pedaling the fallout may make it easier for lawmakers to make additional cuts in the next biennial budget, they say.

UW-Madison faculty are particularly concerned about the regents' handling at a meeting in early April of proposed campus-specific policies and procedures to guide implementation of the system's broader new tenure policy.

"There were changes inserted into policy at the last minute, and there was no public discussion in the Education Committee about the changes," said Dorothy Farrar Edwards, chair of the executive committee of UW-Madison's Faculty Senate.

UW-Madison's Faculty Senate additionally was not given an opportunity to review and respond to changes made to the policy they wrote, in keeping with traditions of shared governance, she said.

Written by sociology professor Chad Alan Goldberg, the UW-Madison resolution declares the senate has no confidence in Cross or the regents to "protect academic due process and shared governance."

The resolution says Cross and the regents as a result have damaged the reputation of UW-Madison "as a great state university that encourages continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found."

UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank warned earlier this week that nothing good could come from a no-confidence vote. She suggested it could lead to a backlash from state lawmakers, as budget discussions are about to begin for the next biennium.

The chancellor also defended Cross' leadership.

"I can personally attest that he has consistently advanced the best interest of our campus, both publicly and behind the scenes," Blank wrote on her blog, Blank's Slate. "He does not deserve this resolution."

Blank has been working to reassure faculty that tenure protections as good or better than peer institutions are still in place. She said in an earlier blog post that as long as UW-Madison remains a strong research university, tenured faculty will not be laid off.

Republican state lawmakers forced the rewrite of tenure protections last summer by removing them from state statute and adding language that gives chancellors more flexibility to lay off faculty and realign academic programs to fit workforce needs and budgetary constraints. Faculty considered previous tenure protections rock solid because they were embedded in statute  something unique to Wisconsin.

New policy adopted in March by the regents would allow layoffs if an academic program were discontinued; previously, faculty could be dismissed only in a campuswide financial emergency or for just cause.

Response angers GOP

Several Republican lawmakers already have reacted angrily to the possible vote of no confidence in Cross and the regents.

"Passage of the resolution will prove that even more institutional reforms are urgently needed and must be included in the next state budget to protect tuition-paying students," said Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges.

Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna) said UW-Madison's consideration of a no-confidence vote "shows an arrogance that doesn't serve the University or its students well."

Vanness said he's concerned about the level of connections between UW System staff and the Legislature and governor. And the influence politics have over regents, who are appointed by the governor.

"I get the sense they are following a political game plan and aren't defending the university, which is what a regent is supposed to do," Vanness said.

Legon, the national president of the association that works with governing boards of universities and colleges, said while governing boards typically are either political appointments or elected positions, board members must remain independent of political influence.

"Their responsibility as fiduciaries to care for the system may take them in a direction that's different from the governor's," he said. "That's part of the deal."
Milwaukee and the southeastern Wisconsin region have learned to work with one another, which is helping economic growth in the area. Credit: Pat A. Robinson

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Nearly every city and its surrounding counties compete on business location, motivated to maximize their individual tax bases. I, along with countless others, gave written about how this prisoner's dilemma for jurisdictions often results in little, if any, creation of new jobs or income in metro areas.

So it was refreshing to spend time recently in a metro area living by a different philosophy. To build trust, this city and its counties adopted a code of ethics to not steal each other's jobs and coordinate instead on economic opportunities. They forged a common agenda. The central city then developed its own economic plan explicitly designed to reinforce the region's economic ambitions. Yes, this is possible. This is Greater Milwaukee.

One of Mayor Tom Barrett's top priorities after he was elected mayor of Milwaukee in 2004 was to improve the economic prospects of the historic industrial city. To do that, he recognized he had to think and act regionally. That vision, with other partners, led to the creation of the Milwaukee 7, an economic development organization representing seven counties in southeastern Wisconsin, which the mayor co-chairs. M7 released a new metropolitan business plan for growth in 2014, which serves as a framework for regional action today.

At the core of the region's plan is the understanding that the greater Milwaukee region must "grow from within." Rather than react to ad-hoc prospects of outside firms moving in, leaders chose to strengthen their competitive advantages in several globally relevant products and solutions.

Three industry clusters stood out: water technology; energy, power, and controls manufacturing; and food and beverage. Milwaukee is smartly positioning itself as the place to provide firms and industries with new technologies to manage the costs, supply and quality of water and energy use while being environmentally responsible.

During my visit, I spoke with the leaders of these three cluster organizations. They had clear strategies to spur innovation through industry centers of excellence and collaboration spaces for firms and start-ups. There was a new regional talent partnership to grow the talent pipeline for each. And during my visit, I helped the region launch a new global trade and investment strategy to ensure that these solutions and others reach international markets and attract relevant firms and capital.

Meanwhile, the city of Milwaukee knew that a regional economy works best if its core city and its residents are also thriving. The city's plan for economic development borrows key ideas from the regional plan and explicitly highlights areas of convergence between city and regional interests.

I saw first-hand how M7 and the city of Milwaukee sought to connect its regional cluster strategies to place-based revitalization efforts. As evidence of de-industrialization's harsh impact, the city is home to more than 500 acres of vacant industrial land and more than 650 vacant and abandoned commercial and industrial buildings.

City leaders have invested millions in making the sites commercially viable again. Once-abandoned areas such as the Menomonee Valley are recovering, as firms in the food and beverage cluster expand there. The Global Water Center is a converted former warehouse, and the adjacent former rail yard is drawing water-related businesses. The region's energy research consortium established a lab to support engineering start-ups in a neighborhood that has struggled ever since manufacturers moved out decades ago. To bring workers closer to new jobs, industrial buildings near downtown, including an old Pabst brewery, have been converted into residential buildings, offices and work spaces for artists, foreign students and young professionals.

City officials also are working to extend economic growth to more parts of Milwaukee, a city home to one of the nation's highest concentrations of extreme poverty. Century City, an 80-acre former brownfield site surrounded by low-income neighborhoods, is being restored to house a new Center for Advanced Manufacturing. Revenues generated from private investment downtown are channeled into distressed neighborhoods through new mixed-income housing, transportation improvements and support for existing community development organizations such as Walnut Way. Construction projects that receive public support are required to hire locally, partnering with organizations, including the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, to hire and train under- and unemployed Milwaukeeans.

What's encouraging is that Milwaukee's economy is on the mend. According to our Metro Monitor, Milwaukee's industries are becoming more productive, generating more value per worker today than in 2000. Median wages in the region are higher than they are nationally. And the share of Milwaukeeans in jobs is higher than the national average, and increasing, even as the city and metro area continue to gain population.

Some healthy intraregional competition will persist in greater Milwaukee. But this region is proving that it's possible for jurisdictions, businesses and nonprofit organizations to join forces and remake economic development  embracing shared assets  to create durable, inclusive growth.

Amy Liu, vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at The Brookings Institution, is a national expert on cities and metropolitan areas adept at translating research and insights into action on the ground. This commentary first was published as a blog post at Brookings' website.
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America's cities are coming alive again. What the author Alan Ehrenhalt calls the "Great Inversion"  the return of residents and businesses to once nearly abandoned urban areas  is occurring in Milwaukee and cities across the country. A trickle of millennials coming into the city could be poised to turn into a torrent. Milwaukee is slated to have 3,000 new apartment units added this year to accommodate this inward migration to the city. If we play our cards right, this could be just the start.

Why Milwaukee? Young professionals (not to mention retired empty-nesters) want to participate in our city's vibrant cultural life. Moreover, creative and tech industries cluster together and capitalize on the synergies of proximity that the city affords. These businesses are tapping into the world-class research going on at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Many people are not aware of this, but UWM has been designated a Research One university by the prestigious ranking institution, the Carnegie Foundation. This makes UWM one of 115 universities nationally holding this top research ranking.

Most cities experiencing a rebirth have such an R1 university. All of our competing Midwestern cities have between one and three: Chicago, the Twin Cities, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, St. Louis and even Detroit. Milwaukee was left out of this club until this year. Creating this kind of world-class research infrastructure takes decades.

Before the recent state budget cuts, UWM already had among the very lowest per student costs to educate for a research university. UWM, already a national low-cost leader, cannot maintain research excellence if state budget cuts continue.

Most of our surrounding states are increasing investments in their R1 state universities  dysfunctional Illinois aside, which is emulating Wisconsin's cuts. The funding situation for UWM has been further complicated by an archaic UW System funding formula that delivers far less state funding per student to UWM (with some UW schools getting almost twice per student what UWM does, without the same research capabilities). This antiquated funding formula that punishes success at UWM is unacceptable.

Among revitalizing areas in Milwaukee linked to our research universities are Walker's Point, on Milwaukee's South Side, home to the new Global Water Center which houses water research facilities from UWM and Marquette University. The center is generating an excitement around research similar to what Silicon Valley produced in past decades.

Yet, it is not just scientific research that draws millennials and creative industries to our city, it is culture as well. The young and talented want vibrant cultural opportunities. An R1 university with strong arts and humanities departments is essential for attracting people to our city. Science and the arts are the two powerful engines driving our economy toward success.

As millennials, creative industry start-ups, and corporate headquarters relocate to Milwaukee, our city and state's balance sheets will improve as more money pours into our city and state coffers, while more new industries (and old industries too) are supported by the research of our R1 university. R1 universities such as UWM are talent magnets, and we need to strengthen it.

It is not only the well-educated young who will thrive in this new economy. Creative and tech industries will generate demand, both directly and indirectly, for needed services. This will generate job multiplier effects throughout all areas of our city. Job openings will rise. Wages will rise, too.

UWM is the key for launching this self-catalyzing process of economic development in Milwaukee. With tuition at less than a third of many other private universities, UWM provides an affordable path to prosperity for talented young people aspiring to join the middle class.

Like you, I love Milwaukee deeply. I'm so glad that after decades of care and prudent investment, UWM has finally been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the world-class, high-quality research institution it has become.

We have finally reared a goose that lays the proverbial golden eggs. Future generations of Wisconsinites will look unkindly at us if we starved this new source of wealth for a Milwaukee revival just as it began producing gold.

Daniel Riemer, a Democrat, is a member of the state Assembly from Milwaukee.
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Madison  Attorney General Brad Schimel on Friday asked an appeals court to reinstate for now a law that bans unions and businesses from reaching labor deals that require workers to pay union fees.

Dane County Circuit Judge C. William Foust this month struck down the measure, known by supporters as the right-to-work law. Foust found it violated the state constitution by interfering with the unions' ability to raise money without compensating them.

Schimel asked Foust to put his ruling on hold while he pursues his appeal, but Foust declined to do so Monday.

Friday's filing makes the same request to the District 3 Court of Appeals in Wausau. If successful, the law would be put back in place at least until the appeals court determines whether the law is constitutional.

The case is ultimately expected to be decided by the state Supreme Court.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the California Republican Party Convention on Friday. Credit: Getty Images

By

Washington  They thought it was impossible. Some still fear it. Others can barely believe it. But leading Republicans are beginning to accept the idea that Donald Trump will be their party's presidential nominee.

In the wake of the businessman's commanding wins in five Eastern states this week, a growing number of national Republicans and GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill say Trump has taken on an indisputable air of inevitability. Some argue they should get behind him now and abandon the "Never Trump" efforts still nursed by some establishment Republicans. Embracing Trump, these Republicans say, may be the GOP's only hope of blocking Democrat Hillary Clinton in November.

"Donald Trump is going to be our nominee," Florida Gov. Rick Scott wrote on Facebook this week. "The Republican leaders in Washington did not choose him, but the Republican voters across America did choose him. The voters have spoken."

"Republicans now need to come together," Scott wrote, warning that continued opposition to Trump "will be nothing more than a contribution to the Clinton campaign."

On Capitol Hill, support for Trump has also gotten markedly easier to find.

"I don't understand. I mean, it's not 'Never Trump.' It's 'Never Hillary.' Never, never, never Hillary. Come on. Wake up and smell the coffee," said Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, who earlier this week cast his ballot for Trump, along with all members of his large family and 57% of Republican primary voters in his state.

"I've never seen a party attack one of its own candidates with this aggressiveness," Kelly said of GOP establishment figures who oppose Trump, blaming it on an elitist Washington attitude out of touch with voters.

Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, a respected senior member of the Senate, previously endorsed Jeb Bush and then Sen. Marco Rubio and said he doesn't intend to endorse Trump. But Hatch said of Trump, "It looks to me like he's going to win, and if he does, I'm going to do everything in my power to help him."

Some leading Republicans have forecast that a Trump candidacy could spell electoral disaster, help Democrats win back control of the Senate and even cost safe Republican seats in the House. They point to Trump's disparaging comments about women and minorities that have contributed to high unfavorability ratings.

Hatch, along with others, disagreed.

"I think he could be great if he'll get serious about being president, and I think he will," Hatch said. "When he gets hit with reality that this is the toughest job in the world, he's a clever, smart guy who I think will want to be remembered for doing good things, so I have a feeling he can make that transition."

On Thursday, Trump picked up endorsements from two House committee chairmen: Reps. Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania, who chairs the Transportation Committee, and Jeff Miller of Florida, who chairs Veterans Affairs. He talked foreign policy in a phone call with Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), who heads the Foreign Relations Committee. Corker later was full of compliments about Trump, though he said he had no plans to endorse him.

To be sure, not all are on board. Some in the GOP continue to cringe at the thought of vulnerable Senate Republicans and candidates getting linked to Trump's provocative stances or attempting to distance themselves from them.

"My feeling about Donald Trump is, I don't think that that's our best foot forward at all," said Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, an outspoken Trump critic. "And I can't imagine being forced to take some of those positions that he's taken. A ban on Muslims, build a wall and make the Mexicans pay for it, you name it."

It remains uncertain whether Trump will amass the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination ahead of the Republican convention in Cleveland in July. If he does not, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz hopes to make a play to win the nomination as balloting progresses. Ohio Gov. John Kasich also remains in the race. Next week's primary in Indiana, where polling suggests a close race, could be crucial in determining whether either Cruz or Kasich can continue to argue they have a path forward.

Roger Villere, longtime Louisiana state GOP chief and one of the national party's vice chairmen, said a "clear supermajority" at the Republican National Committee spring meeting earlier this month in south Florida were warming to the idea of Trump as standard-bearer.

"There were a lot of them who Trump wasn't their first choice, but when we got in closed rooms and everybody started talking, the general consensus was that he's going to be our nominee, and we will rally around him," Villere said Friday. "I wouldn't say it was even reluctance. It's just the reality."

Offering a common party refrain, Villere added, "All of our possibilities are clearly superior to what the Democrats have."
Obama trip comes as Dems try to energize young voters, voters of color

Compared with the last Wisconsin midterm election, enthusiasm for voting is lagging among voters under 30 and non-white voters, according to polling.
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By Dee Goddard | (The Conversation) |  

At a recent Town Hall debate Hillary Clinton announced that she would appoint a cabinet that is half female if she is elected president. When questioned by MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, Clinton pledged: Well, I am going to have a cabinet that looks like America, and 50% of America is women, right?

Given that Clinton is the Democrats almost-certain nominee and is given a healthy chance against any likely Republican contender  Trump in particular  2017 could be the year that America inaugurates its first female president, and has its first gender-parity cabinet.

This would be a first for America. In total, of the 558 Americans who have served in the US cabinet since 1776, only 29 have been women. Just four of the 15 current cabinet secretaries are female.

Internationally, pre-election pledges for gender equality in the most powerful offices of state have become increasingly common. In 2004, Spanish prime ministerial hopeful Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero made this pledge before his election and went on to appoint Spains first gender-parity cabinet. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau famously pledged in 2015 that half of his cabinet would be female. He made good on that pledge, and when asked why, simply replied: Because its 2015.

Justin Trudeau Because its 2015 !

Yet deploying cabinet appointments as electoral strategy is not just the province of the left. David Cameron also pledged in 2008 that one third of his cabinet ministers would be female by the end of his first term in office  and once he had control of all cabinet appointments in 2015, that standard was met.

But why has Clinton felt the need to join the fray? Clearly she feels the pressure to demonstrate her commitment to gender equality, so the particular politics of the 2016 race are at work here.

Clinton has struggled to win over young female progressive voters from self-proclaimed democratic socialist Bernie Sanders, and now his chances of winning are fading away, the pledge will fit well into her push to win them over for the general election.

However, Clinton has also felt this pressure simply because shes a female candidate. Whereas she declined to allude explicitly to her gender for most of the 2008 campaign, Clinton has been clear about her perception of feminism, and has sought to use her female identity in her electoral strategy. Donald Trump and other Republicans have derided her use of the woman card, but shes managed to turn it into a compliment.

There is also an important political contrast to be drawn here. Its highly unlikely that well see such a commitment from Trump or his principal Republican rival, Ted Cruz. Clinton, by contrast, isnt just positioning herself as the woman candidate, shes trying to set herself apart from the hard-line conservatism of her opponents.

Under pressure

Womens representation in government has become an important measure of a leaders attitudes to equality and diversity in representation more generally, and executive appointments all over the world are increasingly scrutinised for their gender balance. If enacted, Clintons pledge will also bring the US up to par with the aspirations of other countries party leaders, especially on the progressive side.

More than ever, party leaders, national media, and electorates expect that the cabinet will represent the gender balance of the nation, and whether the women appointed actually hold power equivalent to their male colleagues. (Just ask British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.)

So what are the numbers Clinton is looking at? A US presidents cabinet comprises the heads of 15 executive departments, the vice-president, and seven additional cabinet-rank positions. There has been speculation that Clinton will choose a female running mate, which would leave seven cabinet secretary positions to be allocated to women.

Clinton, herself only the third female secretary of state, will be conscious of the fact that the senate, whatever its makeup in January 2017, will have to approve all of her cabinet nominees. But theres no shortage of competent female candidates for these roles, and with the increasing probability that the Democrats will take control of the senate once again, this should not be such a hurdle.

The real test isnt just whether Clinton can keep her promise, but whether candidates in future elections find themselves under pressure to follow her lead. And now shes gone on the record with her commitment, Clinton will certainly be held to account for it if shes elected.

Dee Goddard, PhD Candidate, University of Kent

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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Related video added by Juan Cole:

The Fight For Womens Rights | Flashback | NBC News
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By By James Miller| ( RFE/RL ) |  

On June 29, 2014, when Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gave a speech from the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, Iraq, announcing the formation of an Islamic caliphate, the newly proclaimed [so-called] "Islamic State" did indeed have many of the hallmarks of an actual state.

It had borders, patrolled by its agents. It had a military, special-forces units, police, an intelligence apparatus, a press office, tax collectors, engineers, a stratified leadership, and both foreign and domestic policies. Unlike its predecessors Al-Qaeda and Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which had only been able to establish a state of mind among their followers, Baghdadi's organization had managed to capture and rule actual territory, not just individual cities or neighborhoods.

That is no longer the status quo. If an observer were giving a State Of The So-Called Islamic State speech, one would have to acknowledge that the "state" is weak. The United States estimates that Kurdish forces and the Iraqi military have taken back 40 percent of the territory held by Islamic State (IS). An unnamed U.S. defense official recently told USA Today that IS oil revenues had been cut by 50 percent. U.S. Major General Peter Gersten said that a series of coalition air strikes have destroyed as much as $800 million in cash that IS was hiding in various safe houses and hidden stockpiles, and that there had been a 90 percent increase in IS defections.

Gersten also said that there has been a massive drop in the flow of foreign fighters to IS, from a high of about 2,000 per month just a year ago to about 200. If true, it is now likely that the U.S.-backed coalition is killing IS extremists faster than foreign fighters can join the organization's ranks.

To make matters worse for IS, many of the militant group's top leaders have been killed by coalition air strikes. In March, a strike killed Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, IS's "top financier." Earlier that month, another air strike killed Umar al-Shishani, or "Omar the Chechen," the "minister of war" for IS.

A slew of less infamous IS leaders has also been killed, including the IS-appointed "governor" of the Al-Hamadaniya district of Iraq, Barzan al-Husam, and many other field commanders. While the big names make the headlines, the killing of local governors and military commanders and the strikes that hit IS in the pocketbook may have a more tangible impact on disrupting local governance, and thus shaking the perception that IS is indeed a state rather than just a terrorist insurgency.

Not Dead Yet

However, for all the military defeats IS has suffered, it is far from dead  and a number of challenges for the United States remain.

The United States has had a military presence in one form or another in Syria for months. While U.S. soldiers have been in Syria since late last year, working with coalition members on the ground to "tighten the squeeze" on IS and establishing a headquarters at the Rmeilan air base in northern Syria, it appears that this mission may be expanding. U.S. President Barack Obama has announced that the United States will deploy 250 Special Forces soldiers to Syria.

One key challenge is that the United States does not have adequate intelligence on the ground to effectively target its air strikes. According to recent statements by U.S. Central Command's (CENTCOM) Colonel Pat Ryder, the anti-IS coalition has flown 91,000 sorties and conducted 12,000 air strikes  that sounds like a lot until you realize that only about 13 percent of coalition sorties end in air strikes. As IS shrinks on the battlefield, it will only become more difficult to find, identify, and destroy targets from the air.

IS's leaders have also adopted a simple-yet-sinister plan to block U.S. air strikes  militants are reportedly covering the roads of cities they occupy with canvas roofs. An activist news agency covering the IS occupation of Raqqah, its so-called capital, has posted pictures of these canvas awnings, which make it impossible for coalition drones or jets to follow the movement of IS fighters below.

It could become very difficult, then, to differentiate the terrorists from the civilians that they are terrorizing. Worse, if this strategy works we can expect to see it copied in other locations IS controls, a move that could prove to be far more effective at stopping U.S. air strikes than even the most advanced antiaircraft weapons. IS may be hemorrhaging money, but tarps are a lot cheaper than guns.

Changing U.S. Tactics

To help defeat IS, the United States may be attempting to refine its tactics and address a sectarian dynamic that is working against Washington.

Last week, pro-IS social-media accounts tweeted pictures they say show that U.S. fighter jets and A-10 Warthogs have been supporting the rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime who have been locked in heavy battle with IS for months but are currently backed up against the Turkish border.

Earlier in the year, a coalition of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) troops, Hizballah fighters, and Iraqi Shiite militias fought side by side with the Syrian military to break the battle lines of the anti-Assad rebels who have held northern Syria for years. IS took full advantage of this situation and launched its own offensive, capturing large amounts of territory as its fighters pushed west from their strongholds and north toward the Turkish border. Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) fighters to the west also launched an offensive against the struggling anti-Assad rebels, and a small group of those rebels are now trapped.

The rebels in the area east of Azaz had been making gains against IS in early April, but by the middle of the month that progress had now been reversed. While its dangerous to ever take the word of jihadist propaganda as truth, the presence of the A-10 in this area would suggest that the United States is providing close air support for the anti-Assad rebels as they push back against IS  a level of coordination between the United States and local ground forces typically reserved for Iraq or eastern Syria.

If the United States is conducting air strikes against IS, and in support of anti-Assad rebels, it may be an attempt to protect the Turkish border and reassure a frustrated NATO ally. However, IS is still making gains. On April 27, there were reports that IS had captured five rebel-held villages, including Dudyan, west of Al-Rai and right on the Turkish border. IS is now close to closing off and destroying the anti-Assad rebels who are defending their most important border crossing  and the only one they still control in northern Aleppo.

IS, even more so than Al-Qaeda before it, which survived 15 years of the war on terror, has proven its ability to constantly adapt to both its victories and its defeats. Despite military victories against IS over the last 20 months, even the commanders of the U.S. coalition admit that there are new challenges ahead. IS is currently exploiting the military weakness of one of its principal enemies, the anti-Assad rebels, and it is digging in to its positions in both Syria and Iraq.

The next phase of this fight is far less straightforward, and IS clearly knows that the storm is coming and is preparing accordingly  with new offensives and canvas tarps.

Via ( RFE/RL )

Copyright (c) 2015. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.



Related video added by Juan Cole:

AP: Obama: New US Troops in Syria Will Be Essential
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by Juan Cole:

The US and the Russian Federation agreed Friday that from Saturday there would be a regime of calm in most of Syria. Two areas where clashes have broken out in the past week are East Ghouta east of Damascus and the northern countryside of the Mediterranean province of Latakia (72 hours), and it was agreed that the regime of calm would be implemented in those two places on Saturday. It is not clear why the regime of calm is for such a short duration. It is intended to shore up the cessation of hostilities agreed on in late February, which held until a week ago when fierce fighting broke out in key hotspots.

The US appears to have pushed for the northern metropolis of Aleppo to be included in this regime of calm, but was rebuffed by Russia. Unofficial reports on the internet have suggested that Russia and the Syrian regime want to reconquer rebel-held east Aleppo. At least, that was the impression of one seasoned journalist covering the White House press conference Friday morning:

USG doing semantic gymnastics around new Syria truce. But hard to escape conclusion that US wanted Aleppo included and Russia/govt didn't.  Anne Barnard (@ABarnardNYT) April 29, 2016

If the regime controlled the lions share of both the Damascus and Aleppo metropolitan areas, it would be in a position to virtually dictate the terms under which the civil war was brought to a close. Those are the countrys two major cities and likely a third of the countrys population now lives in them and in their environs (refugees have croweded into them in search of security).

Clashes and bombardments continued on Friday, but note that AFP thought that the death totals were similar in the rebel and regime-held areas:

Bombardment of the city killed 17 people in rebel-held districts and 13 people in the government-controlled western neighbourhoods . . .

A lot of Western reporting is neglecting to mention that al-Qaeda and other rebel units are subjecting West Aleppo to heavy mortar bombardment that is killing a dozen or more people every day.

At the same time, it is true that the regime is flying fighter jets to bombard East Aleppo indiscriminately, which is producing high civilian casualties, in what the UN called a a monstrous disregard for civilian lives.

Regime airstrikes on a hospital on Wednesday and Thursday left 50 dead.

Rebels in east Aleppo maintain that the regime is hitting civilian targets in order to force them to surrender unconditionally. Deliberate or even indiscriminate bombings of non-combatants are a war crime in international law.

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Related video added by Juan Cole:

Euronews: The United Nations appeals to save the truce and negotiations in Syria
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Written by Bridge Initiative Team | Bridge |  

If anything is part and parcel of American democracy, its the idea that voters can, and should, communicate their ideas and concerns to the members of Congress who represent them. On Monday, April 18, 2016, as leaders from the American Muslim community visited their lawmakers on Capitol Hill, that ideal broke down in the office of Senator Ted Cruz.

After repeated attempts to schedule a meeting with Cruzs office, 14 of the Senators constituents were told that they were being directed to his Middle East policy adviser  a curious remark given that they were Americans from Texas. Arriving on Capitol Hill, they were eventually turned away. An intern informed the group that staff members were busy with meetings.

It would not ordinarily be difficult to chalk this chain of events up to the unusually busy  even chaotic  calendars of sitting U.S. Senators. But the context and backstory of this debacle are worth examining as they make it clear that this was not a scheduling snafu, but rather an intentional swipe at American Muslim voters.

On the morning of the scheduled Capitol Hill rendezvous, Ted Cruzs controversial national security adviser, Frank Gaffney, published an op-ed in The Hill titled Muslim Brotherhood Day on Capitol Hill. In it, he argued that the American Muslims visiting the nations capital were not concerned constituents, but were actually part of a subversive plot on the part of the Muslim Brotherhood to penetrate the government and usher in Islamic supremacism.

His evidence? An obscure document from 1991 that we debunked earlier this year. Its what lies at the heart of all of Gaffneys claims about the Muslim Brotherhoods alleged presence in the United States.

For Gaffney, the idea of American Muslims organizing themselves into voting blocs or lobbying groups is alarming. Even more alarming is the idea that they would seek to voice their ideas within Americas hallowed halls of power. Thus, his response  and the response of other Ted Cruz advisors  is to delegitimize them by linking them to the supposedly nefarious activities of an Islamist group in the Middle East, with no proof of such affiliation. Its a tactic that harkens back to the days of Senator Joseph McCarthy, who wildly accused members of Congress of being closeted Communists, and its one that Gaffney has deployed time and time again.

Be a voice! Click link https://t.co/uwDRWzHDEw

Tell Congress #MuslimBrotherhood should be designated a terror org pic.twitter.com/SX5pTA2ATv  Frank Gaffney (@frankgaffney) April 25, 2016

Hes accused the Obama administration of cavorting with the Muslim Brotherhood; hes said that Hillary Clintons aide, Huma Abdein, is secretly connected to it; hes argued the same of tax reform advocate Grover Norquist, and this project, The Bridge Initiative. One might say that the cry of Muslim Brotherhood! is his hobbyhorse.

Beyond his most recent unsubstantiated links, Gaffneys maneuver begs a bit more unpacking, especially when situated within the context of Ted Cruzs Congressional efforts last November to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. A bit of simple mathematics shows just how farfetched, and indeed dangerous, these types of accusations are.

The transitive property demonstrates that: If A = B, and B = C, then A = C.

Lets then label the Texas constituents as A, the Muslim Brotherhood as B, and the terrorists as C.

So, if Cruzs Texas constituents (A) are representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood (B), and if Cruz considers the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization (C), then Cruzs Texas constituents (A) are therefore terrorists (C).

Heres what that looks like as a set of equations:

Texas constituents = Muslim Brotherhood

Muslim Brotherhood = Terrorists

Texas Constituents = Terrorists

Extending this erroneous logic, the same could be said of any other individual or group that Gaffney whimsically links to the Muslim Brotherhood. Suddenly, without any evidence of affiliation or wrongdoing, innocent American citizens are cast into the same lot as ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabab, and other violent groups.

In a way, the Muslim Brotherhood label is a convenient ploy to paint large numbers of Muslims  or even just 14 from Texas  as terrorists without explicitly advancing the tired trope that equates Islam as a religion, and Muslims as a religious group, with terrorism. Its a rubber stamp, of sorts, impressed on any Muslim or other group that does not neatly subscribe to the neoconservative worldview of Gaffney and Cruz, or see the religion of Islam exactly as they do.

There is real reason for concern given Gaffneys influence in GOP politics (see our recent piece about his role in Trumps Muslim ban). What was a nuisance for Cruzs Capitol Hill visitors on Monday could play out more widely as the election season rolls along and rolls over the civil rights and religious freedoms of American Muslims.

Via Bridge



Related video added by Juan Cole:

Video: USCMO Condemns Ted Cruzs Refusal to Meet Muslim Constituents at National Advocacy Day
JURIST Guest Columnist Lisa C. Ikemoto of University of California-Davis School of Law discusses the latest ACA challenge to appear in front of the US Supreme Court

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Zubik v. Burwell on March 23, 2016, six years to the day the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law. The petitioners, a group of religious organizations, have challenged the ACAs contraceptive coverage requirement. The challenge is a free exercise claim under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) [PDF], a federal statute. The court has now heard four challenges to the ACA.

The contraceptive coverage requirement is part of a broader provision that requires coverage for preventive health care without cost-sharing. This provision serves the ACA goals of improving health care access and reducing health care disparities among populations. Even small co-pays create barriers to health care. The ACA emphasizes the importance of preventive health care by removing that barrier.

Cost-sharing mechanisms like co-pays reflect the fact that health care services are delivered in a commercial market. The ACA coverage requirement applies to FDA-approved contraceptives. Prices for drugs and devices in the US are among the highest in the world. Contraceptives are distributed within that market. Recent stories about the role of profit-motive in pharmaceutical pricing highlight new cancer drugs and Hepatitis C drugs that cost several hundred thousand dollars a year. Plain old oral contraception, the most widely used contraceptive, can cost close to $1,000 per year for those without insurance coverage. Intrauterine devices, a type of long-acting reversible contraception, typically cost $500 to $1,000. Those amounts are less than 1 percent of the highlighted examples, but they are a great deal more than many can afford. Because most FDA-approved methods are available on a prescription-only basis, obtaining contraception also requires the time and cost of visiting a doctor. Oregon and California have enacted law making some contraceptives (the pill, the ring and the patch) available over-the-counter, with a pharmacist prescription. Those laws make the doctors visit, and the accompanying costs, unnecessary for most. People without coverage, however, will still face out-of-pocket costs for the contraceptives.

The contraceptive coverage requirement applies to employers who provide health insurance as a benefit. The Zubik petitioners are religious organizations who hire employees and run colleges. Their employees and students rely on petitioners for health insurance access, but do not all share the petitioners religious objections to contraceptive use. The ACA provides accommodation for religious employers, which removes petitioners from the responsibility of paying for coverage and yet makes coverage available to employees and students. Petitioners, however, claim that submitting the one-page form to obtain the accommodation makes them complicit in providing contraceptives.

The arguments were fascinating. You can listen to or read [PDF] them. RFRA requires that petitioners show the contraceptive coverage requirement imposes a substantial burden on free exercise of religion. If petitioners can do that, the government must justify the burden by showing that the contraceptive coverage requirement is based on a compelling state interest and that there is no less restrictive means of achieving that interest. The justices and lawyers spent much of oral argument addressing the substantial burden requirement. In an exchange with Justice Kagan, Paul Clement, representing petitioners, distinguished between an authorization form and an opt-out form. Clement seemed to suggest that an opt-out form would not make petitioners complicit, while an authorization form would, and thus, substantially burden free exercise. Much of the substantial burden argument turned into a battle of analogies. Noel Francisco, also representing petitioners, characterized the coverage requirement as seizing control. The most bandied-about analogy was hijackingas in, by requiring contraceptive coverage, the government is hijacking the religious employers benefit plans. Chief Justice Roberts fully embraced the hijacking analogy. In the meantime, Justices Sotomayor and Kagan challenged Clement on petitioners analogy to military objectors during war. Clement agreed that laws penalizing conscientious objectors substantially burdened objectors free exercise, but asserted the objectors had to affirmatively object, while petitioners should not have to in order to obtain accommodation.

Donald Verrilli represented the US government in arguments. (Because he is the US Solicitor General, the justices call him General Verrilli.) He argued that the procedure for obtaining an accommodation would not substantially burden petitioners free exercise of religion. He and Justice Alito spent some time in the weeds about the fact that employers with self-insured plans must submit not one, but two pieces of paper. The existing accommodation exempts religious employers from paying for contraceptives regardless of whether the plan is fully insured or self-insured. So the only difference is, in fact, the extra piece of paper.

Verrilli marshaled his time to address petitioners proposed alternatives to the existing accommodation. Petitioners briefs proposed that rather than obtaining contraceptive coverage through employer-sponsored or student insurance, employees and students could use Medicare, Medicaid, Title X, contraception-only insurance policies or individual policies purchased in the insurance marketplaces. Some of these proposals do not exist. For example, insurers do not offer contraception-only policies. Even if available, a separate policy might very well offer a different provider network than a petitioners plan. All of the proposals, including individual policies, would raise barriers to access and undermine the purpose of requiring preventive care coverage without cost-sharing. None, as Verrilli pointed out, are available under existing law. Access to Medicare, Medicaid, Title X and the marketplaces would require significant amendment of eligibility laws.

Near the end of Verrillis allotted time for argument, Sotomayor returned to the conscientious objector analogy. She distinguished conscientious objectors in wartime from the Zubik petitioners challenge to the accommodation. In Sotomayors view, conscientious objectors do not trigger regulatory power over third parties, but the effects of Zubik petitioners request would rebound on petitioners employees and students. Sotomayors distinction points to the origins of the RFRA. Congress enacted RFRA in response to a 1989 Supreme Court decision called Employment Division v. Smith. The late Justice Scalia wrote the majority opinion, in which the court stated that the Constitutions Free Exercise Clause did not excuse an individual from complying with a generally applicable law. In other words, the Constitution does not require accommodation for those whose religious beliefs place them in conflict with the law. Scalias opinion listed exampleslaws requiring military service, payment of taxes and vaccination. RFRA passed with bi-partisan support. Many supporters worried that the Supreme Court had peeled back protection for members of minority religions whose beliefs are more likely to differ from majoritarian norms underlying law. In Smith, for example, the court rejected free exercise claims by two Native Americans who were fired and denied unemployment benefits after using peyote in a religious ceremony. Before Smith, the court had recognized free exercise claims by a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church who was fired for refusing to work on Saturday, the Adventist Sabbath. In those two cases, exempting the religious claimants from state unemployment compensation laws did not interfere with others rights. Exemption may have inconvenienced the state unemployment office, but it did not produce interference with third party rights.

With Scalias death, it seems very likely the eight justices may split. Questions and statements in oral argument, as well as prior votes, indicate that Roberts, Alito, Thomas and perhaps Kennedy will hold that the existing accommodation violates petitioners statutory rights under RFRA. Ginsburg, Breyer, Kagan and Sotomayor, on the other hand, seem likely to find no violation.

In the meantime, the court has taken an unusual step. On March 29, the court issued an order [PDF] directing the parties to file additional briefs. The briefs are to address whether and how contraceptive coverage may be obtained by petitioners employees through petitioners insurance companies, but in a way that does not require any involvement of petitioners beyond their own decision to provide health insurance without contraceptive coverage to their employees. The Order includes an example for the parties to consider. What if petitioners contracted with an insurer and informed the insurer that they did not want to include contraceptive coverage and the insurer notified employees that it would provide cost-free contraceptive coverage and that such coverage is not paid for by petitioners and is not provided through petitioners health plan. The example echoes a hypothetical that Clement and Francisco used in arguments. They posited an uber-insurance policy that provides contraceptive coverage to all women in the US, as a counterpoint to the alleged hijacked plans offered by petitioners to employees and students. In essence, they described a private single-payer plan for contraception. Both the courts example and the uber-policy scenario rely on the fictional existence of contraceptive-only plans. Even if petitioners and five justices will this type of plan into existence, it would require significant government intervention in the market, as well as two forms of insurance and the possibility of two different provider networks for petitioners employees and students.

The order and the question it poses signals what the vote will hinge on. More specifically, it indicates Kennedys attentiveness to the complicity concerns and the fact that RFRA does not permit religious claimants to hijack the governments administrative and regulatory systems to implement an accommodation. The court may split along other lines, as well. Ginsburg asked whether religious organizations should necessarily receive the same protection under RFRA as a church. Kennedy asked whether a church organization should be treated the same as a university. As noted, petitioners consist of both church-affiliated organizations and religious universities. The questions suggest that universities may be less likely to receive accommodations that impose burdens on third parties. On the other hand, Ginsburg and Kennedys questions may just have been aimed at Franciscos sweeping assertions about the RFRAs scope of protection for free exercise.

What should be notable is that because the parties to the case are religious employers and the federal government, people who use contraceptivesmostly women, are positioned as third parties. Yet, the so-called third parties have a significant stake in this case: health, autonomy and equality. When you set aside the analogies and hypotheticals, the case positions women between the privatization of health care and the religious beliefs of others.

Lisa C. Ikemoto is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor at University of California-Davis School of Law. Prof. Ikemoto is a faculty affiliate with The Aoki Center for Race & Nation Studies, the Center for Science & Innovation Studies, U.C. Davis Health Systems Bioethics Program and the U.C. Davis Feminist Research Institute. Ikemotos research focuses on bioethics, reproductive rights and health care disparities.

Suggested citation: Lisa C. Ikemoto, Zubik v. Burwell: Women and religion in the market, JURIST  Academic Commentary, April 29, 2016, http://jurist.org/forum/2016/04/lisa-ikemoto-zubik-burwell.php.

This article was prepared for publication by Alix Ware, an assistant Editor for JURIST Commentary. Please direct any questions or comments to her at commentary@jurist.org
Thai police confirmed Saturday that eight people have been charged [Reuters report] with sedition and computer crimes in relation to Facebook posts in opposition of the government. The activists were detained on Wednesday for comments concerning Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha [BBC profile] and criticisms of the controversial draft constitution [text, PDF, in Thai]. Two of the activists are charged in violation of the Royal Defamation law. Shortly before the arrests were made, the Thai government effectuated a new law making it illegal to forcefully criticize the constitution.

Human rights groups worldwide have expressed growing concern over Thailands governmental impunity since it became a military junta in May 2014. Earlier this month UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein expressed concern [press release] regarding the expanding role which the Thai military is playing in the civilian administration. Thailand will soon vote on a final draft of their constitution, and a new law places limits on advocating for or against the constitution which has led to the arrests of several human rights activists. This same month Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] and several other rights groups urged [JURIST report] Thailand to repeal Order Number 13/2016 [JURIST report], expressing concern that it will worsen human rights conditions.
Kansas State University Lavender Graduation

K-State Alumni Center - May 1st, 2022 ; 2-3:30 PM

Lavender Graduation is a cultural celebration that recognizes LGBT and ally students for their achievements and contributions to the university as students who have been successful at the college experience. Through such recognition, these students may leave the university with a positive last experience of the institution thereby encouraging them to become involved mentors for current students as well as financially contributing alumni.

Lavender Graduation builds on the university-wide commencement events as a ceremony celebrating and recognizing our K-State Wildcat Seniors. The event is held prior to the academic commencement ceremony to facilitate participation before the conclusion of the academic year.

The tradition of Lavender Graduation began at the University of Michigan in 1995 with just three graduates. Now, there over 80 Colleges and Universities holding Lavender Graduation Ceremonies and the tradition continues to expand to additional colleges and universities across the country. The color lavender plays a historic role in LGBT history and in the community. It's a combination of the colors pink and black which were once used to identify and discriminate against gays and lesbians. The LGBT community has reclaimed lavender as a symbol of pride and community.



The LGBT Resource Center welcomes all graduating students and members of our esteemed alumni to participate and register below for this event. If you are a community member, student, faculty, or staff that would just like to attend and show your support, please please feel free to register and indicate that you are a guest in the biography section of the on-line form.

All graduates from , Fall 2021, & Spring 2022 are encouraged to participate.

For any questions please contact us at to lgbt@k-state.edu with attention "Lavender Graduation" in the subject line.

Register for Lavender Graduation
Norbert Hofer could be the next president of Austria. He won 36.4% in the first round of presidential elections on 24 April, the largest among the candidates. Hofer is the candidate of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), which is considered to be nationalist, far-right and anti-immigration. Green candidate Alexander Van der Belle won 20.4% of the vote and is the only remaining opponent. Up to this point, no Green Party candidate had ever gone to the second round of presidential elections in Austria. As neither of them obtained a majority, the two leading candidates will vie for the presidency on 22 May. The two finalists were followed in votes by Irmgard Griss, a former Supreme Court justice and the only woman candidate. She is an anti-corruption figure and ran as an independent candidate winning 18% of the vote, mostly from the political centre. Among eligible voters  the voting age is 16  68.5% cast their vote in the first round.

What happened to the governing parties? For the first time since World War II, socialists and liberals will not run in the second round for the presidency in Austria. The near 11% of the vote for each does not allow the socialist candidate and Labour Minister Rudolf Hundstorfer (SPO) and the liberal Andreas Khol (OVP), president of the National Council which is one of the two chambers of the parliament, to continue in the presidential race. Nevertheless, incumbent Chancellor Werner Faymann (SPO) and Vice-Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner (OVP) are not likely to reshuffle the government. Their mandate ends in 2018.

The refugee crisis and the terrorist threat played a key role in the success of the FPO candidate in Austria, similar to what happened in other countries in the European East, such as Poland, with the conservative Law and Justice Party or Slovakia, with the Slovak National Party, that are currently in the government. Last year, Austria registered about 95,000 asylum requests. The next presidential round will look like a for-or-against-refugees vote, with Van der Bellen the son of a migrant from Estonia and in favour of welcoming refugees, while Hofer threatens to dissolve the government if the parliament does not follow his lead regarding the migration issue. The president in Austria has primarily a representational role. However, voters seem to have voted for issues that interest them rather than for a person himself or herself.

Next months second round of presidential elections offers the Austrian voters only two choicesblue for the Freedom Party FPO and green for the Green Alternative. Will the latter manage to attract a broad enough coalition of voters, from the left to centre right, to win the election and save Austrias honour abroad? If we look at Frances 2002 presidential elections, voters had to choose between far-right Front National leader Jean-Marie Le Pen and centre-right Jacques Chirac from Rassemblement Pour la Republique party. Chirac won with 82% of the vote in the second round. Nevertheless, the climate in France was different at that time than it is in Austria today.
LINCOLN  The University of Nebraska Bureau of Business Research recently released a study on the economic impact of Nebraskas farmer-owned supply and marketing cooperatives.

In their three-year study, the bureaus Eric Thompson and Mitchel Herian found that the cooperatives, with 376 locations across the state, provide an annual economic impact of $2.2 billion.

Other findings for annual impacts included:

- Created 13,944 jobs via cooperative operations, member payments and investments.

- Had a tax revenue impact of $117.9 million.

- Had a $752.5 million impact on income in the Nebraska economy.

- Returned nearly $97 million to cooperative patrons in patronage allocations and equity redemptions.

- Invested about $200 million in new facilities and equipment.

- Had an indirect economic impact of $127.2 million Omaha and Lincoln metropolitan area economies.

Access the full report from the Nebraska Cooperative Council website at www.nebr.coop.
It was an honor to attend the National Alzheimers Forum in Washington, D.C., April 4-6 along with 1,200 other advocates working to change the trajectory of this horrible disease. My husband has lived with this disease for more than 17 years and is at Country House Memory Care. Because of my experience with this disease I am compelled to speak out for others who cannot. I am serving as ambassador for the Nebraska Alzheimers Association assigned to Rep. Adrian Smith.

Currently, 33,000 Nebraskans are struggling with Alzheimers, a progressive brain disease that destroys memory, cognitive skills, the ability to care for oneself, walk, speak and ultimately the ability to swallow, cough and breathe.

- Alzheimers is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.

- Every 66 seconds someone in the U.S. develops Alzheimers.

- One in three seniors will die with Alzheimers.

Alzheimers is the only disease in the top 10 that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed. About $236 billion will be spent on care in 2016. Of that sum, $160 billion will be paid by Medicare or Medicaid, while only $991 million is invested in Alzheimers research at the National Institutes of Health.

While were thankful Congress approved a historic $350 million increase for Alzheimers research for fiscal 2016, Congress must continue to ramp up research investments if scientists are to effectively treat and prevent Alzheimers by 2025 as outlined in the National Alzheimers Plan.

The cost for the care for people with Alzheimers is projected to be more than $1 trillion per year by 2050. Finding a cure through investments in research is a cost-effective plan.

Please contact Smith at https://adriansmith.house.gov/contact-me/email-me and urge him to support at least an additional $400 million for Alzheimers research for 2017 and to co-sponsor the HOPE for Alzheimers Act to ensure Medicare beneficiaries newly diagnosed with Alzheimers disease and their families receive comprehensive care planning services.

If your family is affected by Alzheimers or another form of dementia, alz.org has a wealth of information. You can call the Kearney office and talk with Susie Peterson, community outreach specialist with the Alzheimers Association, at 308-520-3146 or 800-272-3900 for a 24/7 free helpline.

Susan Bigg, Kearney
In 1942 the U.S. had been attacked on their own soil. The world seemed to be chaotic and violent. The U.S. was planning and waging all-out war on multiple fronts and a skinny young man named Francis from Massachusetts quit his job at the Fort Devins troop store and arrived at the recruiting station with draft card in hand.

Francis Herberts hands trembled slightly from a mixture of nerves and eagerness to serve his country at war as he stood in the midst of all the commotion at the recruiting station near Fort Devins, Mass. Luckily he had been mentored by a World War I veteran who had decided to reenlist the same day. His dad, who had enough fight left in him for another war, was that mentor.

I was called into the draft and my father volunteered on the same day, said the 95-year-old retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Francis Herbert. I waited to be drafted rather than volunteer to sign up because I had a job on the base. I hadnt anticipated being in the military before and hadnt thought about a military career much; I wasnt sure I wanted the military life.

After in-processing, Herbert said goodbye to his family and headed off to basic training on a train to Atlantic City, New Jersey.

It was interesting. All of the civilian hotels had been converted to barracks in the city, he said. I was told to stay in a room designed for one or two guests with 12 other men.

Luckily for Herbert, after five days of basic training, he was given orders and told to ship off to the Academy for Aeronautics in Long Island, New York.

According to Herbert, the Army selected 50 men to attend the first class of Air Traffic Controller School designed for military members based off of their aptitude test scores.

When I started this business, I didnt know what a computer or a radar was. Now I was in for three months of training to learn how to be a controller, said Hebert.

After the 12 weeks of training, Herbert was then again shipped off to his first duty assignment as an Army Air Corps air traffic controller at Wright-Patterson Airfield, Ohio, for on-the-job training, followed by an assignment in a control tower in Syracuse, New York.

When Herbert arrived to the newly opened airstrip in Syracuse, he found he would be the only military-trained air traffic controller.

Syracuse had an airfield that had been activated for the war, remembers Herbert. We were the first controllers to go in there. I was the only controller that had training  it was such a new career field and they were still figuring out what it was all about. They pulled guys from the mess halls, supply rooms and other areas to come work in the tower.

With less than a years experience, the war became more real as Herbert was ushered off to the battlefield in 1943 to the Aleutian Islands on the coast of Alaska to help combat the creeping danger of the Japanese war planes as they were using their Northern Islands as jumping off points to mount attacks against Alaska.

When Herbert arrived to the island of Amchitka, the U.S. began Operation Cottage to recapture the Islands of Kiska and Attu that had been captured by the Empire of Japan.

The Japanese were occupying the Island of Kishka, which was a U.S. owned island. It was so close, I could see the island from our tower, said Herbert.

Herbert controlled bombers and fighters who would continually harass the Japanese troops until they eventually withdrew from the area, but his first taste of real danger wasnt from enemy planes.

We fought the weather a lot, it was very cold, said Herbert. We also had attacks against us from Japanese submarines. They also launched aircraft off of subs and because of the weather the Japanese could attack through the cloud cover too.

There, his first taste of enemy propaganda came through the airwaves as the Japanese set up radio communications that constantly berated the American troops, saying their wives and girlfriends were out carousing, according to Herbert.

We missed home terribly and this didnt help. It really affected some of the guys, said Herbert.

For his actions, Herbert was sent home two years later for thirty days of rest and relaxation leave with a personalized letter from Gen. Hap Arnold for his efforts supporting the allied campaign. On the way home, the pilot announced that the war with Japan had ended.

Once he got home, Herbert was given the option to discharge from his draft obligation and then reenlist again. From there, he was sent to New Hampshire. After a decade of assignments to places like Clinton County, Ohio, Greenland and England, he found himself in a new kind of conflict.

The United States was embroiled in a cold war when tensions peaked during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Herbert again found himself at the seat of history as a liaison officer in the Air Traffic Control facility in Casablanca, Morocco in 1961.

My job was to take care of American aircraft coming through the area, which included the strategic bombers keeping an eye on things on that side, said Herbert.

Eventually, the United States began fighting communism in a more direct way as fighting erupted between the Vietcong and the United States. Herbert once again said goodbye to his wife Helen as he stared at a set of orders transferring him to Pleiku Air Base in South Vietnam.

We were still fighting a war, said Herbert. The big difference in Vietnam was the enemy troops we were opposing were there, with us. It wasnt unusual for a night attack to take place. Mortar and rocket attacks were a constant threat.

This time, Herbert was serving in the same place as his son Barry, who had signed up to be an air rescue pilot. During Barrys tour, he received enemy fire while on an aeromedical evacuation, was wounded and received a Purple Heart.

He didnt have to go over, but he had just turned 19 and was gung-ho and ready to go, Herbert said of his son. We were stupid because we didnt realize the pressure on Helen who eventually received a telegram from the war telling her that Barry was coming home wounded.

While in Pleiku, Herbert found an innovative way to use the Air Control Radar to track the origin of incoming rocket fire and was credited as the first traffic controller to detect and track enemy missile activity using the current technology from his tower. According to Herbert, American forces were able to launch 50 counterattacks on enemy missile systems that would typically move too quickly to be traced.

Once his tour was complete, Herbert came to Keesler to be an air traffic control military instructor and finished up a 30-year career. Once retired, he was asked to stay as a civilian instructor and served for 20 more years.

At 95, Herbert now looks back on his career fondly.

Well, I always have one feeling about things like this. All my career, I had good people working for me. Ninety-nine percent of the people who worked with me or for me are all the type of people you could rely on. They got the hard work done and I owe it all to them, he said.

Herbert also tries to impart his main message to younger Air Traffic Controllers when he has the opportunity.

Well, theyve got to remember that freedom is not free, he said. They are going to have to work hard for it. Air traffic controllers are an important part of the whole mission to maintain it all.
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In a recent post, I wrote about the iCOMPARE research study that is comparing the effects of increasing medical residents consecutive duty hours with observing the currently prescribed limits on their shifts. According to the study protocol, the primary hypothesis of the research addresses the safety of patients: that mortality under the increased residents duty hours will not significantly exceed patient mortality under the current mandated standard for medical residents on duty. I argued that the study design is unethical based on what is known about sleep deprivation. The studys goal  seeing whether more patients die when residents get less sleep  is ethically unacceptable because research has definitively shown that residents working very long shifts commit more medical errors than their well-rested counterparts.

There is another reason why the study is unethical. Both the residents and the patients are considered research subjects, yet the researchers are not seeking informed consent from either group to participate in the research. The head of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, one of the funders of the study, said that research ethics committees or Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) at all the participating hospitals reviewed the trial protocols and determined that patients did not need to be informed.

According to the study protocol, the IRB at the lead institution  the University of Pennsylvania  waived the informed-consent requirement, citing a provision in the U.S. federal regulations for the protection of human subjects in research. That provision is as follows: the IRB may waive the requirement to obtain informed consent provided the IRB finds and documents that: (1) The research or demonstration project is to be conducted by or subject to the approval of state or local government officials and is designed to study, evaluate, or otherwise examine: (i) public benefit or service programs; (ii) procedures for obtaining benefits or services under those programs; (iii) possible changes in or alternatives to those programs or procedures; or (iv) possible changes in methods or levels of payment for benefits or services under those programs; and (2) The research could not practicably be carried out without the waiver or alteration.

Who is responsible for iCOMPARE?

The first point to note is that this research is neither conducted by nor subject to the approval of state or local government officials. The University of Pennsylvania is a private school. Of the 63 iCOMPARE residency training programs, most are private institutions, and they include some of the most prestigious medical schools and hospitals in the country (for example, Brigham and Womens Hospital, affiliated with Harvard Medical School; Brown University; the Cleveland Clinic; Johns Hopkins University; Stanford University; and YaleNew Haven Medical Center). It is therefore extremely puzzling that the waiver of consent mentions research conducted by or subject to the approval of state or local government officials.

Even more puzzling, paragraph 46.116(d) in the federal regulations governing human-subject research, which describes the criteria most often used by IRBs when approving a waiver of informed consent, states that an IRB may waive informed consent only if it finds that the research involves no more than minimal risk to the subjects. So if the waiver is inappropriate because the iCOMPARE clinical trial was not being conducted by or subject to the approval of government officials, the research would have to involve no more than minimal risk. But surely a study with the goal of measuring the number of patients deaths cannot be considered minimal-risk research. Nor can a study that exposes residents to the unacknowledged increased risks of motor vehicle accidents, needle-stick injuries that can result in infections and depression.

The website for this trial includes a section on Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). FAQ 5 asks: What are the consent procedures? The response: Trainees participating in iCOMPARE will consent by completing the study surveys. But this is obviously not consent to participate in the study itselfthat is, working the longer hours. The survey was used merely to collect data, not to elicit consent to participate in the study. And in any case, the residents at participating training programs assigned to the experimental group could not have opted out of the intervention itself because they were required to participate as long as they stayed in their training programs.

Questions of patient consent

As for the patients who happen to be hospitalized during the course of this clinical trial, they will not even know that they are participants in research. The Human Subjects section of the iCompare grant at the University of Pennsylvania provides the following reasons for not obtaining consent from patients: First, since the trial will involve thousands of patients, it would not be feasible to consent patients. This prompts the question whether it is ethically acceptable to conduct a study in which obtaining consent is not feasible.



Federal regulations do allow the IRB to waive consent in research when the committee finds that the research poses no greater than minimal risk. This brings us to the second reason stated in the iCompare grantthat the risk to patients is minimal: Earlier retrospective analysis conducted by members of the current team demonstrated no difference in patient outcomes with even longer duty shifts than those tested in iCOMPARE. This reasoning is a bit of sophistry. If the outcome for patient safety is already known, then why do the study? The answer can only be that a prospective, randomized controlled trial (RCT) is the gold standard in clinical trials. Such trials are conducted precisely because retrospective analyses are often flawed. The results of such studies are often overturned when a carefully designed RCT is carried out.

A third reason for not obtaining consent from patients is provided: The data are not collected directly from patients; all patient data will be obtained from Medicare claims, requiring no active involvement by the patient. While this is true, the patients are still subjects in the research since the effect on them of residents hours on duty is one of the studys outcomes. When sleep-deprived residents enrolled in the study care for and perform procedures on Medicare patients, and data from those patients will be collected, surely those patients are research subjects.

Two medical residents at the University of Washington who were enrolled in the study co-authored an op-ed piece published in the Washington Post, criticizing the ethics of iCOMPARE. They wrote that they and their patients were not asked to give informed consent before being enrolled in the study, noting that this violates the basic ethical principle of respect for persons.

I am relieved that the residency programs at Montefiore and Einsteins other affiliated teaching hospitals are not eligible to enroll in iCOMPARE. Since July 1989, teaching hospitals in New York State have been subject to regulations that limit the working hours of medical residents.

Ruth Macklin is a professor, department of epidemiology and population health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY. She blogs at the Doctors Tablet.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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By Kitsap Sun Staff

PORT ORCHARD  A 23-year-old man was charged Friday with felony harassment after he allegedly followed a woman in Bremerton last month, exposed himself to her and threatened her.

The man's appearance matches the description of a man suspected of harassing and exposing himself to two other women in March and April in Bremerton. He was contacted by Bremerton Police at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, where he is stationed with the Security Forces Battalion, according to court documents. Police had issued a public statement about the incidents, but it was one of the victim's reporting his license plate number that led investigators to him.

He admitted to the officer he followed two of the women and made "vulgar and inappropriate statements to them" as well as exposing himself.

The victim in the felony charge told officers the man told her he was going to have sex with her, using a profane euphemism, and then "get rid of her," according to documents.

The officer asked her what she thought he meant by that, and the woman "went on to say she thought the male would rape and kill her," the officer wrote in reports.
SHARE William Bradley Jackson III is lead into court Wednesday during his arraignment for the murder of his grandfather, LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN

By Andrew Binion Abinion@Kitsapsun.Com 360-792-9213

PORT ORCHARD  A Kitsap Superior Court judge on Friday sentenced a 21-year-old Bremerton man to more than 26 years in prison, the maximum allowed by law, for the December fatal stabbing of his elderly grandfather.

William "Willie" Bradley Jackson III  rail thin, wearing shackles and jail-issue scrubs with his long hair pulled back into a bun  declined to make a statement before Judge Jeanette Dalton sentenced him.

Jackson had turned himself in, confessed and pleaded guilty to the charge of killing Hurene "Hap" Jackson, 90, but was not offered a plea agreement by prosecutors.

After his arrest, a psychiatrist diagnosed Jackson as being on the autism spectrum, although high-functioning. His attorney, Stephen Lewis, said that did not excuse his crime, but could help explain Jackson's seeming lack of remorse, disconnect to his family and interest in serial killers.

"It was clear something was wrong with him, but it wasn't clear precisely what it was," Lewis told Dalton.

Dalton said she didn't think Jackson would receive adequate treatment for the disorder in prison, and wondered how he might be more dangerous once released after changing to survive the violence of the prison system, so she sentenced him to the maximum, 320 months.

"The only thing I can do is keep him away from the community for as long as I can," Dalton said.

Willie Jackson confronted Hap Jackson on Dec. 15, armed with knives, and asked him how he wanted to die, according to court documents. After stabbing Hap Jackson, Willie Jackson listened to music, drank some of his grandfather's liquor and corresponded about the killing on an online forum for "sociopaths" where he also posted a photo of Hap Jackson's body. Court documents say Willie Jackson had planned to kill himself, but instead called 911.

Hap Jackson had served in the Navy, worked at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and was active in veteran organizations. Willie Jackson lived with him in his Rocky Point home.

Hap Jackson's son, and Willie Jackson's father, William Jackson, asked Dalton to sentence Willie Jackson to the maximum allowed and called him a "low life" and "stupid."

"I don't hate you for what you did, I feel sorry for you," William Jackson said, later adding: "He can have fun living in there with the real killers," referring to prison.

Two possible motives were offered for Willie Jackson's actions, including his anger at his own father, and anxiety that his grandfather would die and leave him without a place to live. Lewis said Willie Jackson, who researched laws about murder to confirm Gov. Jay Inslee's moratorium on the death penalty, may have reasoned he could live in prison.

"Most rational people look at that and it doesn't make a lot of sense," Lewis said, who asked Dalton sentence him to the middle of the 240- to 320-month range. "Maybe to him that makes sense."

In arguing for the maximum sentence, Deputy Prosecutor Breanna Peterson noted Willie Jackson didn't appear to have animosity toward his grandfather, "Just that he was weak enough for the defendant to kill."
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By Kitsap Sun Staff

BANGOR  After multiple drones were seen flying over Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor the past few months, the Navy is asking that residents report sightings to base officials immediately.

"Unauthorized drone flights pose a potential threat to national security," said Rear Adm. Jeff Ruth, commander of Navy Region Northwest, said in a news release. "We're all part of this community. It is vital that everyone on and around the base remain observant and vigilant when it comes keeping our nation safe by reporting sightings of these drones."

Officials ask that anyone who sees a drone contact base security as soon as possible. Call the regional dispatch center at (360) 396-4444. If possible, provide the operator with:

* Location. This includes the direction the drone is flying, where it is coming from, and landmarks or street intersections.

* Date and time of sighting.

* Detailed description of the drone. Provide the approximate size and color, number of propellers and color of lights.

* If possible, take a photograph or video.
CNN reports:

Australia has ordered 12 new submarines at a cost of $39 billion, becoming the latest nation to upgrade its fleet in a region where the seas are getting crowded.

French defense contractor DCNS beat competitors from Japan and Germany to the massive contract, which Australia described as the largest and most complex in its history.

Australia said the new 4,700-tonne Shortfin Barracudas will offer superior sensor performance and stealth characteristics, while maintaining the range and endurance of previous models.
News.com.au reports:

FIVE people, including two little girls, were pepper-sprayed during a heated clash between Trump demonstrators in California on Tuesday.

Backers waving US flags and pro-Trump signs were met by opponents leading to a shouting match between about 50 people outside City Hall in the Orange County community.

At one point, an opponent unleashed a handheld pepper-spray device on the pro-Trump crowd.

Five people, including two girls ages eight and 11, were exposed to the eye-stinging spray, police Sgt. Daron Wyatt said. Three were treated at the scene by paramedics.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Rain. Thunder possible. Morning high of 62F with temps falling to near 50. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 33F. Winds light and variable.
The Missouri Budget Project says struggling families would benefit from a couple of pieces of legislation currently being considered in the state.
The headquarters of Clayton Homes in Maryville, Tenn. SUBMITTED PHOTO

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By Ed Marcum of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Maryville based Clayton Homes announced today it has acquired Gallatin-based Goodall Homes, expanding Clayton Homes' reach into the site-built home market.

Goodall Homes has been a builder of single-family homes, town homes and condominiums since 1990. It is the second site-built housing company that Clayton Homes has acquired. In October, the company bought Atlanta-area builder Chafin Communities, which has 1,100 developed, undeveloped and contracted building lots.

"It means that we are expanding our home offerings to include all types of housing, so we will be answering more lifestyle needs for different types of families," Keith Holdbrooks, president of Clayton Building Group, said at the time.

The acquisition of Goodall Homes includes about 3,600 lots and 180 homes under construction in a five-county area of Middle Tennessee. Goodall closed 436 homes last year.

"As we continue to grow and expand into the site-built market, it is important to partner with teams that share our culture of providing an excellent customer experience," Holdbrooks said in a statement today.

The acquisition comes as Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which bought Clayton Homes in 2003, begins its shareholder meeting in Omaha, Neb., today. Clayton Homes was founded in 1956 and builds modular and manufactured housing.
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By Sarah Norris, Chapter16.org

"Jeff Daniel Marion: Poet on the Holston" celebrates the life and work of beloved Appalachian poet Jeff Daniel Marion. Edited by Jesse Graves, Thomas Alan Holmes, and Ernest Lee, the anthology contains 17 essays  including an autobiographical essay by Marion himself  an interview with the poet, and a detailed timeline of his life. Marion has published nine collections of poetry and numerous other writings, and his voice  in both spirit and direct quotation  is threaded throughout this collection of essays by Southern writers, teachers, and Marion's former students.

Born in Rogersville, Tennessee, Jeff Daniel Marion taught creative writing at Carson-Newman College from 1969 until his retirement in 2002, and he is the recipient of an almost uncountable number of awards. A random sampling: in 2011, while serving as the University of Tennessee Libraries' Jack E. Reese Writer in Residence, he received the James Still Award for Writing about the Appalachian South from the Fellowship of Southern Writers; in 2005, Carson-Newman presented Marion with the Outstanding Educational Service to Appalachia Award; and in 2003, "Ebbing & Flowing: New and Selected Poems and Prose, 1976-2001" was named the Appalachian Book of the Year by the Appalachian Writers Association.

The heartfelt essays in this anthology tend to view present-day culture through eyes opened by Marion's poetry and generosity as a teacher. In his introduction, Ernest Lee quotes the preface to "Ebbing & Flowing," in which Marion reflects on his own family heritage: "Indeed, my work grows out of necessity, the need to create, to say and shape my life, the need to work at a craft that can give lasting body to the love I feel for my world fast fading and too soon gone."

Susan O'Dell Underwood offers an affecting examination of Marion's impact as a teacher. Using as her lens Marion's poem "Boundaries," Underwood describes him as a clear guardian of poetry grounded in place: "His life of teaching was about passing on to his students the great power of staying still in a place, of acknowledging the humblest surroundings. His writing life  is about traveling the same terrain over and over, seeing the ordinary and known in new, extraordinary ways."

In "Measures of Grace," John Lang notes that the lack of overt "God-talk" in Marion's writing may at first seem at odds with his frequent characterization as "a poet with religious concerns." But in examining the sense of wonder permeating Marion's poems, Lang concludes that "attentiveness pervades Marion's poetry, with its lovingly inscribed portraits of the natural world" and argues that Marion's watchfulness is nothing less than "prayerful."

Don Johnson writes, "No poet has been more firmly rooted in the soil of East Tennessee than Jeff Daniel Marion. For no one has the term 'regional poet' in its most literal interpretation been more appropriate. Rarely does Marion venture west of Clinch Mountain, south of Newport, Tennessee, or north of Southwestern Virginia." Indeed, Randall Wilhelm describes Marion's most consistent theme as the search for home.

In introducing an interview with Marion, co-editor Jesse Graves calls Marion one of his closest friends and mentors. During the 20 years they've known one another, writes Graves, they have "grown into friends who talk about what it means to be a son, a husband, and a father; what it means to be a recorder of stories and lives, especially ones that might not get told or seen or understood if we ourselves fail to get them right in their telling." In the end, he notes, "It seems that so many of our talks have become about how to love. And what home means. How to be part of a place, and how to show it to the rest of the world, if the world cares to look. These conversations themselves have become acts of love."

The same can be said about this anthology of remembrances and gratitude for Jeff Daniel Marion's art of attention.

For more local book coverage visit http://chapter16.org/, an online publication of Humanities Tennessee.
There's a bit of a bother across the pond, but in a world of sad news and mean-spirited politics, it's good to know some people have a sense of humor.

In what The (London) Guardian calls a "major test of democracy," their National Environment Research Council turned to the British public to ask what they should name their new polar research ship.

As a joke, BBC radio presenter James Hand suggested RRS Boaty McBoatface, and the idea went viral, getting something like 124,109 votes, more than three times its nearest rival.

It's unlikely the Minister of Science will go for the name, but things get clumsy because they chose to let the public name it and now that they did, it's backpedal time.

This got me thinking about famous ships we have known. See how you do on this little reader-review:

1) What ship did Jules Verne make famous in his novels "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" (1870) and "The Mysterious Island" (1874)?

2) In Greek mythology before the Trojan War, around 1300 BCE, Jason went on a quest to find the Golden Fleece. The name of his ship?

3) What was the name of the boat Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn made famous in their 1951 movie of the same name?

4) J.M. Barrie put Captain Hook on this pirate ship in his classic tale about Peter Pan.

5) The Soviet submarine in Tom Clancy's debut 1984 novel was named?

Answers:

1) Nautilus. Some two dozen real ships also take this name, including the first steam ferry providing transport from Staten Island, NY to Lower Manhattan in 1817.

2) The Argonaut, named after its builder, Argus. "Argonauts" literally means "Argo sailors."

3)The African Queen is now located in Key Largo, Florida, where in 1992 it was added to the U.S. National Historic Register.

4) The Jolly Roger. . The flag's symbol  a grinning skull and crossbones  was used on pirate ships as early as the 18th century.

5) Red October. The novel "The Hunt for the Red October" also serves as basis for several computer, video and board games.

Back to Boaty McBoatface.

Though it won big with the public, the name won't likely be painted on the side of England's new polar research vessel. But will they go with another of the winning names: Ice Ice Baby?

Nor is it likely the school board in Austin, Texas, will go with the winning suggestion after asking the public to rename Robert E. Lee Elementary: Schoolie McSchoolface. Other nominations: Donald J. Trump Elementary; Adolph Hitler School for Friendship and Tolerance; Bleeding Heart Liberal Elementary; Hypothetical Perfect Person Memorial Elementary School and Schooly McSchoolerson.

Lesson learned? Be careful what you ask for.

Ina Hughs may be reached at inamackie@yahoo.com.
SHARE PatrickMcMullan.com via AP Images Tina Fey and Paula Pell at the 2012 Writers Guild Awards in New York STEVEN BRIDGES/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS SENTINEL University of Tennessee alumna and Saturday Night Live writer Paula Pell speaks during the Women and Philanthropy Symposium in Knoxville in 2012. Paula Pell

By Georgiana Vines of the Knoxville News Sentinel

Paula Pell has built a career on comedy, but the next phase of her life will include her art.

The former head writer for "Saturday Night Live" teamed with SNL collaborators Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for "Sisters," the successful movie that came out in December and is based on Pell's teenage diary. She has a minor role in the film.

The 53-year-old University of Tennessee graduate is well known for memorable characters she's written such as the "Spartan Cheerleaders," "The Culps" and "Debbie Downer." She also wrote for and guest-starred in TV's "30 Rock" and "Parks and Recreation."

Now she's working on two movie scripts, one for Fey and her production banner, Little Stranger, and the other for Paramount, she said. She's "shopping around" a prospective TV series and acting in the Los Angeles area, where she moved six months ago after living for decades in New York's Hudson Valley with a partner from whom she is now split.

And she's working on a "little" book that will include comedy and her drawings. She's into color tensile on wood.

"It's nice to be able to write and illustrate a book," she said in a phone interview.

Pell will be in Knoxville to be honored at the 2016 Black & White Gala of the Clarence Brown Theatre at 7 p.m. May 20 in Jackson Terminal. The 1986 graduate has a bachelor of arts degree in theatre and speech. In 2012, she received the UT Accomplished Alumni Award from the UT Alliance of Women Philanthropists after speaking at a symposium on UT's ties to TV, stage and cinema.

"We are looking forward to celebrating Paula's wide-ranging work on May 20 by bestowing the CBT's Artistic Achievement Award at our 2016 Gala," said David B. Byrd, CBT managing director. "An incredible artist, Paula is funny, passionate and represents the type of artist the CBT/University of Tennessee helps foster."

Pell was born in Joliette, Ill., and the family moved to Orlando when she was 15. She credits her parents for her theatrical talents; her dad is naturally funny and her mom had a beautiful singing voice as she grew up, Pell told actor Alec Baldwin in an Internet interview in 2012.

Pell planned to attend Florida State University to study theatre but ended up at Seminole State College in Orlando when offered a scholarship, "a tremendous blessing," she said. At Seminole State, she studied art with Knoxville native Grady Kimsey. Kimsey is a UT art graduate who's become an established sculptor, potter and painter. He recommended she attend UT and study theatre.

The UT library archives has playbills from her era, 1983-86, which show she did costume construction, poster design, carpentry and wardrobes and was an understudy for four plays.

"I was never on board for those," she said.

But she did perform in others at "black boxes," when the main theatre was closed to remove asbestos, she said. One was "Extremities," which focused on a woman who captures her stalker and rapist in her home and exacts revenge on him with her housemates.

Former UT theatre director Bob Mashburn said plays were done in the Lab and Carousel theatres when "they barred the stage house doors."

After graduating Pell left Knoxville briefly and then returned to work at the Bijou Theatre with a children's company that went to various schools. But then she returned to Orlando, where she became the Florida Lottery's "Bingo" lady, a bouffant-wearing Agnes who played a Wurlitzer organ.

She did this until the early '90s when her irreverent antics led her to create and collaborate on "Saturday Night Live." Awards that she's received reflect her talent  a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding writing in a variety series in 2002 and Writers Guild Awards for best comedy/variety on Television in 2007 and 2010.

She also wrote and produced "Thick and Thin" on NBC for 13 episodes, had a cameo role in the 2013 comedy film "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues," and plays the dream producer and Mom's Anger in the 2015 Pixar film "Inside Out."

"Sisters" is about two middle-aged siblings who are told by their parents to come home to clean out the bedroom because the house has been sold. The sisters decide they won't leave the house without one last high school rage party.

She and another UT graduate and fellow SNL writer, James Anderson, also had a funny web series, "Hudson Valley Ballers," in 2013. They played a variety of characters, according to reviews.

Pell said she still occasionally writes for "Saturday Night Live," either by long distance or by going into New York City once or twice a year.

In her spare time, "I love my animals, two dogs and two cats. I'm surrounded by stirring animals," she said.

When she was a teenager writing her diary, she also was drawing pictures of Sylvester Stallone, with whom she was star-struck, from his first "Rocky" movie. Now by taking up drawing as well as writing, she's trying to incorporate all her interests into an artistic package.

"It's a nice time in life, in my 50s," she said.

The book she's writing has come out of her Twitter account, @perlapell, which she describes as a "shout out to young women" and "encouraging them," by drawing on her life experiences.

Some recent examples on the account:

"The entire time I work out I am screaming inside my mouth 'I am doing this against my will! Contact the authorities!' "

"All my selfies are extensively rehearsed."
State Sen. Mae Beavers of Mt. Juliet was elected to serve as chair of Tennessee's Republican delegation at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, in July over state Sen. Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro. Both are delegates for billionaire Donald Trump for president.

Beavers is the first woman to chair the Tennessee delegation, said former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe, a delegate for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Ashe was elected to the Platform Committee.

The convention is July 18-21. Ashe said he will go to Cleveland a week earlier for Platform Committee meetings.

Except for two positions, all those elected to four standing committees of the national convention are Trump delegates. The elections took place Thursday by teleconference, with the meeting headed by state Republican Chair Ryan Haynes.

Future meetings will be chaired by Beavers, Ashe said.

Trump-backed delegates prevailed in the elections, Ashe said, with no one pledged to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz elected to any position.

Ashe said he was nominated by Sam Maynard of Knoxville, a Trump supporter, whose support he sought.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has no Tennessee delegates.

Others chosen were Linda Buckles and Chris Hughes, Trump supporters, for the Credential Committee; Beth Campbell, Rubio delegate, and Chad Blackburn, Trump supporter, for the Permanent Organization Committee; Connie Hunter, Trump supporter, also to the Platform Committee; and Betty Cannon and John Ryder, Trump supporters, Rules Committee.

Trump supporters earlier accused Haynes of engineering the appointment of people with anti-Trump views as delegates but Haynes insisted this was not the case.

BAKER REMEMBERED: U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker Jr.'s leadership in the Senate's ratification of the controversial Panama Canal treaties in 1978 is the focus of an award-winning essay in the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest for high school students.

The Kennedy Library Foundation announced Zhen Tu, a junior at Eagan High School in Minnesota, will receive $10,000 in a ceremony in Boston on Sunday.

Baker's daughter, Cissy, is expected to attend and meet the winner.

Zhen Tu argues Baker, then GOP minority leader, paid a price for his efforts when he failed to become the 1980 Republican Party's presidential nominee.

The essay contest is a companion program of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award named for the president's book, "Profiles in Courage."
Michael Savage (CAMPBELL COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)

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By News Sentinel Staff

A Campbell County man who lied about being attacked by a bear has pleaded guilty to filing a false report.

On April 11, Campbell County Criminal Court Judge Shayne Sexton sentenced Michael Savage, 28, to 95 days in jail with 2 years of unsupervised probation and $3,130 in costs and fines, according to a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency news release.

Savage, of LaFollette, Tenn., claimed he was walking on Demory Road in LaFollette in the early morning hours of Sept. 4 when he was attacked by an animal that was likely a bear.

He had lacerations on his chest and face, but those injuries were inconsistent with injuries typically found after a bear attack, according to TWRA officials. Savage was charged with a felony false report.

Authorities haven't said what they believe really caused the injuries.

Prior to entering his guilty plea, Savage was in jail from Jan. 7 to April 11 while he waited for a plea bargain, according to the release.

More details as they develop online and in Saturday's News Sentinel.
SHARE Bruce MacLennan, associate professor at the University of Tennessee Electrical and Computer Science Department.

By Travis Dorman of the Knoxville News Sentinel

A poll shows University of Tennessee faculty members strongly oppose allowing guns on campus, but champions of the idea say they're confident the governor will sign their measure into law.

Gov. Bill Haslam has until Tuesday to act on a bill that would allow full-time employees of Tennessee public universities to carry handguns on campus. The bill states full-time employees not enrolled as students can carry handguns concealed on campus, provided they have Tennessee carry permits.

Last week, the Senate voted 28-5 to send the bill to Gov. Haslam's desk. If Haslam does not act by Tuesday, the bill will automatically become law.

University of Tennessee Senate Faculty President Bruce MacLennan created a poll to find out what UT faculty members think about the issue. Fewer than half of the 1,700 faculty members on UT's campuses participated in the poll, which asked three "agree" or "disagree" questions related to the bill:

Eighty-seven percent said they "strongly disagree" that "allowing guns on campus is in the best interest of the campus community."

Eighty-eight percent said they "strongly disagree" that "as a faculty member, I would feel comfortable with firearms in my classroom."

Sixty-six percent said they "strongly agree" that "each university campus should have the authority to set its own policies."

"Overall, (the Faculty Senate) thinks the bill is a very bad idea," MacLennan said. "We're hoping the governor will veto it and that the veto will be sustained. I don't think we're very optimistic about either of those things, but that's kind of our last hope to prevent what we consider this very dangerous and unfortunate bill being enacted."

MacLennan said most faculty members have no training in using deadly force and that having more guns on campus creates more opportunities for accidental shootings, suicides and other conflicts.

The survey also allowed participants to leave comments, the majority of which criticized the measure and said it would make the campus less safe. Several faculty members threatened to resign, leave the state or interview at other universities should the bill be signed into law.

"If this passes, expect an exodus-like event of your top scholars. We will take our grants, our doctoral students, and our (resumes) to another university. UT can say goodbye to its dreams of Top 25 ranking," reads one comment.

Sen. Lee Harris, D-Memphis, referenced the poll in a floor discussion last week on the merits of the bill.

Bill sponsor Sen. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, responded by saying, "I think some of these people need to take their medication."

"Maybe this will give UT a chance to hire some conservative teachers if we have a mass exodus of some of these liberals who responded to this. There's a few reasonable comments on here, but not many," Bell said during the floor discussion.

Bell stood by his comments in a phone interview Friday.

"These are probably a lot of the same faculty members who are defending the Office of Diversity and the foolishness coming out of that office," he said.

Bell and co-sponsor Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, say the bill would make campus a safer place for all by eliminating gun-free zones and providing employees with the ability to defend themselves in case of an on-campus shooting.

"I think it's important that we exercise our constitutional rights whether we're on campus or otherwise," Holt said Friday.

Bell said crime statistics show handgun permit holders are the most law-abiding group of people in the country and that allowing them to exercise their Second Amendment rights on college campuses will not suddenly turn them into lawbreakers.

Bell and Holt expressed confidence that Haslam will sign the bill, saying they have "bent over backwards" to alleviate concerns by repeatedly amending the language of the bill.

Holt said the governor primarily wanted to see an opt-out provision in the bill that would allow each college campus to determine whether or not the gun law would apply. Holt said based on the testimony that was heard in committee, most of the campuses would opt out, so they decided to exclude that option.

"I think to fulfill the wishes of the General Assembly, the governor should and the governor will sign the bill," Holt said. "And if he doesn't, we'll override the veto come January."
Trey Hollingsworth, from left, Nicci Hollingsworth and Joe Hollingsworth greeted guests at their 33rd annual football party.

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By Tim Evans and Mark Alesia, THE USA TODAY NETWORK, The Indianapolis Star

Shortly after he moved to Jeffersonville last fall, Joseph Albert "Trey" Hollingsworth III had a problem only a GOP county chairman could solve.

The 32-year-old multimillionaire from Tennessee wanted to run for Indiana's 9th District congressional seat, but because he'd never voted in a primary here  let alone, perhaps, anywhere else  he needed the permission of an established GOP stalwart.

So he sought out Clark County GOP Chairman Jamey Noel. And Hollingsworth, Noel said, made one thing clear: If Noel didn't approve the candidacy, someone else would.

I know he was looking at moving possibly to other parts of the 9th District," Noel said, "to find a county chairman that would sign off on him if I would not have done it.

So Noel obliged, and Hollingsworth launched his campaign, supported by $1.5 million of his own money  and $500,000 of his father's, angering three opponents and setting off a series of questions.

Continue reading at The Indianapolis Star.
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There is a medical emergency in rural Tennessee, and state officials must find a solution. Further delay will mean lost lives, damaged economies and permanently diminished communities.

Towns that have been vibrant communities for two centuries may never be the same, and, as they wither, Tennessee will lose much of what makes our state special.

I know, because I have watched the crisis hit my town and my neighbors.

The crisis involves the threatened closure or radical downsizing of small-town hospitals. Five have closed in recent years, and the problem is getting worse. Just this month, the hospital in McNairy County is closing. In Scott County, where I live, the hospital is closing all inpatient service and laying off 30-40 staff.

Scott County lived this nightmare before, when the hospital closed several years ago. As is true everywhere, our hospital was among the largest employers in the county, and the whole local economy took a hit. Loss of the hospital payroll was felt by local businesses and county tax revenues.

Without a hospital, it is difficult to recruit or retain doctors, nurses or other health professionals. And without local health care resources, it is impossible to recruit new industries.

Of course, the worst impact is on health and safety. People in accidents or who suffered heart attacks had to wait longer for emergency medics, because ambulances were often away transporting other patients to facilities outside the county. And once the medics arrived, precious time was lost before they could reach a hospital emergency department capable of saving their lives. For some, the delays were fatal.

We were so relieved when a new company reopened Scott County Hospital, but that company is now bankrupt, and we dread what lies ahead.

We are not alone. According to audited financial data compiled by the Tennessee Department of Health, nearly 50 of Tennessee's 115 community hospitals are in financial trouble. Most of those at risk of closing are the only hospitals in their communities.

Research shows that when one hospital closes, it increases the financial pressure on neighboring facilities. That creates a domino effect with the potential to strip large areas of rural Tennessee of all local hospital services.

Last year, Gov. Bill Haslam proposed his Insure Tennessee plan. The plan would have covered 280,000 uninsured Tennesseans in working families by bringing our federal tax dollars back to the state to pay for their coverage. Those federal funds would have reduced the indigent care burdens on rural hospitals and provided them the additional revenues they desperately need.

Unfortunately, the Legislature never approved Insure Tennessee, depriving rural communities of that critical lifeline.

Now Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell has appointed a task force of state representatives to recommend an alternative to Insure Tennessee. Some task force members are from rural communities whose hospitals are in danger, and I hope they will help the entire task force understand the urgency of the problem. They need to produce a plan to bring our federal dollars back to help Tennesseans and the hospitals on which we all rely.

Just like in any other medical emergency, there's not a moment to lose.

William Paul Phillips is the retired district attorney general of the 8th Judicial District.
By Choi Sung-jin



A combination of factors is behind the crises of domestic shipping and shipbuilding but one of them should be the government's policy failure, including its lack of "a big picture," critics say.



The fortunes of these industries have fluctuated according to the global economic situation, but they have been -- and are -- key industries that Korea cannot abandon as the country heavily depends on foreign trade. Unless the government provides a strong helping hand and implements long-term direction, the industries will find it hard to break free of the reef, experts say.



"The government seems to have no big picture' for shipping and shipbuilding. Nor is there a body to discuss how to promote the two industries and what to do to that end," said Professor Han Jong-kil of Sungkyul University at a recent workshop.



When businesses have been pressed to the verge of a cliff, policymakers decided either to save or surrender them. Either way, with most businesses, their competitiveness continued to weaken in the process, he added.



Korea's shipping industry is a total wreck these days. The debts of two major companies  Hanjin Shipping and Hyundai Merchant Marine  total more than 11.4 trillion won ($10 billion). If they fail to reach a settlement with ship owners on lowering charter fees and with creditors on debt rescheduling, the two companies will likely be excluded from the global shipping alliance and will not be able to survive for long, industry experts say.



Why did shipping and shipbuilding in Korea come to this?



The fundamental reason is of course the global economic slump, the supply glut of vessels and the decline in freight rates. In the Shanghai-Europe route, for example, the average freight charge of a six-meter container was nearly halved, going from $1,172 to $620, last year. A group owner's wife took control of a major shipping company and arbitrarily managed it with the help of her cronies.



The government has also played no small role in the crisis of the shipping industry, however.



After the 1998 Asian financial crisis, the financial authorities told all Korean businesses to keep their debt ratios below 200 percent. Yet shipping companies cannot help but maintain high debt ratios because they have to buy costly vessels, and therefore the Korean shipping operators had to sell off their ships to keep their debt ratios low. By the 2000s, however, a boom returned to the industry, forcing Korean companies to charter vessels at high rates if they wanted to keep up with the business. During the recent slump, though, charter fees have fallen to one fifth of one tenth of the levels they were in the boom days but Korean firms still pay exorbitant rates under long-term contracts.



It was but one example of the bureaucrats' one-size-fits-all policy-making ruining not just private businesses but an entire industry.



Korea was crowded out of global competition that favored larger vessels, and that deepened the Korean shippers' plight. Global shipping companies have 18,000 TEU-class ships but the largest in Korea is a 13,000 TEU vessel owned by Hanjin.



"The 2008-2012 period was the golden time to revive the shipping industry," said an official at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. "But there were no maritime policies as the former Lee Myung-bak administration abolished the ministry. Nor was there a government budget to support shipping because most of the government resources were poured into the project to refurbish the four largest rivers."



The situation is not much different with Korean shipbuilding.



The combined debts of the three biggest shipbuilders  Hyundai Heavy, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering and Samsung Heavy  amount to 10.75 trillion won. Deepening their crisis was cutthroat competition for offshore plants when international oil prices soared above $100 per barrel around 2010. New orders have all but dried up since oil prices plunged below $50 in 2014, however.



"Korean shipbuilders jumped into the offshore plant business, resulting in fierce competition among themselves," said Professor Paek Jeom-ki of Pusan National University. Adding fuel to the fire was the government's decision to select the development of offshore plants as one of the new growth engines in 2013.



Experts call for the government to set up restructuring principles and methods that will help sharpen industrial competitiveness in the long term. Japan, for instance, has operated a committee, led by a university professor and attended by industrialists, financiers and unionists, to discuss how to realign Japanese shipping and shipbuilding. Japanese shipbuilders have also experienced difficulties but have chased their global big-three Korean competitors.



"The shipping and shipbuilding industries are closely related to each other but in Korea, two different government agencies  the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy -- are handling them separately," said Professor Han. "The government should set up a control tower that can provide a big picture' with a long-term perspective."












By Choi Sung-jin



Steel, automobiles and semiconductors have been included in the nation's 10 major export products for the past 39 years, according to the Korea International Trade Association. Most other top-10 export items, such as general machinery, vessels, optical equipment and plastics, also have been there for more than a decade.



The ongoing industrial restructuring shows the time has come for businesses that have remained complacent with the status quo to seek changes, experts say.



The realignment of the shipping and shipbuilding sectors should be an occasion for Korean businesses to realize the need to shift to a "two-track" strategy, they say. There is no future for the Korean economy if the nation repeats plunging a scalpel into ailing industries after waiting for them to fester.



Instead, business groups have to realign their core sectors under the long-term plan of developing new growth engines, they say.



"There have been warnings since as early as 2010 that shipping operators and shipbuilders could fall into serious crises, but most businesses involved dismissed calls for realignment as premature, until their sales began to fall steeply," said Chang Seok-in, senior fellow at the Korea Institute of Industrial Economic and Trade. "This was in part because people interpret restructuring as withdrawal from core sectors."



Another expert agreed. "The businesses in trouble, once branded as unhealthy companies' by the government, cannot get reasonable prices here or abroad," said Kim Yun-kyeong, assistant researcher at the Korea Economic Research Institute (KIET). "It is necessary for businesses to select new growth engines in the long term before the current one loses its momentum, and try to realign other businesses through permanent restructuring." He cited Samsung SDI as an example.



In February, the Samsung Group affiliate and a total energy solution provider divided its chemical business department from it as SDI Chemical, and plans to sell 90 percent of it to Lotte Chemical within the first half of this year, and the other 10 percent in three years. Samsung SDI will receive about 2.58 trillion won ($2.25 billion) and invest it into expanding its battery manufacturing plants in Korea and China, as well as building new ones in Europe. In a two-track strategy, the company will have spun off its chemical business and focused on the battery business.



An industry executive said other companies, such as POSCO, GS and Hyundai Heavy, industries engaged in "vulnerable industries" as categorized by the government, should no longer adhere to previous growth engines but shift their focus to next-generation industries.



Already, global corporate giants have realigned their business portfolios and entered into new industries. General Electric, for instance, took over Alstom's electric and energy business for 9.7 billion euro (12.58 trillion won). Siemens acquired CD-Adapco to enhance its competitive edge in electrification, automation and digitalization.



Korea's competitiveness in new industries remains low. According to a report by KIET that compared major countries' competitiveness in the four areas of smart cars, convergence-integration material, fusion biotechnology-health-care and Internet of Things, Korea's stood at only 68.3 if that of the U.S. was 100 in 2015. It was higher than China's 55.9 but far lower than Japan's 81.5.



If Korea wants to improve the situation, the government should first ease regulations, businesspeople and academics say.



Specifically, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry has asked the government to do away with the "triangle" of regulations: the approval system in which would-be entrants in new industries have to win the government's go-ahead; positive regulations that disallow all activities except those already allowed by the government, and lack of certifying criteria that keeps businesses from releasing newly developed products on time.



"Trying to develop new industries under the government's initiatives is an old story," said Professor Cho Seong-hun of Yonsei University. "It is most urgent for the government to abolish regulations so that companies can conduct business activities freely."



Another KIET researcher agreed. "During the development era, the government could select strategic industries and businesses and focus support on them," said Choi Yun-hee, head of the future industry research team at the state think tank. "That formula can no longer work today, when the industrial environment has become more complicated and diversified. The government should limit its role to creating the market."



Other experts took issue with the government's incentive system that expands tax breaks for large businesses but provides no additional benefits to small and medium enterprises, which will widen further the already serious gap between them.



This can hardly be called "industrial innovation," doing nothing about big businesses' excessive internal reserves and the gulf between large and small companies, a critic said.



"There should be a difference between the national economy's future course and the government's role in it," said Kim Jin-bang, an Inha University professor. "Reducing taxes for large companies jumping into new industries is but another special favor."








By Lee Hyo-sik

The government-initiated rescue of struggling shippers and shipbuilders could spark an all-out trade dispute with Europe, China, Japan and other countries that fiercely compete with Korea in the global market, trade analysts said Friday.

They say the government and state-run banks should take a more cautious approach to supporting debt-ridden shipping and shipbuilding firms, and not prompt competing nations to file complaints with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the moves.

Countries could argue that the Korean government's extension of financial support to its shipping and shipbuilding industries through state-run banks violates WTO rules, according to the analysts.

The Geneva-based intergovernmental organization, which regulates international trade, forbids member states from providing subsidies to enable specific industries to increase exports at the expense of their rivals.












Hyundai Motor Group, the world's No. 5 automaker, made clear Tuesday that it has no intention of acquiring two financially troubled former affiliates, saying the group remains committed to its core carmaking business.



Amid a government push to restructure embattled industries, Hyundai Motor Group has been mentioned as a potential candidate to take over shipbuilding giant Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., South Korea's No. 2 shipping company.



"Hyundai Motor Group will concentrate only on honing the competitive edge of its carmaking business through vertical integration," a group official said. "We are not interested in shipbuilding and shipping that are unrelated to the group."



Hyundai Motor Group has never taken over companies unrelated to carmaking and is mobilizing all its resources to manage its automaking business well, he stressed.



In a pre-emptive move to keep financially troubled companies from denting the economy, the government has singled out five industries -- shipbuilding, shipping, construction, steelmaking and petrochemicals -- for a sweeping overhaul.



Hammered by an industrywide slump and increased costs, Hyundai Heavy Industries has suffered huge losses for two years on end. The company lost 1.36 trillion won ($1.18 billion) in 2015 following a 2.21 trillion-won loss a year earlier.



Hyundai Merchant has also been struggling with mounting losses, hit by an oversupply and declining freight charges since the 2008 financial crisis. The shipper posted 253.5 billion won in operating losses last year.



Hyundai Motor Group is led by Chung Mong-koo, the eldest son of the late Hyundai founder Chung Ju-yung. Its flagships are South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and No. 2 player Kia Motors Corp.



Hyundai Merchant is the shipping unit of Hyundai Group, a conglomerate headed by the wife of a late brother of the Hyundai Motor Group chairman. Chung Mong-joon, the sixth son of the founder, is the largest shareholder of Hyundai Heavy Industries. Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Heavy Industries were separated from Hyundai Group in 2000 following a fierce sibling fight for group control.



Because of their former ties, speculation has swirled that Hyundai Motor Group may take over some business divisions of Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Merchant Marine to help them stay afloat.



Recently, there have been talks that the automotive group may acquire the construction equipment division of Hyundai Heavy Industries, but a Hyundai Motor Group official dismissed it as groundless.



In March, Hyundai Glovis Co., a logistics unit of Hyundai Motor Group, was contacted about a possible takeover of Hyundai Merchant Marine, but the group spurned the offer.



"I understand the group has received such an offer, but we are not interested in Hyundai Merchant Marine, which is not related to automaking," a group official said.



In the face of an economic slump, Hyundai Motor Group has also begun intensive restructuring, including an early retirement program and a pay freeze for managerial staff. (Yonhap)




By Jhoo Dong-chan

German auto brands Volkswagen and Audi have been ordered to recall a total of 2,617 SUVs, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced Tuesday.

Volkswagen's mid-size crossover Touareg SUVs were found to have a defect in the model's brake parts, which may not operate properly at high speeds. A total of 2,473 SUVs made between Feb. 10, 2011, and Jan. 19, 2016, have been cited for the safety malfunction.

Volkswagen's other compact-size Tiguan SUVs and the company's sister automaker Audi's Q5 luxury crossovers have been cited for an airbag defect. The two models' airbag system, supplied by Japanese company Takata, has a defective inflator and propellant device that may deploy improperly in an accident, spraying metal fragments at the driver.

A total of 115 Tiguans made between Jan. 14, 2015, and Feb. 4, 2015, were affected while 29 Q5s, made between Jan. 13 and Feb. 3 the same year, will be recalled, the ministry said.

Volkswagen started providing free repairs at its service center Tuesday while Audi starts the service for the Q5, Friday.

The ministry advised owners of the affected cars with the Takata airbag system to seek repairs as soon as possible.

"Since they were found to have defects in a safety-related system, we strongly advise owners to get repairs as soon as possible," said a ministry official.

Beyond Volkswagen and Audi, 48 models by six automakers, totaling more than 50,000 cars, were previously found to have the defective Takata airbag system. Of them, the ministry has already issued orders to recall 38,228 of the affected cars, with plans to recall all, once enough replacement parts are available.

So far, however, only 19,776 cars, or 39 percent, have been reported for the recall.

For more information, call 080-767-089, or visit www.car.go.kr.
GM Korea President and CEO James Kim poses with the all-new Malibu sedan during a launch event at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro, southwestern Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of GM Korea



By Jhoo Dong-chan

The U.S. automaker General Motors (GM) Chevrolet Division has introduced the all-new Malibu sedan, aiming to top the sales in Korea's mid-size sedan market.

"The Malibu is all new from the ground up  including its design, power train, chassis and safety systems  to far exceed the expectations of midsize sedan buyers," GM Korea President and CEO James Kim said during its introduction at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro, southwestern Seoul, Wednesday. "It will change the market with its incomparable value and aggressive pricing."

A GM Korea official also expressed his confidence in the Malibu, saying it will be No. 1 in the nation's mid-sized sedan market.

"I am confident that our new Malibu will top its class in sales," said Dale Sullivan, GM Korea vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing (VSSM). "There are strong competitors in the class such as the Hyundai Sonata and the Renault Samsung SM6. But the all-new Malibu will beat them all in sales."

Built on an entirely new body, the new Malibu is six cm longer and has a wheelbase that is 9.3 cm longer than the previous model. An official said this makes it the most spacious and longest sedan in its class.

Its sleek and sporty exterior incorporated with slim headlamps and the brand-signature dual-port grille is aimed not only at traditional customers who want a family car but also young motorists who like the new design.

"The all-new Malibu has an assertive stance with dramatic, low and sleek proportions, uniquely sculpted surfaces and contemporary technologies, creating a new paradigm for car design," said GM Korea Design Director Stuart Norris. "It advances Chevrolet's global design language and will captivate consumers across Korea."

Underneath its sleek exterior, the all new Malibu mounts two types of turbocharged engines  the 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter direct-injection gasoline engines.

Generating a maximum of 166 horsepower with 25.5 kg-m torque, the 1.5-liter engine offers improved fuel efficiency of 13 kilometers per liter in combination with standard stop/start technology. This is the best fuel economy among competing turbo models, an official added.

The 2.0-liter turbo engine produces 253 horsepower and 36.0 kg-m of maximum torque. It is paired with an electronically controlled transmission that has a wider gear range and tighter gear ratios, making the Malibu the most powerful and responsive sedan in its price range.

The price for the all-new Malibu starts at 23.1 million won ($20,143).
People walk down a street flanked by mom-and-pop stores near Hyundai Heavy Industries in Dong-gu, Ulsan, Thursday. The region's economy is in a slump as business conditions for shipbuilders clustered in the region have slowed down and they are having to conduct massive restructuring. / Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo

State-run banks are being squeezed to reserve more funds for potential losses, as the winds of massive restructuring sweep through the shipping and shipbuilding industries,

Two state-run banks, EximBank Korea and the Korea Development Bank (KDB), are confident they can cover potential losses from loans to the two major shipping firms -- Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) and Hanjin Shipping. But they said they are worried about loans to the shipbuilders.

Earlier this week, KDB Senior Executive Director Lee Dai-hyun said: "If it is just for the shipping firms only, we don't need a capital increase, but more capital will be needed if there is a massive and rapid restructuring of the shipbuilding companies."

EximBank is in a similar position. "Shipping is more a concern of the KDB," said an official at the bank. "What we care about is shipbuilding."

According to the banks, HMM owes 1.2 trillion won to the KDB, while Hanjin owes 700 billion won to the KDB and 50 billion won to EximBank.

The banks lent greater amounts to shipbuilders. KDB's loans to Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) stand at 4 trillion won and to STX Offshore and Shipbuilding 1.9 trillion won. EximBank lent 9 trillion won to DSME, 1.4 trillion won to STX and 2.3 trillion won to Sungdong Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering.

The banks' reserve allowances are based on the collectability of loans. If a loan is classified as substandard, banks must prepare more than 20 percent of the loan as a reserve. For doubtful loans, they should have at least 50 percent, and 100 percent for those estimated to be a loss.

If those companies fall into court receivership, banks should classify the loans as doubtful or losses and come up with significant reserves. This would lead to a drop in their BIS ratio, a measure of capital soundness.

"It depends on how we classify loans to shipbuilders," said the EximBank official. "And the current situation is somewhat uncertain. Some shipyards to whom we extended loans are diligently repaying them back and we cannot classify those loans as substandard or doubtful and say we need capital increases to appropriate more allowances and raise the BIS ratio.'"

The BIS ratio of the KDB is 14.16 percent and that of EximBank 10.11 percent, lower than the average 14.85 percent for commercial lenders. Should the banks increase their allowances for loans to shipbuilders, however, their net profit will decrease and the ratio will naturally follow. A BIS ratio below 8 percent is subject to the financial authorities' action.

"EximBank's low BIS ratio is not because of the slump in the shipbuilding industry," the official said. "However, when the industry's situation gets aggravated, we may need some action to prevent our BIS ratio from falling to 8 percent.

The KDB is active in securing more capital. On Wednesday, it said it will increase the deposits' share of its overall financing to 30 percent to stabilize its financing. It is a move to increase the capital needed for restructuring shipbuilders.

There is heated political debate over reserves for bad debts and whether the Bank of Korea (BOK) should enact a "Korean version" of quantitative easing and inject capital to the banks.

On Friday, BOK Deputy Governor Yoon Myun-shik told reporters the government should take its responsibility before depending on the BOK.

"If there is a necessity to secure capital for state-run banks to support corporate restructuring, state finance should be engaged in first," Yoon said.

The BOK can inject capital into EximBank, but it is banned from purchasing bonds from the KDB or injecting capital. To do so, The Bank of Korea Act and the Korea Development Bank Act need to be revised.

"No matter how the restructuring goes, it is urgent, and I believe there should be national consensus before that," Yoon said, adding that the National Assembly's revision of the banking acts could be seen as part of the consensus.
/Yonhap



By Lee Jin-a

While the number of foreign tourists who receive medical treatment in Korea is increasing, patients have different reasons for it by country, figures show.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday the total number of foreigners who visited Korea for treatment was 266,501 in 2014. China was top with 79,481 people, followed by the U.S., Russia and Japan.

Most Chinese medical tourists, or 28 percent, came for plastic surgery.

Most patients from the U.S. and Russia - 26 percent and 33 percent, respectively - visited Korea for internal medical treatments. The largest number of Japanese tourists - 28 percent - headed to oriental medicine clinics.

"Many American tourists come to Korea to receive medical treatment because Korea provides a high-quality medical service with relatively low prices," said Han Dong-woo, the chief of the Medical Care Global Marketing Support Bureau at the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, according to the Korea Economic Daily.
Hue Eye Center Director Pae Hee-cheol shows the Nd:YAG laser, the equipment that treats vitreous floaters, at his clinic in Incheon, west of Seoul. The center is the only hospital equipped with the machine in Korea.

/ Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk





Hue Eye Center is the only eye clinic in Korea to treat the annoying symptoms

By Lee Kyung-min

An office worker, surnamed Kim, visited an eye doctor because for what seemed to be a number of tiny transparent objects floating within his vision whenever he looks at the computer screen.

As his job requires more than 10 hours a day staring at monitors to conduct online research, those "worm-like things" blocking his vision were a nuisance that caused him insomnia and anxiety.

Similarly, a high school student, surnamed Lee, has been experiencing the annoying phenomenon for the past couple of years, unable to concentrate when studying.

What frustrated Kim and Lee even more was that they could not find how to cure their symptoms.

A number of doctors told them that the symptoms were not detrimental to their eyes and they would have to get used to seeing those things as well as ignoring them.

Then they found an online community with some 8,880 members suffering from exactly the same condition, and that was how they discovered the Hue Eye Center in Incheon, west of Seoul, the only ophthalmic clinic in Korea that treats such a condition with an Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet) laser.

What are the "floaters" and why do they appear?



According to Hue Eye Center Director Pae Hee-cheol, the chief ophthalmologist there, what Kim and Lee are experiencing is called "vitreous floaters," a condition in which people see what may look like tiny, transparent worms.

They typically disappear whenever people try to get a closer look, only to reappear as soon as they shift their focus.

Such objects occur when the vitreous humor shrinks and changes its formation, causing a small piece of the retina, the light sensitive tissue at the back of our eye, to be pulled off.

"Normally, the vitreous gel is anchored to the back of the eye. But it gets thinner, shrinks, and pulls away from the inside surface of the eye," Pae said.

"Such detached parts contain bits of tissue, red blood cells, or clumps of protein, thus not transparent, and they cast a shadow on part of the light going into the retina, making people feel like there are some objects in their field of vision," he added.

Floaters are particularly more noticeable when people see bright surfaces, blank computer screens, snow, or clear skies, because the consistency of the background makes them easier to be distinguished, he noted.

"Most of the time, the brain learns to ignore them. But abnormally numerous or large worm-like things' not only interfere with vision but also signal signs of a more serious condition," he said.





Hue Eye Center Director Pae Hee-cheol examines the eyes of a patient who suffers from vitreous floaters.

/ Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Selective Laser Floaterlysis

Selective Laser Floaterlysis, a specialized treatment for vitreous floaters offered by the Hue Eye Center, removes "the detached part" of the retina by two measures using the Nd:YAG laser  either vaporizing them after target-applied laser excision; or making them move as far away as possible from the macula, the central part the of eye responsible for high-resolution vision, so that the objects will not be seen so much.

Pae purchased the laser in 2013 and remains the only ophthalmologist to have the equipment in Korea.

While most ophthalmic clinics in Korea are reluctant to spend up to 50 million won to purchase the machine to only treat "vitreous floaters," Pae feels passionate that he is helping patients who desire improvement, however minimal it may be.

"Only a small number of patients suffer from vitreous floaters, and the level of improvement they feel is relatively small, compared to LASIK (laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis) or LASEK (laser-assisted sub-epithelial keratectomy). However, I believe as a doctor, I should help patients who want the treatment," he said.

"Most of my patients have been disappointed by many doctors, even though their daily lives are significantly ruined by the floaters that never go away. I am happy when my patients thank me for treating the symptoms which no other doctors take seriously," he added.

The laser treatment is particularly effective for older people, Pae added.

Some 5 percent of patients aged 35 or below say their conditions improved, and those aged between 35 and 45 show varied results, requiring further treatment.

However, most of those aged 45 or older say their condition significantly improved following the treatment, according to Pae.

"While our treatment does not guarantee a 100-percent cure rate, most of the patients opt for the treatment, saying they are willing to do anything to have their vision improved from their current condition. We are seeking to help them," he said.

According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, some 170,000 people visited hospitals in Korea for vitreous floaters in 2012.
/Courtesy of Twitter



By Lee Han-soo

The Seoul Metropolitan Government, in cooperation with the Visit Korea Committee and Seoul Tourism Association, plans to give a spring welcome to foreigners from April 29 to May 8, according to Kukmin Ilbo on Thursday.

The event coincides with China's Labor Day and Japan's golden week.

There will be live performances and traditional cultural events in six special tourist zones in Seoul  Myeong-dong, Sungnyemun, Dongdaemun, Itaewon, Hongdae University and Kwangjang market.

The Seoul government will also hang banners to welcome tourists at the special locations. The banners will also be on display at tourist information centers across the city to inform tourists of multiple special events.

These include making traditional lucky bags and fans, photo zones, Nanta performances, taekwondo demonstrations and magic shows.

The city will hold "China Day" on May 1, "Japan day" on May 3 and "Thailand Day" on May 5, and hand out souvenirs to nationals on each day.

City Tour buses will also offer a 40 percent discount throughout the event.
Yoo Ah-in / Screen capture from Facebook



By Bahk Eun-ji

Top actor Yoo Ah-in features on the cover of next month's Hong Kong edition of fashion magazine ELLE Men.

ELLE Men Hong Kong uploaded photos of Yoo on its official Facebook page on Thursday.

Yoo starred in the TV drama series "Six Flying Dragons,"which ended recently.

The actor made a special appearance in the popular drama "Descendants of the Sun" this month.
A weeping woman shows a picture of her late son at a press conference in front of the Ministry of National Defense building in Yongsan, Seoul, Aug. 6. She and other bereaved families called on the ministry to help restore the honor of soldiers who died from hazing while serving their mandatory military service. / Yonhap



Activists urge military to uphold human rights



By Park Ji-won, Chung Hyun-chae, Nam Hyun-woo



Koreans are outraged over the death of an Army private first class, surnamed Yoon, who suffered brutal abuse and violence at the hands of his superiors.



Yoon, who belonged to the Army's 28th Division, was brutally beaten by five senior soldiers, then put on an IV drip to recover  only to be beaten again and endure more torture before his death in April.



Ranking military officials and politicians have vowed to uphold soldiers' rights and prevent future tragedies by establishing a human rights council within the armed forces.



For some men who have already completed their mandatory military service, however, Yoon's story came as no surprise. They have experienced, witnessed, or at least heard of similar cases.



An office worker in Seoul, surnamed Lee, 32, finished his military service in 2007. His superiors subjected him to abuse too, he recalls.



"I still don't understand why I was beaten," he said.



Lee, then a private, was responsible for managing an ammunition depot. He worked with a sergeant, who was younger than him and constantly picked fights to remind Lee of his inferior rank.



"I'm younger than you," the sergeant repeatedly pointed out to Lee. "Is that a problem for you?"



The sergeant often kicked Lee in the stomach and punched him in the neck when

they were alone in the depot.



"I never said anything about his age, but he picked fights with me and repeatedly attacked me," Lee said.



Lee required medical treatment for his injuries, but the sergeant bullied him into remaining silent about how he got his bruises and why he was bleeding. The assaults continued until the sergeant was discharged.



"If I ever met him again, I would definitely have him killed," Lee said.





A soldier holds a rifle while attending a special lecture on human rights at an Army camp in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, Aug. 8. All soldiers are required to attend such lectures amid mounting criticism over hazing in the barracks following the death of an army private first class, surnamed Yoon, who suffered from brutal abuse from his colleagues. / Yonhap



"I still suffer trauma, but there is no one I can complain to about this and get redress," he added. "The government should also come up with measures to help victims like me."



Kim, 28, who was discharged from the Army two years ago, said he had witnessed hazing.



"Many say there is no violence in the military anymore, but I don't believe that," Kim said.



"Some people are slow to understand or do something. And one of my colleagues was like that. Superiors always used foul language when talking to him, and often they even cursed his parents and attacked him."



The victim was bullied for absurd reasons, Kim recalls.



"Verbal abuse and assaults happened because the victim did not follow stupid customs, which obviously had nothing to do with improving combat readiness," he said.



For example, Kim said his colleague was forced to lick shoe polish because his boots were not shiny enough. Another colleague reported the violence to a ranking officer, and the victim was transferred to another barracks. The attackers were sent to the guardhouse.



"It was a rare case, given that other units' officers tend to cover things up to evade close investigation, because officers don't want a mess," he said. "I heard from one of my friends that his colleague committed suicide because of hazing, but the death was recorded as an accident."



Kim declined to elaborate.



An office worker, surnamed Gil, 28, said one of his colleagues served time in the guardhouse for beating an underling.



"While on night duty, he ordered a private first class not to move off a small tile on the floor.



A single move outside of the tile's borders would be followed by assaults," Gil recalled.



Noh, 24, a college senior who completed his service last year, witnessed sexual violence. The victim was a private first class and the perpetrator was a corporal.



"The private first class reported the corporal's deed to the authorities, and the offender was given a military prison term and transferred to a different unit," he said.



These stories are a source of anxiety for young men who still face conscription, and for their parents.



College student Oh, 21, finished his four weeks of basic military training on Aug. 1. Now he works at a food company as part of an alternative civilian service program.



Though he braved the training without any problem, his parents were not as brave.



"Even though the training lasted only a month, I couldn't help worrying about my son," said his mother, surnamed Yoo. "Who knows if something bad will happen within that short time?



"In the photo my son sent, some of his colleagues had tattoos on their arms. After I saw that, I started to worry. What if they bully my son?" she said.



"Other parents [whose sons don't qualify for alternative programs] must have bigger worries, but I also worry about my son's safety."



According to data from the Ministry of National Defense, between 2003 and last year, 874 servicemen died either as a result of suicide or accidents. An average of 80 men died every year.



Human rights activists have long urged the government to take action on violence and bullying in the military. But the response remains tepid, consisting only of vague orders.



In 2012, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) suggested guidelines to safeguard servicemen's human rights. Those were the strongest measures the agency believed it was capable of taking, but apparently they were insufficient.



The NHRC's role is limited  it can only make suggestions, not binding regulations. However, critics say the watchdog should have been more active in carrying out its duties  at the very least, it could have disclosed problems to the public.



It was the Center for Military Human Rights that revealed the details of Yoon's case

to the media.



"We have repeatedly urged the military to open itself to the public, allowing civilian human rights experts to visit the barracks and meet with soldiers," said Lim Tae-hoon, a representative of the center. "However, the military kept saying no to civilian experts  that it would handle intra-military matters by itself."
A woman pushes a stroller away from a cafe after being asked to leave. More restaurants and cafes are refusing patrons with children for etiquette and safety reasons. / Korea Times file



Restaurants' ban on children stirs pro-and-con debate



By Baek Byung-yeul, Kwon Ji-youn

A local court recently ruled that two restaurants should pay 10 million won and 47 million won to two children, respectively, who were scalded while dining. One child ran into a restaurant employee carrying hot water and another was burned by charcoal fire.

Once the verdict was announced, some restaurant owners started to refuse customers with children as they didn't want to be held responsible for any accidents their child could cause. This issue has emerged as a hotbed for online debate ever since.

Korea isn't the first to join the movement. In two U.S. states, Texas and Pennsylvania, restaurants have banned kids, while cafes in Berlin have created child-free zones for their patrons. Some have even barred strollers, which are considered safety hazards in densely populated areas such as malls or restaurants.

Even some airlines are following suit. Malaysia Air banned children under two from flying first class, while AsiaAir created a "quiet zone" for fliers above the age of 12.

Restaurant owners blame children for reckless behaviors in a potentially dangerous environment involving fire and other cooking equipment, as well as disturbing other patrons' dining experience.

The question is this: Do parents have the right to bring their children to cafes and restaurants, where they are at risk of getting burned, where they may be bothersome to fellow patrons? Or do restaurants have the right to refuse patrons with children for safety and etiquette reasons?

Many parents with children protested, saying that this is a violation of equal rights.

Choi Jung-soon, who raised two children, aged six and eight, said this is a clear example of an equal rights violation.

"My kids have the right to enter any cafe or restaurant," the 33-year-old Seoulite said.





A sign posted on the door of a restaurant located in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, bars children who are elementary-school age or younger.

/ Korea Times



"People who say parents bringing their toddlers to restaurants do not discipline children inside and let their kids run loose, but this is completely wrong.

"I definitely do try to pay attention to my kids, making sure they don't go on a rampage inside a restaurant, but they should understand that kids aren't able to completely control themselves," she said.

Heo Eun-mi, a 32-year-old mom, hadn't heard about the movement to ban kids until recently.

"When I heard that a group of restaurants were banning kids, I thought to myself, no way,' because my kid loves to eat out" she said. "Before such a policy takes effect across the city, restaurants should designate child-friendly zones, where families with children can dine free from the glares of childless patrons and the narrow confines of a restaurant."

She stressed that this should be the first step restaurant owners take before implementing a no kids' policy.

"Then, at least they've made an effort to satisfy all customers. We're customers, too," she said. "If that still didn't work, then sure, ban kids. Also, where else will kids learn proper restaurant etiquette?"

She emphasized that with a little caution, restaurant owners and parents will definitely be able to find a way to coexist.

"I think the responsibility falls with both parties. Parents should be a little more attentive, and restaurant employees should be a little more careful," she said. "That's as simple as it gets."

Another mother, with a seven-year-old daughter, said she had to order take-out at a coffee shop because her daughter wasn't allowed in, but she didn't mind.

"When I saw the news, the first thought that came to my mind was, aren't the parents responsible for the safety of their children?'" she said on condition of anonymity. "How are restaurant owners supposed to control children while working?"

Jeong Soon-ok, a college student, does admit that her experience at a restaurant in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, wasn't all that enjoyable because of a child who walked from table to table stealing peoples' salt and pepper shakers.

"At first it was cute, but when the meals were served, we needed the salt shaker. So we took it from him and he just fell on his bottom and started screaming," she said. "The mother then came and started telling us off for forcibly taking the child's toy' away. I didn't know what to say in response."

Jeong recalled another incident in where a child slipped while running in a dining room.

"I remember the mother started yelling at the employees for wiping the floor down with a wet mop," she said. "I thought to myself, should they have used a dry mop?'"

Ryu Seung-min, who runs a Korean-style barbeque restaurant in Seoul, agrees with ban, adding that "parents sometimes just cannot control their children."

"I don't implement that kind of policy in my restaurant as my customers are mostly office workers, but I definitely agree with the food establishments that do ban kids," said the restaurant owner.

"I think parents who bring their children to restaurants and don't pay attention to them seem to not understand how dangerous this place actually is. They should know that we are dealing with hot food that could burn someone if dropped.

"In addition, parents who don't even try to control their careless kids are unaware they are disturbing those around them. They may have gotten used to their loud kids but this doesn't apply to the customers around them," he said.

Ryu also pointed out the necessity of campaigns urging parents to better observe public etiquette while in restaurants.

"I guess we need to find common ground between owners and parents. I think educating parents the virtue of paying more attention to their kids while dining is a good, first step," he said.

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRC) states that it is illegal for a business to ban children from entering restaurants, adding that it is against the rights of equality.

However, this presents a catch-22. If restaurants ban children, then these establishments are breaking the existing laws. But if a restaurant has put forth clear grounds as to why it restricts access to kids, then there is no way to impose sanctions on the offending restaurant.

To illustrate this point, NHRC dismissed a case in 2010 filed by an anonymous informant that a restaurant implements a "no kids" policy in their judgment that the restaurant had clear reason to do so.

"As long as we, restaurant owners, are responsible for any accidents involving children, it is crystal-clear that more and more restaurants and cafes will adopt the no kids' policy," Ryu added.


By Park Ji-won and Chung Hyun-chae



Housekeeper Lee Won-hee, 57, reminisced that when she was in her 20s she spent little money on her dates.



"During my time, teahouses, movie theaters and parks were pretty much the only places we could go for dates," she said. "Needing a lot of money for dating wasn't as much of an issue back then as it is now.



"It was natural among young people to have no money, hang out at a park with a lunch box, and eventually get married down the road. Women had fewer roles in society a few decades ago. In my time, a woman's duty was doing house chores and rearing the children, while a man's obligation is earning money and providing food and housing. Life was a lot more simple back then."



It was OK for young couples to spend time without much money a few decades ago. These days, people in their 20s and 30s in Korea feel this is some kind of myth. But why is this so hard to believe? Today's generation think they need a certain amount of money or a decent job to even go on a date.



Of course, money is necessary for survival. But why is today's youth so obsessed about having money just to go on a simple date?



Some people say today's young people are the generation with three no's _ no dating, no marriage and no job.



This is a sad portrayal of Korea today where many believe that love, let alone going on a date, is not possible without money.



Some statistics supports the three no's phenomenon.



According to a Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) report released on July 27, people in romantic relationships have distinct features _ they are aged 25-29, they have graduated from college, and they earn 25 million to 35 million won a year.



The institute surveyed about 1,500 single men and women aged 18-49, last November and December



The results show that people are considered to be in a relationship when society believes they are "stable" _ having a good job with money _ and their parents are proudly willing to introduce their son or daughter to others.



About 45.5 percent of men and 43.1 percent of women in their 20s, and 38.7 percent of men and 38 percent of women in their 30s and who are dating, feel their partner is marriage material.



The problem is that their income is likely to be the most important factor in even accepting a first date. As long as they earn money, they are more likely to be in a relationship.



About 43.2 percent of men and 52.8 percent of women whose annual salary ranges from 25 million won to 35 million had romantic relationships. But only 27.3 percent of men and 28.1 percent of women who earn less than 15 million won per year had a past relationship.



Nearly 70 percent of single men who have a regular income said they wanted a girlfriend.



Meanwhile, about half of the men without an income said they are unwilling to have a romantic relationship.



A male college student surnamed Kim, 24, intentionally had not had a girlfriend during the past year.



"I promised myself to improve and not date until I get a job even if I like someone," Kim said.



"At some point, I would regret investing in a girl who I don't truly love. Now I feel that loving someone is some sort of investment or the accumulation of mileage points in a supermarket so that it could be exchanged as cash at a future date," Kim explained.



He added that he felt sad that he thought it was necessary to avoid dating until earning money.



This way of thinking is not so different for women.



A college student surnamed Gu, 24, who lived in Seoul while at school, failed to get into one of the nation's big conglomerates last year.



Depressed, she decided to return to her hometown, Busan, to concentrate fully on her studies in the hope of landing a job. To do this, she disconnected with all her friends in Seoul.



She also broke up with her boyfriend.



"I have little time to enjoy dating before getting a career," Gu said.



For her, love is not as important as starting a career and earning money.



Other women agree with Gu.



"When I wanted to be alone with my boyfriend, I had to pay to find a private place," said Park Ji-min, 25, a job seeker.



"Because I was on a tight budget and was unemployed, I often became nervous whenever I had to spend money.



"Soon I became exhausted as I always worried about money and calculated the exact amount I spent rather than feeling happy when I saw my boyfriend.



"Because lack of money was stressing me out on each date, I finally told him I wanted to break up."



Experts point out that worrying about not having enough money and choosing to be single is probably contributing to the nation's falling birthrate.



"Given that romantic relationships depend on one's income and position today, it is crucial to create an environment where young people can eventually land a career and plan for the future," said KIHASA researcher Cho Sung-ho.



"Adopting this attitude of getting a job first will also contribute to increasing the birthrate, which is one of the world's lowest."
Staffs work at a North Korean bank. / Courtesy of dprk360.com



By Ko Dong-hwan

North Korea has now suffered its first bank robbery.

The unknown robbers infiltrated the Shinam branch of the Central Bank of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the city of Cheongjin, North Hamgyong Province, on Apr 4, Radio Free Asia reported Thursday citing a source from the province.

The robbers broke into the bank's main entrance and stole an unspecified amount of cash, the source said. The bank is currently out of service. The provincial police assumed there was an accomplice inside the bank.

After the incident at the branch, other branches of the bank beefed up security by bringing in more security personnel. Shinam branch took care of many customers compared with other branches because it mainly brokered trades.

"The robbery wouldn't have been possible without an insider's help," RFA said.

Banks across North Korea have reportedly stocked more cash than usual with the country's rare congress of the ruling Worker's Party of Korea set to begin on May 6.
South Korea slammed North Korea on Saturday for insulting President Park Geun-hye who had warned the North against carrying out an additional nuclear test with a pledge to take stern actions against it.

Earlier in the day, North Korea's committee handling inter-Korean affairs issued a "special warning" against her, labeling her remarks as an "intolerable insult" to North Korea and "unpardonable and grave politically motivated provocation."

"Park would be well advised to properly wag her tongue, source of disaster, well aware of her wretched plight after facing a stern judgment from the people's mindset," the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said in an English statement.

At a national security meeting, Park on Thursday said there will be no future for North Korea if it conducts its fifth nuclear test following its fourth in January.

There is growing speculation that the North may carry out a nuclear test in a bid to build up its accomplishments in the runup to its ruling party's congress slated for Friday.












By Kim Hyo-jin





Kim Chong-in

Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) interim leader Kim Chong-in's recent remarks on diplomatic and unification issues that contradict long-standing party policies are creating in-house complaints, according to officials, Friday.



At first, Kim's opinions were accepted as part of the party's understanding that such comments were aimed at appealing to centrists, but the leader's behavior is now igniting concern that it may hurt the party's winning vibe from the April 13 general election. The MPK has become the largest party in the National Assembly with 123 seats, followed by the ruling Saenuri Party with 122.



The latest controversy was Kim's remark calling for a swift implantation of the "comfort women" deal during a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Korea Koro Bessho, Tuesday. Korea and Japan reached a verbal agreement Dec. 28 to end their decade-long dispute over the issue, but the MPK as well as Korean victims and civic groups have urged the government to renegotiate the deal, denouncing it as humiliating.



Amid growing criticism, spokesman Rep. Park Kwang-on explained there is no change in the party's stance that the deal is unacceptable.



Rep. Hong Ihk-pyo said Friday he will raise an official question over Kim's remarks during a general meeting of lawmakers-elect scheduled for next week.



"It was wrong to bring up a sensitive diplomatic issue in front of the Japanese ambassador to Korea without clarifying that it was his personal opinion," he said.

"If he had the intention to change the MPK's stance on the issue, he should have discussed this with the party beforehand. He just ignored the process."



Kim was also embroiled in a controversy over his reference to the possibility of a North Korean regime collapse, hinting at his doubt over the former liberal administrations' Sunshine Policy that supported inter-Korean dialogue and exchanges.



Amid mounting controversy over his political orientation, some party members took a cautious stance, viewing it as an attempt to draw more support from centrist or center-right voters.



With the party's aim to expand its range of supporters, ideological disagreement between Kim and the mainstream party members had been muted during the run-up to the April 13 general election. But the atmosphere has drastically changed after the election, party officials said.



"With a strong tendency to work on issues unilaterally, Kim kept ignoring the party rules and procedures. I'm concerned that his uncoordinated remarks could sabotage the party's image," said a lawmaker who wished to remain anonymous.



Anger toward Kim has become more expressive among the mainstreamers aligned with former Chairman Moon Jae-in while the party engages in a blame game over the crushing defeat in its traditional strongholds, the North and South Jeolla provinces. With 28 parliamentary posts up for grabs in the election, the MPK managed to capture just three.



Lawmakers pointed the finger mostly at Kim during a discussion arranged to analyze the defeat in the region by Reps. Kang Gi-jung and Hong Jong-haak and the party's think tank, the Institute for Democracy and Policies, Thursday.



"Kim made voters turn their back on the party while putting himself high on the list of proportional representative candidates," said Rep. Kim Sung-ju, who failed to secure the parliamentary seat in North Jeolla Province.



Oh Seung-yong, a professor at Chonnam National University who participated in the session noted, "Voters from the Jeolla provinces viewed the MPK as nothing different from the Saenuri Party through a series of messages delivered by the party since Kim was recruited."



Analysts perceive that the in-house discord was aggravated due to the rivalry between Kim and the mainstreamers surrounding the party's leadership, as well as their fundamental differences in ideological preferences.



"When the opposition party has a tendency to retain its identity by taking opposing stances to the government and the ruling party, its members can't help feeling uneasy about Kim's conservative views," said Hwang Tae-soon, a senior analyst at Wisdom Center. "They will question whether Kim's presence will be helpful in the run-up to the 2017 presidential election."



Shin Yul, a professor at Myongji University, said, "The mainstreamers aligned with Moon are reclaiming the party leadership now that the risky stage has passed. Tension between Kim and Moon's followers are inevitable in the process of forming a new leadership after the election."
By Lee Kyung-min



Almost half of the workplaces in Korea have failed to set up daycare centers for employees' children, government data showed, Friday.



They may face fines of up to 200 million won ($162,000) per year if they keep failing to provide daycare.



Under the law, businesses that have more than 500 workers or 300 female workers are required to either set up daycare facilities, or pay nearby centers that take care of their workers' children. Violators can face a fine of 100 million won, up to twice per year, starting this year.



According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 605 out of the 1,143 establishments subject to the regulation, or 52.9 percent, had daycare centers as of December.



Of the rest, 360 said they were setting up facilities or in the process of signing contracts with nearby centers, while 178 failed to submit plans to abide by the law.



The ministry disclosed the names and addresses of the violators on its website, which includes some local government offices such as Yeongju City in North Gyeongsang Province; Sogang, Sungkyunkwan, Hansung, and Kwangwoon universities; public and private companies such as Seoul Metro, Nexen, Mirae Asset Securities and Ssangyong Motor; and accounting firms including Samil PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG Samjong.



Regarding the reason for not setting up daycare centers, 25 percent cited lack of space, followed by a lack of workers who are expected to use the facilities, 24.4 percent.



Some 20 percent said the working environment was not proper for a childcare facility, and 13.8 percent and 12.9 percent cited the burden of operational costs and the expense of construction, respectively.



"The regulation was introduced to address the concerns by many working women who quit their jobs due to difficulties in finding reliable and affordable daycare," a ministry official said. "But only half of the required workplaces are following the rule."



To relieve the financial burden, the ministry plans to provide a total of 97.6 billion won to establishments for construction or operational costs this year, up to 1.5 billion won to each.



The official said what is more important than imposing fines is changing the companies' mindsets.



"We are trying to encourage companies to voluntarily set up and maintain childcare facilities. They need to realize that increasing satisfaction for working mothers and parents would result in better performance, thus contributing to company profit," she added.




By Jun Ji-hye



President Park Geun-hye will seek to gain cooperation in resolving North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs as she embarks on a three-day historic tour to Iran Sunday, according to officials.



In addition to her summit with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Park's office is also pushing to arrange a meeting between her and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a former president and considered the country's most powerful figure.



North Korea and Iran have allegedly maintained close relations, especially in the development of nuclear materials. Iran has agreed not to develop nuclear weapons, and so international sanctions on the country were lifted Jan. 16.



From the government's point of view, it will gain considerably if Park manages to elicit expressions of concern over Pyongyang's nuclear programs from the Iranian leaders during her visit  the first by a Korean president since Seoul and Teheran established diplomatic ties in 1962.



Such expectation comes as China, the North's traditionally ally, has already expressed concern over the North's programs and cooperated in harsher sanctions imposed on the isolated state by the United Nations Security Council in March. The government believes that Iran's cooperation will maximize the pressure on the North.



President Park has called on Pyongyang to follow in Tehran's footstep to avoid further international isolation.



Commenting on the trip, Robert Einhorn, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former special adviser on nonproliferation and arms control to the U.S. secretary of state, said that there are several messages the President needs to convey to the Islamic republic.



"Park should urge Iranians to show restraint in the ballistic missile activity area," he said, calling Iran's missile tests "destabilizing."



Einhorn, who also served as a U.S. negotiator on the Iranian nuclear issue, said that Park should emphasize to the Iranian leadership that South Korea's security would be adversely affected by collaboration between North Korea and Iran on either nuclear or missile technologies.



But Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, stressed that the government should also take cautious attitude in dealing with the North Korean issue in Iran, saying that a number of complicated issues and interests are involved.



"It won't be easy for Park to find a breakthrough in just one visit," he said. "A message like denuclearization through dialogue could possibly be produced."




South Korea said Friday that North Korea seems to have pushed ahead with its back-to-back launches of three mid-range ballistic missiles in a two-week period to build up the country's accomplishments ahead of the party congress next week.



Late Thursday, North Korea fired off two intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM), but both attempts seem to have ended in failure, according to the South Korean military.



North Korea made its first botched move to launch the Musudan missile on April 15, the birthday of North Korean founding father Kim Il-sung.



South Korea's unification ministry said that the North's missile launches might be related to the need to show off the regimes accomplishments to its people.



"The North appears to have launched the missiles because North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might have ordered it ahead of the party event," Jeong Joon-hee, a ministry spokesman, told a regular press briefing.



He said that South Korea is keeping a close tab on the possibility of further provocations by the North.



Speculation is high that Pyongyang will conduct another nuclear test and launch more ballistic missiles in defiance of tougher U.N. sanctions.



Meanwhile, the ministry said that North Korea's Red Cross sent a notice on Thursday to its South Korean counterpart, which called for Seoul to repatriate 13 North Korean restaurant workers who defected to Seoul en masse early this month.



Ri Chung-bok, the chief of North Korea's Red Cross, has sent a message to his South Korean counterpart, Kim Sung-joo, calling for their prompt return.



The North has sent an email to the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross since the country cut off the main inter-Korean communication hotlines in February.



North Korea claims that South Korea kidnapped a group of workers of a North Korea-run restaurant in China. It notified the South last week that it will send their family members to Seoul for a face-to-face meeting.



The reclusive country, prone to saber-rattling, threatened to take strong action against South Korea if Seoul does not accept its demand for the families to meet and allow the workers to be repatriated.



"The North Korean restaurant workers defected to South Korea completely on their own free will," Jeong said. "The North should end its groundless claim and threats." (Yonhap)




By Lee Jin-a

North Korea is again the worst country for press freedom, according to Freedom House, an international human rights organization.

The state scored 97 points in the "Freedom of Press 2016 report" that surveys 199 countries. The closer the figure is to the full score of 100, the harsher the government is on press freedom. North Korea has topped the list for 36 years.

According to the report, released this week, North Korea uses its domestic press for propaganda and puts strong sanctions on news media that publish articles that are not censored by the state.

Freedom House examines the legal, political and economic environment of each country for its annual press reports.
By Oh Young-jin



Few in this country, a victim of Japan's brutal colonial rule, would be happy to see U.S. President Barack Obama visit Hiroshima, the first of two Japanese cities  the second being Nagasaki  that were devastated by nuclear bombs, during World War II.



As a matter of fact, The Korea Times published an editorial opposing such a visit. Vernacular newspapers hit a similar note of opposition through editorials or columns.



Although I could find myself in agreement with them for their stated reasons; I beg to differ from them for another reason, believing in Obama's effort to end all nuclear horrors for mankind.



Definitely, I share the same concerns with my colleagues about Japan under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He has strengthened his country's military, being ready to unshackle it from its pacifist Constitution so as to regain its right to wage a war against other countries. As part of his attempt to make his country "normal" again, he declared that his country wouldn't apologize for its war atrocities.



By any rate, Korea and China have every reason to be suspicious of Abe's intentions. Millions of people were killed by Tokyo's efforts to conquer Asia, but Abe, a descendant of Imperial Japan, has said "enough is enough," telling the victims including a dwindling group of former sex slaves, who were forced to serve several tens of Japanese soldiers per day, to forget about the suffering they endured. It is not necessarily paranoia, if Abe's vow to stop apologizing for these victims sounds as if he is willing to repeat his grandfather's war crimes.



Still, I have to agree with Obama going to Hiroshima because the aim is the bigger cause of protecting humans from the threat of complete annihilation by nuclear weapons.



We Koreans both in the North and South would be the biggest beneficiaries in a world where nuclear threats are removed. The North, led by the young dictator Kim Jong-un, is preparing the second detonation of a nuclear device this year even as you read this column, allocating the scarce resources available to his destitute nation to making inter-continental ballistic missiles.



The North will likely press on until it is accepted as a nuclear weapons state.



Obama has made a nuclear-free world his priority since he took office. The Nuclear Security Summit, the fourth and most recently held in Washington, was Obama's brainchild. The South hosted the second in Seoul in 2012.



His Hiroshima visit is expected to serve as denouement to his eight-year effort toward a nuclear-free world, passing the torch to his successors. In that sense, I feel overwhelmed by his cause and can't easily find a reason to object to his visit because it will benefit us and our children.



Of course, the worry is the lack of trust in Abe's Japan.



As pointed out by my colleagues, the Japanese premier could use the Obama visit to market an idea that Japan was not just an aggressor in World War II but also a victim as well. Tens of thousands of people immediately perished in the two cities from the nuclear blasts, with survivors and their offspring having lived a long suffering life from exposure to radioactivity.



No matter how the nationalist Japanese may twirl the facts, it should be noted that the use of the nuclear weapons helped bring an early end to the war and saved tens of thousands of lives, as Tokyo had no intention of surrendering, even when defeat was certain. In an extreme situation such as war, bartering a small number for a big number, even in terms of human lives, was something inevitable, however inhuman it may sound. Still, there is no way of changing the fact that Japan was the aggressor. If they wanted to be portrayed as victims, they were nothing but victims of their own actions.



In that sense, the Obama visit may well serve two purposes at the same time: Resolving the victim countries' woes about Japan and future concerns about nuclear war.



That can be achieved if Obama reaffirms a commitment to the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, while more broadly, taking up the condemnation of war as a barbaric and inhumane act.



Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times' chief editorial writer and can be contacted at foolsdie@gmail.com.



As a footnote, I hope that President Obama will make his visit a peace tour. The U.S. and China are locked in a hegemonic struggle with the Korean Peninsula and South China Sea emerging as a proving ground. Adding to tension is North Korea, the international pariah and rogue state that is trying to hold the entire region hostage. Perhaps, he can emulate John F. Kennedy's challenge to the Soviet Union to a race not through weapons, but to find out who would be better in promoting peace. I think that Obama still owes us half of the Nobel Peace Prize.




The foreign ministers of Russia and China on Friday expressed concern about the possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile-defense shield in South Korea.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, after holding their bilateral talks in Beijing, also called for an early resumption of the long-stalled talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Russia and China have long voiced opposition to the possible deployment of the advanced U.S. missile shield or a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) unit, in South Korea.

South Korea and the U.S. have repeatedly assured that the missile system is aimed only at better defending South Korea against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. (Yonhap)
By Javier Solana



MADRID  The European Union has a dangerous case of nostalgia. Not only is a yearning for the "good old days"  before the EU supposedly impinged on national sovereignty  fueling the rise of nationalist political parties; European leaders continue to try to apply yesterday's solutions to today's problems.



Everyone was supposed to benefit from European integration. Whenever a new country joined, it received financial aid, while existing members gained access to a new market. The advantages, it was expected, would be apparent not just from aggregate data, but also from individual citizens' own experience.



But reality has been less clear-cut. In the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, the EU's weaker economies faced skyrocketing unemployment, especially among young people, while its stronger economies felt pressure to "show solidarity" by bailing out countries in distress. When the stronger economies provided those bailouts, they included demands for austerity that impeded the recipients' economic recovery. Few were satisfied, and many blamed European integration.



In this context, political parties and movements criticizing or opposing the EU have gained considerable traction, particularly in Western Europe. While these movements are nothing new, support for them has grown at alarming rates during the crisis-induced turmoil. Indeed, with every failed policy to aid economic recovery, Europeans have felt increasingly disenchanted, fueling populist sentiment and demands for a return to national sovereignty.



The political leaders channeling these demands do not just want to reassert national control in all areas; they are also spreading a message of indifference to, and even outright rejection of, foreigners, reflected in their response to Europe's influx of refugees. According to them, each country should defend its own by any means, even if the rule of law is tested along the way.



But, while the economic pain that many Europeans feel is certainly real, the nationalists' diagnosis of its source is false. The reality is that the EU can be criticized for the way it handled the crisis; but it cannot be blamed for the global economic imbalances that have fueled economic strife since 2008. Those imbalances reflect a much broader phenomenon: globalization.



This does not mean that globalization is a bad thing. Opening up societies and economies to the world obviously entails significant uncertainty; but it also provides abundant opportunities.



Not long ago, Europe was the world leader in openness. In fact, the European project is, at its core, a mirror of the opening that is an inextricable consequence of living in today's globalized world.



In 2004, when the EU formally welcomed eight formerly communist countries as member states, European openness reached its pinnacle. A new age seemed to be dawning in Europe, in which the rule of law, democracy, and individual rights were unassailable. Yet, just as West European countries have begun to resist openness, so have their Central and East European counterparts. Indeed, in some countries  particularly Poland and Hungary  nationalism and anti-EU sentiment have surged. Unfortunately, this has led to erosion of the rule of law.



Poland is the largest recipient of European funds and the only EU country that avoided recession during the crisis; indeed, it has experienced 23 years of uninterrupted growth. Moreover, the Polish public has been broadly supportive of the EU since becoming members. Even the latest Eurobarometer indicates that 55 percent of Poles view the EU positively.



Yet Poland's government, led by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, is aiming to change that, by portraying European policies as a threat to Polish national identity. Instead of discussing how to adapt specific policies to Poland's national interests or amplify the country's voice at the European level, PiS writes off all European measures and decisions as a direct challenge to what makes Poland Poland.



These claims, to some extent, echo those of the Hungarian government, led by the right-wing Fidesz party. The constitutional reforms implemented in 2013, among other things, expanded the executive's authority and created a new state council, stacked with Fidesz members, to regulate the media.



Some say that if Hungary sought admission to the EU today, it would be refused entry. As for Poland, the European Commission has launched an unprecedented inquiry in response to recent legislation that, under the pretense of "protecting national sovereignty," concentrates more power in the government's hands.



This represents a disappointing reversal. In my former professional roles, I witnessed as few others did the entry of Poland and Hungary into the Euroatlantic institutions. I saw firsthand the eagerness and hope of their peoples at that momentous time. That is why it is so hard for me to understand their position today.



Of course, it is not unreasonable that Poland and Hungary, whose sovereignty was largely usurped by the Soviet Union, are particularly sensitive to external efforts to shape their decision-making and have a stronger sense of national identity than other EU countries. But rejecting the EU will not insulate them from the uncertainty resulting from globalization. On the contrary, it will leave them far more vulnerable to the phenomenon's myriad risks.



Some have used disenchanting experiences with globalization as an excuse for a return to protectionism and the supposedly halcyon days of strong national borders. Others, wistfully recalling a nation-state that never really existed, cling to national sovereignty as a reason to refuse further European integration. Both groups question the foundations of the European project. But their memory fails them, and their yearnings mislead them.



Javier Solana was EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary-General of NATO, and Foreign Minister of Spain. He is currently President of the ESADE Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics and Distinguished Fellow at the Brookings InstitutionCopyright belongs to Project Syndicate.




Prosecutors are wrong to rule out murder charges against the makers and suppliers of disinfectants for humidifiers that killed and injured hundreds of people.

In a recent media briefing, a spokesman at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office stated, "In order to apply murder charges, the accused companies should be proven to have manufactured or sold products for the specific purpose of killing people."

The prosecution spokesman added that he sympathized with the victims and their families in their demand for murder charges but it wasn't plausible.

First, it was not appropriate for the prosecution, which is investigating the case that has caused the deaths of at least 100 infants and pregnant women among others, to preclude murder charges in advance even as suspects are brought in for questioning. It's not hard to infer that the prosecution is ready to settle for manslaughter charges that carry far lighter penalties.

This may be a tactic by the prosecutors to lower expectations for the victims, who are hoping that justice will, however belatedly, finally prevail, as the investigation is finally getting to an earnest start after the cases were first brought to the fore five years ago.












Chris Baumann

By Chung Hyun-chae



Dr. Chris Baumann, an associate professor at Macquarie University in Australia and a visiting professor at Seoul National University (SNU), says that tattoos are still a liability for service employees, somewhat in conflict with an individual's freedom of expression via body art.



"Consumers are very skeptical, if not negative, towards tattooed frontline employees," Baumann told The Korea Times in a recent e-mail interview.



In his study, titled "Taboo tattoos? A study of the gendered effects of body art on consumer attitudes toward visibly tattooed frontline staff," Baumann explored the interactions of people in job contexts, gender and the presence of tattoos.



The research was conducted in collaboration with Andrew R. Timming of the University of St Andrews in Scotland and Paul J. Gollan of the University of Queensland in Australia.



They found consumers have a negative attitude to visible body art on frontline staff, and that a tattoo could therefore be a significant liability for service employees.



"The findings indicate that there is an intersectionality of gender- and tattoo-based discrimination," Baumann said.



He drew his conclusions by examining the attitudes of 131 male and 131 female respondents toward two professions  surgeons and mechanics  in terms of tattoos.



According to Baumann, both surgeons and car mechanics are traditionally male-dominated fields, so they are ideal to empirically study discrimination against frontline staff.



"Not only was the tattooed female surgeon rated higher than the tattooed male surgeon, but also the presence of a tattoo on a female mechanic did not even figure into consumer perceptions," the researchers wrote in their paper.



"In other words, the data suggest that whether or not a woman mechanic displays a visible tattoo is irrelevant; consumers, both male and female, simply do not want a woman working on their cars."



That is to say that male and female consumers hold roughly the same gender views on body art in the workplace.



"Our study intentionally moved away from the traditional research with its focus on gender and race, and instead positioned our research on the under-researched area of gender and body art," Baumann added.



Citing Korea's culture grounded in Confucian principles, he pointed out that Korean employers have stricter rules and standards when it comes to visual presentation.



"What is more or less acceptable in the appearance and behavior of frontline staff (including visible tattoos) in many Western markets, would be unthinkable in Korea," Baumann said. "Confucianism provides society with a high level of harmony, respect and good manners, and that is also ever present in services."



Baumann stressed that Confucian culture is less based on individual expression such as displaying tattoos for everyone to see, and that tattoos are largely seen as taboo in the Korean service industry.



Tattoos are seen as an art form in many countries around the world. But in Korea, tattooing is, according to law, a medical practice that can be conducted legally by medical personnel only. However, there has been talk among related ministries of legalizing the country's underground tattoo industry.



Tattoos are becoming more acceptable among some Koreans, especially young adults, for their cosmetic effects and artistic value. But in many cases people who have tattoos are still stigmatized due to historic associations with organized crime.
Chae Eun-mi, managing director of FedEx Express Korea, poses at the Hapjeong-dong office in western Seoul.

/ Courtesy of FedEx Express Korea







By Kim Ji-soo

Staying at the top for a decade, especially amid the struggling economy, is a challenge; but FedEx Express Korea Managing Director Chae Eun-mi has managed to do so.

Since assuming her post in 2006, Chae, 53, has aggressively expanded FedEx's Korean unit and improved its performance. The world's largest express courier company signed a memorandum of understanding with Incheon International Airport Corp. in March for a FedEx cargo terminal at the airport.

"The new cargo terminal is scheduled to be completed in the second half of 2019. FedEx plans to deploy advanced logistics facilities, including an automated cargo sorting system, with a capacity to sort up to 9,000 packages per hour," Chae said.

The proposed cargo terminal is the latest move in Chae's expansionary plans. She said the project required massive communication with headquarters in the United States. But communication is what she does best to implement such plans.

She recalls the memorable launching of the company's Boeing 777s in 2011 from Memphis, Tennessee, where the FedEx World Hub is located, to Korea, to meet increasing demand in overseas direct purchases and exports of small- and medium-sized enterprises, thanks to the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement that eventually took effect in 2012. Under Chae's leadership, FedEx Express Korea has grown to 14 stations, 5 world service centers, 318 vehicles and 850 employees here.

Chae said the media has cited her soft leadership style, but she says that's just a part of her approach. "I am decisive. I quickly arrive at a decision after I survey the situation," she said.

She spoke at near-mach speed, such that her boss has asked her to slow down during presentations. It may well be part of her personality, which certainly suits the punctuality required in her field. She said "practice makes perfect," and she certainly applies her FedEx training, such as in rapid decision-making.

A graduate of French language education from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, she started her career with Korean Air's passenger service in 1985, before moving to special flight carrier Flying Tiger in 1987. At the time, many female graduates did not seek a career, nor was it easy for them to find employment.

"I believe I made a timely career positioning at that time by choosing a foreign carrier," she said. She became a part of FedEx in 1989, when it had just merged with Flying Tiger. Only two years later, in 1991, at 28, she became a customer services manager.

She said she did not experience any difficulties as a woman at FedEx because of the company's commitment to provide equality opportunities and "promotion from within" policy.

However, she did experience prejudice outside the company, such as when she was a customer service manager and Korean customers would bark at her and ask for a male manager. She handled such rude, overly demanding customers by taking full responsibility for the situation and asking customers about their complaints so that she could resolve them.

"I think my boss in the United States had more important things to take care of than the phones calls that I might have transferred over," Chae said, stressing how a sense of responsibility was important.

She said one of her most challenging times came when she was also managing the Japanese market.

"It meant working with people who spoke a different language and had a different culture, so even though communication was my strength, the situation posed a challenge," Chae said. She said she learned Japanese so she could better communicate with Japanese partners and clients.

Her "learning-through-succeeding" approach helped her greatly in her subsequent roles. In 2000, Chae was promoted to a senior management position overseeing ground operations. In 2004, she was appointed managing director of human resources for FedEx North Asia Pacific, overseeing 3,000 employees in Japan, Guam, Korea and Taiwan. These upper management roles provided further valuable learning experiences.

She acknowledges that her career path stands out in the still conservative Korean society.

Showing a photo of herself in which she was the sole female vice chairman at an event this year of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), she said while more women are now in the workforce, very few hold top management positions. Chae was appointed AMCHAM's vice chairman last November.

A mother herself  she has a 27-year-old son  Chae shared some advice for women in middle management and for how Korea can have more top female leaders.

"The super or alpha girls excel at work until their priorities change with marriage or childbirth and they have multiple roles to fulfill," she said. "It's a difficult task, but women still have to work twice or thrice harder than their male colleagues," she said.

She suggested that multinational firms should remain a competitive working place for women, who commit to any job or task with self-confidence and a positive mind-set. She conveys this message to her employees as well, under the company's "people-service-profit" philosophy.

"If we take care of our employees, they will provide the best service; and our customers, if they get very good service compared to our competitors, they will keep using us, and eventually, they will contribute to profits," she said.

Asked to name a particular area among multinational companies, Chae said her logistics area where the process of picking up, customs clearance, making it to final destination, delivery and proof of delivery that requires detailed personnel could be advantageous for women.

Energetic and engaging, Chae said she is looking forward to doing her part in this important phase for the company, which will determine the company's future in the next five to 15 years. FedEx started the process of acquiring Dutch company TNT Express with a strong European base in 2015, and hopes to finalize the deal in the first half of this year. That same year, it also acquired GENCO Distribution System, which is the largest third-party logistics provider in North America. Last month, FedEx re-launched Bongo International as FedEx CrossBorder, which offers upgraded e-commerce technology and shopping.

She noted the rising role of e-commerce in the company and its increasing focus on the health care industry. The managing director said FedEx's e-commerce will continue to help small- and medium-sized enterprises in Korea that don't have experience in logistics and exports clearance. In addition, the company will further focus on the health care industry  a much-sought-after sector as temperature-sensitive deliveries can command higher prices  given its already-existing ability to provide these requirements.

After some three decades, Chae said that she also hopes she can share her expertise to upgrade the Korean logistics sector.
Shin Dong-ik

By Kim Hyo-jin



U.S. President Barack Obama needs to clarify Japan's responsibility for World War II if he visits Hiroshima, according to Shin Dong-ik, president of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS).



Shin said in a contribution article for a magazine published by the institute: "Obama's possible visit to Hiroshima is important for Washington to note Japan's responsibility in World War II so that it won't forget history."



There has been speculation that Obama may visit Hiroshima after attending the G7 summit, scheduled to be held in Ise-Shima next month.



The possible visit has symbolic links with Obama's agenda of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, observers say.



Supporters of the visit say it should not be framed as the U.S. expressing remorse or apology for dropping the atomic bomb on the city, but sending the world a message of the U.S.'s commitment to non-proliferation and assurance of nuclear peace.



But opponents worry that it will help Japan's move to dilute wartime history and rekindle memories of its militaristic past.



Shin also expressed concern, noting a series of Japan's moves to highlight the horrific impact of the atomic bomb on thousands of civilians with little mention of the causes of the war. He pointed to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, which lacks such descriptions.



"Questions are raised whether Japan is doing costume play as a victim while shunning its responsibility," he said.



Mentioning the over 20,000 Koreans who were among the victims of the bombing, Shin said, "If Obama visits Hiroshima, he shouldn't forget to pay tribute to the foreign victims including Koreans as well."



He added Obama could take as reference Ban Ki-moon's visit to the Nagasaki memorial for Korean atomic bomb victims in 2010.



The Korean government has kept mum about Obama's possible visit to Hiroshima, saying that it is inappropriate to make a stance on the schedule of a leader of a foreign country.
Song Hyo-sook, CEO of World Culture Networks (WCN)

By Jhoo Dong-chan

Song Hyo-sook has been introducing talented Korean musicians to Europe, the seat of western classical music.

In 2012, the 55-year-old devoted her private fortune to set up the Austria-based production agency World Culture Networks (WCN) in a bid to help talented Korean musicians reach European stages.

"We have seen a number of Asian musicians become popular in Europe over the last 20 years but there is still a glass ceiling," said Song, who serves as WCN's CEO.

"Many Korean musicians have recently proven their quality in many international music contests but they rarely receive the opportunity to get on stage or try out for renowned orchestras in Europe because Europeans prefer local musicians to outsiders."

In September 2014, WCN held the third Korea-Slovakia friendship concert with the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra and top Korean musicians including tenor Chung Ho-yoon, soprano Yang Je-gyung and violinist Cheong Sang-hee.

A month later, the agency also hosted the Korea-Ukraine friendship concert in Kiev, where top Korean musicians such as tenor Chung and soprano Kim Young-mi were featured with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine.

More than 10 concerts like this have been hosted under WCN's management since 2012, and the agency has also hosted a number of Korean cultural performances in Europe as well.

In June 2012, WCN staged the famous "Nanta!" nonverbal musical in Vienna, Austria, with over 3,000 in attendance. The nonverbal "TAL" musical has also been performed several times in Europe under the agency's management.

This year, Song has expanded her operations to Korea, opening several concerts including bringing soprano Im Sun-hae and world-famous pianist Helmut Deutsch to Seoul stages.

Her dedication to classical music has been highly praised in Austria, and the agency was selected as an official sponsor of the Chopin Festival which is held at Gaming, Austria, in August. WCN will invite the Korean Chamber Orchestra to the event.
LG Display Vice Chairman and CEO Han Sang-beom, center, with North Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kwan-yong, left, and Gumi Mayor Nam Yoo-chin after signing a memorandum of understanding for investment in the organic light-emitting diode display panel plant in Gumi, at the provincial government office in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. / Courtesy of LG Display



By Yoon Sung-won



LG Display will invest 450 billion won in its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel plants in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province.



Based on the investment, which will mainly aim at flexible OLED panels and lighting OLED units, the world's largest display maker said Friday it will extend its technological know-how in smartphone and wearable device displays to foldable and automotive products.



"In the global display industry, the shift toward OLED is a new challenge and an opportunity for all businesses," LG Display Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Han Sang-beom said. "LG Display will retain leadership in the growing OLED market through timely investments and maximized investment efficiency."



LG Display said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the regional governments of North Gyeongsang Province and Gumi for the investment and administrative support. North Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kwan-yong, Gumi Mayor Nam Yoo-chin and lawmakers-elect Baek Seung-joo and Jang Seok-choon of the Saenuri Party participated in the signing ceremony with the LG Display CEO.



The company said the 450 billion won includes a 310 billion won upfront investment for the sixth-generation flexible OLED manufacturing line and 140 billion won for the line producing the world's first fifth-generation lighting OLED units.



The fifth-generation lighting OLED line will be able to produce 15,000 panels a month, the largest production scale in the world. The line will start mass production by the first half of 2017, the company said.



In July 2015, the company decided on a 1.05 trillion won investment for its E5 sixth-generation flexible OLED production facilities. The 310 billion won investment now scheduled will enable the line to make 7,500 flexible OLED panels a month, it said.



LG Display also expects the investment will give it a foothold in foldable and large-size automotive display products that have been considered a major new growth area in the display industry.
Changes aimed for paradigm shift to OLEDs with Apple



By Kim Yoo-chul



Samsung is accelerating it efforts to offset weaknesses in the group's consumer electronics business by offering more authority to its component business.



On Friday, Samsung Display said in a statement that it had replaced Park Dong-geun with Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun to lead the display affiliate.



The move was approved by Samsung Display's board and shareholders.



"Samsung hopes the management change will create more synergy in the component business," the statement said.



The change had been expected because Samsung is seeking to offset growing weakness in memory chips with the growth in its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) business with Apple.



Kwon, one of the co-CEOs with Yoon Boo-keun and mobile chief Shin Jong-kyun at Samsung Electronics, was the CEO at Samsung Display after the group spun off its liquid crystal display (LCD) unit to establish Samsung Display.



Some said the shift was due to outgoing CEO Park being held responsible for the dismal performance of the group's display unit. Samsung Display reported 270 billion won in operating losses in the first quarter on 6.04 trillion won in sales, down 12 percent year-on-year.



This is in contrast to the performance of Samsung's memory chip business which generated 11.15 trillion won in sales and 2.63 trillion won in operating profit.



Further structural changes are expected to follow. Samsung Electronics has an 84.8 percent stake in Samsung Display, while Samsung SDI holds 15.2 percent.



"For additional synergy in the group's component business, discussions to combine Samsung SDI and Samsung Electro-Mechanics will continue and chances are high that this will take place," an official said.



Taking bullish steps for Apple business



The management change came as Samsung Display focuses on OLEDs it will supply to Apple, according to officials.



While Samsung Display is the world's dominant supplier in OLED panels, it is heavily reliant on Samsung Electronics.



As the conventional LCD market is being commoditized due to the rapid rise of Chinese suppliers, Samsung has been urged to "do something" to maintain its leadership in the display sector. The officials said Apple's plan to use OLEDs on its flagship devices will be a boon for Samsung.



"Display results were weak reporting a loss due to LCD oversupply. OLEDs, however, remain very strong with outlook particularly optimistic given the highly anticipated move by Apple," Bernstein Research's managing director Mark C. Newman said in a report to clients.



"The outlook for OLEDs is strong with external customers ramping up output from next year led by Apple. Samsung specifically said that overall investment this year could be up in 2016 from last year depending on this decision. Samsung refrained from confirming the Apple business, we expect it will happen and will drive a meaningful upside to 2017 and 2018 display profits," said Newman.



He added the changes will help Samsung offset some of the weakness in its logic-chip business.



RBC Capital Market's analyst Amit Daryanani expects OLED demand will be strong.



Samsung is said to have signed an agreement with Apple to supply OLEDs for an upcoming iPhone, expected to be released in the fall of 2017. According to sources who are directly involved with the issue, Samsung Display will solely supply the first-batch of OLEDs to Apple.



"Apple plans to put a new form factor to its next iPhones amid slowing momentum. If Apple adopts OLEDs, then this could be a win-win game given on-time delivery, output commitment and better pricing by Samsung," an official told The Korea Times.



Samsung is a long-time partner with Apple, supplying it with A-Series mobile processors.




Scientists conduct liquid biopsy testing in this file photo. Merck said the new liquid biopsy biomarker test it is developing with Sysmex Inostics for clinical practices for cancer has been approved globally. / Courtesy of Merck



By Kim Yoo-chul



Merck, a global leader in electronic materials and chemical components, said Friday that it has received global approval for a test for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patents.



In a statement, the company stressed that the test will help guide physicians to select the effective treatment for mCRC patients in a timely manner.



Merck teamed up with Sysmex Inostics to win the "CE Mark approval."



This test will be made widely accessible for patients with mCRC in Europe, Asia and Australia, said the statement.



The testing technology can be used to determine which patients would benefit from anti-epidermal growth factor receptor therapies, such as cetuximab, as demonstrated by recent data, it added.



"In keeping with our philosophy of patient focus, we strive to evaluate all aspects of the patient journey, to focus our efforts on projects that improve treatment experience and outcomes for the patients," Rehan Verjee, chief marketing and strategy officer of the company's biopharma business, said in the statement.



"Together with Merck, we are advancing biomarker testing in metastatic colorectal cancer, and we are already seeing strong acceptance and uptake of the test in pilot centers, with clinicians globally recognizing the clinical value of a blood-based test," Sysmex Inostics CEO Fernando Andreu said in the statement co-signed with Merck.



The liquid biopsy biomarker test is a comprehensive 34-mutation panel that is based on the beads, emulsion, amplification and magnetic (BEMing) technology.



The test requires a small blood sample, rather than a tissue biopsy, helping the test to provide mutation status results within days, which can help guide quicker treatment decisions.



Merck and Sysmex Inostics entered into an agreement to co-develop and commercialize the liquid biopsy test, last year. They opened the first test center for research use in Spain.
SK Broadband CEO Lee In-chan talks about the company's plan to takeover CJ HelloVision during a forum at SK Telecom headquarters in Euljiro, Seoul, Feb. 17. / Courtesy of SK Telecom



LG Uplus, KT clam the deal against fairness



By Yoon Sung-won, Kim Yoo-chul



SK Telecom denied Friday the possibility of voluntarily dropping its bid to buy CJ HelloVision (CJH), saying it will proceed as planned.



"SK Telecom doesn't think the government will block the proposed takeover or nullify the deal," the company said in a conference call to investors to announce its first quarter earnings results.



The leading carrier urged the government to approve its plan as early as possible to boost the local telecom, content and broadcasting industries. SK Telecom controls 50 percent of the local telecom market, while CJH also has a controlling stake in the local pay-TV market.



The SK plan is still being reviewed by the Fair Trade Commission, the Korea Communications Commission and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.



It had been expected that the government agencies will announce their decision by April; however, the process has been delayed.



"Yes, the process is being delayed, but we believe the government will make a reasonable decision according to the related law and regulations," the company told investors.



On Friday, SK Telecom stressed that the vitalization of high quality content and smart media sectors is in line with the government's industrial policy.



"The merged business with financial capability, network infrastructure and subscriber base will benefit the entire media ecosystem here," a company spokesman said. "Though there was a huge change in the political landscape during the general election, we think that will not have a significant effect on the private, industrial sector," the spokesman added.



LG Uplus, which has teamed up with KT to oppose the deal, said it has a serious possibility of limiting competition in the telecom industry here.



"After the deal, SK Telecom will monopolize mobile, high-speed Internet and paid television services. The plan should not be approved to prevent such evil consequences," said an LG Uplus official.



KT, the country's dominant fixed-line operator and the runner-up of SK Telecom in the mobile market, said it hasn't reviewed the possibility of the merger's approval and its conditions.



"We are concerned about serious limitation on competition and degradation of the broadcasting and telecom market here should the merger plan gets approval," KT said.



"Considering that the approval may also lead to controversies about special favors and have a negative impact on vitalizing the government's economic keynote of creative economy, we will try to persuade the government to disapprove of the plan," it added.
Brazil's lower house reached the two thirds majority necessary to authorize impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff, according to Associated Press (AP).

The case has now been sent to the Senate to vote for a trial. If the Senate also manages to win two thirds majority President Dilma Rousseff will be ejected from her office.



The upcoming trial for President Rousseff will be held in the upcoming weeks.



If President Rousseff is ejected from office, the Vice President of Brazil Michel Temer will serve for the remainder of the Presidential term.
/Courtesy of Yonhap



By Lee Han-soo



The death toll from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Ecuador's central coast on Saturday (local time) has soared to 246, according to news reports. More than 2,500 people have been injured, the reports said.

With the west coast city of Manta so far suffering 135 aftershocks, casualties are expected to rise as searches and rescue missions continue.

"Although there have been many aftershocks we have no imminent danger of a tsunami," CNN quoted vice president Jorge Glas as saying.

"Police and the military are all focused on the rescue mission, and the governments of Colombia, Chile, Spain and Mexico are sending help."












Kim Yong(right) and Ban Ki-moon at the opening plenary meeting of global infrastructure forum in Washington D.C., Friday / Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan

Two Korean world leaders have talked of their "bromance" at an international conference in Washington D.C.

At the opening plenary meeting of global infrastructure forum on Friday that included representatives from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and financial ministers from 20 countries, Kim Yong, the 12th President of the World Bank, told of his friendship with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Calling Ban his "senior," Korean-American Kim thanked the U.N. leader, who will finish his term late this year, for having cooperated with the World Bank throughout his tenure since 2007.

Praising Ban's diligence, humor and leadership, Kim said that without Ban, the U.N. Climate Change Conference held in Paris late last year would not have been possible, according to the Chosun Ilbo.

Ban said he and Kim were good friends whose history went deeper and broader than "bromance."

Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, the former and current American presidents, had referred to the pair as the "Koreans who lead the world," the report said.

According to a Washington insider, Kim expects Ban, with his rich global experience, to be a strong candidate for next Korean presidency.

In 2013, Kim was named the world's 50th most powerful person by Forbes Magazine's List of The World's Most Powerful People.
Prince's publicist confirms that Prince died at his home on Thursday. / Yonhap



By Kim Da-hee



Legendary pop star Prince, 57, was found dead at his home in Minneapolis Thursday (local time), his publicist said.

Yvette Noel-Schure told The Associated Press that Prince was found collapsed in an elevator. He did not respond to CPR. No details were immediately released.

Medical examiners plan to do an autopsy.

Prince, who debuted in 1978 with the album "For You," sold more than 100 million records during his 40-year career. He was widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive musicians of the 1980s.

Several celebrities, including President Barack Obama, Madonna and Mariah Carey, expressed shock at Prince's death.


Sri Lanka has cautioned that the potential military advantages of Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) would risk proliferation and thereby lower the threshold of the rules of warfare, undermining regional as well as global stability. Sri Lanka also alerted on the risk of non-state actors gaining access to such weapons and the potential breach of cyber security in the autonomous technology used in weapons systems.

Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinha, made these observations during an intervention by Sri Lanka at a five day Meeting of Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS) within the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) which commenced yesterday (11 April) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. LAWS also commonly known as 'Killer Robots', is being broadly categorized as an emerging type of autonomous technology with potential use in lethal weapons systems, that will once activated, have the ability to select, engage, and use force at targets, without any human intervention.

Ambassador Aryasinha who chaired the November 2015 Meeting of the High Contracting Parties of the CCW which decided to expanded the mandate of the Experts meeting on LAWS, emphasized that in addition to the traditional submission of a Chairs summery of the proceedings in a personal capacity, space had been created, that the current session "may agree by consensus on recommendations for further work, for consideration by the Fifth Review Conference of the CCW to meet in December 2016". He said Sri Lanka calls for the negotiation of a legally binding international instrument that regulates the use of autonomous technology in weapon systems", adding that as an important first step, a Governmental Group of Experts (GGE) with an initial discussion mandate be appointed by consensus for this purpose, at the Fifth Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) to be held in December 2016". He further noted that the debate on LAWS is not merely a question to ban or not to ban autonomous technology in weapons systems, but rather a question of the acceptable threshold of the degree of autonomy in weapon systems that is in compliance with international law, in particular International Humanitarian Law (IHL).



The Ambassador said it is important that the CCW acts on this issue, in order to maintain its own credibility, and to strike a balance between the legitimate security aspirations of States and the inherent humanitarian concerns of the international community. Further, it provides an opportunity for both States, as well as Civil Society which continues to play an important role in furthering the debate on the LAWS, to engage and strengthen the CCW process. He cautioned that failure to live up to this expectation, would not only result in denying the 2016 Review Conference which meets only once in five years a historic opportunity to address this pressing issue decisively, but also to be at guilt if we had to witness the possible development of LAWS in an unregulated environment, to the detriment of humanity.

It was urged that those countries who are already in possession of autonomous weapons or have the capability to do so, engage in an open and constructive dialogue with the rest of the Member States to discuss genuine concerns and consider a way forward within the framework of the CCW. He said, more robust engagement in the discussion from the global South is also vital, for it is these States who are disadvantaged in the access to such technologies, and are likely to be more vulnerable during any potential warfare involving LAWS.



The Meeting of Experts chaired by Ambassador Michael Biontino of Germany for the second consecutive year, building on the two previous Expert Meetings held in 2014 and 2015 respectively, will be deliberating on different aspects of LAWS, including mapping autonomy, a working definition on LAWS, challenges in complying with International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights and Ethical issues, as well as the Security aspects including regional and global stability and the risk of proliferation and military necessity of LAWS.



Deputy Permanent Representative Mrs. Samantha Jayasuriya and Second Secretary Mrs. Mafusa Lafir also participated in the deliberations.



Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka

Geneva
The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

Read more
This article appears in the April 29, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

War with Russia, China, and India, or

Global Development Partnership?

by Helga Zepp-LaRouche,

chairman of the German political party BuSo

[PDF version of this article]

April 22In the absence of adequate public debate on a development that concerns all of our lives and on which the future existence of the human race depends, the world once again finds itself in a Cold War and a global spiraling arms race: The United States and NATOs attempt to ram through a unipolar world orderalthough it does not correspond to actual power relationsthreatens to set off new wars. In the age of thermonuclear weapons, it would mean the third and final world war.

The simultaneous flare-up of the conflicts in the South China Sea and around the Korean Peninsula, and the situations in the Baltic states and Baltic Sea, in Ukraine, and Southwest Asia are all defined, despite their own specific predicates, by this characteristic: In stark contrast to the official propaganda line which accuses Russia and China of aggressive behavior, it is in reality the United States, Great Britain, and NATO that are working away at encircling and provoking Russia and China.

To this end, President Obama launched last week the Southeast Asia Maritime Security Initiative, funded with $425 million, an initiative intended to forge the seven ASEAN nations, plus Taiwan, into a military bloc against China in the Pacific. In an article titled, Saving the South China Sea Without Starting World War III, published March 30 in The National Interest, the author, Van Jackson, a military analyst from the Center for a New American Security, even urged the creation of an alliance which would bring India, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines together under U.S. direction.

MEA India/Vikas Swarup

Chinese international affairs expert Hua Yisheng responded in an uncharacteristically sharp tone in the official Chinese newspaper Peoples Daily, in an article with the headline, U.S. Fanning the Flames of Potential World War III Will Only Hurt Itself. He described the massive military buildup in the region against China that is already underway, and the picture of Chinese activities there which has been distorted for the sake of propaganda.

Given the obvious orchestration of an escalation of the situation in the South China Sea prior to the ruling on the Philippines complaint against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Haguea ruling expected in late May or early JuneChinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi declared explicitly that, in denying the authority of this court, China is in absolute accordance with Article 298 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which excludes any forced settlement and provides instead for solutions to conflict through dialogue and negotiation. The same guideline appears in Article 4 of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), which has been signed by China and the ASEAN nations. It is rather the Philippines that is aggravating the situation with its one-sided claims.

At the latest meeting of the Russian, Chinese, and Indian foreign ministers in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov explicitly supported the Chinese position that the conflict should be solved through negotiations between the nations directly affected, and by avoiding its internationalization. At the conclusion of this meeting, in what must have come as a surprise to some, all three foreign ministers signed a communique presenting the international treaties which China invokesUNCLOS and DOCas the correct basis for resolving the conflict. That makes clear that India has rejected the United States claim to a unipolar world.

Moreover, the Chinese Foreign Ministry sharply condemned the statement by British Minister of State at the Foreign Office Hugo Swire, that Great Britain fully and totally supports the United States demand that the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague be binding on both parties. The only new development, it said, is the more frequent deployment of American airplanes and frigates into the region.

MEA India/Vikas Swarup

In a similar inversion of the facts, the United States presented the close encounter between the U.S. destroyer USS Donald Cook and a Russian fighter aircraft in the Baltic Sea, as Russian aggression, although the incident occurred only 70 sea miles from Russian territory, and the Baltic Sea is, like the South China Sea, many thousands of miles from the United States. You only have to convince people that black is white, and white is black, as Bertrand Russell remarked in his time.

Obama and His Queen

Meanwhile, nearly 15 years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, there is finally a groundswell for publishing the now famous 28-page chapter of the Joint Congressional Inquiry, which has been kept classified and, according to the then co-leader of this investigation, Senator Bob Graham, shed light on the leading role of Saudi Arabia in this terrorist attack, which changed the world so decisively. This coincided with President Obamas trip to Riyadh, where he assured the Saudi regime and the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council that the United States (and NATO?) will defend these states against Iran.

In reality, the purpose is to assert the interests of the British Empire, which persists in the form of the international financial system and the Commonwealth, and which has controlled the manipulated the Near and Middle East since the days of Lawrence of Arabia. Recently Great Britain announced that it intended to again fully impose its interests east of Suez, in an April 2013 briefing paper by the Royal United Services Institute, described as the leading military think tank of the British Monarchy, entitled A Return to East of Suez? UK Military Deployment to the Gulf. (An article by Jeffrey Steinberg, dealing with this in part, is in the June 21, 2013 EIR.)

And so, as if there were no commotion over the 28 pages, Obamas trip took him directly from visiting King Salman to Queen Elizabethwithout thought of the Al-Yamamah/BAE agreement of some 25 years ago between the two royal houses, which is suspected of being used to finance terrorist activities. Meanwhile in the United States, pressure is mounting on Obama as to why he continues to maintain the cover-up of the role of Saudi Arabia in the attacks of September 11, the coverup which George W. Bush openly organized.

White House

An insight into this question was afforded in the item Obama published on April 22 in the Daily Telegraph, in which he urges the British to vote to remain in the European Union in the upcoming referendum, because they should be proud that the EU helps to spread British values across the continent. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, immediately accused Obama of hypocrisy, since the United States has never signed on to the International Criminal Court, nor the UNCLOS, nor the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, nor the UN Convention on the Emancipation of Women. Aside from the public relations version, what are these British values? Wars based on lies that trigger refugee flows to Europe; tax havens and the financing of illegal operations as in the scandal of the Panama Papers now coming to light (or should they be called the London Papers?); laundering of drug money through banks such as HSBC; credit conditionalities that have for decades thrown the so-called Third World into abject poverty crashesthe list goes on and on.

What Are Germanys Interests?

In light of the escalating confrontation with Russia and Chinaand thus implicitly also Indiait is high time that Germany and other European nations reconsider what their real security interests are. The sanctions against Russia have inflicted significant losses on German industry, and were moreover based on a narrative of the Ukraine crisis, which is just as distorted as the story about the alleged Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, or the one about our allies Saudi Arabia and Turkey, who still support ISIS or ISIS-allied groups in Syria and Iraq.

Given the immediate strategic situation, and the hair-raising perspective assured us by the current field of presidential candidates in the United States, it is a matter of survival for Germany to rethink its foreign policy. (Hillary Clinton now bears the nickname Killary. She sees Russian aggression everywhere and demands that especially Germany should pay more for the growing military budget of NATO.)

Russia has shown itself to be a reliable and indispensable partner in the case of the negotiations of the P5+1 agreement with Iran and in the military intervention into Syria. China, with its offer of win-win cooperation in the development of a new Silk Road, provides a convincing perspective for a global development partnership. We are on the verge of World War III, and the only chance for America to regain its identity as a republic is for Germany, and therefore Europe, to say no to global confrontation with Russia, China, and India.

This article was written for the German newspaper, Neue Solidaritat.
This article appears in the April 29, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

LaRouches 70-Year Fight

Against British Terrorism

[PDF version of this article]

April 25Lyndon LaRouches fight against British-run terrorism began during his U.S. military service in India in August, 1946. He recounted it in the course of a briefing to associates on April 24, 2010.

Now, lets go back to the other part of the history, and take my particular role in this history. Well, Im a product of World War II. I spent some time abroad during the war, in Burma, and in the postwar period, in India, for some months. My views at the time that Roosevelt died, which I had the occasion to express at the camp in Kanchrapara, which was a training depot for U.S. troops who were thereand these young fellows came up to me on the day that Roosevelt died, and said, We want to talk to you tonight. I knew, basically, what the subject was. And when we met at dusk, off in a corner of the base, they said, We want to know what you think is going to happen to us, now that Roosevelt is dead and Truman is President. And I said, Well, Im not sure, but I do know that we had a great President, under Roosevelt. And we now have a poor excuse for a President, which is Truman. And therefore, Im afraid for us, and for our nation.

And that was sort of the beginning of my political career, because the events that I experienced laterthis was at the time of Roosevelts deathbut later, coming back from northern Burma, back into Kanchrapara, and then into Calcutta, this became a bigger question. You know, I did the obvious thing that anyone would do in intelligence. (I wasnt in intelligence, except myself.) So, I just got into Calcutta, and went to the relevant telephone directory, and pulled up the list of all the political parties, their addresses and names, and telephone numbers, I called them up, and said I wantedas an American soldier, I was interested in the future of India, and that I would like to talk to them, basically about the future India from an American standpoint.

So, I talked to all these people. They greeted me, they entertained me nicely, and I was having a grand time in Calcutta at that time, as a soldierjust the grandest time, meeting all these people, getting mixed up in all this culture and this sort of thing.

So then, the British did what the British do. There was a routine demonstration coming down the street, which was then called Dharmatala, which led to the Governor Generals palace across the other side of Chowringhee. And, I met some students. There was a great trolley car station right at that intersection, they were there, and I said, Whatre you up to? And they said, Were going on to make this demonstration at the Governor Generals palace for Indian independence. I said, Fine. And shortly after that, after theyd gone there, they were attacked by a lathi chargeyou know, brass tips on a bamboo stick, which is rather nasty, because it has a whip-like effect. And they killed a few people. It had not happened recently, at that point, so obviously, this was a British provocation.

And it resulted in a large demonstration, two days later, coming down Dharmatala. Now, for the large demonstration coming down Dharmatala, which is on the other side of Chowringhee, away from the Governors palace, the British had stationed two heavy machine guns, aimed down the street of Dharmatala. And as the crowd moved up, abreast from sidewalk to sidewalk, from building to buildingmassiveangry people. Hindus, Muslims, no difference. And the British opened direct fire with heavy machine guns, directly into the crowd, and kept the fire going.

This resulted, two days later, in the breakout of what became the so-called Calcutta riots. They were not riots; it was a revolution. And I was running around, calling people I knew, of these various political offices: Whats going on now? Is this going to mean a move for independence right now?

The war was over. The Roosevelt policy was what it was, for India, even though Roosevelt was no longer there, and the intention was the development of industry. Because you had poor people, working for a few annas a day, as pay, as labornot enough, really, to live onworking as coolies for the British Army. This kind of situation begged the creation of sovereign government, according to the Roosevelt policy. But, Truman was not Roosevelt, but quite the contrary.

And so, that was my experience. My association with these kinds of processes was defined by these events abroad, during my military service, at the end of World War II, both in Burma and Indiatwo times in India, and once in Burma.

And I came back to the United States, and it had changed, from what I had seen when I had lived there before, before going abroad.

January 2001 Forecast

In a Jan. 3, 2001, nationwide webcast, before George W. Bushs inauguration, LaRouche forecast a Reichstag-fire like terror atrocity to occur early in his term. He said:

Ashcroft was an insult to the Congress. If the Democrats in the Congress capitulate to the Ashcroft nomination, the Congress is finished.

This is pretty much like the same thing that Germany did, in February 28, 1933, when the famous Notverordnung (emergency decree) was established. Just remember after the Reichstag burning, the Reichstag fire, that Goering, who commanded, at that time, Prussiahe was the Minister-President of Prussia at the timeset into motion an operation. As part of this, operating under rules of Carl Schmitt, a famous pro-Nazi jurist of Germany, they passed this act called the Notverordnung, the Emergency Act, which gave the state the power, according to Schmitts doctrine, to designate which part of his own population were enemies, and to imprison them, freely, and to eliminate them. This was the dictatorship.

Now, remember, that Hitler had come into power on January 30 of that same yearless than two months earlier. Hed come in as a minority party, which had been discredited in the previous election. He was put in by bankers, including the father of President George Bush, the former President, Prescott Bush. Prescott Bush, as agent for Harriman of New York, worked with the British banks, to put Adolf Hitler into power in January of 1933. At that time, Hitler was discredited and about to be bombed out. He was stuck into power because that was the last chance to get him in power.

Everyone said, No, Hitlers not going to make it, because the majority of the population is against him. Then, on Feb. 28, 1933, the Notverordnung act was passed, on the pretext of the Reichstags fire. And this established a dictatorship, which Germany did not get rid of until 1945.

Now, Im not suggesting that the case of Ashcroft is comparable to the Reichstag fire. But its a provocation, a deliberate provocation. . . .

You dont knowWere going into a period in which either we do the kinds of things I indicated in summary to you today, or else, what youre going to have, is not a government. Youre going to have something like a Nazi regime. Maybe not initially at the surface. What youre going to have is a government which cannot pass legislation, meaningful legislation. How does a government which cannot pass meaningful legislation, under conditions of crisis, govern? They govern, in every case in known history, by whats known as crisis management.

In other words, just like the Reichstag fire in Germany, How did that happen?

Well, there was a Dutchman, who was a known lunatic, and was used to set fires, as a provocateur. And he went around Germany setting fires. And one night, with no security available for the Reichstag, he went into the Reichstag building, and set the joint on fire. And Hitler came out and said, Well, lets hope the Communists did it. And Goering moved, and the Schmitt apparatus, that is, of Carl Schmitt, the jurist. And they passed the Notverordnung. And on the basis of a provocationthat is, crisis managementthey rammed through the Notverordnung, which established Hitler as dictator of Germany.

August 2001 Warning

LaRouche and his friends substantiated his warning of January. On Sept. 11, 2011, LaRouches associates in Washington, D.C., were mass-distributing an Aug. 24 statement of his, warning of an imminent terror attack on Washington. Many of the details did not correspond to the actual Sept. 11 attacks, but the main lines were eerily precise. Its title was, Jacobin Terror Aims at DC.

It began:

All reports from reliable sources indicate that the international terrorist movement which surfaced at Seattle, mobilized itself at Porto Alegre, Brazil, and created bloody violence at Genoa, is now taking aim at the U.S. nations capital, Washington, D.C. . . ..

To understand the very high level of control over and backing of these terrorist actions, even from high-level circles in governments, we must think back to the Jacobin Terror first launched from Jeremy Benthams London on July 14, 1789. For this occasion, facing some well-documented facts from real history, in place of the usual university textbook fairy tales, will be most helpful in assisting relevant authorities to defend the security of Washington, D.C., and its environs.

After documenting the British empires organizing of the Jacobin Terror against a threatened alliance of a republican France with the United States, the statement drew back to situate the threat of that present moment, within the world crisis.

The world is presently gripped by the biggest, most deep-going, most deadly financial and monetary crisis since Europe of the middle to late Fourteenth Century. We are in a period in which economic and related circumstances have made the idea of regular modern warfare a sick joke, in which regional and other little wars, terrorism, political assassinations, and other forms of destabilization, are leading items on the agendas of many of the strategic planners. The financial and monetary crisis in its presently advanced stage, drives desperate political forces to the brink, desperate political forces who would rather drive civilization itself to the brink, than tolerate the changes in financial and monetary institutions which the present crisis-situation demands.

Live Interview During 9/11 Attacks

LaRouche was being interviewed live by radio host Jack Stockwell from Salt Lake City Utah, from 7:15 to 9:00 AM Mountain Time, as the 9/11 attacks unfolded.

Early in the show, Stockwell referenced the leaflet above, which LaRouche activists were distributing. But now, with what has just happened in New York, with thisyou know, interesting enough. Just yesterday, I receivedI think it was just yesterdaya bundle of leaflets from your organization in Leesburg that I regularly pass out in my office, warning of terrorist attacks in America here very shortly.

LaRouche returned to this point later, saying, Im not drawing any conclusions beyond what I know, because I have to be cool at this time, because Im vindicated, in a sense. Therefore I have not got the luxury of indulging myself in any wild speculation. I have to be cool, and anything I say, I have to be right.

The first suspicion thats going to be on this is Osama bin Laden, LaRouche said. Is there any reason to assume this would be something other than Osama bin Laden? Stockwell asked. Sure, said LaRouche. There are many. Osama bin Laden is a controlled entity. Osama bin Laden is not an independent force.

As reports came in, LaRouche and Stockwell put the picture together of the attack on the United States.

Stockwell: I want to give you a toll-free number here, where you can get some more information, relative to what were speaking of. Ladies and gentlemen, one-eight-eight-eight-three-four-seven-three-two-five-eight. Yeah, were talking about very likely thousands of

Witnesses are saying that they are seeing people jumping out of the World Trade Center.

LaRouche: Thats a phenomenon, that is a phenomenon, that happens.

Stockwell: My God!

LaRouche: But the point is, you think aboutyou start with the beginning. You say, a plane comes out of Logan Airport in Boston, American Airlines. And the report, which may not be accurate, of course, is that it was hijacked after takeoffwhich would make sense; I mean, thats the way something like that would tend to happen.

But there are people on that planeyou know what the size of that plane is.

Stockwell: Yes, a 767 is going to hold at least 250 people.

LaRouche: Okay, fine. So, theyre going to crash into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, lower Manhattan? Already, youve got a death toll right there. A real massive one.

Now, you have the building collapse, right after the beginning of the business day, and presumably most of the employees, and a lot of other people, are going in thereyouve got youre talking about a mega-catastrophe in terms of human toll building up around this thing.

And you begin to get a pattern too. Because these things that happened, since they appear to be intentional, and the coordination suggests intention, this means its a planned operationit is an attack on the United States, from whom we dont know. Ive got my own ideas about how this thing worked.
This article appears in the April 29, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

Looking for His Glasses,

Kicked in the Rear

[PDF version of this article]

Extracts from Lyndon LaRouches Dialogue with the LaRouche PAC Policy Committee of April 25:

Lyndon LaRouche: This is going to be a very interesting situation, for two reasons. One, is that the juveniles, so to speak, will assume that everything is easily laid down neatly for them, and the fact is that it is not. For example, there are radical changes going around, and its not going to be fixed. Its going to be tough, and so forth. So thats crucial. People will say, oh, this is whats going to happen. This is whats going to happen. This is whats going to happen. And none of it is true. And we just went through this weekend, on this thing, going through this, and there is nothing there that is going to be the same as people thought would be the same.

And so therefore, I think, for that reason, I think its important that we put an emphasis of clarity on the fact that we cannot rely upon what the apparent conditions are like at any one time in this region. The thing is much too unstable. And therefore, when people would draw conclusions and say, oh, so and so, now thats where its going to be. And that is not where its going to be.

And thats the kind of problem we have to consider ourselves, here, of things that bear on that kind of problem. Dont assume that there is something that you can draw a conclusion from. You cant. But the point is, that there is no specific position of motion, which can be located exactly.

I went into this thing on Sunday. And I can tell you that what Obama thinks hes got on his hands, is not what he has on his hands. That he is being moved into something by the British on the one hand, and by the others on the other hand. So this thing is not a fixed system. Its going to jump. Its going to be surprises. And youre going to find the person is looking for his glasses, and finds himself being kicked in the rear end.

No Fixed Geographies

Host Matthew Ogden: Its been a relentless two-week pile-on against Obama, in particular, around the cover-up of the 28 pages. And we could very well be seeing the fall of the House of Saud, if not the fall of the House of Windsor. And to the extent that Obama continues to declare his love for King Salman and Queen Elizabeth, you can see the fall of the House of Obama, as well, not to mention the fall of the House of Bush.

LaRouche: And its all British. The whole thing is completely the British Empire. So the question is, weve got to destroy the British Empire. Thats the first thing. So therefore, how do you do that? Well, thats a multiple effort, which means that what we have to look for, is when people think that, well, this is whats going to happen, they are probably wrong, and that they dont understand how this thing works. They think in terms of fixed geographies, and they dont exist, not in this operation. Because, people can move around rather rapidly these days, and they will do that. Just like he, our friend [Putin], will do. He does tend to jump into new territories very quickly.

So, no, but the point is, the idea that there is a fixed map, of any sense of map, in the terms of what is happening now, in terms of the trans-Atlantic period, alone, that thing was not going to be stable. Well know some specific things that could be available, or likely to be. So we have to have an open mind for understanding, and dont assume that you found gold. You didnt find the great gold mass. You just found something new. Or maybe it found you.

The point is, theres a principle involved here, not just a thing, but a principle. And the principle is that all kinds of things can happen, and jump from one place to another, or jump to combinations of places and others, or to sudden changes in the thing. So there is not. World War II was for a bunch of pansies, compared to what were facing from this kind of situation presently.

Benjamin Deniston of the Science Team: I mean one aspect thats hanging over the whole situation is the financial system. The whole trans-Atlantic financial system is bankrupt.

LaRouche: Yeah, the interesting thing though, that in all of this, there is nothing provided for progress in that kind of system. There is no progressive system [in those] games. And thats what the interest is. And we can get more into that. But its really fun. Its really fun, because we find, were going beyond Earth. That is, were going beyond Earth, as weve understood it. And whats going to happen, the people who are playing things, smart people, are going to jump away from what they call the usual systems. Because they will react to the expansion, of play, which is provided in space. In space and the future of mankind will lie chiefly in what happens in space.

Part of the key problems is that the typical American, or the typical of most nations, has no understanding whatsoever, of how actually the human species is now in the process of moving toward changes in its characteristic behaviors, which they have never seen before. And it will happen inherently. Because you have a broader area in which to operate, and what Keshas doing in Texas, there, that operation, and what shes got is a little nest building up there, for organization purposes; and this is going to change everything. And so all the fixed notions, the fixed positions, are going to vanish. Why will they vanish? Because we need more room for the real things.

Kesha Rogers of Houston: Yeah, its true, that the Chinese right now, theyre actually taking up the space program from this conception of what is the prerogative of mankind? What is the destiny of mankind? What should be the defining purpose of mankind in the Solar System? And I thought it was very exciting yesterday, that China announced for the first time, a National Space Day, which was yesterday, April 24th. They had educators, scientists, teachers teaching young people, students, and so-forth, about the mission of the Chinese space program, their commitment to landing on far side of the Moon, building a corridor of development to the Moon, and to the planets beyond, and so forth.

And you asked, what is the American intention to bring about such an initiative, such a national mission? And, its not there.

But we could actually be doing something to really not allow for these peoples work, and their contributions to be in vain. And the idea about that, is not just to recognize a certain day, or a person who went into space, and who contributed to the mission, but more so, to recognize that this is human destiny. This is our prerogative. And its a higher conception in terms of what we have to do to build peaceful relations among nations, and to break with this insane geopolitics.

No Fixed Positions

LaRouche: Oh, I got an experience of that during 1971, because we were going through all kinds of changes at that time. I got involved in kicking the British system out of existence for a while. And they said, You got us this time, but were going to get you next time! kind of thing, and so the operation I was running as the interim operation which I was assigned to, and this all worked. But what that means is, that what happens is, everything you think you have fixed, is probably not fixed. The lesson that people have to learn, very quickly.

Rachel Brinkley of Boston: What we have now, I think, which is fixed in a certain way, is the principle of New York as a quality of the future, and the modern city on the hill. It used to be Boston, and that didnt work; now New York is really the city on the hill for the United States, the place that is calling for freedom, for true freedom for mankind. And I think what were seeing with this 9/11 quality is that: Its a principle of justice, of ending the tyranny that has taken the lives of our citizensboth those who were murdered and those who were not murdered. So Manhattan can lead us to the future.

LaRouche: Yes!

Diane Sare of Manhattan: On that, Ill just say, it is the case, there is a different kind of dynamic in New York, as this material begins to come out on the Saudi role, and it becomes public. Because people are angry. The population there was very profoundly affected by the events of 9/11, and the people you meet will tell you where they were, that day, when it happened; what happened to them. One woman we just met remembers trying to get on the subway out of lower Manhattan and what was going on there. And they are not backing off it.

And there was a run yesterday, a memorial for 9/11, I think organized by the museum. It was completely sold out in terms of the runners who were allowed, maybe 1,000 or so; and then a few thousand other family members came. We were there with our leaflets on the role of the Queen, the Saudis and Obama, and people were not flinching. People are furious at Obama. There was no defense of him; no defense of his role in this. This is a shift.

LaRouche: Yes. Its a shift, it has implications which go way beyond what people would think is the consequence.

Ogden: I think whats important to note on that, is people have referenced the role of Congressman Walter Jones as being one of the initial catalysts in this bill to declassify the 28 pages, H.Res.14, formerly H.Res.428. But why was he able to conceive of the fact, that there was a massive lie coming from the Bush administration, around the facts of the matter on 9/11? Because he was lied to directly by Dick Cheney, around the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq! He knew, personally,  sitting where we are, across the table 

LaRouche: When you look at the Bush family, look at its history. Remember there was a continuous degeneration by the Bush family, in moving from one war to another. And the other war was what we just recently experienced.

Therefore, the question is, we cannot operate on the basis of a fixed conception. We have to operate on the basis of what is not a fixed position, but rather something which is giving you a change. And this is something which most people in the United States, and Europe also, have no conception of what that kind of thing means. They have no understanding, theyre absolutely incompetent in this kind of matter, because they dont realize that the most important developments in history have been actions which started as one thing, and then turned out to be something quite different, as a decisive action. And that is what most people in the United States today have no comprehension of this at all. And this is why people kill themselves, by poisoning themselves, and so forth.

Because theyve lost all connection to the future. And theyre frightened. Theyre afraid that some mysterious force is going to grab them, and kill them. But these are the kinds of conditions were facing, is new ones, because the idea that babies were born, and they grew up, and people became new babies, like the old, or something like the old. And people say, well, thats the way it is, were stuck! Were fixed in a situation, where we have to conform to a kind of behavior, just like Bush, young Bush. The same kind of thing. And therefore, you get a period of a sense of destitution entirely, because they dont know what the next step is. They dont know that a new step is coming. And theyre surprised.

This is exactly what happened, with the SDI operation, that we with. It was that, we changed everything. We had a good team, and we did it. But then, what happened, once the Bush family got its claws into this thing, and Reagan was neutralized, that thats how the whole process that has happened, did happen.

A Much Bigger Question

Bill Roberts of Detroit: I saw something recently where theres a problem with a lot of the people who survived 9/11 that theyve lived with whats called survivors guilt, and it has gripped them, this entire time of the last 10, 15 years, that why did I survive, and these other people died? as if the only way to resolve this, is, how do I dedicate myself to actually making these peoples lives being lost, where theres something thats resolved about this? And I think that this question has to actually be brought up, to change the entire international situation. Because I think that is what looms over this entire thing: Its a much bigger question than just the Saudis and 9/11. The United States has been used as part of a function of an empire, and people have to actually face that, to actually resolve this issue of what 9/11 was.

LaRouche: Well, your argument really has probably more importance than you yourself might suspect.

The point is, if mankind is able to step out of a role, which is like some practical way of working, or things like that, and if mankind can do that, then mankind is actually becoming a superior development with respect to human beings generally. In other words, if you can take a human being, or a group of human beings, or category of human beings, and you find that these people will develop as something which they had not developed originally; and therefore, they will go in a new direction and develop a new theory and a new intention, and this is what will move them in that new direction.

And therefore, the obvious thing is if you want to educate the population of the planet, thats the way you have to look at it. You have to say, You cannot tell these kiddos that theyre going to do this for the rest of their life. You cannot do that! I dont care how smart you are, you cannot be allowed to do that! Therefore, you have to realize you have to search, always, for opportunities which exist beyond, what you have known heretofore. Once you grab onto that, then youll find kiddies will start grabbing around each other, and saying lets play with these toys. And they should come up with new discoveries  and thats what did happen, in the new discoveries, thats exactly what happened.

So actually, it was not something that the child had built into them, but its something where the child was changed from what they had been! Changed because of the necessity for going to a higher level of achievement, in order to escape the limitations of the past.

Deniston: Youre talking about the very essence that defines mankind as something different that other forms of life we see. The characteristic of mankind in the most basic sense, is that we can fundamentally, willfully intervene, to self-change our relationship to the Universe. We can create a new state of existence for our species, in a way thats unique, completely unique. And theres something unique about the human mind and human culture that enables mankind uniquely to do that.

LaRouche: That was exactly what my intention was when I did this thing on going to the Moon. Because thats exactly it: You have to find  its absolutely necessary, you cant escape it; you cannot live within some kind of an object that you hold in your hands like a toy, to play with. What you have to do is find something which is important, which has a clear importance built into it, and you have the ability to understand, to create something new, which goes beyond the bounds of what people had heretofore believed were the limits for their existence.

Can you create in yourself, something which you had never been able to do, independently. And you find that you grab on something like that, and say This is the thing thats going to make the next step for mankind better!

Deniston: But I think your opening point about not assuming anything, at this point I think is a very wise and appropriate message to put up front.

LaRouche: Its something that has to happen, because if you cant do that, you lose the ability to create.
This article appears in the April 29, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

Document 17 and the

Battle for the Truth About 9/11

by Jeffrey Steinberg

[PDF version of this article]

April 24Every commissioner and key investigator into the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, in which 2,977 innocent Americans were killed, has not only demanded that President Obama declassify and publicly release the 28-page chapter from the original Joint Congressional Inquiry, providing leads on the role of the Saudi government and the Saudi Royal Family in 9/11. They have also demanded the full declassification of all of the still-classified files from the Joint Inquiry and the follow-on 9/11 Commission.

The issue is not just the 28 pages, as vital as they are. The issue is the thousands of documents that remain sealed from public view, which provide a much more in-depth picture of the magnitude of evidence against the Saudi Royals. It is the full release that is vital, and the immediate release of the 28 pages is the indispensable first step towards opening a new, top-down uninhibited probe into Saudi sponsorship of global Sunni jihad terrorism.

Such a probe will necessarily also focus on the coverup and sabotaging of the original investigations by a combination of Bush family-allied political appointees, and the larger than life role of the FBIs top management, starting with then-Director Robert Mueller, in sabotaging the probe at every turn.

This is not a matter of speculation. In July 2015, the Interagency Security Clearance Appeals Panel (ISCAP) declassified a 47-page staff working document from the 9/11 Commission, referred to as Document 17, or Saudi notes.

The June 6, 2003 document was written by Dana Lesemann and Michael Jacobson, two of the most important of the Federal government prosecutors and investigators assigned to the 9/11 probe. Lesemann was a Justice Department attorney and Jacobson was an FBI agent. Both were assigned to the Joint Congressional Inquiry staff and were then also hired by the 9/11 Commission to continue their earlier work. Lesemann and Jacobson conducted the investigation and contributed to the writing of the 28-page chapter of the final Joint Inquiry report. They saw their mission at the 9/11 Commission as an extension of their investigation into the Saudi role. Document 17 spelled out their ambitious plans to thoroughly probe the Saudi Royals and Saudi governments complicity in 9/11.

FBI Coverup

Along the way, as Document 17 made clear, they ran up against serious roadblocks from the FBI, which blocked their access to key witnesses and documents, including an FBI informant in San Diego, California, code-named Moppet, who housed two of the 9/11 hijackers and had ties to two Saudi intelligence officers who were the handlers of those two hijackers, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar.

The 47-page June 2003 working plan made clear that the Commission and the previous Joint Inquiry had developed strong links between 21 officials of the Saudi government and the San Diego hijackers. Some of those officials were based in southern California, others were at the Saudi embassy in Washington (including a half-brother of Osama bin Laden), and others were officials of the Saudi government posted in Hamburg, Germany, where an Al-Qaeda cell was based that was intimately linked to the 9/11 team.

The tasking document also traced the southern California Saudi officials and hijackers to other cells, with key named individuals in other locations that are now known to have been central to the 9/11 attacks. These included Falls Church, Va., Paterson, N.J., Phoenix, Ariz., and Pompano Beach, Fla.

Anwar Awlaqi, a radical cleric who was subsequently killed in a President Obama-approved drone assassination attack in Yemen, was the spiritual adviser to the two San Diego hijackers. He moved from the San Diego mosque to a mosque in Falls Church, Va. at precisely the time that the 9/11 attackers moved to the same area in the final preparations for the attack. There are compelling reports hinting that Awlaqi himself may have had ties to the FBI while he was in the United States (Awlaqi was a natural born American citizen).

The 9/11 investigators Lesemann and Jacobson clearly came to believe that there was a systemic and top-down FBI effort to stymie the work of the Commission. A segment of Document 17, starting on page 29, details evidence of the FBI coverup and proposed remedies, including new and more intense Congressional oversight of the FBI; detailed questions and subpoenas for documents from the Bureau; and even efforts to grant Commission immunity to key witnesses who could detail the FBI duplicity. The memo makes clear that Lesemann and Jacobson saw the FBI interference as coming from the top. At one point, they candidly asked: Why did the FBI, the Justice Department, and the White House all refuse the Commission investigators access to FBI informant Moppet, and was this indicative of a much larger FBI effort to sabotage the investigation?

Who Is the FBI Working For?

Then-FBI Director Robert Mueller had earned his stripes in part through his role as head of the Get LaRouche Task Force in the mid-1980s, which conducted the biggest political witch-hunt since the McCarthy era, targeted against the political movement led by Lyndon LaRouche. Former Attorney General of the United States Ramsey Clark called the LaRouche case the worst case of politically motivated prosecutorial abuse he had ever encountered.

Muellers predecessor as FBI Director (Mueller took the job on Sept. 4, 2001 after serving for two months as Acting Director), Louis Freeh, subsequently became the attorney for Saudi Prince Bandar bin-Sultan, one of the highest ranking Saudi officials linked directly to the 9/11 plot. Freeh represented Bandar in matters relating to the Al-Yamamah project, which was an arms-for-oil barter deal between Britain and Saudi Arabia, negotiated by Bandar and Margaret Thatcher in 1985. The Joint Inquiry, in the 28-page chapter, linked funds from Bandar and his wifes personal account at Riggs National Bank in Washington to the two San Diego hijackers, through one of their Saudi intelligence handlers, Osama Basnan. At the time, Bandar was receiving funds from the Bank of England into his Riggs personal account, which were part of his $2 billion commission for his role in Al Yamamah. In his official biography, Bandar boasted that the offshore Al Yamamah funds were used for conducting covert anti-communist joint Anglo-Saudi intelligence operations. He openly admitted that some of those funds went to the Afghan mujahideen. Translation: To Al Qaeda.

Document 17 makes clear that Bandar was a prime suspect in the financing of the 9/11 hijackers, and the Commission intended to probe whether Bandar and his wife, Princess Haifa, knew whether the $50-72,000 they sent to Basnan went to medical care for his wife, or for the financing of al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar.

Document 17 was a follow-up on the solid leads and evidence that Lesemann and Jacobson included in the 28-page chapter of the original Joint Inquiry final report. It indicates the vast scope of evidence against the Saudi Royals, the in-depth infrastructure that the investigators unearthed, and the level of coverup by senior Federal officials, including the Director of the FBI himself.

Ultimately, the 9/11 Commission, like the earlier Joint Inquiry, was blocked from completing the thorough investigation the key researchers sought to pursue. At one point, staff director Philip Zelikow, who was covertly reporting the work of the Commission to then-Secretary of State Condi Rice in a scandalous conflict of interest, fired Lesemann over a conflict. That conflict began when Lesemann and Jacobson sought to obtain a copy of the 28-page chapter from the Joint Inquirya chapter they themselves had researched and written.

Document 17, among the 29 Commission documents declassified by ISCAP in the past 18 months, is a must-read for anyone committed to getting to the bottom of 9/11 and the coverup.

If your blood is not boiling after you read Document 17, there is something wrong with you. It offers a small window into the volumes of evidence against the Saudi Royals and the Saudi government. It should make it clear that the release of the 28 pages is an existential necessity.
This article appears in the April 29, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

LAROUCHE PAC WEBCAST

Where the Secrets Are Buried

[PDF version of this article]

The following is a transcript of the LaRouche PAC Friday Webcast for April 22, 2016.

Matthew Ogden: I would like to welcome all of you to our weekly broadcast here from larouchepac.com. Youre watching the Friday evening webcast for April 22, 2016. Im joined in the studio tonight by Jeffrey Steinberg, from Executive Intelligence Review. The two of us had a meeting with both Lyndon and Helga LaRouche, and I think that the presentation that Jeff gives tonight will be a very significant presentation, elaborating on some remarks that Mr. LaRouche made just yesterday on the question of the story behind and beyond the 28 pages.

As those of you who are watching this broadcast tonight probably know, we are living in a truly momentous period of history. Over the last two weeks, since the 60 Minutes episode which elaborated the story of the so-called 28 pages, the redacted chapter of the 9/11 Joint Congressional Inquiry report into 9/11, that has been classified by both the Bush and Obama administrationssince that broadcast, there has been an unrelenting stream of media coverage of this story, in almost all of the major national press in the United States, and also internationally, in Europe and elsewhere.

There has also been a relentless attack, directly, on Obama, by name, for his refusal to declassify these 28 pages, despite the promises that he has given to the 9/11 families, and also for his open and explicit opposition to the lawsuit that the families have waged against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as the bill that they have introduced into the United States Senate, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which would allow those victims to sue the state sponsors of the 9/11 attacks.

EIRNS/Alicia Cerretani

As you know, on the LaRouche PAC website we have been covering this story for years, very closely. Weve been following the efforts of Congressmen Walter Jones (R-N.C.), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in the House of Representatives, who have introduced a resolution, now over two years ago, House Resolution 14 (H.R.14), which was previously House Resolution 428, calling on Obama to declassify the 28 pages. And theyve worked very closely with former Senator Bob Graham (D-Fla.). Graham was the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee at the time of the 9/11 attacks, and was co-chairman of the 9/11 Joint Congressional Inquiry report.

Bob Graham has been very vocal, for years, in calling for the 28 pages to be released. I had the pleasure of interviewing him at an event in Florida in November 2014, and at that time, he was very clear that if the 28 pages had not been classified and suppressed, you would not be seeing the threat of terrorism that were facing today from Al-Qaeda and from ISIS, both of which have received direct funding from individuals connected with the Saudi regime.

Saudi Threats, FBI Horse Manure

Senator Graham wrote a very clear and very blunt op-ed in the Florida newspaper TCPalm, titled,  28 Pages: How Our Government Has Used Deceit to Withhold Truth from the American People. This op-ed was published on Wednesday [April 20], to coincide with President Obamas landing in Riyadh to hold a bilateral summit with King Salman of Saudi Arabia. In this op-ed, Senator Graham is perhaps more explicit than he has ever been.

LPACTV

He said, This was not just a cover-up. The suppression of the 28 pages and other evidence linking the Saudis to 9/11 was the result of what he calls an aggressive deception. He says, Your government has purposely used deceit to withhold the truth. The reason for this deceit, he says, is to protect the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from its complicity in the murder of 2,977 Americans. On April 15, the New York Times reported: Saudi Arabia has told the Obama administration and members of Congress that it will sell off hundreds of billions of dollars worth of American assets held by the kingdom if Congress passes a bill that would allow the Saudi government to be held responsible for any role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.  That is obviously a blackmail threat against the United States, and that is what the Saudis said publicly; one can only wonder what they were threatening behind closed doors.

What Senator Graham goes on to say in this op-ed is: If that is not sufficient to get your blood boiling, read on [the New York Times continues]: The Obama administration has lobbied Congress to block the bills passage. 

Now, Senator Graham elaborates that there have been multiple forms of what he calls this aggressive deceit; its not just the suppression of the 28 pages. He said the 28 pages would disclose the sources of funding for the attack on 9/11; these pages have been under review for declassification for three years, which is three times the amount of time that it took to research, write, and publish the original Congressional Inquiry report, which was 838 pages long! He said, secondly, The 28 pages are the most iconic, but not the only, evidence to be withheld from the [published] report of the congressional inquiry. The report is pocked by hundreds of specific redactions.

And then he says, thirdly, Investigations at locales where the hijackers lived and plotted prior to the attacks also have been classified. One of those involves Mohamed Atta, the leader of the hijackers, and two of his henchmen who are alleged to have collaborated with a prominent Saudi family who lived in Sarasota [Fla.] for six years before abruptly departing for Saudi Arabia two weeks before 9/11.

Senator Graham says, The FBI publicly described its Sarasota investigation as complete, and said it found no connection between the hijackers and the family. Later, responding to a Freedom of Information lawsuit, the FBI released an investigative report that said the family had many connections to individuals tied to the terrorist attacks. The FBI for two years has aggressively resisted releasing that report, Graham says [emphasis added]. And this is part of a much bigger story that goes beyond just the 28 pages.

Now, Senator Graham concludes that op-ed by saying there are three reasons why the 28 pages must be released: One is justice for the families; two is national security, and he said: The fact that Saudis, and their blatant attempts to avoid liability as co-conspirators in the crime of 9/11, and the U.S. governments acquiescence by refusing to release information (and opposition to reforming laws that would hold collaborators in murder to account) has been a clear signal to the kingdom that it is immune from U.S. sanctions. With that impunity, Senator Graham says, it continues to finance terrorists and fund mosques and schools used to indoctrinate the next generation of terrorists in intolerance and jihad.

And then finally, he said, this is an issue of democracy. The American government is founded on the consent of the governed. To give that consent, the people must know what the government is doing in its name. Distrust in government is reflected in the speeches of todays presidential candidates, he said. The publics sometimes angry response is fueled by a sense of betrayal and deceit.

Its the British Monarchy

Mr. LaRouche was asked a relevant question from an institutional source this week, which reads: Mr. LaRouche, there has been an overwhelming enthusiasm to release the 28 pages lately. What is your advice to the Obama administration, in regard to the 28 pages?

We produced a short video which includes the audio of Mr. LaRouches remarks on this subject. Were going to play it for you now, and then Im going to ask Jeff Steinberg to come to the podium to elaborate some of the points that Mr. LaRouche asserts in this statement.

Lyndon LaRouche: [recorded voice] I was watching those two planes which were carrying the victims, and carried them to death. I was an eyewitness to the press. We knew that they were being carried, as victims, inside the planes, in the two planes in succession, and obviously the passengers all died.

But that operation, on that occasion, which I witnessed from beginning to end, defines the actual issue which has to be addressed.

White House/Eric Draper

Now of course, I also knew what the background was. The way this thing was set into motion was with the Bush family. The Bush family was actually a key part of setting this thing into motion; they may not have intended to do that, because theyre too stupid to know what theyre doing. See, the Bush family was involved in its own little warfare operation, so there was a spillover from the Bush administration as such, into this particular operation. The whole operation was twofold: One, was British-Saudi operation. Now the person who was directing the thing from inside the United States, had been trained by the British system. Bandar was a key figure operating inside the United States. Bandar was directly overseeing the launching of this operation.

And they were shipping petroleum as a real money-making operation, just with the oil trade, by the British, shared with the Saudis; and this thing was done for harmful purposes in many ways, and was a key part of control of what the United States was doing in petroleum; because the thing was a frauda fraud committed by Her Majesty. Her Majesty was guilty, period. Queen Elizabeth was the author of this operation. She was the only person who was qualified to authorize this operation.

Creative Commons/Roberta Bocchese

The attack on Manhattan was done under the cover of the British system. And the Saudis were a subordinate aspect of the British system as a whole. Her Majesty was the author of this monster. And the Saudis were simply stooges. The Saudis have been stooges from the beginning of the 20th century. Thats the essential story. Everything has to be focussed on that: The fact that is was the deliberate mass murder of American citizens. And not only that, but a direct attack on the United States!

The key thing is that the British and the Saudis are the same thing, since that time. And all these facts are really known, on the record. The Saudis are guilty and the British are guilty, because the Saudis and the British are part of the same agency. What the Saudis do, what the British do, wont be the same thing. The fact is that the Saudi Kingdom is not a real governmentits an empire; its an imperial institution. It has no formal responsibility to anything except the Kingdom of the Saudis, and the British! They are the same thing!

Ogden: Now, as you can see displayed on the screen, we have a short advertisement for a much longer feature documentary that was published several years back by LaRouche PAC Television, which was called, Beyond the 28 Pages: 9/11 Ten Years Later. It is also available here on the LaRouche PAC YouTube channel.

Jeffrey Steinberg was interviewed as part of that production, and obviously he has been very intimately familiar with many of the facts that are presented in that documentary and which were alluded to by Mr. LaRouche in the statement that you just heard. So Im going to invite Jeff Steinberg to come to the podium to elaborate this, in a little bit more detail.

Britain Created Saudi Arabia

Jeffrey Steinberg: Thank you, Matt. I think its important to recognize that the fundamental point that Mr. LaRouche just made in answering the institutional question, is that the story of 9/11 is incomplete if we simply stop with the now obvious, transparently evident role that high-ranking figures within the Saudi royal family and within the Saudi government played in the 9/11 attacksbefore the attacks, as the attacks were happening, and in the cover-up that followed. Whats crucial to understand is that the Saudis do nothing without full support and approval coming from the highest levels of the British monarchy, all the way up to the Queen herself and to the Royal Consort, Prince Philip.

Going back centuries, back to the time of the heyday of the British East India Company, the entire Persian Gulf region was a British colony, a British protectorate. For centuries, every one of the so-called nationsreally tribal collectionsalong the Persian Gulf, whether it was Bahrain, or the UAE, or Qatar, or Oman, or Saudi Arabia, or Kuwait, all of those countries existed in name only. All of them had treaty agreements by which their foreign and defense policy was run out of London. It was a vital feature for the functioning of the British East India Company to have a way station en route to India and on to China. So, at the beginning of the 20th Century, individuals like Lawrence of Arabia forged the establishment of the House of Saud as a marriage between a tribal family and the Wahhabi fundamentalist clergy of that area: Its always been a British game, its always been tightly under the thumb of the British. And that carries through even more so in the present modern period.

Public domain/St.J. Philby, The Heart of Arabia, 1922

Mr. LaRouche mentioned Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who for years was the Saudi ambassador here in the United States; before that, he was the Saudi military attache in Washington. And he was widely referred to as Prince Bandar Bush because of his close relationship with the Bush family, starting with father George H.W. Bush. And he was notoriously close to George W. Bush. But above all else, Prince Bandar was a British agent. He was trained at British military schools; his official, authorized biography was written by one of his school chums from British military school. And in 1985, Bandar negotiated what came to be a critical feature of the Anglo-Saudi arrangementthe Al-Yamamah deal; this was ostensibly a barter arrangement by which the Saudis paid in oil for British military equipmentfighter planes, radar systems, training, supplies, all of that.

Al-Yamamah Funds Dirty British Ops

And in carefully investigating that program, we discovered that the amount of oil that the Saudis delivered to the British in payment for about $40 billion of military hardware, was worth much more than that by orders of magnitude. For the Saudis, the oil was cheap; it cost less than $5 a barrel to pull it out of the ground and load it onto a supertanker. But once British Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell took control over that oil, they sold it on the spot market at phenomenal mark-ups.

From 1985 until the scandal first broke in 2007, more than $100 billion in excess funds were accrued after paying for the British military equipment and after generous bribes to many British and Saudi officials. Hundreds of billions of dollars were sequestered in offshore bank accounts, and those funds represented the biggest slush fund in the world for carrying out destabilizations of governments, terrorist activities, and assassinations.

Prince Bandar, not being the brightest guy on the planet, openly boasted about this special relationship, and said that while Al-Yamamah was a traditional barter arrangementoil for weaponsit was in fact something much more. It was a reflection of the marriage of the British and Saudi monarchies and of the ability of these monarchies to operate outside of any parliamentary or Congressional scrutinyand to carry out black operations anywhere in the world that they chose.

Officially, Prince Bandar received a $2 billion commission for arranging the Al-Yamamah deal. And those funds have been traced. They went from accounts of the Bank of England, accounts from the British Ministry of Defense that oversaw the Al-Yamamah arrangement, and went from there into bank accounts in Riggs National Bank in Washington, D.C., the private accounts of Prince Bandar bin Sultan. In the documentation contained in the 28 pages that Presidents Bush and Obama have kept from the American people, is evidence, paper trails, of funds that were sent directly from Bandars and his wifes personal bank account into the hands of two Saudi intelligence agents who were the handlers of the original two 9/11 hijackers who arrived in the United States at the beginning of the year 2000.

So, the British hand in 9/11 is unmistakable. If those 28 pages were to be opened up, it would not only confirm that the British and the Saudi royal families were together engaged in setting up and financing the 9/11 attacks: It would open up an array of other questions about follow-on terrorist operations on a global scale. All told, hundreds of billions of dollars laundered offshoreprobably in places like Panama, as well as the Cayman Islands, the Isles of Jersey off the coast of Englandhave gone into countless operations like the 9/11 attacks themselves.

While many people are quite clear on why it is that President George W. Bush would order the suppression of the 28 pages, because of his notoriously close relationship with Prince Bandar and the Saudis, many people scratch their heads and say, Well, why would President Obamaparticularly after he promised the families that he would declassify the 28 pageswhy would Obama continue the cover-up?

Its not for Obama a matter of the Saudis; for Obama it goes to the next higher level in this whole story, namely, the British. Obama, from the beginning of his political career, has been sponsored by the British. Its not surprising that this week President Obama made a trip to Saudi Arabia; he was there Wednesday and Thursday. He met with King Salman of Saudi Arabia and on Thursday, he met with all of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. From there he has now flown on to London, where he will be holding a private audience with the Queen. Obama has been a slavish loyalist of the British Empire, of the British monarchy, since the moment he came into office as President. So Obamas hand in the cover-up, the shameless continuing cover-up of what happened on 9/11, is all about protecting the British side of this story. Were those 28 pages to be opened up, the minute that one began looking at the role of Prince Bandar, it would become absolutely obvious that there is a major British side to this story.

Now of course, when you talk about the British monarchy, if you roll the clock back just a few years before the September 11, 2001 attacks, you will remember that there was an intensive investigation over a number of years into the fact that the British monarchy was unquestionably behind the murder of Princess Diana. It was a revenge killing because she represented forces that were completely disgusted with the way that the House of WindsorQueen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charlesoperated. So you have a British monarchy that has blood on its hands going back a very long time, and most recently with the top-down ordered assassination of Princess Diana. It should come as no surprise that that same British apparatus is up to its eyeballs in global terrorism.

Britain a State Sponsor of Terrorism

Now in point of fact, in early 2000, Executive Intelligence Review filed a formal request with the U.S. State Department that it consider placing Great Britain on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. People may remember that at that time, there was a wave of terrorism going on around the globe. In 1997, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad group carried out an attack against a group of Japanese tourists at Luxor, and the Egyptian government at that time provided detailed evidence that the terror plot had been organized, financed, and controlled by Egyptian terrorist networks that were living in Britain under the protection of the British monarchy.

Several years later, the Russian government filed a series of formal diplomatic demarches because they had evidence that the British government was facilitating the recruitment of Chechen terrorists who were allowed to travel to Afghanistan from Britain to be trained by Al-Qaeda and then safely routed into Chechnya to become part of the separatist terrorist networks that were fighting against the Russian government. There was detailed evidence that was included in that EIR profile, and unfortunately, needless to say, the State Department sat on it, did nothing; and so we had 2001. And we had many subsequent terrorist events that followed from that.

So the bottom line here is that, now that there is intensive momentum demanding the declassification of those 28 pages, what is really required is a complete, de novo, top-down investigation into the 9/11 actions and into all of the subsequent terrorist actions that have followed and have been the work of the same Anglo-Saudi apparatus. Once those 28 pages are made public, once the American peopleled by the families of those 2,997 people killed in the 9/11 attackshave the chance to thoroughly read through and digest the content of those pages, then the whole can of worms, the whole British-Saudi empire structure has to be brought down. It has to be subject to the kind of rigorous criminal prosecution that is warranted, and that also means that both President Bush and President Obama have to answer for their criminal roles in both facilitating and covering it up.

As Mr. LaRouche said in his brief comments to colleagues yesterday that you just saw in that 5-minute video, he was on the scene; he was giving a live interview to Utah radio broadcaster Jack Stockwell. He had the TV on in his study, and he saw the planes crashing into the two World Trade Center towers in real time. He was one of the few people on Earthperhaps the only person outside of those who committed the crimewho understood the full strategic implications the moment that the attack occurred.

LaRouche had warned at the beginning of 2001, once he saw the character of the Bush/Cheney administration, that this was the kind of regime that would look for the first opportunity to carry out a Reichstag fire in order to go for dictatorship. And he understood that it was the Anglo-Saudi apparatus that represented the capability for carrying out just such a heinous crime with those particular intentions. He made very clear in that real-time interview with Jack Stockwell that the entire blame was going to immediately be placed on Al-Qaeda, but he said that, to the extent that al-Qaeda had anything to do with it, it was a bit part. It was a minor element of something much bigger that goes much higher and goes up to the British-Saudi apparatus that we have been discussing here.

Members of Congress who have read those 28 pagesand by now, well over 100 members have done sotheyve all come away with the same conclusion. That these documents must be made public, and furthermore, that they completely alter how you understand the history of the last several decades. So take that as just a glimmer of an indication of what the implications are. Regardless of whats contained in the 28 pages per se, its the implications of the findings in those 28 pages that is important and the can of worms that is opened up that leads all the way up to the British monarchy. And you must realize that the fight to get these 28 pages released to the public is a fight for the very survival of mankind going forward from this day. The British Empire today is bankrupt; it is desperate.

The Empires leadership is not just desperate to cover up the 28 pages and the whole 9/11 story and the Al-Yamamah story; it is desperate because its on the edge of losing its power. And it willif the opportunity presents itselfcreate the conditions using these kinds of capabilities, for starting a world war. So the stakes are enormous, and the answer is very straightforward. Release the 28 pages, and on that basis re-open from the top down a complete and thorough investigation. Start with the British and Saudi monarchies and work down from there. We owe it to the families that suffered through 9/11; we owe it to the American people; and we owe it to mankind.

Ogden: Thank you very much, Jeff. Some of these connections are not unknown to people who are familiar with this investigation. In fact, Senator Graham himself, while denied from including them in his nonfiction book, Intelligence Matters, includes some of them in his work of fiction, Keys to the Kingdom, which he said he had to publish, because it was the only way he could get the truth into written form. In this novel he includes a lot of references to exactly the kinds of things that Jeff just went through. The role of BAE, the Al-Yamamah deal, the offshore tax havens, the Cayman Islands, the fact that Tony Blair intervened to shut down the investigation into the connection between the British BAE Systems and the Saudis. So, in fact, these are the lines of inquiry that anybody who is seriousand the people who are familiar with this casewish would be pursued, because they know exactly how big this can of worms really is.

Saudi Press Agency

The Declassified 47 Pages

Now, the 28 pages may not have been declassified yet, but there is one very important document that was declassified recently, and has only now begun to receive media attention, starting with an exclusive report and analysis by Brian McGlinchey, the editor of the very important website, 28pages.org. This is a 47-page draft document written by two researchers who were working for the 9/11 Commission, the official, independent blue-ribbon panel authorized by Congress and the President to investigate 9/11.

These two researchers, Dana Lesemann and Michael Jacobson, had both been formerly employed by the Joint Congressional Inquiry. And in this 47-page document, they lay out their plans for follow-up research along the specific lines which they had been engaged in while working for the Congressional investigation. One of the items which they cite in this documentand Jeff will elaborate on thisis that an alleged Al-Qaeda operative, a person named Ghassan al-Sharbi, who had trained for flight lessons in Arizona prior to 9/11, and who was subsequently captured in Pakistan, was discovered to have buried a cache of documents near the location where he was hiding, which included his U.S. pilot certificate, which was in an envelope from the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C.

Senator Graham, who was not informed of this discovery at the time, but learned of it after this declassification, said in response, Thats very interesting. Thats a very intriguing and close connection to the Saudi embassy. The second item which is of extraordinary interest in this 47-page research document, are the two questions which these two researchers intended to pursue. The first question was: How aggressively has the U.S. government investigated possible ties between the Saudi government and/or royal family and the September 11 attacks? And number two: To what extent have the U.S. governments efforts to investigate possible links between the Saudi government and/or royal family and the September 11 attacks been affected by political, economic, or other considerations?

Now, whats very telling is that when Dana Lesemann attempted to go back and access the 28 pages which she herself was instrumental in researching and writing, first she was denied access to them, and then when she circumvented that denial, she was fired. She was dismissed from the 9/11 Commission investigation. So I think that just demonstrates in a very illustrative way just one example of what Bob Graham described as the aggressive deception that has been undertaken in this case; thats what he said in the op-ed which I cited at the beginning of this broadcast tonight. He said, Your government has purposely used deceit to withhold the truth. And that is not the only case.

I would like Jeff to elaborate on the entire story of the Sarasota cell and the very significant work that investigative journalist Dan Christensen has done at the Florida Bulldog, in tracking down 80,000 pages of FBI documents that linked Mohammed Atta and other members of the Sarasota cell to people connected with the Saudi royal family and the Saudi government. These are documents which the FBI withheld from Bob Graham at the time of the Congressional investigation; they did not tell him the documents existed. They impeded that investigation and stonewalled until an FOIA lawsuit forced them to at least hand them over to a judge. The review of those documents still has not been completed.

So, I would like to ask Jeff to come to the podium and elaborate on the further implications of this aggressive deceptionnot just a cover-upthat has been committed by the U.S. government in this regard.

Steinberg: The 28 pages are a critical piece of this story, because that was the final product; It was the work product after a year of investigation by the Joint Congressional Inquiry. And that 28-page chapter that took up the question of foreign support and funding for the 9/11 hijackers, represented the most solid and corroborated evidence that the investigators were able to compile in the face of massive obstruction.

Its not simply that President Bush, when he reviewed the final 800-page report of the Joint Congressional Inquiry, simply ordered the suppression of the 28-page chapter. Every step along the way, during both the period of the investigation by the Joint Congressional Inquiry and the later 9/11 Commission, was impeded top down from the White House, and particularly from the highest levels of the FBI. This is not mere speculation. In the recent periodjust over the course of the last yearmany of the documents that were work-products of the Joint Congressional Inquiry and the 9/11 Commission which were classified, have now been reviewed and declassified.

Top-Down FBI Obstruction

For those who dont know some of the inner workings of Washington, there is a board located at the National Archive called the Interagency Security Clearance Appeals Panelreferred to as ISCAP. It is the final authority; it is a kind of Supreme Court with respect to questions about what documents should be declassified. It has been in the process of reviewing and declassifying some of the important staff documents of the two investigative bodies.

Last July it declassified about 29 documents that were work-products from the 9/11 Commission, and one in particular, written by Dana Lesemann and

Michael Jacobson, is very revealing. It was a work-

product document; it was classified as Secret, but what they laid out were their plans for pursuing the investigation over the next several months. It is very clear that they had many, many more leads on many more officials of the Saudi governmentin southern California, in Washington, in Saudi Arabiawho were deeply implicated with the 9/11 hijackers. One section of Document 17, the name of this 47-page paper that was declassified last July, is headlined A Brief Overview of Possible Saudi Government Connections to the September 11 Attacks; it goes through the names of 18 Saudi officials who were in southern California, in Washington, and in Saudi Arabia, who had direct contact with, and facilitated the efforts of the hijackers.

The FBI was a continuous obstacle from the top down. During the 60 Minutes broadcast several weeks ago, Commission Member John Lehman said that the order to block the publication of the 28 pages came directly from Robert Mueller, who was the director of the FBI at the time. Now, it so happensand again its repeated throughout this 47-page working document from the 9/11 Commission staffthat the two 9/11 hijackers, al-Hazmi and al-Midhar, who were living in the San Diego area, were living for the better part of a year in the home of a man who was an FBI informant, who was being paid $3,000 a month by the FBI to keep tabs on possible radicals inside the Muslim communityparticularly the Saudi Muslim community in the southern California area.

The staff of the 9/11 Commission, and earlier the staff of the Joint Congressional Inquiry, repeatedly asked to interview the informant; they were blocked at every turn. The informant was put in the Federal Witness Protection Program under a change of identity; the FBI Special Agents who were the handlers of this informant were also blocked from being interviewed. In other words, the FBI, an arm of the Executive Branch of the Federal government, was working overtime to prevent the investigation from going forward.

Going all the way back to the days of J. Edgar Hoover, it was notorious that the FBI was completely in bed with the British. During World War II, it was an open collaboration between the FBI and the British Special Operations Executive headquartered at Rockefeller Center in New York City. But this relationship continued. Wall Street is an important intermediary between the FBI and the British. And so the FBI role in the cover-up, both in San Diego and in other parts of the country, is absolutely stunning; and is something that in and of itself must be thoroughly investigated and exposed.

CC BY-SA 3.0/Sami99tr

In the case of Sarasota, the FBI conducted an exhaustive investigation of a wealthy Saudi family that was intimately tied through business with the Saudi royals, and that was in regular contact with Mohammed Atta and two other 9/11 hijackers. The family lived in a gated community in the Sarasota, Florida area. Mohammed Atta and the others would frequently visit that home. Then two weeks before the 9/11 attacks, the family picked up and left the country on very short notice. First they flew to London, and from London on to Saudi Arabia. The FBI compiled 86,000 pages of documentation in following up those leads, because the connections between this leading Saudi family and the 9/11 hijackers was unmistakable. Those documents were withheld from the Joint Congressional Inquiry, despite the fact that the FBI was subpoenaed all over the country to turn over any records relevant to the investigation into 9/11.

FBI Protects British-Saudi Alliance

So youve got willful deceptionas Senator Graham saidat the highest levels of government. Now we know about San Diego, and we know about Sarasota. We know also that Herndon and Falls Church, Virginia constituted another center of activity of some of the hijackers and some of the leading Saudi clerics who were part of the overall structure of support for those 9/11 terrorists. Paterson, New Jersey was another such center. Senator Graham has said at press conferences on Capitol Hill that weve barely scratched the surface, because the governmentto protect the British and the Saudishas put up a wall of deception. It has blocked lines of inquiry; it has concealed documents; it has committed fraud and perjury. All because the power of the British and of the British/Saudi alliance is so dominant over politics in Washington that the FBI, in effect, is sworn to defend that relationship, even if it means that the American people are denied justice.

So once again, in conclusion, there is much more to this story than merely the events of September 11, 2001, as horrific and dramatic as they were. The 9/11 families deserve nothing less than the full and complete truth, no matter where it leads. But the problem runs much deeper. What happens if we dont purge this Anglo-Saudi problem, if we dont get to some of the questions that were posed by the 9/11 Commission staffers? Questions such as Did the FBI intentionally withhold from the Joint Inquiry, information about the informants relationship with the hijackers, and did it subsequently attempt to obstruct the Joint Inquirys investigation of the matter? If the FBI did withhold information and obstruct the Joint Inquirys investigation, were the FBIs actions indicative of a larger pattern of FBI non-compliance with Congressional oversight? And what should be done about it?

This is a can of worms that must be opened and must be systematically investigated, because our very future may depend on getting to the bottom of it.

Ogden: And we are seeing a truly momentous shift around this while Obama is in Riyadh and then flying directly to London. This has become the subject of coverage in almost all media in the United States. And its an extraordinary opportunity to pull this thread to unravel this empire. However, this is just one of many threads that can and must be pulled.

There are other threads, such as what came out two years ago in the Senator Levin report on the Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC). This has a major aspect to it, and of course, this is becoming relevant again in the Panama Papers. Helga LaRouche thought it was very significant that Jacques Attali, a prominent French economist, wrote an article this week saying, dont call them the Panama Papers, call them the London Papers. Because what this is really all about is the entire system of British offshore tax havens and Crown possessions that provide safe haven for the dark underworld of narco-terrorism, drug money laundering, and terrorism financing. If you follow the money, you can be sure that some of those threads will lead directly back to these offshore tax havens.

So as we are seeing right now, a lot of the work that has been done over years and decades by the LaRouche movement, by Executive Intelligence Review, by associates of Jeff Steinberg, and by Mr. LaRouche, going back to his book, Dope, Inc., and also the very important film that he put out at the end of the 1990s, Storm Over Asia, which described exactly how these irregular warfare operations are run to destabilize countriesthis work is coming together as never before. And then Mr. LaRouches appearance on the Jack Stockwell on September 11 itself, as the attacks were occurring, that is featured in the documentary Beyond the 28 Pages: 9/11 Ten Years Laterthe documentary from which we showed excerpts to get the statement from Mr. LaRouche earlier this evening.

If you havent watched it, or havent watched it lately, we would encourage you to go back and view that documentary. I think you can be ready for much, much more that will be coming from LaRouche PAC TV on this subject and its broader implications. Explore all the content that we have published on this subject in the past and share it as widely as you can with your friends and associates.

Id like to thank Jeff Steinberg for joining us this evening. Thank you and good night.
PRESS RELEASE

SPECIAL RELEASE:



Document 17 and the Battle for the Truth About 9/11

by Jeffrey Steinberg

April 24, 2016Every commissioner and key investigator into the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, in which 2,977 innocent Americans were killed, has not only demanded that President Obama declassify and publicly release the 28-page chapter from the original Joint Congressional Inquiry, providing leads on the role of the Saudi government and the Saudi Royal Family in 9/11. They have also demanded the full declassification of all of the still-classified files from the Joint Inquiry and the follow-on 9/11 Commission.

The issue is not just the 28 pages, as vital as they are. The issue is the thousands of documents that remain sealed from public view, which provide a much more in-depth picture of the magnitude of evidence against the Saudi Royals. It is the full release that is vital, and the immediate release of the 28 pages is the indispensable first step towards opening a new, top-down uninhibited probe into Saudi sponsorship of global Sunni jihad terrorism.

Such a probe will necessarily also focus on the coverup and sabotaging of the original investigations by a combination of Bush family-allied political appointees, and the larger than life role of the FBIs top management, starting with then-Director Robert Mueller, in sabotaging the probe at every turn.

This is not a matter of speculation. In July 2015, the Interagency Security Clearance Appeals Panel (ISCAP) declassified a 47-page staff working document from the 9/11 Commission, referred to as Document 17, or Saudi notes.

The June 6, 2003 document was written by Dana Lesemann and Michael Jacobson, two of the most important of the Federal government prosecutors and investigators assigned to the 9/11 probe. Lesemann was a Justice Department attorney and Jacobson was an FBI agent. Both were assigned to the Joint Congressional Inquiry staff and were then also hired by the 9/11 Commission to continue their earlier work. Lesemann and Jacobson conducted the investigation and contributed to the writing of the 28-page chapter from the final Joint Inquiry report. They saw their mission at the 9/11 Commission as an extension of their investigation into the Saudi role. Document 17 spelled out their ambitious plans to thoroughly probe the Saudi Royals and Saudi government complicity in 9/11.

FBI Coverup

Along the way, as Document 17 made clear, they ran up against serious roadblocks from the FBI, which blocked their access to key witnesses and documents, including an FBI informant in San Diego, California, codenamed Moppet, who housed two of the 9/11 hijackers and had ties to two Saudi intelligence officers who were the handlers of those two hijackers, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar.

The 47-page June 2003 working plan made clear that the Commission and the previous Joint Inquiry had developed strong links between 21 officials of the Saudi government and the San Diego hijackers. Some of those officials were based in southern California, others were at the Saudi embassy in Washington (including a half-brother of Osama bin-Laden), and others were officials of the Saudi government posted in Hamburg, Germany, where an Al-Qaeda cell was based that was intimately linked to the 9/11 team.

The tasking document also traced the southern California Saudi officials and hijackers to other cells, with key named individuals in other locations that are now known to have been central to the 9/11 attacks. These included Falls Church, Va., Paterson, N.J., Phoenix, Ariz., and Pompano Beach, Fla.

Anwar Awlaqi, a radical cleric who was subsequently killed in a President Obama-approved drone assassination attack in Yemen, was the spiritual adviser to the two San Diego hijackers. He moved from the San Diego mosque to a mosque in Falls Church, Va. at precisely the time that the 9/11 attackers moved to the same area in the final preparations for the attack. There are compelling reports hinting that Awlaqi himself may have had ties to the FBI while he was in the United States (Awlaqi was a natural born American citizen).

The 9/11 investigators Lesemann and Jacobson clearly came to believe that there was a systemic and top-down FBI effort to stymie the work of the Commission. A segment of Document 17, starting on page 29, details evidence of the FBI coverup and proposed remedies, including new and more intense Congressional oversight of the FBI; detailed questions and document subpoenas from the Bureau; and even efforts to grant Commission immunity to key witnesses who could detail the FBI duplicity. The memo makes clear that Lesemann and Jacobson saw the FBI interference as coming from the top. At one point, they candidly asked: Why did the FBI, the Justice Department and the White House all refuse the Commission investigators access to FBI informant Moppet, and was this indicative of a much larger FBI effort to sabotage the investigation?

Who Is the FBI Working For?

Then-FBI Director Robert Mueller had earned his stripes in part through his role as head of the Get LaRouche Task Force in the mid-1980s, which conducted the biggest political witch-hunt since the McCarthy era, targeted against the political movement led by Lyndon LaRouche. Former Attorney General of the United States Ramsey Clark called the LaRouche case the worst case of politically motivated prosecutorial abuse he had ever encountered.

Muellers predecessor as FBI Director (Mueller took the job on Sept. 4, 2001 after serving for two months as Acting Director), Louis Freeh, subsequently became the attorney for Saudi Prince Bandar bin-Sultan, one of the highest ranking Saudi officials linked directly to the 9/11 plot. Freeh represented Bandar in matters relating to the Al-Yamamah project, which was an arms-for-oil barter deal between Britain and Saudi Arabia, negotiated by Bandar and Margaret Thatcher in 1985. The Joint Inquiry, in the 28-page chapter, linked funds from Bandar and his wifes personal account at Riggs National Bank in Washington to the two San Diego hijackers, through one of their Saudi intelligence handlers, Osama Basnan. At the time, Bandar was receiving funds from the Bank of England into his Riggs personal account, which were part of his $2 billion commission for his role in Al Yamamah. In his official biography, Bandar boasted that the offshore Al Yamamah funds were used for conducting covert anti-communist joint Anglo-Saudi intelligence operations. He openly admitted that some of those funds went to the Afghan mujahideen. Translation: To Al Qaeda.

Document 17 makes clear that Bandar was a prime suspect in the financing of the 9/11 hijackers, and the Commission intended to probe whether Bandar and his wife, Princess Haifa knew whether the $50-72,000 they sent to Basnan went to medical care for his wife, or for the financing of al-Hazmi and al-Mihdhar.

Document 17 was a follow-up on the solid leads and evidence that Lesemann and Jacobson included in the 28-page chapter of the original Joint Inquiry final report. It indicates the vast scope of evidence against the Saudi Royals, the in-depth infrastructure that the investigators unearthed, and the level of coverup by senior Federal officials, including the Director of the FBI himself.

Ultimately, the 9/11 Commission, like the earlier Joint Inquiry, was blocked from completing the thorough investigation the key researchers sought to pursue. At one point, staff director Philip Zelikow, who was covertly reporting the work of the Commission to then-Secretary of State Condi Rice in a scandalous conflict of interest, fired Lesemann over a conflict. That conflict began when Lesemann and Jacobson sought to obtain a copy of the 28 page chapter from the Joint Inquirya chapter they themselves had researched and written.

Document 17, among the 29 Commission documents declassified by ISCAP in the past 18 months, is a must-read for anyone committed to getting to the bottom of 9/11 and the coverup.

If your blood is not boiling after you read Document 17, there is something wrong with you. It offers a small window into the volumes of evidence against the Saudi Royals and the Saudi government. It should make it clear that the release of the 28 pages is an existential necessity.
PRESS RELEASE

Kaine Contradicts Obama Policy: Its Wrong to Send U.S. Troops to Syria, Without Syrian Government Invitation

April 29, 2016 (EIRNS)Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who has been demanding that Congress take up a new legal authorization for the wars in Iraq and Syria for nearly two years, said yesterday that it is wrong for the U.S. to send troops into Syria, without permission of the Syrian government.

During the April 28 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Kaine noted that there is solid legal ground for the U.S. military deployment in Iraq, because the Iraqi government invited the US in. Kaine went on, saying that he was, "sorry today," but the U.S. is doing what Russia did in Ukrainea wrong analogy.

Kaine said,

"...what I struggle with is how can we criticize the Russian incursion into Ukrainian sovereignty, when we are carrying out, and now escalating, military operations in Syria, without the permission, and really even against the will of the sovereignty of that nation?"

When Secretary of Defense Ash Carter tried to convince Kaine that the difference is that the U.S. is fighting "real terrorists" in Syria while Russia is trying "to destabilize a stable situation" in Ukraine, Kaine didnt quite buy it.

"We are engaged in an incursion into the sovereign nation of Syria without their permission against their will. We are trying to criticize Russia for engaging in an incursion into another nation against their will, and we are asserting the difference is that we are doing something good and they are doing something bad,"

he said,

"but that is not a limiting principle because everybody is going to say what they are doing is good."

Kaine stressed that hes certainly not supportive of the Russian intervention in Ukraine, nor is he necessarily opposed to the Obama war in Syria, but that he greatly fears that doing it without a solid legal basis sets a dangerous international precedent.
Forget teacups and doilies  Big Daddys Antiques has been redefining whats cool, collectible and vintage for 15 years.

Even though the Culver City store sells old stuff, it appeals to a high-profile young clientele: Bruno Mars, Harry Styles and Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian are customers, as well as Taylor Swift  who found out about it on Yelp.

You never know who is going to walk in, founder Shane Brown says.

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Brown launched the store 15 years ago, specializing in moderate-to-pricey, one-of-a-kind repurposed merchandise including midcentury bent wood chairs, vintage Louis Vuitton trunks and French reproduction birdcages. There are also offbeat items like a creepy wax-museum head.

We really try to be cutting-edge, but it has to have a feeling that is comfortable, co-owner Kristine Brown said of the retail experience she and her husband have created.

Owners Kristine and Shane Brown of Big Daddys in Culver City on a 1948 Norton bike. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

Our biggest goal is for somebody to walk into our warehouse and say, Oh, my God. I want to live here.

The stores popularity led to a spring 2016 capsule collection for Pottery Barn, Big Daddys first collaboration.

The debut includes a rustic bed ($1,599-$1,799) and side table ($549) designed from metal and reclaimed wood pallets, and an indoor-outdoor dining set with all-weather wicker chairs made from metal and teak ($3,593).

Its the Big Daddy look, Shane said of the mixed use of materials and eclectic design  he doesnt like things to be too matchy-matchy.

Its antique with modern and a twist of vintage.

As the brand has grown, so has Big Daddys retail footprint: The company now has locations in San Francisco, Houston, Seattle and Aspen.

Meanwhile, the original Culver City store has become a favorite among Hollywood location scouts and event planners, who have used the space for filming, an Apple iTunes launch and even weddings.

It beats a hotel ballroom, Kristine said.

The airy, loft-like warehouse decorated with unique home furnishings, live foliage and thoughtful touches of feng shui was recently used as a location for The Bachelorette  and previously starred on episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Given Big Daddys popularity with the reality-TV set, perhaps its no surprise that Shanes start in home decor started with a jealous girlfriend with bad taste.

After redecorating her apartment with cool, secondhand finds, the style-crossed couple broke up, and the gifted furnishings were tossed onto the lawn.

Since the castoffs wouldnt fit in his apartment, Shane rented a small space in an antique mall. The items quickly sold, and he was hooked.

A crocodile skull with gold teeth, one of the offbeat items at Big Daddys, sells for $525. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)

The stint at the antique mall led to renting a storefront, then a formative period selling found items and vintage treasure at flea markets.

It was at the Alameda Point Antiques Faire in Oakland 15 years ago where Shane met members of Pottery Barns product development team as they scouted for inspiration.

A friendship developed, and for more than a decade the team routinely hunted through Big Daddys cache of curated finds for style ideas.

Like his customers, Shane loves the hunt for a special item. To this day, when he spots something at a flea market that he knows will sell at his stores, my endorphins go off.

But then you have to be calm, he said, because if you get too excited theyll jack up the price.

hotproperty@latimes.com
Tech start-up Appthoritys office has plush conference rooms, soundproof phone booths, an enormous kitchen and a view of San Francisco Bay. It has ping-pong and foosball tables, beer on tap and 11 types of tea.

The cybersecurity company owns none of it. And thats how the companys president and co-founder, Domingo Guerra, likes it.

Any time you have flexibility and you dont have a liability, it looks good on the books, Guerra said. Although his 30-person company has raised $20.25 million from venture capital firms such as Venrock and U.S. Venture Partners, it operates out of a WeWork co-working space, where amenities such as Wi-Fi and office furnishings are included in the rent.

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As investor sentiment in the tech industry cools, start-ups are facing a new reality: Money doesnt always come easily. The abundant venture capital funding that convinced companies they could stay private longer is now harder to come by  such funding in Silicon Valley fell 19.5% in the first quarter of 2016 compared with the same period in 2015. And Wall Street has grown so skeptical of Silicon Valley that not a single tech firm has dared to go public so far this year.

In this climate, having good-looking books is now top of mind for start-ups that dont want to go the way of companies such as Foursquare, which halved its valuation in order to raise money earlier this year, or SpoonRocket and Shuddle, which shut down after running out of money.

To that end, small and midsize start-ups are trying to outlast the downturn by cutting back on one of techs trademark innovations: outlandish spending.

There was a time, for example, when Appthority was thinking about getting its own office. But after heightened investor scrutiny stretched the companys latest fundraising process to seven months  more than its previous rounds  Guerra decided a co-working setup was its smartest bet.

If we had leased our own office, most landlords wanted us to sign a five- to 10-year lease, and they were asking for a seven-month security deposit, which would have been six figures, Guerra said. From an investment perspective, it was a lot of liabilities.

A few blocks away from Appthority in San Franciscos Financial District, Wonolo  an on-demand staffing start-up that has raised $8.9 million from investors such as Coca-Cola Founders and CrunchFund  has slowed down hiring.

Were not rushing to make a hire just because a position has opened up, said AJ Brustein, Wonolos co-founder and chief operating officer. Were being smarter about who we hire, and that might mean were taking longer than wed want.

Waits of up to two months, Brustein said, ensure the company finds the right person and reduces the chances of hiring someone who might be a poor fit, which would ultimately be costly.

The company has also opted for a modest office, choosing to take out a yearlong sublease on a 7,000-square-foot space to accommodate its 27 employees.

The decision came after a fundraising push that started in October dragged into January. By then, it was very clear every single VC in the Valley was writing about doom and gloom, Brustein said. We kept that in consideration when we moved into an office  its not necessarily the type of office we would have gotten six months ago, but it was one that we could pay for.

Commercial real estate firms have noticed the shift. Cushman & Wakefields San Francisco market leader J.D. Lumpkin said that tech start-ups are starting to make scrappier, more responsible real estate decisions to avoid spending huge amounts of money on a lease.

Subleasing is on the rise  even larger tech companies such as Twitter and Dropbox are renting parts of their offices to start-ups  and a growing number of deals on ambitious office spaces have been put on hold.

Some start-ups are doing well, like Lyft and Fitbit, said Robert Sammons, Cushman & Wakefields director of research in San Francisco, who noted that those firms are still expanding into bigger offices and snapping up long-term leases. But for some start-ups, their growth patterns havent panned out.

Its a reality check, Sammons said. Tech has traditionally spent more on leasing and renovating real estate than other industries.

Payments company Square, for example, built an atrium into its office. Github has a full wet bar.

Numerous start-ups have spent millions making their offices workplace wonderlands. And, Sammons said, board members are now saying, What are you doing? Youre not even profitable.

Real estate is only one of many considerations for start-ups navigating the downturn, said Dale Chang, vice president of portfolio operations at venture capital firm Scale Venture Partners, which has invested in companies such as Box and DocuSign.

I advise our companies to be smart at all times about growth, Chang said. Even in frothy times, I dont think going out there and spending a lot of money is the right strategy.

Instead, Chang advises his portfolio companies to focus on the core set of activities that the company was set up to do. Making an app? Hit the ball out of the park with it. Offering software as a service? Make it best in class. Anything that isnt integral to that  marketing, hiring, office expansions  can be slowed down.

Start-ups that have raised funds in recent months have had to alter their investor presentations to address that too.

Invoca, a 160-person Santa Barbara company that makes analytics tools for marketers, closed a $30-million round in March after a seven-month fundraising process that stretched out like bubble gum.

Were not chasing Uber-sized top-line growth -- thats expensive and risky. Just because we have money in the bank doesnt mean were going to spend it.  Mark Woodward, chief executive of Invoca

Its previous rounds took half the time. Going into it, the companys chief executive, Mark Woodward, said investors were way, way, way more conservative compared to prior months, and were no longer just interested in companies with high growth. They wanted to know the quality of Invocas technology, the market opportunity, the business model, its competitive position, and how defensible that position was.

They wanted to know if Facebook or Google decided to enter our market, would they wipe us out tomorrow? Woodward said.

When the company raised funds two years ago, the money went toward aggressive hiring of sales and marketing teams and research and development. The latest round, Woodward said, will get the company to self-sustainability, at which point it wont need to raise funds again.

Were not increasing spending by a dime on marketing, Woodward said. Were not chasing Uber-sized top-line growth  thats expensive and risky. Just because we have money in the bank doesnt mean were going to spend it.

Back in San Francisco, Jeff Burkland, the founder of Burkland Associates, a firm that offers chief financial officer services to start-ups, said that over the years hes seen companies try different strategies to extend their runway.

Slowing down hiring is one. Finding shorter, more flexible leases is another. In extreme cases, founders might decide to not take a salary, or move some of their work to offshore contractors.

Building a war chest before a downturn hits is also an option; a move that rewards those who take advantage of frothy times by accepting funding well before they need it.

If a company had plans to raise funds within the next two years, Burkland advised them last year to get it over with.

Which is why Segment, a data hub start-up where Burkland is the CFO, raised funds last fall even though the company didnt need the extra cash yet.

We felt like the market was too warm to stay that way, said Peter Reinhardt, Segments chief executive. We had all this investor interest, and we felt like it wasnt going to be that great in six months.

The fundraising process  emailing investors, setting up meetings, signing a term sheet  took only 11 days.

Ultimately, Burkland said, its about staying nimble and being adaptive. Trimming excess, finding flexibility and, sometimes, being scrappy. You know, like a start-up.

tracey.lien@latimes.com

Twitter: @traceylien

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The Art of the Austronesians: The Legacy of Indo-Pacific Voyaging is the title of a new exhibit at UCLAs Fowler Museum, but who exactly is an Austronesian, you ask?

Technically its a linguistic name of the second-largest language family in the world, said Roy Hamilton, senior curator of Asian and Pacific collections. Were looking at a group of cultures related through language.

Believed to have originated in Taiwan around 5,000 years ago, Austronesian descendants progressively occupied the Philippines, Indonesia and the Solomon Islands, eventually reaching as far away as New Zealand, Hawaii and Madagascar.

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In prehistoric times Austronesian-speaking people covered half the globe in the Pacific and Indian oceans, and they did it all in sailing canoes long before Europeans ventured into open oceans, Hamilton said.

Upon entering the exhibit, visitors encounter a 15-foot seafaring canoe and the similarly impressive, jovial 19th-century Door Guardian from New Caledonia. Other pieces, all on view until Aug. 28, include a Javanese shadow puppet, a rare aboriginal Taiwanese grain bin and textile from Sumba. The pairing of birds and reptiles such as hornbills and snakes is a recurring theme as are male and female ancestry figures.

Lineage was of utmost importance while laying claims to new lands, Hamilton said. The status of a new generation depended on their being able to show who their ancestors were.

The influence of several cultures is evident in a Balinese depiction of the Hindu deity Lakshmi made with Chinese gold coins.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour >>

The exhibit juxtaposes art from related cultures and places that people dont necessary think of together, like Taiwan and Madagascar, Hamilton said, referring to art made by descendants in the last two centuries.

With the exception of textiles from Sumatra, Borneo and Sumba on loan from private collectors, the majority of the 200 objects on view are drawn from the Fowlers Henry Wellcome collection. Some havent been shown since 1960, and others are being exhibited for the first time.
An artist celebrates 90 with a new survey of work. A New York abstractionist brings key works to Los Angeles. And a downtown gallery looks at the history of an informal L.A. exhibition space. Plus: The wild sculptures and textiles of Austronesian cultures. Here are four shows to see this week:

Ed Moses, Moses@90, at William Turner Gallery. To celebrate the prominent L.A. painters 90th birthday, this survey exhibition gathers works from throughout his career. This includes drawings from the 1950s to the 1970s, his more gestural paintings from the 1990s, as well as a slew of recent works. Opens Saturday at 6 p.m. and runs through June 25. Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., E-1, Santa Monica, williamturnergallery.com.

Joan Snyder, Womansong, at Parrasch-Heijnen. The prominent abstract painter is having her first solo exhibition in Los Angeles at this new Boyle Heights space. This will include seven new canvases that explore aspects of landscape and the female figure, as well as one of the early stroke paintings for which she is well known. (These are canvases composed of bold strokes of paint on gridded backgrounds  works that ride the divide between abstraction and conceptualism.) Opens Saturday at 5 p.m. and runs through June 10. This Sunday the artist will be in conversation with historian Jenni Sorkin at 1 p.m. 1326 S. Boyle Ave., Los Angeles, parrasch-heijnen.com.

Art of the Austronesians: The Legacy of Indo-Pacific Voyaging, at Fowler Museum. A look at the legacy of Austronesian-speaking peoples gathers art and artifacts from the Philippines, Indonesia and other points in the South Pacific. This includes nearly 200 works, from wood sculptures to ceremonial textiles to canoe prow ornaments. Through Aug. 28. 308 Charles E. Young Drive N., Westwood, fowler.ucla.edu.

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TRI(ed): Reivisiting TRI Gallery, at Wilding Cran Gallery. In 1992, artist Rory Devine established a gallery in his home at Hayworth Avenue in L.A., in which he showed one work by three artists in one room of the house. That evolved into a storefront in Hollywood that lasted for 4 1/2 years. Over its life, the gallery presented more than 30 exhibitions. This show gathers work by artists who showed in the space, including figures such as Mary Heilmann, Kathleen Johnson and Leonardo Bravo, Trudie Reiss and George Stoll. Opens Saturday at 4 p.m. and runs through May 28. 939 S. Santa Fe Ave., downtown Los Angeles, wildingcran.com.

FINAL WEEK

Zoe Buckman: Every Curve, at Papillion. The British artist takes vintage lingerie and embroiders it with phrases from classic hip-hop tracks by the likes of Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur. The beguiling installation  objects dangling daintily from the ceiling  tells a deeper story about the contradictory ways in which women are regarded in the popular culture. Through Saturday. 4336 Degnan Blvd., Leimert Park, Los Angeles, papillionart.com.

Hope Gangloff, Benjamin Degen and Yuri Masnyj at Richard Heller Gallery. Hellers gallery is featuring a series of solo exhibitions by a trio of New York-based painters. These include Gangloffs moody portraits, Degens glitteringly surreal landscapes and the diagrammatic paintings by Masnyj, which function as strange inventories of objects and things. Through Saturday. Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Suite B5, Santa Monica, richardhellergallery.com.

Julian Schnabel, Infinity on Trial, at Blum & Poe. The bad boy of 80s neo-expressionism is showing works from the mid-1970s to the present, including some of the ceramic shard collages for which he is best known. Also on view are more recent works, including his Goat Paintings from last year. Through April 30. 2727 S. La Cienega Blvd., Culver City, blumandpoe.com.

Roy Dowell, Mosaics, at Tif Sigfrids. The Los Angeles-based artist is presenting a series of five mosaics inspired by his own collage work, which are inspired in part by his frequent travels to Mexico. Expect abstract compositions that fuse elements of objects and landscape. 1507 Wilcox Ave., Hollywood, tifsigfrids.com.

Alice Konitz, Los Angeles Museum of Art (LAMOA), at Occidental College. This is a work of sculpture that also serves as a micro exhibition hall. The space was established in Konitzs backyard in 2012 but will be on view at Occidental for the course of the academic year. The inaugural exhibition features work by L.A. artist Alice Clements. In front of Weingart Hall at Occidental College, 1600 Campus Road, Eagle Rock, oxy.edu.

High Priestesses, at 323 Projects. The popular phone line gallery (all shows are audio, accessible on your telephone) has a show that is all about aural healing and New Age-y teachings as imagined by a crew of Los Angeles artists: Michelle Andrade, Michelle Chong, Meg Cranston and Bridge Kane. Its the ideal sort of thing for working that artsy third eye. Through Sunday by calling (323) 843-4652, 323projects.com.

ONGOING EXHIBITIONS

Donald Baechler, Lily Stockman, Mike Davis, at Gavlak Gallery. Gavlak is opening a trio of solo shows that feature Baechlers early paintings and collages, Stockmans biomorphic abstractions and a series of funny-wry watercolors by Davis that explore the topics that occupy his thoughts  namely, Picasso, artists and Kermit the Frog. Through May 7. 1034 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, gavlakgallery.com.

Lawrence Weiner, Made to Be, at Regen Projects. Weiner is a leading conceptual artist whose work plays with language and the ideas and images that it conjures. In his ninth solo show at Regen, he once again works with the power of words to tease the viewer in wry and canny ways. Through May 7. 6750 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, regenprojects.com.

Catherine Opie: 700 Nimes Road at MOCA Pacific Design Center. For six months in 2011, Los Angeles photographer Catherine Opie documented the Bel-Air estate of Elizabeth Taylor  the clothes, the photographs, the jewelry, the little bits of personal ephemera that make a house a home. Now she is showing the series, one that chronicles a life of wealth and fame, at the Museum of Contemporary Arts West Hollywood space. Through May 8. Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, moca.org.

Wayne Koestenbaum, A Novel of Thank You and Other Paintings, at 356 Mission. Koestenbaum, a poet and cultural critic, is also a painter  known for vivid canvases that play with desire and bold patterns to electric effect. Runs through May 8, 356 S. Mission Road, Boyle Heights, 356mission.com.

House Housing: An Untimely History of Architecture and Real Estate in Thirty-one Episodes, at the MAK Center. An ongoing research project by the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture at Columbia University, this exhibition looks at the intersection of real estate development and architecture  from pre-fab apartment blocks to suburban gated communities. A timely show for Los Angeles as it furiously debates the future of development in the city. Through May 8. Schindler House, 835 N. Kings Road, West Hollywood, makcenter.org.

John Divola: Dents and Abrasions at Gallery Luisotti. This exhibition features a series of new works by Divola, who is known for capturing abandoned buildings and their environments in decidedly cool and unromantic ways. (No ruin porn here.) The pieces continue Divolas tradition of marking the buildings in some way  with spray paint or found paintings  and then capturing the entire scene in a photograph. Through May 14. An artists reception will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Building A2, Santa Monica, galleryluisotti.com.

Ed Ruscha, Editions, at Leslie Sacks Gallery. The show is a gathering of recent and vintage print editions  from 1982 to 2015  by the L.A. pop artist, including his inscrutable word-and-image pieces, which he has produced throughout his career, as well as his ghostly prints of ships from the 1980s. Through May 14. 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, lesliesacks.com.

Noir: The Romance of Black in 19th Century French Drawings and Prints, at the Getty Museum. Figures in deep penumbra and sprightly creatures in dim settings. In the middle of Europes industrial revolution, some artists became intrigued by the non-color of the color black, creating prints and charcoal drawings that evoked the nocturnal, the dark and the deep recesses of the cosmos  not to mention the not-quite-real state of dreaming. Through May 15. 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood, getty.edu.

Leap Before You Look: Black Mountain College, 1933-1957, at the Hammer Museum. Black Mountain College in North Carolina wasnt open very long, not even 20 years. But in its short lifetime it brought together bands of seminal artists, musicians, dancers and thinkers  John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Cy Twomby, Ruth Asawa, Robert Rauschenberg and countless others  as both teachers and students. Key to that dynamism was the presence of Josef and Anni Albers, a pair of Bauhaus artists who fled Germany to join Black Mountain in the late 1930s. This critically acclaimed exhibition, which first opened at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, shows the far-reaching effects a single institution can have. Through May 15. 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood, hammer.ucla.edu.

Jasmin Sanchez, Flux, at the Grand Central Art Center. The Orange County-based Sanchez is taking over the walls of the art center with drawings that meld landscape with abstraction and mapping to produce images that feel just a little bit magical. Through May 15. 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, grandcentralartcenter.com.

Daniel Joseph Martinez, If You Drink Hemlock, I Shall Drink It With You at Roberts & Tilton. A hallucinatory environmental installation by the L.A.-based artist takes on Jacques-Louis Davids seminal French revolutionary painting The Death of Marat as a point of inspiration. Martinezs mise en scene features the artist as the key figures in this famous murder, including Marat, and his killer Charlotte Cordray, among others. Through May 21. 5801 Washington Blvd., Culver City, robertsandtilton.com.

Linda Arreola: Architect of the Abstract, at the Vincent Price Art Museum. This one-woman exhibition looks at roughly a 10-year period in the work of this abstract Los Angeles artist. Arreola is known for creating taut, grid-like arrangements using bright blocks of color. Her work extends into the sculptural realm too. Through May 21. 1301 Cesar Chavez Ave., Monterey Park, vincentpriceartmuseum.org.

LA Rebels: Photographs by Janette Beckman, at Project Gallery. Beckman, who is known for photographing some of hip-hops most iconic figures (including Ice Cube and Dr. Dre), is showing two sets of works at this show. The first features her collaborations with artists, who often drew and painted over her photographs; the second is a series from the 80s that documents the El Hoyo Maravilla gang from East L.A. Through May 21. 961 Chung King Road, Chinatown, Los Angeles, projectgallery.com.

Deveron Richard, at Good Luck Gallery. Unicorns get groovy on light-up disco floors, polar bears rock lipstick and buxom birds wear rainbow dresses in the humorously electrified scenes imagined by this South Bay artist. Through May 21. 945 Chung King Road, Chinatown, Los Angeles, thegoodluckgallery.com.

Portraits and Autobiographies by Kim Abeles, at Post. The Los Angeles artist known for using smog  some of her works literally trap particulates onto their surfaces  takes a more inward view in this, her latest solo exhibition. The show includes self-portraits, photo-based works, research projects and sculptural works that often employ the body. Through May 21. 1206 Maple Ave., Los Angeles, postlosangeles.org.

PLAN, at the El Segundo Museum of Art. An exhibition organized by the Wende Museum and the El Segundo Museum of Art brings together works by disparate figures  from Camille Pissarro to Egon Schiele to Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid  exploring the idea of plans and planning. This includes references to five-year plans, a map for the projected Soviet invasion of West Berlin and other works that play with the idea of fate versus meticulous intention. Through May 22. 208 Main St., El Segundo, esmoa.org.

Abel Alejandre, Public Secrets, at Coagula Curatorial. The Wilmington-based artist, known for his hyper-detailed graphite drawings, is unveiling a new series of paintings at the gallery that contend with secrets  from the family sort to UFOs. All of this comes in advance of the opening of his public commission for the Westwood/Rancho Park Metro Station in May. Through May 22. 974 Chung King Roa., Chinatown, Los Angeles, coagulacuratorial.com.

Gerald Davis, House With Buried Figure, at Ltd. Los Angeles. The Los Angeles painter has his first solo exhibition at the gallery with a series of eight, large-scale expressionistic canvases that depict quivering house-like structures obscuring a human figure within. Through May 27. 7561 Sunset Blvd., No. 103, Hollywood, ltdlosangeles.com.

Ramiro Gomez, On Melrose, at Charlie James Gallery. In his third solo exhibition at the gallery, the Los Angeles artist, known for creating works that insert the often invisible laborers who makes luxury possible, is turning his sights to Melrose Avenue  creating a series of paintings that take on iconic sites such as the Paramount Studios and Fred Segal. Through May 28. 969 Chung King Rd., Chinatown, Los Angeles, cjamesgallery.com.

Margie Livingston: Holding It Together, at Luis De Jesus Los Angeles. Livingston doesnt make paintings; she makes paint objects  canvases wrapped in acrylic paint skin that she straps to her body, then drags through the citys streets. Part penance, part performance, these actions leave behind a work that is as much a wall hanging as it is evidence of something darkly destructive. Through May 28. 2685 S. La Cienega Blvd., Culver City, luisdejesus.com.

Lily Simonson, Midnight Sun, at CB1 Gallery. The painter known for her electric renditions of icy snowscapes is having her third exhibition at the gallery, showcasing work that was inspired by a recent trip to Antarctica with the National Science Foundation. Expect otherworldly vistas from both above and below the ice. Through May 29. 1923 S. Santa Fe Ave., downtown Los Angeles, cb1gallery.com.

Catherine Fairbanks, Two Chimneys, at Wilding Cran Gallery. A pair of chimney sculptures crafted out of geologic layers of papier-mache evoke the ruined domestic buildings throughout the West. But while they may call attention with their scale and their dexterous construction, dont miss the pair of abstractions, on a rear wall, exquisitely woven together from different shades of horse hair. Through May 28. 939 S. Santa Fe Ave., downtown Los Angeles, wildingcran.com.

Delicious Taste, Re-Corded History, at C. Nichols Project. The duo of Grant Levy-Doolittle and Bruce Yonemoto, known as Delicious Taste, has created an installation that takes on the ephemera of our digital lives and marries it to pre-Columbian tradition. Phones, monitors and surveillance cameras are connected by a vast array of knotty wires that evoke ancient Andean quipus, the knotted strings that served as record-keeping devices. Through May 28. 12613 Venice Blvd., Mar Vista, cnicholsproject.com.

Amy Park, Ed Ruschas Every Building on the Sunset Strip at Kopeikin Gallery. Park takes Ruschas iconic 1966 photo book, which documented every building on West Hollywoods Sunset Strip, and re-creates it as a series of watercolor paintings  a 97-foot immersive environment that wraps the gallery and therefore the viewer. Its a new way of seeing a familiar Los Angeles work. Through June 4. 2766 S. La Cienega Blvd., Culver City, kopeikingallery.com.

A Shape That Stands Up, at Art + Practice. A group show that treads the line between abstraction and figuration features works by Amy Sillman, Henry Taylor, Sadie Benning and a host of other interesting names. Through June 18. 4339 Leimert Blvd., Leimert Park, Los Angeles, artandpractice.org.

Morgan Fisher and Karina Nimmerfall, Past Future Housing, at the MAK Center. This exhibition brings together two artists  one German, one from Los Angeles  who look at the question of mass-produced housing in the United States. This includes the creation of a fictional prototype for a new utopian city inspired by historic development plans for Los Angeles. Through June 25. Mackey Garage Top, 1137 S. Cochran Ave., Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles, makcenter.org.

Making Waves: Japanese American Photography, 1920-1940, at the Japanese American National Museum. In the early 20th century, groups of Japanese American photographers all along the Pacific coastline launched photography clubs, through which they published and exhibited their work. Their striking imagery  ranging from abstract compositions to scenes of everyday life  drew the attention of artists such as Edward Weston and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. Unfortunately, much of their work was destroyed or lost when Japanese Americans were sent to internment camps by the U.S. government during World War II. But examples remain and JANM has gathered more than 100 of these prints for a show that explores the history and legacy of the clubs. Through June 26. 100 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles, janm.org.

Popol Vuh: Watercolors of Diego Rivera, at the Bowers Museum. The Popol Vuh is a nearly 500-year-old Mayan text, written in Quiche, that recounts that cultures creation myths. This sacred text inspired a series of watercolors by Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, an artist who was preoccupied with indigenous themes. Now 17 of these paintings, on loan from a museum in Mexico, are on view at the Bowers. Through May 29. 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana, bowers.org.

Marilyn Minter: Pretty/Dirty, at the Orange County Museum of Art. The New York-based painter and photographer has long played with the tropes of feminine beauty in works that seamlessly stir the alluring with the mildly grotesque. Through July 10. 850 San Clemente Drive, Newport Beach, ocma.net.

Alex Israel, at the Huntington. In 2012, the San Marino library and museum unveiled the first of its contemporary interventions with low-key works by Ricky Swallow and Lesley Vance. Now the museum is getting bolder, with a series of installations by painter Alex Israel, whose pop-inspired canvases and objects touch on topics such as celebrity, glamour and power. Through July 11. 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, huntington.org.

Jose Montoya, Abundant Harvest: Works on Paper / Works on Life, at the Fowler Museum. Throughout his life, activist, poet and painter Jose Montoya drew  on whatever was at hand: napkins, hotel stationery and notebooks. And in those drawings he recorded the quotidian aspects of Mexican American life in the United States: dogs and children, women and sailors, pachucos and pachucas, the architecture of low-lying Central Valley neighborhoods, industrial warehouses and agricultural settings, as well as the glamorous profile of lowrider cars. It is the first comprehensive look at this vital Chicano artists drawing practice. Through July 17. UCLA, 308 Charles E. Young Drive North, Westwood, fowler.ucla.edu.

Robert Mapplethorpe, The Perfect Medium, at the L.A. County Museum of Art and the Getty Museum. A two-part exhibition spread over a pair of L.A. museums explores the photographic legacy of an artist who brought as much grace to images of flowers as he did to S&M. The LACMA portion features early drawings, collages, sculptures, Polaroids, still lifes and archival material. The Getty will present his more formal portraits, along with the infamous X Portfolio, with its elegant S&M imagery. The LACMA runs through July 31. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, lacma.org. The Getty exhibit also runs through July 31. 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood, Los Angeles, getty.edu.

Sam Maloof Woodworker: Life/Art/Legacy, at the Maloof Foundation. The foundation is celebrating the centennial of the birth of the renowned Southern California woodworker, whose elegant objects and furnishings are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the L.A. County Museum of Art and the Smithsonian. The exhibition will feature more than 60 objects from throughout the artists life, including furnishings, drawings, photographs and other ephemera. The show is part of a years worth of events that will celebrate Maloofs life and work. Through Aug. 27. 5131 Carnelian St., Alta Loma, malooffoundation.org.

In Focus: Electric! at the Getty Museum. Electricity: It powers your home, it powers your work and it powers the phone on which you are likely reading this post. This photographic exhibition at the Getty gathers historic images that showcase the allure of light and power. Through Aug. 28. 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood, Los Angeles, getty.edu.

Duchamp to Pop, at the Norton Simon Museum. Drawing mostly from the Norton Simons permanent collection, this exhibition looks at the influence Duchamp likely had on generations of artists, from assemblagists to pop painters  figures who have appropriated elements of the everyday world and transformed them into art. Through Aug. 29. 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, nortonsimon.org.

Revolution in the Making: Abstract Sculpture by Women, 1947-2016, at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel. The debut exhibition at the citys newest gallery tackles more than half a century of sculpture by women, featuring key works by important international figures (Louise Bourgeois, Lee Bontecou) and key California artists (Ruth Asawa, Clare Falkenstein). Pieces range from the ethereal (Lygia Papes golden threads) to downright hilarious (Lara Schnitgers lacy/cat/fur assemblage sculptures). Altogether, the show offers an alternative to the narrative of the macho man postwar painting scene that has so dominated the story of 20th century art. Through Sept. 4. 901 E. Third St., Los Angeles, hauserwirthschimmel.com.

Claire Falkenstein: Beyond Sculpture, at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. The 20th century California artist, whose name has is circulating once again after being included in the debut exhibition at Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, is now the subject of her own retrospective, tracking her entire career, from the 1930s to the 90s. (She passed away in 1997.) The artist, who worked in San Francisco and Los Angeles  as well as Paris  produced prints and murals, among other works, but she is best known for her sculpture: in particular, her often gritty assemblages made out of wire studded with chunks of glass. Through Sept. 11. 490 E. Union St., Pasadena, pmcaonline.org.

Hito Steyerl: Factory of the Sun, at the Museum of Contemporary Art. A video installation by the German artist takes the viewer into a dystopia where the movements of workers are harvested to create artificial sunshine. The piece, which debuted at the Venice Biennale in 2015, is a mash-up of contemporary communication, told as video game, news report documentary film and Internet video. Through Sept. 12. MOCA Grand Ave., 250 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, moca.org.

MOLAA at Twenty: 1996-2016, at the Museum of Latin American Art. The Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach is celebrating two decades in existence with a show that draws from the museums permanent collection of more than 1,600 objects. These include works by renowned Modernists Joaquin Torres-Garcia and Wifredo Lam, Argentine conceptualist Leon Ferrari as well as contemporary figures such as Alexandre Arrechea and Patssi Valdez. Through Jan. 1. 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach, molaa.org.

Senses of Time: Video and Film-Based Works of Africa, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. For one of its long-term installations, the museum has gathered works of video or film by contemporary African artists that explore the body and the looping nature of time. This includes pieces by figures such as Yinka Shonibare, Sammy Baloji, Berni Searle, Moatax Nasr and Theo Eshetu. Through Jan. 2. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire, lacma.org.

Non Fiction at the Underground Museum. An emotionally charged exhibition curated by the late Noah Davis, in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles brings together works that explore issues of race and violence. This includes important works from MOCAs permanent collection by artists such as Robert Gober, Kara Walker, Henry Taylor and David Hammons. Through March 2017. 3508 W. Washington Blvd., Arlington Heights, Los Angeles, theunderground-museum.org.

Geographically Indeterminate Fantasies, hosted by Providence College Galleries. Dont worry if youre nowhere near Providence College in Rhode Island. A new digitally-minded exhibition by the art writing team at Art F City features more than two dozen works by artists who use animated GIFs to create work  from Brenna Murphys dizzying electronic architecture to Jacolby Satterwhites pulsing alternate universe. Its the sort of thing that will encourage you to spend quality time online (and away from awful Facebook). pcgalleries.providence.edu.

Islamic Art Now: Part 2 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Contemporary works from LACMAs permanent collection by 20 artists who live in or have roots in the Middle East look at questions of society, gender and identity. Runs indefinitely. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire, lacma.org.

Find me on Twitter @cmonstah
In an era in which commercial galleries open at the scale of Home Depot, it comes as no surprise that museums are also in an arms race for maximum square footage. Certainly, thats the case with the new San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. After a three-year, $305-million expansion and renovation by the Norwegian firm Snohetta, it has gone from 70,000 square feet of gallery space to a mind-boggling 170,000.

In other words, a museum that could once be comfortably visited in a day, will now require at least two or three, if not more. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

SFMOMA has some pretty boss permanent collections. This includes key works by California artists such as Richard Diebenkorn, a massive collection of photography (almost 18,000 works), important early works by Abstract Expressionists such as Jackson Pollock, as well as Robert Rauschenbergs infamous Erased de Kooning Drawing (1953), a drawing that consisted of erasing a drawing by Willem de Kooning. (Take that, action painters!)

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The added space  a 10-story building with seven of those levels for galleries  also comes in handy to show the new Doris and Donald Fisher Collection, more than 1,100 works that the museum has in its care as part of a 100-year loan. As part of the deal, SFMOMA has to show chunks of the collection together once every 10 years, lest the world forget the buying prowess of the Gap founder and his wife. (To keep things all in the family, their son Robert J. Fisher is president of the Board of Trustees.)

SFMOMAs new industrial scale means that it is currently impossible to come to too many firm conclusions about how art and architecture have come together in this narrow strip of land in a congested piece of the city south of Market Street. But that doesnt mean the critics arent going for it. (For interesting takes, read my colleagues Christopher Knight and Christopher Hawthorne, as well as Oliver Wainwright in the Guardian and Charles Desmarais in the San Francisco Chronicle.)

I spent a day at the museum and devoted the time to exploring the Fisher Collection and other modern and contemporary art in Snohettas new marshmallow-like seven-story wing. My first impressions are that the building definitely works as a space to see art, with nicely staggered visual breaks, including big windows and outdoor space. But as architectural critics have duly noted, the new wing comes at the expense of the original Mario Botta-designed building and its powerful, bunker-like entrance.

As for the Fisher Collection? Its definitely a score for the museum, boasting iconic and sublime works by figures such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Ellsworth Kelly and others. And therein lies its problem. Its a story of art weve heard before and one that is all about New York (much like Eli Broads collection in Los Angeles), with an added heavy dose of German artists.

Iconic West Coast artists such as Ed Ruscha and John Baldessari are represented only by a few works  and late ones at that.

It is also an oppressive testosterone-fest. By my count, the fifth floor Fisher galleries dont feature a single work by a female artist. The fourth floor drops in works by Joan Mitchell, Lee Krasner and Agnes Martin, but these bookend what is essentially more dude art.

That said, the installation makes a case for why collectors should donate their collections to museums and not hoard them in private foundations. The curators at SFMOMA have installed the show beautifully, establishing intriguing sightlines and letting pieces breathe. The section devoted to Kelly, who died recently, is especially wondrous and abuts a small, chapel-like gallery that shows Martins works  two friends and colleagues in life, also together in death.

It all makes me curious to see the smart ways in which the curators will integrate some of these works into their permanent collection and other exhibitions once the museum has gotten beyond the whole were-open-look-at-our-new-stuff stage. The media frenzy may be happening now. But I think the real time to visit SFMOMA will be in six months or a year.

Here are a few images and thoughts:

SFMOMAs new entrance on Howard Street offers an upward view of the expansions rounded forms. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

At entry level, the museums public spaces offer 45,000 square feet of free public space, including this Howard Street gallery featuring sculptures by Richard Serra. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

The Third Street lobby inside the old Mario Botta building replaces the Swiss architects strong granite entry with a soft maple staircase. Unfortunately, that removed the most interesting thing about the Botta building: its powerful staircase entrance. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

The staircases in the new wing hug the buildings undulating form, making for an experience that takes on varying geometries that narrow as you ascend. Each stair is different, said Snohetta founding architect Craig Dykers at the preview. Take the stairs, please! (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

On the third floor, a permanently installed gallery of work by Alexander Calder leads to an outdoor garden featuring a large-scale sculpture by the artist. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

The buildings rounded edges soften its presence  an effect that keeps the third-floor sculpture garden feeling hospitable. (You dont feel like youre standing at the bottom of a vertical shaft.) The garden also boasts a green wall with native Northern California plants, a refreshing touch in the middle of this urban setting. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

Visitors can peek out toward architect Mario Bottas cathedral-like atrium. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

The original Botta-designed building could be very hard, with all of its black granite (in a government hall of records kind of way), but its details also provide an interesting pattern, which have been retained by Snohetta. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

A well-placed seventh-story balcony offers excellent views of the city. It also provides a respite from the art-gazing. Snohettas thoughtful sequencing of the museums gallery and public spaces provide a nice mix of art and areas to relax and soak it all in. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

The seventh-story balcony offers views into the museums sunny new conservation studio. Snohetta partner Craig Dykers said it was important to him to accord comfortable spaces to the museums workers as well as the public. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

The fifth-floor Fisher Collection galleries open with a room full of work by Roy Lichtenstein before proceeding through the predictable path of established East Coast biggies, including Andy Warhol, Chuck Close and Sol LeWitt. In this story of art, West Coast artists barely register. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

Another of the Fisher Collections more interesting pieces: German artist Anselm Kiefers Melancholia from 1990-91. Made of lead, its an airplane that harkens to the devastating bombing campaigns of World War II. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times )

Also a welcome sight in the Fisher galleries: these wondrous sculptures by Martin Puryear. From left: Untitled, 1990, and Malediction, 2006-07. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

The fifth-floor Fisher Collection galleries contain nothing but works by men. (Apparently women dont make art?) Thankfully, one of the well-placed windows offers a view of a cedar sculpture by Ursula von Rydingsvard. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

A hexagonal room of paintings by Agnes Martin on the fourth floor in the Fisher Collection galleries evokes the temple-like arrangement of the artists paintings at the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos, N.M. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

The Fisher galleries may be a parade of dudeness, but the collection is wondrously installed, with terrific sight lines that avoid overcluttering. Its a lesson in how a museum with skilled curators and installers can make a predictable collection look pretty smashing. The warm light of the architecture also helps soften all of the testosterone. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

A view of Ursula von Rydingsvards 2006 sculpture Czara z Babelkami blends in with the upward view of the San Francisco skyline from the museums rooftop sculpture garden. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

An area filled with contemporary works on the upper floors features recent donations and promised gifts to the museum, including a Jeff Koons equilibrium tank from 1985. A pair of urinal sculptures by Robert Gober, from 1987, can be seen through the tank. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

All of the abstract, contemporary and conceptual art left me a bit exhausted. So I popped in, ever so briefly, to the Botta building, to lay eyes on this painting by Wayne Thiebaud, Confections, from 1962  a way to end on a moment of sweetness. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

You can catch a glimpse of Snohettas marshmallow form from New Montgomery Street. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

SFMOMA opens to the public on May 14. 151 Third St., San Francisco, sfmoma.org.

Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.
Want to clear your mind? Get a pickup truck, then spend a couple years driving across and around the continent  alone.

Thats the first lesson of the lovely retrospective of abstract paintings by Agnes Martin (1912-2004) newly opened at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The show is divided in two, early work and late work, and the separation between them was launched by her decision to make an extended cross-country sojourn. In stripped-down canvases, Martin created an entirely distinct, largely unprecedented artistic vocabulary for spiritual consciousness.

Part 1 shows her surprising mode of pure abstract painting coming into focus. Flat geometric bars or grids, often drawn in pencil on 6-foot square canvases, are washed in thin oil paint.

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For the Record

An earlier version of this review said the geometric bars or grids were often drawn on 5-foot square grids.

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Part 2 shows the spare motif being boundlessly elaborated and steadily refined, now mostly in acrylic. Its as if a clear breeze blows through. Once youve nestled into her seemingly simple, initially inscrutable, finally profound vision of art, its like enveloping your minds eye in a soft, methodical, determined but exalted radiance.

In 1967, after a decade living and working in New York, Martin learned that her studio at Coenties Slip, a two-block stretch of artists lofts near South Ferry at the tip of Lower Manhattan, was slated for demolition. She left behind her brushes and unused canvas with instructions to give them to some art students, climbed into her newly acquired camper truck and hit the road. She was 55.

Six years later, having settled in rural New Mexico, where she lived the rest of her life, the Saskatchewan-born artist began to work again. In the exhibition, her return to art-making is marked by On a Clear Day, a suite of 30 screen-prints. They are installed as a bridge between the shows two halves.

On a Clear Day is radical in its simplicity. And in the visual result, which is almost inexplicably compelling.

Each print in the suite is a foot square, the image composed of thin, ruled lines drawn in gray on cream-colored Japanese rag paper. Overall, the contour of various combinations of parallel lines or grids conforms to the shape of the paper  say, a stack of 12, 15 or 20 evenly spaced horizontal lines; closed or open-ended checkerboards in patterns of different sizes; and so on.

All these internal shapes are rectangles or stripes, whether vertical or horizontal. Intervals between and within them matter. Positive forms are equalized by negative space. They join to form a perfectly balanced square, every individual mark locked into harmonious place with every other mark, as well as with the print as a material whole.

This compositional structure utterly neutralizes art as an expression of individual personality. So does the effectively colorless palette.

Nonetheless, the work is not the least bit impersonal. The prints arent crisply objective or dispassionate in a way that we associate with 1960s Minimal art, such as Donald Judds rigorously machined metal boxes or Dan Flavins arrangements of fluorescent lights, seemingly straight from the factory.

On a Clear Day instead unfolds as a progressively more vibrant experience of unified awakening. Visually, things begin to add up as you move through the suite. Martins interest in Buddhist and Tao philosophies comes through loud and strong, even though the delicacy of the handmade prints is inescapable. Distractions fall away, equilibrium arrives.

Has Zen ever looked quite like this before?

The shows first half chronicles how Martin dispensed with traditional representations of spiritual consciousness embedded in the natural world. Bits of Willem de Kooning and Arthur Dove turn up as biomorphic Cubist shapes dispersed across off-white fields. The monochrome geometry of Ad Reinhardts paintings joins a Barnett Newman zip  a vertical stripe painted as simultaneously a solid and a void, a line of opaque pigment and a sliver of translucent light.

Elements of Native American patterns, witnessed during sojourns to the Southwest, turn up. So do the optically fuzzed, atmospheric rectangles in Mark Rothkos paintings, their color here tamped down.

Considerable groping around is in evidence. Martins early paintings are rarely seen  she destroyed many of them when her work matured  but the pictures made in the half a dozen or so years after 1954 chart her varied interests in other artists work. She understood that art comes from art, not from nature or an expressive self.

By 1962, the grid and stripe formats are pretty much in place. So is a commitment to painting as a carefully crafted physical object  a thing, not a metaphoric mirror or window.

Little Sister, not quite square, is emblematic. A small canvas painted silvery gray is overlaid with a pencil grid of vertical rectangles. The pencil lines were dragged from edge to edge, picking up the thinly painted tooth of the canvas support. Horizontal double-rows of tiny brass nails were tap-tap-tapped into place, the rounded nail-heads gleaming.

Martins painting is like a little piece of hand-crafted furniture without discernible function  except to be looked at and pondered, like some strange amulet.

Over the next five years Martin expanded what would become her standard motif. She began to earn critical, collegial and commercial success  no mean feat for any artist, never mind a woman of her era. It made her sudden disappearance from New York, hiatus from art-making and permanent relocation to the Southwest that much more dramatic.

The exhibitions second half settles into elaboration, like a long exhale. Pastel pink, blue and yellow emerge. Other works are all in shades of gray. Paint is virtually always thin  and sometimes seemingly stained, other times repetitively brushed in staccato marks, elsewhere laid on in liquid washes. Oil-based color gives way to water-based acrylics.

The traveling show, organized by Londons Tate Modern, has been sensitively installed at LACMA by Director Michael Govan. In a surprising but successful decision, no artificial lighting is employed during daylight hours, except in controlled rooms where Martins ethereal works on paper or shown.

Skylights typically dont do much for contemporary paintings  or, at the least, not nearly as much as they do for Old Master and early Modern works because those were painted without benefit of incandescent lamps. But Martins are an exception.

Natural light is alive. In the galleries, that enhances these particular works corporeal sense of a painting as metaphoric skin and bones  a skin of painted washes of canvas anchored by a skeletal grid and stretcher bars.

A few important works have unfortunately dropped out of the tour. Especially missed is The Tree (1963), its fog of repeated horizontal rows of short, vertical pencil marks recalling the development of Mondrians grids as abstracted from the landscape; and, the secular altarpiece of incised gold-leaf titled Friendship (1964). Both are in the collection of New Yorks Museum of Modern Art.

But others have been added. With 59 paintings, 35 works on paper (in addition to the On a Clear Day suite of prints) plus a few eccentric objects, the development of Martins marvelous, meditative body work is roughly complete.

Nancy Princenthals recent award-winning Martin biography chronicles how she was hospitalized several times for paranoid schizophrenia and required medication, while her homosexuality was manifest during a time when hostility and violence were not uncommon. But Princenthal correctly warns against the temptation to make strict biographical interpretations of the work, which Martin also resisted.

We love a good story of a crazy, disaffected artist, alienated from society and clinging to art as a desperate life raft. In Martins unruffled but resolute retrospective, thats a distraction that also falls away.

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Agnes Martin

Where: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A.

When: Through Sept. 11. Closed Wednesdays.

Info: (323) 857-6000, www.lacma.org

christopher.knight@latimes.com

KnightLAT@twitter.com
As we enter the final two days of the TCM Classic Film Festival, our attention turns to tributes. Attention must be paid, as it were, and the lineup is an eclectic one with some potentially fascinating subjects taking the stage for extended conversations.

An Afternoon With Carl Reiner is exactly what it sounds like. Spend the day with the longtime funnyman beginning with a screening of his 1982 noir parody Dead Men Dont Wear Plaid, starring Steve Martin, on Saturday at 12 p.m at the TCL Chinese Theater. Afterward, Reiner will share stories from his career in show business. At 2:15 p.m., the apparently tireless 94-year-old writer-director-actor will do a book signing in the theater lobby.

Dead Men comes from a fruitful five-year collaboration with Steve Martin that also included Reiner directing The Jerk (1979), The Man With Two Brains (1983) and All of Me (1984) and really launched the banjo-playing stand-ups film career. A clever cinematic sleight-of-hand edited by Bud Molin, Dead Men Dont Wear Plaid finds Martin playing opposite the likes of Barbara Stanwyck, Ray Milland and Humphrey Bogart via black-and-white footage shot by Reiner and cinematographer Michael Chapman matched to vintage clips from mostly 1940s movies.

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There is a plot of sorts involving Rachel Ward hiring Martins private detective, Rigby Reardon, to solve her fathers murder, but the real fun lies in identifying the various classic films deployed. Eight-time Academy Award-winner Edith Head, in her final film credit, designed the costumes. How is that for verisimilitude? A perfect modern film for the festival.

Reiner also appears in The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, director Norman Jewisons 1966 Cold War satire screening Sunday at 4:15 p.m. at the Egyptian. Star Eva Marie Saint participates in a preshow conversation.

Later on Saturday is a conversation that could get really interesting. The always provocative Alec Baldwin will interview Elliott Gould about his 50-year career at 4 p.m. at Club TCM at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. At first glance, the two dont appear to have much in common beyond acting careers that span theater, film and television. However, an examination of IMDb reveals that not only are they both members of Saturday Night Lives Five-Timers Club, with Gould hosting six times and Baldwin a record 16, but the pair also crossed paths in the 2002 Friends episode The One In Massapequa, though I could not tell you if they shared any scenes.

Gould will make two more appearances at the festival with conversations accompanying films he made with Robert Altman. He will appear before the screening of The Long Goodbye on Saturday at 6:15 p.m. at the Egyptian Theatre. Gould plays a 1970s version of Raymond Chandlers Philip Marlowe in an adaptation written by Leigh Brackett, who owns a mindbending resume that includes The Big Sleep (1946), Rio Bravo (1959) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

On Sunday, Gould will follow the 9:15 a.m. screening of MASH (1970) at the TCL Chinese Theatre with another conversation. Gould stars as Trapper John McIntyre opposite Donald Sutherlands Hawkeye Pierce in the dark comedy set during the Korean War.

Gina Lollobrigida, the Italian actress and artist who once interviewed Fidel Castro, appears at the festival in support of two films. Trapeze with Tony Curtis screened Friday and Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell plays Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at the TCL Chinese Theatre. Lollobrigida will also be interviewed at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at Club TCM.

In Buona Sera, Lollobrigida plays an Italian woman who sleeps with three American servicemen (played by Phil Silvers, Peter Lawford and Telly Savalas) during the occupation. When she realizes she is pregnant, the trio is long gone. Twenty years later, she has raised her daughter to believe her father (with a name borrowed from a soup can) died in the war. A reunion of the GIs in the small village triggers a series of comic events as the men try to determine who is the actual father. The plot was later repurposed for the ABBA musical Mamma Mia!

Sunday at 3 p.m., Faye Dunaway will tape Live From the TCM Classic Film Festival at the Montalban Theatre. It is a passholder-only event but will be shown later on TCM. Dunaway will also appear before the Sunday, 8 p.m. screening of Network (1976) at the Egyptian.

The star of Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Chinatown (1974), Dunaway won an Academy Award as best actress for her portrayal of a tough television executive in the media satire written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet. Network also won Oscars for best actor Peter Finch, best supporting actress Beatrice Straight and best original screenplay for Chayefsky.

kevin.crust@latimes.com

------------

TCM Classic Film Festival

Where: TCL Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood; Egyptian Theatre, Egyptian Theater, 7612 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Montalban Theater, 1615 Vine St, Hollywood; and other Hollywood venues

When: Through Sunday

Info: https://filmfestival.tcm.com
Ariel Winter is going to UCLA in the fall, she announced Friday. Meanwhile, her mother, Crystal Workman, has been going to town this week on her estranged daughter, casting herself as the victim in their fraught relationship.

"I think Ariel is conjuring up stories to help her career at my expense, and I feel as a parent like I'm being bullied," Workman told "Inside Edition" this week, presumably referring to interviews the "Modern Family" actress did recently in which the 18-year-old spoke in little detail about her relationship with her mother.

Ariel Winter explains why she decided to get a breast reduction

In the chat with "Inside Edition," Workman took shots at her daughter's breast-reduction surgery, a procedure Winter has said relieved her of a lot of physical pain. (She went from a 32F to a 34D.)

"She should never be embarrassed about her scars, but what she shouldn't do is be flaunting them and showing them to everybody," Workman said. "I am surprised that she did it so young, and that the doctor did it for her so young and that she wasn't at least 21 to fully develop."

Winter went public with her surgery last August, then revisited her decision in February after her scars were visible when she walked the SAG Awards red carpet. That's almost certainly the "flaunting" her mom was talking about.

"Guys there is a reason I didn't make an effort to cover up my scars!" the sitcom star tweeted after that award show. "They are part of me and I'm not ashamed of them at all." She's said recently that she didn't even notice they were showing until after the fact.

Workman said Wednesday that she believes she's the one who was abused. "I have been abused physically, and I believe that all this is emotional abuse. Ariel should ask herself, has Ariel ever raised her hand to her mother? Has Ariel ever done anything that she's ashamed of, to her mother?"

The years-long battle between the two ended with Winter becoming emancipated while she was 17. Mother and daughter haven't spoken since after Winter was removed from Workman's home in November 2012. The teen's older sister eventually got a legal guardianship. Her older brother was also involved in the fight, and at one point her father was named as her financial guardian until she turned 18.

About a month ago, Winter laid out her own standards regarding her falling-out with her mom in a sit-down with Ellen DeGeneres.

"I don't really talk about the reason I don't speak to my mother. It's kind of been publicized, but ...," the actress explained. "I want to give her the same respect that she didn't give to me publicly."

That said, Winter has shared a few things, and other details have been revealed in court documents.

"My mother put me in the industry when I was 4 years old," she told DeGeneres, "and I think when you're 4 years old, you really don't know anything that you want to do. You want to be everything." Not that she doesn't love acting and does want to keep on doing it, she said, but she goes to a "real" high school and wanted to explore "other avenues," including college and maybe being a lawyer.

Workman said her daughter wanted to be in show business since the age of 5. "She was never pushed into the industry. I love her and Ariel did not like or approve of my parenting."

And as for allegations of physical abuse lodged by Winter against her mom?

"I stand by my innocence," Workman said. "I have never, never abused Ariel."

Follow Christie D'Zurilla on Twitter @theCDZ.

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One way to think about the Radio Disney Music Awards over the last few years has been  wink, wink  as a small world.

After all, the event, which began airing on the Disney Channel in 2013, has historically catered to a younger, more targeted audience than other music awards shows, such as the Grammys, the Billboard Music Awards or MTVs Video Music Awards.

Its traditionally scored smaller ratings than its grown-up rivals too. Last year, the Radio Disney Music Awards attracted 2.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen, while the Grammys had nearly 25 million in February.

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Yet the size and average age of the RDMAs audience could be in for a boost with the 2016 show, set to be recorded Saturday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles and air Sunday on the Disney Channel. Artists up for awards, which are voted on by Radio Disney listeners, include the mega-popular One Direction and Taylor Swift. More important (as with any awards show), the production will feature performances by Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and DNCE, none of whom could be described strictly as a kiddie act.

What weve done is broaden the aperture to appeal to the kids as well as the parents in a family, said Phil Guerini, the Disney executive in charge of the show. His goal, he said, is to make the RDMAs a general audience program at a moment when awards shows are a booming business on television.

What weve done is broaden the aperture to appeal to the kids as well as the parents in a family.  Phil Guerini, Disney

Its thinking differently, Guerini said. Its thinking bigger.

A kid show watched by adults  is that a thing?

Guerini thinks so, and so does Scooter Braun. Best known as the well-connected manager behind Bieber and Grande (among other successful pop stars), Braun is working as creative executive producer of this years show. His involvement is a clear indication of Disneys effort to reach more mature viewers, be they the parents or the older siblings of kids in the core Radio Disney demographic, whom Guerini pegged as 9- to 12-year-olds.

Put it this way: It wasnt 18,000 fourth-graders filling Staples Center recently when Bieber performed there wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the face of Marilyn Manson and the words Bigger Than Satan.

Braun is someone who thinks out of the box, Guerini said, adding that the reason he hired the manager was to challenge his established ideas about what the RDMAs could be.

Are we bringing in the person who might not necessarily have watched the show [in the past]? Braun asked. Yeah, I think we are. The RDMAs started small, he acknowledged. But now, production-wise, its on the level of any awards show out there.

Still, both men insisted they arent abandoning the foundation of a show Disney calls musics biggest event for families. That bit of branding seems directed in large part at the RDMAs closest competitor, Nickelodeons Kids Choice Awards, which pulled 3.9 million viewers last month.

Braun said what attracted him to the gig in the first place  beyond the fact that he recently became a father  was the chance to put his artists in front of the elementary-school crowd that distinguishes this show from many others in a crowded field.

What Ive been trying to explain to my artists is: Forget your current audience. Youre going to get them on Billboard. Youre going to get them on the Grammys. But there is a captive audience of families  young kids and parents  who are watching this show that youre not even paying attention to, he said.

Phil McIntyre, who manages DNCE, agreed. When you put together a well-rounded marketing plan, you want to hit this audience, he said, even when the act is not trying to become a group that only speaks to kids. Thats the case with DNCE, which finds Joe Jonas, a former Disney Channel star, taking on a decidedly sexier, more adult-oriented vibe.

But its music that this audience will probably like, McIntyre added.

For Guerini, the trick is striking the right balance of tween and twentysomething. All the artists on the show, he noted, will be performing the edited Radio Disney versions of their songs  meaning DNCEs Cake by the Ocean will be free of the numerous F-bombs it contains when you listen to the tune on Spotify.

And though the executive denied this was the reason, the RDMAs recorded (as opposed to live) presentation on the Disney Channel ensures the show wont have any unexpected shocks a la Miley Cyrus infamous foam-finger moment on the 2013 VMAs.

Besides, he added, it wouldnt really be in anyones best interest to pull such a stunt, given that the artists rely on their music being played on Radio Disney. Theres a healthy respect for the platform, Guerini said.

Braun claimed thats true of his clients. Theyre not morons  they get it, he said. And he wants them back on the RDMAs next year or the year after, when Guerini hopes the show is even bigger. Assuming, of course, that its expansion hasnt been thwarted by some other production.

Asked whether the awards-show market is close to saturation  dont forget the recent iHeartRadio Music Awards or this weekends other televised ceremony, the American Country Countdown Awards  Guerini admitted he wasnt sure.

But what I can say, he added, is that Disney knows about making the adjustments necessary to maintain brand supremacy, whether its an awards show, an animated movie or a theme park.

Disneyland isnt Disneyland, he said, just because they opened their gates and it was called Disneyland.

mikael.wood@latimes.com

------------

Radio Disney Music Awards

When: 7 p.m. Sunday (taped)

Where: Disney Channel

Info: radio.disney.com/radio-disney-music-awards
Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown (CNN, Sundays); United Shades of America (CNN, Sundays). Bourdains show, whose seventh season began last Sunday, is both the best of all Bourdain series (following A Cooks Tour, No Reservations and The Layover) and perhaps the best travel series on television. (I say perhaps because I have not seen them all  there are so many, so very many  but at any rate Ive seen none better.) Possibly one of the best things on television, period, for its global reach, eye for detail, well-communicated sense of place, delight in difference, interest in people and love of food; at a time when a substantial number of Americans are getting excited about building a wall to keep the world at bay, I find its embrace of otherness  or rather, other peoples ordinary lives  tonic and moving. Its a reminder, too, that even in hard places, that life can be full of color and joy. Its true that Bourdain can sometimes get in the way of the shot. The best episodes are the ones where his own adventure remains secondary to the life of his subjects. But these are occasional hiccups, not chronic flaws. This week: Chicago  America, too, is full of otherness. Its what makes it America.

Which brings us to United Shades of America. Scheduled companionably next to Parts Unknown and hosted by the comedian W. Kamau Bell, formerly host of the FXX current events series Totally Biased, its a travel show of sorts  a kind of participatory comedy pitched as a show where a black guy goes places either he shouldnt go or you wouldnt expect him to go. The production values are more modest than Bourdains, with Bells personal journey and learning curve a little more to the point. A big guy with a big laugh, hes softer around the edges than Bourdain, with nothing of his swagger, but as curious and nervy a reporter and in one way or another a foreign presence wherever he goes, whether its to San Quentin, the Ku Klux Klan South or East L.A. (Are you here to gentrify my neighborhood, man? hes asked on the streets of Boyle Heights. If youre a hipster I cant talk to you.)

The point of the show is that nothing you havent seen first-hand will be quite what you expect it to be; even the Klansmen he meets, though disturbing in their Caucasian self-regard, are not exactly predictable. (One member on cross-burning, or lighting, as he insists: You wouldnt want to do them every month, it makes it less special; its like the idea you could have Champagne but youre not going to have it ever day. One of the nicest times to do it is during a full moon, or during the winter when the stars twinkle.) Bell frames the darker stuff with jokes. Hes a comedian, intrinsically. But the series is serious at heart. Along with art and music and quinceaneras, the East L.A. episode delves into issues of immigration and assimilation, (When my people came we didnt have our papers either, and they seemed to be perfectly fine with letting us in. I mean, we had bills of shipping, I dont know if that counts?) At the end of the prison episode, which has a lot to do with recidivism and rehabilitation, he observes, Most of the guys I met here arent getting out; and if you feel good about that you need to rewind this show and watch it again. And leaving a Klan meeting in small-town Arkansas, he notes, Unlike most of the black people in this country who have been present for a cross burning, I get to leave.

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My Nazi Legacy (PBS, Monday). Presented as part of the invaluable documentary series Independent Lens, David Evans film, written and narrated by international human rights lawyer and author Philippe Sands, follows Sands as he talks and travels with Niklas Frank and Horst von Wachter -- two friends whose fathers were, at different levels of authority, responsible for the death of Sands Jewish family among thousands of others in the now-Ukrainian city of Lviv during World II. (At the Nuremberg trails, Franks father, Hans Frank, who had been Hitlers own lawyer, was held responsible for the death of 4 million individuals, Jews and Poles, and later executed. Otto von Wachter, Horsts father, was the Nazi-installed governor of the Krakow and Galicia districts, the latter of which included Lviv.) Its a journey in which Sands interrogating presence puts new stresses on the Germans relationship, already defined by polar approaches to their shared inheritance. Where Frank assiduously proclaims his fathers guilt, and carries a post-execution portrait just to remind him that hes dead, von Wachter grasps at straws to absolve his own, taking a long view of history that, though not philosophically indefensible, involves large measure of psychological self-protection. The territory has been gone over in countless films before this, and should be familiar to anyone with a modicum of historical awareness, but Evans and Sands film feels fresh for its being so intimate  its a film about family and memory, first and foremost  and for the way its principals shared history is artfully and awfully uncovered.

Follow Robert Lloyd on Twitter @LATimesTVLloyd
It was our third date. Id been single for three years, two on purpose. P said he wanted to go for a walk. I love walking, even if nobody walks in L.A.

He chose a walk that began at a bridge over the Los Angeles River in Atwater Village. Not any bridge; the bridge with padlocks on it, like the one in Paris where lovers write their names with permanent marker on a lock and hang it there.

We continued on to the waters concrete edge. It was slippery with slimy green underfoot. That Sunday was 95 degrees. I enjoyed the sweating. We crossed Los Feliz Boulevard, walked down by the horse ranch, past a monster fig tree and toward the park. We had chicken pho for dinner. We walked past lemon trees on the way back, which I picked. (If it hangs onto the sidewalk, its fair game; or if no ones looking and my arms are long enough, its fair game to me.)

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A couple more months of romantic stuff followed  stuff I hadnt had in forever.

Grown-up dinners out, and cooked at home.

Hand holding.

Movies at home, and the theater, hanging out with his friends, his declarations such as Were perfect for each other. We have matching OCD and I really, really like you.

Then, out of the blue he tells me he thinks he should be with someone more like  him.

I started seeing someone else immediately. Not my usual habit. I like a lot of time between people, but after getting the warm fuzzy rug pulled from under me, this one just appeared.

J, a real Los Angeles boy, a fellow Pisces (he told me) who lives with a pet. Well, OK, he has two cats. Hes fun. We have the same taste in stuff  in a lot of stuff  and in being naughty. (P was not naughty in any sense. He was a rule follower, a people pleaser, looked good on paper, a faux nice guy). After a few meet-ups, I decided J and I should just be friends and we still are.

Are you a veteran of the L.A. dating scene? Share your story

I forced my thumb to start swiping again, like Beatrix Kiddo telling her toe to wiggle in Kill Bill.

Lo and behold, I got someone really, really more like me. N and I both have UK passports and are dual citizens. We are misanthropes who like to walk in cemeteries. For our second date, I asked him to walk across the Sixth Street Bridge with me, on the last night it was open to the public, before it was torn down. We traversed a place and time that would soon cease to exist. On the bridge, N told me our initials, combined, form a palindrome. Hes NDT and Im TDN. Pretty neat.

We crossed back over the First Street Bridge, making a full loop after a mini tour of Boyle Heights. A helicopter went loudly round and round. We stopped at Osso  a word the same forward and backward  in DTLA. It means bone or marrow or home in other languages like Dutch, Portuguese and Italian. N and I stayed platonic.

More swiping, and fast forward to J2.

Talk about more like me. He was a master at word games, grammar, labor history. He was well-read, had great hair, saved small animals on the regular, had purpose and self-determination. It was contagious. One night, I found myself back at the Sixth Street Bridge. We hopped a barrier, strolled down the middle and kissed, feeling the power of the whipping wind, along with a couple raindrops, holding hands all the way home, not to sleep a wink.

Heart thawing was happening. It was a good feeling to have again in the dead of winter, or anytime, really.

So what happened?

J2 became a cat hoarder and stopped feeling it. After phases of being hot and cold, it ended cold and stale.

Its currently back up to 80-plus degrees and Im having fun and feeling ardent about myself.

Sitting by the Fourth Street Bridge one day, my phone alerted me that M and I were a match. He grew up here and was visiting town and swiping. Hes taught me about maintaining a certain type of innocence and for the first time in my life made me want to fly 400 miles to hug someone.

Me, the woman who has all her dating apps set on a 4-mile radius.

Its nice that I can still surprise myself.

I went to see him in the next state over where he rode me around on his motorcycle across highway overpasses on a gorgeous perfect day. Then he returned to Los Angeles and we drove over bridges on a lovely little out-of-town road trip.

Now, no longer forlorn, I wonder who Ill walk across the new Sixth Street Bridge with when its completed in three years 

The author is a film producer in Los Angeles, and is working on a screenplay. Shes on Twitter @paidtobenice

L.A. Affairs chronicles the current dating scene in and around Los Angeles. We pay $300 a column. If you have comments or a true story to tell, email us at LAAffairs@latimes.com.
First came macrame, then ceramics, indigo dying and quilting.

Los Angeles designer Paige Cleveland is revisiting another DIY craft tradition: hand-painted marbling.

In this delicate process, paints are floated in a liquid. The artist then takes advantage of the surface tension of the paints, which keep their distinct color yet spread to make contact. A sheet of paper or a textile swath is then gently and quickly laid on top of the bath for the design to transfer.

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Cleveland recalled the first time she saw marbling demonstrated, by Ventura-based artist Jim Anderson, as part of a continuing education class at the Otis College of Art and Design that shed enrolled in during a period of professional soul-searching.

Something happened, Cleveland said. The creative lightning bolt moment made her think: I gotta figure this out. It needs to evolve and have a fresh take.

Paige Cleveland manipulates the paint for one of her designs. (Christina House / For The Times)

Cleveland  who at the time was a graphic designer in the fashion industry and museum exhibition fields  began to experiment with applying the time-honored technique to textiles in prints, patterns and colors.

She has since launched a home goods and personal accessories collection, under the Rule of Three brand.

Seating poufs, silk throw pillows, lampshades, eye pillows and oversized canvas totes reflect Clevelands mastery of the process, exacting color schemes and understanding of scale.

Im using the [classic] technique, but in a much different way, Cleveland explained of the complex, multi-step marbling method.

Paige Cleveland lays the paint for one of her designs at her studio in downtown Los Angeles. (Christina House / For The Times)

Retailers include Barneys, Nickey Kehoe and Hammer and Spear, as well as interior design clients who collaborate with Cleveland on custom panels to be adapted into items such as wallpaper and window treatments.

Cleveland also practices traditional Japanese shibori dying, a kind of tie-dye treatment. Cleveland aims to keep all aspects of Rule of Three as local as possible, relying on her experience coordinating among L.A. textile contractors from the years she worked at Juicy Couture.

She said an artist and a place helps inspire each new design (Cy Twombly and New Orleans are recent examples), and she then picks a colorway to guide the chromatic combinations.

Her crafts delicately balance deliberate intention with the unpredictability of how paints floating in a viscous bath might behave when those elements make contact with a blank surface.

Paige Cleveland creates marbled home goods and personal accessories. (Christina House / For The Times)

No two outcomes are exactly alike.

Its a very organic thing, she says of the aesthetic result that can evoke images of paper and book arts pioneered during the Renaissance in Florence, Italy, while adding a calming, contemporary feel to of-the-moment settings.

Here, Cleveland offers an exclusive look at how she creates marbled textiles on Rube Goldberg-esque contraptions she built. Precision is key. Everything has its place. It gets arty, and then it gets real dirty, she said.

home@latimes.com
Its almost May  although how thats possible is anyones guess  and thus almost summer grilling time. Before our semipermanent heat wave begins, maybe leave the grilling to other people, notably the chefs at Salts Cure, who make what Jonathan Gold says is the best pork chop in town. Chris Phelps and Zak Walters meat-intensive Hollywood restaurant is the subject of this weeks review, a consideration of what happens when a very popular neighborhood restaurant relocates.

If $110 rib-eyes arent your thing, there are scallion pancakes, seven plates of them to be precise, as Jenn Harris goes on a pancake crawl. Because although your default setting may be dumplings, the pancakes at many of the Chinese restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley are not to be missed. We also head to South El Monte for carnitas, to Woodland Hills for plates of crispy potatoes and to Little Tokyo for the curry rice.

 Amy Scattergood

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The best pork chop in town

The pork chops at Salts Cure restaurant may be the best in L.A. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times )

This week, Jonathan Gold heads to Hollywood and the new location of Salts Cure, Chris Phelps and Zak Walters meat-intensive restaurant. Salts Cure, which moved from its old digs in West Hollywood, has reinvented itself in the former home of Ammo, and the larger space has given the chefs more room for their exceptional cooking. Pancakes and duck confit, grapefruit pie  and what Gold considers the best pork chop in L.A.

7 great scallion pancakes

Flavor Garden is one of several restaurants offering scallion pancakes. (Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)

If you spend a lot of time in the San Gabriel Valley, youll probably do your share of dumpling crawls, but Jenn Harris urges you to consider the scallion pancake  a staple in many Chinese restaurants that can be as addictive as any steam basket of xiaolongbao. She checks out seven restaurants that specialize in them.

Carnitas by the pound

A half-pound of carnitas mixtas is shown at Taqueria Periban in South El Monte. ( Ben Mesirow / For The Times)

If you love carnitas  and who doesnt?  food writer Ben Mesirow has a place for you. The breakfast and lunch-only carnitas specialist Taqueria Periban in South El Monte makes a terrific version of the beloved dish, which you order by the pound.

Patatas bravas in Woodland Hills

Jonathan Gold is particularly taken by a plate of fried potatoes at Gasolina, a little Spanish restaurant in Woodland Hills. There, the patatas bravas, a staple at tapas bars, is so good that he finds he has to forgo the samosas at the Chevron across the street.

Japanese comfort food

A plate of curry rice waits to be eaten at Mitsuru Cafe in L.A.'s Little Tokyo. (Amy Scattergood / Los Angeles Times)

Lastly, I head to the Japanese Village Plaza in downtowns Little Tokyo, not to stare in the window at the imagawayaki being made, although thats pretty fun, but to take one of the four booths at the almost 50-year-old diner and order a plate of curry rice.

Your City of Gold reminder: Its playing. Maybe go see it. Maybe dont go hungry, which brings us to ...

Jonathan Golds 101

Jonathan Golds 101 Best Restaurants, the authoritative annual guide to local dining, is online for subscribers.

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Good morning. I'm Paul Thornton, The Times' letters editor, and it is Saturday, April 30, 2016. Two hundred and twenty seven years ago today, George Washington became the first president of the United States. We've come a long way, right?

Speaking of presidents, regular readers of this newsletter probably expect to find in this space an introduction to an opinion piece on Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders or some other character from the protracted presidential primary. But this week, I've decided to spare faithful subscribers a lengthy excerpt on the even lengthier campaign in favor of commentary on a topic sure to perk up your Saturday morning: the daunting prospects faced by older women looking for a job.

In one of this week's most-read Times opinion pieces, UC Irvine economist David Neumark describes an experiment he used to test the job market for discrimination against women and older workers. The results are not encouraging:

What about older workers? Do employers likewise pass them over when they are equally qualified? The answer is critical to Social Security or any other reforms to public pensions that rely on keeping older workers on the job. To find out the answer, two colleagues and I modified the basic design of those earlier employment experiments to examine age discrimination. We created realistic but fictitious resumes for young (30s), middle-aged (50s) and older (around 65) job applicants. We specifically crafted variations on resumes that older workers present, including one that showed the common path of moving to a lower-skill job later in life (think, somewhat stereotypically, of store greeters at Walmart). Then we submitted these resumes in response to ads for job categories that employ large numbers of fairly low-skilled workers of all ages. The jobs included administrative assistants and secretaries (to which we sent female applicants), janitors and security guards (male applicants) and retail sales (both genders). Overall, the response was encouraging for our youngest group: Depending on the job, between 14% and 32% of applications resulted in a callback for an interview. However, older workers received far fewer callbacks. For example, among 65-year-olds seeking administrative jobs, the callback rate was about half that of younger applicants  7.6% versus 14.4%. Middle-aged applicants, too, received fewer callbacks. Women faced worse age discrimination than men. Comparing results by gender in retail sales, we found a sharper drop-off in callback rates for older women than for older men. And for the janitor and security jobs to which we submitted applications only from men, the pattern of lower callback rates for older applicants was less clear than for women applying for administrative or retail jobs. Why might older women suffer relatively more from age discrimination? In general, research indicates that physical attractiveness boosts hiring. Moreover, related research suggests that there is an attractiveness penalty for age, which is more severe for women than for men.  Click here for more.

Companies interested in surviving might want to hire more older workers, according to a gerontology researcher. Reacting to Neumark's research, Paul Irving of Santa Monica, who chairs the Milken Institute's Center for the Future of Aging, writes that a workplace composed of older and younger workers bolsters the bottom line: "Research and practice show that older workers represent a powerful human capital resource. Older workers offer experience, balance, judgment and greater loyalty than other age cohorts. They're effective at conflict resolution and can bring strong customer and client relationship skills." L.A. Times

Americans deserve to know the full truth about Saudi Arabia and the 9/11 attacks. Andrew J. Bacevich writes that the federal government should stop "protecting" the American public from potentially explosive and revelatory details about what happened in New York and Washington nearly 15 years ago: "Why not allow Americans to judge for themselves? Why not make available those thousands of relevant pages? The answer is self-evident: Because in the estimation of those such as [9/11 Commission Executive Director Philip Zelikow], ordinary citizens are not to be trusted in such matters; policy must remain the purview of those who possess suitable credentials and can therefore be counted on to not rock the boat. But the boat needs rocking." L.A. Times

'Game of Thrones' is a waste of times, says an academic. No it isn't, retort the Thronies. Jeffrey Sconce, a film and media studies professor at Northwestern University, pens an amusing takedown of the HBO mega-hit fantasy series, calling it a collision of "'Ivanhoe,' the War of the Roses, and those skin flicks that play on Cinemax after midnight." Predictably, fans of the show aren't amused. In a letter to the editor, a reader calls Sconce an "over-educated troll."

Arch-conservative Ted Cruz picks Carly Fiorina to be his running mate, showing no signs of moderating himself. Jon Healey notes that a party nominee (which Cruz isn't) typically balances out his or her ticket politically with the VP pick. Not so this time: "He picked a female version of Ted Cruz  someone who condemns the political establishment as corrupt, who belittles the idea of finding a political middle ground and who argues that the path to victory for the GOP is to pick more conservative candidates. Yes, Fiorina does bring an extra X chromosome to the ticket, and that's significant even if it has been done before. But given Fiorina's stance on reproductive rights (she's strongly pro-life) and how closely her views hew to Cruz's, it's hard to see how she'll help him in November." L.A. Times

You don't have to be an LGBT person to suffer under Mississippi's anti-gay law. Nico Lang notes that although the new and already notorious statute effectively singles out lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people for ill treatment, House Bill 1523 allows for discrimination against any group that might offend the religious. Lang writes: "HB 1523 allows businesses to discriminate based on their moral convictions that 'marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman' and 'sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.' Thus, the bill could be used to target unwed mothers and cohabitating couples, even heterosexual ones. Let's say Johnny and Mary are engaged and in the market for a one-bedroom apartment. If the landlord discovers that they are engaging in intercourse before marriage, he can decline their application." L.A. Times

Send me feedback: paul.thornton@latimes.com
As the world watched the FBI spar with Apple this winter in an attempt to hack into a San Bernardino shooters iPhone, federal officials were quietly waging a different encryption battle in a Los Angeles courtroom.

There, authorities obtained a search warrant compelling the girlfriend of an alleged Armenian gang member to press her finger against an iPhone that had been seized from a Glendale home. The phone contained Apples fingerprint identification system for unlocking, and prosecutors wanted access to the data inside it.

It marked a rare time that prosecutors have demanded a person provide a fingerprint to open a computer, but experts expect such cases to become more common as cracking digital security becomes a larger part of law enforcement work.

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The Glendale case and others like it are forcing courts to address a basic question: How far can the government go to obtain biometric markers such as fingerprints and hair?

The U.S. Supreme Court has held that police can search phones with a valid warrant and compel a person in custody to provide physical evidence such as fingerprints without a judges permission.

But some legal experts say there should be a higher bar for biometric data because providing a fingerprint to open a digital device gives the state access to a vast trove of personal information and could be a form of self-incrimination.

It isnt about fingerprints and the biometric readers, said Susan Brenner, a law professor at the University of Dayton who studies the nexus of digital technology and criminal law, but rather, the contents of that phone, much of which will be about her, and a lot of that could be incriminating.

In the Glendale case, the FBI wanted the fingerprint of Paytsar Bkhchadzhyan, a 29-year-old woman from L.A. with a string of criminal convictions who pleaded no contest to a felony count of identity theft.

She was sentenced in that case on Feb. 25 in a Van Nuys courtroom. Jail records and court documents show that about 45 minutes after Bkhchadzhyan was taken into custody, U.S. Magistrate Judge Alicia Rosenberg  sitting in a federal courtroom 17 miles away  signed off on the warrant for the defendant to press her finger on the phone.

By 1 p.m., an FBI agent specializing in cybercrimes took her print, according to court papers.

Why authorities wanted Bkhchadzhyan to unlock the phone is unclear. The phone was seized from a Glendale residence linked to Sevak Mesrobian, who according to a probation report was Bkhchadzhyans boyfriend and a member of the Armenian Power gang with the moniker of 40. Asst. U.S. Atty. Vicki Chou said the search was part of an ongoing probe. She declined further comment.

Other court documents in the case were filed under seal.

Even with the limited outlines of the inquiry, Brenner said the act of compelling a person in custody to press her finger against a phone breached the 5th Amendments protection against self-incrimination. It forced Bkchadzhyan to testify without uttering a word  because by moving her finger and unlocking the phone, she authenticated its contents.

By showing you opened the phone, you showed that you have control over it, Brenner said. Its the same as if she went home and pulled out paper documents  shes produced it.

But Albert Gidari, the director of privacy at Stanford Law Schools Center for Internet and Society, said the action might not violate the 5th Amendment prohibition of self-incrimination.

Unlike disclosing passcodes, you are not compelled to speak or say whats in your mind to law enforcement, Gidari said. Put your finger here is not testimonial or self-incriminating.

The issue partly revolves around the prevailing legal stance toward fingerprints.

Law enforcement routinely obtains search warrants to examine property or monitor telecommunications, even swab inside an inmates mouth for DNA. But fingerprints have long remained in the class of evidence that doesnt require a warrant, along with providing handwriting samples or standing in a lineup. Courts have categorized fingerprints as real or physical evidence sourced from the body, unlike communications or knowledge, which cannot be compelled without violating the 5th Amendment.

George M. Dery III, a lawyer and criminal justice professor at California State University, Fullerton, likened the warrant to the governments request for a key.

Before cell phones, much of this information would be found in a persons home, Dery said, noting that search warrants commonly authorize police to march into a home and seize evidence. This has a warrant. Even though it is a big deal having someone open up their phone, theyve gone to a judge and it means theres a likelihood of criminal activity.

Apples fingerprint sensor, known as Touch ID, is installed on phones and tablets rolled out after 2013, and the optional feature has a narrow window during which it is viable for an investigator. The Touch ID biometric reader cannot be used if the phone has not been unlocked for 48 hours. If a phone is restarted, or goes beyond the 48-hour window, only a passcode can open it.

Few courts have taken up the issue of whether a defendant can be forced to unlock his or her iPhone, either with a password or fingerprint.

In a Virginia trial court, David Charles Baust was accused of trying to strangle a woman in his bedroom, which was equipped with a video recording device that the victim said could have been linked to Bausts phone. Investigators seized the phone via search warrant, but it could only be opened with a passcode or fingerprint reader.

Unlike disclosing passcodes, you are not compelled to speak or say whats in your mind to law enforcement. Put your finger here is not testimonial or self-incriminating.  Albert Gidari, director of privacy at Stanford Law Schools Center for Internet and Society

In 2014, a judge said Baust could be compelled to provide his fingerprint to open a locked phone but could not be ordered to disclose a passcode. The judge reasoned that providing a fingerprint was akin to giving a key, while giving a passcode  stored in ones mind  entailed revealing knowledge and therefore testifying. Baust was later acquitted.

George Mgdesyan, an attorney who has previously represented both Bkhchadzhyan and Mesrobian, said he was unsure why authorities were trying to unlock her phone. He said he was not representing Bkhchadzhyan in any federal criminal matter and believed the probe included hacking and possibly other issues.

The attorney denied that the search of Bkhchadzhyans phone was connected to Mesrobian, who has been held in North Kern State Prison since Feb. 12.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno

richard.winton@latimes.com

Twitter: @lacrimes

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When Grace Hui moved to Los Angeles from China in 2014 and Googled the Chinese characters for Los Angeles immigrant, the first result was Chineseinla.com.

The Chino Hills-based website, a disorganized Yelp-meets-Craigslist hybrid, was a throwback, and Hui, 29, thought some of the posts were phishing scams.

But with more than 680,000 listings, more than 350,000 registered users, 2 million monthly visits and sister sites in 15 cities, Chineseinla.com has become a teeming virtual portal to Chinese life in America. Its one of the only ways that Hui could connect to a country she couldnt understand.

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American Internet is useless to me, said Hui, who used Chineseinla.com to look for a job. My English isnt good enough to get the information I need.

In the San Gabriel Valley and in Chinese enclaves across the nation, a new wave of Chinese immigrants  many of them affluent students with poor English skills and a smartphone habit  are tapping into a parallel system of Chinese-language apps and websites geared toward helping them navigate life in America.

For restaurant recommendations, theres Chihuo, a Chinese food-centric Yelp or Zagat. 2RedBeans, the Chinese OkCupid, helps Chinese speakers find love. They travel with ETAcar, a Chinese version of Uber, and order food with ToGo626.com, a delivery app that works with about 400 restaurants, most of which are in the Chinese neighborhoods of the San Gabriel Valley.

The growth of these websites are a side effect of a stubborn reality: the language and cultural barriers that new immigrants face extend onto the Internet.

As unprecedented numbers of Chinese people arrive in Los Angeles searching for prosperity and an escape from Chinas problems, they find themselves in an alternate version of the city  a Los Angeles where the best restaurants are in San Gabriel, the most capable doctors are in Monterey Park, and Arcadia is the hottest real estate destination in California.

::

Chineseinla.com, launched in 2006, is one of the oldest parts of the Chinese-language Internet, according to founder Zach Song. It began as a Wikipedia-style collection of knowledge that Song hoped would help new immigrants combat the feeling of helplessness he and his wife felt when they first came from Shanghai in 2003.

We wanted to this to be a community, Song said in Mandarin.

The websites users eventually grew more interested in selling things, so he redesigned the website to function like Craigslist and include business listings and reviews like Yelp. As online advertising became their main source of revenue, he incorporated Chinese-language news posts and discussion forums to draw traffic.

Nowadays, the website looks like an exploded phone book. Information must be extracted Jenga-style from a colorful blinking tower of dozens of different ads for things such as luxury car rentals, travel agencies, tutoring services and birth hotels.

Song acknowledged that the design is chaotic. But the site is profitable, he said. Traffic has grown steadily as the countys Chinese population and tourism levels rise.

More than half of Los Angeles Countys Chinese population speaks limited English, according to the American Community Survey, and a larger, temporary population of Chinese students, tourists, and travelers has even fewer English skills.

For companies such as ETAcar, the language barrier means profits. The Chinese-language ride-hailing app, largely similar to services like Uber and Lyft, launched in 2014 and now has about 400 drivers throughout North America, with about 300 in Los Angeles, mainly serving the San Gabriel Valley.

Co-founder Xiaotian Liu said he and his investors launched the company after bad experiences with American ride-hailing services on a recent trip.

Uber and Lyft drivers failed to locate Chinese restaurants squirreled away in massive strip malls whose signage was primarily in Chinese, and oftentimes they couldnt communicate with the driver.

The language barrier that Chinese immigrants face also prevents American businesses from reaching them. For example, ToGo626.com offers delivery from about 400 mostly Chinese restaurants  fewer than 10 of which are listed on American food delivery apps such as Postmates and Eat24, said co-founder Mac Xu. The app has been downloaded 20,000 times since it was created last year and the company processes about 200 orders every day with a staff of about 40 drivers, he says.

For those with no English skills at all, one Chinese-language app, Shenma, promises to handle virtually all details of life in Los Angeles.

Shenma Life, Chinese for magic horse, is a personal assistant located inside Wechat, a messaging-based Chinese social media app. Subscribe to their account on Wechat or text them requests, and a staff of about eight people in Chino Hills and 10 others in China will handle traffic tickets, hotel bookings, car rentals, class enrollment and anything else a Chinese-speaking student could need.

For 24-hour VIP service, users can pay $299 a month or $999 a year. Lu Zhang, director of North American operations for the company, said it has about 3,000 users.

We cant do your homework for you, but we can hire you a tutor and give you some studying tips, Zhang said.

::

One of the biggest shortcomings of the English-language Internet, many say, is how sites evaluate Chinese food.

Dai Ho, a noodle restaurant in Temple City, has 3.5 stars on review site Yelp, typical for a cash-only Chinese restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley that lacks service, variety or amenities. But the noodles, hand-pulled and made fresh in limited quantities each day, are revelatory, said Amy Duan, the founder of Chihuo, a Chinese food community. Her app lists it as one of the best Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles.

We always saw five-star rated restaurants that arent very good, and three-star restaurants where the food is fantastic, Duan said.

At Chihuo.coms offices in El Monte, an illustrated map displays a distorted projection of Los Angeles based on Chinese food preferences. The San Gabriel Valley takes up two-thirds of the map, Torrance is featured more prominently than Long Beach, and South and East Los Angeles arent depicted at all.

About 10 employees lean over laptops and smartphones in a small office strewn with jars of hot sauce, a large plush broccoli stalk and a half-eaten Hong Kong waffle in a paper boat. A Chinese adage adorns a break room wall: hao hao chi fan, ya dao yi qie, or Eat well, overcome anything.

Duan and a group of Chinese students at USC launched Chihuo four years ago after their dining clubs social media posts became popular. Today their account has more 400,000 combined followers on Wechat and Weibo, a Chinese Twitter service (on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter combined, they have fewer than 5,000.) Their Web traffic doubled last year.

Their audience, Duan said, is Chinese people who are intensely specific about Chinese food. They want to know if a spicy dish has ma la (numbing heat), xin la (pungent heat) or suan la (sour heat), and whether the noodles are hand-pulled or knife-shaved.

We needed a platform or a place where people could discuss food in Chinese, Duan said. We provide a perspective based on Chinese peoples tastes.

Specific Chinese tastes also spurred the creation of dating website 2RedBeans, said founder Qing Hua Zhao.

The site, named for the red bean that symbolizes love in Chinese culture, has more than 690,000 users across the U.S. and in China, and about 70,000 of them are in Los Angeles.

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Zhao founded the site in 2011 after years of bad experiences with eHarmony, OkCupid and Match.com.

She speaks perfect English and shes open to dating someone who isnt Chinese, but finding someone who wanted a serious relationship and shared her values was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Its not just a language barrier fueling the Chinese-centric sites popularity, Zhao said. Newer singles sites such as Tinder and Bumble, swipe-style dating apps, are often too forward and casual for Chinese users, she says.

Chinese singles tend to be shy, Zhao said. 2RedBeans caters to that with several nonverbal ways to interact. Users can wink at, favorite or secretly admire other users. If both people admire each other secretly, the app matches you. 2RedBeans also regularly hosts dating events where staffers help Chinese singles socialize.

Last Saturday, about 30 Chinese men and women gathered at Lins Wonderland Tearoom in the City of Industry for three hours of guided interaction and finger food. They answered open-ended questions (Would you prefer to live in the mountains or by the ocean?) and formed teams to answer trivia questions. Successful connections snapped photos of each others Wechat QR codes to add them on the social media app.

Tim Zhou, 33, an electrical engineer in Fontana, said he has struggled to find a Chinese girl to date. Part of the problem is money, Zhou said.

You cant drive a Japanese car to pick up a Chinese girl for a date, said Zhou, the rueful owner of a Honda accord.

Still, hes looking for someone to marry, who can please his parents, help out with house payments and build equity. To him, that typically means a Chinese girl.

You can pick up someone from a bar, but you cant see their education or income or immigration status. These are critical things for us, Zhou said.

But Zooey Zu, a third-year psychobiology major at UCLA, said that she and her friends came to the United States to experience and understand American life.

Chinese apps and websites  and the Chinese neighborhoods that they lead students to  help Chinese students feel a sense of belonging in a strange country, Zu said. But she and her friends are always working on their English.

We go abroad to experience a different perspective, Zu said. As long as we keep learning, the barrier will be decreased.

The Chinese-language Internet is starting to reflect that. Chihuo now lists a few American restaurants such as Cut in Beverly Hills, Joans on Third, and Taylors Steakhouse in Koreatown, and a recent Chihuo pamphlet included recommendations from Times food critic Jonathan Gold. Togo626 is attracting more non-Chinese customers.

And some of the apps serving Chinese immigrants have started to incorporate a new feature.

With a single tap, all of the text in the apps can be translated back into English.

frank.shyong@latimes.com

Twitter: @frankshyong

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Five protesters were arrested and a sheriffs deputy was injured in Northern California on Friday during a raucous anti-Donald Trump demonstration in which some threw eggs at police and pushed down barricades separating them from the hotel where the GOP presidential candidate spoke later in the day.

Several hundred protesters arrived as the California Republican Party gathered for its convention at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Burlingame. Some protesters were clad in black clothing, their faces covered with handkerchiefs.

Rocks and an apple were thrown at police, and the protest grew tense at times, with officers advancing with shields and batons and demonstrators flattening metal barriers and rushing to the hotels entrance.

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The crowd of demonstrators were kept away from entering the Hyatt, however, after officers and sheriffs deputies lined the perimeter of the hotel.

1 / 19 Protesters clash with police outside the hotel in Burlingame where Donald Trump spoke at the California Republican Party convention on April 29, 2016. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 19 A protestor is detained following a scuffle with law enforcement at the California Republican Convention on April 29, 2016. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 19 Protesters clash with police outside the hotel hosting the California Republican Convention in Burlingame on April 29, 2016. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 19 Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the California Republican Convention on April 29, 2016 (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 19 Protesters clash with police outside the hotel hosting the California Republican Convention in Burlingame on April 29, 2016. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 19 Trump protesters clash with police outside the California Republican Convention in Burlingame on April 29, 2016. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 19 An anti-Trump protester dressed in a costume meant to parody Captain America watches as police hold a skirmish line at the California Republican Party convention in Burlingame in April 29, 2016. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 19 Trump protesters are blocked by police outside the California Republican Convention. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 19 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the California Republican Convention in Burlingame on April 29, 2016. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 19 Cheryl Ann McDonald, left and Carolyn Mary Gibbs, both from Discovery Bay, stop for a photo at the start of the California Republican Convention. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 19 Donald Trump protesters clash with police outside the California Republican Convention in Burlingame on April 29, 2016. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 19 a Trump protester outside the California Republican Convention, in Burlingame. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 19 Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the California Republican Convention in Burlingame. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 19 Trump protesters fill the streets outisde the California Republican Convention. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 19 Trump protesters link arms and block the streets outside the California Republican Convention. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 19 A Donald Trump supporter is surrounded by Trump protesters as he makes his way toward the California Republican Convention, in Burlingame on April 29, 2016/ (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 19 Rabia Keeble hugs a Donald Trump pinata during a protest outside the California Republican Party convention in Burlingame. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 19 Members of the Monterey County Republican Party play a game called Delete Hillary at the state GOP convention in Burlingame. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 19 Trump protesters gather outside the California Republican Party convention in Burlingame. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

A San Mateo County sheriffs deputy arresting one protester was kicked in the face by a second protester, said Burlingame Police Sgt. David Perna. The second protester was arrested, and the deputys injuries were not serious.

Trumps arrival at the convention was slowed by the protest, but the New York developer was able to get into the hotel through a back door after hopping a concrete barrier.

Some protesters did manage to enter the hotel. One team dropped a banner reading stop hate, with an image of a gun-wielding GOP elephant aimed at a man. At a rally outside, one protester yelled, Mr. Hate, leave our state!

 Protesters break through a crowd-control barrier outside of the California Republican Partys convention in Burlingame, Calif., where Donald J. Trump was to speak.

Some supporters of Trump were pushed and kicked as they tried to cross through the crowd of protesters.

One Trump supporter, Adam Harry of Discovery Bay, said he had his phone snatched from his hands and thrown across a parking lot into a bush. He was spat on and shoved as he walked away from protesters, he said. Some activists called him a racist while others crowded around him to keep others back.

They just completely got out of control, he said.

Another Trump supporter, Christopher Conway, 51, of Burlingame, said he was was pushed through the crowd, punched in the head and ended up jammed into a corner against a police barrier.

I walked through and these guys felt free to hit me, he said.

Shekhiynah Larks, an 18-year-old student at the University of San Francisco, said she came out to protest Trump but left disappointed with some of the protesters tactics.

I dont think tagging or throwing eggs accomplishes anything, she said.

San Mateo resident Oscar Herrera, 19, said the protest was a success because Trump had to pull to the side of the road and cross a barrier to get to the convention.

We succeeded, man. We made Trump jump the border wall, he said.

But he acknowledged the protest got violent at times, with protesters throwing bottles and eggs at police officers.

It could have gotten very ugly, but people were chanting stay peaceful and it eased down. We didnt want it to be like Costa Mesa, Herrera said. We got our message out in the end. Trump is not welcome in California.

javier.panzar@latimes.com | Twitter: @jpanzar

seema.mehta@latimes.com | Twitter: @latseema

Times photographer Marcus Yam contributed to this report from Burlingame, Calif., and Times staff writer Rong-Gong Lin II from Los Angeles.

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Latino activists said they expect more large protests as Donald Trump moves his presidential campaign into California.

Trump faced large and hostile demonstrations outside a rally Thursday night in Costa Mesa and at the Burlingame hotel where he delivered a speech to the California Republican Convention on Friday.

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I think its going to get worse if he gets the nomination and is the front-runner. I think its going to escalate, said Luis Serrano, an organizer with California Immigration Youth Justice Alliance. Were going to keep showing up and standing against the actions and the hate Donald Trump is creating. We are going to continue to just show up in numbers and stand together.

Trump has faced protests during several stops in California over the past few months, but they escalated considerably this week.

The billionaire businessman is leading in several polls of California Republican voters. But his outspoken comments about people in this country illegally and advocacy for a border wall have sparked a backlash by younger Latinos, said Carlos Perea, an immigrant rights organizer who was at the Costa Mesa rally.

Young people went to the streets and said Weve had enough of this,  he said.

The next test could come Sunday, when a May Day rally is planned in downtown Los Angeles.

Los Angeles police have been meeting with demonstrators for some time in order to ensure a peaceful protest.

We expect May Day to be peaceful, LAPD Asst. Chief Michel Moore said. We are always prepared for any eventuality were anything to happen. But we have nothing to suggest that will be the case.

Protest organizers in Southern California said the anti-Trump demonstrations spread through word of mouth and involved mostly young people, including many high school and college students. They brought with them Mexican flags, which were once discouraged at immigrant rights rallies for fear they would be regarded as un-American.

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The demonstrations outside the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa on Thursday night blocked traffic and caused tense moments. Some protesters performed screeching burnouts in their cars or did doughnuts at intersections. Others kicked at and punched approaching vehicles, shouting expletives. Ranchera and hip-hop music was blasted throughout the streets. At least 17 people were arrested, and both a Trump supporter and a teenage anti-Trump protester were hurt.

Some have expressed concern about the tenure of the protests.

While I share the communitys anger and frustration, destroying public property is not the answer, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Norwalk) said Friday in a statement. When we resort to violence, were playing into the very hands of people like Donald Trump. I believe the solution must be peaceful protest and more importantly, directing our energy toward shifting our voter-registration efforts into high gear.

In Burlingame, five protesters were arrested and a sheriffs deputy was injured during the Trump protest there.

cindy.carcamo@latimes.com

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ruben.vives@latimes.com

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Connor Everts, a Los Angeles-area artist and former longshoreman whose sociopolitical art was the subject of a 1960s obscenity trial, died Sunday at his Torrance home. He was 88.

The cause was not disclosed.

Everts completed his early work at night after working full days on the docks. His career was punctuated by jaunts abroad and by controversy: In 1964, sheriffs deputies arrested him for having produced a poster displayed in a store window on La Cienega Boulevard.

They said its depiction of a womb and face was a violation of state obscenity laws.

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The ensuing court case became a local cause celebre as fellow artists and progressives rallied to Everts side. A Times art critic testified in his defense, as well as various other curators and experts.

On the stand, these defenders of art freedom uniformly struggled to explain to prosecutors why Everts womb image  intended as a commentary on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy  was not an outrage to public decency, as prosecutors argued it was.

Be more specific, the judge admonished.

They couldnt, the witnesses said  art is intangible.

The case grabbed headlines for months. But even at the time, it was portrayed as a kind of last gasp of an old order. Hardly anyone was being tried for obscenity by that point, and contemporary observers seemed to recognize that situation was not likely to change.

The jury hung, and Everts was later acquitted.

He again made headlines a couple of years later. He was arrested and said he had been beaten by two Long Beach police officers. They were, in turn, tried and acquitted.

Otherwise, he settled into his role as an art teacher with a loyal following and kept producing art.

The notoriety of Everts trial had drawn well-known artists to his side. His connections made him well-placed to become a supporter and promoter of fellow artists locally.

The whole episode  and his role in the local art scene  continued to play an outsized role in reputation, even to the point of eclipsing his art. Sometimes an artists major aesthetic achievement is his life, wrote Times critic William Wilson, commenting on an Everts show in 1969.

He was authentic, said his wife of 20 years, Judy Colman Everts. If he didnt like you, you knew about it, and ... if he did, he took you into his heart forever.

His students either hated him or worshiped him, she added.

Everts was born in Bellingham, Wash., Jan. 24, 1928, to William and Sophie Everts. His father was a longshoreman and union organizer, and the younger Everts would follow his example  both in dock work and in leftist sympathies.

He served in the Coast Guard during World War II and studied art in L.A. at Chouinard Art Institute. He traveled and studied in Latin America and was an assistant to Mexican muralist David Alfaro Siquieros.

He returned to L.A. and worked as a longshoreman to support his wife and children, and painted at night. Id rather paint than sleep, he told a reporter.

He soon joined the graphics department at Chouinard, but lost the job after the womb-image flap.

The image was part of a series of nine lithographs he had titled Studies of Desperation. In the aftermath of Kennedys assassination, the works explored the theme of a person looking out from the womb and choosing not to be born, he said.

In 1966, he was arrested again while celebrating in a bar with students, and said police had beaten him, causing permanent injury to one hand.

An officer denied this, saying he had struck Everts once on the leg on the way to the station to stop his kicking in the patrol car. In a 12-day trial in federal court on civil-rights charges in 1968, the officer and his partner were acquitted.

The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery mounted a retrospective of his work in 1983, and Everts work was included in the Gettys Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980.

Studies in Desperation was the subject of a 2013 Norton Simon Museum exhibition, and Everts work is part of collections in, among others, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Norton Simon and the Smithsonian Institution.

He co-founded the Los Angeles Printmaking Society, created the now-defunct Exodus Group and Gallery in San Pedro, taught at the San Francisco Art Institute, USC and Caltech, and traveled to Japan and Europe.

Everts art, post-trial, was technically inept though shot through with the ungainly passion of dedication, the Times Wilson opined.

But another Times critic, Henry J. Seldis, praised Everts landscapes of the mind set in a quasi-mathematical framework.

Everts testified in his own defense at the trial, countering the accusation that he had made pornography. I came up with something beautiful if one concerns himself with truth, he said.

jill.leovy@latimes.com

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As Donald Trumps presidential campaign moves into California, hes being met by a revitalized, youthful Latino-rights movement playing from a different rule book than its predecessors.

Trump faced large and hostile demonstrations outside a rally Thursday night in Costa Mesa and at the Burlingame hotel where he delivered a speech to the California Republican Convention.

Protest organizers in Southern California said the anti-Trump demonstration spread through word of mouth and involved mostly young people, including many high school and college students. They brought with them Mexican flags, which were once discouraged at immigrant rights rallies for fear they would be regarded as un-American.

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But in reaction to Trump, the Mexican flag has re-emerged, unfurled and unapologetic and a symbol for a new generation of Latino activists. Protesters said they have no hesitation about putting their heritage on display, especially when it comes to the rise and rhetoric of Donald Trump.

People are angry  they are feeling personally attacked and in danger, said Luis Serrano, 28, an organizer with California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance.

Some activists have discussed whether aggressive protests might actually boost Trump with his conservative base and help him win the Republican primary, where he faces Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

On Friday, Trump tried turning the protests to his advantage. After demonstrators blocked his entrance to the hotel, forcing him to walk around a back way, he joked: It was like crossing the border.

Serrano and other activists said speaking out against Trump outweighs the risk of their protests inadvertently earning the presidential candidate votes. Some groups are trying to use outrage against Trump to register more Latino voters.

We get pushback regardless what we do. We played, for years, the role of trying to fit into this model minority. Were still not getting accepted, Serrano said.

The demonstrations outside the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa on Thursday night blocked traffic and caused tense moments. Some protesters performed screeching burnouts in their cars or did doughnuts at intersections. Others kicked at and punched approaching vehicles, shouting expletives. Ranchera and hip-hop music was blasted throughout the streets. At least 17 people were arrested, and both a Trump supporter and a teenage anti-Trump protester were hurt.

Theyre standing up for their parents and their ancestors, said demonstrator Gaby Hernandez, 36, of Costa Mesa. The time of tiptoeing around you so you can be at peace, those days are over. Were not afraid.

The crowd of several hundred was significantly smaller than the immigration marches in Los Angeles a decade ago, which drew hundreds of thousands of people.

It was also different in tone. Back then, organizers became concerned about the Mexican flags protesters carried and encouraged them instead to carry American flags. Many complied.

If we want to live here, we want to demonstrate that we love this country and we love the American flag, radio personality Eddie Piolin Sotelo, a protest organizer, said at the time.

Those rallies decried federal bills that would criminalize providing food or medical services to immigrants without legal status.

The Mexican flag was also an issue in 1994, during protests against Proposition 187, which threatened to deny public services to immigrants without legal status. The flag was prominent in several big demonstrations, and some later felt that hurt the cause by making the protesters somehow seem unpatriotic.

In more recent years, the movement has become bolder.

It was sit-ins, acts of disobedience and other in-your face tactics that helped spark President Obamas executive action in 2012 that shielded a group of young immigrants from deportation and gave them a work permit.

Trump has faced criticism from Latinos and others for his outspoken views about illegal immigration and his plans to build a massive wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. A USC/Times poll found that 77% of Latinos in California have a negative view of Trump.

Still, some demonstrators acknowledged Thursdays protest could have been better planned.

David B. Villanueva, a 23-year-old Fullerton college student, said the last-minute news about Trumps Costa Mesa rally didnt give them much time to organize the community, which led to the disorder.

Out of personal experience, when there are community organizers present, rallies tend to follow a group of organized leaders that keep the crowd abiding by city regulations in order to have a legal protest, Villanueva said.

With demonstrators willing to push boundaries, a disconnect has surfaced between them and those who paved their way. Some worry that the protests have become out of control.

While I share the communitys anger and frustration, destroying public property is not the answer, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Norwalk) said Friday in a statement. When we resort to violence, were playing into the very hands of people like Donald Trump. I believe the solution must be peaceful protest and more importantly, directing our energy towards shifting our voter registration efforts into high gear.

cindy.carcamo@latimes.com

ruben.vives@latimes.com

corina.knoll@latimes.com

Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.

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Indiana looms large, but Republican candidates keep an eye on the grand prize: California
Donald Trumps emphasis on illegal immigration has propelled his presidential campaign to the threshold of winning the Republican nomination, but it risks huge collateral damage to a California state party that has worked to distance itself from the immigration wars of two decades ago.

Trump emphatically defended, in a Thursday night speech in Orange County, his proposals to deport those in the country illegally and build a wall to keep others out. His opponents clashed in the streets with police in an eerie reminder of the mass protests in 1994 that greeted the campaign surrounding Proposition187, the measure to bar state services for immigrants here without papers.

Although the proposition passed, the backlash toward those who supported it has been a leading cause of a precipitous decline in the number of Republicans registered in California.

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In September, desperate to reverse the slide, the state party changed its platform to omit wording that said allowing such immigrants to stay in the country undermines respect for the law, and to add that Republicans hold diverse views on the subject. That move came six months after the partys first formal embrace of the California chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, a group of gay GOP voters.

The intent was to remake the partys image before it lost all political heft, if in steps small enough to keep it in tune with the views of the GOP base. But the campaigns being waged by Trump and the second-place Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, have sent illegal immigration roaring back into view.

By deference or whim, Trump barely mentioned it in his Friday speech at the state Republican convention in Burlingame, near San Francisco International Airport. It came up only twice, once when he reiterated his intent to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and once when he joked about the circuitous path he was forced to take around fencing to avoid crowds of angry protesters massed around the hotel.

It felt like I was crossing the border, actually, he said.

The night before, Trump brought to the stage relatives of U.S. citizens killed by illegal immigrants. He turned over his microphone to Jamiel Shaw, the father of a young man shot to death in Los Angeles, for an emotional embrace of Trumps policies.

They used to call it the silent majority; now its the noisy majority, Trump said. Were not going to take it.

The crowd at Costa Mesas Pacific Amphitheatre applauded wildly at Trumps mentions of his immigration policies, chanting, Build the wall.

During his speech, Trump appeared to blame illegal immigration for the nations drug problems, for adding to its risk from terrorists, and for economic difficulties.

No state in America has suffered more from open borders than the state of California, he said, to cheers. He added later, Were going to make the country great for Hispanics, for African Americans. Were going to make it great for everyone.

The reason illegal immigration has been such a destructive issue for state Republicans is Californias demography. As the state has grown more Latino, pressure has built on candidates to acknowledge the complications behind immigration, whether illegal or legal. For residents whose relatives lack documentation, or those who are acquainted with them, criticism of illegal immigration can come as a personal slap remembered at election time.

That has led Latinos to register in huge numbers as Democrats or as nonpartisan voters who side with Democrats. Along with other issues  like opposition to abortion rights or gay rights  stern positions on illegal immigration have put whole swaths of the California electorate out of reach of Republicans, even when the partys candidates running for statewide office hold far more liberal positions.

The result: A state that voted for a Republican for president in 1988 now is securely Democratic in presidential and statewide elections. Republicans, meanwhile, have dropped from 37% of registered voters in 1994 to less than 28% now, and are in danger of being overtaken by nonpartisan voters.

Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist who is leading an anti-Trump effort in advance of the states June 7 primary, says the New York businessman is putting the GOP further and further out of reach in California.

He clearly lacks either the intelligence or the concern to truly want to build the Republican Party for the challenges it faces in the 21st century, Stutzman said. Democrat registration has outpaced GOP registration this year in California. Hes making our difficult challenges more difficult.

Party leaders here seemed intent on focusing as little as possible on the impact of the presidential primary.

Charles Munger Jr., an influential Republican donor who has worked to expand the party, declined to criticize Trump or any other candidate when asked repeatedly about their influence on California voters.

The best way for a political party to reach out to new members is to tell them what it stands for, what it will do for them, and the state party platform is in fact such a document, he said. The position of the state Republican Party is, thats our platform. If you ask about specific candidates, they will agree and disagree with it.

Despite the political stakes for state Republicans, Trumps positions have definite support among Republicans here as elsewhere.

In a March USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll, 59% of Republicans said they agreed with his stance on illegal immigration, which 86% of Republicans described as a crisis or a major problem.

But they differed with Trump  and Cruz, for that matter  on the details. A third of Republicans polled agreed that immigrants here illegally should be deported, but 42% said there should be a path to citizenship for those immigrants.

The problem arises when the views of non-Republicans are considered. Among all registered voters, deportation was only half as popular as it was among Republicans. And two-thirds of all California voters polled thought there should be a process to gain citizenship, half again more than Republicans.

Trump was leading in that poll with 37% to 30% for second-place Cruz. Since the poll was published, Trump has taken command of the Republican presidential race, lifting the odds of his eventual nomination as well as the platform for his positions, however controversial they may be.

The growing inevitability of Trumps nomination, even as the campaign drives on, seemed at the state convention to have muted talk about the impact of his presence. Party leaders were highly reluctant to criticize a man who might, in little more than a month, win his partys nod  in California, no less.

Some were also looking at a side effect of Trumps controversial candidacy: a jump in the number of people voting Republican in earlier-voting states. Harmeet Dhillon, the state partys vice chairwoman, said higher than usual Republican turnout driven by the presidential race could help preserve Republicans biggest chit here  the ability to block Democratic budgetary matters that require a two-thirds majority vote.

We expect that to boost some of our candidates in close races, she said.

Dhillon said Trumps views are more nuanced than he is given credit for, because he would allow some deportees to return. (He has not, however, disclosed how, or how many.)

She said Republicans here are aware that Trumps candidacy could have negative repercussions.

Were concerned about it, but to be frank our support base is never going to be broadened to include illegal aliens, she said.

Weve all been vocal as a party that the rule of law has to be the governing principle of governance in this country, she added. We want to welcome legal immigration into this country, but not illegal immigration.

cathleen.decker@latimes.com

Twitter: @cathleendecker

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Donald Trump, undeterred by protesters who nearly blocked his way into a Republican convention, called on the party Friday to unite behind him even as he lashed out once again at what he portrayed as its corrupt system for picking presidential nominees.

Police in riot gear were overwhelmed by demonstrators who knocked down street barricades and rushed to the entrance of the convention hotel near San Francisco International Airport. As officers scrambled to regain control, Trumps motorcade pulled over on the shoulder of the 101 Freeway.

Surrounded by Secret Service agents, the New York developer clambered over a concrete barrier and entered the hotel through a back door.

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It felt like I was crossing the border, Trump joked at a lunch banquet to hundreds of Republicans, who burst into laughter.

Outside, protesters hurled rocks and eggs at the police, shoved and spit at Trump supporters, and burned the candidate in effigy.

It was Trumps second day of campaigning in California, and he brought with him as much drama as he had the night before in Costa Mesa, where protesters blocked traffic, smashed the windshield of a police patrol car and shouted obscenities at his supporters.

Trump hopes to clinch the Republican presidential nomination by winning Californias June 7 primary. He was the first of three White House contenders slated to speak at the party gathering, followed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich at a dinner Friday and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at a lunch Saturday.

A day after Trumps fiery speech in Costa Mesa, where he dwelt on crimes committed by immigrants in the country illegally, the partys front-runner was subdued in his remarks at the banquet.

The GOP rank and file applauded politely, but it was an uneasy embrace as Trump charged that Republican candidates must bribe the partys delegates  a number of whom were in the audience  to win its White House nomination.

1 / 19 Protesters clash with police outside the hotel in Burlingame where Donald Trump spoke at the California Republican Party convention on April 29, 2016. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 19 A protestor is detained following a scuffle with law enforcement at the California Republican Convention on April 29, 2016. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 19 Protesters clash with police outside the hotel hosting the California Republican Convention in Burlingame on April 29, 2016. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 19 Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the California Republican Convention on April 29, 2016 (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 19 Protesters clash with police outside the hotel hosting the California Republican Convention in Burlingame on April 29, 2016. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 19 Trump protesters clash with police outside the California Republican Convention in Burlingame on April 29, 2016. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 19 An anti-Trump protester dressed in a costume meant to parody Captain America watches as police hold a skirmish line at the California Republican Party convention in Burlingame in April 29, 2016. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 19 Trump protesters are blocked by police outside the California Republican Convention. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 19 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the California Republican Convention in Burlingame on April 29, 2016. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 19 Cheryl Ann McDonald, left and Carolyn Mary Gibbs, both from Discovery Bay, stop for a photo at the start of the California Republican Convention. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 19 Donald Trump protesters clash with police outside the California Republican Convention in Burlingame on April 29, 2016. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 19 a Trump protester outside the California Republican Convention, in Burlingame. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 19 Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the California Republican Convention in Burlingame. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 19 Trump protesters fill the streets outisde the California Republican Convention. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 19 Trump protesters link arms and block the streets outside the California Republican Convention. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 19 A Donald Trump supporter is surrounded by Trump protesters as he makes his way toward the California Republican Convention, in Burlingame on April 29, 2016/ (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 19 Rabia Keeble hugs a Donald Trump pinata during a protest outside the California Republican Party convention in Burlingame. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 19 Members of the Monterey County Republican Party play a game called Delete Hillary at the state GOP convention in Burlingame. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 19 Trump protesters gather outside the California Republican Party convention in Burlingame. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Its a horrible, horrible, disgusting system, he said.

Trump told the crowd hed finally won more than 1,000 of the 1,237 delegates he needs to clinch the nomination before the Cleveland GOP convention in July. According to the Associated Press, Trumps tally Friday night was 996, but his point was to urge Republican activists to accept him as their presumptive nominee.

I think its going to come to an end very soon, said Trump, who hopes to crush Cruzs candidacy by winning the Indiana primary on Tuesday. And really, Im speaking to the people in this room, because there has to be unity in our party.

Still, Trump insulted party luminaries who oppose him, including Karl Rove, who was the top political advisor to former President George W. Bush. Is he the dumbest human being on earth? Trump asked.

Youve got to go a different way, folks, because these people are leading you right into the middle of a very bad, bad desert  and were going to win, he said.

Ideally, were going to be together, he added. I think I will win even if were not together.

Before his arrival, a cluster of protesters unfurled a giant yellow Stop hate banner that covered most of the window of the hotels nine-story glass atrium. Another group draped a huge Dump Trump banner from a bridge between the hotel and a parking lot. One cluster of demonstrators burned an American flag.

Adam Harry, 52, a Trump supporter from Contra Costa County, said protesters shoved him, called him a racist, snatched his phone and tossed it across a parking lot into a bush.

They just completely got out of control, he said.

Shekhiynah Larks, an 18-year-old student at the University of San Francisco, came to protest Trump, but was disappointed by the scene.

I dont think tagging or throwing eggs accomplishes anything, she said.

Five people were arrested, according to police.

Before his speech, Trump attended a VIP reception, where he posed for photos with Republican donors next to the U.S. and California flags. Outside, a giant Mexican flag fluttered in the middle of the protest.

michael.finnegan@latimes.com

javier.panzar@latimes.com

seema.mehta@latimes.com

Twitter: @finneganLAT, @jpanzar, @LATSeema

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From an emotional standpoint, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act has some appeal. The bill, which is still being finalized, aims to open U.S. courts to civil lawsuits by Americans against foreign governments tied to terror attacks in the United States. Though it would be written broadly enough to encompass all the countries in the world, the bill has a clear target: Saudi Arabia. Proponents say they want to allow families of the nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks seek damages in court if proof emerges that the Saudi government supported the 19 al Qaeda hijackers, 15 of whom were Saudis.

It may sound good, but its a bad idea.

Saudi Arabia isnt the most embraceable of U.S. allies. It executes people with abandon, including 47 in one day in January on charges ranging from involvement in terror attacks to disloyalty. The royal familys repression of women  from its draconian dress codes to its requirement that women be accompanied by male chaperones when leaving the house  offends basic concepts of human rights and equality, as does its practice of imprisoning dissidents. The government embraces public flogging as punishment for some crimes, a judgment facing Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh, who has been sentenced to eight years in prison and 800 lashes. His offense? Apostasy, based on poems that the government said embraced atheism and spread some destructive thoughts into society.

Whats more, the Saudis have close ties to deeply unsavory organizations. The bill currently making its way through Congress was prompted, in part, by investigations showing that leading Saudis helped bankroll Al Qaeda, though the reports that have been released so far have stopped short of linking Osama bin Ladens terror group to the Saudi royal family or government. Speculation continues to swirl around 28 pages of an 838-page congressional report on the 9/11 attacks that were withheld as classified when the rest of the report was released in 2002. The Saudi government has denied any complicity in the attacks. The pages were ordered classified by President George W. Bush, who said he feared their release would divulge sensitive investigative techniques.

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The Obama administration has been reviewing the 28 pages and reportedly will soon declassify some of them. It ought to release all of them.

But regardless of the Saudi role in 9/11, it would be a big mistake to pass the bill, which would badly undercut the legal principle of sovereign immunity. Rooted in international law, sovereign immunity protects governments from being held to account in the courts of another country (with some narrow exceptions). Obviously, the downside of this is that it sometimes protects bad governments from being punished for their policies and actions. But on the other hand, it also serves as needed protection against trumped up or politicized prosecutions in courts around the world. And be warned: If Congress strips governments everywhere of their protection in U.S. courts, those countries will almost certainly adopt similar policies against the U.S.

That would lead to a mish-mash of legal challenges, claims of damages, and complicated international relations. Given the U.S. governments disproportionate role in foreign affairs, the potential exposure such a measure would bring to the U.S. is inestimable. Expect to see civil claims by victims of collateral damage in military attacks, lawsuits by people caught up in the nations post-9/11 detention policies, including Guantanamo Bay, and challenges over atrocities committed by U.S.-backed Syrian rebels. Pretty much anywhere that U.S. policies have led to damages, those who suffered could potentially seek redress in their own courts, jeopardizing American assets overseas, where the rule of law sometimes is solid, but in other cases is a tool wielded for political purposes.

Fearing its exposure in American courts, Saudi Arabia has already threatened to sell $750 billion in U.S. assets that it says would be at-risk if the proposed law goes into effect.

The 9/11 attacks were horrific, and the losses suffered by the victims families are incalculable. But the solution is not to open this Pandoras Box. If the Saudi government is found to have supported the attacks, a resolution should be reached through diplomacy, nation to nation, not through individual claims in civil courts.

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Everyone poops, as Taro Gomis childrens book by that title has long reminded us, and everyone pees, transgender and gender-nonconforming people included. Thats nature. Sex-segregated public toilets, on the other hand, are unnatural social constructs  human inventions that organize our bodily functions according to cultural scripts. They are built environments that change in response to shifting mores, economic considerations and political pressures.

Since the Supreme Count ruled in favor of same-sex marriage last year, we have seen a significant backlash against LGBT rights. The recent passage of discriminatory legislation in North Carolina has received the bulk of media attention, but in the first few months of 2016, legislatures in 22 states introduced bills that seek to roll back equal rights, with transgender people often singled out for especially harsh treatment. Prurient fantasies of men masquerading in dresses to stalk sexual prey in the ladies room are trotted out in support of laws preventing transgender people from using restrooms that match their appearance and identity.

Our culture is in the midst of a profound reevaluation of how we understand gender, and public toilets have long been sites for staging anxieties about such social change. In 19th- and early 20th-century cities, the proliferation of gender-segregated public toilets depended not just on the development of modern sanitation infrastructure, but on the movement of women into the public realm as wage-earners, consumers and voters. Jim Crow laws segregated public toilets by race until the civil rights movements of the 1960s abolished that practice. The Equal Rights Amendment went down to defeat in the 1970s in part because of the non-existent threat of unisex toilets. In the 80s, the AIDS crisis provoked alarmed visions of straight men becoming infected with HIV by sharing public toilets with gay men. In the 90s, the Americans with Disabilities Act mandated equal access for the disabled. The latest bathroom bills are simply another front in the battle over who will be accommodated in the public sphere.

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Unjust laws like those passed in North Carolina and elsewhere must be challenged, but they also invite us to consider long-term solutions. With Joel Sanders, a New York-based architect, Ive been documenting existing gender-neutral public-toilet strategies and proposing even more radically accessible facilities.

One simple and already common approach is to designate the few single-stall toilets in a building or a public space  facilities originally meant for the disabled or for families  as gender neutral. But this solution still leaves traditional mens and womens rooms intact. It segregates transgender people, and we all know separate isnt equal. Changing the signage on single-stall restrooms is easy, but it doesnt address the underlying social structures that created unequal bathroom access in the first place.

Contrary to popular fears, mixed-gender restrooms, which increase bathroom occupancy, are safer than single-sex ones.

Another strategy thats catching on in some places, including the Cooper Union art school in New York, is to designate all restrooms as gender neutral, and distinguish them only by signs that describe the plumbing fixtures behind the closed doors  restroom with stalls, or restroom with stalls and urinals. But this, too, is more a stop-gap measure than a long term solution.

In the restaurant at New Yorks Museum of Modern Art, the public restroom is entirely gender-neutral and desegregated. It is a single space, divided by a central circulation corridor into two parallel zones: one dedicated to washing, with sinks and mirrors, and the other dedicated to eliminating, with private stalls fitted with floor-to-ceiling doors that have no peek-a-boo cracks. Gender nonconforming people are not forced to choose between two ill-fitting options; no one need worry about being in the wrong bathroom.

Other inventive gender-neutral designs place washing-up areas in plaza-like open spaces rather than behind closed doors, with water-features inspired by Roman fountains and semi-screened areas for adjusting clothing, styling hair and fixing makeup at mirrors of varying heights. The toilets are in private enclosures of various sizes, some for individuals, others for dads who need to change their daughters diapers or disabled people who need the aid of their attendants.

Contrary to popular fears, mixed-gender restrooms, which increase bathroom occupancy, are safer than single-sex ones. They reduce the chances of someone ending up alone with a predator in an out-of-the-way ladies room. Some contemporary public toilet designs take the safety-through-visibility strategy even further by abolishing any clear boundaries between open space and secluded chambers. New pissoirs in San Franciscos Dolores Park block public view of the act of elimination while allowing the person performing that act to remain in sight.

These new concepts accommodate emerging expressions of gender as well as a variety of other needs. They challenge outdated ideas. There is no reason public toilets should enforce gender norms that serve some but oppress others. Just as we ended the racial segregation of public toilets in the past, and expanded access for a wide range of physical abilities, so too can we design truly inclusive public restrooms that serve gender diversity and justice, safety and sanitation.

Everyone poops, and everyone pees, but no one should be stigmatized or criminalized when they answer natures call.

Susan Stryker is director of the Institute for LGBT studies and associate professor of gender and womens studies at the University of Arizona. This essay is adapted from a longer article on gender neutral toilets she co-authored with Joel Sanders, forthcoming later this year in South Atlantic Quarterly.

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Readers arent taking Ted Cruz seriously.

The Republican senator from Texas and multi-state runner up to Donald Trump in the GOP primary probably wont receive his partys nomination for president, but hes decided to designate a running mate anyway: Carly Fiorina.

Pundits elsewhere have busied themselves with sophisticated analyses of Cruzs political calculation, but Times letter writers in California familiar with the ex-Hewlett Packard chief who tried and failed in 2010 to unseat Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer have reacted more lightheartedly. Here are some of their letters.

Jeff Pollak of La Crescenta puts a positive spin on Cruzs move:

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The news that Cruz has chosen Fiorina as his running mate has raised eyebrows, caused heads to shake and tongues to wag, and brought chuckles to almost the entire country. But there are some positives that shouldnt be overlooked:

- This gives Fiorina something to do other than fire a few thousand people, should she ever attain another CEO position.

- She does make a perfect choice for a ticket that will never actually come up for election anywhere in the U.S.

- Cruz gets to once again display his exceptional tactical mind, which operates like no other in his make-believe world.

- If the idea was for Fiorina to bark at Trump as she did during her brief presidential candidacy, she can finally do something millions of other Americans will agree with.

- With Fiorina on board, Cruzs small chance of winning a majority of Republican votes in California has actually shrunk.

Rich Capparela of Santa Monica anticipates Trumps response:

Cruz chooses his running mate -- in April. Not to be outdone, Trump has announced he is running for re-election.

Los Angeles resident Tracy Nadeau dings the Cruz camp:

Cruz choosing Fiorina as a vice presidential running mate is truly the political equivalent to hitching a broken wagon to a dead horse.

Oren M. Spiegler of Upper Saint Clair, Penn., offers some serious criticism:

When Trump criticized Fiorinas physical appearance, I found her to be a highly sympathetic figure. No more: Fiorina has chosen a different type of ugliness by running with the loathsome Cruz.

Cruz is the man of government shutdowns, deportation, the marginalization of gay men and women and religious minorities and, in contravention of the advice of military experts, carpet bombing the Middle East to the point that wed find out if sand can glow in the dark.

He has stated that a person who does not begin every day on his knees is not qualified to be president. Like his cohorts, he has proposed tax reform that is unworkable and not fiscally sound. One of his more absurd promises is to bring French fries back to school cafeterias.

I now agree on a limited basis with Trump in his reference to Fiorina: Who would vote for that?

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Kasich concedes path to GOP presidential nomination is a steep climb

Ohio Gov. John Kasich presented himself Friday as the sole candidate in the GOP presidential race with an optimistic vision for how to fix the nation, drawing a sharp contrast with GOP front-runner Donald Trump.

We dont want to divide, we dont want to polarize, we want to be the party of hope, Kasich told a couple hundred supporters at the California Republican Partys convention. Not hope from pie in the sky, unrealistic dreams, but a party that will remember it is the people  the people, who can make a difference.

Kasich spoke hours after Trump addressed the convention. Kasich did not mention Trump by name, but clearly alluded to him.

Ive chosen in this campaign not to live on the dark side of human nature, Kasich said. I know people are angry, I know theyre anxious. I know they have doubts.

Leaders have two options  to prey upon that fear or acknowledge the problems while also seeking solutions, Kasich said.

Im worried about a divided, polarized country and it does not have to be that way, he said. We can solve these problems and bring people together and give them hope again.

Kasich described his upbringing and his experience as a former congressman and as the current Ohio governor. He praised traditional GOP ideals  limited government, greater power in the states, reducing the nations debt. But he also spoke sympathetically about the need to care for the mentally ill, the drug addicted and others who are in need.

Its a message that has failed to resonate in the presidential campaign, with Kasich winning only one state to date  his home state of Ohio. He badly trails Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in votes and delegates, and is counting on a contested convention where he emerges as the consensus choice to take on Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in the general election.

Speaking to reporters before the speech, Kasich acknowledged that its a steep climb.

I didnt fall off the turnip truck on the way to California, he said. I know its tough. So what. Ive been in tough fights before and Im just going to keep on moving forward because I think its critical this country has a choice.
Ted Cruzs attack on Trump donations falls flat for some

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz attacked Donald Trump in a speech to the states Republican Party on Saturday for his history of making campaign contributions to Democratic candidates in California.

Though its unclear how effective the line of attack will be, some GOP supporters were willing to give Trump a pass. After all, they said, he is a businessman.

Marcia Gilchrist, a 79-year-old retiree from Orange, said she already knew about the contributions and wasnt fazed by them.

I dont know if he really supports them or if he was buying favors. I guess for him, it is favors, she said. I do think people need to know that.

She said she planned to vote for Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Trump gave three of Californias top Democrats -- Gov. Jerry Brown, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris -- a combined $12,000. The total wasnt enough to worry Mary Elsbree, an undecided voter from Marin County.

He is a businessman; he is going to be giving to many candidates, she said. It makes Cruz look bad by pointing it out. [Trump] wasnt running for public office at the time.

The two echoed Trumps own defense of his contributions.

I gave to many people, he said at the first GOP debate in Simi Valley last year. Before this, before two months ago, I was a businessman. I give to everybody. When they call, I give. And you know what? When I need something from them, two years later, three years later, I call them. They are there for me. And thats a broken system.

Trump supporter Alice Schoessow of Monterey said the candidates could have turned down Trumps donations.

I didnt see any of them refusing his money, she said.

He doesnt need the money. He was his own power. His name is power, she said of the Republican front-runner.

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The defense attorney for convicted murderer Daniel Wozniak argued in court Friday that he needs access to any secret records kept by Orange County Sheriffs Department deputies who worked with jailhouse informants in area lockups.

Public defender Scott Sanders said the documents could be crucial to a motion hes crafting asking an Orange County judge to grant Wozniak a new trial or throw out the death sentence recommended by jurors.

Wozniak, a 31-year-old community theater actor from Costa Mesa, was convicted last year of a gruesome double murder and bizarre attempted coverup from 2010.

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Jurors convicted Wozniak of shooting to death Army veteran Sam Herr, 26, and Juri Julie Kibuishi, 23.

After the killings, Wozniak tried to throw police off his trail by staging Kibuishis body to look as if Herr had sexually assaulted her and fled, according to prosecutors. He then tried to do away with Herrs body by dismembering it and tossing some of the limbs into a Long Beach park, authorities said.

After finding Wozniak guilty, jurors took about an hour of deliberation to decide he deserved the death penalty.

For the sentence to be finalized, a judge must confirm it at a hearing scheduled for next month.

Sanders, however, has crusaded against capital punishment for his client, arguing its impossible for death-penalty defendants to receive a fair trial in Orange County because, he alleges, law enforcement and prosecutors routinely fail to turn over evidence to defendants that theyre entitled to see. Most of his allegations focus on the use of informants in Orange County jails.

The county district attorneys office has said that any failure to hand over evidence was incidental and unintentional.

Read the latest headlines from the Daily Pilot >>

Most recently, Sanders issued two subpoenas seeking any notes kept by sheriffs deputies about their interactions with jailhouse informants.

Sanders said deputies may mistakenly believe that such notes are exempt from having to be turned over to defendants.

In court papers, Elizabeth Pejeau, deputy county counsel representing the Sheriffs Department, called Sanders request overly broad and irrelevant to the Wozniak proceedings.

She has asked Orange County Superior Court Judge John Conley to quash the subpoenas for any records not related to the Wozniak case.

Sanders and Pejeau are scheduled to present their sides to Conley on Tuesday.

Its an open question whether this will have any bearing on Wozniaks sentence.

A jailhouse informant did speak to Wozniak while he was behind bars, according to court records, but prosecutors say they immediately ruled out using any evidence gleaned from informants.

In the courts view, the issue of informants was off the table before I ever got the case, Conley said during Fridays hearing.

If the notes prove to be important, Conley said hes open to delaying Wozniaks May 20 sentencing date so Sanders can argue his point.

But what happens depends on the contents of the documents Sanders has subpoenaed.

This could be a bombshell or it could be a dud. We dont know, Conley said.

--

Jeremiah Dobruck, jeremiah.dobruck2@latimes.com

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck
It would be a small wedding. Nothing gaudy or over-the-top. Maybe wed even elope.

Admittedly, wed only been texting for 24 hours, but I was sure this was The One.

It began at a celeb-studded non-event in Beverly Hills the evening before with a few other journalist friends. All pomp and circumstance, no substance. One of my colleagues  well call him Riley  was there with me, stalking celebs and dreading the non-story we were going to have to turn in the next morning. Hed always been flirty with me, but then, he was flirty with all the women I knew on this side of the red ropes.

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During the dinner portion of the evening as I sat next to Riley, I asked for his number. I promptly texted him my name after he gave it. My phone vibrated. Oh heeeyyyy, the screen read.

Past L.A. Affairs columns

A few boring speeches later and after the entree was served, Riley got up to make the rounds to see who was hobnobbing with whom. I scarfed down my food, as I generally do when free fare is placed before me. Realizing Riley had been gone for some time, I texted him to ask if hed like me to save his food in case they tried to take it away.

Only the good stuff, he joked.

Its chicken, I replied.

Put it in your purse.

All right  now were having fun. You know, Riley was flirting with me extra tonight. Hed even put his hand on my leg affectionately at one point.

We went back and forth for a bit and got naughty. It was fun and funny. I could totally date this guy.

Are you a veteran of the L.A. dating scene? Share your story

After the event ended and we headed out to valet, I walked out with Riley and giggled that we could probably stop texting now and just talk IRL (in real life).

Riley turned to me completely confused.

What are you talking about?

I explained again that we could just stop the texting shenanigans and flirt in person, since we were obviously into each other. Again, he was dumbfounded and looked at me with confusion and possible dread. I handed him my phone. He scanned the texts and looked up to tell me it wasnt him.

My face went white.

Who had I been texting? Who was responding so quickly? Who was calling me a naughty wizard out of the blue and joking about treehouses?!

Riley was beside himself laughing. I was laughing too, because, well, what else was I going to do?

As I got in my car, the hilarity started to wear off. Who in Gods name was willing to text so candidly with a person theyd never met, had no idea what their age was, gender, race, location, anything? Nothing. They knew nothing about me and I knew nothing about them.

So naturally I thought: This was it. I was sure the mystery texter would end up being my husband. Wed have the best meet-cute story in history.

When I got home I texted: Who is this???? I added blushing emojis to get my point across.

Its Boris, he said.

We were in full joking repartee at this point. It continued into the next morning and then the next evening. We joked about Russians, talked gravely about the terrorist attacks in Paris; he told me how hed just cooked his first salmon (Garlic salt season pepper in a cast iron skillet on stove top for 2 min on each side. Finished in the oven with a soy sauce and brown sugar glaze.), and we eventually exchanged demographics.

Me: 32. Single. White. Female. Accomplished.

Him: 30. Single. White. Male. Id like to think Im accomplished. And I can cook.

I was mentally picking out my wedding dress. Maybe a barn wedding with Mason jars instead of wine glasses. And tea lights strung up in the beams.

And then it happens. He asks for my Instagram name. I barely hesitate, because at this point all demographics match up, we obviously share a sense of humor and a sense of humility, so even if he doesnt look like Ryan Gosling Im fairly certain Im at least getting a date out of this.

We exchange Instagram info and promptly stalk each other. Hes cute, built, on the tall side, sails, has fun-looking friends. Im beside myself.

Youre cute!!! I text.

Nothing.

Ten minutes later. Nothing.

Im beside myself. But the other side this time.

Omigod, I text, you dont think Im cute.

Thats quite an assumption, he says a few minutes later.

You didnt text anything back. What else am I to assume?

Dont be such a diva.

Then he tells me hes heading to bed.

There goes my elopement to Thailand.

I made an attempt to reach out to him the next day. Nothing.

I feel its important to note at this point that Im attractive. Im no Eva Mendes, but Im above-average decent-looking, if thats OK to say about oneself. I showed his picture to a few friends to make sure I was in his league and he was in mine  we were, they assured me.

So I couldnt understand why hed stop our banter, why he didnt want to meet.

Maybe he died. This is generally what I think happens to guys that stop talking to me.

But my best theory  since I live in Los Angeles and have been dating here for seven years now with no luck at all  is that I wasnt hot enough. I wasnt a 10. I wasnt a model or an actress with perfect hair and size 0 jeans; that a common sense of humor and humility and matching demographics just werent enough and he figured his model would be waiting for him at his next Tinder swipe.

Or maybe Im wrong. Maybe he did die.

The author is a freelance journalist in Los Angeles who writes for Vanity Fair, Mashable and Variety. You can stalk her on Instagram at @tiniv11

L.A. Affairs chronicles the current dating scene in and around Los Angeles. We pay $300 a column. If you have comments or a true story to tell, email us at LAAffairs@latimes.com.

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They scurry between vehicles in the traffic-choked cities of northern Nigeria, small boys in tattered clothing armed with begging tins.

Known as the almajiri, the youngsters, some no older than 5, have flooded the streets for the nearly 15 years since a tsunami of cheap Chinese imports and a dysfunctional electrical system began destroying the regions once-thriving textile manufacturing industry. Many more children have streamed in from rural areas since similar collapses of the fishing and agriculture sectors left their parents unable to feed them.

Here, the youngsters only schooling comes from threadbare clerics for whom they recite the Koran a few hours a day. And then they go out and beg for food. Such conditions have made the almajiri prime fodder for recruitment by Boko Haram.

These are ... vulnerable children, said human rights activist Shehu Sani, an expert on the violent Islamist group that emerged in 2002. They have in many cases turned to extremism and crime because they were sent away by their parents at a very tender age and they grow up under the care of teachers who use them.

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Among the almajiri, said Sani, was Abubakar Shekau, current leader of Boko Haram, which initially mushroomed by offering a religious path that condemned what it called the corruption and decadence of Nigerias Western-educated elite. After its founder, Mohammed Yusuf, was killed in 2009, the group, led by Shekau, became increasingly violent, slaughtering non-Muslim schoolboys, kidnapping hundreds of rural schoolgirls and shooting down villagers by the dozen with AK-47 assault rifles.

Theres a very strong correlation between poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and the issue of the insurgency and insecurity, said Britain-educated Kano Gov. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. A very poor man who is looking for something to eat can easily be recruited by the insurgents, and so can the unemployed and illiterate, and thats exactly what is happening.

::

Three decades ago, northern Nigerias largest cities were manufacturing meccas. When factory workers spilled onto the streets at shift changes, they formed a sea of people flowing homeward in colorful garb. Textiles, leather, furniture, plastics and food factories employed 100,000 people in Kano alone, according to a 1996 U.N. study.

But after Nigeria joined the World Trade Organization in 1995, removing tariffs and quotas that had protected the textile and food industries, cheap Chinese goods became available in quantity. Kanos factories started closing around 2000.

Meanwhile, Lake Chad and its fishing catch began to shrink, caused by overuse and climate change.

The joint collapses have left a generation with limited ways to scrape by: washing cars; hawking candies, beads, water and fruit; pan-handling; or stealing. The entire Muslim-dominated northern region has suffered, including Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram and a trade center dependent on Kano.

With an aversion in the north to secular education, associated with British colonialists and later with a corrupt, Western-educated elite, youngsters have been further enticed by militant clerics to Boko Haram (which translates to Western education is a sin).

Only 28% of children in the northern state of Borno attend school, according to Nigerian government statistics, and the literacy rate in the north is 32% compared with the 68% national average. Nigerias poverty rate grew from 55% in 2004 to 61% in 2010, largely because of the collapse of the northern economy.

Panhandling was recently banned in Kano in an attempt to reduce the sea of almajiri on the streets. Yet they remain visible, hollow-cheeked, anxious, their hands extended.

::

Shamsu Dahiru, 22, who was raised to beg and pray among the almajiri, is among the vulnerable, illiterate and trapped in poverty. As a small boy, he was removed from primary school by his father and sent for a rudimentary Islamic education from a cleric.

He wanted me to learn the Koran. He preferred an Islamic education. Only God knows why. I feel bad. I havent had a modern education and opportunities like other people, said Dahiru, who sees no prospect for improving his situation.

Dahiru began working at 10 as a bicycle repairman and car washer. Recently, the skinny young man was accused of pulling fabric from a bundle on a porters back. Seized and chained, the metal links biting into his ankles, he waited with anxious eyes outside the Kantin Kwari Market Traders Assn. headquarters to learn his fate.

He denied stealing and begged for mercy. But to traders, young men like him are at the root of all the citys problems.

Liti Kulkul, chairman of the traders group, says the rise of Boko Haram grew out of the regions economic crisis.

Of course the major cause of the insecurity is the closure of our industries, which led to massive unemployment, he said.

In the Adhama textile factory, a hulking 30-year-old textile machine stands coated in dust. Upstairs, where hundreds of machinists once sewed, all is silent, with two idle workers silhouetted at the far end of a vast room.

The Adhama family textiles factory employed 347 people in 2000, but has let all but 30 go. The workers used to weave pure Nigerian cotton fabrics, but now make a polyester blend that cannot compete with Chinese fabrics.

In my factory it costs $1 to make a T-shirt, said Nasir Adhama, the oldest son in the business. But the Chinese make a dozen for a dollar, so how can I compete with them? In 24 hours we only get two hours electricity so we work for 22 hours on generator, with the cost of diesel fuel.

Family patriarch Saidu Adhama says $4 billion worth of Chinese goods were sold in Kano during a six-month period last year.

This market is meant for the Nigerian textile industry, tailors and farmers, he said, calling for renewed protection for local manufacturers.

In 2010, in an attempt to revive the northern Nigerian manufacturing industry, the national government established a $625,000 fund to revive shuttered factories. But the effort failed, said Mohammed Abubakar, head of the Nigerian Chamber of Commerce.

If you give me money to buy machines and raw materials and you dont give me an equal opportunity in the market, then where is the help? the senior Adhama said to the Vanguard newspaper in March.

::

In 2009, Nigeria unsuccessfully pushed for an ambitious transnational plan to pump water from the Congo basin to Lake Chad.

Random insurgent attacks  including the beheading of truck drivers transporting sorghum and millet to market, have led to further instability. Abductions and killings of foreigners have scared away investment.

Northern state governors have taken steps to counter Boko Haram. Borno Gov. Kashim Shettima last year offered to pay parents to send their children to school, only to later close schools because of Boko Harams attacks.

In addition to the begging ban, Kano officials have made street lighting improvements and outlawed motorcycle taxis, which militants sometime use for drive-by assassinations. Even so, Kano has experienced repeated bomb attacks in the last few months.

Something still needs to be done to improve the lives of the young unemployed, said Gov. Kwankwaso.

I believe we need a Marshall Plan, to support them, seriously, while the government is dealing with the insurgency itself.

Time is running out, he emphasized, especially in the northeast.
A Hindu tailor was hacked to death Saturday in central Bangladesh, police said, an attack that was similar to other recent slayings in the Muslim-majority nation.

Police suspect that Nikhil Joardar, 50, may have been targeted because of a 2012 complaint that he had made derogatory comments about the Prophet Muhammad. Joardar spent a few weeks in jail but was released after the complaint was withdrawn.

The Islamic State-affiliated Aamaq news agency reported that elements of the extremist group had stabbed to death a Hindu tailor in Bangladesh who was known for insulting Prophet Muhammad, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant activity online.

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Police said Joardar was attacked by three assailants who sped up to his shop on a motorcycle at around 12:30 p.m. and dragged him outside.

They swooped on him with machetes and kept on stabbing him, said Aslam Khan, an officer in the Tangail district, where the attack took place.

It was the latest in a series of attacks, against secular bloggers, university academics, members of religious minorities, foreign visitors and recently, a gay rights activist and his friend.

Islamic State and affiliates of Al Qaeda have claimed responsibility for many of the killings. However, the government does not accept that these groups have a presence in Bangladesh and says home-grown militants are to blame.

Kader is a special correspondent.

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Donald Trump, by his own admission, couldn't ignore the dissident crowd gathering outside the Hyatt Regency Friday morning, located minutes from San Francisco International Airport.

The carried signs reading "End White Supremacy," "Unification not Deportation," and "Welcome to Aztlan Deport Donald Trump;" one created an acronym for Trump's surname, "Too loud Repugnant Presidential Megalomaniac Petty."

Police set up barriers along the main road in and out of the hotel. For Trump to come in, he would have to confront hundreds of people united in their contempt of the real estate mogul who campaigns on a promise to fortify the U.S.-Mexico call at the Mexican government's expense.

During his noontime speech, Trump would say he felt like he was the border to enter the hotel. Trump circumvented protestors, through mud, dirt, and a fence behind the Hyatt against counsel that he should cancel the appearance altogether.

"That was the easiest entrance I ever made," Trump said, once he hit the stage. "My wife called, she said there are helicopters following you, and then we went under a fence and through a fence, oh boy, it felt like I was crossing the border."

Inside the Banquet Hall

Trump's rally with Orange County conservatives a night earlier primarily focused on immigration. He claimed 31,000 supported arrived to the Orange County fairgrounds ticket in hand, only to be turned away once the venue reached maximum capacity.

Friday's affair wasn't as raucous. Attendees avidly listened to the 30-minute speech without interruption. They heard Trump castigate Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich for their fellowship aimed at brokering July's Republican National Convention. Trump laughed at their wavering arrangement, saying "these are politicians, folks. They can't make a deal. How are they going to make a deal with China?"

Trump jabbed at leading Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and a "rigged" delegate process that delays his inevitable nomination, all to vehement praise from his lunchtime crowd.

Mexican-American Luisa Aranda, one of the few - if any other - Latinas inside the banquet hall said she was harassed by protests, solely for supporting Trump.

"They came up on me, yelling to my face, calling me a traitor, a sellout, 'how could I be there,' I should be joining them. I said no," Aranda said. "My problem is I'm tired of the middle class of paying for people like you. That take advantage, that use fraudulent applications. I've seen it all, and that's what made me change.

Aranda, who donned a t-shirt that read "Latinos for the Wall," said she used to vote Democrat because she was the abuse and corruption among liberal voters.

"I worked hard all my life to live legally, I've never done anything illegal. Don't take my rights away," Aranda said.

Protesters and Police Clash - Video

As Trump finished his speech, protests migrated from the two-way road facing the Hyatt to about 300 feet from the back entrance. They got within a breath of the chorus-line of police, shouting "si se puede" as they were pushed back.

Unlike Orange County, San Francisco protests didn't smash police cruisers, and few got violent. A 20-something-year-old broke the police line and was promptly arrested. Other showed their contempt for Trump peacefully, and without incident.

The protests began around 8 a.m., well before Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump spoke to Bay Area delegates he was courting.

"Trump claims that his rallies are one of the safest places to be in America. Safe for who?" said Christine Rosales, a graduate student at UC Santa Cruz. "From these rallies it is clear that when he wants to protect 'Americans,' he really means people who fit the status quo and can benefit the most from white supremacy and patriarchy. In other words, white men like himself."
Time is running out to save Syrias ceasefire warned Dr Haytham Alhamwi of the Manchester-based Syrian Rethink Rebuild Society three weeks ago otherwise Assad will get the message that he can persist with ever more egregious violations. Now the always limited cessation of hostilities is, in the words of UN envoy Staffan de Mistura barely alive.

On Thursday one of free Aleppos last remaining paediatricians was killed along with colleagues and patients in the broader pattern of systematic targeting of hospitals by the government of Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian government is doing what it always does when dragged to the negotiating table: distract, prevaricate and take the opportunity to step up repression of non-violent activists and organise a security build-up for the outright military victory Assad promised no sooner had the ceasefire been agreed.

As I wrote in November and December last year, the doom of the current peace process was effectively confirmed before it had begun, due to the continuing failure to hold Assad to account; to exert the kind of pressure necessary to make him calculate that he has more to lose from fighting than from talking seriously. The Syrian opposition is far from perfect of course, but most of the mainstream factions managed to cobble together a negotiating team and platform and despite serious reservations came to Geneva willing to discuss the implementation of the principles upon which these talks are based. It is worth reminding ourselves that these were established years ago and in addition to committing both sides to a ceasefire include:

the withdrawal of all Syrian Government troops and heavy weapons from population centres to their barracks to facilitate a sustained cessation of violence

[intensifying] the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons, including especially vulnerable categories of persons, and persons involved in peaceful political activities.

And of course, they commit both sides to a process designed to lead to a transition of power. But with the US, Russia and the UN willing to compromise on Mr Assads fate in order to concentrate on IS, despite ever more evidence of industrial-scale torture by the regime, including sodomy, burning using welding torches, and castration it is putting it mildly to say that it will be hard to find peace.

For peace to have a chance, Syrians must have faith that the process offers them safety. A good place to start would be the breaking of the regimes sieges of civilian population centres, as called for by Syrian community organisations and as supported by our own MPs Tom Brake, Greg Mulholland and Baroness Lindsay Northover in their signatures to an open letter noting that:

This month, the UN carried out its first successful airdrop into the city of Deir Ezzor, proving that there are options we could take to alleviate the worst of the hunger in Syria. If we can drop food to Deir Ezzor, we can drop it to places like Daraya and all besieged areas in Syria.

Our Syria policy made in York this March calls for us to investigate the creation of humanitarian corridors and no-fly zones over Syria. I would do this and go further. If we and our allies are not willing to protect Syrian civilians ourselves, we should warn Assad and Russia that we will finally let Syrians defend themselves and gradually release modern anti-aircraft weapons to certain of the more mainstream opposition groups. This threat can be made privately so as not to put Assad and his backers in a position where they stand to lose face. But if we dont concentrate minds then we can forget about saving the current peace process.

Nearly everyone who knows Syria has been surprised that the cessation of hostilities has lasted this long. But unless we can urgently apply the pressure needed to get the peace process on track we face years more war, terrorism, population outflows, state collapse and political instability. It is time to act.

Anyone wanting further information on Syria and on the opinions of Syrians living here, elsewhere in the diaspora and inside Syria are invited to follow the Liberal Democrats for Syrian Freedom, Peace and Reconstruction or to email us on [email protected]. Please also sign the petition in support of the women of Daraya who are asking for aid drops.

* Jonathan Brown is the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate of the Chichester Party and founder of the Liberal Democrats for Free Syria.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie today said that the SNP risks dragging Scotlands reputation through the mud following reports that a Chinese firm at the heart of a controversial 10bn deal with the Scottish Government is tied to human rights abuses.

It was reported in todays Herald that Amnesty International named China Railway Group Ltd (CRG) and subsidiaries it controls in a report exposing human rights abuses related to the mining industry in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It had previously emerged that CRG had been blacklisted for investment by Norways oil fund over fears that the construction giant was involved in gross corruption.

Willie said:
MORE than 100 people voiced their opposition to proposals to build a controversial footbridge in the heart of the city at a meeting this Monday night.

Alongside Failte Ireland and a private donor, Limerick City and County Council is planning to build a link between the Potato Market, across the Abbey River to Arthurs Quay. But the project, which comes with a price tag of 18m, has proven controversial, with many feeling it could destroy the view of the city, while concerns are also being raised about the impact on the current of the River Shannon.

Footbridge Folly, a group set up in opposition to the bridge organised a meeting at the Strand Hotel in a bid to bring peoples views into the public domain.

It is the first time I have heard of a bridge going along a river, rather than across it. The only river it crosses is the estuary of the Abbey River, John Kennedy said.

Among those in attendance were 10 councillors, some of whom spoke out and vowed to block the scheme in its current format.

This intervention was notable, because it is local members who will vote on whether to accept or reject the bridge plan in the form of Part Eight planning.

At the meeting, those present were shown some new images of the bridge plan, which John Elliott, a member of the Footbridge Folly group, said could potentially measure up to 75 metres in height.

During the presentation, the archaeologist and local historian said while King Johns Castle has been around almost 1,000 years, most modern bridges are not designed to last more than 100.

He also suggested that the proposed footbridge would actually run contrary to the councils city development plan.

Rivers are protected views. Under the councils draft development plan, linear views and skyline views, including St Marys Cathedral, and the Sylvester OHalloran bridge, they are all protected. Any development which impinges upon them would go against the guidelines they [the council] have set themselves, he said, adding: While the bridge may be wow and inspiring, it denigrates all of these.

Nicholas Street trader Tony Ryan said: It would be a distraction, rather than an attraction.

He pointed out Failte Ireland had promised investment in his street two years ago, but now this has been dropped upon us.

Sinn Fein councillor John Costelloe, a fellow Nicholas Street trader, said erecting the bridge would be the biggest act of vandalism this city has ever seen.

A number of questions were posed at the meeting, including the function of the bridge, how it will be iconic, whether it is the best use of 18m, and Do anonymous donors have the right to decide what is built?

Trevor Brown said: If [council CEO] Conn Murray wants to make this city beautiful, just spend a few quid picking up the dog doo-doo, and open the Sylvester OHalloran bridge.

He also believes the proposed bridge would ruin the city.

Independent councillor Emmett OBrien added: The fact in this day and age, anyone can concievably think to spend 18m on a project without due consultation with the public is unforgivable."

He pointed out very little is spent on the maintenance of piers at other points on the River Shannon.

Brian Moloney described the bridge as an idiotic idea. We have been sold so many dead donkeys in this city. We have a glass [structure at the] castle which nobody wants. They knocked down part of The Granary, which was not what people wanted. They dont care about how the city looks, he said.

Jim Ryan said the need for a bridge from a tourism point of view is somewhat overstated. I do not go to any European city to see a bridge. I go to see their heritage and cultural centres, which are the old parts. Their coffee shops. A bridge wont do it for me, and I think it should be flushed out as quickly as possible, he said, to cheers.

Labour leader Cllr Frankie Daly vowed to vote down the bridge, saying: This is the first step of a journey where we take back democracy in Limerick City.

Fine Gael councillor Michael Sheahan added: We have to start to reclaim our city. We will defeat management with the structures he is using himself. We will defeat his Part Eight.

He said the bridge proposal has highlighted the scandal of the abandonment of Nicholas Street  and this should be tackled.

See Letters to the Editor, page 18; see also page 16 of our City edition for pictures from the event
AN Afghan national who gardai believe has shown an extraordinary desire to leave the country was refused bail after he was charged with assaulting a garda.

Yusef Nashemi, aged 36, who has an address at Lord Edward Street in the city is accused of punching Garda Peter OGrady in the face during an incident on Monday afternoon.

Opposing bail, Sergeant Tony Miniter said the alleged offence happened at the Garda Immigration Office at Estuary House, which is located adjacent to Henry Street garda station.

He said the defendant presented at the office last Friday and again on Monday seeking to be deported.

He said it will be alleged that when informed this was not possible, Mr Nashemi seriously and viciously assaulted Garda OGrady without provocation.

Judge Marian OLeary was told the garda sustained a suspected fractured cheekbone and that he required treatment in hospital following the incident.

Sgt Miniter said the defendant, who has been living in Limerick for over a decade, is in receipt of social welfare and is legally entitled to stay in Ireland until March 2017.

Sergeant Donal Croinin said the State is of the firm belief that Mr Nashemi represents a high flight risk.

Limerick District Court was told that during interview the defendant admitted he does not like Irish people, white people or talking English.

He is very adamant, he should be facilitated in getting back to his home country, said Sgt Miniter.

Solicitor John Herbert said his client does not have the financial means to leave the country and that he wants the State to pay for him to return to Afghanistan.

Sgt Cronin said the State is concerned at the defendants sudden and extraordinary desire and wish to leave the jurisdiction given that tens of thousands of people appear to be travelling from Afghanistan in the opposite direction.
SINN Fein councillor Seighin O Ceallaigh was left disappointed after he was not given a front-row seat at Grange 1916 Commemoration.

The City East member arrived at the event only to be told he could not sit in the front row.

He says was left furious when he saw Fine Gael and Fianna Fail councillors arrive and be given prime seats at the commemoration  and he left immediately.

But Miriam Gallagher, the public relations officer for the Grange Residents Association has denied this happened.

She said in fact, Cllr O Ceallaigh had arrived late for the ceremony, and as a result they could not accommodate him in the front row out of respect to the speakers.

If he had the respect to show up on time, he would have been able to sit in the front row with the other politicians. He was the last to arrive, and the steward, who was also the secretary of the committee said: I'm really sorry, we cannot interrupt  you're late, Ms Gallagher said.

Cllr O Ceallaigh insisted he would have had no problem taking a back row seat if other councillors were not in the front row.

I was told I would have to stand at the back. I didnt mind that, but the next thing I saw Michael Noonan and a few of the Fine Gael councillors being met and greeted and moved up to the front row, he said. I was not happy about it so I complained, but they said there were no seats left. I didnt stay to argue.

The City East polltopper, who is a member of the council's commemoration committee, said he did not feel welcome at the ceremony.

But Ms Gallagher rejected this, saying: If we did not want him there, we would not have sent him an official invite.

Cllr O Ceallaigh missed Sinn Feins Ard Fheis in Dublin to be at Limericks centenary events.

It is disappointing for the day that was in it, he concluded.
Stamp poll voters pick Christmas with Charlie Brown as their favorite U.S. issue of 2015

Apr 27, 2021, 8 AM

A Charlie Brown Christmas was the overall favorite of Linns readers who voted in the 2015 Linns U.S. Stamp Popularity Poll. The 10 stamps marking the 50th anniversary of the television special also were picked as having the best design among definitive

The From Me To You forever stamp was rejected by voters in the Linns poll, who picked it as the worst design commemorative, and the least necessary commemorative of 2015.

The best design among 2015 United States commemorative stamps, according to voters in the Linns poll, was the set of four Gifts of Friendship stamps, a joint issue with Japan. This set also came in second in voting for the overall favorite issue of the y

Stamp artist Dan Cosgrove again found favor with Linns readers, who voted his design for the imprinted stamp on the $5.75 Glade Creek Grist Mill envelope as the best for postal stationery.

Stamps for the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War were selected as the most important commemorative issue of 2015.

By Michael Baadke

Charlie Brown is a winner after all.

The comic strip character described on the Peanuts.com website as a lovable loser was chosen by Linns Stamp News readers as their overall favorite in the 2015 Linns United States Stamp Popularity Poll.

The set of 10 stamps titled A Charlie Brown Christmas took the top honors of the 33 stamp and postal stationery issues listed in the recent poll.

Voters also picked A Charlie Brown Christmas as the best definitive stamp design of the year, beating out the Summer Harvest stamps by a comfortable margin.

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The winning set features 10 different forever stamps depicting scenes from the 1965 animated television Christmas special starring the kids from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz.

Its not unusual that the 10-stamp set was picked by Linns readers. Collectors regularly favor stamp issues or sets with multiple designs rather than a single-design issue. Only three times since the favorite stamp category was established in 1984 has a single-design issue been picked as the overall favorite.

What is unusual is for the winner to come out of the definitive stamp category. In the Linns poll, definitive stamps and special stamps, including holiday stamps, are bundled together in a single voting category.

Commemorative stamps more commonly win the overall favorite stamp category, but the familiar and funny Peanuts characters clearly hold significant appeal for voters.

A Charlie Brown Christmas received 380 votes as the years overall favorite issue. The three runners-up in the category are the Gifts of Friendship set of four, a joint issue celebrating cooperation with Japan, which received 289 votes; the Civil War 1865 set of two with 175 votes; and another definitive set, the Summer Harvest set of four forever stamps, with 116 votes.

Readers of all ages mailed in a total of 1,477 ballots, almost identical to the mail-in total of 1,499 for the 2014 stamp poll.

More than 580 readers voted online this year, an increase of about 200 over last years online voting numbers.

Linns U.S. Stamp Popularity Poll, which began in 1948, is intended as a fun way for readers to voice their opinions about the U.S. stamp program. When the poll was first conducted, the categories consisted only of best stamp and worst stamp.

The poll is neither scientific nor statistically valid.

The tables provided here list the poll results for the overall favorite and for the three specific categories of commemorative stamps, definitive and special stamps, and postal stationery.

Commemoratives are usually printed once and are available at post offices for a short time. Definitives and special stamps are printed in larger quantities, often more than once, and are available for longer periods.

Within each of the three categories, voters could select the stamps or issues they felt had the best design and worst design, and the stamps or issues they considered the most important and least necessary.

A separate section on the ballot was reserved for the voters overall favorite 2015 stamp.

As in previous years, a few voters left some spots on their ballots unmarked, so the various totals often do not agree.

The totals reported here represent a combined total of the paper ballots mailed in by Linns readers and the votes cast online.

Online voting was introduced with the 1997 Linns U.S. stamp poll, but extreme online ballot box stuffing has taken place from time to time; when that happens, the online votes have been tallied separately.

Mail-in ballots and online votes were accepted from mid-December 2015 through March 1. The ballot was published weekly in Linns during the voting period.

Youth votes

The poll total includes 204 mail-in ballots from children, mostly from school classes and youth stamp clubs. This figure is close to the 215 youth ballots received in the 2014 stamp poll.



Youth votes are counted equally with all other votes, but they also are looked at separately by Linns editors to gauge how youngsters view the U.S. program.

The winner for youth overall favorite, with 29 votes, was the Gifts of Friendship set. Coming in close behind in second place was A Charlie Brown Christmas with 21 votes. Third place in the youth voting was won by the Emperor Penguins stamp for additional ounce postage.

The Gifts of Friendship issue was the overwhelming commemorative favorite for best design among youngsters, receiving 95 votes. The runner-up, the Year of the Ram stamp, collected just 19 votes.

Commemorative choices

In the general voting, the Gifts of Friendship stamps also landed at the top of the best-designed commemorative list, with 709 votes. Coming in at a distant second was the Civil War 1865 set, with 257 votes. Third place was claimed by the U.S. Coast Guard stamp, with 207 votes.

The voting for the worst-designed stamp was even more resounding, with 720 votes selecting the From Me To You issue as the worst-designed commemorative, more than one-third of all the votes in that category.

Almost 23 percent of the votes for worst-designed commemoratives went to the pair of World Stamp Show-NY 2016 stamps, which received 448 votes to place second in the category.

Stamps with themes of military history claimed the top four spots in the most-important commemorative category: The Vietnam War Medal of Honor stamp came in first with 534 votes, followed by Civil War 1865 with 572, War of 1812 Battle of New Orleans with 175, and U.S. Coast Guard with 148. The combined total of these four issues in the most-important stamp category claimed more than 72 percent of the vote.

The fifth most important stamp according to voters preferences was the Forget-Me-Not Missing Children stamp, which received 134 votes.

The From Me To You stamp suffered a double blow by coming in as the overwhelming choice for least necessary commemorative, attracting 730 votes.

The Elvis Presley stamp in the Music Icons series was voted the second least necessary stamp, with 375 votes.

Although the 29 Elvis stamp issued in 1993 was one of the biggest U.S. commemorative sellers of all time, it also fared poorly with stamp poll voters, coming in as the least necessary commemorative in that years Linns poll.

Definitive preferences

A Charlie Brown Christmas was the best design winner among definitive stamps in 2015, with 510 votes, almost exactly one-fourth of the votes cast in that category.

Second place for best design went to the Summer Harvest stamps with 383 votes, followed by the Water Lilies stamps with 192.

Linns readers cast 606 votes to bestow the title of worst-design definitive to the Patriotic Waves stamps, the $1 and $2 definitives with abstract geometric patterns in red and blue.

The most important definitive stamp of 2015 was the Stars and Stripes issue, a set of three coil stamps each showing segments of the American flag. With 546 votes, Stars and Stripes had a comfortable lead over A Charlie Brown Christmas, which earned 419 votes in the same category.

Collectors cast 409 votes, about one-fifth of all votes in the category, to pick the Patriotic Waves stamps as the least necessary definitive issue.

Coming in second, with 272 votes, was the Geometric Snowflakes set of four, issued when the Charlie Brown Christmas set was already available at post offices.

The fact that Patriotic Waves were selected as worst design and least necessary recalls the similar 2012 Waves of Color stamps, which topped the charts as the worst design and least necessary issue of that year.

Assessing postal stationery

The postal stationery categories had just four contenders in 2014: the $5.75 Glade Creek Grist Mill stamped envelope, the Water Lilies forever stamped envelope, the Fanciful Flowers postal card, and the Forget-Me-Not stamped envelope.

That was the order in which voters picked the postal stationery for best design. The Glade Creek Grist Mill envelope was the winner by far, with 1,116 votes compared with the Water Lilies runner-up with 326.

Collectors clearly enjoy artist Dan Cosgroves work: his $5.75 Glade Creek Grist Mill postage stamp was the winner of best design among definitive stamps in 2014.

The Fanciful Flower postal card was picked first in the worst design and least necessary categories, and the most important postal stationery item was the Forget-Me-Not Missing Children envelope.

Reader remarks

As in years past, some Linns readers included comments with their ballots, giving reasons for their votes and expressing opinions about the U.S. stamp program in general.

David Cohen wrote a note expressing appreciation of the Music Icons commemorative series, which offered the Elvis Presley stamp in 2015.

I doubt many of my fellow readers agree with me, but I think it is one of the best U.S. series ever, both in terms of design and the way it honors a vital area of U.S. culture, Cohen wrote.

His letter arrived franked with the Elvis stamp.

John G. Pearson wrote that Elvis deserves note as a significant influence on American culture, but he cast his vote for Elvis as least necessary because, weve honored him before.

Criticism of the World Stamp Show stamps was found in multiple letters. Sarah Noble wrote, I think many philatelists found this issue disappointing, seeing it as boring and uninteresting even to stamp people and sensing that this issue would not attract nonphilatelists to the show in New York, nor to the hobby of stamp collecting.

Steven Scheibner had praise for the Medal of Honor Vietnam War issue, which he picked as the most important issue of 2015.

This stamp issue pays homage to those who earned the Medal of Honor, Scheibner wrote, and, indirectly, recognizes those who served.

Like many voters, Diane Henicle enjoyed the stamps for Charlie Brown.

The Charlie Brown stamps are well designed, colorful, eyecatching. Would have been better twice the size it was offered in, so the details stood out.

Robert W. Martin runs a stamp collecting club for children in Hawaii, and sent in 31 ballots from the youngsters of the Kamalii Elementary School, plus three adult ballots.

For most of the children (maybe all of them) this was the first time they ever voted for anything, Martin wrote.

The club meets every week in the school library.

Thanks to this year's participants

Thanks to all Linns readers who participated in this years poll. Special thanks go to teachers who distributed ballots to the students in their classes, and to stamp clubs that submitted ballots after distributing them to members during club meetings.

Participating groups that identified themselves include: American First Day Cover Society, Dallas, Texas; Annapolis Stamp Club, Annapolis, Md.; Ashland Coin and Stamp Club, Ashland, Ohio; Aurora Stamp Club, Aurora, Colo.; Baraboo Stamp Club, Baraboo, Wis., Calumet Stamp Club, Calumet, Ind.; Casper Stamp Club, Casper, Wyo.; Cedar Rapids Stamp Club, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Centerville Stamp Club, Richmond, Ind.; Euclid Stamp Club, Euclid, Ohio; Finger Lakes Stamp Club, Rochester, N.Y.; Flagler County Stamps and Coin Club, Palm Coast, Fla.;

Greater Mound City Stamp Club, St. Louis, Mo.; Johnstown Stamp Club, Johnstown, Pa.; Joplin Stamp Club, Joplin, Mo.; Kentucky Stamp Club, Frankfort, Ky.; Kiwanis Club of the Haddons, Burlington, N.J.; Lake Minnetonka Stamp Club, Minnetonka, Minn.; Long Beach Stamp Club, Long Beach, Calif.; Motor City Stamp and Cover Club, Detroit, Mich.; Naperville Area Stamp Club, Naperville, Ill.; Nevada Stamp Study Society, Sparks, Nev.; Oregon Stamp Society, Portland, Ore.; Philatelic Society of San Leandro, San Leandro, Calif.; Pottstown Stamp Club, Pottstown, Pa.;

Salvatore Mancini Resource and Activity Stamp Club, North Providence, R.I.; San Jose Stamp Club, San Jose, Calif.; San Luis Obispo Philatelic Society (SLOPS), San Luis Obispo, Calif.; Senior Center Stamp Club, Huntsville, Ala.; Spring Hill Stamp Club, East Dundee, Ill.; Spring-Ford Stamp Club, Pottstown, Pa.; Springfield Stamp Club, Fairfax, Va.; Tampa Collector Club, Tampa, Fla.; Tuscawaras Stamp Club, East Liverpool, Ohio;

Waltham Stamp Club, Framingham, Mass.; Waukesha County Philatelic Society, Waukesha, Wis.; Williamsburg Stamp Society, Williamsburg, Va.; World Wide Stamp Club, Dunedin, Fla.

Voting in Linns U.S. Stamp Popularity Poll for 2016 is scheduled to begin in December.
Scientists have discovered a new type of comet, one that is nearly tailless like a Manx cat, that may be a leftover chunk of the same stuff that formed the Earth billions of years ago. The newfound comet, shown here in an artist's depiction, is returning from the Oort cloud at the solar system's edge.

A new kind of comet that is nearly tailless has been discovered  and the surprises don't stop there. The new comet recently returned from the edge of the solar system but may have originated much closer to the sun, scientists say. In fact, it may even reveal clues about the building blocks of Earth.

Given the nearly tailless appearance of this new comet, the scientists named it a Manx object, after Manx cats, which are mostly tailless.

"I always tell my students that science is 99-percent hard work, sometimes tedious, because the details really matter," said study lead author Karen Meech, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii. "But there is 1 percent of the time where there is the thrill of excitement, when you discover something new and unexpected and you know it is important," she told Space.com. "This was one of those times!"

This newfound class of comet also may help to solve the mystery of how the solar system formed, the scientists noted. [Comet Quiz: Do You Really Know These Icy Wanderers?]

Scientists have discovered a new type of comet, one that is nearly tailless like a Manx cat, that may be a leftover chunk of the same stuff that formed the Earth billions of years ago. The newfound comet, shown here in an artist's depiction, is returning from the Oort cloud at the solar system's edge. (Image credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser)

Most known comets come from the Oort cloud  a cold, giant shell surrounding the solar system like a giant, thick soap bubble. Scientists estimate that a href="http://www.space.com/16401-oort-cloud-the-outer-solar-system-s-icy-shell.html">the Oort cloud is made of trillions of icy bodies that lie as far as 100,000 times Earth's distance from the sun.

Astronomers focused on a comet named C/2014 S3 using the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii. The comet, discovered in 2014, is a little more than twice as far away from the sun as Earth is. The 860-year-long orbit of the comet, known as S3 for short, suggested it came from the distant Oort cloud.

Unlike other known comets, S3 was nearly tailless  up to 100,000 times or so less active than typical comets on similar orbits. Comets grow more active when they approach the sun and their ice heats up, becoming the gas making up a comet's tail. The lack of activity from S3 suggests it was ice-poor instead of ice-rich, unlike previous known comets from the Oort cloud.

Follow-up observations of dust in this comet's stubby tail  conducted with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope  revealed that S3 more closely resembled stony asteroids from the asteroid belt than a typical comet. Their model of this new comet's dust confirmed that it came off the comet itself, as opposed to originating from a piece of rock that may have collided with the comet.

"We've found the first rocky comet," study co-author Olivier Hainaut, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory in Garching, Germany, said in a statement. [See Amazing Comet Photos from Earth and Space]

This image of the weird tailless Comet C/2014 S3 (Pan-STARRS) was made from observations by scientists using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and the Canada-France Hawaii Telescope. It is the first rocky comet ever found, scientists say. (Image credit: K. Meech (IfA/UH)/CFHT/ESO)

Because of their proximity to the sun, Earth and the rest of the inner solar system have relatively little ice compared with the outer solar system. This newly discovered comet's lack of ice suggests that, although it came from the Oort cloud, it may have actually originated in the inner solar system.

"It is very exciting  S3 would have been kicked out while the Earth was being formed, possibly even by the early-days Earth," Hainaut told Space.com. "S3 would then be a planetesimal like those which formed the Earth, but preserved since that time in the cold of outer space."

"We already knew of many asteroids, but they have all been baked by billions of years near the sun," Meech said in a statement. "This one is the first uncooked asteroid we could observe  it has been preserved in the best freezer there is."

Previous research suggested that Manxes that are not rocky also exist  for instance, dead comets that have lost most of their ice. "These icy Manxes make the count of the rocky ones more difficult, as one has to determine if a Manx is rocky or icy, which is tricky," Hainaut said.

It remains uncertain what portion of the Oort cloud is made up of rocky Manxes. "We are now trying to measure this fraction," Hainaut said. "As of today, we know that the fraction of rocky objects is small. Otherwise, many Manxes would already be known  1 to 500 to 1 to 5,000 or so, but we don't know yet how small."

This illustration shows the most likely orbit for Comet C/2014 S3 (Pan-STARRS), the first-ever object found to be on a long-period cometary orbit. The comet's current orbit takes 860 years to complete one trip around the sun. (Image credit: ESO/L. Calcada)

Recent models of solar system formation suggest that gravitational interactions between the planets may have slung matter from the inner solar system outward, with each model predicting different amounts of inner solar system material in the outer solar system. Discovering how many comets are rocky Manxes in the Oort cloud might help narrow down which of these models might best explain how the solar system was born.

The researchers' statistical analyses suggest that if they can find 50 rocky Manxes, they can begin discriminating which models of solar system formation might be likely or unlikely. "Based on that number, we are now asking for telescope time on various telescopes to track these objects," Hainaut said.

Further analysis of the compositions and other features of the rocky Manxes might help shed light on how the solar system has evolved over time.

"It is very exciting to know that this rock [S3] is likely a building block of the Earth, or at least of the rocky planets," Hainaut said. "We can now study it or other similar ones we are now observing and learn more about the Earth and its formation."

The scientists detailed their findings online April 29 in the journal Science Advances.

Follow Charles Q. Choi on Twitter @cqchoi. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original story on Space.com.
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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
Columbus Women's Club

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Women's Club held a meeting April 11 with 18 members and two guests in attendance. Guest speaker was Jennifer Wilke and assistant Joan Hassenkamp of Wilke Landscape Center. They talked about the different flowers they have available this year and brought handouts and samples of several new varieties they will carry. President Patti Luebbe called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Collect. Mike Pilakowski read the minutes from the March meeting. Corrections were made, and they were approved. The treasurer report was approved as read. Nominating Committee: Slate of officers for the coming year is being finalized. Arts Council: Sue McClure reported the Columbus Area Artists have a new exhibit. The arts council is trying to organize a trip to the Orpheum in the future. Babysitting Clinic: Ruth Brichacek reported the babysitting clinic has been scheduled for June 15 at Pinnacle Bank from 8 a.m.-noon and from 1-5 p.m. Cost is $7 per session. There will be speakers from the police and fire departments. There was one birthday in April. The next meeting and luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m. May 9 at Elks Country Club. The two scholarship winners will be announced and presented to the members. New officers will be installed.

Dale Alumni Association

COLUMBUS -- The April meeting of the Columbus chapter of the Dale Alumni Association was held April 11 at Hy-Vee with 22 members and two guests. The meeting was called to order by President Darrell Smejak. Roll call showed President Darrell Smejak, Vice President Janet Zulkoski, Secretary Ruth Wilcynski, and Treasurer Marie Klug as present. Sunshine committee Jenny Jacob reported birthday card was sent to Pete Peterson and an anniversary card was sent to Richard and Vernetta Bills for their 60th. Alumni of the month prize was awarded to Jenny Jacobs. Winners of the cash prizes were Liz Cuba $7, Mary Lou Peters $6, Babs Thingstad $6 and Karola Baumgart $5. For the March meeting at Picket Fence, there were 24 members and five guests present, one from Germany. Cash drawings went to Betty Michener for $11, Janet Zulkoski for $8, Liz Cuba for $7, and Pat Michaelsen for $6. The following new members joined at the April meeting: Babs Thingstad, Joyce Schmid, Eileen Wertz, Pat Muller, Ann Bomberger, and Ellie Zulkoski. Welcome aboard. On May 10 at noon, the group will meet at the Eagles Club. For reservations, call Janet at 402-564-4754 by May 6. For the June meeting, the speaker will be Cheri Schrader from Platte County Historical Society. She will give a presentation on blizzards. The group can then tour the museum. There will also be an exhibit from the Smithsonian titled "The Way we Worked." Note: Good-will offering would be appreciated ($3). On July 12 at noon, the group will meet at the Monroe Tavern. RSVP by July 7. The next regular meeting will be at Hy-Vee June 14. If you plan to attend for breakfast at 8:30 a.m., please make your reservation by calling Janet at 402-564-4754 on or before June 10.
The Islamic State took responsibility for the killing of dozens of Iraqi security personnel in a suicide assault on a police station in a western Anbar province town which was recently liberated from the jihadist organization.

The Islamic State claimed the attack on a police station in Kubaysah near Hit in an official statement released on its social media accounts. The statement was obtained and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group.

Four immersers from the soldiers of the Islamic State were able to carry out an attack on the Kubaysah police station in western al Anbar, according to SITE. The group claimed the four-man suicide assault team penetrated security at the police station, and two of the soldiers of the Caliphate detonated their explosive belts amidst them, killing nearly 50 apostates including soldiers and officers. The other two attackers were said to have returned safely to their headquarters.

Iraqi media has not independently confirmed the report of the attack in Kubaysah. Attacks such as the one claimed by the Islamic State are common in both Iraq and Syria, and occur on a daily basis.

The Islamic State has suffered significant setbacks in Anbar over the past six months with the losses of several major cities and towns along the Euphrates River. In some areas, the Islamic State has pulled back to conduct guerrilla attacks against Iraqi security forces, tribal fighters, and the Shiite militias which have filled the security vacuum.

Kubaysah was first occupied by the Islamic State in early October 2014, and held for more than two years before the Iraqi military liberated the town toward the end of last month. Two weeks after the Iraqi military regained control of Kubaysah, the nearby town of Hit was also wrestled from the Islamic State. Like Kubaysah, Hit fell to the Islamic State in October 2014.

The Islamic States grip on Anbar province has loosened this year as Iraqi security forces, backed by US airstrikes and Iranian-support Shiite militas, pressed an offensive in the western desert province. Ramadi, the provincial capital, fell to the Islamic State in May 2015, 10 months after the US initiated airstrikes against the group. The Iraqi military suffered a humiliating defeat after retreating from the government center, the Anbar Operations Command headquarters, and other major police and military installations in and around the city. Iraqi forces entered the center of Ramadi at the end of December 2015. Much of the city lies in rubble after months of heavy fighting and US airstrikes.

While the Islamic State has suffered losses in Anbar, it still controls Fallujah, the provinces second largest city located just 36 miles from Baghdad. In January 2014, Fallujah was the first Iraqi city to fall to the Islamic State (The Islamic State was know at that time as the Islamic State of Iraq, and was still loyal to al Qaeda). In eastern Anbar, Karma and Abu Ghraib are either contested or controlled by the Islamic State. The Iraqi military and supporting Shiite militias have announced numerous operations to retake Fallujah and surrounding areas, but each have failed.

In Western Anbar, the Islamic State remains in control of Al Qaim and the surrounding towns up to and including Anah, as well as the border crossing with Syria. Just across the border in Syria, the Islamic State also remains in control of Abu Kamal and a host of towns along the Euphrates River.

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.
Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here.
According to state law, fines, penalties, and license money shall be appropriated exclusively to the use and support of the common schools ... . An exception is fines for overloaded vehicles. Seventy-five percent of those funds go to state highways; 25 percent go to the county general fund where the fine or penalty is paid. Fifty percent of money forfeited or seized in enforcing drug laws goes to counties for drug enforcement. Vehicles seized in drug law cases may be used by law enforcement agencies or sold with the proceeds going to schools.

County Court

Traffic Sentences

Violeta Chavez, 50, 663 12th Ave., speeding, 80 mph in a 65 mph zone, $75 fine and $48 court costs.

Cary Jakubowski, 54, Howells, traffic signal violation, $75 fine and $48 court costs.

Dismell Palmer-Serpa, 23, Schuyler, speeding, 49 mph in a 35 mph zone, $75 fine and $48 court costs.

Jason Hake, 34, Creston, no valid registration, $25 fine and $48 court costs.

Alejandro Arce, 30, 6081 56th St., Lot 521, speeding, 76 mph in a 60 mph zone, $125 fine and $48 court costs.

Juan Aleman, 57, 3115 E. 26th St., traffic signal violation, $75 fine and $48 court costs.

Joyce Chappell, 51, Schuyler, failure to yield right of way, $25 fine and $48 court costs.

Jeronimo Jimenez, 19, 3194 E. Country Villa Road, traffic signal violation, $75 fine and $48 court costs.

Drew Schultz, 18, Duncan, speeding, 76 mph in a 60 mph zone, $75 fine and $48 court costs.

Ryan Freudenburg, 20, Madison, speeding, 45 mph in a 35 mph zone, $25 fine and $48 court costs.

Kirstie Koch, 22, Norfolk, speeding, 90 mph in a 65 mph zone, $200 fine and $48 court costs.

Marci Bunde, 43, 4001 E. Fifth St., speeding, 48 mph in a 35 mph zone, $75 fine and $48 court costs.

Rosendo Contreras, 32, 3502 17th St., speeding, 84 mph in a 55 mph zone, $200 fine and $48 court costs.

Yaciel Hernandez-Hernandez, 28, Grand Island, speeding, 80 mph in a 60 mph zone, $125 fine and $48 court costs.

Azucena Chavez-Ortiz, 37, 1871 18th Ave., careless driving, $100 fine and $48 court costs.

Alex Labenz, 27, Newman Grove, speeding, 70 mph in a 55 mph zone, $75 fine and $48 court costs.

Gary Bowman, 70, Smithville, Missouri, traffic signal violation, $75 fine and $48 court costs.

Makenna Cloeter, 18, 1858 Sunset Lane, speeding, 79 mph in a 65 mph zone, $75 fine and $48 court costs.

Francisco Cerras, 20, Richland, speeding, 66 mph in a 35 mph zone, $200 fine and $48 court costs.

Jessica Eichelberger, 26, 120 South Rose Lane, traffic signal violation and no operator's license, $150 fines and $48 court costs.

Criminal Sentences

William Garcia, 21, 1053 13th Ave., no proof of insurance, 127 days of probation and $49 court costs.

Marvin Hays Jr., 48, Clarks, driving under the influence, six months probation, $500 fine, operator's license revoked for 60 days, $149 restitution and $49 court costs.

Edward Jenkinson, 61, Monroe, third-offense driving under the influence, 90 days in jail, $1,000 fine, operator's license revoked for 15 years and $49 court costs.

Ashley Ladehoff, 31, 1671 23rd Ave., second-offense theft-shoplifting $0-$500, 75 days in jail, credit for 64 days already served, and $49 court costs; attempted theft by deception $0-$500, 30 days in jail and $49 court costs; and second-degree forgery, 30 days in jail and $49 court costs.

Jordon Parks, 18, 23920 265th St., criminal mischief $500-$1,500, 60 days in jail, credit for two days already served, $949.32 restitution and $49 court costs.

Ismael Ruiz, 25, 3011 22nd St., accessory to a Class IV felony, six months in jail, credit for 35 days already served, and $49 court costs.

Tyler Behnken, 30, 1461 22nd Ave., No. 2, assault by a confined person, 120 days in jail, credit for 17 days already served, and $49 court costs.

Ethan Vesely, 19, 2323 Pershing Road, No. 27, third-offense possession of K2 or marijuana-one ounce or less, seven days in jail, $500 fine and $49 court costs; possession of marijuana-one ounce to one pound, 10 days in jail and $49 court costs.

Kevin Finkral, 45, Humphrey, theft-unlawful taking $1,500-$5,000 and no operator's license, 40 days in jail, credit for 36 days already served, and $49 court costs.

District Court

Criminal Sentences

Timothy Kosch, 24, Platte County Detention Facility, second-offense resisting arrest and domestic assault, one year in jail, credit for 131 days already served, 12 months of post-release supervision and $49 court costs.

Ashley Ladehoff, 31, Platte County Detention Facility, attempted delivery of a controlled substance, two years probation and $49 court costs.

Brett Sperry, 25, 935 Lovers Lane, strangulation and domestic assault, four years in prison, credit for 139 days already served, 12 months of post-release supervision and $49 court costs.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Ambedkar and his Vision of Socialism

by Vivek Kumar Srivastava

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (April 14, 1891-December 6, 1956) was not a socialist in the typical term though he had an inclination towards evolutionary socialism; he developed his own ideas and emerged a socialist in his own way. He dissected the economic inequality and exploitation in an empirical manner. His socialism is innovative and indigenous as he analyses the exploitation of the people within the country with a social world approach. It is pragmatic, not dogmatic. It is humane, not violent.

He was an esteemed academic intellectual having earned the top qualifications from prestigious universities. He therefore looked at social problems from an academic perspective also; but to discover practical applicable solutions for these problems was his major aim. His socialism therefore is integrated with his efforts for practical social equalisation; but economic equalisation was a major prerequisite and a base in the whole of his ideational-philosophical approach which he employed for the study of Indian society.

Land reforms and taxation have always remained a critical issue in Indian political economy and agricultural society. He analysed levying of land taxes and found it to be discriminatory. During a Budget debate in the Bombay Legislative Council in 1927, he raised a relevant question. Every farmer, whatever may be his income, is brought under the levy of the land tax. But under the income-tax no person is called upon to pay the tax, if he has not earned any income during the year. That system does not exist as far as land revenue is concerned. Whether there is a failure of crop or abundance of crop, the poor agriculturist is called upon to pay the revenue. The income-tax is levied on the recognised principle of ability to pay. But under the land revenue system, a person is taxed at the same rate, whether he is the owner of one acre of land, or a jahagirdar or an inamdar. He has to pay the tax at the same rate. It is a proportionate tax and not a progressive tax as it ought to be. Again, under the income-tax, holders of income below a certain minimum are exempted from levy. But under the land revenue, the tax is remorselessly collected from every one, be he rich or poor.1

The Congress Ministry had come into power in Bombay on August 17, 1937 and had issued a statement on Labour Policy of the Government. Ambedkar examined it critically during the Budget debate and elaborated the concept of a social welfare state which was more extensive because he emphasised introduction of a social security system in the then colonial India. He stated that the government had accepted what are called the essential serviceseducation, public health, medical relief, and water supplythere are, by common standards now prevailing in all modern countries, other duties which the Government must undertake. These duties, are unemployment benefit, sickness insurance, old-age pensions, maternity benefits and premature death benefits to dependents. Therefore, we have got to start with this position that my Government who claims to have the reins of office in its hands must look upon these duties as part of their functions.2

He expanded the role of government in eradicating poverty, the major economic problem which had made India into a country of beggars and coolies. He knew that lower castes were poverty-stricken as they were deprived of the educational opportunities and social equality and were forced to live a life of destitute and servants. He defined the role of government by proclaiming that I do maintain, and I state it emphatically, that one of the principal duties of this Government must be to tackle the problem of poverty. The Government must see that they do adopt ways and means whereby the national income of this province (Bombay) rises to some substantial level, whereby the majority of the people can live in amenities which rightly belong to all modern and civilised men.3 Ambedkars understanding is pragmatic as he visualises a close link between the class structure and poverty, a fact which still dominates Indian society where lower-backward castes are still trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty. To break it he analysed several policy tools. For Ambedkar, taxation was not only a fiscal tool but a tool for economic equality as well for collecting the revenues for providing the basic amenities to the people.

He therefore emphasises that more taxes need to be imposed on the rich classes, because the poor man wants more and more. The rich man can afford to be independent of the Government. A rich man needs no school: he can keep a schoolmaster and give his son education up to B.A. or M.A. without sending him to school or college. A rich man needs no dispensary: he can call in a doctor, pay him Rs 30 and get himself, his wife and his children examined if suffering from any disease. It is the poor man who wants the Government to come to his succour; it is the poor man that needs more service. No Government worthy of its name, no Government with any sincerity, can tell the poor classes that it cannot provide these amenities because it has not the courage to levy taxes. The sooner such a Government abdicates the better for all.4

Socialism has several variants and multiple interpretations. Usually it is linked to the equalisation of wealth but has a deep meaning for the crisis-ridden social world. Ambedkar and Nehru looked at it from a social perspective, Nehru talked about providing equal opportunities to all the people as socialism but Ambedkar introduced the concept of equality of castes as an ingredient of socialism. He treated this aspect when he contrasted his views with Gandhi and inferred that the reorganisation of the Hindu Society on the basis of Chaturvarnya is harmful because the effect of the Varna vyavastha is to degrade the masses by denying them oppor-tunity to acquire knowledge and to emasculate them by denying them the right to be armed; that the Hindu society must be reorganised on a religious basis which would recognise the principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.5

Thus his social ideas touch the basic tenets of socialism which are common to all of its variants. Socialism focuses on the mundane world, there is no role of the divine order to establish the social world. This is a real and practical contribution of the doctrine of socialism and communism to human thought. Ambedkar too believed in the same manner. He stated that in order to achieve this object the sense of religious sanctity behind Caste and Varna must be destroyed; that the sanctity of Caste and Varna can be destroyed only by discarding the divine authority of the Shastras.6

Ambedkar thus established that social construction was the result of the human actions and the caste system was its glaring example. He thus differed from Marx who advocated that economic forces were the only causative factor in determining the social life. Karl Marx had presented the economic interpretation of history as the defining theory of human life. According to him history was the result of economic forces (and) as to Buckle and Marx, while there is truth in what they say, their views do not represent the whole truth. They are quite wrong in holding that impersonal forces are everything and that man is no factor in the making of history (and) this seems to me to be quite a conclusive answer to those who deny man any place in the making of history. The crisis can be met by the discovery of a new way. Where there is no new way found, society goes under. Time may suggest possible new ways. But to step on the right one is not the work of Time. It is the work of man. Man therefore is a factor in the making of history and that environmental forces whether impersonal or social if they are the first are not the last things.7

Ambedkar thus looks at the caste system as a social problem, a product of human thinking; illogically supported by rotten religious texts. Marxist analysis fails to explain this problem.

Ambedkar accepts that state and government are real entities for human development, rejecting the stateless society conception of Marx. He defined the socialist roles for these and accepted the establishment of equality and sovereignty of people their major work objective. He argues that a Government for the people, but not by the people, is sure to educate some into masters and others into subjects; because it is by the reflex effects of association that one can feel and measure the growth of personality. The growth of personality is the highest aim of society (and) to be specific, it is not enough to be electors only. It is necessary to be law-makers; otherwise who can be law-makers will be masters of those who can only be electors.8

Ambedkars ideas are reassertion of the socialist ideals but he takes a novel approach; he fuses socialism with the social evils of the Indian society and thereby expands its scope. Ambedkar is not a doctrinal Marxist or socialist. He evolves his own brand of socialism in which not only the economic aspects but also the social aspects are emphasised. This is his seminal contribution to the ideology of socialism.

References

1. B.L.C. Debates, Vol. XIX, February 24, 1927.

2. B.L.A. Debates, Vol. 3, March 2, 1938.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. A reply to the Mahatma by Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

6. A reply to the Mahatma by Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

7. Ranade, Gandhi and Jinnah, Address delivered on the 101st Birthday Celebration of Mahadeo Govind Ranade held on January 18, 1943 in the Gokhale Memorial Hall, Poona.

8. Evidence before the Southborough Committee on Franchise, Examined on: January 27, 1919.

(quoted primary references from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches Vol. 1 and 2).

Dr Vivek Kumar Srivastava is the Vice Chairman, CSSP, Kanpur. He can be contacted at e-mail: vpy1000[at]yahoo.co.in
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > The Kohinoor Story

A party which expects everyone to wear nationalism on ones sleeves made the most anti-national statement. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that the Kohinoor diamond was offered by Dalip Singh, Maharaja Ranjit Singhs son, to Lord Dalhousie and it belongs to Britain.

The angry comments following the statement made the party realise its mistake and it changed its stand abruptly. It said that the Kohinoor belonged to India and would be brought back through talks with the British.

The question is about the facts, not how London would feel. True, there are two factions within the BJP, one for bringing back the diamond and the other believing that the Kohinoor was a British possession. The party should know the facts and not say what one of its factions feels.

Lord Dalhousie, the Viceroy, was keen to please his masters, the East India Company and Queen Victoria. He also wanted to further his career. Dalip Singh, a minor, was under his charge because he was the Viceroy after the British had defeated the Sikhs to annex Punjab. Lord Dalhousie not only took Dalip Singh to Britain after converting him but also appropriated the Kohinoor as the possession of the British. He was so careful about the protection of the diamond that he did not take the usual Suez Canal route to London but went around South Africa, nearly twice the distance.

The Kohinoor was, no doubt, worth thousands of crores but it gave identity to India and, with it in possession, the authority. Ahmed Shah Abdali, one of our rulers, forcibly exchanged the turban with Nadir Shah when he came to know that the latter had tucked the Kohinoor under his turban.

Oblivious of all these facts, the BJP first washed its hands off from the Kohinoor. But when it faced spontaneous angry comments, it went back on its original stand. Even if the Kohinoor was offered to the Britishthe BJPs first standthe party must realise that the offer by the country which was Britains colony, meant nothing. It was not an offer of an elected government. The slave nations have no choice of their own.

I am, however, reminded of the discussion which I had initiated in the Rajya Sabha when I was its member in the late 1990s. After having vainly raised the issue with the British, when I was Indias High Commissioner, I thought Parliament would see the wrong done to the country.

The debate had hardly taken off when the then Foreign Minister, Jaswant Singh, requested me not to pursue the matter. I was aghast when he said that the debate on the Kohinoor could affect relations adversely between India and Great Britain. Till today, I have not been able to get the answer to my question: How?

Even according to a UNESCO resolution, all the artefacts obtained by the rulers during their governance should be returned to the original owners. New Delhi, for reasons best known to it, has not raised the matter citing the UNESCO resolution. A country, which had colonies, has reasons to be reluctant. Why should India which has been a colony itself have any hesitation?

In fact, the British Government had even questioned the ownership of the Kohinoor. It said that after the birth of Pakistan, the ownership of Kohinoor vested not only on India but on two countries: India and Pakistan. At London, one Foreign Office high-up had defended its decision not to return on the ground that the Kohinoor belonged to Pakistan. I told him that let them return it to Islamabad. It would at least come back to the subcontinent and then we shall take up the matter with them.

It is clear that the British have no intention of returning the diamond or, for that matter, tonnes of material stored in the basement of Victoria and Albert Museums at London. Though there was no response from England, France complied with the UNESCO resolution and gave up the relics which it had in their possession during their rule.

When the Nehru Corner was opened at London, I asked the curator how much of material from the basement they had put on display. Her reply was: five per cent. Even then the entire expense was borne by India. I requested her for the display of other possessions at the Indian Governments expense. She curtly said no. She also rejected my proposal that we display the material in the basement in our country at our own expense and then return them to the Museum. The material of India at the basement includes manuscripts, books, maps, posters and such other material. People of India may never see that material since the government is reluctant to take up the subject.

The British establishment must have prevailed upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to mention the Kohinoor during his official visit to the United Kingdom some time back. Otherwise, it is not understandable why he did not refer to the subject even once directly or indirectly.

The Modi Government should reopen the question of relics with London. This may embarrass the previous Congress Government for not having acted during its rule. But the countrys interest demands that what is part of its history when the events took place should be in India. The British establishment should appreciate the feelings of Indians.

The UK had done well not to display the Kohinoor in the yearly exhibition of diamonds. Probably it had dawned on the Cameron Government that every time the Kohinoor is put to public gaze there is a demand from India that it should be returned to it. And it once again confirmed the fact that the diamond actually belonged to India and that Lord Dalhousie had fraudulently taken it to London.

My impression is that when it comes to their empire, the British cannot be objective. There is pride, no humility, self-righteousness and no introspection. The British are proud, nostalgic but annoyingly patronising about their connection. The new generation should have been different and given a new message instead of plugging the same old line.

The author is a veteran journalist renowned not only in this country but also in our neighbouring states of Pakistan and Bangladesh where his columns are widely read. His website is www.kuldipnayar.com
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Reflections on Consent

[W]hen we abolish the slavery of half of humanity, together with the whole system of hypocrisy that it implies, then the division of humanity will reveal its genuine significance and the human couple will find its true form.  Simone de Beauvoir1

The age of consent in rape cases in India was raised from 16 years to 18 years through the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013. It led to many eyebrows being raised and not surpri-singly so since the global average of the age of consent still remains at 16 years and the legal age of marriage for girls in India is 18 years. Lack of consent is the basis on which rape is defined. Consent or the lack of it is the basis of judicial decisions in rape cases. Consent is a major legal issue in trafficking and sex work. As against traditional values, consent among partners in marriage is considered a must in the modern parlance. Today, we have also come to view moral policing of sex among consenting adults as intrusive and obnoxious. Consent, however, is not merely an issue of sexual consent. It can be considered a major gender issue with respect to decision-making within the family, especially concerning issues of reproduction in general, and pregnancy and contraception in particular. On Womens Day, 2015, Perspectives on Consent was aptly chosen as the topic for a panel discussion at the Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.

Perceptions of Sexual Consent

In the international discussions on sexual consent, there are now accepted principles that past consent is not an indicator of present consent and that consent to one kind of intimacy does not mean consent to other kinds of intimacies. The right against sexual harassment is conceptualised as a right to ones self-integrity. Sexual consent is an understudied and undertheorised concept despite its importance ....2 even in the West. Studies in the West in the heterosexual context point out that young adults use more nonverbal signals and cues during sexual encounters than verbal ones. The traditional sexual role for men has it that they should initiate sexual activity; verbally asking for consent is considered unromantic by men as well as women. On the other hand, women are [s]ocialised to be limit-setters of relationships and are more cautious and guarded about sexual consent as they are more likely to be victims if these situations turn coercive.3 Another empirical study points out that although there are possibilities for miscommunication of sexual consent, they are minimal since both men and women consider that direct refusal is an unambiguous signal. Thus, it is unlikely that miscommunication about consent is a major contributing factor to acquaintance rape. Miscommunication may, however, be used as an excuse for sexual aggression.4 Yet another study on sexual communication endorses this finding, Males and females ... do not differ significantly with regard to perceived consent or rape.5

In India, sexual harassment is viewed as a violation of the fundamental rights of gender equality under Article 14 and the fundamental right to life and personal liberty under Article 19 of the Constitution and the right against sexual harassment is visualised as a protec-tionist measure so as to ensure the right to equal participation as is implied in the legislative advances from the Vishaka vs. State of Rajasthan judgment in 1997 to the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013.

Empirical Evidence from Delhi

There has been an interesting empirical study on rape cases for the year 2013, conducted by TheHindu newspaper, in Delhi which is designated as the rape capital of the country. It dealt with all 583 cases during the year 2013 decided by Delhis district courtsthe first level at which rape cases are tried in India. Twenty per cent of the trials ended because the complainant did not appear or turned hostile. Of the remaining 460 cases fully tried, over 40 per cent dealt with consensual sex, usually involving young couples eloping and the girls parents subsequently charging the boy with rape. This was especially true for inter-caste and inter-religious couples. Another 25 per cent dealt with breach of promise to marry. Of the 162 remaining cases, men preying on little children in slums was the most common type of offence. These also included rare incidents of stranger rape cases such as the Nirbhaya case which were only 1/12 of the total number of cases.6

Going by this study, in an overwhelming 40 per cent of the cases fully tried, the mutual consent of the couple was overruled by the girls parents. These include many cases of teenage love often getting reported as rape thus curbing self-choice partnerships in our cruel and dysfunctional society. It is most unfortunate that with the raising of the age of consent in rape cases, the possibility of cases of teenage love getting reported as rape only go up. In cases of breach of promise to marry which constitute 25 per cent of the cases fully tried, the original consent from the woman, which is supposed to have been conditional, gets withdrawn with retrospective effect. Frankly I think this shouldnt be counted as rape. It comes from a patriarchal context, from the premium placed on a womans chastity. But if we want to talk of womens agency, we cannot have it both ways, says lawyer and leading womens rights activist Ms Vrinda Grover, reflecting a sentiment shared by several other womens rights lawyers.7 Following the Nirbhaya case of gangrape in Delhi in December 2012, a large number of cases of breach of promise to marry have been filed in the nearby Vasant Vihar Police Station by the girl students of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Light of Reason from the Courts

The Bombay High Court judgment by a woman judge, Mridula Bhatkar, in Mahesh Balkrishna Dandane vs State of Maharashtra 8has been very significant in such cases as mentioned above:Today the law acknowledges live-in relation-ship(s). The law also acknowledges a womans right to have sex, a womans right to be a mother or a womans right to say no to motherhood. A couple in love may be having sexual relationship and realise they are not compatible, and sometimes love between the parties is lost and their relationship dries gradually, then earlier physical contacts cannot be said as rape. A marriage cannot be imposed. Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code relating to rape applies to breach of promise to marry in cases of an uneducated poor girl being induced into a sexual relationship after promise of marriage or a man suppressing information on his first marriage to have sexual relations with a girl.

The aforementioned empirical evidence from Delhi shows that there is diversity in rape cases and in a majority of the cases studied, the charges have not been genuine. However, it is devastating for those falsely implicated of this most hated crime. In the police stations and jails, patriarchal justice is meted out to the rape accused from underprivileged backgrounds, often in the form of third degree torture. It is relatively easy for a woman to legally harass or trap a man in a false case but the streets and homes still remain unsafe places for women. Enlarging the scope for false cases, however, is clearly not a solution to this dilemma. Raising the age of consent could have the unfortunate consequence of enlarging the scope for girls parents to frame teenaged boys involved in consensual relationships. However, if so many false cases are allowed to crop up, how can women having genuine cases lodge them fearlessly? In recent times, courts have expressed disgust at the large number of false cases of rape and have coined the term, rape case survivors and even initiated perjury proceedings against those lodging false cases. Delhi High Court in 2013 expressed annoyance at rape cases being used as a weapon for vengeance and vendetta. This is not to deny that many a time, courts have demonstrated patriarchal attitudes in dealing with genuine charges of sexual violence.

Consent under the Brahminical Social System

Most of the panelists in the panel discussion at the CDS spoke of the power relations that operate in the process of generating consent: as social structures are imbued with power relations, there is inequality of power in relationships and consent is viewed with suspicion, as it may be induced. Neo-classical economists would speak of the problem of information asymmetry in this context. On the other hand, there was also the important argument that consent is not really something which is socially acceptable in Indian society and that it had to be given its rightful place. The gift of a daughter (by her father)9 in keeping with caste norms has been the accepted norm for marriage under the Brahminical social system of South Asia that overruled consent. Manusmriti denigrates relationships based on consent as based on mere infatuation, The voluntary union of a maiden and her lover one must know (to be) the Gandharva rite, which springs from desire and has sexual intercourse for its purpose.10

Another major dimension undermining consent was that historically, in the Brahminical social system of South Asia, the consent of women from the vast majority of the Dalit-bahujans (to use the term employed by Kancha Ilaiah) was taken for granted. These women were left vulnerable to sexual assaults of men from the privileged castes that is, the twice-born castes, as these were considered anuloma [sexual relations] that were permissible (though strongly discouraged as a folly and cause of degradation) in the Manusmriti.11 This historical fact could also explain the silence of mainstream feminists about sexual violence against women of underprivileged castes as they consider it a caste/class issue rather than a gender issue. On the other hand, our Smritis awarded the severest of punishments like the most painful death penalty to men of the Dalitbahujan castes even for minor sexual offences against a woman of twice-born castes, as it was considered a pratiloma [sexual relation] that was most offensive. Manusmriti (VIII: 374) rules, A Sudra who has intercourse with a woman of a twice-born caste (varna), guarded or unguarded, (shall be punished in the following manner): if she was unguarded, he loses the part (offending) and all his property; if she was guarded, everything (even his life). On the other hand, A Brahmana who approaches unguarded females (of the) Kshatriya or Vaisya (castes), or a Sudra female, shall be fined five hundred (panas); but (for intercourse with) a female (of the) lowest (castes), one thousand.12 In the Brahminical eugenics, such penalties could have been a means to prevent the confusion of the castes (varna)13 but if we consider the historically penurious status of the Dalitbahujan women in the social hierarchy, these penalties could have made little difference to their vulnerable condition.

The Brahminical social system fiercely guarded the honour of the women of privileged castes and as a result, a false sense of honour was instilled into their minds. Bheems ravages against Duhsasana whose chest was ripped apart and against Jarasandha who was torn apart by his legs were supposed to have been done for the sake of the honour of Draupadi. These images being so well embedded in popular culture, we also come across the Draupadi-brand feminism even today invoking the excesses of patriarchal justice. A fundamental shift from the historically hegemonic norm of anulomas and pratilomas14 has not taken place despite the arrival of top-down transformations through colonial modernity and a liberal democratic state on the one hand and bottom-up transformations through social and political movements on the other.

Mainstream feminism in India gives a lot of emphasis to sexual self-determination entailing control over ones body and would be averse to a casteist reading of the gender issue. Although this argument rightly opposes a reduction of gender issues to a caste angle, it overlooks the crucial fact that majority of the women in India who hail from the Dalitbahujan castes did not, historically, have control over their bodies as men from the privileged castes had almost unhindered access to their bodies.

As a concluding note, it is agreed that genuine consent is possible only in a society where substantive equality exists. This, in turn, is a powerful argument in favour of socialist feminism. The struggle for socialism is bound to be a protracted one, given the contemporary world scenario. In the interim period, if we are to move towards the goal of democratic gender relationships, it is very important to give consent its due place in a society such as ours where as of now consent is not a socially accepted norm and measures like raising the age of consent thus criminalising teenage love, is quite contrary to achieving this end. Relationships based on consent are gaining ever greater legitimacy in India today. In this social context, enlarging the scope for false cases of rape whether from the girls parents or from women themselves can, by no means, be a solution to making the streets and homes safer places for women. It also needs to be added that in contrast to the international context, the crucial specificity of legal permissiveness to anuloma sexual relations and violent prohibition of pratiloma sexual relations under the Brahminical patriarchy cannot be overlooked in any discussion on consent in our country.

[The author thanks the panelists, especially, T.K. Sundari, J. Devika, and A.S. Ray and the participants in the discussion, Perspectives on Consent held at the CDS on the Womens Day 2015.

He also thanks Mythri Prasad for critical comments on an earlier draft.]

End-notes

1 Simone de Beauvoir, 1993: The Second Sex, David Campbell Publishers Ltd., London, first pub. 1949, p. 767.

2 Melanie A. Beres, 2007: Spontaneous Sexual Consent: An Analysis of Sexual Consent Literature,

Feminism and Psychology, vol. 17, no. 1, February, pp. 93-108.

3 Terry Humphreys, 2007: Perceptions of Sexual Consent: The Impact of Relationship History and Gender, Journal of Sex Research, vol. 44, no. 4, December, pp. 307-15.

4 Susan E. Hickman and Charlene L. Muehlenhard, 1999: By the Semi-Mystical Appearance of a Condom: How Young Women and Men Communicate Sexual Consent in Heterosexual Situations, Journal of Sex Research, vol. 36, no. 3, August, pp. 258-272.

5 Grace Y. Lima and Michael E. Roloff, 1999: Attributing sexual consent, Journal of Applied Communication Research, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 1-23.

6 Rukmini S., 2014: The many shades of rape cases in Delhi, The Hindu, July 29-31.

7 Rukmini S., 2014.

8 Bombay High Court, Criminal Anticipatory Bail Application no. 27 of 2014.

9 Manusmriti: The Laws of Manu (1500 BC) translated by G. Buhler http://sanskritdocuments.org/all_pdf/manusmriti.pdf, III: 28-30.

10 Manusmriti, III: 32.

11 Manusmriti (III: 15) says: Twice-born men who, in their folly, wed wives of the low (Sudra) caste, soon degrade their families and their children to the state of Sudras.

12 Manusmriti, VIII: 385.

13 Manusmriti, VIII: 172, IX: 67, X: 12, 24, 40.

14 Manusmriti, X: 25.

The author is an independent researcher resident at the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Thiruvananthapuram.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > On Politics in West Bengal

West Bengal is witnessing Assembly elections in a novel perspective. The CPI-M-Congress alliance is the main contender of the TMC in the present elections. Rather than making a critique of their past deeds, the CPI-M has left no stone unturned in forging an alliance with the Congress for electoral gains. Other than ousting the Mamata Banerjee-led government, the CPI-M has not offered any substantial argument in support of the alliance. The most blatant thing they did was to give the pre-alliance call of making padayatra from Singur to Salboni in support of industrialisation in West Bengal. Even a man in the street knows the state violence associated with the indus-trialisation drive of the Left Front Government in the two above-mentioned regions. The agenda of industrialisation promised by the Left testifies that they still support the neo-liberal paradigm of industrialisation, which played a big role in the demise of the more than the three-decade-long rule of the Left Front Government in West Bengal.

The proponents of the Left-Congress alliance cite criminalisation of the public sphere and politicisation of the police as two major pillars of the paradigm of governance pursued by the TMC Government. To speak the truth, both the Congress and the CPI-M were the architects of this paradigm of governance in their respective years of rule in West Bengal.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > CPM in West Bengal: A Moment of Truth

From N.C.s Writings

Now that elections to the West Bengal State Assembly are in full swing, it is a moment of truth for the present ruling party there, the Trinamul Congress, led by CM Mamata Banerji. It is thus instructive to ponder over what N.C. had written about the erstwhile ruling party in the State, the CPI-M, headed by the late CM, Jyoti Basu, and its functioning more those 25 years ago. Incidentally, the same CPI-M now has an electoral understanding with the Congress, reportedly forged under popular pressure, to oust the Trinamul Congress from power in West Bengal and prevent the BJP from exploiting the anti-incumbency factor to its benefit.

CPM in West Bengal: A Moment of Truth

Its time to pause and ponder for the CPI-M in West Bengal. I would not use the hackneyed cliche of self-criticismmuch abused in Communist circles. It has been shown up as a means to force a sort of confession in Catholic terms. Whats wanted is self-introspection. Let the leaders of the Left, particularly the wise and the perceptive, think over whats happening and how to get back to the road to a purposeful future.

I happened to be in Calcutta on the day of the Congress-I called bandh on August 16, 1990. For quite sometime past, the Congress-I leaders in West Bengal, reduced to a state of ramshackle for various reasons, were striving hard to activate their ranks and thereby keep the party going. Their main fare has been the discontent and hardship of the people as a result of the rising prices. A natural occupation for a party in Opposition in search of an agenda. Inevitably, there was a touch of rowdyism, but that has been the tradition of West Bengal politics and the Left in its turn was not immune from it in the past. As a crescendo of that agitation came the Congress-I call for the bandh on August 16. It was concentrated in Calcutta though the call extended to the districts of West Bengal as well.

What brought into the limelight was the CPI-Ms decision to pick up the gauntlet. So long it was just an Opposition agitation against the government, but once the CPI-M challenge came it was made into a trial of strength, a prestige issue. Some of the more aggressive CPI-M leaders threatened to bring their cadres out on the street to confront the Congress-I and to see that the bandh failed, that the Congress-I failed to bring about a standstill to normal life. Some of the Left allies of the CPI-M objected to such a move as they feared this would lead to clashes which would not help the mass movement at all. But the CPI-M leaders persisted.

What surprised everybody was the stand of Chief Minister Jyoti Basu. At first he was understood to be in favour of tackling the Congress bandh by administrative measures, whats called the law-and-order machinery. But to the surprise of all, Jyoti Basu changed his position and came out with the statement that our boys would come out and deal with the Congress bandh. From that point, it became a case of angry confrontation.

Many theories are current in Calcutta about this angry stance of the Chief Minister, and most of the speculations I picked up was from circles close to the CPI-M, from the partys fellow-travellers and those who naturally vote for it. There was one theory that Basu was fed up with the Congress-I rowdyism and felt that enough was enough and the Congress-I agitators must be put on their placerather unlikely for a Chief Minister known to be unruffled, a sort of an elder figure in West Bengal politics. The other theory is that he found some of his party colleaguesthose holding the apparatusitching for a showdown and Basu conceded to their clamour.

And so the CPI-M cadres were ordered to come out on the street and foil the Congress-I call for the bandh. What was the upshot? The trams and buses were ordered to run. Government offices were kept open, the CPI-M cadres, with Red Flag in hand at street corners, standing alongwith police pickets. But the streets were deserted, the buses and trams were empty and even the Government Secretariat could hardly function. From the point of view of rallying the public to defeat the bandh, it did not succeed at all. Even the Police Commissioner of Calcuttano friend of the Congress-I, rather conscious of the need not rub the ruling party up the wrong waystated that the bandh was complete. Whatever little I could see, I was convinced that in terms of cessation of public activity (which is what a bandh is all about), it was a complete success, and one has to acknowledge that in my 47 years as a reporter, I have seen not a few hartals, strikes and bandhs. It is to be noted that some of the Left parties, the CPI and the RSP in particular, as also individual Left leaders, frankly acknow-ledged that the bandh was complete.

How does one account for this bandh which was a demonstration against a government which has an overwhelming majority in the legislature ruling the State for 12 long years and has at its back a well-knit ruling party? Jyoti Basu has observed that the poor turnout at places of work has been due to the fear psychosis created by the Congress-I agitation. No doubt a good number of people did not come out because of the fear of violent clashes. It would, however, be a half-truth to say that this fear of large-scale violence became widespread when it was known that the CPI-M cadres would be out on the streets to settle scores. Let us be frank about it, the CPI-M boys are not known as docile Gandhian satyagrahis and so the fear of violent clashes was not surprising. This was borne out by what actually happened on the bandh day. Particularly the incident in which the Congress-I leader, Mamata Banerjee, was the target of the murderous assault by the CPI-M boys. The press photographers bear out the identity of these boys, and one of them found to be rushing to attack her with a rod happened to be a Calcutta party activists brother, notorious for his strong-arm methods in his locality, particularly during election seasons. So, the Chief Ministers diagnosis of a fear psychosis has to be taken in its totality, embracing the record of the two sides in confrontation, and not of one side alone.

More importantly, the poor turn-out on the bandh day has brought into sharp relief the fact that the CPI-M, despite its challenge, could not mobilise the public to come out in the street and chase away the Congress-I agitators. If the CPI-M leaders constant claim that the people were on their side were true, then there was no reason why the CPI-M could not mobilise against the Congress-I agitation a large section of the publicthe huge numbers who generally come to their meetings to hear Jyoti Basu. It needs to be noted that despite a very powerful employees union movement under the CPI-Ms control, the office staff, both government and non-govern-ment, hardly came.

It is this conspicuous public apathy, bordering on sulkiness, about the CPI-M-led governments challenge that is the most significant factor in the entire episode. It was not just a case of rising prices that has created annoyance, because the State Government on its own is not responsible for the rising prices, and the CPI-M leaders could have been spared any blame for it. What has been annoying to the public is that in the matter of the public distribution system, whether it was kerosene or edible oil or rice, there has grown an entire network of party favourites, and everything is sought to be managed through the party channels. Apart from the narrow sectarian approach involved in such functioning, there is no gainsaying that corruption has entered into it which can hardly be overlooked.

There is resentment at the steep rise in bus and tram fares. Apart from the fact that it was the CPI-M which in the past had campaigned against such a fare-hike when it was in the Opposition, the public is also resentful of the fact very widely known that the transport sector of the State Government is riddled with mismanagement and it was but natural that corruption should enter it. Far from coming anywhere near Bombays BEST in efficiency and service, the West Bengal transport system comes out way down in the list when compared to counterpart bodies in other States. The excess of manpower and enormity of idle capacity is just appalling in West Bengal.

The biggest public resentment is over the chronic power shortage in West Bengal. When the Left from came to power in 1977, it ascribed all the ills of the power sector to what it had inherited from the Congress Government: it was given out that because the power plants had been recklessly used during the Emergency, there was dislocation in the plants and it would take a little time to sort them out. Next came the Chief Ministers much publicised visit to the UK in search of gas turbine to augment power supply. But little was heard later about that adventure. After 12 years, what is the West Bengal Governments record on this score? Not only has the power shortage continued but it is becoming worse and worse and today the government has cast away any pretence of holding out any hopes of improvement. Rather the State Power Minister has recently said that this year the loadshedding would be heavier during the Puja festival days than last yearand he said this without any sign of worry. Not even a serious diagnosis is made of what has gone wrong, why less than 40 per cent of the installed capacity is utilised. Even the bluff that the city consumer is denied power because of industrial growth no longer works. It is a scandalous situationperhaps the biggest blot for any State Government since independence that it has not been able to meet the power demands of the State even after having been in office for 12 long years.

All these have their cumulative effect on the public mind. Nobody denies that the Congress-I is a discredited outfit in West Bengal. But this by no means indicates a growing swing to the Left. Rather there is not only disenchantment but rumblings of discontent at the ground level. In this context, a ruling party can gain if is displays humility and an eagerness to interact with all, to listen to criticisms and patiently respond to even its adversaries. But the CPI-M leaders seem to take the position that if one is not with them, then he or she must be regarded as being against them. There is no spirit of give-and-take. The public in West Bengal still took upto Jyoti Basu, and it is for him to see that his party pulls itself out of the morass of intolerance in which it is fast getting bogged. A moment of truth.

(Mainstream, August 25, 1990)
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Report of Fact Finding Team of Editors Guild of India on Attacks on Media (...)

DOCUMENT

The Team:

1. Prakash Dubey, General Secretary

2. Seema Chishti, Executive Committee Member

3. Vinod Verma, Executive Committee Member

Places of Travel:

Jagdalpur, Bastar and Raipur.

Dates of Travel:

March 13 to 15, 2016.

Terms of reference:

To verify and assess:

 Recent reports of the arrests of journalists in Chhattisgarh;

 The threats and challenges faced by journalists in the State;

 The challenges to the profession of journalism.

Summary

The Bastar division of Chhattisgarh State is fast becoming a conflict zone. There is a constant battle on between the security forces and the Maoists. Journalists, caught in the middle, are under attack by both the state and non-state actors. Several incidents have been reported over the past few months of attacks on journalists. At least two, according to the reports, were arrested and imprisoned and others threatened and intimidated to a point where they had to leave Bastar for fear of their lives. The residence of at least one journalist, according to the information, was also attacked.

The Editors Guild of India constituted a three- member Fact Finding Team to look into these reported incidents. Since Seema Chishti was unable to travel, Prakash Dubey and Vinod Verma travelled to Raipur/Jagdalpur on of March 13, 14 and 15, 2016.

The fact finding committee members met a number of journalists and government officials in Jagdalpur. In Raipur the team met Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh and all top officials of the State, several Editors and some senior journalists.

The team recorded the statements of journa-lists Malini Subramaniam and Alok Putul. It also visited the Central Jail to meet journalist Santosh Yadav.

The fact finding team came to the conclusion that the media reports of threats to journalists are true. The media in Chhattisgarh is working under tremendous pressure. In Jagdalpur and the remote tribal areas the journalists find it even more difficult to gather and disseminate news. There is pressure from the State adminis-tration, especially the police, on journalists to write what they want or not to publish reports that the administration sees as hostile. There is pressure from Maoists as well on the journalists working in the area.

There is a general perception that every single journalist is under the government scanner and all their activities are under surveillance. They hesitate to discuss anything over the phone because, as they say, the police is listening to every word we speak. Several senior journalists confirmed that a controversial citizens group, Samajik Ekta Manch, is funded and run by the police headquarters in Bastar. According to them, it is a reincarnation of Salwa Judum.

Challenges to Journalists: Some Cases

Challenges of writing for the newspapers are not new in the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh. A journalist, Premraj, who was representing the Deshbandhu newspaper in Kanker, was booked under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activity (Prevention) Act (TADA) in the year 1991-92 when the undivided Madhya Pradesh State was ruled by the BJP. He was charged with being close to the Maoists. He was later acquitted by the courts for want of evidence.

In December 2013, a rural journalist, Sai Reddy, was killed by the rebels in a village near Bijapur. According to the police, a group of Maoists attacked him with sharp edged-weapons near the market and fled from the spot.

Bastar Journalist Association President S. Karimuddin told the fact finding team that in the year 2008, Sai Reddy was arrested by the police and kept in jail under the controversial Chhattisgarh Special Security Act, accusing him of having links with the Maoists. On the other hand, the Maoists suspected him to be loyal to the security forces and set his house ablaze and killed him later.

In February, 2013 one more rural journalist, Nemi Chand Jain, was also killed by the rebels in Sukma. Rebels were under the impression that he was passing messages to the security forces. Fortyfive days after his murder, the Maoists apologised for his killing.

Last year, in 2015, police arrested two news- persons under the same controversial law for allegedly having connections with the Maoists. One of them, Santosh Yadav, was arrested in September. He was a stringer for at least two Raipur based newspapers, Navbharat and Dainik Chhattisgarh. The editors of both the newspapers have owned the journalist. The fact finding team met Santosh Yadav in the Jagdalpur Central Jail, where he said that he is also suspected by both the sides of being close to the other side.

A second journalist, Somaru Nag, was arrested in July, 2015. He was also a stringer and news agent for a Raipur based newspaper, but that newspaper never came forward to own him as their employee.

Charge-sheets in both the cases have been filed and the matter is pending in the courts.

On February 8, 2016, the residence of Malini Subramaniam was attacked by some unidenti-fied people. She is a contributor for Scroll.in and the former head of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC). As Malini told the fact finding team, her house was attacked in the early hours of the morning. Malini found stones scattered around her Jagdalpur residence and the window of her car shattered. According to her, around 20 men gathered around her house a few hours before the attack, shouting slogans like Naxali Samarthak Bastar Chhoro, Malini Subramaniam Murdabad. She suspected that the same people must have been involved in the attack. According to the local administration, her writing is one-sided and she always sympathises with the Maoists .

The same allegation was made by the Samajik Ekta Manch. According to the local adminis-tration, the Manch is being run by citizens opposed to the Maoists. However, the journalists in Jagdalpur and Raipur said that it was supported and financed by the police. A few of them said that the Inspector General of Police, S.R.P. Kalluri, is directly involved in this.

The latest case was reported by the BBC Hindi journalist, Alok Putul, who was forced to leave Bastar after he received threats. According to his statement, recorded by the FFT (fact finding team), before these threats Alok received messages from the IG and SP who refused to meet him maintaining that they preferred to deal with nationalist and patriotic journalists.

Fear Factors

The FFT could not find a single journalist who could claim with confidence that he/she was working without fear or pressure. The journa-lists posted in Bastar and the journalists working in Raipurall of them spoke of pressure from both sides. They said that the journalists have to work between the security forces and Maoists, and both sides do not trust journalists at all.

All of them complained about their phone- calls being tapped by the administration, and being kept under undeclared surveillance. The government officials categorically denied these charges. Principal Secretary (Home) B.V.K. Sumbramiam said: I have to sanction every single request for surveillance and I can say this with authority that no government department has been authorised to tap phone calls of any of the journalists.

The journalists posted in Bastar said that they cannot dare to travel to the conflict zone to report because they cannot report the facts on the ground. Although the Collector, Jagdalpur, Amit Kataria, told the fact finding team that the whole of Bastar is now open for everyone, including journalists.

The President of the Divisional Journalists Association of Bastar, S. Karimuddin, said: I have not visited any place outside Jagdalpur for the last six years, simply because I am not supposed to write the truth and if one cannot write what one sees, then there is no point going out to gather information. He represents the UNI in Bastar for more than three decades.

A similar claim was made by the Editor of a local newspaper, Dilshad Niyazi, who said that he had not visited the neighbouring district of Bijapur for the last eight years out of fear. Another senior local journalist, Hemant Kashyap, well-travelled in the area, said he knew Bastar like the back of his hand but that now journalists had stopped travelling. All the journalists have now stopped going inside the forests because of the fear of police as well as Maoists, he said. Now we ask Maoist organi-sations to send photographs and press releases. We publish them as we receive them because we dont want to explain every single line we are writing to them. Similarly the police expect us to publish its version; so most of the journalists print their press releases as well without asking any questions, Kashyap said.

Malini Subramaniam told the FFT that even if someone dares to go out to gather information, one is not supposed to talk to the people. She said: Police officials expect journalists to believe and publish whatever they claim. They dont like it if someone wants to walk an extra mile for finding the facts. In one case of surrender, when I tried talking to a couple of people, they asked me to identify the persons I wished to talk and then they briefed them before I could reach them.

The fact finding team found that this fear is not confined to the tribal areas only, but is there in the capital city Raipur too, 280 kilometres away from Jagdalpur. All the reporters working in Raipur also said that their telephones were tapped. Some of them shared incidents that confirmed this. A very senior journalist, who is considered to have a cordial relationship with the Raman Singh Government, said: No one is spared, not even me. They have been tapping my phone calls too. Government officials denied this charge as reported earlier and claimed that not a single journalist is under surveillance. They said that there was a perception gap and they would try to change this.

Chief Editor of an old and reputed newspaper Lalit Surjan said that it had become extremely difficult for a journalist to do his/her job. During his meeting with the FFT, he said: If you want to analyse anything independently, you cannot do it because they can question your intentions and can ask bluntly, Are you with the government or with the Maoists? He admitted that this problem was not only with the govern-ment, but also with the Maoists. He said: Both sides feel that what you are writing is wrong.

Surjan said that it was becoming increasingly difficult to work in areas like Bastar as the journalists cannot avoid meeting Maoists, and the government is not prepared to give them even the benefit of doubt. The government should respect democratic rights and should give benefit of doubt to the journalists, he said. He questioned the arrest of the two journalists, Santosh Yadav and Somaru Nag, and remembered Sai Reddy, who was killed by the Naxals, as a fine reporter.

Challenges faced by Journalism

A journalist working in Bastar expects to be asked: Which side of journalism? This question appears a bit odd but in Bastar it comes naturally. As the local journalists put it, there are three categories of journalists in Bastar:

1. Pro-government, 2. Not so pro-government, and 3. Pro Maoists or Maoist sympathisers.

The FFT found that there are nearly 125 journalists working in Jagdalpur alone. They can be divided in four categories:

Journalist by profession: There are only a few in this category. They are generally represen-tatives of the newspapers published from Raipur. Some newspapers have editions in Bastar; so heads of those editions can also be counted in this category. Journalists of this category are on the pay roll of the newspaper or news agency.

Part-time journalists: Dozens of journalists belong to this category in Jagdalpur (or in other cities of tribal division of Bastar). Journalism is not their main occupation. They have to take government contracts, work as builders or property dealers, traders, hoteliers or directors of NGOs etc. Apart from their business interests they have become printers and publishers of a newspaper or a periodical magazine, work as correspondent of some unknown or little known publication. Journalism is not their principal vocation. So-called journalists of this category did not seem to be at all concerned about the salary they received from the publication they were working for, they dont bother about the circulation of the publication they own and are least bothered about the reputation of the same. Their money comes from somewhere else. The fact finding team was told that many of them use journalistic influence for getting business, government contract, advertisements and some- time extortion money from government officials and businessmen. Most of the time they are pro- government for obvious reasons and senior journalists sitting in Raipur introduce/identify them as journalists on the government pay roll. Since corruption is rampant in Bastar, they are earning more money for not publishing a news item, than for publishing it. In a conflict zone like Bastar, they are the favourites of the local police and other officials.

Stringers and Newsagents: They are the backbone of journalism in Bastar. Posted in remote areas of the conflict zone known as stringers, newsagents or even hawkers. They collect news and send it to the Jagdalpur bureau or to the head office directly. They dont have any formal appointment with the newspaper nor do they get remuneration for their work. They get a letter from the newspapers or news agencies they represent that authorises them to collect news and advertisements. Some might have been issued a press card that the organi-sation rarely bothers to renew after it has expired. To the surprise of the FFT many of the stringers in the remote areas are carrying a press card issued by some national television channels too. Their money either comes from advertisement commission or from some other business they are involved in. In case of television sometimes they get paid if the video footage is used, but it happens very rarely and the payment is very low.

Visiting Journalists: They are the journalists representing national or international media. They come from either Raipur, where they are generally posted or from the head offices like Delhi and Mumbai. Police and local adminis-tration dislike them the most because they ask many questions, insist on getting the facts and try to visit the affected areas. They are generally seen as Maoist sympathisers or pro-Maoists.

As one senior editor in Raipur puts it, their reports seem pro-Maoist because they go inside and talk to the people and anything coming from the people usually contradicts the govern-ments version and hence it is labelled as pro-Maoist or anti-government. The problem with this lot is, they cannot stay for a long time in Bastar; so their reportage is not sustained. Secondly, they come with an assignment and they end up looking for a particular story. Third, they cannot access most of Bastar because they are not allowed to visit many parts of the tribal areas, on the ground that it is not safe. Four, they dont understand the local language/dialact and hence are dependent on what the interpreter is telling them. It could be a local journalist from the above described category no. 2. There are some exceptions like Scroll contributor Malini Subramaniam who was staying in Jagdalpur and visiting remote places for gathering news, but she could not stay there for a long time for obvious reasons.

Language and Class

There are only a few journalists who can understand the language/dialect the tribal people speak, whether it is Gondi or Halbi or some other dialect. There is not a single full-time journalist who comes from one the tribes. Most of the journalists belong to a different class and speak some other language. Their mother tongue could be Chhattisgarhi, Marwari, Hindi, Telugu, Bangla or Hindi but not the one in which local villagers speak. Language constraints are a problem.

Difficult Terrain

A major part of the conflict zone is in Abujhmarh, which means unknown hills. It is a hilly forest area which is home for many tribes. The population in this area is very thin. According to the 2011 census, Indias average population density is 382 persons per square kilometres but in this part of the country the population density is 10 persons only. Then it is one of those areas of the country where Malaria is common. Because it is also the so- called liberated zone of the Maoists, it is very difficult to go inside the jungle to gather reports.

Governments Response

The FFT met Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Dr Raman Singh at his residence. All top bureaucrats of the State were also present in the meeting. Editors Guilds Executive Committee member Ruchir Garg and editor of a local daily, Sunil Kumar, were also present in the meeting.

The Chief Minister said that he is aware of most of the incidents and he is concerned about them. He said that his government is in favour of a free and fair media. He informed the fact finding team that after the controversy over the arrest of journalist Santosh Yadav he had called a meeting of top officials and some editors and formed a monitoring committee which will be consulted for any cases related to the media and journalists.

About the phone-tapping and surveillance allegations, the Principal Secretary (Home) assured the team that he is the authority for sanctioning surveillance and he could say that not a single journalist is under surveillance. The Principal Secretary to the CM admitted that there is a perception gap and said it was the governments responsibility to change this perception.

The attitude of Bastar IG S.R.P. Kalluri towards the press also came up in the meeting. The CM instructed the officials that the behaviour of one officer should not take away all the credit of the good job the government is doing in the Maoist area. Some senior police official with credibility should be authorised to talk to the press, he said. Principal Secretary (Home) should visit Jagdalpur and interact with the media, the Chief Minister instructed.

CM Dr Singh assured the FFT that his government has no prejudice against anyone and he will personally take all necessary steps required to make the media free of any kind of fear.

Samajik Ekta Manch

This is an informal but controversial organi-sation in Jagdalpur. The administration calls it a citizens forum and claims that people from all walks of life are members of this organisation. The Collector of Jagdalpur, Amit Kataria, said that many religious organisations are also part of it and they are against the Maoists. But many journalists call it the urban version of Salwa Judum. They, however, did not want to oppose it openly. They said off the record that the Manch is sponsored by the police and it takes its orders from the police headquarters.

The FFT met one of the coordinators of this organisation, Subba Rao, to understand the working of the Samajik Ekta Manch. He introduced himself as the editor of two dailies, one morninger and the other published in the evening. When asked whether his main occupation is journalism, Subba Rao was candid enough to explain that he is basically a civil contractor and he is working on some govern-ment contracts. The FFT met more than a dozen journalists in Jagdalpur, but he was the only (so-called) journalist who claimed that he had never experienced any pressure from the administration.

His statements about the arrested journalists were the same as the administrations. He termed Santosh Yadav and Somaru Nag as informers for the Maoists. He said that what Malini Subramaniam was reporting was very biased. Malini was glorifying Maoists and painting a picture of police like exploiters, he said. He denied that the Samajik Ekta Manch was behind the attack at Malinis residence.

Cases and the Findings

Santosh Yadav/ Somaru Nag

Santosh was arrested by the police on September 29, 2015. The police charged him for working as a courier for the Maoists and taking money from them. Government officials claim that Santosh Yadav is not a journalist and they dont know which newspaper he was working for. The FFT met Santosh Yadav in the Central Jail in Jagdalpur and discussed the case with him. He claimed that he had been working for at least two newspapers, Navbharat and Chhattisgarh. (Editors of both the newspapers confirmed that Santosh Yadav was working for them and they own him as a journalist working for their newspapers.)

Santosh Yadav admitted that he had been attending calls from the Maoist leaders because of the nature of his job but he had never passed any information to them. He also admitted that he had been occasionally dropping packets between Darbha and Jagdalpur. Sometimes it was bundle of newspapers or magazines and sometimes some other papers he did not know anything about. He said that anyone who lives in a remote area of conflict zone cannot risk his life by refusing the Maoists to carry a bundle of papers from one place to another.

The Chief Editor of the newspaper group the Deshbandhu, Lalit Surjan, said during his discussion with the fact finding team: Santosh Yadav and many other journalists working in the remote area of Bastar should be given the benefit of doubt because they have been talking to Maoists as part of their job. They dont have any choice. He said that journalists of those remote areas are also talking to the police as part of their job and become victims of Maoist anger.

Santosh Yadav told the FFT that he had been given money by a senior police officer and he was expected to pass information about the Maoists movements around the area, but did not do so. He claimed that after some news items published in the newspapers, he was called by the local police station and tortured for three days. Somaru Nag was also arrested last year. He was basically a newspaper agent for a newspaper and also gathering news for the same. But the newspaper doesnt own him now. The charges are the same for him too.

Malini Subramaniam

Malini is a contributor for the website the Scroll.in. She was living in Jagdalpur and collecting news for the website. She was working for the Scroll for nearly one year. Before that she was the head of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC). She was first threatened by a group of people, then her house was attacked in the wee hours of February 8, 2016. Then she was compelled to vacate her rented accommo-dation in Jagdalpur.

When the team was in Jagdalpur she was in Hyderabad. The FFT discussed the case with her over the phone. The local authorities claim that they were not aware that someone is contri-buting for the Scroll from Jagdalpur. As the collector of Jagdalpur put it, which is not even mainstream media.

Local journalists say that even they were not aware that Malini Subramaniam was writing for Scroll before the whole controversy came up. Malini admitted that she never bothered to enroll herself as a journalist with the local governments Public Relations Department, as she was not covering day-to-day events.

The government officials admit that they are not happy with Malinis writing because it is always one-sided and sympathises with the Maoists. The Collector of Jagdalpur, Amit Kataria, told the FFT: Even her questions in the press conferences used to be pro-Maoist. Malini, in her testimony to the FFT, denied this and said: Despite my limitations, I have been travelling to remote areas, meeting local people and writing about them. That is something the police dont want any journalist to do. They want journalists to write what they say or what their press releases say. (Malini told the team that when she was trying to meet some tribal people, the police objected to it and they picked up a couple of tribal people, briefed them first, and then only did the police allow her to interact with them.)

Malini said that the objection to her writings came from a newly formed organisation, Samajik Ekta Manch. Her impression is that this organisation is supported by the local police and they take orders from the police only. She told the team that during the day a few dozen people gathered in front of her house and shouted slogans against her and then after mid-night her house was attacked.

The fact finding team asked many govern-ment officials if they have issued any denial or contradiction notice against the Scroll report; the answer was negative. Malini said that the local police is becoming intolerant and doesnt want any voice of dissent to be present in Bastar.

Alok Putul

He is a contributor for the BBC Hindi from Chhattisgarh. He was in Bastar for gathering news and was trying to meet the Bastar IG, S.R.P. Kalluri, and SP, Narayan Das. After many attempts he received this reply from the IG: Your reporting is highly prejudiced and biased. There is no point in wasting my time in journalists like you. I have a nationalist and patriotic section of the media and press which staunchly supports me. I would rather spend time with them. Thanks.

The SP sent a similar message: Hi, Alok, I have lot of things to do for the cause of nation. I have no time for journalists like you who report in biased way. Do not wait for me. In his testimony before the team, Alok Putul explained that this message was unexpected from the police officers from whom he was trying to take their quotes on the Naxal surrender and law and order situation story he was trying to do.

As Alok explains, This message was the beginning. After these messages, one local person, known to me, came and advised me to leave the area as some people were looking for me. Initially I was taking it lightly and travelled to another area; there one more person came to me to give me the same information. Then I had no other choice but to leave the area imme-diately.

Alok told the FTT: The first thing I did was to inform the BBC office in Delhi and some journalist friends in Raipur and then I came back to Raipur. The Jagdalpur Collector, Amit Kataria, when asked about this by the team, laughed and then said: There was some communication gap between Alok Putul and IG, nothing else. After several messages and phone calls, the team could not get a chance to meet the IG, S.R.P. Kalluri. When the team left Delhi, he had assured that he would give an appointment, but stopped responding when the FTT reached there.

Conclusions

1. Santosh Yadav is a journalist and he has been writing for at least two newspapers of Raipur. Both the newspapers have owned him. So the governments claim that he is not a journalist is baseless.

2. Authorities claim that they have enough evidence about Yadavs links with the Maoists. It is now for the court of law to decide where these evidences will be produced. But senior journalists in Raipur feel that he has been a victim of circumstances and he should be given the benefit of doubt.

3. It is clear from the on-record statements made by the authorities that the administration was not comfortable with the reports Malini Subramaniam was sending to Scroll.in. And instead of putting their side of the story, the so-called citizens forum Samajik Ekta Manch, was incited to attack Malinis house and compelled her to leave the city and even the State.

4. Alok Putul was in Bastar to gather some news about the law and order situation for the BBC. Instead of meeting him or talking to him, the two top officials of Bastar sent him messages questioning his nationalism and patriotism. Later he came to know that a few people were looking for him, so he had to leave the place to save himself. Police officials were not available to meet the FFT. The DM dismissed the threats to the journalist as a communication gap.

5. There is a sense of fear in Bastar. Every journalist who is working in Bastar feels that he/she is not safe. On the one hand, they have to deal with the Maoists who are becoming more and more sensitive about the reports appearing in the media, and on the other hand, the police wants the media to report as and what they want.

6. As one Senior Editor, Lalit Surjan, puts it, If you wish to analyse anything independently then you can be judged whether you are with the government or with the Maoists. The democratic space for journalism is shrinking.

7. There is a general feeling (in government) in Chhattisgarh that a large section of the national media is pro-Maoist. One senior editor, who is perceived as close to the government, said this.

8. Newspapers and other media houses are appointing journalists as stringers in the remote areas without any formalities. These journalists gather news, collect advertisements and arrange the distribution of the newspapers too. They generally survive on the commission they get from advertisement collections or they rely on other professions for the same. A separate and detailed report on stringers is recommended.

9. There is no mechanism in place for accreditation of those journalists who are working beyond the district headquarters. So when the question of identity arises, the government conveniently denies that someone is/was a journalist. Media houses also disown them because they see them as a liability beyond a point.

10. The State Government wants the media to see its fight with the Maoists as a fight for the nation and expects the media to treat it as a national security issue, and not raise any questions about it.

11. The Chief Minister instructed the adminis-tration for better coordination and cooperation. A journalist was arrested shortly after the FFTs meeting with him, suggesting that there is no shift in policy.

12. The FFT is of the view that newspaper organisations should take care while appointing stringers and give them adequate protection.

Vinod Verma Seema Chishti

(Member, Executive (Member, Executive

Committee) Committee)

Prakash Dubey

(General Secretary)

EDITORS GUILD OF INDIA

List of People the Fact Finding Team Met

1. CM Dr Raman Singh

2. Leader of Opposition T.S. Singhdeo

3. Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Bhupesh Baghel

4. ACS Baijendra Kumar

5. Special DG (Naxal Oprations) D.M. Awasthy

6. Principal Secretary to CM Aman Singh

7. Principal Secretary (Home) B.V.R. Subrama-niam

8. DG Upadhyay

9. ADG, Intelligence Ashok Juneja

10. DPR Rajesh Toppo

11. Collector, Jagdalpur Amit Kataria

12. President, Bastar Divisional Journalist Association and UNI correspondent S. Karimuddin

13. Subba Rao, coordinator of Samajik Ekta Manch, Jagdalpur

14. Manish Gupta, Chief of Bureau, Navbharat, Jagdalpur

15. Hemant Kashyap, Nai Dunia, Jagdalpur

16. Satyanarayan Pathak, Bhaskar, Jagdalpur

17. Naresh Mishra, reporter, IBC 24

18. Santosh Singh, Navbharat, Jagdalpur

19. Lalit Surjan, Chief Editor, Deshbandhu, Raipur

20. Ramesh Nayyar, Former Editor, Raipur

21. Sunil Kumar, Editor, Chhattisgarh

22. Alok Putul, Contributor, BBC Hindi, Raipur

23. Malini Subramaniam, Contributor Scroll.in (Over phone from Hyderabad)

24. Santosh Yadav, Arrested journalist, in Central Jail, Jagdalpur
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Brightening Prospects of Indo-Russian Cooperation in Oil and (...)

by Hasan Hamidullah

Moscow is seeking to decrease the dependence of its oil and gas industry on the West and for that purpose Russian energy companies are in search of new reliable partners and investors. The principal objective of the visit of the head of Russias major national oil giant, Rosneft, to India has been to tie up the OVL, Oil India Limited, Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum in drilling operations in the zone of the Russian Arctic.

Western sanctions against Russia have provided a unique chance to Indian oil and gas companies to gain a foothold in projects that were previously inaccessible. And this gives the Government of India the rare possibility to ensure energy security.

This also opens up before Indian companies a real opportunity to get a lead in the race with China for the Arctic minerals and hydrocarbons. What cannot be overlooked is the fact that while New Delhi is still cogitating over whether or not to collaborate with Moscow on this scoreperhaps out of deference to Western (read US) sensitivitiesBeijing is busy stealing a march over this country by entering all the major Russian regional oil and gas projects thereby reaping considerable benefits from Western sanctions.

There is also another prospect for India: it could support Russian claims to the 1250-mile underwater Lomonosov Ridge in the United Nations Commission on Limitation of Conti-nental Shelf (CLCS) and other international organisations for the vast span of the Arctic Ocean which has 40 per cent of confirmed oil and gas deposits. For India, this will unveil first-hand exploration of these resources.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Bengal Polls, Uttarakhand, Chopper Deal

EDITORIAL

The fifth phase of the West Bengal State Assembly elections is taking place day after tomorrow, that is, on Saturday, April 30, and the campaign for that phase of polling has come to an end this evening. The most significant event in the last few days in the Bengal polls has been a joint public meeting in Kolkatas Park Circus Maidan yesterday addressed, inter alia, by Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and former West Bengal CM and CPM leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. This is the most striking consequence of the Left-Congress seat-adjustment in the Statesomething really unique considering the fact that the Left and Congress are engaged in a bitter fight in the Kerala Assembly polls being held simultaneously this time around. Both Rahul and Buddha concentrated their attacks on the ruling Trinamul Congress with Rahul highlighting the alleged underhand collaboration between the TMC and BJP and Buddha urging the electorate not to vote for the BJP as that would in effect help the Trinamul. These were by and large unconvincing; what was underscored more effectively was by Congress MP Sachin Pilot in Kolkata todayhe pointed out that the BJP was contesting a large number of constituencies in order to cut the (anti-TMC) votes of the Left-Congress combine and help the TMC in the process.

The coming together of the Left and Congress has definitely affected the chances of the TMCs return to power; yet the TMC, rather CM Mamata Banerjees personal prestige and popularity should not be overlooked. Despite a series of scams that have hit it badly, the ruling party in the State still retains public support especially in the countryside where it has indeed done some development work which cannot be characterised as inconsequentialMamatas road-show in South Kolkata today was doubtless impressive, having been attended by all sections. The BJP too is actively campaigning in several areas for its candidates among whom Netaji Subhas Chandra Boses grand nephew, Chandra Bose, has a fighting chance against Mamata in her Bhowanipur seat where Mamatas one-time mentor Priya Ranjan Das Munshis wife, Deepa, is also contesting and can take away a big chunk of votes. West Bengal once again is in the throes of a political upheavalwhether it can lead to a change in governance will be known only on May 19 with the counting of votes.

Meanwhile the second phase of Parliaments Budget session got off to an anticipated stormy start on April 25 with the issue of imposition of Presidents Rule in Uttarakhand stalling the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha for two consecutive days mainly by the Opposition Congress which was incidentally backed by the Left, Samajwadi Party and BSPall of them demanded an immediate debate on the subject. The Treasury Benches, and Leader of the House of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in particular, stoutly defended the Centres action while opposing a debate on the plea that the matter was pending in the Supreme Court.

Then yesterday came the Supreme Court verdict on the issue. While ruling out a floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly on April 29 (as directed by the State High Court) in a bid to ascertain if the CM continued to enjoy majority support, the Apex Court asked if the Centre could consider the reported failure of the passage of the appropriation bill, disqualification of MLAs by the Speaker and delay in the floor test as valid reasons for imposing Presidents Rule. While extending its stay on the High Courts order of lifting Presidents Rule, it said it would take a decision on the Centres appeal against quashing Presidents Rule by May 13. The SC, quite appropriately, maintained: Article 356 is a rare phenomenon... if a government is in minority, floor test has to happen as a natural corollary...ultimately, if we sustain Presidents Rule, then also floor test will have to happen.

Thereafter came the news report of an Italian Court of Appeals order naming former IAF Chief S.P. Tyagi as allegedly having received bribes for the purchase of 12 AgustaWestland helicopters during the tenure of the UPA Government, and referring to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other top Congress functionaries; the Court had handed prison terms to former chiefs of AgustaWestlands parent company Finmeccanica and AgustaWestland. This reised a storm in Parliament yesterday with Subramanian Swamy, the newly-nominated member of the Upper House, naming Sonia Gandhi and linking her to the AgustaWestland deal by mentioning the allegations made by middleman Christian Michel. Swamys statement in the Rajya Sabha infuriated the Congress members so much that some of them menacingly rushed towards the Treasury Benches. Marshals promptly stepped in and positioned themselves between the two sides to prevent any untoward incident and the Deputy Chairman instantly adjourned the House.

Outside the Parliament House, Sonia said:

I am not afraid of anyone cornering me as there is no basis to that. All accusations they are throwing at us are false. Where is the proof? They are lying... this is part of a strategy of character assassination which we have known these people to indulge in. The government is there for the last two years. What are they doing? Inquiry is there, why dont they complete it? Complete it as soon as possible, impartially, so that the truth will come out.

And former Defence Minister A.K. Antony pointed out:

We had initiated the process to blacklist AgustaWestland, its parent company Finmeccanica and all its subsidiaries. We also initiated proceedings for encashing bank guarantees and recovered an amount of Rs 2068 crores. Three helicopters of AgustaWestland have remained confiscated with us.

However, as Antony charged, the Narendra Modi Government took a different course: it invited the company to participate in Make in India events and even allowed it to bid for contracts.

Indeed the Rs 3600 crore AW 101 helicopter deal for VVIP choppers was annulled by the UPA Government in 2014 and the guarantee money confiscated after allegations of payoffs ran into hundreds of crores. The UPA dispensation did take a firm stand in the matter and the allegation against Sonia Gandhi does not carry conviction. Moreover, as The Times of India has editorially observed,

The tragedy is that if Courts of Appeal in Milan had not taken up the matter, it could easily have been swept under the carpet. The Italian court has sentenced Giuseppe Orsi, chief of AgustaWestlands parent company Finmeccanica, to a four-and-a-half year jail term. In stark contrast, the NDA Government claims that investigations are now at an advanced stage, but it doesnt appear close to finding the guilty even after two years in office.

In the meantime several major developments have taken placethe India-Pakistan Foreign Secretary-level talks in New Delhi on April 26 wherein the discussions were expectedly frosty (even if the two sides decided to remain in touch) with Pakistan raising Kashmir, terror and accusing India of seeking to defame Islamabad in international fora over Masood Azhar; the strong action taken by the JNU authorities against those students who had been charged with sedition and suffered imprisonment following the February 9 meeting held in the University on the anniversary of Afzal Gurus execution; and the hideously flawed investigation into the 2006 Malegaon bombings that has raised seriously uncomfortable questions following the release of the guilty.

All these are highly disturbing; no less disturbing than what happened in Uttarakhand and the slugfest over the AgustaWestland chopper deal.

April 28 S.C.
Chevron Corp. reported a first-quarter loss as slumping oil prices continued to drag down revenue. The company said that it is "on target" to lay off a total of 8000 workers by the end of 2016, up from a previously stated goal.

Chevron reported a net loss of $725 million, or 39 cents per share, compared with a net profit of $2.57 billion, or $1.37 per share, in the year-ago period.

Revenue tumbled 31% to $23.55 billion. Analysts projected a loss of 20 cents on $21.43 billion in revenue, according to Thomson Reuters.

"First quarter results declined from a year ago," John Watson, Chevron's chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "Our Upstream business was impacted by a more than 35 percent decline in crude oil prices. Our Downstream operations continued to perform well, although overall industry conditions and margins this quarter were weaker than a year ago."

Chevron's $54 billion Gorgon LNG project in Australia shut down earlier this month after mechanical problems, just weeks after it first came online. Gorgon is expected to resume production by June at the latest.

Chevron would cut another 1,000 jobs as it reported a wider-than-expected loss as oil prices continued to languish during the first quarter.

The newly announced layoffs, which will happen later this year, will bring Chevrons job cuts to 8,000 employees, or 12% of its workforce.

The No. 2 U.S. oil company has already cut more than 4,000 of those permanent jobs and trimmed another 6,500 contractors since the downturn began in the summer of 2014. Chevron executives had previously said the company would cut a total 7,000 jobs.
Olympic Shipping has secured a contract for Olympic Delta, an inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) vessel, with an international client to work on a renewable energy project.

The vessel, with the length of 92.55 meters, will be employed in the renewable energy sector. The value of the contract was not disclosed.

Olympic Delta will start work in August for a fixed period of 120 days, plus a further 80 days or more if extension options are exercised.

Stig Remy the companys CEO, said: For many years we have focused on offering our environmental friendly operations also within the renewable energy market. We have had a number of vessels employed in this segment and this contract confirms that the Olympic fleet of vessels is attractive in several markets.

Olympic Delta is equipped with a diesel electric frequency controlled propulsion, an azimuth thruster and a system for dynamic positioning. The vessel has an 80 tonne AHC crane and a helideck, and can accommodate 80 persons.

In addition, the company informed that the Olympic Challenger contract with Technip has been extended for two months, from August until October 2016.
The Panama Canal has dismisses claims by the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) that questions industry standards and the operation of the Expanded Panama Canals new locks.

Claims made by ITF that new locks built for the Panama Canal expansion will be unsafe in operation have been strongly rejected by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) as lacking scientific accuracy and credibility.

Following the publication of an ITF-commissioned study, Peter Pusztai Panama, Canal Pilot Training Coordinator, said: The ITFs claims are unproven and contain many errors.

Despite their false claims, we look forward to transforming the maritime industry through the opening of the expanded Panama Canal.

ITF commissioned the study after its Panamanian member unions raised serious concerns to the union group centered around ACP's refusal to engage in dialogue on matters such as training, as well as technical and construction issues that have led to delays in the $5.3 billion project.

The study, which was carried out by Brazils Fundacao Homem de Mar (FHM), was based on mathematical conclusions derived from simulations conducted in maneuvering simulator using a scale model of the new locks, a typical Neopanamax vessel and the planned configuration of two tugboats under various environmental conditions, according to the ITF.

The study recommended that a complete risk analysis and special training should be carried out to avoid any accidents that might result in loss of life or pollution.

The Panama Canal spent nearly 10 years to methodically and professionally evaluate and analyze the design of the Expanded Panama Canals locks. This process included conducting internal and external studies to determine how the new locks should operate.

After this in-depth process, the Panama Canal made the informed decision to embrace the industry standard of using up to four tugs to navigate ships. Outside industry experts concluded that the ACPs decision was correct.

The much delayed expansion of the canal has had more than its fair share of bad news tales in recent years.

Last year, the Panama Canal invested $3m to upgrade its Centre for Simulation, Research and Maritime Development (SIDMA) and has also invested $8m to upgrade its Scale Model Manoeuvring Training Facility.
The African economy has become one of the most promising global growth markets. Shipping is taking care of the largest part of international trade and in Africa this is even more the case due to less developed land infrastructure.

European shipowners strongly believe that maritime services are enablers of trade and development, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is the core message European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) sent earlier this week in a letter to EU Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom, inviting her to include maritime transport services in the EU Africa agenda.

Efficient maritime transport is critical to the regions trade and economic growth. Shipping is the backbone of the mobile supply chain which ties European and African economies together, says Patrick Verhoeven, ECSA Secretary General, We need to ensure that European shipping is able to keep its strong presence in the region and the EU representations should continue to play an important role in supporting this, he added.

ECSA recently organised a stakeholder roundtable to discuss the challenges and opportunities shipping companies face in Africa. European shipping companies are important partners to African governments and businesses and ensure that the countries are connected to world trade.

At the same time EU shipowners are increasingly confronted with market access barriers targeting foreign logistics and maritime services. In some African countries for example, it is not possible to get a license to operate anymore unless the business is fully owned by locals.

A shared interest and willingness to address the challenges shipping companies face in Africa emerged from this meeting with the shipping companies and associations, the European Commission and Member States representatives.

For European shipping, the end goal should be to include shipping, and logistics services at large, in any development and trade discussions carried out with African partners. This in order to ensure mutually benefiting business conditions in Africa, including a level playing field in terms of investment opportunities for European companies.

EU representations in Africa should indeed grow, as planned, into fully-fledged economic diplomacy delegations as their leverage towards African governments is larger than the one of individual Member States.
An Italian merchant ship rescued 26 migrants off the coast of Libya in rough seas and others were feared missing, the Coast Guard said on Saturday.



The Coast Guard received a call from a satellite telephone on Friday but no voice was heard. It tracked the signal to a location about seven miles off the Libyan coast, a spokesman said.



An Italian merchant vessel in the area was diverted and on Friday night rescued the 26 from a rubber boat that had taken on water.



The spokesman said such boats used by human traffickers can hold between 100-120 people and are usually full but no information was available on the number that might be missing.



The migrants were tranferred onto a Coast Guard ship in international waters and taken to Lampedusa, the island south of Sicily where tens of thousands have arrived in recent years.



With the closing of land routes in the Balkans and a recent deal under which Greece sends migrants back to Turkey, Italian officials expect more to try to make the longer and much more dangerous crossing from Libya.



(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)






The Port of Seattle begins the 2016 cruise season welcoming the first ship call, Holland America Cruise Lines Nieuw Amsterdam. Larger vessels and more cruises will make this the biggest cruise season ever with nearly one million revenue passengers. Each homeported cruise vessel is estimated to bring in $2.6 million for the local economy.



Cruising to Alaska continues to be an economic driver for our region," said Port of Seattle Commissioner John Creighton. With all the great things to see and do throughout Washington State, we are working to increase the economic impact by having passengers stay for an extra few days.



Seattles cruise businesscurrently leading all cruise homeports on the west coast in passenger volumeis responsible for over 3,700 jobs, $459 million in annual business revenue, and $17.6 million annually in state and local tax revenue.



"Holland America Line's headquarters have been in Seattle for more than 30 years, and we've been sailing from here even longer, giving us deep roots in this amazing city," said Orlando Ashford, Holland America Line's president. "As Seattle's Hometown Cruise Line it's always exciting to see our ships at Pier 91, and we're proud to have ms Nieuw Amsterdam kick off the Alaska cruise season, especially as its the ships first time ever in Seattle."




On Friday the 29th of April, Nb. 420 was launched in Leer. She was christened Symphony Sun and is the fourth vessel in a series of 6 that will be delivered to Symphony Shipping.



Symphony Sun is a vessel of our Ecobox design, which is characterized by its flexibility of loading combined with very economical and ecological performance.



The design features:

 Main dimensions (Loa X B X T) 122.5 X 17.0 X 7.8 mtr.

 10500 DWT, 429.000 cft hold volume.

 Iceclass 1A with 3000 kW main engine.

 A large single hold of completely box shaped form.

 Large loading floor area for project cargoes, including complete movable tweendeck.

 2 X 85 tons cargo cranes.

 Deckhouse placed on foreship for better protection of deck cargo and enabling to load oversized items over the stern.

 Open top notation; sailing in all weather conditions without maindeck hatches to transport large project cargoes without height restrictions.

 The Ferus Smit ECO bulbless Canoe type bow, designed to reduce fuel costs and better sustained speed with excellent sea keeping behavior in harsh weather and sea state conditions.

 Propeller equipped with a duct for enhanced thrust at lower speeds and reduction of maximum installed propulsion power.



The launch event was open for the public.


SPRINGFIELD  A hit-and-run suspect who fled from authorities in Springfield allegedly opened fire on a state trooper and his K-9 dog early Saturday morning.

Troopers from the Springfield barracks responded to a 12:15 a.m. report of a vehicle wanted by Springfield police in connection with a hit-and-run crash minutes earlier, Massachusetts State Police officials at Framingham headquarters told The Republican.

The suspect exited I-91 and abandoned his damaged car at Balise Chevrolet on Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield. He then headed on foot toward Main Street, police said.

A K-9 trooper and his dog found the suspect, who refused to surrender, prompting the trooper to deploy his dog. "During the deployment, the subject fired one round from a handgun, missing the trooper and the dog. The MSP dog engaged the subject and was able to successfully subdue him," State Police said in a statement.

The suspect was injured during the apprehension and taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment, police said. Authorities did not release the identity of the suspect, who is expected to be arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court.

Troopers from Troop B, the Crime Scene Services Section, the Ballistics Unit, and the State Police Detective Unit assigned to Hampden County District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni's office assisted with the investigation.

MAP showing approximate location of incident:
While construction on the MGM Springfield casino project continues in Western Massachusetts, the Mohegan Tribe is pushing forward with construction of its own, in the form of a new, 13 story, 400-room $130 million hotel tower.

Modeled after the existing 1,200-room Sky Tower design, construction on the $130 million Earth Tower began last year as a means of recapturing the approximately 450,000 room nights the Connecticut casino says it turns away each year.

Rooms at the new hotel will be slightly smaller than those at the Sky Tower and prices, which have not yet been set, will be more affordable, Mohegan officials said.

There will be 12 floors of guest rooms above the lobby level, which includes a pool, spa and fitness center. Earth Tower will begin accepting reservations for fall occupancy on July 1.

Although the flagship Mohegan Sun casino is in Connecticut, the tribe has eyed opportunities around the globe.

In February, it was learned that the company had landed a license to co-develop a $5 billion casino at the Seoul-Incheon International Airport in South Korea. This past week, the tribe announced it had struck a deal with the Tunica-Biloxi tribe to help manage its flagship casino in Marksville, Louisiana.

Diversification along with a recovering economy has helped Mohegan show year-over-year growth of revenue, according to the company's press release revealing its second quarter earnings.
LUDLOW  More than 200 area voters gathered in Ludlow Saturday morning to select the delegates who will represent the first congressional district at the Republican National Convention.

With two Donald Trump and one Ted Cruz delegate spots up for grabs, voters selected Holyoke City Council President Kevin Jourdain and Westfield City Councilor Dan Allie to represent the billionaire businessman.

Former state committeeman William Gillmeister, meanwhile, was chosen to represent Cruz for the district at the summer nominating convention.

In addition to the three delegates, which were among 27 selected at state caucuses Saturday, Republicans selected Doug Bushman and George Bitzas to serve as Trump alternate delegates and Rick Howell will serve as the Cruz alternate.

Although the three delegates will be bound to support their stated Republican White House hopeful on the first round of RNC balloting, candidates differed on how they would approach a potential second ballot if no one receives the 1,237 needed to win the GOP nomination outright.

Jourdain, who ran on a slate backed by the Trump campaign, told voters who crowded the Elks Lodge 2448 that there would be no question on where he stands in the wake of a contested convention.

"If you notice, other speakers don't even mention Donald Trump's name and yet they're running for Trump delegate. I love all these guys, they're all great conservatives, but the fact of the matter is, I am here to stand up for the 50 percent of the Massachusetts voters who voted for Donald Trump," he said. "Donald Trump got the votes, Donald Trump gets the delegates. That's how it works in America."

Former Longmeadow Selectman and Paul Santaniello, also said he would remain loyal to the billionaire businessman if sent to the summer nominating convention in Cleveland.

"I will vote for Donald Trump on the first ballot, the third ballot, the fifth ballot and the 105th ballot," he said. "And what will I try to do if they go to (John) Kasich or somebody? I'll do whatever legally I can to prevent that."

Allie, who ran for a Trump delegate spot on the "Anti-Establishment Liberty" slate, meanwhile, stressed that "we the people must be the heart and soul of the Republican Party and our government."

He said earlier this week that if selected as a delegate he would likely support Cruz on a second ballot.

Former state committeeman Matt Kinnaman, who ran for a Trump delegate slot, said while Republican voters may support different presidential candidates, they're united by a common thread: "to 'make America great again,' but also to recognize that America has been great from its founding in a way no other country has been."

Anti-establishment slate candidate Ronald Crochetiere, the owner/operator of City Jake's Cafe in Springfield, added that while most caucus-goers showed up to support a specific candidate, Republicans need to look beyond Trump and Cruz.

"I'd implore both Trump and Cruz supporters to look at the big picture and vote for trusted grassroots activists on the liberty slate that promote fair rules and a liberty platform that will always put the grassroots first and push back against corrupt lobbyists and party insiders," he said.

Alex Blumin, 57, of Pittsfield, said he decided to attend the caucus because he believes Trump is the only candidate who can beat Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. He also raised concerns about Cruz winning support away from the businessman on a second ballot.

"Trump is the one and only person who has a real power to defeat Hillary and he is the person who can make America great again," he said. "He's the one and only -- Cruz is good, but the real person is Trump."

Laurie Gaulin, 56, of Holyoke, said she attended the caucus to support Cruz and ensure "the right candidate" is elected.

Gaulin said she doesn't trust Trump and thinks "he's going to screw up the whole country."

MassGOP Chairman Kirsten Hughes lauded the interest in the state's congressional district caucuses, saying it's "a sign of strength for our party."

Trump, who won Massachusetts' primary with 49 percent of the vote, was allocated 17 of the state's 27 congressional district delegates, while Kasich and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who has since left the GOP race, were assigned four apiece.

Cruz, who is looking to block the Republican front-runner from winning the nomination outright, received just two congressional district delegates in Massachusetts.

In addition to those selected at the congressional district caucuses, Massachusetts will send 15 at-large delegates to the nominating convention in Cleveland, five of which will be bound to Trump, four respectively bound to Kasich and Rubio and two bound to Cruz in the first round of balloting, the Massachusetts Republican Party announced.

The Republican State Committee will elect all but three of the at-large delegates at its meeting in late May, as RNC delegates Hughes, National Committeeman Ron Kaufman and National Committeewoman Chanel Prunier have already been assigned to support Rubio, Trump and Cruz respectively.
The Bible is a literal, factual history of the world, including Noahs Ark and the Great Flood. Dinosaurs rode the ark with Noah. People lived 10 times longer in Biblical times because the Earths atmosphere had more oxygen then.

These are just a few of the wrong-headed "facts" on display at The Glendive Dinosaur & Fossil Museum http://www.creationtruth.org/ in Glendive, Montana, according to the Great Falls Tribune, which published an expose http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/life/my-montana/2016/04/28/dinosaurs-bible-glendive-museum/83681042/ on the creationist museum this week.

David Ferguson

Full Story: http://www.rawstory.com/2016/04/montana-newspaper-exposes-hilarious-facts-on-display-at-creationist-museum/
Ken Ilgunas walked all but 17 of the 1,700 miles between Canadas Alberta tar sands and the Texas Gulf Coast as he followed the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline.

He spent those 17 miles in the back seat of a Boone County Deputy Sheriffs patrol car being escorted out of the county.

The deputy found Ilgunas at a Petersburg gas station eating yogurt and a banana. He'd spent more than 70 days on foot by that December 2012 afternoon, and he was covered in road dust and sporting a beard.

A couple of people had reported that someone let their dogs out of their houses, and suspicion had fallen on Ilgunas. The officer had orders to ship him out of the county.

I was accused of being the dog liberator of Petersburg, Nebraska, Ilgunas said with a laugh during a recent phone interview from the Denver International Airport. He denies having anything to do with the wayward pooches.

It was one of the more ridiculous episodes of a trek in which each footstep brought new friends and experiences that were by degrees grueling, satisfying and delightful.

Its all in his book, "Trespassing across America: One mans epic never done before (and sort of illegal) hike across the Heartland."

He crossed a frozen creek in Kansas on Christmas, chatted about religion with a Baptist preacher in Oklahoma and got chased by cows in South Dakota.

All my rancher friends laugh at me when I tell them that story (about the cows), he said.

The ranchers, between giggles, told him the cows were just curious and wanted to get a better look at him.

Ilgunas, 32, returns to Nebraska Thursday -- this time by plane -- for a three-day swing through the state to promote his book. Hell be at the Bookworm in Omaha at 6 p.m. Thursday and at Indigo Bridge Books in Lincoln's Haymarket at 7 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, he'll be at Alice M. Farr Library in Aurora at 10 a.m. and at Chances R Restaurant in York at 5 p.m.

After Nebraska, he plans to continue the book tour with stops in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New York.

While the Keystone XL (and a sense of adventure) inspired his walk, the book reflects more on the odyssey than on the controversy that surrounded the pipeline project that died when President Barack Obama denied a permit to cross the U.S.-Canadian border.

Because the Keystone XL was such a timely issue, I didnt want to write a book that would be on the political shelf for a month, then in the bargain bin the next," Ilgunas said. "So I tried to write something a bit more timeless and universal by focusing in on the journey and on climate change."

Still, he doesn't shy away from talking about the politics of pipelines.

I think were seeing a new era when pipelines are no longer an ordinary, noncontroversial thing, he said. The death of the Keystone XL marked a new era, and I think Nebraska is largely responsible for that.

The proposed northern portion of the pipeline was to run from Alberta to Steele City on the Nebraska-Kansas border.

Nebraska often found itself at the center of the national debate as landowners repeatedly blocked its progress with legal challenges.

While walking through Nebraska, Ilgunas connected with Keystone XL opponents who gave him $70, buffalo jerky and homemade pepperjack cheese. One pipeline fighter, farmer Rick Hammond, walked with him for 42 miles and they did several interviews with area media.

In Nebraska, I was a celebrity, Ilgunas said. Right when I crossed the border into Kansas I turned into an anonymous bum again. Everyone just thought I was a transient.

After his trek, he came back to Nebraska to write the book. He stayed in a farm house on the Harrington family farm, which Hammond married into, near Benedict from June 2014 to February 2015 so he could soak up the atmosphere of the Great Plains as he wrote about the Great Plains.

He'll donate 10 percent of the royalties from the book to the Prairie Plains Resource Institute in Aurora, which is dedicated to the preservation, restoration and stewardship of native prairies.
Radiation therapy not only kills cancer cells, but also helps to activate the immune system against their future proliferation. However, this immune response is often not strong enough to be able to cure tumours, and even when it is, its effect is limited to the area that has been irradiated. Now, however, research to be presented to the ESTRO 35 conference today (Sunday) has shown that the addition of an immune system-strengthening compound can extend the radiation therapy-induced immune response against the tumour sites and that this response even has an effect on tumours outside the radiation field.

Ms Nicolle Rekers, MSc, from the Department of Radiation Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands, will describe to the conference how a combination of radiation therapy and L19-IL2, an immunotherapy agent 1, can increase significantly the immune response when given to mice with primary colorectal tumours. L19-IL2 is a combination of an antibody that targets the tumour blood vessels and a cytokine, a small protein important in cell signalling in the immune system.

The researchers found not only that the mice were tumour-free following treatment, but also that when re-injected with cancer cells 150 days after cure, they did not form new tumours. There was also an increase in the number of cells with an immunological memory.

"Radiation therapy damages the tumour creating a sort of tumour-specific vaccine," Ms Rekers will say. "It feeds the immune system and ensures that it notices that something is wrong. What is unique about our latest experiments is that we have been able to create a so-called abscopal effect, where a localised radiation treatment has also had an effect on other tumour sites outside this radiation field."

The lifespan of mice is quite short - about two years - so 150 days is a relatively long time. "Of course, these mice are models of human disease and can never be 100% comparable with a patient, but the fact that the cured mice never formed new tumours, compared with a 100% tumour formation in untreated mice of the same age, is significant. We will know more after analysing results from the Phase I/II clinical study in human patients that we started recently," says Ms Rekers 2.

L19-IL2 is known to be safe in patients, with only mild side effects limited to injection site reactions. The new trial will look at the combination treatment in patients with oligometastatic 3 solid tumours. "Our ultimate aim is to increase the time during which the disease does not progress by using this combination to bring about an immune response that will attack both the primary tumour and its metastases," says Ms Rekers.

Although reprogramming the immune system has only been feasible relatively recently, research to date seems to indicate that it is without damaging long-term effects. "We believe that the risk/benefit equation is likely to come down firmly on the side of benefit. We hope that this treatment will not only destroy tumours, but also enable the immune system to develop a memory that allows it to annihilate them in the future as well," Ms Rekers will conclude.

ESTRO President Professor Philip Poortmans commented: "A couple of years after the first breakthrough of immunotherapy in medical oncology, we are now on the verge of an exciting new era that combines this novel approach with radiation therapy. This could open the door to shorter treatment durations, thereby reducing side effects and costs compared to common palliative approaches in mono-immunotherapy, as well as to potentially new curative options where we had none before. It is time to join forces with all partners, including industry, to explore these capabilities."
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At Creighton University, law professor Edward Morse is researching the technological and legal limitations for paying data ransom."If you can deny access to patient care records, you shut down hospital operations," Morse said. "With HIPAA, a patient's electronic records are protected under law. But, a patient's medical information is only as strong as an institution's weakest link.It can be as simple as a disgruntled employee; someone who is willing to give up a password to a potential hacker, so hospitals are working to increase security and limit the number of employees who can access sensitive data.Adam Kuenning, an attorney with Erickson | Sederstrom and a Creighton law professor, teaches HIPAA privacy and security."Patient care comes first for any medical professional," Kuenning said. "The importance of keeping the information secure may sometimes be lost while the medical professional is focused on the patient's care."Any HIPAA breach of more than 500 patients must be reported to the media, and the Department of Health and Human Services keeps a record of these cases online. Since 2009, more than 1500 cases have been recorded. For cases affecting less than 500 patients, only a letter sent to affected persons is required.To ensure HIPAA compliance, HHS is conducting audits healthcare companies, but often carelessness is the root cause of a breach. Frequent problems are laptops and thumb drives with private medical information left in an employee's car."Data that's not encrypted is being stolen somehow," Kuenning said. "People are breaking into your office, stealing your computer, your servers when you didn't encrypt your records that evening."In the California hospital case, an outside hacker stole records by taking over the computer system. In these cases, it's common that patient information isn't actually stolen; rather, hackers freeze the system, making the records inaccessible to medical personnel who need the information to properly care for the patients.Last June, President Barack Obama stated while the U.S. government won't pay ransom for hostages, American families have never "been prosecuted for paying a ransom." In most health care cases, private ransom payments often go unnoticed. Few cases like Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital are publicized. According to Morse, thousands of attacks are attempted, but it's unknown how many are successful."With this crime, it's embarrassing to institutions, that their systems aren't secure," Morse said.Payouts to criminal enterprises are relatively inexpensive. The black market values each patient's record at $50 or $60, Morse found. According to a Ponemon Institute Survey, hackers only earn about $28,000 annually, but Morse notes that this wage could equate to a lot more with hackers coming from developing countries.Without patient's records, the hospital reaches a standstill, creating the need to comply and pay a ransom."If you can pay, you would do it in a New York minute," Morse said.As the health care industry becomes more invested in technological innovations, institutions must keep privacy in mind, as a data breach can "ultimately, sully the reputation of an institution," Morse said.Source: Newswise


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Traffic on five stretches across Delhi, Gurgaon and Indore made way as paramedics raced against time on Thursday to transport live organs for four critically-ill patients awaiting transplants. By late afternoon, all four organs  a heart, liver and two kidneys  had been successfully transplanted, thanks to precision coordination by various agencies in the three cities.

TOI

All four organs came from Deepak Dhaketa, an 18-year-old newspaper vendor in Indore who was declared brain dead by doctors at the city's Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences (SAIMS) on Wednesday evening. After three counselling sessions, Dhaketa family overcame its grief and agreed to have the youth's organs harvested.

While his kidneys were transplanted into two patients at SAIMS and Choithram Hospital and Research Centre, both in Indore, Deepak's heart and liver were flown to Delhi.

The heart recipient was a 48-year-old woman suffering from end-stage heart disease at Medanta Medicity in Gurgaon while the liver went to a 55-year-old man suffering from liver failure at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) in Vasant Kunj. All recipients are stable post-transplant.

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Indore Organ Donation Society secretary Dr Sanjay Dixit, who persuaded the youth's parents to donate organs, told TOI that transporting the organs to various hospitals was a big challenge.

"Three green corridors were created within Indore city to transport the organs to CHRC and the airport. The first two were created at 11.23am and 12.02pm to transport Deepak's liver and heart from to the airport  a distance of 11km that was covered in nine minutes. The third corridor was created simultaneously from SAIMS to Choithram Hospital, Indore, via a BRTS corridor for transporting a kidney," he said.

Traffic police in Delhi said they received information about the green corridors around 11am. Police teams from the Vasant Vihar traffic circle were immediately put on alert for the ambulances carrying the organs, said Sharad Aggarwal, joint commissioner, traffic.

"The heart reached IGI airport around 1.15pm and was transported to Medanta Medicity in Gurgaon, covering about 18km within 16 minutes. The liver arrived at 1.58pm and it was transferred to ILBS, 11.4km away, in 15 minutes," he said.

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Traffic lights on the ambulance route, from the airport to Gurgaon and Vasant Kunj, were turned green and the traffic personnel videographed the journey to identify vehicles obstructing the ambulance. "We would issue challans to the drivers obstructing the emergency vehicle," Aggarwal said.

Anil Kumar, traffic inspector on the Delhi-Gurgaon highway, said they also closed all entry and exit points on NH8 to facilitate the ambulance movement.

A senior doctor at Medanta said the procedure want off smoothly. "The heart transplant has been completed but success will be known after some time," he added.

At ILBS, doctors said the recipient got lucky with the timely transplant. "He was very critical. We had scheduled him for the life-saving procedure last month too but some complications arose," said a doctor.

Indore has witnessed a significant increase in organ donations over the last few months. Local authorities said at least 25 organs, donated by families of patients declared brain dead, have been transported outside the city in the last seven months.

(This story originally appeared in The Times Of India)
Your Beatitude,



It is with profound emotion, joy and honor that I receive from your hands the Holy Light, from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Once again, the faith of all Orthodox Christians is strengthened by His blessing and spiritual power.



It is a victory of hope and optimism, and our responsibility, to transform this into a creative force in the struggle we are all mounting for the rebirth of our homeland.



The Greek government has arranged to transport the Holy Light to Athens, and from there it will be received by all of the Holy Metropolises, so that it can bring the joyous message of the Resurrection to all.



To everyone, Christ is Risen! And many happy returns!
WASHINGTON  A 645-mile pipeline that carries over 14,000 barrels of crude oil and natural gas from Wisconsin, through the Straits of Mackinac and across the Thumb to Sarnia, Ontario, should be shut down if a study finds significant risks, Congresswoman Candice Miller said this week.

The Line 5 pipeline, operated by Canadian Energy firm Enbridge, has faced concerns from legislators for months. The firm says it was built in 1953 and that in more than 60 years of operation, there have been no leaks.

On Wednesday, Miller introduced a bill requiring a shutdown of the pipeline if an 18-month comprehensive study finds the pipeline poses a significant risk.

The Great Lakes Pipeline Safety Act of 2016 would task the Department of Transportation to complete studies examining environmental and economic impacts of a rupture. The DOT would work with Enbridge to evaluate the condition and structural integrity of the pipeline, Miller says.

Any rupture of Enbridges 63-year-old Line 5, which transports 23 million gallons of contaminants a day, would have a catastrophic impact on the Great Lakes, especially if it occurred along the portion that runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron converge, the Congresswoman said in a news release.

Miller cites a recent University of Michigan Water Center study that estimated the impact of a leak in Line 5 under 840 different weather scenarios.

According to the study, over 700 miles of Great Lakes shoreline could be impacted, and Mackinac Island, Bois Blanc Island, and the coastline around Mackinac City would certainly be impacted in almost every scenario, Miller said.

A 2014 University of Michigan study, commissioned by the National Wildlife Federation, found the straits to be the worst possible place for a Great Lakes oil spill. Water flow there transports volumes up to 80,000 cubic meters per second  more than 10 times the water flow over Niagara Falls, the study states.

At that rate, contaminants could flow from the straits 65 miles south to Rogers City within 10 days of a spill, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters told the Tribune in September 2015.

Legislators say there is a potential for spills to extend over 100 miles farther south, to Saginaw Bay and the Thumb coastline.

But it would depend on how quickly Enbridge can shut down the leak, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow previously told the Tribune. Stabenow said she was told the company can shut it down automatically.

Our concern is that in Kalamazoo, that did not happen, she said.

In 2010, a pipeline ruptured near Marshall, spilling 843,000 gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River and amassing a $1.2 billion cleanup  the largest inland oil spill in U.S. history.

Peters and Stabenow in September 2015 announced the Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act, to protect against oil spills in the Great Lakes in part by banning crude oil transport and stiffening safety thresholds for pipelines. The bill remains in the Senate committee on commerce, science and transportation.

Peters also cosponsored the Safe Pipes Act (Securing Americas Future Energy: Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety), introduced by Nebraska Republican Sen. Deb Fischer in November 2015.

The Safe Pipes Act would:

 Designate the Great Lakes an unusually sensitive area, making pipelines in the Great Lakes subject to higher safety standards.

 Require the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to consider response plans that address cleanup of an oil spill affecting waters or shorelines partially or entirely covered by ice (the bill would increase funding to PHMSA by 2 percent annually over four years to conduct oversight).

 Require the Government Accountability Office to report and review risks in regard to age, condition, material and construction of a pipeline.

The Senate unanimously approved the bill in March. It now heads to the House.

Miller says she understands the need for energy and that Canada is the largest foreign energy supplier to Michigan and the U.S.

But it is imperative that both countries do everything within their power to ensure we are transporting these products in a way that does not threaten our Great Lakes, Miller said in a news release.

In this case, an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. I understand many may consider this to be too drastic and costly a move, but I guarantee the price of inaction will be higher.
ANN ARBOR  The state wont enforce a law that blocks local government officials from talking about a ballot question before an election, under a deal approved Thursday by a federal judge, the Associated Press reported.

Im very pleased, Huron County Board of Commissioners Chair John Bodis told the Tribune.

Government and school officials lined up last December urging the governor to veto a bill they say would impose a gag order due to a section prohibiting a public body from airing details of ballot questions to voters on radio, TV, phone or mail 60 days before a vote.

Huron County commissioners also sent a resolution to request the governors veto.

Come January, the governor signed into law SB 571, introduced by Senate Majority Floor Leader Mike Kowall, R-White Lake. Snyder said he would work with the Legislature to clarify the section that irked many critics.

U.S. District Judge John Corbett OMeara stopped the law in February with a preliminary injunction, saying the so-called gag order was vague and violated free speech rights.

Tuscola County Commissioner Matthew Bierlein joined 17 other plaintiffs in a suit filed in January against defendants Secretary of State Ruth Johnson and the State of Michigan.

The complaint filed Jan. 26 in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Michigan said the 60-day cutoff violates the First Amendment because it prohibits the free flow of objectively neutral, core political speech.

This law keeps voters from getting the information they need to make informed decisions, Bierlein said.

Now, the Secretary of States office says it wont fight the lawsuit any further, the Associated Press reported.

Sometimes state legislators forget we are the voters who sent them to Lansing to represent our point of view, not Lansings point of view, Bodis said, adding this hasnt been a problem with Hurons senator and representative.

Sometimes there seems to be a disconnect there, he said.

Rep. Ed Canfield, R-Sebewaing, and Sen. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair, voted in favor of SB 571.

Pavlov said past abuses around the state allowed taxpayer money to fund advocacy efforts for local millages.

I wouldnt categorize it as a gag order, Pavlov previously said. Its not designed to stop information from flowing to voters. We want informed voters.

However, commissioners echoed the bills opponents, who dubbed it a gag order.

The section drawing criticism was buried in the last page of the bill, Commissioner David Peruski previously said, adding he really couldnt believe that they did that.

Bodis, viewing the bill as whittling away at the First Amendment, said he found it really repulsive.

We are the ones who are out and around and get asked a lot of questions (from voters), Bodis said. They were, in essence, saying we couldnt talk about it.

Commissioner Clark Elftman, realizing Hurons opposition may not hold much weight, said last December it will at least let (Gov. Snyder) know we think hes doing something stupid.
For the second time in less than a month, a Russian fighter jet conducted a barrel roll over a U.S. spy plane in the Baltic Sea Friday, flying within just 100 feet of the aircraft, a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News.

The Russian Su-27 zipped past the U.S. RC-135 surveillance plane in international airspace, the official said.

In the first barrel roll, on April 14, the jet flew within just 50 feet of the spy plane, Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters.

Russian aircraft have conducted a series of daring maneuvers calling out U.S. forces in recent weeks. Video on April 11 captured two Russian jets zooming past the USS Donald Cook, a Navy destroyer in the Baltic, flying only 100 feet off the ground. A U.S. defense official called it a "simulated attack profile."

Secretary of State John Kerry responded, "We condemn this kind of behavior. It is reckless. It is provocative. It is dangerous." He said forces on the destroyer could have shot down the jets under U.S. military rules of engagement.

But a Russian defense spokesman said the jet pilots carefully turned around. Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov claimed he didn't understand the "distressed reaction of our American counterparts."

The Pentagon called the first barrel roll "unsafe and unprofessional."

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

Related Video:
The only way victims may overcome the horrors of rape and sex trafficking is to accept Jesus Christ as their savior and king.

That is what soldiers and civilian employees of the Army's Redstone Arsenal were told by guest speaker Tajuan McCarty on April 27 at a command-hosted event in observance of Sexual Harassment/Awareness Response and Prevention (SHARP) Month, according to one of those in attendance.

The civilian employee said McCarty told the roughly 300 people who attended the SHARP event that "the only way to truly overcome the horrors of rape and sex trafficking is to have Jesus as your 'King."

"They sent out an email stating they were going to have a special guest speaking about her experience as a sex-trafficking victim. It didn't say anything about Christian beliefs" being discussed, the attendee told Military.com on Thursday.

McCarty is director of The Wellhouse in Birmingham, Alabama, often described as "a Christian home" for women rescued from the sex industry. McCarty, who has told her story numerous times in various forums, from Good Housekeeping magazine to the Christian Broadcasting Network's "700 Club," related her story of running away from home as a teenager and ending up in a world of drugs and prostitution, traded from one pimp to another for years.

An Army.mil story published five days before McCarty's presentation described her background and noted that she had become a Christian after escaping her life on the streets.

Military.com reached out to McCarty for comment but she did not respond.

The Redstone employee, who spoke to Military.com on condition he not be identified out of fear of retaliation, confirmed he has filed a complaint with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a civil rights group that opposes the inclusion of religion into official and mandatory Army programs.

Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the MRFF, said his group has been contacted by 26 Redstone personnel since the April 27 event, most of them Christian but critical of the forum being used to tout a particular religion.

"We've tried to reach out through informal means to talk with [the command]," Weinstein said on Friday. "These people want an apology and to make sure this situation is corrected." He said his organization wants the Army to conduct an in-depth investigation and punish the people responsible for turning what should have been a secular event into an opportunity to witness for Jesus.

"Without [disciplinary action] you don't get any change," Weinstein said.

The command defended the presentation in a statement released late Friday afternoon, stating the event was one of many held as part of SHARP month.

"While the event was open to everyone and may satisfy one's annual SHARP training requirement, it was not mandatory or required for personnel," the statement said. "The event offered the personal perspective of a human trafficking survivor and those views do not represent the views of Redstone Arsenal."

Weinstein called the command's statement ludicrous, adding that from the perspective of MRFF's clients at Redstone the event was "all part of the mandatory SHARP presentation."

He also said the command's statement does not explain the chaplain starting the event with a sectarian prayer, specifically "in Jesus' name," he said.

The Army holds Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) programs every year to brief troops and civilian employees on the problem and what policies and programs the Army has to deal with incidents.

The Redstone programs are held multiple times over the course of several weeks to ensure everyone has time to attend. In recent years at Redstone, the source told Military.com, there have been two parts to the annual SHARP events.

The first part he attended was standard fare, he said, and included a briefing on sexual assault programs, policies and emergency information, including websites and hotlines.

The second part, held at the Bob Jones Auditorium within the base Sparkman Center, was different from previous SHARP events, he said. It began with a chaplain offering a prayer "in Jesus' name."

The Redstone employee said he does not doubt McCarty's story or sincerity, and does not believe she intended to offend anyone who turned out to the event. But he said telling a roomful of strangers who are likely from different faith groups or of no faith that they need Jesus to survive is offensive.

The employee described himself as a former Christian, stating in his letter to the MRFF that he "personally finds the Christian god, as described in the biblical texts, to be an abhorrent character unworthy of personal worship." He said he respects others' rights to practice their faith, but not at his expense.

He was a victim of sexual abuse at age 6 and has a close friend who was raped by the son of a Christian pastor when she was 15. No one reported the rape to police, and in the end it was the rapist's father who counseled son and victim, including telling the girl she was partly to blame for not calling out for help.

But he told Military.com he would have had the same reaction to McCarty's talk even if he had not been assaulted himself or knew someone close to him who was raped by a pastor's son.

"If an atheist got up and said things offensive to religion I would have taken offense to that, too. These things do not belong in a work environment, with people telling you what to believe," he said.

-- Bryant Jordan can be reached at Bryant.jordan@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BryantJordan.
Review of L'Eau de Paille Eau de Parfum by Serge Lutens

L'Eau de Paille is a fougere, that you can tell from the get-go as the latest perfume from the expatriate from Morocco reveals its first accents. A first impression is to think that it smells strangely pedestrian for an art house dedicated to creative perfumery and which elevated, in fact, the notion. Our very first, virgin impression was, to be accurate, glee, as reported in a tweet. Why ? Because of the adequation between the name and the scent, so literal in fact that it feels like a private joke...

Eau de Paille translates as "Straw Water" in English. The fougere genre while named after the fern plant whose scent it is supposed to evoke, is noted in fact for smelling of new-mown hay (coumarin), a scent close to straw.

Coumarin

If, at some level, this new eau by Lutens, his fourth chapter in the book of eaux he is writing, is none too different from a mainstream, modern fougere like Paco Rabanne 1 Million, with its wallop of coumarin - and which is fine, but has become familiar territory - it asserts a more refined personality of its own in the subtle nuances you can grasp onto, as if they were as tenuous as wisps of straw.

Those nuances, which distinguish the scent from a generic concoction are minimalist touches of lavender and grainy cereals and a rather refined musky fougere drydown. In doing this, the fragrance is a fougere which never smells of the barbershop. It is more interested in exploring the new creamy, gourmand dimension of fougeres, the one that can smell like Nutella. Hazelnut here is both edible and 3D : you somehow think of furrowed fields, of a countryside landscape planted with hazelnut trees.

Des glaneuses - Gleaners (1857)

You think of l'Angelus (1859) by French painter Jean-Francois Millet (1814-1875), but perhaps even more of Des glaneuses (1857), which you can see at Musee d'Orsay, and which in its time was considered a scandalous painting, a possible pictorial prelude to a revolution. It was decried as a  socialist  painting. In short, the word was used as a dirty word.

Like Des glaneuses, L'Eau de Paille looks innocent at first. The gleaners were, like that, innoffensive-looking, yet potentially dangerous. There was this near heroic depiction of three larger than life peasants - and ambiguous representation - of three women peasants practising the poor's right to gleaning in the fields on a backdrop of agricultural plenty, accumulated in the hands of a rich farmer. The scene is like a sea of hay and straw, yet the faceless women's efforts, whose bodies express back-breaking labor, yield only a few wisps of leftover straw. One of the women presents her backside to spectators as if to hint at disregard for propriety. Millet was the scion of a family of wealthy farmers and he knew the realities of 19th century rural life. His painting appears to be bucolic but it is more like La Terre by Zola, a terrifying novel on the violence and unspeakable cruelty of peasant life.

People were shocked by the painting, a fact which writer Emile Zola explained with an olfactory metaphor,  L'odeur du peuple repugne aux delicats , "The smell of the people is disgusting to delicate noses". It even managed to rile Baudelaire (who hated the countryside anyway) who said that he could perceive a sententious streak in the painting as if the gleaners were being moralistic about the harshness of their condition in life. Today, it is astounding to see the controversy that this scene and part of Millet's work provoked in the public opinion. Yes, we still get that L'Origine du Monde by Courbet might have been considered ose, but Les glaneuses picking up a few sheafs of straw in an open field ?

Paysan repandant du fumier - Peasant Spreading Manure (1854-1855)

Millet has painted the blondness of hay, straw and rush as motifs many times over, see also his Le vanneur ; he dared represent a peasant spreading manure, Paysan repandant du fumier. The critical reception of his uvre is absolutely fascinating to read in the 21st century, revealing the contradictions of the society in which he lived.

We might add, is it that different today when in France so many farmers commit suicide due to their exploitation by distribution circuits and to stringent EU regulations meant to favor bigger structures ? The rural world is suffering in France, and elsewhere. We don't know if Lutens explicitally thinks about these issues, but like artists do, he may well have sponged it up and transformed it. I occasionally think about these issues and sponge them up and smell a Millet reference in L'Eau de Paille.

Knowing how Serge Lutens is counter-cultural in his outlook, you cannot help but wonder if the spontaneous laughter you had when smelling the perfume was not in fact provoked by the scent of provocation, a subtler form of it, a more crypted and anti-phrastic sense of it.

Fougere a Paris  2016 CHANT WAGNER

When devising a perfume composition you can decide to create an olfactory and aesthetic or moral shock of sorts by clubbing sniffers on the head with an overdose of something. That would be more the effect of a statement fragrance. You can also, as appears to be the case here, to mock them with an anti-climax : everybody expects a manifesto perfume from Serge Lutens, something odd and out-of-step, you get a placid fougere, on the face of it, except it's named l'Eau de Paille - an unusual name.

We joked initially on Twitter that it might be a word-play on the expression  Etre sur la paille ,  to be poor  as the scent has elicited mostly negative reactions to its, by default, artistic pretensions. It's fallen short of the creative agenda Lutens is best known for, for many.

Yet, we see in this literal - even at times pedestrian fougere - that smell of the people, many snobs will wrinkle their noses at. Smell like a Sephora fougere ? No way ! Niche perfumery allied with the internet has become a field where the social desire for distinction has come to get expressed in a very productive manner. It's one of the more democratic forms of social snubbery nowadays. Everyone can be a snob about perfume once you master the codes of what's in and what's out, at the moment being.

The person who was one of the founders of this urban culture of arty perfumery is choosing a seemingly bucolic name for its latest offering. Unstop it - and it smells mostly like the people's perfumery save for very light touches that tell you there is more to it than meets the eye, or nose, at first. There is a modern name for a fougere, putting the accent back on its hay-like nuance. There is a trick of the trade that makes the perfume evoke the paintings of Millet - something soft and crepuscular about it, and rural. There is a symbolic play on the straw/hay/fougere symbolism. In society, straw connotes of the countryside, of poverty - or of summer. You virtually never see it in town except when it cushions cheeses and when Beaujolais nouveau arrives, and then straw is thrown on the ground. In perfumery, a fougere is a popular genre - think of Brut. It smells of the people, clean people having visited their barber - but still.

Des glaneuses was also noted for its sense of religiosity and in the way the haystacks evoked the bread of the communion. Lutens is attuned to that thematic. He has explicitly created a perfume which is about bread, cereals and religion, Jeux de Peau. His spiritual angst is more and more perceptible.

Serge Lutens, may have left the confines of just beautiful and creative perfumery to develop perfume as moral and symbolic pamphlet. In a way, it's a return to the Victorian language of flowers, with its element of subversion, applied to the whole palette of perfumery on a backdrop of counter-cultural and more classical cultural references. Lutens' perfumery has always been  wordy  and words of his are cover-ups as well as revelations.

Un semeur - A Sower (1850)

You're invited to muse on and not just to smell literally. When I look at Un semeur by Millet I marvel at how free the man and the artist who painted him appear to be although the sower is carrying out an action which is so constraining. Just like that, perfumery can create a movement of freedom in the midst of a wealth of constraints. It can liberate you spiritually, if not socially. And by this we mean that a good perfume is never going to be a substitute for a good action.
Nairobi (AFP) - Rescuers in the Kenyan capital made desperate efforts Saturday to free survivors including a woman and child trapped in a building that collapsed in storms that have left a total of 17 people dead.

President Uhuru Kenyatta visited the wreck of the six-storey building on Saturday, where 10 people perished after concrete floors collapsed down on top of each other during torrential rainstorms on Friday.

The two-year-old building, home to more than over 150 families, had been condemned by building authorities but the order had been ignored.

"Ten bodies have been recovered, and we have 80 people who have been treated and discharged from hospital," Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery told reporters amid the wreckage of the building.

Seven other people died in floods elsewhere in Nairobi, including four killed when a wall collapsed.

"There is a lady in the building and her child who are alive, and all efforts are being made to rescue them, as well as other people still believed to be in the building," Nkaissery said.

- 'Ignored directives' -

But access for rescuers with larger machinery has been made difficult by the narrow and crowded streets.

One survivor was pulled from the huge pile of debris shortly after dawn, Kenya Red Cross said, some 10 hours after the building collapsed Friday night.

Pictures broadcast by local media showed soldiers, policemen and civilians searching through the rubble.

Kenyatta "braved the rainy and chilly weather" to visit densely-populated and poor Huruma neighbourhood, a statement from the presidency said.

He ordered police "take immediate action to identify and arrest owners of buildings who have ignored directives by the National Construction Authority", it said.

The building collapsed at around 9:30 pm (1830 GMT) Friday following some of the heaviest downpours since the start of the rainy season that caused flooding and landslides in many areas of the city.

Two neighbouring buildings were declared unsafe and were evacuated.

In other separate incidents, two people drowned when their vehicle was swept away by storm waters in the capital's Industrial Area, another person died in floods.

Nairobi has been in the midst of a building boom for some years but the quality of materials used and speed of construction have sometimes been called into question.

The growing middle class has triggered an explosion in demand for housing and a rise in real estate prices in the east African capital.
French troops based in Abidjan and a soldier from Ivory Coast's Republican Forces carry a soldier during a military exercise. By Issouf Sanogo (AFP/File)

30.04.2016 LISTEN

Abidjan (AFP) - France will increase the number of its troops in Ivory Coast, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Friday on a trip to the African nation which hosts a regional base for French forces.

"This summer the French forces in Ivory Coast will increase from 500 to 900 men and form the forward operating base for west Africa," he said while visiting French forces in the Ivorian capital.

The increase was already included in the military budget but comes at a time of growing regional terror threats, especially after an Islamist attack on the beach resort of Grand Bassam, near Abidjan, in March that left 19 people dead.

Abidjan is one of three "reservoirs" of French troops in the world, along with Djibouti and the United Arab Emirates, providing entry points to the different regions, Le Drian added.

The forces can be deployed to support French troops engaged in external operations, such as Operation Barkhane in the Sahel region, or to intervene in a new crisis.

Last year, the French forces in Ivory Coast took over from Operation Licorne, which saw several crises in the country, most notably when they were deployed alongside UN troops in 2011 during unrest sparked by president Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to step down after losing an election.

The French military also trains about 600 Ivorian soldiers each year.

"After the 2011 unrest, rebuilding the Ivorian army is essential to ensure the stability and prosperity of the country," Le Drian said.
The United Nations Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, Aristide Nononsi, urged the Sudanese Government to enable a conducive environment for a free and inclusive national dialogue by respecting the basic fundamental rights of Sudanese people, including the rights to freedoms of expression and association, and of the press.

I remain concerned about a number of human rights issues in the country, Mr. Nononsi said at the end of his second mission to the Sudan. I continue to hear about cases of arbitrary arrests and detention, as well as allegations of ill-treatment and travel ban on human rights defenders and political activists by security forces, including the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). The Independent Expert raised concern with the relevant authorities about the arrest and detention without charges of four pastors in Khartoum since mid-December 2016 as well as those of five students from the University of Khartoum since 13 April 2016. I was informed that the first case was transferred to judicial authorities who have charged the four pastors with criminal offenses. I was also informed that the case of the students will be shortly handed over to the relevant judicial authorities for prosecutions, he noted. I call on Sudanese authorities to ensure that the right to a fair trial and due process is guaranteed to these individuals. Mr. Nononsi also drew attention to the ongoing censorship of newspapers, and increased restrictions on journalists from freely expressing their opinion. I raised the suspension since mid-December 2015 of the Al-Tayar newspaper with the authorities, and I strongly recommended that the appeal of Al-Tayar newspaper against NISS' decision to suspend its operations is guaranteed an independent judicial review along with provision of adequate compensation, he added. The Independent Expert recalled that, in recent weeks, the authorities prevented four Sudanese human rights defenders from attending the pre-briefing session of the Universal Periodic Review* in Geneva I would like to emphasize the important role played by human rights defenders and journalists, and stress the need for the Government of Sudan to allow them to carry out their activities in an open, safe and secure environment, the human rights expert said. (*) NOTE TO EDITORS: The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all UN Member States. The UPR is a State-driven process, under the auspices of the UN Human Rights Council, which provides the opportunity for each State to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfil their human rights obligations. As one of the main features of the Council, the UPR is designed to ensure equal treatment for every country when their human rights situations are assessed. The ultimate aim of this mechanism is to improve the human rights situation in all countries and address human rights violations wherever they occur.
Despite passage of medicinal use in 24 states and recreational use in several others, marijuana remains a schedule I drug, banned by the federal government.

This presents many underlying problems when states attempt to make a legal industry out of an illegal substance.

The industry thats set up in these states ... thats all at risk if a new president comes in and decides to vigorously enforce (federal law), Dan Clearfield, a lawyer of Eckert Seamans Cherin and Mellott in Harrisburg, said. When you have an industry, that is a multi-million dollar industry, thats an additional risk factor that you have to consider.

Business

Legal cannabis sales hit more than $5.4 billion last year and are expected to eclipse $6.7 billion this year, according Fortune Magazine.

However, for individuals operating a state-regulated marijuana business it may be difficult to conduct basic transactions like banking and even filing taxes.

For tax purposes you have trouble declaring any income or expenses associated with (the business), Clearfield said. With respect to banks, most federally charted banks have decided they do not want to take revenue or income from marijuana sales.

Clearfield said in Colorado, which legalized recreational use of marijuana, businesses were largely operating as cash only.

My understanding is that other businesses have stepped in and are kind of working as shadow banks, Clearfield said. The difference is those banks are not federally guaranteed or insured and there are other limitations.

Roughly 70 percent of all legal marijuana businesses do not have a bank account, according to inc.com.

In 2014, President Barack Obama, through the U.S. Treasury and Justice departments, issued rules that would allow banks to accept money from legal marijuana businesses without fear that the federal government will seize the assets.

This, however, has not quelled concerns for many, Clearfield said.

Theyre risk averse. Theyre banks, so they dont want to take any chances that would threaten their federal charter or federal guarantees, he said.

Employment

Pennsylvanias medical marijuana law includes a clause stating that employers may not discharge, threaten, refuse to hire, discriminate or retaliate against an employee in regards to their compensation, terms, conditions, location or privileges solely on the basis of the employees status as an individual who is certified to use medical marijuana.

Clearfield said this does not, however, mean there will not be employment complications for individuals who use medical marijuana.

Theres another provision that says nothing will prevent an employer from barring an employee from doing certain task or performing in a certain way if there is a requirement that they be drug free, he said. How those two provisions are put together, remains to be seen.

Whats pretty clear is if say you fix gas leaks for UGI, and you want to use medical marijuana, UGI can tell you were not going to have you fix gas leaks, he added. Because, the federalregulations have a requirement that you be drug free.

The law also expressly allows employers to ban the use of medical marijuana at the place of employment and allows employers to discipline an employee if being under the influence of medical marijuana causes their work to fall below the standard of care normally accepted for that position.

Insurance

Despite its status for medicinal purposes in Pennsylvania, it remains unlikely that insurance companies will cover medical marijuana.

Pennsylvanias law includes a clause stating nothing in this act shall be construed to require an insurer or health plan, whether paid for by commonwealth funds or private funds, to provide coverage for medical marijuana.

Representatives for Blue Cross Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente told online news site bankrate.com that they will not and cannot include medical marijuana to its policies because of the drugs status under federal law.

Clearfield noted that it is not uncommon for insurance companies to not cover certain medical treatments that dont involve a federally illicit drug.
30.04.2016 LISTEN

A few days ago, the children of Yisroel all over the world celebrated Khag Pesach (the feast of Passover?). Khag Pesach is the annual commemoration of the deliverance of the children of Yisroel from bondage to Mitzrayim in the days of Moshe (Moses?) and of holy activities they carried out in their homes under the instructions of Elohiym on their last night in Mitzrayim, before departing on pilgrimage to Canaan.

Khag Pesach is eternally fixed by Elohiym to be celebrated, according to a time reckoned by the Creators calendar, on Nisan 14 of every year. So then, when the children of Yisroel last celebrated Khag Pesach, a few days ago, the date of that celebration was Nissan 14, 5776, From Creation (FC)!

You may have to get closer to the history of Yisroel to take in all this From Creation stuff; that is, if you are yet to get acquainted with this dating reference!! Also be informed that Nissan is the first month of the Creators calendar and is also known as Abib (or Aviv).

Whilst in Yisroel the date for Khag Pesach for this year, according to the Creators calendar, was Nissan 14, 5776 FC, in all of the Goyim (Gentile nations of Earth) the date of this same day was, by the reckoning of the Gregorian calendar that rules them, April, 22, 2016, CE (i.e. Common Era)!! I shall be explaining the term Common Era presently, but, even as I am yet to do so, please try to keep in mind both FC and CE as you read this article.

At every Khag Pesach, a one year old male lamb without blemish was killed in all households in Yisroel, the meat grilled on open fire behind closed doors and eaten with bread and bitter herbs as an evening meal in commemoration of their deliverance from slavery in Mitzrayim. In fact, the sacrificed lambs were always considered as ones that stood in their stead and whose deaths brought them life and liberty as the lambs blood atoned for their sins!

So then, when the Savior of all mankindYahushua is his holy Ivrit (Hebrew) name, and not the man-made and now highly popularized Goyim name of offence, JESUS CHRIST, of Greek roots which has engulfed the whole worldcame to Earth on a mission from his Abba (Father), Yahuwah Elohiym, and was introduced by YahuKhanan Ben ZakharYahu (John the Baptist?) to Yisroel as HaSeh HaElohiym (the Lamb of Elohiym) who had come to take the sin of the world away, he was thus being introduced as the universal Pesach Seh (Passover Lamb), chosen and approved by Elohiym to deal with mans enslavement to sin and to liberate him from it, in and by shedding his blood in sacrifice.

The sacrificial death of HaSeh HaElohiym, therefore, had to coincide with the time of slaughtering of the Pesach Seh for the celebration of Khag Pesach in the last year of the Savior on Earth. This day had to be on Nissan 14, as that was the day that Elohiym had ordained in His calendar for the Pesach Seh to always be killed every year.

So then, from the historical records and the Jewish calendar, the day Yahushua was sacrificed in YahuSalem was Nissan 14, 4028 FC!! Note, as already stated, that in the current Gregorian year of 2016 CE, the anniversary of Yahushuas death was celebrated by the children of Yisroel on Nissan 14, 5776 FC, which, according to the Gregorian calendar, was April 22, 2016 CE!!

Now, if one were to stay with and live solely in the Gregorian calendar, the one would have joined all Christians of the world to celebrate Good Friday in a supposed commemoration of the death of the Savior as the worlds Christian faithful did on the earlier date of March 25, 2016 CE, ignorant and oblivious that it was scheduled by the Jewish calendar to occur on Nissan 14, 5776 FC (April 22, 2016 CE?)!!

This means that, before the children of Yisroel could get to celebrate the death of their very own kinsman, Yahushua HaBen HaElohiym, HaMashakhYahu (the Anointed One Of Yahuwah), Christiansall of whom are Goyim, except for a few misguided children of Yisroel among themhad already done him (Yahushua) honors about a month earlier by celebrating Good Friday in memory of his death on March 25, 2016 CE!

How could that be?? And yet, while rejoicing in the euphoria of a so-called Good Friday celebration of the Saviors death, Christians went on into a more joyous celebration of a supposed resurrection of Yahushua as Easter Sunday on March 27, 2016 CE!! How could that be??

But then, this was exactly what happened right before the eyes of todays eye witnesses of the Good Friday and Easter Sunday celebrations of 2016 CE. Of course, this is what has always happenedthe celebration of Christians Good Friday and Easter Sunday occurring ahead of Khag Pesach of the children of Yisroelfor centuries; that the Goyim of the world would want to mourn the dead of Yisroel ahead of the actual bereaved family by starting to wail even when the bereaved children of Yisroel had not yet laid its corpse in state!! How and why would that be so??

A big deception by a false Gregorian calendar is the bane of all Goyim who seek the salvation of the Most High One while relying solely on this calendar and ignorant of the Creators own!! Sad to observe that when Goyim salvation seekers get bitten by a bug of deception, coming from what their leaders teach them to believe, they give no thoughts whatsoever to their zeal! Oh, what venomous killing power there is in zeal without revelation knowledge!!

Now, let us talk a little about the unique annual calendar that has always directed the spiritual, agricultural and political life of the Nation of Yisroel! Though only known today simply as the Jewish calendar, as stated earlier, it is reckoned From Creation (FC) and, therefore, manifests the hand and wisdom of the Creator as being a perfect masterpiece and most reliable calendar!

The Goyim may have come to know about this unique calendar only recently and so attribute it to the Ninth Century CE, but this calendar has long existed and is what has directed all activities of the children of Yisroel ever since they entered Canaan to occupy it as their inheritance from Elohiym, after their deliverance from enslavement to Mitzrayim and subsequent forty-year long journey through the wilderness and deserts of Sinai.

Therefore, it is this calendar that determined the times of their worship services, which were, for centuries, conducted in the Tabernacle and, later on, in the Beit HaMikdash (Jerusalem Temple?). This same calendar is what was used to prepare a rooster and the order of courses for kohanim (temple priests?) working in the Beit HaMikdash, to lead in the schedules and order of the Feasts of Yahuwah Elohiym they were mandated to celebrate, as well as the times of their agricultural activities, etc. Interestingly, it is this same calendar that has ruled in all affairs of Yisroel to date!

There are twelve months that constitute this annual calendar, displaying an alternating 30-day and 29-day cycle. The first month of this calendar is called Nissan (or Abib or Aviv), as already stated, and has 30 days, while Adar is the last month with 29 days. In between them are Iyyar (Zif), Sivan, Tammuz, Ab (Av), Elul, Tishri (Ethanim), Heshvan (Bul), Kislev, Tebeth (Tevet), and Shebat (Shevat) in running order and alternating according to their ordained number of days.

Each of the twelve months contains four seven-day weeks with each day of the week named in an order or position according to the names of the days in the Creation account of Elohiym in Beresheet (Genesis?) chapter one. So then, from the first to the seventh day of the week they are named, respectively, thus: Yom Echad (First Day or Day One, or D1 by my own tagging), Yom Sheini (D2), Yom Shlishi (D3), Yom Revii (D4), Yom Chamishi (D5), Yom Shishi (D6), and Yom HaShevii (D7).

It must also be stated that each of these days spans or starts from one evening, progressing through night, through to daylight, and then ends the next evening; with the next named day following in the same order.

Now, outside of Yisroel and among almost all Goyim (the Gentile nations of Earth), the Gregorian calendara calendar that is entirely different from the one made by Elohiym for Yisroel (and intended for all mankind)is rather what rules in all the affairs of the Goyim.

The Gregorian calendar derives its name from a Pope Gregory XIII, even though it was actually crafted by an Italian doctor, astronomer and philosopher by name Luigi Lilio (aka Aloysius Lilius), and only recently in 1582 CE!

Many other calendars in existence seem to have been inspired by the Gregorian or are affiliated to it, all of which have been crafted and made by man and, thus, are without any proven inspiration of Elohiym.

Part II

The Gregorian calendar determines every activity and event on Earth today, and is also tied to every historical record of mankinds past! So then, not many have ever even heard there were other calendars; more so, the calendar that has the hand of the Creator in it and in use by Yisroel!

The Gregorian calendar is said to be referenced to the date of birth of the Savior in Yisroel, whose true name is Yahushua, but, because this true name later on became lost on the Goyim of the world when it was willfully replaced with JESUS CHRIST by evil-minded men, all dates of the Gregorian calendar were referred to as Before Christ (BC) for those dates that fell before this birth, and then the Latin Anno Domini (AD; meaning, In the year of our Lord) for those years that are supposed to have come after the Saviors birth!

So then, not too long ago, all dates in relation to the Gregorian calendar were tagged as BC or AD, depending on whether they fell before or were considered to have fallen after the birth of the Savior. However, it is now the norm to refer to dates relating to the Gregorian calendar as Before Common Era (BCE) for all dates before the birth of the Savior and Common Era (CE) for those after this birth!

Interestingly, hard critics of the Gregorian have tagged BCE and BC as Before Common Error and Common Error, respectively, instead! It is therefore obvious that no one can expect to have a good relation or harmony to exist between the Jewish calendar and the Gregorian!

In comparison to the Jewish calendar, the Gregorian calendar is just too bizarre in its structure and simply too irregular in pattern and therefore too cumbersome, if not completely impossible, to live by! And yet, it has been forced upon mankind!

Yes, it has twelve months in a year just as the Jewish calendar. But, unlike the Jewish calendar which has a simple and easy-to-follow alternating 30- and 29-day monthly cycle, the Gregorian calendar has months consisting of either 31, 30 or 28 days, with no particular pattern or alternation!

The bizarre nature of this calendar is further magnified every leap year when its second month, February, gets an extra day added to it! Well, if you know whoever it is who has power to create an extra day every four years for the good of mankind, you may let me also know him, dear reader!

When the Creator has given names to every one of the months in His twelve-month calendarto be known and accepted as coming from Himthe man-made Gregorian calendar has other names altogether, as January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December, for the first to twelfth month respectively; all of which are rooted in names of pagan deities of ancient Greece and Rome!

While these anglicized names have been crafted for English speakers, people of all other languages are left to do as they also please in their choice of month-names, not minded by what names of the months Elohiym has revealed for the use of all mankind!!

The bizarre nature of the Gregorian calendar is further manifested as its first month, January, commences three months before the first Jewish month of Nissan (Abib) starts! And so, to suppose that one can equate Sivan, which is the third month of the Jewish calendar to March/April of the Gregorian calendar in trying to make a match of the two calendars is just impossible!

That is why the event of Khag Pesach of Nissan 14, 5776 FC which was celebrated only a few days ago, was strangely deemed to have occurred a good four weeks earlier according to the Gregorian calendar as Good Friday on March 25, 2016 CE, even though Khag Pesach and Good Friday are said to mean the same event and must have the same date of occurrence and, thus, celebration!

So then, the first month, January, of the Gregorian calendar, if thought to be the same as the first month Nissan of the Jewish calendar, is only a deception of the mind; for, in reality, they are not. The human mind is only fooled into equating, say, Nissan 14, 5776 FC, wherein Khag Pesach was celebrated recently, to April 22, 2016 CE, where no Good Friday celebrations could take place!

Obviously, then, it is absurd and even ridiculous to try to equate Nissan 14, 5776 FC to April 22, 2016 CE!! Therefore, whoever masterminded the crafting of the Gregorian calendar has obviously achieved his intent of creating conflict, confusion, anarchy and deception among people who seek and desire to do the will of Elohiym!

Again, even though the Gregorian calendar is like the Jewish one, in that it also has a four-in-one seven-day week within every month, its days of the week are named differently from how Elohiym has named His days and commanded mankind to go by.

The Gregorian calendar also considers two daysthe Seventh and the First Days of the Week of the Jewish calendarwhich it collectively terms week end in which no work is done; indifferent to the command of Elohiym for mankind to rest from his labors only on the Seventh Day of the Week!

Sadly, lazy and fun-seeking mankind seems happy to have this pagan calendar give him rest in two full days and is therefore willing to adore the one who brought him this plenty rest-time instead of obeying Elohiym according to His Jewish calendar!

Another marked distinction between the two calendars is that every day of the Gregorian calendar is structured to span from midnight to midnight, in contrast to the Jewish one which spans from evening to evening by the power of Elohiym!

Yet still, the names that are given to the days of the week in the Gregorian calendar are completely different from those of the Jewish one. These names of the Gregorian deviate completely from a normal count of numbers, as is the case with the Creators calendar, to names that seem to represent deities, people, or concepts!

And so, in English for example, the days of the week are as follows: Sunday (Sun Day) as the first day of the week, then, Monday (Moon Day), Tuesday (Tiws Day), Wednesday (Wodens or Mercurys Day), Thursday (Thors or Jupiters Day), Friday (Friggs Day), to Saturday (Saturn Day or Satan Day?) as the seventh, respectively!!

The questions to ask about these names of the week are: Who or what is Tiw, Woden, Thor or Friggs?? We may think of Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Saturn to be elements of the Solar System; but then, is that really so?? Are all these names that are given to the days of the week, not in fact, names of pagan deities who are, thus, honored by mankind, even if unconsciously?? So then, has mankind not been tricked into a perpetual veneration and recognition of some pagan deities by his daily pronouncement of these names in the Gregorian calendar?? Is todays mankind safe at all??

As can immediately be discerned, these two calendarsthe one developed with the wisdom and leadings of Elohiym to guide His chosen nation Yisroel and, indeed, all mankind, and the other by this Pope Gregory XIIIare bound to be in conflict with each other and definitely bound to create confusion, misunderstanding and strife among their users.

And was this confusion which has come upon the Earth not intentionally sought, as mankind willfully rejected the calendar that Elohiym led the children of Yisroel to develop based on His instructions to them, so it would fit perfectly into the times and seasons He has set apart and sanctified for His feasts, to instead adopt the one made by a man, even if a Pope Gregory, solely through human effort and, maybe, with the wisdom of Lucifer even tainting it?

You see, the greatest and most important event to Christians worldwide, who are solely led by the Gregorian calendar, is their faith in their annual celebrations of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, which they claim to be in remembrance of the death and resurrection, respectively, of Yahushua!

However, by their recent celebrations of Good Friday and Easter Sunday on March 25, 2016 and March 27 2016 CE, respectively, they display that they celebrate obvious falsehoods!! For, in so far as the celebration of Good Friday by Christians on March 25, 2016 CE, did not coincide with the celebration of Khag Pesach on Nissan 14, 5776 FC (which fell on April 22, 2016 by the reckoning of the Gregorian calendar)the true date in Nissan determined for the commemoration of the death of the Savior of mankind that was observed by Yisroelthen Christians have always dabbled in falsehood and lying, as shown by their celebrations of Good Friday and Easter Sunday on March 25 and March 27, 2016 CE, respectively! What joyous celebrations of deception, year in year out!!

Part III

It is very sad that Christian clergymen have deceived themselves and their followers into celebrating Good Friday and Easter Sunday for centuries with no spiritual blessing accruing to them ever since the inception of Christianity in ca. 320 CE, as these feasts are without the mandate or instruction of Elohiym!

Have all Christian clergymen not claimed to have heard the voice of the Most High One call them for training in the Seminaries or Bible Colleges they attend in order for them to be able to do the work they do in their claims of leading sinners into His salvation? And yet, they cast aside the Creators calendar in preference for the Deceivers own while seeking to work for Elohiym?? What shocking mess they have brought upon themselves and their followers by their huge naivety in preferring a man-made calendar over that of the Creator!

Do clergymen not also claim they are always led and directly supervised by Elohiym through some Holy Spirit in the work they do; and yet, are even ignorant of the true Supervisor and Teacher called Ruwakh HaQuodesh who is made available to all true workers of the Most High One??

How could their claims of being called to duty and of being supervised by Elohiym in their work be true, when they display such a terrible blunder in what they preach and lead their flock to do regarding the celebration of their so-called Good Friday and Easter Sunday, both of which are completely at variance with Khag Pesach of Yisroel which celebrates the death of Yahushua??

No doubt, the flagship sermon of all Christian clergymen is one that is centered on their own understanding [misunderstanding?] of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior! This is their primary sermon which they preach to sinners seeking to lead them into the salvation of Elohiym, which they even base in glaring error that the Savior, after being sacrificed, was buried on a Friday evening and resurrected on a Sunday morning!

In fact, they teach that after the Savior had been sacrificed and laid to rest in a tomb, if he never resurrected according to his scheduled time, upon spending exactly three days and three nights in the tomb so as to fulfill the sign of HaNavi Yonah (MattitYahu 12:40), then they (Christians) would have been the most pitiful people on Earth; for they would have remained in their sinsunsaved!! And yet, they fail to see or recognize the impossibility of obtaining a correct count of three days and three nights between a Friday evening burial and the following Sunday morning, crucial in giving them the genuine and true resurrection of Yahushua!!

In this flagship sermon, they urge sinners to accept their error-riddled version of the account of the resurrection of the Savior, so they may be saved; ignorant that they (themselves) who preach the false version of this resurrection cannot be and are not saved by it!!

For, who can ever be saved by believing falsehood and deceptionparticularly, the deception of a Sunday dawn resurrection, when, in actual fact, this resurrection occurred at the evening hour that commenced the observance of Shabbat on the Seventh Day of the Week (Saturday), in the year it happened??

It is just too sad that Christian clergymen have eyes but are stark blind. They have eyes to read and yet when they do, they have no spiritual minds to comprehend what they read. Did Lucifer not warn mankind and even dare Elohiym that he would change times and laws that are set by the Most High Onecf. DaniEl (Daniel) 7:25?? So then, was Lucifer to be taken lightly in his resolve to mastermind, craft, and commission the Gregorian calendar so as to change times and laws which Elohiym has set for mankinds good?

But Christian clergymen decided to play ball with Lucifer, who, acting through Revii Khayyah (the Fourth Beast), brought into being the Gregorian calendar to set aside all times and feasts that Elohiym set for mankind in His calendar for Yisroel, and thus doing away with the observations of the holydays of Elohiym to relish in the holidays of Lucifer!

Everything that is believed and practiced by Christians is a sham of Lucifer that has come about because he has forced upon mankind a calendar that cannot fit as a template into that which is made by the Creator.

So then, when, long ago, the Creator reckoned that a yet-to-happen commemoration of His sons death on Earth must occur on Nissan 14, 5776 FC by His calendar, Lucifer convinced mankind to go by the reckoning of his Gregorian calendar to do this commemoration on March 25, 2016 CE instead, and thereby deceived mankind to go way ahead of Elohiym by a good four weeks in this celebration!! Remember that Nissan 14, 5776 FC was by mans reckoning, April 22, 2016 CE!!

With such a poor display of time-consciousness by Christians in honoring the invitation to be with Elohiym at His appointed time and season for Khag Pesach and, consequently, any celebration of the resurrection of His most beloved son, what is there for Christians to gain in this resurrection??

Only woes and curses, as a result of the galore of errors committed on mans part, await him! Mankind has erred concerning the name of the Savior, whom they have been deceived to believe as JESUS CHRIST; when, in fact, he is Yahushua. No wonder this JESUS CHRIST is obviously proven as an imposter since he is deemed to have resurrected after only one and half days in a tombfrom a supposed Friday evening hour of burial to a Sunday morningshort of the three days and three nights that Yahushua HaBen HaElohiym, the true Savior, spent in his tomb before his resurrection!

How come Christians believe in a dawn resurrection when they teach an evening hour burial?? Would the scheduled time of three days and three nights for the Savior to rest in the tomb, not be up at exactly the same hour as his burial on the due day (date)? Why should it then be a dawn resurrection, as has been proclaimed for centuries by Christian clergymen, when his burial was in the evening?

Furthermore, how come Christian clergymen have come to believe that the resurrection of the Savior occurred on a First Day of the Week (Sunday?), and thus insinuating that the Savior was still present in his tomb on the Seventh Day of the Week or Shabbat day, still working to bring to an end his work for the salvation of mankind, when it was mandatory for all holy beings to start resting whenever the Shabbat day begins?

May all Christian clergymen be made to know that Yahushua rose from the dead at exactly the hour of commencement of the Seventh Day of the Week Shabbat and never on some First Day of the Week (Sunday?)!!

If all these galore of errors, misconceptions, deceptions and lies associated with Good Friday and Easter Sunday are seen as truths by Christian clergymen, which they teach with so much passion and zeal to their followers, what other sermons can they preach to their followers that could be deemed as holy and spiritually rewarding or beneficial to them??

In the midst of all of these deceptions, the greatest ambition of Lucifer and his Revii Khayyah is to get mankind to sin against the Shabbat commandment, and hence, his scheming in teaching a false First Day of the Week (Sunday?) resurrection so he would cause mankind to shift the worship of Elohiym from the Seventh Day of the Week (Saturday?) to the First Day of the Week (Sunday?); something which he has, sadly, already succeeded in doing!

It seems to me that nothing good comes from the preaching of the religion of Christian clergymen which they term Christianity, if whatever they preach in association with their flagship sermonthe resurrection of the Savioris all tainted with lies and untruths!

It would seem more beneficial if all Christian clergymen would accept that they have misled their followers for far too long and, therefore, quit the preaching of the Christianity they do to their followers, altogether. For, can the blind lead the blind; would they both not fall into the ditch??

I pray you stay tuned, my dear Christian clergyman, for I have more for you from Elohiym on this non-saving Christianity that you preach in deception to your followers! And if anyone reading this article never got to read my immediate past article of this column, titled, Behold! The Hand of Lucifer that Established Easter Sunday Celebrations Exposed, Id like to encourage the one to do so while awaiting my next piece. That article can be accessed through the URLs at the bottom of this page. Shalum aleikhem!

PS: Should readers of this and any of my articles have serious questions or suggestions, they may contact me via e-mail by clicking on Contact on the Home Page of my website, http://sbprabooks.com/BongleBapuohyele. You may also purchase a copy of my bookBeware of This False Doctrine: Of Reciting the Sinners' Prayer for Salvationvia the same web address so, together, we walk the narrow way to the presence of Elohiym. Shalum!
30.04.2016 LISTEN

In the wake of former Transport Minister Dzifa Attivors explosive revelations that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) politically hunted down and eventually jailed some prominent Ewe members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), a party J.J. Rawlings led at the dawn of the Fourth Republic until Kufuors ethnocentric NPP displaced it, some members of the public have come out to either defend or reject her remarks in very strong language. This is expected.

One school of thought is of the view that her remarks are ethnocentric and likely to inflame inter-ethnic tensions. This school of thought generally includes members of the NPP and its fan base (supporters), some civil society organizations such as the National Peace Council, some media personalities, entertainers, etc.

The other school of thought, however, holds the view that her statements are in fact true reflections of the political arithmetic of partisan ethnocentrism, the latter generally reflective of the NPP and some of its leading members and spokespersonsprominent examples being Akufo-Addo himself, Yaw Osafo Marfo and Kennedy Agyapong.

This school of thought generally includes the NDC, its outspoken members Asiedu Nketia and Twum Boafo, and the fan base of the NDC. A member of this school of thought put it this way: Must we wait for them to proceed with the agenda to cripple the base (Ewes) of NDC? No is the answerHon Dzifa Attivor spoke our mind.

The irony of this Manichaean duopoly may point to both schools of thought being right to a certain extent.

For one thing, the Kufuor government did clandestinely supervise the prosecution of these Ewe members Madam Attivor mentioned in her controversial remarks. She mentioned these names as part of her general public indictment of Kufuors ethnocentric NPP, with Akufo-Addo, Kufuor himself and other leading NPP apparatchiks reaching out to moles planted in the judiciary to carry out this hatchet job for them. It is already in the history books of the popular mind.

That political witch hunt could have had ethnocentric undertones, but this controversial theory has yet to be convincingly demonstrated to be the case beyond a reasonable doubt. We could not care less about absolute certainty. And of course, Kufuors ethnocentric NPP also witch-hunted Akans like Kwame Peprah and Sipa Yankey. Madam Attivor also reportedly said the following:

I want to remind you that it is your vote that will decide if Fifi Kwetey and I will be prosecuted and put behind bars or not.

Still, many are those who have not forgotten Kufuors open display of political ethnocentrism during his two-term presidency, a view which the second school of thought loudly and absolutely represents, no doubt as we see it and also understand it.

Also the first school of thought, for instance, sees some connections between the NPPs political witch hunt of those prominent NDC members of Ewe extraction, allegedly, and those murdered Akan generals and others of the top brassthis authors own paternal uncle Air-Vice Yaw Boakye being amongst the executed, and Akan judges at the hands of the erstwhile Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). Some have blamed those murders on Kojo Boakye-Djan, others on Rawlings. It is an unresolved conundrum yet to fully unravel itself for posterity.

However, not much of this story came out when Ghanas National Reconciliation Commission sat and looked into these questions. For this and other reasons, that part of our shared political history may become as much strategically unclear as tactically nebulous and, perhaps, the unresolved questions may remain so for as long as it is so. Yet again, there are also some within the first school of thought who trace the genesis of this alleged Ewe political witch-hunting of Akans and their summary executions to the politics of Prof. Kofi Awoonor, late, although there is no direct evidence for this line of thinking, at least from the professors influential corpus of literary works.

And certainly, there are those who trace the Machiavellian author of the genesis of political ethnocentrism, Akans versus non-Akans (Ewes), in Ghanas political history to a political novice and fifth columnist, K.A. Busia (Read: Mr. E.K. Sallah and Apollo 568). Still others also make the case that Lt. Moses Yeboah, the man who shot and killed Gen. Kwasi Kotoka, and Lt. Samuel Arthur, both Akan offices at the head of the abortive Operation Guitar Boy, partly account for the genesis of ethnic politics in Ghana.

All these speculations and proven facts of our brief political history do not in any way excuse Madam Attivors provocative remarks, Akufo-Addos All-Die-Be-Die war cry and Yen Akanfuo, Kennedy Agyapongs calls for Asantes to kill Ewes and Gas, Prof. Amoako Baahs recent misguided rhetoric of political ethnocentrism, and the following statements attributed to Yaw Osafo Marfo:

You have all the resources, but you have no say in the management of your resources, and that is what is happening. Your development depends on the one who has no resourcesYou cant say this openlyWe should protect ourselves, we should protect our income. No one who is the source of income, the source of revenue, the source of resources allows another person without those resources the chance [to rule over them]

Its never done anywhere in the world. In the world over, it is the group with the most resources that rules and not the other way round.

A classic case of social-political otherism, a convenient progeny of political ethnocentrism. Elective democracy simply reduced to ethnocracy and natural resources.

Since when did ethnicity and natural resources rather that the elective franchise become the hallmark and definition of elective democracy?

Only these archaic, ephebiphobic political ethnocentrists will advance this anachronistic strain of democracy.

Lest we are not misunderstood however, we should also want to make it clear that, all the instances we have been drawing upon here, for reasons of discursive edification, should not be forced to fit the categorical political jurisdiction of duopolistic equalization. As a matter of fact, we are merely taking a panoramic scan of the growing trend of political ethnocentrism in Ghanaian politics, particularly of the Fourth Republic. This does not bode well for the nations budding democracy.

What we should all have realized by now is that Ghana is not a country exclusively for Ewes and Akans. Neither is Akan politically and geopolitically monolithic. It is not even absolutely linguistically monolithic. Rather, Ghana is a unitary nation-state generally reflective of its geopolitical character of ethnic and cultural heterogeneity, constituted into a solidarized umbrella of a unifying constitutional democracy, exactly as the great Nkrumah, the founder of Ghana, imagined it, envisioned it and if we also add for emphasis, so shall it remain.

In other words it should not, and never, be otherwise. Yet, Rawlings statement to the effect that tribalism is not one of the traits of Akufo-Addos many political personalities is palpably deceptive and categorically false, a statement not rooted in facts, a typological sophistry if you will. It is neither here nor there. A subtle conceptual definition of tribalism is exactly what Yen Akanfuo is.

A practical concept of tribalism is when Akufo-Addo, the leader of a major political organization, kept quite as Yaw Osafo Marfo, Kennedy Agyapong, and the anachronistic, old-fashioned professor of political science, Amoako Baah, threw the mud of ethnocentric salvoes at non-Akans. We are not making allusions to association fallacy. We are rather making a serious point about Akufo-Addos implicit appreciation of these ethnocentric remarks through his measured silence.

Worse of all, Rawlings himself may have come out strongly in defense of Akufo-Addo because he probably fears the latters government, if it succeeds in displacing President Mahamas from the seat of incumbency, may expunge the Indemnity Clause from the Constitution and pave the way for his trial on the alleged political crimes he, Rawlings, and his government committed.

The Kufuor government, of which Akufo-Addo was an influential member, tried this tactical approach but failed. Kweku Baako, Jr. and Gabby Otchere-Darko, after their globetrotting in search of the Holy Grail of evidence to indict Rawlings, failed to turn up any incriminating evidence to pin down Rawlings. A highly placed source or friend of this author, who worked for some time with some NPP MPs in the Ghanaian parliament, told him [this author] that some of the influential NPP MPs he worked with even entertained the idea of dragging Rawlings to the ICC if the Kufuor government failed to try him on the singular charge of crimes against humanity.

It has also widely been speculated that Akufo-Addo was part of the hawkish anti-Rawlings schemers in the Kufuor government, whose tireless efforts led to Rawlings being stripped of any diplomatic privileges he enjoyed as ex-president. Rawlings is forgiving enough to say positive things, eulogistic mostly, about his past tormentor in the person of the scheming Akufo-Addo. And here is what Rawlings is reported to have said:

I do not subscribe to the politics of ethnic bias and never have. While I may not be a fan of the NPP, I know their presidential candidate is not tribalistic or ethnocentric. Whatever Nana Addos shortcomings, tribalism is not one of them. Some known and respected Voltarians like Nutifafa Kuenyehia should be able to testify to his political nature.

What is tribalism and what is ethnocentrism? In other words, what is tribalism when there are no tribes in Africa? The word tribe and its more popular derivative, tribalism, are products of Eurocentric racism. It invokes dire, contemptuous images of emotional pain in some just like the word nigga or nigger does in others across the Atlantic Ocean.

In fact, many respected schools of anthropology in the West have banned those racist words, tribe and tribalism, in the study of Africa and Africans, yet we continue to use. It appears then that we are still stuck in that old farm of colonialism.

A better word, in our opinion, is ethnicity and its derivative correlate, ethnocentrism. These terms are the new definitional currencies in these schools of anthropology. Still, having said that, we do have a long way to go in terms of psychological realignment, a means to suit the imperatives of the language of science, because our collective psychological dislocation has been our undoing.

In spite of his flowery language in praise of Akufo-Addo, many influential and lay NPPs fundamentally still see Rawlings as tribalistic. This is the sad part of the Rawlings story, evidently from the screwed-up standpoint of these anti-Rawlings NPP apparatchiks. Even so Rawlings criticism of Madam Attivor is justifiably well-placed and in order. Rawlings makes another interesting observation in his criticism of Madam Attivor. This is what he reportedly said:

As we draw closer to the next Presidential and Parliamentary elections we all as Ghanaians expect ALL PARTIES involved in the process to base their arguments and campaign rhetoric on the truth and desist from emotional and non-factual statements

He noted elsewhere (emphasis ours):

she [Madam Attivor] also insinuated that because I was the Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the electorate in the Volta Region should vote for the party on that basis.

There is something behind this statement that may seem to suggest or lend credence to the allegation, that, Rawlings, and his wife, Madama Nana Agyemang Konadu Rawlings, are scheming with Akufo-Addo to dethrone President Mahama and the NDC. There is also a parallel surmise that Rawlings wants to distance himself from the corrupt Madam Attivor and the NDC. Whatever the merits or demerits of these theories and running speculations, the fact still remains that Rawlings crisp criticism of Madam Attivor is relevant and may even to add the richness of a de-ethnicized democracy.

OUR FINAL THOUGHTS

On the other hand while Africans employ the tools of ethnocentrism against each other and devaluing African humanity in the process, Western-based scholars such as Quamrul Ashraf and Oded Galor would publish a racist scientific paper, titled The Out Of Africa Hypothesis, Human Genetic Diversity, And Comparative Economic Development, demonstrating what Columbia University professor Andrew Gelman, a statistician and political scientist, sarcastically calls the title of his paper Why Is Africa So Poor While Europe And North America Are So Wealthy, a critique of Ashrafs and Galors paper! What have Africans got to say about these?

Readers may also want to read the paper Is Poverty In Our Genes?: A Critique Of Ashraf And Galor, The Out Of Africa Hypothesis, Human Genetic Diversity, And Comparative Review (by Jade dAlpoim Guedes et al. Source: Current Anthropology, Vol. 54, No. 1, Feb 2013, pp. 71-79).

KENNEDY AGYAPONG ON WHY HE WOULD NOT INSULT RAWLINGS AGAIN

Of course, some of us sometimes admire Rawlings and his fiery outbursts. In this narrow context, we cannot and should not criticize bad politicians like Madam Attivor while leaving out our religious charlatans, Bishop Obinim and his train of colleagues, all self-styled Men of God. Here is what Kennedy Agyapong, a onetime fierce critique of Rawlings and a firebrand MP for Assin North, reportedly said bout Rawlings criticism of Bishop Obinim, Kumchacha, and so on:

Adakabre, I now understand the thinking behind what Rawlings did. In those days, some of us insulted him because we did not think far enough to understand that he was doing the right thingApparently, Rawlings was doing the right thing because there is no way people like Obinim should be walking freeAdakabre, I will never insult President Rawlings again.

NATIONAL PEACE COUNCILS REV. PROF. EMMANUEL ASATNTE CALLS ON DZIFA ATTIVOR TO APOLOGIZE

She should come clean and apologise to the Ghanaian public, to our brothers and sisters in the Volta Region for taking them for a ride.

Yes, we should find a way to kill her rhetoric of combustive ethnocentrism. But she was merely restating what her male politicians have been doing and saying for some time now, perhaps in much the same way Madam Victoria Hammah, an ex-NDC Deputy Communications Minister, restated the political criminality of Ghanaian politicians who were addicted to kleptomaniacal rape of the national coffers. Madam Hammah reportedly made the following statement among others:

"I told Rachel that I really understand politics.I will not quit politics until I make $1 million. If you have money, then you can control people.

Hers, unfortunately, was merely a Shangri-La-like dream by a politician who was caught up in a sweeping luxury of youthful exuberance. Her male colleagues had in fact been making multi-millions! But her sentiments were rather a genuine reflection of the larger society that gave birth to her kind of politicians. This fact is lost on those who are wont to criticize politicians but actually do so outside the immediate context of the society from which Ghanaian politicians spring. Madam Hammah herself understands this contextual dynamics as she once described it here:

Corrupt politicians are the reflection of [a] corrupt society!

And she offered her take on what should be done to address the problem:

We must wake up to this unhealthy menace and address it comprehensively; in as much as we demand accountability from public officeholders, we as a people must demand accountability from our own conscience.

That was before she trapped herself in a self-incriminating evidential dragnet of a potential malfeasance, a political daydreaming. One wonders what conscience she was referring to! One also wonders what has become of the Conduct of Public Holders Bill/Public Service Liability Bill, the Freedom of Information Bill (FOIB), Production Sharing Agreement (PSA)What is the point when none of the laws in the country seems to be working for the nation, its citizens?

ETHNIC POLITICS: THE LESSON OF THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE

We should find a way to legislate or make it possible for aspiring politicians to make a pilgrimage to the Ntarama Memorial Centre, Murambi Genocide Memorial Center, the Nyarubuye Genocide Memorial, the Kigali Memorial Centre, the Nyamata Genocide Memorial, and the Bisesero Genocide and Resistance Memorial to learn more about the Rwandan Genocide.

Maybe a trip for these aspiring politicians to Yad Vashem will also so. In fact, the curriculum for Ghanaian school children should include such topical discussions as genocide and how ethnocentrism, racism, religion, culture, and ethnic politics contribute to the phenomenon.

We also wish it will be possible for every politician in Ghana to read Yale University Ben Kiernans authoritative work on the history of genocide, Blood And Soil: A World History Of Genocide And Extermination From Sparta To Darfur, a book we have already mentioned in a number of our essays.

CONCLUSION

But, we still have to ignore the shameful pleadings of Asiedu Nketia and Twum Boafo that, Madam Attivor need not have to retract her controversial remarks or answer to public scrutiny specifically regarding her controversial statements.

Still again, she needs to tell the public everything she intimately knows about the scandalous overpriced bus re-branding controversy, so that the public can finally bring some measure of closure to the standing scandal. Otherwise, she has to wait patiently for the NPP to come to power and send her to jail for the sole reason that she supervised that scandalous mishap of the NDC.

Thus, she needs to set her conscience free from the nagging torture of self-guilt and self-incrimination. This is because the very nature of her controversial remarks underscores her implicit admission of official guilt, possibly malfeasance, in that scandalous matter. Of course what is there for her to fear, that is, there is no reason for her to say the NPP will send Ewe officials like her to prison if she knows within her heart and soul that she is innocent? This is exactly what Rev. Prof. Asante of the National Peace Council meant when he made the following remarks:

If you want to give the impression that when you do something wrong it is a different party that will deal with you, then you are not saying anything good about your party.

Alas, and again, an affirmative response to this rhetorical question is contrary to the self-incriminating assumptions underlying her emotional appeal to her supporters in the Volta Region to retain the NDC in power. Her emotional appeal directly points to an implicit admission of guilt. What she has done is to merely hand Akufo-Addo and the NPP powerful ammunition that is, some evidence for the so-called create, loot and share winner-takes-all political ideology and philosophy unique to both partiesto try political criminals in the NDC, including her.

This hypothetical trial, if it does happen in fact, will be good for Ghanas democracy. We look forward to it!

REFERENCES

Ghanaweb. If You Dont Vote For NDC, I Will Go To JailDzifa Attivor. April 26, 2016.

Daily Guide. Volta NDC Split Over Dzifa Attivor Gaffe.April 29, 2016.

Quamrul Ashraf & Oded Galor. The Out Of Africa Hypothesis, Human Genetic Diversity, And Comparative Economic Development. American Economic Review, Feb. 2013: 103(1), pp. 1-46.

Modernghana. Rawlings Condemns Dzifa Attivor; Clears Akufo-Addo of Tribalism. April 27, 2016.

Ghanaweb. NPP Must Reject Osafo Marfos Tribal Comments Jade dAlpoimArthur K. February 17, 2015.

Informer. Ill Never Insult Rawlings AgainKennedy Agyapong. ghanamps.gov.gh

Ghanaweb. Dzifa Attivors Tribal Comments Were Below The BeltNPP.April 26, 2016.

Ghanaweb. Attivor Must Apologise For Tribal CommentsPeace Council. April 27, 2016.

Palash Ghosh. The Million-Dollar Woman: Ghana Fires Deputy Minister For Admitting She Wants To Make Big Money In Politics.International Business Times. November 8, 2013.
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30.04.2016 LISTEN

Folks, strange things continue to happen as far as the mindset, attitudes, and direct involvement of chiefs in partisan politics are concerned. President Mahama is on a nationwide tour dubbed as "Accounting to the People" that involves commissioning projects undertaken by his government and meeting the chiefs and people to assure them of what his government intends doing to improve living standards.

His opponents consider the tour as an abuse of incumbency and have even hit below the belt to dismiss it as "useless". Yet, they cringe at what unfolds, especially the massive show of support for him and the declaration of goodwill toward him in his bid to seek a renewal of his mandate at Election 2016.

Wherever he's been so far, the chiefs and people have openly expressed their admiration for him. The pictures are all over the mediascape for us to see. We've also heard utterances of varying import. Those chiefs who have openly shown appreciation to President Mahama for providing development projects to their communities, creating the impression that they support his bid for a second term have been quickly insulted by Kweku Baako as unwise, a euphemism for their being stupid. The NPP has also been quick to condemn them. But the chiefs aren't fazed at all. There is no way anybody/anything can stop the overflowing joy that they have at being given their share of the national cake.

According to the Gospel of Malik Kweku Baako Junior of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, any chief who endorses a President is unwise. And many chiefs have either openly endorsed President Mahamas bid for a second term or indirectly rooted for him to turn Kweku Baakos crank. The latest is from Nkoranza in the Brong-Ahafo Region, prompting me to ask whether the Nkoranza chief (Okatakyie Agyemang Kodom) is the most unwise chief In Ghana today, according to the Gospel of Kweku Baako? He has done what will shock anybody who knows what is at stake in our current political dispensation.

Not to be outdone in showing appreciation for President Mahama, the Nkoranza chief is reported as donating a ram he describes as a "victory ram" to President John Mahama to celebrate his victory in the upcoming 2016 general elections. (See http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Nov-Poll-Nkoranza-Chief-donates-victory-ram-to-Mahama-434947).

Scary as this gesture may be, especially to the political opponents of President Mahama, it says a lot to suggest that it will take more than mere insults and condemnatory statements to either deter the chiefs or to stop them entirely from siding with the politician of their choice to lead the country. It seems Article 276 of the 1992 Constitution is so toothless as not to have been included in the Constitution at all.

In this case, the Nkoranza chief has gone a long stretch:

1. He has predicted a massive win for the President due to his unparalleled achievements in the Brong Ahafo Region and Ghana at large (which reduces to absurdity all the noise being made by Akufo-Addo and all others dismissing President Mahama as a failure).

2. He has justified his donation of the "victory ram", saying that the first time he donated a ram to President Mahama saw him winning the 2012 election; and he was confident that this second ram will secure the President another victory.

Here we are, folks. The Nkoranza chief has taken the matter a notch higher. Will he come across, then, as the most unwise chief, according to the Gospel of Kweku Baako? Or are other chiefs waiting to express their appreciation come out with other gestures to push them up the ladder of stupidity as Kweku Baako will characterize them? At the end of President Mahama's tour, which chief will win the unenviable title as the most stupid (according to Kweku Baako's Gospel)?

Eyes are watching. Those opposition politicians watching too may be more than worried at this point.

I shall return
Khartoum (AFP) - New fighting has broken out between Sudanese troops and rebels in the state of South Kordofan, leaving six insurgents dead and several wounded, a rebel group said.

President Omar al-Bashir's forces have been battling the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan and Blue Nile since 2011, but in recent months the two southern states have seen long periods of calm compared with previous years.

The SPLM-N said clashes began on Wednesday and continued until late Friday, with fighting initially erupting west of the town of Um Serdiba.

"On our side we lost six comrades and 18 others were wounded," rebel spokesman Arnu Lodi said in a statement late on Friday.

He said the rebels had inflicted "heavy casualties" on the Sudanese troops.

The military spokesman was unreachable for comment.

Khartoum limits press access to the war-hit border regions, making it nearly impossible to verify the often-contradictory reports from the army and the SPLM-N about fighting there.

Rebels in the two southern states launched an insurgency against Bashir's Arab-dominated Khartoum government in 2011, and neither side has decisively gained the upper hand in fighting.

Bashir announced a ceasefire in South Kordofan, Blue Nile and the western Darfur region -- the scene of a separate insurgency -- in late 2015 and extended it by a month at the beginning of this year.

Sudan held a referendum in Darfur this month, with officials saying almost 98 percent of voters opted for retaining the region as five separate states.

The new fighting in South Kordofan follows weeks of calm since previous clashes in March.
Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako says the whole exercise of the Electoral Commission (EC) changing its logo ought not to have been considered at all.

"I think it is completely unnecessary. The original logo represents our history, culture and spiritual and spirituality as a nation, Mr. Baako said.

The new one does not excite me, Mr. Baako said adding, I dont see any Ghanaianness in it, the closest thing was the red, gold, green in there.

Speaking on JOYNEWS/MultiTV's news analysis program Newsfile, he said the Commissions 5-year plan was readable, well captured and well presented and he does not have anything in principle against it the mission and the vision as well as the objectives they have set.

Mr. Baako said if what are captured in the plan are implemented, it will be good for the EC as well as the image of Ghanas electoral system's efficiency and integrity.

However, he had issues with the timing of the launch of the plan as he believes this should have been done after elections seeing as November is near.

Mr. Baako said the EC needs resources which are key to the EC's commitment to execute its mandate. He called on the need to have everyones support including donors and government for the EC to succeed..

He bemoaned the cost involved in changing letterheads and stickers on the Commissions vehicles and other properties.

Mr. Baako noted that there have been questions of accountability regarding the procurement process and other related issues which Ghanaians need answers to eventually.

It is incumbent on the Commission to as soon as possible provide us with the figures of how much is going where, Mr. Baako said.

Regarding the posture of the EC Chair in answering questions on the day of the launch, for which she has received a lot of flack, Mr. Baako lauded her confidence but warned that care must be taken as a thin line separate confidence and arrogance.

I am prepared to give Madam Osei the benefit of the doubt in terms of this new career. I will allow time and space to be able to do a serious analysis on her level of competence and authority, Baako said.

He added that because the posturing and attitude all come together, it could create intergrity crisis for the EC and the early it is nipped in the bud the better.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Abubakar Ibrahim | Email: [email protected]
Bolgatanga, April 30, GNA - The Upper East Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mr James Arthur-Yeboah, has called on political parties to support the EC to make the ongoing limited voters registration exercise a success.

Mr Arthur-Yeboah made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga on Thursday during his visit to monitor the ongoing registration at some centres in the region.

He said the Regional Directorate had prepared adequately for the exercise and it started well and was going on smoothly.

'The EC has procured enough logistics such as Biometric Voter Device including backups and also trained many field officers and EC staff. I urge everybody to be a public educator during the exercise,' he said.

He said the exercise, which was being conducted in 353 electoral centres, was in the interest of all political parties and urged them, especially the leadership, to show keen interest by encouraging people who had not registered or have reached the voting age of 18 years to register.

Mr Arthur-Yeboah cautioned those who had lost their Voter Identity cards not to register but to pay five Ghana cedis for a replacement.

He said it was wrong for any foreigner or persons under 18 years to partake in the exercise and encouraged those who were qualified to register to actively participate, stressing that it was their constitutional right to do so.

Meanwhile when the GNA visited most of the centres, the exercise had begun at 0700 hours as scheduled with many people in queues to register.

GNA
By Belinda Ayamgha, GNA

Accra, April 30, GNA - Professor Ernest Aryeetey, Vice Chancellor, of the University of Ghana has challenged African Universities to explore innovative ways of engaging students through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in order to stay competitive and relevant in the light of globalization.

He explained that expansion in the flow of goods and services from one country to another brought on by globalization, had also affected higher education services.

Prof Aryeetey was speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview on the side lines of a two-day Times Higher Education (THE) African Universities Summit in Accra.

He said with the emergence in the last 20 years of multi-national Universities with campuses in various countries, online interactions between universities and students provided an opportunity for African Universities to work with conventional MOOCs from well-established universities like Stanford, MIT or Harvard.

He said since such universities had difficulty interacting with students in Africa, liaising with African Universities will allow students to the MOOC in registered African Universities to access what was provided elsewhere and get degrees for it.

'Right now, most of the people who are using the MOOCs are using them for self-advancement without getting a degree so it could help increase access to degree earning for African students if these things were done in partnership with the Universities,' he stated.

Prof. Aryeetey said Universities would not need to change their structures to take advantage of such innovations but will have to be well-equipped with the requisite technology to provide access.

'It would not need anything different from what we have today for the distance education programmes; it's more an issue of what kind of material you are giving to the students and how they are accessed,' he said.

On the theme for the summit: 'Globalisation and Policy Directions for African Higher Education', Prof Aryeetey stressed the need for African Universities to, among other things, network and develop teaching and research collaborations with institutions within and outside Africa.

He said most partnerships available now were between individual African Universities and Universities outside Africa in Europe or North America, which do not benefit the African partners because the structure of those partnerships were poorly defined.

The challenge, he stated, was for African Universities to look at developing more efficient partnerships within Africa.

He said the University of Ghana for instance, had partnerships with Universities in Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg and others in South Africa, Makerere in Uganda, Nairobi in Kenya and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, among others.

Such partnerships, he said, made it easy for students to move between partner Universities in African countries.

Mr. Ihron Rensburg, Vice Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, said the establishment of 200 Universities of Excellence in the next 20 years will turn around Africa's contribution to the world.

He said Africa's focus on driving participation and inclusion in the university system had resulted in African Universities contributing just two per cent to the world economy. 'That must change, that will change,' he stated.

Mr. Rensburg said the building of the Universities of Excellence that will be at the core of Africa's rise over the next two generations, was a shared responsibility as evidenced by the partnership with THE and the University of Ghana.

He said discussions during the two day summit will address questions including the meaning of excellence in the African context, the relationship between publications output and impact, as well as teaching and learning and impact on communities, in order that Africa's contribution two decades from now will fundamentally shape experience.

On State and University relations, he stated: 'That relationship must be a relationship of shared, robust partnership and engagement, one that is mutually building, mutually sustaining and mutually supporting, given that we have a shared responsibility, state and university, in enabling our people, continent and world to benefit from Africa's renewed renaissance and leadership in a generation's time'. GNA
Cape Maclear is one of the many amazingly beautiful strips along the Southern shore of Lake Malawi in Malawi . It is a small fishing village located in Southern Region in Mangochi District. A look into some historical background, the Cape was discovered in 1859 by Dr David Livingstone, a Scottish missionary explorer who named it after his astronomer friend, Thomas Maclear.

Cape Maclear has over the years been a haven in improving the friable tourism industry and general economy of the landlocked African country of Malawi. As a result, there have been numerous efforts by the government and investors to surge ecotourism in the Cape, by endorsing the construction of recreation joints (bars and restaurants), guesthouses and lodges such as the Cape Mac Lodge & Froggies Restaurant or Mumbo Island. Popular with backpackers, the aurin sand belt is a top tourist destination on Lake Malawi. Visitors to the area engage in hyperactive activities including hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, diving and boat cruises.

Fly fishing is also common among the locals and trawler visitors cannot resist trawling in the vast freshwater body, known for its 500-1000 different fish species; most of them only found in Lake Malawi. Statistics show that 90% of these fishes belong to the family called Cichlid, including Mbuna, Mcheni, Utaka and many other kinds. It is believed that all the Cichlids originate from the same source, for about 2,000,000 years.

Cape Maclear is more than just beach and water. It is a bonus experience of the rich culture well preserved over the years. The spectacular view of ladies taking early morning swims in the turquoise water, others doing their laundry under the goldenrod sunrise is a supernova of emotions that will leave you urging to return to this quaint place. If you are the adventurous kind, a visit to the nearby Monkey Bay girdled by striking golden sand beaches is just the perfect getaway. It is home to a large monkey population and as a transit to Cape Maclear; Monkey Bay is referred to as the "best known resort-area" in Malawi.

The Cape is accessible by road from the capital Lilongwe or Blantyere and by boat from Likoma Island or Senga Bay. Guests can pre-arrange for airport transfers with their host hotels, or through their travel agent . Planning to visit Malawi? Cape Maclear is just the perfect place to firsthand enjoy the picturesque of the fairyland.
The National Democratic Party (NDP) has confirmed former first lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings as the partys presidential candidate for the November election.

The confirmation was made at a congress held in Accra on Saturday , April 30 at the International Trade Fair Centre. The party also elected new executives ahead of the presidential and parliamentary polls.

The former first lady after her confirmation called on Ghanaians to demand accountability from government.

She said, I believe that the role of a democratic government is to protect and strengthen liberties and redress the balance between powerful and weak, between the rich and poor through a government which invests in people but at the same time is prepared to be accountable to the people for their actions and omissions.

We can only redress the imbalance if we identify the weakness and emphasize on structural changes which will go a long way to block the loopholes which allow the injustices to be perpetrated in the first place, she added.

Mrs. Rawlings urged Ghanaians to vote for a visionary leader.

It is our responsibility to build a country that gives each individual an equal opportunity. It is our responsibility to give power to leaders who have a vision and the common goal of Ghanaians at heart, Mrs. Rawlings said.

The former president Jerry John Rawlings and two of his daughters were at the congress to support the former first lady.
On April 17, Gov. Tom Wolf signed Senate Bill 3 into law, making Pennsylvania the 24th state to legalize medical marijuana.

The high level headline is that Pennsylvania joined one of 23 other states and the District (of Columbia) in legalizing the use of marijuana for medical uses only, said Dan Clearfield, a lawyer of Eckert Seamans Cherin and Mellott in Harrisburg.

The decision was heralded by advocates who lobbied hard for the passage of the law, but what now?

In simple terms, doctors will be able to prescribe certain forms of marijuana to patients who meet some general requirement and are suffering from one of the approved medical conditions.

Medical marijuana may only be prescribed in pill, oil, topical, tincture (liquid extract) and liquid form or any form medically appropriate for use in a vaporizer or nebulizer other than dry leaf.

To be clear, the dry leaf form of marijuana, as well as smoking it, is currently and expressly banned under the law.

Margin for error

Small details included in the bill are why State Rep. Stephen Bloom, R-Carlisle, voted against it. Hes of the opinion that the bill is rife with loopholes that could potentially be exposed and abused. At the same time, Bloom said he was in favor of making the medicinal compounds in marijuana available for properly supervised clinical use.

With all the problems we already face involving the epidemic of opioids and other drugs, I hate to see us opening another door to misuse when we could have been more careful and cautious to protect our kids and communities, he said. That being said, the bill did pass and will now be the law of the Commonwealth, so I hope the outcomes turn out as well as the medical marijuana advocates have been promising, and I will certainly be observing the process of implementation closely.

Within two years an advisory board comprised of representatives from law enforcement, medical professionals, patient advocates, the Governors office and the state legislature, will provide recommendations for moving forward, including whether or not there is an acceptable way to use dry leaf marijuana for vaporization.

Many of the bills opponents tried to include preventive caps on the level of THC  the psychotropic compound responsible for most of marijuanas psychological effects  but the caps were not in the final bill, nor were common-sense workplace safety restrictions or even limits on distribution near schools, according to Bloom.

Its always harder to fix a problem once it happens than prevent a problem before it starts, so passing corrective legislation as problems and abuses arise will be an ongoing challenge and, unfortunately, some people could end up worse off in the interim, he said. Its a matter on which we will all have to remain vigilant.

The Sentinel reached also reached out to State Sen. Pat Vance, but a representative from her office said she was not available for comment.

Vance voted against the bill.

Understanding the law

Under the law, anyone seeking a prescription for medical marijuana must be suffering from a serious medical condition defined as cancer, HIV or AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinsons Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with intractable spasticity, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathies, Huntingtons Disease, Crohns Disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, intractable seizures, glaucoma, sickle cell anemia; severe, chronic or intractable pain; or autism.

While the law was enacted this month, it may be more than a year before patients can begin receiving medical marijuana.

Theres a very detailed regulatory process thats been created, Clearfield said. Medical marijuana thats used in Pennsylvania, has to be from Pennsylvania. It has to be grown here. It has to be processed here and it will be tracked from cradle to grave, from seed to use.

All of this regulation takes time.

The process itself of creating regulations and dispensing licenses is probably going to take; were estimating a best case 12 to 13 months and probably 18 months before licenses are issued, he said.

Each person involved in the process  growers, doctors and dispensaries  must be licensed or approved by the state and will have to meet certain criteria, like not having a conviction for a drug crime, to obtain those licenses.

Anyone with a conviction for certain drug-related crimes may also not be financial backers in a medical marijuana business.

Growers and processors will also be required to pay a $10,000 non-refundable application fee, $200,000 one-year permit fee, $10,000 renewal fees and have at least $2 million in capital.

For patients and their caregivers, regulations will be developed for the issuance of identification cards.

The rules for this step of the process have also yet to be developed, however by law an application that includes basic information about the applicant and certification from a practitioner to the need for medical marijuana, will also be required.

The identification card is good for one year and allows the patient or caregiver to obtain medical marijuana from a licensed dispensary.

Caregivers with a recent drug-related conviction are prohibited under the law.

Only a 30-day supply may be obtained at one time, according to the law.

Packaging for medical marijuana will include information about the contents and carry a warning label that reads This product is for medicinal use only. Women should not consume during pregnancy or while breastfeeding except on the advice of the practitioner who issued the certification and in the case of breastfeeding, the infants pediatrician. This product might impair the ability to drive or operate heavy machinery. Keep out of reach of children.
Moroni (Comoros) (AFP) - The Comoros constitutional court on Saturday ordered a partial re-run of the country's April 10 presidential ballot due to "irregularities", a decision that could reverse the close election result.

In a court ruling, president of the Constitutional Court Loutfi Soulaimane asked newly-elected leader Azali Assoumani and elections minister Mohamed el-Had Abbasto to take steps to re-run the second-round poll in 13 constituencies by May 15.

The repeat vote could throw into the question the entire election result because of the narrow margin by which former coup leader Assoumani won, according to provisional results.

Assoumani took 40.98 percent of the vote, narrowly ahead of Vice President Mohamed Ali Soilihi, the ruling party's presidential candidate, who picked up 39.87 percent.

Polling day was peppered with incidents, notably on Anjouan, one of the three islands which make up the Indian Ocean archipelago situated between Madagascar and Mozambique, including broken ballot boxes, interruptions in the voting, accusations of ballot stuffing and acts of violence.

Nineteen of the 25 candidates who stood in the first round rejected the outcome of that vote and demanded a recount, but the Constitutional Court ruled against them at the time.

Assoumani first came to power in 1999 after ousting acting president Tadjidine Ben Said Massounde in a coup. He then won the presidential election three years later, stepping down when his term ended in 2006.

The three islands that make up the Comoros -- Anjouan, Grand Comore and Moheli -- have a total population of just under 800,000 people, nearly all of whom are Sunni Muslims.

The islands export vanilla, cloves and ylang-ylang perfume essence, but suffer widespread poverty.
From time immemorial, mob justice or instant justice has been a common practice of punishing crime suspects in Ghana. In spite of concerted efforts aimed at promoting human rights worldwide, this inhumane act is still prevalent in most developing countries.

Admittedly, the spate of mob action leaves much to be desired as far as our democracy, human rights, and the rule of law are concerned. Not a single week passes without incidence of mob justice making the headlines in the media.

Mob justice, popularly referred to as instant justice, is when ordinary citizens take the law into their own hands to punish alleged criminals. This is an unlawful process of punishing suspects, and a violation of their fundamental human rights and dignity.

The modus operandi of street justice can take the form of flogging or hacking suspects to death, slashing, lynching, and stoning. Sometimes female suspects are stripped publicly, pounding victims with bricks, setting people ablaze, and many more.

Quite recently, a 16-year-old boy was brutally tortured by a group of soldiers in the Northern Region. The victim, Christopher Bama, was accused of stealing a mobile phone belonging to one of the soldiers.

Subsequently, the soldiers chained the helpless boy to a mango tree and assaulted him ruthlessly until he fell unconscious. The action of the security personnel was unfortunate, and must be condemned in all uncertain terms.

Causes

Instant justice has gained grounds in the Ghanaian society as a result of lack of confidence in the police and the judiciary. It is unimaginable that majority of the citizenry including well-informed persons encourage such disheartening act.

Few weeks ago, I chanced upon a horrifying video about the incidence of mob action on social media. In that amateur footage, two young men were subjected to severe beatings by an aggressive mob for allegedly stealing electric wires and car batteries in Tema.

The bloody scene was so disgusting! The crowd repeatedly struck the suspects with their bare hands, clubs, bathroom slippers and all kinds of objects. I overheard the voice of a woman urging the charged mob to carry on with the beatings.

The video caught the attention of many. Of the total 1,215 people who watched footage, more than 500 posted their comments on Facebook. However, most of the comments went in favour of instant justice with just a few condemning the act.

One Jasmine recounted how her cousin was killed in 2014 through mob action when he went out to see his girlfriend off. Unfortunately, he was mistaken for a suspected thief on the run, so the crowd lynched him on the spot.

Actually, there have been several instances where innocent people lost their lives as a result of mistaken identity. During such circumstances, suspects are not given any chance to speak or explain themselves.

Another factor that accounts for mob justice is the excessive delay in justice delivery and the purported corruption among the elements of the Criminal Administrative System. After all Justice delayed is justice denied.

Inasmuch as the perpetrators of mob justice go unpunished, this gruesome practice is not likely cease in our communities.

Abuse of rights

The 1992 Constitution of Ghana guarantees that the dignity of all persons shall be inviolable, and that no one shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights also admonishes the right to a fair trial, and the right to stand innocent of a crime until proven guilty.

Regrettably, the rights and freedoms of alleged criminals have, for too long, been trampled upon with impunity in Ghana. The enthusiasm to opt for instant justice is widely practiced across the country.

Mob action is as an affront to humanity, and must be condemned vehemently. This deadly practice is inhumane and intolerable in a democratic country like Ghana. The fundamental human right of every Ghanaian must be respected.

The rule of law

The escalating cases of mob justice in Ghana are alarming. This is a sign of moral decadence which exposes some weaknesses in the rule of law and the Criminal Justice System.

The recent expose of investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, on corruption in the judiciary is not a case in isolation.

Mob action affects the laid down process of punishment for criminal offences, since the rule of law is not strictly adhered to and sometimes compromised.

The Code of Criminal Procedure spells out specific punishment for every offence, but this is sometimes compromised by corrupt officers.

For instance, in January 2015, a suspect was set ablaze for allegedly stealing a wallet in Accra. Of course, the punishment was too harsh for this minor offence. Street justice is a criminal method of punishing suspects.

It is a fact that the practice of mob justice has not reduced crime rate in any way. This has rather toughened most criminals who operate with the do-and-die mentality; raping and killing their victims without any provocation.

The culture of social justice on the spot must cease in order for the rule of law to take its full course.

Public education

The Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) should treat mob justice with the urgency it deserves by teaming up with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and educate the public to refrain from this unlawful act.

The fight against instant justice should not be left to CHRAJ alone. It is, therefore, incumbent on the security agencies, human rights activists, journalists, religious leaders, traditional leaders, and opinion leaders to play advocacy roles for fair justice.

In the 21st Century, the menace of instant justice is unjustified in Ghana, which is reputed as a beacon of democracy in Africa. This appalling act has negative implications on the image of Ghana.

Anyone found culpable of the crime should be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.

ASP James Annan

Public Relations Unit

Prisons Headquarters

[email protected]

2. TWO ALLEGED ROBBERS LYNCHED AND SET ABLAZED IN KUMASI

3. A SUSPECTED THIEF HALF-WAY DEAD AFTER SEVERELY ASSAULTED.JPEG

4. A MOB SETTING A YOUNG MAN ON FIRE FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING A WALLET

5. A SUSPECTED THIEF SET ABLAZE

6. ANGRY RESIDENTS POUNDING A SUSPECT WITH BRICKS

7. SUSPECTED ROBBERS STRIPPED NAKED AFTER BEING LYNCHED

8. AN ASSAULTED CRIME SUSPECT BEGGING FOR MERCY
More than fifty six Bishops mostly from the Anglican and Pentecostal Blocks attended the burial of Rev Pa JMJ Emesin, Father of Igbo Pentecostal Movement at Aguleri yesterday. The massive turnout of sympathizers created some issues especially with crowd controls even as the officiating clerics unanimously asked God to engrace whosoever will take over the baton as the leader of the Pentecostal movement in Igbo land to follow after the pious footsteps of Pa Emesin.

The Governor of Anambra State and the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, South East respectively, Chief Willie Obiano and Archbishop Professor David Ebelechukwu, , though unavoidably absent, to attend to urgent security matters, sent high powered delegation. Eze Chukwuemeka Eri, Traditional Ruler of the Nri Kingdoms and custodian of Igbo-Jewish heritage and ancestry, was present with his chiefs to pay homage to the sage. Pa Emesin died at the age of eighty five.

Bishops who thronged the burial stadium include Rt Rev Johnson Ekwe., Anglican Bishop of Niger West Diocese, Rt. Rev.Ralph Okeke ( Anglican Bishop of Ihiala Diocese), Bishop Paul Nwachukwu, (General Superintendent , Grace of God Mission), Bishop OC Dominic (National Evangelical Mission), Bishop Godwin Ezenwafor (Royal Family Church), Archbishop A.A Nwodka (Throne Cathedral), Bishop Tony Okeke, Bishop Emma Obiora Bishop Goddy Nnaji, Bishop Tim Obidike, Bishop Raph Ndife (PFN Chairman, Anambra State), Archbishop Mojo, Apostle Dr PCJ Macjossy (General Coordinator , General Assembly of all Igbo Christian Organizations and Ministers, GAAICOM), Pastor Emma Okonkwo (Truth and Life Charismatic Gospel Mission) among others.

Speaking with the Director General of Igbo Mandate Congress IMC, Rev Obinna Akukwe on the demised cleric, many of the Bishops believed that it will be difficult to replace Pa Emesin. Apostle Macjossy told Rev Akukwe and IMC leaders that the shoes of Pa Emesin can only be filled by a saintly personality, and called for revival outbreak again as it was in the seventies. Rev Akukwe described the estimated over seventy thousand persons who attended the burial as the highest ever in any such event in the South East, and describes the unity across all denominations as spiritually significant of the new wave of revival.

Until his death on the 7thof December, , Rev Dr Emesin trained about eighty percent of notable gospel ministers from the South East before and after the civil war and his input was instrumental to the famous Pentecostal Revival which broke out in Igbo lands in the early seventies when preaching with Bible was a taboo in the area. Rev Dr Emesin was the rallying point of the young generation of vibrant, tongue talking young men and women who abandoned the world and sought for Jesus as though there will be rapture the next day.

Rev Dr Emesin inculcated into them a sense of abandonment of self to Christ, and stood by them when the orthodox Catholic and Anglican Missions fought the revivalist movements. A highly educated personality, Pa Emerson got further training in the United States of America where he also established some mission stations before returning back to Nigeria after a few years.

It is hoped that the burial of Pa JMJ Emesin willl ignite another penteostal revival in line with the challenges of contemporary times.
30.04.2016 LISTEN

I am not playing the blame game, I am not pointing fingers. My Bible tells me in Proverbs 15:22 that plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. In a country like Ghana were there are weak and strong people, not until recently I did not know there were this much intellectually disabled in the country whose rights are violated each day

Intellectual disability is a disability described by significant limitation in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviors which covers many everyday social and practical skills. This disability should happen before the age of 18 and occurs when the brain gets injured or a problem prevents the brain from developing normally.

My goal here is not to push blame but to ask few questions that I need answers to. How many schools or training centers do we have for these precious ones? What policies and programs are there for them and how well are we implementing these policies and programs? How well is Ghana educating its citizens on this disability, for families to accept and protect these young ones?

My visit to some of the handful schools we have for the intellectually disabled, was nothing to write home about. If not lacking teachers, comfortable classrooms, clinic, a good practical curriculum, supervision, facilities, teaching and learning materials then there isnt a school at all.

Intellectual disability is a condition that could be enhanced by providing supports, a form of strategies and services provided over a sustained period will enable the intellectually disabled enjoy their rights and enhance their functioning within their own environment in order to lead a more successful and satisfying life. Some of this enhancement is thought of in terms of self-worth, subjective wellbeing, pride, engagement in political action, and other principles of self-identity.

A friend and I was brainstorming on possible ways Ghana could help the disabled. During our discussion she asked; Huda what do you think about Inclusive policy? hmm I know inclusive policy is aimed at integrating the disabled into the mainstream of education. This means the disabled will be joining the normal schools to prevent discrimination. The policy looks nice and there are amusing measures in the policy in achieving this. I am not against inclusive education, I think it is a great idea but my question is; Is Ghana ready? Someone would ask when Ghana will be ready.

How many existing normal schools were built to meet the needs of the disabled? Do we have enough knowledgeable special education teachers? What will be the ratio of teacher to students? Already the special schools Ghana has now lack teaching and learning materials, do we have enough funds to implement this policy? So I ask again is Ghana ready?

Employment rate of disabled is very low, it leaves them with no choice than to depend on other members of their family or beg on the street to be able to take care of him/ herself. Most of them are seen on the street and authorities have kept quiet about it. What percentage of the countys money goes into the welfare of the disabled in this country?

Its high time a country of 58years since independence prioritize its agenda, than for the rich to keep on becoming richer and the poor poorer.
30.04.2016 LISTEN

Every Muslim is expected to offer daily prayers five times a day, a weekly prayer on Fridays and to offer annually festival eid prayers on the right days and at the right times. However, according to an Islamic scholar Afuwa Kasule of Uganda, all Muslims are who do not offer prayers at the right times are wrong saying that When you are always late for salah, it says a lot about you

According him, when a Muslim is always late for salah, it says a lot about him and his character. It shows that he lacks discipline, internal strength, and integrity to be where he or she is supposed to be on time for your most important appointments of the day and you are not dependable.

No one he said likes to say about themselves that they're not dependable or lacks discipline, but actions speak louder than words, and being late for salah is the first warning that you are on a slippery slope towards being chronically late in everything else in your life.

If you are wondering why there is a delay in your sustenance, in your marriage, in your work, in your health, look into your salah: are you delaying it?

Apart from Afuwa Kasule, Al-Hassan Al-Basri rahimahullah also said:

When salah is the least of your concerns, then what is your most important concern? As much as you fix your salah, your life will be fixed. Did you not know that salah was equated with Success: Come to Prayer, Come to Success. He asked thus, How can you ask Allah for blessings and success when you fail to respond to His rightful demands upon you?

Executive Director

EANFOWORLD FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

P.O.BOX 17070AN 233244370345/23327483710 /233208844791

[email protected] /[email protected]
01.05.2016 LISTEN

Democracy, it has been observed, is not the best system of government in the world. Yet  paradoxically  there is none better than it that is known to man!

Democracy is such a difficult bird to catch because it depends on a great number of institutions in the body politic to succeed in its task of providing a country with what Abraham Lincoln, in the Gettysburg Address of 1863, eloquently described as -- government of the people by the people for the people.

Government of the people means a government voted for by the people. But there can be election disputes after a people have voted. What happens then? Is a government that is put into power by a country's Supreme Court a government of the people?

The answer to that question is yes and no. Yes, because, if the judges on the Supreme Court are incorruptible as well as erudite, they will reaffirm the decision the people made at the polls.

But if they are corrupt or dense as far as knowledge of the law is concerned, they will come to the wrong decision and impose on a country, a government that it did not vote for. And the notion that judges are as clean as a whistle has been blown sky-high by the revelations of Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

Apart from that, doesn't someone have to nominate judges? If yes, doesn't that nomination process encompass considerations that are patently political?

Right now, for instance, President Barack Obama is fighting the US Congress to t get his nominee for a Supreme Court judge to replace the deceased Justice Scalia confirmed by the Congress. Both the President and the Congress are less interested in the legal brilliance  or otherwise  of the nominee than in his political philosophy. And for a very good reason  a lot of laws that could have improved the lives of millions of Americans are routinely struck down by conservative Supreme Court judges who don't want to disturb the status quo.

Yet over here, we are supposed to take it for granted that judges are somehow immune to political bias. We bought into that notion from the British, of course, In Britain, judges are supposed to be immune from all political and social biases, although, if you pry deeper, you will find that many of the judges went to Oxford or Cambridge University and that most of them are white males.

Even though not all our judges and magistrates have been to Oxford and Cambridge or Harvard, their judgements often point to a bias in favour of the rich and against the poor.

That we must not take the judicial system for granted, where politics are involved, has been brilliantly elucidated by a study commissioned by the Ford Foundation into the judicial process that led to Mr John Dramani Mahama being declared president of Ghana in August 2013. The study is called The Burdens of Democracy In Africa and uses the Ghana case as the basis of a discussion of how Supreme Courts often reverse the people's verdict and impose that of the nine or more judges who sit on election petitions, on the millions of voters in a country.

The study was carried out by a Nigerian lawyer called Bamidele Aturu, a former prisoner of conscience under military rule, who is described as one of the most outstanding lawyers of his generation and .... an expert in election dispute resolution and electoral litigation in Nigeria.

Mr Aturu undertook the project and prepared a Report at the request of the Ford Foundation. Tragically, in July 2014, long after completing the Report and while it was in the process of being prepared for publication, Mr. Aturu died suddenly at the untimely age of 49. Thus, the Report is a sort of political bequestby him to the people of Ghana, and ultimately, to the people of Africa.

In a Foreword to the Report, Dr Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, Chair, Governing Council, National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria in Abuja, wrote:

QUOTE: Votes settle elections. Ordinarily, the votes that should matterare those of the citizens. [Bu7t] though indeed cast by citizens, the votes that decide elections for the highest offices in many African countries are no longer cast on voting day or in the polling units. They are not even votes that can be counted or administered by the Election Management Bodies (EMBs), howsoever called.

The decisive votes are increasingly cast by mostly men and a few women who sit as judges in Supreme Courts after hearing arguments from highly prized and paid lawyers in rooms or miniature halls to which most citizens dont have access. This development fundamentally changes the nature of the election as a mechanism for deciding who exercises power in our countries as well as theories of politics founded on it.

To begin with, candidates for elections must prepare for two campaigns: a campaign that culminates in the popular ballot, which then relocates to the courts for ultimate resolution by a judicial verdict. For candidates, political parties and other participants in the electoral process, this is very expensive materially and emotionally. Most opposition candidates lack the resources to match incumbents in this contest.

The legitimacy that comes from these judicial outcomes is artificial.As such, they foster political instability,emasculate citizenship as the site and source of sovereignty in the political system, prolong the divisions and passions from electoral contests, and tarnish the institutional credibility of the judicial process. The rising trend of relocating high level electoral contests for resolution to the court rooms removes the element of indeterminacyfrom the outcome of elections. This element of indeterminacy in elections comes in substantial part from the contemporaneous exercise of the franchise in multiple locations on the same day.

No one can control, dictate or predict the outcome of such an exercise. Courts can be gamed, however, and their outcomes can be easily influenced in a lot of countries where the judiciary lacks independence. This also masculinizes the vote because most Supreme Courts in Africa have in-built male majorities, with only a smattering of female judges. By contrast, women vote more than men in most African elections. Relatedly, the franchise in a general election is inherent in citizenship. By contrast, the vote of a judge of the highest court is [only] dependent, first, on their beingappointed as a judge and then, on being chosen as a member of the panel or bench to sit on the case.

The threshold appointment is an executive act; the latter occurs in the discretion of the head of the court  also an executive appointee  howsoever designated. It is a privilege. Notwithstanding how much doctrines of independence of the judiciary may mask it, he reality is that judges are not immune to pressures in high stakes political cases, such as when deciding who should or should not become the President. Therefore, when the judiciary sits to decide who the President could be, there must be legitimate questions as to whether the contest is fair and the field level between the incumbent and those who challenge him or her.

In this Report, Bamidele Aturu demonstrates that these fears are justified. To prepare it, he attended and observed the proceedings of the Supreme Court of Ghana during the half-year-long judicial determination of the outcome of the presidential election of December 2012, which was finally decided in August 2013. The Report, however, undertakes a comparative analysis of the jurisprudence from high level election disputes in six African countries, namely: Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It calls in aid additional jurisprudence from the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The resulting analysis is at once highly intricate, compelling, sometimes even galling. It is also both respectful of high judicial office and irreverent. This report explodes many myths about election dispute resolution. Some of the nuggets that emerge verge on the incredulous and make the outcomes of some of the cases discussed look manifestly crooked.For instance, when it gave its decision on 29 August 2013, Ghanas nine-judge Supreme Court announced a 6-3 split in favour of the incumbent. The day after, this was corrected to 5-4, still in favour of the incumbent. This Report, however, shows as a fact that at least five of the Justices voted in favour of the petitioners and against the incumbent. So, did the loser emerge as winner? UNQUOTE
01.05.2016 LISTEN

"...No wise people of any nation ever remembered a befitting burial just one generation removed from that pompous event. And if we want to be taken serious that the Ghanaian tradition of wasting enormous amount of resource on burials and funerals is foolish and must stop, we ought to be able to do better. Mr. Mills, Mr. Bagbin and the NDC have a choice: They can honor the late Mr. Salia by a statute, a law, an institution. How about the Edward Kojo Salia Freedom of Information Bill. Who in Ghana or outside Ghana would complain about that? .." (Prof Lungu, 25 August 2009).

And if that had been so:

"..what breed of African politicians would, in 2016, propose to enact a "Spy Bill"...while they've sat on a draft Freedom of Information (FOI) bill going on 8 years...the law that could best provide foundation and defense against legal challenges to their "Spy Bill" not only in the Courts of Law, but also, in the court of public opinion?... Ghana, tell us: Can they really, really read the writing on the wall, or are they just illiterate?...", (Prof Lungu, 21 Apr 16).

Dear reader, we wrote the first paragraph nearly 8 years ago while we were domiciled in Tokyo, Japan. There were some, like Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe, who said we were unemployed and destitute, that we were wandering around in Japan peddling English lessons to destitute Japanese children.

That was laughably far, far, from reality back then, in 2009.

(Not to say that even if that was what we did in Japan, that itself, was not a noble occupation in the tradition of a true, noble sensei (master/teacher/professor).

The second paragraph, penned just 2 days ago, shows that reality has, in this case, still not gotten to the NDC government. Certainly, not under Mr. Mahama and Speaker of Parliament Mr. Adjaho, precisely the two individuals sitting on the FOI bill even as they engineer a so-called "Spy Bill" against the People.

Once again, this essay is one in our series about leaders with twisted versions of history, deficits of intellect and critical thought, and intentionally cruel, absent-mindedness about the value of transparency and accountability to the business of the citizens they claim to represent.

What breed of African politicians would propose to enact a "Spy Bill" while they've sat on a draft Freedom of Information (FOI) bill going on 9 years?

We know that every village idiot, in 2016, understands that the FOI law is the law that, if passed, could best provide foundation and defense against legal challenges to their "Spy Bill" in the Courts of Law, and just as important, in the court of public opinion.

So Ghana, tell us!

Why did they not enact the FOI law before proposing a "Spy bill"?

Can they really, really, read the writing on the wall, or do they just don't care?

Then imagine, a Security expert sitting on the sidelines, a Dr. Kwesi Aning, telling us the other day that the "Spy Bill Is Harmless."

Really, Dr. Aning?

If the "Spy Bill" is harmless, why bother enacting that same bill into law in the first place?

So, tell us, Dr. Aning: Can you, in your wisdom and Ghana-Centeredness, put two and two together, critically, in the literate sense, and tell us about the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, and how it relates to the "Spy bill" you so love for Ghana?

Further, between freedom-loving citizens, what is more important for "collaborative trusting shared venture" that truly serves the People, than their individual and collective right to information, free access to data held by the government on behalf of the same People?

And so, reluctantly, we are all starting to believe that in Ghana, everything is severely getting more rotten, directly, in fact, from the top of the head - from Parliament to the Flagstaff House, and all points in between.

Ghana, ask of them now: Can they really, really, read the writing on the wall?

Too much, too much, too much, too much.

Mr. Politician

Are your Pickable?

Too much, too much too much, too much talk,

Mr. Politician

Are your Serious.

Too much, too much, too much, too much

Mr. Politician

Are your Pickable?

Too much, too much, too much, too much talk

Mr. Politician

Are you Serious.

CHORUS:

Give us FOIB

Pass it FOIB

Bring it FOIB

March it FOIB

Scat.

(Prof Lungu: FOIB - Are You Pickable - the Sound Track-Lyrics&Music. Listen to the song, at: http://ghanahero.com/FOIB.html)

Pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill right now, Speaker Edward D. Adjaho!

Pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill right now, President John D. Mahama!

SOURCES:

1. Prof Lungu. NDC MP Victimized To Death by Elusive FOI Law?, Ghanaweb, 2009 (http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/NDC-MP-Victimized-To-Death-by-Elusive-FOI-Law-167689).

2. Prof Lungu. NDC is committing a blunder with 'Rights to Information Bill'  Asa Bo, 24 May, 2012, (http://www.ghanahero.com/Ghana_Hero_Docs/Freedom_of_Information/NDC_committing_blunder.pdf).

3. 'Spy bill' is harmless  Dr Aning, 22 Mar 16, Ghanaweb. (http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Spy-bill-is-harmless-Dr-Aning-425076).

4. FOIB - Are You Pickable - the Sound Track. Listen to the song, at: http://ghanahero.com/FOIB.html.

5. Prof Lungu. Kwame Nkrumah's Offsprings Now More Illiterate?: The Case of Ghana Police, ModernGhana, 11 Apr 16, (http://www.modernghana.com/news/685123/kwame-nkrumahs-offsprings-now-more-illiterate-the-case-of.html).

6. Prof Lungu. Are Kwame Nkrumah's Offsprings Now More Illiterate? ModernGhana. 27 Mar 16, (http://www.modernghana.com/news/682577/are-kwame-nkrumahs-offsprings-now-more-illiterate.html)

www.GhanaHero.com. Visit for more information.

(Read Mo! Listen Mo! See Mo! Reflect Mo!).

Prof Lungu is Ghana-Centered, Ghana-Proud.

Prof Lungu is based in Washington DC, USA.

Subj: Ghana's Parliament: Are Kwame Nkrumah's Offspring Now More Illiterate?

Brought to you courtesy www.GhanaHero.com25 Apr 16.
The Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church in Carlisle began in 1820 as a small African-American Christian group holding prayer meetings from house to house, according to an archive of historical nomination forms.

In time, the group grew large enough to justify its own building space. The first church building was constructed in 1828 and was originally dubbed the Pomfret Street A.M.E. Church. It was the first African-American church in Carlisle. It was also known, at the time, as the first colored public school in the area and was taught for around 50 years by Miss Sarah Bell, a white woman.

The church, which today can be found at 131 E. Pomfret St., became known for its use as a refuge and hiding place for slaves fleeing the south and making their way to Canada. It was also used as a temporary shelter and hospital during the Civil War.

One prominent member and significant contributor of the church was the abolitionist John Peck, a protege of Fredrick Douglas and a conductor of Underground Railroad operations in the Carlisle area. Peck was also a delegate to the American Anti-Slavery Society convention in Harrisburg from January-February 1837, which resulted in the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society. Peck was an owner of several businesses in the Carlisle area  through which he provided hiding spots and escape strategies for runaway slaves. These businesses included a restaurant, barber shop, beauty shop and a shoe and boot cellar.

Peck was inspired to join the church at the convincing of noted national Bethel A.M.E. Church bishop Daniel Alexander Payne, who visited the Carlisle church regularly.

The present church building was constructed in 1867. Today, it remains in operation as both a church and school. It is still held in high regard as a significant institution in the beginnings of education for African-Americans in Carlisle.

A historical marker was dedicated at the building in May 2009.
business Pharma whistleblower: Consumers must question medicines' quality The past few years have been rough of Indian pharma companies, what with the US FDA raking them over the coals over alleged manufacturing lapses and discrepancies.
business NPA mess: Acceptance, flexibility among players needed About 80 percent of the bad loan issue in road and power sectors will be resolved over a period of time and about 10-20 percent will have to be written off, says RK Bansal, Executive Director of IDBI Bank.
According to the Carlisle Army War College, the average military child moves every 2.5 years. While this lifestyle allows these children to develop resilience, it can also come with a variety of challenges from an educational standpoint.

With these facts in mind, it is up to a schools academic and administrative staff to ensure a smooth transitional process for each military child.

Local educators were recognized for these services Thursday during the War Colleges seventh annual Excellence in Education Reception. The event honored 28 county educators, including six members of the Carlisle Barracks Child, Youth and School Services.

We know (the relationship between the military and education) is really important because we understand (the children) are in a new environment at a new school with new teachers and new friends, said honoree Connie Connolly, Director of Special Education for the South Middleton School District. We try to make the transition as painless as possible.

I think from our perspective from the school side it gives us an opportunity to know exactly what (the kids) are going through with deployments and to know what the kids are facing so we can better serve them, said honoree Eric Landis, a counselor in the Cumberland Valley School District.

School board representatives, Army leaders and military parents were among the events guests.

Lt. Colonel Bryan Hernandez served as the events speaker. Hernandez emphasized the importance of educational stability amidst the sometimes turbulent lives of military families.

Education is one of the most important things for us (in the military), Hernandez said. In all the turbulence we have in our military life, making sure that the lives of our kids are as stable as possible is absolutely imperative. An event like this allows us to draw from all the educators not only from Carlisle, but from the surrounding areas.

For honorees, the event was a chance to reflect on the symbiotic benefits of welcoming military children into their respective student bodies.

It is a very important relationship we have with the War College because at Carlisle, we are getting probably 300 of the youngsters coming in every year, said Carlisle School District Superintendent John Friend. We want to be able to establish that relationship so that they will have a successful year  because some of them might only be here for a year.

I think that we are just very blessed to be able to have all these folks come to our district, Friend added. It adds such a rich cultural background. Most of these people have been educated in and have lived all over the world. Bringing them to Carlisle helps our community too. It has been a mutually beneficial relationship.

Honorees included the following:

Big Spring School District

Clariss Nace, Teacher

Sarah Roller, Teacher

Emily Creek, Teacher

Josilyn Kraus, Teacher

Carlisle Area School District

Alicia DeAngelis, Teacher

Greg Richards, Teacher

Seng Pham, Teacher

Kevin Wagner, Teacher and Social Studies Program Chair

Sue Scott, Secretary and Director of Management Services

Amy Knapp, Counselor

Deborah Masland, Teacher

Maria Kunisky, Teacher

Cumberland Valley School District

Beverly Wilson, Director of Special Education

Gary Quigley, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education

Patty Hillery, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education

Eric Landis, Couneslor

Jamie Bittinger, Teacher

Mechanicsburg Area School District

Kathi Kunkel, Teacher

Kristi Brown, Teacher

Mary Lehman, Teacher

Saint Patrick School

Kathleen Hawkins, Administrative Assistant

Toni Creason, Teacher

South Middleton School District

Connie Connolly, Director of Special Education

Aron Kunkel, Counselor

Lindsey Graybill, Teacher

Patricia Alichwer, Counselor

Trinity High School

Gregg Pankake, Teacher and Director of Technology

Eileen Poplaski, Vice Principal and Director of Admissions

Tieman Child Development Center  Letterkenny Army Depot

Regina Everett, Teacher

Mandee Raabe, Teacher

Moore Child Development Center  Carlisle Barracks

Holly Wentz, Teacher

Hillary Winnemore, Teacher

Youth Services  Carlisle Barracks

Krystal Buchanan, Parent Central Services

Sean Kunst, SKIES Program Manager
Carrie Watts, a feisty widow, takes matters into her own hands by embarking on a bittersweet journey to her past in Horton Footes tender, touching drama The Trip to Bountiful, set in 1953 Texas and admirably presented by the Dayton Theatre Guild through Sunday, May 1.



Before Carrie (Gayle Smith) ventures on her titular excursion to her childhood home, which is the absolute heart and soul of the play, Foote humorously reminds us why on earth shed want to take such a leap of faith. It seems as if shes simply had enough of being a bother, a sheer inconvenience, to her dutiful son Ludie (Ray Geiger) and persnickety daughter-in-law Jessie Mae (Amy Askins) inside their cramped Houston apartment. Although she provides Ludie and Jessie Mae with a portion of her monthly government check, Carrie realizes her life and what she can contribute is worth so much more than a dollar amount. She cant even sing her favorite hymn, No Not One, without Jessie Mae scolding her. So, with great conviction and determination, she boldly bolts from the apartment, her prison of conflict and confinement, to find some semblance of peace and happiness in her beloved Bountiful, a small town 12 miles from Harrison. Situations dont go according to plan, but there is a feeling of contentment within Carries spirit nonetheless as she comes to terms with an emotional tug-of-war derived from battling memory and reality.

The delightfully folksy Smith lovingly conveys Carries endearing resilience, particularly as others attempt to set her back. In Smiths capable hands, particularly in Act 2s dramatic passages, its easy to understand why Carrie longed to break free and make a change if only to restore her dignity and purpose. The effectively understated Geiger delicately uncovers Ludies relatable agitations and disappointments, specifically his concerns about job security and not having fathered a child. A terrifically overbearing Amy Askins ensures Jessie Maes insensitivity doesnt dissipate, but she also paints a vivid portrait of a cooped up housewife longing for more (particularly time with her husband and friends) who needs to flee just as much as Carrie. In addition, Angela Dermer charmingly portrays the kind if underwritten Thelma, a military wife who befriends Carrie. Scott Madden (Sheriff) and Ryan Shannon (Roy/Harrison Ticket Man) aid in authenticity.

Director Craig Smith doesnt guide the slow-going, off-kilter Act 1 with enough flavorful interplay between Smith, Geiger and Askins, but his vision for Act 2 establishes stronger connections, specifically his staging of the poignant final scene. His commendable artistic team includes scenic designer Del Johnston, lighting designer Scott Wright, costumer Carol Finley, and sound designer K.L. Storer.



In the plays haunting, heartbreaking final moments, Carrie stands in front of her Bountiful home with immense fondness and pride. What she views as a sight of magnificent glory would appear to the average person as nothing more than a symbol of deterioration, dilapidation and neglect. But if beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, I proudly side with Carrie.



The Trip to Bountiful continues today at 5 p.m. and tomorrow at 3 p.m. at the Dayton Theatre Guild, 430 Wayne Ave., Dayton. Both acts run roughly 55 minutes. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $13 for students. For tickets or more information, call (937) 278-5993 or visit www.daytontheatreguild.org.


Donald Trump took his outsider campaign to the inner sanctum of Californias Republican party on Friday, making his case directly to the GOPs state convention even as angry demonstrators shadowed him.

Trump spoke for about 30 minutes in a basement banquet hall in Burlingame. It was the sort of small-scale interaction with party activists and donors that he has generally eschewed for grander rallies. Trump made his pitch as the nominating calendar moves toward its end game in the nations most populous and diverse state  which, with 172 delegates at stake on June 7, could decide the GOP presidential nomination.

The billionaire front-runner told Republicans they needed to come together after their divisive primary but also delivered a warning.

There has to be unity in our party, Trump said. Would I win  can I win  without it? I think so, to be honest with you, because theyre going to be voting for me  and not the party, he added.

Trump supporters snapped up tickets to the luncheon and cheered heartily for their candidate from a ring of tables around the perimeter of the ballroom. But Trumps speech got an icier reception from the party veterans and donors who sat just beneath the stage, separated from the rest of the room by a rope.

We all listened politely, said Gregory Gandrud, an activist and donor from Santa Barbara County who backs Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Kasich spoke to the convention Friday evening, and Sen. Ted Cruz and his new vice presidential pick, Carly Fiorina, address it today. All three candidates are looking to galvanize supporters, sway undecided party members or poach from rival campaigns. Its going to be a free-for-all, predicted the state party vice chairman, Harmeet Dhillon.

In Burlingame on Friday, hundreds of demonstrators pushed to the front doors of the Hyatt Regency before being moved back by police in riot gear. Some protesters infiltrated the hotel building and hung a giant banner reading, Stop Hate.

The Secret Service led Trump in through a rear entrance to the hotel. Trump joked that he felt like I was crossing the border.

Trumps remaining rivals cant beat him in whats left of the primary season. Their only hope is to deny him a majority of delegates heading into the July convention and wrestle for the prize in multiple ballots there.

But questions persist among Republicans  nationally and in California  about Trumps electability in the fall and his conservative credentials. The demonstrations showed how polarizing Trump can be, especially in a state where Republicans have failed to attract growing immigrant populations. Trump is viewed warily by two camps here  those who want to grow the party and those who view some of Trumps positions as betrayals of the conservative movement.

Trump has spoken favorably about Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion services. He has warned against cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, often targets for conservatives who want to slow government spending. While he will likely spend much of the next few weeks in the state, hes unlikely to be back during the general election, when California would return to its reliably Democratic status.

Henri Houdre was thrilled to see Trump live. We see him as that alpha kid in high school with the leather jacket and slicked-back hair who everybody wants to be, said Houdre, an 18-year-old college student from San Francisco.

Trumps call to unity resonated with some. Thats the thing every Republican needs to keep in mind, that were the same team, said Kevin Krick, the Bay Area regional vice chairman for the party.

Kersti Buchanan, 70, a retired translator and party activist from Mendocino County who backs John Kasich, was shocked at all of Trumps supporters  and by the candidates speech itself.

Hes probably the most narcissistic person Ive ever listened to, Buchanan said. It was fairly shocking to see this many people who are eating it all up.
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 []
         :       ,        
Someone should sue the President for ...
The 3rd Annual Camp Valor Outdoors Spring Fishing Classic hosted eight veterans this week, which ranged from wounded warriors from the Vietnam War to Iraq/Afghanistan conflict veterans.

Camp Valor Outdoors Founder/Executive Director Major John T. Schwent, Jr., USMC (Ret.) said the events have been awesome.

We were hosted by the S Bar F Scout Ranch for our 3rd Annual Spring Fishing Classic, said Schwent. Everybody has come together to put on a great three-day event for our warriors to come together and its awesome.

Schwent said the town of Farmington, the police departments, the state police, and the Patriot Guard escorted the warriors to the Leadbelt Gun Club and also to the scout ranch.

The fire department brought the big fire truck and put a big flag over Karsch Blvd., said Schwent. The patriotism that is in Farmington is just amazing as we honor these guys every year. Its just incredible.

He added the skeet and trap tournament is a fun shoot because most military guys dont shoot a lot of shotguns, so its more of an introduction.

They get to learn the fun of the shooting sport and everyone shot a round of trap and a round of skeet, Schwent said Friday. We all like to compete, so there is a competition component and although we arent hitting very many clays, the high guy will win. Its fun and the guys are having a blast.

Iraq/Afghanistan Veteran Army Staff Sgt. Larry Hatfield from Beulah said he wouldnt ever leave the house if it werent for events such as this.

I dont go shopping myself or anything, I send my wife or kids, said Hatfield. I wont leave the house. If I could stay on my own property, I would never leave my house. John (Schwent) had found out that I pretty much became reclusive and stayed to myself. I built myself a little cabin out in the woods and that is where I lived at, away from my family. I had a hard time dealing with a lot of issues.

Hatfield said Schwent reached out to him and told him he was willing to help Hatfield, but he had to want to help himself.

I was like, 'yeah, I am tired of this' and I couldnt figure out why I had become so secluded, said Hatfield. If it wasnt for John (Schwent) I would probably be sitting at home. This man has taken me all over the country so far shooting. Just the overwhelming support we get from the communities is surprising.

Hatfield said when he was medically retired from the military he felt that no one cared anymore and he felt he was used up and tossed away like a broken toy.

John said you arent a broken toy and we are going to fix you, said Hatfield. I speak highly of the man because he does a lot of good. He turned his own home in to a camp for us and its better than a five-star hotel. Everything we could ever want is there and he has done most of this in his own pocket.

Hatfield said that is why it is so important they get donations, to keep it going for not only himself, but other veterans they reach out to.

Now I just made some more lifelong friends and if they ever need me they can just call me up, said Hatfield. We dont share our stories with people who havent been in the military, because you wouldnt understand. Everybody has a stigma about PTSD. Its not a disease, its an injury and it should be called PTSI.

Hatfield said the only way to overcome it is to heal and you will never quite overcome it though. He added Schwent organized this whole thing on his own from the start.

He puts in 100 percent of his time and his father, brother and son goes out on hunts with us, said Hatfield. John is always there for the wounded warriors and he is a hell of a guy. If you ever need anything all you have to do is call him up if you are a veteran.

Event Coordinator Dave Oder said the local veterans organizations in the area supported this event.

They ran point with every bit of the food stuff, the buildings we had, the trailers to serve food out of during the event, said Oder. The Patriot Guard was huge. They escorted us from VFW in Farmington to the scout ranch. The Farmington Fire Department, the highway patrol, Desloge Police, Leadington Police and Park Hills Police have all escorted these guys around town.

Oder said it has all been pretty neat. He added without Schwent, his organization, and his leadership they would be in a bind.

What he does for these guys ... 400 is the number he has in his head, but he has helped a lot more than that, said Oder. You have guys from all over the country that is hearing about this. I have called him about a couple of guys who has needed some help. I am not an expert in talking to people about PTSD. He is. He has dealt with these guys for a long time. Without his leading this, it never would have happened.

Schwent said if you are a veteran or know of a veteran who ill, injured or wounded, who may be struggling and can benefit from these services that they provide for free for them, contact Camp Valor Outdoors directly at 816-898-8311.

I know there are a lot more that we arent reaching, said Schwent. Theres a lot of those (National Guard) guys who deploy who are struggling. They wont get out of the house, they dont know what to do, theyre not working, they are usually on the bottle or they take prescription meds. That is the community we are trying to reach.

Schwent said often times the spouse will call them because their husband is struggling and he needs some help. Thats the majority of the phone calls they get. Its not the veterans themselves.

I hope they read this article and reach out to us, said Schwent. We do so many different things other than reconnecting in outdoors through hunting, fishing, shooting and archery. There is also family retreats to help strengthen the husband and wife and there is marital counseling. We have many connections here in Missouri for that whole side of it as well.

Schwent said this program has really grown from just reconnecting in the outdoors to meeting all these other needs and finding resources to help strengthen the warrior family.

Camp Valor Outdoors is a non-profit organization with a mission to recognize and honor wounded veterans and their families with the opportunity to participate in competitive outdoor activities with dignity and respect while assisting them with the skills and motivation to overcome their injuries. The group is working with the Boy Scouts of America, the Leadbelt Gun Club, Military Mama Network, UPVETS and local VFW, DAV, American Legion and AMVETS organizations for three days of outdoor fun and competition.

Schwent said they are thankful for the organizations that helped them again this year.

For more information, please contact UPVETS/Dave Oder at 573-631-4393 or Camp Valor Outdoors/John Schwent 816-898-8311.

Check out www.campvaloroutdoors.org for more information and like them on Facebook to find out how you can get more involved in helping wounded veterans here in Missouri.
Calaveras County Seal View Photos

San Andreas, CA  Public interviews for the purpose of appointing a new Sheriff is the only order of business during a special meeting Monday morning in the Calaveras supervisors chambers.

The agenda for this meeting was posted on the Calaveras County website at 4:54 p.m. Friday.

According to the meeting documents, beginning at 9, the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors will conduct the interviews of five candidates who applied for the position and were vetted through a ranking committee of law enforcement officials.

The board, with the consent of the candidates, plan to interview each one individually in the public forum. If all five candidates agree, the order of interviews will be determined by a blind draw and all will be asked the same questions from a selection that were submitted by the public and board of supervisors. The meeting documents also state that, should the candidates not unanimously consent to individual interviews, they will be seated at a table and will take turns answering queries.

The supervisors anticipate selecting a candidate for appointment through a resolution that they expect to formalize and bring forward to a meeting on May 10.

Tuesday, at yet another 9 a.m. special session, the board reportedly plans to make another attempt to pass an urgency ordinance for medical marijuana cultivation. This meeting is also scheduled to be held in the supervisors chambers at the government center (891 Mountain Ranch Road).
The Missouri State Public Defenders Office in Farmington, known as the Fighting 24th, recently received special distinction as the first recipient of the District Office of the Year Award.

It was noted in a press release from the agency that the sense of camaraderie and pride that District Defender Wayne Williams instills in the office and his guidance are a few of the reasons the office has a history of winning trials. The wins belong to everyone and the losses are shared by all.

This is the first year that they came out with the award, said Williams, so its kind of interesting that Farmington is the first office to receive the award. Were very excited about it.

Although the physical trophy itself rests on a shelf in Williams office, he stressed that its only because his office is the most practical place to keep the award.

Its an award for a great team effort, he said. Its not one persons award; its not my award. Its the whole office and its based on what weve accomplished together.

Williams also emphasized that he believes his office won this award for having highly competent attorneys for many years.

The award was really ... these attorneys that I have in the office currently did a great job ... but really its a recognition of us being a successful office for many years, said Williams.

He said the department director and upper management team started looking at statistics on the states trial offices from 2009 to 2015.

In Farmington, which covers 12 counties total, we have six regular counties and six conflict of interest counties. In that time period, of all the cases that we had taken to jury trial, we had won 46 percent of our trials by acquittal and won another 14 percent by beating the plea deals that were in place before the trial. So thats over 50 percent. They were amazed. They had no idea we had that good of a trial record.

Theres much more to a trial office than the wins, said Williams. Theres much more to the practice of law than just outright acquittals.

Working well with and developing good relationships with prosecutors and their staff in each of the 12 counties also plays a significant role in how well Williams and his team perform and the efficiency with which they do their jobs.

He also places a high value on developing good relationships among his staff by fostering an environment where young attorneys can learn and grow into highly competent legal professionals.

Weve mentored a lot of attorneys here in Farmington, said Williams. Since Ive been here, 20 years now, the last count that I have on the number of employees including support staff, but most of those employees were attorneys, is about 75 that have come through our office since 1996.

In that, there've been some great attorneys come out. Weve had attorneys that have been in our office that have went on to manage other offices. Our district defender in the Hannibal office started in Farmington. Our district defender in the Hillsboro office was from Farmington. She was my deputy district defender here for a while. And weve had others.

Williams said that other public defenders have gone on to become prosecuting attorneys and judges, or have moved into private practice or joined a private law firm.

Ive just been blessed with talent, he said.

Not all young public defenders use the position as a training ground, however, Williams pointed out.

Lyn Ruess is an attorney that we received on a transfer from the St. Louis City office, he said, and Lyn has been in the system 20 years. Ive known her ever since Ive been in the system and were lucky to have her here because she does a really good job and she has tried a lot of cases ... 100 plus. She does a lot of second chair work and a lot of mentoring to the other attorneys and is extremely helpful.

Although his job is primarily as an administrator, with only 10 attorneys working out of the Farmington public defenders office Williams still takes cases on a regular basis.

Theyre very busy, he said. People are in and out of the office all the time. We do a lot of driving. But our people are young and the good thing about young people is they have a lot of energy and endurance.

The six primary counties covered by the office include St. Francois, Washington, Ste. Genevieve, Madison, Reynolds and Iron. When conflicts of interest arise, Williams team also fills in for public defenders in Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Wayne, Dent, Crawford and Perry counties.

Its a tough job; its really difficult, Williams said. The caseloads are high and its a very stressful job when you have the responsibility for somebodys liberty interest within your control and what you do or dont do has an impact on that. Its stressful. It burns people out.

We struggle with a lack of resources and we wish we had a lot more, because I think we could do a lot better job. But even with that we still do a good job. Our attorneys are really committed to the cause. They see the big picture. They see how important this job really is. And theyre not here for the money, obviously. Theyre here for the education and training and the real-life experiences.

Working as a state criminal defense attorney provides a rich education for young lawyers and is never boring, said Williams, although it is very different from the portrayals of attorneys in movies and on television.

The realistic practice of law, the practical aspect of it, he said,  ... is only a little like what you see on television. Criminal defense lawyers, at least in our public defender system, theyre not slimy and they dont cheat or bend the rules to get results on their cases. We follow the rules just like everybody else does. And the court is there to make sure we do.

Williams said he and his team are proud of the work they do, regardless of any negative public perceptions of criminal defense lawyers.

If it wasnt for the right to counsel and your right to have a trial in this country, he said, ... we would not be very much different from some of the enemies were fighting today. And thats what makes our country great. Its not a small thing. Its a huge thing. Your right to confront the accuser against you. Thats not enjoyed in every country. Those rights dont exist in some countries at all.

Partly because the job can be thankless and because the job is stressful and demanding, the award was a welcome pat on the back for Williams and his team.

It was a great morale booster for our trial attorneys, he said. These attorneys that we have that earned this award  it shows that our office is successful and it shows that we have a level of competence that is recognized inside our agency. It really means a lot to these attorneys. They work so hard. Its not unusual to see people here until 10 oclock at night during the week. Were lucky and were grateful to be recognized as the first office to receive the award.
Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet voted to hire David Altmaier as Florida's next insurance commissioner Friday. The hire resolved a month-long impasse between Scott and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater.

Scott, Atwater refused to support each other's favored candidates for post



Altmaier a former math teacher, has served 5 years as deputy state insurance commissioner



Florida state law allows chief financial officer to veto insurance commissioner candidate selections

The two Republicans refused to support each other's favored candidate for the regulatory post. Scott, who has seen much of his political capital evaporate since his 2014 re-election, endured an embarrassing moment Tuesday when his motion to appoint insurance industry veteran Jeffrey Bragg wasn't seconded during 22 seconds of silence.



The inconclusive Tuesday meeting resulted in Friday's emergency meeting, when Altmaier was interviewed. A former math teacher who for the last five years has served as a deputy Florida insurance commissioner, Altmaier was praised by Atwater as a consumer-friendly regulator capable of holding insurers accountable.



"This man is a real talent," Atwater said after the vote. "I thought you could see by the answers today his incredible grasp of markets, his grasp of the consumer orientation. He's just an extraordinary talent."



Atwater also won approval of a motion, initially opposed by Scott, to allow outgoing Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty to remain on the job for 60 days to assist with Altmaier's transition. Scott has been a vocal critic of McCarty, who has made headlines by rejecting rate increase requests and aggressively pursuing insurers that fail to honor their policies.



Much of the tension surrounding the insurance commissioner appointment process can be traced to a state law affording the chief financial officer veto power over the selection of any one candidate. For all the acrimony between Atwater and Scott, however, the CFO believes the law is an appropriate check on concentrated power.



"I certainly had my own opinions as to how the process was going and that the process would go, as I believe it was outlined to go, that we would all be heard," Atwater said. "I thought the governor had strong opinions of candidates and he knew I did, as well, and here we are. The process worked just as it was designed to work."
Under the leadership of Anthony Romero, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a diminished shadow of its former self. The ACLU is now led by cafeteria civil libertarians who choose the liberties they deem worthy of protection based on a narrow ideological agenda.

The latest incarnation of this betrayal of the Bill of Rights is the ACLU's refusal to support criminal justice reform legislation that strengthens the mens rea requirement for most federal criminal statutes. Translated from the Latin as "guilty mind," mens rea is a legal phrase that describes the mental state of mind formed prior to the commission of a crime. Traditionally, the law requires the government to prove that a defendant was aware of and intended to break the law before he can be punished for doing so.

Writing in The New York Times, Yale Law professor Gideon Yaffe warned that liberal opposition to the mens rea provision threatens the passage of the criminal justice reform legislation currently pending in Congress:

"The provision is part of a sweeping criminal justice bill that includes important reforms sought by liberals, including reduced sentences for minor crimes. Democrats, however, oppose the mens rea provision on the ground that it would weaken efforts to prosecute corporate executives whose companies have caused harm. Their opposition is a major stumbling block to passage of the larger bill. But suspicions about Republican motivations should not turn liberals against these changes, because strengthening mens rea requirements will also help poor and minority people."

The ACLU's Romero responded to Yaffe with a letter to the editor in which he argued that the passage of mens rea reform "will do little to help the vast majority of the 2.2 million people behind bars in America and those soon to be incarcerated."

George Mason University Law professor David E. Bernstein criticized Romero's majoritarian approach to civil liberties advocacy, writing that "the executive director of the ACLU doesn't care about the rights of a certain class of accused criminals." Professor Bernstein's claim of ACLU selectivity has merit when you consider that the organization has, in some cases, called for strengthening the mens rea requirement in proposed federal legislation.

In 2007 the ACLU vigorously opposed changes to the Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators ("KIDS") Act on the grounds that "the amendment's proposed mens rea is overly broad and vague and could result in innocent people being prosecuted for this offense."

Progressive groups have badly mischaracterized the mens rea reform movement as a Republican-inspired effort to shield corporate special interests from much deserved prosecutions. A recent op-ed by Thomas B. Edsall in The New York Times parroted the progressive line on mens rea reforms, which he compared to partisan "pro-corporate stealth provisions attached to unrelated sentencing reform legislation."

Yet one of the leading voices in the mens rea reform movement is Harvey Silverglate, a noted criminal defense and civil liberties lawyer who has a five-decade record of courageously defending progressive causes. Silverglate served for 30 years as a board member of the ACLU of Massachusetts and remains a member of the organization.

The need for mens rea reform was first brought to light in Silverglate's 2007 book "Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent." According to Silverglate, the average U.S. citizen innocently commits an average of three felonies a day without realizing they have broken the law. His book describes how overzealous prosecutors use vague laws with lax mens rea requirements to prosecute innocent people from all walks of life under a wide variety of federal criminal statutes.

"There has arisen a cynical effort by some to defeat the adoption of mens rea legislation by claiming ... that it will aid corporate and 'white collar' defendants, ignoring that in fact it would apply across-the-board to all defendants," Silverglate wrote in an email responding to our request for his comments.

"This attempted injection of a form of class warfare into the struggle to achieve long-overdue fundamental criminal justice reform is a betrayal of the civil liberties of all Americans," Silverglate warned. "We need both sentencing reform for those convicted, and mens rea reform in order to prevent the innocent from being convicted in the first place."

Silverglate concluded his comments with a stern rebuke: "Romero and the ACLU should know better. Liberty is indivisible. Equal justice is not achieved by cynically pitting one group of citizens against another. That is how we ended up with by far the largest prison population in the world."

In 2009 Silverglate called for coordinated action to solve the problems described in his book. "(R)ecognition that this movement has no ideological allegiances other than the preservation of liberty is a pivotal first step," he wrote in a guest essay for the Volokh Conspiracy blog.

Conservative groups answered Silverglate's bipartisan call to action while the ACLU and other progressive groups turned tail and ran in the opposite direction. Their opposition to the mens rea legislation now threatens to kill the last best hope for meaningful criminal justice reform for years to come.
An Orlando Police officer who was hit by a driver last July is out of the hospital again.

Officer William Anderson was hit by a car during a traffic stop last May

He re-entered the hospital for spinal cord surgery earlier this month

3 have been arrested for the incident

We have had nine months of our life being turned upside down over a traffic stop, said Jessica Anderson, wife of Officer William Anderson.

Officer Anderson was re-admitted for spinal cord surgery earlier this month, but got to leave Thursday.

Now hes probably worse off than he was at the time of the accident, Jessica Anderson said.

It seems like with every step forward, the Andersons have to take two steps back.

He has a long way to go with kind of rebuilding his muscles to be able to walk again and regain the strength that he needs," she said.

As Officer Anderson recovers from his latest surgery on his spinal cord, he continues to suffer from complications and is in constant pain.

Hes only been able to take a few steps using a walker," his wife said.

He is living at a rehabilitation center where he undergoes eight hours of physical therapy every day.

Jessica said having him away from home is one of the most difficult parts of his recovery.

He can no longer share the same quality time with their two-year-old daughter, Abby.

To have to tell her that he cant pick her up - thats been difficult, she said.

But through all of these challenges, Jessica remains strong and focused on her family.

Hes the love of my life and my goal is just to get him better and thats what I focus on every day, she said. I do think that we will go back to loving life again. Hopefully by the end of this year.

Jessica said doctors told her the typical recovery time for spinal cord surgery is one year.

Three teens were arrested in connection with the incident that hurt Officer Anderson.

Edward Kelty, 18, is the accused driver.

He was charged with attempted second-degree murder of a law enforcement officer.

A passenger in the car, Angel Nieves, is also accused of tampering with evidence.

The third suspect was never charged as an adult, so we are not identifying him in accordance with our News 13 crime guidelines.

Kelty and Nieves are expected back in court in late May.
An organization that assists in placing children in the foster care system says one-third of those children are now Hispanic. That statistic is in part pushing a greater effort in Central Florida to find host families who have similar language and customs.

1 in 3 children in foster care in Orange and Osceola counties speak Spanish

Community Based Care of Central Florida need more Spanish-speaking foster parents

Representatives from Community Based Care of Central Florida say new policies within Floridas foster care system have resulted in an increase in kids of all cultures and backgrounds in the system.

Were seeing an increase across the board for all children, said Danielle Abbey, the Community Impact Manager for Community Based Care of Central Florida. So especially in Osceola County, because that demographic tends to be more heavily Hispanic, we are seeing a rise in children coming into foster care there as well.

For one of every three children in foster care in Orange and Osceola counties, Spanish is their primary language.

I think there is a huge need for Hispanics to get involved in this, said German Fuentes. Because obviously for the children, if you can at least have the food that theyre used to or maybe watch the TV channel that they used to watch at home, again the less traumatic you make it for the children, the better off they are.

The Fuentes have taken care of four children in the past eight months. They say that as long as they have room in their home, they will continue to take children in -- and hope others find space in their hearts to do the same.

Spanish people are giving people, so I encourage anyone who is thinking about it to get the information and call the number, go on the website, Fuentes said.

For more information on fostering and adoption visit ProtectAndInspire.org or call: 866-90-CHILD (24453).
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Among the finishing touches for the James and Eva Mayer Chapel is fine tuning the video and sound system, and Steve Long from Wayland is helping us do that, explains Dr. Lester B. Griffin, director of missions for the Caprock Plains Baptist Area.

The chapel, appropriately dubbed The House That Love Built, will be dedicated 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 18, with a reception to follow in the Formby Unit Visitor Center.

The dedication is open to the public (RSVP caprockplains@nts-online.net). The Texas Department of Criminal Justice requires those attending be at least 18 years old and present a valid Texas drivers license or other TDCJ-approved identification. No purses, billfolds or cellphones are allowed - bring only your drivers license or ID and car keys.

Theyre finishing two pieces of furniture for the chapel, built by three guys in the prison workshop - a podium and the sound cabinet, Griffin explains. They do wonderful work, all we had to do was pay for the wood, and they would build it.

Griffin is fine-tuning the program for the service to dedicate the first Texas prison chapel built entirely onsite by volunteers. Pastor Richard Miller will bring his Happy Union Baptist Church Choir, Griffin explained. That congregation was so gracious while the Baptist Builders were here by allowing us to use their facilities each day to feed those wonderful individuals.

In addition, the local warden will be speaking along with Larry Miles of Trinity Church. Miles is on the TDCJ State Board. Among others on the program will be Senior Warden Charles McDuffie, Ron Beird from the Texas Baptist Men and Formby/Wheeler Chaplain Mike McCreight. Special presentations will honor those whose dreams, vision and labor helped make the chapel a reality.

Invited guests include State Sen. Charles Perry, State Rep. Ken King, directors of the TDCJ chaplaincy program in Huntsville, and representatives from the numerous churches, foundations, organizations and businesses involved in the project.

A plaque will commemorate those who took part in the project.

No inmates will be present at the dedication.

The Caprock Plains Baptist Area Committee in February 2013 voted to participate with Here To Eternity, Inc., a multidenominational group, and to share in the accomplishment of the project. That began more than three years of prayerful planning and diligent labor to create an island of hope inside a sea of despair.

In September 2015, a 23-member volunteer crew from Texas Baptist Men Church Builders spent about two weeks putting up the outside walls and closing in the structure. Since then, a large group of local volunteers, tradesmen and others have been working to complete the project.

According to earlier accounts, about 60 faith volunteers in the area now work in prison chapel ministry, holding 10 services a week with total attendance of about 600 inmates. The space now used for religious services accommodates about 55 inmates at each Sunday service. In contrast, the new chapel has space for 240 inmates per service. As a result, more inmates can be ministered while requiring fewer religious services.

Offenders have said they are very appreciative that this chapel is being built, Griffin told the Herald in February. They are very thankful that people on the outside care enough about them that they built them a place they can go.

Religious group wishing to volunteer or support services at the chapel once it opens should call the prison chaplain's office at 806-296-2448. The chaplain normally organizes events at the prison, but does not conduct services.


Image source: Pixabay.

Today, more than 60 million Americans count on Social Security checks each month, and about two-thirds of those recipients are retired workers who'd likely struggle without the financial foundation that Social Security income provides.

Based on a survey conducted in 2015 by national pollster Gallup, today's retirees rely heavily on Social Security to meet their monthly expenses. A whopping 59% of retired seniors responded that Social Security accounts for a "major source" of income, and another 31% affirmed that it's a "minor source" of retirement income. No matter how we rearrange the puzzle pieces, about 90% of seniors could have trouble meeting their monthly expenses without Social Security.

We saw a similar pattern when Gallup questioned pre-retirees on their expected reliance on the Social Security program. Combined, 84% of pre-retirees, or essentially six in seven, believe Social Security will be a "major source" of income (36%) or a "minor source" (48%) come retirement. In fact, over the past decade the number of pre-retirees expected to rely on Social Security as a major source of income has risen by 11% (25% to 36%).

Despite being such a critical financial foundation for most seniors, Social Security's long-term future is in flux. The latest Board of Trustees report suggests the program's excess cash reserves could be completely depleted by 2034, necessitating up to a 21% reduction in benefits to extend the life of the program through 2089. This doesn't mean Social Security is insolvent or won't be there for today's workers, but it does mean the program might look a lot different two decades from now.

Too few seniors are making this decision -- and it's worrisome

This means seniors' choice of when to file for benefits could be one of the most important decisions they make. Generally speaking, the longer a retired worker waits to file for benefits after turning 62 years old, the first age at which beneficiaries become eligible to file for benefits, the higher their benefit will be (up until age 70, when benefits max out). As you can see below, benefits increase with each successive month a senior holds off on filing for benefits, and the increases tend to average about 8% per year.



The Social Security retirement benefit schedule for people born between 1943 and 1954. Chart by author. Data source: Social Security Administration.

The magic, but dynamic, number that represents the so-called Social Security "finish line" is your full retirement age, or FRA. Your FRA is based on your birth year, and currently ranges between 65 years and 67 years. When you hit your FRA, you become eligible for 100% of your retirement benefit. If you retire prior to hitting your FRA, you'll receive a reduced rate that, based on today's retirees with birth years ranging from 1943 to 1954, could be as low as 75% of your FRA.

Conversely, waiting until after your FRA can pump up your benefits payment well beyond 100%. Retirees with an FRA of 66 years who hold off on claiming benefits until age 70 can receive a monthly benefit of up to 132% of their FRA. Yet, according to a study conducted by the Centers for Retirement Research at Boston College, just 10% of all seniors, as of 2013, were choosing a date beyond their FRA to file for Social Security benefits. That's a worrisomely low figure.

Why this is a worrisome trend

The reason this is particularly worrisome is that, based on data from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, more than half of seniors as of 2013 were claiming benefits before their FRA (and around a third right at their FRA). This means most beneficiaries are receiving less than 100% of the benefits they'd be due based on their income history -- even though, as noted above, more than a third of pre-retirees expect to be reliant on Social Security income in retirement. If you're going to be reliant on Social Security income, the last thing you'd want to do is minimize what the program is going to pay you monthly.



Chart by author. Data source: Centers for Retirement Research at Boston College. Data is from 2013.

There are of course understandable reasons for filing for benefits at age 62, or any age less than your FRA. For example, if you don't anticipate living into your 80s due to health reasons, then taking Social Security benefits early can be worthwhile. Also, if your retirement nest egg is in great shape with plenty to spare, and Social Security income is essentially "gravy," then using Social Security income to pay for travel or the pursuit of your passions might be a suitable move.

However, for the numerous baby boomers who are entering retirement without adequate savings, filing for benefits early could be a mistake they'll regret for the rest of their lives. While I fully understand the impetus in claiming benefits as early as possible to help with paying monthly bills and reducing your potential debts heading into retirement, filing early can also lock you into a substantially lower benefit payment for decades to come. If there's a group of individuals who should be waiting as long as possible to file for benefits, it's seniors who don't have an adequate nest egg. And according to a study from the Insured Retirement Institute, about 4-in-10 baby boomers don't have a cent saved toward their retirements.

Work more, save more might be your best option

This means that individuals without an adequate nest egg should consider working well beyond the traditional retirement ages of 62 or 65, assuming their health permits. Working longer should allow you to use your wages to meet your monthly expenses, while at the same time allowing your Social Security benefit to grow.



Image source: Flickr user Scott Lewis.

Based on today's average Social Security payment of $1,345 for retired workers as of March 2016, waiting those extra four years beyond your FRA could mean an extra $430 in your pocket each month. Plus, working longer could help boost your earnings average, which the Social Security Administration uses to calculate your benefit, thus boosting your benefit even more. Finally, working more may help you save more for your retirement.

Additionally, seniors will need to learn how to live within a tight budget if they're reliant on Social Security. It's imperative they understand how their cash on hand is being spent so they can make it stretch even further. Plus, if a benefit cut is in the cards over the next two decades, as the Board of Trustees' report has implied, a budget could help seniors more easily transition to a lower income environment.

Working longer may not have been what you envisioned, but waiting to claim benefits until after your FRA is probably a smarter move than you realize.

The $15,978 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook

If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. In fact, one MarketWatch reporter argues that if more Americans knew about this, the government would have to shell out an extra $10 billion annually. For example: one easy, 17-minute trick could pay you as much as $15,978 more... each year! Once you learn how to take advantage of all these loopholes, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how you can take advantage of these strategies.

The article Just 1 in 10 Seniors Is Making This Social Security Move -- And That's Worrisome originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright  1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


Fire one! Image source: Raytheon.

Across America and around the world, no one sells more weapons than American defense contractors. According to a recent TIME magazine report, U.S. defense contractors account for more than 50% of all arms sales anywhere in the world -- and one of the hottest markets for weaponry anywhere in the world is the Middle East.

Don't look now, but that market just got a little bit bigger.

The news

Last week, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency -- the Pentagon arm responsible for coordinating arms sales between U.S. defense contractors and our allies -- notified Congress of an upcoming sale of RIM-116C rolling airframe missiles to the military of Qatar. Lightweight, supersonic, and guided by radar, the RIM-116 is a ship-defense anti-missile missile designed specifically to shoot down hostile anti-ship missiles. (It's called "rolling," by the way, because it spins in the air as a means of self-stabilization, helping the missile to fly straight.)

According to DSCA, Qatar is buying 254 of the missiles from Raytheon in order to "protect its naval forces and nearby oil/gas infrastructure from air and missile threats." Raytheon, the principal contractor on the deal, stands to make $260 million from the sale of the weapons, plus "associated equipment, training, and support" services.

At the 13.2% profit margin that Raytheon's Missile Systems division earns on its missile sales (according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence), this implies a total profit of about $34.3 million for Raytheon, or roughly $0.12 per share. That's a significant sum -- but there could be even more money to come.

"Under-trained, under-staffed, and under-equipped"

Here's why: According to Raytheon, the RAM-116C is designed for use on a wide variety of warships, ranging from "95,000 ton aircraft carriers" all the way down to "500-ton fast attack craft." Currently, though, the biggest vessel we know of in the Qatari Navy doesn't meet even this lower threshold for size.

Rather, Qatar's navy and coast guard is equipped with a hodgepodge of about six dozen small coastal patrol craft -- a force GlobalSecurity.org describes as "under-trained, under-staffed, and under-equipped given the massive scale of their on-shore and off-shore energy infrastructure."

Buying a batch of high-tech missiles from Raytheon is certainly one step toward rectifying that situation. It does, however, raise the question of where Qatar intends to put the missiles.

Here's one possible answer.

Corvettes for Qatar?

According to a 2013 report by the Center for International Maritime Security, Qatar has been "actively seeking corvettes" to add to its Navy. Indeed, as recently as last year, DefenseNews.org noted that negotiations are progressing with shipbuilders such as locally owned Etihad Ship Building, a joint venture with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, believed to involve the upgrade or even the purchase of new ships for Qatar's navy.

Weighing in at roughly 2,000-plus tons displacement, a corvette is a modern warship of a size easily capable of supporting Raytheon's RAM-116C. More important to the defense contracting industry, it's a vessel that can easily cost $125 million or more -- each. And Qatar's order for hundreds of RAM-116C missiles suggests the country would need to buy multiple corvettes to field them.

Is such a sale in the offing, and if so, from whom? We don't know yet, but the size of Qatar's arms purchase is certainly suggestive. Here are a few likely suspects drawn from the U.S. small warship-building industry to consider -- just on the off chance Fincantieri doesn't win the contract.

And as soon as we know more, you'll know more.

A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity

The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early, in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here.



BAE-built corvette in Oman. Image source: BAE Systems.

The article Raytheon Tapped to Upgrade Qatar Navy originally appeared on Fool.com.

Copyright  1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Advances in publishing industry marketing have allowed G.P. Putnams Sons to bring forth Maestra, a pornographic shopathon travelogue thriller that has billionaires, art world scheming and a sociopathic heroine who can unfasten belt buckles with her tongue.

It should go without saying that this book is part of a trilogy, is headed for the movies and has created a stir in countries where it has already appeared.

As one reader reasonably put it on Amazon.uks website: This books pomposity is unbelievable and the sex is ludicrous. Will sell millions. Right now its sales on that site are sinking, and its selling only decently. But point taken.

Maestra is the work of L.S. Hilton, who is otherwise the British historian Lisa Hilton, but wanted to give voice to her inner babe.

Hilton has talked up the independence and sexual freedom of her main character, Judith Rashleigh. But hold the phone: Maestra is terribly confused about what constitutes Judiths idea of a good time.

Sometimes she savors her bravado and channels James Bond. More often, she is a sad, status-seeking, increasingly homicidal opportunist/prostitute.

More Information Maestra By L.S. Hilton G.P. Putnam's Sons, $27 See More Collapse

Ive never met the girl who wasnt prepared to hawk it when there was a bona fide billionaire in the room, Judith confides.

Its hard to find much escapist fun in a book about a woman whose main attributes are deadly sins. Greed, lust, envy, pride and wrath  shes got five of them covered, and perhaps even a little gluttony, if you count all the times Hilton lovingly describes the delicacies that slide down her heroines gullet.

This is meant to make Judith a creature of insatiable appetites, which is meant to be alluring, especially since she keeps herself so saleably slim. (Most men in the book are repellently fat. If theyre rich enough, she services them anyway.)

Maestra opens with a laughably solemn porn prologue set in a lavish den of sin, where heavy hems and vicious heels swooped and clacked over the parquet. Why would vicious heels clack? This kind of question arises constantly, but give the author her odd modifiers. The point is that this scene is replayed verbatim later in the book, and even Judith calls it ridiculous. Its just a tease to get your attention.

Next, we meet the earlier Judith as a woebegone Cinderella, working at a London auction house. She hates the way her boss treats her. Whats a girl to do?

Moonlight at a bar where the women are greeted with jolly cries of OK, girls, knickers off by a supervisor who isnt quite kidding. All shes supposed to do, Judith says, is to encourage men to buy Champagne and listen to their troubles. Thats all. Sure.

Two things kick up the action. Judith catches her daytime boss conducting a scam about the provenance of a painting. (Hilton sounds authoritative about art history and the chicanery of the art world. This part of the book works well.)

And she talks one of her bar clients into taking her and a friend to the Riviera. While frolicking with him there, they happen to overdrug his drink. And off Judith goes into a string of pseudonyms and a life of glamorous crime.

She soon hooks up with a billionaire named Steve who has a big boat and a nonexistent sexual appetite. He just wants a good-looking woman he can show off when he goes places.

We were the prizes, the gold made of delectably bronzed flesh, Galateas who unfroze at the touch of money, Judith tells the reader in apparent seriousness, about the parasitical women who attach themselves to men like Steve.

Women in this book have no real autonomy, even if Judith is in the process of clawing her way toward power. Their only way of supporting themselves is by finagling money out of powerful men. Its horrifying, not amusing.

The same can be said for Judiths endless inventories of what shes wearing, right down to the labels on her underwear. It takes 20 different products to get her showered, made up and out her front door.

Judith travels from one elite, touristy spot to another (Portofino, Courcheval, Lake Como), offering readers picture-postcard descriptions of these places. She dutifully ticks off sights, tastes and smells.

Youll want to know what the sex scenes are like, since they are one of this books main attractions. Theyre very graphic, with all body parts named, every orifice put to use, and lots of juddering, shuddering, shimmering rapture.

Judith gets interestingly gymnastic with multiple partners. There are handcuffs. There are straps. You may even learn something new about how oysters affect the digestive system.

But the hot stuff grows repetitive very quickly. And it begins to feel obligatory. Excitable as Judith is, she has a limited imagination, and she vents it at regularly timed intervals.

By the time Maestra reaches its suspenseful conclusion  three little words, to be continued  she seems to be running out of positions. With two books to go.
Officially, the Vietnam War ended more than 40 years ago, but for many service members who fought in Southeast Asia, its a conflict they feel lacks acceptance and understanding from the American public well into the 21st century.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, approximately 3.4 million soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and guardsmen deployed to the region during the war.

Initially, they were tasked with advising South Vietnam on how to combat communist aggression from North Vietnam, but it quickly escalated into a military quagmire that defined an American generation.

In 1966, Maj. James G. Van Straten was a senior medical adviser to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam in the I Corps Tactical Zone, a five-province area from the Demilitarized Zone to a point just below the coastal city of Quang Ngai.

During his assignment, he sent his wife daily letters describing his eyewitness accounts of the devastating effects of war on soldiers and the civilian populace.

Fifty years later, these 352 letters have become the foundation of a compassionately riveting memoir describing the early days of the conflict in A Different Face of War: Memories of a Medical Service Corps Officer in Vietnam.

More Information A Different Face of War: Memories of a Medical Service Corps Officer in Vietnam By James G. Van Straten University of North Texas Press, $34.95 See More Collapse

Van Straten writes about a little-known chapter of the Vietnam War: advising foreign armies in the support services during times of war.

He traveled extensively through the war-torn country that had seen American military advisers in the region beginning in the 1950s when it was French Indochina, and interacted with combatants, peasant farmers, political operatives and children.

The memoir touches on many of the medical emergencies seen by American military personnel in the I Corps Tactical Zone during his year-long tour in-country.

Van Straten is poignant in his reflections on the stark realities of war on civilians: children needing harelip repair; the removal of a live mortar round lodged between the skin and ribcage of an ARVN soldier; the aftermath of a U.S. cargo plane that landed short of the Da Nang Air Base runway on Christmas Eve, crashing into a Vietnamese coastal village and killing more than 100 villagers.

After his 30-year military career ended in 1986, Van Straten moved into academia, serving initially as the assistant to the president of Incarnate Word College, and later as its founding dean of the Division of Professional Studies.

In 1990 he was appointed dean of the School of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Retired, he now resides in Windcrest.

A Different Face of War is a captivating account of Americans serving in Vietnam during the early days of a tumultuous time in our nations history.

While written as a memoir, it also serves as a heartfelt tribute to military service members and the South Vietnamese who battled communism a half century ago in the hopes of a better tomorrow.

Vincent Bosquez is a retired Marine Corps captain and coordinator of Veterans Affairs at Palo Alto College. Reach him at vbosquez3@alamo.edu
A little learning is a dangerous thing.

So says attorney Ed Devery (Byrd Bonner) in Classic Theaters stellar staging of Born Yesterday.

Devery has witnessed it firsthand. In the play, his client, thuggish millionaire Harry Brock (the pitch-perfect Greg Hinojosa) is concerned that his unrefined girlfriend Billie Dawn (Hayley Burnside) will somehow undermine his efforts to buy influence in Washington, D.C.

Devery suggests that he hire someone to educate Billie, and Harry turns to Paul Verrall (well-drawn by Nick Lawson), a reporter. Paul agrees, and soon, Billie finds that she enjoys learning. She also becomes much more aware of what her beau is up to, and that makes her dangerous, indeed.

The show, directed with typical astuteness by Matthew Byron Cassi, is every bit as funny and smart as it should be.

Every actor is marvelous, but the show belongs to Burnside. She delivers a comedic gem of a performance. One example: In the first act, Billie and Harry plan gin rummy. Most of the scene plays out in sounds and gestures rather than dialogue. Burnside makes the most of that: Opening her eyes wide as she gleefully snatches up cards that he has discarded, plainly reveling in her victory, eventually shimmying in her seat as she hums Anything Goes.

Shes marvelous in the scene, and, as in the rest of the show, she is well-matched by Hinojosa, who does a great slow burn throughout the scene.

The whole show is a treat, closing out Classics current season on a high note.

Born Yesterday can be seen at 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays at Classic Theatre, 1924 Fredericksburg Road. Tickets range from $10 to $25. Call 210-589-8450 for reservations or visit classictheatre.org to buy tickets online.

dlmartin@express-news.net
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Carol Marie Hudsons job satisfaction comes from seemingly small moments in her kindergarten classroom. She feels pride when children who didnt believe they could write start forming their letters, bolstered by their teachers support.

Hudson got a different kind of satisfaction Friday afternoon, when she and another area teacher were surprised with the Trinity Prize for Excellence in Teaching.

Im honored as a kindergarten teacher to be selected and to have San Antonios youngest students recognized, Hudson said. Recognizing me not only recognizes my importance, but their importance.

Hudson began her teaching career at Henry T. Brauchle Elementary School in the Northside Independent School District, and has remained there for the past 10 years.

More for you NWS predicts isolated strong, severe storms possibly on Monday

A single mother of two, Hudson applied for food stamps and Medicaid in her final year at the University of Texas-San Antonio, where she earned an early education degree. The woman helping with her application suggested dropping out to work in a bank or call center, but Hudson had a different plan.

My business is helping small people grow into big dreams for the future, Hudson wrote in an essay on outstanding teaching.

Hudson and Calvin W. Lambert, senior Naval science instructor at Uvalde High School, won the 35th annual Trinity Prize, sponsored by Trinity University and H-E-B. A panel of community leaders chose the pair from among 19 finalists, nominated by their schools or districts in the Bexar County area. The top winners received $2,500 and a plaque, while all the finalists received $1,500 and a crystal apple.

Lambert, known in school as Master Chief, is the oldest of seven children born to farm workers who did not finish high school. He served 26 years in the U.S. Navy, earning a degree from Southern Illinois University on nights and weekends.

He accepted his award Friday in uniform, with an entourage of junior ROTC cadets chanting Hooyah. In addition to drill work, Lambert said his 112 cadets this school year completed more than 4,000 community service hours.

They are the ones who get this award, because without them, none of what we do makes any difference anyway, Lambert said.

The keynote speaker was Shanna Peeples, the 2015 National Teacher of the Year, who teaches English at Palo Duro High School in Amarillo.

Peeples talked about visiting Lebanon and learning that 200,000 child refugees from Syria were not attending school there. Then, Gov. Greg Abbott invited Peeples to be recognized in Austin. As Peeples was preparing for the trip, she saw Abbotts announcement that Texas would not be accepting Syrian refugees. She debated speaking out in Austin but was too afraid. Peeples said that was her biggest failure as Teacher of the Year, a mistake she has tried to undo in every subsequent appearance.

If you cant be brave for yourself, be brave for your students, Peeples told the educators in Trinitys recital hall. I believe that we can push back on this whole negative narrative, that we can tell a different narrative.

amalik@express-news.net
William Luther /San Antonio Express-News

More than $300,000 in homeowner association funds for a swimming pool that was never built are at the center of a criminal case filed against two men with ties to the city of Windcrest.

Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood said Robert Colunga and Tom Pittman were indicted by a grand jury in April on the first-degree felony charges. Although a civil lawsuit is pending in the project, LaHood said he believes a criminal case also is warranted against the two men, and possibly others, the case involving plans for a pool to be built in San Antonios Stone Oak area.
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A Latino civil rights organization has filed a lawsuit against a whites only cemetery in South Texas, according to a news release issued Friday.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, MALDEF, filed the suit in Texas federal court against the Normanna Cemetery Association and its caretaker. The suit claims the caretakers and the association are in violation of state and federal prohibitions on race and national origin discrimination.

RELATED: South Texas cemetery first blocks, then allows burial of Hispanic man

The graveyard is located in Normanna in Bee County, where officials representing the cemetery have upheld a policy for decades that prohibited Latinos and African Americans from being buried there.

More for you NWS predicts isolated strong, severe storms possibly on Monday

"Segregated cemeteries were part of an architecture of discrimination against Latinos in Texas," said Marisa Bono, MALDEF Southwest Regional Counsel and lead counsel for the plaintiff. "We look forward to closing this shameful chapter in our state's history."

Earlier this year, Dorothy Barrera wanted to bury the ashes of her husband of more than 40 years, Pedro Barrera, at the cemetery. The association representing the graveyard refused to allow her to do so.

MALDEF reports the association had already voted against the request to bury her husband there, and they told her to bury her husband at a different cemetery, according to the news release.

A previous mySA.com report states Barrera hired a lawyer to represent her so that her husbands remains will be allowed burial at the cemetery.

RELATED: Government Hill resident finds tombstone buried in yard, and it's not the first

John Martinez, commander of the American G.I. Forum of Texas, Inc., said this situation is morally wrong.

"It happened in the 1940s and 1950s and, in today's time and age, I can't believe this is still happening to Hispanics and Hispanic veterans," Martinez said in a news release.

Bee County Constable Cliff Bagwell said in March that Pedro Barreras ashes will be permitted for burial at the cemetery, but that doesnt seem to have stopped MALDEF from filing a suit anyway.

Normanna, with an overall population of 65, has only 11 who identify as Latino, according to a previous mySA.com report.

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite
Raised in Monterrey, Mexico, in extreme poverty, Leandra Arce Vasquez learned early on to work hard.

It was a habit she was never able to break.

My dad used to say, Your mother is not happy unless shes in front of the stove stirring a pot, her daughter Yolanda Vasquez Vega recalled.

Raising her six children in a small home, Vasquez could not deal with chaos, Vega said. She was meticulous about cleaning  was like that throughout her life.

More for you NWS predicts isolated strong, severe storms possibly on Monday

Vasquez was also a tireless caregiver for her aging mother, and later, her husband, even as her own health declined.

She took care of my father so faithfully, Vega said. She  spent the whole day at the nursing home, never left his side; she was a good teacher about how to care for others.

More Information Leandra Arce Vasquez Born: June 15, 1929, San Antonio Died: April 25, 2016, San Antonio Preceded by: Husband Juan F. Vasquez; son Enrique Vasquez; parents Petra Rodriguez and Jose Arce. Survived by: Daughter Yolanda Vega and son-in-law Jesus, Irene Vasquez; sons Juan F. Vasquez Jr., Ricardo Vasquez, and Rodolfo Vasquez; nine grandchildren; six great-grandchildren. Services: Visitation at 5 p.m., rosary at 7 p.m. Monday at Mission Park Funeral Chapels South, 1700 S.W. Military Drive; Mass at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, 1710 Clower, followed by burial at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, 1520 Harry Wurzbach. See More Collapse

Vasquez died April 25 at 86.

Though born in San Antonio  her parents were visiting when her mother went into labor  Vasquez only returned to the city years later, as a young adult.

A middle child among five surviving siblings, Vasquez was 10 when her mother sent her to the city to work in a bakery.

There, they never let her eat the fresh bread, Vega said. And at night she had to sleep with the chickens in the chicken coop.

As young as she was, Vasquez put her foot down, refusing to return to the bakery the following week.

Vasquez was 15 when she came to the U.S. with her father, making her way to San Antonio after a few years working in the valley, first in the fields and later as a housekeeper and nanny.

Marrying in 1951, the couple lived in a dilapidated dwelling on the East Side, a situation Vasquez found intolerable.

When her husband, a World War II Navy veteran, began taking night classes in addition to his job at Friedrich Air Conditioning Co., Vasquez, unbeknownst to her husband, began saving his monthly GI Bill stipend.

She saved $1,000 in a year, then told him it was for a down payment for a house, Vega said. Shed always wanted a home.

Buying a new house in the Harlandale High School area, Vasquez made a beautiful home of the dwelling.

She and my father took pride in maintaining the property, Vega said. She had plants and beautiful trees in the front and back yard.

Not content to stay at home, Vasquez got a job working in her childrens school cafeteria. It was a perfect fit.

She absolutely loved to cook, Vega said. She loved kids and cooking.

mheidbrink@express-news.net
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Editors note: Henry B. Gonzalez would have been 100 years old on Tuesday. We asked his son Charles Gonzalez to write this remembrance.

When my paternal grandparents fled the Mexican Revolution in the early 1900s and came to Texas, they believed they would eventually return to Mexico.

I often wondered why they abandoned their dream of returning to their beloved homeland. Their eldest son, Leonides, who had been born in Mexico, did return to live, marry and raise a family after completing college in the United States.

Though conflicted, I surmised that my grandparents did as so many did before and after them: They gave up their dreams for a better reality for their children.

More Information Centennial tribute The University of Texas at San Antonio College of Public Policy and the Office for Community Services are hosting a centennial tribute to former Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez on Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., at the UTSA Downtown Campus in the Aula Canaria Lecture Hall, BV 1.328. The event is free and open to the public. See More Collapse

My father, Henry B. Gonzalez, was the third of six children, all but the eldest having been born in Texas. He and his siblings were raised in what must have been confusing times. Parents talking about returning to Mexico, coupled with widespread discrimination against Mexicans, must have made for a very conflicted world for my father, his older sister and younger brothers, who were all American citizens.

Yet I believe it produced in my father a love and appreciation for the United States that inspired him to devote his life to public service.

In the early years of my grandparents lives in San Antonio, it was clear that the proposition of moving back to Mexico had not been abandoned.

My father often told the story of his elementary school teacher, Miss Mason, informing her students that if they were born in the United States, then they were Americans.

At home, my father was being raised as a Mexican since, any day, the family would be moving to Mexico. He decided he would make the announcement that he was an American at the dinner table while his aunt and cousins were visiting from Mexico.

He carefully explained what Miss Mason had told his class. Dads aunt immediately interjected, Well, if thats so, if a cat is born in an oven, does that make him bread?

Everyone at the table roared with laughter, except my father.

It would be hard to find someone as well-read as my father. Though he enjoyed a wide-range of interests, which covered music, math, art, culture and history, his enduring study was that of the law and government.

From the great philosophers and statespersons, he read voraciously and applied the lessons he learned throughout his career. He wanted to do everything within his abilities to assure that the pronouncements in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were not mere words, but promises to be kept to all who were fortunate to live in this country.

His compass had been set and it pointed him in the direction of justice and equality for all.

As a member of the San Antonio City Council, he worked to integrate local swimming pools. He filibustered for 22 hours on the Texas Senate floor against segregationist legislation. He championed abolishing the poll tax, and voted for the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act when he was in Congress.

From his first day as an elected official in the early 1950s to his last day in Congress in 1998, he never lost sight that our democracy would always be a work in progress.

My father was exceedingly proud of his Mexican ancestry, customs and language. His Spanish was impeccable, and his familiarity with the works of Mexican writers, composers and artists was astonishing.

He never lost his love and admiration for Mexico. He did not see that this pride was inconsistent with being an American citizen, and he often stated, I am an American without prefix, suffix, apology or any other kind of modification.

Some people misinterpreted his statement as somehow an abandonment of ones heritage, but that wasnt the case. What my father was saying was that one should honor his ancestral home, appreciate his familial roots, practice wonderful customs and traditions that enrich our lives and do so as a fully engaged American.

He would tell people, young and old, I never believed that the way to win equality is through separation. For Dad, it was always about inclusion, that no person or group should ever exclude itself, or allow anyone to exclude them, from the wonderful opportunities this country presents.

A week doesnt go by that people dont approach me and tell me a Henry B. story.

Oftentimes it involves a kind or thoughtful gesture that my father expressed, or his help with a Social Security, veterans, immigration, employment or housing issue.

The stories are heartfelt with observations of how he personally cared about being of assistance. Though my father understood the importance of the work he had to do legislatively to guarantee civil rights, make education affordable, provide health care and promote economic development, his real success would be measured by the difference he personally made in an individuals life. After all, thats why he entered politics: not just to pass laws but to follow through and make sure the laws served his constituents.

My father was the consummate public servant. As a family, my mother and my sisters and brothers understood that we had to share his time, energy and attention with his other family: the public.

So many people would come up to us and share the times that Dad attended a wedding, baptism, graduation, civic event, dedication ceremony, grand openings or threw out the first pitch at a Little League game.

I recall my younger brother once exclaiming to my mother after hearing about Dad being at an event, So thats where Dad was!

The family sacrificed much, but with the understanding that Dad was doing something he loved dearly and was helping people.

He was a man of simple taste. A Chevrolet station wagon was his limousine, a trip to Port Aransas or a camping trip to the Madla ranch in Helotes were his dream vacations, and his greatest indulgence was to spend what little extra time he had in a bookstore.

He was most fortunate to have found someone special like my mother. She raised eight children, for many years on a budget that was more appropriate for a family of four, without the physical presence and assistance of Dad.

I am not sure my parents had agreed on my fathers career choice, but families of politicians learn early that they are part of a team and that its your family name that appears on every yard sign and bumper sticker.

Though there were times the family wished Dad had been home more often and had spent more time with us, I have never heard anyone in our family say they wished he had never chosen public service.

My father would have celebrated his 100th birthday Tuesday. As a child I thought he would live forever. As I grew older, I thought he would live until he was 100. That didnt happen either.

All children just want their parents to live a good and happy life a little longer. My father ended his political career at the age of 82, and he died less than two years later.

I am hopeful that people remember the good he accomplished and the difference he made, and continues to make, in improving the lives of thousands in our city, state and nation. This is my birthday wish for my father.

Charles Gonzalez, a San Antonio lawyer, is a former congressman and state district judge.
Foreign policy does not determine American elections. Our instinctive isolationism derives from our geographic exceptionalism. As Bismarck once explained (it is said), the United States is the most fortunate of all Great Powers, bordered on two sides by weak neighbors and on the other two by fish.

Two world wars, nuclear missiles and international terrorism have disabused us of the illusion of safety-by-isolation. You wouldnt know it, though, from the Democratic presidential race where foreign policy has been treated as a nuisance, a distraction from such fundamental questions as whether $12 or $15 is the proper minimum wage.

On the Republican side, however, foreign policy has been the subject of furious debate. To which Donald Trump has contributed significantly, much of it off-the-cuff, contradictory and confused. Hence his foreign policy speech on Wednesday.

He did check off the required box  delivering a major address to a serious foreign policy outfit, the Center for the National Interest (once known as the Nixon Center).

Its major theme, announced right at the top: was America First. Classically populist and invariably popular, it is nonetheless quite fraught. On the one hand, it can be meaningless  isnt every president trying to advance American interests? Surely Truman didnt enter the Korean War for the sake of Koreans, but from the conviction that intervention was essential for American security.

On the other hand, America First does have a history. In 1940, when Britain was fighting for its life and Churchill was begging for U.S. help, it was the name of the group most virulently opposed to U.S. intervention. It disbanded  totally discredited  four days after Pearl Harbor.

The irony is that while President Barack Obama would never use the term, it is the underlying theme of his foreign policy  which Trump constantly denounces as a series of disasters. Obama, like Trump, is animated by the view that we are overextended and overinvested abroad.

This is also the theme of Bernie Sanders. No great surprise. Left and right isolationism have found common cause since the 1930s. Socialist Party leader Norman Thomas often shared the platform with Charles Lindbergh at America First rallies.

Both the left and right have a long history of advocating American retreat and retrenchment. The difference is that liberals want to come home because they think we are not good enough for the world. Conservatives want to wash their hands of the world because they think the world is not good enough for us.

For Obama, we are morally unworthy to act as world hegemon. Our hands are not clean. Hes gone abroad confessing our various sins  everything from the Iranian coup of 1953 to our unkind treatment of Castros Cuba to the ultimate blot, Hiroshima, a penitential visit to which Obama is currently considering.

Trump would be rightly appalled by such a self-indicting trip. His foreign policy stems from a proud nationalism that believes that these recalcitrant tribes and nations are unworthy of American expenditures of blood and treasure.

This has been the underlying view of conservative isolationism from Lindbergh through Pat Buchanan through Rand Paul. Trumps version, however, is inconsistent and often contradictory. After all, he pledged to bring stability to the Middle East. How do you do that without presence, risk and expenditures (financial and military)? He attacked Obama for letting Iran become a great power. But doesnt resisting that automatically imply engagement?

More incoherent still is Trumps insistence on being unpredictable. In a Hobbesian world American allies rely on American consistency, often as a matter of life or death. Yet Trump excoriated the Obama-Clinton foreign policy for losing the trust of our allies precisely because of its capriciousness.

Trumps scripted, telepromptered speech was intended to finally clarify his foreign policy. It produced instead a jumble. The basic principle seems to be this: Continue the inexorable Obama-Clinton retreat, though for reasons of national self-interest, rather than of national self-doubt. And except when, with studied inconsistency, he decides otherwise.

letters@charleskrauthammer.com
I never dress up for boys says 100-year-old star of Harvey Nichols new Vogue campaign Telegraph

Large Hadron Collider on paws after creature chews through wiring Guardian. Includes very attractive picture of a representative perp.

A Mine vs. a Million Monarchs New York Times

Why Game of Thrones is the Perfect Show for the Modern Age New Statesman (Carolinian)

CV of failures: Princeton professor publishes resume of his career lows Guardian

How Youre Making Facebook a Money Machine New York Times (furzy)

Dole Food Under Investigation Over Listeria Outbreak Linked to Salads Wall Street Journal

Wine And Coffee Are Good For Your Gut, Study Shows Time (David L)

From the Far Corner of the Basement Science Magazine (Chris M). On fats and cholesterol.

Argentina: President Macris reforms denounced by protesters BBC. Hard to gauge crowd size and no estimate in story.

US adds China, Germany and Japan to new currency watchlist Financial Times

China?

China denies U.S. aircraft carrier Hong Kong port visit CNN Chinas debt reckoning cannot be deferred indefinitely George Magnus, Financial Times. Indicates that current levels of debt growth are much higher than official figures suggest. But he has a sour note in incorrectly saying that loans are made out of deposits.

Europes Economy, After 8-Year Detour, Is Fitfully Back on Track New York Times (furzy)

Jeremy Corbyn facing coup attempt over anti-Semitism row as ministers hold talks with plotters Telegraph

A New Generations Anger Resounds From a Packed Plaza in Paris New York Times. The Grey Lady notices Nuit Debout.

rench deputies ask for lifting of sanctions to Russia Defend Democracy Press. Perhaps I am being paranoid, but I got this link via e-mail and tried accessing it at 1:30 AM on Saturday. I got a 509 error, one I have never seen before: Bandwidth Limit Exceeded. The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to the site owner reaching his/her bandwidth limit. Please try again later. I then tried searching using a string of text from the excerpt, since Defend Democracy Press mainly aggregates. Google said there were no matches. Weird.

Syraqistan

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

2016

Owning US tech shares no longer a quick route to big returns Financial Times

Dallas Fed cautions on fresh oil bubble as glut keeps building Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Telegraph

At Small Colleges, Harsh Lessons About Cash Flow New York Times

Washington Still Haggling as Puerto Rico Debt Deadline Looms New York Times

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour. From Chet G, his photograph of a carpenter bee. Be nice to bees!

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Dorothy Edwards/Staff (2) Greg Waters, of RBC Bank, from left; HGTV personality Kimberley Seldon; and Alain Forget, of RBC Bank, attend a Realtor event hosted by RBC Bank and the Naples Area Board of Realtors on Thursday at Bonita Bay Country Club.

SHARE Naples area Realtors gathered to hear advice on how to sell Southwest Florida homes to Canadians. HGTV personality Kimberly Seldon attends a Realtor event hosted by RBC Bank and the Naples Area Board of Realtors at Bonita Bay Country Club on Thursday, April 28, 2016. (Dorothy Edwards/Staff) Realtors attend an event hosted by RBC Bank and the Naples Area Board of Realtors at Bonita Bay Country Club on Thursday, April 28, 2016. (Dorothy Edwards/Staff) Alain Forget of RBC Bank attends a Realtor event hosted by RBC Bank and the Naples Area Board of Realtors at Bonita Bay Country Club on Thursday, April 28, 2016. (Dorothy Edwards/Staff)

By June Fletcher of the Naples Daily News

If you want to sell your home to a Canadian, ditch the faux-marble finishing, pack away the doodads, and paint it gray or beige.

"We never went through a Tuscan phase," said interior designer and television personality Kimberley Seldon, speaking to a group of 40 real estate agents Thursday at Bonita Bay Country Club.

"Canadians are very conservative," Seldon said. "So keep the design clean, contemporary and well-edited, but stay away from dark furniture  we have enough of that up north."

An American who married a Canadian and splits her time between Los Angeles and Toronto, Seldon has hosted three television series, including HGTV's "Design for Living with Kimberley Seldon," and is a regular on City TV's Cityline in Canada.

She's also design editor of Chatelaine, a Canadian magazine, has authored three design books, and has edited her own magazine called Dabble.

Seldon was asked to speak because Canadians are the largest segment of foreign buyers in Southwest Florida, said Al DiNicola, chairman of the Global Business Committee of the Naples Area Board of Realtors, which co-sponsored the event with the Royal Bank of Canada.

But a strong dollar and a weak loonie have made selling to Canadians more challenging; indeed the exchange rate  one Canadian dollar currently equals 80 U.S. cents  coupled with rising Southwest Florida real estate prices, have encouraged many Canadians to sell the properties they already own in the Naples and Fort Myers areas instead.

"Like good poker players, they've been taking their chips off the table," he said. "They're harvesting their gains."

Indeed, the National Association of Realtors reported that Canadian buyers bought $11.2 billion worth of residential real estate last year, down 19 percent from $13.8 billion in 2014.

Naples real estate broker Lana Butsky, who specializes in selling to international buyers, said that last year at this time she had 10 Canadian customers looking for homes; this year she has half as many.

Nevertheless, she said some of her Canadian clients are selling their Southwest Florida homes to reap the equity and exchange-rate benefits and then reinvesting the money in less expensive homes in the area, as long as they are in gated communities.

"Canadians are fixated on gated communities," she said. "They want to live in the safest possible place."

But though Canadians are trading down, they're not necessarily downsizing to condos, she said.

"Canadians want larger homes because they want their families to visit," she said.

Nor are they buying properties that workers in Southwest Florida would consider cheap, she added.

"Many are looking in the higher prices, $1 million and up," she said, noting that even small flats in downtown Toronto often command $1 million or more in U.S. dollars. "To Canadians, you get a lot for your money here."

Greg Waters, regional sales manager for the Royal Bank of Canada in Toronto, said Toronto residents have seen their equity balloon in recent years, and "that means more buyers can come here," he said.

He said Canadians also like the fact that there are more direct flights from Toronto to Fort Myers, which can bring them to the beach and sunshine in midwinter in about three hours.

Although most Canadians pay cash for homes, some are taking advantage of a program the Royal Bank of Canada's U.S. division offers to Canadian buyers, said Alain Forget, vice president of the division in Fort Lauderdale.

Forget said some buyers  primarily younger boomers  are taking advantage of the bank's mortgage program that lends up to 80 percent of the value of the home in an adjustable-rate mortgage.

Unlike Canadian loans, the U.S. loan has no prepayment penalty, which makes it especially appealing to Canadian buyers worried about the exchange rate.

"If the Canadian dollar bounces back, they can refinance," he said.
SHARE The firefighter of the year award went to Giovanni Zamora, who has been with the Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District for a decade. Fire Chief Joseph Daigle presented the award. Each year the VFW recognizes a local deputy and firefighter of the year with a plaque and a $100 check. Natalie Hughes/Special to The Banner On Wednesday surrounded by their colleagues, Lee County Sheriff's Cpl. Bobby Hunter and Bonita Springs firefighter Giovanni Zamora were honored by members of the Bonita Springs Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Each year the VFW recognizes a local deputy and firefighter of the year with a plaque and a $100 check. Natalie Hughes/Special to The Banner Lee County Sheriff's Cpl. Bobby Hunter was among those being honored by members of the Bonita Springs Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Each year the VFW recognizes a local deputy and firefighter of the year with a plaque and a $100 check. Natalie Hughes/Special to The Banner

By Patrick Riley of the Naples Daily News

When Cpl. Bobby Hunter from the Lee County Sheriffs Office arrived at the scene of a car crash last month he found witnesses who could barely speak and an overturned SUV that was submerged in a nearby canal.

According to the bystanders, who had heard the crash from their backyard and called 911, nobody had gotten out of the car so Hunter, 42, dropped his vest and gun belt and jumped into the water.

He started feeling his way around the white SUV. There was no getting in through the passenger side, so Hunter tried the driver's door. He reached inside and realized that the driver was still strapped into his seat, hanging upside down in the water. Hunter took his knife and cut the man loose.

"I could hear it release," he said.

Then Hunter and a few firefighters lifted the car to open the door and free the driver. They brought him to shore where a paramedic was able to get his pulse back. The man lived three more days, which allowed his family to be there with him in the hospital before he passed away, Hunter said.

"He got three more days and the family got to decide what to do," he said. "He didn't pass in that canal, because of what EMS and what we all did  together."

Wednesday, surrounded by his colleagues and Bonita Springs firefighters, Hunter was among those being honored by members of the Bonita Springs Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Each year the VFW recognizes a local deputy and firefighter of the year with a plaque and a $100 check. The organization also puts together a luncheon for the first responders at VFW Post-4254.

"Not all these people get pats on the back," said Greg Hubert, commander of the post. "And we just want to make sure that us, vets, recognize what they're doing out there and we appreciate it.

"They're outstanding, great people."

The firefighter of the year award went to Giovanni Zamora, who has been with the Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District for a decade.

Fire Chief Joseph Daigle said Zamora is a "consummate professional."

"He is always willing to take on anything the district asks without any complaint, just goes about his business in a very professional manner," Daigle said. "And that's hard to do in a business where all of our employees are highly professional. So he stands out even more than just that."

Zamora, 31, said he always wanted to help people and loves the closeness and camaraderie among firefighters.

"Helping out people and then coming back to the station to your brothers and sisters and having that family time at work is an amazing feeling," he said. "And I don't think you can get that every job."

Picking just one from among the many firefighters in the district was not easy, Daigle said.

"Doing this is kind of like trying to find a diamond in a stack of diamonds," he said.
Collier's EMS system is supposed to work like a NASCAR pit crew, with everyone working in coordination to win the race.

At times, though, the relationship between the fire departments and EMS seems more like rival drivers trading paint on the track.

Agency leaders ? most notably those in the North Naples Fire Control and Rescue District and Collier EMS ? have long clashed over the role of firefighters in medical emergencies.

Though officials insist the rivalry rarely plays out on the front line when patients' lives are at stake, there have been recent episodes of poor communication from frontline personnel that have ended with embarrassment and tragedy.

Two medical calls in Naples earlier this year were met with long ambulance response times, in part because fire and EMS agencies weren't communicating over the radio. One of those calls turned fatal after EMS arrived.

In October, a mishandled emergency call on Marco Island was the result of failed communication between NCH Healthcare staff, dispatch officers and Collier EMS.

To be fair, Collier is above the national average in cardiac arrest saves ? a benchmark for EMS success. But those numbers have been dropping in recent years, and the poor coordination is signaling a decline in public safety.

If Collier's EMS system is going to move forward, it needs to shift its culture toward one of cooperation, said Geoffrey Moebius, chairman of a blue ribbon panel that recommended ways to overhaul the current EMS system. Otherwise, some fear the system will fragment, causing quality of care to suffer even further.

This is the second of three chapters. The full report is in a special section in Sunday's Daily News. Chapter three will be posted at naplesnews.com on Monday.

? CLICK to read Chapter One

Moebius pointed to systems in Broward County and King County, Wash., as examples of emergency medical leaders building cooperation and consensus.

If Collier is going to live up to the goal of a unified system ? the county's first-response stakeholders have to overcome years of agency disputes.

? ? ?

The rivalry that threatens to fragment public safety actually stems from efforts to expand it.

That's according to Ed Morton, ex-CEO of NCH hospitals and co-chair of the blue ribbon panel that studied Collier's dysfunctional system a year ago.

As recently as a decade ago, Collier County EMS, which largely acted as the sole pre-hospital medical service, was considered one of the best providers in the state, Morton recalled.

Around the same time, a few of Collier's fire districts wanted to grow emergency medical capabilities. It's become a national trend for fire departments to handle emergency medical response as the number of structure fires have dropped with better building codes.

What could have been a good opportunity for concerted growth was spoiled by turf guarding, Morton said, adding, 'Things started to fray because there started to be competition.'

As fire districts became more involved in EMS services, both sides became territorial ? wanting to dictate the standards for care and protocol, Morton said, not blaming either side.

Talks of merging the fire districts with Collier EMS into a single consolidated agency only stoked the flames.

'What we're talking about is organizational survival,' he said. 'I think everyone thinks standardization and consolidation makes sense. The question they're asking themselves is 'where am I going to fit into that?''

? ? ?

The feuding has turned Dr. Robert Tober, Collier's nationally recognized emergency medical director, into a polarizing figure locally.

He's been outspoken against fire district expansion into EMS. Tober's supporters praise his steadfast fight to maintain high medical standards; detractors accuse him of stubbornness, which has alienated firefighters and stunted cooperation.

'I'm either going to drive the boat in the right and prudent direction, or I'm not going to drive it,' Dr. Robert Tober told the Daily News.

Compared to Collier, medical directors in Broward and King counties, where doctors are seen as unifying figures, have been far less controversial.

Tober, or Bob as he's known by many of his colleagues, is thin and well-groomed. His thick, hair-sprayed mane looks practically the same now as it does in a photo taken in 1986, with some streaks of gray.

Now in his mid-'60s, Tober came to Collier County after cutting his teeth in emergency medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. He is the only medical director Collier EMS has had since it was established in 1981.

'His training and sophistication was uncommon in a small community like Naples,' Morton said. 'He was able to leverage that and begin to train personnel with clinical protocols that were atypical for this type of community.'

When relaxed, Tober is charming with an old-fashioned, distinguished air. When challenged on the direction of Collier's EMS, that bedside manner melts into a feistier side, quick to go battle over his medical beliefs.

Tober's problem with the fire districts, he said, is they have been unwilling to integrate into his system and maintain his medical standards.

'I'm either going to drive the boat in the right and prudent direction, or I'm not going to drive it,' Tober told the Daily News.

For better or worse, Tober said, he isn't a politician and he doesn't compromise when it comes to medicine.

Tober paints the feud as a fight between responsible medicine and a power grab by fire districts and firefighters. The doctor's distrust of the fire districts runs deep. He accuses the firefighters' unions of holding too much political sway in the districts and not looking out for the interest of patients.

North Naples Fire Chief Orly Stolts said the district is only trying to improve public safety for its residents.

But fire officials think Tober and EMS personnel have felt threatened by that expanded level of fire department service.

? ? ?

There are eight framed pictures showing outdated methods of resuscitation on the wall of a 12th-story Seattle office.

Compared to modern medicine, the methods shown are almost comical. One is of a practitioner pulling a patient feet-first up a tree with a rope; another shows a doctor pushing air into a patient with a fire bellow.

'Dr. Eisenberg doesn't flex his muscle very often,' said Aaron Tyreman, a paramedic for King County. 'But when he says something, you're going to do it.'

Sitting at his desk, Dr. Mickey Eisenberg, King County's regional emergency medical director, muses that when these 'life-saving' methods were used, it only took one successful try every few decades to institutionalize the practice.

In contrast, Eisenberg and others in the King County medical system test and track the theories of their operation over and over to ensure they work. King County officials say that amount of diligence leaves no room for controversy over medical direction.

Cooperation between firefighters and doctors ? and an appreciation for emergency medical research ? were built into the fabric of the EMS system from the beginning there.

In 1968, University of Washington cardiologist Leonard Cobb approached Seattle Fire Chief Gordon Vickery about training firefighters to treat cardiac arrest in the field.

With the latest available CPR techniques and the development of portable cardiology equipment, Cobb said it made sense to use firefighters as medical practitioners because their departments already respond to calls quickly.

Fifteen firefighters were trained as Seattle's first paramedics. The University of Washington converted an RV into a portable emergency room, nicknamed 'Moby Pig,' and the Seattle Fire Department began responding to emergency medical calls with physician supervision.

In 1979, University of Washington professor Eisenberg helped develop King's tiered approach, which aims at getting basic first responders on scene quickly, followed by more sophisticated responders. He trained firefighter-EMTs to use cardiac defibrillators. He would later work with dispatchers in developing CPR instructions over the phone.

Doctors, particularly the county's top medical director, tend to garner respect from firefighters because of that history.

Openly questioning medical direction just isn't done in King County, said Aaron Tyreman, a paramedic for King County Medic One.

'Dr. Eisenberg doesn't flex his muscle very often,' Tyreman said, 'but when he says something, you're going to do it.'

It's not just medical direction, either. King County has avoided disruptive interagency disputes while the system has evolved.

When asked directly about the quality of relationships between agencies, officials and firefighters don't hesitate to praise the system.

'I think in some ways, we just don't know any better. Part of it is culture,' Seattle Fire Capt. Jonathan Larsen said.

? ? ?

An asphalt truck overturned on a man in Fort Lauderdale last year, pinning him underneath.

It was a difficult scene for paramedics to work, not only because the truck was crushing the man's limbs, but the heat and smell under the truck were overwhelming, recalled Robert Hoecherl, assistant chief of the Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue Department.

'I try to leave politics, finance and personal issues out of it,' Broward director Dr. Nabil El Sanadi said. 'When we're operating as professionals on the job, everything else disappears, other than that one patient.'

Despite the conditions, the fire department's medical director, Dr. Nabil El Sanadi, crawled to the patient and paramedics to consult, the assistant chief said. They eventually saved the man's life, though three limbs were amputated.

What's earned El Sanadi the respect of his medics, Hoecherl said, is that he leads by example: 'He's very hands-on and interactive with our crews, but he's not obtrusive.'

What impresses Tim Heiser, deputy EMS chief for Fort Lauderdale, is the doctor's ability to bring people together.

El Sanadi, director of emergency medicine at Broward County's largest hospital system, is also medical director for the county's two largest fire-rescue agencies, Fort Lauderdale fire department and the Broward County Sheriff's Fire-Rescue.

He sits on or chairs a half-dozen committees related to hospital or pre-hospital medical care.

El Sanadi said each committee puts him in a place to communicate with Broward County leaders in an EMS system that has nearly two dozen providers: 'It takes a lot of diplomacy and energy to make it work.'

To be sure, there is a rivalry among 22 existing municipal fire departments and the Sheriff's Office, which oversees EMS. Currently, officials debate whether service is more effective through a single countywide agency or by smaller local fire departments.

However, these grievances typically don't lead to poor coordination among agencies.

El Sanadi said disagreements occur, but typically in private. He said it's important not to take criticism personally.

'I try to leave politics, finance and personal issues out of it,' he said. 'When we're operating as professionals on the job, everything else disappears, other than that one patient.'

? ? ?

Patients lose when agencies don't cooperate, former NCH executive Morton said.

He sees Collier at a crossroads that could lead to either further fragmentation or greater consensus.

Fragmentation, he said, would lead to lower standards in some parts of the county.

The challenge, according to Morton, is maintaining a pre-hospital medical service that's 'as fair to the family in Immokalee as it is to the family in Port Royal.'

He posed a scenario where the three wealthiest Collier regions, North Naples, and the cities of Naples and Marco Island, broke from Collier EMS to provide their ambulance service.

There's some truth to his fear. Naples Councilman Doug Finlay complained earlier this year that wealthier areas of Collier are having to pay more in fees to EMS without getting better services. Finlay even proposed exploring establishing an ambulance cooperative with North Naples or Marco.

In August, North Naples signaled interest in launching its own ambulance service. In recent weeks, Marco Island city staff began exploring the idea, too.

If those fire agencies were allowed to provide their own ambulance services, it would mean a loss of dollars for the rest of the county, Morton said.

He paints Collier County EMS as the agency that at least maintains public safety equality in Collier County. That won't remain the case, he said, if the wealthier urban fire districts operate independent of Collier EMS.

'Who's going to take care of Immokalee?' Morton asked. 'They don't have the money. They certainly don't have the tax base. How about Golden Gate Estates?

'There's a standard of service that should remain independent regardless of their postal address.'

(Coming Monday in chapter three: Solutions, anyone?)
Shauna Beltramo's home on Tiller Terrace in Naples was recently featured on Apartment Therapy, an online blog that showcases before and after stories of home renovations. Master bathroom pictured. (Luke Franke/Staff)

SHARE Shauna Beltramo's home on Tiller Terrace in Naples was recently featured on Apartment Therapy, an online blog that showcases before and after stories of home renovations. Common area pictured. (Luke Franke/Staff) Shauna Beltramo's home on Tiller Terrace in Naples was recently featured on Apartment Therapy, an online blog that showcases before and after stories of home renovations. (Luke Franke/Staff) Shauna Beltramo's home on Tiller Terrace in Naples was recently featured on Apartment Therapy, an online blog that showcases before and after stories of home renovations. Kitchen is pictured. (Luke Franke/Staff) Shauna Beltramo's home on Tiller Terrace in Naples was recently featured on Apartment Therapy, an online blog that showcases before and after stories of home renovations. Master bedroom pictured. (Luke Franke/Staff) Related Photos Photos: DIY Home Renovation on Tiller Terrace

By Kristine Gill of the Naples Daily News

She couldnt stop thinking about the little beach cottage with the white picket fence. Shauna Beltramo knew the home was out of her budget. The owners had even rejected the offer she and her husband made. Yet out of the 30 they had toured in their search for a Naples getaway property and fixer-upper, this one was the one that stuck with her.

"It was dated inside, but I didn't care," she said. "I wanted to play with something."

Then, corny as it sounds, Beltramo, 42, dreamed the owners had a change of heart. That same week, they called to accept the offer.

The 2,600-square-foot home on Tiller Terrace in Naples, built in 1964, the one with the backyard mango tree her three sons picked fruit from during their first tour, would be theirs.

"My heart was just pitter-patter," she said.

Now the real work would begin. The Beltramos, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, spent the first month in their new vacation home scoping every local thrift store for the best beachy decor and sharing a single air mattress at night. Beltramo, a nurse by trade, had slowly turned her hobby for design into a full-fledged consulting service.

"Raising three boys, this was my outlet," she said. "They'd go to bed or take a nap, and I'd be sewing curtains and painting walls."

She was already helping to do interior design work at the homes of friends and clients, but now it was time for her own renovation.

Her husband Tim, the owner of a road construction company, was a handyman by nature who gave his wife full reign of the home's design. He did whatever projects he could himself and eventually they hired a contractor who could do the work when they weren't in Florida.

"At first this place was a money pit," Beltramo said. "We didn't realize how much maintenance a Florida home is."

Over time, they made major improvements, tearing down the aging lanai, resurfacing the kidney-bean pool and replacing the worn roof with a metal one. At one point their contractor learned that a leak in the air conditioning unit had spawned mold under the hardwood floors. They replaced those with porcelain tiles resembling whitewashed driftwood planks.

But eventually it was time to do a major renovation. About a year ago, Beltramo got to sketching and laid out her vision for an upgraded kitchen and master bath along with minor cosmetic changes to the other rooms in the home.

The kitchen used to have a pass-through window that cramped the space. Beltramo had it knocked down so the kitchen counter could open to the dining area. A farm sink sits in the light quartz countertops. The appliances are stainless steel and the white cabinetry features gold-colored hardware. The open shelves hold dishes covered in seashells and starfish. A bay window lets light into the bright white room.

"The kitchen was gutted down to the studs," Beltramo said.

The bathroom renovation is Beltramo's favorite. It was featured in the blog ApartmentTherapy.com. For that project, they moved the toilet to a better location, got rid of the L-shaped vanity and replaced it with a custom white cabinet and double sinks in Carrara marble (her one splurge.) The tile floor, the room's signature quality, cost just $1.99 a square foot. It's the Home Depot version of a tile with a similar geometric pattern and color scheme going for $70 a square foot by Cement Tile Shop.

"I'm all about budget," she said. "I try to find a high-end look for cheaper."

In all, the renovations cost about $130,000 Beltramo said. She's lost track of how much the furniture and decorations costs, but Home Goods is her favorite for knickknacks and art, and she's a huge fan of thrift stores. Many of the key pieces in the home today are ones she bought on her first shopping sprees in Naples, like the brown rattan chair in the living room and the $5 end table she spray painted.

"My boys are really sentimental," she said. "They don't let me throw anything away."

Beltramo said the past year has been a bit of a whirlwind since she started blogging about her design and renovation projects. She's met new friends in the industry and expanded his businesses by making contacts through Instagram and other social media platforms.

This week, four women from all over the country had plans to visit Beltramo at the home after first meeting her online.

"We're going to drink mimosas by the pool," she said.

Beltramo and her family still live in Colorado, but she's hoping to expand her consulting services to the Naples area. To reach her, and read more about her design projects and this beach home renovation, visit her blog thehouseofsilver lining.com.
By Daily News Staff

Collier sheriff's deputies are investigating a seventh stranger danger incident in April, this time in East Naples.

A 7-year-old boy told investigators that he was skating in a Whistlers Cove Apartments parking lot at about 5:30 p.m. Friday when a man offered him candy and asked him to get in a vehicle. The boy ran away.

Deputies said the boy described the stranger as a white male, about 50 years old, with brown hair and a gray mustache. The suspect left the area in a black truck or van, the boy told investigators.

The apartment complex is located on U.S. 41 between Rattlesnake-Hammock Road and Collier Boulevard.

The six prior stranger danger reports have been spread across the county, stretching from North Naples to Golden Gate Estates to Immokalee. The suspects have been described as white males, but with varying appearances and ages, ranging from 50s to 70s.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (239) 252-9300, or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-8477.
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By Jacob Carpenter of the Naples Daily News

A North Naples man with a history of dangerous driving habits has been arrested on vehicular homicide and reckless driving charges in connection with a fatal crash in Lee County.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers said Zachary Kureth, 24, intentionally hit the brakes on Interstate 75 "in an act of road rage," triggering an April 19 crash that killed Robert Weinland, 79, of Sarasota. The crash, between the Daniels Parkway and Alico Road exits, also left Weinland's 75-year-old passenger, Gisela Weinland, with serious injuries.

Kureth, who had been placed on probation 11 days before the fatal crash due to a DUI conviction, was booked into jail in Lee County at about 11 a.m. Saturday. He remained in jail as of Saturday afternoon.

Troopers said Weinland was on southbound Interstate 75 in his 2015 Chrysler Town & Country when he changed lanes in front of Kureth's 2003 Dodge Caravan. Kureth then passed Weinland and changed back into Weinland's lane.

Troopers said Kureth reduced his speed "to a stopped position," forcing Weinland to do the same. A semi-truck behind Weinland couldn't stop in time, rear-ending Weinland's van and causing him to hit the right rear of another vehicle, investigators said. Weinland was pronounced dead at the scene. Kureth wasn't hurt.

An FHP news release doesn't specify the estimated speeds of the vehicles before and after the collision.

Efforts to reach Weinland's family members were unsuccessful. On HomeAway, an online property rental website, the Weinlands wrote that they lived near Washington, D.C., for nearly 50 years before retiring and moving south. The couple bought their Sarasota condominium in September, property records show.

Kureth's mother, who's listed as his next-of-kin in previous arrest records, said "I have no comment" when reached by phone Saturday.

In the past six years, Kureth has been cited or arrested 10 times for driving-related infractions in Collier and Lee counties.

On four occasions, law enforcement ticketed Kureth for speeding, including once for traveling 102 mph on a highway.

In May 2015, witnesses said Kureth bumped a 91-year-old man's vehicle, pulled over to shout at him and kick his car, then drove off without exchanging information, according to an arrest report.

In February, a Collier County sheriff's deputy pulled over Kureth for driving 62 mph in a 45-mph zone. Kureth failed field sobriety tests and had a blood alcohol content of about 0.14, nearly twice the legal limit, deputies said.

Kureth pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge on April 8. He was sentenced to 12 months of probation, a substance abuse evaluation and 50 hours of community service.
District School Board of Collier County. (Carolina Hidalgo/Staff)

By Maria Perez of the Naples Daily News

A father who in January moved his twin 17-year-old daughters to Collier County from Germany has struggled to get them enrolled in high school, describing delays and other problems that recent immigrants have faced in the system already on notice for claims that schools deny some students access to a complete education.

Gordon Morgan says registering his daughters, Najila and Adalia Morgan, at Naples High School has taken so long that they lost months of education after school district employees told the girls they should pursue courses at a local college instead. The school district misread the girls' transcripts from Germany and failed to respond to their father's calls, he said, prompting him to refuse to leave district offices in March until someone agreed to discuss his daughters' situation.

Morgan's daughters, U.S. citizens who were educated abroad, require testing in English to ensure they are proficient enough to study in the U.S. without additional language help. Morgan also is a U.S. citizen, and he said his case seems similar to others faced by families who move into Collier from other countries and have struggled to enroll their children in school.

Morgan said his daughters will attend class starting Monday for the rest of the school year, but won't receive academic credits.

"The point is, they are dual citizens, and they are having such a hard time registering in school," Morgan said. "What is happening to other children who are not U.S. citizens? I speak English. What about those parents who don't?"

Luis Solano, Collier's associate superintendent, said the district acted properly and was ready to place the students into the system one day after they received their transcripts in late January. Solano said Morgan did not respond for many weeks. Solano said the school district studies the situation of every new student, including immigrants from other countries, and gives them personalized consideration so they can succeed academically.

"We examine their individual educational situations on a case-by-case basis," he said.

Morgan is the latest parent moving here from another country to accuse Collier County schools of making it difficult for their teenagers to enroll in high school.

Last September, the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center sent the district a letter saying the system violated the rights of two 16-year-old immigrant students by refusing to enroll them in Immokalee High School and directing them instead to an adult English instruction program. The letter said other students' rights may have been violated by policies that have a negative impact on immigrant and undocumented students.

Lisa Carmona, a Miami lawyer with the center, said the organization has been researching the impact of the district's enrollment policy. She said the center is investigating the cases of several teenagers who arrived recently in the U.S.. Those children were denied enrollment in Collier County high schools and were directed to adult English language education programs. She said they have spoken with at least five of those teenagers aged 16 and 17.

John Fishbane, the school district's attorney, denied that the children were improperly denied enrollment. He said in a letter that the students didn't meet the requirements for promotion into high school established by Florida law, and that enrolling them in a regular high school program would have set them up for academic failure.

Carmona said they had no correspondence with the school district after Fishbane's response to their September demand letter, except for public records requests.

"Their response was very clear in that they didn't want to make any changes," she said.

Carmona said they are still looking at the cases. "We plan to do what we can to help the students," she said.

Two members of local advocacy groups also said other immigrant families had faced problems registering their children in the county public schools.

Michael Scanlan, an education specialist with Catholic Charities of Collier County, said his organization helped five refugee families whose children were denied enrollment in Collier County high schools. Corey Huffman, an attorney with Legal Aid Services of Collier County, said the group had represented three immigrant students who were initially denied enrollment after being told they didn't have enough credits to graduate in time. They were allowed to register in high school after his organization got involved, Huffman said.

In the case of Morgan's daughters who moved here from Germany, Morgan said his children were born in the U.S. He moved with them to Jamaica when they were 3 and then they moved together to Germany when the girls were 6. The girls have been educated in Germany, and are conversational in English but need more instruction.

Morgan said that when he tried in January to enroll them at Naples High School, a counselor told him the girls should enroll in a local college instead.

Morgan said he decided to take his daughters' transcripts to the school district's headquarters in late January, where another counselor also said the girls were done with high school. Morgan said he was told by a Florida SouthWestern State College coordinator that his daughters' transcripts had to be evaluated by an independent agency to determine if they could enroll at the college.

Morgan said he tried to get help from the school district, but his calls were not returned. In March, he went to the district office and refused to leave until someone helped him, he said.

The school district only agreed to register his daughters, he said, after he obtained an independent evaluation of their transcripts on March 23 that concluded they had completed the equivalent of 10th grade in Germany. They had taken English classes at their German school. Adalia scored "satisfactory" and Najila "good" in their English 10th grade class.

The girls on Friday took an English proficiency test, Morgan said.

They will attend classes for the remaining weeks of the regular school year, although they won't get credit for that, and they expect to be able to enroll in a summer school program.

The girls said they are happy to be enrolled but frustrated by the process.

"I am stressed, and also angry, upset," Najila said.

"It's taken so long," Adalia said. "I don't understand it."

Solano said he is not aware of anyone in the system who told Morgan his daughters couldn't enroll in high school. He said they received Morgan's daughters' transcripts on January 28, and they were ready to place them in the school system the following day. He said Morgan missed an appointment in early February and that they didn't hear back from him until March.

It wasn't until April that Morgan told school employees that his daughters weren't English speakers. He said the employees who spoke with the students found they were conversant in English.

Solano said the English test results showed the girls are not perfect in the language, but proficient. An English Language Learners committee of educators will study the case to see what is the best option for them.

Morgan denied Solano's account. It doesn't make any sense, he said, for them to say they were ready to enroll his daughters and that he didn't get back in touch with the system, when he had to pay for a private transcript evaluation and refused to leave district headquarters in March until someone helped him, .

"Why would I have to do the sit-in, spend the money in the agency? How can that be true?" he said.
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By Bill Smith, The News-Press

A circuit court judge will not rule for at least a week on a bid by a lawyer for the Estero Council of Community Leaders (ECCL) to keep its lawsuit against the Corkscrew Farms development alive.

The developer, Place at Corkscrew LLC, and Lee County want the judge to renew an order dismissing the case. In March, Lee Circuit Judge Alana LaBoda threw it out of court, but allowed ECCL attorney Ralf Brookes to file a new version of the suit to reinstate the action. Once he did, the county and the developer filed another motion to dismiss the suit.

The defense team argued that Brookes' latest motion contained little that was new in a legal sense.

"We have within the complaint a series of irrelevant legal arguments provided by (ECCL's) legal counsel, most of which are just vague legal citations (that) fails in what's required by the rules," said managing assistant county attorney Michael Jacob.

The developer and Lee County claim that ECCL is not a direct neighbor to the site and doesn't qualify to sue under state environmental law. The ECCL contends that an "extension" of that law, fashioned from judicial precedent in other cases, gives it the right to take the developer and the county to court to stop the project.

Brookes urged the judge to agree that the public interest in protecting the environment is a right that the public has to enforce through the courts.

He noted that Corkscrew Farms, which if approved would bring up to 1,325 new homes to Corkscrew Road, about six miles east of Interstate 75, is projected to add 1,200 cars trips per day in the area, bad news for the endangered panther population.

"We allege that those additional cars will increase panther mortality," Brookes said. "Panthers do not stay on one property, they are always traversing roads."

Since panthers are protected by the Lee County comprehensive plan, and citizens can sue to enforce a comprehensive plan, they say it adds up to a right to sue.

"This complaint is filed in good faith as an extension of existing law," Brookes said. "No other neighbor would file the suit so we had to."

Chene Thompson, representing Corkscrew Farms, argued that the members of the ECCL "have no relationship to this property whatsoever" and therefore have no right to sue.

"They know that they don't have standing," Thompson told the judge. "The plaintiffs want you to go further than the legislature or any other court has done in the last 32 years."

She also claimed that some ECCL members have dropped out of the group because they don't want to be part of the suit. After the hearing, ECCL interim chairman Don Eslick confirmed individual associations near the project have walked away but said it was because they were being promised traffic improvements that can't be completed while the suit is pending.

Thompson said that she has tried to get members of the ECCL board to give depositions under oath, but none of the nine board members could be available on any of 11 dates offered for the sworn testimony.

Corkscrew developer Joe Cameratta has said his costs and losses due to the litigation could reach well into the millions. He said that units of two publicly-traded companies, Pulte Group Inc. and Lennar Inc., have contracts to build homes in the first phase of the project that could become void if the project is held up. If that happens, Cameratta said, millions in financing for the project would be in jeopardy.

Cameratta and his lawyers claim the latest version is a rehash of old arguments that the judge already dismissed. The result, they say, is a filing that was not brought in good faith and for which they are entitled to have ECCL pay legal fees and costs.

The ECCL's assets are $32,000, according to a balance sheet distributed at its April meeting. The group's incorporated status protects dues-paying member communities from being hit directly with responsibility for the legal damages.

Both sides say there have been no recent settlement talks in the case.

Laboda asked the parties to submit proposed orders by next Friday, but told them not to "expect it back in the same form," which may indicate her decision won't be entirely favorable to one side or the other.
City of Naples seal

SHARE Willie Anthony speaks during the plaque dedication ceremony to Charlie Anthony at Anthony Park in Naples, FL on Friday, March 11, 2016. Charlie Anthony was the first Naples resident to die in Vietnam. (Photo by Gregg Pachkowski/Special to the Daily News) Harold Weeks, NAACP of Collier County Executive Director, on NewsMakers 9-7-14. Bill Barnett

By Joseph Cranney of the Naples Daily News

Low-income homeowners in the city of Naples have missed out on millions of dollars in state housing-assistance money offered each year, records show.

From 2000 to 2010, city residents received a little more than $17,000 of the more than $23.6 million in State Housing Initiative Partnership funding made available to the city and county, or less than 1 percent. The bulk of the money went to Collier County applicants.

It's not clear how many city residents applied for the funding during that time. The county's application records weren't immediately available.

The city's former grant coordinator who handled the housing program said she is concerned the city is not doing enough to help residents in River Park, the low-income neighborhood with more than 60 single-family homes.

"If you don't go into these neighborhoods in the evenings and on the weekends and speak at churches and distribute fliers, people are not going to know these resources are available," said Susan Golden, a longtime planner and grant coordinator who worked for the city until 2004.

Residents and other community leaders said homeowners in River Park who are eligible for grants through SHIP simply aren't aware the program exists.

"It could be a very good program, but there has to be a way to get the information out," said Willie Anthony, a longtime River Park resident and former member of the city's advisory board for the Community Redevelopment Agency.

The last time a city resident successfully applied for SHIP funding was in 2004, records show, when a homebuyer received $7,500 in purchase assistance for a property on 10th Avenue South. That was the same year Golden left her city job.

From 1998-2001, seven River Park homeowners each received about $10,000 to $15,000 to help fix up their homes. During that time, Golden went door-to-door in River Park to pass out fliers or organized church meetings to inform residents about grant opportunities, she said.

"I was in the neighborhood on a regular basis," said Golden, who worked for the city for more than 20 years. "I would distribute fliers to apartment communities as well as single-family homes."

When asked how the city helps residents with the program, City Manager Bill Moss declined to comment. Instead, he referred questions to a subordinate, the city's grant coordinator, Greg Givens.

Givens said the city largely leaves public outreach efforts up to the county. The county, which manages the local SHIP program, is required to advertise SHIP funding in the newspaper at least 30 days before the beginning of the application period.

Givens said the city has distributed fliers at the River Park Community Center in the past, but Mercedes Puente, who has worked as the center's manager for the past decade, said she doesn't recall seeing the materials

Asked about SHIP last week, Mayor Bill Barnett said, "You should find more interesting things to write about."

Noting that SHIP is a county-run program, he said, "It's not up to us to micromanage."

Penny Taylor, the former councilwoman and county commissioner whose district includes the city, said there's "no excuse" for not "reaching out to an important part of the community."

Kim Grant, director of the county's human services department, said through a spokesman the county distributes SHIP information to 20 to 30 nonprofits and partners with 15 to 20 banks to connect with homebuyers who may be eligible for purchase assistance.

"City of Naples residents are and continue to be eligible for the programs, as long as they meet the specific eligibility criteria, and funding is available," Grant said.

"We would welcome city residents to apply at any time," she added.

SHIP, which was created through a state affordable housing act in 1992, allows the city's low-income homeowners to apply for up to $30,000 to improve their homes, including repairs to roofing, windows and electrical problems. Low-income renters can apply for up to $15,000 to help pay their rent.

The rental-assistance program is paid out through a one-time grant. The home-rehab program uses a deferred loan that is forgiven if the homeowner keeps the house for 15 years.

Income is measured based on the number of people per household. For instance, a four-person household that makes up to $78,840 per year is eligible for the home repair and rental assistance programs.

In the SHIP plan that was approved by Collier commissioners recently, the state allocated $2.1 million to county and city residents in the next fiscal year. The application period will open later this year.

Harold Weeks, president of the local chapter of the NAACP, said the program would benefit River Park homeowners and other renters who seek affordable housing.

"I'm not saying it's the solution," Weeks said. "But it's the start of one."

The city's low-income residents are centralized in the River Park neighborhood and its surrounding area, according to data from the U.S. Census. The census tract that includes River Park has an annual median income of about $22,600, according to census estimates. By comparison, the city's overall annual median income is roughly $78,600.

The neighborhood of about 1,100 residents is more than two-thirds minority, according to census data.

Many of the homes on 13th and 14th streets in River Park were built in the 1960s, and residents said SHIP funds could help them repair roofs or fix windows that don't shut all the way.

There's a large crack in the middle of the awning on Mary Hill's 45-year-old house on 14th Street. A surveyor recently told Hill the crack could cause her roof to cave in, she said.

She said it "feels good to find out" that she might be eligible for SHIP funds. She doesn't recall receiving information about the program.

"I don't get out much," she said.

Down the street at Freddie Commodore's house, the Gordon River floods the backyard when it rains. Commodore, who has lived at the house for close to 50 years, said SHIP funds may help. But, he said, he "wouldn't know" how to apply.

Antonio Dumornay, a neighborhood activist, said SHIP funds could help keep redevelopment efforts out of the hands of real estate speculators. River Park residents can "redo the neighborhood ourselves," Dumornay said.

Efforts failed to reach Councilman Sam Saad, the former chairman of the city's redevelopment district that includes River Park.

When the Naples City Council agreed to renew its participation in SHIP last month, Councilman Doug Finlay got the council to agree to an affordable housing workshop, now scheduled for the fall.

The council needs to ensure that city residents aren't "cheated" out of money in a county-run program, Finlay said.

"To a great degree, the people that live in those areas are forgotten about," Finlay said. "They're not given the consideration that I think they should be given."
Capitol building in Washington, DC. (iStock)

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By Ledyard King, The News-Press

WASHINGTON  Florida is a political juggernaut, wooed by presidential candidates and often pivotal in deciding who occupies the White House and which party controls Congress.

But the nation's third-largest state punches below its weight in Congress. Only one of the Florida delegation's 29 members  two senators and 27 House members  chairs a committee: Republican Jeff Miller, who runs the House Veterans' Affairs panel.

And the state's congressional clout likely will diminish further next year.

Miller is one of eight House members from the Sunshine State who decided not to run for re-election this year. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio also opted not to seek a second term after his presidential bid came up short. Three House members who do want to keep their jobs face tough re-election contests.

At a minimum, Florida will lose nearly one-third of its current House members, who collectively represent 61 years of experience and seniority.

"It's a bad thing," lamented GOP Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Okeechobee, who's seeking a fifth term in November. "For being such a big state, our influence-wielding ability in Congress is waning and that's a problem. And the only way to address that is seniority. When you keep having turnover, you keep kicking that can down the road."

Miller, who represents the Florida's western Panhandle, is one of four House members leaving Congress to pursue other interests. The others are Republicans Ander Crenshaw and Richard Nugent, and Democrat Gwen Graham.

Nugent decided he wanted to spend more time with his family in Hernando County, and Graham opted not to run for re-election in her Big Bend district earlier this month after a federal court upheld newly drawn maps that place her in a much more Republican district.

Crenshaw's departure will mean lost clout because he influences congressional spending decisions as chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.

Four House members  Republicans Ron DeSantis and David Jolly, and Democrats Alan Grayson and Patrick Murphy  are surrendering their House seats to run for Senate.

Three GOP Florida congressmen  Carlos Curbelo, John Mica and Daniel Webster  might not return if they don't win tough re-election fights.

If the GOP retains control of the House, no Florida Republican is expected to chair a standing committee next year. Compare that to Texas, the nation's second-largest state, with House members presiding over six committees, including two of the most prestigious: Armed Services and Financial Services.

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, would assume the panel's gavel if his fellow Democrats win back the Senate in November's election.

Simply because of its size, Florida wields influence through representation on numerous committees even if not many of its members occupy senior positions, said Norm Ornstein, a congressional scholar with the American Enterprise Institute.

"A large state gains leverage by having two things: first, a delegation that works together across party lines to protect and enhance the interests of the state," he said. "Second, by having seniority and major chairmanships. Florida does have some semblance of unity on the former, although it has also succumbed to the tribalism of our time."

More Florida members would wield gavels if not for a GOP rule that allows Republican lawmakers to serve no more than six years chairing a committee. Reps. John Mica (Transportation and Infrastructure) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Foreign Affairs) both had to give up their chairmanships.

The same rule would have forced Miller from the Veterans Affairs chairmanship in January, a key reason he's leaving Congress.

Chairing a committee means setting the agenda for oversight of the agencies under a panel's purview. And that can have geographic benefits.

Miller has bird-dogged construction of a VA hospital in Orlando beset by cost overruns and project delays. His committee's investigators also helped unearth evidence that VA patient data was manipulated, equipment wasn't sterilized properly, and radioactive isotopes weren't properly stored at the VA Medical Center in Miami.

But chairing a committee is less important than it once was, especially given the level of partisan rancor on Capitol Hill that has concentrated power more in the hands of party leaders, said Kevin Evans, a political science professor at Florida International University.

Congressional battles these days tend to focus more on hot-button issues that divide lawmakers along party lines than on cutting deals over how much to spend on a specific program, he said.

Being an appropriator "helps you build influence if you're able to dole out the goodies of government," Evans said. "But when it becomes about telling other legislators that they can't have their projects, then it becomes more burdensome."

Nelson said he's not worried about the expected influx of rookies.

"It is what it is, so you do the best you can," he said. "But I'm sure that they will be a bunch of fast learners."

There's only so much you can learn on the fly, Rooney said

"For a few years while you're in any place, you're sort of biding your time to be more and more relevant," he said.

Rooney said that when junior GOP lawmakers make a point or ask a question at caucus meetings, they're often ignored by more senior Republicans.

"But certain people get up and everybody stops and listen to what they say. That's clout," Rooney said. "So when you lose Jeff Miller and you lose Ander Crenshaw, you're losing the people that everybody stops to listen to when they have something to say."

Contact Ledyard King at lking@gannett.com; Twitter: @ledgeking
There are no dogs at the dog track, but that suits the owners just fine.

Racing is suspended until November at the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Racing and Poker in Bonita Springs. And if the tracks owners had their way, they would get out of the greyhound racing portion of the business altogether.

We lose upwards of two and a half million (dollars) racing dogs, said Izzy Havenick, vice president/director of political affairs for Southwest Florida Enterprises, the family firm that owns the Bonita track as well as the Flagler greyhound track in Miami. But without the dogs, we wouldnt be able to play poker.

Bonita Springs is not alone. The tracks lost revenues mirror whats happening across the state, according to a study released earlier this month. Floridas 13 greyhound tracks are losing a combined $35 million a year on dog races, and are now depending on poker rooms to stay afloat, according to the study.

Revenue from greyhound racing has dropped from $77.2 million to $3.7 million from 1985 to 2012, while jai alai, a sport involving a ball bounced off a walled space, is down from $29.7 million to $378,000 over the same period. The two are lumped together, along with horse racing, under the label of pari-mutuel gaming.

To save costs, pari-mutuel operators have reduced the number of races and, in the case of jai alai, the number of players on a roster. Greyhound operators also have proposed running races with just two dogs in each race to meet state operation requirements.

But at the time those revenues have been decreasing, the money from poker has been increasing. In fiscal 2011-12, the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Racing and Poker brought in $6.49 million, up from $6.21 million the previous year.

The states report on the gambling issue was preliminary  additional findings are due in October. The study declares that Florida  despite opposition to the growth of gambling by powerful players such as Walt Disney World and the Florida Chamber of Commerce  is already a major gambling state, with a wide array of options.

More important, the gaming industry is going to grow, with state regulation or haphazardly without it.

Intentionally or not, the policies established by lawmakers  or the lack thereof  play a critical role in the evolution and expansion of gaming, according to New Jersey-based Spectrum Gaming Group, which did the study. Indeed, in the views of many, the evolution and expansion of gaming are largely synonymous. The industry rarely shrinks, and quite often, expands as a result of expansion.

The study comes as the state Legislature is expected to tackle the future of gambling during the 2014 session. In a memo to the Senate that accompanied the study, Senate Gaming Committee Chairman Garrett Richter, R-Naples, said his committee will review gambling statutes, to address the ambiguities, inconsistencies, and exceptions in current law, and to craft an action plan.

Reached by telephone, Richter said that change has to come to the way gambling is regulated in Florida.

Clearly, pari-mutuel is in rapid decline, he said, adding the Spectrum survey will give legislators the benefit of a baseline of meaningful options, not just stabbing in the dark, as they consider the future of gambling statewide.

Casino gambling is already in Collier County, Richter pointed out, at the Seminole Casino Immokalee. Residents of Bonita Springs voted in a supermajority to allow slots along with the poker and simulcast racing at the Bonita track, he said.

For me, that has meaning. I am marching forward with an open mind. Im not committed to either side. A number of my colleagues (in the Legislature) have chosen a side. I havent done that, he said.

Hard times in the greyhound business have made strange bedfellows. The pari-mutuel operators interests have now become aligned with the animal welfare activists, after years of being on opposite sides of the track.

I wasnt surprised by the findings. Live dog racing doesnt make sense, said Carey Theil, executive director of GREY2K USA, a national greyhound rescue and advocacy group based in Arlington, Mass. He supports the racetrack owners desire to end the races and focus exclusively on other forms of gambling such as poker.

What youve got are profitable poker rooms that happen to have dogs running around in circles with no one watching, he said, adding the racing greyhounds are suffering injuries and enduring lives of confinement for nothing.

The live racing mandate is indefensible, he said, and amounts to a state subsidy for greyhound kennel owners, most of whom live out of state.

Saturday night, the poker room at Naples-Fort Myers was busy. More than 100 players sat around tables nursing large or small piles of white $1 chips, purple $2 chips, red $5 chips and a few green $25 chips, while dealers shuffle and deal hands of Texas Hold Em and Omaha. The sound of the chips clicking against each other on the tables is constant.

Other gamers sit at video monitors, betting on races simulcast from remote tracks  dogs, horses and automobiles. Many of the gamblers say ending dog racing at the track wouldnt affect them.

Ill do a few races, but its mostly poker, said Bob Chamberlain of North Naples. Dogs are dying. I lost a little tonight  $60  but its mostly for fun, socializing. I play with the same people all the time. Weve known each other for years.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
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Kudos

Next weekend will be another chance to see what stuff we're made of when it comes to caring about people who are hungry.

Collier commissioners have designated Saturday, May 7, as "Stuff the Bus Day" in the county.

For the third consecutive year, Collier Area Transit (CAT), United Way of Collier County, Harry Chapin Food Bank and Publix are collaborating on the initiative to collect food for the hungry.

Patrons buy nonperishables at area Publix stores that day, expressly to contribute to Harry Chapin; CAT provides buses to collect the goods for distribution through area food banks  thus "Stuff the Bus."

Last year, more than 14,000 pounds of food were collected during the event, about the same as the first year's bounty of nonperishables.

"The synergy among county government, commercial entities and nonprofit agencies to strengthen the community ties and improve the quality of life for the less fortunate citizens of Collier County deserves due acknowledgement," the commissioners' proclamation states.

Harry Chapin works with some 180 agencies, providing food to more than 30,000 people monthly.

Elizabeth Moreno, senior vice president of United Way in Collier, told commissioners more than 40,000 residents are "food insecure"  in a county of about 350,000.

"As we head into these summer months when our students are no longer receiving the free and reduced price lunches, it matters so much more," she said. "We're proud of our partnership with Publix, Harry Chapin and with CAT. We could not do it without the whole community's support."

Kudos

We hope nobody will turn this into something political happening on government property during work time or by a public board, but at Tuesday's meeting Collier commissioners heaped praise on Collier County Public Schools leadership and declared the day as "CCPS Proud Day" in the county.

Here are a few reasons commissioners cited for why the community should be proud of the school system serving more than 46,000 students:

+ It's an "A" graded school district in the state.

+ That's true although there are many socioeconomic challenges, with 63 percent of students receiving free or reduced lunch, "52 percent of students coming from non-English speaking homes, and students representing 86 different languages."

+ CCPS "focuses on a pathway for all students after graduation" through college and career readiness and with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) curriculum.

+ "A strong program for Exceptional Student Education with outstanding programs for students with disabilities and for students who are gifted."

+ Improved performance on state tests and a vastly improved graduation rate the past four years.

Commissioner Georgia Hiller cited her own children's success in the school system and thanked Superintendent Kamela Patton for work "nothing short of miraculous" in her time heading the district.

Kicks

Gov. Rick Scott and other members of the Florida Cabinet clashed last year over the handling of the controversial ouster of longtime Department of Law Enforcement director Gerald Bailey.

Ambiguity reigned over who should evaluate department heads and the Cabinet  the governor plus the elected attorney general, chief financial officer and agriculture commissioner  developed guidelines for evaluating key agency leaders.

This year, another Cabinet law left Scott and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater at odds over a new Florida insurance commissioner  each has veto power over the selection; they supported different candidates.

Friday, it took an emergency meeting to resolve it with the eventual hiring of Deputy Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier to replace departing Kevin McCarty.

Two veto powers? Just think how contentious it might get in Washington, D.C., if both the president and Speaker of the House had veto power. OK, bad example.
SHARE Gary Lytton Executive Director Friends of Rookery Bay

By Gary Lytton, Naples Executive Director Friends of Rookery Bay

About six years ago, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig caught fire and sank, killing 11 people. The rig was drilling in 5,000 feet of water when a methane gas explosion caused the disaster.

Only now are scientists beginning to understand the impacts from the largest oil spill in maritime history. During 87 days before the wellhead was sealed, 4 million barrels of oil spewed into the Gulf at a rate of over 59,000 barrels a day.

The oil industry and government agencies charged with managing the Gulf Coast weren't prepared for the scale of this event. Until Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, 2010, Florida's largest oil spill was a tanker spill in the Port of Tampa. Within days of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, Gov. Charlie Crist's administration asked the three National Estuarine Research Reserves in Florida, including Rookery Bay in Naples, to lead and coordinate damage assessment.

Rookery Bay Reserve was tasked with training and coordinating sampling teams from the west coast of Florida. The U.S. Coast Guard took the federal lead for spill response. Rookery Bay Reserve hosted a Deepwater Horizon briefing.

Approximately 70 local officials from Collier and Lee counties learned key lessons for handling what was potentially coming our way. We learned deploying booms in coastal waters to prevent oil from reaching the shore didn't work.

Coast Guard officials suggested using floating booms to divert oil to beaches, where it could be removed by trained teams. When oil hits sensitive estuaries and wetlands, experience in Louisiana showed it was best to let nature take its course.

Efforts to remove oil from marshes caused more damage than the oil. While there was some success with skimming surface oil, and burning it in place, there was concern about the fate of subsurface oil. During the 87 days the wellhead was flowing, BP used an estimated 1.8 million gallons of Corexit, a chemical dispersant designed to break up oil.

Coastal areas hardest hit with surface oil coming ashore were Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Panhandle of Florida.

Teams continue to collect weathered oil and tar from beaches in the northern Gulf. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, tracking the fate of Deepwater Horizon oil, released findings in 2012 estimating the visible surface slick was about 15 percent of the total leaked gas and oil, with another 36 percent remaining at depths of 3,300 to 4,300 feet. They estimate 17 percent of oil was recovered at the surface; 25 percent remains unaccounted for.

The National Wildlife Federation's recently released report on Deepwater Horizon impacts shows:

 Most of the whales and dolphins in the oiled area have quantifiable injuries. Bottlenose dolphins are showing significant signs of distress.

 Up to 8.3 billion oysters were lost as a result of the spill.

 Scientists estimate between two and five trillion larval fish in the Gulf were lost in 2010.

 Up to 20 percent of female adult Kemp's Ridley sea turtles, an endangered species, were estimated lost.

 Up to 93 species of coastal birds were exposed to oil across the Gulf states. An estimated 732,000 laughing gulls were lost.

 The National Academy of Sciences found the use of chemical dispersants did not accelerate biodegradation of oil, and may have suppressed it.

 An estimated 770 square miles of sea floor near the wellhead have been damaged.

There are ways to help restore the balance of what has been lost. Following the spill, 130 Kemp's Ridley sea turtles saved and rehabilitated from oiled waters were transported to Rookery Bay Reserve and released in our backyard.

For the next 17 years, the legal settlement with BP will bring more than $16 billion to the Gulf of Mexico to help restore what was affected. Collier County, along with coastal counties across the west coast of Florida and sister states in the Gulf of Mexico, has assembled a list of priorities to restore important habitats for wildlife.

We have learned lessons we cannot afford to forget. Wildlife populations in the Gulf are already stressed from overfishing, water quality degradation from storm water run-off, coastal development, and threats from invasive non-native plants and animals. Our quality of life in Collier County is linked to healthy coastal waters and clean beaches. Our waters are inextricably connected to the Gulf. Let's learn from our mistakes, be better prepared, and work together to restore and sustain our part of the Gulf of Mexico.
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Ray Eifler, Bonita Springs

America, a warning

Warning: In the age of atomic weapons, America cannot afford another Pearl Harbor where the enemy strikes our country first.

We need to be strong enough militarily that no country or group would strike America. So how do we confront Islamic terrorists who infiltrate our country to do us harm?

We'd better come up with a solution soon or devastation and turmoil will strike our country. The only real solution is total destruction and elimination of all Islamic terrorists  and the ground they walk on.

Any other solution will leave America and the world vulnerable to terrorist attacks. For decades Israel has been subject to attacks. Europe is now subject to attacks. America has been attacked. How many more attacks should America endure before recognizing we must meet and eliminate the force behind those attacks with overwhelming force.

How much longer will European countries endure these attacks before they do something effective? They recognize America is the only country that can take the lead. They remember that America rebuilt Europe after World War II; took only the land necessary to bury those Americans that died fighting to bring freedom to their countries; and then went home to America leaving them a country to be proud of.

Consider objectively what President Obama has brought to our government.

He ignores our Constitution, appointed radical Muslims to critical positions in our government, and continues to apologize for past acts that he was indoctrinated with when he was a child. He hasn't changed. Americans elected a subversive as our president. If elected, Hillary Clinton would continue his agenda.

God bless America and provide us with the leaders who will protect our Constitutional freedoms and keep us safe; and voters who recognize these values.
Endocrine-disrupting herbicides

A ground-breaking moratorium

Aren't pesticides tested before they are approved?

(NaturalNews) The long continued debate over whether or not pesticides are safe to use on crops intended for human consumption has seen a new development, with the EU voting unanimously to ban two dangerous weedkillers: Amitrole and Isoproturon.The decision is an indication that the EU is listening to consumer concerns over food safety, and brings to light the fact that pesticides ARE dangerous to human health. Pesticides that were banned more than 40 years ago are still causing sperm abnormalities and miscarriages today, meaning that while this is a definite step in the right direction, EU citizens aren't yet safe from the health impacts of these two pesticides. And U.S. citizens aren't yet safe at all.As reported by endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the hormone system. A variety of scientific studies have shown that these chemicals can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects and a range of other health conditions that have an impact on gender, sex and reproductive systems.Amitrole  or Aminotriazole  is widely used in 10 EU countries, including the UK, as part of common procedures in industrial farming. But an analysis by the European Food Safety Authority has found that it is an endocrine disruptor that could damage unborn children, as well as having toxic effects on the thyroid and reproductive organs.Meanwhile, the same study found that Isoproturon should be classified as toxic for reproductive systems, because it also has potential endocrine-mediated effects on fertility . These herbicides are still for sale across the U.S., and there is no ban in the pipeline, meaning that the U.S. population will continue to be exposed to these extremely harmful chemicals for the foreseeable future.According to, "The European commission has ordered a ground-breaking moratorium on two endocrine-disrupting weedkillers that have been linked to thyroid cancer, infertility, reproductive problems and foetal malformations."Beginning in September 2016, and stretching across the whole of Europe, the first ever ban on endocrine-disrupting herbicides will be launched. Hans Muilerman, who is the chemicals officer at Pesticide Action Network in Europe said of the moratorium, "This is a historic decision as it is clear that these chemicals are 100% endocrine disruptors. We applaud these two proposals but at the same time note that a large reservoir of harmful, classified and endocrine-disrupting pesticides is still waiting for a decision, which has been repeatedly postponed by the commission."Most concerning of all, is the fact that in a study comparing the toxicity of herbicides and pesticide formulations, the results were that the products sold are up to 1,000 times more toxic than the isolated substances which are tested and evaluated for safety.When a pesticide is authorized for use based on medium or long-term tests, these tests have been carried out on laboratory animals using a single chemical ingredient  the "active ingredient." The active ingredient is assumed to be responsible for giving the pesticide its weed-killing affect.But the final versions of the pesticide formulas that are available for purchase contain other additive compounds that increase the activity of the pesticide, and the completed versions are not tested over the medium or long term.Popular herbicide Roundup  which contains the chemical glyphosate  is widely used across the U.S. and claimed to be a benign herbicide, yet researchers have found it is by far the most toxic of all herbicides and insecticides, according to. Tests comparing the toxicity of glyphosate with other formulas  including isoproturon  found that Roundup was the most toxic among the herbicides and insecticides tested.According to, another dangerous chemical, atrazine, is one of the most widely used endocrine-disrupting pesticides in the U.S.  a chemical which is already banned in Europe. Why is the U.S. so far behind on taking precautions to protect Americans from these extremely dangerous, toxic chemicals?
Potential problems with GE fish

Should we trust the FDA?

(NaturalNews) The FDA is currently being sued by a coalition group made up of environmental, consumer and commercial organizations for approving the farming of genetically engineered (GE) salmon, according to. The coalition is being represented by a legal counsel from the Center for Food Safety and Earth Justice  who are challenging the FDA's authority to approve and regulate GE animals.In November 2015 the FDA approved AquaBounty Technologies' "AquAdvantage salmon" as being safe for human consumption  allowing the farming of salmon that have been genetically engineered to grow faster in land-based, hatchery tanks in two specific facilities  one in Canada and one in Panama.The FDA believes that under the 1938 federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, it has the authority to regulate GE animals under the provision of "animal drugs." However, the organizations that are being represented, including the Ecology Action Centre and Friends of the Earth, argue that the FDA do not actually have this authority because GE animals are not "animal drugs." They believe that this provision only gives the FDA authority to ensure the safety of veterinary drugs used to treat livestock  and not to regulate GE animals.The coalition that is suing the FDA believe that if GE animals escape from where they are farmed, or are accidentally released, they can then interbreed with non-GE animals and pass along their altered genes to other generations. This would in turn threaten wild populations, with the new GE population competing with the wild populations for food and habitat  eventually causing the wild population to die out.In the case of the GE salmon that have recently been approved, the FDA have said that the fish are reproductively sterile  and yet for some reason the tanks that they are being raised in are required to have barriers to prevent their eggs from escaping... so the FDA can't be certain that the fish won't interbreed with wild salmon . If these GE salmon  which grow faster than wild salmon  do escape into the wild then they will have the competitive edge on wild salmon, making them a very serious risk to wild salmon populations.According to George Kimbrell, senior attorney for the Center of Food Safety, "This case is about protecting our fisheries and ocean ecosystems from the foreseeable harms of the first-ever GE fish, harms FDA refused to even consider, let alone prevent. But it's also about the future of our food : FDA should not, and cannot, responsibly regulate this GE animal, nor any future GE animals, by treating them as drugs under a 1938 law."The FDA have also been criticized for not requiring appropriate product labeling, which has forced Congress to call for mandatory labeling of GE foods in the 2016 spending bill, as reported by The FDA has been around for over 110 years and it regulates everything from food and tobacco to health supplements and drugs  working closely with Big Pharma. According to the FDA's job description, they regulate everything from cell phones to condoms  this means that they regulate over one trillion dollars' worth of consumer goods, according toBut this isn't the first time that the FDA has come under scrutiny  in 2010 the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against the FDA for its ban on interstate sales of raw milk. The reaction of the FDA to the lawsuit brought to light the fact that the FDA believes that nobody should have the right to choose what to eat or drink  meaning that the US population should only be allowed to consume what the FDA decides.According to Natural News , the FDA made the following statement regarding the raw milk controversy, "Plaintiff's assertion of a 'fundamental right to their own bodily and physical health, which includes what foods they do and do not choose to consume for themselves and their families' is similarly unavailing because plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to obtain any food they wish."With this in mind, do we really want the FDA to be making decisions about the safety of GE foods on behalf of the American people  just because of a law that dates back to 1938?
Radioactive levels in milk 10 times higher than food safety limits

Radioactive milk diluted to hide radioactivity

Belarus is failing to protect its citizens

"'We have milk and bake bread ourselves that yes is with radiation,' she was quoted as saying. 'Everything here is with radiation. Of course it worries me, but what can I do?'"



(NaturalNews) 30 years ago the world's worst nuclear catastrophe at Chernobyl in Ukraine released a lot of radioactive particles into the atmosphere which killed 31 people and made an 18.6-sqaure-mile exclusion zone around the reactor unsafe for humans for at least the next 20,000 years.Gubarevichi, a small town in Belarus, just on the edge of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, seems to have picked up life and the authoritarian government of this agriculture-dependent nation is determined to restore its land for farm use.The Associated Press (AP) reporters ventured into this "safe" zone and visited a farmer, Nikolai Chubenok, who herds 50 dairy cows and produces up to two tons of milk every day for a local factory, Milkavita, that produces milk and Parmesan cheese for the local and Russian market.His farm lays just 28 miles north of the shuttered Chernobyl site, and a mile from the boundary of a zone where radioactive contamination from fallout is the highest and all public access and inhabitation are restricted.When Nikolai kindly offered the reporters a fresh glass of milk, they politely declined and sent the sample to a laboratory, which found radioactivity levels to be higher than the nation's food safety limits.The lab screened the milk for strontium-90, a radioactive isotope linked to cancers and cardiovascular disease. According to the Belarusian Agriculture Ministry, levels shouldn't exceed 3.7 becquerels per kilogram. However, the sample from Nikolai's farm contained 37.5 becquerels.These findings are in strong contrast with internal tests run by Milkavita. According to them, every six months' tests that are run show traces of radioactive isotopes in their milk to be well below the safety limits."It's impossible. We do our own testing. There must have been a mix-up," Milkavita's chief engineer told the AP journalists.When the reporters contacted the Belarusian Emergency Situations Ministry, which is responsible for dealing with the fallout of the nuclear disaster, they said they would not comment on the AP findings.The deputy director of the Belarus' Institute of Radiobiology, Natalya Timokhina, says food producers in Belarus are allowed to conduct their own tests, but they lack the equipment to identify some of the radioactive compounds.Up until now, the government has not funded any equipment or other resources to scrutinize corrupt practices in the food supply. One of these practices is blending heavily contaminated products, like milk, to dilute the radioactive impact.The AP reported that, according to Irina Sukhiy, founder of the Belarus ecological group Green Network: "Such alleged mixing reduces... the level of potentially carcinogenic isotopes in dairy products and processed meat below 'the allowable dose, but it is still hazardous to health.'"Farmers who live on the edge or in the prohibited zone note that they have not seen any obvious signs of nuclear dangers, nor have they been given any instructions on how to reduce exposure.Chubenok, the dairy farmer, has actually never heard of the substance Ferocin, also known as Prussian Blue, which farmers in Ukraine feed their cattle to accelerate the removal of the cesium-137 isotope from their digestive tracts.Another farmer, Leonid Kravchenko, notes he has never seen any official radiation testing of the soil and believes that there is nothing to be worried about."We're not afraid of radiation. We've already gotten used to it," he said.Victor Khanayev, a surgeon in the Russian district of Novozybkov, explained that many people in the affected region are poor and often have no other choice than to feed their family with contaminated food Halina Chmulevych, a single mother of two living in a village in Ukraine, is one of them. She has little choice but to feed her children contaminated food.Thereported:One of the surest ways to know the food you're eating is clean and uncontaminated is to grow it yourself. Join the rising Food Revolution to learn more!
Enzymes

Purified T. terrestris LPMO (TtLPMO9E, previously TtGH61E) and T. auranticus (TaLPMO9A) were donated from Novozymes A/S (Denmark). The enzymes are produced by expression in a host organism and subsequently purified. T. fusca AA10 (TfLPMO10A) cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli was purchased from Nzytech Ltd (Portugal). All LPMOs were free of any residual cellulase or hemicellulose activities. Commercial cellulase mixtures Celluclast 1.5l and Novozym 188 were obtained from Novozymes A/S. The Celluclast 1.5l mixture had a protein content of 127 mg g1, containing 62 filter paper units (FPU) per g, and a -glucosidase activity of 15 U per g. Novozym 188 had a protein content of 220 mg g1, containing a -glucosidase activity of 231 U per g.

Chemicals, materials and substrates

Ascorbic acid was obtained from Sigma-Aldrich. Stock solutions of 100 mM were made in water and kept at 20 C in the dark. Avicel microcrystalline cellulose was obtained from Sigma-Aldrich. Xyloglucan product code P-XYGLN was obtained from Megazymes Ltd, Ireland. Chlorophyllin product code C-100.000-WS-P produced by extraction of Festuca arundinacae was obtained from Chr. Hansen, Hrsholm, Denmark.

Preparation of PASC microcrystalline cellulose substrate

Avicel (microcrystalline cellulose, Sigma-Aldrich PH101) was swollen with phosphoric acid to generate PASC as described by Wood31 with a few modifications: 4 g of Avicel were suspended in 100 ml of phosphoric acid (85% w/v) at 40 C and magnetically stirred for 1 h. The mixture was poured into 1.9 l of water at 40 C and stirred for 1 h. The suspension was washed four times with 2 l H 2 O (MilliQ-quality), two times with 2 l of a 1% NaHCO 3 solution to reduce acidity, and then three additional times with 2 l H 2 O and stored at 4 C. The final cellulose content of the PASC suspension was determined by enzymatic hydrolysis (24 h, 50 C), with an enzymatic dosage of 75 FPU per g of cellulose, using Celluclast 1.5L cellulolytic enzymes and Novozym 188 in a 5:1 ratio; the released glucose was measured according to the protocol described in section Enzymes giving an estimated cellulose content of 1.5% w/v. The average degree of polymerization (DP) of Avicel-derived PASC was determined by measuring the total number of reducing ends32 and comparing this with the total amount of monomeric glucose, giving a DP of 52.

Organosolv lignin extraction

The lignin fraction was prepared from wheat straw (Triticum aestivum L.). The straw was ball milled for 20 min and the cellulose and hemicellulose fractions were removed by hydrolytic enzymes (Celluclast 1.5L and, Novozym 188 in a 5:1 v/v) at a final dosage of 75 FPU per g of dry lignocellulose substrate for 144 h at 50 C followed by washing with MilliQ water at a ratio of 1 l for 1 g of dry material. The amount of residual carbohydrates was <2% in the final material. Finally, the residual material was suspended in an aqueous ethanol solution (50:50 water/ethanol) at a 5:1 liquid/solid ratio and heated at 220 C in a 1 l Parr reactor for 80 min. After heating, the lignin residue was filtered at 75 C. Solubilized lignin was precipitated by adding water at three times the original amount and recovered by filtration. The insoluble lignin fraction was dried at 40 C and ground with a pestle and mortar.

Preparation of chlorophyllin

A stock solution of 12% w/v (166 mM) chlorophyllin was prepared by dissolving the powder in water (MilliQ-quality). The chlorophyllin was kept in darkness while stored at 4 C. Prior to each experiment, an aliquot of the stock solution was incubated in darkness for 2 h at room temperature.

Preparation of cyanobacterial thylakoid suspensions

Thylakoid suspensions, containing light-harvesting antennae (phycobilisomes) and thylakoid membranes, were prepared from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 (referred to as Synechococcus) grown in medium A containing 2 g NaNO 3 per l as previously described33. Synechococcus cells were harvested in 50 ml volumes by centrifugation (5,000g for 5 min) and subsequently resuspended in 1 ml thylakoid washing buffer (pH 6.35) as described34. The resolved pellet was transferred to a microfuge tube containing 500 l glass beads (glass beads for cell disruption, 0.10.25 mm diameter, Retsch Technology GMBH, Haan, Germany) followed by cell disruptive sonication (Amplitude 50, 3 min processing time, 5 s on/off cycle). The cell extract was then centrifuged (12,000g, 4 C, 20 min) and the pellet, containing unbroken cells and cell walls, was discarded. An additional centrifugation (40,000g, 4 C, 30 min) separated the light-harvesting antennae (phycobilisomes, supernatant) from the thylakoid membranes (pellet). Absorption spectra of the thylakoid suspensions in the supernatant were performed with a UV1800 spectrophotometer (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) and the chlorophyll a content was calculated as described35. The thylakoid suspensions were then used to conduct the light-induced electron-transfer experiments with an average concentration of 0.210.06 mg Chl per ml. Putative contaminations derived from cytoplasmic membranes in the thylakoid suspension have no impact on light-induced electron transfer to LPMOs, this was tested with disrupted E. coli K-12 cells

Preparation of plant thylakoid membranes

Plant thylakoid membranes were extracted from A. thaliana (L.) Heynh. Ecotype Columbia. Plants were grown in compost in a controlled environment Arabidopsis chambers (Percival AR-60 I, Boone, IA) at a photosynthetic flux of 130150 mol of photons per m2 per s, 20 C and 70% humidity. Leaves from 25 plants were pooled and homogenized using a blender fitted with razor blades in ice cold buffer containing 20 mM Tricine (pH 7.5), 10 mM NaCl, 5 mM MgCl 2 , 0.4 M sucrose, 5 mg ml1 bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 100 mM sodium ascorbate. The homogenate was immediately filtered through two layers of nylon mesh (31 m pore size), after which the filtrate was centrifuged (6,000g, 4 C, 15 min). The pellet was resuspended in 5 mM Tricine (pH 7.9) to lyse the chloroplasts. Following lysis, the thylakoids were collected by centrifugation (17,200g, 4 C, 10 min). The pellet was resuspended in a small volume of homogenization buffer without ascorbate and BSA but with 20% glycerol (v/v). Total chlorophyll (Chl) and Chl a/b ratio were determined in 80% acetone according to the study by Lichtenthaler36. The final concentration of the thylakoid membranes applied in the light-induced electron-transfer experiments was 3.57 mg Chl per ml (Chl a/b ratio=3.0).

Elemental analysis inductively coupled plasma (ICP)

Chlorophyllin and thylakoid suspensions were analysed for the presence of metals on an Aurora Elite ICP-MS system from Bruker. Samples of chlorophyllin 12% (w/w) and extracted thylakoid suspensions 2% (w/w) were diluted to 5001,000 p.p.b. dry matter in 1% nitric acid. The samples were analysed for 24Mg, 25Mg, 26Mg 63Cu, 65Cu, 66Zn, 67Zn and 68Zn. Chlorophyllin contained 0.41% Mg, 2.0% Cu and 0.05% Zn relative to total dry matter. Extracted thylakoid suspensions contained 1.8% Mg, 0.007% Cu and 0.0007% Zn relative to total dry matter.

Quantification of glucose and cellobiose by HPLC

The quantification of D-glucose and D-cellobiose was done using an Ultimate 3000 high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC, Dionex, Germering, Germany) equipped with refractive index detector (Shodex, Japan) and ultraviolet detector at 210 nm (Dionex). The separation was performed in a Phenomenex Rezex ROA column at 80 C with 5 mM H 2 SO 4 as eluent at a flow rate of 0.8 ml min1.

Measurement of oligosaccharide and gluconic acid by HPAEC

The samples were prepared as follows: 200 l were centrifuged at 14,000g for 2 min and 100 l of the supernatant was inserted in the HPLC conical vial, without any further light exposure (wrapped in aluminium foil). HPAEC was run on an ICS5000 system (two different machines available in the laboratory), equipped with a PAD detector (Dionex, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) with a CarboPac PA1 column (2  50 mm guard column followed by a 2  250 mm analytical column) and operated at a flow of 0.25 ml min1, at 30 C. Chromatographic analysis of aldonic acids separation was conducted as described by Westering et al.37. The elution involved a linear gradient from 100% A:0% B to 90% A:10% B (10 min), followed by an exponential gradient to 70% A:30% B (15 min) and last an exponential gradient to 100% B (5 min). After that a linear gradient was applied for 15 min at the initial conditions 100% A:0% B (eluent A=0.1 M NaOH, B=0.1 M NaOH and 1 M NaOAc)37. The peaks of the cellulose oligomers in the chromatograms are assigned according to Westereng et al.37. The chromatograms shown in the main paper, and in Supplementary Figs 17, are average of three independent experiments.

Quantification of cellulose oxidation for TtLPMO9E

To quantify the total oxidation of cellulose (as shown in Fig. 1c), the residual PASC together with the supernatant containing oligosaccharides were digested with a commercial cellulase mixture, Celluclast supplemented with beta-glucosidase Novozym 188 in a 5:1 v/v ratio (both lacking LPMO activity) and applied based on Celluclast at 75 f.p.u. per g cellulose for 5 h at 50 C in darkness. These conditions ensured complete hydrolysation of the PASC material. The LPMO reaction was stopped prior to cellulases treatment by boiling the vials/samples for 10 min. The hydrolysates were then analysed by HPLC to quantify the D-glucose and in the HPAEC for quantification of gluconic acid (marker of C1 oxidizing activity of LPMO). A minor C4 component (annotated C4-oxidized after minute 24) appeared in the oxidized products; it was impossible to quantify the amount of the monomeric 4-keto aldose sugar (C4-oxidized glucose) as due to tautomerization there are no standards available.

Standard conditions for enzymatic reactions and LIET

The light-induced electron-transfer (LIET) system was composed of PASC incubated with an LPMO enzyme, a light-absorbing component (chlorophyllin, cyanobacterial thylakoid suspensions or plant thylakoid membranes) and a reductant, that is, ascorbic acid. All experiments presented in the paper, as well as in the Supplementary Information were conducted in triplicates, and repeated on two different ICS5000 HAPEC systems available in the laboratory.

The standard reaction mixture composition for PASC oxidation reactions was: 0.75% w/v PASC, 2 mM ascorbic acid, 100 mM of citrate-phosphate buffer (pH 6.3) and 0.05 mg ml1 LPMO in a 200 l reaction volume. For the TtLPMO9E with an estimated molecular weight of 22.5 KDa this equals 2.2 nmol of added enzyme. Chlorophyllin was added in a 1:100 dilution out of a 12% stock solution thus a final concentration of 1.6 mM. Freshly prepared cyanobacterial thylakoid suspensions and plant thylakoid membranes were diluted into the reaction mixture 1:2 and 1:20, respectively. The described composition applies for reactions using the AA9 enzymes (TtLPMO9E and TaLPMO9A) and is referred as standard conditions in the rest of the Methods section. For reactions with the AA10 enzyme (TfLPMO10A), a phosphate buffer at pH 7.8 (20 mM) was used and 0.20 mg ml1 of the enzyme preparation was used.

The standard conditions for the light-induced electron-transfer system for cellulose oxidation are defined as: 3 h incubation time, irradiance intensity for sunlight was 150200 mol photons per m2 per s, for blue, red and green light sources 150 mol of photons per m2 per s (custom made LEDs for blue light 440 nm, red light 625 nm and green light 528 nm, with a spectral width 18 nm, 18 nm and 33 nm respectively). The irradiance intensities reported were measured at the bottom of the closed 2 ml Eppendorf test tubes, and the light probe (a Spherical Micro Quantum Sensor US-SQS/Lund) was submerged into the reaction mixture to account for light-scattering effects caused by PASC cellulose or other insoluble particles. Incubations were carried out in 2 ml Eppendorf polypropylene microfuge tubes in a thermomixer at 1,000 r.p.m. and 50 C (Eppendorf thermomixer, Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany). The thermomixer was modified to carry a transparent microfuge tube rack allowing light penetration through the walls of the microfuge tubes. All experimental preparations were carried out in dim green light at 0 mol of photons per m2 per s (Phillips TL-D 36 W colour green Lumen 3600, 540 nm). The degree of PASC oxidation was determined by quantification of oxidized glucose units being the gluconic acid. Optimization of reaction conditions in terms of time of incubation and reactant dosages are shown in Supplementary Fig. 8.

In addition to the standard reactions described above, multiple controls were performed as follows: darkness controls were wrapped in aluminium foil; LPMO activity controls were without photopigments or without light exposure and were incubated with ascorbic acid and PASC; non-enzymatic oxidation controls of chlorophyllin, thylakoid suspensions, lignin and ascorbic acid were individually incubated with PASC and without LPMO enzymes under standard conditions (see above) to assess the possibility of spontaneous cellulose oxidation caused by light exposure (Fenton-type reactions).

Sequential darkness or sunlight exposure

To verify the role of light as an inducer of cellulose oxidation via chlorophyllin, darkness and sunlight were sequentially applied to the same samples (results in Fig. 1d). The experiment was performed using the standard conditions for light-induced electron transfer (see above). The reaction mixture contained PASC, chlorophyllin, ascorbic acid and TtLPMO9E with a lower dosage, using only 4 g (instead of 10 g) for a lower level of product release. The reaction mixtures were exposed to darkness for 2 h followed by sunlight exposure for 5 min. This cycle was subsequently repeated. After each change in light/darkness exposure, an aliquot was removed from the vials for further analysis. All aliquots were analysed by high-performance anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC) to measure the release of oligosaccharides and additionally treated with cellulase to quantify the monomeric glucose and gluconic acid (see above). An LPMO activity control, applying the same LPMO dosage was incubated for 24 h and afterwards treated with cellulase to quantify the monomeric glucose and gluconic acid (see above).

Oxygen consumption measurements

The oxygen consumption was measured with a Chlorolab 2 System (Hansatech, England), with an oxygen sensor mounted at the bottom of a sealed reaction chamber. The 1 ml reaction chamber was stirred by a magnet and was equipped with a window for light exposure. Reactants could be added via a capillary cannula at the top, and no oxygen exchange with the external environment was observed. The measurements are given as oxygen concentration in mol per ml. White LED light (4100 K) at 150 mol photons per m2 per s was applied. The reactants were added at the beginning according to the dosages explained in the standard conditions, but at a lower temperature of 25 C. Note that there is no headspace in the reaction chamber, why much less oxygen is available compared with the conditions described in standard conditions for enzymatic reactions. The combinations tested were: complete photosystem: LPMO (TtLPMO9E)+chlorophyllin+Asc+PASC; the negative control experiments: chlorophyllin+Asc+PASC (no enzyme present); and the LPMO+Asc+PASC (no pigment present). From 0 to 900 s these reactions were carried out in darkness, while from 900 to 2,400 s white light was supplied (results shown in Fig. 2a).

The complete photosystem (LPMO+chlorophyllin+Asc+PASC) was measured with alternating cycles of light/darkness without or with the pigment. The conditions were identical to standard (see above) with the difference that TtLPMO9E was dosed at only 0.01 mg ml1 to lower the rate of oxygen consumption, and a temperature of 25 C. TtLPMO9E, ascorbic acid and PASC were first added. After five cycles of light and darkness (2 min each), chlorophyllin was added through the cannula, and three cycles of light and darkness were alternated (results shown in Fig. 2b).

Lignin as reductant

Ascorbic acid, generally used as a reductant in the standard conditions for the enzymatic hydrolysis, was replaced with organosolv-extracted lignin to investigate its putative reducing capacity. The organosolv lignin was suspended in citrate-phosphate buffer (pH 6.3) and was added to a final concentration of 5 mg ml1 (equal to a molar concentration of 25 mM based on lignin monomers) to the reaction mixture and incubated under standard conditions (see above) with TtLPMO9E. Control experiments were performed as described above, replacing ascorbic acid with lignin.

Light-induced oxidation of xyloglucans

Xyloglucan 1% w/w was used as a substrate, replacing PASC and incubated with chlorophyllin, ascorbic acid and TtLPMO9E, the others parameters were according to standard conditions (see above). A release of oligosaccharides was detected using HAPEC. The observed pattern was a mixture of cello-oligosaccharides and xylogluco-oligosaccharides, which could not be fully separated, as seen for other published works19,20, therefore the peaks are separated into non-oxidized and oxidized products only.

Light-induced oxidation of crystalline cellulose

Avicel was used as a cellulose substrate at 1% w/w instead of PASC and all other conditions were same as standard conditions (see above).

Protein structure modelling

The PDB structures from the RCSB PDB Protein data bank were adapted for the HARLEM Molecular Modelling Package program (Kurnikov et al, available at http://harlem.chem.cmu.edu/). The PDB structures were (after adding hydrogens) analysed in HARLEM for possible LRET pathways from the surface to the metal ion21.
Another reason why dogs are indeed man's best friends: researchers from the University of Missouri and Miami University discovered that seniors get health benefits from the bonds they form with their doggy companions.

The study, which was published in the journal The Gerontologist, revealed that dog walking is associated with better health for aging people. Aside from being a source of frequent and longer exercise, it is also associated with a lower body mass index, fewer visits to the doctor, and more opportunities for socialization.

The study's news release stated that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all adults should spend at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity every week. For adults aged 60 years and above, walking is usually the most common form of physical activity -- and dog walking fits perfectly in that equation.

The research used data from the Health and Retirement study from 2012 by the National Institute on Aging and the Social Security Administration. It included information on human-animal relationships as well as their activities and health conditions.

Research from the study showed that seniors who developed better bonds with their dogs and took more strolls with their pets are healthier and have more social interactions with other dog owners.

However, a recent report from the Washington Post still advises some caution. While the correlation between dog walking and better health for seniors is there, it does not necessarily mean that dog walking automatically translates to health benefits.

Hal Herzog, a psychology professor at Western Carolina University who studies human-animal relationships, said in the report that it is also likely that the elderly who are already in good health are the ones with the energy to walk their dogs.

The report also highlighted some downsides. For instance, CDC revealed in 2006 that more than 86,000 people are injured each year in falls linked with dogs and cats. As people get older, the likelihood of injury also increases.

So, you might want to think twice before getting Grandpa a puppy. Either way, even without owning a dog -- which in itself has a burden of responsibility -- he can still go on dog walks with a pup from the neighbor or from shelters.

It might also help to know which kind of dog breed would suit your grandparents best. The PetHelpful website lists give dog breeds that are best for seniors, including the ones that serve as watchdogs and do not shed much, which can lead to a lot of tricky cleaning afterward.
A conservationist is taking swan protection to new heights -- literally. This autumn, Sacha Dench will fly with thousands of migrating Bewick's swans as they take the 4,500-mile (7,242-kilometer) journey from the Russian arctic to the United Kingdom.

Dench, a sportswoman and advocate working with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, will do the first ever attempt to take on the swans' migration route, in order to study their habits and the hazards that they face in their journey.

Dench's adventure with the birds is called "Flight of the Swans."

To act as her wings, this brave "human swan" will use a paramotor, or a parachute wing with a small propeller engine, according to BBC.

She will be traveling with the swans through 11 countries, where some areas do not have roads and are completely new and unvisited territories, such as the desolate and vast Arctic tundras with extreme weather conditions and polar bears.

The report said Dench, a former free-diving champion, will rely on good weather forecast and nomadic reindeer breeders, farmers and hunters for shelter.

Dench will be broadcasting her journey in real time through the latest camera technology and satellite communication, as per Phys.org.

The conservationist has been studying the Bewick's swans for more than 50 years. This courageous journey is an attempt to discover the reasons behind the birds' decline in numbers, which plummeted in the past 20 years.

The Bewick's swan is Europe's smallest swan. At present, there are less than 18,000 surviving swans from an estimated 29,000 in 1995. Dench's flight will hopefully shed more light as to why thousands of swans do not make it through the entire journey.

Celebrities such as Dame Judi Dench, who plays the formidable "M" in the "James Bond" films and turned out to be Sacha's relative, and Sir David Attenborough, a famous naturalist, expressed support for this remarkable flight.

Attenborough has called the expedition as "marvellously imaginative and adventurous."

If she is successful, Dench will be the first woman to cross the English Channel by paramotor.

People from all over the world can find out more about the journey and express their support through the Flight of the Swans website.

WWT Flight of the Swans from WWT on Vimeo.
After a month of tremendous retrieval efforts, Japan decided that it is time to give up and say goodbye to their multi-million X-ray satellite, which went missing just after a month of being launched.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced this week that it will be abandoning all efforts of trying to restore communication with the ASRTO-H telescope, also known as Hitomi.

"JAXA expresses the deepest regret for the fact that we had to discontinue the operations of ASTRO-H and extends our most sincere apologies to everyone who has supported ASTRO-H believing in the excellent results ASTRO-H would bring, to all overseas and domestic partners including NASA, and to all foreign and Japanese astrophysicists who were planning to use the observational results from ASTRO-H for their studies." JAXA said in their press release.

Hitomi was a joint project of 70 organizations, including NASA. Japan spent about $290 million in the project while NASA had also invested about $70 million.

According to the report from Phys.Org, Hitomi was launched into orbit last February 17. The primary mission of Hitomi is to search for X-rays coming from black holes and cluster galaxies. The satellite was initially doing fine in its orbit, but all of a sudden, on March 26, all communication to the satellite was cut off.

Experts at JAXA worked frantically to re-establish contact with Hitomi. JAXA saw a glimpse of hope when they received three signals coming from space but to their demise, the frequency of the communication revealed that the signal was not from Hitomi.

JAXA has decided that all hopes for Hitomi are gone, when other organizations reported that the two solar array paddles of Hitomi were ripped off, making the multi-million dollar satellite float uselessly in space.

With the retrieval operations now stopped, JAXA shifted its focus on determining what went wrong by carefully reviewing all phases from design, manufacturing, verification, and operations.

A satellite similar to Hitomi is set to launch in 2028 by the European Space Agency.


The daily operations of CERN's Large Hadron Collider, which is known to be the largest and most powerful particle collider, has experience an unexpected shutdown caused by technical problems.

When the engineers went to find out what caused the problem, they found gruesome charred remains of a weasel-like rodent.

According to an official briefing document from CERN, the weasel-like rodent was later on discovered to be a stone marten. Apparently, the small carnivorous mammal tried to gnaw through a 66-kilovolt transformer located outside the main building of CERN. The stone marten was electrocuted and instantly died on the spot, but left a considerable amount of damage in the transformer connection, making the Large Hadron Collider shut down.

"We had electrical problems, and we are pretty sure this was caused by a small animal," Arnaud Marsollier, head of press for CERN, told NPR.

This is not the first time that an animal sabotaged the Large Hadron Collider. In 2009, Nature reported that a baguette dropped by a flying bird also caused similar power outages to the Large Hadron Collider. Luckily, the bird only lost its breakfast that time, unlike the fried stone marten.

The location of the Large Hadron Collider might be to blame for the recent animal "attacks". The Large Hadron Collider is located deep underground on the border of France and Switzerland, just outside Geneva.

"We are in the countryside, and of course we have wild animals everywhere," Marsollier added.

Of course there is still the possibility that the animals near the Large Hadron Collider are in cahoots with others trying to prevent humans from better understanding the origins of the universe.

Engineers at CERN are trying their best to fix the damaged transformer connection. It will take just a few days to repair it, but it might take a week or two to bring the Large Hadron Collider back online, making the largest particle collider unusable until mid-May.


An employee perk at some of the worlds most well known tech companies is at the center of a heated debate over fairness and convenience.



While the buses aim to take thousands of cars off the road, traffic records obtained by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit revealed a growing problem that could put other commuters in danger.

Each workday, three million people travel across the Bay Area on roadways, railways, bike lanes, and bus lanes.



But for substitute teacher Sue Vaughan, the trip can be a rough ride. On days when she teaches, Vaughan takes Muni to get around San Francisco. But regardless of where shes headed, Vaughan said it doesnt take long before shes blocked by one of the hundreds of Tech Buses scattered throughout the city.



They slow it down. They get in front of [Muni]. They slow it down, Vaughan said.

NBC Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO COMMUTER SHUTTLE NETWORK



Commuter buses shuttle an estimated 8,500 people each day from their homes in San Francisco to their jobs outside the city, according to a recent SFMTA study.



Private transportation companies operate the buses, but theyre hired by some of Silicon Valleys biggest tech firms like Facebook, Apple, and Youtube.



Employees can catch a ride at one of 125 pick-up locations throughout the city, 100 of which also serve as public bus stops originally intended for Muni. Its an arrangement Vaughan believes allows private corporations to take advantage of public infrastructure.



Absolutely they are taking advantage of the city. Absolutely, Vaughan told NBC Bay Area.



Shuttle companies boast theyre part of a solution to get cars off the road. But city records obtained by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit revealed those buses may also be putting other drivers, bikers, and pedestrians at risk.



NBC Bay Area reviewed parking enforcement data and traced the license plates back to 16 of the biggest commuter bus companies operating in the city.



Records show that in 2014 and 2015, those bus operators received more than 800 citations for violations that include obstructing traffic and blocking bus zones and bike lanes.

COMMUTER BUS VIOLATIONS

[[377630881, C, 620, 338]]

Bauer Transportation is at the top of the list with 176 citations. It provides transportation for companies like videogame developer Electronic Arts.

Loop Transportation ranks second with 146 citations. Loop drops off riders to companies that include Facebook, Google, and Apple.

Compass (SFO Airporter) received 95 citations. Compass also buses workers to Apple, as well as Yahoo and Genentech.

WeDriveU ranked fourth with 89 citations. It shuttles employees to Google.

In addition to the violations cited by the city, NBC Bay Area cameras captured even more apparent violations.

Those include an SF Minibus shuttle, which transports workers at Adobe, double parked blocking a bike lane and pushing cyclists into the street.

In a statement, the company said they are working to prevent future obstructions by advising drivers to keep circling around if the stops are not available.

Cameras captured footage of another bus heading to Google that redirected traffic after the driver stopped in the middle of the road.

NBC Bay Area also observed a private shuttle permitted to use Muni bus stops picking up workers at the curb and forcing a Muni bus to let riders off in the center of the street.

Its a frequent problem that San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim told NBC Bay Area shes working to address. Kim believes those with disabilities and the elderly are now being put at risk because of safety hazards created by the private shuttles.

I think the current program bends over backwards to accommodate these tech companies. I dont think we have to, Kim told NBC Bay Area. Residents keep asking who is the city for, who do you represent? Do you represent all of us, or do you just represent a very small category of employers?

Kim is now pushing the citys transportation authority to dramatically reduce the number of allowable bus stops for private shuttles by next year.

The city charges private shuttles $3.67 every time they use a bus stop. In July, that will rise to $7.31 dollars to help pay for more enforcement officers like Alicia Hopkins.

Hopkins is one of ten officers specifically assigned in the morning to monitor the more than 500 private buses that are permitted to pick up passengers across the city. Ten other enforcement officers are assigned to watch over the private buses during the evening commute.

NBC Bay Area shadowed Hopkins on a weekday morning where she gave out 6 tickets in less than 2 hours, including one to a bus heading to Apple for double parking and blocking oncoming traffic.

BENEFITS OF COMMUTER SHUTTLES

NBC Bay Area reached out to the top offenders on our list of violations. While most of the bus companies didnt return our messages, a representative from WeDriveU said Citations are reviewed immediately, analyzed for prevention and paid promptly. Click here for full statement.

The owner of Bauer transportation also responded with a statement saying his company is working to avoid violations by training drivers and providing bonuses to those with the best records. Click here for full statement.

Rufus Jeffiris with the business advocacy group Bay Area Council represents companies like Apple and Google to help organize commuter shuttles throughout the Bay Area. Jeffris believes that despite the citations, the benefits of commuter shuttles far outweigh the negatives.

The shuttles remove an estimated 2 million car trips a year from city streets, along with avoiding 2,000 metric tons of associated carbon emissions. So in terms of traffic impact, commuter shuttles are providing an enormous benefit, Jeffiris said. Click here for full statement.

NBC Bay Area

John Ford with Commute.org agrees. As Executive Director of the San Mateo County based government agency, its Fords job to find solutions to traffic congestion.

I know it is a challenging issue for the people who were impacted by the bus stops, but I really think that from a regional perspective, this program is one of the extra things that we have that can help all of us reduce congestion in the Bay Area, Ford said.

Ford works with hundreds of companies like Google and Facebook, encouraging them to offer alternatives to cars, including incentives for workers who bike, those private buses.

Representatives from Facebook believe their efforts are making a difference. The company said in a statement, "Facebook is committed to easing congestion on Bay Area roadways. We're part of the MTA shuttle program which reduces over 51 million vehicle miles traveled, eliminates 2 million single-passenger car trips and removes 2k metric tons of carbon emissions a year. We're also working with regional government to explore the expansion of rail and ferry services. This is a start on tackling an important issue  we care about our neighbors and our approach is to listen and take action."

Still, Vaughan believes the private bus routes aren't just an inconvenience, they're illegal.

She helped file a lawsuit against the city of San Francisco that argues state law bans private companies from using public bus stops.



The city of San Francisco called that a misinterpretation of the law and on Thursday, a judge dismissed the case.

Theyre allowed to interfere with our public transportation system and the city is letting them do that. This is going to get worse, Vaughan said.

Vaughan and other critics of the private buses hope to fight the ruling.

If you have a tip for the Investigative Unit email TheUnit@nbcbayarea.com or call 888-996-TIPS.Or you can email Bigad.Shaban@nbcuni.com.
When it comes to politics, like many things, history seems to repeat itself. While Fridays political protests outside the California Republican Convention in Burlingame may seem fresh, they are not much different from those of the past. The only real difference is the man in the middle: Donald Trump.

Historically, few other national politicians have invoked this type of reaction, but experts agree there are politicians who rival Trump in divisiveness, particularly from the 1968 election.

That time, it was the democrats. It was turmoil beyond anything you can believe especially at the convention, NBC Bay Area political analyst Larry Gerston said.

In 1968, after the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, democrats were deeply divided over nominee Hubert Humphrey. Things erupted at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, with police beating protesters.

That same election, another divisive candidate made big waves, and he may be the closest candidate in modern history to Trump when it comes to polarizing people.

George Wallace certainly was an agitator. Most people would say that now, in terms of being the segregationist candidate, Gerston said.

It is not just the candidates qualities, but the hot-button issues of the time. In the 1960s, it was Civil Rights and the Vietnam War. Now, its race, immigration and globalization, according to Stanford Laws Nate Persily.

[Trump] is sort of institutionally or temperamentally extreme  that he just wants to burn down the house. We really havent seen that for a long time in American politics, Persily said, noting democratic candidate Bernie Sanders could also be considered extreme.

I think Sanders is a very traditional extremist politician. In some ways hes the ideological inheritor to Howard Deans legacy, Persily said.

In the short term: the protests against Trump may actually be helping him, according to Gerston. But in the long term, he says this election could mirror the 1968 election, when Richard Nixon won the White House.

Looking ahead one might think about whether the republicans will be so divided, hopelessly divided as the democrats were in 1968 and have the same kind of outcome, Gerston said.
Three days after former House Speaker John Boehner called fellow Republican and presidential hopeful Ted Cruz "Lucifer in the flesh" during a talk at Stanford University, the Texas senator gave a speech at the annual California Republican Convention in the Bay Area.

If the promise of jobs drew dozens of Republicans from the Bay Area and beyond to hear presidential frontrunner Donald Trump speak on Friday, it was Cruz's conservative background and charisma that attracted party loyals to Saturday's $100-a-ticket lunch.

"God bless the great state of California," Cruz said to wild applause from the crowd. A couple of minutes into his speech, Cruz promised to repeal Obamacare, pass the flat tax and create trillions in revenue for the federal government.

As for "anyone who dares to muder American citizens, a day of reckoning is coming," Cruz said, again to applause from the crowd.

Although the crowd responded to his excellent oratorial skills on stage, Cruz, a former debate champ, failed to evoke the kind of rockstar treatment reserved for Trump. In fact, members of the press commented about how the lack of security or protesters outside the hotel made his appearance seem just like any normal convention event.

Former California Gov. Pete Wilson introduced Cruz at the convention to a standing ovation, saying the candidate had his "wholehearted support." "Never has the California Republican primary election been so critical to the future of our nation," Wilson said, saying Cruz was committed to a strong national defence and picking the right Supreme Court justices who would interpret the law.

"Heaven knows what justices Donald Trump would pick." he said, and continued: "We can't afford a wild card when it comes to a president who will be making critically important Supreme Court appointments."

California's June 7 primary, usually low profile in nature, could be crucial in deciding the presidential election.

With newly-named running mate Carly Fiorina speaking at a convention dinner event the same night, Cruz, who continues to trail Trump in campaigns, hopes that the Fiorina announcement will get voters excited about a Cruz-Carly ticket.

"Hillary is scared as hell of Carly," he said to laughter from the crowd. "...The reason I named her this week is because the people deserve a clear choice."

On Saturday, many Cruz supporters backed his choice.

Dan Fry, a small-business owner from near Sacramento, said he could picture her as his commander-in-chief if "something were to happen to President Cruz."

Fry said that he was primarily voting for Cruz because of his 10 percent flat tax stance, his plan to repeal Obamacare, which was forcing his business to lose money, and his strong conservative ethics.

"Being a business owner in California, it's difficult to do business as is, and getting someone like Cruz in will lead to significant tax reductions," he said.

As if on cue, Cruz, at lunch, promised as much. "I think Californians get taxed too much already. I'm going to cut your taxes," he said to loud cheers.

Fry said that Trump will be his next choice if Cruz doesn't win the nomination.

Others said Cruz's Hispanic roots was what drew them to him.

"My granddaughter is Hispanic, and I hope that Ted Cruz is the first Hispanic presidential candidate," said Silvia Bichler of Gilroy.

Trump's luncheon event was attended by about 1,000 people, 600 of whom also paid $100 a ticket to be in the same room as him, but not before protesters blocked his entrance to the Burlingame Hyatt Regency on Old Bayshore Highway.

The business mogul's security detail was forced to stop his car in the middle of Highway 101 and make him hop over a median barrier to enter the hotel through a back entrance  a maneuver Trump likened to "crossing the border."

Television crews streamed the bizarre arrival live, and during his speech, protesters took over the hotel parking lot after cutting through police lines and chanting anti-Trump slogans. Even as protesters chanted: "Dump Trump," and "This is California, Run Trump, Run," his supporters showered the billionaire with praise, saying what America needed was a CEO who would bring back jobs.

In his speech, Cruz provided more specifics about what he planned to do if he won the election, as opposed to Trump, who spent a majority of his time taking jabs at fellow candidates and President Obama.

Security was extremely tight at Trump's Friday event, especially because protests had been anticipated, and Secret Service agents as well as riot police kept a close eye on protesters.

All three presidential candidates are expected to be campaigning up and down the state over the next six to eight weeks. Gov. John Kasich spoke at a dinner event Friday night and at a town hall at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose Saturday morning, where he addressed his sentiments toward immigration.

"I'm not an immigration expert," he said. "But my concern about the H-1B program is that it has been distorted." He went on to assert that the visa allows companies to take advantage of foreign-born workers, among other issues.

On Saturday afternoon, Cruz's campaign was busy registering volunteers at their booth, right next to an anti-Hillary Clinton booth where visitors were throwing "Delete Benghazi" sacks into a corn hole shaped like Clinton's mouth.

GOP leaders and party supporters said they were excited about the opportunity to be able to interact with Trump, Cruz and Kasich at the same event.

"The way you win elections is by talking to voters and making a case, and all three candidates are going to show up and make a case," Republican Party Chair Jim Brulte said.

He continued: "The job of the California Republican Party is to be neutral in the presidential election and let the candidates run their campaigns as they seem fit in our state."

Cruz supporters on Saturday said they were unperturbed by Boehner's remarks, which were first reported by a Stanford student newspaper.

Boehner didnt stop at comparing Cruz to the Devil, though. He added: "I have Democrat friends and Republican. I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life."

Cruz lashed back at Boehner before a crowd in Fort Wayne, Indiana Thursday, saying Boehner had allowed his "inner Trump to come out." As for the "Lucifer" comment, Cruz said: "If John Boehner is calling me 'Lucifer,' hes not directing that at me. Hes directing that at you."
Police have released photos of two suspects wanted in a brutal attack on a college student riding the Blue Line this week.

Police say a man and woman approached the victim and attempted to take her cell phone by punching her with closed fists, according to a release from the Chicago Police Department. One offender also bit the victim in the hand.

The first offender is described as a black male, approximately 25-35 years old, 6' and 180 pounds, with black hair and wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt. The second offender is a black female, approximately 18-25 years old, 5'6" tall and approximately 120 pounds. She was wearing a dark-colored 'Aeropostale' sweatshirt and black pants.

A 19-year-old college student in Chicago was returning home from a morning class Thursday when she says she was attacked by two people on a Chicago Blue Line train, all while witnesses sat and watched.

A 19-year-old freshman at DePaul University, Jessica Hughes said she was simply returning home from a morning class when the two people attacked her for her iPhone, all while witnesses sat and watched.

She said she suffered a black eye, a broken nose and bite marks in the attack.

He grabs me, pushes me to the floor, and he started beating on my head repeatedly, she said. He grabs my hand, looks me in the eye and bites my hand.

According to Hughes, the woman joined the attack, breaking her nose. Two men were also in the train car with her, she said, but they simply watched the attack happen.

He kept beating me, she said. I yelled for help and no one came.

Police ask anyone with information about the attack or these two suspects to contact Area North detectives at 312-744-8263
A 19-year-old college student in Chicago was returning home from a morning class Thursday when she says she was attacked by two people on a Chicago Blue Line train, all while witnesses sat and watched.

Jessica Hughes, a freshman at DePaul University, said she suffered a black eye, a broken nose and bite marks in the attack after a man and woman tried to steal her iPhone.

He kept beating me, she said. I yelled for help and no one came.

Hughes said she was sitting on the Blue Line train around 10 a.m. Thursday near the Kedzie stop when two people sat down near her and started yanking at her phone.

He grabs me, pushes me to the floor, and he started beating on my head repeatedly, she said. He grabs my hand, looks me in the eye and bites my hand.

Hughes said the woman with the man then joined in, breaking the young womans nose.

According to Hughes, two men were also in the train car with her, but simply watched the attack happen.

One of the men said he was sleeping, but if you heard someone screaming you would wake up right, she said.

The Chicago Transit Authority said it is working closely with police and reviewing surveillance footage.
Hundreds of birthday cards have poured in over the last few days for Lucas "Bear" Cervone, the 5-year-old Chicago boy battling incurable cancer. Now, one celebrity has joined in on sending the young boy a special greeting for his birthday on May 7.

"Modern Family" star Ariel Winter posted on both her Instagram and Twitter accounts Friday, encouraging her fans to send mail to Lucas.

"Let's use the power of the Internet for good today, spread the word & help give Lucas the best birthday by sending him well wishes," Winter wrote.

Commenters from all over the world chimed in to support Lucas, who lives in the Belmont-Cragin neighborhood. Fans from India, Norway, Canada, Sweden, and more, all shared well-wishes and said they were sending cards. Winter commented later to thank everyone for their support.

"Love everyone's response here! This is amazing! Yes everyone send him a birthday card," she wrote.

Lucas was first diagnosed with pediatric leukemia in August 2012.

"He fought through three very long years and very intensive years of treatment and he won, he beat it," said Lucas' father, Anthony Cervone.

But a short time later, he was diagnosed with another form of cancer, this one incurable. After a stem cell transplant in November 2015 and months in the hospital overcoming viruses, Lucas finally returned home, celebrating Christmas in February with his older brother, Franco.

Then, just a few weeks ago, the Cervone family received the news it had been dreading: doctors found an incurable tumor near Lucas' heart.

"It has been decided that there are no further curative options," the family wrote Monday. "In simplest terms, there is nothing more we can do to fight this. We have started palliative chemo to attempt to slow the growth of the tumor. The tumor is wrapped around the pulmonary artery and is pressing on Lucas' heart."

The family asked for birthday cards to help make Lucas' sixth birthday very special, saying he loves to receive them and they wanted to surpass his 500-card record set on Christmas. Since they shared Lucas' story, cards have poured in.

And while the family said they appreciate the support for their little boy, they have also asked for privacy and that anyone who wanted to donate more than cards instead donate to some of the many organizations that have helped the family through their difficult journey. (See the list here)

Letters and cards can be sent to:

Lucas Bear Heroes or Lucas Bear

40 E. Chicago Ave., No. 162

Chicago, IL 60611
Marc Winner, the owner of a tanning salon in Chicagos West Loop, has been charged in a third rape case, according to the Cook County States Attorneys office.

Winner, 45, was recently charged with three felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

Winner, who owns Soleil Tanning Salon, faced previous sexual assault charges for incidents in 2013 and 2015 as well, according to records.

He was accused of sexually assaulting one of his customers in October 2015 after prosecutors said he allegedly took a woman to his West Loop apartment, held her down and assaulted her.

Marc Winner, the owner of a tanning salon in Chicagos West Loop, has been charged in a third rape case, according to the Cook County States Attorneys office. Katie Kim reports.

Winner was charged in November 2015 with 20 felony counts of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated criminal assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery by strangulation and unlawful restraint.

He also faced criminal sexual assault charges in 2013, though a judge at the time found no probable cause and dismissed the case.

The Cook County States Attorneys Office, however, says there are currently three active rape cases against Winner.

Winner's attorney Steven Weinberg, said he plans to "try our case in the courtroom."

"We are going to wait for our opportunity to try our case in the courtroom," Weinberg said in a statement. "We do not convict people based on the quantity of witnesses, but based on the quality of evidence. When these cases are tried in the courtroom, you will see that the evidence will come out and Mr. Winner's favor."

One woman, Leslie Barton, who once lived in Glenview, also accused Winner of assaulting her in 2001, when she was 36 years old.

According to a police report, Barton told authorities she was attacked by Winner while inside a tanning salon in Glenview, where she believed Winner worked at the time.

Barton said inside one of the tanning rooms, Winner picked her up and threw her backwards and down onto a tanning bed causing her to strike her head and back on the bed.

After that, Barton attempted to get off the bed, but Winner grabbed her around her throat and started choking her, slamming her head onto the bed, the report states.

"He grabbed me and said you're not going anywhere," Barton said. "I kept saying 'I don't want this' and then he starts strangling me."

After that, Winner allegedly pulled down Bartons pants and raped her, the report states.

Winner was ultimately charged with battery in 2001 and sentenced to supervision, Barton said.

"I screamed it from the rooftops no one listened, and to hear this come out 15 years later?" Barton asked. "This horrible person, this monster, fell through the cracks over and over again."

Further details on the latest charges werent immediately known. Winner is expected to appear in bond court Saturday.
Police have no immediate plans to file charges in a Delaware high school bathroom brawl that left a teen dead, but the Wilmington police chief says the investigation is not over.

Detectives determined no weapons were used in the April 21 fight at Howard High School of Technology, Chief Bobby Cummings said Friday afternoon.

Amy Joyner-Francis, 16, fell unconscious after the brawl and was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died. An autopsy was performed, but the results haven't been released because the investigation is ongoing, the coroner said.

"These things take time," Cummings said of the investigation. "We are not at a position at this time to file charges."

Three girls, considered persons of interest, were suspended by school officials this week. They have not been identified.

NBC10/Family Photo

Joyner-Francis complained of head and chest pain after the fight, involving at least two other girls, which took place in a first-floor women's room at the start of classes that day.

A school resource officer called 911 and Joyner-Francis lost consciousness before medics arrived. CPR was performed as she was flown to a nearby children's hospital.

The girl's death left the high school community reeling. Students held vigils and mourned their friend's death and parents flooded school officials with calls about student safety. The school held two nights of parent meetings to allay parent's fears.

Cummings did not say when police may wrap up the investigation, but assured the community that it would be thorough.
Kenyas president torched more than a hundred tons of ivory from about 8,000 animals on Saturday, sending a message that trade in animal parts must be stopped, according to NBC News.

"Kenya is making a statement that for us, ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants," President Uhuru Kenyatta told dignitaries before setting light to the first of almost a dozen pyres.

The ivory piles, which included elephant tusks and rhino horns, would have been worth a fortune to smugglers.

The country, which staged its first such burning in 1989, is seeking a total world ban on ivory sales as poaching poses an increased risk to endangered species. The call for the ban has been backed by Ali Bongo, president of Gabon, which is home to the forest elephant.
University of Hartford officials said they have banned four students from campus at least temporarily after Thursday's armed robbery attempt.

Officials said the students face charges from Hartford police for possession of marijuana including the roommate of the victim in the crime.

The roommate appears to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time-- in his dorm room.

John Schmaltz of University Public Safety said, "The student who was actually robbed -- I think we believe his roommate may have been involved in the drug dealing aspect of it. I think he may be a true victim of circumstances."

Schmaltz said Hartford police are looking for the man who had the gun and his three accomplices, who left campus in a gold Chevy Malibu. He said the people they are after were guests invited onto the private campus.

Security here is being enhanced with the addition of police patrols, said Walter Harrison, president of the University of Hartford.

"We're gonna try to work quickly to as I said earlier to make students realize that it's not a good idea to allow people into residence halls they don't know," Harrison said.

As police rolled onto the campus Thursday afternoon, authorities told students to stay inside. They ended the lockdown after about 45 minutes. But students had to sign up in advance to receive lockdown alerts.

Andrew Ouellette, a junior, said, "Should definitely sign up for the alerts. I got the text pretty much immediately when it happened so I was made aware of the incident immediately. So everyone should totally get it."

There was a similar armed robbery attempt in the same dorm complex two weekends ago during the university's Spring Fling.

Police have been trying to determine whether there's a connection. Public safety officials on campus expect more arrests.
Frontier Communications announced plans to build high speed fiber internet in Hartfords North End. At full capacity, the new technology will be 100 times faster than average internet speeds, and will serve a section of the Capital City that still runs on dial-up.

The gigabyte speeds will cost about as much as many people pay for standard internetbetween $130-150 a month.

Its news Gordon Scott of Scotts Jamaican Bakery has waited on for a long time. His current internet bandwidth doesnt let him upload pictures to Facebook or send large files.

Things that folks take for granted all the time, said Scott. I can do that better on my phone than on my computer at work and it shouldnt be that way.

Enter the CT Gig Project. Over the past year and a half, state officials have looked for ways to bring high speed Internet to homes and businesses without affecting taxpayers.

Frontier is the first company to step forward in opening their fiber lines for commercial and residential use. Senior Vice President and General Manager Paul Quick told us this is just the beginning, with hopes to expand fiber to other towns as well.

We have spent 162 million dollars last year upgrading our network and our services in the state, said Quick. We will spend a common amount each year the next two years.

When asked about how Frontier will handle that expansion after the challenges it faced during its faced during its shaky start 18 months ago, Quick told us his agents are working hard and will continue to do their best.

I know we are solving problems here, said Quick. We are hitting all of our commitments. When a customer calls us and we tell them were gonna be there, were there.
This weekend Willimantic police are out in force.

Theyre looking for rowdy Eastern Connecticut students who are celebrating what they call spring weekend.

On Friday, hundreds of people watched fireworks mark the end of Springfest. Its the three-day festival for students at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Theres just been lots of fun activities that the school has organized, said Tesse Cavello, ECSU freshman.

Police kept a close eye, also worried about what happens after the official event is over.

Were not here to ruin anyones college experience. But we want you to do it safely and we want you to do it responsibly, said Corporal Stanley Parizo, Jr. of Willimantic Police.

On Friday, Willimantic police doubled patrols, concerned about house parties off campus growing out-of-control and what happens when hundreds of people flood out of the homes into the streets.

Its the cups, the breaking of bottles, shaking of cars to set off alarms, said Parizo.

Police said theyve previously gone door-to-door to remind students to be good neighbors.

A message the school reinforced this week.

Rowdy behavior could lead to criminal charges and punishment by the university.

I think it helps them realize that you can actually get in trouble if you do do something stupid, said Danielle Dempsey, ECSU freshman.

Police said this is a busy time of year here.

Last week they busted a dozen house parties and made numerous arrests.

They expect to be busy next weekend which is preceded by Cinco de Mayo.
Win McNamee/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Arizona Sen. John McCain delivered this week's Republican address, talking about national security concerns that the U.S. faces and the leadership needed to deal with it.

McCain, who is also chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, said that under President Obama, the country has "been on a holiday from American leadership."

"Whats unfortunately clear is this President has no strategy to successfully reverse the tide of slaughter and mayhem in a world that Director of National Intelligence General James Clapper says has not faced more crises and more refugees than we confront today," he said.

The senator criticized President Obama for scaling back troops in the Middle East and said, "The crisis in the Middle East has not been contained."

"Its reached the streets of Paris, Brussels, and San Bernardino," he said. "Its produced a refugee crisis that has destabilized Europe and divided the West. Its given Vladimir Putin an opportunity to reassert Russia as a global power through intervention in Syria. And it has led Americas friends and foes around the world to distrust our word, question our resolve, and doubt our commitment."

Read the Republican's full address:

Hello, Im Senator John McCain and Im proud to represent the great State of Arizona.

On Friday morning, the headline on the front page of The Washington Post read: Peace hopes unravel in SyriaAirstrikes level hospital in AleppoChildren, doctors among dead in rebel-held areas. When the so-called cease fire in Syria does ultimately collapse, we know what happens next: more barrel bombs and slaughter of the innocent by the murderous regime of Bashar Assad more Russian bombing of moderate forces, including those trained by the United Statesmore refugees pouring out of the country and exacerbating the greatest refugee crisis since the end of World War IIgreater instability on the borders of our partners and alliesand ultimately a stronger ISIL that will benefit from the chaos left behind.

For seven years, weve watched peace hopes unravel time and time again under a President focused more on withdrawing than succeeding. Whats unfortunately clear is this President has no strategy to successfully reverse the tide of slaughter and mayhem in a world that Director of National Intelligence General James Clapper says has not faced more crises and more refugees than we confront today.

The rules-based international order forged by a group of American leaders out of the ashes of World War II is under assault. Those that were there in the beginning recalled that they were "present at the creation." If we remain on our present course, we may well look back and realize that we were present at the unraveling.



Under this Administration, weve been on a holiday from American leadership. Too often, President Obama has adopted a cheap fatalism about Americas role in the world. No matter the challenge, were told that there are no good options, that our influence is limited, that we will not succeed overnight, that there is no military solution, and that we cant solve every problem. These are truisms, but none of them absolve us of our responsibility to make the situation better where we can. And the results of our failure to do so are clear to see.

Vladimir Putin is learning from bloody experience in Ukraine and Syria that military adventurism pays, that diplomacy can be manipulated to serve his strategic ambitions, and that the worst refugee crisis since World War II can be weaponized to divide the West and weaken its resolve. The only deterrence that we seem to be establishing is over ourselves. Indeed, two years after Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea, President Obama has shamefully refused to provide Ukrainian forces with the lethal assistance they need to defend themselves.



China is behaving less like a great power, and more like a petty bully. But time and time again, President Obama has failed to take timely action to defend our interests and our allies fearing China might be less likely to cooperate on priorities he thought were more important, like climate change and the reckless Iran nuclear deal. And as a result, Chinas increasingly assertive behavior continuescyberattacks, economic espionage and theft, militarization of one of the worlds most important waterways, and coercion of our regional allies and partners.



The Middle East is descending into chaos. But for the past seven years, President Obama has sought to scale back Americas involvement in, and commitment to, the Middle East. He has tried to convince us that the unfolding crisis in the Middle East is simply a local problemthat our nations core interests are not truly threatenedand that the consequences of regional instabilityhundreds of thousands dead in Syria, the collapse of Libya, sectarian strife in Iraqall of these can be mitigated and contained.



But the crisis in the Middle East has not been contained. Its reached the streets of Paris, Brussels, and San Bernardino. Its produced a refugee crisis that has destabilized Europe and divided the West. Its given Vladimir Putin an opportunity to reassert Russia as a global power through intervention in Syria. And it has led Americas friends and foes around the world to distrust our word, question our resolve, and doubt our commitment.



Nowhere is this clearer than in the war against ISIL. We have achieved some tactical and operational success against ISIL thanks to the excellence of our military leadership and our troops on the ground. But at a strategic level, we always seem to be a step behind, a day late, and a dollar short. ISIL has taken the strategic offensive: launching sophisticated attacks into the heart of western civilization and deepening its presence in Libya. With thousands of terrorists and training camps, and reports of external attack plotting in that country, we see all the warning signs that existed in Afghanistan on September 10, 2001. Once again, the Presidents response has been reactive, slow, and insufficient. Our military service members serving in Iraq and Syria deserve better.



President Obamas failed policies of the last seven years have placed us in a tragic rut once described by Winston Churchill: "Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gongthese are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history."

President Reagan was fond of saying that America has never faced a problem because it was too strong. Thats how he won the Cold War without firing a shot. The threats America faces have changed since then, but the need for American strength is the same as it ever was. If history has taught us anything, it is that while America cannot solve all the worlds problems, none of its problems will be solved without American leadership. We canand mustreturn to the principle of peace through strength for the sake of our men and women who are serving and the security of our nation. Thank you.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
A teenager with just four fingers gained so much attention online for his talent on the piano that he was invited by a renowned international pianist to play at Manhattan's iconic Carnegie Hall.

Darrius Simmons, a 15-year-old from Warren, Ohio, was born with three fingers on his right hand and one finger on his left, and no bones below both knees.

He taught himself to play the piano at 10 years old when his grandfather introduced him to the instrument, he told NBC 4 New York, and learned to make his prosthetic legs press the right pedal.

Recently, Simmons began posting videos of himself playing onto Facebook, and they got the attention of Korean pianist Yiruma, who was about to perform at Carnegie Hall on April 22 as part of his first North American tour, the boy said.

"He saw it and invited me to play with him," Simmons told NBC 4 New York over the phone.

Yiruma told Simmons during their first meeting, "All those determination and all that, I learn from you, really," reports Ohio news station WFMJ, which followed Simmons to New York for his performance. "I have so many things that can be learned from you."

"It's just amazing. How can you do that? All those jumps, you must find it really difficult?" said Yiruma after watching the teen play in person.

Simmons replied, "It's not that difficult to me, honestly."

New York concertgoer Kirk Aleman told WFMJ that Simmons' performance "blew me out of the water."

"It was very exciting," Simmons told NBC 4 New York of playing at the storied venue last Friday.

Simmons said he learned to play the piano simply by listening to music and mimicking the notes on the keys.

"I listen to a lot of songs repetitively, over and over, and I guess by doing that, I developed an ear. I can play a lot of music by ear," he said.

His mother said her son has never been inhibited by not having 10 fingers. She said he's been playing instruments at home, at church and at school.

Now that Yiruma has advised Simmons to start working on his own music, "I'm really going to take what he said to heart and compose my own stuff," he told WFMJ.
Dallas police say a boy who went missing after school Friday has been found safe.

Deontre Larry Coleman walked away from his school at about 2:30 p.m. Friday in the 3000 block of Green Meadow Drive, police said.

The department said Saturday Coleman was found safe.

No further information was released.
Dallas police say a resident fatally shot a suspected burglar early Saturday morning.

Police said a man arrived home to find three men stealing from his house in the 2400 block of Bickers Road shortly before 1:30 a.m.

According to police, the resident opened fire on the men, shooting two of them.

Officers found 17-year-old Keanu Wilson dead on the scene. Michael Allen, 18, was struck and taken to Parkland Hospital in stable condition.

Allen will be charged with burglary and taken into custody after he recovers, police said.

A third burglary suspect ran away. It's unclear if he was hurt.

The resident of the townhouse was questioned, and no charges are pending.
Nearly two weeks after the murder of Midlothian fitness instructor Missy Bevers, investigators searching for her killer will spend the weekend at home with their families.

The announcement was made Friday evening in an email from Midlothian Assistant Police Chief Kevin Johnson.

"We've arrived at a point where I think it's best to allow investigators a bit of a break so they can rest and recover. We will have a small crew over the weekend working the tips line, conducting some follow up, and working on some miscellaneous duties," Johnson wrote. "Unless information is received that requires immediate follow up, I would not expect significant news over the weekend. We will return from the weekend fresh and ready to carry on."

Bevers, 45, died April 18 after she was attacked inside the Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian. The mother of three had arrived at the church around 4 a.m. to prepare for her early-morning Camp Gladiator fitness class.

Investigators have been working feverishly, pouring through tips and vetting potential leads in an effort to find Bevers' killer. With no known suspects it appears police are no closer to an arrest.

The lack of credible leads has not kept the case from taking a strange twist.

On Wednesday Bevers' husband, Brandon Bevers, and her father-in-law, Randy Bevers, spent nearly an hour explaining to investigators why Randy Bevers had dropped off an apparently blood-stained shirt at a dry-cleaning business four days after the killing. The family said the blood came from a family dog.

Midlothian police said they're investigating new leads with the help of the Arlington Police Department, ATF, FBI and the Texas Rangers.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the department's tip line at 972-775-7624. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward and can also remain anonymous by contacting Ellis County Crime Stoppers at 972-937-PAYS (7297).
Iraqi officials declared a state of emergency in Baghdad after hundreds of protesters climbed over the blast walls surrounding the city's highly-fortified Green Zone for the first time on Saturday and stormed into parliament.

The breach marked a major escalation in the country's political crisis following months of anti-government protests, sit-ins and demonstrations by supporters of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The Green Zone is home to most ministries and foreign embassies and has long been the focus of al-Sadr's criticism of the government.

"Iraq security authorities have declared a state of emergency in Baghdad," Brig. Gen. Saad Mann, a spokesman for the Iraqi military told NBC News. "All gates that lead to Baghdad are closed. No one is allowed to enter into Baghdad, only those who want to leave Baghdad can do so."

A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the American Embassy in Baghdad was not being evacuated, contrary to local reports.

Earlier Saturday, al-Sadr accused Iraqi politicians of blocking political reforms aimed at combating corruption and waste. While al-Sadr didn't call for an escalation to the protests, shortly after his remarks his supporters began scaling the compound's walls. A group of young men then pulled down a section of concrete blast walls to cheers from the crowd of thousands gathered in the streets outside.

Cellphone video uploaded to social media showed dozens of young men running through the halls of parliament, chanting slogans in support of al-Sadr and calling for the government to disband.

"We are all with you (al-Sadr)," one group of men yelled as the entered the building's main chamber.

Increasingly tense protests and a series of failed reform measures have paralyzed Iraq's government as the country struggles to fight the Islamic State group and respond to an economic crisis sparked in part by a plunge in global oil prices.

A broad-based protest movement last summer mobilized millions and pressured Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to submit a proposal to reduce the size of the Cabinet and replace political appointees with independent technocrats.

But that proposal has been stalled in the face of Iraq's entrenched political blocs, and in recent months al-Sadr's movement has come to monopolize the protests.

Earlier on Saturday, a bombing in a market filled with Shiite civilians in Baghdad killed at least 21 people and wounded at least 42 others, according to police and hospital officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

ISIS claimed the attack, saying it used a three-ton truck bomb. The extremist group regularly carries out attacks targeting the security forces and the country's Shiite majority.

This is a developing story.
Donald Trump took his outsider campaign to the inner sanctum of California's Republican party on Friday, making his case directly to the GOP's state party convention even as angry demonstrators shadowed him outside in a possible harbinger of the controversy he will bring as the nominating process shifts toward the nation's most populous and diverse state.

Trump spoke for about 30 minutes in a basement banquet hall in this town just outside San Francisco airport. It was the sort of small-scale interaction with party activists and donors that he has generally eschewed for grander rallies. Trump came to make his pitch as the nominating calendar moves toward its end-game in California, which with 172 delegates at stake on June 7 could decide the GOP presidential nomination.

The billionaire front-runner told Republicans they needed to come together after their divisive primary but also delivered a warning. "There has to be unity in our party," Trump said. "Would I win -- can I win -- without it? I think so, to be honest with you, because they're going to be voting for me" -- and not the party, he added.

Trump supporters snapped up tickets to the luncheon and cheered heartily for their candidate from a ring of tables around the perimeter of the ballroom. But Trump's speech got an icier reception from the party veterans and donors who sat just beneath the stage, separated from the rest of the room by a rope.

"We all listened politely," said Gregory Gandrud, an activist and donor from Santa Barbara County who backs Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Kasich spoke to the convention Friday evening, and Sen Ted Cruz and his new vice presidential pick Carly Fiorina, address it on Saturday. All three candidates are looking to galvanize supporters, sway undecided party members or poach from rival campaigns at the convention. "It's going to be a free-for-all," predicted the state party vice chairman, Harmeet Dhillon.

That label clearly applied to Trump's Orange County rally Thursday night, which filled the Pacific Amphitheatre to its capacity of about 8,000, with many hundreds more turned away.

Protests that stayed mostly peaceful during the event grew in size and anger afterward. Police in riot gear and on horseback pushed the crowd back and away from the arena; one Trump supporter had his face bloodied in a scuffle as he tried to drive away. One man jumped on a police car, leaving its front and rear windows smashed and the top dented, and other protesters sprayed graffiti on a police car and the venue's marquee.

About 20 people were arrested, said the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

On Friday, hundreds of demonstrators pushed to the front doors of the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame before being moved back by police in riot gear. Some protesters infiltrated the hotel building and hung a giant banner reading, "Stop Hate." The Secret Service led Trump in through a rear entrance to the hotel. Trump joked that as he crawled under a fence to get in he "felt like I was crossing the border."

Hours later, Kasich framed the chaos as a warning sign to his party. "Did you see what happened today?" he said during a news conference. "People chaining themselves to a fence. Do you see what's happening?"

Trump's remaining rivals can't beat him in what's left of the primary season. Their only hope is to deny him a majority of delegates heading into the July convention and wrestle for the prize in multiple ballots there.

But questions persist in the party  nationally and in California  about Trump's electability in the fall and his conservative credentials. The demonstrations showed how polarizing Trump can be, especially in a state where Republicans have become marginalized because they failed to attract growing immigrant populations. Trump's viewed warily by two camps here -- those that want to grow the party and those who view some of Trump's positions betrayals of the conservative movement.

The convention crowd defies expectation in a state known as a Democratic fortress. There have been pushes toward moderation, but the group tends toward conservative leanings and favors calls for free markets, tax cuts and shrinking the size of government. It's also socially conservative: The state party's platform defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and wants the Supreme Court's affirmation of abortion rights reversed.

Trump has spoken favorably about Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion services. He has warned against cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, often targets for conservatives who want to slow government spending. While he will likely spend much of the next month in the state, he's unlikely to be back during the general election, when California would return to its reliably Democratic status.

Still, Trump was a popular draw at a brief VIP reception where he posed for pictures with party stalwarts. He later joked about having mud and dirt smeared all over him from his unorthodox entrance during the photo session, and many in the banquet hall laughed heartily.

Henri Houdre was thrilled to see Trump live. "We see him as that alpha kid in high school with the leather jacket and slicked-back hair who everybody wants to be," said Houdre, an 18-year-old college student from San Francisco.

Trump's call to unity resonated with some. "That's the thing every Republican needs to keep in mind, that we're the same team," said Kevin Krick, the Bay Area regional vice chairman for the party.

Kersti Buchanan, 70, a retired translator and party activist from Mendocino County who backs Kasich, was shocked at all of Trump's supporters -- and by the candidate's speech itself.

"He's probably the most narcissistic person I've ever listened to," Buchanan said. "It was fairly shocking to see this many people who are eating it all up."

The California primary will award 172 delegates. Trump now has 996 delegates, Cruz has 565 and Kasich has 153, according to the AP's delegate count. It takes 1,237 to clinch the nomination.
A tornado in East Texas caused severe damage and left some people injured Friday evening, as storms snaked their way across northern and eastern Texas.

The tornado, spotted shortly before 6 p.m. Friday, caused severe damage to a variety store and a sporting goods store in Lindale, about 85 miles east of Dallas.

People who gathered inside Hibbett Sports, which took a direct hit, said they gathered in a central room inside the store as the walls and roof collapsed. Everyone got out OK.

Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith says there are reports of several injuries, though the extent of those injuries isn't yet known. Smith says fallen tree limbs and power lines are slowing first-responders.

One driver shot video as floodwaters washed out a culvert and the road and swept it all downstream,

Outside Lindale, the tornado just milled Stacey Kirkham's farm house.

"About that time I felt the pressure in my ears change, ears started popping," Kirkham said."Then we just heard all this racket and banging on the outside walls and we were in there a good while."

The Mayor of Lindale says he has issued a disaster declaration. The Red Cross has sent workers to Lindale to open a shelter for people displaced by the storm.

In nearby Upshur County, 15 to 20 homes have been reported damaged or destroyed in a rural area near Big Sandy, about 20 miles northeast of Lindale, said sheriff's dispatcher Jeremy Henderson. There were no immediate reports of injuries there.

Elsewhere, at least one tornado was spotted briefly in the Sherman-Denison area of Texas just across the Red River from southern Oklahoma. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from that twister.
A former "Power Rangers" actor who was charged with killing his roommate with a sword last year appeared in court Friday.

Ricardo Medina was arrested in January on suspicion of stabbing his roommate, Joshua Sutter, several times in the abdomen a year earlier at their house in Green Valley, California.

Alan Bell, Medina's attorney, said he will plead not guilty when he returns to court in July.

Bell said prosecutors presented him with new evidence that will take time to go through. In the meantime, he said his client remains away from the general population in the county jail because of his celebrity status.

"He looks well. He'd be happy if he was out of jail, but he understands there's a process and he's caught up in it," Bell said.

Attorneys for Medina said he acted in self-defense, claiming Joshua Sutter was the instigator the night Medina stabbed him with a sword.

The victim's father Donald Sutter, however, does not believe it.

"I know what was in his heart, and people with good hearts don't do anything like that. The reverse person does," he said.

The victim's family flew in from Minnesota to be at the trial in Lancaster.

"The guy's a piece of garbage, and he deserves whatever he gets," Donald Sutter said. "I've died everyday since."
Authorities have rescued eight unsupervised children from a San Antonio home where a 2-year-old boy was chained to the ground in the backyard and a 3-year-old girl was tied to a door with a dog leash, sheriff's officials said Friday.

Deputies arrived at the home after receiving a call just before midnight about a child crying for a long time, Bexar County Sheriff's Office spokesman James Keith said. The deputies didn't get a response when they knocked on the front door, and when they looked in the backyard they discovered the two restrained children.

"It's sickening. To call this horrific would be an understatement," he said.

The boy had a metal chain strapped around his ankle, with the other end of the chain fixed to the ground, Keith said, adding: "It was the same kind of setup you would use for a dog." Both children were taken to the hospital, and the girl was being treated for a broken arm, he said.

Deputies later found six unsupervised children inside the house on San Antonio's northeast side. Two people identified as parents of those six children arrived later and were taken into custody for questioning, Keith said. The children, between the ages of 10 months and 13 years, were placed in the care of child welfare authorities.

The mother of those six children, 34-year-old Porucha Phillips, was later arrested, Keith said. He said Phillips was being held at a county magistrate's office facing two charges of injury to a child by omission. One of the charges alleges serious bodily injury.

Keith said authorities believe that Phillips was also responsible for the two children found outside. It was unclear if Phillips had an attorney, and The Associated Press couldn't immediately find a working phone number for her or the home.

The local district attorney's office didn't immediately return a message seeking comment, and the name of the father hasn't been released.

The two children found confined in the backyard also are in the temporary custody of child welfare workers. Keith said the boy and girl are believed to be siblings, and that authorities were "actively trying to find their parents."
A pair of crooks responsible for dozens of car burglaries in South Florida have been arrested, authorities said.

The Broward Sheriff's Office said the thieves have been linked to 40 car burglaries in Pembroke Park and 64 in Pembroke Pines.

Just before 3:30 a.m. April 29, a deputy saw two males, Isaac Destin, 18, and a 17-year-old, putting various items into a gray Nissan Rogue in the parking lot of La Estancia Townhomes in Pembroke Park.

Destin matched the description of an unidentified suspect captured by security cameras on April 7 allegedly burglarizing a victim's car at an apartment complex in the 3700 block of Southwest 48th Avenue in Pembroke Park.

The deputy approached the two suspects and noticed a 12-gauge pistol grip shotgun, a revolver and an AK-47 drum magazine in the car and in plain view. There was also a large amount of cash on the front seat of the car, according to BSO.

The pistol grip shotgun had been reported stolen earlier in the night from a car in Pembroke Pines.

BSO said a search of the suspect's residence revealed cash, narcotics and numerous stolen items that were successfully tied to various open cases. Detectives also recovered an additional loaded firearm, reported stolen out of Pembroke Pines.

Destin faces 23 charges including grand theft of a firearm, burglary, petit theft criminal mischief, grand theft and possession of cannabis.

The 17-year-old male was charged with grand theft of a firearm.

BSO said both suspects are likely to face additional charges as the investigation continues. It's unknown whether they have attorneys.
Businessman and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will be sharing his thoughts with students graduating from the University of Michigan.

Bloomberg delivers the spring commencement address on Saturday at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

Bloomberg, who now serves the United Nations as its secretary-general's special envoy for cities and climate change, will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. The school says he is among five people recommended for honorary degrees this spring.

According to the university, about 9,100 students were applying to graduate following the winter 2016 term.
Police in a Long Island community are warning residents about a burglar getting into homes using stolen garage remotes.

Suffolk Police say they're investigating two reports of similar burglaries in Hauppauge, one on Dale Court and one on Janet Court.

In each case, the burglar opened an unlocked car parked in the driveway to get the garage remote, then opened the garage to get into the home, police said.

The thief managed to take items from one home, but left without taking anything in the other.

One of the victims, Marie DiGangi, said her husband woke up Thursday morning to find the garage door and the family room door connected to the garage open. The drawers and closets were all left open.

It didn't appear that the intruder took anything.

"I'd like to ask him that question, why he made a mess and he left and he didn't take anything," she said.

"He invaded my home, where you're supposed to be safe, and I want him caught," she said.

DiGangi admitted she should have been more vigilant.

"We were a little complacent. We forgot to lock one of the cars that night, and this is what could happen," she said. "I guess we all have to be more vigilant and be aware of what's around us. And if you see anything in the middle of the night, people walking or something, call the police."

Residents should always lock their cars and home entrances to garages, and keep garage remotes out of sight, police said.

"So often we find burglars commit crimes of opportunity. They're not looking to break a window, they're not looking to damage property, they don't want to cause noise," said a Suffolk police official at a news conference Friday. "So they look for vehicles that are unlocked, homes that are unlocked, windows that are open."

The official said the heroin epidemic in Suffolk has prompted associated crimes like burglaries and break-ins.

"A lot of the crimes we experience in Suffolk County are associated with the opioid epidemic, and they're trying to steal money to fuel their addiction," said the official.
A Texas police chief vacationing in New York City intervened in a fight between an alleged thief and a store security officer on the street, and helped arrest the suspect, the NYPD said.

Sean Ford, chief of the Sunset Valley Police Department in the Austin area of Texas, says he was strolling along Fifth Avenue and headed to Central Park when he encountered a scuffle near 58th Street, in front of the Plaza Hotel.

Police said a store employee followed the suspect out of the Abercrombie & Fitch store after he allegedly swiped a fragrance bottle and chased him down Fifth Avenue.

The suspect was swinging at the employee and no one appeared to be helping, even as the struggle became more violent, Ford said.

"Everybody was standing around taking pictures," he said.

Ford's instincts kicked in and he helped break up the fight, holding down the suspect until police arrived, he said.

"I got the guy, told him I was a police officer and took him to the wall, held him there until NYPD could get there," Ford said.

"The officers that responded were amazing, as usual. Just what we would expect and what the rest of the nation looks up to."

The NYPD tweeted a message of thanks to Ford, who now says he feels a little bit more like a New Yorker.

"I probably would not have wanted to do it this way," Ford said, laughing. "But I'm glad I was there and then I got to meet some of the great guys from New York."

The alleged 26-year-old shoplifter was taken to the Midtown North precinct stationhouse on a larceny charge. He's expected to be arraigned overnight or on Saturday morning.
Two men from Connecticut were charged Saturday morning with trespassing after climbing onto a beam of the Brooklyn Bridge in order to take photos of the sunrise, authorities said.

An officer responded to a 6:10 a.m. report about two men who were on a beam over the roadway on the Brooklyn side of the bridge, according to police.

The officer talked to the pair, who claimed they wanted to watch the sunrise and take photographs, police said. They were taken into custody without incident.

Sean Cody, 25, Southport, and Scott Lockett, 24, of New Canaan, each face charges of criminal trespass and reckless endangerment, police said. There was no available information about whether they had obtained lawyers who could speak on their behalf.

Many people in the past have been arrested for breaching the bridge.

Last September, an Argentinian tourist was arrested on trespassing charges after he was caught attempting to scale the bridge. The man was identified as 23-year-old Jorge Arredondo.

In August, a University of Tennessee student was arrested after he posted a selfie from atop the span, and in November, 2014, French tourist Yonathin Souid climbed the bridge to take photos. Russian tourist Yaroslav Kolchin also climbed a beam in August, 2014.

On July 22, 2014, two bleached-white American flags were found planted on the bridge span. Two German artists claimed they'd installed the flags as part of a project to celebrate the German engineer who designed the bridge.
An argument between two friends over taking too long to get ready to go out led to a stabbing inside a Center City hotel, according to police.

Police responded to the Embassy Suites on 1776 Ben Franklin Parkway Saturday around 1 a.m. for a reported stabbing. When they arrived they were met by a 24-year-old man who claimed he had been stabbed by his friend, 24-year-old Tyress Salmon.

The man told police he and Salmon began arguing earlier over not getting ready fast enough to go out to the club. The argument turned physical and Salmon then took out a razor and cut the victim across the neck, causing a laceration, police said.

The victim was taken to Hahnemann Hospital and is currently in stable condition. Salmon, who is from the Bronx, New York, was arrested and charged with attempted criminal homicide, aggravated assault, simple assault and other related offenses.




A group of teenagers are being hailed for their honesty after they returned an envelope with $5,000 cash found near a bank parking lot in City of Industry.

While walking home after hanging out at the Puente Hills Mall, three friends and students at Wilson High in Hacienda Heights spotted something that piqued their interest: a little bag lying in the ground in the mall parking lot near East West Bank.

"We thought it was very strange and out of place so I slowly opened it," said 17-year-old Alfonso Herrera.

What they found was an envelope with about $5,000 in cash.

"I was expecting it to be nothing in there and I saw all the money and was like, 'Oh my God!' " said Cassandra Figueroa, 17.

"We started freaking out, like, 'What do we do?'" said Josh Lliteras, 17.

The teens briefly thought about keeping the cash, pondering on Disneyland passes, iPhones and other things they could buy. But as they started counting it, their conscious kicked in.

"That could have been someone's rent," said Figueroa.

After discussing what they should do, the friends decided to return the money. The bank was closed for the day so they turned the cash over to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Industry station.

The sheriff's department honored the three teens with proclamations for doing the right thing.

"You guys could have easily divided the money three ways and nobody would've known," LA County Sheriff's Capt. Tim Murakami told the teens. "Since you guys are so honest, I need to be honest too: When I was 17, I don't know if I would've done what you guys did."

So far, no one has claimed the cash. There's an official waiting period, but once that is over, if no one has come forward, the money will be divided among the three teenagers.

The rightful owner of the money found can reach LASD's Industry Station at 626-330-3322.
Moms tend to be traditional, so this Mothers Day, treat your Mama to brunch at one of these iconic, tried and true spots in San Diego.

Hotel Del Coronado

9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 1500 Orange Ave. (Coronado)

You cant go wrong with Mothers Day brunch at The Del. The fancy champagne brunch buffet is served in the hotels Crown Room from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and in the ocean view Ballroom from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year, the menu includes starters like Gruyere Cheese Fondue and Artisan Bread, a build-your-own Granola Bar, salads and all kinds of seafood entrees, prime rib, lobster and an extensive selection of desserts. A childrens buffet will also be served for the little ones. Call ahead for reservations  (619) 522-8490  or book your table online. Prices start at $110 per adult and $43 per child.

The Prado Restaurant

10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 1549 El Prado (Balboa Park)

Moms love the park  especially Balboa Park. Treat Mom to a champagne buffet brunch at The Prado Restaurant in the heart of Balboa Park, served from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The buffet includes omelets, a pancake station, salads, a hot food station (salmon, chicken, short ribs, etc.), a chilled seafood display and lots of pastries and sweets. Make reservations in advance by calling (619) 557-9441, ext. 1. Brunch costs $64.95 for adults and $16.95 for kids ages 6 to 12. Kids under 6 are free.

Bertrand at Mister A's

10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2550 5th Ave., #406 (Uptown)

Brunch with a breathtaking view, the three-course Mothers Day menu at Mister As will be served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will include your choice of starters like Maryland Blue Crab Cakes or Housemade Crepes, followed by decadent dishes like Lamb Osso Bucco or Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Waffles. For dessert, selections include Traditional Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee with Fresh Berries or a Trio of Donuts. Reservations can be made by calling (619)239-1377. This holiday brunch session costs $64.50 per person.

The US GRANT

11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 326 Broadway (Downtown)

Luxury-meets-history with this Mothers Day meal at The US Grant hotel in the heart of downtown San Diego. The buffet includes bottomless mimosas, breakfast specialties, an omelet bar, seasonal sides, carved prime meats, seafood delicacies and sweet treats. This brunching experience also includes live jazz tunes for a smooth, relaxing morning for Mom. Take a peek at the menu here. Reservations are required; call (619) 744-2039

Harbor House

10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 831 West Harbor Dr. (Seaport Village)

Brunch with a waterfront view never gets old. Celebrate Mom with this scrumptious spread at Harbor House in Seaport Village, which includes ceviche, breakfast dishes, paella, souffle and a dessert station. Reservations are highly recommended; call (619) 232-1141. Brunch is $32.95 for adults and $14.95 for kids. Drinks are an additional cost.

Bali Hai

9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2230 Shelter Island Dr. (Shelter Island)

Whisk off Mom to a Polynesian paradise of sorts with Sunday brunch at The Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island. The mouthwatering Bali Hai brunch menu includes free-flowing champagne with juice mixers, breakfast items (Brioche French Toast, Char Siu Steam Buns, etc.), lunch dishes (Spic y Miso Salmon, Huli Huli Chicken), a cold seafood bar, made-to-order stir fry, a make-your-own pho station and desserts. Make reservations via phone at (619) 222-1181. Brunch costs $38 for adults and $18 for children ages 6 to 12. Kids under 5 eat free.

The Marine Room

11 a.m. to 7 p.m., 2000 Sprindrift Dr. (La Jolla)

Watch the waves crash against The Marine Rooms windows as Mom enjoys a special Mothers Day menu boasting an array of a la carte items including appetizers, desserts and entrees such as Maple Farm Duck Casserole, Malahat Rum Basted Maine Lobster Tail and Center Cut Black Angus Filet Mignon. Mothers Day menu pricing starts at $13 for desserts, $15 and up for appetizers and $34 and up for main courses. Make reservations online or by calling (866) 644-2351.

L'Auberge Del Mar

10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1540 Camino Del Mar (Del Mar)

LAuberge Del Mar will go all out for Mothers Day with a special brunch at Coastline, set against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean. The spread includes omelets, a sushi station, cast-iron creations like Lemon Glazed Salmon and lots of other tasty offerings. Reservations are highly recommended; call (858) 793-6460 to snag your spot. Brunch is priced at $90 per adult and $30 for children 12 and under.

The Westgate Hotel

10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 1055 2nd Ave. (Downtown)

The Westgate Hotel will celebrate Mom with a dreamy, Parisian-style brunch served in the hotels Fontainebleaau and Versailles salons. The menu includes fresh seafood, carving and crepe stations and baked breads and pastries. The hotels Imperial Bar will serve freshly-squeezed juices and endless champagne, mimosas, Bloody Marys and margaritas. Make reservations by calling (619) 557-3655. The price is $79 for adults and $39.50 for children under 12.

Tom Hams Lighthouse

9 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., 2150 Harbor Island Dr. (Harbor Island)

Tom Hams Lighthouse is all booked up for Mothers Day brunch, but the restaurant will accept walk-ins on a first come, first serve basis. The brunch set-up includes breakfast, seafood, greens, a raw bar with crab legs and oysters (among other things) and, of course, free-flowing champagne. Tom Hams is one of the best-known architectural local landmarks on San Diego Bay (aka Beacon No. 9 on USCG Nautical Maps), and certainly offers picturesque vista of the bay. Brunch is $42 for adults and $16 for children ages 6 to 12.
A classroom in Vista received a visit from one of the country's last surviving Tuskegee Airmen Friday.

Lt. Col Robert Friend, 96, visited Beaumont Elementary in north San Diego County to share his story with students in teacher Judy Parkers fifth grade class.

During a sharing project at school, student Robert James Friend brought in pictures and told his class that his great-grandfather was a Tuskegee air pilot in World War II.

Tuskegee Airmen was a group comprised of pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and staff. They were the first African Americans service men allowed to fly for the U.S. military.

I thought that was super fascinating, Park said. We talked more about it I found out that he was able to come speak to our class, so we invited him.

Robert James invited his great grandpa to come share his experience with his classmates.

Park saw this as a great learning opportunity that would become a lifelong memory for her students. She said the kids were very excited to meet someone who played a meaningful role in history. The class did research on the Tuskegee pilots to prepare for Friends visit.

Its a huge honor to have him here, Park said.

Friends great-grandson read an introduction about his great-grandfather to his classmates before playing a video about the Tuskegee Airmen.

After the presentation, Friend shared stories about his experience as an airman and signed autographs.

Hes a wonderful man, said Robert James. Its such an honor to be related to a person that was in World War II.

Friend says hes very proud to say his great-grandfather was one of the first African-American pilots in World War II.
For Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, winning the Virginia primary in March was an important step in the process, but two months later, a new Trump versus Ted Cruz battle is playing out in the commonwealth.

The Virginia GOP convention got off to a raucous start Friday. It's a scaled down version of what some Republicans envision if there is a contested national convention in July.

A contested convention is what former Loudoun County Delegate David Ramadan wants. Hes firmly in the never Trump camp.

Based on principles, Trump in my mind is not a conservative and not a Republican, and yes, Im a never Trump, he said.

Virginias convention may matter because Virginia sends 49 delegates to the national convention. On the first ballot, all must proportionally reflect the vote of the March 1 primary. But if there is a contested convention and a second ballot, those delegates are unbound and can vote for the candidate of their choice. Thirteen of the delegates will be chosen Saturday, and Ted Cruz supporters are trying to win a majority of them. Ramadan expects Cruz to win at least 10 of them.

Trump supporter Isabella Hale is convinced Trump will wrap things up well before the convention.

Hes the presumptive nominee and Im going with it, she said.

Del. Tim Hugo (R-Fairfax County) believes that even though Virginia Republicans are still in a fierce fight, the party wont splinter.

In the end, I'm fully convinced the people will say we've had our differences, that was a fight within the family, now it's time to get onto the general election, he said. Hillary Clinton has got to be defeated.
A former high-level official for the Federal Emergency Management Agency could be headed to prison for the rest of his life after being sentenced to 35 years in prison for sexually abusing a preteen girl.

Former FEMA spokesman James McIntyre, 63, was posted in Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He left the agency last year shortly after he was charged with abusing a girl on multiple occassions.

McIntyre, a resident of Fairfax, Virginia, pleaded guilty in Fairfax County Circuit Court in November 2015 to six charges including aggravated sexual battery, animate object penetration and forcible sodomy.

The investigation of McIntyre began after a school counselor reported the alleged abuse to Child Protective Services. Fairfax City police were contacted.

If McIntyre is released from prison after servng his sentence, he will be on three years of supervised probation and must wear a GPS monitor.
A former Prince George's County Board of Education member got probation for stealing school lunches.

Lynette Mundey applied for and received $1,700 in free lunches between 2010 and 2015 even though her income was much higher than the $40,000 cut-off point for the program, NBCWashington previously reported. During that time, her income was more $70,000.

Mundey was sentenced to 10 years all suspended, three years of supervised probation and 100 hours of community service, officials said. She was also and ordered to pay $346 in restitution.

Mundey worked for the Government Accountability Office, which uncovered the fraud in a routine investigation. Five other employees also defrauded the program for $11,432 in lunches, officials said.

We are pleased that Ms. Mundey has been held accountable for her actions and I hope this sends a message that this behavior will not be tolerated in Prince Georges County, Prince Georges County States Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said in a statement. This young woman had gainful employment and it is simply unacceptable to take food out of the mouths of children and families who truly cannot afford lunch.

The fraud was uncovered during a 2014 audit of the lunch program by the Government Accountability Office. The agency noticed several of its own employees received assistance from the program in Prince Georges County because they underreported their income or reported no income on their applications.

The other employees, Barbara Rowley, Jamilah Reid, Tracy Williams, Charlene Savoy and Terri Pinkney, were also found guilty of charges related to the incident.

Rowley, who pleaded guilty to making a false statement on a public assistance application, will be sentenced to three years suspended, three years probation, 50 hours of community service and $3,322 in restitution.

A jury found Reid guilty of felony theft, welfare fraud and related charges. Reid was sentenced to 10 years with all but 12 weekends suspended as well as five years probation, 100 hours of community service and $3,200 in restitution.

Williams was found guilty of felony theft, welfare fraud and related charges in a bench trial and was sentenced to three-and-a-half years suspended, three years probation and $2,146 in restitution.

Savoy pleaded guilty to felony theft and got probation before judgment, three years of unsupervised probation, 100 hours of community service and $781 in restitution.

Pinkney pleaded guilty to making a false statement on a public assistance application and got three years suspended, three years oprobation, 50 hours of community service and $1,737 in restitution. Charges against her husband were dropped when she confessed to submitting the false documents.
The mother of two boys found so badly beaten at a motel that emergency responders were left in tears was charged Friday with murder after one of them died.

Police alleged in a complaint that the 5-year-old who died was bound for about 22 hours in a wooded area and struck on his head and body, the Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News reported.

Investigators believe the boys were wrapped in sheets and beaten after one took food, said Middletown police Maj. Mark Hoffman, who called the case "horrific." He told the newspaper it was unclear whether weapons were used.

Officers responding to a 911 call Wednesday about an unresponsive child in a motel room found the boy with life-threatening injuries and discovered his 6-year-old brother also seriously hurt, in a bed and hidden under blankets, police said. Both were hospitalized.

Charges were upgraded Friday against their 26-year-old mother, Theresa Hawkins-Stephens, and a 29-year-old friend, identified by police as Rachael Bostian and in court records as Rachel Bostian. The women were jailed on one count of murder and two counts each of felonious assault and endangering children. A judge set each woman's bond at $1 million.

Bostian's mother, 56-year-old Ramona Bostian, also is charged with the assault and endangerment counts. Her bond is $500,000.

Their appointed lawyers couldn't be reached for comment. The office of Hawkins-Stephens' listed attorney, Juliette Gaffney Dame, said Dame was in court all day Friday and unavailable to take a call. A message was left for Ramona Bostian's lawyer, James Smith. A phone number for the third attorney, Charles McKinney, wasn't accepting messages.

Court records don't specify home addresses for the women, but Hoffman said they're from Licking County and had gone to Middletown in search of work.

They had camped in a clearing in the woods for several days and then were given a voucher from a social services agency to stay at the Parkway Inn Motel, the newspaper reported.

In the 911 call, the younger Bostian said that the 5-year-old boy escaped from a tent, disappeared for days and got "messed up" by three other boys and that the women didn't realize how badly he was hurt.

Police don't believe that narrative, Hoffman said.

He said no drugs were found at the campsite or in the women's motel room.
Until recently, Merle had never set a paw on solid ground, never felt the kind stroke of a human hand and never tasted a dog treat.

The mild-mannered mastiff mix was bred to become a South Korean dinner entree.

But he was spared that fate by the Humane Society International, which recently rescued Merle and more than 250 other canines from a dog-meat farm in Wonju. Merle was among the first to arrive at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center in Madison, New Jersey.

The center expects to receive about 120 of the rescued dogs, which will be available for adoption.

"We've had huskies, golden retriever, spitz, a variety of dogs from this farm," said Heather Cammisa, president at St. Hubert's.

Cammisa cautions anyone wanting to adopt one of the rescued dogs to keep in mind that they have spent their entire lives in cages. They will require training, understanding and love, she said.

The dogs are being rescued 11 weeks before South Korea celebrates Bok Nai, when large quantities of dog-meat "boshintang" stew are consumed.

Most South Koreans don't eat dog meat on a regular basis and young Koreans are particularly turning away from the practice. However, dog stew is widely popular during Bok Nai and served at thousands of restaurants specializing in the recipe.

"In our experience, many dog-meat farmers are keen to leave this business behind them, and come under increasing pressure from their children to end dog breeding and killing," Humane Society campaign manager Andrew Plumbly said in a news release.

The Wonju farmer is one such individual. He contacted the Humane Society last year and asked for help to get out of the dog-meat business, Plumbly said.

The rescued dogs and puppies are being flown to shelters in the U.S. and Canada and will be available for adoption.

The Wonju farm is the fifth dog-meat farm that the international charity has helped close down.
You may not think the Back Bay would have a problem with rats - it's one of the richest sections of Boston - but it does, and city workers are now using dry ice to kill them.

Crews in the city have been burrowing holes and filling them with dry ice before covering them with dirt. When the rats enter those burrows, they die from asphyxiation.

City officials say this is a more humane method of killing than poison or rat traps.

PETA, however, disagrees. The group says the city shouldn't be killing rats at all.

"Fine with me. They spread germs," said Rachel Somer of Brookline, Massachusetts, in support of the dry ice resolution. "More dead, the better.

"Dry ice has an anesthetic effect, so that's a reasonable approach," said Fred Shapiro of Boston.

The Boston Department of Inspectional Services also says that dry ice is safer than poison, which can be ingested by children or other animals. Dry ice is also a cheaper alternative.
A Warwick, Rhode Island, man is facing charges for allegedly setting up video cameras in the men's restroom at the Providence train station and recording multiple men using the stalls.

The Providence Journal reports 51-year-old Jose Torres is charged with video voyeurism. Police are investigating whether Torres may have set up video cameras in other locations.

Police say a janitor discovered four devices disguised as wall electrical sockets and light sensors while she was cleaning the restroom April 20. Police say the cameras had also recorded Torres. They say Amtrak surveillance video captured Torres entering and exiting the restroom.

Torres was arraigned April 21 and released on bail.

Calls to the Public Defender's Office seeking comment on the charges rang unanswered Saturday.

Online records didn't list a telephone number for Torres.
One rider of a motorized scooter was killed and another was injured in a crash with a duck boat in Boston Saturday, police confirm.

Authorities confirm a woman in her early 20s was operating the scooter, with a male passenger riding behind her.

Both victims were transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where the woman was pronounced dead. The passenger is expected to survive.

"Heart goes out to the family," said Morgan Ralph of Boston. "I heard she was young, so, you know, it's even tougher."

Including the driver, there were 30 people on board the duck boat at the time. They have been taken to the Boston Police Department for questioning.

Police say the incident appears to be a tragic accident. According to Boston Police Commissioner William Evans, both vehicles were apparently on Charles Street, turning right onto Beacon Street when the crash took place.

"We'll conduct an investigation to see why the contact took place here," said Evans.

The duck boat, named Fenway Fanny, is operated by Boston Duck Tours.

"We are still trying to learn what happened," spokesperson Cindy Brown said. "It is very early in the investigation. We are cooperating fully with Boston Police and everyone involved."

This is not the first deadly crash involving a duck boat. Back in September, a duck boat crash killed five people in Seattle. In May of 2015, a Texas woman was struck and killed by a duck boat in Philadelphia.
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Jaguar drove the long wheelbase (3,100mm in length), China exclusive version of its XF sedan (XF L) to the 2016 Beijing Motor Show.

The XF L tries to fulfil almost every wish of a luxury car seeker. Tailored to be chauffeur driven, the car has several upgrades such as a new air-cleaning ionisation system, a 17-speaker Meridian Surround Sound System, wifi, dual 8-inch screens, folding tables, heated/cooled seats and increased legroom for the rear seat occupants. There is an InControl Touch Pro infotainment system with a 10.2-inch touch-screen for the driver as well.

The sedan is offered with two engine options, namely a 2.0-litre motor and a 3.0-litre V6 supercharged engine. While the former is offered in two tunes of 200hp and 240hp, the latter is capable of churning out 340hp. An eight-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive is standard across the variants.

Recommended Read: Jaguars updated XF surfaces at the 2016 Auto Expo

The car is likely to go on sale in China in 2016 and will be assembled at the Chery Jaguar Land Rover manufacturing facility in Changshu (China). Dr Ralf Speth, chief executive officer at JLR said at the reveal, "China continues to be an important market for Jaguar Land Rover and we are delighted to introduce our first locally-built Jaguar here at the Beijing Auto Show. Designed exclusively for our discerning Chinese customers, the Jaguar XF L is bespoke to this market."

We would have liked it all the more provided Jaguar was bringing this version to India as well. Those who are interested in buying this specific version are left with no other option but to import it from the neighbouring country.

Source: CarDekho.com
Automobile giants like Mercedes, Toyota, Mahindra and General Motors appealed to the court that their high-end diesel cars with engine capacity of 2000 CC and above be allowed to be registered in National Capital Region.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court, on April 30, will be hearing petition on pollution issues including the plea of automobile giants like Mercedes, Toyota, Mahindra and General Motors that their high-end diesel cars with engine capacity of 2000 CC and above be allowed to be registered in National Capital Region.

The interim order banning registration of diesel-run vehicles with engine capacity of 2000 CC and above is in force till April 30.

A Bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice U U Lalit expressed its displeasure when Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar sought postponement of hearing on the ground that none of the law officers would be available on Saturday as they are going for a conference in Cuttack in Odisha.

"We have fixed the hearing on a non-working day and all the parties had agreed. We will take it up tomorrow. Ask one of your law officers to be here tomorrow," the bench said on April 29 while refusing to put the matter for hearing on some other Saturday.

The Bench told the Solicitor General that Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, who was present in the courtroom, be asked to appear on April 30.

"One or two law officers can be present," the bench said.

The Solicitor General has said there was a need for adjourning Saturday's hearing as all law officers would be participating in a conference of the Supreme Court Middle Income Group Legal Aid Society on the theme, "Providing legal Aid to Persons Belonging to Middle Income Group".

The bench said the date for April 30 was fixed after the judges concerned cancelled their prior enagagements.

"We had fixed it as many people wanted the hearing and they had agreed for hearing on a Saturday," the bench said while not accepting the plea that more than one advocate would be required as several ministries like industry and others are involved in it as issues relate to policy matters.

The apex court had on March 31 asked the stake holders to sit together and come out with "propositions" so that some solutions could be arrived at by holding a full-fledged hearing on Saturdays, a non-working day for the apex court, to save "judicial time".
Even as the health ministry remained firm on their decision, at many places the old stocks carrying older pictorial warnings were confiscated.

New Delhi: In what could be a major relief to tobacco manufactures, the ministry of law has suggested to the ministry of health to give a grace period of two months to tobacco manufacturers for clearing the remainder of the stocks carrying 40 per cent pictorial warnings on tobacco products.

While, the recent government notification, saying that 85 per cent of the display area should have pictorial warnings, came to effect from April 1, the health ministry had recently sought the ministry of laws opinion on the disposal of the stock pending with the manufacturers.

The ministry of law has suggested to give tobacco manufacturers a grace period of two months for clearing their stocks left with them as we had asked them if the manufactueres can be allowed to sell their stocks bearing the earlier warnings. Even as the law ministry opined giving them two months, we have further asked them to clarify their opinion as the existing law does not permit any grace period, reliable sources disclosed. The health ministry has yet not issued any directive on it.

According to the recent notification, all tobacco products must carry bolder pictorial health warnings. However, the Tobacco Institute of India (TII), a lobby group that represents 98 per cent of Indias cigarette industry, unanimously decided to shut all their cigarette factories with effect from April 1 citing ambiguity on the policy related to revision of Graphic Health Warnings on tobacco product packs.

Even as the health ministry remained firm on their decision, at many places the old stocks carrying older pictorial warnings were confiscated. There were also representations from the tobacco industry showing their concern on the remaining stock. We went to the law ministry for their opinion so that the existing stock can be utilised, added sources.

Meanwhile, consumption of tobacco has been an enormous health and economic burden for India. Data suggests that nearly 10 lakh Indians die annually (about 2,700 daily) from tobacco related diseases. Significantly, 50 per cent of all cancers in India are due to tobacco use. Highest numbers of oral cancer cases in the world occur in India and 90 per cent of these are tobacco related. Tobacco use is a leading cause of tuberculosis related mortality in India. 1,04,500 crore Indian rupees are spent on healthcare costs to treat tobacco related diseases.

Interestingly, there is no evidence to suggest that introduction of large warnings ever had any adverse effect on the livelihood of people, while there is ample evidence to prove that millions of people in India face economic and health hardship because of their present engagement in tobacco farming, manufacturing of tobacco products and related work.
On work front, Aamir is currently shooting for 'Dangal' which is based on the life of Indian wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat.

Mumbai: Celebrities dont just go around in luxury cars and chauffeured limos- they also like to take their hot wheels off for a ride. There are several celebrities who turn to a two-wheeled option, either while filming for a movie or just to have a bit of fun on the open road. Aamir Khan is the latest celebrity to have joined the bandwagon.

The 51-year-old actor recently purchased his first two wheeler but an interesting fact is that the bike has been manufactured from the scrap of INS Vikrant. It also has the alphabet `A' embossed on the tank.

INS Vikrant had played a key role in enforcing the naval blockade on East Pakistan during the Indo-Pak war of 1971. It was decommissioned in January 1997 and was preserved as a museum ship in Cuff Parade till 2012. Two years later, in January 2014, Vikrant was sold through an online auction to a Darukhana shipbreaker. On November 12, the Supreme Court gave its approval for the carrier to be scrapped.

On work front, Aamir is currently shooting for 'Dangal' which is based on the life of Indian wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, who trained his daughters to become professional wrestlers.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Partly cloudy early then becoming cloudy and windy this afternoon. High 77F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low 61F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Kangana alleged that Hrithik hacked into her account to delete a few emails, to avoid over- complicating his divorce proceedings with ex-wife Sussanne Khan.

Mumbai: After a series of legal statements, leaked emails and repeated summons from the Cyber Cell, Kangana Ranaut is yet to record her official statement. The actress statement is expected to throw some light on her ongoing legal tussle with Hrithik Roshan.

Read: Hrithik might not have hacked Kangana's email id: Cyber cell forensic team

According to reports, cops landed at Kanganas house to record her statement but they left in mere 15 minutes. It is believed that they probably went to intimate or summon the actress to record her statement today itself.

Read: 5 shocking revelations in Adhyayan's explosive interview about Kangana

Hrithik and Kanganas very public spat hinges partly on a crucial point of contention  emails. Ever since the details of the fight started spilling over in the public domain, a bunch of things have come to light  one of them being the curious case of hacked emails accounts.

Read: Sussanne Khan finally breaks her silence over Hrithik-Kangana controversy

Kangana has alleged that Hrithik sent her multiple emails to which she responded, only to be told that they were directed to an impostor posing as the star. Kangana further went on to say that Hrithik has hacked into her account to delete a few emails, to avoid over- complicating his divorce proceedings with ex-wife Sussanne Khan.

Leaked: Kanganas emails to Hrithik give a shocking new twist to the case

What started as a complaint by Hrithik against an alleged imposter has turned into an ugly public and legal battle between the two stars, with both coming up with allegations and counter-allegations against each other every other day.

Hrithik, the first to send the legal notice to Kangana, has demanded that she apologise in a press conference publicly and clear the air about their alleged affair which he firmly refutes. Kangana sent a counter-notice to the actor, alleging him of slut-shaming by circulating private mails and photos.
Improper functioning of the mitochondria, a cell's source of energy, may help account for the fact that African-American men with prostate cancer respond poorly to the same conventional therapies provided to Caucasian-American men, according to research led by Dhyan Chandra, PhD, Associate Professor of Oncology in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). The study was published online ahead of print in the British Journal of Cancer.

"In an earlier study, we provided the first evidence that African-American men possess reduced levels of mitochondrial genetic material in healthy prostate tissues, compared to Caucasian-American men. This new study highlights the importance of mitochondrial dysfunction as one of the main reasons for prostate cancer health disparities," says Dr. Chandra. "We conclude that the presence of severe mitochondrial dysfunction in African-American men with prostate cancer, compared with Caucasian men with the disease, would be one of the potential reasons for the increased cancer resistance to chemotherapy and the recurrence of disease."

Mitochondrial dysfunction is strongly linked to chemotherapeutic resistance leading to relapse of prostate cancer, but its effects can sometimes be overcome by treatment with the small molecule dichloroacetate. In prostate cancer cells from African-American men, dichloroacetate did not restore mitochondrial function to required levels.

This mitochondrial dysfunction within prostate cancer cells appears to make African-American men more resistant to current chemotherapy, putting them at greater risk for disease spread. The identification of new anticancer agents that would restore mitochondrial activity may result in better disease control, the researchers emphasize.

Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

"These findings may provide an explanation for the higher incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer among African-American men. African-American patients might get more positive outcomes after major restoration of mitochondrial function, which could improve the anticancer effects of therapy," adds Dr. Chandra.

"Although these findings are extremely insightful, more basic and clinical studies are needed to understand their impact in reaching our goal of eliminating the racial disparities in prostate cancer mortality," says co-author Willie Underwood, III, MD, MS, MPH, Associate Professor in the Department of Urology at Roswell Park.
Research into bladder tumour surgery has found that using narrow band imaging can significantly reduce the risk of disease recurrence.

The results of the clinical trial, published in European Urology, compared two groups of bladder cancer patients who were due to undergo bladder tumour resection surgery.

Only 5.6% of low-risk patients in the narrow band imaging (NBI) facilitated surgery group experienced a recurrence of bladder tumours in the 12 months following surgery, compared to 27.3% in those who underwent conventional TURBT (trans urethral resection of bladder tumours) surgery.

According to the World Cancer Research Fund, bladder cancer is the ninth most common cancer in the world, with 430,000 new cases diagnosed in 2012.

For patients with early bladder cancer, a specialist will remove the tumours from the bladder lining using a thin telescope called a cystoscope.

The trial, co-ordinated by the Clinical Research Office of the Endourological Society (CROES, Amsterdam), recruited 965 patients from 16 countries to be randomised to either conventional "white light" TURBT or NBI-facilitated bladder tumour surgery.

Mr Richard Bryan, from the University of Birmingham, explained, "Narrow band imaging makes it easier to identify bladder tumours. It can detect small bladder tumours that might otherwise by overlooked by more conventional 'white light' cystoscopy."

Narrow band imaging technology (NBI) was developed by Olympus Medical Systems (Japan) and was first used for bladder cancer patients at the University of Birmingham and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in 2005.

Mr Bryan continued, "My colleague, Mike Wallace, and I immediately saw the potential of this technology. Now this potential has been confirmed by a large international randomised controlled trial, and the results can only be good news for bladder cancer patients worldwide."

Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

Olympus stated, "We are pleased to see the widespread use of NBI globally, and have been delighted to support this trial in the bladder cancer setting. We will continue to work very closely with urologists to further understand their needs and challenges, and will strive to develop technologies such as NBI that could contribute to improving patient care across the globe."

On behalf of CROES, Professor Jean de la Rosette said, "Conducting a trial of this size across 16 countries has been a great achievement for CROES and the Trial Management Group. We appreciate the time and effort that urologists across the globe have committed to this study, and these results are just the start of the study outputs. We are extremely grateful to Olympus for their support from the outset - so often such technologies are not robustly assessed in this way, and this represents a breakthrough for urology and CROES."
Washington State University researchers have developed a new assessment tool to gauge the risk that someone with a mental illness will commit a crime. It could also speed up long-delayed competency evaluations for people awaiting trial.

The assessment provides a small but notable improvement over the current evaluation system, said Alex Kigerl, an assistant research professor in the WSU Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology.

Writing in a recent edition of the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Kigerl and co-author Zachary Hamilton note a growing need to evaluate patients based on their risks to others and themselves before assigning them to inpatient hospital care or outpatient treatment.

"Often a balance must be struck between patient rights and freedoms and public safety and risk," they write.

State officials have struggled in recent years to ease overcrowding in mental-health facilities. They face legal action for delays in evaluating patients' competency to stand trial. Last year, a U.S. district judge said Washington "is violating the constitutional rights of some of its most vulnerable citizens" by failing to undertake evaluations within the legal limit of seven days.

Kigerl's new assessment aims to give mental health examiners a way to prioritize patients for quicker evaluation and help determine who should be involuntarily committed.

"If it's looking like someone is at an exceptionally high risk of committing a violent crime, the process should be expedited for the patient to receive an evaluation and even to be hospitalized," he said. "Less risky patients who are not likely to be a danger to other people can be put on a less restrictive alternative where they are in an outpatient setting and can receive treatment and visitations from mental health staff in a less oppressive environment."

Kigerl and Hamilton prepared the assessment tool for the nonpartisan Washington State Institute for Public Policy, which the state legislature has asked to develop a risk-assessment instrument for patients with mental health issues. The researchers modified a tool used for offenders under state department of corrections supervision, called the Static Risk Assessment or SRA.

"Static" characteristics refer to characteristics that can't be changed, like sex, age and prior offenses. The SRA only uses those items because they lend themselves to easy computation, saving the staff and evaluator time needed to manually assess dynamic factors like mental health and substance abuse, said Kigerl.

The researchers adapted the SRA to create the SRA for Mental Health Patients, or SRA-MHP, using a sample of 16,289 involuntarily committed patients and 8,713 patients undergoing evaluation after being charged with a crime. The researchers developed their assessment using data from half the pool of patients, then tested its predictive power by comparing it against the other half.

"The next step on this project would be to add dynamic characteristics - ones that can be changed - such as clinical variables about the patient, their mental health status, maybe chemical dependency, their employment and educational attainment and history," said Kigerl. "If you look at a lot of literature on risk assessments, dynamic factors add slow but incremental improvement."

The strength of the tool is measured by a figure called the "area under the curve," or AUC. An AUC of .5 would mean a tool is about as good a predictor as a coin flip. An AUC of 1.0 is perfect.

The old evaluation method has an AUC of .79; the new SRA-MHP gave an AUC of .81.

"When we're talking about violent offenses, a little bit can go a long way," Kigerl said.

The research is in keeping with WSU's Grand Challenges, research initiatives aimed at large societal problems. It is particularly relevant to the Sustaining Health challenge and its theme of promoting healthy communities, as well as the challenge Advancing Opportunity and Equity.

Source: Washington State University
The scientific breakthrough, carried out by researchers at UGR and the Spanish National Research Council, is of great significance to the field of biological anthropology. It also has further implications for paleoanthropology, paleodemographics, forensic science and orthodontics, among other disciplines.

The scientists discovered that the differences that help to distinguish between the jaw bone of a male and that of a female are different if the subject has a meso-, dolico- or braqui-facial pattern (the three types of anthropometric profiles). As a result, before determining the gender of skeletal remains, it is necessary to establish the vertical facial pattern.

Scientists at the University of Granada and the National Museum of Natural Science (of the CSIC) have applied a new, more accurate technique in order to analyze the differences in mandible size and shape which are linked to gender. The new technique will be useful when determining whether a bone comes from a man or a woman.

Their study, published in the Journal of Comparative Human Biology, perfects the technique currently used to identify the gender that a jaw bone comes from. The results are of great importance to the field of biological anthropology and have further implications for paleoanthropology, paleodemographics, forensic science and orthodontics, among other disciplines.

The scientists discovered that the differences that help to distinguish between the jaw bone of a male and that of a female are different if the subject has a meso-, dolico- or braqui-facial pattern (the three types of anthropometric profiles). As a result, before determining the gender of skeletal remains, it is necessary to establish the vertical facial pattern.

The head author of the study, Jose Antonio Alarcon Perez of the Department of Stomotology at the University of Granada, explains that "the dolico and braqui-facial subjects present specific patterns of sexual dimorphism in the mandible. These differences could be attributed to the different physiological demands and the difference in the size of the nasal cavity between women and men. Men present higher daily energy expenditures, higher air intake from breathing and differences in body composition compared to women."

A study of 187 jaw bones

The UGR and CSIC study analyzed how the differences linked to gender in the size and shape of the jaw bone varied in function of the vertical and sagittal patterns of the face. Vertical patterns are classified as meso-, braqui- and dolico-facial; sagittal patterns are classified as Class I (normal maxillomandibular relationship), Class II (mandibular retrognathism versus maxillary prognathism) and Class III (mandibular prognathism versus maxillary retrognathism).

In carrying out their study, the authors analyzed the jaw bones of 187 adult subjects (92 men and 95 women) from Granada using lateral teleradiography of the cranium. The size and shape of the jaw bones were studied using specific geometric morphometric techniques.

They found statistically significant differences in the size and shape of the bones between men and women. This sexual dimorphism can be clearly observed in all the patterns, both vertical and sagittal, that were analyzed. The male jaw bone is bigger across all subgroups.
High risk, potentially cancer causing human papillomavirus infections are common among women in Papua New Guinea. But self sampling with vaginal swabs may provide materials that screen as accurately as the more labor-intensive approach using cervical samples obtained by clinicians. This finding is critical to developing same day screening and treatment, which is key to ensuring that women with precancerous lesions are treated in this largely unconnected (electronically) country, and in others like it. The research appeared online April 13, 2016 in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, which is published by the American Society for Microbiology.

"This is the first time there's been a direct comparison between self-collected vaginal swabs and clinician-collected cervical specimens using a screening device that can provide same day results," said corresponding author Andrew Vallely, PhD, Associate Professor, Public Health Interventions Research Group, The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

Evaluating self-collected samples was a critical milestone towards meeting the ultimate goal of this research: to enable same-day screening and treatment. Same-day treatment is needed in high-burden, low-income countries such as Papua New Guinea because when patients leave the clinic, it often becomes impossible to find them again, should their results show that they need treatment.

"The majority of the country's population live in rural communities, many of which are very isolated," explained Vallely, who is also Professorial Research Fellow, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka. A dearth of roads, and difficult terrain exacerbates the isolation, as do limited or absent mobile phones and internet connectivity, and postal services that are very poor and unreliable.

Self sampling, combined with use of a new, high speed, fully automated molecular assay for high risk HPV infection, called the Xpert HPV Test, makes it possible to screen and treat patients in a single day. Self-sampling alleviates pressure on highly skilled clinical staff who would otherwise only be able to screen women by conducting a time-consuming pelvic examination to collect specimens, said Vallely.

"By readily identifying women who have a high risk HPV infection, this clinic-based self-sampling strategy would allow health services in low-income settings such as Papua New Guinea to focus their efforts on those women who are most at risk of cervical pre-cancer and cancer," said Vallely.

Once those at increased risk are identified by the Xpert HPV Test, the final step in screening is to paint the screened women's cervixes with acetic acid -- vinegar, said Vallely. The acetic acid causes the precancerous lesions, which are not visible to the naked eye, to stain white. The clinicians then ablate the lesions using cryotherapy -- a relatively non-invasive procedure to obliterate the abnormal tissues that allows the women to leave for home the same day. (Women who have developed malignancies are referred to specialists.)

Papua New Guinea has a very high burden of disease, said Vallely. The rate of new cases is six to seven times higher than in Australia and New Zealand, and mortality is around 14 times higher, making HPV-associated cancers a leading cause of premature death.
Ebola virus samples taken from patients in Liberia in June 2015 are strikingly similar in their genetic makeup to other Ebola virus sequences from Western Africa, according to research published online today in the journal Science Advances. The study sheds light on several aspects of the "flare-ups" that have occurred in Liberia since the country was initially declared free of Ebola virus disease.

As described in the paper, genomic analysis and the epidemiological investigation indicate that the June 2015 flare-up was a re-emergence of a Liberian transmission chain originating from a persistently infected source. This was also the case with a March 2015 Liberian flare-up. Neither event was caused by re-introduction of the virus from an animal reservoir or from a neighboring country with active person-to-person transmission, according to the research team. While the March flare-up was traced to sexual contact, no definitive link has been found for the June event.

"When the June cluster of cases was first detected, the initial expectation of investigators was that it likely originated from a re-introduction of the virus from Sierra Leone or Guinea, where human-to-human transmission was active," explained study co-first author Jason T. Ladner, Ph.D., of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). "This explanation was favored because the typical route of Ebola virus transmission is through infectious body fluids from individuals in the acute phase of the disease, when they are most symptomatic."

However, genomic sequencing, combined with epidemiological investigation, indicated that the cases did not represent a re-introduction from a neighboring country, but instead were the result of virus transmission from a "persistently infected" source within Liberia--meaning, for example, a disease survivor who continued to carry the virus for several months.

"Although this finding did not necessarily play a major role in the control of this particular cluster, it certainly emphasized the risk for additional flare-ups, even within areas where active spread of the virus has been stopped," Ladner said. "This understanding has led to heightened vigilance, which has allowed for rapid response to the additional flare-ups that have occurred."

Ebola virus causes severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates with high mortality rates and continues to emerge in new geographic locations, including Western Africa, the site of the largest recorded outbreak to date. More than 28,000 confirmed, probable and suspected cases have been reported in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with more than 11,000 reported deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

In the paper, the research team--which includes scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Liberian Ministry of Health, and USAMRIID--points out the risk of Ebola virus disease flare-ups even after an outbreak is declared to be over. Since the June 2015 flare-up, at least four more documented flare-ups have occurred (2 in Liberia, 1 in Sierra Leone and 1 in Guinea), according to the authors.

Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

"From an epidemiological standpoint, this research demonstrated the value of full genome sequencing during an outbreak," said co-senior author Gustavo Palacios, Ph.D., of USAMRIID. "The viral genomes from the June flare-up were compared to what had been sequenced already, which allowed us to determine that the virus was indeed Liberian in origin. This helped confirm what the epidemiological teams were finding in their investigation and focused efforts on looking for potential sources of persistent infection within and around the affected community."

According to Palacios, the study was made possible by the in-country laboratory capability established by USAMRIID in 2015 in collaboration with the Liberian Institute for Biomedical Research (LIBR) and the Liberian Ministry of Health. This state-of-the-art, high-throughput sequencing facility allows the team to conduct near real-time genomic sequencing.

The viral genomes also helped to tell another story, said USAMRIID co-first author Michael R. Wiley, Ph.D. He noted that a reduced rate of evolution was associated with the June 2015 flare-up--meaning that the genetic signature of the virus had not changed significantly over time. When the team looked at the March 2015 cluster, which had been associated with sexual transmission, they found the same signature--a reduced rate of evolution.

That "signature" could be a useful tool for evaluating the source of future outbreaks, according to Wiley. Specifically, it indicates that the virus likely replicates at a lower rate during persistent infections, as compared to the acute phase of the disease.

"It's not clear what processes are driving this reduction in replication rate, or what role this change in rate may play in establishing or maintaining persistent infections," Wiley said. "It's important, therefore, to better understand the nature of these persistent infections in order to prevent the continuation of an outbreak once human-to-human transmission via acute individuals is controlled. Also, there is a need to develop treatment methods that are effective at curing these persistent infections, which may be contributing to the long-term chronic health problems associated with some Ebola virus disease survivors."

Palacios said the team is continuing to investigate additional Ebola virus flare-ups that have occurred in Liberia, including the cluster of cases in November 2015 and the recent cluster of cases that occurred earlier this month. They are also further investigating the rate of viral evolution during persistent infections by sequencing Ebola virus genomes from the semen of disease survivors.

Source: US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
The revelation that Mitsubishi has been massaging its fuel economy test figures since 1991 has sent the company's stock crashing and left people around the world confused and concerned as to whether or not their car could be affected.



However, the company has officially confirmed that all Mitsubishi-brand vehicles sold in the US and Europe fully comply with those countries' testing procedures.



"After a thorough review of all 2013MY-2017MY vehicles sold in the United States, we have determined that none of these vehicles are affected," the company said in a statement. "Our findings confirm that fuel economy testing data for these US market vehicles is accurate and complies with established EPA procedures."



Despite the market launch of the world's first connected and semi-autonomous cars, 2016 is in danger of being remembered as the year of car companies cheating on emissions and fuel economy figures.



Volkswagen's "dieselgate" scandal, whereby software was used to "ace" efficiency and emissions tests, rolls on and in recent months a number of other European marques, from BMW and Mercedes to Renault, have been accused of potentially fudging figures. However, to date, no corroborating evidence has been found.



On April 20, Mitsubishi admitted that it had been "mishandling" fuel economy tests for 25 years but that the cheating was limited to cars destined for the Japanese market. The models in question are the Mitsubishi eK Wagon, eK Space and the Nissan Dayz and Dayz Roox (two cars it builds on Nissan's behalf).



What makes the situation worse is that the 625,000 cars involved are 'Kei' cars -- vehicles built specifically to meet Japan's very stringent weight, size and fuel economy criteria and therefore qualify for lower taxation.



An independent investigation is taking place and its findings will be made public. Mitsubishi is also working closely with the Japanese government to, in the company's words, "fully review the implications of this issue, and to discuss potential resolutions."



Those resolutions could include refunding drivers or paying their increased taxes if the cars they own no longer meet 'Kei' car criteria when fuel economy tests are retaken.


She started the journey from Delhi to Mumbai - in her own words - with a bag full of nothing and came back a Cabinet minister.



Two years into her job as Union Human Resources Minister, Smriti Irani is a lightning rod for controversy. She has been under relentless attack in Parliament and in social media over several issues, including the JNU sedition row and Rohith Vemula suicide.



Here in an interview to CNN-News18 Resident Editor Vir Sanghvi, Smriti Irani explains how she takes it all in her stride and hits back as hard as she gets. "I think it's fashionable if you're right-wing and a woman, you get abused," she says.



Here is the full transcript of the interview:



Vir: Now the story is that you were quite rebellious and you wanted to get out of home and one of the things you wanted to do bizarrely in retrospect, enter the Miss India contest. Is that correct?



Smriti: That was for me an opening into a world...that did not control my destiny...for me I led a whole life which was sheltered where others determined my destiny.



For a change, I wanted to step out and do something of my own. That was one opening that took me to another world, my parents knew they had no control over.



Vir: Your father apparently refused to pay for any of the money you required?



Smriti: It was not looked upon as a very traditionally respectable arena of work and for him it was quite a shock. My parents predominantly felt that you had the academic inclination. They thought I will give UPSC exams, became a top notch IPS or an IAS officer, why would you choose glamorous profession where women are not looked at or given any kind of respect. So my father said, "Bewkoof hote toh samajh bhi ata lekin akal hai toh kyu jana chahte ho is field me?" (I'd have understood if you were dumb but despite having brains, you want to get into this field) But, I was quite adamant.



Vir: Apparently, correct me if I am wrong, because your family wouldn't pay for this and it required quite a lot of money to prepare for this contest, you took loans, borrowed the money?



Smriti: Yes, I did. It was a solemn promise that I will pay back.



Vir: You did okay in the contest but you were eliminated before the Q&A round, which is probably, in retrospective, relief for the judges. What do you remember?



Smriti: I remember that I kept saying this to myself backstage, let me get into the Q&A round, I'll beat it and take the crown.



Vir: So, you were like the nerd among the beauty queens?



Smriti: I was the nerd and still am.



Vir: You're still a nerd?



Smriti: Still a nerd.



Vir: Apparently, when you paid back the money and your parents still refused to, you went out?



Smriti: Predominantly, my dad and mom had come to terms with the fact that I have carved out a niche for myself and I was adamant about it. My dad was continuously hopeful that I will fail and come back.



Vir: It's because you didn't agree to all of this and he wouldn't give you money to pay back the loan, you went and did a series of things including working at McDonalds. Is that story true?



Smriti: I did. I had no money and was fast running out and I couldn't borrow more and I remember seeing two advertisements side by side. One for Jet Airways cabin crew and other was for McDonalds. I was very fascinated and went in but they (Jet) rejected me.



So, I hopped on to the next interview slot at McDonalds. Unfortunately, by the time I reached for that interview, all the top positions were decided upon and I asked if there were any jobs left. They said we have jobs but that will involve swiping the floors or cleaning the dishes and the next level would be to get to the cashier. So I said I'll take it as I had no money.



One month into the job, I got a call from Ekta Kapoor but that one month was quite gruelling. So, now everytime I go to the McDonalds, I have a huge smile on my face because I know how tough it is behind the counter.



Vir: The success of the Tulsi character that you played made you a household name within weeks. Isn't it? Was that transition difficult?



Smriti: I was so engrossed in our work and working in a studio set-up. Most of us never made it home till only the wee hours in the morning. So engrossed in my work, taking the character from one. Ekta and my husband, both at work and home kept me so grounded that it never hit me that it is such a huge TV success.



Vir: You had a miscarriage in a public place and nobody bothered to help? You took a rickshaw and went to the hospital? That's true right?



Smriti: It's true. That still happens, my mother got operated last week and I wanted to see her post operation. All the guys wanted a picture, I said I want to talk to my mother first.



Vir: That doesn't bother you?



Smriti: Bothers me. It does, but I can't cry over it. It's a part and parcel of my life.



Vir: When you joined politics, there were some controversies you now regret. For instance, you made a remark on Narendra Modi, where you later changed your mind. How did that kind of thing affect you? Why did you do it and change them when you had just joined politics?



Smriti: I think in life, in retrospect, I hold no grudges, I hold no regrets. It also takes a lot to publicly stand up and say that I made a mistake, not many politicians in our country have done that. I don't recall many publicly making that acknowledgement.



Vir: How long did it take you to realise you made that mistake?



Smriti: I had a chat, and I think what I credit Mr Modi with, is his conversation was on elements which were discussable, debatable and he gave me that much of respect to hear what I had to say.



Vir: After you had asked him to resign?



Smriti: Yes. And he gave me that respect and I think my respect for him grew manifold.



Vir: Did you know him before that?



Smriti: I had not known him.



Vir: So, the first time you met him was after you had publicly gone on TV demanding his resignation?



Smriti: I had known him through the paper cuttings about him and I think that is what he brought into the discussion. There is more to his work than the op-ed pieces that were written denouncing him. And to his credit, he was magnanimous enough to sit down with somebody who had publicly sought to disgrace him and say this is what I do, judge me on what I do and I did I had a lot of respect for the fact that he was the then chief minister and I had just started in politics. He could have very well had me brushed aside he could've told my organisation to have me sacked and thrown out but he did none of that.



Vir: Why do you attract so much criticism, why are you such a lightning rod for controversy?



Smriti: I think that the idea is to take it in your stride. I think at that moment when things are tough when it's really bearing down on you. There are times when I stand up and ask myself why go through all this? But, then I remember that there are people gleefully waiting behind the scenes, waiting for me to give up.



Vir: Recently?



Smriti: I think it's fashionable if you're right-wing and a woman, you get abused everyday. It's just that you don't get an opportunity to play much martyr about it. So that happens everyday. It happens in your office. It happens online and it happens everywhere.



Vir: The abuse gets to you?



Smriti: There are times when it gets to me. I am being honest because it will be inhuman if I say nothing gets to me. There are times when it gets to me.



Vir: What kind of abuse gets to you? What kind of things really hurt you? Do you come back home feeling beaten by the end of the day?



Smriti: There are times when you are beaten and I think any working professional is beaten. The idea is that your home is that place where you are secured enough to say I am beaten but I need to get back up.



Vir: Do you check Twitter?



Smriti: I have been told at times, especially when the snide remark comes from journalists, that now you are a Cabinet minister, you are not supposed to respond. I do respond. I engage with everybody. I think there is an ecosystem that has developed where some believe that it is their birthright to be snide. Others believe it's their birthright to be opinionated, but would not want the same behaviour thrust upon them. So, for me, if you are ready to assault, then be ready to be hit back.



Vir: When the elections were called, you were sent to Amethi to fight against Rahul Gandhi. Many people saw this like the decision to field you against Kapil Sibal in Delhi and they thought you were used as a suicide bomber. Did you see it that way?



Smriti: I think I looked at it as an opportunity to apply the political skills that I have learnt in terms of organisation. This time around who organised every meetings, organised ceremonies to give respect to the booth leaders. So because I was looking at micro-managing every detail. I was told I was going into a Gandhi bastion where the maximum BJP got was 30,000 votes, and you have only 20 days, and they said it is an impossibility. Best you can do is possibly get 60 thousand or one lakh votes. There were people who thought "yeh toh apna kagaz bharkar chali jayengi and wapas baad me ayengi (she will come, file her nomination and return later). Never in their lives did they imagine that I would stay.



Vir: Will you stand for Amethi next time?



Smriti: I have never projected my liking or desire to my organisation. Didn't do it then, not doing it now.



Vir: Will you ever project your dislike to your organisation?



Smriti: You have to recognise, irrespective of the Cabinet minister you sit with, the other star you have met with many years ago, I am still that kid who came out of that tabela (shed) in Munirka. I always remember that I am still that kid who swept floors at McDonalds and I never forget that. Everything else that happens in my life is a bonus.



Vir: Did you expect to become a Cabinet minister? Where were you?



Smriti: I was not even in Delhi. I was in Shimla. I was trying to shoot a film which I had left midway because of my political commitment with Rishi Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan and we had another female co-star with us. I was merrily shooting and I got a call - 'Where are you' and I said Shimla and they said aren't you coming. I said I'll reach by evening to see the shapath (oath ceremony). They said you don't have to see the shapath (oath ceremony) you have to take shapath, please come down and we literally raced down from Shimla to Delhi by road and by the time I had got home, reporters were standing outside.



Vir: Did you expect this portfolio?



Smriti: I remember calling one of my colleagues, Piyush Goyal, and I said Piyush Bhai, mujhe ek extra pass milega (can I get an extra pass) and he says why, and I said I want to bring my daughter along. He said please take two passes, you are getting a Cabinet rank.



Vir: You really had no clue? And HRD was also no clue?



Smriti: I never expressed the desire to become a minister, let alone HRD minister.



Vir: If you remember, when you were announced the HRD minister, you had faced criticism suggesting that you were not educated enough. You are not intellectual enough for the job. How did you react to that?



Smriti: I didn't. I think that it was a fear that was well-founded because nobody had seen my work or neither did I have any public experience in the field of education, so for me to say, they were a bit unfair to me would be an unfair judgement or observation. To be fair to everybody who was critical, they were right in having a fear that she has no experience, let alone the uneducated aspect. I mean that's fine but the 'not having the experience bit' was more scary for those who had been leaders of the particular sector, so I don't hold that back against them.



Vir: What about the fact that they called you 'anpadh'?



Smriti: Anpadh hokar yaha pohuch gaye, padh likh lete toh kya hota. (Being an illiterate, I reached here, imagine if I was a literate). For me if anybody says, arey anpadh (illiterate) or whatever, that time I just have a big smile on my face, which means their education has not percolated enough into



their souls to be not judgemental about other human beings.



Vir: So what was the fuss about the degree?



Smriti: It is a sub-judice matter and I would rather not speak. Though I had a trigger happy anchor who wanted a new headline.



Vir: Do you hate it.



Smriti: I hate the consequences that my children faced.



Vir: What consequences did they face?



Smriti: Anpadh ke bacche (Children of illiterate), they would get that in school. I had to sit down with them and tell them that what other kids think of me is not me, what you think of me, is what matters to me.



Vir: After you've been elected, you've pretty much been a lightning rod for controversy after controversy, some would say you may be even the most controversial minister in this Cabinet?



Smriti: Possibly.



Vir: Has that surprised you?



Smriti: I am vehement in my defence. I never take stuff lying down and I guess there is traction to any statement that I make.



Vir: When you speak in Parliament on the Rohit Vemula issue, etc, there was a certain fire in your speeches and a certain personal edge to things you said. And your colleagues say, she shouldn't make that personal. How do you respond?



Smriti: It is personal.



Vir: Why is it personal?



Smriti: It is not about establishment. It is about me.



Vir: Well, if they are discussing, say a suicide of a student in Hyderabad, is it really about you?



Smriti: No, but if they do say that she is this and she is that, then it is about me.



Vir: Do you get angry?



Smriti: No, I think that day, it was an emotional outburst because I saw the opposition speak as they had spoken. Jyoti, who I had known for a very long time, and he was having his arms open and melodramatic about his speech. But because he did not have a background of an actor one would not have accused Jyoti of being over melodramatic . Because I was speaking from my gut, I would be accused of being outrageous. So that is one challenge I come with . And I had Jyoti's leader sit there and have this smirk on his face, a leader I had confronted with in Amethi.



Vir: This leader that you confronted in Amethi is like a quote phrase for Rahul Gandhi?



(Smriti laughs)



Vir: So, why do you get so emotional?



Smriti: Well, when Mr Scindia was speaking, he was being a bit melodramatic in his speech. He had his arms wide open and there was a rehearsed expression which was coming on. As a politician, you have to make a mark about whatever you are articulating. One of his leaders, and there are a few, had a smirk on his face.



Vir: There's only two leaders, man or woman?



Smriti: No, the lady has never been discourteous.



Vir: So, man? Alright. Rahul Gandhi?



Smriti: It's an insinuation (laughs). That smirk I think is what hit me. The fact, that for many it was just a political debate, but for me it was about two years of work. For me, it was about a young life and I found nothing funny about it and the fact that we could as politicians be so caught up in using it as a political opportunity. I think what agitated me and when I spoke, I spoke not as a politician. In fact, I looked like a rookie politician. I spoke as a human being and I think that is why it had such a huge connection with people across the country. I always have said and pleaded at times, don't make education a battlefield.



Vir: That's why?



Smriti: Yes. It was a plea not to make it a battlefield.



Vir: So you got emotional because you cared about the story? You were upset because they turned education into a battlefield and because you thought it was a serious issue and Rahul Gandhi was smirking. That's basically what you are saying?



Smriti: For me, politics is an arena which is still connected to the human need and the desire to be better as people, as individuals of the country. It is not about a legacy. I don't have any. For Mr Gandhi, it's about preserving a legacy and a party which has been in the country since the inception of democracy. For me it is a different ball game altogether. I don't look at people that I serve as votebanks that I need to appease. I have said it in a women's conference long back that a good leader takes you where you want to be but a female leader is somebody who takes you where you ought to be. And education is mired in many challenges.



Vir: The suggestion is, what you have actually done is you saffronised education. You have taken away the unbiased character of our history and you've added strongly Hindu elements?



Smriti: Not a single history book has been touched yet.



Vir: Yet, sounds very ominous?



Smriti: Like I said, if you mount a charge, it has to be substantiated with something.



Vir: So, you reject that criticism?



Smriti: Obviously, I have said it so many times that by now even the Opposition knows my answer.



Vir: Rohit Vemula we've dealt with, and there are many people who will say that what you said was inaccurate?



Smriti: I backed it with evidence. My evidence is not being challenged.



Vir: That leaves us with other incidents such as the JNU. You think the govt overreacted in the Kanhaiya case?



Smriti: I have never spoken about an individual student.



Vir: You don't think the government overreacted in the JNU matter?



Smriti: Law and order is not my domain. What is in my domain, I answer to only that.



Vir: That's a tactful response and that actually reveals a lot more.



Smriti: It's a very accurate response.



Vir: So, you will not comment on the law and order approach?



Smriti: I will not because it is sub-judice matter. My personal opinion as HRD will weigh in and it would be irresponsible for me to have a personal reflection about what I think of people who say 'Bharat ki barbadi tak jung ladenge' I feel very strongly about it. I said it in Parliament that you abuse my Constitution and my President, our President, but you seek his refuge. You abuse my Supreme Court, our Supreme Court, but you seek their refuge and I think the verdict in the bail application given by Pratibha Ji was very poignant. It said what every Indian wanted to say.



Vir: That was actually not my question. You are entitled to that view. I merely ask you whether the government response was out of proportion?



Smriti: Since it's a sub-judice matter and there is a government representation in the matter, anything I personally say would tilt the balance and I would not want that to happen.



Vir: You said to me once in an interview - from the times when I was young, I was determined to make something of myself and to go places. Obviously that hasn't changed. Obviously you are willing to let the party decide politically what your next assignment should be. But for Smriti Irani, where do you go from here?



Smriti: Right now, it is all about that if you look and turn back. I turn back without any regrets. I turn back with a huge smile on my face, because there are not many women who come from an absolutely challenging economic background, who go from Delhi to Mumbai all alone, with a bag full of nothing - and come back to Delhi a Cabinet minister.




Mumbai: Amidst his on-going legal battle with Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, Hrithik Roshan is leaving no stone unturned to doting father to his songs, Hrehaan and Hridhaan.

On Friday, April 29, the actor was snapped stepping out of a movie theatre with his kids. Sporting his own clothing brand, Hrithik was all smiles for the fans and shutterbugs gathered around whereas Hrehaan and Hridhaan were lost in their own conversation.

Taking the lead, Hrithik made way for his sons as they soon stepped inside their car and drove past everyone.

Hrithik Roshan snapped on a movie date night with his kids.

Hrithik Roshan snapped on a movie date night with his kids.

Hrithik Roshan snapped on a movie date night with his kids.

Hrithik Roshan snapped on a movie date night with his kids.
Known as the 'father of information theory', Claude Shannon was an American mathematician, electrical engineer, and cryptographer.As a cryptographer for the US government in World War II, Shannon developed the first unbreakable cipher. He juggled between tinkering with electronic switches to developing an electromechanic mouse called 'Theseus' which could teach itself to navigate a maze, much like the modern-day artificial intelligence.He was often spotted in the halls of Bell Labs on a unicycle, and invented such devices as the rocket-powered frisbee and flame-throwing trumpet.The mathematician is most famous for his 'A Mathematical Theory of Communication', published in 1949, in which he introduced information theory, the branch of mathematics focused on transmitting digital data. It was in this work that he coined the term 'bit' - the fundamental unit of information which relates to digital certainty: true or false, on or off, yes or no.Shannon is also known to have worked with Albert Einstein and Alan Turing. His work in electronic communications and signal processing gained him the title of the 'father of information theory' which led to revolutionary changes in storage and transmission of data.Commemorating what would have been his 100th birthday, Google has posted a doodle created by artist Nate Swinehart celebrating the brilliance and lightheartedness of the father of modern communication.
Tangail: At least two assailants hacked a Hindu tailor to death in central Bangladesh Saturday, police said, amid a rise in attacks on religious minorities by extremist groups in the Muslim-majority nation.



"They came on a motorcycle and attacked him as he sat on a roadside. They hacked him on his head, neck and hand," deputy chief of Tangail district police Aslam Khan said.



He added that the victim, named as Nikhil Chandra Joarder, 50, may have been murdered for allegedly making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed several years ago.



Police officials said they were investigating whether the killing was linked to Islamist militants suspected of a series of murders of minorities, or was tied to a family dispute.



They said local Muslims had filed a complaint against the victim, who owned a tailoring shop, to police in 2012 for making comments about the Prophet Mohammed.



"But as far as we know that dispute ended peacefully. His family said he was also threatened by a relative," a senior police official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



The murder came less than a week after suspected Islamist militants hacked to death two gay rights activists in the capital Dhaka, saying they tried to promote homosexuality in the deeply conservative nation.



In February suspected Islamists also decapitated a top Hindu priest in a northern district in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.



The IS has also claimed responsibility for a spate of recent murders of foreigners, and Sufi, Ahmadi, Shiite and Christian minorities.



Hindus, the country's largest religious minority, make up nearly 10 percent of Bangladesh's 160 million people.
Home News Sports Social Obituaries Events Letters Looking Back Health Jewels Stitch in Time Distinguished Young Women Program is tonight April 30, 2016 Tonight is the night for this year's Bonners Ferry Distinguished Young Women, 2016.



The event, with this year's theme of "Around the World in 80 Days," promises to be a scintillating and fun-filled event. To see some great choreography, performances, talent presentations, and an overall great production, get your tickets for tonight's show. Several scholarships and awards will also be made at tonight's program. The Bonners Ferry program has the reputation of providing among the largest amounts of Distinguished Young Women awards in Idaho. Last year over $15,000 in scholarships and awards went to Distinguished Young Women contestants.



Reigning Distinguished Young Woman Shaleyna Higgins will be completing her year of service, and will be passing the crown on to our new Distinguished Young Woman. This year's candidates for Distinguished Young Woman are:



Samantha Branson

Jennah Smith

Jill Alexander

Taja Hoban

Madalynn Kelley

Rachel Young

Lexie LeVesque

Serenity Winey

Brittany Spangler

Mary Fioravanti

Alaina White

Cameron Haworth



The emcee for tonight's program will be Bonners Ferry's own Michaela Dirks. Michaela is a former Distinguished Young Woman (then Junior Miss) participant, and represented Bonners Ferry as its Junior Miss in 2008-2009. She graduated from Bonners Ferry High School in 2009 and received her degree in Broadcasting and Digital Media from the University of Idaho in in 2014. While in Moscow, she was the program director for radio station Bull Country 99.5 as well as the morning show host of The A.M. Experiment and a recurring guest host for ESPN 1400s Local Sports Talk.



For the past year, she has lived in Seattle working as a production assistant for ESPN and Campus Insiders. When she is not working, she says she loves exploring outdoors, coffee dates with friends, and long conversations on the phone with her mom. Traveling often for work, people always ask her where she is from and although they often confuse it with Ohio and end up making awful potato jokes, she loves telling them she was born and raised in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.



The local Distinguished Young Women committee is grateful to Michaela for taking the time to host this years program, and welcomes her back home to Bonners Ferry.



The Distinguished Young Women program tonight begins at 6:30 p.m. at the auditorium at Bonners Ferry High School. Tickets for this years show are available for $12.00 at Mountain Mikes Health Food Store. All seating is reserved.

Questions or comments about this article? Click here to e-mail!
Nairobi: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta set fire today to the world's biggest ivory bonfire, after demanding a total ban on trade in tusks and horns to end

"murderous" trafficking and prevent the extinction of elephants in the wild.

"The height of the pile of ivory before us marks the strength of our resolve," Kenyatta said, before setting fire to the pyres. "No one, and I repeat no one, has any business in trading in ivory, for this trade means death of our elephants and

death of our natural heritage." Eleven giant pyres of tusks, and another of rhino horns, are arranged in a semi-circle now expected to burn for days in Nairobi's national park.

Huge white clouds of smoke spiralled high into the sky, with thousands of litres of diesel and kerosene injected through steel pipes buried in the ground leading into the heart of the pyramids to fuel the blaze. President Ali Bongo from Gabon, who lit one of the pyres, spoke of the "massacre" of forest elephants in central Africa, and said he backed moves to close all sale of ivory. "Unless we take action now, we risk losing this magnificent animal," Bongo said at the ceremony, telling poachers he was "going to put you out of business, so the best thing you can do is to go into retirement now."

Africa is home to between 450,000 and 500,000 elephants, but more than 30,000 are killed every year in the continent to satisfy demand for ivory in Asia, where raw tusks sell for around USD 1,000 (800 euros) a kilo (2.2 pounds). The pyres contain some 16,000 tusks and pieces of ivory. Kenya has a long history of ivory burnings, spearheading a wider movement of public demonstrations across the world, but nothing on this scale before.

On the black market, such a quantity of ivory could sell for over USD 100 million, and the rhino horn could raise as much as USD 80 million. Rhino horn can fetch as much as USD 60,000 per kilo -- more than gold or cocaine. But, Kenyatta dismissed those who put cash value on the ivory. "For us, ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants," Kenyatta said.
CHOPPED 25 TIMES

Yesterday, the autopsy revealed that Michael Dennis died from multiple chop wounds. Sources revealed that the investigations are proceeding along the lines of a love triangle which soured and then turned deadly. Dennis is believed to have been killed by the jilted lover of a woman whom he (Dennis) started a relationship with about a year ago.

The guard who had been working at the Prime Ministers residence since 2009, was reported missing by his girlfriend who went to the West End Police Station on Thursday. The woman is a mother of two. The woman reported to Acting Inspector Rooplal Birbal and Sgt Roger Reyes that on Wednesday afternoon Dennis failed to be reached on his phone and she decided to report his disappearance on Thursday.

The woman, who works at a commercial bank, claimed Dennis shared a one-year relationship with her and he was always in the habit of making contact with her even when they were not together so she found it strange that he could not be reached. At about 3.45 pm on Thursday, his body was found in an area at Sea Trace, Bagatelle known as the Pines.

His face, head and neck were covered in chop wounds. His legs were bound.

Homicide sources told Newsday that on Wednesday, Dennis was seen working his car for private- hire (PH) in the Diego Martin area and they believe he was lured to his death by someone who planned the murder. Officers believe a man who was envious of the relationship Dennis shared with the woman and her two children, may be responsible for the murder.

Officers revealed that they have received key information that the suspect had confided to friends that he was jealous of the relationship Dennis had with the two children and their mother.

The man said that he could not stand the fact that the children were very close to Dennis whom they considered as their father.

Sources said Dennis wounds were so multiple that some chops criss-crossed others. Additionally, his skull was crushed by the number of chops delivered. Police sources said an arrest is imminent.

In 2007, the Executive Security Services (ESS) unit of the Prime Ministers Office was formed to take charge of providing all aspects of security for both the Office of the Prime Minister and the Official Residence and the Diplomatic Centre.

In 2010, the name of the unit was changed and funding for security now simply falls under Security Services at the Office of the Prime Minister, according to officials familiar with the post- 2010 arrangements
Imbert mulls houses for protective services

This was disclosed by way of a Ministry of Finance media release issued yesterday by the Ministry of Communications.

The release  which had also been issued Wednesday  came one day after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley alleged the use of State housing allocations to bribe members of the Police Service by the Peoples Partnership administration.

The Ministry of Finance said that at a meeting on Tuesday with representatives of the associations for police, fire and prisons officers, the associations proposed that benefits in kind could be one way to address outstanding backpay owed to officers.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the associations proposed the following to the Minister for consideration: 1) arrears in the sum of $50,000 or less should be paid in cash; 2) allowances such as travel and upkeep should be paid in cash and not form part of a bond scheme; 3) pensioners should be paid all their outstanding monies in cash; 4) payment could be made via benefits in kind, such as housing and/or land; 5) payment could come in the form of shares in public companies.

The Ministry of Finance, based on the proposals from the associations, asked the bodies to furnish a list of the number of persons falling below the $50,000.00 threshold; and the potential number of officers requesting housing or land. They agreed to provide this information to the Minister in one week, the Ministry said. The Minister committed to reviewing their proposals, but stressed that the final decision rests with the Cabinet.

He told the Associations that by May 31, 2016 he would communicate with them on the final decisions with respect to all of the matters raised.
Police grads told: Service under the microscope

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of Batch II of 2015 at the Police Academy in St James, Williams said, We police officers are in the publics eye on a daily basis. We are not permitted to fall in error.

The profession demands a level of almost perfection that is a tall task to ask of anyone. However, he encouraged them saying that policing was a noble profession on which society depends, that it was one of the better performing professions, but which receives little gratitude.

It is a profession which is very rewarding because we make a difference. A positive difference in the lives of citizens of this land.

And as we continue to make that positive difference we will be contributing to the improvement of society.

I want you to embrace the opportunity of serving your nation as police officers and do it. But it is also a profession, even though we are making such a consistent difference, one which you do not necessarily receive public thank you. So as you go out there, do not expect thank you for your excellent work, he said. Instead he told them to ensure that they do their best, be satisfied with that, and be grateful if they get recognition for their work from the public.

Meanwhile, wife of President Anthony Carmona, Reema Carmona encouraged the 167 new officers to build healthier relationships with the public, and to change the perception of the Police  that it is the Police service and not the Police force. She said they had the responsibility to mitigate instead of aggravating situations or using brute force. In your line of work, always remember that mediation can be a greater weapon than the gun in your hand, to ensure sustainable peace, law and order. Never underestimate the power of mediation and compassionate dialogue in a dysfunctional social environment, she said.

Mrs Carmona warned them not to be bated into doing wrong as they attempt to make things right, reminding them that they can be filmed and the clip uploaded to the internet in seconds
NFM in $16M tax row

The company was audited by the Board of Inland Revenue for 2005 corporation tax, the report states. Based on the assessment it was indicated that an adjustment to reduce the tax losses by $16 million was required. The report further says, The company has filed an appeal against this assessment. According to the companys tax computation, the company has tax losses of approximately $38 million (2013: $72 million) available to carry forward against future taxable profits.

The report also states that the NFM had an agreement with the then Ministry of Food Production, Land and Marine Resources which allowed NFM to purchase all rice paddy from local rice farmers. The amount paid was reimbursable by the Ministry to NFM.
Look to denominational model

Maharaj was one of several representatives of denominational school boards that met yesterday with the parliamentary Joint Select Committee enquiring into social services and administration at the Office of the Parliament, Port-of-Spain.

Other recommendations put to the JSC to curb school violence and bullying were the need for curriculum change to enable students who are not coping with academics to find skills through technical and vocations training, the need for parental involvement from pre-school registration up to the secondary level, need for religious or ethical training in the school, and the need for students to perform service to the school and the community.

They all shared their experiences about how they implement their programmes and the levels of success they have achieved. Asked about the levels of violence in the denominational schools, Maharaj said, School violence is not pervasive in schools run by denominational boards. It is more pervasive in schools that are run by government boards. He said 75 percent of primary schools, 33 secondary schools and most of the preschools are run by denominational boards.

This was the general consensus of the other boards. Other boards represented were the Methodist, Presbyterian, Seventh Day Adventist, Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association (ASJA), Roman Catholic, Spiritual Shouter Baptist, and Anglican.

According to Maharaj, For every delinquent child, there are two delinquent parents. The school, teachers and boards, he said, were not to be blamed but that the problem was coming out of the home.

Asked by Antoine for his views on the idea of a boot camp as suggested by a student of Laventille to deal with discipline, Maharaj said that the methods denominational schools were using are working.

In response to Antoines remark, Not according to the students, Maharaj said, You are identifying a school and a person from Laventille.

There are areas in Trinidad and Tobago where we have problems in the schools. Do not use what happens in an isolated area to find a solution for all. Asked if the denominational schools were not suppressing statistics to protect the image of the school, Chairman of the Catholic Education Board of Management Dr Roland Baptiste said that from surveys done, it was minimal.

Noting that communication between parents and the denominational schools played a major role in keeping school violence and bullying at a minimum, ASJA representative Yacoob Ali said that when a child commits an offence, both parents must attend a meeting with the school.

If the mother alone comes in, the school would send back the mother to get the father.

We do that. Maharaj was of the view that the National Parent Teachers Association was failing in its role.

If I had to apportion blame, I would say that it is failing in its job. In my opinion, there is no National Parent Teachers Association. It is just a sham body.
Clico policyholders write Central Bank

Firstly, the group says the Central Bank has determined residency status of policyholders in an arbitrary way.

This has resulted in several policyholders who were legal residents of Trinidad and Tobago when the policy was purchased being deemed non-resident policyholders by the Central Bank, the group says.

Secondly, the group states that a timeline for phase II of the paying out of policyholders has not been set.

Thirdly, it calls for verification of the companys status.

Fourthly, the policyholders call for release of the most recent annual reports. Fifthly, the group asks for clarification of the cost of the Clico bailout.

Sixthly, it questions if a predatory profit on shareholders was made.

Seventhly, the group queries the matter of payments to non-assenting EFPA holders.

Finally, the group expresses the view that many assets have been sold which have realised a value considerably more than assessed on Clicos books.

In light of this we are quite concerned that the Central Bank and the Government have agreed to transfer assets assesses at approximately $3 billion, the group says.
Pastor: Forgive and let go

Lewis was at the time officiating at the funeral service of Lallo at Polly Ben Trace, Rancho Quemado, Palo Seco yesterday. We know that there is lack of judgement sometimes and mistakes and things that happen, but we pray and still lift them(police officers) up. We pray they will continue to protect and preserve this nation and continue to do the work that they are assigned to do, Lewis told mourners.

Lallo, fondly called Lollie died on Wednesday last at the San Fernando General Hospital three days after she was shot to the head by a male police officer at her Rancho Quemado home. The bullet was fired by a new police officer who would later claim that he fell while pursuing a suspect and his firearm discharged twice when it struck the ground.

One of the bullets, entered the wooden walls of Lallos home and struck her in the head. Prior to the start of the funeral service, investigators visited the Guides and Sons funeral home in Couva where Lallos finger prints were taken.

This was confirmed by senior police officers as Lallos body arrived 30 minutes late at the house of mourning. Addressing scores of mourners, Lewis said that if Lallo was to return to earth, she would ask for family members and friends to forgive the police officer. Grandma would say to you all, pray for the police officers, pray for the police officer, dont vex children, pray for them, he said. Delivering the eulogy Annie Lallo said no one deserves to die in the manner her mother did. She said that her mother was a great example to her ten children.

Adding Annie said that her mother often boasted of baby sitting Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar when she was an infant. She would often boast of babysitting Kamla Persad- Bissessar and how proud she was,Annie said. She said that her mother had a bubbly personality.

There was a small police presence at the service, however noticeably absent from the funeral service was police commissioner Stephen Williams.

Also present was member of parliament for the area, Energy Minister, Nicole Olivierre. Lallo was laid to rest at Erin Public Cemetery. Investigations are continuing.
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This eye-opening video features young girls living in Delhi honestly talking about what they think about masturbation and porn. (Credit: YouTube)

Many people may not know this but the month of May is actually recognised as the International Masturbation Month. It all began in the year 1995 after President Bill Clinton fired U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders for speaking positively about self sexual pleasure at the United Nations conference held on World AIDS Day in 1994.

It was then that Good Vibrations, a San Francisco-based sex toy company, decided to honour Elders by celebrating May 7th as International Masturbation Day in 1995. Self-pleasure is a topic that is often not talked about openly because of religious and moral taboo associated with it. Obviously it gets particularly tricky for open discussions about masturbation to happen in the relatively more conservative Indian society.

However, this eye-opening video features young girls living in Delhi honestly talking about what they think about masturbation and porn and even answering personal questions about how they pleasure themselves.

Click on the link below to view the video:
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 27F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low near 15F. Winds light and variable.
New Delhi:

Alok Kumar, a senior official of Delhi Police Special Cell, will be the new Additional Commissioner in Delhis Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB)

He will replace S S Yadav who had expressed concerns over life and liberty after M K Meena took over as the chief of the anti-graft body.

Soon after Meena, who is now Special Commissioner in Delhi Police, had taken over as ACB chief last year, Yadav had expressed concerns over life and liberty, escalating tensions between the two officers.

Kumar, a 2000-batch IPS officer, had served in Delhi Police Vigilance branch and headed the Central police district before joining Special Cell for a second spell.

He played an active role as an investigator during the controversial 2008 Batla House operation.

The Lt Governor is pleased to order transfer/posting of Shri Alok Kumar from Special Cell to Anti-Corruption Branch as an Additional Commissioner of Police with immediate effect against S S Yadav who has proceeded on training, an order issued by Delhi government said today.

The Delhi government had moved the Delhi High Court seeking restrain on Meenas appointment, which was turned down.

Meanwhile, Meena, who has been at loggerheads with the AAP government over a range of issues since his appointment as the anti-graft body chief, will continues to be in ACB with his recent transfer order sending him to the Andaman and Nicobar islands being cancelled by the Union Home Ministry yesterday.

Earlier this month, he was promoted to the rank of Additional DG, equivalent to Special Commissioner in Delhi Police.

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Mumbai:

Actress Katrina Kaif had to turn down an untitled film, set to be co-produced by Salman Khans production house, due to date issues. Actor Sushant Singh Rajput and Jacqueline Fernandez have now been signed for the Taran Mansukhani film, which will be produced by Dharma Productions and Salman Khan Films.

It was however Kaif who was initially approached for the role. Katrina was approached for the film since she was a perfect fit for the role and shares a great equation with Salman Khan Films and Dharma Productions. She had to turn it down as she has signed another movie, dates of which were clashing with this project, sources close to the development said in a statement here.

It was then that the makers approached Jacqueline as Katrina has committed her timelines to another film, the sources added. Katrina will be seen next in Baar Baar Dekho opposite Sidharth Malhotra.

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New Delhi:

The Anti-Corruption Branch has raided the residences of top bureaucrats in the state of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The ACB has confiscated assets of a whopping Rs. 800 crore in the raid.

The assets have been recovered from the house of an IAS officer A Mohan's house who serves as the dep. commissioner in tourism department.

The huge recovery includes cash and jwellery made of silver and gold. Also, this is the first development in the case and it appears that some major malpractice in the tourism department was going on. However, the matter is sub-judice and subjected to further probe now.

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The incident came to light when a neighbour went to the house and found the girl hanging from the ceiling around 12 noon. (Representational image)

Bengaluru: A 14-year-old girl committed suicide by hanging after her parents advised her to stay away from her boyfriend and concentrate on studies. The incident took place in Devasandra in K.R. Puram police station limits on Friday.

The deceased, Pavitra, was a ninth standard student in a private school. She was the daughter of Anandan and Narasamma and the family resided at Devasandra. Anandan was a cab driver while Narasamma worked as a house keeping staff in a private firm.

According to the police, the girl took the extreme step after her parents left for work. The incident came to light when a neighbour went to the house and found the girl hanging from the ceiling around 12 noon. He alerted Anandan, who immediately rushed home before informing the police.

The girl has left a note stating that she was in love with Ramesh, a cab driver, and wanted to marry him. As her parents were opposed to it, she took the extreme step. However, the parents have made a statement that Ramesh was not letting her attend classes and they had warned both Ramesh and Pavitra to stay away from each other. They had also advised their daughter to concentrate on studies as she was still a minor.

However, Ramesh allegedly continued to meet her. We are investigating the case from all angles, the police said. Pavitras father had filed a complaint with the K.R. Puram police alleging that his daughter took the extreme step because of Ramesh. The police are investigating the matter.
Kolkata:

The fifth phase of West Bengal assembly polls today will be a watershed for the third gender community as for the first time one of them has been made presiding officer for a booth in South Kolkata.

We are calling it the transgender booth because Riya Sarkar, a transgender, will be the presiding officer. She will now be part of history of the inclusion of the transgender community into the mainstream society, Smita Pandey, district electoral officer, Kolkata South, told PTI.

The transwoman will be posted at one of the booths at South City International School which falls in Rashbehari assembly constituency.

A history teacher at Dum Dum Prachaya Bani Mandir for Boys school, she was born as Pankaj Sarkar and went for a sex realignment surgery in 2014 to became Riya Sarkar.

It is a big honour not only for me but for the entire transgender community. I am very happy and proud on being given this task by the Election Commission, Sarkar said.

She has been given training for handling polling booth and tackling challenges like other presiding officers.

Amitjyoti Bhattacharya, deputy chief electoral officer said all sections of the society are being encouraged to be part of the electoral process. When it comes to us there is no discrimination at all anywhere.

Pandey, who was earlier part of West Bengal Transgender Development Board, said the initiative is a message for the entire community to come out and disclose their identity in public.

Its just that theyre not getting enough opportunities. This inclusion in polling process will be a part of their social engineering experience, she said.

Sarkar said she used to face discrimination on part of the fellow teachers at the school, where she has been teaching for the past few years. I hope it gets buried in the past, she said.

Ranjita Sinha who leads Association of Transgender/Hijra in Bengal (ATHB) welcomed the ECs step saying it would help empower the community.

Out of the 6.5 crore voters in West Bengal the number of voters from the third gender is a nominal 758.

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New Delhi:

Claude Shannon is known for the foundation of electronic digital computing. Shannon is the one who earned the moniker father of information theory. Today is Shannons hundredth birthday, he was born on April 30, 1916 in Petoskey, Michigan. Google is honouring Shannon today with a doodle on its homepage in which he can be seen juggling a bunch of numbers, created by artist Nate Swinehart.

Since very early, Shannon showed his apparent interest in mechanics and electronics when he was in school. Shannon, an American mathematician, electrical engineer and cryptographer is equally famous for founding the digital computer and digital circuit design theory in 1937.

He had also contributed to cryptanalysis for national defense during World War II. He is also remembered for his basic work on code-breaking and secure telecommunications.

He also rubbed shoulders with some of the well-known geniuses like Albert Einstein and Alan Turing. The Google today doodles to honour him as a world class juggler who is known for his revolutionary academic works.

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Nairobi:

At least seven people died when a six-storey building collapsed in the Kenyan capital amid torrential rainstorms, police said today, as rescue teams shifted rubble in a desperate search for survivors.

One survivor was pulled from the huge pile of rubble shortly after dawn, Kenya Red Cross said, some 10 hours after the building collapsed Friday night and as skies cleared after a night of ferocious storms.

We have lost seven people after the house collapsed last night, Nairobi police chief Japheth Koome told AFP. We have 121 others who have been rescued and taken to hospital.

Kenya Red Cross, who along with police and other rescue services continued to search the piles of crumbled concrete rubble, said a total of 150 households had been affected.

Two neighbouring buildings in the densely-populated and poor Huruma neighbourhood were declared unsafe on Saturday and are being evacuated.

Nairobi deputy Governor Jonathan Mueke, who visited the scene on Saturday morning, said an investigation would look into why the two-year old building collapsed.

The building went down during the heavy rains, but we still want to establish if all the procedures were followed when it was constructed, he said.

The building collapsed at around 9:30 pm yesterday following some of the heaviest downpours since the start of the rainy season.

They have caused flooding and landslides in many areas of the city. Kenya Red Cross spokeswoman Arnolda Shiundu said the site had been complete chaos and teams were still searching, assisted by a crane.

We dont know how many people are under the rubble, but we fear there are still several of them, she said.

Pictures broadcast by local media showed soldiers, policemen and civilians searching through the rubble of the collapsed buildings for survivors.

Earlier Friday, a wall around a property collapsed due to flooding in another part of the city, killing at least three people, according to local media.

Nairobi has been in the middle of a building boom for some years but the quality of materials used and speed of construction have sometimes been called into question.

The growing middle class has triggered an explosion in demand for housing and a rise in real estate prices in the east African capital.

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New Delhi :

Auction of brands and trademarks of Kingfisher Airlines turned out to be a damp squib today as lenders failed to attract a single bidder for sale of these pledged assets at a reserve price of Rs 366.70 crore in their efforts to recover unpaid loans from beleaguered Vijay Mallya.

This is the second failed attempt by the 17-bank consortium led by state-run behemoth SBI to recover some money from Mallya, after an earlier auction of Kingfisher House the erstwhile headquarters of the long-defunct airlinemet with a similar fate, with no bidder coming forward.

The items on sale during todays e-auction included the the Kingfisher logo as also the once-famous tagline Fly the Good Times. The other trademarks on sale included Flying Models, Funliner, Fly Kingfisher and Flying Bird Device.

The reserve price for the trademarks was kept at Rs 366.70 crore, which is not even one-tenth of the price at which it was pledged as a collateral for the loan. Sources, however, said the reserve price was too high for any bidder to come in.

There were no bids, possibly because the reserve price was considered very high. Though the reserve price was set much lower than its original valuation at the time of taking the brand as collateral, people still found it to be high, a banking source said.

The online auction began at 11:30 am and lasted for an hour without any success. It was conducted by SBICAP Trustee Company on behalf of lenders under the Sarfaesi Act.

The Kingfisher brand itself was valued at over Rs 4,000 crore by Grant Thornton when the airline was at its peak.

In its annual report for 2012-13, KFA said that at its peak, it was the largest airline in India, with a five-star rating from Skytrax. The airlines brand had been registered separately from the Kingfisher beer trademarks.

A senior banker said, The interest for this auction could have been from existing airline operators, but no one will come. It is better to start a new airline company than to buy this brand and revive it.

In a previous attempt at recovery of dues, which have ballooned to over Rs 9,000 crore after taking into account the interest component, the banks had conducted an auction of Kingfisher House last month, but did not find any takers at a reserve price of Rs 150 crore.

Sources said the lenders might now try to lower the reserve price in both the cases in their future efforts to sell these pledged assets.

Mallya, who left India on March 2 and is currently in London, has a non-bailable warrant against him in a money-laundering investigation. His passport has also been revoked. Earlier this week, the government said it has written to the British government seeking Mallyas deportation.

In an interview to the Financial Times, the liquor baron, however, said he is in a forced exile and has no plans at the moment to return to India where things are flying at him fast and furious.

I definitely would like to return to India. Right now, things are flying at me fast and furious. My passport has been revoked. I dont know what the government is going to do next, he said.

Mallya said he wanted a reasonable settlement with creditor banks for his defunct airline, but they are not getting any money by taking his passport or arresting him.
Rajkot:

Godrej Appliances, the countrys leading home appliances firm, today said it is planning to have 100 exclusive brand outlets (EBOs) in the country within a year, from the present 42.

EBO is very important part of our whole retail strategy. This is 42nd EBO in the whole country and we plan to have 100 EBOs in the country by the end of March 2017, said Kamal Nandi, Business Head, here today.

We are focusing on tier I, II and III cities where we have opened our EBOs and we plan to open more.
Auckland:

In a traditional welcome ceremony, President Pranab Mukherjee rubbed nose with the chief of an Indigenous group as he started his visit to New Zealand today.

Mukherjee was accorded a guard of honour after the Maori welcome at the residence of New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae.

Ceremony concludes with traditional rubbing of noses in friendship between President Mukherjee and the Maori chief, Rashtrapati Bahwan tweeted.

Maori warriors also placed a fern in front of Mukherjee and asked him to pick it up if he arrived for friendship. On being convinced that he has arrived in friendship, they asked him to follow them.

Maori warriors initially greet visitor with aggression not knowing whether he is friend or foe, it tweeted along with the video of the ceremony. Mukherjee arrived here from Papua New Guinea. The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New

Zealand. The Maori originated with settlers from eastern Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages at some time between 1250 and 1300 CE.

Over several centuries in isolation, the Polynesian settlers developed a unique culture that became known as the Maori, with their own language, a rich mythology, distinctive crafts and performing arts.

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Chennai:

Targeting Congress leadership on the AgustaWestland bribery controversy, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi owed an explanation as all decisions and manipulations in tenders were done during the UPA regime.

Now things are coming out as to how the entire fundamentals were changed for AgustaWestland, (how) the tenders were changed. The Congress party must reply, Madam Sonia Gandhi must reply, Rahul Gandhi must reply, he told reporters here.

Referring to former Defence Minister A K Anthonys remarks that the Modi government should punish the bribe takers if there was evidence, the IT Minister said the agencies were probing the matter.

He also alleged that middleman Christian Michel was allowed to flee after CBI started its prelimiary inquiry in February 2013 just like Ottavio Quattrochi leaving India during the Bofors scandal.

Prasad asked Sonia to please explain who were the bribe takers because all the decisions, manipulations in tenders were done when the UPA government was there.

The NDA government was committed to a fair investigation into the matter and bring to book those who have done this great corruption and brought shame to the country, he said.

Slammimg Congress and its ally DMK on the 2G scam, Prasad said scams like Coal auction and AgustaWestland keep tumbling out with alarming regularity.

He said the investigation into the the AgustaWestland deal started after the Narendra Modi government came to power at the Centre, and former NSA MK Narayanan and former Governor of Goa B V Wanchoo, were questioned only after we came to power.

He also sought to remind Congress that the proof in this case has come in Italy, in an apparent reference to the conviction of Finmeccanicas former chief Giuseppe Orsi to 4.5 years in jail for corruption in the deal relating to sale of 12 VVIP choppers to India.

Prasad said there were no charges of corruption against his party-led government. We can say proudly that our government has conducted itself with great honesty and transparency, he said.

The larger issue is can Mr Jairam Ramesh point out any impropriety or corruption in our two-year government, he asked.

Asked about his cabinet colleague Piyush Goyals Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is inaccessible remark, the Minister said, I dont think this is a big issue in the state.

We as Central Ministers keep visiting the entire country. We may be able to meet Chief Ministers or not but that is not the issue at all. That should not become a political issue at all, he said.

The real issues were corruption, too well-known in the AIADMK rule, lack of growth and unemployment, he said.

The BJP was fighting both AIADMK and DMK and a beacon of hope among corruption, he claimed.

Earlier, Prasad released the partys propaganda song for the May 16 Assembly elections.

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Islamabad:

Pakistan is still negotiating with the US to purchase F-16 fighter jets despite difficulties in getting the USD 700 deal partially financed by American government, a top official said today.

The purchase hit snags after US Congress withheld 60 per cent of the aid earmarked for subsidising the deal opposed by some American lawmakers and India.

Tariq Fatemi, the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, responding to reports about the deadlock over the deal said that the negotiations arent over yet, reported BBC Radio.

He said Pakistans mission in Washington is currently in talks with members of Congress to raise awareness of Islamabads views on the matter.

America understands how important a role these eight F-16s can play in the fight against terror, which is why the request was made in the first place. According to the deal, Pakistan would have paid USD 270 million and the remaining USD 430 million was to come from the US.

There is a strong opposition to provide subsidised arms to other countries in the US Congress, but the Obama administrations offer of military aid to Pakistan still stands, Fatemi told BBC Radio. Those opposing the deal argue that these jets can be used against India in case of a war.

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London:

The Islamic State militant group has executed over 4,000 people within two years, a UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said, calling on the UN to stop the crimes and violations committed against the Syrian people by the outfit.

Monitors compiled the list dating back to the declaration of ISIS in June 2014, showing regular beheadings, shootings, stonings and other methods of murder such as throwing people off buildings and setting them on fire.

The so-called offences of those executed included sodomy, apostasy and alcohol smuggling, SOHR notes.

It concludes that by the end of the 22nd month of the so-called caliphate under ISIS, 4,144 people had been executed.

SOHR said civilians made up the bulk of those executed, estimated at 2,230 people, including in three large-scale massacres of Sunni and Kurdish citizens.

The civilians, including women and children, are among the number, as are hundreds of ISIS own members and enemy fighters from Bashar al-Assads army and opposition rebel groups, The Independent reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights call again on the UN Security Council to work seriously to stop the crimes and violations committed against the Syrian people by the Islamic State and the regime of Bashar al-Assad, a spokesperson said.

In the month until March 29 this year, 80 killings were recorded in ISIS territory in the provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Al-Hasakah.

A child was among 37 Syrian civilians executed, while 24 ISIS members, six rebels and fighters and more than a dozen Syrian army and militia members were beheaded and shot, SOHR said.

A former London student who joined ISIS in Syria last year described the reign of terror they enforce in their strongholds in an interview with the newspaper.

I witnessed stonings, beheadings, shootings, hands chopped off and many other things, said Harry Sarfo, currently in prison in Germany awaiting trial for terror offences after fleeing Syria last July.

He added: Ive seen child soldiers 13-year-old boys with explosive belts and Kalashnikovs. Some boys even driving cars and involved in executions.

My worst memory is of the execution of six men shot in the head by Kalashnikovs. The chopping off of a mans hand and making him hold it with the other hand, he said.

The Islamic State is not just un-Islamic, it is inhuman.

A blood-related brother killed his own brother on suspicion of being a spy. They gave him the order to kill him. It is friends killing friends, he added.

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Dhaka:

A Hindu tailor was hacked to death by machete-wielding ISIS militants in his shop today in central Bangladesh, the latest in a series of brutal attacks on intellectuals, activists and minorities by the dreaded terror group in the Muslim-majority country. Nikhil Chandra Joarder, 50, a resident of the Dubail village under Gopalpur upazila of the Tangail district, was hacked to death this afternoon.

Three assailants entered Nikhils house-cum shop and slit his throat, Gopalpur police station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Abdul Jalil told reporters.

He said the assailants used a motorbike and fled the scene immediately after the murder. They left a black bag at the spot, which contained three to four bomb-like objects.

Asked about the possible motive behind the attack, Jalil told reporters that a case was filed against Nikhil in 2012 for making a derogatory comment about the Prophet of Islam.

He had been arrested for allegedly making the comments and then released. It can be the reason for the murder, The Daily Star quoted Jalil as saying.

Meanwhile, US-based private SITE Intelligence Group said the Islamic State has claimed the killing.

ISIS Amaq Agency reported the groups responsibility for killing the Hindu tailor for blasphemy in Tangail district in Bangladesh, it said in a tweet.

The local media reports said that Nikhil served three months of imprisonment in 2012 when he was arrested for commenting derogatory comments against the Prophet.

We are trying to track down the killers and called CID (Criminal Investigation Department) to probe the murder...(But) I will tell you nothing about the incident until the investigation is finished, Tangails district police chief Saleh Mohammad Tanvir told reporters.

There have been systematic assaults in Bangladesh in recent months specially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners.

In the recent attacks, a liberal professor was brutally hacked to death last Saturday by machete-wielding ISIS militants who slit his throat near his home in Rajshahi city.

Two days later on Monday, Bangladeshs first gay magazine editor was brutally murdered along with a friend in his flat in Dhaka by Islamists.

In February, a head priest was killed at a Hindu temple in an area bordering India, the first attack by the ISIS targeting the community.

Last year, four prominent secular bloggers were killed with machetes, one inside his own home.

In most of the cases, Islamic State or al-Qaeda in Indian Sub Continent claimed the responsibility.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, however, repeatedly denied existence of any foreign terrorist groups in the country and attributed the deadly attacks on homegrown extremists backed by main opposition outside parliament BNP and its crucial ally fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Dinesh Kumar had severely thrashed Ramniwas after summoning him at the police station, following which he had to be admitted in hospital, the senior official said. (Photo: Representational Image)

New Delhi: A Delhi Police inspector was on Saturday arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of a married woman in north Delhi's Sabzi Mandi area.

The inspector, Dinesh Kumar, is posted as the Station House Officer at Vijay Vihar Police Station in outer Delhi. He has been arrested under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of IPC this morning, DCP (North) Madhur Verma said.

A senior official said that a woman who allegedly hanged herself at her residence in Sabzi Mandi area two days ago left behind a suicide note alleging Kumar made her take the extreme step. A probe into the matter was initiated and later a case was registered.

During investigation, it emerged that the deceased woman was the wife of one Ramniwas, who is a proclaimed bad character in areas under the jurisdiction of Vijay Vihar Police Station.

It also turned up that the SHO had "severely thrashed" Ramniwas after summoning him at the police station, following which he had to be admitted in hospital, the senior official said.

Following the instruction of a Joint Commissioner-rank officer, Kumar was detained for questioning at Sabzi Mandi Police Station on Friday night and arrested this morning. A departmental inquiry has been initiated in connection with the matter and further investigation is underway, the official added.
Mumbai: Four persons have been arrested for the murder of a private vehicle driver (45) who was found dead on April 9 in Valiv area of Vasai. One more person is wanted in the case.

A Sahar police official informed this newspaper that the accused had taken a lift from the deceased when he was on his way to Vapi and later, near Nallasopara, got off to roam around the area. This irritated the driver as he was getting late for Vapi, so he told them to immediately get back into the cab, angering them to the extent that they killed him. The deceased, Harishchandra Prasad Yadav, a resident of Sahar, used to work as a cab driver.

On April 6, his owner told him to go to Vapi to get a consignment and since then, he was missing, so a missing complaint was lodged in Sahar police station.

On April 8, his body was found in Valiv and the case got transferred to Sahar for investigation. Later, the police recovered his Innova car with blood stains from Manpada area of Thane, after which they started tracking his mobile location.

A Sahar police official said that the accused were arrested on April 22. One accused is still at large and as the crime (murder) occurred in the jurisdiction of Sahar police station, the case was transferred to them.

The arrested accused  identified as Vikas Binder Yadav (20), Abhishek Shomal Yadv (20), Sunil Dhirendra Yadv (23) and Raju Chandresh Yadav (20) hail from Azamgarh area of Uttar Pradesh and were staying in Manpada.

On the night of April 6, they were consuming alcohol at a hotel on Ghodbunder Road from where they took a lift from Yadav.

They got down at Nallasopara saying they wanted to answer natures call but seeing one of the group (who is now absconding) talking on the phone, Yadav asked them to get back into the cab immediately as he was getting late for Vapi.

This angered the accused who crushed Yadavs face and chest with a heavy stone, killing him in the bargain and later dumping his body in Valiv.

A Sahar police official said while tracking Yadavs phone, one of the accused switched on his phone and later switched it off, helping officials to get his IMEI number and track down his phone.

With the help of the mobiles IMEI number, officials got the mobile SIM number of the accused who had inserted another SIM in the phone of the deceased.

After receiving the mobile number of the phone, they tracked the call data record of the SIM and it led them to the number of the accused, following which they arrested him and later arrested the other three. They were planning to escape to Delhi by train, said the police.
She was also asked by her senior to do some domestic chores, police said. (Photo: Representational Image)

Coimbatore: Unable to bear the continuous 'torture' by her senior woman police official, a lady constable in Tirupur district allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison.

Gayathri, in her mid-20s consumed poison last night at her house and left for the all-women police station at Dharmapuram, police said.

She collapsed in front of the police station and some colleagues got her admitted to a nearby hospital. She died during the treatment later, they said.

Gayathri, hailing from Katpadi village in Dindigul district was upset as the senior woman official in the police station used to abuse and torture her.

Reportedly, she was also asked by her senior to do some domestic chores, police said.
The radical Greenies are really todays Reds and they are out to destroy the working class

(Freedom.news) Reds was a term used to describe communists who were aligned with the Soviet Union and its authoritarian policies during the Cold War. Today, many of communisms ideological soul mates can be found in the Left-wing green movement which is infested with radicals who are more concerned about phony global warming/climate change than they are about whether you are able to earn a decent living.

There was a time in Americaand it wasnt even so long agothat liberals actually cared about working class people. They may have been misguided in many of their policy solutions (i.e., raising the minimum wage) but at least their heart was in the right place, writes Stephen Moore, a distinguished visiting fellow for the Project for Economic Growth at The Heritage Foundation.

Then a strange thing happened about a decade ago. The radical leftwing environmentalists took control, Moore continued. These are people who care more about the supposed rise of the oceans than the financial survival of the middle class. The industrial unions made a catastrophic decision to get in bed with these radicals and now theyand all of usare paying a heavy price.

One of the industries that has been ravaged by the green/red movement is the coal industry. Just last week, Moore notes, another coal giant  Peabody Energy Corp.  declared bankruptcy, the same fate that befell Arch Coal Inc., Alpha Natural Resources Inc., and other coal producers who have filed for court-ordered bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11.

Peabody has stated that the lower cost of natural gas may have been a factor in their decline, and I am all for market competition, Moore wrote, but this isnt a result of free market creative destruction. This was largely a policy strategy by the White House and green groups.

Clean Power Plant rules issued by President Obamas EPA were designed to force many of these coal companies (and coal-fired plants) out of business, and thats precisely what is happening. And while you may personally find the use of cheap coal for the production of power offensive, these were good-paying jobs in parts of the country that have been devastated by the lousy Obama economy  and now those jobs are disappearing, as are the prospects for a better life for the American families affected by these company closures.

Ideas have consequences. Obama has succeeded in decimating whole towns dependent on coalin Wyoming, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, Moore notes, adding:

Progressive liberals dont seem to care that an estimated 31,000 coal miners, truckers, engineers, construction workers and others have lost their job since 2009 as a result of this global warming fanaticism. Another 5,000 or so could be given pink slips at Peabody. To the left, the families whose lives are ruined are collateral damage to achieve their utopian dream of saving the planet. The Stalinists who now run the green movement believe the ends justify the ruthless means.

And of course, investors in coal have been equally decimated. Since 2009 the coal industry has lost tens of billions of dollars, and much of that loss has affected union 401(k) retirement plans.

Whats really maddening about all of this is that according to the governments own EPA, the air we breathe today is cleaner than its ever been, with emissions of sulfur, lead, carbon dioxide and smog from coal plants having fallen 50 to 90 percent over the past four decades. Oh, and for the uninitiated, carbon dioxide is not a pollutant  we have to have it in our atmosphere so that life on our planet doesnt end.

Not only that, but the greenies ought to think about what it is theyre really accomplishing  other than destroying American industries and jobs. For every coal plant that shuts down in the U.S., China and India are building 10, writes Moore. In addition, our coal is much cleaner and our environmental regulations much stricter than those in the other two countries.

In terms of coal, the U.S. is like the Saudi Arabia of global coal supply. We have something like 500 years worth of it in the ground, meaning we could corner the global coal market bringing wealth and prosperity to our people. But no; radical green/reds insist we impoverish ourselves rather than develop smarter ways to utilize a plentiful, affordable resource (all while complaining about their monthly electric bills, most likely).

But Republicans have much to answer for, as well. They have held a majority in the House for five years and have controlled all of Congress since January 2015, but they refuse to act against the EPA and reign it in.

Combine what the green/reds are doing to the energy sector with other land use regulations and you can begin to see why poll after poll shows Americans care much more about jobs and opportunity than phony baloney climate change.

It isnt too late to revive the coal industry and others affected by all of this lunatic activism, but that will mean putting jobs first, Moore writes  something both parties claim to want.

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New Delhi: Sharpening the attack on Congress on the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, Union minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha on Saturday said investigators have the ability to find the money trail and the government would pursue the matter for the benefit of citizens.

These are investigations that our agencies are undertaking and they are very capable, Mr Sinha said in response to a question on whether the government was confident about proving the money trail to Congress president Sonia Gandhi or if it was just political aggression.

Meanwhile, CBI on Saturday examined former Deputy Chief of Indian Air Force JS Gujral in connection with alleged irregularities in the Rs 3,600 crore VVIP chopper deal with AgustaWestland.

Air Marshal (Retd) Gujral arrived at the CBI Headquarters in the morning and appeared before the investigation team probing the case.

He was one of the many senior officials who were part of the meeting in 2005 when a decision to alter the required specifications was taken. The agency has called former Air Chief S.P. Tyagi on Monday.
Like many municipalities across the country, towns and school districts in the Danbury area were forced to tighten their belts in the wake of the Great Recession of 2007-08.

But even as the economy has slowly recovered, most local governments continue to run leaner than they did in the past.

An analysis of employment figures showed Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Redding and Ridgefield slashed municipal staff following the recession, and most continue to operate with fewer employees than they had before 2008.

Everybody is trying to figure out how to do more with less, said Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton.

According to the data, which was compiled from the towns Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, Danbury city government employed the equivalent of 14 fewer people in 2009 than it did a year earlier, when the recession hit in earnest. But Boughton said those numbers dont tell the full story.

At the time, Boughton said, the city was opening a new firehouse, which partly offset the decline in staff numbers. But at City Hall, the impact was much more severe.

What happened is we redeployed resources in City Hall to public safety and other areas, Boughton said. The impact in City Hall was much greater.

When I got here in 2001, there were a lot of people here, the mayor added. I dont want to say its a ghost town now, but were very, very lean.

To cope with the new staffing levels, Boughton said the city has used more technology and automation to modernize how it does business.

The post-recession era has seen a renewed focus on consolidating and sharing services among neighboring towns, said David Hannon, the deputy director of the Western Connecticut Council of Governments.

Were looking to find ways to come together and identify types of municipal services that could be regionalized and trying to find a way to make that happen, Hannon said.

The recession had a well-documented financial impact. Municipal employee pension contributions skyrocketed to offset a decline in the value of pension fund investments. In some cases, a drop in tax collection rates temporarily depleted town coffers.

But Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said the recession had a more long-lasting impact.

The recession caused more of an attitude shift within the town government, Knickerbocker said. Knowing that people were sensitive to the financial conditions, we tried to minimize the impact on the budget.

Bethel was the only town surveyed that did not immediately reduce staff during the throes of the recession. But Knickerbocker explained pressure to keep taxes flat increased the workload in some town departments.

Were understaffed severely in our highway and parks and rec, Knickerbocker said. We dont have enough people and thats a plain fact. The town has grown and our needs have grown, but there is tremendous pushback for hiring new people.

When the stock market crashed in 2008, Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi met with department heads and leaders of the towns collective bargaining units. At the time, he said, he sought concessions on health care contributions and other ways to limit the harm on staffing levels and to avoid layoffs.

Boughton said similar negotiations took place in Danbury, where city contributions to employee pension funds more than doubled, meaning that money had to be drawn from other areas of the budget.

Mayors and first selectmen have been doing it since 2008-09, Boughton said. Weve had to renegotiate contracts, downsize our workforce and become leaner.

The constraints on municipalities also extended to school districts, which were also forced to trim staffs during the recession era. In some cases, teachers who retired were not replaced and some full-time employees were reduced to part-time status.

In Brookfield, school employment dipped from 421 FTEs (full-time equivalents) in 2007 to 388.4 in 2008. Similar declines took place in New Milford, Newtown and Ridgefield.

Brookfield Superintendent John Barile said many districts were forced to downsize because lower year-to-year budget increases meant less money was available to cover salary increases mandated in employee contracts or to cover soaring special education costs and other state mandates.

Prior to the recession, if you look at budget history, many school districts were getting regular increases of 2-3 percent per year, said Barile who was the superintendent in Bethany before coming to Brookfield this year. After the recession, budgets are leaner and we have to work more creatively with our resources.

But unlike the towns employment, which continues to remain low, some area school districts are returning to pre-recession staffing levels.

Some, like Newtown and Ridgefield, have more employees than they did before the economic downturn.

Barile said that as the economy continues to recover, some of the pressure to keep taxes flat might be lessening. While Brookfield schools are still staffed below pre-recession levels, he said, the district is slowly trying replace some of the losses.

Were starting to see some of it normalize, Barile said. But I dont know if well ever get back to 3 percent per year (budget increases).

There's more scrutiny, and frankly thats a good thing, he said. We should be held accountable for every penny we spend.

awolff@newstimes.com; 203-731-3333; @awolffster
America cherishes -- and deeply depends on -- its 28 million small businesses, and the thinkers, doers and dreamers who own and work for them. Producing close to half of our national goods and services, and creating approximately two out of every three new jobs each year, theyre the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones of the American dream.

Thats why, every year since 1963, to honor and uplift entrepreneurs from California to New York, the National Small Business Administration (SBA) declares one week a year National Small Business Week (NSBW). This year, the special week takes place from May 1 through May 6.

Nat'l Small Business Week is May 1-6! Learn how you can participate  https://t.co/xdVHk6R3XE #DreamSmallBiz pic.twitter.com/5V4ZqoXT2C  SBA (@SBAgov) April 29, 2016

To honor, elevate and celebrate the entrepreneurs behind our small businesses, the SBA is hosting many free, inspiring and educational events throughout its 10 regions and 68 districts during NSBW. Several companies and organizations will join the SBA in applauding the entrepreneurial spirit of our nations small-business owners, offering free workshops, webinars and other events throughout the week, the theme of which is once again Dream Big, Start Small. To spread the word via social media, the hashtag is #DreamSmallBiz.

Related: Cash Crunch: What's the Best Loan for Your Small Business?

For all the hard work you do, day in day out, contributing to our collective American story, we think you deserve to take a break, kick back and dream big. Heres a list of free, inspiring events, webinars and more for entrepreneurs to take advantage of during NSBW:

1. Attend an inspiring SBA-hosted NSBW event near you.

SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet will travel across the country in a week, co-hosting NSBW events in the following cities: Washington D.C., Atlanta, New York, Denver, Phoenix and San Jose, Calif. Shell be talking with local business leaders, presenting awards and sharing helpful business tips and trends. To attend one of these events, register here.

2. Watch the SBA NSBW action unfold via livestream all week.

If you cant make it to one of the NSBW events in the above-listed cities, you can still watch the action happen via livestream. Head over to www.sba.gov/nsbw/ starting at 7:30 p.m. E.T. on Sunday, May 1, to tune in. You can also follow Contreras-Sweet at @MCS4Biz on Twitter or Instagram for updates on the fly all week. Follow the SBAs official Twitter feed here as well.

Related: An Entrepreneur's American Dream in 5 Quotes

3. Learn how to grow your business online with Google.

Google is teaming up with small-business-focused organizations in towns and cities across the country to host free workshops on how to grow your companys reach online. Head over to www.gybo.com and click on the U.S. map to find a Google workshop near you.

Google says attendees will learn how to manage their business information as it appears across Google Search and Google Maps. They'll also brush up on how to use Google AdWords Express, Google Analytics and Google Apps for Work to better boost online visibility and to optimize internal workflows.

Related: Google Launches Program to Help Small Businesses

4. Expand your business acumen via a NSBW webinar.

The SBA hosts a series of informative small-business webinars, starting Monday, May 2, and ending Thursday, May 5. Topics to be covered include: demystifying voluntary employee benefits; recent payment technology innovations; cloud, mobile and social apps for growing your business; business-loan-application best practices and how to use Intuit Quickbooks. To see the complete webinar schedule, click here.

5. Attend a Facebook "Boost Your Business" networking event.

In honor of NSBW, Facebook will host four Boost Your Business events in cities throughout Texas next week. If you happen to be in the Lone Star State and want to attend, the networking events will unfold in Corpus Christi on May 2, Houston on May 3, San Antonio on May 5 and College Station on May 6.

Each offers a day of connecting with local community and small-business leaders and fellow entrepreneurs and business owners. Lots of tips on how to use Facebook and Instagram to amplify your businesss reach will be shared. Breakout sessions will hone in on using both popular social platforms for marketing and for sharing video content. For more information on these events, head over here.

Related: What's Missing From Your Facebook Ad Strategy

6. Get social with Twitters "#TweetHour" on scaling your business.

Kicking off on Thursday, May 5 at 7 a.m. E.T., Twitter will put on a #TweetHour focused on tips for scaling your small business. The scheduled host for the hour is Simon Walker, a marketing manager from IFTTT, a San Francisco-based tech startup that automates web services. Walker will also be tweeting about how to save time and money, and how to boost productivity, all things most entrepreneurs and small-business owners can get behind.

To join the hour dedicated to doling out and swapping business growth advice, log on Twitter and search for and use the hashtag #TweetHour.

Mark your calendar, #TweetHour is back with tips to help your business grow with @IFTTT. pic.twitter.com/Vyh6YYDsli  Twitter Small Biz (@TwitterSmallBiz) April 25, 2016

7. Learn how to access loans and capital through Sams Club and Accions webinar.

Having a healthy cashflow is key to staying in business. For many small companies and entrepreneurs, business loans and capital are essentially the lifeblood of their operations. To find out more about how to access finance options such as these, tune in to Sams Club Giving, Small Business Majority and Accion Internationals hour-long webinar on Wed., May 4 at 4 p.m. E.T.

Related: Has Access to Capital Really Improved for Entrepreneurs? (Infographic)

The free online event, titled Access to Capital and Business Loans: Best Practices, coincides with Sams Clubs announcement of $8.8 million in grants for veteran, women and minority small-business owners. Webinar attendees will learn how to identify the right financial products for their particular business needs. To take part, register here.

Related:



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Hyderabad: Thousands of students who took the medical stream of Fridays AP Eamcet might have to write the test again. This situation will arise if the Supreme Court disallows the plea of the AP government to exempt the state from joining the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test this year.

Close to 1 lakh candidates wrote the test in AP and a few centres in Hyderabad.

Mr P.V.R.K. Murthy, chairman of Sri Gayatri institutions, said it all wont depend on the fate of the pleas of the AP and TS governments in the apex court, which will be known later this week.

The AP Eamcet will be rendered useless at least for filling medical seats, which will be done by Neet if the Supreme Court insists on it. The agriculture and veterinary seats can be filled based on Eamcet ranks. Medicine aspirants will have to write the Neet slated for July 24, he said.

Mr Murthy said that both AP and TS were seeking exemption for this year citing reasons like Article 371(D) of the Constitution and the Presidential Order which governs reservations for students from the two states in medical institutions.

AP has conducted its exam while TS is set to conduct it in the next few days. If directions are given that all states should join Neet this year, there will be no option before the government and students from Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh but to toe the line, he told this correspondent.

Telangana state government officials stated that Eamcet might go on irrespective of the court verdict. It is too early to comment on this since the government will be filing a review petition at the earliest. Even if orders are passed making it mandatory for all states to join Neet, the Eamcet might still be held for filling seats in agriculture and veterinary streams, TSCHE chairman Prof. N. Papi Reddy said.
STAMFORD  A Norwalk woman described her former boyfriend Friday as a very evil man who controlled their relationship before he beat and raped her when she tried to break up with him two years ago.

The 54-year-old woman confronted Gary Bozzett, 54, of Redding, before Judge Richard Comerford sentenced him to 11 years in prison for the brutal rape and strangulation in March 2014. Bozzett was also sentenced to 25 years of probation and was issued a 35-year criminal restraining order, which prevents him from contacting his former girlfriend until he is 94.

I feel violated, hurt, used, disgusted and ashamed, the woman told Bozzett, who was dressed in a beige prison outfit as he sat in state Superior Court in Stamford with his eyes focused on the desk he stood behind with his attorney Sean Barrett.

The woman said she lost faith in humanity after the attack, and needed therapy and support from the Domestic Violence Crisis Center to realize the incident wasnt her fault.

I tried for two years to break up with you, she told him. You used me for everything I had, including stealing $55,000 from me, leaving me in financial ruins.

The woman said she feared for her life because of him.

You will fool everyone. Gary, youre a sociopath and a very evil man, she said.

You know how to get what you want  an expert at deception. You deserve the maximum and nothing else.

Bozzett, who has been jailed in lieu of $100,000 bond since his arrest, said he was ashamed of his behavior and apologized for the assault.

I think about my behavior every day and what a coward I was, Bozzett said.

Bozzett, who ended his statement by professing his undying love for his former girlfriend, pleaded guilty in January to rape and strangulation.

Bozzett became violent when the woman tried to end the relationship on March 24, 2014. Norwalk police responded to a Princeton Street address after receiving a 911 call from a woman screaming before the line went dead.

The woman told officers Bozzett grabbed her by the throat, slapped her face and sexually assaulted her, police said. Bozzett also threatened to kill her and then himself, police said.

If Bozzett violates his probation, he could serve all or part of a nine-year suspended sentence. Bozzett must also stay on the states Sex Offender Registry for the rest of his life, Comerford said.

jnickerson@scni.com;
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Carol Kaliff / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Carol Kaliff / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Carol Kaliff / Hearst Connecticut Media Show More Show Less 5 of 5









DANBURY - When beloved president James Schmotter saluted his last graduating class at Western Connecticut State University in 2015, no one knew what they would get in his replacement from New York.

What the campus got in John Clark was a combination of Ed Koch and the Wizard of Oz.
OTTAWA, April 29, 2016 /CNW/ -

The issue

Health Canada seized seventeen unauthorized health products from the retailer, Matrioshka Russian Delicatessen, in Calgary, Alberta. Two unauthorized products were labelled with prescription drug ingredients (captopril and sulfanilamide). The retailer was selling unauthorized health products with packaging labelled in Russian, Ukrainian or Kazakh languages only, with the exception of some ingredients which are listed in English. As a result, information about usage, dosage and side effects may not be understood by all consumers.

Products that contain prescription drug ingredients should only be taken under the supervision of a health professional because they are used to treat specific diseases, and may cause serious side effects.

The seized products have not been approved by Health Canada. This means that they have not been assessed for their safety, effectiveness and quality. As a result, they may contain ingredients not listed on the label, other additives and/or contaminated ingredients. In addition, they may lack the active ingredients Canadians would expect them to contain to help maintain and improve their health or other ingredients that may interact with other medications and foods. For all of these reasons, they could cause serious health effects.





1.  (labelled with captopril  prescription drug ingredient) 2. - /- (labelled with sulfanilamide  prescription drug ingredient) 3.   4.  5. - 6. - /- 7. - 8.  9. - 10.  11.  12.    13. - 14. .52 15.  16. / 17. 

What you should do

Consult with your health-care professional if you have used any of these products and have health concerns.

Read the product label. Health products that have been authorized for sale by Health Canada have an eight-digit DIN, a DIN-HM or a NPN.

Verify that your health products have been authorized for sale by searching the Drug Product Database and the Licensed Natural Health Product Database.

Report any adverse events to Health Canada

Report complaints about health products to Health Canada by calling toll-free to 1-800-267-9675, or complete an online complaint form.

What retailers should know:

Selling unauthorized drugs in Canada is illegal.When unauthorized drugs that may pose serious risks to health are identified on the Canadian market, Health Canada takes appropriate action to prevent further distribution of the products and informs Canadians.

Who is affected

Consumers who have purchased or used any of these products.

Background

 (captopril)

Captopril is a prescription drug used in the treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension), congestive heart failure and kidney problems caused by diabetes. Captopril should only be used under medical supervision. When taken in high doses, captopril can result in excessive lowering of blood pressure, which may result in weakness, dizziness, fainting, or kidney failure. Captopril should not be used by pregnant women or women who are trying to get pregnant as it can cause injury or death to an unborn baby.

- /- (sulfanilamide)

Sulfanilamide is a prescription drug that was previously available in Canada to treat vaginal yeast infections caused by Candida albicans. It was available to be used intravaginally only, but has been discontinued from the market. It is currently available in Canada only for veterinary use. Ingesting sulfanilamide by mouth may cause irritation of the stomach and intenstines. Overexposure may cause a blood disorder known as methemoglobinemia. Sulfanilamide can damage the liver, the blood system and may cause skin to be overly sensitive to light when used in large oral doses.

Report health or safety concerns

Call Health Canada toll-free at 1-866-234-2345.

Visit MedEffect Canada's web page on Adverse Reaction Reporting for information on how to report online, by mail or by fax.

Stay connected with Health Canada and receive the latest advisories and product recalls using

social media tools.

What Health Canada is doing

Health Canada has seized the products from the retail location. Should additional retailers or distributors of these products be identified, Health Canada will take appropriate action and inform Canadians.

SOURCE Health Canada

PDF available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2016/04/29/20160429_C8726_PDF_EN_679150.pdf

For further information: Media Enquiries, Health Canada, (613) 957-2983; Public Enquiries, (613) 957-2991, 1-866 225-0709
OTTAWA, April 29, 2016 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Health, announced consultations on proposed amendments that would restrict menthol flavoured tobacco products on the Canadian market and would further protect youth from the dangers of tobacco use.



The proposal would build on changes that came into force in 2009 and 2015, which banned the use of certain additives, including flavours like chocolate and bubble gum, in all cigarettes, blunt wraps and most cigars including little cigars, to make them less attractive to youth. This new proposal would expand on these restrictions by prohibiting menthol, an additive used by tobacco manufacturers to improve the palatability of their products and increase their appeal.

Research has shown that an important way to curb lifetime smoking is to prevent youth from starting to smoke in the first place. Despite success in reducing smoking rates among youth to a record low, recent data points to a spike in sales of menthol products and illustrates that youth smoke menthol cigarettes. This research supports restrictions on flavoured tobacco, including those with menthol, in order to reduce their appeal to youth.

A 30-day consultation period will begin when a Notice describing the proposal is published in Canada Gazette, Part I on April 30, 2016. Interested parties are encouraged to submit their comments on the proposal online or via regular mail during the consultation period.



Quick Facts

Trends in menthol tobacco products sales have shifted recently. Beginning in 2009, menthol cigarette sales increased for five consecutive years and, in 2014, they were 14% higher than in 2008.

Of Canadian youth who are current smokers, 37% reported using a menthol cigarette in the last 30 days, according to the latest Youth Smoking Survey.

Quotes

"Tens of thousands of Canadians die each year from smoking-related illness and studies have shown that the younger a person starts smoking, the greater the risk of premature death. By banning menthol flavouring, which is shown to be popular amongst those under 25, we can help steer youth away from experimenting with tobacco in the first place."

Jane Philpott

Minister of Health

Associated Links

Notice  Proposed Order to amend the Schedule to the Tobacco Act

Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (2012)

Youth Smoking Survey (2012-13)

Health Canada news releases are available on the Internet at: www.healthcanada.gc.ca/media

SOURCE Health Canada

For further information: Contacts: Andrew MacKendrick, Office of Jane Philpott, Minister of Health, 613-957-0200; Media Relations: Health Canada, 613-957-2983: Public Inquiries: 613-957-2991, 1-866 225-0709
MONTREAL, April 29, 2016 /CNW/ - Canadians are invited to join VIA Rail Canada's Annual Public Meeting webcast on May 31, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. VIA Rail invites the public to register and take part in this event to hear presentations on its performance and financial results of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016, as well as its plan for dedicated tracks. The dedicated tracks project has the potential to contribute to Canada's economic development, social progress and environmental health by creating a more reliable and convenient service for passengers.

What: Webcast | VIA Rail Canada's Annual Public Meeting 2016



When: Tuesday, May 31, 2016

14:00 Eastern Time

How to attend: Please click here to register for the event. The webcast will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on May 31, 2016. Questions can be sent by email to [email protected] until 3 p.m. (Eastern Time) on May 31, 2016. After that time, questions can be sent to [email protected] .

About VIA Rail Canada

As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail ( viarail.ca ) and its 2,600 employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking over 400 communities across Canada, and safely transports nearly four million passengers annually. The Corporation was awarded seven Safety Awards by the Railway Association of Canada over the last eight years. For more information, visit: viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail .

Stay connected with VIA Rail

Twitter VIA_Rail

Facebook viarailcanada

Instagram @viarailcanada

Evolution Blog

SOURCE VIA Rail Canada Inc.

For further information: Mylene Belanger, Advisor, Public Relations, VIA Rail Canada, 514 871-6309, 1 877 393-8787, [email protected], [email protected]
CALGARY, April 29, 2016 /CNW/ - Dr. Brad Thompson, President and CEO of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (TSX: ONC) (OTCQX: ONCYF) (FRA: ONY) ("Oncolytics" or the "Company"), will participate in the Bloom Burton & Co. Healthcare Investor Conference in a session on Monday, May 2nd, 2016 at 4:00 pm ET. The conference takes place on May 2nd and 3rd in Toronto, Ontario.

A live audio link to the webcast session will be available at http://wsw.com/webcast/bloomburton/onc or on the company's website at http://www.oncolyticsbiotech.com/news-and-events/events-and-webcasts/. It is recommended that listeners log on 10 minutes in advance of a live session to register and download any necessary software. An audio replay will be accessible approximately two hours following the presentation on the Oncolytics website.

The Bloom Burton & Co. Healthcare Investor Conference brings together Canadian, U.S. and international investors who are interested in the latest developments in the Canadian healthcare sector. Attendees will have an opportunity to obtain corporate updates from the premier Canadian publicly traded and private companies through presentations and private meetings.

About Oncolytics Biotech Inc.

Oncolytics is a Calgary-based biotechnology company focused on the development of oncolytic viruses as potential cancer therapeutics. Oncolytics' clinical program includes a variety of later-stage, randomized human trials in various indications using REOLYSIN, its proprietary formulation of the human reovirus. For further information about Oncolytics, please visit: www.oncolyticsbiotech.com.

The session and webcast times are subject to change. This release and the presentation related thereto contain forward-looking statements which involve known and unknown risks, delays, uncertainties and other factors not under the Company's control and which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from the results, performance or expectations implied by these forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the efficacy of REOLYSIN as a cancer treatment, the success and timely completion of clinical studies and trials, uncertainties related to the research and development of pharmaceuticals and uncertainties related to the regulatory process. Investors should consult the Company's quarterly and annual filings with the Canadian and U.S. securities commissions for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

SOURCE Oncolytics Biotech Inc.

For further information: NATIONAL Equicom: Nick Hurst, 800 6th Ave. SW, Suite 1600, Calgary, Alberta T2P 3G3, Tel: 403.218.2835, Fax: 403.218.2830, [email protected]; NATIONAL Equicom: Michael Moore, San Diego, CA, Tel: 858.886.7813, [email protected]; Dian Griesel, Inc.: Susan Forman, 335 West 38th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10018, Tel: 212.825.3210, Fax: 212.825.3229, [email protected]
OTTAWA, April 30, 2016 /CNW/ - The Hon. John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and the Hon. Melanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Minister responsible for Multiculturalism, today issued the following statement:

"Today marks the second annual Journey to Freedom Day, a day to commemorate the thousands of Vietnamese 'boat people' Canada has welcomed since the end of the Vietnam War and the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975.

"The Journey to Freedom Day Act was introduced in the Senate in April 2014 by the Hon. Senator Thanh Hai Ngo and received Royal Assent last year. It created a day that allows all Canadians to reflect on the heartbreaking, brave, and inspiring voyage of the Vietnamese refugees and this important moment in our country's history. Canadians responded with a then-unprecedented outpouring of support and open arms that has shaped our country's approach to refugee crises in the years since 1975.

"Today, all Canadians have the opportunity to reflect on the journey of more than 60,000 Vietnamese refugees to Canada, to recognize the remarkable role Canadians played in helping them settle in their new home through the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program, and to celebrate the contributions of Canadians of Vietnamese origin to our country's diversity."

SOURCE Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

For further information: (media only), please contact: Media Relations, Communications Branch, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 613-952-1650, [email protected]; Pierre-Olivier Herbert, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, 819-997-7788
Students are asked to appear for both NEET 1 and CET.

Bengaluru: The state government has asked second year PU students to appear for the first phase of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS and BDS courses on Sunday and also the Common Entrance Test scheduled for May 4 and 5.

At a joint press conference here on Saturday, Law and Higher Education Minister T.B. Jayachandra and Medical Education Minister Dr Sharanprakash Patil said the government would appeal against the Supreme Court order on NEET, which is coming up for hearing on May 3.

But it is better for the students to appear for both NEET 1 and CET. The government will file a petition seeking the apex courts permission to implement its NEET order from the next academic year, they said.
Following the massacre of no fewer than 40 people of Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu by Fulani herdsmen last ...

The Igbo youths gave the herdsmen till Monday to vacate all Igboland saying enough is enough even as it was gathered that the attack by the herdsmen has forced nursing mothers, widows, children and bedridden patients from the affected communities into exile. An Igbo traditional ruler, Igwe Rowland Odegbo and Champion newspaper publisher, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu also condemned the massacre and tasked President Muhammadu Buhari to bring the perpetrators to justice.Rising from an emergency meeting held in Enugu on Thursday, the Igbo youths in their communique noted that the herdsmen are off-shoots of Boko Haram and must not be allowed any breeding ground in Igbo land.Any herdsman who fails to quit South East by Monday will have himself to blame.The communique was signed by the National Vice President of the group, Mazi Obinna Achuonye and the Chairmen of OYC in seven Igbo- speaking states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Delta, Imo and Rivers.According to the communique, never again will Igbo youths fold their arms and watch our people being massacred by blood-sucking terrorists under the guise of herdsmen.Urgent times need drastic measure. We warn all violent Fulani herdsmen to vacate our farmland, our backyards, our territories and boundaries on or before Monday next week.Even though Ohanaeze Ndigbo will meet over the weekend to discuss this menace, Igbo youths will not wait until our people are massacred again before we take action. If after Monday and the herdsmen are still around, we will direct Igbo vigilante groups set up by OYC in all the 95 Local Government Areas in South East to force them out.Continuing OYC said it had also uncovered plots through its intelligence unit that Ebonyi State has been marked as the next target of the rampaging herdsmen. We have uncovered plots that their next target is Ebonyi State.They are coming from Taraba State to attack Ebonyi. We want the Governor of Ebonyi State and all the security agents in the state to be at alert, OYC alerted.OYC claimed that Igbo youths were already collaborating with Ijaw youths and Middle Belt youths on how to defend their people as the Federal Government under Buhari has failed to protect them.Ijaw youths, and Middle Belt progressives are already waiting for the expiration of the deadline on Monday. Fulani herdsmen have pushed us to the wall, time to take action is now or never, it warned.Residents of the community who fled their homes as a result of the attack and now taking refuge at petrol stations, churches, motor parks, hospitals, army barracks and uncompleted buildings have also recounted their ordeals.One of the displaced persons, John Ayogu of Nimbo communityrevealed that his family survives at the mercy of good Samaritans who donate food, water and fairly used clothes. We sleep at any available space at night and roam the town in the day time for food to eat, mostly for the teenagers who were forced out of school by the barbaric attack and killings in our community.People have been helpful to the residents of Nimbo, some people took some of us to their residential homes to take refuge, and many others buy food items and water for us.We fled our community without food and cloth.The number of death was too much for one community to bear. Our children were forced out of school for a good number of days now; we dont know when it will be safe for us to go back to ours farms.We are predominantly farmers but the herdsmen could not allow us settle in our farms as they rape women and young girls. We no longer allow our younger girls to go to the farms for fear of being defiled by Fulani herdsmen Utazi Chikodili of Nimbo in tears at Royal Cross hospital said, Fulani herdsmen have finished our people, turned indigenes of Nimbo to beggers.We wander about everyday looking for food and water to stay alive with the little ones who could do nothing but to cry when they are hungry. We sleep at this hospital every day and night, people do come here to give us food and water, and we take our bath at midnight because of space.Ajougwu Chisom (15) an SS 2 student at Community Secondary School, Nimbo and Ugwoke Regina (10) in primary six, said, we went to buy food items with the little money people gave to us. We are staying with our sister and our parents but we want to go back to schoolThe traditional ruler of Nteje in Oyi local government area of Anambra State, Igwe Rowland Odegbo has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to set up a panel of inquiry to look into the remote and immediate causes of the activities of Fulani herdsmen who have been killing people in various parts of the country in recent times.Speaking in an interview, Igwe Odegbo, who is a prominent member of Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers, said the panel of inquiry should consist of security operatives, leaders of thought and traditional rulers. He described as unfortunate a situation whereby herdsmen swoop on communities and slaughter people and wondered why people should be killed because of cowsHe said: President Buhari is a Fulani man and his silence on this matter is not sending any good signal. He was elected to protect the lives of all Nigerians irrespective of their tribe and he should not encourage a section of the country to threaten the lives of other Nigerians. Grazing areas should only be established in the North for the people who do the business of rearing cows.They should not come down to the south to avoid conflict with communities who are mainly farmers.
Oil is on track for its biggest monthly gain in seven years as a result of a weak dollar and a decline in US production, reducing global o...

Oil is on track for its biggest monthly gain in seven years as a result of a weak dollar and a decline in US production, reducing global oversupply.Brent crude, the international benchmark, has gained over 22 percent in April  up more than 70 percent from its January lows  Financial Times reports.US oil, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Nigerias Bonny light, have recorded a similar increase this month.The rare rise in crude prices is said to be riding on the wings of the biggest decline in non-OPEC supply in 25 years and what they hope will be a more balanced market later in the year.The ongoing oversupply and record-high US crude oil stocks are being ignored, said Carsten Fritsch, analyst at Commerzbank.Many analysts and forecasting groups expect the oil market to re-balance later this year as supply and demand align. Outages in cash-strapped producer countries such as Venezuela, they say, will help support prices.Fresh year-to-date highs have been this weeks predominant theme. The relentless march higher continues. said Tamas Varga at London-based oil broker PVM.On Friday, Brent traded as high as $48.50 a barrel before falling to $47.94, while WTI dipped 17 cents to $45.85 a barrel after hitting $46.78 earlier in the day.Both oil markers hit their highest levels since November on Friday morning, having rebounded more than 70 per cent from 13-year lows reached earlier this year.But some have warned 2016s price moves could follow the same trajectory as last year when a peak in May was followed by a sharp drop. At the very least, any price gains could be capped.After talks in Doha failed to secure an output freeze, a looming production rise from some OPEC producers such as Saudi Arabia and Iran may drag down the price performance seen this month.Scheduled restart in United Arab Emirates and Nigerian production, combined with a continued Iranian ramp-up, could result in OPEC production exceeding our third-quarter 2016 assumption, said analysts at Deutsche Bank.If Nigeria returns to its expected 2.2 million barrels per day production level, the country will increase global supply dramatically and the prices are bound to respond to global glut.
Popular 'grammarian' and Chief of Staff to Edo State Governor, Hon Patrick Obahiagbon, has described the late Oba of Benin, Omo ...

In a tribute to the late Oba, the former lawmaker said the late monarch always stood on the side of the people when confronted by the military and politicians.He said: You cannot gloss over the fact that Omo N Oba Erediauwa, Oba of Benin, was a man of impeccable and unimpeachable integrity with the resilience of a Royal salamander. In him you found a coruscating display of that apothegm which holds that noblesse oblige.This sui generis quintessential quality of his came under bold relief especially during the locust and philistine years of the military militocracy. He was practically the only triton among the minnows of Royal hierarchs that resisted and stood up to the military rascality and apacheism that characterized the Abacha era. He stood at all times with the people, eyeballing political and military demagogues and damning their treacherous hooey and blarneys. It wont be erroneous and superfluous therefore to pontificate that his integrity was altruistically integrious if you permit me that neologism.Omo N Oba EREDIAUWA,Oba of Benin was a cornucopious emblematization of the rich heritage of the Benin culture both in his modus vivendi and modus operandi. He left no one in doubt that he was the spiritual and traditional agglutinating anodyne that offers a centripetal canopy for the Benin ethnic nationality into one harmonious and synchronized armada and of particular interest to me here was how he was able to bring this about especially against the backdrop of modernism and attenuating cum corrosive forces of religious petulancy and perfervidism.Its in his cosmopolitan and cerebral mien that is situated the Alladins lamp that gave him the enablement in striking a delicate equipoise and hence at a meeting of the Benin Anglican Dioscesan Synod on June 3,1980,the revered monarch posited thus .The conflict between traditional religion and Christian religion is not supported by scriptural teaching. But must Christian religion condemn and push out the traditional? Must traditional worship and Christian worship not be seen as complimentary?
Bengaluru: Defending the hike in property tax in Bengaluru, which has drawn much flak from the opposition and people alike, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday insisted the increased revenue was necessary to fund its infrastructure development.

Inaugurating a flyover in Rajajinagar Block I, Mr Siddaramaiah pointed out that the zonal revision for property tax had been put on hold on the advice of Bengaluru-in-charge minister, K.J George and mayor Manjunath Reddy, who felt that people were being overburdened. "However, to develop the city with a population of over a crore, we need more revenue, he contended.

While the BBMP had presented a budget for Rs 8,000 crore, it was collecting only Rs 1,900 crore in revenue, he pointed out. How can you generate an additional Rs 6,000 crore without such moves? Basic infrastructure problems like traffic congestion, lack of drinking water have to be dealt with and we need more revenue for this, he maintained.

He also referred to the garbage crisis in the city, saying he was dismayed at its mismanagement. Despite setting up seven new plants and processing 2,200 tonnes of garbage, we have not been able to find a permanent solution to disposing waste, he agreed.

AAP faults both BJP and Congress

Meanwhile, accusing BJP of shedding crocodile tears on the property tax hike, state convener of the Aam Aadmi Party, Prithvi Reddy claimed the previous BBMP Council, which it headed, was responsible for the present mess.

The Congress too was using a scare and pacify tactic to raise property tax, he charged, demanding that the BBMP should publish a white paper on property tax defaulters and ensure that the dues are collected within a month.

BJP withdraws protests

BJP corporators, who had created a ruckus over the increase in property tax in the BBMP council, withdrew their protest Saturday morning. Later, addressing a press conference, opposition leader , Padmanabha Reddy demanded mayor Manjunath Reddys resignation for calling the BJP and other corporators third grade politicians.

When he belongs to a party led by a woman , how can he insult women corporators who protested in the Council? He should apologize and resign as the mayor, he demanded.
Last week, Dino Melaye, the delinquent senator from Kogi West, traveled to the farthest possible extreme of the continuum of sycophancy. H...

Last week, Dino Melaye, the delinquent senator from Kogi West, traveled to the farthest possible extreme of the continuum of sycophancy. He sketched his own obituary in lieu of fealty to his tarnished idol. He vowed that he would sooner die than live to see Bukola Saraki, the career thief standing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, ejected from the office of the senate president.Melaye wrote on his Facebook page: My brother and friend Sen. Bukola Saraki, if you have one trillion supporters, Im one. If you have one billion, Im one. If you have one million, Im one. If you have one thousand, Im one. If you have ten, Im one. If you have only one supporter, Im one. And if you have no single supporter, it means Im dead. No shaking. Four years too sure.For starters, Dino has mostly been one liability of a citizen and a ubiquitous irritation as a politician. He would not be missed when he is gone. If he forces his own expiration today, the Nigerian senate would lose a man without values, his constituents will lose a narcissistic wastrel, and the country would be poorer by one exuberant buffoon!And he will be survived by his collection of exotic cars and the valid question that provokes his feet to flight  what source of livelihood supplied him his countless automobiles!Dino's declaration of his readiness to sacrifice himself for Saraki is downright shameful. Its an overreach in obsequiousness. A gesture of admiration for the other that purports to validate itself with the claim of self-derision.It is appalling that Melaye trivialized his life in cyberspace, a place where a quick click on a search engine enables seances with all specters of the past. His display of his personal devaluation of his soul on social media with the same level of flippancy with which he exhibits his cars on the streets of Abuja is the coming out of the closet of a hedonist who has lost himself.The scriptures conceive of healthy love as the balance of self-love and love of the other. Dino projects his love for the man he is in bromance with as the equivalent of his own dislike for himself. He says he has bankrupted himself in loving Saraki: His breast contains only the lucre of self-hate!Melaye wished himself dead for a strategic reason. He had sought to earn recognition as the most ardent supporter in Sarakiworld. He played a trump card that bested the watery promise of loyalty of other supporters.The lyrics of his I-will-die-for-you love song says: Dont count me as one of the senators who accompany you to your court trials. I am more than your fan. I am your devotee. I would volunteer to serve your own jail term. I would offer my neck to spare yours from the hangmans noose!This suicidal fawning is abominable. But it is not pathetic because Melaye prized his life far below the piece of furniture Saraki sits and farts on. The vow is dismal because it represents the oath of allegiance of a supposed parliamentarian to a richly laurelled thief!That oath of allegiance, a paraphrase of the marriage vow of till death do us part, is radically different from the oath of allegiance he took on June 9, 2015. On that day he was swore to be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.Melaye is oblivious to the irony that he publicly renounced his covenant with his constituents and introduced himself as the bond-slave of a disgraced politician. He did not figure that he had disqualified himself by publishing that he had transferred his allegiance to the country to an individual.His brazen declaration buttresses a fact of life in Nigerian politics: Those who campaign to represent the people have no bond with the people. They have no disregard for the suffering or the sensibilities of the people. They condescend to glad-hand on the stump because they must garner votes to secure power. They constrain themselves to interact with the people because it's the only path to victory.But once declared winner, they sever their tenuous link with the community and preoccupy themselves with advancing the political industrial complex.The tragedy of Melaye is that his abandonment of the pretension that he was in Abuja to serve the Nigerian people is unprecedented. The Nigerian political class traditionally maintains the charade that they are in government to better the lives of the folks at the grassroots. But Dino Melaye, a passenger in the vehicle of his own exhibitionist instinct, cannot regulate himself. He would vent his stream of consciousness shticks to convince everybody... that he is a fool!That the braggart parades as a distinguished senator is symptomatic of a prostitute political system that lends itself to be ravished by any individual that proves his desperate desire to penetrate it!Senator Melaye in his earlier incarnation was Honorable Melaye. While in the House of Representatives, he achieved notoriety by doing the selfsame infamous thing he is doing now. He fought for the continuation of the tenure of the scandal-tarred Speaker Patricia Etteh. He fought physically to obstruct her impeachment: He got beaten and stripped half-naked for it!His pathetic representation lost him his re-election. The defeat rendered him jobless.But it wasn't too long before the need to pay his bills inspired him to start some NGO and transfigure into an anti-corruption activist.That makeover and the associated hustles fetched him the money he invested in a comeback political bid. He won Smart Adeyemi, a far more reasonable adult. The tide of popular hunger for change swept him into the senate.But his membership of the senate has added value only to himself and his idol. He has made zero compelling contribution during debates. All the times he has spoken in the senate, his words were either forgettable for their banality or quotable for their crass ridiculousness!During a debate on the need to promote domestic patronage of made-in-Nigeria goods, it was Dino Melaye who strayed from the point of the economics of the issue to counseling Nigerians to patronize made-in-Nigeria women. He humored himself by mocking Edo Governor, Adams Oshiomole, for marrying a non-Nigerian.Melaye, the windbag, had not reflected on whether his marital history qualified him to offer people unsolicited advice on what kind of woman to marry. He had married two made-in-Nigeria women and was divorced twice. Both ladies left for the same reason: His assault and battery regime threatened their lives!But the misogynist turned chivalrous when EFCC invited Sarakis wife for interrogation. He escorted her to the premises. He explained that he became her knight because he was a private investigator and anti-corruption crusader. He was interested in discovering the extent of the culpability of my sister and friend.The 13 count charges against Bukola show the scope of his culpability. His trial is throwing up incontrovertible evidence of his thievery. The 70 cash deposits made by Bukolas aides into his private bank account confirm that Bukola is the rogue he was cracked up to be. But Melaye continues to fight for Saraki to complete ''four years'' as senate president.Its noteworthy that Melaye rationalized his bodyguard parade for Toyin as his fulfillment of his responsibility to chaperone my sister and friend. In swearing to die for Bukola, he used the terms my brother and friend. The foregoing implies that he counts himself an adopted member of Saraki family and a partaker of their fortune.If a Saraki teen was arrested and prosecuted for pilfering, Melaye would feel duty-bound to escort the chap to court. Melaye would assert that he was under obligation to accompany my nephew and friend to the inquisition!Melayes unflinching support for the Sarakis is not altruistic, though. Its a product of selfish calculation. Melaye is cognizant that he is liable to Bukolas fate. He knows that someday anti-graft agencies would spotlight his incredible possessions. His defense of Saraki is an insurance against that eventuality. It would make Saraki return the favor.But Melaye is a self-deluded man. The text of his death wish betrays his stupidity. He starts on the impossible hypothesis that Saraki might have one trillion supporters!World population is 7 billion. Nigerian population is about 175 million: In that number are Kwarans, Sarakis own constituents, who would seize any opportunity to boo him and stone him!In plotting the graph of the exponential reduction of that fictive one trillion supporters, Melaye divulges that even if the entire human race reached a unanimous guilty opinion on Saraki, he Melaye would not discontinue supporting Saraki. Melaye undertakes to keep supporting Saraki even if Saraki quits supporting himself!Someone had opined that Nigeria was infested with lunatic leaders. Dino Melaye competently dramatizes the correctness of that notion.His disappearance, by and large, would be a national relief. So he should be encouraged to rid this country of his demented self.He should drive to River Lokoja at midnight. Tie a millstone around his neck. And leap into the waters!He would find one trillion fishes ready to support him!Written by Emmanuel Ugwu . Email: immaugwu@gmail.com
Personal shopper and friend of the couple  big sis to Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz has spoken out about the relationship turmoil on her I...

Personal shopper and friend of the couple  big sis to Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz has spoken out about the relationship turmoil on her Instagram page.See what she wrote below
MAYS LANDING -- An Atlantic City man who lured and sexually assaulted a 7-year-old girl will face the next 20 years in prison.

Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office announced the sentencing of Victoriano Sevilla, 61, of North Harrisburg Avenue, in Atlantic City. An Atlantic County Superior Court judge sentenced Sevilla Friday.

City police walked in on the sexual assault while it was in progress after being dispatched to North Harrisburg Avenue on May 30, 2014. Sevilla attempted to flee on foot but was arrested at a nearby intersection. He was held in the Atlantic County Justice Facility in lieu of $300,000 bail.

Sevilla lured the girl through the back door a back door.

An Atlantic County Grad Jury indicted Sevilla on Dec. 3, 2014, on charges of aggravated sexual assault, luring a child, sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and obstructing administration of law. Sevilla pled guilty to aggravated sexual assault on Dec. 7, 2015.

Sevilla must serve 18 of his 20-year sentence before being eligible for parole. Once released, he will have to register under Megan's Law and be under parole supervision for life.

Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The saying goes that criminals always return to the scene of the crime.

Former Philadelphia resident Keith Ney is a case in point, authorities say.

Ney was sentenced Friday to just under eight years in prison for robbing two banks -- the exact same two banks he robbed in 2010, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.

In fact, Ney, 54, was still on supervised release after serving 57 months in prison for the robberies, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Ney in 2010 robbed the Cape Bank at 1501 Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City and the Citizens Bank at 1234 Market St. in Philadelphia. He was arrested, pleaded guilty and ordered to pay more than $3,000 in restitution, according to court records.

U.S. District Judge Renee Marie Bumb sentenced him to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release that was to begin in December, 2014, records show.

Less than five months later, Ney entered the same Philadelphia bank, handed the teller a note saying he wanted cash and had a gun and fled, prosecutors said. He then took a bus to Atlantic City, where he robbed the same Cape Bank, making the same threat, they said.

A bank employee told a nearby police officer working a traffic detail about the robbery, and Ney was arrested immediately, prosecutors said.

Ney pleaded guilty in January, records show.

Bumb once again sentenced Ney, this time to 71 months in prison for the robberies and an additional 24 months for violating his supervised release, prosecutors said.

That term will be followed again by three years of supervised release and restitution of $1,397, prosecutors said.

Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
CAMDEN -- On a rainy afternoon late in the semester -- with graduation just a few weeks out -- the scattered Rutgers-Camden students on campus Friday afternoon said they appreciate the invitation to hear President Barack Obama speak at a May 15 ceremony in Piscataway.

However, the president's appearance means a limited number of tickets for New Brunswick, Newark and Camden students -- three for the former and just one per student at the two latter satellite campuses.

"They wanted to have the same access as New Brunswick kids," Anna Perry, who is now set to graduate next December, said of her senior friends at Rutgers-Camden.

According to university officials, about 52,000 people are expected to fill High Point Solutions Stadium for Obama's appearance. With three guests each per New Brunswick student, those ranks alone would fill about 48,000 seats.

Mike Sepanic, associate chancellor for external relations at Rutgers-Camden, said about 1,800 graduate and undergraduate students at his campus will receive their degrees this spring. Camden and Newark students will also be sitting in the stadium's seating; not on the field.

The May 15 event in Middlesex County is a ceremony of sorts for the New Brunswick and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences students, who will be in their caps and gowns. The Newark and Camden students attending are there by invitation from Rutgers President Robert Barchi for this "unprecedented" event, Sepanic said.

"Camden and Newark will have the opportunity to get one and only one ticket for them," Sepanic said. "It is non-transferable and they won't be in their caps and gowns -- it's not their commencement ceremony."

That sentiment is certainly at the heart of a petition seeking to have the ceremony only open to New Brunswick students.

"We want our families to see us graduate, an incredible accomplishment in our lives, but we are only granted 3 tickets for graduation, because Rutgers Camden/Newark are going to be attending as well," the petition reads. "May 15th is our day, and we deserve to share this moment with more than just 3 people."

Rutgers-Camden will have four separate ceremonies at the BB&T Pavillion on May 18 and 19.

"Come one, come all," Sepanic said of those Camden waterfront events, adding that Bon Jovi was the speaker at last year's Rutgers-Camden commencement.

Alexa Reiss, who would have been among those graduating next month if she hadn't switched majors, read off an email from Barchi saying that Rutgers was working closely with the White House to sort out logistics.

Sepanic noted that another conference call was scheduled for Friday and that the university is coordinating with NJ Transit to provide transportation to the event, as driving will be impossible.

"It makes sense that everyone gets a limited number [of tickets]," Reiss said.

Asked about the vibe between New Brunswick and the two other Rutgers campuses, Reiss said there's "always" something.

"Any of my friends who go to New Brunswick feel like they're the better campus," said Reiss. "My degree will still say Rutgers."

Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Patna: RJD President Lalu Prasad on Saturday came out in strong defence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi in AgustaWestland helicopter deal and attacked BJP for "trying to trap her".

"Sonia Gandhi is the 'bahu' (daughter-in-law) of the country. BJP is trying to trap her in the chopper deal," Prasad said after a meeting with JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar.

"It's an attempt by the BJP to harass a 'bhali aurat' (nice woman) ... This is too much," he said.

The RJD chief, whose party is a partner in the Grand Secular Alliance in Bihar with JD(U) and Congress, questioned the "insincerity" of NDA government in getting the helicopter deal probed in the two years of its rule.

Criticising BJP and RSS, he said, "They are fountainhead of corruption."

Earlier in the day, Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) President Nitish Kumar had also attacked BJP-led NDA government over AgustaWestland helicopter deal and hit out at Sonia Gandhi over it.
Visakhapatnam: Andhra Pradesh is set to become the first state to make all of its urban areas 'Open Defecation Free' by October 2 this year, marking the anniversary of 'Swachh Bharat' mission launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The state officials gave this assurance in a review report on the progress of Swachh Bharat Mission in all the 110 municipalities of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday.

State officials in charge of urban development held extensive discussions with the collectors of all the 13 districts and Municipal Commissioners of all the 110 urban local bodies in Andhra Pradesh on their action plans for ensuring sanitation.

During the review, it emerged that Andhra Pradesh which has been in the forefront of construction of toilets in urban areas can make all 100 municipalities Open Defecation Free by October 2 this year as per the action plan.

As opposed to the target of construction of 1,94,336 individual household toilets in urban areas of Andhra Pradesh, work has started in respect of 1,53,779 and construction of 1,04,732 toilets has already been completed.

In addition to the central assistance of Rs.4,000 per toilet, the Andhra Pradesh Government is extending assistance of an additional Rs.11,000 per toilet.

Regarding Community and Public Toilet seats, as against a target of 4,614 seats, work has started on 3,887 seats and 1,952 seats have already been constructed.

In respect of Solid Waste Management, out of the total wards of 3,458 in 110 municipalities, 100 percent door-to-door collection and transportation of such waste is being done in 3,072 wards i.e 89 percent of total urban wards in the state.

The state government has also awarded works for construction of 10 Waste to Energy Plants for generating 63 MW of power from the 6,440 tonnes of municipal waste being generated per day in the state. The officials have been informed that these plants would be commissioned during 2017-18.
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.
Listen to safety Vonn Bell talk about being drafted by the New Orleans Saints
Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High 83F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low 76F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

Tomorrow

Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms in the morning. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High 81F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Community

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Against the requirement of minimum 25 members, 23 members were present in the House. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Business in the Rajya Sabha collapsed on Friday and the House was adjourned abruptly because of lack of quorum.

Against the requirement of minimum 25 members, 23 members were present in the House when discussion was underway on Private Members' Bill seeking to amend the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.

As per the rules, at least 10 per cent members of the total strength of a House are required to be present for quorum. The sanctioned strength of the Rajya Sabha is 245.

As soon as Minister of State for Home Affairs Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary replied to the bill moved by Congress member KVP Ramachandra Rao and sought its withdrawal, TDP's CM Ramesh raised the issue of quorum that led to heated arguments among members.

Mohammad Ali Khan (Cong) said, "It is the responsibility of the Treasury Bench to ensure quorum. We are serious about the issue."

K Keshava Rao (TRS) said that quorum is required during the time of voting and not during the discussion of a bill.

VP Singh Badnore, who was in the Chair, said, "Any member can raise the quorum at any point of time."

He rang the quorum bell to call members to be present in the House. Congress member Jesudasu Seelam said since the government has raised the quorum issue, arrival of members should be awaited.

At this, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "We have not raised. The issue was raised by a TDP member. We have given a detailed reply to the bill and asked the member to withdraw it."

As heated exchange over the quorum issue continued, E M Sudarsana Natchiappan (Congress) said a Private Member bill had thrice remained inconclusive earlier due to lack of quorum in the House. It was taken up next time.

"Let's take up this bill also next time and adjourn the House," he said.

Meanwhile some members entered the House, but the quorum was not complete and the Chair had to adjourn the House abruptly for the day at around 4.15 pm.
The documents consist of five files each from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Home Ministry, and 15 files from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) pertaining to the period between 1956 and 2009. (Photo: Representational Image)

New Delhi: Government on Saturday announced that a memorial dedicated to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose will be built in the national capital as it released the third batch of 25 declassified files related to the freedom fighter.

The documents consist of five files each from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and Home Ministry, and 15 files from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) pertaining to the period between 1956 and 2009.

"People of this country specially the youth want to know about the life of Netaji, his contribution towards freedom fight. So, this is a big achievement," Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said today after releasing the files.

He said keeping in view the demand of various organisations and Parliamentarian, the government has decided to built a huge memorial in his name in Delhi which will depict his life and freedom struggle.

"There has been a demand from a number of organisations and Member of Parliaments that a big memorial dedicated to Netaji should be built in Delhi. So we started the work for its construction. It will depict his life, freedom struggle and facts related to his death," he said.

Sharma said Japan has also agreed to declassify two files liked to the life of Netaji. However, there is no assurance regarding three other such files in its custody.

"We have got this offer from Japan that they are ready to give us two out of the five files linked to Netaji's life. The ministry will talk to them on this further. This will add to the information and research scholars will get some more information whether it is from Japan or Russia," he said.

The first lot of 100 files relating to Netaji, after their preliminary conservation treatment and digitisation, were put in the public domain on January 23. The second lot of 50 files was released on March 29.
Hyderabad: YSR Congress President Y S Jaganmohan Reddy would hold a three-day fast from May 16 at Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh against the "faulty" irrigation policy of the TDP Government in the state.

" Chandrababu Naidu has been silent and is scared of questioning Telangana government, which is drawing away water from Mahbubnagar severely curtailing the inflow of (Krishna river) water into the state, in the wake of his involvement in cash-for-vote case, Reddy said.

"On the other hand, he has been liberal to contractors on irrigation projects which yield little or no benefit to the parched state," he added.

While Telangana government is going ahead with Palamuru-Rangareddy and Dindi projects, drawing more than 115 TMC of water and curtailing the Krishna waters which will severely affect the irrigation sector of the state, Naidu has "no voice to question the injustice as he is deeply involved in the cash-for-vote case and is scared of broaching the issue (with the neighbouring State)," Reddy alleged.

However, Naidu has been very liberal to contractors, even blacklisted ones, who have undertaken works on the Pattiseema (lift irrigation scheme in West Godavari district) despite having no storage capacity, "which is laden with kickbacks", the Leader of Opposition said.

The YSRC leader said he has decided to sit on a hunger strike, demanding due share of water for Andhra Pradesh and the intervention of Centre, as the ruling TDP has "proved its inefficiency in not raising the issue of such public importance".

The three-day protest is aimed at drawing the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh towards the "injustice" being done in water sharing, to save the 'ayacut' (farms under irrigation) of Krishna and Godavari and to highlight the "failures" of Naidu in mitigating the acute drought situation in the state, Reddy said.

Naidu's indifference towards the state came out in the open when the Union Minister (Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, MoS, Home) told Parliament special status to Andhra Pradesh would not be possible, he alleged.

"Modi, who shared the dais with Chandrababu Naidu and (Union Minister) Venkaiah Naidu during electioneering, had said the (period of) special status (which entails a slew of sops) should be increased from five to ten years. Chandrababu Naidu had even said it should be further increased to 15 years," he maintained.

Special status to Seemandhra (new AP) was promised by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament when the Bill for bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh was passed.
Celebration to feature Mexican food and music

The First Lutheran Church at 305 W. Fifth is celebrating Cinco De Mayo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 7. There will be Mexican food, door prizes, Mexican music, booths and at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., there will be a pinata to break.

The event is organized by Mexican-Americans in Nebraska.

United Methodist Womens Spring Buffet on Sunday

The Hershey United Methodist Women are having their annual Spring Buffet from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 1, in the Church.

There will be salad, hot dishes, pulled pork sandwiches and a dessert bar for a freewill donation. Proceeds will go to UMW missions.

All belivers invited to National Day of Prayer group event

The body of believers from all the churches in the North Platte area are invited to join together in prayer from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, the National Day of Prayer.

Join together at the northeast corner of the Lincoln County Courthouse at Fourth and Dewey. It is a chance to pray together for the nation, state, county and city. There will be praise and worship songs, special speakers and open microphone for those who wish to pray.
The elementary music staff of North Platte Public Schools wishes to extend a generous thank you to many local sponsors for their support in providing a tremendous opportunity for our students. The Carnegie Hall Link-Up program partnered North Platte fifth-grade students with the Omaha Symphony for a yearlong process of developing skills in the areas of music reading, playing the recorder and being a member of a performance group. Throughout the year, students worked with mentors from the Omaha Symphony via Skype lessons and personal visits. Following classroom preparation, the students performed on stage with the symphony in two concerts provided by the North Platte Concert Association.

The funding and support was fully coordinated by Julie Jacobson, former president and current board member of the Nebraska Arts Council and board member of the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. Without the financial support of NebraskaLand National Bank, Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation, Union Pacific Foundation, Nebraska Arts Council, Nebraska Cultural Endowment, Peter Kiewit Foundation and North Platte Public School Foundation, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would not have been possible. Additionally, we want to thank the North Platte Concert Association for bringing the Omaha Symphony to North Platte.

We are grateful not only for the financial support of these donors but additionally the support of arts education and performance in our community. The students of North Platte were given the opportunity to participate in a program beyond the scope of the regular classroom, which provided inspiration and excitement for continued participation in the arts.

Marta Holscher Nelson

Sheryl Heaton

Allison ONeill

Janette Kammerer

Sarah Douglas
Kanchi Sankaracharya, Jeyendra Saraswathi arrives at the Madras high court on Friday in connection with an attempt to murder case. (Photo: DC)

Chennai: In major relief to the Kanchi Sankara Mutt pontiff, Jayendra Saraswathi, the I-Additional Sessions court in Chennai on Friday acquitted him, along with eight others, from the charge of an attempt to murder Auditor Radhakrishnan, his wife and his aide 14 years ago.

The much anticipated verdict was delivered by the judge, P. Rajamanickam, in a packed court hall in the afternoon. In less than two minutes, the judge informed all the accused, You are all acquitted from all the charges and you can go. In the result, the prosecution has failed to prove the charges against all the accused and hence all are acquitted from the charges, the judge said.

The charges against two other accused, Appu and Kathiravan, were abated since they are dead.

Devotees go ecstatic over Kanchi mutt head acquittal

Devotees of the Kanchi Kamakoti Matathipathi Sri Jayendra Saraswathi went ecstatic hearing the news of the sessions court on Friday acquitting the Seer and eight others in the 2002 auditor Radhakrishnan assault case.

The junior pontiff Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi who received his guru and Matathipathi Sri Jayendra Saraswathi at the Shankaralayam here greeted him and offered his humble pranams.

It was relief writ large on the faces of both the Acharyas and the acquittal made his several thousands of devotees to rejoice. Dharma has finally won, expressed V. Subramanian, Secretary of Jana Kalyan.

According to sources, the senior pontiff left for Kanchi mutt later in the day while the junior acharya stayed back in the city to complete the Sri Chandramouleshwara pooja. At the Kanchi mutt, the followers who went ecstatic smashed coconuts and pumpkins and accorded a warm reception to the Kanchi Seer.
This semester has flown by. Hard to believe we only have three Civility in the Classroom sessions left.

I have learned so much. So much about ninth graders, about Gary, about Lighthouse, about teaching, about myself.

I can't thank this incredible team of educators enough, including Lighthouse's Susie Choi, Erica Young and Martin DaCosta, and Steel City Academy's Katie Kirley. I owe them big time.

I have no idea what the students will walk away with. I have my hopes, but it's a pilot program and my first foray into teaching, so I have to be honest with myself. Hopefully the student's journals will shed some light. We will also have them take the surveys again.

One thing I really hope, I'm realizing as I write this, is that they realize their potential. Sounds so cliche, I know, but it doesn't make it less true. I want them to know what they can do.

To help me get them there, I have invited all kinds of leaders from around NWI to come speak. Most of them have been from the Region, usually Gary itself, and have accomplished big things.

One of those leaders who I was most excited about visited the classes Monday.

Malcolm Jones is 22. He grew up in different parts of the Region, including Gary and East Chicago. He started deejaying at 11 or 12 just at his house. He met an "old guy" on his street who had tables and he wanted to learn. His mom was supportive and let him have parties where she would keep watch.

Malcolm quickly learned how important it is to connect with anyone you meet. A friendly handshake and small talk and this kid was talking his way into all kinds of things. He also quickly realized that if he was a prominent enough deejay, the artists would come to him. As soon as that started happening, Malcolm made sure to remember and stay in touch.

That led to parties all over the country. Something he could have stuck with.

But instead, Malcolm is back in EC. He's working for the city of EC and putting on shows here. Shows he could be putting on in Chicago for three times the ticket price.

But giving back to the Region is important to Malcolm. He's part of what his group calls "The New 219." A group of artists who are about positivity and giving back.

His big event, Party in Peace, will be in its second year in July. It will be held at Tod Park in EC where theoretically he can hold 8,000 people. Last year he was at Wolf Lake Pavilion where he sold out.

Party in Peace is about the kids. Do I know of everyone on this lineup? No. But this concert isn't for me. I can tell you that every student at Lighthouse knew every artist and got more excited then I've ever seen them.

Party in Peace will have Young Thug, Ty Dolla Sign, Jacquees, Lil' Uzi Vert and, someone who I LOVE, Wale, plus other guests.

Last year, Party in Peace was shut down by the Hammond police after Malcolm's surprise guest turned out to be Chief Keef via hologram.

However, a crowd of 4,000 teens and young adults quietly excited the venue. There were zero incidents.

That's pretty incredible.

Ask Malcolm now why he would let a well known gang member crash a Party in Peace.

"At first I was like no way," he told the students Monday.

"But then I thought about it. And if I'm going to point my finger at someone for bringing violence, shouldn't I allow him to help change that?"

Chief Keef had just lost his cousin to gang violence, and a 1-year-old was murdered in the crossfire. Keef wanted to give his family money.

Malcolm's visit did what I hoped it would, the students were engaged and fascinated by all the names he dropped. But what I really hope they got is that Malcolm is, while motivated, just like them. He is a Region kid who not only made it big, but chose to return and give back.

He will be back on the last day to give away tickets to our contest winners. I'm excited for that one too. These students deserve it!

Tickets cost $30 to $75 for Party in Peace and are on sale now. Visit partyinpeacefest.com
Lake County has memorials for veterans who died in Korea and Vietnam, and Munster has a museum-caliber memorial honoring those who died in the wars of the 20th century. Crown Point is planning a new memorial honoring those who valiantly gave their lives in World War II.

More than 6,840 U.S. service members died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, including more than 200 Hoosier servicemen and women.

More than 30 from Northwest Indiana died in combat in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Unlike previous conflicts, they were all volunteer. Thats why its so important to recognize the dead but perhaps why it might be harder to get a memorial built in their honor, since those wars were not a universal experience for young men the way wars were when there was still a draft.

Most young men of a certain age fought in World War II, Korea or Vietnam, while only a scarce few engaged the enemy in the mountains of Afghanistan or streets of Iraq.

Well, Valparaisos John Amos, who died in Iraq, deserves a memorial. So does LaPortes Jason Beadles, Munsters Shaun Blue, and Merrillvilles Roy Buckley. So does Portages Adam Harting and LaPortes Heath David and Crown Points Nicholas Idalski. So does Hammonds Duane Rios and Jonathan Rojas. So does Hobarts Gregory Sanders and Portages Steven Sirko and Highlands Nathan Stahl and everyone else who gave their lives in uniform while waging our nations longest wars.

A memorial should be built to honor them all, to show their families and loved ones they did not die unappreciated or in vain.

The time has come to honor these brave service members, who sacrificed everything in Iraq and Afghanistan, with a memorial somewhere in Northwest Indiana, perhaps by the Lake County/Porter County line. They shouldnt have to wait more than half a century, as World War II veterans did for a national monument in Washington D.C.

Let us come together to honor their sacrifice. Let us show the world their deaths were not meaningless. Let us build Iraq and Afghanistan war dead a memorial in Northwest Indiana.

Let us build them a memorial.
DirectBuy, a Merrillville-based buyers club, used to charge members $5,000 for three-year memberships for straight-from-the-manufacturer prices on flooring, cabinetry, granite counter tops and other home products.

But that was in an era before Amazon offered same-day delivery and people shopped on their smart phones.

The Merrillville-based company, which employs around 400 workers, now offers virtual memberships for as little as $199 upfront and $39.95 a month to people who don't live within 50 miles of one of its showrooms. DirectBuy has shrunk its number of brick-and-mortar locations from around 160 to 28, which are spread across the United States and Canada but mostly concentrated in the Upper Midwest.

It now focuses more on online commerce, including with a new "I Want That!" app that lets people take pictures of things they might see in someone else's home or a hotel lobby that they'd like to own. They can use the app to see if DirectBuy sells anything similar.

The national buying club in the past was accused of high-pressure sales tactics and not disclosing prices when signing up new members, according to a lawsuit the New York Attorney General's Office settled in 2013.

But Chief Marketing Officer Curt Hilliard said DirectBuy has reinvented itself for an era of e-commerce, smart phones and savvier shoppers. DirectBuy now lets members sort through its more than a million items online, even offering personalized recommendations similar to Amazon, instead of requiring people to drive into showrooms to peruse catalogs of the merchandise.

"We're trying to be a much more contemporary service for our members, which requires a greater level of transparency," Hilliard said. "There had been sort of a cloak over what we did and how we accomplished the goal of saving members money. But with the proliferation of iPhones and iPads, we have to do more than just save customers money. We have to offer exceptional service."

DirectBuy had sweeping layoffs at its Merrillville headquarters last year, with its transition from a corporate support center for its stores to a customer service center providing "concierge shopping." That personalized service helps customers find products, such as for home renovations. But overall employment is now roughly the same as it was before the layoffs, and the company is hiring for about 10 more call center positions.

"Since I arrived in 2013, marquee names like Radio Shack and Walmart have been closing stores," CEO Mike Bornhorst said. "Macy's and Best Buy have started to see locations in a different way. The whole marketplace is changing, and it can't remain the same as it was 40 years earlier."

Roughly 60 percent of the company's customer service now happens in Merrillville instead of out at the clubs, said Dyan Astle, vice president of member experience.

The company, founded in 1971 by Highland resident Jim Gagan, had more than a million members at its height. It brings in revenue through membership since the products themselves are not given a retail markup. DirectBuy now has about 205,000 members and is growing. An effort is underway to get employers to offer group DirectBuy memberships as a benefit for employees, Bornhorst said.

DirectBuy has expanded into merchandise like electronics and sporting goods, started offering travel packages and added brands like Oakley and Salvatore Ferragamo.

The company also has been looking for more ways to reach customers, such as a trade show that drew 3,500 to Toronto and resulted in the sale of $2.4 million in merchandise. The show might be brought to Chicago. It's also launched an in-home designer program that sends decorators over for free consultations on home renovation projects.

DirectBuy overhauled its website and launched a new app last year, and brought in $10 million from online sales last month for the first time ever.

About 60 percent of the sales now come from online transactions, which often require phone support since it sells a lot of materials for home renovation projects. Bornhorst said online revenue  which increased by 152 percent year-over-year  has not yet fully replaced in-store sales, but should eventually.

"When I started out, technology was our biggest obstacle," he said. "We surveyed our members about what they wanted and common feedback was that they didn't want to work for their savings. They wanted us to make it easier for them to save money. They didn't want to throw on some clothes, round up the kids and drive 20 minutes or an hour to a showroom. They wanted to shop from home."
MERRILLVILLE  NiSource Chief Executive Officer Joseph Hamrock received a large pay raise in 2015, when he was promoted from head of the company's gas distribution operations to CEO.

Hamrock earned total compensation of $3.07 million in 2015, a 59 percent boost from his $1.93 million pay package in 2014, according to the proxy statement NiSource filed in April with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

His promotion came about July 1 when NiSource split off its gas pipeline business into a separate company, Columbia Pipeline Group. Then-NiSource CEO Robert Skaggs Jr. left to become CEO of the new company.

Skaggs was paid a total of $4.36 million for his half-year of services at NiSource in 2015 before departing for the new company. In 2014, his last full year at NiSource, he earned $8.28 million.

NiSource is the parent company of NIPSCO, which has 460,000 electric and 810,000 natural gas customers in northern Indiana. NiSource also has subsidiaries in six other states serving 2.7 million natural gas customers.

Pay packages for top executives at NiSource are largely performance-based, according to the proxy statement. The July breakup of NiSource complicated calculations of incentives in 2015, with the board of directors' expectations of management being divided into first-half and second-half performance targets.

Hamrock's pay for example, was made up of a $650,000 base salary, restricted stock awards valued at $1.76 million, and a $594,250 cash incentive. He also received a $5,750 discretionary bonus and other compensation of $59,572.

NiSource has delivered total shareholder return of 16.7 percent since it split off Columbia Pipeline Group in July, making it a pure-play utility. It outperformed the major utility indices in total shareholder return for the seventh consecutive year. It also invested $1.37 billion at NIPSCO and Columbia Gas subsidiaries, mainly in the form of capital improvements, to increase safety and reliability, according to the company.

"Our philosophy is to provide a total compensation program based on the companys and the individuals performance and that is appropriately competitive within our industry," said NiSource spokesman Mike Banas.

NiSource in April 2015 hired Donald Brown as an executive vice president and upon the company's split he assumed the office of chief financial officer. He was paid $1.95 million in total compensation in 2015, according to the proxy statement.

Jim Stanley was promoted from group CEO for NIPSCO to chief operating officer for NiSource upon the split. He was paid $2.07 million in total compensation in 2015, according to the proxy statement.

Violet Sistovaris was promoted to group CEO for NIPSCO from her position as NiSource chief information officer upon the split. She earned a total of $1.27 million in 2015.

Like Brown and Stanley, Sistovaris also serves as a company executive vice president.

Carrie Hightman, NiSource's long-time chief legal officer and also an executive vice president, was paid $1.66 million in 2015.
Despite nearly three decades of researching urban family structure and poverty, Kathryn Edin was shocked when she discovered data showing the number of American families living on $2 per person, per day, has skyrocketed to 1.5 million American households. That number includes about 3 million children.

What Edin, director of the 21st Century Cities Initiative learned is the subject of her latest book, $2.00 A Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2015; $28). The initiative is one of the signature projects of the Johns Hopkins Rising to the Challenge capital campaign.

Once you know its there, you can find evidence for it everywherein the SNAP data, data from food pantries and reports from schools, said Edin, who co-authored the book with Luke Shaefer, an expert on calculating incomes of the poor. In Baltimore, signs are appearing offering diabetic patients who are cash strapped cash for their diabetic test strips. If your kids needed socks and underwear or you needed to keep the lights on, would you be tempted to endanger your health for that little bit of cash? Probably so.

Edin, who grew up in Evanston, Illinois, studied families in four locales which Shaefers quantitative research indicated would be representative of the larger picture.

We chose Chicago as one of the four because it is typical in terms of its welfare system, labor market and living costs, she said, adding she went to North Park University and earned her doctorate at Northwestern University while Shaefer earned his doctorate at the University of Chicago. We love Chicago, so that exerted a special pull.

The repercussions for this abject poverty impact us all.

Weve created a devastating poverty trap, said Edin, one that will have profound implications for mobility, both in this generation and the next.

FYI: Author Event and Panel Discussion: Kathryn Edin discusses $2 A Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America from 9:15 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday at Cindy Pritzker Auditorium, Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S. State St. Event is free. Call (312) 747-4300. Note: Seating is limited and reservations are suggested.

Following Edins talk, local experts in food insecurity, housing, and income supports will then join her in a conversation around this sobering account that exposes the systems that perpetuate these conditions, and to talk about where we should go from here.
If you're planning to go out to eat a casual meal with a group of friends or family members who all have quite different tastes, don't hesitat
GARY  A man accused of shooting at officers and later escaping from custody now faces attempted murder charges.

Kevin S. Brown Jr. 28, of Gary, is still being sought by police. In addition to two counts of attempted murder, he has been charged with two counts of attempted battery by means of a deadly weapon, escape and two counts or resisting law enforcement.

The charges against Brown relate to events that occurred in the 5800 block of Kennedy Terrace at about 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Members of the Multi-Agency Gang Unit were in the area to arrest Damond Gregory, 27, of Chicago on several felony warrants. The officers reportedly approached Gregory and Brown as they entered a vehicle and identified themselves as police.

Brown allegedly got out of the passenger side and opened fire. Officers returned fire and retreated for cover. Gregory eventually surrendered and no one was wounded in the shootings.

The Gary SWAT team found Brown hiding under a vehicle and took him into custody, but he later escaped from a police car with handcuffs on and ran off during a brief stand off with Gregory, police said. Officers used a K-9 to track Brown, but he was not located.

Brown is 6 feet tall and 165 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark, patterned hooded sweatshirt, black jeans and gym shoes.

Hes known to frequent the Aetna and Glen Ryan neighborhoods of Gary and the Lakeshore Dunes Apartments in the citys Miller section, police said.

Police cautioned residents not to approach Brown, who should be considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call MAG Unit supervisor Lt. Jack Hamady at (219) 742-7427 or Sgt. William Fazekas, of the Violent Crimes Division, at (219) 881-1210. To remain anonymous, call (866) CRIME-GP.
MICHIGAN CITY  A 45-year-old Michigan City man has been charged with seven felony counts, including murder, in connection with the death of a used car lot owner.

Michigan City police arrested David Morris on Friday in the 100 block of West 2nd Street in Michigan City.

The arrest is in connection with the murder of Hufracio Arteaga, 65, at 11 a.m. April 23 at Easy Drive Auto, 117 W. 11th St. Police said Arteaga was found inside his business by a co-owner of the property.

Morris was charged with murder, felony murder, two counts of Level 4 burglary, two felony counts of auto theft and one count of aiding, inducing and causing fraud, a Level 6 felony.

There is no bond.

Michigan City police said officers worked tirelessly to interview witnesses and gather evidence following the murder. They said two vehicles had been removed from the lot, and both have been recovered.

Police said probable cause was found to formally charge Morris on Friday.

Anyone with more information in reference to this case is asked to contact Detective Cpl. Francisco Rodriguez at (219) 874-3221, ext. 343.
CHICAGO  Chicago State University laid off more than 300 employees, about a third of its workforce, after emergency state funding recently approved amid Illinois' ongoing budget stalemate proved too little to prevent the cuts.

Chicago State President Thomas Calhoun Jr. said the layoffs announced Friday spared faculty, but they are likely to be affected by later cuts. Friday's layoffs affected most areas from administrators and counselors to police and carpenters.

Calhoun called the layoffs "dreadful" but said they will save about 40 percent in payroll costs, about $2 million a month.

Lawmakers approved a $600 million short-term funding fix on April 22 for the state's colleges and universities. But Calhoun said the $20 million that went to Chicago State wasn't enough to prevent job cuts.

"It was less than what we needed and later than we needed it, as much as we appreciated getting it," he told the Chicago Tribune (http://trib.in/1O34Mn6 ). "It really is a Band-Aid and not the solution."

Robert Bionaz, president of the school's faculty union that represents some of the laid-off academic service professionals, said the cuts are "a staggering number."

"It's profound that you talk about laying off half of your non-instructional staff. I just don't know who is going to do the work," he said.

Some of the school's emergency funding needs to go toward outstanding vendor bills.

The four-year university on Chicago's South Side that serves about 4,500 mostly minority and low-income students from the city has been the hardest hit in the state by the ongoing budget standoff.

The school's spring semester ended Thursday, two weeks early, to ensure that students could graduate before the money ran out.

Other schools have also cut staff this year, including Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, which eliminated 65 noninstructional positions.

Western Illinois University has cut 147 positions, including 30 faculty jobs, and about 500 employees are taking furlough days and pay cuts this spring. Northern Illinois University has avoided layoffs but has left 116 jobs unfilled during this academic year.
GARY  The Gary Police Department will participate in a national seat belt safety initiative.

Police said the money for this program comes from the Traffic Safety Grant, and will put additional officers on the streets, their primary objective will be seat belt safety and child safety seat enforcement.

The National and Statewide 2016 Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization will be from May 6-30. Local officers will join more than 250 state and local law enforcement agencies, and thousands more across the country, to conduct high visibility patrols encouraging drivers and passengers to buckle up.

Indiana Criminal Justice Institute director Dave Murtaugh said the more officers explain the importance of seat belt use, the more they see drivers and their passengers buckling up.

Indiana law enforcement agencies have been actively involved in the Click It or Ticket campaign for more than 20 years. In addition, for 2016, Indiana agencies will join those from across the Eastern half of the United States in a combined Border to Border mobilization.

More information is available at http://www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/ciot/index.html.
New Delhi: Members of Parliament have recommended a 100 per cent hike in salaries and allowances for themselves, saying they deserve a raise in view of their good conduct.

An MP gets a salary of Rs 50,000 per month. In addition, Rs 2,000 per day is paid as daily allowance when the MP signs the register while attending Parliament sessions or House committee meetings. The MP is entitled to Rs 45,000 constituency allowance every month -- Rs 15,000 for stationery and Rs 30,000 to employ secretarial assistance staff.

MPs are also entitled for a government accommodation, air travel and train travel facilities, besides three landline telephone connections and two mobile phones. They also get a loan of Rs 4 lakh to buy a vehicle.

According to reports, a parliamentary committee has recommended that the salary of MPs be raised from Rs 50,000 to a lakh per month and a constituency allowance from Rs 45000 to 90000. A bill for the same is expected to be passed in the next session of Parliament.

The government will have to shell out over Rs 250 crore per year for the hike in salaries of MPs.
CROWN POINT  Saying the wheel tax is needed for the city to have a "fighting chance to save our own roads," Mayor David Uran sought and got an endorsement for the tax at last week's Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.

A proposal for a $25 tax on vehicles weighing up to 11,000 pounds and $40 for those over that weight will be introduced at Monday's City Council meeting after being endorsed by the council's ordinance committee earlier this month. Uran said the Board of Public Works deals with the contracts and the road complaints and asked for its support.

"Our jobs are not always to make the most popular decision but to make the right one," he said.

The tax is expected to raise about $1.6 million and, if approved by the end of June along with an asset management plan for maintaining city roads, it could qualify the city for additional matching funds from the state of up to $2 million. The city now spends about $570,000 a year from the state gas tax money and property taxes and has supplemented that with money from the Redevelopment Commission for projects within the city's tax increment financing districts.

"Instead of the money going to Indianapolis and part of it being used to help other communities, the wheel tax money stays here and can be used to get even more money for roads," he said. "If we get the full maximum of $2 million, we would have close to $6 million for roads, and I don't know how we would get that much work done in a year, but we are going to try."

Uran said the matching funds are expected to decrease in coming years, and the city would be competing with other communities. The state Legislature said the communities have to be willing to help themselves with the tax first to get the matching funds.

Councilman Bob Clemons, chairman of the ordinance committee and a member of the board of works, said, "People don't like taxes, but it would be a shame if we didn't do this. Once people understand how it works, they are for it."

Board member Randy Palmateer called the wheel tax a "maintenance fee" for the roads and said it will help put people to work with good-paying jobs. Board member Michael Conquest said he's very much in favor of the tax.

"Our streets are nowhere near as nice as what I see in other municipalities," Conquest said. "You don't get fire protection or police protection if you don't have the money for it, and it's the same with streets."

Uran said the additional funding would mean a street the city couldn't afford to do for another 16 years might get done in four. Board member Tim Grzych asked if the city could charge senior citizens less, but Uran said the law doesn't allow that. It's a flat rate for each vehicle, and Conquest said it's cheaper than fixing a tire or a rim.

If Lake County also approved a wheel tax, Crown Point residents would not have to pay both, Uran said.

With 138 miles of roads, Crown Point is falling woefully behind on maintaining existing roads. The average life span of an asphalt road is about 15 years and the current budget covers work on one or two miles of road a year.

State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, who sponsored the legislation to give communities with a population more than 10,000 the power to adopt the wheel tax, said the law would not exclude city residents from having to pay the county tax as well. Soliday said several communities in Lake and Porter counties are considering the tax, but he didn't think either county is considering the tax at this point.

"We asked what tools the communities wanted, and this was the one they chose," Soliday said. "We decided to try this for communities with 10,000 population and over and see what happens. If we end up with them doubling up on the tax and it is a problem, we will deal with it.

"Many cities are on a 50- to 80-year repaving cycle. The Legislature's attitude is they are not going to raise all the taxes and have the locals spend it. There needs to be accountability at the local level. What we tried to do was make the law restrictive on what they can spend the money for."

To qualify for the state matching grants, funded by the state's budget surplus, communities have to create an asset management plan for the roads that takes care of more than just resurfacing, Soliday said.

"If you just pave the top, it just gets worse. The federal government was going to mandate an asset management plan, so we agreed to give the locals the power to tax if they have the plan. They can use Rainy Day Funds, the local option income tax or the wheel tax as their share of the local match for roads and bridges."

Uran agreed it's unlikely Lake County will adopt a wheel tax saying, "The Indiana wheel tax law has been in place since 1980, and the county has never enacted it onto Lake County residents.

"If they do, we would revisit our legislation, if it is passed by the council, so our residents are not double-taxed for our local roads."
VALPARAISO  Parishioner Jim Tachtiris was first to arrive at St. Iakovos Greek Orthodox Church for Good Friday services.

Tachtiris carefully lit a candle, placed it in a sandbox then made a sign of the cross.

"This is the best time of the year. This is what Orthodoxy is all about," Tachtiris said.

Tachtiris, a second-generation Greek-American, remembers attending as a boy Easter or Pascha services with his family at the former Greek Orthodox church in Gary. Now, as a retired machinist, Tachtiris assists parish priest, the Rev. James Greanias, as a senior altar server.

Tachtiris and other parish members of St. Iakovos joined with millions of Orthodox Christians worldwide to commemorate the events of the passion, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ known as Holy Week.

Most Christians celebrated Easter a few weeks ago, but Orthodox Christians in this country and throughout the world celebrate the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday, Greanias said.

Greanias said the Orthodox Easter typically follows that of other Christian churches because it follows the older, Julian calendar, as opposed to the Gregorian calendar.

"What's cool this year is that Pascha or known in Greek as Passover falls historically correct," Greanias said.

Passover for those of the Jewish faith ends Saturday while the climax of the Holy Week for Orthodox Christians is on Sunday.

Easter, or Pascha, will be celebrated at Resurrection services, which start late Saturday and culminate at midnight with the lighting of a single candle, Greanias said. The single candle, which is lit from an oil lamp, represents the light that is Christ.

The announcement of the Resurrection begins with a reading from the Gospel according to Mark followed by the entire congregation singing, "Christ is Risen."

This is the third Easter of Pascha held at St. Iakovos, the 8,200-square-foot building at 34 W. 700 North. The congregation, which began celebrating services starting in 1981 at a former Methodist church near Valparaiso University, moved on a temporary basis in 2007 to the old St. Paul's School gymnasium.

The present building, which includes an office, classroom and fellowship room, will be used as a church home until the permanent church is built on the northeast side. Greanias is hopeful that the permanent church will be built within the next three to five years. A mortgage burning ceremony, for the existing facility, is planned for later this fall. Next year a capital campaign will begin for construction of the $3 million to $4 million church to be built.
Low temperatures forced Purdue University Northwests third annual Bash on the Blacktop concert indoors, to the Fitness and Recreation Center, resulting in what essentially became a Jam in the Gym Friday.

Headlining this years concert was Canadian solo artist Dallas Smith, formerly of the alternative rock band Default, who achieved mainstream success with the bands 2001 hit Wasting My Time which peaked at No. 13 on Billboard's Hot 100.

While the 2014 Bash on the Blacktop drew nearly 400 attendees, this years concert suffered from low attendance, around 135, which did not go unnoticed by the performers or the attendees.

The people that were there seemed to be having a good time, Smith said.

PNW junior biology student Blake Liazuk said that the university should have been more aggressive with its promotion of this years Bash on the Blacktop concert.

It was great, but there was no one here, said Liazuk. I was talking to kids on campus and they didnt even know about it. More people would be more fun.

Smith and his backing band performed Wasting My Time with a country twist.

We like pulling that one out and seeing how many people know it, Smith said. It was good. We hadnt played in a week, so it was nice to get out there and play again.

In regards to Canadian country music, Smith said the genre is just as popular in Canada as it is in the United States.

We have prairies and rednecks just like you guys, Smith said.

Lead by vocalist Evan Blankenship, the unsigned Ashland Belle was the nights opening act. The group performed their single Fastest Car and covered Luke Bryans Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.

Were a little bit of rock and a little bit of country, Blankenship said. My voice has a little R&B feel to it. I started out singing Boyz II Men, so thats where I draw from.

Logan Brill was the second act and said she was glad the concert was moved indoors due to the cold temperatures and that she enjoyed the crowd of college students.

Im from the South and I do not do cold well. I just packed shorts, Brill said. The crowd was loud and into it and the line dancers were great.

Brill said sharing the stage with Merle Haggard at the Grand Ole Opry has been the most memorable moment of her career to this point.

He was such a legend. I woke up when he passed and got a text from a friend, Brill said. I had no idea. I was just with him a year and a half ago.

In addition to Haggard, Brill, who covered Johnny Cashs Folsom Prison Blues, said she draws inspiration from other country icons.

Dwight Yoakam, I got to tour with him and that was incredible, Brill said. I draw a lot from my parents generation, like Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. Im definitely an old soul when it comes to music.

The first two Bash on the Blacktop events featured alternative rock. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus performed in 2014 while last year had Open Your Eyes, Bear Hands and Jump Smokers.
Police scuba divers rescued a man whose kayak almost sank near Coney Island Beach Saturday morning.

It happened just before 10 a.m. Saturday.

Police say a helicopter spotted the 33-year-old man about a mile from shore.

The man told police he was dragged out to sea after hooking a fish.

Officials say two scuba divers helped the man onto a police boat.

"I deployed first," said NYPD Detective Dylan Johnson. "Officer McCloughin, right behind me, swam to the aided, he was partially submerged.

"He was doing some fishing in the kayak, not uncommon. He was taking on water he was half submerged, we went to get him out of the situation. He definitely had a look of, a little bit of panic and was absolutely exhausted."

The man refused medical attention.
While authorities probe Mayor Bill de Blasio's fundraising practices, Governor Andrew Cuomo's office has confirmed that they, too, are the target of a federal investigation.

After denying for months that his office is being investigated by the US attorney, Cuomo's chief counsel confirmed that after receiving a subpoena today, the executive chamber is now under federal investigation.

At issue is the governor's signature economic development plan for western New York, known as the "Buffalo billion."

The administration is appointing its own independent investigator, Attorney Bart Schwartz, to conduct an internal review of the Buffalo billion program.

In a statement, Schwartz said, "The state has reason to believe that in ceratin programs and regulatory approvals they may have been defrauded by impropoer bidding and failures to disclose potential conflicts of interest by lobbyists and former state employees."



The Cuomo administration statement released Friday night came moments after the New York Daily News reported that longtime aide to Cuomo Joe Percoco may have been receiving unreported income from someone connected to the Buffalo billion project by serving as a consultant while simulatneously wokring for the governor. NY1 has since confirmed that information.



Percoco was very close to the Cuomo family, having once worked for Andrew Cuomo's father former Governor Mario Cuomo. He left his job with the current Cuomo administration earlier this year.



A source close to Cuomo told NY1 over the phone that members of the adminstration are "shocked and at a loss for words" about the allegations against Percoco.


Tom Hiddleston, who seems to be everywhere lately, moves into a building from hell in High-Rise. Catch up on Bloodline before a second season begins. And HBO presents the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Whats Streaming

HIGH-RISE (2015) on iTunes. Ben Wheatleys adaptation of J. G. Ballards 1975 dystopian novel doesnt land in theaters until May 13. But after viewing it at the Toronto Film Festival in September, Manohla Dargis wrote in The New York Times that this rollicking, nastily funny apocalyptic romp begins as a very fine Stanley Kubrick copy that eventually devolves into a rather less successful Terry Gilliam free-for-all. Tom Hiddleston stars as a doctor who moves into a luxurious residential tower, where the wealthy get the best views and service on the upper floors, while the less affluent are banished to the shadows lower down. An excellent Jeremy Irons plays the godlike architect behind the monstrosity. He lives in the penthouse, naturally.
The Dole Food Company, one of the largest processors of fresh produce, knew it had a listeria problem in one of its salad plants more than a year before it closed in January, according to a Food and Drug Administration report.

The report, obtained by Food Safety News and The Food Poisoning Bulletin through the Freedom of Information Act, shows that products in the plant tested positive for listeria nine times before F.D.A. inspectors showed up to do a test in January at a plant in Springfield, Ohio.

Four people have died after becoming ill so far in the outbreak, and 33 more across the United States and Canada have become so sick they have spent time in a hospital. Dole said the Justice Department was investigating.

Theyd been having positive tests for listeria for some time, said Bill Marler, a prominent food safety lawyer who represents one of the victims in a lawsuit against Dole. If the government inspectors hadnt showed up, who knows when or if they were going to tell anyone.
Nissan is recalling about 3.5 million vehicles, including almost 3.2 million in the United States, because the front-passenger airbag might not work properly in a crash, according to reports from the automaker posted Friday on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The action ends a two-year effort by federal regulators to get the automaker to fix widespread problems with the occupant sensing system, which is supposed to detect whether the passenger seat is empty or occupied by a child or adult. It began with a recall in 2014 of about 990,000 vehicles.

The recall includes about 622,000 2013-16 Sentras in which a malfunction could cause the airbag to deploy in a crash when it is not supposed to, as when a child is seated there, according to a report the automaker provided federal regulators.

Nissan is aware of at least three crashes in which the airbag system did not deploy properly, resulting in moderate injuries, a Nissan spokesman, Steve Yaeger, said in an email. He did not immediately respond when asked whether any of those injured were children.
ALBANY  Todd Kaminsky, a Democrat, has emerged as the winner of a State Senate race on Long Island, although his Republican opponent has still not conceded.

Election officials finished counting absentee ballots on Friday and determined that Mr. Kaminsky had won just over 50 percent of the vote and defeated the Republican, Chris McGrath, by some 862 votes. The vote must be certified before it is official.

The special election was held on April 19 to fill the seat left vacant after Dean G. Skelos, a Republican and the former Senate majority leader, was convicted on federal corruption charges.

The results are as clear today as they were on election night: Todd Kaminsky was elected to a historic victory by the people of the South Shore, said Evan Thies, a spokesman for Mr. Kaminsky.
Mr. Lightfoot, 31, is the star witness in the criminal trial of nine current and former correction officers who have been charged in connection with what Bronx prosecutors describe as an orchestrated beating of Mr. Lightfoot to teach him a lesson, and a subsequent effort to cover up their actions.

But now it is Mr. Lightfoot who has come under scrutiny in the courtroom as defense lawyers have sought to undermine his credibility  and likability  with the judge and jury. They have depicted him as a career criminal who swung a weapon at the officers during a search, was injured while being restrained and now hopes to cash in with a pending lawsuit against the city.

The case highlights the risks of relying on witnesses with checkered pasts, and points to the hurdles ahead for prosecutors and others trying to change what many have portrayed as a culture of violence and abuse at Rikers and in the New York State prison system. By their nature, investigations of brutality at prisons  whether among inmates, or between inmates and correction officers  have a limited pool of witnesses to draw from.

Court cases against mobsters, gang members and drug dealers are frequently built on the testimonies of criminals out of sheer necessity, said Daniel C. Richman, a Columbia Law School professor and a former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York. Those are often our star witnesses, he said. It is often someone who was very deep in the bad activity.

In one of the most notable cases, he pointed out, Salvatore Gravano, a former underboss of the Gambino crime family turned F.B.I. informer, helped bring down his boss, John A. Gotti. As a prosecutor himself, Mr. Richman recalled that he would put major drug dealers on the stand, telling juries: I wish I could get this testimony from a priest, a rabbi or Mother Teresa, but sad to say, they dont have knowledge of this case.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul regarding the incidents of forest fires in the state and reviewed the situation. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: As major forest fires engulfed parts of Uttarakhand, the Centre on Saturday assured the state government all assistance to douse the fire and those affected by it.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul regarding the incidents of forest fires in the state and reviewed the situation.

During the telephonic talk, Singh assured the Governor of providing all necessary assistance to the state to control the forest fires and help in containing the damage, official sources said.

The Home Ministry has already sent teams of National Disaster Response Force to help the state administration control the forest fire.

Uttarakhand is under President's rule and the Governor is the administrative head.

Major forest fires raged today across Uttarakhand even as three teams of NDRF were deployed in Almora, Gauchar and Pauri and one team of SDRF in Nainital to extinguish the flames.

Since the beginning of forest fire incidents in the state in early February this year, 922 incidents have occurred so far killing six people including three women and a child, in separate incidents, injuring seven and blighting nearly 2,000 hectares of green cover.
If you were selecting mascots to help draw tourists to a city, the first choice might not be a group of street-fighting reptiles who live in the sewer with a rat.

That, as it happens, is just whom the officials who make such decisions in New York have chosen.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles  Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael  will be this years family ambassadors, the citys tourism agency announced this week. And their images will be everywhere.

Youre going to see them in the airport, said Fred Dixon, president and chief executive of the agency, NYC & Company. Youre going to see them in the back of the taxi. Youre going to see them in museums. Theyll literally be your tour guides.

The turtles, for those who may not know their origin story, first appeared in a 1984 comic book by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, in which New York was a dirty, dangerous, crime-ridden city. They assumed human size after a canister fell down a storm drain, sliming them with a growth-inducing chemical. They took refuge in the sewers with the rat, Master Splinter, who had also been doused with the chemical. In the comic book, the turtles sneered behind masks and shouted expletives as they leapt between rooftops, swinging weapons like nunchucks and battling crime.
The de Blasio administration will give the owners of 17 enormous office towers in Lower Manhattan a chance to fill in the public arcades along their buildings ground floors and turn a shadowy, windswept realm into moneymaking retail space.

The arcades were constructed from the 1960s through the 1980s under an abandoned and discredited zoning theory that imagined Water Street, near the southern tip of Manhattan Island, benefiting from covered pedestrian walkways like those on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris.

In exchange for providing open-air arcades around their buildings, developers were permitted to construct more office area than zoning rules would have ordinarily allowed. That added to their revenue in perpetuity. The public was supposed to benefit in perpetuity, too. But it did not.

A few arcades create inviting vistas or make it easier to navigate downtowns erratic street grid. Some have cafes. They are handy for escaping a downpour or blazing summer sun. But many are used as outdoor smoking lounges. Pedestrians prefer sidewalks to the gloomy, moribund spaces.
Failure to pay is a crime. Someone who qualifies as indigent may be acquitted, only to be convicted of being too poor to pay for the legal services the Constitution requires the state to provide.

This is not justice.

There is, however, a way out of this, one that the presidential candidates of both parties should embrace, one that should have broad bipartisan appeal. And it is an approach that no one is talking about.

The federal government, which now provides just a few million dollars per year to prop up local indigent defense services, could make an annual grant of $4 billion to state and local governments for indigent defense. This is a mere 0.3 percent of the federal governments approximately $1.2 trillion discretionary budget. This money would triple spending on indigent defense, especially if the grant was tied to pre-existing spending by local governments so they couldnt just cut their own spending one-for-one with the grant.

For Democrats, this plan would target a major cost of poverty and inequality and, because of the correlation between wealth and race, it would tackle at least some of the racial imbalances that permeate the criminal justice system.

For Republicans, who worry about state overreach and the governments ability to oppress its citizens, meaningful public defense ensures that the poor, too, are able to check the state when it is acting in its most powerful capacity.

Funding indigent defense would also help scale back mass incarceration, a goal both parties share. My research has shown that the primary source of prison growth in the 1990s and 2000s has been prosecutors filing of felony charges against more and more arrestees, many of whom in the past would have faced misdemeanor charges or no charges at all. Ensuring that prosecutors opponents are able to do their jobs competently would dampen prosecutorial aggressiveness.

Tellingly, as public defender caseloads have soared amid shrinking budgets, prosecutor caseloads appear to have held relatively steady, as funding and hiring of prosecutors generally rose over roughly the last 20 years. Public defenders find themselves at an increasing disadvantage, surely contributing to our nations inability to really rein in prison population growth.
The torrent of mistakes that led an American military gunship to obliterate a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, last October, killing 42 innocent people and wounding dozens, resulted from gross negligence, judging from the findings of a report the Pentagon released on Friday.

And yet, military officials have refused to identify the individuals responsible for the disaster and to explain what type of punishment each will face. The Pentagon also appears to have ruled out the possibility of holding them accountable in a court of law for one of the most egregious war zone blunders in recent history.

Those decisions are deeply troubling. Gen. Joseph Votel, the commander of the militarys Central Command, or Centcom, told journalists on Friday that the service members who made the mistakes would not face criminal prosecution because investigators determined that their errors were unintentional.

According to the report, the gunship crew failed to locate the intended target and fired on the Doctors Without Borders hospital assuming that it was a building occupied by Taliban fighters. Senior officers approved the strike despite having the coordinates of the hospital. Equipment and communication failures that night contributed to the catastrophe, and the airstrike did not stop immediately after Doctors Without Borders alerted the United States government of the error.
Murray never gave up her fight for the values that sprang from her lifelong Episcopalian faith. In a moment of despair after her 1940 arrest, she wrote in her diary that it was dangerous to dwell on her weaknesses. The great secret, she told herself, is not to think of yourself, of your courage, or of your despair but of Him for whom you journey.

In 1973, she entered New Yorks General Theological Seminary to prepare for the priesthood, a job from which she knew she would be excluded because of her gender. But in 1976, the Episcopal Church conference voted that no one shall be denied access to the priesthood on account of sex. In 1977, Murray became the first black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest. The Episcopal Church made her a saint in 2012.

As Murray looked back on her activism in a 1976 interview, she recalled: In not a single one of these little campaigns was I victorious. In other words, in each case, I personally failed, but I have lived to see the thesis upon which I was operating vindicated. And what I very often say is that Ive lived to see my lost causes found.

Some may argue that it is impossible to bind all of slaverys wounds; after all, there are other residential colleges at Yale named for slaveholders such as George Berkeley, Timothy Dwight and Ezra Stiles. But John C. Calhoun is the only one whose fame came from his guiding role in a racial regime that enslaved people, inspired secession and formed the specious legal foundation for a century of discrimination.

Yale students of color, especially those who live in Calhoun College, and the thousands who protested last fall do not need any more teachable moments on the injustices he wrought. They feel the legacy of those injustices every day.

So did Murray. As she organized her papers near the end of her life, she came across newspaper clippings published during her attempt to enroll in graduate school. The headlines called her a Negress and colored. She wrote in the margins of the yellowed clippings, Did it hurt? Yes!! and Ouch!

This week at Yale, the arc of justice bent both ways. It reached back to sustain Calhouns name on a college where students of color have to live throughout their Yale experience. But it moved forward to sustain the Yale community with Pauli Murrays lived imperative to fight injustice. Murray, not Calhoun, represents Yale values today; yet his name remains. Murray, not Calhoun, teaches us the lessons we need to learn about discrimination in all of its manifestations.

When A. Bartlett Giamatti, Yales president at the time, presented an honorary doctorate in divinity to Murray in 1979, he told her: You are an inspiration to those who seek the upward way for the soul and for society. Others have always followed after. It is only a matter of time before Calhoun will be forced to make his exit, and Murray will, once again, see her lost causes found.
Its been a rough couple of weeks for Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has been splattered by accusations and insinuations about shady-looking campaign fund-raising and is stuck with no better response than: Everybody does it, the law allows it, and why are you picking on me?

What was it he did? He tried to help Democrats recapture the State Senate. To do this he had his campaign-money team raise cash from donors in New York City and send it to local Democratic Party committees in Ulster, Monroe and Putnam Counties, where four Democrats were in tight Senate races. The committees then gave money to the candidates, far more than the candidates would have received if the donors had given the cash to them directly.

The mayor and his lawyer and his defenders say this flow of money was commonplace, routine, entirely legal.

It is true that state election law allows individuals to give extra-large contributions  about $100,000  to party committees, far more than individuals can give directly to candidates (in 2014, the law limited individual contributions in Senate races to $6,500 in the primary election and $10,300 in the general). The law also allows party committees to transfer all the money they want to individual candidates.
In a rare and remarkable display of bipartisanship, the House voted unanimously this week to strengthen a 30-year-old privacy law that governs how and when law enforcement agencies can obtain access to emails, photographs and other documents that people store online. If enacted, the changes will ensure that the law protects digital information as well as it does physical documents.

The bill will require law enforcement agencies to obtain search warrants from judges to gain access to personal messages and files stored on the servers of companies like Google, Yahoo and Dropbox. The legislation would substantially revise a 1986 law, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, that allows agencies to get emails older than 180 days and other digital files by issuing subpoenas to technology companies without going to a judge.

This sensible update reflects how people store information today. And some courts have already recognized the principle that emails and files kept in the cloud should receive the same protection under the law as documents left in filing cabinets and closets. In 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that the government must obtain warrants before searching emails stored online. But that ruling was not appealed to the Supreme Court, so it did not establish national precedent.

The bill is not perfect. When it was introduced, it required law enforcement agencies to notify people that their digital data had been obtained through a warrant. That provision was removed before the House voted on the bill because of law enforcement opposition. Technology companies, however, will be allowed to notify their customers about warrants.
CHARLESTON, S.C.  With a series of subdued Yes, Your Honors, Joseph C. Meek Jr. pleaded guilty in United States District Court on Friday to lying to federal officials and withholding his knowledge of the involvement of his friend Dylann S. Roof in the massacre of nine black parishioners during a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church here last June.

Mr. Meek, a 21-year-old air-conditioning repairman, faces up to eight years in prison and a half-million dollars in fines for the charges: misprision of a felony, which means withholding knowledge of details of a crime, and making false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He agreed to testify against Mr. Roof and to take a polygraph if so requested.

If he cooperates and the government deems he provided substantial assistance during the trial, the government will take that into account during sentencing, said Judge Richard M. Gergel.

Mr. Meeks cooperation is expected to help the prosecutions case against Mr. Roof, 22, who faces 33 counts connected to the June 17 attack. The charges include hate crimes and killing people while obstructing religious freedom  a charge that could result in the death penalty.
WEST

California: Navy Commander

Gets Prison in Bribe Case

A federal judge sentenced a Navy commander to 78 months in prison for providing classified ship schedules in exchange for the services of a prostitute, theater tickets and other gifts from a Malaysian contractor who overbilled the Navy more than $34 million. The commander, Capt.-select Michael Misiewicz, 48, was sentenced Friday in San Diego on one count of conspiracy and one count of bribery. His sentence is the longest one in the bribery scandal. He pleaded guilty to providing classified information to Leonard Glenn Francis, whose Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia used it to beat out competitors and overbill the Navy by submitting fake tariffs and port fees.

(AP)

SOUTHWEST

Texas: Houston Loses Fight

Over Pollution Rules

Houstons efforts to use local clean air laws to regulate pollution by the nations largest petrochemical complex were halted Friday by a Texas Supreme Court ruling in favor of energy and chemical companies that claimed the city had overreached. ExxonMobil and other companies with nearby refineries and plants had sued the city in 2008 after it passed ordinances that required businesses to pay registration fees based on the number and type of pollution sources on each site. The ordinances also made it unlawful to operate a facility inside Houston unless it was registered with the city. Houston argued the ordinances were a local expression of state laws regulating pollution, that they did not make an end-run around state regulations. But the states all-Republican Supreme Court ruled 8 to 1 that the ordinances were inconsistent with the Legislatures intent that favored statewide consistency in enforcement.

(AP)

ROCKIES

Colorado: 100 Years for Woman Who Cut Fetus From Womb

A judge on Friday sentenced Dynel Lane, 36, of Longmont, to 100 years in prison for cutting a nearly 8-month-old fetus from a strangers womb. She was convicted of attempting to kill Michelle Wilkins, whom she lured with an ad for maternity clothes. She also was convicted of assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy. Prosecutors said they were unable to charge her with murder because a coroner found no evidence the fetus lived outside the womb.

(AP)
BURLINGAME, Calif.  Donald J. Trump got a taste on Friday of what his next month of campaigning in California could be like. He was forced to exit his motorcade and walk through a field, climbing an embankment with Secret Service agents helping him, to avoid angry demonstrators on the street.

We went under a fence and through a fence, and oh, boy, it felt like I was crossing the border, actually, Mr. Trump said when he finally made it to a ballroom to speak at Californias Republican Party convention.

For the next 25 minutes, though, Mr. Trump spoke little of California or its June 7 primary. Rather, he wrestled with whether he wanted to begin healing the fractured party he was seeking to lead. Mr. Trump, the Republican front-runner in the presidential race, mocked his conservative critics and his current and former rivals as dumb, disgusting and losers. He claimed at least twice that he could win even if the party did not come together. And with some conservatives still uneasy about his beliefs, he breezily dismissed questions about his principles.

Folks, Im a conservative, but at this point, who cares? We got to straighten out the country, he said at a subdued luncheon of party activists who seemed more curious about seeing a celebrity than enthusiastic about their potential presidential nominee.
New Delhi: The first phase of the single entrance test NEET for admissions to MBBS and BDS courses across the country will be held tomorrow as the Supreme Court today refused to accord an urgent hearing of a plea seeking modification of its earlier order.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur, which is conducting a special hearing today to deal with pollution in Delhi, did not allow the plea seeking urgent hearing for modification of the April 28 order passed by another bench with regard to the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET).

Read: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana to cite statute in fight against NEET

"Nothing will happen in the meantime. Matter had been heard by the bench and it is over for now. Please allow the examination to be conducted," the bench, also comprising Justices A K Sikri and R Banumathi said.

The observation came when lawyers, representing some students, said that the order on NEET needed to be modified as students who had prepared for the state-level entrance exams will find it difficult to prepare for the NEET in such a short span of time.

The court, for the time being refused to entertain the plea and asked the lawyers concerned to file an application which would be heard by the regular bench, hearing the case.

Read: NEET: Despite Supreme Court verdict, CET to stay

The Supreme Court had yesterday said that the entrance test for admission to MBBS and BDS courses for the academic year 2016-17 will be held as per the schedule through the two-phased common entrance test NEET on May 1 and July 24.

Centre had yesterday approached the apex court for modification of its April 28 order and had sought that state governments and private colleges be allowed to hold separate entrance examinations for MBBS and BDS courses for 2016-17 saying there was a lot of confusion arising out of it.

The apex court had in its order cleared the decks for the holding of NEET in two phases for the academic year 2016-17 in which around 6.5 lakh candidates are likely to appear.

Read: Early NEET schedule worries students

It had approved the schedule put before it by the Centre, CBSE and the Medical Council of India (MCI) for treating All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) fixed for May 1 as NEET-1.

It had said those who had not applied for AIPMT will be given the opportunity to appear in NEET-II on July 24 and the combined result would be declared on August 17 so that the admission process can be completed by September 30.

The apex court had pronounced the order after rejecting opposition for holding NEET by states, including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Association of Karnataka Medical Colleges, besides minority institutions like CMC, Vellore.

The apex court order had implied that all government colleges, deemed universities and private medical colleges would be covered under NEET and those examinations which have already taken place or slated to be conducted separately stand scrapped.

Read: Supreme Court enforces NEET on Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

It had also revived the government's December 21, 2010 notification for holding a single common entrance test through NEET with a clarification that any challenge on the issue would directly come before it and no high court can interfere.

The court was of the view that since it recalled its April 11 order, there was no hindrance in holding the NEET.

On April 11, the SC had recalled its verdict scrapping a single common entrance test for admission to MBBS and BDS courses in all medical colleges, delivered by then Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir on the day of his retirement.

The apex court's April 28 order came on a petition filed by NGO Sankalp Charitable Trust, which had said that the Centre, MCI and CBSE were dilly-dallying in implementing the court's order on implementing the NEET.
SAN FRANCISCO  Police Chief Gregory P. Suhr on Friday announced that all officers on the San Francisco force would be required to complete anti-bias training as he released nine pages of racist text messages between three officers that further tarnished the image of a department under federal investigation.

We have nothing to hide, said Chief Suhr. These are the actions of a few.

But the citys public defender and experts on criminal justice said the texts appeared to reveal a deep culture of bias in the 2,000-member force that contradicts the citys image of tolerance and liberalism.

These texts evidence a deep culture of racial hatred and animus against blacks, Latinos, gays and even South Asians, Jeff Adachi, the public defender, said in an interview. It can no longer be said to be an isolated problem.

A number of police departments, including those in Miami and Los Angeles, have had problems with racist messages sent by their officers. Experts in criminal justice have debated how to address bias, both conscious and unconscious.
The United Nations Security Council on Friday renewed its peacekeeping mission in the disputed Western Sahara region for a year with a resolution that placed only mild pressure on Morocco, which in a diplomatic flare-up last month expelled many of the staff members of the mission, crippling its ability to function.

The resolution expressed the urgent need for a full restoration of the mission, known by its acronym, Minurso, and called on the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, to report in three months whether it had been returned to full functionality.

The measure did not order the Moroccans to rescind the expulsions. It also did not specify what further steps might be taken to resolve the missions severe limitations, which have raised fears of a return to armed conflict in Western Sahara, a mineral-rich region long claimed by Morocco.

The Security Councils handling of the expulsions was under scrutiny by other nations where peacekeeping missions have been deployed.
LONDON  The two biggest parties in Ireland on Friday overcame decades of enmity to cooperate on the creation of a minority government, ending weeks of deadlock after an inconclusive election in February.

The agreement is the start of a unique experiment in Irish politics under which the governing party, Fine Gael, is expected to lead a minority administration, with the tacit support of its main rival, Fianna Fail.

Both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have reached a political agreement to facilitate a Fine Gael-led minority government, both parties said in a statement, the Irish broadcaster RTE reported.

Both party leaders are now being briefed, extensive drafting has to be done, and then both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael will hold separate parliamentary party meetings to outline the details of the confidence and supply arrangement, the statement added.
The United States on Friday rejected Iranian accusations that it had broken international law with a Supreme Court ruling that allows the use of seized assets from Irans central bank to compensate American victims of terrorist attacks.

The Iranian accusations, which hinted that retaliation was possible, were contained in an angry letter by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, sent on Thursday to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations.

The letter, which Irans United Nations mission distributed to the news media, asked for Mr. Bans help in stopping the United States from carrying out the April 20 court ruling.

Under the ruling, nearly $2 billion in impounded assets from Irans central bank may be disbursed to more than 1,000 Americans  survivors and relatives of victims killed in terrorist attacks that the United States has attributed to Iranian agents. Iran, which has denied any responsibility for the attacks, has described the ruling as an outrageous robbery.
These hackers figured out this was a weak point on the periphery, and they went for it, said Jeffrey Kutler, editor in chief at the Global Association of Risk Professionals, a trade group. But they were not able to compromise the core.

Swifts core is built on technology that has been evolving for decades. What began in 1973 as a relatively small network of 240 banks in Europe and North America is now a sprawling network of 11,000 users that includes both banks and large corporations. At first, Swift could be used to authorize payments across national borders. But it is now also used to transmit messages related to domestic payments, securities settlements and other transactions.

Swifts growth in recent years  it set a record for messages in March  reflects the increasingly global and interconnected nature of finance. But it also shows the risk of so many financial instructions running through a single system made up of a patchwork of banks and companies with varying levels of online protection.

Each bank on the Swift network is identified by a set of codes. And it was the codes assigned to the Bank of Bangladesh that were recognized  correctly  by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York when it transferred $81 million of the Bangladesh banks money to the Philippines, not knowing that someone, somewhere, had stolen the credentials of the Bangladesh bank and installed malware to cover his or her tracks.

Initially, the thieves requested the transfer of $951 million into a handful of bank accounts in Sri Lanka and the Philippines  a number that prompted the New York Fed to ask the Bangladesh bank to reconfirm that it indeed wanted to move the money.

In the end, the Fed processed only five of the 35 fraudulent payment requests, after it could not reconfirm with officials in Bangladesh.
Their challenge argues that the E.P.A. does not have the power under the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon emissions and that the rules violate state sovereignty and state power to regulate local utilities.

In February, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked the administrations initiative, dealing an early blow to the policy, though it did not rule on the merits of the case. Also, the ruling was issued by a court divided along ideological lines.

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is expected to hear oral arguments on the legality of the regulation in June. Ultimately, both sides are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court if they lose. This time, the parties could face a court evenly split between its left-leaning and right-leaning factions since the death of the conservative justice Antonin Scalia.

Fighting Words

The day after his coal-mine visit, Mr. Murray delivered a lecture at West Liberty University, a small public college in nearby West Virginia. There, about 150 students packed a hall to earn extra credit for their business class.

Mr. Murray came with a five-page speech titled The Ongoing Destruction of a Major American Industry, which, among other things, described the regal, outlaw Obama administration. But once he reached the lectern, the speech was forgotten. Instead, Mr. Murray spoke extemporaneously.

He warned the students about government bureaucrats (They are rejects compared with people in the private sector); about Bernie Sanders (The problem with socialists is that they eventually run out of other peoples money, paraphrasing Margaret Thatcher); about the leading Republican presidential candidate (Im not sure about Donald Trump); and about Ivy League schools (These schools are lousy).

He announced that he was organizing a fund-raiser for Ted Cruz, though he pointed out that he was not endorsing him.
Our top-heavy economy has come to this: One man can move out of New Jersey and put the entire state budget at risk. Other states are facing similar situations as a greater share of income  and tax revenue  becomes concentrated in the hands of a few.

Last month, during a routine review of New Jerseys finances, one could sense the alarm. The states wealthiest resident had reportedly shifted his personal and business domicile to another state, Frank W. Haines III, New Jerseys legislative budget and finance officer, told a State Senate committee. If the news were true, New Jersey would lose so much in tax revenue that we may be facing an unusual degree of income tax forecast risk, Mr. Haines said.

The New Jersey resident (unnamed by Mr. Haines) is the hedge-fund billionaire David Tepper. In December, Mr. Tepper declared himself a resident of Florida after living for over 20 years in New Jersey. He later moved the official headquarters of his hedge fund, Appaloosa Management, to Miami.

New Jersey wont say exactly how much Mr. Tepper paid in taxes. But according to Institutional Investors Alpha, he earned more than $6 billion from 2012 to 2015. Tax experts say his move to Florida could cost New Jersey  which has a top tax rate of 8.97 percent  hundreds of millions of dollars in lost payments.
A peeved Jane Sanders called on the F.B.I. to hurry up with the Hillary classified email investigation. A desperate Ted Cruz cut a deal with John Kasich, who then put a bag over his head and acted as if he didnt know Cruz. Then Cruz latched onto Cruella Fiorina, accomplishing the impossible: finding a Potemkin running mate whos even more odious. We can only hope that Cruz, who croons Broadway show tunes, and Carly, who breaks into song at the lectern, will start doing duets from Hamilton.

In one of the most gratifying moments of an unhinged campaign, former Speaker John Boehner told Stanford students that Cruz was Lucifer in the flesh. Satanists immediately objected, saying it was unfair to their deity.

Even though Trump is the one who has no governing experience, he will suggest that the first woman at the top of a major party ticket is unqualified by charging that she lacks strength and stamina and claiming that if she were a man, she would not get even 5 percent of the vote.

During his unburdening at Stanford, Boehner imitated Clinton, saying, Oh, Im a woman, vote for me.

But such mockery merely plays into Clintons hands. As former Jeb Bush super PAC strategist Mike Murphy told MSNBC, Her big judo move is playing the victim. And as former Jeb aide Tim Miller noted to CNN, Trumps numbers with women are so bad that the only way he can win is if he manages to repeal womens suffrage before November.

Once you get beyond the surface of the 2016 battle of the sexes, with its chest-thumping versus maternal hugging, theres a more intriguing gender dynamic.

On some foreign policy issues, the roles are reversed for the candidates and their parties. Its Hillary the Hawk against Donald the Quasi-Dove.
The law that China passed on Thursday imposing stern controls on foreign nongovernmental organizations is deplorable but, sadly, not surprising. Illiberal and authoritarian governments are inherently allergic to civil society and, more broadly, to any institutions they dont control.

The law, which goes into effect next January, requires that foreign groups find an official Chinese sponsor and register with the police. More than 7,000 such groups would have to comply, according to Chinese news reports, and their operations and finances would be subject to police examination and office searches at any time.

Recent years have witnessed what the Carnegie Endowment terms a viral-like spread of new laws around the world designed to limit or shut down the activities of nongovernmental organizations that promote human rights, democracy, the environment, education and other causes. China had plenty of examples of such laws to study, most notably Russias noxious law requiring groups that get any foreign money to register as foreign agents, a term that in Russia is taken to mean spies.

Like the other governments that have imposed such crackdowns, the Chinese government claimed its foreign organizations management law was an effort to protect friendly organizations while curbing political or religious activities that damage Chinas national interests or ethnic unity. In the context of President Xi Jinpings continuing efforts to tighten control over Chinese society and suppress criticism of Communist Party rule, that could mean just about anything that is not state approved or state sponsored.
Tellingly, none of these Trump-era enthusiasms involve a reinvigoration of congressional prerogatives or a renewed push for federalism and states rights.

Quite the reverse: They all imagine that the solution to our problems lies with a more effective and still-more-empowered president, free from antique constitutional limits and graced with a mandate that transcends partisanship.

And equally tellingly, they are enthusiasms of the center-left and center-right rather than the ideological extremes. This is obviously true of the people pining for a Bloomberg era, a Silicon Valley-led administration, or a Mattis man-on-horseback presidency. But its true of Trumps constituency as well: While the G.O.P.s staunch ideologues are mostly voting for Ted Cruz, Trump is winning with Northeastern moderates and blue-collar populists, with voters who may be xenophobic but on many issues are closer to the political middle than to the poles.

Its not that our ideologues are averse to an imperial presidency when their side is in charge. (The theory of Bernie Sanders campaign assumed a rather  remarkable level of presidential influence.) But the cult of the presidency is clearly strongest in the American center. This means that political polarization probably isnt pushing us toward a Weimar moment, in which the only question is whether the far right or far left consolidates a dangerous level of power. Instead its encouraging a kind of moderate-middle enthusiasm for crown government, as a means of escape from congressional dysfunction and endless right-left war.

The good news for the republic is that this center is itself complex and divided, over specific issues like trade and immigration and then along lines of class and culture. The Bloombergist upper-class moderates fear the Trumpist working-class moderates, and Trumps middle-American populists loathe the globalist elite right back. As long as thats the case its hard to imagine them finding a centrist Caesar to actually unite behind. (Though they are united in their admiration for the military ...)

But even if the risk of a true post-constitutional power grab is low, the arc of our history still bends toward a Trumpian conception of the presidency, which means the limits on its power will probably continue to erode  justified in the name of pragmatism, of Hamiltonian energy, of the need to get things done.
New Delhi: CBI on Saturday examined former Deputy Chief of Indian Air Force JS Gujral in connection with alleged irregularities in the Rs 3,600 VVIP chopper deal with AgustaWestland.

Air Marshal (Retd) Gujral arrived at the CBI Headquarters here in the morning and appeared before the investigation team probing the case.

He was one of the many senior officials who were part of the meeting in 2005 when a decision to alter the required specifications was taken. The agency has called former Air Chief SP Tyagi on Monday.

Both have been questioned at length in 2013 but the fresh round of questioning was necessitated after the April 7 order of an Italian court.

CBI has so far maintained that Gujral was questioned as a witness but remain tight lipped if he will still retain the same status. The agency, so far, has not levelled any allegation against him.

The agency had registered a case against former IAF Chief Tyagi along with 13 others including his cousins and European middlemen in the case. Tyagi has denied the allegations.

The allegation against the former Air Chief was that he had reduced flying ceiling of the helicopter from altitude ceiling requirement from 6,000 m to 4,500 m (15,000ft) so that AgustaWestland was included in the bids.

However, this decision was taken allegedly in consultation with the officials of SPG and the Prime Minister's Office including then NSA M K Narayanan.

CBI has alleged reduction of the service ceiling  maximum height at which a helicopter can perform normally  allowed the UK-based firm to get into the fray as, otherwise, its helicopters were not even qualified for submission of bids.
Eight justices heard oral arguments in the final case of the Supreme Courts term on Wednesday. When will the court return to full strength?

That question is as urgent today as it was immediately after the death two and a half months ago of Justice Antonin Scalia. But the initial wave of outrage at the Senate Republicans hard-line refusal to consider replacing Justice Scalia has ebbed, making it that much easier for Republicans to keep the seat empty through the presidential election. If they succeed, the court will go nearly two terms, and possibly longer, without a ninth member.

The consequences of the impasse have been growing graver by the day. Already the justices have split 4 to 4 in two cases, leaving important legal issues unresolved. In one, the court failed to decide a major labor case involving the longstanding right of public-sector unions, which represent millions of American workers, to charge collective bargaining fees to nonmembers. By the terms end in late June, its likely that several more cases will have ended in tie votes, including possibly the fights over abortion restrictions in Texas, access to birth control and President Obamas executive actions on immigration.

It could get worse from here. So far, the justices docket for the term beginning in October is smaller than usual, and the eight-member court may hesitate before taking on high-profile cases on controversial topics that are more likely to result in split votes. Already, major cases involving restrictive voting laws in North Carolina and Texas, pharmacists who want the right to refuse to fill contraceptive prescriptions for religious reasons, and Mr. Obamas efforts to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants are before the court or could be soon. All could languish in legal limbo.
Its a way of deflecting, avoiding full engagement with another person or group, Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn, a historian at Syracuse University, said, because it puts a shield up immediately. You cannot disagree.

Democracy is premised on civilized conflict. The greatest advance of the modern age has been our ability to argue about societys most pressing questions without resorting to physical violence (most of the time). Yet the growing tyranny of feelings in the way Americans talk  about everything from how to fund public education to which presidential candidate to support  exerts a subtler kind of coercion on the public sphere.

The problem here is not the open discussion of emotions. Ancient philosophers ranging from Confucius to the Greek Stoics acknowledged the role that emotion plays in human reasoning. In the 1990s, after many years of studying patients with brain damage, the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio put forward a hypothesis that is now widely accepted: In a healthy brain, emotional input is a crucial part of reasoning and decision making.

So when I called Dr. Damasio, who teaches at the University of Southern California, I worried that he might strike down my humanistic observations with unflinching scientific objectivity. He didnt  he hates the phrase as much as I do. He called it bad usage and a sign of laziness in thinking, not because it acknowledges the presence of emotion, but because it is an imprecise hedge that conceals more than it reveals. It doesnt follow that because you have doubts, or because something is tempered by a gut feeling, that you cannot make those distinctions as clear as possible, he said.

This is what is most disturbing about I feel like: The phrase cripples our range of expression and flattens the complex role that emotions do play in our reasoning. It turns emotion into a cudgel that smashes the distinction  and even in our relativistic age, there remains a distinction  between evidence out in the world and internal sentiments known only to each of us.

This is speculative, but I feel like fits with this general relativism run rampant, Sally McConnell-Ginet, a linguist at Cornell, suggested. There are different perspectives, but that doesnt mean there are not some facts on the ground and things anchoring us.

For decades, Americans have been in the process of abandoning both the moral strictures of religion and the Enlightenment quest for universal truth in favor of obsessing over their own internal states and well-being. In 1974, the sociologist Richard Sennett worried that the more a person concentrates on feeling genuinely, rather on the objective content of what is felt, the more subjectivity becomes an end in itself, the less expressive he can be.
To me, it looks as if Trump is playing the mans card!

The evidence is that the womans card is less than worthless: Theres abundant research showing that men and women alike tend to judge women more harshly than men. One of the best-known experiments is called the Goldberg paradigm, and it asks research subjects to evaluate an essay or speech. In countries all over the world, both men and women judge the same piece more negatively when they are told it is by a woman, more positively when they believe it is by a man.

In a more recent experiment, more than 120 scientists around the United States were asked to evaluate an application for a job as laboratory manager. In half the cases, the name on the application was Jennifer, in the other half it was John, but everything else was identical.

The scientists recommended John more highly than Jennifer, were more willing to mentor John than Jennifer, and on average suggested a salary for John that was 14 percent higher than the one they suggested for Jennifer. It didnt seem to matter whether the scientists were male or female.

Likewise, female musicians are rated more highly when they perform in gender-blind auditions from behind a screen. One study found that conducting auditions from behind a screen increases by 50 percent the chance that a woman will advance out of preliminary audition rounds.

The problem isnt exactly misogyny. Weve come a long way since President Richard Nixon told an aide why he wouldnt appoint a woman to the Supreme Court: Im not for women, frankly, in any job. I dont want any of them around. Thank God we dont have any in the cabinet.
Georgia State didnt solve its dropout problem by recruiting better-pedigreed students. It found a model for the students they had. Despite the conventional wisdom, demographics are not destiny, Timothy Renick, the vice president for enrollment management and student success, told me. Rather than blaming the students, we took a hard look in the mirror.

Rewriting the script of failure has meant identifying roadblocks. That started with data crunching millions of grades to spot problems Georgia State hadnt even known about.

One surprising example  passing an introductory course in a students major isnt as good a predictor of graduation as the actual letter grade. The student who earns a B in first-year political science has a 70 percent probability of graduating in that field, while a classmate who gets a C has only a 25 percent chance.

Now a C grade prompts a meeting between the student and an academic adviser. The student gets extra help before the C grade becomes a D or an F in more advanced courses in that major. Students say they value having this data in hand, and faculty members appreciate knowing what makes for success. The nursing faculty, for instance, changed its criteria for admission after learning that grades in introductory math and chemistry are solid predictors of doing well in that program.

Instead of waiting for undergraduates to show up, academic advisers reach out at the first hint of trouble  poor grades, spotty attendance or not registering for the right class  holding 50,000 meetings with students annually. At times when I was at my lowest, the professors and my adviser encouraged and reassured me to stay in the program and finish strong, said Luis Perez, who will graduate this spring.

Faculty members feared that this proactive approach would push students into easier fields, steering would-be scientists into sociology. But contrary to expectations, computer science and biology are the fastest-growing majors.

Sink-or-swim used to be the universitys way of handling students with weak math backgrounds interested in becoming STEM majors. Now they get help even before they take their first class. Expectations havent been lowered  pre-med students still take organic chemistry  but Georgia State is providing a pathway that helps them to make it.
Obligatory Access

My lease grants my landlord the right to two open houses a week during the 60 days before the end of my lease. Each open house is to be at least two hours long, and I am required to be present. The times of the open houses are not specified, and 16 open houses seems ridiculous. What is reasonable? And what are my options, besides trying to negotiate with my landlord?

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn

Rents might be slowly drifting down, in the general direction of Earth, but not at such a rate that it should take 16 open houses to rent out an apartment in Brooklyn Heights. At the most, an apartment is on the market for, like, a month, said Carey Larsen, an agent at Citi Habitats.

Your landlord is entitled to reasonable access to your apartment, which means that if you are not renewing your lease, you must make it available for prospective tenants to view it. Usually, brokers will call with 24 hours notice requesting access, but open houses are not common among rentals  and certainly not ones where the tenant must be present.

It is not reasonable for the landlord to demand that you sit through more than a dozen two-hour public events, said Susan Crumiller, a Manhattan lawyer who represents tenants. But it is doubtful this scenario will come to pass. Most likely, the place will get rented out during one of the first open houses, Ms. Crumiller said. So it might totally be a moot point.
Donald Trump thinks Hillary Clinton is playing the womens card. But evidence suggests that if anything is making gender a potent issue in this campaign, its Mr. Trumps words, not Mrs. Clintons.

How do we know? New data on the emotional engagement and effectiveness of different campaign messages suggests that its far easier to drive down support for Mr. Trump by highlighting the derogatory things he has said about women than it is to drive up support for Mrs. Clinton by talking about her as a strong woman.

Over the last few weeks and every week between now and Election Day, John Geer, a Vanderbilt University political scientist, and I are running SpotCheck, an experiment testing the effectiveness of campaign ads. Each week, we randomly assign 1,000 people to see one of two campaign ads, both ads or an ad for an insurance company that is not political. Using tools provided by YouGov, G2 Analytics and SageEngage, people rate the ads in real time, revealing the moments they like and dislike. You can see the results from the weekly experiments here.

A few weeks ago, we tested two ads about gender. After Mr. Trump made comments suggesting women should be punished if they got an illegal abortion, we tested the same two ads again. The results picked up a difference in the importance of gender  both ads gained in effectiveness after his comments, though its also true that one was far more effective than the other in both periods tested.
MIAMI  The military judge presiding over the Sept. 11 war crimes proceedings at Guantanamo Bay has said in a ruling that he will eventually lift his order prohibiting female guards from having physical contact with the five defendants while transporting them around the American base in Cuba.

But the judge, Col. James Pohl of the Army, also said he would keep the ban in place for six more months, according to the order, which was disclosed to The Associated Press on Friday. That is because of what he termed inappropriate public criticism of his ban by Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during an October appearance before Congress.

Colonel Pohl said in his 39-page ruling that the disparaging comments by Mr. Carter and General Dunford could be viewed as creating the appearance that they were trying to influence the death penalty military commission for the five men accused of planning and aiding the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

These comments were entirely inappropriate, the judge said. They crossed the line. Senior military leaders should know better than to make these kinds of comments in a public forum during an ongoing trial.
What Donald Trump needs is the most experienced, most qualified foreign policy mind in Washington, and somebody that would immediately bring calm to the choppy political waters that always seem to be around him, said Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Florida who now hosts Morning Joe on MSNBC. He suggested Robert M. Gates, the former defense secretary, but was more circumspect when asked if he was willing to be Mr. Trumps running mate himself.

I definitely have a lot of strong opinions about who it should be. (Not me!!), wrote Mr. Scarborough, who served on the House Armed Services Committee and who has a good relationship with Mr. Trump.

Other Republicans were more open about joining Mr. Trump on the ticket. Senator Sessions, who is advising Mr. Trump on foreign policy, said he would send his personal tax information to the Trump campaign if it wanted to vet him. Mr. Carson, who was a Republican presidential candidate and battled with Mr. Trump before dropping out and endorsing him, said he would prefer to remain an outside adviser to Mr. Trump, but added that he was willing to join the ticket if he would bring something that other people wouldnt bring.

For others, the singular experience of being vice president in a Trump administration is still hard to imagine. Buttonholed on Capitol Hill last week, two prominent Republican senators, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine, almost giggled when asked if they would be Mr. Trumps running mate.

Im not waiting by my phone, Ms. Collins said.

Mr. Scott, whose appeal as a black Republican could be an advantage for Mr. Trump, repeatedly sidestepped whether he would be willing to run with Mr. Trump. Finally, asked if he would not rule himself out, he replied, Im not ruling myself in.
Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, denounced what he called the demagoguery in the Republican and Democratic Parties in a commencement speech delivered on Saturday at the University of Michigan.

In this years presidential election, weve seen more demagoguery from both parties than I can remember in my lifetime, he said, according a transcript of his remarks posted online.

While Mr. Bloomberg did not denounce any candidates by name, his remarks, which faulted the demonizing of immigrants and the wealthy and criticized Washington gridlock, appeared directed at Donald J. Trump and Senators Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders. Mr. Bloomberg compared the leading contenders from both parties, as a group, to a list of divisive figures from the 20th century, including Patrick J. Buchanan, Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and Gov. George C. Wallace.
In early 1968, the Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles and another local minister beckoned the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis to demonstrate support for a strike by 1,300 black city sanitation workers. The strikers were demanding a minimum 10-cents-an-hour wage increase, workplace safeguards and dignity. Their placards proclaimed, I Am a Man.

Dr. King was reluctant at first; he was preoccupied with his Poor Peoples Campaign. But he came to see that the Memphis strike converged with his national agenda for economic equality and social justice, so he accepted.

After Dr. King arrived, Mr. Kyles invited him to a home-cooked soul food dinner. Aware that Dr. King was perennially tardy, Mr. Kyles promised to pick him up promptly at 5 p.m. at the black-run Lorraine Motel, where Dr. King was staying, in Room 306. The date was April 4.

But when Dr. King later phoned the Kyles home to confirm the invitation, he learned that the dinner would actually be at 6. So when Mr. Kyles arrived around 5, Dr. King procrastinated.
Ahmedabad: A day after Gujarat government announced 10 per cent reservation for the economically backward among upper castes, jailed Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel on Saturday said he will study the decision before reaching a compromise to end the impasse over quota. However, community leaders involved in talks with the government are pushing for an end to the Patel stir, saying the community's two main demands have been fulfilled.

"I will first study the decision taken by the government and surely go for compromise (with the government over quota impasse) if it is in favour of the community," he told reporters outside a Court in Visnagar, Mehsana district, around 90 km from here.

The 22-year-old, who is in judicial custody and facing a slew of charges, including sedition, was brought to the Court in connection with a case lodged against him in the neighbouring district.

"I will take the matter of 10 per cent reservation to the (Patel) community after studying it properly. Solution to the issue is required for peace and it is important for both the sides they compromise on the issue," he said.

This was Hardik's first reaction to the reservation for EBCs (economically backward classes) announced by the BJP government for the poor among upper castes (up to annual family income of Rs 6 lakh), which also include Patidars, in jobs and education.

Yesterday, spokespersons of the Hardik-floated Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) had rejected the move as another "lollipop" extended by the BJP and the state government to "mislead" their community. PAAS has been leading the stir for inclusion of Patidars, a dominant agrarian community, as OBCs.

Meanwhile, leaders mediating between agitating Patels and government today met Chief Minister Anandiben Patel. Later, they said the agitation should come to an end now as two main demands of the community, reservation and releasing youths jailed in sedition case, have been fulfilled.

Mahesh Savani, a member of the Committee mediating between the two sides, said the government was moving in the right direction. After releasing five of the six Patidar youths (who were behind bars and got bail from Courts), it has announced 10 per cent EBC reservation.

"I believe the 10 per cent reservation is a big step. Now, we are waiting for details on the EBC reservation. Once we get them, we will reach out to members of the community and explain them what this is all about," Savani told reporters after meeting the Chief Minister.

Savani said, "Two of our demands, that leaders jailed under sedition charges be released and government provide reservation to Patel youths have received positive response from the government."

"About Hardik's release, the CM asked us to keep faith in the legal system. So we feel government's positive attitude towards Hardik's release and 10 per cent reservation show that the agitation is now nearing its end," he said.

Hardik is behind bars in the two sedition cases. Yesterday's decision was taken at a meeting of Gujarat BJP's core group, where party's National President Amit Shah was also present.
NYUNZU, Democratic Republic of Congo  Deep in the forest, miles from any major city, lies an abandoned cotton factory full of the dispossessed.

There is no police force guarding it. No electricity or running water inside. No sense of urgency or deep concern by the national authorities to do much about it.

Instead, as the days pass, hundreds of displaced people make cooking fires or sit quietly on the concrete factory floor. Dressed in rags, they stare into space, next to huge rusted iron machinery that has not turned for decades. They are members of the Bambote, a marginalized group of forest dwellers who are victims of one of the obscure little wars that this country seems to have a talent for producing.

Its like we dont exist, said Kalunga Etienne, a Bambote elder.

This is what the Democratic Republic of Congo, the biggest country in sub-Saharan Africa and one that has stymied just about all efforts to right it, has become: a tangle of miniwars.
MEXICO CITY  More than two dozen police commanders in Honduras have been fired as part of an effort to clean up a force that has long been infiltrated by organized crime.

The civilian commission in charge of reforming the police force announced the firings on Friday, 10 days after five top police generals, including two former police chiefs, were dismissed.

The shake-up followed news coverage of police files showing that top police officials ordered the killings of a Honduran antidrug czar, Julian Aristides Gonzalez Irias, in 2009 and his top adviser two years later.

According to the documents, the police in those killings acted under the orders of a drug cartel leader, Winter Blanco. At the center of both plots, according to the files, was a police chief, Ricardo Ramirez del Cid, who was among those fired in April.
MEXICO CITY  It has been a tumultuous final week for the five foreign legal and human rights experts who have spent more than a year examining the case of 43 missing college students.

It began last Sunday when the independent panel issued its second voluminous report on the case, which raised further questions about the governments handling of the matter and challenged the authorities conclusions. What followed were a series of dueling news conferences by the panelists and by government officials, each accusing the other of playing with the truth and bringing the relationship between the government and the experts to a low ebb.

But by Friday, with the panels mandate about to end and the experts preparing to leave the country, the tone had shifted again. Now that we leave, it seems like everybody likes us, said Francisco Cox, a Chilean lawyer and panel member. They express gratefulness.

He added, perhaps mindful of the frustrations accompanying the panels work in recent months, We have to see if thats real.
Dr. Sudibyo Markus, who led Muhammadiyahs health department at the time, said there had never been any quid pro quo.

Meanwhile, religious leaders affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyahs main rival, criticized Muhammadiyah for supposedly bowing to Bloombergs money. But Nahdlatul Ulama, which does not view smoking as forbidden in most circumstances, receives funding from the foundation wing of Djarum, Indonesias third-largest tobacco company.

The groups vice chairman, Maksum Mahfudh, said there was no relationship whatsoever between the funding and its decision that it would not forbid smoking. He added that moving drastically against tobacco would impoverish the farmers and sellers who are grass-roots people of N.U.

For now, the two sides appear to have fought to a draw. After steadily rising for a decade, the smoking rate has plateaued, according to the Indonesian Family Life Survey, funded by the United States National Institutes of Health, that was released in April.

Still, Philip Morris International remains optimistic about Indonesia. In a February conference call with investors, Andre Calantzopoulos, the chief executive officer, said Indonesia remained a good bet.

We remain optimistic about the profit growth opportunities in this key market thanks to its growing adult population and rising income levels, he told them.
DHAKA, Bangladesh  A Hindu tailor who had been briefly jailed several years ago over accusations that he made an unfavorable comment about the Prophet Muhammad was hacked to death on Saturday near his shop in central Bangladesh, the police said.

Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the killing, citing the accusations of blasphemy against the tailor, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist websites.

Mohammad Abdul Jalil, the officer in charge of the Gopalpur police station in the Tangail district, a central region where the attack occurred, said in a telephone interview that it was too early to determine the motivation of the assailants or whether they were Islamist militants.

Similar attacks claimed by the militants seem to be accelerating, with five people hacked to death in the past nine days.
SANKHU, Nepal  As the anniversary of Nepals devastating earthquake came and went last week, Tilakmananda Bajracharya peered up at the mountainside temple his family has tended for 13 generations, wondering how long it would remain upright.

The temple walls, which shook violently for more than a minute during the earthquake, are now split by fat, snaking cracks. Rescue workers braced the buildings sides with wooden planks last year, said Mr. Bajracharya, the temples priest, but they will snap as soon as the next large earthquake hits.

Nothing will remain, he said. We will live with the consequences.

Seeing the face of a foreigner last week, the priest brightened. Many people here pin their hopes on promises of foreign aid: After the disaster, images of collapsed temples and stoic villagers in a sea of rubble were beamed around the world, and donors came forward with pledges of $4.1 billion in foreign grants and soft loans.

But those promises, so far, have not done much to speed the progress of Nepals reconstruction effort. Outside Kathmandu, the capital, many towns and villages remain choked with rubble, as if the earthquake had happened yesterday. The government, hampered by red tape and political turmoil, has only begun to approve projects. Nearly all of the pledged funds remain in the hands of the donors, unused.
Mr. Khans election would be a boost for the Labour Party at a time when Prime Minister David Camerons Conservatives are deeply divided on Europe. It would also probably strengthen the position of Labours left-wing leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who is at odds with many of his own lawmakers, and whose leadership has been embroiled in a dispute about anti-Semitism in party ranks.

But the main policy battles being fought on the streets of London relate to the problems confronting a city that has an acute shortage of affordable housing and a creaking and overcrowded mass transit network. Mr. Khans closest rival is Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative candidate, who says he wants to make London the greenest city in the world.

The two have battled over issues like transportation and how to build more homes to relieve Londons sky-high real estate and rental costs. Mr. Khan points to the fact that the average rent in London is equivalent to 55 pounds, or about $80, a night  the price of a decent hotel in many European capitals. And Mr. Goldsmith has said the overcrowded conditions endured by London commuters would be illegal for chickens, pigs and cattle.

Appropriately, perhaps, for a globalized city that accommodates the extremes of wealth, Mr. Khan and Mr. Goldsmith are living examples of Londons diversity.

Mr. Goldsmith, 41, a son of the tycoon Sir James Goldsmith, inherited a fortune and was educated at Eton College, Britains most exclusive school. He edited the magazine The Ecologist, founded by his uncle, and was elected to Parliament in 2010.
BAGHDAD  Hundreds of protesters stormed Baghdads heavily fortified Green Zone on Saturday and entered the Parliament building, waving Iraqi flags, snapping photographs, breaking furniture and demanding an end to corruption. The episode deepened a political crisis that has paralyzed Iraqs government for weeks.

As the chaos unfolded in the afternoon  one lawmaker was attacked, and protesters damaged several vehicles near Parliament  the Baghdad Operations Command announced a state of emergency, deploying additional forces around the capital city. Checkpoints at city entrances were closed, even as the protests remained largely nonviolent.

The scenes of protest, circulated in photos and videos on social media sites, were potent illustrations of the anger that has grown during months of protests by Iraqis demanding that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi carry out measures to end sectarian quotas in politics and fight corruption.

The protesters were mostly supporters of the powerful Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr. Rather than pushing for the ouster of Mr. Abadi, they have largely supported the prime minister as he has sought to make good on promises, still unfulfilled, to improve how the government works.
Supporters of President Hassan Rouhani of Iran have won more seats in parliamentary runoff elections, the Iranian state news media reported Saturday, but they failed to win enough of the 68 contested seats to secure a majority, limiting their ability to carry out significant political and social changes.

The gains made by the moderates and reformists were not enough to decisively alter the balance of power in Iran, the presidents supporters acknowledged. They added that political clashes between their lawmakers and conservative hard-liners were bound to increase.

Expect a Parliament with a slightly friendlier tone, but also many political crises, said Farshad Ghorbanpour, a political analyst close to the government.

After Fridays runoff elections for races that were not decided in the first round of voting in February, the reformists and moderate supporters of Mr. Rouhani hold 122 seats in the 290-member Parliament, and the conservative hard-liners have 84, the state media reported.
In this episode, the Haggler takes a second and longer look at the American Truck Group, the company in Gulfport, Miss., that has been the focus of dozens of complaints from truckers in a rent-to-own program.

Why dive back into the same subject? Quite simply, the Haggler has never encountered a company that has elicited more rage and sadness. In a series of conversations with ex-customers, the Haggler heard, time and again, variations of They ruined my life or I have not been the same since. How this occurred should concern everyone who cares about consumer fairness.

To recap: American Trucks rent-to-own program is for truckers who lack the credit rating to get a bank loan. For a down payment ($4,000 to $10,000) and then a year or so of weekly payments ($500 to $1,000), a driver can become a self-employed trucker, known as an owner-operator. At the end of the year, the driver has an option to buy the truck outright for an additional lump sum.

This is a fine idea in theory. But a few dozen American Truck customers have told the Better Business Bureau that they spent thousands on a down payment and on rental fees  in some cases a total of $50,000 or more  only to have the truck repossessed before they had the chance to buy it. Some contend that the companys business model is to milk as much as possible from renters, grab the truck, then rent it out again.
Mumbai: After being served non-vegetarian pizza instead of a vegetarian one, a 26-year-old-man demanded Rs 1 crore as compensation and threatened to defame the pizza store if he was not paid the money. On a complaint by the store owner, the accused was arrested on Thursday and produced in front of a metropolitan magistrate court on Friday.

On April 4, the accused Anil Kishor Kumar Jha, had placed an order for a few vegetarian and non-vegetarian pizzas at a store in Mahavir Nagar, Kandivali (west). The boxes, however, were not labelled and so Jha, a vegetarian, had allegedly consumed the non-vegetarian pizza by mistake. According to the information shared by the police, Jha then called up the pizza store after a couple of days and blamed them for having destroyed his religious custom.

To make up for this blunder by the store, Jha demanded Rs 1 crore from them.

Police sources said that in order to resolve the matter, the pizza store owner brought in a Prashant Tambe as a mediator. Mr Tambe negotiated with Jha and brought the compensation amount down to Rs 10 lakh.

Meanwhile, along with the store owner, Mr Tambe approached the Kandivali police who asked them to lure Jha on the pretext of giving him the first instalment of the compensation money.

On Thursday evening when Jha went to Mahavir Nagar to receive the first instalment of Rs 25,000 a special team of Kandivali police nabbed him and charged him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for extortion.
SEAL BEACH  A 67-year-old man and his Jack Russell terrier died early Saturday in a house fire in Old Town Seal Beach that authorities are calling suspicious.

The Orange County Fire Authority received multiple calls at 12:15 a.m. about a fire on the 200 block of 17th Street, fire Capt. Steve Concialdi said.

Rescue personnel saw a man looking out from a window in the second floor of the house, but they were unable to get to him quickly because of a large number of combustibles in the house, Concialdi said.

He said the volume of debris indicated a potential hoarding situation.

By the time they reached him, he was deceased, and so was his dog, Concialdi said.

The victim, John Donnelly, was a familiar and friendly face in the community, neighbors said.

He would ride his bike around town with his dog, Eddie, in a basket, said Jane Parnes, a board member for Seal Beach Animal Care, where Donnelly frequently volunteered.

Seal Beach police Sgt. Phil Gonshak said authorities are treating the fire as suspicious.

We cannot rule out anything yet, he said.

About 50 firefighters from the Fire Authority and Huntington Beach Fire Department responded to the blaze, which was under control by about 1:30 a.m.

Concialdi said the fire caused significant damage to the house, which has a single-story unit backed by a duplex: $500,000 to the structure and $20,000 to its contents. The damage was mainly to the duplex portion of the structure.

Police evacuated residents from nearby houses, Gonshak said.

Parnes said Donnelly was a kind man with a soft spot for our dogs with medical needs. Just Wednesday night, she said, he hosted a small fundraiser at Glory Days Beachside Grill in Seal Beach for the shelter.

Witnesses who saw anyone near the house around the time of the fire are asked to call Seal Beach Police Investigator Pete Krok at 562-799-4100, ext. 1110.

Contact the writer: sdecrescenzo@ocregister.com; sgoulding@ocregister.com
When a countrys most senior government official decides to move on for greener pastures, its fair to assume that they would earn a pretty penny in their next job. In the case of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, such assumptions have been proven out many times over. With only a few months left in office, President Barack Obama may have already begun taking notes on how his counterpart across the pond transitioned back into the private sector.

Reports surfaced this week of Blairs extensive work as a consultant and advisor to a number of international business interests. Although his reputation and historical legacy has been somewhat tarnished at home due to his enthusiastic support of George W. Bushs war in Iraq, Blair by contrast has a strong following abroad and a valuable web of connections among current and future decision-makers.

Of particular interest is the somewhat opaque nature of Blairs collection of companies, which collectively operates under the trading name, Tony Blair Associates, as well as commercial work that Blair undertook in support of a Saudi Arabian company called PetroSaudi at the same time as he was working at the high-profile Middle East peace mediator for the so-called Quartet, comprised on the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.

Unsurprisingly, Blairs representatives deny that any conflict of interest occurred or that he used his position as international envoy for his personal financial benefit.

While his pursuit of a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians for the Quartet was unpaid, his services to PetroSaudi were not free of charge. The fee charged by Blair was reportedly $65,000 per month as well as the promise of 2 percent of the value of any transaction that the former prime minister was able to direct to PetroSaudi. In exchange for this modest remuneration, Blair worked diligently to plead his clients case to senior Chinese government officials and large Chinese businesses, such as China National Petroleum Corporation.

For financial regulatory reasons back in Britain, Blair could not engage in the minutiae of advising or arranging investments, since he did not have the necessary licenses in place. So the extent of his involvement was limited to simple introductions. It would be left to others to actually negotiate specific transactions. Apparently, British regulators had for a time been looking into whether their former prime minister was in compliance with these restrictions.

Unless you happen to be Vladimir Putin or the head honcho of a resource-abundant developing country, public service tends not to be a particularly good way to earn money. However, a successful and influential career in government could leave you in late middle age with an amazing list of contacts that could be readily monetized.

Of course, lobbying restrictions will often limit what a former leader can do immediately after leaving office, but with the passage of time those restrictions fall away. The challenge then becomes how to make up for lost time!

Many former politicians will have spent much of their peak earning years working for the relatively paltry amounts of money given to government officials. With the passage of time, their contacts may well degrade in value as former friends and allies slip down the greasy pole of power. As a result, there is often only a relatively short period of time during which a former president or prime minister could earn enough to achieve financial security for their long retirement.

In the past, many in Blairs position might have relied on speaking fees, a few board of directors appointments and of course the old favorite  a lucrative book advance for their official memoirs. However, with so much money sloshing around the far corners of the global economy, it should not come as a surprise that someone as forward-thinking as Blair would look to follow the example of financial titans such as private equity firms and the like.

If there are deals to be done, why shouldnt a former prime minister have a go at it himself?

No one would begrudge someone honestly earning daily bread after giving years of service to his or her country. And perhaps we should actually be glad when we see our leaders not retiring with vast sums of money that they had used their influence while in office to acquire. At least that gives us some reason to believe they didnt have their hand in the cookie jar while performing their official duties.

With our current president rapidly approaching his last days in the Oval Office, it will be interesting to see what the former leader of the free world (and Nobel laureate) will do with his twilight years.

If he and Michelle are in need of a bit more money in their 401(k), perhaps he can give Tony a quick call and ask how to get his own international consultancy business up and running!

Orange County writer and attorney Timothy Spangler hosts The Bigger Picture with Timothy Spangler, Sundays, 10 p.m.-midnight on KRLA 870 AM. Twitter: @timothyspangler
Robert J. Cooper, whose unusual elderflower liqueur, St-Germain, introduced in 2007, was so completely embraced by the cocktail community that it became known as bartenders ketchup, died on Monday in Santa Barbara. He was 39.

His death was confirmed by Robyn Greene, the senior vice president of marketing and innovation at the Cooper Spirits Co., who said the cause was not immediately known.

Cooper was a scion of the family that owns Charles Jacquin et Cie, an old cordials and liqueurs house based in Philadelphia. By his account, his father, Norton J. Cooper, gave him the cold shoulder when he suggested creating an elderflower liqueur like the ones he had encountered in bars in London.

The younger Cooper persisted, however, going so far as to leave the family business to pursue his dream.

He said, Ill hire you back in a year when you fail, Cooper once recalled.

He didnt fail. St-Germain, packaged in a striking art deco bottle, landed like a thunderclap in the then-burgeoning cocktail world. Cocktail bartenders, hungry for new ingredients and flavors to work with, tossed it into every other new drink. By 2008 it was ubiquitous. In broader terms, it helped resuscitate the dormant liqueur business.

Cooper proved to be a savvy marketer. He curried favor with influential young mixologists, sponsored cross-country bartender exchanges in which New York bartenders would guest-bartend at San Francisco bars and vice versa, hired prominent bartenders as brand ambassadors and held an annual Jazz Age lawn party on Governors Island.

In 2012, he sold St-Germain to Bacardi for what was rumored to be a seven-figure sum.

Cooper went on to return to circulation bygone bar ingredients like Creme Yvette, a berry-violet liqueur, and Hochstadters Slow & Low, a form of the common 19th-century drink rock and rye. He anticipated the boom in rye whiskey by buying barrels of prime Canadian stock and then sitting on the liquid for years before releasing Lock Stock & Barrel, a 13-year-old straight rye whiskey, in 2013.

Robert James Cooper was born on Aug. 3, 1976, in Manhattan. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a bachelors degree in English and creative writing.

He is survived by his wife, the former Kaitrin Cramm, and their two children, William Thor and Charlotte Rose. The family owns a residence in Laguna Beach.

Cooper attributed his success in part to timing. PDT and Death & Co, two prominent New York cocktail bars, opened around the same time he introduced St-Germain.

It was lucky, he said. They wanted something different they could work with that had integrity. Now you can go to Whole Foods and get elderflower soft drinks.
JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar with Umar Khalid and other students carried torch parade at JNU campus in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: JNU students who are sitting on hunger strike in protest against punishments awarded by university for the controversial February 9 event, screened documentary film on Muzaffarnagar riots protesting the new show-cause notices issued to two students.

The university administration, meanwhile, sent the report of the university probe panel to Delhi Police's anti-terrorism unit, Special Cell, which is probing the sedition case registered in connection with the event on the campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.

Two groups of students are sitting on indefinite hunger strike since Thursday in protest against the punishments announced by the university to various students for their involvement in the February 9 event.

However, fresh protests erupted on campus in wake of the new show-cause notices issued to two students - Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya- who are already facing rustication for the Afzal Guru event.

The duo, have been asked to explain their position in connection with screening of documentary "Muzaffarngar abhi baqi hai" which was organised by a group of students last August. They have been asked to appear before the Chief Proctor and bring evidences, if any, in their defence.

Questioning the administration's action after over nine months since the event took place, the JNU Students Union (JNUSU) held a screening of the documentary on the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots at the administration block ever since Umar, Anirban and JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar were arrested in the sedition case. They are out on bail now.

The students also slammed the sharing with police of the five-member probe panel report based on which the decision regarding punishments has been taken by the university. "The special cell had contacted us for a copy of the report and we have sent the same," a senior university official said.

He, however, did not comment on the reasons behind the action against students on movie screening after nine months. Reacting to the notice Umar said, "I have only one question to ask the JNU administration - it took you 9 months to wake up from your slumber and realise this great 'indiscipline' on our part! Is it a simple coincidence that the authorities chose to send this notice to us, when we are already into a movement against witch-hunt of students?"

The agitating students said that they will continue with their hunger strike till the punishments are revoked by the university.

While Kanhaiya has been slapped with a penalty of Rs 10,000 on grounds of "indiscipline and misconduct", Umar, Anirban and Kashmiri student Mujeeb Gatoo have been rusticated for varying durations.

Financial penalty has been imposed on 14 students. Hostel facilities of two students have been withdrawn and the university has declared the campus out of bounds for two former students.

ABVP member Saurabh Sharma, who was complainant of the event, has also been slapped with a fine of Rs 10,000 for blocking traffic.

The ABVP group, which is also on hunger strike, submitted a memorandum to the university Vice Chancellor demanding that punishment to Saurabh be withdrawn and the "feather-like" punishments to other students be reconsidered.
ANAHEIM  The 168-square-foot house features a small grassy backyard, granite countertops, a solar panel on the roof to power the door chime and lights, and really absorbent walls.

Building with boxes of Huggies, Lennar Corp. went all out for its diaper display at HomeAid Orange Countys second annual Builders for Babies event, a diaper drive at Angels Stadium on Friday benefiting homeless families.

The Irvine-based nonprofit teamed up with local building companies, challenging them to create homes in a day made from diapers and diaper packages.

This is a fun way to raise awareness about the need for diapers, said Dave Prolo, vice president of operations for Southern California Cal Atlantic homes.

HomeAids goal is to collect more than 1 million diapers to be donated to 19 homeless shelters and facilities in Orange County. Last year, the organization took in 1.8 million diapers.

Not many people are aware of how important and expensive diapers are, Scott Larson, executive director of HomeAid, said. The average cost of diapers for a family is $100 a month. So, for some low-income families, they have to make a serious economic decision  food or diapers.

Because diapers are considered a hygiene item, federal economic assistance programs, such as WIC, do not cover the cost.

Diapers in shelters are badly needed, said Cheri Starr, a volunteer at Lauras House, a domestic violence shelter in Ladera Ranch.

Some of these women come to the shelter with their small children in the middle of the night with only the clothes on their backs, she said. This enables us to help and provide for them.

This year, seven building companies and the YMCA of Orange County constructed homes. Brookfield Residential brought 647 boxes of diapers (68 diapers each per box) to build a home standing 11 feet tall with a 200-square-foot living room.

You could live in there, Louis Navarette, a design tech manager with the compnay, said. His team used 3D imaging software to design the structure. All you need is dry wall and plumbing.

The homes  painted and decorated  were displayed in the stadiums parking lot under the Big A sign. Vehicles, mostly representing the real estate, building and trade industries, drove by dropping off donations. After the drive, the diapers and other construction materials, such as the granite and wood, were donated.

This is the right thing to do, said Brian Pickler, president at Outdoor Dimensions, whose company donated more than 25,000 diapers for the cause. Its for a good cause and theres a big need for this.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2443
OSLO, Norway  A helicopter carrying 13 people from an oil field in the North Sea to the city of Bergen crashed Friday off the Norwegian coast, and there were no signs of survivors.

Eleven passengers and two pilots  identified as 11 Norwegians, one Briton and one Italian  were en route from the Gullfaks B oil platform of the Norwegian energy company Statoil, the company and Norwegian authorities said. The cause of the crash was unclear.

A search on land and at sea recovered 11 bodies, according to the Norwegian Joint Rescue Coordination Center, which was conducting the rescue operation with assistance from Statoil. The center said on Twitter that the two other passengers were also presumed dead, and that the rescue operation had been halted.

Television footage showed thick smoke rising from the island of Turoy, northwest of Bergen, on Norways southwest coast. A rescue boat and other small vessels could also be seen.

George Langeland, who lives in Turoy, said he saw the helicopter explode and fall from the sky from the terrace of his home. It was a large explosion, he said by telephone from the island. I dont know better how to describe it.

Langeland added that he saw the rotor break off the helicopter.

Part of the helicopters hull was under water, about 65 feet from the shore, with debris scattered around it, according to members of the rescue team.

Rescue coordinators told journalists thata flight ban, including for drones, had been imposed for three nautical miles around the site of the crash, and a Statoil spokesman said the company had grounded all helicopters like the one that crashed  a Eurocopter EC225, known as the Super Puma. Morten Eek, the Statoil spokesman, also said that production aboard the Gullfaks B platform had been temporarily halted.

Later Friday, the Norwegian aviation authority issued a temporary flight ban for all Super Puma helicopters in its jurisdiction. The same type of helicopter crashed in Norway in 1997, killing 12 people, the last fatal crash the countrys oil industry suffered, according to Henrik Fjeldsbo, a union officer and adviser to the Department for Health and Security in the Energy Industry, a trade union for offshore oil workers.

Fjeldsbo said in a telephone interview Friday that the union would call for an investigation into the crash and that all Super Puma helicopters should be grounded until its cause is determined.

In 2013, a helicopter of the same make carrying workers for Total from another North Sea oil platform, and also operated by CHC, crashed short of the runway in the Shetland Islands, in Scotland, killing four people.

Relatives of people onboard the helicopter that crashed Friday were told to contact Statoil or the local authorities.
SANTA ANA  Supporters of San Clementes only hospital packed the meeting room in the Orange County Hall of Administration building Friday morning making an emotional plea to prevent Saddleback Memorial Medical Center from closing May 31 as scheduled.

More than 30 supporters  residents, doctors, nurses, union representatives and hospital employees  spoke during the public hearing held by the Orange County Emergency Medical Care Committee.

Many spoke of lives saved by the hospitals proximity to their communities and said they were afraid if it closed, those in need of emergency attention would not survive a 45-minute ride down Interstate 5 to Mission Hospital, the next nearest emergency department.

This hospital saved my mothers life three times in three months, said Renee Taylor, a San Juan Capistrano resident. And the value of just that one life is priceless.

Committee members said they have no authority to block the hospitals closure, but said they would make a recommendation to the California Department of Public Health, which licenses hospitals.

Fridays hearing doesnt change much for MemorialCare Health System, which owns the hospital, said Tony Struthers, administrator at Saddleback Memorial in San Clemente.

We have low in-patient admissions and that really makes operating this hospital unfeasible for us, he said. The facts are the facts.

Saddleback Memorial in Laguna Hills will continue serving these communities after the San Clemente medical center closes, Struthers said.

MemorialCare proposed to close the 73-bed hospital and replace it with a $40 million outpatient medical campus with advanced urgent care. The City Council has declared its intent to preserve critical health care services in town and local physicians organized a group called Save Saddleback San Clemente Hospital.

In January, state lawmakers rejected legislation that would have allowed MemorialCare to continue to operate the ER as a stand-alone in its new facility, as a sattelite to Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7909 or dbharath@ocregister.com
LIMA, Peru  Thirty-three lions rescued from circuses in Peru and Colombia headed back to their homeland Friday to live out the rest of their lives in a private sanctuary in South Africa.

The largest-ever airlift of lions was organized by Animal Defenders International. The Los Angeles-based group has for years worked with lawmakers in the two countries to ban the use of wild animals in circuses, where they often are held in appalling conditions.

The long journey began Thursday in Colombia where a caravan carrying the first nine lions departed the city of Bucaramanga for a 14-hour drive to Bogotas international airport. From there, they were loaded onto a cargo plane and flown to Perus capital to pick up the remaining 24.

Their flight to Johannesburg departed from Limas airport Friday evening.
BAGHDAD  Protesters stormed Iraqs parliament on Saturday, bursting into the capitals fortified Green Zone, where other key buildings, including the U.S. Embassy, are located.

Live footage on Iraqi television showed swarms of protesters, who have been demanding government reform, inside the parliament building, waving flags and chanting. Lawmakers were berated and beaten with flags as they fled the building, while demonstrators smashed the windows of politicians cars.

Baghdad Operations Command declared a state of emergency and said all roads into the capital had been closed. A U.S. Embassy official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that staff were not being evacuated from their compound, which is about a mile away from the parliament building.

Iraq is in the grip of a political crisis, with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi attempting to reshuffle his cabinet and meet the demands of the demonstrators, who have been spurred on by the powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. But Abadi has been hampered by chaotic parliament sessions, where lawmakers have thrown water bottles and punches at one another.

The political unrest has brought a new level of instability to a country that is facing multiple crises, including the fight against the Islamic State militant group and the struggling economy.

This is a new era in the history of Iraq, screamed one demonstrator in the main lobby of the parliament, in footage on Iraqi television. They have been robbing us for the past 13 years, said another.

Earlier in the day, not enough lawmakers had turned up in parliament to officially convene a session in which Abadi was due to present names for a cabinet reshuffle.

The session had been postponed until the afternoon, however before it was held, Sadr, a leader in the resistance to the American troop presence in Iraq following the U.S.-led invasion, held a news conference from the southern city of Najaf.

They are against reform, they hope to behead the will of the Iraqi people, he said of the countrys politicians. Im with the people, no matter what they decide. Im standing and waiting for a major uprising of the Iraqi people.

Shortly afterward, protesters, many of whom are Sadr loyalists, pushed through the multiple security cordons around parliament.

U.S. officials are concerned that the political crisis will have a negative impact on the countrys fight against the Islamic State, leading to a flurry of high level visits in recent weeks. Now is not the time for government gridlock or bickering, President Barack Obama said of the crisis in Iraq during a visit to Saudi Arabia last week. He said that he was concerned.
Although theyre not Lincoln-Douglas, modern American political debates still give voters a glimpse into the makeup of the candidates. Last Mondays candidate debate for U.S. Senator from California appropriately was held in Stockton, which declared bankruptcy in 2012 after a 15-year spending binge, as the Huffington Post described it. Yet Stockton, an old port town, also is gentrifying as it is absorbed into the mega-successful Silicon Valley-San Francisco metroplex.

Except for Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Anaheim, the other four debaters hail from Northern California: Attorney General Kamala Harris, entrepreneur Ron Unz and two former chairmen of the state Republican Party, Duf Sundheim and Tom Del Beccaro. Southern California has not been represented by a local U.S. Senator since 1992.

In the debate, Sanchez was her usual feisty self. I especially liked how she stood by her 2001 opposition to what she branded the so-called Patriot Act, which in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks vastly increased the federal governments powers to snoop on us, in violation of the Fourth Amendment. She also brought up her membership on the House Committee on Homeland Security.

And she touted her vote against the 2003 Iraq War, which most people now concede turned into a quagmire that still hasnt ended. The Register was the largest paper in the country editorially to oppose the war.

Unfortunately, Sanchez also backed more of the type of social meddling that has been advocated in the presidential duel in her party between Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders: a $15 national minimum wage, preschool programs and help with college loans. Harris also backed such programs.

But more programs bring higher taxes, and not just on the 1 percent, as Bernie threatens. The opposite is better: tax cuts for everybody so businesses can raise wages and the middle class can pay for its own kids. As to student loans, how about mandating that schools receiving federal aid cut in half their bloated bureaucracies, which in California now include more administrators than professors?

Harris came off as a cool, controlled lawyer. Its easy to see why she appeals to the party elite, especially the Silicon Valley-San Francisco digerati. Of the candidates, her strong liberal views most resemble those of retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer, age 75. At age 51, Harris could foreseeably be in the Senate 32 years.

Under the states top two system, Harris and Sanchez likely will finish in that order in the June 7 primary, facing each other on Nov. 8. Both are leading in the polls and in fundraising. Which means it makes no sense for two fairly well known Republicans to run and split the vote, let alone three.

Del Beccaro is more in line with the conservative party base. But Sundheims more centrist views resemble those of the last two GOP governors, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pete Wilson. Sundheim attacked Sanchez for missing Homeland Security committee meetings. She responded that times sometimes conflicted with attending the Armed Services Committee.

I first met Unz in 1994 when he ran against Wilson, then the governor, in the GOP primary. The maverick Unzeat Pete campaign surprisingly garnered 34 percent of the vote, largely from rank-and-file outrage over Wilsons then-record $7 billion tax increase, which prolonged the 1991-92 national recession in our state by two years.

Unz also sponsored the 1998 English for the Children initiative, which ditched bilingual education in public schools. In the debate, he backed raising the minimum wage. Yet I think its clear it will kill jobs, especially for minorities, as economist Walter Williams has shown. But as with the other GOP hopefuls, he wont have a chance to help enact it himself.

As Unz conceded in the nights most accurate statement, Its going to be very difficult for a Republican to win.
California Coastal Commission staff are recommending approval of a modified version of a developers proposal to build houses, shops and a hotel at Banning Ranch, the largest privately owned, undeveloped parcel of land in Southern California.

Thats a turnaround from October, when staff recommended commissioners reject the plan put forth by a group of companies under the banner Newport Banning Ranch LLC to put 1,375 houses and condos, a hotel and shops on the land, an aging oil field.

A staff report released Friday ahead of a May 12 hearing about the 401-acre property recommend commissioners give a conditional yes to a revised plan that would put nearly 900 houses and condos, a 75-room hotel and about 45,000 square feet of shops on about 90 acres.

Thats fewer residences and less retail than previously proposed for the land, an ecosystem that supports everything from burrowing owls to San Diego fairy shrimp and the California gnatcatcher.

Under the new plan, a total of 310 acres would be preserved as open space, with public trails, under the management of the Newport Banning Ranch Land Trust, a nonprofit organization. Operators would continue oil production on about 15 acres.

Chris Yelich, principal at one of the companies trying to build out the beach project under the banner Newport Banning Ranch LLC, said the group of firms involved are hopeful the proposal will finally move ahead.

Were really pleased that after nine years we have a staff recommendation for approval, he said. Its not the project that we started out with, but its a project and for us the big thing, getting invoved in Banning Ranch, was to clean up this 400-acre oil field and have a financial mechanism through which to do so.

At the meeting in October, commissioners did not follow the recommendation made by staff to reject the development proposal but instead directed staff and the application to come up with a better plan.

Staff recommended the project be rejected in October largely because of the presence of environmentally sensitive habitat areas  ESHA  at Banning Ranch.

Multiple meetings and site visits have taken place since then as the new plan has been finalized. Thats the proposal that will be considered May 12.

Under the latest iteration, 55 acres are now considered OK for development, nearly three times the previous acreage deemed to not contain sensitive habitat. Thats still less than the developments proposed footprint.

Steve Ray, executive director of the Banning Ranch Conservancy, which opposes any such development, called the report a serious disappointment.

It seems that the staff has been responsive to commissioner demands to approve a large development on Banning Ranch, he said.

Ray said the Conservancy will fight the staff report because, he said, the project would in multiple ways violate the Coastal Act. For example, it calls for the removal of some protected grassland, he said.

We will not allow that to go unchallenged, Ray said.

The staff report calls for commissioners to approve the project as long as the developer agrees to protect sensitive habitat as required by state law.

Contact the writer: sdecrescenzo@ocregister.com
Americas commitment to free trade is at risk in the current political environment. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have blamed free trade for the stagnation of American wages. Hillary Clinton, retreating from the Obama Administrations record, and Ted Cruz, are not far behind, particularly in demonizing TPP, the proposed free trade agreement among a dozen Pacific Rim nations including the U.S.

In theory, free trade between two countries results in greater wealth for both. Economics textbooks prove this mathematically, but also through the simple fact that two countries are not compelled to trade; if they do, therefore, it must be because each benefits.

In practice, however, free trade amplifies the competitive disadvantage of any social policy that makes producing goods more expensive. Both Californias recent increase in the minimum wage, and expansion of the benefits an employer must pay a worker taking family leave, increase the cost of making goods here. In a world of free trade, this means fewer California products will be purchased.

Advocates of these new laws argue that workers with more income will purchase more goods and this will help Californias economy; but it would be the sheerest coincidence if workers receiving higher wages and benefits bought more of precisely those goods made more expensive by reason of the higher legally mandated benefits. Far more likely, workers who are not laid off because of their higher cost to an employer will spend their higher earnings at Wal-Mart, buying more of what China exports to us.

At the national level, this leads to the appeal of the arguments advanced in the Presidential campaign to impose tariffs on Chinas manufactured exports, or Mexicos farm products.

We already practice that approach in other contexts. The products of child labor are banned from being imported into America. Why not labor at abysmally low levels of pay? When I last visited Rwanda in Central Africa, I went to a farm producing roses for export. The fieldworkers were paid a dollar a day. The flowers were flown to Amsterdam, where, within twenty-four hours, they were on planes again, to America  to grace the lobbies of our fine hotels. Few American rose growers could compete, even with the cost of jet transportation included. If dollar-a-day roses are treated like child-labor-roses, wed stop those imports; our own rose growers would benefit, but our consumers would pay more, and Rwandan laborers would be put out of work. Adding those effects together, weve chosen free trade instead.

Rather than an outright ban on goods produced without our kind of environmental or labor laws, America could try to equalize the cost of our protective regulations with tariffs on goods imported from countries without comparable laws. This approach, too, has precedent in existing law. If a foreign country offers a subsidy to one of its manufacturers for exporting a good to America, our trade laws impose a tariff equal to the value of the subsidy. So, abandoning NAFTA, America might propose a tariff on agricultural imports from Mexico, offsetting their competitive advantage from having more lax labor and environmental laws, arguing that Mexicos easier regulatory environment constitutes a kind of government subsidy.

The same effect as in the rose example would result. While American farmers would benefit, food prices would rise in America and Mexican farm workers would lose their jobs. In addition, once NAFTA was no more, Mexico could impose tariffs on our manufactured exports to their market, leading to lay-offs in American manufacturing. This is called a trade war for a reason; as in most wars, both sides lose. Who claims victory is the one who loses less.

Alternatively, we could encourage Mexico, and the rest of the world, to require higher standards for workers benefits. Essentially, that would require the Third World to give up its comparative advantage. The world has done this for child labor; but it will be many years before such consensus develops on minimum wage.

For many years, the effect on trade from our social policies was hidden because of our lead in new technology, making American workers more productive, even considering their higher cost, than labor elsewhere in the world. From 1970 to 2005, American productivity rose by more than 2 percent on average every year. In seven of the ten years since 2005, however, productivity growth has been below 1 percent. Until productivity growth returns, we need to reconsider the wisdom of every proposed new social policy as readily as we are reconsidering free trade, because one is no less to blame than the other.

Tom Campbell is a professor of economics at the Argyros School of Business and Economics, and a law professor at the Fowler School of Law, at Chapman University. He served five terms in Congress and was director of finance for California. These views are his own.
The melee in the streets outside Donald Trumps Costa Mesa rally Thursday could mark the beginning of many large, turbulent demonstrations against the controversial Republican presidential front-runner.

There have been protesters at Trump events since the early days of his candidacy. But as his campaign moves into heavily Latino California and the states pivotal June 7 primary race, the urgency and size of the protests could grow, some political analysts predict.

Its a total whammy effect, said Peter Ditto, a social psychologist at UC Irvine specializing in political behavior. You have a lot of people who are dissatisfied  pro-Trump people and anti-Trump people. Coming to Orange County, you have a mix of the conservatives and the growing Latino community that is particularly volatile.

I would expect to see this throughout Southern California.

And beyond, as an unruly crowd of several hundred anti-Trump demonstrators in the Bay Area showed Friday, less than 24 hours after the larger Orange County disturbance.

Protesters gathered outside the California Republican Partys weekend convention in Burlingame, where they forced Trumps entourage to find an alternative entry to the hotel and delayed the candidates luncheon speech. Later, members of the crowd attempted to storm the hotel, but were turned back by police in riot gear.

As at the Costa Mesa event, protesters had a range of objections to Trump. But there was a strong Latino presence and Mexican flags in both cases, reflecting perhaps the most persistent concerns at the two California protests.

Trumps anti-illegal immigration stance, including plans to build a massive barrier the length of the Mexican border, is among the most divisive parts of his political platform. And that theme was on full display at the Thursday rally, where he portrayed California as a leading victim of those who enter the country illegally. He roused 8,000 supporters at the Pacific Amphitheatre into a chant of Build that wall.

Many in Californias large Latino population have taken offense at the candidates characterization of those crossing the border as criminals. And that community, including many second- and third-generation Americans, has shown an ability to mobilize large numbers at rallies in support of legislation to aid those here illegally  especially in Los Angeles.

In California, we have a density of Latinos you dont see in other places, Henry Vandermeir, chairman of the Democratic Party of Orange County. And tensions are running high because theyre being made scapegoats by Trump.

Trump supporters reject such characterizations, although some say they expect more big demonstrations at their candidates events.

I think it will continue, but I think Donald Trump will stay the course and talk about the things Americans care about, said Costa Mesas Eric Beach, founder of the Great America super PAC set up to help Trump get elected. I think the people you see coming together (for Trump) are worried about our national security first and foremost. I dont think its unreasonable to protect our border.

Beach said Trump has the support of many legal immigrants, and made an appeal to U.S. Latino citizens demonstrating against his candidate.

If they care about jobs and they care about the economy, they should look at the last 20 years and what needs to be done and who can do it, Beach said.

MISBEHAVIOR

Outside of Trumps Costa Mesa rally, hundreds of anti-Trump demonstrators gathered, at first peacefully, holding signs, before taunting began.

As the evening progressed, the demonstration took on a party atmosphere at times as large numbers of young men milled about and police were called from neighboring cities to help control an escalating situation.

Before the night was over, a police cruiser window was smashed, a Trump supporters face was bloodied and 18 were arrested.

Ive been living in Costa Mesa all my life and this is the craziest thing Ive seen here, said Ivan Carcamo, 20, while watching the last of the demonstrators thin out just before 10 p.m. Some of my friends were protesting, and I just tagged along.  When I heard Donald Trump was coming, I knew something would happen but I didnt think it would be like this.

Art Montez, a longtime activist who works on voting and civil rights issues for the League of United Latin American Citizens, expects to see more large anti-Trump demonstrations. The path to political change is most effectively pursued through peaceful protests, he said.

But people arent mature, and Trump brings out the worst in people  and he can bring out the worst in our community, said the Buena Park resident and Centralia school board member. He added that when students are bullied on the playground, we teach them to walk away. But theres no principal on the political playground.

The Democratic Party of Orange County and the O.C. Young Democrats set up a Facebook page that encouraged demonstrators to attend Thursdays rally, emphasizing the need for nonviolent protest.

With these kinds of events, there are always a few who are aching to cause some kind of trouble and they dont reflect the feelings and approach of most demonstrators, Vandermeir said.

Ditto, the UCI psychologist, said highly charged demonstrations fuel misbehavior. People get worked up and they tend to do things that they wouldnt do on their own, he said. Its a party atmosphere mixed up with anger and two groups facing off.

POWDER KEG

Violence and lawbreaking by protesters can hurt the cause of those opposing Trump, Ditto said.

Trump can say, Look, were not the ones causing trouble, he said. And when theres violence by the protesters, it almost excuses any violence by Trump supporters.

Jimmy Camp, a GOP strategist working on Republican efforts against Trump, said the predominantly left-leaning protesters at Fridays Bay Area event also hurt their cause by burning American flags and waving Mexican ones.

Theyre pushing people toward Trump, said the Orange resident, who witnessed the Bay Area demonstration.

How much tensions rise before the June 7 election could also be up to Trump, at least in some measure, Ditto said.

Part depends on whether he decides to play with that anger, he said. Its a powder keg.

Contact the writer: mwisckol@ocregister.com
SEAL BEACH  Maddie Woyjeck knows exactly how her big brother would react to seeing a freeway sign erected in his name.

Hed be like, Mom, Dad, take that down! she said. He did not like to draw attention to himself.

Yet one of the nations busiest interchanges, where I-405 meets the 22 and I-605, is soon to become the Kevin Woyjeck Memorial Highway.

Kevin Woyjeck, along with 18 other Granite Mountain Hotshots, died fighting an Arizona wildfire almost three years ago. The Los Alamitos High graduate was 21, fresh out of the fire academy and following in the footsteps of his father, a captain with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

On Monday, the California Legislature will vote  as a matter of formality  to put Kevin Woyjecks name on a 4-mile stretch of I-405 that cuts through his hometown, Seal Beach.

His dad, Joe Woyjeck, struck upon the idea last year after he noticed other freeway memorials. He contacted Assemblyman Travis Allen, whose district includes Seal Beach. Allen agreed to sponsor a bill approving the privately funded tribute, which is expected to go up within a year.

Kevin was a local hero, Allen said. The whole community admires his courage and feels the loss. It was important to me that we commemorate the life and sacrifice of this bright kid who had a great future in front of him.

Joe and Anna Woyjeck will be there to witness the vote.

Ill never understand why he was taken away so young, Anna said. Its up to the people who loved him to keep his legacy alive.

Joe Woyjeck said he hopes the sign can include the words Granite Mountain Hotshots to acknowledge everyone who perished.

Im torn about singling Kevin out, he said. He was part of a crew, part of a team.

Kevin Woyjeck had joined that team two months before the 2013 Yarnell Hill fire, which would become the sixth-deadliest firefighter catastrophe in U.S. history.

Freckle-faced and often mistaken for a teenager, Woyjeck was eager to do battle. A few days before moving on to the Yarnell blaze, he sent an excited text message to his dad while closing in on another blaze:

25 miles away. We see smoke, he messaged.

Get your calm on, his father counseled.

Everyones calm, Kevin Woyjeck responded. Dont worry.

And, in fact, the veteran firefighter wasnt particularly worried then, nor about his sons next assignment.

There was nothing abnormal about the fires, Joe Woyjeck said.

On the evening of June 30, Joe Woyjeck and his wife joined friends for dinner, unaware that their sons crew was trapped in a fire that had suddenly changed directions.

Their son, Bobby, then 19, learned from online stories that his brothers crew was missing. His parents had just returned home and were chatting with neighbors when they got Bobbys panicked call.

I made calls to Prescott, Joe Woyjeck said. I asked, Was it a burn-over? Thats all I needed to know.

He also instinctively understood that the men would have crawled into aluminum pup tents designed to reflect intense heat.

Deploying fire shelters is a last-ditch effort, Joe Woyjeck said. It is almost never successful.

Seal Beach police and Orange County Fire officials knocked on the Woyjecks door at 10 that night.

At a memorial service in Prescott for the 19 firefighters, Vice President Joe Biden gave families his cellphone number. The Woyjecks said they have not forgotten the compassion Biden showed during that devastating time.

When his son Beau died, we had a condolence card hand-delivered, Joe Woyjeck said. He has suffered tremendous loss, too.

There also is comfort, his father said, that, in Kevin Woyjecks final moments, he was surrounded by another family  his crew.

Pulling out her iPad, Anna Woyjeck pointed to a diagram laying out the positions where the firefighters bodies were found, each one identified.

The older guys formed a fortress around Kevin, she said. They were protective of him.

The Hotshots relatives have bonded over their shared tragedy. Some occasionally visit the Woyjecks in Seal Beach.

When you get to know the family and hear their stories, you feel like you know the person who died, Maddie Woyjeck said. You can feel his spirit.

She also loves reminiscing about the brother she reveres  about his adeptness at country-Western dancing, his obsession with fishing, his low-key personality, his natural kindness.

I couldnt stay mad at him for more than 30 seconds, she said.

Last summer, the state of Arizona settled a lawsuit filed by 12 of the families, including the Woyjecks, claiming that a breakdown in communication between the Hotshots and the Prescott Fire Department contributed to the firefighters deaths. The issues could be highlighted in a movie about the disaster, now in pre-production. The film, titled No Exit, stars Josh Brolin and Miles Teller.

Meanwhile, the family is finally starting to heal.

The hurt will always be there, but we are getting better, Anna Woyjeck said. Slowly, you start making it through a day without crying. Slowly, you live in optimism again.

She has much to look forward to. Again, she pointed to an image on her iPad  this one, a panoramic view of the Malibu hilltop where Bobby Woyjeck, an emergency medical technician in Monterey, and his fiancee, Amanda Bodeman, will marry next summer.

Joe Woyjeck finds purpose in the Kevin Woyjeck Explorers for Life Association. The organization raises scholarship money for young people entering the nationwide Explorer Program, where they learn about a career in fire service.

Like the charity, the freeway sign is about more than preserving memory of a lost loved one, he said.

It will be a daily reminder for people driving by that life can be short, so live it to the fullest, Joe Woyjeck said. Thats definitely what Kevin did.

Contact the writer: sgoulding@ocregister.com
New Delhi: A surprise visit by HRD minister Smriti Irani of IIT Delhi hostels found that students were grappling with peak season heat without proper arrangements after which the institute's administration allowed coolers in rooms and promised to install air-conditioning in common areas.

Senior officials said that Ms Irani had gone to the IIT to inaugurate a new teaching-learning complex after which she proceeded to meet students in the boys as well as girls hostels.

"After visiting the hostels and interacting with students, the Minister was quite critical of the fact that there were no proper arrangements for students during the peak of summer season. The Director of the Institute then immediately called a meeting and a package for hostels has been announced," a senior official said.

In the package, it has been decided that air coolers will be allowed in all hostel rules and arrangements will be made for providing cool drinking water in all the wings and blocks.

The IIT administration has also promised to centrally air-condition all common areas of the hostel. Another key decision taken is that all future hostels constructed will be centrally air-conditioned, officials added.

Sources said that students also complained to Irani about the condition of the dining halls and mess of the hostels after which a package for modernisation of kitchen and dining halls has also been finalised.

"These measures may be brought in at IIT Delhi first and then will be applied in other IITs also," a senior official.

"The HRD minister went to the girls hostel first, where students were taken aback to see her. She interacted with them and also inspected the dining halls. Seeing the conditions of the hostels she felt that they were not up to the mark and observed that facilities need to be improved," the official added.

"The HRD minister went to the girls hostel first, where students were taken aback to see her. She interacted with them and also inspected the dining halls. Seeing the conditions of the hostels she felt that they were not up to the mark and observed that facilities need to be improved," the official added.
A proposal to establish the first written policy on textbook assignments at Cal State Fullerton is drawing mixed reviews on campus.

The schools Academic Senate could vote on the proposed rules as soon as today, dictating how course materials are vetted and chosen, even when textbooks are written by department leaders.

The possible vote comes after Alain Bourget, an associate math professor at Cal State Fullerton, was formally reprimanded for assigning two textbooks that were cheaper and, in his view, better than a text co-authored by the chairman and vice chairman of his department. A series of stories in the Register about Bourget and the controversy sparked a national discussion on academic freedom and textbook economics.

The proposed rules arent being universally panned. Even faculty and students who offered criticisms also mentioned elements of the rules they like.

But some faculty members were critical of the basic nature of the proposal, saying the school will continue to effectively give department leaders the upper hand in text selection over lower-level faculty and lecturers  those who often are teaching the courses.

And at least one student who said hes otherwise in favor of the measure believes the rules might not protect students from overpaying for books.

If a department establishes a policy that favors a textbook that is too expensive, that can be an issue, said Joseph Valencia, a senior art history major and board chairman of Associated Students Inc., in an email.

But Valencia also said this: The University Policy Statement makes sense. It outlines that regardless of circumstance, our campus should have policies and procedures in place for the selection of instructional materials.

One faculty member noted that a provision in the proposed rules excludes faculty authors from the book-selection process, yet offers no protection for teachers who, like Bourget, make choices against the financial interests of their bosses.

There should be a mechanism for dissenters, said Alexandro Gradilla, an associate professor of Chicana and Chicano studies and member of the Academic Senate.

If youre the lone voice (among) 20 people  what protects your rights? How can we guarantee protections?

The proposed policy makes clear that in most cases faculty members have the right to use their preferred teaching materials. But it also notes that there will be instances  such as courses with multiple sections taught by different instructors  where a common required text would be more appropriate.

That last provision mirrors advice issued by the American Association of University Professors, which Cal State Fullerton officials used as a model when drafting the proposed rules.

I think people should just order the books they want, said Kristi Kanel, a professor in the department of human services. But I understand in some cases  why you would need a standard textbook.

Under the proposed policy, departments that require a common textbook for specific courses, such as mathematics, would have to create rules outlining who can take part in the book-selection process. Departments also would have to create a way in which faculty can express their concerns about specific books, among other considerations.

The policy also would require regular reviews of textbooks, at least once every five years or whenever a new edition comes out, to ensure that books remain current. And textbook selection would factor in economics, including book costs vs. the use of free, open-source materials whenever possible.

Kathryn Dickson, a biology professor and vice chairwoman of the biological science department who chairs the committee that wrote the draft proposal, said the rules codify practices that have been in place at the university. The difference, she said, is that the rules could be set down as clear, written guidelines that would be centrally available to all interested parties.

Contact the writer: lleung@ocregister.com
Goldfein nominated as 21st CSAF

Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced April 26 that the president has nominated Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein to be the 21st chief of staff of the Air Force, succeeding Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, who has served in the position since 2012.



I'm extremely humbled by the nomination to serve as the Air Force's 21st chief of staff. If confirmed, I pledge to serve our Airmen and their families unwaveringly and honor our remarkable heritage and legacy of integrity, service and excellence, Goldfein said. I also look forward to joining my fellow service chiefs as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Mark and Betty Welsh continue to be exceptional stewards of our service, and Dawn and I are honored to follow in their footsteps.



Goldfein entered the Air Force in June 1983 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He has been assigned to numerous operational, command and staff positions. He currently serves as the vice chief of staff, where he presides over the Air Staff and serves as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Requirements Oversight Council and Deputy Advisory Working Group.



I am pleased to support the nomination of General David Goldfein as our next chief of staff, said Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James. General Goldfein possesses the experience and vision needed to address dynamic global challenges and increasing military demand. He knows how to build and sustain key partnerships, has important warfighting experience, and will exercise the critical judgement required to balance our manpower and resources as we shape tomorrow's Air Force. There is not a better person to lead our Airmen into the next century of airpower dominance.



Prior to his current position, Goldfein was the director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., where he assisted the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in fulfilling his responsibilities as the principal military adviser to the president and secretary of defense.



Dave Goldfein is an Airman who epitomizes warrior leadership, and that's exactly what our Air Force deserves, Welsh said. He connects deeply with Airmen, he supports their families relentlessly, and he absolutely recognizes the criticality of our service's mission. Most importantly, he and Dawn understand the remarkable privilege they've been afforded in serving the nation.



Goldfein is a command pilot with more than 4,200 flying hours in the T-37 Tweet, T-38 Talon, F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, F-117A Nighthawk, MQ-9 Reaper, and MC-12W. He has flown combat missions in operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Allied Force, and Enduring Freedom. Goldfein has received numerous awards for his military service including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor device and oak leaf cluster.






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DALLAS  Exxon Mobil produced its weakest quarter in more than 16 years as lower oil prices pushed its profit down by 63 percent.

Revenue tumbled 28 percent, and the oil giant lost money in its vaunted exploration and production business despite a 2 percent increase in production. It made more money, however, in chemicals.

Exxon continued to slash capital spending to cope with lower prices, which this week cost the company the perfect AAA credit rating that it had held for more than six decades.

Exxon said Friday that it earned $1.81 billion in the first quarter, down from $4.94 billion a year ago. It was Exxons smallest quarterly profit since it earned $1.5 billion in the third quarter of 1999, according to FactSet figures.

On a per-share basis, the Irving, Texas-based company said it earned 43 cents per share, which beat Wall Street expectations. Revenue fell to $48.71 billion but topped forecasts.  AP

Hollub first female CEO of major U.S. energy firm

Occidental Petroleum Corp. named Vicki Hollub as chief executive officer Friday, making her the first female CEO of a major U.S. energy explorer.

Hollub, 56, an Occidental lifer who most recently oversaw Western Hemisphere oil fields that account for almost half the companys production, takes over as Stephen Chazen, her mentor at the second-largest independent oil explorer, retires.

The handover was approved by Occidental directors following the companys shareholder meeting in Midland, Texas, on Friday, according to a statement by the Houston-based company.

Hollub inherits a slimmed-down Occidental that under Chazens leadership shed assets from California to the Middle East amid the worst oil-market collapse in at least a generation.  Bloomberg News

Rovi buying TiVo in $1.1 billion deal

NEW YORK  Digital TV listing company Rovi is buying TiVo in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $1.1 billion.

Rovi Corp. said Friday that it will pay $10.70 in cash and stock for each TiVo Inc. share. Rovi will pay $2.75 per share in cash, or about $277 million. The rest, $7.95 per share, will be paid in stock.

Once the deal closes, the combined business will use the TiVo name. TiVo is a digital video recording company.

Rovi CEO Tom Carson will serve as CEO of the new company. The executive said in a written statement on Friday that the buyout will help to extend services across platforms and expand its customer base. The transaction will add more than 10 million TiVo-served households to Rovis current customer base of about 18 million households using its guides globally.  AP

Consumer spending inches up in March

WASHINGTON  U.S. consumers boosted their spending by a tiny amount in March as purchases of nondurable goods such as clothing offset a big fall in spending on autos and other long-lasting items.

Spending edged up 0.1 percent last month after a 0.2 percent rise in February, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Incomes rose a solid 0.4 percent.

Consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of economic activity, has been lackluster for the past four months. The weakness played a big role in the first quarter, when the economy expanded at a weak 0.5 percent rate, the slowest increase in two years.

But with job growth still solid, economists hope stronger spending in the months ahead will help the economy grow at faster levels.

A separate report Friday showed that employment compensation costs rose a modest 0.6 percent in the first quarter, up only slightly from a 0.5 percent increase in the October-December period. Wages and salaries rose 0.7 percent. Benefit costs such as pensions and health insurance were up 0.5 percent.  AP

Icahn dumps Apple on worries over China

LOS ANGELES  Billionaire business magnate Carl Icahn, whose investment decisions can influence the stock market, said Thursday that he dumped what was left of his nearly 1 percent stake in Apple Inc. on fears that Chinese authorities would bully the iPhone maker.

Shares of Apple have sunk since Apple on Tuesday revealed troubling first-quarter financial results, including a 26 percent sales drop in greater China compared with the same period last year.

China obviously could be a shadow for it, and we have to look at that, Icahn said on CNBC of Apple.

Chinese consumers once infatuated with the iPhone as a status symbol of new wealth have increasingly turned to more affordable smartphone alternatives. And regulators in China recently took aggressive action against Apple, blocking access to the companys online stores for digital books and movies.

Financial analysts say its too early to worry about the falling sales in Apples largest market.

But the capricious nature of Chinas government was too much for Icahn, especially after an unexpected tumble in oil prices ravaged his energy industry bets last year.

I worry a little bit that a tsunami could hit it, he told CNBC.  The Los Angeles Times
Kolkata: The Election Commission on Saturday ordered filing of an FIR against Trinamool Congress MLA Sonali Guha after she was caught on camera allegedly ordering party workers to beat CPI-M polling agents.

" Throw the CPI-M agents out of polling booth, beat them, they have damaged the EVM," Guha was heard telling someone over the phone. The conversation was recorded by TV channels.

Guha, also the deputy speaker in the outgoing West Bengal Assembly, is the Trinamool candidate from South 24 Parganas district's Satgachia constituency.

The Election Commission have asked the district authorities to file an FIR against her in connection with the aforementioned case.

In one of the booths in her constituency, voting was halted for sometime after an EVM was found to be malfunctioning.

Hearing this, Guha went to the booth and tried to check the EVM herself but was stopped by the central armed forces.

"Polling has stopped here for more than an hour but the EC has taken no action," the Trinamool leader said.

The fifth phase of the state Assembly polls began on Saturday.
Concert: St. Paul United Methodist Church, 5410 Corby St., will host Lincolns premiere community handbell ensemble, Bellissimo, in concert at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Fellowship Hall. The program will feature music for bells and strings as well as solo instruments. A meet-and-greet reception will follow.

Prayer breakfast: The Greater Omaha Leadership Prayer Breakfast is scheduled for May 5 at the Ramada Plaza Convention Center. The sit-down plated breakfast runs from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. This years speaker is Philip DelRe, president and founder of Voice in the Wilderness Ministries and executive director of the Institute for Christian Apologetics. He was the chaplain at Chicagos Cook County Jail for 20 years and is the author of 20 books. Individual tickets range from $49 to $89. Ten-seat table reservations run from $490 to $890. For information, go to omahaprayerbreakfast.com or contact John Reimer at 402-493-4495 or jreimer@cbmc.com.

Taize worship service: First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass St., will host a Taize worship service at 5 p.m. May 7 in Mead Chapel. The service will last about 40 minutes and will include periods of silence, use of candles, meditative readings, prayer and music. It is open to the public.

Singles retreat: Registration is open for a one-day retreat for single people, Desiring Gods Will, on May 14 at St. Benedict Center in Schuyler, Nebraska. The retreat will start at 10 a.m. It will be led by Mary Jane Tynan, along with the Widowed, Separated & Divorce Support Group of Omaha. The program is $30, Lunch is available for $10.50. For more information or to register, call 402-352-8819.
Railroad town: Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer in Grand Island opens its Railroad Town on Sunday. Head back in time and play in 1896 with tours of historic homes, blacksmith demonstrations and more. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for children (prices change during special events) and free for Stuhr Museum members.

College anniversary: Iowa Western Community College will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an open house Sunday. The event will be held in the Kanesville Arena at the Council Bluffs campus. Doors open at 12:30 p.m., with festivities starting at 1. Free hot dogs, chips and drinks will be served. There will be a presentation at 1:15 with a proclamation by Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh and comments by State Sen. Mike Gronstal. Group photos alumni, retirees and more for time capsule that will be buried this fall will be taken. The cheer team and the Mens and Womens Music Ensembles will perform. Self-guided campus tours will be available. The program runs until 3 p.m.

Pancakes: The Pottawattamie County Trails Association invites the public to attend a pancake breakfast fundraiser for the county-wide multi-use trails system. Breakfast will include pancakes, sausage, orange juice and coffee. Cost is a donation. The breakfast will take place at the UMBA Hall, 300 Second Ave., in Underwood, Iowa, from 8 a.m. to Sunday. The first planned trail will connect Council Bluffs, Underwood and Neola within the next few years.

Donations: Youth Mart will host a Furnishing the Future donation drive kick-off event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Donate gently used furniture, lamps and small appliances to 19-year-olds who have aged out of Nebraskas foster care system. Items can be dropped off at the University of Nebraska at Omahas Dodge Street campus near 67th and Dodge Streets next to University Village in the visitors lot as well as the Pacific Street campus near 65th and Pine Streets. Those who donate at least one item will be entered to win an Apple watch.
India least bothered about farmer deaths, but croons over Choppergate, B-town scandals

Feature

oi-Pallavi

By Pallavi

It was Pratyusha Banerjee trending on Twitter almost the entire last week; #pratyusha banerjee dolly bindra, #PratyushaBanerjee did what the 'farmers of India' could not- change people's minds. Similar is the outcome for Adhyayen Suman #Adhyayan Suman, @AdhyayanSsuman, @AdhyayanLover.

Interestingly, there are no lovers for Indian farmers. A search for 'farmers', 'maharashtra farmer', 'farmer suicide' and you would not yield any results.

The very meaning of India as an agricultural country has lost its way, especially when you see Indians not much bothered about their 'bread winners', but follow Bollywood stars without fail.

Was Pratyusha pregnant? would have many answers and theories, but one has to endure a blank face when it comes to the reason behind farmer deaths in Maharashtra.

[Read: What is AgustaWestland chopper scam & how Sonia Gandhi's name got involved in it?]

India detached from the real world

The tinsel town looks glamorous, no doubt. It transports you to a world that resides in your imagination. You wish to keep yourself updated about the recent Pratyusha suicide or the scandal surrounding Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut; of course, you have to take offence or defence for your favorite star in the next kitty party.

A discussion over the farmers seems to out of context when you are having a gala time over celebrity gossips. So what, the bread that you much comes from the very lands that are now burial grounds for them, so what that the expensive wine and vodka that you serve could have done well in buying them a few litres of watr, so what that the running water in the bathroom is someone else's last straw of survival.

[Read: Shocking: Pratyusha Banerjee was pregnant, say doctors]

Remember Nana Patekar? When he had urged that we forgot about Pratyusha and started thinking about the farmers' plight? How easily we trolled him, calling him insensitive to the death of a young, charming girl. Feminists argued that since it was a woman in subject, Patekar cared less and how bad it was that a matter of 'national' importance was being ignored since it showed the gender bias.

Scams? good for general knowledge

Keeping a trail of the Choppergate scandal is a matter of current affairs though. One should present a smart face at intellectual gatherings and pull through a conversation as an 'intelligent' person. However, interestingly even this is far behind in the minds of the Indians, at a sub-conscious level where only a Parliament adjournment triggers the nationalistic sentiments.

[Read: We have become too tolerant to accept problems: Nana Patekar ]

A country whose Parliament behaves irresponsibly, debating on issues that can be addressed later on , sets a wrong example. Sending 50 wagons of water to Latur and a few condolences for the farmers certainly is not enough to erase the disaster that awaits in the future.

Celebrity propaganda, media for TRP

The latest bollywood trolls on Twitter are symptomatic of the fact that social media has turned into a 'come back' medium where 'unemployed' actors get a chance to come into the limelight once again. Where was Adhyayan till now? And let us not discuss why he kept mum about his torrential relationship till until the Hrithik Roshan-Kangana Ranaut ruckus happened.

[Read: Blackmailing or threatening won't work with me: Kangana on Hrithik spat ]

Media is going gaga over the celebrity propaganda as it gets good TRP.

Parliament: The seat of power, farmers should be happy with little

Till last week the Parliament was showing concern over the increasing deaths of farmers due to draught in Maharashtra. However, the recent development on ChopperGate scam triggered the interest of the political parties, hounding to blame each other for the sorry state of affairs. BJP shows its dominancy over the Congress and persues the issue, while Congress blames of a biased approach toward the matter.

Interestingly, none win, but the farmers are forgotten...till the next session. Indian farmers! There's no future for you here in India, if you have to survive, join Indian politics or strive for the B-town.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, April 30, 2016, 7:58 [IST]
Allegation against my father false: Vikramaditya Singh

India

oi-PTI

Shimla, Apr 29: Himachal Youth Congress president and Vikramaditya Singh, today termed as "false" the allegation of corruption and disproportionate assets against his father and chief minister Virbhadra Singh saying the Finance Ministry is "using" Enforcement Directorate in the matter.

The Finance Ministry, headed by Arun Jaitley, is using the ED to institute a false investigation against the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, he told reporters here. Vikramaditya accused the Centre of destabilising Harish Rawat-led Uttrakhand government and said Congress will emerge victorious in this "political gimmick".

He also slammed Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Prem Kumar Dhumal, of making callous statements about the early polls in the state and said the Congress government was strong and stable and would not only complete its full term but also return to power again in 2017.

He said the party's victory in the recently concluded municipal corporation polls in Dharamshala and the Panchayati Raj elections was an indication that Congress is on a firm footing in the state. The members of Youth Congress will tour all five assembly constituencies in Hamirpur District from May 12 to May 20 to express gratitude to the public, who have overwhelmingly voted in the favour of the Congress, he said.

On the occasion, he apologised for the cancellation of 'Congress Yuva Maha sammelan' and said that the event will soon be organized at Paddal ground in Mandi.

PTI
Prashant Kishor claims Nitish Kumar in touch with BJP says don't be surprised if he joins hands with it again

Bihar's Gopalganj by-poll to see a tough fight between BJP and RJD

BJP leader killed, 12 injured in accident

India

oi-PTI

Firozabad, Apr 30: Two persons including a BJP leader were killed and 12 others injured today when a bus in which they were travelling rammed into a stationary truck here, police said.

Former MLA and BJP leader Hansraj Verma was killed on the spot, while 12 others injured when the Volvo bus on its way to Delhi from Lucknow dashed into the truck on Tundla overbridge, SSP Ashok Kumar Sharma said.

The driver of the bus also succumbed to injuries in hospital, Sharma said, adding, the injured were rushed to hospital with help of the locals.

Hansraj Verma was Congress MLA from Nidhauli seat in Etah district and had later joined BJP.

PTI
Scorpio car swept by flash floods in AP even as driver tried to steer it away | WATCH

In Andhra, power staff to not use mobiles during work hours from Oct 1

In a first, AP set to have open defecation free urban spaces

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Apr 30: Andhra Pradesh could become the first state in the country to make all its urban areas 'Open Defecation Free' by October 2, marking two years of the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission, Union Urban Development Ministry said today.

The state officials gave this assurance during a review of progress of the central cleanliness drive in all 110 municipalities of AP by Urban Development Secretary Rajiv Gauba at Visakhapatnam, an official release said here.

Gauba went to the port city to review progress of urban initiatives like Smart City Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Swachh Bharat Mission.

He held discussions with the Collectors of all 13 districts and municipal commissioners of all 110 urban local bodies in AP on their action plans for ensuring sanitation.

"During the review, it emerged that Andhra Pradesh, which has been in the forefront of construction of toilets in urban areas, can make all 100 municipalities open defecation free by October 2, this year, as per the action plans in progress," the release by Urban Development Ministry said.

As against a target of construction of 1,94,336 individual household toilets in urban areas of AP, work has started in respect of 1,53,779 and construction of 1,04,732 toilets has already been completed, it said. Besides the central aid of Rs 4,000 per toilet, AP government is extending assistance of an additional Rs 11,000 per toilet giving a big boost for the programme.

Regarding Community and Public Toilet seats, as against the mission target of 4,614 seats, work has started on 3,887 seats and 1,952 seats have already been constructed, it said.

PTI
Court holds writ by Hindu petitioners in Gyanvapi case maintainable: What does this mean

WATCH | Varanasi declared as first ever SCO tourist and cultural capital

Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri case: Court asks mosque management to file objections to plea for carbon-dating of 'Shivling'

On camera: Varanasi folks in panic as 'ghost in white' goes for a walk on rooftops

Modi to visit his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi tomorrow

India

oi-PTI

Varanasi, Apr 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi tomorrow where he will launch solar-powered boats for plying on river Ganga apart from distributing 1,000 e-rickshaws.

The Prime Minister will arrive at the Babatpur airport from New Delhi by a special aircraft and will leave by helicopter for Ballia in eastern Uttar Pradesh to launch the Pradhanmantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).

The PMUY scheme aims to provide free LPG connections to about five crore families living below poverty line across the country.

From Ballia, the Prime Minister will fly back to Varanasi where will preside over a function to distribute 1000 e-rickshaws to beneficiaries at Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) ground.

Modi will then visit "Jnana Pravaha", a centre of cultural studies and research, in Samne Ghat area. The centre was founded in 1997 by city-borne philanthropist Bimla Poddar, who was conferred with Padma Shri last year.

The Jnana Pravaha boasts of a museum with rare artefacts belonging to ancient and medieval ages, a library equipped with rare books and manuscripts and a handicraft atelier where artisans churn out exquisite specimens of brass, copper and Ashtadhatu (alloy comprising eight metals).

PM Modi's wax statue to be unveiled in London today

The Prime Minister will thereafter head to the Assi Ghat on river Ganga, where he will launch 11 solar-powered "e-boats". Widespread use of motorboats, mostly powered by diesel, has been a cause of concern in view of the alarming pollution level in the holy river.

The introduction of "e-boats" is being seen as a remedial measure. This will be the Prime Minister's third tour of his parliamentary constituency since January this year.

PTI
NIA officer's murder: UP take stock of prime accused's assets

India

oi-Vicky

Lucknow, Apr 30: A team of 30 police personnel have reached the residence of Muneer, an accused in the murder of NIA officer, Tenzil Ahmed. Muneer considered to be the main accused in the case has been absconding and the Uttar Pradesh police say that they are on his trail.

The UP police believe that Muneer is the main accused in the case. The police say that he was one of the two persons who fired at the officer. The motive is revenge, the UP police also say.

To crack Tenzil Ahmed murder case: NIA, UP police need to be on same page

A team of the UP police a while ago visited the residence of Muneer in Bijnor Uttar Pradesh. They are taking the stock of his assets in connection with the investigation, the police also say. This is an important part of the investigation, the police also say.

The murder of the officer will remain a mystery unless and until the police arrest Muneer. It is said that Muneer an accused in a murder case was hiding in Bijnor.

The NIA officer Ahmed who learnt about this had informed the police about the same which forced Muneer to flee from Bijnor. He was said to have been hiding in Old Delhi as per the last information the police had on him.

The UP police is finding out if Muneer had any links with terrorist organisations and whether the murder could be linked with the officer probing several cases pertaining to terrorism. At first the police had said that the death was due to a property dispute.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Saturday, April 30, 2016, 10:16 [IST]
Paswan mocks possibility of Nitish becoming PM

India

oi-PTI

Patna, Apr 30: Union Minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan today mocked at the chances of Nitish Kumar becoming the Prime Minister in 2019, stating there was no vacancy for the post in the next 15 years.

"Nitish Ji Apne Muh Miya Mithu ban rahe hain kyonki agle 15 saal tak PM post mein koyi vacancy nahi hain (Nitish Kumar is unnecessarily blowing his own trumpet as there is no vacancy for PM's post in next 15 years with Narendra Modi continuing in the chair)," Paswan told reporters.

The LJP chief was reacting on NCP President Sharad Pawar's recent backing of Kumar for the PM's post. Paswan claimed Pawar had made the comment in a lighter vein since there was no serious thought in backing Kumar for the post.

On RJD President Lalu Prasad also supporting Kumar for the top post, Paswan, a Strong rival of both Kumar and the RJD leader said, "Lalu has his own game plan in saying so. Nobody has ever been secure after aligning with the RJD chief." "Sharad Pawar has six MPs, Lalu 3 and JD(U) 2.

Can he (Nitish) become PM on the basis of this much (number of) Parliamentarians," the Union minister for Food and Consumer Affairs asked.

He said the opposition should first decide who among Rahul Gandhi, Nitish Kumar, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Jayalalithaa, Mamata Banerjee and Navin Patnaik could be the PM contender. Asked about his own chances for the PM's post, the veteran Parliamentarian said, "We are in NDA in which Narendra Modi is the leader and will continue to be so in future too."

During the press conference where the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Brishen Patel joined him, Paswan was asked about the possibility of merger of LJP, HAM and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, all BJP allies in NDA. He dismissed any such merger and said "we are in NDA and will continue to be there in future."

On complete ban on alcohol in Bihar, the LJP chief said he was in favour of the move "but Nitish Kumar should answer why did he serve people with free flow of liquor in past 10 years."

PTI
New Delhi: Already in a war of words over the VVIP helicopter deal bribery case, both the BJP and the Congress on Friday moved privilege notices against each other in the Rajya Sabha. Taking his partys attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi a notch further, BJP president Amit Shah asked Mrs Gandhi to explain a number of relaxations given to AgustaWestland that he claimed compromised the nations interests. He told the Opposition party that instead of adopting an attitude of thief scolding the cop, it should feel ashamed and come clean. Mr Shah had on Thursday said the Congress president should name the bribe-takers in the Rs 3,600-crore deal.

Earlier, newly-nominated MP Subramanian Swamy tabled a breach of privilege notice in the Rajya Sabha against Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad for his statement that the then UPA government had blacklisted Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland. Congress members created an uproar when Dr Swamy sought to know from deputy chairman P.J. Kurien about his motion. He was told the final call will be taken by Chairman Hamid Ansari.

The Congress countered it later by giving a similar notice against defence minister Manohar Parrikar for making a statement on the deal outside the House while Parliament was in session. Dr Swamy also sought a discussion over reports that money was allegedly paid to middlemen for managing the Indian media to produce favourable news stories on the AgustaWestland deal.

The CBI and Enforcement Directorate meanwhile, have both separately summoned former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi (Retd) over their investigation into the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal. The former Air Chief has been asked by the CBI to appear before sleuths on Monday. The CBI also summoned retired Air Marshal J.S. Gujaral, who had allegedly attended a crucial meeting pertaining to the contract in March 2005, on Saturday.

Hitting back at Mr Shah, the Congress dared the BJP-led government to come out with the truth on the deal in the next two months instead of issuing threats and launching a malicious campaign. If the government has the guts, it should come out with truth in the matter in the next two months when the Monsoon Session of Parliament will commence, Mr Azad said outside Parliament.

Mr Shah, who was in Ahmedabad, told the media that there was a provision in the tender that it can be only be filed by original equipment manufacturers ... but you allowed AgustaWestland International Ltd to fill the tender in spite of the fact that the company in its 2012 report had made it public that it was not the original equipment manufacturer.

He also sought to know from Mrs Gandhi on whose instructions this permission was given to it (company), and why they were declared technically qualified and on whose instructions the tender conditions were breached.

As per tender specifications, there was a condition of taking field evaluation trials in India, but it was changed overnight and the company was allowed to give field trials in their own company premises, Mr Shah said, raising another question.

He added: Has this not compromised the seriousness of the trials and has this not compromised Indias interests? If the then defence minister had given a go-ahead for it (change of tender conditions), the Congress president should answer on whose instructions he gave the permission.

Raising another question, Mr Shah wanted to know why there was a delay in putting the deal on hold when the Italian media reported about bribes being paid in the case. He further said the Congress was claiming all the money given to the company as a bank guarantee had come back but this was far from the truth as only a part of that money had come back.

Countering the BJPs attack, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad posed a question on whether his party and the UPA leadership would have taken several steps to unravel the truth if they had something to hide or had resorted to corruption. In a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government, he alleged the entire government had been tasked to target the Congress and its leadership day in and day out on the issue. It is all disinformation, a malicious campaign, he said.

They have the entire government with them, the CBI, RAW... Why they are not finding out as to who is guilty, who has taken money? Mr Azad asked. He also said his party was ready for a discussion in Parliament on the issue as it had nothing to hide.

Dismissing the BJPs charge that the Congress had compromised national security in the deal, Mr Azad said national security had got compromised when in the Atal Behari Vajpayee government, the then external affairs minister had accompanied dreaded terrorists to Kandahar. National security gets compromised when we see defence files are selectively leaked to TV channels, he said in an apparent jibe at the Modi government. The Congress also claimed the defence ministry has come out with half truths in its clarification on the deal Thursday.

Earlier, the Upper House gave an extension to the Select Committee on Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill to present its report by the last day of the first week of the next session. BJP MP Bhupendra Yadav had moved a motion for the extension, that was accepted by the House.
AgustaWestland: After saying witness may have died, ED cites a little birdie to say he is alive

Take action if there is evidence: Antony on chopper scam

India

oi-PTI

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 30: Hitting back at BJP for targeting Congress leadership over the AgustaWestland chopper deal, former defence minister A K Antony today dared the Narendra Modi government to take "strong" action against "bribe givers and takers" if there was any evidence.

Asserting that no names were revealed in the Italian court which convicted former employees of AgustaWestland for giving bribes in the deal, he said, "At every stage in the Italian court, our lawyer represented the case.

"They cross examined all witnesses. At no stage, names were revealed. My question is now -CBI is with present government, ED (Enforcement Directorate) is with present government.

Why delay, if there is evidence?" he told reporters here. When asked about BJP launching an all-out attack against Congress on the issue, he said, "Take strong action against bribe givers and bribe takers." Antony, who is in Kerala to launch the party's election campaign for the May 16 Assembly poll, said, "The Italian court has convicted the bribe giver.

Please take action against the bribe taker. CBI, ED are all with them." Seeking to turn the tables, the Congress Working Committee member said "the bribe giver-- the company, is part of the 'Make in India campaign' of the NDA government."

BJP has been targeting Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other leaders on the chopper deal during the UPA II regime. Congress has alleged that it was a political conspiracy to malign the party leadership in the chopper deal.

PTI
CBI arrests man posing as CBI officer in West Bengal

In a midnight crackdown, police detains TET candidates; BJP says WB or Hitler's Germany?

A dream, a call and some courage: How a 15-year-old stopped her marriage

News flash: Assam CM Tarun Gogoi admitted to hospital after complaining of stomach ache

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Bengaluru, Apr 30: Fifth phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections began on Saturday. Voters were in long queues waiting for their turns to cast their ballots. In other news, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will release NDA's vision document for Kerala Assembly elections in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Get all the latest news updates of the day:

9:51 pm: Assam CM Tarun Gogoi admitted to GMCH hospital after complaining of stomach ache. His condition is now stable.

8:25 pm: Preparation under way to drop water from air to douse Uttarakhand forest fire.

7:47 pm: 78.25% voter turnout in the 5th phase of assembly polls in West Bengal: Election Commission.

7:42 pm: Congress is silent on allegations & misleading people by giving false information:Dharmendra Pradhan.

7:20 pm: We've prepared ourselves, we've doubled number of personnel working to fight forest fire:Shatrughan Singh,Chief Secy.

6:46 pm: Delhi: Massive fire breaks out at a scrap godown in Kapashera. 12 fire tenders on spot working to douse the flames.

6:45 pm: AgustaWestland chopper deal: Ex-IAF chief SP Tyagi to be questioned on Monday, his 3 cousins will also be questioned.

6:33 pm: There are 1.71 million rural habitations in the country. More than 25% of these habitations (441,390) are facing drinking water scarcity: GoI.

6:17 pm: Uttarakhand forest fire: Indian Air Force deploys 11-member team with Mi-17 helicopter to control the fire.

6:00 pm: Hyderabad: Youth Congress workers protest against drinking water problem in GHMC area.

5:55 pm: Massive fire breaks out at a slum in Balu Adda area of Lucknow (UP).

5:50 pm: Army is ready to stop infiltrators and to bring peace in the Valley: Satish Dua (GOC,15 Corps) on situation in J&K.

5:45 pm: Delhi: Massive fire breaks out at a scrap godown in Nala area of Kapashera. 12 fire tenders on the spot working to douse the flames.

5:40 pm: Hindu tailor hacked to death in northern Bangladesh: police (Source: AFP).

5:30 pm: Mumbai: 5 people dead after a 2-storey building collapsed in Kamathipura area of Mumbai, 3 injured undergoing treatment in JJ Hospital.

5:20 pm: Riya Sarkar becomes the first transgender presiding officer for a booth in Kolkata for 5th phase of West Bengal Polls.

5:15 pm: HM Rajnath Singh speaks to Uttarakhand Guv KK Paul, assures Centre's assistance to control forest fires & help in containing the damage.

5.07 pm: Ravi Shankar Prasad on AgustaWestland: When bribe givers have been convicted in Italy, What about bribe takers? What action was taken?

5.05 pm: Minor boy falls into a borewell in Ahmednagar's Mandavgan Farata village of, rescue operations underway.

4.55 pm: Cyber cell team arrive at Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's residence in Mumbai

4:45 pm: Pathankot: The boy got injured when he tried taking a selfie with a gun which accidentally fired:Bharat Bhushan(SHO).

4:40 pm: Punjab: Pathankot boy seriously injured while taking a 'selfie' with a pistol pointing towards his head.

4:31 pm: Noida (UP): Home buyers hold protest outside office of Amrapali Group over delayed possession issue.

4:20 pm: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) killed in accidental firing at Langate area of Handwara (Kupwara, J&K).

4:15 pm: Two cars of BJP MP Hema Malini's convoy collided with each other around 11 AM near Mathura (UP), all passengers safe.

4:00 pm: TN CM writes to PM Modi, requests to take immediate action to secure release of 34 fishermen from TN & 88 fishing boats from Sri Lankan Navy.

3:50 pm: Mumbai: Three dead, several people injured after a portion of 2-storey building collapses in Kamathipura. Rescue operation underway.

3:45 pm: According to info,3 dead,6 admitted in hospital after building collapsed, many still feared to b trapped:Amin Patel,Congress.

3.40 pm: Jabalpur High Court cancels all reservation based promotions after 2002, over 20,000 state govt employees will be affected.

2.50 pm: Aam Aadmi Party to gherao Sonia Gandhi's house and Prime Minister's Narendra Modi's residence on May 7th over the AgustaWestland issue.

2.20 pm: President Pranab Mukherjee given a traditional Maori welcome in New Zealand.

1.55 pm: Poll percentage for West Bengal Polls 5th phase is 54.75% till 1pm.

1.20 pm: Car bomb attack on Shiite pilgrims in SE Baghdad kills at least 14.

12.07 pm: FM Arun Jaitley releases the Vision Document of the NDA for Kerala assembly elections

Thiruvananthapuram: FM Arun Jaitley releases the Vision Document of the NDA for Kerala assembly elections pic.twitter.com/3MWFJ8FsxA  ANI (@ANI_news) April 30, 2016

11.50 am: SC refused to extend deadline for conversion of private diesel taxis into CNG.

11.30 am: Delhi Police to pay 30% environmental compensation charge to buy special diesel vehicles over 2000 CC.

11.18 am: SC refuses to entertain a plea seeking modification of NEET order. Petition was filed by a group of students.

10.36 am: Overall poll percentage for West Bengal Assembly polls (5th phase) till 9am is 19.64 percentage.



10.30 am: School students in Moradabad celebrate eve of World Laughter Day, which takes place on first Sunday of May every year.

Moradabad: School students celebrate eve of World Laughter Day, which takes place on first Sunday of May every year. pic.twitter.com/WFc9mCbmad  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) April 30, 2016

10.08 am: Three teams of NDRF comprising 135 personnel deployed to control fire in forests in Uttarakhand,operation has begun: OP Singh, NDRF DG.

9.25 am: Hassan Rouhani and allies win Iran parliamentary elections second round: Media reports.

8.58 am: A team of the Uttar Pradesh police has arrived at the Bijnor residence of Muneer an accused in the murder of NIA officer Tenzil Ahmed.



8.50 am: Volkswagen may cut jobs in Pune plant to weather emissions scandal cost: Reports.

8.15 am: India can achieve 8-10% growth: President Pranab Mukherjee while addressing the Papua New Guinea Business Council.

8.05 am: TMC Leader Derek O'Brien casts his vote for the 5th phase of West Bengal Assembly elections.

8.00 am:

Voters line up outside polling booths in Kolkata to cast vote in the fifth phase of WB Assembly elections. pic.twitter.com/7rTutIU0i0  ANI (@ANI_news) April 30, 2016

OneIndia News
There is no 'one-size-fits-all' to curb poverty

4 held in Assam for suspected links with Bangladesh's terror outfit

Thief calls cops for help after being caught by mob

Cyclone Sitrang heading towards Bangladesh; Heavy rains likely to pound West Bengal, Odisha and NE

Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina a jihadi sympathizer, says Taslima Nasreen

International

oi-Jagriti

New Delhi, Apr 30: Noted Bangladeshi writer and human rights activist Taslima Nasreen has accused Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of being a "jihadi sympathiser".

She took Twitter to express her anger as Bangladesh government is yet to make any arrest in connection with the brutal killing of LGBT magazine editor Zulhas Mannan and his friend Tanay Majumder on April 25.

The attack took place after extremists killed a university professor in Bangladesh's Rajshahi district recently.

Rajshahi University's English department professor A.F.M. Rezaul Karim Siddiquee was hacked to death on April 23 by unidentified assailants.

A number of liberal writers, bloggers and publishers in Bangladesh have been killed or seriously injured in attacks by Islamist extremists since 2013.

Pro-LGBT Bangladeshi editor hacked to death

Taslima, living in exile since she left Bangladesh in a cloak of secrecy in 1994 in the wake of threats to her by fundamentalist groups, has been getting Indian visa on a continuous basis since 2004.

She figured in the list of top targets prepared by banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team in November last year.

CCTV showed 3 jihadis who killed LGBT mag editor Zulhas Mannan &friend Tanay Majumder. But govt won't arrest jihadis pic.twitter.com/gZxP0SjqEV  taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) April 29, 2016

Hasina made no statement,took no action against jihadis who killed progressive people in Bangladesh. Hasina is a jihadi sympathizer!  taslima nasreen (@taslimanasreen) April 29, 2016

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, April 30, 2016, 13:25 [IST]
Hindu tailor hacked to death in north Bangladesh

International

oi-PTI

Dhaka, Apr 30: A Hindu tailor was hacked to death by unidentified men near his workplace today in north Bangladesh, the latest in a series of brutal attacks on intellectuals, activists and minorities in the Muslim majority country.

Nikhil Chandra Joarder, 50, a resident of the Dubail village under Gopalpur upazila of the Tangail district, was hacked to death this afternoon.

"Three young men riding a motorcycle have come to Nikhil's shop around 12 PM and called him to nearby road on which they hacked him.

The killers left the spot promptly after the incident," Gopalpur police station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Abdul Jalil was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune. The attackers left a black bag at the spot, which contained three to four bomb-like objects, reports said.

Asked about the possible motive behind the attack, Jalil told reporters that a case was filed against Nikhil in 2012 for making a "derogatory" comment about the Prophet of Islam. He had been arrested for allegedly making the comments and then released. "It can be the reason for the murder," The Daily Star quoted him as saying.

There have been systematic assaults in Bangladesh in recent months specially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners. In the latest attack, a liberal professor was brutally hacked to death last Saturday by machete-wielding ISIS militants who slit his throat using sharp weapons and left him to die near his home in Rajshahi city.

Two days later on Monday, Bangladesh's first gay magazine editor was brutally murdered along with a friend in his flat in Dhaka by Islamists. Last year, four prominent secular bloggers were killed with machetes, one inside his own home.

PTI
No comment on Pranab Mukherjee book before reading it: Former Union Minister

After controversial excerpt, Pranab Mukherjees family feuds over his memoirs

PM Modi did not discuss demonetisation: Pranab Mukherjee in memoir

Pranab memoirs: PM Modi must speak more often in Parliament

When President Pranab Mukherjeerubbed nose with Maori chief in New Zealand

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Auckland, April 30: President Pranab Mukherjee and a Maori chief rubbed noses in a traditional welcome after his arrival in New Zealand on Saturday on the second and final leg of a two-nation tour.

After his arrival in Auckland from Papua New Guinea, he started his official engagements with a traditional Maori welcome in the afternoon.

"Maori warriors initially greet visitor with aggression not knowing whether he is friend or foe," the Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted.

They then placed a fern in front of Mukherjee and asked him to pick it up if he arrived in friendship.

On being convinced that he has arrived in friendship, they asked him to follow them.

President Pranab Mukherjee to visit China next month

Maori men and women then sang and danced welcoming the president as a friend.

The ceremony concluded with the traditional rubbing of noses in friendship between President Mukherjee and the Maori chief.

He was then received by New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae at the Government House here and was accorded a ceremonial welcome.

IANS


Will easily defeat Hillary Clinton in November, says Donald Trump

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Apr 30: Nearly 250 delegates short of bagging the Republican presidential nomination, party front- runner Donald Trump has exuded confidence that he would be able to defeat his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton very easily in the November general elections.

"Every week  boom, boom, boom, I knocked them off," Trump told his supporters in California referring to the defeat of other Republican candidates by him. From 17, only three are left in the fray.

Escaping protestors felt like crossing the border: Donald Trump

She (Hillary) will go down easier than any of the people we just beat. You are going to have an unbelievably good result in November," 69-year-old Trump said.

Trump on Friday claimed that he has crossed the 1,000 delegate mark. He needs 1237 delegates to earn the party's presidential nomination. His other two presidential rivals Senator Ted Cruz from Texas and Governor John Kasich from Ohio are lagging far behind Trump in delegate count.

In order to prevent him from becoming a party nominee, Cruz and Kasich have reached a strategic alliance to campaign in different States during the rest of the primaries.

Meanwhile, the controversial real-estate tycoon had to face public protest in California for the second consecutive day. "That was not the easiest entrance I've ever made," he said when he took the stage.

According to reports, Trump and his staff had parked their vehicles, crossed a median and entered the building through a side door to avoid protesters.

White powder mailed to Donald Trump's campaign office ruled harmless

"My wife called and said there were helicopters following you... and then we went under a fence and through a fence. Oh boy, it felt like I was crossing the border, actually," he said.

Trump claimed that he has crossed the 1,000 delegate mark

Trump's rival Cruz condemned these protestors alleging that they are trying to silence a voice that they do not like. Cruz is more than 400 delegates away from Trump. The two are battling out in Indiana where the next round of primaries is scheduled.

A latest poll suggested that Trump has 41 per cent support followed by 32 per cent from Cruz and 21 per cent by Kasich. Trump told his supporters that he is on his way to be the party nomination.

Meanwhile Republican women lawmakers urged Trump to have a women on his vice presidential ticket. "I would suggest a woman, because some of the remarks he has made about women are not going to help him appeal to some of the 53 per cent of the voting populace that are women," Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis said.

Trump would be well served by a running mate with more discipline to balance his unpredictability, she said.

"He has succeeded on the strength of his personality, so having a regional balance, as frequently happens, is not as important as perhaps having a personality balance," she said.

PTI
Bengal Polls: Mamata will hope BJP maintains its 2014 show

Kolkata

oi-Shubham

Kolkata, April 30: A number of allegations of corruption against her party leaders have seen Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee going a bit defensive in this Assembly election in West Bengal. On Saturday, when Banerjee's own fate will be decided in Bhabanipur, the ruling party will hope that the BJP will maintain its show of 2014 to stop the Left-Congress alliance from posing a serious threat.

Assembly Polls 2016 Coverage; Updates of phase 5 of Bengal polls

The TMC has 46 of the 53 seats that went to polls on Saturday but if the Opposition vote-share is added, then the former's position doesn't look as strong. Hence, the TMC will hope that the BJP continues to do well in seats where it did well in the last general elections, thanks to the Narendra Modi wave. The more the BJP divides the anti-establishment vote, the more the TMC will feel assured.

But can Modi repeat the same performance in Bengal after two years of not-an-extraordinary rule at the Centre?

While a number of BJP leaders are optimistic about repeating the same performance, the Congress-Left alliance thinks something like that will not happen again as an anti-incumbency has started to chase the Modi govement as well. It feels the Modi government doesn't command the same respect of the people, especially the youth, who had voted for his party two years back after feeling being let down by the TMC government in the state.

The alliance also feels the people have now learned about the 'Modi-Didi nexus' which they have been alleging for long. The lack of urgency shown in probing the Saradha and Narada corruption issues prove that voting for the BJP means indirectly backing Mamata Banerjee, say the alliance leaders. They are thus hopeful that the anti-TMC votes will now come to them and the BJP can't make dents into it and save Banerjee from losing.

The BJP and TMC leaders have also tried their best to refute the theory about their undertsanding. Top leaders of both parties have been seen targeting each other in unequivocal terms during the campaigning. All leaders of the BJP---from PM Modi to fresher Locket Chatterjee and Rupa Ganguly---have made it a point to attack the TMC whenever they have found a reason, just to ensure that they can protect their 17 per cent vote-share received in 2014.

Mamata Banerjee will not be complaining if it really does.

Oneindia News
Mumbai: Gathering of 5 or more, loud speakers, illegal processions banned for a fortnight from Nov 1

Amitabh Bachchan reveals he had to get stitches after he cut a vein on his leg

Fire breaks out at industrial estate in Mumbai, no one hurt

Rajdeep Sardesai quits Twitter after being accused of abusing 'haters'

Mumbai

oi-Shubham

New Delhi, April 30: The last day of April 2016 saw renowned television journalist Rajdeep Sardesai deleting his Twitter account after alleging that his social microblogging site was hacked by some miscreants.

Sardesai was known to be an active Twitter user and many a times, he was seen getting involved in heated exchange of words with people.

Sardesai and his journalist wife Sagarika Ghose, who is also an active Twitter user, faced backlash whenever they posted remarks critical of the BJP-led NDA government.

In January this year, Sardesai asked in a Twitter post: "The language used by @PMOIndia supporters on social media is appalling. why do supporters embarrass their leader? Who will rein them in?"

Since Friday night, a number of Twitter users accused Sardesai of responding directly to his critics via personal messages and also abusing them.

On Saturday afternoon, Sardesai said his Twitter account had been hacked. He tweeted, "How low will some people now stoop? Hack my account? Put out false messages? When will this end? Time to disable account. Enough is enough".

Another popular anchor Ravish Kumar, host of 'Prime Time' on NDTV India, decided to stay away from the microblogging site in August last year after being hounded by the Twitteratis.

Oneindia News
AgustaWestland: Nervous Indian middlemen were assured that trail would never be busted

New Delhi

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Apr 30: The probe into the AgustaWestland chopper deal shows that a large chunk of the money that was exchanged found its way into Mauritius. Investigations also revealed that the middlemen in Italy were all along assuring the nervous accused in India that none could reach up to them and the trail has been wiped out.

As investigators began smelling a rat in this deal, those part of it especially in India had displayed a great amount of nervousness. Several persons part of the deal in India would regularly call Italy to find out if the cat would be out of the bag or not.

AgustaWestland: The payouts began in May 2004 itself

Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa the alleged middlemen were the ones who would be contacted from India.

They would reassure that there was no way that anyone would reach up to the money trail. It would take years to even find out about the money transaction Haschke had said on one of the conversations that was tapped by the Italian authorities.

They won't get to us

In one of the conversations between Haschke and Gerosa which was produced in the Italian court the former says that there are no trails. The money would have reached Mauritius and for anyone to find out it would be more than a decade. I have not left an iota of evidence and hence it would be impossible to get to us, Haschke also says.

India least bothered about farmer deaths, but croons over Choppergate, B-town scandals

Further Haschke and Gerosa also discuss about how they should keep the transfer of money on. They discuss that if the transactions stop it would lead to suspicion. Let us keep the flow on for some more time the conversation that was recorded in 2012 suggests.

In another conversation with Delhi based advocate, Gautham Khaitan who has been accused of money laundering by the Enforcement Directorate, Haschke explains that there is nothing to worry.

Khaitan appeared nervous but was reassured that the entire trail had been wiped out and the computers cleaned up. There is nothing to worry, Haschke assures him.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, April 30, 2016, 9:49 [IST]
With AQI of 259, Delhi's air on day before Diwali least polluted in 7 years

Delhi LG and CM greet people on Diwali, ask people to be mindful of pollution

I am a student, basic job is to study and write books: Kanhaiya Kumar

New Delhi

oi-Sandra

New Delhi, Apr 30: JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar, who arrived in Patna on Saturday said that studying and teaching was a part of his life.

Speaking to a news channel, Kumar, who is all set to come out with a book, said: "My basic job is to study and write books." On being asked about his recent tryst with fame, Kumar said that he was a student.

Kanhaiya's book to be published by Juggernaut

"I don' think this has anything to do with me creating a celebrity image for myself. This is not the first time am travelling to another university," he said.

I have visited universities in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Patna and other places to address student's issues, he added.

Responding to why he travels via air, Kumar said: "Coming to air travel, the organisers pay for my travel. Students usually contribute in masses to organise such functions. I can't travel by train due to fringe elements. Therefore, organisers have no way other than book air tickets for me."

Kanhaiya's book "Bihar to Tihar" will be published by Juggernaut publication in both English and Hindi.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, April 30, 2016, 15:29 [IST]
Saturdays edition of this newspaper had a small but puzzling news report on page 12. It was headlined: John Wayne Day scrapped in California over race row. May 26 is the birth anniversary of John Wayne, the legendary actor, famous for playing the tough hero in just so many Westerns. Legislators in California have voted against commemorating the anniversary. Among the reasons cited is that Waynes films showed scenes of a lot of slaughtering of Native Americans. The actors support of white occupation of Native American land  a process that amounts to vast chunks of modern American history  and a magazine interview from 1971 where he apparently slighted blacks were also cited.

In Orange County, not far from Los Angeles, there is an airport named after John Wayne. It is a nondescript airport, one of just so many, famous only because of its name. Perhaps there will be a call to rename it next. While a successful actor, Waynes political conservatism was not a secret. At the height of the Communist paranoia in the United States, in the early years of the Cold War, Wayne was prominent among those in Hollywood who spoke up for American ideals. This was a code for sharing, to whatever degree, the views of Congressman Joseph McCarthy.

In an extreme reaction, McCarthyism led to the blacklisting of prominent Hollywood personalities for supposed Communist sympathies. Wayne never named names or complained against colleagues. Even so, he was part of a substantial group of film actors and makers who saw the American way of life as being threatened by the Soviet Union and internally by radical liberals and fellow travellers who were writing scripts and injecting themes that Wayne and his friends considered subversive and un-American.

This argument was political but it was also cinematic. One of those unfairly blacklisted was Carl Foreman, a gifted screenwriter who wrote High Noon, an iconic film about an ageing sheriff who is forsaken by a cowardly town, takes on and kills four villains and then rejects his sheriffs badge and leaves with his wife. It was a brilliant film that to Foreman was an allegorical protest against McCarthyism, and stood for the individuals ability to rise above the craven mob and answer to his conscience.

High Noon won Gary Cooper the Oscar for best actor in 1953. John Wayne hated the film and saw Foremans script as antithetical to the spirit of the West and the brotherhood and camaraderie that he felt had built America. In response, he helped make and acted in Rio Bravo, nicknamed the right-wing response to High Noon. Here Wayne plays the sheriff, but is not wracked by self-doubt or any inner dilemma  Cooper in High Noon was torn between his duty and his pacifist Quaker wife  and receives offers of help from ordinary people who want

to stand with good against evil.

As it happens, Cooper and Wayne were good friends and part of the same Hollywood fraternity that supported American ideals and patriotism and had some sympathy for McCarthys desire to identify Communists and the proverbial reds under the bed. In later years, the two became symbols of the Republican camp; their friend from that politically volatile period in the 1950s, Ronald Reagan, went further and became a President both Wayne and Cooper voted for.

To complete the irony, it was Wayne who accepted the Oscar on Coopers behalf at the ceremony in 1953. Cooper was travelling and had told Wayne to accept the award for him in case he (Cooper) won. This for a film John Wayne didnt like, scripted by a writer whose political leanings and one time membership of the Communist Party neither Cooper nor Wayne approved of. To crown the paradox, High Noon is today cited as a film that is redolent of American exceptionalism, and the willingness to go it alone and empower the individual. In that, it has been embraced by the right much more than the left.

What is the purpose of this story? It is to point to the limitations and sheer puerility of viewing history through the prism of contemporary political positions and political correctness. The posthumous blacklisting of John Wayne (which is what a legislative decision not to celebrate his birthday amounts to) ignores both context as well as achievements of an individual (in this case a cinematic artiste) that are above dispute. It follows a trend in recent months, one that has seen a campaign against Woodrow Wilson at Princeton University. There is a demand that buildings and institutions named after Wilson be renamed on the grounds that he  like many others a century ago  had regrettable and dodgy views on blacks and peoples of colour. Yet, the fact is Wilson was also an erudite man, perhaps the most academically proficient American President  at any rate the only one with a PhD  and a first-rate wartime leader and peacemaker. Are we to efface all this?

It is no different with the move to get Thomas Jeffersons name off college campuses in the United States on the grounds that he owned slaves (as did so many in the late 18th century); or tear down a statue of Cecil Rhodes, imperialist, colonialist, explorer, philanthropist, businessman, founder of De Beers, from Oxford University on the grounds that he was racist. True, there are elements of Rhodes life or of Wilsons policies or of John Waynes conservativeness for that matter that could be considered disagreeable by todays standards (but would have been seen as more normal by the individuals themselves, in their time).

Having said that, will removing statues and refusing to commemorate birthdays achieve anything? Does this revision of history not resemble the same mindset that had Stalin carefully removing images of his opponents from archival photographs?

In the end, history is what it is; it cannot be cherry-picked. The sentiment that wants to un-celebrate John Waynes birthday and un-make Rhodes statue is no different from the Islamic States belief that the heritage of Palmyra must be smashed to dust, or the perception that a medieval temple forcibly converted to a mosque must be destroyed and reconstructed as it may have been 500 years ago. History, surely, cannot be reduced to a polarising debate between two equal and opposite forces of denialism.
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The brazenness with which three chief ministers of Maharashtra, various ministers, 21 bureaucrats, politicians of major political parties  Congress, NCP, BJP and Shiv Sena, retired Army top brass, and the then CBI sleuths who played second fiddle to them, colluded to usurp land belonging to the Navy in South Mumbai boggles the mind. They plotted in the name of the widows of the 1999 Kargil War to eat up not only the Navys land but also the land adjoining it that belonged to the BEST bus depot (in return for which a BEST chairmans daughter got a flat) to construct a posh but illegal 31-storey building, Adarsh, and distributed the flats between them, their relations and friends.

In every case the bureaucrats who bent the rules to help these people were given flats. As the court that ordered the immediate demolition of Adarsh pointed out, there was quid pro quo involved all along the way. It makes one wonder if there is any difference between them and other enemies of the nation.

These ministers and bureaucrats, who take an oath to protect the interests of the people and the states precious resources, in this case 3,758 square metres of prime land, appropriated it for their personal aggrandisement even though a majority of them already owned flats in the city. This is an assault on democracy and the real place for all these people named by the judges of the Bombay High Court should be Arthur Road Jail and hard labour.

The court has given the Adarsh Cooperative Society and residents 12 weeks to challenge the demolition order. It is hoped that the case will be heard without much delay or it will take away the sting and seriousness from the Bombay high courts strong indictment of corruption in high places. The case has been going on since 2010. In 2011, the then environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, had ordered the demolition of the building as it violated all Coastal Regulation Zone norms and the builders had not even applied for environmental clearance. But this was challenged and it survived for six years.

Adarsh is just the tip of the iceberg. The impunity with which the builders operated in this city, where land is scarce, was obvious. They wielded huge political clout and knew they could always get these irregularities regularised later. This was almost the rule, so Adarsh was no different. It is estimated that there are over 20,000 such illegal buildings in Mumbai which the government is contemplating regularising, though in another judgment earlier this week the Bombay high court ordered the demolition of all illegal buildings. It remains to be seen how the government tackles this; it has been given time to reply.
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Even nearly 54 years after its humiliating military defeat at the hands of China, India clearly is in no mood to risk another conflict. While defence experts point out that war between the two nuclear-armed Asian giants is not an option, the more realistic worry is a localised skirmish that could test the nerves of both sides. With a belligerent and hostile Pakistan Army on its western front, India will have to weigh the costs of opening another front on its east. The Indian security establishment has been grappling with the nightmarish possibility of a two-front war that India could face in future, a euphemism for a joint Sino-Pakistani military attack on India.

But even on its own, the 2.3 million-strong Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), which enjoys a considerable numerical superiority, packs in quite a punch and India will clearly have to punch much above its weight if it is ever locked in a conflict situation with the Chinese dragon. The reasons are not far to seek. The 1.2 million-strong Indian Army has not acquired modern artillery guns for nearly three decades now, the last artillery acquisition being the Bofors guns in the late 1980s. Plans to acquire ultra-light howitzer (ULH) artillery guns, ideal for mountain warfare and to have been deployed in the eastern sector facing China, have yet to see the light of day. The Indian Army currently has about 6,400 battle tanks, far less than the 9,100 that China has. The Indian Navy is suffering from a critical shortage of submarines and has about 15 currently, at a time when China has 68 of these. The Indian Air Force (IAF) also desperately wants induction of modern fighter aircraft, especially the multi-role medium combat aircraft (MMRCA) to boost the number of its fighter squadrons. The IAF has about 650 fighter aircraft while the Chinese have about 1,200 of these. Plans to build border roads in the eastern sector have been delayed by years.

Establishment of a mountain strike corps of the Army in the eastern sector, already underway, will be completed only by 2021 amid reports that the process of its raising may be hit by a lack of adequate financial resources. The mountain strike corps was envisaged to give the Indian Army offensive capabilities vis-a-vis China for the very first time, considering that the Army has traditionally adopted a defensive posture on that sector following its defeat in 1962.

Conflict is always a possibility if diplomacy fails. But there are always warnings and an escalatory ladder. Nothing happens overnight. The world is not going to let the escalatory ladder hit the pinnacle, points out former Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. (retd.) B.S. Jaswal who, as Northern Command chief, was refused a visa to visit China in 2010. A possibility of a low-cost, high pay-off skirmish in eastern Ladakh cannot be ruled out in future, he says. For India, war is not an option, war-avoidance is. The Chinese have a distinct military advantage if there is a conflict, but it will not be a 1962-like situation. The military costs that India will impose on the aggressor will make it difficult for the Chinese. It will not be a cakewalk for them, he believes. The former Northern Army Commander also points out that for India to adequately protect itself, there needs to be not just one but two mountain strike corps. While the current mountain strike corps being raised is primarily meant to bolster the eastern sector, he says, the other one should be positioned on the western sector. We dont have enough strike and offensive elements, he concedes. Defence experts also caution against a lightning thrust and localised skirmish in J&Ks eastern Ladakh (the northern sector) by the Chinese to demoralise the Indian Army and test its nerves, saying the failures of 1962 must never be repeated.

A Parliamentary Defence Standing Committee report tabled last year had shockingly revealed, The Committee is dismayed to note that in Tawang (Arunachal) area (the eastern sector) the situation is very critical in so far as connectivity is concerned. In case of war, the Army cannot reach there in a day. While our neighbouring countries (a clear reference to China) can reach the borders within two or three hours, our Army takes more than a day to reach there. This is a matter of great concern with regard to our Defence Preparedness. About 90,000 sq km of Arunachal Pradesh is claimed by China as its own territory and the Chinese are almost certainly expected to mount a sharp attack on Tawang in case a conflict ever breaks out again.

In another major admission that caused much alarm, the IAF recently said it simply did not have adequate fighter aircraft to launch a full-fledged air campaign in case of a two-front war, a euphemism for the theoretical possibility of a simultaneous Sino-Pakistani attack on India. The sanctioned numerical strength of the IAF fighter aircraft squadrons should be 42 but currently it is only 33. IAF Vice-Chief Air Marshal B.S. Dhanoa  who is likely to be India's next IAF chief eventually  said, Our numbers are not adequate to fully execute an air campaign in a two-front scenario... Are the numbers adequate? No. The squadrons are winding down. We have given our concerns to the government. The government is seized of this problem...

When asked about the increasing Chinese Air Force (PLAAF) sorties over the Tibet region bordering India, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha too had admitted last year that the Chinese PLAAF presence in that area was increasing exponentially. No doubt, an indication of Chinese military preparedness that India has much to learn from.

A lot of China all around

China is widely seen to have adopted a string of pearls strategy to encircle India. Perhaps the two most important aspects of this policy at present are the countrys maritime capability in the Indian Ocean and its building of an economic corridor with Pakistan through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Apart from its deep links with Myanmar, which has now distanced itself from Beijing to some extent, it attempted to woo Nepalese communist leaders, was close to the anti-India erstwhile Khaleda Zia regime in Bangladesh, wooed the former M. Rajapaksa regime in Sri Lanka and was suspected of having a hand in the earlier strain in ties between India and the Maldives. In short, the Chinese have constantly attempted to fish in troubled waters in the neighbourhood to Indias detriment. China is also understood to be interested in joining South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to push its way further into the south Asian neighbourhood with ample Pakistani assistance. There have also been reports of

Chinese security personnel being involved in supply of arms to Northeast rebel groups based in Myanmar.

An internal defence thinktank report of the Indian government prepared earlier had revealed, Chinas recent strategic manoeuvres in and around the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) pose a threat to both Indias economic and security interests. Chinas naval capabilities have significantly expanded over the past few years with induction of new submarines, like the Shang and Jin class boats. It is well entrenched even in public discourse through think tanks and other agencies that the Chinese naval capability is proving to be a major limiting factor to other regional navies, especially the Indian Navy (IN). Chinese interests in the IOR will demand attempts to begin deterrent patrolling as early as within the next three years. These extended patrols may fully overlap with INs current area of operation and subsurface activity.

The report added, Without adequate bilateral military linkages and transparency standards, the threat of a serious reduction in sea denial and anti access in the IOR is a reality.

The presence of Chinese nuclear submarines in Sri Lankan waters had shaken New Delhi which had promptly taken up the matter with the then Rajapaksa regime in Colombo which was seen to be actively encouraging Beijing in its designs. The Chinese presence in development projects in the Maldives and its highly publicised rushing of civil supplies to Nepal during the Madhesi agitation also did not escape the attention of New Delhi.

What has worried New Delhi the most is the increasing presence of Chinese PLA troops in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to monitor completion of infrastructure projects which are part of the US$ 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Chinese troops have also been reportedly spotted close to the LoC on the Pakistani side. Pakistan Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif recently announced that his forces would ensure completion of the corridor.

Strategic affairs expert and director, Society for Policy Studies C. Uday Bhaskar says, China is seeking to enhance its presence in the IOR by way of bilateral relations with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. India has to evolve a long-term strategy in response. While India can be involved in a close partnership with Sri Lanka and Maldives, Pakistan is an exception since it has a relationship with India that is predicated on an anti-India position.

The CPEC is going to be problematic. China wants to increase its access to the Gwadar port in (Pakistans) Balochistan province. But more worryingly, the Chinese military (through its presence in PoK) will be positioning itself between India and Pakistan, points out JNU Professor in Chinese Studies Srikant Kondapalli. Its a strategy thats caught India in a bind.

India has options too, but those come with risks

Chinas recent decision to block Indias move at the UN  on Pakistani prodding  to get terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) banned seemed to have opened up a new strategy of raising the costs for Beijing. Soon after China blocked the move, there were three high-level Indian interactions with that country. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj held discussions with her Chinese counterpart in Moscow followed by high-level visits by defence minister Manohar Parrikar and national security advisor Ajit Doval to Beijing. The trio tried to impress upon the Chinese leadership that there could not be a differentiation made between good and bad terrorists and that such an approach would be dangerous for the neighbourhood. But the pleas fell on deaf ears.

Immediately afterwards, in a curious move, India issued a tourist visa to leading Chinese dissident and Uyghur activist Dolkun Isa  a leader of the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) who lives in Germany  who wanted to participate in a conference in Dharamsala, the home of supreme Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. At one stroke, the unified voice of Chinas oppressed minorities  the Tibetans and Uyghurs  seemed to have found global attention ahead of the conference that was to have been organised by a U.S.-based group to discuss democratic transformation in China. But it was not to be. After China retorted angrily, the ministry of home affairs cancelled the visa for the Uyghur activist on the grounds that it was a tourist e-visa and that such a visa could not be used to attend a conference. The episode, however, raised doubts on whether New Delhi, before backing off, had sent a subtle warning to Beijing that pressure could be applied, if necessary, on Chinas vulnerable pressure points that include Tibet, Xinjiang (the Muslim Uyghur-dominated province also known as Chinese Turkestan), Taiwan and the South China Sea.

We have put the Chinese on alert and have made it clear that our behaviour depends on reciprocity. There has been no sensitivity showed by China on Indian concerns, especially in the Masood Azhar case. New Delhi has found that Beijing is not really forthcoming on the issue of terrorism despite the fact that India had a decade ago accepted the Chinese concerns on the three evils that include separatism and extremism. India seems to have sent a clear message to China that if it does not behave, New Delhi is perfectly capable of issuing visas to prominent Chinese dissidents, pointed out JNU professor in Chinese Studies, Srikant Kondappali.

When the then Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. B.S. Jaswal was denied a visa by the Chinese in 2010, India cancelled bilateral military engagements. Finally, they granted a visa (last year) to (the current) Northern Army Commander Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda. It took the Chinese those many years to reverse their position, Professor Kondapalli pointed out.

However, former Indian diplomat and China expert T.C.A. Rangachari points out that there are inherent risks in confronting China and adds that India should do a full cost-benefit analysis before taking such a stand. You have to continue to talk to people. There has to be a process of dialogue. The Indian government has not yet reached breaking point. While we have serious differences of opinion on some issues with China, we should continue the dialogue along with attempts to persuade them on respecting our concerns. We have to be practical. Mr Rangachari adds, If you want to take it to a point of confrontation, you have to make a full calculation (of the risks). But it is not a position that I would take.

Just recently, New Delhi had hosted US defense secretary Ashton Carter and had agreed to ink a defence logistics pact with the Americans that would permit the use of each others bases for refuelling and replenishments of defence platforms such as warships and fighter aircraft. Both sides once again emphasised the importance of freedom of navigation in international waters in the South China Sea, again seen to be one of Chinas pressure points. This came amid an ongoing rebalance of US naval assets to the Asia-Pacific, an American move widely seen as a check on Chinese hegemony in the region.

Observers point out that any move by India in confronting China would have its risks. Army officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China is peaceful and that there is none of the hostility associated with the Line of Control (LoC) facing Pakistan. It appears that the Modi government would like to keep it that way.
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New Jersey Online Gambling Buoyant in 2016

Published April 29, 2016 by Mike P

Online gambling is thriving in New Jersey, with revenue increasing 28% between the first three months of 2015 and 2016.

New Jerseys Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) has published figures to show positive growth in the states legal online gambling market during the first quarter of 2016. In light of the recent findings, it appears that the profile of New Jersey online gambling could rise further during the rest of the year.

28% Increase in Revenue

Between Q1 2015 and Q2 2016, there was an approximate 28% increase in online gambling revenue. Over that period, revenue increased considerably from $35.1 million to $44.9 million, prompting online gambling publisher Roger Gros to describe the states future as being bright.

After a slow start a couple of years back, Gros has explained that New Jersey residents are becoming familiar with how it works and what is available in the market. Moreover, the wider digital infrastructure has been improved, with technical issues addressed so that residents can make payments without barriers.

The Positives of Legalisation

The structure of the New Jersey market is one that only allows physical casinos to hold online gambling licences. Ultimately, this has had positive results in seeing casinos that fell back on their innovative efforts to partner with award-winning software developers that have inspired them to start trying again.

Another positive reason from legalisation is that the new online revenue streams have allowed for some land-based casinos to remain operational and start breaking even in a difficult economic climate.

As a result, many staff members at those casinos have been able to keep their jobs. New Jersey wisely created an industry where external operators had to partner with existing casinos in the land-based industry.

Given the positive stories from legalisation and that technical issues are now less common, New Jersey might be able to expect more growth for the rest of 2016. And, if there is, some other US states might reconsider their legalisation stance in light of New Jerseys success.
Rajans sound advice

When Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan speaks, the government listens. Even with news trickling in that Dr Rajan may now be staring at the exit door, hes listened to, though he has stirred controversy with his remarks, which are at variance with the views of the ministry of finance. Its well known that the difference of opinion is on the extent of power vested with the RBI governor and who has the final word on matters of monetary policy.

Occasionally, there were rumours that the government is planning to remove Dr Rajan, but he survived, perhaps because the government doesnt have a more capable person than the plain-speaking Dr Rajan to helm the RBI and front India globally. Delivering the annual Y.B. Chavan Memorial Lecture, Dr Raghuram Rajan had some suggestions for babus to help them discharge their duties better. He urged them to work for one day without assistants, to sensitise themselves to what the aam aadmi experiences while interacting with babus.

Apparently, Dr Rajan is already mulling a plan to introduce a similar system within the RBI where even senior officials will have to do simple tasks to reacquaint themselves with how to serve the public better. Sound stuff. But it remains to be seen whether babus are as enthusiastic as Dr Rajan about doing lowly work!

A few good men

Apart from battling anti-incumbency in a state headed for polls next year, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has also been countering criticism of his administration with the help of a group of IAS officers. Sources say that he is heavily dependent on 1988-batch IAS officer Navneet Sehgal, his principal secretary for information and public relations. Other officers in Mr Yadavs charmed circle are Sanjay Agarwal, principal secretary of power, Raj Shekhar, P.S. Sharma, Kinjal Singh (DM Faizabad), as well as IPS officers Shalabh Mathur and Kamal Saxena who are trying to make an impact.

The young chief minister is also dogged by the deeds of corrupt officials like former principal secretary (appointments) Rajiv Kumar who was sent to jail recently after conviction by a CBI court for his involvement in a land allotment scandal. Another IAS officer, Akhand Pratap Singh, who was named chief secretary by the party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav also had to quit following corruption charges. Will the good work of these few good men help Akhilesh Yadav prevail at the hustings?

Transfer blues

GThe Karnataka government does not seem to believe in its own policies. Though beleaguered chief minister Siddaramaiah had once announced that senior babus will not be transferred for at least two years in a post, his government has been merrily flouting this rule, transferring babus, and, in some cases, repeatedly. Naturally, this is creating resentment among the babus. Apparently, the average tenure of babus in the state is around 16 months or even less.

The recent transfer of two senior IAS officers, T.M. Vijay Bhaskar and G. Kumar Naik, has once again exposed the governments vague transfer policy. Sources say that Mr Naik has been transferred within less than a year of becoming commissioner of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, while for Mr Bhaskar, who was in charge of urban development, its his third transfer within a year!

Other senior babus who have faced the ignominy of frequent transfers include Rashmi V. Mahesh, Shalini Rajneesh, Mahendra Jain, Harsha Gupta and Maheshwar Rao, among others. Now babus, sources say, are planning to pressure the government to form a special body for transfers, as suggested by the Supreme Court back in 2013.
The high rate of unemployment in the country has left people desperate for jobs. As such, the unemployed are susceptible to falling victims to fake interviews.

Not only are people duped by these fake interviewers, some, it has been reported, fall victims of ritualists. Whatever the case may be, it is best not to fall into their traps. Here are ways to identify fake interviews:

 They have little or no online presence. This is the 21st century. It is very uncommon that a company or an outsourcing company for that matter will have no website. It is not only restricted to website. They should have blogs, social media accounts or any online presence. However, bear in mind that some credible organisations do not yet have an online presence.

 They usually send SMS alone. These SMSs are usually filled with excess grammatical errors. True, everyone makes mistakes but when the mistakes are more than usual, its a red flag. Meanwhile, credible companies use SMS, email and sometimes calls during recruitment.

 When you receive messages from people you did not apply from, your suspicions should be up. It is likely that your number was randomly picked. Normally, your CV is first reviewed before an invitation for interview is done. So, if your database is not in their system, how did they find you?

 Again, most fake interviews do not specify the job title in their SMS. Reliable companies let you know the job title youre applying for.

 Asking you pay a fee. Processing fee registration fee, consultancy fee, training fee, all these are some of the names used to embellish the act of duping done by these interviewers

 The venue of the interview can also give away the sincerity or dubiousness of the company. Suspicious- looking structure and unconventional buildings should raise an alarm in your senses.

In all, make sure to be alert and careful. Do not allow desperation and frustration get you caught up in the web of fake interviews. Happy job hunting!
Eight years after the Congress-NCP state government took a moral stand and banned dance bars in Maharashtra, the Supreme Court, in 2013, ruled against the ban and ordered that they be reopened. However, first the Congress government and now the BJP-Shiv Sena government have been delaying implementation of the order on one pretext or the other.

Taking strong note of non-compliance with its order, the Supreme Court, in response to the petition filed by the state government against the reopening of dance bars, said last week that dancing is a performance of art and that it is better to dance than to go to streets for begging or earning livelihood through unacceptable means.

Anamika Gharat spoke with Rashmi Singh, a bar dancer who retains her surname but has changed her first name, about life as a bar dancer, and what it would mean in real terms if bar dancing isnt allowed to start again.

Where are you from and what does your family do?

I am Rashmi Singh, resident of Uttar Pradesh, and we have our own spacious house over there. In my family theres my 62-year-old father, my mother and four sisters, including me. I am the second eldest. We are their princesses and they are very proud of us. My father left a clerks job when I was in seventh standard. After three years he stopped earning altogether as he couldnt find employment opportunities of his choice.

Why did you take up this profession (bar dancing)?

I took up this profession to earn money with dignity. My father hasnt been working for the past few years and my mother is a housewife. My teachers always encouraged me to study. I wanted to be an IAS officer and studied hard. I scored 82 per cent in my SSC. But I had to leave studies as we couldnt afford higher education. My elder sister has a skin allergy, therefore my parents could not fix her marriage. She never goes out of the house, as she feels embarrassed about her allergy. We have to get her treated. In the end, it fell upon me to take on the responsibility of my parents and my two younger sisters education.

Were you forced into the profession or was it your decision to work as a bar dancer?

When I decided to take on my familys responsibility at the age of 15, I was very confident that I would start a small business and be able to take care of my family. I tried selling vegetables but most of the time I could not save enough money to buy vegetables again (she recollects with tears in her eyes).

In fact, our condition was so bad that on certain days we didnt have money to buy food for six family members. We would starve for days. Then some people suggested that I join a bar as a dancer. They also convinced my parents that bar dancers only dance and are safe. They are not forced into prostitution. Thats when I decided to join this profession.

When did you come to Mumbai and what was your experience here?

I sold my only gold ring to buy the ticket to Mumbai and for other expenses. I came to Mumbai on May 12, 2012. In the beginning I stayed in a 4x8 sq ft room. At night I had to sleep near the toilet which was dirty and stinky.

What was your first experience like, being in a bar?

I started my journey as a bar dancer on May 15, 2012, in Mumbai. I was very scared because I had never danced as my elder sister and father didnt like any of us dancing. At first I stood on the dance floor scared, trying to imitate other girls. I could not dance that day and, therefore, no one gave me a single rupee. But gradually, with time, I started learning different forms of dance and felt confident about performing in front of customers at the bar.

Any bitter experience in your profession that you can never forget?

During my initial days, one day two men came in front of me as I was dancing. With lust in their eyes, they tried to touch me. It made me so nervous that I took a few steps back. But they tried to pull me and whispered in my ears, We will give you so much money. Dance with us. When I ignored them, they shouted at me. The male colleagues in the bar handled the situation politely and they never bothered me again. That day I gained confidence and gradually my income increased. Customers who come to the bar think and behave with us as if we are their property after giving us a Rs 100 note.

How do you manage your expenses and that of your family?

When I left my home town, my father had only Rs 100 with him. My family was expecting that I would send them money as soon as I reached Mumbai. But I couldnt earn money for the first six days because of shyness and my inability to dance. After that I could only earn Rs 20.

My parents started calling me for money... After one such phone call, when I came to know that my family had starved for two days and my younger sister had fever, I decided that I would dance and wont be shy. I did my own make-up and, for the first time, stood in the first line of dancers. I danced my shoes off on hot Bollywood songs like Sheela ki Jawani. That day I earned Rs 200, but I had to struggle to earn enough money to be able to send some back home to my family who were entirely dependent on my income. Now I earn more than Rs 3,000 in two or three days. (Several dance bars operate illegally thougout Maharashtra.)

You scored 82 per cent in the SSC exams. Then why didnt you think of quitting this profession and trying something else?

You think I never tried? I did, but I could not continue with that because of the people in our so-called white-collar society who feel that their daughters have the right to a life of dignity but we do not. About eight months back I left dancing and planned to save money to start studying again. I got a job as a sales girl at one of the beauty product shops in Byculla. But, after a week at the job, the shopowner and few other employees came to know about my previous profession. This changed their behaviour towards me.

After a few days, a male colleague tried to be over friendly with me. He started touching me inappropriately. But I was more shocked when I informed my boss about it. He fired me without saying a word to this colleague. That day I realised that bar dancing is a much safer profession. We always get respect from our colleagues, bar owners and waiters. We can dress according to our wish. In fact, all the waiters and the owner supported us when anyone misbehaved with us. I resumed bar dancing and began to earn more than what I was getting at the shop, and with respect.

The government and many people say that bar dancing is obscene.

When Bollywood actresses dance onscreen in revealing dresses, people appreciate it. It is called acting. But when we dance in a bar, people stigmatise us. The outside world is more dangerous than life as a bar dancer. Other than Bollywood, we also perform classical dances like mujra or kathak. In fact, we love performing these as they look elegant. But our customers, who are sophisticated outside in the world, dont like these... We always face social stigma and harassment in the outside world, as people perceive bar girls to be prostitutes and discriminate against us. We get more respect inside the dance bar than outside it, in your so-called sophisticated city.

Whats your opinion about the state governments attempts to extend the ban on bar dancing?

There are more than one lakh girls involved in this profession. Other than Uttar Pradesh, many girls come from Rajasthan and West Bengal. If the government wants to close the business, then it must provide us an alternate employment opportunity. If it doesnt, we will have no other option but to get into prostitution.

Indian society is male-dominated and will always denounce us. So in the absence of respectable employment, we will have no other option but to beg or enter the flesh trade...

Everyone, irrespective of his/her profession, has the right to get respect. We deserve it too. We are not a stain on society. And we have opted for this profession to earn, to buy food, to survive and not for fun. We are performing an art, so please appreciate our art and the strong women who enter this profession.
London: An Italian surgeon claims he is ready to perform the first full human head transplant in 2017 and he already has a volunteer. Dr Sergio Canavero says his team have the ability to perform the complicated procedure thanks to technological advances. But experts have debunked his claims and insist that the operation is still many years from reality.

Russian-born Valery Sprinidov, who suffers from Werdnig-Hoffmann disease that causes atrophy of the muscles, has reportedly agreed to be the first patient to undergo the procedure.

According to The Independent, Canavero, now 51, announced hed be able to do a human head transplant in a two-part procedure he dubs HEAVEN (head anastomosis venture) and Gemini (the subsequent spinal cord fusion). But many dismiss Canaveros plans as fantasy.

According to Canavero the operation will be a 36-hour, $20 million (14 milion) procedure involving at least 150 people, including doctors, nurses, technicians, psychologists and virtual reality engineers.

In a specially equipped hospital suite, two surgical teams will work simultaneously  one focused on Spiridonov and the other on the donors body, selected from a brain-dead patient and matched with the Russian for height, build and immunotype. Both patients  anesthetized and outfitted with breathing tubes  will have their heads locked using metal pins and clamps, and electrodes will be attached to their bodies to monitor brain and heart activity.

Next, Spiridonovs head will be nearly frozen, ultimately reaching 12 to 15 degrees Celsius, which will make him temporarily brain-dead. Doctors will then drain his brain of blood and flush it with a standard surgery solution. Then the two teams, working in concert, will make deep incisions around each patients neck and use color-coded markings to note all the muscles in both Spiridonovs head and that of the donor, to facilitate the reconnection.Next comes the most critical step of all.

Under an operating microscope, doctors will cleanly chop through both spinal cords - with a $200,000 diamond nanoblade, so thin that it is measured in angstroms, provided by the University of Texas. Then the rush is on: Once sliced, Spiridonovs head will have to be attached to the donors body and connected to the blood flow within an hour. (When the head is transferred, the main vessels will be clamped to prevent air from causing a blockage.)

Surgeons will quickly sew the arteries and veins of Spiridonovs head to those of his new body. The donors blood flow will then, in theory, re-warm Spiridonovs head to normal temperatures within minutes.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
District Attorney Stan Garnett shows pictures of the defendant, Dynel Lane, accused of cutting a stranger's unborn baby from her womb, pretending to be pregnant on a screen in a Boulder District courtroom. (Photo: AP)

Boulder: A judge on Friday sentenced a Colorado woman who cut a baby from a stranger's womb to 100 years in prison, including the maximum penalties for attempted murder and unlawful termination of a pregnancy.

Judge Maria Berkenkotter said the harshest sentences for the most serious charges were justified by the brutality of the 2015 attack, which she described as performing a cesarean with a kitchen knife. Berkenkotter also said the victim, Michelle Wilkins, as well as her family and the community needed Dynel Lane, 36, to express remorse.

Lane murmured a "no" when the judge asked if she wanted to speak. Lane also did not speak in her defense during her trial, which ended in February when jurors found her guilty of attempting to kill Wilkins after luring her victim to her home with an ad for maternity clothes.

Jurors had heard that Lane went to elaborate lengths to feign her own pregnancy before attacking Wilkins. They did not hear that in 2002, Lane's 19-month-old son drowned in what investigators ruled was an accident. Relatives who spoke on Lane's behalf before the sentencing Friday said her remorse over losing her son may have led her to take an action they could not understand or explain.

Lane's attorneys did not dispute that she attacked Wilkins, but they argued there was no evidence it was a calculated murder attempt. They urged jurors to convict Lane of the lesser charge of attempted manslaughter.

Berkenkotter sentenced Lane to 48 years for attempted murder and 32 years for unlawful termination of a pregnancy. The remainder of her sentence was for assault charges in the attack. She was given credit for the more than a year she has served since her arrest.

Kathryn Herold, the public defender representing Lane, told the judge Friday she would appeal and that Lane had the right not to speak. Berkenkotter acknowledged that was Lane's constitutional right. But the judge said that in weighing her sentence she had to take into account that "people are hungry to hear from you, Miss Lane. Hungry, desperate to hear you express genuine remorse from the bottom of your heart."

Prosecutors said they were unable to charge Lane with murdering Wilkins' unborn girl because a coroner found no evidence the fetus lived outside the womb. That led Colorado Republicans to introduce legislation that would have allowed a murder charge. Democrats rejected the measure, the third time such a proposal failed in Colorado. Over the objection of abortion-rights supporters, 38 states have made a fetus' killing a homicide.

Wilkins focused on her unborn daughter Friday. She placed a large photograph of her dead baby, who appeared to be sleeping, on an easel next to the witness stand, then asked Berkenkotter to impose the harshest possible sentence.

Wilkins said after the sentencing that she saw the hearing as a day in court for her daughter, who she named Aurora.

"Judge Berkenkotter was clearly listening to everything that we were saying," Wilkins told reporters, adding she felt justice had been served.

In court, Wilkins had directed her words to Lane, who sat straight and showed no emotion as her victim spoke. Lane cried later in the hearing when a letter from one of her two daughters expressing love was read.

Lane's mother apologized in court to Wilkins and her family, as did her father in a letter his wife read.

Lane had posted online photos of herself with a distended belly and sent the man she said was the father of her child ultrasound images downloaded from the Internet. David Ridley, who lived with Lane and her two daughters, testified at trial that Lane claimed for more than a year that she was expecting a boy, whom they planned to name James. Friends even threw a baby shower.

Ridley had grown suspicious by the time Lane lured Wilkins to her Longmont home. Wilkins testified they chatted for about an hour before Lane hit, pushed and tried to choke her, then used two kitchen knives to cut the baby from her womb.

When Ridley came home early from work that day to meet Lane for a doctor's appointment, he said he found the fetus in a bathtub and drove the child and Lane to a hospital, where she begged staff to save her baby. Lane said nothing to Ridley about Wilkins, who was unconscious at her home. Wilkins regained consciousness and called police.
Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York:

Houston, Texas based Indigo Minerals has closed a $375 million capital raise for energy development in the Cotton Valley and Haynesville plays in Texas. The round was led by $5.7 billion Trilantic Capital Mangement which invested $300 million, alongside existing investors including the Martin Companies, Yorktown Partners and Ridgemont Equity Partners, who together invested $75 million of additional equity in Indigo.

The capital will go to acquire and develop natural gas producing properties in the Cotton Valley and Haynesville. With the acquisition, Indigo holds approximately 160,000 net acres in Northwest Louisiana and East Texas, in addition to a significant portfolio of minerals and leasehold interests across 15 states. Indigo is the tenth largest private producer of natural gas in the United States

"With its proximity to the Gulf coast and the assets available, we feel like the Cotton Valley stacks up to be one of the premier plays in the country," said Glenn Jacobson, partner at Trilantic North America, of the deal in an interview with Opalesque.

In addition to the Trilantic round, other firms including Blackstone/GSO backed GeoSouthern have recently completed transactions in the same area. "In our view, there have been a lot of improvements made over the past 1-2 years that add to the economics of the play," Jacobson says of the recent interest. He adds that development in the Cotton Valley works at current energy price......................

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Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York:

Vrde Partners, a $10 billion global alternative investment firm based in Minneapolis has partnered with Banco Popular to acquire Barclays' Barclaycard business in Spain and Portugal. The business will be combined with Bancopopular-e, a business jointly owned by Vrde and Banco Popular.

Bancopopular-e is an online bank specializing in credit cards that provides credit and savings solutions to over 2.5 million customers. Its team of over 700 professionals currently manages 1,800 million in clients card balances and more than 2,200 million in customer deposits. The sale is expected to save Barclays 70m worth of annual costs.

The deal is the latest in a broader move by the bank to exit its retail banking operations in Europe. At the end of April, the bank announced that it was in talks with AnaCap, a private equity firm, to sell its French retail finance business. In addition to shedding it's European business, the Wall Street Journal reported that bank shareholders voted on Thursday to dispose of a large portion of its Africa business as well.

Banco Popular acquired Citibanks Spanish credit card business in 2014 and contributed it to Bancopopular-e while Barclaycard acquired Citibanks Portuguese credit card business in September 2009. This shared lineage, as well as the prese......................

To view our full article Click here
Opalesque Industry Update - BlueMountain Capital Management, a private investment firm with $21.5 billion in assets under management, today announced the closing of its first European Collateralized Loan Obligation (CLO) vehicle with 410 million in commitments. The CLO was arranged through JP Morgan and will invest predominantly in corporate leveraged loans. BlueMountain closed four new-issue CLOs in the U.S. in 2015, and has issued approximately $8.5 billion in CLO capital across a total of 20 vehicles. The announcement comes as BlueMountain continues to build its footprint in the EMEA region, following the appointment of Nick Pappas as CEO of Europe in June of 2015. Nick previously served as the head of EMEA Leveraged Finance Trading at Goldman Sachs. We have made a strong commitment to building our European team with an eye toward capturing the opportunities in this market, said Mr. Pappas. Among the additions to BlueMountains European team, research analyst Tripp Lane was hired in March of 2015 after nine years with Apax Partners. Strategic hires also have been made in recent months to bolster the European leveraged finance business, including analysts Hugo Villarroya, formerly with ENA Investment Capital and Anchorage Capital; Vitaliy Ardislamov, who joined the firm from Strategic Value Partners, and Kristin Hall, previously with Warburg Pincus. BlueMountain also recently named Steve McMillan as a Client Advisor in its London office, where he is responsible for supporting client and business development services. Prior to joining BlueMountain, Mr. McMillan was the Head of Pension Investment Strategy at Lloyds Banking Group.
Anti-War Advocate: Is there a case that can be made for war?

Pro-War Advocate: Well, yes. In a word: Hitler!

Anti-War Advocate: Is "Hitler!" a case for future wars? Let me suggest some reasons why I think it isn't. First, the world of the 1940s is gone, its colonialism and imperialism replaced by other varieties, its absence of nuclear weapons replaced by their ever-present threat. No matter how many people you call "Hitler," none of them is Hitler, none of them is seeking to roll tanks into wealthy nations. And, no, Russia did not invade Ukraine any of the numerous times you heard that reported in recent years. In fact, the U.S. government facilitated a coup that empowered Nazis in Ukraine. And even those Nazis are not "Hitler!"

When you go back 75 years to find a justification for the institution of war, the biggest public project of the United States for each of the past 75 years, you're going back to a different world -- something we wouldn't do with any other project. If schools had made people dumber for 75 years but educated someone 75 years ago, would that justify next year's spending on schools? If the last time a hospital saved a life was 75 years ago, would that justify next year's spending on hospitals? If wars have caused nothing but suffering for 75 years, what is the value of claiming that there was a good one 75 years ago?

Also, World War II was decades in the making, and there is no need to spend decades creating any new war. By avoiding World War I -- a war that virtually nobody even tries to justify -- earth would have avoided World War II. The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I in a stupid manner that many predicted on the spot would lead to World War II. Then Wall Street spent decades investing in the Nazis. While reckless behavior that makes wars more likely remains common, we are perfectly capable of recognizing it and ceasing it.

Pro-War Advocate: But what makes you think we will? The fact that we could in theory prevent a new Hitler doesn't exactly put the mind at ease.

Anti-War Advocate: Not a new "Hitler!" Even Hitler wasn't "Hitler!" The idea that Hitler intended to conquer the world including the Americas was ginned up with fraudulent documents by FDR and Churchill including a phony map carving up South America and a phony plan to end all religion. There was no German threat to the United States, and ships that FDR claimed were innocently attacked were actually helping British war planes. Hitler might have enjoyed conquering the world, but lacked any plan or ability to do so, as those places he did conquer continued to resist.

Pro-War Advocate: So just let the Jews die? Is that what you're saying?

Anti-War Advocate: The war had nothing to do with saving the Jews or any other victims. The United States and other nations refused Jewish refugees. The U.S. Coast Guard chased a ship of Jewish refugees away from Miami. The blockade of Germany and then the all-out war on German cities led to deaths that a negotiated settlement might have spared, as peace advocates argued. The United States did negotiate with Germany about prisoners of war, just not about prisoners of death camps and not about peace. World War II in total killed roughly ten times the number of people killed in the German camps. Alternatives might have been horrible but could hardly have been worse. The war, not its supposed, after-the-fact justification, was the very worst thing humans have ever done to themselves.

The U.S. President wanted into the war, promised Churchill as much, did everything possible to provoke Japan, knew an attack was coming, and that same night drafted a declaration of war against both Japan and Germany. The victory over Germany was very largely a Soviet victory, with the United States playing a relatively bit role. So, to the extent that a war can be a victory for an ideology (probably not at all) it would make more sense to call WWII a victory for "communism" than for "democracy."

Pro-War Advocate: What about protecting England and France?

Anti-War Advocate: And China, and the rest of Europe and Asia? Again, if you're going to go back 75 years, you can go back a dozen more and avoid creating the problem. If you're going to use the knowledge we have 75 years later, you can apply organized nonviolent resistance techniques to great effect. We are sitting on 75 years of additional knowledge of how powerful nonviolent action can be, including how powerful it was when employed against the Nazis. Because nonviolent non-cooperation is more likely to succeed, and that success more likely to last, there is no need for war. And even if you could justify joining in World War II, you would still have to justify continuing it for years and expanding it into total war on civilians and infrastructure aimed at maximum death and unconditional surrender, an approach which of course cost millions of lives rather than saving them -- and which bestowed on us a legacy of all-out war that has killed tens of millions more since.

Pro-War Advocate: There's a difference between fighting on the right side and the wrong side.

Anti-War Advocate: Is it a difference you can see from under the bombs? While the human rights failures of a foreign culture do not justify bombing people (the worst such failure possible!), and the goodness of one's own culture likewise doesn't justify killing anybody (thereby erasing any supposed goodness). But it is worth remembering or learning, that leading up to, during, and after World War II, the United States engaged in eugenics, human experimentation, apartheid for African Americans, camps for Japanese Americans, and the widespread promotion of racism, anti-Semitism, and imperialism. Upon the end of World War II, after the United States had, with no justification, dropped nuclear bombs on two cities, the U.S. military quietly hired hundreds of former Nazis, including some of the worst criminals, who found a home quite comfortably in the U.S. war industry.

Pro-War Advocate: That's all well and good, but, Hitler . . .

Anti-War Advocate: You said that.
Follow my analysis of multiyear presidential election data and you will learn several remarkable things with implications for this year's election. First, though the term voter turnout is often used, there are two significantly different variations. Sometimes it refers to the fraction of voter age or eligible population that votes. Other times, the more useful and correct version is the fraction of registered voters. The national number of registered voters is always considerably less that the national voter age population, and obstacles to registration vary greatly among states.

It is also revealing to look at how the ratio of registered voters to voter age population has changed over time. Why? Because Americans have to take action to become registered to vote and, therefore, it suggests a civic or patriotic commitment to participate in American democracy. In 2012, about 80 percent of the voter age population was registered, an impressive level. Back in 1964 it was 65 percent. Indeed, a major change happened in 2008, when the typical, longer term 65 percent figure jumped to 82 percent and stayed high in 2012. Clearly, a national effort to increase registration changed the historic pattern for the positive.



But an intriguing question is this: Does a greater number and fraction of registered voters translate to higher voter turnout? You might think so, because they have turned eligibility into likelihood. But the simple answer is no. A closer look is instructive.



Going back to 1964, registered voter turnout (in the Johnson versus Goldwater race) was very high at just under 96 percent. The ten-election average from 1968 to 2004, however, was just over 87 percent, with not much variation. Then something major changed. In 2008 it was just over 70 percent and in 2012 it was about 67 percent. Both levels are a major phenomenon because in those two years the ratio of registered to total voter age population was historically high at 80 percent or more. Disturbingly, registration does not equal voting, despite the social media revolution and micro-targeting campaign methods. Registered people not voting are much more significant than eligible citizens not voting. The former are likely more informed, but also more angry and dissatisfied than the latter.



Note that if historical voter age population turnout data are examined instead of registration turnout there is no drop-off phenomenon. The corresponding ten-election average is 57 percent with little variation, and was similar in 2008 and 2012.



In sum, when more Americans were registered to vote, a much smaller fraction actually voted for president in the two elections that President Obama won. How significant was this? If the prior ten-year historic trend turnout would have prevailed, then in 2008 another 32 million people would have voted, and in 2012 another 39 million would have. These figures show that very large numbers of those aligned with the Democratic and Republican candidates, or turned off by both, decided not to vote, despite being registered. Many may have also been impacted by the national economic recession in that period causing dissatisfaction with most political and economic institutions. Likewise, millions were burned by economic inequality.



Consider our history with disrupter presidential candidates. Three elections stand out because third party candidates usually received around one percent unlike these. In 1992 the outsider Ross Perot obtained nearly 20 percent of the national vote, but Bill Clinton beat George Bush. Significantly, there was an uptick in the voter turnout to 90 percent, compared to 86 percent in the prior election (when George Bush beat Michael Dukakis in a landslide).



But the following two elections showed less potential and public perception for disrupter success. In 1996 Perot was again on the ballot but received only eight percent of the national vote and voter turnout dropped to 82 percent when Bill Clinton easily beat Bob Dole. Then, in 2000, Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan became disrupter candidates but received just over three percent of the total vote, and the turnout was 86 percent (and George W. Bush won over Al Gore with more electoral but fewer popular votes).



In all three of these elections, however, all the losing disrupter candidates were third party candidates. The big lesson is that a disrupter presidential candidate has to be a major party candidate to stand a chance of winning in a nation with a duopoly political system, despite the difficulty of accomplishing this. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, and also Michael Bloomberg and the American public seem to have learned this lesson.



With no disrupter candidate success in three prior elections, by 2008 a large fraction of the population had turned negative about the whole two-party political system as also shown by the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street movements. This populist unrest has exploded, culminating with the current anti-establishment, anti-status quo sentiment supporting both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.



One scenario for this year is that one of the two major party disrupter candidates gets to the final ballot producing high voter turnout, most likely Trump. Both succeeding is quite unlikely. If either Trump was on the general 2016 election ballot, it is reasonable to believe that a high turnout would occur for him, versus a relatively low turnout for the establishment candidate, most likely Hillary Clinton. Certainly, the high turnout in many Trump primaries suggests this. Nevertheless, Clinton could still win, especially if Sanders supporters voted for Clinton rather than Trump out of spite, lesser-evil thinking or conviction. Trump must target eligible, angry citizens and get them voting, or registered for the first time.



The second scenario is that both disruptive candidates fail to get on the final ballot because powerful status quo prevails. Voter turnout may again be 70 percent or less, because of so much public anger and dissatisfaction with the political establishment. In other words, it is possible that over 30 million registered voters would boycott the 2016 presidential election, despite an even larger number of registered voters compared to 2012 because of the heated primary races for this cycle. This would greatly impact how campaigns chose to advance their cause. Establishment candidates would try to sell reforms, but voters could reject an obvious dishonest campaign tactic.



Such low turnout is less than a number of advanced democracies, reducing the legitimacy of American representative and participatory democracy and its image as the exceptional world democracy. Something that only candidate Sanders has commented on. A voter boycott by disappointed disrupter candidate supporters in 2016 because their favored disrupter was not on the ballot could be seen as a tactic to intentionally reduce the legitimacy of and embarrass American democracy in order to better motivate serious reforms by establishment candidates. This is a true disrupter strategy.



With no disrupter on the final ballot, which would be a shock to many Americans, we would have had three presidential elections in a row with very low registered voter turnout. Finally, the public, and hopefully the media, might conclude that America's delusional democracy has definitely been replaced by a plutocracy. Paradoxically, rejection of voting may be a way to make America great again by pushing the establishment president from either major party to become a serious reformer. Perhaps major party convention delegates should think about this and see the benefit of having a disrupter candidate rather than pursue a slugfest between two establishment candidates as the world sees American democracy crumbling.


That ancient aphorism about how history repeats itself would seem to apply most often to the failed episodes of history, in which profound mistakes were made over and over by nations -- as well as by historic figures playing key roles in those same nations. Case in point -- The America First Movement, a loosely organized national political movement of the 1930s and 1940s which grew out of a reaction and rejection of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, his New Deal, and interventionists allegedly led by Communists and British interests who were urging America into the Second World War. America Firstersoften expressed admiration for the Nazi Fuhrer Adolf Hitler and his Third Reich. Aviation hero Charles Lindbergh and industrialist Henry Ford were seen by many as key leaders of the America First Movement, which pretty-much ended with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. At that point, America finally declared war on both Japan and Nazi Germany -- and thus Americans decisively rejected this isolationist America First Movement as a denial of our most basic international responsibilities towards our fellow nations, as well as being totally counter to our own self-interest.

Still, it is truly said that what goes around comes around, and Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump has now resurrected America First as his new campaign theme and slogan. This latest Trumpeting of a failed slogan, and of a failed movement which otherwise might well have lost World War II for the Free World, demonstrates once again the Trumpster s utter lack of any historic perspective, and his small knowledge of Twentieth Century history. But there is even more that is demonstrated, as America First is a campaign gaffe providing insight about Trump.

What is clearly shown, then, is that Donald J. Trump is, indeed, not really running for president at all -- rather, Trump wants to become our American Fuhrer, comparable to Nazi Fuhrer Adolf Hitler. As Fuhrer, Trump would control all branches and aspects of national government, just as he has advocated throughout his present campaign. His Oath of Office would become meaningless, just as Trump has already made clear by advocating torture and other cruel and unusual punishments a lot worse than waterboarding, to use his own wording.

Many other indicators of this Trump for American Fuhrer campaign have already surfaced. There is, for example, the violence at campaign rallies which is actively encouraged by Trump, who even promises legal assistance to any supporters arrested for beating up demonstrators. There is the hatred Trump and some supporters express for undocumented immigrants, Moslems, Mexicans, gays, liberals, Democrats in general, and President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in particular. There is the jingoistic ranting and raving about making America great again and the full endorsement of American might as our right. And there is the unabashed endorsement of America s absolute right to world domination.

America, and the world, do not need a new Fuhrer; Americans must reject Donald Trump & his campaign of hate, demagoguery, and bigotry, decisively -- and the sooner, the better.
Forty-seven years ago I bailed out of a Medieval English Literature class just in time and took a Modern Satire class instead. I knew I'd get an easy "A" because how hard could it be? Read a couple of books, answer questions about the books I'd just read, and then I'd maintain a high grade average. Guys that didn't keep their grades up were destined to become soldiers instead of students. Without a high enough grade-point average it could get pretty drafty going to college in those days.

The assigned reading list was fairly long. I can only remember two of the books from the stack I brought back from the bookstore because they changed my life. To be more precise they changed the way my brain worked. They were The Magic Christian by Terry Southern, and God Bless You Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut. Both books are about money.

The Magic Christian was published in 1959 but it could have been written during any time in human history because people have always made fools of themselves for money. God Bless You Mr. Rosewater is a uniquely American story because it points out with laser-like precision how fortunes were originally made in the U.S. by psychopathic opportunists, and then maintained by cadres of sociopathic lawyers.

The problem with writing about satire or comedy is that it's a losing proposition. As Mark Twain wrote, "Explaining humor is a lot like dissecting a frog, you learn a lot in the process, but in the end you kill it."

To say The Magic Christian is about how people humiliate themselves for money and everybody has their price, or that God Bless You Mr. Rosewater is about the inherent evil of income equality, is essentially draining the life out of the books and pumping them full of formaldehyde. But here we all are in the American Spring of 2016 and I thought it was time to revisit God Bless You Mr. Rosewater. Because the United States -- again -- seems doomed to elect as its president a billionaire, or a multimillionaire, both of whom do not give a flying f*ck about what happens to 99% of the people. As Lee Camp said after the New York primary, "Plutocracy is kicking ass!"

I'm not going to explain anything Vonnegut wrote. I'm going to copy and paste his words to try to keep the bloodletting to a minimum.

(Eliot Rosewater writing to his inheritors about the history of the Rosewaters)

"Thus did a handful of rapacious citizens come to control all that was worth controlling in America. Thus was the savage and stupid and entirely inappropriate and unnecessary and humorless American class system created. Honest, industrious, peaceful citizens were classed as bloodsuckers, if they asked to be paid a living wage. And they saw that praise was reserved henceforth for those who devised means of getting paid enormously for committing crimes against which no laws had been passed. Thus the American dream turned belly up, turned green, bobbed to the scummy surface of cupidity unlimited, filled with gas, went bang in the noonday sun.

"Samuel became even more interested in politics than his father had been, served the Republican Party tirelessly as a kingmaker, caused that party to nominate men who would whirl like dervishes, bawl fluent Babylonian, and order the militia to fire into crowds whenever a poor man seemed on the point of suggesting that he and a Rosewater were equal in the eyes of the law.

"And Samuel bought newspapers, and preachers, too. He gave them this simple lesson to teach, and they taught it well: Anybody who thought that the United States of America was supposed to be a Utopia was a piggy, lazy, God-damned fool. Samuel thundered that no American factory hand was worth more than eighty cents a day. And yet he could be thankful for the opportunity to pay a hundred thousand dollars or more for a painting by an Italian three centuries dead. And he capped this insult by giving paintings to museums for the spiritual elevation of the poor. The museums were closed on Sundays."

(Eliot Rosewater on the military)

"You know, I think the main purpose of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps is to get poor Americans into clean, pressed, unpatched clothes, so rich Americans can stand to look at them."

(Eliot Rosewater speaking with his father)

"The least a government could do, it seems to me, is to divide things up fairly among the babies. Life is hard enough, without people having to worry themselves sick about money, too. There's plenty for everybody in this country, if we'll only share more.

"And just what do you think that would do to incentive?

"You mean fright about not getting enough to eat, about not being able to pay the doctor, about not being able to give your family nice clothes, a safe, cheerful, comfortable place to live, a decent education, and a few good times? You mean shame about not knowing where the Money River is?
Completely obliterating critics of the nation's only Public Bank, the Bank of North Dakota (BND) achieved its 12th year of record profits. Summarizing this accomplishment, the BND writes :



In its 2015 Annual Report, Bank of North Dakota (BND) reported its 12th consecutive year of record profits, with $130.7 million in net earnings. Total assets increased from $7.2 billion in 2014 to $7.4 billion in 2015. BND ended the year with capital of $749 million. The state's return on its investment at the Bank was a healthy 18.1 percent.

A Return On Investment (ROI) of 18.1% - without risky derivatives, out-of-state/out-of-country investments, securitization to naive 3rd parties - is something the Too Big To Fail banks can only dream of. And the BND has been getting returns like this for years, well before the post-2005 period when fracking began to push natural gas production to record levels in the state.



But still, many critics - on both the Right and Left, were skeptical of this deep Red State's bank with socialist roots in the now defunct Non-Partisan League , from its founding in 1919. Even when the bank celebrated nearly 100 years without a major scandal, while the major American banks were, and are, racking up billions of fines , year-after-year, some people and the mainstream media thought it was an anomaly, or a fluke of low population (North Dakota's population as of 2015 is: 756,927 , making it the 47th state by population. Other oil-rich states Alaska, ranked 48th and Wyoming, ranked 50th, have about double the rate of unemployment and lower rates of growth).







The Bank's lending portfolio grew by $486 million 2015, a 12.7 percent increase. The loan portfolio experienced growth in all four areas: agriculture, business, residential and student loans.

In 2012, the National Council of State Legislators (NCSL) counted 20 bills in 15 states to create a State-owned Public Bank. Since then, other states, cities, and even some moderate-sized towns, have pursued the creation of Public Banks. The current author has been a member of the Public Banking Institute (PBI) as the New York State Coordinator since 2010, and has helped in efforts to create Public Banks in New York (including multiple presentations on Public Banking and related reforms), Pennsylvania , Arizona, Vermont, New Jersey and several cities and counties in New Jersey, Florida (at the request of a third party candidate for Governor), California, California cites such as Oakland (where a major effort was made to put together a spreadsheet and future article detailing how ANY state or municipality can create a Public Bank, currently under review by the PBI's banking advisors).

Public Banks are neither Right-wing nor Left-wing political solutions, they are just People Solutions that work.




There is no need to rationalize the subsequent decision -- cancellation of e-visas. In fact this is to be expected. Pushing ahead with these visas and hosting Isa-Lu-Ra in Dharamshala is no more than an academic exercise after the long overdue demonstration of India's assertion that it is second to none when national interests are involved.

By no stretch of imagination, India can lend the dissident Chinese much help in breaking out of the tyranny under which they live but at least it can provide an opportunity for their voices to be heard. It need not be interpreted as interference in the affairs of a sovereign country, least of all by India, which has been tolerating regular dialogues between known Kashmiri separatists and Pakistan on its very soil.

Frankly, this is not how the critics of Modi government see the visa-no visa episode. Frequent volte face on issues relating to China--and Pakistan--make the country look weak, they aver.

This line got traction because two senior ministers, the external affairs minister and the defense minister, and the National Security Advisor had met their Chinese counterparts in recent days. All the three are said to advocate a tit-for-tat policy in dealing with unfriendly neighbors.

Were they chastened by some plain speaking by the Chinese leaders who want India to be a passive listener to their homilies? Was that the reason behind the change in the Indian stand on the visa issue? Answers to these questions were provided by the Chinese themselves, who are reconciling to India flexing muscles.

Welcoming India's roll back of Isa-Lu-Ra visas, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said: "We encourage all parties related to the listing matter of Masood Azhar to have direct communication and work out a solution through serious consultations. China is willing to continue with its communication with all the relevant parties."

It is essential to remember that the Dalai Lama is to be the star speaker at the Dharmashala conference. He has been a big thorn in the Chinese flesh. In fact for the Chinese, the Dalai Lama is a 'terrorist'; the world disagrees with China. The Chinese have no qualms in rejecting the terrorist label on Pakistanis like Masood Azhar and Hafeez Sayeed, who enjoy freedom to move around the Army dominated Pakistan. But in democratic India, the Dalai Lama has to put up with subtle and not so subtle restrictions on his movement.

The argument that India was obliged to arrest Isa on arrival, as demanded by the Chinese, begs a question: How did Isa, described as 'terrorist' by the Chinese, manage to visit countries like the US and Japan despite the so-called red corner Interpol notice against him?

Some sections of the Indian media assert that doing something like inviting Isa to a conference on China in India would encourage China to revive its interest in insurgency in India's North-east. Such argument ignores the reality that the Chinese had backed Indian insurgents even when there were no Isas around.

Anyhow the Chinese will use that option whenever they want, whether or not India allows any Chinese dissident to visit India. The only way to pacify the Chinese is to hand them over the Indian territories they claim as their own. As long as that is not done they will continue to create trouble for India--mostly by using their proxy, Pakistan, or even alone.

China's economy may have lost the momentum that propelled it to great heights, but it has not given up its arrogance and aggressive designs on almost all its neighbors on land and sea. The Chinese 'soft' power rests only on its coffers. That too may not be entirely right because China is not popular in many of the countries where it rushes with its deep pockets.

Some Sinologists base their contention that India should not do or say anything that displeases the Chinese on two factors. One, India as the weaker of the two parties should take all Chinese acts of provocation, including border incursions, on its chin and move on as though nothing has happened. Two, India holds no aces up its sleeves to trump any Chinese move against India.

It is hard to imagine that India holds no aces vis-a-vis China"or, for that matter, Pakistan. Certainly, no Indian will recommend a war with China or any other country. But there are diplomatic and non-aggressive ways of sending a strong message to intransigent nations: India does not have unlimited patience.

This is what La'ffaire Isa-Lu-Ra is all about. (Concluded)




As May Jeong documented in a richly reported story for The Intercept yesterday, the Afghan government -- rather than denying that the hospital was targeted -- instead repeatedly claimed that doing so was justified; moreover, they were sympathetic to calls for an independent investigation, which the U.S. blocked. What is beyond dispute, as Jeong wrote, is that the "211 shells that were fired ... were felt by the 42 men, women, and children who were killed." MSF insisted the bombing was "deliberate," and ample evidence supports that charge.

Despite all this, the U.S. military is about to release a report that, so predictably, exonerates itself from all guilt; it was, of course, all just a terribly tragic mistake. Worse, reports The Los Angeles Times' W.J. Hennigan, "no one will face criminal charges." Instead, this is the "justice" being meted out to those responsible:

Click Here to Read Whole Article
Washington: Despite repeated request, Pakistan has not given any assurance on the release of the jailed Pakistani doctor who helped CIA agents hunt Osama bin Laden, a senior American official has said.

"We believe he's been unjustly prisoned, and we have clearly and repeatedly communicated our position to Pakistan on the Shakil Afridi case, both in public and private, our opposition to his imprisonment," State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner told reporters on Friday.

"We continue to raise this issue at the highest levels in any discussion we have with the Pakistani leadership. The Pakistani government has assured us that Dr Afridi is being treated humanely and is in good health, but we believe he's being unjustly imprisoned," he said.

Pakistan has given no commitment on the release of Afridi, who was jailed in 2012 for 33 years for running a fake vaccination campaign believed to have helped the US intelligence agency track down bin Laden in Abbottabad in May 2011. That sentence was overturned in 2013 and the doctor is now in jail awaiting a new trial.

"We don't have any kind of firm commitment. Again, we don't have any firm commitment about his release or any firm details about his possible release. But we continue to press his case," Toner said.


Bernie Sanders - Caricature (Painting)

(Image by DonkeyHotey) Details DMCA



Reprinted from www.huffingtonpost.com

Senator Bernie Sanders has come a long way without other people's advice. The progressive lone ranger is now leading in the polls nationally as the preferred candidate to defeat Donald Trump -- ahead of Hillary in that matchup.

Now, however, Bernie Sanders is facing the verdict of closed primaries in many states which bar independent voters from voting for any of the Democratic or Republican candidates. Pointedly, Senator Sanders won only one of the five states with primaries on April 26, 2016: Rhode Island. Why? Because that state has an open primary allowing independent voters, heavily pro-Sanders, to carry him to victory.

Had the other closed primary states -- Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut and earlier New York -- held open primaries, he would likely have defeated Hillary Clinton as Obama defeated Hillary in 2008. Sanders would also have the possibility of changing the minds of many permanent superdelegates.

Chalk up another blockage of the people's will to the state laws obstructing the rights of voters and insurgent candidates. Twenty states have open primaries, presumably to increase voter choice and turnout, and to justify having taxpayers pay for the primaries of private political parties.

Now, Bernie Sanders has some agonizing choices to make as a trustee for millions of voters, especially young voters, who rallied to his and their agenda for a more just society. He has pledged to support the Democratic Party nominee for president which is likely to be Hillary Clinton, barring the revelation of old scandals or the release of secret transcripts of her speeches to closed-door business conferences that paid her $5000 a minute!

When he goes to the Democratic Convention this July in Philadelphia, he will undoubtedly want to reform the Party platform and expel the influence of un-elected superdelegates, such as members of Congress, and Party leaders, who wield voting powers without receiving any primary votes. The superdelegates scheme was cooked up to avoid "weak candidates" or any bottom-up "revolts" against the Party establishment and their ever-present consultants. He will lose this demand.

The Sanders contingent will want to have their proposals for a $15 minimum wage, tuition-free public colleges and universal health insurance (single payer) adopted in the Party platform. These and other highly popular Sanders reforms, including a Wall Street speculation tax, will be strenuously opposed by the business-as-usual delegates. Party regulars don't want a "political revolution" or a bold progressive in their platform.

Sanders will not get far on the platform, much less tying any words on reform to promises by Hillary Clinton to send implementing legislation to Congress. The Clintonites will try to assuage Sanders with a prime-time speech to the Convention. Do you remember any former prime time speeches?

Thus, the Sanders movement is confronted with utter dissipation and disappointment at the Convention, where the victorious vanquish the runner-ups with arms locked and hands raised high on the convention stage. Following this display of party unity, the vanquished are expected to retire to the shadows and take their orders for forthcoming full-throated campaigning for the nominee.

This falling off the cliff must be resisted by Sanders or he risks large-scale withdrawal, disappointment and cynicism by the supporters of his scandal-free candidacy with the resounding message against the "billionaire class". The question is how?

Here is my suggestion. The Sanders movement should organize a massive demonstration in August or September on the Mall in Washington, DC, preceded and followed by a series of mobilizing workshops on his campaign redirections and reforms to advance our country. The rally would champion the issues that the major parties should take heed of and run on, since many of them have left/right support.

The rally should pass the buckets to raise donations for establishing immediately an office in Washington to press forward with the event's momentum but not specifically endorse any of the two major party candidates.

Then, regional rallies and workshops around our country could lead to the creation of a political force with specific agendas which candidates for all offices - local, state and federal - may wish to adopt.

Clearly the two parties, imprisoned by corporatism, corporate cash and the war machine and laced with exclusionary electoral practices and rules that entrench their status quo, bring out the worst from our nation. These parties have to be taken over by energies of fair play for people or replaced with viable third parties.

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We are now advised that 250 more American troops are being sent to Syria solely to "advise and assist" the Syrian "people." Translated from propaganda, this means that our military forces in Syria will be increased to a total of.... well, who really knows, and not to include in-country CIA and armed American "contract employees," or the raiding air crews from carriers and nearby land bases. Nor can we be certain which side of the several shooting and gassing each other will our advisers and assisters be "helping."

Seems to me we've heard this song before. Korea comes to mind, and especially Viet Nam, from where 60,000 of our ultimate force in excess of half-a-million "advisers and assistants" were sent back home in wooden crates before we retreated to leave that land to its natives and their conquering masters.

But Syria now becomes only the most recent of our assistance programs in another hemisphere and two seas from our beaches. As a matter of fact a former Secretary of State (putatively our chief Peace Officer) left a trail of destruction and slaughter in her trouser footfalls across North Africa and the Middle East in her endeavors to "advise and assist" the native peoples. And she now campaigns to be our President, i.e. the Commander-in-Chief-of-All-Advisers-and-Assisters.

Can you tell us why do we send our sons -- oops -- and now also our daughters off on these slaughterous missions? What do we get other than possibly a note from a clerk with the authority to use a presidential rubber "regrets" stamp? Someone must be getting some reward for all this. Do you think it could possibly be the moguls and the investors in the weapons, materiel and service businesses attendant to war? Or the politicos whose elections are greased by weapons folks?

Do you suppose it's time for us mere citizens who actually pay for all this and who surrender our sons and daughters to it -- to start thinking about this? Admitting, and then doing something to stop the ignoble, inhumane, beastly practice of slaughter under the banner of advising and assisting?

This writer, this nine-year vet thinks so.




Reprinted from The Hill

Not content with a recent Gallup poll that found 70 percent of female voters give him a thumbs-down, Donald Trump said Tuesday night that if Hillary Clinton were a man, she would win only 5 percent of the vote.

When the New York billionaire supported Clinton for the Senate, and when he later offered high praise for her work there, he did not say that if she were a man she would not be the great senator he applauded. When he praised Clinton as secretary of State, as recently as 2012, he did not say that if she were a man she would not have done the outstanding job at Foggy Bottom that he applauded.

Give Trump credit for one thing: While the presidential contender now says he has abandoned his long-term support for single-payer healthcare and claims that in his decades of praise for Bill and Hillary Clinton he was bearing false witness, he stands firm in his condescending and often hostile views of women.



To demonstrate that discrimination against women is ongoing, we might ask: how many votes would Trump receive in his campaign of bellowing insults and self-indulgent braggadocio if he were a woman?

During the first GOP primary debate, Fox News host Megyn Kelly fairly asked Trump why he has referred to various women as "fat pigs," "dogs" "slobs" and "disgusting animals" and asked about the time on his reality television show when he told a female contestant that it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees.

Trump's response to Kelly was revealing. When he wasn't retweeting with approval the words of Benito Mussolini he was retweeting with approval the sexist suggestion that Kelly is a "bimbo." He then pursued a juvenile, months-long vendetta against her that can fairly be described as a form of internet stalking, behavior more appropriate for analysis by psychiatrists than presidential historians.

Soon Fox News will broadcast a new Trump interview with Kelly. In that war against that woman, the woman is winning. It will not be the last time. Perhaps Trump will someday apologize to Carly Fiorina for insulting her face, in another misogynist moment!

On bread and butter matters, Trump believes that female workers are overpaid. While Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders champion pay equity for women and a higher minimum wage, Trump has said -- in a comment that will be a high point in the general election debates this fall -- that American workers are overpaid. It offers no solace to women that his war against higher wages for female workers punishes male workers as well.

Trump recently said that women who have abortions, if they were made illegal, should be punished for them. His politically motivated retraction of that comment offers no solace to women who fear what he would do as president.

And his latest sexist insult against Clinton will not improve his 70 percent negative rating with women.

In his family life, Trump has been a good father, who has raised excellent sons and daughters equally well. I have defended Melania Trump and Heidi Cruz against insults offered during the campaign.

The Republicans' problem is that Trump describes politics as war, and an abnormal number of his war-like insults over the years have been targeted against women, including a Fox News host, a GOP candidate for president and the wife of a GOP opponent.

If Trump is nominated, a number of prominent Republican women, along with Republican men, will announce their preference of Clinton over Trump.

Most likely the phone will someday ring in the Oval Office and Trump will say to President Hillary Clinton: "I always loved you, Hillary, and I need a little favor."
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A convicted sex offender who admitted to publicly masturbating in three cities over a three-month period, exposing himself to 15 women, was sentenced Friday to two years and six months in prison.

Michael Dick, 54, also must serve two years of post-prison supervision and re-register as a sex offender upon his release. He pleaded guilty in February in Clackamas County Circuit Court to five counts of public indecency for incidents that occurred in Boring, Estacada and Damascus between October 2014 and January 2015.

Prosecutors dropped seven other counts against him, which carried allegations of similar incidents that occurred in February 2015 and March 2015, as part of a plea deal.

Authorities say Dick donned a wig, ditched all of his clothes and repeatedly pulled up to unsuspecting women in his black 2004 Chevy S10 pickup to expose himself. Some of the women had been out on walks in their neighborhoods when they encountered the nude man, others were at their homes. The women were between the ages of 35 and 82.

Dick's criminal history includes two convictions in Multnomah County for other sex-related cases. He was found guilty of public indecency in August 2008 and was sentenced to one year and four months in prison for first-degree burglary and attempted first-degree sex abuse. In that case, he broke into a woman's home while naked and tried to attack her.

Dick, who has Parkinson's disease, arrived in court Friday with his wife, their daughter and two of his sisters-in-law. He used a walker to reach a seat in the gallery, but later walked on his own to join his attorney at a table before Judge Douglas Van Dyk.

Dick's actions had a profound effect on his victims, said Clackamas County Deputy District Attorney Lewis Burkhart. Many of them "no longer feel safe in areas that they believed were their safe havens."

"Judge, this defendant's name is almost like some kind of low-hanging, bad joke," Burkhart said. "It's important to realize that this isn't a joke."

Dick could have stopped at any point but didn't until he was arrested, the prosecutor said. A Clackamas County probation officer wrote in a report that he believed Dick was aware of what he was doing and tried to cover it up by altering his truck and his appearance to avoid being recognized.

Every time Dick completed some form of formal supervision, the probation officer wrote, he reverts back to "doing what gratified him." He recommended a five-year prison sentence.

But Burkhart pushed for a 10-year term, saying it was necessary to protect the community.

"The only way to deal with this defendant now is to lock him up because, quite frankly, once he's off supervision we should almost just set another court date knowing he's going to be back in here," Burkhart said.

"We've lost hope in him."

Defense attorney David Lesh asked the judge to sentence Dick to 21/2 years of probation on electronic home detention due to his mental capacity and deteriorating health. He said his client would be vulnerable to abuse as a disabled inmate and will cost more to incarcerate.

Lesh attributed his client's behavior to his Parkinson's medication, which caused him to develop impulse control disorder. The attorney said research shows that the medication, dopamine agonists, can also alter behavior in other ways, such as gambling and theft.

"To say it just doesn't matter is like someone who takes one of those sleep medications that causes you to sleepwalk and say you can control it," Lesh said. "But you can't."

Dick was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2001. He had no criminal history at the time. He began taking medication in 2005.

"People don't just develop sexual compulsions when they're in their mid-40s," Lesh said. He said the medication led to the impulse control issues that led to the burglary three years later.

While on post-prison supervision in the Multnomah County case, Dick was not allowed to drive. A doctor suggested he have a neurostimulator implanted in his brain when his condition began to affect his ability to walk. He also said the implant would allow Dick to wean off the medicine.

But after Dick got the surgery, he remained on the medicine, though at a lower dosage, Lesh said.

Lesh said his client accepts responsibility for what he did, feels "deeply ashamed" and apologetic.

"I believe if you sentence him to a lengthy period of home confinement, where he cannot leave except for medical appointments, you will be able to protect the public," Lesh said. "There's no reason why he has to be behind bars with this medical condition."

Van Dyk said that while there was "no question" that Dick's Parkinson's treatment contributed to his sexualized compulsive behavior, but the evidence also suggests premeditation.

Records show a number of the women were stalked by Dick and some reported that he appeared to be smiling during his encounter with them.

Dick was aware of the side effects of his medications for a long time, Van Dyk said, but allowed his condition to get out of control.

"Ultimately, the responsibility comes back to Mr. Dick," the judge said.

A past psychology report done for Dick flagged driving as a trigger to his impulsive behavior, but he decided to drive anyway. It appeared, the judge said, that Dick's actions were a conscious choice.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
Following pressure from state regulators and a request from The Oregonian/OregonLive, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency promised Friday to promptly release the results of air monitoring that discovered unhealthy levels of poisonous gas on Hayden Island.

Marianne Holsman, an agency spokeswoman, said a report about its air monitoring from November until January would be released Monday.

Holsman said toxicologists from her agency and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry had both reviewed the data.

"We do not expect serious health effects from the levels and duration of hydrogen sulfide detected to date," she said, "though those levels could cause short-term transient health effects and very unpleasant odors."

The agency has withheld basic details about the air testing such as how much hydrogen sulfide was found, saying information wouldn't be disclosed until a May 9 community meeting.

To date, federal officials have only acknowledged that hydrogen sulfide, a colorless gas that smells like rotten eggs, was discovered at levels high enough to cause reversible short-term health effects like headaches and shortness of breath.

Hayden Island residents have been complaining of those symptoms since last summer, saying they've been breathing pollution so thick they could taste it.

Peter Shepherd, interim director of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, had asked the federal agency to release the monitoring results after The Oregonian/OregonLive's inquiry Thursday.

The state was briefed on the testing March 25. State officials apparently didn't ask how much hydrogen sulfide had been found. But they got enough information to decide to launch their own monitoring program for the gas.

The environmental agencies are probing two nearby companies that recycle used oil: American Petroleum Environmental Services and the Oil Re-Refining Co. The companies face a May 2 deadline to provide key information.

The owners of the companies both said Friday they believed their operations were in compliance with air pollution rules and promised to fix any problems found.

"We don't think we're guilty," said Bill Briggs, president of Oil Re-Refining in North Portland. "We know we're not doing anything. But if we find something, we'll find a way to correct it."

Mike Mazza, president of nearby American Petroleum Environmental Services, offered a similar promise. He said he was awaiting approval from regulators to install catalytic converters on burners that consume diesel fuel to heat the used oil that's re-refined.

"We're working completely with DEQ and EPA with everything they're asking for," Mazza said. "If I can find a problem with what I'm doing, I'm going to fix it."

Meanwhile, the state released new results from its continued air monitoring of areas in North Portland and Southeast Portland around two glassmakers.

Those tests found average levels of hexavalent chromium continuing to persist in Southeast Portland's air in concentrations 3.5 times higher than the state's annual safety goal.

State regulators have not been able to identify the source. Bullseye Glass, the company at the center of recent air pollution concerns in southeast Portland, stopped using chromium in manufacturing in February.

The state said it believed Bullseye was the source of a new increase in airborne selenium.

However, selenium is not believed to cause cancer or increase cancer risks, the state said in a news release. The levels found were about 430 times lower than a state health official said could cause health problems like bronchitis.

The company began using increasing levels of it April 6, Brian Boling, the Department of Environmental Quality's lab director, said in the news release.

-- Rob Davis

rdavis@oregonian.com

503.294.7657
Most of the corsages and boutonnieres seen at high school proms were made with roses flown here from South America. Many of the flowers you see at weddings this year will be imports, too.

And with Mother's Day coming up on Sunday, May 8, stores are stocking up on the most popular cut flowers - roses, carnations and mums - for what has traditionally been the biggest single day in the U.S. to give a floral arrangement.

A handful of what mom will see and smell will be locally grown. Oregon florists and specialty retailers buy Pacific Northwest flowers in season. The Oregon Flower Growers Association, a collection of farmers who sell at the Portland Flower Market, is celebrating its 75th year. Doors to the flower market in North Portland open to floral professionals searching for fresh cut flowers starting at daybreak.

"There are a lot of flowers grown in Portland," says Sandra Laubenthal of Peterkort Roses near Hillsboro, who is also the president of the Oregon Flower Growers Association.

Her family has been growing and selling roses, lilies and orchids for almost a century. Today, they have 100,000 plants.

Still, it's estimated that for every two stems grown in the U.S., eight are imported from countries like Colombia, where inexpensive labor and water, 18,000 acres of greenhouses and year-long flower-friendly climates will send 700 million stems to the U.S. market this year.

Perishable, fragile flowers are grown, cut and packed each morning in Bogota and Medellin, once called "the most dangerous city in the world." The flowers are flown in dedicated jumbo jets 1,500 miles away to Miami each night, where refrigerated trucks deliver them to wholesalers and giant outlets like Costco, Trader Joe's and Fred Meyer.

The Colombian growers have been perfecting their production since the 1960s, when President John F. Kennedy asked for a way to combat communism in Latin America. With that, the federal government embraced the idea proposed by Colorado State University grad student David Cheever in his 1967 research paper that Colombia could become a global flower powerhouse.

Since then, Colombia's cut-flower business has bloomed into a $1 billion a year industry, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA report.

Now the second generation of flower farm owners, many equipped with MBAs from U.S. colleges, are introducing cutting-edge technologies to grow and ship stems more efficiently. Workers' benefits are improving as well at farms that are members of trade associations and programs that certify sustainable practices.

Jose Antonio Restrepo of Ayura farms has 87 acres of flowers on three properties in the Bogota savanna. His medium-size operation will send 9 million roses and 25 million carnations of all colors, shapes and petal edges to wholesalers this year.

From the start, Restrepo's family business model has been to cater to a U.S. audience. In addition to daily flights to Miami, he sends flowers to Atlanta, where FedEx delivers to wholesalers like giant Mayesh, which has a warehouse in the Portland Flower Market.

Restrepo ships 50 varieties of carnations and 30 kinds of roses under two brands, Eclipse and Pride. His crew works every day to fill standing orders and special requests, like antique green or lavender carnations with purple edges or terra cotta-colored roses with yellow accents.

One of the most requested flowers on Valentine's Day this year were white and hot pink roses, in addition to traditional red. For Mother's Day, wholesalers are asking for deep purple roses, according to Ayura sales manager Claudia Fuentes.

Orange, green and yellow were once colors reserved for fall, but now they're bought year round, she says.

About 80 percent of Restrepo's flowers end up in North America, with the rest sent to Japan and Europe.

Unlike shipping bags of hard, green coffee beans, flower farmers have to move their long-stemmed product from the greenhouse to consumers' hands in the fewest amount of days.

An elaborate system of greenhouse-adjacent coolers, refrigerated trucks, planes and customs inspection areas keep the "cold chain" unbroken, explains Restrepo, who earned a master's degree in business at Boston University.

When flowers open, stems are cut from the plant by hand and immediately hydrated with purified water to improve flower development and leaf quality. Water also prolongs the vase life and prevents bent-neck.

There are few desk jobs in this labor-intensive industry and scant machinery. Flowers are transported from greenhouses to warehouses in buckets or canvas slings attached to a pulley cable system.

It's hard work but slots are easy to fill.

As a member of the Association of Colombian Flower Exporters (Asocolflores) trade association and the Florverde Farms Program that certifies sustainable practices, Restrepo agrees to hire only adults and pay a minimum wage - 689,455 Colombian pesos a month or about $240 in today's exchange rate - as well as benefits such as funds to help cover medical, housing and education.

Some flower farms that employ Colombians displaced by drug violence are supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The majority of flower farmers in Colombia are members of strict, independent programs, according to Asocolflores. If you want to know where the flowers you see come from, just ask, says Laubenthal of Portland's Peterkort Roses.

U.S. wholesalers and retailers rely on surprise farm visits and audits by Florverde, Whole Trade, Rainforest Alliance, GLOBALG.A.P. and other organizations to ensure growers meet higher levels of farming and employee compensation.

Florverde growers are also prohibited from using banned chemicals as listed by the World Health Organization, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, European Union authorities, the Dirty Dozen and national laws.

The program also encourages the reduction of chemical products that pose dangers to people and the environment. Workers use such pest management approaches as vacuuming bugs from leafs, as seen in Ayura greenhouses.

Weeks before Mother's Day, Restrepo was walking through one of his post-production facilities filled with just-cut flowers destined to arrive in grocery stores.

Workers, stationed at specially designed tables, were inspecting and evaluating each flower and classifying them by type, weight and stem length. Music was pumped through speakers as bundles were slipped into see-through sleeves with the brand name printed on the outside along with the Florverde logo.

Most of Restrepo's workers are women. He sends buses to pick them up on workday mornings - some live two hours away - and they pay 20 cents for a subsidized meal served at the farm. "Otherwise, they don't eat," he says.

--Janet Eastman



jeastman@oregonian.com

503-799-8739

@janeteastman




The AC-130 crew, which had recently come under fire from a ground-to-air missile, had targeted the hospital by mistake, believing it to be a Taliban occupied building that was a quarter of a mile away. (Photo: AP)

Washington: US forces attacked a Doctors Without Borders hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz last year after a series of errors and will be disciplined, but they did not commit a war crime, their commander said.

General Joseph Votel said that on October 3, 2015, the crew of an AC-130 gunship had taken off earlier than planned without a list of protected sites and had been mistakenly guided to bombard the Kunduz trauma center.

The general, head of US Central Command, said that 12 of the personnel involved, commanders, flight crew and a special forces team on the ground had been suspended or removed from command and four others were reprimanded.

"The investigation concluded that certain personnel failed to comply with the rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict," he said, announcing the results of a lengthy probe into the strike, which killed at least 42 people.

"The investigation found that the incident resulted from a combination of human errors, process errors and equipment failures and that none of the personnel knew they were striking a hospital."

Votel said that a US special forces group accompanying Afghan forces had called for air support after four days of heavy fighting against the Taliban guerrillas who had overrun the northern city.

The AC-130 crew, which had recently come under fire from a ground-to-air missile, had targeted the hospital by mistake, believing it to be a Taliban occupied building that was a quarter of a mile away.

"Our forces did not receive fire from the trauma center during the incident nor did the investigation find that insurgents were using it as a base for operations," he said.

"Some insurgents were treated at the trauma center, but hospitals and patients are protected on the battlefield. The trauma center was a protected facility, but it was misidentified during this engagement."
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs made history Friday, breaking ground on Oregon's first tribal-owned marijuana cultivation operation in what one federal official called a model for the rest of Indian country.

The Warm Springs plan to finish construction on a 36,000-square-foot production greenhouse by the end of the year and expect to sell their own brand of marijuana on Oregon's recreational market by early 2017. Eventually, the tribes hope to open three stores away from their central Oregon reservation, where marijuana possession remains illegal.

Across the country, only a handful of tribes have entered the legal marijuana market, with mixed success. Legal troubles doomed tribal marijuana enterprises in the Midwest and California, while two tribes in Washington signed historic agreements last year to operate marijuana stores that have since opened.

The Warm Springs marijuana business is the first and only Native American-run venture of its kind. The tribes plan not only to grow pot, but to process it into concentrates and other products and eventually sell it at their own shops.

The tribes will build the greenhouse on about five acres of their 650,000-square-foot reservation, the largest in Oregon.

Stan Speaks, a regional director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, said the Warm Springs worked closely with federal advisers as well as Gov. Kate Brown's office as they planned their marijuana business.

Even though marijuana remains illegal under federal law, Speaks said federal officials hope the enterprise turns out to be the economic "kickstarter" the tribes need.

"They have been very careful and very cautious," Speaks said. "They are certainly going to be a model."

While the Oregon Liquor Control Commission oversees the recreational marijuana industry, the state won't regulate the tribal operation. The Warm Springs drafted their own rules and are in talks with Brown's office over how the system will work.

Among the issues that remain: whether Warm Springs will get a share of the tax revenue generated by sales at the stores they eventually plan to open.

Sampson said the tribes want to use some of those tax dollars to repay an $11 million loan they used to build a school in 2014, as well as to pay for other community services.

Ben Souede, general counsel for the governor, said state and tribal officials are devising an agreement that will allow the tribes "full access" to Oregon's marijuana market as "fair competitors."

To start, the Warm Springs are working with Sentinel Strainwise, a Colorado-based branding, management and consulting company that expects to raise the $4 million to $6 million in capital needed to get the greenhouse up and running. The company plans to turn the operation over to the tribes within five years, said Chris Hardiman, Sentinel Strainwise CEO.

Hardiman last year approached Don Sampson, CEO of Warm Springs Ventures, the tribes' economic development arm, with the proposal for a marijuana business. Warm Springs Ventures put the issue to tribal members, who turned out in record numbers during a December snowstorm to approve the plan in a 1,252 to 198 vote.

Tribal officials pitched the idea as a major economic engine for a community beset by poverty and unemployment.

According to the latest U.S. Census data for the tract that includes the Warm Springs reservation and some of the surrounding area, about 60 percent of people 16 and older don't work. About two-thirds of households receive food stamps. The median income for a family living on the reservation is $47,600 - 30 percent below the median income for Oregon families.

The tribes' mill, Warm Springs Forest Products, closed recently, delivering yet another economic blow and wiping out about 50 jobs. The tribal government remains a major employer.

The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are made up of the Wasco, Warm Springs and Paiute tribes. About 5,000 people make up the tribes; about 4,200 live on the reservation, tribal officials say.

They predict that the marijuana enterprise will create up to 50 greenhouse jobs at first and could generate an estimated $11 million for the tribes in the first year and $27 million by the fifth year in sales revenue.

Pay is expected to range from $12 an hour for entry-level workers to as much as $85,000 in annual salaries for managers.

Pi-Ta Pitt, a 36-year-old tribal member and Columbia University-trained economist, helped spearhead the Warm Springs project. He said the legal cannabis industry offers the tribes a rare chance to compete in a statewide market -- unlike tribal casinos, whose success depends largely on their proximity to population centers, he said.

"It has an advantage because it brings out the capabilities of the people," he said. "It's not geographically based. That's what is so exciting for me as an economist."

For Pitt, who grew up watching tribal members struggle with the effects of living in poverty, recreational marijuana offers a path to a better future.

"This is bigger than dollars and cents," he said. "This isn't a quick fix. This is about a group of people trying to find a way for people to educate, clothe and house themselves."

On Friday morning, dozens of tribal members made their way up a long gravel road, not far from the Deschutes River, to the site where the greenhouse will be built. Men gathered to sing a prayer song from the Seven Drum, also known as Washut, the traditional tribal religion of the Columbia Basin.

Tribal member Jefferson Greene then offered a prayer in Sahaptin Aka ichi'skin, the Warm Springs dialect. He followed with a prayer in English:

"Creator, we ask for your blessings upon our people," he said. "We thank you for the beautiful day. ... Help guide us in this beautiful life and continue to bless our people with goodness and happiness."

-- Noelle Crombie

503-276-7184; @noellecrombie
On the transformative issues of social justice, the gang at 225 Lafayette Street in Lower Manhattan was always ahead of the curve.

The 1955 Montgomery bus boycott?

Thirty-two months before that seminal event in the American Civil Rights movement, Al Feldstein and Joe Orlando produced "Judgment Day," a science-fiction parable about a segregated society in which the blue robots sit at the back of the bus.

The 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till?

Three years before the African-American teenager was beaten to death for speaking to a white woman in Mississippi, Wally Wood illustrated "The Guilty," a 7-page story in which an innocent black suspect is shot to death by a racist small-town sheriff.

And the 1954 hearing in which U.S. Army counsel Joe Welch famously demanded of Sen. Joseph McCarthy, "Have you no sense of decency, sir?"

Two years earlier, Bill Gaines published "The Patriots," wherein an anti-Communist mob kills a stoic spectator at a military parade because, blinded in the Korean War, he fails to salute a passing flag.

These prescient, provocative, controversial stories did not appear in the pages of The Atlantic, Esquire or The New Yorker.

They were delivered in electric, 10-cent jolts by EC Comics.

Shock SuspenStories 5

"The most aesthetically radical and politically daring comic-book company of the past 100 years," argues Ben Saunders, who heads the Comic Studies' program at the University of Oregon.

"This is a subversive strand of pop culture. And it's gorgeous, some of the finest artists ever to work in the medium."

Saunders is the curator for "Aliens, Monsters, and Madmen: The Art of EC Comics," which opens May 14 at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Eugene.

Although he planned the exhibition for years, he's still surprised by the power in these 60-year-old images and stories.

"This material is painfully relevant. Agonizingly relevant," Saunders says. "I wish the spectacle of racist cops shooting African-Americans in the back was part of the bad old days. But it's not.

"And if you told me in 2010, when I was putting this show together, that a pathological, narcissist billionaire would actually look like he was the nominee of choice for the Republican Party for the office of president, and that person would be encouraging racist violence at his rallies, I would have said that's never going to happen.

"The beating up of people who disagree with you at political rallies? I was naive enough to think America had outgrown that."

Before EC - Entertaining Comics - was boxed in by censorship, Congressional hearings and industry paranoia in the mid-50s, Bill Gaines and his fellow provocateurs were endlessly inspiring.

"To this day," underground cartoonist S. Clay Wilson wrote in 1986, "I've yet to meet any artist, writer, etc., of my generation who wasn't permanently influenced by EC Comics."

On exhibit in Eugene this spring are many of the reasons why.

The original art includes Frank Frazetta's cover to Weird-Science Fantasy #29, considered by many the most memorable illustration in the history of comics; several complete EC stories, including "Judgment Day"; and Johnny Craig's severed-head cover from Crime SuspenStories.

That's right, a severed head. Dangling from the fist of an ax-murderer. Asked by a Senate subcommittee if the carnage was in good taste, Gaines - who would publish MAD magazine for almost 40 years - assured his interrogators it was:

"I think it would be bad taste," Gaines argued, "if he were holding the head little higher so the neck would show with the blood dripping from it."

They took few prisoners at EC. They pushed the envelope on horror, satire, mayhem, artistic freedom, shock endings, even American romance.

The final panel from "Judgment Day"

"Marriage in the EC crime comics always means someone is going to get killed," Saunders notes. "Forget 'Leave it to Beaver.' It's 'Leave it to Cleaver.'"

But at their impassioned best, EC's artists and storytellers - Gaines, Feldstein and Harvey Kurtzman - also brought a razor-edged morality and sharp wit to the injustice they found when they returned home from World War II.

"In what is officially a children's medium," Saunders notes, "there are stories about the Ku Klux Klan, stories about corrupt law enforcement, the evils of McCarthyism, and anti-racism science-fiction parables.

"That complicates our understanding of what the 1950s were. The '60s don't erupt out of nowhere. What if the 1960s really began in 1952, with the publication of Shock SuspenStories and MAD?"

Because Gaines was the rare publisher who placed the original art in a warehouse, not a paper shredder, some of the most compelling evidence of that thesis will summer in Eugene.

And what is on display is not just the illustrative chops of Al Williamson, Wood and Frazetta but a pivotal moment in 20th century popular culture that Saunders ranks with Elvis Presley's arrival at Sun Studio and the Kennedy-Nixon debate.

The civil-rights struggle is "the historical narrative, the great burden of the American conscience, in the '50s and '60s," Saunders says, "and EC participated in that narrative."

With a verve and style that will, I hope, continue to inspire the cartoonists watching the carnage in this presidential campaign.

-- Steve Duin

stephen.b.duin@gmail.com
By David Ignatius

WADI MASHAR, Iraq -- From a sandbagged hilltop outpost here, you can see the front line of the Islamic State in the muddy brown houses of Al-Nasr, a village on the next ridgeline, about a mile and a half west. The Iraqi army was supposed to have captured this target a month ago. But the offensive was repelled.

The battle for Mosul, about 35 miles north, must begin with the seizure of such Islamic State positions along the Tigris River. But the Iraqi army isn't ready yet to take a small, well-fortified village like Al-Nasr. So it's hard to imagine that Mosul itself can be cleared by the end of the year, as the Obama administration has hoped.

The staging area for the Mosul battle is Makhmour, a few miles south of here. An Iraqi army division has set up its headquarters there, alongside Kurdish peshmerga fighters. U.S. combat advisers are in Makhmour, too, although they weren't visible Thursday.

"I have limited forces," cautions Maj. Gen. Najim Abed al-Jabouri, the Iraqi commander for the Mosul offensive. He now has about 5,000 troops, but he says he needs a force six times larger and an attack plan that hits Mosul from all sides. The recent political chaos in Baghdad has hurt army morale and made planning more difficult, he says. "We try to move toward the correct way, but the corruption in Iraq is very deep."

U.S. airpower helped the Iraqis capture the nearby village of Mahana this week. The Iraqis were able to walk in, virtually unopposed. "We are a team, always," says Jabouri of the growing U.S. forces in Iraq.

The "day after" in Mosul may be an even bigger problem than the assault itself. Gen. Najat Ali, the commander of Kurdish forces in Makhmour, says that a political agreement is needed now on governing the big, multiethnic city once the Islamic State is driven out. "We are afraid, after we liberate Mosul, how we will rule," he warns. He's dressed in the baggy trousers and tunic that are the traditional Kurdish uniform.

The Kurds are probably the toughest fighters in Iraq, and they've had the best success so far against the Islamic State. But they are desperately short of heavy weapons and ammunition, as I discovered during my brief visit to their front lines.

At the Kurdish hilltop observation post at Wadi Mashar, for example, Lt. Col. Taher Argushi says his forces are hit almost daily with rocket and mortar fire from Al-Nasr, and were attacked last year by mustard gas. But Kurds here have no heavy artillery or rockets, no chemical-weapons suits, and they lack enough ammunition to fire back regularly at the extremists.

Asked if the Kurds' partners in the Iraqi army are good fighters, Argushi answers that with the Iraqis' limited progress, despite having abundant weapons, ammunition and U.S. air support, "you must say 'not good.'"

"The Iraqi regular army, trust me, they are not in a position to do this alone," cautions Masrour Barzani, the national security adviser and intelligence chief for the Kurdistan Regional Government, speaking at his headquarters in Erbil. He said the Makhmour area must be cleared soon by the Iraqi army -- so that Mosul is surrounded from the south, as well as from the areas north, east and west of the city already captured by Kurdish forces.

Barzani worries about slow preparation, on both the military and political fronts: "We asked for a plan for taking Mosul. The Iraqi Army doesn't have a plan yet, or they're not sharing it with us."

While Kurdish forces are committed to the Mosul campaign, Barzani said they can't take the lead in Arab areas. He also stressed the future difficulty of governing a diverse city that has Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen; Sunni and Shiite Muslims; Christians and Yazidis. "There has to be a political agreement so that all the elements of Mosul will be happy and able to live there."

Some Iraqi officials talk hopefully of an uprising among the local population in Mosul to expel the Islamic State. "This is wishful thinking," said Barzani. He explained that Mosul's residents won't stick their necks out unless they are certain the offensive will succeed.

A dramatic sign of the Obama administration's stake in this fight came with Vice President Joe Biden's surprise visit to Baghdad Thursday. The attack on Mosul will be the decisive moment in this U.S.-backed campaign, but the evidence from the battlefront suggests that a successful assault is still many months away.

David Ignatius' email address is davidignatius@washpost.com.

(c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group
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In this Wednesday, April 27, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gives a thumbs up after giving a foreign policy speech at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington.

(The Associated Press)

By Charles Krauthammer

WASHINGTON -- Foreign policy does not determine American elections. Indeed, of all Western countries, we are the least interested in the subject. The reason is simple: We haven't had to be. Our instinctive isolationism derives from our geographic exceptionalism. As Bismarck once explained (it is said), the United States is the most fortunate of all Great Powers, bordered on two sides by weak neighbors and on the other two by fish.

Two world wars, nuclear missiles and international terrorism have disabused us of the illusion of safety-by-isolation. You wouldn't know it, though, from the Democratic presidential race where foreign policy has been treated as a nuisance, a distraction from such fundamental questions as whether $12 or $15 is the proper minimum wage.

On the Republican side, however, foreign policy has been the subject of furious debate. To which Donald Trump has contributed significantly, much of it off-the-cuff, contradictory and confused. Hence his foreign policy speech on Wednesday. It was meant to make him appear consistent, serious and presidential.

He did check off the required box -- delivering a "major address" to a serious foreign policy outfit, the Center for the National Interest (once known as the Nixon Center). As such, it fulfilled a political need.

As did its major theme, announced right at the top: America First. Classically populist and invariably popular, it is nonetheless quite fraught. On the one hand, it can be meaningless -- isn't every president trying to advance American interests? Surely Truman didn't enter the Korean War for the sake of Koreans, but from the conviction that intervention was essential for American security.

On the other hand, America First does have a history. In 1940, when Britain was fighting for its life and Churchill was begging for U.S. help, it was the name of the group most virulently opposed to U.S. intervention. It disbanded -- totally discredited -- four days after Pearl Harbor.

The irony is that while President Obama would never use the term, it is the underlying theme of his foreign policy -- which Trump constantly denounces as a series of disasters. Obama, like Trump, is animated by the view that we are overextended and overinvested abroad. "The nation that I'm most interested in building is our own," declared Obama in his December 2009 West Point address on Afghanistan.

This is also the theme of Bernie Sanders. No great surprise. Left and right isolationism have found common cause since the 1930s. Socialist Party leader Norman Thomas often shared the platform with Charles Lindbergh at America First rallies.

Both the left and right have a long history of advocating American retreat and retrenchment. The difference is that liberals want to come home because they think we are not good enough for the world. Conservatives want to wash their hands of the world because they think the world is not good enough for us.

For Obama, we are morally unworthy to act as world hegemon. Our hands are not clean. He's gone abroad confessing our various sins -- everything from the Iranian coup of 1953 to our unkind treatment of Castro's Cuba to the ultimate blot, Hiroshima, a penitential visit to which Obama is currently considering.

Trump would be rightly appalled by such a self-indicting trip. His foreign policy stems from a proud nationalism that believes that these recalcitrant tribes and nations are unworthy of American expenditures of blood and treasure.

This has been the underlying view of conservative isolationism from Lindbergh through Pat Buchanan through Rand Paul. It is not without its attractions. Trump's version, however, is inconsistent and often contradictory. After all, he pledged to bring stability to the Middle East. How do you do that without presence, risk and expenditures (financial and military)? He attacked Obama for letting Iran become a "great power." But doesn't resisting that automatically imply engagement?

More incoherent still is Trump's insistence on being unpredictable. An asset perhaps in real estate deals, but in a Hobbesian world American allies rely on American consistency, often as a matter of life or death. Yet Trump excoriated the Obama-Clinton foreign policy for losing the trust of our allies precisely because of its capriciousness. The tilt toward Iran. The red line in Syria. Canceling the East European missile defense. Abandoning Hosni Mubarak.

Trump's scripted, telepromptered speech was intended to finally clarify his foreign policy. It produced instead a jumble. The basic principle seems to be this: Continue the inexorable Obama-Clinton retreat, though for reasons of national self-interest, rather than of national self-doubt. And except when, with studied inconsistency, he decides otherwise.

Charles Krauthammer's email address is letterscharleskrauthammer.com.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post Writers Group
Wolves in Oregon: Ever since Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed House Bill 4040, Portland has been abuzz with displeasure for the now-susceptible wolf populations in Oregon. To add salt to the wound, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife killed four wolves in Wallowa County just weeks after House Bill 4040 was passed. These four wolves were killing livestock in Wallowa County and countless more elk and deer in the surrounding area.

I feel most people in Oregon are confused about wolves, in that they might have been on the endangered species list in Oregon; however, wolves are flourishing through the Rockies all the way to Alaska in record numbers. I strongly believe that people in Portland who have never seen -- and most likely will never see -- a wolf have no right to decide whether the wolf should stay in Oregon. Ask the farmers and citizens of Eastern Oregon how they feel about the wolf and they will tell people how unnecessary and illogical the reinstatement of wolves is in Oregon.

The wolves in Eastern Oregon are ruining our state's delicate ecosystems, and those who have been to that part of Oregon know it's one of the most beautiful places in the state and there is no need to flock the area with carnivores -- cold-blooded killers.

Ryan Carhart

Forest Grove
Monitors compiled the list dating back to the declaration of ISIS in June 2014, showing regular beheadings, shootings, stoning and other methods of murder such as throwing people off buildings and setting them on fire. (Representational Image)

London: The Islamic State militant group has executed over 4,000 people within two years, a UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said, calling on the UN to stop the crimes and violations committed against the Syrian people by the outfit.

Monitors compiled the list dating back to the declaration of ISIS in June 2014, showing regular beheadings, shootings, stoning and other methods of murder such as throwing people off buildings and setting them on fire.

The so-called offences of those executed included sodomy, apostasy and alcohol smuggling, SOHR notes. It concludes that by the end of the 22nd month of the so-called "caliphate" under ISIS, 4,144 people had been executed.

SOHR said civilians made up the bulk of those executed, estimated at 2,230 people, including in three large-scale massacres of Sunni and Kurdish citizens.

The civilians, including women and children, are among the number, as are hundreds of ISIS' own members and enemy fighters from Bashar al-Assad's army and opposition rebel groups, 'The Independent' reported.

"The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights call again on the UN Security Council to work seriously to stop the crimes and violations committed against the Syrian people by the 'Islamic State' and the regime of Bashar al-Assad," a spokesperson said.

In the month until March 29 this year, 80 killings were recorded in ISIS territory in the provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Al-Hasakah.

A child was among 37 Syrian civilians executed, while 24 ISIS members, six rebels and fighters and more than a dozen Syrian army and militia members were beheaded and shot, SOHR said.

A former London student who joined ISIS in Syria last year described the reign of terror they enforce in their strongholds in an interview with the newspaper.

"I witnessed stonings, beheadings, shootings, hands chopped off and many other things," said Harry Sarfo, currently in prison in Germany awaiting trial for terror offences after fleeing Syria last July.

He added: "I've seen child soldiers 13-year-old boys with explosive belts and Kalashnikovs. Some boys even driving cars and involved in executions."

"My worst memory is of the execution of six men shot in the head by Kalashnikovs. The chopping off of a man's hand and making him hold it with the other hand," he said.

"The Islamic State is not just un-Islamic, it is inhuman. A blood-related brother killed his own brother on suspicion of being a spy. They gave him the order to kill him. It is friends killing friends," he added.
At least six people died and more were injured and trapped under fallen buildings in air strikes on Friday on rebel-held areas. (Photo: AFP)

Beirut: Syria declared brief local truces near Damascus and in one province on Friday but made no mention of halting combat on the main battlefield in Aleppo, after a surge in fighting the United Nations said showed monstrous disregard for civilian lives.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said airstrikes and government shelling had killed at least 131 civilians, including 21 children, in rebel areas in the past week, while rebel shelling of government areas had killed 71 civilians including 13 children.

At least six people died and more were injured and trapped under fallen buildings in air strikes on Friday on rebel-held areas, the Observatory said.

The new regime of calm, to begin from 1am on Saturday, would last just one day in the capitals eastern Ghouta suburb and three days in the northern countryside of the coastal province of Latakia, the army said in a statement.

Both districts have seen intensified fighting in recent days. The statement made no mention, however, of the city of Aleppo, scene of the worst violence, which is divided between rebel-held and government areas. An airstrike on an Aleppo hospital killed at least 27 people this week.

Russian news agencies quoted an opposition figure saying the new truce would also apply to Aleppo, but there was no separate confirmation of this.

The Syrian military statement gave no details of the meaning of the term regime of calm, but Russias Interfax news agency quoted the officer in charge of a Russian ceasefire monitoring centre as saying it meant all military action would cease.
In February, the moderate-reformist bloc block won a majority of seats where there was a clear winner. (Photo: AP)

Tehran: Iranian state TV says that the moderate-reformist bloc has secured more than 20 more seats in parliamentary runoff elections, bringing the bloc closer to a majority in the next legislature.

State TV on Saturday announced winners for 45 of the remaining 68 seats being contested. Among them there are 23 moderate-reformist candidates who support President Hassan Rouhani and a nuclear deal the country reached with world powers last summer. The rest of the winners are divided between hard-liners and independent candidates. Final results are expected later on Saturday.

In February, the moderate-reformist bloc block won a majority of seats where there was a clear winner. Now the bloc needs to win 40 seats in the runoffs to control the 290-seat parliament, which begins work in late May.
Mid Michigan Voice of the Faithful, an area group of concerned Catholics, is conducting its first of two educational programs this year for all Catholics and interested persons in the community.

The program topic offered is in response to October surveys showing that the Saginaw Diocese has lost over 10,000 Catholics in the last five years. VOTF members believe this trend is unsustainable and the answers to this continuing challenge lie within those who have spirit-filled faith and focus to kindle positive change.
For the first time since its inception, the Clare-Gladwin Regional Education Service District is asking voters May 3 to approve one mill for 10 years to help the Career and Technical Education survive.

CTE meets a major demand in our schools, Beaverton Superintendent Susan Wooden. We cant afford it anymore out of the general fund.

Classes include automotive technology, heath occupations, education occupations, digital media, culinary arts criminal justice and construction trades.

Wooden said the district hasnt asked for funding for the program before, but the situation is dire.

Without funding, our classes in Beaverton are dead in the water, Wooden said.

If the Clare and Gladwin county voters approve the millage, Wooden said the district would like to offer other classes, including welding and agricultural science, which are in high-demand.

Out of the 54 Michigan CTE programs, Clare and Gladwin county students had the sixth highest percent of graduates, with 98.6 percent completing the program.

Theyre basically saying if you build it, we will come, Wooden said.

Someone owning a $50,000 house will pay $25 a year for 10 years.

CTE graduate Chris Buzzelli, studied culinary arts in Beaverton. After graduation from the program, Buzzelli later graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. He now attends college in New York.

Former Miss Beaverton, Haley Forbes, is also a CTE graduate and working part-time for The Dow Chemical Co. in emergency services and security, while attending college full-time. She studied criminal justice in CTE and said it allowed her to get a huge head start on her college career.

Wooden said she knows CTE changes lives because of how she sees students thrive in the classes.

I had one student say, I never felt smart until I took a CTE course, Wooden said.
Even though Rich Keenan will not be seeking a fifth term to the Midland County Board of Commissioners, he will not be leaving elected office. After serving on the board since 2008, the U.S. Air Force veteran will return to the township level with an unopposed run for supervisor of Mount Haley.

Like the military there comes a time when you just got to move on and do something different, Keenan said.

Current Mount Haley Supervisor Richard Dougherty has chosen to not seek reelection for supervisor but will be a candidate for trustee.

Keenans service at the township level began in 1991 as a Mount Haley trustee. He has also served on the township planning commission.

Keenan first won election as representative of the 4th District, in 2008, when he succeeded Jim Stamas, who moved on to Lansing as the representative of the 98th House District.

Two citizens have filed to run for the District 4 seat, which encompasses Ingersoll, Midland and Mount Haley townships along with the eastern edge of the City of Midland. Republican Gaye Terwillegar will face Democrat Eric Anders in the Nov. 8 general election. Republican Ken Mault had originally filed to run, but withdrew on Friday.

Jim Stamas asked if I would be interested in becoming a commissioner when he moved to Lansing. Ill give it a try. Like everybody else, I didnt know a lot about being a commissioner, Keenan said.

Citizen awareness of the county board has long been a concern for Keenan.

I talked to several people that sit around and talk about politics, like retirees. They dont have a clue, he said. Ive gone to the Tea Party and said, If you guys are so interested in changing Washington, what are you doing locally, if you dont even have anybody in local government?

Over the last eight years, Keenan stated he was a lot richer having worked with other board members such as Democrat Rose Marie McQuaid.

Their input when you talked to them was completely different, Keenan said. I sat next to Otis Wilson, he counseled me a little bit. I spent time with Howard Schoenherr. Hes a Democrat. When Otis left and Howard and Rose Marie left, the dynamics completely changed. It is not attractive. There is just no real feeling of high dedication.

Keenan originally ran as an opponent of larger government and never wavered from that belief. Board meetings would hear him raise his opposition to state requirements demanded from the county, especially when it came to helping citizens or receiving grants.

Not that Im against government, or against helping people, he said. There is too much government growth since Ive been here. Why does the government require a connection to county government to spend tax dollars? It just makes government larger. Russia has a pretty large government and I dont want to live there.

Possessing a discerning sense of humor, Keenan was never afraid to speak his mind when he disagreed with issues.

I think the board is going more into business development and I dont see that as a government job. If you have business people on the board and business development, then you have a serious conflict of interest. Neither one of them is wrong, but the two together is not a good fit. The government shouldnt be choosing helping one side and not the other side, Keenan said.

That included a lack of support for Midland Tomorrow.

We have put a lot of money into Midland Tomorrow, but I have yet to see any real production come out of it, he said. I dont think businesses move to Midland because of Midland Tomorrow. Plus, we have the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and millions and millions and millions goes into that. Why do we need our own economic development? Wouldnt we better off with more road patrol? Or corrections officers? Thats very troubling.
Kishida is paying an official visit to China, his first since assuming office over three years ago. It is also the first by a Japanese foreign minister in four-and-a-half years. (Photo: AP)

Beijing: Foreign Ministers of China and Japan held rare talks on Saturday to reduce mistrust between the second and the third-largest economies and improve relations strained by rival claims over a group of islands, with Beijing saying the ties should be based on cooperation not confrontation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his visiting Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida that China-Japan ties must be based on "respect for history, adherence to commitment, and on cooperation rather than confrontation."

Kishida is paying an official visit to China, his first since assuming office over three years ago. It is also the first by a Japanese foreign minister in four-and-a-half years.

High-level ties between the two countries have remained largely frozen since Japan nationalised a group of uninhabited East China Sea islands claimed by China in 2012. The move sparked deep anger in China. The uninhabited islands believed to be rich with oil and minerals are called Senkakus by Japan and Diaoyu by China.

The island dispute led to polarisation of sentiments in both the countries affecting their flourishing trade ties.

The maritime dispute has added to the bitterness generated by the Japanese invasion of China during World War II. But the ties have been thawing recently after meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

China, however, remains deeply suspicious of Japan, particularly of moves by Abe to allow Japanese military to fight overseas for the first time since World War II. China objected to Japan changing its pacifist constitution.

In his opening remarks, Wang said China and Japan are neighbours and stressed that China is willing to develop a healthy and stable relationship with Japan.

"We have recently seen the Japanese side repeatedly expressing its hope of improving the bilateral relationship. You have also shown your willingness to take the first step. If you come with sincerity, we welcome you," Wang said.

"We hope that your visit will play a positive role in actual improvement of China-Japan ties," he added.

According to Wang, China-Japan ties went through twists and turns in recent years, due to reasons best known to Japan.

Wang said he was ready to listen to Kishida on how to improve ties, and equally important is whether Japan will turn its words into deeds, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Wang expressed sympathy to Japan over the deadly earthquakes in mid-April. Kishida thanked Wang for expressions of condolence from China.
The Clare County Community Foundation and the Gladwin County Community Foundation have awarded a $15,000 shared grant to The Northern Michigan Mobile Child Advocacy Center.

The grant will be used for forensic interview training.
Saginaw Valley State University alumnus Joseph Fifer, president and CEO of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, will address graduates during Commencement exercises at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 6 and 11 a.m. Saturday, May 7.

The graduating class consists of 990 individuals expected to complete degree requirements who have indicated that they intend to don regalia and march in their respective ceremonies. In all, SVSU will welcome nearly 1,100 people to its alumni rolls, as 937 students are expected to complete bachelors degrees and 158 are expected to complete masters and advanced degrees.

Commencement exercises for graduates in the colleges of Business & Management and Health & Human Services will be held Friday evening. Students completing degrees in the colleges of Arts & Behavioral Sciences, Education, and Science, Engineering & Technology will take part in the ceremony scheduled for Saturday morning.

As is tradition, SVSU President Donald Bachand will congratulate each graduate in both ceremonies as he or she crosses the stage.

Fifer serves as president and CEO of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, a national organization with offices in suburban Chicago and Washington, D.C. He completed a bachelors degree in business administration at SVSU in 1982.

The association provides the resources healthcare organizations need to achieve sound fiscal health in order to provide excellent patient care. With more than 40,000 members, it is the nations leading membership organization of healthcare finance executives and leaders. Working with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, the association identifies gaps throughout the healthcare delivery system and bridges them through the establishment and sharing of knowledge and best practices.

Prior to assuming his current position in 2012, Fifer spent 11 years as vice president of hospital finance at Spectrum Health, in Grand Rapids. He also spent time with McLaren Health Care Corporation in Flint, as vice president of finance; and at Ingham Regional Medical Center in Lansing, as senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer. Fifer started his career with nine years at Ernst and Young, also in Michigan.

Fifer served as Chair of the Healthcare Financial Management Association Board of Directors in 2006-07. An association member since 1983, he also served as a chapter president and for two terms as a board member. A Fellow of HFMA and a CPA, Fifer is an active community volunteer and runner.
A newly formed nonprofit operating in Midland has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Midland County Youth Action Council.

Partners for a Cause focuses on improving community mental health and increasing animal rights awareness. The funds awarded by the Midland County Youth Action Council will help cover the operating costs involved in Partners for a Causes primary program, PAWSitive Helpers.

PAWSitive Helpers is a program that pairs hard-to-adopt dogs from Midland-area rescue organizations with youth from the Midland Juvenile Care Center and young parolees.

Angela Lijewski, clinical director of Partners for a Cause, created PAWSitive Helpers to provide education, social skills training, moral reasoning skills, empathy building and emotional regulation to the youth enrolled in the program.

The program runs in two different formats: a 10-week summer group and two six-week groups during the school year.

Each of these groups meet twice a week for two hours per session. The first hour involves learning about how to interact with the dogs, education about dog ownership, humane treatment of animals, body language, stress reduction techniques and skillful thinking. The dogs are brought in during the second hour and the youth work with a qualified dog trainer to train their assigned dogs in basic obedience to make them more attractive for adoption.

The program has been in existence since June 2014 and has served 28 youth and dogs, which have all have found their forever homes.

Using pre- and post-program data, youth benefit with a decrease in anxiety, depression, anger and disruptive behaviors.

During the period of adolescence, when many teenagers struggle with self-esteem, 83 percent of the participants from the most recent PAWSitive Helpers group indicated an increase in self-concept at the end of the six weeks.

We are thankful to the Youth Action Council for awarding us this grant. It provides us the opportunity to continue to run the program and help the youth and dogs in the community, Lijewski said. The participants all speak highly about the program and what they learn from working with the dogs and how they can apply it to their everyday lives. Its also great to see dogs that would have a difficult time getting adopted find their forever homes because of the work the youth do with them.

Partners for a Cause is hosting a fundraising dinner on May 21 to bring together interested community members to raise funds and educate the public about PAWSitive Helpers. For more information about the program or the fundraising dinner, visit www.pawsitivehelpers.com or contact Lijewski at (248) 854-1608 or Joseph Date at (989) 948-7010.

The Midland County Youth Action Council is a project of the Midland Area Community Foundation, and is made possible through the Council of Michigan Foundations and supported by a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
BURLINGAME, Calif. (AP)  Several hundred protesters opposing Donald Trump gathered Friday outside the hotel where he was scheduled to speak to Republicans, and some broke through a steel barricade and approached the venue's entrance.

Police in riot gear stood shoulder-to-shoulder to keep demonstrators back as they were pelted with eggs. The crowd chanted anti-Trump slogans in a rowdy scene reminiscent of protests that grew out of hand following a Trump rally in Southern California the night before.

On Friday, a man wearing a Trump campaign "Make America Great Again" red hat was struck while being jostled by a group of shouting protesters.

"It went gangbusters. They attacked me," said Chris Conway, a mortgage broker from San Mateo.

A dozen protesters linked arms to block the road in front of the hotel near San Francisco International Airport, but police had already closed it to traffic. Protesters also draped a large "Stop Hate" banner outside the hotel.

In Southern California, violent demonstrations led to 17 arrests as the Republican presidential contender brought his campaign to conservative Orange County on Thursday.

While Trump held a rally at a fairgrounds amphitheater, dozens waved anti-Trump signs outside in mostly peaceful protests and traded insults with masses of the candidate's supporters who had lined up to see him. Later in the evening, however, the protests swelled and grew rowdy and spilled into the streets.

One Trump supporter had his face bloodied in a scuffle as he tried to drive out of the arena. One man jumped on a police car, leaving its front and rear windows smashed and the top dented, and other protesters sprayed graffiti on a police car and the Pacific Amphitheatre's marquee.

Dozens of cars  including those of Trump supporters trying to leave  were stuck in the street as several hundred demonstrators blocked the road, waved Mexican flags and posed for selfies. Some protesters badgered Trump fans as they walked to their cars in the parking lot.

Police in riot gear and on horseback pushed the crowd back and away from the venue. There were no major injuries and police did not use any force.

Earlier in the evening, a half-dozen anti-Trump protesters taunted those waiting to get into the venue. Trump supporters surrounded one man who waved a Mexican flag and shouted "Build that wall! Build that wall!"  a reference to Trump's call to create a barrier between the United States and Mexico to stop illegal border crossings.

Seven shirtless women wearing Bernie Sanders stickers over their breasts entered the square outside the amphitheater. They said they were protesting Trump's lack of engagement on issues of gender equality and women's rights.

"I feel like he wants to make America great again, but certainly not for women, for the LBGTQ community or for the lower class," said one of the women, Tiernan Hebron, referencing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. "He has, like, done nothing to help with gender equality or women's rights or reproductive rights or anything."

Trump has drawn large crowds across the country, with some of his events marred by protests and scuffles. The Pacific Amphitheatre was filled to its capacity of about 8,000 and a couple thousand more were turned away, Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Mark Stichter said.

Earlier this week, a Trump rally in nearby Anaheim turned contentious when his supporters and protesters clashed, and several people were hit by pepper spray. Trump was not present.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect the amphitheater's capacity is about 8,000 not 18,000.

___

AP Political Writer Michael R. Blood contributed to this report.
Sometimes, you find your career. And sometimes, your career finds you.

Haley Forbes doesnt really know why she chose to study criminal justice for two years in the Clare-Gladwin Career & Technical Education program. But the 2014 Beaverton graduate is sure glad she did.

Today, shes a full-time college student and working in emergency services and security for The Dow Chemical Co. And shes drawing on her CTE experience in high school to maximize both opportunities.

In CTE, I can definitely say there were moments when I thought, Wow, this is what I want to do, Forbes said in a release. D.J. Newman, our instructor, told us on the first day that his job was to either push us away from Criminal Justice or pull us in. Due to his teaching and guidance, he pulled me in; I was intrigued after Chapter One.

Newmans instruction provided a potent mix of on-the-job training and lifes lessons; both appealed to Forbes.

The thing that I liked best was that he pushed me; I needed someone to push me, she said. I was a naive girl who thought that when someone tells you to do 30 pushups, it meant you really only had to do 10. But if Mr. Newman said to do 30 pushups, he meant do 40. Through all the reading between the lines that I did with Mr. Newman, I ultimately learned that the only person holding you back from being great is yourself.

Forbes also developed a deep appreciation for the men and women working in criminal justice.

The material I studied and the people I met really helped me decide I wanted to go into this field, she said. The women and men working in the field are a service to our community; they risk their lives every day, whether theyre corrections officers or road officers or judges or prosecutors. Theyre helping people who may not even want help.

This is a selfless line of work, and you do it for the lives you change every day, she added. Im not saying that other fields dont change peoples lives, but if you arent a police officer, you dont have much room to tell a police officer how to do the job.

Although she attended CTE as a high school junior and senior, the class often felt like the next level; it still does.

CTE helped prepare me for college, tremendously, she said. Actually, sitting here in college right now, I kind of feel like I am still in high school CTE because it feels exactly the same. It was like a family, and I loved how I got to meet new people from different schools - that also helped me with college, because it is a familiar situation.

Forbes has attacked college and work with the same zeal that earned her the Breaking Traditions Merit Award, given to students who surpass obstacles and stereotypes to achieve success in CTE programs by the Michigan Department of Education.

Im a female excelling in a male-dominant field, she said. This is very hard, to go above and beyond and be able to fight all the biased norms in criminal justice. But I did, and Ill keep breaking traditions because I believe that Im good enough.

Ive been in Dows co-op program for two years now, Forbes added. At work, our goal is to put everyones safety and security first. I work in the access management end of the department - working with foreign nationals, granting and controlling restricted access and patrolling the Midland site. Knowing that my job is important to the smooth operations of The Dow Chemical Co. is gratifying every day.

Its little surprise that Forbes believes in CTEs potential to help students determine career possibilities. She also believes in those life lessons shes picked up along the way.

Without CTE, I would most certainly not be where I am right now, and I know that for a fact, she said. Because of CTE, I got a huge head start in my college career. That program was the gateway to my future. If you want to know what college is going to be like, do CTE. Youll really regret taking your sweet ol time and putting things off in high school. Dont put on a front that you can handle the world when you dont even know whats out there. People are trying to help you. You can be your own self, but that doesnt mean you shouldnt take others wise advice.
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2016  Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced today a sexual assault retaliation prevention and response strategy, saying both sexual assault and retaliation against those who report it are attacks against the values of the military.

"Wherever sexual assault occurs -- whether it's on the front lines or here at home -- it not only undermines our values, it undercuts our ability to execute our mission, which is to protect our people and make a better world for our children," Carter said at a Pentagon ceremony today.

According to a statement released today by the DoD's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, the strategy includes standardizing the definitions of retaliation; improving data collection and analysis; building strong and supportive systems of investigation and accountability; providing comprehensive support to reporters; and creating a culture intolerant of retaliation. It also extends to first responders, including sexual assault response coordinators, and witnesses of sexual assault/harassment or retaliation.

The strategy aims to improve how the department supports service members who experience retaliation, while aligning prevention and response efforts across the services, Carter said.

"While there is much work that remains to be done to eliminate this overall scourge of sexual assault from our military, today we're taking an important step with the release of this strategy," he added.

Strategy Upholds Commitment to Survivors

Army Maj. Gen. Camille Nichols, the director of the SAPR Office, called the policy an important step forward.

Supporting those who make the difficult decision to report sexual assault or harassment not only upholds our commitment to them, but also influences others who may be considering whether to make a report, she said in the statement.

She said service members reporting sexual assault or sexual harassment should be able to do so without the fear of retaliation by their peers or leadership.

"Reporting the crime is the only way offenders can be identified and held appropriately accountable, Nichols said.

The new strategy provides a framework for strengthening support for those who experience retaliation in connection with reporting sexual assault or harassment and for clarifying the retaliation response process, Carter said at the ceremony.

The Defense Department must do everything it can to provide the proper protections and support for those who come forward, he added. "Honor and trust are the lifeblood of the profession of military arms. Every sexual assault is an attack on those values, so too are acts of retaliation against those who report these crimes," he said.

Improved Systems to Streamline Reporting

The Defense Digital Service is combining forces with the DoD SAPR Office to launch a project to improve the systems that underlie the reporting databases, Carter announced.

"This will allow for more streamlined, timely and accurate reporting," he said, noting it will reduce the burden on sexual assault response coordinators and investigators, allowing them to spend more time with survivors.

According to Carter, the project will help the department understand sexual assault data in a more meaningful way. That, he said, will ultimately lead to greater transparency with advocates and others.

Eliminating Retaliation, Removing Barriers

Allison Greene-Sands, deputy chief of staff of the SAPR Office, said the department took action because it is so egregious that a sexual assault survivor would face retaliation in addition to the trauma the person already suffered.

"The fear of retaliation can be a barrier to reporting any crime," Greene-Sands said, in an interview with DoD News.

The Defense Department learned from best practices in industry and the corporate world that removing barriers and having increased protections will help those who want to come forward and report a crime, she said.

Retaliation is a symptom of a poor command climate or a lack of professionalism, she said.

"When you have retaliation tolerated in a command climate that also coexists with the risk of sexual assault," Greene-Sands said.

Survivors or witnesses can report retaliation to their chain of command, or to a sexual assault response coordinator or other appropriate personnel, she said. They can also anonymously report retaliation at safehelpline.org, which will report the incident directly to the SAPR Office.

"At the end of the day, if these things are happening, then we have a readiness issue. We're not going to be able to respond to missions in the way that we're supposed to," she said.

The DoD conducted several data gathering efforts to capture sexual assault victim experience with retaliatory behavior in 2012 and 2014. Surveys indicated that well over half of military women who experienced a sexual assault and reported it to a DoD authority perceived some kind of retaliation. In May 2015, Carter directed the development of a departmentwide strategy to address retaliation.

The DoD SAPR Office can be found at SAPR.mil. The DoD Safe Helpline, safehelpline.org, can be reached 24/7, toll-free, at 877-995-5247.
CAMP ZAMA, Japan  Throughout its 108-year history, the U.S. Army Reserve has actively engaged with international communities, civilian organizations and local authorities to accomplish complex missions on land, air and sea. From liberated French towns on the Western Front to beleaguered Afghan villages engulfed in the War on Terror, U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers have coordinated with civic leaders to aid and protect citizens in their quest to restore peace, reestablish communication and rebuild infrastructure. Today, hundreds of Army Reserve Soldiers expertly trained in the art of civil affairs deploy in harms way to build mutually beneficial relationships with their military and civilian counterparts stationed throughout the world.

A series of productive engagements ranging from casual conversations to official conference calls paved the way for the U.S. Army Reserve to share its wealth of civil affairs knowledge, experience and resources with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). Beginning in May at Camp Zama, the U.S. Army Reserve Engagement Team-Japan (ARET-J) will host the first official Bilateral Civil Affairs Course on Japanese soil.

The JGSDF does not yet have a branch nor training program solely dedicated to civil affairs, said Army Capt. Wyatt Hughes, civil affairs planner, ARET-J. Our five-day course aims to introduce approximately 30 JGSDF personnel to the theories based on U.S. Army Civil Affairs doctrine and practices taught in the [Armys] Civil Affairs Qualification Course.

The emergence of the Bilateral Civil Affairs Course required meticulous planning and careful coordination among numerous units to include the JGSDF, ARET-J, U.S. Army Japan, 322nd Civil Affairs Brigade and the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School.

This collaboration among various talent pools from both countries will assure this course provides practical information that JGSDF and U.S. Army personnel can implement during natural disasters, humanitarian relief missions and other contingencies, said Hughes. Our combined effort will also enhance JGSDFs civil affairs capabilities as its forces expand their role as an international peacekeeping force.

As the first course of its kind, next months Bilateral Civil Affairs Course serves as a pilot for future courses and certifications.

The JGSDFs Ground Staff Office (GSO), Japans equivalent to the Department of the Army Headquarters, will closely review the course, said Hughes. If approved, the course may groom a comprehensive, civil affairs curriculum that will earn a place in the JGSDFs select list of official qualification courses.
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Members of the 8th Fighter Wing Wolf Pack at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, tested their tactical air combat capabilities alongside joint and bilateral partners in the region the last two weeks for Exercise Max Thunder 16, which wraps up today.

Exercise Max Thunder is part of a continuous exercise program to enhance interoperability between U.S. and ROK forces.

These exercises highlight the longstanding military partnership, commitment and enduring friendship between two nations, help to ensure security on the Korean Peninsula, and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to stability in the Northeast Asia region.

Max Thunder trains allied air forces to quickly generate overwhelming air power, under realistic conditions, that can defeat any threat to the Republic of Korea, said Lt. Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, 7th Air Force commander.

Approximately 3,400 U.S. personnel participated in Max Thunder 16 along with about 600 ROK service members. The exercise involved more than 100 aircraft from the peninsula and the Pacific region.

This is definitely the biggest exercise that we do in the course of the year for us as well as the ROKAF, Capt. Brady Augustin, 35th Fighter Squadron B-flight commander.

The exercise tested Kunsans ability to accept follow-on forces and operate alongside dissimilar aircraft in a high operations-tempo climate. An average of more than 130 sorties were launched per day during the exercise. Training focused on air-to-air and air-to-ground operations and tested allied air forces ability to quickly generate airpower at a moments notice.

U.S. military aircraft come to Korea from across the Pacific to participate in this exercise, making this a tremendous display of the capabilities the U.S. brings to this alliance, said O'Shaughnessy. Max Thunder helps strengthen and transform the U.S and Republic of Korea alliance, and the U.S. commitment to the defense of the Republic of Korea remains unwavering.
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2016  Defense Secretary Ash Carter today honored six individuals from across the military as sexual assault response coordinators of the year, saying they promoted a climate of trust in which sexual assault is not tolerated or ignored.

The six reinforced a culture of prevention, accountability, dignity and respect, Carter said at the Pentagon ceremony that honored the women. Carter also announced a sexual assault retaliation prevention strategy at the event.

"Wherever sexual assault occurs  whether it's on the frontlines or here at home  it not only undermines our values, it undercuts our ability to execute our mission, which is to protect our people and make a better world for our children," he said.

The sexual assault response coordinators, or SARCs, served as models in their response to sexual assault, he said.

"These six individuals [are] trailblazers. They know their part, they do their part, and theyre doing whatever it takes to fight against sexual assault in our military ranks," Carter said.

In a statement, Army Maj. Gen. Camille Nichols, the director of the DoD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, applauded the six for their outstanding contributions.

The 2016 exceptional SARCs deserve recognition for their professional abilities and service on the frontlines and for the quality care they provide for victims of sexual assault, she said. I am privileged to work with such dedicated and compassionate individuals who continue to strengthen the departments prevention and response efforts.

The awards are presented in conjunction with Aprils Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

SARCs Honored for Commitment

Army Sgt. 1st Class Raquel Mendoza at Fort Carson, Colorado, created a triage decision tree that ensured anyone standing guard was trained to properly handle sexual assault when it occurred, notify the responsible parties, assist in the preservation of evidence, and protect the rights of the survivor, Carter said.

The decision tree is so effective that it is being replicated throughout the Army, Carter said, adding that Mendoza also established an on-base mentorship program to help survivors, and raise awareness of sexual assault prevention.

Navy civilian Deborah Drucker, with Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut, helped to shift the expectations and perceived norms within the submarine community to integrate and welcome female crew members, Carter said.

"She also confronted the long-held stereotype that all survivors of sexual assault are female and all perpetrators are male," the secretary said. "She encouraged members of her community to consider male as well as female survivors, which is vital to changing environments and behaviors."

Marine Corps civilian Jacqueline Maxwell demonstrated extraordinary compassion for the survivors of sexual assault at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, and determination to improve how to teach personnel about sexual assault, Carter said.

Her efforts led to the first Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Proclamation of Support by unit and base commanders. "From the ground up, she inspired military leaders to commit to a total team effort to prevent sexual assault," Carter said.

Air Force Capt. Elizabeth Belleau ensured the men and women across AFRICOM had an advocate and the resources they needed across 15 geographically separated operating locations supporting over 7,000 service members.

"Through education, orientation and frequent outreach, she helped establish evacuation procedures to transport survivors from across the command to locations with certified providers of forensic exams," Carter said.

Army Master Sgt. Class Melinda Heikkinen traveled more than 3,000 miles as the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator for the Washington Army National Guard to advocate for survivors, he said, adding that she created a policy for victim care and response that enabled all restricted reporting cases to move to unrestricted reports.

"This policy encouraged a cultural shift allowing survivors to be comfortable to report assault and receive compassionate care," Carter said.

Coast Guard civilian Simone Hall at Coast Guard headquarters used cutting edge technology to ensure that 6,500 military and civilian employees with the Coast Guard had instant access to sexual assault prevention and response services.

"She is dedicated to establishing an environment within her service that promotes dignity and respect for every individual, with the ultimate goal of eliminating sexual assault," Carter said.
Tariq Fatemi, the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, responding to reports about the deadlock over the deal said that the "negotiations aren't over yet", reported BBC Radio. (Photo: AFP)

Islamabad: Pakistan is still negotiating with the US to purchase F-16 fighter jets despite difficulties in getting the USD 700 deal partially financed by American government, a top official said on Saturday.

The purchase hit snags after US Congress withheld 60 per cent of the aid earmarked for subsidising the deal opposed by some American lawmakers and India.

Tariq Fatemi, the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, responding to reports about the deadlock over the deal said that the "negotiations aren't over yet", reported BBC Radio.

He said Pakistan's mission in Washington is currently in talks with members of Congress to raise awareness of Islamabad's views on the matter.

"America understands how important a role these eight F-16s can play in the fight against terror, which is why the request was made in the first place."

According to the deal, Pakistan would have paid USD 270 million and the remaining USD 430 million was to come from the US.

"There is a strong opposition to provide subsidised arms to other countries in the US Congress, but the Obama administration's offer of military aid to Pakistan still stands," Fatemi told BBC Radio.

Those opposing the deal argue that these jets can be used against India in case of a war.
Question: While you are Googling any number of subjects, Google itself is naturally keeping track, too, so its data research can discover what interests us. Can you name the top 10 cities in Illinois for Google searches on the topic of "divorce" and/or "obtaining child support"?
Its certainly not uncommon for a machinery technician to save the day during harvest season, but it is rare for one to literally save a farmers life.
BLOOMINGTON  A judge dismissed a lawsuit Friday against a former Pontiac correctional officer who was accused of sexual misconduct with an inmate.

Inmate Michael Hearn made his arguments to Judge Rebecca Foley via a conference call set up in a courtroom at the McLean County Law and Justice Center. Hearn, transferred to a New Jersey prison since he filed the lawsuit, is serving a life sentence for a 2001 murder in Williamson County.

Hearn said his constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment were violated by Angela Creech's alleged demands for sex in October 2012 while he was held at Pontiac Correctional Center. The two later engaged in a consensual affair, according to Hearn's lawsuit.

Lawyer Kevin Sanborn argued that the 41-page lawsuit failed to state specific facts and was beyond the two-year statute of limitations for making legal claims against Creech, 39, of Chenoa, and Sonia Fehrenbacher, a woman with no connection to the prison and whose name Hearn may have learned through Facebook.

The inmate's claim against the former guard should be dismissed, said Sanborn, based upon Hearn's argument that Creech's alleged sexual advances were outside the scope of her duties as a correctional officer and, absent her role as a guard, no contact would have existed between the two.

Foley allowed Hearn to file an amended complaint against Creech, but barred any further claims against Fehrenbacher.

"I'm not prepared to say there are no claims at all to be pled," Foley said of Hearn's complaint.

Creech has pleaded guilty to felony official misconduct charges in Livingston County related to having improper communications with Hearn. Additional charges related to a gift Creech allegedly received from Hearn and obstruction of justice were dismissed in the plea agreement. A June 8 sentencing is set for Creech who is eligible for probation.

Among her reasons for dismissing the lawsuit, the judge said Hearn failed to state specifics of the alleged injuries he suffered. Civil cases based upon sexual assaults must contain supporting facts, Foley noted.

Foley denied a request from Sanborn to seal the court files for Creech and Fenhrenbach because the records contain allegations that the defense considers false and damaging to the women. If files containing embarrassing and salacious details were sealed, the public would be denied access to many records, said Foley.

An Aug. 5 hearing is set to review the status of the case.
BLOOMINGTON  A longtime Bloomington church whose attendance has tripled in the past three years has purchased land on Bloomington's far southeast side for a larger building.

Vale Church, 1304 Morrissey Drive, has acquired 30 acres at 3101 Ireland Grove Road for $900,000 from Jean Snyder, trustee, and Jack O. Snyder, said the Rev. Ted Max, Vale Church lead pastor. The property  on the south side of the road  is east of Hershey Road but west of The Links at Ireland Grove.

"I'm excited to see what God is doing with the church," Max told The Pantagraph on Friday. "It's the people that matter  not the building  but the building is a tool. I'm excited to have a better tool to reach more people."

Building plans have not been finalized as church leaders examine several options.

"We are looking at a $5 million to $9 million building of 30,000 to 40,000 square feet," Max said.

Details will be finalized after church leaders determine how much money they could get from selling the property at 1304 Morrissey Drive and raise in a capital campaign, Max said.

"I would hope to be in a new sanctuary in two years," he said.

The existing church building is 36,000 square feet, so a new building wouldn't be that much bigger.

The problem with the existing building  a renovated automotive dealership building  is the sanctuary and parking lot can't be expanded, Max said.

"The new building will have a larger sanctuary, a larger children's space and a larger gathering space," Max said. "It will be designed to meet our priorities."

Last month, Midwest Food Bank  which is near Vale Church  bought the church's south parking lot to provide space to park the food bank's semitrailers and food bank volunteers' vehicles.

Mike Hoffman, food bank senior operations manager, said at the time that, for the landlocked food bank, "long term, this gives us an option to build another building to use for storage and warehousing."

Vale Church has 1,650 congregants with an average Sunday attendance of 1,200 to 1,250, Max said. Just three years ago, average Sunday attendance was 300 to 400 people.

Max said the church has made a deliberate attempt to attract more 30-somethings with children but, in doing so, attracted a wide variety of new members.

"We have created a very welcoming environment for people to experience God," Max said.

The church was established in 1951 as the First Southern Baptist Church of Bloomington. It became Vale Street Baptist Church after it moved to Vale Street and Croxton Avenue.

It purchased and renovated the larger Morrissey Avenue location in 1989, Max said. The name was changed to Vale Community Church and then Vale Church even though it retains its Southern Baptist affiliation, he said.
"Suits" Season 6 will be dealing with the aftermath of Mike's guilty plea deal in an attempt to save Harvey, Donna, Louis, Rachel and Jessica. While the USA legal drama has been quite serious in its episodes last season, Gabriel Macht revealed that the show will shift to a more "playful" tone in Season 6.

This article contains spoilers. Read on if you want to learn more about this story.

"Suits" Season 6 is expected to bring back some of the show's comedic charms from its previous season. In an interview with Gabriel Macht, the actor told Wetpaint that there will be a balance between serious and playful tones in the upcoming season.

"Maybe we'll see these people smiling a little bit more or well see some more witty banter and more playful elements of the show," he said.

As seen in the latest season of "Suits," Mike (Patrick J. Adams) decided to enter a guilty plea deal in order to save his friends. Little did Mike realize that his actions would also affect the firm.

While "Suits" Season 5 had a serious tone to it after it was revealed that Mike was only posing as a lawyer, Macht promised that the show will be back to its comedic nature in Season 6. However, showrunner Aaron Korsh hinted that things will not exactly be the same when the show returns.

"Nothing is ever going to be the same again," said Korsh.

Korsh told The Hollywood Reporter in an earlier interview that Mike will remain behind bars for quite some time. He also said that "Suits" Season 6 will focus on Mike's journey in prison and dismissed claims that he will be a jailhouse lawyer.

"It's more about him surviving and then he has a turn. There are a few twists and turns," he added.

"Suits" Season 6 is expected to premiere in mid-June 2016 on USA Network.


People wondering how to check breast cancer end up on YouTube or somewhere else, but not on Facebook. The social media giant bans exposure of women's nipples on any video posted on the site. To arrest this problem, one organization found a workaround using man boobs.

Working Around Instagram & Facebook's Censorship

Argentinian Cancer Support Group MACMA found a loophole to Instagram and Facebook's ban of women's nipples, so that it can create a video that shows how to check breast cancer without facing censorship. The video posted on Facebook showed a step by step process on how to do a breast self-examination with the help of some man boobs.

Breast self-exam can help detect early signs of #breastcancer. If you feel a lump, make your doctor aware: https://t.co/KccpJDPfVq  LifeBridge Health (@LBHealth) March 29, 2016

Some commenters on Facebook said that the video might be for humor purposes. On the other hand, those who advocate women's rights were quick to slam the disparity by which women are treated over breast exposure.

Negative Comments

One Facebook user mentioned that this is the problem since men can walk freely in beaches without shirts on while women can't. So even if a breast self-examination video is a means to save women's lives, it is still being banned by social media sites like Facebook.

Other commenters tried slamming the makers of the video, saying that it was inaccurate. BreastCancer.org provided the series of steps women should take to check breast cancer.

It requires looking at the mirror and checking for lumps, discolorations, fluids and other irregularities. Another position also required women to lie down to check for signs of breast cancer.

Drive For Breast Cancer Awareness

Although there were those who said that the video was not a clear depiction of how to check breast cancer, many said that the message that MACMA was driving was simply "to check." The organization wants to raise awareness for breast cancer.

In fact, it isn't only women that should do the routine breast self-exam because men too can suffer from breast cancer, albeit in lesser numbers than women. What's important is that men and women realize the importance of breast self-examination. Knowing how to check for breast cancer can increase one's chance of surviving the dreaded disease.
Seoul, South Korea: Lockheed Martin and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) have signed a comprehensive teaming agreement to partner on the Multi-mission Combat Ship (MCS), which is based on a DSME hull design and intended for the corvette market.

DSMEs MCS hull design coupled with Lockheed Martins expertise in program and systems integration will allow the team to bring this capable ship to the international marketplace at an affordable price, said Joe North, vice president of Littoral Ships and Systems at Lockheed Martin Mission System and Training. Together, we bring not only the best experience, expertise and resources, but also the right dedication and focus to offer coalition navies a multi-mission corvette-sized ship designed to meet future threats.

This Teaming Agreement on MCS and strategic cooperation will not only provide our customers with high capability vessels on time, but also further facilitate our two companies joint efforts in exploring opportunities on a global scale, said Deog-Soo Kim, vice president and the head of the Naval & Special Ship Business Management Division at DSME. Moreover, the Korean government is pursuing New-Economic Growth Activation by Defense Industry as one of the state development agendas and this agreement is a good example of achieving the objective.

Both companies bring valuable experience and unique capabilities to the teaming arrangement. Lockheed Martin has a proven track record of developing and integrating complex systems into a wide variety of U.S. and international naval vessels. DSME is one of the worlds largest shipbuilders and has a rich history of producing highly capable naval vessels for the Republic of Korea and other international customers.

Lockheed Martin and DSME are continuing to explore additional business opportunities in the international naval market where integrated, multi-mission corvettes will play a vital role in coastal protection as well as regional operations.
The percentage of people affected with HIV/AIDS in Minnesota has spiked recently. The state has recorded a 24 percent increase in the infection rate among teenagers, minorities and drug users.

Minnesota Health Commissioner Dr. Ed Ehlinger said the high number of people infected with HIV/AIDS is concentrated in areas with low access to medical care and have low income rates, Star Tribune reported. The state found that there are many HIV/AIDS cases in the Twin Cities zone, a major metropolitan area that comprises Minnesota's largest cities -- Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

HIV/AIDS Stronger Among Homosexuals & Colored Communities

HIV/AIDS cases in the Twin Cities occur in communities where colored people live and where plenty of men have sexual relations with the same sex. Several Minnesotans with ages 20 to 29 are infected with HIV/AIDS in those certain areas. Meanwhile, drug users infected with HIV/AIDS have rose up to 86 percent in the state.

According to Ehlinger, these high numbers of carriers can be lessened if at risk Minnesotans are provided with services that tackle HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, treatment and care, Star Tribune listed. The spread of HIV/AIDS can be hampered through screenings and pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

PrEP is a pill named Truvada taken each day for people who do not have HIV/AIDS, but have high risks of acquiring it from others. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, the pill prevents the virus from having permanent effects in the body once a person comes in contact with another who has HIV/AIDS.

Aside from sexual intercourse, HIV/AIDS can spread through shared syringes and other injection materials with someone who is carrying the disease. Alcohol and drug use can also contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS because these substances decrease people's inhibitions and make them less careful about who they are interacting with.

HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs

There are plenty of programs that help people with HIV/AIDS fight their diseases. Among them are Dining Out For Life, an annual event in Houston, Texas that brings 40 local restaurants together to raise awareness and funding for the testing, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

According to Houston Press, proceeds of the charitable movement will all go to the AIDS Foundation Houston. Over 60 cities are also participating in the event, which brings around 3,000 restaurants and 300,000 individuals working together to raise over $4.2 million annually.

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program also provides services for people in the U.S. who don't have the financial means to battle their diseases, the Health Resources and Services Administration wrote. The program collaborates with cities, states and local community-based organizations.
Medecins Sans Frontieres, an international non-governmental charity, has petitioned pharmaceutical firm Pfizer to offer price cuts for the company's pneumonia vaccine for impoverished children in developing countries. The charitable group also pushed the same topic to the pneumonia vaccine owned by GlaxoSmithKline, or GSK.

Hundreds of thousands of signatures signed the petition made by Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF, which is also known as Doctors Without Borders, Reuters reported. Supporters of the petition urged the pharmaceutical giants to make the vaccines $5 per piece. Pfizer's vaccine, Prevenar 13, costs $10 for three dosages, while GlaxoSmithKline's Synflorix can be purchased for $9.

MSF spokesman Greg Elder said millions of infants and children globally suffer -- and sometimes die -- from pneumonia because of the vaccine's high prices set by Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline. Just recently, around 70 people marched to Pfizer's headquarters in New York City to protest the high price of pneumonia vaccines.

Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline Fire Back At Protesters

Pfizer said making Prevenar 13 is pricey and takes up plenty of time (almost three years), Reuters reported. GlaxoSmithKline's Synflorix, meanwhile, consumes lots of cash and the process to produce it is complicated.

Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline said they have plenty of stocks for their pneumonia vaccine, and has a cut-price through Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, or GAVI. Through a partnership with GAVI, discounted pneumonia vaccines are offered in 55 countries, the news outlet noted.

Francois Servranckx, spokesman for Doctors Without Borders, said almost 1 million children die from pneumonia annually, as per Yahoo! News. Fifteen percent of child deaths below 5 years old are attributed to pneumonia.

Pneumonia occurs not just among children, but also in adults, according to the American Lung Association. Some people, however, have higher risks of developing pneumonia than others.

This is especially for those who are cigarette smokers, people who recently acquired a viral respiratory infection and those who have a lung disease. People with cerebral palsy, diabetes and heart disease are also vulnerable to pneumonia.

Medecins Sans Frontieres' Efforts

In March 2016, MSF filed an opposition against Pfizer from patenting the Prevenar 13 in India. Impoverished nations and medical aids rely on India when it comes to manufacturing inexpensive and affordable versions of medications and vaccines, the Daily Star reported.

A patent for Prevenar 13 in India means companies that make the cheaper alternatives cannot operate anymore. MSF's patent opposition was the result of years spent attempting -- albeit unsuccessful -- to get Pfizer to cut the cost of pneumonia medicine in poor nations.
Other than affecting many students, the Harvard mumps outbreak may put the anticipated Harvard graduation ceremony at risk. Forty students contracted the viral disease in a span of two months and more students end up in isolation.

The Daily Mail said that the slated May 26 graduation ceremonies might push through if the number of students in isolation does not increase. With the current trend, however, a contrary situation confronts the Harvard community.

There Was Prior Vaccination

Reports have it that those who contracted the disease were vaccinated against mumps, sowing confusion to the public health department. A spokeswoman from the health department, who seemed perplexed at the situation, said that they don't know of any other mumps outbreak cases except those found in Harvard University.

Paul J. Barreira, director of health services at Harvard University, said he is deeply concerned over the situation. The gravity can seriously affect the holding of the May 26 commencement exercises. Students should not be able to infect one another, lest they would have to be in isolation.

There have now been 40 confirmed cases of mumps at #Harvard. https://t.co/gPVJYsENGF pic.twitter.com/1agjus0GPf  The Harvard Crimson (@thecrimson) April 26, 2016

Mumps Is Viral

According to CNN, mumps is a viral disease that cause swelling in the cheeks and salivary glands. Patients often suffer from jaw pain and ear ache when suffering from this condition. Fever, headache and muscle aches are also among the mumps symptoms.

Virus transmission can be airborne. One can contract the disease through respiratory droplets. Coming into contact with mucus or saliva of an infected person also exposes the person to the virus.

Although the university is doing its best to isolate infected persons, it seems that the number keeps on increasing. One thing that students can look forward to is that patients are known to recover.
Mammograms aren't exactly reliable for women with dense breasts looking to check if they have cancer. This is why experts developed the automated whole breast ultrasound, an apparatus which accurately screens dense breasts for cancer in just a matter of minutes.

For the automated whole breast ultrasound -- also called ABUS -- a probe would be used by a technician to pass over both breasts thrice, WTVM-TV explained. The ABUS utilizes sound waves to form 3D images and discover cancer lesions in only 15 minutes.

Breast imaging specialists use both the mammogram and the ABUS on women with dense breasts. When used together, both techniques can find cancers in women with dense breasts precisely. There are times when mammograms fail to detect tumors in dense breasts because they contain less fatty tissue and have more gland tissue.

ABUS Is Not For Everyone

ABUS screenings is priced around $200 to $350, and isn't available for anyone who wants to undergo the procedure. Women who don't have dense breasts will not be allowed to take an ABUS screening, given that the apparatus also detects false positives and benign tumors.

According to BreastCancer.org, dense breasts can be inherited. Women who have dense breasts are six percent more at risk to develop cancer. For women who have the condition, doctors advise them to exercise frequently, sustain their healthy body mass, lessen alcohol intake, consume nutritious food and quit smoking cigarettes.

Fertility Treatments Affect Breast Density

A study conducted by researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found that women who underwent fertility treatments, specifically controlled ovarian simulation (COS) are more likely to possess dense breasts, Science Daily reported. COS boosts estrogen and progesterone levels in women, but it can also trigger breast cancers.

In 2013, Nevada Assembly member James Ohrenschall supported a law that obliges doctors to inform women if their breasts are dense once they submit their mammogram reports, per KNPR. Nancy Cappello, director and founder of the non-profit Are You Dense and breast cancer survivor, helped implement laws in 25 U.S. states -- with Connecticut serving as the frontrunner -- that tackle dense breasts and mammogram screenings.

There are 45 to 50 percent of women above 40 years old with dense breasts, PR Newswire stated. Mammograms are acknowledged by the medical community for helping lowering deaths due to breast cancer among women.

However, more sophisticated imaging screenings, like the ABUS, have to demonstrate their value to the medical world so it can be developed and distributed wider to the market. What do you think about this new technology? Share your thoughts below!
Birth rates among black and Hispanic teenagers in America have fallen by almost half over the last decade, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed. The birth rate among teenagers across the country has also fallen to a historic low.

The reduction was due to community-centric initiatives aimed at the Black and Hispanic communities, The Verge reported. The CDC published the figures in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

"Despite [the] historic progress, profound disparities remain," Bill Albert told the Associated Press, as per The Christian Science Monitor. Albert is the chief program officer for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

U.S. teen birth rate is at an all-time low, led by declines among black and Hispanic teens https://t.co/6F5eT4xnqf pic.twitter.com/LxVlv64MoW  Los Angeles Times (@latimes) April 28, 2016

Rates Still Higher For Blacks and Hispanics Compared To White Teens

Birth rates for black teenagers fell by 44 percent while it fell by 51 percent for Hispanic teenagers, The Verge reported. The CDC based the figures on national- and state-level data on birth rates and their relationship to economic status for teenagers aged 15 to 19 from between 2006 to 2014.

Still, The Christian Science Monitor reported that in some states, teenage births among blacks and Hispanics is more than three times the rate for white teens. Meanwhile, teenage births in America have been decreasing ever since 1991 because of different social and cultural influences, with the decrease seen the sharpest from 2006 to 2014.

Teenage Birth Rates Still High

"The United States has made remarkable progress in reducing both teen pregnancy and racial and ethnic differences," CDC director Tom Frieden said in a statement, as per Reuters. "But the reality is, too many American teens are still having babies."

The lead author of the CDC teenage birth rate analysis, Lisa Romero, said in the same statement that teen birth rates differ greatly across and within states. She further noted that one solution cannot cater to all states and areas -- customized tactics must be employed to address the issue on teen birth rates.

How about you -- do you think one solution as a whole can lower teen birth rates even further? What is a good approach to resolve this concern? Make yourself heard in the comments below!
A pregnant woman aboard a Jetstar Asia plane gave birth mid-flight last week. She decided to name her son Saw Jet Star, after the name of the very airline she was aboard. The new mother, Saw Let Htu, went into labor mid-flight before the plane landed on Myanmar soil from Singapore on Friday, April 22.

Saw Let Htu was very lucky to have been on board that flight. Three passengers -- who happened to be doctors -- and the crew assisted the expectant mom throughout her labor, AOL reported.

There's A First For Everything

We're most pleased to announce that a baby boy, named Saw Jet Star, was delivered safely onboard 3K583 by a team of doctors and the crew after the flight landed in Yangon on Friday, 22 April 2016, Jetstar Asia said in a post in their Facebook page. The post featured two photos of Saw Jet Star.

Not only that, but Saw Jet Star is actually a pretty special baby -- he was the first every baby to be delivered while on a Jetstar Asia flight. He weight six pounds and seven ounces.

In another post, Saw Jet Star is seen with Saw Ler Htu. Htu was the Customer Service Manager onboard the flight. Htu visited the mother and son, also bringing gifts and supplies, the post said. Huffington Post reported that Jetstar Asia gave the mother approximately $730-worth of baby supplies.

Post-Delivery

One Jetstar Asia crew member who was on the flight also posted about the mid-flight delivery on his Facebook page, Huffington Post reported. One photo shows the plane and the other is of Saw Jet Star after he was safely delivered onboard.

"A boy has successfully been born after help from crew members," the post read when translated, as per Huffington Post. The post has been shared over 2,000 times.

Do you think Saw Jet Star will like his name? Share your thoughts below!
The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is offering a new technology education program that aims to equip minority middle school boys for future careers in the tech sector. Under the program, 100 Black and Latino boys will be taught 3-D modeling and app development for eight weeks within two academic years.

The Washington Post reports that the summer boot camp called "Verizon Minority Male Makers Program" is offered for free to minority middle school boys from D.C. public schools, charters and private institutions. Black and Latino boys from sixth to eighth grades can take part of the new technology education program regardless of their academic performance.

The Purpose Of The New Technology Education Program

According to D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson, the purpose of the "Verizon Minority Male Makers Program" is to give Black and Latino boys an opportunity that will inspire greatness. She added that the new technology education program is part of the $20-million investment of D.C. school system to boost the academic achievements of minority boys.

Three UDC faculty members and some minority college and graduate students will be serving as mentors for the new technology education program that will span for two years. The minority middle school boys will be required to take part of two four-week summer camps in two academic years.

The application deadline for the new technology education program is on June 15. The first summer camp of the two-year program will run from June 27 to July 22.

More Education Programs For Black And Latino Boys

Black and Latino boys comprised 43 percent of the student population in D.C. The new technology education program is just a part of various education programs that are intended for the empowerment of minority boys.

In a report of Huffington Post last year, Henderson announced that an all-boys college preparatory high school will open in 2017 as part of the district's "Empowering Males of Color" initiative. D.C also allocated $20 million to support programs for Black and Latino boys to help them succeed in school and the workforce.

Do you think that this new technology education program will be helpful for Black and Latino boys? Share your thoughts below.
The Thai conjoined twins, who were born with their own heads, arms and torsos, but with only one leg each, have to endure the difficulty of walking around using their hands. Despite the daily struggle, the twin sisters maintained that they would love to stick together forever, even if doctors say that there is a possibility for them to be separated.

The Daily Mail reports that 7-year-old Thai conjoined twins Pin and Pan, from Nakhon Sawan, share a hip with one leg each, leaving them with no choice but to move around using their hands. The condition, however, did not hinder them from living a normal life.

The Thai Conjoined Twins' Grandparents Consider Them Normal

Noknoi Pongchumnan, grandmother of the Thai conjoined twins, admitted that she was shocked when she learned about the condition of her grandchildren. However, months later, she realized that Pin and Pan are just like other children.

Pongchumnan described the Thai conjoined twins as "normal, happy" children. She shared that the pair has already mastered the crab-like walk and are even attending school. She added that they also enjoy things that normal kids do like singing, eating ice cream and playing.

Moreover, Sanay Rompoyen, the grandfather of the Thai conjoined twins, agreed with her wife's statement that Pin and Pan act like normal kids. He disclosed that he is proud of his grandchildren even if they are stubborn at some times.

Separating The Thai Conjoined Twins Is Impossible

Doctors have said that there is chance that the Thai conjoined twins can be separated. Rompoyen disclosed that separating them would be nice, however, he thinks that the procedure is impossible because Pin and Pan are happy as they are.

On the other hand, Pongchumnan is not in favor with the idea of separating the Thai conjoined twins. "I never wished to see them separated, even if they could. It has never crossed my mind," she asserted.

According to CNN, the birth of conjoined twins happens in every 200,000 live births. All conjoined twins are identical and around 70 percent of them are female. About 200 pairs of conjoined twins are born alive every year, however, only 50 percent of them will survive after a year.

If you are the grandparents of the Thai conjoined twins, would you allow them to be separated? Share your thoughts below.
Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx have been denying any romantic relationship between them, but many believe that they are an item. New reports suggest that the Holmes-Foxx wedding is already confirmed. Read more to know the details.

Katie Holmes And Jamie Foxx Getting Married

Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx did not admit to having any romantic relationship at all. However, there are rumors that the alleged lovers are planning to tie the knot soon. In fact, they are already preparing for their luxury wedding and have decided the million-dollar wedding venue.

"Katie will always remain loyal to her roots in Toledo, Ohio, and she's pouring millions into renovating her vacation house," one source told Radar Online. "She loves that house and there's no doubt her obsession with the Kennedys has influenced the design and plans for this the house. It will be the perfect place for a wedding."

Per the report, Katie Holmes has started renovating the house that is officially for her parents and converted it into a safe retreat. The "Miss Meadows" star reportedly plans to spend most of her time there in the future with Jamie and daughter, Suri.

Tom Cruise Causing Trouble?

According to reports, Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx have been in a relationship for a while, but they can't publicize their relationship due to "The Mission Impossible" star Tom Cruise. Katie Holmes is reportedly afraid to upset her ex-husband.

"She's afraid that he'll be angry that Suri will have a new father figure and come crashing back into her and Suri's lives," one source told the Bitbag.

Parent Herald reported previously that Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx already broke up. The "Dawson's" Creek alum will now be focusing on her career and daughter. However, it seems that Katie loves Jamie Foxx very much because now they are getting married.

Do you believe that Jamie Foxx and Katie Holmes are getting married? Do you agree that Tom Cruise is a threat to their relationship? Share your thoughts below.
U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton may break her promise to UFO enthusiasts that she will divulge the truth about UFOs, aliens and Area 51. The Democratic presidential hopeful recently mellowed down on her stance and admitted that she would not do so if there is a "huge national security thing" involved.

Hillary Clinton's Promise Of Revealing The Truth About UFOs, Aliens And Area 51

In an interview with The Conway Daily Sun late last year, Hillary Clinton gave UFO enthusiasts a reason to vote for her after she vowed to publicize files that allegedly contain confidential information about UFOs, aliens and Area 51. The former U.S. first lady and secretary of state also told the editorial board of the publication that she will "get to the bottom" of the controversies and issues about extraterrestrial life.

Hillary Clinton also said that she will consider organizing a task force that will unmask the truth about Area 51. UFO enthusiasts have been long accusing the U.S. government of hiding confiscated alien technology at Area 51, an alleged top-secret facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range.

Last month, Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign manager John Podesta, affirmed in an interview with KLAS 8 News that questions and controversies about UFOs, aliens and Area 51 will be addressed if Clinton becomes the president. In another interview, Podesta said that Americans are ready to handle the truth about aliens.

National Security Concerns May Make Hillary Clinton Break Her Promise

The Inquisitr reported that Hillary Clinton admitted in a recent interview with the radio talk show Power 105.1 Breakfast Club that she might break her campaign promise to UFO enthusiasts. She disclosed that even if she is serious on releasing classified documents about UFOs, aliens and Area 51, the issue of national security may prevent her from doing so.

"I mean, if there's some huge national security thing and I can't get agreement to open them, I won't, but I do want to open them because I'm interested," Hillary Clinton stated. What can you say about Hillary Clinton's campaign promise? Do you believe in UFOs and aliens? Share your thoughts below.
Friends of West Albany High School junior Jace Lukenbaugh are planning to organize fundraisers this spring to help the teen in his fight against a mystery illness.

Jace, who just turned 18, has been referred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for a formal diagnosis and has an appointment May 3. The family leaves for the appointment later this week.

Fundraisers have not been made final, but friends are working with local businesses to see if donations can be made or if a sales night for the Lukenbaugh family might be held there.

Jace's mother, CC Lukenbaugh, is a math teacher at Judson Middle School in Salem. A fellow teacher, Joley Ackermann, said she's on the case and will provide information as soon as it is available.

The family plans to stay in Rochester for several weeks, so helping them cover their expenses will be a long-term effort, she said.

The family does have insurance, CC Lukenbaugh said, and friends donated air miles to help them pay for the trip. But she said she and her husband, Steve, are already starting to see the bills from months of battling the mysterious ailment.

Jace was fine up until last September, when he got hurt in a water polo tournament in the Portland area, CC said. The next day he woke up with the cold virus that several other members of the team had  and from there, things just started going downhill.

He suffers daily headaches, most of them severe migraines. Sometimes he's still able to function, but other days they're accompanied by blurred vision, tremors, chills, hot flashes, difficulty speaking and sometimes loss of consciousness. The family has not been able to find a pattern or figure out the trigger.

At the beginning of January, the family enrolled Jace in an online program through the Albany district. He's still considered a West student but hasn't been able to come to class.

"His illness doesn't even allow him to actively engage in schoolwork at all," CC said.

Doctors have run full batteries of tests, including an MRI and multiple rounds of bloodwork, she said.

A friend in Salem has a son who used to suffer from a rare syndrome called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, known as POTS for short. It's a condition in which a person's blood volume to the heart is reduced when he tries to stand up, which can include lightheadedness, fainting and rapid heartbeat.

The family described symptoms that sounded like Jace, so CC asked a neurologist if her son might have the condition. The specialist didn't find conclusive proof that he did, but he didn't rule it out completely. The Lukenbaughs will be visiting a POTS specialist at the Mayo Clinic to see if that might be the culprit.

POTS is just one form a condition called dysautonomia can take. Dysautonomia is a malfunction of a person's autonomic nervous system, which controls the body's automatic processes: breathing, heartbeat, digestion, etc.

The problem with a condition like that is that most of the usual painkillers you would take for a migraine work by blocking the effects of the central nervous system.

If Jace's system is already compromised, affecting it with a painkiller is the last thing the family wants, CC said. "We literally can do nothing to help this child when he's suffering."

The Lukenbaughs say they don't know what to expect from the Mayo Clinic visit, but they feel lucky to have received an appointment and are hoping for some answers.

"Every single person I've talked to on the phone (there) has been patient, kind, helpful  it's amazing," CC said.
State attorneys say student loan company, Navient Corp., are misleading student borrowers about loan programs available to them. Moreover, Navient Corp. is giving incentives to their call center agents based on their skill to shorten calls, the state prosecutors claimed after conducting a two-year investigation against the said violator.

The attorneys presented their findings and suggested terms for legal settlement to Navient Corp last April 13 but the company has not yet responded. Navient Corp. is the nation's leading student loan company that has been servicing borrowers for more than 40 years now.

According to the company's official website, Navient Corp. used to be part of Sallie Mae but separated from it in 2014. Its main function remains to be providing loans for college students and federal, state and local governments.

Ideally and legally, student borrowers should be informed of all loan options they can avail but according to the complaining state officials, as reported by The Huffington Post, Navient draws potential clients to get temporary loans or those that defer payments which over time can acquire interest and make borrowers drowned in debt. There are other better choices that Navient doesn't inform borrowers about which the state attorneys see as neglect of their role. Aside from temporary loans, there are income-based types, endorsed by the White House, that require zero-dollar payments. These loans consider debt forgiveness especially on extreme cases when the student has no capacity to pay, his/her school unexpectedly closed, and/or cases of fraud happened.

Navient spokesperson Patricia Christel, in a statement to The Huffington Post, denied the allegations, stating that they are "simply inaccurate" and that their clients "are more likely to enroll in income-driven repayment plans."

Last year according to another The Huffington Post article, the Department of Education reminded Navient of its role and it has been said that the company has improved its loan servicing since then. Rewarding loan companies is in line with the efforts of the Obama administration to fix the growing debt problem incurred from student loans. Student debt amounted to $1.2 trillion around June 2015 which equate to social and economic costs such as decline of home ownership and entrepreneurship among others, as reported by the CNBC.
An English woman who claimed she was once abducted by aliens recalled the terrifying extraterrestrial experience that took place more than 20 years ago. Her story of alien encounter will be detailed in a new book of renowned UFO expert and author Roy Dutton.

The Dawn She Was Abducted By Aliens

Valerie Walters told Torquay Herald Express that it was around 1:45 a.m. on July 16, 1981, when she was abducted by aliens. She was 26 years old at that time and was driving home with her two friends, Rosemary and Vivienn. The three ladies came from a night-out in Sheffield, United Kingdom.

Walters recalled that she and her friends started to get terrified after noticing a bizarre light appearing from the sky. Moments later, they saw a huge craft hovering directly above their car.

The English woman said that she cannot exactly recall what happened next after spotting the strange object. She remembered hearing a beeping noise that made her feel sleepy.

How She Was Abducted By Aliens

Walters relayed that she noticed that her friends were gone, therefore, she went out of the car to look for them. The car suddenly disappeared and then, she heard an odd voice telling her not to be afraid.

After hearing the voice, Walters said that everything went red in her head as she felt like she was being vacuumed. The next thing she knew, she was already in front of some bizarre beings.

"I was in a white wedge-shaped room with two humanoid beings, a male and a female both with shoulder length dark hair and hypnotic blue eyes," Walters shared.

Walters disclosed that she and her friends reported the terrifying extraterrestrial experience to the police, however, their case was not addressed seriously. She also said that her friends could not completely recall what really happened.

More People Abducted by Aliens

Walters' story of being abducted by aliens is not the first case. According to the Inquisitr, the "UFO Case Book" has details of few people claiming that they were abducted by aliens in 1950s.

In 2005, a woman named Donna Lee claimed that she lost her baby after she and her husband were repeatedly abducted by aliens. In the same year, a man from Florida, also claimed that he was abducted by aliens for few hours after spotting a UFO in his backyard.

Do you believe in these stories of humans abducted by aliens? Share your thoughts below.
Hospitals in different areas in the UK have policies that balance people's desire to wear religious veils. The policy was put in place for the need to allow clear communication and prevent infection among staff and patients.

A 2008 health guideline states a "bare below the elbow" dress code policy, which requires women to show body parts below the elbows to ensure good hand and wrist washing. However, some Muslim objected to the guidelines saying that it is immodest in Islam to expose any part of the body except the hands and face.

Writer and commentator Yasmin Alibhai-Brown said that state-run institutions such as hospitals should be free from religion. The liberal Muslim also said that hijabs are a health hazard.

Currently, there is no NHS-wide ruling on Islam dress codes in hospital wards and operating theaters, according to Brown. However, Brown clarifies that she is not in favor of a hijab ban, but rather an NHS-wide dress code that applies to every person regardless of their background or religion.

There is a ton of evidence that shows the importance of facial expression in communication especially in healthcare, according to Max Pemberton, writer from Telegraph. Pemberton explains that since the purpose of niqab and veils is to limit interaction and engagement, it has no place in healthcare.

In addition, Pemberton explains that some patients may find the dress code offensive. While not voicing their sentiments due to cultural sensitivity, patients may feel alienated by the person delivering care.

Many hospitals in the country have policies that state that staff's faces must not be covered when treating patients, according to Daily Mail. Faces should also not be covered when delivering patient care to avoid miscommunication and minimize the risk of infection.

In January 2016, David Cameron, Prime Minister of the UK said that he will support public authorities that require proper and sensible rules to ban women from wearing face veils in schools, courts and other British institutions. While no nationwide guideline has been issued, employers and employees have been able to find solutions in managing religious issues in the workplace. Professional standards in the most appropriate ways have also been maintained for health practitioners to deliver quality service.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is definitely on the rise as many innovators and entrepreneurs recently vowed to invest more time and money on AI-driven programs. In fact, Google and chip-maker Movidius are planning to make AI more accessible through their new innovations.

Google And Artificial Intelligence

In Google's annual letter published Thursday, 43-year-old CEO Sundar Pichai revealed its major plans for the future. According to CNET, Google will be integrating a dose of artificial intelligence and will make information and knowledge available for everyone.

Pichai also emphasized how artificial intelligence can help humanity. That's why, the company aimed to aggressively push into the development of artificial intelligence, Silicon Valley Business Journal notes.

"We've been building the best [artificial intelligence] team and tools for years and recent breakthroughs will allow us to do even more," Pichai said.

In addition, Pichai also outlined six areas of focus, including technology and products as well other priorities crossing product lines. These priorities comprise machine learning and artificial intelligence, search and assistance, content on YouTube and Play, computing platforms like Android and virtual reality, enterprise, and technology from mobile services to Cardboard, Chromebooks and phones, Media Post learns.

Pichai also made emphasis on Google's longstanding mission to make information universally accessible and useful. He added the major factor in making the world's information comprehensively available has been Google's long-term investment in machine learning and artificial intelligence.

"For us, technology is not about the devices or the products we build. Those aren't the end-goals," Pichai wrote in the letter, as per USA Today. "Technology is a democratizing force, empowering people through information. Google is an information company. It was when it was founded, and it is today."

Movidius And Artificial Intelligence

Aside from Google, chip-maker Movidius has recently unveiled another artificial intelligence implementation through a USB stick called the Fathom Neural Compute Stick and its Fathom deep-learning software framework. These products will reportedly allow device makers to move artificial intelligence from the cloud to a local deployment in end-user devices, PC Magazine reveals.

The USB stick also enables any Linux computer to handle one of the building blocks of artificial intelligence - advanced neural networks. However, the Fathom is not a standalone device.

Artificial Intelligence Application To Virtual Dance Partner

In other artificial intelligence-related news, a new AI-driven project from the Georgia Institute of Technology called the LuminAI Project will allow people to have a computer-controlled dance partner. The virtual character names VAI can create an impromptu dance couple through the use of co-creative artificial intelligence.

The latest artificial intelligence-driven project is held inside a 15-foot-tall geodesic dome lined with custom-made projection panels. It is designed and constructed by Georgia Tech digital media master's student Jessica Anderson, Georgia Tech News Center reports.



The Threats Of Artificial Intelligence

Despite the benefits of artificial intelligence, researchers are worried about the threats of AI. While AI is currently deemed as a "meta-solution" to society's biggest problems, it also brings an existential risk to humanity.

The threats of artificial intelligence, however, remains a debatable issue. In fact, it's quite challenging to determine its effects on humanity because AI has a highly uncertain future. But for some researchers, the real dangers of developing artificial intelligence are its effects on human labor, especially those who lost jobs because machines do the "menial" tasks they used to perform, Slate notes.

Do you think artificial intelligence is really beneficial to mankind? Sound off below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
Nine days ago, the world has lost Prince, a royalty by musical right, and up to now the cause of his death remains a mystery. As a legend, Prince's death at 57 years old is a public event and the cause of his untimely passing has been the interest of fans, onlookers and the press.

USA Today published real-time updates of latest happenings that pertain to Prince's death. The past few days had been jampacked with news of an upcoming tribute, the probability of crime and overdose of prescription drugs, distribution of Prince's assets and talks about turning Paisley Park, Prince's Minnesota compound, into a museum.

On May 6, the Los Angeles City Hall will pay tribute to Prince by holding a public memorial for the music icon. "Los Angeles was Prince's second home. He spent a lot of time here," Najee Ali, a local activist said to The LA Times. "It's not a time to mourn but a time to pay tribute to his legacy. We're expecting a big party on the grass next Friday."

Meanwhile, the StarTribune reported that investigation for death of Prince can become a criminal probe. Carver County Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud, head of the investigation, indirectly said so when he cited Minnesota law that allows him to conceal information while a "criminal probe" is possible.

Nonetheless, the investigators did tell the Associated Press that they are looking at the probability of drug overdose as the cause of Prince's death. They are investigating what drugs did Prince take, and if he did, whether or not these were prescribed by a physician.

Alfred Jackson, Prince's half-brother also refused to give any comment about Prince's death while the investigation is ongoing. In its timeline, USA Today said that the brother met up with his lawyer Frank Wheaton to secure his share of the properties Prince left.

The problem with the division of Prince's assets is that the musical legend did not leave any will. His former fiance, Sheila E. expressed her concern to People that after Prince's assets are settled, she wishes it to "be distributed in Prince's name to charities and causes which Prince has supported in the past."

Because of the absence of a will, Paisley Park, the $250 million Minnesota compound that Prince owns, might be difficult to turn into a tribute museum, even if fans and the musical legend's brother are pushing for it.

Prince was found lifeless inside the elevator of Paisley Park where 911 respondents proclaimed him dead at 10:07 a.m. on April 21 after they administered CPR.
Mental health is vital at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. But today, mental health problems such as depression and anxiety have been prevalent, affecting almost 10 percent of the world's population.

Mental health problems, including depression and anxiety, were reportedly costing the global economy almost $1 trillion (651 billion) in lost productivity annually, as previously reported. Fortunately, a new study recently discovered a potential cure that can halt depression and anxiety relapse without using anti-depressants.

Mindfulness-Based Therapy

In the study published in the JAMA Psychiatry, researchers found mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) had lowered the risk of depression relapse by 30 percent. According to University of Sydney Psychiatry professor Ian Hickie, MBCT became a more predominant method to tackle depression instead of the standard cognitive behavioral therapy.

"Partly because people like to use it. It's less theoretical -- you just have to do it; you don't have to understand it," Hickie told The Huffington Post Australia. "When people experience that a treatment makes a difference, they are much more likely to persist with it."

MBCT As Effective As Drugs

The study also found mindfulness-based cognitive therapies such as breathing meditations and yoga can effectively combat depression just like anti-depressant drugs. These meditation techniques were reportedly encouraging patients to accept their negative views and sentiments without letting them change their emotional state or sending them to a depressive downfall, The Guardian notes.

MBCT Is Not A Panacea

In spite of the burgeoning hype over mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, some experts remain wary about its beneficial effects on patients with mental health problems such as depression or anxiety. According to Medical Daily, another recent study revealed that many MBCT studies were biased and exaggerated.

Scientists also stressed that more research are needed before doctors can start prescribing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy instead of antidepressants. Study lead author Willem Kuyken also said that MBCT is not a "magic potion" to solve mental health problems but the practice is worth exploring.

"While MBCT is not a panacea, it does clearly offer those with a substantial history of depression a new approach to learning skills to stay well in the long term," Kuyken said. "It offers people a safe and empowering treatment choice alongside other mainstay approaches such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and maintenance antidepressants. We need to do more research, however, to get recovery rates closer to 100 percent and to help prevent the first onset of depression, earlier in life."

Do you think mindfulness-based cognitive therapies are effective solutions to mental health problems? Share your thoughts below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and while the truth is that this is a topic that is worth discussion year-round, we welcome any opportunity to keep the conversation going.

And so we were gratified to read in Friday's Democrat-Herald about Robert Wilson, a 72-year-old Albany man who was on the verge of suicide more than 30 years ago before a friend spent a long night talking with him. The same friend helped Wilson find another doctor who correctly diagnosed his ailment: He was suffering from bipolar disorder, not the depression that had been diagnosed by a previous doctor.

A switch in medication made a difference almost immediately. Today, Wilson, who recently joined the Linn County Mental Health Advisory Board, has vowed to speak publicly about mental health issues.

We're doing better about this since the days when mental illness was relegated to the silent shadows, but goodness knows we still have a long ways to go. It still takes courage for people like Wilson to agree to tell their stories on the front page of the local newspaper.

But we've paid far too steep a price for far too long for staying silent about mental illness. Consider the toll: Nearly 44 million Americans experience mental illness in a given year. Chances are excellent that you or someone you know has grappled with this.

The toll goes on: Nearly 60 percent of adults with a mental illness did not receive mental health services in the previous year. Depression, which affects some 16 million Americans, is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Ninety percent of those who die by suicide have an underlying mental illness  and here in Oregon, the suicide rate is rising even as it drops in other states.

We know that we have underfunded mental health in this country for decades, a trend that just now is showing encouraging sings of turning around. But it's still far too difficult in Oregon to get access to mental health services, especially in the state's rural areas.

But help is available. And people like Wilson (and Wilson's friend from decades ago) can be key in turning the tide against mental illness. Wilson's friend may not have been a professional, but he knew something was wrong with his friend. He made a difference.

And Wilson himself is making a difference today, by talking about his experiences. "When I told people I was bipolar, it freed them up to talk about mental health," he said.

We need a lot more than talk to finally take the measure of mental illness in this country. But talk is a terrific place to start. Let's keep the conversation going. (mm)

A well-deserved tribute

Oregon State Police Sgt. John Burright of Albany was honored last week when a city street in Salem was named in his honor.

The ceremony took place at the site of the future Oregon State Police headquarters building in southeast Salem. Burrights family was presented with replicas of the sign for Burright Lane, which will lead to that new facility.

On Sept. 4, 2001, Burright, Trooper Maria Mignano and Albany Police Department Officer Jason Hoerauf were assisting a disabled motorist along Interstate 5 north of Albany, near the Ankeny Hill exit, when they were struck by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel.

Mignano and Hoerauf were killed; Burright was critically injured. He later medically retired due to being disabled.

This is a way to honor John for his contributions serving the citizens of Oregon, said State Police Superintendent Rich Evans. The sign will remind troopers when they are on their way to work how important the work they do is.

It's a fitting and well-deserved tribute to Burright. (mm)
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Patna: The much-hyped proposed merger of the so-called six former members of the 'Janata Parivar' suffered a major setback when a senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader on Sunday said that the unification was not possible before the Assembly elections in Bihar to be held later this year on account of some technicalities.

Ram Gopal Yadav, the brother of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, told the media that given the fact that the state elections in Bihar were only a few months away, it would be suicidal for the entire Janata Parivar if one of the six partners decided to back out from the merger and chose to keep its original party name and symbol.

"This will only confuse the voters who would not know which symbol belongs to whom," Yadav, who was entrusted to oversee the merger process, said.

This comes only two days after Janata Dal  U leader and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, upon his return from Delhi after holding talks with the SP and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders, told the media that the merger process was on track and a final announcement to this effect would be made shortly.

Sources said the news has come as a huge disappointment for the Bihar Chief Minister who was counting on the merger to retain his position in Bihar.

JD-U, since breaking away from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and later by seeking the blessings of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, the man who is widely held responsible for setting Bihar back by several decades, has lost considerable support in the state leading to its major electoral thumping in the last Lok Sabha elections.

Playing down the setback in the merger process, JD-U national General Secretary K. C. Tyagi said that the party would meet with the Chief Election Commissioner on Monday to seek clarification on the technical reasons cited by the SP leader.

JD-U national President Sharad Yadav, on the other hand, said that Yadav's comments should not be taken as the last word on the merger process as it was Mulayam Singh Yadav who had the final say in anything related to the merger process.

Insiders say both Nitish and Lalu are becoming increasingly apprehensive of possible consequences of the merger as both former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and expelled RJD MP Pappu Yadav waiting to stake their claims on JD-U's 'Arrow' and RJD's 'Lantern' symbols respectively in the run up of the Janata Parivar merger, it could lead to a political bloodbath at the polling booths in Bihar where people could be voting for Manjhi thinking they were voting for Nitish Kumar and RJD supporters voting for Pappu Yadav believing they were voting for the Lalu clan.

A number of NDA leaders including Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan had predicted the collapse of the merger attempts saying it was merely a pre-election stunt designed to fool the voters.
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
Russian national Mariya Chernykh, the central figure in the marriage-fraud case involving the brother of one of the San Bernardino terrorist attackers, is in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and facing deportation after being freed on bail in her federal case.

Chernykh, 26, of Ontario, was served with a notice to appear  officially known as a charging document  on Friday, April 29, ICE spokeswoman Virginia C. Kice said. The U.S. Marshals Service transferred her to ICE custody Thursday after she posted $50,000 bail.

Chernykh is being held without bail at Adelanto Detention Facility, according to the ICE online inmate locator. ICE typically requests that a person be held without bail if authorities believe the detainee is a risk to fail to appear in court or poses a threat to public safety. Chernykh could request a bail hearing at which a judge would determine whether she remained in custody.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Robinson, at her arraignment Thursday in U.S. District Court in Riverside, said the government believes that Chernykh is a flight risk but not a danger to the public.

Even if she remained in custody, Chernykh would still be available for hearings in her marriage-fraud case, Kice said.

The criminal and immigration cases are separate, Kice said. Federal officials acknowledge that in the past detainees have been deported before their criminal cases conclude. Kice said ICE officials and federal authorities will be in discussions as both cases progress.

Regardless of the outcome of the criminal case, Chernykh will have to face a deportation hearing at some point.

Potentially complicating the immigration case is that, according to Chernykhs attorney, at some time since arriving in the U.S. she applied for asylum. That application could be used to prevent Chernykh from being deported.

Chernykh entered the country in July 2009 as an exchange visitor and failed to depart by Oct. 30 of that year as required by her three-month visa, Kice said, citing the Department of Homeland Security database.

Federal rules require asylum applications to be filed within a year of arriving in the United States, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website. Claire K. Nicholson, a spokeswoman for that agency, said she could not comment on individual applications because of privacy rules.

Nicholson said that it is possible that it could take six years for an asylum application to be ruled on.

Chernykh is married to Enrique Marquez Jr., 24, of Riverside, who is accused of supplying guns and explosives used in the San Bernardino attack. Marquez has been charged with conspiring to support terrorists, lying about the firearm purchase and participating in a sham marriage.

An indictment alleges that Syed Raheel Farook and Tatiana Farook took part in the sham by witnessing the Marquez-Chernykh wedding in November 2014, then helping maintain the illusion that the two were living as a married couple  up to the day before the Dec. 2 shooting at the Inland Regional Center that killed 14 people and wounded 22 others.

Court documents say Marquez admitted he was paid $200 a month to marry Chernykh.

Chernykh was actually living with a man in Ontario, and they have a 3-year-old child.

The Farooks and Chernykh pleaded not guilty to all charges Thursday. None of them have been implicated in the shooting plot.

Raheel Farooks brother, Syed Rizwan Farook, and Rizwan Farooks wife, Tashfeen Malik, gunned down Rizwan Farooks San Bernardino County Division of Environment Health co-workers during a holiday party in a conference room at the IRC. The couple were killed in a shootout with police hours after the attack.

RAHEEL SILENT

Raheel and Tatiana Farook posted bail Thursday and walked out of the courthouse. Friday, Raheel was at their Forum Way home in Corona. As he collected his mail from the corner mailbox, he shook his head from side to side when asked if hed like to tell his side of the case.

Neighbor Ruben Duran, 33, said he hadnt had an opinion on whether Raheel Farook might have been involved in the Dec. 2 plot, so he said it was only a small measure of comfort that the government said Thursday that Farook was not a danger to the public.

If we were all held responsible for what our family members did, wed all be in trouble, Duran said.

Other neighbors declined to comment or attach their names to their comments Friday. Generally, they didnt seem concerned about Farooks potential involvement in the terrorist attack and were happy for the buzz to die down in their neighborhood.

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Complete coverage of the San Bernardino shooting, aftermath
More than a year after Moreno Valley parted ways with its city attorney, a search for a replacement is underway.

Since July, Steve Quintanilla has been interim city attorney. Because Quintanilla has his own law practice and is also city attorney for Rancho Mirage and Desert Hot Springs, he had agreed to stay on through the end of June.

Quintanilla said he will likely stay a little longer as the Moreno Valley City Council starts a recruitment process that may take about four months.

Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez said the council plans to pay a head-hunting company $24,000 for the search.

The council is looking for someone with experience representing general law cities and handling litigation, he said. The city has usually hired outside attorneys on a contract basis when dealing with lawsuits, even for advice, Gutierrez said.

Quintanilla said some council members asked him if he was interested in the full-time job, but he wasnt.

I think they definitely need a full-time, in-house city attorney because of the size of the city and the complexity of the issues, he said.

The city faces several lawsuits over its approval last year of the 40.6 million-square-foot World Logistics Center.

Quintanilla said he has been working at City Hall three days a week and has one or two associates from his law firm there every day.

Moreno Valley has faced turnover in recent years in the City Attorneys Office.

In April 2015, four months after a new council majority took over, the City Council announced its mutual separation with then-City Attorney Suzanne Bryant after discussing her performance and possible termination at three closed-session meetings.

Her predecessor, Robert Hansen, also left after an election changed the councils makeup. He was put on leave in November 2012 after the council discussed firing him. Hansen later retired.

Assistant City Attorney Paul Early was one of three city officials laid off in March 2013 who sued, alleging they were terminated in retaliation for their code-enforcement action against former Councilman Marcelo Co. He was later reinstated and received a $200,000 settlement.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9558 or ighori@pressenterprise.com
Two men attempted to rob a pharmacy clerk at gunpoint Friday, April 29, in San Jacinto.

At 8:04 p.m., the robbers entered a CVS store in the 100 block of South Anderson Avenue and pointed a gun at the clerk, a Riverside County Sheriffs Department report states.

The bandits  described as two black males, roughly 20 years old, wearing dark clothing  left the store without receiving any money and fled the scene in a dark colored sedan.

Deputies searched the area, but were not able to locate the suspects or their vehicle.

This case is under investigation. No more details were immediately available.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Officer Demattia at the San Jacinto Police Department at 951-654-2702.
CORRECTION: Club Live at the San Jacinto Leadership Academy was inspired to help after hearing that the Woodard family lifted themselves out of poverty thanks to the Valley Restart Shelter in Hemet. Because of an editing error, the headline and story were incorrect on Page 10 of the Local section in the April 30 edition of The Press-Enterprise.

Additionally, Club Live member Jhillian Bober visited Valley Restart. Because of a reporting error, the story was incorrect in the same edition.

When faced with circumstances beyond its control, the Woodard family of San Jacinto found out how generous the community can be.

Johnny Woodard, who works for the San Jacinto Unified School District, said he was grateful to find out his family was eligible for placement at Valley Restart Shelter in Hemet. After the family relocated from San Diego, it fell on hard times.

The shelters 30-day program was enough to help the Woodards get back on their feet through a strict savings program and help with a security deposit for a rental home.

Hearing the Woodards story prompted San Jacinto Leadership Academys Club Live to act  and make Valley Restart their service project for the year.

Club leaders who volunteer at Record Elementary knew that Johnny and Christyl Woodards grandchildren were struggling with homelessness.

Twelve-year-old Jhillian Bober was one who helped the younger students at Record Elementarys After School Education and Safety program.

I worked with them on their homework  they didnt deserve to be homeless, she said.

Club members organized a Zumbathon fundraiser in March to benefit the shelter, which raised $900 and donations of three fans and two bags of personal care items.

But most importantly, they brought awareness about the importance of our community supporting Valley Restart and the families they help get out of homelessness, said Club Live adviser and student counselor Dena Drouault. Club Live is youth-driven and meets weekly to plan rallies, events and talk about what the needs are of the school and community and what they can do to help.

Club Live President Leilani Jimenez, 12, said she wants to make a change in the community and engages people with a smile and a positive outlook.

Seventh-grader Emily Rodriguez is vice president and was pleased by the involvement at the Zumbathon.

I liked how everyone got up and danced, even if they felt awkward, said Emily, 12.

Club member Jhillian and club Secretary Alessia Ibrahim took a tour of Valley Restart shelter to find out more about the cause they were supporting.

It was a nice experience, but it was kind of heartbreaking to see kids there, said Alessia, 12.

Jhillian said it helped her understand what the people are going through.

Club Live treasurer Alexandra Morfin, 13, added, When I see them in the streets, I know everyone has a different situation why they are homeless.

Historian Damian Valerio hopes the clubs efforts will help families find better homes to make a better life.

Woodard said being part of the Valley Restart program helped him reconnect to his faith and see how generous the community can be through its connections with local nonprofits and the school district, which is how he learned about the program.

I know this district cares for its families, Woodard said. We, as a community, need to be ready to help and support others because its the right thing to do.

Contact the writer: dianerhodes.writer@gmail.com
The ninth annual Albany Wine Walk, will be held from 4-8 p.m. on Friday, May 6, in downtown Albany.

For $15 sample five tastes of award-winning wines from among more than 20 Oregon wineries hosted by First Street businesses. Advanced tickets are available at the Albany Visitors Association 110 SE 3rd Ave.

Proceeds of the Wine Walk, which is organized by Rotary Club of Albany, helps support several charitable causes.

These include the Rotary Club of Albanys annual Christmas Program (providing Christmas gifts for some of Albanys underprivileged elementary school children), the third-grade dictionary project (providing dictionaries to each third-grader in the GAPS school system), Junior First Citizen of Albany Award Program, and grants that have supported programs like SMART, ABC House, CASA of Linn County, FISH, The Salvation Army, American Legion Leadership for Youth, Gleaners, and Albany Veterans Day Parade.

Worldwide the club is nearing the successful completion of the goal to eradicate polio from the world. When the effort began in the 1980s, there were more than 400,000 cases of the crippling disease every year. So far in 2016, there have been 15 cases.

For more information call 541-928-0911.
EDITORS NOTE: This is one of a three-part series. Also read:

 California goes all-in to cut home power use

 A zero vision for California homes

Barry Hoopers co-workers can be forgiven if they try to avoid him in the office. No one wants to be fingered as an energy hog.

Hooper manages San Franciscos five-year-old building-efficiency ordinance, created to measure wasted energy in the citys largest structures, give them a score the public can see and prod owners to lower the lights and thermostats.

San Franciscos ordinance is the first in California, with Berkeley about to enact one and Los Angeles working on a similar program.

No Inland city has such a program or appears to be considering one.

Im not aware of any of our cities looking at that, said Barbara Spoonhour, director of energy and environmental programs for the Western Riverside Council of Governments.

http://cdn.thinglink.me/jse/embed.js

The ordinance Hooper wrote for San Francisco requires participation by owners of more than 1,800 commercial buildings larger than 10,000 square feet. They report their energy-use data electronically, updating the information every April 1.

The data is crunched according to federal Energy Star guidelines, and each structure is benchmarked with a score, from a low of 1 to maximum efficiency at 100. The scores are posted online  the iconic Transamerica Pyramid has an 88  and Hooper and his team work with property personnel to increase efficiency and reduce consumption.

In November 2015, the Los Angeles City Council directed the city attorneys office and the building and safety department to draft an ordinance requiring owners of buildings at least 10,000 square feet and city buildings over 7,500 square feet to benchmark and disclose energy and water use each year, according to council documents.

City-owned buildings would first need to report in 2016. Buildings more than 50,000 square feet would report in 2017, more than 25,000 square feet in 2018 and more than 10,000 square feet in 2019.

Building owners would enter building information and usage data, based on utility bills, into the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys online tool, EnergyStar Portfolio Manager. The data would be sent to the building and safety department for public disclosure.

The ordinance, which is still being prepared, is expected to go before the Los Angeles City Council in the next few months, said Lisa Hansen, chief of staff for Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who collaborated with Councilman Jose Huizar to bring the matter before the council.

Since San Francisco adopted efficiency monitoring in 2011, energy use in participating buildings has fallen nearly 8 percent, according to an audit report last year by the San Francisco Department of the Environment.

New York, Boston and Seattle have similar programs. State officials are poised to adopt a version under recently enacted energy policies, with the details still being determined.

Although more efficient energy use has long been a goal of regular updates to Californias building code, Gov. Jerry Brown raised the stakes last year by signing a law that calls for homes and commercial structures to slash their power use radically by 2030. Part of that effort will be making buildings energy footprints transparent.

Hooper is now helping the state energy commission design its system, which may assign a numeric or letter grade for display in building lobbies, much as health grades are posted in restaurants.

The Western Riverside Council of Governments has benchmarked two municipal facilities each in some cities. The scores tell city officials how their buildings energy efficiency compares to others across the country, Spoonhour said.

CALmatters is a non-profit journalism venture dedicated to exploring state policies and politics.

Staff writer Suzanne Hurt contributed to this report.



ALSO READ:

 California goes all-in to cut home power use

 A zero vision for California homes
California Supreme Court justices denied an attempt by proponents of a land use voter initiative to force Lake Elsinores city attorney into authorizing their signature-gathering petition.

Supporters of the proposed Alberhill Villages development in northern Lake Elsinore contend City Attorney Barbara Leibold is mandated by law to issue whats called a title and summary for the petition so they can begin collecting enough signatures to get the initiative on the November ballot. Leibold, with the City Councils consent, has refused, contending the initiative is unconstitutional.

Though Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gloria Trask earlier this month ordered Leibold to issue the title and summary, she appealed the decision. Attorneys for lead proponent Mark Dana Coon, who want to expedite the legal proceedings so they can meet November election filing deadlines, asked higher court judges to block the appeal.

Though not ruling on the merits of the case, both the California Court of Appeal and the state Supreme Court declined to block the appeal. The Supreme Court released its decision Thursday night.

Coon attorney Thomas Hiltachk called the city attorneys appeal an assault on voter rights.

We will continue to pursue all avenues to allow for the citizens initiative for Alberhill Villages to move forward, he said in a written statement.

Proposed by the firm Castle & Cooke, Alberhill Villages would be the biggest subdivision in Lake Elsinores history. The plan calls for 8,200 homes, 4 million square feet of commercial, office and institutional space and 183 acres of parks and trails on 1,734 acres. The land west of I-15 has been mined for decades.

Proponents say the development would bring thousands of jobs, a university and elementary school, medical facilities, shopping and entertainment, parks and two recreational lakes to the city. Lake Elsinore officials maintain the initiative provides no such guarantees.

Although initiative backers accuse the city attorney of delaying tactics, the project conceivably would have been approved by now if they hadnt launched the initiative.

Lake Elsinores Planning Commission reviewed the proposal in February and recommended approval to the City Council, which was expected to have a hearing in April. However, Castle & Cooke representatives asked the city to hold the project in abeyance.

I dont understand any of this, Mayor Brian Tisdale said. We want this project to move forward.

In mid-March, Coon filed a notice announcing the proponents intention of circulating the petition, prompting Leibold to go to court to halt it, contending the initiative is invalid. She alleges the initiative would eliminate public participation in decision-making, restrict the publics right to review future land use approvals, and shift the financial burden for infrastructure and services over to the city, among numerous objections.

The citys lawsuit on the merits of the initiative is not scheduled to be heard in court until July 27. No date has been set for an appellate court hearing on Leibolds appeal.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9690 or michaelwilliams@pressenterprise.com
Nearly three weeks after a counterfeit Postal Service key helped thieves steal mail at a Corona apartment complex, two city residents are behind bars and authorities are searching for a third suspect.

Todays arrests are the result of a federal grand jury indictment filed Wednesday, U.S. Attorneys spokesman Thom Mrozek said Friday, April 29, of 23-year-old Bernie Martinez and 24-year-old Kammi Leigh Vestesen.

Federal authorities still are seeking 29-year-old Corona resident Hector Mendez.

All three defendants are charged with conspiracy, mail theft, and possession of a counterfeit Postal Service key.

The case began April 10 at the Sierra Del Oro apartment complex where intruders entered the mail room and used the counterfeit key to access mailboxes, according to the indictment. On April 12, investigators say, the thieves used the key to open mailboxes and fled with a trash bag full of mail.

Mail theft is becoming an increasing problem, said U.S. Attorney Eilleen M. Decker. This crime is frequently a precursor to identity theft, fraud and drug crimes.

Conspiracy and mail theft each are punishable by up to five years in federal prison. Unlawful possession of a counterfeit postal key carries a maximum term of 10 years imprisonment.
Riverside businesses such as the Le Chat Noir French restaurant, DElias Grinders, Cellar Door Bookstore, European Travel International and Toni Moore clothing would seem to have little in common.

But each of these shops that professional photographer Benoit Malphettes has frozen in time tells a different tale: The group reflects the hard work, passion and love of its independent or family owners. The images are among an exhibition of 16 artistic portraits that will be shown May 1-7 at the Riverside Art Museum.

Called Caught on Camera: The Merchants of Riverside, the display is designed to dovetail with National Small Business Week, the first seven days of May, celebrating some of communitys eclectic little powerhouses. Captured by Malphettes Sony 42 Megapixel camera, the photographs are each at least 36 by 60 inches, printed in Germany and mounted under plexiglass lamination.

The French native Malphettes, 70, a Riverside resident since 2008, started the project last July when he took aim at Pat and Cheryl Duffy in their sandwich shop, Jammin Bread. Kathy Malphettes, 72, helped her husband pose their subjects.

It was a challenge to take pictures and come up with a concept that would present the business successfully, but not make it too commercial-looking, said Benoit Malphettes, who retired a decade ago after working as a studio photographer in Los Angeles and Pasadena.

Everyone was wonderful, he said of the business owners. Its a small community, and each one knew exactly what we wanted to achieve.

The couple worked with a group that also includes Tios Tacos, Wicks Brewery, Mrs. Tiggy Winkles, Mikes Fitness Studio, Mardon Jewelers, Inland Empire Acupuncture & Herbs, JMW Moulding & Framing, Studio Steel Welding, Cold Cutz Barbershop and Creative Metalworks.

Living in big city like L.A. is very nice, but you dont have a sense of community, Benoit Malphettes said. In Riverside you very quickly feel that small town or village atmosphere. We really enjoyed the project because it put in contact so many different people.

The couple were struck by the diversity among those mom and pop shops. DElias Grinders has been a fixture for over 60 years. Identical twin brothers and owners Joe and John Perrone, 73, havent touched the original recipe for the restaurants beloved bread that their maternal grandfather developed in Bari, Italy.

The Malphettes also clicked with some of the newer kids in town, including Wicks Brewing Co., one of the largest and most creative brewpubs in the Inland Empire; Le Chat Noir, an elegant and gourmet French restaurant owned by Jean-Pierre and Isabelle Serre; and Cellar Door Bookstore, a magical place Linda Nurick opened nearly four years ago.

The project is sponsored by the IEs Voice, Wells Fargo and the Rotary Club of Riverside. The free opening reception takes place today from 2 to 4 p.m.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9559 or llucas@pressenterprise.com
Diego Jaramillo, right, consul general of Ecuador in Los Angeles, chats with Eduardo Mendoza, program manager for Direct Relief Mexico, as 45 tons of emergency medical aid destined for Ecuador is loaded onto a jet Friday, April 29, at Ontario International Airport.
The protests outside Donald Trumps Costa Mesa rally Thursday could mark the beginning of turbulent demonstrations against the controversial Republican presidential frontrunner.

There have been protesters at Trump events since the early days of his candidacy. But as his campaign moves into heavily Latino California and the states pivotal June 7 primary race, the urgency and size of the protests could grow.

People feel that their communities are under attack and they dont want someone with Trumps approach to campaign in the state, said Jose Munoz, a Cal State San Bernardino professor who specializes in immigration, globalization and social movements. They have the right to challenge his presence.

Munoz said the Latino community could rise up like they did during the immigration marches of 2006 when protesters called for immigration reform in response to a bill that criminalized undocumented immigrants.

The immigrant and children of immigrant populations have witnessed a lot in this state, and, given what we have seen in both campaigns, many are ready to engage in the political system outside of voting or giving money to candidates, he added.

On Friday, April 29, the Bay Area felt the brunt of the anti-Trump rallies.

Protesters there gathered outside the California Republican Partys weekend convention and forced Trumps entourage to find an alternative entry to the hotel, delaying the candidates luncheon speech. Later, protesters attempting to storm the hotel were turned back by police in riot gear.

San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman, who is chairman of his countys Republican Party, said he believes Trump will visit the Inland Empire at some point.

We would love to have any and all of the (Republican) candidates come out, Hagman said. I think (Trump) has his own plan and hes not necessarily going to follow what anyone else wants him to do.

Pro-immigrant rights activists said theyre ready for when that time comes.

Javier Hernandez, of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, said they will protest in a nonviolent manner.

Were ready  to work with our community if theres a need to respond to the anti-immigrant rhetoric we have seen, Hernandez said.

Our community will come together. We are a strong, family-oriented community, he added.

Protesters in Costa Mesa had a range of objections to Trump, but the Latino presence was strong as many waved Mexican flags and condemned his rhetoric against immigrants. Anti-Trump demonstrators gathered peacefully at first, holding signs before taunting between both sides began.

As the evening progressed, the demonstration sometimes took on a party atmosphere, but before the night was over, a police cruiser window was smashed and 17 were arrested for failure to disperse.

John Berry of the Redlands Tea Party Patriots had harsh words for the protesters. These are just punks, he said. All it does is just (angers) us more and galvanizes Trump supporters.

The anti-Trump mobs you are seeing on TV are just the type of people were trying to save our country from, Berry said.

Trumps anti-illegal immigration stance is among his most divisive positions. And it was in full display at the Thursday rally, as he portrayed California as a major victim and roused the 8,000 supporters at the Pacific Amphitheater into a chant of Build that wall.

We have a density of Latinos you dont see in other places, Henry Vandermeir, chairman of the Orange County Democratic Party, said of the state. And tensions are running high because theyre being made scapegoats by Trump.
A 27-year-old man has been charged with murder over the death of University of Technology Sydney economics student Mengmei Michelle Leng, whose body was found on the NSW Central Coast this week.

The man, who was arrested yesterday at Campsie Police Station, has been identified as Ms Lengs uncle, and he is set to appear at Parramatta Bail Court today.

The 25-year-old Ms Leng, a Chinese student, was last seen after a shopping trip to Myer on Thursday April 21; CCTV footage showed her on Pitt Street in the Sydney CBD, then catching a train to Campsie railway station.

It is believed that she never made it back to the Campsie home that she shared with her aunt and cousins.

Ms Lengs body was found, with a number of stab wounds, floating in water near the Munmorah State Convervation Area blowhole at 10.30am on Sunday.

Police say that certain chatter led them to believe that she had been planning to meet up with someone she met online.

A number of friends have paid tribute to Leng on the social networking site Weibo, with one saying:

Michelle and I were classmates for four years, I still cant believe this, I still cant accept that its true! I hope that the police will quickly solve this case and give us the facts. Rest in heaven, and be reborn in paradise, RIP.

Source: News Corp.

Photo: Instagram.
Bloody hell.

The body of Lochie Connaughton is returning to Australia tonight, after the Orange teen was killed in a scooter accident in Bali on Thursday night.

Connaughton was on holiday with family at the time. The 16-year-old was seen riding out of the Marriots Stone Hotel basement in Legian when he lost control of the scooter and hit a concrete barrier.

He was taken to local hospital in a critical condition, but died shortly after. Kuta Police Chief Wayan Sumara said he was wearing a helmet at the time, and its not believed he was under the influence.

In response to the accident, his friends have rallied the community; a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the family has reached over $53,000 in donations.

Loved ones also gathered in his memory, and continue to post tributes on Facebook.

His family are expected to arrive in Sydney, after departing from Denpasar.



RIP.

Source: ABC.

Photo: Facebook.
Friends of Omid, the man who died after setting himself alight while detained at the Nauru Detention Centre, joined hundreds of protesters in Melbourne to call for the closure of Australias offshore detention facilities this afternoon.

ABC reports Iranian asylum seekers named Saeed and Max met Omid on Nauru in 2013; since then, Saeed has been placed in community detention, and Max obtained a bridging visa.

The pair said they came here because of him and Reza Barati.

Too many people  live on Nauru and Manus and they are too upset.

Before his death, Omid gave another voice to those sentiments, saying this is how tired we are, this action will prove how exhausted we are. I cannot take it anymore.

Saeed described Omid as a very quiet man, a very good man.

Im very sad for Omids family and wife, my friends in Manus and Nauru. There are a lot of good people on Nauru and Manus  they are human, you know?

Of course, Omids death tragically coincides with the continuing legal stoush between Australia and Papua New Guinea over the status of 850+ detainees, including hundreds of confirmed refugees, currently placed on Manus Island.

There is still no obvious roadmap for where theyll be placed and when theyll be moved. Todays protest serves as another reminder that, against the governments hardline stance, we could actually house those refugees here.

Walked out and found myself in the middle of a rally. Breaks my heart that refugees have been in Manus for over three years. ITS TIME SHUT DOWN MANUS AND BRING THEM HERE #bringthemhere A photo posted by SARA (@stpmsne) on Apr 29, 2016 at 8:27pm PDT

#bringthemhere A photo posted by eddiehausen (@eddiehausen) on Apr 29, 2016 at 8:53pm PDT

#bringthemhere Our government has blood on their hands. Its time to #closethecamps A photo posted by @geenalhardy on Apr 29, 2016 at 9:38pm PDT

Pausing #yasvb for a second  this rally for #refugees is now happening at @library_vic. They came for freedom and we locked them up in prisoner of war camps. Our asylum seeker policies are inhuman and illegal. #letthemstay #bringthemhere #closethecamps #rallyforrefugees A photo posted by Sayraphim Lothian (@sayraphim) on Apr 29, 2016 at 8:45pm PDT

Its worth noting that the demonstrations here come after public mourning and protests on Nauru, too.

Vigil for Omid last night in #Nauru. He is dead because of your brutal policy, @TurnbullMalcolm @PeterDutton_MP pic.twitter.com/Tapw9DbQum  Shane Bazzi (@shanebazzi) April 30, 2016

refugees in Nauru protest, calling for freedom after an Iranian young man died in hospital. #Nauru #Omid #Protest pic.twitter.com/NaCtrkialX  Fariba Sahraei (@FaribaSahraei) April 29, 2016

Well let you know when the Immigration Department announces their plans for those detainees.

Source: ABC.

Photo: Emil Eddiehausen / Instagram.
Sydney man Derek Barrett has been formally refused bail after being charged with the murder of his niece Mengmei Michelle Leng, as more details of the Chinese international students death have been released.

Barrett, 27, allegedly stabbed Leng over 20 times at their home in Campsie. An autopsy revealed numerous wounds suggesting Leng acted in self-defence before being killed. Police are awaiting test results to determine if a sexual assault took place.

Following her death, it is claimed Barrett drove her body to Lake Munmorah national park on the New South Wales Central Coast; police believe CCTV footage shows Barretts car entering the area, two hours away from the home, at 7am last Sunday.

A tourist found her body floating face-down in a blowhole in the vicinity last Sunday.

According to Lengs family in China, her distraught beyond belief mother is currently staying in Sydney to attend the next hearing at Burwood Local Court on May 4.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald / ABC.

Photo: Instagram.
Vietnams Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha has appointed a Japanese professor Furuta Motoo to become rector of the Vietnam-Japan University (VJU), a member of the Hanoi-based Vietnam National University (VNU).

Motoo, chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association, is the first foreigner to lead a member university within the VNU. He promised to build a strong team of lecturers for the university, including those from Japan and other international partners, according to a statement from the national university on Friday.

Vietnams Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung decided to establish the VJU, the seventh member within the VNU, in July 2014.

VJU, located at Hoa Lac in Hanois Thach That district, has planned to start enrollments this year and expected to have 150 bachelors and 440 masters by 2018. By 2025, VJU hopes to reach 6,000 students and researchers including 3,760 undergraduates, 1,800 masters, 440 PhDs.

VJU plans to open the more than 20 majors. There will be training programs in language and culture of Japan, too.
"We are in the process of deciding between smaller jets or turbo-prop aircraft," said PAL Express President Bonifacio Sam. "We will be evaluating over the next four months before making a decision."





He added that the carrier is currently focusing on developing and expanding domestic routes through capacity expansion and increased frequencies. "Right now, we're doing the Cebu hub," said Sam. "We'll come up with at least 100 inter-island flights out of Cebu."





Earlier this year, the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation revealed that Philippine Airlines is also looking to replace its ageing PAL Express turbo-prop fleet , after recently finalizing an order of A350 aircraft for the carrier's long-haul fleet. The carrier is studying whether to operate a turbo-prop, jet, or mixed fleet for domestic operations at smaller airports.





In a survey conducted on the Philippine Flight Network website, more than 50 percent of respondents favoured the acquisition of the Bombardier C-Series for the carrier's PAL Express fleet. Delta Airlines, the second largest US carrier by passenger traffic, recently announced an order for up to 125 Bombardier C-Series aircraft. The deal is comprised of a firm order for 75 aircraft and options on another 50.





The Delta deal follows an earlier announcement by Air Canada to acquire up to 45 aircraft with options for an additional 30. Air Canada is due to firm up its order in the coming weeks. "The Delta announcement confirms that our confidence in this new next-generation technology was well placed and will benefit us well into the future," said Calin Rovinescu, Air Canada CEO.





Meanwhile, the multi-billion dollar Delta order has also caught the attention of the global airline community including International Airlines Group, which owns British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Vueling. "It's not part of our plans at this stage but having said that, there's plenty of scope in our future plans to look at the C Series as a potential aircraft within the IAG fleet," said Willie Walsh, CEO of IAG.
The government attempts to save the livelihood of local fishermen by paying for all of their catch offshore as consumers shy away in mass fish death mystery.

Deputy prime minister Trinh Dinh Dung has asked Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ministry of Industry and Trade to set up a hotline to buy all offshore catch from local fishermen in a meeting in Ha Tinh province this morning, according to a statement on the government's website.

We are not to leave a single fishermans boat with unsold seafood, Dung said. An order from the government office was sent immediately to affected provinces following his decision.

With an aim to stabilize lives of people living by the coast, Dung said: I request relevant authorities to strengthen their forces in [affected] provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.

The meeting was attended by ministries of industry and trade, agriculture and rural development, science and technology, natural resources and environment, public security, Government Office, Commander of 4th Military Region and representatives of Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces.

The mass fish deaths in central Vietnam were first reported in fish cages at sea near Ha Tinhs Vung Ang ward at the beginning of April. As of April 25, 70 tons of mostly demersal fish have died in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue, according to official reports from the provinces. In Thua Thien-Hue alone, 35 tons of fish have died on commercial farms.

Local fishermen have since faced problems selling their produce as consumers fear the fish might be poisoned.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on April 27, there are two hypotheses to explain the mass fish deaths. One is toxic chemicals released by human activities. Another is an abnormal natural phenomenon that causes algae to rapidly bloom, commonly known as a red tide.
The story about tons of dead fish washing up the beaches along the central provinces of Vietnam has caught peoples attention again during a press conference following the Prime Minister's meeting with the business community on April 29.

At the event, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment (MPI) Dang Huy Dong said that he shared the publics concern of the risk of sea pollution, which is believed to have caused the mass fish deaths in the country.

Although most fingers are being pointed at a Taiwanese conglomerate Formosa in Ha Tinh, Dong reiterated that there hasnt been any official evidence to link the company with the recent extraordinary fish kill.

The MPIs representative said there always is a strict evaluation process of environmental impact for in-registration projects. There never is an agenda to trade the environment for any project, Dong said.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung said the dead fish problem has been particularly impactful to the people's lives, especially in the central region. Dung said the mass fish deaths is an extremely complex issue, which has occured for the first time on such a large scale in Vietnam.

On April 29, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered relevant ministries, agencies and sent a deputy prime minister and other officials to look into the phenomenon. He also ordered the police to investigate for any violations of the law.

Dung said the state will evaluate the damage that the locals have suffered to provide timely support. "The PM requested to not leave people hungry while prohibiting the purchase of the dead fish and seafood for profit. He also urged people not to consume the dead seafood, Dung said.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc proposed specific solutions to support businesses after hearing numerous petitions from over 1,000 attendees during a meeting with the business community in Ho Chi Minh City on April 29.

It was Phucs first meeting with the business community and came just three weeks after he took office. Following the theme of the event: Vietnam Businesses  Drivers of Economic Growth, the PM listened to comments and proposals regarding the business environment and administrative procedures in Vietnam.

In response to questions from foreign and local businesses, Phuc laid out 10 specific support measures focusing on major issues such as business registration, taxation, construction procedures, access to capital and land, customs and market approach.

The PM put a particular emphasis on the private sector, saying it as a driving force for economic development. He said the aim was to create favorable conditions for production and business activities, while aiming to remove difficulties facing enterprises.

"The government is determined to comply with the Constitution and will innovate its leadership to protect the property and business rights of enterprises," Phuc said.

The PM also addressed an issue that has been in the spotlight recently where people have faced criminal proceedings for failing to follow their obligations regarding civil or economic transactions. These violations do not warrant criminal prosecution, and the government will not penalize these cases, he said.

The government and the Ministry of Public Security do not advocate the criminalization of economic relations, Phuc said. The role of the police force is to serve development and our enterprises.

The PM-chaired meeting was attended by about 300 representatives from the private sector, 50 foreign-invested businesses and 20 business associations including AmCham, EuroCham and Koreas Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to the event, the PM issued a resolution to improve the business environment, and enhance national competitiveness from 2016 to 2017 with a vsion to 2020. This is the third consecutive year that the government has issued the resolution.
South Sudan's rebel leader Riek Machar returned to the capital Juba on Tuesday, April 26, to be sworn in as vice president in an effort to end the civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than 2 million from their homes.

"I'm happy to be back," Machar told reporters at the airport. "The war was vicious. We have lost a lot of people in it and we need to bring our people together so that they can unite, reconcile, heal the wounds, the mental wounds that they have."

"Peace is the only choice for us to relieve our people from the undeserved suffering associated with armed conflict enforced upon them, said South Sudans President Salva Kiir, following the ceremony.

I believe this is the only way to return South Sudan to the path of peace, stability and prosperity."

The conflict erupted in December 2013 after a power struggle between Kiir and Machar, his former deputy. The peace agreement, signed in August 2015, calls for a 30-month transitional period, during which the Transitional Government of National Unity, comprised of representatives from the government, the opposition, the Former Detainees, and other political parties, will preside, leading to elections in 2018.

"This is clearly an important step for South Sudan, said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power.After months of delay and obstructionism, both sides compromised to make this happen. It's the best hope that South Sudan has had in a very long time."

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said: It is important now for South Sudans leaders to take additional steps ... form the Transitional Government of National Unity, to make progress on the core agenda of the peace agreement, according to the timeline that was established by the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission.

The United States will continue to press South Sudans leaders to take those steps for the good of their country and its people.
The United States is undertaking new ways to protect religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq. As Special Advisor for Religious Minorities in the Near East and South/Central Asia, Knox Thames recently stated in Congressional testimony, "Wherever people are endangered, threatened, or face discrimination, we are working vigorously to find ways to help."

The worst abusers of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East include Daesh, al-Nusra Front, and al-Qaida. Daesh continues to perpetrate atrocities in Iraq, including murder, forced displacement, forced religious conversions, slavery, kidnapping, trafficking, and sexual violence. Daesh has used public beheadings and other forms of summary executions, and has employed child soldiers from among its own recruits as well as captured children.

We must not forget what the Syrian people will always remember: Assad and his allies have, from the very beginning, been by far the primary source of killing, torture, and deprivation in this war; and the primary magnet drawing foreign fighters to Syria, giving cause to Daesh.

"If Daesh is successful in its genocidal and ethnic cleansing efforts," said Mr. Thames, "religious minorities could disappear from Iraq and the regions dwindling religious diversity could fade even further. Iraq is the home of many historic faiths that risk disappearing from their ancestral homeland: 70 percent of the Christian community has left, the Yezidi community is reduced by 25 percent, and the Sabaean-Mandaean community has virtually disappeared.

In addition to the ongoing campaign to defeat Daesh in order to protect vulnerable people, including but not limited to religious minorities, other actions are needed  like humanitarian assistance. When Secretary Kerry visited Iraq in April he announced that the U.S. would contribute an additional nearly $155 million in humanitarian assistance for the Iraq crisis, bringing the total contribution to more than $780 million since the start of fiscal year 2014.

Areas newly liberated from Daesh are in desperate need of stabilization and transitional justice assistance.

"If we want religious minorities to stay in or return to these regions," said Mr. Thames, "the rebuilding of Mosul and Nineveh Province in Iraq, areas that had been populated by these minority communities, must occur."

The U.S. is taking action now by supporting care for internally displaced persons, including the victims of gender-based violence and those who have escaped captivity. Moreover, those responsible for these heinous acts must be held accountable.

This is a critical moment in Iraq's history: the door could forever close on religious and ethnic minorities there. The U.S. is stepping up now with its allies and partners to ensure that doesn't happen.
Matt Jones warming up the crowd for his buddies. Szymon Godziek flaming up the atmosphere.

Nicholi will always find time for his fans... One last interview and the evening is officially finished.

It's the time of a year when the cream of the dirt jumping scene meet in the beautiful alpine village named Thun. This little gem in the Swiss alps is going to experience a major disturbance from its slow-paced life due to the Swatch Rocket Air event, once again! It's action packed from the very first minute. Due to huge interest from many international riders, the host had to held a pre-qualifing round on Friday afternoon. However, the main highlight of the day was the Battle of the Nations. Check it out!Today, we're going to find out who's going to be crowned as a king of the jungle. Stay tuned for the live feed on Pinkbike
VIDEO: 20 Arrested in California After Anti-Trump Protest Turns Violent

Twenty people were arrested outside a Donald Trump rally in Costa Mesa, CA, Thursday night as a protest turned violent and property was damaged, including police vehicles.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department said there were nearly 200 officers and deputies outside the Orange County Fairgrounds, as protesters mixed with Trump supporters leaving a rally held by the GOP candidate.

The protesters, many waving Mexican flags, were met with police in riot gear and others mounted on horseback, ABC 7 reports. No major injuries were reported.
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton has some simple advice for New Yorkers  if you dont want to get shot by cops, dont point a gun at them.

The best way to not get shot by a New York City police officer is not carry a gun and not raise that gun toward them, Bratton said at a news conference Monday.

His comments came in reaction to a question about George Tillman, 32, who was killed on April 17 when an NYPD sergeant and three cops fired 13 shots at him, hitting him 11 times in Queens around 1:30 a.m. Police sources said he had a gun in his waistband and pulled it out as officers chased him near the corner of 135th St. and 116th Ave. in South Ozone Park, the New York Post reports.
A Los Angeles County judge on Friday strongly criticized the Long Beach Police Department's practice of conducting sting operations against gay men cruising for companionship, saying the policy was "indicative of animus toward homosexuals."

In a closely watched case, Superior Court Judge Halim Dhanidina made the remarks in Long Beach while invalidating the arrest of Rory Moroney for lewd conduct and indecent exposure, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Moroney was arrested in a bathroom at Recreation Park in October 2014 after allegedly exposing himself to an undercover Long Beach police detective, said Bruce Nickerson, the man's attorney.
A coalition of activists called Thursday for an outside investigation of the events leading up to the deaths last month of three teenage girls who drowned while fleeing from Pinellas, FL, sheriff's deputies.

The Bay Area Dream Defenders believe the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office was negligent in its actions and "misreported" how Dominique Battle, 16, and 15-year-olds Ashaunti Butler and LaNiya Miller died March 31, when the stolen car they were riding in plunged into a pond, The Tampa Bay Times reports.

Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri has said his deputies tried to pull the girls over but were not pursuing them when their car hit the water in the pre-dawn darkness. The sheriff also has defended his deputies from criticism that they didn't do enough to rescue the trapped girls from the sinking car.

The girls got a ride from a man to Childs Park in St. Petersburg on March 30. He stopped at a Walmart on the way and the girls drove off.

About 3:30 a.m. the next morning, a sheriff's sergeant spotted the Honda with its headlights off in Clearwater. The sergeant turned on his emergency lights. The Honda then ran a red light.

Five miles away, another sergeant spotted the car, looked up the tag number and confirmed the car was stolen. He followed at a distance. Under the sheriff's policy, deputies cannot pursue stolen cars. The Honda ran another red light and headed toward Royal Palm North Cemetery off Gandy Boulevard, a dead end. It navigated the narrow roads of the cemetery. At a sharp bend in the road, the car stayed on a straight course and drove into a pond.

Deputies waded in to save whoever was inside, Gualtieri said, but the mud was too thick. Within five minutes, the Honda was submerged in about 15 feet of water.

The Sheriff's Office has released reports and video from dashboard cameras. Critics have focused on a segment of footage that includes audio of deputies talking about the submerged car as they stood a few feet from the pond.

"They're done. They're done," one deputy said. "They are Sig 7, dude."

"Sig 7" refers to signal 7, an emergency radio code for "dead person."

That footage does not show rescue attempts or capture any conversations about rescue efforts. But it does show some deputies, without uniforms or belts on, heading to and from the water.
The Spokane PD is now training a bloodhound named daisy to help search for lost children. (Photo: Carla Blazek Tumbled Bones Photography/Spokane PD Facebook)

A 14-month-old bloodhound named Daisy is the newest member of the Spokane (WA) Police Departments K9 unit.

She was brought on specifically to track missing children and vulnerable adults with her handler, Sgt. Jason Reynolds, who supervises the unit. This doesnt replace any of our patrol dogs. It supplements them, Reynolds told the Spokesman-Review.

Daisy is a rescue who came to the department by way of California one week ago. As an American-born dog, shell be one of the few on the force who can understand English commands.

Donations to K9 Support Northwest, a local nonprofit, paid for Daisys purchase and a week of training with Reynolds in California. The organizations founder, Carla Blazek, is a dog-lover and a frequent contributor of photography to Police Magazine who has shot photos of local police dogs for several years. The group also paid for Murphy, the departments newest patrol dog, whos still in training.

Blazek has been helping train Daisy by playing a missing person and letting the dog track her scent. Daisy likes to greet the people she finds with a nuzzle or a lick.
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* The following is an opinion column by R Muse *

Americans like to think their country is exceptional and in many ways it certainly is exceptional among democracies in not allowing all its citizens to vote in free and fair elections. Obviously elections are not free with the flood of outside and secret campaign donations, and one might argue successfully that if all Americans cant vote elections can hardly be considered fair. There is an inordinate amount of attention given to the influence of secret money in tilting elections for Republicans, but very little about vote suppression.

No matter what anyone says, money does not determine the outcome of any election, period. Because at the end of an election day election officials or voting machines do not count money; they count and tally votes. There is no evidence that Republicans are paying anyone to vote thus far. However, they are working tirelessly to restrict votes that may be cast for Democratic candidates by enacting harsh voter ID and suppression laws to help elect conservatives and Republicans. That was what former senator and current teabag president of the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation admitted during a radio interview yesterday.

Jim DeMint, the former South Carolina senator, acknowledged that the rash of Republican voter ID laws rampant in red states definitely helps elect more conservative candidates. DeMint then asserted, strongly by the way, that the only reason Democrats oppose harsh voter suppression and ID laws is because they help Republicans. DeMint is as deceitful as he is a liar as he is opposed to the democratic process. Research, studies, and empirical data reveal there is virtually no voter fraud going on anywhere; a fact DeMint knows is indisputable. More on that later.

The reason Democrats or anyone on the Left opposes stringent voter ID requirements is because they are created specifically to target the poor, students, the elderly, and people of color to prohibit them from exercising a basic American right to vote. If those groups believe Democrats are working for their best interest and not solely for the religious and the rich, of course they are going to vote for Democrats; they are disenfranchised, not stupid like conservative voters.

DeMint continued,

The left fights voter ID or any kind of picture ID to know that it is actually a registered voter whos voting. And so its something were working on all over the country, because in the states where they do have voter ID laws youve seen, actually, elections begin to change towards more conservative candidates.

The Heritage president is implying the only honest voters in America are conservatives and perpetuated the bovine excrement argument that rampant voter fraud on the left is the only reason a Democrat can win an election. In fact, when he was queried about Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffes recent executive order restoring voting rights to over 200,000 Virginia residents, DeMint said exactly what one expects from Republicans entrenched in the voter suppression movement. Governor McAuliffe is inviting more voter fraud to help Democrats. DeMint may no longer be an officially active Republican politician, but the teabagger gave a typically Republican line about allowing Americans to vote; he said,

Its awfully suspicious coming into a big election in a state where its actually pretty close. I mean, states can decide who votes, but the governor seems over the top to me. I havent seen a complete analysis here, but the left is trying to draw votes from illegals, from voter fraud, a lot of different things, so this kind of fits right in to trying to find another group that they can basically count on to vote their way.

It is awfully nice for DeMint to approve of states deciding who gets to vote, but he made a hypocritically atrocious claim about a Democratic state being awfully suspicious in restoring voting rights. This is particularly true when he just said Republicans enact harsh voter ID and suppression laws in order to disenfranchise Americans inclined to vote for Democrats and to help conservatives and Republicans win elections; a fact that no small number of Republicans have openly admitted to little outrage across Republican states.

DeMint is not the first conservative to admit voter ID laws benefit Republican candidates. A Wisconsin Republican, Glenn Grothman recently boasted that enacting harsh photo ID laws is going to make the difference in defeating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 general election.

In another study published a couple of months ago by researchers at the University of California-San Diego, the results confirmed what anyone with a functioning brain already knows; Republicans harsh voter ID laws adversely affect the turnout of minorities and Democrats.

Now, Republicans began claiming, after first losing control of Congress in 2006 and again when Barack Obama won in 2008 that out-of-control voter fraud incited their crusade to abolish the Voting Rights Act and implement the most severe vote suppression tactics since the Jim Crow era. It is noteworthy that several Republicans across the country have admitted, openly, that the voter ID and suppression tactics are to restrict tens-of-millions of Americans right to vote to help elect Republicans. And yet conservatives like DeMint continue claiming their anti-democracy efforts are simply to prevent voter fraud; something that hardly exists.

Less than two years ago a comprehensive investigation of over a billion votes cast since 2000 in every primary, general, special, recall and municipal election in the entire nation revealed that there were only 31 documented cases of voter fraud over the course of thirteen years and dog knows how many state, federal, and regional elections. If the number thirty-one seems awfully small for over a billion votes cast, look at it as a percentage of over a billion votes; a stunningly small 0.000000031% over the past thirteen years. And, according to the researchers compiling those figures, it is more likely than not that any fraud was more as a result of errors than deliberate cheating.

Republicans are well aware they can hardly win if there are fair elections that allow all Americans to vote or they would not enact vote suppression and absurd voter ID laws. The sad fact is that their efforts have been successful with the valuable assistance of the Koch acolytes on the Supreme Court, and their crusade is ramping up across the nation, just as DeMint promised.

The message to anyone on the Left concerned about keeping America a semi-democratic nation is stop the pleading for money, stop signing and starting worthless petitions, and for dogs sake stop the childish bickering about who is the most ideologically pure and start working to get people registered and informed to vote. Otherwise, youll be home pissing and moaning when Donald Trump is elected president and Republicans increase their majorities in Congress. Because evangelical fanatics, gun-toting patriots, anti-women misogynists, and racist pigs always turn out to vote en masse. And, they faithfully vote for the Republican candidate whether or not they are ideologically pure enough and regardless if their champion du jour is on the ballot; something the Left is incapable of doing regularly if at all.
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Fox News commentator and Benghazi expert Wayne Simmons was and indicted by a federal grand jury last October after it was revealed he had been impersonating a CIA officer, claiming, as CNN reported at the time, that he was an outside paramilitary special operations officer for the CIA from 1973 to 2000. On Fox, this was often shortened to former CIA operative.

The Department of Justice issued a statement Friday announcing that Former Fox News Commentator Pleads Guilty to Fraud: Wayne Shelby Simmons, 62, of Annapolis, Maryland, a former Fox News commentator who has falsely claimed he spent 27 years working for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), pleaded guilty today to major fraud against the government, wire fraud, and a firearms offense. Originally, it will be remembered, he had entered a plea of not guilty in the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia.

But the worm has turned for Simmons. As the Justice Departments statement tells us,

Wayne Simmons is a convicted felon with no military or intelligence experience, said Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Simmons admitted he attempted to con his way into a position where he would have been called on to give real intelligence advice in a war zone. His fraud cost the government money, could have put American lives at risk, and was an insult to the real men and women of the intelligence community who provide tireless service to this country. This case is a prime example of this offices ongoing commitment to vigorously prosecute government fraud and threats to national security.



Mr. Simmons lied about his criminal history and CIA employment in order to fraudulently obtain government contracts, and separately, defrauded a victim through a phony real estate investment deal, said Paul M. Abbate, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBIs Washington Field Office. With these criminal actions, Mr. Simmons abused the trust of others, both in and outside of government, for his own personal financial gain. I commend the work of the talented FBI personnel and prosecutors who vigorously pursued this case and brought about todays guilty plea.

The Justice Department statement details the charges against him:

Simmons admitted he defrauded the government in 2008 when he obtained work as a team leader in the U.S. Armys Human Terrain Systems program, and again in 2010 when he was deployed to Afghanistan as a senior intelligence advisor on the International Security Assistance Forces Counterinsurgency Advisory and Assistance Team.

Simmons admitted to defrauding an individual victim, identified as E.L., out of $125,000 in connection with a bogus real estate investment. Simmons admitted to sending E.L. promised monthly disbursements to make it appear as if her funds had been invested as promised, and to repeatedly lying to her about the whereabouts of her money in order to perpetuate the fraud. As Simmons admitted, he simply spent the funds on personal purposes and there was never any actual real estate investment project.

As to the firearms charge, Simmons admitted that at the time he was arrested in this case, he was unlawfully in possession of two firearms, which he was prohibited from possessing on account of his prior felony convictions, including a prior Maryland felony conviction and two prior federal felony firearms convictions.

Simmons is in a lot of trouble and liberals and progressives will no doubt cheer the news that he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison on the fraud charges, a maximum of 20 years on the wire fraud count, and a maximum of 10 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He will be sentenced on July 15 and as the press release reminds us, The maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Here is the thing though, and it must not be overlooked: Simmons doesnt actually admit he lied, only that prosecutors will prove that he lied, and there is a distinction, because he maintains that while there is no evidence that he worked for the CIA, he did work for the CIA. In other words, as The Washington Post put it Friday, he stands by his story.

As Media Matters for America observes, Simmons was a frequent guest on Fox News, appearing on the network dozens of times purporting to be a former CIA operative. Of course, when he was arrested, Fox News immediately pretended that while he had appeared on the network as a national security and terrorism expert, he was never employed by the channel and was never paid by Fox.

Simmons, Fox News go-to Benghazi expert, was the perfect expert for the right wing propaganda machine, a guy who had absolutely no idea what he was talking about but was willing to tell people what they wanted to hear, a fault he shares with just about every Republican who opens his mouth these days, from the unholy trinity at the top of Trump, Cruz, and Kasich, all the way down to governors, lawmakers, and pundits.

There is a certain symmetry here in the denouement of the story of Wayne Simmons, fake expert for a fake news channel, for as the Justice Department relates, Simmons now admits making false statements about his financial and criminal history, and admitted that there are no records or any other evidence that he was ever employed by or worked with the CIA, or ever applied for or was granted a security clearance by that agency.

We could say Fox News is fooling nobody, but Fox News fools many people, and Simmons is hardly the only pundit employed by the network to spread disinformation. In many way, Simmons is a poster boy for the fraud being perpetuated on the American people not only by Fox News, but by the Republican Party it was established to serve.
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By Peter Graff

LONDON (Reuters)  Donald Trumps first major foreign policy address alarmed American allies, who view the Republican front runners repeated invocation of an America first agenda as a threat to retreat from the world.

While most governments were careful not to comment publicly on a speech by a U.S. presidential candidate, Germanys foreign minister veered from that protocol to express concern at Trumps wording.

I can only hope that the election campaign in the USA does not lack the perception of reality, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

The worlds security architecture has changed and it is no longer based on two pillars alone. It cannot be conducted unilaterally, he said of foreign policy in a post-Cold War world. No American president can get round this change in the international security architecture. America first is actually no answer to that.

Carl Bildt, a former Swedish prime minister and foreign minister who served as UN envoy to the Balkans in the aftermath of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, said he heard Trumps speech as abandoning both democratic allies and democratic values.

Trump had not a word against Russian aggression in Ukraine, but plenty against past U.S. support for democracy in Egypt, Bildt said on Twitter, referring to lines from Trumps speech that criticized the Barack Obama administration for withdrawing support for autocrat Hosni Mubarak during a 2011 uprising.

FIRST ISOLATIONIST CANDIDATE

Trumps speech, uncharacteristically read out from a teleprompter, seemed aimed at showing a more serious side of a politician who has said he intends to act more presidential after months of speaking mainly off the cuff.

He promised a disciplined, deliberate and consistent foreign policy in contrast to the reckless, rudderless and aimless policies of Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Trumps likely Democratic opponent if he secures the Republican nomination.

The speech included no dramatic new policy proposals that might generate headlines, such as his past calls to bar Muslims from entering the United States or to build a wall on the frontier with Mexico.

Where he was specific, like rejecting the terms of last years nuclear deal with Iran, calling for more investment in missile defense in Europe and accusing the Obama administration of tepid support for Israel, he was firmly within the Republican mainstream.

A major theme  that more NATO allies should spend at least 2 percent of their economic output on defense  is one that has also been taken up by the Obama administration itself, including repeatedly during the presidents visit to Europe last week.

Nevertheless, Trumps rhetoric raised alarm in allied countries that still rely on the superpower for defense, particularly the phrase America first, used in the 1930s by isolationists that sought to keep the United States out of World War Two.

Former South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Sung-han, who now teaches at the Korea University in Seoul, said Trump would be the first isolationist to be U.S. presidential candidate, while in the post-war era all the U.S. presidents have been to varying degrees internationalists.

Saying the U.S. will no longer engage in anything that is a burden in terms of its relationships with allies, it would be almost like abandoning those alliances, he said. It will inevitably give rise to anti-American sentiment worldwide.

Xenia Wickett, head of the U.S. and Americas Programme at Britains Chatham House think tank, said the speech suggests Trump would make Americas allies less secure rather than more.

He talked about allies being confident but all of his rhetoric suggested that America should be unpredictable and that Americas allies needed to stand up for themselves.

DISASTER

Earlier in the U.S. nomination process, foreign leaders were not shy to condemn Trump openly and publicly.

In December, when Trump called for his temporary ban on admitting Muslims, British Prime Minister David Cameron called him divisive, stupid and wrong. Hundreds of thousands of Britons signed a petition calling for Trump to be banned from Britain for hate speech, which was taken up in parliament. Cameron declined to ban Trump, but said: If he came to visit our country, I think he would unite us against him.

In January, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel lumped Trump together with the leaders of European far-right parties as not only a threat to peace and social cohesion, but also to economic development.

These days, with Trump now seen as likely to win his partys nomination, European officials are more circumspect in public, but sound no less alarmed in private.

A Trump presidency would be a disaster for EU-U.S. ties, said one senior EU official involved in shaping foreign policy in Brussels.

Right now, we and the Obama administration generally understand each other. I dont think we understand Donald Trump. He has no understanding of the delicate, complex nature of foreign policy on Europes doorstep.

Nevertheless, some of the policies Trump shares with other Republicans do have sympathetic audiences abroad.

Ryszard Terlecki, head of the parliamentary group of Polands ruling rightwing Law and Justice party, said Trump had a point when criticizing the Obama administration for backing away from plans for increased missile defense.

This decision influenced very badly the security of this part of Europe. If it werent for that, the conflict in Ukraine would not escalate, he told Reuters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly opposed the Obama administrations deal with Iran, and Trumps speech, like an earlier one to a pro-Israel lobby group in Washington, went down well with some right-leaning Israelis.

Trump wants an America that is decent, strong, loyal  but also no patsy. And he sees in Israel the most loyal ally of the U.S. wrote Boaz Bismuth, diplomatic correspondent for the pro-Netanyahu daily Israel Hayom.

In the Arab world, where governments and their citizens are also alarmed at the rise of non-Arab Iran, Trumps strong rejection of the deal with Tehran is a popular position that would have been embraced if expressed by another candidate.

But Trumps previous call to ban Muslims from the United States has made him anathema in the region. Emirati political analyst Abdulkhaleq Abdullah said no speech would be enough to salvage his reputation there: Hes a racist and a chauvinist who will never be widely welcomed in the Arab world.

Or, as Kuwaiti twitter user Mohammed al-Ammar wrote: Some of his speech is correct and logical, but the problem is, hes still #Trump.

(Reporting by Andreas Rinke in Berlin, Robin Emmott in Brussels, Dan Williams in Jerusalem, Jack Kim in Seoul, Noah Browning in Dubai, Pawel Sobczak in Warsaw and Guy Faulconbridge in London; writing by Peter Graff; editing by Anna Willard)
Mayo Clinic this week invited representatives from five international medical technology companies for a first-of-its kind program focused on commercializing innovations and intellectual property coined at the clinic.

The Mayo Clinic Global Medical Business Immersion Program this week hosted companies from Brazil, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands and Scotland for a week of collaboration with Mayo physicians and business leaders.

The program is under the direction of Mayo Clinic Ventures , the arm of Mayo charged with technology transfer. Mayo Clinic Ventures commercializes Mayo Clinic technologies for the benefit of patients worldwide, and with the revenue, it supports clinical practice, research and education, according to Mayo materials.

The immersion program was intended to foster new collaborations within Mayo Clinic's existing international network and to work with international partners with a range of experience and technologies, said Timmeko Love, Mayo Clinic Ventures business development manager.

Love joined Mayo Clinic Ventures in 2014; she was previously a principal at Best Buy Capital where she directed investments in consumer technology startups.

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"The idea is that Mayo generates a lot of inventions  but we make those inventions available for public benefit so that outside companies might have license to Mayo Clinic intellectual property, and that might set the foundation for new products that these companies might introduce and in some cases even be core technology for establishing new startups," Love said.

The visiting companies included Cognilab, of Canada, a virtual laboratory for the study of human cognition; MOUNT, a Netherlands company that produces "Digital Decision Aids" to help patients understand treatment options; and Pixeon, a Brazilian provider of IT solutions and information systems.

The other attendees were Snap40, of Scotland, which has a product, "Senda," that enables monitoring of patients' health systems in their own homes; and Techsomed, or Israel, that has a product for real-time monitoring and control of thermal ablation procedures, called "BioTrace."

Each of the companies was vetted and chosen for its cultural and mission compatibility with Mayo Clinic, Love said. Each could have future collaborations with Mayo through licensing, co-development or joint research.

Another benefit of having the companies visit Mayo Clinic's Rochester campus, Love said, was a chance for their representatives to see the opportunities that exist in the city  including the potential for expansion or relocation to Discovery Square or elsewhere in the city.

More information on Mayo Clinic Ventures is available at ventures.mayoclinic.org .
Q: I own a 2014 Toyota Camry purchased in October 2014 that now has about 13,000 miles on it. I noticed that the headrests for the back seats are wearing badly. I did tell the Toyota officials that I drive my grandkids occasionally in their rear car seats. The Toyota people rejected my claim that maybe the rear seat material might be defective. My question is: Are the rear seats for looks only? I do not believe that such poor wear and tear of rear seat headrests is something normal. I am not aware that my child seats should make so much damage to the car seats.

A: That's a tough question for the simple reason that the carmaker is the party that decides what is "normal wear and tear." I'm sure Toyota didn't design the headrests for the rear seats for the primary purpose of supporting a child safety seat. On the other hand, properly installing a child safety seat in the back seat for an appropriately size/age child is certainly "normal" use of the vehicle. When these child seats are installed in your vehicle, are they fully secure with little or no movement side-to-side? The more securely attached, the less wear and tear on the seat and headrests.

From a personal perspective, I consider the scuffs on the rear fascia of our Passat wagon from repeatedly loading and unloading a wheelchair to be normal wear and tear, not a defect.

Toyota provides several avenues of appeal for warranty issues, starting with the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331. Your owner's manual package includes a claim form that can be submitted to the National Center for Dispute Settlement in Mount Clemens, Mich., which offers an informal no-cost process of arbitration to resolve a dispute. A quick Web search found that although the NCDS is a third-party organization funded by a number of automakers, NCDS claims the automakers have no say in the choosing of neutral arbitrators.

As is usually the case, it boils down to how much effort you are willing to put into pursuing this issue. And as always is the case, the more calm, professional and determined your approach to this, the better your chances.

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Q: I have a 2000 Chevy Impala with a 3.4-liter engine and 112,000 miles. Twice now the low coolant level light has appeared a couple of weeks after replacement of the sensor. I'm hoping for a suggestion to stop the light's reappearance, seeing how the level is always on the mark in radiator and overflow reservoir.

A: I suspect the coolant in your vehicle is contaminated with oil. GM suggests removing and cleaning/polishing the probe to remove any oil or film. The probe should be bright brass in appearance when properly cleaned.

It's possible the sensors have failed but that seems very unlikely in this case. You can check the sensor by unplugging it from its harness and turning on the ignition. If the warning light is not illuminated, the sensor is good but in need of cleaning. If the warning light is still on with the sensor unplugged, the problem is in the chassis wiring or instrument cluster.

Now to the bigger issue. If the sensor is being repeatedly fouled with oil, where is the oil coming from? Possibilities include a head gasket or internal engine oil leak, fluid leak from the transmission cooler section of the radiator or improper service (accidentally adding oil to the coolant). Even deposits from some type of stop-leak product in the cooling system could cause this.

In most cases, significant oil contamination of the coolant will leave oil residue in the recovery tank at the line marking the level of coolant in the tank. If contamination is the problem, identify and eliminate the cause, then flush and refill the cooling system.
EAU CLAIRE, Wis.  When Tim Brudnicki looks at the stacks of milled ash wood drying in a shed on his rural Caryville property, he sees more than the blond-colored hard surfaces adorned with swirled orange-brown lines that make up the wood's grain.

He also envisions tabletops and headboards and other furniture he will create from wood he is giving a second life, the Leader-Telegram (http://bit.ly/1Sq6ma0 ) reported.

Brudnicki, the owner of Eau Claire Woodworks, is one of three regional artisans taking part in an effort to turn some of the 300 or so healthy ash trees the city of Eau Claire is proactively cutting each year into attractive and useful furniture and works of art.

Previously, that wood has been churned into mulch or turned into pulpwood. But now, thanks to a partnership involving the city of Eau Claire, a Madison-based entity seeking to reuse downed urban trees and local artisans such as Brudnicki, those ash trees that lined many city boulevards are being used for other purposes.

"This is a great way of finding better uses for this wood that was otherwise going to a lesser purpose," he said.

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The idea for turning felled ash trees into locally produced furniture and art has its roots in the city's management of its public ash tree population. As the emerald ash borer, a green beetle that infests and destroys ash tree populations, surfaced in recent years in the Northeast and spread to the Midwest, city forestry officials decided to thin the 7,000 ash trees on boulevards, parks and other public lands in an effort to slow the damage.

Four years ago the city began felling ash trees on public property. As city forester Todd Chwala watched one ash after another come down, he hoped there was a better use for them than being ground into wood chips or used for pulpwood.

Chwala and other city officials met in summer of 2014 to determine how to accomplish that goal. They enlisted the assistance of Leadership Eau Claire, a leadership training program operated by the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce.

The group took on the project and ultimately contacted Wisconsin Urban Wood, a Madison nonprofit organization that promotes using wood produced by urban forestry operations and believes that such wood can be used for such purposes as lumber, furniture and works of art. The organization agreed to work as a conduit between the city and artisans such as Brudnicki who want to use the ash trees.

and artisans such as Brudnicki who want to use the ash trees.

Cut ash trees are piled at the former brush site along Jeffers Road. The three artisans currently working in conjunction with Wisconsin Urban Wood  Brudnicki; Julie McFadden, who owns Eco Urban Timber of Eau Claire; and J.R. Salzman, who owns Salzman Custom Sawing near Downsville  choose from the logs at the site. They don't pay for the wood but are responsible for hauling it to the locations where it will be dried and milled before they turn it into products.

Matthew Staudenmaier, city forestry division supervisor, said the urban wood renewal program makes sense in that it turns a waste product into items of value while adding to Eau Claire's arts scene.

"These people are finding lots of uses for that same wood before was viewed as waste," he said.

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Brudnicki approached a stack of ash drying at his property and pointed to one thick slab, noting its twisting, prominent grain. A longtime carpenter in the Milwaukee area before moving five years ago to rural Eau Claire with his wife and two children, he said he hadn't previously worked with ash and has been surprised at its hard nature and attractive appearance.

"It looks and acts a lot like oak," Brudnicki said. "It can be difficult to work with too because of the twists and turns of the grain. A lot of people don't like that in a wood. They like straight grain because it's easier to work with. But this grain is what gives this wood its character. It's what allows me to give some of these pieces an artistic flair."

Brudnicki is doing just that with the pieces of ash he has procured. Nick Meyer, the publisher of Volume One who is one of the owners of the Oxbow Hotel, commissioned Brudnicki to create much of the furniture, everything from bed headboards to end tables to the front desk, for the hotel currently under construction.

Brudnicki is making most of those items from reclaimed ash. He noted how the wood's distinctive coloration makes its swirled grain stand out and how the knots and burls in the wood help form artistic curves he can work with.

"For me, that's where the artistic beauty of this wood is," he said.

Meyer was attracted to Brudnicki's craftsmanship after he began selling items at the Local Store, which Meyer owns, and he subsequently hired him to make furniture for the hotel. The ash trees are a great fit for the hotel, where the aim is to give patrons an authentic Eau Claire feel, Meyer said.

"We really want to make Eau Claire be a big part of this hotel, and this is a very direct way to do that, to take trees that were growing in this place and turn them into our furniture," Meyer said.

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McFadden praised the ash reuse effort, saying it feels good as an artisan to extend the lives of the felled trees rather than see them go to waste.

"It's wonderful. It's giving this wood a new home, and that is a really good thing," said McFadden, who in addition to building her business works at Chippewa Valley Technical College as a software development teacher and a grant manager.

McFadden's business was born from the ash tree reuse effort. She was part of the 2013-14 Leadership Eau Claire team that initially discussed the idea, and she later attended a training seminar in Spring Green designed to help attendees learn how to reuse urban wood. Many of her products combine wood, light and etching in creative ways.

"My business really sprang from this urban wood idea, so it has special meaning to me," McFadden said, noting she hopes to continue to grow her business and turn more ash into products people can enjoy.

Brudnicki has growth plans too. He hopes to create one line of his business specifically dedicated to reusing urban wood.

He recalled a trip shortly after he moved here and started his business to a gallery in the Pepin County community of Stockholm. He had created two new tables that included a hollowed-out section inlaid with pebbles designed to impart the idea of a flowing river. His business was struggling at the time, and he doubted whether the objects would sell. Moments after he arrived at the gallery a woman bought both works, giving him confidence that maybe his business would survive after all.

Now, thanks in part to the urban ash project, he said, his business is thriving.

"I am so fortunate, and this program has been what I needed to take my business to the next level," Brudnicki said. "This is a way to give these trees new life, and it feels good to be a part of that."

___

Information from: Leader-Telegram, http://www.leadertelegram.com/

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Summary
Visa is upgrading its software to process chip-embedded credit and debit cards to function faster  addressing a source of grumbling from businesses and customers who are often forced to wait for transactions to go through.

The company said Tuesday that its program  Quick Chip for EMV  will let customers dip and remove cards, usually in two seconds or less, without waiting for purchases to be finalized.

Though the wait can be just seconds, in today's economy of swipes and scans, the cards have been a nuisance for high traffic retailers, for example, a coffee shop during the morning rush.

"While chip cards have been adopted and generally accepted by customers, there have been some complaints the chip transactions take longer," said Stephanie Ericksen, vice president of risk products at Visa.

Visa said the upgrade will be rolled over the next six months. While it is being announced for Visa debit and credit cards only, the technology is not exclusive to Visa and could be adopted by MasterCard and American Express cards as well.

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Chip cards have been used for years in Europe and many other parts of the world, making the U.S. a relatively late adopter.

Analysts say that's the main reason that roughly half of all global credit card fraud occurs in the U.S., even though the country makes up only about a quarter of all credit card transactions, according to a report by Barclays last year.

The credit card industry set a deadline of Oct. 1, 2015 for banks to issue chip-enabled cards and retailers to install and activate new terminals capable of processing chip transactions.

After that date, liability for fraudulent transactions shifted to whichever party in a transaction hadn't upgraded to the new technology. Before that, the costs always fell on the banks.

Despite that, not all retailers have been quick to adopt the change. But that's mainly been a result of a backlog in the certification process required to use the new chip software and hardware, Gartner analyst Avivah Litan said.

"Sometimes you see where they've put a piece of Scotch tape over the reader and that's because they can't accept the cards," Litan said. "And yet, meanwhile, they're stuck with the liability. It's really not fair."

Some retailers have been so frustrated by the slow certification process that they've filed suit against the credit card companies over it, she said.

Litan added that while slow chip transactions can be irritating, a retailer isn't going to shell out for the technology and then not use it. But she added that some big box retailers have created their own software with the intent of speeding up transactions.

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Chips provide significantly more security than traditional magnetic strips, because rather than sending an actual card number to a retailer, the chip instead sends a unique code that's assigned to the transaction. That means that if a crook acquired that code, it couldn't be used to make another purchase.

In addition, chip cards are much harder, if not impossible, to duplicate, while magnetic cards can easily be copied. But the technology isn't perfect. Chips are no help in "card not present" transactions, such as those made online, because they still require users to enter the actual credit card number.

Visa Inc. said that more than 265 million of its credit and debit chip cards have been issued to date.
It's a great time of year to be a tree! I've been ogling over the flowering cherry and crabapples all week. The buds are stretching forth; leaves and blossoms cover the branches. Gazing upon all the arboreal splendor, the value of each and every tree limb becomes apparent. The branches stretch out in different directions, each with its own angles and twists.

Christianity can be thought of like a tree, and a few weeks ago, I got a chance to spend some time perched on a different limb.

There are many denominations branching out from the base of the Christian family tree. Over time, each denomination develops its own structure, doctrine, name, and history. Then, communities of people gather around those shared beliefs.

It's worth noting that participation in a local congregation that is part of a larger denomination doesn't guarantee that everyone within those structures believes the same things. Generally, there is a very wide range of thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and opinions within the individual membership of every congregation and denomination.

The Lutheran portion of the tree shoots forth in a few directions. Growing up, I was part of a branch called the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). When I was about 14, my family moved to a town that didn't have a Missouri Synod congregation. The town did, however, have an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) congregation, and I've been part of the ELCA ever since.

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A few weeks ago, I was invited to come and speak at a local Missouri Synod congregation for a luncheon. I hadn't been inside a Missouri Synod church since my grandma's funeral in 2002. I was nervous as I drove to the church, wondering if I'd be accepted. Like a number of branches on the Christian family tree, the LCMS doesn't ordain women. I'm a female pastor, so I was curious about how it would all play out. I hoped everything would go smoothly, even though my beliefs differ from some aspects of the standard LCMS doctrine.

As I walked up the steps of the church, I felt a sudden rush of gratitude and peace. God works in ever-fascinating ways to unravel the knots of fear within us all, and my fears were untangled that day. My biases and judgments were untangled a bit, too.

The luncheon and talk went well. I felt completely respected and valued every step of the way. The mealtime conversation was life-giving and warm. After my presentation, there was time for questions. Participants asked about ministry and column-writing with smiles and sincere interest.

I returned to my car as the event concluded and was reminded of the worth of every branch of the Christian family tree (and the trees of all other world religions, too).

I used to think that it was important to overlook our denominational differences and focus on what we all have in common. My objective has shifted. These days, I'm far more interested in mutual learning grounded in an attitude of unconditional respect. We don't all have to agree. We can have very different opinions. That's normal!

With respect as our foundation, we can have thoughtful, lively discussions about our differences. We can learn from one another. We can agree and disagree and change our minds all along the way. Mutual respect is the key.

There is beauty and splendor in all the trees of the forest. May the spirit of God empower us to lovingly regard every branch.
It isn't often that an airline that once imposed additional ticket fees drops the extra charge, but Delta Air Lines has  apparently after listening to scathing criticism from its customers.

The fees, described in the media as "much hated" by customers, were for either $25 or $35. They were levied in addition to the ticket cost to customers who booked their reservation with an actual human being  either over the phone with a Delta reservation agent or in person at U.S. airport counters and other ticket office locations.

Tacking on several additional fees to ticket charges has been a standard operating procedure for airlines over the years, with passengers paying extra for such things as early boarding, extra leg room, so-called comfort seats, and even pillows and blankets.

A more recent fee was announced a few weeks ago by Southwest Airlines, which is boosting the cost of its EarlyBird Check-in by 20 percent.

Delta wasn't the only airline to charge fees for most reservations made over the phone, notes CNN Money. United and JetBlue are still charging for reservations made in this manner. And American also charges, and all of the amounts are similar to what Delta imposed.

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CNN notes that a 2014 report from AirFarewatchdog.com found that consumers rank charging for checked bags, changing or canceling a reservation, advanced seat selection and making phone reservations among the most egregious fees when flying. Phone reservation fees also have been at the top.

In dropping the fee, Delta explained that the move "is an example of the company's commitment to assisting customers and responding to their feedback before, during and after their travel with Delta."

According to a USA Today article, the ticketing fees served as a way for carriers to push customers to buy flights via airlines' websites, the airlines' most cost-effective way of selling tickets.

Delta has not charged a fee when customers purchase tickets on delta.com or through the Fly Delta app.
MANTORVILLE  The man accused of ramming two law enforcement vehicles in an attempt to avoid arrest  possibly striking a deputy in the process  was charged Friday in Dodge County District Court.

Larry Robert Wenthold, 37, faces three felonies: one count each of first-degree assault, fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, and being a fugitive from justice from another state. He remains in custody in lieu of $500,000 unconditional bond and is due back in court May 11.

Wenthold was arrested about 4 p.m. Wednesday in Hayfield, where officers with multiple law enforcement agencies had met to take Wenthold into custody on an outstanding warrant out of South Dakota.

He was wanted for failing to register as a sex offender, but has a long history of violent crime, said Olmsted County Sheriff's Capt. Scott Behrns.

In addition to a history of assault and weapons possession, Wenthold had recently made threats against law enforcement claiming he wouldn't be arrested without a fight," said Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose.

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The incident began about 3:50 p.m., as members of law enforcement watched what they believed to be Wenthold's car parked in the parking lot of a Hayfield bank.

An officer in an unmarked squad car was parked in the same lot when he saw a man walking toward the vehicle. The officer pulled closer to identify the man, the complaint says; when the officer pulled behind the car, it began to back up. The officer honked his horn, and the car pulled back into the parking space.

Another officer pulled his squad car in front of the suspect vehicle to block it in. Instead, the driver  later identified as Wenthold  backed into the passenger side of the unmarked squad, pulled forward and rammed the squad parked in front of him, then reversed and rammed the unmarked squad a second time, the complaint says.

That officer got out of his vehicle and drew his gun; as he did, he heard tires squealing and someone yelling, "stop, police, stop."

As the officer turned, he saw Wenthold's car backing toward Olmsted County Investigator Mark Chambers, who was not in his vehicle and trying to dodge Wenthold. The officer outside his car then heard "what he thought was a firearm" discharging, court documents say, and saw Chambers on the ground.

It appeared Chambers had been struck by Wenthold's car.

Wenthold left the bank parking lot and slammed into the apartment building across the street, ending up halfway through the building before coming to a stop.

Wenthold ran from the car and jumped a fence  where a U.S. Marshal was standing with his weapon drawn and made the arrest at gunpoint.

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Chambers has more than four years of law enforcement service, the majority of it with Olmsted County, Behrns said. He's been a member of the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crimes Task Force for about a year, and also serves on the Rochester/Olmsted County Emergency Response Unit.

"He's a highly trained officer," Behrns said.

Chambers suffered minor injuries; he was taken to a Rochester hospital, where he was treated and released.

Officers from the U.S. Marshal's Office, Olmsted County Sheriff's Office, the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crimes Task Force and Dodge County Sheriff's Office all responded to Wednesday's incident.

Dodge County Emergency Management assisted the displaced residents of the apartment building, which sustained significant structural damage.

"Considering what happened, it's very fortunate no citizens were injured," Behrns said.

Local authorities were involved from the start of the incident, he said, because of a tip about the suspect that came in to the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office.

It was initially believed Wenthold was in Rochester; further investigation moved the hunt to Dodge County.

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The U.S. Marshals were involved, Behrns said, "because they hunt high-profile violent offenders."
Donny Erickson stood outside the Clarion Inn with Viking Lounge bartender Mark Thoreen on Friday afternoon, reminiscing about his favorite karaoke moments at the lounge.

Erickson, like many others in Rochester, will have to find a new karaoke spot. The 196-unit hotel and lounge will be demolished within the year, with the new hotel set to be built on the site.

"I just can't believe it," Erickson said, noting he stopped for lunch and realized the place had been cleared out. He had plans to drop by for karaoke later in the evening. "I've been coming here a long, long time. ... I'm going to miss this place."

The news was broken to employees at a Friday morning meeting after the finalization of the sale Thursday to Lamont Companies. The company intends to redevelop the 5.5-acre property into a Candlewood Suites hotel and multi-tenant retail spot, according to a news release from the company.

The release also noted the seller will retain a financial interest in the new development.

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"This transaction offered ideal outcomes for both parties involved," said Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq Senior Director Ronn Thomas, representing Sonor Hotel Corporation. "The location has easy access to major highways, booming downtown Rochester and other demand generators, and is ideal for a new hotel development."

The hotel, located at 1630 South Broadway Avenue, was set to be cleared out by 4 p.m. Many of the hotel's 60 employees said the news came as a shock.

"There's lots of camaraderie among employees, everyone got along," Thoreen said, noting he'll miss the group of employees he worked with  and who are now looking for new jobs.

Hotel employees said the rooms were vacated and guests were sent to other hotels in the area, noting Choice Hotels will take care of people with future reservations, such as wedding receptions.

For many in the community, like Erickson, the closure of the 53-year-old establishment has come as a shock.

Erickson, who considers himself a Viking Lounge regular, said the move will take away Rochester's "official karaoke bar," adding he was bummed that the management didn't give some of the establishments frequenters a heads up about the closing.

"I've been absolutely smitten with this place," Erickson said. "But that's the nature of the beast, I guess. That's business."
Pridefest organizers are engaged in a last-ditch fundraising effort that could shift a portion of this summer's event back to the Peace Plaza. The event celebrates and raises awareness of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

Gale Julius, Pridefest's co-chair, made that announcement Friday afternoon in response to a public outcry of moving the event away from the highly visible downtown venue as a cost-saving measure.

Julius met Friday with Rochester Downtown Alliance director Jenna Bowman to discuss the possibility of renting the Peace Plaza on Sunday, July 17. The first three days would still be held at Wicked Moose Bar and Grill, which offered to host the event in Southeast Rochester for free; organizers had been searching for an alternate site due to RDA increasing its rental price by 3 percent for 2016, along with requiring on-site security at a cost of $24 per hour.

Donations are being collected online through the group's website , while a GoFundMe campaign was also created, with a goal of $2,500. The venue situation will be re-evaluated 6 p.m. Wednesday during a public meeting being held at Cafe Steam in downtown Rochester.

Mayor Ardell Brede and Rochester City Council member Michael Wojcik are both confident the community will rally around the fundraising efforts.

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"I've been part of that social media critique," Wojcik said of the rampant public criticism surrounding Pridefest's venue change. "When you have a group of people who have been discriminated against and faced a hostile environment for so long, both in Rochester and across the country, it's important for them to be front and center.

"Now that we know about it  we didn't know about it before  I think it'll be pretty easy to take care of that."

Ken Tollefsrud, Gay & Lesbian Community Services chairman, says the total cost for a full day at Peace Plaza now tops $2,000, while Bowman says a half day would cost $881  up $232.20 from last year. Brede says that it's an important enough issue that he'd consider using some of his mayoral discretionary fund to fill the funding gap.

Pridefest is scheduled for July 14-17, with Incognito headlining Friday's first-ever block party.

"If I was asked, I could probably scrape up some money for that," Brede said. "In the future, come and ask."

Vangie Castro, youth education program manager for the Diversity Council, echoed Brede by saying there was "a lack of communication and lack of awareness" in the decision to move Pridefest out of Peace Plaza.

"I think a lot of people on the Pridefest committee didn't realize that moving the venue would upset a lot of people  but I'm really happy with the attention it's getting because we need more people involved and invested," Castro said.

Jeffrey Jurewicz, a former Gay Lesbian Community Service board member, actually wrote a long Facebook post expanding on Castro's point. He took the blame for the online vitriol that's been aimed at Pridefest organizers and the RDA for the venue change, arguing that the LGBT community needs more support, both financially and with volunteers. He's already donated $100.

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Julius and Bowman say the public criticism of the venue change is misplaced.

"This is a good wake-up call for the LGBT community, and the community at large, to think about how we are asking diversity to be a part of our community," Julius said.

Added Bowman: "There have been a wide variety of topics that have arisen recently and, unfortunately, the negative sentiment has seemed to be the main sentiment. We can be critical and push for progress, but I urge the community to do this in a way that does not forgo our humanity."

Rochester City Council member Sandra Means said she reached out to many of the involved parties to express her concerns about the new venue, which she feels will reduce public attention and attendance.

"When I read (about the new venue), I thought this should be downtown in a beautiful public space," Means said. "We continue to speak about how important it is to be receptive in this community  because we need all the help we can in making this become a destination city. We cannot led personal bias impede that progress, so I was disappointed."
Local activities are planned on the National Day of Prayer.

On Thursday, the National Community Resource Center is holding the Rochester: Day of Prayer, in conjunction with the 65th annual National Day of Prayer. This year's theme is "Wake Up, America."

Several events are planned throughout the day, including a prayer gathering at the Rochester Government Center  those who wish to attend should enter through the law enforcement entrance  from noon to 12:45 p.m. in the council chambers at 151 Fourth St. SE.

Evening activities include the Faith Expo from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. at the Rochester Assembly of God Church at 4240 18th Ave. NW.

The national day came to be when a bill started by Conrad Hilton of Hilton Hotels and former Kansas Sen. Frank Carlson was passed on April 17, 1952, which proposed that the president set aside a a day each year, other than Sunday, as a National Day of Prayer.
ELKO  Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital recently presented 120 small first aid kits, and four large classroom size kits to Communities and Schools for their after school programs at Southside Elementary.

Teaching children the importance of incorporating healthy behaviors and learning about health in general is so important early on. says Rick Palagi, NNRH CEO. At NNRH our mission is Making Communities Healthier and it is in passionate pursuit of that mission that we continue to make these kinds of donations to our community.

Southside Elementary offers an after school enrichment program and has more than 100 children enrolled. The Health and Fitness component of the enrichment program will utilize the First Aid kit donation and teach children the importance of incorporating health and healthy choices into their lives. The enrichment program is taught by teachers who work at Southside Elementary and also includes activities such as yoga, drama, Spanish, mystery science, and art.

Southside and Communities In School are so grateful to NNRH for the donation of the first aid kits. We are excited to teach our students how to utilize the first aid kits at home and at school, especially since the warm weather is allowing more physical, outdoor activities. said Jessica Russell, Communities In Schools site coordinator for Southside Elementary. It is so nice to live in a community that cares so much about the health and well-being of children, and with this donation NNRH has allowed us to better teach and take care of our students.
ELKO  A house fire Friday morning at 1379 Lamoille Highway closed the highway from 12th Street to South Ninth Street for several hours while firefighters worked to contain the blaze.

The City of Elko Fire Department and county emergency services responded and, by the afternoon, the roadway was reopened.

All tenants were displaced from the four-unit apartment. The fire also damaged two vehicles. No injuries were reported.

Witnesses

Before 9:30 a.m. Lindsey Taylor was alerted to the fire by her co-worker, prompting both of them to go outside.

Taylor said the flames appeared large, and it looked like the fire started in the garage as the blaze headed toward the cars.

You could hear the boom when it would hit the cars. The smoke was black and high, said Taylor.

Another witness, Julie Hughes, described the scene as a billow of black smoke.

She came out at approximately 9:30 a.m. and could also hear the tires blowing.

The witnesses were across the street at the Terraces.

Initial Findings

The fire was in the garage when firefighters arrived on the scene, said Fire Marshal Josh Carson.

At about 10:15 a.m. firefighters were still trying to contain the blaze.

Weve knocked down the majority of the fire in the main house. We still have a very active fire in the garage, said Elko Fire Chief Matt Griego.

Emergency services were preparing to do some overhaul work in order to get the garage door out, before the fire could be fully extinguished, he said.

Griego did not have any information about the cause of the fire Friday morning.

We dont believe that anyone was inside, but we have yet to make a final search and verify that, he said.

Some pets were unaccounted for, said Carson.

First responders included the City of Elko Fire Department, the Elko County Fire Protection District and the Elko County Ambulance.

The fire department worked with the American Red Cross to get the organization on-scene to help the tenants.

Providing Aid

The Red Cross provides assistance for food, clothing and lodging for immediate emergency needs, according to Community Volunteer Lead Bailey Billington.

When you drive by the home, it was a total loss, said Billington, explaining the family will need items such as kitchen essentials and furniture in the long term.

The national aid organization helps with these necessities through a pre-paid card.

We at the Red Cross just want to remind people to have an evacuation plan, said Billington.

This includes having an emergency communication plan, working smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.

Always be prepared for the unexpected, she said.
Dear Secretary Jewell,

I write to express my strong concerns with Department of the Interiors management of wild horses in the state of Nevada. As you know, more than half of all wild horses in North America are found in Nevada alone. That overpopulation has resulted in significant impacts on the health of Nevadas economy, wildlife, rangelands, riparian areas, and the horses themselves.

As I travel throughout Nevada, I continuously hear from ranchers, sportsmen, outdoor enthusiasts, horse advocates, and other concerned citizens alike that conditions on the range are deplorable. As a sportsman, I am strongly concerned resource degradation is causing irreparable damage to some of our cherished outdoor areas while negatively impacting Nevadas wildlife, including threatened species like the greater sage-grouse, as well as big game species like mule deer, elk, pronghorn and bighorn sheep. I think we can all agree that the status quo is not serving the state well.

In an effort to collect information and identify ways Congress can be helpful, I sent a letter alongside 19 of my Western Congressional colleagues on November 4, 2015, to the BLM requesting specific information laying out the gravity of the issue in Nevada and across the west, as well as specific strategies that could address overstocked Herd Management Areas. I am disappointed the Department has not provided us a response nearly six months later. I have attached that correspondence to this letter as it is important we get a response so that together we can solve this important problem facing the west.

It is my understanding that the Bureau of Land Management recently contacted a number of Nevada ranchers and informed them that animal unit months could be reduced or eliminated in some areas due to the damage incurred on rangelands by the overpopulation of wild horses. Over the past few years, many ranchers have already taken reductions in their grazing allotments; yet horse populations have only increased, not decreased, over that time. It is unfair for local ranchers to be penalized for the BLMs inaction. Additionally, it is important to note that horse impacts are just as bad, if not worse, on rangelands where little-to-no grazing occurs as they are on public lands where Nevada ranchers operate.

Earlier this week, Governor Brian Sandoval announced that the state is exploring legal options aimed at improving wild horse management in Nevada. I support the governors efforts and agree that any strategy that will effectively deal with the problem in Nevada will require additional attention. With that said, the solution to this problem is much larger than simply more federal resources. I remain concerned that the BLM has no clear strategy for addressing this issue.

I recognize this issue is complicated and that interested parties have widely different opinions on wild horses. My office has had many positive conversations with State Director John Ruhs on this problem, and I appreciate the honest and transparent approach he has taken with local stakeholders. It is important that the people on the ground in our western states receive appropriate support from headquarters. Collaboratively, measures should be taken to reduce herd sizes and improve rangeland conditions.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to receiving the Departments response to the letter dated November 4, 2015, no later than May 12, 2016. My colleagues and I stand ready to assist in alleviating this urgent situation.

Sincerely,

DEAN HELLER, U.S. Senator
Foreign policy does not determine American elections. Indeed, of all Western countries, we are the least interested in the subject. The reason is simple: We haven't had to be. Our instinctive isolationism derives from our geographic exceptionalism. As Bismarck once explained (it is said), the United States is the most fortunate of all Great Powers, bordered on two sides by weak neighbors and on the other two by fish.

Two world wars, nuclear missiles and international terrorism have disabused us of the illusion of safety-by-isolation. You wouldn't know it, though, from the Democratic presidential race where foreign policy has been treated as a nuisance, a distraction from such fundamental questions as whether $12 or $15 is the proper minimum wage.

On the Republican side, however, foreign policy has been the subject of furious debate. To which Donald Trump has contributed significantly, much of it off-the-cuff, contradictory and confused. Hence his foreign policy speech on Wednesday. It was meant to make him appear consistent, serious and presidential.

He did check off the required box  delivering a "major address" to a serious foreign policy outfit, the Center for the National Interest (once known as the Nixon Center). As such, it fulfilled a political need.

As did its major theme, announced right at the top: America First. Classically populist and invariably popular, it is nonetheless quite fraught. On the one hand, it can be meaningless  isn't every president trying to advance American interests? Surely Truman didn't enter the Korean War for the sake of Koreans, but from the conviction that intervention was essential for American security.

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On the other hand, America First does have a history. In 1940, when Britain was fighting for its life and Churchill was begging for U.S. help, it was the name of the group most virulently opposed to U.S. intervention. It disbanded  totally discredited  four days after Pearl Harbor.

The irony is that while President Obama would never use the term, it is the underlying theme of his foreign policy  which Trump constantly denounces as a series of disasters. Obama, like Trump, is animated by the view that we are overextended and overinvested abroad. "The nation that I'm most interested in building is our own," declared Obama in his December 2009 West Point address on Afghanistan.

This is also the theme of Bernie Sanders. No great surprise. Left and right isolationism have found common cause since the 1930s. Socialist Party leader Norman Thomas often shared the platform with Charles Lindbergh at America First rallies.

Both the left and right have a long history of advocating American retreat and retrenchment. The difference is that liberals want to come home because they think we are not good enough for the world. Conservatives want to wash their hands of the world because they think the world is not good enough for us.

For Obama, we are morally unworthy to act as world hegemon. Our hands are not clean. He's gone abroad confessing our various sins  everything from the Iranian coup of 1953 to our unkind treatment of Castro's Cuba to the ultimate blot, Hiroshima, a penitential visit to which Obama is currently considering.

Trump would be rightly appalled by such a self-indicting trip. His foreign policy stems from a proud nationalism that believes these recalcitrant tribes and nations are unworthy of American expenditures of blood and treasure.

This has been the underlying view of conservative isolationism from Lindbergh through Pat Buchanan through Rand Paul. It is not without its attractions. Trump's version, however, is inconsistent and often contradictory. After all, he pledged to bring stability to the Middle East. How do you do that without presence, risk and expenditures (financial and military)? He attacked Obama for letting Iran become a "great power." But doesn't resisting that automatically imply engagement?

More incoherent still is Trump's insistence on being unpredictable. An asset perhaps in real estate deals, but in a Hobbesian world American allies rely on American consistency, often as a matter of life or death. Yet Trump excoriated the Obama-Clinton foreign policy for losing the trust of our allies precisely because of its capriciousness. The tilt toward Iran. The red line in Syria. Canceling the East European missile defense. Abandoning Hosni Mubarak.

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Trump's scripted, telepromptered speech was intended to finally clarify his foreign policy. It produced instead a jumble. The basic principle seems to be this: Continue the inexorable Obama-Clinton retreat, though for reasons of national self-interest, rather than of national self-doubt. And except when, with studied inconsistency, he decides otherwise.

Charles Krauthammer is a columnist for the Washington Post.
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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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Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

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The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

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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

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh

USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens

ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression
"I wasn't playing the woman's card," Donald Trump said Thursday when asked about his claim that Hillary Clinton was playing such a card and that if she were a man, she would get only 5 percent of the vote.

For once, I agree with Trump: He wasn't playing the woman's card. He was playing the man's card  and he was dealing from the bottom of the deck.

Trump's return to misogyny  unveiled on Tuesday night, at the very moment when he seemed to have secured the Republican presidential nomination  has been generally viewed as bumbling, a reprise of the days when he used "slob," "dog" and "piece of ass" to describe women.

But Trump's gender-based attack on Clinton, which he defended in subsequent days, was likely no accident. Research shows the attack is rational, and his repetition of it suggests it's calculated.

Trump orchestrated his primary-campaign success on the basis of economic and racial resentment. Now he's building a general-election strategy  against the candidate who would be the first woman to lead a major party's presidential ticket  on gender resentment.

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It probably won't work. It definitely is ugly. But it may be the best card he has to play, with seven in 10 women regarding him unfavorably. A man who has demagogically divided Americans by race and ethnicity now aims to finish the job by dividing us by views of gender roles.

A fascinating new study by Dan Cassino at Fairleigh Dickinson University shows why. Just as Trump has exposed a surprising depth of racial animus in America, there is gender animus to be tapped as well. Cassino found that the "gender role threat"  a perceived threat to male identity and masculinity  leads to increased support for Trump among men, and lower support for Clinton.

In a survey of New Jersey voters in late February, Cassino and his colleagues tried an experiment. Half of respondents, before being asked about their preference in the presidential election, were asked whether they or their spouse earned more money. The others were asked about their household income distribution afterthey were asked about their presidential preference.

What they found was troubling  and huge. Those who weren't "primed" with the question about spousal income preferred Clinton over Trump, 49 percent to 33 percent. But those who were primed with the income question, reminding them about the upending of traditional gender roles, favored Trump over Clinton, 50 percent to 42 percent  a 24-point shift. Removing any doubt that the issue is gender: The same experiment produced almost no shift in a hypothetical matchup between Trump and Bernie Sanders.

The priming of voters with the gender-role question caused women to support Clinton even more strongly, by an extra 12 points. But this didn't offset the losses the experiment caused Clinton among men. Overall, she lost eight points when voters were reminded about changing gender roles.

What this shows, and what Trump apparently recognizes, is that the gender gap cuts both ways. Trump has already lost the votes of liberal and moderate women. Playing the man's card  appealing to a male sense of feeling threatened by changing gender roles  can help Trump boost turnout among conservative and evangelical men, while also peeling off some support from nonwhite men and older, anti-feminist women.

The gender gap "probably hurts him more than it helps him, but it's close," Cassino told me. "I don't think it's a big loser in the general election."

Cassino sees the man's card as an extension of the implicit theme that has worked for Trump so far. "It says white men used to run everything and now we don't and it's terrible," he said. "We were focusing on the 'white' part before, and now we're focusing on the 'men' part. It's all the same appeal." After the presidency of an African-American exposed more latent racism in "post-racial" America than many thought existed, the presidential nomination of a woman will bring out latent sexism.

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So the next time you hear Trump talking about how Clinton would only get 5 percent of the vote if she were a man, or about the blood coming out of Megyn Kelly's "wherever," or how both Clinton and Carly Fiorina give him headaches, or about the pain caused him by Clinton's "shouting" even though "you can't say that about a woman," consider this: Trump isn't boorish and bumbling. He is coldly calculating.

Dana Milbank is a columnist for the Washington Post.
Donald Trump now looks set to be the Republican presidential nominee. So for those of us appalled by this prospect  what are we supposed to do?

Well, not what the leaders of the Republican Party are doing. They're going down meekly and hoping for a quiet convention. They seem blithely unaware that this is a Joe McCarthy moment. People will be judged by where they stood at this time. Those who walked with Trump will be tainted forever after for the degradation of standards and the general election slaughter.

The better course for all of us  Republican, Democrat and independent  is to step back and take the long view and to begin building for that. This election  not only the Trump phenomenon but the rise of Bernie Sanders, also  has reminded us how much pain there is in this country. According to a Pew Research poll, 75 percent of Trump voters say that life has gotten worse for people like them over the last half-century.

This declinism intertwines with other horrible social statistics. The suicide rate has surged to a 30-year high  a sure sign of rampant social isolation. A record number of Americans believe the American dream is out of reach. And for millennials, social trust is at historic lows.

Trump's success grew out of that pain, but he is not the right response to it. The job for the rest of us is to figure out the right response.

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That means first it's necessary to go out into the pain. I was surprised by Trump's success because I've slipped into a bad pattern, spending large chunks of my life in the bourgeois strata  in professional circles with people with similar status and demographics to my own. It takes an act of will to rip yourself out of that and go where you feel least comfortable. But this column is going to try to do that over the next months and years. We all have some responsibility to do one activity that leaps across the chasms of segmentation that afflict this country.

We'll probably need a new national story. Up until now, America's story has been some version of the rags-to-riches story, the lone individual who rises from the bottom through pluck and work. But that story isn't working for people anymore, especially for people who think the system is rigged.

I don't know what the new national story will be, but maybe it will be less individualistic and more redemptive. Maybe it will be a story about communities that heal those who suffer from addiction, broken homes, trauma, prison and loss, a story of those who triumph over the isolation, social instability and dislocation so common today.

We'll probably need a new definition of masculinity, too. There are many groups in society who have lost an empire but not yet found a role. Men are the largest of those groups. The traditional masculine ideal isn't working anymore. It leads to high dropout rates, high incarceration rates, low labor force participation rates. This is an economy that rewards emotional connection and verbal expressiveness. Everywhere, you see men imprisoned by the old reticent, stoical ideal.

We'll also need to rebuild the sense that we're all in this together. The author R.R. Reno has argued that what we're really facing these days is a "crisis of solidarity." Many people, as the writers David and Amber Lapp note, feel pervasively betrayed: by for-profit job-training outfits that left them awash in debt, by spouses and stepparents, by people who collect federal benefits but don't work. They've stopped even expecting loyalty from their employers. The big flashing lights say: no trust.

That leads to an everyone-out-for-himself mentality and Trump's politics of suspicion. We'll need a communitarianism.

Maybe the task is to build a ladder of hope. People across America have been falling through the cracks. Their children are adrift. Trump, to his credit, made them visible. We can start at the personal level just by hearing them talk.

Then at the community level we can listen to those already helping. James Fallows had a story in The Atlantic recently noting that while we're dysfunctional at the national level, you see local renaissances dotted across the country. Fallows went around asking, "Who makes this town go?" and found local patriots creating radical schools, arts festivals, public-private partnerships that give, say, high school dropouts computer skills.

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Then solidarity can be rekindled nationally. Over the course of American history, national projects such as the railroad legislation, the WPA and the NASA project have bound this diverse nation. Of course, such projects can happen again  maybe though a national service program or something else.

Trump will have his gruesome moment. The time is best spent elsewhere, meeting the neighbors who have become strangers, and listening to what they have to say.

David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times.
Platinum may be the ideal gift for a 70th wedding anniversary, but for the Rochester Art Center, celebrating seven decades calls for the gift of collaboration.

With plans for a communitywide free art celebration on June 4 in Mayo Park, the center also is gearing up for a variety of collaborative efforts to broaden its reach. From opening its doors to 250 potential young artists from the YMCA to expanding efforts that involve the Boys and Girls Club, Rochester Civic Theatre and others, the efforts look to be a gift to the entire community.

We expect more joint ventures to be announced as the center continues to make art accessible.

"This is an exciting time in the history of the Rochester Art Center," said Megan Johnston, the center's executive director. "We are working alongside the growth of the city as a creative hub, a collaborative partner and a community-focused, outward-facing force."

The timing of the 70th anniversary is important.

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The center's physical structure is buried behind the growth of Mayo Civic Center, which could potentially eclipse the art center's brilliance.

With increased community outreach, Johnston, her staff, the center's board and its numerous members will help ensure the countless benefits found within and beyond the center's walls are not forgotten.

Like the art inside the center, RAC collaborations can inspire others. After doing just that for 70 years, it's good to see efforts build toward the next 70.
The Star Tribune headline refers to Abdul Raheem Habil Ali-Skelton (no relation to Red) as Glencoe man. (Glencoe is a small town about 50 miles west of Minneapolis.) Ali-Skelton seems to have something in common with the Minnesota men charged with supporting ISIS. Indeed, Ali-Skelton pleaded guilty this past Wednesday of lying to the FBI about his contacts with ISIS. Prosecutors said he had exchanged more than 75 messages with ISIS between June 27 and July 4 last year using a social media account he tried to conceal from the FBI.

Late last month, five days after Mr. Ali-Skelton was charged last month, he was arrested at a a suburban Minneapolis Walgreens after he threatened to blow up the store and said he was part of a terrorist organization. The Star Tribune reports that the early morning incident on March 27 was sparked by Ali-Skelton accusing another customer of having relations with his girlfriend and threatening the man with a bottle. When a store manager intervened, Ali-Skelton said he had a gun and would shoot up the store. He later admitted to officers that he made the threats to shoot up the store but did not remember referring to a terror organization or saying he would blow up the Walgreens. On Monday, Ali-Skelton pleaded guilty in Hennepin County to making terroristic threats.

All in all, it was a big week for Ali-Skelton.

State authorities released Ali-Skelton from custody pending a June 30 sentencing on the terroristic threats offense. Fortunately, however, in the matter of lying to the FBI, Ali-Skelton has been remitted to federal custody on the order of Judge Donovan Frank. Judge Frank reasonably takes the position that his detention is necessary to ensure the safety of the community.

Ali-Skelton is represented by attorney Robert Richman. Mr. Richman asserts on behalf of his client that the terroristic threats represent some kind of misunderstanding. He explained on Tuesday: From what I understand about those allegations, if they are true  they are completely out of character with the very mild-mannered Abdul Ali-Skelton, [whom] I have known for quite some time. It was just one of those things, one of those crazy things.

Richman said Ali-Skeltons actions at the Walgreens amounted to a drunken rant. He also offered this: I liken this to cases after [9/11] when airport security was at an all-time high and some misguided people thought it would be funny to say they had a bomb in their bag, Richman said. They may have proved themselves to be idiots but they did not prove themselves to be dangerous.

The Star Tribune story reports that Ali-Skeltons case is unrelated to the case of the ten Minnesota men charged with seeking to join ISIS. Ali-Skelton, however, appears to share their enthusiasms and their faith, which otherwise goes unmentioned. By their hometown shall ye know them.
Democrats love to cherry pick statistics to make the case that Barack Obamas stewardship of our economy has been successful. Obama himself often claims to have saved the world economy from disaster, but how? If anything averted collapse, it was the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which was executed by the Bush administration, for better or worse. If any government measure saved the economy, it was TARP.

The stimulus bill that didnt stimulate anything was enacted in Obamas first year, but that had only a fraction of the predicted impact and no one claims it somehow rescued the world economy. Nor did Dodd-Frank, which was passed in 2010, after the financial crisis had passed. Dodd-Franks principal effects were to devastate community banks and starve small businesses of capital.

The manner in which Democrats assign credit and blame is amusing. They claim, absurdly, that Obama reduced the federal deficit; they accomplish this sleight of hand by attributing Obamas first year in office, when there was a trillion dollar-plus deficit because of the stimulus bill and other measures, to George W. Bush. Sure: we all remember Bushs stimulus bill in FY 2009, after he left office.

On the other hand, they try to reach back to 2008, before Obama became President, to give him credit for saving the world economy through TARP. Are voters really dumb enough to fall for such silly tricks?

Yes and no. The true believers dont remember the details and will buy anything. On the other hand, voters have a general recollection of how the economy has performed over the last 7 1/2 years, and it hasnt been good.

As Steve wrote here, Hillary Clinton has no choice but to run against Barack Obamas poor economic record, just as Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump do. The Obama boom is pathetic compared to any comparable period in the post-WWII era:

And now commentators are telling us to expect another recession, and a sharp stock market decline, soon. That would put a capstone on the worst economic record of any president since Jimmy Carter. Hillary can say, I was just in charge of Libya and other foreign policy fiascos! I had nothing to do with economic policy. But voters wont give her a pass on the economic record of the administration she served and whose policies she endorsed.

Michael Ramirez sums up the Democrats position on the economy. Click to enlarge:
Nebraska attorney Dave Begley is our faithful Omaha correspondent. Dave reports:

Friday night in a crowd of 500 to 700 people at Creighton University it appeared that I was not only the only conservative, I was also the only person who was thinking clearly and critically. One of global warmings oldest and most revered leaders, Dr. James Hansen, spoke prior to his protest at the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting on Saturday. I have never heard such nonsense in my life. He gave a rambling and incoherent presentation for nearly two hours. Three times he forgot the question or lost his train of thought. Since the Jesuits taught me logic, I could easily identity his use of the context, bulls-eye, omission and appeal to authority fallacies.

The really shocking thing for me was how many times he contradicted himself and made admissions against interest. If he was under oath and subject to cross examination at a trial, Power Lines own John Hinderaker would carve him up. Example: He said that all energy subsidies must stop and be replaced by a $100 per ton carbon fee. He then later admitted that the solar panels on his barn were subsidized by the federal government. So it was simply a bizarre contradiction on his part. He failed to mention that Berkshire Hathaways MidAmerican Energy is building a $3.6 billion windmill project in Iowa and it is almost entirely subsidized by the federal government. At one point he admitted that there is a range of uncertainty with his predictions of disaster. How big of a range? An important point!

I nearly fell out of my chair when he informed the crowd that the greatest engineers in the world in Germany have built a renewable energy system that is eleven times more expensive than Frances. France defeats Germany!

His main assertion was that the ice sheets were melting and it was causing the sea level to rise. He predicted that coastal cities would be under water. No date given. Not even a range of dates. And he never identified man as the cause of this impending disaster and that gradual warming is not just the natural evolution of the Earth over time. One young woman asked him when Earth will be uninhabitable. Hansen assured her that would not happen in her lifetime but it was still an emergency. Act now!

The deadline aspect of the CAGW scam is actually quite important. Doomsday is coming but no range of dates is given. If a date is given it is so far off that you will forget that the prediction was made when the date passes or you will be dead due to natural causes. But it is essential for the government to spend other peoples money now to save Mother Earth.

Howler number one: Violence between nations is caused by global warming. Tell that to ISIS. Howler number two: It is too hot to work outside. No lawn mowing this summer by your kids. Howler number three: 10,000 people per day die due to air pollution. I suspect that if that number is accurate, people are not dying from carbon dioxide poisoning. Howler number four: His predictions about future events based upon his models were as certain as the law of gravity. Roll over, Newton, tell Einstein the news.

Hansen gave away some of the CAGW game when he mentioned the recent decision in a Oregon lawsuit filed by Our Childrens Trust. Shamefully, one of his minor grandkids is a plaintiff. A federal magistrate judge has ruled that these kids have standing to assert a claim. The remedy must be to phase out carbon emissions. I hate to break it to you, Jim, but the laws of the United States do not provide a remedy for speculative damages at some unstated future date that would completely transform the entire American economy. But Hansen betrayed the Lefts strategy to use the courts to accomplish what the other two branches of the federal government wont do. This method, however, has been successful in the past.

He relied on the magic of undeveloped future technology with new nuke plants and battery storage. He was completely out of his depth when he said that renewable energy would create jobs and make everyone richer. The real cost of green energy is never mentioned. His carbon emission fee is revenue neutral. As if economists were so smart. Obamacares econometric models were horrible failures.

I asked the first question. I reminded the Iowa native that he was in the home city of the Union Pacific Railroad and it has had recent significant layoffs due to a serious decline in coal car loadings. I then asked him, since his models have been mostly wrong for 30 years, why we should believe his models were any more accurate in predicting the disaster that is going to hit when everyone in the room was dead 70 years from now.

He asserted that his predictions were not based upon models but observable evidence. False. He dodged, stalled and avoided. He threw out some numbers and put up a slide depicting the Hiroshima bomb explosion. His answer was non-responsive. If I could have cross examined him at length I would have destroyed his answer, but he knew the format.

James Hansen is not impressive at all. If he is the best the Greens have, we conservatives should win this fight. The whole CAGW scam is based upon speculation and the veneer of science. The proposed remedies are costly fantasies. Their only real solution is to tax Americans back into pre-industrial poverty.
I think Donald Trump likely will defeat Hillary Clinton, simply because she is such a terrible candidate. But if the current trend toward anti-Trump riots and violence continues, Trump could win going away.

Last night in Orange County, Trump addressed a crowd of thousands. Anti-Trump demonstrators, some waving Mexican flags, attacked policemen and bystanders. The liberal Los Angeles Times reports:

Hundreds of demonstrators filled the street outside the Orange County amphitheater where Donald Trump held a rally Thursday night, stomping on cars, hurling rocks at motorists and forcefully [!] declaring their opposition to the Republican presidential candidate. Traffic came to a halt as a boisterous crowd walked in the roadway, some waving American and Mexican flags. Protesters smashed a window on at least one police cruiser, punctured the tires of a police sport utility vehicle, and at one point tried to flip a police car. One Costa Mesa police officer was struck in the head by a rock thrown by a protestor, authorities said.

The rioters appeared to be mostly Latinos in their late teens and 20s. Seventeen were arrested.

Riots continued today at the California GOP convention south of San Francisco. Protesters blocked traffic so that Trump was forced to exit his vehicle to get to the hotel where the convention was in progress. Riot police made at least five more arrests of violent protesters.

Protesters  some of whom wore bandanas over their faces and carried Mexican flags  blocked off the road in front of the Hyatt Regency here, forcing the GOP front-runners motorcade to pull over along a concrete median outside the hotels back entrance. Trump and his entourage got out and walked into the building.

That was not the easiest entrance Ive ever made, Trump said once he began speaking at the convention, adding, it felt like I was crossing the border. At one point before Trump arrived, about two dozen protesters tried to rush barriers near the hotel. Police officers then rushed to the buildings doors, successfully blocking the protesters from getting in. Some of the doors handles were handcuffed from the inside so they couldnt be forced open. Several physical altercations, including shoving, could be seen between protesters and police officers, who were using batons to push them back. After Trump arrived, protesters took down a barrier and flooded the entrance outside the hotel, where police again blocked them from entering. They chanted, Get him out.

We are seeing more and more of this kind of thing. Leaving downtown Minneapolis tonight, I bumped into a friend who was steaming because he was delayed by anti-Trump protesters who blocked traffic. Is there something in the Constitution about a right to close down streets and bridges, and delay others who are lawfully going about their business? I must have been absent that day.

Most people really, really dont like violent protesters. They especially dont like rioters who wave foreign flags. If there is anything that could guarantee Donald Trumps election as president, this is it.

UPDATE: One more thing: I love the guy in the photo above, standing in front of a sign that says Keep Hate Out of America while flipping a double bird. Liberals are devoid of any sense of irony.
Pharmaceutical Fraud And Kickbacks! You Won't Believe What's Taking plac

PR-Inside.com: 2016-04-29 23:21:02

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James Matthew1.888.870.5581

Pharmaceutical Fraud And Kickbacks! You Won't Believe What's Taking place!FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Miracle Alternatives, LLC .James Matthew.Phone: 1.888.870.5581.support@ hgllc.co New Lenox Il, 60451 USA.We Sell Holistic Health Machines!After finding out the reality behind the Pharmaceutical Giants, the Medical Industry and also the U.S Governmet might just give you a need to consider utilizing Holistic Health Machines!As Congress battles to maintain a brand-new health care system that is encountering an uphill battle in the courts system, the future of health care as well as in particular pharmaceuticals is uncertain. But with even more whistleblowers coming out of the woodwork compared to before, it is secure to claim that whatever happens with the final decision on health care, pharmaceuticals will certainly be put under intense analysis. The factor that whistleblowers and also legal authority is needed to police this market is that it compromises patient care and turns just what need to be a service market right into a business. If you doubt of the ways that physicians and pharmaceutical sales representatives devote acts of fraud, after that consider the following:.Kickbacks.Several physicians are offered kickbacks by drug firms for advising their item over one more. This favoritism is unlawful, but with unpredictability relating to the future of the health care market and also just how medical professionals are paid for their time and also sources, it can become a lot more widespread. Unfortunately, individuals probably to struggle with kickbacks are those needing medical support. When a drug wins authorization that does not really do the job that it professes to, it can leave the patient powerless to defend himself against medical negligence.Incorrect Diagnoses.An additional manner in which medical companies as well as health care professionals can commit pharmaceutical fraud is to go with incorrect medical diagnoses and also withhold treatments that can in fact improve the life of an individual. Whenever a doctor sees signs of a patient, they are most likely to recommend the most expensive medicine therefore the fact that it leads to a greater costs. If there is a cheaper as well as much more efficient alternative readily available, they have the tendency to ignore it due to the fact that it suggests much less in their pockets.Most of the times, underhanded physician will certainly make their decisions based upon a client's capability to pay. If there is some thinking that the insurance policy business will certainly cover a drug, then these individuals are drawn to the most pricey regardless of whether or not it really functions. But once again, it is unfavorable that the patient inevitably experiences, due to the fact that the majority of health insurance firms just cover part of a medicine. While a person might only find themselves paying 20 percent, that 20 percent can be too heavy on their finances if the therapy is very expensive.There are numerous fine doctors as well as nurse practitioners in the medical community, who play by the policies and also put their people first. However there are also those, who remain in it primarily for the cash, when you encounter them, it is good to understand there are guard dogs and also legal help to stand up for your rights."I will have to claim that our holistic health machine company is comprised of hundreds of customers and also clients who are ultimately fed up with the conventional medical industry values. One being, aside from a real surgical treatment, drug and on going medical sees does not treat anything. The medical industry wants you to maintain returning for office visits, medication, and treatment. They want an on going customer. Yes, I claimed "consumer" instead of a "individual". To the medical inductry, you are a cash making consumer to them. Nevertheless, do not get me incorrect. There are lots of physicians in which utilize excellent values and intend to help their people get better. Nevertheless, regrettably drug hardly ever recovers anything when it comes to unwanted health conditions such as pain, persistent pain, diseases and also viruses. However, there are holistic health machines sold by us, Miracle Alternatives, LLC are flourishing due to factors like this. It is simple, we sell amazing holistic health machines that really do aid individuals get better. To find out more, visit our website www.MiracleAlternatives.com and also see all 250 holistic health machines that we sell." Said James Matthew, CEO of Miracle Alternatives, LLC.Keywords:.Pharmaceutical Fraud, Health Care, "Pharmaceuticals, #healthcare, health care inductry, #Pharmaceuticalfraud.
Hrant Bagratyna doesnt rule out use of sanctions against importation of some products (video)

The sellers of Turkish products at well-known Firdus market are not principally against ceasing the importation of Turkish products into Armenia. Larisa Avagyan notes, We dont have an alternative, I am also against, let there be our domestic production. Another worker Silva Nersisyan adds, If they let the people give production, which may also be beneficial for them, but when they learn that there is production somewhere, they set high taxes. The vendors have heard of the proposal of importing goods from China instead of Turkey, but it isnt a solution. Seller Arpik Avagyan notes, It takes much time for arrival of goods from China, in addition transportation fee is high. Hamasik Sargsyan says, I can go to Turkey and bring products spending 1000-1500 dollars, sell the products and live on it. I cannot go to China, for what? Only the ticket costs 1000 dollars. Silva Nersisyan agrees with these claims, You must spend much money to go to China, not everyone can go to China, thats why the people go to Turkey. Mrs Silva, who has imported products from Turkey for more than 12 years, tells what she has seen in the neighboring country, When we enter a shop in Turkey to buy products, the production takes place just behind of the shop, they make trousers there and sell them, the same can be here. But if the authorities decide to ban the importation of Turkish products without opening plants and factories, they will appear in a difficult situation. Hamasik Sargsyan notes, You cannot live, how can you live? Should there be any means of living or not? Economist Hrant Bagratyan thinks that the ban on importation of Turkish products or the limitation of its amounts is not economically beneficial for Armenia. It is the case, when using such sanctions against not all the products, we will be affected. Nevertheless, Hrant Bagratyna doesnt rule out the use of sanctions against importation of some products in order to promote the domestic production.
The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, says it plans to come up with regular policy briefs on beneficial ownership in the oil and gas industry to deepen transparency and accountability in the country.

The Executive Secretary of NEITI, Waziri Adio, who disclosed this on Thursday during his official visit to the corporate headquarters of Premium Times Media Services in Abuja, said the publication would go beyond the agencys normal annual audit reports to focus on the policy makers, players and issues about all aspects of the industry.

The Managing Director of PREMIUM TIMES, Dapo Olorunyomi, said he was excited with NEITIs plan, as it tallied with the beneficial owners audit project the newspaper would soon come up with on the owners of assets in the countrys oil and industry.

Mr. Olorunyomi said the management of PREMIUM TIMES would be happy to partner with NEITI on the projects as part of its vision that journalism must change to become knowledge creators, to help promote values of good citizenship, including transparency accountability and good governance.

Beneficial ownership describes the natural person(s) who, directly or indirectly, ultimately own(s) or control(s) a corporate entity, a license or other property.

The new EITI Standard approved by its international board, which would come into effect by January 1, 2020, makes it mandatory for the identities of those who own and profit from extractive activities to be disclosed.

All member countries are expected to ensure that companies that bid for, operate or invest in extractive projects declare who their beneficial owners are.

During the visit, Mr. Adio said the proposed policy briefs would help create awareness among the citizens on the new Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, EITI principles of beneficial ownership in the extractive industry.

We are coming up with policy briefs, which will take our mandate beyond the usual annual audits. If we produce only audit reports, it means we will have only one product to give to Nigerians throughout the year.

There are so many data and information in the NEITI reports beyond the extractive sector that should be extracted and repackaged for Nigerians. The essence of it is to provide useful information that would help the people hold government to account, Mr. Adio said.

Assuring that the 2013 annual oil and gas audit report would soon be published, the NEITI scribe said the agency was considering digitizing the document, by repackaging it in a format that would be attractive to Nigerians.

While appreciating the unique brand of journalism by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr. Adio said there were lines of convergence between it and NEITIs role, urging its management to strengthen its effort to continue to promote transparency and accountability to give Nigerians the country of their dream.

It is the responsibility the constitution has given journalists, to promote transparency and accountability in the management of the sector, which is the nerve centre of the countrys economy. If we have a better society, it will be good for all Nigerians and everyone would benefit, he said.

If we promote transparency, it will bring accountability, which will lead to an empowered citizenry, who will bring good governance and shared prosperity. It is not transparency and accountability for their sake, but for the common good of society, he added.

He called on the media to help demystify the sector as too complex and technical, by reporting issues in a way that citizens would understand and connect with, pointing out that there were people benefiting from keeping that notion.

In his response, Mr. Olorunyomi described PREMIUM TIMES brand of journalism as unique and special, particularly as its series of investigative reporting have provided huge information to empower the people to hold government to account.

The oil and gas sector is the most abused, opaque and unaccountable, despite NEITIs efforts to open it up through its audit reports. The vision of NEITI is similar to PREMIUM TIMES. That is why your concept of policy briefs tallies with a project on beneficial owners audit we will soon come up on the owners of assets in the industry. We will be willing to partner with NEITI to move this process forward at the appropriate time, Mr. Olorunyomi said.
The Federal Government on Thursday announced it would not provide funds for government officials travelling abroad for treatment unless the case cannot be handled in Nigeria. The immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan made same pronouncement but failed to live up to it.

The immediate past president of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Osahon Enabulele, tells PREMIUM TIMES that implementation of the new policy should begin with President Muhammadu Buhari himself. He speaks on how Nigerians can hold the public officials accountable. Excerpt:

PT: The Federal Government has said there will be no more funds for government officials travelling abroad for treatment. Could it really be considered a welcome development in the light of failed campaign promises so far?

It is a good position by government if they will keep to their words. It is one thing to make a pronouncement and another thing to follow it up with actions. I have always called for an expression of the appropriate section of the National Health Act particularly Section 46 which deals with stopping reckless use of public funds on account of conditions that can be managed back home here in Nigeria. Its a matter of giving expression to the Act which I have variously called on government at several times to keep to the tenets of the National Health Act. Even the Act gives them an opportunity to exercise such responsibilities.

PT: President Muhammadu Buhari himself has been accused of not using our health facilities. There are claims of him jetting out for medical treatment in the guise of resting abroad. Can the government really ensure compliance?

Like I said, its beyond making pronouncement. There has to be leadership by example. I therefore beckon on Mr. President for instance to show leadership by declaring publicly that he himself will not be one of those that will do that. In other words, even for ordinary check-ups, he has to do it within the country and not allow himself or others to jump on the next available flight to seek such care outside the country. So, its all about leadership and I expect them to start from the number one public servant in the country. If they do that, others will of course take a cue from that.

PT: Is there any gain for Nigeria and Nigerians if the president and other public office holders quit medical tourism?

Its going to help to reduce the capital flight out of our country. As of 2015, the whole country was losing over one billion dollars. That was 2015. I can imagine what it is now. It is also going to help prevent capital flight and preserve the resources for some other basic medical structure that would be provided within the country.

PT: What are some of these basic medical structures?

It includes training of the requisite manpower, in the face of the acute shortage of health human resources in our country. It is also going to help curb corruption as that has been a conduit pipe by some public office holders to launder resources and funds.

PT: As a civil servant, do you think it would be considered a win-win situation by everyone involved?

In all ways, it is a win-win situation for Nigeria if they would be able to keep to their words. It is beyond pronouncement but I look forward to seeing leadership by example. I am looking forward to seeing the very heads giving expression to this.

PT: Public hospitals in Nigeria have a notoriety for long queues for patients waiting to see very few doctors and specialists in the country. Are you saying the Nigerian president and other public office holders should go through this to receive care?

I am looking forward to them lining up on the queues of public hospitals to procure healthcare services. So when Nigerians begin to see these public officials, such as Mr. President, the governors, senators and legislators, on the same queues with Nigerians in public hospitals, they would take a cue from them and have that level of confidence and believe these guys mean what they are saying. And not the issue of do what I say and not what I do. I only hope they keep to their words.

PT: This is not the first time that such pronouncement is being made. In the last administration, the ministry of health said same. Do you really think this would be different?

I cannot pierce through their hearts and consciousness but I can only say what I have seen in the pages of newspapers and of course, by virtue of being around when such pronouncements were made. The fact that a former government said it but never implemented it cannot of course be made to entrap this current leadership. And if they have now come up to make the same statement, and since they said they are coming to institute fundamental changes, I think we should give them the benefits of doubts so that in the next couple of months, we would set up our vigilance Intelligence mechanisms to see how they procure healthcare services. We are not praying that anyone falls ill, but if and when they fall ill, you guys in the media and all of us Nigerians must be very vigilant to track the whole process of procuring heath care services by these persons. That is what will inform us if they are doing what they said they would do or what Nigerians should do. Until that happens, all I can do is to give them the benefits of doubts and hope and pray that they would depart from the past experience and what has caused this level of decadence in the public sector by public office holders.

PT: You said the pronouncement will save the health sector some good money. But with the level of corruption in the country, do you see such monies really being saved and being felt by and in the health sector?

There are defined mechanisms and processes for payments. I expect the various institutions from which they would hopefully procure these services to be transparent and corruption free. Because payments are made not through individual pockets but institutional outlets and service points. Except those service points are corrupt, then we would have such opportunities created by such officials to launder these same resources. I want to believe in any case, it is not going to be as bad as what we have now. It is for us to start the process and them to give concrete expression to what they said they would do and we can begin to monitor the process and investigate these leakages that perhaps you are apprehensive about.
Abductors of a former Minister, Iyabo Anisulowo, have demanded the payment of N200 million as ransom for her release, sources informed of the investigation have told PREMIUM TIMES.

The former minister was kidnapped on Wednesday along Sawonjo/Iganokoto road in Yewa area of her home state of Ogun.

Her abductors contacted the family by phone on Friday night demanding the payment.

They made the phone call using the former ministers mobile phone number, our sources said.

The family were negotiating with the unnamed callers at the time of this report.

The police in Ogun said they were conducting forensic investigation into the kidnap following the recovery of the victims car and other belongings. Mrs. Anisulowo was taken away by her abductors in her SUV.

Meanwhile, the Ogun State commissioner of police, Abdulmajid Ali, and some other senior officers of the command have relocated to Ilaro, Ogun State, for the rescue operation.

The spokesperson for the command, Muyiwa Adejobi, assured that the victim would be rescued alive.

The command wishes to inform the general public that the police have some clues as the Toyota SUV of the victim, with Reg No Lagos LSD 115 AM, and some items have been recovered, and this will definitely catalyse the forensic investigation into the matter and immediate rescue of the victim, Mr. Adejobi said in a statement on Friday.

He added that the commissioner of police, deputy commissioner of police in Department of Criminal Investigation and Intelligence, assistant commissioner of police in Operations, officers in charge of Special Anti-Robbery and the Kidnapping Squads, officers and men of the State Intelligence Bureau and Police Mobile Force, ICT Experts, have been on their toes and working assiduously to make sure the victim is rescued unhurt and the perpetrators are apprehended.

The Command detectives are also presently working with other security agencies and special teams from the office of the Inspector General of Police, Force Headquarters, Abuja to recue Senator Iyabo Anisulowo without delay, the statement emphasised.

In addition, in the spirit of adequate supervision, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2 Command, AIG Bala Hassan, visited the scene of crime on Thursday and met with the officers and men detailed for the operations on the adopted strategies.
Not fewer than 100 workers outsourced to Aero Contractors by Skyborne Ltd have been sacked following the airlines decision to review its relationship with the company.

The airline confirmed the development in a statement issued on Friday by its Media Consultant, Simon Tumba.

In the course of reorganising and repositioning its business, Aero Contractors has reviewed its relationship with Skyborne by cutting down some of the services required from the company, the statement said.

This will help the company to invest more resources to enhance customer service. For the records, Aero has not sacked any of its staff.

NAN, however, gathered that most of the affected contract workers had spent some years with the airline.

A letter to one of the affected workers which was obtained by NAN said the sack was as a result of the ongoing restructuring in the airline.

The letter reads in part, Dear colleague, in the light of the ongoing restructuring at Aero, we regret to inform you that your services are no longer required and employment with SBL terminated with immediate effect.

Please, return all company property to your Manager/Supervisor by 8:00 a.m. on April 28. We regret any inconvenience caused.

NAN reports that Aero Contractors had been in the news in recent times as allegations of corruption and diversion of funds were levelled against its past management.

The Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), which owns 60 per cent of the airlines shares, had dissolved the previous management and appointed Fola Akinkuotu as its Managing Director.

Mr. Akinkuotu, the immediate-past Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), was given the task of rebuilding the airline and helping it to regain its position as a key player in the industry. (NAN)
Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has constituted a commission of inquiry into the April 25 invasion of Nimbo community by suspected herdsmen that left scores of people dead.

Mr. Ugwuanyi made the announcement on Friday night in Enugu during a state-wide broadcast after his arrival from Abuja where he had gone to confer with President Muhammadu Buhari on the incident.

He said the commission would take a retrospect look into all clashes involving herdsmen in the state and recommend appropriate measures that would be put in place to prevent future occurrence.

The governor said that a situation where residents were gruesomely murdered by other Nigerians would not be allowed to continue.

The president came out with a clear condemnation of this dastardly act and gave definite directives to the security agencies to fish out these criminals and bring them to justice.

I am at once, constituting a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the immediate and remote causes of all the violent occurrences in the state associated with suspected herdsmen, he said.

Mr. Ugwuanyi said the incident of April 25 was degrading to human life and dignity.

My visit to Nimbo in order to establish first-hand the extent of carnage was revealing.

I came face to face with the wounded and bereaved; I saw burnt and damaged parsonage of Christ Holy Church. I saw a traumatised community in shock and despair.

I saw a dead body, I wept and wondered what has become of our quest for a united, peaceful and prosperous nation, he said.

The governor said only security agencies in the state would explain to Nigerians what happened even after receiving assurances from them that the security of the community was intact.

The night before this carnage took place, I got security information that such an incident was likely to take place in the community and immediately summoned a meeting of the State Security Council.

In the meeting, we received assurances from the Commissioner of Police that the Area Commander of the State Anti-Robbery Squad was on ground in Nimbo.

Let me state that the state government provided logistics for these deployments. Sadly, in the early hours of Monday, reports of this carnage reached me, he said.

Mr. Ugwuanyi charged all security agencies in the state to ensure that the security of lives and property in the state was no longer threatened by miscreants. (NAN)
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, IMN, has given the release of its leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky, as key condition for its appearance before a Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by Kaduna State Government.

The judicial commission was set up to investigate the December, 2015 deadly attack on members of IMN in Zaria by the Nigerian Army.

The Northern State Governors Forum, NSGF, in a communique issued at its meeting on Friday, appealed to the Shia Islamic group to attend the hearing.

But the movement said in a statement signed by its head of media and publicity, Ibrahim Musa, on Saturday, that Mr. Zakzaky had to be released before it could appear before the judicial commission.

We appreciate the Governors call, at least it is an acknowledgement on their part that something unfortunate in the history of the North happened in Zaria that if not handled fairly and justly could have long-term consequences for the region and the country in general.

However IMN made their points for staying away from the commission very clear and will like to remind the Governors and the general public. None of the reasons have been given consideration or addressed by any of the relevant authorities or even by the NSGF or all those clamouring for our appearance before the commission.

Foremost among the reasons is the continued incarceration of the leader of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, who we all know was attacked in his own house towards midnight in what the Army termed cordoned and search operation without any justification. The crux of the matter is that there is simply no rational basis for the soldiers attack in his residence in the first place. In effect justice demands that Sheikh Zakzaky is supposed to be a free man so that he can give his own input to the Commission on his own volition, read the statement.

As things stand now, the statement continued, those who are accused of killing at least 1000 people including women and children are roaming about freely, despite admission that they buried at least 347 of those in a night burial in a mass grave in an attempt to hide their crime.

On the other hand, IMN said Mr. Zakzaky and hundreds of his followers who are victims of the brutal military attack are behind bars, with some standing trial for alleged culpable homicide.

This smacks of gross injustice and bias on the part of the government that sets up the Commission. IMN firmly believes that for justice to be seen to be done, Sheikh Zakzaky should be promptly set free unconditionally, it maintained.

IMN also pointed at the lopsided composition of the commission, which, according to the Shia group, was set in a way to suggest that the final report was already determined against it.

We have already pointed out to the government and the public that among the 13 wise men and women of the Commission are three people who are well known in their hate campaigns against the IMN. This has not been addressed too, it stated, adding another condition apart from Mr. Zakzakys freedom.

It continued, adding that the Northern Governors should be more concerned about citizens who were killed and how they were secretly buried.

What we had expected the NSGF to have dwelt up is not our absence from the proceedings of the Commission but the disturbing facts emanating from the confessions of the Kaduna state government in the mass burial of 347 people and the denial of such a war crime by the soldiers involved. The Army admitted before the panel that it handed few corpses for the mass burial. Our records show that close to 400 others remain unaccounted for.

Thus the NSGF ought to be sufficiently disturbed that a few of their citizens were secretly buried in mass grave by one of their members and even more disturbing is the majority of the victims are yet to be accounted for. Did they task Governor Nasiru Elrufai to explain? IMN queried.
A former Senator, who represented Kebbi South district in the Nigerian Senate, Danladi Bamaiyi, is dead.

Mr. Bamaiyi was a senator between 1999 and 2003 during which he chaired the Senate Committee on foreign contracts verification.

Family sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the late Senator died in the early hours of Saturday in Abuja after a protracted illness.

He was a relation of a former Chief of Army staff, Ishaya Bamaiyi.

The late senator is survived by a wife and three children.

Incumbent Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn NaAllah, who also spoke to our reporter prayed for the repose of the soul of the departed lawmaker and also condoled the family as well as the people of Kebbi State over his demise .
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ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression
Statement of the NKR MFA

On April 30, 1991, 25 years ago, the operation "Ring" began with a massive shelling of Getashen and Martunashen, which became a prelude to the subsequent full-scale military aggression of Azerbaijan against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. During the operation, the Armenian villages were at first surrounded by the interior forces of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Soviet Army. And afterwards, the Azerbaijani OMON and militia entered those villages under the pretext of passport checks, but in fact for murder, robbery, terror against the Armenian population, followed by deportation. The operation "Ring" became the continuation of a series of Armenian pogroms and ethnic cleansing in Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad and other settlements of Azerbaijan, as well as in the villages of Northern Artsakh in 1988-1991, which were intended to strangle at its birth the national liberation struggle of the Armenians of Artsakh and deprive them of their homeland. The Azerbaijani authorities did not conceal that they considered the operation "Ring" as the beginning of a large-scale deportation of all Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh. As a result of the operation, during which tanks, combat helicopters and artillery were used, more than two dozen villages of Northern Artsakh and Shahumyan, Hadrut and Shushi regions were completely devastated and destroyed. Almost 10 thousand people were deported, more than 100 killed and several hundred taken hostage. The fate of many of them still remains unknown. 25 years later, on the night of April 2, 2016, the Azerbaijani authorities unleashed yet another aggression against the NKR, which as in 1991, was accompanied by numerous violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes committed against the civilians and soldiers of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, including targeted shelling of peaceful settlements, killings of civilians, as well as the mutilation and ill-treatment of the dead bodies. However, both in 1991, and now all the attempts of the Azerbaijani authorities to intimidate and break the people of Artsakh, to suppress their strive for freedom and, eventually, to deprive them of their homeland, resulted in a complete failure. Azerbaijan's criminal behavior only strengthens the determination of the people of Artsakh to build and develop their independent and free state as the guarantor of its security and peaceful existence. Acknowledgment by the international community of this fact, and, as a result of it, the international recognition of the NKR will put an end to the ongoing attempts of Azerbaijan to destroy Artsakh and eliminate its people, and ensure peace and security in the region.
ATLANTIC CITY  Since the state first assigned fiscal monitors to the city in 2010, municipal spending has increased by more than $46.1 million, according to a review of city budgets by The Press of Atlantic City.

The steady growth of the budget from $216.2 million in 2010 to $262.4 million in 2015 has caused some to wonder whether the state set the city up to fail.

But Gov. Chris Christies administration has said repeatedly the reason the city has spent more is that the state hasnt had enough powers. Christie has asked lawmakers for the ability to open existing public union contracts and sell assets to address the systemic issues facing the city.

Critics of the states approach have instead pointed out that the Local Finance Board and the Department of Community Affairs, both of which have had roles in the citys financial planning since 2010, have failed to rein in municipal spending.

It seems like there hasnt been real conviction to deal with this problem in five years, Assemblyman John DiMaio, R-Hunterdon, Somerset, Warren, said during a state Assembly Budget Committee hearing earlier this month. Its only when the real crisis hits the fan that we talk about convictions, and my fear is if the (takeover) bill gets passed, do we really have the intestinal fortitude to do what we need to do?

Atlantic City and some state officials see a more sinister force than just a lack of conviction.

The increases in the citys budgets are not because of spending, but rather increases in debt service for tax appeals, a large increase in the reserve for uncollected taxes, and a $21 million federal grant, said Brian Murray, spokesman for the governors office.

The truer measurement of the state influence is the decrease in employee head count from approximately 1,350 to 950 and all the associated pension and benefit reductions that go along with it, Murray said.

When the Local Finance Board added $33.5 million in anticipated revenue to balance the citys $262.4 million budget, it was to keep the city from running out of money. The money would have come through a rescue package that would redirect casino funds from the Atlantic City Alliance and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

The board approved the citys budget, but the state never ponied up the cash. Christie killed the PILOT legislation enabling the funding, which led to the citys current cash crisis.

State Sen. Nia Gill, D-Essex, Passaic, called the states move a Trojan horse that allowed it to leverage a weakened Atlantic City.

It appears now that it was predesigned, Mayor Don Guardian said recently.

And while the citys spending increased, its ratables plummeted by more than $13 billion, from $20.4 billion in 2010 to $7.3 billion in 2015, county tax records show.

Competition from casinos in other states triggered a steady decline for Atlantic Citys gaming industry that was made worse by the 2008 financial crisis. In 2014, four of the citys 12 casinos closed.

The 2010 state intervention and the appointment of a monitor came after a state Superior Court judge ruled the city committed a gross failure to abide by state budget laws.

While the Local Finance Board can block actions made by the city, it cant make the city dissolve departments or sell assets under existing law, one of Christies main arguments for the state to take over the citys finances.

An example of this limitation came last year, when Emergency Manager Kevin Lavin urged City Council to dissolve the Municipal Utilities Authority and make it a city department, saying it could generate $4 million or more annually for the city.

But three times, council has had ordinances to dissolve the MUA, only to fail to act.

Ironically, while the city has spent more each year, the tax levy overall has dropped, from $189.9 million in 2010 to $128.4 million in 2015, due largely to state aid, budget surpluses and deferring pension payments.

State officials havent acted as a rubber stamp for the citys financial decisions, said Guardian, adding that representatives go line by line and tell the city its budgets arent good all the time.

You cannot have a fifth deputy chief. You cannot move four new sergeants in. The sergeants rate is going to be 9 percent, not 15 percent, Guardian said, describing what state officials have told him. Theyre very detailed. No, you cant buy new computers.

To be fair, the state has done work to cut spending. In 2014, monitor Ed Sasdelli worked with state and local officials to help avoid a more than 45 percent increase in the citys budget.

The tax levy still went up by 29 percent.

Prieto to post his AC rescue bill for a vote on Thursday Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto will post his Atlantic City rescue bill for a vote on Thursd

Sasdelli testified during an Aug. 14, 2014, board hearing on the citys budget that it could have been much worse without state-city cooperation.

As far as moving forward, I dont like being the state monitor that is recommending a 29 percent tax increase. But when we started this process and the council introduced the budget, it was a 47 percent tax increase, he said.

Contact: 609-272-7046

Twitter @ACPressHuba

Contact: 609-272-7215

Twitter @_Hetrick
A Pennsylvania man who was previously convicted and imprisoned for robbing a Cape Bank in Atlantic City and a Citizens Bank in Philadelphia was sentenced on Friday to 71 months in prison for robbing the same two banks a week after his release in April 2015.

Keith Ney, 54, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery and violating the conditions of his federal supervised release.

He was sentenced to an additional 24 months for the violation of the supervised release.

In September 2011, Ney was convicted of robbing the Cape Bank at 1501 Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City and the Citizens Bank at 1234 Market Street in Philadelphia in 2010. He was sentenced to 57 months in prison and a period of supervised release.

On April 22, 2015, Ney entered the same Citizens Bank that he robbed in 2010 and approached the teller with a note stating that he had a gun, according to U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman. Ney took some cash and ran. He then took the bus to Atlantic City and robbed the same Cape Bank that he did in 2010.

Police arrested him shortly after he robbed the Cape Bank.

In addition to the prison time, Ney will serve three years of supervised release and is ordered to pay $1,397 in restitution.
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.




WINNERS WILL BE HONORED AT GALA EVENT BY THE U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16th 2016 AT CIPRIANI WALL STREET, NEW YORK.

NEW YORK, April 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) invites media worldwide to submit entries for its 21st annual UNCA Awards for the best print, broadcast (TV & Radio) and online, web-based media coverage of the United Nations, U.N. agencies and field operations.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160428/361260LOGO

The prizes amount to over $60,000 to be distributed among the prize categories and winners.

Deadline for submissions is September 1, 2016

The awards are open to all journalists anywhere in the world. The Awards are:

1. The Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Prize, sponsored by the Alexander Bodini Foundation, for written media (including online media). The prize is for print and online coverage of the U.N. and U.N. agencies, named in honor of Elizabeth Neuffer, The Boston Globe bureau chief at the U.N., who died while on an assignment in Baghdad in 2003.

2. The Ricardo Ortega Memorial Prize for broadcast (TV & Radio) media. The prize is for broadcast coverage of the U.N. and U.N. agencies, named in honor of Ricardo Ortega, formerly the New York correspondent for Antena 3 TV of Spain, who died while on an assignment in Haiti in 2004.

3. The Prince Albert II of Monaco and UNCA Global Prize for Climate Change. The prize is for print (including online media) and broadcast media (TV & Radio) for coverage of climate change, biodiversity, and water.

4. The United Nations Foundation Prize. The prize is for print (including online media) and broadcast media (TV & Radio) for coverage of humanitarian and development aspects of the U.N. and U.N. agencies.



IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:

Coverage of the U.N. and U.N. agencies is specified in each category; the committee welcomes coverage of all issues particularly on the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, peacekeeping operations and nonproliferation, including the elimination of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

Work in print, broadcast (TV & Radio) and online coverage must be published between September 2015 and August 2016.

The judges will look for entries with impact, insight and originality, and will take into account the courage and investigative and reporting skills of the journalists. Entries from the developing world media are particularly welcome.

Entries can be submitted in any of the official U.N. languages (English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and Russian).

A written transcript in English or French will facilitate the judging process.

Each candidate can submit to no more than two (2) prize categories, with a maximum of three (3) stories in each. Joint entries are accepted.

Electronic files and web links uploaded to the online Entry Form are required .

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY:



Entries are submitted online by completing the UNCA Awards Entry Form.



On the first page, please complete your personal information and bio and upload your photo, then proceed to submit your work electronically by including web links and or/uploading files directly to the Entry Form.

** Electronic entries are mandatory **



All entries must be received by September 1st, 2016



For Questions regarding UNCA Awards & entries please contact:

The UNCA Office, 1-212-963-7137.

Or send an email to uncaawards@unca.com



CLICK ON THE ENTRY FORM BELOW TO GET STARTED:



ENTRY FORM

http://unca.com/unca-awards-call-for-submissions-form/

UNCA Awards Committee : Giampaolo Pioli (UNCA President), Carole Landry (UNCA Treasurer), Nabil Abi Saab, Valeria Robecco, Seana Magee, Emoke Bebiak, Sherwin Bryce-Pease, Olga Denisova, Zhenqiu Gu, Sylviane Zehil, Bouchra Benyoussef, J. Tuyet Nguyen, Richard Roth.

Related Links

http://unca.com/2015-awards-call-for-submissions-form



SOURCE United Nations Correspondents Association
BARCELONA, April 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

To mark the presentation of the Atelier Pronovias collection 2017

Louise Roe, Chiara and Valentina Ferragni, Katherine Schwarzenegger and Whitney Port accompanied by the PRONOVIAS digital ambassadors, attended the long-awaited show

Irina Shayk, Romee Strijd, Cindy Bruna, Jac Jagaciak and Kate Grigoreva, among other international top models, walked in new designs from the 2017 Atelier Pronovias collection under the "Le Ciel" creative concept

N.B. : Please note that the photographs attached to the press release are for editorial use only, and must under no circumstances be published for advertising purposes . Likewise, any use of the aforementioned photographs on a cover will require prior, written authorisation from San Patrick, S.L.U.

San Patrick, S.L.U. accepts no liability for misuse of the photographs.

LINK FASHION SHOW IMAGES https://we.tl/WOOztaHCsY

LINK FRONT ROW and PHOTOCALL IMAGES https://we.tl/xEhYajcSg2

LINK FASHION SHOW VIDEO https://we.tl/HBLhqa6Lrv

LINK TO CELEBRITY QUOTES AND OTHER PHOTOCALL RESOURCES: https://we.tl/ok3F357qa9

PRONOVIAS, the world's leading bridal fashion firm, delighted more than 2,000 guests who attended the runway show at Barcelona last night, where they saw the 2017 Atelier Pronovias collection. The firm attracted celebrities from the worlds of fashion, cinema and famous faces from international society, press representatives and buyers from all over the world. The audience enjoyed the fashion extravaganza in a unique setting, with incredible lights that brought magic to the runway, under the "Le Ciel" creative concept.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160430/362018 )



(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160430/362016 )



(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160430/362017 )



(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160430/362019 )



(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160430/362015 )





Among the guests were PRONOVIAS digital ambassadors Chiara and Valentina Ferragni, British presenter Louise Roe, TV personality Whitney Port, as well as Rumy Neely, Jennifer Grace, Patricia Manfield, Tamara Kalinic, Anna-Lea Popp and Madison Ramaget. Also at the show were writer Katherine Schwarzenegger and Mexican model Vanessa Huppenkothen. Spanish actresses Amaia Salamanca and Michelle Calvo among others were there, as were model Malena Costa and Portuguese presenter Cristina Ferreira.

The stage setting delighted everyone with its spectacular lights, designed by prestigious international design studio Bybeau and directed by designer and artist Beau McClellan, who were inspired by the slogan "Le Ciel", transforming the space into a magical place. Spectacular top model Irina Shayk, and other international models glowed like never before under this sky, lit by the beautiful lights.

The final flourish to this great fashion show was provided by Herve Moreau, the firm's creative director, who bade the audience farewell with Irina Shayk, who wore the embroidered, crepe Niara dress.

Irina Shayk, who walked for PRONOVIAS again, said: "I feel very happy to be in the show again because Pronovias is like family." Dressed as a bride, Irina added: "All the dresses make you feel beautiful and I feel like I can be myself when wearing them."

This was a stunning showcase for the latest fashion trends in the 2017 Atelier Pronovias bridal collection, whose slogan was "Le Ciel", with exquisite, unique, elegant dresses brimming with seductive beauty and superb quality. The new collection features stunning silk thread and gemstone embroidery, details that embellish and scatter dresses with light and sensuality, work carried out in the heart of the Maison to beautifully enhance the female figure. It is an haute couture collection with soft lines and in fine fabrics, delicately worked to the very last detail.

Eva Navarro

eva.navarro@pronovias.es

Tel. +34-93-479-97-00

Claudia Canas

claudia.canas@pronovias.es

Tel. +34-93-479-97-00
At the end of the Audience, a delegation of Rotary members - led by Rotary International President K.R. Ravindran - met Pope Francis where he emphasized the importance of vaccinations against polio and urged Rotary to continue.

Pope Francis follows Paul VI and John Paul II in connecting with Rotary to encourage their support of a more peaceful and compassionate world.

"It is a tremendous honor to be part of this Jubilee Audience," said Ravindran. "Pope Francis has inspired men and women throughout the world  regardless of their faith  with his humble acts of kindness. His call to alleviate the root causes of extreme poverty and human suffering transcends religion, age, nationalism and politics. Rotary members from every religion, nation and creed share Pope Francis' spirit of mercy and compassion, which inspires us to act boldly to address the most difficult challenges facing our world today."

By promoting peace, fighting disease, ending polio, providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene, supporting education, saving mothers and children and growing local economies, Rotary members are improving lives and bringing positive, lasting change to communities around the world.

Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative are on the brink of making global health history as polio is slated to become the second human disease ever to be eliminated. Cases of this paralyzing but vaccine preventable disease have plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year in 1988, to 74 confirmed in 2015. Since launching its PolioPlus program in 1985, Rotary has donated US$1.5 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect 2.5 billion children in 122 countries from polio. More than 13 million people are able to walk today, who would otherwise have been paralyzed from polio.

Pope Francis personally vaccinated a child against polio in Mexico this past February. While he was Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis was named an honorary member of Rotary  making him the first known pope to receive and accept a Rotary club membership.

About Rotary

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world's most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. Visit rotary.org and endpolio.org for more about Rotary and its efforts to eradicate polio. Video and still images will be available at http://rotary.thenewsmarket.com/.

Related Links

http://www.rotary.org



SOURCE Rotary
Avellino Labs to Pioneer the Development of Cornea Gene Therapy

MENLO PARK, California, April 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Avellino Labs, developer of the first and only commercially available genetic test for corneal health, today announced that Tara Moore, PhD has joined the company as R&D Director overseeing all of the company's global research programs, with special emphasis on gene therapy.

Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130514/SF12152LOGO

To view the Avellino Labs press kit for ASCRS 2016, please visit:

http://health-event-news.vporoom.com/AvellinoLabs-ASCRS

Professor Moore is currently the Director of the Biomedical Research Institute as well as Group Leader of Vision Science Research in the School of Biomedical Science at Ulster University. A Harvard graduate with a wealth of experience in working with universities and laboratories across the UK, Europe and the USA, Tara has made tremendous advances in progressing novel diagnoses and treatments for blinding eye diseases. The focus of her research is the optimization of gene silencing and gene editing to target the causative mutation in a personalized medicine approach to the treatment or prevention of corneal dystrophy. Avellino Labs welcomes Tara's unique expertise in molecular biology combined with two decades of ophthalmology research and use of novel preclinical human models to advance the translation of new therapies to patients. She has published over 100 peer reviewed international research articles, numerous book chapters, two books and manages a team of students and scientists in her university laboratory.

"I am excited and delighted to join Avellino Labs at this time of incredible growth and discovery. Working with the team already assembled at Avellino Labs, we plan to revolutionize the practice of medicine in ophthalmology by developing novel tools for the detection, treatment, and possible cure for anterior eye disease using state-of-the-art technology," commented Professor Moore.

"We are thrilled to have Professor Moore join our efforts. She brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and passion to our company," stated Avellino Labs Chairman and Founder, Gene Lee. "She will be a tremendous asset in achieving our goal to deliver personalized medicine to doctors and patients."

About Avellino Labs

Avellino Labs has developed the first and only commercially available genetic testing system for corneal health. Currently, the Universal Test detects the TGFBI mutations that are responsible for Granular Corneal Dystrophy type 1 (GCD1), Granular Corneal Dystrophy type 2 (GCD2), Lattice Corneal Dystrophy type 1 (LCD1), Reis-Bucklers Corneal Dystrophy (RBCD), and Thiel Behnke Corneal Dystrophy (TBCD). Based on the test's results, patients and their physician can make an informed decision when considering vision correction surgery. Avellino Labs' proprietary genetic diagnostics system provides fast, safe and affordable DNA analysis. The company continues to develop new applications for genetic analysis of various ocular conditions, with the ultimate goal of gene therapy for eye disease.

To learn more please visit http://www.avellinolab.com/us/.

Media Contact:

Paula Hook, Marketing Communications Director

+1 972.517.1784 / (cell) +1 214.356.4427

paula.hook@avellinolab.com

Related Links

http://www.avellinolab.com/us



SOURCE Avellino Labs
NEW YORK, April 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) invites media worldwide to submit entries for its 21st annual UNCA Awards for the best print, broadcast (TV & Radio) and online, web-based media coverage of the United Nations, U.N. agencies and field operations.

The prizes amount to over $60,000 to be distributed among the prize categories and winners.

Deadline for submissions is September 1, 2016

The awards are open to all journalists anywhere in the world. The Awards are:

1. The Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Prize, sponsored by the Alexander Bodini Foundation, for written media (including online media). The prize is for print and online coverage of the U.N. and U.N. agencies, named in honor of Elizabeth Neuffer, The Boston Globe bureau chief at the U.N., who died while on an assignment in Baghdad in 2003.

2. The Ricardo Ortega Memorial Prize for broadcast (TV & Radio) media. The prize is for broadcast coverage of the U.N. and U.N. agencies, named in honor of Ricardo Ortega, formerly the New York correspondent for Antena 3 TV of Spain, who died while on an assignment in Haiti in 2004.

3. The Prince Albert II of Monaco and UNCA Global Prize for Climate Change. The prize is for print (including online media) and broadcast media (TV & Radio) for coverage of climate change, biodiversity, and water.

4. The United Nations Foundation Prize. The prize is for print (including online media) and broadcast media (TV & Radio) for coverage of humanitarian and development aspects of the U.N. and U.N. agencies.



IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS:

Coverage of the U.N. and U.N. agencies is specified in each category; the committee welcomes coverage of all issues particularly on the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, peacekeeping operations and nonproliferation, including the elimination of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

Work in print, broadcast (TV & Radio) and online coverage must be published between September 2015 and August 2016.

The judges will look for entries with impact, insight and originality, and will take into account the courage and investigative and reporting skills of the journalists. Entries from the developing world media are particularly welcome.

Entries can be submitted in any of the official U.N. languages (English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and Russian).

A written transcript in English or French will facilitate the judging process.

Each candidate can submit to no more than two (2) prize categories, with a maximum of three (3) stories in each. Joint entries are accepted.

Electronic files and web links uploaded to the online Entry Form are required .

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY:



Entries are submitted online by completing the UNCA Awards Entry Form.



On the first page, please complete your personal information and bio and upload your photo, then proceed to submit your work electronically by including web links and or/uploading files directly to the Entry Form.

** Electronic entries are mandatory **



All entries must be received by September 1st, 2016



For Questions regarding UNCA Awards & entries please contact:

The UNCA Office, 1-212-963-7137.

Or send an email to [email protected]



CLICK ON THE ENTRY FORM BELOW TO GET STARTED:



ENTRY FORM

http://unca.com/unca-awards-call-for-submissions-form/

UNCA Awards Committee : Giampaolo Pioli (UNCA President), Carole Landry (UNCA Treasurer), Nabil Abi Saab, Valeria Robecco, Seana Magee, Emoke Bebiak, Sherwin Bryce-Pease, Olga Denisova, Zhenqiu Gu, Sylviane Zehil, Bouchra Benyoussef, J. Tuyet Nguyen, Richard Roth.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160428/361260LOGO

SOURCE United Nations Correspondents Association

Related Links

http://unca.com/2015-awards-call-for-submissions-form


SUGAR LAND, Texas, April 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CVR Partners, LP ("CVR Partners") (NYSE: UAN) today announced that its subsidiary, East Dubuque Nitrogen Partners, L.P. (f/k/a Rentech Nitrogen Partners, L.P.) (the "Company") has commenced a cash tender offer (the "Tender Offer") to purchase any and all of its outstanding 6.500% Second Lien Senior Secured Notes due 2021 (CUSIP Nos. 76011Q AA7 and U76034 AA2) (the "Notes") issued by the Company and East Dubuque Finance Corporation (f/k/a Rentech Nitrogen Finance Corporation) (together with the Company, the "East Dubuque Issuers"). In connection with the Tender Offer, the Company is soliciting the consents of holders of the Notes to certain proposed amendments (the "Consent Solicitation") to the indenture governing the Notes (the "Indenture"). Concurrently with, but separate from the Tender Offer, the Company has commenced an offer to purchase for cash any and all of its outstanding Notes at a purchase price of 101% of the aggregate principal amount (the "Purchase Amount") of the Notes (the "Change of Control Offer" and, together with the Tender Offer, the "Offers"). Notes that remain outstanding following the consummation of the Offers will continue to be obligations of the East Dubuque Issuers under the Indenture.

Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation

The Tender Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on May 27, 2016, unless extended or earlier terminated (such date and time, as may be extended, the "Expiration Date"). Under the terms of the Tender Offer, holders of the Notes who validly tender their Notes and provide their consents to the proposed amendments to the Indenture (and who do not validly withdraw their Notes and consents) at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time on May 12, 2016, (as such date and time may be extended, the "Early Tender Date") will receive an amount equal to $1,015 per $1,000 in principal amount (the "Total Consideration"). Holders who validly tender their Notes and provide their consents to the proposed amendments after the Early Tender Date but at or prior to the Expiration Date will receive an amount equal to $985 per $1,000 in principal amount (the "Tender Consideration").

Notes CUSIPs and ISINs Tender

Consideration(1) Early

Participation

Premium(1)(2) Total

Consideration(1)(2) 6.500% Second Lien Senior Secured Notes due 2021 $320,000,000 CUSIP: 76011Q AA7

U76034 AA2 $985.00 $30.00 $1,015.00 ISIN: US76011QAA76

USU76034AA27





(1) For each $1,000 principal amount of Notes, excluding accrued but unpaid interest, which interest will be paid in addition to the Tender Consideration or Total Consideration, as applicable. (2) Payable only to Holders who validly tender (and do not validly withdraw) Notes prior to the Early Tender Date.

Holders whose Notes are accepted in the Tender Offer will also be paid accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the Notes up to, but not including, the settlement date. Holders should note that the Total Consideration is higher than, and the Tender Consideration is lower than, the Purchase Amount under the Change of Control Offer. The procedures for tendering Notes in the Tender Offer and in the Change of Control Offer are separate. Notes tendered in the Tender Offer may not be tendered in the Change of Control Offer, and Notes tendered in the Change of Control Offer may not be tendered in the Tender Offer.

The primary purpose of the Consent Solicitation and proposed amendments is to eliminate or modify substantially all of the restrictive covenants relating to the Company and its subsidiaries, eliminate all events of default other than failure to pay principal, premium or interest on the Notes, eliminate all conditions to satisfaction and discharge, and release the liens on the collateral securing the Notes. Holders may not tender their Notes in the Tender Offer without delivering their consents under the Consent Solicitation, and holders may not deliver their consents under the Consent Solicitation without tendering their Notes pursuant to the Tender Offer. If the requisite consents are received and the proposed amendments become effective pursuant to the Consent Solicitation, the Company will terminate the Change of Control Offer.

Consummation of the Tender Offer and payment for the Notes validly tendered pursuant to the Tender Offer are subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including, but not limited to, the receipt of requisite consents. The Company reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to waive any and all conditions to the Tender Offer. Complete details of the terms and conditions of the Tender Offer are included in the Company's offer to purchase and consent solicitation, dated April 29, 2016. Requests for documents relating to the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation may be directed to Ipreo LLC, the Information and Tender Agent, at (888) 593-9546 or (212) 849-3880 (Banks and Brokers). Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC will act as Dealer Manager for the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation. Questions regarding the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation may be directed to Credit Suisse at (800) 820-1653 (U.S. toll free) or (212) 538-2147 (collect).

Change of Control Offer

The Change of Control Offer is being made in connection with the consummation of the merger of the Company and its general partner with and into separate subsidiaries of CVR Partners (together, the "Merger"). The consummation of the Merger constitutes a "change of control" under the Indenture and obligates the East Dubuque Issuers to make a Change of Control Offer.

The Change of Control Offer is scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on June 28, 2016, unless extended by the Company (such time and date, as the same may be extended, the "Expiration Time"). Holders who validly tender their Notes prior to the Expiration Time will be eligible to receive a purchase price of $1,010 for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes. Holders whose Notes are purchased in the Change of Control Offer will also receive accrued and unpaid interest from the most recent interest payment date on their Notes up to, but not including, the settlement date, which will occur promptly after the Expiration Time.

Tendered Notes may be withdrawn at any time at or before the close of business on the second business day preceding the Expiration Time. Any extension, termination or amendment of the Change of Control Offer will be followed as promptly as practicable by a public announcement thereof.

The complete terms and conditions of the Change of Control Offer are described in the Company's Change of Control Notice and Offer to Purchase dated April 29, 2016, copies of which may be obtained from Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, the Depositary and Paying Agent for the Change of Control Offer, by calling (800) 344-5128.

This announcement is not an offer to purchase, a solicitation of an offer to sell or a solicitation of consents with respect to any securities. The Change of Control Offer is being made solely by the Change of Control Notice and Offer to Purchase dated April 29, 2016. The Change of Control Offer is not being made to holders of the Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction.

About CVR Partners, LP

Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, with manufacturing facilities located in Coffeyville, Kansas, and East Dubuque, Illinois, CVR Partners, LP is a Delaware limited partnership focused primarily on the manufacture of nitrogen fertilizers. CVR Partners' Coffeyville nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facility is the only operation in North America that uses a petroleum coke gasification process to produce nitrogen fertilizer and includes a 1,300 ton-per-day ammonia unit, a 3,000 ton-per-day urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) unit and a dual-train gasifier complex having a capacity of 89 million standard cubic feet per day of hydrogen. CVR Partners' East Dubuque nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing facility uses natural gas to produce nitrogen fertilizer and primarily includes a 1,025 ton-per-day ammonia unit and a 1,100 ton-per-day UAN unit.

The principal executive offices of CVR Partners are located at 2277 Plaza Drive, Suite 500, Sugar Land, TX 77479 and its telephone number is 281-207-3200.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. You can generally identify forward-looking statements by our use of forward-looking terminology such as "outlook," "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "predict," "seek," "should," or "will," or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. For a discussion of risk factors which may affect our results, please see the risk factors and other disclosures included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our other SEC filings. These risks may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. CVR Partners disclaims any intention or obligation to update publicly or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.

Investor contact:

Wes Harris

CVR Partners, LP

281-207-3490

[email protected]

Media Relations:

Angie Dasbach

CVR Partners, LP

281-207-3550

[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080226/CVRLOGO

SOURCE CVR Partners, LP
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) concluded a successful two-day Energy & Environment Summit, which was held in Washington, DC, that brought together dozens of state legislators, federal government officials, industry experts, and advocates, among others to discuss the many ways in which energy issues impact Latino communities across the country. Panel discussions focused on a variety of specific topics ranging from the EPA's Clean Power Plan and the interrelation between energy and Clean Water Act to Weighing the Costs of Energy Diversity, the Grid, and Consumer Protection and Innovation and the Workforce, and other relevant topics. Most panelists agreed that the nation's 54 million Latinos have a crucial role to play in shaping energy and environmental policies.

The keynote speech for the event was delivered by former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Secretary Salazar spoke about the need to diversify the energy workforce, emphasizing that in 10 years, more than 50% of electricity workers will retire and therefore Latinos have a crucial role to play in making sure the industry looks like America.

Salazar also reminded the audience of the bipartisan consensus on reaching energy independence, which was once thought to top 70% in oil imports by 2020, and now oil imports are projected to be as low as 20% of the total amount consumed in the country.

Salazar also warned of the need for energy independence with the urgency of "protecting our planet from extinction" due to climate change.

In addition to Salazar, summit participants heard from Dr. Otto Schwake of Virginia Tech University, who was key member of the team of researchers who conducted the Flint Water Study in the aftermath of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Other expert panelists included: Janet McCabe of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lola Infante of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), Sam Jamal of Solar City, Mark Magana of Green Latinos, among other industry and advocacy representatives. Francisco Carrillo, who is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at the US Department of Energy, served as a moderator for a portion of the second day's discussions.

State Legislators were also able to visit the White House, where they met with US Secretary of Education John King, Domestic Policy Council Director Cecilia Munoz, White House Intergovernmental Affairs Director Jerry Abramson, and other officials from the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The Energy Summit took place with the backdrop of the 2016 elections where the Latino vote will play a pivotal role in deciding the future of the country. With this in mind, NHCSL President and Pennsylvania State Representative, Angel Cruz said that, "it is simply unacceptable that there are 27 million eligible Latino voters but only 13 million are expected to turnout in November. In order to change this, we need to engage our community on issues that have a tremendous impact on the quality of life of their families."

With regard to the principal issue discussed during the Summit, Cruz added that, "the issue of energy affects our means of transportation, our economic wellbeing, our changing climate, and the safety of our workforce. We must also look at energy as a way to innovate and harness our technological capabilities to more efficiently use the limited resources we have available. This will take careful policymaking, striking the right compromises, and having an open mind to new and exciting ways to approach the many issues surrounding energy policy."

The NHCSL is the premier national association of Hispanic state legislators working to design and implement policies and procedures that will improve the quality of life for Hispanics throughout the country. NHCSL was founded in 1989 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)3 with the mission to be the most effective voice for the more than 390 Hispanic legislators. For more information visit www.nhcsl.org.

SOURCE National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
"By burning this ivory and rhino horn and putting it beyond use Kenya has sent a very powerful message to criminals that they are absolutely serious about cracking down on trade in illegal ivory and rhino horn trade which, in turn, fuels the poaching that is decimating elephants and rhino populations."

Since 1989, Kenya has destroyed over 30 tonnes of ivory. In March 2015, His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta set ablaze 15 tonnes. His two predecessors, Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Daniel Moi destroyed five tonnes in 2011 and 12 tonnes in 1989 respectively. The burning of the 12 tonnes in 1989 captured media attention and helped lead to the international ivory trade ban in 1990.

Today's historic occasion was witnessed by three sitting Presidents, their Excellencies Ian Khama of Botswana, Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda who together with their host His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya set alight four of the 10 ivory pyres.

The presidents had earlier in the day concluded a two-day inaugural summit as members of the Giants Club. The Giants Club is an exclusive forum that brings together African Heads of State, global business leaders and elephant protection experts to secure Africa's remaining elephant populations and the landscapes they depend on.

Azzedine Downes President and CEO IFAW who attended the Giants Club Summit as a leader in elephant conservation, also witnessed the historic ivory disposal.

"The ivory and rhino horn disposal we have witnessed today is truly a remarkable event in the continued fight against ivory and rhino horn trafficking. By destroying the largest ivory stockpile, Kenya has again demonstrated that the only valuable ivory and rhino horn is on a live animal," he stated.

Since 2011 more than 100 tonnes of ivory have been destroyed by 18 countries: Belgium, Cameroon, Chad, China (including Hong Kong), The Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Italy, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE and the U.S.A.

Despite these victories, ivory trade is pushing endangered elephants towards extinction. Every year, 25,000-30,000 African Elephants are poached to supply the ivory trade. Ivory seizures continue to increase with 24.3 tonnes in 2011, 30 tonnes in 2012, 41.5 tonnes in 2013, 17. 8 tonnes seized between January and August 2014 and 32 tonnes in 2015.

Most illegal ivory is destined for Asia, in particular China, where it has soared in value as an investment vehicle and is coveted as "white gold."

The 2013 IFAW report, Criminal Nature: The Global Security Implications of the Illegal Wildlife Trade, documents the threat the illegal wildlife trade poses to elephants, rhinos and people.

About IFAW (The International Fund for Animal Welfare)

Founded in 1969, IFAW rescues and protects animals around the world. With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW rescues individual animals, works to prevent cruelty to animals, and advocates for the protection of wildlife and habitats. For more information, visit www.ifaw.org. Follow us on Facebook/IFAW and Twitter @action4ifaw

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160429/361935

SOURCE International Fund for Animal Welfare

Related Links

http://www.ifaw.org


TRENTON, N.J., April 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The New Jersey State Board of Education added the birthday of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, March 13, to its list of 100 official state religious holidays for the 2016-2017 school year.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160429/361887

L. Ron Hubbard's Birthday Now Official N.J. Religious Holiday

Mr. Hubbard's birthday has long been celebrated by Scientologists the world over. Each year, Scientologists gather in Clearwater, Florida, the spiritual headquarters of the religion, to celebrate the life and legacy of L. Ron Hubbard. And throughout the world, Scientologists attend screenings of the Clearwater event at their own Church or Mission the following week.

Traditionally, the birthday event includes a presentation by Mr. Danny Sherman, L. Ron Hubbard's biographer, with selections from Mr. Hubbard's published works, letters and diaries. Videoed biographical vignettes illustrate selections from Mr. Hubbard's recorded lectures in which he recounts tales of adventure and discovery. There may be tales of his travels through the Far East as a teen or his barnstorming feats in the dawn of the age of aviation; his wartime experiences or his life as a writer of fiction in New York. Many of these videos can be viewed on the L. Ron Hubbard website or in the Public Information Center of Ideal Scientology Churches.

Mr. Hubbard's works on Dianetics and Scientology comprise the largest cohesive statement on the human mind and spiritand all of it made available to anyone wishing to travel his route of discovery. As he stated, "We are extending to you the precious gift of freedom and immortalityfactually, honestly."

The first Church of Scientology was formed in Los Angeles in 1954 and the religion has expanded to more than 11,000 Churches, Missions and affiliated groups, with millions of members in 167 countries.

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
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Professor Alan M. Dershowitz released the following statement regarding resolution of the case styled Bradley Edwards, et al. v. Alan M. Dershowitz, Case No. CACE 15-000072 (Cir. Ct., Broward Cnty., Fla.).

STATEMENT OF ALAN M. DERSHOWITZ

I am pleased that the litigation has concluded and I am gratified by the Joint Statement issued today by Jeffrey E. Streitfeld on behalf of the parties, in which "Edwards and Cassell acknowledge that it was a mistake to have filed sexual misconduct accusations against Dershowitz and the sexual misconduct accusations made in all public filings (including all exhibits) are hereby withdrawn." Mr. Streitfeld's announcement and the Joint Statement are copied below.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY JEFFREY E. STREITFELD, FLORIDA SUPREME COURT CERTIFIED CIRCUIT CIVIL MEDIATOR (Streitfeldlaw.com)

It is my pleasure to report that Bradley J. Edwards, Paul G. Cassell, and Alan M. Dershowitz have resolved their disputes and have agreed to settle the claims raised in an action pending in the Broward County, Florida Circuit Court. Since being appointed by Circuit Court Judge Thomas Lynch IV last fall, it has been a privilege to act as the mediator and assist the parties and their counsel toward this agreed resolution. I want to extend my appreciation for the professionalism exhibited by the parties and their counsel with whom I worked directly: Jack Scarola, Rick Simpson, Tom Scott, and Ken Sweder. As part of their agreement, the parties have issued the attached Joint Statement.

JOINT STATEMENT OF BRAD EDWARDS, PAUL CASSELL AND ALAN DERSHOWITZ REGARDING SETTLEMENT

Brad Edwards, Paul Cassell and Alan Dershowitz have today settled their pending defamation claims in which Edwards and Cassell sued Dershowitz and Dershowitz counterclaimed against Edwards and Cassell. The case was about Dershowitz's public claims that Edwards and Cassell, as the attorneys for Virginia Roberts, had failed to perform the necessary due diligence before filing the allegations of their client, not whether the acts of alleged misconduct in fact occurred. Edwards and Cassell vigorously denied the contention that they had acted improperly and asserted that it defamed them. Dershowitz countersued Edwards and Cassell, alleging they had falsely accused him of sexual contact with Robertsa claim he vigorously denied and that Dershowitz asserted defamed him. Edwards and Cassell maintain that they filed their client's allegations in good faith and performed the necessary due diligence to do so, and have produced documents detailing those efforts. Dershowitz completely denies any such misconduct, while not disputing Roberts's statements that the underlying alleged misconduct may have occurred with someone else. Dershowitz has produced travel and other records for the relevant times which he relies on to establish that he could not have been present when the alleged misconduct occurred. He has also produced other evidence that he relies upon to refute the credibility of the allegations against him.

The parties believe it is time to take advantage of the new information that has come to light on both sides during the litigation and put these matters behind them.

Given the events that have transpired since the filing of the documents in the federal court and in this action in which Dershowitz was accused of sexual misconduct, including the court order striking the allegations in the federal court filings, and the records and other documents produced by the parties, Edwards and Cassell acknowledge that it was a mistake to have filed sexual misconduct accusations against Dershowitz; and the sexual misconduct accusations made in all public filings (including all exhibits) are hereby withdrawn. Dershowitz also withdraws his accusations that Edwards and Cassell acted unethically.

Neither Edwards, Cassell, nor Dershowitz have any intention of repeating the allegations against one another.

Contact: Richard A. Simpson, [email protected], 202-719-7000

Editor's note: Wiley Rein LLP represents Alan M. Dershowitz in this matter.

SOURCE Wiley Rein LLP

Related Links

http://www.wileyrein.com


The LEOcrowd crowdfunding platform was born out of Learning Enterprises Organisation Ltd a global online business training company, and the creators of the groundbreaking digital currency, Leocoin. LEO, with their "Learn Earn Own" business philosophy empowers entrepreneurs through resources, education and now funding, so that they can have the tools necessary to be a success.

LEOcrowd's mission is to "set entrepreneurial spirits free" by bringing together those with business ideas, new innovative projects or exciting new inventions together with those who are willing to back such projects.

LEOcrowd General Manager David Johnstone, said "LEOcrowd is more than just another crowdfunding platform, it is a community devoted to bringing creative ideas or start up business to life. We want to help launch tens of thousands of businesses around the world."

Based in London's Tech city, the hub of the business startup community, LEOcrowd operates a REWARD based crowdfunding model that has distinct advantages.

Firstly through its relationship with Learning Enterprises Organisation it has a global footprint in 140 countries already.

Secondly it facilitates payment through digital currencies such as Bitcoin or LEOcoin, making it at the cutting edge of financial technology. Access to digital currency fundraising will enable projects to be more global and help strip down financial barriers typically in place when raising capital internationally. Mr Johnstone added, "Access to finance for startup businesses or those with great ideas has become increasingly difficult and we provide the solution"

The platform, currently in its soft-launch phase, already hosts several projects in the process of fundraising, and will formally launch at an entrepreneurial leadership event on April 16, 2016. The event from 1.00pm to 4.00pm is free and open to the public at The Brewery Conference Center Stockholm in Stockholm, Sweden.

For tickets or additional information visit Eventbrite, or email [email protected].

A bout LEO (Learning Enterprises Organisation)

Learning Enterprises Organisation, Ltd. (LEO, "Learn Earn Own") is an entrepreneurial membership network designed to deliver knowledge, resources and inspiration for entrepreneurs worldwide. Its motivational philosophy is centered around unleashing human potential for the betterment of entrepreneurs, small businesses and the global economy. The LEO ecosystem includes a vast array of products, services and educational tours designed for entrepreneurs including LEO eTutoring, multilingual training products LEO Coreline, LEOxChange digital currency exchange for LEOcoin, social network LEO Cafe, and LEOcharity. LEO has offices in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Egypt, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, China, Thailand, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. To learn more go to www.learnearnown.com.

Video - https://youtu.be/smRWIJj--fw

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160415/355946LOGO

SOURCE LEO

Related Links

http://www.learnearnown.com


NEW YORK, April 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 18, 2016, McGraw-Hill Global Education Holdings, LLC ("MHGE") and McGraw-Hill Global Education Finance, Inc. (together with MHGE, the "Issuers"), two wholly owned subsidiaries of McGraw-Hill Global Education Intermediate Holdings, LLC ("MHGE Intermediate Holdings"), commenced a cash tender offer (the "Tender Offer") and a consent solicitation (the "Consent Solicitation") with respect to all of the Issuers' outstanding $800,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 9.75% First-Priority Senior Secured Notes due 2021 (the "Notes"), pursuant to the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement dated April 18, 2016 (the "Offer to Purchase") and the related Consent and Letter of Transmittal (together, the "Offer Documents"). On April 18, 2016, the Issuers also delivered a notice of redemption to the holders of the Notes with respect to the optional redemption on May 18, 2016, of the Notes at a price equal to 107.313% of their aggregate principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the date of redemption (the "Redemption"). Any Notes not tendered into the Tender Offer will be subject to the Redemption.

As of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on April 29, 2016, holders of $522,269,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes (representing approximately 65.28% of the outstanding Notes) (the "Early Tendered Notes") had tendered their Notes into the Tender Offer and given their consents to the "Proposed Amendments" (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) in the Consent Solicitation. As a result, the Requisite Consents (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) for the elimination of substantially all of the restrictive covenants (and certain events of default) in the indenture governing the Notes have been received. The Issuers expect to enter into the Supplemental Indenture (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) relating to such amendments promptly.

The Issuers expect to accept for payment and settle the Early Tendered Notes on May 4, 2016.

This announcement shall not constitute an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. The complete terms and conditions of the tender offer for the Notes are set forth in the Offer Documents that were sent to holders of the Notes. The Issuers' Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation have been made only through, and subject to the terms and conditions set forth in, the Offer Documents and related materials.

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC is acting as Dealer Manager and Solicitation Agent for the Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation for the Notes. Questions regarding the Issuers' Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation may be directed to Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC at (212) 538-2147 or toll free at (800) 820-1653.

D.F. King & Co., Inc. is acting as the Information Agent for the Tender Offer and Consent Solicitation. Requests for the Offer Documents may be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc. at (212) 269-5550 (for brokers and banks) or (800) 581-4729 (for all others).

None of MHGE Intermediate Holdings or the Issuers or any other person makes any recommendation as to whether holders of Notes should tender their Notes, and no one has been authorized to make such a recommendation. The Issuers make no recommendation as to whether holders of the Notes should tender their Notes into the Tender Offer or await the Redemption, and holders of the Notes should consult their own advisors with respect to such decision. Holders of Notes must make their own decisions as to whether to tender their Notes, and if they decide to do so, the principal amount of the Notes to tender. Holders of the Notes should read carefully the Offer Documents and related materials before any decision is made.

About McGraw-Hill Global Education

McGraw-Hill Global Education is a learning science company targeting the higher education (two- year and four-year college and university), professional learning and information markets globally with content, tools and services delivered via digital, print and hybrid solutions. McGraw-Hill Global Education currently distributes products with proprietary and exclusively-owned content in nearly 60 languages across over 135 countries to users including post-secondary students, instructors, professionals and institutions.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

Information in this release may involve outlook, expectations, beliefs, plans, intentions, strategies or other statements regarding the future, which are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to us as of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. The statements in this release are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results could differ materially from current expectations. Numerous factors could cause or contribute to such differences. Please refer to "Risk Factors" and "Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in MHGE Intermediate Holdings' Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 for a further discussion of the factors and risks associated with the business.

Contacts

Investors:

David Kraut

Senior Vice President, Investor Relations & Treasurer

McGraw-Hill Education

(646) 766-2060

[email protected]

Media:

Catherine Mathis

Senior Vice President, Communications

McGraw-Hill Education

(646) 766-2468

[email protected]

SOURCE McGraw-Hill Global Education Holdings, LLC
Pope Francis follows Paul VI and John Paul II in connecting with Rotary to encourage their support of a more peaceful and compassionate world.

"It is a tremendous honor to be part of this Jubilee Audience," said Ravindran. "Pope Francis has inspired men and women throughout the world  regardless of their faith  with his humble acts of kindness. His call to alleviate the root causes of extreme poverty and human suffering transcends religion, age, nationalism and politics. Rotary members from every religion, nation and creed share Pope Francis' spirit of mercy and compassion, which inspires us to act boldly to address the most difficult challenges facing our world today."

By promoting peace, fighting disease, ending polio, providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene, supporting education, saving mothers and children and growing local economies, Rotary members are improving lives and bringing positive, lasting change to communities around the world.

Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative are on the brink of making global health history as polio is slated to become the second human disease ever to be eliminated. Cases of this paralyzing but vaccine preventable disease have plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year in 1988, to 74 confirmed in 2015. Since launching its PolioPlus program in 1985, Rotary has donated US$1.5 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect 2.5 billion children in 122 countries from polio. More than 13 million people are able to walk today, who would otherwise have been paralyzed from polio.

Pope Francis personally vaccinated a child against polio in Mexico this past February. While he was Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis was named an honorary member of Rotary  making him the first known pope to receive and accept a Rotary club membership.

About Rotary

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world's most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. Visit rotary.org and endpolio.org for more about Rotary and its efforts to eradicate polio. Video and still images will be available at http://rotary.thenewsmarket.com/.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160430/362014

SOURCE Rotary

Related Links

http://www.rotary.org


If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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New Delhi, April 28 : Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday said recent incidents of fires have contributed to raising air pollution in the city.

As the second phase of the odd-even traffic plan nears its end, the minister also said there were more than twice the number of incidents of fire in Delhi between April 15 and 27 this year as compared to last year.

"The recent fire incidents in the capital have adversely affected the air quality of Delhi," Rai said.

The second phase of the odd-even scheme, as per different reports, has not brought down the air pollution levels in the national capital. On some days during the odd-even, the air pollutant concentration also increased, according to data.

Speaking of fire incidents at the Bhalswa and Ghazipur landfill sites, Rai, referring to a probe committee report on the fires, said the fires could have been avoided though the real reason of the fires was methane gas.

However, with regard to the fire at the Yamuna flood plains, Rai expressed his apprehension that it was not an accidental case.

He stated someone could have done it purposefully. Referring to the probe committee report, he said, the fire incident at Yamuna flood plains could occur if someone started a blaze.

On Thursday (April 21), fire incidents were reported in north Delhi's Bhalswa area, the Ghazipur landfill site and the Yamuna flood plains opposite Rajghat.

The Delhi government on the day of the incident formed a four-member committee headed by member secretary Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) Kulanand Joshi to probe the incidents.

The committee in its report stated that 2150 MTD unprocessed waste is disposed at Bhalswa landfill site. This is the main cause of generation of methane due to decomposition of organic waste.

On Bhalswa and Gazipur landfill site fire, it recommended alternative sites should be established at the earliest as both the sites are not designed as per the specifications of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) rules.

It also recommended establishing gas extraction plants to minimise the burning of garbage and stated that fire tenders should be permanently stationed at the landfill sites.

The landfill sites must be covered with inert material/green topping to avoid the instances of fire.

In connection with the fire at Yamuna Flood Plains (behind Rajghat power station), the committee recommended the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and concerned Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) should exercise constant vigil in the area to prevent burning of dry leaves/grass there.
Kolkata, April 29 : India's first "transgender polling booth" in the eastern metropolis will be managed by a transwoman presiding officer during the fifth phase of polls in West Bengal on Saturday, officials said.

"Riya Sarkar, a transwoman, has been made the presiding officer at the booth in Calcutta International High School in Rashbehari assembly constituency. This is the first time that in an election a transgender booth is being set up," Smita Pandey, district election officer, Kolkata South, told IANS on Friday.

In South 24-Parganas, Kolkata and Hooghly, polling will be held in 53 constituencies on Saturday in the penultimate phase of the polls.

Pandey, however, lamented more third gender members could not be deployed.

"We could not get more as according to the mandate one has to be in government service. Sarkar is a school teacher. We are calling it a TG booth because it is being presided by a transgender. All other polling officials in the booth are women," she said.
Jaipur, April 29 : The Rajasthan government on Friday said a high-level committee has been set up to probe the death of 11 people, including nine children, in a government-run residential facility for the mentally challenged in Jamdoli near here.

"We have formed a high-level committee to investigate the deaths," Rajasthan Social Welfare Minister Arun Chaturvedi told the media here.

The deaths occurred between April 16 and April 27.

The minister said eight people were admitted in government-run Sawai Man Singh and JK Lone hospitals, including three who were in critical condition.

Chaturvedi said it seemed, as of now, that the deaths occurred due to some bacterial infection.

"The cause of bacterial infection has to be ascertained... why it happened and how it happened?"

He quoted doctors at the JK Lone Hospital as saying that the bacterial infection seemed to have been caused by either food or water.

"Samples of drinking water have been collected and sent for testing. We are awaiting the report," the minister said.

Meanwhile, Congress state unit president Sachin Pilot demanded an inquiry into the matter.

He said a police complaint of criminal neglect be lodged against those responsible for the deaths.

He said it was a case of "failure of the government machinery".
Mumbai, April 30 : Filmmaker Agneya Singh plans to release his film "M Cream", which has travelled to over 30 festivals, in July.

Singh told IANS: "We have been fortunate that the film has travelled to over 30 festivals, and has won 10 awards. Audiences across the world have told me that they haven't seen a film from India like this. It's been incredibly encouraging for us because we have travelled to so many festivals."

He added: "Even though we have been doing it for one year, we are planning to go ahead with the release of the film in July. Small films like ours which are independent usually don't have the budget that Bollywood films have so, it is important for us to showcase the film and get us that critical acclaim."

"M Cream" won the best feature award in Rhode Island following which the film hit the trade all over US and in Europe, where it's been premiered in Ireland, Italy, Germany, France.

The story of "M Cream" traces a road trip between four friends from Delhi to Himachal Pradesh to discover "M Cream", which is a 'magical' form of a drug, while expressing the rebel attitude in them. The film has been written by Singh and draws heavily from his own life, having lived in Delhi and seen the craze for the particular drug.

Actor Naseeruddin Shah's son Imaad Shah and Ira Dubey play important roles in the film, produced by Vindhya Singh under the banner Agniputra Films.
Agartala : Sujit Chakraborty Agartala, April 30 (IANS) The Left-Congress alliance for the West Bengal assembly polls had badly hit Left-ruled Tripura's main opposition Congress, which is heading for a vertical split, political pundits say.

"After the announcement of results of Bengal and Assam assembly elections on May 19, a clear cut picture in Tripura politics would emerge. The dissident Congress leaders are restlessly waiting for the outcome of the results in the two states," veteran political analyst Tapas Dey told IANS.

"The central leaders of the Congress are also firm on their decision to take action against dissident leaders but they too are waiting for the May 19 outcome. The action of the central leaders against them would depend on the next steps of the rebel party leaders," Dey added.

Protesting against the Congress' tie-up with the Left in West Bengal, many top Congress leaders, including legislature party leader Sudip Roy Barman, the leader of opposition in the Tripura assembly, have quite their posts.

The other senior leaders who have quit include state Congress working president Ashish Saha, women's front chief Kalyani Roy, state Youth Congress supremo Sushanta Chowdhury and scheduled caste front head Prakash Chandra Das, besides 32 block presidents.

A show cause notice issued by Congress general secretary in-charge of northeastern states V. Narayanswami also failed to deter Barman as he stood by his position.

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) remained without any leader after Barman left the post on April 7.

The AICC last week appointed senior legislator Gopal Roy as the leader of the CLP after Barman quit.

However, Tripura assembly speaker Ramendra Chandra Debnath, in a letter to Tripura Congress president Birajit Sinha, said that he was unable to appoint Roy as opposition leader as six of the 10 Congress legislators, led by Barman, had in writing opposed Roy for the position.

The local media is rife with reports that the disgruntled Congress leaders might form a new party or join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or Trinamool Congress (TMC) of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"If the BJP comes to power in Assam, the dissident Congress leaders might join the party or if TMC retained power in Bengal, they may possibly join the party. There are also chances the disgruntled leaders will form a new anti-Left party ," observed Dey, himself a former Congress legislator.

"Previously many Congress leaders left the party in Tripura and elsewhere in the country, but later returned after realising their mistake," he added.

Top BJP and TMC leaders are maintaining a studied silence on the issue.

Barman, in his resignation letter to party supremo Sonia Gandhi, said: "In spite of your understanding of the CPI-M's unpredictable character, its treacherous role in the past, anti-national thinking and activities and the immense barbaric atrocities upon Congressmen in West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala, you have given the nod to this so called alliance/seat adjustments."

The Congress leader said the party's alliance with the Left Front in Bengal would have a far-reaching political impact at the national level.

Barman's father and former Tripura chief minister Samir Ranjan Barman, who was also the state Congress president, has also openly criticised the party's central leaders for the Left-Congress pact.

There are some media reports that some members of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) had quit in protest against the Left-Congress tie-up.

"These media reports are totally false as some members of party were expelled and might have joined other parties," CPI-M leader Amal Chakraborty told IANS.

"Very frequently, many local Congress leaders join CPI-M but this is not related to the political developments in Bengal," he added.

Meanwhile, Birajit Sinha and some other party leaders have said they would abide by the central leadership's decision on the alliance with the Left parties.

"We would abide by central leaderships' decision on the Congress-Left tie up. Some Congress leaders' resignations are unfortunate," Sinha, a sitting lawmaker and former state minister, told IANS.

( can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
New Delhi, April 30 : The Congress on Saturday demanded an apology from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah for spreading lies and misleading the nation on the AgustaWestland chopper deal.

"Amit Shah and BJP leaders have become masters in pursuing politics of deceit and deliberate lies. BJP government needs to introspect whether mud-slinging and muckraking can ever replace the truth," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

"Can 'smear campaign' and 'hatchet jobs' of 'BJP's dirty tricks department' defend the 'Operation Cover-up' of BJP government in helping AugustaWestland?"

Singh attacked the BJP president saying: "Amit Shah has called AgustaWestland and its parent company Finmeccanica a 'bogus company'. Will Amit Shah ask Modi government as to why it has been protecting the same bogus company for last two years as CBI/ED investigation has reached no conclusion?"

"Will Amit Shah and BJP answer to the people as to why the same 'fraud company' was permitted to be part of Prime Minister's 'Make-in-India' programme and participate in 'Aero India Exhibition'?" he asked.

He also sought to know from Shah to explain "why the same 'fraud company' was being given permission by Foreign Investment Promotion Board of Modi government as recently as on December 8, 2015?"

"Will he also answer as to why the same 'fraud company' was given permission to participate in defence contract as a 'sub-contractor' as also 'supplier to a contracting party' with government of India by order dated August 22, 2014 of Ministry of Defence?" the Congress spokesperson added.

Latest updates on Howdy Modi Houston
Abu Dhabi, April 30 : Abu Dhabi police has called for enhancing the culture of prevention in occupational safety and health among police staff members during the celebration to mark the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.

Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi, commander-in-chief of Abu Dhabi Police, who attended the celebration at the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters, stressed the importance of promoting the culture of prevention and the positive impacts of implementing occupational health and safety regulations amongst police staff members.

He pointed out that the UAE is at the forefront of countries in the region that dedicated significant attention to developing and spreading the health and occupational safety culture through various legislations and laws that are completely aligned with the strategic objectives aimed at achieving the UAE Vision 2021.

Al Rumaithi highlighted the importance of marking this global event and explained that the Abu Dhabi has managed to become a leading entity amongst world countries to prepare and implement occupational health and safety management legislations as a legal requirement to support its efforts towards a safe and sustainable society.

The commander-in-chief honoured the General Directorate of Security and Ports Affairs, as the best entity to implement the environment, health and occupational safety system during 2015.
New Delhi, April 30 : A minor fire broke out in the Rohini courts complex here on Saturday morning, fire officials said. The blaze was doused soon and nobody was injured.

The fire broke out in the electrical panel board situated on the eighth floor of the Rohini court at around 8.30 a.m. in west Delhi, a fire official told IANS, adding five fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was soon controlled.

Prima facie it appears that the fire could have occurred due to a short circuit in the electrical panel board, a fire official said.
Ghaziabad, April 30 : Five unidentified armed robbers looted cash and jewellery worth over Rs.40 lakh from a reputed jewellery shop in Indirapuram here on Saturday.

The incident occurred around 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Police said three robbers who had their faces covered and were armed with pistols barged into the jewellery showroom run by a reputed firm -- Rawalpindi Jewellers.

Two of their accomplices remained outside to keep a watch. They kept their motorbikes ready to escape during the about 15-minute operation. They were later seen fleeing towards the east side on two motorcycles.

The jewellery shop owner said the robbers took out pistols from their side pockets and scooped up every valuable article from the showcase and the display tray. They then emptied the cash box and fled the spot after warning the people there to keep silent.

Harvinder Gandhi, the owner of the showroom, told this reporter that three robbers entered the showroom while two others remained outside.

The showroom, located in Express market near Shipra Mall, sells gold, silver and diamond-fitted ornaments. After the robbers fled, the showroom owner informed the police and the control room. He told the police the robbers stayed in the showroom for over 15 minutes.

"We are trying to identify the criminals from CCTV cameras installed in the showroom and other adjoining shops at strategic locations. Till now police have not found any lead in the case," said Superintendent of Police, City, Salman Taj Patil.

"A wire was found snapped during search for some cameras. This snag might have occurred since the shop remained close for over a month due to country wide jewellers strike. But police should protect the jewellers," said Ravi Verma, general secretary of the Jewellers Association of Uttar Pradesh.
Patna, April 30 : JNU Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is facing sedition charges and is out on bail, met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad here on Saturday.

Visiting his home state Bihar for two days, Kanhaiya Kumar is also scheduled to meet other politicians who have been supporting him in a shared campaign against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

He also visited his father Jaishankar Singh who is suffering from paralysis.

Kanhaiya is also likely to meet BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha, who has long been unhappy with his party's functioning.

Upon his arrival here earlier on Saturday, Kanhaiya told reporters: "I am not here to attend a political meeting. I am here to reach out to people with my thoughts. People of Bihar will understand what I want and where I stand."

Kanhaiya Kumar was welcomed at the airport by a large number of youths, mostly members of student wings of the left parties.

On Sunday, Kanhaiya Kumar will address a meeting here with 'Azadi' being the dominant theme, said a source in the All India Students Federation (AISF) to which he belongs.

Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on the charge of sedition in February in connection with an event at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus commemorating the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

It was alleged that "anti-national" slogans were raised during that event by Kanhaiya and other participants.

The Delhi High Court in March granted him interim bail for six months on the condition that the students' leader would not participate actively or passively in any activity "which may be termed anti-national".

On Monday, the JNU authorities imposed a fine of Rs.10,000 on Kanhaiya Kumar and rusticated three other students for taking part in the February event.

Kanhaiya and 19 other JNU students have since been agitating against the punishment handed out to them by the university.

On Thursday, the Delhi High Court heard a plea seeking cancellation of interim bail granted to Kanhaiya Kumar on the ground that his speech after his release from Tihar Jail in March was "anti-national" and he violated the bail conditions.
Hyderabad, April 30 : Andhra Pradesh's opposition YSR Congress Party on Saturday urged the assembly speaker to disqualify 16 party legislators who defected to ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

A delegation of party legislators met Speaker Kodela Sivaprasad Rao Ahere and submitted a memorandum, demanding that those elected to the assembly on the symbol of YSRCP but crossing over to another party should be disqualified under anti-defection law.

The lone opposition party, which had submitted similar petitions to the speaker earlier, made another bid in the wake of four more of its members defecting to TDP this week. The development also assumed significance as YSRCP is planning to approach the court seeking disqualification of defectors.

YSRCP alleged that TDP president and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is engineering defections. Party president and leader of opposition Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, during his visit to Delhi this week, met central ministers and leaders of various political parties as part of his 'save democracy' campaign.

Jagan, as the leader is popularly known, alleged that Naidu is buying each member for Rs.20 crore to Rs.30 crore. He also alleged that Naidu is using the corruption money from various scams to buy the legislators.

Jagan had also called on Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi to demand that all the MLAs who defected to TDP be disqualified.

Due to series of defections during last few months, YSRCP's strength in 176-member assembly has come down from 67 to 51.
Lucknow, April 30 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be visiting Uttar Pradesh on Monday to attend a family function of his party colleague Sanjay Singh, a party leader said on Saturday.

Soon after his arrival by a commercial flight on Monday evening, Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party chief, would go straight to Sultanpur and attend the function at Singh's house, said Uttar Pradesh AAP unit spokesman Vaibhav Maheshwari.

Kejriwal would be accompanied by his Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, many other ministers, legislators and senior party leaders.

Party workers have planned a grand welcome for Kejriwal enroute to Sultanpur, as they will welcome him at Jagdishpur, Musafirkhana and many other places.

He will spend the night at the Sultanpur circuit house and adequate security arrangements have been made for the Delhi chief minister, an official informed IANS.

The chief minister will return to Delhi on May 3. It would be after a very long time that Kejriwal will visit Lucknow.

The last time he did was soon after the formation of AAP when he had launched an agitation against Congress leader and the then union external affairs minister Salman Khursheed's NGO.
New Delhi, April 30 : The inter-ministerial Telecom Commission on Saturday proposed voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) for state-run MTNL employees who are 50 years of age and above.

"Employee cost for MTNL is about 78 percent of its revenues against an industry average of 3 percent. The government would spend around Rs.2,000 crore in all for VRS and can save around Rs.500 crore-Rs.600 crore in a year," said an official.

The company has around 46,000 employees, out of which 26,000 will be retiring in the next 10 years. The government plans to give VRS option to 20 percent of its employees who are above 50 years of age.

The proposal will go to the cabinet for approval in a month's time.
New Delhi, April 30 : Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi will lead a "Save Democracy March" of party workers from Jantar Mantar to Parliament House on May 6.

The march, that will start at 9 a.m., will be organised to highlight a host of issues starting from the Uttarakhand political crisis, drought, unemployment and the current state of the economy. The protestors will also gherao parliament.

"We will protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's attempt to destabilize democratically elected government in Uttarakhand by using money and muscle power. This will be the major issue," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Stating that about 40 crore people in the country are affected by drought and at least 52 farmers were committing suicide each day, Surjewala said: "But these problems seemed to have fallen on deaf ears of Modi government. We would like to draw government's attention to grave agricultural and rural crisis in our country."

"Other issues like unemployment and current situation of the economy will also be raised. The march will be organized to draw the government's attention to all the fundamental issues of the country, from which it is trying to escape," the spokesperson added.
Hyderabad, May 1 : Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) backed up David Warner's scintillating 50-ball 92 with a clinical bowling effort to grab a 15-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium here.

Chasing Sunrisers' 194/5 during the match on Saturday, RCB only managed to post 179/6 with Lokesh Rahul top scoring with a 28-ball 51. AB De Villiers contributed with a 32-ball 47. Ashish Nehra, Mustafizur Rahman, Barinder Sran, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Moises Henriques picked up one wicket each for the hosts.

Royals Challengers had started off with a flyer with the inform Virat Kohli and Lokesh Rahul scoring 29 runs of the first three. But then Kohli (14) who scored a scintillating hundred in the last game fell trying to drive a Mustafizur Rahman delivery on the up. After six over's RCB were 45-1.

Rahul kept the scoreboard ticking at a healthy pace smashing Barinder Sran for 13 in the 9th. He then completed his fifty but was out caught behind a little later.

Shane Watson (2) too followed Rahul back to the dug out as he fell short of his crease trying to steal a single.

De Villiers who was living a charmed life having being dropped twice then stepped on the gas. He started off by belting Moises Henriques for two consecutive sixes in the 14th over which yielded 19 runs and followed it up with a boundary of Sran.

ABut the South African then failed to connect one and was easily caught in the deep by Kane Williamson.

With De Villiers went RCB's hopes as well and though Sachin Baby (27) and Kedar Jadhav (not out 25) tried hard they fell short in the end.

Earlier in the day, after being sent into bat the hosts rode on the sparkling Warner knock to get to a strong total.

Kane Williamson, who was playing his first game of the tournament with his 38-ball 50 was the other major contributor for Hyderabad.

They got off to a solid start courtesy of Warner's brave shots but Shikhar Dhawan (11) fell in the 4th over with the score reading 28-1.

By the end of the powerplay, the Sunrisers had forced their way to 49-1.

SRH did not look back after that as Williamson and Warner carried the innings forward with some brilliant stroke play. The duo kept tonking the RCB bowlers all around the ground which included a 19-run over off Kane Williamson.

They put on a partnership of 124 runs after which Warner got out trying to clear long off.

But the stage was stage for the batsmen coming in to throw their bats at everything and that is precisely what they did.

Moses Henriques scored an unbeaten quick-fire 14-ball 31 to ensure the run-rate did not go down. Kane Williamson's wicket in the 17th over helped RCB pull things back a little as the hosts had to settle for a score less than 200.

Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 194/5 (David Warner 92, Kane Williamson 50; Kane Richardson 2-45) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore 179/6 A(Lokesh Rahul 51, AB De Villiers 47; Ashish Nehra 1-32)

Latest updates on IPL 2020
From 3rd May QualitySolicitors Keith Park will be withdrawing from the marketing franchise QualitySolicitors after 6 years of membership. The Firm will revert to its former title of Keith Park Solicitors, retaining the original style that has been present in St Helens since 1973.

Nick Hall, Managing Director says, the rationale for joining QualitySolicitors was a good one and it has been a beneficial relationship, however changes in QSs strategy of recent times caused us to rethink our membership and objectives in respect of attracting clients and the provision of our services.

That was one of the reasons for taking on the strapline Client Focused. Results Driven continues Nick. When we came to reflect upon the achievements that the Firm has secured in the past for its clients over the last 40 or so years, I in discussions with former founding Partner Keith Park and Senior Director Ian Bates, felt we needed to go back to what we do best in serving our clients.

The Firm that Keith Park started in 1973 and which grew at its height to be one of the top 50 within the UK outside of London is still based firmly in St Helens and serving the local community. Nick states, it is indeed a proud achievement and we continue to represent clients of all walks of life with a variety of legal issues in the way that we have for over 40 years.

The Firm will continue to service clients in the arena of Personal Injury and General Litigation, Professional Negligence, Consumer matters, Criminal Defence Work, Family Law, Employment related matters, Private Client, Wills and Probate.

I think if we stand true to our objectives and continue to deliver outstanding results to our clients, then we can equally continue to build on the Firms reputation for years to come, says Nick Hall.
Asset Based Intermodal, Inc. will contribute to the Partnerships savings of 170.3 million barrels of oil, $24.9 billion in fuel costs, 72.8 MMT of carbon dioxide (CO2), 1,458,000 tons of nitrogen oxides, and 59,000 tons of particulate matter. This is the equivalent to eliminating annual energy use in over 6 million homes and carbon smog. By joining SmartWay Transport Partnership, Asset Based Intermodal, Inc. demonstrates its strong environmental leadership and corporate responsibility.

The SmartWay Partnership ties our organizations mission with SmartWay Transport Partnership goals, and reaffirms that our organization is looking forward to help achieve these goals, do our part as a responsible corporate citizen and contribute to the reduction of emissions Craig Ingram/Owner

Developed jointly in early 2003 by EPA and Charter Partners represented by industry stakeholders, environmental groups, American Trucking Associations, and Business for Social Responsibility, this innovative program was launched in 2004. Partners rely upon SmartWay tools and approaches to track and reduce emissions and fuel use from goods movement. The Partnership currently has over 3,000 Partners including shippers, logistics companies, truck carriers, rail, barge and multimodal carriers.

Asset Based Intermodal, Inc. is a family-owned and operated intermodal drayage company in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that services a 4 state region of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana & New Mexico off the UP, Kansas City Southern (KCS), and Burlington Northern Santa Fe ramp (BNSF).

Our team of experts always stays on top of the latest technology to keep us moving in the right direction. Our goal is to make a positive difference in your business through our services, and build long term relationship with you. Our commitment to our clients can be seen by the amount of emphasis we lay on team work, customer support services and making technological upgrades in our logistic process.

We have years of experience in the business of logistics including trucking & warehousing and pride ourselves in maintaining a great on-time service record with our customers. We do this by providing our drivers with everything they need to perform at the highest level.

For more information about Asset Based Intermodal, Inc., visit http://www.AssetBasedIntermodal.com or call us at:

972-487-9900.

For information about the SmartWay Transport Partnership visit http://www.epa.gov/smartway.

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Mercy College is expanding its Graduate Business Programs to the Bronx campus and the Dobbs Ferry campus. The following programs will be expanding due to high demand: Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Organizational Leadership (MSOL) and Human Resources Management (HRM). The expansion will begin this summer.

School of Business Graduate Program Chair Dr. Ray Manganelli said: We believe that people think bigger and excel further when they are armed with a graduate business school degree. Our programs have been recognized for their quality and convenience and we have been asked for years to expand them to the Bronx and Westchester  today we are announcing that we are expanding.

The most in demand feature of the Graduate Business programs is the MBAs Turbo Program, which allows student to complete the degree in one year with an accelerated start. With Turbo, students attend classes, at no cost, in an integrated form for about a month and can earn class waivers totaling 21 credits.

New Turbo Programs will begin in:

June at Mercy Colleges Dobbs Ferry Campus

July at Mercy Colleges Bronx Campus

August at Mercy Colleges Manhattan Campus

Mercy College President Tim Hall said: This is an opportunity for residents of Westchester and the Bronx to be in the classroom learning about advanced business concepts in a setting that makes achieving the work/ life/ study balance a lot easier. We are excited to expand these programs and applaud the students who will be enrolling.

When it comes to students, Mercys admissions team is looking for the driven, unstoppable and the focused to apply to the Business Graduate School Programs. MBA Program alumnus Michael Zarrilli said: I was a Mount Vernon Police officer before I enrolled in the MBA Program. A graduate business degree can jump start your career and give you more professional options. For me it was great to be around ambitious people, with different career pasts. We learned financial analysis and managerial analytics, and have discussed a rich array of business topics  the program completely changed the course of my life.

Mercy College School of Business Dean Ed Weis said: Im proud of the dramatic enrollment growth of the MBA program in recent years which has been driven by our innovative approach. In addition to their terrific academic credentials, our professors have decades of professional leadership experience at top global companies. This allows our curriculum to be focused on high level consulting projects where the academic knowledge actually transfers to our students' desired corporate roles. We also offer students opportunities to network with Fortune 500 business leaders through our Advisory Board."

To future students Manganelli states that this is an opportunity for transformation: No matter your age, your academic background, or your work history, the Mercy MBA/Graduate Programs provide you with the opportunity to transform yourself in one year affordably, conveniently and completely. We at Mercy believe that access to a transformative business education provides a lifetime of opportunity, benefit and return. We are now dramatically increasing your access in this exciting business expansion program.

SIX REASONS TO APPLY TO MERCYS GRADUATE BUSINESS PROGRAMS

1. The accelerated TURBO Program, which enables you to flexibly complete the MBA in one year on nights and weekends, is free

2. One year program available, affordable tuition, convenient hours and online classes to fit your schedule

3. Mercys MBA Program is on Crains New York Business list of the Top 20 Largest Programs in the Region for the fourth consecutive year

4. Graduate business classes offered in the heart of Manhattan, Westchester and Bronx, communities as diverse as the global economy itself

5. Business Professors from Fortune 500 companies, Wall Street finance, other prestigious industries and organizations

6. Personalized attention from our expert faculty and from our Executive Advisory Board for career networking and for building valuable business relationships

About Mercy College

Mercy College is the dynamic, diverse New York City area college whose students are on a personal mission: to get the most out of life by getting the most out of their education.

Founded in 1950, Mercy offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs within five schools: Business, Education, Health and Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Mercy College challenges its faculty and staff to make higher education work for anyone hungry enough to earn a better place in life. With campuses in Dobbs Ferry, Bronx, Manhattan and Yorktown Heights, the vibrancy of the College culture is sustained by a diverse student body from around the region.

Committed to supporting students throughout their education, Mercy College offers a personalized learning experience that includes the Colleges Personalized Achievement Contract (PACT) program. PACT is a nationally recognized mentoring program that serves as a model for student success. http://www.mercy.edu/ 877-MERCY-GO.

MERCY COLLEGE

For those with a passion to get ahead.
Michelle Wall of Delaware is the 2016 Mother of the Year! I'm honored to be #MomStrong and I look forward to telling America about my mothering experiences.

American Mothers Inc.  has named the 2016 Mother of the Year, Michelle Wall from Middletown, DE. She will serve as an ambassador for mothers across the country, highlighting the importance of motherhood. American Mothers Inc.  is celebrating its 81st year of nationally honoring motherhood and educating on issues impacting mothers and children at home, at work, and in the world.

Michelle Wall was born in San Jose, CA. She has lived in 8 states, growing up in a military family but has called Delaware home since 2009. Michelle graduated from James Madison University (JMU) with a degree in Political Science and Political Communications. After graduating from JMU, she was chosen to be a Virginia Governor's Fellow. She began her career at the Virginia Governor's Office and has worked for North Carolina State University, the Raleigh News & Observer, and the Arizona Republic. Michelle is an alumnus of Leadership Delaware (2014) and a volunteer for the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, where she was named the 2014 Volunteer of the Year. In 2015 she was elected to the Appoquinimink School Board and is currently working as the Fundraising and Events Coordinator for Ken Simpler, LLC. Michelle is a Girl Scout Troop Leader and resides in Middletown with her husband and their 2 daughters.

Michelle was selected from nominees from across the country Mother of the Year because she excels in her role as a mother and as a community leader.

Every year we are amazed by the passion our moms have for being a mother and improving the lives of those around them, says Dianne Callister, President of American Mothers. Its inspiring to see so many women who embody the selfless, caring spirit of motherhood and who are using that maternal energy to make the world a better place.

Mother of the Year nominees qualify for the honor by having one or more children and being amazing in their role as mom. Nominees for Mother of Achievement should be an individual who has made a significant contribution to improve the lives of mothers and children in her community and/or the nation but she does not need to have children to qualify.

The public is invited to nominate their favorite mom annually from Mothers Day to November 15 at http://www.americanmothers.org/nomination-form.

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About American Mothers, Inc.

American Mothers, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that recognizes the important role of motherhood through educational programs and community outreach at home, work, and in the world. On an annual basis, American Mothers, Inc. selects the National Mother of the Year and recognizes Mothers of Achievement from candidates across the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. For more information about the organization, visit http://www.americanmothers.org or call 877-242-4264. Please follow us on Twitter at @AmericanMothers or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AmericanMothers

Suggested Tweet: National #Mother of the Year named! Michelle Wall of Delaware! Learn more at http://www.americanmothers.org #MomStrong

Media Contact:

Andrea Ball, Executive Director

andrea(at)americanmothers(dot)org and 301-335-2715 mobile
One of the major challenges facing the community is the inability to filter through the thousands of mobile medical applications in the app stores to identify safe, accurate and effective solutions. - Dr. Maulik Majmudar

The Hacking Medicine Institute (HMi), a non-profit organization, today announced RANKED Health, a program to critically evaluate and rank health-focused applications and connected devices for better disease monitoring and management. A major goal of the program is to provide independent, unbiased and accurate information to help accelerate patient and provider adoption of clinically proven and well-designed digital health solutions. RANKED Health is led by experts from top-ranked teaching hospitals and universities, bringing together clinicians, researchers and patients to solve the challenge of finding trusted digital health products amid an overcrowded marketplace with hyped product claims.

For decades, advancements in medical technologies have been derided as the driver of increased health costs. However, with the introduction and growing maturity of connected health solutions, technology-enabled interventions are poised to dramatically impact healthcare efficiency, quality, outcomes and cost. Modeled after academic journals, the RANKED review process is designed to propel this momentum, helping providers and consumers not only confidently choose new products and services for monitoring and managing specific conditions, but also shed light on unsafe or ineffective applications that pose serious threats to consumer health. The RANKED Health editorial framework for reviews and rankings of the best-in-class digital health products includes mobile applications  and in the future, connected medical devices  that are broadly available for purchase, with ease, through application stores.

The past few years bore witness to the rise and fall of several organizations with a shared goal of reviewing, rating or certifying mobile health applications. Recognizing that those efforts were hindered by trust, credibility and sustainability factors, the leadership team at RANKED Health is committed to making this review program an iterative and collaborative process. The initial set of reviews have been completed, and reviewers are actively seeking feedback and input from industry experts and end-users to ensure the program is aligned with market needs and sentiment.

RANKED Health will be led by Drs. Maulik Majmudar, a cardiologist and associate director of the Healthcare Transformation Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Adam Landman, an emergency medicine physician and chief medical information officer at Brigham & Womens Hospital.

According to Dr. Majmudar, One of the major challenges facing the community is the inability to filter through the thousands of mobile medical applications in the app stores to identify safe, accurate and effective solutions. Patients and providers dont have the necessary information to make an informed decision regarding the use of healthcare-focused mobile apps. They are looking for a credible source to provide summary information on these apps in an easy-to-understand format.

Call for Clinical Reviewers - Both Experts and Engaged Patients

In tandem with the review program, Hacking Medicine Institute is inviting leading clinical experts to join its efforts to publish research and reviews of the most effective and best-designed new medical technologies. Alongside clinicians, engaged patients and caregivers can contribute meaningful insights, and reviews from non-clinicians with expertise as power users are welcomed. HMi is assembling specialty editors and reviewers who will be published for evaluating new medical technologies and services. Reviewers will also have access to HMis consortium, events and proprietary data for publishing further studies on the effectiveness of new digital medical technologies. Interested experts and patients should email reviewers(at)hackingmedicine(dot)org.

About Hacking Medicine Institute

Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts  amid the worlds most dense network of scientific institutions, global health organizations, high tech and pharmaceutical companies  Hacking Medicine Institute (HMi) is a non-profit educational institute, convening global healthcare leaders to accelerate data, proof and adoption of effective new healthcare hacks  clever applications of technology. Digital technologies are now the key enabler of new products, re-imagined services and new business models to re-engineer healthcare and achieve the triple aim of increased access, better outcomes and lower costs. Borne out of the MIT Hacking Medicine Initiative, HMi is building a consortium of leading academic, public and private institutions to tackle challenges in measuring, analyzing and judging the effectiveness of digital health products and their combinations with traditional drugs, diagnostics and health services. More information can be found at hackingmedicine.org.

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Maulik Majmudar, MD, Senior Editor, RANKED Health,

Board Director, Hacking Medicine Institute

mmajmudar(at)gmail(dot)com

240-355-1163

Zen Chu, Board Director, Hacking Medicine Institute

zenven(at)mit(dot)edu

617-800-0330

Michael Ann Thomas, VP, Edelman

Michael.thomas(at)edelman(dot)com

206-883-3314
Houston History Alliance logo Walt Whitman said: ''The subtlest spirit of a nation is expressed through its musicand the music acts reciprocally upon the nations soul.

The Sixth Annual Houston History Conference on Saturday, October 1, 2016 will attempt to answer the question of Who is Houston? by exploring several dimensions of the Gulf Coast music phenomenon and its rich music history. Occurring from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., the conference will be held at the Midtown Arts & Theater Center (MATCH), 3400 Main St., in Midtown Houston.

The program for the 2016 conference includes thus far:



All day: Houston Pop-up Museum (held in partnership with the University of Houston Center for Public History) featuring exhibits created by HHA Community Partners and area history students with projects focused on Houstons history, music history and preservation (no charge to the public).

9:00 - 9:20 am: Chairmans Welcome: the premise of the Soul of Houston/Houstons Music Soul/Jazz Music History

9:20 - 10:05 am: Keynote address: Houston  The Action Town by Joe Nick Potoski

10:15 - 11:00 am: From Texas Tenors to Oilin Up, The Soul of Houston Jazz moderated by Rick Mitchell, panel participants: Lizette Cobb, Shelley Carroll, Dr. Robert Morgan

11:10 - 11:55 am: A Short History of Houston Record Labels by Andrew Brown

12:05 - 1:15: LUNCH (Attendees tour exhibits and have lunch on their own)

1:15 - 2:00 pm: From Rhythm and Blues to Chopped and Screwed: Popular Music Collections at the University of Houston Libraries Moderated by Mary Manning, panel participants: Vince Lee, Jolie Grobb

2:10 - 2:50 pm: The Evolution of Latino Music in Houston moderated by Joe Nick Patoski, panel participants: Alex LaRotta, Natalie Garza

3:00  3:45 pm: Houstons House of Hits: The Eight-Decade Legacy of SugarHill Studios moderated by Roger Wood, panel participants: Andrew Bradley, Dan Workman

3:55  4:40 pm: The Roots of Houston Hip Hop moderated by Jason Woods, panel participants: Maco Faniel, Lance Scott Walker

4:50  5:15 pm: Wrap-up panel  all participants

5:15 pm  on: Live music and professional DJs at the Continental Club complex. The Continental Club is a famous music venue where many well-known artists have played over the years and is a two-minute walk down the street from MATCH. The public can purchase tickets for this event only, if desired.

For an additional charge, the Houston Blues Museum will hold a benefit performance of Blues music on Sunday, October 2 at the Continental Club.

Registration will begin in June 2016 on the Alliance website at http://www.houstonhistoryalliance.org/houston-history-conference/. There will be a conference fee of $65 per person including a boxed lunch. Teachers and students with valid IDs attend at no charge and can purchase box lunch for $15. Seniors can register for $45 per person.

"Walt Whitman said: ''The subtlest spirit of a nation is expressed through its musicand the music acts reciprocally upon the nations soul,'  says Cecelia Ottenweller, Chair of the Houston History Alliance Board of Directors. "Substitute the word 'Houston' for 'nation,', and Whitmans quote captures the essence of why this conference is so important."

Through this conference, attendees will:



Explore the music of Houston and how it reveals the citys history

Identify particular performers who influenced not just their local community but also the national and international one

Discover how Houston gave birth to different genres of music, including Zydeco

Resurrect the voices of performers who were once considered lost

Participate in a conversation with the key players of historic Sugarhill studios

Dive into a wide variety of genres, including Hip Hop, Zydeco, Tejano, Jazz, Country and Blues.

This years conference is presented in partnership with



The Jung Center of Houston

Houston Blues Museum

The Houston Arts Alliance Folklife + Traditional Arts Program

The Continental Club, Houston

The Houston History Conference is targeted to the generally educated public interested in history and music including educators, students of all ages, historians, scholars, musicians, urban planners, preservationists, genealogists, city and county officials and employees, and representatives of the media. Special effort will be made to invite the members and supporters of HHAs 50 Community Partners as well as secondary school and university history teachers.

To learn more about the conference visit http://www.houstonhistoryalliance.org or Facebook at Houston History Alliance, or email info(at)houstonhistoryalliance(dot)org

HHA: The goal of the Houston History Alliance (formerly known as the Houston History Association) is to provide a common forum for educating Houstonians about the citys history.

The Houston History Alliance:


The Big Blue Blocks encourage exactly the kind of creativity, team building, and problem-solving that so many teachers are missing in their schools today and the overwhelming interest in this giveaway demonstrates that!

Imagination Playground, LLC, http://www.imaginationplayground.com, creators of the breakthrough play space concept that encourages child-directed, unstructured free play, announced today the winners of their giveaway contest conducted in partnership with WeAreTeachers, a popular online destination and social media brand providing teaching resources. The giveaway featured three Imagination Playground childrens building sets valued in total at over $6500, and included 300 additional prizes.

The contest was conducted on WeAreTeachers.com from March 28 to April 25, 2016, and was promoted through email and social media. Winners were drawn at random, from a pool of 3622 entries.

Being awarded the Grand Prize of an Imagination Playground Big Blue Block set is Keesha Estes of West Oxford Elementary in Oxford, NC. The two Runners-up, each receiving an Imagination Playground Connectors set, are Randi Weller of Lincoln Elementary School in Clay Center, KS, and Bobbie Carter of Herfurth Elementary School in Rowlett, TX.

Imagination Playground pop-out Mini Playgrounds will also be awarded to the first 300 entrants.

"Our community responded enthusiastically to the Imagination Playground giveaway," says Hannah Hudson, editor-in-chief of WeAreTeachers, "and it's no wonder. The Big Blue Blocks encourage exactly the kind of creativity, team building, and problem-solving that so many teachers are missing in their schools today. Teachers want more time for free play, and the overwhelming interest in this giveaway demonstrates that!"

Mala Cornwall, program manager for WeAreTeachers, agrees. "There were over 500 shares and close to 3,000 likes on Facebook. Teachers couldn't help but share why they would love to win Imagination Playground Blocks."

A few of the thousands of comments shared by participating teachers include:

Play is a child's work! We need to incorporate more play into our student's daily routines for healthy children.

Our campus is moving to a Montessori public school and this hands on playground is right in line with our philosophy.

With being a STEM school we are always looking for new things to make our school great! Imagination Playground is perfect for allowing our students to think outside the box, problem solve, and work together!

Imagination Playground President and CEO David Krishock expressed his thanks and gratitude, saying, We warmly congratulate the winners, and send our thanks to WeAreTeachers for their partnership. Were grateful we can sponsor contests like this throughout the year, showing our support for teachers with the power of play.

In addition to contests, Imagination Playground offers multiple programs to make creative play more affordable to schools. For more information about these programs, call 1-678-604-7466, or e-mail ContactUs(at)ImaginationPlayground(dot)org.

For more information about Imagination Playground, visit http://www.imaginationplayground.com/index.html

About Imagination Playground, LLC

Imagination Playground is a breakthrough play space concept developed to encourage child-directed, creative free play. The kind of play that experts say is critical to childrens intellectual, social, physical and emotional development. Created by architect and designer David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group, Imagination Playground enables children to play, dream, build, and explore endless possibilities. Imagination Playground finds its home in daycare centers, kindergartens, elementary schools, childrens museumsand science, nature, discovery centers, camps, family centers, childrens hospitals, hotels, public parks and morein North America and over 60 countries overseas. For more information, visit http://www.imaginationplayground.com
One of the many stories to see in cemeteries of Franklin County PA. Cemeteries are great storytellers.

Cemeteries tell many stories, and the Franklin County Historical Society is helping the public see and experience these stories with a county-wide cemetery scavenger hunt during May. At first, it sounds a bit strange because cemeteries are reminders of personal mortality and the mortality of friends, loved ones, and strangers. But, on closer inspection, cemeteries show how the community grew and where in communities various ethnicities lived. The way graves are marked lends insights into wealth, relationship, family longevity, chronology of religious immigration, architectural styles, childhood mortality, and impact of contagious illness on communities and families. Cemeteries are artifacts of individual, cultural, and community history. The Franklin County Historical Society wants to help the public discover such stories with the Cemetery Scavenger Hunt.

Individuals or teams are invited to explore Franklin County cemeteries. Registration is $8.00/person and includes clues, maps, and a Flat Ben to be used to find specific headstones. Completing the scavenger hunt will take explorers throughout Franklin County to find information and snap photos with Ben. Once completed, return the information packet by mail, email, or in-person to the Franklin County Old Jail, 175 East King Street in Chambersburg by 4:00pm on May 27. All correct answers will be entered into a drawing for cash prizes of $100, $75, and $50.

In the first half of the 1700s, Franklin County was the frontier, and it attracted many Scots-Irish and German immigrants, seeking to establish new homes. Annually, hundreds of genealogy researchers find their way to Franklin County and into the dozens of cemeteries the county has. Join the Franklin County Historical Society Cemetery Scavenger Hunt and discover what many genealogy researchers know. Cemeteries are great storytellers.

The Franklin County Historical Society Scavenger Hunt is one way to explore Franklin County PA. The Franklin County Visitors Bureau invites all to explore more history, arts and architecture, recreation, natural beauty, fresh foods and the warm hospitality of communities like Chambersburg, Greencastle, Mercersburg, Shippensburg, and Waynesboro. Franklin County PA is located just north of the Mason Dixon Line and is an easy drive to Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Discover more....plan a visit soon at ExploreFranklinCountyPA.com or by contacting 866.646.8060.
This week the Holy See's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, CitizenGo and co-sponsor In Defense of Christians (IDC) hosted #WeAreN2016," a three day conference featuring international political leaders, religious leaders, human rights experts, and Christian and Yazidi victims of persecution in Syria, Iraq, Nigeria and Pakistan.

The program started with a panel discussion at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber of the United Nations sponsored by the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN.

IDC Board Member Dr. Thomas Farr, director of the Religious Freedom Project at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, spoke on the first panel about protecting victims of persecution and fostering religious freedom worldwide. Dr. Farr, recipient of IDCs 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award for his tireless work in human rights, spoke about worst humanitarian crisis since World War II that is currently unfolding in the Middle East.

He described the dire conditions of the Christians and other religious minorities who remain in Iraq and Syria, unable to work, provide for their families, and suffering the debilitating effects of uncertainty about the future.

Those of us with the resources and capacity must do something. Think of this as a field hospital, we must act to ensure the patient has a way to live, Dr. Farr said. He added the stakes involve the very survival of Christianity and pluralism in Iraq and Syria. To ensure their survival, the international community must consider the establishment of an autonomous, multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic safe zone. He said that such a zone would provide a haven to minorities who are not settled or safe, and if successful would provide a model of pluralism for the region.

IDC Executive Director Kirsten Evans chaired the third panel on Christian and Yazidi women and girls; sexual victims of crimes against humanity. A 15-year-old Yazidi girl, who was in ISIS captivity for 6 months, shared her story. Samia was just 13 years old when she was in captivity. They raped and violated me and the girls who were with me, Samia said. During the 6 months in captivity, I saw horrible things happen to me and the other children. They raped girls as young as 7 and 8 years of age. Their mothers were killed because they were older. 

Genocide scholar Dr. Elisa von Jowden-Forgey of Stockton University offered an in-depth consideration of the particular brutality of sexual violence as a weapon of genocide. Beyond the physical and psychological abuse of its victims, it drives at the humiliation, subjugation, the severance of core social bonds, and the destruction of the lineage of posterity of an entire ethnic community.

Papal Nuncio to the United Nations Archbishop Bernardito Auza concluded Thursday morning's session with the words of Pope Francis: "I continue to urge the international community to address (the) needs and those of other suffering minorities, above all by promoting peace through negotiation and diplomacy, for the sake of stemming and stopping as soon as possible the violence which has already caused so much harm How much longer must the Middle East suffer from the lack of peace? We must not resign ourselves to conflicts as if change were not possible... May those forced to leave their lands be able to return and to live in dignity and security. May humanitarian aid increase and always have as its central concern the good of each individual and each country, respecting their identity and without any other agendas. May the entire Church and the international community become ever more conscious of the importance of your presence in the region."

On Saturday morning, IDC Executive Director Kirsten Evans, gave opening remarks on behalf of IDC President Toufic Baaklini:

"Two weeks ago my staff and I had the privilege to travel to Lebanon and Iraq and visit with the diverse communities displaced by ISIS. We spoke with religious leaders and political leaders advocating on their behalf, all of whom asked the same things for the Christian communities struggling to survive: aid and protection. And they all spoke of the same hope: the hope of one day going home. We walked the refugee camps in Erbil and spoke with the individuals living there. We saw with our own eyes the dire and impossible situation in which they find themselves. We witnessed their strength and we witnessed their suffering.

Baaklini continued, IDC looks forward to working increasingly with international partners toward the goals of relieving the immediate suffering of these communities while crafting long-term solutions so that Christians can once again live in peace, prosperity, harmony, and integration in their native homelands." Baaklini highlighted IDCs commitment to galvanizing the international community toward the establishment of a protected zone for Christians in Iraq, and IDCs concern over the absence of Christian representatives in the Syrian peace talks.

IDC Haven Project Manager Stephen Hollingshead moderated an afternoon panel on "Religious persecution: the voice of the victims." He conversed at length with Samia Selman, Yazidi escapee of the ISIS sex-slave trade, and Carl and Marsha Mueller, parents of Kayla Mueller, a young aid worker and ISIS hostage killed in Syria. The Muellers spoke of the tragic loss of their daughter at the hands of ISIS leader Abubaker Al-Bagdadi, her captor. Before her death at the hands of ISIS, she smuggled letters out of captivity to her parents filled with descriptions of her situation in captivity, her humiliation, abuse and suffering, but also words of hope, consolation, and encouragement to her family back at home.

Eisham Asiq and Masih Asiq, daughter and husband of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman currently awaiting the death penalty in Pakistan for blasphemy, and Jospeh Fadelle, Iraqi writer who converted to Christianity from Islam, shared their experiences of religious persecution for their faith. Nina Shea, Director of the Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute, led the conversation. The Asiq family told the story of Asia, who after having a simple quarrel over taking turns at a local water well, was falsely accused of blasphemy by her neighbor, taken to court, denied the right to defend herself, and sentenced to death. Such stories in Pakistan are not uncommon, as it has some of the worlds strictest blasphemy laws.

Further testimonies about the day-to-day lives, needs, challenges, and on-going persecution of the Christian communities in Iraq, Syria, and Nigeria were offered by various members living and serving within those communities, including: Archbishop Jean Clement Jeanbart of the Melkite Catholic Church; Bishop Joseph Danlami Bagobiri of Kafanchan, Nigeria; Sister Maria de Guadalupe and Father Rodrigo Miranda, both missionaries in Syria; and Father Douglas Bazi, Chaldean priest from Erbil, Iraq.

Drew Bowling, Communications and Policy Advisor to US Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), offered a message on behalf of the congressman, highlighting the significance of the recent U.S. genocide designation for religious minorities under ISIS and the urgency that the international community respond with a protected safe zone in the Nineveh Plain to defend these imperiled communities.

For more information on the event visit http://www.wearen.org
Drug Rehabilitation and Alcohol Treatment Center Educational attainment is associated with positive life outcomes, which is integral to the mission of Sunshine Coast as a drug rehab and alcohol treatment program.

Sunshine Coast Health Centre, a top alcohol treatment and drug rehab centre serving British Columbia, Canada, at https://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca/ on the Web, is pleased to announce an innovative volunteer support effort. Sunshine Coast Health Centre staff members who volunteer at local Powell River, BC, schools will receive contributions to their child(ren)s RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). The Centre's staff members who volunteer for at least 30 hours in one of Powell Rivers local public schools will be eligible. This could include any of the six Elementary schools in the district or Brooks Secondary school.

Educational attainment is associated with positive life outcomes, which is integral to the mission of Sunshine Coast as a drug rehab and alcohol treatment program, explained Casey Jordan, Chief Marketing Officer. With this RESP initiative, the Centre is supporting both todays students and a future generation of students. This aligns with our organizational values for community involvement and ethical, compassionate treatment for all individuals, families, and groups (not narrowly limited to only clients of the Sunshine Centre).

Support for Powell River, BC, Local Schools

By providing an incentive via the RESP contribution to support local community schools, Sunshine Centre hopes to create a win-win situation. Engagement with the schools benefits todays students and the Powell River community as a whole, which for example can come from increased social networking. Contributing to an RESP will support the aspirations of future generations. RESP funds can be applied to a variety of educational institutions, including trade schools, colleges, and universities.

Innovative Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Programs

While located in Powell River, British Columbia, the Centre serves men from around Canada, with a preponderance from the Western Provinces. The methodology is non-12 step, based upon the Viktor Frankl 'Logotherapy.' This innovative method focuses on the struggle for meaning inherent in all human activities, and has found proven, evidence-based success in the struggle against alcoholism and drug addiction. Interested parties can learn more by contacting the Centre via the Website.

About Sunshine Coast Health Centre

Sunshine Coast Health Centre is a 36 bed drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility exclusively designed for men, officially opened on the 15th of March, 2014. The Centre has a philosophy of care that goes beyond just addiction to include personal transformation based on three key therapeutic principles: interpersonal relatedness, self definition (autonomy & competence), and intrinsic motivation. The Centre offers both drug rehabilitation and alcohol treatment near Vancouver, BC, but serving patients across Canada, particularly British Columbia and Alberta and cities such as Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer. Sunshine Coast Health Centre uses a form of drug rehabilitation based on the methodology of Viktor Frankl, namely 'Meaning Centred Therapy'.

Website. https://www.sunshinecoasthealthcentre.ca/
Smell great the entire day with this handy atomizer! The Global Cosmetics Manufacturing industry iswoth $264 billion, says Scott Cooper, CEO and Creative Director of World Patent Marketing. The industry should look forward to strong growth. Rebounding consumer purchasing power will pave ...

World Patent Marketing, a vertically integrated manufacturer and engineer of patented products, announces The Peek-A-Boo and Tag-A-Long, a personal care invention that will keep you smelling great all day.

The Global Cosmetics Manufacturing industry is worth $264 billion, says Scott Cooper, CEO and Creative Director of World Patent Marketing. The industry should look forward to strong growth. Rebounding consumer purchasing power will pave the way for new product development and expansion.

Wanting to feel fresh and smelling good the entire day is considered part of good grooming, says Jerry Shapiro, Director of Manufacturing and World Patent Marketing Inventions. Unfortunately, we all can't be spraying perfume or cologne the entire day. But what if, there's a discreet way to touch up on your favorite scent without anyone noticing? This is where Peek-A-Boo and Tag-A-Long comes in handy.

Peek-A-Boo and Tag-A-Long is a personal care invention that boats of convenience and functionality. It is a refillable aspirator that can be concealed in a person's collar or pocket. Each tiny container is good for 3 or 4 sprays  just enough to last you an entire day or night! You can fill it up with your favorite scent or fragrance as often as needed.

The Peek-A-Boo and Tag-A-Long is convenient, concealable, and cost-effective, says inventor Dana H. It's good for career men and women, people in sales and marketing, or anyone who is concerned about looking good and smelling good all the time.

Shelley Hardy, a sales consultant from Manhattan, NY swears by this personal care invention. Peek-A-Boo and Tag-A-Long is convenient to use and practically invisible. I can hide it under my collar or inside my pocket and spray on just before shaking the hand or hugging a client. It allows me to be confident in how I look and smell.

Peek-A-Boo and Tag-A-Long is a refillable container and is made from durable materials. It's a must-have for everyone!

ABOUT WORLD PATENT MARKETING

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As a leader in patent invention services, World Patent Marketing is by your side every step of the way, utilizing our capital and experience to protect, prepare, and manufacture your new product idea and get it out to the market. Get a patent with World Patent Marketing and the company will send representatives to trade shows every month in order to further advocate for its clients. It is just part of the world patent marketing cost of doing business.

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World Patent Marketing is also a proud member of the National Association of Manufacturers, Duns and Bradstreet, the US Chamber of Commerce, the South Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Association for Manufacturing Excellence, and the New York Inventor Exchange.

Visit the worldpatentmarketing.com website and find out how to patent an invention. Contact us at (888) 926-8174.
U.S. Treasury secretary Jacob Lew recently announced that Harriet Tubman, an African-American escaped slave, and an iconic hero of the Underground Railroad before and during the U.S. Civil War, would replace Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill, beginning in 2020. PW caught up with historian, Catherine Clinton, author of Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom (Little, Brown, 2004) to talk about Tubman's life and times, and why she deserves to be commemorated on the $20 bill.

What was your reaction when treasury secretary Jacob Lew disclosed that reading your biography, Harriet Tubman: Road to Freedom, played a significant role in his decision to select Harriet Tubman for inclusion on the $20 bill?

I was thrilled. I am an academically trained scholar, who had turned to writing biography to reach a larger publicbut as the turn of the century approached, Harriet Tubman still seemed relegated to the childrens shelf. So I began work on the first biography of Tubman in over 50 years, never imagining that it could contribute to this kind of national conversation about womens contributions to the American past, and particularly African American womens neglected roles.

What led you to decide to research the life of Harriet Tubman?

Harriet Tubman became a controversial figure in the 1990s when politicians bandied about her name in connection with national history standards, and that tone of derision in this debate fired my energy. As a Civil War scholar, I was determined to turn Tubman into a flesh-and-blood actor within her own lifetime, the spy and scout who had made history, and earned a $20 pension from the government. She had put her life in danger for years, engaged in the struggle to overthrow slavery. Imagine my delight that Sojourner Truth will be joining a quartet of suffragists on the steps of the Treasury on the redesign of $10 billand Harriet Tubman will be front and center on the twenty. I wrote my own book for young readers, When Harriet Met Sojourner, in 2007.

Harriet Tubman is best known for her role in the Underground Railroad, a network of safe houses where slaves could hide while making their escape to the North. But you say there is much more to her story, including a role in the abolitionist John Browns ill-fated raid at Harper's Ferry in 1859. Do tell.

John Brown was a great admirer of Harriet Tubman and always referred to her as General. He praised this this five-foot-tall woman with such skill and talents, that she became one of the most successful abductors on the Underground Railroad. Abductors were those who went behind enemy lines to rescue those enslaved and lead them to freedom. And when the Underground Railroad in a sense came above ground with the Civil War, Tubman went to occupied South Carolina and led the Combahee River Raid and proved her military prowess.



I can imagine the lack of primary sources when you were doing your research on an African-American woman who did not leave much written material behind. In your quest to separate the actual history from the legend, how did you go about your researching your subject in a way that was accurate, in terms of the historical record?



I was at first daunted by the lack of written record, as my previous biography had been about Fanny Kemble who left 11 volumes of memoirs, and now I was trying to track the life of an illiterate woman who left us no letters and diaries. But Tubman was someone who left such a striking impressionas when she spoke at a Boston antislavery meeting, using the pseudonym Harriet Garrison to avoid bounty hunters. So newspapers and contemporary accounts often included mention of her.
"I was an introvertuntil fashion got ahold of me! pioneering runway model Pat Cleveland says, as she talks about Walking with the Muses, her memoir out in June from Atrias 37 Ink imprint. That fashion moment was in 1964, when 14-year-old Cleveland, guided by her single mom, Lady Bird Clevelandan artist with a bold, unique fashion sensebegan designing and sewing her own clothes using fabrics repurposed from elegant 1920s and 30s garments. It was from those roots that Cleveland became one of the first black models to walk the runways of New York, Paris, Milanand is still walking them today.

When Patricia Lee Ann Cleveland began modeling in 1966, the (mostly white) fashion industry was a worldwide network of young creativesdesigners (Stephen Burrows, Oscar de la Renta, Halston, Karl Lagerfeld), photographers (Richard Avedon, Antonio Lopez), artists (Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol), publications (GQ, Harpers Bazaar, Vogue), celebrities (Warren Beatty, Bill Cosby, Mick Jagger, Liza Minnelli). Cleveland became a part of this world, and these are the principle experiences she shares in her memoir. As for fashion-industry diversity these days, Cleveland notes, I was just in an H&M show in Paris, and they had [models of] different ages, sizes, and colors.

Cleveland is diversity personified. My mother, a half-black, part-Cherokee, part-Irish fine artist, and my father, Swedish descendant of Vikings, made beautiful music together, she writes. Cleveland was conceived two years into their romancea few weeks before her father returned to Sweden for good, unaware of the daughter he left behind. Cleveland met him only once, when she was two years old. She lived with her mother and Helen, her mothers jet-

setting sister, in an apartment that by night was a salon for New York Citys black creatives, so from an early age Cleveland, surrounded by fashion, art, and literature, aspired to be an artist. I like to be referred to as an artist: I paint, write music, dance, act.

Born in 1950, in a charity hospital on Welfare (now Roosevelt) Island, Cleveland grew up on 100th Street between Park and Madison avenues in Manhattan and says she was taunted as a child by classmates and by kids in the street because she was funny lookingI was too light to be black, too black to be white, and too skinny to be pretty. She also stood out because she wore clothes that she designed and made herself, initially to have a wardrobe for going out dancing.

As Cleveland headed home from high school one afternoon, it was one of these very outfits that caught the eye of a writer from Vogueher moms favorite fashion magazine. The writer literally chased her down the street to ask for her phone number for a possible interview about her designs. Although Cleveland didnt hear from Vogue for another three years, the encounter inspired her mother to have professional photos taken of Cleveland to send to magazines to inquire if they needed models. Lady Birds first choice of photographer? Her old friend Carl Van Vechten. He was out of town, but recommended his friend Adelaide Passen. As a result, Ebony Fashion Fair selected the young Cleveland to model in the magazines shows. Her first day at work was June 23, 1966her 16th birthday. A few years later, she was in demand, on her way to decades of being a muse for and companion of fashion designers, illustrators, photographers, and celebrities worldwide.

The books title, Cleveland says, is light, mysterious, not too fashiony and has a double meaning. Its partly a nod to the term walking girl, used to describe runway fashion models (although Clevelands style is not so much walking as dancing, twirling, and sometimes leaping down the runway), and partly to her ordeal of learning to walk again after a severe accident right after she graduated high school. During a studio photo shoot, she was posing in a hammock that wasnt secured properly; the ceiling beam holding the hammock fell on top of her, and she spent six months in the hospital in traction or in a wheelchair, refusing any operations. It would be years before she was mostly free of pain.

As for the title: Everybody tells me, Youre such a muse! And I was crippled at one timeI couldnt walk. So the title is about walking: you walk along the path of life. And people are around you, and they are your muses.

A prolific journal keeper since the age of 16, Cleveland self-published In the Spirit of Grace in 2001, a book of 366 poems, one (or more) for every day of the year. In three months, I wrote a thousand poems! Everything was coming at me, she says. I did very well with that book. The same title, along with Clevelands voice, was given to a pumping dance track produced in 2001 by the acclaimed Italian deejay and music producer Joe T. Vannelli. Yes, thats my vocal! He heard my voice and asked if he could make a song.

Walking with the Muses didnt start out as a memoir. It took seven years to put the book together. I started writing it in Europe, 10 pages a day, free writing. I turned it into poems, I turned it into a screenplay, and a friend said, why not an autobiography? Then I turned it into stories about myself. Some things I didnt want to think about; going in there was difficult. But sometimes you have to take that ride on the Cyclone, or jump on the trampoline, and just go through it.

She adds that writing the book led her to create two workspaces in her home. One was closed and quiet, and one was light and spacious. Once the manuscript was completed, she started the editing process. It was a year of intense condensing; I had to keep chopping away. When you have a life with so much detail, its important to make sure [the book] isnt too long.

The bittersweet aspect, she says, is that although many people from the past reentered her life to share their memories in common, some of them have since died. As a result, Cleveland stopped writing for a year.

Walking with the Muses offers a candid glimpse into many of Clevelands international adventures in pursuit of bookings; her romances; and her memories of the players, places, and politics inside the fashion industry. Cleveland, who has appeared in countless fashion spreads and on the covers of Essence, GQ, LOfficiel, Womens Wear Daily, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, is still working today; she recently appeared in ads for Marc Jacobs and editorials in Town & Country and the Japanese Harpers Bazaar.

Cleveland is married to fashion photographer and former model Paul van Ravenstein; they live in New Jersey and have 15 peacocks on their property. (What would peacocks be without their feathers? Just another turkey, she quips.) They have two children: Noel, a yoga instructor who teaches all over the world under the name Agastya, and Anna, a model with whom Cleveland sometimes shares the runwayor the page.

In 2010, Cleveland appeared as a guest judge in season 14 of Americas Next Top Model and in the documentary Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston. In 2012, she was featured in two more fashion documentaries: Versailles 73: American Runway Revolution (which traces the 1973 Battle of Versailles Fashion Show, with five French and five American designers in competition), and the HBO documentary About Face: Supermodels Then and Now.

I love that I had a chance to write my story, Cleveland says. My friends wanted it. It opens new doors to wonderful new friendships, too. I hope readers take away that you can have an achievement in life if you keep at it. Look around and try to form something out of it. Life is like a snowball: roll em up and throw em.
Confession: no word gives me more angst than the boastful, hyphenated noun self-promotion. The thought of soliciting book sales from my middle school crush on Facebook is downright creepy. Moreover, prowling around on social media websites in search of new friends and followers is a complete time suck. Self-promotion isnt for me, I confided to an author friend the night of my first book release party. Biting into a salmon mousse canape, she smirked, as if she knew so much better. (Spoiler alert: she did.)

Not wanting to rain on my cutesy appetizer-filled book parade, she called later to readjust my oh-so-naive and erroneous ways: Authors cannot live by canapes alone. You wanted to get into this racket. Own the angst and sell yourself like a gold rush harlot.

Touche. Self-promotion is fraught with the cringiest of awkward moments, but my more experienced comrade was right. Combing the social media circuit in search of friends, followers, and readers isnt just necessary; its an integral part of the average authors day. I consoled myself with one small, comforting thought: I can at least be smart about it.

Smart is always easier said than done. Nonetheless, through a steady upswing of sales, a myriad of book signings, and more hours on social media than I care to admit to, I managed to snag some amazing opportunitiesall thanks to shameless self-promotion. Never, for instance, did I think I would interview on an NBC morning show, speak to a room of 200 people, or have a tiny pigtailed fan beg me to write a sequel, which is the best accolade an author can ask for.

Ive made peace with self-promotion as a necessary affliction that perhaps cant be cured, but most certainly can be treated. When played right, self-promotion can have a resounding ROIReturn on Investmentespecially when guided by a few rules.

Rule #1 Fortify your brand with a basic media kit. The key essentials include an author website, blog, Facebook page, Twitter account, and some eye-catching business cards. Invest in a quality headshot taken by a professional photographer that can be used for your website and various promo ops.

Rule #2 Always show gratitude, no matter what. If no one shows up for a book signing, write a gracious thank-you note to your host. Ditto for author presentations. Speak to your audience, regardless of how meager the turnout, as though they are the VIPs of the world. Hyperprepare and be professional at all times, especially online. It may be tempting to post snarky political comments or an old, risque college pic, but you are bound to offend someone, possibly an ardent agent or esteemed editor. Dont do it!

Rule #3 Choose wisely. Promotion opportunities, especially ones with an excessive price tag, should be vetted carefully. Book marketers and publicists will haggle you 24/7 with promises to make you the next Stephenie Meyer, only to drain you emotionally and financially. Opt for affordable opportunities with a high ROI.

To that end, below are 10 smart, economical, and (practically) cringe-less ways to promote yourself, your brand, and your books.

1. Start weekly Twitter chats with readers.

2. Keyword your blog posts.

3. Create a monthly newsletter with news of upcoming events.

4. Post pictures of fans reading your book.

5. Host a book release party. (Dont forget the canapes.)

6. Create a Meet the Author or Writer Meetup group.

7. Provide a book link in your email signature.

8. Write magazine articles that your niche audience might read.

9. Post short stories on your blog.

10. Contact your alma mater. They might be willing to do a story on you.

Now put down the salmon mousse canape and go sell yourself like a gold rush harlot, you brilliant author, you!

Kimberly Dana is a young adult and childrens author who lives in Nashville with her husband and spoiled shih tzu.
With a company name that is derived from the phrase intelligent content architecture, Ictect promotes a different and structured way of looking at unstructured content. Its patented XML automation technology has been implemented by a diverse roster of clients, including the City University of New York, Lam Research, NetApp, Petersons, ScholarOne, and the United States Department of Defense.

Established in 2008, Ictect makes software that helps clients handle complex documents on their own, generating XML, ePub, JATS, and DITA files as required. We offer proof of concept and a small-scale production support through our U.S. headquartersin Brookfield, Wisconsinand Bhopal facility in India, company president Pradeep Jain says, pointing out that getting the tags in remains a challenge for organizations and service providers despite advances in the last 15 years. Our XML technology gets the tags in for STM publishers for their journals, or big corporations for their technical manuals.

A midsize STM publisher recently called for a proof of concept that covered a random sampling of articles from 42 journals for XML-to-JATS conversion. The company produces 500,000 pages of journal content annually, and the proof of concept, if extended to production, will save several million dollars, Jain says. Another client, NetApp, was attempting Word-to-DITA conversion when they saw our Word plug-in and were sufficiently impressed to start a project with us. They receive several thousand technical manuals annually that have to go into SDL content management system, and our software helps them to do this quickly on their own without having to outsource.

Ictects XML automation platform comes with models to improve quality, consistency, and outputs for various types of content. The platform is based on Microsoft Word and supports Office 365 workflow, which makes it ideal for technical as well as nontechnical users. It offers the comfort of the familiar Word while providing the benefits of highly granular XML, says Jain, whose company is now a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. Developing innovative publishing apps on Office 365 with intelligent content can be more user-friendly and less expensive compared to the alternatives out in the marketplace.

Over the next 12 months, Jain will be expanding Ictects product offerings for Office 365, with some interesting enterprise-wide applications. A cloud-based XML automation for the STM segment is also a part of our plan, he says.

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This being Generation Flux, perpetual innovation and transformation are imperative, and competitive advantages are, at best, fleeting. Continuous value creation and higher engagementat lower cost and faster speed and with improved qualityis the key to business longevity. No wonder present-day characteristics of digital solutions, workflows, and platforms cover adjectives from A to Z, with emphasis on agnostic, cloud-based, customizable, design-centric, efficient, innovative, measurable, and smart. And not forgetting Zen-like simplicity and sophistication.

So, though nobody had predicted an App Store, a Google driverless car, Leap Motion, or Oculus Rift, these are definitely the results of innovative thinking and retrofitting of old ideas to suit a world in flux. For digital solutions providers big and small, in India or elsewhere, being nimble and flexible applies to strategic initiatives and synergistic offerings for their publishing clientsand their clients end consumers.

Automating for Faster Time to Market

Publishers relentless drive for the shortest possible time to market and the need to have content in multiple formats at lower costs has resulted in vendors shifting their focus from wage arbitrage to one that emphasizes workflow and data management efficiencies, says Vinit Khanna, the founder and CEO of OKS Group.

In other words, automation is a mandatory process in the digital solutions industry. Aaltech Group director P. Shivaalkar finds that it is even better if content customization and personalization is also automated to generate maximum efficiency while reducing time to market. And these are exactly the type of solutions we offerby capitalizing on our IT strengths to meet clients specific needs. We have reduced manual intervention by half in some processes while ensuring 100% quality delivery.

In fact, automating full-content tagging and extraction irrespective of the structure and language of the input is becoming crucial, says Nakul Parashar, v-p for enterprise content management of SourceHOV. Publishers are invariably looking at achieving high quality, better project management, faster turnaround times, and content repurposing at much lower costs, Parashar says. Cost reductions have, in fact, become critical to survival for many publishing clients. At SourceHOV and our sister company Rule 14, the deployment of our enterprise-wide and AI-based solutions has proven successful in helping publishers achieve their goals.

Today, publishing processes are completely technology-driven. Cloud-based digital publishing workflow, automated composition system, online smart editing, and machine language learning are some examples, says Vinay Singh, executive director of Thomson Digital, adding that the drive to meet end users dynamic requirements are essentially changing the publishing paradigm while exerting tremendous cost pressures.

So, yes, the business model in which publishers opt for low-cost outsourcing destinations is definitely outdated, Singh says. The larger publishing houses are already focused on simplifying their processes and requirements so as to aid automation while ensuring predictable outputs at much lower costs, he adds. To this end, publishers and solutions providers are working collaboratively to mutually benefit from automation and technology adoption.

Embracing the New Teamwork Concept

A consultative stance in which publishers discuss their digital strategies with solutions providers and build digital products collaboratively works better in the longer term for both parties. This is even more critical at the product-design phase, when budget, development timeline, launch date, and target devices have to be addressed as early as possible, says Indira Rajan, CEO of Lapiz Digital Services, adding that many of the companys products and solutions are bundled with support packages so that if a file format becomes obsolete, it can easily be upgraded to a higher version or converted to a new format, such as from Flash to HTML5.

At Newgen KnowledgeWorks, the philosophy has always been to function as an extended arm for clients by forming dedicated teams with client-specific training, creating technological solutions, and offering a complete range of services, from content authoring to discoverability. Our approach is to be a reliable partner to our clients, and to build long-term mutually beneficial relationships; investing in technology to build easily scalable and cloud-based platforms has also enabled us to be an integrated technology-cum-service provider, giving us the ability to be a partner with deep engagements with clients, founder and CEO Prabhakar Ram says.

Both journals and trade publishers have started to look for IT and platform solutions apart from general content solutions, says Vidur Bhogilal, vice-chairman of Lumina Datamatics. Their preference is for a technology supplier with specific domain knowledge, and they have started collaborating with their suppliers to develop market-facing products. There is also considerable interest from publishers on managing rights and permissions, and their need for a workflow system to handle these issues.

Tackling the Rights Side of the Business

The ever-changing technology and the demand for instant content access have tremendous implications for rights and permissions. As recently as four years ago, rights were secured for specific products, territories, and user quantities, says Jill Dougan, director of rights and permissions at MPS Limited. Today, publishers are not only requesting permission for products they have planned, but also for those that are yet to be conceptualized, and sometimes for technologies that are still unavailable commercially. On the other hand, you have copyright owners who want to protect their IPs and require transparency when reviewing requests to use their content. The U.S. and European copyright laws meanwhile are undergoing progressive reforms as lines are drawn between content creators, providers, and users.

MPSs Rights & Permissions management platform, which is a module within DigiCore, has the capabilities to maintain a robust copyright owner database, generate customized correspondence and reports, and analyze and store granular data. This cloud-based platform provides publishers with a quicker, better, and easier way to protect, monetize, and market their IPs, CEO Rahul Arora says. In times of depressed margins from book sales, print or digital, every bit of additional revenue counts, and this is just one of the ways we look out for our publishing clients.

Gearing Up for More User Engagement

All other topics aside, revenue remains the biggest challenge, says M.V. Bhaskar, chief creative officer of TNQ. But the issue of engagement has to be considered since it is the only thing that translates into revenue, Bhaskar says. Getting the right mix of engagement and big data, which will express the engagement tangibly and demonstrably, willand shouldlead publishers towards revenue.

Unfortunately, STM publishers cannot provide readers with a viable alternative to PDF. So readers access the publishers portal, download the required PDF, and then go away, which results in disengagement, Bhaskar says. The market needs more engaging ways to make readers read the PDF online, but that is just a half measure. We need HTML that has all the qualities of a PDF in terms of readability and portability. Such HTML can go beyond the PDF and deliver engagement metrics to publishers.

Consumer engagement also means offering the right user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). And as mobile devices get more sophisticated and screen sizes more varied, more thinking is going into the UI/UX development and impact for each app, says Gurvinder Batra, CTO at KiwiTech.

Publishers are not sure if their legacy content is worth converting or if they should just develop new product from ground up, says Subrat Mohanty, CEO of Hurix Systems, pointing out that many who started the conversion process early are almost done with everything that they thought worthy of conversion. And since their reason for converting legacy content is to make it mobile, enhancing the user experiencewhich should no longer be plain, or flat, as in print books or journalstakes the center stage. That is where we come in with in-house UI/UX experts to design intuitive yet simple and efficient user experience for the end consumers.

Facilitating Digital and Classroom Learning

Using mobile technology to engage and educate and turning classrooms into mobile-based interactive and self-paced learning environments is becoming the norm, says Khanna of OKS Group. Publishers are revamping their content to make education an interactive process and coupling it with online assessment to monitor individual progress. It is about making history, science, and math theories come to life, which is what MarkSharksour flip classroom learning system based on mobile technologyis all about.

Adaptive learning and, more specifically, personalized learning have been the most positive outcomes of digital learning, says Acky Kamdar, CEO of Magic Software. Tailoring instructions to learners needs as Triumph Learning is doing with Waggle is a prime example. Then there is microlearning, which includes rolling out bite-sized chunks of content tailored to individual learner needs and attention spans. When combined with other content resources, microlearning will allow teachers to assemble instructional content themselves, thus empowering both teachers and learners. Khan Academys success, for instance, can be attributed to their focus on microlearning.

Waseem Andrabi, senior director of global content services at Cenveo Publisher Services, says that adaptive technology is set to become a transformative force as educators increasingly see it as an ally rather than an adversary. Virtual reality in education is the other juggernaut poised to take off in 2016. Whether it is taking a virtual trip near the North Pole to learn more about the aurora borealis or a visit to the chemical plant to witness a specific manufacturing process, virtual reality is going to make the educational experience truly immersive. 

Meanwhile, gamification will continue to gather momentum, and social learning is going to be the next big thing. Social learning gives users the chance to share, comment, debate, and critique content, as with GitBook, Kamdar of Magic Software says. Liking some aspect of learning and sharing it with ones community or group is extremely relevant in todays heavily networked social communities.

Building Accessibility and Efficacy in Education

Education specialists have raised issues and contributed ideas and innovations that will eventually have a broad impact across all publishing sectors, and accessibility is a hot topic, says Andrabi, of Cenveo Publisher Services. EPub for Accessibility project, formerly known as EduPub, is an important part of this, and accessibility is no longer just about text-to-speech or audio access, but also to support alternate learning modes, Andrabi says. With this comes open annotation, or W3C specification, for personal accessibility on all Web-based technologies, as well as accessibility certification and testing. Publishers are realizing that it makes good business sense to offer content in as many ways as possible, including making it accessible.

The movement in education is toward efficacy, primarily in creating measurable learning outcomes. There is a need for blending technology and content, says Bhogilal of Lumina Datamatics. On one end, the content has to be tested, rigorous, and validated. On the other, technologies such as virtual reality simulationbased learning have to be merged with content in order to enhance learning. Then, the data coming back from the learner has to be evaluated for insight, remediation, and efficacy. There have been a lot of efforts to increase the learning outcomes.

And with mobile devices making multitasking, content consumption, and learning on the go so much easier, the focus now will be on bundling diverse assets into applications that offer rich-yet-intuitive user experiences. Such collaborative solutions will be the key to drive user engagement and implement social media strategiesright from user identification to social engagement to gamification, says Uday Majithia, assistant v-p for marketing and presales at Impelsys. Semantics will further help in building these collaborative experiences, bringing together content and learning from different sources directly to users in personalized streams.

Semantic-assisted contextual authoring, automated editorial workflow solutions, and better content discoverability through machine learning algorithms will pave the way for future content development, says Majithia, whose team is currently pursuing effective partnerships in this service domain.

Discoverability and Monetization

For Bhogilal of Lumina Datamatics, mobile technologies is not just about a way to access and distribute content over the Internet, but also for apps and services, which would not work without mobile technologies. In such cases, beacon technology is a likely solution, offering discoverability; time-, location-, and person-specific approach; and is suitable for activities such as marketing, content delivery, and sales.

Content monetization through mobile apps continues to be a mixed bag, however. Those on medical content seem to be much more successful. In fact, eight out of 10 products that we have built in publishing are for medical content, with the monetization coming mostly from advertisement, says Batra, of KiwiTech, adding that it is becoming more critical to provide a way for end users to access content from a mobile platform. There has been some shift towards using responsive Web instead of native mobile apps but these are early days.

The differentiated and ever-changing nature of digital has formed the challenges faced by the industry, says Walter Walker, the president of CodeMantra. The questions run the gamut: how to deliver a consistent XML or other digital output; how to improve content discoverability; how to publish more with fewer resources; how to manage concurrent print and digital production cycles in one workflow; and how to manage, record, analyze, and measure the impact of the work done. These are the questions that shaped the development of our flagship product, CollectionPoint, which is now at version 4.0.

So, while most publishers have understood the possibilities for a digital product offering, what remains less certain, Walker says, is just how well a digital title will perform. Sales reporting and analytics are needed to provide clients with a consolidated and comparative view of product performanceand this is a module that we are adding to CP 4.0 to eliminate much of the guesswork.

And for the following 21 companies, including Walkers, unlocking opportunities for publishing clients while minimizing the guesswork is really the only way to deal with a market in flux.

Aaltech Group

IT strengths have always been the hallmarkand backboneof the nine-year-old Aaltech Group, which is headquartered in West Yorkshire, U.K. In fact, half of its business comes from IT projects, with the other half coming from publishing clients such as Grupo Santillana, Bookshaker, DCL, Flexedo, and Vielflieger-Verlag.

Automation is the key in the modern business environment, and technology adoption is crucial in the publishing industry. For that, we have efficient and effective IT teams working in an agile manner to adopt the changes continuously. We have leveraged our IT strength to offer a multitude of tools to manage and automate publishing processes, says director P. Shivaalkar, whose team converted more than two million pages last year. Our workflow automation system handles the most common documentation issues, such as spacing, punctuation, hyphenation, and text styles, while our project-monitoring system provides real-time tracking and control of the whole process. Our conversion tools, meanwhile, can be used to generate ePub3-compliant files with native audio and video support. Images in PDFs, for instance, are automatically converted into SVG format for better scaling while math equations are rendered in MathML. These are just some of the processes that we have backed up and strengthened with our IT expertise.

Through its offices in Australia, Germany, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S., Aaltech also offers multilingual content services for clients across the globe. We handle Arabic-, Chinese-, Dutch-, French-, German-, Italian-, Japanese-, Spanish-, and Swedish-language projects and also function as QA partners for content aggregators in those languages, Shivaalkar says.

Client-centricity is the goal, says Thiru Baskaran, Aaltechs Chennai-based v-p for business development. We understand that our business is driven by clients, and so our strengths are further enhanced and tweaked to suit their specific needs, Baskaran says. We provide end-to-end content management solutions, digital publishing, and data conversion for journals and book publishers across the globe. Delivering the best service through the most cost-effective manner is our focus, and over the years, we have grown both in capacity and capability to serve the publishing industry.

Cenveo Publisher Services

The creation of the Publishers Office has provided Cenveo and its clients with a unique opportunity and increased flexibility to interact and collaborate. We provide a combination of process, automation, validation, and ongoing technical support for production and management of books, journals, and digital projects. In essence, we become an integrated extension of a publishers team, marketing director Marianne Calilhanna says, adding that Cenveos end-to-end project management for pre-K12, higher education, and STM publishers has grown tremendously in the past year.

More publishers have turned to the Design Studio to turn ideas into assets, whether they are simple concepts for art or entirely new digital products. At the same time, Cenveo Publisher Suite, with tools such as Smart Edit and Smart Proof, is more popular than ever. One of our major journal clients has installed Cenveo Publisher Suite for its internal staff use, and that implementation has resulted in a formal training program, documentation, as well as a stronger product, Calilhanna says. This is a classic case where a larger and diverse user base further improves the software.

Then, there is the Lunch & Learn initiative, through which Calilhanna and her team bring together members of the publishing community to discuss important industry topics over lunch. No sales pitches and no PowerPoint presentations here, Calilhanna says. This is lunch with passionate conversation on intricate and important topics that shape our industry. So far, we have talked about MathML, new journal publication models, and creative workflows. It has brought together leaders from the STM and educational publishing industry to network and learn from each other. Two white papers, on NIMAS and MathML standards, respectively, were the results of this initiative, and are available from Cenveos website.

Increasingly, publishers are recognizing that cheap is dear and that great customer service is not only important to produce quality work but also makes the process enjoyable, Calilhanna says. The proliferation of offshore vendors has brought pricing models down, she adds. While initially attractive, publishers are finding that thoughtfulness and editorial quality have been slipping away. With so much technology integrated into publishers workflows, it is easy to forget that human QA ensures premium editorial and production services. And this is why Cenveo, despite our technology-based processes, remains focused on hiring the best people to serve our clients.

CodeMantra

The latest version of CollectionPoint, CodeMantras flagship product, is not just an asset management distribution platform. It supports an entire publishing process from manuscript to delivery via one unified system. Publishers told us about the challenges and aspirations driving their business, and we listened, says chief product and technology officer Sanjeev Kalyanaraman, adding that his team set out to use technology, automation, and process management, and relied on our deep publishing experience to design innovative solutions that improve the competitiveness of our publishing partners. The result is CP 4.0.

The new platform delivers its services in three main categories. Collaborateon CP provides an efficient collaboration tool for content development and aligns with any existing customer workflow, making it nondisruptive and highly cost-effective. The Manageon CP suite, on the other hand, addresses major challenges in the management of vast amounts of metadata and product assets through various distribution and institutional channels, and uses a rich sales-reporting capability. Then there is Engageon CP, which provides customer engagement that leverages the publishers intellectual property across services such as product catalogue generation, direct-to-customer delivery, and community engagement. CP 4.0 is a scalable and fully configurable platform that meet the unique needs of a publisher through standardized modules, says president Walter Walker, whose team will continue to invest in CP, and actively pursue strategic alliances that will help to expand CodeMantras offerings to publishers.

Meanwhile, CodeMantras Chennai production facility has undergone significant changes since the companys 2014 acquisition by new investors and the introduction of new management. To begin with, we introduced specific areas of accountability through a global project management office as well as continuous process improvement initiative, Kalyanaraman says. New processes and automated technologies to overhaul the content production were carried out without disrupting ongoing production and its quality. Over the past year, CodeMantras operations team members have received training in process improvement (Six Sigma), agile technology (OpenStack security frameworks), and organizational governance (Program Management) and are applying their learnings to improve operations.

With new processes and automation, we have more than doubled our productivity, and with improved quality too, Kalyanaraman says. The next 12 to 18 months are to continue investing in our people, technologies, and scale to meet business growth while maintaining our culture of innovation and accountability.

Continuum Content Solutions

Continuum, which employs about 150 people, may be just 14 months old, but its foundersCEO Amit Vohra and COO Pawan Narang, formerly of Contentra Technologiesare definitely no strangers to the publishing and digital solutions industries.

Leveraging on their expertise and footprints in the magazine and newspaper digitization sector, both Vohra and Narang have developed a robust, agile, and seamless digital solution, called ContinuumX. It accepts input file formats such as InDesign and PDFs, and converts them into Digital Replica files such as RePub, PRISM XML, and NITF XML that are compatible with leading e-newsstands, Vohra says, adding that Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages are supported along with major European languages. But the best part of ContinuumX lies in its design and engine, which converts magazines and newspapers at higher efficiencies and with lower costs. In fact, our clients have experienced an average of 25% reduction in costs while maintaining high quality levels.

ContinuumXs publication management module also maintains production schedules, sends out friendly reminders when a publications on-sale date is approaching, and guarantees on-time delivery.

ContinuumXs efficiencies and language capabilities offer global distribution opportunities, Narang says. National libraries and publishers across the globe can take advantage of this solution to preserve and digitize their legacy data, especially now that we are providing the complete process that includes microfilm scanning, content refurbishing, digital data preservation, and Web-hosting solutions.

For the next 18 months, the company is focused on ePub3 solutions, HTML5, and mobile content. A company needs to evolve in order to stay ahead in this technology-intensive industry and tap into the productivity and expertise of the Millennial generation, Narang says.

But it is not just about work at Continuum, which has a CSR initiative as ambitious as those found in much larger entities. We believe in letting our staff know that they are working for something bigger than themselves, that our business is not one-dimensional, and, more importantly, that we care about people, especially those in our community, says Vohra, whose employees take one Friday each monthContinuums Social Dayto give back to the community through employee volunteerism and resources by working towards eradication of hunger and poverty, and promoting education to underprivileged children. Each Social Day has a different theme, allowing different departments to come together for a common cause.

Deanta

Dublin-based Deanta (which means full-fledged or complete in Gaelic) has always been run differently from its industry counterparts, says CEO Darren Ryan, who founded the company in 2011. We believe strongly that the developments and changes within the publishing industry are more than just about traditional print to digital, Ryan says. It is about content rather than format, and content is fluid and not necessarily dictated by parameters such as page count. Therefore, it is important to address this in our service offering and consider the options of providing a full-fledged partnership arrangement.

It is about resourcingas opposed to outsourcingwith the team positioned as an extension of the publishers production division, or, as Ryan puts it, a resource on hand to tackle any and everything that they need. At many vendors, individual staff members specialize in particular aspects of the publishing process, but Deanta staff is qualified to manage every aspect of the process. Rigorous six-month in-house training regime aside, there is a strong emphasis on soft skills such as leadership, problem solving, communication, and decision making, Ryan says. Everybody is accountable for his or her work.

Deanta clients are charged a flat monthly fee based on the required service level. Not only does this make it easier for the publisher to budget, it recognizes that there is a different type of relationship at work, Ryan says. This also means that Deantas team of publishing professionals and a dedicated project manager are on hand at all times, regardless of what crops up. However, Deanta does offer a tailored package solution in which services such as copy editing, proofreading, typesetting, artwork creation, indexing, and digital deliverables are charged on a per-page basis.

Every Deanta client also has access to Lanstad (which means period in Gaelic), a collaborative project management portal to organize the publishing process and enable streamlined communication. We have added milestone tracking, task tagging, XML content editing suite, content transformation engine, and digital asset management. Lanstad is also available as a SAAS [software as a service] offering for those wishing to use it to manage their production internally, says Ryan, whose Chennai production facility, supported by teams in Ireland, the U.K., and the U.S., has worked with clients including Bloomsbury, CRC Press, Informa, Oikos, and Rowman & Littlefield.

DiacriTech

Publishers are increasingly looking at offshoring more editorial work, says executive v-p A.R.M. Gopinath, whose team has shown significant savings in cost and time on clearing permissions and editorial processes. At DiacriTech, we constantly strive to move up the skill levels as clients are trusting us to work not just on converting print books to digital, but also on storyboarding as well as creating digital-first titles, which are instrumental in driving print sales.

Even though science and math projects are DiacriTechs strong niches, more social sciences, literature, and religious titles are arriving at its doorstep for the creative process. We have expanded our team to include developmental editors in charge of creating audio scripts for digital assets that we create to elaborate on a specific concept, executive v-p Mahesh Balakrishnan says, adding that several publishers are agreeable to using accent-neutral voice artists, but more often we have to go back onshore to our freelancers and teams for recording as the audio requires native speakers. But, no matter how the requirement goes, we manage the process end to end.

This year is an exciting time at DiacriTech, Balakrishnan says. We are hoping to bring a change in the way digital is presented to end consumers, he adds. We are tying up directly with institutions, and in partnership with publishers, to host and deploy content in an engaging way. This would make it more personalized to the institutions while at the same time utilizing existing content that publishers may already have. The institutions are more than willing to fund the project when the delivery mechanism is an engaging digital platform that will make a mark in the industry.

Cloud-based solutions, Gopinath says, will be a trending topic in the industry in the coming years. With capital expenditure still down, customers are increasingly asking for SAAS models and cloud-based solutions to repurpose content, Gopinath says. For publishers, it makes perfect business sense not to increase developmental costs while keeping zero inventory of print titles, and yet continue to do business and generate revenues. Publishers are also very open to revenue sharing in this space. We can deploy our cloud-based integrated platform, Ssparkl, which has solutions not just for authoring but also for delivering content directly to end consumers.

Hurix Systems

Winning the coveted Brandon Hall Group Excellence award three years running is a huge endorsementand boostfor Hurix and its flagship cloud-based digital publishing suite, Kitaboo, which has seen its user base grow by over 100% in the same period.

New features have been added to the Kitaboo platform to give clients more value for money: 100% ePub3 automated conversion, LTI compliance, and fixed and reflowable layout support. For clients, there is now Kitaboo LMS and a Kitaboo e-store, in addition to the Kitaboo Cloud solution.

Kitaboo LMS is a cost-effective system that deploys e-learning content, manages learning administration, aligns learning processes with client requirements, provides blended learning, and creates a centralized learning and reporting platform, CEO Subrat Mohanty says, adding that its most salient feature is in allowing organizations to scale up their LMS functionalities without incurring costly infrastructural investments. It also enables social learning and tracks user engagementwhich are in line with the requirements of the current technology-based education industry.

Kitaboos e-store, which was launched last year, allows end users to read purchased e-books on white-labeled reader apps across multiple platforms. Aside from supporting the back-end processes of pricing and distribution, it manages the marketing side of the business through banners and promotional links, and supports multicurrency and geolocation services. At the same time, by having a white-label e-bookstore, publishers do not have to pay commissions to third-party marketplaces such as Amazon and Google Play, Mohanty says.

Kitaboo Cloud, as its name implies, is an e-book ecosystem through which publishers can create and enrich digital content and distribute it in multiple ways, and end users can consume it on readers on iOS, Android, Windows, and desktops. It can be easily integrated with client system to distribute e-books using different licensing models, Mohanty says. It is our goal to provide as many ways as possible for publishers to disseminate and monetize their content easily and securely.

By combining Kitaboo LMS and Kitaboo Cloud, you can distribute multimedia content along with e-books and utilize the powerful group or classroom management features that have reporting and analytic functions. Furthermore, the integration allows one-click or one-tap book launch in Kitaboo reader apps from the LMS, says Mohanty, whose clients include Hachette Livre/Grupo Anaya, McGraw-Hill Education, Pearson, and Scholastic Media.

Impelsys

A massive reengineering effort covering two major productsiPublishCentral (for e-book distribution) and KnowledgePlatform (content and learning solutions)takes the center stage at Impelsys. In line with our goal to provide a one-stop solution to publishers and to enable them to deliver any content and learning to their B2B and B2C markets, we have now placed KnowledgePlatform under the iPublishCentral suite umbrella, says Uday Majithia, assistant v-p for marketing and presales.

The SAAS platform now comes in three versions: iPublishCentral Ebooks (with features such as white-label portal, built-in DRM, online and offline readers, apps, e-commerce, and analytics); iPublishCentral Enhanced (for complex and media-rich content delivery); and iPublishCentral Learn (to help publishers and educators transform their online learning delivery; supports SCORM, LTI, QTI, and other standards). All three can be seamlessly integrated with one another and with clients existing infrastructures.

The latest iPublishCentral Ebooks (version 7.0) addresses several unique challenges currently faced by publishers and learning providers, says Jagadesh Kumar, assistant v-p for content engineering. This WCAG 2.0compliant version offers solutions for video distribution, geography-based pricing for retail models, and right-to-left languages, Kumar says. We also add SCORM-compliant reader and Chromebook reader, with support for enhanced e-books distribution.

Meanwhile, more than 450,000 professionals have completed various courses through iPublishCentral Learn in the past three months. This platform is most suitable for medical publishers, enterprises, universities, and institutions offering online educational and professional courses, Kumar says. With built-in instructor and student dashboards, it allows instructor-led and instructorless learning either to replace or supplement traditional classroom training.

Another new service is courseware development, in which Impelsys offers development of interactive courses replete with ancillaries, assessments, and supporting media for deeper learner engagement and understanding. It is a world away from plain textbooks or journals, says Kumar, whose team has already delivered several courses for clients in recent months.

Tapping into the growing trend of online learning in emerging markets is another expansion strategy. Impelsys three-year partnership with Bogota-based Hipertexto has seen a dozen Colombian publishers implement iPublishCentral. In India, our local partner Global Information Systems Technology uses iPublishCentral to deliver scholarly content from global and Indian publishers to academic institutions and libraries across the subcontinent, Majithia says. Similar partnerships are expected in other parts of the world this year.

Integra Software Services

This year, Integras digital focus is on offering innovative technology solutions and adding value by enhancing established products. Its Integrated Digital Publishing Ecosystem platform, for instance, has even more innovative features and tools to help publishing clients. It can transform content to go anywhereprint, Web, tablet, or mobile, managing director and CEO Sriram Subramanya says. It can extract every bit of value from the content and put it in multiple media for access and discoverability. Then there is iCorrectProof, which is lauded as one of the most comprehensive products for online journal proofing solutions for both publishers and authors.

Another new product from Integra is iPMS for project management that combines functions of Microsoft Excel, Project, Access, and SharePoint into a single application, and has proven to be effective in helping project managers achieve their project goals, and work with time and budget constraints.

iLancer facilitates on-boarding, planning, tracking, and rating of freelancers, and functions as a seamless interaction platform between freelancers and publishers. It encapsulates the critical solutions that the Integra team has developed in-house in order to deal with its own huge pool of freelancers in different areas.

Expansion and incubation are the other buzzwords at Integra. Its Chennai facility, which is located along the citys technology corridor and can accommodate up to 3,000 people, currently houses instructional designers, media specialists, and those specializing in platform/mobile learning. This facility is also the site of our innovation lab, which focuses on research, design, and innovation in content creation, delivery, and analytics for the education technology space, Subramanya says. This is a key investment that will drive the next phase of our strategic growth initiatives.

Last year, a new office was also established in the U.K., specifically for business development and end-to-end project management. Now Integra has an experienced team capable of offering clients onshore project management from the U.K. itself. But, most importantly, its team now has access to a wide network of onshore freelance pool of developmental editors, copy editors, and design and illustration specialists through its offices in the U.K. and the U.S., supported by full project management and production teams in India.

KiwiTech

The Web and mobile technology solutions provider KiwiTech made the last year about multiplatform and complex projects that spanned months of development. We had to step up our gamepushing our limits in new technologies and toolsto be able to deliver the projects. Each of these projects was also from a different vertical, which gave us a broader experience, CTO Gurvinder Batra says from his new office in Noida, which has a seating capacity for more than 450 people and nearly 20 meeting rooms with multiple recreational areas.

Batra says the relocation to the new office is in line with the companys growth. We have been growing very rapidly, adding 10 to 15 people every month, Batra says. The location, within walking distance from the metro station, is a boon to our employees while the open and modern office gives them a comfortable environment to generate ideas and execute projects.

Meanwhile, KiwiTechs startup model, in which it partners with selected technology startups, now has more than 60 companies on its roster, each from a different vertical. We have had a lot of startups visiting us in the past year to work more closely with our teams, and this has helped us to build a better product for each of them, Batra says. We have also stepped up our ability to provide more funding to the startups in addition to providing the best technology and mentoring. These startups include GlobeChat (a chat app that can translate more than 40 languages on the fly), Quantified Care (a complex health-care platform that connects patients to caregivers), Sensery (a financial portal that brings advisers closer to clients), Brillata (a hospitality platform that links back-end staff with front-end office), and SeeYouAll (an event management portal that provides solutions for monetizing and managing events).

We still havent covered the full market yet, Batra says. We are now focused on getting some big enterprises in our portfolio. Today, enterprises are starving for innovation, and startups are a quick and solid solution for that. At KiwiTech, we see a big role for us to connect both parties. The challenges for us are to keep up with the expected level of quality services, understand a wide range of technology stacks, and create complex solutions.

Lapiz Digital Services

Flash-to-HTML conversion is fast becoming a niche service at Lapiz, with more publishers requesting device-agnostic HTML5 files that are compatible with iOS, Windows, and Android platforms, including Google Nexus, Barnes & Noble Nook, Samsung Galaxy, and Amazon Kindle. There are also a substantial amount of projects requiring HTML5 error-fixingthese are usually files built before the standard was finalized, and our team has to normalize them, CEO Indira Rajan says. Some, which were school books, also had to be made Section 508compliant for accessibility.

The team is now focused on developing complex script-based HTML5 interactivity for e-books, mostly for the childrens segment. We have built various HTML5-based e-tools and reusable interactivities that are also available as off-the-shelf products. In most cases, these are highly customizable and easily replicated for new titles or volumes in the same childrens book series, or when a title is translated into other languages, Rajan says. Such reusable and adaptable templated tools optimize the cost of production while reducing the turnaround time, and this is particularly appealing to midsized childrens book publishers who are not sure what they want for their limited budget.

Lapiz has also developed a Moodle-based CMS with various e-tools specifically targeted at small and midsize publishers who are looking to leverageand further monetizetheir print content. With many publishers joining the trend of developing e-learning courses from print products, we see them adopting CMS such as Moodle, president V. Bharathram says. And this is where we see our solutions offering these publishers added value and ease of content reusability. Ours is an off-the-shelf product that can be further customized to suit specific requirements.

With publishers requiring both print and digital deliverables, quality control is also becoming increasingly important. QC cost for a digital product is often higher than the production cost, as digital files need to be device-agnostic and QCed across many operating systems. At Lapiz, we have automated numerous QC tools for new media projects in order to rein in QC costs. Our familiarity with the QC process has brought in quality-auditing projects on content and learning management systems, archived typeset files, and fixing HTML5 bugs, says Bharathram, whose team will be focusing on solutions for multilingual projects, Flash-to-HTML5 conversion, and EduPub in the coming months.

Lumina Datamatics

For the past three years, Lumina Datamatics has offered technology consultancy and workflow-improvement products, tools, and services that help publishers manage customer requirements in a fast-changing technology environment and stay competitive. Today, we see ourselves as a company that assists clients to achieve their business objectives, attain superior results, and increase the engagement with their own customers, vice-chairman Vidur Bhogilal says. And we accomplish these through a combination of content and measurement methods and technologies.

One of the technologies is CAPS (Content Authoring & Publishing System), which is an expansion and enhancement of an HTML5-authoring solution. By using CAPS, publishers use a single system to perform all production activities from content authoring to delivery. RightsPlatform, for instance, can be integrated into CAPS to monitor assets and acquire rights and permissions at the same system. Having several automation tools and solutions integrated into CAPS saves time and speeds up the process, Bhogilal says. Our journal-publishing clients have found this cloud-based system easy to use and most accessible.

Another new product is MarketWatch, a price-intelligence solution that monitors price, inventory, and promotions. It offers flexible monitoring of aggregators, retail channels, and marketplaces, and reads across feeds and Web pages. It also works across geographic locations and multiple currencies. One large publisher in the U.S., for instance, uses it to track three different priceswhen a title is sold as new or used, and when sold by a retailer, Bhogilal says. In another deployment, a U.K. distributor uses it to track and monitor prices across aggregators and online channels and to show an alert when the deviation was below the established base price.

For Bhogilal and his management team, all these new products and solutions support the shift from being a cost-saving company to one that supports revenue generation. Technology KPO is our goal, and increasing clients engagement with their customers is our focus, Bhogilal says. So, while we have the capabilitiesand proven expertisein producing engaging content, we want to focus on products and technologies that measure engagement. On the solutions front, we are building new platforms for publishing, LMS, rights and permissions, and assessment. As for the client engagement side, we are strengthening our reach in Europe, the U.K., and the U.S.

Magic Software

For 25 years, Magic Software has been in the business of combining mobile and social learning for the K12 market. The cloud-based platform MagicBox and the digital curriculum products developed for clients such as Cengage Learning, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Macmillan Education, McGraw-Hill, Pearson, and Wiley have been used and tested worldwide.

MagicBox, a digital content warehouse and distribution platform for Web- and mobile-based reading, is currently used by more than 600,000 students and teachers and offers at least 15 million page views and a million hours of book reading. MagicBox comes with an integrated conversion tool for simple one-click print-to-ePub conversion. Unlike other K12 platforms, MagicBox can host and support a variety of content types and assessments and enable easy self-registration and quick setup to go live. It allows sales to multiple segments of users while meeting all industry standards, including COPPA [Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act], COO Anuraj Soni says.

MagicBox also has built-in capabilities to track and analyze content consumption and control content access. The analytics function, Soni says, helps our publishing clients to measure returns from each channel and to better manage and improve their content offerings.

Testing is another niche solution at Magic Software. Almost one-third of the companywhich employs about 430 peopleis focused on testing and QA of education products, including content and technology platform testing. For testing, our philosophy is to get engaged early on during the platform and content design and automation processes. We deploy two powerful in-house products, AppiTest and WebiTest, to enable our teams to test more, quicker, and better. A huge device lab with more than 200-plus devices backs the teams, says Soni, who lists compatibility, responsiveness, content alignment, missing text issues, and low-rated user experience as the main issues in the mobile learning world. Testing early in the product life cycle is crucial in driving efficiency and agility throughout the process.

This year, Magic Software is focused on partnering with clients to manage large end-to-end programs and on providing consulting services in designing and delivering digital mobile education products. Continuing to leverage our in-house tools and platforms and make them available over the cloud in a self-service mode to clients are just some of our goals for 2016, CEO Acky Kamdar says.

MPS Limited

Improvements and additions to DigiCore, MPSs cloud-based digital publishing platform, have continued unabated since its launch. The DigiComp autocomposition module is now extended to support Adobe InDesign and HTML5. The output is then validated through an automated QA tool, and rejections routed through a traditional workflow. We have also added a math-editing GUI to enable formatting changes within the XML-editing module, DigiEdit, which now has newly enhanced editing functionalities, says CEO Rahul Arora, whose development team has improved the DigiEdit engine for further automation. We also offer a module within the DigiCore platform for managing permissions of text and images.

Several new features are in store for users of the cloud-based workflow-management platform MPSTrak, including mail processing from external mail servers; reminders and notifications management; user personalization; vacation management per geographic location; integration with more third-party systems, including SAP; and audit-trail management.

Enhancements to DigiCore and MPSTrak platforms to fit industry requirements and end-user needs will continue while we look to expand our content creation and development services for the K12 and higher education markets, Arora says. We will also be looking into more ways of helping publishers secure and monetize their IPs by improving our Rights & Permissions Management System, which is now a part of the DigiCore suite of services.

More publishers, especially those in the journals segment, are looking for highly automated fast-track workflows for handling large-volume multidisciplinary open access journals, Arora says. They want copy editing models involving automated editing and manual editing by freelancers, and standardized models or style sheets for enabling autodelivery of PDF proofs, ePub files, XML, and other deliverables, he adds. In short, they are looking for cloud-based solutions that accommodate collaborative working and production, and platforms that allow continuous content updating and publishingand to have these solutions and platforms integrate processes such as manuscript submission and peer review.

With their various function-specific modules, MPS DigiCore and MPSTrak are products that publishers have been searching for, according to Arora. These solutions have all that they need and more, and we can customize them according to their specific publishing requirements, Arora says. And we will be adding even more functionalities as we go along.

Newgen KnowledgeWorks

There is a plethora of new products and solutions from Newgen. The MyOwnBook portal, for instance, is a virtual office for publishers and editorial assistants to manage content contributors, manuscript development, and preparation work for production handover. It has been adopted by all of Newgens clients, with some implementing it for their internal office use. This portal brings the stakeholders into a single interface and effectively streamlines the communication among authors, editors, and publishers, Newgen president Maran Elancheran says.

Newgens RedShift platform helps publishers get content at the right time and produce it faster with the most efficient workflow possible while reducing redundancies. Rigorous evaluation of this platform is ongoing at two major publishing houses. RedShift is an integrated solution enabling authors and publishers to write and edit through a simple Word interface and create print-ready PDF, XML, ePub, and HTML outputs on the fly, says Elancheran, whose team also offers fixed layout and reflowable ePubs and enhancement of reader experience through interactivity and accessibility.

Beyond creating e-books, the key challenge to any publisher is discoverability, Elancheran says. Publishers recognize the need to understand how readers discover content and the factors that can ease or impede that discovery. To this end, our marketing and discovery team offers innovative and proven solutions that will improve discoverability. We are in fact building a custom solution for discoverability for some of our legal and academic publishing clients.

Nova is another new product. A mobile-first platform, it enables publishers to provide digital copies to customers who have purchased the physical titles, and helps them to understand customer preferences. Authors, contributors, and editors can also receive their complimentary copies through Nova, which saves publishers some money in sending out the print books.

Then, there is JAWS Evolve, a journal-publishing platform that integrates article submission, peer review, and production processes. The underlying content management system, workflow management, and tracking system makes it an elegant solution for journal publishers. For distribution of journals and articles through tablets, we have ResearchPad, a white-labeled solution that eliminates any bespoke work for tablet distribution, Elancheran says. It seamlessly converts XML to ePub and delivers the content on the fly to the end users. It also offers library features and search functions.

OKS Group

Reduced production costs, a shorter publishing cycle, and increased author involvement are the factors behind the creation of e2e, OKS Groups cloud-based workflow platform. It is an HTML editor that integrates the complete prepress production process into a single workflow while allowing for parallel product deliveries in XML, ePub3, HTML, and PDF. And since this is a Web-based application, there is no need for any licensed application or server-side pagination program on local computers to get going, founder and CEO Vinit Khanna says, adding that e2e allows full flexibility and customization across multiple languages, product typessuch as journals, academic texts, reference works, and fictionas well as individual publishers house styles.

Many e2e features are specifically developed to support true collaboration and online communication and more autonomy for authors: a concurrent editing system for authors and editors; built-in pre-editing and validation tools; a built-in reference manager configured for The Chicago Manual of Style; a built-in math plug-in; infallible version control; a content management system; and a built-in reporting system. Styles such as APA, MLA, Harvard, and Vancouver are currently under development. From a collaboration and cost standpoint, e2e is ideal for open access publishers, Khanna says, and incredibly helpful for the others.

With the cloud-based environment ensuring a live platform that allows all partiesauthors, editors, and prepressto have round-the-clock access to their content, e2e transcends the physical limitations of location and time zones, Khanna says. In other words, flexibility and accessibility is the key.

Meanwhile, MarkSharks, a unique flip classroom learning system that harnesses the power of mobile devices to teach math and science, has made much progress in the past year. Class 8 Science, our first app, was published on the Google Play Store, and has more than 35,000 downloads so far, says Aditya Tripathi, CEO of OKS Education. These downloads have helped us to fine-tune our marketing and communications strategy in preparation for more content launches in the coming months.

For Tripathi, 2016 is the year that MarkSharks moves from being a fantastic idea that has been receiving great feedback and reviews to a revenue-generating business. Currently used by Indian schools, MarkSharks is now being beta tested in the U.K., and a voice-over pilot has been made available for a European K12 publisher.

SourceHOV and Rule 14

Three new productsJet, BoxOffice, and CourtQhave taken the center stage at SourceHOV in recent months.

Jet automatically identifies critical fields to be extracted, and, once extracted, the data is available for future queries or actions, says Nakul Parashar, v-p for enterprise content management. The automated content-extraction platform intelligently recognizes and classifies data using natural-

language processing and machine-learning tools. By removing manual intervention through Jet, the publisher does away with vendor dependency and is able to speedily go to market, Parashar says. This translates into time, cost, and quality advantages.

BoxOffice is a composite enterprise information management solution. It ingests, extracts, and stores key data from documents. It helps in aggregating, enhancing, summarizing, and routing content for real-time repurposing and archival. For business units within a publishing company, BoxOffice empowers them with actionable and trackable intelligence, Parashar says, adding that cloud-based BoxOffice offers greater security, a drastic reduction in paper handling, and allows role-based access for seamless retrieval in most formats. Major BoxOffice modules include content aggregation, conversion, extraction, enhancement, classification, summarization, and XML generation.

CourtQ, as its name implies, is for the legal sector and enables users to efficiently search, monitor, and mine court documents for actionable intelligence based on recent case activity. For Parashar, working with two large legal content aggregators for the past two decades has given us a lot of insight into legal editorial operations. Additionally, there are more than 40 law graduates and postgraduates working in SourceHOVs India offices, with a similar number at its Minneapolis facility. Our team have been writing articles, blogs, abstracts, synopses, and headnotes for legal companies worldwide, Parashar says. We also do a lot of XML conversion of legal documents and real-time support on updating various case laws. We have extensively automated headnote writing using machine learning and natural language-processing techniquesand these are the understanding and automation that we apply to the creation of CourtQ.

Rule 14, SourceHOVs sister company, remains focused on big data analytics and is now actively occupied in building intelligent conversion, extraction, and summarization engines, Parashar says: We continue to employ Rule 14 to scale SourceHOVs operational capabilities and take away the need to increase head count or turnaround timewhich is to the benefit of our publishing clients.

Thomson Digital

DigiScape, Thomson Digitals newest division, leverages the companys four decades of publishing experience and a workforce of more than 100 software professionals. This division offers software product developmentspecifically workflow and content management solutionstogether with managed services such as software development, testing, support, and maintenance, executive director Vinay Singh says.

Two new products have already been developed under the DigiScape umbrella. Unitouch is a single-touch platform where manuscripts are converted and paginated for print and Web. Then we have Coast, which is a Web-based tool primarily focused on aiding researchers in various aspects of literature survey. It is a complete product in itself that meets almost all research requirements, Singh says, adding that these two products are the culmination of successful past experiences in developing solutions for both clients and internal use.

Thomson Digital has introduced numerous customizations into TD-XPS, its flagship Web-based digital publishing platform for books, allowing it to generate the efficiency and quality output that one has come to expect with journal production. We have added analytics support, machine learning techniques for intelligent structuring of content, and semantic tagging and granular data organization. APIs for various databases, including CrossRef and PubMed, are also added, Singh says, pointing out that the platform already has real-time proofing, a Web-based submission system, and a platform-independent auto-pagination system. TD-XPS users can build LMS modules from scratch or use its smart apps to facilitate one-click publishing on handheld devices. It will continue to grow over time to support key business requirements for our clients.

For the past year in New York, the Thomson Digital subsidiary TDI Digital Solutions has provided onshore services that focus on rich media, animation, and gaming, catered exclusively to the requirements of the North American publishing market. This subsidiary has started to offer project management and editorial services, and, soon, software solutions as well, Singh says. We have amassed a huge pool of freelancers with rich publishing background and domain expertise, and clients will benefit from their core competencies.

Anticipating future market requirementsand adapting the companys workflow and solutions accordinglyis a make-or-break business stance. Managing change and the ability to be flexible and nimble regardless of company size is the key to success in the business, Singh says.

TNQ

More than 1,500 journalsamounting to more than 800,000 STM pages across all subject areas from large publishers and societieshave been handled by Proof Central, TNQs proofing platform.

The latest addition to the platform, Page Central, an independent SAAS, is set to draw in even more users. Bundled with Proof Central, it is based on a patent-pending engine that updates the content changes and user edits into a neat page view that looks like a typeset PDF. But it is not PDF; it is essentially an HTML page that is shown with page breaks, chief creative officer M.V. Bhaskar says.

On Page Central, the floats and notes are placed logically within the HTML page. Images, for instance, do not overfloat or spill across pages as is often the case with ePub files. Page Central also rotates big tables to fit the width to the greater dimension, and when tables continue across pages, the table header shows up on every page. Obviously, since it is HTML, the content is hyperlinked, Bhaskar says, adding that the user does not need to install a plug-in or program. Page Central does the pagination in seconds, using the browser. It has everything that users and publishers expect of a typeset PDF, with much less of the process loads of a PDF-based publishing process.

The inventor of Page Central, Suki Venkatesan, once referred to it as TNQs landing on the moon, Bhaskar says. It may be a moon landing for publishers as well, since our surveys report a healthy want metric. Page Central is the fastest way to autogenerate an elegant page, using just the browser to go from XML to HTML and on to PDF.

Meanwhile, Author Cafe, TNQs what-you-see-is-what-you-get HTML-authoring platform, is now going through user-acceptance testing, first with a small group of mathematicians and then with hundreds of users from across the sciences. The public beta version, slated for June, will represent TNQs decisive push in taking the entire publishing process into the online space.

The business side of TNQs new subsidiary in London is now led by managing director Yakov Chandy, and Abhigyan Arun (formerly of Innodata Isogen) has joined the senior management as chief digital officer. We see 2016 as the year of the big push of products that we have been working on for years, like Author Cafe, and for making strategic partnerships in the Americas, Bhaskar says.

Westchester Publishing Services

Over the last 12 months, Westchester, which is headquartered in Danbury, Conn., has been busy expanding its production and editorial capabilities in India. It recently added a floor to its Chennai production center, which now employs nearly 300 people for composition, digital conversion, project management, and copy editing. It also added a new office in Delhi. Both offices are rapidly expanding with additional project management and copyediting staff to handle the growing demand from clients for cost-efficient India-based services. We offer the full suite of services out of the U.S. and India, allowing us to provide the right product blend to meet specific publishing needs, says business development director Tyler Carey, who says sales are 100% U.S-based, 60% of which come from books and digital products, and the rest from journals.

Westchester serves many different publishing markets, including trade, academic, STM, university presses, and policy groups, offering both composition-only and full-service editorial options. An offering that combines editorial, composition, and digital services has been the greatest growth area over the past decade, with clients such as Harvard University Press, ABC-CLIO, and Springer Publishing. We provide great value to our clients by providing high quality services at a cost which would be very difficult to match with in-house staff, thus allowing our clients to focus on title acquisition and developmental editing and all postproduction activities, Carey says. With the expansion of our offshore editorial and project management operations, we are poised for further growth in all markets.

The team recently worked on bestsellers as varied as Jonathan Franzens Purity, Thomas Pikettys Capital in the Twenty-First Century, and the Norton Anthology series. The range of projects that we handle has expanded tremendously, from heavily illustrated titles for a martial arts publisher, to digital issues of journals for a medical publisher, to fixed-layout childrens titles, Carey says. This wide client base is a tremendous benefit to our clients, as trends in any particular segment do cross over and take hold in other spaces.

Westchester, established in 1969, is the largest U.S.-based full-service provider, delivering about 4,000 titles and 80,000 journal pages annually, and in 2014 it became a 100% employee-owned business through an employee stock ownership plan. Our experience means that we have the acumen to ask the right questions and the expertise to take the right actions for our clients, Carey says.

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Heavy Medal

The 2016 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced April 18, and in a not-unfamiliar phenomenon, each lauded book enjoyed a bump in sales the week after the announcement. Heres a look at the week-over-week percentage gains for the winning titles.

The Sympathizer

Viet Thanh Nguyen

Fiction

4,532%

Custers Trials

T.J. Stiles

History

514%

Barbarian Days

William Finnegan

Biography

327%

Ozone Journal

Peter Balakian

Poetry

7,975%

Black Flags

Joby Warrick

General Nonfiction

662%

(See all of this week's bestselling books.)

Terminals Velocity

Marine Corps veteran Maximilian Uriarte launched the webcomic Terminal Lance in 2010, amassing a following that caught the attention of Marine Corps Times, which began running it weekly. At about the same time he created Terminal Lance, Uriarte began work on a related graphic novel, The White Donkey. He launched a Kickstarter for the book in July 2013, and within 13 hours he reached his $20,000 goal. One month and several stretch goals later, he had $162,681 from 2,959 backers.

On top of the copies Uriarte printed for people who backed the project, he printed 3,000 more and put those on Amazon in February this year; those sold out in 36 hours. Little, Brown picked up The White Donkey, and this week it debuts on our Hardcover Fiction list at #20. Listen to our interview with Uriarte.

Drinking Up the Attention

At #12 on our Trade Paperback list, Milk and Honey is a debut collection of poetry and prose by Rupi Kaur, a Canadian spoken-word performer with an Instagram reach 422K followers strong. She originally self-published the book in 2014 (it sold 10K print copies), then Andrews McMeel picked it up, and released a new edition in October 2015. The book debuted on our list April 4 and has claimed a spot there since. To date, its sold almost 80K print copies.

Watch this space, because poetry is having a moment: award-winning British poet Warsan Shire is blowing up this week thanks to her credit on Beyonces surprise visual album, Lemonade. According to the New York Times, Shires publisher, Flipped Eye, plans to release her first full-length collection, Extreme Girlhood, in the next year or so and is in talks with U.S. publishers to bring the volume here.

New & Notable

Eligible

Curtis Sittenfeld

#6 Hardcover Fiction

The fifth novel from the author of Prep and American Wife is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, featuring characters including Liz Bennet, a magazine writer in her late 30s, and Fitzwilliam Darcy, a neurosurgeon.

Maestra

L.S. Hilton

#17 Hardcover Fiction

We asked Hilton, in a February 15 interview, for a spoiler-free plot description of her psychological thriller, which launches a trilogy Putnam acquired for seven figures. The author replied: Sex, murder, shoes.

My Struggle, Book Five

Karl Ove Knausgaard

#22 Hardcover Fiction

In the penultimate volume of the Norwegian authors autobiographical novel series, Karl Ove loses his father and completes his first novel.

Top 10 Overall

Rank Title Author Imprint Units 1 The Last Mile David Baldacci Grand Central 57,267 2 The Obsession Nora Roberts Berkley 24,204 3 The Melody Lingers On Mary Higgins Clark S&S/Pocket 21,367 4 Make Me Lee Child Dell 18,940 5 Oh, the Places Youll Go! Dr. Seuss Random House 18,653 6 Me Before You Jojo Moyes Penguin 16,490 7 The Rainbow Comes and Goes Cooper/Vanderbilt Harper 15,299 8 One with You Sylvia Day St. Martins Griffin 14,868 9 The Murder House Patterson/Ellis Grand Central 13,869 10 Gathering Prey John Sandford Putnam 12,601

All unit sales per Nielsen BookScan except where noted.
Barnes & Noble founder and chairman Len Riggio, who announced last week that he will retire as chairman of the company in September, said that he never intended to be a businessman his entire life, but he could never find the right time to leave. There have been huge changes in the industry over the last 10 years, largely driven by things that were beyond our control, he explained. But with things at B&N and the industry in general settling down, Riggio said, he was sure it was time to fully pursue his philanthropic and social interests.

After Riggio officially steps down at the end of B&Ns September annual meeting, Paul Guenther will serve as nonexecutive chairman and Riggio will remain a board member and the companys largest shareholder. Guenther is a former president of Paine Webber and a B&N board member since 2015. Ron Boire, B&N CEO will report to the board. Riggio said he will not be a shadow chairman and will only offer advice when asked.

In addition to building B&N into the countrys largest book retailer, Riggio founded Barnes & Noble College Stores and the video game chain GameStop. B&N bought B&N College in 2009 and spun it off last summer as a standalone company called Barnes & Noble Education. GameStop was spun off from B&N in 2004. In 2012, after the early success of the Nook digital reading devices, B&N explored the possibility of making the Nook division into a separate company, only to abandon that strategy when sales of Nook devices were a huge disappointment in the holiday 2012 season. The Nook never regained its momentum and B&N has been drastically downsizing its presence in the manufacturing of digital reading devices.

Riggio acknowledged it was difficult to compete in an e-book market where Amazon, Apple, and Google have more financial resources than B&N. Going forward, B&N will sell Nook devices and Nook books on the BN.com site and in apps, but Riggio was excited that the company will get back to what we do best: selling and retailing books.

Riggio was confident that physical books and bricks-and-mortar bookstores will weather the digital challenge. For years people have been talking about the doom and gloom for books, but books have survived, he said. Riggio said that its great that independent bookstores are expanding again and that he was disappointed that Walmart and Target have cut back their book sections. The more places to buy books, the better, he said.

The big advantage physical bookstores have over e-tailers is the ability for shoppers to browse, something that still has to be duplicated online, Riggio believes. And though he said the indications of bookstores future are positive, he nonetheless said he doesnt see a golden age of bookselling coming. You are not going to make a fortune in bookselling, but you can get a decent return on your investment, he said.

No one in bookselling has likely ever received a better return on an investment in bookselling than Riggio. He opened his first college bookstore in 1965 and by 1985 B&N was the countrys third largest bookstore chain, with 37 trade stores, 142 college bookstores, and sales of about $225 million. In late 1986 Riggio, with financial backing from the Dutch company Vendex International, acquired the much bigger B. Dalton chain (with 1985 sales of $538 million and 798 stores). The acquisition made B&N the largest physical bookstore in the U.S., a position it still maintains (although, with its sales of e-books, Amazon is now the countrys largest bookseller). While the purchase of Dalton greatly expanded B&Ns presence in malls, it also supported Riggios efforts to create book superstores, a format that still dominates the bookselling landscape, although the rise of online retailing and e-books has put financial pressure on large bookstores.

With his long ties to the book world, Riggio has no plans to sever his connection to the bookselling and publishing communities. One of the many things he may pursue in retirement is some sort of literacy program. He also has a number of ideas for books.

Looking over his sometimes tumultuous career, Riggio took a great deal of pride in building a physical book retailer that had the ability to weather numerous challenges. We are the last man standing, he said. I guess that means we did it the best.
An Elmwood man was found guilty Friday of assaulting and kidnapping a 7-year-old girl at a consignment auction in Annawan last year.

In a bench trial before Henry County Circuit Judge Jeffrey O'Connor, Danyel Smith, 25, was charged with predatory criminal sexual assault and kidnapping the girl.

According to testimony Thursday, Mr. Smith took the girl into a truck converted into a camper at an Aug. 21, 2015, auction and forced her to take off her clothes. The girl's grandfather testified Thursday that he found Mr. Smith with the girl, told her to get dressed and tried to call 911 as Mr. Smith fled.

Mr. Smith was apprehended by a Henry County Sheriff's Office deputy a short time later after being identified by at least four people.

On Friday, Mr. Smith's mother, Julie Hutchison, said her son was excited about attending the auction because he seldom had the chance to leave their property. She said they came to the sale hoping to buy something Mr. Smith could live in on the family's property.

She said she left her son reading a book under trees while she went to where tires were about to be sold. Ms. Hutchison said she kept him in her line of sight but, when she became interested in the auction, he moved. She said Mr. Smith was with her within 10 minutes.

Maureen Hofmann, an advanced practice nurse with the Pediatric Resource Center in Peoria, testified that her colposcopy of the girl found bruises in five or six places and an abrasion consistent with her account of the assault.

Henry County State's Attorney Matt Schutte noted Mr. Smith was convicted in 2005 of penetration of a girl not quite 6 years old.

Judge O'Connor said the 10 minutes Mr. Smith was unaccounted for was enough time to commit the crime. He also said he had heard up to 1,000 people were at the auction, but the grandfather's alarm caught the cognizance of four different guys who provided testimony, including one who declared 100 percent certainty of Mr. Smith's identification.

That's pretty strong, said the judge.

Sentencing and a hearing on post-trial motions were set for July 6.
Debbie Armstrong sat in her living room Friday, surrounded by photographs of her grandson, the 15-year-old's last words still ringing in her ears.

"I said, 'I love you, Jescie' and he said, 'I love you too, Grandma,'" the East Moline woman said. "And I guess I'll just always treasure that."

During their final phone conversation shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday, the two discussed when the teen would be coming to visit next, she said.

Less than an hour later, Rock Island police were called to a report of gunshots inside the teen's home at 558 20th Ave. Officials said Jescie J. Armstrong was found shot in the head; he died soon after at a local hospital.

On Friday, the fog of shock and grief hung heavy over the family amid funeral arrangements and news that another Rock Island teen -- Kire G. Carr, 17 -- had been found and arrested in Columbus, Ohio.

Prosecutors say Mr. Carr will be extradited to Rock Island County in the coming days to face a first-degree murder charge, alleging he shot Mr. Armstrong "knowingly and without legal justification."

A possible motive has not been released, though federal authorities on Friday said the shooting occurred after an alleged dispute between several individuals including Mr. Carr and a female accomplice. Preliminary results of an autopsy indicated Mr. Armstrong's death was the result of a gunshot wound to the head, Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson said.

With rumors abound, Ms. Armstrong said it's been difficult.

"So many people are saying so many different things," she said. "I was just ecstatic when they found him (Mr. Carr). It was just like, 'Thank God.'

"This is the thing you see on crime shows or you hear about in Chicago," she said. "I mean, I've heard of it around here, but never once did I think it would be my grandson that it'd happened to. But it did, and we're going to have to deal with it."

The day after the shooting, many of her grandson's friends wore green to school in his honor. In support, Ms. Armstrong got her nails painted a similar shade.

She said her house is filled with photographs of her grandson's life -- his early years, with his cousins and other family, tinkering on cars with his dad who shared his love of auto mechanics.

Last year, she said, Mr. Armstrong participated in his first demolition derby at the age of 14.

"Thank God he got to do that," she said. "He was so excited. He was getting a car ready for this year. Since he was little, he loved to tear things apart and put things back together."

She said her grandson had been getting ready to work on another derby car.

"My son said he'll finish the car and he'll run it for him, in memory of him," Ms. Armstrong said.

She said her Facebook page had reminded her Friday morning of a memory a year ago, when she had bought Mr. Armstrong dress pants and a turquoise tie for a school dance.

"He was one special kid," Ms. Armstrong said. "He just -- I don't know. I just sit here and try to think of all the good things that happened."

Family members said the teen was sometimes shy but could be devilishly funny, often coming up with sly quips and jokes.

"He had a good heart," Mrs. Armstrong said. "Sometimes he acted like he was a rough kid, like he was bad. But he had a heart of gold."

His paternal aunt, Alison Armstrong, of East Moline, recalled Mr. Armstrong's involvement in school sports, his love of fishing and his close relationship with his older brother and sister. She said he was always one who could lift people's spirits.

Now Mr. Armstrong will never get his driver's license, watch his new baby brother grow up, or share experiences of adulthood with his two older siblings, family members said.

"He didn't choose to die; his life was taken from him," his aunt said. "He had no idea that that was going to be the last day, that he was going to die that day. None of us did."

Alison and Debbie Armstrong both said they plan to attend Mr. Carr's court hearings. The first-degree murder charge, filed in adult court, is punishable by a mandatory prison term of 20 to 60 years if convicted.

Debbie Armstrong said she believed the person convicted of killing her nephew should never get out of prison.

"In the back of your heart, you feel for this kid," she said. "But at the same time, that was his choice."

Guilt is sometimes an unwillingly part of loss. Debbie Armstrong said she questions if things would be different had she insisted her grandson come over Wednesday.

"But I can't go back and change it," she said. "Guess just live with the fact and the good memories, and know that he's watching after all of us."

Mr. Armstrong's visitation is planned 4-7 p.m. Tuesday at Sullivan-Ellis Mortuary Ltd., in East Moline. Memorial donations may be made through the funeral home.

"It's not something you put money away for, because you sure don't expect anything like this to happen to your grandson," Debbie Armstrong said of the funeral.

"I know people say it will get easier," she said. "I hope so. I don't think it will be anytime soon."

Suspect being returned to Rock Island From Ohio

Rock Island County officials on Friday said Kire G. Carr, 17 of Rock Island, will be returned to Illinois to face a first-degree murder charge after his capture Thursday night in Ohio.

A $1 million arrest warrant was issued for Mr. Carr in the wake of Wednesday's fatal shooting of Jescie Armstrong, 15, of Rock Island. At about 8:45 p.m. Thursday, Mr. Carr was found in Columbus, Ohio, by members of the U.S. Marshals Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team.

Mr. Carr was found in a residence on the city's southwest side with a "female accomplice" allegedly with him at the time of the shooting, and her infant child, according to a strike team news release. Mr. Carr and the woman allegedly "became involved in a dispute with several people which led to the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old," the release stated. "(Mr.) Carr is alleged to have been the triggerman."

Authorities said Mr. Carr planned to stay briefly in Columbus before fleeing to coastal Georgia.

This is an important arrest of a young man who has demonstrated little concern for the lives of others, Peter C. Tobin, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio, said in a statement Friday.

At a court hearing Friday morning, Mr. Carr waived extradition and voluntarily agreed to be taken back to Illinois, according to Christy McCreary, a spokeswoman for the Franklin County (Ohio) Prosecutor's Office. She said Illinois officials have up to 90 days to bring Mr. Carr back.

"But we understand they're eager to get him," she said.

Rock Island County State's Attorney John McGehee said members of the Rock Island Police and the Rock Island County Sheriff's Office will travel to Ohio Monday to get Mr. Carr and will return him to Illinois on Tuesday.

Mr. McGehee said local officials still were finalizing a travel schedule and compliance with Ohio's laws on the transportation of juveniles. He said an initial court appearance may be in Rock Island County Circuit Court for Mr. Carr as early as Wednesday afternoon.

The Rock Island County Jail does not accept inmates younger than 18. Mr. McGehee said Mr. Carr is expected to be housed at Mary Davis Home, a juvenile detention center in Galesburg, and transported to and from Rock Island County for court appearances.

Mr. McGehee declined to comment Friday afternoon if charges are expected to be filed against other individuals.

"At this point, I have no information to give on anybody else," he said.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  In a setback for Donald Trump, Indiana's governor endorsed the front-runner's chief rival, Ted Cruz, on Friday, injecting new drama into the state's critical Republican primary contest just days before voters head to the polls.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence described Cruz as "a principled conservative" as he made his support official during an afternoon radio interview.

"The man has shown the courage of his convictions," Pence said, citing Cruz's fight against government spending, the federal health care law and his "strong and unwavering stand for the sanctity of life."

Pence, who faces his own re-election test this fall, also praised Trump, who had personally lobbied the governor to embrace his candidacy  or at least to make no endorsement ahead of Tuesday's primary.

"I'm grateful for his voice in the national debate," Pence said of Trump, adding, "I'm not against anybody, but I will be voting for Ted Cruz in the upcoming Republican primary."

The Indiana governor's backing could give Cruz a desperately needed boost in his fight to block Trump from claiming the delegate majority before the GOP's national convention in July. A Trump win in Indiana on Tuesday would all but ensure he becomes the presumptive nominee.

Trump swept all five Northeastern primary elections earlier in the week and enjoys a massive delegate advantage over his Republican rivals. Cruz has been mathematically eliminated from earning the 1,237 delegate majority, but insists he can block Trump from the majority as well, as the 2016 contest shifts to "friendlier terrain" in the West and Midwest. The Texas senator declared he is "all in" on Indiana.

After his latest round of losses, Cruz bid to regain some footing by making an early announcement of his running mate, tapping Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard executive who dropped out of the GOP race earlier this year.

His campaign says it raised $2 million around that announcement. Campaign manager Jeff Roe confirmed the fundraising total to The Associated Press.

Earlier Friday, Cruz said he would "enthusiastically welcome" Pence's support.

"The country is depending on Indiana to bring some sober common sense," Cruz told reporters in Indianapolis, "instead of going down a rash course of action that is endangering this country."

Pence had been under enormous pressure from pro- and anti-Trump factions. Although he is more closely aligned with Cruz, he risks voter backlash in the fall if Tuesday's primary contest shows Indiana is filled with Trump voters.

Trump said this week that he had met the governor and asked for his backing. He said he didn't know if he would get it but did not expect Pence to come out in support of Cruz.

Yet Cruz and conservatives who support him pressed Pence from the other direction.

"Every day he sits on the sidelines is another day in which he could have made a difference," Republican columnist Erick Erickson wrote Thursday on the website The Resurgent. "He has not used his influence in the conservative movement to rally against Trump."

Meanwhile, Trump picked up two more delegates in Rhode Island, giving him 81 percent of the delegates needed to clinch the nomination and avoid a contested convention. The billionaire businessman needs to win 48 percent of the remaining delegates to clinch the nomination by the end of the primaries.

He won the Rhode Island primary on Tuesday in a landslide. The state GOP says Trump got 12 delegates, Ohio Gov. John Kasich got five and Cruz got two.

Overall, Trump has 996 delegates, compared to 565 for Cruz and 153 for Kasich, according to the AP delegate count.
BHC computer classes cover Excel, Access, iPad, OneDrive, Shutterfly

Black Hawk College offers variety of computer classes for the community.

Coming up at the colleges Outreach Center in East Moline are:

Excel Basics Workshop: May 9 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Cost is $48.

Shutterfly/Photobook Workshop: May 16 from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Cost is $48.

iPad: Beginner: May 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Cost is $20.

OneDrive: May 17 from 8:30-11 a.m. Cost is $40.

Access Part 1 (Office 2013): May 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cost is $90.

For class details, visit bhc.edu/computers.

To register, call 309-796-8223.

Restaurant, food service workers get training at BHC

Black Hawk College provides Food Handler Training for restaurant and food-service workers.

In Illinois, all food handlers must receive basic safe food handling principles training within 30 days of employment.

The next Food Handler Training will be May 10, from 3 to 5:30 p.m., at the colleges Outreach Center in East Moline. Cost is $28.

To register, call 309-796-8223.

Explore German American heritage at luncheon program

Join Black Hawk College on May 18 for a Lifelong Learner Lunch The German American Heritage Experience.

Lifelong Learner Lunches are designed for those age 55 and older, but learners of all ages are welcome.

The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the German American Heritage Center in Davenport. Cost is $23. The registration deadline is May 11.

To register, call Black Hawk College at 309-796-8223. For more information, visit bhc.edu/lifelong.

Forklift operator safety class available at BHC

Forklift Operator Safety and Driving Training will be May 17, from 8 a.m. to noon, at the Black Hawk College Industrial Training Lab Extension Center in Moline.

The course covers the OSHA standard, forklift inspection, and hands-on practical exercises in moving pallets and driving between barriers.

Cost is $99. For more information or to register, visit bhc.edu/OSHA, or call 309-796-5718.
Felix Weil, a Kindertransport survivor and U.S. Army veteran, will be featured as the guest speaker. The Kindertransport (German for childrens transport) was an organized rescue effort for predominantly Jewish children that took place during the nine months prior to the outbreak of World War II.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  A Confederate monument capped with a statue of Jefferson Davis will be removed from a spot near the University of Louisville campus where it has stood since 1895.

The stone monument honoring Kentuckians who died for the Confederacy in the Civil War will be moved to another location, University President James Ramsey and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said during a surprise announcement Friday.

"It's time for us to move this monument to a more appropriate place," Ramsey said while standing in front of the stone memorial, which sits next to the university's gleaming Speed Art museum that just completed a $60 million renovation.

Governments and universities across the country have re-evaluated displays of Confederate symbols following the racially motivated slayings last summer of nine black parishioners at the Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina.

The tall, obelisk-style monument will be disassembled and cleaned while it is in storage awaiting a new location, which has not been determined. It was given to the city by the Kentucky Woman's Monument Association.

Ricky Jones, a professor of Pan-African studies at the university, said he has been pushing for removal of the statue since he arrived at the university in the late 1990s.

"I can't tell you how happy I am," Jones said after the announcement Friday. "I think this statue being on the campus is somewhat akin to flying the Confederate flag over the (university's) administration building."

Jones wrote in a newspaper opinion piece last week that the statue is a "towering granite and bronze eyesore glorifying the nadir of America's past."

Jones and Mayor Fischer noted that the university was much smaller when the statue was put up at the turn of the century, and the campus has developed around it.

University and city officials have been working on the removal for several weeks and there was even construction equipment parked alongside the base of the monument on Friday during the announcement.

Kentucky is the birthplace of both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, the only president of the Confederacy. Both are honored in the state's Capitol rotunda with large statues. Following the Charleston church shootings, leaders from both political parties called for the removal of the Davis statue. But a state commission voted 7-2 not to remove it.
KEWANEE -- A pipe organ bought for $3,000 about 90 years ago will cost $167,000 to refurbish.

St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Christ of Kewanee will host a community concert at 7 p.m. tonight (April 30) and devote all donations from it to the organ repair, according to church elder Doug Greenhagen, who chairs the refurbishing committee.

The concert in the Petersen Auditorium, 1101 E. Third St., will feature the River City 6, a noted six-member Midwest group that plays 11 different instruments, according to a news release provided by the church. The band's costs have been covered by a separate sponsor, Mr. Greenhagen said.

"Everything we collect will be for the organ," he said.

The 15-rank, three-manual, 885-pipe organ was built in 1921 in Pekin for the Madison Theater in Peoria. It was designed to be a backdrop organ behind the theater stage, Mr. Greenhagen said

When the theater was redesigned in 1927, a new organ was installed.

"We bought it from them, and brought it to Kewanee," Mr. Greenhagen said. "We had a connection with the theater people at the time."

St. Peter's also built a 20-foot addition to its church to accommodate the instrument.

Watson's Restoration in Galesburg will take 12 to 15 months to refurbish it, Mr. Greenhagen said. It will be repaired in three phases, he said. Part of it will be done at the Galesburg company's shop, he said.

In the meantime, the church will use a piano or a clavinova, Mr. Greenhaven said. He said he hoped enough of the repairs will be completed on the organ to use it at Christmas time.
VATICAN CITY (AP)  Vice President Joe Biden found common cause with Pope Francis on Friday at the Vatican for a global commitment to fund cancer research.

Biden spoke at a conference on regenerative medicine and ended up sharing the stage with the pope, who used his own speech to decry a profit-driven medical research system. With light streaming through stained glass into an ornate auditorium, the pope called for empathy for the sick and communal guarantees that all have access to care.

"Research, whether in academia and industry, requires unwavering attention to moral issues if it is to be an instrument which safeguards human life and the dignity of the person," the pope said.

As he's done several times before, the pope gave voice to the moral argument behind a cause that Biden and President Barack Obama have sought to elevate, helping to skewer traditional partisan divides that tend to overtake political issues in the U.S. The Obama administration has turned to this pope for support on climate change, poverty, rapprochement with Cuba and refugees.

For Biden, the stately corridors and costumed Swiss Guards of Vatican City were an about-face from the scene just hours earlier, when the vice president visited Iraq on an unannounced visit. In Iraq, Biden worked to smooth over deep sectarian tensions threatening Iraq's political system; at the Holy See, he appealed for all religions to see defeating cancer as a means to express values of faith, love and hope.

Biden told the scientists, researchers and Catholic leaders that as he met with Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders in Iraq the day before, each had wanted to talk to him about one thing: the pope.

"I think that's a pretty incredible thing," the vice president said.

Biden, who lost a son to cancer last year, called cancer a "constant emergency" for the planet and urged philanthropists, corporations and governments to increase funding and information-sharing in a bid to "end cancer as we know it." Though he said the world is on the cusp of unprecedented breakthroughs, he added that still not done enough is being done.

"Cancer's not a national problem, it's an international problem," Biden said. "It's a human problem. It affects all races, all religions."

Before taking the stage, the pope greeted Biden privately in a room backstage, where the two exchanged small tokens, the White House said. They were also seen smiling and chatting together as they greeted conference attendees after their speeches, joined by the vice president's surviving son, Hunter Biden, and son-in-law Howard Krein, a physician who's been involved in Biden's cancer push.

Last year, Biden's eldest son, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, died from brain cancer after his family's hopes of a last-minute medical breakthrough fell short. Months later, his father declared a "moonshot" to cure cancer when he announced he wouldn't run for president.

Since then, Joe Biden has launched a task force with Obama's blessing and the White House asked Congress for $1 billion over two budget years for research. Only a fraction has been approved so far.

While at the Vatican, Biden met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, at the gold-adorned Treaty Room of the Apostolic Palace. Then he left Vatican City for Palazzo Chigi, the Italian premier's office in Rome, where a military band and honor guard greeted Biden and Premier Matteo Renzi by playing the American and Italian national anthems.

The two held a private meeting before Biden returned to Washington.
Even before most major news outlets confirmed that Prince had died, mournful posts began filling my timeline. First, there was denial: No. No. No, a friend tweeted. The other stages of grief soon followed.

I scrolled past concert memories on Facebook. Instagram was full of stills from Purple Rain and, later, photos of Los Angeles City Hall, Niagara Falls and the Eiffel Tower lit purple. Princes actual funeral was attended by just 20 close friends and family members. Online, millions of us mourned together.

The outpouring was sincere but also eerily familiar. Princes death was a replay of David Bowies in January, with echoes of the public mourning for the victims of the November terrorist attacks in Paris. Have we made an unspoken pact? When a death is newsworthy, we must grieve collectively now.

Because of social media, everyday people feel pressure to grapple with questions of etiquette that, in previous decades, only celebrities in the public eye -- and subject to public criticism for perceived insensitivity -- had to address.

If youve never traveled to Paris, is it necessary to denounce terrorism there? Is it enough to acknowledge the death of a well-known artist -- R.I.P., Prince -- or must you put together a heartfelt tribute?

In fact, no one would take offense if some of us decided to skip a round of grieving -- if we decided not to change our avatars in memoriam. Probably no one would even notice. But perhaps thats beside the point.

Thinking about how we mourn artists weve never met, tweeted one woman after David Bowie died. We dont cry because we knew them, we cry because they helped us know ourselves.

In that vein, we seize upon celebrity deaths as yet another opportunity to express ourselves. The Fox sketch comedy show Party Over Here recently mocked online celebrity-death tributes as little more than self-congratulatory posturing. Let us celebrate Jackie, says comedian Alison Rich, in a skit that supposes Jackie Chan has died, but let us also remember to celebrate me.

Brief exclamations of sorrow often precede lengthy remembrances. We tell our followers how listening to a deceased artists lesser-known albums helped us survive high school, or just a rough night in high school. We expect and accept this routine, which seems more meaningful than simply saying, I was a fan. But we also have standards. While grieving publicly, we feel we must avoid the appearance of self-promotion at all costs.

Corporate marketers have learned this the hard way. After Princes death, the official Cheerios account tweeted a purple background with the words, Rest in Peace on top. The i was dotted with a Cheerio, and the hashtag was #prince. Mourning fans were outraged by the opportunism of the tweet, which was soon taken down. There was a similar incident involving Hamburger Helper.

Collective grief can be a balm. But sometimes weighing in feels more performative than personal. We need to reclaim the option of saying nothing at all -- to disconnect the association between remaining silent and not caring.

We dont expect constant digital updates from someone who has recently lost a loved one, nor should we expect such missives from each other after a headline-grabbing tragedy or celebrity death. We should grant ourselves permission to stay out of the public mourning ritual, whether because were not personally affected, or because we are affected so deeply we cannot immediately translate our grief to words. There is also comfort in silence.
For any aspiring entrepreneurs, Basson said to make sure you have a product or idea that retailers want to sell and consumers want to buy.

1 hour ago
Many of us store personal data in the cloud and most of us have worked for, or been a client of, a business that does sosometimes with our consent, but often without it. Yet a growing number of constraints have been imposed around the world on information in the cloud, fueling concerns that the Internetthe economic engine of the information agemay become hopelessly fragmented.

Many countries now regulate where information can be stored and under which conditions it can be transferred abroad, often invoking the principle of equivalent protection for data privacy and security, which means data privacy protections in the country receiving the data must be at least as strong as those of the originating country. The trend toward restricting data storage to specific geographic boundaries is called data localization. While data localization is likely to characterize the Internet of the future, it will also likely create new opportunities for growth.

Regulatory Storms

In October 2015, the European Court of Justice ruled that the transfer of European Union consumer data to U.S. computer servers under the EUU.S. Safe Harbor Agreement did not provide EU consumers with the equivalent protection they are entitled to under EU privacy laws. The overturning of Safe Harbor caused many to predict that the days of free and easy access to information between Europe and the United States had come to an end. Since then, a new agreement between the United States and the EU has been reachedbut many concerns remain about the transfer of sensitive data across national boundaries.

Although EU laws provide consumers a much higher degree of control over their personal data than U.S. laws, the EU is not the exception, according to interviews we conducted with experts around the world. Almost every country, except for extreme cases like China and Russia, gives its citizens more control over their personal data than U.S. law provides. From the interviews, a consensus emerged: Individual national regulations governing data transfer and privacy will not significantly converge in the foreseeable future.

In examining the state of data and privacy regulation across the world, we observed:

With comprehensive privacy rights enshrined in its founding documents, the European Union continues to lead and enforce data protection through its courts.

The United States offers no similarly broad basis for digital privacy in its laws nor did we see signs of significant movement to provide greater rights to privacy of digital data.

Latin American countrieswhile formally guaranteeing many of the same rights as their European counterpartshave been largely unable to effectively enforce them, but future improvements are expected.

Both Russia and China appear to be moving toward greater isolation of their digital infrastructures and have been restricting cross-border information movement in recent years.

While national regulations will likely be a significant force that leads to greater data localization, not all forces leading toward data localization are regulatory. Consumer preferences for data privacy, national security concerns, liability concerns of business entities and even the growth of data streaming and voice applications will also drive the need for data localization services. Specific industries to service those needs should see significant growth, as outlined below.

Given these developments, market demand should grow for local or regional data centers and for software or hardware that facilitates geographic localization. It also should increase demand for services that audit the geographic routing of data, authenticate access to data, and provide more convenient and secure encryption of data both at rest and in transit.

Entrepreneurs who embrace these new market forces will likely thrive in the emerging digital era of greater data localization.

Marlon Graf, Jakub Hlavka, and Bonnie Triezenberg are assistant policy analysts at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and doctoral candidates at the Pardee RAND Graduate School.

Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
Modern medicine has a problem. It can fix a damaged heart, battle cancer into remission, and operate on the deepest recesses of the human brain. Yet it continues to struggle with the everyday anguish of an aching back.

Americans now spend billions of their own dollars seeking relief from such chronic conditions in alternative schools of health, such as acupuncture or chiropractic. RAND researchers have started to examine what it would takeand what it would meanto more fully integrate such practices into the medical mainstream.

The obstacles are forbidding; the insurance questions alone might require an actual act of Congress to solve. But the benefits could transform health care as we know it, expanding its scope from sickness and trauma to whole-body wellness.

Unconventional medicine, once dismissed as quackery by the medical establishment, might be the missing piece of modern health care.

How do we take two parallel systems and bring them together? asks Ian Coulter, a senior health policy researcher who holds the RAND/Samueli Institute Chair in Policy for Integrative Medicine. That, he added, is the future.

Photo by mykeyruna/Fotolia

A Different Model

Arnie Hagler came to integrated medicine by way of the floor at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. He was in between flights when the pain in his lower back finally laid him out. Prescription drugs couldn't touch it. And so Hagler, now 74, a biophysicist who spent his career working with the pharmaceutical industry, took a chance on a chiropractor. Saved me from surgery, he says now. He's come to see integrated medicine as a way to stack the deck for his own health and well-being. After all: You can't solve a problem with the 15 minutes that you get in a standard medical service these days. That's a common refrain from the millions of Americans who now balance their care between medical science and the healing arts. Practices such as acupuncture, naturopathy, and therapeutic massage were once considered New Age; now, they're more often called complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM. What they share is a focus on holistic wellness, on helping the body heal itselfon making the patient as much a partner in health as the practitioner. Photo by Yanik Chauvin/Fotolia Photo by Lisa F. Young/Fotolia Photo by Serena Carminati/Fotolia

Americans spent nearly $34 billion out-of-pocket on CAM treatments and products in 2007, the most recent year for which reliable data are available. Most of that went toward treating quality-of-life conditions such as chronic pain, and lifestyle conditions such as obesity or high cholesterolthe soft spots of clinical medicine. Complementary approaches to back pain alone accounted for nearly $9 billion of that spending, one study found.

There's something going on. People appreciate these kinds of visits, said study coauthor Patricia M. Herman, a senior behavioral scientist at RAND and a licensed naturopathic doctor.

The health care system is built for trauma, she added. The big things that are killing us now and affecting quality of life are those chronic conditions and lifestyle diseases, and those require a different model.

Policy Hurdles

To get a sense of why those different models of medicine remain a step outside the mainstream, start with a mild October day in 1893, when medical students lined the streets of Philadelphia to jeer at a parade of homeopaths. Sugar pill, sugar pill, they chanted, never cured, and never will.

The U.S. Veterans Health Administration now makes such routine use of chiropractors that it no longer considers them alternative.

The medical establishment spent decades deriding most other practitioners as dangerous charlatansunconscionable quacks, according to a pivotal paper in 1910 that set the tone for generations of doctors. The American Medical Association tried to run chiropractors out of business until 1980, dismissing their practice as an unscientific cult; a federal judge later ruled its boycott amounted to an illegal conspiracy.

We've come a long way, said John Scaringe, a professional chiropractor and the president of Southern California University of Health Sciences. Its students of Eastern medicine and chiropractic will soon share their classrooms with future physician assistants, a pioneering attempt to integrate even the training of health care professionals.

We're not looking at it as holistic versus traditional health care, but contemporary health care, Scaringe said. We're hoping that in the future, we don't have those distinctions.

Mainstream medicine has started to reassess the potential of some CAM treatments to relieve health problems ranging from headaches to depression and PTSD to the chronic pain of fibromyalgia and cancer. The U.S. Veterans Health Administration, for example, now makes such routine use of chiropractors that it no longer considers them alternative. Georgetown University offers its medical students a course in mind-body techniquesto help them cope with the high stress of medical school.

Yet the road from here to fully integrated health care, uniting the best of modern medicine and its alternatives, remains a long one, full of barriers, RAND researchers have found.

Some states, for example, still forbid medical doctors from partnering with complementary health providers; naturopathy is entirely outlawed in South Carolina and Tennessee. Many states license CAM practitioners but limit the scope of their practice and don't treat them as primary health care providers.

Then there's the tangle of insurance regulations. No insurance codes even exist for some CAM specialties. Government-sponsored health plans, including Medicare, also don't include most CAM providers, a situation that in some cases only Congress can change.

One section of the Affordable Care Act seemed to open the door to greater coverage of CAM practices and providers; but another section allowed insurers to quietly nudge it closed again.

Photo by Elaine Thompson/AP Photo

Toward an Integrated Vision of Care

The result has been what one RAND paper called siloed chaos, with mainstream and complementary medicine practicing independently ofand sometimes wholly unaware ofeach other. It also has built a double standard into America's health care system, with the full suite of treatment options available only to those who can afford to pay out of pocket for them.

We have evolved into a dangerous situation, said Dr. Mimi Guarneri, a cardiologist who once placed hundreds of coronary stents a year but now helps run a fully integrated health clinic in La Jolla, Calif. Its exam rooms and blood lab are just down the hall from a massage room, a yoga studio, and soft easy chairs for vitamin infusions.

We're trained to treat every ill with a pill, Guarneri said. We translate the science of disease into practice. But what about the science of health? If you have a sick tree with bad fruit, do you just cut off the branches? Eventually, you look at the soil. It's the same thing with health.

We know that patients appreciate CAM. We should start paying attention to this. Ian Coulter

RAND researchers have started to champion a new way of thinking about medicine in all its forms, one not necessarily based on the double-blind clinical trials that have become the gold standard of modern health care. The question should not always be whether a treatment can outperform a placebo under the strict controls of a clinical trial, they argue, but whether real patients get real relief from it.

What those patients want to know, RAND's Coulter says, is not so much how a specific spinal realignment performed in a clinical trial, but whether it's safe to go to a chiropractor in the first placeand whether the visit will help that aching back.

We know that patients appreciate CAM, we know they give it very good satisfaction scores, we know they're willing to pay for it, he says. We should start paying attention to this. This is worthy of attention.

RAND has some history here. It helped pioneer modern health insurance with a groundbreaking experiment in the 1970s and '80s that enrolled thousands of people in test coverage plans. At a time when the medical establishment still disavowed most outside treatments, those early RAND plans offered participants a rare benefit: full coverage for chiropractic care.

 Doug Irving
Telefonica seems to be taking pay-TV operations very seriously, as it closes Q1 2016 with 3.7 million subs in Spain and 12% growth in Latin America.

The Spanish telco has increasingly gained market share in its home country. Although no official Q1 figures for the market have yet been reported, estimations point to around 5.5 million total households, meaning Telefonica would own around 70% of the market.According to the companys quarterly report, pay-TV accesses totalled 3.7 million (+4% organic year-on-year) including 823,000 accesses via satellite.Most of growth was carried through IPTV packages, which added 159,000 subscribers during the period.Indeed, fibre accesses stood at 2.5 million (1.6 times more than in March 2015). The fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network increased coverage by 700,000 homes and reached 15 million connected houses.Although digits are lower in Latin America, Telefonicas pay-TV operations have grown by 12% year-on-year as of March 2016. According to the company, strong levels of commercial activity were maintained in most of the countries, but mainly in Peru, thanks to the exclusivity and production of own content.In fact, the telco is going through an important expansion phase of its video services in Latin America. Planning to have launched Movistar Play in eight countries before the year ends, the over-the-top (OTT) platform has already arrived in five of them.
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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/29/2016



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Jonathan Scott reportedly got into a bar fight with a bouncer.Authorities say a bouncer put Scott into a headlock at Dempsey's Public House in Fargo, North Dakota, after an altercation broke out on Saturday night, TMZ reported Scott reportedly called 911 at 1:57AM, claiming the bouncer had assaulted him when the bar was trying to force its patrons out before its 2AM closing time. Staff at Dempsey's Public House denied any assault, but photos were taken that would seem to suggest otherwise.Police are investigating the incident but it remains unclear why the fight started. A source close to Scott told TMZ that the reality TV star jumped in the middle of a fight between other people and had nothing to do with the situation to begin with.No one was arrested that night, but authorities will reportedly review surveillance footage to make sure no charges should be filed.features Scott and his identical twin brother Drew Scott helping buyers purchase and renovate house fixer-uppers. The series' ninth season is currently airing on HGTV.
Following the tragic events that took the lives of four University of Georgia students and left one in the hospital, organizations and individuals have started taking donations to honor the girls and help the families of all five girls.
University of Georgia students and faculty gathered in Tate Plaza on Thursday afternoon to mourn the four students who died in a car crash Wed
The public can experience the culminated efforts of the University of Georgias Terry College music business program come to life during its May Day Music Festival on Sunday.
As the beloved summer festival approaches the Classic City, one of AthFests traditions is to release an album featuring the best of Athens music. In honor of the festivals 20th year, a special anniversary album will be released along with the 2016 album.
In this February 2016 photo provided by Meta, Meta employee Martin Hasek wears a Meta 2 headset, in Redwood City, Calif. While startups like Meta, Magic Leap and Atheer have been making the most visible progress in augmented reality so far, technology heavyweights are also eyeing it. (Stephen Schauer/Meta via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

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By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Virtual reality is a trip, but an even wilder ride could be around the corner as mind-bending startups and technology trendsetters try to emblazon the world with interactive holograms that enlighten, entertain and empower us.

The concept, known as augmented reality, looks like something out of a science-fiction movie. Think Tony Stark, the comic-book character who scans information-filled holograms beamed in front of his "Iron Man" mask, or John Anderton, the character that Tom Cruise played while flipping through digital screens floating in the air in "Minority Report."

It hasn't yet advanced as far as virtual reality, which is getting attention with this week's release of the much-hyped Oculus Rift headset from Facebook.

But augmented reality has the potential to touch far more people because it's designed as a seamless supplement to everyday living instead of an escape into the artificial dimensions conjured by VR, which so far revolves around video games and 360-degree video clips.

"Augmented reality is going to have a lot more practical applications simply because there are a lot more people out there who interact with things in the real world," says Greg Kipper, who studied the technology's potential in his book, "Augmented Reality: An Emerging Technologies Guide to AR."

With augmented reality, the three-dimensional holograms seen through a headset are meant to be a helpful or amusing companion to the real world. When you walk through a grocery aisle, you might see a list of ingredients for making an Italian dish appear on a virtual screen before your eyes. Or an image of the solar system might start orbiting around you as you read an astronomy book.

Don a VR headset, though, and you're surroundings are blocked off. You are cast into a different world, as a dinosaur charges through a jungle, or you're on the precipice of a 100-story skyscraper looking perilously at the street below. It has a lot in common with an amusement park ride, including the tendency to cause nausea or dizziness if you wear a VR headset too long.

While startups like Meta, Magic Leap and Atheer have been making the most visible progress in augmented reality so far, technology heavyweights are also eyeing it.

Microsoft has just started shipping a $3,000 version of its augmented reality headset, HoloLens, to a limited audience of computer programmers, while Alphabet Inc.'s Google has been a key investor in the $1.3 billion that Magic Leap has raised during the past two years. Apple Inc. signaled its interest last year when it bought a startup called Metaio, spurring speculation that the iPhone maker is exploring ways to infuse the project in its future products.

Meta, a Silicon Valley startup with about 100 employees, is scheduled to ship its second-generation headset this summer. It's being sold as part of a $949 kit tailored for programmers to design more three-dimensional, interactive applications for the new headset.

If Meta CEO Meron Gribetz realizes his vision, his company will spawn a new form of computing that will be just as revolutionary as the graphical interface that enabled personal computers to be controlled with a mouse and the touch-screen technology that helped turn smartphones into indispensable utilities. He describes Meta's technology as "an extension of your mind because it is built on the principles of your mind."

Instead of staring at display screens while pecking at clunky keyboards, Gribetz foresees people navigating through an array of holographic screens suspended in front of their faces and controlled with the touch of their hands. Virtual keyboards will appear for data entry.

People will be able to reach into their holographic screen, pull out a drawing of the human anatomy and remove the skeleton to study. Or they might look inside a shoe they are thinking of buying. Phone calls will become obsolete as everyone in a conversation appears as holograms that can exchange documents and data.

"Virtual reality is cool, but it's just a stepping stone to augmented reality," says Gribetz, 30. "We are going to build something that is 100 times easier to use than the Macintosh and 100 times more powerful."

Meta plans to use its own workers as lab rats. By next March, Gribetz plans to removes all computer screens from the company's offices in Redwood City, California. Instead, employees will use virtual screens that are seen and touched through Meta 2 headsets.

Magic Leap, a startup based in Dania Beach, Florida, has created an even bigger buzz given its ties to Google, whose CEO Sundar Pichai sits on its board. In addition, Chinese e-commerce powerhouse Alibaba Group was among the investors in a $793.5 million round of fundraising completed in February.

But Magic Leap has also raised intrigue with flashy videos providing brief glimpses at what it's working on. One clip shows a whale leaping out of a gymnasium floor and then splashing down before disappearing. In another scene, a pair of hands open to show a miniature elephant leaping into the air.

The company has said little else about what its plans are other than its technology will make people feel like they are wizards starring in their own Harry Potter movie.

"We are giving people a paintbrush to paint all the world," Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz said during a rare appearance at a technology conference last year.

Kipper believes tantalizing images and promises like the ones coming from Meta and Magic Leap make it more likely that people will be disappointed when they first experience augmented reality. He predicts a major breakthrough is still five to 10 years away.

"When you first see an augmented reality demonstration, you say, 'Hey, this is great," and then when you actually get it, you realize it's not quite what you saw in the video," Kipper says. "Everyone in the race pushing for augmented reality is sort of in a dead heat, taking millimeter steps forward."

___

Online:

Oculus Rift: http://oculus.com

Meta 2: http://metavision.com

Magic Leap: http://magicleap.com

Atheer: http://atheerair.com
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Five students from the Shasta College's Horticulture Department competed in the National Collegiate Landscape Competition held at Mississippi State University in Starkville Mississippi March 16-19, taking two second place wins in two different events.

The three-person team of Ben Lemos, Nathan Frisch and John Rocha captured second place in the Landscape Plant Installation event out of 60 teams competing.

In the Plant Problem Diagnosis contest, Micah Chavez took home second place, only trailing behind a Colorado State University student by 3.5 points.

The event is an international competition for two- and four-year college students from the United States and Canada. There were 63 colleges and universities attending with more than 680 students competing in 28 different horticulture and landscape industry related events. Shasta College has been attending this event, formally known as ALCA Student Career Days and then PLANET Student Career Days, for more than 25 years.

Students work all year to get ready for the contest, earning the money to travel to the competition by selling plants at colleges' fall and spring plant sales and working with team members to prepare for each of their contests outside of their regular class load.
Travis Calfy took a plea bargain Friday in Shasta County Superior Court that calls for an eight-year, four-month prison sentence.

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By Jim Schultz of the Redding Record Searchlight

A 27-year-old Redding man charged with rape and attempted murder pleaded no contest on Friday to six lesser felony counts in exchange for an eight-year, four-month prison sentence.

Travis Levi Calfy, due to be sentenced June 21 in Shasta County Superior Court, pleaded no contest to four counts of corporal injury, one count of making criminal threats and one count of false imprisonment.

The remaining counts, including the rape and attempted murder charges, were dismissed.

He must serve half of his prison sentence before being eligible for parole.

Calfy, who had been scheduled to start standing trial next week and is represented by defense attorney Michael Borges, was in Superior Court Friday for a trial readiness conference. But Deputy District Attorney Sarah Murphy told Judge Dan Flynn a resolution had been reached to settle the case.

Calfy in August was ordered to stand trial on eight felonies after his preliminary hearing, which saw an ex-girlfriend testify that he had repeatedly choked her into unconsciousness and had raped her.

"Why won't you just die?" she said he told her after one alleged assault.

He was arrested May 1 by sheriff's deputies after what they described as a months-long pattern of abuse against the woman.

During last year's preliminary hearing, the woman, who is not being identified by the Record Searchlight because she's a domestic violence victim, wept as she recounted the physical abuse he heaped upon her.

In one incident, she said, she was sure Calfy was going to kill her after she said he slammed her head against a toolbox, choked her unconscious and threatened to kill her with a sledgehammer.

According to sheriff's deputies, the alleged rape happened in 2013, but the woman told deputies Calfy assaulted her several times during their approximately four-month-long relationship, including choking her unconscious, drawing blood by biting her on the lip and then spitting the blood back into her face.

She did not immediately report the alleged abuse to authorities because she feared Calfy would retaliate against her.

The woman "lived in terror," sheriff's detective Pat Kropholler has said.

But Borges, who focused on trying to impeach the woman's credibility, called the woman's mother, a longtime registered nurse, to the witness stand at the preliminary hearing.

She testified that her daughter has not always truthful, noting she visited her on what was reportedly the day after the alleged rape and assault and did not observe any injuries upon her, despite her daughter's claims otherwise.

"She's been known to lie to me," the mother said. "There have been times when it's been like that."

Still, she said, she believed Calfy was an abusive person and that her daughter may have been victimized by him.

Calfy remains in Shasta County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail as he awaits his prison sentencing.
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By Jenny Espino of the Redding Record Searchlight

A team of Redding and Shasta County officials are calling for $11 million in spending to build more jail space, hire more police officers and firefighters, and help establish a sobering center and mental health facility.

The Blueprint for Public Safety team will outline its recommendations Tuesday to the Shasta County Board of Supervisors. Then the stakes get higher when it does the same presentation before the Redding City Council because it will ask that body to place a half-cent sales tax increase on the November ballot.

The plan, which officials described as offering the biggest return on investment, acknowledges the staffing needs Matrix Consulting Group identified for the fire department. But it runs contrary to the consultant's emphasis on jail alternatives and scheduling mainly as a way to increase officers' time for crime prevention. It nearly doubles the 13 sworn officer positions recommended in the report. It retains four officers and proposes to hire an additional 16 officers and 13 community service officers at a cost of $4.8 million.

City Manager Kurt Starman said the team had a different take on the matter. Members wanted less emphasis on the supervisory positions, more emphasis on boots on the street and better response times.

It calls for $200,000 annually for more out-of-county jail space in the near term and up to $5.5 million to retrofit the jail's basement and Shasta County Superior Court's Department 1 to add up to 128 beds in the long term. The annual operating cost at each site would be about $1 million.

"We don't need to invest in those beds at once. We should do it as the need is there," County Executive Officer Larry Lees said.

Save for the mental health center, the plan leaves out the consultant's suggestions for public restrooms, a Housing First model, homeless outreach team, homeless court and other services for people who are unsheltered.

Vice Mayor Brent Weaver conceded the plan may not be perfect, but said it is steps forward from where the conversation was two years ago and addresses the concerns of the broader community.

"I feel personally proud of this effort. I hope that this tax will be put on the ballot," he said.

The team, of which Lees, Starman and Weaver were a part, proposes the general sales tax sunsetting after 10 years unless voters were to extend it in a future election. An accompanying advisory measure would state the revenue would be used to increase police and fire protection, jail space, mental health services and other public safety services.

The team learned a lesson in 2014, when the two-thirds supermajority requirement doomed Measure F, the quarter-cent sales tax pushed by former Mayor Rick Bosetti. This new tax proposal takes a page from Anderson and lowers the threshold needed for passage to 50 percent plus 1 vote.

The proposal will need four votes on the council to get on the ballot.

Mayor Missy McArthur and Councilwoman Kristen Schreder supported Measure F. Reached Friday, McArthur endorsed the plan and added that she wanted to see officers hired for more neighborhood police units. Schreder was receptive to listening to the recommendation, but wanted more specifics to address homelessness.

"I think more people would be appreciative of a broader approach to the issues related to public safety that include homelessness, for me honestly," she said.

Councilwoman Francie Sullivan has long said her preference is for any sales tax initiative to be driven by citizens and not the council. She could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

Councilman Gary Cadd said he would not get in the way of Redding residents voting on the measure. Nonetheless, he expressed serious reservations about the length of the sales tax, public support for a mental health center and the pension costs that could fall on taxpayers.

"It is far too much money being taken out of the community and that's where we are standing," he said.

Rounding out the team were Supervisor Leonard Moty, Sheriff Tom Bosenko, Fire Chief Gerry Gray and Police Chief Robert Paoletti.

Bosenko was supportive of the plan.

"If we are able to get the additional staffing, yeah it does meet the needs of the jail," he said.

Under the rest of the recommendations, the fire department would receive $1.7 million to hire and retain a total 12 apprentice firefighters and six firefighters. Those numbers would bring up the agency to national standards for staffing.

The team also proposes allocating $375,000 in one-time funds to the sobering center regardless of whether the purchase of the police station happens. The council in December committed up to $375,000 of the sale of that building to the sobering center as "seed money."

And the mental health center would receive $1 million to operate annually.

McArthur, joined by Health and Human Services Agency director Donnell Ewert and other prominent community leaders, will fly to San Antonio at the end of May to tour the Restoration Center, where Leon Evans has been delivering groundbreaking mental and substance abuse services.

The tax proposal is only targeted at voters in Redding because the bulk of the recommendations are for city services and programs, Starman said.

The team also factored that most people who live in the unincorporated county do most of their shopping in the city, and so they indirectly would contribute to the services that cover the entire area. This includes the jail and the mental health and sobering center, he said.

Weaver stood by the recommendations, saying they blended local technical expertise, ideas from the community and the blueprint. They will help provide the accountability that is lacking in the system, while also delivering on other ideas that will be accepted by certain segments of the community, he said.

"(Advocates) would really be pleased with the mental health support, they'd be pleased with the sobering center support, they'd be pleased that the police needs to be a part of this team and looking at pairing people with services," he said.

He also noted how Matrix president Richard Brady had told officials in his presentation to them that they had to find what is right for their community, and much of the homeless-related ideas shouldn't have to be led by the police department but the Redding/Shasta County Homeless Continuum of Care.

"If there was a continuum of care set up in the right fashion, it really becomes the voice for this," Weaver said.

The scrappy agency historically has been run by a part-time coordinator. Primarily made up nonprofits, it coordinates homelessness services throughout the county.

The planning body will be reorganized. Under a proposal that Schreder, nonprofits and other officials are discussing, the continuum of care would be run by a nonprofit. Still to be resolved is how it would be funded. A search is expected this summer.

IF YOU GO

What: Redding City Council meetings

When: 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Redding City Hall, 777 Cypress Ave.

About the meetings: Blueprint for Public Safety team presents its recommendations and asks for a half-cent sales tax at the afternoon meeting. In the evening meeting, the council talks about an economic development incentive agreement with Lassen Canyon Nursery and the establishment of an employee pay schedule.

Recommendations

Put a general tax measure and accompanying advisory measure for a half-cent sales tax in Redding on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Allocate:

$375,000 as one-time seed money for a sobering center

$1 million each from city and county a year for a mental health crisis stabilization unit

$200,000 a year through 2019 for additional out-of-county jail space

$3 million to add 64 beds to the basement of the existing jail after the adult rehabilitation center is completed

$1.07 million a year to operate the jail basement space

$2.5 million to add 64 additional beds to Courtroom 1 once the new courthouse is completed and the Shasta County Superior Court vacates the existing Justice Center

$1.07 million a year to operate the jail cells in the former Courtroom 1

$865,000 a year to retain six apprentice Redding firefighter positions and three firefighter positions once funding expires in 2017.

$865,000 a year to add six new apprentice firefighter positions and three new firefighter positions to convert all of the remaining city of Redding fire stations from two-person engine companies to three-person engine companies.

$149,000 a year for a new fire inspector position to focus on fire prevention activities.

$620,000 to retain four police officer positions once funding expires in 2017.

$4.2 million to add 16 new police officer positions and 13 new community service officer positions. These new positions would be used to create a vice unit, provide homeless outreach, and augment traffic enforcement and investigations, among other activities.

$170,000 a year for two police records technicians to support the new police officers
UPDATE: One northbound lane of I-5 open after big rig crash near Lakehead

A crash north of Lakehead has forced officials to close all northbound lanes of traffic on Interstate 5.
Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight University of California President Janet Napolitano speaks Friday at Shasta College. She was invited by the Shasta College and McConnell Foundations to talk about plans to add more than 10,000 California students to the UC system.

SHARE Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight Audience members applaud after University of California President Janet Napolitano spoke Friday at Shasta College. Audience members asked her whether the UC system would put a campus in Redding. She said it was not likely anytime soon.

By Alayna Shulman of the Redding Record Searchlight

A University of California campus in Redding isn't on UC President Janet Napolitano's radar for now  but there are growing opportunities for local students to either attend an existing UC or get the experience right here anyway, she told a crowd at Shasta College on Friday.

"From everything I've heard, the push (for UC Redding) goes on today," Napolitano said to cheers from the crowd of about 350 people. But, "Until the university receives full state funding for the existing 10 campuses ... another brick-and-mortar campus still lies in the future," she said.

Still, Napolitano  who also served as Homeland Security secretary from 2009 to 2013  detailed her plan to enroll 10,000 more students in the UC system over the next three years, and "I want to be very clear: We want students from every county of California," she said.

To do that, Napolitano said her department has a new plan to ease transfer of community college students into the UC system.

While noting that the new transfer guideline doesn't guarantee admission, "what it does do is make the transfer process straightforward and transparent."

She also detailed the satellite programs UC has in Shasta County, including forestry and medical opportunities and a growing cache of online resources.

"A public research university like UC is not limited to its physical campuses," she said.

Financial aid programs that help students get to UCs also came up, including the Blue and Gold Opportunity Program. While she said aid is out there, she also expressed the importance of paying for an education when no alternatives exist.

"It's the price of a low- to medium-priced car, and unlike cars, which go down in value when you drive them off the lot, a university education appreciates in value," she said.

Napolitano also addressed criticism of the UC system's enrollment of many students from outside California, which some say puts local students at a disadvantage.

"That was the best option at that time," Napolitano said of increasing outside enrollment, which translates to more money for the schools. But she noted how the three schools with the most out-of-state students have had caps ordered so that more California students can attend.

Those caps haven't been ordered at all UCs, though, because, "Quite frankly, we still need the money."

Napolitano also took questions from the audience, most of which centered on education. One woman asked Napolitano about her career success, though, which she attributed to multitasking, setting priorities and having a vision "even when you're dealing with the crisis of the day."

"And a sense of humor never hurts," Napolitano added.

Another man looked for PR help from Napolitano over "how wonderful this place is."

"I don't work for your chamber of commerce, but it's great up here," Napolitano quipped. "What I want to look at now is ... are there things that we could grow right now?"

Napolitano's talk was part of an ongoing speaker series sponsored by the Shasta College Foundation and McConnell Foundation. But it was also part of her own outreach efforts to rural areas, including with a stop in Arcata the previous day.

She also visited Enterprise High School students earlier Friday to encourage them to consider UC campuses.

Toby Bodeen, a retired academic counselor for Shasta College, said she was glad Napolitano came and got to hear the voice of a rural campus.

She said she hopes that local kids will be encouraged to go for a UC campus based on the financial aid programs Napolitano mentioned.

When she was still working, Bodeen said many of her students assumed they couldn't afford a UC.

"Blue and Gold basically levels the playing field," she said. "Basically, you're paying for housing."

Bodeen said she wasn't disappointed by Napolitano's outlook for a UC in Redding because she didn't expect it would happen soon anyway.

After Friday's speech Napolitano also addressed the situation at UC Davis, whose chancellor Napolitano placed on leave this week over allegations of corruption.

Napolitano said there were no new updates to report as of Friday, and she hopes the investigation into Linda Katehi will be done before fall term kicks off another school year.

While Napolitano said any investigation may reveal areas where policy needs to change, she's currently focused on any potential violations of existing policy.
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By Joe Szydlowski of the Redding Record Searchlight

Shasta Lake's water utility is loosening water use restrictions and eliminating excess use fees.

The changes come as the city learned it will receive its full allocation of water from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, said Tony Thomasy, superintendent of the city's water plant.

The City Council voted 3-1 in favor of those changes at a special meeting Thursday. Only Councilman Greg Watkins voted no, while Mayor Lori Chapman-Seifers was absent for part of the meeting on a personal matter.

Watkins said he was favor of eliminating the fees  but he wanted to lift all restrictions.

"We're being held to a normal water year, we need to start treating it like a normal water year," he said.

He also worried that if people conserve too much  Shasta Lake reduced its 2015 water usage by 46.1 percent compared to 2013  it could cause shrinkage of the city's water allocation in future shortages. That's because of how the bureau calculates cuts to allotments, a concern Thomasy shares because the state's mandatory cuts remain in effect.

Nonetheless, the council approved lifting bans on using drinkable water for construction, filling swimming pools, installation of irrigation systems without water-saving technology and putting in irrigated landscaping, according to the city's website. The city is also ending its excess water fee, which penalized those whose water use surpassed a certain threshold.

The fee removal takes effect next week, while the restrictions were lifted immediately.

City staff had slated rescinding some of the restrictions and the water use fee at a previous city council meeting. But City Manager John Duckett pulled it from the agenda after speaking with consultants on the water rate study.

But its water ad hoc committee met since that meeting and decided to move forward with the proposal, Thomasy said.

However, they also removed the water department's request for a $35,000 short-term loan from the city's general fund from the previous proposal. Thomasy said that would have gone to cover the loss of excess water use fees.

However, city staff instead decided to wait and see how the full water allocation will affect usage, and thus revenue, as restrictions are relaxed, people may use more.

"We wanted time for things to change," he said.

As people conserved the water department's revenue fell, but costs didn't, Thomasy said. Some costs, such as the city's price for additional water, rose.

However, he cautioned the city is still under the 25-percent cut mandated by the state, which will be reviewed in May.
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By Nigel Duara, Los Angeles Times

TUCSON, Ariz.  The U.S. Border Patrol is one of the countrys largest law enforcement agencies, with 21,000 agents. It has faced recent scrutiny not only for multiple incidents concerning its use of force, but also its lack of transparency in handling those cases.

When R. Gil Kerlikowske became commissioner of Customs and Border Protection  which oversees the Border Patrol  in March 2014, he promised a new culture of openness.

He has largely delivered on that pledge, directing sector chiefs and their communications staffs to issue a statement within 12 hours of an agents use of lethal force.

Still, it took several days earlier this year for the Border Patrol to tell the Los Angeles Times the fate of a suspect shot by an agent in January.

We should be able to tell you if he is wounded and alive or dead, Kerlikowske said in an interview that has been edited for clarity and space.

Q: Youve said that Border Patrol agents are used to being alone in the field without backup nearby and that now they have to get used to working near large population centers. How must they change what they do?

A: When you think about the geography of where they work and the number of people that they could encounter, the backup, the lack of radio equipment  thats a different culture from any law enforcement agency anywhere in the United States.

Ive told Border Patrol recruit classes, theres no apprehension, theres no seizure of drugs, theres no pursuit of a vehicle thats worth you getting hurt for. And thats a hard change.

Q: What kind of training is different now for the agents, given the ways youre asking them to change?

A: Even with backup and someone else close by, it can still be quite dangerous and things can happen in the blink of an eye.

We like the fact that theyre expanding the training out here in the academy in New Mexico, and its much more scenario-based than classroom lecture. The de-escalation techniques that law enforcement has been teaching are being reflected in those scenarios.

Q: Sometimes when an agent uses lethal force, the Border Patrol doesnt disclose certain details that would be disclosed in an identical shooting by another agency, such as the name of the agent, the name of the subject and circumstances surrounding the shooting, including whether the wounded person is still alive. Are you telling the public enough when it comes to uses of lethal force by Border Patrol agents?

A: Are we telling the public enough or are we telling reporters enough? (Laughs) Our constraints are a little bit different (from a county sheriffs office). We have to be very mindful of playing by the rules of the Department of Justice in the criminal process.

Its a large organization. It takes a little while to not only change policy but to have it drilled down into everyone.

Q: Sometimes, in vast areas like Cochise County, Ariz., which is the size of Connecticut, or La Paz County, Ariz., which is the size of Rhode Island, residents will turn to the Border Patrol instead of the local sheriffs office because the Border Patrol agents are closer. When the Border Patrol is acting in that kind of surrogate law enforcement capacity, and ends up using lethal force, is there some obligation to disclose more than even the updated statements?

A: We depend on state and local law enforcement as much as they depend on us.

Our restrictions as a federal law enforcement agency and what we can do and what we can enforce are different, so we dont want to be seen at all as a primary responder to the needs of local law enforcement or the community.

Q: Does the administration support your efforts? What happens when President Obama leaves office?

A: Ill leave at the end of the term. Ill tell you, quite frankly, theyll never go back to the way it was. Neither the media nor the public nor the nonprofits are going to allow Customs and Border Protection to go back to no comment and its under investigation.

(Current executive staff members) are all still going to be there after I leave. Theyve all been schooled in this. I dont see any administration turning the clock back on transparency.

Q: Are you comfortable with the level of experience among agents since the massive staffing ramp-up of the Border Patrol in the mid-2000s?

A: The vast majority did a good job, but the hiring standards should have been more stringently applied. (Today) Im very satisfied with the hiring standards; Im not very satisfied that we have 1,200 open positions.

Q: The Homeland Security Advisory Council recently recommended that agents be equipped with body cameras, which the Border Patrol has rejected in the past. How hard will it be to get agents to accept cameras?

A: Its a negotiable issue with the union, and I think the union has made it clear they would be supportive of cameras. The agents that field-tested them were satisfied with them.



2016 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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During University of California President Janet Napolitano visit to Redding on Friday, she encountered community members and activists who asked her about the possibility of opening a UC campus in the region. Advocates for a UC Redding imagine a North State campus that would not only provide an easier path to higher education for local students but also see the potential for a university in the region to generate social and economic revitalization.

It is telling that even in deeply conservative Northern California it is possible to find not just people willing to testify to the transformative effects of public higher education, but a grassroots movement forging connections with civic leaders to advocate for the construction of a university in their backyard out of a recognition of the role that California's universities have historically played in the state.

Napolitano makes this visit at a time when UC seems to be lurching from one crisis to another. The system has been under-funded for decades. Its de facto privatization has led to strains with a state government that wants to exercise control over the institution but can't persuade the public to offer sufficient funds to give it any clout.

Californians' impression of UC is of an institution that has wandered from its path of public service and appears obsessed with growing the governing caste of administrators who appear to be singularly inept, particularly given the scale of their salaries. And while its faculty and students and staff labor daily to maintain a reputation for world-class education, UC's administrative leadership seems flawed at virtually every level.

UC Berkeley's administration stands accused of covering up or slowing the process of investigating sexual harassment, and appears to have a double standard for handling harassment claims leveled by tenured faculty. Its chancellor evidently failed to report the extent of this problem to the UC president, who had to learn about it when it hit the news.

UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi presided over a botched and unnecessarily violent response to student protests in 2011, a set of events that tarnished her reputation. Her response was to spend $175,000 to "scrub the Internet of negative online postings."

An even more vivid illustration of Katehi's abysmal leadership is the revelation that she earned $70,000 moonlighting on behalf of a for-profit education company that has been investigated by a U.S. Senate committee, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Attorneys General of various states. She also earned nearly half a million dollars over several years for work on the side for a textbook company. It's common for people who labor for low wages to work multiple jobs, but Katehi's UC Davis salary is $424,000.

The UC Board of Regents has long argued that the university's administrators need to be paid high salaries because of their brilliance and in order to attract them to work for California's system.

But apparently neither a $420,000 salary nor the opportunity to work on an amazing campus of the world's most extraordinary university system are enough to keep Katehi committed to UC Davis and its community of students, faculty and staff. What she did was apparently legal, but also so incredibly, self-evidently destructive and immoral that Napolitano's decision to keep her on as chancellor smacks of contempt for UC Davis' community.

Meanwhile, UC's budget woes have returned. UC Berkeley is preparing to cut 500 employees from the campus' payroll in the face of a $150 million deficit, but you can bet few if any of those employees will come from the bloated administration. They are more likely to be the support staff that allow academic and research units to function, and their removal is likely to place greater burdens on faculty, researchers, graduate students and remaining staff in a way that compromises the mission and work of those people.

I think we are at a moment where the public is prepared to re-commit to UC, but arguments for re-investment become almost impossible to make when the UC president and regents prize administrative salaries over student tuition cuts, and when they defend campus leaders who are uncommitted and incompetent.

I spent 10 years at two UC campuses as a student, and taught on one campus for four of those years. To me it remains a magical, inspiring institution, that provides space for students and others to learn, explore and think about their place in the world. It provides an educational experience  and a reputation to match  that situate students well to enter the workforce. And when campuses mesh with the communities around them I think we see how universities are anything but ivory towers, and are instead places that are tied in every way to the world around them.

I hope that Californians will begin to fund UC adequately. And I hope that we can see some big changes in UC leadership to reflect the priorities of the campus and state communities.

Jeff Schauer writes a blog on Redding.com. This column is derived from one of his posts. Email him at schauer7@gmail.com.
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UC President Janet Napolitano visited Redding on Friday by invitation of the Shasta College Foundation and in a series of meetings and speeches discussed her plans to add 10,000 more California students to the system.

None of those students, however, will be attending a UC Redding anytime soon. Napolitano told a group of select local leaders at a breakfast meeting at the McConnell Foundation headquarters that the system has no plans for a campus in the area. A UC campus could transform the region, and while not surprising, Napolitano's candid assessment comes as a disappointment. Organizers of a grass-roots effort had submitted a petition with hundreds of signatures from Shasta County residents asking for UC Redding.

Those involved in the local effort hope to land an 11th campus proposed by a Southern California lawmaker that would focus on science and tech. Mike Gatto, a Democrat from Glendale, envisions the school opening in either Southern California or the Silicon Valley  close to the current epicenters of tech to feed off the synergy there and open job opportunities for graduates.

But even that is likely to be far in the future as the state struggles to find the money to pay for it.

Napolitano said UC is focused on growing its newest campus, UC Merced, which opened in 2005. It's been having a hard time expanding due to lack of funds to pay for new buildings.

While a UC campus would transform the region and offer top quality educational opportunities for our area's youth, the likelihood of it happening in time for today's children to attend is quite low.

But that doesn't mean we give up on efforts to encourage our local students to find a way to go to college. There are many dedicated people in the North State helping students open the door to educational opportunities ranging from community colleges to UCs and private universities.

Their basic message: any student who wants to go to college can.

College Options, the College Opportunity Program run by UC Davis to reach out to students in rural counties, and Reach Higher Shasta are among those working on the challenges for today's students  showing them the importance of going to college and how to make it possible.

College Options directly connects students with colleges through fairs like the one held at West Valley High School earlier this week and through field trips to campuses. It holds workshops on how to find money to pay for college.

Shasta Promise, an initiative of Reach Higher Shasta, works with regional colleges to guarantee admission for Shasta County high school graduates who meet basic requirements. Schools participating in that program are Simpson University, Chico State University, Southern Oregon University, National University, Shasta College and College of the Siskiyous.

For students who wish to attend a community college before transferring to UC, Napolitano initiated Transfer Pathways, a streamlined process for students to follow to more successfully make the move from here to a slot in the world's top public research university system.

The North State may not get its UC anytime soon, but that doesn't mean our students can't benefit from the many educational opportunities open to them. In fact, their largest barriers are the twin myths that they can't afford and won't be admitted to college. That's a problem we can fix today, with knowledge.
Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight

UC President Janet Napolitano addresses an audience at Shasta College on Friday.

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University of California President Janet Napolitano on Friday told a crowd at Shasta College that getting a UC in Redding anytime soon isn't going to happen, but there are growing opportunities for local students to either attend an existing UC or get the experience right here in town.

"From everything I've heard, the push (for a UC in Redding) goes on today," Napolitano said to cheers from the crowd. But, "Until the university receives full state funding for the existing 10 campuses...another brick-and-mortar campus still lies in the future," she said.

Still, Napolitano detailed her plan to enroll 10,000 more students in the UC system over the next three years, and "I want to be very clear: We want students from every county of California," she said.

To do that, Napolitano said her department has a new plan to ease transfer of community college students into the UC system.

While noting that the new transfer guideline doesn't guarantee admission, "what it does do is make the transfer process straightforward and transparent."

She also detailed the satellite programs UC has in Shasta County, including forestry and medical opportunities.

"A public research university like UC is not limited to its physical campuses," she said.

Financial aid programs that help kids got to UCs also came up, including the Blue and Gold Opportunity Program. While she said aid is out there, she also expressed the importance of paying for an education when no alternatives exist.

"It's the price of a low- to medium-priced car, and unlike cars, which go down in value when you drive them off the lot, a university education appreciates in value," she said.



Napolitano also addressed criticism of the UC system's enrollment of many students from outside California, which some say puts local kids at a disadvantage.

"That was the best option at that time," Napolitano said of increased outside enrollment, which translates to more money for the schools. But she noted how the three schools with the most out-of-state students have had caps ordered so that more California students can attend.
ITC buys two-thirds of tobacco from Andhra Pradesh and the remaining one-third from Karnataka for its cigarette manufacturing division

Diversified Indian business conglomerate ITC's chairman, Y C Deveshwar, bottom, left, on Friday said the government must have a 25-year plan to curtail smoking as there were 48 million people dependent on the tobacco sector and they would have to get alternative employment before giving up the existing one.

"At ITC, we are able to enter into so many new product areas. Farmers and those who are dependent on the tobacco sector also must get a window of opportunity to switch to other activity. First, you have to create alternative jobs for them," Deveshwar said at Guntur town, seen as the tobacco capital of India.

ITC buys two-thirds of tobacco from Andhra Pradesh and the remaining one-third from Karnataka for its cigarette manufacturing division, which accounts for over 40 per cent of the group's total revenues.

Earlier this month, the company restarted the cigarette factories after shutting down the manufacturing operations over the government's instructions to increase the size of pictorial warning on cigarette packets.

Admitting that the company had lost 15 per cent sales volume due to the recent issues, the ITC chairman maintained that the government didn't have to terrorise the consumer with large pictorial warnings to make him quit smoking as the existing warning signs were sufficient to create awareness among the consumers.

Critical of the ongoing campaign in support of the larger pictorial warnings in India, Deveshwar said that money was coming to the NGOs from the US to kill the local cigarette brands while the consumption of the smuggled cigarette was going up at the cost of the government exchequer.

"Indian brands are going to be impacted here. Indian farmers are going to be affected by this," he said.

Responding to a question he said the company had bought tobacco in AP at the behest of the Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitaraman last year owing to the farmers' distress. " But we can not continue the purchases if there was no demand for cigarettes," Deveshwar said.

Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
Income-tax data released by FinMin after 15 years

Only 0.06 per cent of the total individual tax assessees fall in the 'super rich' category, with annual salary of Rs 1 crore or more and could be liable to pay the additional surcharge for the wealthy, according to the income-tax data released by the finance ministry on Friday.

Of the total 28.7 million individual tax assessees in 2011-12, only 18,358 earned Rs 1 crore a year, the data showed. The data bring to light the trend in income tax filings.

Although, many among these would not qualify for the 'super rich' surcharge - introduced in 2013-14 for the first time by then finance minister P Chidambaram - as it is levied on taxable income and not total income.

The surcharge on the wealthy has consistently risen from 10 per cent in 2013-14 to 12 per cent in 2015-16 and 15 per cent in 2016-17. However, the super rich tax is not only imposed on individuals but also firms.

Of the total Rs 3.89 lakh crore direct tax payable in 2011-12, 66 per cent or Rs 2.56 lakh crore was to come from only 21,819 entities, which constituted a meagre 0.07 per cent of 31.1 million return filers.

Also, 63 entities had tax payable at an average of Rs 1,485 crore (Rs 14.85 billion) per entity, which was essentially on business income. About 205 entities had business income of Rs 2,198 crore (Rs 21.98 billion) on an average.

FinMin responds to Piketty's request

The finance ministry released the data on Friday on the request of Thomas Piketty, economist and author of bestseller Capital in the Twenty-First Century.

After releasing the data, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "Our government has taken the landmark decision of publishing the income tax data. It is a big step towards transparency & informed policy making. I am sure this data will be used by researchers & analysts & lead to enhanced insights for policy making on taxation."

The celebrated economist Piketty had told Business Standard in an interview in January that it was disturbing that there were no public statistics of income tax in India. "These used to be available. There used to be a big publication, the All India Income Tax Statistics, published in this country since Independence till 2000. Then, it was suppressed. For the past 15 years, many people, including myself, have been asking the tax administration to resume publishing this data," he had said.

Half of filers have no tax liability

Interestingly, the figures showed that around half of the returns filed with the tax department did not have any tax payable at all in 2011-12. Of the 31.1 million returns filed, 55.6 per cent paid no tax to the exchequer as their taxable income stood below the threshold.

Close to 20 million return filers, 62 per cent of total return filers, had no salary earnings, but had other sources of income from businesses, house property, interests, long-term and short-term capital gains tax, etc.

Among those with salaried income, the highest number of returns were filed by the ones who earned between Rs 550,000 and Rs 950,000 at 2.023 million followed by those earnings between Rs 250,000 and Rs 350,000 per annum in 2011-12.

1.1 mn tax-paying professionals

There were around 1.1 million professionals - belonging to various professions such as chartered accountancy, auditing, fashion designing, legal services, medical services - paid direct taxes in 2011-12.

An overwhelming majority of direct tax return filers were those who had income up to Rs 50 lakh in 2011-12. Professionals among them would be eligible for presumptive tax from the current financial year, where they need not maintain detailed books of accounts.

Direct tax growth at 7-yr low in FY16

The Centre's direct tax collection growth in 2015-16 was the slowest in seven years at 6.68 per cent at Rs 7.42 lakh crore. That the economy struggling to revive is reflected in the direct tax collection numbers. The tax deduction at source gained the largest share in direct tax collection in 14 years at 36.44 per cent in 2015-16.

Half the states post tax collection fall in FY15

Of the 30 states (including Delhi and Telangana), 14 posted a fall in the direct tax collection in 2014-15, according to the data made available on Friday. States including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh saw a decline in direct tax collections.

Maharashtra remained the biggest source of tax at Rs 2.7 lakh crore in 2014-15, followed by Delhi at Rs 91,247 crore and Karnataka at Rs 60,595 crore.

Tax numbers

Only 0.06% of total individual tax assessees had annual salary income of over Rs 1 crore in FY12

Of Rs 3.89 lakh cr, total direct tax payable in FY12, 66% was by only 21,819 entities - or 0.07% of total I-T returns filed

Over half of the returns filed in FY12 had zero tax liability

2.02 million declared salaried income between Rs 5.5 lakh and Rs 9.5 lakh

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
A Hindu priest holds traditional earthen lamps in front of computers while offering prayers during 'Muhurat' (auspicious) trading.. Photograph: Reuters

The Samvat year 2070 ended on a cheerful note with Sensex on Wednesday surging over 211 points to end at one-month high on renewed optimism after Modi government announced a slew of economic reforms and hopes of the ongoing festive season giving boost to corporate earnings.

Equity markets have rallied over 25 per cent since last Diwali, largely fuelled by improving corporate earnings, expectations of tough reforms from the new government and reviving macroeconomic variables, says an ICICI Direct Research report.



The markets have welcomed Samvat 2071 on a positive note. The Sensex gained for the fifth straight session on Thursday to end the customary 'Muhurat' trading session up 64 points at 26,851 and the 50-share Nifty closed 19 points at 8,015.



Take a look at stocks that can bring you a fortune this Diwali

Top 10 picks from Kotak

Investment Horizon: Not specified. (From the report, however, one can conclude that these are long term bets with holding period of about a year)

Image: Infosys campus. Photograph: Reuters

Infosys Technologies

Target Price: Rs 4,191

L&T

Target Price: Rs 1,721

Maruti

Target Price: Rs 3,404

Grasim Industries

Target Price: Rs 4,163

Kansai Nerolac

Target Price: Rs 2,250

Engineers India Ltd

Target Price: Rs 315

Allcargo

Target Price: Rs 295

Geometric

Target Price: Rs 167

Zee Entertainment

Target Price: Rs 332

Please click HERE to download and read the complete report

Top 10 picks from ICICI Direct

Investment horizon: Not specified (From the report, however, one can conclude that these are long term bets with holding period of about a year)



State Bank of India

Target price: Rs 3,234

UltraTech Cement

Target price: Rs 3,180

Rallis India

Target price: Rs 302

Exide Industries

Target price: Rs 220

SKF India

Target price: Rs 1,448

Maharashtra Seamless

Target price: Rs 430

Kansai Nerolac

Target price: Rs 2,396

Please click HERE to download and read the complete report

Top picks from Angel Broking

Investment horizon: 12 months

Axis Bank

Target price: Rs 501

Banco Products

Target price: Rs 182

Bank of India

Target price: Rs 310

Crompton Greaves

Target price: Rs 235

Goodyear

Target price: Rs 756

ICICI Bank

Target price: Rs 1,894

India Cements

Target price: Rs 146

Infosys

Target price: Rs 4,700



Jagran Prakashan

Target price: Rs 154

Mangalam Cement

Target price: Rs 337

Punjab National Bank

Target price: Rs 1,109

Siyaram Silk Mills

Target price: Rs 952

Please click HERE to download and read the complete report
'Usually, the Left backed the Congress and other 'secular' parties on the justification of keeping the BJP out. In Bengal, the alliance targets a truly secular rival,' says Shekhar Gupta.

You sure can read the writings on the wall travelling through poll-bound West Bengal even if you don't know a word of Bangla. Because the writings on the political wall are now written not only in unusual scripts but also in unique inks.

They are written in millions of tiny LED lights strung on electricity poles on Kolkata's avenues, in vinyl and cloth in the flags of the three main parties, happily sharing the same tree, rooftop, even clotheslines. And yes, some also in conventional ink on newsprint.

In different scripts, these describe a political change so complex and dramatic, only 93 million Bengalis could have scripted it.

They enabled Mamata Banerjee (her party leaders prefer the traditional Bandopadhyaya) on the promise of poriborton (change) to throw out the Left. Five years later, they have to decide whether they believe the promised change came.

The LED lights tell us the one thing that hasn't changed is the megalomania of power.

The Left only filled the city with red flags and defaced its walls with party slogans and giant hammer-and-sickles; Ms Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has painted the entire capital blue and white in the political colours of her party.

In daytime, it is somewhat less pronounced, with blocks of apartments painted blue-and-white, incentivised by the government. But it is much more striking by night, as you drive down avenues flanked and divided by strings of lights in the same political colours. I ventured out for my usual late-night walk and, after a few hundred metres, was lost in a sea of blue and white.

The Left also perfected winner-takes-all politics but did not have a personality cult. The TMC's is an entirely personality-centric government and politics, with its senior-most leaders referring to their leader as 'supremo.' a description I first heard in Indian politics from Jaya Prada in the Andhra election campaign of 1993 and which, since then, has defined the politics of some of our states, notably Tamil Nadu (J Jayalalithaa) and Uttar Pradesh (Mayawati). Bengal is the third.

Shifting from the cult of a cadre-based party to a supremo-led one has not softened the metaphor and tone of politics or rival campaigns, as characterised by Ms Banerjee's 'Aikta, aikta hishab nebo (I will settle scores with you, one by one)' warning to her rivals. But the usually violent edges of street politics have been blunted and that is an enormous transformation.

That is what the writings in cloth and vinyl tell us. At first sighting, I was taken aback seeing CPI-M and Congress flags on the same trees and homes. This would have been inconceivable in the past. In fact, you can be sure a Congressman putting his flag on a CPI-M home or vice versa would have led to a bloody fight.

State Finance Minister Amit Mitra, whom the world knows as a fine economist, tells me between 1972 and 2009 nearly 57,000 persons had been killed in political violence. "Come to my constituency," he says, "I shall walk you past shahid vedis (martyrs' memorials)." One is for a CPI-M man killed by the Congress, the other for a Congressman killed by the CPI-M and so on, he says, wondering how their alliance would work. But it may just, if even in contentious Singur flags of the TMC are also sharing the same spaces.

This is so significant in a state where parties routinely staked out entire walls if not neighbourhoods with 'this wall reserved for so-and-so' graffiti months before elections. Any transgression of such a line of control would invite brutal retribution. Now, if they all share the same spaces, it tells you two things.

One that Bengal's politics has become just a little less violent (this campaign so far has 'only' recorded one death, as Ms Banerjee proudly tells us). And second, that following five years without a friendly police, the CPI-M has had to give up its politics of dadagiri.

After his joint rally with state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, CPI-M leader and the man widely seen to be chief minister if the anti-Mamata front wins, Surjya Kanta Mishra fields questions on what lessons his party has learnt, with un-CPI-M-like calm.

"It was wrong to let party cadres get involved in governance," he says, and promises to immunise the bureaucracy from party-men now.

Many still don't believe this promise will be kept, or even that the alliance will last much longer. "For decades, we have seen them kill each other. Now they've joined hands only to get her out," says a businessman who'd rather stay anonymous, "but presuming this objective is achieved, what will keep them together?"

Amit Mitra talks about the man whose hands were chopped off by CPI-M thugs for the "crime of voting for the Hand symbol of the Congress." How can these two parties join hands now?

That supposed inevitability of a break-up is, however, not written on the political walls of Bengal in 2016. The CPI-M knows another spell in the wilderness would destroy them, and the Congress is already marginal. So the two have a compulsion to stay together. They may not have a joint manifesto, but you can see the CPI-M stepping back from its more doctrinaire political economics -- that, its leaders now confess, made them go into decline 2008 on.

This, for India's political Left, is a tectonic shift.

Usually, the Left backed the Congress and other 'secular' parties on the justification of keeping the BJP out. In Bengal, the alliance targets a truly secular rival, even if Ms Banerjee comically overdoes it by ending her speeches with 'Namaste, goodbye, Sat Sri Akal, Vanakkam, Khuda Hafiz' and, finally, 'Inshallah.'

This is a purely political alliance against another formidable left-secular force.

Given that conservative V S Achuthanandan still leads the party in Kerala, mine may be a leap of faith. But let's risk saying that we see a firm shift by the Indian Left from doctrinal purity to political realism, from Communism to a social-democratic, centre-left approach without dadagiri.

It has worked beautifully for them in India's other Bengali-speaking state, Tripura, under Manik Sarkar.

Sometime in 1988, I came to Bengal to report my first political story here. When Mikhail Gorbachev and Deng Xiaoping were reforming, why were India's Communists resisting change? The story I wrote features the then party chief in Bengal, Saroj Mukherjee, sitting in his office under portraits of Marx, Lenin and Stalin and proudly saying: 'Because our Communism is purer than that of Deng and Gorbachev.'

That phase, I dare say, is over -- I recall an admonition I once got from Pranab Mukherjee when my paper, and I, were relentlessly attacking the Left for hobbling Manmohan Singh. 'Learn from political history,' he said, 'India's Left is not unchanging. At Independence they rejected democracy, now most of them fight elections. More change will come, give them time,' he had said.

We also talked about writings on the wall scripted also in conventional ink on touchy-freely newsprint. Check out the leading Bengal papers from Aveek Sarkar's Ananda Bazar Patrika Group. Not since some Ramnath Goenka years at The Indian Express have you seen a publishing group take such a partisan stand in an election.

Ms Banerjee and her party impute a dozen ugly motives to Mr Sarkar's turn. But India's doughtiest newspaper baron today (and nuttiest, to take on Mamata Banerjee and Narendra Modi at the same time) has read something that you may miss at first glance on his state's political walls. It is written across the front page of his paper, in the headline 'Hand in Hand.'

Each 'hand' is stylised in the colours of the CPI-M and the Congress, respectively. It tells you of a centre-ward shift of India's Left as much as the Congress leaning to the left under Rahul Gandhi.

That realignment is the big political message of this Bengal election.
'A key Indian diplomat who participated in the April 26 foreign secretary talks told me that the Pakistani side was determined not to yield an inch on key Indian demands,' says Rajeev Sharma.

The Pakistani diplomatic establishment has acquired a spring in its steps as far India is concerned.

This was apparent in the April 26 talks between the two countries' foreign secretaries who merely went through the motions as the Pakistani side took a maximalist position on every key Indian demand which made a forward movement virtually impossible.

There are two reasons for the Pakistanis' cockiness and the chances are that on account of these two reasons Islamabad will continue to play hard ball with New Delhi in the immediate future.

The two reasons are:

The Kulbhushan Jadhav episode;

China's increasingly all-round solid support to Pakistan.

A key Indian diplomat who participated in the foreign secretary talks told me that the Pakistani side had come determined not to yield an inch on key Indian demands of a reciprocal visit to Pakistan by the National Investigation Agency and a credible action taken report by Islamabad on major terror strikes in India, particularly 26/11 and Pathankot.

At the talks the Pakistani side kept harping on the Jadhav issue, the alleged Research and Analysis Wing spy, above, who was arrested from within Pakistan. Obviously, the Indians vehemently denied the Pakistani version of events leading to the former Indian naval commander's capture. But the Pakistani side stuck to its guns.

Pakistani diplomatic missions in the West and the Islamic world have gone on an overdrive in recent weeks, telling these nations how India is unleashing terror against Pakistan.

It is a complete role reversal. From the aggressor, Pakistan has suddenly become the victim. The Jadhav episode has given Pakistan a weapon to bash India. This takes care of Pakistan's politico-diplomatic strategy.

As far as Pakistan's economic strategy is concerned, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor is a pivot.

The Pakistan government has been worried about its economy and the fact that practically zilch has come by way of FDI into the country. After all, which foreign company or nation would invest in a country as volatile and unstable as Pakistan!

The CPEC is seen as the magic mantra for all of Pakistan's economic woes. Haven't the Chinese promised to pump in $43 billion as part of the CPEC project?

By riding on the CPEC bandwagon, Islamabad believes all its economic problems will be sorted out, jobs will pour in and Pakistan will become a land of milk and honey.

To sweeten the deal for Pakistan, the CPEC project has strategic dimensions as the corridor will pass through Pakistan occupied Kashmir, which will not only bring prosperity to the region but also tighten Pakistan's grip over PoK.

Pakistan may err though in laying all its hopes on the CPEC considering that it is not a done deal yet and China's current economic condition is far from rosy.

The Jadhav episode and the CPEC are currently Pakistan's trump cards in its dealings with India.

It's time the Modi government comes up with a matching response to Pakistan's anti-India game plan. It should not matter if this is done overtly or covertly.

Rajeev Sharma is an independent journalist and strategic analyst who tweets @Kishkindha
Five people, including a woman, were killed and three others were injured after a three-storey building in Kamathipura area in south Mumbai collapsed on Saturday, civic officials said.

The building, which was over 90 years old, was under repair when it caved in at around 2 pm, the official said.

IMAGE: Rescue workers search through rubble at the site of the collapsed building. Photograph: Sahil Salvi

"Four persons died on the spot, while one succumbed to his injuries during treatment," Chief Fire Officer Prabhat Rahangdale said.

Four tenants resided in the building that also housed a few shops and a beer bar, which was closed when the incident took place, another officer said.

The injured persons are undergoing treatment at the city-based J J Hospital and Nair Hospital.



IMAGE: Fire Brigade personnel rescue an injured victim from the collapsed building . Photograph: Sahil Salvi

"We stopped the rescue operation after we confirmed that no one was trapped inside the debris. However, keeping in mind the dilapidated condition of the adjoining wall and the neighbouring building, we have kept two fire engines ready," the fire officer added.

Local MLA Amin Patel, who visited the spot, said an inquiry should be conducted into the incident.

"Keeping the safety of people in mind, a nearby building has been evacuated and the residents are being shifted to a transit camp," Patel said.

IMAGE: Fire brigade personnel at the scene. Photograph: Sahil Salvi.

Meanwhile, state Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Atul Shah alleged that there are over 500 illegal structures that have come up in the area.

"We need to have an inquiry on such illegal structures. There has to be a proper development plan for Kamathipura, for which a micro survey needs to be done," he said.

When contacted, police said an inquiry into the matter was on, but no FIR has been registered against anyone in this connection so far.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday examined former deputy chief of Indian Air Force J S Gujral in connection with alleged irregularities in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper deal with AgustaWestland.

Air Marshal Gujral (retd) arrived at the CBI headquarters in New Delhi in the morning and appeared before the investigation team probing the case.

He was one of the many senior officials who were part of the meeting in 2005 when a decision to alter the required specifications was taken.

The agency has called former IAF chief S P Tyagi on Monday.

Both have been questioned at length in 2013 but the fresh round of questioning was necessitated after the April 7 order of an Italian court.

The CBI has so far maintained that Gujral was questioned as a witness, but remained tightlipped if he will still retain the same status.

The agency, so far, has not levelled any allegation against him.

The agency had registered a case against former IAF chief Tyagi along with 13 others including his cousins and European middlemen in the case.

Tyagi has denied the allegations.

The allegation against the former air chief was that he had reduced flying ceiling of the helicopter from altitude ceiling requirement from 6,000 m to 4,500 m (15,000ft) so that AgustaWestland was included in the bids.

However, this decision was taken allegedly in consultation with the officials of Special Protection Group and the Prime Ministers Office, including then National Security Advisor M K Narayanan.

The CBI has alleged reduction of the service ceiling -- maximum height at which a helicopter can perform normally -- allowed the United Kingdom-based firm to get into the fray, otherwise, its helicopters were not even qualified for submission of bids.
About 4.41 lakh rural habitations are facing drinking water scarcity and the government is closely monitoring the drought situation on a daily basis in 10 states, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Saturday.

"There are 1.71 million rural habitations in the country. More than 25 per cent of these habitations (4,41,390) are facing drinking water scarcity," Singh said in a statement.

Asserting that the government is closely monitoring the situation on a daily basis, the minister highlighted the measures taken to address the water crisis.

Water trucking through tankers to 15,345 habitations has been made, 13,372 private bore wells have been dug to augment water supply and 44,498 new bore wells have been commissioned, he said.

As many as 7,38,650 hand pumps have been restored/repaired and additional 10.76 lakh meters of riser pipe to boreholes have been connected for accessing deeper groundwater reserves. That apart, 1,398 temporary piped water supply have been established, he added.

Singh said the Centre responded rapidly to the gravity of the drought situation immediately after the India Meteorological Department's monsoon forecast in April last year.

The timely assistance to farmers ensured that in spite of two successive droughts, the overall agriculture production has not dipped and food stocks are adequate, he added.

The minister said the food law has been implemented in all the drought-hit states and beneficiaries are receiving food grains at highly subsidised rates.

Majority of the drought-affected states have obtained financial approvals to serve mid-day meals during summer vacations in their drought-hit districts/areas, he said.

The minister also said work days under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act have been increased from 100 to 150 days to households in drought-hit regions. More than 20 lakh households have availed this opportunity.

That apart, every block in the drought-affected areas is being targeted for intensive work under Deen Dayal Antyodaya Mission, he added.
A Hindu tailor was hacked to death by machete-wielding Islamic State militants in his shop on Saturday in central Bangladesh, the latest in a series of brutal attacks on intellectuals, activists and minorities by the dreaded terror group in the Muslim-majority country.

Nikhil Chandra Joarder, 50, a resident of the Dubail village under Gopalpur upazila of the Tangail district, was hacked to death.

"Three assailants entered Nikhil's house-cum shop and slit his throat," Gopalpur police station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Abdul Jalil told reporters.

He said the assailants used a motorbike and fled the scene immediately after the murder. They left a black bag at the spot, which contained three to four bomb-like objects.

Asked about the possible motive behind the attack, Jalil told reporters that a case was filed against Nikhil in 2012 for making a "derogatory" comment about the Prophet of Islam.

He had been arrested for allegedly making the comments and then released. "It can be the reason for the murder," The Daily Star quoted Jalil as saying.

Meanwhile, US-based private SITE Intelligence Group said the Islamic State has claimed the killing.

IS' Amaq Agency reported the group's responsibility for killing the Hindu tailor for blasphemy in Tangail district in Bangladesh, it said in a tweet.

The local media reports said that Nikhil served three months of imprisonment in 2012 when he was arrested for commenting "derogatory comments" against the Prophet.

"We are trying to track down the killers and called the criminal investigation department to probe the murder...(But) I will tell you nothing about the incident until the investigation is finished," Tangail's district police chief Saleh Mohammad Tanvir told reporters.

There have been systematic assaults in Bangladesh in recent months specially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners.

In the recent attacks, a liberal professor was brutally hacked to death last Saturday by machete-wielding IS militants who slit his throat near his home in Rajshahi city.

Two days later on Monday, Bangladesh's first gay magazine editor was brutally murdered along with a friend in his flat in Dhaka by Islamists.

In February, a head priest was killed at a Hindu temple in an area bordering India, the first attack by the IS targeting the community.

Last year, four prominent secular bloggers were killed with machetes, one inside his own home.

In most of the cases, Islamic State or al-Qaeda in Indian Sub Continent claimed the responsibility.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, however, repeatedly denied existence of any foreign terrorist groups in the country and attributed the deadly attacks on homegrown extremists backed by main opposition outside parliament BNP and its crucial ally fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami.
The student leader will also visit his native village for the first time since his arrest.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar arrived in Patna on Saturday on a two-day visit to his home state Bihar. He will address several meetings in the state and also meet top leaders, including Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.

My roots are in Bihar. I was born here. I am a son of Bihar and I know the state, an elated Kanhaiya said after arriving in the state for the first time since his arrest in a sedition case booked against him.

Im feeling happy that Im here. I want to convey my thoughts to the people of Bihar. I hope they will understand me, he said.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kanhaiya said, Mujhe phasane ke chakkar mein pradhan mantri khud hi phans gaye (in order to frame me, the PM framed himself)."

Kanhaiya will meet top non-Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and will visit his native village in Begusarai district to meet his parents.

According to sources, Kanhaiya is likely to meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad and other leaders who supported his campaign on Saturday.

"I am thankful to Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad for extending support to my fight for justice, he said.

"Kanhaiya has finally reached here, first time after he hit national and international media and became a national figure, Sushil Kumar, a leader of the All India Students Federation, the student wing of Communist Party of India, said.

Tight security arrangements have been made in view of Kanhaiyas visit.
There have been no instances of incursions by Chinese troops into Indian territory. There is no commonly delineated the Line of Actual Control between India and China. There are areas along the border, including areas in Ladakh, where India and China have differing perception of LAC.

Due to both sides undertaking patrolling up to their perception of the LAC, transgressions do occur.

The information was divulged by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Kumari Sushmita Dev and others in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

He said the government regularly takes up any transgression along LAC with the Chinese side through established mechanisms, including Flag meetings, Border Personnel meetings, meetings of Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs and diplomatic channels.

Regarding construction activities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, he said: "The government has seen such reports and has conveyed its concerns to China about their activities and asked them to cease such activities."

He informed the House that issues relating to abetting infiltration along the India-Pakistan border are taken up with Pakistan military authorities at the appropriate level through the established mechanism of Flag Meetings and weekly talks between the directorate generals of military operations of both the countries.

"The government is fully seized of the security needs of the country. Necessary steps, as required, are taken to ensure that the national security concerns are adequately addressed through capability and infrastructural development. This is a continuous process," said Parrikar.

As per assessment, details of infiltration by terrorists in J&K are: in 2015, terrorist made 118 attempts to infiltrate, of which they succeeded in 33 attempts; while in 2016 (up to March 31), terrorists made 24 infiltration bids, while succeeded in 18.
In a traditional welcome ceremony, President Pranab Mukherjee rubbed nose with the chief of an Indigenous group as he started his visit to New Zealand on Saturday.

IMAGE: President Pranab Mukherjee gets Maori style welcome in New Zealand. Photograph: Rashtrapati Bhavan

Mukherjee was accorded a guard of honour after the Maori welcome at the residence of New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae.

"Ceremony concludes with traditional rubbing of noses in friendship between President Mukherjee and the Maori chief," Rashtrapati Bahwan tweeted.

Maori warriors also placed a fern in front of Mukherjee and asked him to pick it up if he arrived for friendship.

On being convinced that he has arrived in friendship, they asked him to follow them.

IMAGE: President Pranab Mukherjee witnesses cultural performance by the Maori men. Photograph: Rashtrapati Bhavan

"Maori warriors initially greet visitor with aggression not knowing whether he is friend or foe," it tweeted along with the video of the ceremony.

Mukherjee arrived in Auckland from Papua New Guinea.

The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. The Maori originated with settlers from eastern Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages at some time between 1250 and 1300 CE.

Over several centuries in isolation, the Polynesian settlers developed a unique culture that became known as the "Maori", with their own language, a rich mythology, distinctive crafts and performing arts.
Before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi had criticised Manmohan Singh's policy towards China and promised a more strong-willed policy. Those claims are now under a cloud.

Archis Mohan reports.

The Narendra Modi government's U-turn on issuing a visa to Uyghur dissident Dolkun Isa to attend a China-focused conference on democracy in Dharamsala, also seat of the Tibetan government in exile, and later refusing visas to two other Chinese dissidents, has brought it national and international embarrassment.

It has been widely speculated, and is yet to be denied by the external affairs ministry, that at least Isa's visa was withdrawn because of pressure from Beijing.

Government sources, however, attributed other reasons for denying visas to Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy activists Ray Wong and Lu Jinghua on 'inconsistencies' in their documents. They claimed Lu's 'documents were illegible and there was inconsistency with the purpose of her visit.' In Ray's case, 'there was data inconsistency in his documents.'

The Uyghur leader, now a German national, is executive committee chairman of the World Uyghur Congress. The organisation represents Muslim ethnic groups of the Uyghur province of China. Beijing considers it a terrorist outfit and had issued a global notice nearly a decade earlier to seek Isa's arrest. However, he continues to travel widely across the world.

Lu, known for her role in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, figures on a Chinese list of 'major criminals.' She is now a US citizen. Ray is a Hong Kong-based pro-democracy activist.

While Isa has gone on record to state Delhi succumbed to pressure from China, Lu got to know of the visa being rejected only when she was about to board a flight from New York on Monday. The 54 year old termed the treatment as harassment and said she was 'very disappointed' with India.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said Isa was a terrorist, the subject of a 'red corner' notice from Interpol and the Chinese police. 'Bringing him to justice is the due obligation of relevant countries,' she said.

In Delhi, the apparent nonchalance of the ministries of home and external affairs on the issue soon turned into panic.

The MEA spokesperson said the Uyghur leader had applied and was granted a tourist visa when coming to India to attend a conference, which under the tourist visa rules is not permitted.

Until the statement by China, the Modi government was being lionised in social media with the hashtag #ModiSlapsChina. Many saw a visa to Isa as the Modi government slapping Beijing for supporting Pakistan in blocking India's attempt to have Masood Azhar, apparent mastermind of the Pathankot airbase terrorist attack in January, designated an international terrorist.

As the Washington Post put in a write-up earlier this week, the 'patriotic chest thumping over the weekend in India gave way to embarrassment and bitterness,' with #ModiBowsToChina being a top trending hashtag on Twitter.

In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the now-ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and Modi had criticised the 'weak-kneed' foreign policy of the then Manmohan Singh-led government towards China. And promised a more strong-willed policy. Those claims are now under a cloud.

The current government has continued with the policy of keeping China 'engaged.'

In November 2011, the UPA government had postponed a key India-China meeting in Delhi as it coincided with a world Buddhist conference. Several top Union ministers, including the then PM, were scheduled to attend the conference but stayed away once Beijing flagged the issue. Similarly, India kept the Dalai Lama away from the Nalanda university project.

On Friday, April 29, China's State-run Global Times pointed to recent efforts by Delhi to forge closer defence ties with Washington and at the same time trying to step up a dialogue with Beijing as 'self-contradictory actions,' which could land it in a 'difficult position.'

In the Rajya Sabha, former diplomat Pavan Verma criticised the government for not waking up to the strategic import of the recent Nepal-China treaty to build multiple train routes between Nepal and China. He said the government suffered from 'diplomatic complacency.'

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a delegation-level meeting in Ufa, Russia, July 2015. Photograph: Press Information Bureau
Thailand: Release Facebook commenters now

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 27 April 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Thailand: Release Facebook commenters now, 27 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724b9e44.html [accessed 24 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.

Thailand's military government is brazenly seeking to shut down debate ahead of a referendum on a draft constitution, Amnesty International said today.

At least a dozen Facebook commenters have been detained or charged on 27 April under a draconian new Order issued by the head of the military government. The arrests come after they commented on the controversial draft of a new constitution Thailand's military government is seeking to impose.

The Facebook users who were charged under the law now face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of 200,000 baht ($5,715).

"If ordinary people cannot comment on a Facebook post without facing the threat of 10 years behind bars and a hefty fine, what hope is there for any open and honest debate on the military government's draft constitution?" said Josef Benedict, Amnesty International's Director of Campaigns for South East Asia.

"Thailand's military government must immediately withdraw charges against the commenters and release them unconditionally. It is not up to any government to determine what can or cannot be said about a referendum where citizens are expected to exercise their own political judgment."

Thailand's military government has proposed a draft constitution which will be voted on in a referendum on 7 August. In the lead up, however, the authorities have intensified their campaign to suppress the human right to freedom of expression. On a near-daily basis, people are arrested and punished for even making basic observations about political events.

Somchai Sriusthiyakor, the Election Commissioner, has chillingly said that he wishes to "to make an example" of those who post comments on the draft constitution that the authorities disapprove of.

He accused the commenters of "using foul and strong language," arguing that the authorities would welcome debate that assumed "an academic fashion with reason and logic".

"The Election Commissioner claims to want an enlightened debate, but the steps the government has taken to choke dissent suggest that the authorities have no patience for opinions different from their own."

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Austria: Parliament must overturn proposal to deny refugee protection to thousands

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 27 April 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Austria: Parliament must overturn proposal to deny refugee protection to thousands, 27 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724ba814.html [accessed 24 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 Austrian National Council must reject changes to its asylum law that would curtail access to protection for thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers and breach its obligations under international law, said Amnesty International ahead of today's vote.

The proposed 'special measures' would fast-track procedures, effectively giving police and border guards sweeping powers to arrest, detain and swiftly return or forcibly deport asylum-seekers.

"These amendments are a glaring attempt to keep people out of Austria and its asylum system. If adopted, Austria would treat people fleeing conflict and persecution as a threat to national security, joining a growing list of countries undermining the very principle of protection from war and persecution," said Gauri van Gulik, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia.

Austria's National Council is today voting on the package of proposed amendments to its asylum law, including:

emergency measures at Austria's land borders that effectively treat asylum-seekers as a threat to national security

allowing police to prevent the entry of any arrivals, including those who indicate a desire to claim asylum and to carry out returns once they have crossed

curtailing asylum applications at land borders, where police officers would be given the authority to conduct admissibility procedures in the event that returns cannot be enforced

permitting police to arrest asylum-seekers who apply for international protection in Austria and detain them for a maximum period of 14 days (the current period is five days).

The application of the measures proposed under the amendment would be conditional to a government decree enforcing the special measures for the maintenance of public order and the safeguarding of internal security, adopted in agreement with parliament. They would be applied as long as border controls are reinstated.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Chad: Light must be shed on the fate of missing people

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 29 April 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Chad: Light must be shed on the fate of missing people, 29 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724baaf4.html [accessed 24 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 Chadian authorities must clarify the fate of several members of the security and defense forces presumed "missing" after apparently voting against the party in power, and order an independent inquiry into the ill-treatment suffered by others, Amnesty International and the Chadian Human Rights League (LTDH) today declared.

According to media reports, more than 40 members of the defense and security forces have been missing since 9 April, the day of the presidential election. The two human rights organizations have confirmation of more than 20 cases of alleged disappearances.

"The authorities must shed light on these disappearances by establishing an independent and impartial investigation to bring those allegedly responsible to justice through the civilian courts, in line with Chadian law and international standards on a fair trial, and without recourse to capital punishment," said Balkissa Ide Siddo, Amnesty International's Central Africa Campaigner.

In response to allegations that members of the defense and security forces - including police officers, detectives and soldiers from different command units - had disappeared, the authorities stated that the individuals in question were currently deployed on a mission.

On 21 April, four of those presumed missing were presented on national television as evidence that they were still alive. No information on their whereabouts was given to their families, however, who have had no news from them and do not know when they are due to return.

These families have also stated that it is extremely unusual for their loved ones to leave on a mission without telling them. Their colleagues were furthermore unaware that any such deployment was planned.

Amnesty International and the Chadian Human Rights League have met with members of the defense and security forces who state that they were arrested, assaulted and detained on 9 April. The organizations have also gathered evidence from some 20 people who claim their family members disappeared after voting.

According to information received by Amnesty International and the Chadian Human Rights League, military commanders were forcing members of the defense and security forces to publicly vote for the party in power at at least two polling stations. Those who did not comply were publicly beaten or detained in a cell for several hours.

One police officer told Amnesty International:

"We were forced to vote for the party in power. Two people were at the entrance to the polling booth. As I took my ballot papers, they told me to place my cross in favor of the president. I refused and so they grabbed me. I didn't have time to vote. They took my ballot papers and my electoral registration card. The commander hit one police officer in plain view of everyone because she voted for an opponent in front of them."

In addition to those who are still apparently missing, several more security officers were arrested on the same day and later released. One police officer Amnesty International met said that around 40 people were crowded into a single cell measuring 4 x 5 meters for some 19 hours before being released.

"Responsibility must be established for cases of arbitrary arrest, detention and violence exercised against members of the security forces," said Balkissa Ide Siddo.

"More than 20 families still have no news of their relatives: husbands, fathers, brothers and sons, soldiers and police officers. They are still at our offices, waiting for news," said Me Midaye Guerimdaye, President of the Chadian Human Rights League.

"The authorities must put an end to their anguish and give a clear response to their questions."

Additional information

The presidential elections took place on 10 April, with the security forces voting a day earlier. On 5 April, the security forces used tear gas to disperse peaceful demonstrators who were calling on the authorities to release five detained activists. On 21 April, President Idriss Deby won the presidential election in the first round with 61.56% of the votes. This result was contested by the opposition and civil society, who claim a number of irregularities, particularly on 9 April.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Lesotho: Court ruling to allow ongoing detention of soldiers raises further questions about fair trial

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 29 April 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Lesotho: Court ruling to allow ongoing detention of soldiers raises further questions about fair trial, 29 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724bb1d4.html [accessed 24 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 court ruling that allows the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) to continue to keep 16 soldiers detained raises further serious concerns about their ability to have a fair trial, Amnesty International said today, following a decision announced by the Lesotho Court of Appeal.

The Appeals Court turned down a request by the soldiers to be placed under "open arrest", a form of military bail, after they challenged their ongoing detention under "closed arrest" since May and June 2015.

The High Court had previously ordered that the men be released on "open arrest" but the LDF, who are detaining the men in Maseru Maximum Security Prison, did not comply with the ruling. Today's ruling by the Court of Appeals thereby overruled the earlier High Court decision.

"Today's decision by the Lesotho Court of Appeal to deny bail to 16 soldiers who have been held is maximum security since June last year raises serious questions about the Lesotho's justice system," said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Director for Southern Africa.

"Release on bail would help ensure the soldiers can have adequate medical care, as necessary, and prompt and effective access to their legal advisers, something that has not been possible while in detention."

The soldiers are facing a court martial over allegations of mutiny. The court martial is due to resume on 9 May.

Under international standards people charged with criminal offences should not, as a general rule, be held in custody pending trial, unless the state shows that it is necessary and proportionate to deprive them of their liberty. Today, the Court of Appeal dismissed the soldiers' appeal today against their detention without giving a reason.

Amnesty International has previously expressed serious concern about the treatment of the soldiers and their rights to a fair trial and not to be subjected to torture or other ill-treatment.

Allegations that some of the soldiers were tortured following their detention last year surfaced during previous court appearances by the soldiers.

Background:

In October 2015 the High Court had ordered that 23 soldiers, including the 16 affected by today's ruling, be put on open arrest, but the army did not comply with this order. Seven of the soldiers were later released on bail following separate legal proceedings but 16 remain in Maseru Maximum Security Prison.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
North Korea: U.S. Citizen Hard Labour Sentence Shrouded in Secrecy

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 29 April 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, North Korea: U.S. Citizen Hard Labour Sentence Shrouded in Secrecy, 29 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724bb68b.html [accessed 24 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 government of North Korea must immediately disclose all details in the court case of U.S. citizen Kim Dong-chul, who was sentenced to 10 years' hard labour for "spying," in what appears to be yet another politically motivated decision, said Amnesty International today.

Kim, a 62-year-old who was born in South Korea, is the latest foreigner to be sentenced to hard labour.

"The timing of this sentence, amid increasing international tension, calls into question the motivation behind the proceedings. The judicial system is notoriously political, and foreign nationals in particular are very unlikely to receive a fair trial in the country, but few other details have been made public," said Arnold Fang, East Asia Researcher of Amnesty International.

"This entire trial has been shrouded in secrecy, and the North Korean authorities must present the evidence for these alleged crimes and make court proceedings fully transparent, so that the international community can see whether a fair trial took place. Otherwise, questions about these convictions will continue."

North Korean state media reports that Kim was arrested while trying to receive a USB drive containing sensitive military information.

Three foreigners have been handed long jail terms or hard labour in recent months, as fresh UN sanctions were authorised on the country and North Korea carried out several missile tests. They also come in the lead-up to the first Korean Worker's Party Congress since 1980, on May 6, when international attention on North Korea is also likely to increase.

Foreigners typically have no access to lawyers or family while in detention, and may be under the risk of torture or other ill-treatment as they are forced to make public "confessions" in front of reporters.

Hyeon Soo Lim, a Canadian pastor, was sentenced to life in prison with hard labour for the alleged crime of "subversion" in December 2015. American student Frederick Otto Warmbier was also convicted of subversion, sentenced to 15 years' hard labour in March, despite only admitting to theft of a propaganda banner while staying in a hotel in Pyongyang

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
South Sudan unity government a chance to ensure justice for possible war crimes

Publisher Amnesty International Author Ken Scott Publication Date 29 April 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, South Sudan unity government a chance to ensure justice for possible war crimes, 29 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724bbad4.html [accessed 24 October 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

On Wednesday, South Sudan's rebel leader, Riek Machar was sworn in as first vice president. Yesterday, the new cabinet, which includes former rebels and members of the opposition, was sworn in. The formation of a transitional government of national unity is a big step forward for a nation ravaged by more than two years of armed conflict. But if a lasting peace is to be found, it will need to be built on the foundation of justice, truth and reparation.

As shown by numerous reports, including those of the recent United Nations Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (UN OHCHR) assessment mission to South Sudan and the African Union Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan (AU CISS), released in October 2015, parties to the two-year conflict committed shocking crimes under international law, such as acts of killings, torture, mutilations, rape and even forced cannibalism. These crimes must be urgently and impartially investigated and all those suspected of criminal responsibility held to account in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.

It is imperative that a systematic framework is quickly set up to investigate these crimes as a first step towards accountability. As evidence degrades and memories fade, each passing day takes South Sudan's victims further away from justice.

The peace agreement signed in August last year, is a positive contribution towards ending impunity for abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law. It provide for power-sharing, demilitarization and security sector reform, while also setting out important transitional justice mechanisms. These include a reparation authority, a truth and reconciliation commission and a hybrid criminal court, to be established by the AU Commission (AUC).

Pleasantly surprising and encouraging is that the criminal accountability mechanism was readily accepted by both sides of the conflict. Indeed, when President Kiir signed the agreement, he listed 16 major reservations, but the establishment of a criminal court that might someday hold senior South Sudanese political and military leaders to account was not one of them.

The complete lack of accountability for previous cycles of violence in the region that is now South Sudan is one of the root causes of the recent conflict. A failure to deal with deep grievances and ensure real justice only nurtured the next round of political violence. With few exceptions, most of community leaders Amnesty International has spoken with during this round of political violence believe that sustained peace can only be assured by real accountability for crimes committed by both parties to the conflict.

The peace accord requires the transitional government, "upon inception," to initiate legislation to establish the hybrid court which, according to the agreement, will be put in place by the AUC. As illustrated by a joint letter sent in September last year by numerous South Sudanese and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to the Chair of the AUC, there is a genuine need to operationalize the hybrid court as soon as possible.

Establishing a fully-operational hybrid court, with the necessary personnel, infrastructure and funding, will take some time, but collection and preservation of evidence must start now.

Physical evidence degrades quickly in a tropical environment and may also be intentionally destroyed, altered or concealed. Witness memories fade and their whereabouts become unknown. Vital evidence can be lost forever. This is why it is important that, alongside prompt steps to establish the hybrid court, the AU and the rest of the international community must urgently establish an interim investigative mechanism with a robust mandate to investigate possible war crimes and collect and preserve evidence. Taking immediate steps to set-up investigations on the ground will send a clear message that the demand for justice is being heard.

There is plenty of authority and clear precedent for such actions. Commissions of experts were conducting investigations before the Yugoslavia and Rwanda tribunals were fully set up and functioning.

Likewise in Sudan, the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur was set up as a precursor to the UN Security Council referring the situation to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

The AUCISS report - and numerous other reports by organizations including Amnesty International - leave no doubt that crimes under international law have been committed in South Sudan by both parties to the conflict.

It is now time now for all those suspected of criminal responsibility to be brought to justice in fair trials.

Ken Scott was a consultant with Amnesty International and former senior prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and a special prosecutor at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Australia: Refugee death highlights fatal flaws in offshore processing

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 29 April 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Australia: Refugee death highlights fatal flaws in offshore processing, 29 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724bc014.html [accessed 24 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 death of another refugee in an Australian-run detention centre on Nauru demonstrates the fatal flaws of a system that must be brought to an end, Amnesty International said today.

"The desperate actions of this refugee underscore the perilous circumstances found in offshore processing centres run by the Australian government. As Amnesty International has been stressing for several years now, the current system is cruel, inhuman and needs to end," said Champa Patel, Amnesty International's Senior Research Adviser for South East Asia and the Pacific.

A 23-year-old Iranian man known as Omid died in hospital in Brisbane, Australian officials confirmed, after reportedly being held for three years at the Australian-run facility on the Pacific island of Nauru. Omid had been granted refugee status.

"We have received reports of rape, sexual harassment and physical and psychological abuse at these centres, and this most recent death is another sad example of how Australia is letting down some of the world's most vulnerable people," said Champa Patel.

Omid was airlifted to Brisbane on Thursday with third-degree burns to most of his torso after he set himself on fire a day earlier.

"This is just another case that highlights the dismal failures of health care on Nauru, which is ill-equipped to deal with refugees suffering serious psychological conditions, often as a result of trauma. The circumstances leading to Omid's death must be fully investigated," said Champa Patel.

Background

Australia's transfer of asylum seekers to process their claims in detention facilities in Nauru and on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island has amounted to refoulement - sending them to countries where they are subjected to human rights violations.

The practice violates Australia's obligations under both international refugee and human rights law and standards.

An Amnesty International report in November 2013 found that refugees and asylum-seekers detained in Nauru were living in cramped conditions, suffered from both physical and mental ailments, and routinely had their human rights violated.

Amnesty International has reported that the deliberately harsh, humiliating conditions there were designed to pressure asylum seekers to return to their country of origin, regardless of whether or not they were refugees.

Amnesty International is calling on the Australian government to end offshore processing, and to bring those people sent to Nauru and Manus Island back to Australia to have their refugee claims fairly assessed.

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China: Scrap Foreign NGO law aimed at choking civil society

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 28 April 2016 Related Document(s) Submission to the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission on the second draft Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations Management Cite as Amnesty International, China: Scrap Foreign NGO law aimed at choking civil society, 28 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724bc664.html [accessed 24 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 Chinese government must scrap a new law aimed at further smothering civil society, Amnesty International said today.

China's National People's Congress adopted on 28 April a fundamentally flawed law governing Foreign NGOs and their domestic partners. The new law will have severe consequences for freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, which are already sharply curtailed under existing laws and policies.

"The authorities - particularly the police - will have virtually unchecked powers to target NGOs, restrict their activities, and ultimately stifle civil society," said William Nee, China Researcher at Amnesty International.

"The law presents a very real threat to the legitimate work of independent NGOs and should be immediately revoked."

The law is the latest in a raft of legislation aimed at bolstering government power under the guise of national security and at the cost of human rights. A sweeping National Security Law, passed in July 2015, defines "national security" in such broad and vague terms that the authorities are essentially given carte blanche.

In December of last year, an Anti-Terrorism Law was passed with virtually no safeguards to prevent those who peacefully practise their religion or simply criticize government policies from being prosecuted on broad charges related to "terrorism" or "extremism".

Later this year the authorities may also pass a Cyber Security Law. The most recent public draft also contained vague and imprecise terms relating to national security and "maintaining social order" that could be used to restrict freedom of expression even further.

In a June 2015 submission to China's National People's Congress Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission, Amnesty International highlighted major shortcomings in the draft Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations Management Law that would stifle civil society and breach China's international human rights obligations.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
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.
Egypt: Mass arrests in 'ruthlessly efficient' bid to block peaceful protest

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 26 April 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Egypt: Mass arrests in 'ruthlessly efficient' bid to block peaceful protest, 26 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724bf704.html [accessed 24 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.

Security forces arbitrarily arrested hundreds of people in response to planned protests in Egypt yesterday, said Amnesty International, after large numbers of security forces deployed to prevent demonstrators from gathering in Cairo and elsewhere.

The Front of Defence for Egyptian Protesters (FDEP) early this morning told Amnesty International that they knew of at least 238 people, including foreign nationals, activists and journalists, who were arrested on 25 April across Egypt. The FDEP is a group of local activists, including human rights lawyers, formed to protect peaceful demonstrators from human rights violations. The "Freedom for the Brave" movement, another local watchdog, had logged a list of 168 names late yesterday as activists continued to identify detainees.

"The Egyptian authorities appear to have orchestrated a heavy-handed and ruthlessly efficient campaign to squash this protest before it even began. Mass arrests, road blocks and huge deployments of security forces made it impossible for peaceful demonstrations to take place," said Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty International's interim Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

"Sadly, crushing freedom of peaceful assembly and violating other rights is entirely in keeping with the Egyptian government's response to any kind of criticism."

The protests were called after Egypt's government ceded two islands in the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia - a move a range of civil society groups have condemned as unconstitutional and lacking in transparency. The day of 25 April is a public holiday in Egypt and marks the anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982.

Over 90 people were arrested in the lead up to the planned protests, between 21 and 24 April, according to figures released by Egyptian human rights organizations and Freedom for the Brave.

Many of those arrested in the crackdown have been remanded in custody on multiple charges, including breaching the counter-terrorism law, the Protest Law and other laws regulating public assemblies, as well as "national security" offences under the Penal Code.

Those detained over the last week include several leading activists linked to Egypt's human rights and protest movements. They include Ahmed Abdullah, chair of the board of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, who was arrested by what his representatives described as "Special Forces" at his home early on 25 April. He faces multiple charges, including of inciting violence to overthrow the government, joining a "terrorist" group and promoting "terrorism".

Labour lawyer and spokesperson for the Revolutionary Socialist Movement Haytham Mohammedein was also arrested at his home in the early hours of 22 April by National Security officers, who refused to show him an arrest warrant.

He was blindfolded during interrogation by the officers, and presented to the public prosecutor after more than 24 hours from the time of his arrest, against Egypt's Constitution, one of his lawyers told Amnesty International. The prosecutor ordered his detention for 15 days on charges of "joining the banned Muslim Brotherhood", "planning to overthrow the regime" and "calling for protests against the redrawing of the maritime borders of the country", according to the his lawyer. He is being held in a Central Security Forces camp, called Kilo 10.5, on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road.

Others caught up in the crackdown include well-known activist Sanaa Seif, who has said she has been summoned for questioning by a prosecutor, and lawyer Malek Adly, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued.

Reports of a heavy security presence around central Cairo, including road blocks and armed police, were circulating since the early morning of 25 April, indicating that the Egyptian government intended to quell the protests. The President described the planned demonstrations as an attempt to destabilize the State, while the Interior Minister threatened severe consequences for anyone crossing "red lines".

"The authorities say they are restoring stability and security, but their paranoia has created a real blind spot and appears to have rendered them incapable of distinguishing between peaceful demonstrations and genuine security threats," said Magdalena Mughrabi.

Amnesty International is urging the Egyptian authorities to respect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. Anyone detained for peacefully protesting should be released.

Egypt's Protest Law prohibits protesters from staging demonstrations without the consent of the authorities, and gives security forces sweeping powers to disperse "unauthorized" demonstrations. In practice, the authorities have facilitated protests by supporters of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, while routinely dispersing demonstrations by his opponents.

Amnesty International has repeatedly expressed its concerns over the draconian counter-terrorism law. The vague and overly broad definition of "terrorist act" included in the law allows the authorities to suppress any form of peaceful dissent.

The demonstrations follow mass protests 11 days ago, after the handover of the uninhabited islands was announced. The 15 April demonstrations were the largest seen in Egypt for over two years.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
UN must monitor human rights in Western Sahara and Sahrawi refugee camps

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 26 April 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, UN must monitor human rights in Western Sahara and Sahrawi refugee camps, 26 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724c0224.html [accessed 24 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.

Human rights monitoring by the UN must be at the forefront of discussions this week over the future of its presence in Western Sahara and Sahrawi refugee camps, Amnesty International said today, amid increased restrictions on journalists, peacekeepers and peaceful activists.

The Security Council is due to vote on extending the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) on Thursday, 28 April. It is the only UN modern peacekeeping mission without a human rights mandate, yet human rights abuses have been committed by both sides - the Moroccan authorities and pro-independence movement the Polisario Front - in the 40-year dispute over the territory.

In a report to the Security Council earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for independent and impartial human rights monitoring in Western Sahara and the Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, south-western Algeria.

"Impartial and sustained human rights monitoring by the UN would offer some protection to a population that lives with the daily threat of abuses by the Moroccan authorities and the Polisario Front," said Magdalena Mughrabi, Interim Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International.

"At a time when the Moroccan authorities are increasingly trying to shut the door to scrutiny by expelling foreign journalists and arresting peaceful activists, and as the human rights situation in the Tindouf camps remains opaque, this is more important than ever. The absence of human rights monitoring perpetuates the cycle of abuse and impunity."

In the year since the MINURSO mandate was last renewed, the Moroccan authorities have continued to stifle dissent in Western Sahara, placing arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly. Peaceful demonstrations are routinely banned or forcibly dispersed by security forces. Human rights organizations are rarely allowed to register.

Last month, the UN was forced by the Moroccan authorities to withdraw dozens of civilian staff and close a military liaison office for the MINURSO mission after Ban Ki-moon referred to Morocco's "occupation" of Western Sahara during a visit to the Tindouf camps.

Among those who had to leave were staff implementing programmes coordinated by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS). UNMAS considers Western Sahara one of the most heavily mined territories in the world, with more than 2,500 casualties reported since 1975. It says it plays a key role in reducing the humanitarian risks and improving living conditions for Sahrawis.

Sustained UN human rights monitoring is also needed in the Tindouf camps, where Sahrawi youth are reportedly increasingly frustrated with the 25-year impasse in resolving the Western Sahara dispute since the 1991 ceasefire. The absence of regular independent human rights monitoring leaves residents vulnerable to abuses. The Polisario Front has also failed to take any steps to hold to account those responsible for human rights abuses committed in the 1970s and 1980s in camps under its control.

Background

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was established in 1991 in the territory annexed by Morocco in 1975 as well as Sahrawi refugee camps in Tindouf, in south-western Algeria. Its mandate has been to monitor a ceasefire between the Moroccan armed forces and the Polisario Front, as well as to implement a referendum to determine Western Sahara's final status.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Bangladesh: Authorities fail to curb brutal killing spree as LGBTI editor hacked to death

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 25 April 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Bangladesh: Authorities fail to curb brutal killing spree as LGBTI editor hacked to death, 25 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724c1db4.html [accessed 24 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 brutal killing today of an editor of an LGBTI publication and his friend, days after a university professor was hacked to death, underscores the appalling lack of protection being afforded to a range of peaceful activists in the country," said Champa Patel, Amnesty International's South Asia Director.

"There have been four deplorable killings so far this month alone. It is shocking that no one has been held to account for these horrific attacks and that almost no protection has been given to threatened members of civil society. Bangladeshi authorities have a legal responsibility to protect and respect the right to life. They must urgently focus their energies on protecting those who express their opinions bravely and without violence, and bringing the killers to justice. The authorities must strongly condemn these horrific attacks, something they have failed to do so far."

Homosexual relations are criminalised under the Bangladeshi Penal Code. Amnesty International has interviewed exiled LGBTI activists who said that when they tried to report threats against them to police, the police instead said they could be charged for "unnatural offences."

"While the Bangladeshi authorities have failed to bring these violent groups to justice, the attackers have expanded their range of targets to now include a university professor and LGBTI activists," said Champa Patel.

"The Bangladeshi police needs to guarantee the protection of the country's LGBTI community, not harass them or threaten them with arrest, as they have been doing."

Background

Since the start of the month, four brutal killings have taken place of Bangladeshi activists and their associates. On 7 April, four masked men attacked Nazimuddin Samad, 28, with a machete before shooting him dead. Samad was a student activist who had organised campaigns for secularism on social media. He was named on a "hit list" of 84 bloggers published by a group of radical Islamists in 2013.

On 23 April, Rezaul Karim Siddique, 58, a much-admired university professor was attacked by men carrying machetes as he walked to the bus station in the city of Rajshahi. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by jihadists belonging to Islamic State.

On 25 April, Xulhaz Mannan, 35, the editor of Roopbaan, Bangladesh's first LGBTI magazine, and his friend Tanay Mojumdar were both hacked to death after a group of attackers posed as couriers to gain entry to Mannan's apartment.

During 2015, five secular Bangladeshi bloggers were hacked to death using machetes.

The first attack of this kind took place in 2013. For the killings starting in February 2015, not a single person has been held to account.

Bangladeshi authorities continue to criminalise the country's LGBTI community and, far from offering them security, have urged them to be "less provocative." Many Bangladeshi LGBTI activists have been forced into exile because of the threats against them.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Tunisia: Human rights and counter-terrorism

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 28 April 2016 Cite as Article 19, Tunisia: Human rights and counter-terrorism, 28 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724c6bb4.html [accessed 24 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.

Fighting terrorism and respecting human rights are two sides of the same coin, 46 national and international human rights organisations said today in an open letter addressed to all Tunisians and titled "No to Terrorism, Yes to Human Rights." Three of the organisations are the Tunisian recipients of the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize. Two others represent the families of Tunisian politicians Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi, assassinated in 2013 by extremist Islamists. Five Tunisian celebrities, including actors, a filmmaker, a rapper, and a star athlete, affirmed this view in a video also released today.

The organisations stressed the need to combat all terrorist acts and to prosecute perpetrators, instigators, and planners of those acts. They recognised the government's duty to protect the rights of all persons, including the right to life.

At the same time, they urged the government to keep in mind that abusing rights undermines counter-terrorism efforts in numerous ways:

Violating human rights facilitates efforts by terrorists to destroy social peace;

Abusing human rights fans grievances, offering excuses to those who carry out violent acts and those who seek to recruit them;

Abusive counterterrorist laws inevitably claim innocent, law-abiding citizens among their victims;

Guaranteeing fair trials, far from being "soft" on terrorism, means protecting the innocent as well as punishing the guilty;

Extracting confessions from terrorist suspects through torture is forbidden under all circumstances by international and Tunisian law and often produces false leads, wasting the security services' time and resources;

Abusive practices alienate potential informants who could help the security forces prevent terrorist acts.

Tunisia experienced several deadly attacks by Islamist extremists in 2015 and 2016 that left dozens of people dead and injured. On March 7, 2016, gunmen conducted a coordinated attack at the military and National Guard barracks in Ben Guerdane, a town bordering Libya, which led to the death of 18 people, including seven civilians. On March 18, 2015, two gunmen attacked the Bardo Museum, adjacent to Tunisia's parliament, killing 21 foreign tourists and one Tunisian security agent. On June 26, a gunman rampaged through a beach resort in Sousse, killing 38 foreign tourists. On November 24, a suicide attack on a bus killed 12 presidential guards and wounded 20 others, including four civilians.

The 2015 counterterrorism law, which replaced the 2003 counterterrorism law enacted by the government of ousted President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, provides security forces with broad monitoring and surveillance powers, extends incommunicado detention from six days to up to fifteen days for terrorism suspects, and permits courts to close hearings to the public and allow the identities of witnesses to be withheld from defendants, measures that hinder fair trial guarantees for suspects.

Tunisian and international human rights organisations also received accounts from several people who said they had suffered abuses during counter-terrorism operations. They interviewed Alaeddine Slim, a Tunisian filmmaker who told them he spent 33 days in jail in November and December 2015, after counter-terrorist forces raided his home over what he described as a baseless accusation. Slim said that the counter-terrorist forces found no evidence of terrorist activities in his house, and in the end the prosecutors only charged him with cannabis possession.

The organisations also interviewed and reviewed court documents about Nader Aloui, a young unemployed Tunisian who told them that he was detained over terrorism-related accusations for 14 months. He said he was repeatedly beaten and abused in detention, before an investigative judge finally dropped charges against him due to lack of evidence.

Houssam Hamdi, a Tunisian who frequently travels internationally, told the organisations that counterterrorist police told him he was banned from travelling because they had "a file on [him]." Hamdi was unable to learn the basis for the ban, and the lack of written notification left him with no formal recourse to challenge it.

The organisations created a Facebook page and a Twitter account on which they will post special drawings offered by a group of Tunisian cartoonists to support the "No to Terrorism, Yes to Human Rights" campaign, and also articles, interviews, pictures, soundtracks, videos, and other material relevant to the campaign.

LIST OF SIGNATORY ORGANISATIONS

Tunisian groups:

1. Union Generale Tunisienne du Travail (Tunisian General Labour Union)

2. Ligue Tunisienne des Droits de l'Homme (Tunisian Human Rights League)

3. Ordre National des Avocats de Tunisie (National Bar Association)

4. Forum Tunisien pour les Droits Economiques et Sociaux (Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights)

5. Syndicat National des Journalistes Tunisiens (Union of Tunisian Journalists)

6. Association des Magistrats Tunisiens (Association of Tunisian Judges)

7. Organisation Contre la Torture en Tunisie (Tunisian Organization Against Torture)

8. Association Tunisienne des Femmes Democrates (Tunisian Association of Democratic Women)

9. Al Bawsala

10. Association citoyennete et Libertes (Association for Citizenship and Freedoms)

11. Association Horizons El Kef Pour Le Developpement Integral

12. Association Nawaat

13. Association Scientifique pour les Etudes sur la Population, la Migration et la Sante (ASPOMIS)

14. Association Tunisienne de Defense des Libertes Individuelles

15. Fondation Belaid Contre la Violence (Belaid's Foundation Against Violence)

16. Fondation Mohamed Brahmi

17. Fondation Mohamed Belmufti pour la justice et les libertes

18. CeTuMA (Centre de Tunis pour la Migration et l'Asile)

19. Coalition pour les Femmes de Tunisie

20. Comite pour le Respect des Libertes et des Droits de l'Homme en Tunisie (Committee for respect of Freedoms and Human Rights in Tunisia)

21. Coordination Nationale Independante pour la Justice Transitionnelle

22. Federation Tunisienne pour une Citoyennete des deux Rives

23. Free Sight Association

24. Groupe Tawhida Ben Cheikh

25. Irtikaa

26. L'Organisation Tunisienne de la Justice Sociale et de la Solidarite

27. Labo Democratique (Democratic Labo)

28. L'association Amal pour l'environnement Metlaoui Bassin Minier (Amal Association for the Environment in the Mining Basin)

29. L'Association des Femmes Tunisiennes pour la Recherche sur le Developpement (Association of Tunisian Women for research on development)

30. L'Association Femme et Citoyennete (Association Women and Citizenship)

31. L'Association Tunisienne de Defense du Droit a la Sante (Tunisian Association for the Defense of the Right to Health)

32. Ligue des Electrices Tunisiennes

33. Mourakiboun (Observers)

34. Observatoire National sur l'Independance de la magistrature (National Observatory on Independence of Justice)

35. Reseau Doustourna

36. Thala Solidaire

37. UTOPIA Tunisie

38. Zanoobya

International groups:

39. Reseau Euro-Mediterraneen des Droits humains (Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network)

40. Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (International Organisation Against torture)

41. Federation Internationale des Droits de l'Homme (International Human Rights Federation)

42. Human Rights Watch

43. Oxfam

44. ARTICLE 19

45. International Alert

46. The Carter Center

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
Turkey: 'Charlie Hebdo' prison sentences for two journalists violate freedom of expression

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 28 April 2016 Cite as Article 19, Turkey: 'Charlie Hebdo' prison sentences for two journalists violate freedom of expression, 28 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724c6ed4.html [accessed 24 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.

ARTICLE 19 condemns the two-year prison sentences for Cumhuriyet journalists Ceyda Karan and Hikmet Cetinkaya, for republishing the Charlie Hebdo "survivor's edition" cover image. The convictions for "inciting hate and enmity", and increased penalties due to the offence being committed through the media, violate international human rights law.

"Imprisoning two journalists for their newspaper's gesture of solidarity with murdered Charlie Hebdo cartoonists is a clear violation of right to freedom of the expression; they must be released immediately and without condition. The government must cease its crackdown on media freedom in Turkey and harassment against newspaper Cumhuriyet," said David Diaz-Jogeix, Director of Programmes at ARTICLE 19.

"International human rights law gives broad protection to freedom of expression, including artistic expression, even if people may find it deeply offensive," Diaz-Jogeix added.

Article 216(1) of the Turkish penal code makes it a criminal offence to "openly provoke a group of people belonging to a different social class, religion, race, sect, or coming from another origin, to be rancorous or hostile against another group", and provides for between 1 and 3 years imprisonment if the act "causes risk from the aspect of public safety". Article 218 allows sentences to be doubled for offences committed through the media.

ARTICLE 19 argues that the application of Article 216(1) in this case violates international human rights law, and that it requires urgent reform to prevent against further abuse.

Criminal penalties, in particular heavy custodial sentences, for "hate speech" are often disproportionate except for in the most exceptional and severe cases. Prosecutions must require a clear intent to incite violence or serious harm against individuals. That harm must be shown to be likely and imminent following the alleged incitement to violence.

Both journalists were acquitted of charges for "openly insulting religious values" under Article 216(3). Laws that seek to limit freedom of expression to protect the feelings of followers of a particular religious belief are not legitimate and are open to abuse. This has been seen in Turkey:

On 15 April 2013, pianist Fazl Say was given a 10-month suspended sentence for 'insulting religious values' in a series of tweets. The tweets included a verse from an 11th-century poem by Omar Khayyam, which challenged the understanding of 'heaven' in Islam.

On 25 May 2013, the Turkish-Armenian writer and linguist Sevan Nisanyan was sentenced to over 13 months in prison for alleged blasphemy in a blog post defending the controversial film 'The Innocence of Muslims' on grounds of freedom of expression.

On 7 August 2013, Sedat Kapanoglu, owner of the user-generated satirical dictionary Eksi Sozluk, and 40 contributors to the site were charged with religious defamation, and 'committing a public order offence via press or broadcast.' The charges relate to entries satirising the Prophet Muhammed.

ARTICLE 19 calls for the repeal of Article 216(3) of the Penal Code without delay.

The threat of increased criminal sentences for offences committed through the media in Article 218 additionally chills freedom of expression and media freedom, and cannot be justified under international human rights law. ARTICLE 19 calls on the Turkish authorities to repeal it without delay.

At the United Nations Human Rights Council, Turkey accepted recommendations during its Universal Periodic Review to protect freedom of expression, including for journalists, and to ensure its penal code and anti-terror laws are consistent with its international obligations.

ARTICLE 19 calls on the Turkish government to release Ceyda Karan and Hikmet Cetinkaya without condition or delay, and to implement its Universal Periodic Review commitments to bring the Penal Code and other laws into compliance with its international human rights obligations, including through the repeal of Article 216 (3) and Article 218, in addition to the reform of Article 216 (1).

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
Bangladesh: murder of LGBT magazine editor must be condemned and perpetrators brought to justice

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 26 April 2016 Cite as Article 19, Bangladesh: murder of LGBT magazine editor must be condemned and perpetrators brought to justice, 26 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724c7234.html [accessed 24 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.

Xulhaz Mannan, editor of Roopbaan, the country's first LGBT magazine, has been murdered in the Kalabagan area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. A friend and colleague of Mannan, Tanay Mojumdar, was also killed in the attack, and a third was injured.

"This is an attack against the LGBT community and their right to freedom of expression and access to information," said Thomas Hughes, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19. "By targeting one of the few platforms for LGBT voices in the country, those behind the murders of Mannan and Mojumdar are seeking to silence and marginalise a whole community; this is not acceptable."

"Unfortunately this is the latest in a string of brutal attacks targeting free-thinkers and communicators, including bloggers, journalists and academics. The government has failed to give a sufficiently strong public reaction against these murders and in defence of free expression for all people. A prevailing state of impunity only emboldens violent actors to continue this brutal campaign to silence independent voices.

"This cycle of violence must end - the government must unequivocally condemn these murders at the highest level, and publicly commit to prompt, effective and impartial investigations and prosecutions to ensure perpetrators are held to account," said Hughes.

The murders of Mannan and Mojumdar are the third and fourth in recent weeks targeting free-thinkers and critical voices in Bangladesh. It follows the murder two days ago of Rezaul Karim Siddique, an English professor, and Nazimuddin Samad, a blogger and law student, earlier this month.

In 2015, four bloggers were murdered in Bangladesh: Avijit Roy, Washiqur Rahman Babu, Ananta Bijoy Das and Niloy Chakrabarti. These took place on 26 February, 30 March, 12 May and 7 August respectively. All murders followed the circulation of three "hit-lists" reportedly written by Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an Islamic Militant Group.

ARTICLE 19 has criticised the authorities in Bangladesh for failing to sufficiently and unequivocally condemn attacks and murders against communicators in the country, and for severe delays in concluding investigations and holding to account perpetrators.

We have recommended that the government take reasonable steps to protect communicators where real and immediate threats to their safety are known. A specific mechanism to provide protection and to investigate these attacks on freedom of expression should also be established.

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
Kenya: Win for freedom of expression as repressive law declared unconstitutional

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 19 April 2016 Cite as Article 19, Kenya: Win for freedom of expression as repressive law declared unconstitutional, 19 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724c7784.html [accessed 24 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.

ARTICLE 19 welcomes the news that Kenya's law on the 'improper use of a licensed telecommunications system' has been declared unconstitutional. ARTICLE 19 petitioned the High Court in Nairobi that the provisions were vague, uncertain and an unjustifiable limit to the freedom of expression, as well as violating basic criminal law principles.

Today, 19 April, Justice Mumbi Ngugi declared that the provisions of Section 29 of Kenya's Information and Communication Act (KICA) are indeed incompatible with the Kenya Constitution on these grounds, declaring them 'null and void', in agreement with ARTICLE 19's intervention.

"This judgement is a huge win for freedom of expression in Kenya, and an encouraging step towards respect for human rights, especially online. We have been increasingly concerned by the repressive use of this law against those expressing dissenting opinions online. ARTICLE 19 is pleased to see that this substantial threat to freedom of expression has been recognised by the courts," said Henry Maina, Director of ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa.

Section 29 of the Kenya Information and Communications Act (KICA), regarding 'improper use of a licensed telecommunications system,' has been increasingly used by state officials to target those communicating online. In 2015, a number of social media users were arrested and charged under Section 29, which criminalises publishing information online deemed unlawful by the authorities. The terms of the law are extremely vague, including terms such as 'grossly offensive', 'indecent', 'obscene 'menacing', 'causing annoyance' 'inconvenience' or 'needless anxiety'. The judge today ruled that, as well as being overreaching and broad, this section is in contradiction of Article 33 of the Kenya Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, or impart information or ideas.

ARTICLE 19 welcomes the news that this provision has been declared unconstitutional, and urges the Kenya government to revoke the provisions, fulfilling their obligations to meet international freedom of expression standards, as well as the standards set by the Kenya Constitution itself.

The section provides as follows:

A person who by means of a licensed telecommunication system-

a. sends a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character; or

b. sends a message that he knows to be false for purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another person, commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand shillings, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or to both.

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
Tunisia: Promising project for Media and the Governance of Natural Resources

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 19 April 2016 Cite as Article 19, Tunisia: Promising project for Media and the Governance of Natural Resources, 19 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724c88f4.html [accessed 24 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.

ARTICLE19 and NRGI awarded yesterday training certificates to 18 Tunisian journalists specialised in economics for their participation in three sessions held in the framework of the second edition of a training module on the governance of natural resources.

Partnership between ARTICLE 19 and NRGI provided Tunisian journalists with the opportunity to meet with a range of experts who shared knowledge and expertise.

During this training program, Tunisian journalists conducted a field visit to a phosphate mining site and to the facilities of the Tunisian Chemical Holding located in the city of Gafsa with the agreement of the Ministry of Energy and Mining. This visit, the first of its kind, enabled participating journalists to interview senior officials operating in the phosphate sector, to film phosphate processing operation in addition to learning about economic facilities.

An Internet blog was set up after the launch of the first training session held last December to improve and enhance collected data and information. This blog constitutes a Tunisian reference about the governance of natural resources.

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
Gambia: Death of Ebrima Solo Sandeng must be investigated and protesters released

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 18 April 2016 Cite as Article 19, Gambia: Death of Ebrima Solo Sandeng must be investigated and protesters released, 18 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724c8b44.html [accessed 24 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.

Following the violent crackdown and arrest of several protesters who were calling for electoral reforms on April 14 2016, ARTICLE 19 has learned from local sources of the death in custody of Ebrima Solo Sandeng, the National Organizing Secretary of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP).

The leader was arrested during the demonstration with other UDP party activists including Fatoumata Jawara, who was severely beaten, Nokoi Njie, Falang Sonko, Faa Gitteh Fatou Camara, Modou Ngum.

"We are shocked by the death of Ebrima Solo Sandeng and call for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. We urge the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, currently holding its 58th session in Gambia, to urgently take appropriate action" commented Fatou Jagne Senghor, Director of ARTICLE 19 West Africa.

In addition, Ousainu Darboe, the UDP leader, and several members of his party were arrested 16 April 2016 following a march demanding justice for Sandeng and the release of detained protesters.

"We demand the immediate release of all demonstrators detained since 14 April and the end to arbitrary arrests," concluded Fatou Jagne Senghor.

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
Pakistan: ARTICLE 19 and Daily Times bring censorship home for online readers

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 17 April 2016 Cite as Article 19, Pakistan: ARTICLE 19 and Daily Times bring censorship home for online readers, 17 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724c92d4.html [accessed 24 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.

ARTICLE 19 and Daily Times have joined forces to highlight the impact of censorship and the wall of silence that it constructs.

Online users visiting Daily Times will be given the opportunity to experience censorship first-hand, thanks to an intelligent code developed by Grey for Good that will change their comments in real time as they type them. Before their very eyes, users will see their words censored and edited, bringing home the sense of frustration and impact censorship can have on people's lives.

"For many people censorship is a daily reality, whether self-censorship because fear of reprisals or prosecution, the banning of books, or the blocking and filtering of online content. Pakistan is not immune to such censorship. The recently approved Electronic Crimes Bill is particularly problematic and provides overly broad powers which could be used to arbitrarily block legitimate content, preventing the free-flow of information", explained Tahmina Rahman, Director of Bangladesh and South Asia, ARTICLE 19

"We hope that this innovative collaboration will demonstrate the pernicious nature of censorship that so often goes unseen but has untold consequences for society. ARTICLE 19 strives to shine a light on censorship wherever it occurs and to push for the strongest of protections for freedom of expression so that a vibrant society can thrive," concluded Rahman

Shehryar Taseer, Publisher of Daily Times, commenting on the motivation behind the collaboration, said "we wanted to highlight the importance of being able to express one's view and not take freedom of speech for granted. I think we all have to take a stance against censorship. How else are we going to move forward towards a more liberal Pakistan, towards a Pakistan that will tolerate differing opinions and a place where people can feel safe and secure when they speak or write about a multitude of topics?"

The project, Free My Voice, is a collaboration between ARTICLE 19, Daily Times, and Grey for Good, and it aims to raise awareness of pressing freedom of expression issues and the fact that thousands of people experience direct censorship on a daily basis.

Notes

ARTICLE 19 is an international human rights organisation with nine offices worldwide. ARTICLE 19 recently launched a new and ambitious six-year strategy setting out its vision for a future where everyone has the freedom to speak and the freedom to know.

Daily Times is a major English-language newspaper in Pakistan, published simultaneously from Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi. Its tagline is "Your right to know: A new voice for Pakistan."

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
Germany: Prosecution against comedian must be dropped

Publisher Article 19 Publication Date 15 April 2016 Cite as Article 19, Germany: Prosecution against comedian must be dropped, 15 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724c9a34.html [accessed 24 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.

Today Angela Merkel okayed the prosecution of Jan Bohmermann, a German comedian, under an outdated provision of the German Criminal Code. Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called for the comedian to be prosecuted for a poem that he read out during a television broadcast, making fun of the Turkish Head of State.

ARTICLE 19's Head of Europe and Central Asia, Katie Morris commented that "it is wholly disproportionate and frankly absurd that this prosecution is going ahead. There is no justification to prosecute a comedian for reading a poem that is clearly a satirical take on anyone, let alone if the subject of the satire is a powerful and influential Head of State."

"Erdogan has repeatedly proved himself to be highly litigious and aggressive in his response to any criticism, so it is hardly suprising that he is seeking a prosecution in thus case. However it is of grave concern that Germany would legitimise his claim by launching a prosecution in such a ludicrous and groundless case. It sends a chilling message to artists and comedians everywhere."

"EU States are playing a dangerous game of appeasement in bending to the whims of Erdogan and we are unequivocal in our call for this prosecution to be dropped", concluded Morris.

Bohmermann is now facing up to three years' imprisonment under Section 103 of the German Criminal Code for insulting a Foreign Head of State.

European and International freedom of expression standards are clear that public figures, in particular heads of State, must show greater tolerance towards criticism than ordinary individuals. Laws that provide higher protection to the reputations of public figures than to others must be repealed.

As well as calling for the prosecution to be dropped, ARTICLE 19 calls on Germany to review its Criminal Code as a matter of urgency, and repeal this outdated provision.

Copyright notice: Copyright ARTICLE 19
Number of Georgian Citizens Who Leave to Join Islamic State Has Abruptly Dropped

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Giorgi Menabde Publication Date 8 April 2016 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Number of Georgian Citizens Who Leave to Join Islamic State Has Abruptly Dropped, 8 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724cb764.html [accessed 24 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 March 29, the deputy head of the Georgian State Security Service, Levan Izoria, briefed a joint session of three parliamentary committees: defense and security, human rights and legal affairs (Civil Georgia, March 29).

Normally, the State Security Service's annual report to the parliament primarily assesses risks connected to Russian activities in Georgia. And this year, the report was titled "The Occupied Territories and Presence of Foreign Military Forces There as the Main Challenge for the State Security Service." While delivering his remarks last week, however, Izoria also extensively covered the government's efforts at fighting the terrorist threat-an issue explicitly explored in the report as well. In particular, he addressed the outflow of Georgian citizens from Pankisi Gorge, Kvemo Kartli and Ajaria to the Middle East to fight for the Islamic State (IS) (see EDM, December 1, 2015).

Out of a population of 3.6 million, 14 percent of Georgian citizens identified themselves as Muslims during the last census. Chechen-Kists from Pankisi and ethnic-Georgian Ajars are Sunni while the ethnic-Azerbaijani population of the Kvemo Kartli region is Shia (Georgiatoday.ge, March 29).

Izoria told legislators that the number of Georgian citizens who go to fight for the IS "rapidly decreased in the period between August 2015, when the State Security Service was separated from the Ministry of Interior, and December 2015," as compared to the previous year. "As a result of our preventive steps, in the recent period, unlike the previous period, there has actually been no outflow of Georgian citizens" to the Middle East, Izoria asserted (Georgiatoday.ge, March 29).

The deputy head of the Georgian State Security Service added that amendments to the Criminal Code, which were passed by the parliament in January 2015, on the recommendation of the interior ministry, helped the agency to stop the recruitment of militants. The amendments significantly increased penalties for individuals who join "illegal armed groups" abroad as well as individuals who recruit them on Georgian territory and help them to travel to Syria and Iraq (RFI, January 17, 2015).

Levan Izoria told the deputies that "during the reporting period, the security services prevented 40 attempts by Georgian citizens to leave the country to join extremist groups." He also stated that the authorities blocked entry to 1,014 foreigners intent on spreading radicalism and seeking to recruit new militants in Georgia. At the same time, the official admitted that "there are up to 50 Georgian citizens in Syria and Iraq," fighting for extremist organizations. Nonetheless, the State Security Service's March 2016 report says that Georgian government agencies "have information on those individuals and will prosecute them according to the existing laws, should they return to Georgia." The report points out that "although Georgia is not among the countries with a high risk of terrorist attacks, challenges remain, including the challenge of radicalization." Moreover, the Islamic State group has made some recruitment inroads in certain parts of the country (Civil Georgia, March 29).

The report emphasizes the "decisive" importance of cooperation with foreign intelligence services, including the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the United Kingdom's MI6 and the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND). This cooperation has allowed Tbilisi to compile comprehensive lists of potential terrorist threats to "both Georgia and the international community," Izoria said (Georgiatoday.ge, March 29).

Probably in part thanks to such information sharing, the US carried out a successful attack, at the beginning of March, against the jihadist group led in Syria by one of the most notorious militant commanders from the Pankisi Gorge, Omar al-Shishani (Tarkhan Batirashvili). Many observers regard Omar al-Shishani as one of the most influential IS commanders. The militant's father, Timur Batirashvili, who lives in the village of Birkiani, in Pankisi Gorge, says that his son was not killed in the US attack but was seriously wounded (RFE/RL, March 10).

An expert on the Caucasus, Mamuka Areshidze, said that the report of the Georgian State Security Service as a whole accurately reflects the scope of the terrorism threat and the outflow of extremists to the Islamic State. However, according to the expert, Ajaria is under increased risk now. "A year ago, I was certain about the source of the largest flow of recruits from Georgia to ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-another common name for the IS group] being in Pankisi Gorge, where the Chechen-Kists live. However, the situation is changing. According to information I have, ISIL's recruiters are quite active in Ajaria. Hence, we should pay attention to that region of our country," Areshidze said (Author's interview, April 1).

The expert also confirmed that, as a result of the Georgian security services' activities, "the majority of the ISIL emissaries on the territory of Georgia were placed under arrest, ran away or ceased their activities." But the risk has not disappeared, he warned. And Georgian extremists looking to join the IS simply seek alternate routes. One new option has been to fly from Tbilisi to Kyiv to Istanbul because the direct flight from Tbilisi to Istanbul has become too difficult. Some Georgian Azerbaijanis from Kvemo Kartli first travel to Turkish Cyprus and then attempt to reach Syria or Iraq from there, he explained (Author's interview, April 1).

Nino Burchaladze, a journalist with the weekly magazine Kviris Palitra who closely follows developments in the Pankisi Gorge, noted in an April 1 interview with this author, "I cannot say that the number of Georgian citizens who have gone to fight for ISIL in the past six months equals zero. However, the security services have actually sealed the border with Turkey, where they established serious screening procedures for individuals who come under suspicion." Still, the journalist said she would not exclude the possibility that Georgian citizens still go to Syria and Iraq "via third countries where they pretend to travel for work-related purposes."

Burchaladze thinks that the Islamic State's latest military setbacks in the Middle East also decreased the number of willing recruits among the Georgian citizens. "The US, Russia, and Syrian and Iraqi armies, along with the Kurdish armed groups, all attack ISIL," she said. "Hence, young radical Muslims who live in Georgia do not see ISIL in a romantic light as they did before" (Author's interview, April 1).

Thus, effectively stopping the outflow of jihadist recruits from Georgia and other countries will require more than just efforts by the security services. A comprehensive strategy, if Burchaladze is correct, will apparently also depend on continued military strikes against IS forces on the ground in Syria and Iraq.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Ingushetia's Authorities Face Double Threat of Militants Returning From Syria and Salafis at Home

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Mairbek Vatchagaev Publication Date 7 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 68 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Ingushetia's Authorities Face Double Threat of Militants Returning From Syria and Salafis at Home, 7 April 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 68, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724ccb94.html [accessed 24 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

From the outside, the situation in Ingushetia appears deceptively quiet. But in reality, the republic is not nearly as peaceful as, for example, Adygea, where, despite tensions, no open conflict takes place. Public confrontations are common in Ingushetia, on the other hand. Also, the Islamist underground movement in the republic could still be reinvigorated. On March 19, the Ingushetian branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the lifting of the counterterrorist operation regime that had been in effect in the republic since 2014. The FSB said the special regime was being lifted because of the absence of a terrorist threat in Ingushetia's towns and villages. Is this a complete victory for the FSB? Not really. And realizing this, Ingushetian authorities warned the republic's residents that "the counterterrorist operation regime is still in place in the forested mountainous areas of Nazran, Sunzha and Malgobek districts because there is information about movements of militants in those areas. Until a special announcement, temporary restrictions and counterterrorist measures will be in place" (Mk.ru, March 20).

Some areas of Nazran and Sunzha districts can be described as forested mountains but nothing even remotely resembling mountains exists in Ingushetia's Malgobek district, which is in the northern part of the republic. Ingushetia consists only of four districts and, according to the government's announcement, the regime of heightened security continues in three of them because of the information about "movements of militants." Thus, the public statements of officials about lifting the counterterrorist regime in Ingushetia should be seen as little more than a PR campaign for the Russian media.

The activities of Ingushetia's Sharia jamaat were substantially undercut back in 2010, when the Russian security services managed to capture its leader, Amir Magas. His trial took place in the city of Rostov-on-Don because the authorities were afraid to hold it in Ingushetia. Magas was sentenced to two life terms in prison (Regnum, July 9, 2015).

One of the last Ingush rebel amirs eliminated by the Russian security services was Beslan Makhauri, who was killed on October 31, 2015 (Interfax.ru, October 31, 2015). Shortly before his death, Makhauri managed to swear an oath of allegiance to the so-called caliph of the Islamic State (IS), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Makhauri's oath made the territory of Ingushetia part of the IS "Caliphate." Some members of the Caucasus Emirate in Ingushetia did not agree to join the IS and made this known to the public via the Sharia jamaat's website (Hunafa.com, September 5, 2015). Those who control that website are still hoping the Caucasus Emirate's followers will prevail in Ingushetia. The website, however, posts Islamic texts instead of news of what happening in the republic.

Since 2015, Ingushetia's leadership has had to deal with a new headache-IS recruits who have tried to travel to Syria to join the militants. During Ingushetian Governor Yunus-Bek Yevkurov's last meeting with relatives of those who left the republic for Syria, officials said that 200 Ingush were fighting in Syria. The authorities said that they determined the exact location of 99 Ingush militants and were looking for the rest (YouTube, March 3).

Multiple arrests of people who went to Syria and returned to the North Caucasus indicate that the situation in the republic is far from normal. The authorities have recently launched a criminal investigation against a 22-year-old resident of the republic who went to Syria in July 2013 and fought alongside the Islamic State. The authorities charged the suspect with participation in an armed formation in a foreign country. The penalty for that crime is five to ten years in prison, but if the suspect voluntarily ends his participation in the armed group and gives up his weapons, the charges against him may be dropped (Kavkazsky Uzel, March 28). In Ingushetia, the authorities detain returnees from Syria practically every week, according to news reports from the republic.

The authorities of Ingushetia should be concerned about residents of the republic who are fighting in the Middle East. The number of Ingush militants in the Middle East is much greater than the number of members the Ingush jamaat had during 2004-2010, its heyday. Even during the Ingush jamaat's best days, it numbered only several dozen people. Hence, the 200 Ingush militants fighting in Syria pose a serious challenge to the government of Ingushetia against the backdrop of the slow stabilization process in the republic since 2010. The actual number of Ingushetians fighting in Syria may be even higher than officially announced.

Ingushetia's authorities are dealing with other problems, such as the confrontation with the Salafists, who provide non-military support to the militants. The leaders of the local Salafists, Isa Tsechoev and Khamzat Chumakov, have gained such great influence in the society that the government cannot afford to stop them from preaching or shut down their mosque, which thousands of Muslims attend every Friday. The Salafist mosque and the militants returning from Syria are the two main points of concern for the republican authorities. The authorities and the security services realize that the Salafists in Ingushetia are strong and influential. The republic is still in transition, however; and the next year or two will be crucial for the future of Ingushetia. By then, it will become clear whether the Salafists and the government will clash with each other or reach an agreement.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Abkhazia's President Faces Public Campaign Calling for His Resignation

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Valery Dzutsati Publication Date 13 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol North Caucasus Analysis Volume: 17 Issue: 8 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Abkhazia's President Faces Public Campaign Calling for His Resignation, 13 April 2016, North Caucasus Analysis Volume: 17 Issue: 8, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724cd504.html [accessed 24 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

At the beginning of March 2016, a large coalition of organizations opposed to the president of the breakaway Georgian republic of Abkhazia, Raul Khajimba, started gathering signatures calling for a referendum. The proposed question for the referendum is "Do you consider it necessary to hold early presidential elections in the Republic of Abkhazia?" As of March 29, according to one of the activists of the campaign, Astamur Pachulia, the opposition had gathered 14,700 signatures, when only 10,000 are required by law. The powerful organization of veterans of the Abkhaz-Georgian war of 1992-1993, Amtsakhara, is the main backer of the referendum to force the region's president to step down. The opposition is unhappy mainly with the economic policies of the current government (Kavkazskaya Politika, April 1). Khajimba's opponents also accuse him of failing to implement the political reforms he promised, the main one being to curb the power of the executive branch while increasing the power of the legislature (Kommersant, March 24).

An ex-KGB officer, Khajimba came to power in Abkhazia in September 2014, after he led the successful campaign to oust the previous head of the breakaway republic, Alexander Ankvab. Now the opposition accuses Khajimba of usurping power. Moscow has generally favored him over other political figures in Abkhazia. The first large-scale political scandal involving Khajimba took place during the presidential elections in Abkhazia in 2004, when Abkhazian voters surprised Moscow by voting for Sergei Bagapsh instead of Khajimba. In 2005, Moscow forced Bagapsh and his supporters to give the position of vice-president of the republic to Khajimba, but it took the ex-KGB officer another nine years to become the president of Abkhazia.

When Moscow's long-time protege came to power in Abkhazia, locals expected the Russian government to increase its support for its satellite state. The deal appeared to be simple: Moscow would receive greater control over Abkhazia in return for increasing its financial backing of the republic. However, even with Khajimba as the head of Abkhazia, Moscow faced an uphill battle to establish tighter control over the breakaway Georgian territory. In October 2014, one month after Khajimba officially became Abkhazia's president, the Russian government unveiled a new treaty on cooperation and integration with the republic. The treaty envisaged eliminating the Abkhazian army by merging it with the Russian military. The treaty also aimed at replacing Abkhazian government institutions with "joint" institutions that would obviously be dominated by the Russian side. On October 22, 2014, Khajimba surprised many by stating that the treaty with Russia could not be signed as it was presented by Russia and had to be rewritten (Kavkazsky Uzel, November 5, 2014).

The Abkhazian government also did not show much leniency on the other issue that the Russians regarded as vital and quite vexing-the issue of citizenship and real estate. Currently, Abkhazia's legislation prohibit non-citizens from buying real estate property in the republic. Even though various illegal schemes exist to bypass these laws, the Abkhazian government is adamant about preventing foreigners from buying up lucrative real estate on the Black Sea coast. Russians are the most likely buyers and the most likely targets of the restrictions (Sputnik-abkhazia.ru, October 29, 2015).

Moscow's revenge on the government of Raul Khajimba and all the residents of Abkhazia quickly followed: since the middle of 2015, Moscow has practically stopped financing Abkhazia. Given the fact that about two-thirds of Abkhazia's budget comes from money it receives from Moscow, it was a hard blow on the republican economy. Abkhazian officials pretend nothing happened between the republic and Russia, saying that Russia had to cut aid to the republic because of international sanctions, the need to support Crimea and other adverse circumstances. Moscow also does not comment on the pressure it is putting on Abkhazia. However, experts warn that "the absence of the promised Russian financial injections is the primary factor that weakens the positions of the current Abkhaz authorities and strengthens the social base of their opponents" (Kavkazskaya Politika, April 1).

Russia promised about $120 million in financial aid for Abkhazia in 2015, which is a substantial amount of money for the breakaway region's 240,000 residents but not so significant for Russia. Whatever hardships Russia faces, it is unlikely that it did not have that money to send to Abkhazia. Instead, Moscow appears to be sending Khajimba, its protege, the message that he should live up to the expectations Moscow has for him. Russia has promised to increase aid for Abkhazia, but it is unclear how much money the region will receive. In 2015, out of the promised $120 million, Abkhazia actually received only about $40 million (Kommersant, March 24).

A genuine decline also exists in Russian resources, and if Moscow does not make an effort to keep up the financing of its satellite states, the regimes it has installed there may start crumbling. It certainly appears that Abkhazia may undergo another change of government if Moscow does not increase its financial backing for Khajimba's administration.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
New Dimension in Trilateral Foreign Policy of Azerbaijan

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Fuad Chiragov Publication Date 13 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 72 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, New Dimension in Trilateral Foreign Policy of Azerbaijan, 13 April 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 72, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724cdb04.html [accessed 24 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

The recent escalation of violence between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces along the line of contact (see EDM, April 6) overshadowed another crucially important event occurring around the same time in the region-the April 7 trilateral meeting, in Baku, of the ministers of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran. This meeting had been scheduled well before the eruption of the deadly skirmishes near breakaway Karabakh, and was designed as a platform to discuss regional projects and new perspectives in trilateral relations (Mfa.gov.az, April 7).

Traditionally, Baku's policies since the mid-1990s have tended to stress strategic regional projects along an East-West dimension. This was true regarding Azerbaijan's oil contracts signed with Western companies in 1994, culminating in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which carries Caspian hydrocarbon resources westward to a Turkish port on the Mediterranean. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, currently under construction, is another case in point. Thus, much of the agenda of the April 7 trilateral ministerial-especially discussions on developing the North-South Railroad project, which will connect Iran and Russia via Azerbaijan-might seem like a deviation from Azerbaijan's usual policy focus. In fact, however, the recent meeting is actually a good reflection of Baku's multifaceted foreign policy orientation since the 1990s.

In seeking to balance among several competing regional and global powers while still pursuing its own national interests, Azerbaijan has, in recent years, successfully used active diplomacy to maintain strategically fruitful relations among many diverging actors and poles of power. Notably, Azerbaijan has been able to formulate a number of promising regional multilateral formats (Sam.az. January 8). These have included the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey (Ispionline.it, July 5, 2015), Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan-Turkey (Usak.org.tr, 2014) and the Azerbaijan-Iran-Turkey triangles.

The Azerbaijan-Iran-Russia trilateral dimension can be considered the newest complement to Baku's trilateral foreign policy strategy. And it bears pointing out that on April 5, just two days before the meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran, Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov paid a visit to Iran for the fourth ministerial-level meeting of the Azerbaijan-Turkey-Iran triangle (Trend.az, April 5).

The development of cross-regional transportation routes is a core focus of all these formats. Indeed, after achieving international sanctions relief, President Hassan Rouhani's government in Tehran has been paying particular attention to developing regional transit infrastructure to diversify Iran's access to global markets. Recently, the Islamic Republic successfully completed its section of the Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan railroad, which enables Iranian goods to reach markets in Central Asia. And on December 23, 2015, officials from the railroad companies of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Iran signed a protocol on cooperation outlining plans to connect the Persian Gulf with the Black Sea region (Sputnik.az, December 23, 2015).

Iran is especially interested in developing northward export outlets since the country's northern areas are more heavily populated and include its largest cities. Prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union, Iranian goods could reach Soviet Russia via the Nakhchivan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (part of the Azerbaijan SSR) though the Armenian SSR and northward across the Georgian SSR. But this railroad has not operated since 1991, because of regional conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as in Abkhazia.

Azerbaijan has already built a railway line all the way up to its southern border with Iran, where it will be connected with the Iranian Qazvin-Rasht railroad network. The initial annual capacity of this railroad will equal 1.4 million passengers and 5-7 million tons. On February 23, 2016, during Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's official visit to Iran, two of the eleven signed documents between the two governments pertained to the framework agreement on connecting both countries' railroads as well as building a bridge across the Astarachay river, which forms the eastern border between the two states (Ng.ru, February 25). Baku and Tehran have agreed to finish the construction of the bridge by the end of 2016. They also pledged to launch a new trilateral format to deepen regional cooperation-such as an Azerbaijan-Iran-Turkmenistan or an Azerbaijan-Iran-Georgia triangle (Azertag.az, February 23). Together, Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran are also working on establishing the North-South energy corridor, which will enable Russia to sell electricity to Iran (Minval.az, February 10).

Last year saw important developments for establishing the East-West "Silk Road" transit corridor, an overland network of road and rail lines connecting markets in East Asia with Europe. Notably, the first Europe-bound cargo train from China passed through the South Caucasus after arriving at the International Baku seaport on August 3, 2015 (see EDM, October 2, 2015; Trend.az, August 3, 2016). This year, the developments along the North-South dimension promise to be equally important for Azerbaijan. As President Aliyev noted on April 9, Azerbaijan is actively working on both East-West and North-South transport corridors, which will make this Caspian littoral state a strategic juncture for a number of important inter-regional transit routes (Trend.az, April 10).

Since the 1990s, Azerbaijan has initiated numerous regional projects-several of which are of clear global importance. At the same time, Baku has done everything in its power to isolate its rival Armenia from all these regional projects in order to pressure Yerevan into relinquishing control over Azerbaijan's occupied territories. This month's trilateral meeting of Azerbaijani, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers, which took place immediately following the ceasefire capping the recent fighting near Karabakh, is thus remarkable in terms of Azerbaijan's ability to achieve its goals vis-a-vis Armenia. Until now, Yerevan had tremendous hopes that the North-South transit corridor connecting Iran and Russia would pass through Armenian territory, thus ending its two decades of isolation (Prnewswire.com, January 24, 2013). But this railroad will now definitely pass through Azerbaijan instead. It is, therefore, obvious that despite Yerevan's best efforts (Armenianow.com, March 27, 2015; Vestnik Kavkaza, September 10, 2010), Armenia will not be able to break out of its regional isolation or halt the deterioration its socio-economic situation until the conflict over Karabakh is resolved.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Russia Proclaims 'Parity' in Arms Sales to Armenia and Azerbaijan

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author John C. K. Daly Publication Date 12 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 71 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russia Proclaims 'Parity' in Arms Sales to Armenia and Azerbaijan, 12 April 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 71, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724cea14.html [accessed 24 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 the night of April 2, the Armenian-Azerbaijani line of contact around the separatist region of Karabakh erupted in the worst violence for two decades until a tenuous ceasefire ended hostilities three days later. What is notable about the brief violent conflict is that both sides used Russian-made weaponry, as Moscow pursues a policy of "parity" in arming Armenia and Azerbaijan-which makes neither Yerevan nor Baku happy. The two South Caucasus rivals each seek new armament shipments, but both are facing growing inability to pay for them.

The ongoing conflict between the two republics began in 1988, three years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, 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 Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts, resulting in a so-called "frozen conflict" that endures to the present day. As the recent confrontation shows, the possibility of future violence remains present, and both sides are seeking tactical advantage on any future battlefield by securing advanced Russian weaponry. Up to the present time, Azerbaijan's oil revenues have allowed it to outspend its rival, Armenia, by a significant amount to buy advanced Russian weaponry.

Last week (April 9), Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visited both Yerevan and Baku in a shuttle diplomacy effort to reduce the tensions over Karabakh. While serving as president (2008-2012), Medvedev had repeatedly met with his counterparts from Armenia and Azerbaijan to discuss issues of the Karabakh conflict settlement. This time, however, Medvedev was evidently welcomed more warmly in Baku than in Yerevan (Vestniik Kavkaza, April 9).

The weaponry Azerbaijan has been purchasing from Russia played a key role in the recent military confrontation with Armenia. According to Yerevan, Azerbaijani forces deployed to the front line a number of Russian weapons systems, including TOS-1A 220-milimeter multiple rocket launcher and thermobaric flamethrower weapon systems mounted on a T-72 tank chassis as well as Smerch BM-30 heavy multiple rocket launchers (ArmeniaNow, April 8). According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's Arms Transfers Database, as of 2015, Armenia had not received either weapons system from Russia. This would give Azerbaijan significant battlefield tactical advantage as both systems can lay down concentrated heavy rocket fire (Sipri.org, accessed April 11).

Nor are the TOS-1A and Smerch BM-30 systems the only advanced Russian arms purchased by Azerbaijan. Between 2010 and 2014, Baku bought Russian weaponry estimated at $4 billion; beyond the two aforementioned systems, Azerbaijani purchases included two batteries of S-300PMU-2 anti-aircraft missiles, several Tor-2ME antiaircraft missile batteries, roughly a hundred combat and transport helicopters, at least 100 T-90S tanks, 100 BMP-3 armored personnel carriers and 18 MSTA-S self-propelled artillery (Kommersant, April 3). Should Azerbaijan deploy its full panoply of Russian armaments in any future conflict with Armenia, its antiaircraft batteries and helicopter capabilities would likely ensure air superiority while its T-90 brigades and artillery would probably dominate the tactical battlefield.

One problem common to Armenia and more recently Azerbaijan has been how to pay for their Russian armaments imports. In March, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Rogozin, who oversees defense industry issues, made an unannounced trip to Baku. Both Russian and Azerbaijani press outlets cited unnamed sources who alleged that Rogozin's visit was intended to sort out Azerbaijan's failure to pay for some of its armament purchases. But dismissing these reports, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said the purpose of Rogozin's visit was to iron out issues surrounding the technical specifications of the weapons deliveries, unrelated to the financial crisis the country is suffering as a result of falling oil prices (Haqqin.az, March 18).

Despite its massive arms purchases over the previous half decade, Azerbaijan is now concerned that the recently announced Russian arms sales to Armenia (see EDM, March 18) could diminish the current and expensive quantitative edge Baku had acquired. On February 18, Yerevan received a $200 million loan from Moscow specifically to purchase Russian armaments. Included in the order were not only TOS-1A and Smerch BM-30 weapons systems, previously purchased by Azerbaijan, but also Igla-S surface-to-air man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), 9M113 wire-guided anti-tank missiles, RPG-26 grenade launchers, Dragunov sniper rifles, armored vehicles, and Tigr all-terrain infantry mobility vehicles. Cumulatively, this purchase could largely negate Azerbaijan's previous tactical aerial and armor battlefield superiority derived from years of Baku's massive Russian armaments purchases (Kommersant, March 18).

The week after the Armenian-Russian agreement was signed, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a formal protest to Moscow regarding the loan, prompting Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan to comment, "[Azerbaijan's protest] is simply ridiculous, given Baku's $4 billion arms deal with Russia, which is 20 times as much as the loan provided to Armenia for the same purposes." Hovhannisyan claimed that while Azerbaijan has numerical advantage over Armenia when it comes to particular types of weapons, "this advantage has never been critical in terms of the aggregate coefficient," further noting that earlier Moscow had provided the Armenian government with all the necessary guarantees that Russian arms supplies to Azerbaijan would not affect the regional balance of power (Verelq.am, March 3).

For 22 years, a definitive settlement of the Karabakh dispute has eluded negotiators, and the recent flare-up of hostilities proves that any temporary peace remains tenuous at best. Russia regularly asserts that its supply of yet more weaponry to the two South Caucasus rivals will produce parity in the conflict. But such cynicism aside, the underlying logic of allowing Armenia to buy MANPADS and antitank weapons will, in fact, likely negate Azerbaijan's tactical military superiority on the battlefield, perhaps leading both of these post-Soviet republics to serious negotiations, as neither will have the military capacity to score a knockout blow. For now, in the absence of serious negotiations, it is hard not to see such armament sales as anything more than a Kremlin attempt to increase its political influence in the region. But in the interim, such sales threaten to bankrupt the defense ministries of both South Caucasus countries.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Countering Color Revolution Drives Russia's Creation of National Guard

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Roger McDermott Publication Date 12 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 71 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Countering Color Revolution Drives Russia's Creation of National Guard, 12 April 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 71, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724d62d4.html [accessed 24 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 April 5, President Vladimir Putin ordered the creation of a new National Guard, marking a sweeping transformation in Russia's security structures (see EDM, April 7, 11). Intermittently discussed since the 1990s, the reform of these structures was long overdue and clearly tasked with improving domestic security capabilities. But the National Guard's roots lie in Moscow's wider efforts against color revolution as one of the most formidable challenges facing the Russian state. The actual reform appears based on structural analyses of similar bodies in the former Soviet Union, while the twin aims of countering color revolution and terrorism denote the context in which Putin adopted the radical measure; however, the process is the culmination of several years of intensive internal assessment and discussion in relation to Russia's strategic challenges (Vedomosti, April 11; RBK, April 5).

Forming the National Guard with unprecedented powers and its potential turf conflict with the Federal Security Service (Federal'naya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti-FSB) over counter-terrorism is consistent with statements, interviews and public discussion among the political-security leadership and in line with the country's recently revised national security documents. Though some observers see this as a response to fears in the Kremlin over mass protests challenging the regime, the counter-color revolution strategy, which lies at its heart, now links foreign and domestic threat assessments as part of a seamless web (Kremlin.ru, April 5).

According to the ukaz (presidential order) signed by Putin on April 5, the new power structure will report directly to the president. Its manpower will be based on the Ministry of Interior's (MVD) Internal Troops (Vnutrenniye Voiska Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh Del-VVMVD, 170,000), MVD specialist riot police (Otryad Mobilny Osobogo Naznacheniya-OMON), special purpose mobility units (Spetsial'nye Otryady Bystrogo Reagirovaniya-SOBR, Special Rapid Reaction Units, 30,000), as well as the police's private security department (Vnevedomstvennaya Okhrana-MVD FGUP, 200,000) (Vesti, April 6). This provides a total manpower of up to 400,000, which will include contract and conscript personnel. The change also shifts the Federal Drugs Control Service (FSKN) and Federal Migration Service (FMS) to the MVD, though retaining their responsibilities as separate services (Vesti, Parlamentskaya Gazeta, April 6; Moskovskiy Komsomolets, April 5).

Putin bypassed Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev and appointed the chief of the MVD Interior Troops and former head of the presidential security service, Army-General Viktor Zolotov, as commander-in-chief of the National Guard, which will also have six deputies. Zolotov is a long-serving member of team Putin. The two men have maintained close relations since their time in St. Petersburg in the 1990s. Zolotov will surely play a central role in quashing any future domestic instability or crisis (Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, April 8; Gazeta.ru, April 6; RIA Novosti, April 5).

Putin's decree on the National Guard makes clear that it will have considerable power within the state to carry out its duties with military personnel and assets, including its own aviation and special forces. The National Guard will "participate jointly" in protecting public order and public security during a state of emergency; combatting and assisting in the fight against extremism; territorially defending Russia; protecting state facilities and special cargoes; assisting the FSB in border security; and overseeing observance of legislation in relation to private security companies (Vzglyad, April 6; Kremlin, April 5).

The origins of the new National Guard structure grew out of internal crises and power plays among key actors in the 1990s. The deep collective memory of the collapse of the Soviet Union, in 1991, has cross pollinated with domestic security perspectives on color revolution, especially close to Russia's borders. The Russian elites have watched numerous such cases in recent years: revolutions in Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan; governmental collapse and regime change in the Middle East; the chaos that followed the Arab Spring; along with, most recently, the EuroMaidan Revolution, which culminated with then-president Viktor Yanukovych fleeing Ukraine in February 2014 (see EDM, March 8).

While these foreign revolutions were key factors in Russian security analysis of the threat environment, the fact that in certain circumstances a color revolution could be viewed as a threat to Russia's security was espoused clearly by the country's leading military theorist, Army-General (retired) Makhmut Gareev, in Voyenno Promyshlennyy Kuryer, in December 2013 (Voyenno Promyshlennyy Kuryer, December 4, 2013). Internally, the catalyst was provided by the winter 2011-spring 2012 Bolotnaya Square protests over the falsified Duma elections as well as the FSB's subsequent successful counter-actions (Vedomosti, April 6). The forthcoming election cycle in Russia supplies some context for the timing of the implementation of the reform, but the underlying drivers preceded it: the need to counter color revolution at home and abroad is embedded deep in Russia's security documents and logically now shapes the formation of structures to act against such potential threats to the state (Kremlin.ru, December 31, 2015; December 26, 2014).

Putin's creation of the new National Guard represents an internal security reform of a magnitude that eclipses the reform of Russia's Armed Forces. To argue that it was caused by Kremlin paranoia over the forthcoming parliamentary and presidential elections is to miscast it and risk missing its real relevance. The reform adds no additional structures to the system, but moves existing structures to create a new overall entity with increased powers to act against color revolutionary or terrorist threats to the state; it is an effort to enhance efficiency and avoid duplication of responsibilities within the system, though it adds operational-search capability (Regnum, April 11).

The MVD lost in this reform, as has Kolokoltsev. The new structure with up to 400,000 personnel under arms will be capable, during a national emergency, of acting as an internal army without recourse to any other power ministry. It is unclear how the counter-terrorist dynamics will play out since this is traditionally the FSB's responsibility. Equally, given Putin's background, it is highly unlikely that he would implement a reform to engender internecine feuding between the FSB and National Guard (RBK, April 8). Forming a National Guard with such clear tasking also arguably lessens the pressure on the Armed Forces to intervene or become embroiled in a domestic political emergency. With the General Staff playing a pivotal role in dissecting the elements of color revolution and formulating prophylactic strategy against the phenomenon, Putin's decision will come as no surprise. Thus, prospects for color revolution undermining the existing or future Russian regime may well be reduced as a result of the creation of the National Guard.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Russian Expert Community Introduces New Study on Electronic Warfare

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Jorgen Elfving Publication Date 11 April 2016 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Russian Expert Community Introduces New Study on Electronic Warfare, 11 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724d7844.html [accessed 24 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 August 2015, the Russian official news agency TASS quoted United States Army Europe's (USAREUR) commander, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, speaking on, among other topics, the growing robustness of Russian electronic warfare (EW) capabilities (TASS, August 19, 2015). What the US general said undoubtedly provided the Russians with confirmation that their efforts in building robust EW capabilities have borne fruit. Since late 2015, a number of articles have appeared inside Russia describing advances in EW, and open sources have repeatedly reported on EW equipment being delivered to the Russian Armed Forces. In this context, the book Radioelektronaya Borba (Electronic Warfare), written by a group of Russian authors under the editorial guidance of Nikolai Aleksandrovich Kolesov and Igor Georgivich Nasenkov, is of special interest (Cast.ru, accessed April 11). The book was published in December 2015, but it seems it was not noted by the broader public until early spring 2016. At that point, however, it attracted an uncommonly large level of interest for a book on a military subject. This level of attention quickly becomes apparent when reading Radioelektronaya Borba, which offers a broad and detailed insight in the topic of EW from a Russian perspective.

Radioelektronaya Borba is divided into four chapters: "1. The History of Electronic Warfare," "2. Electronic Warfare Units, Indigenous Electronic Warfare Industry and Technology," "3. The World Market in the Field of Electronic Warfare," and "4. Use of Electronic Warfare Means in Modern Conflicts." These are preceded by an introduction to EW, as well as its definitions and principles, and concludes with some thoughts about the future of EW.

The book describes more than just Russian experiences and systems. US use of EW in a historical perspective as well as US systems and modern concepts for its development also fill a number of pages. The same goes for French and Chinese views on EW. The chapters "Electronic Warfare Units, Indigenous Electronic Warfare Industry and Technology" and "The World Market in the Field of Electronic Warfare" in particular give insight into the development of Russian EW systems, including modern ones. In addition, the book includes short descriptions of each of the Russian companies that currently produce EW equipment.

Chapter four, which describes the use of EW in modern conflicts, begins with Operation Allied Force (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's aerial bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999) and ends with Russian operations in Crimea and Ukraine (since 2014). The book provides little detailed insight into Russia's use of EW in connection with the February-March 2014 annexation of Crimea and the ensuing, and still ongoing, war in eastern Ukraine. However, with regard to Crimea, the chapter mentions that Russian units were equipped with Leer-2 mobile technical control, electronic emulation and electronic countermeasure systems; Lorandit-M radio control and jamming complexes, and Infauna electronic warfare vehicles. The book also remarks that Russian spetsnaz (special forces) had cut Ukrainian stationary lines of communication with mainland Ukraine. For obvious reasons not much is said about the use of EW in connection with the continuing war in eastern Ukraine; the book only briefly touches upon it: "during the following events in eastern Ukraine, just sporadic use of electronic warfare by [the warring] parties was noted." Based on previously published information on this topic from other reliable sources, this passage clearly comes across as an understatement. Nevertheless, the authors highlight the use of EW to disable enemy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)-a first for the post-Soviet space.

Comparing Radioelektronaya Borba with other Russian sources provides further insight into this country's EW capabilities. In September and October 2015 Voenno-Promyshlennyi Kurier published a two-part article entitled "Electronic War-Myths and Truth" (Vpk-news.ru, September 30, 2015; October 7, 2015). Besides describing equipment, one of the articles had a short paragraph about the development of Russian EW units. According to the article, in 2009, EW centers were organized in each military district, of which the majority were subsequently reorganized into EW brigades, with the exception of the center in Crimea. In addition to these brigades, there is also the 15th EW Brigade, which is subordinated to the Russian high command, and a number of battalions presumed to be tasked with the protection of essential military and industrial objects.

On the tactical level, a Russian textbook (Yuri Borisovich Torgovanov, Obshaya Taktika, SFU, Krasnoyarsk, 2013) describes the organization of the EW company in the mechanized and tank brigades. The company consists of about 100 men and is organized into five EW platoons, each with its own specialty. The companys main tasks are to counter radio communication, systems for command and control, navigation equipment, and intelligence sensors, as well as to protect friendly units from artillery fire and attacks from the air-i.e. from munitions with proximity fuses. The company shall also carry out "radiodesinformatsiya" ("radio-disinformation"), something that presumably entails the emission of false signals. According to Obshaya Taktika, EW is an integral and essential part of current Russian tactics both in attack and defense.

Obviously the Russians take the view that EW is a force multiplier that they have and will continue to invest serious resources into. Indeed, as the closing paragraph of Radioelektronaya Borba states, tomorrow "electronic warfare will become the part of the armed struggle that decides the outcome of the battle." And commenting on Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, one recent foreign study notes, "Key lessons include the necessity for allies to train and prepare for substantial Russian electronic warfare (EW) capability, with the implication that they may have to operate in a degraded EW/cyber environment with GPS [global positioning system] signals suppressed or unreliable" (Chathamhouse.org, March 2016). So in light of Russia's growing EW capabilities, perhaps the time has come for Western militaries to relearn how to utilize a map and a compass, signal flares, and maybe even the use of army buglers at the tactical level.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Newly-Formed National Guard Cannot Dispel Putin's Multiple Insecurities

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Pavel K. Baev Publication Date 11 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 70 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Newly-Formed National Guard Cannot Dispel Putin's Multiple Insecurities, 11 April 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 70, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724d8344.html [accessed 24 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 recent release of the "Panama Papers," which revealed notorious cases of hidden money flows tied to the global elite, continues to cause a political stir across the world. But in Russia, this scandal was eclipsed by President Vladimir Putin's sudden reshuffling of the law enforcement structures. The main element of this bureaucratic coup was the creation of the National Guard on the basis of the Interior Troops. And while loose ideas on reorganizing this 200,000 strong "power structure" had been floating around the Kremlin corridors since the mid-1990s, there had been no discussion of the dubious rationale for such a shakeup since 2012, so Putin's decision came as his trademark surprise (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, April 7). Various special units (OMON and SOBR) from the Ministry of Interior were also incorporated into the planned National Guard, which thus becomes 400,000 strong (Rbc.ru, April 7). This sizeable army will be commanded by Victor Zolotov, who for many years was in charge of Putin's personal security (Gazeta.ru, April 6). No official explanation was provided for the need to form this new "federal executive body" (as Putin's decree defines it), leaving much space for speculation about the motivations for and timing of Putin's urge to take direct control over the "enforcers" of domestic security (see EDM, April 7).

The main loser in this reshuffle is obviously the interior ministry, which has lost the capacity to wield armed instruments of power-and much of the political influence coming from such muscle (Rbc.ru, April 5). In compensation, it was given control over the Federal Migration Service and the Federal Drug Control Service; but these mergers bring more headaches than benefits (Vedomosti, April 6). Both services are seriously under-resourced and show scant success in performing their tasks. The head of the latter service, Victor Ivanov, a veteran among Russia's security services personnel (siloviki), was tipped to become a deputy to Interior Minister Victor Kolokoltsev. But according to well-informed rumors, he was bluntly refused (Kommersant, April 7).

The emergence of the National Guard, with its privileged access to the Kremlin, is also a challenge to the Ministry of Defense, which certainly controls greater armed capabilities but has thus been given a clear message that in case of a domestic emergency, its tanks would be subordinated to "Pretorian" commanders. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu gained much profile due to the swift deployment of "little green men" to Crimea, in March 2014, as well as the perfectly executed intervention in Syria. Therefore, public opinion awards him the highest degree of trust after Putin (Levada.ru, March 30). Shoigu is an experienced courtier and knows how to demonstrate loyalty, but Putin recognizes him to be his own man with quite a large entourage of devoted followers (particularly in the Ministry of Emergencies) and solid support in the officer corps. The aging commander-in-chief cannot afford another politician to develop an independent power base. So in part, the National Guard is supposed to counter-balance Shoigu's empowerment and to check his ambitions (Kasparov.ru, April 6).

Even deeper hidden is the message of Putin's dissatisfaction with the Federal Security Service (FSB), which used to be his most favored "power structure" and the main source of cadre for his administration. Former head of the FSB Nikolai Patrushev is the secretary of the Security Council, which sets the agenda for foreign and domestic policies, and he is not known to be Zolotov's friend (New Times, April 4). The FSB has many hidden channels for monitoring and controlling the interior ministry, but the National Guard will be outside such supervision (Rbc.ru, April 8). The FSB was the lead agency in the struggle against terrorism, and its director, Alexander Bortnikov, still heads the National Anti-Terrorist Committee, but Zolotov's Guard has received its own mandate to operate against terrorist networks (Rbc.ru, April 5). Bureaucratic competition is certain to be aggravated by personal animosities; and, indeed, leaks about the Zolotov family's conspicuous lifestyle started immediately after the announcement of his promotion (Navalny.com, April 8).

One particular twist in the complex intrigue around the newly born National Guard involves the long-simmering conflict between the FSB and Chechnya's maverick master, Ramzan Kadyrov. The investigation of the murder of Boris Nemtsov, on February 27, 2015, uncovered trail leading to Chechnya. But Kadyrov has resolutely refused to cooperate, relying not only on his personal access to Putin but also on a particular connection with Zolotov (Svoboda.org, April 9). Putin made it clear to the FSB that Kadyrov was "off limits" and now has ruled that all the para-military Kadyrovtsy gangs are to formally come under Zolotov's control (Novaya Gazeta, April 9). This is hardly going to make them any more disciplined or inclined to take orders from the Kremlin, but it does now make Putin responsible for any future crimes they might commit. And so, as young liberal opposition leader Ilya Yashin argues, Putin is increasingly becoming a hostage in his ties to Kadyrov (Moskovsky Komsomolets, March 25).

In the past several years, the Kadyrovtsy came in handy for Moscow in the war in Donbas and in the intervention in Syria. But their key role in the near future might be to suppress protest activities inside Russia (Novaya Gazeta, April 6). The National Guard has already started training for the forceful dispersal of street rallies (Moscow Echo, April 9). This is rather striking taking into consideration the fact that the legislative and normative acts for Zolotov's "army" have not even been prepared yet, even if the State Duma is ready to approve any paperwork delivered by the Kremlin (Slon.ru, April 7). The political elites have good reason to expect a rise in discontent caused by economic hardship. And the avalanche of evidence of shameless corruption at the top could turn meek appeals for attention into angry riots (Moskovsky Komsomolets, April 6).

The fear of revolution might appear irrational, but the Kremlin courtiers know how a desperate stance of a small group of liberals could suddenly bring tens of thousands of protesters into Moscow's streets. And the elites have no confidence in the opinion polls showing sky-high support for the supreme leader. Putin, meanwhile, apparently concerned about whether his order to use armed force against a new wave of protests would be followed, has placed his most trusted deputy in the position of power to execute such a command. This has aggrieved many other lieutenants, whose loyalty is a function of access to power convertible into cash flows. By upsetting this balance of power at the top, Putin likely also upset the balance of his fears; and the specter of a palace coup has grown scarier.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
IS-Affiliated Rebels in North Caucasus Show Less Strength Than Expected

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Mairbek Vatchagaev Publication Date 8 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol North Caucasus Analysis Volume: 17 Issue: 7 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, IS-Affiliated Rebels in North Caucasus Show Less Strength Than Expected, 8 April 2016, North Caucasus Analysis Volume: 17 Issue: 7, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724d8974.html [accessed 24 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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Two terrorist attacks recently took place in Dagestan. On March 29, a police officer was killed in an attack on a Ministry of Interior troop convoy in Novy Khushet, a Makhachkala suburb (see EDM, April 1). The next day, March 30, police attempted to stop a car in the village of Sirtych in Dagestan's Tabasaran district, and the car blew up. One police officer died in the explosion. A group of militants under the command of Abudtin Khanmagomedov took responsibility for both attacks. Six months earlier, Khanmagomedov pledged allegiance to the so-called "Islamic State" (IS). The authorities suspect Khanmagomedov's group, also known as Yuzhnaya (Southern), organized the attack on tourists at Derbent's historical Naryn Kala fortress in December 2015 (Fedpress.ru, April 4).

The insurgents call their group the Southern Sector of the Velayat Dagestan, which was called the Derbent jamaat after the creation of the Caucasus Emirate. The Derbent jamaat was among the first groups in Dagestan to side with Rustam Asilderov (a.k.a. Amir Abu Muhammad al-Kadari) when he seceded from the Caucasus Emirate. Asilderov was the rebel amir of Dagestan when he left the Caucasus Emirate and pledged allegiance to the IS's so-called "caliph," Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Grani.ru, June 25, 2015). The IS leadership in the Middle East was apparently informed about the explosions in southern Dagestan quite quickly (Gazeta.ru, March 31), which suggests the southern jamaat of Dagestan is in charge of keeping the region connected to the outside world.

The Russian security services feel the urge to publicize that they have solved crimes and eliminated suspects. However, as is often the case, government officials tend to announce the killing of militants and connect them to recent attacks, whether or not they were actually involved. Thus, it was not surprising that the police detained 23-year-old Nariman Bashirov (a.k.a. Abdulla) the day after the attack on the military convoy. The police said Bashirov was on their wanted list in connection with an attack on police in April 2014. According to the officials, Bashirov was a member of the Derbent jamaat for the past five years (Kavkazsky Uzel, March 31).

The group of militants that included Bashirov was reportedly led by Abu Yasir (Gasan Abdullaev). Although the government says Bashirov is only a suspect, it is clear the government will charge him with involvement in the March 29 attack on the convoy. Aside from that attack on the interior ministry vehicles, the police claim to have formidable evidence against Bashirov related to other cases, accusing him of having attacked police in the forest between the villages of Darvag and Ghejukh on April 8, 2014. One police officer was killed and two wounded in that attack. In June 2015, Bashirov reportedly participated in the murder of a school teacher in the village of Jalgan. In September 2015, Bashirov allegedly took part in the murder of Zagidin and Aminat Askerov as well as their guest, Akhadullakh Novruzbekov, in the village of Rubas. The suspect reportedly participated in the killing of border guard Muradali Gajiakhmedov at Derbent's Naryn Kala fortress on December 30, 2015. The police also suspect Bashirov of murdering 20-year-old Arsen Abasov to steal his car, and so on (Kommersant, March 31).

This undoubtedly is not the full list of Bashirov's crimes, which means that regardless of his participation in the latest terrorist attack, he faces a life sentence. The only strange feature of the story is that the police managed to arrest the suspect without firing a shot: they caught him off guard when he stopped by an auto parts shop. Police officers dragged him out of the shop and put him in the trunk of the police car. Such suspects, who have no chances of escaping life in prison, usually fight to the end because they do not want to end up behind bars. Bashirov's arrest may help the police uncover the network of militants connected to him, since he was not an ordinary militant. This might put Amir Abu Yasir's entire group of at risk.

The fact that the IS took responsibility for the Dagestani militants' attacks does not mean the Middle Eastern organization actually played a role in it. Like the Caucasus Emirate in the past, the IS will claim responsibility for all attacks in the North Caucasus, regardless of who actually carried them out (Kavpolit.com, March 30).

The IS has no links to the North Caucasus other than via the Internet. Hence, the connection between the North Caucasian militants and the IS will be disrupted as soon as the authorities locate the militants who send reports to the Middle East electronically. So far, IS-affiliated insurgents in the region have launched only sporadic and isolated attacks. They apparently do not have the same vision the Caucasus Emirate had. The arrival of the IS in the North Caucasus, which appeared to pose a serious challenge to Russia, has apparently turned out to be less frightening than expected. If the tactics and concepts of the IS-affiliated rebels in the North Caucasus do not change during the coming spring and summer, the region's rebels might be disappointed in the new organization and try to revive the Caucasus Emirate.

Following the terrorist attacks at the end of March, residents of Dagestan saw several counterterrorist operations. According to the National Antiterrorist Committee, the authorities introduced a counterterrorist operation regime in Kurakh district to try and uncover a rebel cell in the area (Runews24.ru, April 5).

The counterterrorist operation regime in Derbent has been in place since March 2, but it has had little success in tracking the rebels down. The police only reported that they found a militant hideout near the village of Zidyan-Kazmalyar. The IS has so far failed to show strength in the North Caucasus. At the same time, the Russian government has not managed to destroy the top IS commanders in the region, which suggests more fighting lies ahead.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
New Prospects for Development of Transport Sector in Azerbaijan

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Azad Garibov Publication Date 18 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 75 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, New Prospects for Development of Transport Sector in Azerbaijan, 18 April 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 75, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724dabc4.html [accessed 24 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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Continuing drastic declines in energy prices have given new impetus to Azerbaijan's long-running quest to diversify its economy and develop the domestic non-oil sector. In this regard, the country's leadership has placed particular importance on the transport sector (Abc.az, April 13; Azernews, March 10). In October 2015, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on the establishment of a Coordinating Council on transit cargo, headed by Minister of Economy and Industry Shahin Mustafayev (Contact.azhttp://abc.az/eng/news/91636.html, October 22, 2015). Moreover, Baku has intensified negotiations with neighboring countries and taken key steps to support the coordination of transport polices, the harmonization of transit regulation, and the introduction of single tariffs in order to establish cost-effective and competitive transit routes through Azerbaijan (Azernews, Jan 12).

Several other recent developments have also improved Azerbaijan's prospects of becoming a strategically central transit country for international trade. First of all, the Trans-Caspian route through the South Caucasus and Central Asia is viewed by China as one of the key transit corridors in its "One Belt, One Road" initiative, aimed at establishing multi-modal transport links across Eurasia (see EDM, September 8, 2015; January 27, 2016). Despite the existing Trans-Siberia route through Russia, which links China to Europe, Moscow's conflicts with its neighbors and its frequent transit disputes with Belarus and the Baltic states motivates China to ensure alternative inland routes (see EDM, February 26).

In a bid to improve transportation cooperation and to become a transit route for European Union-China trade-currently valued at well over 1 billion ($1.13 billion) a day-Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan established a coordination committee, in November 2013, to develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). The TITR is a 4,766-kilometer-long multimodal route connecting China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, with Europe as its final destination. In October 2015, the three main participating countries established a consortium to promote the project (Azertag, October 14, 2015). And on January 14, 2016, they, together with Ukraine, signed a protocol on the establishment of competitive preferential tariffs for cargo transportation along this route (Azernews, February 3). They predict that in its initial phase, TITR will be able to transport up to 5.5 million tons of cargo annually, rising to 13.5 million tons of goods and 300,000 Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) containers per year by 2020 (CACI Analyst, February 18, 2015). In August 2015, delegates from the member states welcomed the Nomad Express, the first container train to complete a journey of over 4,000 km along the TITR corridor. Loaded with 82 containers, the train departed from the city of Shihezi, in northern China, and arrived six days later in Baku (Tengrinews, August 3, 2015). Earlier the same year, Baku's Alyat port also welcomed Turkmenistan's Ro-Pax (designed to carry wheeled freight and passengers) ferry Berkarar for the first time (Trend, January 15, 2015).

Russia's conflicts with Ukraine and Turkey have prompted Moscow to close its borders to outbound transit from these countries. Ukraine and Turkey have, thus, been forced to redirect their exports to China and Central Asia, which has further increased interest in the Trans-Caspian route. Before Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane on November 24, 2015, which had violated Turkish airspace, Russian territory served as the major transit route for Turkey's multi-billion-dollar trade with Central Asia. But after Moscow imposed sanctions on Ankara, including a transit ban, President Ilham Aliyev opened the Azerbaijani route to Turkish truck traffic and signed a protocol with Turkey on international transit, reducing tariffs for cargo transportation via the Baku port to Aktau and Turkmenbashi and by extending multiple visas for Turkish drivers for a year (Daily Sabah, December 8, 2015; CACI Analyst, February 11, 2016).

Similar to Turkey, the transit of Ukrainian goods through Russian territory has faced difficulties, forcing Ukraine to search for alternatives. At the beginning of January 2016, Ukraine proposed using the TITR for its $1.3 billion in annual exports to Central Asia and China (Azernews, January 6; Iwep.kz, February 21). The first container train loaded with Ukrainian goods departed from the port of Illichivsk along the TITR route on January 15 (Trend, Jan 22)

Another noteworthy event that contributed to the increased focus on transit routes in Azerbaijan has been the lifting of the sanctions on Iran, which has enabled the realization of the long-agreed but repeatedly delayed North-South corridor, a route that aims to connect Russia and Europe to Iran, India and the Gulf region (Today.az, October 27, 2015). During the initial stage, it is planned that the route will transport 6 million metric tons of cargo per year, eventually increasing to 15-20 million metric tons (Azernews, August 19, 2015).

The initial agreement on the 7,200-km-long North-South corridor, stretching from St. Petersburg to Mumbai, was signed between Russia, Iran, India and Oman in September 2000. Azerbaijan officially joined the corridor project in 2005 when Baku, Moscow and Tehran endorsed the construction of a 375-km railway-the Qazvin-Rasht-Astara connection-to join the railways of the three countries (Silkroadstudies.org, 2010). After long delays (due in part to the sanctions on Iran), the construction of the 205-km-long Qazvin-Rasht railway has already been completed (see EDM, March 9). The Rasht-Astara line is still the missing link in the North-South transport corridor. However, after the sanctions on Iran were lifted, in September 2015, work on the line was intensified, and the Iranian side promised to complete it in 2016 (Trend, September 11, 2015). When Azerbaijani, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers met in Baku on April 7, 2016, the North-South corridor was again one of the key topics of discussion. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, "An agreement on joint work of the transport ministries, the customs and consular services was reached to promote trilateral transportation projects" (Azernews, April 7).

Azerbaijan aims to position itself as a key node in strategic East-West and North-South inland transportation routes across the Eurasian landmass. When it comes to shipping goods by land versus by sea, these overland transit corridors certainly cannot compete with alternative maritime routes on price alone. However, Azerbaijan together with its neighbors believe that they can properly utilize their advantage in terms of distance, compared to the much longer sea routes, to be able to establish truly competitive transit routes across central Eurasia.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Is Russia Preparing the Annexation of South Ossetia?

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Vasili Rukhadze Publication Date 15 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 74 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Is Russia Preparing the Annexation of South Ossetia?, 15 April 2016, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 74, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724db8b4.html [accessed 24 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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Leonid Tibilov, the de facto leader of the separatist Georgian province of South Ossetia, (Tskhinvali region), declared, on April 11, that his government is planning to hold a referendum about whether to join the Russian Federation. The vote will be held before August of this year (Civil Georgia, April 11).

South Ossetia's separatist regime has entertained the idea of such a referendum and, more generally, of joining Russia for a long time. In fact, it already held two similar referendums within the last 25 years, with paradoxically contradictory results. Specifically, in 1992, Ossetian separatists asked their ethnic kin to vote on whether they wanted to join Russia. As the separatists claimed, 99 percent answered "yes." Fourteen years later, in 2006, they held another referendum, this time asking South Ossetians if they wanted independence from Georgia. According to the separatist authorities, the local population again overwhelmingly answered "yes" (TASS, April 11). This time, the South Ossetian referendum will again resemble the wording of the question posed to the population in 1992-whether or not the separatist republic should join Russia. Thus, taken together, the past and future "referendums" confuse the issue of whether Tskhinvali actually seeks full independence or an annexation by Russia, since one technically precludes the other.

But more to the point, the current planned referendum (just like the previous two) is entirely illegal. The key factor here is that tens of thousands of Georgians-almost half of South Ossetia's population-were ethnically cleansed from the region by the separatists in 1991-1992 and then on an even larger scale in 2008, during the Russian-Georgina war (Smr.gov.ge, September 2009). Consequently, it is unthinkable to consider any type of referendum held in the region as legal without first returning those tens of thousands of Georgians back to their ancestral lands and homes.

Moreover, even putting aside the question of legality, the proposed mid-2016 referendum raises a number of other questions. First and foremost, who really proposed that it be held? Considering the fact that South Ossetia is under Russia's direct military occupation and that, subsequently, no big or small political matter is decided without Moscow's involvement, it is highly unlikely that the announcement of the expected referendum came without Russia's approval, if not on its initiative.

Second, what benefit does this referendum really bring to the Kremlin? The possible result of the referendum is a foregone conclusion: with ethnic Georgians having been almost entirely expelled from the region, clearly the "yes" vote for joining Russia will win. And based on such a result, Moscow may, in fact, move forward with annexing South Ossetia-despite the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin, had previously, though not very convincingly rejected such a possibility (Pia.ge, April 14).

A "yes" vote in August further raises the question of merging South Ossetia with North Ossetia, something that South Ossetian separatists have long advocated (RT, February 20). Yet, there is a problem here. Specifically, the Ossetian ethnic group, located both north and south of the Caucasus mountain range, is divided into three subgroups, each with significant socio-cultural and political differences (Thomas De Waal, The Caucasus: An Introduction, New York: Oxford University Press, 2010, pp. 131-166). And these many disparities often spill out in public. For instance, this past March, the South Ossetian separatist regime called on the North Ossetian authorities to halt the planned concerts by the Georgian ensembles "Rustavi" and "Bani," which were visiting the North Ossetian capital of Vladikavkaz (1tv.ge, March 24; see EDM, April 4).

If a merger of the Ossetians actually happens, and the two groups on either side of the Caucasus Mountain range eventually manage to overcome their differences, they will become a problem for Moscow. After all, for centuries, Russia's policy of imperial rule traditionally relied on the principle of "divide and rule." Currently, the Ossetians are widely considered loyal to Russia. But after already facing years of separatist tendencies in several of the other republics in the North Caucasus, the Kremlin cannot be entirely certain how a united "greater Ossetia" might be affected by such regional trends.

So again, why does Russia really need this referendum if, in the long run, it could sow the seeds of possible turmoil for Moscow? A plausible answer only becomes apparent when zooming out to a broader view of Russian-Georgian relations. Russia's revanchist regime, in its usual style of blackmail and sabotage, is most likely looking to use the referendum as a "sword of Damocles" over Georgia. Specifically, having secured a South Ossetian "yes" vote for joining the Russian Federation, the Kremlin could then, at any time of its choosing, blackmail Tbilisi by threatening to act on the "expression" of the Ossetians' "national will." Moscow could use such leverage whenever Tbilisi tries to pursue a pro-Western foreign policy course or simply if Georgia refuses to submit to some large or small Russian demand.

So far, the current Georgian authorities have shown only their characteristic naivety and lack of understanding of the gravity of the situation. To date, they have limited themselves to condemning the South Ossetian separatist regime and called the expected referendum illegal (Timer.ge, April, 12). But Georgians might soon find out that illegality does not necessarily equal weakness in the unforgiving chaos of international politics. Moscow could soon start actively using the upcoming referendum against Tbilisi, further increasing Georgia's vulnerability to the Kremlin's revanchist policies.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Reports of IS Suicide Bombers Targeting Police in Stavropol Lack Credibility

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Mairbek Vatchagaev Publication Date 15 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol North Caucasus Analysis Volume: 17 Issue: 8 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Reports of IS Suicide Bombers Targeting Police in Stavropol Lack Credibility, 15 April 2016, North Caucasus Analysis Volume: 17 Issue: 8, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724dbee4.html [accessed 24 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 April 11, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti quoted a government official as saying that "according to the preliminary information, three suicide bombers blew themselves up near the Novoselitsky district police station in Stavropol region (RIA Novosti, April 11). The first surprising fact about the incident was the location of the terrorist attack. Novoselitsky district is located in the steppes of eastern Stavropol region. Its population is 26,000 people 18 percent of whom are North Caucasians, and the largest group among the latter are Dargins, who make up a mere 6.5 percent of the district's total population. No military bases, strategic objects, prisons or anything else exist in the area that could be of interest to the suicide bombers who reportedly carried out an attack in Novoselitsky district.

Three rebels indeed attacked the Novoselitsky police station in Stavropol region on the morning of April 11, but fortunately the attack failed. According to investigators, the terrorists were stopped at the entrance to the police station. A police officer reportedly discerned something suspicious about the visitors. One of the militants blew himself up, and the police shot and killed the other two. Investigators assume that Islamic State (IS) supporters were behind the attack. Official Russian media reported that "several terrorists unsuccessfully tried to infiltrate the territory of the Ministry of Interior unit, and three blew themselves up within five to six meters from the building" (Slon.ru, April 11).

The Novoselitsky district police station is nothing like the police station in Budyonnovsk, which has been under heightened protection since the 1995 attack by Shamil Basaev's group. The police station in Novoselitsky district was not protected by any physical barriers. The authorities claim that IS-affiliated militants targeted an obscure police station in Stavropol district, and were destroyed before successfully carrying out the attack, which hardly stands up to scrutiny. The police so far have failed to provide even the video footage of the attack by the "militants."

According to Russia's Investigative Committee, three residents of the village of Kitaevskoe-32-year-old Zaur Akaev, 24-year-old Ramazan Khaibulaev and 19-year-old Isai Abdulatipov-took part in the attack on the Novoselitsky district police station. Investigators said that all three individuals had previously been prosecuted for various crimes, including, in the case of one of them, the murder of his brother-in-law (NTV, April 11). Khaibulaev was charged with theft. Abdulatipov spent time under arrest for illegal possession of drugs. It is unclear why Akaev went to settle scores with the police with a hand grenades instead of a suicide bomber's vest (Lifenews.ru, April 11).

The government dispatched a large police force to Novoselitsky district, including officials from Moscow. The police turned everything upside down in the district, questioned the relatives, friends, and neighbors of the attackers, and searched their homes. The police also questioned members of the Dagestani diaspora since the slain suspects were from ethnic groups indigenous to Dagestan. However, investigators failed to identify whether the suspects attacked the police station by themselves or if a terrorist group orchestrated the attack (Kommersant, April 12).

The police carried out over 60 searches in various parts of Novoselitsky district. They questioned over 100 individuals, but only managed to find out where the improvised explosive devices (IED) were assembled (RIA Novosti, April 12). After a day, the government officials stated that the police had detained an accomplice of the people who had participated in the attack on the police station but released no details of his involvement in the attack (Izvestia, April 13).

Some experts on the North Caucasus hastily stated that militants returning to the region from Syria were causing a new wave of tension (Svpressa.ru, April 11). An expert with the Fund of Electoral Policies, Andrei Serenko, said that "the existence of an IS cell in Stavropol proved that the organization has suicide bombers and explosive devices. In the near future, the IS will reveal its presence in other regions of Russia, including Moscow" (Kavkazsky Uzel, April 11). However, jumping to such far-reaching conclusions after the incident in Stavropol is unjustified. The Russian experts' attempts to seek out ties between all incidents and the IS (Kommersant, April 11) only reflect the current fashion in Russia. As Mikhail Roshchin, a Russian expert and specialist on Islam, said: "Of course, we can now attribute everything to the Islamic State. However, given the fact that the explosion took place in a village, not in a large city, the incident looks quite absurd" (Kavkazsky Uzel, April 11).

Another Russian expert on Islam, Akhmet Yarlykapov, agrees with Roshchin. Yarlykapov thinks that the Islamic State would not have given its consent to launch a risky operation with little potential outcome. Losing three suicide bombers in one incident is too much even for the IS. The Islamic underground movement spends months preparing every suicide bomber for an attack. Hence, it is unlikely that the IS can afford losing its people for a diversionary shot in the Stavropol wilderness.

The police must have realized that their story is too unbelievable and in the first hours after the news about the attack in Stavropol broke, the official Russian media suddenly lost all interest in the attack. Within the first four hours after the incident, the Kremlin signaled what to write and how to cover it. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was necessary "to clearly understand who organized it, who was behind it," in order to determine whether it was connected to the terrorist threat or to ordinary criminal violence (Kommersant, April 11).

Most likely, the police officer was for some reason scared of Akaev and his two friends and shot them. To conceal this and make the police come out clean, the police probably decided to declare the slain individuals "suicide bombers." The officials did not find even a hand gun on them, which is quite strange for militants. Thus, the incident was most likely a criminal event rather than a suicide bombing attack on the Stavropol district police station, and was almost certainly not an attack staged by the Islamic State.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Saudi Arabia's Intervention in Yemen Suggests a Troubled Future for the Kingdom's Anti-Terror Coalition

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Andrew McGregor Publication Date 15 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 8 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Saudi Arabia's Intervention in Yemen Suggests a Troubled Future for the Kingdom's Anti-Terror Coalition, 15 April 2016, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 8, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724dc464.html [accessed 24 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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Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud appears intent on shaking off the perceived lethargy of the Saudi royals in international efforts to combat terrorism, forming a 35-nation anti-terrorism coalition. The coalition has been promoted by Muhammad bin Salman, Salman's son and the Saudi Defense Minister, as a "partner in the worldwide fight" against terrorism (Gulf News, December 15, 2015). In February, Saudi Arabia mounted a military exercise termed Operation Northern Thunder, involving 20 majority Sunni nations and constituting the greatest concentration of troops and military equipment in the Middle East since the Gulf War (Middle East Monitor, March 3).

But the Kingdom's ambitions for its anti-terror coalition-which extend far beyond the military drills of Northern Thunder-are unlikely ever to be realized. Since Shia-majority Iran and Iraq were deliberately excluded (as was Lebanon's Shia Hezbollah movement), there are already questions about the coalition's true intent.

The Kingdom earlier established an alliance of Muslim countries to combat Yemen's Houthi movement after the Shia Zaidi rebels occupied Sanaa in 2014 and displaced the government from Yemen's capital. Assessing the performance of this coalition provides a useful guide to the potential for an even larger Saudi-led counterterrorism coalition designed to intervene in Syria and elsewhere, and its relative lack of success should constitute a warning.

Coalition Operations in Yemen

Operation Decisive Storm was launched on March 26, 2015, as a means of reversing recent territorial gains by the Houthis, securing Saudi Arabia's border with Yemen, and restoring the government of internationally recognized president Abd Rabu Mansur al-Hadi, primarily by means of aerial bombardment. Although it had support from the UK and the U.S., the Saudi-led intervention was seen by Iran, Russia, and leaders within the Gulf's Shia population as a violation of international law.

Nine other nations joined the Saudi coalition: the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Senegal, the only non-Arab League member to take part, likely the result of promised financial aid. Pakistan, a long-time ally of Saudi Arabia, declined a Saudi invitation to join the conflict (Reuters, April 10, 2015).

Despite having the largest army in the coalition, Egypt's contribution on the ground appears to have been minimal, with Cairo perhaps still wary of entanglement in Yemen after the drubbing its expeditionary force took from Royalist guerrillas in Yemen's mountains during the country's 1962-1970 civil war. The Egyptians instead focused on contributing naval ships to secure the Bab al-Mandab southern entrance to the Red Sea, a strategic priority for both Egypt and the U.S.

On April 21, 2015, Operation Decisive Storm was declared complete, to be replaced the next day with Operation Restoring Hope. Though the new operation was intended to have a greater political focus and a larger ground component, the bombing campaign and U.S.-supported blockade of rebel-held ports continued.

A reliance on aerial bombardment failed to make significant changes in military facts on the ground, while a general lack of concern for collateral damage, poor ground-air coordination (despite Western targeting assistance), and a tendency to strike any movement of armed groups alienated the civilian population and kept Yemeni government troops in their barracks (Jadaliyya, May 2, 2015). At times, the airstrikes dealt massive casualties to non-military targets, including a raid on a wedding party in September 2015 that killed 131 people and an attack on a market in Hajja province in March 2016 that killed 119 (Al-Jazeera, October 8, 2015; Middle East Eye, March 17).

Coalition operations have killed some 3,000 militants, but the death of an equal number of civilians alongside the use of cluster munitions and the destruction of infrastructure, mosques, markets, heritage buildings, residential neighborhoods, health facilities, schools and other non-military targets have been serious missteps. Meanwhile, interruptions to the delivery of food, fuel, water, and medical services have left many Yemenis prepared to support whoever is able to provide essential services and a modicum of security.

Army of Mercenaries

A number of Muslim-majority nations appear to be contributing troops to the Saudi-led coalition in return for substantial financial favors. Khartoum's severance of long-established military and economic relations with Iran has been followed by a much cozier and financially beneficial relationship with Saudi Arabia. Sudan committed 850 troops (out of a pledged 6,000) and four warplanes to the fight in Yemen. In return, Khartoum is reported to have received a $1 billion deposit from Qatar in April 2015, and another from Saudi Arabia that August, followed by pledges of Saudi financing for a number of massive infrastructure projects (Gulf News, August 13, 2015; East African [Nairobi], October 31, 2015; Radio Dabanga, October 4, 2015). Sudanese commitment to the Yemen campaign was also rewarded with $5 billion worth of military assistance from Riyadh in February, much of which will be turned against Sudan's rebel movements and help ensure the survival of President Omar al-Bashir (Sudan Tribune, February 24, 2016).

Like the leaders of other coalition states, President Bashir justified the deployment in locally unchallengeable terms of religious necessity-the need to protect the holy places of Mecca and Madinah (Sudan Tribune, March 15, 2016). Neither, of course, is under any realistic threat from Houthi forces.

UAE troops, mostly from the elite Republican Guard (commanded by Australian Mike Hindmarsh) have performed well in Yemen, particularly in last summer's battle for Aden. The UAE's military relies on a large number of foreign advisers at senior levels, mostly Australians (Middle East Eye, December 23, 2015). Hundreds of Colombian mercenaries have been reported fighting under UAE command, with the Houthis reporting the death of six plus their Australian commander (Saba News Agency [Sanaa], December 8, 2015; Colombia Reports [Medellin], October 26, 2015; Australian Associated Press, December 8, 2015).

There is little to be surprised about in the coalition's use of mercenary soldiers. A large portion of Saudi Arabia's combat strength and officer corps consists of Pakistanis, while Pakistani pilots play important roles in the air forces of both Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Oman and Qatar also rely on mercenaries in their defense forces, and Eritrean troops are thought to be embedded with the UAE's forces in Yemen. Although denied by Eritrea's foreign ministry (Geeska Afrika Online [Asmara], February 23), the UN's Somalia-Eritrea Monitoring Group (SEMG) has cited "credible information" that this is the case. SEMG also reported that Eritrea was allowing the Arab coalition to use its airspace and territory in return for fuel and financial compensation. [1] Somalia accepted a similar deal in April 2015 (Al-Monitor, September 10, 2015).

In response to the coalition, the Houthis have mounted near-daily attacks on Saudi Arabia's border defenses, using mortars, Katyusha, and SCUD rockets to strike Saudi positions in Najran and Jizan (Al-Jazeera, December 27, 2015). When Republican Guard forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh joined the Houthi rebellion, they brought substantial firepower in the form of the Russian-made OTR-21 mobile missile system (Albawaba, January 18). These have been used in at least five major strikes on Saudi or coalition bases, causing hundreds of deaths and many more wounded.

Houthis forces have made little attempt to hold ground on the Saudi side of the border. Such a move would only feed Saudi propaganda that the Shia are intent on seizing the holy cities of the Hijaz.

Tackling the Terror Groups

Eliminating al-Qaeda's presence in Yemen was not a military priority of the Saudi-led campaign at the outset, and recent efforts have had little success in this regard, with an assault by Saudi Apache attack helicopters on AQAP positions near Aden on March 13, and airstrikes against AQAP-held military bases near Mukalla, failing to dislodge the group (Xinhua, April 3, 2016).

Instead, al-Qaeda has thrived amid the coalition's bombardment of Yemen. With control of nearly four governorates, a major port (Mukalla, capital of Hadramawt province) and 373 miles of coastline, al-Qaeda has created a financial basis for its administration by looting banks, collecting taxes on trade and selling oil to other parts of fuel-starved Yemen, an unforeseen result of the naval blockade. The group even tried (unsuccessfully) to negotiate an oil export deal with Hadi's government last October (New Straits Times, April 8, 2016). Perhaps drawing on lessons learned from al-Qaeda's attempt to hold territory in Mali in 2012-2013, AQAP has focused less on draconian punishments for locals and the destruction of Islamic heritage sites than on the creation of a working administration that provides infrastructure, humanitarian assistance, health services and a degree of security not found elsewhere in Yemen (IBT, April 7, 2016).

Meanwhile, the Islamic State (IS) has been active in Yemen since its local formation in November 2014. Initially active in Sanaa, it has switched its focus to Aden and Hadramawt, using asymmetric tactics such as assassinating security figures and deploying suicide attackers in bomb-laden vehicles against soft targets such as mosques, as well as launching suicide attacks on military checkpoints followed by assaults with small arms.

With its small numbers, IS has been most effective in urban areas that offer concealment and dispersal opportunities. While the group appears unable to expand its influence in Yemen, this has little to do with the Saudi-led coalition's efforts and more about the contempt with which it treats the lives of its own fighters and the widespread dislike of the movement's foreign (largely Saudi) leadership.

High Cost and Limited Military Success

The cost of Saudi Arabia's intervention in Yemen has been considerable, both in terms of cash and international reputation. It is also difficult to see the operation as a military success-Hadi is no closer to ruling than when the campaign began, Sanaa remains under Houthi control, and radical Islamists have taken advantage of the intervention to expand their influence. The Saudi-led intervention has also left one of the poorest nations on earth in crisis, with 2.5 million displaced and millions more without access to basic necessities.

The Saudis are now intent on drawing down ground operations (al-Arabiya, March 17, 2016). A ceasefire came into effect on April 10, in advance of UN-brokered peace talks in Kuwait to begin on April 18. President Hadi's appointment of a new vice president and prime minister, the presence of a Houthi negotiating team in Riyadh, and the exclusion of ex-president Saleh are all signs that a negotiated settlement could be imminent (Ahram Online, April 7, 2016).

If peace negotiations succeed in drawing the Houthis into the Saudi camp, the Kingdom will emerge with a significant political, if not military, victory. The Kingdom will, however, still have to contend with an even stronger AQAP. The group is consolidating a popular administration in the Yemeni regions under its control and it is not impossible to imagine it becoming the first al-Qaeda affiliate to shift from terrorist organization to political party.

In light of the current intervention in Yemen, it is difficult to imagine how the insertion of another Saudi-led coalition into Syria would make any meaningful contribution to ending the conflict there. A possible admission of this came from Saudi foreign minister Adl al-Jubayr, who indicated the Kingdom intends to contribute only a smaller Special Forces unit to the fighting in Syria, and will focus on destroying IS forces "in the framework of the international coalition," rather than wholesale regime change (Gulf News, February 23, 2016).

Andrew McGregor is Director of Aberfoyle International Security, a Toronto-based agency specializing in security issues related to the Islamic world.

Notes:

[1] See Report of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea pursuant to Security Council resolution 2182 (2014): Eritrea, October 19, 2015, 3/93: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2015/802. Operation Northern Thunder: Besides Saudi Arabia, the other nations involved in were Egypt, Jordan, Senegal, Sudan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Pakistan, Chad, Tunisia, Djibouti, Comoro Islands and Peninsula Shield Force partners Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Boko Haram: Nigerian Military Crackdown Prompts Terror Group to Adapt

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Emma Bauer & Meghan Conroy Publication Date 15 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 8 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Boko Haram: Nigerian Military Crackdown Prompts Terror Group to Adapt, 15 April 2016, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 8, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724dcb94.html [accessed 24 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

Shortly after his May 2015 inauguration, President Muhammadu Buhari gave the Nigerian military until the end of that year to defeat Boko Haram. As the deadline approached, Buhari assured the public the jihadist organization had been "technically" defeated (Naij, February 6). In December 2015, the current Nigerian administration-including the president and defense minister-claimed that Boko Haram would be completely defeated within three months' time. Although they missed their second deadline, Nigerian security forces have successfully killed and arrested several Boko Haram leaders, including a key member of Ansaru-a Boko Haram splinter group linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Borno native Khalid al-Barnawi was designated a wanted terrorist by the U.S. Department of State in June 2012 (The Herald [Nigeria], April 3, 2016). Further supplementing their success, the Nigerian military has taken back a good amount of the territory occupied under the insurgency's so-called "Islamic Caliphate," which was declared by its leader, Shekau, in 2014 (All Africa, January 5).

These are signs of a successful counterinsurgency strategy by President Buhari, faring in stark contrast to the efforts of his predecessor Goodluck Jonathan, who was frequently criticized for downplaying the threat Boko Haram posed as a terrorist organization and ignoring its mass atrocities, claiming instead the group was a "northern weapon" aimed at discrediting him (All Africa, March 15, 2015).

However, while Nigerian security forces have achieved some success, Boko Haram does not show signs of ultimate defeat-it has already been responsible for the deaths of at least 350 people within Nigerian borders in 2016. [1] Its strategy has shifted since Buhari's inauguration, leaning away from conventional warfare and toward more asymmetric tactics.

Counterterrorism Under Jonathan

During President Jonathan's early years in office, Boko Haram's attacks had focused on targeting police, government officials, and religious figures, employing large-scale massacres and mass abductions as the group's key strategies. [2] Boko Haram's most significant attack during this period was arguably its August 2011 bombing of the UN regional headquarters in Abuja, in which 23 people were killed (The Indian Express, September 17, 2011).

The years 2012 and 2013 saw intensified brutality by Boko Haram, resulting in President Jonathan declaring a state of emergency in three northeastern Nigerian states and the U.S. designating the group as a terrorist organization (Al-Jazeera, May 15, 2013; U.S. Department of State, November 13, 2013).

Violence at the hands of the group continued to increase throughout 2013 and 2014 as Boko Haram seized several towns and villages throughout the northern states of Borno and Adamawa. In 2014, the group garnered international attention when it kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in April that year (Al-Jazeera, August 25, 2014). Jonathan's apparent ineffectiveness in the face of the insurgency's attacks was demonstrated in the wake of the Chibok kidnappings. According to Borno state governor Kashim Shettima, Jonathan took 19 days to contact him in response to the abductions, despite being informed of national security issues on a daily basis (All Africa, April 2).

Five months later, Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, declared its captured territory in Borno state to be an Islamic caliphate (Al Arabiya, Sept. 3, 2014).

Mass abductions by Boko Haram continued throughout 2014, as did Jonathan's failure to properly address them. In November of that year, Boko Haram kidnapped at least 300 schoolchildren in the town of Damasak, abductions which received little attention until the story broke in late March 2016. Residents of Damask are claiming that they were silenced by the Nigerian government (PM News Nigeria, March 31; Naij, April 3). One of those who came forward about the kidnapping-and whose seven-year-old was among those abducted-claimed: "We kept quiet on the kidnap out of fear of drawing the wrath of the government, which was already grappling with the embarrassment of the kidnap of the Chibok schoolgirls ... Every parent was afraid to speak out."

Behind the failure of Jonathan's administration to tackle Boko Haram was an inability to deal with issues within the Nigerian military. For years, the Nigerian army has been plagued by corruption, exacerbated by unpaid wages and poor morale (Naij, January 23, 2015). Former Defense Minister Muhamud Yayale Ahmed, a critic of Jonathan's handing Boko Haram, said the rampant corruption and mismanagement had left Nigeria with an unmotivated and under-equipped national security force (The Guardian [Nigeria], May 25, 2015).

Jonathan's presidency came to a close with Boko Haram's bayat to the Islamic State in March 2015 (Terrorism Monitor, December 17, 2015).

Counterterrorism Under Buhari

Following his inauguration on May 29, 2015, President Buhari dismissed the Nigerian National Security Adviser (NSA) and other chiefs that had served under President Jonathan. After appointing their replacements, Buhari gave the new NSA an ultimatum to defeat Boko Haram by December 2015. Though the deadline has come and gone, Buhari's strategy has been successful in cutting off the group's resource routes and destroying many of its safe havens and camps (African Arguments, January 5).

In pursuance of bolstered collaboration across borders to counter Boko Haram, President Buhari has urged his fellow African leaders to counter youth radicalization and to actively undercut terrorist efforts to exploit younger populations (Daily Trust, April 6). Buhari identified the trends underscoring Africa-based terror attacks, claiming that "intense planning, strong alliances, and proper financial sponsorships" are common on the continent, citing Boko Haram's close relationship with the Islamic State and its bevy of material resources (Daily Trust, April 6). The greater focus on cross-border efforts has allowed Nigeria to starve the militants of much-needed assets, including recruits.

Reports surfaced this month-that have since been denied by the government-that Boko Haram has requested more than $50 million in ransom for the return of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls. This could indicate the group is struggling to provide resources for themselves and their prisoners (Premium Times [Nigeria], April 10). Hostages rescued from Boko Haram in May of 2015 had already reported arguments between Boko Haram members over resource and weapons shortages and reports have emerged from West Africa detailing the food crisis that Boko Haram members are now suffering (Yaig, May 5, 2015; Food World News, March 7).

A slew of Boko Haram members have surrendered in recent months, largely in part to a lack of food (Pulse [Nigeria], March 2; Naij, April 7; Naij, March 10). In a planned initiative termed "Operation Safe Corridor," these former Boko Haram militants will be profiled, documented, and trained in new skills as the part of a de-radicalization and rehabilitation program. More than 800 former fighters are expected to receive rehabilitation and training as part of the program, but the real test will be whether victims of Boko Haram-including those subjected to sex slavery and rape at the hands of the group-will be willing to accept former militants back into their communities (The Guardian [Nigeria] April 9).

Boko Haram has attempted to make a show of strength to counter Buhari's successes. On April 1, the group released a video aimed at dispelling its rumored weakness, claiming, "You should know that there is no truce, there [are] no negotiations, there is no surrender" (Daily Post [Nigeria], April 1). The video-which pictured fighters bearing AK-47s posed in front of Toyota pickup trucks-came a week after another less slickly produced video, featuring Boko Haram's leader Abubakr Shekau was released in which he reminded his followers of their religious duties and assured them that he was still alive. This "recent" video of Shekau appears to have been produced in 2014 but had not been previously released; there exist a number of theories in regards to why the video was not released at the time of its production (Enca, March 24).

While the government appears to have reduced the group's ability to conduct conventional warfare, its asymmetric tactics continue to pose a significant threat. Instead of focusing on capturing land, the group has become more mobile and focused on terror attacks, carrying out kidnappings, rapes, and suicide bombings. Militants have increasingly targeted remote villages in agricultural regions, conducting hit-and-run attacks, stealing cattle and food to sustain both the fighters and their prisoners. The group's change in tactics has led some officials to make bold claims about the group's demise. Governor Kashim Shettima said of Boko Haram: "For now, they have been defeated as a fighting force, they don't have the capacity to hold on to territory in this country as they used to" (Naij, April 8). While Boko Haram has undoubtedly lost territory, it may not be as much as Buhari claims. In a recent hearing held by the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, David Rodriguez of the US Africa Command, said that while the group no longer holds the territory it once did, it does still possess swaths of land in northern Nigeria (Sahara Reporters, March 11).

Conclusion

Boko Haram's modus operandi of late appears to be use of vulnerable populations-namely women and children-as both victims and the perpetrators. Instead of focusing on capturing land, the group has instead adopted more mobile tactics focused on wanton violence including kidnapping, rape, conscription of youth, suicide bombing, and sexual slavery. This was most recently seen in an attempted attack on Maiduguri, in which five female suicide bombers were thwarted by a vigilante group (All Africa, April 9). While a great number of people have been freed from Boko Haram's captivity recently (StarAfrica, April 7), they are then placed in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, often located in the Lake Chad region. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), over 2.2 million people from Nigeria's northern region have been displaced by Boko Haram, resulting in overpopulated IDP camps and inadequate security to protect them (Ventures Africa, September 29, 2015; Vanguard, September 13, 2015). Boko Haram's successful increase in use of children and female suicide bombers indicates that the Nigerian army does not have a jihadist "front" to counter like they once did, and Boko Haram's acts of terror are more unpredictable and thereby more difficult to proactively counter. [3]

Emma Bauer is a graduate student at George Washington University and currently works at AECOM International Development.

Meghan Conroy is the Program Associate in Global Terrorism Analysis at The Jamestown Foundation.

Notes:

[1] Statistics gathered by Gregory Burton and Alexander Sullivan, threat analysts for Project Cyma. The authors would like to thank Gregory and Alexander for their research assistance on this piece.

[2] Ibid.

[3] For more information on Boko Haram, read Northern Nigeria's Boko Haram: The Prize in al-Qaeda's Africa Strategy by Jacob Zenn, Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
New Generation of Militants Emerging in Kashmir

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Sudha Ramachandran Publication Date 15 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 8 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, New Generation of Militants Emerging in Kashmir, 15 April 2016, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 8, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724de5a4.html [accessed 24 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

Militants attacked a multi-storied government building in Pampore in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in February, leading to a three-day standoff with security forces (Indian Express, February 22; Kashmir Reader, February 23). While the incident was notable as one of the longest armed encounters in Kashmir in recent years, even more significant was the swell of popular protests during the incident.

A large number of Kashmiri civilians gathered at the site, pelting the security forces with stones and blocking roads to obstruct their operations during the encounter (Kashmir Observer, February 23; Times of India, February 23). The protesters shouted anti-India slurs and sang songs in support of the militants and Kashmir's freedom from Indian rule.

Such scenes, not seen since the early days of the insurgency, are once again a regular feature in the Kashmir Valley, leading the government to issue an advisory calling for civilians to stay away from encounter sites (Indian Express, March 9). The increasing numbers of civilians gathering at the scenes of clashes and the funerals of militants, however, are indicative of the public mood and reflect a renewed interest by a newer, younger, and more internet-savvy generation of Kashmiri militants.

Popular Support for the Insurgency

When anti-India protests erupted in the Valley in 1989-90, they enjoyed popular support. Thousands of people would pour into the streets demanding freedom from India. Huge crowds would converge at funerals of militants where people would eulogize the "martyrdom" of "their boys." As Pakistan's grip over the militancy tightened, however, the militancy grew more Islamist in nature. Groups like the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) that were as opposed to Pakistan as they were to India were marginalized by Kashmiri pro-Pakistan groups like the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), which soon gave way to Pakistani terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed. Kashmiri groups consequently receded into the background of the jihadist scene.

By the mid-1990s, India's counter-insurgency operations had broken the back of most militant groups. More importantly, popular support for the militants had deteriorated as locals grew tired of the violence and crime that had become associated with them and recognized that Pakistan's support for the militants was driven by territorial ambitions rather than concerns about Kashmiri welfare. Several Kashmiri militants had become informants as a result, playing an important role in turning the tide against the militancy.

Slowly the situation in J&K improved and relative normalcy returned, although anti-India sentiment continued to simmer, often spilling over into protests against the security forces, in particular over extrajudicial killings. In one of the clearest examples, Kashmir erupted in anger in March 2010 when Indian soldiers tried to pass off the killing of three Kashmiri civilians as an elimination of Pakistani "infiltrators." People took to the streets, youths pelted the police and paramilitary forces with stones, and life in the Valley came to a virtual standstill for about four months. Even amid these protests, however, the local population remained opposed to militancy (The Hindu, November 17, 2015).

Since then, however, civilian support for Kashmir's militants-even Pakistani factions-appears to have intensified. In December 2015, LeT commander Abu Qasim was killed in Kulgam in a joint operation between the military and the police, and 30,000 people attended in his funeral. Residents observed a three-day shut down to protest his killing by the security forces and villagers from Kakapora, Khandaypora and Bugam (Hindustan Times, October 31, 2015; Indian Express, March 9). The scenes were reminiscent of those of the early 1990s.

Even if Kashmiri youth are not flocking to militant groups as they did in the early 1990s, the use of violence to address perceived or real grievances is gaining popularity. That signals a mounting alienation from the Indian state, as well as repeated disillusionment with democracy and dialogue. Moreover, the fact that Qasim, a Pakistani national and leader of the Pakistan-backed LeT, could be so popular in south Kashmir should be of significant concern to India (Rising Kashmir).

The New Generation

A new generation of militants is taking charge in Kashmir. In the past, the epicenter of militancy was in the state's north near popular infiltration routes, but violence incidents are increasingly occurring in southern Kashmir. The area is also providing fertile ground for new recruits, with some even deserting the police to join the militants (Rising Kashmir, February 22).

Unlike those who took up arms in the early 1990s, the new militants are educated, employed, well-to-do, tech-savvy, and active on social media. HM's Mohammad Ishaq Parray, also known as "Newton," was top of his class, scoring 95% in the 12th grade exams, while Zakir Rashid Bhat, also from HM, was a civil engineering student in Chandigarh before he joined the group in March 2015. Both former students are now wanted men (Greater Kashmir, December 23, 2015).

Another development is that the new militants flaunt their identity online. A photograph of a group of 11 militants uploaded on Facebook shows them with their faces uncovered and their weapons on display, and such audacity has generated much excitement among Kashmiri youth. Foremost among these new "heroes" is HM's 21-year-old commander in south Kashmir, Burhan Wani. Audio clips of his speeches are all the rage among Kashmiri youth and have reportedly stirred at least 80 young men from south Kashmir to take up arms (Indian Express, July 26, 2015).

The number of local youths joining the militancy has more than doubled over the last couple of years. According to police records, 31 local youths joined the militant group in 2013. The number for 2015, even with figures only until the end of September, stood at 66. The ratio of local to foreign militants has also changed, from 40:60 in 2013 to 60:40 last year (Rising Kashmir, November 20, 2015).

This localization of the militancy should worry India after having distanced themselves from the militancy for almost two decades. As one Indian intelligence official put it, "Kashmiris are eyeing the gun again, slowly but surely." He explained that, while India had earlier been able to condemn terrorist attacks by foreign militants as being "part of Pakistan's proxy war against India," it will be harder for India to dismiss the more local roots of the insurgency. Local militants are also more familiar with the topography of Kashmir. They have a large network of support provided by their families and local communities, advantages that counter-insurgency forces cannot easily match. [1]

Return to Resistance

Some attribute the return of popular support for militancy to a shift in Pakistan's strategy. Since it has become more difficult for Pakistan to push terrorists across the heavily guarded Line of Control (LoC) into India, Islamabad is recruiting local Kashmiris and providing them with rudimentary training (Hindustan Times, December 17, 2015). Others see the 2010 protests as a turning point, highlighting the fact that several of the new recruits were participants and/or had family and friends who were killed by police during the demonstrations (Indian Express, July 26, 2015).

More broadly, the rise of communal politics in India and the subsequent targeting of Muslims has stoked fear and anger among J&K's Muslim majority. Mohammad Akhlaq, who was lynched to death in Dadri in Uttar Pradesh on the mere suspicion of consuming beef, and Zahid Ahmed, a trucker from south Kashmir who was killed by a Hindu mob as a result of mere rumors, are "household names" in Kashmir today (Hindustan Times, December 17, 2015). India's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads India's coalition government, has not reined in or punished activists who unleash violence on Muslims-this has further enraged Kashmiri youth.

The decision by the People's Democratic Party (PDP), a Kashmiri party, to collaborate with the BJP to form the J&K state government in the 2014 elections has also alienated many of the PDP's core supporters-who were "soft separatists" to begin with-and pushed Kashmiri youth towards militancy (Rising Kashmir).

Growing Threat

Although militant violence remains low in the Valley overall, the rise in public support for the militants is a matter of concern for India. The glorification of militants will only encourage more Kashmiris to turn to violence. While several of the "new generation" of militants appear to be more active online than on the ground, the threat they pose cannot be taken lightly. They are playing an important role in glamorizing militancy online and attracting new recruits. The current phase is one of quiet recruitment, and India should act quickly to address the underlying grievances of the local population or risk watching them pick up arms to secure their political rights once more.

Dr. Sudha Ramachandran is an independent researcher and journalist based in Bangalore, India. She has written extensively on South Asian peace and conflict, political and security issues for The Diplomat, Asia Times and Jamestown's China Brief.

Notes:

[1] Author interview with official from India's Intelligence Bureau (IB), Srinagar, April 3.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Somalia: Puntland Clashes Show Growing Al-Shabaab Threat

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Alexander Sehmer Publication Date 15 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 8 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Somalia: Puntland Clashes Show Growing Al-Shabaab Threat, 15 April 2016, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 8, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724deeb4.html [accessed 24 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

Government forces in Somalia claim to have killed more than 100 al-Shabaab fighters in a major clash in Puntland, located in the country's northeast. A further 59 fighters were captured-among them, several foreign fighters including three Kenyans (Daily Nation, April 7). The attack is a blow to the Somali militant group and will be celebrated by Kenya, which suffered severe casualties in a devastating al-Shabaab attack on its forces in January (Daily Nation, January 16). However, it should be a cause for concern that fighting is moving north.

Puntland had enjoyed relative calm amid Somalia's insurgency up until recent months. In March, dozens of al-Shabaab militants seized the coastal town of Garcad, with locals accusing the Puntland administration of failing to put up a fight (Horseed Media, March 15). Later that same month, a suspected al-Shabaab suicide bomber detonated near a popular teashop in Galkayo, killing at least six people (Garowe Online, March 31).

For some, Al-Shabaab's movement toward the north is seen as a response to the group losing ground to African Union forces (AMISOM) further south, though AMISOM's success should not be overstated. The AMISOM forces, which have been in the country for more than nine years, are still not as effective as they should be. There was an announcement earlier this month, however, that AMISOM, alongside Somali forces, had killed six Al-Shabaab commanders, indicating that the forces have found some measure of success (AMISOM, April 4).

Among the militants AMISOM claimed it to have killed was a Yemeni bomb-maker identified as "Abu Islam" and-more significantly-Hassan Ali Dhoore, a leader with the group's Amniyat intelligence arm. Dhoore is thought to have played a key role in the 2014 Christmas Day attack on AMISOM forces at Mogadishu airport. Dhoore's killing was also claimed by the U.S. in its announcement that he had been killed in U.S. drone strike on March 31 (India.com, April 5). The Pentagon later confirmed Dhoore's death. Al-Shabaab maintains the others claimed by AMISOM are merely propaganda.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Pakistan: JeM Leader Kept Off UN Sanctions List

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Alexander Sehmer Publication Date 15 April 2016 Citation / Document Symbol Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 8 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Pakistan: JeM Leader Kept Off UN Sanctions List, 15 April 2016, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 8, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5724df404.html [accessed 24 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

China has blocked India's attempt to have Maulana Masood Azhar, the leader of Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), designated a UN-sanctioned individual.

According to Indian media, China, the only member of the Security Council to vote against sanctioning Azhar, said the JeM leader did not meet the requirements to be blacklisted by the UN (Indian Express, April 2). The move angered India (Times of India, April 2), but was welcomed by JeM in its al-Qalam publication (ZeeNews, April 12). Azhar, a former member of Harakat-ul-Mujahideen, founded JeM in 2000. The group, which is officially banned in Pakistan, is active in Kashmir although its aims and operations are geographically more expansive.

This is the second time China has blocked a move to sanction Azhar. India had attempted to designate Azhar in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. This time, however, India wanted Azhar sanctioned over the January 2016 attack on its Pathankot airbase. The four-day clash at the airbase left seven Indian security personnel dead and prompted a security overhaul along the country's 2,900 kilometer western border with Pakistan (Times of India, April 11).

The Pathankot attack was claimed by the United Jihad Council (UJC), an alliance of largely Kashmiri militant groups-among them the pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen (Dawn, January 4). The claim appeared to be intended to focus attention on Kashmir at a time when India's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, had just undertaken a historic trip to Pakistan to meet President Nawaz Sharif (see Sudha Ramachandran's article in this issue of Terrorism Monitor for additional developments in Kashmir).

India remains skeptical of the UJC's claim and instead blames JeM, which has a wider field of operations than the UJC and appears a more likely candidate to have been behind the attack. A series of attacks on Indian assets around the same time as the Pathankot attack -including an attempt to storm the Indian consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan-likewise suggested regional militant groups were receiving some direction from the Pakistani intelligence services who were unhappy with political developments (Al Jazeera, January 3).

Soon after the Pathankot attack-likely based on intelligence supplied by India-Pakistan arrested Azhar. But it remained equivocal on India's claims against JeM, with Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah referring to the arrest as "protective custody" (Dawn, January 15). Meanwhile, China's move to keep Azhar off the UN sanctions list is a use of its UN Security Council position to contain Indian power in the region, and has occurred despite the fact that JeM as an organization has been under UN sanctions since October 2001.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
Photo: VNA



Addressing the event, Ambassador Pham Huu Chi thanked international friends in general and the RoK in particular for their valuable support in the national construction and defence, affirming that Vietnam always strives to contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.

Chairman of the RoK - Vietnam Friendship Association Choi Young-joo, for his part, hailed Vietnam for its fast economic growth in Southeast Asia after 41 years of national reunification.

Speaking highly of bilateral friendship over the past time, Deputy Minister of Public Security Bui Van Thanh said the RoK has become the largest investor in Vietnam while Vietnam is also one of the RoKs most important markets.

In Cambodia, the General Association of Vietnamese-Cambodians held a similar event on April 29 to mark the occasion./.
Halloween is nearly here. Find out when Trick-or-Treat is happening in Martinsville.

The leaves are changing, the evenings are getting cooler and excitement is building as Halloween draws closer.
Photo: vnexpress.net



Prof. Dr. Furuta Motoo is currently chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association and the Japan Association for Vietnamese Studies.

This is first time Vietnam National University-Hanoi has appointed a foreigner as head of its member school.

Minister Nha, who is also Director of Vietnam National University-Hanoi, also announced a decision recognising To Huy Rua, chairman of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association, as the honorary rector of the VJU.

Associate Prof. Dr. Vu Anh Dung was appointed as vice rector of the VJU.

Nha said the establishment of the VJU has been a long process with strong determination of high-ranking leaders of Vietnam and Japan and the intellectual contribution from experts and scientists of the two countries.

He said he believes the VJU will develop to meet expectation from the two governments and peoples and the ministry will create all favorable conditions for the VJU in particular and Vietnam National University-Hanoi in general to implement its works.

He hoped the Japanese Government, organisations and individuals would continue assisting the two education establishments to fulfil their set plans.

Prof. Dr. Furuta Motoo expressed his honour at being appointed as the rector of the VJU, a symbol of the Vietnam-Japan friendship and solidarity.

He said the VJU will be developed to become one of top universities meeting international standards and train students, both in social and natural sciences, able to meet the reality of Vietnam.

The VJU was formed on July 21st, 2014 under Decision No 1186/QD-TTg and is the seventh member school of Vietnam National University-Hanoi.

The VJU will open six Master training courses in autumn of 2016, including nano technology, environmental engineering, infrastructure engineering, regional studies, public policy and business administration./.
I LOVE A PARADE!

The Western Heritage Classic is just around the corner!

Kick off the festivities at the parade and street dance at 6:30 p.m. May 12 in downtown Abilene. Wagons, riding clubs, antique cars and tractors, bands and floats all sport a western theme in this colorful display. Following the parade, head down to the corner of North 1st and Cypress sstreet for the Western Heritage Street Dance. The band Muddy Creek will provide classic country music for you to two-step to with your partner. This family fun event is free to the public and ends when the sun goes down.

Entries for the Western Heritage Classic Parade are due Thursday. Find the parade entry form at www.westernheritageclassic.com or contact the Taylor County Expo Center, 325-677-4376

YOUR BEST BRAIN NOW

The Alzheimer's Association  North Central Texas Chapter has scheduled its annual Abilene Caregiver Seminar, Your Best Brain NOW: Practices for Brain Health, a half-day event, for 1 to 5 p.m. on Friday at Southern Hills Church of Christ, 3666 Buffalo Gap Road.

The seminar is designed to teach the basics of brain function and healthy brain behaviors, and will demonstrate practical strategies to help participants keep their minds fit while reducing their risk of dementia. Two dynamic speakers will be featured: Betsy Broyles Arnold and Molly Arnold Gay.

Registration is required for all participants. Check-in begins at noon; walk-ins will be admitted space permitting. There is no charge for family caregivers, although donations will be accepted. Continuing education credit is available for professionals, nurses, and social workers for $35. The program cost for other professionals not needing continuing education credit is $20.

For additional information or to register, call Mindy Bannister at 325-672-2907 or 800-272-3900.

COLLEGE DE-STRESS DAY

Sometimes it takes food trucks, new environment and some fun to help alleviate the stress of studying for final exams. College students (with ID), are invited to drop in at The Grace Museum, 102 Cypress St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday for a day of de-stressing before exams.

Enjoy food for purchase from the food trucks, complimentary coffee, and a whole new setting to take your studying. Enjoy quiet time in the art galleries, or take it outside in our Courtyard.

TOT SPOT

Tot Spot offers children ages 3 to 5 and their parents or guardians the opportunity to expand their large imaginations through hands-on activities and gallery games. Classes take place on the first Thursday and Friday of every month (May 5 or 6) at The Grace Museum, 102 Cypress St.

After the program, children with an accompanying adult may enjoy the art and history galleries as well as the children's museum. Admission to Tot Spot is free for museum members, and $5 per participating child for non-members.

Reservations are required 24 hours ahead of the session desired. Classes are limited to 20 participating children. Call the museum at 325-673-4587 to rsvp.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Keep Abilene Beautiful celebrates is 30th anniversary by pledging to plant 30 trees, in various City Parks, by the end of the year.

Businesses, groups and individuals are encouraged to help the organization reach this goal by donating funds for each of the 30 trees. A donation of $300 will cover the cost of the tree, the planting, maintenance, and a $100 donation to Keep Abilene Beautiful for future projects.

In return for your donation, you will receive: a tree planted in one of our City parks, maintenance of your tree, recognition of your donation on the City's Commemorative Tree Map and a tax deduction as allowed by law

If you have any questions or would like to sponsor a tree, call at 325-734-3301 or visit www.KeepAbileneBeautiful.org for more information.

Mail your information to Jan Woodward in care of "Around Town," Abilene Reporter-News, P.O. Box 30, Abilene, TX 79604. E-mail address is jan.woodward@reporternews.com or fax information to 325-670-5242. Deadline for submission is noon seven working days before publication.
Followers of Western Christian traditions celebrated Easter especially early this year, while practitioners of Eastern Orthodoxy are celebrating especially late.

For most Christians in the United States, Easter Sunday fell on March 27. For Orthodox Christians, Easter will be observed Saturday and Sunday, with the primary local service being held from 11 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday.

Services will be held at St. Luke Orthodox Church, 501 Sunset Drive. The service of Vesperal Divine Liturgy begins at 10 a.m. Saturday. The Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy, the primary Easter service, will be held 11 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday.

"It's not for the fainthearted," said Philip LeMasters, priest at the church.

The three-hour service will be a combination of a divine liturgy and a vigil. The service will begin inside the darkened church and process outside. Then, the church will be lighted, and everyone will go back inside.

"We'll be busy the whole time," LeMasters said.

On Sunday, a brief Agape Vespers service will begin at noon at the church, followed by a luncheon in the home of a member.

The reason for the wide variation in the Easter observance dates for Western and Eastern Christians is that they are based on different calendars. Western Christians follow the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, while Eastern Orthodox Christians follow the Julian calendar, introduced by Roman Emperor Julius Caesar 45 years before the birth of Christ.

IF YOU GO

What: Orthodox Easter services

When: 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. Saturday; noon Sunday

Where: St. Luke Orthodox Church, 501 Sunset Drive

Details: 10 a.m. Saturday, Vesperal Divine Liturgy; 11 p.m. Saturday-2 a.m. Sunday, Paschal Matins and Divine Liturgy; noon Sunday, Agape Vespers ar church, followed by lunch at the home of a member

More information: Philip LeMasters, priest, 675-9922
Anyone walking along Hickory Street a block or so south of Interstate 20 would see a vacant lot on the west side of the street as just that  a vacant lot.

But to Brian Massey, the grassy lot shaded by trees on the eastern edge looks like something biblical, the Promised Land to be exact. He closes his eyes and envisions a 400 square-foot house sitting on the lot, with perhaps a husband and wife inside, grateful for the place to live either for free or at minimal cost while one undergoes long-term treatment at a local medical facility.

To Massey, providing that housing solution for the sick who can't afford a hotel room fulfills a mandate from Jesus to care for the sick. Jesus' mandate, as recorded in Matthew 25, calls for followers to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, offer hospitality to the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the prisoner and care for the sick.

"There's wonderful ministry for all of this," Massey said, "except caring for the sick."

Abilene is a medical hub for the West Central Texas area, Massey noted, and many people travel here for treatment, particularly for radiation and chemotherapy. For many, the distance is too far to go back and forth each day for the duration of the treatment.

Some can afford to stay in a hotel or get a room at the Hendrick League House, which charges $40 per night, according to its website. Both for others, even the $40 is out of reach.

And that is where Massey sees his Sonrise Ministries coming into play. The Sonrise Ministries congregation, led by Massey, meets Sundays at 126 S. Mockingbird Lane in a building owned by WolfePak, a business software development company where Massey's wife, Karen, is an accountant. But Sonrise Ministries is more than a congregation.

"We're a ministry that has a church," Massey said.

For years, Massey worked in the electronics industry, originally installing and supporting equipment and then being involved in research and development. But he knew that wasn't his true calling, although he wasn't sure what that was until rereading Matthew 25. Then, it was crystal clear. Providing housing for sick people was the answer.

"This is the calling that's been upon me all the time," Massey said, "and I didn't know it."

Now that he does know it, Massey is hard at work bringing his vision to life. His goal is to engage churches in Abilene to sponsor the 20 houses he wants to build. The church's role would be to help with expenses such as utilities and to assist the family living in the house with food and other necessities.

Massey has had discussions with Jeff Addison, pastor of Ridgemont Baptist Church, about sponsoring the first house, which already is funded for construction. Massey met with Addison and Ridgemont's missions team, which liked the idea, Addison said.

The next step will be to present the idea to the entire congregation for approval. Whether Ridgemont eventually sponsors a house or not, Addison sees a bright future for Sonrise Ministries.

"I think it's going to be well supported," he said.

Construction will start on the Hickory Street house as soon as Massey learns from the city whether the lot's zoning allows for the type home Massey envisions.

"Lord willing, we're going to build the house," Massey said.

Other land will be purchased and houses built as funds are raised.

Massey also wants to involve area churches in what he calls a "lighthouse community." A church in a larger community such as Sweetwater would serve as the liaison between people in need in a nearby small town, such as Roscoe, and Sonrise Ministries. The pastor of the "lighthouse community" church would connect the person in need with Massey.

Massey's passion for caring for the sick comes from a couple of places. Born in Hamlin, Massey grew up in Trent, where he graduated from high school in 1988. He earned an associate degree in robotics from Texas State Technical College in 1991. He landed a job with Sun Microsystems and traveled back and forth to Japan. He later got a job with another company in the Dallas area and was placed in charge of training corporate managers.

In 2008, Massey moved to Abilene and now is president of Rainy Creek Management, which manages rental properties, in addition to his ministerial duties.

"That sort of began to groom me for this vision," he said of property management.

He named his ministry "Sonrise" after the ministry his parents once ran in Merkel before that ministry was replaced by Love and Care Ministries. When Massey was growing up, his parents would take the family every Sunday to visit residents of a nursing home.

Sonrise Ministries for a while conducted worship services for residents of the Windsor Hotel. When one of the residents was hospitalized, Massey conducted a communion service for him in his room.

When Massey's mother developed leukemia, Massey got an even more personal brush with caring for the sick. The family spent Christmas 2005 at Baylor Hospital in Dallas while his mother underwent treatment.

A church in the Dallas area provided an apartment for the family to stay in.

"It was a saving grace that helped them get through that," Massey said.

His mother died in 2010, but Massey never forgot that kindness, which led to the ministry he envisions today.

Being a man of faith, Massey knows in his heart that his vision will become a reality.

"I don't know how it's going to work," he said, "but I know it's going to work."

SONRISE MINISTRIES

What: Church and social ministry. Congregation meets Sundays at 126 S. Mockingbird Lane; 10 a.m. Sunday School; 11 a.m. worship

Church pastor and social ministries president: Brian Massey

Vision: Build 20 small houses in Abilene for patients and caregivers from the areato live in while getting longterm medical treatment at local medical facilities

More information: Contact Massey at 325-660-7719 or brian@sonrise-ministries.com
In case you can't tell, I like writing. I know, right? It should be obvious, given my profession, but sometimes it feels right to put it down on paper anyway. It has permanence that way.

Words also have a purpose when put on paper, something the students at Abilene ISD's four high schools have found out this week.

Thursday evening, Abilene High English teacher Seth Pace and his creative writing students unveiled the 2016 version of the Gallimaufry, the school's literary magazine. In it, Pace said, are 92 selections of student work in poetry, prose, artwork and photography, an accomplishment for a high school publishing just its eighth volume.

Also an accomplishment is what Pace plans to do with the book, which features a close-up picture of a dragonfly on its cover, a photograph by Corrender Taylor. Not content to have the magazine compete at the state level, Pace feels the collection he and his four student executive editors  Juliana Fabrizio, Taylar Dawn Wisher, Taylor and Editor-in-Chief Hannah Curie  curated is worthy of national attention.

They might get it. That's how beautiful it turned out.

I first wrote about the Gallimaufry for the Reporter-News in March, when spring break meant students were no longer in school hallways and education reporters no longer had feature story ideas. As I interviewed Pace, I thought back to my own experiences with a literary magazine, when my college, the State University of New York College at Brockport (a little state school in a town just outside Rochester, New York), had a problem with its English Club.

It was the club that was responsible for putting out the journal, which we called Jigsaw. The students solicited submissions, judged them and arranged for printing. Shortly before my final year, the leaders of the club simply dropped out of sight.

Emergency time kicked in, and I stepped up to serve as president of the club. I didn't really know what I was getting into, but I quickly began organizing the editors for the publication. I stepped back from that process, allowing them to create what was to be a great little book of work put together on a shoestring budget  we were under sanction by the student government due to the previous officers' behavior  and last-minute challenges from printers and edits made to submissions.

I had two poems published in that little book, which now sits among the many books I own on my bookshelf. It's one of my favorite accomplishments from my years in school, because it meant my words, written with purpose, were judged worthy of inclusion by others, by my peers.

Congratulations to the students in Abilene who got to experience that same feeling.

And if you'd like to support the Gallimaufry, copies are available for $5 apiece by emailing Pace at seth.pace@abileneisd.org. I'm sure he'd be willing to part with a copy.
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By Brian Bethel of the Abilene Reporter News

From ensuring seniors on Medicaid have more money to spend on personal needs to allowing authorized doctors to prescribe medical marijuana, the top priority list of the Texas Silver Haired Legislature is both controversial and practical.

The organization seeks to identify issues vital to seniors and to find state legislators willing to carry those concepts from bills to laws.

The group's most recent top 10 list shows the most urgent priorities identified recently by the group, but the list of total concerns  and potential resolutions  goes far beyond, numbering 70 in all.

Four of the top 10 priorities were crafted by Bruce Davis of Abilene, recently elected the group's deputy speaker pro tem.

"We are right now in the process now of publishing  with complete text  all 70 resolutions along with the top 10," Davis said. "It will be in the form of a resolutions book, and we will distribute by hand those to each of the senators and to each of the House members, to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, all of the other officers of government."

At times, legislators find the group and champion a particular recommendation.

But more often, the group has to petition for such support, Davis said.

One of the more controversial topics, medical marijuana, was introduced by the head of the group's legislative action committee, Carlos Higgins of Austin, and has nothing to do with recreational use of the drug, Davis said.

Texas authorized the use of cannabis oil for children affected by relentless seizures caused by epilepsy in 2015. But numerous medical professionals have told Davis and others that having access to marijuana for wider, legitimate medical use is essential.

"There are things that traditional medicine will not help, and there are things that this (use of medical marijuana) will help," he said. " We need to unleash the doctors and have it in pharmacies so people who can benefit from it can get it."

Another potentially controversial change would allow advanced practice nurses  physician's assistants and nurse practitioners  be allowed to work within the scope of their duties but without direct supervision from a physician.

The change is vital for rural health care, especially, Davis said, allowing such medical personnel to offer essential health care in rural areas under served by doctors.

Other proposed legislative changes include making certain appropriate support payments go to grandparents raising children, banning hand-held cellphones for texting while driving, and authorizing an independent, nonpartisan commission to oversee redistricting reform.

Certain issues target help for the "poorest of the poor," Davis said.

That includes bumping up the amount of money those on Medicaid get each month for personal needs from $60 a month to $75 a month.

In tougher times the Legislature has actually decreased that amount to $45 a month, Davis said. The increase is the overall top priority for Silver Haired Legislature participants.

The group also wants to see dental benefits for seniors at or below 200 percent of the poverty guidelines, funding for home-delivered meals increased, as well as an overall increase in Medicaid reimbursement for nursing homes.

Texas is 50th in the United States as far as funding Medicaid for nursing homes, Davis said, with a payment of $120 a day, compared to a national average of $178.69. Some states pay up to $260 a day.

Davis, who said our area has good representation in the Silver Haired Legislature, expects the guides for legislators and others to be available to government officials in the next 60 days. .
The assistance will be provided through an ongoing USD4.0 million New Zealand government funded project in the province, Building resilience to disaster and climate risks of men and women in Ben Tre Province, implemented by Oxfam in Vietnam. The emergency relief responds to urgent needs of children, women, and men in 15 most affected communes in Binh Dai, Ba Tri, and Thanh Phu districts.

Up to 6,000 cow and goat farmers in these three districts will receive cash grants, to buy food and water supplies for their animals, which they are dependent on for their livelihoods.

New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam, H.E Haike Manning, said: We recognise the serious impact that the drought and saltwater intrusion is having on communities in southern and central provinces of Viet Nam. This assistance is a modest, but practical contribution to the communities we are already working with through our existing project, and is an example of New Zealands ongoing commitment to supporting vulnerable communities across Vietnam.

New Zealand will continue sharing its experience and working closely with our partners, such as Oxfam, to assist local communities to deal with drought and saltwater intrusion and the effects of climate change in the Mekong Delta region.

In addition, Oxfam is working in collaboration with the local government in Ben Tre Province to provide safe drinking water to more than 6,000 women and men.

The drought and saltwater intrusion has made hundreds of thousands of families more serious, while most of them are already living under poverty line, said Oxfam Country Director Babeth Lefur, Oxfam commits to implement this emergency response at the highest responsibility and efficiency./.
Early voting for the May 7 city and school elections picked up steam as the week went along, with a higher turnout each day of the week.

On Friday, 599 Taylor County residents voted early in person, compared to 347 on Monday. The total for the week was 2,321.

Friday's figures compare to 589 on the fifth day of early voting in the 2014 election, the last joint city/school election, and 2,458 after five days.

Early voting continues on Monday and Tuesday. Locations and hours for the last two days are:

Taylor County Plaza, 400 Oak St.  7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Mall of Abilene, 4310 Buffalo Gap Road  10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Kmart, 4565 S. First St.  10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Abilene City Hall, 555 Walnut  8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tye City Hall, 205 North St.  7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Merkel City Hall, 100 Kent St.  7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Merkel ISD administration office, 300 Ash St.  8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Trent ISD administration office, 12821 E. Interstate 20  8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tuscola City Hall, 418 Graham St.  7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Jim Ned CISD administration building, 830 Garza St.  7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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Pat and Evelyn Young, Abilene

We are writing this letter to publicly thank several people in our community.

We deeply appreciate our representative, Susan King, for all her hard work. Recently, we needed her to help us with an issue and she responded immediately by coming to an important meeting with us. She also gave Stan Lambert, candidate for state representative, information and counsel concerning our situation. Mr. Lambert also responded quickly and courteously to us. In a subsequent meeting, County Judge Downing Bolls and Commissioner Randy Williams showed their commitment to the residents of Taylor County and gave their time and energy to investigate this issue with us.

At this time, we respectfully request the people of Abilene and surrounding area, to consider supporting Ms. King for Texas Senate, and two other local candidates; Kevin Willhelm for judge and Steve Savage for City Council, Place 6. We have found these candidates to have integrity, be willing to listen, willing to work hard and willing to uphold the rule of law.

May God bless America and Texas.
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Iraqi protesters who stormed Baghdad's Green Zone and set up camp have left the heavily fortified government district after issuing political demands but vowed to return to maintain pressure on political leaders.



Hundreds of protesters peacefully exited the Green Zone on May 1 after organizers of the action called on the demonstrations to be disbanded. They had entered the district the previous day by overrunning security barriers and proceeded to storm parliament and attack lawmakers.



The protesters, many of whom are loyal to Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, began departing after a spokeswoman for the organizers said in a televised speech that they would resort to "all legitimate means," including civil disobedience, if their demands are not met.



Earlier in the day, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi ordered authorities to arrest rioters and bring them to justice. Security forces, however, did not take action against those who remained in the Green Zone, which is home to government offices and foreign embassies.



The defusing of the crisis followed a high-level meeting convened by Abadi with Iraq's president, parliament speaker, and political bloc leaders who called the Green Zone breach "a dangerous infringement of the state's prestige and a blatant constitutional violation that must be prosecuted."



The senior officials said the meetings would continue in the coming days "to ensure radical reforms of the political process."



Iraqis have frequently complained that their leaders live a sheltered existence in the safety of the Green Zone while they suffer from daily violence and poor public services.



The April 30 storming occurred after lawmakers refused to hold a vote on reforming the government.

In an earlier statement issued on April 30, Abadi called on demonstrators to protest peacefully and not to damage "the property of state institutions."

WATCH: Iraqi Protesters Storm Green Zone, Enter Parliament

Hundreds of protesters, loyal to Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, then stormed the Green Zone, with some of them occupying the parliament building and the nearby cabinet headquarters.

Security forces fired tear gas and warning shots in a bid to contain the aggressive demonstration in the Green Zone.

Some television reports appeared to show protesters breaking furniture in the parliament building.

Others were waving Iraqi flags and shouting "peaceful, peaceful!"

Iraqi President Fuad Masum caled on Abadi and parliamentary speaker Salim al-Juburi for a crisis meeting on May 1.

In a televised address from Najaf, Sadr announced a two-month withdrawal from public life and said he was "waiting for the great popular uprising and the major revolution to stop the march of the corrupt."

Sadr supporters have been demonstrating for several weeks to pressure Abadi to carry out promised reforms. Some parliamentary parties, however, are resisting Abadi's efforts to replace some officials -- who were chosen to maintain sectarian and ethnic balances -- with technocrats.

There is an increased deployment of Iraqi security forces in the Green Zone.

The occupation of the parliament was an unprecedented security breach, although the Green Zone has often come under mortar attacks at various times in the years since U.S. forces ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Abadi has warned that the current political crisis can interfere with the countrys U.S.-backed fight against the Islamic State militant group, which controls key areas of Iraq's Sunni heartland.

With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, and dpa
KYIV -- Ukrainian officials said vile Russian missile strikes on civilian energy sites have caused power outages nationwide, leaving more than a million households without electricity, while Russian authorities ordered residents to leave Kherson "immediately" ahead of an expected effort by Kyivs forces to retake the crucial southern city.

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 Zelenskiy said on Telegram on October 22 that Russia carried out a "massive attack" on Ukraine overnight and that "the aggressor continues to terrorize our country."



"At night, the enemy launched a massive attack: 36 rockets, most of which were shot down...These are vile strikes on critical objects. Typical tactics of terrorists," he wrote. "The world can and must stop this terror."



Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of Zelenskiys office, said Ukrainian air defense forces had shot down 18 of the missiles.



Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a number of missiles had been shot down on the approach to the capital.



"Several rockets flying toward Kyiv were shot down in the region by air defense forces. Thanks to our defenders!" Klitschko said.



There was no immediate word on deaths related to the missile attacks, but officials said several people had been injured.



It was not possible to verify the reports on either side.



In the face of continued Russian strikes, Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba again urged Ukraine's Western allies to speed up the delivery of modern air defense systems.



"We intercepted some, others hit the targets. Air defense saves lives. In [Western] capitals, there should not be a single minute of delay in the decision regarding air defense systems for Ukraine," Kuleba said.



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.



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 facilities.



"The Russian Army 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, Russian-appointed authorities in the occupied and illegally seized southern Kherson region on October 22 ordered the estimated 60,000 residents of the region's eponymous main city to leave "immediately" in the face of Kyiv's advancing counteroffensive.



"Due to the tense situation on the front, the increased danger of mass shelling of the city and the threat of terrorist attacks, all civilians must immediately leave the city and cross to the left bank of the Dnieper River," the region's Russia-backed authorities said on social media.

Russina-installed officials are moving people out of the strategic city in what they are calling an evacuation but which Ukrainian officials label as deportations.



The order came in spite of a claim by Russia's Defense Ministry on October 22 that its forces had prevented an attempt by Ukraine to break through its line of control in Kherson.



"All attacks were repulsed, the enemy was pushed back to their initial positions," the Defense Ministry said, adding that Ukraine's offensive was launched toward the settlements of Piatykhatky, Suhanove, Sablukivka and Bezvodne, on the west side of the Dnieper River.



The ministry's statement said Russian forces had also repelled attacks in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.



Kherson city, which had a prewar population of 280,000, is one of the first urban areas occupied by Russia at the start of the invasion.



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.



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 spokeswoman 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 of Ukraine's armed forces said on October 21.



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 toward 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.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and the BBC
President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour Bui Van Cuong gives housing assistance to a poor workers family. (Photo: nhandan.com.vn)

During the launch ceremony, President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor Bui Van Cuong presented 1,000 suitcases and 40 scholarships worth VND200 million to extremely disadvantaged workers and laborers in the province; assisted poor labourers with building houses; and awarded certificates of labour to 4 workers who had achieved excellent working results.

Meanwhile, the provincial Confederation of Labour gave VND60 million to each of the six poor workers and laburers to build houses; allocated presents to 20 workers in disadvantaged circumstances; and awarded certificates of merit to 25 workers who had made great achievements in realising the Politburo Decree on continuing to accelerate the campaign to study and follow President Ho Chi Minhs example in ethics.

During the month for workers, the provincial Confederation of Labor will focus on disseminating the glorious history of the Vietnamese workers class and the international workers movements; as well as the opportunities and challenges towards Vietnamese workers as Vietnam joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Noting that greater attention should be paid to workers lives, the organization asked trade unions to focus on mastering workers aspirations so that they can feel good at work, and encouraging them to actively participate in the election of deputies to the 14th NA and the Peoples Council at all levels term 2016-2021./.
Violations of a fragile internationally brokered cease-fire between government forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine are at their highest level in months. Paul Quinn-Judge, a senior adviser to the International Crisis Group who just returned from the demarcation line that separates the two sides, attributes the volatile situation to the numbers and proximity of troops along the line of separation, and their willingness to fire on one another.

RFE/RL: The current situation in eastern Ukraine looks like it's neither peace nor war. What is your assessment of the state of the conflict?

Paul Quinn-Judge: I think the situation right now is very disturbing. I think we've seen a gradual decline and deterioration of the cease-fire probably since the beginning of this year. As you remember, it started off quite well in September when it finally got going, but violations are becoming greater on both sides. My feeling right now is that the only reason that we as journalists and the public as well are not hearing so much about the situation in the east is that neither Moscow nor Kyiv has any interest in publicizing the fact that there are daily skirmishes along the front line. There are almost certainly people dying every day on the front line -- military people, and unfortunately, still, rather a lot of civilians as far as we can make out. So I think it's going into a very disturbing negative trajectory

RFE/RL: Do you think that the situation in eastern Ukraine is on its way to becoming a frozen conflict?

Quinn-Judge: No, I think there are a lot of people who are complacently predicting in Europe, and Ukraine, and in Russia that we're heading for a frozen conflict. As you know, I've just been traveling along the line of separation, and what strikes me is any assumption that we are heading for a frozen conflict is for the moment, premature. One of the big problems with the line of separation is that it doesn't really separate anything. Troops are facing each other across very short distances in places like Avdiyivka, where it's maybe 50 meters. Therefore the risks of something eventually going out of control cannot be excluded. I'm not saying it's going to happen, I am saying we have too many troops on both sides of the border who are willing to fire at each other and retaliate for what they consider to be an attack by the other side. I think the situation is very volatile for that reason. And also, it is very disturbing to see so many people living directly on the line of separation, living often literally next door to the troops and therefore who are very frequently in the line of fire themselves.

RFE/RL: Is that what caused the incident earlier this week, when at least four civilians were killed in Olenivka?

Quinn-Judge: Well I think it is horrible, I think it's a tragedy, and this is going to happen as long as we have so many troops in close proximity to each other along the line of separation. In this case it was obviously artillery, or at least heavy mortars that killed the civilians. But I think at the moment the situation can degenerate at any point, and as usual, as we've seen so often in any war, people who suffer most are the civilians.

RFE/RL: The OSCE monitoring mission issued a report saying that the fire came from the "west-south-west" direction, but did not blame either side. What do you make of the OSCE's wording?

Quinn-Judge: Frankly, it doesn't worry me too much because you and I and anybody else who is interested can pick up a map and look at it [Editor's Note: Ukrainian troops are positioned west-south-west of the spot where the shelling occurred.] What the mission is trying to do is to some degree get in the way of whichever side is trying to fire and making sure at the very least that this is reported and registered later. I've no doubt that the OSCE is going to report back to the relevant governments about this particular tragedy and other ones like it. So, you know, they could be a little more daring in the language, but that's really not their job. Their job is to -- as much as possible -- get in the way of the potential warring sides and register violations on either side.

RFE/RL: What do you think about the prospects of resolving this conflict? Which direction do you think it is going to go?

Quinn-Judge: I don't like to make predictions. What is clear is that the Ukrainian army is much more self-confident and probably much more competent and better-led on the front line than it was a year ago. There are young officers; they seem educated, they know their job. They also understand that if they tried to move forward very far, that that would invite a Russian response, not just a separatist response. I think the separatist military also is well aware that they are no longer any match for the Ukrainian army, but they depend on Russia to enforce and to support their side. At the moment it's a deadlock, and all the while, at some point, some leader in Moscow or elsewhere will decide that he has to show to the world who is really tough, who is really 'krutoy' ['cool and tough' in Russian] and it always worries me. At the moment we have a military stagnation where far too many people are dying and I'm sure we will see many more incidents like this week's death of civilians close to the front.

Interview conducted by RFE/RL Ukrainian Service correspondent Rostislav Khotin.
Moscow says it had sent a fighter jet to intercept a U.S. aircraft approaching the Russian border because the American plane had turned off its transponder needed for plane identification.

The Russian Defense Ministry said a statement on April 30 that "all flights of Russian planes are conducted in accordance with international regulations on the use of airspace."

The statement came a day after the Pentagon expressed concerns about a series of incidents involving Russian aircraft that have "come close enough to other air and sea traffic to raise serious safety concerns."

The latest incident occurred on April 29, when a Russian SU-27 fighter intercepted a U.S. Air Force reconnaissance plane as it flew in international airspace over the Baltic Sea.

CNN reported that the Russian jet had come within about 30 meters of the U.S. plane and had performed a barrel roll.

Pentagon spokesman Bill Urban said "this unsafe and unprofessional air intercept has the potential to cause serious harm and injury to all air crews involved" and "unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries."

In an earlier incident this month, Russian jets buzzed a U.S. guided missile destroyer, the USS Donald Cook, over the Baltic Sea. A photo released by the Pentagon appears to show the Russian jet passing at an extremely low altitude over the ship's bow.

With reporting by Reuters. CNN, and Interfax


Political allies of Iranian President Hassan Rohani have won a resounding victory in the second round of parliamentary elections, according to official results.



Iran's Interior Ministry said on April 30 that the List of Hope, which backs Rohani, has won an additional 38 seats in the 290-seat legislature as a result of second-round voting the previous day. However, the bloc is expected to be two mandates short of an absolute majority.



The result will make the List of Hope the single largest faction in the new parliament, which opens its session on May 27.



Conservative parties will have 86 seats in the new parliament, while independents will hold 61.



The second-round voting on April 29 was to award the 68 seats for which no candidate won a majority during the first-round balloting in February.



The Iranian parliament has no direct control over major policy matters, but it can back the policies of Rohani to bolster the economy.



Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters
Finland would provoke a "serious crisis" with Russia if it joined NATO, a report commissioned by the government warned on April 29.

The expert report also said that Finland and Sweden should move together if they want to join the transatlantic military alliance.

"Finland would be more exposed and vulnerable than it currently is if Sweden alone were to join NATO," it said, while "Finland joining NATO with Sweden staying out would create a strategically awkward situation."

"Membership would probably also lead to a serious crisis with Russia, for an undefined period of time."

The report was commissioned by Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila because of Russia's increased military activity in the Baltic region and its aggressions in Ukraine.

Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia. It was attacked by its powerful neighbor during World War II but has maintain peaceful relations with Moscow since then.

NATO is open to Finnish membership, but Helsinki has been reluctant to join even as it cooperates with the alliance.

Sipila said his government has to be ready to seek NATO membership if necessary, adding: "With Sweden, we have promised not to surprise each other in these matters."

Based on reporting by AFP and dpa
The United States and Russia brokered a renewed cease-fire in parts of Syria, but excluded the main battlefield of Aleppo where intense fighting has killed more than 200 people in the last week.

Under an agreement worked out by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on April 29, a truce lasting one day took hold at 1 a.m. local time on April 30 in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta. while a truce lasting three days was instituted in the coastal province of Latakia,.

While it was quiet in those areas, the carnage continued in Aleppo, where at least 50 people were killed in air strikes on one hospital alone, and dozens more were killed in fighting elsewhere in what was once Syria's largest city and commercial center.

The Syrian regime launched a major offensive on Aleppo shortly after peace talks were adjourned for the month in Geneva this week, provoking outraged statements from top leaders of the United States, European Union, and United Nations.

Violence is "soaring back to the levels we saw prior to the cessation of hostilities" originally brokered by the United States and Russia in February, said United Nations human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein.

"There are deeply disturbing reports of military build-ups indicating preparations for a lethal escalation," he said on April 29, denouncing the "monstrous disregard for civilian lives by all parties to the conflict."

U.S. officials said Kerry tried to extend the renewed truce to Aleppo, but Russia refused to go along. Russia has contended that the banned terrorist group Al-Nusra Front operates out of the city, and the cease-fire does not apply to the Al-Qaeda affliate.

Other rebel groups with links to Nusra also are located there, and Moscow moved this week to put them on the same UN blacklist as Al-Qaeda, which would mean the cease-fire would not apply to them either.

The failure to include Aleppo in the truce was "in part a recognition that Aleppo is very complex and the fighting around there is indeed alarming," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner. "We need to start somewhere and we're going to start with Latakia and east Ghouta."

"We want to focus on strengthening the cessation of hostilities, renewing it, reaffirming it, so that we can quell the fighting," he said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross reported on April 29 that another four medical facilities in Aleppo were damaged extensively. It said dozens of people had died and were injured in "another day of relentless fighting."

"There can be no justification for these appalling acts of violence deliberately targeting hospitals and clinics, which are prohibited under International Humanitarian Law," said Marianne Gasser, the Committee's Syrian chief.

"People keep dying in these attacks. There is no safe place anymore in Aleppo. Even in hospitals. For the sake of people in Aleppo, we call for all to stop this indiscriminate violence."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said air strikes and shelling in Aleppo killed 202 civilians in the past week, including 31 children on both sides. Syrian state TV reported that 85 people were killed and more than 600 wounded in government-held areas alone in the past week.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP


Later in the trip, we pass a point where three trucks broke through in December. One driver died a nightmarish death beneath the ice. Ruslan tells the story:

There were three trucks in convoy, with 100-200 meters between them. At some point, the second driver lost sight of the first truck. He didn't get what was happening. When he saw the steam [from the first truck after it broke through the ice], he hit the brakes. The first truck had sunk through nine meters of water; the old man [the driver] drowned. The second driver slammed on the brakes, trying to stop, but he also fell through the ice. It's minus-45 degrees Celsius. The guy is very young, 23 years old. He has a hammer in the cabin, so he smashes the window and gets out of the water and sees the third truck coming. All wet, he walks 50 meters in minus-45 degrees, [his clothes] freezing hard as he walks, struggling to wave down the third driver. It takes the third driver some time to understand these signs. He skids and falls halfway into the water. The cabin is up, though, and the third driver jumps out. They set out on foot for Belaya Gora, which is 25 kilometers away, but luckily they were picked up by a guy on a snowmobile. The young fellow was severely frostbitten.
For most of us,3-D means the cheap pair of glasses that they give you at the movie theater that make the shark on the screen look like its going to eat you.

Three-dimensional printing seems even more of a novelty  a large machine, much bigger than a paper copier, recreating in plastic filament, not ink, mostly small objects.

Perhaps thats why its hard to grasp the reality of a 3-D printed car. But this weekend you might get the chance to get behind the wheel of one, on display at the Jefferson Laboratory in Newport News.

Every couple of years, the sprawling U.S. Department of Energy nuclear physics research facility, home to the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility, holds a free, all-day open house to introduce the public at large to cutting-edge science, which may seem like science fiction to some.

The goal is to educate parents and their children to what goes on at the lab, and hopefully encourage an interest in science that lasts a lifetime. The last open house, in 2014, drew 7,000 visitors.

We have a lot of people who drive past Jeff Lab and arent quite sure whats in that place, said Andrew Hutton, a British-born physicist who is associate director of Jeff Labs Accelerator Division.

This is our opportunity to show off what we do to parents and young kids, to get them looking around science and interested in it.

This years draw is the 3-D printed car, on loan from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Oak Ridge has a giant, room-sized 3-D printer that produced the plastic chassis of a WWII era Willys Jeep on display at Jeff Lab. Oak Ridge also printed another vehicle on the printer, as well as a computer designed 3-D house, which did not make the trip to Virginia.

The electric-powered car is part of an emerging field known as Additive Manufacturing Integrated Energy, which seeks to integrate smart devices like the car and the house to transfer energy back and forth.

Between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., visitors will be able to tour much of the lab and participate in programs that explain its research. In addition to hourly liquid nitrogen demonstrations, staff and volunteers from local universities and science museums will discuss the technological advances being made with the recent $340 million upgraded Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility, as well as advances with its particle detection, particle acceleration and supercomputing capabilities.

The open house runs until 3 p.m. today, but parking closes at 2 p.m. For more information, call (757) 269-7100 or email openhouse2016@jlab.org.

Hutton said interacting with some of the 700 employees at the lab and seeing their passion for their work help demonstrate that there is no need to be blinded by science.

Its not something to be scared of, but an exciting and fun career, he said. If they get exposed to something that really excites them when theyre young, that interest can last all their life.

Scientists at Jefferson Lab are trying to figure out what makes up the mass of the visible universe  namely, the nature and properties of quarks and gluons, the smallest particles of atomic nuclei.

Uncovering the mysteries of these infinitesimally small things will require a big machine  namely an electron ion collider, or EIC  a subterranean, 2.1 km (1.3 mile) figure-eight track that would collide electrons into heavy ions or protons at nearly the speed of light.

Scientists would study the resulting collisions to learn more about the force that binds all visible matter.

Last year, the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee recommended that the U.S. Department of Energy build the collider  a massive project estimated to cost $1 billion that would take almost 10 years to complete, generate 4,900 jobs and pour $700 million into Virginias economy during construction.
Richmonds top prosecutor has cleared the Virginia State Police of any wrongdoing in the shooting at the Greyhound station in Richmond that claimed the life of one of their own and the man who shot him.

On March 31, James Brown III, 34, of Aurora, Ill., opened fire moments after trooper Chad P. Dermyer, 37, of Gloucester approached him at the bus station on North Boulevard. Nearby troopers, who along with Dermyer were training, returned fire, striking Brown before taking him into custody.

Dermyer and Brown later died.

While it is still unclear what provoked Brown to pull the Beretta .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol from his waist, Richmond Commonwealths Attorney Michael N. Herring said in a letter that his office finds no basis for further criminal investigation into the death of Mr. Brown.

The letter, dated April 20, was sent to special agent Angela S. Witt with the state police violent crime unit, who arranged a meeting between Herrings office and state police to present evidence from the scene. In an interview, Herring wouldnt detail the evidence he heard specifically but said he relied on countless witness interviews (police and civilian) and other materials.

I conclude that Mr. Brown was an unprovoked aggressor, who initiated the fatal lethal force against Trooper Dermyer, Herring said in the letter. He was not seized, nor were his constitutional rights in any way violated.

Indeed, by all witness accounts, Trooper Dermyers encounter with Mr. Brown complied with all relevant training and constitutional standards.

Dermyer was shot near the entrance of the bus station about 2:40 p.m. on March 31. He said he did not know what prompted Dermyer to approach Brown.

Within seconds of Dermyers approach, Brown had pulled the gun and fired several shots. Dermyer was not wearing a protective vest, which had been optional during the training.

Brown had been seated in the restaurant area of the terminal and was moving toward his bags near the front of the depot when Dermyer approached.

VSP personnel responded to Mr. Browns aggression with appropriate lethal force, Herrings letter said. Demonstrating remarkable control and accuracy, they terminated the threat, and potentially prevented other casualties.

Two women also were shot during the exchange of gunfire inside the bus station: a 21-year-old from Wingdale, N.Y., on her way to a track meet at the College of William and Mary, and a 47-year-old from Jacksonville, N.C. Both were released from VCU Medical Center within days of the shooting.

Its still not clear whether it was Brown or state troopers who struck the women.

All involved VSP personnel conducted themselves in an extraordinarily professional and competent manner, Herring continued. For these reasons, I find no basis for further criminal investigation into the death of Mr. Brown. Accordingly, absent any evidence of criminal wrongdoing, this office does not consider any involved VSP personnel to be the target or subject of any criminal investigation arising from this matter.

Herring closed his letter with his condolences for the loss of Dermyer.

Corrine Geller, spokeswoman for the state police, has not answered questions about their investigation into the shooting, saying only that they continue to investigate.
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(WASHINGTON) -- In this week's address, President Obama repeated his call for Republicans in the Senate to give Chief Judge Merrick Garland a fair hearing and a vote.

Counting 45 days since he nominated Judge Garland to the Supreme Court, the president highlighted some comments from Senate Republicans.

"Judge Garland is someone who Senate Republicans are on record saying is 'a man of accomplishment and keen intellect;' a man whos 'honest and capable;' a man whose 'reputation is beyond reproach.'"

Asserting that most Senate Republicans have refused to do their job and give Judge Garland the consideration he deserves, President Obama stressed that the Supreme Court "must remain above partisan politics."

"Ive done my job  I nominated someone as qualified as Merrick Garland," he said. "Now its time for the Senate to do their job. Give Judge Garland a hearing. Give Judge Garland an up-or-down vote. Treat him  and our democracy  with the respect they deserve."

Read the president's full address:

Hi, everybody. Its now been 45 days since I nominated Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. Judge Garland is a man of experience, integrity, and unimpeachable qualifications. Judge Garland is someone who Senate Republicans are on record saying is a man of accomplishment and keen intellect; a man whos honest and capable; a man whose reputation is beyond reproach. Those are all quotes from Republicans in the Senate.



But so far, most Senate Republicans have refused to even meet with Judge Garland. Which means theyve also refused to do their job and hold a hearing on his nomination, or an up-or-down vote. But theyve still found time to head home for recess over the next week.

This is an abdication of the Senates responsibility. Every Supreme Court nominee since 1875 who hasnt withdrawn from the process has received a hearing or a vote. For over 40 years, theres been an average of 67 days between a nomination and a hearing. This time should be no different. This is not about partisan politics  its about upholding the institutions that make our democracy work.



Theres a reason Judge Garland has earned the respect of people from both political parties. As a young lawyer, he left a lucrative private firm to work in public service. He went to oversee the federal response to the Oklahoma City bombing. For the last 19 years, Judge Garland has served on the D.C. Circuit Court  often called the Second Highest Court in the Land  and for the past three years, hes served as that courts Chief Judge. In fact, Judge Merrick Garland has more federal judicial experience than any other Supreme Court nominee in history. With a brilliant mind, a kind spirit, and a good heart, he has dedicated his life to protecting our rights, and ensuring that the voices of everyday Americans are heard.



So there is absolutely no reason for Republican Senators to deny him the basic courtesy of a hearing and a vote  the same courtesy that has been extended to others. This refusal to treat a Supreme Court nomination with the seriousness it deserves is what makes people so cynical about Washington. Thats why poll after poll shows a majority of Americans think Senate Republicans should do their job; give Judge Garland a hearing; and give Judge Garland a vote.



For all of our political differences, Americans understand that what unites us is far greater than what divides us. And in the middle of a volatile political season, it is more important than ever that we fulfill our duties  in good faith  as public servants. The Supreme Court must remain above partisan politics. Ive done my job  I nominated someone as qualified as Merrick Garland. Now its time for the Senate to do their job. Give Judge Garland a hearing. Give Judge Garland an up-or-down vote. Treat him  and our democracy  with the respect they deserve.



Thanks for listening, and have a great weekend.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
BEDFORD  Just a little more than two years after the wreck that took her young sons life, a Bedford County woman has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in his death.

On the fourth day of her jury trial this week, Emily Lynne Aponte, 32, was also found guilty of driving under the influence, child neglect, and DUI maiming for injuring another driver.

A jury of eight women and four men heard testimony for four days in Bedford County Circuit Court, then deliberated for just less than four hours before delivering their verdicts.

They asked Judge James Updike to sentence her to 9 years  six years for the manslaughter charge, two years for abuse, six months for DUI maiming, and 12 months for the DUI itself. They also set $15,000 in fines against her.

Aponte, who had been free on bail, saw her bond revoked at the end of the trial Friday.

The judge will formally sentence her at a hearing thats expected in about three months.

On Wednesday, Aponte was offered  and rejected  a plea agreement which would have capped her punishment at seven years, according to Margaret Grubbs, who is the grandmother and caretaker of Apontes 12-year-old daughter.

Aponte had initially faced a charge of aggravated involuntary manslaughter, but the jury reduced it to involuntary manslaughter.

Aponte was charged after a two-vehicle crash on April 26, 2014.

Her 2013 Ford Escort crossed the center line around 3 p.m. that day and veered toward the shoulder to collide head-on with a van that was going in the opposite direction, evidence has shown.

Apontes 6-year-old son, Ethan, was in the back seat of her Ford at the time. He was airlifted from the crash scene and was flown to Carillon Roanoke Memorial Hospital, but died of his injuries later that evening.

The central question of the trial was exactly when Aponte drank that day, and it was an issue knotted with contradictions throughout the testimony.

When Aponte was tested at Carillon Roanoke Memorial Hospital at 7:15 p.m. that night  more than four hours after the crash  she had a blood-alcohol content of 0.116 percent. The legal limit in Virginia is 0.08 percent.

During the trial, prosecutors called in experts who estimated that, if Aponte had in fact been drinking prior to the wreck, her BAC would have been around 0.176 when the crash happened.
Ruth Veronika Pasternak was born in Pinsk, Poland, on Aug. 20, 1914. Her Jewish given name was Rivka and her family is not sure of her maiden name, which sounds phonetically something like Podlewska.

She grew up with a brother in a Conservative Jewish home in a rural area outside of the city, which was home to more than 30,000 Jews. She milked cows, liked to grow things and got a third-grade education, because in that culture women only needed to have children and clean the house, said her son, Jack Pasternak of Richmond.

During the late 1930s, she married Olek Pasternak, a Mezconow, Poland, native. They had a 1-year-old son named Georg when the Germans marched into Pinsk in early 1941. By 1942 the Nazis had established a Jewish ghetto.

Fearing the worst, the Pasternaks entrusted their little son to a trusted family before they were separated and sent off to work camps, according to a grandson, Jacob Jake Pasternak of Richmond. Jack Pasternak is his uncle.

Mrs. Pasternak was sent to work 12 to 14 hours a day in the fields of a Russian collective farm controlled by the Russians. She learned to speak Russian. They only killed you if you got out of line, Jack Pasternak said. She had it a little better than my father.

Irving was sent to the Warsaw Ghetto and later transferred to the Auschwitz-Buchenwald concentration camp, where upon arriving, he was sent to the right, to became a slave laborer, and his parents were motioned to the left, to die in the gas chambers. His three sisters also perished during the war in Auschwitz.

He asked a soldier when they would be reunited, Jack Pasternak said.  The next time you see them, they will be there, the soldier said and pointed to a smokestack (of a crematorium). They both would lose all their family members in the war.

However, neither of them met that fate. Mr. Pasternak was freed when the Russians liberated the camp on Jan. 27, 1945. Husband and wife found each other after the war.

The Pasternaks immigrated to the Richmond area. He died in 1995.

Mrs. Pasternak suffered a fall and brain injury on April 21 at home and died in a Richmond hospice at 101 on Wednesday.

A graveside service will be Sunday at 4 p.m. in Richmond Beth-El Cemetery in Forest Lawn Cemetery, 4000 Pilots Lane in Richmond.

After reuniting, the couple went to search for their son. My grandma would go to the villages and try to find him. He had been passed on to another family, Jacob Pasternak said. Eventually they reunited with my father.

The Pasternaks lived in Germany for a time and then in a displaced persons camp, where they applied to immigrate to the United States. A Jewish agency sponsored them to Richmond.

They had very good friends in Germany and in Poland, her grandson said. They were asking them not to leave.

My grandfather was not wanting to leave, but my grandmother was saying, We have these kids and want to give them a better life. We dont know how things will go. She had given him an ultimatum.

They arranged for the trip, but Mr. Pasternak had things to do. They were waiting for the boat and were unsure he was going to make it to the boat, but he did, her grandson said. They sailed on the General S.D. Sturgis, arriving in New York on Feb. 20, 1950.

They spent two days and two nights at Ellis Island. Mrs. Pasternak was given the name Veronika, which sounded like Rivka to immigration officials. Olek became Irving. Their son Georg became George, and his brother Jakob, who had measles when the boat docked, became Jack.

Their first Richmond home was on 19th Street. Mr. Pasternak began working for Sams Market and Mrs. Pasternak as a seamstress doing piecework at Friedman-Marks Clothing Co.

Soon, her husband began thinking that if Sam could run a market, so could he. He went to an executive at Southern Bank and asked for a $500 loan. When the banker asked about collateral, Mr. Pasternak, not knowing what the word meant, replied, I have a wife and two kids, his son said.  I like your attitude, the banker told him, approving the loan. I hope you do well. 

Mrs. Pasternak and her family later moved to 1808 E. Broad St. 1954 was a big year for them. They bought a 1940 black Chevrolet and began their business, Irvings Market.

They went to a lady in the neighborhood whose husband was a railroad conductor and was very respected. She helped my parents pick out brands of things that people would buy.

The Pasternaks landlady, Mrs. Goldstein, offered shrewd advice: You need to own property. If you rent youll never make anything. She loaned them another $500.

They eventually owned two markets: one on Duval Street and one on West Clay Street. Mrs. Pasternaks customers called her Mrs. Ruth.

The Pasternaks also dabbled in real estate, purchasing a home on Church Hill with an English basement. Dad made two apartments in the basement and one in a third story, his son said. Their rents were paying for their mortgage. They later acquired more rental properties and moved their own residence to the 1600 block of Park Avenue.

In 1982, they acquired a home in Nags Head, where they would take short vacations and bring family and friends. Thats always been the family refuge and friends refuge, Jack Pasternak said.

After retiring in 1975, Mrs. Pasternak revived her Russian-speaking talent to aid Russian Jews who had been released by the Soviet Union to immigrate. They were mostly young, around my age, and had young kids. My mother would help them assimilate into the community. She would pick up the kids from school if the parents were working, would help them get a drivers license.

Some have moved to New Jersey, New York and California, but theyve kept in touch, her son said. A large family in California will attend the graveside service.

Mom endeared herself to so many people. She made sure all her loved ones were fed. She made sure the squirrels and birds had food to eat.

Above all else, she surrounded herself with kind people. It was amazing how many friends she made when she came here. She had a great, great life, her son said.

Richmond was a place of hope to his parents, Jack Pasternak said. They saw the United States as a beacon  not a perfect one. Before his death, my dad said this country was still the best place on earth.
On Wednesday former Gov. Bob McDonnells lawyers told the Supreme Court the ex-governors involvement with Jonnie Williams Sr. was not corruption but ordinary politics. Some Virginians wonder if theres any difference.

News from the world of science: With this weeks report that the city of Richmond and the Flying Squirrels are taking another swing at resolving the stadium issue, the number of stories about prospects for a new ballfield now exceeds the number of atoms in the visible universe.

This weeks award for creative writing goes to the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Advisory Council. It has decided that state officials can accept as gifts expensive luxury tickets to pro football games and similar events because a state ethics rule allows attendance at events widely attended by those with a political or industry association or a similar common interest. According to the council, individuals at a sporting event all share a common interest in that sport.

This weeks award for kissing up to mass-murdering dictators goes to Republican state Sen. Dick Black. Two years ago Black wrote a gushy letter to Syrian despot Bashar Assad. Now he has traveled to Syria to meet the man, and he promises to be Syrias voice. Its enough to question why anyone would call the senator, who fiercely opposes abortion, pro-life.

So just how big an effect is Gov. Terry McAuliffes blanket restoration of voting rights for felons likely to have? Political number-crunchers say it could add up to one-half of 1 percentage points worth of difference  not much, except in a very tight race.

In North Carolina, ex-felons who registered to vote chose the Democratic Party over the Republican by a ratio of five to one. In New Mexico, the ratio was five to two; in New York, a little bigger than six to one. But only a minority of felons registered, and even fewer actually voted.

Hollywood, that bastion of virtue and high-mindedness, has taken a strong stand against North Carolinas discriminatory anti-LGBT law and others like it. Disney, for instance, is threatening to stop filmmaking in Georgia. But principles mustnt interfere with more important considerations  like profit. Marvel Studios has cast Doctor Strange without a Tibetan in the role of the Ancient One because it doesnt want to offend the communist goons who run Red China  where Disney is also more than happy to continue doing business, despite that countrys mistreatment of gays and lesbians.

Systemic error led to the tragic death of Jamycheal Mitchell in a Portsmouth jail last year. Now the investigation into the errors has turned out to be less than perfect, too. Two state agencies looking into the matter did not interview the relevant court employees because they thought the Virginia attorney generals office would block their requests. The AGs office says thats not so. Either way, its a foul-up.

A group of Richmond business and government leaders brought together by Chamber RVAs InterCity visit spent some time in San Diego, where they were impressed by that citys approach to affordable housing. The average price of a house in San Diego is more than $500,000.

Todays staggering stats come from Pulitzer-winning reporter Edward Humes, in his new book about global trade and transportation: It costs only $10 to send a ton of iron halfway around the globe, and only 15 cents to send a bottle of Scotch along with it. The components of a single iPhone  assembled in China with parts from Germany, Kentucky, Taiwan, etc.  collectively travel enough miles to circumnavigate the planet at least eight times.

Reporting on climate change makes it sound as if there is no upside at all  which is exceedingly improbable for any global phenomenon. New research shows that, for Americans, it has made the weather more pleasant by increasing January temperatures an average of 1.04 degrees  but increasing July temperatures only 0.13 degrees. By our calculations, write Patrick Egan and Megan Mullin, the mild winters now regularly experienced in New York City make its weather nearly as pleasant as that of Virginia Beach back in the 1970s.

But, they add, that could increase the complacency that makes global warming the most profound challenge of our age.

The story reminded us of an old gag about Cleveland that can be applied to any city, including Virginia Beach: First prize is a trip to Cleveland. Second prize is two trips.
Police are trying to locate a 14-year-old Christiansburg girl who was last seen by her family on Friday afternoon.

Austyn Hughes is described by authorities as 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighing about 108 pounds, with long brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a white sundress with blue and white print.

A news release issued Saturday by the Christiansburg Police Department said Hughes is missing, possibly endangered, and may be accompanied by a 23-year-old man.

The man is approximately 6 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes, the release said.

Hughes left her home in Christiansburg around 5 p.m. Friday, her family told police.

They believe Hughes went voluntarily, and that she and the man may be traveling in a gold 2006 Chevrolet Malibu.

They were in the Salem area at some point last night, police said.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Hughes is asked to call the Christiansburg Police Department at 382-3131.
Richmonds top prosecutor has cleared the Virginia State Police of any wrongdoing in the shooting at the Greyhound station in Richmond that claimed the life of one of their own and the man who shot him.

On March 31, James Brown III, 34, of Aurora, Illinois, opened fire moments after trooper Chad P. Dermyer, 37, of Gloucester approached him at the bus station on North Boulevard. Nearby troopers, who along with Dermyer were training, returned fire, striking Brown before taking him into custody.

Dermyer and Brown later died.

While it is still unclear what provoked Brown to pull the Beretta .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol from his waist, Richmond Commonwealths Attorney Michael N. Herring said in a letter that his office finds no basis for further criminal investigation into the death of Mr. Brown.

The letter, dated April 20, was sent to special agent Angela S. Witt with the state police violent crime unit, who arranged a meeting between Herrings office and state police to present evidence from the scene. In an interview, Herring wouldnt detail the evidence he heard specifically but said he relied on countless witness interviews (police and civilian) and other materials.

I conclude that Mr. Brown was an unprovoked aggressor, who initiated the fatal lethal force against Trooper Dermyer, Herring said in the letter. He was not seized, nor were his constitutional rights in any way violated.

Indeed, by all witness accounts, Trooper Dermyers encounter with Mr. Brown complied with all relevant training and constitutional standards.

Dermyer was shot near the entrance of the bus station about 2:40 p.m. on March 31. He said he did not know what prompted Dermyer to approach Brown.

Within seconds of Dermyers approach, Brown had pulled the gun and fired several shots. Dermyer was not wearing a protective vest, which had been optional during the training.

Brown had been seated in the restaurant area of the terminal and was moving toward his bags near the front of the depot when Dermyer approached.

VSP personnel responded to Mr. Browns aggression with appropriate lethal force, Herrings letter said. Demonstrating remarkable control and accuracy, they terminated the threat, and potentially prevented other casualties.

Two women also were shot during the exchange of gunfire inside the bus station: a 21-year-old from Wingdale, N.Y., on her way to a track meet at the College of William and Mary, and a 47-year-old from Jacksonville, N.C. Both were released from VCU Medical Center within days of the shooting.

Its still not clear whether it was Brown or state troopers who struck the women.

All involved VSP personnel conducted themselves in an extraordinarily professional and competent manner, Herring continued. For these reasons, I find no basis for further criminal investigation into the death of Mr. Brown. Accordingly, absent any evidence of criminal wrongdoing, this office does not consider any involved VSP personnel to be the target or subject of any criminal investigation arising from this matter.

Herring closed his letter with his condolences for the loss of Dermyer.

Corrine Geller, spokeswoman for the state police, has not answered questions about their investigation into the shooting, saying only that they continue to investigate.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  Before her death in 2001, former Virginia Democratic state Sen. Emily Couric encouraged people  particularly young women  to shake up the status quo and follow different paths to leadership.

On Friday, for the 16th consecutive year, the Emily Couric Leadership Forum recognized 12 area high school girls for exhibiting outstanding leadership qualities in their schools and community.

Famed poet and social activist Nikki Giovanni, a Virginia Tech professor, received the Womens Leadership Award and was the events keynote speaker.

We really look for speakers who embody leadership, and, while Emily was a politician, we want to think more broadly about leadership, said Katie Shevlin, a board member for the forum. We want to think about people who see an opportunity or see a problem and really dive in.

Nikki has done that in poetry, as an academic, as a teacher, so shes really an inspiration for these girls, she said. Her writing is about standing up for yourself, believing in yourself, and she lives those values.

Talking about her own interests in furthering young women leaders, Giovanni said she admired Couric and was honored to be included at this years event.

As a woman, youre always pleased to see young women being encouraged, and I think thats important because we forget that women dont get a lot of encouragement, Giovanni said. Women are always told, Well, you know, youll find a husband and itll be happily ever after. Thats not necessarily the case.

Giovanni, whose poetry and other writing often focus on feminist and African-American issues, spoke about the challenges many young women face when trying to pursue their interests.

I think the main thing about anybodys life is doing what you want to do with it, said Giovanni. It seems like were living in a world right now that everybody wants to control women. Were deciding that they should go here, that this is what should be happening with their bodies. And I find that unattractive.

Giovanni said its important that young women are encouraged to pursue their interests, while not being afraid to make mistakes along the way.

I think that the young women have to be themselves. ... I think the most important thing about leadership is you have to make a mistake, Giovanni said. If you havent made a mistake, you havent tried to do anything.
A Central Virginia woman accused of defrauding multiple clients out of millions of dollars with her psychic readings business is expected to plead guilty.

Sandra Marks, also known as Catherine Marks, of the former Readings by Catherine on U.S. 29 in Albemarle County, will plead guilty in a federal court in Roanoke on May 17, according to her attorney.

Marks, 42, was indicted in April 2015 on 31 counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud and one count of money laundering.

Ten months earlier, in June 2014, Marks business was raided by federal authorities, who seized four vehicles and other items from the property.

The indictment states that Marks business offered services such as palm, candle, tarot card, astrological and spiritual readings to clients who had suffered from emotional distress and mental disorders, or had recently gone through personal traumatic events in their lives.

In doing so, Marks unjustly enriched [herself] and others by obtaining money, jewelry and other things of value from her customers and clients  based on false pretenses, representations, promises and omissions of fact, the indictment alleges.

Marks would tell her clients that she had spoken to spirits and learned of a curse or dark cloud surrounding the clients families, the indictment states. She would then bury a box of the clients money or valuables and cleanse it through prayers, rituals or meditation, telling her clients that money was the root of all evil.

Marks allegedly told her clients that she would never use the money or valuables for her personal benefit and that once the items or cash were cleansed, they would be returned to the client.

According to the indictment, Marks received two pieces of mail, each containing $729,000, in 2011 from one of her victims.

The indictment also alleges she has received more than $2.1 million from five victims in North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Colorado. Cleansed or not, Marks actually kept that money for her personal use, the indictment states.

Three months after she was indicted, Marks was arrested in New York and denied bond by a federal judge, who considered her a flight risk.

She filed a motion in October, asking Charlottesville federal Judge Glen Conrad to revoke her pretrial detention. Conrad said at the time that he needed time to consider the motion; court documents do not indicate that the motion was ever granted.

Marks case was set to go before a jury the week of May 9 in Charlottesvilles federal courthouse, but court records show the trial has been canceled and a plea hearing has been set for May 17 in Roanoke.

Marks attorney, Bill Dinkin, confirmed that she would plead guilty, but would not give details about the plea agreement.
A dozen freshly minted Boy Scouts of America sit at a row of white tables, cracking jokes and practicing oaths in a chaotic cacophony of conversation.

Dude! Youre missing a finger! one loudly laughs at another, who is giving the three-fingered Scout salute sans a digit.

The oath is to God and country, and Allah and God mean the same thing, says another, explaining his ad-libbed word choice. Ones English, ones Arabic.

For the members of Boy Scouts of America Troop 1437, that nuance is important. They are breaking new ground in Central Virginia as the regions first Islamic troop.

Scout troops in Islamic communities are not new, but weve never had an Islamic troop in our council until now, said Zahra Ihsan, district executive for the Scouts Stonewall Jackson Area Council. I thought it would be a great idea to have a troop in the [Islamic Center]. We started doing some small group meetings, and there was a lot of excitement.

Ihsan began holding discussions with members of the mosque in December. Volunteers stepped up to run the unit. Numbered 1437 for the current year in the Islamic calendar, the troop officially began Feb. 10 with 12 Scouts and seven adult volunteers.

The idea of involving youth in the community, teaching leadership skills and encouraging community service is very important in the Muslim community, just as it is in other communities. Thats what Scouting emphasizes, Ihsan said.

The troop is something members of the center have looked forward to since the Charlottesville mosque was built in 2008.

As the mosque has grown, weve wanted to create more of a community center and have a place where we can come together not just for worship but to create a sense of community, said Saad Hussein, support staff coordinator at the center. We also wanted to have a youth program.

That, Hussein said, is exactly where the Boy Scouts fit in.

We wanted something that would help develop the youth, teach them a variety of skills and teamwork and build a sense of community. But we wanted it to be something fun so they dont just think of the center as that place to go pray and take classes, Hussein said.

Troop 1437 may be the first Islamic troop in the region, but such troops have been in Scouting since 1982. The National Islamic Committee on Scouting was formed to work with Scout leaders to encourage troops in Islamic communities.

We got a little push-back about creating a troop at the [mosque], and I understand why, given everything you see on TV with terrorism, Ihsan said. But for the most part, the response was overwhelmingly supportive. We have a lot of troops helping out the new troop with equipment and ideas.

Nationally, the Boy Scouts estimate that 70 percent of troops are sponsored by faith-based organizations, and religious studies are among the badges Scouts may earn.

According to the Boy Scouts website, the organization recognizes a wide variety of religions and denominations, including African Methodist Episcopalian, Bahai and Zoroastrianism. The organization does not require Scouts to follow any particular religion but does expect them to learn about their own.

Most people think of Christianity when they think of Scouting, but thats not the case. The Boy Scouts are a non-denominational organization. It encourages a belief in God, but you dont have to believe in one particular God, said Ihsan.

The Boy Scouts have been a wonderful program for more than a century. They really focus on being active in the community and in the Scouts religions and the feeling of being part of a community, Hussein said.

It doesnt matter what religion it is, the Boy Scouts support Scouts learning about their religion. Thats why Scouting is so compatible with all of the religions.

The boys say they are excited about their new opportunities.

I wanted to join to have more experiences, said Scout Nabaa Subhi. Its an opportunity to learn about leadership, to do things for yourself and to do things like go camping or hiking that we dont normally get to do.

Its fun and it gives me an opportunity to learn leadership and help out in the community, said Ahmed Eitta, the troops recently elected leader. Theres a lot involved and I want to be a part of that.

Im older than a lot of the younger Scouts and I wanted to be a bit of a role model for the kids, to be able to help them out, said Omar Sekkarie, 17. There are a lot of skills Scouting teaches that will come in handy as you get older.

The Boy Scouts have been a strong influence in American culture for a long time. These kids are American, Hussein said. They may be Muslim, but theyre definitely Americans.
The U.S. Army has reversed a decision to discharge a Green Beret for body slamming an Afghani police commander officer accused of raping a boy.

Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland will be allowed to continue to serve at least through the end of his enlistment after an Army board on Wednesday determined that his personnel file contained an error or injustice, according to Stars and Stripes.

For everyone who fought for this, thank you, said Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper. This was not only important for Sgt. 1st Class Martland and his family. It was important to every serviceman and woman who when far away from home has wondered if the American people still care. The answer is yes.

A former Green Beret himself, Freitas took up Martlands cause in February, delivering an impassioned speech on the floor of the statehouse that went on to be viewed online by more than a million.

Martland has maintained the only blemish on his personnel record is an October 2011 memorandum of reprimand, issued by Brig. Gen. Christopher Haas, then-commander of the Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command in Afghanistan, according to the Army Times. The reprimand was issued after Martland and his commander hit a local police leader in September 2011 while deployed to a remote Afghani combat outpost.

The Green Beret shoved and slammed Abdul Rahman into the ground after hed admitted to chaining a 12-year-old boy and sexually assaulting him repeatedly for several days, according to the Army Times. Martland was relieved of duty and sent back to the U.S. for his actions that Hass wrote were the intentional assault of Rahman.

Freitas, like others, was outraged.

The question that every service member has to come in contact with when that episode happens is What are you going to do about it? Sgt. 1st Class Martland confronted evil. He punished it. He demonstrated to evil and to that boy and his mother that someone was going to be willing to stand up for them, Freitas said in his house floor speech.
GROTTOES  The entire 105-mile stretch of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park is open again. As the final flames of the Rocky Mountain fire burn out, officials are lifting restrictions and giving hikers access to the area again.

In some cases, the limitations were immediately lifted, like the temporary flight restrictions around Shenandoah National Park.

That restriction hadnt shut down local airports, but it did mean that planes had to avoid the area around more than 10,000 acres affected by the fire.

Thats no longer the case, as park officials say the smoke is nearly all thats left of the fire and even that is dying down.

People in the Shenandoah Valley got a small taste of it Friday afternoon, as winds blew the smoke into parts of Augusta County and near Waynesboro, where people walking in downtown saw it surround Afton Mountain.

Skyline Drive might be open, but thats not the case for the Appalachian Trail. Because of the remaining smoke, the part of the Trail from Powell Gap at mile marker 70 south to Doyles River Overlook at mile marker 82 remains closed.

The park has also closed the Brown Mountain Trail, Big Run Portal Trail, Rocky Mountain Trail, Rockytop Trail, Big Run Loop Trail, Austin Mountain Trail, Lewis Peak Trail, Patterson Ridge Trail, Madison Run Spur Trail, Madison Run Fire Road, the Rocky Mount Trail, the Gap Run Trail and the Onemile Trail.

Portions farther up, like Black Rock Gap at mile marker 87.5, are available to hike again. Park officials expect the smoke to clear out over the next 24 hours and those trails to be reopened by Monday at the latest.

The number of fire crews working the blaze also continues to drop. As of Friday afternoon, the number was down to fewer than 130 firefighters, with nearly all of the out of state crews having left.

The Southern Area Red Team also packed up, officially turning over control of the fire response to park officials as of 6 a.m. Saturday morning.
Chiz: Defending martial law victims is beyond lip service

By Office of Senator Chiz Escudero

April 5, 2016

PASAY CITY  Defending human rights victims of martial law is beyond lip service said Sen. Francis Chiz Escudero, principal author and sponsor of the law compensating victims of martial law under the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

In an interview in ABS-CBNs Bandila news program last April 4, Escudero said his track record speaks for itself when it comes to giving justice to victims of the dark days of oppression during the Marcos regime.

Ako ang pangunahing author at sponsor ng batas na nagsasabing dapat magbayad ng kompensasyon sa human rights victims. Hindi naman lahat nadadaaan lang sa salita, explained Escudero, son of the late Salvador Escudero III who served as minister of agriculture during the Marcos administration and under the Ramos presidency.

Kapag may nagawa ka na, siguro dapat yung nagawa mo should speak for itself, he stressed.

The compensation bill was passed by the Senate Committee on Justice under Escuderos chairmanship in 2013.

Bakit ipinasa ko yung batas na nagpapabayad ng kompensasyon sa human rights victims? Twenty-five years pending sa Kongreso yun. Noong naging chairman ako ng Committee on Justice, doon lamang naipasa yun, miyembro na ng Senado si Senator Marcos, Escudero said when asked about his supposed silence on the issue of human rights violations committed during the Marcos dictatorship.

President Aquino signed the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 during the 27th anniversary of the uprising that toppled the Marcos dictatorship in 1986.

Under the law, the amount of compensation to be awarded to the victims is proportionate to the gravity of the offense inflicted on them through a point system that is a basic component of the law.

Victims who died or who disappeared are given 10 points, while those tortured and, or sexually abused gets from six to nine points, for instance.

On the other hand, political detainees get from three to five points while those who can prove that their rights were violated under the Act are awarded from one to two points.

During the Bandila interview, Escudero also said that Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should apologize for the human rights abuses during his fathers regime.
30th year of the Hawaii Class Suit

Statement of Amaryllis Hilao-Enriquez, sister of Liliosa Hilao, on the 30th year of the filing of the historic class action suit against President Marcos and his estate, or the human rights litigation MDL-840 (US Federal Court of Honolulu, Hawaii)

April 7, 2016

Exactly 30 years ago today, on April 7, 1986, a historic class action suit was filed by the Filipino victims of human rights violations during the martial law regime of President Ferdinand E. Marcos. The organization of the victims, now renamed Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto or SELDA, deemed it wise to lead the class action suit against the dictator who was flown to Hawaii by the US government that, up to the time the former and his family were booted out of power by the Filipinos in a people power uprising, considered him an ally.

SELDA, whose members were tortured and detained, took it upon itself to seek ways to make the dictator, including his family, accountable for the sins they committed against the Filipino people because no one seemed bent to punish the dictator. Everyone was simply euphoric when the Marcoses fled and a new regime was being formed.

For SELDA, the charges filed against Marcos sought to demand justice for the victims of human rights violations or as the Court described them  crimes against humanity  like summary execution or salvaging (a martial law euphemism), disappearances, and torture. SELDA wanted to let the nation and the world know of the human rights violations experienced by Filipinos during martial law.

SELDA leaders sought the help of their president, Atty. Jose Mari Velez, to find out how best to file charges against the dictator. In one of his travels to the US, Atty. Velez met an American lawyer, Atty. Robert Swift, whose law firm agreed to shoulder the costs of litigation and later to be repaid with money to be recovered from the dictator. SELDA immediately set to work by helping Atty. Swift get the depositions of the named plaintiffs who happened to be with SELDA. I convinced my parents  Mr. Maximo H. Hilao and Mrs. Celsa R. Hilao to be the lead plaintiff for the murder of my detained sister, Liliosa R. Hilao. (Thus, the suit is also known as Hilao et al vs. Ferdinand Marcos.) I also convinced our youngest sister, Ms. Josefina Hilao-Forcadilla, to be one of the 10 named plaintiffs in the historic class action suit. My former common-law husband and I were likewise plaintiffs in class suit.

We won a favorable judgment in 1992. I give my highest salute to the men, women, minors, especially the elderly who are not with us anymore as we struggled hard to make the Marcoses accountable for the human rights violations and plunder they committed against the Filipino people. When Atty. Velez died in 1991, Justice Romeo T. Capulong became SELDAs counsel and the first thing he asked of us was the written agreement between SELDA and Atty. Swift. When SELDA chair Mr. Danilo Vizmanos and I wrote Atty. Swift about this, he got angry with all of us. In spite of a bitter tiff with our American lawyer, we still consider our winning the suit a historic landmark as it highlighted the struggle of a big number of martial law victims to make one dictator accountable for his crimes. The favorable judgment also served well the campaigns of other human rights violations victims in other parts of the world. That is why, we had wanted the judgment to be final and executory and refused Ms. Imelda Marcos offer of a US$150M settlement agreement in 1995 when the judgment was not yet final and executory.

It is indeed sad that Marcos, the leader who rode roughshod over our peoples rights, has not yet been made fully accountable for his sins; and the victims are still crying for justice. The struggle for justice is long and hard and the Filipino people must never forget those who are not among us anymore. Indeed, they must go on fighting for their rights so that impunity will not again be the hallmark of another regime.

Now, the son of the dictator is running for the second highest position in the land. We hope that on this 30th year of the filing of the historic class action suit by the victims themselves, Filipinos, especially the young voters called millenials. or those who did not experience martial law, will always remember the shining hour that the youths before them faced; that they rose to the occasion and struggled hard to allow the coming generations, including them, to achieve the basic rights they now enjoy.

We, too, commend the group that is now bent on reliving the plunder charges against Bongbong Marcos in relation to the pork barrel scam. May they win their case and we fervently hope that Bongbong Marcos will not win in this election!

NEVER AGAIN TO ANOTHER MARCOS IN MALACANANG!!!
Chiz: Panama Papers should prompt lifting of PH bank secrecy law

By Office of Senator Chiz Escudero

April 7, 2016

PASAY CITY  Sen. Francis Chiz Escudero said the report on the Panama Papers tackling leaked documents on the vast amount of wealth stashed by politicians and famous personalities, including officials from the Philippines, using offshore companies underpins the lifting of the countrys bank secrecy law on bank deposits of public officials.

The scandal surrounding the illegally amassed deposits of public officials from around the world, including some of our own public officials, kept in secret foreign accounts is a renewed reminder that we should pass a law compelling all our state workers  from the president down to the lowest clerk  to sign a waiver on their bank deposits in favor of the Ombudsman, Escudero said.

Weve been repeatedly told and warned: a public office is a public trust. Every single peso of the peoples taxes should be handled with care, sincerity and honesty. Every peso paid by a taxpayer should be used to advance public good, not ones private good, explained the leading vice-presidential candidate based on all pre-election surveys.

The so-called Panama Papers details transactions by a Panamanian legal company showing an insiders view of the massive offshore wealth of prominent politicians and public figures in different parts of the world.

Icelands Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson resigned on April 5, becoming the first casualty of the Panama Papers, so named because the documents came from a Panamanian law firm. The documents detailed paper trail and transactions of extremely rich individuals taking advantage of offshore companies to hide their wealth.

The Panama Papers gave proofs that premiers wife owned an offshore company with big claims on Icelands banks, an undeclared conflict of interest for Gunnlaugsson. This revelation forced many citizens to call for his resignation.

Since 2010, Escudero has been submitting a written waiver on secrecy of his bank deposits attached to the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) he files annually with the Office of the Ombudsman.

The independent vice-presidential bet filed in 2013 his proposal to compel people in government, except those who serve in honorary capacity, to submit a written permission or waiver in favor of the Ombudsman to look into all deposits of whatever nature in banks within and outside the country. He first filed the measure in 2007 when he was first elected senator.

Recently, he called on all candidates to sign a waiver to assure the electorate that they wont enrich themselves once elected into office.

Republic Act No. 1405, or the Bank Secrecy Act of 1955, strictly prohibits disclosure of or inquiry into deposits with any banking institution. It also provides penalties of imprisonment or fine for offenders.

If a Filipino politician is named in the Panama Papers, he or she should be held accountable if he or she committed any wrongdoing. Filipinos named in the Panama Papers must explain why they opted to hide behind the veneer of questionable offshore companies, Escudero said.

The Panama Papers is a collection of more than 11.5 million documents, whose leak from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca fueled outrage globally after it was revealed how a group of rich and powerful people are able to keep away from the public their wealth to avoid taxes amid the sufferings in their own countries.

The Mossack Fonseca, a company known for setting up offshore companies, flatly denied any wrongdoing in connection with the Panama Papers, labeled as the unprecedented leak of 11.5m files from the database of the worlds fourth biggest offshore law firm, Mossack Fonseca.
Dear Editor,

The opening of Aggies and the Air Tahiti Nui M.O.U are two of of the most important developments for our tourism industry since the Poly Blue merger was announced over a decade ago.

Firstly, the plans for Air Tahiti Nui to fly to Samoa and linking the key pacific rim markets are so important to the growth of our number one industry.

Sheraton coming to Samoa is the other one.

Next month, Lamana hotel opens after 40 years of previously failed ventures on Taumeasina island.

All of these things necessitate the expansion of the airport and other improvements in infrastructure (for example, the southern cross cable bringing massively improved internet speeds to Samoa next year).

PS Jeffrey








The sudden passing away of former politician and Speaker of Parliament, Leota Leuluaialii Ituau Ale has left everyone in shocked and broken hearted especially his children and wife.

Speaking to the Samoa Observer, Leotas son, Ituau Ale, who is a Senior Sergeant at the Ministry of Police, said their family, especially mother, Taulapapa Wilma Ale, are trying to come to terms with his passing.

He was our father and a friend to us his children, but a hero in the eyes of his grandchildren, said Ituau.

He was the kind of person that can adjust to anyones level, for example when he talks to a child he can bring himself down to that childs level.

[And] when he is talking to the Prime Minister or the Head of State he will talk to them on their level I mean he can adjust himself to talk with people of all ages.

He always has that smile that will just make you forget about all that problems that you have.

Ituau also spoke about his fathers relationship with their mother.

He was a very loving father and he loved our mother very much, he said.

They were inseparable and when our mother heard about the news she was heartbroken and up until now its very hard for her to accept the fact that he left us.

They have been together for so long and she was always right there next to him through the good times and the not so good times and that is why she is missing him every day.

He went on to say that their father has a loving heart and he helps anyone who is in need.

When someone comes to him for help and if he doesnt have what that person is asking of him he will always find a way to get that something for that person, said Ituau.

He was a loving father and our true friend, but the one thing that is very dear to his heart beside our mother was his village of Solosolo.

He loves his village very much despite all that had happen he has never turned his back from his village.

Ituau was asked what causes the passing away of the former speaker of the house but said they are waiting for the doctor to confirm.

The cause of death is unknown but when he passed away the back of his head was bleeding, said Ituau.

[But] at the moment they are waiting for the doctors report to confirm the cause of their fathers sudden passing and what might have triggered it.

Leota passed away at the age of 74 he was married to Taulapapa Wilma Ale and he was survived with seven children.

Leota became a Member of Parliament in 1970.

In 1976 to 1978, he became the youngest Speaker of the House.

It was the last election that also saw Leota contest the seat of Anoamaa West, running against the then Deputy Prime Minister, Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo.
Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has rejected claims he encouraged the withdrawal of election petitions.

None of the six petitions filed in the Supreme Court for electoral matters proceeded.

During the time the petitions were due to be called in the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister told the media he was encouraging the candidates to resolve the matters and that there is always another day.

Asked if he was not interfering with the course of justice, Tuilaepa said no.

I did not interfere with these matters, Tuilaepa told the Sunday Samoan. Remember, our culture is a very important factor. Every action I make is because of our faasamoa culture and traditions.

Any Samoan who is a true Samoan understands that; but if youre not a real Samoan then you would feel upset. Tuilaepa said he also understands the frustration from the lawyers representing the petitioners.

He explained that while they tried to push through with their cases, but if a petitioner wanted to withdraw, there is nothing the lawyers can do.

Its difficult because Samoa is not like other countries  it has its own culture, he said.

We cant stop our culture norms but the purpose of the legislation is to prevent these (electoral matters). We cant stop the culture but it doesnt mean that the law is not importantits main purpose is to prevent the (unlawful) conduct during an election.

At the beginning of the year, Tuilaepa indicated that he was trying to contact his former Associate Minister, Lafaitele Patrick Leiataualesa, to discuss his petition. Tuilaepa said he had searched for the M.P. but could not find him.

Lafaitele later withdrew his petition against a woman M.P. of Alataua West, Aliimalemanu Alofa Tuuau.

His lawyers, Unasa Iuni Sapolu and son Eliota Fuimaono Sapolu spoke out about the pressure their client was put under to withdraw the matter.

Members of the constituency of Alataua West also begged the former M.P. in the Supreme Court minutes before the trial would begin to let the seat remain with Aliimalemanu.

One of the names that came up as one who had pressured and interfered with Lafaiteles petition was the Prime Ministers.

All petitions were withdrawn except for the case of Ale Vena Ale against the Office of the Electoral Commission and Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi which partially proceeded.

It was later withdrawn by Ale with the understanding that his argument of about 400 voters from Faleata West not being eligible to vote for the constituency was not in line with the legislation.

However, the other five petitions were withdrawn including one of the first which was a petition against the Speaker of the House, Leaupepe Toleafoa Faafisi.
The European Union is closing its office in Apia. The Head of the European Union Delegation for the Pacific, Ambassador Andrew Jacobs confirmed this in an email to the Sunday Samoan.

Mr. Jacobs explained that the reason for the move is because E.U. is seeking gains in efficiency and effectiveness by concentrating its staff and responsibilities in a regional centre. Yes, the European Union is regionalizing its resources in the Pacific, he said.

This means that the work of its technical office in Samoa which is responsible for overseeing development cooperation will be taken over by the regional E.U. office in Fiji.

The Ambassador assured the Sunday Samoan that such the relocation will not affect the relationship between the two countries.

Samoa will continue to be an important partner for the E.U. in the Pacific, said Mr. Jacobs.

It will continue to receive Development Assistance but the programme will be managed from Fiji as is the case for most of our Development Assistance in the Pacific. Staff will make frequent visits.

Furthermore Mr. Jacobs said he is confident of the work of the government of Samoa staff.

With the high calibre of staff within the Samoa government, the water sector (which is the major recipient of E.U. funding) and civil society, our development programme in Samoa will continue to be well implemented and an example of good practices to other countries not only in the Pacific but in the wider world.

According to the Head of the E.U. Technical Office in Samoa, John Stanley there are only two employees of the office in Apia, a local staff member and himself.

A very small but very dedicated team, he said.

The office is to be officially closed on Thursday 30th June (2016) and I shall be flying to Fiji with my family on the 1st July.

We shall all be rather sad to leave Samoa but at the same time we have been very fortunate to spend five and a half years here.

When the E.U. office at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel was opened in 2014 it was to illustrate the European Unions commitment to Samoa and the Pacific region.

The E.U. is one of the biggest donors to Samoa having donated over EURO50million in previous years.

Most of its funding goes to the water sector through its Budget Support Programme. It also co-funds the Civil Society Support Programme (C.S.S.P.) together with Australian Aid and has provided additional grants following the 2009 tsunami and cyclone Evan.
On Friday, Pope Francis attended the International Conference on the Progress of Regenerative Medicine and its Cultural Impact held in Vatican City. He has spoken before the attendees about his personal views on the matter being discussed.

In a report made by Aleteia, the Pope talked about 3 points that can be done to fight off diseases that tragically harm the lives of millions of people round the globe. He said, "It is fundamentally important that we promote greater empathy in society and and not remain indifferent to our neighbour's cry for help, including when he or she is suffering from a rare disease."

Amidst everything that every person is battling with in their lives, the Pope asked for mercy to lend their help and hands to those who are going through these rare diseases. On the other hand, he offered 3 important keys to help people combat these challenging diseases.

First, he tackled about "globalization of indifference" with a "globalization of empathy." Then he said that people should invest and focus on both academic and industrial scientific research that pays "constant attention to moral issues in order to be a tool for protecting life and the dignity of the human person." And lastly, he told the attendees to avoid at all cost and battle "an economy of exclusion and inequality," of which treatment, cure, and care are only given to those who are financially abled.

Aside from experts on the said branch of medicine, Pope Francis also met with US incumbent Vice President, Joe Biden, whose son recently died of cancer, according to Rome Reports.

Shared below is the transcript of the Pope's speech last Friday, as reported by Radio Vaticana.

"Dear Friends,

I am pleased to welcome all of you. I thank Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi for his words and, above all, for having organized this meeting on the challenging problem of rare diseases within today's social and cultural context. During your discussions, you have offered your professionalism and high-level expertise in the area of researching new treatments. At the same time, you have not ignored ethical, anthropological, social and cultural questions, as well as the complex problem of access to care for those afflicted by rare conditions. These patients are often not given sufficient attention, because investing in them is not expected to produce substantial economic returns. In my ministry I frequently meet people affected by so called "rare" diseases. These illnesses affect millions of people throughout the world, and cause suffering and anxiety for all those who care for them, starting with family members.

Your meeting takes on greater significance in the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy; mercy is "the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life" (Misericordiae Vultus, 2). Your work is a sign of hope, as it brings together people and institutions from diverse cultures, societies and religions, all united in their deep concern for the sick.

I wish to reflect, albeit briefly, on three aspects of the commitment of the Pontifical Council for Culture and institutions working with it: the Vatican Science and Faith Foundation-STOQ, the Stem for Life Foundation, and many others who are cooperating in this cultural initiative.

The first is "increasing sensitivity". It is fundamentally important that we promote greater empathy in society, and not remain indifferent to our neighbour's cry for help, including when he or she is suffering from a rare disease. We know that we cannot always find fast cures to complex illnesses, but we can be prompt in caring for these persons, who often feel abandoned and ignored. We should be sensitive towards all, regardless of religious belief, social standing or culture.

The second aspect that guides your efforts is "research", seen in two inseparable actions: education and genuine scientific study. Today more than ever we see the urgent need for an education that not only develops students' intellectual abilities, but also ensures integral human formation and a professionalism of the highest degree. From this pedagogical perspective, it is necessary in medical and life sciences to offer interdisciplinary courses which provide ample room for a human formation supported by ethical criteria. Research, whether in academia or industry, requires unwavering attention to moral issues if it is to be an instrument which safeguards human life and the dignity of the person. Formation and research, therefore, aspire to serve higher values, such as solidarity, generosity, magnanimity, sharing of knowledge, respect for human life, and fraternal and selfless love.

The third aspect I wish to mention is "ensuring access to care". In my Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium I highlighted the value of human progress today, citing "areas such as health care, education and communications" (52). I also strongly emphasized, however, the need to oppose "an economy of exclusion and inequality" (53) that victimizes people when the mechanism of profit prevails over the value of human life. This is why the globalization of indifference must be countered by the globalization of empathy. We are called to make known throughout the world the issue of rare diseases, to invest in appropriate education, to increase funds for research, and to promote necessary legislation as well as an economic paradigm shift. In this way, the centrality of the human person will be rediscovered. Thanks to coordinated efforts at various levels and in different sectors, it is becoming possible not only to find solutions to the sufferings which afflict our sick brothers and sisters, but also to secure access to care for them.

I encourage you to nurture these values which are already a part of your academic and cultural programme, begun some years ago. So too I urge you to continue to integrate more people and institutions throughout the world into your work. During this Jubilee Year, may you be capable and generous co-operators with the Father's mercy. I accompany you and bless you on this journey; and I ask you, please, pray for me. Thank you."
The controversy about the use of electronic cigarette has once again sparked after the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) released a statement saying that the people of the United Kingdom is likely to benefit from using it.

Members of the States have made a decision to stop the sale of e-cigarettes to Islanders under the age of 18 before listening to the evidence by the Royal College of Physicians, the head of the Primary Care Body has said. According to the study about 'Nicotine without smoke: tobacco harm reduction', smokers should be encouraged to use e-cigars as an alternative for tobacco. It was also mentioned that electronic cigarettes are safer than smoking. These findings have been openly welcomed by health groups and charities, webmd.com reported.

It was also reported by jerseyeveningpost.com that there is a possibility that the device may cause some long-term harm because of the inhalation of other ingredients other than nicotine. However, the extent of harm the device can cause was also found to be substantially smaller than the harm smoking would do to the person's body. While there is a need for "sensible" regulation of the devices, regulation should not significantly inhibit the development and use of the products, the authors of the study said.

Whether e-cigarettes are less harmful than conventional cigarettes is no longer a big debate among health professionals. "The consequences of smoking combustible cigarettes are so dire that virtually any way to quit is preferable to continuing to smoke. That certainly includes the use of e-cigarettes as a substitute," Dr. Steven Schroeder, a professor of health and healthcare and the director of the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at the University of California, San Francisco, told Healthline in an email.

E-cigarettes are often touted as a good way to quit smoking, but do they work? "To date the evidence is mixed," said Schroeder, "but it is likely that some smokers are able to quit using e-cigarettes." With that said, some health experts still think that e-cigarettes can be a bit beneficial for people who smoke that the traditional cigarettes.
Zombies are all the rage these days - on television, in movies, books and now in the news. Of course zombies aren't new - they were co-opted decades ago by pop culture, especially in George Romero's 1968 classic zombie film Night of the Living Dead.

Or were they? Actually, notes Blake Smith, zombie aficionado and co-host of the monster-themed MonsterTalk podcast, "Though many people think of Night of the Living Dead as being all about zombies, Romero never called them zombies; he wanted them to be ghouls. The public called them zombies, so the name stuck."

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Though many people treat the current "zombie apocalypse" as a fun pop culture meme, it's important to realize that some people believe zombies are very real. Haitian culture - like many African cultures - is heavily steeped in belief in magic and witchcraft. Belief in zombies is related to the Voodoo religion, and has been widespread throughout Haiti for decades. The existence of zombies is not questioned, though believers would not recognize the sensational, Hollywood brain-eating version that most Americans are familiar with.

Unlike today's malevolent movie zombies, the original Haitian zombies were not villains but victims. They are corpses who have been re-animated and controlled by magical means for some specific purpose (usually labor). Historically, fear of zombies was used as a method of political and social control in Haiti. Those people believed to have the magical power to zombify a person - mainly witch doctors called bokors - were widely feared and respected. Bokors were also believed to be in service of the Tonton Macoute, the brutal and much-feared secret police used by the oppressive Duvalier political regimes (1957-1984). Those who defied authorities were threatened with becoming the living dead-a concern not taken lightly.

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In popular fiction there are several ways to destroy zombies (decapitations or gunshots to the head are popular), though according to Haitian folklore the goal is to release the person from his or her zombie state, not to outright kill the person. There are several ways to free a zombie; one is to feed the zombie salt; others say that if a zombie sees the ocean its mind will return and it will become self-aware and angry, trying to return to its grave.

So are zombies real? Many believe so, but evidence is scarce. There are a few supposed cases of real zombies, including a mentally ill man named Clairvius Narcisse, who in 1980 claimed that he had "died" in 1962, then become a zombie and forced to work as a slave on one of Haiti's sugarcane plantations. He offered no evidence of his claims, and could not show investigators where he had supposedly worked for almost twenty years.

Outside of Haiti (and a few other places where belief in Voodoo exists), zombies were widely assumed to be nothing more than a legendary boogeyman, not unlike werewolves and vampires. However this changed in the 1980s when Wade Davis, a Harvard ethnobotanist, claimed to have discovered a secret "zombie powder" while doing field work in Haiti. The main active ingredient was said to be a neurotoxin which could be used to poison victims into a zombie-like state.

RELATED: Deadly Fungus Turns Ants Into Zombies

Voodoo magic was an unlikely source of zombies-but could science and medicine explain them? Davis wrote several books on the topic, including The Serpent and the Rainbow, later made into a horror film by director Wes Craven. Though the book was a public success, many scientists were skeptical of Davis's claims, suggesting that they were exaggerated and that the amounts of neurotoxin in the powder samples he found were inconsistent and not high enough to induce the zombifying effects. While in theory the zombie power might work under certain ideal conditions, in the real world it would be very difficult to create a zombie with it; too little of the toxin would have only temporary effects, and too much could easily kill its victim.

Pharmacological doubts aside, there are other reasons to doubt the claim that people had for decades been turned into zombie slave labor. For one thing, the very process that would turn people into zombies (assuming it didn't kill them) would leave them brain-damaged, uncoordinated, and slow - in other words, hardly ideal farm workers.

Furthermore, the economics of zombie-making don't make sense: Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with no shortage of very cheap labor to work farms and plantations. In a country where the average annual income is less than $2,000 there are plenty of able-bodied, non-zombified people willing to work for almost nothing. Unpaid zombie workers would still need to be clothed, housed, and fed, negating most of the potential profit from using them. And, of course, the sugar plantations allegedly filled with fields of zombies have never been found.

With the main reason for creating zombies pretty well debunked, the question remains - even if Davis's zombie powder is all he claims it is - why anyone would bother to make a zombie in the first place. It would be a lot of time and effort to abduct someone, fake their death, get the toxins just right, revive them, and put them to work.

There are easier ways to give someone brain damage, and even if it worked there's no guarantee that the person would be docile or compliant; it's just as likely that they would be left in a vegetative state. While zombies are infesting television and film (and, some cases, news headlines), true zombies remain an unproven myth.
At 4:53 p.m. local time on Tues, Jan. 12, 2010, a magnitude-7.0 earthquake shredded Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, and nearby cities. Within 15 seconds, hundreds of thousands of people were dead.

Two years out, Haiti is still recovering, and aid experts are still planning for how to handle the world's next great disaster.

An estimated 634,000 people in Haiti continue to live in displacement camps, despite the enormous reconstruction and resettlement efforts still under way. Some Haitians are taking it upon themselves to build their own settlements, at times even staking out territory on mass graves. (Correspondent Susana Ferreira tells a morbidly intriguing story of the living mingling with the dead in this week's issue of Time magazine.)

In the days and weeks immediately following the disaster, donations poured in from around the world. Sadly, many of the items ended up abandoned or in landfills. Some of them were truly bewildering: Imagine 10 freight containers sent to Port-au-Prince filled with donated refrigerators that required a voltage different from what is used in Haiti.

Even for usable items, the country lacked adequate means for getting them from airports and shipyards to the people who needed them. Similar stories have unfolded in wealthier nations facing catastrophe, as happened in Japan last year.

So, how can we do better next time? Humanitarian logistics expert Jose Holguin-Veras of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has the answer, but you many not want to hear it.

Holguin-Veras is a professor of civil and environmental engineering. He has the practical perspective of a transportation engineering expert. He also has extensive field experience on the ground in disaster sites around the world, including New Orleans post-Katrina and Japan post-Fukushima. A key facet of his research analyzes types of donations, donation patterns and how donated money is used.

From that perspective, here is his bottom line: Send money, not stuff. The details can be found in this press briefing and presentation, which Holguin-Veras gave earlier this week:

Three Rules for Making Your Donations Matter

Rule No. 1: Do not send physical donations.

In most cases, physical donations produce more harm than good because they ...

generally clog up the limited supply chains into disaster areas;

occupy the time of volunteers, who could be contributing in other ways;

depress local markets, negatively impacting local producers;

waste money - given the considerable expense of distributing such items in a disaster zone, relief agencies could more effectively help victims by using the funds to purchase goods locally.

Rule No. 2: Donate money to reputable relief organizations with a local presence.

Local relief organizations have the most success because they ...

know what is needed;

can purchase locally, providing a boost to local economies;

have more success navigating local social systems, as compared with their global counterparts.

Rule No. 3: If you wish to volunteer in a disaster zone, plan your actions thoughtfully.

Do not make things worse by becoming a volunteer victim.

Join reputable relief groups; they know how to best use your help.

Make sure you can support yourself once in country (bring at least a week of supplies, water, medicine).

Arrange local support before going to the disaster site.

Do not be a disaster tourist.

If you are unwilling to commit to at least a month of work, do not go.

Despite the sensible, aforementioned advice against donating physical items to disaster sites, it is worth noting that some seemingly misguided donations can provide unexpected value.

Intrepid photographer Todd Huffman captured the tale of a donated calculus textbook that made its way into the hands of some teens in Cite Soleil (see photograph below), a severely impoverished commune on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince that is often cited as one of the most dangerous places in the world:
Algiers said on Monday that 37 foreigners of eight different nationalities, as well as an Algerian, were killed by hostage-takers in a well-planned attack on a remote gas plant.

Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said five other foreigners were still missing and that several of the hostages had been executed "with a bullet to the head" as the four-day crisis ended in a bloodbath on Saturday.

Most of the 32 militants who took hundreds of people hostage at the In Amenas gas complex in the Sahara on Wednesday had entered the country from neighboring Mali, Sellal told a news conference in Algiers.

The premier gave the final grim figures after Algeria had warned other nations to prepare for a higher body count, amid fears as many as 50 captives may have died in the world's deadliest hostage crisis in almost a decade.

"Thirty-seven foreigners of eight different nationalities," were killed during the siege, Sellal told reporters, adding an Algerian was also killed, giving an overall toll of 38.

He said the group's leader was Mohamed el-Amine Bencheneb, an Algerian militant known to the country's security services, and was killed during the army's assault.

A total of 29 hostage-takers were killed and three captured. As well as the three Algerians among them, the kidnappers comprised six foreign nationalities, namely Canadian, Egyptian, Tunisian, Malian, Nigerien and Mauritanian.

Governments have been scrambling to track down missing citizens as more details emerged after the final showdown on Saturday between special forces and extremists who had taken the hostages, demanding an end to French military intervention in Mali.

Survivors' photos seen by AFP showed bodies riddled with bullets, some with their heads half blown away by the impact of the gunfire.

"They were brutally executed," said an Algerian who identified himself as Brahim, after escaping the ordeal, referring to Japanese victims gunned down by the hostage-takers.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said seven Japanese people were known to have been killed in the hostage crisis, the first confirmation from Tokyo that any of its nationals had died.

Witnesses had said nine Japanese people connected to plant builder JGC were killed in the 72-hour ordeal.

One Japanese survivor was quoted in the Daily Yomiuri newspaper as telling colleagues how the gunmen had dragged him from his barricaded room, handcuffed him and executed two hostages standing nearby.

The Philippine government said six Filipino hostages were among the dead, killed "mostly by gunshot wounds and the effects of the explosions."

As more harrowing accounts emerged of the siege, a Filipino survivor described how the militants used foreign hostages as human shields to stop Algerian troops aboard helicopters from strafing them with gunfire.

Joseph Balmaceda told reporters in Manila he was the only survivor out of nine hostages in a van that blew up on Thursday, apparently from C-4 explosives the militants had rigged to the vehicle.

"I was the only one who survived because I was sandwiched between two spare tires. That is why I am still here and can talk to you," said the visibly distressed father of four.

"We're looking for Christians"

The alleged mastermind of the hostage-taking, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, said in a video posted online that it was carried out by 40 fighters from the Muslim world and "European countries".

His Al-Qaeda-linked group "Signatories in Blood" threatened to stage attacks on nations involved in the French-led operation to evict Islamists from Algeria's neighbor Mali, and said it had been open to negotiations.

"But the Algerian army did not respond... preferring to stage an attack which led to the elimination of the hostages," it said in a message published by the Mauritanian news agency ANI.

Most hostages were freed on Thursday in the first Algerian rescue operation, which was initially viewed by foreign governments as hasty, before the focus of public condemnation turned on the jihadists.

The In Amenas plant is run by Britain's BP, Norway's Statoil and Sonatrach of Algeria.

An Algerian employee of BP who identified himself as Abdelkader said he was at a security post with colleagues on Wednesday morning when he saw a jeep with seven people inside smash through the barrier and screech to a halt.

One of the militants got out of the vehicle, demanded their mobile phones and ordered them not to move, before disabling the security cameras.

"He said: 'You are Algerians and Muslims, you have nothing to fear. We're looking for Christians, who kill our brothers in Mali and Afghanistan and plunder our resources'."
German scientists have discovered an ancient Buddhist statue with extraterrestrial origin.

Depicting Vaisravana, the Buddhist god of wealth or war, the sculpture was carved from an ataxite, a rare class of iron meteorite with high contents of nickel.

"The statue was chiseled from an iron meteorite, from a fragment of the Chinga meteorite which crashed into the border areas between Mongolia and Siberia about 15.000 years ago," said Elmar Buchner of the University of Stuttgart.

In a paper published in Metoritics and Planetary Science, Buchner and colleagues reported their geochemical analysis and the story of the "Buddha from Space," which almost reads like an Indiana Jones movie.

Known as the Iron Man, the 9.5-inch-high statue was discovered in 1938 by an expedition backed by SS chief Heinrich Himmler and led by zoologist Ernst Schafer. The expedition roamed Tibet to search for the roots of Aryanism.

It is unknown how the sculpture was unearthed, but it is believed that a large swastika carved into the center of the figure may have encouraged the team to take it back to Germany.

Once it arrived in Germany, the Iron Man became part of a private collection and it wasn't until 2009 that cientists could study it, following an auction.

Weighting about 23 pounds, the statue wasn't exactly carved from the most appropriate material.

Buchner and colleagues noted that the artist who created it from the extremely hard meteorite may have known that the material was special.

"The fall of meteorites has been interpreted as divine messages by multitudinous cultures since prehistoric times," they wrote.

According to Buchner, the statue was likely carved about 1,000 years ago by the pre-Buddhist Bon culture of the 11th century.

However, the exact origin and age of the statue remains unknown.

"While the first debris was officially discovered in 1913 by gold prospectors, we believe that this individual meteorite fragment was collected many centuries before," Buchner said.

Although other meteorites are known to have inspired worship from many ancient cultures, the Iron Man statue is pretty unique.

"It is the only known illustration of a human figure to be carved into a meteorite, which means we have nothing to compare it to when assessing value," said Buchner.

"Its origins alone may value it at $20,000. However, if our estimation of its age is correct and it is nearly a thousand years old it could be invaluable."

Photo:The 'Space Buddha' statue. Credit: Elmar Buchner.
Hidden behind a fabulous sunken treasure recovered from a wreck in the Atlantic Ocean lays a story of secret diplomatic cables and Nazi art thieves, according to a revelation from WikiLeaks documents.

Consisting of 500,000 silver coins weighing more than 17 tons, hundreds of gold coins, worked gold, and other artifacts, the so-called Black Swan treasure has been at the center of an acrimonious international legal battle ever since it was discovered in 2007 by underwater robots from Odyssey Marine Exploration, a Florida-based treasure-hunting company.

It wasn't a fair confrontation, according to leaked documents released by WikiLeaks.

London's Guardian newspaper, one of the news organizations which receive the cables directly from WikiLeaks, reported that U.S. officials offered to help Spain in the court fight over the sunken treasure.

In exchange, they asked assistance for returning a valuable Impressionist painting looted by the Nazis during WWII.

"The cables indicate that the U.S. government provided confidential documentation on Odyssey to Spain," said Odyssey Marine Exploration in an emailed statement.

The fight over the Black Swan treasure started when Odyssey recovered the coins, valued at as much as $500 million, and shipped it straight to the United States.

Spain immediately filed a claim arguing that that the coins originated from the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, a 36-gun Spanish frigate which sunk off the coast of Portugal in 1804 in a battle with four British Navy ships.

According to an international maritime law known as doctrine of sovereign immunity, active duty naval vessels on a non-commercial mission remain the property of the countries that commissioned them. The wreck and its cargo would then be the exclusive property of Spain.

Odyssey argued there was not enough evidence to prove the wreck, which they codenamed "Black Swan," was the Mercedes and even if that were the case the ship's last voyage, from Montevideo to Cadiz, was commercial in nature. The majority of coins on board were owned by private merchants, not by Spain, Odyssey insisted.

The Wikileaks revelations arrived while the case is currently pending in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, and the treasure is kept in a secure, undisclosed location.

Dating to July 2, 2008, the cable reported a conversation between the Spanish culture minister, Cesar Antonio Molina, and the U.S. ambassador in Madrid, Eduardo Aguirre.

The discussion focused around the Black Swan treasure and the attempts by an American citizen, Claude Cassirer, to recover Camille Pissarro's "Rue St Honore. Apres-midi. Effet de Pluie" (1897), which currently hangs in Madrid's Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.

"The ambassador noted that while the Odyssey and Cassirer claim were on separate legal tracks, it was in both governments' interest to avail themselves of whatever margin for maneuver they had, consistent with their legal obligations, to resolve both matters in a way that favored the bilateral relationship," the cable stated.

Cassirer's claim was well known, as it was mentioned in a cable filed months before. The story goes that Cassirer's Jewish grandmother was forced in 1939 to sell Pissarro's depiction of a rain-soaked Paris boulevard for $360 in order to obtain an exit visa from Germany.

Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza acquired the Impressionist painting in 1976.

"In the early 1990s, the Spanish government purchased the collection and built the current museum. In 1958, Mrs. Cassirer received a DM 120,000 restitution payment for the disappearance and provisional dispossession of the painting, but retained full right to the painting," said the cable.

The embassy cable reports that the Spanish culture minister Molina refused to trade the Odyssey dispute with the looted painting: "The minister listened carefully to the ambassador's message, but he put the accent on the separateness of the issues."

He added that the collection technically belonged to a foundation, thus there was little the Spanish government could do about it.

Despite Molina's refusal, the leaked cables reveal that as early as 2007, the U.S. embassy handed over to Spanish authorities the customs import documents that Odyssey had filed when bringing the hoard of coins into the United States.

"The information was confidential and to be used only for law enforcement purposes," embassy officials warned Spain's director of customs.

Odyssey officials are waiting for additional information "before taking any specific actions," stated Greg Stemm, Odyssey's chief executive officer.

"The possibility that someone in the U.S. government came up with this perfidious offer to sacrifice Odyssey, its thousands of shareholders, and the many jobs created by the company in exchange for the return of one painting to one individual is hard to believe," the company said in a statement.

"It is hard to believe that this really happened. It sounds like something out of a Hollywood script."
A plane from the United States recently arrived in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, carrying an unusual load of passengers: 100 tiny toads. The homecoming of these toads represents the beginning of the world's most complicated reintroduction project.

The Tanzanian government, along with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Bank, among other organizations, are attempting to rebuild a broken environment, combat the amphibian-killing chytrid fungus in the wild, and reintroduce the Kihansi spray toads back into their natural habitat, all in one go.

No one said it would be easy.

The Kihansi toads were only just discovered in 1996. Scientists stumbled upon the toads' unique environment, the Kihansi Gorge, while conducting an assessment of the down-stream impacts of building a hydroelectric dam along the Kihansi River.

A lush Eden-like refuge, the gorge represented a hidden hot spot of biodiversity, brimming with unique creatures like the Kihansi spray toads, a species that thrives in the spray of the gorge's giant waterfall and whose females give birth to live tadpoles, rather than laying eggs.

At the time, Tanzania had no laws requiring companies to adequately accommodate or respond to environmental pressures. So, the construction of the dam continued as scheduled.

Once opened, the dam reduced water flow to the gorge by 90 percent and devastated its delicate habitat. Tanzanian authorities installed a sprinkler system to help bring a little more water to the area. At first, the frogs rebounded.

Then came the fungus.

Chytrid fungus is to frogs as the black plague was to humans: for most, it spells swift and brutal death. The fungus hit the already crippled Kihansi toad community like a bomb. The last toads were observed in the gorge in 2004, and the IUCN officially declared them extinct in the wild in December 2009.

Fortunately for these penny-sized amphibians, there were thousands living abroad in American zoos. In 2001, a joint team of American and Tanzanian researchers spirited a small population of the toads away to the United States to prevent them from disappearing forever.

America treated them well, and by 2010 the initial population of 499 grew into 6,000 - the Toledo and Bronx Zoos were nearly bursting with toads.

Meanwhile, back in Tanzania, change was flowing through the gorge.

In 2004, the country passed the Environmental Management Act, which mandated an environmental impact assessment for all new major developments.

"[More recently] Tanzania ratified the Biodiversity Convention, Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Kihansi is a moist spray wetland)," Fadhila Hemed, a spokesperson for the Tanzanian government, told Discovery News.

"With the ratification of these conventions, Tanzania has to do something about the toad as part of biodiversity that only existed in Kihansi, Tanzania," Hemed said.

The obvious answer: take some of the surplus toads back to Tanzania and try and reintroduce them to their restored native habitat. Apart from returning an exiled species to its rightful home, the move is also a unique attempt to study ways of fighting chytrid fungus in the wild.

Reviving a healthy population of Kihansi spray toads in the wild is a gamble, Hemed admits. The odds are against these fragile toads.

But if it's successful, Tanzania will have proven that a developing country can afford to participate in large-scale conservation projects, and that there is still hope to save the growing numbers of endangered amphibians around the world.

Image: University of Dar es Salaam
A small increase in the cost of flying into and out of Europe is causing a big argument between world powers.

Today the European Commission began the process of implementing a requirement that airplanes using European airports use credits to account for some of their greenhouse gas emissions. But the plan, which was signed into law on Jan. 1, resulted in serious opposition from China, the United States, Russia, Brazil, Japan and India.

For now, airlines will receive credits for 85 percent of their carbon emissions. The bill for the rest will be tallied at the end of the year after their output has been calculated, reported Reuters.

Don't worry about the airline executives, their pockets won't take a hit. Airlines plan to pass the costs on to consumers, according to Reuters.

The costs will only tack on approximately $3-6 for a flight from New York to London according to MIT economists, reported the Washington Post.

China's four largest airlines have threatened not to pay, and the US government may counter-attack with a fee on European airlines, according to Reuters.

But the Washington Post questioned whether this is much ado about nothing. They noted that aviation fuel is largely un-taxed, and hence any emissions fee would be leveling the playing field.

The Post also noted that a World Bank report found that a carbon tax of around $25 per ton would reduce emissions by 5 to 10 percent. The current carbon price in Europe is about $10.50 per ton, so the airline credit system would be less than that of the World Bank's proposal.

Air travel accounts for only about 3 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, but a UN report suggested that nitrous oxide emissions and contrails, the vapor trails that follow jets, may impact the climate two to four times more than the carbon dioxide alone.

IMAGE:

A Boeing 737 of Europe Airpost takes off Brussels Airport. (Rafael Delaedt, Wikimedia Commons)
An archaeologist in Belize is suing the makers of the film "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," claiming that the story is based upon a national treasure looted nearly a century ago from the small Central American country.

According to the Hollywood Reporter,

On Wednesday, one of the most entertaining lawsuits of the year was filed in Illinois federal court. It comes from Dr. Jaime Awe, director of the Institute of Archeology of Belize. This real-life Indiana Jones is suing on behalf of the nation of Belize over the Crystal Skull artifact, popularized in the 2008 Steven Spielberg film "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," Awe is demanding the return of the Crystal Skull from a treasure-hunting family that allegedly stole it 88 years ago from Belize.

Awe is suing Lucasfilm, the Walt Disney Company, and Paramount Pictures. Awe states that the crystal skull described in the film was stolen by a British explorer (and sometime archaeologist) named F.A. Mitchell-Hedges during a visit to the Maya ruins of Lubantuun in the jungle of Belize in the early 1920s.

His adopted daughter Anna Mitchell-Hedges is said to have discovered the skull while exploring the ruins. They returned to England with the skull, and Anna regularly exhibited the skull after her father's death in 1959.

In his complaint Awe cites a 1928 "Antiquities Ordinance" which prohibited the removal of artifacts from Belize without express government permission. Since the crystal skull was illegally removed from the ruins and used as a basis for the most recent Indiana Jones film, Awe and Belize want a cut of the profits and the return of the stolen skull which they see as part of their cultural heritage.

"Lucasfilm never sought, nor was given permission to utilize the Mitchell-Hedges Skull or its likeness in the Film," says the complaint. "To date, Belize has not participated in any of the profits derived from the sale of the Film or the rights thereto."

The True Story of the Crystal Skull

It's unlikely that the lawsuit will go anywhere - mostly because (apparently unbeknownst to Awe) it's based on a famous hoax. Daniel Loxton, editor of Junior Skeptic magazine, researched the history of the skull and discovered that Anna Mitchell-Hedges changed her story about how she got the skull at least twice.

The first account stated that she and her father found the skull together beneath an altar in a ruined temple in 1926. In a 1983 account she claimed she was with a worker who was felling trees in the jungle and saw something shiny beneath the stones and dug it up on the spot. Then she claimed she found it after being lowered into a hidden temple with ropes (ironically, in a scene reminiscent of an Indiana Jones film). Furthermore there's no evidence that Anna even visited the ruins at Lubantuun where she claims to have found the skull.

The truth is that neither Anna nor her father found the skull, amid the Lubantuun ruins, on eBay, or anywhere else.

The historical record shows that Mr. Mitchell-Hedges bought the skull from an antiquities collector named Sydney Burney in 1933, which he later sold to pay a debt. It was later purchased by his daughter Anna, who made up an adventurous story about finding it on her 17th birthday in the jungle ruins of a lost city.

All the fanciful, adventurous stories about discovering the crystal skull amid ruins in the Central American jungles were just myths created to craft a colorful backstory to the strange skull. "I discovered it in a long-lost ruined jungle temple" is more fun than "My father bought it from a guy at an auction."

The hoax lasted for decades, and fooled hundreds of crystal skull enthusiasts. Since the Mitchell-Hedges skull was never even in Belize - much less found there in an ancient Maya ruin by an adventurer's teenage daughter - the Belizean government has no claim over it. It's all a myth.

It's not surprising that New Age crystal-gazers were fooled by the bold hoax, though to have director of the Institute of Archaeology of Belize file a lawsuit against Lucasfilms and Disney based upon it is another matter.
An ancient Maya text has emerged from the jungles of Guatemala confirming the so-called "end date" of the Maya calendar, Dec. 21, 2012.

Considered one of the most significant hieroglyphic finds in decades, the 1,300-year-old inscription contains only the second known reference to the "end date," but does not predict doomsday.

"The text talks about ancient political history rather than prophecy," Marcello A. Canuto, director of Tulane University's Middle American Research Institute, said.

Carved on a stone staircase, the inscription was found at the ruins of La Corona, in the dense rainforest of northwestern Guatemala, by an international team of archaeologists led by Canuto and colleague Tomas Barrientos of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala.

The archaeologists made the discovery as they decided to excavate in front of a building that had been heavily damaged nearly 40 years ago by looters looking for carved stones and tombs.

"We knew they found something important, but we also thought they might have missed something," Barrientos said.

Indeed, the archaeologists not only recovered 10 discarded hieroglyphic stones, but also something that the looters missed entirely - an untouched step with a set of 12 exquisitely carved stones still in their original location.

Combined with the known looted blocks, the original staircase had a total of 264 hieroglyphs, making it one of the longest ancient Maya texts known, and the longest in Guatemala.

According to David Stuart, director of the Mesoamerica Center of the University of Texas at Austin, who deciphered the hieroglyphics, the stairway inscription recorded 200 years of La Corona's history.

Bearing 56 delicately carved hieroglyphs, the stone referring to the year 2012 commemorated a royal visit to La Corona (which the ancient Maya called Saknikte') by the ruler Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' from the great Maya capital of Calakmul on Jan. 29, 696 A.D.

Also known as Fire Claw or Jaguar Paw, Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk' had suffered a military defeat the year before, during a war with Calakmul's longstanding rival Tikal (located in modern Peten, Guatemala).

"Scholars had assumed that the Calakmul king died or was captured in this engagement, but this new extraordinary text from La Corona tells us otherwise," said Stuart.

In the wake of the defeat, the Maya ruler visited La Corona and perhaps other trusted allies to allay their fears after his defeat.
A record-setting dead zone is predicted to occur in the Gulf of Mexico and expected to kill bottom-dwelling fish and other marine life over a significant portion of the seafloor this summer following the rise in nutrient runoff from the Mississippi floods, according to marine scientists supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.

This year's forecast estimates that the size of the low-oxygen or hypoxic region in the Gulf will reach up to 9,421 square miles, the size of New Jersey and Delaware combined. City-sized portions of this region could see oxygen levels in the water column dropping to zero.

"While there is some uncertainty regarding the size, position and timing of this year's hypoxic zone in the Gulf, the forecast models are in overall agreement that hypoxia will be larger than we have typically seen in recent years," said Jane Lubchenco, undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, in a statement.

Oceanographers from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Louisiana State University, and the University of Michigan use nutrient inputs compiled from the U.S. Geological Survey's extensive stream gauge network along the Mississippi River to forecast the marine biogeochemical reaction to the uploads of nitrogen and phosphorus into the Gulf of Mexico. In May 2011, the Mississippi watershed's nitrogen transport into the Gulf was 35 percent higher than the average for that month over the last 32 years.

Nancy Rabalais, director of Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium will lead a two-week survey of Gulf waters later this summer to monitor the actual size and variation of this year's dead zone. Monitoring the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico began in 1985 and the largest event came in 2002 when low-oxygen levels affected 8,400 square miles of coastal waters.

Farm fertilizers washed downstream are one of primary sources of excess nitrogen and phosphorus into the Gulf of Mexico. The added nutrients allow for sudden marine algal blooms that color the sea green with chlorophyll.

HOW STUFF WORKS: The Dead Zone in the Gulf But the blooms of phytoplankton die almost as quickly as they form, and sink to the seafloor where bacteria consume the snowfall of organic matter as well as oxygen from the water column. Schools of fish can get caught in the oxygen-depleted waters and choke to death as they swim. Lobsters, crabs, and other marine animals that dwell on the bottom are the most susceptible.

Areas that are shallow and warm provide for a thriving seafloor bacterial community and an increased risk for greater oxygen depletion. In deeper, cooler waters, the metabolism of the bacteria is slowed and they consume less oxygen.

Storms and coastal winds can mix the water column and reduce the severity of a dead zone, as was the case in 2009. That year, the dockside value of commercial fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico was $629 million, NOAA reported. Despite the storms, nearly three million recreational fishers took 22 million fishing trips to the Gulf, contributing more than $1 billion to the Gulf economy.
Plants with more pores are able to absorb more carbon dioxide out of the air, Japanese researchers found.

Japanese researchers said on Thursday they had found a way to make plant leaves absorb more carbon dioxide in an innovation that may one day help ease global warming and boost food production.

The Kyoto University team found that soaking germinated seeds in a protein solution raised the number of pores, or stomas, on the leaves that inhale CO2 and release oxygen, said chief researcher Ikuko Hara-Nishimura.

"A larger number means there are more intake windows for carbon dioxide, contributing to lowering the density of the gas," she told AFP by telephone.

Another effect is higher starch production in photosynthesis, the process in which green plants use CO2 and water to produce sugar and other organic compounds.

"It could lead to higher production of food and materials for biofuel," said Hara-Nishimura, a biology professor at Kyoto University's Graduate School in western Japan.

In the experiments, the team used budding leaves of thale cress, a plant formally called Arabidopsis, which has a short life span of two months and is widely used as a model plant in biology.

They found that the number of pores multiplied relative to the concentration of the solution of the protein, which the researchers named Stomagen, achieving a maximum of four times the number of pores of an untreated plant.

An ideal increase would be two-to-three times, as too many pores impede the functions of other cells in the surface of the plant, Hara-Nishimura said.

Stomagen is easy but costly to produce chemically, and the team is working on a cheaper way to make it, Hara-Nishimura said, adding that an alternative may be to genetically modify plants to have more pores.
An unmanned Zenit rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday with a Russian spacecraft to return samples from the Martian moon Phobos and a small Chinese probe designed to spend a year studying Mars.

The launch was Russia's first attempt to return to interplanetary exploration since the 1996 loss of a Mars orbiter and lander. That mission, which ended shortly after launch due to an upper-stage rocket glitch, capped a long string of failed attempts by first Soviet and then Russian space agencies to reach the Red Planet.

None of Russia's 18 previous Mars missions have been fully successful. NASA has had better luck, with five of six Mars landers making it to the surface.

Despite the 15-year hiatus in planetary exploration, the new Russian mission is far from modest. After an 11-month journey, the spacecraft is expected to put itself first into orbit around Mars, release a Chinese satellite for a year-long independent study, sync up with Phobos and then dispatch a lander to the surface of the small moon.

In addition, Russia wants to scoop up soil samples and fly them back to Earth, crash landing in August 2014 with no parachutes to slow the descent through the atmosphere.

"Each of these stages is risky and critical for the next one," lead scientist Alexander Zakharov, with the Space Research Institute in Moscow, wrote in an email to Discovery News.
Rwanda is centering its new energy plan on an unlikely, potentially dangerous source: Lake Kivu.

At first glance, the lake's placid blue waters appear harmless enough (shown to the left). But beneath its beautiful exterior lie huge reservoirs of methane and carbon dioxide that, if released onto the surface, would endanger the two million people living around its shores.

Kivu is one of the three known "erupting" lakes in the world. Only a stone's throw away from Nyurangongo volcano, the lake has thousands of years worth of dissolved volcanic gases trapped in its waters.

It's a ticking time bomb, but one with a silver lining. Rwanda's government recently built the Kibuye power plant along the lake's shore, which siphons off the noxious gases and uses the methane as fuel for three large generators.

Currently, the plant produces 3.6 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 4 percent of the country. The government hopes that within two years, the plant will be covering a third of the country's needs.

The end goal is for Kivu, a lake that has long been a source of fear for the surrounding residents, to be the country's primary source of power.

"Our grandfathers knew that there was gas in this lake, but now we have proved that it can be exploited. It's a cheap, clean resource that could last us up to 100 years," Alexis Kabuto, head engineer of the Kibuye project, told The Guardian in an

interview.

So far, the pilot program has run smoothly. But people are still worried about the lake overturning, especially if regional temperatures keep rising.

Kivu is completely stratified, meaning there is no mixing between the lake's warm, upper layer and the deep, colder layer. When gases enter the lake, they dissolve and migrate down to the denser, deep layer. The temperature and density differences act as a cap, preventing the gases from escaping back up to the surface.

But warming air temperatures could disrupt the cap by reducing the temperature difference between the two layers. The effect would be like opening a soda bottle; all those dissolved gases would fizz up to the surface in one big rush.

It's happened before, with dire consequences. On August 15, 1984, Cameroon's Lake Nyos erupted. The overturning unleashed a huge white cloud of highly-concentrated carbon dioxide onto the surrounding countryside. Hundreds of people and animals instantly suffocated.

What happened in Nyos is nothing compared to what could happen in Kivu, a much larger lake with more people living around it.

To prevent another eruption at Nyos, the Cameroon government built pipes that provide an outlet to regularly release gases from the deep. This prevents the gases from building up to toxic levels.

Rwanda's power plant is a win-win. It essentially plays the same mitigating role as Nyos' pipe system, and the planned expansion could have the added bonus of providing the lake's residents with a huge source of power from relatively clean-burning natural gas.

Image: Rachel Strohm,

Flickr
Apart from being one of the most adorable ocean-going animals on the planet, sea otters play a powerful role in sucking greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. According to a new study written up this week in New Scientist, if the endangered fur balls' population were restored to pre-hunting levels, they could sequester a total of some 10 million tons of carbon in the ocean ecosystem, making them a useful weapon in the fight against global warming.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, otters were hunted to near extinction for their pelts. By the 1970s, conservation efforts had boosted their numbers back up near 125,000 animals. But the population has been in decline again of late, with perhaps 70,000 remaining in the Pacific waters off North America.

Scientists aren't certain why - otters are difficult to study in the wild, and little is known about how they reproduce or the stress they are under from predators and human activity (see video).

But Chris Wilmers of the University of California, Santa Cruz has worked out that otters play a crucial role in how the ecosystem draws carbon out of the atmosphere. By feasting on sea urchins, otters keep vast forests of kelp healthy, which he calculates can sequester 0.18 kilograms (0.40 pounds) of carbon for every square meter of habitat the animals occupy.

That doesn't sound like a lot, but multiplied across all of the coastal waters that could support a kelp forest ecosystem, it adds up. That makes sea otters very valuable animals indeed, and not just in a "let's save the cute fuzzy critters" sort of way.

As the New Scientist article puts it:

That means that if sea otters were restored to healthy populations along the coasts of North America they could collectively lock up a mammoth 10^10 kg of carbon  currently worth more than $700 million on the European carbon-trading market.

Wilmers speculates that restoring wolf populations and curtailing the illegal bushmeat trade could have similar positive effects on vegetation - and carbon sequestration - around the world.

Image: sea otter sleeping, wrapped in kelp, goingslo on flickr
The United States Department of Defense (DOD) may someday fill the gas tanks of its tanks with domestically produced biofuels, now that the annual Defense Appropriations Bill has been amended. The Senate voted 62-37 in bipartisan favor of repealing a section of the bill that would have blocked the DOD from using biofuels if they cost more than conventional fuels.

Senator Mark Udall (D-CO) led the charge to keep America's military moving towards more sources of renewable energy as outlined in a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The bureaucratic block had been inserted into the bill by Senator James Inhofe (R-OK). A similar block in the House of Representatives version of the bill was passed, setting the stage for a Congressional confrontation.

During Congressional debate, Inhofe had justified blocking the use of biofuels by calling it a threat to national security. He also considered the added expense of biofuels as wasteful at a time when the DOD is being forced to cut hundreds of billions from its projected budget and faces the looming sequestrations cuts of the fiscal cliff.

Supporters of the use of biofuel noted that depending on oil from nations like Iran and Venezuela is a threat to American security as well. They also noted that use of domestic biofuels pumps money into the American rural economy.

"Advance biofuels are not yet in full production and so they can't compete with oil, since the oil market is 100 years old," Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) said in Reuters. "But DOD investment has caused the price to drop dramatically over the last two years."

The United States military is the largest single user of fuel in the world, and any movement by the DOD towards biofuels and other renewable energy sources sends a message to investors that renewable energy has a market.

The military currently uses biofuels to power vehicles such as the "Green Hornet," an F/A-18 Super Hornet engineered to run on a 50/50 blend of conventional jet fuel and a biofuel that comes from camelina, a hardy U.S.-grown plant.

Besides biofuels, the U.S. military has been pushing for a decentralized power grid for security reasons, reported Forbes. The DOD and the Department of the Interior opened up 16 million acres of land for solar, wind and geothermal energy production in a memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year. By creating off-grid, renewable power supplies, the military can be prepared in the event of widespread blackouts and or breakdowns in the fuel supply line.

Use of renewable energy also reduces the pollution which causes infrared radiation to be trapped in the Earth's atmosphere. The DOD has identified climate change as a major threat to global security and the repercussions of climate change as a potential factor in future armed conflicts.
The rest of the island's ecosystem suffered for lack of the giant reptiles. The tortoises used to eat the fruit of native ebony tree (Diospyros egrettarum) and help to spread their seeds to sunny spots. Without the shelled seed scatterers, the ebony seedlings sprouted directly beneath their parents. To make matters worse, non-native rats devoured the tree's seedlings, and humans cut the trees for timber and firewood, according to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation .

But with the arrival of humans, as early as the 10th century, the unique native reptiles began to disappear. Rats, dogs, cats and other mammals that hitched rides with human explorers overwhelmed the natives animals. Humans also hunted the native creatures, particularly the infamously extinct dodo bird and two species of giant tortoise.

Mauritius was once nearly mammal-less. The only furry, warm-blooded creatures on the island were bats. In the absence of mammals, reptiles and birds filled many of the island's ecological niches.

After centuries of invasion by non-native species, returning native species to the islands of Mauritius is restoring the environmental balance lost. But one non-native species of reptile, the giant Aldabra tortoise, also seems to be helping correct the ecological imbalance left by the extinction of Mauritian tortoises centuries ago.

Mauritian ebony trees are similar to avocados and mangoes in that they are all large fruits dependent upon large animals to disperse them. In its native southern Asian homeland, the mango still has the elephant to disperse it's seeds, but the avocado and Mauritian ebony tree are fruits without a partner.

In The Ghosts of Evolution: Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, and Other Ecological Anachronisms, author Connie Barlow, examines the possibility that the avocado co-evolved with the giant ground sloth that once roamed the North America. After the giant sloth died out, the avocado seemed doomed as well, but luckily for guacamole lovers, humans began dispersing the avocado far and wide.

The Mauritian ebony tree is now being spread by a surrogate fruit-disperser as well. In 2000, a group of Aldabra tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) was introduced to Ile aux Aigrettes, a small island in Mauritius' Mahebourg Bay. A total of 19 tortoises now roam the island and are helping to disperse the ebony seeds, according to the paper, "Rewilding with Taxon Substitutes," recently published in the journal Current Biology.

A 2007 study had found that the ebony trees had failed to re-colonize areas were they had been wiped out by logging. But this recent study, conducted by researchers are the University of Bristol in cooperation with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, found that the tortoises were helping to reestablish the ebony trees in the previously ebony-less areas. The seeds even germinated better after taking a trip through a tortoise's guts.

"Our results demonstrate that the introduction of these effective seed dispersers is aiding the recovery of this critically endangered tree whose seeds were previously seed-dispersal limited. Reversible rewilding experiments such as ours are necessary to investigate whether extinct interactions can be restored," said lead author Christine Griffiths of the University of Bristol in a press release.

Previous efforts to restore the Mauritian ecosystem had focused on plant and bird species. In 1997, a nursery was built on Ile aux Aigrettes for production of endangered native plants. The nursery now produces about 30,000 plants per year. Most of these are planted on Ile aux Aigrettes during the rainy season from February to April.

So far, 20 endangered endemic plant species have been planted on the island, including the Round Island Hurricane Palm, of which only one adult tree remains.

The pink pigeon is also making a comeback on Ile aux Aigrettes. In 1994, a pink pigeon aviary was set up on the island. Now, there are over 75 pink pigeons flying free.

While reintroducing individual species is important. Restoring the interactions of different species within ecosystems may be a more important long term goal, said co-author Stephen Harris also of the University of Bristol in a press release.

"Ecological restoration projects generally involve the plant community, as more often the animal components are extinct," said Harris.

"There is, however, increasing evidence that restoration ecologists should be most concerned with the decline of species interactions, rather than species extinctions per se. Species interactions structure ecological communities, and provide essential ecosystem processes and functions such as pollination, seed dispersal and browsing, that are necessary for the self-regulation and persistence of a community," said Harris.

IMAGE 1: An Aldabra Giant Tortoise at Ile aux Aigrettes Nature Reserve, Mauritius (Wikimedia Commons).

IMAGE 2: An Aldabra tortoise on Ile aux Aigrettes (University of Bristol Press release; Nik Cole).

IMAGE 3: An Aldabra tortoise eating in the Bristol Zoo (Wikimedia Commons).
Two medieval "vampire" skeletons emerged near a monastery in the Bulgarian Black Sea town of Sozopol, local archaeologists announced.

Dating back 800 years to the Middle Ages, the skeletons were unearthed with iron rods pierced through their chests - evidence of an exorcism against a vampire. The ritual was aimed at preventing potentially dangerous people, such as enemies, murderers or individuals who died suddenly from a strange illness, from turning into vampires after death.

"The practice was common in some Bulgarian villages up until the first decade of the 20th century," Bozhidar Dimitrov, chief of the National History Museum in Sofia, told reporters.

The newly discovered skeletons are the latest in a series of finds across Europe. According to Dimitrov, over 100 skeletons, buried in the same manner, had been unearthed in Bulgaria only.

Vampires of the time were quite different from the aristocratic blood-sucking character depicted in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel "Dracula" and in innumerable Hollywood movies.

Indeed, the vampire legend originated from the disturbing appearance of decomposing bodies that had succumbed to the plagues that ravaged Europe between 1300 and 1700.

During those epidemics, mass graves were often reopened to bury fresh corpses and gravediggers would stumble into bodies that were bloated by gas.

Featuring a hole in the shroud used to cover their faces, these bodies showed individuals with their hair still growing, their teeth appearing through the shroud, and blood seeping out of their mouths.

In a time before germ theory, when the decomposition of corpses was not well understood, these individuals appeared like they were still alive, drinking blood and eating their shrouds.

Modern forensic science would explain that the shrouds were consumed by bacteria found in the mouth area, but at that time it was believed that these "shroud-eaters" were vampires who spread pestilence.

A stake in the heart and a stone wedged into the mouth would kill the undead creatures, while iron rods pierced through their chest would pin them into their burials to prevent them from rising from the graves and terrorizing the living.

According to archaeologist Petar Balabanov, who in 2004 discovered six nailed-down skeletons at a site near the Bulgarian town of Debelt, the vampire-slaying ritual had also been practiced in neighboring Serbia and across the Balkans.
Surfing is among the most exhilarating of sports; the connection with the ocean, the speed, and the joy of catching the perfect wave are hard to beat. But it can also be dangerous, especially if you don't know what you're doing. If you're a pro looking for the ride of a lifetime, you need the world's biggest waves. But if you're a beginner or traveling with kids, you need something entirely different. For a great time, waves that are made for learning to ride and a host of surf schools to help you and the little ones learn to hang ten, head to Taghazout, Morocco.

The North African's Atlantic Coast is an up-and-coming surf spot, known for its consistent waves, warm weather and a vibrant culture that features much better food than Southern California. Taghazout is a small fishing village with a growing tourism industry, largely due to the area's increasing popularity as a surf locale.

Devil's Rock surf camp offers guided tours to top spots for more advanced surfers, as well as courses for beginners.For just $550, you can get a hotel room for a week, a rented board, transport and six days of lessons. Or you can try Surf Town Morocco, which offers a similar package for a bit less: $490.

There are other schools and hotels in the area, be sure to check them out if you're thinking of going. While flying your family to Morocco will cost you more than a trip within the US, you and your kids will get to experience a fun and foreign culture, great food, great waves, and will surely come home with surf skills as well as some stories to tell.

Follow Alex on Twitter.

Photo: seljes / CC
WikiLeaks is at it again, releasing a trove of diplomatic cables that the organization claims will reveal "lying, corrupt and murderous leaderships from Bahrain to Brazil." Governments and news outlets around the world are scurrying to pore over the once-secret documents for important revelations.

WikiLeaks has been criticized before for revealing sensitive information. For example, the organization published thousands of reports about the Iraq War. Though much of the information was already known in broad terms, many of the specifics were not. WikiLeaks also released classified U.S. military footage from an attack in July 2007 in Baghdad by a U.S. helicopter that killed a dozen people including two journalists. For these leaks and others, many have praised the organization. But what are the ethics behind revealing secrets?

Despite what conspiracy theorists may think, secrecy is not an inherently bad thing; in fact, it usually keeps us safe. We keep our bank accounts, ATM and Social Security numbers a secret because revealing them could put our finances at risk. We may choose to keep personal information from other people, not to be deceptive but simply because it's none of their business. Similarly, revealing state secrets could put national security at risk or may just fall into the category of "too much information."

But under what circumstances is revealing secrets ethical? If a close friend confides in you that she has a drug problem or suffered a miscarriage, is it ethical for you to announce that on Facebook? Just because it's true and others may be curious about it doesn't give you the ethical right to reveal it.

In her book Secrets: On the Ethics of Concealment and Revelation, Harvard philosopher Sissela Bok explains that the ethics of revealing secrets lies in the nature of what is being exposed: "Whistleblowing and leaks may be starkly inappropriate when used in malice or in error... the judgment expressed by whistleblowers concerns a problem that should matter to the public. Certain outrages are so blatant, and certain dangers so great, that all who are in a position to warn of them have a prima facie obligation to do so. Conversely, other problems are so minor that to blow the whistle would be a disproportionate response."

Thus some of what WikiLeaks does is ethical, and some is not. In its three-year history, WikiLeaks has released a wide variety of information from the Church of Scientology's "secret" bibles to tax-evading Swiss banks. But much of the material that WikiLeaks has published has had little to do with revealing "unethical behavior" in governments and corporations. While many consider Scientology to be a science-fiction-based cult, for example, divulging its teachings (though secret) hardly qualifies as exposing corruption or "murderous leadership."

One recent example that made the front page of the November 29 issue of The New York Times is a cable that "reveals for the first time that the United States believes that Iran obtained advanced missiles from North Korea." This information may (or may not) be potentially damaging to national security, but it does not expose or reveal any unethical behavior.

Nor do the dozens of references to analysts' assessments of foreign leaders and governments; State Department employees' opinions that Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe "will not wake up one morning a changed man, resolved to set right all he has wrought," or that Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi's "long-time Ukrainian nurse.... has been described as a 'voluptuous blonde" demonstrate no unethical behavior on the part of any government.

In these cases, and many others, the clear purpose is not to expose any wrongdoing or grave dangers, but instead to merely embarrass government officials and complicate diplomacy. In doing so, WikiLeaks undermines its organization's mission and veers into unethical behavior.

As their website states: "Our primary interest in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations. Our goal is to bring important news and information to the public."

Revelations, such as a Yemeni official allegedly telling a U.S. General that "We'll continue saying the bombs [against Al Qaeda] are ours, not yours" are certainly serious. But the fact that WikiLeaks is unable (or unwilling) to make a distinction between important information (e.g., genocide) and gossip (e.g., Qaddafi's arm candy) attenuates its credibility.
It brought the world Skype, Europe its first capital with free public transport, and now Estonia is touting the globe's first fast-charging network for electric vehicles.

But its launch this week was overshadowed by public outrage over skyrocketing electricity prices since power market deregulation here in January.

Intended to cut carbon dioxide emissions, the network now has 151 charging-stations up and running across the small northern Baltic state, with 14 more planned by this summer, according to KredEx, the public agency in charge of building it.

But the move comes as the price of electricity soared 23.6 percent from December to January as a result of deregulation in the eurozone country of 1.3 million, Statistics Estonia figures show.

The nation's competition watchdog has begun proceeding "in order to control the profit margins charged by Eesti Energia for power supplied to the general public," Maarja Uulits, Competition Authority spokeswoman told AFP on Thursday.

Eesti Energia is entirely owned by the Estonian state, which also financed the new fast-charging network created by ABB, a Swiss engineering firm.

Funding for the network came from a 2010 carbon credit deal in which the Estonian government sold its CO2 quota to Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation.

The new charging stations dot all major highways at intervals of 40 to 60 kilometers (25 to 40 miles). It takes 20 to 40 minutes to charge up a 16-kilowatt-per-hour battery from 0-80 percent of capacity, according to KredEx.

In 2011, the centre-right government of Prime Minister Andrus Ansip bought 500 Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric cars for use by social workers and has subsidies of up to 18,000 euros ($24,000) for private individuals to get electric wheels.

Estonia joined the EU in 2004 and eurozone in 2011.
Some conservationists were howling mad that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) removed Wyoming's gray wolves (Canis lupus) from the Endangered Species list on Aug. 31. However, Governor Matt Mead of Wyoming ensured the public that de-listing won't result in wolf massacre once hunting of the canines resumes in his state on Oct. 1, reported the Wyoming Star Tribune.

Only approximately 10 percent of Wyoming's more than 300 wolves live in areas that allow the animals to be shot on sight, according to a USFWS press release. The rest live in trophy game management areas where regulations will control timing, methods and numbers of animals taken in wolf hunts. Wyoming has authorized 52 wolves to be killed in 2012's hunt. Idaho and Montana have already begun using management plans similar to what Wyoming will use. Wolves in those states were removed from the Endangered Species List in 2011.

Earthjustice, a nonprofit law firm, may seek an injunction to halt Wyoming's wolf hunt.

Despite outcry from conservation groups, USFWS stated that wolf populations have reached the carrying capacity for the Rocky Mountains and no longer need protection. Wolf numbers have met or exceeded recovery goals for 10 consecutive years.

Currently, 1,774 adult wolves and more than 109 breeding pairs split the chill night air of the Rockies with their howls. If wolf numbers drop, the USFWS can return wolves to the Endangered Species List.

"Our primary goal, and that of the states, is to ensure that gray wolf populations in the Northern Rocky Mountains remain healthy, giving future generations of Americans the chance to hear its howl echo across the area," said USFWS Director Dan Ashe in a press release. "No one, least of all Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, wants to see wolves back on the endangered species list. But that's what will happen if recovery targets are not sustained."

Approximately 65,000 wolves roam North America. Most live in Canada and Alaska.

IMAGE:

Gray wolf Canis lupus at Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Michigan.(Seney Natural History Association, Wikimedia Commons)
STATEMENT OF SENATOR FERDINAND "BONGBONG" R.

MARCOS JR. ON THE PASSING OF FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE

RENATO CORONA

It is always sad to note the passing of a man like Chief Justice Renato Corona to whom a great injustice was visited and it is unfortunate that at the time of his death he was still under this cloud that remained above him since the impeachment trial.

He was clearly a part of the selective justice.

I hope that his passing will finally bring him peace from the troubles of the day to day work.

My family and I extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Cecille, their children and the rest of his family.
Press Release

April 29, 2016 BONGBONG MARCOS GETS "SOLID NORTH" WELCOME

IN LP-RULED OCCIDENTAL MINDORO

Endorsed by Teacher's Party List, Mayors Vice Presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday got a taste of the "Solid North" welcome in Mindoro Occidental, which is considered a bailiwick of the ruling Liberal Party. This developed after a huge crowd welcomed the "Unity Caravan" of Marcos in the twin rallies he held separately in the municipalities of Sablayan and San Jose City, where a large segment of the population are descendants of migrant Ilocanos. In Sablayan, Marcos received the endorsement of key political figures, including A TEACHER (Advocacy for Teacher Empowerment Through Action, Cooperation and Harmony Towards Educational Reforms, Inc,) party list Rep. Juliet Cortuna and Sablayan Mayor Eduardo Gadiano. "When I arrived here, I thought we landed mistakenly in Ilocos Norte because many of those who welcomed me are Ilocanos," Marcos enthused to the cheering crowd of around 6,000 in the Sablayan Astrodome, as he also thanked them for their warm welcome. In the rally held at the San Jose City Plaza, thousands of city residents and from other municipalities of the province such as Rizal, Magsaysay and Calintaan also gave Marcos a thunderous welcome. Marcos was likewise endorsed by leaders of the business sector, led by the President of the Pag-asa Grains Center Incorporated Cresencio Tiu and other political leaders such as Calintaan Mayor Renato Paulino. Both Tiu and Paulino cited the platform of Marcos on agriculture and basic infrastructures, which they said are essential to spur further development not only in Occidental Mindoro but the entire country as well. In response, Marcos vowed to press for pro-agriculture policies such as the scrapping of irrigation fees, expansion of irrigation systems, cheaper credit facilities, better quality of seeds and furthering the construction of farm-to-market roads in strategic places. With 27 years of public service under his belt, Marcos told Mindoro Occidental residents that he has enough experience and knowledge to prepare him for the responsibilities of a Vice President. Likewise, Marcos also echoed in Occidental Mindoro his call for national unity, saying only through a united and collective efforts can the country be able to surmount the multitude of problems it is facing and march towards a better and more progressive future for all Filipinos.
Press Release

April 29, 2016 Recto to P-Noy: Sign anti-smuggling law as part of Labor Day package Protect local jobs, and let families of overseas workers enjoy the fruits of their loved ones' labor. This, according to Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, should prompt President Aquino in signing the Congress-approved Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) as part of his Labor Day package for Filipino workers. "Labor Day is the perfect time for the President to sign the CMTA. The new law will not only protect local jobs from smugglers, it will also bring delight to families of our OFWs who wish to send more 'pasalubong' for their loved ones in the Philippines," Recto said. The CMTA is a bill reforming customs and port procedures, with "a raft of measures" aimed at stamping out smuggling and other anomalies at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) by making BOC processes "simple, streamlined, transparent and fast." The bill, whose final draft both houses of Congress ratified before lawmakers began a three-month election break last February, also imposes longer imprisonment, of up to a lifetime, and higher fines, of up to P50 million, for smugglers and their coddlers in government, Recto said. Section 1401 of CMTA slaps a minimum jail time of 31 days to six months or a fine of not less than P25,000 but not more than P75,000, or both, if the appraised value of the smuggled goods does not exceed P250,000. If the value of smuggled items exceeds P200 million, guilty parties will be sentenced to life imprisonment on top of a fine of not less than P50M, Recto said. Customs officials extorting from shippers or consignees would face a penalty of six years to 12 years imprisonment and fine of P500,000 to P1 million. Additional penalties, Recto explained, include forfeiture of all benefits due from service in government as well as perpetual disqualification to hold public office, from exercising the right to vote and to participate in any public election. These sanctions are the "fear factor" which we hope will discourage smuggling, Recto said. But the measure approved by Congress does not only jack up penalties, but also "modernizes Customs operations, computerizes all aspects of transactions, simplifies rules, and expedites the issuance of import clearances and valuation of goods as well," Recto said. One section of the proposed law provides that goods declaration shall be submitted electronically pursuant to the Electronic Commerce Act of 2000, Recto said. The CMTA mandates the use of modern information and communications technology to speed up and simplify BOC procedures, he added. Hopefully this and other measures would allow easy tracking and monitoring of goods, Recto said. "It would also empower concerned parties to red flag suspicious shipments." The effect of smuggling to local employment was brought to Recto's attention by a big national alliance of pork producers who threatened to stage a "pork holiday" last February due to government fail to curb pork smuggling. Led by the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines Inc. (Pro-Pork) and Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura-National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. (NFHFI), swine farmers are complaining that tens of millions of kilos of imported pork meat are misdeclared as offal, fats, rind and skin. The latter fetches a lower tariff rate of 5 percent to 10 percent as compared to the 40 percent tariff on pork meat. The group also wants the strict enforcement of the "quarantine first policy," and 100-percent quarantine test and inspection at the port of first entry on all meat imports with declared 5-10 percent tariff. Recto also backed the group's appeal that President Aquino signs into law a separate bill treating large-scale smuggling of farm products as economic sabotage. The bill hurdled the Senate in October 2015 while the House followed suit last month. "This and the CMTA are a one-two punch that can bring down smuggling," Recto said. Also in the CMTA is the provision raising to P150,000 the value of a balikbayan for it to be tax -exempt. Recto filed the BBL or Balikbayan Box Law in August last year after a public outcry against a BOC decision to open balikbayan boxes based on outdated regulations. Recto's "BBL" was later incorporated into Section 800 of CMTA which allows the sending of balikbayan boxes a maximum of three times in a calendar year, provided that the value of each shipment shall not exceed P150,000.
Press Release

April 29, 2016 MIRIAM HITS LACK OF POLITICAL WILL VS. CORRUPTION Presidential candidate Miriam Defensor Santiago on Friday claimed that the government has yet to win the fight against corruption because it lacks the political will to implement necessary reforms. Speaking before some 3,000 supporters at the University of Negros Occidental - Recoletos in Bacolod City, Santiago lamented that the anti-corruption bills she filed at the Senate languished absent support from the administration. "It does not take a genius to solve corruption. Laudable remedies have time and again been proposed. In fact, several measures aimed at curbing corruption are now pending in Congress," the senator said. The corruption-curbing measures Santiago authored or supported in Congress include the Freedom of Information Bill, the Anti-Political Dynasty Bill, the Anti-Epal Bill, and the Anti-Political Recommendations Bill. She also emphasized the need for an anti-premature campaigning law to level the playing field during the elections. Santiago authored two bills against premature campaigning in the Senate, but both measures did not hurdle the committee level. "Other candidates spend billions in their campaigns. Where do they get the money? From businessmen, who want to control the politicians whose candidacies they bankrolled," the senator said. Santiago also repeated her criticism of commercial survey firms, which she said are being used to condition the minds of Filipino voters. She vowed to launch an investigation against pollsters if elected. The senator previously questioned the results of surveys by the two most popular firms, noting that they do not reflect the results of non-commercial surveys and mock polls in universities. Santiago recently ranked a close second in an opinion poll conducted by the Catholic Church-run media outfit Veritas. She has also consistently topped mock polls and surveys conducted in the following campuses: De La Salle University Manila;

Polytechnic University of the Philippines;

University of the Philippines (U.P.) Los Banos;

University of Santo Tomas;

Ateneo De Manila University;

U.P. Manila;

University of Northern Philippines;

Malayan Colleges Laguna;

Colegio de San Juan de Letran;

U.P. Diliman;

U.P. Baguio;

Holy Angel Universit;

University of Asia and the Pacifi;

Adamson University;

Ateneo de Naga University;

U.P. Baguio;

Philippine Normal University;

West Visayas State University;

Central Philippine University; and

Miriam College. Santiago earlier reiterated that she will keep fighting, despite pressure to for her to withdraw from camps of other presidential candidates. Her rivals allegedly offered to reimburse her by up to P300 million in campaign expenses.
Press Release

April 29, 2016 YOUTH AGAINST CORRUPTION

By SENATOR MIRIAM DEFENSOR SANTIAGO

(University of Negros Occidental - Recoletos, Bacolod City, 29 April 2016) My administration will bequeath to the next president a nation stronger than what I will inherit. By the end of my term, the Philippines will be more prosperous, its people more united, and its political institutions more stable. The first item in my order of battle is to reform the culture of corruption. In the latest Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International, the Philippines ranked 95th out of the 168 countries. We scored only 35 out of 100 points, showing that the public still believes that corruption is widespread in government. The agencies most perceived as corrupt are at the frontlines: the Bureau of Customs, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Philippine National Police (PNP). You will notice that these agencies are the ones that are supposed to deal with the problems Filipinos complain about daily. Smuggling is rampant because Customs agents connive with illicit businessmen. Public transport is a nightmare because the DOTC is hostage to private interest. Roads and bridges are substandard because DPWH engineers pocket huge cuts. Crop productivity is low because funds for farmer support go to electoral campaigns. Criminality is high because cops run some of the syndicates. It does not take a genius to solve corruption. Laudable remedies have time and again been proposed. In fact, several measures aimed at curbing corruption are now pending in Congress. I have authored or supported these bills, and, if elected, I vow to shepherd them into approval. These include: The Freedom of Information Bill, which, if approved, will improve transparency and accountability in government; The Anti-Dynasty Bill and the Anti-Premature Campaigning Bill, which seek to level the playing field during the elections; The Anti-Epal Bill, which will help put an end to political patronage; The Anti-Political Recommendations Bill, which aims to restore meritocracy in government and abolish the "padrino system"; and Measures that will support the development of strong political parties, to help stabilize the shaky political arena. Pending these reforms, we must look for other ways to fight corruption. I invite you, the young people, to join the crusade against corruption and the task of nation building. Begin by making sure that society does not condone corruption. Corruption only exists in a society that allows it. I urge you to: Follow the money. Stealing is easy when no one is watching, so you should track government spending and always look for results. Lobby. Collectively draft policies that will help fight corruption or improve public service delivery, and ask your legislators to adopt them. Protest. Let those in power know that you are watching them. Show them that you are a force to reckon with. Vote. Choose candidates with moral integrity. If possible, fund the campaign of these candidates through small contributions or fundraisers so that they will not be beholden to contributors' interests. Protect the ballot. If we allow the rigging of election results, all our efforts to rid the country of corruption will be in vain. Our weapons against corruption are ready. What we need is the will to win. Do not be intimidated by the fact that you are young. You are filled with boundless energy, unfathomable courage, and a sense of wonder. Use these to your advantage and for the greater good. As the poet said, So nigh is grandeur to our dust,

So near is God to man,

When duty whispers low, "Thou must,"

The youth whispers, "I can."
After three years of renovations, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is reopening on May 14. The new SFMOMA is gleaming white and twice as large as its boxy brown predecessor. Its in no danger of being dwarfed, even among the South of Market neighborhoods collection of rising towers.

The latest chapter in the history of SFMOMA is defined by power and wealth. Its a strange contrast with the first chapter of that history, which began just a few years after the 1906 earthquake reduced the city to rubble.

A group of civic elites known as the San Francisco Art Association decided to create a museum dedicated to contemporary artwork. Their first museum, which opened in 1916, folded after a decade. But in 1935 they succeeded in founding the San Francisco Museum of Art.

Grace McCann Morley, its first director, found herself leading a museum that from its inception was plagued by troubles. Unlike the de Young Museum or the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, it was privately funded, and those funds were scarce.

The museum was also housed on the cramped fourth floor of the War Memorial Veterans Building, not an ideal location, according to SFMOMA Deputy Director Ruth Berson.

It had no street presence whatsoever  you couldnt just walk into the lobby of the building, you had to take an elevator to get there, Berson said. The other thing was that the spaces were never intended to be galleries, so they didnt have the proportions (for exhibits) that one would have preferred.

Morley was one of the museums first assets. Described by Berson as a dynamo, Morley quickly set about transforming the museum into a hot spot for contemporary art. In one of her first feats, Morley helped arrange for the mammoth 1934 Carnegie International, European Section, U.S. Selections exhibitions to be shipped across the United States  a logistical nightmare in the age of trains.

Over the next two decades, Morley and the Trustees organized exhibitions for well-known artists and emerging talents, including Ansel Adams, Alfred Stieglitz and Henri Matisse. Berson also noted that the museum gave Jackson Pollock his first solo exhibition in 1945.

The outbreak of World War II influenced much of Morleys administration. In 1939, the museum arranged for an exhibition titled Twentieth Century German Art (Banned) that featured degenerate artwork banned in Nazi Germany. Throughout the war, Morley sought out local artists with useful skills to contribute to the war effort, and in 1945, the museum temporarily relocated to a downtown store so the building could host the United Nations charter meeting.

At the end of the war, Morley began working for UNESCO, where she founded the International Council of Museums. Her work with these organizations eventually forced Morley to leave the museum in 1958. But Berson said she left behind an impressive legacy.

She accepted photography into the collection at a very early stage, Berson said. Her first architecture exhibition was in 1940, way before anybody was thinking about that.

Joe Rosenthal/The Chronicle

Morleys replacement, George Culler, inherited a museum with greater resources, which he focused largely on education and outreach. Among the programs that were funded during his administration was Insights, which inspired bizarre experimental art like Snowjob, a performance piece by Bonnie Sherk that involved dumping 2 tons of snow in downtown San Francisco.

When Gerald Nordland took the reins in 1966, the nation and the Bay Area were in the midst of radical cultural and political transformations. Nordland was determined to incorporate new trends by organizing shows that pushed the boundaries of art.

Some of these exhibitions proved to be quite memorable, like a 1969 showing of Jay DeFeos The Rose, a 2,300-pound painting so difficult to transport that it inspired a documentary. Later that year, the museum became the only West Coast museum to host the controversial exhibit Contemporary Black Artists.

In 1970, the museum resurrected its film program. Although it was shuttered eight years later because of financial strains, the program made a splash with its first exhibition, a floating TV-sculpture called The Videola by Don Hallock and several other artists.

Nordland also oversaw a period of growing prestige for the museum. In 1972, the museum expanded into the third floor of the Veterans Building. It also established the Museum Intercommunity Exchange to foster greater collaboration with its peers in New York; Washington, D.C.; and Europe.

Henry Hopkins became the museums director in 1974. Today, Hopkins is probably best remembered for adding the word modern in 1975 to the name of the museum. But during his 12 years as director, he also led SFMOMA through a period of explosive growth, creating new departments and enlarging its collections.

Hopkins organized a record number of shows that relied solely on SFMOMAs collection, which had swollen with acquisitions over the previous decade. Hopkins, who particularly liked Abstract Expressionists, was instrumental in securing artwork by Clyfford Still and Philip Guston.

Also during Hopkins administration, SFMOMA established its first department of photography in 1980, and in 1983 it created the department of architecture and design  the first of its kind on the West Coast.

These enhancements increased the prestige of SFMOMA, but Hopkins was never satisfied with the museums location. In a 1980 interview for the Archives of American Art, he recalled visiting the museum before he was director and wishing the staff had the funds to buy 500 gallons of white paint to freshen up the tawdry building.

In 1987, the Museum of Contemporary Art opened in Los Angeles, ending SFMOMAs unofficial status as Californias premier contemporary art museum. The Board of Trustees and its new director, John Lane, began searching for a new home for the museum. They soon set their sights on Third Street in the South of Market area.

South of Market was a little bit of a dicey neighborhood back in the day, Berson said, recalling that the museums neighbor was an empty parking lot surrounded by chain-link fence.

But the move paid off. When SFMOMA reopened in 1995 in a new building designed by the Swiss architect Mario Botta, membership jumped from 12,900 to more than 31,000. Lane launched SFMOMAs website that same year, increasing public awareness of upcoming exhibits.

Michael Maloney

Lane took advantage of the new wealth brought in by the dot-com bubble to acquire significant works for the museum, including pieces by Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol and Brice Marden. David Ross, who took over as director in 1998, continued this trend, acquiring pieces by Ellsworth Kelly, Charles Sheeler and Rene Magritte.

Under Ross directorship, SFMOMA began to focus heavily on digital arts. The museum launched e.space, an online curatorial space that featured SFMOMAs Web-based art. In 2001, the museum exhibited 010101: Art in Technological Times to showcase the rosy future promised by technological advances. But the prediction turned out to be premature.

At that time we had the dot-com bubble in San Francisco, Berson said, noting that when it burst, we certainly felt it.

Ross resigned in 2001 to pursue a career in the technology field. The board of trustees selected Neal Benezra as SFMOMAs new director in 2002.

Benezra was an easy choice: Born in Oakland, he fell in love with SFMOMA when he visited it as a child. As a young adult, he had even applied for an internship at the museum but had been turned down.

Laura Morton/Special to the Chronicle

Returning as director 20 years later, Benezra inherited a museum that was suffering from layoffs and a $2 million deficit. To re-energize it, Benezra organized blockbuster shows. In 2002, the Marc Chagall exhibition broke the attendance record for the museum. In 2008, the Frida Kahlo exhibit broke that record again. The museum also featured the work of other popular artists, such as Diane Arbus, Sol LeWitt and Jeff Wall.

SFMOMA also continued to expand its educational opportunities. In 2002, the museum opened the Koret Visitor Education Center  the first drop-in education center in a U.S. museum. In 2005, the education department started a podcast series on artists and programming at the museum called Artcasts. Berson noted that when the museum reopens, they hope to serve 55,000 students a year  up from 18,000 when SFMOMA closed.

When visitors enter SFMOMA in May, they will be greeted by expanded gallery spaces, stairs that mimic San Francisco streets, a contemporary photography center and other unfamiliar sights.

But finding traces of SFMOMAs history wont be difficult. Among the hundreds of paintings, photographs and installations on display will be works of art that have traveled with the museum since its inception. As Berson pointed out, its ultimately the artwork that will inform visitors about the history surrounding them.

Eli Wolfe is a Bay Area freelance writer.

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: Reopens May 14th at 151 Third St., S.F. Galleries will be open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on opening day. Regular museum hours will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m. every day except Thursdays, which will be 10 a.m.-8 p.m. $25 for adults, $22 for seniors, $19 for young adults, and free for youth 18 and younger. (415) 337-4000 www.sfmoma.org.
Rusty swings, leaking water fountains, broken equipment and graffiti have long been problems for the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department.

But theres never enough money to fix it all. Funding for the department has dropped by nearly half over the past 15 years, and investment in parks has not kept pace with the citys growing budget.

Proposition B is a set-aside that would help the department tackle deferred maintenance by infusing more than $1 billion into parks over the next 30 years. Opponents counter it would take away general fund money that could be used for vital city services like public health and safety.

The measure, which is on the June 7 ballot, would draw an annual increase of $3 million for park repairs over the first 10 years. After that, funding would parallel the citys percentage revenue growth.

The charter amendment will call for parks to rely on a bigger portion of the general fund and will not ask for a tax increase. And if a budget deficit is expected, the allocations growth would be suspended for that year. Prop. B would also extend the Open Space Fund  a property tax set-aside passed in March 2000  for an additional 15 years, through 2046.

This is a generational ballot measure, said Supervisor Mark Farrell, who introduced the legislation. Parks are the jewels of our city, and we need to protect them. Weve done this in a responsible manner where the money will grow over time. Its making sure that, as the general fund grows, funding for parks doesnt flatline.

Santiago Mejia/Special to The Chronicle

Funding for Park and Rec was slashed after the 2008 economic recession, which caused a downturn in the city budget. But even as San Francisco recovered, the baseline money for parks plateaued. Had the percentage of funding remained constant at 2.1 percent of the general fund, Park and Rec would be receiving $89 million this year, rather than $50 million, concluded a report by the San Francisco Parks Alliance, a nonprofit that supports the citys parks.

We are very vulnerable to the economy, parks director Phil Ginsburg said. Public safety and health and human services, they are locked in. When the economy tanks, we are fighting over potholes and trees as to what gets funded. This measure will provide us with stability, prevent the cuts we saw in 2009 and allow us to protect the investments we have made.

The department has amassed a funding shortfall of about $40 million, the Parks Alliance report estimates. The biggest ramifications have been on maintenance  requests are filled nearly entirely on an emergency and individual basis. Theres also a backlog of more than 5,000 maintenance requests, which would cost $1.7 billion and take more than a year to address.

Santiago Mejia/Special to The Chronicle

Prop. B would provide long-term fiscal stability and investment in parks, Farrell said. But there are points of contention, including the amount of money and how it would be spread among the citys 220 parks. Some supervisors were slow to support the measure until it was adjusted to spread money equally across all parks and cross-city analysis metrics were put into place.

Critics also say the set-aside would earmark money that could otherwise go to vital city services. In a letter, city Controller Ben Rosenfield cautioned that the measure would take more discretionary revenues out of the budget over time and have a significant impact on the cost of government. Voter-adopted city policy tries to limit set-asides, he said.

The last thing a legislator wants is to have his or her hands tied, said retired Superior Court Judge Quentin Kopp, who is against the measure. Thats what this does. Its not in the general best interest of the people of San Francisco because their interests also include public health and other issues, which may one day be injured by the fact that there could be inadequate money to fund them during an emergency.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

It could also hurt the departments chances at getting more money in the future during the citys budgeting process, Kopp said, a former city supervisor.

The $3 million is only a sliver of the citys $8 billion budget, said Matthew OGrady, chief executive of the Parks Alliance. The measure would lock in a basic level of funding for the department, he said, calling it a modest tweak to take care of parks.

The department will never get a lions share during the budget process because there are a lot of priorities, Farrell said. Prop. B would lock in a basic funding source for parks, he said.

As someone who has advocated every single year, we have moved the needle as much as we have been able to, Farrell said. What we have found is we continue to slip further and further behind. At the end of the day, I dont want to see our parks continue to slip down.

Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn
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San Franciscans know everything about homelessness  just ask them.

But according to nonprofit providers and city officials who work with the homeless every day and have interacted with thousands of homeless people in their careers, a lot of conventional wisdom about one of San Franciscos most stubborn problems is pure myth.

Thats OK. I dont understand everything about this city either. Like how in the world we have a $9 billion budget but the streets remain riddled with potholes. Or the point of all those apps being made by our tech companies. Or our weather.

Here are some of the most common myths about homelessness in the city. And, like a really depressing episode of MythBusters, some answers as to whether theyre legit.

Myth 1: Homeless people flock here from elsewhere because of San Franciscos generous services. If we just cut the services, the homeless problem would disappear.

My email inbox would be about half as full if this myth werent out there. Everybody seems to take it as fact. But are we the Field of Dreams for homeless people? Not really.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

The most recent homeless count, conducted in January 2015, found 6,686 homeless people in the city. Seventy-one percent of people reported living in San Francisco when they became homeless, up from 61 percent in 2013. Just 10 percent said they were living outside California when they became homeless, and the remaining 19 percent were living in the state but not in the city.

Of those who came from outside San Francisco, 22 percent said it was for homeless services and benefits. So a few hundred of the 6,686 homeless people in San Francisco came for our great homeless services  a sizable chunk, but nowhere near the majority.

Other reasons for moving to San Francisco cited in the homeless count were that they were looking for work, that they sought acceptance in the gay community, that they were traveling through, or that family and friends are here. In other words, the same reasons many of us came to San Francisco.

I think its a very rare occurrence that somebody whos struggling Googles homeless services and comes to us for them, said Sherilyn Adams, executive director of Larkin Street Youth, which works with homeless teens and young adults.

That doesnt mean that everybody who came here and wound up homeless had the best-laid plans, but advocates say its harder and harder to arrive in San Francisco looking for your shot and to actually make it.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

Matthew Doherty, executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, came to San Francisco recently and said just about every city he visits claims its a magnet for homeless people because of its robust services. Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Ore.  you name it.

If every city says it, perhaps theres nothing all that special about San Francisco. There can only be one Field of Dreams, right?

Myth 2: A lot of people just want to be homeless  its a lifestyle.

Yes, a lot of homeless people refuse services  at least at first. But Jackie Jenks, executive director of Hospitality House, which runs a shelter and offers other homeless services, says theres more to the rejection than just wanting a life on the streets.

A lot of times people have been traumatized and re-traumatized and they dont think its going to happen anyway, she said of getting help finding a better life. They might need a little bit more work in order to be able to make that leap.

Sam Dodge, Mayor Ed Lees coordinator of homeless services, said many people have had such awful experiences in their lives, theyve put up a huge wall for self-protection.

It can be a psychological strength to say no and stand up for yourself, he said. Theyd rather stand on their own two feet than live on their knees.

But this often melts away when the services come with less rigidity. People often turn down the traditional shelter because it comes with a curfew, a lot of bureaucracy, and a prohibition on partners and pets.

The year-old Navigation Center on Mission Street doesnt have those rules, and homeless people are much more likely to accept beds there. The shelter at Pier 80, which also has more relaxed rules, now has 180 beds and is close to capacity each night.

Dodge said that in his entire career, hes met only three or four people who really do want to spend their lives on the streets.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

Myth 3: The shelter system has plenty of beds for any homeless people who want them.

This myth is perpetuated by city officials, probably to prove they dont need to fund more shelters. But Jenks says its not true. The shelter system has 1,200 beds, so common sense would say that its not enough to support a population of almost 7,000.

The citys www.sf311.org website tracks people on a waiting list for a shelter bed, and last week the tally was 698 people. That shows us people do actually want to get into shelter, Jenks said.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Most nights, its true that not all of the 1,200 beds are occupied. But thats usually because someone didnt show up to claim a bed they were granted or because of some other technicality, Jenks said.

Dodge said there are often a few dozen vacant shelter beds per night, but added, Theres a tremendous demand for shelter. Maybe something in the allotment of shelter beds needs fixing.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

Myth 4: If we solve homelessness, all of our quality of life issues on the streets will disappear, too.

Dodges biggest gripe when it comes to myths about homelessness is that homeless people are blamed for all the discarded needles, feces and puddles of urine littering our sidewalks. In a Venn diagram, there would obviously be a lot of overlap, but theyre not the same issue.

The Department of Public Health estimates there are about 20,000 intravenous drug users in the city. So even if every homeless person was one, which theyre not, there would still be more than 13,000 housed people shooting up in the city. City officials say some intravenous drug users who have housing choose to shoot up outside so if they overdose, passersby will notice and help.

Dodge added that the Department of Public Works responds to a lot of requests for steam-cleaning feces and urine that arent related to homelessness.

The big pee spots are near bars and late-night drinking, he said. Homeless people arent the only people who are peeing on the streets.

And of the the S.F. poop maps, as Dodge put it? A lot of that is not just human feces  its also dogs, he said.

We believe this is the first time in Chronicle history that big pee spots and poop maps were uttered by a city official and appeared in the same column.

And with that, well await your emails and tweets telling us the experts are wrong, and the myths are true. Ready, set, go!

Heather Knight is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer who covers City Hall politics. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf
San Francisco Fine Arts Museums chief executive Dede Wilsey fired off a memo to her fellow trustees the other day, assuring them that the de Young and Legion of Honor have never been in better operational condition  and taking aim at our coverage of whistle-blower accusations against her.

Wilsey wrote that she wanted to provide accurate facts about former museums Chief Financial Officer Michele Gutierrezs complaint to the city and state about a $450,000 payment that Wilsey arranged for an ailing former staffer.

Wilsey didnt explain why former stationary engineer Bill Huggins deserved the money on top of his $56,000-plus annual pension. But she said Gutierrez had co-signed the check and that this payment required no board approval  something Wilsey didnt receive before the money went out in 2014.

She also said Gutierrez declined to meet with the investigator whom the Fine Arts Museums board hired to look into her whistle-blower complaint.

The investigator then closed the investigation, Wilsey wrote in her Nov. 20 memo.

Subsequently, a second investigator hired by the museums board spent two months looking into Gutierrezs allegations but found no evidence of harassment or retaliation on the job, Wilsey said.

Gutierrez, who was put on administrative leave after we reported on her complaint, declined to comment.

The possibility that Huggins was improperly paid is a concern for more than just the Fine Arts Museums, because the de Young and the Legion of Honor together receive $16 million a year in city funding.

In her memo, Wilsey downplayed an audit that state Attorney General Kamala Harris office launched in response to Gutierrezs complaint. She said the A.G.s charitable trust section routinely conducts correspondence audits of not-for-profit organizations.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Wilsey also sought to dispel rumors of turmoil inside the museums, including reports of key staff departures.

Based on management consultant recommendations, we have reorganized staffing and adopted a number of current best practices in nonprofit management, Wilsey wrote. All of this has led to robust performance in membership and donations and puts (the museums) in a strong position for the future.

As for the museums search for a permanent director, seven months after Colin Bailey exited for a job in New York?

We have enthusiastic, qualified candidates ... and expect to appoint a director early next year, Wilsey wrote.

On fire: San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, who has managed to survive in her job through a series of Fire Department controversies and calls by union members and even her managers to resign, has hired a $113,192-a-year civilian public relations manager to burnish the departments image.

Olivia Scanlon, a longtime aide to supervisors from District Seven on the citys west side, will be paid out of new budget funding for three strategic planning positions.

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There is a public relations aspect to the strategic planning, said Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge.

Those in the know say part of the new PR managers mission is to help Hayes-White avoid political land mines. There has been no shortage of those for the chief in the past couple of years. From ambulance-response problems to runaway overtime costs to the incident in which two rigs struck a girl thrown from the crashed Asiana Airlines jet at the airport in July 2013, the Fire Department has consistently been in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Last word: The state Department of Food and Agriculture has created a division to promote healthy eating called the Office of Farm to Fork, or OFF for short.

I hope the bug-spray people are OK with that, says local law librarian Richard Schulke.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or e-mail matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Pressure is mounting on Fine Arts Museums President Dede Wilsey to reimburse the city-owned de Young Museum and Legion of Honor for the $450,000 she ordered paid to an ailing retired staffer.

The right thing needs to be done  its critically important for the museum, the board and the city as a whole, said Louise Renne, a former city attorney and supervisor and, most crucially in this case, a current member of the museums Board of Trustees.

And the right thing means repaying the money, although Renne declined to say whether she or the board had formally asked Wilsey to do so.

Asked for Wilseys response, museums spokeswoman Amanda Duckworth said a special board committee is working with the state Attorney Generals Office, which has launched its own inquiry into the spending. That work is ongoing, and it would be inappropriate to comment until the committees work is completed, she said.

In recent weeks, Renne has been asking questions about the disability severance check paid to museum engineer Bill Huggins, who retired in September 2014 after he suffered a heart attack. Huggins wife, longtime museum registrar Therese Chen  who went on leave to care for her husband  had been known for doing favors for Wilsey.

Connor Radnovich/The Chronicle

In recent days, the story took a tragic turn: Chen, 65, died Friday at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland after suffering a stroke.

As we first reported in October, the museums former chief financial officer, Michele Gutierrez, filed whistle-blower complaints with both the city and the state attorney general alleging that Wilsey got her to sign off on the Huggins payment without first seeking board approval. Gutierrez worried that it could amount to misuse of funds that might jeopardize the Fine Arts Museums nonprofit standing.

Wilsey insisted that she had acted within her authority and that Gutierrez herself had co-signed the check. But the questionable spending later prompted prominent board members Bernard Osher and Jack McDonald to resign over what they saw as the Fine Arts Museums lack of financial controls.

Gutierrez, who was later demoted in a staff shakeup and eventually placed on leave, is negotiating a severance package with the help of high-priced attorney Joe Cotchett.

In the meantime, the city controller has opened an audit into the museums spending practices.

Mayor Ed goes south: San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee is off to Rio de Janeiro and other parts south for a weeklong business-pump-up junket hosted and paid for by a whos who in the corporate world.

Lees $6,400 tab is being picked up by LatinSF, a public-private partnership launched in 2014 to promote economic development and investment between San Francisco and Latin America.

The specific donors for Lees trip are Pacific Gas and Electric Co.; Silicon Valley Bank; mega-real-estate brokerage firm Newmark, Cornish and Carey; big-time legal firm Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman; and accounting firm Drummond Advisors.

Lees trip includes stops in Panama City, Rio and Sao Paolo, where hell speak at the Relate Live conference being hosted by San Francisco tech firm Zendesk.

Incidentally, while the mayor is out of town, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf will literally be descending Friday on San Francisco  rappelling 230 feet off the roof the Hyatt Regency as part of a scholarship promotion for the outdoor-education nonprofit Outward Bound.

Take two: Sujit Choudhry isnt the first UC Berkeley Law School dean to lose his job over sex harassment allegations.

In 2002, John Dwyer, dean of what was then Boalt Hall School of Law, sent shock waves through the university system when he resigned after accusations that he had fondled a female student two years earlier during drunken late-night encounter in her Oakland apartment.

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Dwyer insisted it was consensual.

The universitys investigation of the students complaint was led by then-Haas Business School Professor Janet Yellen  a onetime Clinton administration official and now chair of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

But that investigation was short-lived. Within a few weeks, Dwyer resigned and gave up a tenured teaching position to avoid what could have been an ugly and protracted hearing process.

Laura Stevens, the lawyer who represented the student in that case, tells us she had one reaction to the latest allegations of impropriety involving Choudhry, who has also resigned as dean.

Its deja vu all over again, she said.

Shes skeptical of the universitys latest pledge to reform  starting with a requirement for all top administrators to complete new sexual harassment training.

The shocking thing is that in 2016, they are implementing something that has been required since the 1990s, Stevens said.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Its time to look at homelessness in a new way.

Consider this: Since 2004, San Francisco has gotten more than 22,000 people off the street, through housing, free bus tickets home and other programs, according to Trent Rhorer, executive director of the Department of Human Services.

The result? The homeless population is virtually identical to what it was 12 years ago. Even if we housed every single homeless person right now, others would pour in. Thats just a fact.

So the idea of ending homelessness?  a phrase often tossed about by homeless advocates and others. Not going to happen.

Heres the problem. We keep talking about the homeless as if they are a single, homogeneous population. Theyre not. We need to break them out and adjust our resources.

The first priority should be to help the chronically mentally ill. They are the heartbreaking souls on the street talking to the voices in their heads and unable to properly care for themselves. They are the despair of their families and, sometimes, a danger to themselves and others.

Create an outreach group just for them with trained mental health professionals who meet them on the street and get them into S.F. General Hospilal. And increase the number of acute inpatient psychiatric beds, because the 20 that are now available just arent enough. At one point there were more, but the program was cut. If supervisors would like to hold a City Hall hearing, how about one on why that happened?

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Doctors say they know they could get results if they could keep a severely mentally ill person in acute care for at least a week. Police holds are 72 hours, but if doctors find that these patients are ill and cant care for themselves, they can keep them longer. But with limited acute care beds, the average stay is more like two or three days  not nearly enough time. Doctors say if they can get the patients on stabilizing drugs for as long as seven days, the patients begin to see things more clearly and are more likely to accept help and medication.

I had a heart-rending email from a mother who was begging the hospital to keep her son, only to be told there was no room.

The next priority should be to house families and women with children. They are the most vulnerable and most in need. The San Francisco school district has some 2,200 homeless children in classes. Put those children and their families at the top of the housing list.

Third, help the homeless veterans get off the street. Theyre an at-risk group, prone to problems. Not only did they serve our country, they have access to government programs and funding. Thats a group that could see some real results quickly.

Finally, that leaves the often young, relatively healthy single men. They are often the people who decline an offer for services from the Homeless Outreach Team. Many are camping on the street, often in the midst of a suspicious pile of bicycle parts.

Are there some of that group that has simply fallen on hard times? Absolutely. And lets give them a chance to take advantage of the opportunities, from substance abuse treatment to job training to help with housing.

But we have to tell them: Youre not our first priority. Youll have to make a good faith effort. Weve got children, veterans and deeply mentally disturbed individuals who are in greater need.

So if youre a young, single homeless guy you can avail yourself of the services and opportunities the city has to offer or you can go your own way.

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But you cant camp in a tent on the sidewalk.

Because if weve learned anything from the Division Street debacle, its that a homeless campground on the sidewalk is a nonstarter. Doesnt work, never will. Letting a fractured, unstable population set up an ad hoc, unsupervised tent community is a recipe for disaster.

As it is now, San Franciscos homeless policy remains dysfunctional and divisive. Supervisors Malia Cohen and Jane Kim held a hearing Thursday to discuss it, and we heard the same chorus of hopes, dreams and complaints from homeless service providers and advocates. They called for more money, more facilities and greater concern.

But we also heard from a group of people who are frustrated, exasperated and angry. They were homeowners and merchants who found their sidewalks taken over by tents. Their streets smelled of urine and feces. They found hypodermic needles. Many of them said they were intimidated and threatened by the tent dwellers.

These people need to be acknowledged. I dont think theyre callous or hardhearted.

We can no longer just tell them: Oh well, you live in the city so this happens. They didnt ask for this mess. Someone just showed up one evening, pitched a tent and took over the sidewalk. Thats not right. They need to be heard and represented too.

C.W. Nevius is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. His columns appear Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Email: cwnevius@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @cwnevius
Im baffled by our local homeless advocates. Their efforts would be understandable if they were trying to improve conditions at shelters or agitating for better health and counseling services.

But what theyre striving for now would simply preserve disorder in the streets. Theyd make it as difficult and unpleasant as possible for the city to move homeless street encampments away from homes, businesses and parks. Seriously, who thinks thats a good solution?

The proposal from outgoing Supervisor John Avalos and the Coalition on Homelessness is a template for chaos. Among other things, it would demand that the city give homeless campers 15 days notice before being evicted. And, if the city cannot provide a free, acceptable place for them to live, an extension must be granted so they can stay where they are.

Now lets head out to Florida Street, a few blocks from the infamous Division Street tent city, and see how things are working in the real world. Kirsty Gumina, an account manager at McCalls Catering, has been asking for the citys help since February, when a group of characters who look as if they walked off a Mad Max movie set pitched tents on the sidewalks and took over the neighborhood.

One of them defecated on the car of one of our clients, Gumina said. I have personally gotten out of my car and seen them shooting up between their toes. We live in a war zone.

Oh, and all of this is taking place within a few feet of a day care center.

The camps population varies from four to eight tents, not including the guy who lives in a cardboard box. Gumina says besides injecting drugs, they bicker and fight constantly, harass the women who work at the company, and generally intimidate anyone who walks through the Mission District neighborhood.

Ironically, Gumina says there used to be an older homeless guy who lived peacefully in the area. Employees gave him food and greeted him each day.

These guys pushed him right out, she said. Theyre all under 45, high and unpredictable.

Citys response

Luckily, the city knows how to handle this. When Arnie Ertola, McCalls managing partner, wrote emails to complain, the response was swift  and pointless.

Thank you for reaching out on this important issue, an email response began. As you know, homelessness is a challenge across the city. Your safety, the safety of your staff and the safety of all San Franciscans is extremely important.

The note went on to say that the Homeless Outreach Team would be notified and Public Works would be put on notice to request regular cleanings.

Furthermore, If you witness illegal activity I encourage you to file a statement or report with the police.

To which Ertola replied, after months of unabated havoc outside his door, that sounds like more political rhetoric.

We have already attempted all of your suggestions with little or no response, he said. We just want to be able to safely use the sidewalk.

Official hot spot

Now Gumina says the area has been officially declared a hot spot, and some sort of action is supposed to happen. For instance, the other day, Gumina says, a guy with a clipboard came out and discussed options with the campers like counseling or beginning to move toward supportive housing.

Their response? Naw, well just stay where we are.

Gumina says the appearance of donated tents in the past few months has changed the narrative.

The free-tent thing seems to be the tipping point, says Gumina. Theyre all brand-new, from REI, and they all appeared at the same time. Its like anybody can just pitch a tent anywhere they want and it is totally OK with the city? I am beyond frustrated.

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Avalos proposal to make it harder to move tent cities hasnt been presented to the Board of Supervisors yet, and it might not pass if it is. But the mind-set is revealing. Its a laundry list of demands and requirements to encourage and maintain street camping.

Besides the required 15-day notice before asking campers to move, the city would also be required to partner with camp residents to create a relocation plan.

Partner with camp residents? Thats the sort of happy talk that Ertola, who says he looked out the window the other day and saw one of the tent dwellers urinating on one of their trucks, finds infuriating. He says he turned negotiations with the city over to Gumina because, I have a tendency to get frustrated and say things I shouldnt say.

Gumina is giving it her best shot, but she doesnt see any progress.

These guys are doing serious drugs 15 feet from a day care center, she said. No matter how many times we call, it seems like we are not being heard and nothing happens.

And, after months of this, it leaves them wondering why theres a proposal to keep the homeless on the street, but leaves them frustrated, angry and intimidated. Gumina says shes just got one question:

How did we get to be the bad guys in this?

C.W. Nevius is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. His columns appear Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Email: cwnevius@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @cwnevius
Facebook wants to make founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg even more powerful at the social media giant, which is saying something since he already controls 60 percent of shareholder votes.

The Menlo Park company last week said it wants to create a new class of C shares that will essentially allow Zuckerberg to sell stock without having to give up his voting power.

So who cares?

Thats not a rhetorical question. I actually want to know if any investor, large or small, cares that Facebook will make Zuckerberg omnipotent for the foreseeable future.

No one is yelling about (Facebooks proposal) because the company has been making money, said Hillary Sale, a professor of law who specializes in corporate governance at Washington University in St. Louis.

Like many Silicon Valley firms, Facebook already boasts a dual-class share system designed to give its founder total control. Facebook sells Class A shares to individuals and mutual funds like Blackrock, Fidelity and Vanguard. But Zuckerberg owns 467.9 million Class B shares, which carry more voting rights.

Under the new plan, Facebook will issue two shares of Class C stock for every share of Class A and Class B. That means Zuckerberg will eventually own 935.8 million Class C shares that he can sell to fund his philanthropic efforts without giving up his valuable Class B stock. The additional shares will also dilute existing Facebook stock, making it less valuable.

More recently, Mark announced that over the course of his life, he plans to give away 99% of his Facebook shares to advance human potential and promote equality via the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, General Counsel Colin Stretch wrote in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This too is a long-term engagement that will take many years.

The boards proposal will allow Facebook to maintain and improve upon the structure that has served shareholders well, while also enabling Mark to pursue his important goals through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

From a corporate governance standpoint, the plan is a horrible idea, because it will shield the founder from what little accountability he now faces.

From 2002 to 2012, the number of controlled firms  companies with a stock structure that places most of the power in one person or a small group of people  in the Standard & Poors 1500 grew from 87 to 114, according to a report by Institutional Shareholder Services, a top proxy advisory service, and Investor Responsibility Research Center. Of the 114, 79 companies featured multiclass stock systems like Facebooks.

Its a troubling trend, one that we are watching, Sale said.

Research suggests companies that grant stock with more voting power to insiders dont perform as well over the long term compared with other firms.

We find that firm value is ... negatively associated with insiders voting rights, a 2007 paper by researchers from Harvard, Stanford and University of Pennsylvania concluded.

Yet sound corporate governance is like hiring a lawyer. You only want it when things go bad. You couldnt care less when things are going well.

And under Zuckerbergs leadership, Facebook has been absolutely killing it.

Since going public in 2012, Facebook stock has more than tripled from $38 to $117 per share. A company with almost no mobile presence four years ago reported last week that the monthly number of active mobile users hit 1.51 billion in the first quarter, a 21 percent jump from the same period in 2015.

With Facebooks performance so strong, its no accident that it decided to make this move now.

Facebook's announcement regarding its C class stock is well-timed, said Adam Epstein, founder of Third Creek Advisors, a Bay Area corporate governance advisory firm.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

My guess is that investors will overwhelmingly approve the plan at the annual shareholders meeting in June. But shareholders should really consider whats at stake. Yes, Facebook is doing well now, but Zuckerberg is (I think) only human, and like any human, he will screw up. Or get sick and pass away. Or something will happen outside of Zuckerbergs control that will hurt Facebook.

Take Zynga. Co-founder Mark Pincus owns only 167,589 shares of Class A stock but controls 63.5 percent of the voting power because he owns 72 million Class B shares.

Under Pincus leadership, though, the San Francisco firm has been a complete disaster as a publicly traded company. The maker of the once-popular FarmVille game on Facebook failed to foresee consumers switching to games played on mobile devices. And Zynga paid $200 million for OMGPop, only to shut it down a year later.

Since 2012, Zynga stock has crashed from $14 per share to less than $3. Yet no one can really do anything, because Pincus effectively has all of the voting power.

Still, Zynga investors essentially agreed to become inferior shareholders, willing to forsake their voting power in exchange for economic benefits.

That sounds fine. As long as there are economic benefits.

If you don't like the governance, don't buy the stock, Epstein said.

Thomas Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@ByTomLee
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NEW YORK  Sundays series finale promises a marquee matchup between Noah Syndergaard and Madison Bumgarner, although it might not happen. The forecast calls for a 100 percent chance of rain spread throughout the day and evening.

A rainout would create logistical issues. Finding a mutual makeup date is not easy. But the Giants could benefit in several ways.

They would not have to face Syndergaard, who has been a strikeout machine. Struggling Jake Peavy would be pushed back from a Thursday start at the bandbox ballpark in Cincinnati to a home game against the Rockies.

Also, Joe Panik could rest his injured right groin another day without missing a game.

Panik said after sitting out Saturdays game that the groin felt just as sore as it did when he injured it Friday night as he left the batters box on a ninth-inning groundball. Asked if he could have pinch hit Saturday, Panik said he would have been the last resort.

Paniks absence left manager Bruce Bochy with an even thinner bench, which allowed Mets manager Terry Collins to get the matchup he wanted to finish the Giants eighth-inning rally. Left-hander Jerry Blevins retired Gregor Blanco on a groundball to strand the potential tying and go-ahead runs.

Bullpen moves: Mike Broadway was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento before the game and former As right-hander Vin Mazzaro was selected from Sacramento and placed on the 40-man roster.

Broadway and Mazzaro ran into each other in the clubhouse hallway as Broadway was walking out the door with his luggage. Broadway flashed a big smile, said congratulations and patted his replacement on the shoulder.

The Giants felt they needed to make the move after Broadway threw 50 pitches in relief of Peavy on Friday night. Broadway allowed six of the 12 runs in the third inning, but retired eight straight Mets and got through the fifth.

Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

On deck

Sunday

at Mets

10:10 a.m. CSNBA

Bumgarner (2-2) vs. Syndergaard (2-0)

Monday

at Reds

4:10 p.m. CSNBA

Cueto (4-1) vs. Finnegan (1-1)

Tuesday

at Reds

4:10 p.m. CSNBA

Samardzija (3-1) vs. Moscot (0-2)

Leading off

Big innings: The Giants pitched 214 innings over their first 24 games and allowed 18 percent of their 115 runs in the nine-run fifth inning at Colorado on April 14 and Fridays 12-run third at Citi Field.

 Henry Schulman
If you were to judge solely by the activity of orchestras and record companies, you could easily imagine that Mendelssohn wrote only two symphonies  the perennially popular Italian and Scottish  and that the other three entries in the composers work list were nonentities, or phantoms of the scholarly imagination.

Thursday nights thrillingly great performance by Nicholas McGegan and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra of Mendelssohns overlooked Symphony No. 2, the Lobgesang or Hymn of Praise, showed just how wrongheaded that notion is.

In a performance of remarkable power and tonal beauty, McGegan and his crew of musicians  including the excellent Philharmonia Chorale and a lineup of first-rate vocal soloists  unveiled an expansive and eloquent masterpiece, one that belongs by rights on the repertoire list of every orchestra in the country. It combines the silky elegance of Mendelssohns chamber music with the spiritual fervor of the oratorio tradition that he picked up from Handel and recast in his own image.

If the neglect of this work is disgraceful, its also perhaps understandable. From a formal perspective, the Lobgesang is a bit weird  though that hasnt hindered Berliozs formal oddballs from making their way in the world.

Billed as a symphony-cantata, the piece begins with three full-formed symphonic movements that are played without a pause (a Mendelssohnian fingerprint). Only then do we get to the choral and vocal bits, where we suddenly find ourselves in the midst of a biblical extravaganza with texts drawn mostly from Psalms.

Its a floor plan that owes an obvious debt to Beethovens Ninth Symphony, but also to plenty of other models, including ones from Handel, Mozart and Schubert. And that delicate balance of influence  the impression the piece gives of being sort of Beethovenian but not really  has impeded its reputation ever since its 1840 premiere.

But as McGegan demonstrated superbly in Herbst Theatre on Thursday, April 28, the Lobgesang can stand perfectly well on its own inventive merits. The three orchestral movements  a boldly expository opening that establishes key themes that will recur throughout the piece, followed by a suave, dancelike scherzo and an eloquent slow movement  hover tantalizingly midway between fully formed statements and introductory material. The vocal and choral movements that follow complete the balance of weight in a way that is elegantly Mozartean  a pointed and deliberate contrast to the disruptive force of Beethovens comparably placed Ode to Joy.

The combination of classical symmetry and expressive fervor informed every moment of the performance. The orchestral movements sounded alternately robust, delicate and finely detailed; the singing of Bruce Lamotts Philharmonia Chorale, augmented with members of the UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus and the Stanford Chamber Chorale, was never less than stirring.

But the finest contributions came from soprano Dominique Labelle and tenor Thomas Cooley, who each brought extraordinary tonal splendor and dramatic intensity to their assignments. For the soprano duet I waited for the Lord  the works most heart-stoppingly gorgeous stretch of music  Labelle was joined by Ashley Valentine in a collaboration that was nothing short of seraphic.

The evenings short first half was devoted to music of Beethoven  the Leonore Overture No. 3, the Elegischer Gesang and the Goethe setting Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage. None of it was adequate preparation for the glories that were to come.

Joshua Kosman is The San Francisco Chronicles music critic. Email: jkosman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JoshuaKosman

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 30, and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 1. $25-$105. First Congregational Church, 2345 Durant St., Berkeley. (415) 295-1900. www.philharmonia.org.
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Jim Herron Zamora was a veteran Chronicle reporter, beloved by his colleagues, who specialized in covering the grimmest and grisliest crime stories with passion, speed, understanding and a well-turned phrase.

He loved his work, he loved his rottweiler, Rufus, he loved movies and western swing dancing  and he loved talking about all of them, at length.

Suuurrrre, Mr. Zamora would reply, with characteristic enthusiasm, whenever an editor asked if he was free to cover a murder, a fire, a jackknifed truck or a lighthearted feature story about geese overrunning Lake Merritt.

Mr. Zamora died Thursday in a Sacramento hospital after two strokes. He was 57.

Colleagues who worked side by side with Mr. Zamora in the newsroom recalled him with affection and admiration.

He was a great crime reporter, said fellow police beat writer Jaxon Van Derbeken. I can still hear his amiable voice in my head. Although we worked for a time for rival papers, he was always so personable and willing to extend a helping hand or share his expertise.

He was funny, and he was good at his work, said former colleague Carl Hall. He was, as they say, voluble. It was hard to have a short conversation with Jim Herron Zamora.

Jim always had a can-do attitude, said crime reporter Henry K. Lee. I will always remember his indomitable spirit.

Mr. Zamora got inside a story, not only on paper but in person. Colleagues recalled his knack for getting so close to his subjects that he was often seen standing next to them in news photographs and news conference video clips.

He was a witness at the 2001 execution at San Quentin Prison of murderer Robert Lee Massie. Patients waiting in the dentists office usually look more worried than Massie, he wrote in his account of the execution.

He chronicled the 2005 transition of a North Oakland neighborhood fighting to escape drugs and thugs. Young professionals who invest their life savings and bet future earnings on homes there have little patience for street crime, he reported.

During his Examiner days, he penned a long series of profiles about local homicide victims that won widespread acclaim.

Despite his penchant for the crime beat, Mr. Zamora was at home with any assignment.

With zeal, he covered the problem of too many Canada geese at Lake Merritt. He explained why motorcyclists were failing to use carpool lanes. And he described public opposition to the proposed renaming of the Bay Bridge for Emperor Norton. The loyal subjects of Emperor Norton were none too thrilled with the idea of sticking his highness name on that big gray thing in San Francisco Bay, he wrote in 2004.

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A native of Falls Church, Va., Mr. Zamora attended UC Berkeley and was editor in chief of the campus newspaper, the Daily Californian. He earned a bachelors degree in film studies at California State University Sacramento.

Before coming to the Examiner in 1993, he worked for newspapers in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Albuquerque. His coverage of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles in 1992, while working as an intern, helped the Los Angeles Times win the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for spot news reporting.

Mr. Zamora became a Chronicle reporter when the Examiner and Chronicle staffs merged in 2000. After leaving The Chronicle in 2008, Mr. Zamora served as a spokesman for the Service Employees International Union and for the state Human Resources Department in Sacramento.

In his spare time, Mr. Zamora enjoyed dancing western swing style, attending double features at the movies and sharing music with friends. He was known for assembling collections of favorite Christmas songs, making copies of them on CDs and distributing them to anyone who asked and many who didnt.

He is survived by his daughter, Maria Rae Jones-Zamora, and his former wife, ex-Chronicle copy editor Heather Jones, both of Davis; his brother, Robert Herron, of Fairfield, Iowa; and his sister, Margaret Theresa, and nephew, Erik Herron, both of New York City. Plans for a memorial service are pending.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @steverubesf
As California edges toward a November ballot measure to legalize marijuana, the rest of the world isnt feeling the same vibe. A U.N. conference is underlining the deep divide between health-minded reformers and hard-liners siding with strict laws.

The upshot leaves the world stuck where its been for decades with drug policy treated as an enforcement problem, not a social scourge deserving of fresh thinking. The parley was called by Mexico, Colombia and Guatemala, three nations that have ample experience with drug cartels and the U.S.-sponsored crackdown. The war-weary countries pushed for a new outlook, but they didnt get far.

While some countries inch toward change and experimentation, others believe prohibition remains the best answer. Even in the U.S., theres an echo as states such as Washington, Colorado and possibly California go the legal pot route, while federal lawmakers remain uncommitted, taking only baby steps.

The U.N. session dusted off familiar battle lines. Russia and China stood by tough drug laws, joined by others such as Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Iran, places where drug offenses can lead to execution.

Nothing in these national outlooks budged in the three-day session, though the World Health Organization estimates 27 million people have a drug-related problem and some 400,000 die every year from such abuse.

The final summary of the meeting showed the clout these hard-line countries have, with a vague agreement that left out a call to end capital punishment and no mention of harm reduction  a reformist phrase for health services and treatment.

The Obama administrations response was tentative. Its representatives at the conference favored the continued pursuit of criminal gangs via this countrys costly and inconclusive war on drugs. But the White House also made room for treatment and counseling in place of stiff sentences. In a statement, Secretary of State John Kerry sided with treating drug abuse as a public health  rather than a strictly criminal justice  challenge.

Thats progress, but theres a need to do more. President Obama has moved to shorten sentences in the federal system in the name of returning drug offenders more quickly to a useful life. That positive direction needs to be pressed more forcefully with countries bent on filling prison cells and ignoring treatment options.

There were surprises that show other countries are willing to change time-worn rules. Canada announced it will move to legalize marijuana by next year. Mexicos president, exasperated by drug wars that have left nearly 200,000 dead in a decade, wants to decriminalize small amounts for personal use. Colombias past president dropped peaceable diplomacy by declaring that strict laws wont yield a society free of drug use. That belief is unrealistic, totally naive, almost stupid, Cesar Gaviria Trujillo said.

The tepid outcome is producing a small victory. Countries that want a more universal approach that emphasizes education and treatment over strict prohibition pushed for a rematch. Another U.N. gathering is scheduled for 2019, when reform ideas may have a better chance of taking hold.
Two days after selecting the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year with the No. 7 pick, the 49ers grabbed another defensive lineman who won the same honor from a slightly lesser-known conference.

With one of their three fifth-round picks, the 49ers drafted Appalachian State defensive end Ronald Blair, who was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year after collecting 19 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 2015. Blair joins a defensive front that includes Oregon defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, the first of the 49ers two first-round picks Thursday.
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Two trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, including former City Attorney Louise Renne, have quit the board in opposition to the leadership of embattled board President Diane B. Wilsey.

Renne and Dan Johnson, also an attorney, gave up their seats on the Board of Trustees, claiming they could no longer uphold their duties to protect the financial integrity of the city-owned FAMSF, which includes the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor.

I just felt that the governance at the museum made it virtually impossible for any board member to fulfill their fiduciary duty, Renne said on Friday.

The resignations come in the wake of an ongoing controversy that erupted when Wilsey allegedly authorized a $450,000 disability severance payment without board approval to a former city engineer who worked at the museum. This was revealed in a whistle-blower suit by a former chief financial officer at the museum, who has since left and filed a grievance.

Wilsey has consistently claimed she did not need board approval for the payment, but the office of state Attorney General Kamala Harris launched an investigation. In April, a tentative settlement was reached in which anonymous donors would reimburse FAMSF for the $450,000 payment.

The settlement deal was the last straw for Renne and Johnson, who said he received a letter inviting him to contribute to the payoff. As a result, Johnson resigned immediately after the last board meeting, April 19, and Renne resigned shortly thereafter.

I did not believe it was appropriate for a public entity to anonymously repay the money that was owed because it did not address the underlying problem, which was the decision to pay the money in the first place, Johnson said on Friday.

Johnson didnt know if the money had actually been repaid.

Board spokeswoman Amanda Duckworth would not confirm or deny that the repayment of funds had happened. We are not going to comment on anything related to the AG (attorney general) matter, she said by email.

The resignations of Renne and Johnson from the 43-member board follow those of Bernard Osher and Jack McDonald, who left last fall.

Also gone is Laura Hussey, the interim chief financial officer at FAMSF. Repeated attempts to reach Hussey, at both FAMSF and at her financial consulting firm, were unsuccessful.

Duckworth said that Hussey had been retained only through April 30, and had decided to stick to that date.

Hussey took over for Michelle Gutierrez, the permanent CFO who was demoted and then terminated. Gutierrez had claimed Wilsey had acted improperly in issuing a check to Bill Huggins, the retired engineer, who was also the husband of the late Therese Chen, a FAMSF registrar said to be a close confidante of Wilsey.

Wilsey never denied issuing the check, but said she had acted within FAMSF bylaws, and that she did not need board authority for the severance payment.

She also said the check was the idea of her accuser, Gutierrez, who co-signed the check. Gutierrez has retained attorney Joe Cotchett to pursue an action against FAMSF.

Repeated efforts to reach Wilsey for comment on Friday were unsuccessful.

Sam Whiting and Leah Garchik are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: swhiting@sfchronicle.com, lgarchik@sfchronicle.com
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Airbnb contributed $230,000 to candidates and measures on the June 7 ballot in the days leading up to and just after legislation was introduced at the Board of Supervisors that could expose the short-term rental company to millions of dollars in fines and potential misdemeanor charges.

The contributions were detailed in the latest round of campaign finance reports required by the San Francisco Ethics Commission, which cover the start of the year through April 23. The deadline for filing was Thursday at midnight.

The reports also showed that the race for the influential Democrat County Central Committee has became even more heated, with hundreds of thousands of dollars raised for candidates vying for the 24 open seats.

Airbnb continued its trend of spending heavily in local elections. It contributed $100,000 to Proposition A, Mayor Ed Lees $350 million bond measure that would pay for improvements to San Francisco General Hospital and homeless shelters, among other things.

The company contributed another $100,000 to Supervisor Mark Farrells charter amendment, which would infuse more than $350 million into the Recreation and Park Department over the next 15 years.

And it contributed between $2,500 and $5,000 apiece to the campaigns of several moderate candidates vying for a slot on the DCCC.

The committees makeup is especially important this year because those elected in June will make the official Democratic Party endorsements of candidates for office in November, including those running for the Board of Supervisors, the state Senate and other races.

And whoever sits on the Board of Supervisors could play an important role in what legislation is  or isnt  passed regarding short-term rentals.

On Tuesday, Supervisors David Campos and Aaron Peskin introduced legislation that would make short-term-rental sites like Airbnb and HomeAway/VRBO responsible for ensuring that their hosts follow the citys registration requirements. Platforms that violate the mandate would face fines of up to $1,000 a day per listing and misdemeanor charges.

If the past is any indication, Airbnb will lobby hard against the legislation.

But its not just Airbnb thats paying attention to the DCCC.

The committees chairwoman, Mary Jung, raised $49,108 since January in her bid to retain her seat. Jung is a registered lobbyist for real estate interests, which has led to claims from progressives that she is beholden to special-interest groups.

Meanwhile, sitting and aspiring politicians are using the DCCC as a way to increase their name recognition  and circumvent the $500 campaign contribution limit for supervisorial races. There are no contribution limits in DCCC races.

For example, Board of Supervisors President London Breed raised $62,250 for her DCCC campaign and $57,850 for her supervisorial race. To be fair, the DCCC election is in June and the supervisorial race is in November, but its an open secret in City Hall that money raised for the DCCC benefits supervisorial campaigns.

The same holds true for Marjan Philhour, who is running for District 1 supervisor. She raised $37,170 for the DCCC race, but only $11,002 for her supervisorial race.

If a candidate is elected to the committee, he or she can use unspent funds for other campaign activities. Candidates who are not elected have to return the money to their donors or donate it to a charitable organization or the city, according to the Ethics Commission.

This election is ground zero for the battle over the future of San Francisco, said Jon Golinger, a progressive candidate for the committee who has been involved in waterfront development issues. And the fact that you have big names, record-breaking money and high intensity shows how important this election is. I think it will be a bellwether for what happens in November with the Board of Supervisors and the balance of power at City Hall,

Golinger raised $26,034 since Jan. 1.

Running for the central committee can also benefit politicians in the long run. Supervisor Mark Farrell raised $55,617 for the committee and isnt facing a re-election race in November.

But sending out mailers with his name on it builds recognition for future races.

Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: egreen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @emilytgreen
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Raychel Young woke up early Saturday morning, placed her photography portfolio full of high-resolution prints of marijuana flowers into a large yellow envelope and headed to San Franciscos Regency Ballroom.

She talked to hiring managers, alongside an estimated 2,500 other eager applicants who passed through the ballroom throughout the day, hoping to embark on new careers in the marijuana industry at what event organizers called the largest cannabis industry job fair ever.

Thirty-two companies, ranging from industry-focused magazines to dispensaries to cannabis-based data and technology startups, attended the Join the GreenRush event, searching for candidates to fill jobs as budtenders, cultivators, delivery drivers, marketers and even software developers, in order to meet their expanding needs for workers as the market for legal marijuana continues to grow across California and several other states.

The event was the inaugural job fair for GreenRush, a technology and marketing company that connects already legal medical marijuana users with cannabis delivery systems, a sort of Eat24 of the marijuana industry.

With cannabis as the nations fastest-growing industry, there are a large number of positions opening up that we need to fill, said Jude Ignatius, event coordinator and director of operations at GreenRush. Its an exciting venture.

Young, 19, from Foster City, showed off her portfolio in hopes of snagging one of those positions, specifically as a photographer for a cannabis sales company.

Job growth

The industry is growing in my own backyard, Young said. And with that growth there are an increasing number of jobs in the industry that people wouldnt typically think of, she said.

For example, photographers are necessary because its important in delivery for people to see the quality theyre going to get before they order, Young said.

David Drake, CEO of Cannabis Reports, a cannabis data and technology company based in Berkeley, said he has seen no shortage of candidates for cannabis-focused tech jobs, an area of work in the industry people also might not typically think of.

These tech workers can build websites, develop cannabis-friendly applications and do much of the same work that is seen in other new companies.

Ive been overwhelmed, Drake said. I had about 200 applications for one position within 48 hours of posting it online.

Despite success finding candidates online, Drake chose to attend the job fair because he said its a great way to meet passionate members of the cannabis community. He expected to fill several positions throughout the day.

Outside of the event, a line to enter the door went down Van Ness Avenue and wrapped around part of the block through mid-afternoon, with small crowds gathering inside around three rows of tables and a stage where informational sessions were held.

Tickets were an aptly priced $4.20, but free codes for tickets were available online.

Many attendees showed up to the job fair specifically to make connections and get into the industry before an initiative that would legalize recreational use of cannabis in California is expected to appear on the November ballet, where it is likely to pass.

Arianna DeTomasi, 20, of South San Francisco, was one of those people. She was looking to get into the industry in any way she could.

I think businesses are about to boom, DeTomasi said. I want to get in now, rather than later.

Pat and Luke of Schneider of Sunnyvale were also hoping to get into the business before possible legalization.

The husband and wife showed particular interest in the edible cannabis industry, which they see becoming increasingly more popular among the aging Baby Boomer generation, especially as legalization picks up.

If California goes, the rest of the country will probably eventually go, Pat Schneider said. You really want to be at the forefront.

Ahead of legalization

Ignatius said the possible legalization would open up a lot more jobs for the industry, but that it wasnt the main reason for the event.

Its the elephant in the room, Ignatius said. Its the looming outcome that everyone is anticipating. But the timing of the event isnt predicated on legalization. Its predicated on the very real staffing needs in the Bay Area right now, with the system as it exists.

Ignatius said officials in the medical marijuana industry have already started to beef up infrastructure and employee numbers for what could ultimately become an over $10-billion-dollar industry, depending upon legalization outcomes.

With legalization, obviously the industry is going to expand, he said, and we only expect staffing challenges to increase exponentially.

Kevin Schultz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kschultz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinEdSchultz
Soil erosion from eight continuous days of rain caused a sinkhole to open up in Moraga in March, prompting evacuations of more than 400 people and disrupting gas service for around 2,600 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers, city officials said.

The city announced the results of a report on Thursday detailing the cause of the 15-foot wide by 20-foot long by 15-foot deep hole that swallowed a sidewalk on Rheem Boulevard near Center Street on March 13. A light pole fell into the hole and broke a 4-inch gas distribution line, temporarily leaving thousands without service.
Popular peer-to-peer payment service Venmo is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission in connection with possible unfair and deceptive practices.

Its the latest sign of increased regulatory scrutiny of emerging financial technology firms, and at least the second time Venmo may have run afoul of regulators.

Venmos parent, San Joses PayPal Holdings, disclosed the investigation last week in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The FTC, which enforces consumer protection and antitrust laws, in March demanded documents and other information from PayPal to determine whether we, through our Venmo service, have been or are engaged in deceptive or unfair practices in violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act, the company reported.

FTC spokesman Jay Mayfield confirmed that the company is under investigation but declined to provide additional details.

PayPal spokeswoman Amanda Miller said the company is cooperating with the commission.

We are completely aligned with regulators in their efforts to ensure that consumers have positive experiences when using our services, Miller said in an email. We consult and collaborate with regulators and work hard to comply with laws and regulations in the markets where we do business, around the world.

The Federal Trade Commission Act generally prohibits unfair and deceptive practices across a wide range of industries. Often, violations of the act amount to a lack of disclosure about fees or other practices.

In the case of Venmo, theres little indication of what the commission could be looking for.

The service, which allows users to send money to each other using a smartphone app, is free for users who link their Venmo accounts to bank accounts or most debit cards. Venmo charges a 3 percent fee to transfer money from credit cards and some debit cards.

The investigation comes as California and federal regulators, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which oversees banks, have taken a more active interest in financial technology firms.

Though much of regulators focus so far has been on online lenders, Venmo has attracted regulatory scrutiny before. In 2014, the company was reprimanded by the California Department of Business Oversight in connection with consumer privacy issues and fraud-prevention practices.

Venmo is one of PayPals fastest-growing business lines, with the volume of money transferred through the service hitting $3.2 billion in the first three months of this year  up more than 150 percent from the same period in 2015.

But PayPal brings in relatively little revenue from Venmo, given that many users pay no fees. The company reported that the FTC investigation could lead to substantial costs in the form of legal fees, fines and other expenses.
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The steering wheel slowly retracted into the dashboard as David Muyres car switched into self-driving mode.

Simultaneously, the drivers seat slid backward and turned slightly toward the center so Muyres could look at his passengers. He extended a small table top from the center console for his iPad.

The only thing Muyres couldnt do was actually drive somewhere. He was sitting in a mockup of a self-driving car that doesnt yet exist.

But his company, YanfengAutomotive Interiors, isnt waiting for the future to arrive. The worlds top designer of auto interior components like instrument panels and floor consoles is already imagining what drivers will do if they dont have to drive.

Right now, 98 percent of the time, you should be cognitively in control of driving and not doing other stuff, said Muyres, executive director of product innovation for Yanfengs North America unit. One of the things that will happen for consumers is that when you dont have to drive, you have time to do something else.

Representatives of the Shanghai company, which designs interiors for major automakers around the world, visited San Jose last week to display one of Yanfengs self-driving-car interior prototypes, designed for the potential 2025 model year.

Yanfeng has offices in Holland, Mich., and in Europe, but is also planning to open a Silicon Valley office. Most all of the big automakers have established research and development facilities in the Bay Area to work on car technology, including autonomous driving.

But carmakers still face myriad technological, regulatory and legal hurdles before they can sell autonomous vehicles, which will have different levels of computer-controlled driving.

Moreover, with Uber and car sharing and all these new ownership models, thats going to drive changes, Muyres said.

Yanfengs ID15 concept interior assumes that first-generation autonomous cars will be able to drive themselves part of the time, with the driver assuming normal control the rest of the time.

In the prototype, Muyres pressed a button to start self-driving mode and took his hand off the wheel. Lights in the dashboard and side door panels pulsed red, and the car emitted a series of audible vibrations to signal the driver to mentally prepare for the car taking over. The steering wheel retracted, and the drivers seat moved toward the back to give the driver more room in the cabin.

The center floor console has a rotating table top that in drive mode swings only toward the passenger side. But in self-drive mode, the table can also swing toward the driver.

Driving is not efficient at all, Muyres said. All you do is get somewhere. You dont get anything else done.

But with the car in control, I could get my work done before I get home, he said.

In the prototype, the glove box has a tray that slides down and out toward the passenger seat, providing a work shelf for a laptop. Or the driver could use the center console table.

And under the center console is a cool box, a refrigerated compartment to provide cold drinks accessible to both the front and rear passengers. In addition, Yanfeng designed another storage area in the console with movable partitions to create room to stow items of variable sizes.

With more time to play and do other things with your time, you have to put that stuff somewhere, he said.

Or the driver can shift from tasking to relaxing, just concentrating on de-stressing, so when theyre home, theyre refocused on that fun experience of being home, Muyres said.

LED lighting in the instrument panel and the doors creates a relaxing ambiance. And the dashboard is sleek, free of visual clutter. Vents are discreetly hidden.

Auto designers already give a thumbs-up to the clutter-free dashboard. One of the things most engineers and car designers dont like are air vents, Muyres said. Theyre mechanically complicated, theres a bunch of tubes and hoses and noise. Plus, they take up valuable real estate on the instrument panel.

And in auto-drive mode, the driver and passengers are more free to talk with one another, so Yanfeng designed front driver and passenger seats to rotate in toward the center by up to 18 degrees.

We chose 18 degrees and not 24 degrees because up to 18, we can still meet the front crash requirements, Muyres said. We wanted to make sure you had some rotation for connecting socially, but still youre safe.

However, the designers still had to make sure all the drivers controls were within reach to take over in case of an emergency. The next prototype, which will be unveiled next year, will assume that the vehicle is capable of driving all of the time, requiring an even more radical shift in interior design.

Now, the seats are two up front facing forward, two in the back facing forward, even though 85 percent of the time theres only one person in the car, Muyres said. In the next car, were going to reprioritize the seat locations based on actual usage versus theoretical usage.

Benny Evangelista is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: bevangelista@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChronicleBenny
Nothing about pleasant little Bartlett Street in the Mission District suggests its ugly past.

Just a block from a library and steps away from the bustle of Mission Street is the stretch of Bartlett between 22nd and 23rd streets. It was there, nearly 120 years ago, that a gruesome double murder took place that so shocked and fascinated San Francisco it was called "the crime of the century."

The case entered the public eye via a short item in The Chronicle on April 10, 1895. Blanche Dumont, a 21-year-old student who lived in the Mission District with her aunt, had been missing for a week. She had disappeared after leaving the Normal School, where she was studying to be a teacher.

She had last been seen on a streetcar, riding with a 23-year-old medical student named Theodore Durrant. A detective went to Fair Oaks Street in the Mission, where Durrant lived with his parents, and questioned him.

The clean-cut young man acknowledged riding with Dumont, but said he had gotten off after a short ride and hadn't seen her since.

On April 13, several women were decorating the Emmanuel Baptist Church on Bartlett for Easter services. When one of them went into a small room off the pastor's study, she screamed.

On the floor was the bloody corpse of a young woman, the waist of her dress partly open and her skirt pushed up above her knees. Blood was on the table, the floor and the walls.

The woman had been stabbed repeatedly; the knife blade was still sticking in her chest. She had been raped.

The victim was 21-year-old Minnie Williams, a live-in housemaid for a family in Alameda. When authorities learned that she, Blanche Dumont and Theo Durrant all worshiped at Emmanuel Baptist, and that Durrant and Williams had been seen together the night before she was found dead, they obtained a search warrant for Durrant's home.

But before they searched the home, police checked the church belfry - and there they found the corpse of Blanche Dumont.

She was naked, but had been arranged in a dignified pose, her legs together, her arms crossed at her breasts and her eyes closed. Investigators later concluded that she had been strangled 10 days earlier. She had not been raped.

Guard training

Durrant was arrested while he was training with the National Guard near Mount Diablo. He maintained his innocence, but unwisely began talking in great detail about why he was not guilty - statements that later caught him in contradictions.

By the time he was returned to the city, word of the arrest had gotten around. When he was taken off the ferry, hundreds of people were waiting to gawk at "the Demon of the Belfry," some of them shouting, "Get him!" and "Hang him!"

Durrant's trial was a sensation. As Virginia A. McConnell notes in her 2005 book, "Sympathy for the Devil: The Emmanuel Baptist Murders of Old San Francisco," such brutal crimes, allegedly committed by an upright young man in, of all places, a church, "touched chords of concerns as California neared the 20th century: How would the rest of the world view the Golden State? What could be done about the increasing tendency of women to go about unchaperoned? Were these 'lust murders' a signal that the modern era would be a conscienceless, depraved, irreligious one?"

Public sensation

Newspapers went wild: The Examiner, the most sensational of the major dailies, ran a sketch of Durrant's murderous hands that filled the entire top half of its front page.

The trial was mobbed, with large numbers of society ladies in regular attendance. Even populist presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan showed up one day.

For many, the case became an obsession. An Oakland man said his wife demanded that he read her the transcript of the trial every day, which took hours. After he finally "went on strike" and began reading her only the summary, he returned from an outing to find half his furniture gone and a note from his wife saying she was "dissatisfied with her home and wanted a change."

A drunken San Francisco man became convinced that the moon was telling him to jump into the bay, at the bottom of which he would find Minnie and Blanche, who would give him the name of their killer.

A theater producer even mounted an insta-play titled "Crime of the Century," which featured no less a villain than the devil himself, who directed the killer's evil deeds with a satanic cackle. A judge issued an injunction against it, and when the actors tried to perform it anyway, they were all arrested and taken to jail.

It may have been just as well: One observer said it was the worst play he had ever seen.

Fan mail

Durrant received voluminous mail throughout the two-month trial, including letters from female admirers. But this early example of the criminal-crush phenomenon did not save him.

Although there was no physical evidence against him, the circumstantial evidence was vast and irrefutable. His appearance on the stand was disastrous: His blanket denials required belief in a vast conspiracy to be credible.

The jury took only five minutes to find him guilty. After lengthy appeals, Durrant was hanged in 1898 at San Quentin State Prison. No local mortuary would take the body, so it was shipped to Los Angeles for cremation.

As for Emmanuel Baptist Church, it seems to have been cursed from the start. It stood on the site of a house that was reputed to be haunted. One of its pastors had committed suicide, another had been caught in some unnamed, presumably sexual impropriety, and a third had killed Charles de Young, The Chronicle's co-founder.

After the double murder, neighbors demanded that the desecrated structure be burned to the ground. That didn't happen, but the church was demolished in 1915 - erasing the last reminder of 19th century San Francisco's most notorious crime.

Editor's note Every corner in San Francisco has an astonishing story to tell. Every Saturday, Gary Kamiya's Portals of the Past will tell one of those lost stories, using a specific location to illuminate San Francisco's extraordinary history - from the days when giant mammoths wandered through what is now North Beach, to the Gold Rush delirium, the dot-com madness and beyond.
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A San Francisco police officer was arrested and suspended without pay Friday after a months-long investigation into allegations he made false representations on his Department of Motor Vehicles confidentiality form, authorities said.

Saqib Aslam, 29, of South San Francisco was charged with felony counts of filing a false document and perjury, officials in the district attorneys office said.

Investigators in the Police Departments Internal Affairs Division began an investigation in the summer of 2015 with help from the district attorneys office after a member of the department tipped off the division, authorities said.

Officer Albie Esparza, a police spokesman, said Aslam put down someone elses information on a DMV INV 32 form.

An INV 32, according to the California DMV website, allows qualified persons, along with their spouses and children, to ask for home address confidentiality on any DMV record for any vehicle, vessel, off-highway vehicle (OHV), driver license, or identification card, reflecting the qualified person's name.

Aslam, a nine-year veteran of the department, surrendered to police Friday.

The announcement was made the same day Police Chief Greg Suhr released transcripts of racist and homophobic text messages exchanged between a former Taraval Station lieutenant and two former officers. The texts were disclosed after a woman accused one of the officers of rape.

The publics trust is of the utmost importance to the members of the SFPD and the Department will continue to work hard to build and maintain this trust, the department said in a statement.

As San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Chief Suhr have emphasized, Department members will continue to hold each other accountable and will act swiftly to report any behavior that might bring dishonor to the Police Department and the City of San Francisco.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
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HAVANA, CUBA  As relations between the United States and Cuba begin to thaw, Americans are beginning to step foot onto territory where most have been prohibited from entering for nearly 60 years to experience a tucked away world and all of its peculiarities.

One of the most notable newcomers was President Barack Obama.

His March visit with Cuba President Raul Castro grabbed headlines and marked an era of change though retired revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro, used his written words to express his disapproval.

Days following the American president's visit, Fidel Castro published a 1,500-word screed titled "Brother Obama," in a Cuban newspaper, rallying against his visit, according to The Guardian.

My humble suggestion is that he reflects [on the US role in South Africa and Cubas in Angola] and not now try to elaborate theories about Cuban politics, Castro said, according to the report.

On April 19, the day I arrived in Havana, the former leader made a rare appearance at the closing ceremony of the seventh Cuban Communist Party in the city. The 89-year-old spoke of his impending death and the ideologies he began to officially implement when he took power in 1959, Reuters reported.

"The ideas of Cuban Communists will remain," he said, according to the report. "As proof that on this planet, if you work hard and with dignity, you can produce the material and cultural goods human beings need."

The current events opened a dialogue between myself and the Cubans I encountered that was sometimes strained.

Older generations, for the most part, maintained a moral allegiance to their former leader and do not believe relations with the U.S. will fix issues. One taxi cab driver said those problems must be dealt with internally  while others ignored my questions and attempts at conversation completely.

On the other hand younger citizens, students who chatted on the street corners, spoke of a divide between their generation and their elders.

In their perspectives, older counterparts are set in their ways while the younger Cubans entertained ideas of change one day being able to visit America and take advantage of any opportunities improved relations may bring.

Being at the epicenter of a place where tense conversations pertaining to my own homeland swirled about felt peculiar in itself. The unfamiliar, edgy setting of it all added to the curiosity.

Unlike other destinations, travelers to Cuba from America, like myself, enter a largely uncharted land. Visitors wander through the narrow streets of Old Havana without brochures or suggested itineraries from those who went before them, because few have. What they discover is a new, old world.

A place where classic cars, in pristine conditions, outnumber modern vehicles and colonial architecture becomes a feast for the eyes.

Click through the gallery above for 19 unique elements of the rich Cuban culture and life which may not be found in the United States.

mmendoza@mysa.com

Twitter: @MaddySkye
WASHINGTON  Congress accomplished relatively little in a short work period, missing deadlines on the budget and on helping Puerto Rico with its financial crisis as lawmakers began a weeklong break.

They left behind few clues about how they would address must-do items such as finding money to counter the Zika virus and a second, even scarier July 1 deadline for averting a fiscal disaster in cash-strapped Puerto Rico.

Democrats called upon House leaders to modify this springs three-weeks on, one-week off legislative schedule to keep working, as Puerto Rico hurtles toward a half-billion-dollar default on Sunday.

Its very, very hard to get anything done if you are a drive-by Congress, said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco. Hours later, however, Democrats joined Republicans in sprinting for the Capitols exits.

Over the past month, the Senate finally passed a major energy bill  the first in nearly a decade  and made progress on providing help for Flint, Mich., which is grappling with a water contamination crisis. But an effort to revive the process of passing more than $1 trillion worth of annual spending bills ran aground, while talks on a $1 billion-plus measure to fight Zika are looking less promising than previously hoped.

Puerto Rico: Having blown a May 1 deadline to help the economically distressed U.S. territory, lawmakers are now focusing on a July 1 deadline, when around $2 billion in payments come due.

Puerto Rico expects multiple lawsuits to be filed shortly after Sundays anticipated default. The government is expected to keep operating as usual, but economists warn that its access to capital markets will shut down and that eventually this will curtail public services if a debt-restructuring mechanism isnt approved.

A House bill would create a control board to help manage the islands $70 billion debt and oversee debt restructuring. But the legislation has stalled in the Natural Resources Committee, as some conservatives and Democrats have objected to the approach.

Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has pushed the bill, saying the U.S. may eventually have to bail out the territory if Congress doesnt act soon.

Zika virus: President Obamas $1.9 billion request for emergency funding to combat the Zika virus, known to cause grave birth defects, has elicited a lukewarm response among Republicans controlling Congress. Many GOP lawmakers insist plenty of money to cover the Zika costs is left over from the largely successful battle against Ebola.

The White House has already transferred almost $600 million in previously appropriated money to the Zika fight and would have little choice but to shift more if Congress remains gridlocked. But the administration says new funding is urgently needed to control the mosquitoes that spread the virus, manufacture vaccines once they are developed and produce more accurate testing for Zika.
1 Pot bust: U.S. authorities seized more than seven tons of marijuana inside a truck at a San Diego border crossing. An unnamed 47-year-old Mexican driver attempted to enter the country from Tijuana, declaring that he was carrying furniture, Customs and Border Protection said Friday. Imaging devices led inspectors to almost 600 packages of marijuana in the truck. The seizure at the Otay Mesa port of entry was unusually large. Smugglers typically send smaller loads through trucks and cars. They have turned in recent years to building tunnels to try to move large quantities of marijuana.

2 Nissan recall: Nearly 4 million Nissan cars are being recalled due to safety problems where passenger air bags or seat belts could fail in a crash, leading to serious injuries or fatalities. Nissan North America Inc. in Franklin, Tenn., said 3.2 million cars may have a problem with a sensor that detects if the front passenger seat is occupied and if that passenger is an adult or a child. Defective sensors might incorrectly think that an adult is a child or classify the seat as empty, thus turning off the air bag. Nissan is also recalling another 620,000 of its 2013-16 Sentras. In these cars, the air bag sensor has the opposite problem: It isnt shutting off when it should be.
Its a time-honored tradition for politicians to deny any interest in the vice presidency. But this year, with the possibility of Donald Trump as the Republican presidential nominee, they really mean it.

Never, said Chris Schrimpf, a spokesman for Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, who is still running against Trump. No chance.

Hahahahahahahahaha, wrote Sally Bradshaw, a senior adviser to Jeb Bush, when asked if he would consider it.

Scott Walker has a visceral negative reaction to Trumps character, said Ed Goeas, a longtime adviser to the Wisconsin governor.

Or, as Sen. Lindsey Graham put it, Thats like buying a ticket on the Titanic.

A remarkable range of leading Republicans, including Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina and Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, have been emphatic publicly or with their advisers and allies that they do not want to be considered as Trumps running mate. The recoiling amounts to a rare rebuke for a front-runner: Politicians usually signal that they are not interested politely through back channels, or submit to the selection process, if only to burnish their national profiles.

But Trump has a singular track record of picking fights with obvious potential running mates like Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who has indicated a lack of interest in the vice presidency generally and has yet to reconcile with Trump publicly. Haley and another potential pick, Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico, have sharply criticized Trump at recent party gatherings and do not want to be associated with his sometimes-angry tone, according to advisers and close associates who have spoken with these Republicans.

Several Republican consultants said their clients were concerned that Trumps unusually high unfavorable ratings with all voters and his unpopularity among women and Latinos could doom him as a general election candidate and damage their own future political prospects if they were on his ticket.

Still, elected officials do have a way of coming around to the vice presidency, and Trump said in an interview Saturday that he is in the early stages of mending fences and building deeper relationships with leading Republicans. And in a sign of growing acceptance that Trump is their likely nominee, several Republicans made it clear that they would join him on the ticket because they think he can win, or because they regard the call to serve as their duty.

Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, as well as Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, said in interviews that they would consider joining the ticket if Trump offered. Two governors, Chris Christie of New Jersey and Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, have also told allies that they were open to being Trumps running mate.

If a potential president says, I need you, it would be very hard for a patriotic citizen to say no, Gingrich said.
Willie L. Williams, 72, an Overbrook, Pa., native who became the first African American to head the Philadelphia and Los Angeles Police Departments and a major figure in law enforcement in the 1990s, died Tuesday night at his home in Fayetteville, Ga.

Mr. Williams sister-in-law Pat Odoms said pancreatic cancer was the cause.

Mr. Williams, who began his career in 1964 as a Fairmount Park guard, was appointed Philadelphias police commissioner in 1988 and served for four years. He earned widespread praise for improving police-community relations, increasing diversity in the upper ranks, and decentralizing the department.

Paving the way

In 1992, he was recruited to become the chief of Los Angeles 8,000-officer department  the second largest in the United States, and plagued at the time by brutality, racism, and mismanagement. Just weeks before Mr. Williams took over, riots erupted after four police officers were acquitted of excessive force in the violent arrest of Rodney King.

Mr. Williams left the LAPD in 1997 after clashing with other city officials. He later became federal security director at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, the nations busiest airport.

Police Commissioner Richard Ross, who met Mr. Williams as a rookie officer in 1989, said he paved the way for a lot of people who served alongside him, people who were my predecessors, including Commissioners Richard Neal and Sylvester M. Johnson.

There were young officers who realized that as a result of his achievements, it was possible for us to do (something) similar, Ross said.

One of the best

Former Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr., who appointed Mr. Williams, said Wednesday that he was a humble man, a very intelligent and streetwise man who had tremendous interpersonal skills.

He occupies a very, very special place in the history of this city, and will go down in history, in my book, as one of the best police commissioners this city has ever seen, Goode said.

Willie Lawrence Williams was born in Philadelphia on Oct. 1, 1943. The son of a carpenter who also worked as a meat-packer, he was the oldest of seven children raised in the Overbrook section.

As a child, Mr. Williams helped out at a grocery store, and had a paper route delivering the Daily News and the Evening Bulletin. He graduated from Overbook High School, and later earned an associates degree in business administration from the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science.

Perfect for role

On Feb. 10, 1964, Mr. Williams became a Fairmount Park guard. After the park police were merged with the citys Police Department, Mr. Williams quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming deputy commissioner and a protege of Commissioner Kevin M. Tucker.

In 1988, at Tuckers recommendation, Goode appointed Mr. Williams to lead the department when Tucker took an executive position at PNC Bank.

The appointment was met with enthusiasm from senior officials as well as the rank and file. Goode said Wednesday that he had worked with Tucker for several years to prepare more black officers to be ready for the top job, and that Mr. Williams was perfect for the role when the time came.

During Mr. Williams tenure, he established mini-police stations in neighborhoods to decentralize the department, and doubled the number of black officers with the rank of captain or inspector. He also worked to fortify police-community relations, which had become strained by instances of excessive force in the 1980s.

Mr. Williams learned the importance of such relationships while working in the 22nd District in North Philadelphia, he said in a 1991 interview.

I walked up to Ridge and Columbia, and went into each store and introduced myself. I talked to the people and got to know them, he said. Thats when I learned that you have got to get out and meet with people.

Former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell said Wednesday that he retained Mr. Williams as commissioner after being elected in 1992 because of Mr. Williams strong reputation across the city.

Creating strong bonds

Rendell said Mr. Williams bond with black communities was evident after the riots in 1992 after the King verdict. As violence erupted in cities across the country, Rendell asked Philadelphia clergy to remind residents that such brutality had not occurred under Mr. Williams leadership.

That day and that night, when most cities burned, we had less violence than the same date a year earlier, Rendell said. I attribute that all to the relationship that Commissioner Williams had with the African American community.

Just a few weeks after those riots, Mr. Williams left Philadelphia to become chief of the LAPD. He had accepted the position before the riots, but navigating the aftermath became a central pillar of his administration in Los Angeles.

He managed to increase the size of the department, and implemented some community policing initiatives similar to those he achieved in Philadelphia.

But another constant of his tenure was discord with other city officials.

He frequently clashed with the City Council and with Mayor Richard Riordan, who took office a year after Mr. Williams. In 1997, after five years as chief, Mr. Williams accepted a $375,000 severance package to retire before the end of his contract, which the citys civilian Police Commission had declined to renew.

In 2002, Mr. Williams was appointed to oversee security at Atlantas airport. Odoms, his sister-in-law, said he had retired several years ago and was living in Fayetteville, outside Atlanta, with Evelina, his wife of 49 years.

In 1996, Mr. Williams published a book, Taking Back Our Streets: Fighting Crime in America, with co-author Bruce B. Henderson.

He served as president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives in 1991-92.

Even after he moved from the city, Mr. Williams maintained his tie with Philadelphia: One of his three children, Willie Williams III, is a lieutenant on Mayor Jim Kenneys security detail.

Constant, steady force

In an interview Wednesday, the younger Williams described his father as a calm, thoughtful man who taught him to view policing as a service rather than a job.

He was just a constant, steady force, he said.

John McNesby, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, said Wednesday that the younger Williams had a very good teacher in his father.

There are highly respected bosses out there, McNesby said, and Willie Williams was one of them.

In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Williams is survived by a daughter, Lisa; another son, Eric; two brothers; two sisters; his mother, Helen S.; and nieces, nephews, and grandchildren, Odoms said.
As California forests face another dry summer, firefighters around Lake Tahoe are deploying high-tech mountaintop cameras to spot lightning strikes and the first wisps of smoke before wildfires blaze out of control.

By summer, a network of at least 10 automated cameras will be scanning the heavily forested mountains of the Tahoe Basin and sending back steady streams of images in both the visible and infrared frequencies.

And more cameras are coming, said Graham Kent, director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno, where the camera network was developed.

Kent sees the cameras as a key to modernizing firefighting techniques everywhere in rough mountain country. Catching a blaze early before its flames spread would save money and lives, and eliminate or reduce the need to send large numbers of fire crews and armadas of trucks and planes, fire experts say.

Last year alone, California forest fires cost $423 million to fight, according to Cal Fire. Across the country the U.S. Forest Service spent more than $1.2 billion fighting fires on its national forests, and those totals are expected to grow as summers grow hotter and drier in this era of climate change.

The old style of firefighting is like storming the beach at Normandy, Kent said, but if you can run a smaller crew on a fire really early, and with their special tools, then it can be more like a situation for the Special Forces.

The first four fire cameras began operating around the Tahoe Basin two years ago, Kent said, and by last year there were eight. This year there will be 10 in the Tahoe Basin and 11 more around the area if we can crank it out, he said.

The instruments, controlled from remote dispatch centers, can tilt, zoom and swivel 360 degrees on command to detect fires and follow them if they spread.

Mac Heller, a fire dispatcher for the Tahoe Basin Management Unit that combines both the Eldorado and Tahoe national forests, recalled one hot evening the summer before last when he was off-duty and the sky over the Sierra was filled with lightning flashes.

Only four cameras were operating in the Tahoe Basin, Heller said, and although he was off-duty, he picked up an image from one of them on his personal laptop. It showed smoke amid the trees at Spooner Summit, a popular hiking area above Lake Tahoes eastern shore.

I called the dispatch office, Heller said, and as soon as they spotted it, they sent a really small suppression crew  they needed only about 20people  but they got a line around that fire fast, and it had only burned about half an acre.

But who knows how long and how far that Spooner Fire would have burned in the next day or so if it hadnt been for the camera, he said. It could have needed a couple of tanker planes, and a helicopter, and maybe six engines, and who knows how many firefighters.

Kent and the Tahoe Prosperity Center, a regional community organization, are leading a campaign called AlertTahoe to raise $2 million for 15 more cameras, which would be set up to allow the public to follow the images on home computers, Kent said.

A similar Web-based network of fire cameras, called AlertSoCal, is also operating at 16 mountaintop locations in Southern California, according to Frank Vernon, a research geophysicist at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

Vernon and Kent described the two networks at a recent meeting of the Seismological Society of America in Reno.

David Perlman is The San Francisco Chronicles science editor. Email: dperlman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @daveperlman
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Jim Herron Zamora was a veteran Chronicle reporter, beloved by his colleagues, who specialized in covering the grimmest and grisliest crime stories with passion, speed, understanding and a well-turned phrase.

He loved his work, he loved his rottweiler, Rufus, he loved movies and western swing dancing  and he loved talking about all of them, at length.

Suuurrrre, Mr. Zamora would reply, with characteristic enthusiasm, whenever an editor asked if he was free to cover a murder, a fire, a jackknifed truck or a lighthearted feature story about geese overrunning Lake Merritt.

Mr. Zamora died Thursday in a Sacramento hospital after two strokes. He was 57.

Colleagues who worked side by side with Mr. Zamora in the newsroom recalled him with affection and admiration.

He was a great crime reporter, said fellow police beat writer Jaxon Van Derbeken. I can still hear his amiable voice in my head. Although we worked for a time for rival papers, he was always so personable and willing to extend a helping hand or share his expertise.

He was funny, and he was good at his work, said former colleague Carl Hall. He was, as they say, voluble. It was hard to have a short conversation with Jim Herron Zamora.

Jim always had a can-do attitude, said crime reporter Henry K. Lee. I will always remember his indomitable spirit.

Mr. Zamora got inside a story, not only on paper but in person. Colleagues recalled his knack for getting so close to his subjects that he was often seen standing next to them in news photographs and news conference video clips.

He was a witness at the 2001 execution at San Quentin Prison of murderer Robert Lee Massie. Patients waiting in the dentists office usually look more worried than Massie, he wrote in his account of the execution.

He chronicled the 2005 transition of a North Oakland neighborhood fighting to escape drugs and thugs. Young professionals who invest their life savings and bet future earnings on homes there have little patience for street crime, he reported.

During his Examiner days, he penned a long series of profiles about local homicide victims that won widespread acclaim.

Despite his penchant for the crime beat, Mr. Zamora was at home with any assignment.

With zeal, he covered the problem of too many Canada geese at Lake Merritt. He explained why motorcyclists were failing to use carpool lanes. And he described public opposition to the proposed renaming of the Bay Bridge for Emperor Norton. The loyal subjects of Emperor Norton were none too thrilled with the idea of sticking his highness name on that big gray thing in San Francisco Bay, he wrote in 2004.

A native of Falls Church, Va., Mr. Zamora attended UC Berkeley and was editor in chief of the campus newspaper, the Daily Californian. He earned a bachelors degree in film studies at California State University Sacramento.

Before coming to the Examiner in 1993, he worked for newspapers in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Albuquerque. His coverage of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles in 1992, while working as an intern, helped the Los Angeles Times win the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for spot news reporting.

Mr. Zamora became a Chronicle reporter when the Examiner and Chronicle staffs merged in 2000. After leaving The Chronicle in 2008, Mr. Zamora served as a spokesman for the Service Employees International Union and for the state Human Resources Department in Sacramento.

In his spare time, Mr. Zamora enjoyed dancing western swing style, attending double features at the movies and sharing music with friends. He was known for assembling collections of favorite Christmas songs, making copies of them on CDs and distributing them to anyone who asked and many who didnt.

He is survived by his daughter, Maria Rae Jones-Zamora, and his former wife, ex-Chronicle copy editor Heather Jones, both of Davis; his brother, Robert Herron, of Fairfield, Iowa; and his sister, Margaret Theresa, and nephew, Erik Herron, both of New York City. Plans for a memorial service are pending.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @steverubesf
U.S. Ambassador in Ukraine: Metinvest is example of extraordinary resilience of Ukrainian people

United States Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt has said that Metinvest in Mariupol is the example of extraordinary resilience of Ukrainian people

"Metinvest is the example of extraordinary resilience of Ukrainian people," the press service of Metinvest Group reported, citing Pyatt during his visit to Mariupol Illich Steel Works on April 28.

According to the press release, the largest environmental project in Ukraine, Sinter Plant Modernization, was demonstrated to the U.S. diplomat. Pyatt was made aware of the role of Metinvest in the Ukrainian economy, and other investment projects of Metinvest Group, and its social partnership programs in Mariupol and other cities of the companys presence.

Metinvest Groups Chief Executive Officer Yuriy Ryzhenkov, General Director of Illich Steel Works Yuriy Zinchenko and General Director of Azovstal Iron and Steel Works Enver Tskitishvili attended the meeting with Pyatt.

Zinchenko informed that today major overhaul of two sinter machines has completed with installation of modern gas cleaning equipment. In 2017, Metinvest plans to build a desulphurization system and install bag filters on the first building of the Sinter Plant. After the reconstruction, the Sinter Plant will meet the best European and international emission standards  max 30 mg/m3.
Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Development and Trade Minister of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv and Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister of Moldova Oktavian Kalmyk have agreed that they will discuss the problem of trade restrictions.

"We've agreed that in coming days Ukrainian and Moldovan experts will meet for consultations on trade between the two countries and settling the problems we have today," Kubiv wrote on his Facebook page late on April 29.

He also said that Ukraine and Moldova enjoy friendly relations, including in the trade and economic areas.

"Ukraine has always supported Moldova on the international stage and received the same support from Moldova," Kubiv said.

Ukraine has urged Moldova to hold the talks on the trade restrictions on Ukrainian goods, and in the case of their failure has promised to introduce similar measures against Moldovan goods, Kubiv said earlier.

He said that the document on the introduction of trade restrictions by Moldova comes into force on the date of its publication and will be valid until the end of 2016. Kubiv also said that the document has not been published so far.
Participants in the Trilateral Contact Group have spoken in support of the proposed full ceasefire in Donbas starting from April 30, Darya Olifer, press secretary of Ukraine's second (1994-2005) president Leonid Kuchma, who represents the country in the Group, has said.

"Today, the participants in the Trilateral Contact Group came up with a statement about their support for the full ceasefire regime, due to take effect from April 30, 2016. This statement has been made further to the peace initiatives of Ukraine's president Petro Poroshenko. I am hopeful that this statement will give an impulse in terms of solving issues from the security section," Olifer wrote on her Facebook page following the meeting held in Minsk on Friday.

She went on to recall that the previous Contact Group meeting on April 20 saw all the parties uphold the initiative of the Ukrainian side to release hostages ahead of the Easter holiday. "However, this process has been derailed by the representatives of certain parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions," Olifer said.

Referring to the opening hours of the crossing points in the Luhansk region on the upcoming days when people go to cemeteries to honor their lost relatives and loved ones, Olifer said: "Ukraine initiated and opened two crossing points in the Luhansk region, near Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote, in order to allow residents of the Luhansk region to freely cross the contact line on decoration days. However, regrettably, due to the violations of the ceasefire regime committed by representatives of certain parts of the Luhansk region, these crossing points are closed."
The U.S. Department of State has said that the U.S. is concerned about the high level of violence in eastern Ukraine, Mark C. Toner Deputy Spokesperson said on Friday.

"We are certainly concerned about the level of violence in eastern Ukraine, that its the highest weve seen since the September 1st ceasefire went into effect, with, I think, some 30,000 ceasefire violations, which is a huge number, in April alone," he said.

"OSCE reporting does confirm that separatists are largely responsible for these violations. We again call on Russia and the separatists that it supports to fully comply and observe the ceasefire," he said.
On Wednesday, at a Millennial Town Hall at Georgetown University, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., fielded a tricky question from a young Republican.

What reasons for optimism, the student asked, could Ryan offer to conservative millennials disgusted by the leading GOP presidential candidates?

Ryans response was telling. He encouraged young people to ignore the political personality, and instead Look at the ideas. Look at the platform that is being advanced.

We win ideas contests, Ryan declared triumphantly.

With all due respect, Mr. Speaker: No, no you dont.

At least not among millennials.

The GOP is poised to permanently lose a generation of voters, and not (only) because of its odious and uncommonly disliked presidential front-runner. New survey data suggest that young people have become increasingly averse to just about every plank in todays creaky Republican Party platform.

By now its well known that young Americans are considerably more liberal than the Republican Party on most social issues, particularly gay rights. The GOPs own 2012 election autopsy, which proposed ways to broaden the partys base, emphasized that Republicans must change their tone on social issues that young people see as the civil rights issues of our time.

The latest youth poll from Harvards Institute of Politics, though, indicates that LGBT-related policies arent the only ones on which young people and Republican traditionalists part ways.

As their rabid support for Bernie Sanders might indicate, young people have also become much more supportive of big government and expanded social welfare programs.

Compared with responses from the past few years, todays 18- to 29-year-olds are more likely to believe that basic health insurance is a right for all people, that basic necessities, such as food and shelter, are a right that government should provide to those unable to afford them and that the government should spend more to reduce poverty.

More broadly, other surveys have found that young people have more favorable views of socialism than of capitalism  the only age group for which this is true.

Additionally, the Harvard poll found, young people increasingly reject supply-side (a.k.a. voodoo) economics, the cornerstone of the Republican fiscal agenda.

Just 35 percent of young people agree that tax cuts are an effective way to increase growth. That is 5 percentage points lower than last year, and the lowest share since the poll first asked about this.

On the breakaway issue of the Republican primary  immigration  young people also could not be more at odds with the GOP base.

For more than two decades, the Pew Research Center has been surveying Americans about whether they believe immigrants strengthen our country because of their hard work and talents or are a burden on our country because they take our jobs, housing and health care.

The share of millennials saying that immigrants strengthen the country has shot up to 76 percent in recent years, far higher than any other generation and more than twice as high as the share of Republicans who say this.

Young people are also far more likely than other age groups to favor finding a way for undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States legally, and to oppose building a wall on the Mexican border.

On countless other issues  such as whether stricter environmental regulations are worth the cost  young Americans are drifting further from those supposedly winning ideas held by Ryans party.

You might be tempted to dismiss some of these findings because young people are almost always more liberal than their elders. Even relative to earlier cohorts of young people, though, todays youth are shifting leftward.

Some of that shift is compositional: Young people today are more likely to be nonwhite, and nonwhites are more likely to be liberal than their white peers. Demographics tell only part of the story, though. The components of the millennial bloc that are most likely to be conservative have also gotten substantially more liberal, according to a new study from Gary C. Jacobson, a political scientist at the University of California at San Diego.

Jacobson finds that young people who self-identify as Republican are to the left of older Republicans on pretty much every conceivable metric, including whether they approve of President Obama, consume conservative media or believe in man-made climate change.

Millennials are now the largest generation in history, and their voter turnout rates will probably increase with age. Research suggests that political affiliations developed early in life tend to stick. None of this bodes well for the future of the Republican Party, regardless of which candidate it offers up in November.

Unless, that is, its willing to change some of its ideas.

 2016, Washington Post Writers Group

Email: crampell@washpost.com. Twitter, @crampell.
Donald Trump had to squeeze through a hole in a fence to speak at the California Republican Convention on Friday. He said it felt like crossing the border. Meanwhile, his supporters swaggered into the Burlingame Hyatt Regency banquet hall as if they owned the place. Maybe they know something I dont, I shuddered.

Before Trumps talk, I spoke with many party workhorses  the folks who have sustained the GOP in challenging times. They tended to be skeptical of Trumps credentials as a Republican and of his chance of winning in November. Trump fans, for their part, were in their glory. Their faces glowed with the flush of expected triumph.

Hes honest, Bill Gilbert of Woodside told me. He talks straight. It was his first GOP convention. Kathy Mosta of Pleasant Hill, also at her first convention, said, I love him because he mean what he say. Her syntax is not perfect because she is Persian. Shes also Muslim, she told me, and she supports Trumps call to ban Muslims from entering the country. Another Trump supporter, Luisa Aranda, was wearing a T-shirt that read, Latinos for the Wall. Methinks the supporters who defy stereotypes charged up others who could tell themselves: If Latinos and Muslims and women can stand behind Trump, the juggernaut is unstoppable.

They love Trump because he wins; he promises to lead the Republican Party back into the promised land of victory. Were going to start winning again, Trump told the crowd. Its a tougher road for a Republican than it is for a Democrat. Usually he can tell if a candidate will win a state just by looking at the map, he said, but hell break the map. We bring New York into play, Trump proclaimed. Republicans will never beat Hillary in Florida: I will. Ill win in Pennsylvania. Given the way that Trump trounced Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich in those states, Trumps claims did not seem outrageous.

Except, as GOP wise man Rob Stutzman noted afterward, Hillary Clinton won more votes than Trump in all three states. She won more than a million votes in New York  almost double Trumps 524,932 take. She won 20,000 more votes than Trump in both Florida and Pennsylvania.

While the latest Rasmussen Poll found Clinton and Trump even with 38 percent of the vote each, all other major polls show Clinton beating Trump. The Republican who beats Clinton is Kasich.

Trump got lots of laughs when he joked about Kasich eating during press availabilities. Thats the sort of hubris one sees before the fall.

Stutzman has partnered with GOP consultants Ray McNally and Richard Temple in an effort to deny Trump the 1,237 delegates it takes to win the nomination. As Temple told me, the California primary involves 172 delegates. Ten delegates go to the statewide winner; three are superdelegates to the Republican National Committee. The lions share is awarded winner-take-all to the top vote-getter in each of the states 53 congressional districts. As Temple noted, its like having 53 little state primaries.

The RealClearPolitics polling average gives Trump 46 percent of the vote, with 28 percent for Cruz and 18 percent for Kasich. But, as Temple noted, a candidate can win the most votes statewide without winning a corresponding number of delegates. A moderate candidate, for example, can win as many delegates in a Bay Area district, where about 4,800 households are likely to vote Republican, as another candidate gets for winning a district with four times as many GOP voters. Temple wants to strike a blow for party stalwarts who have turned out in hard times and really dont want to see a Trump on the ticket in November.

Quoth Temple: California is the firewall to stop Trump  or hand him the nomination.

Debra J. Saunders is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: dsaunders@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @DebraJSaunders

The reviews

on Trumps speech are in

I love Trump. He has economic and business sense, and the skill set needed to win.

 Trump sup p orter Louisa Aranda of Pleasanton

He connects emotionally to the crowd.

 Cruz supporter Bill Evers of Laguna Niguel

It was great. Ted Cruz and John Kasich mathematically should be eliminated by now.

 Trump supporter Kathy Mosta of Pleasant Hill

I liked his speech. Ill support him if hes the nominee.
For the second time this season, pirates from Chicago have invaded Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Last fall, they were musical pirates from Penzance by way of the Hypocrites theater company.

This time the pirates are more nefarious, though there is still singing. Apparently no pirate can resist a chantey.

The motley crew that set sail at Peets Theatre on Friday, April 29, is a familiar one seeking buried treasure. Theyre the swearing, swilling, swaggering cast of Treasure Island, the latest grand theatrical venture from Mary Zimmerman, who has adapted Robert Louis Stevensons classic novel and directs this thrilling production.

Zimmermans history of telling robust stories and creating magnificent stage images at Berkeley Rep dates back to Journey to the West in 1996, and Treasure Island, though more focused on plot and character than on stage spectacle, still manages a great deal of beauty and wallop amid its focused storytelling.

A co-production with Chicagos Lookingglass Theatre Company, this Treasure Island does have something new to offer, which is a good thing, seeing as how there have been endless stage and screen adaptations over the years (even the Muppets have pillaged Treasure Island). This production, aside from being a faithful and skillful adaption of the book, puts the audience in the center of the action in ways that film and television could never muster.

Were there in the Admiral Benbow Inn when the truly terrifying Billy Bones (Christopher Donahue) disrupts the lives of young Jim Hawkins (the extraordinary John Babbo) and his mother (Kasey Foster). Were in the room when the treasure map is unfolded and a plot is hatched to secure a ship and fetch it.

And, most dazzlingly, were on the deck of the Hispaniola when Jim and the crew (of mostly pirates just itching to mutiny) head out to sea. The entire set by Todd Rosenthal, with its ropes and riggings, begins to swing. The musicians play, the crew sings, and the look on Jims face captures the excitement of anyone whoever loved this book and dreamed about making such an impossible voyage. In one scene, Zimmerman has powerfully captured the joy, danger and fantasy of Stevensons novel.

Theres a keen sense of adventure here, and that comes largely from Zimmermans robust staging  the fights are truly exciting  and the ardent performances from her cast (13 men and one women  so much for parity this time around).

Babbo makes Jims transition from cowering, fatherless youth to resolute and courageous young man believable and moving. His disdain for the stern Captain Smollet (Philip R. Smith) is understandable, as is his immediate affinity for the one-legged cook with the parrot on his shoulder, Long John Silver (Steven Epp). Slick and duplicitous, Silver wins over the boy even while he harbors plans to kill him along with the other non-pirates. When Jim figures out that his affections have gone to the wrong man, Babbo comes alive and commands the stage with righteous force.

Epp is a familiar face at Berkeley Rep and is new to this company, most of whom did the show in Chicago late last year. While hes an inspired clown and physical actor, his Silver is more humorous than menacing, which throws things off slightly, but hes a joy to watch regardless.

Treasure Island is not the most revelatory Mary Zimmerman show weve seen here, nor is it the deepest or the most challenging. But Treasure Island is pure fun, a potent coming-of-age story and a rollicking swashbuckler.

Chad Jones is a Bay Area theater critic and writer.

Treasure Island: Drama. By Robert Louis Stevenson. Adapted and directed by Mary Zimmerman. Through June 5. $29-$97. Berkeley Repertory Theatres Peets Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. 2 hours. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org.

Raising the Hispaniola (a.k.a. building the Treasure Island set): https://vimeo.com/164325162
After struggling to make it through a crowd protesting his lunchtime speech to the California Republican Party convention at the Burlingame Hyatt on Friday, Donald Trump sounded a note rarely heard from his presidential campaign: unity.

But it was a plea for unity delivered Trump-style, salted with insults about his competitors  Lyin Ted Cruz and 1-for-48 Ohio Gov. John Kasich  occasionally accurate braggadocio about his lead in the polls and accusations that the GOP nominating system is rigged.

Yet tucked into his 30-minute, stream-of-consciousness ramble was a core message to 600 influential party activists gathered five weeks before Californias June 7 primary: With Trump having nearly 80 percent of the delegates needed to clinch the nomination, its time for the party to come together behind him.

And if he doesnt have everybody behind him, thats OK, too, he said.

Its coming to an end. I think its going to come to an end very soon, Trump told Republican Party stalwarts who paid $100 for lunch and to hear him. There has to be unity in our party. If theres not unity  and I mean really good solidarity, unity, relationship, friendship ... he said, not completing the thought, which happened frequently during his speech.

That being said, would I win without it? I think so, to be honest, Trump said of the general election in November.

First candidate up

Trump was the first of the remaining three Republican presidential candidates to address the three-day convention, which began Friday. Kasich was scheduled to speak Friday evening and Cruz, the Texas senator, Saturday afternoon. Cruzs vice presidential choice, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, is to speak Saturday evening.

Their attendance is the most tangible sign that for the first time in a generation, the California primary  and, therefore, the party convention  holds a relevant spot on the presidential primary calendar. This is the state where Trump could either secure the last of the 1,237 delegates needed to win the GOP nomination or fall short and send the race to the national convention in July in Cleveland, where any of the three surviving candidates  or someone else  could walk out as the nominee.

Winning over this influential group of party activists is crucial, even for an outsider like Trump. These are the people who, if they like a candidate, will return to their districts to talk them up and get local grassroots volunteers to knock on doors and work the phones.

GOP state party conventions typically attract a very conservative audience that is more religious than the rest of the population. Using that description, the group in Burlingame would seem to be a Cruz audience.

Not typical Republican

But Trump sought to win them over by using the pitch that he is not a typical Republican. He can compete in states where other Republicans cant, he assured the crowd, and thats important because its a tougher road for a Republican than a Democrat. You really have to pick somebody who knows whats happening. Ill bring things into play.

The Republican Party, in a presidential sense, doesnt win anymore, Trump said. You pick your standard cookie cutters. You give me the name of the person, and Ill tell you exactly what states hes going to win and what states hes going to lose. Im different. Im going to win states nobody else can.

Touching on the unity theme was important at this juncture of the race, said Shawn Steel, a California member of the Republican National Committee who is not publicly supporting any candidate.

The most important thing to get people to unify people is to mention Hillary Clinton  that will unify everyone, Steel said after Trumps speech.

The audience, which was peppered with supporters wearing Trumps red Make America Great Again caps, gave him a standing ovation when he finished. But Trump still has to win over people there like Beverly Riehm, a San Francisco Republican who is undecided about her choice for the nomination. She said she hopes hearing all the candidates this weekend will help her decide.

I liked it, she said of Trumps address. It was a little different than usual, but he acknowledged that hes not going to be all warm and fuzzy all the time, noting how Trump acknowledged that not all Republicans are going to jump on his bandwagon. What appeals to her most about Trump is that he may have the best shot to defeat Democratic Party front-runner Clinton.

Point Richmond resident Robert Tally, who left the Democratic Party four months ago because he thought Trump could cut through all of the gridlock in Washington, was also pleased by the tone of the speech. And he said the California primary may show that there are a surprising number of Trump supporters in the Bay Area. Theres more of us out there than you think, he said.

Kasich in S.F.

It was a very different scene an hour or two later in downtown San Francisco, where Kasich spoke to the Commonwealth Club of California before heading to Burlingame for his dinner appearance at the convention.

For more than an hour, a relaxed but occasionally tart-tongued Kasich answered questions from a moderator and the audience in the sold-out ballroom of the Parc 55 Hotel.

There are plenty of solutions to the problems facing the country, he said, but people  and political leaders  arent willing to try them.

There are two ways to deal with problems when youre running for office, he said, in a jibe aimed at Trump. You can double-down and talk about how bad things are with no answers ... and say were losers, or acknowledge we have challenges and try to give rational solutions.

Meeting later with reporters in Burlingame before his dinner speech, Kasich questioned Trumps chances in November.

Im fundamentally interested in making sure Hillary Clinton is not elected president, he said. If Trump gets (nominated), hell get crushed.

Focus on November

Kasich argued that hes the only Republican who can prevail in November, by winning Democrat-friendly states like Ohio and Pennsylvania and being competitive in deep blue states like California. Republicans are looking for someone who can win in the general election, someone whos been tested, he said.

The governor admitted that sounds like a stretch coming from someone whose only primary win came in his home state of Ohio, but he argued that hes the only Republican who hasnt practiced the politics of negativity.

Do you think we can win by scaring every Hispanic to death that their families will be torn apart? he asked, taking dead aim at Trumps plan to deport Latinos who are in the country without legal status.

During his low-key speech, he set an optimistic tone for the GOP: We want to be the party of hope, who always recognize that its the people who make the difference, he said. Thats the great American legacy, and if we stay true to that, we cant lose.

Joe Garofoli and John Wildermuth are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com, jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli, @jfwildermith
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Think of 18 Montezuma St. as a player selected in the later rounds of a draft. The San Francisco row house on Bernal Heights northern slope exhibited plenty of potential, but poor execution lowered its overall appeal.

It was really dark and narrow, especially the staircase, said Jing Han, who purchased the project home in 2014 for her family.

Han saw plenty of flaws, but knew none loomed as a deal-breaker. The home could thrive; it simply needed its greatness coaxed out.

Original construction hardly capitalized on the available views of downtown San Francisco. The narrow staircase was unsafe and uncomfortable. Decades of neglect didnt bode well for the foundation.

We spent a lot of time on the architecture and wiring, Han said. We bought this as a family home and put a lot of ourselves in it.

Eighteen months later, the home enjoys an open floor plan, fresh infrastructure and a wealth of windows capturing as much sunlight and of those vaunted views as possible. And, of course, theres the wider staircase of oak, glass and steel in a freshly crafted light well.

The home opens directly to an open floor plan from the great room to the landscaped backyard. Glass doors slide away to access tile landscaping finished with waist-high planting beds and tall privacy fences.

Custom cabinetry, Thermador appliances and a center island topped with Caesarstone cascading over its edges decorate the kitchen. Porcelanosa backsplashes and a Blanco Culina faucet complement the soft-colored cabinetry. Porcelanosa tiles also fashion a floor-to-ceiling surround for the living areas gas fireplace.

Han credits designer Kimberly Hom, as well as Frank Castaldini of Coldwell Banker, for designing an interior thats both contemporary and approachable. Castaldini  listing agent for the home and Bernal Heights insider  consulted on finishes and styles that appeal to the neighborhood and potential buyers, she said.

Downtown views are available throughout the home, though they are especially vibrant on the top level. Taking full advantage of its positioning is a master suite with a private deck. A customized walk-in closet and sitting area occupy a bedroom connected to a spa bathroom.

A change in jobs led the Hans to list the house, and the matriarch hopes the next owners will appreciate the work that went into 18 Montezuma St.

We spent a lot of time on this. It took a year and a half to build. I really appreciate the help it took to make this house look the way it does, Han said. I hope the next owners like the design and enjoy the house.

Listing agent: Frank Castaldini, Colwell Banker, (415) 846-1899, fc94114@aol.com.

Details

Address: 18 Montezuma St., Bernal Heights, San Francisco.

Price: $2.198 million.

Features: Located on the northern slope of Bernal Heights, this fully remodeled trilevel row house enjoys an open floor plan and a wealth of contemporary finishes. A wider staircase, custom lighting and a chefs kitchen are among the inclusions of a listing boasting all-new infrastructure and outdoor spaces off the main and upper levels.

Open home: 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Steinmeier welcomes full ceasefire agreement reached by TCG for Donbas for May holidays

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has welcomed the agreement reached today by the Trilateral Working Group (TCG) on full respect of the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, starting with the orthodox Easter and May holidays, OSCE said in a press release.

"I call on all sides to strictly adhere to what has been agreed," he said.
1 South Sudan unity: South Sudans leaders have formed a transitional coalition government bringing together politicians from the government and the armed opposition who have been at war for 2 years. The new government is led by President Salva Kiir and former rebel leader Riek Machar, who will take up the post of first vice president. The government, which has a 30-month mandate culminating in fresh elections, has been formed according to a peace deal signed by Kiir and Machar in August under intense pressure from the international community. Tens of thousands have been killed in South Sudans civil war since 2013 after a falling-out between Kiir and Machar.

2 Ukraine cease-fire: The international envoy working to bring peace to eastern Ukraine says an agreement has been reached to observe a cease-fire with the start of the Orthodox Easter and May Day holidays. Martin Sajdik, the special envoy for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said after talks Friday in Minsk, the Belarusan capital, that the cease-fire was to go into effect at midnight Saturday. The conflict in eastern Ukraine between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian government troops has killed nearly 10,000 people since it began in April 2014.
The Stanytsia Luhanska crossing point resumed its operation on Saturday morning for the period of May holidays, the press service of the State Border Service of Ukraine has reported.

"Today in the morning the Stanytsia Luhanska crossing point that was temporarily closed resumed its operation. The decision was made by the ATO headquarters. The crossing point will operate in the period of May holidays and Easter every day from 07:00 until 17:30," the authority said.

The press service said that passenger and transport flow at the crossing points opened on the contact line was intensive in the past 24 hours. Zolote and Novotroitske crossing points are still closed.

The Luhansk regional military-civil administration wrote on its Facebook page that the Stanytsia Luhanska crossing point will be opened from April 30 until May 4 and from May 8 until May 10 from 08:00 until 20:00 if the situation near this humanitarian corridor is safe for civilians and military staying there.

The Stanytsia Luhanska crossing point was temporarily closed on April 8 due to permanent hostilities from the militants' side.

At a meeting of the Trilateral Working Group (TCG) on April 29 the agreement to open this crossing point starting from April has been reached.
Two Ukrainian troops were killed in the area of the anti-territory operation (ATO) in Donbas in the past 24 hours, and four were wounded.

"Two Ukrainian troops were killed and four were wounded in the past 24 hours," reads a report posted on Saturday on the website of the information analysis center of National Security of Ukraine.
Film: "The Man Who Knew Infinity"; Director: Matthew Brown; Cast: Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons, Stephen Fry, Toby Jones, Devika Bhise, Arundhati; Rating: ***

The film, "The Man Who Knew Infinity", based on Robert Kanigel's book of the same name, is an inspiring biographical drama. It pays tribute to the genius mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan from Madras who made extraordinary contributions to the mathematical universe. It is a grim story of the great soul.

The film covers a span of six years of Ramanujan's life, from 1914 when he worked as an accountant in Madras till his death in 1920.

Narrated from his mentor G.H. Hardy's point of view, in a non-linear fashion, the film, encapsulates Ramanujan's struggle from his modest upbringing in India, all the way up to Trinity College at Cambridge, where Hardy arranges for Ramanujan to work with him at Trinity, unaware that he is leaving behind his wife Janaki and an overbearing mother.

Writer-director Matthew Brown's script is fraught with numbers and miracles. Formulaic in nature, the plot, characterisation and emotional manipulation is the highlight of the film. But ultimately it is about the prodigy's love for mathematics and his two relationships, with his wife and his association with his mentor that forms the crux of the tale.

The narrative gets impulsive, with a mumbo-jumbo of numerical analyses which are unabashedly brought to the fore. When Hardy insists on having proofs of the theories, and is unwilling to publish Ramanujan's findings which were derived purely by intuition, you feel that he is trying to tame the genius and subjugate him.

When Hardy, an atheist, asks where Ramanujan gets his formulae, particularly since he is unable to show the process, the prodigy replies, that his God informs him while he is sleeping or praying. And his insistence only infuriates the genius.

The film belongs to Dev Patel. He steals the show as S. Ramanujan. He convincingly makes us believe that he really is the mathematician by being engrossed and immersing himself in numbers. He emotes effortlessly, especially when he pines for his wife, faces racial discrimination or is furious with his mentor when he is forced to present proofs for his theories.

Devika Bhise is a pleasant surprise. She complements Dev as his wife Janaki. She delivers an equally robust performance, especially expressing how she pines for him during their long separation. Though this is not a love-story, their onscreen chemistry is palpable. You feel sorry for both of them.

Arundhati Nag as Ramanujan's mother is equally brilliant.

Jeremy Irons in a straight laced role as G.H. Hardy is effective. To his credit, he brings energy and nuance to a character only thinly sketched in. He strains himself trying to overcome skeptics while helping Ramanujan reach his full potential while he is in Britain.

The same goes for Toby Jones as Littlewood and Jeremy Northam as Bertrand Russell, trying to be subtle in a sensitive but fairly predictable performance that's probably because of the stereotyped nature of the characters they portray.

Visually, the film is simple and realistic. The costumes by Ann Maskrey complement production designer Luciana Arrighi's sets, where they manage to create the era to perfection.

Cinematographer Larry Smith's frames are atmospheric, but nothing exceptional. He captures the locales in India and Cambridge with equal fervour.

The background score by Coby Brown has a faint blend of Indian and Western music. The visuals are brought to life by J.C. Bond's fine edits.

The film is sensitively and skilfully handled and is definitely worth a watch.

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BANGALORE: Lets start with what you read in epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata about getting education. Students in those days had to go to Gurukuls, stay with the Gurus and study, away from all utilities and luxuries. But, this idea of getting education changed with the modern times. Though students have to spend a big chunk of their time away from their family and homely luxuries to get educated but still they get time to meet and greet their family too. From Gurukuls to Cool schools and colleges, every facet of education in India has always been dynamic. In between, another trend which the students witnessed was to go to tuition classes (to get more marks from Sharma jis son!). The lure of achieving more education and marks made students attend tuition classes indeed (thats just our parents perspective, we all know that it was that girl for which we attended tuition classes!).

But this trend anyways is going to be obsolete soon. Education Tech Startups are changing the very face of Indian Education system according to Anurag, Bloger Spot. According to him, now you dont need to go to tutions or classes to learn or clear your doubt as everything is just few clicks away from preparing for a test to lectures. Enlisted below are 14 EdTech startups from India that are transforming the future of Indian Education System

Vedantu

Vedantu is world with knowledge democracy. It is a concept which personalizes the education students prefer. Vedantu will allow students to learn whatever they want to learn and make them the centre of learning.

UpGrad

World-class facility collaboration, rigorous industry relevant programs, and the latest technology you get all of this at a single platform, when you open this amazing Education Tech Startup. Upgrad has merged the latest technology, pedagogy and services to create an immersive learning experience which can be accessed at anytime, and from anywhere.

Toppr

Students in India are upbeat for the competitive exams, and Toppr just wants to revolutionize the way students prepare for them. Unlimited tests, Instant feedback reports, and rankings comparison, all will be provided by this Education Tech Startup to help the students for IIT JEE and other competitive exams preparation. A Toppr prep program costs an upward of 2,900 for one, two or three year courses and can be accessed on any platform.

Testbook

Testbook allows a student to train under the best mentors and become an expert in their field in their own right. The fastest rising startup in the EdTech space, Testbook also offers flexibility to students on the project they are choosing, the time to work on the selected project, and how to work on the project. With a registered user base of over 2 lakh students, 1.27 lakh questions solved on the WebApp and a knockout Android App, Testbook has raced to the front and is ideally placed to capture bigger markets.

Plancess EduSolutions

Another Education Tech Startup allowing students to prepare for entrance tests. Plancess EduSolutions Pvt. Ltd. was founded by IITians and is one of Indias leading companies for entrance test preparation. The ed. Tech startup offers comprehensive solutions for preparation in the form of high definition Video Lectures, expert designed Books and rigorous Test Series.

iProf Learning Solutions

iProf assures high quality content in an exciting way through its digital education library. iProfs digital education library is the first & largest in India and allows reader to move from one topic to the another without any gaps.

Meritnation

Meritnation offers elaborate live classes, multimedia tutorials, interactive exercises, practice tests and expert help, we endeavour to make school easy for students and help them score more. This online education portal that provides interactive study material for students of classes 1st to 12th for CBSE, ICSE, Maharashtra (MSBSHSE), Karnataka (KSEEB) Kerala (SCERT) and Tamil Nadu boards. In addition to curriculum aligned study material, Meritnation also offers personality development classes that help students in identifying and enhancing their soft skills.

SimpliLearn

Worlds largest professional certifications company, SimpliLearn create course programs, exams, and lab projects that help professionals across the world successfully prepare for and complete certification exams with ease. Continual up-gradation of the courses is carried by this Education Tech Startup to offer the best course to any student.

BYJU

Founded as an online education platform in 2011, BYJU is an educational app for Indian school-going students. Courses at this application based start-up are aimed at students in grades six to 12, supplementing their regular classwork and preparing them for major exams.

CultureAlley

CultureAlley provides language learning lessons in English, Spanish and other languages. The start-up started off as a teacher-learner platform which offered audio-visual lessons for individuals but soon became an application which provides language learning classes. The app has different versions and is available in Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Urdu, Malayalam and Punjabi.

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Screen Shot 2016-04-30 at 12.13.22 PM.jpg

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Those cyclists participating in Sunday's 39th annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour -- a 40-mile ride through each of the city's boroughs, ending on Staten Island -- should prepare for a rainy ride.



Accuweather is forecasting rain most of the morning, with a high of 50 for the early part of the day.

The first wave of the Five Boro Bike Tour departs lower Manhattan at 7:30 a.m. Bike New York, the nonprofit behind the event, estimates that 32,000 riders will participate in the event.

From there, the route heads north through Central Park, and continues to Harlem and the Bronx before returning south along the East River on the FDR Drive. Cyclists then cross into Queens, and from there into Brooklyn, riding over the Verrazano Bridge and onto Staten Island. The event ends with a festival at Fort Wadsworth.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) just published warnings and guidance about how to deal with wild coyotes in urban areas -- such as Staten Island.

With the onset of warm spring temperatures, resident coyotes have created dens for soon-to-arrive pups and have increased foraging, the agency reported.

"Coyotes are an integral part of our natural ecosystem, but they can come into conflict with people if they become habituated to human presence and food sources," DEC acting commissioner Basil Seggos said in a statement Friday.

These animals are found everywhere across New York State, from rural farmlands and forests to populated suburban and urban areas, including New York City.

Coyotes are "well adapted to suburban and even urban environments, but for the most part they will avoid contact with people," DEC says.

And the state agency adds this warning:

"Conflicts with people and pets may result as coyotes tend to be territorial around den sites during the spring through mid-summer period as they forage almost constantly to provide food for their young.

"To minimize the chance that conflicts between people and coyotes occur, it is important that coyotes' natural fear of people is maintained," DEC says.

Coyotes are excellent swimmers, according to National Geographic.

"In areas of the northeast U.S. -- where coyotes have migrated since the 20th century -- the animals have colonized the Elizabeth Islands of Massachusetts," NatGeo reported.

So how long will it take some of the resident coyote populations in New Jersey to swim across to Staten Island and establish homes here?

TIPS: WHAT YOU CAN DO

DEC issued these recommended steps to reduce or prevent conflicts with wild coyotes:

Do not feed them, and discourage others from doing so.

Unintentional food sources attract coyotes and other wildlife, and will increase risks to people and pets.

If coyotes learn to associate people with food --such as garbage or pet food -- they may lose their natural fear of humans, and the potential for close encounters or conflicts increases.

Do not feed your pets outside.

Make any garbage inaccessible to coyotes and other animals.

Eliminate availability of bird seed. Concentrations of birds and rodents that come to feeders can attract coyotes. If you see a coyote(s) near your bird feeder, clean up waste seed and spillage to remove the attractant.

Teach children to appreciate coyotes from a distance.

If you see a coyote, be aggressive in your behavior: Stand tall, and hold your arms out to look large. If a coyote lingers for too long, make loud noises, wave your arms, throw sticks and stones.

Do not allow pets to run free.

Supervise all outdoor pets to keep them safe from coyotes and other wildlife, especially at sunset and at night. Small dogs and cats are especially vulnerable to coyotes.

Cats allowed to roam free are at risk: To protect your cat from coyotes -- and to help protect nesting birds that cats often prey on -- keep your cat indoors, or allow it outside only under supervision.

Owners of small dogs also have cause for concern. Small dogs are at greatest risk of being harmed or killed when coyotes are being territorial during denning and pup-rearing. Small dogs should not be left unattended in backyards at night and should remain supervised.

Coyotes may approach small dogs along streets at night near natural areas, even in the presence of dog owners. Be alert of your surroundings and take precautions such as carrying a flashlight or a walking stick to deter coyotes. Owners of large and medium sized dogs have less to worry about, but should still take precautions.

Remove brush and tall grass from around your home to reduce protective cover for coyotes. Coyotes are typically secretive and like areas where they can hide.

Contact your local police department and the DEC regional office for assistance if you see coyotes are exhibiting "bold" behavior, with little or no fear of people.

Seeing a coyote occasionally throughout the year is not evidence of "bold" behavior, the DEC tells us.

This reporter wants to know: Have you spotted a coyote on your property or in your neighborhood recently?

If so, post the info in the Comments section below -- with a photo or video, if you have this -- or email me privately: sherry@siadvance.com.
Bill de Blasio

In this April 2016 file photo, Mayor Bill de Blasio takes a phone call during the 14th Annual CUNY/Daily News Citizenship NOW! event in New York after some of his aides were subpoenaed by state and federal prosecutors amid investigations into his campaign fundraising operation. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

ALBANY -- A probe swirling around Mayor Bill de Blasio has cast a harsh light on some of the nation's most lax campaign finance laws, with contribution limits so easy to get around that even government watchdogs acknowledge a ring of truth to the familiar excuse: Hey, everybody's doing it.

De Blasio has been bedeviled by a criminal probe of an effort he helped organize in 2014 to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for Democratic state Senate candidates. He insists that he and his team have done nothing wrong and suggested they have been unfairly singled out for a common practice in New York's famously opaque campaign funding system.

While New York law restricts individual donations to any candidate at just over $10,000 -- already among the highest such limits in the nation -- party committees can receive individual donations of more than $100,000, and the committee can then transfer an unrestricted amount to the candidate.

The legal restriction at issue in the de Blasio case is that such an arrangement can't be specifically worked out in advance. Money can't be given to a party committee with a direction that it's passed on to a particular candidate.

Even reform advocates acknowledge this restriction has been routinely flouted.

"Everybody knows how it's played so you really don't have to be explicit," Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group said about earmarking contributions.

Susan Lerner, of Common Cause, said it's a "systemic problem" and "should be solved systemically."

"We don't know what the facts are (in the de Blasio case)," she said. "What we do know is that this is a problem that did not start or end with Mayor de Blasio."

For his part, de Blasio said he and his allies -- a network of committees, consultants, politicians and operatives -- have done everything properly and suggested a political motive behind singling him out.

"Everything was done very carefully, meticulously, with legal guidance, and consistent with what so many other people have done," de Blasio told WNYC Radio on Friday.

The case referred by New York's Board of Elections in January to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. involves donations to Senate candidates Justin Wagner, Terry Gipson and Cecilia Tkaczyk. All lost contested 2014 races that kept Republicans in control of the chamber and able to thwart measures backed by left-leaning Democrats.

On Saturday, at an unrelated event, Vance said he couldn't comment on the ongoing investigation.

"We're doing our job and beyond that, at this point, I really can't add more," he said.

Elections board chief enforcement counsel Risa Sugarman, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, recommended the criminal referral. In a memo later leaked to the New York Daily News, she said it began with a pair of complaints by Republican officials in Putnam and Ulster counties, where the Senate races took place.

Her office subpoenaed bank records and work by prominent consultants involved.

Sugarman noted large, unusual donations to the two counties' Democratic committees that in turn made large donations to the candidates.

Campaign records show, for example, the Ulster committee got $60,000 that October from the New York State Nurses Association political action committee and $102,300 each from the PACs of Communications Workers of America District One and 32BJ Service Employees International Union United American Dream Fund. Over the next two weeks, the committee transferred $320,000 to Tkaczyk.

"Review of the documents revealed evidence of campaigns that were coordinated at every level and down to minute detail," Sugarman wrote, later calling the violations "willful and flagrant."

Attorney Laurence Laufer, representing de Blasio and others named in the memo, responded to Sugarman last week, saying she showed "profound misunderstanding of election law."

"There is nothing novel about the 2014 Democratic Party campaign to elect Democratic candidates to the state Senate, other than your attempt to selectively criminalize it," Laufer wrote.

In the same few weeks of the 2014 campaign, the Senate Republican Campaign Committee funneled $105,000 to candidates Tom Croci in a contested Long Island race that he won and $80,000 to Sue Serino who beat Gipson for that Hudson Valley seat, while the committee took in almost $500,000 in transfers from the campaigns of incumbent Republican senators with no serious challengers.

Campaign records show some of the same consultants -- Metropolitan Public Strategies and AKPD Message and Media -- mentioned in the Sugarman memo were being paid in 2014 by the state Democratic Committee, which Cuomo heads and was funding with millions of dollars from his own campaign account during his re-election race. Cuomo also publicly backed the three Senate candidates.

Sugarman's memo recommending a criminal investigation mentions neither the state committee nor the governor himself, who has been at odds politically with de Blasio.

Spokeswoman Dani Lever said neither Cuomo nor anyone on his executive staff authorized Sugarman's investigation of de Blasio and the others.

"The administration was first made aware of the reported investigations by the U.S. attorney, district attorney and Board of Elections when it was reported in the press," she said.

State Party Executive Director Basil Smikle said they routinely support Democratic candidates but neither the state party nor Cuomo campaign used the Putnam and Ulster county committees in the effort.
Joseph Percoco

This 2011 file photo shows Joseph Percoco of Huguenot with Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Election Day in Mount Kisco, N.Y. The New York Times is reporting that Percoco has become the focus of the federal investigation into one of the governor's upstate economic development programs. (Photo by Charles Eckert)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Joseph Percoco, a former top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has become the focus of the federal investigation into one of the governor's upstate economic development programs, said several people familiar with the matter, according to a report.

According to the newspaper's sources, the inquiry is also focused on several other men and a company linked to the program, called the Buffalo Billion.

Authorities are investigating whether Percoco, a Wagner College graduate from Huguenot, and his wife had received income from a design and engineering company that worked on the project and failed to properly declare it, two of the people familiar with the matter told the New York Times. The company worked on one of the main projects, a solar-panel factory for SolarCity, a person familiar with the development program told the newspaper.

Percoco left the Cuomo administration earlier this year.
A representative of Ukraine in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) and second Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma urged the Russian Federation, individual districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions to meet ceasefire liabilities taken earlier.

"Ukraine consistently fulfills liabilities it has taken and does not return provocative fire. In the current situation I urge the Russian Federation, individual districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as the sides of the agreements observe ceasefire liabilities before the Easter holidays," Darya Olifer, press secretary of Kuchma, wrote on her Facebook page.

He reminded that on April 29 the TCG declared the support of the full ceasefire starting from April 30.

"However, today there are cases of ceasefire violation by individual districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Violations were recorded in Shyrokyne, Avdiyivka, Maryinka, in particular, mortar shelling," Kuchma said.
Japanese Ambassador to Ukraine Shigeki Sumi at a meeting with Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said that his country is ready to provide support to Ukraine to develop cyber police, the communications department of the Interior Ministry has reported.

"The Japanese diplomat said that one of the key directions of cooperation between Ukraine and Japan in reforming the police is cyber security. He said that Japan backs the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's steps to create and develop cyber police and is ready to provide the country with financial and expert assistance," the department said.

The ambassador also said that Japan welcomes the new Ukrainian government and the country is ready to continue cooperation.

Sumi invited Avakov to visit Japan in the near future to study the principles of work of the Japanese law enforcement system.
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In this case, the Pentagon investigation showed a widespread breakdown in procedures and communication. And according to the investigation, in the days leading up to the attack, some Special Operations troops felt they had no sense of what they were trying to accomplish as they fought to retake the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, which had been unexpectedly seized by the Taliban.
EDUCATION Ten years ago, while still a teenager, Melissa Abu-Gazaleh began to question how young men were portrayed in the media. "I realised that each night our TV screens bombarded us with negative news stories," she says. "Suicide is the leading cause of death of Australian young males, there's a high rate of untreated mental-health issues among young men, and 82 per cent of what we see in the media about young men is negative." The Top Blokes Foundation, created by Melissa Abu-Gazaleh, aims to support young men through some of the trickiest stages of adolescence. Eager to volunteer with an organisation that was specifically inspiring boys to improve the state of young men's health, she couldn't find one, so she started her own: the Top Blokes Foundation. Today, the foundation offers an early intervention framework that engages teenage boys on social issues they will face in their late teens and early adult years. "We focus on cutting through to young men and engaging boys at critical points within their risk-taking prime stage, providing windows of opportunities to alter any dangerous or regrettable decisions they may make," Abu-Gazaleh says.

With a Bachelor in Communications and Media Studies from the University of Wollongong and a TAFE Diploma in Community Services, Abu-Gazaleh is not a teacher, but works closely with schools. She says teachers and the school community have an essential role to play in nurturing healthy, happy young men. They can act as important models of positive behaviours for young men, particularly around positive conflict resolution, including assertive communication. "We encourage teachers to role-model positive definitions of masculinities, that is, not to genderise emotions and to move away from gender stereotypes," Abu-Gazaleh says. "We often see that boys who can't speak out will act up, and we encourage teachers to be aware of any unconscious bias they may have that impacts their treatment of the male students in their school or class." Top Blokes Foundation also recommends that schools provide boys with a teacher responsible for male welfare. "Schools are incredibly busy and the curriculum is extremely full, so they often need to source support from external organisations like the Top Blokes Foundation," Abu-Gazaleh says. "From our experience, schools are very supportive and open to collaborating with us, which is a testament to the commitment to their young men."
John Filocamo is operations manager at Cemeteries and Crematoria NSW, a role he moved into after years of managing Crown Lands.

Across Australia most cemeteries and crematoria are operated by councils, religious institutions, community trusts and private companies and their role is governed by state legislation and overseen by small groups of government employees. In Victoria, this group is housed within the Department of Health and in New South Wales within a new standalone business unit within the Department of Primary Industries.

Australia's multicultural community deals with death in many ways but the need for respectful, accessible and affordable burial and cremation options is common to people of all traditions.

The job calls for tact and understanding of the varied community views on the disposal of human remains and the need for government to ensure that facilities and land are available to meet all needs.

Mr Filocamo says the creation of the new unit was a response to growing awareness that cemetery space in the Greater Sydney area is running out and that, state-wide, management of some older cemeteries was inadequate.

He was part of a team that developed the policy underpinning the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act that came into force in late 2014 and a strategic plan to guide governance and transparency of the interment industry in NSW and bring more accountability to cemetery operations.

His current role includes ensuring that as Sydney and other urban centres grow, provision is made for burial and remembrance places that are within easy reach of families.

"Our research shows that people want to be able to visit a cemetery within 40 minutes of their home. Historically the planning process has failed in the provision of interment places and we are advocating for cemetery provision to be considered in strategic planning processes."
Rob Henry is the incoming president of the Institute of Architects in Canberra. TT: Some countries complain of a "brain drain". Is a similar longstanding malaise changing for Canberra? Canberra is changing for the better with places like Braddon becoming vibrant and attracting visitors. Credit:Graham Tidy RH: Canberra is changing, and it's for the better. For many years our high school and university graduates quickly departed our city in pursuit of greener pastures. We lost that youthful energy and freshness of ideas. However, now it seems that they are more willing to stay as the culture of Canberra has evolved to a point where it's starting to match the vibrancy of our larger cities. New Acton and Braddon are rivalling Brunswick or Surrey Hills, and our local shops are bringing communities together again. At the school of architecture, graduates from the first degree (yes  5 years and two degrees to become a graduate of architecture) would sometimes consider leaving and completing their second degree interstate or overseas in order to find a better social life. With the combination of a newfound city dynamic and some good job opportunities, students are, however, now more likely to stay in Canberra and offer their skills to the industry and their visions for the future of our built environment.

TT: Canberra is often accused of being a less than vibrant city, can that change in the short term? RH: My forecast is that we will see a more diversified approach to architecture and city planning. Younger professionals are more likely to challenge the current rules, push for spontaneity and versatility in architecture, produce more socially dynamic spaces, and experiment with materials and construction techniques. Young professionals don't want houses in the suburbs, so hopefully we will see smarter mixed-use in-fill buildings that can be adapted from one use to another depending on the community's needs. TT: Has there been a changing of the guard in the design community? RH: Joining the Royal Australian Institute of Architects some 15 years ago as a student was very enriching yet terrifying. To a large extent it was dominated by highly intelligent male architects in the latter years of their career. Although not quite a gentleman's club, there certainly wasn't anything close to gender equity, and participation from the younger demographic was low. Fast-forward to the current day and the story is significantly different. Close to 50 per cent of our members are emerging architects, graduates, and students. Our council is also now 50 per cent emerging professionals and, more importantly, has gender balance. The profession as a result is more energetic about the city's future. We have gone from a member focused group to an organisation that interacts with our community. Our pop-up pavilion in Garema Place, as part of last year's Design Canberra festival, is evidence of this energy within our younger architects and students, and their desire to communicate with the public. TT: What's prompted the baton change to the emerging architects?
A British airline pilot has taken some incredible aerial shots that show mega-cities of the world illuminated like an electric grid.

Captain Jon Bowles, 55, has travelled the equivalent of ten round trips to the moon. Taken from the flight deck, the stunning photos show some of the most recognizable places in the world from an-above earthly perspective, including Dubai, Bangkok, Tokyo and New York.

From Bolton, UK, Captain Jon Bowles took all these marvelous pictures over the past five years during night-flights that span the globe. A seasoned pilot, Jon Bowles has racked up an astounding five million air miles during his 36-year career as a pilot.

I look for shapes in the cities, light areas, dark areas and patterns in the way the city is laid out, said Jon.
In the debate about the affordability of housing in the territory, the high cost of land is a constant reminder that Canberra is an expensive place to live.

The ACT government's land release program is often battered by groups advocating for reform in the cost of housing sites and by the property industry who continually wants more land provided.

The Land Development Agency has long argued that it is maintaining the balance between supply and demand but has admitted in the past that environmental clearances have slowed down release.

And measures to get land "shovel ready" in larger development areas have been undertaken by the agency in recent times in acknowledgment of the demand for land.

A more cynical observation would be that the government doesn't mind the pent-up demand because it drives the prices up and builds the territory's coffers.
I'm what Donald Trump might call a huuuuge fan of Richard Glover. And no, this is not actually him writing. Nor have any Tim Tams exchanged hands in the writing of this column, though I can't deny it would help. I think what I particularly like about him is his facility and ease with words. Can anyone deny it? He is voluble, loquacious, has kissed the blarney stone and has ripped legs off donkeys simply by moving his mouth for hours on end, evidenced by the fact he made the Guinness World Records for interviewing the equally shy Peter Fitzsimons for 24 hours without pause.

The reason I mention this is because I would like to use the opportunity of filling in for such a grandly eloquent creature to fact check a broadly-held, oft-asserted claim: women talk more than men. To be specific, that women use more words per day  estimated at a rate of 20,000 words to men's 7,000.

The nattering classes: Julia Baird. Credit:Ana Gomes

You know, women who bang on, chatter, gossip, blather, yap, babble. There are bountiful stereotypes of women who "natter"  ladies who lunch, wives who bombard newspaper-shielded partners, mothers who berate and scold.

It's not a new stereotype. The prospect of a woman  or worse, a group of women  talking at length has been regarded with abject horror for centuries. As was written in the Spectator in 1711: "It has been said in the Praise of some Men, that they could Talk whole Hours together upon any Thing; but it must be owned to the Honour of the other Sex, that there are many among them who can Talk whole Hours together upon Nothing. I have known a Woman branch out into a long Extempore Dissertation upon the Edging of a Petticoat"
TFF writes from New York, where everywhere I look is Presidential candidate Donald Trump. (Have even been staying in his Trump Towers Soho, and have retreated to the much better Crosby Street Hotel.) Trump's most interesting utterance this week was this: "Frankly, if Hillary Clinton were a man, I don't think she would get 5 percent of the vote."

It's an interesting notion, isn't it?

While obviously false, as the number is way low, there really might be a diminution of votes if a man put out exactly the same policies as Ms Clinton, on the grounds that he'd probably not be macho and hairy-chested enough for American tastes. More interesting though is if a woman candidate was exactly like Donald Trump? My reckoning is she really would get close to five per cent. Three marriages, dozens of affairs, married to a man 20 years her junior, several bankruptcies, given to singularly vulgar expression, with nary a policy to scratch herself with? Make that two per cent!

Taking the huff
LUKE HARDING

FABER/ GUARDIAN, $29.99

The death of Alexander Litvinenko is an intrigue contained in the small picture and wrapped in the big picture. Or vice versa. Litvinenko, a former FSB agent, was killed in 2006 by Russian agents in London after defecting to the west and becoming an M16 agent. From the poison (radioactive Polonium), to the Mayfair bar where it was fed to Litvinenko from a tea-pot, the story has all the ingredients of a thriller  Harding also co-wrote WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy, on which the film The Fifth Estate was based. That's the small picture, for it's a story, says Harding, that leads, via the Russian mafia, to the Russian government and Vladimir Putin himself, all part of what, he argues, is a new Cold War.
Like many successful women of her generation, Julia Leigh found herself in her late 30s with an unexpected desire to have a child. Avalanche is a riveting account of her experience with IVF and a reflection on an industry that profits from a woman's diminishing fertility.

Avalanche by Julia Leigh.

At one point Leigh writes that a decision to have children is "telescopically micro not macro" and this phrase could be used to describe the memoir itself. By illuminating the poignant details of her individual reality, Leigh's book takes on a significance that extends beyond its own terms.

In matter-of-fact prose, Leigh writes of the rekindling of a relationship with a man with whom she had a tempestuous, year-long affair in her 20s. The book opens with the sudden blazing hope that the union might produce a child. "The sun exploded and reformed," Leigh writes after they marry and take the preliminary steps towards IVF.

There is an aching tension in these passages and even through separations and reconciliations, it's impossible to remain unmoved by Leigh's hope. Still, with a handful of judicious and poetic details, Leigh sets us up for heartbreak, "a champagne glass emptying onto the ground" at a wedding, for example.
Authors irate

Australian Society of Authors chair David Day is promising a vigorous campaign against the expansion of "fair use" after the end of the long-running copyright case involving Google's scanning of books in the US. The ASA was party to the Authors Guild case and Day says "we have to now argue the case against fair use in Australia". The campaign will be political and public and involve the publishing industry and authors and will be of concern to "anybody to whom protection of copyright is important". He points to the situation in Canada which allows education departments and universities to make use of published material without payment. The result, he says, is a vast amount taken out of the Canadian equivalent of the Copyright Agency and the decimation of educational publishing. Day says copyright protection is a big part of the ecology of the publishing industry in Australia. The Productivity Commission's interim report into intellectual property arrangements is expected on Friday.

And only Forster knew

Who was the middle-aged couple contentedly browsing in the Hill of Content last Saturday morning? The music caught their attention and they shifted to the centre of the shop. To hear better? Perhaps. But also to see if they'd be recognised. The album was former Go Betweener Robert Forster's Songs to Play, and the couple were none other than Forster and his violinist wife, Karin Baumler. The track was And I Knew, but no one seemed to know them. At least, that's what he told the audience at a gig he played later that evening at the National Gallery of Victoria.
The foyer of her hotel is not quiet enough and her room is off limits, so we talk on the sofa of her tour manager's room. His underpants are drying on the windowsill. She considers questions carefully, answering slowly in between long pauses, leaving many sentences unfinished, thoughts drifting in the air like smoke. Although she is a performer, Tempest is clearly comfortable with silence.

Surrounded by cascading blonde hair, looking much younger than 30, Tempest is unmade-up, her face resembling the image of a dishevelled Renaissance angel. She asks her publicist for a cup of coffee in such a soft whisper, you get the impression it might need to be administered intravenously for her to get through the time allocated for our conversation.

The reality is different. For a start, Tempest is not her real name, any more than it is her real nature. She was born Kate Calvert and she is gently intense. Or perhaps just shattered. Tempest's pallor on a Monday afternoon in Sydney during a summer tour with her band makes her seem almost ghostly.

It is tempting, when you hear the name Kate Tempest to imagine a woman of fiery and stormy temperament, the kind of Kate who might have been Shakespeare's Shrew.

Tempest's debut novel The Bricks That Built The Houses.

While she might not look or sound it right now, Tempest is prodigiously and variously gifted. She fell for hip-hop at the age of 12, started her rap career at open-mic nights, toured the spoken-word circuit and before she knew it was supporting John Cooper Clarke and Billy Bragg. As the youngest winner ever of the Ted Hughes Prize for innovation in poetry at the age of 26, her remarkable hour-long spoken story, Brand New Ancients, rebooted classical mythology into an everyday epic of two London families. It toured to sold-out houses across Britain and in New York.

"All poetry should be spoken," says Tempest, in one of the few definite and unhesitating statements she makes during our often faltering conversation. Hearing her recite her verse, it's hard to disagree. There's a thrilling, heroic, hypnotic quality to the grandeur and sweep of her narrative and her sense of rhythm. Watching a YouTube video of her incantation to the ABC's Philip Adams on Late Night Live, you can see him fall under her spell. She speaks of the real world and yet seems otherworldly, like a prophetess who has quit the sanctity of the temple to address supermarket shoppers.

Tempest has also written for the Royal Shakespeare Company and performed at Glastonbury. Her 2014 album, Everybody Down, was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize. And now, as if all that were not enough, she has written The Bricks That Built the Houses, an original, fresh and touching novel about life for her generation on the unglamorous streets of south-east London.

She is guarded when it comes to details about her private life. One of five children born to a former labourer who became a criminal lawyer and writes poetry in his spare time, Tempest forged her own cadences from the streets of her neighbourhood. She honed her ear for dialogue listening to the patois of migrant families, in clubs and pubs, in squats and on picket lines as a child growing up in and around Lewisham, a suburb with one of London's highest rates of teenage pregnancy and murder. Her novel is dedicated to family and to south-east London, "my oldest friend, my only hope, my darkest gutrot night".
Earlier this year, Andrew Denton launched a 17-episode podcast called Better off Dead, about the right to die with dignity. Podcasts usually but not always deal in narrative journalism and documentary, but they can also be just two people talking (see Conversations with Richard Fidler, or Chat 10, Looks 3, with Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales). They can be as minutely engineered as a lunar landing or cheerily low-fi. "Chat 10, Looks 3 has terrible production," says author Benjamin Law. "It sounds like two girlfriends in a room who have banged an iPhone on the table and started recording. But it's still one of my favourite podcasts."

Law, who will be hosting a talk with Kine at the writers' festival, says the best podcasters are irresistibly personable and relentlessly inquisitive. "Starlee has this wide-eyed curiosity, like a kid with a magnifying class who has grown up and been given the resources of [a big media company]."

Kine is a writer: her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine; she is also wrapping up a self-help book called It IS Your Fault. But her background is mainly in public radio, most notably for seminal NPR show, This American Life. "The stories I did for This American Life were very personal," she says. "It was all my point of view, like when my boyfriend broke up with me and I did a story about the best break-up songs."

Her next venture, produced with digital production company, Gimlet Media, would look outward. "I always liked mysteries, so I thought, let's do that!" At first people assumed her show would be like Serial, but Kine's conundrums, while no less compelling, deal with the marginalia of modern life: tracking down the origins of a vanity license plate that read "ILUV911", exploring the story behind a wild-west style belt buckle that someone found in the street. Listeners accompany Kine as she goes about her sleuthing, a wonderfully digressive process along some of society's least travelled tributaries. "In Mystery Show I gravitate toward real people who you wouldn't normally think of as lead characters," she says. "It's all about pulling back the curtain on worlds you don't see."

Her modus is immersion. "I was really influenced by movies and TV, so I wanted to create an atmosphere that makes it feel like you are spending time on the case with me." Listeners hear Kine ascending in an elevator and walking up stairs; they hear her on the phone to contacts, and knocking on doors. But verite it is not. "It's all super produced," Kine says. There are edits, sound effects. Each episode also features an original soundtrack. "We work with a band called White Dove. They make the music in real time, as I am putting the show together, to make sure each one has a customised score. In the Belt Buckle episode, for example, the music has a really south western, cowboy kind of feel."
Inga Simpson's excellent third novel, Where the Trees Were, cuts back and forth between the childhood of her protagonist, Jayne, and her adult working life as a curator at the National Museum in Canberra. The novel begins in the Lachlan Valley of New South Wales in 1987; begins again in 2004 after the bushfires that ravaged the national capital. The earlier part is narrated in the first person through Jayne's eyes; the latter in the third person.

Where the Trees Were, by Inga Simpson.

In the neatness of this procedure there are signs of the creative-writing regimen to which Simpson, along with many others, has submitted (she earned a PhD). However, her natural talents as a writer overcome such disquiet. Here is an early sentence: Jayne and her childhood friends "drifted round the bend in a languid line, as if the river was ours".

By that river the children discovered a stand of trees that they claimed as their own, and secret: "there were designs carved inside, curved and straight lines that were not quite pictures and not quite words but told some sort of story." When a similar object goes missing from the museum, the adult Jayne explains that it was "a Wiradjuri aborglyph  or dendoglyph  from the Central West, a carved tree marking the grave of a significant male elder".

Her wonder at such objects has not abated, but it is now suffused by anger about their treatment. In fear of a land-rights claim, her father and his farmer neighbours cut down the stand of trees. Now  in company with Ian, an Aboriginal friend from childhood  Jayne conspires to rescue another of the trees by a heist from the museum. Thus it can be returned to a sanctioned place.
Apart from Methodists, Cannes gets most of the rest. In July 2013, a man in a motorcycle helmet with an automatic pistol walked into a room at the Carlton Intercontinental Hotel and boosted 103 million ($150 million) worth of jewellery and watches belonging to the London-based, Russian-born Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev, the largest theft of jewels in French history. The jewels were to be part of an exhibition that had not yet opened; the thief struck just before the jewels were to be placed in secure display cases. The three security guards were unarmed (as most are by law in France), and the robber was gone in about a minute.

The Festival de Cannes kicks off next week and it will bring to the city of many sins a full collection of professional sinners: jewel thieves, hookers, bag-snatchers, pickpockets and pimps. Or to quote Hedley Lamarr from Blazing Saddles: "Rustlers, cut-throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass-kickers, shit-kickers and Methodists."

Petty crime has never been so low in Cannes, the deputy mayor said a few years back, after some unpleasantness during the film festival. That's true: it's the major crime you have to watch out for.

This was out of film festival time, but there were two others during that year's festival: a single necklace worth $US2.6 million ($3.4 million) lifted from the Hotel du Cap, the swankiest hotel on the Riviera, and a week earlier, a safe ripped out of the wall in the Novotel, netting $1 million in Chopard baubles. The security, in most of these cases, was a joke.

The rich and famous clog the red carpets of Cannes ... a fact advertised to the crime world by frequent celebrity events. Credit:Getty Images/Pascal Le Segretain

If you know your movies, you're liking Cary Grant as John Robie for this crime, and indeed the Carlton Hotel was the one Hitchcock used in To Catch a Thief in 1955. It's almost too perfect: perhaps Danielle Broussard, the teenager played by Brigitte Auber in that film, is back on the rooftops of Cannes, aged 75. More likely, said Interpol, quoting another movie, it was the gang of ex-Yugoslavs known as The Pink Panthers, ex-soldiers who are credited with a series of huge robberies in the past 20 years. A case for Inspector Clouseau, n'est ce pas?

The attraction of Cannes for thieves isn't just obvious; it's flaunted on the TV news around the world each May. The red carpet footage of gorgeous women in gorgeous jewels brings the cognoscenti, not just of the film world but of the criminal world too. The temptation to make the obvious joke here is resistible, but it is true that some of them are the same people, albeit at different levels. Cannes attracts only the greatest thieves, some of whom have their yachts moored in the bay. It's particularly attractive to Russian and Arab billionaires, some of whom sail in and load their boats with "yacht girls", who can make a lot of money during the festival's 10 days.

In fact, if you want to get to the top parties in Cannes, become a high-class hooker with a broad taste in men: you could make up to $US40,000 a night "the hard way", according to a man who was close to the action.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) holds talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Beijing, capital of China, April 29, 2016. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

Beijing and Moscow urge Washington against starting deployment in the Republic of Korea

China and Russia sent strong signals to the United States on Friday, urging it not to deploy a new anti-missile system in the Republic of Korea.

"We are expressing serious concerns in regard to the US intention to deploy the THAAD system in the ROK," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters at a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

"This move goes far beyond actual defense necessities and damages the strategic security of China and Russia."

The US and ROK began talks on possible deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January.

However, China firmly opposes the move, with analysts saying the system could be used to monitor Beijing's missile launches as far inland as Xi'an in the northwest of the country.

Lavrov said countries involved "shouldn't use Pyongyang's acts as a pretext to increase their military presence on the Korean Peninsula. We believe the possible deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system won't resolve this problem."

Wang said the possible deployment only "adds fuel to the fire of an already tense situation and even possibly wrecks the regional strategic balance".

Last week, Sung Kim, the US special representative for DPRK policy, said China and Russia do not need to be concerned about THAAD. It is "a complete defense system" to protect the US and ROK "against missile threats from Pyongyang".

He made the comments after "productive discussions" in Beijing with Wu Dawei, China's special representative on Korean peninsula affairs.

Zuo Xiying, an international studies specialist at Renmin University of China's National Academy of Development and Strategy, denounced Kim's comments.

Zuo said THAAD is called a "defense system" but its capacity passes way beyond the need to safeguard against missile threats from Pyongyang and its radar could be used to collect surveillance data far inland in both China and Russia.

"This poses a threat to China and Russia's national security, and the deployment will definitely harm regional peace and stability," Zuo said.

Lavrov also said on Friday that one of his most important tasks is to prepare for Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Beijing in June. Lavrov discussed the visit with President Xi Jinping and Wang during their meeting on Thursday and Xi told him that China hopes for new agreements with Russia during the visit.
The Nine Network says it had no plans to air footage from the botched Beirut child snatch attempt in a special edition of 60 Minutes on Sunday.

The network's director of communications and public relations, Victoria Buchan, disputed a claim made by The Weekend Australian that footage from the operation was cancelled because of legal concerns.

"It is incorrect," Ms Buchan said.
Over the past couple of weeks it has become something of a national sport to ridicule and criticise the annual TV Week Logie Awards, Australian television's "night of nights", which has all but been written off by some sections of the media as an irrelevant sideshow of limited interest.

Well, I say phooey to that.

Bonnie Sveen, who won the most popular new talent Logie in 2014 for her role in Home & Away.

This time next week I intend to be deeply embedded between Gina Liano's bulletproof hair and teak-stained decolletage and the champagne bar at the 2016 Logies, because despite what all the critics say, there is no other event quite like it. Where else can such a vast cross-section of this country's celebrity fauna gather in one room for a night which always delivers plenty of fodder for a gossip columnist.

Indeed the drama is often happening way off stage, like the year Chrissie Swan caused a commotion while en route to the ladies' room during an ad break only to discover her ill-fated path saw her end up in an impenetrable ring of tables, chairs and stars. It was only after she started bouncing hard against the logjam of chairs, jolting a few famous faces, that she finally announced her bladder could not wait much longer and the tables miraculously parted.
Every time I try to show my mother how to access the internet, she says, "Oh, you can't put a young head on old shoulders." Is that true?

Well, it's true for the moment. But give it a year. Two controversial surgeons have partnered up to perform the world's first head transplant on a human being. The operation is slated for Christmas 2017.

Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein.

They have a committed volunteer, a 30-year-old Russian computer scientist named Valery Spiridonov who suffers from Werdnig-Hoffmann disease  a progressive weakening of skeletal muscles caused by the loss of anterior horn cells in the spinal column  which he was diagnosed with as a baby, and generally leads to early death.

In effect, Spiridonov  a notably sweet-faced man of reportedly great optimism  is confined to a wheelchair and needs a new body from the neck down. So what's being performed is a body transplant.
Senior police and politicians are supporting a nationwide pill testing trial at Australian music festivals this summer - outside NSW.

Fairfax Media revealed in April that Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation president Alex Wodak and Canberra physician David Caldicott would launch pill-testing at forthcoming Sydney festivals with or without government permission, risking possible arrest and police charges.

Ecstasy tablets will come under the microscope at festivals this year. Credit:Viki Yemettas

To date, the NSW Police Force and Baird Government have labelled the project illegal. But in a significant development, high-level talks have commenced between trial organisers and police in other states who are understood to be both "sympathetic" and "interested" in the trial as a harm minimisation strategy. It was observed that the program might also help provide "early warning" about dangerous products before they flood the market.

"We continue to progress," said Dr Caldecott last week. "We've got the funding. Meetings with law enforcement have been face to face and in more than one jurisdiction outside of NSW."
Premier Mike Baird and Local Government Minister Paul Toole have ignored the findings of a parliamentary inquiry into local government, as they push ahead with controversial council merger reforms.

The upper house inquiry into the financial viability of local government and the impact of forced mergers had made 17 recommendations, including the finding that the Fit For The Future process the Baird Government had relied on as the basis of its merger plans was flawed.

Protesters rally against forced amalgamations. Credit:Peter Rae

It demanded the Baird Government withdraw the statement that 71 per cent of councils in metropolitan Sydney were "unfit".

It also called for greater independence for the Boundaries Commission, which is currently deciding the fate of councils earmarked for mergers.
12/12

Piglets crowd a stall at the H.C. Daniels hog farm in Drahnsdorf near Golssen, Germany. German hog farmers are exporting pork meat successfully to Great Britain and undercutting British farmers, in large part because British regulations on how pigs may be raised are stricter than in Germany, meaning British pork is more expensive. Credit:Getty Images
The requirement for NSW aged care homes to have a registered nurse on duty around the clock for frail residents will be abandoned after the Baird Government decided it was the federal government's problem.

The Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association said it was "gobsmacked" by Health Minister Jillian Skinner's response to a NSW Parliamentary inquiry, which had urged the Baird Government to retain 24/7 registered nurses in NSW nursing homes.

Jocelyn Hofman, a registered nurse from the Blue Mountains, is concerned changes to nursing laws could be dangerous for residents in nursing homes. Credit:Peter Rae

Old people will be put "at risk" by the move, according to the Greens.

Ms Skinner has told the inquiry aged care homes were now regulated by Commonwealth law and it would "duplicate regulatory process" to keep the NSW rule for nursing care.
A 14-month investigation into the supply of the party drug fantasy on the Gold Coast has resulted in police seizures of $100,000 worth of the drug.

Police say the dangerous drug, also known as GHB, was responsible for a death at Adelaide's Stereostonic music festival in December and multiple overdoses in Sydney.

Plastic soy sauce containers known as "fishies" are used for fantasy supply.

Detective Superintendant Mick Niland told a media conference on Saturday that fantasy was re-emerging as a drug of choice and was being sold for $20 per three millilitres in "fishies" - takeaway soy sauce containers.

He said major criminal organisations were involved in the supply and trafficking of drugs and weapons on the Gold Coast who used sophisticated technology to communicate.
The United States is not qualified to make "carping comments on China" as it has not signed on to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

The comment came as top diplomats from China and Russia urged countries outside the South China Sea region not to stir up tension there.

On Thursday, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a House of Representatives hearing that China "can't have it both ways," by being a party to the convention but rejecting its provisions, including "the binding nature of any arbitration decision", Reuters reported.

Blinken was challenging China's rejection of arbitration by a tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which was set up in 2014 following a unilateral request by the Philippines.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news conference on Friday that the US has not signed on to the convention.

Instead, Washington had introduced its so-called Freedom of Navigation Program in 1979 ahead of the convention's introduction in 1982, Hua said.

Hua also said that it is "a secret known to all" that the US subscribes to international law when it is favorable, and ignores the law when it is not.

She said more than 30 countries, in addition to China, have filed declarations in accordance with the convention to exclude disputes about maritime delimitation from compulsory arbitration and other compulsory dispute settlement procedures.

"China's rejection of the arbitration and refusal to be part of it is to ensure the solemnity of international laws, including the convention, and to oppose abuse of them," Hua said.

Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said that behind the current maritime tension lies the "zero-sum thinking" and US alignment with allies that seek greater engagement in the South China Sea issue.

Meanwhile, China and Russia have "achieved important consensus on the South China Sea issue", according to a release by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday.

They agreed that the disputes in the South China Sea "should be peacefully resolved on the basis of historical facts and international law, and through consultation and negotiation by countries directly concerned", the release said.
Police are hunting an accident-prone thief who unwittingly stole a guide dog during a crime spree with another man in Melbourne's north-west.

The Kia Cerato Koup was stolen from a Smithfield Road service station in Kensington about 1.20pm on April 20.

After leaving, the offender realised the victim's guide dog was in the car, he then dropped the dog off at a nearby bowling club before it was reunited with its owner.

CCTV images of a man police wish to speak to about a crime spree in Melbourne's north-west. Credit:Victoria Police

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the guide dog may have been training, as the victim was not visually impaired.
Blue skies and sunshine replaced the predicted rain clouds on Saturday morning, but the Bureau of Meteorology says Melbourne will still see rain and storms on Sunday.

Rain swept across Victoria on Friday, with bureau figures revealing Mt Wombat in the North East had recorded the highest rainfall, with 81mm of rain in 24 hours.

Forget Saturday's sunshine, it was a 'breakday between fronts'. More cold weather coming. Credit:Pat Scala

Senior forecaster Peter Newham said Saturday was a "break day between fronts".

"We had a rainy day yesterday and there's a front coming tomorrow morning, so there will be showers and storms tomorrow around the state," Mr Newham said.
WA Police have denied press reports that detectives overlooked potentially vital clues in the Claremont serial killer case in the late 1990s.

The Weekend West reported on Saturday that investigators had access to video tape of traffic around Claremont on the night that Ciara Glennon disappeared - but had not checked to see who owned the vehicles in the footage.

Police have established a crime scene at a home in Kewdale, with reports connecting it to the Claremont serial killer.

Ms Glennon disappeared around midnight on March 14, 1997. Police had installed a camera to monitor traffic in the area following the disappearances of Sarah Spiers and Jane Rimmer.

The Weekend West claimed the error over the video tape had been spotted by a new team of cold-case detectives but that the the job of identifying a suspect from the vision was likely to have been compromised by the 19-year-delay.
It is not a problem faced by many mere mortals: how to find a gallery large enough to house one's $1 billion art collection.

But a suitably well-heeled Frenchman has come up with the solution by opening a museum that could rival the Louvre.

Artist Damien Hirst will feature in a new Parisian gallery founded by Henri Pinault. Credit:Valery Hache

Francois Pinault will show off his collection of modern masters at his own gallery in the centre of Paris after failing to find a suitable home for them elsewhere.

A stone's throw from the city's best-loved galleries, the new venue will provide an alternative for tourists queuing to see the Mona Lisa.
The Police Force of Sint Maarten is without any doubt doing its utmost, to protect you, your family and your property, in combating crime and criminals. The Public Relation Office of the Sint Maarten Police Force is therefore offering the entire community, the following safety tips, to help them prepare against crime.

Remember the 3 As of Crime Prevention

1. Be Aware of your surroundings at all times.

2. Be Alert to suspicious people and vehicles.

3. Avoid dangerous situations.

If you are out for the evening:

- Turn on lights, radio or television so that it looks like some-one is at home.

- Lock all doors and windows well, even if you are just leaving for a few minutes.

- Dont display items where they can be seen from the outside.

- Park your car in a well-lit area and make sure all windows and doors are

locked.

- Avoid carrying a large amount of cash. Dont flash cash around and carry it in a safe place on you.

- If you have to use the ATM-machine, pay close attention to suspicious persons hanging around the machine. If thats the case pass up that machine and find another.

- Page 2-

- Carry all wallets in the front pockets and carry purses close to your body.

- Keep your children close to you while attending any activities and dont let them get separated from you.

- Pay attention to persons walking in front and behind you. (Especially in crowded places favorable for pickpockets)

- When returning to your vehicle or your home, have your keys in your hands ready to open the door.

- Before entering your vehicle, check front and rear and seats for any one that may be hiding there. Lock doors immediately after entering.

- Ask your neighbor to keep a watchful eye out for you.

- Drinking and driving is a danger to everyone. Remember that the risks of

drinking and driving are not worth it. If you choose to drink, dont drive.

Make use of a designated driver or public transportation. (Taxi or bus)

Make sure that you know where your kids are at all times and that they

are safe.

Most of all on behalf of the Police force of Sint Maarten, through the Public Relation Office, We wish the entire community of Sint Maarten and its visitors a very safe and meaningful Carnival Season.

KPSM Public Relation and Communication Department.

Chief Inspector R. Henson
GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Preparations are underway to observe National Remembrance Day 2016 on Wednesday morning 4th May.

Government will again remember the victims who fought during the Second World War.

The commemoration and wreath-laying ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 4 at 9.00am at the Captain Hodges Wharf in Philipsburg.

His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday, President of Parliament Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams, Prime Minister Hon. William Marlin, representatives of government and uniformed officials will be in attendance.

Governor Holiday will inspect the honor guard followed by his line-up next to the President of Parliament and the Prime Minister.

Persons who would like to put flowers and pay their respect at the monument can do so after 10.00am on Wednesday morning.

The Second World War was a global war that started in 1939 and ended in 1945. It has been described as the most widespread war in history, where more than 100 million people served their countries in military groups.

Approximately 50 to 70 million people lost their lives making it the deadliest conflict in human history.
CORRECTION FROM SOURCE: Stompy Bot Subject to Management Cease Trade Order

TORONTO, ONTARIO  (Marketwired)  04/29/16  Stompy Bot Corporation (CSE: BOT) (the Company)  A correction from source is issued with respect to the news release that was disseminated on April 29, 2016 at 15:03 (Eastern Daylight Time). In the fourth paragraph, the statement with respect to the sale of mineral properties was incorrect and should have stated that the Company is currently completing a private placement financing to secure sufficient funding to prepare and file the annual financial statements and MD&A.

Stompy Bot Corporation (the Company) announces that it will be late in filing its annual financial statements and management discussion and analysis (MD&A) for the year ended December 31, 2015, on the prescribed deadline of April 29, 2016.

The Company has made an application with the applicable securities regulators under National Policy 12-203  Cease Trade Orders for Continuous Disclosure Defaults (NP 12-203) requesting that a management cease trade order be imposed in respect of this late filing rather than an issuer cease trade order. The issuance of a management cease trade order generally does not affect the ability of persons who have not been directors, officers or insiders of the Company to trade in their securities.

The Company has been unable to complete the required filings due to a lack of capital to complete its audit. As a result, the Company requires additional time to raise sufficient capital to complete its annual financial statements, MD&A and audit.

The Company is in the process of completing a private placement financing and anticipates that it will be able to secure sufficient funding from the offering to prepare and file the annual financial statements and MD&A on or prior to May 31, 2016.

The Company confirms that it will satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines under NP 12-203 by issuing bi-weekly default status reports in the form of news releases for so long as it remains in default of the filing requirements to file its financial statements and MD&A within the prescribed period of time. The Company confirms that there is no other material information relating to its affairs that has not been generally disclosed.

Forward-Looking Information

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking information that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. This forward-looking information is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company, including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information. The parties undertake no obligation to update forward-looking information except as otherwise may be required by applicable securities law.

Contacts:

Jon Gill

Stompy Bot Corporation

416-722-1166
Vogogo Inc. Announces Changes to Board of Directors, Strategic Changes in Its Business Plan, and Filing of Its 2015 Audited Financial Statements and Related Managements Discussion and Analysis

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM and CALGARY, ALBERTA  (Marketwired)  04/29/16  Payment processing and transactional risk management specialist Vogogo Inc. (Vogogo or the Company) (TSX VENTURE: VGO) announces changes to its board of directors (the Board), strategic changes in its business plan and the filing of its 2015 audited financial statements and related management discussion and analysis.

The Board has appointed two new directors, Gino DeMichele and Thomas English, subject to approval by the TSX Venture Exchange.

Mr. DeMichele currently serves as the President and CEO of A2 Capital Management Inc., a private merchant banking and trading operation. He has been engaged in global and domestic financial markets since 1990 and brings 25 years of corporate finance and merger and acquisition expertise.

Mr. English brings a wealth of experience in the public capital markets and is currently President and CEO at AC Group. He has served as Head of Trading and Co-Head of Institutional Equity Sales at Salman Partners. Previous to this, Mr. English spent five years with CIBC World Markets. Mr. English holds BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Western Ontario.

Margaret Gilmour and John Robinson resigned from the Board effective April 26, 2016. Vogogo thanks these former Board members for their valuable contributions to the Company.

We welcome the addition of two distinguished new board members, said Dale Johnson, Chairman of Vogogo. Their experience and expertise in finance, business strategies, business combinations, strategic partnerships and the capital markets will strengthen Vogogos ability to execute on current opportunities and new business strategies.

The Board has initiated a process to explore strategic options for the Company focused on increasing shareholder value, including but not limited to a sale of one or more corporate assets, a strategic business combination or a strategic partnership. There can be no assurance that this exploration process will result in any transaction. There is no set timetable with respect to the Boards review, and the Company does not expect to make further public comment regarding these matters unless and until the Board approves a specific action or otherwise concludes its review.

While the board explores strategic options, Vogogo will implement an operational plan based on maintaining the existing services and client base while making cash conservation a top priority. Regrettably, the plan includes reduced staffing levels amongst other cost cutting initiatives.

One of the hardest parts of restructuring is that it affects great people who have given so much to our company over several years  we owe a great deal of appreciation to them. We thank everyone involved for what they have given to Vogogo, continues Geoff Gordon, CEO of Vogogo.

Vogogo also announces that the contract for Joann Head, Director of Investor Relations, will not be renewed past April 30, 2016. Vogogo also announces that today it filed its audited annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, and related managements discussion and analysis. The financial statements and management discussion and analysis may be obtained on Vogogos SEDAR profile.

About Vogogo Inc.

Vogogo is a TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) publicly traded risk management and payment services company. Founded in 2008, Vogogo designed, built and launched its automated risk management and payment processing technology while continuing to grow its expertise in software development, technology, banking, compliance, payments and transactional risk management. Vogogo is now executing on its plan to offer its services to key global markets. The plan focuses on market opportunities where Vogogo believes it has a competitive advantage due to its experience, positioning and technology.

For further company information please view the Vogogo Media Kit.

READER ADVISORY

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

None of the information contained on, or connected to, Vogogos website is incorporated by reference herein.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release may contain forward-looking information. The words will, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect, intent, may, project, should, and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements or information in this press release include, but are not limited to, Vogogos review of strategic alternatives and business plans. The forward-looking statements are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by Vogogo. Readers are cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of such information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Vogogo. Vogogo does not have any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements except as expressly required by applicable securities laws.21351131.1

Contacts:

Investor:

Media:

General:

Geoff Gordon

Chief Executive Officer

403-648-9292

Rodney Thompson

Chief Revenue Officer

403-648-9292
PARIS, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A sleepless Thursday night spent by hundreds of youth and students at the Republic square in Paris to block a reform of labor code was marred by violence.

Police arrested 27 people, placing 24 of them in custody, after hooded youth refused to leave the square and threw projectiles at police officers.

In the early hours of Friday morning, people set two cars on fire and destroyed shopfronts, to which the police responded with tear gas, Paris prefecture said in a statement. No casualties have been reported, it added.

The clashes marked the latest flare-up on the sidelines of the largely peaceful "Up All Night" gathering that began on March 31 in protest at preposed labor code reform and have since grown to encompass a range of grievances.

"Up All Night" inspired similar protests across France and has been likened to the 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement and Spain's anti-austerity Indignados street sit-ins.

The latest late-night clashes raised questions as to whether violent standoffs would become commonplace on the sidelines of "Up All Night" protest.

"Up All Night" in its online newspaper, Gazette Debout, rejected links to those behind the violent acts.

"An important clarification: these troublemakers are in no way related to Up All Night. But amalgams are too fast and discredit the movement," it wrote.

Activist Sebastien Novar noted on the group's website that violence has always been used to undermine a resistance action.

However, to former Prime Minister Francois Fillon, the escalating violence of the nocturnal protests, which had spread to other French cities, had led to the point of a state of emergency.

"We need to call a stop to what is taking root in our country and turning it to shambles," he told iTele news channel.

Place de la Republique has been occupied daily for the past month mostly by "Up All Night" demonstrators.

The "Up All Night" gathering began on March 31 when a group of activists decided not to go home after a march against labor reform. But since then, the protest has grown to attract thousands of supporters who discuss everything from unemployment to constitutional amendment to tightening security and the migrant crisis.

"We want to make our dreams of solidarity and democracy a reality. Since they prevent us to dream we will prevent them from sleeping," the movement wrote on its website.

Anthea, a 22-year-old graphic artist, said the "Up All Night" movement is "an occasion for everyone to build up one's way of thinking, to speak freely about our lives, our problems, what we want to see changed."

"I'm utopian for some, naive to others. But, I can not stop seeing 'Up all Night' as a glimmer of hope," she added.

"Up all Night" came as a way for young people to voice their discontent over government policies which they say have failed to bring them jobs, said Eddy Fougier, political scientist and researcher at Institute of International and Strategic Relations (IRIS).

It "will some how have an impact on (the country's) politics," Fougier told Xinhua.
For city money, South Bend apartments allot 40% of rooms to poor tenants

The need for reasonably priced one- and two-bedroom units is dire in the city. Many renters are older and disabled residents who live alone.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) holds talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Beijing, capital of China, April 30, 2016. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida held talks in Beijing on Saturday morning.

During the opening remarks, Wang stressed that China-Japan ties must be based on respect for history, adherence to commitment, and on cooperation rather than confrontation.

China and Japan are neighbors, Wang said, stressing that China is willing to develop a healthy and stable relationship with Japan.

"We hope that your visit will play a positive role in actual improvement of China-Japan ties," said Wang.

The China-Japan relations went through twists and turns in recent years, due to reasons best known by Japan, according to Wang.

Wang said he is ready to listen to Kishida's opinion about how to improve bilateral relations, and equally important is whether Japan will turn its words into deeds.

Wang expressed sympathy to Japan over the deadly earthquakes in mid-April.

Kishida is paying an official visit to China from Friday to Sunday, the first by Kishida since he took office over three years ago and a Japanese foreign minister in four-and-a-half years.
BEIJING, April 29 -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Liu Yunshan on Friday hoped that Japan could have a correct view of China's development and send out positive signals on bilateral ties.

Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the comments when meeting with a non-partisan delegation of Japanese politicians.

The delegation was led by Yamasaki Taku, the former Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secretary-general.

Liu said China-Japan relations are gradually stabilizing, but remain fragile.

The CPC and the Chinese government have always viewed and dealt with bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, he said.

China is ready to advance relations under the guidance of the principles of the four political documents between China and Japan, as well as the spirit of learning from history and looking to the future, he said.

China's development should not be regarded as a threat, but an opportunity, he said, expressing hope that Japan could adhere to a peaceful development path.

China is willing to work with Japan to play a constructive role in promoting world and regional peace, stability and development, said Liu.

Taku said Japan-China relations are one of the most important bilateral relations for both sides.

The delegation members, who are from the ruling and opposition parties, are willing to make contributions to increasing Japan-China mutual trust as well as the development of bilateral ties, said Taku.
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Washington, April 26, 2016 (SPS) - The United Nations Security Council on Friday has adopted the resolution 2285 (2016) extending the mandate of the UN Mission for Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for one year until 30 April 2016.

The United States-drafted resolution was backed by 10 countries in the 15-member Security Council, while two voted against and three others abstained.SPS

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Washington (United States), April 30, 2016 (SPS) - UN Security Council called Friday on the Polisario Front and Morocco to start a new round of negotiations, reiterating its support to the efforts made by Ban Ki-moon's special envoy for Western Sahara, for the settlement of the conflict.

In the resolution it adopted Friday, extending the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) by one year, the Security Council stresses the importance of carrying on preparation for a fifth round of talks on the final status of Western Sahara.

The negotiations should be conducted under the aegis of the UN secretary-general in order to reach a mutually acceptable solution, allowing Saharawi people to exert their right to self-determination.

The UN chief, according to the resolution, will have to present to the Security Council at least to reports a year to inform it about how the negotiations are going.

The Security Council reiterated its support to the efforts of the UN mediator and called for restarting meetings and contacts to facilitate the talks.

It expressed satisfaction with the latest initiatives and consultations with the region's countries.

Security Council's support to Ban Ki-moon's special envoy for Western Sahara, Christopher Ross, will give a fresh impetus to his efforts following Morocco's attempts to hinder the talks. (SPS)

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Washington (United States), April 30, 2016 (SPS) - Polisario Front called on Friday the Security Council to take a "decisive" action to allow the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) to fully fulfill its mandate and to set a firm schedule for negotiations with Morocco.

The representative of the Polisario Front to the United Nations, Ahmed Boukhari, speaking to the media in New York, has called for another urgent and decisive action by the Security Council to quash Morocco's expulsion of MINURSO's civilian personnel and set a firm schedule for the final negotiations about a referendum on self-determination in Western Sahara.

Boukhari said the vote on the resolution extending MINURSO mandate by one year (with three abstentions and two votes against), has sent a strong signal according to which the situation in Western Sahara is unacceptable and cannot go on indefinitely.

"Today's vote sends a strong and clear message, namely that the status quo is unacceptable and Morocco will not be allowed to hamper UN mission in Western Sahara."

Boukhari added that Moroccan regime will fail to prevent Saharawi people from exerting their right to a referendum on self-determination and to decide on their own political future.

Most Security Council members, during the debate following the adoption of the resolution, criticized Morocco's challenging of United Nations Security Council's authority through retortion measures against the UN mission, the Saharawi official stressed. (SPS)

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Ait Melloul (Morocco), April 30, 2016 (SPS) - Saharawi political prisoner Mbarek Daoudi on Friday began a 48 hour hunger strike to express solidarity with the Sahrawi students in the prison of Marrakech, Saharawi political prisoner Abdel Khaleg Merkhi and condemn the crime of the assassination of Saharawi martyr Ibrahim Saika.

In a statement, the family of Mbraek Daoudi held the Moroccan authorities fully responsible for the consequences of the deterioration of his health because of the strike.

The Saharawi family called on the international community to urgently intervene to release all Saharawi political prisoners in Moroccan prisons, including their father and the Saharawi students.

The statement also called on all freedom-loving people in the world to express their solidarity with the Saharawi political prisoners.

Mbarek Daoudi has been arrested because of his political position, calling for the right to self-determination of the Saharawi people. He conducted several hunger strikes to demand his freedom, it should be recalled. (SPS)

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D orothy Bohm, 91, migrated from Lithuania to London when fleeing the Nazis and become a pioneer in street photography.

She captured everyday life the capital, become acquaintances with the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson and helped to establish the Photographers Gallery in London.

Now a new exhibition at the Jewish Museum in Camden is celebrating Bohms collection of images taken with a Leica camera in sixties London.

She said: I came to London because my husband worked for Shell Chemicals and I started really wanting to portray this city, which is a wonderful, interesting city.

Every morning I would decide on which area I would go and visit, and spend the whole day walking and taking photographs.

Theres enough ugliness and brutality in the world so I try, if possible, to counteract this by seeing things that are peaceful and beautiful and enriching.

Dorothy Bohm: Sixties London 1 /6 Dorothy Bohm: Sixties London Dorothy Bohm Dorothy Bohm Dorothy Bohm Dorothy Bohm Dorothy Bohm

Bohm said despite photographing models around the world, London remains her favourite city: The wonderful thing about London is that there are so many different areas  and that I found fascinating.

I wasnt interested in people who were famous  I could have, I met quite a few famous people, but I wanted ordinary people.

Bohm added that the arts scene has changed dramatically since she began shooting on the streets of London.

She said: Photography was not what it is today  it was not as appreciated. The position now that women have achieved is very much better  I remember being the only woman photographer.

And I think London has changed since the 60s. Ive lived in Hampstead for 50 years  it used to be a place where artists and writers lived but now Im afraid the prices of property means its not.

There was much less traffic and it was much more homogenous than it is now. Its noisier and many different kinds of people have become Londoners  but I wouldnt want it to be any different."

The exhibition is open now until August 29, 2016.
T his is the extraordinary moment a police car collided with a cyclist, drove over a bike and then sped off after tensions flared during a mass bike ride in central London.

The police 4x4 hit the cyclist  causing him to stumble backwards and drop his bike  and then crushed a second bike under its wheels before racing off on Friday night.

Witnesses described the incident at the junction of Vauxhall Bridge Road and Millbank as a hit and run as they slammed the officers actions.

Scotland Yard said police were trying to drive away in their BMW X5 after being targeted by demonstrators. They drove over the bike after it had been deliberately left in the road as an obstruction, a spokesman said.

Shunted: The police car went into a cyclist

The incident took place just after 9pm during the monthly Critical Mass bike ride, which sees hundreds of cyclists take to the streets for a group ride through London.

One observer who filmed the confrontation said it was completely unacceptable.

IT consultant John, 25, who did not want to give his last name, told the Standard: I can imagine the police line is that they felt threatened, but frankly theyre armed police officers  do a bunch of cyclists pose a threat to them?

Was it necessary to run over this kids bike? The police were trying to push people out of their way with the car.

I think its entirely fair to call it a hit and run. The police were involved in an accident, they completely crushed a bike, and then they ran away.

John said cyclists were remonstrating with the officers in the car after they had earlier collared a cyclist and treated him roughly.

Witnesses said they wrestled him off his moving bike and then dragged him across the road.

They collared this one guy very forcefully, said John.

I started filming as the level of force the officers used was disproportionate.

I dont know why they collared this guy, but it looked like they wanted to make an example of them to the rest of the group.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: At approximately 9.10pm on April 29, police became aware of a demonstration involving a number of cyclists at Vauxhall Bridge.

During this a police vehicle was targeted by demonstrators. As it tried to drive away, the vehicle ran over a cycle that was left in the road as an obstruction.

No one was injured.
L ondon is to be hotter than Istanbul and as warm as Ibiza as a spring heatwave hits the capital.

After a cold and blustery bank holiday weekend, the mercury is set to rise to as high as 19C by the end of next week.

Met Office forecasters said London the mercury will soar to 19C by Thursday and Friday - beating the temperatures predicted for the Turkish city and on a par with the Balearic island.

Monday will start off with rain showers and temperatures at about 15C, before gradually turning warmer towards the rest of the week.

London in the sun on Bank Holiday weekend

By Tuesday and Wednesday, the weather is expected to be breezy and dry with sunny spells.

Temperatures will soar to 19C in time for the weekend.

A Met Office spokesman said: "A north-south split is expected on Thursday and Friday, with brisk winds, showers or longer spells of rain in the north and drier, sunnier and much warmer conditions in the south.

"In the south temperatures may be well above average at times, giving a much warmer feel than of late."

The following week could be even hotter with 23C predicted for cental London on Monday.
L ondon super clubs including Fabric are coming together with big-name DJs in a year-long campaign to "save" the capitals nightlife following a series of high-profile venue closures.

Acts including Groove Armada, Carl Cox, Roni Size and Kano have also thrown their weight behind the Night Life Matters campaign, organised by the Night Time Industries Association.

It comes as industry experts claim clubs in London are under threat.

The association says strict licensing laws and aggressive housing development is affecting London venues, leading to closures of places like Plastic People in Shoreditch and the imminent end of Dalstons Dance Tunnel.

And its move is being supported by a roster of big London clubs including Bloc, Queen of Hoxton, Proud Camden, Troxy and Fire.

The national campaign launches at Fabric on May 21 with sets by DJs including Seth Troxler and Craig Richards, followed by events up and down the country over the next 12 months.

Chairman of the association Alan Miller said he wanted the silent majority of clubbers in the capital and the UK to also get involved by writing to their local councillors and MPs in support of local venues.

He said: In Britain millions of people go out every week and enjoy some of the world's best music, clubs and bars up and down the country.

The silent majority that loves going out, socialising, dancing, eating and drinking, meeting new friends and getting inspired will now have the chance to have our voices heard and make a difference.

By supporting Nightlife Matters, a message is sent to local councillors and MPs that we want nightlife protected and celebrated, not destroyed.

Support: Groove Armada have thrown their weight behind the campaign / Rex

Mr Miller, who is part of the capitals Night Time Commission  a six-month inquiry into Londons late night economy set up by Boris Johnson  said clubs needed to be celebrated rather than constantly associated with crime and anti-social behaviour.

He pointed to last years successful challenge to stop housing being built beside the Bussey Building in Peckham, when 15,000 people signed a petition over concerns businesses would close.

Mr Miller said: Were at a crossroads. What we saw in places like Peckham and the Bussey Buildings is, when ordinary people have their say locally, we can have an effect.

The campaign, which has a manifesto calling for more flexible licensing hours and an end to clubs being targeted over bad behaviour a by a minority of customers, has launched a website with a petition ahead of the Fabric event.

Mr Miller said: We have a global city and we need a 24-hour city and nightlife needs to be a part of that.

The thing is that hundreds of thousands of people every weekend are looking where to go and often go to Berlin, Barcelona, Amsterdam. Theres not riots on the streets in those countries.

But theres a notion in London somehow that we cant do what they do. Weve got 24-hour licensing but theres only about three places in London where weve got that provision.
I t was the week that saw the opening of the Underground Jubilee line in 1979 and the murder of the BBC presenter Jill Dando in 1999, a case that remains unsolved.

In 1979, Prince Charles opened the Underground Jubilee line, the only one that links to every other tube line. Originally, the silver line was named the Fleet line, but it was changed to reflect Queen Elizabeths Silver Jubilee, which marked the 25th anniversary of the Queens reign in 1977.

In 1999, BBC Crimewatch presenter and journalist Jill Dando was fatally shot outside her home in Fulham. The inquest that followed her death was the largest ever carried out by the Metropolitan Police. A local resident, Barry George, was convicted and arrested for the murder. However, eight years later, he was acquitted on appeal. The murder case remains unsolved.

This week in London trawls the archives to bring you the key events that have taken place in the capital during the past century.

London Live's Toby Earle takes a look back at some of the highlights from the last week of April.

He finishes with the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, which saw half a million people celebrating in front of Buckingham Palace.
A n elderly woman today told how she was left shocked and bruised after being floored by fans during an FA Cup match at Wembley.

Lifelong Crystal Palace supporter Margaret Langley, 81, was injured during celebrations for Yannick Bolasies opening goal at the semi-final 2-1 win over Watford on Sunday.

Relatives said Mrs Langley and her daughter-in-law Tania, 46, needed medical treatment after they were shoved to the ground six minutes after kick-off.

The women, who were among a family-of-ten, were taken for treatment in the stadium's medical facilities - causing them to miss the remainder of the match.

Mrs Langley told the Standard she had been left in shock after the incident but hoped to attend the final against Manchester United at Wembley on Saturday, May 21.

Family occasion: The Langley family from left to right Saffron, 17, Nick, 52, Margaret, 81, Evie, 10, Peter 46, Tania, 46, Rosie, 11 and Ian, 54 Paul Edwards/SmileLikeYouMeanIt / Paul Edwards/SmileLikeYouMeanIt

She said: We were sitting there quite happily and then I dont know what happened. Its just one of those things, I was unlucky to be sat where I was.

I was disappointed to miss the game.

The club contacted Mrs Langley on Thursday to express their concern and offer her VIP treatment at a future home match at Selhurst Park.

Mrs Langleys eldest son Ian, 54, said of the gesture: If mum is happy I'm happy.

The club can't be responsible for the actions of drunken fans but maybe they could warn them about their future conduct.

A club spokesman said: "We were very sorry to hear about what happened to Margaret and Tania at Wembley on an otherwise fantastic day for Crystal Palace.

We have been in contact with them to apologise on behalf of the club and have invited Margaret to be our special match day guest at Selhurst Park on a future occasion.

A spokesman for the FA said they were aware of the incident and are investigating it.
K en Livingstone today admitted he "regrets" sparking an anti-Semtisim storm in Labour by mentioning Hitler - but blamed the row on Blairites seeking to undermine Jeremy Corbyn.

In an extraordinary radio interview this morning, the former Mayor again defended claims he made earlier this week that Hitler was a Zionist.

Mr Livingstone said he would "take a bullet" for Labour leader Mr Corbyn despite his suspension from the party in the wake of his comments.

Asked on LBC radio if he was sorry, he said: "I'm sorry for mentioning Hitler" but said he had made a "statement of fact", adding: "I'm never not going to say what I believe to be true".

A defiant Mr Livingstone went on: "It's caused offence because people have distorted it and said this is anti-Semitic to have said it. They've lied in doing that. It wasn't me that started this."

"What this is all about is the struggle of the embittered old Blairite MPs to try and get rid of Jeremy Corbyn. Theyve whipped this issue up.

Although he acknowledged that he regretted mentioning Hitler, Mr Livingstone refused to say sorry "because sorry sounds like I'm apologising for what I said".

He added: "If anyones been upset by this of course Im sorry about all of that. But the real thing here is dishonest MPs who know what I said is true, have stirred up all this nonsense so they can damage our chances at the local elections so they then had a chance of undermining Jeremy."

Mr Livingstone sparked outcry on Thursday when he said Hitler was "supporting Zionism" before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews.

He later stood by his comments after being furiously confronted by Labour MPs and suspended from his party in the row, saying: "Everything I said was true".

His comments come after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn announced he would hold an independent inquiry into anti-Semitism and other forms of racism in his party.

It will be led by Shami Chakrabarti, the former chief of human rights pressure group Liberty, and will include consultations with Jewish and other minority groups.

The row led to an onslaught of embarrassing headlines for Labour and plunged the party into open civil war.

Mr Livingstone's defence is expected to rest on the writings of a controversial American Marxist historian Lenni Brenner, who claims there was collusion between the Nazis and early campaigners for a Jewish homeland.
T wo new portrait photographs of a beaming Duchess of Cambridge will go on public display from Sunday after her first ever fashion shoot.

Kate was photographed in the Norfolk countryside earlier this year for a collaboration between British Vogue and the National Portrait Gallery.

She is shown looking casual and relaxed in the pictures, in a marked departure from more formal official images of the Royal Family.

In a black-and-white close-up shot, the Duchess is wearing a black fedora hat from Beyond Retro and a charcoal brown double-breasted suede coat and white shirt, both from Burberry.

The black-and-white shot of the Duchess / Josh Olin

In another, a colour photo shot in soft January sunlight, Kate is leaning on a rustic gate, wearing a black and red striped long-sleeved top from Petit Bateau and black Burberry trousers.

The two photos, taken by British photographer Josh Olins, will hang in the National Portrait Gallery, where Kate has been a patron since 2012. A portfolio of seven images will appear in the upcoming centenary issue of Vogue.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said: "The Duchess was delighted to play a part in celebrating the centenary of an institution that has given a platform to some of the most renowned photographers in this country's history.

"She is incredibly grateful to the team at Vogue and at the National Portrait Gallery for asking her to take part.

"She would like to thank Josh Olins for being such a pleasure to work with. The Duchess had never taken part in a photography shoot like this before. She hopes that people appreciate the portraits with the sense of relaxed fun with which they were taken."

Mr Olins, who has worked on advertising campaigns for a host of high street and designer fashion brands, said Kate was "a joy to work with, a natural".

The Royal Family are no strangers to being photographed by the world's best fashion photographers - the Queen was recently pictured in separate images with her beloved corgis and the royal children by Annie Leibovitz for her 90th birthday.

And Kate has been known to go behind the lens, including one photo showing a proud Prince George kissing his then newborn sister Princess Charlotte.

The latest photos of the Duchess were styled by British Vogue fashion director Lucinda Chambers.

Vogue 100: A Century Of Style runs at the National Portrait Gallery in central London until May 22 this year.

See the full shoot in the June Centenary issue of British Vogue, on sale on Thursday.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.
Trot Insider has learned that longtime horseman Bill Davis of Langley, B.C. has passed away at the age of 54.

For decades, Davis dominated the harness racing scene on Canada's west coast. Originally from Ontario, Davis made the move west in the early 1980s and earned the nickname 'The Dominator' for his stellar driving and training numbers that earned him multiple training and driving titles at Cloverdale Raceway and Fraser Downs.

Davis was a two-time O'Brien Award winner, receiving the O'Brien Award of Horsemanship in 2003 as the inaugural recipient and again in 2014. That year, Davis rebuilt his stable after losing a number of horses in a barn fire that June.

As a driver, Davis notched 5,477 wins and more than $22 million in purses. As a trainer, Davis won 3,466 races with horses earning in excess of $16 million. He also helped start the career of trainer Casie Coleman, and was instrumental in rushing the young trainer to safety after an explosion set her on fire some 16 years ago.

Davis was also instrumental in the career of son Billy, now a top driver in Ontario.

Bill is also survived by his father William Sr., wife Laurie, daughters Courtney and Megan, brother Dan, and sisters Patsy and Sandy. Predeceased by mother Dorothy.

"On behalf of the family of Bill Davis (The Dominator) we would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers and comments at this time. We would like to let you know that we are having a private celebration of life for Bill, for his family and close friends, as this is what he wanted," said Laurie in a statement. "We would also like to thank OHHA for their generous gift of flying Billy Jr., Amy and Liam home to be with the family."

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Bill Davis.
UNSC Extends MINURSO Mandate One Year

Contact: K. Drawi, 240-994-2476

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 30, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ --The UN Security Council extended, on Friday, the mandate for MINURSO, the United Nations' (UN) peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara, for one year until April 30, 2017.

In its resolution n2285, adopted by the majority of the council members with three abstentions and two votes against, the UNSC takes note of the proposition submitted by Morocco to the UNSG on April 11, 2007, and of the serious and credible efforts made by Morocco seeking to make headway with the process of finding a solution to the conflict.

The Council also hailed Morocco's achievements in human rights, notably through the National Human Rights Council (French acronym CNDH) and its branches in Laayoune and Dakhla, as well as the interaction of the Kingdom with the special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council.

Morocco takes note of the resolution n2285 adopted by the UN Security Council on the Sahara issue, which constitutes a "severe setback for all the maneuvers of the UN Secretariat General", said the Moroccan Foreign Ministry in a statement released few hours after the vote of the resolution.

"This resolution reaffirms the parameters of the political solution, as defined by the Security Council since 2004 and clarified, in operational terms, in 2007. It is, as such, a severe setback for all the maneuvers of the UN Secretariat General, notably those operated during the visit of the Secretary General and those inserted in his latest report", the ministry said , noting that "these maneuvers were aimed at altering the parameters of the political solution, reviving outdated options and introducing elements that are unrecognized by the Security Council".

"The Kingdom of Morocco, which had responded at the time to the excesses of the visit of the Secretary General, expressed, in an official letter, its reservations on the latest report upon its publication, and its total rejection of some statements contained in this document. Similarly, the resolution of the Security Council confirms the mandate of MINURSO as it has evolved in recent years, taking into account the subsequent developments in the case", the same source recalled.

"The Council has decided on all attempts to change the mandate of MINURSO and its extension to non-agreed missions and foreign actions to its purpose", the Foreign Ministry said, noting that "it is in the context of this renewed mandate that the resolution calls for the full functionality of MINURSO".

In this regard, the Kingdom of Morocco will continue, "in full compliance with the decisions it made, dialogue to reach a solution that allows for the mitigation of the severe slips of the Secretary General during his visit to the region, and the proper functioning of the MINURSO, mainly in its core tasks of monitoring the cease-fire and demining in the buffer zone east of the defense wall".

"The Kingdom of Morocco expresses its thanks to the permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council and brotherly Arab countries, which acted with discernment and responsibility in a constructive and friendly spirit to achieve the adoption of a resolution that allows for the serene pursuit of the UN action in this issue", the same source said, adding that the Kingdom of Morocco "regrets, however, that the member of the Security Council, which is responsible for the formulation and presentation of the first draft resolution, has introduced elements of pressure, constraints and weakening, and acted against the spirit of partnership with the Kingdom of Morocco. "

In this context, the Ministry recalled that HM the King had denounced, in his important speech during the Morocco-GCC Summit in Riyadh on April 20, 2016, the sources of inspiration, action and objectives of the parties hostile to the territorial integrity of the Kingdom, which seek to cause regional destabilization".

"Armed with its rights, unity and solidity of its internal front, the Kingdom of Morocco will continue, in good faith and with determination, its involvement in the political process of the settlement of this artificial regional dispute", the ministry underlined.

It concluded that "the Kingdom of Morocco will remain committed to peace and regional and international stability, as it will remain vigilant to all slips or attempts to infringe its legitimate high interests".
HM King Mohammed VI Arrives in Qatar

Contact: K. Drawi, 240-994-2476ROCKVILLE, Md., April 29, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- Morocco's King Mohammed VI, accompanied by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid, arrived on April 28th, in Doha, coming from the Kingdom of Bahrain, as part of a fraternity and working visit to the State of Qatar.At his arrival at the Hamad International Airport, HM the King was greeted by the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.The two heads of states then headed for the "Diwan Emiri" (Emir's office) where they held talks on strengthening joint cooperation in all fields and other issues of mutual interest.The Moroccan King's visit to Qatar is also part of a tour he is undertaking in several Arab Gulf States, following the first Morocco-GCC summit held in Riyadh, on April 20th.This summit was an opportunity to seal the strategic partnership biding Morocco and the GCC member States, namely Qatar Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab emirates.Moroccan-Qatari strategic alliance is not only political but is also characterized by evolving economic and investment relations as evidenced by the participation of several Qatari businessmen and groups, such as Diar Investment Company, in Morocco's development projects, mainly in tourism and real estate.Trade between the two countries increased significantly from 517 million dirhams in 2010 to 681 million dirhams in 2014, recording an annual increase of 21%, due mainly to Qatar's growing imports of Moroccan products, primarily food products and furniture. Morocco's imports from the Gulf country are mainly made up of aluminum and plastic products.
A migrant group known as Volga Germans or Germans from Russia, became a major block of the foundation of communities throughout the North Platte River Valley. Having begun their migration from Germany in the 1760s, they spent more than a century in the Volga River region and other parts of Russia, before taking flight from oppression to seek freedom in North and South America.

This journey was detailed by Shirley Flack during the final presentation on immigrants in the Panhandle, a monthly series hosted by the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center in October, November and December. Featured were the Mexican, Japanese and Germans from Russia. Each included the history and an explanation of the groups culture.

Flack told of her search to find the heroes and outstanding individuals of the Germans from Russia culture, as well as her ancestors, as she grew older and realized her cultural ancestors were not represented in the national story of the United States. She said she found they had and do exist, but for the most part are not included in the lists of outstanding Americans.

I found that our power is not in individual accomplishments, but in our daily crafts we use in our homes, Flack said. These accomplishments are all part of our immigrant tradition.

Flack said her search for family history gave her a clearer idea of who she is and how fortunate she is to be a German from Russia and an American.

Her story begins in Germany when Catherine the Great of Russia invited Germans to move to Russia where they were given land and special privileges in exchange for populating far-flung frontiers. The exemptions and special conditions were recognized by the Russian government until they were rescinded in 1871. Prior to that time, the Germans, and in particular her ancestors, the Volga Germans, were exempt from military service, among other favorable conditions.

When compulsive military service was forced on the Volga Germans and other freedoms were rescinded, they began to think of leaving, Flack said of the German exodus.

According to Flack, exploratory visits were made to Germany and the United States. The Russian-born Germans found they were not welcome in Germany, and their language was out-dated and no longer spoken there. The Volga Deutsch found they were no longer Germans, she said.

That was when, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Volga Germans began their emigration to Canada, the United States and South America, notably Brazil and Argentina.

Their arrival in western Nebraska coincided with the settling of the region and the introduction of irrigation. Whole communities traveled half way around the world seeking the freedom such as they had experienced in Russia. They arrived in western Nebraska in boxcars, wagons or any type of transportation they could afford. Some came under labor contracts.

Among those who eventually made their permanent homes in the Panhandle were temporary migrant laborers who came from northern Colorado and Lincoln, Neb., to work in the sugar beet fields.

Flack said that from the very beginning, the Germans set out to rent land so they could be independent farmers. They built reputations for being honest, hard workers, and soon were respected members of the new communities.

The 1910 U.S. Census shows about 500 people in the area, but that had increased to about 7,000 by 1920. The Germans from Russia made up about 35 percent of the 1920 population.

Flack said the families not only traveled together in groups, but lived near each other, trying to maintain their old way of life.

Even though they were a self reliant, law abiding group, integration was difficult, and made even more so during World War I and World War II. But, World War II seemed to be the turning point.

The younger generations of Volga Germans were ready for change, and became less dedicated to the old ways, Flack said. They slowly worked their way into the mainstream of American life, progressing from being embarrassed about their origins to being proud of their roots and seeking more information about their heritage.

As part of her presentation, Flack included a video, The Beet Tenders, produced by the local chapter of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. The history of the area immigrants arrival on beet trains to their ownership of large land holdings in the valley is covered during the 25-minute program. The video was filmed locally, with area residents undertaking the tasks of planting, raising, caring for, and harvesting sugar beets as their ancestors did. These included young childen crawling along the rows to help weed and thin the beets, to older women pitching in to help where they could.

In the early days, if not in the field, youngsters were often left at the end of the field to entertain themselves or under the supervision of an older child.

According to Flack, Opportunity kept knocking and they pushed open the door, she said. The old German saying is Work makes life sweet.

Plans are being made to continue the Immigrants in the Panhandle series in the future.
SHERIDAN, Wyo. (AP)  A jury has convicted a Montana tribal game warden of poaching in northern Wyoming.

After the jury in Sheridan returned its verdict Friday, Circuit Court Judge Shelley A. Cundiff sentenced Clayvin Herrera to one year of unsupervised probation and fined him $7,500.

In addition, the Casper Star-Tribune reports that Herrera is not allowed to hunt in any state for the next three years. However, the restriction does not apply to Herrera's right to hunt on the Crow Reservation in Montana. Herrera is a member of the Crow Tribe.

Herrera maintained the he thought he was on the Crow Reservation in Montana when he killed an antlered elk in January 2014.

Prosecutors said the elk was taken about a mile inside Wyoming.
An Omaha amateur historians quixotic effort to rewrite the story of one of the most famous photos in American history has prompted a reaction  and possibly a correction  from the U.S. Marine Corps.

The Marine Corps has launched a review of the iconic Iwo Jima flag-raising photo, Marine Maj. Clark Carpenter confirmed Friday afternoon, while declining to provide other details.

That review is headed by a three-star general and is tasked with examining all elements of the photo, including the identities of the men pictured, according to a source close to the review.

The inquiry could erase and rewrite one of the most hallowed facts of Marine Corps history, the names of the six men long identified as flag raisers. Since 1947, those flag raisers  John Bradley, Harlon Block, Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley and Michael Strank  have been undisputed, regarded with the same certainty by Marines and military historians as the rest of us know the flag they are raising is red, white and blue.

The flag raisers who survived World War II  Bradley, Gagnon and Hayes  became household names in postwar America, and all six have been honored in war memorials, statues, postage stamps, songs, and in Flags of Our Fathers, a best-selling book by James Bradley, John Bradleys son, that became a Clint Eastwood-directed movie.

There is just one problem: The official history is wrong, an Omaha amateur historian who runs a Marine website has long argued.

The World-Herald first revealed Eric Krelles theory in a 2014 article that detailed his case that the identities of the flag raisers were mistaken.

He and an Irish amateur historian named Stephen Foley spent months examining hundreds of other photos and film footage taken in the minutes before and after that famous photo was snapped by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal atop Iwo Jimas Mount Suribachi on Feb. 23, 1945.

Using photo analysis of clothing, weapons, facial features and finally a lone strap hanging off a helmet, Krelle made the case that John Bradley, the most famous flag raiser, wasnt actually in the photo at all.

Who was? A completely unknown Marine private named Harold Henry Schultz, Krelle says.

***

The full photographic evidence laid out by Eric Krelle in the World-Herald's original 2014 story on the photo.

***

People can hold onto what they have always known in the past, Krelle said in 2014. But to me, the photos are the truth.

Krelle declined comment about the Marine Corps investigation on Friday, citing a confidentiality agreement he signed with a third party.

Harold H. Schultz left the Marine Corps at the end of World War II and after he was awarded a Purple Heart. He moved to Los Angeles and became a U.S. Postal Service employee. He married late in life and never had children. He attended Marine Corps reunions and kept a small scrapbook of his time in the war. He died in 1995, having never breathed a word about the famous photo on Iwo Jima or his potential place in American history, his stepdaughter Dezreen MacDowell said in 2014.

Two years ago, when presented with this alternative version of a long-established history  with the argument that Schultz was in the iconic photo, and Bradley wasnt  veteran military historians expressed doubt as well as an unwillingness to publicly dispute the Marine Corps version of events. Several flat refused to look at Krelles research. One said he would rather go fishing.

These people are clearly insane, said another.

That interest level is sure to change with the news that the Marine Corps has opened an investigation into the identities of the flag raisers. Its the first and only time the Corps has done so since 1946, when the family of Harlon Block, a U.S. congressman and a public outcry prompted the military to act.

Until that point, the Marine Corps had identified the sixth flag raiser as Hank Hansen, and cited as evidence affidavits signed by the three surviving flag raisers swearing that Hansen was in the photo.

But in January 1947, the Marine Corps announced the result of that first investigation: Harlon Block was in the photo, and Hank Hansen wasnt. The surviving flag raisers signed new affidavits. Official Marine Corps history was changed. The updated six names were literally etched in granite at the base of monuments depicting the famed flag raising. The flag raisers got another burst of publicity with the 2000 publication of Flags of Our Fathers and the subsequent Eastwood-directed movie.

James Bradley, the co-author of that book, declined an interview request on Friday afternoon. In 2014, he looked at Krelles research but said it failed to convince him that his father wasnt pictured in the famous photo. He noted that John Bradley, a famously reticent man, hated publicity and would have likely loved the chance to remove himself from the photo.

Listen, I wrote a book based on facts told to me by guys who had actually been there. Thats my research. Thats what I trust, he said.

The results of the 2016 Marine Corps inquiry arent yet known, and theres no known timetable for when the military will release its findings.

The source close to the review offered a one-word response when asked when he anticipates new information about one of the most famous photos in American history.

Soon, he said.
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Statesville residents on both sides of the N.C. House Bill 2 debate headed east to Raleigh earlier this week to have their opinions heard.

Gay Shaver, a Statesville activist and member of Grace Baptist Church, joined a group of about five people who went to Raleigh during Mondays presentations, group-prayer sessions and sit-ins.

She said she wanted to go to represent those who might otherwise be too scared to stand up against the bill.

There are wonderful people in Statesville, she said. There are wonderful people that support the repeal of this bill in local government and businesses, she said. But because of the retribution they may receive if they speak out, they refuse to say anything.

Lets put a face on Statesville and maybe people will be more willing to stand up  because to me this is a crime that is happening.

Among other things, the law blocks local and state protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and directs which restrooms transgender people can use in public buildings.

Martha Brouwer, a Troutman resident who is retired from the Iredell County Library, said shes glad that she can now fully express her values at events like the one this week.

While she wouldn't speak directly about the issue as a government employee, now I can really represent the things that matter to me," she said.

Brouwer addressed the common complaint by bill supporters about the threat of women and children being in bathrooms with a transgender male.

Based upon evidence, it was a minor threat to begin with, she said. And that would absolutely not change. It is absurd to think that.

Shaver said that discussions over transgender individuals was never a conversation until HB2 was introduced, and supporters of the bill started to use it as a platform to build their case.

The Rev. Johnny Bolin, a pastor at East Side Baptist Church, brought a group of fellow community members to Raleigh in support of the bill's passage.

We wanted to support them and reassure them to stay strong, he said.

Bolin believes if the bill was repealed, the privacies and protections of the people he loves would be threatened.

I need to protect my family, he said.

Bolin said that he didnt feel comfortable with people of a different biological sex being in the same bathrooms as his daughter or his wife.

Supporters of the bill are not hate mongers," he said, "... but I need to not only protect the privacies of my family, but of other people that have the right to it.

The Rev. Tony Fox, of Command Baptist Church in Statesville, traveled to Raleigh to represent the sensible, conservative Christians that support the nature of HB2, he said.

Fox supports the bill because, It doesnt make sense to simply allow someone to go into the bathroom of their choice based upon whether they feel like being a man or a woman that day, he said.

He added that not having bathroom restrictions would ultimately lead to people like sexual predators and perverts to do what they love.

Regardless of position, both sides mentioned their appreciation of support of their respected communities.

It makes me happy that there are like-minded individuals in my community and they are standing for what they believe in, Fox said.
The Chicago development firm that bought downtown St. Louis buildings from businessmen brothers Mike and Steve Roberts has sold some of the properties to another developer.

TWG Development of Indianapolis is the new owner of a row of buildings in the 900 block of Locust Street. Bob Burk, managing partner of Urban Street Group, of Chicago, said Friday the sale closed about four weeks ago. They are among the buildings Urban Street bought from the Roberts brothers in 2012.

Efforts to reach TWG officials were unsuccessful.

Burk said his company sold to TWG all of its buildings in the 900 block of Locust west of the former Board of Education building that the Roberts brothers had renovated as apartments. Urban Street continues to own and run that building.

Among TWG's newly acquired properties is the 12-story building at 917 Locust. Urban Street had considered apartments for the building. The Roberts brothers had wanted to make it part of a Hotel Indigo they had proposed. Neither project happened.

TWG is an experienced developer. Among its projects are apartment conversions of older buildings in downtown Indianapolis.
Forest Park Forever has come up with an appropriate way to celebrate the organizations 30th anniversary: an artist-in-residence program.

When FPF sent out a call for applications, 117 artists and groups responded with proposals. Three of them, all from St. Louis, were selected by a five-member jury. Theyll each have a residency paid for by Forest Park Forever, the nonprofit that raises money and co-manages the park with the city of St. Louis.

The winners come from different disciplines: printmakers Danielle and Kevin McCoy of WORK/PLAY; the 442s, an instrumental group made up of classical and jazz musicians; and artist Madeleine Marak.

The jury included associate curator Nichole Bridges of the St. Louis Art Museum; the Contemporary Art Museums community engagement manager, De Nichols; poet-critic Jessica Baran, whos also the director of the Fort Gondo Compound for the Arts; photographer Demond Meek; and David Allen, director of Arts in Transit at Bi-State Development.

We really wanted to do something that would be a little bit different and allow people to experience Forest Park by inviting the artists to (present) engaging, inspiring public programming, says Katy Peace, FPFs marketing and digital media manager.

Most of the applicants were from the St. Louis area, but others came from across the country. Peace says it makes sense that all the winners were local. It may be that they were already inspired by the park.

None of the work will be permanent in nature, at least at the park; its ephemeral art. All (of the artists) are very eager to work with the public, she says.

The three winners will present their projects at different times. The dates are tentative, but the first, WORK/PLAY could start as soon as Monday; it would run through May 22. The conclusion of each of the three projects will be marked by a closing event.

The focus of the McCoys work is on experimental printmaking; theyve had showings at the Mark Miller Gallery in New York, the Sheldon Galleries in St. Louis and elsewhere in this area. Their project will turn discarded plant materials into natural dyes that will be used for a quilt intended to represent a topographical view of Forest Park.

Artistic collaborations

Were just thrilled to be chosen, as part of the project, says Bjorn Ranheim of the 442s. Its a forward-thinking, wonderful way to include a cultural bent into the fiber of the park.

Ranheim, a cellist with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, has been working since 2012 with Adam Maness (a jazzman who plays piano, guitar, accordion, melodica and glockenspiel); his SLSO colleague Shawn Weil, violin; and Sydney Rodway on bass. For the 442s residency, scheduled for June 6 through 26, percussionist Montez Coleman will join them.

For their project, Ranheim says, Maness had the idea to partner with Pianos for People, the philanthropic arm of Jackson Pianos. Theyve donated an upright piano, which will be painted and decorated by students from the Grand Center Arts Academy. The 442s will take the piano to various high-traffic parts of the park  at the edge of the Grand Basin, at the Boat House, at Worlds Fair Pavilion  with a sign reading Come Play With Me.

Were going to encourage passers-by to improvise with us, play with us, interact with us musically, Ranheim says. Youll have one member of the 442s with the piano throughout the month of June.

The piano will have a pop-up tent as shelter when its not under cover.

The interactions will be captured on video by a company called Five Owls, which will mix them with other sights and sounds from the park. During the summer, Maness will compose a multimedia piece using those elements, a work that the 442s will play along with, a video production with live quartet performance.

Theyll play it in the old Trolley House at a culminating event in September. It really is a collaborative mission between the 442s and the people who use and love the park, Ranheim says. Collaboration is, he says, a major part of their purpose.

He and his colleagues have never heard of anyone else doing anything like this.

We may have some incredibly inspired interactions; we may have some that are not quite as inspired  but the idea is the sense of ownership, that the people of the park are helping us create a piece of music, and ultimately the video that we have will be a testament to that. It will live on, and help to tell a story of the park, he says.

Overlooked spaces

Madeline Marak, a native of Shreveport, La., who did her undergraduate work in New Orleans, is finishing a master of fine arts degree at Washington University. From Sept. 4 through 24, shell focus attention on a part of the park that doesnt normally get attention.

I do a lot with looking at overlooked, unconsidered spaces within the urban environment: in between two buildings, or between your carport and your back patio, those little snippets of grass or concrete, the broken-up fabric of the urban environment, she says. I photograph them, and I make paintings from them as a way to focus our attention on places that are overlooked.

For her project, Marak selected a part of the park, in the northeast near West Pine Drive and Kingshighway Boulevard, that didnt have a feature to bring people in.

There are train tracks there but no designed pathway, she says. It didnt have a fountain, or a skating rink, or some big attraction. I wanted to have people notice the places that dont necessarily get noticed, for the value in seeing a space for what it is.

Marak will do that by welding 150 steel frames, of different sizes, as small as a sheet of paper and as large as 20 inches, wrapped in reflective tape, and inserted into the ground at different heights.

The frame focuses your attention on a part of the landscape, she says. Ill be making them, but the community is invited to place them in the ground. Its a way to get people engaged in What section do I want to focus on? almost in the way that a camera lens creates that (boundary-making) kind of frame box.

The tape will ensure the frames are illuminated by passing cars, making them visible at night. Marak hopes people passing by in the dark will return in daylight to see more.

She plans to spend all of her residency within the park, making the frames in her studio on her own time.
After four months of prison shock time for drunken driving in St. Louis County, Alex thought he was done with his sentence.

Then he learned of another penalty: a $6,370 bill for the cost of his incarceration.

It was a punishment he never expected, never really had a chance to contest  and certainly could not afford as he tried to restart a life with a criminal record now trailing him.

Yet Alex, who agreed to an interview if his last name was not printed, is one of the luckier ones targeted by the Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act, a prison cost-saving program dating to 1988.

A Post-Dispatch review shows some inmates have been billed tens of thousands of dollars after the state learned they had enough to pay even just a portion of their costs.

Though a 2013 appeals court decision put limits on collections, some inmates can still lose all they have now  plus income identified but not yet received, as from some pensions.

Take Eugene Taylor, a construction worker serving 20 years for a child sex offense. A court judgment in 2014 put him on the hook for $181,884  plus any future costs of his incarceration.

The trigger for that bill: two checks totaling $33,989 that his ailing, 98-year-old grandfather sent to him in prison.

It was supposed to go toward a place to live and a car when Taylor gets out. Now its going toward his room and board, in satisfaction of his court judgment.

In an era when just about everything in prison comes at a cost, its not surprising that Missouri inmates are expected to pay for their crimes with money as well as time.

A Brennan Center for Justice study last year found that 43 states, including Illinois, authorize pay to stay fees. Missouris law survived due-process challenges and has been called one of the nations most comprehensive.

But theres growing concern that the U.S. trend of billing prisoners for everything from medical care to phone calls makes it more difficult for them to return as productive members of society.

In the old days, when someone got out of prison, they were given some money and a bus ticket. Now we give them a bill, said U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan, based in St. Louis. If as a society we are going to get serious about rehabilitation, we need to take another look at how meaningful a second chance we are really giving people who come out of prison.

Callahan previously was a Cole County circuit judge and ruled in many civil cases regarding the collections.

Just inmates who pass a certain threshold of assets are targeted. But they need only be able to pay part of their prison cost to end up billed for all of it.

For an individual, it can quickly add up: The average incarceration cost rose to $20,959 in 2014 from $16,308 in 2010.

Yet it barely registers for the state, which seized just $596,857 in room and board last year to put toward its $710 million annual corrections spending.

One in 310 inmates was charged for it in 2014, and one in 482 last year. And 29 percent of last years take came from just one inmate, who with a second prisoner provided 45 percent. The system has more than 32,000 adult prisoners.

A similar Illinois program, which dates to 1982, has recovered $512,219 in 11 cases since 2010, with 81 percent coming from just two inmates, the Chicago Tribune reported in November.

Cash bail and jail fees penalize the poor in municipal court Couple couldn't afford the cash bail, and their court date was set 50 days out.

The process raises two questions for Kansas City defense attorney F.A. Al White Jr., who had never heard of the Missouri program until a client wrote him from prison in a panic.

If rehabilitation is something were really after, do we really want to kick them when theyre down? White asked. And is it really going to mean that much to the state?

Every day, when Taylor looks at his canteen account on a kiosk screen in prison, he sees his now-deceased grandfathers gift  since seized  as a bitter reminder of generosity he could have received had it been delivered in some other way. He didnt know any better, Taylor said.

Alex, nervous about talking publicly with the states claim still open, said he would not have pleaded guilty if he had known it came with a bill. Instead, he said, he might have pressed to get a deal for private alcohol treatment  an option he initially shrugged off because of the cost.

This way, he said, It feels like Im being punished twice.

NOT ONLY MILLIONAIRES

The program, known by its acronym, MIRA, doesnt often make headlines. But it did in 1996, when it collected a then-record amount from a man serving life for a murder in Jackson County. Darryl E. Gilyard, billed $97,725, was a poster child for how the program should work.

Gilyard had won a $4.3 million settlement in 1986, after his legs were crushed in a work-related accident. That left plenty to draw from when he was imprisoned for killing a friend over a drug deal two years later.

But few inmates are millionaires.

Tom, a sex offender who now lives in Jackson County, was about a year into his 10-year sentence when a letter from his bank inadvertently tipped off officials to $2,351 he had in an account and a $1,358 monthly pension. He also co-owned a $92,000 home where his ex-wife still lived.

That led to an August 2007 notice that the state intended to take $15,605  what he owed for about a year at the Crossroads Community Center.

Tom, a retired truck driver and loading dock worker, did not find an attorney.

With no one at an April 2008 hearing to contest the states claim, a Cole County judge allowed the state to collect current and future prison costs. That last part was the key.

By the time Tom was released in 2012, he owed $105,525.

He paid $1,500 to a lawyer who told him the state might settle the claim for just $22,041. He paid it, which atop money already seized brought the total to $36,993.

They wiped me out, he said.

It was all he had, but hes still not sure that settled things. Far as I know, he said, they can come back on me any day.

Jail fees are common Several municipalities charge inmates for staying in their jails, and a city attorney and pr

He may be right. According to the state, Tom still owes $68,532.

Tom spoke to a reporter only if his last name was not used.

The attorney generals office, which files the prison cost claims, provided data but declined to comment otherwise through spokeswoman Nanci Gonder.

Gonder said in a statement: Our office is responsible for enforcing the law as written and our attorneys and staff are diligent in doing so.

Tom bought an old pickup with a bad transmission and works odd jobs to pay his $700 monthly rent and $35 weekly fee for group counseling ordered as part of parole.

I would like to get a job somewhere but Im afraid to because I know theyre going to be trying to take my money, he said. Plus, he added, its very hard as a sex offender to get a decent job.

COURT BRIDLES CALCULATIONS

Payment is required if an inmate has enough assets, or a stream of income over five years, to cover at least 10 percent of incarceration costs over two years (or the actual cost, if its less).

If so, the state can collect its costs up to 90 percent of those assets.

So a hypothetical inmate serving a long term at a cost to the state of $22,000 a year would be eligible if his assets exceeded $4,400  10 percent of two years costs. If he served 10 years, the state could collect up to $220,000, so long as whatever was taken did not exceed 90 percent of what he had.

There are few attorneys in the state who specialize in fighting MIRA, and as a result, many of the states claims have gone unchallenged.

But one who does, Michael Shipley, of Liberty, Mo., scored a major victory for prisoners in 2013 when he fought the states interpretation of the formula.

Lloyde Cowin had received $16,026 while serving three life sentences for an abduction and murder in Carter County.

The state wanted $60,306 for his incarceration costs, and the judge agreed to it, applying 90 percent of the $16,026, plus any future funds Cowin received.

Shipley challenged the notion that the state could try to draw upon money that Cowin neither had nor was assured of receiving. The Western District Missouri Court of Appeals agreed.

Now, collections must be based only on assets legally identified at the time of the judgment.

The ruling is why someone such as Taylor, who received the $33,989 from his grandfather, isnt on the hook for the full $181,884 outlined in his court judgment.

With that decision, and a few other key rulings, the states MIRA collections have dropped from the decades high of $845,537 in 2007 to last years $596,857.

But untouched by the appellate courts is the part that allows the state to bill into the future based on what an inmate has now.

Included is any stream of income identified at the time of the judgment, such as regular payments from a qualifying pension and certain trusts.

Thats how Charles Belsher, a retired Department of Transportation worker, ended up responsible for $90,424 in prison costs, plus an indeterminable amount in the future, according to the state. He qualified because of $4,000 in a bank account and a $1,100 monthly pension, when his costs were just $4,148. So far, hes paid $46,159 to the state.

Typically, the costs of incarceration are far more than any assets theyre ever going to have, said Shipley. Its like getting blood from a turnip.

Though many of these debts may be ultimately discharged in bankruptcy, he said, that does nothing for someone who leaves prison and wants to buy an old beater car for $2,000 to get to his job and cant get a loan because hes got a big judgment against him.

Inmates must disclose assets when starting their sentences or risk a penalty at parole.

Those who know better look in advance to place their assets out of reach.

Tom, the retired trucker, learned the trick too late from jailhouse talk.

Most of them told me I was a dummy, he recalled, because I didnt get everything out of my name before I went in.

LOSING BY DEFAULT

Ultimately, those hurt most by MIRA may be the ones least equipped to deal with it.

Inmates with access to a lawyer often can reach a settlement for a lesser amount or challenge the finding of the states means test. Those with no legal help mostly end up with default judgments, where the claim goes unchallenged. There are no public defenders in civil cases.

Shipley said it could be doubly hard if the court freezes the convicts assets prior to a hearing. Then there is no money to hire a lawyer, he noted, and youre in prison, so what are you going to do?

White, the Kansas City lawyer, noted, The people who are able to afford it and can handle it right, they get it taken care of. But the poor guy who is down to all hes got  he could lose it all and not be able to afford an attorney to protect him.

He believes prison costs should be addressed at the time of a plea deal, as happenes in federal cases. He said many defense attorneys were unaware of the recovery program and couldnt warn their clients.

I know Ill never have another plea where we wont be talking about this, he said.

Alex said letters and phone calls from the attorney generals office were his first notice, upon finishing his drunken driving sentence in 2013, that a default judgment had been entered against him.

He couldnt believe it.

Nor could his new attorney, Chris Graville, who said, Im a big believer in personal responsibility, dont get me wrong. But the reality of it is, many of these prisoners are going to get out. So do we as a society have a responsibility to plan for their release? Or do we set them up to fail?
How St. Louis-area members of Congress voted in the week of April 25-29.

House

D.C. school vouchers  The House voted, 224-181, to renew the District of Columbia 13-year-old, school-voucher program on a budget of $60 million annually through fiscal 2021. This is the nations only program in which federal taxpayer dollars are used to pay for attendance at nonpublic schools. A yes vote was to pass HR 4901, which would pay pupils tuition in transfers from public to private and parochial schools.

Yes  Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin; Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, Ill.; Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, Mo.; John Shimkus, R-Collinsville; Jason Smith, R-Cape Girardeau, Mo.

No  William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis; Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, Ill.

Sexual orientation, gender identity  Voting 167-228, the House rejected a bid by Democrats to prohibit nonpublic schools participating in the D.C. tuition-voucher program (HR 4901, above) from discriminating against students on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. These private and church schools are not covered by federal civil rights laws. A yes vote was to adopt the motion.

Yes  Clay.

No  Smith, Shimkus, Bost, Wagner, Davis, Luetkemeyer.

Standards for financial advisers  The House voted, 234-183, to kill a Department of Labor rule requiring those who provide professional advice to retirement and pension plans to adhere to fiduciary standards obligating them to put clients financial interests ahead of their own. A yes vote was to repeal the newly issued rule, which is scheduled to take effect in April 2017. (HJ Res 88)

Yes  Luetkemeyer, Smith, Shimkus, Bost, Wagner, Davis.

No  Clay.

Easing of stock rules  Voting 325-89, the House eased a Securities and Exchange Commission rule to give startup companies better access to angel investors at entrepreneurial events known as demo days. Startups already are permitted under certain circumstances to conduct public stock sales of up to $1 million per year without first registering the securities with the SEC. This bill would expand their ability to do so. A yes vote was to pass HR 4498.

Yes  Luetkemeyer, Smith, Shimkus, Bost, Wagner, Davis.

No  Clay.

Senate

Wind-energy research funding  Voting 54-42, the Senate increased funding of wind-energy research in fiscal 2017 by $15 million to $95.4 million. The funding was added to an energy-water appropriations bill (HR 2028) that remained in debate. A yes vote backed a nearly 20 percent hike in spending to develop technologies that would improve the storage and movement of wind-generated energy in electrical grids.

Yes  Claire McCaskill, D-Mo; Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Mark Kirk, R-Ill.

No  Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

Key votes ahead

Congress is in recess until the week of May 9, when the Senate will resume work on the 2017 energy-water budget and the House could take up a long-stalled bill to help Puerto Rico ease its financial crisis.

The votes and descriptions are compiled by Voterama in Congress a legislative tracking organization.
CLAYTON  University City officials were caught unaware when an establishment featuring young women with body-painted torsos began serving drinks and food in the Delmar Loop in March.

The unexpected opening of Social House II was one thing.

The realization that there were no ordinances on the books to stop sexually oriented businesses from operating in the city was, in a way, even more disconcerting.

City Council members belatedly corrected the oversight in mid-March with a unanimous vote to enact a decency ordinance to ensure that Social House II was the first, and last, enterprise to employ workers in various states of undress within the city limits.

The events that unfolded in University City over a few weeks in February and March did not escape the notice of nearby municipal officials.

And as the unified but so far unsuccessful effort by University City leaders, residents and business owners to prevent a topless bar from operating in the Loop played out in the media, it sent leaders elsewhere scrambling to check their own decency statutes.

The Clayton aldermen immediately brought up the question of what does our ordinance look like, Clayton Mayor Harold Sanger said. And the answer was, it needs adjustment.

Acting quickly, the Clayton board adopted last month an ordinance banning businesses that sell alcohol from turning to nudity as a marketing tool.

Des Peres has enacted similar legislation while Maryland Heights tightened its statutes to bar the use of body paint by establishments seeking to circumvent current decency ordinances.

University City is plowing the earth and the rest of us are following behind, Sanger said.

An official with the Municipal League of Metro St. Louis says the organization has fielded calls from other communities seeking information about legislative action in University City, Clayton, Des Peres and Maryland Heights.

Most communities consider themselves family-oriented and dont believe (a Social House II) is an appropriate venue, Executive Director Pat Kelly said. People find the whole concept objectionable.

A court ruling that temporarily reinstated its liquor license is meanwhile permitting a topless Social House II wait staff to continue serving customers at 6655 Delmar Boulevard.

The order, issued March 18 by St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge Michael D. Burton, voided a University City Council vote to revoke the establishments business and liquor licenses.

The council and city officials contend that the licenses issued to the business that previously occupied the Delmar Boulevard address are no longer valid.

There is no change, they are operating in violation of our ordinances and we are proceeding with legal action, University City Manager Lehman Walker said last week.

The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for Wednesday.

Walker said the city had received no indication that the owner of Social House II, John Racanelli, planned to challenge the municipalitys new anti-nudity code.

Albert Watkins, the high-profile attorney who in March presented a flamboyant defense of Social House II in appearances before the City Council and a St. Louis County Circuit Court judge, no longer represents Racanelli.

The fallout from Social House II has shifted the language in municipal corridors beyond arcane matters such as zoning, infrastructure and municipal budgets.

In Maryland Heights, the planning department was careful to include the phrase opaque fabric covering in the legislation it drafted for the council.

Opaque is interpreted by the dictionary as not transparent or translucent; impenetrable to light.

But used in combination with fabric covering, the context for the purposes of Maryland Heights means that the use of paint to cover the female body above the waist will not be tolerated in venues frequented by the public.

It was important, noted Planner Michael Zeek, that the city spell out the rules without getting into semantics over this.

Yet, as Maplewood can attest, opaque cant  so to speak  cover everything.

The Maplewood City Council signed off Monday on a liquor license for a Twin Peaks franchise in the Maplewood Commons shopping center.

The uniforms worn by the female wait staff at Twin Peaks  a Texas-based national bar and restaurant chain that follows the Hooters business model  would not meet Victorian standards. But the outfits cover enough skin to skirt the Maplewood decency statutes.

Personally, I dont really like that image for our community, but we dont really have grounds to keep them out, Maplewood councilwoman Karen Wood said.
Richard A. Simoncelli, an arts lover who worked for St. Louis cultural organizations for more than three decades, died April 24 (2016) of brain cancer at age 64. He lived in University City.

Suffering from a brain tumor, Mr. Simoncelli, known as Rick, retired last summer as president of the St. Louis Public Library Foundation.

As head of the library foundation, Mr. Simoncelli was charged with raising $20 million toward renovation of downtowns historic Central Library. Before he was hired in 2003, the foundation had lain dormant. He worked for the organization for 12 years.

We had narrow fundraising experience, Waller McGuire, executive director of the library, said Friday. The foundations capital campaign was the key to renovating Central Library, a project completed in 2012.

Mr. Simoncelli used his years of making contacts to gain support for the foundations share of the $70 million project.

He believed deeply in the mission of the arts and the library, and he was passionate about it, McGuire said.

As foundation president, Mr. Simoncelli also helped hundreds of St. Louis children by supporting the librarys Homework Helpers program with thousands of dollars. He aided diversity and culinary programs and special exhibits.

He just loved the arts, said Claudia Moran of her husband of 41 years. Mr. Simoncelli, a native of New Eagle, Pa., had come to Washington University to work on his doctorate in musicology. He left before doing his dissertation when offered a job at the Missouri Arts Council.

For years, he and his wife attended operas, plays and art openings, and Mr. Simoncelli traveled around the state in connection with various arts organizations.

After eight years with the arts council, Mr. Simoncelli became assistant director in charge of public affairs and operations at the St. Louis Art Museum, where he would attend to everything from special events to boiler repairs to building a new gift shop.

He took a holistic approach to the museum, wanting everyone from school groups to other organizations to visit, Moran said. He helped create Art in Bloom and a Friday night jazz series.

One special interest was a multimillion-dollar project to bring 19th-century Japanese objects to the museum, Moran said. Many had never before left Japan.

He was a renaissance man, said Moran, vice president at Obata Design. In addition to music and reading, Mr. Simoncelli loved dance, movies, cooking, making pottery and paddleboarding. He had taken Italian lessons in preparation for a trip to Italy, where he still had relatives in a town outside of Florence. His illness prevented that trip.

Thomas Schlafly, who is on the librarys board of directors and who knew Mr. Simoncelli from his days at the Art Museum, said he was a very competent and a decent, sincere person. Its hard to come up with enough positive adjectives.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Simoncelli is survived by his mother, Helen, of Greensburg, Pa.; a brother, Michael, of Greensburg, Pa.; two daughters, Jessica Gershman of St. Louis and Amelia Simoncelli of Seattle; and a grandson, Joseph.

A memorial service will be at 10:30 a.m. May 14 at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion, 7401 Delmar Boulevard. A reception will follow at the church. Donations are suggested to the National Brain Tumor Societys glioblastoma research fund. Arrangements are through Kriegshauser Mortuary-West Chapel.
In 2012, a Marine Corps staff sergeant was court-martialed for being among a group of snipers who urinated on the fresh corpses of Taliban soldiers. In 2016, police in Tennessee say he saved a 3-year-old from being fatherless.

What might seem like the redemption plot from a Hollywood drama is the story of Joseph Chamblin, the former Marine who worked with the Tennessee police to foil an alleged attempted murder.

The story is complicated. It involves an attractive young woman trying to get custody of her son, her alleged search for a hit man and a staged death.

Chamblins career had been going well in 2011, the Military Times reported. He was chosen by the leaders of 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines to be the scout sniper platoon commander in Afghanistan. The next January, it seemed likely he would be promoted to gunnery sergeant. Then, a video surfaced. In it, he and three other scout snipers stand over corpses of Taliban soldiers, and theyre urinating on the bodies.

The footage sparked outrage around the world. The Atlantic suggested that The Afghan video is of particular concern because it has the possibility of becoming one of the dominant images of the war.

This act by American soldiers is simply inhuman and condemnable in the strongest possible terms, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai told the New York Times.

In an interview with WSOC, Chamblin said he did it as a means of psychological warfare, implying that they defiled the carcasses so the soldiers wouldnt reap any rewards of the afterlife.

Because of their cultural belief that if an infidel touches the bodies, theyre not going to Mecca or going to paradise, Chamblin said. So now these insurgents see what happens when they mess with us.

When asked if he would do it again, he didnt pause.

Yep.

The Marine Corps said Chamblin pleaded guilty to wrongful desecration, failure to properly supervise junior Marines and posing for photos with battlefield casualties. Lt. Gen. Richard Mills, who oversaw the Chamblin case, agreed before the court-martial to limit his punishment to the loss of $500 in pay and reduction in rank by one grade.

Seven other Marines faced similar ramifications. According to the blog of Sharyl Attkisson, former CBS and CNN correspondent and author of the bestselling Stonewalled, former Staff Sgt. Edward Deptola pleaded guilty of taking photos of the desecration and was reduced in rank. Former Sgt. Derek Mages pleaded guilty to urinating on human remains and received a less than honorable discharge. Capt. James Clement, who was manning the radio and thus not present for the video recording, received an honorable discharge. Former Cpl. Matthew Bostrom was reduced in rank. Former Sgt. Jacob Pope pled guilty to urinating on human remains and received a letter of reprimand. Several days after the video was recorded, he lost his leg, which allowed him to medically retire.

One, former Sgt. Robert Richards, pleaded guilty and was demoted to corporal before being granted a medical retirement with an honorable discharge. In 2014, he was found dead in his house in Jacksonville, N.C., the New York Times reported. He was 28. The cause of death was an accidental overdose on Opana, which caused oxymorphone toxicity, the Marine Corps Times reported.

After being court-martialed, Chamblin left the Marines and co-authored a book titled Into Infamy: A Marine Snipers War with fellow former Marine Milo Afong about both his experience in the war and with the video.

DREAM TEAM

After the media firestorms over the video and his book, meeting Laura Buckingham must have felt like a fresh start, a breath of air. Buckingham was attractive, educated and ran her own bakery. Her customers and her town loved her. After all, she was something of a local celebrity in New Albany, Ind.  just last fall, she was on the cover of Southern Indiana Living with her son.

She was also a veteran who could understand Chamblins experiences. The two fell for each other, and soon Buckingham was pregnant again.

Chamblin must have felt like a fresh start for Buckingham, too. In July 2013, she had finally opened A bakery named Bread and Breakfast in downtown New Albany, after years of selling baked goods at farmers markets and from roadside stands. Six hundred people attended the grand opening, and she wrote on the bakerys Facebook page, The bread has been flying directly out of the oven, our gluten free crowd is expanding and the word is out about our bacon cinnamon rolls. We have a dream team here at the bakery.

But that same month, she ended her relationship with Bradley Sutherland, her sons father, the Military Times reported. It had been a rocky relationship, and a rocky time in Buckinghams life. She allegedly struck Sutherland, giving him a black eye. At one point the two were engaged anyway.

Much like her bakery, Chamblin seemed to offer Buckingham a calm patch on a rough sea. Even Sutherland, then removed from the relationship, liked him.

She told me, Ive been dating this guy for a little while now and I want to introduce him to [our son],  Sutherland told the Daily Beast. From the get-go, I liked him ... I trusted him.

Then, when preparing to move her bakery into a bigger space, she vanished.

When she closed the doors, she didnt tell her employees, Brittany Enoch, the owner of Classic Cuts barber shop, a neighboring business, told WLKY. They just heard from a text message, and she was gone.

She had gone off to Tennessee with Chamblin, leaving everything at home, including her 3-year-old son, the Daily Beast reported. Though she still made weekly trips to see the boy, she was scared of losing custody. The trips, which took hours each way, were wearing on her, the Military Times reported.

I WANT HIM GONE

While she wasnt baking fresh loaves of bread, she was busy  busy trying to find someone to murder Sutherland, authorities said. They said the first person she turned to was Chamblin.

At first, when she asked him at the beginning of the year to make Sutherland go away, Chamblin thought she was kidding, he said. A dark joke, no doubt, but a joke nonetheless. Slowly, though, her requests allegedly grew more detailed as she wondered aloud about the specifics  Where would it happen? How could Sutherland be killed?  and he began secretly recording their conversations, the Military Times reported.

Asking Chamblin might have seemed sensible, given his background in the military. In fact, Roane County Deputy Sheriff Tim Phillips told the Daily Beast, She knew hed been in the military in the past, that he was a Marine Corps sniper, and she felt that maybe he had friends that he had served with and would make [Sutherland] disappear.

Chamblin brought those recordings to the Louisville police, who had a plan in mind.

Days later, Buckingham sat with a stranger and allegedly haggled over the price of murdering her ex-boyfriend.

I want him gone, she said, according to the Daily Beast, quoting the tapes. I want him out of the picture.

Was she sure? Yes. Did she want it look like an accident, because thats going to cost a little more? Yes. Was she sure she was sure? Yes, she allegedly said.

Her alleged mistake was a grave one  the man she spoke with wasnt a hit man, but an undercover agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

The police immediately contacted Sutherland.

When they brought me down to the police station and told me about this, the first thing I said is, Im being punked,  Sutherland told the Daily Beast.

Beyond the simple fact that his wife wanted to kill him, what she was willing to pay stuck a nerve. (Most outlets report that price at $3,000, though the Courier-Journal reports it as $30,000.)

My lifes only worth $3,000? he told the Daily Beast in an interview. Its like a (expletive) used car lot. Like, Bring us your tax check and well get you a car  only this is more like, Bring us your tax check, and well assassinate your ex-fiance. 

SHOWING PHOTOS

But that isnt what hurt the most.

The police decided to stage Sutherlands death, fooling Buckingham into thinking the plan had gone off without a hitch, so she would pay the remainder of the fee.

When the guy went to show the photos of my dead body  my sons right there, Sutherland said. The fact that she would let a hired killer into the house while my son is there hurts me more than taking an attempt on my life.

On Feb. 24, Buckingham was arrested and brought to jail in Roane County, Tenn., about 40 miles west of Knoxville. She was charged with criminal intent to commit first-degree murder, and her bail was set at $150,000, according to a press release from the sheriffs office and the local prosecutor.

Sutherland claims his ex-girlfriend and alleged would-be killer suffered from PTSD, from her time in the battlefield. He said that one time he received a call from Buckinghams mother, Debra, who told him that Buckingham had destroyed the apartment, and there was a shotgun and chairs everywhere, according to the Daily Beast. He also told Military Times that she was dealing with some demons after her time in the Marines.

Buckingham is due in court for a preliminary hearing on Monday.

Her son remains in New Albany with Sutherland.

I would like her to be in jail for a while for my personal comfort, Sutherland said. I havent slept much.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources of Pakistan and the Ministry of Energy of the Azerbaijan have agreed for signing of an intergovernmental agreement which will aim at cooperation in the supply of crudes, refined oil products, LPG and LNG, Pakistani media outlets reported.

The agreement was reached within the two-day 6th Session of Azerbaijan-Pakistan joint commission at governmental commission level.

The signed agreements will also aim at attraction of investments into energy sectors, including the relevant infrastructure and storage within and outside Pakistan.

During the two days of the session, detailed meetings were held between the experts of the two sides on a number of issues, especially focusing on trade and commerce, energy, agriculture, education, science and technology and other matters of mutual interest.

Both sides also agreed on facilitating negotiations and subsequent signing of memoranda of understanding between State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Pakistan State Oil Company (PSO) and other nominated entity of Pakistan under the intergovernmental agreement aimed at trading of crudes, refined oil products, LNG and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as well as joint development of new facilities for their import.

SOCAR would execute the activities hereunder through SOCAR Trading S.A., which is SOCAR's wholly owned affiliate. It was also agreed to sign an agreement between Azerbaijan and Pakistan on cooperation in the field of energy after the completion of all necessary national legal procedures.

The parties agreed to explore the possibilities of cooperation between Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Water and Power of the Pakistan on the supply of electricity from Azerbaijan to Pakistan under the intergovernmental agreement.

The two sides further agreed to establish and enhance defense industrial cooperation.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Pakistan amounted to $1.8 million in the first quarter of 2016, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan.
Students at Stratfords King Edward VI School completed a 125 mile sporting challenge in honour of the Bard last Saturday, transporting a quill by foot and bike to the Globe in London.

30 students and 20 parents and staff took part in the Shakespeare Shuttle, which began at 5am at the Guildhall.

The challenge started with a gruelling 75 mile cycle ride from Stratford to Marlow, before the quill was handed over to another team who had planned to row 15 miles down the Thames to Windsor.

Unfortunately the river was too high to row down so the quill was transported along the towpath by bike.

For the final leg of the relay the quill was transported on foot by teams of students and teachers, running five mile stretches to the entrance of the Globe where they were met by Neil Constable, chief executive of the theatre.

Richard Mahony, director of sport at KES said: The students efforts were absolutely immense, their behaviour throughout was fantastic and I am very proud of them. I think the hardest part was the initial cycle ride, as were the logistics of making it happen, but we had a good team.

The challenge was completed in 13-and-a-half hours and organisers hope to raise 5,000 for three good causes.

For more on Stratford's Shakespeare Celebrations, read this week's Herald.
JMB Partnership managing director James Blakemore, left of centre, with his team. (Submitted photo)

SOUTH Warwickshire based sales and marketing agency, The JMB Partnership, has been awarded the prestigious Queens Award for Enterprise  one of the UKs highest accolades for British business success.

Upon the Prime Ministers recommendation, The JMB Partnership has been presented with the award for outstanding contribution to international trade.

Awarded to only those who demonstrate the highest levels of excellence within enterprise, JMB has received the award in recognition of their substantial growth and commercial success in the international business arena.

Due to celebrate its tenth birthday later this year, JMB has successfully supported over 600 UK and international companies explore and enter new markets throughout the globe.

And in the last three years has seen exponential success for their clients in the UK and internationally, which has resulted in over 20 per cent year on year increase in JMBs export activity.

Managing director of The JMB Partnership, James Blakemore, commented: I am immensely proud of the whole JMB team for winning one of the highest business accolades a UK company can receive. It is the pinnacle of achievement in terms of recognition for our proactive, dedicated approach to championing local, regional and international business growth.

Later in the year, the Lord-Lieutenant of the County, The Queens local representative, will present the Grant of Appointment during a ceremony at The JMB offices based in The University of Warwicks Enterprise Park in Wellesbourne.

This will be followed by a Royal reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Her Majesty The Queen in July.

JMBs growth is set to continue into 2016 with the expansion of their team at their Warwickshire office in Wellesbourne.

Sarah Kingston, account director, added: We are a dynamic team, always on the lookout for talented individuals with the drive and passion to exceed our clients expectation.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

By Azad Hasanli - Trend:

The international ratings agency Moody's Investors Service has confirmed Azerbaijan's long-term issuer ratings and senior unsecured debt ratings at Ba1.

Concurrently, Moody's also confirmed the Southern Gas Corridor's state-guaranteed senior unsecured debt rating at Ba1, reads the agency's report posted on its website Apr. 29.

Azerbaijan's long-term and short-term foreign-currency bond and deposit ceilings remain unchanged at Ba1/NP and Ba2/NP, respectively. At the same time, the long-term local-currency bond and deposit country ceilings remain unchanged at Ba1.

Moody's also confirms that Azerbaijan's large stock of foreign currency assets held in the State Oil Fund (SOFAZ), the country's sovereign wealth fund, helps cushion the economy and government balance sheet, and gives Azerbaijan time to adjust to lower oil prices.

"The government retains sizeable fiscal buffers that could help it absorb shocks, specifically SOFAZ's significant foreign currency assets," said the report. "These fiscal buffers could help Azerbaijan cope with the challenges from the ongoing economic, currency and banking sector crises and allow it time to adjust to lower oil prices. As a result, the government has room to let fiscal deficits widen during periods of lower oil prices, economic recession and reduced fiscal revenues. SOFAZ's assets are predominantly invested in high-grade, liquid instruments."

SOFAZ's foreign currency assets remain very large, despite declining by 9.5 percent to $33.6 billion in 2015, Moody's said.

The volume of SOFAZ's assets are high not only relative to Azerbaijan's GDP and general government debt, but also compared to other oil exporting countries' sovereign wealth funds, the Moody's analysts noted, adding that SOFAZ's foreign assets account for roughly 100 percent of Azerbaijan's GDP forecast for 2016.
MIAMI (PRWEB) April 30, 2016

Global Stem Cells Group and the University of Santiago, Chile have announced plans to launch a new edition of the post-graduate diploma program, "Diplomat in Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering." The first of its kind worldwide, the program is designed for physicians and qualified practitioners to bring stem cell therapies into the doctor's office to treat patients.

The University of Santiago, ranked among the top universities in South America, is the first state university to offer a diploma program in stem cells, tissue engineering and cell therapy.

The program concentrates on advances in cell biology, the clinical and linked characteristics to bioprocessing of stem cells derived from adipose tissue, and other stem cell-based protocols. Based on medical research that emerged in the late 20th and early 21st centuries to give rise to stem cell therapies, this is a new form of medical treatment in which cells and tissues are used as healing elements, not only to supplement or replace deficient cells, but to induce regeneration and restoration of a lost biological order during the development of a disease or injury.

Alejandra Moenen, Ph.D., who heads the University of Santiago's Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, was chosen to teach the program. Moenen is an internationally prominent researcher whose work in biological research has been published in 50 major scientific journals worldwide.

Global Stem Cells Group has established the program's medical and scientific management team, headed by Duncan Ross, Ph.D. and Enrique Testart, M.D., to develop a theoretical and practical, 120 hour program that will deliver the fundamentals of the most advanced cell therapies and clinical applications currently practiced safely and effectively in more than 35 cities worldwide.

In a 2015 televised interview, Joseph Purita, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon, stem cell pioneer and founder of the American Academy of Regenerative Medicine, said that Santiago University has all the human and physical resources and conditions necessary to become the capital of stem cell research and advances in South America.

Purita's foresight launched an alliance between GSCG and Santiago University that led way to building an academic program to meet the needs of physicians, engineers, biologists and biochemists required to move regenerative medicine forward.

The Diplomat in Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering program will begin in 2016, with a first phase designed to carry it through 2020. A maximum of 15 students will make up groups who will occupy individual biological work stations, study electron microscopy, flow cytometry, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and faculty-arranged resources to make this international diploma program a recognized leader worldwide for the training of specialists in the field of stem cell medicine.

Open enrollment will begin April 30 for high-achieving medical professionals with qualified credentials, who will receive dual certification--a diploma in Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering from the University of Santiago, and the American Certificate of Protocols from Global Stem Cells Group, and its affiliate, Stem Cell Training, Inc. The course will include practical, hands-on training during which students will apply stem cell harvesting and implantation techniques learned in the laboratory, quantify cell counts, weigh comparisons and ultimately experience stem cell therapy in all its dimensions, to use in different areas of medicine and dentistry.

"Between physicians, biologists, biochemists and engineers, we have collectively built a curriculum that is designed for the new generation of medicine," says Testart, Global Stem Cells Group Chief Medical Officer. "But even more important, we will provide a new generation of patients with therapies that will enable them to improve their quality of life for years to come, and to enjoy the longevity given us in the modern world."

"The Diplomat in Cell Therapy and Tissue Engineering program will offer medical professionals invaluable lessons in this new art of stem regenerative healing, as well as the scientific and practical methodologies involved in stem cell medicine," says Benito Novas, Global Stem Cells Group CEO.

Educational strategies will be taught in theory and in practical hands-on classes, during which students can raise questions and work on problem solving.

For more information, visit the Global Stem Cells Group website, email bnovas(at)stemcellsgroup(dot)com, or call +1 305 560 5337.

About Global Stem Cells Group:

Global Stem Cells Group is the parent company of six wholly owned operating companies dedicated entirely to stem cell research, training, products and solutions. Founded in 2012, the company combines dedicated researchers, physician and patient educators and solution providers with the shared goal of meeting the growing worldwide need for leading edge stem cell treatments and solutions. With a singular focus on this exciting new area of medical research, Global Stem Cells Group and its subsidiaries are uniquely positioned to become global leaders in cellular medicine.

Global Stem Cells Group's corporate mission is to make the promise of stem cell medicine a reality for patients around the world. With each of GSCG's six operating companies focused on a separate research-based mission, the result is a global network of state-of-the-art stem cell treatments.

###

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/05/prweb13383024.htm
NAIROBI, Kenya, April 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Plumes of smoke drifted over Nairobi National Park today as Kenyan authorities torched 105 tonnes of ivory and 1.35 tonnes of rhino horn  the largest single quantity of ivory to be destroyed anywhere in the world.

"It is a massive quantity of ivory, representing all of Kenya's ivory stockpiles, apart from those retained as criminal exhibits, for posterity, education and scientific research," said James Isiche, Regional Director International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) East Africa.

"By burning this ivory and rhino horn and putting it beyond use Kenya has sent a very powerful message to criminals that they are absolutely serious about cracking down on trade in illegal ivory and rhino horn trade which, in turn, fuels the poaching that is decimating elephants and rhino populations."

Since 1989, Kenya has destroyed over 30 tonnes of ivory. In March 2015, His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta set ablaze 15 tonnes. His two predecessors, Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Daniel Moi destroyed five tonnes in 2011 and 12 tonnes in 1989 respectively. The burning of the 12 tonnes in 1989 captured media attention and helped lead to the international ivory trade ban in 1990.

Today's historic occasion was witnessed by three sitting Presidents, their Excellencies Ian Khama of Botswana, Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda who together with their host His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya set alight four of the 10 ivory pyres.

The presidents had earlier in the day concluded a two-day inaugural summit as members of the Giants Club. The Giants Club is an exclusive forum that brings together African Heads of State, global business leaders and elephant protection experts to secure Africa's remaining elephant populations and the landscapes they depend on.

Azzedine Downes President and CEO IFAW who attended the Giants Club Summit as a leader in elephant conservation, also witnessed the historic ivory disposal.

"The ivory and rhino horn disposal we have witnessed today is truly a remarkable event in the continued fight against ivory and rhino horn trafficking. By destroying the largest ivory stockpile, Kenya has again demonstrated that the only valuable ivory and rhino horn is on a live animal," he stated.

Since 2011 more than 100 tonnes of ivory have been destroyed by 18 countries: Belgium, Cameroon, Chad, China (including Hong Kong), The Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Italy, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, UAE and the U.S.A.

Despite these victories, ivory trade is pushing endangered elephants towards extinction. Every year, 25,000-30,000 African Elephants are poached to supply the ivory trade. Ivory seizures continue to increase with 24.3 tonnes in 2011, 30 tonnes in 2012, 41.5 tonnes in 2013, 17. 8 tonnes seized between January and August 2014 and 32 tonnes in 2015.

Most illegal ivory is destined for Asia, in particular China, where it has soared in value as an investment vehicle and is coveted as "white gold."

The 2013 IFAW report, Criminal Nature: The Global Security Implications of the Illegal Wildlife Trade, documents the threat the illegal wildlife trade poses to elephants, rhinos and people.

About IFAW (The International Fund for Animal Welfare)Founded in 1969, IFAW rescues and protects animals around the world. With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW rescues individual animals, works to prevent cruelty to animals, and advocates for the protection of wildlife and habitats. For more information, visit www.ifaw.org. Follow us on Facebook/IFAW and Twitter @action4ifaw

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160429/361935

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ifaw-largest-ivory-crush-ever-in-kenya-sends-message-to-poachers-300260399.html

SOURCE International Fund for Animal Welfare
O'FALLON, Ill., April 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing efforts to help consumers avoid falling victim to identity theft, AARP Illinois is joining today with O'Fallon's First United Methodist Church to sponsor "Shred Fest 2016"  an event to provide free shredding of personal financial documents and other sensitive records.

The O' Fallon event is one of dozens of Shred Fest 2016 events scheduled for communities nationwide, during Money Smart Week April 23-30, with support from the AARP Fraud Watch Network and the AARP Foundation.

"Financial fraud causes millions of dollars in losses each year," said Julie Vahling, AARP Illinois Associate State Director for Advocacy and Outreach. "With the tax-filing season behind us, we're encouraging taxpayers to do a spring cleaning of their old financial documents and other records."

"Identity thieves routinely search through dumpsters and trash cans, looking to find confidential information. Our Shred Fest 2016 event will allow consumers to discard this paperwork in a safe and secure manner," Vahling added.

In 201, over 20,000 Illinoisans registered complaints about identity theft with the Federal Trade Commission.

To avoid having your sensitive information compromised, security experts recommend shredding of the following types of materials:

Old documents: Papers that carry your Social Security number, birth date, signature, account numbers, passwords or PIN numbers.

Banking: Canceled or unused checks. Shred deposit slips and ATM and credit card receipts, once you receive your monthly statements.

Credit Cards: Preapproved credit card applications and incentive/gift checks from credit card companies.

Medical: unneeded medical bills.

Investments: Investment account statements.

Obsolete ID cards: Expired driver's licenses, medical insurance cards and passports.

And for those consumers who use a home shredder, experts also recommend the use of a micro-cut model. Tests have shown that the scraps of paper from a straight or cross-cut shredder can be reassembled by identity thieves. With a micro-cut shredder, the paper is rendered into impossible-to-reassemble debris.

More information on how to keep yourself safe from identity theft fraud, and alerts regarding other types of scams, is available from the Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/FraudWatchNetwork.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shred-fest-2016-helps-metro-east-area-consumers-avoid-risk-of-identity-theft-300260266.html

SOURCE AARP Illinois
Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond talks to Reuters during an interview in Havana, Cuba, April 29, 2016. REUTERS/Enrique de la Osa

By Sarah Marsh

HAVANA (Reuters) - Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Friday he saw no immediate threat to Europe from Islamic State bases in Libya and did not expect the new Libyan government to ask for foreign troops anytime soon.

Libya has been in chaos since Western-backed rebels overthrew President Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Western states are hoping a new Libyan unity government, which arrived in Tripoli last month, will be able to make Libya's armed factions work together against the militant group, and have said they are ready to provide training for Libyan forces if requested by the unity government.

The United States has already conducted air strikes against Islamic State militants in Libya.

"I don't expect the Libyan government to ask for foreign troops either in a combat or a training role anytime soon," Hammond said in an interview during a visit to Cuba.

"But we have made clear we will support this new government," he told Reuters.

Hammond last week told The Telegraph newspaper that he did not rule out sending British troops to Libya to fight Islamic State militants.

He reiterated that position, saying Britain would not rule out military action in Libya should there be a "real and substantive threat coming from terrorist bases" there.

"I don't think we see that threat at the moment but I simply wanted to be clear that we can't rule out using the capabilities we have to defend our country and protect our people."

Hammond met with Cuban President Raul Castro earlier on Friday and is the first British Foreign Secretary to set foot in the Communist-ruled island since the 1959 revolution that overthrew a pro-American government.

(Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Frank Jack Daniel)
DUBAI (Reuters) - A roadside bomb attack on a police patrol car in al-Ahsa in east Saudi Arabia wounded a policeman on Thursday evening, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Friday.

The attack was in a parking lot and in caused damage to five cars, SPA reported, citing a statement by an interior ministry spokesman.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the attack resembled previous ones by Islamic State on security forces or Shi'ites, who the jihadist group considers to be heretics.

The oil-producing Eastern Province is home to Saudi Arabia's Shi'ite community.

(Writing by Rania El Gamal; editing by John Stonestreet)
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency. REUTERS/U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - The White House on Friday said talks to install a new anti-missile defense system in South Korea would continue in the wake of nuclear arms and missile tests by North Korea despite calls by China and Russia for the United States to back off.

The United States and South Korea have begun talks on possible deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system after North Korea tested its fourth nuclear bomb on Jan. 6 and conducted missile tests.

The nuclear test and missile launches violate U.N. resolutions against North Korea backed by Russia and China. U.S. and South Korean officials have expressed concern the North could attempt a fifth nuclear test in a show of strength ahead of its Workers' Party congress, which begins on May 6.

North Korea test-fired what appeared to be two intermediate range ballistic missiles on Thursday, but both failed, according to the U.S. military.

On Friday, the White House said it was still in talks with its close ally South Korea and that the system, if installed, would not threaten other countries.

"Those discussions are ongoing," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. "That equipment would be oriented toward the threat that is posed by North Korea, not oriented toward China or Russia."

Speaking at joint press briefing with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier on Friday called on the United States to respect "legitimate concerns" of China and Russia over the missile system.

"This move goes beyond the defensive needs of the relevant countries. If it is deployed it will directly impact China's and Russia's respective strategic security," Wang said.

"Not only does it threaten the resolution of the peninsula nuclear issue, it quite possibly could pour oil on the fire of an already tense situation, and even destroy strategic equilibrium on the peninsula."

North Korea's actions should not be used as an excuse to make moves that would escalate tensions, especially the U.S. deployment of an anti-missile system, Lavrov said, according to an interpretation in Chinese.

North Korea's drive to develop a nuclear weapons capability has angered China, Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and economic supporter. But Beijing fears THAAD and its radar have a range that would extend into China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said Beijing would not allow war and chaos to break out on the Korean peninsula.

Earnest gave no timing on when talks with South Korea may concluded but added that "the United States is prepared to invest resources in keeping them safe."

North and South Korea remain technically at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, rather than a treaty. The North routinely threatens to destroy South Korea and the United States.

(Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Nick Macfie and Cynthia Osterman)
The annual Christmas lights display where all houses in Franklin Rd are decorated, won't be affected by the construction.

Auckland's most famous road for Christmas lights is in for a major redesign that will keep the busy road under construction until late 2017.

But the annual Christmas lights on Franklin Road in Freemans Bay won't be affected, with Auckland Transport saying they will take a break from construction from November until early January.

AT said the Franklin Rd upgrades were well overdue and came after more than a year of planning and meetings with residents.

AUCKLAND TRANSPORT/SUPPLIED The roundabout will go in at the intersection between Wellington St and England St.

The redesign will feature cycle lanes on both sides of the road, which will be painted green and raised about 5cm above the road surface.

A roundabout is going in at the Wellington St intersection to calm traffic.

Footpaths were set to be torn up and replaced, while street lights, utilities and drainage were being upgraded.

AUCKLAND TRANSPORT/SUPPLIED A graphic showing the raised cycle lanes on Franklin Rd.

AT said there was a big focus on the tree-lined road because it was a key connection between the city and Ponsonby Rd, with more than 14,000 vehicle trips per day.

Group manager of roading Andrew Scoggins said it was in a "poor condition" with safety hazards for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

"Over the years tree roots have damaged footpaths, the drainage system and the road surface," he said.

Scoggins said the plan was to schedule all infrastructure work to run at the same time with Watercare, Vector, Chorus and Auckland Council Stormwater working together.

Some on-road parking spaces were due to be lost in the new design, though Scoggins said that was minimal.

Franklin Rd resident Bill Ralston said it was a much needed upgrade.

Ralston, the former TVNZ news boss who is running for council in the central Waitemata ward, said there was a good compromise with the designs of the cycleway and roundabout.

"All in all it's been a good effort by Auckland Transport," he said.

"They've managed to come up with a solution that will keep pretty much everyone happy."

Ralston said it would be worth the disruptions to see the road fixed.

"It's work that's got to be done. I'm sure it will slow down traffic and locals coming in and out but if it's got to be done it's got to be done.

Fellow Franklin Rd resident and art commentator Hamish Keith said he was glad something was being done, but was unhappy the speed limit wasn't reduced to 40kmh.

"Pedestrians are still bottom of the food chain," he said.

"It's a very unsafe road to cross.

"At night if I'm going to visit neighbours I wear a high-vis jacket to cross the road."

Cycle group Bike Auckland, which had lobbied for a dedicated cycleway, described the plans as a "frankly great design".

The first stage of work was starting in May and would be finished by mid-to-late 2017, AT said.

Residents were urged to lodge any feedback on the plans by May 10.
The Government has done little, if anything, to deflate the house price bubble.

OPINION: How committed is the Government to putting the brakes on the house price crisis?

Simple  they're not.

Too many people are doing very nicely thanks very much (and they probably all vote National).

It is, as financial commentator Bernard Hickey said recently, the dirty little secret of the housing boom.

READ MORE:

* Prices up, stock down - the numbers on Wellington's housing shortage

* Wellington housing market heats up, average house price almost $500,000: QV

* Desperate home-buyers warned against neglecting property checks

* Big increase in Wellington sales by tender as house goes for $700,000 above RV

* Hot housing market in Wellington as houses sell well past RV

Truth is National has to look after these people. Collapsing the market, prices and their equity is not an option.

Which means torment for house hunters in some parts of the country where prices have gone nuts.

By some estimates the Auckland market is more expensive than Sydney and the growth is bigger and faster. This is a rare occasion when we really don't want to beat the Aussies at something.

And please don't be fooled into thinking this is only an Auckland problem  the shockwaves are already spreading south. Property investors locked out of Auckland are buying up elsewhere.

A house in the Berhampore suburb of Wellington sold for $454,000 last year. It's back on the market for inquiries over $695,000. The agent claims it could fetch $900,000: marketing hyperbole aside, that house could double in value. In 10 months.

In Auckland 400sqm sections in the eastern suburbs are on the market for $725,000. This is daylight robbery but desperate people are paying it. Auckland's prices are criminally insane.

A boatshed is now for sale in Auckland for $500,000  problem is you can't stay the night in it. Although there's nothing stopping you from sleeping under the tree across the road.

Houses in working class Otara are now on the market for $600,000 where local and foreign investors are the only ones that can afford it.

There are 59 Auckland suburbs with an average price of over $1 million. Dozens more are knocking on the door of that exclusive club.

So we have a problem for people trying to get into the market.

And what has the Government done? Not much, if anything at all. They believe in the market.

Yes, they have made a few tweaks to KiwiSaver to help almost 12,000 new home owners. But that's just increased demand and helped push prices up.

On the supply side, they've helped set up 120 "special housing areas"  but some of these sites are just green fields where dreams are free and a house is a long, long way off.

No-one can say how many affordable houses have been built in these areas. Fewer than 200 in Auckland apparently. Yes there are thousands of consents  but try living under a piece of paper. You get very wet and cold.

I sense the Government is now trying to look like it is doing something. Perception is king after years of inaction and letting the market go berserk.

Our Aussie cousins have been much more hands-on in their market. Maybe we should try what they have done.

Here are five things we could do:

1. Investors have run wild because we have no capital gains taxes. The one thing the Government claims to have dusted off is hopeless and meaningless. Why don't we try a proper capital gains tax targeting investors?

2. Australia bans foreigners from buying existing houses. Brilliant. The time for that was years ago.

3. Australia forces foreigners to build new houses if they want to buy there. This helps boost supply. Again, we should have done this years ago.

4. In Victoria they've just raised stamp duties from 3 to 7 per cent. Us? Nope. Nothing.

5. Absentee landlords hoarding empty properties now face a 1.5 per cent tax on the value of their vacant house. This is targeted at the Chinese using Australia as a place to shelter their money. We haven't even considered it.

The truth is we have been slow to do anything substantial. We have barely tinkered.

The previous government also stood by as prices soared and the working poor were squeezed.

But this lot have fuelled the fire by overseeing record immigration. Latest figures show 67,600 new migrants called New Zealand home over the last year.

For the Government it's a sugar hit, like an addiction they can't shake. And we simply don't build enough homes to house all these people.

We have poured fuel on the flames. We have stoked demand and done little to resolve supply. Now people are missing out.

Auckland Council has failed too by limiting growth and not being fast enough to oversee and plan for apartments.

The result? The working poor, the cleaners and factory workers, are being pushed out of their own suburbs.

Immigration, rampant house prices and the demand for jobs are making our poorest Kiwis poorer and more desperate.

John Key and his ministers may try some belated move in the Budget and there's talk of a land tax. Meanwhile both local and foreign investors have been running amok for years. A land tax may not slow them.

The horse has bolted. People are suffering. The time for action was years ago. Any major move now looks belated and driven by the polls.
Huntly's coal generators are to get a four year reprieve.

Life for the Huntly coal generators has been extended for four years, but some residents don't want the closure at all.

Genesis had announced it would close the Huntly power station's two coal-fired Rankine units at the end of 2018, but it said a deal with other generators would see both stay open until December 2022.

Electricity generation would carry on at the Huntly site from the two existing gas-fuelled units: the high-efficiency 400MW "Unit 5", and the smaller 50 MW open cycle "Unit 6".

News of the extension, however, came as little relief to some residents, who were more worried about the town's future than the plant's environmental impacts.

READ MORE:

* Genesis to close last two coal-fired power units at Huntly

* 'Climate fight of 2016' - Genesis U-turn on coal angers Greenpeace

Shirley Stewart has lived in Huntly all her life and said the power station serves a good purpose.

"I think it's a good decision [to extend its life] - it's keeping employment in the town.

"It was put there for a reason ... and in no time they are going to bust it down."

Chanelleh Bate, another born-and-bred local, would be sad to see it go.

"It's Huntly. I grew up here. It's what I know."

She, too, predicted job losses - and not just for station workers. The flow-on effects would hit miners, among others.

Waikato District Mayor Allan Sanson said declining coal distribution from Huntly had prepared the town for a life without the generators.

"Huntly has proven its resilience ... many times over the last 50 years," he said.

Sanson said it was a "business decision" and he didn't expect any great impact on the town.

"The amount of coal coming out of Huntly and the district has reduced over time. This was reinforced last year by announcements by both Solid Energy and Genesis Energy ... In terms of impacts, they will be no greater than what they were at that time."

And residents shouldn't panic yet, as Genesis public affairs manager Richard Gordon said it's too early to tell what will happen in terms of employment. Even with the original closure date of 2018, the number of jobs affected was unclear.

"I couldn't say how many jobs would have been impacted."

Gordon said senior managers visited the site on Thursday morning to discuss the programme of moving forward with the extension.
Police are responding to reports of a helicopter crash in the Lindis Pass.

Police and the Civil Aviation Authority have launched an investigation after a man was killed in a helicopter crash near the Lindis Pass.

A St John spokesman confirmed that one person - a 32-year-old man - was found dead at the scene of the crash east of the Lindis Pass late on Saturday morning.

Do you know more about this? Contact us newstips@stuff.co.nz

The other occupant of the helicopter, a man aged 51, has been flown to Dunedin Hospital with serious head and chest injuries.

A Southern Police spokesperson said the helicopter was believed to be a Robinson R22.

Police have secured the scene and notified the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of the crash.

A full investigation is being conducted by police and the CAA, and officers are currently locating and notifying next of kin.

A St John spokesman said St John was alerted to the incident about 11.30am, and the Otago Rescue Helicopter was dispatched. Due to the remoteness of the location and foggy weather conditions, it did not arrive at the scene until about 12.50pm, he said.

A CAA spokesman said the crash occurred at about 11am. Crash scene investigators were expected to travel to the scene on Sunday to conduct a scene examination, he said.

He believed the crash occurred about 1 kilometre from the Lindis Pass-Tarras Rd.

A Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) spokesman said another helicopter carrying a cliff rescue team was en route from Wanaka.

Senior Sergeant Craig Dinnissen said a beacon was activated shortly before 12 noon.
Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30

Trend:

The US is against any escalation of the violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Mark Toner, US State Department spokesman, during a briefing Apr. 29.

"We don't want to see any escalation in the violence. We abhor such attacks by either side, and we need to see a return to the process that is in place to bring about a peaceful settlement to Nagorno-Karabakh. We call for all sides to de-escalate and to return to the peace process," he said.

Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4) April 28, the Armenian armed forces were firing at the Azerbaijani settlements and the Azerbaijani army positions in the Terter and Aghdam districts of Azerbaijan.

Two people were killed and many more wounded as a result of the Aghdam shelling. At least 84 houses in the district were heavily damaged, some of them completely destroyed.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
John and Joan Robinson didn't see their son for almost eight years before he was found dead on a West Coast beach in 1998.

Easter 2015, sisters Marie Olson and Carole Marinan were having a drink in Hokitika's Railway Hotel.

Across the horseshoe-shaped bar, a group of men were looking their way. They seemed to be talking about them.

The pair grew up in Hokitika and Olson had lived there most of her life. But they were just as recognisable as the aunts of 25-year-old David Robinson, who was found with a bullet hole in his forehead on a beach near Ross in 1998. His killer has never been found.

That was what these guys were talking about.

One of the group, a short, stocky Maori man, was looking straight at Marinan. She heard him say David's name.

"Did you know David Robinson?" she asked him.

"No," the man replied, "But we know who did it."

He gave them a name.

***

Stuart Geal was driving his Land Rover up the beach at Kakapotahi on the West Coast of the South Island, about 40 kilometres south of Hokitika. It was December 28, 1998.

The first calm day after a spell of heavy seas. The coastline was littered with debris thrown up out of the ocean. Gnarled tree stumps, impossibly heavy, sat squat and immovable on the foreshore. A trail of driftwood marked the high tide line along the beach, stretching north into oblivion.

The horizon to the south was punctured by the stout, rocky outcrop known as Bold Head  the moraine of an ancient glacier with windswept native bush smeared across its exterior. Even on a calm day the quiet roar of the ocean filled every silence, as if about to burst to life and distribute more of the forest on to the beach.



Kakapotahi beach with Bold Head in the background.

There were washed up dead seals. Geal and his sister Carol, who sat in the passenger seat, had counted at least half a dozen. It was unusual, they thought.

There's another seal over there," Carol said. It didn't look right.

Geal parked up and wandered over. As he got closer the shape took form. It was bloated body, burnt by the sun, but it wasn't a seal.

It was a man, face down in the sand, wearing only a pair of blue jeans. Had Geal rolled the body over he would have seen the bullet hole in his forehead, but Geal didn't touch a thing. By the look of him, he thought the man must have been dead for some time.

The body was soon identified as David Robinson. There were few other clues about how he died. A right foot size-12 boot with the shoelaces tied together was found near him. There was no sign of a gun.



Senior Constable Denis King in January 1999 with the boot found near David Robinson's body. The glove was eliminated from the inquiry.

"We had no scene, no suspects, no witnesses," retired Detective Senior Sergeant Wayne Stringer says now. "[We had] no evidence other than a body and a locale."

Stringer, who was based in Nelson, headed the investigation. He had an enviable solve rate, including a perfect record on homicides. This case was going to test that.

Police had caught a break identifying Robinson: his right forefinger and thumb were suspended in the air, with prints intact, and they lead straight to his criminal record. David John Robinson had a long history of petty crime and had been arrested a couple of months earlier near Haast on theft charges. He skipped bail after appearing in court in Greymouth. No one had seen him since.



The last known photo of David Robinson alive, taken after his arrest in November 1998.

It wasn't much to go on, but police soon discovered Robinson didn't have much of anything resembling a normal life that might guide an investigation. He was a loner who moved around a lot, often sleeping rough. His parents hadn't seen him in almost eight years and had barely heard from him in at least five.

Food wrappers and tins suggested he had been camping at Kakapotahi recently but he was known to walk long distances at night and lie low during the day. Exactly where he had been or for how long was anyone's guess. He was found on a beach accessible only by fording a lagoon or walking several kilometres along the coast. Except for his arrest record, he was about as anonymous as anyone could realistically be.

***

David Robinson was born in Tokoroa on March 8, 1973. His father John was a bushman, who spent a lot of time in the Ruahine and Kaweka ranges hunting and possum trapping. His mother Joan was a housewife.

John Robinson's love of the outdoors rubbed off on David. His brother Leon, 15 months younger, not so much, but David was a natural. He once caught an eel in the creek at their home near Huntly at a place where nobody caught eels any more, and nabbed a crayfish with his bare hands while on school camp at Raglan. By the time he was at high school he was a good bow hunter and could comfortably live outdoors.

The family moved around a lot. From Tokoroa they went to Australia for five years, then back to Rotongaro, near Huntly, Hamilton and Huntly itself. It was in Sydney that Joan Robinson realised her eldest son was a slow learner. She called into the school one day and found David on the playground during class time.

"I said, 'What are you doing out here?' He said, 'I've been out here all year.' I didn't know. [The teacher] had been putting him out in the playground every morning because he was disruptive and he wasn't learning."

Joan started tutoring David at home but his schooling problems continued. He was easily led and made friends with the wrong kids. He ran away from school one day to escape some bullies, prompting the headmaster to call on the family at home. As a teenager in Huntly he once got into strife with some other kids  bullies again. Things came to a head by the river.

"David couldn't handle it. Rather than handle it he would just go away," Joan says.



Joan and John Robinson with David, bottom left, and his younger brother Leon.

By the time David turned 18 he was eager to leave home.

"He decided he didn't want to live under our rules. Davy wanted to live his own life."

His first stop was Tairua, in the Coromandel, where an uncle had a bach. It didn't go well. After several months he had fallen in with a bad crowd, involved with drugs. He reneged on the rent to his uncle. Someone in the group had a dog that had pups and David got lumped with them. He hid them under the bach so his uncle wouldn't see.

His parents did what they could, taking him food and providing a little money when they could afford it. Eventually the local cop told the group, including David, to leave town. He asked John and Joan if they would consider taking their son back at home. They said no. David was the one who wanted to leave and he needed to learn to look after himself. They would help  they bought him a pack, camping gear and a good bow and arrow for hunting  but the rest was up to him. A cousin gave him a ride out of Tairua.

It was the last time his parents saw him alive.

***

Things were moving slowly on Kakapotahi beach. With little to go on, there were two priorities for the investigation. One was a timeline. David Robinson had been on the beach for some time when his body was found. When did he die? Had anyone seen him since he skipped bail in Greymouth? The other was the beach itself. Was it a murder scene? If not, where did the victim die and how did he get here

These questions have never been precisely answered. Police took a year to decline a request from Stuff to see the investigation file. The pathologist who performed the autopsy declined to comment. Robinson's death remains an open homicide case.

What is known is that David Robinson died from a single gunshot wound to the head, likely from a .22 calibre rifle. Radiating fractures in the skull from the bullet's entry point showed he was shot at point blank range, maybe even with the gun touching his head. "Execution-style" The Press reported at the time.



Detective Senior Sergeant Wayne Stringer, now retired. "If there ever was a whodunit, it was that one".

He was found somewhere around the high-tide mark, a few hundred metres north of Bold Head. Police disagree on whether or not he had been in the ocean. Wayne Stringer believed he hadn't, recalling a lack of sea lice found in the body. Several others said he had. Lindsay Egerton, a detective constable at the time, remembered the body was found on the tide line. "He'd been in the sea. No doubt about that," he says.

This was an important distinction. If the body had been in the ocean, it could have come from anywhere  other parts of the coast or one of the many rivers in the area that flow into the Tasman Sea. The ocean current usually drifted north. Kakapotahi resident Mark Walsh said he once lost a dinghy on the Waitaha River to the south. It washed ashore on the coast about the same place Robinson was found.

If Robinson hadn't been in the water, it seemed likely he died where he was found or close by. There were no signs he had been taken there, Stringer says, and a remote, open beach like Kakapotahi seemed like a curious place to dump a dead body in plain sight. The food containers suggested he'd been staying on the beach (nearby bach owners reported similar items missing after break-ins) but there was little else to tie him to the area. Police and search and rescue teams scoured the coastline and nearby bush for clues.

Kakapotahi farmer Ted Brennan led one team, checking between the Waitaha and Mikonui river mouths. They found one bivvy with food remains.

"It wasn't an established campsite," he says, "Just a place where he might have overnighted."

News reports from the time variously describe two, three or seven nearby campsites police found and potentially linked to Robinson. Whatever the number, they didn't find what they most wanted  his khaki pack.

About a week into the investigation, a matching left size-12 boot was found on the beach 8km north of the body location. The Dominion reported that the police believed the footwear was Robinson's (He was 6'4 and had big feet). Two days later, a blue foam sleeping mat similar to one Robinson was thought to carry was reported found on a beach 10km north of Ross. The dispersal added weight to the theory that Robinson, and his belongings, had been in the water.

If he had been, then when? Robinson had appeared in a Greymouth court on November 11 and his body was found on December 28. That was a big window.

Former Ross resident Jim Grant saw him on the beach north of the Mikonui River mouth in the weeks before his death. He looked to be sleeping in the bushes, he says.

"This big long bugger was lying in the grass there. He had a couple of raw potatoes there beside him and an onion. That must have been what he was eating. I wasn't going to go near him."

Grant confirmed to police the man he saw was David Robinson. A positive sighting in Ross on the night of December 1 narrowed the time of death further. Police used entomological evidence  taking samples of flies and other insects from the body and dating their age  to get the closest estimate: Robinson had died between two and three weeks before he was found.

***

When David Robinson left Tairua he headed south. He stayed in touch with his parents, but only on his terms. He called them collect and never gave a number. He boarded at a house in Rotorua, then went to Taupo, where trouble found him again. This time it was with a gang.

"We were very, very concerned. He'd done the dirty on the gang," Joan Robinson says.

"We don't know what he was involved in [or] who he was mixed up with. He was never up front with names, so we know nothing."

Some time after he left Taupo, David made his way to the South Island. Records show he received a community service sentence in Timaru in 1995 and served a jail term in Invercargill for theft from a car and burglary. He was released in January 1998. His parents remember a letter from David telling them he was in jail, but placed it much earlier than the year he died. After his release, his regular calls dried up, they said, and the near-silence lasted years. When he did call, Joan says he was even less communicative than usual.

"How are you? Are you all right? Where are you? What are you doing? Are you working? Who are you hanging round with? He didn't want to answer. I don't know whether he told us the truth or fobbed us off."

David broke character once, a couple of years before he died, when he called on his maternal grandparents in Hokitika. Dot and Charlie Harding hadn't seen their grandson in years, but didn't know he was estranged from his parents.

"Mum had rung me and said, 'Guess who's here? A surprise'," Joan says.

"I said, 'Who?' and she said 'David.' It was such a shock to us. We couldn't believe it. [We] hadn't heard from him in years at this time."

The next time David entered their lives was when a detective called on them on New Year's Eve, 1998 to inform them of his death. About the same time, Joan's sisters Marie Olson and Carole Marinan were returning to Olson's home in Hokitika from visiting their father, Charlie Harding who was dying of cancer in hospital in Greymouth. The news on the car radio carried a report about the body found on a beach near Ross.

Marinan said: "I hope it's no-one we know."

Detectives were waiting for them when they got home.

"It was just awful," Marinan says, "We couldn't concentrate on anything. We had to shower and go back to Dad. It was mind-boggling. A terrible situation."



Marie Olson, left, and Carole Marinan at Olson's home in Hokitika.

Charlie Harding died on January 5. For a week the family divided their time between hospital visits, police interviews and trips to the beach where David was found. By the time the Robinsons arrived from Rotorua the media were all over the scene.

"We couldn't take anything in," Joan Robinson says.

"We all got in the vehicle and they just chased us everywhere. We just had to stop and John spoke to them off camera. They wouldn't leave us alone."

David Robinson and his grandfather were buried on the same day  January 8, 1999. Robinson at the family plot in Thames, Harding at Hokitika cemetery. Their caskets were lowered into the grave at the same time, 2pm.

***

When Mike MacManus was the sole police officer at Ross, he spent hours driving the network of roads that dissected the dense bush around the town, looking for people who didn't want to be found. Away from the highway the bush swallows the road at every turn. Nobody can see in. The perfect place for growing dope.

When David Robinson was found dead police looked closely for any drug link. The cannabis-growing and whitebaiting seasons start in spring. That's when out-of-towners start showing up in places like Ross with more potting mix than a whitebaiter would ever need. MacManus trawled the area's gravel roads looking for such people.

"Every now and again you bump into someone," he says, "Someone who just doesn't want to see you and immediately you see them weaving down the road because they just wish they weren't there."

Robinson died in the height of the cannabis season, when growers would have been tending their plants. Did he get make some bad friends? Show up at the wrong place at the wrong time? Police used a helicopter to search the area around Bold Head but found no nearby crops.

They looked at growers known to be in the area, as well. Stringer recognised the name the stocky Maori guy gave to Olson and Marinan in the pub. He was a violent man, a cannabis grower, known to cause trouble. Police looked at him "pretty hard", Stringer says, but in the end he was alibied out.

There was another man police looked at closely. He and a companion had been staying at a bach south of Kakapotahi for several months before Robinson's death. The pair were from South Canterbury.

"You always treat every east coaster that goes to these remote places at certain times of year as . . . it ain't normal," MacManus says.

In August, the man's companion disappeared when a dinghy the pair were in capsized after being swept out to sea. The man managed to swim back to shore. There was no evidence his companion's fate was suspicious (the coroner ruled the death a drowning in 2000), but MacManus didn't like it. The man had a record that included violent crimes.

"He was definitely one person I actually thought was a likely suspect," he says.

"By the time we got there, [to the bach after the drowning] . . . his place was perfectly cleaned up. Two rough guys like that living together definitely would have been dope smokers, and it was very, very clean."

When Robinson died, the man was still at the bach, though not a full-time resident. He made a habit of calling on MacManus to drop off some whitebait and took an unnatural interest in the case.

"[He would] sit, have a cup of tea with me. 'Anything happening? Guys having any luck today?' He was just interested. And he was not that type of person."

MacManus wasn't alone in his suspicions. Lindsay Egerton was among the investigators who followed the man to Canterbury to interview him.

"He was reacting in the wrong sort of manner to what he should have been for what we were talking about," Egerton says.

"Tell-tale signs of a guy that's not telling the truth."

The man in question died in a farm accident in 2004. Police suspicions about him appear to have reached Robinson's family.

"A cop told John and I that [he was] 99.9 per cent sure that that was the guy that did it but [he would] never be able to prove it because he died," Joan says.

The man's brother, who still lives in Canterbury, didn't know he was a suspect. His brother never mentioned the case before his death.

"I don't know if he would have shot somebody. He had a few bad things [but] he'd never really had firearms.

"[But] I didn't know a lot of the stuff he did to be fair because he was sort of in a different way of life. He sort of left home at about 15 and did his own thing a bit. He lived a bit of hard life there for a while."

Wayne Stringer, who headed the initial police investigation, has his own theory on what happened. He believes Robinson committed suicide. Pathology showed skull fractures separate to the bullet wound that looked to be pre-existing and could have been incurred when he tried to evade arrest in Haast.

Cell mates and medical records from his time on remand in Greymouth showed he was suffering from severe headaches, Stringer says. A .22 rifle was among items reported missing from nearby baches. Away from civilisation, with no pain relief, he believes the headaches may have been too much for Robinson to bear.

Other officers are adamant Robinson was murdered. News reports at the time describe suicide being "all but ruled out" for forensic reasons but the theory, like all the others, cannot be discarded. Heavy seas in the days before Robinson's body was found could have washed a rifle away.

"It was just a total mystery," Stringer says, "That was the only thing that really fitted."

***

John and Joan Robinson have spent the last 11 years living in Australia. John worked in and around Perth as a diesel mechanic, having long given up the bushman game. Joan worked in healthcare. They moved home in February.

Soon after they arrived, they went to Greymouth police station. Carole Marinan sent police an email after her conversation with the stocky man at the Railway Hotel last year, but got no reply. A follow-up note also went unacknowledged. The Robinsons wanted to know what, if anything, had happened.

Their inquiries drew a phone call from a detective sergeant, who said he hoped to meet them in early March. They heard nothing. They called into the police station again, but the detective wasn't in. Another phone message went unanswered.



John and Joan Robinson moved back to New Zealand in February. They plan to settle in Timaru.

Tasman police crime manager Detective Inspector Paul Borrell says Stuff's request required a review of the Robinson file, which unearthed "some avenues of inquiry" that investigators were pursuing. Police had also received several pieces of new information recently they were looking in to. A detective in Greymouth was handling the new leads.

The Robinsons remain hopeful the case will be resolved. This month they visited Kakapotahi beach for the first time since the days after their son's death.

"We know that even though he died in a horrible way, he died in a beautiful place," Joan says.

"Maybe John and I did things wrong. We're always going to regret that we didn't do things right. I think if we had our time over we'd do things completely different but you don't, do you?"



John and Joan Robinson, Marie Olson and Carole Marinan embrace on the site where David was found.

Few pictures of David Robinson exist today. Most of his parents' photos were stolen from storage after they moved to Australia and a computer crash destroyed digital copies. John Robinson, 69, was recently diagnosed with dementia, giving him a perilous hold on the memories he still has.

One image sticks with him. It is one of the last photos taken of David, aged about 18, soon to leave home and looking happy. It sits on the mantelpiece. John Robinson turns to it when he recalls his son. David, his framed head cocked to the side, looks back. That is what his father remembers.

"That picture . . . That boy. That's the one. That's our son."



David Robinson 1973-1998
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

The resident of the Afetli village of Azerbaijan's Aghdam district, Elnur Mammadov, wounded in the Armenian shelling on the night of April 28, continues his treatment in the district's central hospital, chief of the hospital's medical staff Bakhtiyar Akhverdiyev told Trend Apr. 30.

He said that Mammadov was operated on and at the moment his condition is assessed as fair. "There are no serious complications, the treatment continues in the hospital room, and in the near future he will be sent to outpatient treatment," Akhverdiyev said.

He went on to add that the condition of three of the seven injured is not serious, and they were transferred to Barda city medical diagnostic center.

Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4) April 28, the Armenian armed forces were firing at the Azerbaijani settlements and the Azerbaijani army positions in the Terter and Aghdam districts of Azerbaijan.

Two people were killed and many more wounded as a result of the Aghdam shelling. At least 84 houses in the district were heavily damaged, some of them completely destroyed.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
CB considers new authority for banking/finance supervision View(s):

The Central Bank (CB), in a bid to strengthen monitoring of banks and finance companies, is considering removing its supervisory functions for and setting up a separate authority which will report to the Monetary Board. This will be quite like the Financial Conduct Authority in UK, CB Governor Arjuna Mahendran told the Business times. He said the CB, with assistance by CBs former Deputy Governor, Joan de Silva (currently on her second stint at CB as a consultant) is redrafting the rules pertaining to this move. The Financial Conduct Authority role includes protecting consumers, keeping the industry stable, and promoting healthy competition between financial service providers.

Currently CBs Bank Supervision Department handles regulation and supervision of licensed bank and the Non-Bank Financial Institutions.

Mr. Mahendran was of the view that supervision is a full time job and needs more beefing up as opposed to the on-site and off-site supervision thats done by these two departments. (Separating) this department and setting up a new authority with a larger and senior set of managers makes sense, he said. He also mentioned that there are a host of dubious entities in furthest corners of the country which are operating that CB isnt aware of. More strengthening of a Supervision Division will arrest these issues, he said. What we want to do is to aim to ensure that firms have a resilient infrastructure, with strong risk management, individual accountability and a responsible culture.
Faux pas by the Finance Ministry View(s):

Was it a faux pas, blunder or simple inefficiency that led to a major gaffe in the latest gazette missile to the business community? Last weeks gazette pertaining to export proceeds being brought back to the country forthwith to boost sagging foreign exchange reserves is said to be a comedy of errors. Is it an April Fools joke? one expert asked, since the gazette, though announced on Friday, April 22 was actually dated April 1. According to experts, any attempt to ask exporters to bring back their proceeds should also have an order identifying the countries. Without that, the gazette would have to be revised or issued afresh. This is not the first time the Finance Ministry has blundered. Its happening so frequently that the business community is now prone to await a statement of clarification from the Prime Minister whenever the Finance Ministry drops a brick.

As stated in last weeks Sunday Times coverage on the sudden government order for exporters to bring back their proceeds within a week (for exports prior to April1) and 90 days for contracts after April1, the move was a re-enactment of the old 1970s era where foreign exchange was completely controlled. Ironically Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake used the same draconian Exchange Control Act that he vowed in his November 2015 budget speech to repeal, to crack the whip on errant exporters. It was also contrary to what Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said last November in parliament, that foreign exchange management would be removed from the Central Bank.

The use of the draconian legislation was the talk of the town in business circles last week with many captains of industry saying this was a reversal of the governments stated objective of easing controls and bureaucracy to infuse more energy into the effort to attract foreign investors.

It was also pointed out that even though exports proceeds are repatriated, they are entitled to be parked in Foreign Exchange Earners Account (FEEA) which allows account holders to use this as and when desired without restriction. Some argue that even though export proceeds are brought back and deposited in these accounts, the user would the account holder and not the government. However it is also argued, that when the proceeds come through the money markets, it would boost foreign exchange reserves and allow the Central Bank (CB) some breathing space to manoeuvre these funds to meet urgent payments. Meanwhile the CB was in a bit of a muddle this week over two announcements, the monthly monetary review and the banks annual report for 2015. While the media was first informed that the monetary review would be announced by the Governor Arjuna Mahendran at a 5 pm media briefing on Tuesday,

the media invitation was later changed to a briefing on the release of the annual report. When reporters arrived at the CB auditorium, senior officials were present sans the Governor who was attending another meeting of the Monetary Board. After about 45 minutes, a few exasperated journalists left the yet-to-start briefing saying they had to rush back due to deadlines. While they were waiting, announcements on the annual report and the monetary review were separately emailed to the media. The CB annual report is silent on the structural reforms as proposed by the Prime Minister in his Economic Policy Statement in Parliament last November, which according to our economic columnist (see column on this page) was supposed to be the economic roadmap in the medium term.

Prof. S. Colombage also says that while there doesnt seems to be a firm commitment on the part of the government to launch a robust reform package to deal with the macroeconomic imbalances, given the contrasting ideologies within the coalition government amid outside pressures, it would be rather difficult to implement a rigorous reform package which may have political disadvantages. This was evident when the UNP-faction in the government announced increases in VAT it was reversed by the President to exempt water, electricity, drugs, and fruits and vegetables. Apart from last weeks fiasco, the CB, in addition to its usual duties as a banking regulator, is battling on three other controversial fronts  money siphoned out a local account from the Bangladeshi Central Bank, Sri Lankans allegedly implicated in the Panama tax evasion fiasco and lack of transparency over Treasury bond issues.

The responses to these issues have been unconvincing to say the least. The lack of a proper and competent spokesperson for both the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank is a disadvantage not only to the media but also the government. The Finance Minister is not always accessible while the CB Governor is the only authorised speaker at the banking regulation, again not accessible all the time. In the midst of these issues, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa dropped an economic landmine (to borrow a phrase the Prime Minister used at a recent media briefing) on Thursday accusing the government of taking US$7,436 million in foreign loans since January 2015, nearly half of which has to be paid back before the end of this year. That is apart from the hundreds of billions of rupees the government has been borrowing in the domestic market by issuing treasury bills and bonds.

Now the government is trying to collect taxes from the people to repay these debts. By the time I left office in January 2015, the debt to GDP ratio was 75.5%  the lowest since 1979. Even if the debt of all public enterprises is added to the government debt, the debt to GDP ratio will still be much lower than it was more than a quarter of a century ago, he said in a statement. Amidst all these problems, there was good news. On Friday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that Sri Lankas request for a loan facility of US$1.5 billion in addition to other funds had been approved subject to approval by the fund board in June. The disbursement of these much-needed funds would be after next months approval. The injection of IMF funds would not only instill confidence in the economy and act as a positive signal to other donors but also create a good platform to attract more foreign investment, which still is on the low side.
Legal reforms frame to handle sick SOEs View(s):

The government is to gradually withdraw from state ownership/management of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) by listing some of those in the share market, find strategic investors, resort to outright sale or private management as the countrys economic prospects are severely constrained by its underperformance. Legal reforms will be made in corporate bankruptcy laws to facilitate the handling of sick enterprises as maintaining the SOEs are the worst possible option for a country aiming to be competitive internationally, government sources said. Under the proposed amendments to bankruptcy laws, SOEs will be exempt from the application of the provisions contained in any section of the Act or determine that the passing of any resolution or exercise any power by the shareholders and for the Board of Directors of any SOEs should not be passed, done or effected without the prior approval of the subject minister and the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers.

A firm decision has been taken to close down and liquidate sick SOEs and restructure other entities except Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWS&DB), Sri Lanka Railways and a few others, official sources disclosed. For these public utility entities, the first step would be to move to cost-reflective-pricing. Social protection objectives should be met by targeted income transfers (and cross-subsidisation) rather than unaffordable subsidies. Options should also to be considered to greater competition to provide people with cheaper and better quality services, sources said. They said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was of the view that state enterprises need to be run on a commercial footing  to avoid losses and the need for financing these losses from state banks.

To accomplish this, these corporations need to be run with the ability to set prices to cost recovery (plus a margin to service investment needs and debts). It is our understanding that the government is already considering automatic pricing mechanisms that could be used to this effect. This was also emphasised by Kalpana Kochhar , Deputy Director in the Asia and Pacific Department of the IMF in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Times. Sri Lankas 55 major SOEs out of a total of 127 are to be transformed to profitable ventures with a new management under an independent asset holding company like Singapores Temasek Model to manage those entities, hopefully ending accumulated losses year after year. The present administration, which intends to follow the same format, is likely to transfer currently government-held shares of SOEs to an entity modelled in line with Temasek.

The past performance reports of the Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Finance, identifies a number of factors that contribute to the large losses incurred by the SOE sector. Loss-making SOEs continue to incur losses due to lack of good governance, low productive use of employees, weak financial management, lack of internal controls and structural deficiencies. It is noted that Boards of Management of some key SOEs, which have often made decisions that were neither socially nor economically viable, violating government policies nor regulations, contributed significantly to the losses incurred by SOEs, a government note on the issue has stated. -(Bandula)
More drama at Entrust: Audit finds 8 new accounts View(s):

The scandal-hit primary dealer Entrust Securities (Entrust) has had a new twist in its saga with The Central Bank  ordered forensic audit conducted by the KPMG auditors, with the discovery of eight other accounts that Entrust monies have gone into, informed sources said. The Central Bank (CB) has contracted KPMG to carry out an extended forensic audit on the entire Entrust group after this new information, a source told the Business Times. He said that the CB had also requested two commercial banks to look into personal accounts of some Entrust directors in an attempt to get the complete trail of cash gone missing in the company.

They have already identified that certain transactions through the company have been routed to personal accounts of some top officials.

Its a massive scam. They (Entrust) have issued repurchase agreements without underlying government guarantees, a senior CB official told the Business Times. The CB took over the crisis-hit firm on January 5 and handed it to a management team from NSB after it was revealed that liabilities far exceeded assets. According to latest data, Entrust owes Rs. 5.3 billion to just three institutions  and the two on top of the list are CB and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). -(DEC)
Panama Papers data to be released on May 9 View(s):

The Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists -(ICIJ) is scheduled to publish on May 9 the largest-ever release of information about secret offshore companies and the people behind them, based on data from the controversial Panama Papers investigation.

At least three (still to be identified) Sri Lankan companies and their associates are said to be among the data collated by journalists in a massive exposure that has so far led to the resignation of Icelands Prime Minister. In Colombo, an advisor to Megapolis Minister Champika Ranawaka resigned after his name figured in a list of offshore accounts released in an earlier ICIJ probe, but which was carried by local websites a few weeks ago. In an April 27 announcement, the ICIJ said its searchable database will include information about more than 200,000 companies, trusts, foundations and funds incorporated in 21 tax havens, from Hong Kong to Nevada in the United States.

This release is the next step in our ongoing year-long investigation; ICIJ and its partners will continue to investigate and publish more stories in the weeks and months to come, it said. ICIJ said the impact of Panama Papers has been epic. The investigation has led to high profile resignations, including the prime minister of Iceland; triggered official inquiries in multiple countries; and put pressure on world leaders and other politicians, such as Britains Prime Minister David Cameron, to explain their connections to offshore companies. It sparked a new sense of urgency among lawmakers and regulators to close loopholes and make information about the owners of shell companies public, it said. The data comes from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, one of the top players in the offshore world.

It links to people in more than 200 countries and territories. When the data is released, users will be able to search through the data and visualize the networks around thousands of offshore entities, including, when possible, Mossack Fonsecas internal records of the companys true owners. The interactive database will also include information about more than 100,000 additional companies that were part of the 2013 ICIJ Offshore Leaks investigation. ICIJ said it wont release personal data en masse; the database will not include records of bank accounts and financial transactions, emails and other correspondence, passports and telephone numbers. The selected and limited information is being published in the public interest.

The Panama Papers investigation revealed the secret offshore dealings of world leaders and other politicians as well as criminals and celebrities. It exposed the role of big banks in facilitating secrecy and tax evasion and avoidance. And it showed how companies and individuals blacklisted in the U.S. and elsewhere for their links to terrorism, drug trafficking and other crimes were able to do business through offshore jurisdictions.

In the US, where several states act as tax havens for people from all over the world, President Barack Obama commented on the Panama Papers revelations and said global tax avoidance facilitated by secrecy jurisdictions is a huge problem. The president added that a lot of it is legal, but thats exactly the problem. Its not that theyre breaking the laws, its that the laws are so poorly designed.
RFPs to be issued for SriLankan Airlines By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera and Bandula Sirimanna Investment bank or consultant to restructure national carrier View(s): View(s):

The Ministry of Public Enterprise Development is looking for an investment bank or a consultancy firm to facilitate the process of seeking a foreign partner to manage and invest in the ailing national carrier, SriLankan Airlines. Well issue the Request for Proposal (RFP) within the next three weeks calling for a financial adviser to restructure the national carrier, its minister Kabir Hashim told the Business Times. He said once the RFPs are shortlisted, based on the proposals they will look for an equity or a management partner. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told reporters on Tuesday that the state will absorb debt at SriLankan Airlines amounting to US$ 3.2 billion while an order for four A350 aircraft has been cancelled.

The national carrier suffered a loss of 16.329 billion rupees (US$112 million) according to its last 2014-2015 annual report while assets stood at 78,158 billion rupees ($535 million). The government has promised to retain the airlines 7,800-workforce. Were looking for expertise on a (new) model for SriLankan. He added that officially they havent got any proposals by any investor, but unofficially many investors have shown interest. One such is the Qataris. A January 2016 meeting between Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo has triggered speculation that the Doha carrier may be eyeing the airline. Industry sources said that Etihad was another interested party.

Other sources said that a consultancy firm will be selected soon to expedite the RFP process with immediate effect. The ministry has been directed to hold discussions with KPMG, Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers and decide who should be assigned advisory services for the RPF process, the sources said. In another move, the Treasury has been directed to absorb total liabilities of SriLankan Airlines amounting to Rs.461 billion (US$3.2 billion) including payments of $2.3 billion to purchase eight A350 entered into by the Rajapaksa regime. The airline has been struggling since 2008 due to political interference in airline operations, mismanagement, rising oil prices (at one point in time) and competition from other carriers.

Govt. stakes in Hilton, 2 hotels to be sold The Ministry of Public Enterprise Development, similar to restructuring the national carrier, is in the process of restructuring key state-owned enterprises with the three hotels owned by the state; Hilton, Grand Oriental and yet-to-be opened Hyatt; being the first on the list, its minister Kabir Hashim said. Were gauging on how to maximise the value of these, he said adding that plans are to either totally or partially divest them. He said proposals pertaining to this are actively being discussed. He pointed out that the plantations sector is another thats thoroughly mismanaged to the extent that some worker statutory payments havent been made. Mr. Hashim said that several investors  both local and foreign have approached his ministry for investment in projects at state owned plantations involving dairy, new crops, tourism. Cargills for an example is interested in a dairy project and we have already identified it under the Janatha Estates Development Board (JEDB). We gave them the nod to give us a proposal. Mr. Hashim added that in all these proposals pertaining to the plantation sector, the state is eyeing the project on a total lease hold basis or will claim an equity stake.
Seylan Bank to get new Chairman By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera Posts PAT of Rs. 720 mln for Q-1 2016 View(s): View(s):

Seylan Bank will get a new chairman next week, according to sources close to the bank. The bank, on the back of posting Profit after Tax reaching Rs. 720 million, for the three months ended 31st March 2016, a per cent increase over the Rs. 691 million reported in the corresponding period of 2015, will bid adieu to its current chairman, 70-year old Nihal Jayamanna next week, in line with good governance practices of the Central Bank which requires directors over 70 years to step down. State entities  Bank of Ceylon, EPF, ETF and Sri Lanka Insurance which collectively owns 35 per cent in Seylan will suggest their nominee, who according to these sources is a former chairman of a large commercial bank. They have called for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) and will also propose to appoint new board directors, sources said.

Presently the state entities are in dispute with other shareholders pertaining to the new appointments. Seylans Net Interest income increased from Rs. 2,805 million to Rs. 2,939 million, a 4.8 per cent increase for the three months ended 31st March 2016. Net fee and Commission income increased 23.6 per cent from Rs. 562 million to Rs. 695 million during Q-1 2016. The bank reported a net credit growth of 4.27 per cent with net advances growing from Rs. 193,103 million to Rs 201,350 million during Q-1 2016, a Seylan media release said. During Q-1 2016, the bank grew its deposit base from Rs. 224,525 million to Rs. 225,445 million. The banks low cost deposit base comprising current and savings accounts (CASA) stood at 36.9% of the total deposit base as at end March 2016.
May Day: Workers unite to boost their political leaders! View(s):

Todays May Day rallies are of political significance rather than a means of improving the conditions of workers. The rallies demonstrate the relative strengths of parties. Ideological slogans and political accusations will not improve the lot of workers. Rapid economic growth coupled with social legislation is what would improve the living standards of workers.

Slogans on the economy

The crowds at the opposition rallies would shout condemning the economic policies of the government and blame the government for the current economic crisis. Those at the UNP rally would shout vociferously condemning the previous government as strongly.

It is not difficult to envisage the slogans on economic issues at todays May Day rallies. One of the dominant slogans at the opposition rallies would be resistance to the IMF loan and conditions attached to it. Opposition to the proposed Value Added Tax (VAT) would no doubt figure prominently. It is worth examining and discussing these slogans on economic issues.

IMF loan

The slogans opposing the IMF loan may not be clear as to whether they object to obtaining the IMF loan or whether they are only against the conditions attached to it. Opposition to the IMF loan is hypocritical as the Mahinda Rajapaksa government too was rescued in 2009 by an IMF Stand-By Arrangement of US$ 2.6 billion that was completed in July 2012.

It is difficult to imagine the plight of the economy and country had the IMF not provided this facility. Is the opposition short of memory and forgotten that it too borrowed from the IMF? Is it a case of What is sauce for the goose is not sauce for the gander?

If the opposition is for obtaining the IMF loan, then in effect they are advocating that loans should be obtained at higher interest cost from commercial lenders or having other cheaper sources in mind or not borrowing at all? Cheaper sources are not available though some temporary facilities and accommodation is possible. The government has obtained such arrangements, but these will not resolve the critical situation in the balance of payments and external reserves.

If the IMF loan facility is not obtained, then the current economic conditions would deteriorate and result in enormous burdens on the poor as happened in 1970-77, when essential commodities such as rice, wheat flour bread, sugar, milk powder, drugs and textiles, among other essentials were in short supply or not available. The stark truth is that since we import so many of our essentials, the foreign reserves have to be stronger to import these.

Conditions

May be the vociferous opposition is not for the IMF loan per se, but the conditions attached to it. This again is a gross misunderstanding of economics. Much of the current economic crisis was brought about by bad fiscal policies and inadequate fiscal and monetary measures to control the deteriorating external finances. Most conditions imposed are those of good financial and economic management. It was the lack of good fiscal management and monetary and exchange rate management by both the Rajapaksa government and the coalition government that brought about the crisis.

Revenue

Government revenue has to be increased much above the current inadequate 12 per cent of GDP. The IMF conditions are mainly focused on minimising tax exemptions, tax avoidance and tax evasion and making the tax collection system more efficient. These are essential requirements to achieve fiscal consolidation that is essential for economic stability.

VAT

A specific bone of contention is that these conditions would bring about a higher cost of living, especially by the imposition of VAT on basic items. There is no doubt that VAT would increase prices of several items so as to both reduce consumption and increase revenue. The President has assured that VAT will not be imposed on foods and medicines.

Progressive taxation

The government must impose tax increases on commodities that fall on the affluent. Ways and means must be found to collect higher taxes from the rich that have evaded and avoided taxes for a long time. A tax regime that does not leave loop holes and are easily and automatically collected from affluent consumption is much needed. The tax system is highly regressive and fall heavily on the poor and the lower income earners, while the rich evade taxes. This is a tolerance of the intolerable in Amartya Sens words.

Higher growth

The joint Opposition rally would no doubt shout ad nauseam that the previous government achieved a higher rate of growth and did not have an economic crisis on their hands. This is superficially correct. The growth rate in 2010-2014 was an average 7 per cent, though it was tapering off in the latter years. This growth was however propelled by high cost foreign funded infrastructure projects that was a basic reason for the subsequent financial problems. Consequently the foreign debt increased nearly twofold from US$ 21 to US$ 43 billion during this period and debt servicing became a serious burden. This was a core reason for the balance of payments crisis in 2016.

Dire straits

The workers who march the streets today shouting slogans are perhaps unaware of the dire straits the economy is in. The government rallies would blame the previous government for bringing about the crisis. This is largely true as the successive large fiscal deficits raised the public debt to enormous propositions and the foreign funding for expensive infrastructure projects doubled the foreign debt.

The foreign debt servicing together with the large trade deficits brought about the crisis in the balance of payments. While the opposition charge that the national government caused the crisis is inaccurate, that it aggravated the situation is incontrovertible. Populist policies to gain votes by both governments were the reasons for this crisis, it is now imperative that the government follows sound fiscal and monetary policies to redeem the economy and achieve economic stability.

Bottom line

The interests of workers can only be achieved by policies that ensure economic stability and provide a climate for higher domestic and foreign investment. Higher investments that generate economic growth are what would ultimately improve the conditions of workers, reduce unemployment and reduce poverty. The experiences of East and South East Asia, China and India have demonstrated this convincingly.
Why not ask new IGP to catch these rogues, Mr. President? Fight is between crooks and SLFP faithful says Maithripala at media heads meeting View(s): View(s):

At long last the President has come to the end of his tether. Finally it seems the message has hit home. The realisation has dawned that the impudent mischief of some members of his own party, working hand in glove with the leaders of one-man bands to create political instability and cause havoc in the body politic, can no longer be tolerated.

Atrocious behaviour displayed sans a blush in the recent past has condemned the rebels beyond the pale of political rehabilitation. They have realised that the gravity of their transgressions has made atonement impossible. Having burnt their bridges, the only course left for them to charter is the one that has their chosen leader Mahinda Rajapaksas footprint embedded on it. Having gone down that road thus far they have crossed the point of no return and have no option but to beat the drums they have tied to their torsos and dance the dance of the marionettes as bidden by the master puppeteer.

They have much to offer Mahinda Rajapaksa. They form the boisterous tub thumping segment in the Rajapaksa Road Show, heralding the imminent return of their demi god to the sceptred seat of power. They form the vanguard of the perehera announcing the third coming of the great saviour who will take them to the Promised Land and deliver them from the fear of keeping their tryst with justice. They serve the useful purpose of creating an image that a massive demand exists to enthrone the fallen idol again though none exists to write home about.

By conjuring such a vision of mass clamour, of a distraught public wailing their misfortune in having succumbed to folly and getting rid of the countrys saviour, the aim of the rebel pack is to buckle the forward march of the Maithripala Government, in the singular hope that, with the nation so embroiled in conflict and confusion, the day of retribution will be deferred, the hand of justice will be stayed.

That is the hope and service they give to Mahinda Rajapaksa in abundance. But for the nations people they have nothing to offer but their curses and the chaos of their circus. And this morning at Kirulapone they will be at it again, usurping the international Day of the Worker to unscrupulously advance their own sinister political agenda coupled with their masters vendetta.

The internal squabbles of a political party need not unduly trouble the public. But when it spills out onto the streets and even leads to internecine war and threatens the political stability of this country then it becomes a cause of grave concern for all and justifies intervention. Ever since Maithripala Sirisena was elected as the President, a disgruntled Mahinda Rajapaksa has refused to accept the verdict of the people and has not allowed the country to be governed unmolested to give effect to the aspirations of her teeming millions.

Even before the new President could get down to spring clean the mess Rajapaksa left behind and think what to do with the fungus-ridden, worm-infested, rancid piece of foul smelling margarine-based pseudo Butter Cake, which the former president said last week was his parting gift to President Sirisena, Rajapaksa had the brazenness to stake his claim to the presidency again, even before the purple ink had disappeared from the voters little finger. Soon after his convincing defeat at the polls, he used his hangers on to convey the message to the people of his intended comeback. Thus began the Nugegoda rally held by the Rajapaksa rebels who launched on his behalf, the Bring Back Mahinda campaign.

Though it met with dismal disaster at the August 17th general election, when the electorate graphically showed that the only comeback left for Mahinda Rajapaksa was not even as a possible prime minister but only as a mere member of the Kurunegala district, the perseverance of Rajapaksa to draw his sword against the windmills did not falter; nor did his resolve wane. The greater the setback to a comeback, the greater was his manic desperation to repeat the exercise in folly. It occupied the whole of last year. It is still with us and shows no sign of flagging, fuelled as it is by the hallelujahs of his rebel supporters.

For the past 16 months, the President has tried his best to bring the rebels into line. The SLFP party secretary has issued warnings and threats to the dissidents not to attend Mahinda rallies. But it cut no dice. The rebels have insolently called the party leaders bluff at every turn and carried on regardless and thrived on their truancy. In the absence of any deterrent punishment for violating party discipline, such hollow threats served only to evoke scorn; and to embolden them further. The impression created in the public eye was that discipline in the SLFP had fled to brutes and that the party chairman was sparing the rod and spoiling the children of a dethroned deity. And the question has often been asked how the president can maintain discipline in the country if he cannot instil discipline into his party?

But the suns transit this April 13th to the constellation of Aries, which heralds the New Year, has, it appears, also brought in its wake a reawakening of the promised Yahapalana dawn: the renewal of the pre-election oath sworn before the nation to crackdown on mega corruption and bring to justice the criminals in the Rajapaksa regime.

After 16 months of indulging the vile antics of the rebels and tardiness in fulfilling his crackdown pledges, the Presidents patience has finally run out. Last Saturday, exactly a week after Maithripalas head was anointed with oil and ayurvedic medicinal Nuga Path Yusha Mishra Nanu at the auspicious time of 10.41 am while dressed in blue and facing west, the President seems to have been stiffened in his resolve that enough was enough.

At a political meeting in Ambalangoda he kicked off his new determination to keep his old promise by declaring that had he known of the harassment he would receive from the Mahinda faction he would not have accepted the chairmanship of the SLFP. He said he had expected the same degree of cooperation past leaders of the party had received and enjoyed from the membership but it had not been forthcoming. Yet, as the SLFP leader, I am ready to stand up to these harassments, he declared defiantly.

His determination to stand up and be counted as a powerful force to be reckoned with and not a sorry mat for rebels to wipe their muddied feet in contempt was again demonstrated when he declared on Monday at Medirigiriya that he would take several new political decisions after May 1st for the betterment of the country and its people which would prevent the corrupt forces that had abused state power from regaining power. I would not disappoint the people who had voted to bring this new government to power in the hope of creating a clean political culture and a free country, he said.

Then on Wednesday, addressing newspaper editors and media heads at a breakfast meeting held at Presidents House where the now iconic hopper was significantly not on the menu, the President declared that his government was not for toppling. He had done his arithmetic and he showed the sums to the invited media guests.

He said: The UNF has 108 and the UPFA 95. Therefore no one clearly has 113. If someone is making a new Government in a conspiratorial manner, without the consent of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and without my blessings, they should show 113 in Parliament. To show that 113, they should begin with the UPFA. Can they get the entire 95? They cant. Then lets say they can at least take 50 from that 95. Then they need another 63 to show the 113.

Those who thought they could topple the Government will see their dream unfulfilled, he said. Furthermore in the eyes of the President, they were a band of rogues, thugs and fraudsters. There is no crisis in the SLFP, he stated confidently. It is only a fight between the rogues, thugs and fraudsters on one side and the SLFP faithful who are committed to taking Bandaranaikes policies and principles forward on the other.

If that is indeed the case and if those who are wrecking the nations future by conspiring to sabotage the work of the Government at every turn are, by the presidents own reckoning, indeed rogues, thugs and fraudsters, what is the president waiting for? Does it not behove him to order the newly appointed IGP to catch the rogues pronto and file indictments under the already existing laws contained in the Penal Code?

Rogues should not be allowed to roam the countryside and enjoy the broad acres of the land freely, now should they? Or for that matter, be allowed to travel abroad as they wish without any guarantee they may flee the nations jurisdiction for good and enjoy undisturbed in foreign climes, the plundered wealth of the people stashed in some secret off-shore account? They should be where they rightfully belong: behind bars.

For far too long the people have watched in bewilderment why the Maithripala-Ranil Government has allowed the Rajapaksa circus to perpetrate their grotesque farce on the nation and blight local and international confidence in the stability of the Government and hinder the nations progress.

It is also affecting the nation in many unseen ways. Saddled as Lanka is with a massive economic crisis largely as a result of Rajapaksa regime corruption and squander, it compels the Government to concentrate all its energies on ascending the pit of international debt and promoting the economic life of the people. But due to the Rajapaksa factor, this has not been entirely possible since the presidential focus must also fall on getting rid of the nations bane.

As the President revealed on Wednesday he has given top priority to thwart the return of Rajapaksa to power and would give precedence to taking constitutional and legal measures to block the return of the defeated former ruling clan.

Welcome as his resolve is, shouldnt he start by ordering the IGP to investigate the truths contained in the claim he made against those rogues conspiring to rock the Yahapalana boat? And keep his promise of not disappointing the people who had voted to bring this new Government to power in the hope of creating a clean political culture?

WANTED: Parents seek loaded hubby for high flying bird

Once she was the bird of paradise in her doting papas eyes. Times were such then that he was even prepared to hock the family silver or, if that didnt suffice, sell his last shirt to keep her in fine fettle and maintain her in the extravagant style to which she was accustomed from birth.Then did she soar sky-high, flying with those of the same exotic feather in majestic flight. She was smoother than silk and with her enchanting smile, had a way with people that made all who met her feel she really moved her tail for them. She lived today to the full for she knew tomorrow would be more expensive. What a great way to fly high, many who knew her thought often at a time when hers was the earth and sky. But now hard times have fallen on the family coffers and as dark clouds gather to shroud her fate in a pall of gloom, she appears a somewhat grotesque sight in the fast fading dying light. Now, having done nought for her expensive upkeep, she resembles nothing more than a worn out crow even the family is trying to shoo away from perching on their gate as she circles overhead cawing for more and more of the fast depleting dough. Having run through her inheritance and become an unaffordable burden on her fathers now threadbare pockets, the time has come for an inevitable parting of the ways, to leave the family nest which has become too small to cradle her profligacy. She must be given away  the sooner the better. A new husband must be found. His race, religion, creed or caste is irrelevant. All that matters is the size of his bank account and his ability to service her interest and carry the heavy baggage of her debt. As long as hes loaded to maintain her lifestyle, papa will agree; and she will gladly spread her wings and give the new sugar daddy that old taste of paradise she was once famed to render again. Again? Oh, yes, shes also divorced. And at 37 years of age this year, not exactly a spring chicken either. When she was nearly twenty, she was palmed off to a wealthy sheik from the dusty desert of Arabia in a shot gun wedding that took all by surprise. He took off with her and landed her in his harem where she spent the Arabian nights spinning yarns of how she wooed the world from capital to capital until the bottom threatened to fall out on her fathers finances due to her licentious lifestyle where her late hours became the talk of the town. But Arabs will be Arabs and, though he did not put her in purdah, he placed her under a strict financial regime of discipline and kept a sharp watch over her spending. But the spoilt shrew could not be tamed so easily. Not with an overbearing possessive father who, though broke, was still casting a paternal eye on her and attempting from afar to dictate her future.

When her Arab husband put the shackles on her meeting her control freak dad and, exercising his marital rights, refused her permission to go on a joy ride with papa and his cronies, that was the last straw. The snub infuriated the old man. Down and out he might be but the Arabs refusal was an attack on family honour. Thus enraged, papa immediately had her marriage annulled and brought her home with all the fanfare he could muster. An old family uncle who had once lorded it in the hills overseeing the wages of Indian tea plucking women was thought, on the strength of that record alone, to be the best Svengali to control her. But as it turned out the ageing lothario soon fell for her wiles and not only aided and abetted in her spending sprees but also contributed to the excessive drain on the family fortunes by his own wild extravagance. He became the proverbial fox appointed to run the chicken coop. And didnt he make a meal of it? He turned from staid guardian to lusty paramour and became too cocky for his own good. On her papas money, he flew her from city to city and even encouraged his cronies to enjoy the free rides feasting paradise at poor papas expense. She would take on all comers and he would sign the bills. It was the ideal combination while it lasted. But then papa took ill. And, now the sky seems set to crash down on her and threatens to permanently ground her penchant for high living, free spending exotic jet setting lifestyle. Unless, of course, some foreign playboy with an eye for birds and a predilection to live life in the fast lane on a dangerous plane, can be found to take a flyer on her. The peoples court has appointed a no nonsense chief executor to manage the feudal estate. And, with news of the ruinous state of the family fortunes spreading faster than Mach 3 supersonic speeds, suddenly there seems to be a run on papas bank at almost the same sound barrier breaking speeds. Gossip that much of the wealth has been frittered away on wastage, squandered on extravagance and plundered by family members hasnt helped calm creditors worst fears either. And with claims coming in like the never ending landings at Heathrow, demanding interests on loans taken long time ago, the new executor of the estate has found himself in a quandary on how best to meet the exigency. With the May Day, May Day alarm sounded, he has decided to immediately signal his own SOS: Search out Spouse. On Tuesday the family elders met in council to discuss the perennial problem before the entire family wealth takes a nosedive. It was soon decided to hire tom-tom beaters to blare out the message that the divorcee was ready to walk the aisle again. But how will the selection be done? Will it be in the form of an auction where she will be married off to the highest bidder with cash on the nail at the going down of the hammer? Or will it be in the way Indian princes of yore won their brides  when they had to participate in a swayamvara, a trial of manhood held to test their prowess in wrestling and archery with the all rounder taking home the coveted princess as his winning trophy? Or has some family member already decided on a favourite suitor and has him lined up waiting in the wings until the charade of inviting prospective grooms to view the unveiled bride is over? And when papas multitude of poor relations ask, out of sheer inquisitiveness, what the terms of the dower will be, will the curious kin be politely told it is none of their business?
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

Trend:

Helmut Nowak, a member of the German Bundestag from the CDU/CSU coalition party, has issued a statement on the assaults by the military troops of Armenia against Azerbaijan's territories.

"The Federal Republic of Germany as current chair of the OSCE has announced, that it will engage more in the solution of "frozen conflicts"," Nowak said in his response to The European Azerbaijan Society's inquiry.

"Unilateral aggressions in this context seem to be problematic in many aspects, because they foil the goal of a general ceasefire," he said.

"Germany condemns every violation of international law that is in force," Nowak said. "The current military provocations unfortunately hinder the efforts of the Federal Republic to support peace in the region and to protect the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. In this case the military attacks to the civilian population are very grave."

Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4) April 28, the Armenian armed forces were firing at the Azerbaijani settlements and the Azerbaijani army positions in the Terter and Aghdam districts of Azerbaijan.

Two people were killed and many more wounded as a result of the Aghdam shelling. At least 84 houses in the district were heavily damaged, some of them completely destroyed.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Kuda Hora By Kaveesha Fernando View(s): View(s):

One of the most famous childrens stories ever written in Sri Lanka is celebrating 60 years. This book, tells the story of Kos Mama who went to Colombo for the first time to buy his very first umbrella. He is the first person in his village to own an umbrella. When he returns to the village his umbrella gets stolen! This happens every time he buys another umbrella, and no one can seem to figure out who the thief is.

Can you guess the name of this famous story? Thats right  its Sybil Nandas Kuda Hora. To celebrate this important milestone, an exhibition was held at the J.D.A. Perera Gallery last week. This exhibition was organized with children in mind and there were many fun things to look at and do at the event.

Sybil Wettasinghe was born in Ginthota  a small village in Galle. She wrote Kuda Hora in 1956. This book has won many awards locally and internationally and has been translated into many languages. She feels that the success of her book is something which every Sri Lankan should be proud of. She is currently 88 years old and still continues to create beautiful stories and colourful illustrations.

One of the liveliest parts of the exhibition took place upstairs. In a hall decorated with a 1000 pictures drawn by children across Sri Lanka, something magical took place. This was the enactment of some of Sybil Nandas most famous stories  including Kuda Hora.

The Power of Play Theatre group, who acted out these stories, brought them to life with their enthusiastic performances.

It was an enjoyable event for all the children present and even the grownups, who remember this book from their childhoods.

Sybil Nanda hopes that Kuda Hora will continue to be famous for many years to come! Pix by Amila Gamage
National Workshop on Media Tools Guiding Light View(s): View(s):

Sri Lanka Girl Guides Associations Communications sub-committee organized a National Workshop on Media Tools at the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, Colombo 7 on Saturday March 5, 2016.

The workshop was attended by 130 participants consisting of Little Friends, Girl Guides, Senior Guides, Youth members and Guide leaders from the nine provinces of Sri Lanka.

The participants got an opportunity to learn about the process of tele-production, to visit the main studios and to see the working of the telecasting unit. The workshop was a great success.

The Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association appreciated the efforts taken by the staff members of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation to make this event a success.

The participants from the SLGGA left with hopes of joining the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation in more exciting endeavours in the future.
22 years of MAF View(s):

Moratuwa Arts Forum (MAF) will hold its 22nd Annual General Meeting on Sunday, the 1st May at Sri Palee Hall, Moratuwa commencing at 5.00 p.m.

The chief guest for the occasion will be veteran dance guru Choreographer Chandana Wickramasinghe and Mrs. Dilhanai Wickremasinghe.

The first part of the ceremonial event will be graced by the dancers of Varuni Cooray Dance Academy, followed by a song by Dinesh Gamage with 9 year old Sony Mercedes.

Sony Mercedes is from Moratuwa Youth Forum and a contender for the Derana Dream Star 2016 contest.

As MAF is committed to uplift the hidden talents of Moratuwa, they thought of giving this opportunity to this young girl, who got a golden voice, with tremendous promise for the future said Hemaka Fernando, the President of MAF.

President Fernando will deliver the welcome speech and the chief guest Chandana Wickramasinghe will address the gathering and give his impetus to the up and coming dancers of Moratuwa. MAF will present him the membership for Moratuwa Arts forum on this special day.

Veteran Film Actor and comedian Tennyson Cooray will be awarded with Asoka Peiris Award for his contribution and campaign Island wide against drugs and child abuse through his two dramas  I am Sri Lanka and Apaya .

Also special awards will be presented to Gunadasa Fernando and Pemsiri Fernando for their valuable contribution to the field of music.

IGP Pujith Jayasundara will grace the second part of the ceremony and he will address the artistes of Moratuwa.

There will be a memento presented to him by the Moratuwa Arts Forum in appreciation of this visit.
Mothers Day celebration View(s):

Mothers Day is a celebration honouring the mother of the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It compliments similar celebrations honouring family members.

In what we believe to be the first time in Sri Lanka, the Cathedral Choir, Melanie Bibile, OKTAVE, the De Lanerolle Brothers, Neranjan de Silva, and the Congregation Choir will come together to celebrate Mothers Day with soul stirring music, and a thought provoking message from Rev. Roshan Mendis, at the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour on 8th May 2016 at 6.30 pm.

Even though this celebration will take the form of a Christian Service, there are no barriers for participation of other faiths and religious beliefs.

There will be a time to gift your mother who is with you, a flower; as much as there will be a time to light a candle in the memory of your mother who is no longer with you. To make it easier for you, flowers and candles will be available at the venue they said.
Agents warn Sri Lanka losing thousands of West Asian jobs By Ameen Izzadeen and Sandun Jayawardena SLBFE's deal with Dubai insurance company adds fire to fuel in vital economic area View(s): View(s):

A controversial deal between the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) and a Dubai-based insurance company to provide additional insurance cover to Sri Lankan migrant workers has put the countrys West Asian job market in jeopardy.



The bad news could not have come to the Government at a worse time with the country facing a foreign exchange crisis while the West Asian job market is shrinking due to an economic recession linked to the drastic fall in oil prices.



Besides, a policy decision by the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) to recruit within the region and the opening up of the African market for recruitment are also threatening to take jobs away from Sri Lanka and other Asian markets, job agencies say.



They say no other Asian country sending workers abroad has heaped an additional insurance burden on the recruiting companies. Therefore the SLBFE's insistence that every worker is covered by a Dubai insurance policy places Sri Lanka in a disadvantageous position in the highly competitive West Asian job market, which attracts 94% of Sri Lankan migrant workers.

An official of a Qatar-based company, which recruits thousands of Sri Lankan skilled and non-skilled workers every year, said they were perplexed over the SLBFEs new requirement, for which employers are asked to pay a US$ 100 premium and another US$ 10 as administration fee to the SLBFE.

The SLBFE says the decision to go for the Dubai-based Union Insurance Company's insurance scheme was taken in the interest of Sri Lankan migrant workers. It says the scheme, which is made mandatory for every employer, was introduced in Kuwait last year and is now being extended to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

But Qatari companies have questioned the need for additional insurance cover when they insure every worker  as required by a Qatari government rule -- under insurance schemes which are more comprehensive and worker-friendly than the Dubai-based companys scheme.

Rejecting the SLBFEs demand outright, an official of a leading Qatari recruitment company said his company was an ISO standard company and it insured every worker for Qatari Riyal 200,000 (Rs. 8 million).

Insisting his company was not ready to bear the additional financial burden by paying US$ 100 to the Dubai insurance firm, the official said his company had decided to stop recruitment from Sri Lanka and would turn its focus on countries such as Bangladesh, India and Ethiopia.

The Sunday Times learns that several other companies have also warned that they will look elsewhere unless the SLBFE drops its demand.

The Sunday Times learns that every Sri Lankan leaving for employment abroad is also covered by Sri Lanka Insurance's Sahana scheme. In terms of this policy, Rs. 400,000 is paid for the next of kin in the event of the untimely death of a migrant worker. The SLBFE says this amount is not enough. But questions arise as to why the SLBFE decided on a Dubai company instead of a Sri Lankan insurance company.

Akbar Kareem, proprietor of Formosas Communications Company, a 32-year-old pioneer Sri Lankan job agency, said the SLBFEs move was certainly not in the national interest of the country.

He said he had got an order for 890 workers for a project in Qatar, but the recruitment process was in abeyance because the Qatari company which sought the workers was refusing to pay US$100 for the additional insurance cover.

We are losing our job market. The Gulf countries are looking elsewhere. Some West Asian employers are telling us to pay the US$ 100 premium to the Dubai company, if we are so worried about losing our business. But we cannot do this because in terms of the SLBFE circular this money has to be paid by the employer, he said.

If Mr. Kareem decides to pay the US$ 100 insurance fee and the US$ 10 to the SLBFE, the 890 job package will cost his firm US$ 97,900 or more than Rs. 14 million. If 300,000 Sri Lankans leave annually for West Asia to take up jobs and the local job agents are forced to pay the premium, this would mean a dollar drain of US$ 30 million at US$ 100 a worker.

Mr. Kareem said the job agencies would write to the President, seeking an appointment with him to explain the adverse effects of the scheme and the disadvantageous position the country and job agencies had been pushed into.



Migrant workers sent more than US$ 7 billion in 2014, and the Government wants to increase the inflow to US$ 10 billion this year. The money the migrant workers send, together with tourism earnings, helps the Government to bridge the balance of payments gap .



Faizer Mackeen, President of the Association of Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA), said most West Asian employers had rejected the SLBFE's new requirement because the workers were covered by much better insurance schemes.



All workers, other than domestic workers, are covered by comprehensive insurance coverages and, therefore, employers have balked at the bureaus insistence that they now pay for an additional insurance cover for Sri Lankans, he said.

Mr. Mackeen said the association learned that the SLBFE had neither obtained approval from the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka nor followed tender procedures in picking the Dubai-based Union Insurance Company.

He said if the new scheme was aimed only at domestic workers, it would be welcome. In Kuwait, following protests, the new scheme now covers only domestic workers and the premium is paid by the Sri Lankan Manpower Welfare Association of Kuwait. However, the move to extend the scheme to all migrant workers in Qatar and the UAE is threatening to destroy Sri Lankas job market there.

Mr. Mackeen said his association had sent several letters to Foreign Employment Minister Thalatha Athukorale seeking a meeting with her to explain the situation and warn her of the negative consequences. However, she is yet to respond to us. We believe she is being misled by some senior officials at the SLBFE.

Also unhappy with the new scheme are West-Asia-based Sri Lankan activists. They took up the matter at a workshop convened by Sri Lankas ambassador at the embassy premises in the Qatari capital of Doha last month. Questioning the rationale behind the SLBFEs Dubai insurance deal, officials of the Qatar-based Sri Lanka Coordinating Committee, an organisation working for the welfare of Sri Lankans in Qatar, says the whole exercise lacks transparency.

Sri Lanka Coordinating Committee treasurer Lakmal Ehelamalpe, who works in a leading bank in Doha, said the manner in which the Dubai firm's insurance scheme was being pushed had raised suspicions.

He said they could see a drastic reduction -- according to some sources, a 30 percent drop -- in the arrival of Sri Lankans in Qatar for employment in the last three months. He called on the Government to act fast to protect Sri Lankas job market in Qatar and immediately order the bureau to withdraw the circular.

Most Qatari employers prefer Sri Lankan workers to workers from other countries. But now, because of the SLBFEs new insurance condition, our jobs are going to India, Nepal and Bangladesh. We are losing the job market and this will adversely affect our economy, Mr. Ehelamalpe warned.

The circular signed by SLBFE Chairman R. K. Obeysekera informs employers, job agents and sponsors that it is mandatory to obtain the insurance cover from the Dubai-based Union Insurance Company.

The requirement will apply to male and female employees in the domestic and non-domestic sectors, the circular says. (See pic). However, Mr. Ehelamalpe asks why this sudden decision to go for a new insurance cover when the Qatari government has a mandatory insurance scheme with a low premium of US$ 35 and a much higher compensation package -- Qatari Riyal 200,000 or more than Rs. 8 million in the event of death. The package offered by the Dubai company pays US$ 7,000 or little over Rs. 1 million.

Bureau says it wants to protect Lankan workers SLBFE Working Director Upul Deshapriya says the insurance deal with the Dubai company was reached solely to ensure the safety and security of Sri Lankan workers in West Asia. He said local job agencies should not get agitated as the insurance premium of US$ 100 had to be borne not by them but by the agency or the employer in the country to which the worker was being sent. To say that local job agents will have to pay the premium and this will lead to a foreign exchange outflow is completely untrue and is being spread by some disgruntled local agents, he said. Mr. Deshapriya said the insurance policy migrant workers obtain from Sri Lanka Insurance gave just Rs. 400,000 in the event of death. This was inadequate and therefore the bureau decided to make it mandatory for West Asian employers to cover every worker under the insurance scheme from the Dubai firm. Dismissing charges that the move lacked transparency, the SLBFE director said the deal with the Dubai firm was reached with Sri Lanka Insurance acting as an intermediary. The agreement was completely transparent and has received all necessary approval, he claimed. We initiated the programme for Kuwait in September last year and have now expanded it to the UAE and Qatar. We will expand it further to include Saudi Arabia and Jordan in the coming months, he said. Asked about the claims that Sri Lanka could lose jobs because West Asian employers are refusing to agree to the bureaus condition, Mr. Deshapriya admitted that some employers may look elsewhere, but dismissed such concerns as not the SLBFEs problem. If some companies in the host countries were refusing to pay the insurance premium, it was up to the agents to find alternatives, he insisted. This move was taken to ensure the security of our workers and raise the standards. Our concern is the welfare of our workers. It is not our vision to send large numbers of workers with poor insurance cover, Mr. Deshapriya said.
Dengue breakthrough: Lanka agrees to preventive vaccine trial View(s):

Sri Lanka is among 10 countries which will participate in a dengue vaccine development study.

A Memorandum of Understanding on this research collaboration to conduct the Phase 3 Clinical Trials for DENVax was signed this week between the Health Ministry and Takeda, a research-based global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan.

The Clinical Trials for DENVax, which is the second potential dengue vaccine produced in the world, have been launched as a collaboration between Japan and the United States of America. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the study design, which is modelled on the Guidelines for the clinical evaluation of dengue vaccines  guidelines set out by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The development of dengue vaccines is a globally important public health initiative, Health Services Director General Dr. Palitha Mahipala told the Sunday Times, explaining that this research collaboration between Takeda and Sri Lanka would be overseen by the Epidemiology Unit and the Dengue Control Programme.

The Epidemiology Unit will set up a National Coordinating Committee chaired by its head, Dr. Paba Palihawadana, to oversee the research. The Epidemiology Unit is the body which sets out the National Immunisation Programme after consulting different experts and taking into account world trends.

The mandatory approvals from the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) and an accredited Ethics Review Committee for the dengue vaccine study are awaited. The NMRA approval is essential prior to the proposed vaccine being given to anyone in Sri Lanka during the study, while it is also mandatory for ethical clearance to be secured to ensure the maintenance of ethical standards of practice in the research including the protection of the research participants.

The other countries which are part of the Phase 3 of this multi-centre Clinical Trial are Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Colombia, Brazil, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Peru. DENVax is said to offer protection against all four virus strains (serotypes) of dengue  DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4, transmitted by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Usually, infection with any of the virus strains could lead to Dengue Fever or the deadly Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever.

In the first four months of this year alone, the Epidemiology Unit has reported more than 15,500 suspected cases of dengue with a death toll of 14. More than 52% of the cases have been reported from the Western Province. Pointing out that there is no treatment for dengue, only the management of the symptoms once someone gets dengue, Dr. Mahipala said a vaccine would help prevent dengue. If a vaccine with proven benefits is developed, it will be important globally and for Sri Lanka.

He said that with Sri Lankas collaboration in this research, when the vaccine is manufactured for distribution, the country would get the vaccine on a priority basis, as otherwise there may not be adequate stocks to go around when taking the dengue disease burden into account across the world.

The research collaboration with Takeda has come about due to the good surveillance systems in place for dengue in Sri Lanka and the local expertise available here, he said. Assuring that the safety of this vaccine has been tested before, Dr. Mahipala spoke of the benefits of vaccines which have led to the eradication and elimination of small-pox, polio, diphtheria and neonatal tetanus. Due to its vaccine, measles is near-elimination.

Vaccines are one of the best public health interventions in disease control, he added. More than 2,000 people have been part of the Phase 1 Clinical Trial for DENVax in the United States and Latin America and in Phase 2 in Puerto Rico, Colombia, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines which were large studies for the evaluation of safety and effectiveness.

The WHO, meanwhile, states that there is a growing public health need for effective preventive interventions against dengue. A safe, effective and affordable dengue vaccine against the four strains would represent a major advance for the control of the disease and could be an important tool for reaching the WHO goal of reducing dengue morbidity by at least 25% and mortality by at least 50% by 2020.
Its business as usual for all Chinese-funded projects View(s):

All Chinese-funded projects are now back on track and either completed or in the process of being completed, a senior Finance Ministry official told the Sunday Times this week.

The Government has a total of 28 projects funded predominantly by Chinese loans amounting to US$ 7.671 billion, the official said. They are spread among power and energy, roads and transportation, telecommunication, airport and aviation, port, irrigation and water sectors. They do not include the Colombo Port City project which, in contrast, is not being implemented on borrowed funds but is a Chinese investment.

The official said that, shortly after the new Government assumed power, several projectsroads, being chief among themwere subject to reviews to ascertain whether they could be implemented at cheaper cost. The underlying assumption (widely expressed during recent election campaigns) was that, having originated as unsolicited proposals, these projects were overpriced and the loans too costly to service.

With unsolicited proposals, the Chinese Government nominates a contractor. One of the initiatives the Government had concerns over was the Outer Circular Highway Project which came at a cost of US$ 494 million. A committee was appointed and went through the estimates and contracts, the official said. In some cases, they found they could reduce the scope of the project, thus saving money to be used for some other projects.

Now most of the issues related to the projects that were held up have been cleared, he said. It is because of the review process that the delays happened. To my knowledge, none of the projects were suspended.

The sectors with the most number of Chinese-funded projectsa total of 10 eachare power and energy and roads and transportation. Of these, the most expensive venture is the Lakvijaya coal power plant in Norochcholai which was completed at a cost of US$ 1.346 billion. In the roads and transportation sector, it is the Priority Road Project Phases 1, 2 and 3 at US$ 1.053 billion. In the ports sector, the Hambantota Port Development Project Phase 1 and 2 are priced at US$ 1.116 billion.

The total amount of Chinese funding for the power and energy sector, according to External Resources Department statistics, is US$1.553 billion. For the roads and transportation sector, it is a massive US$ 3.99 billion. The only project in the telecommunication sector is the ongoing Lotus Tower which comes at a cost of US$ 89 million.
Lanka seeks credit line now from Russia By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s):

Sri Lanka is seeking a credit line of US$ 300 to 400 million from Russia to buy military equipment for the armed forces and the Sri Lanka Police. The deal is to be finalised following ongoing discussions between Russian authorities and Sri Lankan embassy officials in Moscow, government sources said.

Also included in the deal is sharing of combat experience, they said. Finance Ministry officials have confirmed the deal adding that this was brought to the notice of the ministry by R. Paskaralingam, Advisor to the Ministry of National Policy Planning and Economic Affairs.

The sources, who declined to be identified, said the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CEM) had given its approval recently to obtain the Russian credit line and strengthen economic ties with Russia as a matter of priority.

There is no Russian credit line for Sri Lanka at present but the country has entered into several bilateral agreements with Russia in the past. Russia provided assistance to meet post-conflict challenges, including the provision of relief items and US$ 500,000 through the United Nations High Commission for Refugeess (UNHCR).

Russia has given an assurance to Sri Lanka that it will provide assistance for the restoration of peace and reconstruction and for expeditious relief to a large number of internally displaced people, the sources said.
SL will fudge HR issues due to weak political will: UK Forum By Neville de Silva in London View(s): View(s):

Participants at a London seminar on Sri Lanka and the challenges facing it, claimed that the President Maithripala Sirisena government lacked the political will to implement some of the worthwhile and progressive recommendations to emerge from Commissions inquiring into Human Rights (HR) issues arising from the ethnic conflict.

It was also claimed that, though the new government co-sponsored the US initiated Resolution passed by the UNHR Council last September, the government was likely to make only symbolic gestures to be seen to be meeting its obligations to satisfy the Council.

Some pointed out that President Sirisenas rejection of the participation of foreign judges and prosecutors in the judicial mechanism to be established to inquire into possible HR abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, was an indication that its commitments under the UNHRC Resolution would not be fulfilled.

The seminar was held last week at the London Universitys prestigious School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS) on the subject New Government, Persistent Challenges in Sri Lanka.

Among the main speakers was M.C.M. Iqbal, a former secretary to four presidential Commissions in Sri Lanka, who spoke on the theme of enforced disappearances of persons, the legacy inherited by the new government and the ongoing challenges.

Other speakers included Ingrid Massage, a former Sri Lanka researcher for Amnesty International and Fred Carver, Campaign Director, Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice.

The discussant was Chandra Lekha Sriram, Prof. International Law & International Relations, Director, Centre of HR in Conflict, University of East London.

The meeting was chaired by Dr Lutz Oette of the Centre of HR Law of SOAS.

Most speakers from the platform and from the audience were negative about Sri Lankas genuineness in the reconciliation process, and the people of the north and east had no faith in the governments commitment to improve HR.

However, Amal Abeyawardene struck a very different note, pointing out there had been very positive steps taken in the last 16 months with regard to dealing with HR issues. He pointed to the recently released 2015 annual statement of the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office, which refers favourably on Sri Lanka, indicating the government was taking definitive steps to address issues of the past.
Some media groups pose threat to media freedom: Ranil PM says no place for extremism in Sri Lanka View(s): View(s):

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said threats to media freedom in the country are coming from media organisations themselves and there should be no room for extremism in the country.

None of us condone extremism, be it Sinhala Buddhist, Tamil, Muslim or Christian extremism. We have seen the harm extremism has done to other countries. As Sri Lankans we want to live together and take the country forward. We have to consolidate the freedom that has been won and the media has a great responsibility towards this end. Today the greatest threat to media freedom is incoming from within the media. Not from anyone else, the Prime Minister said.

He was speaking at a function held to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Srilanka Muslim Media Forum. He made reference to recent media reports on Opposition and TNA leader R. Sampanthans visit to a land occupied by the army in Kilinochchi without prior permission.

Mr. Wickremesinghe said some media reports had said Mr. Sampanthan stormed into the army camp and that the LTTE was being revived. I spoke to Mr. Sampnathan soon after the incident and asked him to meet me and explain what happened. When he met me, I asked him, Sampanthan, do you want to join the army. If you do I can only give you the rank of Brigadier Colonel or Colonel in Chief. But then I will have a problem because then the Leader of the Opposition will have to salute Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka,  the Prime Minister said in a lighter vein.

He said the TNA leader had said he did not want to join the army but explained the circumstances that led to the incident.

He was in Kilinochchi attending a meeting and people had brought up a land issue. This land does not belong to the Government or the Army. It was acquired during the war due to security reasons and is to be returned within the next two to three months. The TNA leader had gone to the land and returned as he feared if he did not go, there could be an incident there, the Prime Minister said.

He said the Army Commander, when contacted, told him that Mr. Sampanthan did not enter the camp but went to the land which was to be returned soon. The Commander had, however, said that the TNA leader should have given prior notice to the Army about his visit.

However no prior notice of Mr. Smpanthans visit could be given as the land issue had transpired during the meeting and hence he had acted to defuse the tensions, the Prime Minister said, adding that the matter could be raised with the Opposition Leader in Parliament when the House meets next week.

The Prime Minister said there were attempts by sections of the media to cause panic with reports of a revival of the LTTE. The LTTE is over. However much you cry they will not return. If the LTTE comes back, we will have to take action against Mahinda Rajapaksa as he has not finished the war properly, he said.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that a suicide jacket and some bombs were found and investigations were on about their origins. But there was no indication that the LTTE was being revived, he said. We will not allow terrorism to raise its head again. The responsibility of that has been taken by President Maithripala Sirisena; so do not have any doubts, he said.

He asked those within the media to speak out on such erroneous reports and the Sri Lanka Press Complaints Commission must take action against such reporting.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

Trend:

ADA University Commencement ceremony has been held. The ceremony featured the "Citizenship and Social Responsibility: Tribute to Heroes" event.

Azerbaijan's First Lady, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva attended the event.

ADA University Vice Rector of Strategy and Development Emin Huseynov said this year's ceremony will see the first Bachelors receive diplomas. A total of 58 Bachelors and 29 Masters received diplomas.

ADA University's Rector Hafiz Pashayev congratulated the graduates.

Academician Roald Sagdeev recalled his meetings with Hafiz Pashayev during his tenure as the first ambassador of the independent Azerbaijan to the US.

"He once told me that his lifelong dream was to found a diplomatic university in Azerbaijan. Today, this dream has come true, and ADA University marks its 10th anniversary," said Sagdeev.

Rector Hafiz Pashayev addressed the event.

Azerbaijani First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva made a speech at the ceremony. She highlighted what the Azerbaijani government has been doing to develop education.
Wildlife ranger snared accepting Rs. 12,000 bribe View(s):

A Wildlife Ranger of the Maduruwa Oya National park was arrested yesterday for accepting a bribe of Rs. 12,000, to desist from prosecuting two fishermen engaged in illegal fishing in the reserve, said Bribery Commission Investigations Director Priyantha Chandrasiri.

He said the ranger had detained some fisherman he found fishing in the Maduruwa oya reservoir. Thereafter, he had threatened them with prosecution, and demanded a bribe of Rs. 15,000 to refrain from doing so. The fishermen had bargained to pay Rs. 12,000. The suspect is due to be produced in the Polonnaruwa magistrate courts.
Sri Lanka centrepoint  partnership for growth View(s):

Sri Lanka is presently at a critical juncture in the economic front. The Government of Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe have been in office for a period of 16 months with several reforms on the democratic front to their credit. Beyond that the challenges have surmounted on driving an economy that needs infusion of capital and sustainable development. The crisis in Europe, election in the United States, and fluctuation of fuel prises in the OPEC may contribute to an unsettled and turbulent period in the landscape surrounding us. Where can and where should Sri Lanka turn to? This remains an obvious question.

It is here I would like to quote a relevant statement by George Soros  Sri Lanka will have to swim upstream as the external global environment becomes more hostile and funds flow out of developing countries and Chinas economy becomes unstable.

Since the defeat of terrorism in 2009, Sri Lankas progressive development can be viewed undoubtedly with a great sense of satisfaction and pride. The unfortunate terrorist attacks in Europe, along with attacks at the core of the European Union in Brussels, bring to light the terror in terrorism that was once a normalcy in Sri Lanka. We must re-visit the negative propaganda that was mounted against Sri Lankas efforts in countering terrorism. It is now time for the awakening of the moral responsibility of the then fierce advocates, who set the world stage against Sri Lanka. President Sirisena has gone on record maintaining a stance of protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka against any influence by the international community.

The Ceasefire Agreement of which I myself remain a fierce critic due to the many flaws associated with it, however still paved the way for one success we achieved in the face of canvassing international acceptance for our efforts.

There is a reason why the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration met with the LTTE in 2006 in Geneva at the peace talks with collaborative recognition of the co-chairs, which included USA, UK, the EU, Norway, India and Japan which were appointed as part of the team to strengthen the process towards peace. The achievement of the adherence and acceptance of the international instruments in view of the global perception remain a significant remnant of the Rajapaksa administration.

President Rajapaksa in his inaugural address at the All party Conference on July 11, 2006 made it known that he is committed to a home grown solution to the national issue. At the same time, Sri Lanka continuously maintained, the full implementation of the 13th Amendment of the constitution, and many a times President Rajapaksa maintained that he would go beyond the 13th Amendment, called the 13 PLUS. However this still remains a contentious issue in the political arena.

Twenty million of Sri Lankas population seeks and continue to seek an initiative from the government with a departure from the past. Sri Lankas need to substantiate its achievements in the political and the domestic front and the need to be a part of global and regional affiliations is vital for both trade and investment. In this scenario it cannot be stressed more the essential nature of Sri Lankas need to become a Centre Point for far East and South Asian connectivity extending to the Middle East and beyond to West Asia.

Sri Lanka placed in the Indian Ocean is advantageously located in close proximity to India. Simply, Sri Lanka needs to grow as the centrepoint in the SAARC and that of East Asia and Middle East.

As much as markets can bring you increasing trade, they must have reciprocity as the corner stone of good foreign relations. Now we are at a crucial time in Sri Lanka with the world economies and Europe being struck by recession and terrorism. The criticality of the need to have prudent, firm and visionary decisions to be taken could not be more apparent at this juncture. Sri Lanka should pitch her position with solid fundamentals in place. The political aspect of our fundamentals is now being recognised, having defeated terrorism, and enjoying the state of a free country. Sadly it is not many in the world that could claim this to be so in their respective countries. Europe is experiencing what we experienced of terrorism and the refugee crisis. We now have a platform to reach out, with a strategy, of our democracy being advocates for good governance.

In this backdrop where would Sri Lanka turn to for sustainable growth and to overcome the immediate economic challenges? The new government faces a deteriorating economy with no signs of stimulation to register stability and resilience in the economy. Therefore pragmatic policies need to be adopted without allowing dogmatism to overcome the immediate economic downturn.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghes recent visit to China significantly highlight a more realistic approach being adopted by the government. However even delayed realisation of the need to look for economic ties is both a wise and a prudent step above all in achieving a pragmatic development. Sino-Lanka ties are of a special nature dating back to the Rubber-Rice pact of 1952 and steadfast recognition of One China Policy which enabled consecutive governments to raise and stabilise our ties with China. During our time of battle against LTTE terrorism, China reciprocated well. In the post conflict period Chinas support for Sri Lankas sovereignty and territorial integrity in the international arena was of immense value to Sri Lanka. Chinas contribution in Sri Lankas development agenda saw phenomenal success and manifested in a land mark mile stone. However remarks about blame for borrowing and sinking the country with debt by the Rajapaksa regime is a topic that will continue to be of debate.

The Indian factor is not necessarily a matter of compulsion. The regional super power status, and that of the Indian trajectory, should never be viewed as an intimidation towards Sri Lankas realisation of a pragmatic and realistic relationship, stemming from the strengths of intertwining history and cooperation of many millennia.

Indias growth like many countries in Asia is the advent of free economy. The administrations of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, Dr. Manmohan Singh to Prime Minister Modi, were all fierce advocates of the free economy. Looking back in history, Sri Lanka was on its way to achieving glory when President Jayewardene in 1977 converted a close economy to a free economy. Thereby today Sri Lankas major workforce is private sector associated and has a higher quality life and a greater degree of income. However the grips of terrorism hindered the once foreseen economic stability of Sri Lanka. Hence time for greater economic initiatives, hand in hand with a global vision has arrived.

US ties with India have grown in strength, including the pursuit of some of the historical bilateral treaties, by successive US Governments. It was encouraging, when Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2006, during my engagement, was emphatic, on the need for the India-Sri Lanka relationship, to emerge new focus, in the economic drive.

On January 31, 2007, during my appointment with the former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, the CEPA was discussed. The media statement issued at this meeting may be quoted. The President of Sri Lanka, Mr. Bogollagama said, has gone on record concerning his preference for the conclusion of the CEPA by the middle of 2007. The Indian leaders for their part, reaffirmed the commitment of their country, to an early conclusion of the CEPA process, in a manner that would be mutually beneficial to both sides.

By 2008 there was a design departure on the course of the CEPA trajectory. It is relevant to quote the news appearing on AMIST dated 28 July 2008. Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama wrote to external affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee a few days ago, that Colombo needed to bring on board, additional stakeholders before the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or CEPA is signed

The Agreement had been due to be signed on 1st August, on the sidelines of the South Asian Association for Regional Corporation, or SAARC, summit which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is to attend in the Sri Lankan Capital Colombo.

CEPAs signing would have been the icing on the cake for the economist-Prime Minister who is travelling to SAARC after being strengthened by the trust vote in Parliament last week over the India-US civilian nuclear deal. Singh has often stated that the economic integration of South Asia can heal its political problems .

Diplomats pointed out that a breakaway faction of the Marxist-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which is supporting Rajapaksas government, had said Sri Lanka should not sign CEPA because it benefits India more than Sri Lanka.

Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of the opposition United National Party who has been pushing for better ties with India, is in favour of CEPA.

CEPA negotiations took 12 rounds and three years to complete, with India stalling talks for the first year and a half because it did not want to open the domestic market to vanaspati, or hydrogenated vegetable oil, pepper exports from Sri Lanka

In fact these objections were repeated by Tilvin Silva, the General Secretary of the JVP at a recent meeting and reported in the Lankadeepa as recently as April 21, 2016. Hence it could not be more obvious, that a section of the political makeup of Sri Lanka and associated interest groups still remain hostile to the proposed ETCA, which they term a similar agreement like the CEPA.

Therefore it is important to understand the purpose underlining the ETCA and the benefits that grow from it. Universally the States have both the discretion and the right to correct any tangible negatives associated with such agreements. The United Kingdom is currently seeking a referendum on the continuity in the EU. Therefore countries can always exercise prudent decisions at any given time.

Having said that, it is important to understand where Sri Lankas economic horizon lies. Is it to be pursued in isolation or in collaboration with stronger partners? Where are the opportunities for Sri Lankan produce to be marketed and capital inflow to be generated? Is proximity a critical requirement in the pursuit of economic gains? Are doors open for Sri Lanka in other geographical locations as much as in the land of her neighbour? The familiarity, the similarity, and historical cultural bondage are all factors for a solid relationship.

Has the government of Sri Lanka failed to explain the value of a structured economic platform for growth with India through mutual cooperation? Are we lacking a government spokespersons to articulate the ETCA framework with clarity? Rhetorical discussions are an integral aspect of the Sri Lankan culture but succumbing to such pressures should not amount in any manner to depart from their pursuit.

Ten years ago on December 22, 2006, Sri Lanka entered into a Joint Venture with India, on a 500 mega watt Power Generation Plant in Sampur. This is considered to be the single largest Joint Venture between India and Sri Lanka. Indias presence in the Sri Lankan economy always included a tradition of great influence, both on the imports and service sector, including that of transport, and on many occasions assistance at times of need including natural disasters. It is apparent that India has significantly established a lead in banking, plantations, pharmaceuticals, and the motor trade. On tourism, India has registered the status of the highest tourist arrivals country to Sri Lanka. Rehabilitation work in the North, and the post conflict development agenda, has been well nurtured and financed by India. Railway movement is now reaching the furthest point in the North after a lapse of 30 years.

People expected the current government led by President Maithripala Sririsena and the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to register, a marked improvement, in the economic conditions of her people. They wanted a regime surpassing and surmounting any draw backs and negatives attributed to the regime of the Rajapaksas. Speedy development, with transparency, free of corruption, was aspired by the people. In Sri Lanka, the people gave the new government the mandate, to make things better, and do things better. How do we achieve these larger objectives? It is definitely not by attitudes governed by lethargy and outdated policies. It will only be achieved through well formulated strong intervention and strategic foreign relations.

Sri Lanka needs capital, technology, markets and skills. We cannot be confined to traditional conservative methodology in world play. Aggressive internationally established approaches with beneficial results, is mandatory to be pursued.

It was most unfortunate that in the late 60s, when invited to be one of the founding members of the ASEAN, Sri Lanka missed out on this wonderful opportunity. Fifty years since ASEAN has grown to be a resilient and a stable economic bloc in Asia.

India is currently registering the fastest growth in the economic front. Its imperative that we do not allow history to repeat itself where Sri Lanka misses out on the opportunity for greater collaboration and engagements. Indias ability to design and pursue areas of technology, education, science and new dimensions in food agriculture to Information technology and rocket/nuclear science are major vistas to be viewed by Sri Lankas new platform.

India has already ascended the world stage including the future composition in the UN Security Council. It is a country whose hegemony in the region has been historical as much as contemporary.

Today as the government of Sri Lanka is formulating ETCA, the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe has gone on record to state that there will be a thorough discussion before making any significant decisions. Leadership drives with command over the destiny of the substance and a good agreement should be both beneficial and should stand the test of time. Sri Lankas structure should be equally conditioned to look at the vistas beyond her parochial thinking. Our nation has still not explored the resources at sea surrounding Sri Lanka painstaking as it is to accept nor have we taken advantage of our strategic location. We have still failed to become a Singapore in East Asia or a Dubai in Middle East and West Asia.

Our national carrier is ailing, the energy sector is failing with regular power cuts and the fact that our transport sector is primitive are just few major areas that display the lack of development. The enormous burden this has registered on the government coffers cannot be wiped out nor can be rectified without an enormous capital investment. Without having to cite other areas including the need for food security in Sri Lanka, free education and health and the debt servicing responsibilities of the government a new direction is now needed by the administration of Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe. The experiment of a national government failing to tackle the current crisis will be a disaster in terms of any further similar experiments to be tested in the political landscape in Sri Lanka.

Therefore there could not be a more vital time to open up new avenues for growth through regional and bilateral co-operation. Sri Lankas global relationships must become stronger whilst the IndoLanka relationship must be nurtured for a blossoming partnership for economic growth.

Hence it is time for Sri Lankan to be the next centre point in our region.

(The writer is a former foreign minister of Sri Lanka)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

Trend:

Police station of Khatai district of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan and Narcological Center of Ministry of Health jointly held workshop on drug addiction at BHOS.

The workshop gathered police colonel of Khatai district of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Muradali Babayev, assistant of the head of staff referred to Khatai district police station Idris Meherremov, head of drug prevention section of Khatai police station, police major Zaur Meherremov, policemen-veterans Nazim Khidirov and Kamal Imamverdiyev, head of the department of Narcological Center Afet Mammadova, the physician of the prevention center Dilshad Mahmudova, BHOS vice-rector on general affairs Rashad Hasanov, BHOS lecturers and students.

Opening the workshop BHOS vice-rector on general affairs Rashad Hasanov welcomed guests, stressed the importance of the meeting as well as measures taken by the government to combat drug addiction. BHOS vice-rector also said that the main goal was to raise awareness of students in the field of drug addiction problem of the youth, the ways of its prevention, problems it caused in society and the damage it caused to human health including the involvement of students in prevention measures.

Police colonel of Khatai district of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Muradali Babayev extended his gratitude to BHOS management for organization of such a significant workshop noting the excellent conditions available at the higher school for students. Then M. Babayev talked about activities of law-enforcement authorities in order to prevent drug addiction, illegal turnover of drugs, the means of solving drug addiction problem at international level, the means of prevention, the spread of the drugs and the way drug addiction effected the society.

Head of the department of Narcological Center Afet Mammadova and the physician of the prevention center Dilshad Mahmudova thanked BHOS management for healthy conditions offered by BHOS for students. They shared necessary information regarding drug addiction, its symptoms, drug means, the way they affect human life and society, preventive measures taken against drug addiction, new curing methods and legislations adopted in Azerbaijan in this connection. The instructors called on the students to stay away from drugs and be closely engaged in awareness rising work. The session proceeded with questions and answers session.
More than 150 years has passed since 60 men lost their lives at the Battle of Gate Pa, but they were remembered in a heart-felt tribute last night.

More than 130 people attended the commemorations at the St Georges Anglican Church yesterday. Reverend John Hebenton says the event is a significant part of Taurangas history.





I think for me the importance of [the commemoration] it is actually a place where people from right across Tauranga can gather to commemorate and there is not many places where we do that. So while it was at an Anglican church, it wasnt a particularly Anglican service.

We had Mormons and Catholics who took part leading the prays as well as the navy who lead one of the prays Its a place where people can experience some of the richness of Tauranga as well as some of the stories which make up Taurangas history.

The memorial was held at the Anglican Church to honour those who fought and died in the Battle of Gate Pa.

On April 29, 1864, Maori warriors  outnumbered 10 to one  inflicted a stunning defeat on numerous British Colonial forces in whats now known as the Battle of Gate Pa  which is recognised as significant in founding Tauranga City.







St Georges Anglican Church in Gate Pa.





The service began at 4pm, which is when  exactly 152 years ago  British forces began their march up Pukehinahina.

An account of the battle was read out followed by a time of silent reflection with images playing. And at 4.30pm Clark Houltram rang the church bell 60 times to remember the 60 men who lost their lives on both side of the battle.

John says the church sits on the battle-site and it was important to tell the story of both sides of the battle.

We are very aware of the significance of this battle and the Battle of Te Ranga and how they contribute to the founding of our city  and one way to let others know is by telling the story.

John says two years ago  on the 150th year since the Battle of Gate Pa  a huge commemoration attracted thousands.

Ngai Tamarawaho kaumatua Peri Kohu says he is interested keeping the battles story it in the public a bit more it so becomes part of who we are, than the way its been treated in the past.







The Clark Houltram rings the church bell which was donated by the navy was rung 60 times to remember the 60 men who lost their lives on both side of the battle.







The Naval cadets stand as a guarf of honour at yesterdays event.












As it gets darker earlier in Tauranga the Police are reminding cyclists to be bright on your bike this winter.

Reduced daylight hours and wet weather means commuters are riding their bikes in low-light conditions.
Name suppression figures have dropped by more than 50 per cent over the last four years says Justice Minister Amy Adams.

The Ministry says people granted name suppression in 2011 was 640 people by mid-2015 this number was 317.
Bay of Plenty residents are being encouraged to take part in this years Global Village Build organized by Habitat for Humanity.

The organization which is dedicated to helping those who have been affected by disasters and who have inadequate housing, build and repair homes for people in need all around the world and New Zealand.
Tauranga librarian Ryan Wood loves New Zealand history. He believes he knows enough national history to have a chance at surviving the famous black leather Mastermind chair.

The first episode of Mastermind will screen on Sunday night on TV One from 7.45pm  and Ryan will take on the chair in that episode.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:

Georgia's accession to the Energy Community will affect activities of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) in Georgia, the country's Deputy Energy Minister Mariam Valishvili told Trend.

Valishvili said that Georgia is currently holds talks regarding accession to the Energy Community, and in case of success the country must fulfill a number of requirements adopted within the framework of this organization. In particular, according to the rules of the Energy Community, gas suppliers cannot be majority shareholders of gas distribution facilities.

The Energy Community is an international organization dealing with energy policy. The organization was established by an international treaty in October 2005 in Athens, Greece. The Treaty entered into force in July 2006. The Treaty establishing the Energy Community brings together the European Union, on one hand, and countries from the South East Europe and Black Sea region. Georgia is a candidate country to join the community.

The deputy minister reminded that nowadays SOCAR is the main gas supplier on the Georgian market and at the same time is a distributor of gas. Therefore, in case of Georgia's joining the Energy Community, a restructuring will be needed for SOCAR subsidiaries engaged in gas distribution in Georgia, which has already begun, Valishvili said.

Also, Georgia's accession to the Energy Community will mean that SOCAR won't be able to claim a controlling stake in the new gas storage facility planned to be built in this country, Valishvili said. Earlier, a source in SOCAR told Trend that the company clearly intended to buy a stake in the gas storage, because the company considers it a strategic asset.

The beginning of construction of underground gas storage is planned for 2016. It will be possible to store 230-250 million cubic meters (mcm) of natural gas, accounting for 15 percent of the annual gas consumption in Georgia, after the completion of construction of the underground gas storage facility.

Valishvili went on to add that restrictions within the framework of the Energy Community suggest that a company, which is the monopoly supplier on the market, cannot have absolute control over the gas storage facility. At the same time, SOCAR can be a minority owner of the facility without any restrictions, she said.

Valishvili added that the question regarding the management format of the gas storage facility hasn't been resolved yet. She said that an option, which suggests that the gas storage facility will be a part of the infrastructure that provides transportation of natural gas on the territory of Georgia, is being considered. In this case, the gas storage facility will be controlled by the state.

Other option under consideration suggests that the gas storage facility will be a separate entity under the control of an independent corporation. In both cases, SOCAR can become a minority shareholder of the facility.

The gas storage facility is a monopolist on the market, because at the moment, there are no other gas storage facilities in Georgia, Valishvili said.

The deputy minister went on to add that Georgia hopes that the issue of the country's accession to the Energy Community by October will be submitted for consideration of the council of ministers of this organization, and in case of success, ratification of the protocols will start.

Valishvili also said that Georgia expects to get certain preferences and exemptions in general when joining the organization, as the country is not the EU member, has no borders with any of the EU countries and its market is isolated.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Details added (first version posted on 10:57)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:

Restoration of Azerbaijan's full membership in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) will be considered in the near future, said Shahmar Movsumov, executive director of Azerbaijan's State Oil Fund (SOFAZ).

He made the remarks Apr. 30 at the 18th General Assembly of the Coalition for Improving Transparency in Extractive Industries in Baku.

Movsumov said a number of conditions for restoration of Azerbaijan's status as a full member have already been implemented and a number of other issues will be resolved in the near future.

The EITI International Secretariat's Policy and Regional Director Dyveke Rogan, in turn, said the evaluation of Azerbaijan's accounting will begin in June.

"We were to start the evaluation this month, but it was delayed for some reasons," noted Rogan, adding that the evaluation process was delayed not only for Azerbaijan, but also for other countries.

EITI is a special multilateral and voluntary initiative for improving transparency in the oil, gas and mining sectors. Azerbaijan joined the EITI in 2003.

In 2015, EITI lowered the status of Azerbaijan in this structure. The decision was made at the 29th meeting in Brazzaville held April 14-15 after the discussions on an evaluation report on Azerbaijan.

Following the discussions, the EITI Board decided to lower the membership of Azerbaijan to the candidate status.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Apr. 30

By Huseyn Hasanov- Trend:

China expressed commitment to Turkmenistan's international initiatives in the sphere of ensuring sustainable development, security, peace and stability in the region, read the message issued by the Turkmen Foreign Ministry.

This issue was touched upon during the meeting in Ashgabat with the Chinese delegation led by Liu Guangyuan, director general of the Department of External Security Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

During the meeting the parties noted Turkmenistan's vigorous activity on international arena, in particular, within the competent international organizations as the UN. The sides also spoke about their interest in developing cooperation on security issues between the two countries' law enforcement agencies.

Speaking about the high level of cooperation between Turkmenistan and China, the sides emphasized the strategic character of partnership between the two countries in various spheres.

Representatives of the two countries also exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, said the ministry.
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Holly Morales (from center left), widow of Gary Morales, along with Gary's parents Candy and William Morales, leave the St. Lucie County Courthouse on Friday along with other family members after Eriese Tisdale was sentenced to death for the murder of Sgt. Gary Morales of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. To see more photos, go to TCPalm.com. (ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS)

By Melissa E. Holsman of TCPalm

FORT PIERCE  When Eriese Tisdale arrives at his death row cell at Florida State Prison, he'll have nothing except the clothes on his back, and even those he can't keep.

Sheriff's officials won't say when Tisdale, 28, will be transferred from the Martin County Jail to the prison in Raiford, but it could be in days after a judge on Friday ordered him to be executed for the Feb. 28, 2013 shooting death of Sgt. Gary Morales.

For security reasons, Tisdale has been at the Martin Jail since his arrest, but the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office must transport him to death row, said Maj. Pat Tighe who operates the St. Lucie County Jail.

To do that, Tighe said they must first make an appointment to deliver Tisdale.

"We are working on that right now," he noted, "while we wait on the (commitment) papers."

He said Tisdale must give up any property he has in jail now, such as a radio, clothes or books.

"When an inmate gets sentenced to (prison) you become the property of the state," Tighe said. "The Florida State Prison will not accept anything ... they walk in with nothing. They'll give him their uniform and we get ours back."

In October, a jury convicted Tisdale of the first-degree murder of a police officer. The same jury voted 9 to 3 in favor of the death penalty.

At trial, prosecutors showed that Tisdale, then 25, was armed with a Glock handgun when he fired seven times at Morales during a traffic stop in Fort Pierce, striking the veteran sergeant in the head, neck and arm.

Morales, 35, was found dead inside his patrol car on Naylor Terrace, south of Edwards Road.

His family members, his parents, wife and brothers who packed into the courtroom with dozens of uniformed police officers, declined to comment after court.

As the Morales family left the courthouse, the sidewalk was lined with solemn officers donning crisp dress uniforms who saluted as the group passed.

After court, Chief Assistant State Attorney Tom Bakkedahl, who urged Circuit Judge Dan Vaughn to impose a death sentence, said he was "pleased" with the court's rulings.

"I think in light of the procedural posture this case is in, that's probably one of the most well-reasoned and well-written sentencing orders I've seen written in 25 years," he said. "I commend him; he got it right. As far as the law is today, I have no doubt they will continue to change the rules as this winds its way through the system, so we'll have to deal with that."

DEFIANT DEFENDANT

Tisdale's initial sentencing was delayed in January after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state's death penalty sentencing system. Since then, the state passed a new death penalty law, something Vaughn referred to several times as he read aloud a 27-page order that sentenced Tisdale to death.

In his order, Vaughn noted that Tisdale's jury, and not the court, unanimously found him guilty of two felonies that provide the legal reasons, or aggravators required by law to impose a death sentence.

Tisdale, who refused to rise as Vaughn convened court, also was ordered to serve 35 years in prison for aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm and fleeing and eluding police.

During a disjointed speech a shackled Tisdale delivered at a podium before Vaughn pronounced his sentence, the former rapper ranted about his life, his punishment and other cases involving young men and police run-ins. At one point, he turned to the Morales family and said he was sorry for their pain, but he never apologized for the killing.

"I know that no matter what happens my future will always be in God's hands and no matter what, one day I will walk free and that's by the grace of God," he said. "I want to say to the Morales family that I am truly regretful to be responsible for the pain that they have today ... and I want to say that I am truly sorry and truly regretful as a man to be able to sit here in this position  to be the man with the finger pointed at, to be responsible for this situation. But ... no man was there to know my heart. No man was there to know what I had in my eyes and the feeling that I had in my chest on Feb. 28, 2013."

CLOSURE

Later, an emotional St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara expressed relief that Vaughn rejected the defense's bid to punish Tisdale with a life prison term.

"I applaud the judge for taking the jury's recommendation in this ... he was eloquent in his defense of why he imposed the death penalty in this case," Mascara said. "And no matter what happened today, whether it was a new trial or a life sentence or a death sentence, Sgt. Morales will never be back and we will always have that void. But we have some closure today for us and God bless the Morales family and everyone who was affected by this tragedy."

Public Defender Diamond Litty, who had a team of four lawyers represent Tisdale, said his sentence was not a shock, but she wouldn't elaborate.

"Despite the court's decision," Litty said, "we still respect the court and the criminal justice system."

Her office will draw up papers, she said, that will start Tisdale's automatic appeal filed directly to the Florida Supreme Court.

More on Tisdale case

Eriese Tisdale

Sgt. Gary Morales

New death penalty law blurs sentencing for St. Lucie deputy-killer Tisdale

U.S. Supreme Courts ruling on Floridas death sentencing could delay punishment for St. Lucie cop killer

High court: Florida death penalty system is unconstitutional

Witnesses describe scene of St. Lucie County sergeant shooting

Tisdale's arrest history

St. Lucie prosecutors will seek death penalty against Tisdale in sheriff Sgt. Morales' death

Tisdale officially charged with first-degree murder of St. Lucie sheriff's Sgt. Morales

Tisdale's mother recalls son's demeanor before police say he killed deputy

Court documents reveal more details in slaying of St. Lucie sheriff's sergeant Morales

One year later: Shooting death of St. Lucie County sheriff's Sgt. Gary Morales

Video timeline of Sgt. Gary Morales slaying case

Murder suspect in St. Lucie County Sgt. Morales' death loses motion
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By The Associated Press

STUART  Four girls who apparently ran away from a facility for foster children near Tampa were found safe as they tried to sneak back onto the same property, authorities said Friday.

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Debbie Carter said in an email that the girls  ages 13, 11, 10 and 4  were discovered just after 7 p.m. Friday trying to climb back over a fence near the rear of the property of A Kids Place.

The girls were reported missing after a bed check just before midnight Thursday at the Brandon facility.

"Preliminary information is that they originally ran away to a nearby park and then broke into an abandoned residence in the area by breaking a window," Carter said. "They stayed at the abandoned residence all day today (Friday) and were attempting to return when they were discovered."

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has canceled an alert about missing children.

Earlier Friday, Sheriff's Col. Donna Lusczynski said law enforcement officers spent the day going door-to-door, looking for the girls. They also made contact with every registered sexual predator in a 2 mile radius.

The three younger children  4-year-old Allison Nelson, 10-year-old Anabella Gonzalez and 11-year-old Heavenlynn Gonzalez  are sisters who have been at the facility since March. The 13-year-old, Ashlyn Smith, has lived there since February.

Before the girls were found, Sarah Nelson, the mother of Anabella and Heavenlynn, and Travis Nelson, the father of Allison, of Palm City, were crying and consoling each other on Friday afternoon outside the office of their attorney, Jeff Gorman, in Stuart.

Six months ago Heavenlynn lived with an uncle in Port St. Lucie for a few months. But his pit bull dog bit her in the arm, which scarred her, and the state Department of Children and Families moved her to a foster home, Gorman said. The other girls have not lived in the area. It's unclear why the three girls were at the facility.

"We've prayed a lot for the safety of the kids," Travis Nelson had said. "We are devastated, angry, trying to be strong, and trusting God."

Investigators interviewed all the children and staff at the facility and learned at least two of the girls had discussed running away with others, Lusczynski said.

Lusczynski declined to give details about why the girls were at the home, citing privacy issues. She said many times children end up there because of abuse or abandonment.

A Kids Place opened in 2009. It was described in local news reports as a $5.2-million, 60-bed facility that serves as a temporary shelter for children from birth to 17. The facility is where law enforcement brings children in the first traumatic hours after they are removed from their homes.

Treasure Coast Newspapers' staff writer Nicholas Samuel added to this report.
Will DeSantis-Crist gubernatorial debate put Fort Pierce 'on the map'?

The debate is not open to the public, although journalists and a small number of elected officials will be able to attend.
The Lake Point Ranches property. (ERIC HASERT/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS)

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By Lidia Dinkova of TCPalm

MARTIN COUNTY  A judge ordered the county back to court to again defend itself against the same allegations it was exonerated from last year in the Lake Point lawsuit. The judge Thursday ordered the new trial after new emails involved in the case were discovered.

Lake Point, a rock mine on about 2,000 acres in west Martin County, first sued the county in 2013 for, among other things, violating public-records law by destroying, altering and delaying the production of emails among elected officials and former County Commissioner Maggy Hurchalla.

In September, a judge denied Lake Point's claims. The county "made a reasonable effort to respond and provide public records" and it "did not unlawfully refuse to permit" the inspection and copy of emails, Judge F. Shields McManus wrote in his order.

But it was a short-lived victory for the county.

In an order issued Thursday, McManus ordered a new trial based on newly discovered emails between Hurchalla and Commissioner Chairwoman Anne Scott.

The emails would have met the parameters of Lake Point's original public-records request, McManus wrote.

In a statement Friday, Lake Point attorney Ethan Loeb said, "The court order correctly restores the transparency of public officials' actions, to which the people of Martin County have a right."

The new trial, Martin County said in a news release, will focus on whether the emails are "in fact new evidence that would have actually changed the outcome of the first trial Lake Point lost."

"We would expect to be as successful in the second trial ... as we were in the first," County Attorney Michael Durham added Friday.

No trial date has been set.

The public-records issue is part of a broader case. About seven years ago, there was an agreement for Lake Point to turn over its land to the South Florida Water Management District in exchange for being allowed to mine rock for a certain number of years. In addition, there was an understanding that a stormwater-treatment facility with environmental benefits to the St. Lucie Estuary was to be developed on the land.

Things didn't turn out as planned.

Lake Point in 2013 sued the county over breach of the agreement, saying, among other things, that an agreement gives it the right to transport and supply water, according to the complaint.

Martin County says that Lake Point is not allowed to embark on a revenue-generating public water supply project on the property, John J. Fumero, Martin County's former outside counsel on the Lake Point lawsuit, has said previously.

Lake Point has sued the SFWMD, alleging the district broke their contract. The district on Friday called the case "unmeritorious."

Legal battles aside from the public-records issue are to go to trial September.

The Lake Point rock mine is roughly 1 mile east of Lake Okeechobee's Port Mayaca Locks and between the C-44 Canal south and the Martin-Palm Beach county line, according to its website.
By Elliott Jones of TCPalm

ST. LUCIE COUNTY  Before Eriese Tisdale left home to get his girlfriend a soda, his mother called.

The 25-year-old answered, listening as his mother  a single mom who raised him alone, working several jobs at time  asked if he would get around to mowing her lawn that morning.

It was 8:34 a.m. Feb. 28  exactly one hour before a group of deputies descended upon him.

He sounded fine, Charmaine Tisdale, 58, told investigators. It was a regular conversation.

Nothing could have braced her for what was about to happen, even though she was no stranger to tragedy. Her sisters husband died after an operation in December 2004. Seven days later, the same sisters son was fatally shot in West Palm Beach by his girlfriends former husband.

But none of that was like this.

She was called out of a staff meeting at the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles in West Palm Beach where she works. She kept her composure as she learned her only child  bright and a father-to-be, shed later tell investigators  was jailed on charges of shooting Sgt. Gary Morales to death after fleeing from a traffic stop. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death.

I have no idea what transpired today, she told investigators, trying to understand what may have motivated her son  drugs, mental illness, alienation with law enforcement. This is not my son.

Tisdale ranked in 90 percentile for his testing for the FCAT and took gifted classes in Palm Beach County public schools. He told investigators he went to William T. Dwyer and Jupiter. His mother told investigators he has an associate degree in architecture, drafting and design from Lincoln College of technology in West Palm Beach, and worked as a lab tech at Surface Chemist in Jupiter until he was laid off two months ago because of a business slowdown.

He wasnt perfect though, his mother said.

He had had problems through the years, starting with being caught smoking a cigar at a Jupiter public high school, where they lived at the time. Then came arrests in Riviera Beach, West Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie  always in traffic stops and sometimes turning up drugs and guns belonging to passengers.

His six-month stint in a St. Lucie County jail included a month in solitary confinement after he got in a disagreement with a jailer about the temperature, she said.

Police kept stopping him when he was on a bicycle or walking, he told his girlfriend.

He was tired of being harassed by police, Jessica Maldonado, 20, told investigators, who was eight months pregnant with their first child, a son, when they questioned her.

Tisdale is an only child, born in New Jersey. He never met his father, who was jailed in Illinois. His mother was the family cornerstone. She moved them to Florida and sheltered him, and eventually his girlfriend after they met three years ago.

They settled in Port St. Lucie about four years ago  a long story Tisdale told investigators. After Charmaine and Eriese lost the home they owned together in a foreclosure, she moved to Avens Avenue and he and Maldonado moved to a Mura Drive apartment in Fort Pierce.

Charmaine Tisdale is the one who took Maldonado to work at a check cashing business in Port St. Lucie on Feb. 28, after the Sheriffs Office impounded her car, the car Tisdale was driving.

The drug he uses is marijuana, smoking it about twice a week, from a single plant he grew in their apartment, Maldonado said. Hes, like, goofy most of the time.

He has a lot of friends, she said. Still, he can be selfish and self-centered. We argued about that.

In August 2012, she left him and lived with relatives in Tampa, but got back together in December 2012.

Hes never been violent, Maldonado said. Two weeks ago, he bought a handgun he kept in the glove compartment of her car for protection. Ive never seen him use it.

He liked playing the video game Modern Warfare, she said, and spent hours on YouTube, where he had posted rap videos he made with friends in Jupiter: Grind Time, Fresh to Deaf and My Hood. He conversed online about what Africa is and just black me, and just stuff like that she said. The night before Feb. 28, he was online with someone who told him the Jewish alphabet originated in Africa, she said.

He really doesnt have a religion, she said. Hes just his own person pretty much.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Apr. 30

By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend:

Rejep Bazarov has been appointed Turkmenistan's Deputy Prime Minister for Agriculture Industry under a decree of the Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

Esenmurat Orazgeldiyev, who was serving in this position previously, has been appointed the governor of Turkmenistan's Akhal province.

Berdimuhamedov has also made a number of personnel changes in the regional administration of the Akhal province.

Turkmenistan cultivates cotton, wheat, rice and sugar beet. In early April, Turkmenistan created a control council for the sale of agricultural and commodity products of the domestic agricultural industry to other countries.
David Aaronovitch is much like youd expect an opinion columnist to be, which would make sense, as he has written a weekly column for The Times since 2003.

He looks at you with a slightly stern gaze, takes some time after each of my questions trying to work out what angle Im looking for, and then ploughs into an answer that is simultaneously headstrong, yet considered; argumentative, yet open to discussion.

Its this temperament that sets him on a clear collision course with a new generation of students, at Cambridge and elsewhere, advocating policies of no- platforming, safe spaces, trigger warnings, and the old controversies were all sick of hearing about.

Its a dangerous topic to get him started on. What I see is a generation of student politicians which is incredibly up its own arse, just to the nth degree, inventing things which can make politics about it rather than about the wider world.

In other words, we cant deal with the wider world of international poverty or something, so what well do is well have a protest about a statue on the Quad. Because thats close.

Hes quick to back-pedal and clarify on that one. Im not saying, for instance, that there might not be a valuable discussion to be had about Britains imperial past, but it is a way of turning a subject and diminishing it until its all about you, rather than about the bigger issues.

There is that kind of self-regard masquerading as a bigger purpose.

Its from there that I drop in a mention of his infamous appearance on University Challenge in 1975. Having been booted out of Oxford University at the end of his first year, he moved up to Manchester to study History.

It was there that he was part of the team that responded to all questions in the final round with the names of famous Communist figures as a protest against the fact that tiny little [Oxbridge] colleges are represented separately on University Challenge and then gigantic institutions get their one team.

Is the system still skewed in favour of Oxford and Cambridge? It is certainly true that amongst quite a lot of people I know, professionals, say, in North London, Oxford and Cambridge is a tick on your parental chart  Oh, didnt you do well, and very, very good other universities which you should be proud to go to [are] somehow regarded as not as good.

Its a ridiculous case of snobbery, its really absurd, but nevertheless its true.

Oxbridge isnt the only problem, either. Private school people are always wanting to debate about private schools, if I have to hear the word Etonian once more I swear Ill vomit. Im sick of people talking about so-and-sos an Etonian. I dont bloody care, we dont talk about any other school like this. Get out of my face with your endless self-regard, your endless envy, its corrosive.

Getting onto perhaps less corrosive territory, I ask what he makes of Corbyns Labour Party as a cheerleader of the successes of Blairs government, and a supporter of the Iraq War.

The big question, then: could David Aaronovitch, the Blairite, vote for Corbyns Labour Party? Circumlocution kicks in, and I knuckle down for a long response.

We often have to vote for the least worst option that we think can achieve something, so if there were an ultra-right- wing Conservative Party, I suppose.

We get down to the heart of it: Corbyns instincts over international affairs, his toleration of Putin, his effective renunciation of the alliance with the Americans and NATO  Im not really interested in any of that.

It would be bad for society and isnt the direction I want to see the British people take. Then comes the last flick of the knife: If Jeremy Corbyn is still the leader of the Labour Party at the next election then I wont be voting for him, and Im a Labour Party member.

Another tally added to the scores of moderate Labour members eyeing up their own party and not feeling entirely at home. Corbyn HQ would do well to watch out.
There's something uncomfortable hanging in the air on the evening I meet Owen Jones for a drink by the river. Something unsaid, lingering like a bad smell.

To be precise, its the fact that I once wrote a reasonably lengthy bit of Owen Jones meets Christian Grey fan fiction as a series of tweets on a train from Cambridge to London in my first year. We both know that these tweets are, to date, our only form of communication, but its probably best left undiscussed.

Similarly uncomfortable is the challenge one heckler shouted out as Jones gave a talk at the Cambridge Literary Festival earlier that day: Run for Parliament! I ask him if theres any chance, and the suspiciously long spiel that follows is best condensed as: I dont have particular ambitions to do so, but I wouldnt say no.

I think if I became an MP thered be people going: See, a careerist, ambitious all along, this was all some ploy to become a politician. You know, it wasnt.

Anyone who knows me knows Ive no ambition whatsoever to do what I do today, let alone anything else, so its a case of why would I  if I thought it was useful, I would do it, and I think what is good about a good MP is that theyre tethered to their constituents, and they have to meet people and talk to them all the time. I try and do that, but the people I meet are often not a representative sub-section of the population.

Maybe I just want to do something else, maybe I want to become a teacher, I dont know. I wouldnt rule that out.

I cant quite picture him hanging up his cape to become Mr Jones the secondary school history teacher just yet, but perhaps Im just unimaginative.

On the subject of fantasy, I ask him how realistic it is to think that Jeremy Corbyn might win the next general election in 2020. Politics is very unpredictable, he starts, before I cut off the inevitable circumlocution in pursuit of a simple one- word answer.

I dont know. Close enough, I suppose, but not quite a single word.

The SNP, they had six seats in 2010, then they win 56 a few years later. Who would have predicted Donald Trump would end up the Republican front-runner?

I think itll be very hard for Labour to win the next general election, theres no doubt about that, just in terms of all the statistics in terms of where Labour are at, losing Scotland, in terms of the distribution of electoral geography, and all the rest of it: boundary changes, the attack on Labours funding.

Its not easy at all. I think its very, very difficult as things stand, of course it is.

I ask him how he thinks Corbyn could go about surmounting these multiple challenges, and his answer represents the typical down-to-earthness that hes known for, and that so many of our politicians fail to achieve.

What he has to do is present a case which inspires the majority  obviously, people who arent left-wing activists, and who dont think about left or right, and coming up with something relating to the everyday issues that people face about them, their families, their kids, their communities and the country, and to talk about, you know, self-employed people. There are more self-employed people than public sector workers. Youve got to have things to say that relate to people, and thats what they have to do.

Following the initial success of his book Chavs, its been his Guardian column thats kept Jones at the forefront of political debate. As someone who admits that he hates writing, I wonder if he suffers from the same deadline-dreading tendency to spew nonsense that the rest of us seem to. Surely, there must be one column he remembers that, with hindsight, fills himwith a deep and turgid shame?

I wrote once about One Direction. It was just like: What the fuck am I doing? More explanation is needed, clearly. So my column is every Thursday, and the First Thoughts is a quick blog every Tuesday, and its like an hour and a half to write it, and once I overslept.

I just overslept. I wasnt really at a bargaining position, so there was a thing about One Direction so I just wrote it. It was just cringe, like what are you doing with your life?

Seeing as hes willing to divulge the embarrassment of morning-after articles about One Direction, I decide its worth delving a little deeper, and so ask about his most embarrassing memory from his time at Oxford University.

He blurts out some anecdote about stealing a friends clothes and throwing them out of a window, but I tell him thats not good enough. He pauses. Well, this is really embarrassing so I dont know if Iwant to tell you. Pause.

I had a girlfriend for a long time at university, for over a year, and we in the library did something, and it ended up We had this thing called The Bog Sheet, which was put in every single bathroom (it does what it says on the tin, doesnt it) in the college, read by everyone including the Master and that was the main story for three weeks.

So everyone  the Master, my tutors, everyone read about it, and then I won at these annual awards: sex in an embarrassing place award. So that was pretty embarrassing. That is genuinely really embarrassing.

I detect a slight hint of pride in his voice and the beginnings of a wry smile amidst the evident embarrassment. In his defence, its entirely understandable  not many of us have won a sex award, written two books, bagged a job at a national newspaper, and appeared on TV multiple times. Especially not by the age of 12.
Students and supporters took to the streets on Saturday to demand the University and colleges divest from fossil fuel companies. Marchers progressed though the city centre, chanting an banging drums, before a rally outside Senate House where speakers included Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner, who expressed his support for the Zero Carbon campaign leading the protest.

The University of Cambridges endowment is currently at 2.8 billion. It is pledged to invest this with selflessness. However, the Statement of Investment Responsibility allows the University to balance against its primary responsibility considerations of the ethical nature of investments.

Speaking to The Cambridge Student, Angus Satow, the outgoing leader of the campaign, expressed satisfaction with turnout, which was higher than for previous demonstrations, which attracted numbers in the dozens, noting that in exam term, considering this is Cambridge that so many have turned shows how important this is to the student movement.

It is unclear whether the action will be enough, however, to persuade the University Council to divest. Privately, a member of the Zero Carbon direct action group admitted to TCS they thought it was unlikely, considering the scale of investments in fossil fuels, which were estimated after the university refused to respond to a NUS request for information.

However, Satows successor, Alice Guillaume insisted the campaign would continue whatever the decision of the Council. Speaking to TCS, she argued that the popular central message of the campaign would sustain the campaign, noting widespread support both students and academics. When asked about her plans, she mentioned we might have to take more radical measures next year.

While some local residents beeped their horns in support, a bystander, who wished to remain anonymous, told TCS she thought the campaign was too simplistic. Questioning where the University would reinvest the money from fossil fuels, she accused the marchers of hypocrisy, asking how many of these people never get in a car?. When asked for her feelings about the march, she replied crap.

It was reported on Wednesday that Magdalenes master, the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, had expressed his support for the campaign.

The University is currently partaking in a 'wide-ranging' investigation, with officials, academics and students, into how the endowment is invested. It is believed to include investments into fossil fuels.
Apple on Thursday made its CareKit platform available through the GitHub open source community.

CareKit joins two other previously released Apple frameworks for developing healthcare apps  HealthKit and ResearchKit. It was designed to enable developers to create apps that give users a more active role in managing their health.

Apps developed through CareKit will let people track symptoms and medications, and share the information with their doctors to get a better picture of their health, Apple said.

Four New Apps

Four applications that use the framework are available:

Glow Nurture, a pregnancy tracker that allows expecting moms to log activity and find information about what to expect next in the course of their pregnancy;

Glow Baby, which picks up where Glow Nurture leaves off and lets a new mom keep tabs on things like feeding schedules and infant growth;

One Drop, a diabetes management app that logs glucose, food, meds and activity, and uses Bluetooth to sync with blood glucose monitors; and

Iodines Start, a depression management app that can help determine the effectiveness of medications and includes a log for chronicling the side effects of meds.

Easy for Developers

Apples focus on consumer health through CareKit is going to change the way we all use apps, said Jennifer Tye, vice president of marketing and partnerships for Glow.

It also will change how healthcare apps are developed. It makes it easier for even nondevelopers to create apps, she told TechNewsWorld.

For folks who do not have the kind of chops that a sophisticated developer has, CareKit gets you pretty far and pretty fast with the basic building blocks it provides, said Jeff Dachis, CEO of One Drop.

This is a great first step in helping organizations develop more digital and mobile health apps, he told TechNewsWorld.

Tapping into the open source community also will fire apps created with CareKit, Dachis said. The idea is to get this lightweight framework of modules in the hands of as many people as possible to start building digital and mobile health apps. Its a great idea.

Empowering Patients

Apps created with CareKit can give people more control over their healthcare. This is part of a greater movement to help empower consumers with information about their health, Glows Tye maintained.

Armed with that knowledge, she continued, theyre enabled to take action and connect with the people in their lives that can help shoulder the burden of care for them.

CareKit apps allow a person to compile the kind of daily data that otherwise would be unavailable to medical professionals, One Drops Dachis said.

I live 8,700 hours a year with my diabetes. My doctor lives 15 minutes every six months with my diabetes, or less than a half hour per year. Me having access to my own data and my own information, and me having access to the real-time biometric telemetry in my body, helps me make better choices every single day, he said.

Im glad to have a doctor review that stuff with me over time, but for the most part, Im in control of my own data and my own information, and Im able to make better choices because of it, Dachis added.

Physicians Aid

Patients arent the only beneficiaries when they collect their own data.

By enabling the collection of information and the gathering of data and providing them to the physician, the physician can spend more time doing what theyre trained to do, which is practice medicine, said Jay L. Alberts, director of the Cleveland Clinic Concussion Center.

Physicians now are overwhelmed with documentation and putting data into the EHR, and they cant spend enough time looking at patients, he told TechNewsWorld. These apps that are engaging patients and collecting data and sending it to the healthcare provider allow physicians to practice more medicine.

While many standalone health apps will be created with CareKit, the real power of the framework lies in creating apps that communicate with larger healthcare systems.

When an app is just on a patients phone and not integrated into the patients care regimen with a physician, then physicians cant work with it, said Bill McKeon, CSO of theTexas Medical Center.

Thats why were committed to doing that final leg, which is integrating the information from the app into a patients electronic medical record, he told TechNewsWorld. Its all about taking this wonderful platform called the cellphone and make it work with patients so we can extend our reach beyond the walls of our facility to help them.
The European Commission on Wednesday charged that Google breached EU antitrust rules by seeking to maintain and expand the dominance of its Android operating system.

A competitive mobile Internet sector is increasingly important for consumers and businesses in Europe, said the ECs antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager.

Based on our investigation thus far, she continued, we believe that Googles behavior denies consumers a wider choice of mobile apps and services and stands in the way of innovation by other players, in breach of EU antitrust rules.

Throttling Competition

In its statement of objections, the commission alleged Google violated EU antitrust rules in the following ways:

Requiring manufacturers to preinstall Google Search and Googles Chrome browser and requiring them to set Google Search as default search service on their devices, as a condition to license certain Google proprietary apps;

Preventing manufacturers from selling smart mobile devices running on competing operating systems based on Android open source code; and

Giving financial incentives to manufacturers and mobile network operators on condition that they exclusively preinstall Google Search on their devices.

Googles business practices may lead to a further consolidation of the companys dominant position in general Internet search services, the commission noted.

Those practices may affect the ability of other mobile browsers to compete with Google Chrome. They hinder the development of operating systems based on Android open source code and the opportunities they would offer for the development of new apps and services, the commission said.

Internet Explorer Redux

The commissions action is a response to complaints it has received from Googles competitors in Europe. In 2013,FairSearch Europe, a group that includes Oracle and Nokia, filed a complaint with the EC about Android. In 2014,Aptoide also filed a complaint.

Consumer Watchdog is another group supporting an investigation into Googles Android dominance.

This is the same kind of thing that Microsoft did when it bundled its browser in with its operating system, said John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdogs Privacy Project.

While Google makes Android freely available, its got strings that come with it that unfairly favor Googles apps if youre going to use the Android software, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Consumers can go and find other apps and install them, Simpson added, but that gives Google a leg up on Android devices.

Unfortunate Action

Google is not stifling the Android marketplace, according to Daniel Castro, a senior analyst with theInformation Technology & Innovation Foundation.

This is an unfortunate action because it does not seem like there has been any consumer harm from the allegations and there is strong competition in the mobile OS environment, he told the E-Commerce Times.

It is hard to see how Google can lock out any competitors since the switching costs of installing a new app are so minimal  30 seconds to download and install a rival app, Castro said.

One reason Android enjoys widespread popularity is its openness, he explained, which allows for experimentation while also providing standardized features across platforms for users.

It would be unfortunate if the EU punishes Google for actions it takes that create better consumer experiences because it believes these actions are anticompetitive, Castro said.

This would create a risk, he continued, that tech companies would design products to meet arcane competition regulations rather than consumer needs.

U.S. Probe

Since the Europeans announced theirinitial probe into Googles Android monopoly last year, there have been murmurs of a similar investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

In September, for example, Bloomberg reported that the FTC had reached an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to investigate whether or not Google was stifling access to Android by its competitors.

That wouldnt be the first time the FTC probed Google. It looked into Googles search dominance in 2011 and 2012. That investigation ended in 2013 with Google changing some of its business practices.

However, last year The Wall Street Journal reported that the commissionignored the advice of key staffers to sue Google because they believed it was doing harm to consumers and innovation.

The FTC completely blew its investigation on the search monopoly, Consumer Watchs Simpson said. They completely failed to do their job there.

In 2014, Google spent US$16.8 million on lobbying in Washington, he added. You dont spend money like drunken sailors on lobbying unless you see results.
Crafting an Online Strategy, Part 3: How to Get Paid for Your Wares

As a maker in an e-commerce world, you have to get the word out about what youre creating. Whether youre crafting candles or jewelry, marketing, in short, leads to sales.

Its one thing to set up a booth at a craft fair and meet your customers face to face, but its another thing entirely to market online. Becoming comfortable with digital marketing techniques, therefore, needs to be one of your primary priorities.

Be True to Yourself

First and foremost, youll want to design a marketing plan true to the spirit of your enterprise. Youre a skilled crafter, so look at this as your chance to craft a creative and unique marketing strategy.

As a maker, you sell your product because you love it, saidTara Swiger, an expert on the business of making and selling.

Use that to your advantage. Highlight your you-ness. Make it a part of the look and feel of your product, feature it in your marketing, and dont be shy to share your passion for your craft. People will connect with your business because they love your style, so dont hide it  highlight it, she told the E-Commerce Times.

As part of this process, identify what makes you and your products unique, and focus on selling those attributes. In other words, first you need to believe in yourself, and then you need to sell that belief to others.

Since you make what you sell, its easy for makers to undervalue what they do, Swiger said. Its easy for you, so why would someone else pay for it? Your challenge is to not only value it, but to teach your customers the value of what you make.

One effective strategy when identifying and telling your story is to give potential customers a glimpse into the process of making itself. After all, part of what theyre buying is that process.

Make your marketing messages personal, authentic and unique, advised Tom Tate, product marketing manager atAWeber.

Give prospective buyers a sneak peek into your process. Show them the passion that you put into your products. Emphasize the unique value of buying from you, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Go Where Your Customers Are

Once youve identified the unique qualities of your products, youll need to find your customers. Where are they? Where can they be reached?

Increasingly, the answer to that question is simple: social media.

Everyone really does it today, and its kind of expected by your customers, said Kelly Hsiao, cofounder ofBlock Island Organics. Im not sure if Id categorize it as marketing or community outreach, but it does need to be part of your marketing plan.

While social media marketing doesnt carry the high cost of traditional paid advertising, it does require a commitment of time and effort.

The challenge is how to get the word out when you have little to no money to spend. This is where you have to buckle down and do the grunt work, Hsiao told the E-Commerce Times.

With paid advertising, you can almost do a set-it-and-forget-it method or set-it-and-check-it-once-in-a-while method. You set up your campaign and let it run, she noted.

But utilizing nonpaid channels requires a lot of dirty work. Its time-consuming, its hard to do, [and] its a slow burn, but the good side is its all free, Hsiao added.

Reaching your customers also might mean getting the word out to bloggers and other influencers who have a wide reach.

We found influencer outreach to be effective for us, said Hsiao. I spend a lot of time reaching out and communicating with bloggers and social media personalities. Its definitely time-consuming. There is no trick or hands-off way to do it, but weve found it works for us.

Most crafters dont have a budget for paid advertising, especially when theyre just starting out, so they need to find other avenues of reaching potential customers.

Without the budget for big advertising campaigns, its really hard to gain brand awareness, said Hsiao. This is where aspects such as social media marketing, blog posting and influencer outreach come in. They generally wont scale as fast as paid marketing, but without a full-fledged marketing budget, I think they are the way to go. Even if you do have a marketing budget, these are marketing channels to pursue.

Keep It Simple

With all the selling, marketing and communication platforms out there, its easy to get overwhelmed. The thing to do is to find what works and stick with it. After all, you want to spend most of your time making, not marketing.

As a maker, you have to spend a lot of time making, so dont waste time managing different platforms, said making and selling expert Swiger. The same goes for social media. Pick one or two platforms that your customer uses and focus your energy on sharing effective messages there.

Focusing on a few key platforms and getting to know the specific customers you want to reach are more important than attempting to reach everyone everywhere.

Cross-channel integration is the most important piece of any communication strategy, said Jeff Fromm, president ofFutureCast.

However, you cannot just be answering the question, what websites do my customers shop on? Rather, the question is about the consumer journey and what they are looking for on those specific sites, he told the E-Commerce Times.

New engagement rules exist today that are far different from the traditional mass media techniques, Fromm said. You cannot simply blast the same message across all channels, but rather identify what your customers are looking for on each platform.
Unlike our corporeal selves, music doesn't die. It gets passed on from generation to generation, century after century, keeping its magic alive.

This magic is what musicians from the University of Cambridge shared when they had performed, for the first time in 1,000 years, reconstructed pieces of medieval music at the Pembroke College Chapel on April 23.

Named "Songs of Consolation," the ancient musical piece was reconstructed within a span of 20 years from "neumes" -- medieval symbols that represented notation.

The tunes themselves accompanied poems from the magnum opus of Roman philosopher Boethius -- a piece called, "The Consolation of Philosophy."

Hundreds of songs in Latin had been recorded in neumes from the 9th century through the 13th century. These songs comprised of passages by Virgil, Horace, Boethius, and medieval texts from love songs to laments.

Boethius' work is one of the most widely read and important works of the Middle Ages, and was written during his imprisonment in the sixth century, right before his execution for treason. The Consolation of Philosophy is so valuable that major figures such as Elizabeth I, King Alfred the Great, and Geoffrey Chaucer had translated it.

Two decades seems an awful lot of time to conduct an extensive research for a concert, but in truth, performing ancient works of art is not as simple as reading and playing sheet music.

One thousand years ago, music was created in melodic outlines and not in the modern notes as we do today. During those times, medieval music was shared through aural traditions and memories.

These traditions had died out, and it is now extremely impossible to decipher music from this wondrous era, especially because the pitches are unknown.

After painstakingly spending 20 years of work identifying the techniques used to set specific verse forms in the "Songs of Consolation," Dr. Sam Barrett of Cambridge University and his colleague Benjamin Bagby had reconstructed melodies to produce what they would later perform at Pembroke. They had also deciphered the 11th century work "Cambridge Songs."

But this almost never happened, as one particular leaf from the Cambridge Songs was "accidentally removed" from the Cambridge University Library by a German scholar in the 1840s. In other words, it was lost.

Thank goodness Barrett is part musical time traveler and part detective. His scholarly groundwork involved him and Bagby gathering together surviving notations from the Cambridge Songs and other manuscripts across the world. Barrett applied them to the principles of musical setting during the particular era.

The missing page had included vital notations that would help them understand the musical principles of the 11th century. How did they rediscover the missing sheet?

Margaret Gibson, an academic from Liverpool University, was the bridge that brought Barrett and the lost sheet closer. It turns out that in 1982, Gibson enquired whether a Frankfurt library had any manuscript of Boethius and was told of one single leaf in the collections. Gibson recognized the sheet as part of Consolation, and got in touch with medievalist Christopher Page. They secured the return to the city nearly 150 years after its disappearance.

When the lost leaf was rediscovered, the only thing left was to translate them into sound. Barrett said Bagby tried out various possibilities while he reacted to them, and vice versa.

Barrett said seeing Bagby work through options was genuinely sensational. "At times you just think, 'that's it!'"

Barrett said Bagby had brought the humanity to the "intellectual puzzle" he was trying to solve during those years of constant frustration.

And it was magic. Barrett said there had been time while he was working on the music piece when he thought he was in the 11th century himself. The music has been so close that it was almost touchable, he said.

"It's those moments that make the last 20 years of work so worthwhile," added Barrett.

Watch an excerpt of the performance below.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The term sci-fi gets thrown around so freely that we sometimes lose sight of what these stories are actually supposed to be about. Its not all about spaceships and Saucer People looking to invade Earth  actually, its often specifically not about the very things we typically associate with the genre.

Science fiction, at its core, is supposed to tell stories about the moral, social and political implications of advancing technology. Its supposed to speculate on the future, our future. Think more about Frankenstein and Brave New World, rather than Star Wars and Hunger Games.

That being said, science fiction also doesnt lend itself to a blockbuster movie in the traditional sense. The best sci-fi stories arent about action and bombast; they're about ideas and characters and socio-political commentary. So, it shouldnt be surprising that we dont actually get genuine sci-fi at the movies often.

However, while you cant always get your sci-fi fill at the theater every weekend, Netflix and Hulu actually have a fairly comprehensive tour through the history of the genre, if you know where to look.

From the baby steps of Frtiz Langs Metropolis, to more modern examples like Interstellar and Snowpiercer, the streaming services act as historical time capsules of how science fiction has evolved on the silver screen over the years.

So, if you want to take a tour of the best the genre has to offer, these are the essentials.

Director: George Melies

Why Its Essential: It wasnt long after film became a viable medium in the early 1900s that we first traveled to the moon, courtesy of the mind of director George Melies. This silent sci-fi masterpiece has a history almost as interesting as the movie itself. It was originally thought lost  along with Melies other work  until its rediscovery in the late 1920s. Then, in the 90s, something of a miracle took place: a hand-colored version of the movie was rediscovered and restored.

To the relief of completionists everywhere, this restored version from 2011 is also available on Netflix, complete with a soundtrack by Air, a French electronica band that also provided the music to the movie The Virgin Suicides. Clocking in at under 20 minutes, this is a no-brainer as a piece of the sci-fi canon. Its historically essential for film fans and genre buffs; plus, it features one of the most iconic moments in the history of cinema:

Director: Fritz Lang

Why Its Essential: No movie on this list has had as big of an impact on the history of film as Metropolis. Langs futuristic dystopia combined a universal tale of the dangers of totalitarian governments with groundbreaking special effects to create a complete package that filmmakers are still trying to recreate today.

Its still almost inconceivable that he managed to get this to audiences at all. This was a time when most directors were still trying to figure out how the film medium even worked; meanwhile, Lang was bringing robots, sprawling cities and mammoth sets to the screen in a way that would outclass his competition for decades to come. Once you put the film in the proper historical perspective, its easy to see the straight line from Lang to Kubrick to Lucas and into the modern age of Hollywood.

Director: Ishiro Honda

Why Its Essential: Most people see Godzilla as nothing more than a giant lizard stomping its way through cardboard cities filled with poorly lip-synched townspeople. However, at its core, the King of Monsters is a cautionary tale about the dangers of nuclear energy, mainly asking the question: What are the consequences of unleashing this evil on the Earth?

Well, in 1954, we got our answer: Godzilla. Spawned from these same nuclear weapons, the creature served as a startling metaphor from Japan about the irreversible dangers of the atomic age. Unfortunately Zilla has since become a global phenomenon and money-maker for studio execs, meaning the moral of this story has been lost in a sea of cartoons, T-shirts and Americanization. Maybe thats the most distressing metaphor of them all.

Director: Robert Day

Why Its Essential: OK, so essential might be a stretch, but you cant stream the evolution of sci-fi without at least one 1950s B-movie schlockfest, and The First Man Into Space is as good a place to start as any. In it, a navy test pilot flies beyond the reach of Earths atmosphere, only to return covered in cosmic dust, which, of course, turns him into a blood-thirsty monster. Because, 1950s science, apparently.

The plot, the acting, the creature effects  all terrible. Still, theyre terrible in a charming way. As studios cut down on budgets and got rid of their special effects departments, this type of shoestring melodrama became the norm. Sci-fi was kids' stuff, after all, so it wasnt worth investing time and resources into these movies.

It might sound like Im being harsh on The First Man Into Space, but Im really not. You could easily kill a rainy afternoon on this car wreck and get a good history lesson on the rut the genre was in until the end of the 60s.

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Why Its Essential: Theres really not much more to say about 2001, right? Its a masterpiece. Its one of films great achievements. No matter how many times you watch it, youll probably still be lost  but thats a good thing.

2001 asks the big questions, doesnt answer them and doesnt really care if youre following along or not. Sporting peerless special effects and a story that attempts to reconcile our place in the universe, this is a movie that takes on new meanings with each viewing. Any answer you get just leads to more questions with each subsequent viewing. It can be maddening for some, illuminating for others, but it's always beautiful for whoever's watching.

Im not going to try and convince you to watch 2001 (as if you havent already). Its a masterpiece, and its ready to stream whenever you want.

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Why Its Essential: Speaking the same meditative language as 2001, Tarkovskys Solaris is an existential foray into sci-fi from the Soviet Union that continues Kubricks philosophy of pushing the genre out of its B-movie past and into a higher form of art.

The film focuses on a psychologist visiting a space station that is orbiting the planet Solaris. There, he finds a crew of scientists that have each fallen victim to a separate emotional crisis that is somehow linked to the mysterious planet below.

The scientists studying the planet are just as much a piece of an experiment as Solaris itself. The movie deconstructs the communication between man and the environment, but it does so with a fresh coat of sci-fi paint. Tarkovskys goal was to help the genre transcend the tropes and mesh with the themes and issues youd find in any earthly drama.

Its in Solaris that science fiction became about more than just spaceships and green women; it became something more relatable and timely for our culture.

Director: Ridley Scott

Why Its Essential: Its Blade Runner. Its a universal truth that its essential viewing, but its also just as easy to forget exactly why. Based on Philip K. Dicks Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Blade Runner takes on the nature of humanity and the validity of our own reality, and combines it with incredible special effects by Douglas Trumbull.

The story of Rick Deckard hunting down rogue replicants plays out like a hardboiled detective yarn, but theres so much more here. Its haunting and devastating and nebulous and everything a good sci-fi story should be.

Blade Runner propelled thoughtful sci-fi into the blockbuster age, complete with a unique techno-noir flavor, eye-popping visuals, and a bit more mainstream charm than Kubrick was interested in providing. However, you knew all this already, right? Its Blade Runner, for chrissakes! Give it a go ... even though Netflix only has the garbage-y Theatrical Cut, complete with a bored Harrison Ford slogging his way through the narration. Hey, lesser Blade Runner still outclasses pretty much everything else out there.

Director: Shane Carruth

Why Its Essential: Youd be forgiven for never hearing of Primer, but once you get into it, you'll wonder how this flew under your radar. Written and directed by Shane Carruth, Primer deals with a pair of engineers accidentally discovering a way to travel back in time and the moral implications that follow. This isnt Doc Brown having a grand ol time mucking up the time stream; Primer, instead, gives gravitas and real consequence to the effect something like this can have on everybody around you.

Its dense, swerving narrative doesnt hold your hand, either. The whole thing is scattered and confounding, and youll find yourself putting in an honest days work just to follow the whole thing. I actually had to sketch out a chart just to keep up with all of the different timestreams and realities. If youre really looking to dive into what sci-fi really is  what it should be  this might actually be the best example on the list.

Director: Lars von Trier

Why Its Essential: OK, so Melancholia might skirt just outside the realm of traditional sci-fi, but there are enough tethers to the genre that I decided to keep it on the list. Make no mistake, though, this is pure art house drama. The movie is split into two halves and examines the plight of two sisters, one battling a major depressive episode and the other dealing with crippling anxiety.

In the backdrop of this family drama is a rogue planet that emerged from behind the sun that is on an impending collision course with Earth. When taking the entire package into perspective, Melancholia is the most unique offering on this list: it's a metaphor-drenched opera, set to "Wagners Tristan and Isolde," that examines the disintegration of a family, while depicting the end of the world. There's a lot to unpack here as the movie pokes at the human condition like a raw, exposed nerve.

Director: Bong Joon-ho

Why Its Essential: You would have been right to be skeptical that a South Korean film based on a French sci-fi comic book produced on a relatively lower budget would have had the impact of Snowpiercer, but then again, you can never doubt director Bong Joon-ho. After pulling off small miracles with Mother and The Host, hes proven himself to be one of the most versatile directors out there, with the ability to blend smart, socially-conscious material into typical genre trappings.

Snowpiercer takes place in a world where climate change has left the Earth a frozen tundra. The remnants of society now live in a single train, which is split up between the workers and the elite. Like Metropolis, it tells a dystopian class war tale with a message of environmentalism that is timelier today than ever before. Its also got a twisted sense of humor and some of the most raw, intense action youll see at the movies.

Director: Christopher Nolan

Why Its Essential: Though it never quite reaches the heights it aims for, Christopher Nolans Interstellar is still an important entry into the recent sci-fi canon simply because of the fact that its an original property blessed with a blockbuster budget. In recent years, audiences have had to either find a local art theater playing an indie sci-fi gem or suck it up and venture off to a dumbed-down blockbuster that has tenuous shades to the genre.

Interstellar changed that  it had all of the lofty ideas of a Solaris or 2001 and Nolan was given the cash and freedom to actually see it through. The movies plot sees a team of astronauts traveling into a wormhole in order to find a hospitable planet for humanity to call home after cataclysmic crop failures across Earth leave the population without a dependable food source. Its a thoughtful, beautiful, flawed film that likely needs more time to marinate to be fully appreciated.

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Motorola had this coming. A $5 million class-action lawsuit has been filed against the company by a Georgia resident over terrible customer service.

All phone companies have irate customers who are unhappy with the warranty services. But in Motorola's case, the list is unnaturally long, with reports of Motorola not honoring its warranties surfacing over and over again.

Apparently, the company had been both unwilling and unable to replace the customers' Motorola devices. Warranties represent peace of mind for customers  if anything were to happen within the warranty period, the company will replace or repair the model within the promised time frame. But in Motorola's case, it was quite the opposite. As the list of angry customers has grown, so has the conversation threads online. A Reddit user took to the forum to express a rather detailed complaint, which finally drew an apology from the company.

However, Motorola responded to the complaint by issuing a statement which pled delays at the service centers and admitted that it was not its usual standard of excellence.

Now, with the $5 million lawsuit, the murmur of angry whispers has turned into a full-fledged voice that finally holds the company accountable for the alleged poor customer services. In this case, the plaintiff, who is a Georgia resident, slams the company with violation of express warranty, the Fair Business Act, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and, at the same time, for being "unjustly enriched." He filed the complaint on April 21 for "unfair, unscrupulous, immoral, and oppressive" business practices, which also makes the company answerable to a sea of angry customers, even though it may take years to arrive at the outcome.

The plaintiff, Douglas Lynch, alleges Motorola took months to repair his defective Moto 360 last year. When he finally got the phone back after the excruciatingly long wait tempered with rather unpleasant communication, it was a cheaper model. Apparently, this is not an uncommon practice among the Motorola customer service, and there have been instances of many such complaints streaming in, some samples of which have also been added to the court filing.

Motorola has finally issued a statement that says, "Motorola has a long history of providing exceptional products and services to its customers. We are aware of the lawsuit, and are investigating the claims, which we believe to be without merit," and then goes on to provide the templated lines that give out the business hours and business numbers that address customer complaints.

While callousness of this order from the customer service department of any company is unacceptable, the internal changes and restructuring that followed in the wake of Lenovo's acquisition of Motorola, may have had a part to play in it.

Photo: Gabriel Alves | Flickr

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Tehran, Iran, April 30

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

The Iranian Taxation Affairs Organization has allowed the inspection of Iranian people's bank accounts for tracking suspicious transactions as a bid to prevent crime and improve financial transparency.

According to a circular delivered to executive authorities for inaction, expert teams will be set up to constantly monitor the banking transactions of natural and legal entities in Iran and require clarification if any suspicious instant is found, Mehr news agency reported April 30.

The cases should then be reported to related bodies for legal pursuit, the circular demands.

Iran is looking forward to opening up to the international business, especially after a comprehensive deal with world powers which freed the country of sanctions. But the country has faced some criticism regarding an obscure financial system, discouraging foreign companies from conducting business with Iranian partners.

During the sanctions period, some people and entities made big money bypassing international sanctions on Iran, leading to intensification of corruption in the country, which has already been suffering from lack of transparency.

The Iranian government cabinet in a session in mid-April reviewed the Ministry of Economy's report named "Fighting Money Laundering and Terrorism Funding in the post-JCPOA Era".

The ministry's report provided statistics accumulated by the Iranian Supreme Council on Money Laundering up to the end of last Iranian fiscal year (March 19).

The council, acting on Article 49 of the Iranian Constitution, obliges the government of Iran to stop and return revenues made through illegal means and to monitor suspicious transaction and people involved.
Amazon's hardware division and Amazon Web Services stood out to give the world's biggest online retailer its most profitable quarter ever.

The Seattle-based company posted a net income of $513 million, or earnings of $1.07 per share for the first quarter, recording its fourth straight profitable quarter. This is in stark contrast to the company's reported loss of $57 million four quarters back and a marked deviation from analysts' EPS projection of 58 cents.

Gross revenue stood at $29.13 billion, beating analysts' expectation of $27.98. The bulk of this revenue came from the company's North America market which contributed $17 billion.

New Hardware Fueled Earnings

Amazon's Chief Financial officer Brian Olsavsky emphasized during the earnings call on April 28 that the success of hardware sales was one of the drivers of growth during the quarter. Best sellers among Amazon's devices included the Fire tablet, the e-reader Kindle, and the smart speaker Echo.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos revealed that Fire tablet sales more than doubled during the first quarter compared to the same quarter last year. As a reminder, the company revamped its tablet line last fall and rolled out cheaper and faster models of its Fire tablet, including a child-focused version.

Kindle Oasis also rekindled Kindle sales. Weighing just 4.6 ounces (0.29 pound) and only 3.4 mm (0.13 inch) at its thinnest point, it is the thinnest and lightest Kindle in Amazon's Kindle suite.

The Amazon Echo series was a surprise hit, with stocks not being able to keep up with the product's fast movement.

AWS Delivered More Profit Than Amazon's Retail Business

AWS delivered strong double-digit growth at 64 percent year-over-year. Despite growing competition from Microsoft and Google, Amazon's cloud services unit generated revenue of $2.57 billion with an operating income of $604 million, higher than the $588 million operating income of its core business in North America.

TechCrunch reported that AWS has become a go-to for many businesses and the demand is still increasing based on the first quarter figures. If it continues to grow at its current rate, it could be a potential second line of business for Amazon, the report said.

The e-commerce company also disclosed that Amazon Prime has shown strong growth in many of its Prime loyalty program offerings, particularly its one-hour delivery services in select cities of Prime Now, Prime Video, and Prime Music.

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners says that the program has an estimated 54 million members in the U.S. While Amazon has not revealed the numbers on Prime subscribers, the membership could well command hefty revenue from subscription fees of $99 a year and $10.99 a month.

The company plans to ramp up spending to entice Prime customers to try other services. "We feel that program is working. We're going to significantly increase our spend in that area," said Olsavsky.

Following the earnings release, Amazon's stock surged more than 10 percent in after-hours trading.

Photo: Andrew Mager | Flickr

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At the developer conference in San Francisco on April 27, Samsung unveiled its personal assistant robot named Otto to showcase its ARTIK Internet of Things platform.

Otto is almost similar to Amazon's Echo that houses Alexa, but while Samsung gave it some basic robotic features, the Korean technology leader took things a notch higher and introduced some new concepts.

A creation of the company's C-Lab division, Otto comes equipped with microphones and speakers and thus responds to questions like "What's the weather?" just like Alexa and Siri. It also has the ability to control IoT-powered functions at home such as lights and refrigerators. But unlike the other robotic creations, Samsung's Otto houses a small display that communicates with the owner through various "facial" expressions as well as animations.

For example, if it's raining, the display will show little animated drops of rain to indicate the weather condition. Also, the little guy can sing and dance while bobbing its face up and down, but the physical actions are limited to this extent only.

But unlike Alexa, Otto has a built-in HD camera that packs in a facial recognition feature and also doubles as a security camera, which sends the live video stream to your mobile or PC and enables you to adjust the camera angle from the mentioned devices.

By introducing this concept into its game plan, Samsung can soon have the competition worrying about how to up their own game. Up until now, we've only seen Nest's always-watching Camera and Amazon's always-listening Echo, but never have both features been put together into the same product before.

Unfortunately, robot Otto is not a final product that is available in the market, at least for now. It's only a prototype meant to showcase Samsung's potential commercially viable IoT products built off of the ARTIK platform.

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A genetic therapy offers a glimmer of hope for patients with a rare form of blindness.

In a clinical study conducted in Oxford University in the United Kingdom, the therapy restored vision in the patients for as long as four years, potentially benefiting not only those with the type of genetic blindness but also those afflicted by common causes of vision loss.

The technique involves injecting a working copy of the gene into the eye to help cells regenerate and to replace a key missing gene for choroideremia, a disorder affecting young men whose cells in the eyes used for light detection are dying due to a fault in the gene CHM.

Until today there is still no treatment for its sufferers, currently about one in 50,000 individuals in the UK. The patients slowly turn blind as the disease progresses and destroys photoreceptors in the retina.

The trial, where doctors examined the vision of six persons up to four years after they received gene therapy, is the first choroideremia procedure in the world. While designed to slow or stop loss of vision, two patients had significant vision improvement sustained for at least four years, although their untreated eye declined over the same period.

Three more patients maintained vision in their treated eye during the trial, with the sixth patient  who received a lower therapy dose  experiencing slow deterioration of vision in both eyes.

The team considers this the strongest proof so far of the potentially permanent benefits of gene therapy, which is also hoped to cure other forms of genetic blindness including retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.

[N]ow we have unequivocal proof that [gene therapy] effects following a single injection of viral vector are sustained, said lead investigator and professor Robert MacLaren. Even sharpening up the little bit of central vision that these patients have can give them considerable independence.

The key, MacLaren added, is correcting a faulty gene even before a disease sets in. In this particular case, they saw lasting benefits because the viral DNA was optimally designed and the viral vector delivered in the right spot using advanced surgery.

Bristol-based retired barrister Jonathan Wyatt, the first in the world to receive this gene therapy, still has impaired sight but doubled his level of vision in the treated left eye  a gain he has sustained for four years now.

Suffering vision issues since age 20, the 68-year-old patient could now read 44 letters in eye chart tests, which used to be just 23 letters before his operation. According to him, the improvement has made him more independent, particularly during train rides when he would likely be tapping with a white stick if it werent for the surgery.

The news was welcomed by UK charity RP Fighting Blindness, which funds groundbreaking medical research and assists people with genetic retinal dystrophies and related conditions.

This is fabulous news. The advances made in genetic therapies are extremely encouraging . . . Our patient community is excited, said chief executive Tina Houlihan in a report with The Guardian.

The findings are published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Photo: Army Medicine | Flickr

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In January, European Space Agency's (ESA) head Jan Woerner shared his vision for the Moon Village, which could be the successor of the International Space Station (ISS) by 2030s.

Now, the ESA is pushing forward with its plans to set up this permanent base on the moon. The Moon Village can help mankind in its journey to Mars.

Earlier in April, Woerner again shared ESA's vision for the Moon Village during the 32nd Space Symposium. The lunar base will be a collaborative project among spacefaring nations.

As a successor to the ISS, the Moon Village could serve as the "ground" base not just for scientific pursuits but also mining, business and even tourism. The European agency believes that the Moon could be the next human destination as it is the nearest to the planet.

Moreover, optimizing our planet's nearest companion could help in mankind's pursuit towards the journey to Mars and beyond.

"I think we should go first to the moon and then further on. ... I would not call Mars the ultimate goal. I am quite sure humans will go further," said Woerner during the conference's April 13 session titled "New Generation Space Leaders Panel: The Future of Human Spaceflight."

The ESA head explained that the term "village" does not pertain to a community with houses, a church or a town hall. Rather, the so-called Moon Village refers to a community of people who live and work together, and in this case, the place happens to be outside of our planet.

"In the Moon Village we would like to combine the capabilities of different spacefaring nations, with the help of robots and astronauts. The participants can work in different fields, perhaps they will conduct pure science and perhaps there will even be business ventures like mining or tourism," added Woerner in an interview.

NASA's goal is to get astronauts to Mars towards the end of the 2030s. The Mars mission requires collaboration from the international space community.

The ESA's Moon Village can be a "stepping stone" or a test platform for farther explorations in space. Experts around the world across various disciplines can contribute to its creation. Eventually, it could become the stellar pit stop for all space explorations from various countries.

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Google has successfully got former employee Rick Osterloh back on board to run the its new hardware division. Osterloh's return as senior vice president, after a two-year stint of being the president of Motorala, holds much promise for the former's hardware product line-up.

Osterloh's reputation in the business is next to none, and the fact that he will be heading the new hardware division, as well as overseeing a slew of projects such as the next-gen Nexus, Glass, Chromecast and Project Aura will be welcomed by many.

This will be Osterloh's second stint with Google as he was with Motorola when Google owned the company, prior to its acquisition by Lenovo. He was then the senior vice president of Product Management and the general manager of Premium Products for Motorola Mobility from July 2012 to February 2014.

Osterloh worked his way up the corporate ladder and was promoted to President (post Dennis Woodside's exit from the company) and essayed this role from February to October 2014.

In November 2014, when Google sold Motorola to Lenovo, Osterloh went on to become Motorola Mobility's chief operations officer and president. However, in March, Osterloh bid adieu amid the corporate reorganization of the company.

According to Osterloh's LinkedIn profile, the new Google senior vice president has had a long and fruitful career. His journey began two decades ago in 1995 when he joined Deloitte Consulting as a senior consultant. He was with the company until he moved on to Amazon.com in the capacity of a product manager in 1999. However, this was a brief stint and Osterloh was with the e-retailer for less than a year.

The 44-year-old then shifted to Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in 1999 as a consultant:

"Reviewed business plans and market opportunities in the mobile space. Wrote initial business plan for Good Technology that led to an eventual fundraising round of $60M."

Osterloh quit the Menlo Park company in 2000 and instead joined Sunnyvale-based Good Technology in May of the same year as vice president of Product and Marketing. He was with the company for seven years and was instrumental in heading the marketing and product management for a Kleiner Perkins- and Benchmark-funded start-up, which in his own words "delivered a critically acclaimed Enterprise Mobility solution for over 10,000 enterprises."

In May 2007, the enterprising Osterloh shifted to Motorola's Mobile Division (after the acquisition of Good Technology) as corporate vice president of Android products. He was with the company until June 2010, and during his tenure, managed a team of nearly 800 designers, engineers and product managers in five international markets.

In June 2010, Osterloh moved to London to undertake the responsibilities of vice president of Product Management and Design for Skype.

With a career that is rich in experience and knowledge of product development and marketing, Osterloh will undoubtedly be an asset to Google. He brings to the table expertise in product management - among other skills - which will help fuel the growth of Google's new hardware division.

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These are exciting times to study Antarctica and zero in on what possibly lies beneath its thick ice. A massive lake discovered barely a decade ago, for instance, may be filled with hidden life.

Three separate studies from institutions across the United States offered a fresh first look into the biology and geophysics of subglacial Lake Whillans, which lies 2,600 feet beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Back in 2013, an American team drilled into the sliver of water about 7 feet deep, finding microbial life whose density compares to that of the worlds deep oceans with a rich bacteria and archaea population thats at least 4,000 species strong.

Now, the three separate bodies of research point to a wetland-resembling area beneath the ice, with tiny amounts of seawater emerging from ancient marine matter on the lakebed. Their findings are hoped to help analyze the role of subglacial lakes in water flow from the continent to the ocean  and therefore to sea-level rises.

It is amazing to think that we did not know that this lake even existed until a decade ago, said Helen Amanda Fricker of Scripps Oceanography, who discovered Lake Whillans in 2007 from satellite data. [T]hese new data are helping us understand how lakes function as part of the ice-sheet system.

Findings On Lake Whillans

Using an array of methods to probe the subglacial systems dynamics, the three recent papers highlight exciting findings.

The Scripps Oceanography team led by Matthew Siegfried reported in Geophysical Research Letters that GPS data collected in the span of five years indicate that the lakes periodic drainage can raise velocity at the ice sheets base and accelerate ice movement by up to 4 percent in certain bursts, each lasting for several months. These short-term phenomena, the authors suggested, can help scientists better predict upcoming, long-term ice sheet changes.

In the paper published in the journal Geology, Montana State University researchers used data from a 15-inch-long core of lake sediment to describe the chemistry of water in the lake as well as its sediments. Results showed that lake water emerges from melting at the ice sheet base enveloping the lake, with some parts from seawater trapped in sediments lying under the ice sheet when the Antarctic ice retreated during the last interglacial era.

The discovery of an ancient and isolated ocean water reservoir affecting the subglacial lakes biogeochemistry opposes previous studies from nearby ice streams, which showed no discernible marine signature in water obtained from sediments.

The third paper discussed in Earth and Planetary Science Letters investigated sediments from the lake to know their relationship with the ice sheet and subglacial water, demonstrating that although floods occasionally invade the lake, the flow isnt strong enough to erode expansive drainage channels.

Instead, the habitat underneath is likened to wetlands within coastal plains, where water bodies are likely shallow, broad and with gradual water flow.

Subglacial Lake Research

The 2013 drilling of Lake Whillans through the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) project retrieved water and sedimentary samples using a customized and clean hot-water drill, which prevents contamination of the pristine setting. It was nothing short of fascinating, as the body of water had been isolated from direct atmospheric contact for thousands of years.

This was unlike the 2012 project of Russian scientists who bore into Lake Vostok, which has been ice-covered for 15 million years. Their claims of finding evidence of life in the lake were met with skepticism due to the water samples unfortunately getting tainted by the fluid used in the drilling.

Science continues to unearth life in isolated water untouched by sunlight, such as two years ago when a team deploying a remotely operated vehicle spotted a species of translucent fish and some tiny crustaceans.

It remains exactly unknown how life was sustained in those areas or where the nutrients come from, but it is speculated by the ecosystems are fed by a certain chemosynthesis where microbes feed on minerals descending from the ice above or seeping through the sediments below.

Proving the existence of Antarctic lakes is seen to boost research on the continent, whose biodiversity is deemed as rich and complex as the deep oceans. A new lake being targeted for exploration, for instance, is far easier to study than Vostok or other remote bodies, as it is located only 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the closest research station.

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The Supreme Court has given the green signal to the appeal made by the U.S. Department of Justice, approving a rule change that will empower the FBI with more hacking authority.

On April 28, the court approved the change in Rule 41 - the subject of much controversy and opposition - which will enable judges in the U.S. to issue search warrants to gain access to PCs that are situated in any jurisdiction. Previously, magistrates only had the authority to order searches within their court's jurisdiction, which was restricted to a handful of counties.

For the unfamiliar, Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure essentially controls the conditions in which a judge has the authority to issue a warrant for seizures and searches.

The rule change was pushed for by the U.S. DOJ since 2013, which asserts it is a minor modification that is necessary to update the criminal codes in the digital era.

The move will not go down well with civil liberties groups who advocate that the change will expand the FBI's abilities to carry out mass hackings on PC networks.

So, what changes now, you ask? Basically, with the rule change approved, a magistrate would be able to issue a warrant permitting the seizure or search of an electronic gadget in the event the target is deploying a software, like Tor, which is anonymous.

"Under the proposed rules, the government would now be able to obtain a single warrant to access and search thousands or millions of computers at once; and the vast majority of the affected computers would belong to the victims, not the perpetrators, of a cybercrime," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore), who condemned the decision.

Interestingly, while the FBI will have more hacking powers thanks to the rule change - there's a light at the end of the tunnel for those in opposition of the judgement. The Congress has the authority to modify or even reject the rule change.

It has time until Dec. 1 to make any amendments or discard the federal rules completely. In the event, the Congress does not take any action within this time window, the policy will come into effect by default.

Even though the Congress has the authority to veto amendments to policies governing federal courts, it seldom exercises the power. With the year ahead expected to be a heated one, thanks to the election, it is unlikely that the Congress will use its powers.

Photo: Brian Turner | Flickr

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A tailless comet discovered in the Oort Cloud, at the edge of our solar system, is returning to Earth. That odd body, the first of its kind ever found by astronomers, could reveal the composition of the early solar system, including Earth and the other inner planets.

Comet C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) likely formed near Earth, unlike most comets composed of ices and frozen dust. Astronomers reasoned the body was likely thrown out to the far reaches of the solar system, driven by gravitation from the inner planets.

This unique comet, first seen in 2014, is currently twice as far from the sun as is the Earth. It takes the object roughly 860 years to travel once around our parent star, suggesting the body travels as far out as the Oort Cloud. This comet is the first body ever observed to contain material from the inner solar system, preserved in the frigid regions at the edge of the solar system.

"We already knew of many asteroids, but they have all been baked by billions of years near the Sun. This one is the first uncooked asteroid we have found: It has been preserved in the best freezer there is," said Karen Meech of the University of Hawai'i (UH) Institute for Astronomy.

Calculations suggest the object was formed during the early days of planet formation, and was kicked out to the Oort Cloud billions of years in the past. Only relatively recently, researchers believe, has the object started its travels toward the Earth.

This bare comet is being titled a Manx comet, in honor of the cat breed known for their lack of tails. As most comets close in toward the inner solar system, heat from the sun starts to warm their surface, melting ice. The gas emanating from the body is pushed backward by the solar wind, forming a tail. The amount of outgassing recorded from C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) is just 1-millionth as dense as a typical comet at the same point in space.

Various models for the formation of the solar system are still being debated. Examination of Manx comets could reveal secrets of processes which occurred billions of years ago.

Analysis of C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) and what it can tell us about the formation of the solar system was published in the journal Science Advances.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Japanese space agency officially declared ASTRO-H or the Hitomi spacecraft dead in space. What has actually gone wrong with the $273-million mission tasked to unlock the mystery of elusive, never-before-seen black holes?

Everything seemed to go well during the spacecrafts Feb. 17 launch and lifting atop an H-IIA rocket. But things went haywire five weeks post-liftoff, when the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) experienced intermittent communications from the ground to the craft. Despite several attempts, JAXA engineers were no longer able to regain control of the X-ray observatory.

What led the ultra high-tech Hitomi to this tragic end?

Unlike an earlier speculated malfunctioning thruster or debris collision, an array of system errors  both software and human factors  is pinpointed for the satellites wild, uncontrollable spinning.

A basic engineering mistake, according to Nature, could have set off a series of unfortunate events for the satellite. One of its systems designed to keep it facing the right direction, for instance, had gone on the fritz when Hitomi passed the South Atlantic Anomaly, a South American region exposing satellites to added amounts of radiation.

When that specific system malfunctioned, the observatory began to rely on a set of gyroscopes to stay in the right direction. Unluckily, the gyroscopes werent working right either, leading the observatory to spin out of control and even fire a thruster in an effort to get back on track.

It was an effort made in vain, though, as it fired in the wrong direction and caused Hitomi to spin even faster.

Compounding the problem, the solar panels on both sides of the satellite broke away at the bases and led to observable debris right after Hitomi started having issues  something that killed one of its primary sources of power.

It was in space barely a month when signs pointed to these problems: debris surrounding the satellite; dead silence from numerous attempts at establishing contact; and then JAXA researchers finding it spinning wildly in space.

But all hope wasnt lost yet back then, as the satellite emerged once again and transmitted some strange, erratic messages back to the ground. Now, after giving up on ever retrieving the lost satellite, JAXA experts doubt whether the agency actually received such short and cryptic messages at all.

Upon closer inspection, the messages appeared to come from quite different frequencies. This was initially thought to be due to the damage that Hitomi had incurred  but now it seems they were likely produced by intercepted radio interference, not the spacecraft.

After ceasing all efforts to restore Hitomi, JAXA resolved to focus on investigating the causes of its demise, reviewing the various phases of design, manufacturing, verifications and operations to know what led to the anomaly.

JAXA also would like to take this opportunity to send our profound appreciation to all overseas and domestic organizations for all of their help in confirming the status of ASTRO-H through ground-based observations and other means, the agency said in a statement.

Developed in collaboration with NASA and other organizations, Hitomi was supposed to investigate black holes, a phenomenon that has never been directly observed before. The announcement back in February that gravitational waves had been found for the first time enriched the body of evidence of black holes existence.

A similar satellite will be launched by the European Space Agency in 2028.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Science Museum of Minnesota received a total of $14.5 million from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to head a national project to spark public interest in Earth and space science, the museum announced on April 27.

More specifically, the center will lead the Space and Earth Informal STEM Education (SEISE) project, which aims to raise the capacity of museums and informal learning centers to engage kids in the different branches of science.

The objective of the contract is to aid NASA bring its resources to learners all across the United States in novel and unique methods. The said contract price given to the museum is one of the biggest amounts awarded by the space agency, putting Minnesota ahead of the pack in inspiring the future scientists.

"We are excited to partner with NASA and our sister institutions to create a national learning resource," says Science Museum of Minnesota President, Alison Rempel Brown. She adds that the projects of NASA are something to look forward to and are vital to the future of the country's space exploration and scientific education.

Science Museum

Brown says the Science Museum is a verified leader at turning scientific concepts into motivational and easy-to-learn ideas via its activities and efforts. This indeed makes the museum and NASA a perfect match in this endeavor.

In 2009, NASA also gave funds to the Science Museum for programs that tackled climate change and for the SPACE exhibition that started at the museum before it went on a national tour.

Governor Thrilled

Governor Mark Dayton says he is thrilled to know that NASA selected the Science Museum to aid in teaching and inspiring the future generations of scientists and space researchers. Such decision by the agency is huge news for the museum, the state and for the millions of inquisitive minds in the state and all across the country.

The Science Museum is said to be one of the leading creators of original science exhibits. The exhibits at the museum are products of its own research team as well as external research groups from high-end partners.

Photo: Ryan Somma | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Tehran, Iran, April 30

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

The Islamic Republic of Iran and South Korea have decided to sign 15 MoUs in the areas of water and power, including electrical.

The MoUs will be signed by related ministers on both sides at the presence of Iranian and South Korean presidents, said Iranian Minister of Energy Hamid Chitchian, IRNA reported April 30.

Chitchian made the remarks in a meeting with South Koran Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kang Ho-in in Tehran.

He said the agreements have been drafted based on constant exchange of ideas over the past months.

The MoUs will be signed on April 31 during South Korean President Park Geun-hye's formal visit to Tehran.

Iran-South Korea bilateral trade shrunk to $6.1 billion under sanctions. Iran's export to South Korea in the meantime amounted to $2.3 billion while that of South Korea to Iran reached $3.7 billion.
Android users should be wary of a new malware that siphons their bank information and infects their devices in a sneaky way.

ThreatLabZ, the security team from Zscaler, unveiled the malware, which seems to land in the form of an update to Google Chrome for Android.

It is easy to get confused, as the domains used by the information thief closely resemble the legitimate ones. However, you should know that every URL is active for short periods of time. By constantly swapping addresses, the spying program keeps away from detection.

ZScaler published a list of the URLs known to be infected. Go to their site to check it out.

ZDNet contacted Deepen Desai, the chief for Security Research at Zscaler, about the issue.

"The malware may arrive from compromised or malicious websites using scareware tactics or social engineering," Desai says.

He offers sound advice that applies whether or not a threatening malware is out and about: avoid browsing dubious websites and double-check before clicking "Ok" to anything the Internet has to offer.

Some users will get a popup that indicates that their device is infected. Soon after that, an offer to update the security appears, promising to take care of the problem.

Users who go ahead and download the update (which usually goes by the name "Update_chrome.apk") get prompted with a request for admin rights to the device. Those who agree practically give free rein to the malware to find and destroy any previously deployed security or antivirus apps.

ZScaler points out that established anti-viruses, such as ESET, Kaspersky and Avast are vulnerable to the attack and stop working as soon as the admin rights are provided to the malicious software.

After the malware takes out your anti-virus program, the info-thief starts its work. The fake Chrome will track the full list of calls and texts and forward the list to a command-and-control server.

Should you have Google Play Store installed, a fake credit card payment is displayed, whose similarity to the original site is uncanny. Credit card information that users provide goes directly to a Russian database, according to ZScaler.

The good news is that there is a way out of this mess. The bad news is that it requires users to restore their device to factory settings.

Earlier this year, Google published its Android Security Annual report showcasing the efforts of the company to keep the ecosystem safe and sound from attacks.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
United States Supreme Court allows FBI to hack millions of devices with just one warrant

So now the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) can hack your and my laptop/smartphone or PC with a valid warrant. This is what the new judgement by US Supreme Court says. The US Supreme Court has approved a change in Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, so judges across the country now have the authority to issue warrants for remote electronic searches outside their district.

Essential, this order will let a US judge can grant an FBI agent in, say, New York, permission to hack into a computer in San Francisco, or potentially any city in the world, in order to help in their investigations. The court documents also state that the US based judge can also grant a warrant if a suspect uses tools to hide their identity, such as Tor.

The judgement is in line with an amendment, first introduced in 2014 and it allows US authorities to keep pace with the dynamics of Internet but at the same time it also raises privacy and security issues. Google has already spoken out against the said amendment in a blog.

It comes just a week after a Massachusetts judge dismissed evidence obtained by the FBI using a network investigative technique in a case involving a Dark Web site that distributed images of child sexual abuse. It was Rule 41 that rendered the FBIs findings invalid in court.

The US Department of Justices spokesperson Peter Carr told Motherboard:

Criminals now have ready access to sophisticated anonymizing technologies to conceal their identity while they engage in crime over the Internet, and the use of remote searches is often the only mechanism available to law enforcement to identify and apprehend them. This amendment ensures that courts can be asked to review warrant applications in situations where is it currently unclear what judge has that authority. The amendment makes explicit that it does not change the traditional rules governing probable cause and notice.

Privacy advocates and civil liberty groups have voiced their concerns over empowering FBI to such a degree without proper oversight. It remains to be seen how FBI makes use of this judgement in cases where suspects are in foreign countries like say United Kingdom and how the law becomes applicable there.
Are you looking for The Pirate Bay proxy list for 2022 to unblock the pirate bay torrent site?

Dont worry anymore, as in this article we have shared some of the best Pirate Bay Alternatives and TPB Proxy and Mirror Websites that are working.

The first word that probably strikes our mind when we talk about Torrent Sites is The Pirate Bay.

This immensely popular BitTorrent website uses peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing technology and has stood the test of time and is by far one of the most reliable torrenting websites.

However, due to legal issues, you might not be able to access the pirate bay in several countries.

This blockage can be bypassed using pirate proxies.

NOTE: Techworm does not condone using torrents to illegally obtain content. Using the following torrent websites for illegal purposes is done entirely at your own risk.

Techworm takes no responsibility for any legal problems you encounter.

One the earliest Pirate Bay Alternative when any of the top pirate bay proxy servers were not working. Kat torrents have all the latest films, movies, music, and more releases.

Due to copyright violations, the original domain kat.cr was blocked in several regions. You will find a wide range of Kat proxy domains to help you access this TPB alternative.

1337x was the ultimate torrent site back in the period between 2010 to 2014. Then like every popular torrent site, it was blocked virtually everywhere.

According to TorrentFreak, it is amongst the third most popular torrent sites. You will find quality torrents here, contributed by groups such as Yify, EZTV, RARBG, and others.

There is also a Top 100 torrents section that houses the most sorted out and trending torrents right now on the website.

TPB houses everything ranging from retro games to movies, and it is considered the best torrent site out there. Consider Yify/YTS as the best for movie torrents, having the best prints available in the least possible size.

You will find Yify movies torrents in different places as it is widely popular and considered the benchmark for quality video torrents.

Yify offers torrent files alone, and there are no magnets links available. Use the torrent files for downloading movies on your device using an excellent torrenting client.

We have Torlock, where all the torrents are verified, hosting a tracker library of over seven million torrents.

As we were lurking on the site, we came across a distinct category  image, which we dont often find on other torrenting sites.

Along with that, we can also create an account on the site to maintain a list of the favorite bitrrorents.

The last one here is Anidex, which is the best TPB alternative for downloading anime and manga torrents.

They house over a million different anime torrents here, with the manga ones in .cbz format, easy for reading. Find diverse anime games here in a dedicated section.

Finding the proper subtitles is a real problem for Animes. Search for them here as they are listed in a different language, from German to Arabic.
Samsungs Otto personal assistant robot will answer anything that troubles you and protects you too

Samsung has created a companion robot called Otto and the latest machine can not only answer your questions, but it is also able to become a part-time security guard. Otto is expected to be demonstrated at the Samsung Developer Conference this week in San Francisco. Samsung Otto features an interactive speaker that can answer questions, order products and play music. Since the robot is currently in prototype stages, Samsung absolutely no intention of selling it to consumers at this current time.

Otto does have an integrated camera, which will make it quite handy to keep a track of whatever is going on in a given environment. The robot can broadcast live images from its integrated camera to PCs or mobile devices. Thanks to the inclusion of servos and motors, Otto will also be able to move its up, down, left and right, and this will all be made possible thanks to the latest dedicated mobile application.

Otto can also turn into your own personal butler but for the time being, it appears as if the robot will only be capable of carrying out basis tasks like powering up a smart appliance. Samsung will most definitely be showcasing more features of Otto at upcoming events, but the companys primary aim is to tap into the Internet of Things. By tapping into this market, the company will effectively be able to give you control on making your home come to life thanks to the availability of robots like Otto.

We will get to see more unique features of the smart robot in the coming months so stay tuned for more updates.

PCWorld+6
GTA in real life  A pissed off United States Army veteran stole a M-60 tank and drove it down the streets of San Diego  Video

Normally when you get pissed of at work, you take a deep breath and let the anger subside. If you are even more angry, you take a paper weight and slam it down or bang the office desk to vent your fury. But this gentleman did something that would find a place in history.

A out of work plumber who was a US army veteran decided to teach the authorities a lesson for pissing him off. He stole a M-60 battle tank used by the US Army. Whats more, he drove the tank in the downtown streets of San Diego crushing everything in the way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FRiwjSrwiE

Shawn Nelson, the US army war veteran who was driving the tank met with a unfortunate end. He stole an M60A3 Patton tank from a United States National Guard Armory in San Diego, California, and went on a rampage on May 17, 1995, destroying cars, fire hydrants, and a recreational vehicle before being shot and killed by police.

His life story is filled with tragedies and decided to commit suicide on the god forsaken date. Nelson led police on a 23-minute, televised chase through the streets of the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego. The tank had a top speed of 30 miles per hour (48 km/h), making the chase slow compared to police chases involving automobiles. The 57-ton tank easily plowed through road signs, traffic lights, fire hydrants and crushed several parked vehicles including an RV. He even attempted to knock down a bridge by running into the supports, but gave up after he failed to topple it with the first few hits.

He eventually became caught on a concrete median of State Route 163, as he attempted to cross the median into the oncoming traffic. Four police officers climbed onto the tank. San Diego Police officer Paul Paxton, a gunnery sergeant at the time with the Marine Corps Reserve, was able to open the hatch. The officers ordered Nelson to surrender, but he said nothing and began lurching the tank back and forth in attempt to free it from the median.[2] Officer Paxtons partner, Richard Piner, leaned in and shot Nelson. The bullet struck Nelson in the shoulder. Nelson later died in the hospital. Despite the widespread property destruction, Nelson was the only fatality in the incident.

This real life GTA incident ended on a very bad note!
"We will carry out a national mobilization against these coup plotters because we can no longer allow one more death," the Bolivian Labor Union warned. | Read More
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

By Fatih Karimov - Trend:

Iran has replaced the Canadian companies in the US heavy water market, says Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesperson for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization.

"Earlier the US was trying to shut down Iran's heavy water plant, but now they buy its product and admit its high quality," Kamalvandi said, IRNA news agency reported Apr. 30.

The US has purchased even more heavy water from Iran compared to the amount bought from the Canadian firms, he added.

Kamalvandi also dismissed the reports which claim that Iran has sold its heavy water to the US at a low price, saying Tehran has sold the product at the market price.

Global heavy water market consists of the pharmaceutical research sector and heavy water power reactors, said Kamalvandi, adding that the quality of the heavy water used in the two sectors is different.

Iran plans to gain access to the markets that want high quality heavy water, added the spokesman.

Tehran also aims to become the biggest heavy water producer in the world, he said.

Beside the 130 tons of the heavy water that Tehran can keep for itself under the nuclear deal, the country currently has about 70 tons of surplus heavy water that will be sold in the global markets, Kamalvandi said.

Heavy water consumption globally is about 95 tons a year, of which almost 75 percent accounts for the US market, he added.

Iran produces 20 tons of heavy water per year.

Recent reports say Iran has sold 32 tons of heavy water to the United States at $8.6 million.

Before the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers was put into force in January, reports suggested that Iran had already sold 40 tons of heavy water to the US.

Iran's heavy water was tested in the States last year, with the test results putting its purity at 75.99 percent.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 30

By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:

President of the Senate of Belgium Christine Defraigne and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif have discussed regional developments and ways for strengthening bilateral ties.

At a meeting with Christine Defraigne in Tehran, Zarif said that Iran has fulfilled its commitments regarding the last year's nuclear deal with the world powers, Tasnim news agency reported.

Iran now expects members of the P5+1 to fully carryout their commitments regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA/nuclear deal), Zarif added.

Minister Zarif called on the European countries to facilitate banking ties with Iran in order to help to boosting trade ties.

Zarif further touched upon Syrian crisis and said the only solution to the crisis is through election in Syria.

Christine Defraigne and her accompanying delegation who are visiting Iran for talks on expansion of bilateral relations, have met with several Iranian officials.

The Belgian delegation's visit takes place after Iran and the P 5+1 implemented the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in January curbing Iran's nuclear activity.

Nuclear related international sanctions on the Islamic Republic were lifted following the implementation of the JCPOA.
Airports Corporation of Vietnam, which manages 22 airports around the country, is set for an IPO on December 10 even as the government is pushing state firms to restructure. File photo

The Vietnamese government has ordered its agencies to speed up the restructuring of state enterprises, including selling shares in 50 companies by the end of the year.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh has written to state agencies and enterprises, warning that some of them have been "slow" to restructure, the government website reported Friday.

As of November 10 the government has privatized 408 state-owned firms, or nearly 80 percent of the target set for 2011-15, it said.

Ninh also ordered the agencies and enterprises to continue the pull-out from non-core businesses. He said though they do not need to make divestment at any cost, they need to "immediately" tackle cases where they suffer losses.

Since 2010 state agencies and enterprises have sold a total of VND16.45 trillion ($719.75 million) worth of non-core businesses, according to the government's latest figures.

Nearly 53 percent of this, or more than VND8.7 trillion ($380.83 million) worth, was from the real estate, insurance, securities, and finance and banking sectors.

But it is only 37 percent of the target the government had hoped to achieve by this year end in the five sectors it deems "risky".
The agriculture ministry has raised nearly VND395 billion (US$17.73 million) from selling nearly half of its stake in the Vietnam Livestock Corporation, which owns shares in 17 farm businesses around the country.

No foreign companies took part in the oversubscribed auction Thursday when 118 investors sought to buy nearly twice the number of shares offered.

More than 23.7 million shares were sold, equivalent to 37.59 percent of the shares of company, better known as Vilico.

The ministry has also concluded a deal to sell the remaining 40 percent to Hanoi-based Viet New Spring Corporation for more than VND358.4 billion ($16.08 million).

Saigon Securities Incorporation's SSI Asset Management owns 12.12 percent of the company.

Vilico, which owns 51 percent of one of Vietnam's major dairy firms, Moc Chau, made its initial public offering in 2013 before listing on Hanoi's UpCom market last October.

It reported pre-tax profits of VND200.2 billion ($8.98 million) last year, up 39 percent from 2014.
French naval ship Tonnerre will call at Cam Ranh Port from May 2-6, signalling "the desire to increase cooperation between the armed forces and governments" of France of Vietnam, the French embassy said.

The Mistral-class landing helicopter dock, one of the biggest ships of the French Navy, is hosting 200 cadets of the French navy and foreign navies on board, the embassy said in a press release.

During the port call, the crew will participate in various activities and meetings with Vietnamese authorities in order to promote the tightening of friendly ties and defense between the two countries.

The French Defence Minister is scheduled to visit Vietnam in June, and the French President in the fall, the embassy said.
The corvettes, coded HQ-379 and HQ-380, in the commission ceremony in Dong Nai on Thursday. Photo: Tieu Thien

Two locally-built, Russian-designed missile corvettes entered service with the Vietnamese Navy following a commission ceremony in the southern province of Dong Nai on Thursday.

The corvettes, coded HQ-379 and HQ-380, were built by Ba Son Shipyard. They are armed with 16 Uran-E missiles of 130 km in range, an AK-176M automatic gun, and two AK-630 ship-borne artillery systems.

They are among the six Project 1241.8 Molniya (Lightning) corvettes ordered at Ba Son Shipyard by the Vietnam People's Navy in 2009. The first two, HQ-377 and HQ-378 were delivered last year.

The new corvettes will join their siblings at Brigade 167 of the navy's 2nd Zone Command, which is in charge of the waters in southern Vietnam from Binh Thuan to Bac Lieu Provinces.

The Vietnamese navy has also used to Russian-built Molniya corvettes, which were built by the Russian Vympel Shipyard.

Vietnam started its own production line of the ships with the assistance of Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau in St. Petersburg, Russia.
A Vietnamese Navy vessel on Thursday left Cam Ranh Port for Brunei and Singapore to join an international military exercise focused on maritime security and counterterrorism.

The ship codenamed 381 will take part in the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus Maritime Security and Counterterrorism Exercise 2016 from May 2 to 12.

Navies of the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will participate in the drills, along with those from Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the US.

Approximately 3,000 personnel, 18 ships, 17 helicopters, two maritime patrol aircraft along with Special Forces from the 18 nations will be deployed during the exercise, The Diplomat reported.

Participating vessels will sail from Brunei and conduct the drills along the way to Singapore, where a concluding counterterrorism scenario will take place, according to the report.
Traffic congestion over several kilometers on National Highway 1 at 4 p.m. Friday as many traveled home to neighboring provinces. There was a lot of honking as many people lost patience under the baking sun. Photo credit: VnExpress

A woman helps her husband drives onto the sidewalk to escape the traffic. The hot air of nearly 40 degrees Celsius was filled with desperation as everyone wished to escape the city for the four-day break.

A 29-year-old employee at a company in HCMC drives his girlfriend to meet his family in Vinh Long Province, 135 kilometers to the northwest of the city, for the first time. I thought we would make it to dinner. But with this traffic, maybe not, he told news website VnExpress.

Trinh The Man, a traffic officer at an intersection Binh Chanh District, said the highway was suddenly crowded from 3 p.m. Normally the traffic is heavy for less than an hour after working hours, but today its terrible.

Vehicles are stuck on Binh Trieu Bridge at the eastern gate of the city. Mien Dong Bus Station, which connects the city with eastern and Central Highlands provinces, received around 41,000 passengers on Friday, most traveling home or taking vacations in Da Nang, Da Lat, Mui Ne or Nha Trang.

No coming-home excitement. Everyones tired.

A man made a phone call to delay an appointment Friday night. Ive been used to heavy traffic in the city, but now Im completely stunned. All this honking is deafening," he said.

Thousands of motorbikes flock to Cat Lai Ferry Station to travel to Dong Nai and Vung Tau. Managers said they have put extra boats in use to meet the high demand on Friday, with around 60,000 travelers.
Tran Van Tha (L) returns a razor of an American killed during the Vietnam War to his former comrade. Photo: Tran Cong Thi

A razor belonging to a US soldier killed in the Vietnam War in 1968 has been returned to his family.

Colonel Tran Van Tha, 88, Saturday returned the razor to Neil Hannan, 67, who accepted it on behalf of the wife of the late soldier, William Kimball.

A solemn ceremony was held at Thas house in Nha Trang in central Vietnam.

Tha said he was then a commander and found the razor on Kimballs body while checking a battle site in Quang Tri Province in central Vietnam on May 6, 1968.

It was a brutal battle. We won, and many US soldiers were killed and injured.

He said he kept the razor hoping to give it back to the soldiers family.

Tha has spent many years helping US families look for their members who were killed and went missing in Vietnam. He met Hannan, who fought in the same Quang Tri battle under Kimballs command, in March last year.

Hannan then looked for Kimballs family in the US.

The late soldiers wife exchanged many emails with Tha before giving Hannan permission to accept the razor.

Hannan, who was sent to Vietnam as a teenager, said most of his comrades were killed in the war. The American has returned to Vietnam many times, looking for Vietnamese soldiers he used to fight against. He first met Tha on his third visit.

The Vietnam War, which peaked in 1968, claimed the lives of 58,000 Americans and at least three million Vietnamese.
Chinese man Lian Shao Ming, 39, at a courtroom in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday. Photo credit: Tien Phong

An appeals court in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday upheld a six-year jail term against a Chinese man who was convicted last year for illegally bringing two pistols and 200 cartridges from Cambodia into Vietnam.

Lian Shao Ming of Shangdong, China, was trying to appeal the sentence handed down by a lower court in late 2015.

Ming, 39, who had been wanted in his country for murder allegations, was arrested in March last year with the illegal weapons.

He reportedly went to Cambodia the previous day and met a local man who offered to sell him two pistols for US$1,000 each and the cartridges for $400.

The man then hired a xe om motorbike taxi driver to carry the weapons across the border.

Investigators suspected that Ming killed a person in Guangdong in 2001. He fled to Vietnam through Lang Son Border Gate to avoid the investigation.

He then moved to Ho Chi Minh City, bought a fake ID card under a Vietnamese name and stayed in District 9.
A court in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday sentenced a Singaporean man to death for trafficking 2.5 kilograms of heroin.

Lee Loke Dah, 40, was arrested at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in December 2014 with a plastic bag containing thousands of capsules. Further tests confirmed that the drug was heroin.

The man, who had entered the country four days earlier, told investigators that he stole the bag from a stranger in a hotel in District 5 and that he was not aware of the drug.

Prosecutors rejected these claims. The court found him guilty of drug trafficking.

Vietnam has some of the worlds toughest drug laws. The production or sale of 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal narcotics is punishable by death. Those convicted of possessing or smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kilograms of methamphetamine also face the death penalty.
The number of people using Zalo, an instant messaging app developed by local technology company VNG, has hit 50 million, local media reported on Friday, citing the developer.

That is equivalent to more than half of Vietnam's population and an increase of over 66 percent from the middle of last year.

Since the data was released by the company itself, it is difficult to independently verify the impressive number.

Launched in 2012, Zalo has cooperated with several government agencies in providing people with accesses to search for administrative information such as vaccination and appointments, besides calling, messaging and booking air tickets.

Zalo is one of five local businesses which are providing over-the-top contents, the official technical term for the delivery of audio, video and other media over the Internet, in Vietnam.

Three telecom giants MobiFone, Viettel and VinaPhone launched their services last year, besides Hanoi-based Internet security firm Bkav, according to news website ICTNews.

Other than Zalo, Viettel is the only operator to have reported its number of Mocha users, which was estimated at around 3 million this month, the website said.

Foreign giants such as Facebook Messenger, Line, Viber and WhatsApp are also operative in Vietnam, but their number of users are not regularly released.

Of all the operators, Japan's Viber and South Korea's Kakao Talk and Line once officially launched their services here, but all pulled out reportedly due to harsh competition from local businesses.

Viber was the last one to close its local office in July last year and moved to the Philippines, after more than one year of operation with around 23 million users.
The number of settlements in Syria, which joined the ceasefire in the country has risen to 83, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday in a bulletin posted on its website, Sputnik reported.

"In one day, the ceasefire agreements were signed with the representatives of three settlements (in the province of Homs - one, in Aleppo - two). The number of settlements that have joined the reconciliation process has increased to 83," the bulletin said.


Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila arrives at the EU Council building to attend an European Union Summit in Brussels, on March 18, 2016

If Finland joined NATO it would provoke a "serious crisis" with neighbouring Russia, an expert report commissioned by the government warned on Friday.

The report also said that Finland and Sweden should decide together if they want to join the transatlantic military alliance.

"Finland joining NATO with Sweden staying out would create a strategically awkward situation, leaving Finland as a strategic outpost without territorial contiguity with NATO," the analysis said.

"Membership would probably also lead to a serious crisis with Russia, for an undefined period of time."

The report was commissioned by the government of Prime Minister Juha Sipila in the face of Russia's increased military activity in the Baltic Sea area and its role in the conflict in Ukraine.

Finland -- which shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia -- was attacked by its powerful neighbour during World War II but has maintain peace relations with Moscow ever since.

NATO has remained open to the idea of Finnish membership, but so far Helsinki has been reluctant to join and has contented itself with close cooperation with the alliance.

"Finland would be more exposed and vulnerable than it currently is if Sweden alone were to join NATO," the report concluded.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned in an interview with Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter that his country would not hesitate to "react" if Sweden joined NATO.

"If military infrastructure draws close to Russian borders we will naturally take the necessary technical-military measures," Lavrov said, but did not elaborate.

Sweden has maintained a policy of strategic non-alignment since the Cold War.

Sipila said his government had to be ready to seek NATO membership if necessary, adding: "With Sweden, we have promised not to surprise each other in these matters."
Fighting will be halted for 24 hours in Damascus (pictured) and the nearby rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta

The United States and Russia have agreed on a "freeze" in fighting along two major fronts in Syria, but not in war-ravaged Aleppo, the Syrian and Russian militaries said Friday.

Fighting in the rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, and the province of Latakia is set to halt at midnight on Friday (2100 GMT).

Syria's army said the freeze would come into effect at 1:00 am and would last for 24 hours in Eastern Ghouta and for 72 hours in coastal Latakia, the heartland of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect.

There was no mention of Aleppo, where a week of fighting has killed more than 200 civilians.

In February, the US and Russia brokered a partial truce in Syria between regime forces and non-jihadist rebels.

The US special envoy for Syria, Michael Ratney, said Friday that the agreement was a "general recommitment" to that truce, "not a new set of local ceasefires."

"Likewise, persistent violations in Aleppo have stressed the Cessation of Hostilities and are unacceptable," he said.

"We are talking to Russia to urgently agree on steps to reduce violence in that area as well."

A Syrian security source in Damascus said the deal had been reached in Geneva between US and Russian officials.

"The Americans asked for Aleppo to be included, but the Russians refused," the source said.

Russia is a key backer of Assad's regime, while the US has supported various opposition factions in the country.

A diplomatic source quoted by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti said that Moscow and Washington, co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group, "are the guarantors of the 'regime of silence' implementation by the sides."

Russian Lieutenant-General Sergei Kuralenko, based in the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia province, said that during the freeze, "all combat and using any weapons will be forbidden".

"We call upon all parties interested in establishing peace on Syrian land to support the Russian-American initiative and not disrupt the 'regime of silence'," he said, quoted by RIA Novosti.

Although the February 27 truce had seen violence drop across large parts of the country, fighting against jihadist groups continued in Latakia, the eastern province of Deir Ezzor and elsewhere.

Eastern Ghouta is held by the powerful Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) rebel group, which has signed on to the truce.

But fighting there between Jaish al-Islam and regime forces has been building in recent weeks.

Opposition factions in Eastern Ghouta and Latakia were not immediately available for comment on the freeze.

More than 270,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
The White House on Friday said talks to install a new anti-missile defense system in South Korea would continue in the wake of nuclear arms and missile tests by North Korea despite calls by China and Russia for the United States to back off.

The United States and South Korea have begun talks on possible deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system after North Korea tested its fourth nuclear bomb on Jan. 6 and conducted missile tests.

The nuclear test and missile launches violate U.N. resolutions against North Korea backed by Russia and China. U.S. and South Korean officials have expressed concern the North could attempt a fifth nuclear test in a show of strength ahead of its Workers' Party congress, which begins on May 6.

North Korea test-fired what appeared to be two intermediate range ballistic missiles on Thursday, but both failed, according to the U.S. military.

On Friday, the White House said it was still in talks with its close ally South Korea and that the system, if installed, would not threaten other countries.

"Those discussions are ongoing," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. "That equipment would be oriented toward the threat that is posed by North Korea, not oriented toward China or Russia."

Speaking at joint press briefing with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi earlier on Friday called on the United States to respect "legitimate concerns" of China and Russia over the missile system.

"This move goes beyond the defensive needs of the relevant countries. If it is deployed it will directly impact China's and Russia's respective strategic security," Wang said.

"Not only does it threaten the resolution of the peninsula nuclear issue, it quite possibly could pour oil on the fire of an already tense situation, and even destroy strategic equilibrium on the peninsula."

North Korea's actions should not be used as an excuse to make moves that would escalate tensions, especially the U.S. deployment of an anti-missile system, Lavrov said, according to an interpretation in Chinese.

North Korea's drive to develop a nuclear weapons capability has angered China, Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and economic supporter. But Beijing fears THAAD and its radar have a range that would extend into China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said Beijing would not allow war and chaos to break out on the Korean peninsula.

Earnest gave no timing on when talks with South Korea may concluded but added that "the United States is prepared to invest resources in keeping them safe."

North and South Korea remain technically at war after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, rather than a treaty. The North routinely threatens to destroy South Korea and the United States.
ACT police are searching for two offenders who conducted an armed robbery in Wanniassa on Saturday morning.

At about 1.25am police attended the front car park of the Erindale Leisure Centre following reports of an aggravated robbery.

A man and women were held up at gunpoint on Saturday morning in Wanniassa.

A male and female were sitting in a parked car when they noticed two offenders coming towards them with flash lights.

One offender, believed to be armed with a gun, ordered them out of the car before taking a wallet and phone.
How pathetic that our politicians can only see a simple question of dollars and not the terrible cost to people. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton complains Australia has paid Papua New Guinea "a lot of money" to send 900 asylum seekers to Manus Island and as a consequence Port Moresby has the only obligation to the men. Labor's Richard Marles wants to offer extra cash to convince PNG to change its laws and keep the detention camp open. Both notions are equally contemptuous. It should surely be clear by now that Australia cannot buy its way out of a moral responsibility to refugees.

Yet the prospect of throwing even more money at an undoubtedly difficult challenge is presented as policy, such is the consensus of cruelty in Australian politics. Usually, governments and oppositions are at pains to highlight examples of wasteful spending. Not so with asylum seeker policy. The cost has already been enormous, including attempts to induce Solomon Islands, Philippines and Kyrgyzstan to join PNG, Cambodia and Nauru in the offshore "solution" to the arrival of asylum seekers by boat. In addition to the cost to the treasury, our diplomacy has been debauched and national reputation stained.

Australia cannot buy its way out of a moral responsibility to refugees. Credit:Andrew Meares

The ruling by the PNG Supreme Court that Manus Island is an illegal operation should be seen as an opportunity for Australia to adopt a different approach. The refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island who do not wish to settle in PNG should be brought to Australia. It is ludicrous to pretend there is no flexibility in Australia's present stance, especially given the government has been found out, acting in contravention of PNG law.

But the regrettable reality is both major political parties have mistaken stubbornness for decency. Like the Australian High Court ruling on the so-called "Malaysia solution", there is little hope of change. Each parrots a line that the boats must be stopped to save lives, pretending this concern absolves Australia of responsibility for the lives of those interned on island camps.
Diane Livingstone and her son, Theo Kavouklis, who was abducted by his father and taken to Greece. Johnstone was born Theo Kavouklis in Darwin, 1997. His father, Nick Kavouklis, and his mother, Diane Livingstone, separated soon after. In 2001, Nick took Theo to Kalymnos for a six-week "holiday". He did not bring him back. Theo Johnstone, who now lives with his family in Perth. Because Australia and Greece are signatories to the Hague convention, which governs international child abductions, Nick was charged with kidnapping  then released on a surety of $5000.

Livingstone was desperate. She told one newspaper that of 14 Australian custody applications made in Greece within seven years, only two abducted children were returned. 60 Minutes reporter Liz Hayes during an interview. She hatched her plan. An abduction advisory service called Hug-Ur-Kids put Livingstone in contact with Trojan Securities International, an Arkansas-based recovery firm. Nick Kavouklis, posting about his son Theo on Facebook. Credit:Facebook

In September of 2002 she slipped into Athens with a Trojan agent. Two more agents arrived the next day. They established a base at motel on the nearby island of Kos. The sting happened on a Friday. By then, Trojan operatives had been tracking their juvenile target in Kalymnos for days. They waited until Theo  with his young cousin and his grandmother Athanasia  stopped to look in a shop window. Nick Kavouklis displaying his tattoo of his son, Theo, as a young boy. Credit:Facebook But before they leapt into action, Livingstone reportedly thrust a camera at one of the agents. "This is for 60 Minutes," he recalled her saying in a 2002 interview with The Age. "The TV crews weren't there at the time, it was just us getting footage for them," the agent said. Crucially, Greek authorities were involved  and Livingstone had Greek court orders on her side. While local police refused to help, officers from nearby Rhodes restrained Athanasia as Livingstone snatched Theo. It was a police car that drove mother and son to the speedboat. This vessel took them to Kos, where they flew to Athens, then London and, eventually, Australia.

Johnstone does not recall every detail. Yet there are moments he'll never forget. As they raced away his mother ripped off her disguise, then tried to calm him. Finally he recognised her. He cursed, he swore  all in Greek. He'd forgotten how to speak English. "He [Nick] kind of brainwashed me," Johnstone says. "To make me think that he's done the right thing  and she's done the wrong thing.

"He thinks what he did was right. He wanted me to see his side of the family, and show me the Greek way of things. That's what European males are like, especially when they have a son. Their sons are everything." It was tough at first. Johnstone started school a year behind the other kids. He went to counselling once a week. His family was in hiding, but they didn't tell him that. He considers Diane's husband, Peter Johnstone, his real father: "We don't share the same blood but he's my dad." Diane and Peter got together when Theo was two. They share one biological daughter, and everyone lives together in Perth. To outsiders, these four have always been "the Johnstone family". Theo made it official when he turned 18, taking the Johnstone surname.

He is especially close to his mother. Johnstone is unequivocal when asked if she was right to use a child recovery agency: "Definitely. One hundred per cent ... I couldn't be happier. "I think about what my life would be like if Mum hadn't pulled this off. I think about it quite a lot." He trails off. Nick has returned to Darwin. He's seen him once since 2002. It was awkward, Johnstone says. There was a time Nick caused a scene at his school, according to Johnstone. As he recalls it, there was an explosion of texts on his phone alerting him to the arrival of his biological father. Nick was demanding to see his son. When informed he had moved on, Johnstone says, he accused the students of lying.

He ignores Nick's Facebook posts. One displays a tattoo of his son, frozen in time as a little boy. Another has him holding a fresh catch, declaring he'd love take Theo fishing again. "Pete is the one who takes me fishing," Johnstone explains. "I don't want any of that stuff. I don't want you to buy me back. I just want you to say sorry." Johnstone believes his parents spent around $200,000 to retrieve him. He doesn't know how they afforded it but he's sure it was a huge burden. In 2002 it was reported that Livingstone took out a loan to finance the operation. Livingstone, now known as Diane Johnstone, confirms this to Fairfax Media. She says the program paid her a "small fee" but it was "nowhere near" the rumoured amount of $70,000. She denies Nine paid the recovery agents directly. The Nine network declined to comment. Geoff Day, founder of the recently-closed Hug-Ur-Kids, put Livingstone in contact with Trojan Securities International.

"Recovery is not cheap [in many cases]," he says. "There's surveillance, you've got to locate them, there's paperwork through the embassies. You look at bribes, depending on what country you're in. It's not as cut and dry as people think." Johnstone says his family relates to the plight of Sally Faulkner. In April, the Brisbane mother was arrested in Lebanon with four 60 Minutes crew and two recovery agents. "Mum my knows what that lady's feeling right now. It's exactly what happened to me. The dad wants the children and he's done the wrong thing. Now the lady's been caught out doing exactly what my mum did. "There should be an agreement made up. From what I've heard, [Ali Elamine, the father, is] not letting the kids leave for some time ... the kids should be free." Johnstone has never seen his 60 Minutes episode because it's not online. He knew a journalist would track him down. He wasn't worried. He's worked through his stuff. Today, he feels grateful: for his mates, his plumbing job, and for what his Mum and Dad  he's referring to Pete  did back in 2002.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said on Saturday the security situation in Baghdad is under control, following the protests near the parliament building, Sputnik reported.

Earlier in the day, the military announced the state of the full combat readiness after the group of supporters of the Iraqi leader Muqtada Sadr broke into the territory of the parliament building and began smashing furniture inside. Some Iraqi lawmakers have been severely injured in the attack carried out by protesters.

According to earlier media reports, the Iraqi parliament, experiencing a split, was unable to vote on candidates for the new government, and rescheduled the hearing for Tuesday.
The sixth season of Offspring has started production in Melbourne, with the show picking up the story of the Proudman family 18 months after the baby-congested finale of season five.

The show's protagonist Nina, played by Asher Keddie, has a toddler on her hands, with baby Zoe now two-and-a-half years old.

Asher Keddie leads the cast of series six of Offspring.

"With the Proudman family rocked by a heart-breaking event, Nina's story and her unpredictable, messy and often hilarious life continues," according to a Network Ten press release.
But the daughter of convicted drug trafficker Harry Lahood can be difficult to find, as one creditor owed $1.3 million has learned.

Ms Lahood was said to have owed nearly $2 million during some years as she ran Stiletto, one of the city's most expensive brothels. Her earnings between 2008 and 2014 placed her among the top 0.1 per cent of Australians.

The interior of a room at Stiletto Bordello. Ms Lahood is said to owe the NSW government more than $190,000 in unpaid land tax. Credit:Fiona Lee Quimby

Late last year, the ATO applied to freeze Ms Lahood's bank accounts and property assets as it took her to the Federal Court in Sydney. The case against her was discontinued last month but neither party would say why. It is unclear how much money, if any, was paid to the ATO.

At the same time, Ms Lahood is said to owe the NSW government more than $190,000 in unpaid land tax. To guard against a loss, the Office of State Revenue has taken out caveats that prevent her from selling four of her properties. This includes a $3 million waterfront home at Yowie Bay in Sydney's south she bought from Fantastic Furniture chairman Julian Tertini in 2011.

Another property in Ms Lahood's portfolio  worth at least $8 million  is a $2.8 million home in Gladesville she bought last year. She took out a three-month loan with property developer Hadi Inaty to secure the purchase but nine months later she is yet to pay back the $1.3 million.

The broker who arranged the loan, George Koovousis, said he had been unable to contact Ms Lahood to discuss repayment.
As the occupier of the property, Mr Silwood owed a duty to Ms Chandler to take reasonable precautions to prevent injury as the accident was foreseeable, Justice Holmes found.

Supreme Court Justice Catherine Holmes found last Wednesday that Mr Silwood should have warned Ms Chandler that the step was wet, or at least turned on an outside light for her.

The Supreme Court has awarded a woman $650,000 in compensation seven years after she slipped on her former partner's wet front step.

A Brisbane mother, whose arm went through the glass of her ex-partner's front door when she slipped on a wet step eight years ago, has won a $650,000 payout.

On the day of the accident, September 9, 2008, Mr Silwood arrived home from work and hosed off bat droppings on the front wall of his home about 3pm, next to the front door.

At around 8.30pm, Ms Chandler arrived to drop off their baby daughter.

"Ms Chandler's evidence was that from about 4pm she had drunk three 150 millilitre glasses containing an even mix of red wine and lemonade, with the aim of drying up her breast milk," the justice said. Mr Silwood claimed she had tripped due to intoxication, rather than slipped on a wet surface.

"It would have been apparent to Mr Silwood, too, had he turned his mind to it, that the steps would remain wet for some time and could be hazardous in that state," Justice Holmes found.

"A reasonable person in his position, in my view, would have made sure the stairs were dry or at least warned Ms Chandler in their telephone conversation that they might be wet and should be taken with care, and would certainly have made sure that the light was on."
Police confiscated a weapons cache allegedly belonging to a patched member of the Black Uhlans outlaw motorcycle gang on the Sunshine Coast on Friday morning.

Two men have been charged after police searched a Kidaman Creek address and found a firearm, ammunition, dangerous drugs and drug paraphernalia at the residence.

Police confiscated a weapons cache allegedly belonging to a patched member of the Black Uhlans outlaw motorcycle gang. Credit:QPS

A 59-year-old man, allegedly a patched member of the Black Uhlans outlaw motorcycle gang, has been charged with unlawful possession of weapons, possessing a weapon with altered identification marks, possessing explosives (ammunition), possessing dangerous drugs and possessing drug utensils. He appeared at the Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Friday.

A second man attended the address whilst police were conducting the search. It will be alleged that a search of the second man's vehicle resulted in the discovery of a quantity of cannabis.
Victoria could become the first Australian state to legalise assisted suicide, with a parliamentary committee expected to recommend contentious changes giving terminally ill people greater choice to die with dignity.

After a 10-month inquiry, a cross-party committee will hand down a report within weeks, which The Sunday Age believes will call for a dramatic shake-up in the law  including the likely suggestion that the state government create a regulated, assisted dying regime for people who are suffering.

Premier Daniel Andrews: ''First home buyers are facing more hurdles than ever." Credit:Andrew Meares

Such a move will inevitably polarise the community and challenge Premier Daniel Andrews, who last year conceded "there is perhaps more public support for this change than there has ever been" but has so far stopped short of backing voluntary euthanasia or any other major dying-with-dignity reforms.

However, proponents argue a shift is long overdue, with the inquiry receiving 1030 submissions on the issue  of which about 60 per cent supported people having more end-of-life choice and relief from chronic pain and suffering.
Plans to electronically track Victoria's most violent offenders for life have come under question after victims' advocates and the government's own research conceded the technology is not always reliable.

The Andrews government announced last week that it would give the courts beefed-up powers to order violent offenders to wear ankle bracelets for the rest of their lives, as part of an attempt to fix some of the catastrophic failures that led to the murder of Doncaster schoolgirl Masa Vukotic.

An electronic monitoring device, or ankle bracelet, used to track released prisoners. Credit:Brendan Esposito

But concerns have been raised about the plan's effectiveness, with departmental advice warning that GPS tracking technology could drop out in critical areas  such as the shopping centres, schools or the City Loop  while past cases in Victoria have involved offenders cutting off their bracelets and walking out of correctional facilities.

"GPS technology was initially designed for outdoor tracking. This means that problems can and do occur when attempting to track offenders in and out of buildings, underground areas, and through public transport," says a departmental study obtained by The Sunday Age.
A festivalgoer at Groovin the Moo music concert in Bendigo was hospitalised with suspected spinal injuries on Saturday.

Paramedics were called to the sold-out festival at the Prince of Wales Showgrounds at about 4pm.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said a woman in her 20s was taken to Bendigo Hospital with possible spinal injuries.

She was in serious but stable condition.

St John Ambulance had treated six revellers by 1pm at its on-site tent.
A man is facing charges after making a citizen's arrest in Melbourne's north on Friday night.

The Tullamarine man, 21, said his 4WD was stolen about noon the same day.

He posted a notification on his Facebook page asking friends to look out for his car and soon enough it was spotted in Craigieburn.

The man was with friends when they saw the car and followed it to Park Street, Epping.

Victoria Police spokeswoman Belinda Batty said the man allegedly rammed his own car, causing extensive damage.
China befriends ASEAN countries to gain support against the impending international court ruling on the South China Sea dispute. (Photo : Getty Images)

China is making more friends of non-claimant nations in Asia and the Middle East as an international ruling on an arbitration case filed by the Philippines nears.



It appears to be a matter of choosing sides between China and the United States, which supports having Beijing subjected to arbitration for its constant "bullying" of smaller nations.



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But according to the South China Morning Post, Beijing has already gained support from a total of 10 countries in Asia and the Middle East who would reportedly vouch for the Asian giant's plans on settling the territorial disputes directly with the countries involved without the interference from an international court.



"We insist we should peacefully resolve the disputes through friendly consultations and negotiations with other parties directly involved," the SCMP quoted Chinese President Xi Jinping as saying.



Chinese-friendly Countries



The report from SCMP summarized statements from several countries around the South China Sea regarding China's expansive claims over sea and land territories along the region.



Among the Chinese-friendly nations mentioned in the report are Belarus and Pakistan, which both declared that they respect the Asian giant's stance on the matter.



Apparently, the foreign ministers of these two countries met with Beijing in two separate meetings while attending the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia on Wednesday.



Aside from that, Beijing claims to have already reached an agreement with Laos, Cambodia and Brunei to maintain Sino-ASEAN ties amid the conflict on territories.



However, Phay Siphan, the spokesperson for the Cambodian government, said that they have not yet reached a new consensus with China regarding the dispute.



China said that there are already over 10 countries that supported their plans, and these include India and Russia who both agreed on having the conflict resolved through negotiations.



Warning China



Despite this, analysts cited by the outlet seem to be having trouble accepting the fact that there are still friendly nations with China.



"Countries in the region want to be able to cooperate with China and have good relations with Beijing; they don't want to face coercion or intimidation on matters of security or economic policy. Claimants would much prefer a peaceful resolution of disputes," said Carnegie-Tsinghua Center Director Paul Haenle.



On the other side of the bout, the U.S. is calling for unity among ASEAN nations to support the international ruling on China's case, per a statement on Thursday reported by Reuters.



According to the statement, China is risking "terrible" damage should it continue to resist the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which handles the case filed by the Philippines regarding the territorial dispute.



"China has a decision to make. [If] it ignores the decision . . . it risks doing terrible damage to its reputation, further alienating countries in the region and pushing them even closer to the United States," U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a House of Representatives hearing.






On May 4, Kelly Wicks-Preshaw will go to work dressed in a slight variation of her usual uniform. Instead of an apron, which she wears to serve cakes and pies to customers in the cafe where she works, she will be dressed as the fearsome bounty hunter Bossk, from Star Wars.

Later that night, she will gather with her family and friends from her Star Wars club, the 501 TAG, and sit down to watch one of the films.

Jack Polgar (biker scout), Kellie Wicks-Preshaw (the bounty hunter Boushh), Logan Preshaw (biker scout) and Shelby Preshaw (Jawa the scavenger) are ready for International Star Wars Day on May 4. Credit:Pat Scala

May 4 is International Star Wars Day  May the fourth be with you  and is one of the biggest days on the ever-growing pop cultural calendar.

If Wookies and Jedis aren't your thing, you can always dress up like a pirate for Talk Like A Pirate Day (September 19), bring out your inner zombie for the annual Zombie Shuffle (late November), or celebrate Sesame Street Day (November 10).
The Andrews government is planning to privatise more state-owned assets to help pay for billions of dollars' worth of road and rail projects over the next decade  but won't say which ones could be sold off.

Weeks after legislation to sell the Port of Melbourne finally passed the Victorian Parliament, Treasurer Tim Pallas has confirmed the government is already eyeing off a number of other assets that could be "recycled" in order to help fund Labor's $46 billion infrastructure agenda.

"There will be more, let me be very clear about that," Mr Pallas declared at a post-budget lunch hosted by the Melbourne Press Club and the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"We intend over the course of this year and next year of proving up the viability of certain assets. There are some that are on our horizon that we're looking at, but I don't want to put that in to the public domain at the moment  the reason being there are people who work there and whose livelihoods are affected, and I think I at least owe them the courtesy of speaking to them directly before I start telling the world at large that their particular undertakings will be affected."
A book labelled "pornographic" by a parent of a year six student in the South West of WA has been pulled from a primary school curriculum after she complained about its erotic nature.

Jackie Ronay posted in a South West Facebook page she was outraged her 11-year-old son at Australind Primary was forced to read The Black Dog Gang by author by Robert Newton.

The book has been pulled from classes after the school agreed it was inapproprioate for 11-year-olds

"I'd like to draw your attention to the book that the year six class has been given," Ms Ronay posted.

"I'd like to know if anyone else finds it inappropriate because I am outraged that my 11-year-old son has been exposed to this kind of pornographic filth."
MONTREAL, April 29, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - ACE Aviation Holdings Inc. (ACE) reported today its annual results for 2015, announced its intention to seek Court approval for an interim distribution to shareholders in the amount of $12 million, and provided an update with respect to its liquidation process.

2015 Full-Year Results

For 2015, ACE recorded a decrease in net assets in liquidation of approximately $114.7 million as a result of the distribution to shareholders in June 2015 of an amount of $115 million, offset by the excess of interest income earned during the year over administrative and other expenses incurred during the year.

As at April 28, 2016, ACE's only remaining assets consist of cash in an aggregate amount of approximately $19 million.

Liquidation Process and Court Approval for Interim Distribution to Shareholders

On June 28, 2012, further to the approval by ACE shareholders on April 25, 2012 of a special resolution providing for the voluntary liquidation of ACE, the Superior Court of Quebec (Commercial Division) (the "Court") issued an order appointing Ernst & Young Inc. as liquidator of ACE (the "Liquidator").

Pursuant to an order issued by the Court on February 25, 2013, the Liquidator established a process for the identification, resolution and barring of claims and other contingent liabilities against ACE. Creditors had until May 13, 2013 to file their proof of claims, failing which their claims would be barred and extinguished. The audited annual consolidated financial statements of ACE for the year ended December 31, 2015 and the related management's discussion and analysis include a description of proofs of claim which were filed and the status thereof. All of the remaining contingent obligations which were the object of proofs of claims filed in connection with such claims process have expired at the beginning of 2016.

Given the results of the claims process and the expiry of all of the remaining contingent obligations covered by proofs of claims filed in connection with such process, the Liquidator announced today that it intends to seek Court approval for a distribution to shareholders of ACE in the aggregate amount of $12 million. ACE currently expects that the Court hearing will be held on or about June 1, 2016. The Liquidator will post a copy of the relevant application to the Court and notice of the hearing date on its website at www.ey.com/ca/aceaviation at least 7 days in advance of the hearing date. Any distribution to shareholders is subject to Court approval and there is no certainty as to the amount or timing of such distribution. The record date and payment date for such distribution would be announced by subsequent press release upon receipt of approval from the Court, and such dates are currently expected to be in June 2016.

Update on Liquidation and Dissolution Process and Final Distribution to Shareholders

Following the interim distribution to shareholders of $12 million expected to occur in June 2016, ACE's only remaining assets are expected to consist of cash in an aggregate amount of approximately $7 million.

During the remainder of 2016, ACE will complete the remaining corporate, administrative and tax processes to facilitate its dissolution and the final distribution of the remaining cash of ACE prior to its dissolution. ACE currently expects that such final distribution and dissolution will occur within the next twelve months.

The final distribution to shareholders, the cancellation of the shares of ACE and the dissolution of ACE will not occur until all necessary corporate, administrative and tax measures to dissolve ACE are completed and until the settlement of any remaining contingencies that may arise in connection with the remaining liquidation and dissolution steps of ACE. There is no certainty as to the timing or amount of such final distribution and dissolution.

The distributions to shareholders of ACE will generally be treated as deemed dividends from a Canadian tax standpoint. Such deemed dividends will be designated as eligible dividends for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada).

Annual Shareholder Meeting

As previously announced, effective as of June 28, 2012, all of the directors and officers of ACE resigned from their positions and the Liquidator was vested with the powers of the directors and the shareholders of ACE in accordance with the Canada Business Corporations Act and the Court order issued on June 28, 2012. Accordingly, ACE does not plan to hold an annual shareholder meeting in 2016 with respect to the financial year ended December 31, 2015. ACE will seek confirmation from the Court that no such shareholder meeting shall be held and the Liquidator will post a copy of the relevant application to the Court and notice of the hearing date on its website at www.ey.com/ca/aceaviation at least 7 days in advance of the hearing date. ACE currently expects that the Court hearing will be held on or about June 1, 2016. Shareholders who have questions or require additional information with respect to ACE and the liquidation process may contact the Liquidator by telephone (1-855-279-8388 or 416-943-4444) or by fax (1-416-943-3300).

For additional information with respect to the liquidation of ACE, refer to the management proxy circular dated March 9, 2012, the audited consolidated financial statements and related management's discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2015 and the other public filings of ACE which are available at www.sedar.com and www.aceaviation.com.

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. These statements may involve, but are not limited to, comments relating to strategies, expectations, future actions, the timing of the liquidation, the timing and amount of distributions to shareholders, the timing of Court hearings and Court approvals, the final distribution to shareholders, the cancellation of the shares of ACE and the dissolution of ACE. These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of terms and phrases such as "anticipate", "believe", "could", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "plan", "predict", "project", "will", "would", and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions. Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are based on assumptions and are subject to important risks and uncertainties. Any forecasts or forward-looking predictions or statements cannot be relied upon due to, amongst other things, changing external events and general uncertainties of the business. Actual results may differ materially from results indicated in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including without limitation, market, regulatory developments or proceedings, and actions by third parties as well as the factors identified throughout ACE's filings with securities regulators in Canada and, in particular, those identified in the Risk Factors section of ACE's 2015 Annual MD&A dated April 29, 2016. ACE will continue to incur operating costs and fees for the duration of the winding-up process. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent ACE's expectations as of the date they are made, and are subject to change after such date. However, ACE disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.

SOURCE ACE Aviation Holdings Inc.

CONTACT: David Saldanha, Ernst & Young Inc., (416) 943-4444; Internet: www.aceaviation.com
CAMDEN, N.J., April 29, 2016 -- Subaru of America, Inc. announced the launch of Subaru University, through its inaugural partnership with Respond Inc. of Camden, NJ. Subaru University, also called "Subaru-U" is a partnership program designed to combine the talent and resources of Subaru of America, its 600+ retailers nationwide, as well as select NATEF/AYES accredited Secondary and Post-Secondary schools to provide knowledge of Subaru vehicles and systems to prepare students for possible future employment at Subaru retailers nationwide.

On April 29, Subaru-U and Respond Inc., a non-profit advocate of economic independence and the welfare of individuals and families, will open the new Respond Repair Shop in North Camden, with new shop equipment donated by Subaru of America. Respond's automotive training program will become part of Subaru-U, granting students access to Subaru web-based training and other benefits that will help them achieve ASE and Subaru Maintenance Tech Certification. Through this partnership, Subaru and its retailers, alongside Respond Inc., will take an active role in shaping the local auto technicians of tomorrow.

"While we've only recently broken ground on our future home in Camden, we feel a deep connection to the area and are excited to introduce our first Subaru University partnership, right here in our backyard," said Thomas J. Doll, president and chief operating officer, Subaru of America, Inc. "Subaru and Respond Inc. share the goal of improving the welfare and employability of the local community and we hope our partnership will lead to increased opportunities for students and potential job placement at local Subaru retailers."

Subaru-U and Respond's partnership will offer Camden locals the opportunity to experience the entry level training required of all Subaru technicians. Students will also have an opportunity to participate in 90-day internships on a rotating basis in both the new Respond Repair Shop and the Subaru of America Shop with successful students earning both ASE and Subaru Maintenance Tech Certification.

"We are excited about this new partnership with Subaru University and the opportunities it will open up for Camden residents," said Wilbert Mitchell, Executive Director of Respond, Inc. "We are also thankful for Subaru's generosity in equipping our new auto repair shop, which will create jobs and provide a valuable service to the community."

Subaru and Respond Inc. will commence the grand opening of the Respond Repair Shop, located next to Respond's automotive school in North Camden, with a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 29, 2016 at 11:00 A.M. EDT. Remarks will be made by Respond Inc. Executive Director Wilbert Mitchell, Subaru of America President & COO Thomas Doll, Camden County Freeholder Jeffrey Nash and Regional Director US Dept. of Commerce Economic Development Administration Linda Cruz-Carnall.

The automotive school is located at 925 N. 8th Street in North Camden. The new retail repair shop will join Respond's other operations, including 10 child development centers, a senior center, a property maintenance (new business), a homeless day center and 75 transitional housing units, impacting more than 800 families and children annually.

For more information on Subaru-U, please email Subaru-U@subaru.com.

About Respond Inc.

Respond, Inc. is a charitable (501) (c) (3) organization created in 1967 by community residents to enhance and promote the economic independence and general welfare of individuals and families residing in Camden City and Camden County. Respond, Inc. provides comprehensive services in child care, a senior adult center, programs for homeless adults, rental housing and home ownership, youth services, employment, economic development, job training and associated programs that help people help themselves.

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.

Diane Anton

Subaru of America, Inc.

856-488-5093

danton@subaru.com

Michael McHale

Subaru of America, Inc.

856-488-3326

mmchale@subaru.com

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160428/361402-INFO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/subaru-of-america-launches-subaru-university-program-with-inaugural-partner-respond-inc-of-camden-300259989.html

SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc.

RELATED LINKShttp://www.subaru.com
MCKINNEY, Texas, April 29, 2016 -- The U.S. Air Force awarded Raytheon Company a $90 million first-lot production contract for the next-generation Multi-Spectral Targeting System. The AN/DAS-4, the latest variant of the MTS family of sensors, incorporates greater fire control and Target Location Accuracy technology for precise coordinates.

Combat-proven, with nearly three million operational flight hours, MTS sensors provide detailed intelligence data from the visual and infrared spectra. The new MTS variant allows mission commanders to use high definition data from an airborne tactical sensor to identify and engage targets with much greater accuracy, significantly improving overall mission effectiveness.

The DAS-4 incorporates other major improvements, including: four high definition cameras covering five spectral bands; a three-color diode pump laser designator/rangefinder; laser spot search and track capability; automated sensor and laser bore sight alignment; three mode target tracker; and built in provisions for future growth.

"These next generation capabilities give our warfighters an unfair advantage through more effective assessment of threats and engagement of targets," said Fred Darlington, vice president of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems at Raytheon's Space and Airborne Systems.

Raytheon has delivered more than 3,000 MTS systems on a wide range of platforms, including: remotely piloted aircraft, helicopters and fixed-wing Aircraft. MTS delivers superior performance and reliability at the lowest life-cycle cost.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2015 sales of $23 billion and 61,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 94 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. Visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @Raytheon.

Media Contact

Mark Kasperowicz

+1.972.952.3526

saspr@raytheon.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raytheon-to-start-production-of-first-multi-spectral-targeting-system-with-next-generation-accuracy-300259880.html

SOURCE Raytheon Company

RELATED LINKShttp://www.raytheon.com
Entire electric drive value chain to be represented at EVS29

MONTREAL, April 29, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Speakers, exhibitors and sponsors from the entire electric drive supply chain, including R&D experts, leading manufacturers, top industry executives and government partners from around the world, will join nearly 2,000 expected attendees participating in the 29th International Electric Vehicle Symposium in Montreal, Quebec at the Palais des congres de Montreal from June 19 through 22, 2016.

"EVS29 is the largest global event showcasing electric drive technologies, where we will hear from the experts on technology, trends and continued growth in the industry, exhibitors will offer a hands on experience with their products and services and attendees can test out the latest models and charging equipment at the Ride, Drive & Charge," said Genevieve Cullen, president of the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA), the U.S. association dedicated to advancing electric drive technologies and organizer of the symposium.

Cullen will kick off the symposium by welcoming attendees during the opening plenary session on June 20 and will be joined by Chantal Guimont, president of Electric Mobility Canada, co-host of EVS29. Cullen and Guimont will invite representatives of the U.S. and Canadian governments and industry executives to discuss the progress and outlook for the international electric drive market. Other keynote sessions throughout the event will involve a robust discussion of the global growth and benefits of electric vehicles (EVs) with prominent stakeholders from across the globe. The EVS series also includes an award ceremony to recognize "E-Visionary" leaders implementing electric drive solutions across the globe.

EVS29 will feature over 300 sessions including plenary presentations, lectures and dialogues led by industry leaders, technology experts and government partners, covering essential and pressing topics in electric drive. The event theme of "Drive Electric Innovation" will encompass a focus on vehicles, infrastructure, vehicle systems and applications, public policy, market development and deployment case studies.

The show floor will exhibit the latest technologies from global companies representing every segment of the industry and the "Ride, Drive and Charge" is a chance get behind the wheel of the latest EVs and test out charging equipment. A public day on June 19 will also give local residents a chance to experience the Ride, Drive & Charge and exhibit hall.

Guimont added, "The EVS series is the only event that assembles the entire global electric drive industry under one roof, giving delegates a comprehensive view of the progress being made in vehicles, batteries and other components and hosting discussion of the latest in public policies, best practices and consumer choice."

EVS29 is made possible with the support of sponsors such as Hydro-Quebec, the Government of Quebec and Investissement Quebec, top automakers Toyota and Honda, and supporters throughout Canada and around the world, including the Government of Ontario. The EVS series is presented under the auspices of the World Electric Vehicle Association, with EDTA in partnership with the European Association for Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (AVERE) and the Electric Vehicle Association of Asia Pacific (EVAAP). Please visit www.EVS29.org

About EDTA: The Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) is the trade association representing battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric drive technologies and infrastructure. EDTA conducts public policy advocacy, education, industry networking, and international conferences, including EVS29. EDTA's membership includes vehicle and equipment manufacturers, energy companies, technology developers, component suppliers, government agencies and others. For more information about EDTA and its members, visit ElectricDrive.org. For information about owning and operating electric vehicles, please visit GoElectricDrive.org.

About Electric Mobility Canada: Founded in 2006, Electric Mobility Canada is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of electric mobility. It has more than 130 members, including infrastructure, technology and electricity providers, EV manufacturers, fleets, municipalities, universities and public transporters, and EV owners associations. For more information about EMC, visit emc-mec.ca.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., April 29, 2016 -- "FCA Replay" is a weekly recap of some of the major stories at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The top stories for the week of April 29, 2016, include 1st quarter results, Chrysler Pacifica drive off, Trenton engine investment, Beijing Auto Show and Moto for Peace tours FCA.

What: "FCA Replay," news recap from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

Who: FCA Digital MediaTeam

When: Immediately

Where: media.fcanorthamerica.com or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfF44jQVAXQ

Other: Websites are welcome to post or embed "FCA Replay."



About FCA US LLC

FCA US LLC is a North American automaker with a new name and a long history. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, FCA US is a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. FCA US designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands, as well as the SRT performance vehicle designation. The company also distributes the Alfa Romeo 4C model and Mopar products. FCA US is building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler, the innovative American automaker first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925; and Fiat, founded in Italy in 1899 by pioneering entrepreneurs, including Giovanni Agnelli.

FCA, the seventh-largest automaker in the world based on total annual vehicle sales, is an international automotive group. FCA is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA."

Follow FCA US news and video on:

FCA Content On Demand (COD): www.fcacod.com

Company blog: blog.fcanorthamerica.com

Company website: www.fcanorthamerica.com

FCA360: 360.fcanorthamerica.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChryslerGroup

Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/chryslergroup/

Media website: media.fcanorthamerica.com

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/fcacorporate

Instagram: www.instagram.com/FiatChrysler_NA

Streetfire: www.streetfire.net/uploaded/chryslervideo.htm

Twitter: www.twitter.com/FiatChrysler_NA

Twitter (Spanish): www.twitter.com/fcausespanol

YouTube: www.youtube.com/pentastarvideo

Video - http://youtu.be/DfF44jQVAXQ

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fca-replay-wraps-the-week-300260059.html

SOURCE FCA US LLC

CONTACT: Ed Garsten, (248) 512-4616 (office), (248) 760-8870 (cell), ed.garsten@fcagroup.com

RELATED LINKShttp://www.fcanorthamerica.com
LOS ANGELES, April 29, 2016 --

Honors students and educators with perfect school year attendance

"It's a Gas to Go to Class" giveaway now in its fifth school year

Victorville Motors' and Desert FIAT's program helps keep kids in classrooms

FCA US California Business Center a partner since the program's inception

Teacher eligibility has grown from 50 teachers the first year to more than 400 this year

This weekend, two lucky and hard-working students and two teachers will head into summer driving free Ram pickup trucks or Fiat 500X sport-utility vehicles courtesy of Victorville Motors and Desert FIAT of Victorville, Calif.

Each year, Victorville Motors, a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram dealership in the High Desert region of Southern California, recognizes area students and teachers who each have achieved perfect attendance during the school year. The "It's a Gas to Go to Class" giveaway was launched in the 2011-2012 school year.

"The programs culminate each year with a celebration, this weekend students, teachers and support staff with perfect attendance have a chance to not only win a new vehicle, but also a bevy of prizes," said Victorville Motors Chief Operating Officer Tim Watts. "But this is not just a car giveaway, it's a celebration of education in the High Desert. This is our baby and we're proud of it. We're helping to get kids into the classrooms."

This year's drawing will be held on Saturday, April 30 at the High Desert Event Center in Victorville, Calif. In this year's "It's a Gas" sweepstakes, two students with perfect attendance will each drive away in a new 2016 Ram 1500 pickup truck, two teachers will enjoy driving home in their new 2016 Fiat 500X sport-utility vehicles and one classified staff member will win a 2015 Fiat 500c.

There were 15 participating high schools in this year's program, giving more than 22,000 students the chance at winning a pickup truck. More than 8,000 teachers and classified staff members from 120 participating schools had a crack at the 500X sport-utility vehicles and the Fiat 500c.

In the summer of 2011, with the economy still reeling, Victorville Motors noticed that the previous few years had been especially hard on local schools. With budget reductions and crucial programs being cut, schools (students, teachers, staff and administrators included) were finding less and less enthusiasm to go to school.

Responding to the need, Victorville Motors developed and launched "It's a Gas to Go to Class" to encourage and reward students to attend class. The goal was simple: raise overall attendance levels and with that additional funds would be collected from the state for the schools. Additionally, the dealer's leadership hoped to stimulate student/parent/school interaction, campus excitement and a positive atmosphere within their local high schools.

With cooperation, buy-in and teamwork from students, parents, schools and local businesses, the "It's a Gas" program was born. The program uses incentives, such as TVs, gift cards and scholarships to the grand prize of a free new vehicle, to achieve those goals. Feedback from parents, students, teachers, principals, superintendents, business owners and the community all point to "It's a Gas" as having a dramatic and positive effect on school attendance.

The program was so successful with students that teachers asked if they could be included. The program for teachers, "It's a Gas to Teach Class," was born and implemented in 2013. Teachers also now have the chance to win a new vehicle with their perfect attendance. Naturally, the last piece of the educational puzzle was added this school year (2015-2016) to include the classified staff members as well. "It's a Gas to Support Class" is currently finishing up its first year running.

Program Results:

668 percent increase in students with perfect attendance since the program inception

Approximately a $10 million increase in incremental budget allocation to local schools based on daily attendance (ADA) funding from the state

increase in incremental budget allocation to local schools based on daily attendance (ADA) funding from the state Teacher program also has resulted in a significant reduction in teacher absenteeism

"There is a world where people don't just let things happen, they make them happen," said Jeff Eschenbach, Director of the California Business Center, FCA US LLC. "They don't check their dreams at the door. They get involved. These are values we teach and strive to live by at FCA. Tim Watts and Victorville Motors are living this! We're proud of the work they are doing in their local community and for the example they are setting for all of us."

For more info:

www.youtube.com/user/victorvilleMotors

It's a Gas to Go to Class: www.victorvillemotors.com/itsagas.htm

It's a Gas to Teach Class: www.desertfiat.com/toteachclass.htm

It's a Gas to Support Class: www.victorvillemotors.com/supportclass.htm

About FCA US LLC

FCA US LLC is a North American automaker with a new name and a long history. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, FCA US is a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. FCA US designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands, as well as the SRT performance vehicle designation. The company also distributes the Alfa Romeo 4C model and Mopar products. FCA US is building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler, the innovative American automaker first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925; and Fiat, founded in Italy in 1899 by pioneering entrepreneurs, including Giovanni Agnelli.

FCA, the seventh-largest automaker in the world based on total annual vehicle sales, is an international automotive group. FCA is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA."

Follow FCA US news and video on:

FCA Content On Demand (COD): www.fcacod.com

Company blog: blog.fcanorthamerica.com

Company website: www.fcanorthamerica.com

FCA360: 360.fcanorthamerica.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChryslerGroup

Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/chryslergroup/

Media website: media.fcanorthamerica.com

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/fcacorporate

Instagram: www.instagram.com/FiatChrysler_NA

Streetfire: www.streetfire.net/uploaded/chryslervideo.htm

Twitter: www.twitter.com/FiatChrysler_NA

Twitter (Spanish): www.twitter.com/fcausespanol

YouTube: www.youtube.com/pentastarvideo

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/southern-california-dealer-provides-ram-pickup-fiat-500x-as-rewards-for-area-students-teachers-300260176.html

SOURCE FCA US LLC

CONTACT: Scott Brown, FCA US LLC, (877) 433-9378 (office), (310) 781-0401 (cell), scott.brown@fcagroup.com, Courtney Harrig, Victorville Motors, 909-659-7857 (office)

RELATED LINKShttp://www.fcanorthamerica.com
China and Russia plan to add more activities in this year's joint military exercises. (Photo : Getty Images)

Russia and China are strengthening their military ties by adding more joint exercises to face a single foe: the United States.



On Wednesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu revealed their plans on intensifying joint military exercises with China in 2016 which would include activities in both land and sea.



Advertisement

"We assess the level of Russian-Chinese contacts on both the government and military levels as high. This year we will hold many more exercises and events than last year," Sputnik News quoted him as saying during a Moscow meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan.



The Bear and Dragon Join Forces



According to Russia's state-run media outlet TASS, Moscow and Beijing are becoming closer by the second as the "Bear" and "Dragon" conduct bilateral cooperation on technology and at the 5th Moscow International Security Conference.



During a meeting with China's Chang, the Russian defense minister revealed the goal of deepening military ties with the Asian country.



"Certainly, the aim is to strengthen mutually beneficial relations of partnership," he said, adding that there should be an exchange in "opinions" during the military exercises.



Meanwhile, the Chinese defense minister lauded the efforts exerted by the heads of state of both countries to deepen military relations between the nations over the past year.



"Thanks to personal efforts of the two heads of state over the past year, the relations between Russian and Chinese armed forces have been developing at the high level," he said. "The sides have been implementing agreements and working side by side in all spheres."



In March, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for "strategic cooperation" between the two countries' defense arms during a meeting with Russian Presidential Administration Chief Sergei Ivanov.



"China-Russia strategic cooperation plays a key role in safeguarding peace and stability in the region and the world at large," the Xinhua News Agency quoted him as saying.



Common Foe



According to the Diplomat, the enhanced military relations between the two countries come as a surprise considering that Russia and China do not have a formal military alliance.



This means they cannot have complex integrated military operations that member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would have.



However, this would still provide benefits to both military arms of the countries especially China's People's Liberation Army, Navy, and Air Force, which have not fought a full-scale war in a very long time.



Aside from that, the intensified military ties would also improve Moscow and Beijing's tactical and operational capabilities that could send a signal to third parties like the United States that they are an alliance to be reckoned with.


HARRISBURG, Pa., April 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced it will be activating a new type of left turn signal that has been proven to improve left turn safety at intersections.

Flashing Yellow Arrow signals are new to Pennsylvania but they have become commonplace in many states across the United States over the last 10 years. Based on many national studies and transportation agency testimonials, Flashing Yellow Arrow signals improve left-turning safety by helping motorists recognize that they should yield while making left turns when there is oncoming traffic and pedestrians.

"Our goal with this change is to add a reminder that once the green left arrow stops showing, drivers need to yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians before proceeding to make a left turn at a signalized intersection," said PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards. "The flashing yellow arrow means yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians and then proceed with caution."

According to research funded by the Federal Highway Administration, left turn crashes can be reduced by as much as 20 percent after the installation of the Flashing Yellow Arrow signal. Also, Flashing Yellow Arrow signals can be adjusted depending on the time of day, reducing delays and improving mobility.

The current signal configuration features a green left arrow to allow left turns followed by a yellow arrow and then a circular green indication. The new configuration will feature four left turn arrows:

Steady green left arrow meaning the left turn is protected and oncoming traffic is to stop.

Flashing yellow arrow meaning drivers must yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians before completing the left turn.

Steady yellow arrow meaning left turns should stop because the signal is about to change to red.

Steady red arrow meaning left turns must stop and cannot proceed.

The first Pennsylvania Flashing Yellow Arrow signals will be installed the week of May 1 at the intersection of Rossmoyne Road (Route 2021) and the U.S. 15 Northbound Ramps in Lower Allen Township, Cumberland County. This intersection is located adjacent to the busy Rossmoyne Business Center and there is a history of left-turn safety issues when turning from Rossmoyne Road onto the U.S. 15 northbound on-ramp. PennDOT will monitor this location and other isolated installations across Pennsylvania before proceeding with widespread deployment.

These signals are the latest in a series of innovations PennDOT has embraced as part of Gov. Tom Wolf's Government that Works agenda. These include:

The Qmatic Orchestra queue detection system in 27 Driver License Centers to help better manage wait times;

Automated vehicle locator technology in roughly 700 snow plows so residents could see snow plow locations on 511 PA and to help PennDOT better manage winter service resources;

Mobile applications for highway construction inspectors that allows real-time data entry of construction inspection results by PennDOT's 380 construction inspectors, thereby eliminating the need for inspectors to travel back and forth to the office to input data. PennDOT is in the process of expanding the mobile application to its 1,200 consultant inspectors and when fully implemented, is expected to save PennDOT $17.5 million annually.

More information on Flashing Yellow Arrow signals and other traffic signal initiatives is available at www.penndot.gov in the traffic signals section of "Travel In PA" or at http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Portal%20Information/Traffic%20Signal%20Portal/FYA.html.

MEDIA CONTACT: Rich Kirkpatrick or Erin Waters-Trasatt, 717-783-8800

Greg Penny, 717-787-1446

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/penndot-announces-first-use-of-flashing-yellow-arrow-signals-to-better-control-left-turns-300260157.html

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

RELATED LINKShttp://www.penndot.govhttp://www.state.pa.us
LONDONTechnavio has announced the top six leading vendors for the global sensor module market in the automotive sector in their latest research report. This report also lists four other prominent vendors who are expected to contribute to this markets growth over the forecast period.

To identify the top vendors, Technavios market research analysts have considered the top contributors to the overall revenue of this market. To calculate the market size, it considers revenue generated from the sales of sensor modules to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and automotive manufacturers.

Request sample report: http://bit.ly/1r3yxiI

Fully autonomous or self-driving cars are expected to be launched soon in the market. Companies such as Google and Tesla Motors have launched their autonomous vehicles prototypes, and BMW and Mercedes are working on self-driving features in their vehicles. Apple is also expected to enter the market of autonomous cars with its lesser-known project called Titan, the production of which is expected to start by 2020. Google is incorporating LiDAR sensors in its autonomous cars. These sensors can detect an object at a range of up to 100 meters and provide an accurate map of the vehicles surroundings, said Asif Gani, one of Technavios lead analysts for sensors.

Top six leading vendors in the global sensor module market in the automotive sector:

Bosch

Bosch is a German company established in 1886. The companys business segments include automotive technology, industrial technology, consumer goods, and energy and building technology. The automotive segment consists of powertrain concepts, injection technology for internal combustion engines, active and passive driving safety systems, infotainment systems, and car-to-car and car2x communication. The company is successful in its powertrain business as well as its driver assistance systems. More than 50% of the total revenue of the company comes from the automotive technology segment, followed by the industrial technology segment.

Bosch has been earning highest profits from Europe. The company plans to expand in Asia, mainly in China, India, and Southeast Asia. In March 2016, the company announced that was is planning to build its own cloud computing network and connect everything from cars to smart homes.

Continental

Continental was established in 1871 and is headquartered in Germany. The company generated a total of USD 23.36 billion in revenue in 2014 from its three divisions: chassis and safety, interior, and powertrain. The companys chassis and safety division contributed the highest revenue of USD 8.38 billion in 2014, followed by the powertrain segment. In 2014, Europe accounted for 54% of the company's total revenue, followed by the Americas with 26%. In March 2016, the company acquired a division of Advanced Scientific Concepts, which is in the business of imaging sensors used in autonomous vehicles. This acquisition will make Continental a strong competitor of Delphi Automotive, which is a big supplier of auto parts. Continental AG is also focusing on lowering the cost of sensors by increasing the number of workers.

Delphi Automotive

Delphi Automotive is a UK-based company established in 1994. The company works in four diversified segments: electrical/electronic architecture, powertrain systems, electronics and safety, and thermal systems. In 2014, electrical and electronic architecture was the largest revenue-generating segment, contributing a total of USD 8.2 billion in revenue. The companys customer segment includes 25 of the largest automotive OEMs in the world. APAC is the key market for the company, accounting for 23% of the total revenue of the company in 2014. As of December 31, 2014, General Motors was the largest revenue-generating customer, accounting for 17% of the total sales. In 2015, Delphi Automotive invested in Quanergy Systems, a solid-state LiDAR sensor maker.

DENSO

DENSO is a Japan-based company established in 1949. The company works in multiple business segments such as powertrain control, thermal, information and safety systems, electronic, small motors, industrial systems, consumer products, and others. Of all the segments, the powertrain control segment is the major revenue-generating segment. In 2014, this segment contributed a total of USD 12.6 billion in revenue, which rose by 6.7% to reach USD 13.44 billion in 2015. The rise in revenue was due to higher automobile production volume in China, Europe, and North America.

Infineon Technologies

Infineon Technologies is a Germany-based company. The company works through its business segments including automotive, industrial power control, power management and multimarket, chip card and security, and other operating segment. In 2015, APAC accounted for 46% of the total revenue of the company. Automotive was the largest revenue-generating segment in 2015, accounting for 41% of the total revenue of the company. The company has over 10% of the global automotive semiconductor market. The company follows a product-to-system approach, which helps generate economies of scope for its products and technologies.

NXP Semiconductors

NXP Semiconductors is one of the worlds top suppliers of automotive semiconductor systems. The company manufactures in-vehicle networking, car passive keyless entry and immobilization, and car radio and car audio amplifiers. The companys R&D expenses were USD 747 million in 2014.

Browse related reports:

Global Exhaust Pressure Sensor Market 2016-2020

Global Proximity Sensor Market 2016-2020

Global MEMS Pressure Sensors Market 2016-2020

Purchase these three reports from our library for the price of one by becoming a Technavio subscriber. Subscribing to Technavios 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.

Contacts

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

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UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com

media@technavio.com
LOS ANGELES, April 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly 1,000 of the state's top middle and high school students will convene for the final round of competition in the 65th annual California State Science Fair, May 23, 2016-24, 2016 at the California Science Center in Exposition Park. Winners will take home a combined total of more than $50,000 in cash prizes. The Fair's presenting sponsor is Northrop Grumman Corporation with additional support from Chevron Corporation, GoDaddy.com, LLC, Southern California Gas Company, THE MUSES of the California Science Center Foundation, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation and Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Robert Curbeam, vice president of Mission Assurance, Quality and Raytheon Six Sigma for Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS). and former NASA astronaut, will give the keynote address. Curbeam is responsible for the development and integration of Raytheon's Mission Assurance road map, execution of the Quality Management System and continuous improvement across the business. Before joining Raytheon, he was president of the Aerospace and Defense Division for ARES Corporation, and held a wide range of positions with NASA as director of Safety, Reliability, and Quality Assurance for the Constellation program, deputy director of Flight Crew Operations; and Spacecraft Communicator (CAPCOM) branch chief. Curbeam was second-in-command for safety across NASA, as the deputy associate administrator of Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA headquarters. During his tenure with NASA, he served on three space shuttle missions and seven spacewalks.

The keynote address will take place Monday, May 23 from 5:00-6:00 PM in the Wallis Annenberg Building.

Walter O'Brien, Founder and CEO of Scorpion Computer Services, Inc. and the inspiration behind the hit CBS television show, Scorpion, will serve as an inspirational speaker for all Science Fair participants at the student orientation at 8 am on Tuesday, May 24, 2016. Invited as a celebrity guest by the California Science Center and designated a child prodigy after scoring 197 on an IQ test at age nine, O'Brien launched Scorpion Computer Services at the age of 13 years old. Walter serves as chairman or board member for Houston Technology Center, Strike Force Solutions, Talentorum Alliance, Lawloop and Pantheon Energy and previously has served on the boards of American Environmental Energy, Starglobe and Toin Corp. In addition, O'Brien is frequently called on by news media, the government, and the federal court system for his technology expertise.

The public is invited to see this year's slate of innovative projects during the public viewing period on Monday, May 23 from 3:00-4:30 PM. Students will be present to answer questions. Admission is free.

Ideas for projects often come from exploring and potentially solving issues presented in headline news or in personal, everyday experiences. Here is a sample of the interesting titles submitted to this year's Science Fair:

Honey, Who Shrunk the Bee Population? Investigating Colony Collapse Disorder

Safecopter: Developing a Collision Avoidance System Based on an Array of Time-of-Flight 3D Cameras

Does College Help Basketball Players, or Hold Them Back?

Active Dog, Healthy Dog: Using Treats to Keep Vet bills Down

Nearly 1,000 students representing 30 affiliated county and multi-county regional science fairs throughout the state have advanced to the California State Science Fair. The projects span 22 categories  from aerodynamics/hydrodynamics to zoology  in two age divisions and will be judged by a volunteer pool of some 350 scientists and engineers from private industry and higher education.

In addition to the winners in each category, top honors will go to Student of the Year (senior division only), and Project of the Year (in both junior and senior divisions). Science teachers, nominated by students, will also compete for both middle school and high school Science Fair Teacher of the Year. Additional awards will be made to student projects by scientific and engineering organizations.

Besides the recognition and prize money, participating in the fair provides additional benefits for students. The process gives them the opportunity to develop a unique set of abilities, including using scientific methodology to reach a conclusion, marketing techniques to create compelling graphic displays, and communication skills to explain their research to Science Fair judges.

The fair culminates with two award ceremonies Tuesday, May 24 in the Science Center's Wallis Annenberg Building: The Junior Division ceremony will take place from 4:00-5:00 PM, followed by the Senior Division ceremony from 5:30-6:30 PM.

The California Science Center is located at 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles. Parking is $12.00 per car in the visitor lot at Figueroa and 39th/Exposition Park Drive.

*Important  Reporter / Editor / Producer Note: Reporters interested in viewing projects with students on-hand for interviews should plan to visit either Monday, May 23 from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM or Tuesday, May 24, 2016 from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. These are the only times when the students will be stationed at their projects. RSVP's are required for Monday, May 23 from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Please check-in at the Information Desk located inside the Science Center's front doors. After 12:30 PM on Tuesday, May 24, students will be dismissed and after 1:30 PM, projects will be dismantled. For general information on the California State Science Fair, please visit http://www.californiasciencecenter.org/CSSF/. Names of the winners will be posted on this site after the awards ceremonies conclude at 7:00 PM. Reporters may also contact the Communications Department at (213) 744-2144 for information on winners from their area beginning May 26.

Media Contact: Kristina Kurasz

(213) 744-7446 | kkurasz@cscmail.org

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/young-scientists-from-around-the-state-will-compete-for-top-honors-at-the-65th-california-state-science-fair-300260232.html

SOURCE California Science Center Foundation
DALLAS, April 29, 2016 -- Niteo Products, LLC, a portfolio company of Highlander Partners, L.P., announced today the sale of the assets of its retail automotive appearance chemicals brand, Eagle One, to HandStands, a portfolio company of Trivest Partners.

The Eagle One brand has been an automotive appearance pioneer for over 30 years, offering a full line of technologically advanced washes, waxes, protectants and accessories designed for better performance, more shine and enduring protection.

Jeff L. Hull, Chairman of Niteo and Managing Partner of Highlander, commented, "The sale of this business is in line with Niteo's overall strategy of growing its car wash, auto dealership, auto auction and professional detailer business through Niteo's other brand, Car Brite, as well as growing our performance fluids brands. Eagle One is a great brand and has a very good presence in retail distribution channels. Our focus is on professional products, and we believe that Eagle One is a much better fit for HandStands and their current consumer product offering."

Terry Morgan, Niteo's CEO, added, "We intend to use the proceeds from the sale to acquire additional appearance brands in the professional, car wash and industrial channels to continue our growth in those categories. The sale of Eagle One will allow us to focus our efforts on expanding those channels."

Chris Anderson, HandStands' CEO, said, "We are thrilled to add this legendary car care brand to HandStands' growing roster of automotive appearance and fragrance products. With a full range of interior and exterior car care solutions, a strong pedigree of innovation, and a well-earned reputation for performance, Eagle One is a perfect fit for HandStands."

Russ Wilson, Trivest Partner and HandStands Chairman, added, "The acquisition of Eagle One, a well-respected consumer car care brand, further broadens and diversifies HandStands' presence in the growing automotive appearance category. This transaction furthers HandStands' mission to be a valued retail partner in both the vehicle air freshener and automotive appearance categories."

About Niteo

NITEO is a premier formulator, packager and marketer of automotive appearance and maintenance brands. Brands include Car Brite and Pyroil, and Niteo is a licensee of the Valvoline brand for maintenance products. Niteo offers a comprehensive line of waxes, polishes, compounds, dressings, soaps, cleaners, solvents, paints and dyes, as well as fuel additives, parts cleaners, starting fluids, and functional fluids. For more information visit, www.niteoproducts.com.

About Highlander Partners

Highlander Partners, L.P. is a Dallas-based private investment firm with over $1 billion of assets under management. The firm focuses on making investments in businesses in targeted industries in which the principals of the firm have significant operating and investing experience, including basic manufacturing, food, chemicals, building materials, consumer products, and others. Highlander Partners uses a "buy and build" investment approach, creating value by helping companies grow organically and through acquisitions. For more information, visit www.highlander-partners.com.

About HandStands

HandStands was founded in 1983, and is headquartered in Draper, Utah; its brands include: Refresh Your Car! , California Scents, Bahama & Co., DRIVEN and Lexol, which can be found in Mass, Grocery, Hardware and Automotive Parts retailers throughout the world. HandStands holds the #1 spot in U.S. market share, in units sold, for automotive air fresheners. For more information, visit www.handstands.com.

About Trivest Partners

Trivest Partners is a private investment firm that focuses on partnering with founder/family owned businesses in the United States and Canada. Since its founding in 1981, Trivest has completed more than 225 transactions, totaling in excess of $5.5 billion in value. For more information, visit www.trivest.com.
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Media accreditation now is open for events around the arrival of NASA's Juno spacecraft at Jupiter on July 4. The spacecraft, which will reveal the story of the formation and evolution of the planet Jupiter, will enter into orbit around the gas giant that evening, five years after leaving Earth.

The event and related news conferences will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency's website. Further details and updates will be announced as they become available.

To cover Juno arrival events at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, media can begin the process of applying for credentials by sending all of the following information to: jplmediacredentials@jpl.nasa.gov.

Your name (as spelled on your driver's license with middle name), title, phone number and work email

Country of citizenship

If not a U.S. citizen, are you a green card holder?

Media outlet name, address, phone number, and website

Editor's name, phone number and work email

To allow time for processing and approval, foreign nationals and representatives of foreign media outlets must apply by May 11. U.S. citizens and green card holders representing U.S. media outlets must apply by June 2.

Media should confirm they have been credentialed before making travel arrangements. Credentialed media will have access to interview, photo and b-roll opportunities, and media briefings before and after spacecraft orbital insertion. The JPL Juno newsroom will open on June 30.

Juno will make two 53-day elliptical laps around Jupiter, before beginning the mission's science phase. At that point, the spacecraft will begin orbiting the Jovian world every 14 days, from a distance as close as 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers). It will peer beneath Jupiter's cloud tops to learn about the planet's origins, composition and magnetosphere. Jupiter lies in the harshest radiation environment in our solar system, so this particular spacecraft orbit insertion will mark a new achievement in planetary exploration.

JPL manages the Juno mission for NASA. The principal investigator for the mission is Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama for the agency's Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, in Denver, built the spacecraft. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

More information about the Juno mission is available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/juno

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nasas-juno-mission-on-course-for-july-4-arrival-at-jupiter-media-accreditation-open-300260241.html

SOURCE NASA

CONTACT: Dwayne Brown or Laurie Cantillo of Headquarters, Washington; 202-358-1726 or 202-358-1077, dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov or laura.l.cantillo@nasa.gov; or DC Agle, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., 818-393-9011, agle@jpl.nasa.gov; or Credentialing information: Elena Mejia, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., 818-354-1712, elena.mejia@jpl.nasa.gov

RELATED LINKShttp://www.nasa.gov
AKRON, Ohio, April 29, 2016 -- As part of its 2016 STEM Career Day, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company issued a $17,000 challenge to students in grades 6-12 to create the most deliberately over-engineered contraption (in the spirit of Rube Goldberg) and to "tag" the Goodyear name or logo on any surface. Twenty-eight teams, totaling 264 students from across northeast Ohio, accepted the call.

The prize money is part of $52,000 in grants and scholarships that will be awarded as part of Goodyear's 17th Annual STEM Career Day event to be held tomorrow at The University of Akron.

"Investing early is key to attracting and retaining young innovators," said Goodyear Chief Technical Officer Joseph Zekoski. "At Goodyear, our most valuable asset is the talent and skills of our people, and STEM Career Day reflects our commitment to making STEM education accessible and exciting."

More than 2,000 students have registered with Goodyear for the day-long event, accompanied by nearly 500 parents and teachers. In addition to exploring the campus, students will interact with representatives from more than 40 local organizations, who will be hosting hands-on STEM-based activities throughout the day.

Students have also been offered speed mentoring sessions to network with professionals from a variety of industries and STEM disciplines on next steps for pursuing a career in STEM.

To learn more about Goodyear's STEM Career Day, please visit www.goodyear.com/careerday.

Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 66,000 people and manufactures its products in 49 facilities in 22 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear or its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/future-engineers-to-create-rube-goldberg-machines-for-goodyears-stem-career-day-300260240.html

SOURCE The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

CONTACT: Morgan Hummel, Cell: 330-208-7166, E-mail: morgan_hummel@goodyear.com

RELATED LINKShttp://www.goodyear.com
HAMPTON, Va., April 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, May 3, 2016, at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, Angel Barboza will present "The Success of the G650 and Its Influence on Future Gulfstream Aircraft" at 2 p.m. in the Pearl Young Theater.

Barboza will be available to answer questions from the media during a news briefing at 1:15 p.m. that day. Media who wish to do so should contact Joe Atkinson at 757-864-5644, or by email at joseph.s.atkinson@nasa.gov, by noon on the day of the talk for credentials and entry to Langley.

That same evening at 7:30, Barboza will present a similar program for the general public at the Virginia Air & Space Center in downtown Hampton. This Sigma Series event is free and no reservations are required.

The Gulfstream Aerospace twin-engine G650 is the company's largest and fastest business jet with a top speed of Mach 0.925 or just below the speed of sound. Barboza will discuss how the G650 was developed to address customer demands for a business jet with a larger cabin that could fly further and faster than similar aircraft at the time. The result earned Gulfstream the Robert J. Collier Trophy in 2014 for technological advances in aircraft performance, cabin comfort, and safety.

As the director for Gulfstream's Aerodynamics and Preliminary Design Engineering, Barboza is responsible for conceptual designs of all their future aircraft. He focuses on advancing the tools and methods for predicting aerodynamics, aircraft performance and flight dynamics.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from California Polytechnic State University and a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Washington. He worked for 14 years at Boeing Commercial as an aerodynamics stability and control engineer on the 777 aircraft flight test and certification, and on the 787 aircraft.

For more information about NASA Langley's Colloquium and Sigma Series Lectures, visit:

http://colloqsigma.larc.nasa.gov

NASA Langley press releases are available automatically by sending an e-mail message to langley-news-request@lists.nasa.gov with the word Subscribe in the subject line. You will receive an e-mail asking you to visit a link to confirm the action. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail message to langley-news-request@lists.nasa.gov with the word "Unsubscribe" in the subject line.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nasa-talk-reveals-why-gulfstream-aircraft-is-fly-like-a-g6-300260231.html

SOURCE NASA

CONTACT: Joe Atkinson, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, 757-864-5644, joseph.s.atkinson@nasa.gov

RELATED LINKShttp://www.nasa.gov
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, April 29, 2016 -- Thomas J. Henry has been recognized for achieving the #1 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdict in Texas for 2015. The $67 million verdict, won on behalf of a client who was left paralyzed following a company vehicle accident, also ranked as the 26th highest verdict of any kind in the country last year.

The case (Arnold v. Weatherford US L.P. Cause No. 2012CCV62311-4) was tried in Nueces County Court at Law No. 4. During trial, Thomas J. Henry was able to demonstrate that the injuries sustained by his client, Christopher J. Arnold, could have been avoided had the company vehicle driver followed safe following distance rules. Additionally, Thomas J. Henry was able to demonstrate that Weatherford US L.P. had no company policy concerning safe following distance practices in place.

The jury returned a verdict in the amount of $67,470,000.00 to Christopher J. Arnold. Arnold's injuries included neck and back injuries, vertebral fractures, spinal cord injuries, a brain bleed, a collapsed lung, lacerations to the spleen, and rib fractures. He remains paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the accident. This verdict is one of the Top 100 Verdicts in the Nation for 2015 and has been featured in The National Law Journal.

Thomas J. Henry handles accident, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death cases throughout the United States. The firm has litigated against some of the largest companies in the world, including Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies, and has achieved multiple record-breaking awards and settlements. Thomas J. Henry has been named a lifetime member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers, and a "Top Birth Injury Advocate" by Parenting Magazine. In 2014, Thomas J. Henry was named one of the 10 Best Attorneys in the Nation by Newsweek.com, and, in 2015, Newsweek Legal Insight featured Thomas J. Henry as a Legal Superstar. In 2016, Thomas J. Henry was designated a Lifetime Charter Member of Rue Ratings' Best Attorneys of America. For more information about the firm, visit tjhlaw.com.

Media Contact

Thomas J. Henry Injury Attorneys

sharr@thomasjhenrylaw.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thomas-j-henry-secures-texas-1-auto-accident-verdict-for-2015-300260313.html

SOURCE Thomas J. Henry Injury Attorneys

RELATED LINKShttp://www.thomasjhenrylaw.com
A Lowy Institute for International Policy report says that China's island-building program in the South China Sea should be stopped. (Photo : Getty Images)

Australias security think tank strongly recommends that China be prevented from building more outposts in the South China Sea.



According to a report published in Sydney's Lowy Institute for International Policy, China's current course of actions should be impeded right away to prevent it from conquering all of the contested territories along the region.



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Rules of the Road



"Beijing's newly acquired taste for maritime 'rules of the road' is lowering the risk of accidental conflict. In turning away from tactical aggression, Beijing has refocused on passive assertive actions to consolidate a new status quo in maritime Asia," authors Ashley Townshend and Rory Medcalf wrote in the report as cited by Bloomberg.



According to the outlet, China's current thread of actions, which particularly involve creating man-made islands along the South China Sea, is successfully expanding the country's reach and jurisdiction over the contested territories.



Bloomberg was referring to China's sland-building program, which has already established over 3,000 acres or 1,214 hectares of land along the Spratly Islands.



"Though its actions have sparked tensions with other claimants including the Philippines and Vietnam, and prompted the U.S. to carry out naval transits to defend freedom of navigation in the waters, China has still managed to expand its maritime influence," Bloomberg noted.



What Should Be Done



Because of this, the Australian think tank highly recommends deterring the country from proceeding further with their current course since it is "virtually impossible to compel China to roll back its outposts."



"The current policy imperative--aside from defending freedom of navigation--is to deter further militarization or the creation of a new air defense identification zone, particularly in relation to the Spratly Islands," the authors wrote.



With this recommendation, the Philippines, Vietnam and other claimant countries should double time in preventing China from lifting another finger.



While an international court is close to having a ruling on the case filed by the Philippines against China, U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker is not very confident that this will have any effect.



"Neither the rhetoric nor the freedom of navigation operations have deterred or slowed down China's land reclamation activities, including the stationing of military-related assets on these artificial islands," he said on Wednesday as reported by the Voice of America.



Corker further noted that an international court ruling might have the opposite effect on China than what the Obama administration had anticipated, which could place American interest at risk.






A harrowing report released by the U.S. military on Friday explains how a perfect storm of human and mechanical errors led to an attack on a Doctors with Borders hospital in northern Afghanistan, killing 42 innocents and raising questions about military tactics in Americas longest war.

Among the militarys conclusions: Such a mistake could happen again.

The redacted report on last Octobers airstrike, by a U.S. AC-130 gunship on the hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz, reveals a U.S. military that is far more engaged in combat than officials have said. It also demonstrates how U.S. forces, lacking sufficient resources and feeling the strain of years of combat, are taking queues from Afghan forces that arent up to the task of fighting quickly evolving urban warfare, all while protecting civilians.

The gunship fired on a target even though it was not sure what it was, the report found. U.S. Special Forces had called for the strike, even though they couldnt see what was being hit. Afghan forces accompanied by U.S. advisers had said they came under attack from Taliban fighters earlier, but the report found no evidence to support their claim. And U.S. commanders, who have the final say on when to attack, signed off on the mistaken strike.

But briefing reporters, Army Gen. Joseph Votel, the new commander of U.S. Central Command, seemed to blame everyone and no one at the same time for the mishap.

The investigation found that the tragic incident resulted from a combination of unintentional human errors and equipment failures, and that none of the personnel knew they were striking a medical facility, Votel said, adding later: This was an extreme situation.

But officials conceded that the circumstances that led to the attack could be repeated. Of particular concern is that while U.S. troops are trying to advise a largely inexperienced Afghan military, more authority is being handed over to those forces, who arent ready to take control of the security of their country.

Votel said he could not rule out that such an attack couldnt happen again, even as he said the U.S. is reviewing its tactics to minimize civilian casualties.

I cant sit here and tell you we wont have more of those in the future, butbut this was an extreme situation that we were dealing with, in an area where we did not have a normal presence of American [Special Operations] forces, he said.

The Taliban was resurgent in the northern city of Kunduz in the days leading up to the attack on the hospital, putting increased pressure on U.S. forces to support their Afghan counterparts. On the night of the airstrike, the aircraft crew was on its fourth battle in four days and was dealing with fatigue and high operational tempo, Votel said.

On Oct. 3, Afghan Special Forces, accompanied by their U.S. counterparts, said they came under attack from a building they claimed was a prison with Taliban fighters inside, leading the U.S. to deploy the gunship.

But U.S. ground forces gave the aircrew the wrong coordinates; it turned out to be a field. So the aircrew tried to find the building that matched the description theyd received, which they repeatedly described as the T-shaped building.

According to transcripts, a member of the AC-130 crew could be heard saying, looking to strike the large T-shaped building in the center of the compound ensuring we are clear

But during the conversation between the gunship crew and those on the ground, the description the ground forces provided didnt exactly match what the aircrew saw from its vantage point using video cameras. Audio and video recordings proved key to determining the sequence of events that led to the erroneous strike, as the Daily Beast first reported.

And youve already confirmed that this prison complex is hostile, a member of the gunship crew states.

Yeah, so I dont want to tell you how to do your job but. someone on the ground responds.

Only slightly confusing, the navigator responds.

As it turns out, the gunship was getting ready to fire on the Doctors without Borders facility, while the purported Taliban building was 400 meters away. The U.S. Special Forces, who were obliged to order airstrikes only on sites they could see, violated their rules of engagement, the report found. Those forces couldnt see either buildingthe Taliban controlled prison that was the intended target or the hospital.

U.S. forces asked for the strike for what they believed was their own protection, Votel said.

In 68 minutes, the U.S. military fired 211 rounds at the hospital. About 10 minutes into the assault, Doctors without Borders called a U.S. military command center and said it was under assault. The strike continued for 8 minutes even after word eventually reached the AC-130 that there might be problem, but Votel said the air crew didnt know they were attacking a hospital. According to the report, no one ordered the gunship crew to cease fire.

Votel said there was no fire coming from the hospital, but that alone would not lead a crew to stop firing as they often are ordered to fire on buildings even if they are not seeing attacks emerging from a target site.

The AC-130 crew never positively identified a hostile act originating from the [Doctors with Borders] Trauma Center, nor did it positively identify a hostile act being committed against either USSF [U.S. Special Forces]  or against [Afghan forces], the report concluded.  And no consideration was given for the potential for civilians in the compound.

In all, 16 people, including a two-star general were punished but none were court martialed, as the Daily Beast first reported.

Some military personnel received letters of reprimand, while others received another form of administrative discipline and still others were required to undergo counseling or get new training. Five of the 16 involved in the attack were ordered out of Afghanistan, but Votel would not name any service member involved or their rank.

Observers said that accident was evidence of a U.S. military that has been stretched to its limits and is bound to make mistakes.

Chris Harmer, a naval analyst at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, told the Daily Beast that the gunship crew likely knew there was no other aircraft to replace them.

They chose to stay in the fight and support their fellow Americans on deck, Harmer said. The aircrew made a mistake, but theirs was a tactical error. The strategic failure is one of policy, a policy that tries to fight an open ended engagement without sufficient resources.

Votel said the mistake was not a war crime because it was not intentional. With so many at fault, according to the report, it would be difficult to determine who should be subject to military trial. That, defense officials said privately, may have been the point of spreading so much blame around.

The AC-130 gunship aircrew has not flown since the attack, Votel said, because the Air Force is reviewing their ability to fly.

In a statement, Doctors with Borders said Votel briefed them for two hours Thursday about the report, and that it will take the time necessary to examine the U.S. report, and to determine whether or not the U.S. account answers the many questions that remain outstanding seven months after the attack.

The U.S. said it paid out condolence payments to more than 170 peoplegiving $3,000 for each person injured and $6,000 for those killed. U.S. Central Command, however, could not give a total figure of payment. In addition, the military said it approved $5.7 million to build a new hospital in Kunduz. How and when that hospital would be built was not immediately clear, Central Command officials said.
The 200 wealthiest members of the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Congress (CPPCC) have an accumulated wealth of around $507 billion. (Photo : Getty Images)

A new Chinese law set to regulate over 7,000 foreign non-governmental organizations and their local counterparts is President Xi Jinpings latest move to limit Western influence in the country.



According to the New York Times, more than 7,000 NGOs will be affected by the new law, which now requires foreign non-governmental groups to look for an official Chinese sponsor and register with local law enforcement agencies before they can operate in China.



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Among the affected organizations are those involved in civic, philanthropic, environmental and cultural issues as well as those under the education and business sectors.



CRIEnglish stated that NGOs that have already received approval from the civil affairs department will be allowed to continue operations, while exchange programs involving hospitals, colleges and science and engineering research institutes abroad are exempted from the new rule.



However, those with declined applications will be forced to stop operations, while those who do pass the initial screening will undergo stern scrutiny especially when it comes to funding sources, expenses and revenue.



The provision that limits the organizations to a single office in China as stated in the original draft of the NGO law has been removed upon the final reading.



The United States expressed its concern on the new legislation, as reported by the AFP posted in the Global Post.



"The United States is deeply concerned that China's new Law on the Management of Foreign NGO Activities will further narrow space for civil society in China," said Ned Price, a spokesperson from the U.S. National Security Council.



In the statement, Price urged China to upholding "the rights and freedoms of human rights defenders, journalists, business groups, development professionals, and all others who make up civil society, including by protecting the ability of foreign NGOs to operate in China."



According to the report, the law does not clearly define what a "foreign NGO" is, but there is a great chance that it would include charities and business associations founded abroad.



Because of this, even the U.S.-China Business Council is expressing its sentiments on the new law, with Jake Parker, the vice president for China operations, taking the stage.



"Our initial reaction is disappointment that the public security agencies in China are going to be managing the registration process for NGOs," Parker said.


Americas leading Reagan loyalists declared war on Will Ferrell, and won.

On Wednesday, Variety reported that the Hillary Clinton-supporting funnymanand part-time Democratic donorwas attached to play the role of President Ronald Reagan in a comedy crisply titled, Reagan. (Ferrell was set to produce the satirical biopic along with Gary Sanchez Productions.)

The script, penned by Mike Rosolio, kicks off at the start of Reagans second term when he falls into dementia and an ambitious intern is tasked with convincing the commander in chief that he is an actor playing the president in a movie, according to Variety.

That brief description of the comedy set off a near-instantaneous backlash, earning swift condemnation from the Reagan Foundation, the Reagan family, the Alzheimers Association, and a raft of Reagan loyalists and vanguards of the conservative icons legacy.

Blissfully, America does not look to Hollywood for history lessons, Reagan biographer Craig Shirley told The Daily Beast. At least, not anymore. Will Ferrell should stick to puerile man-child movies and leave the manly leadership to Ronald Reagan.

Perhaps you would like to explain to them how this disease is suitable material for a comedy, Reagans daughter Patti Davis wrote in an open letter to Ferrell.

And the outrage worked.

On Friday, Page Six broke the news that Ferrell had pulled out of the Reagan project.

Reagan has been painted by detractorsthe vast majority of whom have not seen or read the scriptas an Alzheimers comedy offensive to the late president and those suffering from the disease. A small number of people actually know what is in the script, and what kind of comedy it would be.

However, a table-read of Reagan was mounted by Black List Live! at Montalban Theater in Hollywood last month featuring John Cho (as the fictional intern), James Brolin (Reagan, reprising the role), Dennis Haysbert, and Nathan Fillion. (Lena Dunham was slated to read as Reagan-era speechwriter Peggy Noonan, but ultimately was unable to attend.)

Several of those who attended the event argue that the screenplay has been unfairly judged and mischaracterizedagain, by people who havent read a word of it.

Reagan actually comes of as sweetand hes really a background character, producer Bob Schooley, who was at the table-read, told The Daily Beast. And the lead characters father is suffering from dementia, so they play parallel scenes, which shows the real toll that [disease] can take on a familyYou certainly didnt walk out of the thing hating Reagan.

Rosolios manager did not respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment. But on a recent episode of the podcast The Black List Table Reads, the screenwriter describes why he wrote Reagan. And one of the reasons is intensely personal.

I always wanted to write something about politics, he said, explaining how he wanted to take something expected and making it a little weird and that he was fascinated by all the dementia stuff.

Its a very important subject to me personally and to my family personally, he continued.

Patrick McIlhone, a writer and Bernie Sanders fan, also scored a ticket to the table read, and loved what he saw.

The satire is intended to nod towards the corruption within the Reagan administration, which is fair game, but it does not use Reagans disease as a tool for that, he told The Daily Beast. There is a wholly invented White House staffer who takes on the persona of Frank Capra and directs Reagan like an actor, giving nods towards his Hollywood past.

McIlhone specifically commended Brolins performance, and emphasized that he didnt believe Reagan was executed in poor taste.

If we can have movies like Inglourious Basterds [that] poke fun at aspects of World War II, and countless movies that are dark comedies about cancer, we can certainly do this, he said. If Reagan had not been an actor, then this movie would not be funny.

In the script, when the administration needs the unwell Reagan to go on live television, the fake Frank Capra is called in to direct him. Reagan refers to the intern as Mr. Capra for most of the film. Most of the humor and tension is derived from Reagans closest advisers scrambling to cover-up his ailment, and attempting to manipulate the commander in chief.

John Chos character is basically ordered to continue doing this by various higher-ups at the White House, McIlhone recalls. He is not totally comfortable with it. However, over the course of the story, he becomes fond of Reagan and while at the same time maintaining a conscience about what he is doing. This ends up making the [intern] a witting actor in policy decisions, along with Peggy Noonan. Those two are kind of the moral pulse of the film  At the start of the film, hes sort of a bright-eyed bushy tailed Reagan devotee who thinks he can make a difference, and through this very strange series of events, he does.

(Major historical events that Reagan covers include the bombing of Libya and the Iran-Contra scandal.)

Of course, not every attendee of the table read walked away with a favorable impression of the work.

Amy Lutz, who serves as the Young Americas Foundations program officer at the Reagan Ranch Center, attended the March event with her colleague.

It had its moments, I thought there were some funny linesand some of the characters were very well done, and the actors did a very good job, she said. But my issue was a lot of the punchlines had to do with dementiaand that it dealt with it flippantly, and made fun of it.

[The script] doesnt portray Reagan himself as evil but again a lot of the punchiness do have to do with him forgetting things and not knowing whats going on. (According to The Hollywood Reporter, the ailing character of Reagan at one point thinks Mikhail Gorbachev is actor Ernest Borgnine, for instance.)

Before this weeks controversy erupted, Reagan was considered one of Hollywoods hottest unmade scripts, Ferrell was attached to star in the title role, and the project was on the hunt for a director and a movie studio. In a matter of days, the satire found itself in the middle of a torrent of negative publicity, and branded a toxic property with an at-best uncertain future.

Ferrells representative did not respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment.
With less than 9 months left in his second term, President Barack Obama doesnt give a fuck anymore. At least thats the message comedian Larry Wilmore has been broadcasting for the past year.

This weekend, Obama will deliver his eighth and final stand-up routine at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner. And in the plum but intimidating spot immediately following the president will be Wilmore, who, since his Nightly Show debut on Martin Luther King Day 2015, has become the definitive voice of Obamas final years in office.

Thats right. This years #NerdProm is now officially the #BlerdProm.

Obamas willingness to throw caution to the windespecially when it comes to racein his final years as president has been a major theme of Wilmores show since the beginning. And it is likely to be the primary focus of the comedy on Saturday night.

It was during Wilmores first week on the air as host of The Nightly Show that Obama delivered his seventh State of the Union Address. As he has said many times before and since, Wilmore prefaced his coverage by disclosing that he voted for Obama because hes black.

During the presidents speech that night, which had followed a devastating midterm election for Democrats, Obama winked at Republicans while jokingly chastising them for refusing to applaud the countrys economic success.

Doesnt he realize he just lost an historic election? I mean, both Houses by historic margins, even his own party was deserting him. Doesnt Obama know he wont be able to get anything done in his last two years? Wilmore wondered, before it hit him and he started to giggle. Oh, he doesnt give a fuck! He doesnt care what people think anymore.

Even better was the aw snap moment of the night when Obama said I have no more campaigns to run and Republicans began to clap. He cut them off with the ad-libbed line, I know, cause I won both of them.

Barry got his groove back, an impressed Wilmore said. Look, he may not get anything done in the next two years. But at least hell still be black.

This Obama dont care theme has continued throughout Wilmores White House coverage, including last summer when Obama made his first trip as president to Kenya. He never wouldve gone to Kenya in his first term, the host said, referring to any lingering birther nonsense. But at this point, He really doesnt give a fuck what people think.

More recently, when First Lady Michelle Obama performed a rap song about college with Saturday Night Lives Jay Pharoah, Wilmore commended the president for rolling out as much black as he can during his last year in office. Along with the rap video, Wilmore pointed to Obama dropping the n-word on Marc Marons podcast, singing Amazing Grace at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston and just letting prisoners out of jail.

At this rate, by next summer, theyre going to be playing dominoes out on the White House lawn and blasting music so loud that the neighbors at 1603 Pennsylvania Avenue call the cops, Wilmore joked.

Then there is Wilmores 2016 campaign coverage, in which, under the umbrella of The Unblackening, he has outlined Americas plan to de-Negrofy the White House and say fuck you to the notion that once you go black, you never go back.

When you have somebody like a Donald Trump, Wilmore told Mashable in an interview last October, he made no bones about trying to disprove Barack Obamas Americanism in trying to make him out to be some foreigner that was born in KenyaI thought that to be very racist. When people say, Let's take our country back, my way of saying that is, Yes, you want to unblacken the White House.

But just because Wilmore has expressed support for the president doesnt mean he wont make jokes at his expense as well. I like Obama a lot, but remember, I supported him because he was black, he said in a recent interview with CBS This Morning. I can attack his positions all I want.

I have to keep it 100, Wilmore added to CNN, using the same truth-telling standard he tries to keep himself to on his show. And what are they going to do? Theres not enough time to sic the IRS on me.

Since Wanda Sykes helmed the White House Correspondents Dinner during Obamas first year in office, the gig has been performed by a parade of white male late-night hosts. Jimmy Kimmel and Conan OBrien were fairly solid while Jay Leno and Joel McHale left something to be desired.

Seth Meyers stands out for delivering such brutal jokes to Donald Trumps face that the GOP frontrunner has decided to stay far away from this years event. And then last year, SNLs Cecily Strong was upstaged by Keegan-Michael Key, who brought down the house with his Anger Translator routine alongside Obama.

Now that America finally has not one, but two black late-night hosts in Wilmore and Trevor Noah, it is only fitting that Obamas fellow blerd should take the reigns this time around. Just as Chris Rock was the perfect comedian to tackle the #OscarsSoWhite controversy at this years Academy Awards, there is no better performer than Wilmore to help sum up the final year of Americas first black president.

And should Hillary Clinton make it into the Oval Office by next April, the White House Correspondents Association need only consider one name for the job: Samantha Bee.
ROME  Some people will do anything for loveeven deny it.

Or at least thats what it appears two Spanish pseudo-nuns have done in an attempt to save Feliciano Miguel Rosendo, a priest who has been accused of forcing them to take part in orgies by claiming his semen was holy and represented the body of Christ and would purify them.

The nuns reportedly agreed to virginity tests in the Spanish town of Tui to prove that they hadnt had carnal relations with the prelate, despite eyewitness accounts that imply at least some sexual contact.

Rosendo was arrested in December 2014 on charges of sex abuse and tax crimes associated with the Order of Saint Michael Archangel, a Roman Catholic sect whose choir performed for Pope Benedict XVI in 2011 during his apostolic voyage to Madrid. After allegations of sexual escapades and money laundering surfaced, the Vatican relieved Rosendo of his dutiesafter which the prelate simply changed the name of his sect to the Voice of Serviam and apparently carried on with business as usual, unusual as it might have been.

The prelate remains a Catholic priest, but the Vatican has disassociated itself with the sect. Prior to the 2014 arrest, a number of nuns testified that Rosendo persuaded them to perform sex acts on and with him, proclaiming the purifying properties of his ejaculate. One woman, who eventually left religious life and went on to marry, testified that Rosendo even forced her to have sexual relations the night before she got married and after she had wed. I married Fernando to stop suffering abuse by Miguel, but I was surprised when, after the wedding, the abuse continued, she told the court, according to the Spanish edition of The Local news website.

The original cases court documents show that Rosendo apparently rotated the religious ladies through his bed in the house in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, north of Madrid, that they apparently all shared. According to local press reports, Marta Pax Alonso, a self-declared nun who has never been actually affiliated with any Vatican-recognized Catholic order, was his chief assistant and lover.

Alonso, however, is one of the women who took a virginity test to prove that she had never had vaginal sex. She was also arrested in 2014 for financial crimes. That year, several family members of the nuns in question reportedly pleaded with Pope Francis to persuade the women to leave Rosendos alleged sex sect, but the Vatican apparently never responded on behalf of the pope. However, Renzo Fratini, the papal nuncio (or Vatican ambassador) to Spain, is said to have offered his support.

Citing Madrids College of Physicians, The Local reports the chastity tests showed the non-nuns were, indeed, virgins, stating that they have an intact hymen with no signs of having had sexual relations, recent or old. We can rule out that they had sex with vaginal penetration and there has been no deflowering.

There are, of course, no tests to prove or disprove the act of fellatio or other sexual activities that fall short of intercourse. Rosendo awaits trial for both sexual abuse and financial crimes.
Hes the one with the gun. The threat. The person the good, and slightly less bad, run from. He, and its usually a he, is the worst of the worst, because he goes the furthest. The criminal we perhaps find it hardest of all to understand. The hitman.

The cold blooded killer is, in crime fiction and beyond, a classic bogeyman. Hitmen contain the perfect mix of attributes, looking just like us so they pass unnoticed, silent and unknowable. The monster standing at the foot of the bed when you wake up in the dead of night. A human with inhuman instincts. Where the rest of us put life ahead of money, these people do not. A stranger is an item to be destroyed for reward.

Fiction breaks into that dark and silent world. The hitman as a character. Their life spelled out and examined. A protagonist with decent intentions either runs from or chases after the killer. We catch glimpses of the hitman. The constant threat in the background, emerging only in the moments of greatest impact. When the bad becomes the protagonist we see much more.

***

It can be, often, rather sad. Go back to 1936 and Graham Greenes A Gun for Sale. Raven is our protagonist. A hitman. Killing a politician in Europe to provoke war. Seemingly cold hearted and just a man looking to make money, consequences be damned. It opens with the ultimate hitman sentiment: Murder didnt mean much to Raven. It was just a new job.

That establishes our central character as the dead-eyed monster. The fearless man to fear. In two short sentences we are made to understand that Raven is not the same as us. The immediate instinct is to think of someone steely, focused, evil. The slick killer with a plan and the skill to carry it out. By the end of that opening page we already know that Raven is more, or perhaps less, than that:

But Raven had never had a girl. The hare-lip prevented that. He had learned, when he was very young, how repulsive it was. He turned into one of the tall grey houses and climbed the stairs, a sour bitter screwed-up figure.

Our hitman is pathetic. Hes not cold hearted at all. Hes an angry, palpably lonely virgin who refuses to see a place for himself in the world. It is not a conscious choice to separate himself from a world that he disdains, but an inability to engage in a world that he believes has and will continue to reject him. The monster in the shadows is little more than a self-loathing sad-sack. But even that is misleading.

What Raven shows us is the ultimate weakness in the hitmantheyre not monsters at all. We see Raven being betrayed and going on the run. We see his relationship with Anne, the showgirl and detectives fiancee. She is what he wants. Not the money. Not to be detached from the rest of the world. A woman who might be a friend. Who might love him. When all the evil things hes done are pulled away and all that remains is the nugget at the center of his soul, what we see are broken pieces, longing to be fixed. There remain elements within a man like Raven that we struggle to understand, like the bitterness that could drive someone so far, but much of the mystery is gone. The spectre that chased our hero and was in turn chased by them feels rather more ordinary.

***

In fiction we get to see the hitman at various stages of life. The youngster stumbling into the grim world and finding the home they didnt know they were looking for. Then the assassin at the peak of their power, experienced and skilled, filled with the knowledge needed to keep them out of the reach of the police. Then theres the old hitman. Perhaps too old to be effective as they once were, or too old to see the thrill in the work anymore. The hitman heading for the exit.

This is perhaps the hitman at their most human. Each life reaches a point of change, a moment where the work of the past has been completed and a peaceful life earned. Retirement, and safety. How do you walk away from a world that either wants you close or wants you dead? In the always outstanding Don Winslows 2006 novel The Winter of Frankie Machine, we see a hitman whos made it to the outside, but not quite far enough.

A likeable man with an ordinarily complicated life: All Franks days are busy, what with four businesses, an ex-wife, and a girlfriend to manage.

From the outside he projects normality. This is the hitman after the killing is done. A life so plain that no suspicion can be raised. Reveling in the challenge of living the way everyone else does. Hes the one who got away. A life made clean after years of dirty work. All hitmen live every second on alert. It may be the one thing they all have in common. Every character that does the job does so with the heightened awareness of a man who should be on the run. A man with a lot to hide.

Tonight he drives home and theres a car in the alley.

A car he doesnt know.

Frank recognises threat immediately because Frank has lived the life. He knew what he was running from and he knew it would give chase. Rarity makes people like him too valuable to be allowed a quiet life. There are so few people that are prepared to kill. So few of the willing are able. To find someone who can not only take a life but do it a second and third time is the ambition of the criminal master. Finding a man who can do the job without getting caught. Being good means being indispensable. No retirement allowed.

There is a key difference between Frank and Raven that goes beyond experience. We like Frank Machianno. Hes engaging and smart. We find ourselves rooting for a man we know from the outset has blood on his hands. While we may want Raven to have the chance to change and live a relatively normal life, we understand hes probably too far gone. The same goads, traumas, and self-hatred that set him on this road will keep him there, all the way to whatever ending he finds. Frank is different. We dont want him to become a different person, just to see him return to the one hed been able to be in retirement, to the normal life he had created.

Is it OK that were cheering for a killer? Its easy to feel squeamish about wanting characters like Frank to succeed, a reminder that no matter how engaging they are, they remain capable of doing things that we are not and that no person should be. Yet its not the killer were supporting, but the better person inside them. We want Frank to escape for the sake of the man we saw at the opening of the book. The man defined by his family and his hobbies and his normality. Were on his side because hes not a monster but instead a cracked version of the rest of us.

***

Its curious to see the various portrayals of hitmen. They can be the villain or the anti-hero. They can be isolated and cruel; they can be engaging and witty. They are always people who have chosen crime as a career. This informs us that they are bad or broken. Theyve made a choice we never could. Separated themselves from us. Yet there are many characters that kill and are presented as something better.

James Bond got himself a licence so even premeditation makes him a spy rather than a hitman. Parker is chasing money so all of the bodies he leaves in his wake are the victims of a thief going too far rather than a hitman lining his pocket along the way. When protecting your country or stuffing your bank account with other peoples cash is the motivation, you get to be pretend youre not a hitman. Its easier to follow along in the wake of the killing when it isnt the profession of the protagonist. Step beyond the real world and we see greater comfort with killing, assassins as heroes of fantasy novels like Robin Hobbs acclaimed farseer trilogy. Here it is the world that is strikingly different from ours, and that seems to allow enough separation to feel relaxed about supporting Fitz in his work. In these novels the hitman is the most familiar thing to us, their humanity what we attach ourselves to. In the real world theyre the most distant.

The unfamiliar is attractive. We dont want to kill, but we want to understand why people do. These ordinary people, so like us in many other ways, but capable of something we find unconscionable. Whats absent in these people? What has broken? Our need to comprehend will make us explore the darkness along with the killer. Thats where fiction gives us our best chance at understanding.

Malcolm Mackays latest novel is The Night the Rich Men Burned. His acclaimed debut series, the Glasgow Trilogy, has been nominated for countless prizes. Most recently, the Glasgow Trilogy was included in the Boston Globes 2015 Best Books of the Year list in the mystery category, and The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter, the first book in the trilogy, was nominated for a 2016 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original. Mackay was born in Stornoway on Scotlands Isle of Lewis, where he still lives.
British Vogue have landed the cover star every glossy magazine editor has been dreaming of for the past five years.

Yes, Kate Middleton, the future Queen of England, is to grace the June cover of Vogue, a fulfilment of what its editor has quite frankly admitted has been one of her greatest ambitions for the magazine.

The photographs were shockingly not taken by Mario Testino but by British photographer Josh Olins, who works frequently with the magazine and was chosen for the landmark shoot owing to the quiet elegance and relaxed understatement he brings to his work.

The shoot has been shrouded in extraordinary secrecy with astonishingly few staffers brought into the circle of trust by editor Alexandra Shulman and fashion director Lucinda Chambers, who have been patiently wooing Kate for years now.

A rival editor told the Daily Beast: "Hats off to Shulman. That's a proper coup."

Even very senior editors at the magazine contacted by the Daily Beast today said they were in the dark about the June cover.

Chambers styled the pictures, which see the Duchess shot in casual clothes in the Norfolk countryside, near their country home, Anmer Hall.

The June issue  out May 5  marks the 100 year anniversary of British Vogue, and this is certainly a stylish way to mark that occasion.

The pictures were taken as part of a collaboration between Duchess Kate and the National Portrait Gallery. A portfolio of seven photographs, are to appear with an accompanying article (sources say that although Kate has provided some original quotes for the piece, she has not broken the habit of a lifetime and given a sit-down interview).

The Duchess has been Patron of the National Portrait Gallery since 2012, one of the first gigs she took on after her marriage to Prince William. She studied History of Art at university and has a well-known passion for photography and portraiture.

Vogue has an enviable record of royal portraiture from the days of Cecil Beaton and Norman Parkinson, to Lord Snowdon and Mario Testino.

Alexandra Shulman, Editor-in-Chief of British Vogue commented, To be able to publish a photographic shoot with HRH The Duchess of Cambridge has been one of my greatest ambitions for the magazine. Im delighted the Duchess agreed to work with us and the National Portrait Gallery, and as a result of this unique collaboration we have a true celebration of our centenary as well as a fitting tribute to a young woman whose interest in both photography and the countryside is well known.

Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, said in a statement, Josh has captured the Duchess exactly as she is  full of life, with a great sense of humor, thoughtful and intelligent, and in fact, very beautiful.

A spokesperson for Kate said: "Since 1916, Vogue has been a leading champion of British portraiture. The Duchess was delighted to play a part in celebrating the centenary of an institution that has given a platform to some of the most renowned photographers in this country's history. She is incredibly grateful to the team at Vogue and at the National Portrait Gallery for asking her to take part. She would like to thank Josh Olins for being such a pleasure to work with. The Duchess had never taken part in a photography shoot like this before. She hopes that people appreciate the portraits with the sense of relaxed fun with which they were taken."

Josh Olins said: Its a privilege to have been chosen to photograph HRH The Duchess of Cambridge for the Centenary issue of British Vogue and an honour that two of those portraits will hang in the National Portrait Gallery in London. This was the Duchesss first sitting for the magazine and she was a joy to work with, a natural. I am incredibly grateful to Alexandra Shulman for placing her faith in me for such an important and historic assignment.
The hottest event of this weekend may be the White House Correspondents Dinner, a jovial celebration of American political reporting and a rare chance for reporters and the people they cover to laugh openly about their jobs. Around the world, however, critical reporting doesnt get a nod from the president. Instead, it lands our colleagues in prison, or worse.

Violent conflict continues to be extremely dangerous for journalists but actually the most dangerous beat is politics, Committee to Protect Journalists advocacy director Courtney Radsch told The Daily Beast.

More than 300 journalists remain continuously imprisoned around the world, according to Reporters Without Borders. Indeed, the worldwide climate for freedom of information and freedom of the press isnt improving, the groups U.S. director Delphine Halgand told The Daily Beast. The organization is just one of several groups working to protect press freedom, and is informed by a network of 150 local journalists in 130 countries.

There are more and more authoritarian tendencies of government, and also tighter government control of media, she said. Wars and conflicts mean theres more on-the-ground trouble for journalists as well, the vast majority of them locals we never hear about.

And the situation is particularly bad in many American allies.

In Turkey, for instance, journalists Can Dundar and Erdem Gul face life sentences for reporting on the governments sale of arms to Islamist rebels in Syria. The story that landed them behind bars built off a video said to show the state intelligence agency sending weapons to Syria, while the government insists that they were just carrying aid.

They were slammed with a 473-page indictment, and their trial will be conducted behind closed doors. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised Dundar would pay a heavy price for Turkeys embarrassment.

In Egypt this week, dozens of journalists were arrested for covering protests. Most of them were later released, but Mahmoud Abou Zeid, known as Shawkan, will mark 1000 days of imprisonment next month. He was detained covering protests over the ousting of former president Muhammad Morsi three years ago.

His case is really emblematic because he was covering a protest of the Muslim Brotherhood and he was arrested, Radsch said. He was imprisoned for nearly a year without charges, and then charged with being affiliated with a terrorist group and being involved in terrorism.

And in Azerbaijan, investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova is spending her second year in prison after exposing government corruption. Some of her earlier reporting that landed her in jail has been confirmed by the Panama Papers leaks.

Her case is emblematic of another type of charge used to imprison journalists: these trumped up charges of hooliganism or drug use, Radsch said.

The president who imprisoned her was feted by Vice President Biden on a visit to Washington last month, but Halgand says such meetings are an opportunity for change. We know that pressure works because just before President [Ilham] Aliyev came he freed 148 prisoners, she said.

Much the same is true of the Americas, where violence against reporters is not decreasing. Our colleagues continue to be slaughtered, especially when they are covering drug cartel activities or corruption, Halgand said. In countries like Venezuela and Ecuador, theres mounting political tension that keeps journalists at risk.

But while safer than many of our neighbors and our allies, Halgand isnt ready to let the United States off the hook. The very administration that will celebrate alongside reporters this weekend has been one of the most tight-lipped, and one of the most diligent in prosecuting those who leak information to the media.

Our main concern continues to be the administrations obsessive control of the flow of information, which manifests itself in the war on whistleblowers, Halgand said. She cited the case of Jeffrey Sterling, who was sentenced to more than three years for providing information to The New York Timess James Risen.

And then, there are Americans overseas. Theres Jason Rezaian, The Washington Posts Tehran correspondent who was just recently released after more than 500 days of detention for doing his job. At the Overseas Press Club awards Thursday night, Rezaian lit the candle of concern for journalists in peril.

And perhaps most famously, theres Austin Tice, a young American who disappeared almost four years ago in Syria. An ex-Marine, Tice achieved his dream of being a war correspondent only to be kidnapped days after his 31st birthday. Hes still missing as we celebrate.

Spent the day at an FSA pool party with music by @taylorswift13, he tweeted before vanishing. They even brought me whiskey. Hands down, best birthday ever.
Nazi-occupied Norway, February 27, 1943

In a staggered line, the nine saboteurs cut across the mountain slope. Instinct, more than the dim light of the moon, guided the young men. They threaded through the stands of pine and traversed down the sharp, uneven terrain, much of it pocked with empty hollows and thick drifts of snow. Dressed in white camouflage suits over their British Army uniforms, the men looked like phantoms haunting the woods. They moved as quietly as ghosts, the silence broken only by the swoosh of their skis and the occasional slap of a pole against an unseen branch. The warm, steady wind that blew through the Vestfjord Valley dampened even these sounds. It was the same wind that would eventually, they hoped, blow their tracks away.

A mile into the trek from their base hut, the woods became too dense and steep for them to continue by any means other than on foot. The young Norwegians unfastened their skis and hoisted them to their shoulders. It was still tough going. Carrying rucksacks filled with thirty-five pounds of gear, and armed with submachine guns, grenades, pistols, explosives, and knives, they waded, slid, and clambered their way down through the heavy, wet snow. Under the weight of their equipment they occasionally sank to their waists in the drifts. The darkness, thickening when the low clouds hid the moon, didnt help matters.

Finally the forest cleared. The men came onto the road that ran across the northern side of Vestfjord Valley toward Lake Ms to the west and the town of Rjukan a few miles to the east. Directly south, an eagles swoop over the precipitous Mana River gorge, stood Vemork, their target.

Despite the distance across the gorge and the wind singing in their ears, the commandos could hear the low hum of the hydroelectric plant. The power station and eight-story hydrogen plant in front of it were perched on a ledge overhanging the gorge. From there it was a six-hundred-foot drop to the Mana River, which snaked through the valley below. It was a valley so deep, the sun rarely reached its base.

Had Hitler not invaded Norway, had the Germans not seized control of the plant, Vemork would have been lit up like a beacon. But now, its windows were blacked out to deter nighttime raids by Allied bombers. Three sets of cables stretched across the valley to discourage low-flying air attacks during the day as well.

In dark silhouette, the plant looked an imposing fortress on an icy crag of rock. A single-lane suspension bridge provided the only point of entry for workers and vehicles, and it was closely guarded. Mines were scattered about the surrounding hillsides. Patrols frequently swept the grounds. Searchlights, sirens, machine-gun nests, and a troop barracks were also at the ready.

And now the commandos were going to break into it.

Standing at the edge of the road, they were mesmerized by their first sight of Vemork. They did not need the bright of day to know its legion of defenses. They had studied scores of reconnaissance photographs, read reams of intelligence, memorized blueprints, and practiced setting their explosive charges dozens of times on a dummy model of the target. Each man could navigate every path, corridor, and stairwell of the plant in his minds eye.

They were not the first to try to blow up Vemork. Many had already died in the attempt. While war raged across Europe, Russia, North Africa, and in the Pacific, while battalions of tanks, squadrons of bombers, fleets of submarines and destroyers, and millions of soldiers faced off against each other in a global conflict, it was this plant, hidden away deep in the rugged Norwegian wilds, that Allied leaders believed lay on the thin line separating victory and defeat.

For all their intricate knowledge of Vemork, the nine were still not exactly sure how this target could possibly be of such value. They had been told that the plant produced something called heavy water, and that with this mysterious substance the Nazis might be able to blow up a good part of London. The saboteurs assumed this was an exaggeration to ensure their full commitment to the job.

And they were committed, no matter the price, which would likely include their own lives. From the start, they had known that the odds of their survival were long. They might get inside the plant and complete their mission, but getting out and away would be another story. If necessary, they would try to fight their way out, but escape was unlikely. Resolved not to be captured alive, each of them carried a cyanide pill encased in rubber, stashed in a lapel or waistband.

There were nerves about the operation, for sure, but a sense of fatalism prevailed. For many months now they had been away from their homes, training, planning, and preparing. Now at least they were about to act. If they died, if they went west, as many in their special company already had in other operations, so be it. At least they would have had their chance to fight. In a war such as this one, most expected to die, sooner or later.

Back in England, the mastermind of the operation, Leif Tronstad, was awaiting news of the operation. Before the commandos left for their mission, he had promised them that their feats would be remembered for a hundred years. But none of the men were there for history. If you went to the heart of the question, none of them were there for heavy water, or for London. They had seen their country invaded by the Germans, their friends killed and humiliated, their families starved, their rights curtailed. They were there for Norway, for the freedom of its lands and people from Nazi rule.

Their moment now at hand, the saboteurs refastened their skis and started down the road through the darkness.

Excerpted from THE WINTER FORTRESS: The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitlers Atomic Bomb by Neal Bascomb. Copyright  2016 by Neal Bascomb. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
It was as though I was swimming in an ocean of myself, one Erowid user wrote of smoking toad venom. The intensity was beyond belief.

A naturally occurring psychedelic, toad venomor 5-MeO-DMTis as bizarre as it sounds. Banned in the U.S. but legal in Canada, the chemicals that make up the venom can be found in several different plant species andas its nickname intimatestoads.

Used by ancient cultures as medicine to treat things like heart failure, tumors, and pain, the drug prompted a cycle of abuse in the 90s, one that seemed on the verge of a comeback last fall when an American overdosed and died. But with a new study out of China this month, the once-therapeutic venom may be returning to its roots.

Released this April in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, the paper is the most comprehensive look at the medical benefits of toad venom and toad skin thus far. In the minds of researchers at the Macau Institute for Applied Research in Medicine and Health in China where it was performed, its also a significant sign that the drugs anti-cancer agents are powerful.

Our research provides valuable chemical evidence for the appropriate processing method, quality control and rational exploration of toad skin and toad venom for the development of anticancer medicines, the authors conclude.

The paper, which explores 56 different steroids in venom and skin of toads, comes in the wake of a similar study out of Australia in which researchers found cane toad venom to be effective at killing cancerous prostate cells. We could process the venom for medicine, ideally in a tablet because it tastes absolutely awful if you drink it, one author told The Guardian.

The Australian researchers found similar anti-cancer properties in toad venom, specifically its ability to kill cancerous prostate cells. Their research was so compelling, it prompted Chinese companies to reach out asking if they could buy bundles of cane toads (which are only in Australia).

One of the researchers, Harendra Parekh, said it would be a good way to deal with something that most in Australia consider a pest. Plus, he said, obtaining the venom is easy. You can do it while they are alive and venom from one toad can go a long way, said Parekh. Its very potent, which is why it causes problems if your dog simply licks the skin of a cane toad.

While the idea of licking a toad, has long been a favorite topic of folklore; the actual practice itself is dangerous. A toads venom is highly toxic and meant to stave off potential predators. In some cases, it does. The chemical is specifically deadly to dogs. Toad venom toxicity is a heath emergency requiring immediate treatment, as it can quickly lead to death, reads PetMd.

In humans, when abused, it can be equally lethal.

Those who partake in smoking toad venom follow a specific procedure, which includes stroking the toad below the chin to initiate its defense (at which point it releases the chemical). In the U.S., the toad carrying the psychedelic is found in the Colorado River and one of its tributaries, the Gila River.

As a result, its most prevalent in northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S. It can be smoked, vaporized, or cooked into hard brown substance called stone. Last fall, it popped up in New York, where a 39-year-old man died after ingesting it. The death led officials to issue an emergency warning saying the illegal aphrodisiac can cause serious poisonings and death.

Despite an apparent uptick in recreational use and increasing attention from the science world, toad venom is nothing new. A naturally occurring psychedelic, its been found in plant species and toads for thousands of years. In China, the practice of using toad venom to treat cancer is known as Huachansu.

The first major medical studies by Chinese scientists occurred in the 1970s, where they found evidence that it could treat a variety of cancers ranging from liver to lung. Questions about its efficacy are still unclear, with one recent studying estimating that 10 to 16 percent of patients respond to the treatment.

As the science world tries to move it forward, the recreational continues its obsession.

A Reddit user opened a thread Friday with the question, Anyone here tried smoked toad venom? The answer was a resounding yes. The come up feels even more intense than DMT, which is already nuts, and the trip itself is kind of shallow, said a user. Barely any visualsand you feel a lot more confusion.

If licking the drug is enough to kill dogs, smoking it isnt much better.

A 2011 study from the National Institute of Drug Abuse described the physiological and behavioral affects as visionary and auditory distortion, hyperthermia, head-twitch, and stimulus control. Chest and abdominal pain, followed by nausea, can occur as well. An overdose can turn deadly, which researchers noting several cases of death in humans.

The final commenter on the Reddit thread expressed anger that the venom is being used for fun, offering an eerily applicable warning: Have fun possibly killing yourself.
Its not real, its not real! the boy reportedly shouted.

Within seconds of him saying that, a witness says that a plainclothes Baltimore city police officer shot 14-year-old Dedric Colvin twicein the shoulder and the leg. The Daisy spring-air pellet gun in his possession, designed by the manufacturer to look like Beretta 9 mm automatic pistol, was recovered at the scene and bagged as evidence. He was hospitalized with what police call non-life threatening injuries.

Dedric is black, and there are those who will invariably question his behavior when confronted by police. And, still others who will defend his right to the very same toys that countless white children play with every day.

African Americans want law enforcement to see their children through the same lens of innocence.

Daisy is the most recognized brand of air guns, says the company website. Their products can be purchased online or at any Walmart store in the country. I know, because my son owned one. In fact, Joshua saved his allowance, birthday, and holiday gift money to purchase at least three pellet guns when he was a teenager.

The rules were simple: Stay close to home, never point it at any living thing, leave the orange safety tip in place, and surrender it to police officers on demand.

Once, a neighbor saw him playing with a spring-powered rifle in the woods behind our house. Wed only lived in the suburban subdivision for a few weeks, but I imagine that being the only black family in an otherwise all-white enclave of houses did not help matters.

Joshua was on his way home when the squad cars roared down our street, he told me. Their commands were firm and direct. They told him to drop the weapon, which still had its orange safety tip, and demanded to see his hands. Meanwhile, one officer kept his hand on his holstered service revolver as he spoke.

Its not real, he assured them.

Where do you live? Are your parents home? one of responding officers asked, examining the toy.

No, sir, my son said, tipping his head toward our yard. My mom is at work, he said.

Do yourself a favor and keep this in the house.

It was 2005 and my son was 14the same age as Dedricand we are black.

His father and I never directly purchased toy guns for any of our children, nor did we specifically ban them. We were confident then, as I am now, that our children would act responsibility whether or not we were present. It was, admittedly, naive of me to believe that that would be enough.

I was not home that day and, looking back, the mere thought of what could have happened to my son is terrifying. What if he had cut and run, like Dedric reportedly did? Or what if, like 12-year-old Tamir Rice, he had done nothing at all?

The shooting incident in Baltimore comes some 17 months after Tamir was fatally shot by Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmanna rookie with a bad training record. Tamir, who was playing with an air-soft gun in a snowy park near a recreational center, was killed within seconds of Loehmanns appearance. He never had a chance to respond to a command, if one was indeed ever given. Tamir was struck once in the chest and died the following day.

Likewise, Dedric was shot near the corner of East Baltimore and Aisquith Streets, in an area lined with dilapidated commercial structures, a church, and a recreational center. Commissioner Kevin Davis said two detectives in an unmarked car spotted the teenager carrying what they thought was a gun. Davis says the officers identified themselves and that Dedric ran.

A witness, a man only identified as Bryan, said police officers ordered the boy to drop the gun. [He] turned towards them but he wasnt turning the gun towards them and Im positive I heard him say, Its not real, he told WBAL-TV.

The teenager motioned the pellet gun upward, Bryan explained, and never pointed the toy toward the officers.

However, Commissioner Daviswho has been on the job less than a yearcontends that his officers did nothing wrong. Those police officers had no way of knowing it was not an actual firearm, he said at a press conference. It looks like a real firearm, he said of the Daisy PowerLine Model 340.

They got out of a car and engaged with a person who looked like he had a gun in his hand, the police commissioner said. Thats what were supposed to do. Thats what cops do.

As the city marks the one-year anniversary of the funeral for Freddie Gray, whose death in police custody ignited nationwide protests, the shooting is stoking new tensions over old wounds. Trust is hard to come by for cops in a city where too many live under the heavy toll of mass incarceration, amid community complaints of over policing, racial profiling, corruption, and police violence.

In that context, and in light of an eyewitness account, many will have a difficult time swallowing the official story from City Hall.

When he ranand the foot chase was a good 150 or so yards, he rounded a corner, kept running, Commissioner Davis continued. He had every opportunity to drop the gun, had every opportunity to stop, put his hands in the air, comply with the instructions of the police officers.

The blame, he said, belonged to Dedric.

But, Davis did not stop there. He also appeared to blame Dedrics mother, who he says knew her son left home with the toy. While Dedrics behavior is something that will be scrutinized, possession of a toy gun is not illegal. Daisy has been selling their products on the open market for 130 years. Yet, Davis seemed to be getting at something deeper, questioning why a mother who lives in a notoriously tough neighborhood would allow her son to take a pellet gun outsideas if where he lives determines which toys she should let him play with.

Yolanda Young, who learned about the shooting from her son Alvin, pleaded to know if Dedric was alive. She told a reporter from The Baltimore Sun that when she attempted to call the Johns Hopkins hospital, she was handcuffed, taken in for questioning and, at one point, placed in a holding cell. She begged the officers to take her to the hospital to see her son.

According to The Baltimore Sun, Young said she didnt know where Dedric got the BB gun. He gets good grades. My son is a good kid, she told the reporter. I know he was scared. They shot him while he was fleeing.

Commissioner Davis never said what prompted the shooting, only that Dedric ran away and officers thought the gun was real. During the press conference, he refused to say if the detectives felt threatened or that the teen was either point the pellet gun at them. He called the toy a dead-on ringer for the real thing, a replica.

Maybe running was a mistake that could have cost Dedric his life. But, Tamir never ran. He was shot as he sat on a park bench under a gazebo. Luckily, Dedric will get the chance to say what happened to him in a civil or criminal proceeding.

John Crawford III, a 22-year-old Ohio man, will never have that chance. He was in a Dayton-area Walmart store in August of 2014 when he picked up an air rifle from a shelf. Another shopper called 911 to report a man with a gun. Police officers responded immediately, confronted Crawford and killed him. Investigators claim Crawford, who was talking on his cell phone when they encountered him, did not respond to commands to drop the toy. Video evidence, however, shows that the young father was shot within one second and that only the word down can be heard.

It did not matter that Crawford and Tamir lived in Ohio, an open-carry state. In Maryland, which also permits open-carry with registration, it is unclear that possession of a gun constitutes probable cause for a stop.

What is abundantly clear is that young black men and boys are, all too often, viewed as an inherent risk. They wake up as suspects, in the minds of some police officers, by virtue of the very skin that they were born in.

Maybe thats why Dedric ran.
Forty years ago on a soundstage just across the pond, British actor David Prowse donned a shiny black helmet and became the most iconic movie villain in historyuntil Star Wars director George Lucas overdubbed his performance as Darth Vader with the dulcet, booming voice of James Earl Jones.

Prowse, now 80 years old, still hasnt gotten over the snub that simultaneously made his career. But theres a bigger disturbance between the O.G. Vader and the architect of the Star Wars universe.

In the new documentary Elstree 1976about the hopes, dreams, and rather mundane real lives of the supporting actors and background extras cast in the original Star WarsProwse sounds off on the beef with Lucas thats made him persona non grata at the billion dollar franchises biggest annual conventions.

Interviewed at his home two years ago for the film, Prowse says he has no idea why he has been barred from Star Wars Celebrationthe biggest Star Wars event on the fan convention circuit where he, like many former cast members and celebs of yesteryear, now makes much of his income.

Unfortunately Ive been barred for some obscure reasonalso [from] Disney Star Wars Weekends. Ask Mr. Lucas, he adds with a bittersweet shrug. Ive obviously upset him at some stage or another. And they just feel Im persona non grata at those two shows.

One possible reason for the banwhich is not mentioned in the filmwas Prowses participation in the 2010 documentary The People vs. George Lucas, an anti-Lucas doc. Prowse claims he had no idea he was being interviewed for a doc bashing the Star Wars architect. Or maybe it was the time he delivered a speech at UC Berkeley in 1978 wherein he spoiled the ending to The Empire Strikes Backtwo years before its theatrical release.

Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker are hooked up in a do-or-die lightsaber duel when Luke learned that Darth is, in fact, his long-lost father, Prowse told the audience. Father cant kill son, son cant kill father. So they live again to star in Star Wars IV.

Jon Spiras mostly lighthearted documentary is named for Elstree Studios, the modest compound just outside of London where hundreds of wannabe stars found themselves cast in a little sci-fi production in the spring of 1976.

The director tracks down ten actors whose lives were changed when they landed bit parts theyd never dreamed diehard fans would obsess over for generationsserendipitously credited with names like Leesub Sirln, Gold Leader, or sometimes simply Temple Guard and Jedi Mind-Tricked Sandtrooper.

Thats a mighty handful of personalities to wrangle, and unfortunately the films quick-trigger editing bounces back and forth between Elstrees subjects too fast for too long. What results is a confusing and too-often tedious melange of middle-aged faces waxing poetic about the bizarre pop culture phenomenon they once played a bit part in.

But occasionally, between the wistful remembrances of youthful dreams dashed and rearview-mirror perspectives on post-Star Wars addictions, pregnancies, and mental illness that got in the way, Elstree 1976 strikes moments of genuinely endearing profundity and humor.

It didnt seem anything special to me I kind of thought it was a low-budget film to begin with, marvels Laurie Goode, an actor and musician who followed his triple turn as a Stormtrooper, cantina denizen Hrchek Kal Fas, and an unnamed X-Wing pilot with dozens of television appearances and a run on Doctor Who.

The film finally probes beyond the foggy-fond memories and cute observations, however, when it catches us up to the actors and extras lives well after Star Warsdecades later, in fact, when Star Wars sequels turned Lucass humble little movie into a full-fledged franchise.

Thats when the fan conventions started popping up, and with them, opportunities for everyone even tangentially involved in anything Star Warsnot just the Harrison Fords or the Carrie Fishers or the Mark Hamills of the world. If you think Prowse has got sour grapes to gripe about, behold the micro-dramas of the Star Wars between the guys even farther down the cast list.

Kenny Baker lived in a tin can and hes probably the most popular of them all, complains Angus MacInnes, the genial but frustrated actor who played the rebel fighter known as Gold Leader. By his own admission, he had to read his lines off the pages on his lap. But at least he got to show his facewhich, he points out, is more than series stars like Baker or Boba Fett himself, Jeremy Bulloch, did.

And yet at Cons, he laments, the fans make beelines for those guys autographs. Jeremys got a tin can on his head. Hes got a bucket on his head! Whats that about? Its something thats driven everybody thats got a face in the movie crazy. Every single one of us. If youre recognizable, nobody wants to know about you.

It would seem there is some honor among bit players on the convention circuit who sell and sign photos for cash. We had a sort of rule that Star Wars guys, if you had a credit in the movie, you should be there, MacInnes explains. If you dont have a credit then youre not a performer. Extras, Im afraid extras dont count. Theyre not acting. Theyre just there.

One such extra is Derek Lyons, who is by strange coincidence the only Elstree subject to repeatedly reference his own full name and pimp his own martial arts discipline, a practice he calls ZenSwim.

Some of the other actors can be kind of hurtful, admits Lyons, who went on to appear as a background performer in such films as Flash Gordon, Gandhi, Superman III, and Yentl after jumpstarting his career as a Temple Guard/Medal Bearer in A New Hope. They have delusions of grandeur.
beijing cybercafe (Photo : Getty Images)

It seems Beijings work to prevent young Chinese from being the unwitting tools of foreign spies should just not target female government employees.



Also the target of recent recruitment efforts were young Chinese, many of whom are techies and frequently online. The South China Morning Post reported that a recent crackdown on espionage recruitment efforts in Guangdong Province found that most of the target of foreign intelligence agents are university students.



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Some of the foreign recruitment agents are beautiful women, while others pretend to be head hunters or military enthusiasts. Their common ground is that all could be found on online forums, job websites and social media portals.



Their method of recruitment is first to invite the young Chinese to work for them part-time or write columns with offers of high salaries. Eventually, once hired, the new recruits are encouraged to turn spy for the foreign agents.



But some of the new recruits are quite careless which resulted in the arrest of two migrant workers in Guangzhou for illegally spying by providing state secrets to foreign agents. One is a 26-year-old-woman and the other is a 40-year-old man. The two are accused of stealing state secrets and selling it to foreign agents for 5,000 yuan.



China, though, has to spy a lot to know which of the young Chinese, especially women, are in dangerous liaisons with 600,000 foreigners living in China as of 2010, with 56 percent males, reported Quartz. While dating locals is on the rise, most do not end in marriage because of the irreconcilable political differences between the two.






A logo sits illuminated outside the Microsoft pavilion on the opening day of the World Mobile Congress at the Fira Gran Via Complex on Feb. 22, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo : Getty Images)

Unfazed by reports about China's economic slowdown, Microsoft is stepping up its game with fresh efforts to boost its cloud computing business in the country.



According to China Daily, the tech giant is seeing a greater demand for Microsoft Azure, the company's cloud platform.



The company has revealed on April 26, Tuesday, that there are more than 65,000 China-based corporate clients for the cloud service, which was launched in the country only two years ago.



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Meanwhile, there are 10,000 registered clients, "who have bought more than 1 million suits of Office 365," told China Daily.



Economic woes haunting the country do not seem to be a hurdle for the company.



"Though the GDP growth is slowing down, Chinese companies still need to focus on three points to remain relevant and competitive: innovation, productivity and the return of investments. And cloud computing can help in all of the above three aspects," Microsoft China CEO Ralph Haupter was quoted as saying in a China Daily report.



"We will focus on manufacturing, retail, automotive, media and other industries to further expand market share," Haupter added.



Microsoft, whose rivals in the cloud computing business include Amazon and Alibaba, has already slashed prices for Chinese customers.



The company's move to focus on China makes sense as domestic spending on the cloud is projected to reach $20 billion by 2020, translating to a CAGR of 40 percent to 45 percent, according to Bain & Company's estimates. The growth rate is said to be much faster than China's overall IT expenditure.



Like Microsoft, tech giants such as Tencent and Alibaba are also banking on China's cloud computing market. The two companies announced last year that they are investing heavily to boost their business here, including expansion of data centers.



However, the vulnerability of cloud computing to security breach could be a problem.



"[P]erhaps the biggest challenges are the cultural and business attitudes that steer China's businesses away from the cloud," said Forbes. "A heightened awareness of the vulnerabilities of information security has created a preference to maintain close control of workloads and data."


A Texas A&M finance professor convicted of abusing his wife was ordered to report to jail in the next 10 days to begin serving his sentence.

Yong Chen, 40, was convicted earlier this month of assaulting his wife. A punishment was agreed upon, but District Judge Steve Smith postponed the sentencing hearing to give Chen a chance to visit his sick and aging parents in China. He was formally sentenced Friday morning.

Chen will spend 30 days in the Brazos County Detention Center and 20 months on probation. If he violates the conditions of his probation, he could face up to 300 days in jail. He will also have to pay $1,500 in court costs.

Prosecutors said Chen's attorney asked the judge Friday to reconsider the ordered jail time, but Smith declined. Chen is to decide on a day in the next 10 days to report to the jail, where he will serve the entire 30-day sentence.

Assault is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

Chen taught three courses at the Mays Business School. He was suspended from his teaching duties after his conviction, but is still employed with the university pending a review by officials to decide an appropriate disciplinary action.

A university spokesman said that review is expected to conclude by the end of the semester.
A College Station man was among six arrested after a child sex sting by the Texas Attorney General's Child Exploitation Unit and the Copperas Cove Police Department.

Nathan Kaufman, 27, of College Station, was arrested when authorities say he arrived at a predetermined meeting location in Copperas Cove to engage in sexual conduct with a child. Others arrested are Robert Lee Biddinger, 36, Jonathan Fitch Douglass, 31, Daniel Jeronimo, 29, and Juan Neftly Torres-Cortes, 30, all of Killeen, and Brock Alan Monson, 22, of China Spring.

According to a press release from the Texas Attorney General's Office, the sting targeted child predators who use the Internet to sexually solicit and travel with the intent of committing sex crimes against a minor.

"Six individuals have been arrested and no longer pose a threat to the children of Texas," said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. "I am grateful for the individuals working in our Child Exploitation Unit and the dedicated law enforcement officials they work with to bring individuals like these to justice."
A short report about US government and global requests was published on Facebook's newsroom on April 28, Thursday. (Photo : Facebook Newsroom)

Facebook announced that United States government had requested to provide data on 60 percent of the users in question, incognito. The social network responded saying that no bac kdoor or direct access will be given to any country.



In the latest Global Government Requests Report, the U.S. government had asked Facebook to provide information of users without acknowledging 60 percent of the concerned individuals. The report serves as Facebook's insight on queries submitted by the countries to formally request to access or block users, their posts or data for legal issues.



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Responding indirectly to the U.S. government, Facebook said in a statement that the company does not "provide any government with "back doors" or direct access to people's data." The report further said that irrelevant to which country is asking for data, Facebook will take the fight to the court if it has to-to protect users' information, especially if the scope of a request is "overly broad" or a case is "deficient" in nature.



The purpose of Facebook's Global Government Requests Report is to ensure transparency of surveillance process conducted by the countries. Facebook is used by billions, not all of which join the network with positive intentions and many have a criminal background that stretches as far as terrorism, among other minor/major law violations.



According to Facebook, accounting the second half of 2015, there has been a 13 percent increase in such requests globally, making a total 46,763; while requests regarding violation of local laws had also increased from 20,568 seen in the first half to 55,827. Updated information about requests from the U.S. officials was also included in the report.



Requests of the U.S. government are entertained under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and through National Security Letters. Thecontains more details about requests made by national security agencies and law authorities.



Facebook has explicitly mentioned for the first time that had to reveal information about non-disclosure orders from the U.S. government and while they are ready to provide legal assistance to ensure public safety, they will give any government back door access or direct access to users' data. The following video by CNET gives more details on the story.






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By Donna Bryson Associated Press

BOULDER, Colo. (AP)  A judge sentenced a Colorado woman who cut a baby from a stranger's womb to 100 years in prison, including the maximum penalties for attempted murder and unlawful termination of a pregnancy.

Judge Maria Berkenkotter said the harshest sentences for the most serious charges were justified by the brutality of the 2015 attack, which she described as performing a caesarean with a kitchen knife. Berkenkotter also said the victim, Michelle Wilkins, as well as her family and the community needed Dynel Lane, 36, to express remorse.

Lane murmured a "no" when the judge asked if she wanted to speak Friday. Lane also did not speak in her defense during her trial, which ended in February when jurors found her guilty of attempting to kill Wilkins after luring her victim to her home with an ad for maternity clothes.

Jurors had heard that Lane went to elaborate lengths to feign her own pregnancy before attacking Wilkins. They did not hear that in 2002, Lane's 19-month-old son drowned in what investigators ruled was an accident. Relatives who spoke on Lane's behalf before the sentencing Friday said her remorse over losing her son may have led her to take an action they could not understand or explain.

Lane's attorneys did not dispute that she attacked Wilkins, but they argued there was no evidence it was a calculated murder attempt. They urged jurors to convict Lane of the lesser charge of attempted manslaughter.

Berkenkotter sentenced Lane to 48 years for attempted murder and 32 years for unlawful termination of a pregnancy. The remainder of her sentence was for assault charges in the attack. She was given credit for the more than a year she has served since her arrest.

Kathryn Herold, the public defender representing Lane, told the judge Friday she would appeal and that Lane had the right not to speak. Berkenkotter acknowledged that was Lane's constitutional right. But the judge said that in weighing her sentence she had to take into account that "people are hungry to hear from you, Miss Lane. Hungry, desperate to hear you express genuine remorse from the bottom of your heart."

Prosecutors said they were unable to charge Lane with murdering Wilkins' unborn girl because a coroner found no evidence the fetus lived outside the womb. That led Colorado Republicans to introduce legislation that would have allowed a murder charge. Democrats rejected the measure, the third time such a proposal failed in Colorado. Over the objection of abortion-rights supporters, 38 states have made a fetus' killing a homicide.

Wilkins focused on her unborn daughter Friday. She placed a large photograph of her dead baby, who appeared to be sleeping, on an easel next to the witness stand, then asked Berkenkotter to impose the harshest possible sentence.

Wilkins said after the sentencing that she saw the hearing as a day in court for her daughter, who she named Aurora.

"Judge Berkenkotter was clearly listening to everything that we were saying," Wilkins told reporters, adding she felt justice had been served.

In court, Wilkins had directed her words to Lane, who sat straight and showed no emotion as her victim spoke. Lane cried later in the hearing when a letter from one of her two daughters expressing love was read.

Lane's mother apologized in court to Wilkins and her family, as did her father in a letter his wife read.

Lane had posted online photos of herself with a distended belly and sent the man she said was the father of her child ultrasound images downloaded from the Internet. David Ridley, who lived with Lane and her two daughters, testified at trial that Lane claimed for more than a year that she was expecting a boy, whom they planned to name James. Friends even threw a baby shower.

Ridley had grown suspicious by the time Lane lured Wilkins to her Longmont home. Wilkins testified they chatted for about an hour before Lane hit, pushed and tried to choke her, then used two kitchen knives to cut the baby from her womb.

When Ridley came home early from work that day to meet Lane for a doctor's appointment, he said he found the fetus in a bathtub and drove the child and Lane to a hospital, where she begged staff to save her baby.

Lane said nothing to Ridley about Wilkins, who was unconscious at her home. Wilkins regained consciousness and called police.

Caption 1:

Michelle Wilkins, center, stands with her father Mark and mother Wendy, as Wilkins speaks with members of the media following the sentencing hearing for Dynel Lane, who was given 100 years in prison for cutting the nearly 8-month-old fetus from Wilkins's womb in 2015, at the Boulder County Justice Center, in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A jury convicted Lane, 36, in February, 2016 of attempting to kill Michelle Wilkins in 2015. Lane also was convicted of assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy after luring Wilkins with an ad for maternity clothes. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Caption 2:

Dynel Lane, convicted in February of attempting to kill a fetus, appears during sentencing at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A judge on Friday sentenced the Colorado woman to 100 years in prison for cutting the nearly 8-month-old fetus from a stranger's womb. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Caption 3:

Michelle Wilkins, from left, stands with her sister Sarah, their father Mark and mother Wendy, as Wilkins speaks with members of the media following the sentencing hearing for Dynel Lane, who was given 100 years in prison for cutting the nearly 8-month-old fetus from Wilkins's womb in 2015, at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A jury convicted Lane, 36, in February, 2016 of attempting to kill Michelle Wilkins in 2015. Lane also was convicted of assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy after luring Wilkins with an ad for maternity clothes. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Caption 4:

Mark Wilkins, father of Michelle Wilkins, reads a statement to the court during sentencing for Dynel Lane, convicted in February of attempting to kill Michelle Wilkins, at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A judge on Friday sentenced Lane to 100 years in prison for cutting a nearly 8-month-old fetus from Michelle Wilkin's womb. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Caption 5:

District Judge Maria Berkenkotter gives instructions before the sentencing for Dynel Lane, convicted in February of attempting to kill Michelle Wilkins, at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. The judge on Friday sentenced Lane to 100 years in prison for cutting a nearly 8-month-old fetus from Wilkin's womb. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Caption 6:

Dynel Lane, convicted in February of attempting to kill Michelle Wilkins, appears for sentencing at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A judge on Friday sentenced the Colorado woman to 100 years in prison for cutting a nearly 8-month-old fetus from Wilkins' womb. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Caption 7:

Michelle Wilkins gestures during the sentencing for Dynel Lane, convicted in February of attempting to kill Wilkins, at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A judge on Friday sentenced Lane to 100 years in prison for cutting a nearly 8-month-old fetus from Wilkin's womb. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Caption 8:

Dynel Lane, convicted in February of attempting to kill a fetus, appears for sentencing at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A judge on Friday sentenced the Colorado woman to 100 years in prison for cutting the nearly 8-month-old fetus from a stranger's womb. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Caption 9:

Dynel Lane, convicted in February of attempting to kill a fetus, appears during sentencing at the Boulder County Justice Center in Boulder, Colo., Friday, April 29, 2016. A judge on Friday sentenced the Colorado woman to 100 years in prison for cutting the nearly 8-month-old fetus from a stranger's womb. (Matthew Jonas/The Daily Times Call via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
Mississippi River levels impacting Burlington tourism, barge transport

The problem is especially dire on the Lower Mississippi, where low water-level barriers are restricting corn and soybean shipments to New Orleans.
An employee commits suicide in Apple's campus in Cupertino, California. (Photo : You Tube/Newsy)

A dead body was found in one of Apple's conference rooms in Cupertino, California, on April 27, Wednesday. Initial investigations carried out by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office revealed that the deceased was an employee of the tech giant.



As for the cause of death, the coroner's office of Santa Clara County ruled out foul play and declared that the employee committed suicide by gunshot to the head. According to Mercury News, the dead man was later identified as Edward Mackowiak, 25, whose job post in Apple was not immediately known but based on his social media accounts, he worked as a software engineer.



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The sheriff was notified of the incident when someone called the county's dispatch at around 8:38 a.m. The original transcript of the call revealed that a female employee was found bleeding, with an obvious head injury. The caller further said that security people escorted the woman out of the room.



However, it was not clear what happened her as she was not mentioned again in the actual investigation. When the police arrived at the scene, all that they said was that a Hispanic man was found lifeless with self-inflicted gunshot wound in the head.



Despite this confusing detail, the investigators believed that no other person is involved in the case which they ruled as suicide. "Through further investigation, they determined there were no other individuals involved and they believe it was an isolated incident. There was no one else on campus or in the public at risk," The Sun UK quoted Santa Clara Sheriff office's spokesperson Sgt. Andrea Urena as saying.



In connection to the case, Apple issued a statement on April 29 and it reads: "We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of a young and talented coworker." The company also extended its condolences and deepest sympathies to Mackowiak's family, friends and co-workers.



Mackowiak graduated at the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2013. He was a consistent Dean's lister who completed a degree in computer engineering.



Watch Sgt. Urena gives statement to the press as they investigate Mackowiak's death inside Apple's 1 Infinite Loop campus:






HARTFORD  The memory of Lori Jackson, the Oxford mother of young twins who was murdered by her estranged husband nearly two years ago, was invoked Wednesday as House Democrats introduced legislation that set off a long debate on gun-owner rights and the safety of women, who are the most frequent victims of domestic violence.

A bill expected to pass the House early Thursday would result in the expedited seizure or surrender of firearms and ammunition within 24 hours by people, usually men, against whom restraining orders were filed. They would be allowed expedited court hearings, within seven days, and if found not to be a threat, their weapons and ammunition would be returned within five days.

If evidence of domestic abuse and violence were proven, as under current law, a full restraining order would be issued and the weapon could be held for a year or more.

"Today, we have have an opportunity as a chamber to create a legal system that protects and values the lives of women," said Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, who brought the bill to the House floor at about 5:40 p.m. Tong traced the history of the state's response to domestic violence going back to a Torrington shooting in 1983, which resulted in a civil rights lawsuit against the city by the woman, Tracey Thurman, who survived.

"Back then. as late as 1983, it was seen in some communities as permissible or acceptable for a husband to discipline his wife and to physically abuse her," Tong said, adding that a federal court said police had the duty to protect her. "Evidence-based research has shown that domestic assaults that involve firearms are 12 times more likely to result in the death of the victim, other than those involving other weapons or bodily force. And women in abusive relationships are five times more likely to be killed if their abuser has access to a firearm."

Tong recalled that Jackson had been unable to have her estranged husband, Scott Gellatly, served with a restraining order because he ventured out of state. He eventually obtained a firearm in Massachusetts and stalked Jackson to her parents' Oxford home, where he first shot her mother, Merry Jackson, in the face, before killing the 32-year-old woman. Her 18-month-old twins were sleeping nearby at the time of the May 7, 2014 murder. Gellatly was eventually sentenced to 45 years in prison for murder.

"This bill is not about guns, it's not about gun control, it's not a gun-confiscation bill," said Tong, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee. "This bill is really not about due-process rights, it's not about the Second Amendment. This bill seeks to improve a legal system, a civil and criminal legal system, a law-enforcement system that not too long ago did not do enough to protect Tracey Thurman. And a system that to this day, to this moment, does not do enough to protect woman like Lori Jackson."

Republicans led by Rep. Rosa Rebimbas of Naugatuck and Rep. Rob Sampson of Wolcott charged that the proposal threatens the Second Amendment rights of gun owners and other constitutional rights including the lawful seizure of property.

"I think it's without any doubt, whatsoever, that the intent of this bill truly is to do what we believe is best regarding matters of domestic violence," Rebimbas said. "But contrary to the good chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I do believe that the legislation before us, inevitably, is not only about domestic violence. It's about guns, it's about due process and the Second Amendment."

Sampson pointed out that existing state law already allows people who fear gun violence to report it to police, who can immediately take weapons.

"This bill is so poorly written that, in fact, it is going to end up confusing the court system and leaving people who depend on the system defenseless," Sampson said.

kdixon@ctpost.com
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Madame Peng Liyuan talk with Kung-Fu star Jackie Chan as they attend a 'Creative Collaborations: UK & China' event at Lancaster House on Oct. 21, 2015 in London, England. (Photo : Getty Images/ WPA Pool/ Heathcliff O'Malley )

New Panama Papers leaks have created another storm in Hong Kong and Macau. They include 18 high-profile names that are reported to have established several complex offshore firms, including film star Jackie Chan.



While several celebrities named in the Panama Papers, such as Li Ka-shing, Lee Shau Kee and the deputy chairman of the New Democratic Party, Michael Tien Puk-sun, have expressed regrets for failing to proclaim their interests in the offshore investment, Chan remains silent on the issue, The Epoch Times reported.



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A favorite of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department, Chan has time and again outraged the Chinese citizens by his speeches gratifying the CCP. The latest Panama Papers leaks have now exposed how the CCP used political as well as business network to corrupt Chan. According to the leaks, the purported network comprises seven tycoons, four of them well-known billionaires, from mainland China who are running businesses with Chan.



A popular Hollywood A-lister, who began his career as a martial arts artist, Chan is also an active member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee. In this capacity, the actor actively mingled with senior government officers as well as businessmen in mainland China.



Nevertheless, Chan's fate has not been kind to him of late, as he has been suffering one misfortune after another. The Beijing police arrested his son Jaycee Chan in August 2014. Even the products endorsed by the actor have suffered major losses, were troubled by scandals or even faced closure. Somewhat disgraced and satirized by netizens as a "jinx," he even did not attend the CCP annual political meetings in 2016 for the first time.



One of the leaked Panama files revealed that Mossack Fonseca & Co. is the authorized agent of no less than six offshore companies owned by Chan. The other directors of these companies comprise the actor's wife Joan Lin and their son Jaycee Chan, Time reported.



In addition, Dragon Stream Limited, a company owned by Chan, was established in the British Virgin Islands by 10 people in 2008. Chan holds the largest number of shares, 50 million shares. Of the nine remaining shareholders, seven are among the richest people in China. Two other shareholders are his business partners.



While the nature of Dragon Stream's business could not be ascertained, the curriculum vitae of a supposed deputy general manager of Jackie Chan (Beijing) Beverage Co. Ltd. on LinkedIn is said to have disclosed that the company was established ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics by Chan and seven other entrepreneurs from mainland.



Having a capital of 200 million yuan (US$30 million), the company dealt in production and sale of premium beverages and mineral water in the Chinese domestic market. The seven other entrepreneurs include Shen Guojun and Qi Jianhong and their identities are same as the seven rich shareholders of Dragon Stream.



Watch the video on "The Panama Papers: Victims of offshore investments" below:






The Madison County States Attorney recently charged seven individuals for separate alleged incidents that happened in Edwardsville.

Of the seven, only two reside in Edwardsville. The other five are from Pontoon Beach, Caseyville, Bethalto, Glen Carbon and Cottage Hills.

Andrew W. Cato, 25, of Edwardsville, was charged with two counts of alleged child pornography possession on April 15. Those are Class 2 felonies.

According to court documents, Cato was allegedly found to be in possession of pornography that involved a male less than 18 years of age in a sexual act. The offense was committed on June 5, 2013.

Bond was set at $60,000.

As of April 21, Cato was not in custody.

James M. Gavin, 60, of Edwardsville, was charged with alleged driving while license revoked on April 15. Its a Class 4 felony.

The alleged incident occurred Jan. 25, but the charge was not filed until after it was reviewed, according to court documents. Gavins license was revoked due to a driving under the influence conviction on Dec. 18, 2013.

This is the third time Gavin has been charged with alleged driving while license revoked. He was previously convicted in 1997 and 1999.

Bond was set at $10,000.

As of April 21, Gavin was not in custody.

Charles R. Warmack, 38, of Pontoon Beach, was charged with alleged unlawful possession of a controlled substance on April 20. Its a Class 4 felony.

According to court documents, Warmack allegedly possessed less than 15 grams of a substance containing clonazepam on April 19. Its used to treat seizures, panic disorder and anxiety, but it can cause paranoia and impair memory.

Bond was set at $10,000.

As of April 21, Warmack was in custody but a preliminary hearing had not been set.

Shelly M. Smith, 32, of Caseyville, was charged with alleged retail theft under $300 on April 20. Its a Class 4 felony because its a second subsequent offense.

According to court documents, Smith is alleged to have taken clothes from Kohls, located at 2120 Troy Road, without paying on April 19. Smith had been previously convicted of credit card fraud in Madison County on Jan. 22, 2016.

Bond was set at $10,000.

As of April 21, Smith was in custody but a preliminary hearing had not been set.

Amanda M. Stamper, 26, of Bethalto, was charged with two counts of alleged forgery on April 18. Those are Class 3 felonies.

According to court documents, Stamper allegedly attempted to cash two forged checks out of an Alton residents account at 1st MidAmerica Credit Union, located at 1611 Troy Road. The first was for $350 on April 12 and the second for $375 on April 15.

Bond was set at $40,000.

Stamper has a preliminary hearing with Judge Kyle Napp at 9 a.m. on April 29.

Raymond W. Austin, 42, of Glen Carbon, was charged with alleged criminal damage to government property on April 12. Its a Class 4 felony.

According to court documents, Austin allegedly caused less that $500 of damage to a car supported by government funds at Edwardsville High School on April 10.

Bond was set at $25,000.

Austin has a preliminary hearing with Judge Kyle Napp at 9 a.m. on April 29.

Joseph W. Sands, 54, of Cottage Hills, was charged with alleged driving while license revoked on April 12.

Court documents show that on Feb. 3, Sands was driving on North Main Street with a revoked license due to a driving under the influence conviction from 2009.

This was the fifth time, according to court documents, that Sands has been charged for alleged driving while license revoked. He was also convicted in 2010, 2011, 2013 and on Jan. 17.

Bond was set at $25,000.

As of April 21, Sands was not in custody.
The Google logo is displayed on a sign outside of the Google headquarters on September 2, 2015 in Mountain View, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Justin Sullivan)

The European authorities are going after Google, claiming it exploits dominance in the industry with the Android mobile operating system, eventually hurting innovation, competition and the consumers. Google allows any phone or tablet maker use Android on their devices and have the Google Play Store app preinstalled on their products given that they already installed its search engine Chrome and make it the default browser.



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Google is charged for preinstalling its Search engine that curbs competition when it comes to searches for flights, hotels and other services, limiting the diversity of the Internet. It could face European Union antitrust sanction this year, with little chances of settling a test case over its shopping service, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.



Some original equipment manufacturers get paid if they preinstall the Google search function. Such practices are not considered illegal, especially if it is an efficient search tool. The Google Play store offers browser options one could possibly need and most desktop users prefer the Google's extensive and long-running search function than the old search engines. Some Android users do not like to have other products installed in their device except the default Google offerings.



The European Commission recently charged the Mountain View, California-based company for forcefully preinstalling its products through manufacturers. Needless to say, Google's free Android program does not require preinstalled Google apps and even if it does, it is not necessarily harmful or illegal to rivals and consumers.



A similar case happened in 2015 when consumers filed a suit against Google in California's Federal District Court. They bought Android powered phones only to find out Google search is already installed on them. Their complaint was that the company limited user choice and hindered innovation.



Nevertheless, the federal district judge did not find enough proof of that the preinstalled Google search engine is harmful to the plaintiffs. She ruled that such practice does not affect product prices since Android and other apps are free, Bidness ETC has learned.



It is worth mentioning that Amazon preinstalled its own shopping app in its Android-powered Fire phones but the devices lacked apps, such as Gmail and Maps that contributed to the failure of its devices. It is clear that sans Google apps, Android phones lower their value to the consumers. Being aware of what consumers might need and even expect, Google grows its ecosystem around its platform but not to hurt developers or manufacturers.



The motivation behind the lawsuit for the European authorities to act against Google could be the firm's rivals, the biggest of which was Microsoft, which search engine Bing is not as successful as Google search. The EU authorities said they echo concerns brought by rivals who are struggling to put their products at par with Google's. However, the case could be that their products are inferior to Google's and it is not something to be blamed to the Internet titan.



The video that follows is when EU authorities announced their antitrust charges against Google.






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Linkedin (Associated Press) Lima, Peru  Sat, April 30, 2016

Thirty-three lions rescued from circuses in Peru and Colombia headed back to their homeland Friday to live out the rest of their lives in a private sanctuary in South Africa.

The largest-ever airlift of lions was organized by Animal Defenders International. The Los Angeles-based group has for years worked with lawmakers in the two countries to ban the use of wild animals in circuses, where they often are held in appalling conditions.

The long journey began Thursday in Colombia where a caravan carrying the first nine lions departed the city of Bucaramanga for a 14-hour drive to Bogota's international airport. From there, they were loaded onto a cargo plane and flown to Peru's capital to pick up the remaining 24.

Their flight to Johannesburg departed from Lima's airport Friday evening. (bbn)
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Linkedin Sunnah George (Associated Press) Baghdad  Sat, April 30, 2016

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a bombing Saturday east of Baghdad, according to a statement posted on an IS-affiliated website. The attack killed at least 21 people and wounded at least 42 others, according to Iraqi police and hospital officials. The IS statement described the attack as a three-ton truck bombing.

The attack targeted Shiite civilians shopping in an open-air market selling fruit, vegetables and meat in Nahrawan, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry. The IS statement and initial reports from local officials at the scene claimed the bombing targeted Shiite pilgrims walking to Baghdad's holy Kadhimiyah shrine.

"It was not a road for people walking toward Kadhimiyah," said Brig. Gen. Saad Mann, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry and Baghdad Operations Command.

The attack's casualty figures were confirmed by police and hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Thousands of Shiite pilgrims from across Iraq are expected to travel on foot to the shrine of 8th-century Imam Moussa al-Kadhim over the coming days to commemorate the anniversary of his death. Security in the capital has been tightened in anticipation of the crowds; additional checkpoints have been set up and roads have been closed.

The Islamic State group regularly carries out attacks targeting Iraq's Shiite majority, including attacks on Shiite pilgrims and civilians in Baghdad's Shiite neighborhoods. IS views Shiites as apostates deserving of death.

Mann said the attack in Baghdad was carried out by IS in response to recent territorial losses in Iraq. "The only strategic weapon left for them are (suicide bombers)," Mann said. While IS still controls large swaths of Iraq's west and north, the group has suffered a series of territorial losses over the past year. Most recently IS fighters were pushed out of the western town of Hit.

In the face of those losses, analysts and Iraqi security officials say the extremist group is increasingly turning to insurgent-style attacks in Baghdad and other areas far from the frontline fighting.

More than 40 civilians have been killed in high-profile bombings in Baghdad over the past month. On March 25th an IS-claimed suicide bombing attack on a stadium killed 29 and wounded 60.

Saturday's attack also comes amid a political crisis in Iraq as the country's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is under increasing public pressure after repeated failed attempts at political reform to combat corruption and waste.
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, April 30, 2016

The city administration will go ahead with the plan to construct a tunnel connecting Ciliwung River and the East Flood Canal despite having recently been defeated in a legal hearing launched by Bidara Cina residents in East Jakarta, whose lands are affected by the flood mitigation project.

The project is crucial to mitigate the flooding woes in the capital, said Jakarta governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama on Friday.

Hiring Jakarta governor hopeful Yusril Ihza Mahendra as their lawyer, Bidara Cina residents won the legal battle against the city administration over the plan to acquire their lands for the flood mitigation project.

The residents filed a lawsuit against Gubernatorial Decree No. 2779/2015 on the land acquisition for the project which listed the total eviction area for the project as 10,357 square meters.

A previous decree issued in 2014 had outlined 6,095.94 square meters of affected land and residents said they were not informed of the change.

The city administration plans to appeal to the Supreme Court over the defeat.

Ahok said the city administration could force land owners to give up their land because the land was needed for the flood mitigating project.

The administration is going to compensate the affected residents at the market price of their land. If residents reject the money, the administration will take the case to court, he added.

We will entrust the money to court. Regardless of whether or not they accept the money, we will tear down their buildings, Ahok said on Friday.

He said his administration would disseminate further information to the affected residents as this had been the factor which led the administration to lose the court hearing at the Jakarta Administrative Court on Monday.

The governor denied that his administration had failed to carry out an information dissemination program before acquiring the land. My question is, if they didnt know about the eviction plan, how could they report the administration to National Human Right Commission? Must I personally visit all the Jakartans that will be affected by eviction, Ahok said. (bbn)
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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, April 30, 2016

In line with the government program to renovate traditional markets across the country, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has said that he hopes his administration will put an end to the image that traditional markets are dirty and or muddy places.

He emphasized that physical development was not enough to enhance the condition of the traditional markets, adding that management also needed to be professional and modern. "I want traditional markets to compete with malls," Jokowi said during the inauguration of Amahami market in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, on Friday.

The President also stressed the needs for traditional markets managers across the nation to exchange information about the supply and price of commodities, citing the example that the onion price in Jakarta was more expensive than the price in Bima. "If onions from Bima are sent to Jakarta, it will benefit the farmers," he went on.

Jokowi expressed hope that the local people would take part in caring for the market, as it had cost Rp 7.9 billion (US$ 598,598)  Rp 7 billion from the state budget and Rp 900 million from Bima regional budget  to renovate.

"I entrust the Amahami market, I entrust our traditional markets, to you. I hope that markets will no longer be muddy, stinky and disorganized. Instead, a traditional market should be neat and well-organized," Jokowi said.

In relation to the 500 or so traders who have yet to obtain kiosks in the market, he ordered the trade Ministry to expand the Amahami Market. "Expand it again so that all traders will be accommodated by the time I come here again next year," he said. (bbn)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, April 30, 2016

Two weeks after being evicted and their homes torn down, hundreds of denizens of Pasar Ikan in North Jakarta are refusing to move on, living in emergency tents and Luar Batang Mosque as they fight for fair compensation from the city administration.

There are 433 families who refuse to be relocated to the rusunawa [low-cost rental apartments] in Rawa Bebek and Marunda prepared by the administration, evictees representative Upi Yunita told thejakartapost.com on Friday.

The families are living in tents, with a public kitchen and toilets erected amid the rubble that was once their homes, which were demolished by Jakarta Public Order Agency officers supported by police and military personnel.

The residents will not leave the area until the administration gives them proper compensation, Upi insisted. It is estimated that the total value of the properties torn down by the city administration reaches Rp 17 billion (US$1.29 million)

For their daily supplies, the evictees are relying on donations from Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician Adang Daradjatun, Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) founder Jaya Suprana and activist Ratna Sarumpaet.

The figures are all grouped in opposition to Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, who is seeking reelection next year, and who has decried the support for the evictees as politically motivated.

Organizations including Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT), Dompet Dhuafa and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) have also been contributing to the daily needs of the evictees, while the Indonesian Navy has provided tents, Upi said.

Amid the ruins: The city administration plans to turn the area into a nautical tourist destination, but many evictees are refusing to move on.(thejakartapost.com/Callistasia Wijaya)

War, one of the evictees, said that economic conditions drove her decision to remain on the land. The rusunawa are so far from here. My family and I reckon its better to stay here, rather than forking out for transportation to get to work, she said, explaining that her husband sold coconut juice in the street near Pasar Ikan.

While life in a tent is far from ideal, War, who lives with her infant son, husband and mother-in-law, said she was nonetheless grateful, as she and her family ate three meals a day and she was able to procure formula milk and biscuits for her son.

Sadiah, another Pasar Ikan evictee, has moved to a rental house costing Rp 500,000 monthly in Muara Baru, near Pasar Ikan. She sells fried snacks to other evictees to support her family.

Saudah admitted that she would in fact prefer to live at the rusunawa provided, but that it was too late to register, with the administration no longer inviting invitees to rent an apartment.

If I get another chance, I want to be relocated to a rusunawa, but I dont know how to apply, she said. (bbn)
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Linkedin Erica Wernes (Associated Press) Washington  Sat, April 30, 2016

They thought it was impossible. Some still fear it. Others can barely believe it. But leading Republicans are beginning to accept the idea that Donald Trump will be their party's presidential nominee.

In the wake of the businessman's commanding wins in five Eastern states this week, a growing number of national Republicans and GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill say Trump has taken on an indisputable air of inevitability. Some argue they should get behind him now and abandon the "Never Trump" efforts still nursed by some establishment Republicans. Embracing Trump, these Republicans say, may be the GOP's only hope of blocking Democrat Hillary Clinton in November.

"Donald Trump is going to be our nominee," Florida Gov. Rick Scott wrote on Facebook this week. "The Republican leaders in Washington did not choose him, but the Republican voters across America did choose him. The voters have spoken."

"Republicans now need to come together," Scott wrote, warning that continued opposition to Trump "will be nothing more than a contribution to the Clinton campaign."

On Capitol Hill, support for Trump has also gotten markedly easier to find.

"I don't understand. I mean, it's not 'Never Trump.' It's 'Never Hillary.' Never, never, never Hillary. Come on. Wake up and smell the coffee," said Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, who earlier this week cast his ballot for Trump, along with all members of his large family and 57 percent of Republican primary voters in his state.

"I've never seen a party attack one of its own candidates with this aggressiveness," Kelly said of GOP establishment figures who oppose Trump, blaming it on an elitist Washington attitude out of touch with voters.

Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, a respected senior member of the Senate, previously endorsed Jeb Bush and then Sen. Marco Rubio and said he doesn't intend to endorse Trump. But Hatch said of Trump, "It looks to me like he's going to win, and if he does, I'm going to do everything in my power to help him."

Some leading Republicans have forecast that a Trump candidacy could spell electoral disaster, help Democrats win back control of the Senate and even cost safe Republican seats in the House. They point to Trump's disparaging comments about women and minorities that have contributed to high unfavorability ratings.

Hatch, along with others, disagreed.

"I think he could be great if he'll get serious about being president, and I think he will," Hatch said. "When he gets hit with reality that this is the toughest job in the world, he's a clever, smart guy who I think will want to be remembered for doing good things, so I have a feeling he can make that transition."

On Thursday, Trump picked up endorsements from two House committee chairmen: Reps. Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania, who chairs the Transportation Committee, and Jeff Miller of Florida, who chairs Veterans Affairs. He talked foreign policy in a phone call with Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who heads the Foreign Relations Committee. Corker later was full of compliments about Trump, though he said he had no plans to endorse him.

To be sure, not all are on board. Some in the GOP continue to cringe at the thought of vulnerable Senate Republicans and candidates getting linked to Trump's provocative stances or attempting to distance themselves from them.

"My feeling about Donald Trump is, I don't think that that's our best foot forward at all," said Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, an outspoken Trump critic. "And I can't imagine being forced to take some of those positions that he's taken. A ban on Muslims, build a wall and make the Mexicans pay for it, you name it."

It remains uncertain whether Trump will amass the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination ahead of the Republican convention in Cleveland in July. If he does not, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz hopes to make a play to win the nomination as balloting progresses. Ohio Gov. John Kasich also remains in the race. Next week's primary in Indiana, where polling suggests a close race, could be crucial in determining whether either Cruz or Kasich can continue to argue they have a path forward.

Roger Villere, longtime Louisiana state GOP chief and one of the national party's vice chairmen, said a "clear supermajority" at the Republican National Committee spring meeting earlier this month in South Florida were warming to the idea of Trump as standard-bearer.

"There were a lot of them who Trump wasn't their first choice, but when we got in closed rooms and everybody started talking, the general consensus was that he's going to be our nominee, and we will rally around him," Villere said Friday. "I wouldn't say it was even reluctance. It's just the reality."

Offering a common party refrain, Villere added, "All of our possibilities are clearly superior to what the Democrats have." (bbn)

Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman in Washington, Sergio Bustos in Miami and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.
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Linkedin thejakartapost.com (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, April 30, 2016

Thousands of hotspots have been detected by the government this year, an early warning sign of the rampant forest fires which have in the past caused massive losses in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites, currently operated from Singapore, detected 1,075 hotspots between January and April, a decrease from 3,411 hotspots in the same period last year, says the Environment and Forestry Ministry.

In contrast, the Terra-Aqua satellites detected 2,710 hotspots, an increase from 1,432 hotspots detected last year.

The main factor for the forest fires is human behavior, although fires also occur due to the damaged peatland ecosystem and the El Nino weather phenomenon, said Kemal Anas, the ministrys law enforcement director-general on Friday.

The NOAA and Terra-Aqua satellites produced different results because they detect hotspots at different minimum temperatures: 44 and 42 degrees Celsius, respectively.

A hotspot is not to be mistaken for a forest fire as, according to the ministry, a hotspot is an initial indication which could lead to ground checks.

In April, the greatest number of hotspots were found in East Kalimantan (235) and Riau (105) according to NOAA satellites. While Papua (542) and East Kalimantan (286) recorded the highest according to Terra-Aqua satellites.

Failure to contain hotspots last year resulted in the destruction of 2.61 million hectares of forest and peatlands in Sumatra and Kalimantan, leaving 21 people dead and more than a half-a-million people to suffer from respiratory problems as a consequence of the five-month-long choking haze that smothered surrounding areas.

Last year's fire crisis cost the economy Rp 221 trillion (US$16.5 billion), around 1.9 percent of the country's GDP, more than double the cost of rebuilding Aceh after the 2004 tsunami.

According to the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), at least 308 forest fires occurred at plantations in concession areas managed by giant corporations including Wilmar, Sinar Mas and APRIL groups, in Sumatra and Kalimantan last year.

The government has reprimanded those companies involved in the fires, with three having land-use or environmental permits revoked and a further 16 seeing permits suspended.

All corporations with revoked permits are required to turn all of the concession areas over to the government. Suspended corporations are required to hand back burnt areas, Kemal said. (vps/bbn)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites, currently operated from Singapore, detected 1,075 hotspots between January and April, a decrease from 3,411 hotspots in the same period last year, says the Environment and Forestry Ministry.

In contrast, the Terra-Aqua satellites detected 2,710 hotspots, an increase from 1,432 hotspots detected last year.

The main factor for the forest fires is human behavior, although fires also occur due to the damaged peatland ecosystem and the El Nino weather phenomenon, said Kemal Anas, the ministrys law enforcement director-general on Friday.

The NOAA and Terra-Aqua satellites produced different results because they detect hotspots at different minimum temperatures: 44 and 42 degrees Celsius, respectively.

A hotspot is not to be mistaken for a forest fire as, according to the ministry, a hotspot is an initial indication which could lead to ground checks.

In April, the greatest number of hotspots were found in East Kalimantan (235) and Riau (105) according to NOAA satellites. While Papua (542) and East Kalimantan (286) recorded the highest according to Terra-Aqua satellites.

Failure to contain hotspots last year resulted in the destruction of 2.61 million hectares of forest and peatlands in Sumatra and Kalimantan, leaving 21 people dead and more than a half-a-million people to suffer from respiratory problems as a consequence of the five-month-long choking haze that smothered surrounding areas.

Last year's fire crisis cost the economy Rp 221 trillion (US$16.5 billion), around 1.9 percent of the country's GDP, more than double the cost of rebuilding Aceh after the 2004 tsunami.

According to the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), at least 308 forest fires occurred at plantations in concession areas managed by giant corporations including Wilmar, Sinar Mas and APRIL groups, in Sumatra and Kalimantan last year.

The government has reprimanded those companies involved in the fires, with three having land-use or environmental permits revoked and a further 16 seeing permits suspended.

All corporations with revoked permits are required to turn all of the concession areas over to the government. Suspended corporations are required to hand back burnt areas, Kemal said. (vps/bbn)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, April 30, 2016

For long-time residents of Luar Batang village in North Jakarta, loss of property is not merely the reason they reject the Jakarta city administrations plan to evict them from the area. They say they have a close bond to the area both historically and emotionally, especially to its mosque.

Luar Batang had existed even before the mosque was constructed, said Bahruddin, the deputy head of community unit (RW) 01 in Luar Batang village, referring to historical Luar Batang Mosque, constructed by Al Habib Husein Bin Abubakar Alaydrus in 18th century.

Therefore, he warned the city administration not to treat Luar Batang like the Kalijodo red light district in North Jakarta and Kampung Pulo in East Jakarta, whose residents had already been evicted because the argument of Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama that Luar Batang land is the state land, is baseless.

Ahok needs to respect not only the mosque, but also the residents who live nearby. The village has existed for decades and hundreds of people from across Indonesia have occupied this land. They have lived peacefully together for years, Bahrudin said.

Mansur Amin, the mosque secretary, said from the beginning of the eviction plan, residents had refused to be relocated from their homes because the mosque containing Al Habib Husein Bin Abubakar Alaydrus' sacred tomb, is a religious site that has a strong emotional and spiritual connection with its nearby residents.

For residents, the mosque is not merely a tourism attraction, although thousands of people across the country have visited the mosque as pilgrimage and to pray at the sacred tomb.

"The administration should note that Luar Batang mosque isn't merely a monument like the Taj Mahal in India or even Monas. It's a house of worship. What's the use of a beautiful mosque without the residents nearby who pray at the mosque?" Mansur told thejakartapost.com on Thursday.

The permanent buildings in Luar Batang village. Residents say they refuse to be relocated to low cost apartments because they claim they have been living in the village for decades.(thejakartapost.com/Callistasia Wijaya)

Speaking about the eviction's reasoning, Ahok has expressed his initiative to turn Luar Batang village into the city's religious icon. He said a vast plaza would be constructed in front of the mosque, which could a joyous walk for people from the mosque to Kota Tua, North Jakarta. The village would also be connected to the ancient Sunda Kelapa port, which would support the area to become a future nautical tourism spot.

To implement the idea, the administration plans to buy land from the residents, particularly, who can show their land certificates for wakaf (endowment for religious purpose) so that the yard of the mosque can be widened and be beautified.

For that Ahok had assigned City Secretary Saefullah to discuss the wakaf plan with the people. However, Mansur added, mosque attendants have not decided whether they would come for meeting because they are skeptical about the land purchase's purpose.

He questioned Ahok's preference to request wakaf from common and poor people instead of asking it from developers who have construction planned around the village, namely Binakarya Propertindo Group, Agung Podomoro Land, and PT Pluit Sakti Kharisma.

Mansur, referring to a map of a master plan he received, but declining to disclose its source, revealed Podomoro and Binakarya planned to construct apartments around the village.

The main view from those apartments, including Pluit Sea View apartment, is the green space area that will be built upon Luar Batang village. Luar Batang will also become an entrance gate to the reclaimed H islet in Jakarta Bay, which will be constructed by PT Intiland Development.

Ahok and a deputy governor for spatial planning and environment, Oswar Muadzin Mungkasa, have publicly denied that the administration had issued the map. However, residents treat the map as a reference for the planned eviction.

The fishermen of Luar Batang village with an old mosque in the background.(The Jakarta Post/Ricky Yudhistira)

Mansur said the newly resigned North Jakarta Mayor Rustam Effendi once revealed that he had been ordered by Ahok to evict residents from all the buildings in Luar Batang village except the mosque. The statement was uttered during a meeting with City Council, which was also attended by representative of Luar Batang residents. However, when being clarified about such a statement, Rustam refused to give any comments to thejakartapost.com.

Kaji, another resident, expressed the hope of Ahok visiting Luar Batang to hear aspirations from its residents. He said some civil and religious organizations from other regions have also contacted the residents for support and to defend the village. In case the eviction happens without proper a discussion and solution, they have committed to back up the residents.

Mansur also said that residents have gathered their resources to resist eviction. Currently, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., residents carry out routine patrols to guard the village from outsiders, which may hinder the administrations plan. "We'll defend every span of land here, even if it has to be with blood and our lives," Mansur said. (bbn)
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Linkedin (thejakartapost.com) Jakarta  Sun, May 1, 2016

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya confirmed that as a follow up to President Joko Jokowi Widodos directive, the entire process for the issuance of new palm oil permits under her authority had ended.

I have put a stop to the entire process for the issuance of new permits for palm oil expansion under my authority, from A to Z. This is a concrete proof that we are following up President Jokowis directive, she told foresthints.news, as quoted by Greenomics Indonesia.

The environment and forestry minister has the authority to release convertible production forests located in state forest areas for development purposes outside the forestry sector, such as for palm oil plantations.

Commenting on existing palm oil permits outside the state forest areas, Siti said the government was discussing the steps it needed to take in reviewing the permits. She asserted that any reviews must be conducted together with relevant ministries and local governments, particularly in the case of concessions, which retained good forest cover.

Citing an example, the minister said millions of hectares of state forests in Papua and West Papua could be qualified as convertible production forest, in which they fell outside the existing moratorium map. Thus, the forests could be legally released for development purposes, including for palm oil, she added.

We are applying the moratorium on new palm oil permits in those millions of hectares even though the area falls outside the existing moratorium map. I have already given the order to stop issuing new permits for palm oil in convertible production forests. The authority for this rests with me, Siti said.

The minister further said President Jokowi was really worried about the ongoing palm oil expansion, which involved the opening up of forests with intact forest cover on a massive scale. This was especially the case in Papua, the majority of which was home to intact forests, she said. Therefore, the whole issue needed to be reviewed at the national level while at the same time, a moratorium needed to be imposed on palm oil expansion in areas throughout Indonesia, she added.

Siti further said a presidential regulation was being prepared to form the legal basis for the palm oil and mining expansion moratorium.

The President has asked me to prepare the legal basis for the moratorium, which demonstrates how serious he is about the issue. Now we are in the process of drafting a presidential regulation as a legal back up to the Presidents directive to the palm oil and mining expansion moratorium, the minister said. (ebf)
(lead article)

Workers, unions need to control job safety

Militant/Tony Lane

My job at Verizon has gotten more dangerous. Ive been electrocuted twice on the job, once while they made me work by myself, John Hopper, a 25-year outside field technician from Rockland County, New York, told Socialist Workers Party presidential candidate Alyson Kennedy and campaign supporter Tony Lane as they joined a strike rally in Trenton, New Jersey, April 25. You put your life on the line but the company is ungrateful.

The working class has to take control over safety conditions on the job, Kennedy said. I worked as a coal miner, and our union waged big battles in the 1960s and 70s over safety. We were able to win the right to refuse to work when things were unsafe. The union safety committees controlled the situation in the mine. Thats eroded, and most mining is nonunion today.

Since the early 1970s, the bosses rate of profit has been declining. Theyve stopped putting money into production and new machinery because they dont get a big enough return, Kennedy said. Instead, they squeeze the workers, jack up productivity and things get more unsafe.

Thats for sure at Verizon, said Hopper, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. There its all about profit.

The working class produces all the wealth, Kennedy said. But the employing class appropriates it for their private profit. Whichever capitalist politician gets elected, their class controls the government.

Were a revolutionary party. We say workers need to fight for our own government that can use the wealth we produce to take on the problems working people face, here and worldwide, she said.

I kind of like some of the things Bernie Sanders says, Hopper said. And I like what youre saying.

He got a copy of the Militant. Im going to take it to the union hall and get the local to get a subscription, he said.

There are a number of politicians speaking at the rally here today, Communications Workers of America member Dina Bazley told Kennedy. Im glad for the support, but they dont ever seem to do anything.

We need our own political party, a labor party, based on our unions, Kennedy said. That way we can use our own party to build solidarity with struggles like youre in at Verizon.

Pulling a lever for a Democratic or Republican politician who sounds better than the last one doesnt get the working class anywhere, the Socialist Workers Party candidate said. The only way we win anything is through struggle. Your strike is an example of what we need more of. And a labor party built from these experiences can help point the way toward fighting for political power.

Bazley works in Newark, New Jersey, near where Lane works at Walmart. They made arrangements to meet again on the Verizon picket line later in the week.

Elections rattle union officials

The grinding depression conditions facing working people as capitals crisis of production and trade deepens worldwide generate a thirst for a new perspective for what can be done to change things. It finds reflection in growing interest in the SWP, as well as in frictions and fissures in the Democratic and Republican parties.

This is creating political difficulties for the union officialdom, who seek to tie labors fate to capitalist friends of labor, mostly through the Democratic Party machine. Today theres widespread working-class interest in the outsider campaigns of Donald Trump and Sanders. And hysteria over the Trump campaign will only grow after April 26, when he swept the primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

Donald Trumps Working-Class Appeal Is Starting to Freak Out Labor Unions, ran a headline article in Huffington Post online several weeks ago.

We hear the same refrains all the time, Karen Nussbaum, head of the AFL-CIO-affiliated Working America, told the Post. That people are fed up and theyre hurting. That their families have not recovered from the recession.  And then a guy comes on the stage and says, Im your guy who will blow the whole thing up.

Jobs is one big factor. My country is going to hell, Brian Sepe, a Massachusetts utility worker and member of the United Steelworkers, told International Business Times in March. You look back at all the different trade agreements over the past 30 years. Its always been to move jobs out of the country.  We dont have good jobs left.

Trumps declaration he will bring back American jobs echoes the protectionist, American nationalism long promoted by the labor tops.

Union officials fear support for Trump will undercut their relations with Democratic Party bosses. I am deeply concerned about what is stirring, even in our membership, Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, said in January, where our members are responding to Trumps message.

Sanders rhetoric about a political revolution and complaints about the 1 percent get a similar response. A number of union locals and a few national unions have backed Sanders, including the Communications Workers of America, American Postal Workers and International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

Many workers who back Sanders or Trump say they see similarities in the two candidates. Sanders told CBS Face the Nation that he is courting Trump supporters who are working-class people with legitimate angers and fears because of decreasing wages.

Sanders, Trump and company all aim to convince workers that we Americans have a common interest against other workers around the world and that we should fight for our jobs at their expense. But there is no we. The interests of the working class are diametrically opposed to those of the boss class, whose profits and privileges are based on exploitation of workers, here and around the world.

Tony Lane contributed to this article.
Migrants should no longer be able to get to Germany and Europe via the Balkan route, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Friday, adding he was concerned refugee numbers would rise with people now coming to Italy by sea from Libya.

"It's clear that the Balkan route is a thing of the past and no longer will or should be a place again from where people will be waved through to Germany and Austria and to the centre of Europe," he said at a joint news conference with Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka in Potsdam near Berlin.

"Now the issue is alternative routes ... we are of course concerned that we'll get rising refugee numbers again as they come via Libya and Italy," he added.

De Maiziere said he agreed with Austria that the situation at Italy's northern border should not replicate the situation on the Balkan route last year.

Austria has said it might reintroduce border controls at the Alpine Brenner pass to keep migrants from coming from Italy and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has said Austria's plans to build a fence there were "shamelessly against European rules".

Sobotka said the measure was necessary to prevent the route from turning into a major corridor for migrants seeking to reach northern Europe after they arrive to Italy through the Mediterranean from Libya and other north Africa nations.

"What we have demonstrated is that the rule of law, the essential measure for us is that we want to register people who come to Austria, that our borders are not overrun," Sobotka said.

He added: "This border management that has been in place since February is effective and we have applied this on the border with Hungary ... and we are preparing for this on the border with Italy."

De Maiziere and Sobotka both piled pressure on Italy to take responsibility.

"What is happening at the Brenner border crossing lies first and foremost in the hands of Italy," de Maiziere, said, adding that on the issue of border controls, states were working together but still needed a few more days to reach a European solution.

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(front page)

Verizon strikers stand up to attacks on their unions

Workers rally, answer bosses propaganda

CWA District 2-13

TRENTON, N.J.  Two weeks into their strike, Verizon workers across the Northeast have been holding rallies, pickets and following strikebreakers around as they press their fight against the telecommunication giants concession demands.

Nearly 40,000 members of the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in nine states and the District of Columbia struck April 13. Their contract expired Aug. 1. The company wants to raise health care costs, outsource jobs and force some unionists to work out of town for up to two months at a time.

The strikers work for Verizons landline, Internet and television service of copper wire and fiber optic cable.

At a rally of hundreds outside the New Jersey Statehouse April 25, many workers took issue with Verizons media ads claiming the average pay package for a technician is $130,000 a year.

If we had everything theyre claiming, we wouldnt be on strike! said Larry Fowler, a technician in Somerset.

Fowlers co-worker Isa Woods said Verizon has not hired in more than a dozen years. We are working six-day weeks, he said. We are seeing a lot of injuries. During every disaster, we are out there seven days a week. And Verizon keeps on making big profits.

In some fields, such as customer service, operator and administrative assistant where theres high turnover, theres some hiring, New York technician Miguel Pimentel told the Militant in a phone interview April 26. For technicians, theres very little. But the company contracts out similar work to nonunion contractors. For example, they get contractors to install molding in a building, and then we run cable through it. Were constantly fighting to take back work Verizon contracts out.

The most important issue is job security, Crasner Francois, 34, a call center worker in Livingston, said. He and co-workers help workers at call centers in other parts of the world. When a worker there needs help, they put a caller on hold and call us to talk it through.

Francoiss family worked on the land in Haiti. Everyone in the world needs jobs, he said, but companies go where people are paid less. We need to create more work for everybody.

Some other unions joined in solidarity, including Amalgamated Transit Union Local 824, Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, and International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 194, representing New Jersey Turnpike workers.

Henderson Fleming said Local 194 beat back efforts to privatize the highway. Working on the turnpike, like at Verizon, can be rough, he said.

When we picketed, the Verizon workers joined us, said Douglas Armstrong, a member of ATU Local 824 from the Freehold area.

When people say the strike is all about money, I tell them, no, its about health care for retirees and active workers, IBEW Local 827 Business Agent Rich Spieler said. Its about how the company is sending jobs away.

Verizon wants to cap pensions at 30 years, and take away pension credits for those with more than 30 years.

The union is organizing roving pickets that follow strikebreakers to work locations, then picket nearby.

A group of CWA Local 1000 members from the 411 information call center in Manahawkin, spoke with the Militant. They call us all surplus workers, meaning they want to get rid of us, said Jodi Grant, vice president of the locals operator services.

We must average 22.7 seconds per call or can be disciplined, said operator Mary Compton. The operators must follow a script, have their keystrokes monitored, and cannot oversearch for information. Supervisors listen in. I can easily come home with a headache every day, she said.

We are trying to help people, Compton said. Its a normal interaction among human beings to talk with courtesy. It is not right that I could be disciplined for responding thank you twice in a call or for going over 22.7 seconds.

At the call center only one worker at a time may go to the bathroom, and workers must hold up a flag to indicate they need a break, Compton and Grant said.

Weve gotten more support than ever in the past, said Grant. Shore Medical Center nurses, who had their own contract fight, have joined us.





Related articles:

Workers discuss how to take on steel job cuts in UK and world

Teamster Politics: lessons of 1930s battles for fighters today

Verizon strike is fight for all workers!

Cargill fires workers, challenges jobless pay







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(front page)

Join with SWP to back strikers, get on ballot,

build conference!

Militant/Jacquie Henderson

Across the country  from Fort Morgan, Colorado; to Opelousas, Louisiana; to Rutherford, New Jersey  communist workers are explaining the Socialist Workers Party program, engaging in political discussion and making progress in several states putting the partys presidential ticket of Alyson Kennedy and Osborne Hart on the ballot.

SWP members and supporters have been walking East Coast picket lines and building solidarity for the 39,000 workers on strike against Verizon. At an April 25 rally of hundreds at the statehouse in Trenton, New Jersey, communist workers introduced Verizon strikers to the party and its paper, the Militant. Some 30 of them signed to put the SWP on the New Jersey ballot.

SWP teams have fanned out across that state knocking on workers doors, discussing the deepening crisis of capitalism and the need to build a powerful movement of workers, who through struggle will become capable of ending the dictatorship of the billionaire rulers. In 10 days of campaigning, 800 people have signed petitions toward the 1,500 goal, and several dozen have subscribed to the Militant.

The Militant feature last week on Cuban internationalist medical volunteers fighting Ebola in West Africa gave a vivid example of why workers should make a revolution and build a society based on human solidarity, the opposite of the dog-eat-dog social relations that prevail under capitalist rule. It helped convince many people to subscribe.

Presidential candidate Kennedy campaigned in New Jersey and took part in the monthly 34 Women for Oscar Lopez protest in New York. She will speak on behalf of the SWP supporting independence for Puerto Rico at the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization hearings in June.

West Coast SWP campaign organizer Joel Britton traveled to Denver to speak at a house meeting April 24 where $1,000 was raised to cover efforts to put the party on the ballot in Colorado. Four people picked up copies of The Cuban Five Talk About Their Lives Within the US Working Class: Its the Poor Who Face the Savagery of the US Justice System. This and other books that help explain the partys program are on special for Militant subscribers (see details on page 8).

Ballot drives expand the partys geographical reach and its contact with labor and social struggles. We learned that Teamsters meatpackers in Fort Morgan had voted down a contract offer from Cargill, said Karen Ray from Denver. We went there and learned that Somali meatpacking workers are fighting Cargills challenge to unemployment benefits paid out after the company fired 150 Muslim workers in December in retaliation for their job action protesting the denial of prayer breaks.

When Osborne Hart joins supporters April 29 to file the partys application for ballot status, he will visit Fort Morgan.

International conference June 16-18

As socialists join labor and social struggles and introduce workers and young people to the Socialist Workers Partythey are also inviting them to attend the partys conference in Oberlin, Ohio, June 16-18. Participants in the international gathering will take part in presentations, classes and discussion on how to strengthen working-class struggles and build a revolutionary party.

Im motivated to go to the conference by the clarity the party gives to so many issues, Rose Engstrom, a worker in Minneapolis, said in a phone interview April 26. Engstrom got involved in the fight against police brutality after cops killed 24-year-old Jamar Clark last November. Some of the people demanding the police be prosecuted came to hear Alyson Kennedy when she spoke here, Engstrom said.

Kennedy presented the importance of this fight in the context of what the working class needs to move forward. I got good feedback from several of the people who were there, Engstrom said. We announced the conference at the meeting, and Im following up. It would be great if some of them could come.

Workers behind bars also value the political perspective of the Socialist Workers Party and the Militant. At prisons across the U.S. more than 120 workers are subscribers, and their papers get around.

I am a past subscriber, writes a prisoner in South Carolina. I have moved to another prison and missed getting it. Thank you for sending this great newspaper to prisoners and your support.

Joe Swanson and Chris Steffen in Lincoln, Nebraska, have won new readers among young people who organized an April 9 abortion rights rally at the state Capitol. They convinced five long-time readers to renew and four of them to get The Cuban Five Talk About Their Lives Within the US Working Class. Five subscribers contributed to the Militant Fighting Fund, which helps keep the paper going.

At the end of the third week of the six-week subscription and fund drives, 773 subscriptions have been sent in toward the quota of 1,550 and $28,760 toward the fund quota of $110,000.

To join the Socialist Workers Party in its political campaigns, contact a party branch listed on page 6.





Related articles:

Workers, unions need to control job safety

Verizon strike is fight for all workers!

Spring subscription drive (chart, week 3)

Militant Fighting Fund (chart, week 3)







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(front page)

Chernobyl disaster points to need for workers power, not No nukes

Thirty years ago, on April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear disaster in history took place in Soviet Ukraine when the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded. The blast set off an uncontrolled meltdown in the reactor core and a fire that burned for 10 days, showering Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and parts of Europe with highly radioactive material.

Some opponents of nuclear power are using the anniversary to argue that Chernobyl proves this energy source should never be used. The facts, however, point to the need for workers to take political power and control over safety. The cause of the disaster lies squarely on the extraordinary neglect of the Stalinist regime then in power in Moscow and its contempt for working people  a contempt also shown by the capitalists and their governments around the world.

The social calamity was a result of the carelessly flawed design of the plant, the governments decision not to construct any containment vessel around it, and a series of disastrous decisions and delays by government bureaucrats attempting to hide the existence and severity of the meltdown.

Chernobyl released roughly 400 times more radiation than the atom bombs U.S. imperialism dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Yet for 36 hours, officials told the 50,000 residents of Pripyat, built a mile from the reactor to house workers from the power plant, not to worry. When they finally ordered an evacuation, they told workers they would only be gone for a several days and not to take more than a few clothes. Scientists now say no one should live in Pripyat for 24,000 years.

The Stalinist regime ordered some 600,000 troops and volunteer miners, firemen and others  known as liquidators  to join plant workers to put the fire out, try to cover the leaking reactor and clean up the area. Few were provided with protective gear and all were exposed to threatening levels of radiation.

With radioactive dust still falling, Stalinist party leaders went ahead with massive May Day rallies in Kiev, Ukraines capital, some 80 miles from Chernobyl, and Minsk, the capital of Belarus, instead of cautioning people to stay inside.

Two workers died in the explosion and 28 plant workers, firemen and others died of acute radiation within weeks. United Nations officials estimate that 4,000 more deaths have resulted since. Tens of thousands were sickened, especially children who contracted thyroid cancers and diseases from contamination by iodine-131 produced along with cesium-137 when the reactor exploded.

The government continued to cover up the real extent of the social disaster until it was blown open by angry workers and scientists three years later.

In a powerful poem about the Stalinist treachery, Lyubov Sirota, who had witnessed the explosion when she went outside to get some night air in Pripyat, wrote:

Thousands of competent functionaries

count our souls in percentages,

their own honesty, souls, long gone 

so we suffocate with despair.

They wrote us off.

They keep trying to write off

our ailing truths

with their sanctimonious lies.

But nothing will silence us!

Cubas internationalism

When the scope of the social catastrophe became clear, revolutionary Cuba, consistent with its unbroken record of internationalist working-class solidarity, offered to provide medical care free of charge. Beginning in 1990 and over the next 25 years, more than 25,000 people, overwhelmingly children, traveled to a special medical facility in Tarara, Cuba, built by workers voluntary labor, for treatment.

They received love and care from Cuban doctors and volunteers alike. This kind of social support comes from the people, from individuals, Julio Medina, director of the Tarara program, told the Militant in a September 2014 interview. Those values are the product of the revolution and its policies, our way of life.

Many of those evacuated from Chernobyl were housed in special complexes in Kiev. In my building, a Chernobyl building where 3,000 of us live, when a sign goes up for a medical trip to Cuba, everybody wants to go, Sasha Sirota, Lyubovs son, told a Minnesota meeting in 1996.

The International Chernobyl Foundation in Kiev helped choose the sickest children to send for treatment. The main Tarara miracle, the group wrote last year, is a genuine attitude for care, separated from the greed for money.

The Soviet Union came apart about the same time the Tarara program began. Moscow slashed its trade and aid to Cuba. Even under these difficult conditions, which Cubans call the Special Period, the revolutionary government expanded the program to treat Ukrainian youth.

The new pro-capitalist government in Ukraine sought ties with Washington and the European Union. At the United Nations, Ukraine joined the U.S. in voting against us on our human rights record, Dr. Xenia Laurenti, deputy director of the Cuban program, said in a 2007 film on Chernobyl by Sic-Tv in Ukraine. Had this been a political project, we would have broken off our relations.

But this is not political, she said. Its an example of international solidarity.

In 2012, under President Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian government ended funding for transportation to Cuba, forcing the suspension of the Tarara program.

Yanukovych was overthrown by a mass popular movement known as the Maidan the next year. In the absence of a revolutionary working-class leadership, his pro-Moscow regime was replaced by a government led by President Petro Poroshenko, himself a multibillionaire.

An organization of medical personnel and victims of Chernobyl and others was formed in 2015 to urge the Ukrainian government to restart the treatment program. There are hundreds of young people on a waiting list to go to Tarara and the Cubans have pledged to help them.

With the goal of increasing profits for Ukrainian capitalists, and under pressure to adopt further anti-working-class reforms by the International Monetary Fund and Washington, the Poroshenko government has slashed social funds, including programs to aid victims of Chernobyl.

In 2015 the government stopped a school lunch program that fed 350,000 children, many in the 1,300 settlements near Chernobyl, the only sure source of food not affected by lingering radiation.

I am ashamed to look people in the eye, Valery Kashparov, head of the Ukrainian Institute of Agricultural Radiology, told Associated Press April 22.

Both the Stalinist government of the Soviet Union in 1986 and the capitalist regime in power in Ukraine today cared nothing for the lives and conditions of the working class.

Groups such as Greenpeace and the Centre for Research on Globalization argue the problem at Chernobyl was nuclear power itself. They claim massive numbers of deaths were caused, some estimating as high as a million. They say the only way future Chernobyls can be prevented is shutting them all down, even if it means that millions in Africa, Latin America and Asia will be unable to gain access to electrification.

Problem is what class rules

But nuclear power is neither good nor bad in itself. As Chernobyl proves, the question is whoit in the interests of what social classes.

The dangers of nuclear power are not an argument against its potential benefits in advancing electrification of the world, but an argument for organizing the toilers to take power from the hands of the capitalist exploiters, Socialist Workers Party National Secretary Jack Barnes wrote in Our Politics Start with the World, in New International no. 13.

Electrification opens the door to the extension of culture and deeper collaboration of working people across the world.

The communist movement does not have a position on nuclear power, for or against, Barnes said. We have a proletarian internationalist course to advance the revolutionary struggle for national liberation and socialism.
(SWP campaign statement)

Verizon strike is fight for all workers!

Workers on strike at Verizon need your support and solidarity. In a multimillion dollar ad campaign run daily since the strike began, Verizon bosses want you to turn your back on the workers. Verizon claims they get outstanding compensation, exceptional retirement benefits very reasonable health insurance and numerous perks. And that the company has put a fair offer on the table.

Dont fall for it!

Verizon bosses say they want a deal that positions our wireline business for success in the digital world and that makes changes to legacy constraints in our contracts. Translation: Verizon wants to keep speeding up the work pace, disregard job safety, reduce health care benefits, cut wages by using more contractors to increase their profit rates and fill the owners bank accounts.

This is not just a fight for union workers at Verizon. The strikers are fighting for all of us. If Verizon gets away with this it will encourage other bosses to do the same. Workers across the country have a vested interest in mobilizing the broadest solidarity possible.

The fight by construction workers for job safety in the face of increasing numbers of deaths on the job will gain strength if Verizon strikers, who face similar conditions, can push their bosses back.

Fast-food and Walmart workers fighting for $15 an hour and a union also have a stake in this fight. Every blow the bosses deal to our fellow workers is a blow against us. Every victory by our brothers and sisters puts us in a better position to move forward and would boost the fight to organize the unorganized.

Other unionists face concession demands from their bosses, who seek to make us pay for the deepening crisis of capitalist production and trade.

Members of the Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2 at Con Edison in New York just voted to authorize a strike in the face of that companys attempts to push through further cutbacks. Their contract expires June 25.

We call on our fellow workers: Join the Verizon workers picket lines and demonstrations. Take up collections for their strike funds. Invite strikers to speak to your union meetings or to your neighborhood association and other community groups.

The Verizon strike shows both the power of working people in action and that our struggles would be even more powerful if we had our own party, a labor party based on our unions, instead of relying on bourgeois politicians who claim to be friends of labor.

An injury to one is an injury to all! Solidarity with the striking workers at Verizon!

Workers rally, answer bosses propaganda
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Algerian troops on Friday killed three armed Islamist fighters in the Skidda region west of the capital during an operation in the area, the defence ministry said.

A statement said the suspects were killed in the afternoon during a search which is still under way, and described the gunmen as "terrorists".

Troops also seized several Kalashnikov assault rifles, ammunition and cell phones, it added.

Last year the army killed or arrested 157 "terrorists" -- the term Algeria's authorities use to describe Islamist militants -- according to ministry figures.

A brutal civil war in the 1990s between the government and Islamists claimed the lives of some 200,000 people.

Despite adopting a peace and reconciliation charter in 2005 aimed at turning the page on the conflict, armed groups remain active in central and eastern Algeria.



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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is ready to help settle a dispute between Iran and the United States on Tehran's frozen assets, but only if both countries make that request, a UN spokesman said Friday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on Ban to use his "good offices" to press the United States to release all frozen assets in US banks, in a letter sent Thursday.

"The secretary-general's good offices are always available should both parties to whatever tensions or issue request it," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Zarif wrote to Ban in response to a US Supreme Court decision last week that said Tehran's frozen assets can be used to compensate victims of terror attacks.

The foreign minister called the ruling "outrageous robbery disguised under a court order" and warned that Tehran reserves the right to take "counter-measures".

The Supreme Court ruled on April 20 that Iran must hand over nearly $2 billion in frozen assets to the more than 1,000 survivors and relatives of those killed in attacks blamed on Tehran.

The attacks included the 1983 bombing of US Marine barracks in Beirut and the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia.

"It is in fact the United States that must pay long overdue reparations to the Iranian people for its persistent hostile policies," wrote Zarif.

He cited US involvement in the 1953 Iran coup, US backing for Baghdad in the Iran-Iraq war and the shooting down of an Iranian airliner by a US missile in 1988 as grounds for US compensation to Iranian nationals.

Under a historic deal reached last year on curbing Iran's nuclear program, tens of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets are to be released.

The Supreme Court ruling came after a New York tribunal in March ordered Tehran to pay $7.5 billion to victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon -- and $3 billion to insurers over related claims -- after ruling that Iran had failed to prove that it did not help the bombers.

Zarif called the claim of Iranian involvement in the 9/11 attacks "absurd," saying it contradicts "even public statements as well as findings -- open or sealed -- of investigations by the US government and US Congress."

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The afflicted showed symptoms of food poisoning after eating at a wedding in Beni Suef

Over 80 people were hospitalised late Friday after a mass food poisoning in the southern town of Beni Suef, Egypt's state news agency MENA reported.

The afflicted were hospitalised after they ate from food served at a wedding party in a village in Beni Suef, some 150 kilometres south of the capital Cairo

Provincial health ministry official Gamal Al-Gohary said the people showed symptoms of food poisoning after eating bad meat and are currently being kept under observation.

Al-Gohary said only one case has been held in the intensive care unit.

Food poisoning is not uncommon in Egypt where basic standards of hygiene are poorly enforced.

In April 2015, over 700 people in the Nile Delta governorate of Sharqiya contracted food poisoning blamed on contaminated tap water.

Another major incident occurred at Cairo's Al-Azhar dormitory when around 500 students were struck down with food poisoning in April 2013 after having eaten at a campus cafeteria.

A second mass food poisoning incident involving over 170 cases occured at the university later in the same month.

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Outrigger appoints Paul Richardson EVP and Chief Ops for Global Operations

PHUKET: Outrigger Enterprises Group has announced the appointment of Paul Richardson as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer responsible for the companys global operations spanning the Asia Pacific, Oceania and Indian Ocean regions.

tourismeconomics

By Press Release

Saturday 30 April 2016, 01:20PM

Outrigger Enterprises Group has announced the appointment of Paul Richardson as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer responsible for the companys global operations.

Based in Hawaii, Richardson will be a key member of Outriggers executive team and will oversee and direct strategic operational leadership and provide guidance on key topics and issues affecting the company.

Mr Richardson joins Outrigger from Accor Hotels based in Shanghai where, as Chief Operating Officer Greater China, he oversaw 140 hotels in operation ranging from economy through to luxury and over 100 hotels in the pipeline.

He joined Accor in 2005 as area General Manager for Western Sydney, assumed the role of Ibis brand manager for Australia and was promoted to Vice President New Zealand and Fiji at which time he was appointed by the Tourism Minister New Zealand to serve on the Board of Tourism New Zealand. He also held a director position with the Tourism Industry Association.

After beginning his career in finance with a bachelors degree in accounting from Chisholm Institute of Education in Melbourne, Australia, Mr Richardson served in accounting and finance roles with hotel chains, cinema and film-related companies.

Before joining Accor, Mr Richardson held senior positions throughout Australia and Asia in the tourism and hospitality industry. He spent 10 years with Starwood Hotels and Resorts during which time he held roles in food and beverage and rooms division, and General Manager roles in Australia, Brunei and Taiwan.
Rebuilding from rubble: Nepals quake-hit ghost village begins to be rebuilt

NEPAL: Langtang in Nepal is now little more than a graveyard. The once tranquil mountain village was obliterated last April when a massive earthquake shattered a glacier, raining tonnes of ice, snow and rock down into the valley below, where hundreds of bodies still lie buried.

constructiondisasterslanddeathpolitics

By AFP

Saturday 30 April 2016, 10:00AM

Nepalese villagers prepare to cook food in a temporary shelter in the village of Langtang. Photo: Jiji/AFP

Nepals Rasuwa district scientists estimate the avalanche hit the ground with enough force to cause a blast more than half the strength of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima, making it a miracle that anyone survived.

Those who did are making a hesitant return. Still struggling to come to terms with their loss, unable to forget the horror, they are nonetheless attempting to rebuild their lives.

All lost loved ones in the disaster, which killed 283 Nepalis and 43 foreign visitors in a village whose bucolic charm attracted thousands of trekkers every year. Many of the bodies were buried too deep under the debris ever to be found.

Suppa Tamang, who lost dozens of relatives including his second wife and 13-year-old son, was among the first of the villagers to return last month.

I cant account for our losses, so many people have died, nothing is left... still, we have to find a way forward, he said.

Tarp-covered shelters and a handful of construction sites now dot a landscape that was once home to more than 60 thriving guesthouses, two of them Tamangs.

Frustrated by the governments slowness in disbursing a promised $2,000 (B70,214) in aid, a few villagers have begun rebuilding on their own  a daunting task in a remote Himalayan valley accessible only on foot or by helicopter.

It is all so difficult and so costly  we can use mules and porters for cement and food rations, but we have to pay hundreds of dollars to helicopter companies to bring metal rods, plywood and glass panes, said Tamang.

My biggest fear is that Langtang will collapse unless people like us come back, rebuild and encourage our young to return home.

After the avalanche Langtang residents set up camp in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Kathmandu until authorities deemed it safe for them to return.

But the heat and dust of the capital left villagers yearning for their serene, high-altitude homeland.

The small Buddhist community that crossed over from Tibet and settled here hundreds of years ago relied on yak herding and farming for its livelihood until tourism transformed the local economy.

Despite an influx of visitors, villagers held on to their own cultural and religious practices, building traditional stone guesthouses with carved wooden windows and speaking a local variant of Tibetan.

The extent of the destruction wreaked by the avalanche shocked even experts  among them hydrologist Walter Immerzeel, who went to Langtang last October to study its impact.

So much ice and debris came down the mountain  when you consider the total mass and compute the speed and the altitude from where it (the avalanche) originated, we estimated that the amount of energy that would have been released would have been equivalent to the energy from 7.6 kilotons of TNT, said Immerzeel, assistant professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

That is more than half the amount of energy released by the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

Chiring Chokpa Lama recently opened Langtangs first new guesthouse  a humble affair with tin and plywood walls and windows made of thin plastic sheets  taking a brave step forward even as painful memories continue to haunt her.

Lama was at home with her 21-year-old daughter, Nangse, when the avalanche struck, burying them both.

As we ran, everything got covered by snow, rocks and debris. It buried us as well, she recalled.

It came down with such force, took away so many people. We never found them again.

Hours passed as Lama and her daughter screamed for help. A relative eventually dug her out but arrived too late to save Nangse.

Dazed by grief, she finally gathered up the courage to return to Langtang with her husband, leaving their two other children in Kathmandu, where they are studying.

We have lived here for generations, everyone we ever loved lived in this valley, Lama said.

We had to come back. There is nowhere else to go.

For many in this devout, close-knit community, the future remains uncertain, shadowed by sorrow and anxiety.

At 61, yak herder Nurpu Tamang faces a lonely life, set adrift after the avalanche killed everyone in his family, including three grandchildren.

It was the worst day in the world, I had never seen anything like it before, said Tamang, now living in a temporary shelter in a nearby village.

For months, he woke up thinking his loved ones were still alive before realising that his nightmare was real.

I never found their bodies... and I feel like their ghosts are still here, it makes it very hard for me to think about building another home here, he said.

Its been a year but I havent learned to live without them.
Yacht Solutions praises local marine skills for Asia Boating Award

PHUKET: Yacht Solutions (Thailand) has credited the Phuket-based company winning the Best Asian Yacht Refit category at the Asia Boating Awards in Singapore earlier this month to the quality of skills and expertise in the local marine industry.

marineconstructioneconomicstourism

By The Phuket News

Saturday 30 April 2016, 01:09PM

Gareth Twist receiving the award with Editor-in-Chief of Asia Pacifc Boating, Mr Glen Watson and the Managing Director of Blu Inc Media, Mr. Foong Seong Khong,

Yacht Solutions team of up to 100 Thai technicians completed extensive exterior and interior works on the 63m superyacht SuRi over three months at Bangkok Docks dry dock on the Chao Phraya River.

Yacht Solutions team of up to 100 Thai technicians completed extensive exterior and interior works on the 63m superyacht SuRi over three months at Bangkok Docks dry dock on the Chao Phraya River.

Yacht Solutions, formed in Phuket 15 years ago, picked up the prize for Best Asian Yacht Refit for the 208-foot (63-metre) expedition vessel SuRi. (See story here.)

http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-king-cup-yacht-solutions-score-major-boating-awards-57039.php

The team of up to 100 Thai technicians completed extensive exterior and interior works over three months at Bangkok Docks dry dock, located in the heart of the capital on the Chao Phraya River.

No experts were flown in. The team were all local, western managed.

The local technical team supplied engineering, electrical, metal welding and fabrication, painting, shipwright, air conditioning and refrigeration services to Bureau Veritas standard, which is considered one of the highest international safety standards in the world, said Yacht Solutions Managing Director Gareth Twist.

The works completed included repairs on hull and superstructure; shaft, propellers and rudder removal, inspection and maintenance, manufacture of seals, bearings and anodes, overhaul of tender engine; repair of bent hull frames, replacement piping, hull thickness testing and welding repairs, stainless steel fabrication of guard rails and deck fittings; manufacture of air-conditioning sea chest, re-wire repairs, service and maintenance of systems including walk-in freezer, ice makers and AC units throughout vessel.

Just for shipwright works, the team replaced the swim platform teak deck, installed a new drop-ceiling garage and completed customised 18m storage systems, as well as reconditioned upholstery, soft furnishings, flooring and cabinetry work in the crew mess, cabins and bridge.

Our team has grown considerably over the past 15 years to become the most comprehensive refit and service centre in Thailand, to have now received industry recognition for our achievements not only has thoroughly delighted us, but has also given affirmation to Thailands technical skill base, facilities and competitive edge within the larger yachting community, said Mr Twist.

We would like to thank Captain Juan Koegelenberg and the SuRi crew for their support and involvement throughout the refit. Having such a well organised and knowledgeable crew to work with made the refit run smoothly and on time.

Yet the development of such skills has not come overnight, Mr Twist noted.

I established Yacht Solutions in 2001 with a very small team of people working for us. In the past 15 years we have grown considerably with a permanent workforce now nearing 40. Weve seen a lot of changes in Phuket, weve had the usual ups and downs for any company working within an unpredictable tourism/ pleasure industry, he said.

I think that we can modestly measure our own achievements, however to have recognition from external, industry professionals is very rewarding and shows we are considered not only competitive within the region but amongst the best refit yards.

We are one of four companies that won at the Awards who are either directly based in Phuket or who have subsidiary offices here, a great achievement for such a small island and one that gives further endorsement to the promotion of yachting in Phuket.

It will allow other superyachts to see that Thailand is considered as a viable place for major refits  we have the facilities and skills to complete works to world-class standards, Mr Twist added.
More than 230 civilians have died during the fighting in the northern Syrian city in the last week

The leading Sunni Muslim seat of learning in the world, Al-Azhar, on Saturday strongly denounced the recent "brutal" shelling of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, calling for a swift end to bloodshed in the war-torn country.

It called for urgent action from the global community and rights organisations to "stop the bloodshed" and save civilians who "fell prey to armed conflicts."

The leading Islamic authority also urged swift delivery of humanitarian and medical aid to the city's trapped residents.

More than 230 civilians have been killed in Aleppo over the past week as the government of Bashar Al-Assad has pounded rebel-held areas, with opposition forces replying in kind.

Aleppo was left out of a deal to freeze fighting despite international outrage over renewed violence in the northern Syrian city.

Fighting has also surged around Damascus, Homs and other areas over the past week.

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Three candidates seek two spots in District 5 House race

Three candidates are running for two seats representing District 5 in the state House: Kahden Mooney, Byron I. Callies and incumbent Hugh Bartels.
Both leaders spoke on the phone and stressed the need for the two African Union members to reinforce regional cooperation

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and his Chadian counterpart Idriss Deby have agreed to bolster mutual ties and regional cooperation between both countries, a Saturday statement from the former's office said.

El-Sisi spoke with Deby on the phone during which the Egyptian leader congratulated the latter on being re-elected in an April landslide victory in elections.

El-Sisi stressed during the call the need to strengthen ties between the two African countries in all fields, the president's office said.

"Both leaders agreed during the call on the importance to reinforce bilateral ties and regional cooperation," the statement added.

Deby is the chairman of the African Union, of which Egypt is a member.

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Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will head a Security Council ministerial-level meeting during his upcoming visit to New York from 9 to 11 May

Egypt is poised to head the UN Security Councils meetings during the month of May where it will promote issues and interests of African and developing countries as well as the Palestinian cause, a foreign affairs ministry statement released on Saturday read.

The country will also focus on the Libyan and Syrian crises as well as the situation in Yemen and some disputes in African countries, the statement said.

Egypts Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry will head a Security Council ministerial-level meeting during his visit to New York from 9 to 11 May.

The meeting will be open to all countries and its topic will be combating extremist thought as one of the means to fight terrorism.

Egypt started its two-year Security Council non-permanent membership in January. This is the first Security Council term for Egypt since 1997, but the fifth term in total.

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OTTAWAA social policy showdown could be in the works for next months Conservative party policy convention.

On one side: a bid to further entrench the partys stand against same-sex marriage with a resolution to protect the rights of Canadian workers who believe in the traditional definition of marriage from employment discrimination on the basis of their deeply held religious beliefs.

On the other: efforts to get the existing policy banning same-sex marriage dropped altogether.

Supporters of both sides say the stakes are high as the party seeks to reinvigorate itself after last falls election defeat.

The party cant afford to lose its base of social conservatives, said Jack Fonseca, program manager with Campaign Life Coalition, which recently published a list of six pro-life, pro-family resolutions it says will be debated at the convention in May including the same-sex marriage one.

It would be disastrous for the CPC to alienate its large social conservative base and tell them they dont want them, dont care about them and dont care about their values, Fonseca said.

But those values should extend to, at very least, having no party policy on same-sex marriage, others argue.

Last year, a group calling itself LGBTory began to campaign to change current policy, arguing it offended not just LGBT Conservatives but all those who side with the Tories on fiscal or foreign policy issues but oppose their social ideas.

The party policy, as it stands, is that Parliament and not the courts should determine the definition of marriage and that the party supports legislation defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

But it also allows for free votes on matters of conscience, including same-sex marriage, so theres no sense having a specific policy prohibition against it, the group says.

A resolution to delete the same-sex marriage provisions was backed by a policy congress of Alberta Conservatives earlier this year, as well as regional policy meetings in Quebec and Toronto, although that one was a close vote.

Theres opposition, Im not going to deny it, said Eric Lorenzen, a member of LGBTory.

But we do think we have broad support. I think the party wants this to happen.

Whether the resolution makes it to the convention is currently in the hands of the partys policy committee and theyve not yet publicized their decision on that or any other resolutions.

Interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose says she supports the move, though she adds that the ultimate decision rests with party members. But she does wield some clout over party executives.

Last Friday, she hosted them at the Opposition leaders residence in Ottawa. The next day, the party announced it was reducing its yearly membership fee to $15 from $25 after an outcry from its grassroots.

Fonseca said the six resolutions his group has identified were approved through a mechanism in the policy process that allows members to directly select a third of the resolutions for the convention.

He said he expects the policy committee to honour the results of that vote and if they dont, party members should raise hell.

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The Queens of Cannabis owners wanted their bright and airy Bloor Street W. shop to have a healing atmosphere distinct from dozens of other marijuana dispensaries springing up, almost daily, across Toronto.

We wanted it to be opening, friendly, welcoming. We wanted to take the stigma away from medical marijuana, says co-owner Brandy Zurborg, a government tax auditor-turned pot entrepreneur.

Two glass cabinets display tiny jars filled with strains such as Blue Dream, Girl Scout Cookies, and Blueberry, along with an array of chemical- and preservative-free medical pot products.

With aromatherapy massage, reflexology and other natural health services offered in a dimly lit back room, the space feels more juice bar or spa than clandestine drug den.

Zurborg and partner Tania Cyalume say they are operating an establishment as if city regulations were in place, and sell only to approved medical marijuana patients.

Still, they hope the city gets on with regulating the retail pot business and fully expect a crackdown is coming.

Right now its a free-for-all, says Zurborg, as Cyalume nods in agreement.

Mayor John Tory and city councillors agree about the free-for-all part, expressing concern about the lack of rules and proximity to schools. But rather than rules to accommodate the new businesses, Torontos licensing department is planning a crackdown on medical pot dispensaries operating without federal approval and in neighbourhoods not zoned industrial.

In the last several weeks these dispensaries are really becoming an issue of concern, Mark Sraga, director of investigation services for city licensing, told the Star. We are developing an operational plan to address these issues under our regulatory authority.

Zurborg says current federal rules around medicinal marijuana are inhumane. Patients, including the terminally ill, have to lock in a prescription with one of the limited number of suppliers, choose from an online menu and then hope the pot, which many complain is poor quality, is shipped to them on time.

Patients have a need to touch it, smell it and grab a little bit of it, to know if they like the taste and smell, she says. I know a cancer patient whose shipment was two weeks late. He was very ill . . . (crushing) up his cancer meds to inject into a tube that was hanging out of his body. Thats not acceptable.

The owners insist theyre eager to follow the rules, and for recreational pot to be legalized across the country as Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government has promised to do next year.

But in Kensington Market on a recent weeknight, the 20-somethings crowding Canna Clinic arent waiting.

A light smell of pot hangs over the funky decor and the burbling crowd. The clinic, in the main floor of a converted Victorian, feels more like a hipster bar.

People approaching the long membership line are told its a two-hour wait. The clinic closes in 90 minutes so, if they really need some pot, they should go to the bigger Canna Clinic on Dundas St. W.

Theyre also told they need government-issued ID to prove they arent a minor. A medical professional  a doctor, a nurse, maybe a naturopath  will screen them.

Six staff are busy exchanging payments for white bags of marijuana.

Outside a young man clutching a bag, told that the city is planning a crackdown on such clinics, balks.

I dont think they should because pot is going to be legal soon. A lot of people need help, he said.

He guesses some inside dont have diagnosed medical conditions and are, like him, recreational users who managed to pass the screening.

I work construction, he says, declining to give his name. After work I like to smoke a joint to relax.

Were coming from a half-hour drive. We could have got it from the streets but were coming here to get medicinal, legally sort of, whatever it is, marijuana.

A young woman says she has diagnosed anxiety and paid $30 for a joint and loose pot totalling three grams.

Everyones really nice in there, theres a doctor on site, she says. Its a grey market  legalization is coming  so I guess theyre trying to corner the market. We shouldnt try to stop it  you get more fights at a bar than a vapour lounge.

A woman answering the phone at Canna Clinics Vancouver head office said we dont really talk to the media.

Dispensaries argue they are operating in a legal grey zone because a B.C. judge struck down Harper-era rules on patients growing their own plants.

Sraga, from city licensing, calls that bunk. Health Canada has robust rules in effect for medical marijuana production and distribution, he says. City council reacted to them by saying federally proved facilities cant be in residential and commercial neighbourhoods.

To me it looks like clear cut regulations, he says. We are going to be addressing this issue with the full of extent of our authority and enforcement tools to ensure compliance with our bylaws.

Dispensary operators could be charged in provincial offences court, under the City of Toronto Act and Planning Act, with contravening the zoning bylaw.

We are working in concert with our other enforcement partners, Sraga said.

That could be the police, it could be Health Canada. It's a combined joint effort.

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A Toronto man has been sentenced to nine years in jail for the 2014 killing of 26-year-old Natasha Farah in Calgary, local media report.

Hussein Ibrahim, 22, appeared in a Calgary court Friday morning where he pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

The defence and Crown made a joint submission for a nine-year sentence, less two and a half for time served. Ibrahim will have to serve six-and-a-half years of prison time.

Farah, who was also from Toronto and attended Humber College before moving west, was standing outside Calgarys Bronco Smokehouse and Saloon on Aug. 23, 2014 when Ibrahim opened fire. She was hit in the chest and pronounced dead on scene.

The defence told the court Friday that Ibrahim was out celebrating his birthday and was extremely intoxicated when he fired the weapon into the crowd, according to media reports.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Ibrahim and one of his friends both had handguns on the night of the incident.

CBC Calgary reports that in his apology, Ibrahim said that he had no intention of causing harm: Im here today to let the family know I am deeply sorry.

Ibrahim was originally charged with reckless discharge of a weapon in 2014. The charge was later upgraded to second-degree murder.

CBC Calgary reports that Justice Earl Wilson, who has been shot himself, had some scathing words for Ibrahim.

You have regret, they have pain, said Wilson.

For Gods sake, do something with it. Make yourself of some use to this country . . . We dont need more criminals and we certainly dont need more dead people.

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Egypts High Election Committee announced on Saturday that Mohamed El-Shora won the seat of sacked MP Tawfik Okasha in the Talkha and Nebarouh districts in Daqahliya governorate after counting the votes of a by-election.

El-Shora garnered over 32,000 votes, while the runner-up, Gamal Abdel-Zaher, received over 28,000 votes.

El-Shora, 36, is considered popular amongst the youth of his district. He works as a manager in El-Shoras for Cement Company.

The new MP is expected to take the oath and start his parliamentarian responsibilities in the next session.

Okasha, a media figure, received the highest number of votes among independent candidates nationwide during the initial elections in late 2015, with over 90,000 votes in the Talkha and Nebaroh voting constituencies.

He was voted out of the parliament for meeting with the Israeli ambassador to Egypt without approval from the parliament or a state authority.

The meeting with Israeli ambassador Haim Koren in February sparked an outcry in the media and in parliament, with one MP assaulting Okasha with a shoe.

Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, but relations between the two countries have remained cold, with many political forces, including workers and professional syndicates, rejecting any normalisation of ties.

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Two people are dead after a shooting Friday night at an LCBO in the Ellesmere Rd. and Victoria Park Ave. area in Scarborough.

Paramedics were called to the scene at the Parkway Mall parking lot at 9:50 p.m. and soon rushed one man and one woman with serious gunshot wounds to a trauma centre. They were later pronounced dead.

Toronto Polices homicide unit has taken over the investigation.

Police say that a possible male suspect was seen going southbound on Victoria Park Ave. The vehicle is described as a light coloured minivan.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 416-808-4100.

The investigation is ongoing.

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For over 30 years a poster-size version of a beloved Gary Lautens Toronto Star column has hung outside Honest Eds discount store.

It its special case it survived wind, rain and snow as the neighbourhood around it changed.

Now, as the bargain emporium gets ready to close its doors, the piece will get a new home, in the Lautens archives at McMaster University in Hamilton.

Store owner David Mirvish and general manager Russell Lazar presented Lautens widow, Jackie, with the column Friday, and it will travel on to Hamilton where it can be accessed by the public.

Jackie said Lautens, who died in 1992, would have been thrilled the column was finding a permanent home.

He was thrilled that it was up there in the first place, she said, adding the family would often walk down to the department store when they lived nearby.

He and Ed (Mirvish) went back a long way, they were pals.

Lautens was a longtime Star columnist known for his quick wit and ability to make readers laugh out loud. He often wove in material from his real life, with Jackie and their three children making regular appearances.

A past managing editor of the paper, he was also the author of four books, and won the prestigious Stephen Leacock Award for Humour.

The October 1984 column, entitled Why cant the Queen shop Honest Eds? was written during one of her official tours of Canada.

Lautens figured the then 58-year-old monarch, must be terminally bored, as all she had done so far was review troops, go to church, talk to Brian Mulroney and sit in a carriage looking at the uninteresting end of a horse.

He bemoaned the fact that she had not had a moment to people-watch at the Eaton Centre or 30 minutes off to shop at Honest Eds.

Jackie said, like with all of his columns, she had no idea what was coming.

He was very secretive about what he wrote, she said.

Sometimes it came out in the paper and youd go, he wrote that?  she added with a laugh.

Lazar, who has been with the store for 58 years, said he still remembers when Ed Mirvish, the bargain emporiums founder, discovered the piece.

I remember Ed saying, Get it blown up and put it outside, and he just thought it was wonderful.

After presenting the column to Jackie, her sons Stephen and Richard (the latter a Toronto Star photojournalist), and other family members, David Mirvish led everyone up the stairs, past rows of luggage and rolls of carpets, for a tour of his late fathers office.

The study was stuffed to the brim with framed photos of Ed Mirvish with celebrities, letters carefully preserved in photo albums and curious artifacts collected over the years, including a large stuffed lion and several decorative swords.

In the corner was a giant cardboard cutout of a grinning Ed, which David joked made the office the only place where you can still get a picture taken with my father.

We thought it was a really great column and we just wanted people to know that, if the Queen had time, she could have shopped here, she would have liked it, said Mirvish.

In fact, he said his dad did meet Her Majesty years later, as she made him a Commander of the British Empire.

When he came back to Canada and they said, Ed what does CBE mean?  Mirvish recalled. He said Commander of Bargains Everywhere. 

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The judge appointed to head a provincial review of police oversight bodies has been described as a well-rounded man with a strong sense of integrity.

Court of Appeal Justice Michael Tulloch  wholl be examining how Ontario keeps an eye on its police forces in the wake of Andrew Lokus death  became the first black judge on Ontarios top court when appointed in 2012 by the federal Conservative government. Prior to that, he had been a judge with the Superior Court of Justice since 2003.

A graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, Tulloch was a criminal defence lawyer and assistant Crown attorney before becoming a judge.

He also served as a special prosecuting agent with the federal department of justice and has participated in reviews including the Ontario Government Review of Civilian Oversight on Policing.

Justice Tulloch is bright, hard working and has an abundance of common sense, said lawyer Daniel Brown.

His significant experience as a former criminal defence lawyer as well as trial and appellate court judge makes him the perfect candidate for this important role.

Born in Jamaica, he came to Toronto with his parents at age 9.

Speaking to the Star following his historic appointment to the Court of Appeal, Tulloch said my blackness does not define me.

Im black, yes, but the colour of my skin is incidental to who I am, he said. My involvement with academic institutions, it has nothing to do with my race, it has to do with education, education for all students.

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The ghost moved quietly through a Scarborough neighbourhood, speaking softly on his phone.

As he walked up his driveway, the early morning silence was pierced by the faint report of a single gunshot.

The bullet covered the distance in less than half a second. Two hundred yards away the ghost crumpled and died, according to a police report.

That murder, committed in the first few hours of Oct. 1, 2015, breathed new life into a case that had been dead for years.

For months in 2009, Durham Regional Police Det. Cyril Gillis had watched the ghost and his gang as they partied in nightclubs, paid visits to massage parlors and dealt drugs.

After hours of surveillance, Gillis and his team knew a lot about the man. He was smart, never operated vehicles in his own name, was a top-ranking member in the groups hierarchy, and he loved watches, including his pride and joy, a $48,000 timepiece.

What they didnt know was his name or where he lived  he was a ghost.

Efforts to trace him to an address proved futile; a few times they got close, once they even tailed him with the hopes of finding his home  but a car accident suddenly occurred in front of the officers.

All our guys had to stop and administer first aid, said Gillis, now a staff sergeant, in an interview this week. We lost him.

The trail that eventually led to the identity of the ghost 37-year-old Clinton Yow Foo  started off with a gram of cocaine.

An undercover agent bought the drugs on the streets of Whitby and soon increased his order to an ounce at a time, revealing that the dealer had a steady source.

By following the drugs and the money and through surveillance, we were able to go up the food chain and identify the actual suppliers of the cocaine, said Gillis.

The investigation was called Project Isis. For three months in 2009, Durham Regional Police drug and gang enforcement units watched as a crew of a dozen dealers spread marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and methamphetamine throughout Durham Region and into Toronto and York.

At the top of the food chain was Yow Foo. Police called him Mr. Big.

We saw him do some deals, we saw him at the casino with other guys, and it appeared to us that he was the guy who was passing the money out, said Gillis.

While executing a search warrant, police stumbled upon a stash house packed with drugs. Gillis said there was so much illegal material they couldnt afford to leave it there and had to seize it, thus ending the project.

In the end, they captured almost $3 million worth of drugs, cash, guns and property, and started arresting everyone they knew was connected with the crew.

On a whim, an officer cruised by an address known to be associated with the dealers, a newly built townhouse at 22 Mendota Rd. in Toronto. According to Gillis, the officer found Yow Foo loading kilo bags with cocaine residue and digital scales into a car and tried to arrest him. But after a struggle he escaped  the ghost had disappeared, again.

The house was empty except for a locked closet in the master bedroom. When police opened it they discovered bundles of drugs, two handguns and ammunition that had been organized in packages of 10 for street sale.

Weeks later, Yow Foo was arrested during a traffic stop on the Don Valley Parkway. Eventually he was convicted on drug and gun charges and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Gillis thought he had finally caught the ghost, but in 2013 Yow Foo successfully appealed his conviction on the basis that he had no knowledge or control of the closet and its contents. He was then acquitted of all charges and set free.

They didnt order a new trial. They completely acquitted him. It was disheartening. We put a lot of work into the investigation, said Gillis, the frustration obvious in his voice years later.

The ghost vanished until Oct. 1 last year, when Toronto Police received a 911 call about a dead man in the driveway of a house on Kingston Rd. It was Yow Foo.

Speaking from her house just a few doors from where Yow Foo had been killed six months earlier, Mirella Sood said she remembers the night well. She and her son had recently moved to the neighbourhood.

It wasnt unusual for nights to be noisy because of the industrial sites across the road, but she recalls a strange sound waking her up that night.

When police knocked on her door, she ran down the stairs half asleep.

I was terrified, said the 59-year-old. To hear that somebody was shot and killed two doors away was unbelievable.

Now the single mother says she often finds herself peering out into the dark to investigate the nighttime noises that wake her.

Im constantly looking out the window because you just dont know.

On Tuesday, police revealed that Yow Foo had been shot from 200 yards away by a skilled sniper using a high-powered rifle.

This is a shot that was made at a considerable distance  at night, in the dark, it was windy, and Clinton was on the move when he was shot, said Toronto police Det. Sgt. Tam Bui.

The firearm used was a Browning BLR short magnum lever-action rifle with a Bushnell scope and bipod.

Its definitely not a sniper rifle, said Leonard Speckin, who recently retired after working as the major homicide investigator for the Michigan State Police for 14 years and establishing a private forensic analysis firm in the 80s.

Speckin said the gun is commonly used by big-game hunters and is easy to come by.

But the range and factors surrounding the shot dont add up with the weapon that was used.

He figures whoever shot Yow Foo was either an incredible marksman or incredibly lucky; his bet is on the latter.

Its like a carpenter choosing the right hammer: its not the right tool, he said. If you had a trained sniper, you would expect to find something with a bolt action, a snipers rifle.

Bui said Yow Foo had significant ties to organized crime in the GTA and had been telling his family lies about his travel, but refused to elaborate on who might have shot him.

Yow Foo, a ghost-like figure in life, remains so in death  a spectre shrouded in mystery. Even so, Gillis has his own theory on what killed the ghost.

To me its somebody sending a message  its a professional, targeted assassination, is what it is, he said. When I heard he died, my first reaction was that he got a life sentence even though the court of appeal acquitted him.

Did sniper have a Montreal connection?

Homicides involving snipers are rare in Canada. In fact, the only other long-range shooting death in recent memory shares some striking similarities with the murder of Clinton Yow Foo, leading some to suspect a single hit man might be behind both killings.

According to police reports, on Nov. 10, 2010, Nicolo Rizzuto, the 86-year-old godfather of Montreals Rizzuto crime family, was shot through a window by at least one shooter who was waiting in the woods behind the family home.

Toronto police have hinted the rifle used to shoot Yow Foo is connected to Montreal and have confirmed it fires a .300 calibre bullet, the same calibre that was used to kill Rizzuto. Police have also suggested Yow Foo had links to organized crime, but have so far refused to explain how.

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For the first time in history, journalists have been allowed to joined special operations forces soldiers on an active operation. The Star joined soldiers at a military outpost in northern Iraq where Canadians are mentoring local peshmerga troops.

Last month the SIU cleared a Toronto police officer in the shooting death of Andrew Loku. That secret report has finally been revealed.

Katelynn Sampson was seven years old when she was slowly beaten to death by her guardians. An inquest has delivered 173 recommendations aimed at centering the child in child welfare, the training of child protection workers, and information sharing between agencies and law enforcement.

Weather and traffic:

After a patch of cool temperatures, itll be mainly sunny today with a high of 14 C. Therell be some cloudy and rainy periods overnight with a low of 7 C.

TTC and GO Transit are not reporting any delays in service.

Subway service on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth will end at 11 oclock tonight between Pape and St. George stations due to bridge work on the Bloor Viaduct. Shuttle buses will be operating.

Flights out of Billy Bishop and Pearson airports are running on schedule.

How about that local sports team?

A desperate Indiana Pacers team defeated the Toronto Raptors Friday night 101 - 83. The series is now tied at three. The teams face off again on Sunday for Game 7.

The Toronto Blue Jays had a strong showing at Tropicana Field last night with a 6-1 win against the Tampa Bay Rays.

What going on in entertainment?

The Stars Ben Rayner reviews Drakes new album VIEWS, and he suggests the best is yet to come.

The Toronto Jewish Film Festival opens on Thursday and the Star has your guide to the movies.

Today in history:

In 1789 George Washington was inaugurated as the first U.S. president.

Adolf Hitler commit suicide in his bunker in 1945. Karl Donitz became his successor.

The Big Bang Theorys Kunal Nayyar and Johnny Galecki are celebrating birthdays today!

Whats coming up?

The Hot Docs Film Festival continues this weekend with screenings of more than 200 films. This years festival will also feature free screenings and events with a series of virtual reality experiences.

With files from Nick Westoll

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A union-backed NDP holding company quietly sold the partys headquarters this month for $3.5 million just days after Premier Kathleen Wynne announced political fundraising reforms, the Star has learned.

According to an April 8 agreement of purchase and sale, the New Democrats would get free rent for the rest of the year at the 101 Richmond St. E. building and below-market rates for the first six months of 2017.

But that changed Friday when a revised contract was drawn up and signed, transferring those provisions from the NDP to the Ontario Cornerstone Leadership Corporation, the partys holding company.

Earlier, the Star had been making inquires about the sale.

The new agreement comes as Wynne is set to introduce legislation next month that will prohibit union and corporate donations to political parties. A ban would put extra pressure on the NDP, which still has a $5-million debt from the 2014 election campaign.

The building is aging and no longer meets our needs. We are looking for a fresh new space, Karla Webber-Gallagher, provincial secretary of the Ontario NDP, said in an email Friday.

She suggested the rental agreement may have changed but did not discuss details.

The purchase by Streetwise Capital Partners Inc. from NDP-linked Ontario Cornerstone Leadership Corporation closes June 24 and requires the party to find a new headquarters by July 2017.

The New Democratic Party of Ontario (the tenant) shall remain as a tenant in occupancy of the property post-completion date, states the sale agreement on the four-storey building near Jarvis St.

While paying its share of operating expenses, property taxes, insurance and utilities on a monthly basis to the end of this year, no minimum rent is payable, the agreement continues.

For January to June 2017, the tenant shall pay minimum rent, on the 1st of the month, at a rate of $15.00 per sq. (foot) per annum on 6,504 sq. ft. in addition to operating expenses.

That rent, on an annual basis, would be $97,560. Elections Ontario figures show the NDP paid Cornerstone $273,904.56 for office and equipment rent in 2014.

In the same year, Cornerstone guaranteed a $6-million election campaign loan for the party.

New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath did not reply to a request for comment through her office.

Neither Horwath nor Cornerstone officials mentioned the sale this week when asked if they were concerned new fundraising rules would present problems for the Cornerstone arrangement.

Cornerstone, which has a number of major unions as shareholders, was established to help bankroll NDP election campaigns and serve as the landlord for party offices. The unions hold Class B shares that have less voting clout than the Class A shares held by the NDP.

The corporate structure is not illegal.

The unions are United Steelworkers District 6 and National, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (now Unifor), the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, and the Service Employees International Union.

The holding companys lawyer noted in an April 6 email to Cornerstone and NDP officials that the rent-free period would have to be considered a contribution under the Election Finances Act, along with the difference between the $15-per-square-foot rent and market rates.

The $3.5 million building sale  $400,000 more than Cornerstone paid in 2007  was signed 11 days after Wynne revealed on March 29 that her government is developing stricter fundraising rules.

In 2011, Cornerstone had a $2-million mortgage on the property, whose main floor is rented to a Persian carpet shop that pays $4,150 in monthly rent for its 2,100 square feet of space. Thats $49,800 a year.

Derek Johnstone, Ontario regional director of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, said the building purchase was an investment that earned a return of 12.9 per cent over nine years.

For us, its always been an investment going back over a decade and our focus is on getting the best return possible on that investment, he said.

Other unions did not respond to requests for comment.

Negotiations to sell the building actually began a year ago, according to a March 18 memo from two mortgage agents to three Cornerstone executives.

Elections Ontario said registered political parties are allowed to hold property and investments and must report on their assets, expenditures and income annually, as well as for campaign periods.

We do not publicly comment on whether or not a matter has raised concerns or is under investigation, spokeswoman Jennifer Lombardi said in an emailed statement.

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The publication of the Panama Papers by a coalition of media outlets including the Toronto Star, investigating offshore financial dealings by the rich and famous continued to cause ripples around the world Thursday.

So far, the scandal has brought down the leader of Iceland and raised questions about the dealings of the president of Ukraine, senior Chinese politicians, famous actors, athletes and the circle of friends of Russian Vladimir Putin, who some allege has profited indirectly from such accounts.

Netherlands

A member of Dutch bank ABN Amros supervisory board says he is stepping down with immediate effect after his name appeared in Panama leak.

ABN Amro announced the departure of Bert Meerstadt in a brief statement Thursday that made no mention of his reported links to an offshore corporation established in the British Virgin Islands by Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, which helps create shell companies for the worlds rich and famous.

The Dutch bank then issued a personal statement from Meerstadt in which he says he already was in the process of leaving ABN Amro, but was now stepping down immediately, to prevent any detrimental effects to the bank.

Austria

The chief executive of Austrian lender Hypo Landesbank Vorarlberg has resigned after the bank was mentioned in reports about offshore companies.

The bank said Thursday that Michael Grahammer surprisingly declared his resignation last night.

Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported this week that at least 20 offshore companies had accounts with Hypo Vorarlberg, including one attributed to Gennady Timchenko, a Russian billionaire with longtime personal ties to President Vladimir Putin.

France

Anti-fraud activists are blocking entrances at the Paris headquarters of French bank Societe Generale to protest its alleged involvement in creating hundreds of offshore accounts via Mossack Fonseca.

Around 40 protesters physically blocked the main and side entrances of the building in central Paris on Thursday, waving banners that read Fiscal Fraud, Social Crime.

Societe Generale denies any accusations of fraud and tax evasion and repeated in a statement its commitment to the fight against such activities.

Iceland

Icelands opposition parties have introduced a new no-confidence measure in parliament in a bid to force a new election.

The proposal was introduced Thursday after several tumultuous days caused by fallout from the Panama Papers scandal detailing how the worlds elite conceal their assets in various offshore tax havens.

The countrys prime minister, Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson was linked to offshore accounts and has resigned. His designated successor, Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson, hopes to gain the presidents approval to head the government later Thursday.

The opposition introduced a no-confidence measure Monday aimed at Gunnlaugsson but now propose a vote against the entire coalition government.

European Union

The European Union has threatened to sanction countries like Panama if they continue to refuse to co-operate fully to fight money laundering and tax evasion, after a leak of data showed the tiny country remains a key destination for people who want to hide money.

People are fed up with these outrages, said Pierre Moscovici, who heads financial affairs for the 28-nation EU. He took to task countries like Panama that facilitate such secretive, low-tax accounts and said the EU has to be ready to hit them with appropriate sanctions if they refuse to change.

Switzerland

The head of Switzerlands financial market regulator says the Panama Papers revelations show that the world financial system is susceptible to misuse, and says his office is dealing with money laundering cases that look like blatant and massive corruption.

Mark Branson, chief executive of regulator FINMA, said Thursday that his office is dealing with a number of money laundering cases, adding: We are not talking about small-fry.

He said Switzerland faces a relatively high risk of money laundering as the worlds largest centre for cross-border wealth management for private clients. He said money laundering is on the increase in Switzerland and Swiss banks must do more to fight it.

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ERBIL, IRAQA swirl of smoke, then the screams.

Two men drop to the ground, blood squirting from wounds. Orders are barked in Kurdish as peshmerga soldiers rush to their aid.

At this military outpost in northern Iraq, its all a drill run by Canadians, a mock mortar attack to test peshmerga on their battlefield medicine.

Still, its realistic enough, thanks to smoke grenades and special-effects blood that splashes on the would-be rescuers.

Two Canadian special forces soldiers hover over the pesh troops like a watchful teacher, appraising the treatment. Youre in danger right now, the Canadian medic warns, urging them to move themselves and the casualties to safer ground, as they would have to do if this were a real attack.

The exercise drill wraps up and the special forces medic gathers the peshmerga troops around him for a debrief. Everything went really well. You brought your patients to safe area. You did the treatments you were supposed to, he tells them.

This is the face of Canadas military mission in northern Iraq where Canadian special operations forces soldiers have been advising and assisting peshmerga soldiers in their battle against Daesh, also known as ISIS and ISIL.

The Toronto Star and CTV News were granted unprecedented access to that mission this week. Its the first time that journalists have ever been allowed to join special operations forces soldiers on an active operation.

The visit found soldiers keen to talk about their training, about their mission and about their membership in an elite command of the Canadian Armed Forces. It revealed the respect they command from their allies. And it underscored the close working ties between Canadian soldiers and peshmerga forces battling to reclaim their homeland.

We are uniquely adapted to this, says the man who heads up the Canadas special operations forces soldiers.

Mike Rouleau, who just this week was promoted to the rank of major-general, knows well the world of special forces.

He is a former assaulter with Joint Task Force 2 and past commander of unit, which is the tip of the spear within the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. He left the military in 1999 and served as a police officer in Ottawa before rejoining the military after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

He commands Canadas shadowy soldiers, trained to handle worst-case scenarios at home and abroad.

And as experts in the craft of warfare, they are exceptionally good at passing along those skills to other militaries, a task they do here in Iraq and in other places around the globe.

From its start as a small, highly skilled team, the capabilities of Canadas special forces have grown into a separate branch of the military  Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM).

It boasts some 2,000 personnel, from JTF2 assaulters to operators with the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, to ace helicopter pilots, and experts trained to handle chemical and biological threats.

Canadas special operations forces rank as among the best in the world, experts say.

They are very, very good, Col. Andrew Milburn, of the U.S. Marines, who commands coalition special operations forces in Iraq, told the Star.

And here in the rolling green hills of northern Iraq, the Canadians are mentoring local peshmerga troops on the fighting skills and military tactics needed first to contain the Islamic extremists, and then to squeeze them out of existence.

Its a mission tailor-made for special operations forces and their expertise working in small teams in complex environments with often tangled political interests and across cultural lines.

This was classic irregular warfare in the sense that it was establishing immediately with an indigenous force, helping them achieve military objectives through our assistance. So we were well-suited to the mission, Rouleau said.

A special operations forces sergeant sums up the mission, In our military ethos, we have a term warrior diplomats, and thats what were doing here.

The Canadians work from several sites in northern Iraq. Patrol Base Cirillo  named in honour of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, killed while standing sentry at Ottawas National War Memorial in 2014  is located on the outskirts out Erbil. It serves as the logistics hub, headquarters and a place where operators from the field come to recharge.

A tactical headquarters is located farther west, closer to Daesh-held Mosul, and the heart of the territory where Canadians are working alongside peshmerga troops.

Driving there, the special forces operators move quickly through the chaotic Erbil traffic  speed is safety, they say  and at times the speedometer tops 120 km/h. The city gives way to countryside and the sights of flocks of sheep and their herders in the fields and roadside stalls selling mounds of watermelons.

In the early days, the Canadians worked out of a former border post. Since then, they have made improvements, adding modular units that house sleeping quarters, washroom and showers, an operations centre and a combined kitchen and living area, with a large TV.

During their downtime, operators make use of an open-air gym, sheltered from the hot sun by a tarp. In the ranks of special forces, rank doesnt count here. Everyone is on a first name basis.

The training mission has changed since the Canadians first arrived in the fall of 2014. Back then, the special forces soldiers were more active in helping hold the line. And they were busy schooling peshmerga in military skills such as shooting, countering explosive devices, map and compass work and lessons in the laws of armed conflict. Its estimated 2,000 peshmerga have been trained so far.

Since weve been working here in northern Iraq, weve seen outstanding progress. They are very capable fighters. They will absolutely fight to the last man to protect their homes, a major with special operations forces told the Star. (The soldiers asked to be identified by their rank only).

These days, Canadians are teaching the peshmerga more advanced skills, like how to direct airstrikes.

When we first got here, we were much more material to the defence of the frontline. In some cases we were calling in airstrikes using our own resources, Rouleau said.

Now I feel the Kurds are in a stronger position in many ways to defend the line . . . . They know how to use the global positioning systems, the radios, they know the techniques for employing air power, he told the Star.

But the Canadians are more than just military teachers. They are a welcome reassurance, a morale booster in what has been a difficult fight against the extremists. One pesh general estimated that his forces have lost 1,500 men since the fighting began.

As peshmerga we gained a lot from the Canadians, from training to help during major attacks. We thank them for all this, one pesh soldier told Canadian journalists as he stood watch in an observation post.

This mission has risks for Canadians, too, a reality driven home by the March, 2015, death of Sgt. Andrew Doiron, who was accidentally shot by peshmerga troops in a friendly fire incident. Three other Canadians were wounded.

The loss hit the tight-knit group hard, said a corporal who knew Doiron as a good friend and mentor. Its something in the community we accept might happen. But when it does happen, its a hard situation to deal with, he said. In honour of his friend, the corporal has a tattoo on his left arm of Doirons initials and a raven, a link between this world and the afterworld.

But the pesh, backed by the Canadians, are making gains. Daesh have been pushed back  in early days the frontline was just hundreds of metres away  and territory recaptured.

Peshmerga fighters say they are on a mission to stem Daesh here and prevent it from spreading further. But this fight is also a deeply personal one for them, a battle to reclaim their homes and homelands, a reality understood by the Canadians.

Sometimes Im on the line staring at a building which has ISIS activity and one my pesh partners will identify that building as his home, the sergeant said.

This is one of the fronts that is in place to protect everyone else. This is a global matter, the sergeant said.

More from the Star in Iraq:

Daesh is doomed, Canadas top general says during dramatic visit to Iraq

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A car bomb targeted Shia pilgrims in an area near Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 14 people and wounding at least 25, security and medical officials said.

The bomb was left on a road in the Nahrawan area used by Shia pilgrims who are walking to the shrine of Imam Musa Kadhim in northern Baghdad for annual commemorations.

Kadhim, the seventh of 12 imams revered in Shia Islam, died in 799 AD. The commemoration has in recent years turned into a huge event that brings the Iraqi capital to a standstill for days.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State militant group frequently targets members of Iraq's Shia majority, whom it considers heretics.

Last year's pilgrimage was also marred by attacks against worshippers that killed at least 13 people.

And four more were burned or shot to death when mobs torched houses and a Sunni religious endowment building after rumours of a suicide bomber sparked panic among a crowd of pilgrims.

IS group overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led military assistance have since regained significant ground.

The Islamist militants still control a large part of western Iraq, and are able to carry out frequent attacks against both civilians and security forces in government-held areas.

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The Large Hadron Collider  the worlds biggest, most powerful particle accelerator  is going to be out of commission for a few days. Scientists are blaming a weasel.

No, theyre not using old-timey slang to accuse their fellow researchers of subterfuge. It was an actual weasel.

The #LHC will be down for at least a week because a weasel chewed into a 66kV transformer near LHCb, causing an LHC-wide power cut. #CERN, a tweet from scientist Becky Douglas announced.

Arnaud Marsollier, head of press for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), told the Post in an email that the LHC had been put on standby mode due to technical issues in the last 24 hours, including a power cut (likely due to the passage of a small wild animal on a 66 kV/18kV electrical transformer.)

When pressed, Marsollier  who was incredibly good-natured, considering the fact that he was questioned about a tiny dead animal  identified the perp.

I can confirm it was a weasel, he wrote.

On a good, weasel-less day, the LHC is used to smash fast-moving particles into one another. The hope is that scientists will use these collisions to better understand the fundamentals of physics and perhaps even discover unknown particles that help shape the laws of our universe.

But not this week.

Marsollier reports that technicians are hard at work to get the machine back online  and that these sort of power cut mishaps happen periodically, so its not a huge deal  but it might take a few days or weeks to get back to experimenting.

A similar incident took place in 2009 and many have blamed a bird. In fact, some even say that a bird dropped a piece of baguette into the machines electrical workings, which sounds a little too perfect to be true. Marsollier told New Scientist that reports of evidence supporting this bird/baguette theory have been greatly exaggerated. But, he added, were in the countryside, you have wild animals.

Theyre also right by the French border, so to be fair they probably have baguettes, too.

A post on the LHC group on Reddit has a collection of logbook recordings and meeting slides about the incident, as well as an alleged image of the weasel in question (nooo dont click it, dont). Marsollier confirmed the identity of the pictured rodent in an email to the Post.

Its a bad day for particle physics and a bad day for weasels, assuming this wasnt the first attack in an anti-science rodent rebellion. It might not hurt to check in on your lab mice.

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JUBA, SOUTH SUDANAuthorities in South Sudan said they have recovered 32 of the 125 Ethiopian children who the Ethiopian government said were abducted from its Gambela region two weeks ago during a deadly cattle raid blamed on a South Sudanese militia.

Ogato Chan, acting governor of South Sudans Boma state which borders Gambela, told Associated Press Saturday that local chiefs collected the children from three villages in Likuangole County where the raiders had dropped them off. Chan said the recovered children will be brought to state capital Pibor then sent to Juba to be repatriated to Ethiopia.

The chiefs are looking for the rest of the children, he said.

Ethiopias government said 208 people died in the April 15 raid and blamed the attack on an ethnic Murle militia from South Sudan.

In Ethiopia, Gambela regional president Gatluak Tut told the Associated Press he has not been notified about the recovery of the children.

Deadly cattle raids and abductions of children are common along the border of South Sudan and Ethiopia between the Murle in South Sudan and the Nuer and Anyuak tribes who live in both countries. Children are sometimes kidnapped to look after stolen cows.

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Within a 27-kilometre tunnel buried beneath a small village in France, inside a massive machine known as the Large Hadron Collider, scientists are smashing particles together to try to divine the fundamental nature of the universe.

Now you too can take a crack at it.

Not the particle-smashing part  youd need the Large Hadron Collider for that, and probably an advanced degree (or four). But the scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) are making their data available online, so anyone who wants to can attempt to sort out what it all means.

The data is presented in two formats. Theres an education section, which features derived data sets that are slightly less taxing for your computer (and your grasp of particle physics). Here, high school and college students can look at visualizations of CERN experiments  including the ones that helped win scientists a Nobel Prize for their detection of the Higgs boson particle  and analyze the data for themselves.

In the research section the data is presented in its raw form so other researchers can use it. The hope is that getting fresh eyes on the data might yield new insights.

Outside scientists have already used some of the data from the LHC to corroborate CERNs Higgs boson results and to conduct new research of their own. Researchers at MIT worked with CERN physicist Salvatore Rappoccio to apply the data to their work on the substructure of jets  cones of particles that spray out during collisions inside the LHC.

CERN has been making some results of its research publicly available for years. But at 300 terabytes (the equivalent of 20,000 Gmail accounts worth of storage), the latest data dump is by far the biggest yet.

As scientists, we should take the release of data from publicly funded research very seriously, Rappoccio said in a statement. In addition to showing good stewardship of the funding we have received, it also provides a scientific benefit to our field as a whole.

Thats an increasingly popular philosophy in science, a field that for centuries was often dominated by secrecy over researchers work. (Isaac Newton famously developed his theories of calculus years before he bothered explaining them to anyone, leading to a calculus controversy with rival mathematician Gottfried Leibniz over who came up with it first.) Many scientists believe that sharing data can help address problems with reproducibility and prevent rivalries from wasting time and public funding.

If scientists role in society is to generate knowledge for both knowledges sake and the good of society, then scientists should be sharing both their ideas and their data for everyone to access, Patricia Soranno, a Michigan State ecology professor who authored a study on data sharing in environmental science, told the Atlantic in 2014. These practices will ensure that everyone has the opportunity to contribute to moving knowledge forward.

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WASHINGTONLeslie Tassin Sr. didnt have much time Monday to talk about the decision that has been waking him up in the middle of the night, the one that could change the future of the country.

He was busy at work. Specifically, he was on a tour bus with a bunch of senior citizens.

Tassin, 70, leads fellow seniors on weeklong trips from his native Louisiana. Hes doing another one, to Chicago, in July. And then, two days after it ends, he might become one of Americas most important people.

Tassin is part of Louisianas delegation to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. That means the longtime Republican activist, a retired teacher and state official, is among just 2,472 citizens who might get to determine whether the party nominee is Donald Trump or Ted Cruz or somebody else.

Its a lot of power. And its weighing on him.

One morning I woke up at 4 oclock, couldnt go back to sleep, Tassin said. My friends, half of them say Trump, half say Cruz.

For the last nine presidential elections, Republican convention delegates have been anonymous afterthoughts best known to the world as the human props to politicians convention speeches. When the nomination is locked up well before the convention, as it usually is, the delegates have nearly no power.

This time, they might be kingmakers.

If Trump fails to secure a majority of delegates by the final primaries on June 7, the convention will be contested. Trump, famous dealmaker, will then have to try to wheedle his way to the magic number of 1,237.

In the first round of convention voting, 95 per cent of the delegates are bound  required to vote for a particular candidate based on how their state primary went. But if nobody gets 1,237 in that round, more than half of the delegates are then freed to vote for whomever they want in the second round.

So these people  state politicians, local activists, businesspeople, retirees, at least one dentist, at least one high school senior  have immense leverage. And there are few rules restricting what the candidates can do to sway them.

Delegates probably cant sell their votes outright, and they definitely cant accept cash from corporations, unions or foreigners. But they can take money from campaigns or donors to cover their flights, accommodations and meals, which often run into the thousands of dollars.

They might even be able to accept pre-convention trips. And candidates can get creative with non-monetary perks. At the last competitive Republican convention, in 1976, president Gerald Ford invited delegates to hang out with him on the deck of an aircraft carrier, according to Craig Shirleys book Reagans Revolution.

Its a corrupt and crooked system where youre allowed to take delegates  look, nobody has better toys than I do, Trump said last week. I can put them in the best planes and bring them to the best resorts anywhere in the world, Doral, Mar-a-Lago. I can put them in the best places in the world.

Each state picks its delegates differently, and the Cruz and Trump campaigns are engaged in a furious battle to get true believers on the list. They have also begun their fight for the hearts of the uncommitted.

Tassin, who originally supported Marco Rubio, is now one of the most coveted delegates of all: he is one of the few free to vote as he pleases even on the first ballot. After Rubio dropped out, the Trump campaign sent an emissary to his home in Baton Rouge.

They sat in the kitchen, Tassin said, and the man dutifully listened to his constructive criticism for more than an hour.

I did most of the talking, and he took notes, Tassin said.

Another unbound Louisiana delegate, who asked for anonymity to protect her job at a non-profit, got a phone call on behalf of Trump from former candidate Ben Carson.

I doubt I will know what I will do until I get there. Things seem to change every day, she said. She added, I know people will be angry no matter what I do.

Wyoming, Americas least populous state, is reliably Republican and often ignored by national bigwigs. But unbound Wyoming delegate Ogden Driskill, a state senator and ranch owner, said he has been contacted by some pretty well-known names, including a former presidential candidate who now chats with him regularly.

They tried calling and they left a message, and I never got back to them, and they sent me a text and left their cellphone number. And weve both texted and called fairly steady since then, said Driskill, 57.

Thats not enough for him. What will really do the trick, he said frankly, is access  face-to-face meetings with the current candidates. He wants personal assurances that they will change Obama-era policy on land management and coal.

Well base some (of the nomination decision) on access, and a lot on what they say, he said.

Tassin said he is sleeping a bit easier now that he is nearing a decision. He already knows one thing: hes not going to accept any fancy gifts.

Im 70 years old, he said, and Im not going to do illegal  Im not spending the rest of my life in the federal pen.

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Yes. The unthinkable may indeed happen:

Donald J. Trump, 45th president of the United States.

But it wont be because he has become beloved among American voters. Trump, even though he is now the presumptive Republican nominee, will enter the presidential campaign with the worst unfavourability ratings in U.S. polling history.

And it wont be because he has achieved international credibility. A new survey by the YouGov polling firm of the worlds 20 leading countries indicates that the citizens of only one country  Russia  favour Trump over Hillary Clinton as the next U.S. president.

If it happens, it will likely be the result of a bloody, chaotic October surprise, that quintessentially American political phenomenon sometimes occurring in the final weeks before a presidential election.

And it will come from the unlikeliest of sources, but perhaps Trumps most enthusiastic ally: the bloodthirsty, lunatic and criminal fringe called Daesh, also known as Islamic State or ISIS.

Yes, the unthinkable may indeed happen because of an unholy, however inadvertent, alliance between the two.

Trump needs Daesh, and Americans fear of it, to get elected. Daesh needs Trump, and his racist anti-Muslim policies, to get support.

What better way, using their own twisted logic, to consummate their union than by having Daesh do in the final weeks before the November election something similar to what it did so easily in Paris and Brussels: bring its terror attacks to the American homeland, scare Americans to their core by tapping into memories of 9/11 and completely upend the U.S. presidential race.

Hail to the chief, President Trump.

Related stories:

Its now Clinton versus Trump  and Trump could win: Walkom

Is Donald Trump actually a fascist?

Although shrouded in mystery, an October surprise has often been a factor in U.S. presidential campaigns. After the 1980 campaign, with Jimmy Carter as president, Republican nominee Ronald Reagan was accused of conspiring with Iran in the final weeks of October to delay the release of American hostages being held in Tehran. Reagan ultimately won the election, and the hostages were then released.

There is no doubt which current candidate is favoured by Daesh. Even if unintended, Trumps aggressive anti-Muslim policies have provided a boost to the cause of jihadist terror.

Last month, a new Daesh propaganda video starring Trump was released to encourage recruitment. Its as if Trump is Daeshs American agent.

His threat to shut down mosques, ban Muslims from entering the United States and to force Muslim Americans to be registered, evoking memories of how Jews were treated in Nazi Germany, would inevitably create alienation and resentment among those people who, instead, should be courted as allies.

In recent months, American intelligence officials have been warning of an attack on the United States, likely this year. James Clapper, the director of U.S. National Intelligence, said that Daesh leaders are determined to strike the U.S. homeland.

If the Daesh group decides to target this autumns U.S. presidential election, it will not be unprecedented. In March 2004, three days before the Spanish national elections, an Al Qaeda terror operation attacked the Madrid transit system, killing 181 people. The pro-U.S. governing party was leading the polls at the time. But as a result of the attacks, Spaniards dramatically turned against the government and voted in the opposition.

In a self-styled major foreign policy speech this week, Trump echoed many of his familiar themes. It was largely as incoherent and contradictory as his earlier statements about foreign policy, but he was consistent about one thing.

His speech was restrained, even supportive about Russias role in the world. Somewhat incredibly, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have developed an odd mutual-admiration society. They both talk about how much they respect the other.

It is worth remembering that Putin himself has often been accused of using terror as an instrument of his politics. There is continuing mystery about a series of bloody bombings in three Russian cities in September 1999.

Putin blamed Chechen insurgents for the bombings, and quickly led the country into the second Chechen war. However, there is evidence that these bombings were ordered by Putin himself as a pretext for war.

Lets keep this in mind in October when Putins favourite American politician, Donald J. Trump, runs for U.S. president.

Tony Burman, former head of CBC News and Al Jazeera English, teaches journalism at Ryerson University. Reach him @TonyBurman or at tony.burman@gmail.com .

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PALESTINE, TEXASA 64-year-old woman and four grandchildren were killed early Saturday after a creek overflowed its banks, flooding an East Texas neighbourhood as many residents slept.

Capt. James Muniz of the Palestine Police Department told The Associated Press that six to 10 homes in a Palestine cul-de-sac were severely damaged following heavy rainfall over the course of just a few minutes after midnight. All other residents of the cul-de-sac were accounted for, he said.

"The water got up here extraordinarily quickly. The individuals tried to get out, however the water was already on the roof of the home," Muniz said

The deceased were identified as 64-year-old Lenda Asberry and her grandchildren 6-year-old Jamonicka Johnson; 7-year-old Von Anthony Johnson Jr.; 8-year-old Devonte Asberry and 9-year-old Venetia Asberry.

Around 3:45 a.m., the Palestine Police Department received reports that Asberry and her grandchildren were missing and sent officers to search the houses in waist-deep water.

Merta White was waiting to be rescued from the roof of her house when she saw a bump in the water, the Palestine Herald-Press reported.

"I thought it was a mailbox, but then I realized what it really was, and I started screaming," she said of seeing the body.

The bodies of two of the children were found in the front yard of a residence near the street. A continued search found the bodies Asberry and the two other children.

"The water came down the hill," Muniz said. "The street was full of mud, so the water just came up. With the enormous amount of rain we had, we had people tell us that within minutes, the water was waist deep."

City officials used a dump truck to rescue a man from the roof of a home, Muniz said. One neighbour told authorities that he saw the family but lost sight of them as he waded through water.

The Red Cross has set up a makeshift shelter in Palestine, which is about 100 miles southeast of Dallas and home to about 18,000 residents. Between 20 and 30 people were displaced by the floods, according to Red Cross spokeswoman Anita Foster.

One person remained missing in rural Anderson County, Palestine police spokesman Nate Smith said in a release.

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How can we improve health care so that it better serves patients? As Ontario's minister of health and long-term care, thats the question I ask myself every day. I am responsible for managing the health care system so that it provides patients with faster access to care today and is able to meet patient needs in the future.

Our government has made tremendous progress over the past decade. Since coming into office, we have worked closely with health care providers across the province to make significant investments in health care. Our plan includes investing $51.8 billion in health care in the year ahead  including an increase by over $1 billion this year. That means adding 700 new doctors and specialists this year alone.

Ontarios doctors have been invaluable partners in this progress. Im a family doctor and public health specialist, and I know how hard our doctors work to provide excellent care. Ontarios doctors are the best paid in Canada  and we make no apology for that. They deserve to be well compensated because they are the best.

But we need the Ontario Medical Association (OMA)  the organization that represents Ontarios doctors  to come back to the negotiating table so that we can reach an agreement on physician compensation that is fair for all of us.

The current system is not entirely fair. Changes to how much we pay some specialists have not kept pace with advances in technology. As a result, many specialists make three or four times what the average family doctor makes  and sometimes much more.

Improvements in medical technology have allowed some high-billing specialists to perform many more procedures in the same amount of time, and their billings have gone up and up. Cataract surgery, which used to take more than an hour, can now be performed in 20 minutes or less.

Last year in Ontario, 500 doctors billed more than $1 million. Altogether, those 500 people billed more than $677 million. Those two per cent of doctors accounted for 10 per cent of all doctor billings.

The highest-billing specialists are not doing anything wrong, but they have an advantage over other physicians  including hard-working family doctors  in a billing system that is outdated and needs to catch up with the 21st century.

Spending more and more on those highest-billing doctors means we cant invest as much as we would like to in other patient priorities like hospitals, home care and mental health supports.

Over the last four years, physician billings were almost $750 million over what had been budgeted. That $750 million could have paid for 60,000 chemotherapy treatments; five million more hours of personal support care in patients homes; two million home care nursing visits; and dialysis treatment for 2,100 more patients in hospitals.

We need a growing but predictable budget for the way we pay our doctors.

For more than a year now, I have urged the OMA to come back to the table and restart formal negotiations. Im pleased that they have finally indicated their willingness to resume talks and Im confident we can set a date as soon as possible.

Returning to the table is in the best interest of patients and physicians. And we are willing to discuss mediation/arbitration at the negotiation table, but it cannot be the only item on the agenda.

There are important issues that must be part of formal negotiations. We must reach a long-term agreement that provides for a predictable budget so we can invest in patient priorities. It must address a long-standing inequality in the billing system that disadvantages many of Ontarios physicians. And finally, we must find a way to work together on transforming our health care system to ensure it continues to provide the best care possible to patients, now and for generations to come.

That is what both sides must agree on if we're to ensure a truly sustainable health care system  which, surely, is what all of us want.

Dr. Eric Hoskins is Ontarios minister of health and long-term care.

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Opioid-related deaths have reached a crisis level in Canada.

In light of over 200 recent deaths from fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, the chief medical officer of health of British Columbia has declared B.C.s first ever public health emergency. In neighbouring Alberta, deaths from fentanyl have increased by 4,500 per cent over the last five years. Here in Ontario, one out of every eights deaths among young adults is attributable to opioids.

The opioid epidemic sweeping across the country is affecting people from all walks of life  the young and the old, the wealthy and the homeless. No one is immune.

Thus far, some Canadian provinces have acted in an isolated fashion to stem this public health crisis, but as the death toll continues to rise, the time for a national response is now.

The year ahead will be a significant one for public health and health care in Canada. The federal government, led by physician health minister Jane Philpott, is in the midst of negotiating a new health accord with the provinces. This accord is important because it defines the amount of funding provinces and territories will receive from the federal government to support provincial health programs. This funding allows Ottawa to influence priorities and address areas of need.

The long overdue health accord will chart the course for the future of Canadas health-care system. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in his mandate letter to Minister Philpott, explicitly called for the new accord to make high quality mental health services more available to Canadians who need them.

Central to the dialogue of improving mental health services must be recognition of the importance of addressing addictions. These must be thought of as mental health issues, rather than issues of personal responsibility, crime and blame.

So, what can the new health accord do?

First, funding must be made available for increased harm reduction services across the country. The federal government has breathed new life into effective harm reduction strategies such as supervised injection sites, and Health Canada recently announced that naloxone, an antidote to opioids, would be made available without a prescription at pharmacies. Both of these strategies must be rapidly scaled-up across Canada.

Second, the federal government should help ensure individuals receive effective and timely treatment for their addictions. This not only means greater access to counselling and therapy, but also to opioid substitution therapies like methadone and buprenorphine. These medications provide stability in the life of people who use drugs so that they can recover and improve functioning. Referral to these treatments should be available for patients whenever they interact with the health-care system, whether it is at their family doctor or when they come into the emergency department with an overdose.

The health accord must also address the root cause of addictions. The medical community is in part culpable for the opioid crisis: inappropriate prescribing of opioids in the management of chronic pain by physicians is a known driver of addictions.

As a result, it is incumbent upon physicians to be a part of the solution. Emphasis should be placed on improving clinical guidelines on opioid prescribing and the pathways of care for managing patients with chronic pain. Increased funding for non-opioid and non-pharmaceutical pain management solutions and improved access to specialist care for these patients will also prevent opioid addictions from starting in the first place.

Finally, these new services should be informed by valid data and research. Currently, it is difficult to compare the number of opioid-related deaths between provinces as provincial coroners collect the information differently. The federal government should strengthen standardized data collection and research that would guide improved public health action.

Ultimately, the new health accord must prioritize a radical approach to mental health and addiction in order to curb the rise in opioid-related deaths in Canada. The approach should be grounded in harm reduction and treatment, while focusing on targeting the upstream factors that cause and perpetuate addictions.

As the federal government seeks to work with the provinces on the negotiation of a new health accord, addictions have to be a priority.

Thomas Piggott and Jia Hu are co-chairs of the Public Health Physicians of Canada Residents Council.

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There are few answers and little comfort to be found in the release of a secret report into the killing of Andrew Loku, a 45-year-old father of five from South Sudan shot by police last summer.

Premier Kathleen Wynne may claim to have kept her pledge to make this document public, but the 34-page report has been so heavily redacted that it fails to resolve unexplained circumstances still clouding Lokus death.

Only nine pages of the Special Investigations Unit report were issued on Friday. The identities of all nine officers cited in the document were censored, including that of the constable who fired two shots into Lokus chest. He was described simply as the Subject Officer. And the names of all 15 civilian witnesses interviewed were also kept secret.

The result scarcely advances public insight into this troubling case. The conclusions of SIU Director Tony Loparco have already been reported. He found that the so-called Subject Officer was acting in self-defence when Loku, armed with a hammer, advanced on him and another constable. According to the report, Loku raised the hammer above his head and came within about a couple of metres of police before being shot.

But at least one eye-witness has come forward saying that Loku wasnt posing a threat when he was killed, was not advancing, and had not raised his hammer. That discrepancy goes unaddressed in the SIU report, with Loparco going as far as to claim that officers at the scene plus an independent civilian witness paint a clear and compelling picture of the events culminating in Lokus death.

On the contrary, what happened is hardly clear, even with the release of this report.

Before a concerned public can accept Loparcos exoneration of police its essential to know how he reconciled contradictory witness evidence  if he even heard it  and officers version of what happened.

Near the end of his report Loparco criticizes an unnamed Toronto police officer, who wasnt a witness in this affair, for attempting to review and download video recordings of activity in the hallway where Loku was shot. I have not as yet heard an adequate explanation for the officers conduct.

Loparco acknowledges public concern over a possible gap in the video. But he goes on to say there was nothing nefarious about the so-called gap in question, noting that the camera simply didnt record what happened. Again, this is hardly reassuring. Some explanation of the SIUs proof supporting that conclusion would have been helpful.

Loparcos main concern over improper reviewing of this video wasnt to do with Lokus death but its impact on his agencys reputation. He worried that having a Toronto officer meddle with the recording before SIU investigators had a chance to look at it worked to undercut public faith in Ontarios system of overseeing police.

This case is a classic example of how conduct of the type in question detracts from community confidence, he wrote. Loparco went on to note that he would be raising this matter with the chief of police.

In short, he had no issue with the killing of Loku, but planned to take action on how police conduct in this case affected his own agency.

The report does make a credible case that officers didnt know Loku had a history of mental health problems when he was shot. The confrontation occurred in a Canadian Mental Health Association apartment building providing subsidized housing for people with such issues, but police were not made aware of that function. The association expressly didnt tell police or the public about its clientele for fear of creating a stigma. They wanted this housing to be anonymous in the neighbourhood, wrote Loparco.

In addition to releasing parts of this report, the government also announced on Friday that Ontario Court of Appeal Judge Michael Tulloch will head a review of police oversight in Ontario. He is to report back with recommendations next year and one would hope they will include calling for disclosure of all SIU reports into deadly police shootings.

Unfortunately, the disappointing result of releasing Loparcos findings only underlines how much further the province needs to go toward the openness necessary to restore public confidence in its supervision of police.

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The horrifying death of seven-year-old Katelynn Sampson has already led to changes in how Ontarios child protection services act to prevent violence against the provinces most vulnerable kids. For one, Torontos four child-protection agencies have improved how they share information.

Now, seven and a half years after she was beaten to death by her legal guardians, a coroners jury has recommended that children in the child welfare system be placed at the centre of any investigation and should be consulted in any crucial decisions about their care.

The provinces advocate for children and youth, Irwin Elman, proposes that this be enshrined in law as Katelynns Principle as a way of memorializing a little girl who was so badly let down by a system supposedly dedicated to protecting her and others like her. He says it would place the child at the centre of the child welfare system.

The coroners jury made 173 recommendations on Friday, most of them involving more specific measures such as better training for child protection workers and better information-sharing. But it would be a fitting tribute to Katelynn for the province to act on the jurys first recommendation and make Katelynns Principle official policy.

Police, child experts and now the coroners inquest have been examining the girls fate for longer than she was alive. She died in August 2008, after months of violent abuse by her guardians, Donna Irving and Warren Johnson, who are serving life sentences for her death.

The coroners jury heard that three agencies  including the Childrens Aid Society and Native Child and Family Services  were contacted about Katelynn before her death. Yet they missed opportunities to help her and did not share information on the case. The principal of her school filed a report with CAS, but did not follow up with the agency. It was a litany of error and neglect.

All that is well known and amply documented. The important thing is to make sure that the provinces child welfare system becomes truly responsive to other young children who are exposed to abuse. Katelynns Principle would be a good place to start.

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Users on social media have reacted to the horrendous footage emerging from Syria's Aleppo as fighting in the city intensifies and aid organisations are largely absent

As a humanitarian catastrophe unfolds in Syria after deadly fighting intensified in Syrias Aleppo, over 11 million tweets on social media call attention to how users want to shed light on the bloodshed by #MakingFacebookRed and by using the worldwide trending hashtag #AleppoIsBurning that started sweeping Twitter Friday. In order to highlight the suffering of Syrians, more than 36,000 social media users have pledged to deactivate their Facebook accounts on Sunday 12:00am Aleppo local time.

Novelist and producer Noor Al Haraki, ambassador of the International Organization for Development and Human Rights and Chairman of the Global Arab Forum for Peace, said that the 11 million tweets and posts for Aleppo that went viral on Instagram and twitter represent "cries for world conscience awakening" to save Syria.

The users are pressuring Facebook to initiate a safety check for Syria, the same as safety checks Facebook offered during the Paris attacks. By deactivating their accounts at 12.00am Aleppo local time, Facebook users are hoping to reach 100,000 deactivations, in order to make Facebook lose money for not acknowledging the suffering of the Syrian people and for remaining silent about what users have labelled as "genocide" of the Syrian people, as stated on the Facebook event.

Many Facebook users have turned their profile pictures red to raise awareness on the Syrian humanitarian catastrophe, most recently the horrendous attacks in Aleppo. Social media reactions augmented as at least 200 people have been killed in the last nine days in airstrikes and shelling on contested neighbourhoods of the city, including a vital medical facility that was hit Wednesday.

In the worst recent attack, an air strike destroyed a hospital in a rebel held area overnight Wednesday-Thursday. The French charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which supported the hospital, said Friday the death toll had risen to at least 50, including six medics.

The United Nations along with the Arab League and several international organisations have strongly condemned the attacks and called for a revival of peace talks, especially that the government ceasefire excludes Aleppo.

Nisan Ahmado, a Syrian blogger, told Ahram Online that the absence of international organisations in disaster areas in Syria makes it difficult for them to report what is happening. Social media is filling the vacuum in the stead of these organisations that themselves should fill the void made by collapsing governmental and civil institutions.

The Syrian conflict has killed more than 240,000 people, forced more than four million to flee the country, among them two million children, and left some 7.6 million internally displaced, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria said in its latest report.

In the Syrian case, there is a sense that the atrocities that people are going through are treated in a mechanical and indifferent manner. Especially when it comes to reacting against the bombing of hospitals, an urgency to protest and act is created on social media.  Ahmado says.

A number of insurgent groups control several neighbourhoods of Syria's largest city and economic hub, which has been rocked by airstrikes and is being attacked from the west, south and east by government forces. The only rebel supply line is a corridor that links the city with northern parts of the province, leading to the Turkish border, AP reports.

Government forces and their allies control most of the eastern neighbourhoods as well as the international airport and the nearby Nairab Airbase.

Militants from the Islamic State group used to control several neighbourhoods in Aleppo, but they were forced out by other rebels in early 2014.

The main Kurdish militia, known as the People's Protection Units, or YPG, controls several predominantly Kurdish northern neighbourhoods.

The main insurgent groups in the city are the ultraconservative Ahrar Al-Sham group; the Nour El-Din Zengi; the Tawhid Brigade; and Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda's branch in Syria. Smaller groups are also involved in the fighting

It seems to me that in the Syrian case international organisations' role is now limited to documentation and authentication rather than reporting and demanding action, Ahmado adds.

Arab League Secretary General Nabil El-Araby said in a statement Friday that the people responsible for the crimes committed in Syria must be punished. He stressed the need for more effort to sustain a ceasefire and allow the delivery of humanitarian aid into areas suffering from armed struggle.



Al-Araby renewed the Arab League's call for pursuing a political resolution to the Syrian crisis.

Social medias imperative role

The trending hashtags started spreading once pictures of the attack on the hospital circulated on social media and more photos and videos followed. Users started calling for action, especially after a pediatrician was killed in the hospital attack. MSF said at least 14 patients and three doctors had been killed in the air strike on Al-Quds Hospital.

Among those killed was Mohammed Wasim Moaz, one of the city's last pediatricians, MSF said.

Social media is closer to people, faster, and easier to reach by anyone who can cast out a message to a larger audience. It is more efficient and effective in conflict areas because it cannot be restricted, and it is an open source of information 24/7, Ahmado adds.

You don't have to be Syrian to feel their pain, you just have to be human.#_ #PrayForAllepo pic.twitter.com/qrA8j1q7ld  Farida (@FaridaNagy) April 30, 2016

Because social media users also realise that actions speak louder than words, in addition to the hashtags and posts, some put together links to organisations with campaigns supporting the Syrian people and asked others who wish to donate money to Syria to contact these organisations. They underlined that the donation can be small, but that anything would help.

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Canadians who are feeling the annual sting of tax season have a little something to cheer about this year. The feds are finally cracking down on tax dodgers who finagle their way out of paying their fair share as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau puts it.

The Canada Revenue Agency has been on a tear in recent years to root out tax evasion and aggressive avoidance by wealthy people and corporations, and the results are impressive. CRA has recovered billions that would otherwise have been lost to the federal treasury. These efforts are putting tax dodgers on notice that the days of impunity for those with deep pockets and overly artful accountants are coming to an end.

Recent reporting on the Panama Papers by the Star and other media organizations  exposing crime, corruption and wrongdoing enabled by secretive offshore companies  has sparked public outrage over the scourge of tax dodging and has fuelled a sense of injustice and inequality.

One of the things that weve seen around the world, and not just with the Panama Papers, but with the various concerns about the one per cent or the 0.1 per cent (of the wealthiest) not paying their fair share, is that there is an increasing desire for transparency and accountability and making sure that everyone is participating to a fair degree, Trudeau said recently, referencing the corrosive effect.

The Canadian government, finally, is beginning to tackle the problem.

To their credit Stephen Harpers Conservatives began to address the so-called tax gap, and their efforts have succeeded beyond expectations.

Back in 2013 the Harper government was stung by criticism that it had been winking at Daddy Warbucks scofflaws who had been parking undeclared money offshore, and otherwise dodging taxes. The Tories gave the CRA a sharp prod, and new funding, and compliance improved dramatically.

Canadians have $200 billion in declared assets offshore, costing governments $8 billion in foregone revenues. At the time Ottawa anticipated recovering about $700 million between 2013 and 2015 through beefed-up monitoring of tax compliance. Since then the CRA has recovered more than $2.7 billion, nearly four times the expected tally, CBC reported this past week. Last year alone the feds brought in $1.57 billion, three times what they had expected. And all for a relatively paltry $15 million outlay to fund a CRA swat team that was tasked with chasing down evaders.

Clearly, Ottawa doesnt have to spend a fortune to recover money that should be funding federal programs including health, infrastructure, higher education and social supports.

With that success in mind the Liberal government has just boosted CRAs funding by $444 million over five years to deploy 100 more auditors and improve vigilance. That should take enforcement to the next level.

The compliance crackdown, beginning with the Isle of Man, is expected to generate an extra $2.6 billion over five years. And Ottawa aims to recover $7.4 billion more in outstanding tax debts.

As well CRA is creating a panel on offshore tax evasion and aggressive tax planning, with an eye to measuring the tax gap, discouraging offshore non-compliance, improving criminal investigations and other measures.

This comes as Statistics Canada reported that Canadian corporations and individuals poured almost $40 billion into offshore tax havens last year, more than four times the year before. And that was just the money that was declared.

CRAs crackdown, coupled with the data on offshore investment, show the value of tightening the tax laws and stepping up enforcement to curb erosion of the tax base. Every dodgy dollar recovered is a win for Canadians who play fair and pay their share.

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Re: PM and Notleys political love affair a futile pipe dream, April 27

Re: Cap and trade best way to reduce emissions, Opinion April 28

PM and Notleys political love affair a futile pipe dream, April 27

Bravo Thomas Walkom for calling to question the absurd nonsense thats been parroted of late. He recently called out the weird hysteria over the Leap Manifesto, and now the claim that we can have our pipelines and climate action too.

Marc Lee, of the Canadian Centre of Policy Alternatives, recently examined the C02 output of the proposed pipelines. According to Lee, the annual lifecycle emissions for each of the pipelines would be greater than all of B.C.s annual [greenhouse gas] emissions, and are equivalent to a sizeable share of Canadas emissions broke down.

If Canada truly wants to be a global leader in the transition to a clean energy economy, it will need to account for the fossil fuels extracted on home turf and shipped abroad to be burned. And, any serious national carbon fee  which the Prime Minister proposes  must be applied at the wellhead or point it enters the market and rise by $10 per ton every year.

Its time Canada stop talking out of both sides of its mouth. Pipelines are so last decade. Its all about clean tech now and we cannot afford to be left behind.

Cheryl McNamara, Toronto

Thomas Walkom asks, Does anyone really think that the proposed Energy East pipeline, which would bring crude oil from the Alberta tarsands to New Brunswick and which is being questioned by environmentalists and First Nations communities, would have an easier time?

Well, heres what I would request of those environmentalists and First Nations communities: please find equal vigour to ask where todays supplies of oil are coming from to serve those in the East (as if they didnt already know)?

Is Canada and its environment seriously better off by importing crude from the theocracies of the Middle East, who pay no attention to the implications for global-warming?

Jeff Barker, Mississauga

Justin Trudeau and Rachel Notley know very well that promoting pipelines is a way for them to avoid giving munitions to their main political opponents, the provincial and federal Conservatives.

As Thomas Walkom described, there is no need to build new pipelines, including those going to tidewater. The primary export market for Western Canadian crude, especially heavy crude, is the U.S. market.

The 2015 CAPP report, Crude Oil, Forecast Markets & Transportation, clearly shows that existing and in-construction (refurbishing and expanding) pipelines carrying oil to the U.S. have sufficient capacity at least until 2020. Conventional oil production in Western Canada is already in decline and megaprojects development in the bitumen oil field are likely to be on hold permanently.

There are no potential international markets for Canadian crude oil: refineries in Europe have a very low capacity to process heavy oil from the bitumen oil sands compared to the U.S. and Asia, as the rest of the world is flooded with cheap, easy-to-refine light oil.

As American oil producers can now export their light fracked crude oil to international markets, it gives Canadian oil producers the possibility to ship any new volume of crude oil to be refined in the U.S.

The only reason why Trudeau and Notley are pushing for new pipelines to tidewater is politics.

Rene Ebacher, Toronto

Who are the people at the various climate meetings? Do they bring opinions, agendas, or facts? I propose that any future meeting invite four additional experts.

First, physics, to explain how the Earth system continues to retain excess energy, mostly in the form of heat. Mathematics can explain how the continual addition of greenhouse gases results in nonlinear (exponential) increases in heat retention. Chemistry can talk about ocean acidification due to dissolved carbon dioxide.

Lastly, biology can remind us how, when we are already sick with a high fever, just one more degree in our temperature can kill us.

James Deutsch, professor, Psychology Department, University of Toronto

Cap and trade best way to reduce emissions, Opinion April 28

Cap and trade may well be the best way to reduce emissions in the short term. The best way in the long term, and indeed the only way to get to net zero emissions, which is where we must go if we are to stop climate change, is for the federal government to create the infrastructure necessary to replace fossil fuels by electricity.

If we electrify trains, stimulate manufacture of electric vehicles, install hydrogen stations and battery replacement centres capable of rapidly replacing batteries for electrically powered vehicles, heat homes by electricity, maximize solar, wind and tidal power locations and stop subsidizing the fossil fuel industry, emissions will be reduced to what nature can assimilate, as they must be.

Climate change is advancing relentlessly. Why are we waiting?

Ken Ranney, Peterborough

Yes, we do need a Canada-wide cap on emissions. However, cap and trade is yet another way for corporations to escape responsibility. Polluting with your oil wells and pipelines? Just pay some poor Third World country for their failure to produce greenhouse gases. Buy their poverty to feed your greed. This does nothing to reduce climate change. It just shifts the blame.

What we need is a fee and dividend system, whereby the polluters pay and the citizens profit. And we need a low absolute cap on all emissions. Cap the emissions and charge a hefty fee at their source.

Do the 1 per cent have no children? Do they really think they can buy their own personal safety from the results of climate change? Is this why they continue to fiddle while the planet burns?

Kate Chung, Toronto

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A woman and her four grandchildren died after heavy floods in Texas swept them away from their house overnight, police said.

Floodwater in the town of Palestine -- around 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Dallas -- rose quickly after a creek behind a residential area overflowed its banks, local media reported.

The victims were a 64-year-old woman and her grandchildren aged six, seven, eight and nine, police said in a statement.

"The water just came up extremely fast," Palestine police Captain James Muniz told NBC News. "Before they knew it, water was waist-high, then chest-high and then it was roof-line."

Police were informed the victims were missing shortly after midnight on Friday and discovered their bodies around 3:45 am (0745 GMT).

The fast-moving floodwaters displaced six to eight more families from their houses on the same block, police said.

Storms moving through central and southern states on Friday and early Saturday caused the flooding.

Thunderstorms are expected to continue threatening parts of the South with flash-flooding on Saturday.

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As the world marked the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death last week, Ahram Online looks at the influence Shakespeare has had on generations of Egyptian cultural figures and audiences alike

Last week, the fourth centenary of the death of Shakespeare was marked all over the world.

The celebrations extended to Egypt where, throughout recent decades, the 17th century English playwright and poet has remained very present on the country's theatre stages. The Bard continues to inspire Egyptian theatre creators while actors work to present his most challenging characters.

Suffice to look at state and independent theatres, students and professionals, performances in cities and in the governorates to realise how many attempts there have been  and continue to be  of presenting Shakespeare's plays to Egyptian audiences.

During the 2015-2016 season so far, Egyptian troupes have performed Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream and King Lear, among others.

And naturally, Shakespeare peaked in the past two years, which marked celebrations of the playwright's 450th birth anniversary (2014) and commemorations of the 400th anniversary of his death (2016).

Creators and cultural players in Cairo and Alexandria focused on Shakespeare in particular, and their efforts were additionally intensified last week. Cairo held a few seminars on Shakespeare, while the Bibliotheca Alexandrina organised the "Shakespeare 400: Forever and a Day" festival that gave an indepth look at the poet through many mediums.

The never ending reservoire of universality

According to renowned theatre critics, the universality of the Shakespearean plays and their topics places them outside any specific spatio-temporal moment. As such, the Bards tragedies and comedies alike touch human minds at any time and at any place.



"Shakespeare is the humanist playwright, said Mohamed Enani, professor of English literature and a translator who opened a symposium that was held last week at the premises of the Supreme Council of Culture in Cairo.

Since 1964, Enani translated 25 of Shakespeares dramatic texts and 37 works about the Bard.



When speaking to Ahram Hebdo about the playwrights influence on Egyptian theatre, Enani moved back to the early 20th century, to 1916, when the world celebrated poets 300th death anniversary.

"In those days. Great Britain invited the Egyptian poet Hafez Ibrahim to Stratford, Shakespeare's birthplace. Ibrahim read a poem he wrote especially for the occasion. At the time, Egypt was still under the British Mandate and everyone criticised Hafez for participating in an event organised by the occupying forces. Ibrahim defended himself saying that Shakespeare is the humanist poet," Enani said.



In his book Shakespeare fi Masr (Shakespeare in Egypt), published in 1985, the historian and critic Ramses Awad talks about Egyptian theatre in the years between 1915 and 1930, stressing its burlesque character. Awad explains that this theatre was often criticised for the "light content" it was offering to audiences.



According to the author, in order to remedy this problem, the Ministry of Education considered founding the Institute of Dramatic Arts, an institution that would train actors and other professionals working in theatre. A special selection committee was formed with the aim of researching international texts and chosing the works that would add value to the world of performing arts in Egypt.



The committee included a number of renowned intellectuals  among them Egyptian poet and dramatist Ahmed Shawqi (1868-1932), Egyptian-Lebanese poet and journalist Khalil Mutran (1872-1949), pioneer of the Egyptian theatre George Abyad (1880-1959) and actor and director Zaki Tolyamat (1894-1982). The first texts selected were those of Shakespeare. Since then, the English poets influence remained significant in Egypt.



Enani underlines also that "in 1900, Mohamed Effat is known to have provided a first important translation of Macbeth to Arabic. Later on, Mutran, who was appointed director of Cairos National Theatre, also translated Shakespeare," Enani says.

In an article published in Al-Ahram Weekly in 2006, Enani elaborated that "It was not until the 1930s that serious translation work started in earnest. Khalil Mutran, the great Lebanese-Egyptian poet, produced prose translations, possibly from French, of some of Shakespeare's plays."



The success of those translations influenced other poets, such as Shawqi and Salah Abdel Sabour (1931-1981) who began following the Shakespearean model in their own dramatic works.



"Shawqi even incorporated extracts from Shakespearean dialogues into his works. The literature professor Ahmed Etman (1945-2013) has even proven that Shawqi wrote Cleopatra and Antony as a response to Shakespeares tragedy. In his text, Shawqi obviously sympathised with the Egyptian queen," explains critic and professor of theatrical arts Nehad Selaiha.

In the 1960s, supported by the newly founded Ministry of Culture, Egyptian theatre began flourishing and stagings of Shakespeares plays were in abundance in Cairo and outside the capital. But it didnt take long for this "serious theatre" to lose its alure and be replaced by private commercial theatre productions.



"The 1980s, however, brings to our mind the play The Merry Wives of Windsor translated by Dr. Enany into colloquial Arabic and staged at the state 'Al-Talia' theatre. The performance was set in Mamluk Egypt," recalls Selaiha.



The emergence of independent theatre swiftly followed and newly born young troupes began providing new and often experimental adaptations of Shakespeare.

With the new millennium  especially in the early 2000s  Shakespeare became highly fashionable.



For example, state theatres witnessed runs of King Lear (2002), directed by Ahmed Abdel Halim and starring Yehia El-Fakharani. Performed in a classical format, the play remained successful for three consecutive seasons.

On the one hand, El-Fakharanis name attracted audiences to the National Theatre once again. On the other, however, the director managed to remold the Shakespeares text written in 1606 and into an accessible performance for a contemporary audience.

On the thematic level, the director decided to stress the social dimension of the play, shedding light on the themes of family crisis and childrens ingratitude. To boost the rhythm of the language the director leaned on the works of vernacular poet Ahmad Fouad Negm (1929-2013).



Selaiha recalls yet another memorable performance, that of Julius Caesar which "was a brilliant work coming from a young director, Sameh Bassiouni. The show was a big success, despite its classical angle. Bassiouni shed light on the acting of the characters while incorporating an interesting choreography by Atef Awad," Selaiha explains.

Other creators went even further in their on-stage takes on Shakespeare, often confronting in a surprising way both the classical and tragic features of Shakesperean texts. Some opted for stressing the burlesque, or comic, element."This new trend was mainly initiated by the director Khaled Galal who had already staged a number of the Bards plays before embarking on a performance titled Shakespeare One, Two (1998), in which he made a parody of Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Hamlet and Macbeth," Selaiha says. The Creativity Centre then staged other burlesque takes on Shakespeare with The Hamlet Junction (1999) and A Mid-August Nights Dream (2002).It is in this context that Galal used laughter, improvisation and disguise to dilute the tension and darkness hidden in those plays.Furthermore, the three successive performances of Galals Creativity Studio also aimed at approaching Shakespeare differently, bringing to audiences new concepts of King Lear, Hamlet and Macbeth."Sometimes parody or any short adaptation can serve to reveal the directors unique talent. For instance Mac and Ly, a musical adaptation of Macbeth by Marwa Radwan, offered a comic and feminist take on the original work. All those experimentations work as long as they do not fall into the cheap laughter category," comments Selaiha.Past years also offered a memorable play titled Ana Hamlet (I am Hamlet) directed by Hani Afifi.

The director approached the protagonist from the perspective of a young Egyptian citizen who takes the subway everyday to go to work. With the characters reminding us of regular Egyptians, this staging broke many taboos associated with Shakespeare's form and meanings.

On the other hand, the same protagonist found his way to the contemporary dance performance titled Hamlet (2016), directed and choreographed by Monadel Antar.

Those are the only a few of dozens of examples of how Egyptian culture creators from all generations are inspired by Shakespeare, exploring his timeless themes, adapting them to their changing reality, and pulling from them new meanings time and again.

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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Followers of Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr are seen in the parliament building after they stormed Baghdad's Green Zone after lawmakers failed to convene for a vote on overhauling the government, in Iraq April 30, 2016 (Reuters)

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Egypts prosecutor-general is sending a request for information on the cases from UK and US officials

Egypt's top prosecutor Nabil Sadek ordered on Thursday an investigation into the deaths of two Egyptians who died under suspicious circumstances earlier this month in the United States and the UK.

The prosecutor-general ordered investigations into the deaths of Mohamed Mahmoud Rushdie in Indiana, who was found dead in a dumpster, and British-Egyptian Adel Habib, who died earlier this week in a garage blaze in London.

Habibs death is being investigating by British Metropolitan police and is unexplained at this stage in the investigation, according to a statement by the British embassy in Cairo.

Rushdie, who had gone missing on 20 April before his body was discovered, was found bearing signs of torture.

Egypts prosecutor-general ordered his offices International Cooperation Department to prepare a request for information on the cases from UK and US officials.

According to a statement issued by the Egyptian foreign ministry on Thursday evening, the General Egyptian Consulate in Chicago is following Rushdies case.

The consul has met with Indiana investigators to receive the latest updates about the crime.

The foreign ministrys spokesperson said that the ministry summoned the head of the Consular Section at the US embassy in Cairo to stress the importance of uncovering the truth and finding those responsible.

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Auction of brands and trademarks of Kingfisher Airlines turned out to be a damp squib on Saturday as lenders failed to attract a single bidder for sale of these pledged assets at a reserve price of Rs 366.70 crore in their efforts to recover unpaid loans from beleaguered Vijay Mallya.

This is the second failed attempt by the 17-bank consortium led by state-run behemoth SBI to recover some money from Mallya, after an earlier auction of Kingfisher House -- the erstwhile headquarters of the long-defunct airline -- met with a similar fate, with no bidder coming forward.

The items on sale during Saturday's e-auction included the the Kingfisher logo as also the once-famous tagline 'Fly the Good Times'. The other trademarks on sale included Flying Models, Funliner, Fly Kingfisher and Flying Bird Device.

The reserve price for the trademarks was kept at Rs 366.70 crore, which is not even one-tenth of the price at which it was pledged as a collateral for the loan. Sources, however, said the reserve price was "too high" for any bidder to come in.

"There were no bids, possibly because the reserve price was considered very high. Though the reserve price was set much lower than its original valuation at the time of taking the brand as collateral, people still found it to be high," a banking source said.

The online auction began at 11:30 am and lasted for an hour without any success. It was conducted by SBICAP Trustee Company on behalf of lenders under the Sarfaesi Act.

The Kingfisher brand itself was valued at over Rs 4,000 crore by Grant Thornton when the airline was at its peak.

In its annual report for 2012-13, KFA said that at its peak, it was the largest airline in India, with a five-star rating from Skytrax. The airline's brand had been registered separately from the Kingfisher beer trademarks.

A senior banker said, "The interest for this auction could have been from existing airline operators, but no one will come. It is better to start a new airline company than to buy this brand and revive it."

In a previous attempt at recovery of dues, which have ballooned to over Rs 9,000 crore after taking into account the interest component, the banks had conducted an auction of Kingfisher House last month, but did not find any takers at a reserve price of Rs 150 crore.

Sources said the lenders might now try to lower the reserve price in both the cases in their future efforts to sell these pledged assets.

The Kingfisher House property has a built-up area of over 17,000 square feet in posh Vile Parle near domestic airport here.

Mallya, who left India on March 2 and is currently in London, has a non-bailable warrant against him in a money-laundering investigation. His passport has also been revoked. Earlier this week, the government said it has written to the British government seeking Mallya's deportation.

In an interview to the Financial Times, the liquor baron, however, said he is in a "forced exile" and has no plans at the moment to return to India where things are flying at him "fast and furious".

"I definitely would like to return to India. Right now, things are flying at me fast and furious. My passport has been revoked. I don't know what the government is going to do next," he said.

Mallya said he wanted a "reasonable" settlement with creditor banks for his defunct airline, but they "are not getting any money" by taking his passport or arresting him.
The Supreme Court on Saturday refused to give more time to taxi operators in the National Capital Region (NCR) to switch from diesel to the cleaner compressed natural gas (CNG).

The deadline for the change, which has been extended twice, is Saturday.

A number of cab operators and their associations urged the court for an extension of the deadline, but a bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice R. Banumati refused the request.

The apex court, by its December 16, 2015 order, had initially asked the diesel cab operators in Delhi to switch over to CNG by March 1. However, by its January 5, 2016 order, the court, bringing all the diesel taxis operating in the NCR in the ambit of its December 16 order, extended the deadline to March 31.

On March 31 on a request by diesel cab operators, the time was extended to April 30 with court then making it clear that it would give not further extension of time to switch over to CNG.

The matter related to steps to be taken to curb alarming increase in air pollution in the national capital.
Temperamental Trinamool Congress candidate and deputy speaker of the West Bengal assembly Sonali Guha on Saturday landed in a controversy after she was seen giving instructions over phone to "thrash the CPI-M agent".

Sonali Guha | TV grab/YouTube

Taking cognisance of the remarks, the Election Commission (EC) ordered a first information report (FIR) against Guha, who is defending her Satgachhia assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas.

Accusing the EC of not taking remedial measures despite a malfunctioning EVM that disrupted polls in a booth in Kashibati in her constituency for over an hour, Guha staged a sit-in protest along with some of her party activists.

"The EVM here has been malfunctioning; it has been more than an hour that polling has been stopped because of that, but the EC has taken no action. "I will continue my sit-in unless the EVM is replaced," said Guha.

A little later, talking over her mobile, Guha was shown by TV news channels as saying: "Mere baar kore dis CPM agentder ekdom, ora EVM kharap kore rekhe diye che" (Thrash and drive away the CPM agents from the booth, they are behind the EVM not functioning)."

Both the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Congress condemned her remarks and demanded Guha be arrested immediately.

"She should be immediately arrested for her remarks. Not only that, the EC should ensure that such people are barred from contesting the polls,a state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.

CPI-M politburo member Mohammad Salim echoed Chowdhury's views and said the party has moved the EC with a complaint.

"We have taken cognisance of the remarks by Sonali Guha and the returning officer has been directed to file an FIR against her,a said an EC official.

This is not the first time that Guha has hogged the limelight for the wrong reasons.

Last August, she was censured by her own party for calling leader of the opposition and CPI-M state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra "nine months pregnanta.

In December 2014 she was caught on camera threatening and manhandling residents of an apartment in Howrah district. Her actions had even led to Governor K. N. Tripathi expressing displeasure.

In 2008, she allegedly abused a police officer of Nodakhali police station in South 24 Parganas.
China and Japan agreed to step up efforts to improve their relations frozen over rival claims on a group of islands as the Foreign Ministers of the world's second and the third-largest economies held rare talks after a gap of over four years.

On a fence mending visit, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida held talks with Chinesecounterpart Wang Yi. He also met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and State Councillor Yang Jiechi.

Receiving Kishida, Wang said "if you come with sincerity we welcome you".

"We have seen signs of improvement in China-Japan relations. However, there is still a lack of mutual trust between the two sides. Your visit this time is of positive significance," Wang said.

Outlining China's thinking over shoring up the ties between the two countries, Wang said they should have a more positive and healthy attitude toward the growth of China and should stop spreading or echoing all kinds of "China threat" or "China economic recession" theories.

Kishida highlighted that China's development means opportunities for Japan, saying that the Japanese side commends China for its positive role and contributions in many international and regional affairs.

As the world's third- and second-largest economies, Japan and China shoulder more responsibilities for the development and prosperity of Asia and beyond, Kishida said.

The two ministers agreed to step up efforts to accelerate the pace of improvement in political relations, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported.

High-level ties between the two countries have remained largely frozen since Japan nationalised a group of uninhabited East China Sea islands claimed by China in 2012. The move sparked deep anger in China.

The uninhabited islands - believed to be rich with oil and minerals - are called Senkakus by Japan andDiaoyu by China.

The island dispute led to polarisation of sentiments in both the countries affecting their flourishing trade ties.

Kishida stressed the need of stronger mutual trust by promoting cooperation in various nonpolitical fields, such as economics, the environment and youth exchanges, according to the ministry.

Wang said that China-Japan ties must be based on "respect for history, adherence to commitment and cooperation rather than confrontation."

Wang said China and Japan are neighbours and stressed that China is willing to develop a healthy and stable relationship with Japan.
Egypts FM said that Turkish officials should 'look to their own political position' after his Turkish counterpart said that Egypt was fragile under Sisis rule

The Egyptian foreign ministry has slammed recent comments by Turkeys FM about Egypt being fragile under President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's leadership, saying that such statements reflect the psychological state of Turkish officials since Egypts 30 June revolution of 2013.

Egypt's foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid told MENA that Turkish officials should look after their political positions in their own country, whose relations with the rest of the world are suffering from "isolation" and "hollow slogans."

Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a visit to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday that the Arab world, Africa and Palestine needed Egypt to be a strong force in the region, and that the county is in a very fragile state under President El-Sisi's administration.

Relations between Egypt and Turkey have been tense since the ouster of Egypt's Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, an ally of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in July 2013.

The Turkish president has repeatedly called for Morsi's release from detention.

Morsi is currently standing trial in four separate cases.

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The naval exercises between Egypt and UAE were held off the coast of the Gulf state

Egypt and the United Arab Emirates concluded on Friday their two-week long joint military drill in the Gulf country's waters, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

The Khalifa II military and naval exercise included naval reconnaissance of enemy targets as well combat training techniques such as handling enemy targets at sea, storming suspect vessels, ship combat, and coordinating with air forces to receive air support.

During a visit by Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to Cairo last week, the UAE pledged $4 billion to Egypt, half as a deposit in the central bank and the other half in investments in developmental projects.

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More than 60 percent of small and medium-sized enterprises oppose the government's idea of introducing substitute public holidays to spur consumption, a survey says. Substitute holidays add a day off on Friday or Monday if the holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday.

According to the survey of 441 SMEs nationwide published by the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business on Monday, 63.9 percent opposed substitute holidays, nearly double the 35.4 percent who were in favor.

Predictably, opposition was stronger in the manufacturing industry (70.5 percent) than in the non-manufacturing industry (58 percent), and among small businesses (64.2 percent) than medium-sized enterprises (58.4 percent).

As about the reasons for their opposition, 50.4 percent said they would not be able to take the days off anyway, so their workers could feel disadvantaged compared to staff of large firms. Some 36.6 percent worried about increased labor costs, and 13 percent said the measure would do nothing to boost consumption.

Meanwhile, some 52.5 percent of SMEs said that they cannot afford to observe substitute holidays even if they are introduced.

The idea was approved in a meeting of ministers and vice ministers last month.
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By Merle Exit

After viewing an exhibition of Ida Piller-Greenspans monoprints and hearing the artist relate her tale of escaping from the Nazis, an editor suggested she put her story down in book form because it was, so haunting.

Published about a decade ago, When the World Closed Its Doors: Struggling to Escape Nazi-Occupied Europe was written by Susan M. Branting based on interviews with Piller-Greenspan and using the artists prints.

Born in Poland and raised in Antwerp, Belgium, Piller-Greenspan, who settled in Briarwood with her husband, Maurice Piller, to raise their daughters, used art to share her horrific past without speaking about it.

My mother decided to create a pictorial diary of my parents escape when she learned I was pregnant with my first child, daughter Rosie Piller said. The pictorial diary was based on her memories, which were not always clear and crisp. These prints are meant to portray an indistinct, dream-like quality.

Ida and Maurice Pillers story begins on their wedding night, May 9, 1940, when the Nazis invaded Belgium.

As the story progresses, the reader learns of the couples ordeal when evading the Nazis and trying to obtain visas to any country that would allow the young Jews to settle. During that time most of Piller-Greenspans family were deported and killed in Auschwitz.

As they lived on rations of fruit, eggs and sometimes dog biscuits, the fear of having to return to occupied Belgium or any country overcome by the Nazis stirred great feats of strength and endurance as anti-Semitism was widespread.

Visas finally came from the United States.

On June 3, 1941, two days before my 22nd birthday, we walked up the metal gangway and into steerage, the third-class section in the bottom of the boat, Piller-Greenspan said in the book. We did not know whether we would be turned away when we reached the United States or sent on some hopeless journey from one country to anotherWe could not know whether the United States would close its doors.

Once in Briarwood, the couple set up a small diamond wholesale business.

Maurice, who by then had changed his name to Morris, would do the buying and selling, and Piller-Greenspan would help by sorting the diamonds, Piller said.

After being widowed in 1965, Piller-Greenspan tried to keep the business going as the only woman in the Diamond District, but men did not feel comfortable dealing with a woman, Piller said.

In 1967, Piller-Greenspan married Joseph Greenspan and stopped working outside the home in order to turn her attention to her growing family, including sons Mark and Danny Greenspan.

She also focused on her art, eventually earning a bachelor of fine arts from Queens College on her 60th birthday in 1979.

Piller-Greenspan left Queens in 2001 and moved to Boulder, Colo. to be closer to Piller. She died in 2011.

With the exception of her pictorial diary, none of her artwork had to do with the Holocaust. She worked in realism, abstract art, and everything in between. She even sculpted a few pieces.

I would like to thank my loving parents, Morris and Ida, for setting their grief and anger aside and bringing us up on the Golden Rule, her daughter said. My sister Liane and I learned about the Holocaust at an early age and, thankfully, the focus was not on hatred but on the lessons to be learned regarding resistance to oppression and compassion for the oppressed.
A car bomb targeted Shiite pilgrims in an area near Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 14 people and wounding at least 25, security and medical officials said.

The bomb was left on a road in the Nahrawan area used by Shiite pilgrims who are walking to the shrine of Imam Musa Kadhim in northern Baghdad for annual commemorations.

Kadhim, the seventh of 12 imams revered in Shiite Islam, died in 799 AD. The commemoration has in recent years turned into a huge event that brings the Iraqi capital to a standstill for days.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State jihadist group frequently targets members of Iraq\s Shiite majority, whom it considers heretics.

Last year\s pilgrimage was also marred by attacks against worshippers that killed at least 13 people.

And four more were burned or shot to death when mobs torched houses and a Sunni religious endowment building after rumours of a suicide bomber sparked panic among a crowd of pilgrims.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led military assistance have since regained signficant ground.

The jihadists still control a large part of western Iraq, and are able to carry out frequent attacks against both civilians and security forces in government-held areas.

SOURCE: AFP
Local safety experts offer advice for keeping Trick-or-Treat fun for everyone

As families prepare for fun night of Trick-or-Treating, local safety experts are offering some tips on how to stay happy and healthy this Halloween season.
Kim confessed last month to attempting to steal North Korean military secrets and asked for mercy when he was paraded in front of the media in Pyongyang in March.

A North Korean court handed down the sentence Friday to naturalized U.S. citizen Kim Dong-chul.

Pyongyang has sentenced a Korean-American man to 10 years of hard labor for subversion.

He confessed a week after North Korea sentenced Otto Warmbier, an American student, to 15 years of hard labor for stealing a propaganda banner.

Both Kim and Warmbier confessed to their charges, but observers say both confessions were likely coerced.

Kim and Warmbier's sentences come amid mounting tensions following North Korea's launching of nuclear weapons tests and long-range rockets tests.

Washington, Seoul and Tokyo have increased their defense readiness postures in response to the tests. U.S. and South Korean forces have conducted joint annual military exercises.


TORIN HALSEY/TIMES RECORD NEWS A 202-megawatt wind farm in southwest Clay County includes 118 turbines spread across 10,000 acres. Clay County Against Wind Farms, is a community organization which seeks to preserve aesthetics and cultural heritage of the area and oppose construction of additional wind farms.

By Christopher Collins of the Times Record News

A New Braunfels senator who chairs the state's Committee on Veteran Affairs and Military Installations said she's considering intervening in wind energy developments near military installations.

Republican Sen. Donna Campbell heard testimony last month from individuals concerned about the encroachment of wind projects on land near Department of Defense bases. Among those who testified were Tom Whaylen of the Sheppard Military Affairs Committee and Wichita Falls Mayor Glenn Barham.

"There are more instances of wind farms near bases due to growth in the highly subsidized renewable energy sector and they present a unique and growing challenge to our military installations," Campbell wrote in an email to the Times Record News. "It is my priority as chairman to ensure our military installations remain mission capable, both for our nation's security and the huge economic impact they bring to communities across our state."

Clay County, already home to one wind turbine development, may be adding two more before 2020, the projects' developer previously has said. A local opposition group fighting additional developments recently was joined by Sheppard Air Force Base, whose officials have said wind turbines could adversely affect the base's mission.

The two proposed wind projects  both falling within a 25-mile radius of the air force base  could cause the DoD to move Sheppard's mission elsewhere, costing the Wichita Falls area roughly $750 million annually. Base officials have said the projects could undermine the integrity of their radar systems and also could reduce the number of days student pilots are able to train.

Campbell placed the economic benefit of all military installations in Texas at $150 billion, adding that the DoD employs 225,000 Texans.

"By comparison, the wind industry employs 15,000," she wrote.

Now Campbell is considering measures which could make it more difficult for wind farms to be installed near military bases. She cited early notification, community task forces and joint land use studies as the most likely solutions, writing that "If military installations are able to meet and advise industry early on about how development affects their mission, it will help facilitate decisions that are in the best interest of everyone."

The installation of wind turbines also is subject to approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Still, documents show that in at least two instances Texas wind energy developers have been able to strike tentative deals with the military. Contracts between the parties in those cases involved payment from private industry to the DoD for changes in radar technology and "curtailment" of turbine operations at the request of the military.

"I am hopeful that agreements can be reached between bases and industry, but even agreements that have been reached seem to be surrounded by uncertainty," Campbell wrote. " ... Ultimately, we are talking about over 255,000 jobs at our military installations that we don't want to unnecessarily put at risk by subsidizing wind farms."

The owner of Horn Wind LLC PM, the developer of the Clay County projects, has in the past accused Sheppard of using scare tactics to halt the company's development plans.

Jimmy Horn said base officials have made few efforts to cooperate with his company before warning community members about how the projects could jeopardize military missions.

Horn said he doubts that wind projects would have a significant impact on Sheppard operations.

More than 20 Clay County landowners have signed lease agreements with Horn and Canadian alternative energy company Alterra Power Corp. to have turbines erected on their properties.

Together the proposed wind farms near Bluegrove and Byers would comprise more than 11,000 acres and cost $450 million.
WELCOME DAK: Cowboys get back to winning formula in second half in Prescott's return

The Dallas Cowboys went back to its winning formula of elite defense and a strong ground attack in the second half in a 24-6 win over Detroit.
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Beverly Drive United Methodist Church, 813 N. Beverly Drive: Family Fun Day will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 7.

Fain Presbyterian Church, 2201 Speedway: A potluck dinner will be at 5:30 p.m. May 4

First Christian Church, 3701 Taft Blvd.: May 1 will be Pantry Sunday, when members are asked to bring powdered and canned milk for Interfaith Ministries. The Prime Timers luncheon will be at noon May 1.

First Presbyterian Church of Wichita Falls, 3601 Taft Blvd.: A mission fair with breakfast will be 9-10:45 a.m. May 1, featuring representatives of local, national and international organizations.

Floral Heights United Methodist Church, 2214 10th St.: An evangelism meeting will be at noon May 3. A prayer vigil for the general conference will be 9-9:30 a.m. May 6.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Iowa Park, 801 N. First St.: The monthly family night and potluck dinner will be 4:30-6:30 p.m. May 1. The Lutheran Women's Missionary League will meet at 6:30 p.m. May 3.

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 4605 Cypress Ave.: On April 30, the altar guild will meet at 9 a.m. and the junior youth will work at the food bank from 9 a.m. to noon. A church picnic will be at 4 p.m. May 1. Upcoming meetings include the elders and the stewardship committee, both at 6:30 p.m. May 3, the trustees at 6 p.m. May 4, and the Lutheran Women's Missionary League at 9 a.m. May 7. All of the youth will leave for Six Flags at 8:30 a.m. May 7.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 1501 Ninth St.: Photo directories have arrived and are available in the pastoral office during normal business hours. Those who have taken Holy Communion to sick members are asked to return the pyx as soon as possible. "Through the Eyes of a Child," an evening of dinner, dancing, auctions and raffles, will be May 13 to raise money for the Nuestra Senora del Carmen school for Maya children in Guatemala. Organizers hope to raise enough to buy a bus for the school. The evening will be held at the Our Lady Queen of Peace Church Great Hall. Tickets are $100 per person or $800 for a reserved table. Call 642-6781 for reservations. Tickets for the 125th anniversary dinner and music event are available in the pastoral center. Cost is $20 per person or $250 for a table. The event will be at 7 p.m. June 3 at the Multi-Purpose Events Center. The deadline for ticket purchase is May 16.

St. Benedict Orthodox Church, 3808 Old Seymour Road: The church will host a barbecue for the public from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 7.

Saint John Baptist Church, 1009 Flood St.: The annual musical will be presented at 5 p.m. May 1.

St. Marks United Methodist Church, 4319 McNiel Ave.: Communion will be celebrated during the 10:45 a.m. service May 1.

St. Paul Lutheran Church, 11th and Holliday streets: May 1 activities will include a collection for the Interfaith Ministries pantry and a trustees meeting after the service. The elders will meet at 6 p.m. May 2.

Trinity United Methodist Church, 5800 Southwest Parkway: Holy Communion will be celebrated during the 10:30 a.m. service Sunday. The prayer shawl ministry's Thursday meetings have been suspended until the fall.

University United Methodist Church, 3405 Taft Blvd.: The Angel Wings workday has been moved to May 7, starting at 9 a.m. Volunteers are needed to help with vacation Bible school, music camp and the craft bazaar. Members willing to help are asked to contact the church office.
Contributed photo Hannah Smith (from left), Hannah Lamar, Kasi Bailey, Megan Lamberth and Julia Lamberth pose at the Ritsona refugee camp in Greece. The five young women traveled to Greece recently as an independent volunteer group. They shared their faith through their works and shared God's love, reminding the people that they matter.

SHARE Contributed photo Refugees walk the path on a typical day at the Ritsona camp in Greece. The majority of refugees are Syrian, but some are also from Iraq and Afghanistan. After the E.U. (European Union)-Turkey Accord was passed in March, the borders were closed and many refugees were stuck in Greece. Julia Lamberth and Megan Lamberth teach refugees an Arabic and English education class at the Ritsona camp in Greece. Megan Lamberth recently graduated from Sam Houston State University with a degree in criminal justice and Middle Eastern studies. The refugees learned basic phrases to equip them in looking for jobs and asylum.

By Sarah Johnson

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me into your home."

 Matthew 25:35

This Bible verse was put into action recently by a group of young women in Wichita Falls who come from different backgrounds and different denominations, but joined together with a common desire to help people.

Megan Lamberth, 22; Julia Lamberth, 24; Kasi Bailey, 24; Hannah Lamar, 25; and Hannah Smith, 22, traveled to Greece recently as an independent volunteer group. They decided on Greece as the area of the world with one of the greatest immediate needs. And the plight of the refugees there tugged at their hearts.

"Due to the [European Union]-Turkey deal, many refugees are stuck in Greece for the time being," Smith said. "The Ritsona camp is intended to be a long-term solution for refugees. Because many refugees were there for a longer period of time than most transit camps, we were all to connect with them on a deeper level. We shared our faith through our works and shared God's live in opportune moments."

The strengths of each volunteer were put into action at the refugee camp.

Megan Lamberth, who recently graduated from Sam Houston State University with a degree in criminal justice and Middle Eastern studies, speaks Arabic and taught the group basic words and phrases the women could use to establish relationships with refugees.

"The refugees we met were mostly Syrian, with others from Iraq and Afghanistan," Lamberth said. "These families have fled their home countries due to violence, extremism and political instability. Many of these families' homes and towns were destroyed and many lost family and friends. These refugee families were hoping to use Greece as a transit point to go into Europe. Once in Europe, they would apply for asylum. The E.U. borders were closed after the E.U.-Turkey accord was passed in late March."

When the group arrived at the Ritsona refugee camp, it had only been open for one month and there were questions as to how the camp would function and what needs had to be met. The shower and bathroom facilities were not meeting the standards of basic quality life, Smith observed.

"While we were there, Megan and Julia began and conducted an adult education class to equip refugees with basic English phrases and vocabulary when they apply for jobs and asylum," Smith said. "Hannah Lamar and I helped build and establish a tent meant as a haven for women and babies, where they could come to relax and receive extra nutrients for women who were pregnant. Kasi was a hospitality representative. She naturally bonds with so many families and individuals and has spent quality time with so many and allowed herself to hear their stories and remind them that they matter."

Smith said that Americans are not getting a true portrayal of the refugee crisis. The group will share their firsthand account, as well as pictures and a question-and-answer session, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Jason's Deli.

"We hope our event gives clear insight and an opportunity for citizens to make an educated decision in their perceptions of the refugee crisis," Smith said. "From the moment we arrived we tried to live out Jesus' commandment in Matthew 25:35 by serving the refugees and expressing our genuine interest in their past and the struggles they've overcome. More unexpectedly, we experienced incredible hospitality and warmth from many of the refugee families we grew close to. We were daily invited into their tents for food and drink and given the opportunity to hear their stories. Our hope was to be the hands and feet of Jesus by showing them that they matter not only to us, but to a God who loves them more than we could ever convey."

Walk for Life

For the 16th year, the Pregnancy Help Center, with locations in Wichita Falls and Vernon, will sponsor its Walk for Life event Thursday at Lucy Park. Registration and a free continental breakfast for the annual fundraiser will be at 9 a.m. at Pavilion No. 1. The 1.7-mile walk will begin at 10 a.m. Closing events will be at the pavilion in Wichita Falls and at Calvary Baptist Church Family Life Center in Vernon.

Look for free family activities, face painting and music from Anchored, a music ministry from Anchor Baptist Church. There will be drawings all morning for event participants.

Proceeds from the walk will benefit The Pregnancy Help Center of Wichita Falls and Vernon. The nonprofit agency assists women, their children and expectant fathers by offering the following free services: pregnancy testing, nurse verifications, limited sonograms, option consultations by a volunteer, "Just One Mom to Another" and "Mom's Hang Time" parenting classes and "Dad's Boot Camp" for expectant fathers.

For more information, call 322-4883 or 761/3432 or log onto pghelp@wfpregnancyhelpcenter.org.

A life to remember

On Thursday, you might spot bright balloons floating across the spring sky above Wichita Falls. Those balloons each represent a baby who died and a parent who experienced that tremendous loss. The event is called "A Life to Remember," which is sponsored by MEND (Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death). The memorial will be at 10 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 3601 Taft Blvd.

"This event is a memorial for babies who have died from miscarriage, stillbirth or early infant loss," Sarah Fukasawa said. "We will have a guest speaker, special music and the balloon release. We invite anyone in the community who has experienced a loss, regardless of the time that has passed"

MEND is a support group for families who have experienced pregnancy loss or neonatal death. The group meets on the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at Christ's Home Place Ministries, 1420 Twin Oaks St. "We chose this date to hold our event because we know Mother's Day can be especially difficult for women who have lost a baby," Fukasawa said. "This gives them an opportunity to remember their baby with their family and do something special in their baby's memory. Many families may not have had a memorial for their baby. This gives them an opportunity for a memorial. We encourage families to come and bring their loved ones, also."
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Corruption in Mexico is not just a legal and moral problem. It is an economic one. The annual cost amounts to 5 percent of gross domestic product, according to one report, which also found that almost half of business owners said officials have sought money in exchange for contracts or business opportunities. Worse, those who are caught have rarely been punished: Only 1.5 percent of corruption cases lodged in Mexico end in conviction. (In Singapore, in contrast, the share is 80 percent.) In fact, many Mexicans say they're more concerned about government corruption than even security and the economy.

The sooner Mexico's leaders take charge of the battle to clean up government, the sooner they can ease people's concerns -- and those of their friends and neighbors abroad. It's been almost a year since Mexican citizens secured the passage of a series of constitutional reforms to limit corruption -- an achievement rightly hailed by President Enrique Pena Nieto as a "paradigm shift." But, unfortunately, the president's own Institutional Revolutionary Party is now holding up laws that are needed to make those reforms stick.

Pena Nieto's administration has made admirable health and energy reforms. Yet rampant corruption still casts a pall over commerce and undermines public support for future economic liberalization. The president needs to push his party to pass the bills, even if it means calling the legislature back for a special session.

The so-called three out of three bill -- which Mexican civil society groups drafted and put on the legislative agenda after gathering more than 600,000 signatures of support -- would require public officials to declare their assets, tax returns and private interests. Among other measures, this legislation would give more power and autonomy to a special prosecutor and create a framework for coordinating the government's overall anti-corruption effort.

Mexico's two biggest opposition parties have backed the bill. But the PRI has balked at marking it up in open session, has sought to water it down (proposing, for instance, that officials in some cases be able to duck prosecution for misusing public funds by making restitution), and has argued that the requirement for public disclosure might spark witch hunts. And this has delayed the change Mexico needs.

Corruption feeds not just domestic outrage but also the kind of toxic distortions about Mexico that Donald Trump and other outsiders peddle. Defending Mexico's reputation abroad will become easier when the government begins to lead, not hinder, the fight against corruption at home.

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SARATOGA SPRINGS (AP)  The nation's longest continuously operating coffeehouse is putting together a video featuring Arlo Guthrie and Garrison Keillor to celebrate the upstate New York folk music venue's impending renovations.

The not-for-profit organization that runs Caffe Lena in downtown Saratoga Springs announced earlier this year that it will undergo $1.5 million in improvements to the building that houses the second-floor concert venue.
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Schoharie

Attorneys for Binghamton-area car dealer Cal Harris launched their latest strategy for his acquittal Friday, calling three witnesses in an attempt to show that two Texas men murdered the wealthy businessman's wife in 2001.

"It was another step towards, I hope, solving the case," Harris defense lawyer Bruce Barket said outside Schoharie County Court, where the trial was moved in a change of venue from Tioga County because of high publicity in around Binghamton. "We've had this evidence for a while. We were happy to present the first part of it today."

Harris, 54, is on trial for the fourth time since 2007 on charges that he murdered his wife, Michele Harris, 35, the mother of their four children, on Sept. 11, 2011, the day of the terror attacks. Her body has never been found.

The case, which has drawn nationwide attention, is before state Supreme Court Justice Richard Mott, who will decide the outcome of the nonjury trial.

Harris was convicted at his first two trials, but both verdicts were reversed.

The third one ended in a mistrial in Schoharie County last year. This time the judge is allowing the defense team to call witnesses to buoy a third-party culpability theory that Stacey Stewart and Christopher Thomason, two men from Texas living in the Binghamton, were the real killers.

The defense has noted Stewart and Thomason abruptly left the area and returned to Texas after the woman's death. The lawyers contend Harris and Thomason killed Michele Harris and burned her clothes in a fire pit on Stewart's former property.

Thomason's estranged wife, Melissa DeVries, who testified Friday, contends Thomason confided to her that he was out drinking with Stewart and Michele Harris on Sept. 11, 2001. Thomason allegedly told her that when he left the bar, Stewart and Michele Harris were together, but he learned she disappeared  and Stewart "probably buried her" in concrete, court papers show.

Also testifying Friday was Terra Wade, a former girlfriend of Stewart and friend of Thomason who contends, according to court papers, that over drinks Thomason once told her "about a woman who he and Stewart were suspected of murdering when they were in New York." Thomason allegedly told Wade "he thought that Stacey killed her ... because Stacey was sleeping with her" but since Cal Harris had been convicted, "neither he nor Stacey were worried about it anymore."

Another former girlfriend of Stewart, Julie Brinkman, also testified Friday. The judge is allowing the defense to present its third-party argument with limitations.

On Tuesday, when the trial resumes, the defense is expected to call Kevin Tubbs, a man who previously testified that on the morning of Sept. 12, 2001, he saw a woman he believed to be Michele Harris arguing with Stewart at the end of the Harris driveway.

"I think we have enough to create reasonable doubt  now," Barket said after court.

Tioga County District Attorney Kirk Martin, who is prosecuting the case with former Albany County District Attorney Paul Clyne, contends Cal Harris killed his wife because he stood to lose his children and hundreds of thousands of dollars in their pending divorce.

rgavin@timesunion.com  518-434-2403  @RobertGavinTU
The Australian government has urged the British people not to leave the European Union. A referendum on the United Kingdom's membership in the EU will be held in June.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop believes it is in her country's best interest that Britain remains a part of the European Union.

Earlier this month, Bishop held talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron at a Nuclear Security Summit in Washington D.C. She said the European Union was a "significant trading partner" for Australia, and that Britain's continued membership in the 28-state body was imperative.

As a bloc, the EU is Australia's largest source of foreign investment and is its second largest trading partner after China. Negotiations towards an eventual free trade agreement are underway. Britain is the world's fifth largest economy, and two-way trade between Australia and Britain is worth around $16 billion annually.

But some Australian politicians are urging Britain to leave the EU because membership had forced the nation to cede control of its borders and laws.

Conservative Senator James Paterson told the Australian parliament that British voters should turn their backs on EU membership.

"Britain would be more prosperous, free and secure outside the European Union. The European Union project may have begun with good intentions. But the reality is that the EU today has strayed very far from those intentions. It has become bloated, undemocratic and hostile to the freedoms that made Britain great," said Paterson.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has lobbied world leaders to support his bid for his country to remain in the European Union. President Obama said Britain would go to the "back of the queue" for trade agreements with Washington if ties with the EU were severed.

Australia is a former British colony, and social and economic ties between the two nations run deep. Sporting rivalries are fierce, and Britons continue to migrate to Australia in large numbers, while the parliament in Canberra is based on the Westminster system. Australia is a constitutional monarchy with Britain's Queen Elizabeth as its head of state.

Britain's future in Europe will be decided at a referendum on June 23.
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Colonie

After it rains and the wind blows across Schalren Drive, an acrid smell emanates from charred and exposed second-floor roof beams and drifts into the home of John and Terri Bernarde.

It is the smell of death and it stirs up the horrible unsolved killings for neighbors who mourn the passing of a family they knew and liked.

On Feb. 9, Colonie police Officer Israel Roman killed his wife and 10-year-old son with his service weapon and set the house on fire before he shot and killed himself.

All three bodies, badly burned, were found in an upstairs master bedroom.

The murder-suicide stunned neighbors and now, more than two months later, they must look at the ruins of the Colonial-style house where they had previously watched two brothers play Wiffle ball or chase after their spirited dog, a boxer named Jackson.

Neighbors have asked town officials to remove the destroyed home, but with insurance reviews, legal uncertainties arising due to lack of a will, and an ongoing State Police investigation that has not yet determined a motive, the grim reminder of the killings could languish for a year or more.

"It was a terrible tragedy that hit everyone around here hard. Seeing that house every day is a horrible reminder," said John Bernarde, a retired state Health Department worker who lives directly across the street from the burned house at 35 Schalren Drive.

"This is an eyesore that needs to be taken down right away," he said. "Leaving it standing victimizes the neighborhood all over again."

Dr. Harvey Friedman, a dentist, is worried about safety at the burned house next door to his, despite plywood sheets put up by fire investigators to cover openings.

"We saw kids poking around the house. It's dangerous. We don't want anyone to get hurt," said Friedman, one of the first to move into the development off Forts Ferry Road in 1968.

Friedman's voice caught in his throat when he talked about letting the Roman boys swim in his backyard pool  10-year-old Nathan was killed, while 15-year-old Noah was not home at the time of the killings and survived  and chatting with their mother, Deborah Roman, who accompanied them and who also was killed.

When the Roman boys hit a Wiffle ball over the fence into his backyard, they rang his doorbell and asked courteously if they could retrieve the ball.

"They were sweet kids and it's so depressing to see that mess next door," Friedman said.

His wife, Joan, a former member of the town board and zoning board, has asked building department officials to tear down the damaged house, but she was told their hands are tied.

"The building department has been getting calls from neighbors concerned about safety, but as far as we're concerned it's all boarded up and it's safe," said Colonie police Deputy Chief John Van Alstyne, who spoke with building department officials.

"It's in the hands of the insurance company now and nothing will happen until they decide what's to be done with the house," said Van Alystyne, who added that in other cases it has taken a year or more for insurance claims to be resolved after an arson fire.

"It can't stay like that month after month," Joan Friedman said. "It's a liability for the town to leave it like that. I've suggested they put a lien on the property and take it down while the other issues are being resolved."

"I can understand neighbors are upset if they have to look at it every day," said neighbor Bud Lindner, a retired General Electric Co. employee whose view of the burned shell of the house is partly obscured by trees. "It doesn't bother us as much, but it would be nice to see it taken down soon."

The Bernardes said some neighbors have begun driving the long way around the neighborhood so they don't have to pass in front of the crime scene.

"My sister lives next door to us and she can't stand to look at it anymore, either," Terri Bernarde said.

Van Alstyne said the police are also hoping for a resolution in the case.

"It was a huge hit to the department and everybody is looking for closure," Van Alstyne said. "The reality is they may never find a motive for this."

John Bernarde spoke with Roman's brother when he visited the house. "He's also at a loss as to why he did this because he saw the same loving family man that we saw," Bernarde said.

Neighbors prefer to recall happy memories, such as Israel Roman walking his son home from the bus stop with their dog in the afternoon.

Bernarde found one of the Roman boys' errant Wiffle balls under a bush in his yard as he raked recently.

"That choked me up," he said. "Nobody has any answers. Maybe it's gone with them."

pgrondahl@timesunion.com  518-454-5623  @PaulGrondahl
Troy

Two civilians who witnessed the fatal shooting of a DWI suspect by a Troy police sergeant were not called to testify before a Rensselaer County grand jury that cleared the officer of wrongdoing last week, according to a person briefed on the investigation.

One of the witnesses is a Troy business owner who told the Times Union Friday that he saw the entire incident unfold and gave city police a written statement. He confirmed the office of District Attorney Joel Abelove did not ask him to testify before the grand jury.

A second witness, who lives in Cohoes and recently took a civil service exam to become a police officer, allegedly took cellphone video of at least part of the incident and believes Sgt. Randall French may have opened fire before Edson Thevenin's vehicle allegedly pinned the officer's legs against his police cruiser, according to the person briefed on the case, who is not authorized to comment publicly.

The information about the civilian witnesses comes as Abelove is being sued by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for hurriedly presenting the case to a grand jury five days after the April 17 shooting, and while the investigation was ongoing. The lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses the district attorney of violating an executive order that gives the attorney general jurisdiction in cases in which unarmed civilians are killed during police encounters.

Schneiderman's office said it told Abelove it would investigate the case but the district attorney then presented the case to a grand jury without notifying the attorney general.

The Troy business owner who witnessed the shooting spoke to the Times Union on the condition he not be identified. He declined to say whether what he saw unfold contradicts the public statements by police leaders and the district attorney's office, who said French followed his training and the law when he fired eight rounds at the DWI suspect.

"I'm not going to say at this time, but there's reasons why," the man said about why he may not have been called to testify. He is related to a former city police officer. "I do have concerns because I do have a business in the city of Troy. I can't get into detail with you at this time. ... I can inform you that I seen the whole thing, start to finish."

The man said he hired an Albany attorney but declined to say why it was necessary to retain legal counsel. The attorney did not respond to calls seeking comment.

Abelove also did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

According to the person briefed on the investigation, at least two police officers, including French, testified before the grand jury, but it's unclear whether Abelove's office presented information about the civilian witnesses' accounts to the panel. Without their testimony, their written statements would be considered "hearsay" and inadmissible, according to a prosecutor familiar with the process. Also, under New York law, prosecutors are not required to present evidence to a grand jury that may conflict with their theory in a case. Grand jury proceedings are secret.

Abelove announced a week ago that the grand jury cleared French of wrongdoing, issuing what's called a "no true bill," which amounts to exoneration.

A spokesman for the Troy Police Department did not respond to a written request by the Times Union on Friday seeking copies of any witness statements gathered in the shooting investigation.

Police Chief John Tedesco previously said the incident was not recorded by any nearby surveillance cameras and that Troy police officers and their cruisers are not equipped with recording devices or cameras.

Tedesco said French lawfully fired his service weapon through the windshield of the 37-year-old Watervliet man, killing him. Police said the shooting took place about 3:15 a.m. on Hoosick Street near the Collar City Bridge, after Thevenin's vehicle was boxed in by two police cruisers following a brief chase began when he fled a traffic stop. Police said the stop was prompted by French's suspicion that Thevenin was driving while intoxicated. The officer opened fire after he said his legs were pinned against his police cruiser by Thevenin's vehicle.

Thevenin was not armed with a weapon although the police chief said he believes Thevenin's vehicle was a weapon. That issue is at the center of the battle between Abelove's and Schneiderman's offices. The executive order last year by Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave Schneiderman's office authority to investigate fatal encounters between police and "unarmed" civilians. Schneiderman's office has said its investigation is continuing and will determine whether, in the attorney general's opinion, Thevenin was using his vehicle as a weapon or the officer acted appropriately in using deadly force.

Michael Rose, an attorney hired by Thevenin's widow, Cinthia, called the action by Abelove's office a "rush to justice."

''There are several witnesses out there we think may not have been spoken to and may not have been put before the grand jury," Rose said. "We're hopeful there is a thorough investigation done and that we get to the truth."

The court petition filed this week by Schneiderman seeks a court order compelling Abelove to turn over his files and all evidence on the shooting to the attorney general's office. The lawsuit also seeks to restrict Abelove from taking any action in the case, and to annul last week's grand jury action, which Schneiderman's office said lacks "legal significance."

Schneiderman's office has invoked the executive order at least four times. While many district attorneys opposed the law, including Abelove, who said it was poorly written and confusing, Schneiderman's office said other local prosecutors have been "cordial" and not interfered with the attorney general's review of deadly incidents involving police use of force.

Cuomo signed the executive order last July in the wake of a series of controversial and fatal encounters between police and unarmed civilians in New York and across the nation.

Schneiderman's lawsuit notes the executive order "expressly and unequivocally required district attorneys to get prior authorization from the Attorney General to make grand jury presentations where a civilian was 'unarmed' or where there is a significant question whether a civilian was 'armed and dangerous.'"

Jennifer Sommers, deputy chief of the attorney general's Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit, sent a letter April 19 to Abelove requesting copies of the investigative files, including police radio transmissions, any videos collected, medical reports on the injured officer and witness statements. Schneiderman's lawsuit said the district attorney was withholding the information.

blyons@timesunion.com  518-454-5547  @brendan_lyonstu
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Vatican City

Vice President Joe Biden found common cause with Pope Francis on Friday at the Vatican for a global commitment to fund cancer research.

Biden spoke at a conference on regenerative medicine and ended up sharing the stage with the pope, who used his own speech to decry a profit-driven medical research system. With light streaming through stained glass into an ornate auditorium, the pope called for empathy for the sick and communal guarantees that all have access to care.

"Research, whether in academia and industry, requires unwavering attention to moral issues if it is to be an instrument which safeguards human life and the dignity of the person," the pope said.

As he's done several times before, the pope gave voice to the moral argument behind a cause that Biden and President Barack Obama have sought to elevate.
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Cobleskill

After a quarter-century of hatching and raising a strain of high-value fish, Cobleskill researchers are zeroing in on a hybrid breed that captures key characteristics from its parents  Arctic char, an attractive and light variety that struggles to breed in the region, and the brook trout, a freshwater fish native to the state.

The pairing responds to high demand for Arctic char, which is often shipped from hatcheries in Iceland, Canada and Norway. There, cooler temperatures in the fall ease breeding for the fish, whose flavor, fish experts say, is a mix of salmon and trout.

Developing a hybrid strain that can grow well in the region would fill market need in an economically sustainable way, said John Foster, professor and chair of SUNY Cobleskill's fisheries, wildlife and environmental science department.

In April, tiny fry of the ninth-generation hybrids swam in large tubs of water at SUNY Cobleskill's Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources. Their parents were the hundreds of hybrids that grew quickly, like brook trout, but held the sleek appearance of Arctic char, with pink-orange bellies, Foster said.

Researchers and students at the university oversee fish that produce between 500,000 to a million eggs each year, Foster said, adding that about 10 percent of the eggs are from the hybrid fish.

Progress has been slow because the research center is relatively small, Foster said. But each generation of hybrids gets progressively more Arctic char-like, he said, while retaining growth characteristics from the brook trout.

"The cross is deep bodied and has a lot of meat on it," he said. "That's a good thing."

The resulting fish grow for about two years to reach about 4 pounds before they are bred with other hybrids.

After another year or two, Foster said, "they would be off to somebody's dinner table." SUNY Cobleskill's Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources sells fillets of the hybrid fish, often to campus diners, at about $7 per pound, hatchery manager Brent Lehman said.

While conventional wisdom characterizes Arctic char as the more beautiful fish, Foster said he believes that brook trout "are pretty attractive as well."

"But when you're getting it as a fillet," he said, "you can't tell what it looked like."

To be sure, the Cobleskill fishery has a broader purpose than raising fish for food. Student researchers examine growth patterns of different aquatic species and try to restore other breeds back from endangered status. Down the hall from the Arctic char-brook trout hybrids, four-inch brown and orange Malaysian giant prawns swim in blue rectangular tubs. Bright yellow and blue cichlid fish, originally from Lake Malawi in East Africa, shimmer in tanks in a separate room.

But the brook trout-Arctic char hybrid fish have brought attention and income to Cobleskill, which enrolls about 2,500 undergraduates.

The Bees Knees Cafe, the restaurant of the Heather Ridge Farm in Preston Hollow, Schoharie County, bought the hybrid from Cobleskill several times in 2011 to prepare and sell to customers. At that time, researchers needed to move to a separate facility and sold large quantities of the stock.

The cafe cooks with local ingredients, and owner Carol Clement, recalled feeling lucky that Cobleskill researchers were selling so many of the fish.

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"It was like a light, sweet salmon, which made it very versatile," Clement recalled.

Recently, Guilderland fishmonger Fin president Peter Kenyon heard of the Cobleskill researchers' hatchery. Kenyon's shop sells Arctic char fillets imported from Iceland and Canada for $14.50 a pound. He describes char's taste as a mix between the strong flavor of salmon and the delicate, sweet taste of trout, adding he was interested in possibly selling the hybrid.

Today, a 2,000 gallon gray tank set atop the hatchery's gravel floor holds 200 char-like hybrids. But 25 years ago, a green plastic tank contained 100 fish, just over an inch long. Then-animal sciences professor John Grossbeck told the Times Union at the time that he hoped the university would develop "the next superfish." Of the tiny Arctic char, he said, "it might be known someday as the Cobleskill strain."

Foster describes his first attempts to breed char in 1990 as "a shotgun approach." He put chillers on the tanks to cool the water, and he attempted using outdoor tanks. He altered the fish's light exposure so that they believed November, with cool outdoor water temperatures, was the beginning of the fall, when Arctic char breed.

Foster said that this process "worked to a degree," but that crossbreeding was more successful. Manipulating the length of the day for pure Arctic char resulted in a 30 percent fertility rate, but fertilizing brook trout eggs with Arctic char sperm, he said, resulted in a 90 percent success rate.

"They got big, they had the deep bodies, they were just the perfect fish," Foster said, nicknaming the hybrid "Charzilla."

lellis@timesunion.com  518-454-5018  @lindsayaellis
The village of Mamaroneck, in Westchester County, is the first community in New York state to ban pet stores from selling commercially bred puppies. Mamaroneck joins nearly 125 American municipalities with similar laws. The goal is to choke off distribution outlets for "puppy mills," with animal-welfare groups hoping more New York lawmakers will follow suit statewide.

Mamaroneck's legislators should be commended for fighting animal crueltyan honorable war to wagebut the law attacks a small, soft target when a major, hard target is in New York state's sights. The Mamaroneck law affects a single pet store. New York state lawmakers could set a significant national example by instead targeting one of the biggest marketing assets that puppy mill owners have: the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Bans similar to Mamaroneck's began taking effect across the United States in 2007, with the majority hitting the books from 2013 to the present. The Humane Society of the United States has encouraged many of the enactments. But the result, so far, is unclear. A proposed ban in New Jersey cites HSUS statistics that an estimated 10,000 puppy mills now produce more than 2.4 million puppies each year. That estimated number of puppies is up  by nearly 18 percent, from 2.04 million  since 2014, even as the bans have begun taking effect.

Amy Jesse, public policy coordinator for the HSUS Puppy Mills Campaign, said what is increasing is the number of puppy mills the federal government is licensing. "In terms of ordinances," she said, "most of them have not been in effect long enough to have a noticeable, national impact." Los Angeles and Albuquerque have seen shelter intake and euthanasia rates drop since their bans went into effect, she said, but HSUS has no evidence of causality versus coincidence. "We cannot point to exact puppy mills that have shut down due to ordinances because pet shops source from a wide variety of mills," she said, adding, "but that is not to say that ordinances aren't having an impact on the industry. They certainly are."

Possibly, but there's a far clearer explanation for those numbers: consumer demand. Think about Prohibition during the 1920s. The liquor stores closed, but people still found the booze they craved. Supply of the banned product shifted into the shadows.

The same consumer forces exist in the dog business. Merely prohibiting the sale of commercially bred puppies likely will be no more effective in shuttering the puppy mills than the Women's Christian Temperance Union was at shuttering bourbon distilleries. That's why New York state lawmakers must also aim at a target that drives consumer demand.

Every February, Manhattan welcomes the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. It's the most prestigious conformation dog show in America, one among many the American Kennel Club sanctions. Westminster is promoted on television as celebrating the sport of dogs, but the AKC, when it's talking to commercial puppy farmers, explains the purpose differently. Mike Ganey, vice president of marketing for AKC until 2013, wrote in the breeder magazine Kennel Spotlight, "So how do these AKC events help breeders? By helping create preference and demand for purebreds, no matter where the consumer chooses to buy their purebred dog."

A main goal of televised events like Westminster is to drive demand at commercial breeding farms, which then turn out millions of puppies eligible for AKC registration at a fee. This is the very business that Mamaroneck's law is meant to stem. If the goal is to shutter the worst farms, then banning one of their biggest marketing assets would send a far stronger message.

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In addition to considering Mamaroneck's example, New York state lawmakers should either evict the Westminster show or prohibit its broadcast from within state lines. Doing so would make New York a model for other states and major media markets, including Philadelphia, which just passed a puppy mill pet-store ban while welcoming the televised, AKC-sanctioned National Dog Show.

Our lawmakers must understand that ending cruelty is a fight requiring multiple fronts. Only then can we truly let slip the dogs of war.

Kim Kavin is author of ">The Dog Merchants: Inside the Big Business of Breeders, Pet Stores, and Rescuers>."
Over 100 plus past and present staff members gathered in the Minella Hotel, Clonmel, to celebrate with Eddie Morrissey and his family, his pending retirement after 21 years as principal of Cashel Community School.

Over 100 plus past and present staff members gathered in the Minella Hotel, Clonmel, to celebrate with Eddie Morrissey and his family, his pending retirement after 21 years as principal of Cashel Community School.

Former deputy principal Margaret Skehan outlined the many changes  major and minor  which have happened in the world of education since the school opened in 1994.

She paid tribute to the professionalism of Eddie in absorbing the spirit of those changes and in collaborating with the teaching staff at CCS in implementing the best features of these changes, for the betterment of the students and of the school itself.

Deputy principal Margaret Moore, on behalf of the staff, acknowledged Eddies great kindness to one and all.

She recalled how, after qualifying as a teacher, her very first job was as a substitute teacher at CCS. That experience, she said, laid the foundation for her career and she always spoke to other schools and teachers of the model set by Eddie Morrissey and Martin Quirke, principal and deputy principal respectively, at that time.

Former chaplain Fr Bernie Moloney said it was an honour to speak on behalf of two generations of colleagues and friends  two generations united as one - in appreciation of one man.

Fr Moloney recalled that in June 1994, Eddie Morrissey and Martin Quirke  the newly appointed principal and deputy principal of the still being built school - set up office in a bare room in Scoil Mhuire. All they had were a large table, two hard chairs, blank sheets of paper, biros, and eventually an old phone.

Two months later they moved into their small cramped offices and on September 1 they opened the doors to the sound of drills, the smell of fresh paint, and the sight of electrical cables draped along the corridors and dust everywhere.

In his speech at the official opening in January 1997, Eddie declared his ambition for Cashel Community School was to form young people who are resourceful, imaginative and creative.

This broad understanding of education meant that as well as the academic extra-curricular pursuits flourished under his tutelage: sport, music, the arts.

He enthusiastically endorsed the Niall Mellon project - and latterly Pieta House - both ventures widening our horizons, expanding our social conscience and, hand-in-glove, fitting Eddies vision for the school, said Fr Moloney.

Eddie thanked the speakers for their kind words and all for attending.

He named the three Latin principles by which he operated: primus inter pares (first among equals; in loco parentis (in a parents place), and carpe diem (seize the day).
GEICO continues to expand in New York; Buffalo office looking to hire more than 100 new associates

GEICO, the largest auto insurer in New York, is looking for talented professionals to join its Buffalo team. As its policyholder base continues to grow, GEICO plans to hire more than 100 Buffalo associates for additional positions in claims, sales and service. One of the company's accelerated leadership programs - the Management Development Program (MDP) - is also recruiting recent college graduates.

No insurance experience? No problem. If you have a willingness to learn and a passion for customer service, GEICO will provide all required training for associates to become licensed insurance professionals.

"GEICO's Buffalo office is home to more than 2,700 associates and we want to add new talent to the team," said Rick Hoagland, regional vice president. "We are always excited to give enthusiastic professionals an opportunity to build a rewarding career with GEICO. As a Vet Jobs Outstanding Veteran Employer award recipient, we are especially happy to be able to offer veterans continued career opportunities."

Qualified candidates who have excellent customer service, time management and decision-making skills, a strong attention to detail nd are comfortable working in a fast-paced environment are encouraged to apply.







GEICO offers competitive starting salaries, a comprehensive benefits package, continuing education, tuition reimbursement, on-site college courses, career growth opportunities, community engagement opportunities and a friendly, supportive workplace. For job listings and to submit an application, visit http://careers.geico.com/office-locations/new-york-buffalo/.

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the second-largest private passenger auto insurance company in the United States. GEICO, which was founded in 1936, provides millions of auto insurance quotes to U.S. drivers annually. The company is pleased to serve more than 13 million private passenger customers, insuring more than 22 million vehicles (auto & cycle).

Using GEICO's online service center, policyholders can purchase policies, make policy changes, report claims and print insurance ID cards. Policyholders can also connect to GEICO through the GEICO App, reach a representative over the phone or visit a GEICO local agent.

For more information, go to www.geico.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160430005001/en/
[April 30, 2016] Minister Carr Announces Proposed Changes to Energy Efficiency Regulations to Help Address Climate Change

OTTAWA, April 30, 2016 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is taking tangible steps to protect the environment and improve energy efficiency in Canada by undertaking important updates to the Energy Efficiency Regulations. On April 30th the Government of Canada will publish proposed updates to the Energy Efficiency Regulations in Canada Gazette Part I that increase minimum energy performance standards for 20 products. These updates help align Canada's energy efficiency standards with the United States by 2020, as agreed upon by Prime Minister Trudeau and President Obama in the Joint Statement on Climate, Energy and Arctic Leadership recently signed in Washington, DC. They are also an important part of Canada's national approach to address climate change and are in keeping with the commitment in the Vancouver Declaration on Clean Growth and Climate Change to advance the harmonization of energy efficiency standards across Canada. The Government will also publish a Notice of Intent outlining plans to update minimum energy performance standards for another 15 products. Consultations with provincial and territorial governments, industry, non-governmental organizations, the public and other stakeholders will be initiated through the release of product specific technical bulletins. Input received during these informal consultations will be considered as the regulations are drafted. These two publications are part of a series of updates to our Energy Efficiency Regulations expected over the next five years that will improve energy efficiency across Canada. They will provide Canadians consumers and businesses with better access to energy efficient products, saving them money while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Engaging the public is an essential part of this plan and that is why the Government of Canada recently launched a new interactive website to allow Canadians to share their ideas and be part of a national conversation on climate change. The Government of Canada is committed to engaging Canadians on the decisions that affect them. Quotes "These proposed updates will reduce GHG emissions across Canada and help consumers and businesses save money." Jim Carr

Canada's Minister of Natural Resources Related Producs



Backgrounder - Energy Efficiency Regulations U.S.-Canada Joint Statement on Climate, Energy and Arctic Leadership

Vancouver Declaration on Clean Growth and Climate Change

Associated Links

To submit your comments on Canada's approach to climate change please visit www.canada.ca/climateaction. Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.news.gc.ca. BACKGROUNDER

Energy Efficiency Regulations Canada's Energy Efficiency Regulations raise the level of energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by removing the least energy-efficient products from the market when cost-effective alternatives are readily available. Energy efficiency regulations also create savings for consumers and industry and support the Government's climate change commitments by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Regular amendments are necessary to continue to generate greenhouse gas emission reductions and energy savings for Canadians, as well as to remain up to date with the latest technologies. Natural Resources Canada plans to make multiple amendments to the Energy Efficiency Regulations over the next five years. Energy efficiency standards are recognized as one of the most cost-effective tools for achieving greenhouse gas emission reductions and energy conservation. These standards are used in almost 50 countries as a cornerstone of national climate change policies. Canada's Energy Efficiency Regulations were introduced in 1995. They have saved Canadian consumers and businesses $5 billion in 2015 and contributed to significant reductions in overall greenhouse gas emissions.



Following the publication of the draft regulations for Amendment 13 on April 30, the public will have 75 days to provide comments. To participate in the consultation process, please contact [email protected]. Draft regulations for Amendment 14 are expected to be published in spring 2017. Consultations will be initiated through the release of product-specific bulletins published on Natural Resources Canada's website. More information and guidance can be found through the following links: Natural Resources Canada's Guide to the Energy Efficiency Regulations

Forward Regulatory Plan 2016208

Regulation Announcements

Regulatory Cooperation with the United States Contact Alexandre Deslongchamps

Press Secretary

Office of the Minister of Natural Resources

343-292-6837 Media Relations

Natural Resources Canada

Ottawa

343-292-6100 Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan)

NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.news.gc.ca. SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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Lawrence County Council adopts increased budget for 2023

The final total for next years budget was adopted at $28,405,574, an increase of 3.5% from the approved budget for 2022.
"Stingrays, also known as "cell site simulators" or "IMSI catchers," are invasive cell phone surveillance devices that mimic cell phone towers and send out signals to trick cell phones in the area into transmitting their locations and identifying information. When used to track a suspect's cell phone, they also gather information about the phones of countless bystanders who happen to be nearby."









This one has been reported but public comment was blocked and media outlets were far too optimistic about their coverage of the data tracking, invasion of privacy and potential for snooping on innocent people . . .On the bright side . . . Authorities looking through TKC mobile phone data might be entertained by all of the unanswered texts to chubby white women who regret ever being nice to Kansas City's worst blogger . . .Here's more into on this troubling spy tech trend that's now part of the KCPD arsenal . . .Deets:Further reading . . .More in a bit . . .
Tanya Chamberlain was killed Nov. 1 of 2015 and two teens (age 13 & 14) are charged with her murder . . .Case files recently revealed . . .Suspects claim they wereYou decide . . .
THANKS TO THE POWER OF OUR TKC BLOG COMMUNITY REPORTING AND THE REAX OF THOSE OUTRAGED AFTER OUR EPIC BLOGGING . . . THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS CHANGED THEIR WHITES ONLY ADVERTS FOR NEGRO LEAGUES DAY!!!

An important bit of Kansas City diversity, inclusion, equity and digital advocacy news for out blog community tonight.To wit . . .Check the time-stamps . . .The response was swift and stern and we noticed former council members along with a great many political denizens following our lead in order to. . .Here's just a bit of juxtaposition to prove our point . . . And a reminder thatremains important in challenging the status quo:Now, the story here isn't that our blog community is. . . We already knew that . . . What's more important is that more than a bit of critical discourse from our blog community once again created change and for that the credit belongs solely to this town's biggest newshounds who are kind enough to visit this bloggy goodness outlet on the reg. Natch.
Greeces tourism minister expects tourist arrivals to the European country to grow by 15-20 per cent in 2016.

Last year, there were 26.5 million arrivals to Greece, up from 22 million in 2014, despite the economic problems the country faced and the thousands of refugees that arrived on its shores.

This year is definitely going to be a good year for tourism in Greece, Elena Kountoura , the countrys minister of tourism, said in an interview at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai on Monday, as part of her ministrys strategy to reach out to promising new markets in the Middle East.

During her visit, Minister Kountoura met with United Arab Emirates (UAE) government officials, tourism sector professionals and entrepreneurs to boost investment interest as well as discuss ways to enhance tourism flow to Greece.

She met with Minister of State and Expo 2020 Dubai chief Reem Al Hashimy, Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry president Majid Al Ghurair Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) CEO Mohammed Al Shaibani, and Emirates Airlines president & CEO Sheikh Ahmedbin Saeed Al Maktoum.

Value for money

Tourism in a major sector in Greece. It represents 20 per cent of the countrys GDP [gross domestic product], Kountoura said. The countrys tourism revenues reached 14.5 billion (Dh60.27 billion) in 2015.

The growth in arrivals will be driven in part by new tourism offerings and promotional campaigns in international markets, she added.

We implemented a new strategy. We have prolonged the [tourism] season. It starts in [early] April when normally before it started end of April and now it ends late November. We have also developed new products: thematic tourism, cruise tourism and medical tourism, she noted.

Greece offers value for money, which is a major draw for visitors, the Minister stressed.

We are the best deal, we are value for money. We are in Europe but at the same time we have prices that are affordable for every visitor, she said.

The refugee crisis

Kountoura said the refugee crisis has not impacted tourism to Greece.

We faced [it] right away and we did our duty. When we had this crisis last year, we managed to make sure that all the centers received the people that need accommodation, she said.

More than a million refugees fled to Europe by sea in 2015, mainly to Greece and Italy, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Kountoura hopes tourist arrivals to Greece to grow by at least 10-15 per cent annually in the next three to four years.

If we prolong the [tourism] season and things are going well in the neighborhood, I think the coming years will be much better. I would wish to have each year a minimum increase of 10-15 per cent, she said.

Demand to build hotels

In the first quarter of this year, tourist arrivals to Greece rose 17.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2015, Kountoura said, adding that she expects a 15-20 per cent growth year-on-year in the second quarter. She anticipates arrivals from the GCC , which increased by around 22 per cent year-on-year in 2015, to double this year.

There is demand from developers to build hotels in Greece, Kountoura said.

This year, we have 160 applications for the development of four- and five-star hotels, she said, adding that the government will announce incentives to build hotels. The ministry of economy, development and tourism already has a new law that will give some incentives to investors. That is coming next month, she said, without disclosing details.

According to SETE Intelligence data, the number of arrivals from the UAE to Greece last year increased by 33 percent.

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Kuwait-based Equate Petrochemical Company had supplied more than 450,000 tonne of polyethylene to the country's leading plastic manufacturers in 17 years of its operation from 1998 to 2015, said its top official.



Equate president and chief executive Mohammad Husain was addressing an official gathering of over 20 plastic manufacturers at Kuwait in the presence of Equate PE regional sales leader Ali Al Luqman, corporate communications leader Kholoud Al Feeli.



The gathering, which covered a variety of economic, industrial, technical and latest market trends, also provided the plastic manufacturers a key opportunity to boost company ties and also discuss major industrial topics.



Husain said: "Our local customers represent key stakeholders in reflecting our Partners in Success slogan through a culture of innovation and continuous collaboration."



"Their growth and success are primary strategic objectives for Equate to ensure overall sustainability in the industrial sector as a whole, as well as the plastics industry in specific. From 1998 to 2015, the annual production of Made in Kuwait plastics has increased by over 450 per cent," he noted.



"All of these facts and figures prove the significant contribution of the local plastic industry, supported by the petrochemical sector, to ensure the diversification and advancement of the Kuwaiti economy," he added.



Equate Polyethylene's business director Ahmad Al Saleh said: "Being an industrial leader, Equate has a strategic objective to support the growth of the local plastic industry. This objective stems from having a vision for shared value and promoting long-term business sustainability through innovation and progress."



"Overall ties with our local plastic manufacturers represent a strategic partnership at every level. Over the past five years, we have witnessed tangible growth in demand, exceeding 55 per cent, for plastic products in multiple value-added applications, such as flexible and rigid food packaging, as well as industrial packaging," he added.



Established in 1995 as Kuwaits first international joint-venture in this industry, Equate embodies its Partners in Success slogan through the partnership between Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC), The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Boubyan Petrochemical Company (BPC) and Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company (QPIC).



The company, which started production in 1997, is currently the owner and single-operator of several fully integrated world-class petrochemical units, within the Greater Equate joint-venture.



These produce over 5 million ton of ethylene, polyethylene, ethylene glycol, polypropylene, styrene monomer, paraxylene, heavy aromatics and benzene.-TradeArabia News Service
Protests erupted in California for the second day in a row on Friday against US presidential candidate Donald Trump, who is moving closer to winning the Republican nomination after a string of victories this week.



The billionaire businessman was forced to halt his motorcade and go through a back entrance to a hotel to give a speech to the California Republican convention and avoid several hundred loud protestors gathered outside.



"That was not the easiest entrance I've ever made," Trump told the gathering in Burlingame, south of San Francisco, after weaving around a barrier and clambering across a road to get to the venue. "It felt like I was crossing the border actually."



Demonstrators, some of whom held Mexican national flags, at one point rushed security gates at the hotel and police officers had their batons out.



The mogul had already drawn protests in California, with chaotic scenes on Thursday outside a Trump rally in Costa Mesa. Anti-Trump protesters smashed the window of a police car and blocked traffic. Some 20 people were arrested.



Protests have become common outside rallies for Trump who has earned ardent critics, as well as support from Republican voters, for his rhetoric against illegal immigration. His campaign abandoned a rally in Chicago last month after clashes between his supporters and protesters.



He has accused Mexico of sending drug dealers and rapists across the US border and has promised to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it.



Trump, who described himself this week as the party's presumptive nominee, would take a large stride toward knocking his Republican rivals out of the presidential race if he wins the Indiana primary next week.



On Friday, he said he is approaching the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination.



Trump, who has run as a political outsider and only recently started making inroads with the Republican establishment, called for the party to band together behind him. But said he could win the White House without them if needed.



"There should be and there has to be unity. Now with that being said, would I win, can I win without it? I think so, to be honest," Trump told the convention. His speech drew applause, though not the fervent reception of his usual campaign rallies.



INDIANA FIGHT



Trump's main rival, Senator Ted Cruz, on Friday picked up the backing of Governor Mike Pence of Indiana in a rearguard battle to damage Trump's chances.



"I'm not against anybody, but I will be voting for Ted Cruz in the upcoming Republican primary," Pence said on an Indiana radio show.



Cruz, from Texas, is trailing the former reality TV star in the Midwestern state after losing to him by a wide margin in all five Northeastern states that held nominating contests on Tuesday.



A CBS poll earlier this week found Trump with about 40 percent of support in Indiana, compared to 35 percent for Cruz. The poll had a margin of error of 6.6 points. Other polls have also shown Trump ahead.



The Republican front-runner was in California ahead of its June 7 primary, when the most convention delegates of the Republican nominating cycle will be at stake.



After his speech, Trump made a similarly unconventional exit out of the hotel via the back door.



Cheryl McDonald, 71, of Discovery Bay, said she had to pass through protesters to get inside the hotel.



"They were yelling. I think the only words they know in the dictionary are profanities," said McDonald, who said she is a Trump supporter.



Ohio Governor John Kasich, a distant third in the race for the party's nomination, distanced himself from what he said was a divisive campaign that preyed on voters' fears.



"I'm worried about a divided, polarized country," Kasich said. "It doesn't have to be that way."-Reuters
The Lake Turkana Festival is one of the cultural highlights on Kenyas calendar. Fourteen communities in this remote corner of the world coming together to celebrate their differences - dont you want to be a part of that?!



(TRAVPR.COM) KENYA - April 29th, 2016 - The Lake Turkana Festival has been an annual event on the Kenyan calendar for seven years, attracting more people each year, both from the local communities and visitors. Make this year your year to come and help the local economy, engage with communities, and support cultural traditions at this spectacular festival in one of the most remote corners of the globe.

OTA is leading a tour to the Lake Turkana Festival between 17 and 26 May 2016. The tour will travel from Nairobi to Thomsons Falls (http://www.itravel.net/travel-blogs/eastern-africa/thomson-s-fall-kenya), Maralal, Loyangalani (the venue for the Festival), Marsabit and Samburu National Reserve (https://www.safarious.com/en/posts/10391). Travelling in a comfortable safari vehicle fit for photography, game viewing and touring, this is a camping trip accompanied by an experienced driver/guide and a cook.

Francis Wamai, Founder and Director of OTA, says: The Turkana Festival is special, giving opportunities to learn more about the cultures of people in the Turkana region. Also its so nice to see the lake itself in Northern Kenya, which is mostly a large desert!

OTAs ten-day Lake Turkana Festival Tour is designed for those looking for an exceptional cultural experience to combine with their safari. The tour cost is US$1950 per person for non-residents (the trip will only run with a minimum of four people) inclusive of all meals, accommodation, entry fee to Samburu National Reserve, and an English-speaking driver and guide. There are only six seats available so contact tracey@ota-responsibletravel.com today to reserve your seat.

OTA offers trips in Kenya where you can experience the local culture, stay in villages, and engage with community development organisations as well as view the amazing wildlife and spectacular natural scenery in this amazing country. We can cater to groups (large and small) for any budget, offering a range of accommodation from camping to luxury lodges. Visit www.ota-responsibletravel.com for more information.

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Tribune News Service

Mohali, April 30

Three children from Zimbabwe got a new lease of life after undergoing successful heart surgery at Fortis Hospital under the Rotary Club of Chandigarhs Heartline project here.

The patients included two boys, Takunda (11 years) and Tafadzwa (11 years), and a girl Farirai (over 3 years). However, a year-old girl Heather could not be operated upon because of certain complications. She has been advised surgery after two years.

The children arrived here about a fortnight ago and have been successfully operated upon. There is another batch of six girls, including four teenagers, who have arrived from Rwanda. They will also undergo life-saving heart surgery at the hospital, informed Rajendra K Saboo, former president of Rotary International, and Abhijit Singh, facility director of the hospital.

Speaking on the occasion, Saboo said the Rotary Club of Chandigarh initiated the project of free-heart surgeries in 1999. Since 2006, Fortis Hospital has completed 602 surgeries on poor children from India.

Dr TS Mahant, executive director, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, said, Though we face the language barrier while treating patients from African countries, the priceless smile on the faces of their parents is the best reward and satisfaction we get.
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 30

While addressing a gathering during a function to distribute power connections for tube wells among farmers of Kathunangal and Majitha circles, Revenue and Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia termed assertions of the political opponents with regard to the fiscal condition of the state as false, malicious and baseless.

He said there was no dearth of funds for executing developmental and welfare schemes in Punjab. He added that the government was committed to provide new connections to farmers. He said, But unfortunately because of the case being sub judice in Green Tribunal, it could not materialize.

Once the decision of the Tribunal comes, the government will immediately release new tube-well connections, he added.

He appealed to the people to timely complete the formalities of the Power Department and get their connections functional. He said the state government was paying electricity bills of tube wells of farmers from the state exchequer since 2007 and an expenditure of more than Rs 33,000 crore has been incurred on it.

Chief engineer (border zone) Jagjit Singh Suchhu and other officials of the Power Corporation were also present on the occasion.
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 30

A 15-year-old boy from Poonch district has crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and entered Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The incident came to light after the boy called up his family in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district on April 27 night from PoK.

The boy had been reprimanded by his father after he had allegedly stolen a mobile phone from a shop in his village. The boy has been identified as Zulfqar Ali, a resident of Lanjiote village in Poonch.

We have registered an FIR under Section 2/3 of EIMCO (Egress and Internal Movement Control Ordinance) at the Mendhar police station and started investigation, said Shahid Nayeem, Sub-Divisional Police Officer of the Mendhar police station.

The boy, a student of Class VIII of a government school in Lanjiote, had allegedly stolen a cellphone from a shop and sold it. Fearing the wrath of his father and the shop owner, the boy crossed the LoC and entered PoK, said a local.

Zulfqars family had put his picture and particulars on social networking sites and to their utter shock, the boy called them on April 27 night from a place in PoK via Saudi Arabia, he added.

The family has now approached the police for help, he said. The Mendhar SDPO said though the boy appeared to be in PoK, they did not exactly know his whereabouts.

Poonch SSPJS Johar said the boy had called up his family via Saudi Arabia and the police had taken cognisance of the incident.

Official sources said the Pakistan army was likely to repatriate him tomorrow.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 30

Stating that an inquiry into the Handwara incident is under way, the Army today said it would ensure that incidents like that at Nathnusa in Kupwara, where a protester was killed in firing, did not recur in the future.

The General Officer Commanding of Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lt Gen Satish Dua, said the Army had been working in perfect synergy with the police and CRPF to avoid such incidents in the future.

The Army does not deal with protests. It is the police or, at best, the CRPF that deals with protests. While we let them deal with protests, in this unfortunate incident, the protesters had started breaking the gate and fence of the Army camp. We are confident that henceforth, this will not happen because we are working in perfect synergy with the police and CRPF, he said during the reopening of the Srinagar-Leh highway.

On April 12, after allegations of molestation of a minor girl in Handwara by a soldier, violent protests broke out, in which three persons, including a woman, were killed in firing by security forces.

A day later, two more persons, including one at Nathnusa, were killed in firing by security forces. The girl had denied that she was molested.

The civilian killings had triggered a series of protests and stone throwing at several places in Kupwara. Lt Gen Dua said an inquiry was under way into the Handwara incident.

On infiltration, he said the Army was ready in every manner to handle the situation. The Centre said in the Lok Sabha on Friday that in the first three months, 24 infiltration attempts by militants took place in J&K and 18 of these were successful.
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 30

A delegation from Canadian Embassy is likely to visit Ludhiana on May 5 for a healthy discussion on the Smart City project of Ludhiana.

The aim of the meeting is to exchange ideas over the important development projects for the city under the Smart City plan. This is not the first time that such a delegation is visiting the city. Recently, British High Commission Nottingham City Council had also discussed civic issues with the MC officials.

The delegation would be headed by Christopher Gibbins, who is Consul General of Canada at Chandigarh, and the main agenda of the meeting would be to discuss vehicle-free zones, pedestrians and bike-friendly streets, dedicated cycle tracks, rainwater harvesting, rooftop solar panels, hoarding-free city, smart public toilets, integrated solid waste management, smart street lighting and underground power cables among other things. The e-rickshaw is also part of the agenda of the meeting with GIS-based property tax system.

MC Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said they were looking forward for this discussion as it would help in developing relations as well as getting information about the techniques being used by the developed countries. He said they would discuss the Smart City plan with the delegates.
Auckland: President Pranab Mukherjee rubbed his nose with the Maori chief and his wife as part of the traditional welcome on a three-day visit to New Zealand. At the Governor Generals residence, he was stopped by Maori warriors as part of the tradition, originally conceived to ascertain whether the guest was an enemy or a friend. The 80-year-old was briefed about the significance of the tradition as the Maori fighters yelled their battle cries.  PTI
Kolkata, April 30

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused a West Bengal minister, Firhad Hakim, of having described a part of Kolkata port area as "mini Pakistan" in an interview to Pakistan daily 'Dawn', although the Trinamool Congress leader has denied the claim. "How can a minister say such things? We demand an explanation from both Mr Firhad Hakim and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee," BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh said.

When contacted Hakim said he never made such a comment.

"The Pakistani journalist came along with a journalist of a local Bengali daily. She only asked me that this place looks like Karachi of Pakistan (sic). I did not make any comment. She spoke to me about my election campaign. I answered those questions. That's all," he said.

According to an article in Dawn, a journalist of the newspaper who was in Kolkata some days ago, spoke to Hakim during his campaign trail in Muslim-dominated Kolkata port area and it was during this interview that he termed the part of Kolkata port area as "Mini Pakistan".  PTI
Tribune News Service

Pathankot, April 30

A 16-year-old boy shot himself accidentally when he was taking a selfie with the pistol aimed at his forehead at his house.

Amandeep Singh, a student of class 10 of Guru Harkishen Public School, went to his parents room in the crowded Char Mohalla, took out his fathers licensed .32-bore pistol and took an aim at his forehead with a mobile phone in the other hand. As he was in the process of clicking a selfie, he inadvertently pulled the trigger.

The bullets grazed past his forehead, leaving him seriously injured.

Neighbours took the profusely bleeding boy to the local Amandeep Hospital. Seeing his condition, which was deteriorating fast, doctors referred him to the DMC, Ludhiana.

SSP Rakesh Kaushal said a case will be registered at the Division No 2 police station after proper investigations.

The police have recorded the statement of boys father Gurkirpal Singh, a local property agent.

The SSP added the statements of the neighbours will be recorded tomorrow. We did not want to disturb the family as the boy is in a serious condition. We will talk to them tomorrow after which a case will be registered, he said.
Archit Watts & Praful Chander Nagpal

Tribune News Service

Fazilka, April 30

Gangster-turned-politician Jaswinder Singh Rocky was shot dead by unidentified assailants near Parwanoo around 10 am on Saturday. The assailants fled soon after the firing. One gunman also sustained grievous injuries.

Sources claim Rocky was travelling in Toyota Fortuner vehicle when some armed attackers shot him. The driver of the vehicle has been referred to PGIMER.

Rocky had contested the Assembly election from Fazilka in 2012 and had given a hard time to the BJP and Congress candidates. He had lost by a narrow margin of 1,692 votes to incumbent Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani of the BJP and had relegated three-time Congress contestant and former Parliamentary Secretary Dr Mohinder Kumar Rinwa to third position.

Rocky had secured 39,209 votes while Jyani and Rinwa had bagged 40,901 and 32,205 votes, respectively. Since then he had been posing a formidable challenge to both the mainstream parties. He had a sizeable vote bank and support base in urban-slum and rural area, particularly in the Rai Sikh dominated border villages although he himself was a Jat Sikh (Bhullar).

He was earlier an accomplice of slain gangster Prabhjinder Singh 'Dimpy'. Rocky was booked for having Dimpy murdered in a shootout near Lake Club in Chandigarh in 2006, although he was acquitted of the charges in 2014.

Rocky was arrested in connection with a case related to illegal weapons last year.

The killing of Rocky has caused ripples in political circles in Fazilka. It has exposed the crime-politics nexus and killing of a strongman-politician with bullet.

Mainstream politicians refrained to make any comments on Rockys death.

Rocky was known to be an alleged gangster yet he allegedly had support and patronage of the ruling SAD bigwigs and had been provided a gunman by Fazilka police.

Notably, he had been booked under different sections of law in more than 20 cases in various states of the country, including that of murder, extortion, kidnapping, conspiracy, illegal confinement and violation of Arms Act.

His photograph was seen displayed in the criminals list at the local City Police station today also.

Rockys photograph with then home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in 2013 had courted controversy as he had been a proclaimed offender at that time.

His father Mohinder Singh Jhugianwala was allegedly shot dead by Rockys younger brother Roman about six years ago.

Rocky was popular amongst the have-nots in the area. Large number of poor people and villagers flocked his local residence seeking his intervention in redressal of their grievances. He reportedly used to settle their issues which earned him the sobriquet Rocky Bai Ji.
Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 30

The security cover of Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kamboj has been withdrawn by the Jalandhar Commissionerate after police exposed the tale behind deadly attack on him.

He had orchestrated an attack on him to enhance his security cover ahead of the Assembly polls.

A few days before the attack, he had applied for additional security cover and the police had provided him additional gunmen with an escort vehicle. Presently, he was having six gunmen with escort gypsy.

Police Commissioner Arpit Shukla told TNS that since the entire drama stood exposed, the leader deserved no security cover. We have withdrawn all the gunmen along with the escort vehicle provided by us, he added.

Deepak has been charged under Section 120- B of the IPC but he would be arrested after the investigations were complete.

Sources said the police would also re-examine the security threat to his father, Vinay Jalandhari who is also having about half a dozen gunmen.

The accused, Gaurav Sondhi alias Gora (29) of Dhan Mohalla and Supinder Singh alias Shampy of Maqdumpura were also produced in court where they were to police custody till May 3.
Shelley Walia

It all started when a group of budding writers collected near Columbia College Campus in New York over 70 years ago. Americas homegrown counterculture, which later began to be known as the Beat Generation, finally got its kick-start at San Francisco in the early1950s. Here Bill Morgan, the avid Beat historian, recounts the explorations of Americas writers, poets and artists who travelled widely, visiting and often living for years in Paris, Mexico City, Tangiers, Columbia, India, Siberia and many more places around the world. The influence worked both ways inspiring an itinerant generation-without-borders whose impact is palpably present in the numerous subcultural groups ever since.

Moving from country to country across the globe, Bill Morgan has a close look at the lives and detailed notes of some of the pioneers of the Beat generation like Ginsberg, Burroughs, Kerouac, Ferlinghetti, Corso and others. Going into minute details, the book becomes a reference guide to the admirers of this counterculture to the extent that it is possible to even locate the hotel in Tangiers where William Burroughs and many of his friends would come and go for decades, or trace Ginsbergs trail through South America or India. It is at Tangiers, for instance, that Burroughs began his Naked Lunch. The biographical experiences indeed inspire you to even visit the grave of Shelley in Italy which had attracted many of these writers or the concert hall in London where Bob Dylan influenced Allen Ginsberg to hold a poetry reading for over 5,000 spectators.

Interestingly, Allen Ginsbergs experience in Jerusalem is rather telling and symbolic of the American hand in the Middle-East nightmare when he by chance comes across young boys making a living of the military scrap left on the battlefield. A note in the book reads: Allen found it sadly ironic when they showed him fragments of bombs made in America by the Bethlehem Steel company.

The surrealist poet Ted Joans who had been a close friend and associate of Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac travelled, like them, to various continents finally settling in Timbuktu in Mali where he lived away from home and friends but experienced the age-old culture of the natives about whom he said, Africa should start sending missionaries out into the world. The missionaries would teach people how to be cool. Throughout his life, he had been pained by the harsh reality of Africans living in America, an emotional disturbance which became the wellspring of his poetic compositions.

The poet Gregory Corso would spend decades in Rome falling in love with the ruins, the Roman inscriptions, the half-columns and those missing noses. For him, the past was true and all here. Shelley, Caesar, Augustus, Vespasius, Keats, Michelangelo, the new Pope, Giovanni XXIII. He spent much of his time hanging out in the streets and piazzas, taking in the past and the remains of Western civilisation which would find expression in his poetry. So deep was his love of Shelley that after his death his family arranged for his ashes to be interred in a plot at the feet of Shelley in the Protestant Cemetery located at 6 Via Caio Cestio. On his tombstone is inscribed: Spirit in Life/ It flows thru the death of me/ endlessly like a river/ unafraid of becoming the sea. Ginsberg too visited the city, ravished its ancient spirit articulated in his poem, Forum, Rome. Though he loved Rome, he was angered by the practice of covering the genitals of the nude statues with fig leaves, an order of the earlier Popes: I almost flipped there, it is maddening after all the beautiful nakedness of David in Florence.

Ginsberg and his friend, the famous poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who later started the radical publishing house City Lights, were inspired by Machu Picchu, the beautiful site high in the Andes. The haunting vision of the lost city became the inspiration for his poem Hidden Door that he dedicated to Pablo Neruda on the heights of Macchu Picchu. Ginsbergs poem Aether was composed a week after his return from Machu Picchu: The millipedes black head moving inches away/ on the staircase of Machu Picchu/ the creature feels itself destroyed/ head and tail of the universe cut into two.

Both of them would visit South America again, especially that memorable visit to the University of Concepcion in Chile, where their interaction with the communists and exhilaration at Fidel Castros takeover of Cuba would be celebrated. But it was the terrible condition of the miners in the Lota Coal Mines that had a deep and lasting impression. It was almost months later that Ginsberg would discover the mysterious drug yage that Burroughs had so intimately described a decade earlier. Jack Kerouac too experienced his first involvement with opium, sprinkled on his cigar in a small town near Culiacan in Sinaloa. In his very first vision, he began to imagine that the earth is an Indian thing a phrase that became a refrain with him for years.

The influence of Zen Buddhism would also find its way into the philosophy of the beat generation through the experiences of Gary Snyder who spent decades in Japan studying at the Shokoku-ji Zen Temple in Kyoto. He spent many years here, translating poetry from the Japanese and experiencing the freedom of the wideness in the mountains in the north that he loved to climb.

It is a difficult to take a complete guided tour of the places the pioneers of the beat generation visited but this brief account gives a taste of the kind of nomadic life that many lived and enjoyed and experienced and which became the impetus to a lifestyle that finally could be termed quite accurately as cool.
WHEN I was editing a journal, a friend suggested I consider doing an issue on alternative political scenarios and call it 'What if?' The idea was to invite writers and commentators to consider what could have been the history of India if certain landmark events had worked out differently. He assured me that he had read a very interesting book on such a possibility in the context of world history. For whatever reason, I chose to disregard his advice but now, when stuck in a boring social gathering, I have often used this line to provoke reactions from other guests and it has acted as an instant ice-breaker. Needless to add some wonderful debates have emerged out of such situations. So I am listing out some scenarios for my readers to try on friends and family.

What if Gandhiji had not been assassinated in 1948? Just imagine what momentous changes could have resulted from a longer life for Bapu. If I recall my history correctly, Gandhiji had promised to lead a march to Pakistan and his last fast in Delhi was undertaken to put pressure on the Indian Government to cede a greater sum to Pakistan as a fair distribution of the common sovereign fund. Perhaps if he had gone to Pakistan and managed to persuade Jinnah to give up the demand for a separate country for Muslims, we could have still been one large country and the history of our two nations would have been radically different. It is teasing to think of all the possible outcomes: no knotty Kashmir issue between the two nations could have certainly erased several sore points that have become gangrenous over the sixty years and more of poison and mutual hatred.

Everyone knows how virulently Gandhiji opposed the two-nation theory (and now this view seems more and more sane). In fact, he is said to have declared that Pakistan would be created over his dead body. What if instead of total Swaraj, the subcontinent had opted for an independent dominion status, as did Canada and Australia? We could have been free in every sense but the presence of a Governor-General-like figure (he could be an Indian, such as Rajaji was) would ensure that political decorum was maintained.

This may evoke howls of protest but seriously consider what Delhi would have to suffer if its Lt Governor did not restrain its ebullient and loopy CM from indulging in whimsical, anarchic antics (recall his dharna on the eve of the Republic Day celebrations). Similarly, if Hyderabad had been declared a Union Territory under the watchful gaze of an Administrator, the ugly face-offs between Andhra Pradesh and Telengana could have been avoided and a great deal of money saved.

Do we not have the example of Chandigarh before us? I can guarantee you that a great amount of debate can be extracted from these two 'what ifs' alone!

Let us now look at another possibility: what if Sardar Patel rather than Nehru had become our first Prime Minister? This debate in a sense has already been going on ever since the rise of the BJP. However, before considering this alternative we will have to factor in some other variables. We will have to put aside, for instance, the fact that Patel did not live as long as Nehru and his early demise may have plunged India into the same political turmoil that Jinnah's early death did in Pakistan.

Let us nevertheless pursue this alternative: so, what would have been the future of India if Patel had been made its first Prime Minister? For one, perhaps the Maharaja of Kashmir would have been persuaded to voluntarily join the Union of India and its problematic Act of Accession could then have been quietly buried. Again, under Patel, India may never have opted for a socialist-style centralized planning system and its federal structure would be strengthened as had been envisioned by the makers of the Constitution.

Another possibility is a different interpretation of the secular state, where different faiths could have been persuaded to accept a Common Civil Code. After all, if the Hindu Code Bill was rammed through despite protests from the hardliners in that faith, perhaps the Muslims may have also agreed to accept a Common Civil Code. Time and again, we have backed off from taking on the hardliners in the Muslim community when every liberal Muslim favours equal rights for women. The Sharda Act that bans the marriage of Hindu girls under the age of eighteen could very easily have been applied to Muslim girls as well, as could the Hindu Undivided Family Act. Joint families in every faith have similar problems and drawbacks. So why deny progressive laws to the Muslims of this country?

Above all, the distressing trend of power being concentrated within a family would have never become the monster that has strangled the talent of every political party. Apart from just a few political parties, the tradition of keeping power within the hands of a few trusted family members has, over time, made a mockery of our democratic values.

Finally, what if India had opted for a Presidential form of government rather than a Westminster style parliamentary democracy? These are just a few dream scenarios but they trigger interesting discussions. Do try them out.
IS militants kill Hindu tailor in Bangladesh

Dhaka, April 30

A Hindu tailor was hacked to death by machete-wielding Islamic State militants at his shop today in central Bangladesh, the latest in a series of attacks on intellectuals, activists and minorities by the dreaded terror group in the Muslim-majority country.

Nikhil Chandra Joarder, 50, a resident of Dubail village under Gopalpur upazila of the Tangail district, was hacked to death this afternoon. "Three assailants entered Nikhil's house-cum shop and slit his throat," Gopalpur police station officer-in-charge Mohammad Abdul Jalil said.

He said the assailants used a motorcycle and fled the scene immediately after the murder. They left a black bag at the spot, which contained three to four bomb-like objects. Asked about the possible motive behind the attack, Jalil told reporters that a case was filed against Nikhil in 2012 for making a "derogatory" comment about the Prophet of Islam.

He had been arrested for allegedly making the comments and then released. "It can be the reason for the murder," The Daily Star quoted Jalil as saying.

Meanwhile, US-based private SITE Intelligence Group said the IS claimed the killing. ISIS' Amaq Agency reported the group's responsibility for killing the Hindu tailor for blasphemy in Tangail district in Bangladesh, it said in a tweet. The local media reports said Nikhil served three-month jail in 2012 when he was arrested for the "derogatory comments".  PTI
London, April 30

The Islamic State militant group has executed over 4,000 people within two years, a UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said, calling on the UN to stop the crimes and violations committed against the Syrian people by the outfit.

Monitors compiled the list dating back to the declaration of the Islamic State in June 2014, showing regular beheadings, shootings, stonings and other methods of murder such as throwing people off buildings and setting them on fire.

The so-called offences of those executed included sodomy, apostasy and alcohol smuggling, SOHR notes.

It concludes that by the end of the 22nd month of the so-called "caliphate" under ISIS, 4,144 people had been executed.

SOHR said civilians made up the bulk of those executed, estimated at 2,230 people, including in three large-scale massacres of Sunni and Kurdish citizens.

The civilians, including women and children, are among the number, as are hundreds of the groups own members and enemy fighters from Bashar al-Assad's army and opposition rebel groups, 'The Independent' reported.

"The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights call again on the UN Security Council to work seriously to stop the crimes and violations committed against the Syrian people by the 'Islamic State' and the regime of Bashar al-Assad," a spokesperson said.

In the month until March 29 this year, 80 killings were recorded in ISIS territory in the provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Al-Hasakah.

A child was among 37 Syrian civilians executed, while 24 ISIS members, six rebels and fighters and more than a dozen Syrian army and militia members were beheaded and shot, SOHR said.

A former London student who joined the Islamic State in Syria last year described the reign of terror they enforce in their strongholds in an interview with the newspaper.

"I witnessed stonings, beheadings, shootings, hands chopped off and many other things," said Harry Sarfo, currently in prison in Germany awaiting trial for terror offences after fleeing Syria last July.

He added: "I've seen child soldiers  13-year-old boys with explosive belts and Kalashnikovs. Some boys even driving cars and involved in executions".

"My worst memory is of the execution of six men shot in the head by Kalashnikovs. The chopping off of a man's hand and making him hold it with the other hand," he said.

"The Islamic State is not just un-Islamic, it is inhuman. A blood-related brother killed his own brother on suspicion of being a spy. They gave him the order to kill him. It is friends killing friends," he added.  PTI
ROME, April 30

An Italian merchant ship rescued 26 migrants off the coast of Libya in rough seas and others were feared missing, the Coast Guard said on Saturday.

The Coast Guard received a call from a satellite telephone on Friday but no voice was heard. It tracked the signal to a location about seven miles off the Libyan coast, a spokesman said.

An Italian merchant vessel in the area was diverted and on Friday night rescued the 26 from a rubber boat that had taken on water.

The spokesman said such boats used by human traffickers can hold between 100-120 people and are usually full but no information was available on the number that might be missing.

The migrants were tranferred onto a Coast Guard ship in international waters and taken to Lampedusa, the island south of Sicily where tens of thousands have arrived in recent years.

With the closing of land routes in the Balkans and a recent deal under which Greece sends migrants back to Turkey, Italian officials expect more to try to make the longer and much more dangerous crossing from Libya.  Reuters
The mayors proposed budget this year again has city services slated for cuts  for the most part a result of missed predictions in previous budgets and lackluster tax revenues.

City leaders and finance officials blame the volatile system of having to predict the years revenue based largely on sales tax, the dominant driver of municipal tax revenue in Tulsa.

Its a real deal, Mayor Dewey Bartlett said after presenting his budget Thursday. We have to get rid of us being the only state in the union that has sales tax as its primary and sole source of tax revenue for municipalities.

Bartlett has for several years supported municipal tax reform at the state level, partnering with Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and the Oklahoma Municipal League.

Were about at our maximum level that we can stomach without serious reform regarding Internet sales and nonpayment of taxes and allowing cities to have say-so on what type of taxation they would like to consider, Bartlett said.

Bartlett said he and Cornett have not discussed the issue recently. Bartlett has said before that he didnt believe the issue could be brought up actively in the Legislature for several years.

Historically, sales tax in Tulsa was fairly predictable through mathematical models that look at the local and national economy, according to finance officials.

But in the past decade, Internet sales have changed that, Bartlett said. We must continue to advocate for a better municipal-funding model to the Oklahoma Legislature and governor, Bartlett said. As city leaders, we are well aware of the constraints placed on Oklahoma cities as a result of our required reliance on sales tax alone for general revenue purposes.

Unpredictable sales tax leads to missed projections, and missed projections lead to cuts. The proposed budget for next year predicts a 0.18 percent decrease in total tax revenue from last years budget. Sales tax, however, is projected to increase by 0.9 percent  a conservative projection compared to other years.

This year, the budget had predicted a 4.22 percent increase, which fell well short of reality and, in part, led to cuts in Thursdays proposed budget. Last year, the adopted budget predicted a 2.5 percent tax revenue decrease from the previous years budget projections  also the result of a shortfall.

The effect on City Hall of tight or decreasing budgets degrades services to residents, officials have said.

To achieve a balanced budget, there will be significant service-level impact across all departments, according to descriptions in the proposed budget. Budgeted positions will be reduced by 58, affecting 17 departments with most of these being vacant positions; however, layoffs may still occur.

Directly cut services include mowing cycles and nuisance abatement funding. However, 58 cut positions and a handful of layoffs are assumed to have indirect effects on services.

The budget proposal is in city councilors hands to adjust and approve before the fiscal year begins July 1.
Two fugitives wanted for gang-related offenses and other charges were arrested early Saturday after a traffic stop in south Tulsa.

Just before midnight Friday, officers were given information that two men with felony warrants were in the Arbors of Southern Hills Apartments complex, 6630 S. Zunis Ave., police said.

Officers were told the men were in a gold 2000 GMC Yukon. They spotted a vehicle matching that description leaving the complex at 12:01 a.m. It went north from the complex and then drove into a dead-end neighborhood near 5500 S. Atlanta Ave., police said.

As the vehicle stopped, officers saw two handguns being thrown from the front passenger window. Then the front-seat passenger reportedly bailed from the car and ran north. A backseat passenger ran east from the vehicle, police said.

Officers found a Glock 22 .40 caliber handgun and a Ruger 9mm handgun at the scene, police said.

The driver, 19-year-old Lauryn Robbins, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent, soliciting a minor for a street gang member and no drivers license. Robbins had a previous warrant for multiple charges, including a gang-related offense, eluding and possession of a firearm, according to jail records.

Officers arrested front-seat passenger Kalen Deshaun Crocker, 18, after they set up a perimeter in the area. A K-9 unit tracked Crocker to the area of 2400 E. 53rd St., where they found him on a roof.

Crocker was arrested on complaints of possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent, soliciting a minor for street gang member and resisting arrest. Crocker had previous warrants for charges, including gang-related offense, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm.

The backseat passenger wasnt located.
A man accused of shooting at someone inside an east Tulsa apartment complex was arrested early Saturday after officers stopped him at the complex.

About 1 a.m., police were dispatched to Union Point Apartments, 4109 S. 130th East Place, where a caller reported hearing shots fired, police said.

A man told police a vehicle pulled behind his car in the parking lot and a man got out and began firing a weapon at him. The victim ran to his apartment while the man continued to fire, police said.

When officers arrived at the complex, they saw a vehicle that matched the description of a car involved in the shooting. They attempted to stop it, and the vehicle reportedly continued driving at a low rate of speed before it eventually stopped, police said.

When the car stopped, officers took two people inside the vehicle into custody and searched it. They reportedly found a loaded 20-gauge shotgun under the cars rear seat, police said.

Officers found five spent shotgun shells at the complex, police said.

Officers arrested Hillary Talbert, 20, on suspicion of shooting with intent to kill. He is being held at Tulsa Jail in lieu of $75,000 bond, according to jail records.
May 1-7, we celebrate National Charter Schools Week and the opportunities these public schools have brought to families within our communities. While the world continues to change rapidly, its critical that the education todays students are receiving fully prepares them for our global society. Incorporating public charter schools into the community is one way to help make this a reality.

Why charters? Since their inception in Oklahomas public education landscape, they have demonstrated high levels of success for students of all backgrounds and needs. For example, Tulsa Legacy Charter School, an arts-infused pre-kindergarten through eighth grade public charter, has shown outstanding academic achievement and is one of the top performing schools in Tulsa Public Schools. Tulsa Legacy serves a population with 96 percent receiving free and reduced-price lunch and 25 percent receiving special education services across two campuses.

As a whole, Oklahomas public charter school demographics show an average of 84 percent minority students. Further, 74 percent of charter students are eligible for free and reduced lunch rates. On average, Oklahoma charter schools student population includes 9 percent special needs students.

Because many of our charters celebrate high student achievement, it is commonly assumed that charters select only the highest academic achievers. But because charter schools are public, they must accept all students, no matter their familys income, their discipline history or whether or not they have special needs.

Charter school admittance does cause a bit of confusion for some because charter sponsors limit the number of seats available. So while a charter might receive interest from hundreds of students, if they only have 100 spots open, then they must hold a public lottery. Currently, Oklahoma has around 2,500 students on waiting lists as a result.

One of the key components that makes charter schools so successful is the flexibility the law provides them. With this freedom, they can incorporate unconventional and innovative teaching methods, manage overall school operations without certain restrictions and adjust the environment to meet the needs of their students without having to seek prior approval.

This doesnt mean that they arent held accountable. On the contrary, public charters are held to the very same accountability measures and testing requirements as their traditional public school counterparts. Moreover, charters must answer to their sponsoring entities and their individual boards regarding financial responsibilities and their students academic achievement and can be closed if they do not meet the requirements.

Charters also work diligently to foster a strong bond with parents and their communities, and many require students to participate in community service. In doing so, the schools not only build strong family connections, but they promote service to the community as a vital part of being a responsible and well-rounded citizen.

Public charter schools are not the ultimate solution for our public education system. But many do provide compelling evidence for successful practices that can be emulated. After all, the successful education of our children is a mission that we must all work together to achieve.

Carlisha Williams is executive director of Tulsa Legacy Charter School.
Look for the fourth edition of Tulsa World Magazine in your home-delivered Tulsa World on Saturday.

This issue, well give you a reason to travel to each of Oklahomas 77 counties. Spring is a great time for a road trip.

To get a subscription to the Tulsa World, go to tulsaworld.com/subscribe or call 918-582-0921 or toll free at 800-444-6552.

Copies of Tulsa World Magazine can also be purchased for $3.95 at the front office of the Tulsa World, 315 S. Boulder Ave., online at tulsaworldmagazine.com or by calling 918-581-8584.

The magazine is also on sale at Boomtown Tees, 114 S. Elgin Ave., Ida Red, 3336 S. Peoria Ave., Mecca Coffee Company, 1330 E. 41st St., and the following Reasors locations: 7114 S. Sheridan Road; 11005 E. 41st St.; 1100 E. Kenosha St. (71st Street and Lynn Lane); 4909 E. 41st St.; 1885 S. Yale Ave.; 2429 E. 15th St.; 446 S. Elm St., Jenks, and 3328 E. 51st St.
On paper, Hap Collins and Leonard Pine really shouldnt be friends.

The two men, depicted in LaBorde Texas in 1988, dont have much in common. While Hap (James Purefoy) is white, straight and a conscientious objector, Leonard (Michael Kenneth Williams) is black, gay and a Vietnam veteran.

But both have a bond that stems back to childhood which keeps them together as they eke out an existence in the bleak, smoky South.

Barely able to hold down a job and attracting trouble like a magnet, they are drawn to a secret shared by Haps ex-wife Trudy (Christina Hendricks): theres a car sunken at the bottom of a local river, with $1m of missing loot inside.

Initially the hot-tempered Leonard isnt persuaded by Trudys allure. But he knows she is the jaded Haps weak point. And he knows logic goes out the window when an erection enters the equation (sorry, there really wasnt any other way to say it). Talking sense to his friend is futile.

The plot to retrieve said-loot will lead the pair to a a motley crew of outcasts and 60s drop-outs, plus a pair of murderous psycho-killers. But its the connection between the two central characters who -in spite of themselves- keep the spontaneity alive.

This 6 part Sundance TV series, written and developed by Nick Damici and Jim Mickle, is based on novels by Joe R. Lansdale. Its bluesy soundtrack and swamp backdrop is peppered with retro songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival and even Tears for Fears.

Mickles direction of the piece shows nice detail for its quirky characters, and an eye for dark comedy. But the energy also rises and falls across the opening episode. Its hard to know how this will pan out across the series as a whole.

James Purefoy and Michael Kenneth Williams are both solid in the title roles, with Williams suppressing a violent streak in Leonard that plays nicely against type. Former Mad Men star Christina Hendricks slips in perfectly as a femme fatale in the Deep South.

Hap and Leonard is a left-of-centre take on the buddy and mystery genres and therein lies its appeal.

Hap and Leonard airs 8:30pm Thursday on Showcase.
Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it.





I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends.





More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it.





The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity.





About me:

I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS.

Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line).

Age: 42

Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed.





I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it).
The pro-Russian militants launched over 40 attacks on ATO troops in eastern Ukraine over the past day.

This is reported by the ATO Headquarters press center.

The tensest situation was observed near Marinka (35 km south-west of Donetsk), when the terrorists used 82 mm mortars, grenade launchers of various systems and small arms to shell the Ukrainian strongholds.

In addition, the militants used small arms, grenade launchers and 82mm and 120mm mortars to fire at Ukrainian troops near Avdiyivka (18km north of Donetsk), Krasnohorivka (29 km west of Donetsk).

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The peak number of ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine has been caused by the actions of pro-Russian separatists and Moscow, which supports them.

Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State Mark Toner said this at the briefing on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We are certainly concerned about the level of violence in eastern Ukraine, that its the highest weve seen since the September 1st ceasefire went into effect," Toner said.

He stressed that about 30,000 ceasefire violations had been registered during April alone, calling it a "huge number". He added that "the OSCE reporting does confirm that separatists are largely responsible for these violations."

In this context, he once again called on Russia and the separatists that it supported to fully comply and observe the ceasefire.

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Five University of Georgia sorority sisters got into a car accident this week which killed four and left one in critical condition. The three girls died on the spot and the two were rushed to the hospital but the other one did not make it. They were hit by an oncoming car as they were crossing the center lane.

The sorority sisters who died in the car accident were Kayla Canedo, 19, Brittany Feldman, 20, Christina Semeria, 19, and Halle Scott, 19. They are all mourned by the family members, sorority sisters and classmates at the University of Georgia. The surviving victim, Agnes Kim, 21, who was the driver of the car, is still in critical condition at the Athens Regional Medical Center, Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.

The driver of the second vehicle was also hurt. Abby Short, 27, has been released from the hospital, Athens Banner-Herald noted. It is unknown why the car with the five University of Georgia sorority sisters was crossing the center lane. The authorities added that none of the university students were inebriated with alcohol. The car crash accident is being investigated by the Georgia State Patrol.

All the students killed in the car crash were members of three different sororities at the University of Georgia, WSBTV shared. Semeria and Canedo belonged to the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, Scott belonged to the university's Tri-Delta sorority, and Feldman belonged to the Pi Beta Phi sisterhood.

The 911 audio call from the car crash was released by the Oconee County Georgia Sheriff's Office where they posted it on their Facebook page. According to them, they are required by law to release the recording of what happened that night. It was revealed that it was the driver from the second car, Short, who called 911. She just left her job at the National EMS in Athens when she got into the accident. The audio recording of the 911 call is found below:
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Channel Islands Aviation has established a youth scholarship in the name of alum Khrystyna Gavryushenko, who lost her life in a car accident.

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CAMARILLO

Youth flight program offers scholarship

Channel Islands Aviation has established a scholarship to its summer youth aviation academy, according to Sarah Oberman Bartush, manager of the aviation school and chief marketing officer for Channel Islands Aviation.

The Khrystyna Gavryushenko Memorial Scholarship was established in honor of an alumna of the youth aviation academy and flight school as well as an intern at the company. The scholarship will include entrance to the youth aviation academy, a flight lesson and the Cessna ground school course.

Gavryushenko died in a car accident in Prescott, Arizona, before she was to begin studying at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She graduated from Oxnard High in 2014.

"The inaugural memorial scholarship is open to teens 12 to 17 who are interested in pursuing an aviation career. We hope to select a young person who has the same passion Khrystyna had for aviation so we can honor her memory," Bartush said.

Applicants are asked to write a one-page essay on why they want a career in aviation. The essay must be approved by applicants' parents and should be emailed to school@flycia.com.

The recipient will be announced at Pilots, Parents and Planes from 10 a.m. to noon June 11. The complimentary event is for teens interested in aviation and their parents. Industry-related guest speakers will be featured, and light refreshments will be provided.

The youth aviation academy will be held at Channel Islands Aviation, located at the Camarillo Airport, 350 Durly Ave. The cost is $349, which includes ground instruction, a pilot logbook, a T-shirt, flight simulator lesson, and lunch on the last day of the program. There is an optional $99 flight lesson.

The basic academy will be held from 8:30-11:30 a.m. June 22-24 and July 13-15. The advanced academy will be held from 8:30-11:30 a.m. June 22-24 and July 20-22.

For more information on the scholarship and the academy, call 987-1301 or visit http://www.ciaflightschool.com.

ACTION outlines mission at meeting

The nonprofit organization ACTION hosted its annual board meeting recently, with attendees including the board of directors, staff members, and interested supporters, leaders and donors.

Members of ACTION, which stands for Area Christians Taking Initiative on Needs, presented their mission and vision, the state of the ministry, and strategies and program updates as they enter their second decade of service.

Executive board members elected for the 2016-2017 year are: Bill VanDerripe, chief executive officer; Larry Carignan, first vice president; Gene Bruni, chief financial officer; and Bruce MacDonald, secretary. Additional board members include Kirk DeWitt, John Grover, Jeff Morris, Yvonne Parker, Warren Schuh, Todd Shillington, Jeff Springgate and Executive Director Jill Upson.

The event was sponsored by Thrivent Financial.

For more information, including about ACTION's upcoming Serve Day, visit http://www.actionvc.org or call 805-987-0300

ACTION was borne out of a desire to network churches, agencies and businesses together to collectively serve needs throughout our community. Almost 100 churches, numerous agencies and many companies support this organization, which engages thousands of volunteers to serve on hundreds of projects.

OAK PARK

Oak Park Plaza sells for $11.95M

Oak Park Plaza, a 29,950-square-foot lifestyle center at 702-706 Lindero Canyon Road has traded for $11.95 million.

Oak Park Assets LLC sold the center to Oak Park Properties LLC in an off-market transaction.

"Oak Park Plaza is a very busy center in an affluent community," said Jeff McGuire, a principal of Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura, who represented the seller in the transaction with Lee's Slavic Zlatkin. McGuire added that the center "offered the buyer a great location with quality tenants."

Zlatkin also represented the buyer.

Tenants at Oak Park Plaza include Subway, On the Thirty, Stevenson Fitness and Margarita's Mexican Restaurant.

SANTA PAULA

U-Haul announces new local dealer

U-Haul Co. says California Car Vault Storage has signed on as a U-Haul neighborhood dealer to serve the Santa Paula community.

California Car Vault Storage at 18201 E. Telegraph Road will offer U-Haul trucks, towing equipment, support rental items and in-store pick-up for boxes.

Hours of operation for U-Haul rentals are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. After-hours drop-off is available for customers.

U-Haul products can be reserved through California Car Vault Storage, which is owned by Xavier Maignan, by calling 421-4233 or visiting https://www.uhaul.com/Locations/Truck-Rentals-near-Santa-Paula-CA-93060/055431.

VENTURA COUNTY

Site to promote local museums

A new website will launch on Sunday to promote museums in Ventura County.

Ventura County has 31 museums to see and visit, and the new website, http://www.venturacountymuseums.org, will provide information on each museum as well as the Heritage Valley Tourism Bureau, Oxnard Tourism Bureau-California Welcome Center and Ventura Visitors Center.

Organizers said the project would not have happened without the support and a donation from county Supervisor Kathy Long.

Staff reports
LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR A cherry-lime milkshake is served in a glass rimmed with Fruity Pebbles cereal at BLVD BRGR Co., a new restaurant in Old Town Camarillo.

Lisa McKinnon Columnist SHARE LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR Owners John Stewart, left, and Vince Pillard pose in front of BLVD BRGR Co., the restaurant they opened this month in Old Town Camarillo. LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR Buns are proofed and baked on site for BLVD BRGR Co. dishes like the BACN BRGR, which includes garlic aioli, cheddar cheese and smashed avocado. LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR Sara Stiteler, manager at BLVD BRGR Co. in Camarillo, poses with the "adult" version of a peanut butter-Nutella milkshake made with Not Your Father's Root Beer from Small Town Brewery. LISA MCKINNON/THE STAR Chef Ruben Garnica holds a SCRPION BRGR made with a chile relleno and Pepper Jack cheese at BLVD BRGR Co. in Camarillo.

Looking at the sign outside their new restaurant in Old Town Camarillo, you might think that John Stewart and Vince Pillard need to buy a few vowels.

They're good, thanks.

"We were looking for something that was fun and had a sense of place," Pillard said of choosing the name for BLVD BRGR Co., which is his second restaurant in the neighborhood and Stewart's first restaurant, period.

The name was inspired by the business' Ventura Boulevard address and by the main items on the menu: certified Angus beef patties served on buns that are proofed and baked on site, with add-ons that include cold-smoked apple wood bacon and jalapeno onion hash.

Featured burgers include the JUSTA BRGR, made with red onion, garlic aioli and heirloom tomato jam ($7.95) and the SCRPION BRGR, which gets its spice from a house-made chile relleno stuffed with pepperjack cheese ($12.95).

Options include a vegetarian burger that swaps out the beef for a slice of tempura-battered pineapple ($6.50), an array of salads (aka SLADs, $6.50 to $9.50) and sides like shishito peppers in cilantro-ranch dressing ($3.95).

Milkshakes ($4.95) are served in glasses rimmed with Cocoa Pebbles cereal (for peanut butter-Nutella) or confetti-colored Fruity Pebbles (for cherry-lime). Some flavors can be turned into "adult" milkshakes with the addition of beer.

"My main concern was that we serve a high-quality burger, with beer in a cold glass," said Stewart, vice president of manufacturing for a Camarillo company. (The opening-week tap list includes beers from Golden Road of Los Angeles and Tap It of San Luis Obispo.)

Stewart was celebrating a business success when he met Pillard and wife Annette Natella at Twenty88 Restaurant & Martini Lounge, which the couple opened as a wine bistro in 2011. (They added a full-bar license two years later, when the restaurant expanded into a neighboring space.)

A friendship was born and jokes about opening a burger joint together became more serious with each passing year, Stewart said.

He and Pillard had already looked at several locations when the former Panini Place space became available late last year. The ensuing remodel included jobs large (installing a kitchen hood) and DIY (Pillard laid the aluminum tiles that cover the wall around the kitchen pass-through).

BLVD BRGR Co. opened on April 23 with what was supposed to be a weekend's worth of supplies on hand. The crowd blew through those on the first day, forcing the posting of a "sold out" sign on the front door.

On Monday, their first day back, Pillard and the crew run by manager Sara Stiteler and chef Ruben Garnica still were fine-tuning some of the details.

"Weren't we putting the pineapple on top of the patty on Saturday?" Pillard asked as he inspected an ALOHA BRGR ($10.50) in which the pineapple ring, wrapped in a light tempura coating, rested under the cheese-covered patty.

Still to come are a children's menu and, by popular demand, a gluten-free option that goes beyond replacing buns with lettuce-leaf wraps.

"Our patties are 5.3 ounces before cooking. They're too big and juicy for that," Pillard said.

But other requests are less feasible.

"We've been getting calls for reservations, which we're not really set up to take," Pillard said, spreading his arms to indicate the restaurant's order-at-the-counter space furnished with a few tables and counters at the bar and in the window. Patio seating includes a picnic tables.

Or, if you prefer, PCNC TBLS.

Hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (2145 Ventura Blvd., 805-389-9200, https://www.facebook.com/Blvdbrgr).

IN MEMORIAM



Masao "Masa" Tomimitsu, who co-founded Masa Sushi Japanese Restaurant in Camarillo in 1984 with wife Yuko Tomimitsu, died on April 20 at age 67. (The couple sold the restaurant in 2014.) Services for Tomimitsu will take place at 2 p.m. April 30. To read his obituary, go to http://bit.ly/1NP82m7.

Longtime Ventura restaurateur Edmund "Ed" Warren died April 21 at age 87. Warren and wife Hilda Warren opened the first of two Warren's Restaurant sites in 1963 at what is now the Busy Bee Cafe. In 1970, they turned the Santa Clara House, also known as city landmark No. 78, into The Big Green House, a restaurant known for serving "chicken, steak and chocolate cake" (the location now is home to The Tavern). Services for Warren took place on Monday. To read his obituary, click on http://bit.ly/1SUMlZh.

AN OPENING ACT AND COMING ATTRACTIONS

The newest arrival to the Ventura County food-truck scene is Les Munchies, specializing in what co-owner Rachelle Adrian calls "French-Canadian fusion."

The menu includes brioche pastries with toppings ranging from cinnamon sugar to dark chocolate and smoked sea salt, plus poutines made with lobster or andouille sausage. (Gluten free and vegan versions are available, too.). The truck has been seen at Enegren Brewing Co. in Moorpark and is scheduled to make its First Thursdays Food Truck Night debut from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday in Oxnard's Plaza Park (http://www.lesmunchies.com).

DeLiteFul Restaurant is slated to open in mid May at what used to be Johnny Rockets at The Oaks shopping center in Thousand Oaks. The restaurant will specialize in low-carb, no-added-sugars fare, and is described on its website as being a gluten- and wheat-free facility. It also will serve sugar-free "adult coffees" and milkshakes. The Thousand Oaks Planning Commission this week OK'd the restaurant's application to offer live music (322 W. Hillcrest Drive, http://delitefulmeals.com).

As co-owners of Prospect Coffee Roasters in Ventura, brothers Derek and Blake Ulrich have been doing their roasting at a Goodyear Avenue business park for more than a year. Now they're turning up the heat and working on opening a coffeehouse at a separate location.

Their chosen space is on the cusp between the city's midtown and downtown neighborhoods, at the corner of Laurel and Santa Clara streets. The address was last occupied by the offices of Ticla, a "lifestyle car camping company," and by Buffalo Records before that. The build out is expected to be "popping by the end of June," according to a post to Prospect's Instagram account (92 S. Laurel St., http://www.prospectcoffee.com).

ALL ABOUT MOM

If my Mom 1). lived in Ventura County and 2). didn't have a pretty strict policy against going out to eat on Mother's Day, I might consider taking her to one of the following places on May 8.

In Moorpark, Cafe Firenze will serve a Champagne brunch (think poached pear salads) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ($50 adults, $15 for kids), followed by a la carte dinner selections from 5 p.m. (563 W. Los Angeles Ave., 805-532-0048, http://www.cafefirenze.net).

In Ojai, tables on the lawn at Boccali's Pizza & Pasta (3277 E. Ojai Ave., 805-646-6116, http://boccalis.com) will be the setting for a Mother's Day buffet from noon to 6:30 p.m. ($23.95 adults, $12 for kids 10 and younger).

In Oxnard, Tierra Sur, the restaurant inside Herzog Wine Cellars, will serve tomato melon salad, sous vide veal schnitzel, orange-cherry eclairs and other dishes during a prix fixe brunch ($85 adults, $35 for kids) available from noon to 6:30 p.m. (3201 Camino del Sol, 805-983-1560, http://www.tierrasuratherzog.com).

In Simi Valley, brunch from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Reagan Library ($85 for adults, $39 for children ages 3 to 10) can be followed by tours of Air Force One and the ongoing "Vatican Splendors" exhibit (40 Presidential Drive, 805-577-4057, https://www.reaganfoundation.org).

In Ventura, The Sportsman Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge offers the sort of genuinely old-school / "Mad Men"esque atmosphere my mom and I both admire. Its brunch service from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. will include mimosas and stations devoted to prime rib, seafood, omelets, salads and desserts. The price ($31.95) is the same whether you go to the original Ventura location (53 S. California St., 805-643-2851) or the newer site in Camarillo (4426 Central Ave., 805-988-9777).

For additional ideas, check the updated version of this list when it is posted Tuesday to the Facebook page VCS Eats.

JUST SO YOU KNOW

The Sunday Life version of Cafe Society will take a breather next week. It will return on May 15. The Time Out version of the column will publish on May 6, as regularly scheduled.

Lisa McKinnon is a staff writer for The Star. Her Cafe Society column appears in the Sunday Life section and Fridays in the Time Out section. For between-column updates, follow 805foodie on Twitter and Instagram and "like" the Facebook page VCS Eats. Please send email to lisa.mckinnon@vcstar.com.
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL PHOTO

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By Staff Reports

Westlake Village-based Dole Food Co. said in a news release Friday the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an investigation related to food-safety concerns at one of the company's salad-packaging plants.

Reuters reported the Springfield, Ohio, plant was linked to a deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that hospitalized 33 people, four of whom died. Listeria is a common bacteria that can be either harmless or pathogenic.

The company suspended operations at the plant Jan. 21 and issued a recall of all salad products packaged at the facility, Dole said.

Dole said it cooperated with the Food and Drug Administration, and that issues brought up by FDA observation reports have been corrected. The company said it is working with the FDA to "implement ongoing testing, sanitation and procedure enhancements which have resulted in the recent reopening of our Springfield plant."

The plant reopened April 21.

"Dole has recently been contacted by the Department of Justice in connection with its own investigation and we will be similarly cooperating with the DOJ to answer questions and address any concerns," the company said in the news release.

A report from the FDA dated Feb. 5 showed Dole's tests of surfaces at the plant came back positive for Listeria on nine occasions in 2014 and 2015, Reuters reported. The report also states that the plant's third-party laboratory notified Dole about positive Listeria test results on Jan. 5 and 7, but it did not say whether testing was done to determine whether it was a threat, according to Reuters.

The FDA inspected the plant five times in January and February and found Listeria monocytogenes on salad products on Jan. 16, Reuters said the report stated. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency had also found Listeria monocytogenes in four samples it had taken earlier that month. The samples were genetic matches to those taken from multiple people who fell ill during the outbreak, Reuters reported.
<p>Star file photo</p>

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By John Scheibe of the Ventura County Star

An attorney for a former Oxnard middle school student has filed a lawsuit against the Hueneme School District on her behalf, alleging she was sexually assaulted by a teacher as an eighth-grader at Blackstock Junior High School.

Attorney Dave Ring, of Los Angeles, said the teacher also threatened to harm the girl and her family if she reported the abuse to authorities. Thats why she didnt say anything at the time  she was scared to death, Ring said this week.

The alleged molestations occurred in 2000-01, when Rings client was 12-13 years old, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in Ventura County Superior Court.

Ring also sued the school district more than 10 years ago on behalf of two sisters who claimed they had been sexually molested by Jose Felix, a math teacher at Blackstock Middle School. Rings latest client was also Felixs student, the attorney said.

The district agreed in 2005 to pay $1.5 million to settle the first lawsuit. Meanwhile, Felix was sentenced to 15 years in prison for committing a lewd sex act on a child, a sentence he is still serving, Ring said.

While the new lawsuit does not specifically cite Felix by name, Ring said Felix is a defendant along with the school district.

Ring said Oxnard police interviewed his client at the time but she did not disclose the molestations because she was fearful for her own safety as well as that of her family.

But now that shes an adult and older, shes realized how much its impacted her life, so shes decided to come forward, Ring said.

Ring said his client, now 27, also decided to come forward before Felix is released from prison.

Jerry Dannenberg, superintendent of the Hueneme School District, said Thursday he had not seen the latest lawsuit and therefore would not comment on it.

The new lawsuit alleges Rings client was molested in the teachers classroom. It also says that one of the sisters Ring represented a decade ago told a teachers assistant at the school that the teacher had kissed her and touched her breast in the classroom. The assistant, however, failed to report the teacher to authorities even though required by state law to do so, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit alleges the teacher sexually harassed and ultimately coerced the assistant into having a sexual affair with him.

Had the aide fulfilled her mandated reporter obligation under the law, the teacher would never have been able to molest any other female student, including Rings latest client, the lawsuit states. The assistant no longer works for the district, Ring said.

The suit also alleges the teacher was able to engage in molestation and other sexual acts in the classroom during the school day because he covered his classroom windows with butcher paper so no one could see inside. There was no legitimate reason for the windows to be covered with blank butcher paper.

Dannenberg, however, said in 2005 that teachers routinely put butcher paper on the windows so students wouldnt be distracted by outside interruptions. It was nothing out of the ordinary, he said back then.

Felix was arrested in late 2002. He pleaded guilty to several felonies in October 2004 and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Even though the alleged sexual abuse against Rings client occurred more than 12 years ago, the law allows a lawsuit against Felix and others because she is an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Ring said.

The suit says the plaintiff filed a claim in May against the school district, which responded that it was not taking any action on the claim on the alleged basis that the claim was presented in an untimely fashion.

The response was in complete bad faith, the suit says.
JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Alberta Salazar (left), who is originally from Oaxaca, shows how to use a metate, a flat stone used to grind corn, chiles and other foods, as Oaxacan chef Neftali Duran presents a history of Mesoamerican gastronomy as part of Friday's Indigenous Knowledge Conference at Oxnard College.

SHARE JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Neftali Duran, a Oaxacan chef, talks about indigenous foods during Friday's Indigenous Knowledge Conference at Oxnard College. He and Alberta Salazar demonstrated cooking techniques that are used in Oaxaca. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Vanessa Teran (left), an organizer with the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, serves green salsa and chips to Olga Negrete as the Indigenous Knowledge Conference wraps up at Oxnard College on Friday. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Alberta Salazar, who is originally from Oaxaca, talks about dresses women typically wear in that area. She also showed how to cook using a metate, a flat stone used to grind corn, chiles and other foods. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR A large group listens to Neftali Duran, a Oaxacan chef, talk about indigenous foods during Friday's Indigenous Knowledge Conference at Oxnard College.

By Claudia Boyd-Barrett, Special to The Star

As an indigenous woman from the Americas, Luz Maria De la Torre Amaguana is accustomed to being stereotyped, dismissed and even mocked.

Growing up in Ecuador, De la Torre Amaguana endured taunts from non-indigenous people as she walked down the street, was told to speak Spanish  also referred to as "Christian"  instead of her native Quechua language, and was teased by boys with no understanding of her indigenous culture.

Even now, although she's an accomplished academic at UCLA, many people assume she's a maid or a restaurant server, she told an audience gathered Friday at Oxnard College for the fourth annual Indigenous Knowledge Conference. She said discriminatory attitudes toward indigenous people  especially indigenous women  have been the norm for centuries, but indigenous people are starting to assert themselves.

"This contempt, this derision, is part of this oppression, exclusion  that pain, that mistreatment that doesn't have borders," she said in Spanish. "It's a pain that follows us like a shadow everywhere. And from that pain, we have been building our struggles."

De la Torre was one of two main speakers at Friday's conference, which was dedicated to raising awareness about the indigenous immigrant population in Ventura County and helping agencies better reach this group. The approximately 300 attendees came mainly from school districts, social service agencies and public health care facilities in Ventura County, which count indigenous immigrants among their clients and students.

An estimated 20,000 people of indigenous descent  mainly from the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero  live in Ventura County. Most are farmworkers. Many of these immigrants speak indigenous languages, suffer discrimination both here and in their home countries, and have a difficult time accessing services.

"People attending this conference are open to learn, and they're taking responsibility to bring this back and implement some of this knowledge in their areas of work," said Arcenio Lopez, executive director of the Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project, which organized the conference together with the Fresno-based Binational Center for the Development of Oaxacan Indigenous Communities.

He said he hoped attendees developed "sensitivity" toward the county's indigenous population and would use it to make a difference in their lives.

The conference included workshops on language access, new immigration laws, farmworker rights, improving mental health access and creating programs that are accessible to indigenous people.

De la Torre talked about pre-Columbian indigenous culture and how it influences the indigenous world view.

Oaxacan chef Neftali Duran, meanwhile, offered a history of Mesoamerican gastronomy and touted its influence on world cuisine. Alberta Salazar, a local cook, accompanied him and demonstrated the basics of traditional Oaxacan cooking practices.

Among those attending the conference was Chris Ridge, director of pupil services for the Oxnard School District. He said many students in the district are indigenous Mexicans. The conference provided insight into how to reach this population, and was an opportunity to network with other agencies that work with them, he said.

"It brings everybody together with this common focus on supporting the indigenous community," he said. "That's the most powerful thing."
SHARE ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR Moises Lamarque Jr. (center), 9, visits a young hippo named Rosie and her mother, Mara, during a visit to the Los Angeles Zoo with his brother Jael and sister Kathleen. Moises, of Simi Valley, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in February. He was one of a handful of children treated to a private tour of the zoo to meet animals with similar illnesses on Friday. ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR Moises Lamarque Jr., of Simi Valley, watches the activities of Nan, a chimpanzee with Type 2 diabetes at the Los Angeles Zoo. Moises, who also has diabetes, was one of a handful of children who were treated to a private tour of the zoo Friday. ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR Moises Lamarque Jr. (right), 9, and his younger brother Jael, of Simi Valley, meet a parrot named Paco, who has a heart condition, at the Los Angeles Zoo on Friday. Moises, who has Type 1 diabetes, was one of a handful of children who were treated to a private tour of the zoo. ANTHONY PLASCENCIA/THE STAR Moises Lamarque Jr., of Simi Valley, checks his blood sugar levels as he and his family prepare to join a private tour of the Los Angeles Zoo on Friday.

By Tom Kisken of the Ventura County Star

The chimpanzee with diabetes sat atop a rock wall waiting for her next insulin shot and the treat  maybe low-sugar peanut butter  that goes with it.

Moises Lamarque Jr., who is 9 and lives in Simi Valley, leaned against a fence at the Los Angeles Zoo, eyes trained on his new friend.

Like the 36-year-old chimp named Nan  star of this specially designed field trip  Moises lives in a world of insulin shots, worried adults and food restrictions that for him include Cheetos and chocolates.

The third-grader who dances competitively was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes after a February trip to a Simi Valley emergency room. His blood sugar was so high, doctors worried he might enter a coma.

He ended up spending a few days at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. When he left, it seemed like everything was different.

"I thought my life was going to change forever and I couldn't dance anymore," he said.

On Friday, Moises and three other children  one with diabetes, two with congenital heart conditions  met animals with similar illnesses. The event is designed to preview a Dreamnight program on May 6. That's when the Los Angeles Zoo is visited by patients treated at Children's Hospital and family members: 1,000 people checking out the animals in a private fundraising event.

Friday's field trip, organized by the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association and the hospital, is a way for kids and their parents to gain insight on dealing with health problems.

Nan was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 14 years ago. Animal keepers discovered the only way to administer insulin was to give her rewards like eggs, avocados and cooked sweet potatoes.

"She figured out if I take this shot, I get awesome, awesome rewards," said animal keeper Kate Gilmore.

Now if her shot and treat come late, Nan yells and bangs things in her version of an alarm clock. She's also the mother of the alpha and beta males, the most powerful of the 18 chimps at the Los Angeles Zoo.

It means no one messes with Nan.

"She's a very powerful female," Gilmore said.

The Lamarques are trying to persevere too. It isn't always easy.

In their eyes, the diabetes diagnosis came out of nowhere. Moises is physically fit, eats healthy foods and dances constantly, even spinning a turn or two at the zoo.

But it's Type 2 diabetes that is often linked to obesity and inactivity. Doctors told the family that Moises' Type 1 disease could be genetic and means his body can't produce the insulin he needs.

Monitoring and controlling blood sugar levels can minimize the chance of complications that include kidney damage, heart disease and severe nerve damage to the feet.

Silvia Lamarque, Moises' mother, carries papers that chart the blood sugar tests he takes 10 or more times a day. She and her husband, Moises Sr., administer insulin shots that once scared Moises but now seem like a way to enjoy the occasional and carefully counted Cheetos treat.

She still worries about what happens if his blood sugar rises or falls too severely. If he's with her, it's not as bad.

"When I'm not with him, I'm afraid," she said.

Moises has learned he can still dance. He wants to perform professionally and own a dance studio, maybe with his 8-year-old brother, Jael.

A fan of the television show "Project Runway," Moises wants to be a fashion designer too.

"I think I can do anything," he said.

On Friday, he basked in the attention of television and radio interviews. He met a sassy parrot named Paco, diagnosed with a heart condition called partial mitral valve failure.

He and Jael petted a 3,700-pound hippo named Mara with skin that felt like tiny pebbles.

When it was over, he looked to the sky as his father pricked his finger for a blood sugar test. He ate a hot dog, setting aside the bun because of carbohydrates.

He thought of his connection with Nan, the diabetic chimpanzee.

"I really think chimps are cool," he said.
STAR FILE PHOTO

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By Megan Diskin of the Ventura County Star

Ventura County firefighters were sent to help their Los Angeles counterparts battle a brush fire Friday in Chatsworth, officials said.

The incident was reported about 4:45 p.m. near Lassen Street and Andora Avenue, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

The fire was reportedly about a half of an acre in size behind Oakwood Memorial Park and Cemetery, authorities said. A helicopter was also sent to the blaze to drop off a fire-fighting crew.

The bulk of the fire was knocked down by 5:40 p.m., the same time the majority of county crews were called off the blaze, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
SHARE Rescued sea lion pups hang out in the outdoor pens at Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute in Gaviota. Some have been fully rehabilitated and will be released soon. Jennifer Levine, of the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute, gets a hug from her daughter Abby at their Oxnard home. ROB VARELA/THE STAR Jennifer Levine (left) and volunteer Ale Delvalle place a malnourished sea lion pup into a crate at Surfers Point in Ventura to transport it to the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute in Gaviota. ROB VARELA/THE STAR Jennifer Levine (right) and first-time volunteer Shalina Noakes, of Port Hueneme, stuff fish with pills at the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute's facility in Gaviota as they prepare to feed the patients. Each sea lion that is treated at the facility gets different medications depending on its needs. Related Photos Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institutes Jen Levine

By Cheri Carlson of the Ventura County Star

Jennifer Levine rescued her first sea lion in 2008.

Back then, she never thought it would turn into a job. But once she started, there was no turning back.

"I found out that I loved it," said Levine, 35, of Oxnard.

Now, she is the stranding operations and animal care coordinator for the nonprofit Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute, which rescues marine mammals in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Here's a little more about her story:

Q: How did you get involved with the rescue center?

A: "I was walking with my daughter, who was 4 at the time, on the beach in Silver Strand. We came across a stranded sea lion, and I called the rescue hotline," Levine said.

She talked to the volunteer who showed up to take the sea lion to the rescue center and sent in her own volunteer application that same day.

"I've always loved animals, and I always enjoyed medicine and making things better," said Levine, who is a licensed emergency medical technician and also works as a medic on television and movie sets.

Q: Was there a moment or a day when it just clicked?

A: It was No. 32, the 32nd sea lion pup rescued in 2008, a young female found stranded on a beach near Silver Strand just after Levine started volunteering.

"It was one of the first animals I rescued and helped rehabilitate," Levine said. "I did a lot of rehab with her and then got to go on her release."

Levine went up to the group's Gaviota-based center several days a week. She fed the sea lion, medicated her, cleaned her pen and watched her rebound.

As she got to know the small, flippered patient, Levine thought to herself: "Wow. I really want to be here, and I really want to do this as much as I possibly can."

About 10 days after the pup was released off Santa Cruz Island, a call came in about a sea lion spotted on Hueneme Beach.

"I went to take a look, and it was her. She looked really healthy," said Levine, who identified the pup by her flipper tag. "As I got there, she looked at me, and she went right back into the water."

Q: The past few years things have gotten a little busier with record numbers of strandings. How did that impact your work?

A: "It's a lot more time. We needed a lot more volunteers. It's much more exhausting," Levine said.

Her job at the rescue center was first funded with a grant in 2011. Back then, the number of rescues each year was relatively stable.

Then in 2013, animals started stranding in record numbers. The ocean was warmer, making it harder for sea lion mothers to find food. Pups were showing up along the California coast emaciated and dehydrated.

"That year, we rescued 126 animals. That seemed like so many animals," Levine said. "Then in 2014, it was 137. Last year, 359. This year, we are at 233 already."

"It's also hard because the animals coming in have been in a period of starvation for a long time and some of those animals don't make it," she said.

There were days she wished would end sooner but never a moment when she wanted to quit. "It's a lot of grueling, physical labor," she said. "But it's a labor of love."

Rob Varela/The Star

Q: What should people do if they see a stranded sea lion?

A: Don't touch it, feed it, pour water on it or chase it back into the ocean, Levine said.

"Also, keep people and dogs away from it," she said. "Call CIMWI and leave us really good directions for where you are and also a phone number, so we can call you back if we have a hard time locating the animal, because if we can't find the animal we can't help."

If you find a stranded marine mammal:

To report an injured or stranded marine mammal in Ventura County, call the rescue hotline at 567-1505.

For information about the nonprofit group or volunteer possibilities, go to http://cimwi.org/.
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As we listen to the heated discourse surrounding our presidential selection process, we hear a great deal of controversy about the Common Core academic standards on the campaign trail.

We have heard an array of candidates condemn President Barack Obama over them. We have heard a candidate say that if elected, one of the first things he would do is reverse the president's executive order requiring the standards  even though there is no such executive order or federal legislation requiring them.

The vehemence against Common Core has become irrational. It seems centered in a misunderstanding of what Common Core standards are, how they came to be, and the role of the federal government.

The original academic-standards movement began in this country after a study of the American education system commissioned by President Reagan in the 1980s. The resulting report, "A Nation at Risk," offered a great deal of critique on what children are taught. One could read this report today and find many of the same concerns still exist. The report prompted many states to develop academic standards to improve students' achievement and provide an education that prepared them for college or a career.

During the past few decades, concerns have been expressed that American children do not perform as well as their peers in other developed nations. Although many states adopted academic standards in the 1990s, there was still a disparity in rigor and measurement of proficiency from state to state. It is difficult for the U.S. to compare the academic ability of its children with those in other nations when each of our 50 states has a different set of academic goals.

Additionally, American families are more mobile today and moving from state to state more often. When children begin school in a new state, there should be some expectation that they have the same knowledge level as others in that grade level. Academic standards are important in addressing these concerns.

In 2007, the first conversations about common academic standards took place at the Council of Chief State School Officers annual forum. In 2009, the council and the National Governors Association launched a collaborative effort to develop common standards that could be adopted nationwide.

These standards were developed to prepare American children for college, technical school and careers  to become productive members of society. It began with standards many of the states were already using. Educators and content specialists from around the country came together to work on this initiative. The hope was if common standards were developed collaboratively and then adopted by at least a majority of states, students would be assured a comparable education regardless of where they lived.

Currently, 42 states and the District of Columbia have voluntarily adopted Common Core. It was never a federal initiative. It was a collaborative effort by the states to make sure American children perform at the same level as their peers around the world and are ready by the end of high school to begin a career or attend college.

Michael N. Cosenza is an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education at California Lutheran University.
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The military provides excellent training to those within its ranks, teaching them not only technical skills but also responsibility, structure and teamwork.

When they leave the military, veterans are faced with the challenges of transitioning back to civilian life and finding a career.

What many vets find is a skills gap. Although they have specialized skills from their military training, these skills may not be what the marketplace needs or command a living wage.

As a solution, many vets choose to go to a community college as a pathway to a new career. Easing into college may not be easy or automatic, as some may be going to college for the first time, having enlisted right out of high school. Plus, veterans tend to be older than their classmates and a have a great deal more life experience because of their military duty.

For all these reasons and more, veterans are a different type of student with different needs than those right out of high school. So Ventura College has support services to increase their rate of success.

We have the Veterans Resource Center, where we've created a culture of trust and connectedness with the campus, which helps veterans acclimate to college life and have the support of a peer group.

To relieve some of the financial burden of their schooling, our student veterans also have access to assistance from our financial aid department and scholarships from the Ventura College Foundation.

Of the foundation's many scholarships, the Phoenix Scholarship is earmarked specifically for re-entry students. Of the 21 students who received a $1,000 to $5,000 Phoenix Scholarship this spring, six were veterans. This speaks to our veterans' dedication to their educational goals and their drive to accomplish them.

The scholarship helps the veterans take the time needed to develop skills for the workplace, or to transfer to a four-year university and eventually pursue a graduate degree. We find they're especially appreciative of the scholarship program because they recognize the money isn't free  it comes from donors' generosity. These students feel a responsibility to the donors, who come to know the students through their scholarship applications.

With the Phoenix Scholarship, students don't have to use their household budget to cover their enrollment fees. This is important because vets commonly try to avoid using money that goes toward household expenses, seeing it as a way to repay their family's support while they were physically away in the service.

The scholarship also gives veterans the option of using the Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (also called the post-9/11 GI bill) later, when they're pursuing a bachelor's or graduate degree. (The federal funding pays for qualifying students to attend participating "Yellow Ribbon" schools.)

Mike is one of our student veteran success stories. He accessed post-9/11 GI bill benefits and received a Phoenix Scholarship. It allows him to attend Ventura College and care for his child while his wife is at work. A student worker at the Veterans Resource Center, Mike will graduate this year with a degree in criminal justice and plans to transfer to a four-year university.

We're proud of Mike and all our veterans for their service to our country and their commitment to returning to college to secure a rewarding career.

Veterans are mature, mission-driven leaders who work diligently to parlay their military experience into a fulfilling civilian career. They have a great deal to offer our campus and their future workplaces.

We're glad Ventura College can play a role in their success.

Perry B. Martin Jr. is the program adviser for the Veterans Resource Center at Ventura College. Mike Montoya is on the board of the Ventura College Foundation. Both are veterans.
When guests come to dine in one of these 21 restaurants , guests have chance to win amazing prizes. Guests will receive a lucky draw ticket for every VND200,000 ($10) they spend at Al Frescos restaurant between May 1 and 31.



All of 21 Al Frescos restaurants in the country will have a daily draw at 20:30 every day with various prizes such as Jumbo Rib, Family Steak, many other dining vouchers. At the same time, guests also get entries into weekly draw to win some amazing prizes with the first prize of the VND33 million travel voucher followed by the iPad Air 2, TV Sony 48 and then the VND11 million travel voucher plus eating Al Frescos pizzas for a year for free and a free birthday party.



Al Frescos Group has been operating in Vietnam since 1996 and has carefully expanded their operations, from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and most recently to Danang.
The southern metropolis has changed rapidly in the past 41 years, developing from the ruins of Saigon into the modern and thriving economic hub we see today Photo: Le Toan

What did Saigon look like after its liberation in 1975, and what policies were applied by city authorities?

At that time, everything was in ruin. The first goal of those taking over Saigon was to protect the city from re-occupation, not to develop it.

In 1978, when the citys situation was more stable, a policy on reconstructing the city was adopted. The authorities focused on building up a group of intellectuals who used to be soldiers, and who were then sent to various localities as heads of communes to implement municipal development.

I was also trained in the city at that time. The training programmes were focused on economic development, with an emphasis on agricultural development. Many state-owned farms were established.

In that period, the citys economy changed rapidly, with high growth. What impressed me the most was that municipal authorities wanted intellectuals to lead the citys localities. In the early 1980s, I worked as chairman of quarter 2 in the citys district 3 at the age of only 25. Other young people also acted as heads of other localities in the city. We worked with the public to inspire their devotion to the nation and to the citys development.

The authorities also provided the armed forces with training on economic development. Their grand vision produced the large state-owned companies that have been effectively operating in both military and business sectors thus far.

Nguyen Truong Nhan and other city leaders witnessed the citys incredible development since 1975

What major construction work was taking place in Saigon at that time?

The first facility was the Tri An hydropower plant, which was considered a milestone in the citys development. At that time, Sau Dan, or former Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, was the citys Party Committee Secretary. Following the plant, a series of new works were built, such as roads, mechanics factories, industrial clusters and a sea port.

What sectors were prioritised for development?

In the 1990s, the city placed a priority on establishing a customs department, as it was beginning to open the door to trade with foreign countries. At that time, export-import procedures were designed with a view to increasing trade and investment from foreign countries, and also attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). Later, the citys aviation and sea port sectors were developed, marking another milestone in the citys socio-economic development.

As a witness to Saigons development, what have you seen over the past 41 years?

I am a citizen who has lived through two political regimes. During wartime, the country faced great difficulties. However, both the city and Vietnam have developed extremely quickly. Compared to other Southeast Asian cities, either during wartime or at present, the city has made great strides to overcome its previous state of ruin. This development can be seen in the citys high buildings, large roads, industrial parks, and improvements in the residents living standards, which can almost be likened to those of world-class hubs.

How has the investment situation for overseas Vietnamese changed in the past few years?

As you can see, the country is currently undergoing important administrative reforms so as to attract both local and foreign investment. Ho Chi Minh City has also been successful in drawing a lot of FDI. The policies on births, deaths, marriages, and residence for overseas Vietnamese have been made more convenient. Immigration procedures made by the city and the Politburo are quite clear, along with procedures in legal assistance, trade and investment, and money transferring.

At present, Ho Chi Minh Citys Peoples Committee has assigned the municipal Committee for Overseas Vietnamese to work with relevant departments and agencies to address problems for overseas Vietnamese relating to taxes, land, customs, and investment. They have also organised dialogues so that difficulties can be solved in a timely manner.

Currently, many overseas Vietnamese people are making major investments in the city. Such investors include David Duong, who is constructing several commercial infrastructure works in the southern hub, most notably the Da Phuoc Waste Treatment Complex in Binh Chanh district. In addition, many overseas Vietnamese people are also investing in the hi-tech, software, and bio-tech sectors at the citys Quang Trung Software Park.

What do you expect from Ho Chi Minh Citys development in the future?

Ho Chi Minh City has been developing very well in almost all sectors. However, it still needs more targeted policies to help those who contributed to the liberation of the city. Currently, many families that have devoted their lives to the citys liberation fail to receive due attention from the authorities.

At the same time, the city also needs more favourable policies for foreign investors wishing to do business here. Too many complicated procedures are currently obstructing investors.

The city should also have more policies to support overseas Vietnamese people wanting to come back to the country to live and work. At present, we are working around the clock to resolve these issues for them.
A shrimp production workshop in southern Can Tho City. Italian companies are in need of information on the Vietnamese market to develop their business in the country. - Photo

Odone said local firms needed information on the Vietnamese market, including tax policies, intellectual property protection measures and human resources.

Co-operation and support from Vietnamese representative agencies in Italy is necessary, he said.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Cao Chinh Thien suggested the two sides step up collaboration in economy, trade and investment.

Through the Vietnamese market, Italian businesses are able to expand their trade and investment to other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), he said.

According to Maru Cotogno, Chairman of the Italy-Vietnam Friendship Association's Liguria branch, the agreement on double taxation avoidance between Italy and Viet Nam as well as the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement offer numerous opportunities for Italian businesses in Viet Nam.

Many Italian firms have effectively functioned in the Southeast Asian nation, with revenue reaching hundreds of thousands of US dollars after several months of operation, he said.

Participants at the seminar applauded Paolo Odone's initiative in encouraging Italy's regional chambers of commerce and industry to jointly organise business delegations to Viet Nam. A delegation of businesses from Italy's northern and northwestern regions will come to Viet Nam to explore investment opportunities later this year.
The new report Go Glocal released today by the global measurement company Nielsen revealed that local players have irreversibly re-shaped Asias fast moving consumer good (FMCG) sector.

Local players are defined as those operating only in a single marketthe respondents home country while multinationals is defined as those that operate in many markets.

National pride is highlighted as the key factor contributing to consumers choice of local versus global brands in Vietnam. A desire to support home-grown brands makes nearly half of Vietnamese respondents (48 per cent) choose local brand instead of global one. Besides, value for money (40 per cent) and having positive experience with the brand (27 per cent) are among the top-selected reasons for selecting a product.

Earlier on, another report by Nielsen - the Global Brand - Origin Survey, which examined whether consumers prefer goods produced by global/multinational brands or by local players revealed that around 80 per cent  90 per cent respondents in Vietnam say a brands country of origin is as important as or more important than nine other purchasing drivers, including selection/choice, price, function and quality.

In both modern and traditional trade, regional and local brands are said to grow faster than global players. Traditionally, multinationals strength resided in the modern trade format due to its centralised distribution network, trading terms and shared expertise in category management.

Meanwhile, local players strength lay in traditional trade where they could leverage their own direct to store distribution networks, local knowledge and relationships which gave them flexibility and agility in a highly fragmented market.

However, times have changed and local & regional players have level led the playing field in modern trade growing twice or three times that of multinationals.

Also, more than two-thirds consumers in Vietnam (69 per cent) believe local brands are most attuned to their personal needs and tastes. Traditionally, local players ruled categories that resonated closely with local nuances such as food and beverages. And in Southeast Asia, these categories still drive the greatest growth for local companies today at 17 per cent for beverages and 10 per cent for food.
The assistance comes as part of an ongoing $4 million New Zealand government funded project in the province, called Building Resilience to Disaster and Climate Risks of Men and Women in Ben Tre Province, in conjunction with Oxfam Vietnam. The emergency relief responds to urgent needs of children, women, and men in 15 most affected communes in districts of Binh Dai, Ba Tri, and Thanh Phu.

Up to 6,000 cow and goat farmers in these districts will be receiving grants in cash, to buy food and water supplies for their animals.

We recognise the serious impact that the drought and saltwater intrusion is having on communities in southern and central provinces of Vietnam. This assistance is a modest, but practical contribution to the communities we are already working with through our existing project, and is an example of New Zealands ongoing commitment to supporting vulnerable communities across Vietnam, said New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam, H.E Haike Manning. New Zealand will continue sharing its experience and working closely with our partners, such as Oxfam, to assist local communities to deal with drought and saltwater intrusion and the effects of climate change in the Mekong Delta region.

In addition, Oxfam is working in collaboration with the local government in Ben Tre to provide safe drinking water to more than 6,000 men and women.

The drought and saltwater intrusion has made hundreds of thousands of families more serious, while most of them are already living under poverty line, said Oxfams country director Babeth Lefur, adding that Oxfam commits to implement this emergency response at the highest responsibility and efficiency.

Nine out of 13 Mekong Delta provinces are facing one of the worst droughts the region has seen in ninety years. Trigged by El Nino, the drought is having significant impact by limiting agricultural production, straining livelihoods, and exacerbating food insecurity among poor and vulnerable communities in the region.

164 communes in Ben Tre have been in the historical effected list. It was among the first provinces declaring drought and saltwater intrusion disaster status and requesting support from the central government.
The warning was given by Nguyen Van The, Secretary of the Party Committee in Soc Trang Province, at a conference dealing with the serious climatic condition in the region organized in the locality on Thursday.

The severe drought and salinization that have ravaged provinces in the Mekong Delta in the past months could bring about many consequences, including a reduction in land area, The said.

The considerably low income of citizens in some localities, as the result of agriculture being affected by the climatic condition, could force residents into leaving their hometowns and working in other places, the official continued.

Secretary The suggested that the government mobilize local scientists and hire foreign experts, if necessary, to carry out research and re-evaluate the situation in the Mekong Delta.

Based on findings of such research, farming areas in the region should be adjusted to suitable sizes and recommended crops and cattle will be issued for local farmers, he said.

According to the information announced at the conference, the Vietnamese government has disbursed VND250 billion (US$11.2 million) from the national budget for localities to deal with the situation while the Ministry of Finance also paid out VND410 billion ($18.3 million) to provide crops and farm animals for the farmers.

Speaking at the gathering, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat forecast that drought and salinization in Vietnam would reach their climax, urging local authorities to maintain production but with a downsize in farming area.

The government will not let any citizens be deprived of food and clean water, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung asserted.

He ordered local authorities to promptly provide the affected households with financial support as soon as possible to support locating underground water resources as temporary solutions.

In terms of long-term measures, relevant state agencies will cooperate with local authorities to determine suitable restructuring of agriculture and forestry activities to cope with the climate change in the region, Deputy PM Dung said.
Than Tho Lake (Lake of Sighs)

This is a natural lake of Dalat, Lam Dong Province.

The lake name is associated with a legend about the tragic love affair in the 18th century.

As the story goes, long ago there lived a young couple in this area. They loved each other very much and often met by the lake to enjoy the tranquil setting of this area.

At about the time when they spoke of building a future together, Vietnam was in the state of war with foreign invaders from the north.

There was a general call for able-bodied young men to take arms. The young man, Hoang Tung, being extremely patriotic, decided to join the army of king Quang Trung  Nguyen Hue to help defend Vietnam.

The young couple decided to meet by the lake to say their goodbyes as Hoang Tung was leaving with his garrison for the north.

His betrothed Mai Nuong, being equally patriotic, decided not to be a burden in his mind, lest he could not perform his duties, and committed suicide by drowning in the lake.

When the time came for the two to meet, Hoang Tung found that she has passed away.

The people in this region heard of the young couples story and decided to rename the lake Ho Than Tho or Lake of Sighs.

Several variations of the story have been published. One version along this line claimed that Hoang Tung did not show up at the appointed time. Mai Nuong was heartbroken and spent many days by the lake to wait for him. Hopeless, Mai Nuong committed suicide by jumping into the lake.

Than Tho Lake

Long Lanh (Shimmer) Pass

It is known for its radiant beauty in the early morning mist which also affectionately named Omega by tourists, derived from the graph-shape of the pass.

The official name of Long Lanh Pass is Hon Giao, a short route connecting romantic Da Lat and the coastal city of Nha Trang.

The Long Lanh Pass is located in Lac Duong district, Lam Dong province. It is also called Khanh Le, Bidoup and Omega. Each name has its own meaning, attached to the mountain, to people or the characteristic beauty of this pass.

With the length of 30 km of the total length of over 200 km of the road, the pass is a destination for tourists for its poetic beauty.

Long Lanh Pass.

Ba Den (Black Virgin) Mountain

It is a part of Nui Ba Historical and Cultural Complex in Tay Ninh, which is famous for its artless scenery and mysterious tales.

This is the highest mountain in the southeastern part of Vietnam. Located 11km to the Northeast of Tay Ninh City, Ba Den Mountain is 986m high; it is the symbol of the people and the land of Tay Ninh.

The Nui Ba Complex has a total area of 24 km2, with 3 mountains Nui Heo (Pig Mountain), Nui Phung (Phoenix Mountain), and Nui Ba Den (Black Virgin Mountain).

Among the three mountains of Nui Ba Complex, Ba Den Mountain is the most famous one because it is related to the myth about Ly Thi Thien Huong, the woman who is consideredthe Black Virgin.

According to the local tales, in the end of the 18th century, the conflict between Trinh King and Nguyen Kinh had put the country into turmoil. At that time, there was a young man named Le Sy Triet from Quang Hoa.

With his intelligence and bravery, he said goodbye to his lover, Ly Thi Thien Huong, and enlisted in the army of Nguyen Hue, a general who later became King Quang Trung.

Ly Thi Thien Huong was a beautiful girl with a lovely tanned skin. Even when Le Sy Triet had gone, she still remained faithful to him.

Unfortunately, she was forced to marry a powerful man in the village. Too desperate and sorrowful, the girl committed suicide by jumping off a mountain edge to protect her virginity.

As they regretted the young girls beauty and trait, people built a temple on that mountain, which was renamed Ba Den Mountain, to commemorate and worship her. Gradually, pilgrims from everywhere learned about the story and visited the temple in the spring, forming a custom which has lasted for generations.

Xa Huong (Musk) Lake

This is man-made freshwater lake in the mountain valley of Con Trau (Buffalo) in the northern province of Vinh Phuc. The lake was built in 1984, accommodating over 12 million m3 of water.

Initially the lake was built for the purpose of collecting water for agriculture. Xa Huong is named after the name of a small village nearby.

Bung Binh Thien (Peaceful Lake of Heaven)

It is one of the largest fresh water lake in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Located in An Phu District, province of An Giang, the natural lake is known as an eco-tourist area.

The lake covers about 200-300 hectares in width and four meters in depth in dry season. However, the zone is directly influenced by the hydrographic system of the Mekong River and thus the width triples in the rainy season, with the depth increasing up to seven meters.

The lake is tranquil year round. When the area floods most rivers in the Mekong Delta are muddy with alluvium, but the water of Bung Binh Thien remains clear and blue, a landscape endowed with the highest biological diversity in An Giang.

Hai Tac (Pirates) Island

The island is seen as strange destination with its name. In reality, Hai Tac is the name of archipelago including 16 islands in which Tre isle is the biggest.

It is located at Tien Hai commune, Ha Tien district. It is about 28 km and 40 km far from Ha Tien mainland and Phu Quoc island respectively.

Regarding the name of this archipelago, tourists can imagine what happened at this place in the past. Because Hai Tac island is situated at the area of Ha Tien  Rach Gia bay located in Thailand bay, an important trading route from China to the west, this archipelago was the ideal place for pirates formany centuries.

The pirates still appeared until the beginning of 20th century.

Hon Rai (Otter) Island or Hon Son Island

The island is located in Lai Son Commune, Kien Hai District, Kien Giang Province.

There are two explanations for the name of the island. The first is in the past, there were many dau rai trees (resin used to paint boats) on the island and the other is that the island was the home of many otters.
Brussels and Paris attacks suspect Mohamed Abrini (L) admitted to being "the man in the hat" (R) caught on video with suicide bombers at Brussels airport on March 22 AFP

LONDON: Two people appeared in court in London on Friday (Apr 29) accused of giving thousands of pounds to Brussels and Paris attacks suspect Mohamed Abrini when he was in Britain last summer.

Briton Mohammed Ali Ahmed, 26, and Belgian citizen Zakaria Boufassil, 26, both from Birmingham in central England, are charged with giving 3,000 (US$4,400) to Abrini.

Abrini has confessed to being "the man in the hat" caught on video with suicide bombers at Brussels airport on March 22, before coordinated attacks that left 32 people dead. He has also been charged in relation to the November attacks in Paris, that left 130 people dead.

Ahmed and Boufassil are accused of meeting with Abrini in Birmingham in July 2015 and giving him the money. The formal charge is that they made available funds that they had reasonable cause to suspect would or may be used for the purposes of terrorism.

Both men appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Friday morning after being charged on Thursday.

Also in the dock was Boufassil's sister, Soumaya, who is accused along with Ahmed of accruing money with the intention of committing acts of terrorism or assisting another to commit such acts. All three were arrested earlier this month.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko gives a speech in front of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant sarcophagus on Apr 26, 2016. (Photo: AFP/Genya Savilov)

KIEV: Ukraine's government on Friday (Apr 29) agreed a new truce with pro-Russian insurgents to take effect on Orthodox Easter this weekend, reinforcing a deal signed more than a year ago.

The announcement comes a day after the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) warned that bloodshed in eastern Ukraine had reached levels not seen for months in the predominantly Russian-speaking war zone.

A peace deal co-signed by France and Germany in February 2015 in the Belarussian capital Minsk was meant to end the fighting by providing rebel-held regions limited autonomy within a unified Ukraine.

But the two-year war has now killed more than 9,300 people as the sides trade blame for violating the truce and not taking the political steps required to resolving one of Europe's deadliest crises since the 1990s Balkans wars.

A spokeswoman for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's envoy to the OSCE-mediated talks held in Minsk said the new truce would go into effect at midnight Friday (2100 GMT) and cover the two separatist provinces of Lugansk and Donetsk.

"It was agreed that instructions for full compliance with the ceasefire will be delivered to all the responsible officials on the ground," said a copy of the joint statement posted by Ukrainian spokesman Darka Olifer on Facebook.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Friday's agreement provided a chance "to prevent a further escalation of violence."

"The situation must not spiral out of control again and result in even more people dying," he said in a statement.

The Donetsk rebellion leaders' official news site said the OSCE had promised to monitor the pact's implementation and report any violations.

"However, today's agreement is far from the first of its kind," the separatists' news agency wrote. "Since the autumn of 2014, when the sides of this conflict first began their negotiations in Minsk, there have been at least seven of them."

Friday's deal comes ahead of Orthodox Easter Sunday and covers holidays that include international workers' day on May 1 and the ex-Soviet Union's May 9 commemoration of victory over Nazi Germany during World War II.

MAJOR HURDLES

Moscow adamantly denies charges of either stoking or backing the revolt in eastern Ukraine in reprisal for the February 2014 ouster of Ukraine's Russian-backed president and the country's subsequent decision to deepen ties with the West.

But Kiev believes the main commanders answer to Moscow and step up their attacks whenever Russia wants to put the leadership in Kiev - already hampered by financial woes and constant political infighting - under renewed pressure.

Both sides said Friday's meeting ended without an agreement on a prisoner swap that was being planned in time for Easter.

The Ukrainian spokeswoman also reported no progress on the fate of possible local elections in rebel-run regions that the foreign minister of France had said should take place by the end of June.

"We cannot address political issues, including the one concerning elections in eastern regions not under Ukraine's control, without first agreeing on a way to deal with the violence," Olifer wrote on Facebook.
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About 30 airstrikes by Syrian government warplanes and helicopter gunships hit rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo on Saturday, killing at least five people.

According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, nearly 250 civilians have died in shelling, rocket fire and air raids in the contested city since April 22. Among those killed were at least 50 people in a hospital that was hit in an airstrike.

The surge of violence came as the International Committee of the Red Cross warned that the intensification of fighting could bring many people closer to a humanitarian disaster in Aleppo, Syria's largest city and former commercial center.

Kerry to Geneva

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Geneva on Sunday for talks on Syria. The State Department said in a Saturday release that Kerry would discuss efforts to reaffirm a cessation of hostilities throughout the country.

Kerry called the U.N. envoy to Syria and the Syrian negotiations coordinator in preparation for the trip. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the secretary made it clear that ending the violence in Aleppo and returning ultimately to a durable, nationwide cessation was a top priority.

Kerry also expressed his concern about the Assad regime's continued escalation of the conflict by predominantly targeting innocent civilians.

Aleppo was left out of the temporary U.S.-Russian-brokered cease-fire that took effect early Saturday in Syria (2200 UTC Friday). It was set to last for 24 hours in Damascus and the Eastern Ghouta region and appeared to be holding.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said similar truce plans for Latakia would test the commitment that all of the parties made to the initial cessation of hostilities.

This is a recommitment, and it is a test for the Russians, for the regime as well as for the opposition, he said.

Rebels continued to hit government-controlled neighborhoods in Aleppo with rocket and artillery fire. Similarly, the Syrian government also kept up its bombing raids.

More than 80 international and Syrian NGOs signed an urgent statement Friday demanding that U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin respond to appeals by the United Nations to try to stop the bloodshed.

From Geneva, U.N. rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said this week's violence in Syria showed a "monstrous disregard for civilians" lives by all parties to the conflict."

Rebels demanding the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the government troops opposing them control separate parts of Aleppo, and portions of the surrounding province are in the hands of numerous other fighters, including members of al-Qaida and the Islamic State terror group.

IN PICTURES: Deadly Airstrikes Hit Aleppo Hospital, Dozens Killed
Hillary Clinton is set on making history this November as the United States first female president  a fact that has not gone unnoticed by Republican rival Donald Trump

If Hillary Clinton were a man, I dont think shed get 5 percent of the vote, said Trump. The beautiful thing is, women dont like her.

Neither Clinton nor Trump have yet clinched their respective nominations, but that hasnt stopped Trump, who this week labeled himself the GOPs presumptive nominee following a five-state primary sweep.

On Thursday, he upped the ante, telling the "Today" show that Clinton would not even be a viable person for city council positions without the womans card.

Ask supporters of Democratic front-runner Clinton, and theyll tell you he is playing a dangerous hand.

Clinton backers respond

Women  particularly Clinton supporters  have been quick to label Trumps comments misogynistic. The remarks have drawn heavy fire from the New York City Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW).

NOW NYC spokesperson Emily Hockett told VOA that Clinton has gotten as far as she has despite the fact that shes a woman, and has overcome a lot more than many men and past male presidents.

Shes much more qualified than all the other male candidates in the field, Hockett said. And, yet shes still being criticized in ways that are very gender-focused on her appearance and her tone of voice. These are sexist critiques that men have not received.

NOW recently launched a social media campaign called Ms. President NOW, to highlight its support of Clinton on womens issues, including reproductive rights, paid family leave, and violence against women.

Hockett added that Trump has been contradictory in his statements about women.

When he says, I want to see women punished for getting an abortion, thats very contradictory to his pro-women, I love women, comments, said Hockett.

The Clinton campaign, for its part, came back with an email offering supporters their very own woman card, in exchange for a one dollar donation. It is an actual plastic card  pink and yellow  that resembles a credit card. Congratulations! Youre in the majority, it reads.

If fighting for womens health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in, Clinton remarked during her Pennsylvania victory speech Tuesday night.

Gloria Steinem, co-founder of the American liberal feminist Ms. Magazine, weighed in on the matter during a company event in New York, in which she described Trump as having Barbie-doll hair and a gelatinous mask.

He so constantly berates women, and berates good ones like Rosie ODonnell, Steinem said. I noticed that women have yet to berate him.

Babes for Trump

But not all female voters have taken offense to Trumps rhetoric, especially among his supporters.

Lynette Villano, an unbound delegate from Pennsylvania, said she is proud to be a woman supporting Donald Trump, in a recent call to a weekly conservative talk radio program.

Villano says she has seldom witnessed a gender gap issue for Trump in her community, despite national media reports that suggest otherwise.

Most of the people in my community, including women, are more concerned about the big issues than those types of things, Villano said.

Like many Republicans, Villano says the most important issues for her are national security and the economy.

Im a mother. Im a grandmother," she said. "Im worried about jobs for our young people.

Villano believes Trump will pick up more support if he wins the nomination.

Online, self-described Babes for Trump have taken to Twitter  now boasting 12,500 followers  to express their mutual support for the New York billionaire and disdain for both Clinton and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Trumps chief Republican primary opponent, who recently named former CEO of Hewlett-Packard Carly Fiorina as his choice for running mate.

What is Cruz trying to accomplish with this [vice president nomination]? wrote the sites administrator. Are they trying [to] propose a female version of Trump via a failed businesswoman?

Overall, Trump trails Clinton in virtually all hypothetical general election polls.

A CBS News national poll conducted in April gives Clinton a 58-31 percent lead among registered female voters. The same poll maintains that 69 percent of female voters hold unfavorable views of the businessman, compared to a 45 percent unfavorable rating for Clinton.
A Taiwan-born American citizen has admitted selling nuclear information to China while he was a senior manager at the U.S. government's Tennessee Valley Authority, federal officials say.

Court records unsealed Friday show that Ching Ning Guey admitted traveling to China and receiving payments in return for handing over restricted information about U.S. nuclear technology. Federal officials who discussed the case indicated China is suspected of running a spy program to evade U.S. security precautions and collect high-tech information.

An indictment filed more than a year ago but kept secret charged Guey with one count of conspiracy to illegally participate in the development of nuclear material outside of the United States and one count of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government. Prosecutors say he had been specifically warned not to share restricted nuclear information in advance of his trip to China.

No sentencing yet



Guey has pleaded guilty to the charges but a date for sentencing has not yet been set. Until then he remains free; U.S. authorities indicated he has cooperated with investigators.

A nuclear engineer born in China who is a long-time acquaintance of Guey, Szuhsiung Ho, was indicted separately and has been arrested on espionage charges. Prosecutors allege that Ho conspired to recruit American nuclear scientists to provide nuclear information that could help China upgrade its nuclear reactors.

Ho has been detained since his arrest earlier this month in the southern U.S. city of Atlanta, awaiting trial.

Federal authorities say Ho and Guey have known each other since the early 1990s, and that Guey's recruitment by China began more than 10 years ago. Ho allegedly provided payments to Guey in return for information the government employee had turned over since 2013.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, where Guey worked, is owned by the U.S. government and operates a large electrical supply network powered, in part, by nuclear reactors.


Unofficial results from Irans parliamentary run-off election show that reformist and moderate politicians allied with President Hassan Rouhani won more seats than their conservative rivals, and will likely have control over the legislature.

Iranians began voting Friday to fill the 68 seats that no candidate won decisively in the first round of voting, held back in February. During the first election, reformist politicians won a majority of the seats where there was a clear winner.

Of the 68 seats up for grabs, the pro-Rouhani List of Hope coalition won 33 while conservative politicians won 21, according to Iranian state media. The rest of the seats are still being contested.

Final results are expected to be announced later Saturday.

If the outcome is officially confirmed, it would mark a dramatic shift in Iranian politics, with conservatives outnumbered by their more moderate colleagues for the first time since 2004.

With the wins Friday, reformists will see their numbers swell to 128 seats in the 290-member legislature. While slightly short of an outright majority, they would outnumber the 124 seats held by conservatives and wield more power to make reforms to the Islamic republics policy.
A suicide bomber driving a car near a group of Shiite Muslim pilgrims outside of Baghdad exploded Saturday in an attack that killed at least 17 people and wounded nearly 40 more, according to police.

Police officials at the scene said the bomb attack targeted the pilgrims walking into Baghdads holy Kadhimiyah shrine, but other officials said the bomber was targeting a nearby open-air market. It was not immediately clear which of the two accounts were accurate.

No one immediately took credit for the bombing, but Islamic State has claimed responsibility for similar attacks in that past that have targeted Shiite pilgrims near Baghdad.

Each year the shrine pays homage to 8th-century Imam Moussa al-Kadhim, the seventh of 12 imams revered in Shiite Islam. In recent years, the event has drawn thousands of pilgrims to the Iraqi capital.

Last years pilgrimage was similarly scarred by terrorist attacks, which left at least 13 people dead.

In the past month, more than 40 civilians have been killed in bombings across Baghdad.
If you visit Sully's Bar and Grill in West Indianapolis most afternoons, its parking lot is usually a hive of activity, thanks to the large number of workers from the nearby Carrier manufacturing facility who make up much of the restaurant's regular crowd.

For many Carrier employees, Sully's is a place to grab some food and relax. On this rainy afternoon, the front step of Sully's is a temporary refuge for Robert James and Vickie Burress.

They routinely meet in front of Sully's, where they share cigarettes and conversation before starting the night shift. Much of the conversation revolves around their steady, well-paying jobs at the Indianapolis plant, right across the street.

"It was one that I was looking forward to retiring from," said James, who has worked at the plant for 18 years.

"Carrier, as far as producing furnaces and different things like that, we were number one," he explained. "So we never felt that this was something that we had to worry about."

What he's worried about is the subject of a YouTube video posted in February that now has had more than 3 million views. The video documents the moment managers from Carrier and its parent company, United Technologies, told some of the 1,400 employees at the plant that the facility was moving to Mexico  and with it, their jobs.

In the video, workers in the crowd become upset and vocal during the announcement.

James says he was at home when it happened, and found out by text message from a co-worker. He's angry at the way the company told its workers.

"Carrier has shown a lack of respect for everybody," James said.

Plight of manufacturing jobs

"It went viral," added Chuck Jones, president of United Steelworkers Local 1999 in Indianapolis, the union representing Carrier workers.

"A lot of media got involved  that wouldn't have got involved otherwise," he said, adding that the media coverage helped draw attention to the plight of manufacturing jobs not just in Indianapolis, but across the country.

He blames the decision for Carrier to move the plant to Mexico on the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, and believes the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, or TPP, is even worse  and will result in more job losses.

"It's a horrible trade agreement, Jones said. It's NAFTA on steroids."

James is also critical of NAFTA.

"I blame the corporate people, and I blame the trade bills," he said. He also directs some anger at former President Bill Clinton, who signed the NAFTA agreement into law.

"I place the blame on Bill Clinton, I don't place the blame on Hillary Clinton, James said. She was the wife, she was the first lady."

Betrayed

But James is concerned about Hillary Clinton's support for the TPP when she was secretary of state. In previous elections, James voted for President Barack Obama, believing he would protect manufacturing jobs in the U.S. But Obama's support for the TPP is causing him to think twice.

"I feel very betrayed by President Obama," he said. "One thing I did not expect from him was a trade bill."

The loss of manufacturing jobs and trade agreements is a top concern among many voters in Indiana ahead of the state's May 3 primary election.

"Carrier has become a poster child, and we've been thrown into the mix," said James, who acknowledges the role Carrier's Indianapolis plant is playing in the presidential campaign.

Trump weighs in

It is a topic Republican front-runner Donald Trump has seized upon.

"When Carrier, that left here, goes to Mexico," Trump told a crowd of supporters in Indianapolis, "and they want to sell their product, across the border, and no tax, no nothing, we're going to say, 'Sorry, folks!' "

Jones is happy the issue continues to come up during Trump's campaign appearances.

"We really appreciate him doing that. It's really getting the message out," Jones said.

Its a message that resonates with workers like James.

"As Trump said, if these companies were taxed you wouldn't see these things happen as much, if they had to pay a tax to bring these things back into the United States to sell it," James said.

But that doesn't mean James will vote for Trump on May 3.

"My vote will be the same. I've always voted Democrat," he said without hesitation. "Voting for Trump is just not me."

Starting over

As he takes a last puff from his cigarette, a steady rain begins to fall, serving as the signal to James and Burress that the time has come to move from the front step of Sully's into their cars.

Through his open window, James talks to Burress about the night ahead, and the uncertain future. The presidential election is the least of his worries.

James realizes there's little that can be done now to save his job, and he's most concerned about how losing his job will affect his family.

"I have a wife that's ill," he told VOA. "So when this plant closes, I won't have any insurance or things of that nature."

Which means he'll need to find another job as soon as he can.

"I'm 57 years old, so it's not going to be easy for me to find a job in the first place," he said.

When the plant finally closes  projected to happen in 2019  James will be 60, the age he had hoped to start thinking about retirement. Instead, it's the age at which he'll be starting over.
Rescue crews in Nairobi searched for survivors Saturday after flooding caused a six-story residential building to collapse the day before, killing at least 12 people and trapping an unknown number of others inside.

Authorities said more than 130 people had been rescued and taken to hospitals. The Kenyan Red Cross said 150 units in the building and adjacent homes were affected.

Heavy rains caused flooding and landslides in many areas of the city, which made it difficult for rescue teams trying to reach the scene.

President Uhuru Kenyatta visited the site of the disaster, in a low-income, densely populated neighborhood called Huruma, and he ordered the owners of the building arrested.

WATCH: Related video of collapse

Kenyatta had ordered an audit of every building in the country last year after eight buildings collapsed, killing at least 15 people. A report from the Architectural Society of Kenya estimated that half of the structures in Nairobi were not up to code.

Kenyas growing middle class has caused an increase in demand for housing in the city, but building materials used in Nairobis recent construction boom have come into question after the building collapses over the past year.
A U.S. Navy commander was sentenced Friday to more than six years in prison for giving classified information on ship deployments to an Asian defense contractor in return for cash, gifts and prostitutes.

Commander Michael Vannak Khem Misiewicz was the latest military official to receive a sentence in the "bribes-for-business" scandal, which has primarily involved the U.S. Seventh Fleet. Nine other individuals have been charged in connection with the scheme, and several admirals were censured over it, effectively ending their careers.

In addition to jail time of 78 months, Misiewicz was fined $100,000 in a San Diego federal court on one count of conspiracy and one count of bribery. His sentence was the longest handed out so far in the scandal.

Misiewicz pleaded guilty of providing classified information to a Singapore company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA), which used the knowledge to beat competitors and overbill the Navy by millions of dollars. In return, Misiewicz admitted that he was given cash, a designer handbag for his wife, luxury travel for his family and the services of prostitutes.

Misiewicz told prosecutors that he and his conspirators took steps to avoid detection by using clandestine email accounts, which they periodically deleted.

Attorneys for Misiewicz tried to downplay the sensitivity of the classified material that he gave to GDMA and said the commander was not aware the contractor was defrauding the Navy.

GDMA's work for the Navy involved tending to and supplying warships when they arrived in various East Asian ports.

Prosecutors said Misiewicz and his co-conspirators gave the defense contractor detailed information regarding ship deployments so the company would be ready to bid on servicing the U.S. ships upon arrival. Misiewicz was also accused of using his influence to divert ships to Asian ports that were controlled by GDMA, allowing the contractor to inflate prices.

The head of GDMA, Leonard Francis, has pleaded guilty of bribery and fraud charges and is waiting sentencing. Known in military circles as "Fat Leonard" because of his large size, Francis agreed to forfeit $35 million he made in the scheme.

GDMA has serviced Navy ships in Asia for 25 years.
Arguing about education with Pakistani children who don't attend school has become his hallmark. Master Mohammad Ayub, the title now a permanent part of his identity, was an Islamabad firefighter who made it his business to teach any child who could not go to class.

He started with one child in 1982.

"I saw you cleaning cars all day. Why didnt you go to school?" Ayub asked a boy he had been watching for a couple of days.

The boy responded that he was an orphan with five brothers and three sisters. That struck a nerve. Ayub himself had been an orphan with five brothers and three sisters.

"When my father died, everyone who came to the funeral said they were sorry, but no one helped," Ayub remembered.

He sold newspapers, bound books, glued paper envelopes  anything to make enough money to pay for his siblings to continue their education. At night, he would study.

Ayub wanted to help the young boy who washed cars but did not make enough money to pay for lessons. So he offered to teach the boy for free.

One boy became a few, then dozens. Today, Ayub runs a makeshift school in a public park in Islamabad. Many of his students come from nearby slums.

Some go to regular schools in the morning but come to him for help with homework. Others have never been to school. Thousands of poor children have benefited from his services over the years.

An education crisis

Ayubs story is heartwarming, but his efforts only highlight what one local nongovernmental organization, Alif Ailaan, calls "an education crisis of unprecedented proportions."

Pakistan has the worlds second-worst number of out-of-school children, exceeded only by Nigeria. Nearly half of the countrys school-age children  almost 25 million  do not attend classes.

Most of those who do go to school receive a poor education. Data collected by another local NGO, Annual Statistics of Education Report (ASER), show nearly half of all fifth-graders are unable to solve a simple, two-digit math division problem or read a story in their local language.

Another report, issued recently by the Islamabad-based Institute of Social and Policy Sciences, said the countrys education expenditure is the lowest in South Asia.

At the launch of this the report, Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training Mohammad Balighur Rehman was heartened by "a visible increase in education budgets for all the provinces in 2015-2016," and encouraged a "healthy dialogue" on the state of education.

Meanwhile, Master Ayub is not waiting for the government to fix a broken system. He has taken matters into his own hands.
Its a scene repeated in bars across South Africa every day and night: A man saunters into the establishment, tosses his car keys on the counter and starts drinking an alcoholic beverage.

Hes parked his car in a space nearby, and will be driving it within a few hours.



In South Africa, driving after consuming just two beers is illegal.

But, says Caro Smit of the non-profit South Africans against Drunk Driving, this isnt deterring the nations millions of dedicated drunk drivers.

South Africa unfortunately has a great culture of drinking and driving; they [citizens] seem to think it is their right. There is a culture of being proud of being so drunk or not remembering where you parked your car or how you got home, she says.

According to the World Health Organizations Global Report on Road Safety 2015, South Africa has the highest rate of alcohol-related road deaths in the world.

Using data provided by the government, the WHO report says alcohol is a factor in almost 60 percent of all road fatalities in the country.

Son killed by drunk driver

Ten years ago Smit was an alcohol and drug educator in schools. A big part of her job was warning young people against driving under the influence of liquor.

And then unfortunately my own son, Chas, was killed by a drink driver in 2005. It was the most horrific time in my life, but I had to move on, Smit recalls.

She now campaigns for better enforcement of the countrys laws against drunk driving.

Weve got to get the person in court quickly, weve got to get [the] justice [department] to accept that it is a crime, and to implement the laws that are there. Weve got very good laws, were just not implementing them, says Smit.

Law subverted

South African traffic police use breathalyzers to test drivers. If the devices suggest a driver has been drinking, police take the driver into custody and then to a testing center for a nurse to draw a blood sample.

Should the sample contain more than 0.05 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, the suspect will be charged with driving under the influence and given a court date.

If found guilty of DUI, suspects can have their driver's license suspended and be fined thousands of rand. Drunk drivers convicted of causing a death can face prison terms and fines of up to 180,000 rand (almost $12,000).

This is how the law should take its course in South Africa. But more often than not it doesnt, says Howard Dembovsky, chairman of the Justice Project, an NGO that monitors South Africas traffic sector and road laws.

He says: We have the national Department of Transport telling the World Health Organization that 58 percent of road fatalities in South Africa involve alcohol. And yet we dont have proper alcohol (law) enforcement.

The WHO says laws to prevent drink driving are poorly enforced in South Africa and gives the country a score of four out of 10 for this aspect in its report.

Botched investigations, police corruption

Surrounded by the din of wailing sirens at the headquarters of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, senior traffic official Superintendent Edna Mamonyane says police are not lenient on intoxicated drivers.

From the police side, we are doing the best we can to stop drunk driving, she insists.

Mamonyane explains that officers launch regular operations, mostly in the form of roadblocks, to arrest people for drinking and driving.

Smit says this isnt enough to prevent it.

There is a lot of lip service saying, We want to stop it and yet theyre not using internationally accepted best practices in stopping it, like testing 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year and not just at Christmas or Easter time.

According to Justice Project research, only six percent of the thousands of people arrested annually for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol are ever convicted.

Dembovsky says this is because of factors like botched investigations and police corruption, with officers accepting bribes from suspects and their relatives to lose the docket and squash the case so that it never gets to court.

In the rare cases that drunk drivers are convicted, says Smit, the results are mostly disappointing, and even motorists who have injured and killed people escape long jail sentences.

Most dont spend any time in prison at all, she says.

Lessons from Down Under

Smit believes there would be much less drunk driving in South Africa if it became stigmatized, as in Australia, for example.

Twenty years ago, she says, many Australians didnt think driving under the influence was a crime.

Then the Australian government ordered the police to test people at all hours of the day and night, and to take strong action against drunk drivers, like confiscating their licenses.

What people then started to do was start saying to their friends, Please dont drink and drive tonight, youre going to get a criminal record or youre going to be put in jail, or youll get a big fine. And so behavior changed (in Australia) because of the repercussions of the law actually tightening up, says Smit.

Since 1997, the Australian authorities have tested tens of millions of motorists for driving under the influence, and arrests for the offense are relatively rare in comparison with the past.

Perhaps more meaningfully, says Smit, is that Australia now has a road death ratio of less than five people per 100,000, down from almost 10 in 1997.

Australias road accident death toll was just over 1,200 last year - less than one-tenth of the number who died on South African roads.

Smit urges South Africa to follow the same path as Australia.

But, as Dembovsky says, if that strategy was to work in South Africa, the government would have to introduce several radical reforms, including ending endemic police corruption and transforming its testing, justice and prison systems.

Theres no sign of this happening anytime soon, he says, and the slaughter on South African roads because of driving under the influence will continue for the foreseeable future.
Donald Trump took his presidential campaign to the U.S. Pacific Coast state of California Friday, bypassing hundreds of protesters outside the California Republican Partys annual convention south of San Francisco, as he addressed party officials in a state that could decide the Republican nominee for the November election.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz will speak at the gathering near San Francisco Saturday, as his staff deploys thousands of volunteers ahead of Californias primary vote June 7. Ohio Governor John Kasich, a distant third in the contest, spoke to delegates Friday night. All three campaigns are coping with party rules that make the California race a series of local battles.

Trump maneuvered past hundreds of protesters to arrive at the California site and walked along a concrete barrier behind the hotel.



Some waved Mexican flags to protest Trumps pledge to stop illegal immigration by building a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. That was not the easiest entrance Ive ever made, he joked. We went over a fence and through a fence. It felt like I was crossing the border.

Undecided



Undecided Republicans, including conservative Tea Party activist Mary Jordan, are trying to do our homework and compare notes and make the best decision. The Tea Party California Caucus was distributing pamphlets, and displayed a life-size cut-out of Donald Trump. A lot of Tea Party people are behind Ted Cruz too, said Jordan, so were just watching."

Convention-goer Maria Aguila backs Trump because we need real change this time, she said. Aguila is Mexican American and rejects the criticism that Trump is a racist. Her brother, Victor Aguila, also a Trump supporter, said he never spoke anything against Mexicans. He spoke out against illegal immigration.

Outside the hotel, Mexican American Rosa Penate was one of many who disagreed. She held a sign that accused Trump of racist bigotry. It doesnt matter the color of the skin, or culture. No matter, said Penate. Were human, she said, adding that she has no use for any Republicans in the race.

Several protesters tried to force their way through the police line to enter the hotel, and they advanced a few meters before police pushed them back. Authorities say at least five were arrested. Inside, the delegates were focused on choices and strategy.

Michael Schroeder, co-chairman of the Cruz campaign in California, wrote the rules that govern the Republican nominating process when he was California Republican chairman from 1997-'99.



Choosing delegates



Delegates who are pledged to a particular candidate are chosen in each of Californias 53 congressional districts, and the winning candidate will send three delegates from that district to the Republican national convention in July. It makes no difference, said Schroeder, who wins the popular vote in the state. Its 53 separate elections and not a single election.

If Trump secures the needed 1,237 delegates from all Republican state primaries and caucuses, he will be the nominee. If not, delegates to the nominating convention will hold second or third votes, when they are free to switch support to a different candidate. That could open the door to a Cruz nomination.

Schroeder said the Cruz campaign has mobilized 41,000 volunteers in a process that started last June. Were going to call, he said. Were going to knock on their doors and were going to campaign face to face. That is something that a very organized campaign with a lot of volunteers could do, whereas a campaign that is basically sort of a travelling circus cannot do.

Trump complained in his speech that the process is rigged, but he was late to understand how the rules work, said analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the University of Southern California.



Donald Trump played it by ear for far too long, she said. It has come down to a district by district, in many states, battle for delegates. This is as deep into the weeds as Ive seen this process go in a very long time, she said.

Political scientist Josh Putnam of the University of Georgia said for Cruz, the strategy is simple. Step one, keep Trump under 1,237 (pledged delegates). Step two, have delegates that are sympathetic to you lined up to support you on a second or third ballot when more and more delegates become unbound.

Kasich hopes waning

Hopes are waning for third-place contender John Kasich, a former nine-term congressman who is now in his second term as Ohios governor. He has character, said supporter Sue Caro.

He has experience. He has balanced the budget federally but hes balanced the budget statewide in Ohio as well. Everywhere you look, John Kasich can show that he knows how to govern, she said.



However, barring a prolonged fight at the national convention, a Kasich nomination is unlikely.

Trump told California Republicans Friday he would like to see solidarity, unity relationship, friendship in his party. Can I win without it? I think so, he said. Cruz supporters say their efforts in California could shift the tide. His announced running mate, Californian Carly Fiorina, will address the San Francisco meeting Saturday night.
People with albinism in Malawi are at risk of "systemic extinction" due to relentless attacks fueled by superstitions, the United Nations' top expert on albinism said Friday on her first official visit in her new role.

At least 65 cases of violence against people with albinism  including killings and dismemberment  have been recorded by police in Malawi since late 2014, said Ikponwosa Ero, the U.N.'s independent expert on human rights and albinism.

People with albinism live in danger in regions of the world where their body parts are valued in witchcraft and can fetch a high price. Superstition leads many to believe albino children bring bad luck.

In Malawi, where people with albinism number around 10,000 out of a population of around 16.5 million, the situation amounted to "an emergency, a crisis disturbing in its proportions," she said.

Some of the Malawians with albinism she met compared their ordeal to that of endangered species in the wild, Ero told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview from Malawi.

She said people with albinism are "an endangered people group facing a risk of systemic extinction over time if nothing is done."

"We talk about protecting wildlife while not even prioritizing efforts in protecting people with albinism," she said.

Ero, who is from Nigeria and has albinism, took the job as the U.N.'s first independent expert on the issue last August.

Albinism is a congenital disorder affecting about one in 20,000 people worldwide who lack pigment in their skin, hair and eyes. It is more common, however, in sub-Saharan Africa.

Attacks against people with albinism are particularly brutal, at times involving victims being dismembered alive by assailants wielding machetes, Ero said in her first report earlier this year.

She said was particularly troubled during her Malawi trip by an encounter with a teenage boy, Alfred.

The 17-year-old with albinism had been found in a pool of blood a year ago after being stabbed in his sleep by machete-wielding attackers.

He was silent while meeting her, she said. The boy hadn't recovered, and had stopped attending school since the attack.

"You wonder what will become of this person," Ero said.

Attacks against people with albinism this year have also been reported in Burundi, Mozambique and Zambia, according to Under the Same Sun, a Canadian advocacy charity.
Venezuela's largest beer maker halted the last of its four production plants Friday in a spat with the government over access to foreign currency, threatening a shortage in a nation already hit by severe scarcities of food and other products.

Empresas Polar, the largest private company in Venezuela, had warned it would end production on Friday because President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government was refusing to release dollars to import malted barley under strict exchange controls.

Operations at Polar's plant in San Joaquin, which had been its last still in production, were stopped on Friday morning, a company spokeswoman said.

"With this, activities at the four plants of Polar Brewery are halted," she added.

Union leader Arquimides Sequera confirmed the halt.

"Today the morning shift was suspended at the San Joaquin plant," he said. "That was the last one to be stopped, and Polar's biggest."

Polar makes about 80 percent of the beer consumed in Venezuela.

Maduro's government often accuses Polar of exaggerating its dollar needs and hoarding products as part of an "economic war" by the business community, politicians and the United States aimed at undermining socialism in Venezuela.

The OPEC nation is struggling with a recession, soaring consumer prices and chronic shortages.

Officials have said Polar's billionaire president, Lorenzo Mendoza, should spend his own offshore money if he needs dollars.

Earlier this week, in an obvious reference to Polar, Maduro threatened to seize any plants halted by private companies and hand them over to workers. "Any plant that is shut will be recovered, it is a serious crime against production," he said.

Polar is also well known in Venezuela for producing the flour to make the beloved national staple "arepas," a form of cornmeal flatbread.
Thirty-two Zimbabwean women that were trafficked to Kuwait in the Middle East arrived back home Saturday accompanied by a parliamentary delegation lead by Speaker of the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda.

They were whisked away to what government officials said was a safe place without seeing their relatives or speaking to the media.

The women were met at the Harare International Airport by several government ministers and top state officials.

Public Service and Social Services Minister, Priscah Mupfumira, said government would do everything possible to ensure that the women have a safe home before they are rejoined with their families.

"We have received the girls, 32 of them and we want to respect their dignity and privacy," said Mupfumira.

She said the women will receive social and psychological support and undergo medical examination before being released to their families.

Minister Mupfumira said those women willing to tell their stories would be allowed to do so once all the official processes have been completed.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, said government would interview the women as it wants to get to the bottom of the human trafficking syndicates in both Zimbabwe and Kuwait.

"We are keen to get to the root of this matter especially the syndicates involved in the recruitment and marketing of our girls," he said.

Mumbengegwi said there were more Zimbabweans trapped in Kuwait, adding that government was doing all it can to bring them back home.

Mudenda, whose delegation facilitated the repatriation of the women, said the Zimbabwean women had gone through harrowing and traumatic experiences.

He said the women's condition was so bad that some members of his delegation broke down when they met them in Kuwait.

He said two of them had sought refuge at the Zimbabwean embassy while another two were in police custody.

Mudenda said they were ill-treated by employers who had confiscated their travel documents and clothes.

"These young ladies have brought nothing except their bodies," said Mudenda.

Mumbengegwi and Women Affairs Minister, Nyasha Chikwinya, warned Zimbabweans against taking up job offers abroad, especially where the offers are too good to be genuine.

Zimbabwean reeling under severe economic conditions caused by a crumbling economy are looking for greener pastures all over the world.

The women, some of whom are believed to be pregnant, were taken away to a safe location in a government bus and anxious relatives who were waiting left the airport frustrated.

Journalists were not given opportunity to take pictures or talk to the women.
More than 200 people, including three African presidents, attended the opening of a three-day summit Friday near Mount Kenya, where activists and officials have gathered to discuss the future of Africas elephants and their habitats.

Poaching has escalated to alarming heights in recent years, as 100,000 African elephants were killed between 2010 and 2012 alone. Tens of thousands continue to be poached every year across the continent.

The goal of the event is to find ways to stop the slaughter of Africas elephants, protecting at least 50 percent of these animals and their landscapes by 2020.

And to do so, conservationists say that government leaders must flex their political muscle in support of the cause.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta gave the opening address, urging Africans to understand that elephants are a part of their heritage.

The protection of giants therefore requires the combined wisdom of our elders, as well as the hope of our youth, said Kenyatta. We have not abandoned our legacy and will not abandon our legacy to the whims of the market, but rather, today we begin taking bold steps, indeed giant steps, which...will merit the praise of our ancestors and which will inspire our own youth to recognize the intrinsic value of our national heritage.

Kenyattas attendance, along with that of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba, makes the event the highest level summit of its kind.

These leaders, along with Botswana's President Ian Khama, elephant protection charity Space for Giants, and publishing magnate Evgeny Lebedev, founded the Giants Club to unite in the protection of the African elephant.

Panelists Friday covered issues like the importance of properly training and motivating wildlife rangers, building a strong judiciary, and getting communities on board with conservation efforts.

'Kill the market'

Kenya Wildlife Service Chairman Richard Leakey emphasized that the market is key to the problem. The price of ivory is about $500 per kilogram, and even more he said, by the time it arrives at its destination.

And so my appeal is lets kill the market, once and for all, said Leakey. Lets never again have ivory across international boundaries.

He urged all African countries with ivory stockpiles to destroy them. Kenya will torch 105 tons of ivory on Saturday, with the intent to put it out of economic use.

Rod Potter, a wildlife investigator based in South Africa, says that poaching will never be completely eliminated, but the goal is to get it under control.

I think poaching and illegal hunting have been around as long as the elephants and man has been around, said Potter. And I dont think we should worry about that; what I really think we should pay a lot of attention to is being able to control it in a way that brings the poaching levels down to well within sustainable levels.

Risk of extinction

Conservationists warn that elephants could face extinction in the wild if more is not done. More elephants are dying either by natural or illegal means in Africa than there are being born. And the loss of forest elephants is even more striking than their savannah counterparts, with an estimated 70 percent loss of these animals in the last 10 years.

In all, only about 400,000 African elephants remain.

Officials unveiled Elephant Protection Initiatives for Kenya, Uganda, Gabon, and Botswana at the summit. This includes ramping up funding for frontline protection, improving intelligence, technological, and legal capabilities, building electrified fences and setting up an endowment fund for protected areas, as well as other investments.

Conservationists say that once they beat poaching, the next biggest threat to elephants is habitat destruction and pressure from growing human populations, and one that will require creative solutions.

Summit organizers reiterated that an elephants tusks are worthless; only a living elephant can bring value to a community.
United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe Harry Thomas Jnr. says he is not aware that America pledged to give the country millions of dollars for carrying out land reform program in the first 10 years of independence.

Zimbabwe claims that America and Britain reneged on giving the country funds for conducting a comprehensive land reform program.

In an interview with reporter Blessing Zulu, Thomas Jnr. told VOA Studio 7 that what is pleasing is that America over the years unveiled over $2,6 billion for various projects in the country.

Responding on a question on Americas alleged pledge to give Zimbabwe $75 million for the first 10 years of independence for resettling landless people, the U.S ambassador said he had not heard about it.

I never heard of that number ($75 million)  Lancaster House  United States and Britain did pledge, did provide funding for initial 10 years but what you have to look at is United States in intervening for the past 36 years has provided $36 billion for Zimbabwe. We continue being the largest donor by far.

He said the U.S is assisting Zimbabwe in tacking the El Nino-fueled drought that has left 4 million locals in need of urgent food aid.

America is also funding various projects designed to boost the capacity of communities at grassroots level.

In a related development, cattle farmer Themba Dlodlo says most farms that were seized from white commercial farmers are currently lying fallow due to lack of funds and related issues.

Dlodlo said it is almost impossible to get bank loans to fund agricultural business as many farmers do not have title deeds to the land they are occupying.

It is very difficult  In fact, it is impossible. No bank will agree to give you money with the hope that you will make profit and come back and pay the money because they have nothing to hold, no collateral. They dont accept farms as collateral.
South Africas High Court ruled Friday that state prosecutors must revisit a decision in 2009 to drop nearly 800 corruption-related charges against President Jacob Zuma. The move cranks up the political heat on Zuma amid a barrage of other corruption scandals.



The High Courts ruling could clear the way for President Jacob Zuma to again be charged with 783 counts of criminal offenses for alleged kickbacks in a 1999 state arms deal.



Friday's ruling has caused jubilation from the countrys opposition.



We welcome the fact that those charges must be continued and that Jacob Zuma must have what he has always wanted  to have his day in court in the pursuit of accountability and the rule of law in South Africa, said Mmusi Maimane, leader of the Democratic Alliance, the party that approached the High Court with the case.



The National Prosecuting Authority originally announced the charges in 2009.



But the head of the NPA, Mukotedi Mpshe, then quickly dropped them, saying secret tape recordings had revealed that the timing of those charges was meant to stop Zuma from running for office that year.



The High Court said Friday that decision was irrational.

Home improvements



This is just the latest in a recent string of scandals for Zuma. Opposition MPs tried to impeach him earlier this month after the Constitutional Court ordered Zuma to pay back some $20 million in public funds used for non-security related upgrades to his private home.



The spokesman for the ruling African National Congress party, Zizi Kodwa, says Fridays ruling has no impact on Zumas presidency.

The court reviewed the decision of the NPA, not whether President Zuma is guilty or not. It does not arise. There are no charges against President Zuma. He remains innocent in terms of our bill of rights and the constitution.



The decision has however increased the voices of those calling for Zuma to resign, both inside and outside the ANC.



Zumas office has not indicated if he will appeal the High Courts decision. Experts say reinstating the charges could be a long legal process that could continue long after Zuma has left the presidency.



He is currently serving his second, and by law his final term, which finishes in 2019.
Zimbabwean women, who were stranded in Kuwait where they expected to get high-paying jobs, are set to leave the country this evening for Harare after they were abused by their employers.

Zanu PF Member of Parliament, Kindness Paradza, who was part of a parliamentary delegation visiting the country on House of Assembly mission, said the 32 women and girls are happy to be going back home.

Paradza told VOA Studio 7 the returnees that were promised good jobs in Kuwait but ended up being forced to become commercial sex workers and engage in some menial jobs, will receive help as soon as they arrive home.

Zimbabweans, who are said to have facilitated the womens trip to Kuwait, have already appeared in court facing charges of human trafficking.

Zimbabwe has over the years been gripped by serious social, economic and political problems some people blaming on President Robert Mugabes ruling Zanu PF party for failing to properly run the country.

But Mr. Mugabe and state officials have been blaming the current and past problems on targeted sanctions imposed by the West on the president and his inner circle.

The West imposed the sanctions claiming that Zanu PF allegedly rigged elections and violated the rights of some Zimbabweans.
Geoscience Australia (GeoAu) reported a magnitude 2.7 quake in Australia near Jindabyne, Snowy Monaro Regional, New South Wales, only 29 minutes ago. The earthquake hit in the evening on Monday, October 24th, 2022, at 9:25 pm local time at a very shallow depth of 2.1 miles. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report. ...
Ruapehu volcano (New Zealand): earthquake swarm

Sat, 30 Apr 2016, 05:42 05:42 AM | BY: T 05:42 AM | BY: T

Seismic recording at Ruapehu volcano today (Far West station / Geonet)

An earthquake swarm has been occurring at the volcano since 26 April.According to Geonet, such seismic swarms indicating small rock-fracturing events have been rare at the volcano in recent years. Ruapehu's typical seismic activity is rather dominated by events reflecting internal circulation of fluids such as tremor.Another sign of unrest has been noted as well: the temperature of the crater lake has risen since Mid April from 25 to 40C, although no other parameter (e.g. chemistry) has changed significantly.Geonet stated that "we are uncertain of the implications of the recent observations. However at this time these changes at Ruapehu are not considered sufficient to change the Volcanic Alert Level" (which remains at 1).There is no connection with the recent activity at White Island.
Photo: Barcroft Media/Photo Image Press / Barcroft Media

Last month, Maze Runner star Dylan OBrien suffered multiple injuries on set while shooting the third film in the series, Death Cure, temporarily halting production until he had sufficient time to recover. (Hes the films chief protagonist.) However, it appears his injuries are a lot more serious than previously reported, and the production for Death Cure has been indefinitely shut down because of it. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the films cast and crew have been sent home, and a new start date will depend on OBriens recovery and the ability to reassemble the large cast and crew. OBrien was reportedly shooting a scene in a harness on top of a moving vehicle before being abruptly pulled off and hit by another vehicle, where he then suffered from a concussion, facial fracture and lacerations.

The resumption of principal photography on Maze Runner: The Death Cure has been further delayed to allow Dylan OBrien more time to fully recover from his injuries, Fox said in a statement, sparking doubt that the films February 17, 2017 release will remain. We wish Dylan a speedy recovery and look forward to restarting production as soon as possible. In an additional statement, OBriens publicist said his injuries are very serious, and he needs more time to recover. Get well soon, man.
Photo: IFC

A Tennessee teacher decided to show their class Tom Sixs revolting piece of torture porn excrement The Human Centipede 2 for reasons that remain ambiguous. (It is in black and white, which makes it an inherently artsy film.) The film series, orchestrated by director Tom Six, concerns a crazy doctor and his eventual acolytes abducting people and sewing them together, butt-to-mouth, creating the titular monster. The third movie involves a crazy warden who watches the movies on DVD and tries to emulate them with his prisoners. Its meta because the same actor who plays the doctor also plays the warden, get it? (Heres an oral history of the series, though perhaps anal history is more accurate.) The Jackson Sun obtained a copy of a letter sent by parents to the schools principal:

Superintendent Verna Ruffin confirmed to The Jackson Sun that students had viewed Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) after a parent called the paper to report the incident. Ruffin would not say why the students had seen the movie, or whether the teacher in that classroom had been suspended or otherwise disciplined. The matter has been addressed, Ruffin said. Its inappropriate and unacceptable.

Six responded that the movie should be required viewing in all schools, admittedly a minority opinion. He also literally compared his own Twitter to stinking itch recently, so.
Photo: Max Mumby/Indigo/2016 Max Mumby/Indigo

Lets the honest, we enjoy getting a rare glimpse of the British Royal Family deviating from their standards of decorum every once in a while. While we may expect those actions to come from the younger royals, though, dont ever underestimate the spry 90-year old Queen Elizabeth II. In a video released yesterday to promote the upcoming Invictus Games for wounded veterans, the Queen and her grandson, Prince Harry, decided to embrace some Mountbatten-Windsor cheek in response to Barack and Michelle Obama trash-talking the prince on Twitter:

How to one-up the Obamas, you ask? Send for the Queen, and ask her to say the sassiest oh, really, please she can muster:

Unfortunately for you @FLOTUS and @POTUS I wasn't alone when you sent me that video  - H.https://t.co/sjfSQvkzb6  Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 29, 2016

Yaaaaaas Queen! (Literally.)
Gasoline prices locally and statewide are continuing their move toward an average of $2 a gallon for regular unleaded, according to GasBuddy.com and AAA of Texas and New Mexico.

AAA reported Thursday the state average had increased 3 cents during the previous week, settling in at $1.93 a gallon.

That average still represents a price break at the pump, considering Texans were paying 41 cents more this time last year.

Relatively cheap gas prices are boosting driving demand, and 2016 remains poised to be a record year for both gasoline consumption and annual miles traveled, AAA reported. As we enter the summer driving season, all eyes will focus on whether refiners can keep pace with the expected increase in demand.

Barring any unforeseen challenges in supply and refinery production, drivers may pay some of the lowest prices for the summer months in more than a decade.

Among major markets, drivers in El Paso are paying an average of $1.98 per gallon, the most in the state, while those in San Antonio are paying the least at $1.87.

Nationally, California and Hawaii are the only states with an average above $2.50 per gallon, while Gulf Coast states of Texas and Mississippi are paying the lowest.

As local motorists know, many convenience stores are offering regular unleaded at less than $1.90 a gallon.

Free Comic Book Day

Customers who visit Bankstons Sport Memorabilia, Comics and Collectibles on Saturday will receive a free comic book, proprietor Brent Bankston said.

His giveaway is meant to celebrate Free Comic Book Day, which is being marked worldwide with the expectation that 5.6 million comics will be given away by participating stores, Bankston said.

The variety of stories that are told by modern comics today ensure that readers of all ages  children, teens and adults  can find something appropriate that will stir their imaginations, Bankston said.

He has been celebrating Free Comic Book Day for 15 years.

Bankstons is at 1321 S. Valley Mills Drive, in the University Centre shopping center.

The celebration at Bankstons will last from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and visitors can enjoy in-store promotions and sales, inflatable activities for youngsters, food and beverage samples, cosplay, and music provided by DJ Versatile.

Bankston said guests also will get a sneak peek at Kings Landing, which he described as a new game cafe and retail location.

For more details about Bankstons, visit www.bankstons.com.

New Hewitt bakery

Cupcake lovers have a new place to indulge their addiction.

Tiffany Kosel has opened a shop at 235 North Hewitt Drive called Bakery Delightful Hearts Sweet Treats.

She reportedly sells cupcakes with unique flavors, cookies, cake pops, croissants and international coffees.

Kosel said in a news release that she operates from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. It is closed on Sundays.

Leadership changes

Several changes in the ranks of local business leaders have been announced in recent weeks. They include:

 Blackhawk Modifications Inc., which upgrades the engines of turboprops, has promoted Donnie Holder to vice president of marketing, according to a company press release.

 The Dwyer Group, a Waco-based franchising company, has hired Cody Pierce to serve as senior vice president of marketing, effective immediately. Pierce has worked 20 years in marketing management, with stints at Pizza Ranch, a 195-store chain; Golds Gym, where he directed franchise marketing; and CiCis Pizza Enterprises.

 Pioneer Bank, Austin-based with branches in Waco, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, has named Harry Geib its commercial market president. A native of Central Texas and a graduate of Baylor University, Geib most recently worked at FirstCity Financial Corp. in Waco and for years operated Frost Cleaners and Laundry.

 Terry Maness, dean of Baylors Hankamer School of Business, was named to the board of directors for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. He was elected to a three-year term, which begins July 1, according to a Baylor press release.

Construction permits

The Greater Waco area continues to boom with commercial and industrial construction, with several noteworthy permits issued recently, including:

 Waco Hilton, Franklin Avenue at University Parks Drive, for interior remodeling valued at $1.4 million.

 Jersey Mikes, finish out for sandwich shop at 720 S. Fifth St. Estimated cost is $130,000.

 Magnolia Market at the Silos, for a wooden pavilion at Sixth Street and Webster Avenue valued at $120,000.

 Orangetheory Fitness, finish out for space at 1428 Wooded Acres Drive. Estimated cost is $338,000.

 Bosque Group Holdings, 700 W. State Highway 6, building shell for medical offices, valued at $2 million.
A coffee bar and a healthy Mediterranean grill and bakery are joining forces as two companies prepare to open a new venture in downtown Waco.

Pinewood Coffee Roasters will open at 929 Franklin Ave. in May, alongside Alpha Omega, which will serve gyros, wine and European pastries.

The building has sat vacant for about 50 years and once served as a mechanic shop, said Dorothy Lentis, whose father, Chef Aris Galanis, owns 1424 Bistro.

Lentis will operate Alpha Omega. She said the idea was to create something to serve all the demographics by providing an almost fast-food venue that serves healthy food for people on the go. At the same time, she said, guests looking for something more leisurely can enjoy a bottle of wine over a range of appetizers.

Its also common in Europe to enjoy a dessert and coffee after a meal, Lentis said.

Enter Pinewood Roasters.

Lentis said she contacted Baylor University graduates John David Beard and Dylan Washington, who run Pinewood Roasters, to see if they would be interested in sharing space in the downtown building.

Washington and Beard launched a roaster in McGregor about a year ago. The duo roasts 250 to 450 pounds of coffee a week, supplying coffee shops, including Common Grounds. Beard will focus on the roaster two days a week, and in between, join Washington at the coffee bar downtown.

I want this place to be like a barber shop. You come in and its going to be me or JD working behind here, and with that being said, I want to know everybodys name that pops in, Washington said. I want to know whats going on. I want to talk to them.

I was in Chicago about a year ago and I found this random little shop and it was like that. You walked in and everyone was passing through on their way to work and all the baristas were so on it with interactions, and I thought, That was so cool. It was so inspiring. Thats what coffee is here for. Its a good thing to talk over. Its a good thing to connect over. I dont want that to get lost in this speciality coffee venture.

Its that feature, the duo said, that will help set them apart from other area coffee bars, including Common Grounds and Dichotomy Coffee and Spirits.

Washington previously worked at Starbucks, where his manager at the time was Brett Jameson, now the owner of Dichotomy in downtown Waco. Washington and Beard also have worked at Common Grounds, near Baylor University, which is where Beard learned to appreciate coffee.

The pair said opening another coffee bar in downtown will only help meet the growing demand for specialty coffee in Waco.

They plan to serve coffee from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday to begin with and then will adjust hours if needed to meet customers desires.

Washington said it couldnt have been more perfect timing for Lentis to ask them to join the venture on Franklin Avenue.

The cool thing is she makes some freaking good food, Washington said. I think its going to be a pretty awesome place.

Lentis said they will also serve fresh salads and gelato and feature breakfast specials. She said the eatery is striving to use local farmers to provide fresh food, which has been a difficult task because the area doesnt have a strong harvest.

Waco isnt big enough yet to do that, she said.

The breakfast specials will consist mostly of pastries, she said, adding at some point they would like to add a hot kitchen to change up the menu.

Future plans include recognizing a country from the Mediterranean each week, making the speciality the top dish from that area.

The name Alpha Omega stemmed from constant discussions about cooking products from scratch.

Were going to make everything from the beginning to the end, Lentis said. I feel like were lacking in places where we can go and get something fast at a reasonable price and then leave.

I feel like well be a little bit different, and hopefully the Waco community loves us.
Wal-Mart has secured permission from the city of Hewitt to begin clearing land for a new 160,000-square-foot superstore at Sun Valley Boulevard and Interstate 35, though the retailing giant has not received a building permit, Hewitt officials confirmed Friday.

Hewitt Mayor Ed Passalugo said he expects an opening by December or January and it would not surprise him if crews begin pushing dirt next week.

I knew it was going to happen, Passalugo said. Some members of the council were saying they thought they would pull out, but I knew they wanted to do business here.

Wal-Mart spent about $4 million to acquire 21 acres in Commerce Park in 2014, and eager Hewitt residents and officials speculated that work would begin almost immediately. But construction has been delayed twice and even caused Hewitt to cancel a bond election on projects to be paid for with new revenue Wal-Mart would generate.

On Friday, City Manager Adam Miles remained cautious, saying Wal-Mart long ago secured an application to request a permit but has not formally acted on that request.

We have given them a provisional go-ahead for utility installation and dirt work pending finalizing the permit application and payment, Miles said in an email message to the Tribune-Herald in response to questions. I hope it gets finalized very soon. It would be great if it was today.

The local office of the Associated General Contractors of America releases a newsletter each week that includes information about permits issued by Waco and its suburbs on projects valued at more than $5,000. This weeks newsletter said Hewitt on April 21 issued a permit to Wal-Mart stores for construction of a $7 million superstore.

Miles said he could not speak for the Associated General Contractors office, and city staff had not completed its search for an explanation of what appeared in the newsletter by the close of business Friday. But Miles, reached for additional comment, said he again confirmed with the citys building office that no permit had been issued.

We do not have an official timeline from Wal-Mart, but logically if they move forward now it would make sense for them to be open in early 2017, he said. I have shared that same information with the mayor and council. I believe the mayor is anticipating the permit being issued soon and is excited about them starting.

I am excited too, but I cannot confirm any timeline information because nothing has been finalized. We are awaiting subcontractor information and payment.

Passalugo said city leaders think a new Wal-Mart superstore would generate at least $1 million in sales tax revenue for the community annually, an amount equal to about one-fourth of the citys budget. He said it would enhance Hewitts financial status, allowing it to hire more police officers and repair streets.

The city canceled plans for a $3 million bond in March 2015 when construction was delayed.

Passalugo on Friday said he thinks the city should wait a year or two before revisiting the idea of a bond issue.

The delay would give the city more time to feel the financial benefits of Wal-Marts arrival, and maybe we wont have to issue bonds.

Property taxes

Besides generating sales tax revenue, he said, he expects the new superstore to generate about $250,000 in property taxes each year.

Those figures do not reflect sales and property taxes generated by users of several outparcels Wal-Mart has sold or is marketing near its store site.

Everybody is speculating on what might go in there, a Whataburger or a Joes Crab Shack. I think it may be more wishing than anything else, Passalugo said. I do know I could see the entire package, including the eight or 10 outparcels and the store, having a value of $25 million to $30 million.

A Wal-Mart on Hewitt Drive lies in the city of Waco and contributes to its tax base.

The store to be built in Hewitt, Passalugo said, would serve customers from Robinson and Lorena and pull traffic from Interstate 35.

The store will provide a commercial complement to home and apartment construction poised to erupt in the community that has seen its population grow to between 15,500 and 16,000 in recent years, he said.

Besides giving the city more spending power, the taxes generated by Wal-Mart could allow Hewitt to lower property taxes for homeowners, Passalugo said.

He said he believes the store itself will employ more than 200 people, and the entire area of development even more.

Waco real estate agent Chris Gutierrez, who marketed Commerce Park and brokered the land sale to Wal-Mart, said he was excited by news construction may begin.

No one with Wal-Mart could be reached for comment Friday, when Hewitt confirmed it had given the retailing giant permission to proceed.

Greater Waco now serves as home to three Wal-Mart locations, one in Bellmead, one on Hewitt Drive and one at Franklin Avenue and New Road.

Wal-Mart Inc. shocked the retail world in mid-January when it announced it would close 269 stores globally, including 154 in the United States and 29 in Texas. In shuttering the underperforming locations, Wal-Mart said it would focus more on e-commerce and expanding pickup services for customers.

Despite the closing of these targeted outlets, Wal-Mart said it would build 50 to 60 new supercenters, 85 to 95 new Neighborhood Markets and seven to 10 Sams Clubs across the United States in fiscal year 2017, which began Feb. 1.
An intermediate appellate court in Waco has reduced the bail for an Arlington man charged in the July shooting death of a Crawford woman, ruling that a judge abused his discretion by setting bail at $5 million and refusing to reduce it.

Attorneys for James Ray Brossett appealed his bail amount set by 54th State District Judge Matt Johnson and the judges decision not to reduce it at a hearing in November.

In a ruling made public Friday, Wacos 10th Court of Appeals reduced Brossetts bond to $1 million and sent the matter back to Johnsons court so he can place terms and conditions on the bond should Brossett be able to secure his release from the McLennan County Jail.

We are pleased that the court of appeals granted our request and reduced our clients bond to a reasonable amount similar to the amounts set in other similar cases of accused people in similar circumstances, said Waco attorney Michelle Tuegel, who represents Brossett with attorney Walter M. Reaves Jr.

Tuegel said that despite the courts ruling, she doubts Brossett will be able to post bail because he has been in jail for eight months and his masonry business has failed.

Death penalty sought

Brossett is charged with capital murder in the death of Laura Patschke, with whom he once had a dating relationship. Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty against the 49-year-old Brossett, who prosecutors said confessed to the crimes.

Brossett was free at the time of Patschkes death on two bonds related to stalking and violating a protective order involving Patschke. He also is charged with shooting Patschkes 18-year-old son, Trevor, in the arm during the early-morning incident at their home.

At a hearing in November, District Attorney Abel Reyna told the court it was no coincidence that Brossett drove from Arlington to Crawford that Sunday night or early Monday morning when Trevor and his younger brother and sister had just returned to their mothers home from a holiday visit with their father. Brossett intended to kill the whole family, Reyna said.

Reyna said Brossett parked his truck about a mile from Patschkes home on Bosque Ridge Boulevard and walked through the woods. He got lost along the way and it took him more than two hours to reach Patschkes house, Reyna said.

In a concurring and a dissenting opinion, 10th Court of Appeals Chief Justice Tom Gray said he also thinks the $5 million bond was an abuse of Johnsons discretion, but he said the appeals court should not be in the business of setting bonds.

As for me, I do not understand why we, as an appellate court, should in the first instance set the amount of bail we think is appropriate. All we have is a cold record before us, Gray wrote. I would much prefer a remand to allow the trial court to set the amount and conditions of bail it deems appropriate and leave this court to review the trial courts order.

In arguing against the bond reduction at the previous hearing, Reyna told the judge that Brossett sent Patschke more than 200 harassing text messages on the day he was freed from jail the last time.

Reyna also told the judge that Patschkes sons slept with loaded weapons near their beds because they were aware of Brossetts violent nature.

Brossett kicked open a door and went to Patschkes bedroom and fired a shot at her. The boys came running from their rooms with guns, and Brossett shot Trevor in the arm, Reyna said.

As their sister hid in her room, the boys fled the house. Brossett then returned and fired two more shots at Patschke, striking the 48-year-old at close range with his 12-gauge shotgun, he said.

Brossett, who had taped a flashlight onto his shotgun barrel, then went outside to look for the children to finish what he had started, the district attorney said.

He later found the keys to Patschkes car, which he drove to where he had parked his truck, then left her car and went to the Fort Worth area in his truck, where authorities arrested him.

Brossett served three years in prison after pleading guilty to assault family violence with bodily injury in 2003 and has a 1997 conviction for violating a protective order. He has three other arrests relating to violence against women dating back to 1987, prosecutors said.

No trial date has been set in the case.
Elementary students from schools in Education Service Center Region 12 cataloged a fake crime scene and examined evidence Friday to discover who took Mr. Bear.

More than 900 elementary school students came to University High School for STEAM Day, or science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics day, where they learned about different types of careers in their fields of interest.

A. J. Moore Academies students led the activities, including culinary arts, robotics, criminal justice and theater. The Waco Police Department, Waco Fire Department and the McLennan County Sheriffs Office also brought vehicles used on crime scenes, including a helicopter for students to tour.

The event gives students a glimpse into career pathways they could choose to pursue as early as eighth grade, said Christine Holecek, a career and technical education specialist for Region 12.

Recently passed legislation requires high schools to provide additional electives linked to a specific careers. Students choose a focus and take a collection of classes called endorsements or pathways to prepare them for a college major or career.

The A. J. Moore magnet school merged into University High School in 2011, and its eight career-track academies became programs within Universitys curriculum.

Students from the A. J. Moore Law and Criminal Justice Academy led an activity where elementary students sketched the items in a crime scene to help solve the Mr. Bear kidnapping. It turned out Backwards B  Bill kidnapped him.

The high school students said they enjoyed teaching the sessions and hearing the second-graders insightful or funny comments.

It was like (one student) was meant to be a police officer, junior Dalen Turner said.

Turner played Mr. Bears kidnapper in the mock crime scene exercise.

Each elementary class could participate in three of the 17 indoor classrooms during one of the two sessions held during the day.

All students took a tour through the Sheriffs Offices bomb squad truck and armored vehicle.

Riesel Independent School District first-grade teacher Beth Nutt said this is the second time she has brought her class to STEAM Day.

Nutt said the high school students were well-informed about their subjects, and her students thought the activities were interesting.

The kids loved it, she said. They couldnt wait to get back.
A China Spring man was one of six men arrested in Copperas Cove after a joint sting operation by the Attorney Generals Child Exploitation Unit and the Copperas Cove Police Department, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Friday.

Brock Alan Monson, 22, of China Spring, was arrested earlier this week, after officials say he agreed to travel to Copperas Cove with the intent to engage in sexual acts with a minor. Monson was also in possession of child pornography at the time of his arrest, authorities said.

Robert Lee Biddinger, 36, Jonathan Fitch Douglass, 31, Daniel Jeronimo, 29, Juan Neftly Torres-Cortes, 30, all of Killeen and Nathan Arthur Kaufman, 27, of College Station, were also arrested this week in the sting. Paxton said the effort targeted child predators who use the Internet to solicit and then travel with the intent of committing sex crimes against a minor.
Is Donald Trump really dangerous? One of my students, Evan Edwards, believes so and I thought you might like to consider some observations from this 22-year-old Texan about the Yankee salesman from New York. Here, with his permission, are some particularly sage excerpts from Evans paper entitled Donald Trump and Muslims . . .

Danger arises when people interact with each other thinking one of them is better than the other. Dignity and respect take a back seat to arrogance. Recently, a tide of hatred has been rising in America. In Hitlers time it was against Jews. Here and now it is against Islam. Donald Trump  catering to the hate that has been stirring among Americans toward Muslims for a long time  is inciting violence against Muslims through fear-mongering and outright hate-speech.

Violence comes in many forms. Punching someone in the face is violent, but so is labeling and criticizing someone harshly by attacking their beliefs through generalizations that are insulting (and usually inaccurate). What people say in words often immediately precedes what they do in actions. For example, Trump has suggested that all Muslim Americans should register with a government database and carry special identification cards that note their faith, and if he is elected president there will be a wholesale surveillance of Muslim Americans and warrantless searches of mosques.

These words remind me of the exact same kinds of early policies put into place in Nazi Germany before the Holocaust. Hitler demanded that all Jews have something specific on them, a Star of David, in order to set them apart from the rest of the population. The purpose of this was to further dehumanize and ostracize the Jews and, if these same things are done to Muslims in the United States, then Muslims will be further marginalized and pushed from normative life.

Another strange thing at Trump rallies happened when Trump asked his followers to pledge their allegiance to him, promising to vote for him. According to NBC News, at his rallies Trump repeatedly asked crowds, Do you pledge that you will go and we will make America great again and you will vote for Donald Trump? at which point the crowd raised their right hands and shouted loudly: Yes! I thought politicians were supposed to pledge (if elected president on our Constitution) allegiance to the country, not the other way around.

Muslims have been an indispensable part of the history of the United States since the first Muslims came here in the late 1500s. Muslim soldiers, scientists, business people, doctors and countless others have added their muscle to make America great. The vast majority of Muslim Americans love America. It is their home and we are better as a nation because of their hard work, creativity and loyalty.

Muslim Americans such as Muhammad Ali, Shaquille ONeal, Dave Chappelle, Busta Rhymes, Fareed Zakaria, the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, congressmen, doctors or soldiers like Kareem Khan who died for our country fighting in Iraq have all made America what it is. But Donald Trump tells us these people are dangerous. Trumps language is incredibly dangerous in that he is inciting violence against Muslims, based on stereotypes and generalizations rooted in fear. He is harnessing raw emotions that many of us have felt since 9/11 to propel himself to the presidency where he would probably move from inciting violence with words to actually committing violence through actions.

We cannot allow a man who uses fear and hatred as his primary means of control to be in power. Many people have been compared to Hitler and Nazi Germany over the last 60 years, but it is not Hitler during the 1940s who must be examined, it is Hitlers rise to power that must be examined. Trump is beginning the process of dehumanizing Muslims and other minority groups, which has the potential to grow into something much worse.

We must not wait until violent actions have begun. Return words of hate with words of acceptance and love.

Incidentally, Evan is a senior at Baylor University in the religion department.

A. Christian van Gorder is associate professor of world religions and Islamic studies at Baylor University. His books include No God But God: A Path to Muslim-Christian Dialogue on Gods Nature.
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DE C.V., ML CERRITOS TC MEMBER LLC, ML CLAL MEMBER LLC, ML CORNER 63 MEMBER LLC, ML DOLPHIN GP LLC, ML DOLPHIN MEZZ LLC, ML HUDSON MEMBER LLC, ML MATSON MILLS MEMBER LLC, ML MILILANI MEMBER LLC, ML OMD MEMBER LLC, ML ONE BEDMINSTER LLC, ML PORT CHESTER SC MEMBER LLC, ML SENTINEL SQUARE MEMBER LLC, ML SLOANS LAKE MEMEBR LLC, ML SOUTHLANDS MEMBER LLC, ML SOUTHMORE LLC, ML SPOKANE INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, ML SWAN GP LLC, ML SWAN MEZZ LLC, ML TERRACES LLC, ML THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, ML VENTURE 1 MANAGER S. DE R. L. DE C.V., ML VENTURE 1 SERVICER LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 1 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 2 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 3 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 4 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 5 LLC, ML-URS PORT CHESTER SC MANAGER LLC, MLIA MANAGER I LLC, MLIA PARK TOWER MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF COLONY MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF MANAGER LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS II LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS LLC, MLIC CB HOLDINGS LLC, MLJ US FEEDER LLC, MM GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER S.A. DE C.V., MMP CEDAR STREET OWNER LLC, MMP CEDAR STREET REIT LLC, MMP HOLDINGS III LLC, MMP OLIVIAN OWNER LLC, MMP OLIVIAN REIT LLC, MMP OWNERS III LLC, MMP OWNERS LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK OWNER LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK REIT LLC, MNQM TRUST 2020, MREF 425 MKT LLC, MSHDF HOLDCO I LLC, MSV IRVINE PROPERTY LLC, MTL LEASING LLC, MTU HOTEL OWNER LLC, NATILOPORTEM HOLDINGS LLC, NEWBURY INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, OCONEE GOLF COMPANY LLC, OCONEE HOTEL COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LLC, OCONEE MARINA COMPANY LLC, OMI MLIC INVESTMENTS LIMITED, PACIFIC LOGISTICS INDUSTRIAL NORTH LLC, PACIFIC LOGISTICS INDUSTRIAL SOUTH LLC, PARK TOWER JV MEMBER LLC, PARK TOWER REIT INC., PJSC METLIFE, PLAZA DRIVE PROPERTIES LLC, PREFCO FOURTEEN LLC, PREFCO XIV HOLDINGS LLC, PROVIDA INTERNACIONAL S.A., SAFEGUARD HEALTH ENTERPRISES INC., SAFEGUARD HEALTH PLANS INC., SAFEHEALTH LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, SOUTHCREEK INDUSTRIAL HOLDINGS LLC, ST. JAMES FLEET INVESTMENTS TWO LIMITED, SUPERIOR PROCUREMENT INC., SUPERIOR VISION BENEFIT MANAGEMENT INC., SUPERIOR VISION HOLDINGS INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE PLAN OF WISCONSIN INC., SUPERIOR VISION OF NEW JERSEY INC., SUPERIOR VISION SERVICES INC., Safeguard Health Enterprises, Security First Group Inc., THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH AVENUE MEZZANINE LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL HOLDING LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL OWNER, THE DIRECT CALL CENTRE PTY LIMITED, TRANSMOUNTAIN LAND & LIVESTOCK COMPANY, UVC INDEPENDENT PRACTICE ASSOCIATION INC., VERSANT HEALTH CONSOLIDATIONS CORP., VERSANT HEALTH HOLDCO INC., VERSANT HEALTH INC., VERSANT HEALTH LAB LLC, VIRIDIAN MIRACLE MILE LLC, VISION 21 MANAGED EYE CARE OF TAMPA BAY INC., VISION 21 PHYSICIAN PRACTICE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, VISION TWENTY-ONE MANAGED EYE CARE IPA INC., Versant Health, WDV ACQUISITION CORP., WFP 1000 HOLDING COMPANY GP LLC, WHITE OAK ROYALTY COMPANY, WHITE TRACT II LLC, and Willing.

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Amy Schumer has taken aim at the ease with which Americans - even those with violent criminal records - can buy a gun in a searing new sketch on her show.

Schumer has become an outspoken advocate for tougher gun control laws, following a fatal shooting last year at a showing of her 2015 film Trainwreck in Louisiana. "We need a background-check system without holes and fatal flaws," she said at the time.

Amy Schumer satirises American gun culture on Inside Amy Schumer Credit:Comedy Central

On Thursday, Schumer addressed the issue through satire, on her Comedy Central show Inside Amy Schumer. In a sketch at the start of the episode, Schumer appears as Amy, the folksy host of a home shopping network, where she pitches viewers on a "no-brainer" gift: a handgun.

"Here is what's great about this," Amy says. "Almost anyone can purchase this." She and her co-host, Kyle, then reassure skeptical viewers who call in that they, too, will be able to purchase a gun.
Tony Abbott has told his local constituents he's still got a "fire in the belly" and he won't hesitate to use his status as a former prime minister to "get attention" in the media and Liberal party room.

Mr Abbott last week appeared to put his leadership ambitions on the backburner, declaring he had accepted that his colleagues had made their decision and he didn't expect they would ever change their minds.

But in a recent interview with a local magazine in his Sydney electorate, Mr Abbott made it clear he won't be disappearing from view.

"It definitely helps an electorate to have someone well known  and as a former prime minister, I am definitely well known," he told Peninsula Living. "I can say things in the party room and in the media and generally get attention."
He reiterated he is only trying to uphold the verdict of the SC, which said the selection process of the VCs that is repugnant to the UGC norms, shall be void ab initio.
MUCH like in previous years, we see widespread lawbreaking by lawmakers who have yet again failed to abide by the law that mandates that they file annual financial declarations.

For far too long, the Public Disclosures Act has not been complied with and, whats more, the Public Disclosures Commission (PDC) is a neutered watch-poodle that exercises no real power against lawless legislators, some of whom pretend to represent their constituents interests whilst expecting to live above the law, telling them by action that some Bahamians (meaning them) - in true Orwellian fashion  are more equal than others.

Frankly, the Public Disclosures Act (PDA) is a surrogate marker for honesty where little to no honesty exists. The truth is, even civil society and we in the media are raising hell about relative worthlessness - the most worthless being the people who do not disclose.

In 2014, we saw the same story play out. At that time, Prime Minister Perry Christie told the House of Assembly that the PDC had reported that a number of present and former parliamentarians and senators, along with senior public officers, have failed to submit declarations as mandated in the Act. However, much as he did this week, at that time he did not confirm whether he was compliant with the law though he urged Members of Parliament to prioritise submissions during his closing budget contribution in the House of Assembly. The stench of hypocrisy prevails today.

At that time, Mr Christie stated that the government might have given future consideration to how the matter of public disclosures is handled in Britain and adopt some of those measures in a bid to reduce unnecessary public embarrassment for local politicians. Mr Christie said: I just want to be able to say that this is a requirement, that I will be causing those persons who have not yet disclosed to know that it is expected and to make every effort to submit their disclosures to the Disclosure Commission. It is an important requirement.

A few years ago, the clerk of the House pointed out to me the disclosure provisions of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and it is worthy for us at some stage or the other to see in fact how they go about with their public disclosures, so as to minimise the extent to which there could be public embarrassment unnecessarily by provision in the law.

That was in 2014. We saw a replay of the aforesaid failures to disclose in 2015. And so, here we are today.

Members of Parliament and senators are required by law to turn in their financial disclosures to the PDC by March each year covering their assets and liabilities for the previous year. A summary of the declarations should be published in the Gazette, the Public Disclosures Act says.

The Act states that any person who does not comply with the law is liable to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or imprisonment of not more than two years.

According to the law, if a parliamentarian deliberately does not disclose property owned in The Bahamas, the land can be seized and forfeited to the government. However, in spite of the law, the disclosures are rarely made public aside from an election year when each candidate must provide the information in order to run for office.

Bahamians would perhaps recall that the last time all people seeking to run for Parliament or sitting in the Parliament disclosed was in April 2012, weeks before the May 7 general election. At that time, we saw a detailed outlay of the finances of the 133 candidates who vied for seats. There were 56 millionaires on that list.

Today, there is little to no observation of the Public Disclosure Act (PDA). I think having an Act that no one adheres to is foolish. It is no more than a circle jerk.

If one was to scrutinise the disclosures of Parliamentarians, how many of them are fabricated? Disclosure is intended to be a monitoring tool for corruption. But, it is not.

We need to acknowledge the failings of the PDA, which came about in 1977. Whilst one can appreciate the spirit of the Act - which was meant to allow the public some degree of transparency to determine if their MP is engaged in corrupt practises - the truth of the matter is that that doesnt happen.

Frankly, several politicians have told me that disclosure makes them an open target for some members of the public to harass for money and/or could make them the subject of derision if they are not worth more than $50,000.

That said, there is no verification of what is in the disclosures that are being made. One must simply accept what is written. There is no serious watchdog. There is no forensic auditing. The verification process would be the teeth of disclosure.

How many persons have been penalised since the enactment of the PDA in 1977? It is simply a joke. All MPs do is put something down on a piece of paper and the public and the press is then satisfied.

Nobody is jailed or fined if they do not disclose. Who will fine Mr Christie and other MPs and senators who havent disclosed or claim that their disclosures are in the mail or some other lame excuse?

The only way to change the state of affairs is via a leadership team that is committed to the spirit and intent of disclosures, a team that understands the pros and the cons of disclosure and non-disclosure. As it stands, disclosures merely serve as the cause of speculative conversations over coffee or at the water cooler.

Why are there no random audits of the disclosures of public officials? Do we really want to know the truth or are we more concerned about who took the time to write some fanciful, unsubstantiated numbers on a piece of paper?

Our politicians approach to the PDA is not much different from their approach to campaign financing, particularly that which speaks to bribery and buying elections. There are many Bahamians who can attest to receiving bribes and money for votes each election cycle. In fact, many Bahamians look forward to general elections. It is perceived that if the bribes and vote buying is done in a slick and discreet way, its just all right. Inducements and money to gain votes is the order of the day in local politics and most Bahamians know it.

We need to wake up and understand that the PDA is useless in improving our access to information, that it confers no transparency nor does it confirm the integrity of any elected or public official.

The PDA speaks to an expectation of the Bahamian people that suggests that yet again, we are being abused by politicians who can impress some by submitting a document that is not subject to critical, audited scrutiny. How can we be satisfied with that, how little have we come to expect?

So, either we get rid of the PDA altogether or put teeth into it. The current half-baked approach makes for nonsensical, alcohol-laced conversations only and nothing more. I can hear folks gossiping now about who is a millionaire and who is not.

If we are outraged, lets acknowledge that the basis for the damning Auditor Generals report on social services is demonstrative of the level of corruption in The Bahamas. The people that suffer most are the most vulnerable. We see corruption at the Post Office, Road Traffic, the Police Force, BAMSI and other areas and sources of shrinkage or leakage of Bahamian taxpayers money. There is no question that it is real.

Our leaders, at some point, will have to stop this charade about the PDA and deal with these issues in a way that actually staunches the bleeding.

If I pick any MP or senator right now and subject them to an independent audit, how many would change their disclosure? In many instances, it is highly likely that there is a material difference between reality and what they disclose. After all, elected and public officials are supposed to obtain audited bank statements and up-to-date assessments of their real property. We know that the only way to get a true value for real property is to have it appraised. Where are the appraisals? I have a feeling that many of them pull random numbers out of thin air and write those down, leaving out that whatever they so please.

How is the PDC to examine the declarations and properly opine as to whether they are reasonable and accurate renderings with appraisals and audited bank statements? I personally dont believe that many disclosures are either accurate, honest or helpful in changing or highlighting the fiscal integrity of Bahamian politicians.

When the PDA was passed, no doubt it was well intended. After all, the old adage is that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Just a few short years after the passage of the PDA in 1977, the 1984 Commission of Inquiry revealed that elected and public officials were engaging in untold corruption. The minority report of Archbishop Drexel Gomez raised serious concerns about former Prime Minister Sir Lynden Pindlings finances and how he acquired certain monies deposited in his bank account. And, yet there were other disgraced individuals who were named or caught up in questionable activities that involved large amounts of money, particularly the ill-gotten gains of drug dealers. Yet, none of them suffered any serious reprimand or penalties as a result of this PDA. So, what good has it been?

Currently, we have MPs who are alleged to be exposed and defaulting on loans to the Bank of the Bahamas. As such, if the disclosure process was accurate, some of them would be deemed bankrupt. Yet, they continue to serve. So, whats the point of the PDA?

Many elected and public officials have revenues they have not disclosed. Yet, we nod our head, wink and look in the other direction. We are satisfied to know that they have filled out a piece of paper.

Please!

Our interest has to be more than merely questioning if an MP or public official filed a disclosure but rather if they filed an honest disclosure.

_________________________________________________________

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.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Apr. 25, 2016 | 04:08 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Students have named WKCTC assistant math professor Joel Cates the school's 2016 Teacher of the Year.

Cates and 26 other faculty members were nominated for the award by students. Nominees must have at least assistant professor status, and must have been a faculty member for at least three years.

One student who was quoted after the announcement had good things to say about Cates, Ive had several courses with Mr. Cates, and Ive never had a math teacher more engaging in the subject. He loves his course and his students; it is evident every day in his class. The student said.

Cates thanked his wife, Kelli, the WKCTC math faculty and his church congregation and pastor for their support. Cates, a McCracken County resident, said he felt both privileged and surprised to receive the award. Its a profound honor to be at WKCTC and teach among my peers, and teach these students  probably the best students in Kentucky, said Cates. When you get nominated, you dont want to expect anything, but you hope and dream it might be you. And when you hear your name called, its validation of all that youre doing for the students.

Cates joined the WKCTC faculty in 2011. He has a bachelors degree in engineering physics and a masters degree in math from Murray State University. He also serves as sponsor for the colleges math club chapter of Mu Alpha Theta and co-sponsor for the Campus Ministries student organization.
Boris Johnson drops out of race to be next UK prime minister
Advertisement

By The Associated Press

Apr. 30, 2016 | FRANKFORT, KY

By The Associated Press Apr. 30, 2016 | 08:27 AM | FRANKFORT, KY

Hillary Clinton will campaign in Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio next week, and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will be in West Virginia on Sunday.



The front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination is scheduled to visit Ashland, Kentucky, and Williamson, West Virginia, on Monday. She will visit West Virginia and Ohio on Tuesday, but details of those stops are not yet available.



The campaign said the former president will campaign in Charleston and Logan on Sunday. Details were not available Friday.



In a news release, the campaign said Hillary Clinton will discuss her plans to raise incomes for people in overlooked or underserved communities. The Appalachian region has been economically devastated by the decline in the coal industry.



Republicans have criticized Clinton for earlier comments that her policies would put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business. Clinton later said she was mistaken and is committed to coalfield workers and communities.






Rita Redmond was a true lady who felt that every pupil had something to gift to the world
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 30/04/2016 (2368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Is the war on terror working? Not according to Scott Taylor, editor and publisher of Esprit de Corps magazine.

Bombing Syrian villages does not make Canadian streets safe, and it is impossible to wage war against a tactic, the former Canadian solider and war correspondent says.

Attacking the Islamic State (also known as Daesh) forces in Syria and Iraq will in no way impact the actions of the Daesh fanatics who are launching attacks in Europe, he adds.

Taylor is not alone. Many say it is impossible to defeat terrorism with war. So whats the alternative?

For George Lakey, it is non-violence. In a year-old blog post making the rounds on Facebook recently, the Quaker activist and academic proposes eight non-violent techniques to address terror.

The first is economic development. Poverty and terrorism are indirectly linked, he says. Economic development can reduce recruits and gain allies.

Second is reducing cultural marginalization. As France, Britain and other countries have learned, marginalizing a group within your population is not safe or sensible; terrorists grow under those conditions.

Third is non-violent protest and unarmed civilian peacekeeping. Lakey points to the success of the civil rights movement in the U.S., which overcame terror by the Ku Klux Klan and other groups through non-violence, and also to contemporary examples such as Peace Brigades International, which puts unarmed civilians between warring groups in places such as Central America, Africa, and Asia.

Fourth is what Lakey calls pro-conflict education and training. Terror, he says, often happens when a population tries to suppress conflicts instead of supporting their expression. Teaching people skills that support people waging conflict to give full voice to their grievances can reduce the urge to lash out violently.

Fifth is post-terror recovery programs. Not all terror can be prevented, any more than all crime can be prevented, Lakey says. Terrorists often have the goal of increasing polarization. Recovery programs can help prevent that polarization, the cycle of hawks on one side arming the hawks on the other side.

Sixth is seeing the police as peace officers. Police work can become far more effective through more community policing, Lakey says. In some countries this requires reconceptualization of the police from defenders of the property of the dominant group to genuine peace officers.

Seventh is calling on governments to check the impulse to respond violently every time terror occurs.

Governments sometimes make choices that invite  almost beg for  a terrorist response, he writes, noting to protect themselves from terror, citizens in all countries need to gain control of their own governments and force them to behave.

The last technique is negotiation. Governments often say, We dont negotiate with terrorists, but when they say that they are often lying. Governments have often reduced or eliminated terrorism through negotiation, and negotiation skills continue to grow in sophistication.

According to Lakey, each of these tools have indeed been used in real-life situations in one place or another, with some degree of success. The problem, he says, is persuading a government to take such a bold, innovative leap.

For Paul Redekop, who teaches conflict resolution studies at Menno Simons College in Winnipeg, Lakeys ideas make a lot of sense. While he believes the ideas are viable, Redekop isnt optimistic they will be accepted.

They fall into the realm of prevention rather than reaction, he says. Preventive action always seems to be a harder sell than reaction, whether it involves a response to crime or health care or public safety such as fire prevention, even though it is always more effective in the long run.

Governments often react to what they think the public wants, and a strong reaction is more dramatic, he says. We can make governments take such an approach more seriously when we can make the broader public more aware of the effectiveness of non-violent responses.

Will non-violence work against groups such as Daesh or al-Qaida or any of the homegrown terrorist groups in Europe and other places? We wont know until someone tries.

jdl562000@yahoo.com

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Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 30/04/2016 (2368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With gluten-free foods so fashionable these days, its ironic one of the biggest issues facing Canadas wheat industry in recent times has been a shortage of it.

Gluten is one of the main proteins found in cereals such as wheat, barley and rye. In bread-baking, the quality of the gluten has a lot to do with how bread absorbs water, traps gases from the fermenting yeast and how well it rises.

Customers started complaining a few years ago they were seeing a decline in the quality and consistency of gluten in Canadas premium milling wheat class, Canada Western Red Spring Wheat (CWRS).

MATT GOERZEN / BRANDON SUN FILES Customers have complained about the quality of gluten from red spring wheat lately.

In the world of food processing, consistency is synonymous with quality. Millers and bakers want to get the same results from their ingredients every time with a minimum of adjustments to their equipment or recipes.

Canadian wheat has historically been famous for both the quality and the quantity of the protein in its premium processing wheats. Connie Morrison, a senior executive with Canadas biggest bread-baker Canada Bread, recently told reporters in Winnipeg that gold standard reputation is losing its lustre.

Her company, which buys about 300,000 tonnes of Canadian wheat a year, spent $1 million last year buying gluten to add to its recipes because the wheat it was processing was subpar.

These complaints started surfacing around the time the former federal government demolished the Canadian Wheat Board, leading many to assume that was the reason. It appears the change in the wheat-marketing system was a factor, but only one of many.

The biggest cause by far has been a gradual shift in farmers choice of wheat varieties.

Much of Canadas reputation has been based on its unique approach to varietal development and grading.

New wheat varieties are rigorously tested before being approved for use, and then they are categorized in one of 10 classes according to end-use characteristics. The best-known are the Queers (CWRS) used mostly for bread, and Quads (Canadian Western Amber Durum) used mainly for pasta.

The 88 varieties in the CWRS class are supposed to fall within a fairly narrow range of performance characteristics, which helps ensure that all-important consistency.

In recent times, farmers started planting more acres to newer CWRS varieties that were at the lower end of the acceptable range for gluten strength because they yielded better or had other attractive agronomic characteristics for their area.

The grain-handling and transportation system has also undergone a major consolidation, which has had the effect of reducing the amount of blending that takes place as wheat is gathered and transported to export.

In the 1960s, for example, there were more than 5,000 small elevators collecting grain on the Prairies a few boxcars at a time. Today there are less than 350 primary elevators loading 100-car or more unit trains. So more wheat from the same collection point is winding up in the ships hold.

Prior to 2012, when the single-desk monopoly ended, the wheat board pulled in grain of like grades and quality into the system using contracts, and before that, delivery quotas, from points all over the Prairies, which added to the overall blending and consistency of shipments.

It was clear the days of an elevator on every horizon are long gone, and its unlikely the single desk will be reinstated. Simply deregistering those varieties would make customers happier but alienate the farmers who like how they perform on their farms.

Initially, some suggested further deregulation was the answer. But the industry collectively worked with the Canadian Grain Commission to find a more elegant solution.

It recently announced specifications of the CWRS class are being tightened, and 25 varieties that no longer qualify will move into a newly created class called Canadian Northern Hard Red where they can be marketed to customers who appreciate their particular quality strengths.

Its a fix that should make both customers and farmers happy  a rare feat in the grain business.

Laura Rance is editor of the Manitoba Co-operator and editorial director for Farm Business Communications. She can be reached at laura@fbcpublishing.com or 204-792-4382.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 30/04/2016 (2368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At least one of the hundreds of companies from all over the world that will be coming to Winnipeg to attend Centrallia later in May already has a solid Manitoba partner.

The fourth instalment of Centrallia, the international business speed-dating event, will include companies from 34 countries, including some from South Korea for the first time.

Three years ago, members of a division of a large Korean engineering firm called KAST Engineering were in The Pas doing research in the hopes of bidding on some Manitoba Hydro power-line work.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS World Trade Centre Winnipeg vice-president Derek Earl (left) and president and CEO Mariette Mulaire are excited about the fourth Centrallia event.

Their vehicle got stuck, and some members of Opaskwayak Cree Nation helped them out. During the encounter, the OCN people heard about a concept called the plant factory KAST had developed that uses a computer-controlled LED lighting system to grow vegetables indoors without needing to worry about humidity, natural light, heat inputs or soil.

It sounded like a promising idea that might be able to address some of the issues of the high cost of fresh produce in the north.

Three years later, a pilot project between KAST and OCN is now testing some early results of the production taking place in The Pas.

Glen Ross, OCNs economic development officer, said, Its going great. Its something you really have to see to believe.

This week, some early harvest of lettuce, kale and broccoli from the plant factory tucked in a corner of OCNs Veterans Hall is being tested in juices and salads.

Ross said the hope is to turn it into a commercial venture and maybe help license the technology across Canada.

Our food prices are set to rise another 20 per cent next year, and that would even further restrict people in the north from getting any good vegetables and fruits, Ross said. This could be an answer for that.

Mariette Mulaire, the CEO of World Trade Centre Winnipeg, the organizer of Centrallia, said, I saw it with my own eyes when I went to South Korea in 2014. I cant believe this has now become real.

The Korean company representatives will be speaking about the project as part of a one-day conference focused on the Arctic thats part of this years Centrallia. Ross and others from OCN will be there as well.

They have been urging us to come to Korea to see some examples of how they are using the system there, Ross said.

KAST is monitoring the OCN pilot project remotely, but Ross said it will be good to have the chance to do a face-to-face meeting at Centrallia.

(Organizers have extended the registration deadline to May 5 for the three-day event being held May 25 to May 27.)

Even though this is the fourth Centrallia in Winnipeg, there are still visa complications for some attendees. But Mulaire said its better now that Canadas international affairs officials have been fully briefed on Centrallia and can vouch for its credibility.

Among other regions, organizers are expecting more than 80 people from a number of African countries, including Algeria, Ghana and Ethiopia.

Mulaire was in Algiers recently attending a World Trade Centre board meeting, and she met members of the Algerian delegation who will be coming.

She said, They were so excited about coming. Some have been to previous events, and they asked me why we waited so long to have another.

Mulaire believes the strong African interest in Centrallia is at least partially an indication of some rapid economic growth thats starting to materialize in some regions of the continent. SGL Investments, one of the largest construction companies in Ghana, will be also be at Centrallia.

She said the Algerian contingent is very excited about Canada. They will be preceded to Winnipeg by a week or so by the Canadian ambassador to Algeria who is scheduled to be in Winnipeg to meet with the Canadian International Grains Institute

Canada is more interesting to them than the U.S. They have a higher level of confidence here, said Mulaire. They are interested in agriculture and information-technology partners, but a lot of them are talking about knowledge-transfer opportunities.

Derek Earl, vice-president of the Winnipeg WTC, said a good-sized group of government and business leaders from the Philippines will be attending for the first time, possibly including the ambassador.

It validates the approach weve been taking of working closely with ethnic and cultural communities at home and using their ties with the home country, he said.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
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The owner of a popular Manitoba campground and resort has admitted he failed to properly disinfect the water supply guests use.

Blair Olafson pleaded guilty Friday to a rare offence under the Drinking Water Safety Act. He was given a $750 fine and a stern warning from the judge and provincial officials much stricter sanctions will be imposed if he doesnt comply.

As a society, we have to ensure the consumption of water is safe. Fortunately, the Crown hasnt been able to provide any examples that anyone has become sick from this water, said provincial court Judge Heather Pullan. That may be in part luck.

Blair Olafson

Olafson operates the Lake Manitoba Narrows Lodge, which includes several different water systems for guests. Crown attorney Sara Minshull told court Friday Olafson has been the subject of much scrutiny and numerous warnings after he obtained his water licence in 2011.

Testing repeatedly found he was not putting the required levels of chlorine in water  in fact, there were times the chlorine pump was not even operational and none was being added. As a result, several boil-water advisories were issued to those visiting the facility.

Olafson was hit with charges following an August 2015 inspection that came after 19 letters had been issued to him in the previous four years.

This effectively has to be the last straw, Minshull said Friday. Its a very serious offence.

She noted the maximum fine for such an offence is $1 million. Olafson has been warned he will be hit with separate new charges every time his water is found to be substandard. She said recent discussions between the province and Olafson about compliance have been fruitful.

Hes a business owner who wants to have a productive, fruitful business, she said.

Olafson represented himself in court, describing how hes been juggling a cattle business, outfitting business and the lodge that employs 35 people seasonally. He said he never deliberate attempted to bypass provincial regulations, but things got overlooked, especially when the man who installed his chlorine pump died.

I call myself a fireman, because I have fires to put out every morning, he told court.

Olafson said theres never been any issues with his customers, and hes made it clear boiling the water is the prudent thing to do. He has signs posted throughout the property.

My water comes out of limestone. Theres nothing wrong with my water, he said.

www.mikeoncrime.com
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WINNIPEG  A cabinet minister with a relatively low profile, who was a loyalist to outgoing Premier Greg Selinger, is in line to become the interim leader of the Manitoba New Democratic Party.

Flor Marcelino, the minister of multiculturalism and literacy, has been chosen by both the NDP caucus and the party executive to lead the New Democrats until a permanent leader can be chosen.

The move still requires the approval of the NDP provincial council at a meeting next Saturday, and would take effect immediately.

Marcelino would be the Manitoba NDPs first woman leader and was chosen in part because she is a team player, according to NDP provincial secretary Keith Bellamy.

She was chosen by caucus. Shes someone that everyone around the table feels they can work with, Bellamy said Saturday.

Selinger announced on election night, April 19th, he would resign as party leader. The NDP were ousted from power after 17 years and replaced by a Progressive Conservative majority that is the largest in Manitoba in a century.

The election followed a caucus coup that Selinger barely survived last year. Five of his most senior cabinet ministers and other party members challenged his leadership. Marcelino was among those who stood by Selinger and helped him retain his job at a party convention.

The fact a Selinger loyalist is taking over the party helm may not help the NDPs attempts to reunite after the divisive leadership crisis, according to political analyst Paul Thomas.

She may be identified with one of the two camps that were very entrenched in the NDP caucus, said Thomas, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Manitoba.

But Rosann Wowchuk, a former cabinet minister who now sits on the party executive, said the party has reunited.

I think that all of (caucus) see the division that happened is behind us and were all moving forward.

Marcelino has represented the Logan constituency in Winnipegs inner city since 2007 and has been in cabinet since 2009.

Born in the Phillipines, she moved to Winnipeg in 1982, ran a small business and was editor of a community newspaper.

She was not often a target for the opposition in question period and has little debate experience, according to Thomas.

In the cut and thrust of the legislature, I dont recall her ever taking on some of the heavyweights across the aisle.

Marcelino declined an interview request Saturday.

The NDP has yet to set a date for when a permanent leader will be chosen, and no one has announced they are seeking the job so far.

Bellamy said the party is working with a rough estimate of 16 to 24 months to plan a leadership convention.
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OTTAWA  Winnipeg Liberal MPs are gaining a reputation for standing against their own party in the House of Commons.

Earlier this month, Charleswood-St.James-Assiniboia-Headingley Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson became the first MP to vote against a bill by Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government. Eyolfson voted against Bill C-10, which amends the Air Canada Public Participation Act to water down requirements for the type of maintenance work the airline must do in Winnipeg, Montreal and Mississauga, Ont.

Next week, Winnipeg Centre Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette is set to vote against the governments bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette will vote against physician-assisted suicide.

Both MPs say they are just doing their jobs.

The prime minister told us on the first day we were there that our first responsibility was to our constituents, said Eyolfson, a former ER physician in Winnipeg.

So unexpected was Eyolfsons vote that the table officer reading the names of each Liberal MP as they voted in favour, still spoke his name, even though Eyolfson was not standing.

He realized his mistake. Eyolfson just nodded and raised an eyebrow at the clerk, while his neighbour, Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith looked down at him quizzically.

His nay vote was cast very last, and opposition MPs applauded, some even on their feet, as they realized what he was doing, while other Liberals looked around trying to figure out what was going on.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau says Bill C-10 is intended to clear up confusion about the kind of maintenance work referred to in the law.

The Quebec government took Air Canada to court in 2012 after the airline moved heavy maintenance work out of the country in the wake of the bankruptcy filing of Aveos Fleet Performance.

More than 2,400 workers lost their jobs. Air Canada has always maintained it hadnt violated the law because it had some maintenance work in the cities.

The prime minister told us on the first day we were there that our first responsibility was to our constituents Charleswood-St.James-Assiniboia-Headingley Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson

A Quebec court and Court of Appeal disagreed, saying the law specifically referred to heavy maintenance, the kind that requires airplanes to be taken out of commission for weeks or months.

However, Quebec has since withdrawn its lawsuit after it reached a deal with Air Canada regarding the purchase of new Bombardier jets and maintenance work on them.

Manitoba, which was an intervener in that lawsuit, reached a deal with Air Canada to have an aerospace centre of excellence built in Winnipeg and get the airline contracting with three companies to do work for it.

Eyolfsons riding is home to the airport and many of the workers who lost their jobs.

He said this issue is the first thing he dealt with as an MP, and he is concerned the incoming legislation doesnt protect the highly skilled, good-paying jobs required by the existing law.

He said he spoke to Garneau and Trudeau about his concerns and let them know he couldnt support it. Sometimes parties dish out consequences for an MP who goes offside, but Eyolfson will receive no punishment and will maintain his positions on two committees.

Winnipeg NDP MP Daniel Blaikie said he was surprised by Eyolfsons decision but was glad to see it.

He wishes the government would use it as a reason to rethink the bill.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson voted against his partys Air Canada bill this week.

New Democrats were livid when the government shut down debate on the bill April 20.

Union representatives intend to plead with the government to halt the bill when they appear before a House of Commons committee Monday.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
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Manitobas highest court has refused to intervene in a precedent-setting homicide case involving a deadly morphine overdose.

Curtis Haas, 55, didnt deny giving Wendy Henry, 20, numerous pills during a 2007 transaction, but he claimed he shouldnt be held responsible for her death.

He asserts that the chain of causation was broken because she took the pills herself, Court of Appeal Justice Barbara Hamilton summarized in a 26-page written decision released this week.

The trial judge had disagreed, finding Haas guilty of manslaughter, drug trafficking and criminal negligence in May 2014. He was sentenced to three years in prison in the first case of its kind in Manitoba.

Henry took as many as 16 pills inside the accuseds Dufferin Avenue apartment Oct. 27, 2007. Queens Bench Justice Gerald Chartier ruled her death two days later in hospital was Haass responsibility.

His appeal has now been denied.

The trial judge appears to have relied on both an act of commission and an act of omission for the conviction. The act of commission was the supplying of (Henry) with large quantities of morphine pills. The act of omission was his failure to call for medical assistance, said Hamilton.

The appeal court did have some criticism of Chartier, noting the criminal trial occurred in February 2013, but the verdict wasnt rendered until nearly 15 months later.

Without knowing the background for this delay, I will simply note that such a delay is concerning, Hamilton wrote.

Haas had no prior criminal record and had sought a conditional sentence that would have allowed him to remain free in the community. He did not appeal his three-year penalty.

The case dragged through the justice system for years because of an extensive police investigation and Haass serious health problems.

Henry and another woman who lived in the same apartment block as Haas both overdosed within 24 hours of each other. The other woman survived, a fact Haas ought to have known could present a danger to Henry, the judge ruled during his trial.

Haas originally told police Henry wanted the morphine from him to get high. He later changed his story, claiming she needed it to deal with chronic pain. He also told a different version to a security guard in his building, claiming Henry had gotten into his stash.

www.mikeoncrime.com
Opinion

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This article was published 30/04/2016 (2368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin tried to bring through the front door, Naomi Klein, Avi Lewis and David Suzuki are trying to sneak through the back. The noted wordsmith Conrad Black found exactly the right term to describe the Leap Manifesto: Eco-Marxism.

The Leap Manifesto is simply an attempt to reintroduce Marxist principles, ones comprehensively rejected across the globe during the 20th century, by wrapping them in the cloak of environmental exigency: global climate change.

There is no doubt the climate is changing (it always does), the pace of change is rapid and largely human induced. It poses a serious challenge. But is a return to Marxism the solution? Certainly not.

Had the authors of the Leap Manifesto not wanted to draw attention to its Marxist origins they would have changed the name. So let us look at the record of Marxism 1.0 in addressing environmental problems. It isnt pretty.

Stalin preferred heavy industry to a clean environment to fuel economic growth. Rivers and lakes in the Soviet Union were treated as open sewers: even today half of Russias surface water remains fouled with chemical and human waste. Air quality in Soviet cities was the worst in the world. The U.S.S.R. dumped reactors and spent nuclear fuel into the sea and drained one of the largest lakes in the world, the Aral Sea, for irrigation.

What did Marxism 1.0 do for climate change? Here the record is considerably better. Greenhouse gas production in Russia plummeted with the implosion of the post-Soviet economy in the 1990s. Therein lies the secret to how the Leap Manifesto could abate climate change: by fostering widespread economic collapse.

The Leap Manifesto presents a utopian vision of future society, one liberated from the evils of capitalism and the oppression of global trade. By insisting on local production, we will recapture manufacturing jobs lost overseas. Instead of importing bananas grown in warm climates, we will live on locally grown produce (more kale) in rural agrarian societies. But with bullet trains. Run on renewable energy.

What it leaves out is that since petroleum-based fertilizer is verboten, we will need a couple of extra planets for the land required by low-intensity agriculture to feed the global population. However, I do look forward to catching a fast train to Tuktoyaktuk.

Instead of the inherent waste associated with corporations providing citizens with what they want, central planning will choose what we need. This, obviously, is much more efficient.

We dont need, for example, modern automobiles that capitalism has wastefully presented in a dizzying array of choices, from the utilitarian Honda Civic and Ford F-150 to the technologically advanced Toyota Prius and Tesla Model 3. These will be replaced with people-carriers. Who can forget the Soviet bloc marquee brands such as the Trabant, Yugo, Wartburg and Lada?

For decades, the Trabant was the only car choice for East Germans. With a body built from cotton and wood waste soaked in resin, it was powered by a two-stroke engine that belched thick, black smoke. Brake lights and turn signals were unnecessary luxuries. And East Germans lined up to buy them. Wait times for delivery averaged 11 to 15 years.

Though lacking panache, these vehicles contained elements of innovation. Soviet engineers thoughtfully provided rear-window defrosters on Yugos so the people pushing them could warm their hands.

Here, our closest approach to the Leap Manifesto has been Ontarios experiment with green energy policy. Train wreck doesnt begin to describe it.

It promised to create jobs in the green economy, and it has. But for every new job created, two to four jobs were lost elsewhere because of spiralling electricity costs, fuelled by wildly inflated purchase prices for wind and solar energy. This energy is produced at times and seasons out of phase with demand, resulting in surplus production that must be sold at a heavy loss. The prime beneficiary of Ontarios green-energy policy has been the American consumer who gets power subsidized by the Ontario ratepayer.

And while the McGuinty-Wynne fiasco was unfolding, the private-sector (capitalism) quietly delivered renewable energy at or below grid cost for Americans from California to New York.

Government, on behalf of the people, can guide the change we want. Renewable energy is part of that change. This should involve bending the twig by providing temporary incentives. The McGuinty-Wynne solution in its Leap involved less twig-bending and more the planting of entire tree farms.

Why the Leap Manifesto and Marxism 2.0 are doomed from the outset is why Marxism 1.0 failed. As John Stuart Mill long ago observed, socialists underestimate the natural indolence of humans. Capitalism provides the necessary incentive system for people to work harder and innovate more. Greed, within limits, is good.

It was the lifelong Marxist, Christopher Hitchens, who diagnosed Marxs great failing: Marx, he observed, ultimately failed to grasp quite how revolutionary capitalist innovation was.

It is capitalist innovation that brought us the Honda Civic, Toyota Prius and Tesla Model 3, not Trabants and Yugos.

Capitalism is certainly flawed and is culpable, in part, for the global climate change that challenges us today. But capitalist innovation is already bringing about the solutions. Just watch.

Scott Forbes is an ecologist at the University of Winnipeg.
Opinion

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The PMs job should be more than just a photo op; try telling that to Justin Trudeau.

The prime minister visited Shoal Lake 40 First Nation on Thursday for the first time. He didnt go there to finalize funding for Freedom Road. In fact, that commitment was made by the federal government in December. The City of Winnipeg, the province and the federal government agreed to commit money to build an all-weather road to connect the community to the Trans-Canada highway. Its expected to cost about $46 million.

So this visit wasnt about new funding. Instead, the prime minister visited as part of a documentary on indigenous issues being shot by Viceland, a 24-hour television channel from Vice Media and cable-provider Rogers Communications. Go to their website and they boast some illuminating titles such as: Balls Deep, F*ck Thats Delicious and Weediquette.

JEFF MCINTOSH / the canadian press files Prime Minister Justin Trudeau poses for yet another selfie.

The itinerary from the Prime Ministers Office labelled the event as private and it was explained that this was at the behest of the band, and two media crews that attempted to get access to the PM were escorted off the island by Treaty 3 police. While the decision may have been the bands to prevent access, there is nothing to stop Mr. Trudeau from addressing the media off the island, and at the very least, providing photos of his visit while there. This was routinely done by the previous government.

And while there, perhaps Mr. Trudeau could have apologized to the community and the province for his partys role in the abysmal conditions on the reserve, including the longest boil-water advisory in Canada  19 years and counting. More than half of that time was under a Liberal governments watch.

Since being elected in October, Mr. Trudeau has clearly become a media darling. His comely face has been featured on news magazines (justifiably so) such as Macleans and Inside Policy, along with more glossy mags such as GQ and Hello. However, allowing just one media outlet access to what clearly was a media shoot that is dealing with a very real and ongoing story is just wrong.

Think of it this way. The Canadian taxpayer, including a rumoured contingent of 80 security officers, subsidized Vicelands documentary shoot by providing full access to Canadas most powerful politician. This is an organization that has provided scant coverage about the concerns about Shoal Lake prior to this weeks visit and had the audacity to suggest the local media had turned a blind eye to the suffering.

Imagine the howls of outrage if the Free Press were granted such privileged access. And seriously, theres nothing worse than a New York media outlet telling their country cousins how its done  and nothing more galling than having the prime minister act as their media stooge.

But the worst part of the whole scenario is this: Mr. Trudeau made absolutely no announcement at all. He hauled water to three homes. He visited schools. He took a lot of selfies. He was there to look good. All of this is indicative of a narcissist, with an ongoing need to check in the mirror to see if the optics are correct to create an image that this is one hip prime minister.

Its time to stop preening for the cameras and start taking the job a bit more seriously. While Mr. Trudeau may claim he is less about image and more about substance, were still waiting for proof of that.

Meanwhile, as the documentary cameras rolled, the chief in Attawapiskat extended an invitation for Mr. Trudeau to visit the northern Ontario reserve as well, as it struggles with a suicide crisis. No word if Viceland and the PM have accepted that invitation.
Opinion

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There are many reasons why the justice system  both the Crown and the defence  would be given a publication ban in pre-trial hearings in the homicide of Kierra Elektra Star Williams, a baby killed just months after a child-welfare agency returned her to her parents. The courts must protect the process of justice and the right to a fair trial.

It is entirely a different thing, however, for the child-welfare system itself to hide behind a wall of silence, ostensibly protected by a need for confidentiality. The secrecy makes the system, in its many pieces, accountable only to itself, and Manitobans are expected to simply trust that any mistakes it makes as it tries to protect children are caught and fixed. That is what is happening now, in the brutal beating of Kierra, who was not even two years old when she died at Peguis First Nation in 2014. Her mother, father and stepsister are fighting homicide charges.

Publication bans are almost routine in preliminary or bail hearings, a way to prevent potential jurors from talking about and forming opinions about the evidence before a trial starts. Arguably, though, the reflex to impose the ban is hard to justify because of the time it takes to get to trial, and jury trials are rare. Typically cases are heard by judge alone, and, experienced in law, they are to be dispassionate arbiters of fact.

Kierra Elektra Star Williams

But the laying of criminal charges also delays, for many years, any chance for a public understanding of what went wrong when a child in the care of child-welfare authorities is killed. The same could be said for when kids are seriously injured. By provincial law, several reviews are triggered when a child dies  as many as four internal inquiries, not counting a potential inquest. All of them may be done long before any trial, but none is released before a trial ends. Among the reasons given for that is that authorities do not want their work to jeopardize a criminal proceeding.

Its why Manitobans heard nothing from official offices of how CFS failed Phoenix Sinclair, brutally murdered by her parents. An inquiry was finally held, and its report released nine years after the five-year-olds death. Kierras case is painfully similar to that of Phoenix, except her death was discovered immediately; Phoenix was dead and buried nine months before the police caught wind of it. The inquiry learned that, incredibly, none of the internal reports was shared with the CFS workers involved in the case. So its not just ordinary Manitobans left out of the loop.

These findings  nearly a decade after the fact  underscored the very reason why Manitobans cant trust the system to correct itself. And now, even with the benefit of the Phoenix Sinclair inquiry, a baby dies in what appears to be frustratingly similar conditions. Did the CFS agency involved make the same mistakes?

This is partly why inquiry commissioner Ted Hughes called for the Childrens Advocate Office to publicly release its reports into the deaths or critical injuries of children in care. A bill that died when the government called the election went a little ways toward that, but was not good enough  it required, for example, the permission of extended family and others before public release of the advocates report.

New legislation is needed that ensures the release of child death and injury reviews is not delayed by the criminal process. Trials take years to wend their way through the courts. Holding up the hard scrutiny of failures of the system for that long defeats the purpose of review. The provinces new family services minister is to be named next week. Manitobans should expect he or she will write a bill that empowers the childrens advocate to investigate and then publicly release the findings swiftly, so Manitobans can hold CFS agencies and the minister, as well, to account.
MADISON  A Winona man was charged Friday in federal court in Madison in connection with sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in Buffalo County and video-recording it.

Jacob D. Vogel appeared before a federal magistrate Friday, who detained him without bond pending a Tuesday release hearing.

If convicted, Vogel faces statutory penalties of 15 to 30 years in prison for engaging in sexually explicit conduct with a minor for the purpose of making a visual depiction of it.

According to the complaint filed Friday:

The Buffalo County Sheriffs Office received information on April 7 from the guardians of an 11-year-old girl who had been sending sexually explicit photos of herself on the internet to unknown individuals.

Investigator Lee Engfer viewed the girls iPad, which had a video of her performing a sex act on a man on March 24.

The girl told Engfer that she communicated with a man she knew by the screen handle, M.T., on an instant messenger site. She sent him explicit pictures of herself and he sent her explicit pictures of himself in return.

She agreed to meet him at her house where he would pick her up and have sex.

M.T. picked her up on March 24 at the end of her driveway. He drove her a short distance, at which point she said she no longer wanted to do this, but he told her that he had driven this far and that she was going to do it, according to the charges.

M.T. used the laptop to make a video recording of a sex act she performed on him. He then sexually assaulted and penetrated her and took photos of her using her laptop.

When they met, she said that M.T. told her he knew she was young when she was texting him.

Engfer used the girls account to contact M.T. to arrange another meeting. An FBI agent was able to learn from M.T.s reply that he was using an instant messaging account that belonged to a Jacob Vogel of Winona.

After further investigation, the girl picked Vogel and a truck owned by Vogel out of photo lineups from photos obtained from his Facebook page.
Ready Set School needs your help.

The local nonprofit has provided essential school supplies and clothing to underprivileged Winona County kids in grades K-12 for more than 15 years. That work is supported by one major fund drive, every spring through May 1.

But program director Karen Sullivan said this year, the programs annual fundraising campaign came up short.

Really short.

Were at like $19,000, and thats nowhere near what were going to need, Sullivan said.

Last years drive raised $42,000, thanks in part to a donor that matched up to $10,000 in other contributions.

With those funds, Ready Set School provided $35 vouchers to more than 1,150 families, its second-highest number ever.

But the matching donation wasnt part of the drive this year, Sullivan said, which left Ready Set School in a pinch.

So Sullivan is extending the fundraising campaign through the end of May, in hopes of bringing in another $20,000 for Winona County families.

To distribute funds to families, Ready Set School uses vouchers, which have typically been between $35 and $50 and can be used strictly for school supplies and clothing.

Its pretty basic, Sullivan said. Our mission is to provide the basic and necessary supplies and clothing to be successful in the classroom.

Because of tight school budgets, she explained, Families are asked to contribute pretty significantly over the years.

School supply lists of today often include classroom supplies like facial tissue, cleaning wipes, and of course pencils, folders, notebooks, markers. Thats not to mention school clothes or new shoes for gym and recess. For families with more than one child, it adds up to a significant cost.

So Ready Set School is about helping kids  all kids  start the school year on an even playing field.

I see it as being another way the community can reach out to prevent the kids feeling less-than, Sullivan explained. If youre going to be successful, you need the tools to do it.

Families can apply for the program online or by paper through May 31, and at that point, the voucher amount will be determined, based on the number of applicants and the funds brought in.
The International Owl Center in Houston is warning people who may encounter baby owls to leave them alone for their own survival and protection. Late April through early June is when young owls fledge, or leave their nests.

There isnt much that is cuter than a fuzzy baby owl. When people encounter these balls of fluff on the ground they naturally want to intervene  but that is usually not in the owlets best interest.

Owls are clueless when it comes to building nests, so they have to choose from what is available. Because of their choices, young owls often fall out of their nests before they can fly. If they are almost old enough to leave the nest, mom and dad will feed and protect them on the ground. If the owlets are only a week or two old and find themselves on the ground for one reason or another, they need human intervention to survive.

So how do you know when a grounded owlet needs help and when it doesnt?

Are its wing feathers almost fully grown, even if the head and body are fuzzy? If so, its a fledgling and is old enough to be out of the nest. If its in a dangerous situation, its best to put it up onto a low branch. Use a stick to nudge the back of the owlets legs to get it to step back onto a branch, then hold the owlet just in front of a branch. Expect the owlet to clack its bill and hiss!

2. Are its wing feathers short and the tail barely visible? If so, the owlet needs help. If it seems healthy, return it to its nest. When thats not possible, mount an artificial nest as high up in the tree as you can. An artificial nest can be as simple as a laundry basket with holes drilled in the bottom or a wicker basket filled with wood shavings but not sawdust.

If the owlet doesnt seem healthy, put it into a cardboard box and transport it to the nearest wildlife rehabilitator. For southeast Minnesota, its the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. For the La Crosse area, help can be found at the Coulee Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Chaseburg, Wis.

If you have questions, contact the International Owl Center at 507-896-OWLS (6957) or Quarry Hill Nature Center in Rochester at 507-328-3950.
ALMA, Wis.  Pat and Al Doerflinger joined their friends Dennis and Ruth Hogan on Friday afternoon for a leisurely stroll out into the middle of the Mississippi River  along the sturdy metal walkways of Lock and Dam 4.

Water swirled behind the locks gigantic roller gates, frothing out on the downstream side as the group took in the view from the river.

They were there from Buffalo City, Wis. to get a good picture of Pat and Al together, for one thing, as the couple was nearing their 50th wedding anniversary.

But they were also there because, as Dennis put it, hed lived near the structure for 50 years, and had never seen it up close.

Lock and Dam 4, owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was open to the public Friday as part of the 150th anniversary celebration of the Corps St. Paul District, which covers locks from St. Paul to Guttenberg, Iowa.

Its not too often Lock and Dam 4 is open to the public, primarily because of safety concerns and logistics, said Patrick Moes, deputy chief of public affairs for the district.

But Friday, visitors could get up close and personal with the structure. Families and retirees alike checked out the lock control room on the shore, then walked out to the dam itself to see the huge gears that raise and lower the dams roller gates.

Along the way, Corps staff were around to answer questions and point out the features of the facility.

The key thing is allowing the public to see what it is that we do, Moes explained.

Lock master Gordon Holman, whos been with the Corps of Engineers for 19 years, said he and the others who work the lock take pride in their jobs, including maintaining machinery thats original from when the lock was built in 1935.

Everything you see here, we take care of, he said.

The lock is staffed 24 hours a day year-round, with more staff during peak shipping season.

Lock and Dam 4 is unique in that the river segment upstream of it, Pool 4, is the largest on the upper Mississippi, at 44 river miles, Holman continued.

This is one of the few sites where during high water conditions, the whole facility goes under water, he said, recalling taking a boat ride to the control building during high water in 2001.

Holman also said Lock and Dam 4s location is unique.

Its located right in the city of Alma, and provides the town with lots of tourists and sightseers, and I think they all take ownership in it, he said.

For example, he gets a call if one of the dams lights burns out.

A sign across the road proclaims Alma, Wis. the best town by a dam site.
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While some states are taking a hard look at the cost of occupational license laws and in some cases relaxing them, Minnesota is looking to go the other way, potentially mandating more government-issued permission slips before residents can go to work.

Among the professions that could soon require a license from the state government: lactation consultants, eyelash stylists and music and massage therapists.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune on Sunday reported the proposed expansion of licensing rules, along with the varying justifications for each. The usual concerns are expressed: Without a government-run licensing scheme, eyelash artists will literally be gouging customers eyes out, wont they?

And government-issued permission slips for breast-feeding consultants will, somehow, help stamp out inequality, according to State Sen. Chris Eaton, D-Brooklyn Park, the sponsor of the bill.

And then theres the real reasons why the state would want to increase licensing rules.

Its clearly about competition and the ability to raise the prices, Barbara York, a massage therapist who works in hospice care, told the newspaper.

If full licensure happens, the Star-Tribune said, accredited schools that teach massage therapy and can hand out credentials stand to gain. Massage therapy certificate and degree programs at Northwestern Health Sciences in Bloomington, Minnesota, for instance, can range from $17,000 to $22,000 in tuition.

The same is true of the cosmetology schools that would benefit from mandatory licensing for eyelash stylists. When it comes to those breast lactation experts, the goal is to get them licensed so they will qualify for federal subsidies through Medicaid.

If Minnesota lawmakers wanted to know whether those new licenses are a good idea, they wouldnt have to look very far.

For starters, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, in an op-ed published this weekend and coauthored with U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, called for loosening state licensing laws in order to open up more economic opportunities.

The increasing number of professions subject to licensing is making services more expensive for consumers  by as much as $200 billion per year  and its making it more expensive for people to pursue those professions, Klobuchar and Lee wrote. Licensing restrictions disproportionately harm millennials, people of color and others seeking to climb the ladder of economic opportunity.

Or lawmakers could look to the research of Morris Kleiner, a professor of economics at the University of Minnesota.

Kleiners research shows that residents of Minnesota pay $3 billion per year in higher costs because of licensing requirements. Those costs turn into increased revenue for license-holders, at the expense of consumers and would-be entrepreneurs.

The reality is that occupational licensing is likely to reduce employment growth, contributes to unemployment and increases costs to consumers, he told the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in February, adding that theres scant evidence that licensing protects public health and safety.

In total, more than 25 percent of all jobs in America now require a government-issued permission slip.

If the juxtaposition of the conservative Lee and the liberal Klobuchar wasnt enough, groups as politically diverse as the Obama administration and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce also have come out in favor of reforming occupational licensing laws.

But if lawmakers in Minnesota wont listen to any of those arguments, maybe they should just look back through the states own history with licensing. After considering a plan to license hair-braiders and require 1,500 hours of training, Minnesota was sued by some of those very same hair-braiders, who argued that the training was pointless, expensive and burdensome.

The state backed down from the mandate in 2006, but now is pushing forward again.

The battle is never over when the Nanny State is involved.
Animarts current president/CEO Dan Ellsworth is helping grow Animarts regional and international reach.

The company has been bursting at its seams since the business expanded into Beaver Dam Lakeside Business Park. Ellsworth said he wants to continue what made the animal health and veterinarian supplier successful in the first place, which is helping farmers profit with healthier animals.

I want to see more producers buy less from us, he said.

Buying less means the products Animart provides are working, Ellsworth claims. With the business pushing more than $100 million in sales and close to tripling its size since 2012, he said he is not worried that the business will drop off.

Animarts main source of revenue is in dairy products focusing on health and well-being for cattle.

Since Ellsworth took over in 2012, the company has more than doubled its employment from roughly 50 to 115 employees  with up to 80 based in Wisconsin. Furthermore, it has a national reach in 15 states and international reach in 55 countries. Ellsworth attributes the international reach with Animarts presence at the World Dairy Expo where the company has the ability to introduce foreign companies to its proprietary products.

According to Ellsworth, the animal health supplier business is a crowded space with big billionaire companies floating at the top. Ellsworth said he thinks Animart can grow to the top tier in the business.

We swim with some pretty giant companies, he said.

The end game is to place Animart as the third largest animal health provider in the business. Ellsworth said it is a reasonable and an audacious goal that would require the company to quadruple in

Map: Animart offices Animart President Dan Ellsworth said he wants to place Animart as the third largest animal h

size. Right now, Animart has made some serious moves, such as the acquisition of Animal Medic in Pennsylvania and Michigan Vet Supply in Michigan, both within the last few years. A news release from last year states that the Animal Medic acquisition provides a direct reach into 20 dairy states with the potential touch of 4.3 million dairy cows or 48 percent of the U.S. dairy population.

Since then, he said, Animart is in acquisition mode and Ellsworth said over time he would like to add an office or warehouse in New York, as well as expand into the beef business.

It gives us chance to get our feet wet with integration, he said.

A reason for Animarts sudden growth is due in part to redefining employee roles, according to Ellsworth. Since 2012, Ellsworth said he has reorganized the company through working with his employees and the customers.

If we are improving our employees here we are improving the community here, he said.

Its all part of the upbeat culture Ellsworth intends to spread through the company. He said a result is for employees to take that influence back into the community.

One example of Ellsworths philosophy was through a recent hire  Shelli Manning.

Manning is the executive assistant at Animart, which she said includes managing Ellsworths calendar and Animarts writing. She also recently put together a company magazine called FarmTails that highlights Animart employees and the dairy farmers the company assists.

The stories arent typically about farms, but more about the farmers, Manning said.

The first issue of FarmTails involves more than a year of planning and collecting unique stories.

The FarmTails idea came from Ellsworth, according to Manning. She said that before working at Animart, she was a banker. Part of her job involved banking with Animart and thats how she met Ellsworth.

He mentioned it to me as a theoretical, she said after Ellsworth discovered that she was a writer and he pitched an idea that involves highlighting Animarts customers, employees and producers.

She was interested in the concept. After leaving her banking position she joined Animart as a freelance writer and quickly became a full time employee.

At first, she said she was worried because she has no agriculture background. Later she found she doesnt need to know the fine details of agriculture in order to write these stories. In fact, she said that it gives her the freedom to focus on other aspects of farming.

No one would be in farming if it wasnt their passion because it is hard, hard work, she said.

She also contributes to most of the content on Animarts website. This features product information, news releases and sharing the early days of Animart.

Animarts origins date back to 1982 when Dr. James Metz and Ruth Metz married after finding common interest within the agriculture scene. They later decided to start a business in Dodge County.

Ellsworths relationship with the Metzs helped him land the job at Animart because he said he has an understanding for how Animart approaches the market.

You have to be neighbors with your customers, he said.

That philosophy involves giving area producers choices in a wide array of antibiotics and vaccinesamong the other products Animart offers.

Understanding the producers world better is why we win, he said.

Ellsworth said the bottom line is to keep the animals healthy and comfortable, which is why Animart has continued to develop its half-a-dozen proprietary products and more than 8,000 product options. These products benefit hoof care, dairy sanitation, nutrition, milk quality and udder care, among others.

Ellsworth said he is committed to giving back to the area that has fostered Animart since the 1980s. The organization has given out scholarships and donated to the People Against a Violent Environment abuse shelter. He estimates that Animart is giving back $75,000 to $100,000 a year.

In the four years since Ellsworth has taken over, the 50,000-square-foot corporate headquarters have filled up fast. The building has already been expanded once and he would like to expand once again within a year.

He said the reason Animart chose Beaver Dam as its corporate headquarters is because this is where the companys roots lie.

Theres no better place to be than in Dodge County and in Wisconsin, he said.

Understanding the producers world better is why we win.  Dan Ellsworth, Animart president
The Columbus Chamber of Commerce is busy gearing up for the citys annual Redbud Days spring celebration. This years event will include the crowning of a new Redbud Prince and Princess, a citywide garage sale, a redbud tree giveway, a Chalk Walk, car show and more.

Most events will take place Saturday, May 7, in the 100 block of Dickason Boulevard, but garage sales and Mothers Day specials at retailers and restaurants throughout town will get underway at least a day earlier.

Following is a roundup of activities:

Sales and specials: Garage sales will be held throughout town Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7, and a number of local retailers and restaurants will be hosting special Mothers Day sales. Shoppers can enter for a chance to win a redbud tree at participating stores including: The American National Bank, AnchorBank, Beaver Dam Community HospitalColumbus Clinic, Caldwell Lumber, Chipped & Cracked Nail Lounge, Club 60, Columbus Countryside Vet Clinic, Columbus Hospital, Columbus Water & Light, Edward Jones, Farmers & Merchants Union Bank (both branches), Home Expressions, Landmark Cenex, Landmark Credit Union, Mid-State Equipment, mkCellular/US Cellular, NAPA Auto Parts of Columbus, Sentry, Sharrows Downtown, State Farm Insurance and Subway.

Each business will pick one winner whose name will be put into a drawing on May 10, in which 10 winners will be selected to receive redbud trees.

Kiwanis Brat Stand: The Columbus Kiwanis Club will once again have its brat stand open for business on Saturday, May 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the 100 block of North Dickason Boulevard.

Badger Antique Auto Club Cars on the Boulevard: Expect to see a few vintage vehicles rolling into town in the morning. Members of the local Badger Antique Auto Club will be displaying some of their classic cars on the boulevard behind the brat stand throughout the day.

Redbud Prince and Princess Contest: The Columbus Chamber of Commerce will crown its new Redbud Prince and Princess at a ceremony at the Columbus Area Senior Center, beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 7. Ten kids, who are all kindergarten and first grade students in the Columbus School District, have signed up for this years contest. The winners will represent the city at events including the Fourth of July parade and Christmas parade. (See the complete list of contestants and their photos on page 8.) The public is welcome to watch the contest and see the citys new royalty be crowned.

Chalk Walk: The Chalk Walk, organized by Root for Columbus, will be held on Saturday, May 7, on the sidewalks of the 100 block of North Dickason Boulevard. Participants are welcome to check in, find their squares and color away anytime between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Judges will look over the entries from 1 to 1:45 p.m., and winners will be announced at 2 p.m., with prizes being awarded in each of four categories: individuals 10 and under, individuals 11 to 14, individuals 15 and older and groups (any age).

The Chalk Walk is is a free event. All ages and abilities are welcome to participate. Registration forms are available at the library or at The Workshop. Pre-registration is appreciated. In the event of rain, the event will be moved indoors to the Columbus Community Center, with chalk art being drawn on paper squares.

For questions about the Chalk Walk, contact Cathy Elling at 623-0436.

For more information regarding Redbud Days, visit www.columbuswichamber.com.

Community members may contact the chamber at info@columbuswichamber.com or by phone at 920-623-3699.
No criminal charges will be filed against the driver of the car that killed firefighter Lawrence Millard who was working an accident scene on Interstate-39 near Endeavor in December.

The Marquette County District Attorneys Office made the announcement in a press release Friday, a day after informing Millards family through an attorney.

I recognize what a horrible tragedy this was and nothing about this decision should be taken as minimizing that, wrote District Attorney Chad Hendee. I have concluded that the State cannot meet this burden (of evidence) and therefore will not file a criminal charge.

The incident happened Dec. 11 when the Endeavor Moundville Fire Department was responding to an earlier car accident in which a vehicle was in the median between north and south I-39.

At about 4:30 p.m., Bradley Geist, 54, of Waunakee, was driving south on I-39 in a Nissan Versa when, according to the Wisconsin State Patrol incident report, while in the left lane, his cell phone dropped onto his floorboard. When Geist looked up, he was approaching a fire tanker and boxed in by traffic on his right.

Geist then steered around the left side of the truck and into the median, where Millard, a 56-year-old, 34-year veteran firefighter, was standing with his equipment and wearing a reflective vest, setting out traffic cones.

Geist told officers later that he thought he was driving about 74 mph when he started braking, according to the accident report, released in full Friday by the State Patrol. Crash site investigators estimated his vehicle was going between 64 and 66 mph at the point where the skid marks appeared.

One woman who was in a car ahead of Geist told a trooper, she didnt know which lane or side of I-39 the lights were on. She still had difficulty orienting the parked vehicles after she crested the shallow knoll. She also indicated that the scene setup of fire vehicles was difficult to process and that if there had been any other vehicles around her, it would have been even more difficult to process.

Millards funeral drew more than a thousand mourners including Gov. Scott Walker to Portage High School before Millards casket was transported to Hillcrest Cemetery in Endeavor, with a procession including fire engines and emergency vehicles from across the state and Illinois.

There has been a big push coming out of Milwaukee for Traffic Incident Management training, said Sgt. Thomas Erdmann with the Wisconsin State Patrol. Columbia County has been a leading department for the training, but the accident created an added sense of urgency.

Following the accident there has been an after-action, said Erdmann, explaining that offices throughout Marquette County including the Sheriffs Office, fire departments and others are in line for the three-part training through May.

After being informed that the Marquette County DAs office would not be pursuing criminal charges, Millards sister Cindy Marquardt told a reporter with a Madison television station that she felt that Geist would get off scot-free with a slap on the wrist, saying that the family is weighing the possibility of a civil case.

The family has retained Madison attorney Lee Atterbury, who confirmed that the family is looking at filing a civil suit, but has not filed any paperwork to start the process, still open to finding an alternative resolution.

Geist was issued citations for passing a stopped emergency vehicle and driving too fast for conditions.

The terrain of the highway, the time of day, the confusing nature of the scene, distractions within Mr. Geists car and surrounding traffic all combined to contribute to this horrible tragedy, said Hendee. In the end, I felt that a criminal charge was not appropriate.

Its important for the public to know the outcome of this accident, said Erdmann. The speed limit was raised up there (as it was on most of Wisconsins interstates) and sometimes 70 is going to be too fast.
A national bank is lauding Oneida's financial moves and aims to grow investment in Indian Country

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Tesco Installs Defibrillators in Wrexham Supermarkets to Help Save Lives

This article is old - Published: Saturday, Apr 30th, 2016

Live saving defibrillators are to be installed in Wrexhams two Tesco supermarkets as part of a nationwide initiative by the company.

The company is set to introduce defibrillators in 907 of its largest stores, providing lifesaving support to customers and colleagues across the UK  including the Wrexham and Cefn Mawr stores.

Statistics from the British Heart Foundation show that over 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital in the UK every year, but less than one in ten survive.

For every minute without CPR and defibrillation, a persons chance of survival decreases by around 10 percent. 729 Tesco Extra and Superstores all over the country will be fitted with defibrillators as part of the initiative, and the retailer also plans to install the equipment in all of its 178 Metro stores over the coming weeks.

In the Wrexham and Cefn Mawr store, this means that Tesco will provide this vital equipment in their community.

Speaking about the announcement, Tony Hoggett, Tesco UK Chief Operating Officer noted that the company are always looking for ways to help the communities we serve and that the initiative has the potential to make a real difference to customers and colleagues all over the country.

Sara Askew, BHF Head of Survival, said: If you have a cardiac arrest in the UK today you have just a one in ten chance of survival. More people could be saved if more people had the skills and confidence to perform CPR and more defibrillators were available and accessible in public places.

We are delighted that Tesco is supporting BHFs Nation of Lifesavers campaign by making public access defibrillators available in all its larger stores. Knowing vital CPR skills and having access to a defibrillator can often be the difference between life and death.

Gerard Rothwell, Welsh Ambulance Service National Public Access Defibrillator Manager added: We are delighted that Tesco is installing the defibrillators at its larger stores across Wales.

This is a fantastic initiative and example to all businesses and shows a genuine concern and wish to ensure its customers and staff are given every chance of survival should they suffer a cardiac arrest in store.

Tesco is working to improve the health of the nation through its partnership with Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation. The partnership supports new initiatives that will help people lead healthier, longer and more active lives.
Wrexham Glyndwr University Signs Study Partnership With Chinese University

This article is old - Published: Saturday, Apr 30th, 2016

Wrexham Glyndwr University has signed a new study partnership with a top Chinese university.



The Welsh institution and Tonghua University this week signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) which will see art and design students spend two years in the Jilin Province before transferring to Wrexham for their final year.

Lecturers from both organisations will visit each others campuses to deliver academic modules, fulfilling staff development needs and to improve programme content.

Suzanne Riley, External Relations Manager, said the Universitys burgeoning relationship with Tonghua City will be of huge benefit to Wrexham Glyndwr moving forward.

She said: The University, in particular the School of Creative Arts, has a long-standing relationship with Chinese institutions and has always attracted students from the country due to the tradition and pedigree of the North Wales School of Art and Design and other key subject areas.

Working with Tonghua University we will see lecturers from Wrexham travel there to teach cohorts and vice-versa, further strengthening this connection and building new programmes and partnerships we can capitalise on together in the future.

During her most recent trip to the Far East, Suzanne and Head of Marketing, Recruitment and Admissions, Julie Cowley, met with the presidents of Tonghua University and Guangxi Normal University and engaged with prospective new partners including the British Council and UKTI.

While there they explored opportunities to grow their existing partnership provision, support and expand student recruitment and forge new relationships in the Chinese and Hong Kong markets.

Other areas to pursue included Chinese medicine, construction skills, business and progression opportunities in engineering, lean management, and accountancy and finance, as well as recruiting Chinese students to summer schools on the Wrexham campus.

Tonghua University has over 12,000 students, 700 teachers and 536 professors, as well as a library with more than 1.5million books and exchange projects around the world.

Dan Berry, Programme Leader for Illustration, Graphic Novels and Childrens Publishing, recently returned from China having delivering the subject and will be followed by colleagues from the School of Creative Arts in the coming months.

Suzanne added: It was a fruitful visit and we made positive strides to laying the foundations for a long and successful partnership with both universities.

This is the first of many new and existing connections in Asia that we plan to reinforce and construct in the future  its an exciting time for us.
More than 200 civilians, including 35 children, were killed as military violence erupted across Syria this week, leaving the ceasefire agreement brokered by US and Russian diplomats in February in tatters.

The renewed fighting, the latest upsurge in a war that has already killed more than 400,000 people, is pushing Syria deeper into conditions of social collapse. Recent days have witnessed a catastrophic deterioration in the security situation, with violence across Syria soaring back to the levels we saw prior to the cessation of hostilities, and military forces displaying a monstrous disregard for civilians, according to UN human rights official Zeid Raad al-Hussein.

Syrias social and health infrastructure has been devastated by more than five years of the US-orchestrated war for regime change. Almost half of Syrias ambulances have been destroyed; more than one-third of its hospitals no longer function; and the flow of pharmaceutical imports has slowed to a trickle, Debarati Guha-Sapir of the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters said Friday.

More than 346 medical facilities have been subject to strikes during the Syrian war, according to Physicians for Human Rights. On Wednesday, air strikes of unknown origin destroyed the Medicines sans Frontiers-linked (MSF) al-Quds medical center in Aleppo, killing at least 50 civilians and two MSF doctors. Both US and Russian military spokesmen denied responsibility for the strikes.

The surging violence has centered on Aleppo, where some 250,000 civilians are trapped under siege conditions, living amid the ruins of a city already decimated by five years of war. Only one remaining commercial throughway, controlled by US-backed Islamist militias, connects the city to the rest of the country, and the population now faces stepped-up attacks from gunships and artillery.

In contrast to the US media and the political establishments endless denunciations of Russias intervention in Syria, the essential cause for the breakdown of the cease-fire and slide back toward all-out civil and proxy war is the uncompromising determination of the US ruling class to overthrow the Assad government, toppling a crucial regional ally of both Russia and Iran and replacing it with an American puppet.

On Monday, the White House announced that at least 250 US special forces soldiers would be deployed to Syria, a decision taken on the heels of the announcement of an additional 200 US ground troops to Iraq.

In testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter made clear that these are only preliminary moves in a much broader war plan.

Based on the results weve had, and our desire to continue accelerating ISILs lasting defeat, we are conducting the next plays of the military campaign, Carter said.

In the coming weeks, US-backed Iraqi national forces will leverage Apache attack helicopters in support of their offensive against the northern city of Mosul, where hundreds of US Marines are already carrying out artillery bombardments against surrounding villages.

In Syria, US commandos are working to establish bases of operations that will enable further special operations deployments by US-aligned governments in Europe and the Persian Gulf. They will seek to train and equip motivated local anti-ISIS forces, especially among the Sunni Arab community, Carter said.

Beyond Iraq and Syria, the US is preparing a range of counter-ISIS operations, including in South and Southeast Asia, Yemen and West Africa, Carter said.

The US military aims to collapse ISILs control of Mosul and Raqqa by bringing to bear in support of them the full might of the US military, Carter said.

The Pentagon, with full backing from the White House, is moving forward with the so-called US Plan B for Syria.

As Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook declared on Monday, the US military will continue to look at every single opportunity we have, working with our local partners, to see how we can accelerate this campaign.

American support for the ceasefire was, all along, a tactical maneuver, aimed at buying time for US forces to prepare a renewed push, under conditions where Russian-backed Syrian and Iranian forces have increasingly routed the US-backed insurgency, threatening to derail the regime-change operation launched by Washington in 2011.

The escalation of US ground wars in Iraq and Syria, coming despite President Obamas repeated promises that the renewed US war in Iraq and Syria, launched in 2014 as Operation Inherent Resolve, would not see US boots on the ground, is being carried out with the backing of the entire Democratic Party establishment.

The most recent escalations were hailed this week by both US Democratic Party presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

Senator Clinton, who has previously criticized the White House for not waging a more robust war in Syria and demanded expansions of the US air and ground wars, including the establishment of a no fly zone, issued a campaign statement supporting the White Houses authorization of an expanded commando war in Syria.

Last November, Clinton delivered a bellicose address to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), declaring that, in Syria, a more effective coalition air campaign is necessary, but not sufficient.

Air strikes would have to be combined with ground forces, Clinton said, calling for a ground invasion to carve out safe zones along with the imposition of a no fly zone throughout Syrian airspace.

In addition to a general expansion of US war-making throughout the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Clintons plan to defeat ISIS calls for expanded surveillance of social media globally.

Senator Sanders own endorsement of the administrations policies makes clear that he is not in any sense running as an anti-war candidate, but rather as another imperialist politician.

The president is talking about having American troops training Muslim troops, and helping supply the military equipment they need. I do support that effort, Sanders told media this week.

The preparations for an expanded US ground war in Syria, whose full character will likely not be revealed until immediately after the 2016 US elections, are taking place amid US war preparations in Eastern Europe, the South China Sea and throughout Eurasia, that pose the growing threat of a third world war.
Niles Niemuth is the Socialist Equality Partys candidate for vice president in the 2016 US elections. For more information on the SEP campaign, visit sep2016.com. You can also follow Niles on Facebook.

President Barack Obama, according to an interview published in the New York Times this week, is frustrated that Americans are not convinced by his administrations declarations of an economic recovery. According to the Times article, Obama feels vastly under-appreciated by the US population for all the work he has done for them.

I doubt that the president is so naive, but in case he needs a reminder of the source of social discontent, he might turn to any number of recent reports documenting the extreme levels of inequality, poverty and general economic and social distress that afflict the vast majority of the American population.

He could start by directing his attention to a recent Brookings Institution report detailing the growth of the number of people living in extremely poor neighborhoods. Between the year 2000 and the period spanning 2010-14, the number of people living in neighborhoods with a poverty rate higher than 40 percent grew by nearly 110 percent, from 6.5 million to nearly 14 million.

Out of the 45 million Americans who live in poverty, approximately 14 percent, or 6.3 million people, now live in neighborhoods marred by extreme poverty. The greatest increases in concentrated poverty among the countrys largest metro areas came in the southwestern states of California and Arizona and the deindustrialized Rust Belt states of Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and New York.

Areas of highly concentrated poverty can be found throughout the country. The Brookings list is topped by McAllen, Texas, where more than half of poor people live in extremely poor neighborhoods, followed by Fresno, California; Toledo, Ohio; Syracuse, New York and Detroit, Michigan.

Documented in such figures are processes in which large portions of cities are turned into concentrations of unemployment, low-wage jobs and home foreclosures. In Detroit, this tendency was enormously accelerated by the citys bankruptcy, backed by the Obama administration. A small section of downtown and midtown was turned into a virtually wholly-owned subsidiary of a handful of billionaires, while pensions, wages and public education spending have been slashed.

Urban centers are not unique, however. Poverty has also risen significantly over the last 15 years in suburban areas, with more than 1 million people outside of urban areas now living in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty. Workers of every race and ethnicity have been affected, black and white, immigrant and native born.

Such facts, which expose the complete failure of the capitalist system in the wealthiest country in the world, are ignored or quickly shoved under the rug by the mainstream media. While corporations make record profits and squirrel their trillions in offshore and onshore tax havens, the working class is told repeatedly that there is no money for better wages, benefits, schools, roads or social programs.

Is it any wonder that so many working Americans are not pleased with the current situation?

The dramatic growth in poverty and associated social problems over the last 15 years is not the outcome of merely abstract economic processes, as Obama is wont to claim. Rather it is the result of deliberate bipartisan policy decisions carried out by Republicans and Democrats alike, from Bill Clintons ending of welfare, to George W. Bushs massive tax cuts, through Obamacare and the halving of autoworkers wages through the 2009 restructuring. Even as millions have been driven into poverty, trillions of dollars have been wasted on wars of aggression and plunder in the Middle East and Central Asia.

These policies have driven social inequality to their highest levels in history. The total wealth of the top 20 billionaires in the US is equal to that of the bottom 150 million. The growth in social inequality is expressed in the growing gap in life expectancy between the rich and the poor, along with an astonishing growth in the number of drug overdoses and suicides.

The economic situation is pretty darn great, Obama proclaimed last month. A fitting epitaph to his presidency. Such remarks expose the great gulf which exists between a political establishment that serves the interests of the financial aristocracy, personified by Obama, and the working class in the US and around the world.

Jerry White and I are the only candidates that represent the interests of the working class in these elections. The Democrats are preparing to nominate Hillary Clinton, with the socialist Bernie Sanders pledging his support. Clinton, a tried and true representative of Wall Street, will run an extremely right-wing campaign. Both candidates have draped themselves in the legacy of the Obama administration. The Republican candidate, whether it is Trump or one of his equally right-wing competitors, is equally committed to making the working class pay for the bankruptcy of capitalism and the money-mad ruling class that presides over it.

To abolish poverty and end social inequality, the Socialist Equality Party calls for the nationalization of the banks and the transformation of all large corporations worth more than $10 billion into publicly owned enterprises under the democratic control of the working class. We also call for a multi-trillion-dollar public works program to provide everyone with a decent paying job and the rebuilding of the countrys decrepit infrastructure.

Such a program can only be achieved through the complete overturn of global capitalism and the establishment of an international socialist system in which the working class democratically controls the economy. I call on all of those sick and tired of the capitalist status quo to join our election campaign and take up this fight today.
The Pentagons final report into last Octobers deadly US airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital in northern Afghanistan is a brazen whitewash. The protracted attack by an AC-130 gunship on the medical facility in Kunduz killed 42 civilians, some of whom were burned alive in their beds, and others mowed down as they attempted to flee.

General Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command, told a press conference yesterday that the attack on the MSF hospital was not a war crime because it had not been intentional. He claimed that neither the gunship crew members nor the Special Forces on the ground directing the attack knew they were striking a medical facility.

The report blamed the deaths on human errors compounded by process and equipment failures. None of those involved will face a court martial or criminal charges. Instead, 16 American military personnel have been punished with administrative actions that range from suspension and removal from command to letters of reprimand. None have been named, and some are still active in overseas war zones.

The Pentagons account of events on the night of October 3 is riddled with contradictions. The AC-130 supposedly took off early without the crew being briefed and without a database being uploaded to the aircrafts computers that would have identified the Kunduz hospital as a protected building. MSF had previously provided coordinates to the US military, and the hospital was marked with the organisations insignia.

The report claimed that the hospital had been mistaken for the intended targetthe National Directorate of Security building that had been taken over by Taliban forcessome 400 metres away. The aircrafts data link failed and it came under fire, forcing it to move to a safe distance. The coordinates provided by Afghan ground forces supposedly directed the aircrafts weapons at an empty field, forcing the crew to rely on visual identification.

At 2:08 am, the AC-130 gunship, which is armed with 40mm and 20mm cannons as well as a 105mm howitzer, began its devastating attack. Within minutes, MSF personnel contacted the American military saying they were under fire, but the onslaught continued.

According to the Pentagon report, the Special Forces commander on the ground finally called off the attack at 2:38 amhalf an hour later. A MSF inquiry based on eyewitness statements found the assault continued for between 60 and 75 minutes, clearly contradicting the Pentagons claims.

Moreover, the Pentagon report itself concluded that the hospital was not being used by the Taliban as a base of operationsnegating Afghan government allegations to the contrary. No one was firing or carrying out hostile acts from the hospital. Yet the Special Forces commander on the ground ordered the attack anyway in violation of rules of engagement that authorise airstrikes only to protect US or allied forces.

At his press conference, General Votel justified the attack by declaring that the American aircraft was operating in an extraordinarily intense combat situation in which it was trying to support Afghan troops. At the same time, he claimed that it was often not possible for trained operators to tell if fire was coming from a particular building or location.

The Pentagons account is simply not credible. If the aircraft was plagued by equipment failure and the crew had difficulty identifying the target, why was the mission not simply aborted?

Doctors Without Borders has reiterated its call for an independent inquiry. MSF President Meinie Nicolai told the media: Todays briefing amounts to an admission of an uncontrolled military operation in a densely populated urban area, during when US forces failed to follow the basic laws of war...

There are questions here, on the self defence called in by the troops, even though it was a quiet evening. Why didnt they call off the operation if they had such a malfunctioning system, they had a duty to take precautions, and they had doubts about the target? Nicolai said.

John Sifton, Asia policy director of Human Rights Watch, told the New York Times that the failure to bring criminal charges was inexplicable. He said that the Pentagons assertion that no war crime had been committed because the attack was unintentional was flatly wrong, pointing out that recklessness or negligence did not absolve someone of criminal responsibility.

In reality, the Pentagons elaborate account of human errors and equipment malfunctions stinks of a carefully contrived cover-up. A far more straightforward explanation is that the US military deliberately targeted the hospital either to assassinate a particular high-value individual, or to destroy a facility that treated everyone, including wounded Taliban fighters.

The chief responsibility for what is clearly a war crime rests not just with the immediate operational commanders but with the Pentagon top brass and the Obama administration. Hundreds of civilians have been slaughtered as a result of indiscriminate drone attacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and other countries.

Moreover, in nearly a decade-and-a-half of war in Afghanistan, the Pentagon has routinely denied responsibility for civilian deaths. It has acknowledged such crimes only when, as in the case of the Kunduz hospital, the evidence is overwhelming. In the wake of the Kunduz slaughter, the US military provided a so-called condolence payment of $6,000 to the families of the dead and $3,000 to injured victims.

The Pentagons whitewash of the airstrike on the Kunduz hospital is in marked contrast to the immediate US condemnation of an alleged Syrian government attack on a MSF hospital in the city of Aleppo on Wednesday. At least 27 patients and staff were killed in the attack.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the US was outraged by the attack. Without waiting for facts and details, he declared that it appears to have been a deliberate strike on a known facility and follows the Assad regimes appalling record of striking such facilities.

Kerrys denunciation of the Aleppo attack simply underscores the crimes of the Obama administration for which no one has been held accountable.
The British Labour Partys suspension of Ken Livingstone is undemocratic and the charge levelled against him of anti-Semitism is slanderous. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyns capitulation to this witch-hunt is abject and disgraceful. It is, however, only the latest in an unbroken series of capitulations by Corbyn to the Blairite right wing of the Labour Party.

Livingstone was suspended in the immediate aftermath of a provocation organised by Labour MP John Mann and in response to a concerted campaign by MPs in the partys right wing. These figures are working in collusion with pro-Israel groups, the Conservative Party and the pro-Conservative media. Their aim is to engineer the downfall of Corbyn as party leader. Their method in the current witch-hunt is to brand all criticism of the Israeli state and its suppression of the Palestinians as a form of anti-Semitism.

Since his election as Labour leader on the basis of an appeal to anger and disgust with the reactionary policies of the dominant Blairite wing of the party, Corbyn has bowed to every demand of the right wing. In acquiescing to the suspension of Livingstone, Corbyn hypocritically declared, If there is anti-Semitism, it has got to go. Livingstones comments were unacceptable, he added.

Last night, Corbyn announced an independent inquiry into anti-Semitism to be led by Shami Chakrarbarti, the former head of Liberty. Labour is also to bring in new rules making it easier to discipline members for anti-Semitism. This, however, will do nothing to satisfy his opponents, who want his head on a plate.

Livingstone was suspended after he commented on Labours suspension Wednesday of Naz Shah, the Labour MP for Bradford West. Shah became an MP at the May 2015 general election, just prior to Corbyn being elected as leader of the party last September. She was the darling of the party for defeating the incumbent, George Galloway, the Respect Party MP, who had been expelled from Labour by Tony Blair in 2003 for his opposition to the Iraq war. On Corbyns election, Shah was given the post of parliamentary private secretary to John McDonnell, Labours shadow chancellor and Corbyns closest ally.

On Tuesday morning, the right-wing political blogger Guido Fawkes (real name, Paul De Laire Staines) published a 20-month-old Facebook post Shah made in August 2014. Shah had reposted a graphic with Israels outline superimposed on to a map of the US, with the text Solution for Israel-Palestine conflictRelocate Israel into United States.

Shah apologised several times, adding, I made these posts at the height of the Gaza conflict in 2014, when emotions were running high around the Middle East conflict. Just hours later, the Jewish Chronicle published another Facebook post by Shah calling on her followers to vote in an online poll asking whether Israel had committed war crimes.

Despite Shah making another apology in the House of Commons, she was suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation by its National Executive Committee.

On Thursday morning, Livingstone spoke to BBC Radio on Shahs expulsion. He said her remarks were over the top, but that he didnt believe she was anti-Semitic. He continued, Lets remember, when Hitler won his election in 1932 [sic] his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism. [He then] went mad and ending up killing 6 million Jews.

Livingstone concluded, There has been an attempt to smear Jeremy Corbyn, and his associates, as anti-Semitic from the moment he became leader. But the simple fact is we have the right to criticise what is one of the most brutal regimes thats going in the way it treats its Palestinians.

Within two hours, more than 30 Labour MPs had demanded Livingstones removal from the party in an orchestrated witch-hunt. The group included Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall, the candidates Corbyn beat in the leadership election. Labours London mayoral election candidate Sadiq Khan described Livingstones comments as appalling and inexcusable and said, There must be no place for this in our party.

Livingstone was about to do another interview with the BBCs Daily Politics and was walking towards the studio while conducting a separate interview on the Shah suspension, on his mobile phone, with the LBC radio station, when he was accosted by Mann, who shouted in his face that he was a fucking disgrace, a disgusting racist, a lying racist and, four times, a Nazi apologist who was rewriting history.

The episode was conveniently filmed, giving Manns outburst maximum publicity. Within two hours, Livingstone was suspended by the Labour leadership, pending an investigation, for bringing the party into disrepute.

On Friday, an online petition to Corbyn was drawn up demanding Mann be disciplined for his appallingly unprofessional and toxic behaviour. Within hours, it had already been signed by more than 11,600 people.

From 1981 to 1986, Livingstone was leader of the Greater London Council. He was a Labour MP from 1987 to 2001 and the first mayor of London from 2000 to 2008.

In 2000, Livingstone was expelled from Labour under Tony Blair when he sought to run as the partys candidate for London mayor against Frank Dobson, the leadership favourite. Having trounced Dobson in the 2000 election running as an independent, Livingstone was readmitted to the Labour Party in 2004, shortly before he won the mayoral contest for the second time. He stood unsuccessfully for mayor again in 2012.

Following Corbyns election, Livingstone, a long-time ally of Corbyn, was appointed the co-convenor of the partys on-going review of its defence policy. This is to include an examination of Corbyns stated preference of abandoning an intended upgrade of Britains nuclear capabilities.

It is this position that has made him the target of the right wing. Pointing to relations between the Zionists in Germany and Hitlers Nazi Party is not anti-Semitic, but politically embarrassing to the Israeli regime and its apologists.

Given the rotten politics of the Labour Party, it has not been difficult to unearth a handful of genuinely anti-Semitic statements made by party representatives. More often, hostility to Israel and defence of the Palestinians is portrayed as anti-Semitism. In any event, the campaign to root out anti-Semitism is in reality a campaign to purge all political dissent from within the Labour Party and put the partys right wing back in complete control.

Corbyn, elected leader on a massive mandate to oppose Labours pro-big business Blairite leadership and policies, has lent his support to this reactionary operation.

During last years Labour leadership campaign, the Socialist Equality Party wrote, opposing Corbyns claim to articulate a socialist foreign policy:

Corbyn and those supporting him, such as Ken Livingstone and Diane Abbot, made up a significant layer of the Labour left in the 1980s. Their loyal support for the Labour Party, close work with the trade union bureaucracy, promotion of identity politics based on race, gender and sexual preference and insistence on a parliamentary perspective was routinely passed off as socialism. It played a considerable part in maintaining Labours political grip over the working class.

The promotion of bourgeois nationalist groups such as the IRA, the PLO and African National Congress was an important element in lending their political manoeuvres an internationalist colouration. But subsequent events have proved that these policies, and campaigns based on them, both anticipated and helped prepare for shifts in the official foreign policy of British imperialism.

In contrast, the SEP fights for a revolutionary socialist programme to unite Arab and Jewish workers in a common struggle against capitalism and for the building of a socialist society, which will tear down the artificial borders that divide the peoples and economies of the Middle East and end the constant wars and oppression that are fuelled by the profit drive of foreign capitalists and the native ruling classes.
Seventy-five years after the June 22, 1941 attack by Germany on the Soviet Union, which resulted in the deaths of some 40 million Soviet citizens, the German government is planning to establish command structures and permanently station German Army (Bundeswehr) soldiers on Russias borders.

The Suddeutsche Zeitung reported Thursday on German government plans to deploy troops to Lithuania. An entire NATO battalion could be stationed in the country under German command, according to the report. Similar initiatives by the NATO military alliance are planned in other Eastern European NATO member-states.

A government spokesman told the newspaper that several allies were currently considering stronger engagement as part of the reassurance of Eastern alliance partners and collective defence. This review was taking account of the relevant changes in the European security situation, particularly the security needs of Poland and the Baltic states.

According to Spiegel Online, German Chancellor Angela Merkel already agreed to German participation in the planned NATO operation at the G5 meeting last Monday. Prior to this, US President Barack Obama urged Germany and Britain to increase their military engagement against Russia.

Spiegel Online also reported that in Poland, the Baltic states and Romania, NATO battalions of up to 1,000 soldiers would be stationed. The Bundeswehr could be involved, contributing a company of 150 to 200 soldiers.

If these plans are implemented, permanent command structures of the Western NATO states will be installed on the Russian border for the first time. Thus far, the imperialist powers have restricted themselves to temporarily sending troops to Eastern European countries to carry out exercises.

Such plans would breach the NATO-Russia agreement of 1997, under which NATO excluded the stationing of additional substantial combat forces permanently in the former Warsaw Pact states. This is not changed by the fact that the troops involved in the proposed action will rotate, a device obviously intended to avoid having to officially repudiate the agreement.

The offensive operation is to be approved at the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw in July, according to the German Defence Ministry. Other discussions will be held on how NATO forces can be positioned more effectively against Russia.

The president of the German Federal Academy for Security Policy, Karl-Heinz Kamp, wrote in a working paper for the summit that the meeting needed to close NATOs repeatedly defined capability gaps in Eastern Europe. In particular, the reaction time of the forces had to be improved. The rapid reaction force composed of less than 5,000 men was in a serious situation no match for the Russian forces.

Faced with a confrontation with Russia, Kamp recommended a new nuclear strategic consensus by the alliance. While Russia was inferior when it came to conventional weapons, it would be harder to deter the country with nuclear weapons, where the danger of a nuclear rapid reaction from the Russian command always exists. It was necessary to abandon the idea of a nuclear-free world, according to Kamp, and instead invest in rapid response American nuclear bombs, as well as strengthening exercise activities in the nuclear sector.

The Federal Academy is directly subordinated to the federal Security Council. If Kamp, as the Academys president, is demanding a nuclear weapons buildup, this must reflect discussions within the most senior ruling circles of the country. The German governments plans are connected to such discussions and represent an enormous escalation of the confrontation with Russia, with incalculable consequences.

The proposals are in line with the demands raised in recent weeks by the designated NATO supreme commander for Europe, Curtis Scaparrotti. We should confront them and make clear what is, and what is not acceptable, the general said. If we have made that clear, we also have to implement it.

These plans are the culmination of a strategy NATO has been pursuing for some years. Germany and the United States played a central role in this from the outset. They first backed the 2014 coup in Ukraine, which aimed to break Russian influence over the country and bring it under Western control.

In the same year, NATO agreed at its summit in Wales to establish a Very Rapid Reaction Force (VJTF) of 5,000 men, which was to be ready to deploy against Russia at short notice. Germany intends to provide more than half of the soldiers for the unit. Together with the planned stationing of troops in Eastern Europe, 10,000 soldiers will be prepared to intervene against Russia, including some 3,000 from Germany.

The Wests aggression has brought the world to the brink of a third world war. Serious incidents between Russian and NATO forces are already taking place that could culminate in an all-out conflict. On 12 April, Russia sent a fighter jet and helicopter to intercept an American destroyer carrying out exercises in the Baltic Sea near Kaliningrad.

On Wednesday, joint exercises between the Estonian armed forces and American troops stationed in the country began. Among other things, they included sudden mobilisation rehearsals. NATO and American military experts have also arrived in Georgia to prepare joint exercises. In this year as a whole, 21 exercises involving a total of 5,500 soldiers are planned or have already taken place.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists are fighting against government troops, has flared up once again. On Thursday, the head of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe observer mission, Ertugrul Apakan, reported the highest number of violations in months. Heavy weaponry had been used. Scaparrotti previously demanded that weapons be supplied to the Ukrainian government to support them in their fight with the separatists.
In the wake of his losses in five out of six northeastern primaries, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has effectively conceded that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee. On Wednesday, the Sanders campaign issued layoff notices to several hundred staffers.

In a series of media interviews, Sanders and his top campaign aide Tad Devine indicated that the candidate would bow to demands from leading Democrats that he stop criticizing the frontrunner for her ties to Wall Street, and instead direct his attacks against the likely Republican nominee, billionaire Donald Trump.

Thus the Sanders campaign ends not with a bang, but a whimper. The candidate has every right, however, to declare mission accomplished. His main concern, as the campaign developed, was how to keep his supporters within the Democratic Party. Millions of youth and workers attracted by calls for a political revolution and denunciations of the billionaire class are now to be dragged to the polls to cast their votes for Clinton, a Wall Street lackey and war criminal.

The mass support for Sanders was the product of the experiences American workers and youth have made with the capitalist system, particularly over the past 15 years, during which they have seen nothing but war, economic crisis and deteriorating wages and social conditions.

A Harvard University survey of young adults aged 18 to 29, made public this week, found that 51 percent of those surveyed did not support capitalism, compared to 42 percent who did. One-third of these young adults affirmatively supported socialism, and near-majorities agreed that health care, food and shelter were basic human rights. This is in a society where socialism has been virtually criminalized and both major parties, the media and academia all sing the praises of the profit system.

As the WSWS wrote in February, Sanders is not the representative of a working class movement. He is rather the temporary beneficiary of a rising tide of popular opposition that is passing through only its initial stages of social and class differentiation. His entire campaign has been dedicated to preventing this leftward movement from breaking out of the straitjacket of the Democratic Party.

Sanders began his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination with no expectations of electoral success or even significant influence. His aim was to play the role of previous left-liberal candidates, like Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton, and use the presidential primary process to give the Democratic Party a left face. The Clinton campaign itself welcomed his participation, counting on Sanders to allow her to position herself as the responsible progressive during the primary contests.

To the surprise and shock of the corporate-controlled media, Democratic Party officials and the candidate himself, Sanders won an immediate hearing, first among young people and then more broadly. It was noticeable that the more radical and enthusiastic his followers became, the more the senator dropped his longstanding pretense of independence and insisted that the Democratic Party was the only possible political avenue. His political revolution turned out to be nothing more than getting out the vote for the Democrats, his socialism merely warmed-over liberalism, without the slightest threat of any inroad against capitalist property.

Sanders avoided the overriding issues of war and militarism, on which Clinton was most vulnerable given her role as secretary of state in the Obama administration, responsible for the US-NATO war in Libya, the US-instigated civil war in Syria, and the campaign of drone missile assassinations, among other crimes.

Now that Clinton has effectively clinched the Democratic Party nomination, Sanders role will be to foster illusions that the Democratic standard bearer, a proven servant of American imperialism with a political record stretching back four decades, can somehow be pushed to the left.

Speaking at a rally in Bloomington, Indiana on Wednesday, Sanders made perhaps the clearest statement of his own political role. Our job, whether we win or whether we do not win, he said, is to transform not only our country, but the Democratic Partyto open the doors of the Democratic Party to working people and young people and senior citizens in a way that does not exist today.

He expanded on this political alchemists theme of transforming the Democratic Party at a rally Thursday in Springfield, Oregon, where he declared, The Democratic Party has to reach a fundamental conclusion: Are we on the side of working people or big money interests? Do we stand with the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor? Or do we stand with Wall Street speculators and the drug companies and the insurance companies?

And the devil must decide whether to stand on the side of the angels!

The class character of the Democratic Party is not open to question. It is an integral component of the two-party system, which the American ruling elite employs to manage its affairs of state and to suppress all opposition from below.

As for Sanders, he will get a cameo appearance at the Democratic convention while Clinton will move to the center for the general election campaign, i.e., she will seek the support of sections of the Republican establishment, Wall Street and the military wary of a Trump or Cruz White House.

Among the pseudo-left groups, where enthusiasm for Sanders has prevailed, his defeat may prompt an alteration of tactics, but not of political orientation. Their enthusiasm for his campaign was in no small measure bound up with the fact that they saw it as a means of entry of their own organizations into the capitalist establishment. They will continue to pursue that goal, including through support for the Greens, a bourgeois third party in the political orbit of the Democrats.

Throughout the election campaign, the Socialist Equality Party has explained both the objective significance of the mass support for Sanders and the role of the candidate himself as a vehicle for strengthening the Democratic Party. We have stressed that Sanders was not the leader of a movement from below, but an instrument of the political establishment for containing, misdirecting and ultimately dispersing that movement.

Those who are serious and who are looking for a real anti-war, socialist political movement must draw the necessary conclusions. We call on all of you to support the Socialist Equality Party election campaign of Jerry White and Niles Niemuth, to help build a genuine socialist movement of the working class and prepare for the struggles to come.
A significant proportion of the support democratic socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has received is due to his pledge to establish a federally funded universal health plan, which he describes as Medicare for All.

Workers and young people, suffering under the crushing weight of health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket medical costs, see high-quality health care as a fundamental social right that should be provided to everyone for free, or at minimal cost.

Polls show that 81 percent of Democratic voters support a Medicare for All system. Medicare is the national social insurance program that has provided health insurance for Americans aged 65 and older as well as the disabled since 1966. The program, which insures more than 55 million Americans, is currently the target of big-business politicians who would like to see it gutted through privatization.

Sanders health care proposal, however, has nothing in common with socialism or socialized medicine, or with expanding Medicare, for that matter. He does not propose to expropriate the multibillion-dollar health insurance companies, pharmaceuticals, and giant health care chains.

In fact, while he rails against the billionaire class, Sanders is well aware that the health care industry will never voluntarily accept any restraints on its profits. The purpose of his proposal is not to radically transform the US health care system, but to promote illusions that such a transformation can be achieved through the Democratic Party.

Sanders claims his health plan would cover inpatient to outpatient care; preventive to emergency care; primary care to specialty care, including long-term and palliative care; vision, hearing and oral health care; mental health and substance abuse services; as well as prescription medications, medical equipment, supplies, diagnostics and treatmentsall without any deductibles or copayments.

As it becomes all the more likely that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Partys nominee, Sanders is shifting his focus to influencing the Democratic Party platform. In a statement Tuesday night, he said that he wants a platform that includes, among other policies, a Medicare-for-all health care system, breaking up Wall Street financial institutions, ending fracking in our country, making public colleges and universities tuition free...

He is fully aware, however, that the Democratic Party will not embrace these proposals. Rather, he now cynically aims to channel the popular support for such policies behind the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, and head off the growing social movement among workers and young people to defend social programs and basic democratic rights.

Sanders argues that the richest country on earth can afford health care for all as a basic right, but he never explains why it has never even been established. There is an intrinsic contradiction between health care for profit and health care as a social right. Establishing health care as a right requires abolishing the profit principle as the basis of the health care system.

Business interests, medical providers and even unions opposed previous reforms. Today, Wall Street and corporations are clawing back every reform that the working class has won. To think that Sanders could reform capitalism to provide universal health care is a utopian dream. As long as there is for-profit medicine, there cannot be universal health care based on human needs.

These stakeholders will never allow universal health care

A critique of Sanders Medicare for All plan requires an analysis of the corporate forces that would oppose any of its proposals to reform the health case system. If one looks at the major stakeholders, one can see why the US has never had universal health care and why Sanders proposals can never be enacted under capitalism.

Health care spending is a major part of the US economy. Health care spending has reached 17.5 percent of gross domestic product. Health care was first on the list for the biggest mergers and acquisitions in 2015. Pharmaceutical companies, device makers and health insurers underwent mergers worth $687.5 billion. There were also more than 900 health care deals involving physician practices, hospitals and nursing homes, valued at $175 billion.

Drug makers, hospitals and health insurers, drugstore chains and pharmacy benefit managers are aggregating to have more power in negotiating with each other and the government, and to reap monopoly profits from their captive customer base, virtually the entire US population.

And they spend millions each year lobbying to make sure the government looks out for them. Drug makers and related industries spent the most of any industry in the country on lobbying. In 2015, here is what they spent, according to the Center for Responsive Politics:

 Pharmaceuticals/health products: $238,086,761

 Hospitals/nursing homes: $91,763,765

 Health professionals: $89,391,202

 Health services (includes health insurance): $72,456,898

A government universal health plan would drastically cut into the earnings of the following stakeholders, which make billions in profits annually.

Hospitals

The general trend in the health care industry today is mergers and acquisitions, including hospitals, but also drug makers, medical practices and insurance companies. In Michigan, for example, the Henry Ford Health System recently announced a merger with Allegiance Hospital. This merger creates a six-hospital Henry Ford system with $5.2 billion in revenue, the largest by revenue in southeast Michigan. The Henry Ford system also includes a subsidiary health insurance company.

As a result of mergers, communities may end up with one hospital that has no competition. One study analyzed 92 billion health insurance claims from 2007 through 2011 from 88 million people covered by Aetna, Humana, and UnitedHealth, three of the countrys largest insurance companies (healthcarefinancenews.com ).

The study found that hospitals in monopoly markets charge prices more than 15 percent higher than hospitals doing business in markets where there are four or more competitors. Hospitals facing just one competitor had prices 6 percent higher than in more competitive markets, and hospitals with two rivals were almost 5 percent higher.

Other factors in hospital pricing included whether the facility is for-profit, the quality, scope and level of technologies the hospital boasts, and the size of the hospitals Medicare population. A lower share, along with these other factors, was associated with higher prices, according to the study.

Hospitals that are for-profit mark up their prices the most. For example, North Okaloosa Medical Center in Florida charges 12.6 times, or 1,260 percent, more than what it costs the hospital to treat patients.

Doctors

The phenomenon of mergers and acquisitions affects doctors as well. Hospital systems buying physician practices will raise physician charges to the higher hospital rate. For example, administering oncology drugs in a hospital can be more than twice as expensive than in a physician office, according to a report.

A survey of hospital executives showed the most popular practices they were interested in acquiring: doctors specializing in family practice (31 percent), internal medicine (22 percent), cardiology (10 percent) and orthopedic surgery, (10 percent). ( medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com )

In addition, insurance companies and even private equity firms are starting to buy primary care practices. They are especially interested in practices that have experience in managing care to reduce costs.

Drug makers

The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that the United States spent about $457 billion on retail plus nonretail prescription drugs in 2015, which was 16.7 percent of the estimated $2.729 trillion spent on overall personal health care services. Theres a reason drug makers are often called Big Pharma. The graph below shows the revenue of the top biotech and drug makers.

As drug companies introduce more specialty drugs, manufacturers have increased prices to astronomical amounts. For example, in December 2013, Gilead introduced Harvoni to treat Hepatitis C, a virus that slowly destroys the liver. It has a list price of $94,500 for the typical 12-week course of therapy. The price for another of its Hep C drugs: $1,000 a pill.

Because of the high cost of the drugs, insurance companies restricted their use to patients with the most liver damage. Gilead agreed to discount the drugs an average of 46 percent if insurance companies increased usage by doing away with such restrictions. When insurance companies continued to restrict usage because of the still-high drug cost, Gilead wrote to them in July 2015 saying it would cut off patients from their assistance program:

Specifically, patients who are insured and who do not meet their payers coverage criteria will no longer be eligible for support via Gileads Patient Assistance Program In the insurance company versus drug company battle for profits, patients always lose.

Insurance companies

The major health insurance companies are UnitedHealth Group, Wellpoint, Humana, Aetna and Cigna (each of which is large enough to belong to the Fortune 100). This year, Aetna is planning a $37 billion acquisition of Humana.

UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurer, made $10.3 billion in profits in 2014 on revenues of $130.5 billion. Both profits and revenues grew 7 percent from 2013.

During the first couple of years of the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies made higher profits because of the influx of new customers. Recently, however, their profits have declined as medical claims are costing more than projected. To offset the decline, insurance companies are finding that it is to their financial advantage to offer Medicare Advantage health plans that cover those 65 and over.

Sanders touts the success of the program popularly known as Obamacare, which he helped write. The key component of Obamacare is the individual mandate, which requires families and individuals who are not insured through a government program or their employer to purchase coverage from for-profit private insurers on exchanges set up under the ACA. If they dont they face a substantial tax penalty.

While Obamacare has certainly been a success for the private insurers and drug companies, for working class families it is a different story. The average family deductible for a Silver plan, the most commonly chosen, is $6,480. The average copayment for each specialist visit is $56 and for specialty drugs, 31 percent. More and more working class families covered under the ACA are forgoing needed health care services because of high out-of-pocket costs.

In the first two years of the operation of the ACA, the insurance companies have responded to any threats to their profits by demanding approval of premium hikes from state insurance commissions.

UnitedHealthcare announced in November that it was considering leaving Obamacare by 2017 due to financial losses. Earlier this month, the company announced it was dropping its ACA plans in Arkansas and Georgia and that more states could follow.

Insurers have also cut costs for the Obamacare plans by further raising deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs, and creating narrower provider networks, leaving those insured with less choice of doctors and hospitals.

The richest Americans

Sanders calls for large tax increases for those with the most wealth as a means of raising the revenue for his health plan. Besides raising income taxes, he proposes higher capital gains and dividend taxes and limiting tax deductions for the rich.

Americas 20 wealthiest people now own more wealth than the bottom half of the American population combined, a total of 152 million people. This wealthy aristocracy will never willingly allow higher taxes to reduce its fortunes.

The plan proposes a 2.2 percent income-based premium paid by households.

A family of four taking the standard deduction with income under $28,800 would not pay the tax. A family of four making $50,000 a year and taking the standard deduction would pay $466 this year. That would be thousands of dollars less than the average working family paid this year to health insurance companies.

Sanders proposals are not socialism

Sanders says nothing about dismantling the current setupdrug makers, hospitals, insurance companies, medical associations, medical tech companies. Their common interest is not providing needed medical care, but making money. These stakeholders are huge financial entities that will oppose any restrictions on their profits. Does anyone think they will give up the billions they make under the current system even though each day people die because they cannot afford treatments that could save their lives?

Sanders' program cannot be implemented under the existing political system, which is dominated by corporate interests. His socialism is never translated into policies that overturn private ownership.

In fact, he has stated that he supports private ownership and that his political revolution just means electing more Democrats. But when the Democrats controlled the White House and both houses of Congress in 2009-2010, they did not include a public option when creating the Affordable Care Act.

A public option would have created a government-run health insurance agency to compete with private insurance. The Obama administration had decided that its health care program had to be approved in advance by the big insurers, drug and medical device makers, and hospitals.

The only way to fix the health care system is to change how society uses its resources. Revolutionizing the health care system cannot be brought about through the Democrats any more than the Republicans. The Democrats, no matter the pipe dream of Sanders health plan, speak for the mega-monopolies in the health care industry. The Democrats are just one of the political arms of the financial elite.

There is only one force powerful enough to make health care a social right. The working class must organize politically to take the drug companies, hospitals, insurance companies, and medical technology firms away from the current owners, to seize their assets and profits and place the industry under the control of a workers' government, establishing truly socialized medicine in America.
In January, Storm Gertrude blew down a wall at Oxgangs Primary School in Edinburgh, Scotland. No one was injured and the school opened after a few days, but in March investigations into the collapse revealed serious defects in the 10-year-old buildings construction.

Thereafter, 17 schools across the city were closed when Edinburgh Schools Partnership (ESP), the private consortium that built and manages the schools, was unable to offer assurances that the buildings were safe. Over 8,000 pupils were told their schools could be closed indefinitely.

At the time of writing, 16 of the schools remain closed; their pupils bussed around the city to alternate schools and temporary classrooms. ESP has still not completed a survey of affected buildings.

Faults so far revealed focus on the metal ties holding the inner and outer brick walls together. These appear to have been either too short to safely strengthen the outer wall, despite being embedded in mortar, or, in the case of header ties that should be placed at the top of the walls, missing altogether. That such elementary faults should only come to light because of a collapse testifies to extraordinary incompetence, dangerous short-cutting and a complete lack of independent oversight of the buildings construction.

ESPs inability to provide any reassurances regarding the remaining schools indicates a possibility that all 16 schools are suffering from the same fault. Some reports suggest they may all need to be pulled down and rebuilt.

All 17 schools were part of a 360 million deal between Edinburgh City Council and ESP under the then Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme launched in 2001 by the Labour government of Tony Blair. ESP effectively built and owned the schools, renting them back to the city council under a lucrative long-term contract. ESP originally included Miller Construction and Amey Asset Services. Finance was provided by the Bank of Scotland and the European Investment Bank.

Similar arrangements were used across the UK.

Scotland saw a rash of school and public building contracts. Glasgow City Council, for example, demolished and rebuilt as many as 29 schools, many of them unnecessarily, under a 1.2 billion project run by the 3ED consortium that included the lender Halifax, Hewlett Packard and, again, Miller Construction. In the light of the Edinburgh fiasco, Glasgow has been forced to survey many of its recently built schools, as have Fife and Stirling. Many other authorities, including NHS Grampian and Aberdeen, have raised concerns about other buildings constructed by Miller.

Commenting on the experience, leading Edinburgh architect Malcolm Fraser told the press, Everyone realised these buildings were shoddy ... and in terms of quality of the environment made for children and financially they were unbelievably expensive.

Fraser, who resigned in 2007 from an architectural advisory panel to the Scottish Executive, said of the lack of scrutiny, Contractors are entrusted to police themselves, so in cases like this there is no independent engineer, no independent architect tasked to stand outside the process, inspect the work and ensure these sort of things dont happen.

Fraser implied other problems might be waiting to be discovered: When everything is covered up its very hard to tell where these other problems might lie. You almost need to take a school to bits to find out that these issues are there. You dont really understand there is a problem until something catastrophic goes wrong...

According to the Scotsman, untangling corporate responsibility for the disintegrating Edinburgh schools will be difficult. While Miller Construction has now been purchased by FTSE 250 construction group Galliford Try, as many as six other firms were involved in the construction work and nine offered professional advice, design and planning.

But the Oxgangs collapse has exposed more than shoddy construction. The missing ties, which could easily have caused fatalities, express an extraordinary transformation, in which social spending under successive Scottish governments has been subordinated to a complex tangle of financiers and offshore infrastructure funds.

Started under the Conservatives Private Finance Initiative, extended by Labours Public Private Partnership, the process has continued under the Scottish National Party (SNP) and its funding vehicle the Scottish Futures Trust.

Shareholders, for example, in ESPs parent company, ESP (Holdings) Ltd, include Luxembourg-based Palio (No 19) Limited, PFI Infrastructure Finance Limited is owned by Jersey-based 3i, while Semperian PPP Investment Partners No 2 Limited is also controlled by a Jersey-based group. Aberdeen Infrastructure (No 3) Limiteds registered office is in Canary Wharf, London.

Reselling of interests in the Special Purpose Vehicles set up for each project has resulted in a host of investment outfits holding stakes in schools, hospitals, community centres and other public buildings, deriving guaranteed revenue streams from them. 3i, for example, in addition to its share in Edinburghs schools, has a stake in Angus schools, Gartnavel Royal Hospital, an elderly care centre in Edinburgh, and Midlothian Community Hospital. The PFI scheme for East Dunbartonshire is 50 percent controlled by Inisfree Nominees Ltd, which is owned by Coutts and Co Trustees (Jersey). Coutts is in turn part of RBS. Semperian PPP Holdings owns the other 50 percent of the East Dunbartonshire project.

Over a period of many decades, this bewildering range of companies are set to profit hugely from ongoing PPP and PFI projects. Over the lifetime of the Edinburgh schools project alone, for example, some 532 million is expected to be handed over by Edinburgh City Council for buildings whose total capital value is only 129 million. The Guardian reported that, in total, as of April 2013 Scottish local authorities alone owed 12.5 billion in PFI-related payments that will peak in 2025 at 550 million a year, and will not be cleared until 2041.

A raft of new projects are being organised under the auspices of the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT). Presented by the SNP as a non-profit model of financing public projects, the SFT, chaired by Sir Angus Grossart who also chairs Noble Grossart merchant bank, is nothing of the sort. In comparison with the PFI and PPP schemes, there appears to be somewhat more oversight of spending plans, but the basic arrangement is the same. Private consortiums mobilised by the SFT carry the upfront costs for new buildings and infrastructure. In return, they are guaranteed decades of repayments and maintenance costs.

The Guardian reported that Aberdeens new western peripheral road will cost 469 million to build. But, via the SFT, contractors will recoup 1.45 billion over a 30-year contract. Taken together, the legacy of PPP and PFI obligations, combined with new SFT contracts, means that the Scottish government is likely to have run up 50 billion of debts by 2020, compared with an annual budget of 30 billion. Scottish local authorities carry an additional 14.8 billion of debt.

The consequences are predictable: An ever increasing pressure on already stressed public finances to maintain expensive, unsupervised and often unnecessary contracts will result in endless demands for the further evisceration of social spending on services to the most vulnerable. None of this has featured in the Scottish general election, to be held May 5. Since all the parties are implicated in the private finance schemes, none has the slightest interest in highlighting, let alone opposing, their consequences.
Donald Trumps first two campaign appearances in California, which holds a June 7 primary election that could give him the delegates he needs to lock up the Republican presidential nomination, were met with tense protests.

Demonstrators gathered outside the California Republican convention in the Bay Area town of Burlingame where Trump spoke on Friday. Protesters surged past riot police massed in front of the hotel where Trump was set to speak, forcing the Republican frontrunner to park his motorcade on an adjoining highway, cross over a barrier and enter the venue through the back door. Police arrested five demonstrators.

The night before, police arrested at least 17 people among hundreds who demonstrated outside an Orange County, California amphitheater where Trump repeated his racist attacks on Mexican immigrants and his pledge to build a wall along the US-Mexican border.

The billionaire candidate is working to stoke up xenophobic sentiments in order to direct social opposition into extreme nationalist and militarist channels. Trump's anti-Mexican and anti-immigrant hate-mongering is particularly provocative in California, where the population is 40 percent Hispanic.

The mostly young and Latino crowd assembled outside the Orange County fairgrounds in Costa Mesa on Thursday was confronted by a phalanx of mounted police in riot gear, backed by 50 Orange County sheriffs deputies and a dozen Costa Mesa cops. Police helicopters circled overhead.

After the police ordered the demonstrators to disperse and began pushing them away from the rally site, a group of protesters swarmed a police cruiser and smashed its rear window. The tires of a police sport utility vehicle were also punctured, according to the police, who said some five police vehicles were damaged in all.

Other demonstrators temporarily blocked the entrance from a major boulevard to the 55 Freeway. By 10:15 PM, the protest had largely subsided, without any serious injuries. Costa Mesa police confirmed that 17 people were arrested on suspicion of unlawful assembly.

Prior to the start of the rally, the police inserted themselves between anti-Trump demonstrators, mostly in their teens and early twenties, some waving American and Mexican flags, and Trump supporters who arrived too late to gain entry to the 8,000-seat amphitheater where the Republican candidate was speaking. The police moved between the opposed groups after a section of Trump backers began shouting, Build that wall! Build that wall!

One of the protesters, Jose Cruz, 21, told reporters, This is the anger people have against Trump. Its not because hes whiteits because of what he said.

Inside the amphitheater, Trump led the crowd in a chant to wall off Mexico from the US and surrounded himself with members of an anti-Mexican group carrying images of family members allegedly killed by Mexicans who had crossed into the US without legal documents. He said crime in the Los Angeles area had increased by 33 percent and blamed it on illegal immigrants. He told the crowd, No state has suffered more from open borders than the state of California.

Trump began his bid for the Republican presidential nomination by attacking undocumented workers from Mexico and other parts of Latin America as rapists and criminals, and blaming them for the spread of drugs in the US. He has said that, if elected president, he will ship all 11 million undocumented immigrants out of the country. He has also called for a ban on Muslims entering the US.

The main organizer of the Costa Mesa protest was Chicanos Unidos de Orange County, a Mexican-American group affiliated with the Latino nationalist organization National Council of La Raza, which campaigned for Obama and backs his administration. The Bay Area demonstration was politically dominated by immigrant rights and Latino nationalist organizations as well as various pseudo-left organizations. These groups, all politically oriented to the Democratic Party, offer no viable perspective for youth and workers appalled by Trumps fascistic politics and looking for a way to oppose them.

They are preparing, either directly or by way of so-called third parties that function as external pressure groups on the Democrats, such as the Green Party, to line up behind the presidential campaign of the likely Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. She, as well as her opponent Bernie Sanders, have wrapped themselves in the mantle of the Obama administration, which has deported more undocumented immigrants than any previous administration.

They both support the reinforcement and militarization of the US-Mexican border. Clinton, in a debate with Sanders earlier this year, defended the Obama administrations incarceration and deportation of youth from Central America with the declaration that it is necessary to draw the line against undocumented immigrants.
Striking Verizon workers are reacting strongly to the ultimatum delivered by management Thursday. Company officials declared that the concessionary proposal they handed the union was managements last, best and final offer as the strike by 39,000 workers continues into its third week. Workers also face an April 30 cutoff of health benefits.

The company is determined to continue slashing jobs in its drive to increase productivity and profits. Central to its plans are measures to drive out older, better-paid workers, who would be replaced by new hires with no employer-paid pensions. In particular, management wants to change work rules to force employees to travel long distances to temporary work assignments.

The company is also offering a derisory 7.5 percent wage increase over the next three years, while at the same time forcing workers to pay higher out-of-pocket health care costs or switch to inferior coverage. This is in line with the so-called Cadillac Tax included in Obamas Affordable Health Care Act, which punishes health care plans that are supposedly too generous.

In response to the management ultimatum, the union has offered empty bluster but no way forward for striking workers, continuing its practice of working with management to enforce concessions.

Verizon was well prepared for the walkout, training a small army of management strikebreakers to maintain operations. Meanwhile, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have kept Verizon workers isolated from other telecommunication workers, including 16,000 AT&T workers on the West Coast whose contract expired on April 9.

Workers contacted by the World Socialist Web Site Verizon Strike Newsletter responded angrily to word of the company ultimatum. Daniel, a worker in New York City who has worked at Verizon for 20 years, said, The fact that the company can say this is the best and final offer is a testament to the state of economic justice in this country. We all know that this contract will impact contracts of other unions in the future. This is the turning point for all of us. You see people driving by and honking their horns. They know we are all brothers in this struggle.

WSWS reporters also spoke to Verizon pickets at the downtown Brooklyn, New York center. A Verizon worker with 18 years experience said, We are fighting for a cause. We wouldnt be out here otherwise. We are fighting for the next generation. The most junior person among us has sixteen years on the job. They have hired temps, but not permanent workers. Through attrition they want to eliminate jobs.

A call center worker in Flatbush, New York who has been working for 20 years said, For workers to get what we need, everything has to stop, we all have to stop working. Everyone has the right to have a beautiful house. Instead we have some people with $50 billion. What can one person do with $50 billion? Why does one person have $50 billion? Why?

Rob, a service tech in Pittsburgh, said, I havent received the offer yet. The company wants to make out that we are greedy and high paid, but they are the ones making one-and-a-half billion a month. I earn a decent living, but if it seems high, it is only because wages have been cut for so many other workers. The companies have been cutting workers my entire life, but we are the ones that make things work. Look at how their profits keep going up while we are staying the same or falling.

What good is a good paying job if you cant do it? One hundred miles is a long way. They could tell me I have to work in Altoona one week and report to New Castle the next. How long could a person last doing that? They dont want to hire permanent employees, so we are way understaffed, and if someone goes on vacation or has a baby they want to force you to go out and do their job and your own.

All they want is young people who are willing to work like crazy to make some money. But all you can last doing that is a year or two.

All workers should stick together. We should all unite against the companies. This is a worldwide struggle; everyone just wants to support themselves, take care of their families, see the next generation have something a little better.

The Newsletter also spoke to workers on the picket line in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Ashley, Larry, and Lili, all veterans of the last strike, took time to discuss the issues in their struggle.

My main concern is that theyre going to send us into federal mediation again, Larry said, and were going to get screwed just like we did five years ago. Everything is going to go the corporations way in arbitration.

In 2011, the CWA and IBEW called off the strike after only two weeks, without a contract. Federal mediators then imposed concessions along the lines demanded by the company.

Pointing at Lili, Larry said that she by herself made millions for Verizon last year, and so did all of us.

I havent had a raise in five years, he continued. People say we make a lot of money. But by the time I pay taxes, Im taking home $37,000.

The WSWS also spoke with striking Verizon workers in Syracuse this weekend. Some of the key issues that were on the minds of strikers were retirement, health benefits, job security and concern for the next generation of workers.

A veteran wireline repair worker said, Theyve been trying to break the union the last three contracts. [Verizon CEO] Lowell McAdam doesnt understand the wireline business, hes from the wireless side of the company. He doesnt understand that 85 percent of your cellphone calls go over wires.

Lowell is a bottom-line guy, he doesnt care about the network or the people that built and maintain it; he only cares about the shareholders.

All the workers contacted by the WSWS said that any raises that they had received over the duration of the last contract were offset by the hikes in benefit costs, with one striker saying, They want to be able to move you when they want so that you are so miserable that you have to quit your job, because its either that or sell your house and have to move somewhere like New Jersey where the cost of living is much higher. You could sell an average house in Syracuse for $140,000 and that wouldnt get a shack in New Jersey.
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - Former President Bill Clinton made a stop in the Capital City Friday, attending a private fundraiser to campaign for his wife, Hillary.

It's the second time this year the former President has campaigned for Hillary in Tallahassee.

But, it's the third stop for a member of the Clinton family. Their daughter Chelsea was in the area back in March.

So, why are the Clintons putting so much emphasis on Tallahassee?

That's what we asked WTXL Political Contributor DR. Ed Moore: "It shows how critical Florida is going to be in the general election. Florida is ripe territory for the Clintons. It always has been both in terms of votes and as a bank if you will Florida is sort of a bank for a lot of political parties."

Hillary Clinton has already received a major endorsement in Florida's Capital City. Mayor Andrew Gillum has thrown in his support and has actively campaigned for Hillary.
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YAKIMA, Wash. -- Two of the more contentious issues to facing the city go before the Yakima City Council when it meets Tuesday evening.
A delegation of Jews met with Salafi leader Dr. Jiah a-Shimi in the Egyptian town of Fayoum last month in a meeting which caused uproar amongst the Egyptian Salafi movement.

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Dr. Omar Salem, an Egyptian-American religious scholar invited three Jewish scholars to Egypt as part of efforts to hold interfaith dialogue. The three were Rabbi Ya'akov Nagen from Otniel, orthodox peace activist Rivka Abramson, and Jewish religious scholar Professor Yosef Ringel.

Dr. Jiah a-Shimi is also a high ranking official in the Egyptian Salafist a-Noor political party and a former parliamentarian.

Egyptian media called the meeting "a meeting with Jewish rabbis," and the pictures which Egyptian media obtained of the event caused protests against the party. The party is now conducting an internal investigation regarding the event.

"This attests to the double meaning in regards to relations with countries which threaten Egyptian and Arab national security," said Ahmed al-Bari from the el-Wafad party who strongly condemned the meeting and accused the Islamist party of hypocrisy.

Jiah a-Shimi meets with Israelis in Fayoum, Egypt

There were also those within the Salafist movement who attacked al-Noor for holding the meeting. Salafi Preacher Mohammad al-Abasiri said that "this act isn't unusual for someone who shakes hands stained with the blood of Arabs and Muslims with untouchable Zionists. They even work together under orders in Syria and other Arab and Muslim countries."

The a-Noor party was quick to release a statement clarifying that their stance on the matter is that "the Zionist Entity which is plundering the Lands of the Palestinians and the Arabs, and which attacks the holy places of Islam."

According to them, "(the party) is against any form of normalization with this entity, and is against meeting with any person who represents or is connected to it."

At the same time, they noted that the meeting between the Salafi official and the Jewish delegation was academic, and not party affiliated, and that the Salafi official didn't know the identity of the Jewish rabbi before the meeting, and once he found out that the rabbi was Israeli, he immediately notified the relevant security authorities.

Fayoum University, to which the a-Shimi official is affiliated, also opened up an investigation into the issue.

Another high ranking official in the a-Noor party, Mohamad a-Taifi, was quoted in a Kuwaiti newspaper as saying "A-Shimi's individual behavior doesn't represent the Party. He will be investigated by a-Noor because he hurt the party, and because he caused the party great embarrassment."

A-Shimi for his part defended himself in an interview to a Kuwaiti newspaper, saying that the party requested his resignation and that he refused. He explained that the Jewish delegation received permission from the security services to enter the university while being escorted by one of the religious scholars, and if he had known their identities beforehand, he wouldn't have agreed to meet with them.

"I agreed to meet with them once I understood that they live in the US and that they have no connection to Israel. The goal of the meeting was to show the tolerance of the Islamic religion," a-Shimi said.

The A-Noor party rose to prominence after the Egyptian revolution. It held the second most seats in parliament after the elections which brought the Muslim Brotherhood into power following the fall of Hosni Mubarak. However, during the most recent elections under A-Sisi, they only retained 10 seats
Riots broke out for a third night in Kafr Manda on Friday as the village prepares for councilor elections in the western Galilee town next week.

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.

Hundreds of people participated in the riots and dozens have been arrested over the past several days.

The rioters shot fireworks at each other, threw rocks, and set fire to property. Police forces used riot control methods to disperse the rioters. Following an initial investigation, police found dozens of Molotov cocktails which were prepared and ready to be used.

Kafr Manda riots

X

The councilor elections are to take place due to the death of Council Head Taha Abdel Halim last month. Several candidates are seeking to replace him, and the campaign is raising tensions within the village.

Molotov Cocktails from Kafr Manda (Photo: Israel Police Northern Division)

Meanwhile, hundreds of residents came out to the main street in the village to protest against the riots and the violence and to try and calm the situation. However, it was to no avail.

"We're in shock" one of the Kafr Manda residents said. "It's like Gaza here. These irresponsible people have no place in our village, and they're endangering the lives of the people here. It would be better to cancel elections and appoint a committee to manage the council. We don't deserve to be in the government here."
BAGHDAD- Police and hospital officials say at least 17 are dead and 35 wounded in a Baghdad car bomb targeting civilians in the city's southeast.

Local police officials at the scene said the attack targeted Shiite pilgrims walking to Baghdad's holy Kadhimiyah shrine, but other Iraqi security officials say the attack targeted an open-air market. The two accounts could not be immediately reconciled.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press.Thousands of Shiite pilgrims from across Iraq are expected to descend on the shrine on foot over the coming days.
DIYARBAKIR - Turkish warplanes hit militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq, security sources said on Saturday.

Twenty jets took off from Diyarbakir air base and bombed sites in southeastern Sirnak province and others used by militants in Hakurk, Avasin and Qandil in northern Iraq, they said.

The Turkish military has frequently carried out air strikes in the area in recent months.
British Labor Party Chairman Jeremy Corbin and party leadership were invited to tour Yad Vashem to "learn the truth" about anti-Semitism in a letter written by Israeli MK Isaac Herzog.

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The Israeli Labor Party Chairman invted them in a letter written in light of British Labour member Ken Livingstone's assertion that Hitler was a Zionist, and former MP Naz Shah's assertion that Israel should be moved to the United States.

Labour suspended Livingstone on Thursday after he said Hitler was "supporting Zionism" when he proposed in 1932 that Jews be moved to Israel. Livingstone served as mayor from 2000 to 2008.

Herzog responded by saying "the last time anyone transported Jews en masse it was on trains to concentration camps."

Israeli Labor Chairman Isaac Herzog (Photo: AFP)

The letter continued, saying "I call on you to get rid of the anti-Semitic minority (in your party) and come visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum to remind you of the harsh truths which you all have may have forgotten, but which we live with every day."



Livingstone denied his remarks were anti-Semitic, and said supporters of the Israeli government frequently used the charge to silence criticism of its policies.

Meanwhile Britain's opposition Labour party has launched an inquiry into how to tackle anti-semitism after suspending former London mayor Ken Livingstone days before it contests elections in London, Scotland and Wales.

Jeremy Corbin, British Labour Party Chairman

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn - a close ally of party veteran Livingstone - said in a statement late on Friday that he would propose a new code of conduct explicitly banning anti-Semitism and other forms of racism.

"There is no place for anti-Semitism or any form of racism in the Labour party, or anywhere in society," he said.

Israeli MK Amir Peretz (Zionist Union) praised the internal investigation, saying "it's good that the Labour leadership suspended the people who said these statements and it's even better that they're carrying out a self investigation."

Labour has been struggling to pull together after Corbyn, from the party's hard-left, swept into the leadership in September on a wave of enthusiasm among younger members for change and an end to 'establishment politics'.

Polls suggest its current candidate for London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, is on course to defeat his Conservative opponent Zac Goldsmith on

May 5, but that Labour risks losing ground in a series of elections elsewhere in Britain.

Ken Livinstone, former Labour Mayor of London (Photo: YouTube)

British media reported again on Saturday that Corbyn could face a leadership challenge if the results are especially bad.

Goldsmith, in a BBC radio interview on Saturday, said Khan was "part of the same movement in the Labour party" as Livingstone and had not been clear enough in his condemnation of anti-Semitism until recent weeks.

"You need to be very clear on these issues not to ride two horses. Until the mayoral campaign began, Sadiq Khan has not been anything like as clear on this issue as he has been in recent weeks," Goldsmith said.

Khan called Livingstone's remarks about Hitler appalling and pressed for him to be suspended.

Labour's inquiry into anti-semitism will be led by Shami Chakrabarti, the former head of civil rights charity Liberty. She will consult Jewish and other minority groups on what counts as anti-Semitism and racism, and how to deal with allegations.
BAGHDAD- ISIS claimed responsibility for a bombing Saturday east of Baghdad, according to a statement posted on an IS-affiliated website. The attack killed at least 21 people and wounded at least 42 others, according to Iraqi police and hospital officials. The IS statement described the attack as a three-ton truck bombing.

The attack targeted Shiite civilians shopping in an open-air market selling fruit, vegetables and meat in Nahrawan, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry. The ISIS statement and initial reports from local officials at the scene claimed the bombing targeted Shiite pilgrims walking to Baghdad's holy Kadhimiyah shrine.

"It was not a road for people walking toward Kadhimiyah," said Brig. Gen. Saad Mann, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry and Baghdad Operations Command.
ROME- An Italian merchant ship rescued 26 migrants off the coast of Libya in rough seas and others were feared missing, the Coast Guard said on Saturday.

The Coast Guard received a call from a satellite telephone on Friday but no voice was heard. It tracked the signal to a location about seven miles off the Libyan coast, a spokesman said.

An Italian merchant vessel in the area was diverted and on Friday night rescued the 26 from a rubber boat that had taken on water.
Thousands of Christians gathered in Jerusalem on Saturday for an ancient fire ceremony that celebrates Jesus' resurrection.

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In a ritual dating back at least 1,200 years, they crowded into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christian tradition holds that Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

Photo: AFP

Photo: AP

Photo: AFP

Photo: EPA

They then emerge to reveal candles said to be miraculously lit with "holy fire" as a message to the faithful from heaven. The details of the flame's source are a closely guarded secret.

Photo: AP

Roman Catholics and Protestants marked Easter in March, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Easter this week using the older Julian calendar.

Photo: AFP
The Palestinians demanded an apology on Saturday from the organizers of Eurovision, who are already under fierce criticism after a document leaked forbidding certain flags , such as the Basque and Palestinian ones.

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In a letter addressed to Jean-Paul Philippot, the president of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and obtained by AFP, Saeb Erekat, the number two of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), denounced a "shameful, totally biased and unacceptable decision" and demanded "its immediate cancellation."

Some of the banned flags (Screenshot from globearenas.se)

the first western country in the European Union to have recognized the state of Palestine.

On Friday already, the organizers had to apologize after the prohibition of the Basque flag caused uproar in Spain. They assured that the document , which also mentioned the flags of Kosovo and Crimea among others, should not have been distributed and that it was just a draft of rules regarding flags.





Saeb Erekat (Photo: Reuters)

"The flag policy is not targeting any territory or organization," a spokesman for the organizers explained.

Only the flags of member states of the United Nations are authorizedPalestine holds there the status of an observer state , along with the rainbow pride flag and that of the European Union. Regional flags or those of federal states, along with those containing commercial or religious messages, are not permitted.

The document with concrete examples that provoked the polemic has since been removed.
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took advantage of the warm spring weather on Saturday to go out into nature on the last day of the Passover holiday.

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Some 1.2 million people visited KKL's nature reserves and national parks throughout the Passover holiday, a 10 percent increase to last year.

They left behind some 500 tons of litter in forests and nature reserves across the country, though KKL foresters noted an improvement in "leave nothing but footprints," with many families cleaning up after themselves.

Trash left by visitors in Kiryat Ata (Photo: Gil Nechushtan)

Trash left by visitors in Kiryat Ata (Photo: Gil Nechushtan)

Trash amounts reached record numbers in the Kinneret as well, where an additional 500 tons of trash were left. Though, the Kinneret Cities Association, which is in charge of the management of the lake's shores, also said there has been improvement in environmental awareness compared to previous years.

Trash piling up at the Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv (Photo: Shaul Golan)

In addition, many volunteers and teenagers from across the country arrived at the Kinneret on Saturday morning to aid in cleaning the lake's beaches.

Trash left by visitors at the Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv (Photo: Shaul Golan)

Among the popular attractions in northern Israel were Agamon Hula, Biriya Forest (where a fire broke out on Monday), the Ein Zeitim campsite, the Jordan Park, the Gilboa forests, and the Ramot Menashe Park. Private recreational sites in the Galilee and the Golan Heights - like the kayak sites Indie Park and Kfar Bloom - reached full capacity as well.

Visitors to the Kinneret (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

Visitors to the Kinneret (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

In southern Israel, visitors flocked mostly to the Hamalachim-Shahariya Forest, the Yatir Forest and the Golda Meir Park.

Trash left by visitors at the Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv (Photo: Shaul Golan)





There's been an increase in bicycle riders in the forests and parks' trails, and many families spent the night at the different forests' campsites.
BERLIN  Germany is declassifying its files on Colonia Dignidad, a sect in Chile run by a Nazi pedophile, Germanys foreign minister said Tuesday, admitting the diplomatic services failure to stop the abuses.

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Colonia Dignidad was a German commune founded in 1961 by convicted pedophile Paul Schaefer and a group of fellow German immigrants in a remote part of Chile, where residents were indoctrinated and kept as virtual slaves over three decades.

Schaefer also collaborated with the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, whose secret police used the colony  which lies some 350 km (215 miles) south of Santiago  as a place to torture opponents.





Colonia Dignidad residents (Photo: AFP)

The handling of Colonia Dignidad was not a glorious chapter of the history of the foreign ministry, said Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

For many years, from the 60s to the 80s, German diplomats looked the other way, and did too little to protect their citizens in this commune, he said as the ministry screened a movie about the case starring Emma Watson and Daniel Bruehl.

Paul Schaefer (Photo: AFP)

Even later, when Colonia Dignidad was dissolved and the people were no longer subjected to the daily torture, the service lacked the determination and transparency to identify its responsibilities and to draw lessons from it, Steinmeier said.

Although Germanys foreign ministry is not to blame for the havoc wrecked by Paul Schaefer  in part along with the (Chilean) military and dictator, it had a duty to provide advice and assistance to German citizens, Steinmeier added.

Colonia Dignidad today (Photo: AFP)

It could have sought earlier to use diplomatic pressure to curtail the scope of Colonias leadership and to push for legal action, he said, adding that the embassy failed to reach out to residents of the commune.

In a bid to draw lessons from the affair, Steinmeier said diplomats were declassifying files that would have otherwise remained under wraps for another 10 years.





German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Photo: AFP)

We are making documents dating from between 1986 and 1996 available to researchers and the media, he said, adding that older files were already in the public domain.

The scale of the atrocities at the commune came to light only after the end of Pinochets regime.

In 1997, Schaefer faced a series of lawsuits and fled Chile. He was arrested in Argentina in 2005 and subsequently convicted in Chile for sexual abuse of children, arms possession and human rights violations.

Schaefer in 2005 (Photo: AFP)

He died in a Chilean jail in 2010 while serving a 20-year sentence.

Former residents of the commune are bringing a lawsuit against the Chilean state for allowing the camp to operate for years, during which they say numerous victims were abused and enslaved.

A separate case is also being filed against Germany for negligently failing to help its nationals who were abused in the colony, lawyer and plaintiff Winfried Hempel told AFP.
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State John Kerry is heading to Switzerland this weekend for urgent talks on Syria. His trip comes amid escalating violations of a fragile truce around the city of Aleppo.

The State Department says Kerry would leave Sunday for Geneva, where he would hold meetings the following day with the UN envoy for Syria as well as the foreign ministers of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Kerry will be reviewing efforts to reaffirm the truce nationwide and broaden the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged communities, the department said. He will also be looking at ways in which now suspended peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition can be restarted.

Kerry on Friday spoke at length with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the same topics.
A week after the unprecedented confrontation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bayit Yehudi Chairman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett during a Security Cabinet meeting and first revealed on Ynet, Bennett addressed the clash on Thursday in a Facebook post in which he clarified that he had no intention of backing down from his position.

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"As a cabinet member, I will continue to act with all my strength for the continuation of IDF operations wherever they are required, even if I am scolded or threatened with dismissal. The security of the citizens of Israel is paramount," wrote Bennett.

Earlier in the long post, the education minister wrote, "I learned in Operation Defensive Shield that only when the IDF and the Shin Bet are free to operate, collect information, and thwart terrorism is it possible to prevent horrible terrorist attacks in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem."

Bennett and Netanyahu (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

The harsh confrontation between the two during the cabinet meeting was centered on Bennett's desire to discuss IDF activities in Area A, to which the prime minister had previously acquiesced. After the education minister saw that this item was not on the agenda, he brought it up to Netanyahu and asked him to keep his word.

Netanyahu disliked Bennett's tone, and the prime minister answered in a loud and angry voice, "You aren't running anything here." When Bennett continued, Netanyahu lost his patience and said, "If you don't calm down, I'll fire you."

The exchange provoked a storm in the political establishment. Those in Likud accused Bennett of behaving rudely and crossing a line, while those in Bayit Yehudi insisted that Netanyahu should not merely threaten, but actually fire Bennett if his political holdings are too far right for the prime minister.
As Passover comes to an end, hundreds of thousands of Israelis held the traditional Moroccan end-of-Passover Mimouna celebrations on Saturday night.

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"We've had a peaceful and joyful holiday, thanks to the IDF soldiers and the Shin Bet who kept us safe, and thanks to the government led by the Likud party," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a Mimouna celebration at the Dahan family home in Yavne. "After Passover, it's time to enjoy the wonders of the mufleta (a Moroccan pastry - ed.)."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and wife Sara enjoy a mufleta in Yavne (Photo: Shaul Golan)

Attorney Meir Dahan from Yavne, who opened his door to the prime minister, said ahead of the celebrations that he "hopes over 2,000 people come. We've invited people of all ethnic groups and all nationalities - Druze and Arabs, and even from the LGBT community. Everyone will be here."

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein were also invited to Dahan's home.

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked helps make mufletas in Beit She'an.

Culture Minister Miri Regev attended Mimouna celebrations in Ashkelon. "I'm glad that the Moroccan ethic group was able to turn the Mimouna into a national holiday in which we open our homes to the entire nation of Israel. The abundance and the hospitality of this holiday lead to unity and joy among the people of Israel," she said.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and Culture Minister Miri Regev celebrate at the Sabah family home in Ashkelon (Photo: Avi Rokach)

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan expressed hope that the Mimouna will also end without any unusual incident. He thanked the thousands of police officers on behalf of Israelis celebrating across the country, "for their amazing work throughout the holiday and even now, during the Mimouna, they are out on the streets of Israel protecting us."

Former president Shimon Peres attended Mimouna celebrations in Tel Aviv, hosted by the Malka family. "The Mimouna is a holiday that unites the entire nation of Israel and all ethnic groups. We deserve to be happy, eat mufletas and sing loudly," he said.

Former Likud minister Gideon Sa'ar celebrates with the Buskila family in Ashkelon

What is the Mimouna?

The Mimouna celebrations on the day after Passover originated in Jewish communities in North Africa, primarily in Morocco. The name comes from Rabbi Maimon ben Yosef, the father of the Rambam, who passed away on the day after Passover. Another derivation says the name came from the Hebrew word "emuna" (which means faith), indicating the belief in both the past Jewish redemption from the Egyptians and the future Messianic redemption in the month of Nisan, in which Passover falls. A third derivation says the name comes from the Arab word for "wealth" or "good luck."

The Halacha origins of the Mimouna's customs are vague, and there are several beliefs concerning them. Since the Mimouna is celebrated after the final day of Passover, the day in which, according to tradition, the Red Sea was split in half, some view the celebrations and the customs attached to them as relating to that biblical event.

Mimouna celebrations at the Dahan family home in Yavne (Photo: Shaul Golan)

Others believe that since the Mimouna celebration begin with a dough-kneading ceremony, the Mimouna actually serves as a bridge between the days of the Passover holiday to the regular days to follow - after almost ten days without bread.

Mimouna sweets (Photo: Shaul Golan)

According to yet another belief, the sweets served at the Mimouna symbolize abundance and blessings. On this holiday, the family doesn't gather around its own table, but rather opens its door to guests, serves sweets and welcomes all who come. The fish placed in a bowl of water and the bracelets worn are also popular signs in Arab nations for abundance and good fortunes.

Because good fortunes and abundance are at the center of the Mimouna celebrations, some believe the custom originated in a pagan celebration: A song of praise to the goddess of good fortune.
BERLIN - The German government is considering stopping its "unconditional support" of Israel, German weekly Der Spiegel reported on Friday.

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Senior politicians of both ruling parties, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the joint Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union, told Der Spiegel that there is a concern in Berlin that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "instrumentalizing" Germany's friendship.

"Israel's current policies are not contributing to the country remaining Jewish and democratic," Norbert Rottgen, a member of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, told the weekly.

"We must express this concern more clearly to Israel," added Rottgen, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, Germany's parliament.

Netanyahu and Merkel meet in Berlin (Photo: AFP)

According to Der Spiegel, an evidence of a change in the German Foreign Ministry's attitude towards Israel is the refusal of then-foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to grant Netayahu's request to raise objections to a document authored by the EU's foreign ministers that criticized the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

"I'm counting on you," Netanyahu is quoted to have told Steinmeier at the end of his call to the German foreign minister.

Steinmeier, however, ignored the Israeli prime minister's pleas and threw Germany's support of the EU document, which states that "Settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible."

According to the weekly, this incident points to the weakening influence of Israel's friends within the German Foreign Ministry.

The Chancellery has also reportedly lost hope that Netanyahu would work to advance the peace process.

During a recent visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel is quoted to have said, "I understand why President Abbas continually seeks out the Security Council."

Meanwhile, Merkel's foreign policy advisor Christoph Heusgen, who is pushing for Germany to distance itself from Israel, is mentioned in the report as a supporter of the EU settlement product labeling policy.

According to Der Spiegel, Netanyahu is solely responsible for the fact Israel's critics within the German government are gaining strength. The weekly makes repeated mentions of Merkel's anger at a report coming out of her recent meeting with Netanyahu in Berlin, according to which the chancellor said that "this isn't the time for a two-state solution."

Israeli officials countered that Merkel made the comments during an official press conference, and that the atmosphere during Netanyahu's last meet with Merkel was very positive.

One senior official in Jerusalem said in response to the report that relations between Israel and Germany remain close and positive and will continue to be so. "It appears the comments in the Der Spiegel story are an attempt inside Germany to slam Merkel for her close ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," he said
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Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has been hospitalised on Saturday evening following health related problems, according to ANI reports.

As per the report, CM Gogoi was rushed to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital after he complained of severe stomach pain.

A team of doctors examining him said his condition is stable now.

For now, Gogoi will be kept for observation in the hospital. According to doctors, he will likely to be discharged on Sunday.

Further details awaited.
Guwahati: An IIT Guwahati student was found dead on Saturday at his hostel room, according to CNN News report.

The deceased hailed from West Bengal and was pursuing MSC course at IIT Guwahati.

He was found hanging from the ceiling fan at his hostel room, sources said, adding that the reason behind his death could not be ascertained as no suicide note was found from him.

He was declared dead when taken to hospital.
Patna: Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha said on Friday if approached he would be happy to promote Bihar as its brand ambassador.

There are reports that the state is considering to rope in some Bollywood celebrity as its face. Sinha, however, said nothing is official yet.

"There is nothing official about it so far. But, if and when I am considered for the responsibility of brand ambassador by dear friend Nitish Kumar, I would lend my services for furthering cause of my home state as my duty as 'dhartiputra' (son of soil)," Sinha told PTI.

"There will be no demand or command from my side for this (if chosen as brand ambassador of Bihar)," Sinha, popularly known as "Bihari Babu", said over phone from Jaipur.

The second term BJP Lok Sabha member from Patna Sahib praised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and addressed him as his "younger brother."

"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar through his able leadership and 'sushasan' (good governance) has brought Bihar on the forefront of the nation... Nitish deserves kudos for all the hard work he has done for the state," Sinha added.

The actor-politician has caused furore in political circles many times by warmly meeting with the CM and praising him notwithstanding hostility against Kumar by his partymen.

Earlier, while launching Sinha's biography "Anything but Khamosh", Kumar had described Sinha as "pride of Bihar" and had sought his service to develop film and culture in the state.

There are reports that the state Tourism department is also considering the names of actress and MP Rekha and noted scriptwriter Javed Akhtar as brand ambassador.
Patna: JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar who is visiting his home state on Saturday heaped praise on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his political ally RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and said that it was them who backed the students at the time of their distress.

Both Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav had supported Kanhaiya Kumar at the time of the students protests in the JNU campus in Delhi.

Kumar on Saturday received a red carpet welcome after reaching Bihar.

He was escorted by the policemen at the airport on his arrival from New Delhi and moved with a convoy of security personnel in the state capital.

Kanhaiya, who hails from Begusarai district of Bihar, is on a two-day tour of his home state and met both Nitish Kumar and RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav.

The two leaders had supported him when he was sent to Tihar jail on sedition charge and the JNUSU president met them at their residences.

The high-profile welcome to JNUSU president triggered reaction from political parties.

Questioning the welcome accorded by the Nitish Kumar government to a person charged with sedition, opposition BJP said it was a day of shame for the state.

Defending the welcome, state minister and Bihar PCC president Ashok Choudhary said Kanhaiya was a native of the state and since he was attacked earlier in Delhi and elsewhere it was proper to provide him fulproof security to avoid any such recurrence.

His party colleague and minister Madan Jha also echoed similar views.

JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar cited attack on Kanhaiya in Patiala court for the security cover provided to him.

Later, the JNUSU president attacked the Narendra Modi government at the Centre for growing intolerance in the country.

"Intolerance has increased in the country in the past two years under BJP government."

On total ban on liquor in Bihar, he said ideally it would have been left to individual freedom whether to drink or not.

"But in larger context considering domestic violence due to alcohol in households in a state like Bihar ban is right."

(With PTI inputs)
Patna: JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar morning arrived in Patna on Saturday on a two-day visit during which he will address meetings, meet top state leaders and travel to his native village in Begusari district.

Hundreds of youths, mostly student`s wing members of left parties, welcomed Kanhaiya Kumar when he arrived at Patna airport.

Kanhaiya, who was arrested on the charge of sedition in February in connection with an event on campus against hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, was released on bail in March.

Kanhaiya is scheduled to meet Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and other leaders who had supported his campaign against fascist forces.

He is also likely to meet BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha.

Kanhaiya will address a meeting at the SK memorial hall in Patna on May 1 with `Azadi` being the dominant theme of his discourses.

Kanhaiya is also likely to visit his village Bihat in Begusarai to meet his parents.
Patna: Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Saturday mocked over the possibilities of Nitish Kumar becoming the Prime Minister in 2019 and said that there is no vacancy for the post till next 15 years.

The LJP chief was talking to ANI and was quoted saying, "Nitish will become PM only when there will be vacancy for the post. For now, the post if reserved till next 15 years." (Vacancy hogi tab hi toh PM banege.)

The LJP chief was reacting on NCP President Sharad Pawars recent backing of Kumar for the PMs post.

Furthermore, Paswan claimed Sharad Pawar had made the comment in a lighter vein since there was no serious thought in backing Kumar for the post.

On Lalu Yadav also declaring his support for Nitish Kumar for PM post, Paswan tells reporters, Lalu has his own game plan in saying so. Nobody has ever been secure after aligning with the RJD chief.

Earlier on Thursday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar gave his endorsement for an anti-BJP political platform for the next Lok Sabha polls and stated that an alliance can be formed under the leadership of Nitish Kumar.

(With PTI inputs)
Bengaluru: In the backdrop of Supreme Court clearing the decks for National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) as a single common entrance test for admission to MBBS and BDS courses, Karnataka government has advised the students to appear for both NEET and the Common Entrance Test, conducted by it.

The government was seeking legal opinion and is likely?to decide by tomorrow on filing of an appeal, suggesting NEET as a single common entrance test, be considered from next year, Higher Education Minister Jayachandra said.

"There is ambiguity among students and parents whether to appear for exam on May 1...We advise students to appear for exam tomorrow," he told reporters here.

"Those who have applied should appear tomorrow, those who have applied for CET on May 4th should also appear for?the exam, and those who have not applied for NEET now have to? utilise the opportunity by applying for NEET 2 exam to be held on July 24," he added.

The apex court in its decision had approved the schedule put before it by the Centre, CBSE and the Medical Council of India (MCI) for treating All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) fixed for May 1 as NEET-1 and holding NEET-II on July 24 for those who have not applied for AIPMT.

The combined result would be declared on August 17 so that the admission process can be completed by September 30.

Jayachandra said: "We are not clear about the judgement yet as within two days after the judgement exam has approached."

He said: "Different states are party to the case that is coming up on May 3rd... Advocate General is not in town, he will be coming tomorrow, we will have discussion on this and decide about the appeal. We are saying let's have NEET from next year, I think other states are also of the same opinion."

Responding to a question about CET conducted by the state government, Minister of State for Medical Education Sharan Prakash Patil said, "Whether to derive merit from CET or not, we will decide as per the Supreme Court judgement on the date of counselling."

On reservation that is given for students from Hyderabad- Karnataka and other backward regions of the state, he said, "The state's reservation policy will prevail, NEET judgement has nothing to do with quota, to derive merit they are conducting NEET."
Vadodara: Citing a CAG report which rapped GSPC for mismanagement, Congress workers here today burnt an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they demanded a probe into the alleged scam in Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation.

A large number of Congress workers staged a dharna before the Collector's office, while five of them, including city unit vice president of youth Congress Nikesh Thakur, were arrested for burning the PM's effigy, police said.

"Our party has demanded a joint parliamentary committee or a special investigation team monitored by the Supreme Court to probe the scam at GSPC," city Congress chief Prashant Patel said.

Last month, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its report had criticised the state-run GSPC for mismanagement and wastage of money, especially with regard to exploration of gas and oil in the Krishna-Godavari basin.

Congress leader and party spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil alleged that a private firm was favoured unduly by the GSPC.

"Despite six CAG reports in the past against the GSPC, no action was taken against the officials who are responsible for the corruption. GSPC was making profits when Congress was in power," Gohil claimed in a statement.
Chandigarh: The Haryana Cabinet on Friday stripped off former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of cabinet rank, bringing him on par with other MLAs of the state.

Announcing the government's decision at a press conference here, Haryana Minister of State Krishan Kumar Bedi said, "He (Hooda) has been given Kothi Number 70 in Sector 7 of Chandigarh with staff assigned to a cabinet minister, vehicles and security. The budget was too high. Thus, taking into consideration the public demand, the cabinet has decided to withdraw it."

"The decision will come into force today itself. He is only an MLA now, and whatever facilities an MLA avails will be provided to Hooda ji," he added.

Saying that the scheme was formulated and implemented by the Hooda government of the Congress party, Bedi added under the scheme former chief ministers of the state had been given the cabinet rank that entitled them of accommodation, vehicle, security and staff.

"When the scheme came into being there were just two former CMs- Late Chaudhry Hukam Singh and Om Prakash Chautala. Chautala ji was sentenced for 10 years in connection with the JBT Recruitment Scam. He is not taking the benefit of the scheme, whereas the facilities were withdrawn from Hukam Singh's kin after his death. Only one former chief minister, Bhupendra Singh Hooda, is left," he said.

"In the meantime, pressure was mounting on our government from several quarters to withdraw the scheme. After contemplation, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar too arrived at the conclusion that leaders who have dedicated themselves to the service of people should not avail such facilities. And thus, the Haryana cabinet under chairmanship of Chief Minister Khattar decided to repeal the scheme.

When asked the Khattar government was practising animosity, he said, "There is no animosity in it. It was a matter of public interest. People had complaints; they were dissatisfied; and taking into consideration their feelings, the cabinet decided to repeal the scheme."

Responding to a question that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is also enjoying the cabinet rank, Bedi said: "It is a matter of Parliament and the Centre. Haryana is a small state which did not have such provisions earlier neither do any neighbouring states has such a provision."
Jind: Demanding the release of those arrested during the quota stir, Jat leaders have threatened to hold 'jail bharo' movement from Sunday.

Keeping security measures in mind, the district administration have imposed prohibitory orders here for two days.

District Magistrate Vinay Singh had said they have imposed section 144 of CrPC for two days in the Jind municipality area to prevent any untoward incident during the 'jail bharo' movement.

Meanwhile, police have taken adequate security measures and have appointed senior district officials as duty magistrate to control the situation.

The guesthouse owners have been instructed to not allow gathering of people in Dharamshalas.

Meanwhile, Akhil Bhartiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (ABJASS), which spearheaded the quota stir in February, extended their support to the 'jail bharo' movement being organised by Jat Yuva Ekta Manch.

ABJASS district president Captain Bhoop Singh claimed that the police have been arresting innocent youths and the families of those who were killed in the stir have also not received adequate compensation yet.

That is why the Samiti decided to support the 'jail bharo' movement and ABJASS members would tomorrow take part in it at Ikkis Chungi here, Singh said.

(With PTI inputs)
Washington D.C: According to a recent research, depression symptoms that steadily increase over time in older age could predict higher dementia risk.

The study included 3325 adults aged 55 and over, who all had symptoms of depression but no symptoms of dementia at the start of the study. The data was gathered from the Rotterdam Study, a population-based cohort study of various diseases in the Netherlands, which allowed the authors to track depressive symptoms over 11 years and the risk of dementia for a subsequent 10 years.

Using the Center for Epidemiology Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression (HADS-D), the authors identified five different trajectories of depressive symptoms - low depression symptoms; initially high symptoms that decreased; low starting scores that increased then remitted; initially low symptoms that increased; and constantly high symptoms.

The authors say their findings support the hypothesis that increasing symptoms of depression in older age could potentially represent an early stage of dementia. They also say that the findings support previous suggestions that dementia and some forms of depression may be symptoms of a common cause.

They say that at the molecular levels, the biological mechanisms of depression and neurodegenerative diseases overlap considerably including the loss of ability to create new neurons, increased cell death and immune system dysregulation.

According to Dr M Arfan Ikram from Erasmus University Medical Center, "More research is needed to examine this association, and to investigate the potential to use ongoing assessments of depressive symptoms to identify older adults at increased risk of dementia."
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing row over the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper bribery scam, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday said that the fundamental question at the centre of the controversy is: "who took the bribe?"

"The biggest question is 'who took bribe?'. That has to be answered by the previous government, Parrikar said in Dehradun where he is to inaugurate a war memorial today.

... Italian High Court equivalent clearly said that political corruption was worth 15.8 million euros, that is Rs 125 crores. They have also taken some names," ANI quoted the Defence Minister as saying.

Parrikar's remarks came as the Congress-BJP political battle over the scam heated up inside as well as outside Parliament.

The Congress has sought to corner the Narendra Modi government for allowing the tainted AgustaWestland to take part in the `Make in India` initiative and the Defence Expo.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, has accused the Congress of trying to distract the attention of the people from the fundamental question of who were the bribe takers.

Rejecting Congress' charges, BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said, "Under the NDA, not a single thing has been purchased from AgustaWestland. ED is investigating a few people. A lot is happening, so the Congress is just trying to distract public from the question of 'who took bribe'.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had earlier asked if AgustaWestland was a `fraud` company, then why did the government allow it to participate in several defence related events, including the Defence Expo.

BJP president Amit Shah had on Friday posed a series of questions to the Congress and sought its chief Sonia Gandhi`s answer in the matter.

An Italian court's judgement convicting former top officials of AgustaWestland and its parent Italian firm Finmeccanica for corruption in the India chopper deal had mentioned the names of Sonia Gandhi, her political advisor Ahmed Patel and former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

AgustaWestland`s Rs 3,600 crore contract for supplying 12 VVIP choppers to the Indian Air Force was scrapped by the UPA government over charges of paying kickbacks to Indian agents.

It later assigned the probe into the matter to the CBI.
New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released admit cards for Haryana candidates who have yet to appear for the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) conducted for rest of India candidates on February 21 earlier this year.

The CBSE has also released a list of eligible Haryana candidates for the CTET exam to be conducted in the state on May 2, 2016, on its website ctet.nic.in.

While the CTET exam was held across the country on February 21 this year, the test was postponed in Haryana due to, in CBSE's words, administrative reasons.

It may be noted that the northern state was in the midst of a violent Jat agitation when the CTET Feb 2016 exam was held.

The Board had later announced a fresh date of examination for candidates who had applied for CTET in Haryana.

The CTET for Haryana candidates is being conducted on May 8, 2016 (Sunday).

The Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) - 21st February, 2016 (SUNDAY) was postponed in Haryana State owing to administrative reasons. The fresh date i.e. 8th May, 2016 (SUNDAY) is fixed for examination for the candidates of State of Haryana. It may kindly be noted by all the stakeholders concerned, the CBSE had said in a public notice posted on the CTET website.

The announcement of the date for Haryana candidates also came as good news for other candidates who had appeared for the exam in February.

They have been eagerly waiting for their results which should otherwise have been announced in the first week of April.

Even the CBSE had stated in its original notification that the results for the CBSE Feb 2016 would be announced on or before April 06, 2016.

The CBSE had later confirmed to Zeenews.com that the results for the CTET conducted on February 21 this year had been delayed.

In response to a question 'when will the CTET Feb 2016 results be declared', the CBSE had told Zeenews.com earlier this month, CTET answer key and result will be uploaded on the www.ctet.nic.in. You may check the website regularly.

The Board has so far not released the answer keys as well as OMR sheets for candidates outside Haryana. Earlier, the Board used to publish answer keys within a few days of the exam.

Candidates are advised to keep checking the official CTET website for further information regarding conduct of the exam in Haryana and the publication of answer keys, OMR sheets and results.
New Delhi: Seems, criticism and praises for BJP leaders come easily to AAP convenor. After expressing admiration for Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari, the Delhi Chief Minister has now commended the work of Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.

On Twitter, where he is often critical of the BJP, Kejriwal on Saturday wrote, I congratulate Hon'ble Railway Minister Sh @sureshpprabhu ji. He is doing a commendable job (sic).

I congratulate Hon'ble Railway Minister Sh @sureshpprabhu ji. He is doing a commendable job. https://t.co/WNkjhcPzRU  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 29, 2016

He was praising the Railway Ministry's efforts to provide 3 crore 20 lakh litre water to drought-affected Latur by water train.

Earlier, after meeting Gadkari he had tweeted, It was great meeting you sir. Thank you for supporting us in many areas.
Puducherry: Election authorities here on Saturday found 366 nominations, including that of chief minister N Rangasamy, to be in order at the end of scrutiny of the papers filed by candidates contesting the May 16 Assembly polls in the Union Territory.

Filing of nominations to the 30 assembly constituencies in the Union Territory drew to a close yesterday.

A total of 424 nominations were filed by candidates and of them 366 nominations were found to be in order while remaining 58 nominations were rejected, officials said.

The last date for withdrawal of nominations is May 2.

Chief Minister N Rangasamy and four of his ministerial colleagues, Speaker V Sabapathy, and also candidates of Congress and its poll partner, the DMK are in the fray, besides nominees of AIADMK, BJP and PMK, among others.

While Congress and DMK have formed an alliance to fight the polls, most of the other parties, including AIADMK and the ruling AINRC, are going it alone.
New Delhi: Former defence minister and senior Congress leader AK Antony on Saturday said that strong action should be taken against bribe-takers as well as bribe-givers in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper bribery case.

If evidence is with them (the government) take action, do not involve them (AgustaWestland/ Finmeccanica) in the 'Make In India' project, ANI quoted Antony as saying.

He also hit out at the government over the matter and said, BJP is in power, what were they doing for two years? They must speed up the CBI and ED enquiry.

Antony's remarks came shortly after Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that the fundamental question at the centre of the controversy is: "who took the bribe?"

"The biggest question is 'who took bribe?'. That has to be answered by the previous government, Parrikar said in Dehradun where he was to inaugurate a war memorial.

... Italian High Court equivalent clearly said that political corruption was worth 15.8 million euros, that is Rs 125 crores. They have also taken some names," ANI quoted the Defence Minister as saying.

Parrikar's remarks came as the Congress-BJP political battle over the scam heated up inside as well as outside Parliament.

The Congress has sought to corner the Narendra Modi government for allowing the tainted AgustaWestland to take part in the `Make in India` initiative and the Defence Expo.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, has accused the Congress of trying to distract the attention of the people from the fundamental question of who were the bribe takers.

An Italian court's judgement convicting former top officials of AgustaWestland and its parent Italian firm Finmeccanica for corruption in the India chopper deal had mentioned the names of Sonia Gandhi, her political advisor Ahmed Patel and former prime minister Manmohan Singh.

AgustaWestland`s Rs 3,600 crore contract for supplying 12 VVIP choppers to the Indian Air Force was scrapped by the UPA government over charges of paying kickbacks to Indian agents.

It later assigned the probe into the matter to the CBI.
Panaji: Reports claimed on Saturday that a Russian woman has been raped by a guest house owner in Goa.

The 25-year-old Russian woman was staying at the guest house where she was allegedly raped, Pernem police said.

As per inspector Sanjay Dalvi, the incident happened on Friday morning when the women was sleeping in her room.

The accused has been identified as James DSouza, owner of Morjim Club guest house.

He has been missing since the incident.

Medical examination of the woman has confirmed rape, Dalvi said.

The victim was supposed to leave the country in the first week of May.
New Delhi: Senior BJP leader and a proponent of Hindutva ideology Subramanian Swamy on Saturday said that he may form a forum of Members of Parliaments to advocate a larger Hindutva concept.

Taking to Twitter, Swamy said, Very soon I hope to form a Virat Hindustan Sansadiya Sangam of MPs to advocate in Parliament the Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava Hindutva concept.

Very soon I hope to form a Virat Hindustan Sansadiya Sangam of MPs to advocate in Parliament the Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava Hindutva Concept  Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) April 30, 2016

The Sangam is likely to push for Hindutva issues like securing the disputed Ram Mandir area for building a temple by persuading Muslims to accept an alternative site.

The outfit Virat Hindustan Sangam is expected to empower the youth to articulate the "values" of Hindutva, like scrapping of Article 370, Uniform Civil Code, Ram temple and beef ban.

Indicating that the new body will also act as a pressure group on the ruling BJP, Swamy had earlier said, It would provide a list of candidates to the party for consideration and work closely with the Sangh parivar.

(With PTI inputs)
Mumbai: Handling Bhumata Brigade president Trupti Desai's protest against 'gender inequality' at places of worship has become daunting task for the Maharashtra Police. Her attempts to enter Haji Ali Dargah along with her supporters have kept the police on its toes.

In an interview to Mumbai Mirror, Deputy Commissioner of police, Zone I, Manoj Kumar Sharma said that Desai has become Maharashtra's Kanhaiya Kumar.

We explained to her that she did not have any permission to protest or an appointment or meet the CM. We asked her to turn around and leave for home but she refused. Ultimately, we had to restrain her and bring her to the Azad Maidan ground. She has become Maharashtra's Kanhaiya Kumar, Manoj Kumar Sharma was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror.

Desai had on Thursday tried to enter Haji Ali Dargah, but was stopped at main entrance.

As she reached the premises of the Dargah, the Mumbai Police did not allow her to get down from her car at the main entrance.

Desai, however, made another attempt to enter, but was once again stopped.

Later, she also made an attempt to do a sit-in outside Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' residence, but was detained by the police.

For over 12 hours - a 250-strong force, including riot platoons, was dispatched to Haji Ali after she announced her intention to pray at the mazaar, the sanctum sanctorum, on Thursday.

We wanted to ensure that she does not come back to the city limits. The only way to do it was to escort her out of the city," said Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) told Mumbai Mirror when asked about the decision to drop gender activist Trupti Desai - in the company of two female constables - all the way to her home in Pune
Poonjar : Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly, VS Achuthanandan, a leading crowd puller of the CPI(M)'s Assembly election rallies, on Friday stunned party workers by making only a one line speech in Poonjar segment while campaigning for a LDF candidate and not uttering a single word against former government chief whip P C George who is contesting as an independent.

"Cast your vote for (LDF candidate) PC Joseph who is contesting as the LDF candidate to put an end to Oommen Chandy's corrupt rule," said Achuthanandan ending his one line speech.

When his attention was drawn to the presence of LDF candidate from Peermade, ES Bijimol on the dais, the 93-year-old CPI(M) leader also appealed to the people to cast their votes for the CPI nominee.

A mass rally was organised by the LDF in Poonjar and supporters expected that Achuthanandan would come down heavily on former government chief whip P C George, who is contesting as an independent after LDF refused to accept him in its fold.

He, however, did not utter a single word against George, who had earlier said his support goes to Achuthanandan as Chief Ministerial candidate of the LDF.

George was quick to comment, saying the one line speech is a clear message to the people of Poonjar that he enjoys moral support of the CPI(M) veteran in the key constituency which is witnessing a tight four-cornered struggle with UDF's Georgekutty Augusthy of KC(M) and BDJS nominee M R Ullas also in the fray.

Meanwhile, addressing another election rally in Pala, the constituency of KC(M) supremo KM Mani, Achuthanandan attacked the former state Finance Minister, saying he is "a gentleman who is hated."
Thiruvananthapuram: A total of 2,60,19,284 voters are eligible to cast their votes in the May 16 Assembly elections in Kerala.

Women accounting for 1,35,08,693 voters outnumbered men voters who stood at 1,25,10589, a release from the state Chief Electoral Officer's office said here today.

Of the electorate, as many as 23,289 are expatriates.

Malappuram district has the highest number of voters with 30.35 lakh and lowest is Waynad with 5.95 lakh, the release added.
Ahmednagar: A minor child fell in to a borewell in a village of Ahmednagar in Maharashtra on Saturday, reports ANI.

According to reports, the six-year-old boy fell into the borewell while playing near it. His parents started to search for him when they found to him.

One of the villagers heard him screaming from the borewell and alerted the district officials thereafter.

Rescue operation is currently underway.

(With ANI inputs)
Mumbai: Welcoming the Bombay High Court's order in the Adarsh Society scam, Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar on Saturday demanded that Maharashtra government should lodge an FIR in the case.

Some people had benefited in the scam and hence we want registration of an FIR first and not just re-inquiry, he said.

The Bombay High Court had yesterday ordered demolition of the 31-storey scam-tainted Adarsh apartments in the heart of Mumbai and sought criminal proceedings against politicians and bureaucrats for "misuse" of powers, holding that the tower was illegally constructed.

"The ramifications of the case which involves cheating are wide. The role of politicians who helped their relatives obtain flats in the controversial Adarsh society needs to be probed," Shelar told reporters here.

During the previous Congress-NCP regime, the then Governor denied permission to the CBI to prosecute the Chief Minister (Ashok Chavan) in the case, he said.

After the BJP-led state government took over in 2014, the present Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao granted CBI the permission to prosecute the guilty, Shelar said.

The role of the officials of Mumbai civic body (MCGM) and those in the state government should also to be investigated, he said.

"An inquiry will reveal everything but we demand that the government first file an FIR," Shelar added.

The posh 31-storey Adarsh Housing Society is constructed on a prime plot of land in Colaba here. It was meant for Kargil war widows and defence personnels.

However, politicians, bureaucrats and military officers allegedly conspired to bend rules and obtained flats for themselves or for relatives at below-the-market rates.

The scam that came to light in November 2010 had forced the then Chief Minister Ashok Chavan to resign.
Pathankot: In a bizarre incident, a 15-year-old boy had a narrow escape from death after he sustained bullet injury in his head while taking a selfie with his sister along with a revolver pointed at his forehead.

The untoward incident happened at the house of the teenager which is situated at Shiv Nagar here on Friday night.

Ramandeep Singh was a student of class 10 of Guru Harkishen Public School.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Pathankot, Rakesh Kumar Kaushal said, Ramandeep was clicking selfie with loaded gun at his house when the incident happened," ANI reported on Saturday.

With bullet stuck in his head, critically injured Ramandeep Singh was shifted to a hospital in Ludhiana.

The incident occurred last night when Ramandeep was trying to take a selfie on his mobile phone with the licensed .32 bore revolver while pointing the weapon to his head.

The revolver belonged to Ramandeep's father Gurkirpal Singh who is a property dealer.

The Pathankot SSP also informed that according to boy's parents, his father had gone out of home leaving behind his licensed gun which the boy took for clicking a selfie. The boy sustained serious injuries after the shot was accidently fired

Meanwhile, the Pathankot police have registered a case relating to the accident.

Recently, a college girl fell into the swirling Arabian Sea while clicking a selfie off a rocky part of the Mumbai beach and a youth who plunged into the water to save her were both swept away.

Similarly, in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, an attempt to take a selfie atop a fort proved fatal for a youth as he fell backwards and died.

According to Priceonomics, India is home to the highest number of people who have died while taking photos of themselves, with 19 of the worlds 49 recorded selfie-linked deaths since 2014.
Tangail: A Hindu tailor was hacked to death by machete-wielding ISIS militants in his shop today in central Bangladesh, the latest in a series of brutal attacks on intellectuals, activists and minorities by the dreaded terror group in the Muslim-majority country.

Nikhil Chandra Joarder, 50, a resident of the Dubail village under Gopalpur upazila of the Tangail district, was hacked to death this afternoon.

"Three assailants entered Nikhil's house-cum shop and slit his throat," Gopalpur police station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Abdul Jalil told reporters.

He said the assailants used a motorbike and fled the scene immediately after the murder. They left a black bag at the spot, which contained three to four bomb-like objects.

Asked about the possible motive behind the attack, Jalil told reporters that a case was filed against Nikhil in 2012 for making a "derogatory" comment about the Prophet of Islam.

They said local Muslims had filed a complaint against the victim, who owned a tailoring shop, to police in 2012 for making comments about the Prophet Mohammed.

"But as far as we know that dispute ended peacefully. His family said he was also threatened by a relative," a senior police official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The murder came less than a week after suspected Islamist militants hacked to death two gay rights activists in the capital Dhaka, saying they tried to promote homosexuality in the deeply conservative nation.

In February suspected Islamists also decapitated a top Hindu priest in a northern district in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

The ISIS has also claimed responsibility for a spate of recent murders of foreigners, and Sufi, Ahmadi, Shiite and Christian minorities.

Hindus, the country`s largest religious minority, make up nearly 10 percent of Bangladesh`s 160 million people.
Washington: The United States wants Pakistan to have dialogue with its neighbours to resolve differences, a top State Department official has said underlining that the country's ties in the region have seen "some ups and downs".

"We do believe, frankly, that Pakistan's relations with its neighbours and with the region ? frankly, there's been some ups and downs, but we believe it's trending towards greater dialogue to resolve differences. We want to see that continue," State Department deputy spokesman Mark Toner said.

Responding to a question on the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, Toner said in these arms transfers, the US takes into account regional security and "a range of other factors."

"We believe our security assistance does contribute to a more stable and secure Pakistan and region," he told reporters.

"We believe the F-16s are the right platform to support Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts, and have been a part of the successful pushback or in past operations against some of the militant groups that are active in Pakistan," Toner said.

The US is not able to sell eight F-16s to Pakistan under a military grant because of a hold on it in the Senate.

Lawmakers want Pakistan to take action against the dreaded Haqqani network, for use of any taxpayers' money towards the sale of the F-16s to Pakistan.

"Key members of Congress have been clear they are not prepared to support FMF for the F-16s absent some specific actions. I would direct you to them for anything further on their position," a State Department spokesman said.
Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake, who is currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) manages to keep all the space enthusiasts on the edge of their seats by sharing some beautiful images.

The British astronaut,who joined the Expedition 46 crew five months ago to be a part of NASA's Expedition 46 and Expedition 47 has yet again mesmerised his followers with beautiful and clear images of San Francisco, San Jose and the Bay area from space.

Check out his tweet:
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take immediate action to secure the release of 34 fishermen from the state and 88 fishing boats, including 21 fishermen and three traditional fishing boats, apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on April 27.

"I write to bring to your personal attention that 22 fishermen in three traditional fishing boats from Tamil Nadu set out for fishing from the Rameswaram fishing base of Ramanathapuram District on 27.4.2016 and have been apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy and taken to Thalaimannar, Sri Lanka. They were engaged in fishing in their traditional waters of Palk Bay when the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended them," Jayalalithaa stated in a letter to the Prime Minister.

Pointing out that India should not treat the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with Sri Lanka as a settled question, the chief minister said, "Once again, I reiterate the Government of Tamil Nadu`s stand that the Government of India 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."

Saying that 85 fishing boats and 13 Tamil fishermen were still languishing in Sri Lankan custody, she added, "The prolonged detention and disuse of the boats would have damaged them, thereby causing immeasurable loss of livelihood to the poor fishermen."

"I once again request the Government of India to secure the release of the fishing boats and restore them in a refurbished condition to the fishermen at the earliest," she urged.
Dehradun: Fire officials are struggling to control forest fires raging in Uttarakhand.

Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) comprising 135 personnel have been deployed in the forests of Uttarakhand to bring the fire under control.

NDRF director general OP Singh said his personnel have already started work in the affected areas.

The request for NDRF personnel was made by the state administration on Friday.

Garhwal Inspector General of Police Sanjay Gunjyal reportedly said that while two NDRF teams have been deployed in Garhwal region, one has been sent to Kumaon.
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday spoke to Uttarakhand Governor K.K Paul over the issue of fires in forests on the state, and assured that Centre is providing all necessary assistance to control the fire.

"Spoke to Uttarakhand Governor Shri KK Paul regarding the incidents of forest fires in the state. NDRF teams have already been sent," Singh said in a tweet."The Centre is providing all necessary assistance to Uttarakhand state to control the forest fires and help in containing the damage," he added.

The National Disaster Response Force deployed three teams earlier today to control forest fires in Uttarakhand that have destroyed nearly 1900 hectares of forest land in 13 districts since February.

The NDRF teams are equipped with water tankers, floating pumps and medical setup to assist the rescue operation. The teams will be posted at Almora, Pauri and Gauchar in Chamoli districts.

Locals have been told to report a fire incident to the concerned district magistrate as soon as they spot it.

Pre-fire alerts listing possible fire points over the next seven days in forest areas are being made available on the forest department website.

Besides ravaging forests, the fire has killed four people, including two women, in Uttarkashi and a woman and her child in Nainital district. Two others were reportedly burnt in separate incidents in Nainital and Chamoli districts.

Authorities had to close National Highway 58 that connects Badrinath for hours on Thursday after the forest fire could not be controlled.

Paul has asked officials to scale up operations to control the fire.

He has ordered deployment of additional staff and allocation of Rs. 5 crore to meet out the immediate financial needs required to control the fires.

Deposed chief minister Harish Rawat has written to Paul urging him to declare Uttarakhand a `forest fire-ravaged` state.
Dehradun: Over 1500 villages on Sunday were under threat from the raging forest fires in Uttarakhand, prompting the centre to deploy three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to bring the inferno under control.

Forest fires are raging in at least 50 locations of the state, threatening to destroy human life and property, according to a report.

On Friday night, scores of villagers had rushed outside their homes to prevent the advancing blaze from engulfing their houses, even as government rescue teams struggled to contain the fire.

Here are the latest developments:

- Director of Delhi's Fire Department to visit Uttarakhand tomorrow to extend all help required to douse the forest fire.

- Preparation underway to drop water from air to douse Uttarakhand forest blaze, operations to begin tomorrow morning.

- Uttarakhand forest fire: Pauri, Chamoli, Tehri, Almora and Nainital worst affected regions, they have thick cover of Cheed and Sal trees.

- Water to de dropped from helicopters to extinguish the fire spread in the forests of Uttarakhand; the operation will begin from Sunday morning.

- Uttarakhand forest fires: IAF deploys MI-17 chopper to control blaze, PMO assures help

- Centre is providing all necessary assistance to Uttarakhand to control the forest fires, says Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

- Indian Air Force (IAF) deploys 11-member team with Mi-17 helicopter to control the Uttarakhand forest blaze.

- Uttarakhand government seeks IAF's help to fight forest fire raging in the state.

- 1,900 hectare of forest in five districts have been affected in Uttarakhand fire so far.

- Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul holds meeting with district officials on forest fire through video-conferencing.

Meanwhile, three teams of NDRF, comprising 135 personnel, have been deployed in the forests of Uttarakhand to bring the fire under control.

NDRF director general OP Singh said his personnel have already started work in the affected areas.

The request for NDRF personnel was made by the state administration on Friday.

Garhwal Inspector General of Police Sanjay Gunjyal reportedly said that while two NDRF teams have been deployed in Garhwal region, one has been sent to Kumaon, the worst hit areas.

Also, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Saturday sought information on fires in forests in Uttarakhand from the state government and assured all possible relief.

The forest fires in Uttarakhand have already destroyed nearly 1900 hectares of forest land in 13 districts since February.

"Three teams of NDRF comprising 135 personnel deployed to control fire in forests in Uttarakhand. The operation has begun," said Singh.

The NDRF teams are equipped with water tankers, floating pumps and medical setup to assist the rescue operation.

The teams will be posted at Almora, Pauri and Gauchar in Chamoli districts. Locals have been told to report a fire incident to the concerned district magistrate as soon as they spot it.

Pre-fire alerts listing possible fire points over the next seven days in forest areas are being made available on the forest department website.

Besides ravaging forests, the fire has killed four people, including two women, in Uttarkashi and a woman and her child in Nainital district.

Two others were reportedly burnt in separate incidents in Nainital and Chamoli districts.

Authorities had to close National Highway 58 that connects Badrinath for hours on Thursday after the forest fire could not be controlled.

Governor K.K. Paul has asked officials to scale up operations to control the fire.He has ordered deployment of additional staff and allocation of Rs. 5 crore to meet out the immediate financial needs required to control the fires.

Deposed chief minister Harish Rawat has written to Paul urging him to declare Uttarakhand a `forest fire-ravaged` state.
Dehradun: Raging forest fires in Uttarakhand on Sunday threatened to wipe out some 1500 hundred villages, prompting the central government to beef up preventive measures by deploying three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) even as Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh extended all help to Governor KK Paul to mitigate the crisis.

Forest fires were reported from at least 50 locations of the state, threatening to destroy human life and property. On Friday night, scores of villagers and the rescue teams deployed by the state government struggled to contain the fire.

On Saturday, Indian Air Force has also deployed an 11-member team equipped with a Mi-17 helicopter to control the blaze. This comes after the state government sought its help.

According to media reports, about 1,900 hectare of forests covering five districts have been affected in the fire.

Governor KK Paul held a meeting with district officials to review the situation.

Meanwhile, three teams of NDRF, comprising 135 personnel, have been deployed in the forests of Uttarakhand to bring the fire under control.

NDRF director general OP Singh said his personnel have already started work in the affected areas.

The request for NDRF personnel was made by the state administration on Friday.

Garhwal Inspector General of Police Sanjay Gunjyal reportedly said that while two NDRF teams have been deployed in Garhwal region, one has been sent to Kumaon, the worst hit areas.

Also, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Saturday sought information on fires in forests in Uttarakhand from the state government and assured all possible relief.

The forest fires in Uttarakhand have already destroyed nearly 1900 hectares of forest land in 13 districts since February.

"Three teams of NDRF comprising 135 personnel deployed to control fire in forests in Uttarakhand. The operation has begun," said Singh.

The NDRF teams are equipped with water tankers, floating pumps and medical setup to assist the rescue operation.

The teams will be posted at Almora, Pauri and Gauchar in Chamoli districts. Locals have been told to report a fire incident to the concerned district magistrate as soon as they spot it.

Pre-fire alerts listing possible fire points over the next seven days in forest areas are being made available on the forest department website.

Besides ravaging forests, the fire has killed four people, including two women, in Uttarkashi and a woman and her child in Nainital district.

Two others were reportedly burnt in separate incidents in Nainital and Chamoli districts.

Authorities had to close National Highway 58 that connects Badrinath for hours on Thursday after the forest fire could not be controlled.

Governor K.K. Paul has asked officials to scale up operations to control the fire.He has ordered deployment of additional staff and allocation of Rs. 5 crore to meet out the immediate financial needs required to control the fires.

Deposed chief minister Harish Rawat has written to Paul urging him to declare Uttarakhand a `forest fire-ravaged` state.
New Delhi:The Prime Minister`s Office (PMO) on Saturday sought information on fires in forests in Uttarakhand from the state government and assured all possible relief.

The National Disaster Response Force deployed three teams on Saturday to control forest fires in Uttarakhand that have destroyed nearly 1900 hectares of forest land in 13 districts since February.

"Three teams of NDRF comprising 135 personnel deployed to control fire in forests in Uttarakhand. The operation has begun," said O.P. Singh, Director General of NDRF.The NDRF teams are equipped with water tankers, floating pumps and medical setup to assist the rescue operation.

The teams will be posted at Almora, Pauri and Gauchar in Chamoli districts.Locals have been told to report a fire incident to the concerned district magistrate as soon as they spot it.

Pre-fire alerts listing possible fire points over the next seven days in forest areas are being made available on the forest department website.Besides ravaging forests, the fire has killed four people, including two women, in Uttarkashi and a woman and her child in Nainital district.

Two others were reportedly burnt in separate incidents in Nainital and Chamoli districts.Authorities had to close National Highway 58 that connects Badrinath for hours on Thursday after the forest fire could not be controlled.Governor K.K. Paul has asked officials to scale up operations to control the fire.He has ordered deployment of additional staff and allocation of Rs. 5 crore to meet out the immediate financial needs required to control the fires.

Deposed chief minister Harish Rawat has written to Paul urging him to declare Uttarakhand a `forest fire-ravaged` state.
Kolkata: Polling began for 53 constituencies in the fifth and penultimate phase on West Bengal assembly polls on Saturday.



Voting began at 7am for 31 constituencies in South 24 Parganas and 18 in Hooghly districts besides four in South Kolkata.

Today's 53 constituencies are considered very important as they are spread over an area considered the citadel of the state's ruling party Trinamool Congress. Several crude bombs were found from different parts of the city yesterday during random check by Kolkata Police.

Four persons have been detained in connection with the recoveries, a senior police officer had said yesterday.

Nearly 1.24 crore (1,23,97,832) voters across 14,642 polling stations, including 77 auxiliary booths, are eligible to decide the fate of 349 candidates -- 43 of them female.

The Trinamool and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are contesting in all the seats in this phase.

The Left Front, which has tied up with the Indian National Congress, is in the fray in 37 seats - CPI-M ( 31), All India Forward Bloc (three), Revolutionary Socialist Party (two) and Communist Party of India (one). The Congress has nominated 14 candidates. The combine has lent support to the Nationalist Congress Party in one seat, and is backing an independent in another.

Earlier, police seized ten crude bombs kept inside a bag lying in the backyard of a club in the Tiljala area in the southern part of the city, a day before the fifth phase of Assembly polls.

As per the Election Commission's directives, all clubs where likelihood of outsiders assembling and intimidating the voters have been identified and brought under strict vigilance.

The Kolkata Police is maintaining strict vigil in and around the city to avert any incident during today's polling in the city and surrounding areas under its jurisdiction.

Checking of vehicles at crucial places both at the entry and exit points of the city, increase of patrolling both at day and night at "sensitive areas" were continuing.

Meanwhile, as many as 680 companies of central forces have been deployed in poll-bound districts of South 24 Parganas, Kolkata and Hooghly during the fifth phase of polls today, besides thousands of city and state police personnel, quick response and night intervention teams and flying squads.

According to additional chief electoral officer Dibyendu Sarkar, central forces deployed in 1,064 sectors spread across the three districts will be significant in maintaining law and order in the fifth phase.

Trinamool faces Narada, alliance challenge in its citadel

The fate of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would be decided today alongside that of several Trinamool Congress leaders allegedly caught accepting illegal money in the Narada sting video

In the backdrop of the Calcutta High Court ordering on the poll eve a forensic test on the Narada sting tapes, 31 constituencies in South 24 Parganas, 18 in Hooghly district and four in Kolkata South, all known bastions of the Trinamool, are going to the hustings.

In the 2011 assembly polls, the Trinamool - then an ally of the Congress and the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) - had bulldozed all opposition to capture 46 seats. The SUCI-C had bagged one.

The Left Front had won only six, with the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) getting four, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the All India Forward Bloc one each.

Over the past five years, the Trinamool has come up with spectacular electoral successes in the region, be it the assembly polls, or elections to the Lok Sabha, civic or rural bodies.

However, the opposition Congress-Left Front is hoping to put up a better showing, on the strength of the alliance arithmetic and the furore created over the Narada videos.

State ministers and party heavyweights Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, city mayor Sovon Chatterjee and Iqbal Ahmed - all contesting the polls - were among the leaders allegedly shown taking money in return for doling out favours to a fictitious company.

The Narada footage has dominated the election campaign, with the ruling party battling corruption charges levelled by the opposition, and seemingly jittery over the likely fallout in the urban areas, especially Kolkata.

Besides, the alliance chemistry of the LF-Congress combine, has made a number of constituencies in Hooghly and South 24 Parganas a close call.

All eyes will be on south Kolkata's Bhawanipur, where Mamata Banerjee -- seeking re-election -- is facing a challenge from Left Front-backed Congress nominee Deepa Dasmunshi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's grandnephew Chandra Kumar Bose of the BJP.

Elsewhere, prominent candidates include ministers Arup Biswas and Manish Gupta -- both from Trinamool -- and CPI-M state secretariat members Rabin Deb and Sujan Chakraborty.

Another star candidate is Abdur Rezzak Mollah, a high-profile minister during the Left Front regime, who is contesting on a Trinamool ticket from Bhangore in South 24 Parganas.

Celebrated actress Debasree, the sitting legislator from Raidighi in South 24 Parganas, is taking on CPI-M heavyweight and former state minister Kanti Ganguly.

As part of fool-proof measures for ensuring free and fair polls, the Election Commission has decided to strictly enforce prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Indian Penal Code on Saturday to prevent unlawful assembly.

(With Agency inputs)
Rome: Eighty-four migrants are still missing after an inflatable craft sank off the coast of Libya, according to survivors cited by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Saturday.

Twenty-six people were rescued from the boat which sank on Friday, and were questioned overnight.

"According to testimonies gathered by IOM in Lampedusa 84 people went missing," IOM spokesman in Italy Flavio Di Giacomo wrote on his Twitter feed.

Di Giacomo told AFP that the survivors indicated 110 people, all from assorted west African states, had embarked in Libya.

In an email, he added that the vessel "was in a very bad state, was taking on water and many people fell into the water and drowned.

"Ten fell very rapidly and several others just minutes later."

Earlier Saturday, Italy`s coastguard said an Italian cargo ship had rescued 26 migrants from a flimsy boat sinking off the coast of Libya but voiced fears that tens more could be missing.

The coastguard received a call from a satellite phone late Friday that helped locate the stricken inflatable and called on the merchant ship to make a detour to the area about four miles (seven kilometres) off the Libyan coast near Sabratha.

Rough seas and waves topping two metres (seven feet) hampered attempts to find any other survivors.

The rescued migrants were transferred to two coastguard vessel and taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Images released by the coastguard showed two women wrapped in shawls and blankets stepping off one of their vessels.

An IOM spokesman said five unaccompanied minors aged between 16 and 17 were among those rescued.

More than 350,000 people fleeing conflict and poverty have reached Italy on boats from Libya since the start of 2014, as Europe struggles to manage its biggest migration crisis since World War II.

Most of the 27,000 people who have made it to the Italian coast this year hail from Nigeria, Gambia and Senegal.

Some 500 were rescued on Friday by monitoring vessels in the area while Di Giacomo said two bodies had been spotted in one inflatable craft.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates 1,261 people have drowned in the Mediterranean this year, chiefly on precarious voyages to Greek islands, in desperate attempts to secure a new life.

The additional migrant flow from the Syrian conflict has put further pressure on search and rescue operation efforts.

Last year, the IOM estimated that around 3,800 people died or were listed as missing in the Mediterranean -- though some UN estimates put the figure at nearer 5,000.
Rome: Eighty-four migrants are still missing after an inflatable craft sank off the coast of Libya, according to survivors cited by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Saturday.

Twenty-six people were rescued from the boat which sank on Friday, and were questioned overnight. "According to testimonies gathered by IOM in Lampedusa 84 people went missing," IOM spokesman in Italy Flavio Di Giacomo wrote on his Twitter feed.

Earlier Saturday Italy`s coastguard said an Italian cargo ship had rescued 26 migrants from a flimsy boat sinking off the coast of Libya but voiced fears that tens more could be missing.

The coastguard received a call from a satellite phone late Friday that helped locate the stricken inflatable and called on the merchant ship to make a detour to the area about four miles (seven kilometres) off the Libyan coast near Sabratha.

The nationalities of the rescued migrants, who were transferred to a coastguard vessel and taken to the Italian island of Lampedusa, were not immediately known.

More than 350,000 people fleeing conflict and poverty have reached Italy on boats from Libya since the start of 2014, as Europe battles its biggest migration crisis since World War II.
Beijing: Foreign Ministers of China and Japan held rare talks on Saturday to reduce mistrust between the second and the third-largest economies and improve relations strained by rival claims over a group of islands, with Beijing saying the ties should be based on cooperation not confrontation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his visiting Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida that China-Japan ties must be based on "respect for history, adherence to commitment, and on cooperation rather than confrontation."

Kishida is paying an official visit to China, his first since assuming office over three years ago. It is also the first by a Japanese foreign minister in four-and-a-half years.

High-level ties between the two countries have remained largely frozen since Japan nationalised a group of uninhabited East China Sea islands claimed by China in 2012. The move sparked deep anger in China.

The uninhabited islands - believed to be rich with oil and minerals - are called Senkakus by Japan and Diaoyu by China.

The island dispute led to polarisation of sentiments in both the countries affecting their flourishing trade ties.

The maritime dispute has added to the bitterness generated by the Japanese invasion of China during World War II.

But the ties have been thawing recently after meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

China, however, remains deeply suspicious of Japan, particularly of moves by Abe to allow Japanese military to fight overseas for the first time since World War II. China? objected to Japan changing its pacifist constitution.

In his opening remarks, Wang said China and Japan are neighbours and stressed that China is willing to develop a healthy and stable relationship with Japan.

"We have recently seen the Japanese side repeatedly expressing its hope of improving the bilateral relationship. You have also shown your willingness to take the first step. If you come with sincerity, we welcome you," Wang said.

"We hope that your visit will play a positive role in actual improvement of China-Japan ties," he added.

According to Wang, China-Japan ties went through twists and turns in recent years, due to reasons best known to Japan.

Wang said he was ready to listen to Kishida on how to improve ties, and equally important is whether Japan will turn its words into deeds, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Wang expressed sympathy to Japan over the deadly earthquakes in mid-April. Kishida thanked Wang for expressions of condolence from China.
Vienna: Europe can learn from India in tackling the migrant crisis as the country has experience in dealing with migrants and integrating them, a top Austrian official has said.

As Europe grapples with an unprecedented influx of migrants, there is definitely a strategic partnership between India and the EU, said Herbert Krauss, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Austria,?Head of the Department for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (EU).

"Though I am not dealing with our bilateral relations but I was just reading through what our (Austrian) Embassy wrote about the visit of our Foreign Minister and it tells there is lot of potential in India. I think India is definitely up and coming so it is definitely one of our important strategic partners, speaking as a European," he told a group of visiting Indian journalists here yesterday.

"Also for?instance in the migration issue because India has experience with migration. I think they had refugees from Bangladesh. So you know how to integrate them, how to deal with them. I think the EU is also tapping into your experience because there is a plan to conclude a common agenda for migration and mobility between India and the EU," he said, adding it is a good project and will be mutually beneficial.

Krauss asserted that "Europe as a whole" can learn from the Indian experience in dealing with the migrants crisis.

Official sources said the migrant crisis was something the EU had never seen before in these dimensions and is something where the EU is "slowly but gradually developing a common line" which is absolutely indispensable.

"Since particularly this migration crisis goes right to the heart of domestic policies ? social policies and how do we integrate the migrants and what are the perspectives and how do we manage that, this is something which involves all the aspects ?not just of the common security policy but also of EU policies," a source said.

Talking specifically of Austria, sources said a figure?of 37,000-38,000 migrants annually is what experts are saying can be integrated without major restructuring of the country?s financial instruments and without disrupting society.

"But in European terms, this does not sound much. European Union has about 500 million inhabitants. Europe could accept between two and three million refugees in about two or three years and this is not so bad," a source said.

The source said about 400 to 500 Austrians were reported to have gone to fight alongside ISIS in Syria. Seventy of them have returned home and about 40 died.

Since the number was quite large Austria was closely monitoring efforts to integrate migrants in the social milieu and pooling in more resources into anti-radicalisation programmes.
Ajaccio: A Muslim prayer hall in the French island of Corsica was ravaged by fire today in what prosecutors said was probably a criminal attack.

The blaze occurred just months after the island, popular with tourists for its turquoise waters and picturesque mountains, was rocked by anti-Arab riots over Christmas.

The building, one of the largest prayer halls in the capital Ajaccio, suffered major damage in the fire, said Abdallah Zekri, the head of the National Observatory Against Islamophobia.

He called on the authorities "to do everything to shed light on this incident in order to avoid an escalation of violence".

"It has been calm since the end of the year, but unfortunately certain ill-intentioned people want to inflame the situation," he told AFP.

Protests erupted on the Mediterranean island over Christmas after firefighters and police called to a low-income immigrant neighbourhood were ambushed and attacked.

Several anti-Muslim acts occurred in the weeks that followed, including an attack on a Muslim butcher's shop.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve issued a statement today expressing "solidarity with the Muslims of Corsica".

He also voiced the "commitment of the government to protect all places of worship, and to ensure freedom of worship throughout the territory".

Nationalists won regional elections in Corsica for the first time in December.

The island has the second largest proportion of foreigners in France, at between eight and 10 per cent of the total population, after the Paris region.
Tehran: Reformist and moderate politicians allied with President Hassan Rouhani won second round parliamentary elections in Iran, unofficial results said today, opening the door to them controlling the legislature.

The outcome, if confirmed officially, would represent a dramatic political realignment in the Islamic republic, with conservative MPs likely being outnumbered by their rivals for the first time since 2004.

It would also be a huge public vote of confidence for Rouhani, who won a landslide election victory in 2013 and went on to clinch a historic deal with world powers over Tehran's nuclear programme that lifted sanctions.

Voting was extended yesterday in the second round elections for almost a quarter of parliament's seats in what was a crucial showdown between reformists and conservatives seeking to influence the country's future.

The result could open a delicate path to limited social and cultural change after an era of diplomatic clashes over the nuclear programme that, before Rouhani, had left Iran highly isolated.

It is also likely to herald a parliament that supports the government -- the current conservative-dominated chamber has repeatedly blocked Rouhani's initiatives and even impeached one of his ministers.

The president's backers made huge gains in the first round of elections, on February 26, when voters drove many conservatives out of the parliament, but still scored eight seats less than them overall.

Of the 68 seats being contested yesterday, 33 went to the pro-Rouhani List of Hope coalition and 21 to conservatives, according to the Fars news agency, an outlet close to conservatives.

That would give reformists 128 seats in the new 290-member parliament, shy of a majority but more than their rivals' 124 MPs, with the rest going to independents who could hold the balance the power.

Another conservative news agency, Tasnim, said Rouhani's allies had won 35 seats in the second round, which was needed because no candidate won the minimum 25 per cent required in the first ballot.

Tension over the Friday vote's high stakes was underlined by a shooting involving supporters of rival candidates in a southern province. The rare political violence left four people wounded, a security official said.

Iran's reformists have encouraged foreign investment, support moves for greater diplomatic rapprochement and seek social change and fewer political restrictions at home.

Their electoral gains in February came just six weeks after Tehran's implementation of a nuclear deal with world powers under the moderate Rouhani.

Around 17 million citizens were eligible to vote yesterday and polling took place in 21 provinces, but not the capital Tehran, as reformists won all of the capital's 30 seats in the first round.
District of Columbia: US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Geneva Sunday in a show of support for the ceasefire between the Syrian government and rebel forces, US officials said Saturday.

Kerry will meet with the foreign ministers of Jordan and Saudi Arabia and UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, the State Department said in a statement.

The trip through Monday comes with a US- and Russian-backed ceasefire under threat as Syrian government aircraft continue to attack the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.

"In all of his discussions, the Secretary will review ongoing efforts to reaffirm the cessation of hostilities nationwide in Syria, obtain the full humanitarian access to which the Syrian government committed, and support a political transition" as called for in a UN Security Council resolution, the statement said.

A new round of UN-backed Syria peace talks is set to begin on May 10 in Geneva after the last round ended last week with no progress.

Aleppo, capital of the northern province of the same name, is a key battleground of vital strategic significance to both sides in the Syrian civil war.

The truce, which came into force on February 27, has done little to ease the threat against the city.

Once Syria`s economic powerhouse, it has become the scene of some of the worst fighting in a conflict that has killed more than 270,000 people in the past five years.
Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Geneva Sunday in a show of support for the ceasefire between the Syrian government and rebel forces, US officials said Saturday.

Kerry will meet with the foreign ministers of Jordan and Saudi Arabia and UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, the State Department said in a statement.

The trip through Monday comes with a US- and Russian-backed ceasefire under threat as Syrian government aircraft continue to attack the northern Syrian city of Aleppo.

"In all of his discussions, the Secretary will review ongoing efforts to reaffirm the cessation of hostilities nationwide in Syria, obtain the full humanitarian access to which the Syrian government committed, and support a political transition" as called for in a UN Security Council resolution, the statement said.

A new round of UN-backed Syria peace talks is set to begin on May 10 in Geneva after the last round ended last week with no progress.

Aleppo, capital of the northern province of the same name, is a key battleground of vital strategic significance to both sides in the Syrian civil war.

The truce, which came into force on February 27, has done little to ease the threat against the city.

Once Syria's economic powerhouse, it has become the scene of some of the worst fighting in a conflict that has killed more than 270,000 people in the past five years.
Aleppo: Terrified residents fled a new wave of air strikes on rebel-held areas of Syria`s divided city of Aleppo Saturday, as key regime backer Russia rejected calls to rein in its ally.

Aleppo was left out of a new temporary US-Russian brokered truce that appeared to be holding in the regime stronghold of Latakia as well as Damascus and the nearby rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta.

US Secretary of State John Kerry was to travel Sunday to Geneva in a show of support for the truce and will meet the UN envoy to Syria and the Jordanian and Saudi foreign ministers.

The State Department said his talks will focus on "efforts to reaffirm the cessation of hostilities nationwide in Syria".

A new round of UN-backed peace talks is set to start on May 10 in Geneva.

In Aleppo`s rebel-held east, dozens of civilians left the battered Bustan al-Qasr district early Saturday, an AFP correspondent said.

"The situation has become unbearable," Abu Mohammed said as he prepared to flee with his wife and five children. "Everything is paralysed."

Russia said that it would not ask Damascus to halt air raids on Aleppo.

"No, we are not going to put pressure on (Damascus) because one must understand that the situation in Aleppo is part of this fight against the terrorist threat," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said.

Washington has appealed to Moscow to keep President Bashar al-Assad`s regime in check.

Once Syria`s economic hub, Aleppo and its surrounding countryside have suffered some of the worst fighting in a conflict that has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.At least 246 civilians have died in shelling, rocket fire and air strikes in both sides of the city since April 22, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

At least 10 civilians died in rebel-controlled areas on Saturday, the civil defence said.

The few people out on the streets watched the sky anxiously for regime aircraft, running for shelter when one launched a new raid.

The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground, reported 28 air strikes on eastern neighbourhoods.

But in its daily report on Syria, Russia`s defence ministry said it had recorded only "three ceasefire violations in the city of Aleppo", blaming them all on the rebels.

The SANA state news agency said shelling of western government-held neighbourhoods killed three civilians including a child, and blamed Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front and its allies.

A pro-government newspaper said Thursday the army was preparing an offensive to recapture all of Aleppo and the surrounding province.

Some families have fled to safer districts, while others left by the dangerous Castello road, the only route out of near-besieged east Aleppo.

Hospitals have also been bombed in nine days of escalating violence in Aleppo.

Four medical facilities were hit Friday on both sides of the front line, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

A raid on Wednesday hit a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross as well as nearby housing, killing 30 people and sparking an international outcry.

On other fronts, fighting halted at 1:00 am Saturday (2200 GMT Friday) in a "freeze" set to last for 24 hours in Damascus and Eastern Ghouta, and 72 hours in Latakia.Humanitarian convoys carrying food and medicine meanwhile entered the besieged rebel-held towns of Madaya and Zabadani, northwest of Damascus, on Saturday, the Red Cross said.

At the same time, trucks entered the besieged government-held towns of Fuaa and Kafraya, southwest of Aleppo.

Madaya became infamous in late 2015 after dozens died of starvation there.

In the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, a couple and their two daughters were killed in strikes by unidentified aircraft on a village held by the Islamic State group, the Observatory said.

And in northeastern Syria, a suicide bomber killed five Kurdish policemen at a checkpoint in the city of Qamishli, police said.

The violence in Aleppo has severely tested the February 27 truce between the regime and non-jihadist rebels intended to pave the way to an end to the five-year conflict.

Anas al-Abdeh, head of the Istanbul-based opposition National Coalition, Saturday accused the regime of "war crimes and crimes against humanity" in Aleppo.

Human Rights Watch also said the air strikes on medical facilities in the city "may amount to war crimes".

Qatar called for an emergency Arab League meeting, and Saudi Arabia condemned the regime strikes.

str-ram/ah/hkb/srm
Moscow: Russia will not ask the Syrian regime to halt air raids on the war-ravaged city of Aleppo, as it believes they are helping to combat jihadist groups, Moscow`s foreign ministry said Saturday.

"No, we are not going to put pressure on (Damascus) because one must understand that the situation in Aleppo is part of this fight against the terrorist threat," Foreign deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov told the Interfax news agency.

Aleppo, capital of the northern province of the same name, is a key battleground and of vital strategic significance to both sides in the Syrian civil war.

Despite a truce which came into force on February 27, what was once Syria`s economic powerhouse has become the scene of some of the worst fighting in a conflict which has killed more than 270,000 people in the past five years.

The past week has seen a spike in fighting which has left more than 200 people dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Dozens of civilians on the rebel-held side of Syria`s second city had to flee their homes early Saturday for fear of a ninth straight day of air raids by regime aircraft, an AFP reporter in Aleppo said.

Some 250 civilians have been killed in raids since they began on April 22 or else been caught in army and rebel crossfire, according to the Observatory.

US officials have accused Moscow of backing the attacks by a Damascus regime which Russia supports as the Syrian government gears up for an expected assault on Aleppo.

On Thursday, Washington appealed to Moscow to keep President Bashar al-Assad`s regime in check and the United States also expressed outrage over an air strike on an Aleppo hospital.

Secretary of State John Kerry said the strike matched a pattern of Syrian government attacks targeting health workers.

The Russian army responded by denying it was backing the regime strikes and indicated that no Russian war planes have flown over the city in recent days.

"Out army and the US army discuss the situation in Aleppo daily," Gatilov said Saturday.
District of Columbia: For a few hours on Friday, the White House became the Blues House.

Musicians including Herbie Hancock, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Aretha Franklin and Hugh Masekela joined US President Barack Obama for a special concert to celebrate International Jazz Day.

"Tonight, we are turning this place into the Blues House. I did not issue a new executive order, I just invited all my favorite jazz musicians to play in my backyard," Obama said, kicking off the event on the South Lawn with about 550 guests.

"Perhaps more than any other form of art, jazz is driven by an unmistakably American spirit," Obama said, noting that the genre was shaped in the melting-pot southern city of New Orleans.

Quoting Duke Ellington, the president emphasized that jazz is "a good barometer of freedom."

"There is something fearless and true about jazz. This is truth-telling music," he said.

Obama shared a personal story about his father, whom he did not know well, taking him to his first jazz concert during a monthlong visit in 1971.

The young Obama saw Dave Brubeck perform in Honolulu, Hawaii.

"The world that that concert opened up for a 10-year-old boy was spectacular. And I was hooked," he said.

Franklin opened the performances with "A Song for You," which she played on a grand piano. Actor Morgan Freeman was the evening`s emcee.

Chick Corea, Jamie Cullum, Al Jarreau, Diana Krall, Pat Metheny and Bobby Watson were also among the artists performing Friday night in the concert that will be broadcast Saturday on ABC.

Washington is the global host city of the 2016 International Jazz Day. The annual event was launched in 2012 by UNESCO and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.
YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. Specialist in International law, professor emeritus at Stockholm University and at Swedish National Defense College Ove Bring urges Turkey to enter into dialogue with Armenians over the tragedy of 1915. Modern Turkey is responsible for the incidents if 1915, as it is the same state, the successor of the Ottoman Turkey, Armenpress reports the professor at Stockholm University announced this during Against the Crime of Genocide second global forum.

Ove Bring mentioned that according to international law, economic losses resulted by genocide must be recovered and compensated over time. If there are some people who lost right to property, members of their families in Turkey can prove that their family had an economic lawsuit. They can apply to the European Court of Human Rights trying to prove that the mentioned lawsuit was never annulled, it continues to exist, Bring said. He added that it is a difficult path, as many things need evidences, but theoretically it is possible that can be brought into life.
YEREVAN, APRIL 28, ARMENPRESS. The regular parliamentary session kicked off in the National Assembly. Armenpress reports, 102 MPs were registered. They continue to discuss the draft Electoral Code.

The discussion of the question was interrupted on April 27 session. MPs present their views on the draft Electoral Code, make proposals how to make it better.

According to the Constitution of Armenia the Electoral Code should be adopted until June 1, 2016.
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Assembly of America calls on Armenians living in the USA to apply to the Congress for providing Armenia with a $15 mln for assisting the Syrian refuges.

Armenpress reports the press release issued by the Armenian Assembly of America mentions that Armenia has accepted 20 thousand Syrian refuges which makes Armenia third country in Europe in terms of refugee number.

We are worried about violence and turbulences in Syria, which forces ethnic minorities to flee and find shelter in other countries. We call on American-Armenians to apply to the Congress for allocating Armenia $15 mln from the funds aimed at helping refuges in the fiscal year of 2017, as well as make sure that the allocation has precise targets, so that those in need of humanitarian aid, receive that, the press release reads.
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. The U.S.A. calls on the parties of Nagorno Karabakh conflict to return to peace process. Armenpress reports US State Department spokesperson Mark Toner referred to escalation in Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone during daily press briefing, urging to stop violence and resume the peace process.

We dont want to see any escalation in the violence. We abhor such attacks by either side, and we need to see a return to the process that is in place to bring about a peaceful settlement to Nagorno-Karabakh. We call for all sides to de-escalate and to return to the peace process, Toner said.
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. As Congress convened to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide earlier this week, Armenian Caucus Members Reps. Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA), along with Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), sent a letter to the Wall Street Journal condemning a Turkish-paid Armenian Genocide denial advertisement included in its April 20th print edition.

As Armenpress was informed from the Armenian Assembly of America, the letter said in part: "We call on you to apologize for your decision to publish this advertisement and ask that you pledge to not publish future advertisements that aim to justify, diminish, or erase the tragedies of the past. While in a statement your newspaper defended the decision, claiming you accept a 'wide range of advertisements, including those with provocative viewpoints,' fabricating the events of the past is not a viewpoint - it is a lie. It has been 101 years since the Genocide - we must look to remember and heal from the tragedies of the past, not justify them."

In addition to the advertisement in the Wall Street Journal and other publications, genocide denial groups also took to the skies using GEICO Skytypers to spread their hate-speech. Last week, Assembly Florida Chair Arsine Kaloustian designed a campaign to combat this denial, and on April 25 GEICO Skytypers issued a formal apology promising to "not get involved in promotional advertising for politically motivated campaigns."

Also this week, Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) strongly condemned the April 2-5 Turkish-supported Azerbaijani military attack against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and Armenia. His article, entitled "US should hold Azerbaijan accountable," appeared in The Hill newspaper. Senator Kirk's column follows statement by Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Robert Dold (R-IL) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Jim Costa (D-CA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), and David Valadao (R-CA) condemning Azerbaijan.

"The time has come for Azerbaijan to face consequences from the United States and the international community for its blatant military aggression against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR)," Senator Kirk wrote. "With no system to referee the cease-fire, Azerbaijan has become increasingly belligerent while facing no consequences for its violations. This must change."

"Confronting genocide denial and Azerbaijani aggression is of paramount importance," stated Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. "Printing ads promoting a foreign government's denial of an indisputable crime against humanity is out of step with American values and is simply wrong. We urge more Members of Congress to speak out against genocide denial and to also hold Azerbaijan accountable for its actions," Ardouny added.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. 252 thousand and 506 tourists arrived in Armenia in the first quarter of 2016. Armenpress reports the National Statistical Service of Armenia has released data, according to which the index has increased by 8.6% against the same period of 2015.

In the first quarter of 2016, 227 thousand and 499 people left Armenia for tourism which is an increase of 5.9% against the same period of last year.
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. The statement published in the website of the European Ombudsman Institute (EOI) about the large-scale aggression of Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh Republic has caused Azerbaijans Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova hysteria.

The OEI had announced on April 11, 2016 that it condemns the violation of rights of the people of Nagorno Karabakh and attacks on civilian facilities.

Armenpress reports, citing Azerbaijani press, Suleymanova has sent a complaint letter to head of OEI Josef Siegele, demanding to remove the statement condemning Azerbaijan from the website.

Official Baku is enraged that the Ombudsman of NKR has published in the website of EOI a report with many facts of Azerbaijani atrocities in Nagorno Karabakh. Azerbaijanis are strictly worried that the international community starts to get informed about their regular atrocities against the Armenian people.
And you thought debt collection tactics in the United States were bad.

"They have stripped and sexually abused a woman, severely burned a toddler by firebombing a house and broken a woman's pinkie as a warning."

Nope, this New York Times piece isn't about a street gang or underground crime organization, but a very Russian variety of debt collectors who are increasingly using brutal tactics as the country's economic turmoil worsens.

The short version: Lots of people take out small emergency loans to get through what they hope is a temporary crisis. When they can't repay, it's easier to terrorize them than to go through more formal methods of compelling repayment.

Here's the story of one such woman who borrowed $75 from a small kiosk, when her husband got sick and couldn't work. They have a small child. She thought she could repay the loan quickly. She couldn't. And "that was when the abusive telephone calls started." They threatened to kill her.

She did not go to the police, she said, because "everyone told us that no one would deal with it." By the time four debt collectors wearing black balaclavas smashed into her small wooden shack on March 30, that debt had bloated to more than $3,600. The men put bags over her head and those of her husband and 17-year-old son, beating and kicking them while demanding repayment. They pushed Ms. Gorbunova facedown on a couch, stripped off her pajamas and began "poking" her with some kind of wooden object, she said. "I was shocked, but the only thing I thought about was that I did not want them to hurt my son," she said on a television talk show. The police called it sexual assault, and an appalled public called it rape. Representatives of the collection industry either accused her of lying or suggested that a few "black collectors" were soiling the entire industry. No one has been arrested, and the credit company denied any involvement.

"Debt Collectors Adopt Mob Tactics as Russians Struggle to Pay Bills" [nytimes.com]

Follow the reporter of this story, Neil MacFarquhar on Twitter: @NeilMacFarquhar. He's the NY Times Moscow bureau chief.



Photo: Russian rouble banknotes are seen in this illustration picture taken in Moscow, September 30, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev.
By Kirsti Knolle and Francois Murphy VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria outlined plans on Wednesday to erect a fence at a border crossing with Italy that is a vital link between northern and southern Europe, escalating a stand-off between the two states over how to handle a migration crisis. Migrants are crossing the Mediterranean from Africa to Italy in growing numbers and Austria has said Rome must stop them traveling onwards towards northern Europe or it will have to introduce border controls at the Brenner Pass in the Alps. But with Austrian preparations for controls already under way, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said Austria's move was "shamelessly against European rules, as well as being against history, against logic and against the future". Austrian police in the Alpine province of Tyrol, which borders on northern Italy, presented plans for the installation of facilities at Brenner to inspect vehicles and process migrants, in the event formal controls are introduced. Building work on some of the facilities at Brenner began two weeks ago but their scale was not immediately known. "A security fence of 370 meters (1,220 feet) is planned," a Tyrol police spokesman said, adding that the fence was part of a system aimed at channeling migrants in the deep valley that the Brenner Pass runs through. Whether the fence is built, however, will depend on the outcome of talks in Rome on Thursday between Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka and his Italian counterpart, the spokesman said. Austria has taken an increasingly hard line on how to deal with the hundreds of thousands of asylum-seeking migrants, many of them fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and elsewhere, who have poured into Europe over the past year. After throwing open its borders to the arrivals with Germany in September, Vienna has since said it cannot cope with the numbers, and it coordinated border restrictions that shut down the main Balkans migrant route from Greece to northern Europe. Italy and Austria are part of the European Union's Schengen open-border zone, but free movement has been jeopardized by the reimposition of controls at some key crossings by countries affected by the migrant influx. Austria's governing coalition of Social Democrats and the conservative People's Party is also under political pressure as the anti-immigration Freedom Party's candidate secured a record share of the vote in Sunday's presidential election. The Austrian parliament on Wednesday passed tough new asylum measures - including one under which migrants could be turned away at the border within an hour - that could be activated if lawmakers determined a threat to public order. The Brenner Pass is the busiest route through the Alps for heavy goods vehicles and any controls there will slow traffic on an important corridor to Germany, Italy's top trading partner. "The construction work will be completed with or without a fence by the end of May," the Tyrol police spokesman said, adding that border controls could be introduced before or after then. (Writing by Francois Murphy; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Philip Pullella and Roberta Rampton

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden took his crusade against cancer to the Vatican on Friday and heard Pope Francis call for an "economic paradigm shift" where medical research is dictated by need rather than profit.

Biden, who lost his 46-year-old son Beau to brain cancer last year, has vowed to pursue a global push to accelerate cancer cures and treatments by marshalling private and public sector resources to combat it as well as rare diseases.

Biden, who flew to Italy from an unannounced trip to Iraq, and the pope, made back-to-back speeches to doctors and researchers from around the world who attended a Vatican conference on regenerative medicine called "Cellular Horizons".

In his address, Francis called on the scientific community to pay more attention to people afflicted with rare conditions, saying these patients often did not receive enough notice because the potential economic returns were deemed insufficient.

"We are called to make known throughout the world the issue of rare diseases, to invest in appropriate education, to increase funds for research, and to promote necessary legislation as well as an economic paradigm shift. In this way, the centrality of the human person will be rediscovered," he said.

Biden, a devout Catholic, has said he believes the world could be on the edge of a breakthrough in harnessing supercomputing and data analysis to find cures and therapies.

"The truth is that today, more than any point in human history, we have a genuine opportunity to help more people across the world than ever before. And thats our obligation," Biden said.

The vice president echoed the pope's call for a universal effort to fight disease that put people before prestige and profit. "We should be sharing data the moment it's published, immediately, not hiding it behind paywalls that prevent information from being shared for a year or more," Biden said.

Story continues

The pope called for research founded on "solidarity, generosity, magnanimity, sharing of knowledge, respect for human life."

The Church teaches that life begins at conception and condemns embryonic stem cell research and therapy because it involves destroying embryos. However, it permits adult stem cell research.

Biden, who ruled out a bid run to be the candidate for the U.S. presidency after his son died, delivered a highly emotional address tinged with personal memories of his family's fight to keep their son alive.

"I wished I could have been the president to preside over the fundamental change to cure cancer," he said.

David Howell Evans, the member of the Irish rock band U2 who is known as "The Edge" and whose daughter had leukemia, was in the front row with Biden.

(Story refiles to add dropped words 'and the pope' in paragraph 3).

(Reporting By Philip Pullella; editing by Ralph Boulton)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission effectively delayed by three months on Tuesday any decision on whether to introduce visa requirements for U.S. and Canadian citizens by asking EU member states and the European Parliament to discuss their stance. The EU executive had signaled it was considering such a move on visas in the midst of difficult negotiations with the United States on a multi-billion dollar transatlantic trade pact. The European Union's visa policy is based on reciprocity and the United States and Canada currently require visas for citizens of several EU member states including Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. "The Commission is ... today inviting the European Parliament and the (European) Council (of member states) to urgently launch discussions and to take a position on the most appropriate way forward... and to inform the Commission on their respective positions by 12 July 2016 at the latest," the EU's executive arm said in a statement. Any move to slap visas on Americans and Canadians is seen as unlikely due to political considerations as well as the negative effect it would have on Europe's lucrative tourism industry. "It is important that the European economy does not become a victim," European Tourism Association ETOA said in a statement. "The business of accommodating U.S. and Canadian visitors is an enormously important industry for Europe. We effectively sell them services worth approximately 50 billion euros ($56.87 billion)... Millions of jobs are dependent on it." The ETOA estimated that introducing visas for citizens of the two countries would cut a third of leisure travels to Europe, which make up more than 80 percent of all trips. Britain, which will hold a referendum on its continued membership of the EU in June, has an opt-out from the EU's common visa policy. Ireland is also outside the common policy. ($1 = 0.8793 euros) (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
POTSDAM, Germany (Reuters) - Migrants should no longer be able to get to Germany and Europe via the Balkan route, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Friday, adding he was concerned refugee numbers would rise with people now coming to Italy by sea from Libya. "It's clear that the Balkan route is a thing of the past and no longer will or should be a place again from where people will be waved through to Germany and Austria and to the centre of Europe," he said at a joint news conference with Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka in Potsdam near Berlin. "Now the issue is alternative routes ... we are of course concerned that we'll get rising refugee numbers again as they come via Libya and Italy," he added. De Maiziere said he agreed with Austria that the situation at Italy's northern border should not replicate the situation on the Balkan route last year. Austria has said it might reintroduce border controls at the Alpine Brenner pass to keep migrants from coming from Italy and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has said Austria's plans to build a fence there were "shamelessly against European rules". Sobotka said the measure was necessary to prevent the route from turning into a major corridor for migrants seeking to reach northern Europe after they arrive to Italy through the Mediterranean from Libya and other north Africa nations. "What we have demonstrated is that the rule of law, the essential measure for us is that we want to register people who come to Austria, that our borders are not overrun," Sobotka said. He added: "This border management that has been in place since February is effective and we have applied this on the border with Hungary ... and we are preparing for this on the border with Italy." De Maiziere and Sobotka both piled pressure on Italy to take responsibility. "What is happening at the Brenner border crossing lies first and foremost in the hands of Italy," de Maiziere, said, adding that on the issue of border controls, states were working together but still needed a few more days to reach a European solution. (Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Michelle Martin and Joseph Nasr; Editing by Balazs Koranyi)
CBC

Ethan Reilly loved to help people, laugh with his buddies and ride anything with a motor. The first Rufus Run  Ethan was called Rufus around the neighbourhood  had it all on Sunday in West Prince, P.E.I. Though Reilly wasn't there in person, he was on the minds of everyone who was. "He was one that always loved to have fun and a few laughs and I hope that's what everyone here can do, remember Ethan and think of him, his laughs and some experiences they had with him," said his mother, Kim Reill
MAPUTO (Reuters) - Mozambican security forces were deployed on the streets of the capital Maputo on Thursday after rumours of planned anti-government demonstrations circulated on social media, witnesses said. Several posts on social media in recent days said new groups were planning to demonstrate on Saturday to vent popular anger at secret government borrowing which could cripple the economy in one of the world's poorest countries. Armoured vehicles packed with police were deployed on major street corners in Maputo although there was no sign of civil unrest, two witnesses told Reuters. Police on Wednesday warned the public not to do anything to unsettle the "harmonious coexistence" in Maputo. "We will not tolerate any conduct that undermines the order security and public tranquillity," a police statement said, referring to rumours of demonstrations. The International Monetary Fund said on Saturday that Mozambique had admitted to having over one billion dollars of undisclosed debt. [nL5N17Q0CK] The World Bank suspended aid to Mozambique pending an analysis of the country's debt sustainability, a spokesman said on Wednesday. [nL5N17U8BD] (Writing by Joe Brock, editing by Ed Osmond)
By Aleksandar Vasovic BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia will re-run voting at 15 polling stations after days of bickering among the ruling and opposition parties over alleged irregularities in Sunday's election, a move that could significantly affect the outcome. Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, who wants to take Serbia into the European Union, won the election with 48 percent of the vote, unchanged from 2014. But his Progressive Party's majority in parliament was reduced as more parties attained the five percent vote threshold needed for seats. A day after the vote, left-wing and ultra-nationalist opposition parties teamed up to demand a recount, claiming election fraud. Vucic responded by accusing the opposition of attempting to rig the vote and influence the Election Commission, and also demanded a recount. Scattered abuses were reported including missing or vandalized ballots, more votes cast than voters, people voting without identification and one case where a drunkard smashed ballot boxes. International observers, including rights bodies Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said fundamental freedoms were respected although there was biased media coverage, undue advantage for incumbents and a blurring of state and party activities. After considering the complaints, the Election Commission said late on Wednesday the vote would be repeated within a week at 15 polling stations around the country, totaling 16,678 voters, although there would be no nationwide recount. Counting of valid votes, still going on after the election, is expected to be completed on Thursday, the commission said. While the affected polling places comprise a tiny proportion of the 8,549 voting stations nationwide, the impact could be significant because two political groups are a whisker above the five percent threshold needed to enter parliament. Those two are the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS)/Dveri, an ultra-nationalist grouping that media reports say is just 48 ballots above the threshold. A leftist alliance grouped around former president Boris Tadic is also just above it. The partial re-run could reinforce their position or push them below the threshold, in which case their seats - around 13 in each case - would be shared out proportionally among the other parties in parliament. That would give Vucic's conservative Progressives - currently in line to get 131 seats in the 250-seat assembly - a more comfortable majority. If DSS-Dveri gets in to parliament, it would bring another pro-Russian, anti-EU voice into the assembly, in addition to the Radicals of Vojislav Seselj, who was recently acquitted of war crimes by the U.N. tribunal in The Hague. "This is a dangerous gamble by the opposition parties because they can lose what they already have and it could also erode trust in the system," said Milos Damljanovic, head of research at the Belgrade-based BIRN Consultancy. Vucic has said he will decide on the make-up of the new Serbian government after his party meets on May 28. (Editing by Adrian Croft/Mark Heinrich)
By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday rejected a bid to block a Texas law that requires voters to show a government-issued form of photo identification before casting a ballot, but left the door open to a renewed challenge before the November elections.

The court denied a request by opponents of the law, including individual Texas voters, who argued that it was not needed and disproportionately affected old and poor voters, including minorities, who are less likely to possess such types of identification.

Critics of the law and others like it passed in recent years in Republican-governed states said such statutes are intended to make it harder for groups that tend to back Democrats to vote. Backers of these laws contend they are necessary to prevent voter fraud.

A similar North Carolina law was upheld by a federal judge on April 25.

The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is due to rehear the Texas case on May 24. The high court's order said if the lower court has not acted on the case by July 20, the law's opponents could renew their application to block it ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential and congressional elections.

"The court recognizes the time constraints the parties confront in light of the scheduled elections in November 2016," the order said.

Gerry Hebert, executive director of the Campaign Legal Center, one of the groups that challenged the law, said he was "very encouraged" by the Supreme Court's comments.

"We believe the 5th Circuit has set up a schedule that may well foreclose the ability to obtain relief in time for the presidential election. This order gives us the opportunity to protect Texas voters if the 5th Circuit fails to rule in time," Hebert said.

The law requires voters to present a photo identification such as a driver's license, passport, military ID card or concealed-handgun license.

Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton welcomed the Supreme Court's action, calling the measure "a common-sense law to provide simple protections to the integrity of our elections and the democratic process in our state."

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The Supreme Court turned down an earlier request to block the law in 2014. The law was enacted in 2011. A district court judge struck it down in 2014, but that ruling never went into effect.

In August 2015, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals partially upheld that 2014 ruling, saying parts of the law violated the U.S. Voting Rights Act through its "discriminatory effects."

That decision was thrown out in March when the appeals court agreed to rehear the case.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Additional reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Editing by G Crosse and Will Dunham)
FRIDAY, April 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- In some cases, worsening symptoms of depression in seniors might point to early dementia, a new study suggests.

The Dutch study can't prove cause-and-effect, and certainly not every depressed senior is headed for dementia. But experts said the findings are intriguing.

"More research is needed, but the study raises the possibility of an overlap between the pathology of dementia and depression," said Dr. Gisele Wolf-Klein, who reviewed the findings. She directs geriatric education at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y.

The study was led by Dr. M Arfan Ikram, an epidemiologist at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam. His team tracked depression symptoms in more than 3,300 adults, aged 55 and older, in the Netherlands for 11 years. The patients were then monitored for signs of dementia for another 10 years.

During that follow-up, 434 of the participants developed dementia, including 348 cases of Alzheimer's disease. Only those whose symptoms of depression increased over time were at increased risk for dementia, Ikram's team found.

And not everyone in that group developed dementia: Only about 22 percent did so, the researchers said.

Still, that number was higher than for people who had a low level of symptoms of depression -- only 10 percent in that group went on to develop dementia, the study found. That rate was similar for those with remitting (coming and going) symptoms of depression.

According to the research team, the findings suggest that having temporary depression -- even if severe -- does not have a lasting effect on the risk of dementia.

However, Ikram's group believes that increasing symptoms of depression in older adults could be reflective of an early stage of dementia in some cases. They say the finding supports prior research suggesting that dementia and certain types of depression may have a common cause.

Wolf-Klein agreed. "Different courses of depression may reflect different underlying causes, and might be linked to different risks of dementia," she theorized.

Dr. Aaron Pinkhasov is chair of behavioral health at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. He called the research "the first robust study looking into the very important association between depression and dementia."

Pinkhasov believes the findings point to a possible common cause between the underpinnings of some cases of depression and dementia.

The study "raises extremely important questions about the role of depression screening and treatment in mitigating the risk of dementia development," he said.

The study was published April 29 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more on dementia.
HOUSTON, April 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brenham Oil & Gas Corp. (OTC:BRHM) (Brenham) and Angola International Capital (AIC) today announced that they have executed a definitive Merger Agreement. The resulting combination will create a new company  Africa Growth Corporation  focused on income-oriented real estate acquisitions and long term housing finance for middle-income families across Sub-Saharan Africa. AIC currently owns and operates residential and commercial real estate in the West African nation of Angola and has begun work on its first projects in Namibia with plans to add additional Sub-Sahara African nations to its portfolio. An affiliate of CBRE has independently appraised three of AICs properties for $30,669,000.



Pursuant to the terms of the combination, AIC, a Bermuda company will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brenham in exchange for the issuance of new Brenham equity to AICs stockholders. After the merger, the combined company will be renamed the Africa Growth Corporation. The principal terms of the merger are as follows:



Post-Closing Ownership of the Africa Growth Corporation. After the issuance of new Brenham equity to AICs stockholders (i) the former AIC stockholders will own approximately 92% of the Africa Growth Corporation, and (ii) Brenhams former stockholders will own approximately 8% of the Africa Growth Corporation.



Existing Brenham Liabilities. Brenhams parent company, American International Industries, Inc., will forgive all of Brenhams existing inter-company debt and payables in exchange for assignment to it of Brenhams producing and undeveloped oil and gas assets, along with customary indemnifications.

Brenhams Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Daniel Dror, Sr. explained, The low oil price has rendered Brenham's near term prospects for further development and commercial exploitation of our oil and gas assets unlikely to produce adequate returns. Rather than waiting for a commodity price recovery, we have leveraged Brenham's valuable African experience that we obtained pursuing petroleum concessions in nations including Togo and Equatorial Guinea into this growth opportunity for the benefit of our shareholders.

Mr. Christopher Darnell, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AIC, will replace Mr. Dror and become the Chief Executive Officer of Africa Growth Corporation. Mr. Darnell has been a member of several Boards of Directors and has held leadership positions in start-up, high growth and emerging market companies within The Southern Company, a Fortune 500 utility company, and Microsoft Corporation. He has been involved in the investment of approximately USD $1.5 billion across multiple industries.

Mr. Darnell said, Africas one-billion people are embarking on the same journey to home ownership and prosperity that the world has previously witnessed in nations such as China, India, and Brazil. In addition to real estate acquisitions and operations, Africa Growth Corporation intends to help meet Africas ever growing demand for home ownership for Sub Saharan African homebuyers. Families across Africa need a functional and scalable conduit for financing their homes. Africa Growth Corporation wants to be that conduit.

Brenhams majority stockholder, American International Industries, Inc., has approved the merger, and the mergers closing is conditional on various terms and conditions, including the effectiveness of the Schedule 14C Information Statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The companies anticipate that the regulatory approval process can be completed within 90 to 120 days.

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements reflect numerous assumptions, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are: economic conditions in the West Africa nations in which AIC currently does business or seeks to do business; government regulatory initiatives that increase competition, threaten cost and investment recovery, and impact rent or mortgage structures; the ability of the combined company to successfully reduce its cost structure; the ability of the company to raise capital to fund its growth; and interest costs on debt.
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The first are the workrooms of late Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky. Vice President Ky was born in the Son Tay District of Hanoi in 1930 and served as vice president of South Vietnam through April 30, 1975. He passed away in 2011 in Malaysia. The workroom of Nguyen Cao Ky. The newly opened areas include bookcases containing many of his books. A picture of Dang Tuyet Mai, his wife, whom he married in 1964. The second are the workrooms of late President Nguyen Van Thieu. The original bed has been kept intact. A photo of Nguyen Thi Mai Anh, his wife, next to the bed. Original antique clock Dressing table of Mai Anh Space for clothes and shoes opposite the bedroom. Clothes of the late President and his wife.


#Korean Air-Cebu incident Korean Air flight overruns Cebu runway, no injuries reported Korean Air Co. said Monday its flight KE631 with 173 people on board overran the runway while landing at Cebu International Airport in the Philippines a day earlier but no injuries...

#Yoon Suk-yeol Yoon calls for war against drug crimes President Yoon Suk-yeol called Monday for special measures to address drug crimes, saying they must be stopped before they become a national-level threat. Yoon gave the instruct...
I really don't know but am somewhat skeptical.

I think Clinton will raise at least $1.1 or $1.2 billion. I don't know if Trump can do that or even come close.

He has very little fundraising infrastructure so he would have to build it up very quickly.

There is also the question of how much money he actually needs given his ability to drive the story and get attention using social media and the like.

That low-dollar strategy worked like a charm in the primary. I genuinely don't know if it's replicable in a general.
AFP News

Ukraine on Sunday denounced as dangerous lies suggestions from Russia that it was preparing to use a "dirty bomb". Its western allies also dismissed the allegations from Moscow, just hours after Russia went public with the claims. In conversations with his British, French and Turkish counterparts, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu conveyed "concerns about possible provocations by Ukraine with the use of a 'dirty bomb'", Moscow said. Russia did not mention the alleged "dirty bomb" allegation in its statement following Shoigu's call with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. "If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means one thing: Russia has already prepared all this," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on social media. "I believe that now the world should react as harshly as possible." Earlier Sunday, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba denounced Moscow's claims as "absurd" and "dangerous". "Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves," he added. A British defence ministry statement said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had "refuted these claims and cautioned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation". And in Washington, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson dismissed Moscow's "transparently false" claim. "The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation," she added. - 'Vile strikes' - Russia also announced Sunday that it had destroyed a depot in central Ukraine storing over 100,000 tonnes of aviation fuel. Kyiv's energy operator meanwhile said scheduled power cuts had been introduced in the Ukrainian capital due to Russia's repeated strikes on the nation's power network. The blackouts started from 11:13 am (0813 GMT) with consumers in Kyiv divided into three groups "disconnected for a certain period of time", energy company DTEK said. DTEK reiterated calls for residents to use electricity "sparingly" and for businesses to limit their use of external lighting. More than one million Ukrainian households have lost electricity following recent Russian strikes, according to the Ukrainian presidency, at least a third of the country's power stations having been destroyed ahead of winter. Zelensky condemned the "vile strikes" in comments late Saturday, after Russian attacks caused power cuts across the country. - 'Save your strength' - In the southern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rig, deputy mayor Sergiy Miliutin was dealing with emergencies and power outages from his underground bunker, used as a venue for a children's martial arts competition. "I've reached a point where I just survive on my drive. You have to stay level-headed and save your strength. No one knows how long this will all last," he told AFP. The intensification of Russian strikes on Ukraine, particularly energy facilities, came after the bridge linking the annexed Crimea peninsula to mainland Russia was partially destroyed by an explosion earlier this month. It was another major setback for Moscow's forces, battling to contain a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the south and east of the country. French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that it was for Ukrainians to decide when "peace is possible", in comments made in Rome at the start of a peace summit. Ukraine reported three deaths in an overnight Russian artillery strike in the Toretsk area, a governor of the eastern Donetsk region said. Inside Russia, two lines of defence have been built in the border region of Kursk to deal with any possible attack, a local governor said on Sunday. On Saturday Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor in the neighbouring Russian border region of Belgorod, said the construction of defence structures had begun. Gladkov said two civilians had been killed in strikes there Saturday, and that 15,000 people had been left without electricity. - Kherson evacuations - Meanwhile Ukraine's SBU intelligence service said it had detained two officials of Ukrainian aircraft engine maker Motor Sich on suspicion of working with Russia. The SBU said management at the company's plant in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region -- partly controlled by Russian forces -- had colluded with Russian state-owned defence conglomerate Rostec. The suspects had supplied Russia with Ukrainian aircraft engines that were used to make and repair attack helicopters, the SBU said. In the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, which Russia claims to have annexed, pro-Moscow officials on Saturday urged residents to leave "immediately" amid a "tense situation" at the front. Kherson, the region's main city, was the first to fall to Moscow's troops and retaking it would be a major prize in Ukraine's counter-offensive. A Moscow-installed official in Kherson, Kirill Stremousov, told Russian news agency Interfax on Saturday that around 25,000 people had left Kherson city to the left bank of the Dnipro River. Ukraine has denounced the removal of residents from Kherson, describing them as "deportations". bur-imm/raz/jj/lcm
If you've never watched or heard about The Human Centipede, allow us to illuminate you on the subject.

The first film was about an insane doctor who drugged three backpackers and then sew their faces to one another's anus - like a centipede. The director, Tom Six, came upon the idea when his father-in-law, a medical doctor, talked about how what kind of cruel and unusual punishment he'd mete out on paedophiles.

The director then began to question him more and more about the subject, as the doctor believed it was medically possible to perform the surgery. The second film, Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence, was actually banned in the UK and wasn't screened until a whopping 30 cuts were made to the film. As part of the promotional tour for the film in the US, the distributors actually had ambulances waiting outside theatres and handed out sick-bags to people in case they vomited.

So, where's the best place to NOT show this? That's right - in a classroom with teenagers! Being shown by a teacher!

Students at Jackson Central-Merry High School in Tennessee were shown the controversial horror film by their teacher. The exact reasons as to why the film was shown to them, again BY THEIR TEACHER, is unclear, however one of the students complained to their parents who then brought the matter up with the school authorities.

The teacher in question, who hasn't been named, has since been suspended and an internal investigation has begun to find out who saw the film and precisely why it was shown to students.

Meanwhile, the director of the film, the aforementioned Tom Six, has been voicing his approval of the film's screening at schools because, d'uh, obviously.

This awesome teacher gets a specially signed copy of THC2 from me! https://t.co/e8mSG6ABr4  Tom Six (@tom_six) April 28, 2016

Via Twitter
Rescue team members search for victims at a collapsed store and buildings at the village of Manta, after an earthquake struck off Ecuador's Pacific coast, April 21, 2016. REUTERS/Henry Romero

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador is negotiating credit lines to finance reconstruction after this month's devastating earthquake with multilateral agencies that include the International Monetary Fund, a government official said on Thursday.

The Andean nation has already opened an emergency credit with multilateral agencies including the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank for about $600 million, and plans to continue seeking additional financing.

An IMF official on Wednesday said Ecuador had requested a credit line, without offering details.

"The work has been positive, and right now (officials are) in negotiations both the (IMF) and with other multilateral agencies," said Planning and Development Secretary Sandra Naranjo in an interview. "We have to keep all our options open."

She did not say which other agencies were involved in financing talks.

Ecuador could receive up to $368 million through an IMF credit line, according to a Reuters calculation based on the rules governing such loans. Disbursements would depend on the country's balance of payments needs.

President Rafael Correa, a harsh critic of IMF policies, has estimated the quake caused around $3 billion in damages and that the country will need "tens of millions of dollars" for reconstruction in the short term.

That includes rebuilding some 6,600 homes, along with roads, schools and health centres affected by the 7.8 magnitude temblor that killed at least 659 people, according to the latest official estimates.

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Editing by Tom Brown)
By Loucoumane Coulibaly KORHOGO, Ivory Coast (Reuters) - High global demand for cashews is pushing up prices in Ivory Coast, the world's leading producer of the nut, where local exporters are battling with smugglers for supplies, farmers and exporters said on Friday. Ivory Coast, already the world's top cocoa producer, surpassed India for the first time last year as production leapt more than 24 percent over the previous season to 702,510 tonnes of nuts. Cashews, a popular snack in Europe and North America, is an essential ingredient in Asian cooking and is increasingly used in products such as dairy-free ice cream. In the northern city of Korhogo, a purchasing hub where dozens of new warehouses have opened in the past five years, buyers said there was intense competition for supplies. "We're under pressure from our (exporter) clients," local buyer Meyeregue Soro said. "Unless you pay 500 CFA francs ($0.86) per kilogram, the farmers won't even look at you." Ivory Coast's government set a minimum farmgate prices of 350 CFA francs per kg for the 2016 marketing season, up from 275 CFA francs last year. But buyers said they were paying between 500 and 550 CFA francs per kg to secure stocks. An Abidjan-based exporter said the reasons for the rising prices were two-fold. First, he said Ivorian output was expected to drop by as much as 20 percent this year due to weather conditions despite a forecast from the Cotton and Cashew Council, the national marketing board, that production would rise to 725,000 tonnes. But he said new taxes on exporters amounting to 45 CFA francs per kg were also fuelling smuggling as some traders sought to circumvent the new levy by shipping Ivorian cashews via other regional ports. "The smuggling is continuing," the exporter said. "(The government) has been able to constrict the flow into Ghana, but now it's going into Burkina Faso. They're shipping out of Accra (Ghana) and Lome (Togo)." He said he expected to see around 40,000 tonnes of nuts illegally exported this season. The taxes do not apply to companies with local processing facilities. The trafficking was confirmed by local buyers in northern Ivory Coast, the West African nation's cashew-growing heartland. "We are aware that there is contraband towards the border with Burkina Faso where some people are sending cashews on moto-tricycles," said Korhogo-based buyer Abdoulaye Cisse as workers dried nuts in front of his warehouse. "We are hearing that sellers over there are earning 100 CFA francs (per kg) more than here," he added. Just a decade ago, Ivory Coast was a middling cashew producer, growing around 80,000 tonnes of raw nuts per year. But with output growing by an average of over 10 percent annually, the sector has attracted thousands of farmers in the impoverished north where many have abandoned cotton, the area's traditional cash crop, in favour of cashews. In the village of Sohouo, some 15 km from Korhogo, most local farmers now grow cashews. "The lives of farmers have changed a lot here in the village these last three years because cashews pay well," said Lacina Silue, standing front of a small, neat house with a satellite dish on the roof. "All my children go to school now with no problem. Growing cashews is even less physically tiring. We think lots of farmers will switch from cotton." ($1 = 578.8000 CFA francs) (Additional reporting and editing by Joe Bavier, editing by David Evans)
WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - April 29, 2016) - Today the Security Council voted to renew the mandate for MINURSO, the United Nations' (UN) peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara. Moroccan Ambassador to the UN Omar Hilale welcomed the resolution for reiterating the fundamental parameters of the negotiation, among them calling for "a fifth round of negotiations" based on "realism and a spirit of compromise" to reach "a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution to the conflict."

MINURSO was established in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire between Morocco and the Algeria-backed separatist movement known as the Polisario Front. After more than a decade of failed attempts to organize a referendum on the status of Western Sahara, the UN decided in 2002 to abandon the idea and instead pursue a negotiated political solution to the conflict. In 2007, and with the encouragement of the United States, Morocco proposed such a compromise solution based on broad autonomy for the Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty.

This year's UN Security Council resolution yet again "[took note] of the Moroccan proposal presented on 11 April 2007 to the Secretary-General and the serious and credible Moroccan efforts to move the process forward towards resolution." The document specifically reaffirmed resolutions 1754 (2007), 1783 (2007), 1813 (2008), 1871 (2009), 1920 (2010), 1979 (2011), 2044 (2012), 2099 (2013), 2152 (2014), and 2218 (2015), all of which call for a negotiated political solution and make no mention of a referendum. In 2008, concluding that "an independent Western Sahara is not an attainable goal," then-UN negotiator Peter van Walsum had proposed that the fifth round of negotiations focus only on a negotiated political solution based on autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.

The resolution also "[recognized] that achieving a political solution to this long-standing dispute and enhanced cooperation between the Member States of the Maghreb Arab Union would contribute to stability and security in the Sahel region."

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"Everyone agrees that this conflict has gone on for far too long, to the detriment of the stability, security, and prosperity of North Africa -- a region of the world that is very vulnerable right now," said former US Ambassador to Morocco Edward M. Gabriel. "The United States understands this, and that's why it has endorsed Morocco's 2007 proposal as the best option out there."

At a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing held earlier this week, Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told members of Congress that the State Department had worked closely with Morocco on this year's UN resolution, recognizing that Morocco "is one of our closest partners in the region and indeed around the world." And US policy toward Western Sahara supporting autonomy of the region under Moroccan sovereignty "has remained consistent for many years," according to numerous State Department statements. At the third US-Morocco Strategic Dialogue, held in Washington last year, Secretary of State John Kerry remarked that "Morocco's autonomy plan is serious, realistic, and credible, and that it represents a potential approach that could satisfy the aspirations of the people in the Western Sahara to run their own affairs in peace and dignity." Secretary Kerry and Morocco's Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar also reaffirmed their "shared commitment to the improvement of the lives of the people in the Western Sahara and discussed appropriate ways to meet that goal."

Today's Security Council resolution noted Morocco's efforts in this regard. "Encouraging the parties to continue in their respective efforts to enhance the promotion and protection of human rights in Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps, including the freedoms of expression and association," the Security Council resolution "welcomed the recent steps and initiatives taken by Morocco, and the role played by the National Council on Human Rights Commissions operating in Dakhla and Laayoune, and Morocco's interaction with Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council." The resolution also "[reiterated] its request for consideration of a refugee registration in the Tindouf refugee camps and [invited] efforts in this regard."

"Today's resolution paves the way for the next step in this process: a fifth round of negotiations based on autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty," added Ambassador Gabriel.

The Moroccan American Center for Policy (MACP) is a non-profit organization whose principal mission is to inform opinion makers, government officials, and interested publics in the United States about political and social developments in Morocco and the role being played by the Kingdom of Morocco in broader strategic developments in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.

This material is distributed by the Moroccan American Center for Policy on behalf of the Government of Morocco. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.
* Helicopter was returning to land from oil platform

* Witnesses say rotor detached while still in the air

* Norway, Britain impose temporary flight ban

* Norway's Statoil (LSE: 0M2Z.L - news) halts Gullfaks B oil production

* Black boxes recovered, to be sent to UK for analysis (Adds worldwide grounding for passenger flights, context)

By Stine Jacobsen and Ole Petter Skonnord

OSLO, April 29 (Reuters) - A helicopter ferrying passengers from a Norwegian oil platform crashed in the North Sea on Friday, apparently killing all 13 people on board, rescue officials said.

The 11 passengers and two crew on the flight from the Gullfaks B oil platform, operated by Norway's Statoil, were all Norwegian except for one British and one Italian national, according to the Rescue Coordination Centre for Southern Norway.

"The helicopter is completely destroyed," it said. After several hours searching for survivors, 11 bodies were found and the remaining two people were presumed dead.

Norway and Britain suspended commercial flights of the type of helicopter involved in the crash, an Airbus Helicopters H225 Super Puma, a workhorse of the offshore oil industry.

Airbus later said the grounding had been extended to the whole commercial fleet, 70 percent of which is used to support the global oil industry from the Gulf of Mexico to Asia and Africa.

Plumes of smoke rose from the scene in a stretch of sea with many small islands and debris could be seen on the rocks.

Several witnesses told Norwegian media they saw the rotor blades separating from the helicopter while still in the air.

"While I looked up, the rotor (blades) loosened and disappeared toward the north," John Atle Sekkingstad told the website of local paper Bergens Tidende.

"After that, the helicopter turned north and I saw fire at the top of the helicopter, where the rotor had been attached. It caught fire before it crashed."

The main body of the aircraft was lying under water, while its rotor was found on a rocky outcrop about 200 to 300 metres (220-330 yards) away, state broadcaster NRK said, quoting the rescue centre.

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Oil worker Chris Andersen told NRK: "I saw the rotor separate ... It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) was horrible. There was a huge explosion that you could physically feel. You felt the vibrations."

The area, just west of Bergen, Norway's second-largest city, has frequent helicopter traffic to and from offshore oil installations. Weather conditions on the day were normal.

Norway's king and the prime minister expressed their condolences to the families of the victims.

"You are not alone in your sorrow," Prime Minister Erna Solberg, dressed in black, said in an address to the nation.

PRODUCTION, FLIGHTS HALTED

Statoil halted production at the Gullfaks B platform, a visibly upset company executive told a news conference.

"This is one of the worst accidents in Norwegian oil history," said Arne Sigve Nylund, Statoil's head of production in Norway, adding that the helicopter passengers worked for different companies, but were all on assignments for Statoil.

"This is a heavy day ... Some of our colleagues will never come home," he said in a trembling voice.

It was the second-worst Super Puma accident after a 2009 crash off Scotland in which the rotors also detached, killing 16 people. Investigators cited a catastrophic gearbox failure.

Tracking service Flightradar24 said the helicopter in Friday's crash dropped 2,100 feet (640 metres) in the last 10 seconds.

Formerly known as the Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma, the aircraft is a long-range helicopter widely used in the oil and gas industry, as well as for VIP flights and search and rescue. Eurocopter changed its name to Airbus Helicopters in early 2014.

Imposing a temporary ban on commercial flights using the same type of helicopter, the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash.

Airbus Helicopters, a subsidiary of Airbus Group (Swiss: AIR.SW - news) , pledged full support for the investigation, which will be carried out by Norway with assistance from investigators based in France and Britain.

Norway said late on Friday it had found the two "black box" flight recorders, one capturing data and the other recording cockpit conversations, and would send them to Britain, which has experience of handling several recent helicopter incidents.

The crash deals a blow to an offshore industry already suffering weak demand due to low oil prices and puts the Super Puma (Swiss: PUM.SW - news) back in the spotlight after a series of problems in the UK.

In 2012, Super Puma fleets were grounded after a pair of controlled ditchings that were later linked to gearbox cracks, prompting Airbus Helicopters to carry out modifications.

In 2013, four people died when an earlier version of Super Puma ditched off the Shetland Islands, off northern Scotland, in an accident blamed on crew.

The last helicopter crash in the Norwegian oil industry, in 1997, involved a Super Puma in which 12 people died.

Airbus Helicopters said it had no information so far to link the latest crash to earlier accidents.

The helicopter that crashed on Friday had been granted extended flying hours, or delayed maintenance, twice in 2015, an aviation authority official told Norwegian daily VG.

The flight was operated by Canada-based CHC Helicopter, owned by U.S (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) . private equity firm First Reserve.

CHC confirmed that the life of a previous gearbox fitted to the helicopter had been extended, but said the gearbox fitted at the time of the crash was new. It said the aircraft was fully compliant with Norwegian rules at the time of the accident.

"The main gearbox in the aircraft in question, which has at all times been fully airworthy and compliant, was subsequently replaced in January 2016," said CHC's head of safety and quality, Duncan Trapp, in an emailed statement. (Additional reporting by Terje Solsvik, Nerijus Adomaitis, Cyril Altmeyer, Tim Hepher; Writing by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Alistair Scrutton, Robin Pomeroy, G Crosse)
Scalpers cash in on Disney opening in June Updated: 2016-04-08 07:39 By FAN FEIFEI(China Daily)

A flagship Disney store in Shanghai.

Scalpers are cashing in on the huge demand for admission on the opening day of the Shanghai Disneyland park on June 16 by asking several thousand yuan for a ticket.

Customers snapped up the first tickets issued for the opening day in just five minutes on March 28, temporarily crashing the website. Some who failed to secure tickets turned to scalpers.

The park offers regular and peak-priced tickets, with regular ones costing 370 yuan ($57) and peak ones for high-demand dates selling for 499 yuan. Admission will be 499 yuan during the grand opening period from June 16 to 30.

Vendors on Alibaba Group's e-commerce platform Taobao and the micro-blogging website Sina Weibo are selling tickets for the opening day for more than 1,000 yuan, with some even costing 3,899 yuan, according to media reports.

A scalper from Shanghai, named "Li Zhenwei" on Alibaba's secondhand goods trading platform, is selling tickets for June 16 for 999 yuan, claiming to have bought 10 tickets with his wife from Alitrip, one of Disney's authorized ticket-selling websites.

Another scalper at Taobao.com is selling tickets for June 16 to 30 for 580 yuan.

Shanghai Disney Resort said, "We take various measures to prevent ticket scalping and the sale of fraudulent tickets....Guests should only purchase tickets from authorized official channels."

Measures have been taken to combat scalping at the Shanghai park. For instance, tourists can buy a maximum of five tickets by giving an ID card number and must enter the park with their ticket confirmation and the identification document used to buy the tickets.

When entering the park, the holder of the identification document should do so with everyone in the group.

Liu Simin, deputy director of the China Society for Future Tourism Studies, said it is not surprising that scalpers have entered the market in view of the demand, adding that this also indicates that demand is strong among tourists.

Wang Zhuoqiong contributed to the story.
By Jonathan Stempel and Trevor Hunnicutt OMAHA, Neb. (Reuters) - Warren Buffett said on Saturday that Berkshire Hathaway Inc is poised to do well no matter who wins the White House in November, and the billionaire investor defended the performance and tactics of the conglomerate's several large investments. Buffett presided over his 51st Berkshire annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, where he and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger fielded five hours of questions on such matters as Coca-Cola's sugary drinks, lower shipping volumes on the BNSF railroad, risks from derivatives, and who might succeed Buffett as chief executive. Buffett, a staunch supporter of Democrat Hillary Clinton for president, was asked about the regulatory impact on Berkshire if Republican front-runner Donald Trump wins the 2016 U.S. presidential election. "That won't be the main problem," he said to audience laughter. "If either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton becomes president, and one of them is very likely to be, I think Berkshire will continue to do fine." Because the meeting fell early this year, Berkshire also released only preliminary first-quarter results rather than full results, which will come out on May 6. Berkshire said net income probably rose 8 percent, helped by a gain from the swap of Procter & Gamble Co stock for the Duracell battery business. Operating profit probably fell 12 percent, however. Buffett said BNSF was hurt by declining oil prices and coal shipments, while hailstorms caused losses in Berkshire insurance units. "Railroad carloading throughout the industry - all of the major railroads - were down significantly in the first quarter, and probably almost certainly will continue to be down for the balance of the year," Buffett said. Berkshire owns close to 90 businesses in energy, insurance, manufacturing, railroad, retail and other sectors, and invests well over $100 billion in stocks. COKE IS STILL IT The meeting filled a downtown arena and overflow rooms, and shareholders could buy products made by Berkshire units at deep discounts in an exhibit hall. Buffett suggested that 40,000 people may have shown up for his "Woodstock for Capitalists," close to last year's record, though the meeting was streamed online for the first time. At the meeting, Buffett and Munger fielded dozens of questions from shareholders, analysts and journalists. A shareholder proposal for more disclosures on the risks to Berkshire on climate change was overwhelmingly rejected. Buffett parried concerns raised by a shareholder, and previously by hedge fund manager William Ackman, that Berkshire promotes bad health through its roughly 9-percent stake in Coca-Cola Co. Buffett, who consumes 700 calories of Coke a day, said it seemed wrong to blame calories alone for rising obesity levels. "I elect to get my 2,600 or 2,700 calories a day from thingsthat me feel good when I eat them," he said, including the Cherry Coke and See's peanut brittle he consumed during the meeting. "That's my sole test." Buffett also renewed his defense of Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital, which with Berkshire has a controlling stake in food company Kraft Heinz Co, where it has built on its reputation as a ruthless cost-cutter. Berkshire is seen as a friendlier owner, but Buffett said 3G's cuts have been "extremely intelligent," and did not appear a threat to Kraft Heinz's ability to produce packaged goods. Buffett also defended efforts of Berkshire's NV Energy unit to persuade Nevada regulators to reduce subsidies for homeowners there who use solar power, prompting Elon Musk's SolarCity Corp to say it would cease activity there. "Ninety-nine percent of our consumers were being asked to subsidize the one percent that had solar units," Buffett said. "I personally think that if society is the one that's benefiting from the reduction of greenhouse gasses, that society should pick up the tab." Buffett also emphasized his worry that derivatives could cause major risks for most of the world's largest banks if markets were disrupted. "It is still a potential time bomb," he said, but added that he was "not in the least troubled" by Berkshire's big stakes in Wells Fargo & Co and Bank of America Corp. Buffett also said Geico has been hurt because falling oil prices led to more driving, more accidents and more loss claims, but said he did not "necessarily see the same trends this year." He also said there are no "tea leaves" in the recent announcement that the next chief of the General Re reinsurance unit will report to Buffett's insurance lieutenant Ajit Jain, not to Buffett. Some investors believe Jain is a top candidate to succeed Buffett as Berkshire's chief executive. EARLY WAKE-UP Buffett also said Mark Donegan, chief executive of Precision Castparts, which Berkshire bought in January for $32 billion, may now fare even better now that his company has the support from Berkshire's deep well of capital. "I would almost rank Mark as one of a kind," Buffett said, before joking: "If he needs capital, he's got my 800 number." Shareholders at the meeting included hundreds who waited hours in a rainstorm before doors opened at 6:20 a.m., 40 minutes early. "I wanted to make sure I got a good seat," said Kim Baumler, an office manager for a wealth management company from Fargo, North Dakota, who said she was at the head of the line at 10:30 p.m. Friday night. "My boss is a huge Warren Buffett follower, and I got hooked. I wanted to see what it was all about." Mark Hughes, a money manager from Ashton, Maryland attending his 25th meeting, said he sees no sign Buffett and Munger are winding down. "They're 85 and 92, and look as good as they ever did," he said. (Editing by Jennifer Ablan and Nick Zieminski)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers will hold an extraordinary meeting on May 9 in Brussels on Greece, the spokesman for the chairman of the eurogroup said on Thursday. A meeting was initially foreseen on Thursday to sign off on a deal with Athens on its bailout programme and discuss Greek debt relief, but the meeting was cancelled because of insufficient progress towards an agreement. There will be "an additional eurogroup on Greece on Monday May 9 at 3 p.m., in Brussels," chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem's spokesman said. (Reporting by Jan Strupczewski; Writing by Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
By Tom Koerkemeier BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A proposal by Germany and France to make it easier to suspend visa-free travel to the European Union from countries such as Turkey drew a frosty reception from the executive European Commission on Friday. In what was seen as a move to make visa liberalisation for Turks, Ukrainians and Georgians more acceptable, Berlin and Paris wrote to EU partners this week calling for a tougher safeguard mechanism in case of a spike of asylum requests, overstays or readmission refusals. Under their plan, which would have to be formally put forward by the Commission, any member state would be allowed to suspend visa-free travel from any country for six months unless EU states voted by a qualified majority to overrule it. The proposal came in the midst of a debate about whether to extend visa liberalisation to Ankara by the end of June under a deal to curb the flow of refugees and migrants to Europe. The Commission is due to report next Wednesday whether Turkey has met the 72 technical and legal conditions to qualify for visa-free travel. If so, member states and the European Parliament would have to approve the plan. Berlin and Paris want the tougher safeguards, which their joint letter seen by Reuters called a "snap-back mechanism", to be adopted at the same time. But a Commission spokeswoman said the EU visa regulation already contained a general suspension clause, which can be triggered for any country whose nationals are eligible for visa-free travel. "The Commission currently has no intention to propose a revision of the existing suspension mechanism," she said. The Franco-German letter, which diplomats said drew broad support at a meeting of EU ambassadors on Thursday, said the existing procedure took too long from the moment when a sudden increase in migration pressures or abuses was reported. "The whole procedure should be faster than the current one, which takes at least 9 months from the beginning of a substantial increase," it said. Paris and Berlin also suggested widening the criteria to combat what critics call "medical tourism", defined as a "substantial increase ... of the number of applications for residence permits with a low admission quota (e.g. for health reasons)." (Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
By Jim Finkle (Reuters) - SWIFT, the global financial network that banks use to transfer billions of dollars every day, warned its customers on Monday that it was aware of "a number of recent cyber incidents" where attackers had sent fraudulent messages over its system. The disclosure came as law enforcement authorities in Bangladesh and elsewhere investigated the February cyber theft of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank account at the New York Federal Reserve Bank. SWIFT has acknowledged that the scheme involved altering SWIFT software on Bangladesh Bank's computers to hide evidence of fraudulent transfers. Monday's statement from SWIFT marked the first acknowledgement that the Bangladesh Bank attack was not an isolated incident but one of several recent criminal schemes that aimed to take advantage of the global messaging platform used by some 11,000 financial institutions. "SWIFT is aware of a number of recent cyber incidents in which malicious insiders or external attackers have managed to submit SWIFT messages from financial institutions' back-offices, PCs or workstations connected to their local interface to the SWIFT network," the group warned customers on Monday in a notice seen by Reuters. The warning, which SWIFT issued in a confidential alert sent over its network, did not name any victims or disclose the value of any losses from the previously undisclosed attacks. SWIFT confirmed to Reuters the authenticity of the notice. SWIFT, or the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is a cooperative owned by 3,000 financial institutions. Also on Monday, SWIFT released a security update to the software that banks use to access its network to thwart malware that security researchers with British defense contractor BAE Systems said was probably used by hackers in the Bangladesh Bank heist.[L2N17S0RG] BAE's evidence suggested that hackers manipulated SWIFT's Alliance Access server software, which banks use to interface with SWIFT's messaging platform, to cover their tracks. BAE said it could not explain how the fraudulent orders were created and pushed through the system. But SWIFT provided some evidence about how that happened in its note to customers, saying that in most cases the modus operandi was similar. It said the attackers obtained valid credentials for operators authorized to create and approve SWIFT messages, then submitted fraudulent messages by impersonating those people. FireEye, the internet security company whose Mandiant unit was hired by Bangladesh Bank to help investigate the heist, said the same group behind that hack had probably attacked other financial targets. "FireEye has observed activity in other financial services organizations that is likely by the same threat actor behind the cyber attack on the Bank of Bangladesh," Vivek Chudgar, Mandiant's senior director for the Asia Pacific said in a statement emailed to Reuters. FireEye declined to go into detail. Rakesh Asthana, the World Informatix Cyber Security CEO, who is overseeing Bangladesh Bank's probe into the hack, declined to discuss the other attacks that SWIFT referred to. He did, though, urge banks to conduct independent security assessments to make sure their networks are secure and prevent future attacks. SWIFT builds on security practices established by the customer itself and therefore it is imperative that in the wake of this attack, customers using SWIFT Alliance Access must strengthen their cyber security posture, Asthana said FOLLOWING THE MONEY Cyber security experts said more attacks could surface as SWIFT's banking clients look to see if their SWIFT access has been compromised. Shane Shook, a banking security consultant who investigates large financial crime, said hackers were turning to SWIFT and other private financial messaging platforms because such attacks can generate more revenue than going after consumers or small businesses. "These hacks specifically target financial institutions because smaller efforts result in much larger thefts," he said. "It's much more efficient than stealing from consumers." Justin Harvey, chief security officer with Fidelis Cybersecurity, said hackers followed the money and would be drawn into such schemes in hopes of emulating a big heist like the one on Bangladesh Bank. "After the Bangladesh Bank heist became public, every other attacker out there is looking to see if they can do the same," he said. SWIFT spokeswoman Natasha Deteran told Reuters that the commonality in these cases was that internal or external attackers compromised the banks own environments to obtain valid operator credentials. "Customers should do their utmost to protect against this," she said in an email to Reuters. SWIFT told customers that the security update must be installed by May 12. "We have made the Alliance interface software update mandatory as it is designed to help banks identify situations in which attackers have attempted to hide their traces - whether these actions have been executed manually or through malware," she said. (Reporting by Jim Finkle in Boston; Additional reporting by Serajul Quadir in Dhaka; Editing by Jonathan Weber, Martin Howell and Peter Cooney)
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Five people were killed in a gun and grenade attack in a district of Burundi's capital which is stronghold of opposition to President Pierre Nkurunziza, police said. Tit-for-tat attacks between Nkurunziza's security forces and his opponents have escalated since April 2015 when he announced a disputed bid for a third term. He won re-election in July. Thursday night's attack struck a bar in Bujumbura's Musaga neighbourhood, where protests were held against the president last year, said deputy police spokesman Moise Nkurunziza. Among the dead were a three-year old child and an unarmed soldier who was in civilian clothes, he said. "It was around 10.10 pm last night when four armed men in civilian clothes attacked a small pub... killing five people," he said. "As they were fleeing, the attackers threw a grenade at a small army base just nearby which didnt do any damage." Residents in Musaga said two others who were wounded in the attack later died. Officials were not immediately reachable to confirm the deaths. The United Nations says more than 400 people have been killed since last April and close to 260,000 have fled the country. (Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Dominic Evans)
The leader of the Opposition in Israel has described Ken Livingstone's comments that Adolf Hitler allegedly supported Zionism as "horrific".

In a letter to Jeremy Corbyn, Israeli Labour Party leader Isaac Herzog said he was "appalled and outraged by the recent examples of anti-Semitism by senior Labour Party officials in the United Kingdom".

In an interview earlier this week, Mr Livingstone claimed that Hitler supported Zionism before he "went mad and ended up killing six million Jews".

Mr Herzog  whose father served with the British Army  said the former London mayor's comments were "unthinkable for a British politician in the 21st century" and described Mr Livingstone as "surely anti-Semitic beyond hope of redemption".

Mr Livingstone has denied any suggestion of anti-Semitism, saying on LBC radio on Saturday morning that when he led the Greater London Council in the 1980s, his administration funded campaigns against anti-Semitism and financially supported exhibitions about the Holocaust.

In his letter, Mr Herzog also mentioned Labour MP Naz Shah, who shared a post on Facebook suggesting that Israel should be relocated in the US.

He said that such a sentiment, combined with Mr Livingstone's comments, "sickens all those of moral conscience to the core".

Mr Herzog said that despite the Labour Party having a "proud and distinguished history of fighting racism in every form", recent events must "act as a red alert and prompt immediate action".

He invited Mr Corbyn to bring a delegation to visit Israel's national Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem, "to witness that the last time the Jews were forcibly 'transported', it was not to Israel, but to their deaths".

Mr Herzog finished on a more positive note, saying: "I'm sure there remain many Labour Party activists with a willingness to engage and better understand the scourge of anti-Semitism.

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"By doing this, perhaps we can ensure that the anti-Semitism expressed in recent days is not the example set to (the) British young generation, but rather one of tolerance and acceptance of all people, regardless of faith."

Jeremy Corbyn has appointed the former director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, to head a panel which will draw up "a statement of principles and guidance about anti-Semitism and other forms of racism".

A strengthened code of conduct will provide guidance on acceptable language, according to a Labour party statement, and "make explicitly clear for the first time that Labour will not tolerate any form of racism, including anti-Semitism, in the party".
By Jack Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's Supreme Court on Friday sentenced a Korean American man to 10 years hard labour for subversion, North Korean media reported, in the latest conviction of a foreigner for crimes against the isolated state. Kim Dong Chul, 62, was arrested in North Korea in October and had admitted to committing "unpardonable espionage" including stealing military secrets, the North's official KCNA news agency reported earlier. Weeks earlier North Korea sentenced American Otto Warmbier to 15 years hard labour in March for trying to steal a propaganda banner. State prosecutors had sought a 15-year sentence for Kim. His defence attorney requested leniency considering his age, KCNA said. "The accused confessed to all crimes he had committed ... and gathered and offered information on its party, state and military affairs to the South Korean puppet regime, which are tantamount to state subversive plots and espionage," it said. Kim was shown in photographs handcuffed and wearing a tie and blue jacket. He looked distressed and was flanked by guards. North Korea, criticized over its human rights record for years, has used detained Americans in the past to extract high-profile visits from the United States, with which it has no formal diplomatic relations. The U.S. State Department declined formal comment, citing privacy issues, but a State Department official, who did not want to be identified, said the United States was aware of media reports of the sentencing. The official said that in cases where U.S. citizens were detained in North Korea, the United States worked with the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang, which looks after U.S. consular affairs in North Korea, to ensure their welfare. North Korea has previously handed down lengthy hard labour sentences to foreigners, though eventually freeing them before they served their full terms. Six foreigners, including Kim and three South Koreans, are known to be detained in the North. Kim, who has said he is a naturalised American citizen, had confessed to committing espionage under the direction of the U.S. and South Korean governments and apologised for his crimes, according to the North's KCNA news agency in March. He told foreign media then that he was born in 1953 in Seoul and moved to the United States when he was 19. He said he set up a business in the North Korean special economic zone of Rason in 2008. Kim said his two daughters lived in New York and he had siblings in South Korea, KCNA said in March. North Korea has tightened security ahead of its first ruling party congress in 36 years, which will begin on May 6. It has also intensified its pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles since its fourth nuclear test in January. (Reporting by Jack Kim in Seoul and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Robert Birsel and James Dalgleish)
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has tightened security ahead of a ruling party congress, South Korea said on Friday, with authorities keen to avoid any "mishap" at the gathering at which advances in the drive for nuclear weapons will likely be hailed. Thousands of delegates are expected in the capital, Pyongyang, from May 6 for the first congress in 36 years at which young leader Kim Jong Un is expected to cement his leadership and formally declare the country a nuclear-armed state. "Strengthening security can be seen as a measure to prevent mishaps over the party congress," Cheong Joon-hee, spokesman at South Korea's Unification Ministry, which oversees dealings with the North, told a briefing. North Korea has in the past taken such steps ahead of major events and has at times also shut down its border with China for the same reason, Cheong said. North Korea announced the Workers' Party congress in October but only confirmed the May 6 starting date on Wednesday. The Daily NK, a website run by defectors with sources in North Korea, said that since mid-April, free movement in and out of the capital has been stopped and security personnel have been summoned from the provinces to step-up domestic surveillance. The congress, expected to last four or five days, will be closely watched for any new policies and for how North Korea presents its pursuit of nuclear weapons, which has intensified since January when it conducted its fourth nuclear test. The nuclear test was followed with a string of missile tests, though not all successful. On Thursday, it tested what appeared to be two intermediate-range ballistic missiles but both failed, the U.S. and South Korean militaries said. South Korea, and others nervously watching the North's defiance of U.N. resolutions aimed at curbing its nuclear and ballistic missile technologies, expect another nuclear test before the congress. North Korean authorities have also enlisted people in Pyongyang and some other places in a 70-day campaign to ramp-up productivity and spruce-up the capital, the Daily NK reported. (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Robert Birsel)
By Rania El Gamal RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's oil output will edge up close to record highs in coming weeks to meet summer demand for power but is unlikely to be pushed to the limit and flood global markets, Saudi-based industry sources said. Production may rise to around 10.5 million barrels per day (bpd) during summer, the sources said. Supply in April has held steady to slightly lower at about 10.15 million bpd, said three industry sources who monitor Saudi output. The predictions may help ease market fears that Saudi Arabia could steeply add to a global glut after production-freeze talks in Qatar this month collapsed following Riyadh's refusal to sign the deal without participation by Iran. Days before the meeting, Saudi Arabia's top oil official, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said the kingdom could boost output immediately to 11.5 million bpd and go to 12.5 million in six to nine months "if we wanted to". Some analysts said the comments signalled a new phase in a battle for market share with Iran, which is ramping up its own exports after the lifting of international sanctions. But Saudi-based industry sources told Reuters that Riyadh does not plan to dump more oil into the market if there is no demand. They said the comments by Prince Mohammed were made to highlight the theoretical ability of the kingdom to raise output rather than its immediate plans. "Eleven million bpd? No, I don't see it," one source said. The sources said production would likely stay at 10.2-10.3 million bpd and could rise by some 200,000-300,000 bpd in the hot summer months to around 10.5 million. Production often rises briefly in summer, when the kingdom burns more than 800,000 bpd to generate power as demand for air conditioning surges. State oil giant Saudi Aramco has a stated production capacity of 12 million bpd and maintains 1.5-2.0 million bpd as a cushion in case of any global supply disruption. But production has never reached 11 million bpd. The kingdom pumped 10.56 million bpd, a record, in June last year. It kept output in March steady at 10.22 million bpd and has yet to disclose figures for April. Earlier this month, Aramco sold 730,000 barrels for June loading to Chinese refinery Shandong Chambroad Petrochemicals, one of about 20 independent refineries nicknamed "teapots". This was Aramco's first spot sale to a teapot plant, but Saudi-based industry sources said such a deal should not be viewed as an escalation of any battle for market share. "It's not unusual to sell spot," one of the industry sources said. "It's basically pure demand-driven." (Additional reporting by Reem Shamseddine in Khobar; Editing by Dale Hudson)
By Gina Cherelus (Reuters) - After dancing the night away with fellow journalists at Prince's Paisley Park Studio in Minnesota last summer, a patient few waited into the morning hours for a chance to meet the music icon. Those who stayed risked getting stranded at the sprawling, white-washed complex where Prince was found dead at the age of 57 on Thursday. Many boarded buses back to their hotels to prepare for the next day's meetings of the National Association of Black Journalists convention. A few hours passed and then suddenly there he was - standing near the left corner of the dance floor in platform boots, bell-bottom pants and a long shiny top. Starstruck, I broke out of my trance and waved. He waved back. Seconds later, I heard a woman scream and he was immediately surrounded by the few dozen diehard fans who had stuck around long enough to see him. He gave his thanks and told us all to enjoy ourselves before he disappeared. The Aug. 8 encounter came after Prince invited NABJ members for a party at his studio complex and home about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Minneapolis. About 650 members attended, dancing in dimly lit halls where projections of videos played on the walls. Bright pink and purple love seats dotted the rooms, and colored lights bathed the scene as a DJ on a stage played mostly '70s and '80s music. Prince took to the stage towards the end of the event to thank everyone for coming to his home and encouraging everyone to support Jay Z's online streaming service Tidal, where he had moved his music. Many were disappointed he did not perform, but some lingered for hours - sipping non-alcoholic drinks and snacking on comfort food such as macaroni and cheese - in the hope of crossing paths personally with Prince. Some of those who had been to previous Prince events warned that if the DJ was still playing music the night was not over yet. The meeting with the handful of reporters was never recorded because phones and cameras were not allowed at Paisley Park, but those who met Prince Rogers Nelson that night will remember the soft-spoken, welcoming person who opened his home to so many. (Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
STEPANAKERT, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. Two servicemen of Artsakh Defense Army were killed as a result of violation of armistice agreement by Azerbaijan, NKR Defense Ministry press service informed Armenpress.

Azerbaijan continued to violate the armistice agreement along the entire contact line of Karabakh-Azerbaijan opposing forces overnight April 30, in addition to gunfire weapons using also 60 and 82 mm mortars and different types of grenade launchers. Servicemen Garik Movsisyan (1997) and Vazgen Harutyunyan (1968) received fatal injuries as a result of the armistice violation by Azerbaijan in the northern (Talish) direction.

NKR Defense Ministry shares the huge grieve of the loss and expresses solidarity with the family members, relatives and co-servicemen of the killed soldiers. NKR Defense Ministry announces that the activities of the adversary will not remain un-responded, while the Azerbaijani side will bear the responsibility for their consequences, reads the press release of NKR Defense Ministry.
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. Member of the French National Assembly from Bouches-du-Rhone Marie-Arlette Carlotti sent a letter to French President Francois Hollande, urging to officially define April 24 as Remembrance Day of Armenian Genocide.

Honorable Mr. President,

Throughout France citizens come to commemorate the 101th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide committed by the "Young Turks" in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. France should print this date in its collective memory. The first genocide of the twentieth century is not just a matter for Armenians, but all the French as well. The whole Republic must gather on that day to remember the tragedy of humanity.

In memory of the victims and our commitment to the recognition of history, we must react to the unity of all the French.

Mr. President of the Republic, to show that we will never forget, I kindly ask you to officially declare April 24 as a national day of remembrance of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

By this, our duty in front of memory will become stronger, Armenpress reports, citing Nouvelles dArmenie, reads the letter addressed to the French President.
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. On Thursday afternoon, a draft version of the flag policy for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest was published on the website of the Globe Arena and ticket agency AXS. The document included a non-exhaustive list of examples of flags that under the flag policy are prohibited in the venue. This document was not intended to be published.

The organisers understand and acknowledge the sensitivities of presenting a selection of flags of organisations and territories, each of them of very different nature. The organisers apologise to everyone who feels offended by the list. The EBU has asked the Globe Arena and AXS to immediately remove the document that includes the flag examples, and to publish the official document, without the examples, instead. The official and final flag policy document will be published on the official website, Eurovision.tv, later today, along with a full explanation.

Earlier, information came that the organizers of Eurovision song contest had presented this years flag policy. There were prohibited flags in the list, including the flag of Artsakh.
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan met with representatives of Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE) and IT companies on April 29.

As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Defense Ministry of Armenia, cooperation prospects between the Defense Ministry and leading IT companies in Armenia were discussed at the meeting, which was also attended by heads of relevant departments of the Defense Ministry, Armed Forces and the General Staff.

Heads of the IT companies and representatives of the UITE proposed practical steps of cooperation.

An agreement was reached to set working groups for conducting joint research of existing problems and finding ways to solve them, elaborating a comprehensive action plan of cooperation between the Defense Ministry and IT companies.
YEREVAN, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. The prestigious Forbes periodical has published an extended article referring to the Aurora Prize ceremony in Armenia, world famous actor George Clooney and the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Armenpress reports the author of the article Brian Rashid tells how once a drunk man aggressively bumped into his mother in the street, and seeing that he hit in the face of the man.

I am not a violent person, but seeing someone intentionally push my mom made my blood boil. This moment on one spring night in Florida was the only real experience Ive had where I witnessed physical harm to someone I love.

One hundred and one years ago, 1.5 million Armenians were killed. Unlike the small bruise my mother may have received on her arm from this drunk middle-aged man at the gas station, Armenian sons saw their mothers murdered in front of their eyes. Mothers saw the same of their children, as did brothers, sisters, grandparents, and friends, writes the author, adding that what happened in 1915 is nothing but genocide.

He mentions that recently he traveled to Yerevan, Armenia to celebrate the 101st anniversary of the Armenian genocide, underscoring that the word celebrate may seem strange. He adds that he will explain it, but first tells George Clooneys story, who arrived in Armenia in those days and participated in the events dedicated to the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ive always admired George Clooney. I grew up watching him. He was (and still is) my favorite movie star. But I also love that he uses his spotlight to do just that  shed light on issues while the rest of the world turns a blind eye writes Brian Rashid, quoting George Clooney as saying, Sometimes, I feel suffocated with the constant cameras that follow me around. Then I think, why cant we turn those cameras to issues that cant seem to get any media attention? Issues that are much more important than what suit I wore on the red carpet deserve attention.

But what does this all have to do with celebrating the Armenian Genocide? On April 24, 2016, 101 years after the atrocities that wiped 1.5 million lives from the planet, the first annual Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was held in Armenia. On behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity will be granted annually to an individual whose actions have had an exceptional impact on preserving human life and advancing humanitarian causes. The Selection Committee, including Mr. Clooney, consists of nine professionals who bring a diverse background. Only one of them is Armenian. As opposed to many humanitarian awards where organizations nominate potential recipients, the Aurora Prize opened it up so everyone could nominate anyone they found deserving, says the author.

Afterwards he presents the organizers of Aurora Prize, the finalists and their activities and the process of prize giving, adding that everyone was in Yerevan on April 24 to celebrate the Aurora Prize.
STEPANAKERT, APRIL 30, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan's criminal behavior only strengthens the determination of the people of Artsakh to build and develop their independent and free state as the guarantor of its security and peaceful existence. Acknowledgment by the international community of this fact, and, as a result of it, the international recognition of the NKR will put an end to the ongoing attempts of Azerbaijan to destroy Artsakh and eliminate its people, and ensure peace and security in the region. Armenpress reports the statement issued by the Foreign Ministry of NKR:

On April 30, 1991, 25 years ago, the operation "Ring" began with a massive shelling of Getashen and Martunashen, which became a prelude to the subsequent full-scale military aggression of Azerbaijan against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. During the operation, the Armenian villages were at first surrounded by the interior forces of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Soviet Army. And afterwards, the Azerbaijani OMON and militia entered those villages under the pretext of passport checks, but in fact for murder, robbery, terror against the Armenian population, followed by deportation.

The operation "Ring" became the continuation of a series of Armenian pogroms and ethnic cleansing in Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad and other settlements of Azerbaijan, as well as in the villages of Northern Artsakh in 1988-1991, which were intended to strangle at its birth the national liberation struggle of the Armenians of Artsakh and deprive them of their homeland. The Azerbaijani authorities did not conceal that they considered the operation "Ring" as the beginning of a large-scale deportation of all Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh.

As a result of the operation, during which tanks, combat helicopters and artillery were used, more than two dozen villages of Northern Artsakh and Shahumyan, Hadrut and Shushi regions were completely devastated and destroyed. Almost 10 thousand people were deported, more than 100 killed and several hundred taken hostage. The fate of many of them still remains unknown.

25 years later, on the night of April 2, 2016, the Azerbaijani authorities unleashed yet another aggression against the NKR, which as in 1991, was accompanied by numerous violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes committed against the civilians and soldiers of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, including targeted shelling of peaceful settlements, killings of civilians, as well as the mutilation and ill-treatment of the dead bodies.

However, both in 1991, and now all the attempts of the Azerbaijani authorities to intimidate and break the people of Artsakh, to suppress their strive for freedom and, eventually, to deprive them of their homeland, resulted in a complete failure.

Azerbaijan's criminal behavior only strengthens the determination of the people of Artsakh to build and develop their independent and free state as the guarantor of its security and peaceful existence. Acknowledgment by the international community of this fact, and, as a result of it, the international recognition of the NKR will put an end to the ongoing attempts of Azerbaijan to destroy Artsakh and eliminate its people, and ensure peace and security in the region.
Holland America Lines Nieuw Amsterdam arrived at the Port of Seattle today, Friday, April 29, 2016, marking the start of the citys summer Alaska homeport cruise season.

The line has increased its Seattle calls this year to 55, and three Holland America ships will sail roundtrip Seattle routes in 2016: the Westerdam arrives Saturday, May 7; the Amsterdam arrives Sunday, May 22; and the Maasdam arrives Monday, May 23, to begin their Alaska sailings from Seattle. New to Alaska cruising, the Nieuw Amsterdams arrival at Seattle is the start of a one-day cruise to Vancouver, British Columbia, to reposition to its summer homeport.

In addition to the 48 roundtrip Seattle cruises to Alaska this season, three cruises to Australia/New Zealand or Hawaii/South Pacific will begin or end at Seattle, including the Amsterdams 53-day Tales of the South Pacific voyage and the Maasdams 23-day South Pacific Crossing. All of the options combined make a total of 55 calls by five ships  the Zaandam makes one Seattle call  that will welcome more than 86,000 guests to Seattle.

As Seattles hometown cruise line its fitting that one of our ships is kicking off the citys Alaska season, a time we eagerly anticipate each year, said Orlando Ashford, Holland America president. We are headquartered in Seattle, and we take great pride in being a significant contributor to the local economy and in actively giving back to our community.

In the coming year, Holland America expects to contribute $389 million to the Seattle economy and $547 million across Washington State. The cruise line employs 1,170 people at its Elliott Avenue headquarters in Seattle.

Provisioning costs each time a ship calls at Seattle average about $300,000 per visit. The crise line works with more than 600 Washington vendors, from food and beverage suppliers to piano tuners, office supply stores and marine suppliers, among many more. For example, the Westerdam requires over 23,000 eggs and 1,375 gallons of milk each week  all of which come from local farmers. In addition, local growers supply 147,550 pounds of fresh produce a week.

Also contributing to Holland America Lines economic impact is spending by passengers and crew in local shops, restaurants, bars, hotels, museums, attractions and taxis. Other expenditures include ship maintenance and port fees, charges and taxes.

Holland America Line ships have been sailing from the Port of Seattle since the 1970s. In May 2002, Holland America Line began using Seattle as a home port for Alaska cruises.
This Week in Palestine, April 29th, 2015 by IMEMC

Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, http://www.imemc.org , for April 23, to the 29, 2016.

Listen now: Copy the code below to embed this audio into a web page: <audio preload="none" src="https://www.indybay.org/uploads/2016/04/29/thisweekinpalestine-17-2016.mp3" controls="controls"></audio>

As Israeli rejects a new Peace conference this week, Israeli troops kill a Palestinian pregnant woman and her brother in the West Bank and attack farmers in Gaza. These stories, and more, coming up, stay tuned.





The Nonviolence Report



Lets begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. three youth were injured; scores others were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation when Israeli troops attacked nonviolent protests organized in West Bank villages. IMEMCs Majd Batjali with the details:



Three Palestinian youth were injured at Kufer Kadum village in northern West Bank and many residents were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation as Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest there. Troops later stormed the village and fired tear gas into residents homes.



Meanwhile in the villages of Bilin and Nilin, in central West Bank, Israeli soldiers attacked the protesters as soon as they reached the gate in the wall that separates local farmers from their lands. Many protesters suffered the effects of tear gas inhalation and were treated by field medics at both locations.



At the nearby al Nabi Saleh village, troops attacked protesters at the village entrance. Israeli soldiers fired several rounds of rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at protesters and nearby homes. Many residents suffered effects of tear gas inhalation as a result.



For IMEMC News this Majd Batjali.





The Political Report



This week, Israeli rejects international efforts, to launch an international conference for peace. IMEMCs Rami Al Meghari has more:



Palestinian Authority hopes that efforts, underway, to convene an international peace conference to address Middle East Conflict, will bear fruits.



Top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Eriqat , was quoted as saying that there is no contradiction between the call for peace conference and the UNs Security Council discussions over condemning Israeli settlements building on occupied Palestinian territories.



From its part, Israel rejected the call for conference, ahead of a meeting for foreign ministers of international and Arab key countries, including France, which had first launched the initiative.



A statement by the office of Israeli Prime Minister, read that Israel believes that bilateral talks between Israel and Palestinians, are the only workable option.



In the meantime, Israel insists that the Syrian Golan Heights will remain under Israels jurisdiction, forever. Such an announcement by Israel comes in the backdrop of moves within the United Nations Security Council, to reaffirm the fact that the Golan Heights are occupied lands of Syria.



In other news from Gaza, former Palestinian prime minister of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, called for lifting the 10-year-long Israeli blockade of Gaza. He also asserted on his groups readiness to go for general elections, praising victory of the Hamas-linked students mass, at the West Bank-based Beirzeit University.



For IMEMC News, I am Rami Almeghari, in Gaza.





The West Bank and Gaza Report



This week, Israeli troops kill pregnant Palestinian woman and her brother at a West Bank checkpoint meanwhile Israeli tanks invade and destroy farmlands in Gaza. IMEMCs Ghassan Bannoura Reports:



Israeli soldiers shot and killed, on Wednesday, Maram Abu Ismael, 24, and her brother Ibrahem 16, at the Qalandia wall terminal, separating the central West Bank city of Ramallah from occupied Jerusalem. The two slain Palestinians are from Beit Surik town, north of occupied Jerusalem; Maram is a mother of two daughters, and was four months pregnant.



The Israeli Police said members of the Border Guard Units, opened fire on the Palestinian woman as she walked towards the roadblock holding a knife in her hand. Witnesses said that the soldiers shot Maram and her brother from a distance and both did not pose a threat to the soldiers.



Moreover, soldiers left the two Palestinians bleeding on the ground, in addition to preventing Palestinian medics from even approaching them, after declaring the area a closed military zone.



Also this week, Israeli soldiers, and several settlers, invaded on Thursday at dawn the northern West Bank city of Nablus, leading to clashes with dozens of local youths; one teen was shot with a live round. Media sources in Nablus said the soldiers shot Ahmad Adel Masoud, 17, with a live round in his thigh. The sources added that many Palestinians received treatment for the effects of tear gas inhalation.



Moreover, The Israeli army conducted at least 62 military invasions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank and in occupied East Jerusalem this week. During these invasions, troops kidnapped 44 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, the Palestinian center for Human rights reported.



In the Gaza strip, Israeli army vehicles, and bulldozers, invaded Palestinian agricultural lands, east of Gaza city in addition to lands near the southern borders with Israel, and uprooted them while firing live rounds and smoke bombs at nearby homes. Such attacks were reported on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week.



Moreover, Israeli navy ships attacks Palestinian fishing boats of the Gaza city coats line on Tuesday. Damage was reported but no injuries.



The Israeli army conducts frequent violations against Palestinians, and their lands, in areas close to the border fence, in the northern and eastern parts of the Gaza Strip, an issue that prevents dozens of families from planning their lands. Similar attacks also target Palestinian fishers in Gaza territorial waters, in direct violation of the Oslo accords, and every ceasefire agreement.



For IMEMC News this is Ghassan Bannoura.





Conclusion



And thats all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for April 23, to the 29, 2016. From the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www-dot-imemc-dot-org, This weeks report has been brought to you by George Rishmawi and me Eman Abedrabbo-Bannoura.
Protests against Donald Trump are heating up in California as the June 7 presidential primary approaches. On April 29, it was the Bay Area's turn.

[Photo by BlackOUT Collective Before a city council meeting in Anaheim on Tuesday, Trump supporters and anti-Trump protesters used tasers and pepper spray on each other. Outside of a Trump rally in Costa Mesa on Thursday, traffic was blocked, police cars vandalized, and 17 people were arrested.On Friday, Trump was scheduled to speak on the opening day of the California Republican Convention in Burlingame, just south of San Francisco. Protesters came out in force, blocked streets with lockboxes, and pushed through police barricades to rush the Hyatt hotel at which the convention was being held. Trump's motorcade was unable to drive directly to the hotel, so Trump and his entourage were forced to walk from Highway 101 through concrete barriers to reach the convention via a back entrance.BlackOUT Collective goals: Reject Donald Trump's political visit to Northern California Pressure Silicon Valley tech companies to divest funding from a Trump-led Republican National Convention. Increase the visibility of Black voices, and other voices of color, in opposition to Donald Trump. Demand a radical transformation of American democracy where Black people have the social, economic, and, cultural and political power we need to thrive.Event announcement: Turn Up on Trump in San Francisco . The primary social media hashtags for the action were #WeWillNotBeTrumped #NoConfidence and #TransformDemocracy.Photographer credits listed along with each photograph and video.
Mor Spirit Needs Just A Bit of Kentucky Derby Luck: Usually the horses that dont shine in their last Derby preps tend to be forgotten. The main reason is because people like horses who visually peak at the right moment, so a flop or an unexpected effort in the race before the Derby is not a good sign. This is probably the case for Mor Spirit, but he certainly has some valid excuses.

Mor Spirit, who finished a distant second in the Santa Anita Derby (GI) and was never a threat to the winner Exaggerator, noticeably felt uncomfortable during the trip, particularly because of the sloppy track according to jockey Gary Stevens in a Santa Anita press release interview. We got hit by the first wave of water and mud going into the first turn, Gary Stevens said of Mor Spirit. He slipped with me and started lunging.

In fact, a sloppy track could always be an excuse for a horse. There are horses who love the slop, and some others hate it. While Exaggerator fell in love with the Santa Anita Derby day track conditions, Mor Spirit struggled to reach second place.

Good luck has certainly not graced Mor Spirit with its presence recently. While prepping for the San Felipe Stakes, he missed a week of training. However, he was able to close well to finish second to Danzing Candy and looked the best in the gallop out.

Mor Spirit, a son of Eskendereya out of Im a Dixie Girl, by Dixie Union, has a record of three wins and four seconds in seven starts, meaning he has never finished worse than second during his career. Mor Spirit is trained by Bob Baffert, ridden by Gary Stevens, and owned by Michael Lund Petersen.

Mor Spirits sire, Eskendereya, was the favorite to win the race for the roses in 2010 but got injured a few days before the race. Eskendereya entered stud in 2011 at Taylor Made Stallions in Nicholasville, Kentucky, but was surprisingly sold to Japan in 2015. Mor Spirits broodmare sire, Dixie Union, produced Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags, so theres plenty of stamina influence in his pedigree.

Mor Spirit is a grinder and looks like he wants to go long. In fact, he can take advantage of his running style to just grind and grind, pass the tired front runners, and hold off the closers. Mor Spirit is a horse with little acceleration, so horses can easily pass him at some stage of the race. However, he can close the gap and catch them again, like he did with Exaggerator in the San Felipe Stakes.

The Kentucky Derby is the race for Mor Spirit to show all his skills. He hasnt missed a work and is doing what he usually does in the mornings. Therefore, good preparation and a dry track would guarantee a nice effort, so dont be surprised if you see Mor Spirit fighting for the victory down the Churchill Downs stretch.
San Francisco, CA A settlement has been announced in the Uber lawsuit filed by drivers who alleged they were misclassified as independent contractors even though they were treated like employees. The settlement will not see the drivers reclassified as employees, meaning they still will not be eligible for A settlement has been announced in the Uber lawsuit filed by drivers who alleged they were misclassified as independent contractors even though they were treated like employees. The settlement will not see the drivers reclassified as employees, meaning they still will not be eligible for overtime pay , sick leave or other benefits. A similar settlement involving Uber drivers was recently rejected by the judge in that lawsuit.

The Uber settlement involves around 385,000 drivers, who alleged they were misclassified as independent contractors but treated like employees. Independent contractors are not eligible for protections or benefits such as overtime pay, sick leave or workers compensation. They can also not be reimbursed for expenses such as gas or vehicle mileage. The drivers alleged that despite being called independent contractors, they were still treated very much like employees. They were told how much to charge for rides, and Uber controlled much of their work activities.According to the(4/22/16), the settlement will see Uber pay $84 million to settle two federal class-action lawsuits - one in California and one in Massachusetts. The amount paid will rise to $100 million depending on Ubers valuation when it goes public. This means drivers will receive one-time payments of up to around $8,000.But the drivers will not be reclassified as employees, meaning they will still be responsible for gas, insurance and vehicle maintenance. Uber will still set fares and take its own fees from those fares. Drivers also will not be eligible for overtime wages or labor protections. But, Uber will not be able to fire drivers at will - it will have to give drivers a chance to rectify problems and show sufficient cause before deactivating drivers. Uber will set up an appeals process to allow drivers to contest their deactivation. Drivers will also be allowed to solicit tips from riders.Lyft, Ubers competition, recently proposed a settlement in a similar lawsuit with its drivers, but that settlement was rejected by the judge. In April, Federal Judge Vince Chhabria ruled the $12.25 million settlement was too small to be reasonable. Similar to the Uber settlement, the Lyft settlement did not reclassify drivers as employees, leading the Teamsters union to object to the appeal. Chhabria, however, did not take issue to driver classification.The Uber lawsuit is13-cv-03826, US District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco). The Lyft case is, 13-cv-04065, US District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco).
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Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
The long anticipated debut performance of his excellency Donald Duke has taken place just as it had been foretold, only this time the audience did not know what hit them, as they could not hold back the joy of seeing a highly respected politician of his class perform in such a soul thrilling manner.

As had earlier been announced, the former governor of Cross River state took to the stage at the Runway Jazz concert which held in Eko Hotel & Suites on Friday, April 29.

For some, they thought it a mere bait to attract guests to the well attended event, however, when the man who might so soon have earned himself the title Duke of Jazz took to the stage, the arena was thrown into frenzy; as to the amazement of many Donald Duke wowed the guests with great Jazz music.

Duke did not only thrill his ecstatic audience by singing and doing some smooth dance moves, the ex-governor went on to play the Saxophone and did so with great dexterity.

His excellency Donald Duke arriving the Runway Jazz concert.

Donald Duke had in an earlier video said that Jazz is an admixture of different sounds and harmonies to create a musical symphony that is appealing and enthralling. He said while announcing his debut performance that Jazz is what humanity out to be, a potpourri of folks races, temperaments, cultures and attitudes harmonized into a human symphony enchanting and infused with love.

Donald Duke arrives the Eko Hotel & Suites where he had his debut performance on the stage of the Runway Jazz fiesta

Below are photos from the Runway Jazz concert where Donald Duke launched his debut performance and did so in grand style. The Nigerian ex-governor might have in such short time, earned himself the title "Duke of Jazz"

His excellency Donald Duke live on stage at the Runway Jazz Festival

Donald Dukes performance was soul enthralling and the audience loved him.

Donald Duke was not the only one who had a go at the audience, the Grammy award-winning jazz legend, Kirk Whalum was headliner of the event reeling out all the classics for which he has risen to fame.

The likes of Omawunmi, Yinka Davies, Tosin Alao all had their turns on stage and the crowd could not get enough, as the artiste performed in such high spirit, making the night one to remember for a very long time.

It must be noted that there were many dignitaries in attendance at the concert. Notable among those who were in attendance are Alhaji Aliko Dangote the owner of Dangote group, Chief Femi Otedola the Chairman of Forte Oil, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, and many movie, comedy and music stars were present on the beautiful night of Jazz music.

Source: Legit.ng
- President Buhari has extended the investigation of corrupt practices beyond Jonathan's administration

- There are indications that administration before Jonathan began the scheme of adding non-exiting projects to budget

- The minister of justice says there is a compilation of agencies that have allowed these corrupt practices to thrive

There are strong indications that President Muhammadu Buhari will extend his crackdown on corruption beyond the administration of former president, Goodluck Jonathan.

Former presidents, Goodluck jonathan and Olusegun Obasanjo

According to Vanguard, the probe is expected to begin from 1999 when Nigeria returned to democratic rule.

READ ALSO: ICPC urges Nigerians to report corrupt practices

According to a report, top politicians used their influences to smuggle projects into the budgets of many parastatals and browbeat their heads to transfer the money meant for such schemes to them under an agreed sharing formula.

The usual practise was for the politicians to nominate the contractor who would receive money but disappear apparently to share with their nominator. Others would abandon the projects half way.

Notable scheme include the River Basin authorities spread across the country which politicians were said to have turned into cash cows over the years. Others are rural electrification, water and health-related agencies that were used as conduits by politicians for siphoning huge sums of money over the years.

Abubakar Malami who is the attorney general of the federation said his office in conjunction with security agencies was working to bring those who brought non-existing projects into budgets to siphon money.

He said: The aim of the investigation was to prosecute those who aided and abetted politicians to defraud the nation of scarce resources and deny the citizens of basic services. The federal government is interested in fishing out and punishing all those heads of parastatals who allowed themselves to be used by influential persons in the executive and legislative arms of government by smuggling non-existing projects into successive budgets and making away with large sums of money budgeted for them,

You will recall that over time there has been this criminal conspiracy among some levels of government resulting in budget padding by many of the parastatals and the money diverted and shared by some powerful individuals to the detriment of majority of Nigerians, who have been denied vital services. The present administration has taken note of the painful antics of a few powerful elements and we have decided to fish them out and punish them for others to see that corruption is not in the interest of anybody in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: How former NIMASA boss stole N795m

The minister of justice said they were compiling lists of agencies involved in the crime and the amount Nigeria has lost so far.

A source in one of the anti-graft agencies revealed that of the parastatals located in Calabar which was supposed to cater for Cross River and Akwa Ibom states is believed to have been actively aiding powerful politicians to make away with hundreds of millions of Naira yearly. This was done under the guise of providing water and rural feeder roads, farm equipment and training to Nigerians without any verifiable evidence.

Meanwhile, President Buhari came under criticism for not referring to Abacha's money outside the country as loot. His spokesperson, Garba Shehu referred to it as illegal money taken from Nigeria rather than money embezzled by Abacha.

Source: Legit.ng
The Penrith Panthers have won a thriller in Bathurst, thanks to a field goal to Peter Wallace with two minutes left on the clock.

While the Raiders looked more dangerous in the second half, and managed two late tries to even the scores, the Panthers were too cool in the end, despite a huge run of errors in the second half.

Draw Widget - Round 9 - Panthers vs Raiders

The result brings Penrith to the edge of the top eight, while the Raiders will be in danger of dropping out.

Bryce Cartwright and Jamie Soward were both great for the home side, while Josh Papalii and Jordan Rapana were strong for Canberra.

The Panthers were first on the board after Bryce Cartwright raced 80 metres off a Raiders error.

The skillful second-rower showed great speed to hold off a flying Jack Wighton over the long distance.

But the Raiders would hit back through their potent right side attack, with the in-form Rapana diving over after a magical Joseph Leilua offload.

Penrith would have the ascendancy over the remainder of the first half, however Suaia Matagi was unable to convert as Jack Wightons try-line tackle knocked the ball out of his grasp.

However the men from the foot of the mountains would eventually have their reward as Tyrone Peachey dived over thanks to yet another beautiful offload from Cartwright, who was undoubtedly the best player on field in the first half.

Both teams went hammer and tongs over the first 15 minutes of the second half, with tensions beginning to flare as both teams had plenty of opportunities.

And while Canberra went close on a couple of occasions it would be Penrith who extended their lead, thanks to some slick work from Matt Moylan.

On the last tackle the fullback supplied a perfect short grubber for Peta Hiku to dive on.

That score made it 18-6 to Penrith, with 25 minutes remaining in the encounter.

The next 15 minutes would be all the Raiders with the Panthers unable to finish their sets off thanks to a string of errors.

However the attacking brilliance of last weekend had well and truly deserted the men from the nations capital, as they found it difficult to pierce the courageous Panthers defence.

Eventually it would crack however as Paul Vaughan was too strong for an isolated defender on the line, leaving the Raiders just six points behind with 10 minutes remaining.

Moments later it appeared as though that gap had been filled, as some individual brilliance from Jarrod Croker, who ran 60 metres, set up Edrick Lee with an opportunity to score.

However Lee was stopped just before the line by a brilliant cover tackle from Jamie Soward.

But Raiders fans wouldnt have to wait much longer to get across the line again, this time it was Rapana with an amazing leap and take from a cross-field kick from Blake Austin.

Over the next five minutes both teams traded field goal attempts before Peter Wallace put the result to bed with just one minute remaining with a perfect shot to hand his team a 19-18 point victory.

Penrith Panthers 19 (Cartwright, Peachey, Hiku tries; Soward 2 goals, Wallace field goal) defeated Canberra Raiders 18 (Vaughan, Rapana 2 tries; Croker 3 goals) at Carrington Park.
Maruti cumulative sales in April 2019 stood at 1,43,245 units

The past month saw all production at a standstill with all company plants shut. Dealerships were also closed and the whole country was in a lockdown mode due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there were no domestic sales, the recent opening of the Mundra port has registered export shipment of 632 units.

Exports were done taking every effort to follow the stringent guidelines for sanitization. These ominous signs stated in the month of March 2020 itself when the company cut production by 32 percent and saw domestic wholesales dip to 79,080 units, down 46.4 percent when compared to March 2019.

Also Read  Maruti Plant Shut Down

The company suspended operations from March 22, 2020 in line with the national policy. April 2020 started off with all plants shut and the company turning their attention to helping the Government of India in the fight against the corona virus pandemic.

Maruti Suzuki has aided the Government of India with production of ventilators, masks and other PPE for which the company entered into an arrangement with AgVa Healthcare, an approved manufacturer for ventilators. For the supply of 3 ply masks, Maruti Suzuki formed an alliance with Krishna Maruti Limited while Bharat Seats Limited is actively producing protective clothing to protect the safety and health of the workers in accordance with government recommended practices.

However, last week the company has received the green light to restart operations at its Manesar Plant. This permission is granted for only 600 employees as against full strength of 4,696 personnel.

Also Read  Maruti May Start Production

After more than a month of non production, this will allow the company to prepare the plant for full scale manufacture which could start in a few weeks as the Government of India relaxes the lockdown orders in a phased manner.

Maruti Suzukis Gurugram plant has capacity of 7 lakh units per annum and works in two shifts with the WagonR, Ertiga and Vitara Brezza produced at this plant. The Manesar plant, is from where models like the Alto and Dzire are rolled out and has an output of 8,80,000 units per annum in two shifts. The production at both these plants came to a standstill on 22nd March while operations were also stopped at Maruti Suzukis Rohtak R&D Centre.
As was being expected, all-new Toyota Corolla has scored maximum 5-star safety rating in Latin NCAP. It may be recalled that new Corolla had received 5-star safety rating in Euro NCAP tests as well. The only difference is that Corolla hatchback variant was tested in Euro NCAP whereas its sedan variant has been tested in Latin NCAP. Both cars are based on the same TNGA platform.

Used for the test was a 4-door sedan manufactured in Brazil. Overall weight of the car along with testing equipment was 1681 kg. Safety equipment on-board the car included 7 airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, SBR, 4-channel ABS, ESC, and ISOFIX anchorages. In Latin NCAP, cars are put through three different crash tests. These include front offset crash test, side impact and pole impact.

For adult occupant, the car scored 29.41 points out of a total of 34. For child occupant, the car received 45 points out of a maximum of 49. In front offset crash test, protection for driver ranged from Good to Marginal. For front passenger, all parameters were found to be Good.

In side impact test, all safety parameters were Good. In side pole impact test, the ratings were in the range of Good and Marginal. In frontal impact test, body shell was found to be stable. It had the capacity to take on further loadings.

Some of the safety concerns that arise with marginal rating include risk to drivers knees, which can get hurt due to hard structures located behind the knee airbag. A larger occupant or a person sitting in a different position could also be at risk.

In child occupant protection, no safety risks were noticed in all three crash tests. New Corollas ESC was also tested and it passed the regulatory requirements. SRI installation assessment was also rated as Pass for most safety parameters.

New Toyota Corolla was expected to be launched in India in 2020, but its likely that it will be discontinued in the country. Due to rising costs and diminishing market for sedans in the country, new Corolla may not be launched in India. However, there is no official word on the same. We are also not sure if Corolla hatchback will make it to India.

Earlier, the company had announced that it will discontinue diesel variants of several cars including Corolla. This was due to the increased cost of upgrading to BS-VI emission norms. So, even if Corolla is launched in India, customers will only have the petrol option.
Chocolate is divinely delicious, mouthwateringly smooth and unfortunately full of fat. But reducing the fat content of the confection makes it harder and less likely to melt in your mouth. That's why scientists are investigating additives that could reinstate chocolate's delightful properties in these lower-fat treats. Now, researchers report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry an analysis that sheds light on how adding limonene could improve lower-fat versions' texture and ability to melt.

Flavor and sweetness make strong contributions to the pleasant experience of eating chocolate, but so do look and feel. Reducing the fat in chocolate, however, often ruins its texture and viscosity. Previous research has shown that adding limonene -- a compound found in lemons and oranges -- results in a smoother, softer chocolate that melts more easily than typical reduced-fat chocolates. Annelien Rigolle and colleagues at KU Leuven in Belgium sought to investigate exactly how limonene impacts chocolate production. They focused on one part of this process: the crystallization of one of its main ingredients, cocoa butter, which undergoes several important transformations at different times and temperatures.

The researchers examined crystallization at 63 F and 68 F using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction to examine cocoa butter profiles when limonene was added. Surprisingly, they found that adding the compound accelerated cocoa butter crystallization at 63 F, but inhibited cocoa butter crystallization at 68 F. Varied concentrations of limonene also affected the crystallization steps of the cocoa butter differently, so they could ultimately affect the texture of chocolate. The study suggests that carefully choosing the amount of limonene and the temperature at which chocolate is processed could lead to a smoother, more luxurious reduced-fat chocolate.

The researchers acknowledge funding from the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders, Belgium (FWO), and KU Leuven University.
Researchers with the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, have collaborated with physicians and medical geneticists around the world to create the Atlas of Human Malformation Syndromes in Diverse Populations. Health care providers can use the new atlas to diagnose diverse patients with inherited diseases by comparing physical traits (called phenotypes) and written descriptions of their symptoms with photos and descriptions of people with the same condition and ancestry. Previously, the only available diagnostic atlas featured photos of patients with northern European ancestry, which often does not represent the characteristics of these diseases in patients from other parts of the world. The free electronic atlas was announced online in Genetics in Medicine.

"This atlas is long overdue and much needed," said Daniel Kastner, M.D., Ph.D., NHGRI scientific director. "The impact of such a resource will be immediate and profound for all health care providers who are diagnosing and treating birth defects and genetic diseases in people of diverse ancestry."

Congenital malformations, also known as birth defects, are the leading cause of infant deaths and diseases worldwide. Examples include heart defects, such as missing or misshaped valves; abnormal limbs, such as a clubfoot; neural tube defects, such as spina bifida; and problems related to the growth and development of the brain and spinal cord. Birth defects can be caused by genes not working properly, missing or extra chromosomes or mothers' exposure to medications and chemicals during pregnancy.

"The atlas will enable health care providers to diagnose patients as early as possible," said Maximilian Muenke, M.D., atlas co-creator and chief of NHGRI's Medical Genetics Branch. "Once they have an accurate diagnosis, health care providers can provide better care and information for patients and their families."

The first disorders added to the atlas are Down syndrome and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal condition, affecting roughly 1 in 1,000 babies worldwide and representing a diagnostic challenge for doctors. A feature of Down syndrome in persons of European descent is the skin fold of the upper eyelid, covering the inner corner of the eye. But these epicanthal eye folds are completely normal in people of Asian descent without Down syndrome, which means they are not a distinguishing characteristic. The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, also known as velocardiofacial syndrome, affects 1 in 4,000 newborns and is characterized by a combination of cleft palate, heart defects, differences in the way the kidneys are formed or work, a characteristic facial appearance, learning problems, and speech and feeding problems.

When complete, the atlas will consist of photos of physical traits of people with many different inherited diseases around the world, including Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, South America and sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to the photos, the atlas will include written descriptions of affected people and will be searchable by phenotype (a person's traits), syndrome, continental region of residence and genomic/molecular diagnosis.

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The need for the tool became evident after three clinical geneticists from NHGRI -- Dr. Muenke, Paul Kruszka, M.D., and Adebowale Adeyemo, M.D. -- visited children's heart clinics in Africa. "We found ourselves struggling to diagnose the African children," Dr. Kruszka said. "We were doing our best but we needed reference photos that didn't exist."

They were not the only ones with this problem. In Lagos, Nigeria, the three physicians presented sessions on clinical genetics (the practice of medicine focused on genetic disorders) to a standing-room-only audience. Afterward, they had discussions with a long line of doctors, many holding phones with photos of affected children they needed help diagnosing. Over dinner that night, the three cemented a plan to build the atlas.

Over the next year and a half, the group brought together a network of experts from China, India, Mali, the Middle East, Malaysia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, South America, Thailand and Uganda. From this group, NHGRI formed an advisory board to guide the project, maintain the website and oversee potential ethical issues.

Ethical issues

Before posting photos of diverse people affected by genetic diseases, the team requested an ethics consultation from the NHGRI Bioethics Core. Based on this input, health care providers sought permission from patients and their caregivers before contributing unpublished photos of affected patients to the atlas. Informed consent, the process of informing participants of the risks and benefits of contributing to the project, is tailored to local communities and translated and administered through the use of local interpreters.

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"The job of the ethicist is to shed light on the aspects of the project that might harm the person sharing information, and to think about ways to reduce those risks," said Sara C. Hull, Ph.D., director of the NHGRI Bioethics Core. "We wanted to weigh carefully those risks in light of the justice-oriented benefits of this important project."

To ensure the atlas does not make mistaken connections between race, ethnicity and genetic diseases or reinforce stereotypes that were potentially harmful to different groups, health care providers are relying on participants' descriptions of his or her four grandparents' nationalities and about their ethnic and cultural identity. The photos and descriptive information included in the atlas are organized by disease and by continental ancestry, so a health care provider can compare their patient to someone of similar ancestral origin.

Now that the atlas is established, the next step is to inform physician communities -- pediatricians, family physicians, internists, cardiologists, neurologists and craniofacial surgeons -- about the atlas, said Dr. Adeyemo, atlas co-founder and deputy director of the NIH Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health.

"This project was born out of a real need," Dr. Adeyemo said. "The doctors who approached us after our talks in Nigeria, the ones who regularly send us photos of affected children and our clinical colleagues seeing patients in Africa, Asia and South America will now have the help they need to diagnose their patients."

Further information: http://research.nhgri.nih.gov/atlas/
In a paper to be published today in the journal Science Advances, lead author Karen Meech of the University of Hawai`i's Institute for Astronomy and her colleagues conclude that C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) formed in the inner Solar System at the same time as the Earth itself, but was ejected at a very early stage.

Their observations indicate that it is an ancient rocky body, rather than a contemporary asteroid that strayed out. As such, it is one of the potential building blocks of the rocky planets, such as the Earth, that was expelled from the inner Solar System and preserved in the deep freeze of the Oort Cloud for billions of years.*

Karen Meech explains the unexpected observation: "We already knew of many asteroids, but they have all been baked by billions of years near the Sun. This one is the first uncooked asteroid we could observe: it has been preserved in the best freezer there is."

C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) was originally identified by the Pan-STARRS1 telescope as a weakly active comet a little over twice as far from the Sun as the Earth. Its current long orbital period (around 860 years) suggests that its source is in the Oort Cloud, and it was nudged comparatively recently into an orbit that brings it closer to the Sun.

The team immediately noticed that C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) was unusual, as it does not have the characteristic tail that most long-period comets have when they approach so close to the Sun. As a result, it has been dubbed a Manx comet, after the [tailless cat]. Within weeks of its discovery, the team obtained spectra of the very faint object with ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile.

Careful study of the light reflected by C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) indicates that it is typical of asteroids known as S-type, which are usually found in the inner asteroid main belt. It does not look like a typical comet, which are believed to form in the outer Solar System and are icy, rather than rocky. It appears that the material has undergone very little processing, indicating that it has been deep frozen for a very long time. The very weak comet-like activity associated with C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS), which is consistent with the sublimation of water ice, is about a million times lower than active long-period comets at a similar distance from the Sun.

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The authors conclude that this object is probably made of fresh inner Solar System material that has been stored in the Oort Cloud and is now making its way back into the inner Solar System.

A number of theoretical models are able to reproduce much of the structure we see in the Solar System. An important difference between these models is what they predict about the objects that make up the Oort Cloud. Different models predict significantly different ratios of icy to rocky objects. This first discovery of a rocky object from the Oort Cloud is therefore an important test of the different predictions of the models. The authors estimate that observations of 50-100 of these Manx comets are needed to distinguish between the current models, opening up another rich vein in the study of the origins of the Solar System.

Co-author Olivier Hainaut (ESO, Garching, Germany), concludes: "We've found the first rocky comet, and we are looking for others. Depending how many we find, we will know whether the giant planets danced across the Solar System when they were young, or if they grew up quietly without moving much."

* The Oort cloud is a huge region surrounding the Sun like a giant, thick soap bubble. It is estimated that it contains trillions of tiny icy bodies. Occasionally, one of these bodies gets nudged and falls into the inner Solar System, where the heat of the sun turns it into a comet. These icy bodies are thought to have been ejected from the region of the giant planets as these were forming, in the early days of the Solar System.

This research was presented in a paper entitled "Inner Solar System Material Discovered in the Oort Cloud," by Karen Meech et al., in the journal Science Advances.

The team is composed of Karen J. Meech (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai`i, USA), Bin Yang (ESO, Santiago, Chile), Jan Kleyna (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai`i, USA), Olivier R. Hainaut (ESO, Garching, Germany), Svetlana Berdyugina (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai'i, USA; Kiepenheuer Institut fur Sonnenphysik, Freiburg, Germany), Jacqueline V. Keane (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai`i, USA), Marco Micheli (ESA, Frascati, Italy), Alessandro Morbidelli (Laboratoire Lagrange/Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur/CNRS/Universite Nice Sophia Antipolis, France) and Richard J. Wainscoat (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai`i, USA).

ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It is supported by 16 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and two survey telescopes. VISTA works in the infrared and is the world's largest survey telescope and the VLT Survey Telescope is the largest telescope designed to exclusively survey the skies in visible light. ESO is a major partner in ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre European Extremely Large Telescope, the E-ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky."
<p><a href="http://www.wildislife.com/">Wild Is Life/ZEN</a></p>

For three days, they heard the plaintive cries of a baby antelope in the wilderness. It was an unusual sound, even to those who spend so much of their lives in the rugged, virgin wilds of northeastern Zimbabwe. "You don't often hear antelopes calling," Jos Danckwerts, conservation manager at the Wild Is Life Trust, would later tell The Dodo. "I've hardly ever heard antelopes call."

The men are part of an anti-poaching team commissioned by the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN), an offshoot of the Wild Is Life Trust. Their mission is to protect elephants from poachers who have been pillaging the vast Nyatana Wilderness - a traditional passage for the animals.

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From their camp near the Mazowe River, the men launched daily patrols. And every day, they came across the same baby antelope. Even stranger than her call, this baby antelope would actually run toward them. "She was quite scared, but she didn't run away from them, which is really unusual," Danckwerts says. "Any wild animal in their right mind will run away from any human."

Still, the conservationists had to be certain the tiny creature, called a Sharpe's grysbok, was actually abandoned. On the third day, the team's leader, a seasoned outdoorsman named Nesbert Ngawadare, finally scooped up the crying baby in his arms. At first, the men gave her water. She gulped down a whole cup.

"She was obviously very thirsty and hadn't drunk for a few days," Danckwerts says. "It's quite unusual for babies to drink water. But she was so thirsty she lapped up this water." And then Ngawadare began an epic journey of more than 10 miles through the toughest terrain of the Nyatana Wilderness, with a baby antelope cradled in his arms. "It's really off the map. There are no tourists there or lodges or anything like that," he says. "It's just really true wilderness."

When Ngawadare finally reached his homestead at the edge of the conservation area, he called Danckwerts, who drove to meet him. In that instant, a baby antelope lost in the wilderness became Pixie.

She was brought back to the Wild Is Life sanctuary, where she quickly made friends with human and dog alike.

"She's gone from strength to strength," Danckwerts says. "She started off drinking 50 milliliters of milk at a time - we're actually feeding her with a kitten bottle. Now, she's drinking 100 milliliters at a time."

Pixie will stay at the sanctuary, gaining even more strength before she can return to the wild. "Today, I was with her," Danckwerts says. "She's running around. She's beautiful." As for her hero, the man who braved miles of unforgiving wilderness to give her a chance at life?
Bebe, a horse at Australia's Whisker Woods Sanctuary, is the cheeky "problem" child of founder Shannon Mortlock. But Mortlock wouldn't have it any other way.

Shannon Mortlock

After all, Mortlock's grown used to all of Bebe's demanding ways over the years - including hand-holding. Literally.

Shannon Mortlock

Seven years ago, Mortlock met Bebe's mother, Emily, while buying the property for Whisker Woods in Canberra. "Local farmers said that Emily had been wandering the area for years," Mortlock told The Dodo. "One of the farmers had threatened to shoot her, as she had damaged his fences." Mortlock said she managed to herd Emily onto her property and keep her there where she would be safe - and a few months later realized Emily was pregnant However, as soon as Bebe was born, Emily rejected her straightaway, kicking the newborn every time she dared to come close.

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Shannon Mortlock

Mortlock said she called a veterinarian for guidance on what to do and was given two options: She could "let nature take its course" and allow Bebe to die, or hand-raise Bebe herself. Mortlock's choice then became clear. "I wasn't going to just stand there and let her die," she said. After Bebe got colostrum, a special milk newborns need that contains essential proteins and vitamins, Mortlock found herself locked into months and months of bottle-feedings and dealing with one very fussy horse.

Shannon Mortlock

In her youth, Bebe wasn't above stomping her hooves on the ground while waiting for food or nibbling at the back of Mortlock's shirt.

Bebe snooping around | Shannon Mortlock

Bebe lived with Mortlock in her home and naturally developed a close bond with her - to the point that Bebe was unable to sleep at night without having a hoof near Mortlock's hand, arm or any other part of her body.

Shannon Mortlock

"Bebe refused to sleep unless I'd lie down with her and she had her hoof resting on me," Mortlock said.

Shannon Mortlock

Bebe also needed to have many towels, as they seemed to comfort her. "I was so tired from all the feeding and running the rest of the sanctuary that I didn't even care about sleeping on the concrete with her," she said.

Shannon Mortlock

As Bebe grew older, Mortlock introduced Bebe to the outdoors and, at first, Bebe wanted nothing to do with it. Mortlock said a small yard was built for her out back where she was still able to see inside the cabin whenever she wanted.

Shannon Mortlock

The next step was to get Bebe acquainted with other horses like herself - a herd at the sanctuary that included her mother, Emily. But Bebe had a hard time fitting in. The other horses chased her away, going as far as trying to kick and bite her. "[It] was really hard on the both of us," Mortlock said. "She was very much my baby, and before I knew it, I was running around, trying to protect her from the other horses."

Bebe (second on the right) and the herd | Shannon Mortlock

These days, Bebe's a full member of the herd, though she still has her human moments. "She still tries to come inside [the house] and follows me around the sanctuary like a dog would," Mortlock said.

Bebe with her mother Emily in the background. | Shannon Mortlock
<p><em>Audubon Nature Institute</em><span></span></p>

It's been a long road for Octavius, but now he's finally home. Six months after being found stranded and on the verge of death along the coast of Louisiana, the young dolphin is once again swimming free back in the wild where he belongs - a remarkable testament to his determination to survive, and to the dedication of all those who helped him along the way.

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Audubon Nature Institute

Octavius's story began last October, when he was discovered by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) after having washed up onto the shore. Initially, rescuers carried him back into the surf, but he was too exhausted to swim away. Rather than giving up on him, the rescuers redoubled their efforts.

Audubon Nature Institute

The dolphin was transported from the beach to a rehabilitation center run by the Audubon Nature Institute where, over the months, he underwent treatment to regain his health. Still, it wasn't clear at first if he would ever be able to lead a normal life in the wild again. Fortunately though, Octavius ultimately passed evaluations determining he could indeed be released. This week, that day finally came.

Audubon Nature Institute

On Thursday, staff from the Audubon Nature Institute, LDWF, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service and the Chicago Zoological Society's Sarasota Dolphin Research Program returned Octavius to the Louisiana coast - then they set him free. He's the first dolphin to be rescued, rehabilitated and released back into the wild in the state's history. Watch footage of Octavius successfully being released.
House members left Washington Friday for a week-long recess without taking action on a fiscal rescue for Puerto Rico, days before the territorys development bank is set to default on a payment to bondholders and deepen the economic crisis there.

The Government Development Bank has said it would default on nearly $390 million due May 1, a move that could unleash a cascade of problems throughout the Puerto Rican financial system.

The GDB, which acts as bank, adviser and fiscal agent to the Puerto Rican commonwealth, is essentially the checking account where municipalities deposit and withdraw money. The commonwealths treasury has already transferred its money from the GDB to private banks. Bondholders are likely on Monday to ask a federal court to freeze the GDBs assets, which could halt payments, at least temporarily, to suppliers and public servants and paralyze municipalities.

Puerto Rican credit unions, which hold about 20 percent of GDBs $5 billion in bonds, fear the equivalent of a run on the banks and have been trying to calm their mostly middle- class depositors. Several agreed Friday to exchange $33 million of bonds due Sunday for new ones due a year later.

We are not vultures, the Movement of Savings and Credit Cooperatives said in an ad printed in El Nuevo Dia on April 25, vowing, In good times and in bad, always with Puerto Rico! Earlier in April, two cooperatives took out an ad with a sunrise photo. Puerto Rico shall have a new dawn and the cooperatives will be there investing in the reconstruction of our beloved island, it said.

Congress has focused on a July 1 deadline, when the commonwealth and its agencies are likely to default on another $2 billion of principal and interest, including $800 million for general obligation bonds, generally the safest.

Most people think July 1 is atomic bomb day, said Sergio Marxuach, public policy director of the Center for a New Economy in Puerto Rico. May 1 is still significant.

Meanwhile, the impasse on Capitol Hill has come down to one politically loaded word  bailout. Opponents of the current House draft of a rescue plan, which could ultimately give a judge the power to reduce the islands $72 billion in public debt, are trying to lump it in with the bank, insurance and auto industry rescues during the 2008-2009 economic crisis.

Leaders of both parties who have tried to forge a consensus in Congress have bristled at the characterization, noting that the draft legislation does not authorize any taxpayer dollars for the island.

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, which is crafting the bill, called the use of the word cynical and disingenuous.

For me, I think to any human being, bailout means youre going to get money to solve your problem, he said. But Puerto Rico is not getting any money as part of the deal, he said. So to say its a bailout, its obviously not just a stretch of the meaning of the word, there has to [be] an ulterior motive.

But there are signs that the B-word is beginning to stick  particularly among a cadre of conservative House Republicans  thanks in large part to the efforts of outside advocacy groups and bondholder lobbyists that have been opposing the rescue bill.

A group called the Center for Individual Freedom has spent millions of dollars on ads calling the Puerto Rico bill a bailout, targeting specific congressional districts, including Bishops. Jeff Mazzella, CFIFs president, did not reply to email or phone calls Friday. The group does not disclose its donors, but there is a widespread belief on Capitol Hill that the group is acting at the behest of those bondholders opposed to a court or board-imposed restructuring.

The bottom line is that people who are bottom-feeders and bought bonds at really cheap prices now want to maximize their profit off of the backs of people in Puerto Rico, said Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.).

Behind the scenes, a prominent lobbyist for some of those bondholders, former Florida congressman Connie Mack IV, has repeatedly referred to the bill as a bailout in private emails and public statements. The #puertorico bill a #bailout by every measure, he tweeted on April 20. Taxpayers, retirees on the hook 4 Puerto Ricos liberal policies.

Bishop unveiled a new draft of the rescue bill, which would give Puerto Rico access to a court-enforced debt restructuring in exchange for the imposition of a federal fiscal oversight board, and House leaders hoped to pass it last week. But the bill has not yet emerged from committee  due in part to Democratic objections, but also to balking conservatives.

Supporters of a congressional rescue plan got a boost on Tuesday, when Pimco, which manages $40 billion of municipal bonds, supported the current House bill.

It would be incorrect to classify [the bill] as a bailout, said a blog posting on the Pimco website. No incremental federal tax dollars are allocated to the Territory under the bill. In fact, if this legislation does not advance, the probability of future federal tax dollars flowing to the Territory or bondholders may actually increase.

Pimco said it does not hold any Puerto Rico bonds.

Rep. John Fleming (R-La.), a Natural Resources member who opposes the bill, said if Bishop could have gotten the bill out of committee with Republican votes, he would have already done it.

I dont think bailouts are popular among the American people, he said. The stimulus package, the bailout of the automobile companies, the bailout of the banks  none of that was popular with taxpayers. . . . If the speaker gets a majority of Democrats to pass a bailout for Puerto Rico, I think that would be a political disaster.

Fleming, who is running for U.S. Senate, said it was absolutely fair to call the Puerto Rico bill a bailout: Just to go in there and manhandle this ourselves, what were going to end up with is mission creep, bailouts, and ultimately other states like Illinois and California who are also going down this pathway  they will see this as a solution to their problems as well.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) has sought to counter the messaging, inviting House members to a closed-door policy briefing on the issue earlier this month and publicly denouncing the bailout talk on several occasions.

There will no taxpayer bailout, he told reporters earlier this month, blaming big-money interest groups on Wall Street for the perception.

Democrats, meanwhile, are showing signs of exasperation as they watch GOP infighting threaten a major legislative priority.

They cant pass a bill with just Republican votes, because theres a group on the hard right who say, Do nothing, just pay off the bondholders,  said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). They are unwilling to go to [Minority Leader Nancy] Pelosi [D-Calif.] and get Democratic votes because that would alienate the hard right. . . . Thats the bind America is in, that the Republican Party is sort of tied in a knot between their mainstream conservatives and their hard right, and they cant come to an agreement.

Adding to the exasperation is what they consider the irony of financial speculators decrying bailouts less than a decade after Congress kept Wall Street afloat.

Most of the people that benefit from doing nothing are the same people that caused the situation, said Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (Ariz.), the ranking Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee. The speculator class is in charge of the opposition, and unfortunately the Republicans are biting and taking it as fact.

But Democrats are facing pressures of their own  from territorial officials who are nervous about the powers of the oversight board, and from labor unions who want protection for pensioners who could take a back seat and suffer cuts of their own in a restructuring.

With the May default all but certain and the even bigger July default looming, Bishop said that advocates for the island need to redouble their efforts to convince lawmakers to act.

They cant just sit back and expect it to be solved for them, he said. They have to actually say something about the situation so people understand the significance of where were going. . . . Brilliant as I am, I cant do it by myself.
Erin Callan Montella, on Floridas Sanibel Island with her 14-month-old daughter, Maggie, the child she waited so long to have. (Erin Callan Montella/Erin Callan Montella)

After 12 years at Lehman Brothers, Erin Callan Montella landed in the executive suite at exactly the wrong time.

Her promotion in 2007 to chief financial officer of the large New York investment bank instantly made her one of the most powerful women on Wall Street. But it came just months before investors began to question Lehmans exposure to subprime mortgages. She would hold the job less than a year.

In her new memoir, Full Circle: A Memoir of Leaning In Too Far and the Journey Back, Montella gives a peek into what it took to climb the ranks of the more-than-100-year-old bank.

Montella also provides insight into the male-dominated New York financial world. Montella often found her fashion choices the center of conversation. Once, she said, her boss, then-Lehman chief executive Dick Fuld, told her that I had a tendency to be too hard on the other, all-male, members of the Lehman executive committee. My interrogatory style could be off-putting and challenging. Another time, Joe Gregory, another high-ranking Lehman executive, mentioned that Montella was the only one in executive committee meetings whose legs are showing.

In the years since Montella left Lehman Brothers, its not clear that much has changed on Wall Street. Women account for just 2 percent of financial industry CEOs, according to Catalyst, a nonprofit group. They hold about 29 percent of executive or senior-level positions in the industry.

A former tax lawyer, Montella, now 50, joined Lehman in 1995 and quickly rose to head of the banks hedge fund division. Lehmans president, Gregory, was leading a company-wide effort to improve Lehmans track record on the promotion of women and minorities, and he had taken notice. Montella was picked for the companys top finance job in December 2007.

She resigned in late 2008 after Lehman stunned Wall Street by announcing that it had lost nearly $3 billion in a single quarter. It would go on to file the largest corporate bankruptcy in U.S. history.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Were you immediately aware after being named CFO that you had become one of the most powerful women on Wall Street?

Its not like it happens overnight. I went there in 1995 and worked very, very hard. I worked too hard.

I put too much time and energy into work and things started to get unbalanced. For me, it was easier to put more and more energy into work, where the rewards were clear, rather than in my personal life, where the rewards were less clear.

There must have been a sense of pride, too.

I dont want to paint a tainted picture because I had a wonderful career, and I am proud of it. It will always be part of me and who I am.

Why arent more women in the finance industry?

The financial industry is just not an appealing work environment period since the crisis.

There is a perception that it is a male-dominated environment, and there is propaganda that tries to enforce that notion. Its circular. You have to be a bit unconventional to want to go there [as a woman].

Is there a glass ceiling in Wall Street?

I wouldnt use that terminology. Women still face the fundamental challenge of the work-life balance.

Would I have been able to manage all of this [family life] and still have achieved a similar level of success? That is the big question, and that is an open question.

There are lots of things I could have done differently. I used to work a couple of hours on Sunday, then it turned into all weekend. I was working all of those hours and not getting much out of it.

I am not suggesting you can be a corporate executive and work 40 hours a week, but maybe you dont have to work 100 hours a week.

The big lesson I am trying to communicate with my story is you can take it too far. You can have a great career and make it the center of your universe. Thats what it was for me and did not lead to a happy outcome.

And it wasnt just because I was the CFO of Lehman at the wrong moment.

Did you ever feel conscious of being the only woman in a meeting during your time at Lehman? Can you describe that experience?

Most of the time, I was not conscious of being the only woman in any of the settings I was in because it was just a consistent fact. You just stopped noticing it unless something happened to draw special attention to my gender, and most of the time that was not the case.

I have always understood that being a woman on Wall Street cut two ways. There was a real positive to being unique with a different style. That part of the equation is not discussed often, but it shouldnt be dismissed. Theres a lot of discussion of the negative consequences that are all too familiar.

On the whole, I think my gender translated through my personality and helped make me effective. I got over being the only woman in the beginning of my career when I was a corporate tax lawyer. I think because I didnt pay a lot of attention to it, most of the time, the people around me were comfortable, too.

What was the bigger challenge for you as Lehman CFO  being a woman or being inexperienced?

The bigger challenge as CFO was unquestionably being inexperienced in the CFO role at a daunting time with a consequential lack of standing and influence. I was absolutely qualified for the job through my prior work experience. The combination of a legal background and investment banking experience with financial institutions, in addition to my track record running a number of successful businesses at Lehman, was unique. I dont see my gender having played into any of what happened in a meaningful way.

The fact that I was three months into the job when Bear Sterns nearly collapsed really says it all. I think most of my instincts were right about selling assets quickly and trying to address souring investor sentiment, but I didnt have the decades of experience in the role that the rest of the management team had. If I had an opportunity to grow in the CFO job before the crisis became full-blown, I think my ability to influence events would have been different. There just wasnt enough time to work with. I was a rookie CFO, and the veterans were calling the shots.

Would you consider going back to Wall Street now, perhaps start your own firm?

I would not, for several reasons. The most important one being that I have a 14-month-old daughter, Maggie. I have waited so long to have a child that I want to be committed to her as a mother, and I am fully committed to my husband and the three of us as a family.

We have dramatically adjusted our lifestyle and simplified our life so we can spend all our time together. Dont get me wrong, I recognize that this is not balance. Putting 100 percent of yourself into your career for 20 years, then putting 100 percent of yourself into your husband and family after that is not some new definition of balance that I ascribe to. I dont advocate this approach. But it is my story. And I feel fortunate I have had this chance to experience both realms.


21st First Amendments El Sully. (Goran Kosanovic/For The Washington Post)

If youve missed seeing the Corona posters and Dos Equis displays in your local beer shop, you might have forgotten that Cinco de Mayo is upon us. Many Americans will observe this holiday  the anniversary of the 1862 Battle of Puebla  by cracking open a frosty Mexican cerveza.

Craft beer drinkers, for the most part, look down on Mexican lagers, especially the flavorless golden beers that require a slice of lime in the bottle. But in the past few years, craft breweries have begun releasing their own Mexican-style beers. Its a smart move all around: The brewers expand their audience to the population that doesnt drink craft beers because theyre too hoppy, and the craft-beer-or-die crowd doesnt have to sacrifice principle when buying a beach-friendly beer.

[11 recipes for Cinco de Mayo]

Here are three that can be enjoyed all summer long.

21st Amendments El Sully, released last fall, is the most traditional: a light straw-colored beer thats going to head-to-head with Pacifico and Modelo Especial. El Sully has more bready and sweet grain flavors than its competitors, plus grassy hops and a hint of lemon, finishing semi-dry. Theres no need for a lime. The only thing that might cause a pause is the price: A six-pack of El Sully usually costs $2 to $3 more than similar Mexican imports.

Flying Dogs Numero Uno Summer Cerveza definitely doesnt need a lime in the bottle: The zest of lime peels is added after fermentation to impart a citrusy punch. The beer itself is a standard corn-based adjunct lager, brewed with agave to add a sweet, honeylike note and a bit of funk. Theres an unusual stickiness to the finish.

Finally, theres Oskar Blues Beerito, which hits Washington-area stores Monday. Its a Vienna lager, which has been a popular beer style in Mexico since Emperor Maximilian I brought Austrian brewers to the country in the 1860s. An amber beer with a thin white head, Beerito has sweet caramel and toffee notes from the barley malt and floral hops. The flavor is a little on the thin side, though that would be welcome on a hot day.

21st Amendment El Sully: 21st-amendment.com. $10 to $12 per six-pack.

Flying Dog Numero Uno Summer Cerveza: flyingdogbrewery.com. $10 to $12 per six-pack.

Oskar Blues Beerito: oskarblues.com. $10 to $12 per six-pack.


Edwards Ham Shop reopened Thursday, selling a limited number of products. (Edwards Virginia Smokehouse)

Three months after a fire ripped through Edwards Virginia Smokehouse, destroying its inventory of prized Surryano hams, the company reopened its retail shop in Surry, Va., on Thursday with a limited line of pork products.

The relaunch of the Edwards Ham Shop is the first step toward recovery for the 90-year-old business, best known for that Surryano ham, a hickory-smoked-and-aged product that chefs have compared favorably to the finest Spanish and Italian cured meats.

Weve been kind of baby-stepping this thing along, said Keith Roberts, national wholesale sales manager for Edwards. Every small victory we have, we know thats one more step in the process toward normal operations.

[A Virginia smokehouse burns. No one is hurt. But what about the hams?]

Most of the products now available at the Surry shop  and to a select number of wholesale clients in Virginia  are processed from whole, bone-in country hams that Edwards had stored in a facility separate from the smokehouse, Roberts said. About 14,000 of those country hams (a different kind of cured pork thats aged less than the Surryano) had been stored off-site. But the company couldnt put those products on the market until the U.S. Department of Agriculture signed off on new package labels that include a processing plant number different from the one for Edwards Virginia Smokehouse, Roberts said.



The Edwards Ham Company smokehouse in Surry, Va., is engulfed in flames on Jan. 19. (Evan Jones/Sussex-Surry Dispatch)

No Surryanos had been stored off-site, and approximately 7,000 of the pricey hams, made from fatty Berkshire hogs, went up in flames in the Jan. 19 blaze, which some locals are dryly calling the biggest grease fire ever. Roberts said only a limited supply of sliced Surryano ham, in four-ounce packages, is available.

Washington chefs will have to wait a little longer before Edwards begins shipping products to the region. We are extremely close to making that happen, Roberts said.

The Edwards team hopes the 14,000 country hams will allow the company to sell pork products until a new smokehouse is operational, perhaps within a year. Construction has not started.

Roberts said there was never any question that Sam Edwards III, president of the company, would rebuild the historic smokehouse. The company was founded in 1926, just a year after Samuel Wallace Edwards Sr. started selling ham sandwiches to passengers on his Jamestown-Scotland ferry. Edwards III was attending a meeting of the National Country Ham Association and was unavailable for comment.

Mark Seward, chief of the Surry Volunteer Fire Department, says an insurance company investigation of the fire was inconclusive. No cause could be determined.

While the Edwards team fine-tunes plans for a return to full operations, company officials have been pondering the idea of curing, if not smoking and aging, the famed Surryano hams elsewhere, Roberts said. Its a not an easy decision to make: The smokehouse structures controlled temperature and humidity were carefully engineered to mimic the annual weather patterns around Surry. Replicating that environment might not be easy.



Edwardss Surryano heritage ham has been compared favorably to the finest Spanish hams. (Molly M. Peterson/Occasions Caterers)

Jeremiah Langhorne, chef and owner of the Dabney in the Districts Blagden Alley, had toured Edwards Virginia Smokehouse before the fire. He knows that the facilitys temperature-and-humidity-controlled rooms were the secret behind the companys deeply flavored Surryano hams. Another place could not easily replace that smokehouse.

When it comes to aging products like that, Langhorne said, theres really something special about carrying on the tradition in the same facility.

But Sam Edwards III and his crew dont have that luxury. Theyll have to start from scratch. The task before them is not just about rebuilding a company, Roberts said. Its about reviving a 90-year-old business that helps support the local community and serves as a source of pride: proof that a small Virginia smokehouse can compete on the worlds stage with its cured meats.

Were confident that well be able to maintain the same flavor profile for Surryano ham at the new smokehouse, Roberts said. You cant keep a good ham man down.

A previous version of this article quoted Stephen Johnson, assistant fire chief for the Surry Volunteer Fire Department, as saying the investigation into the fire is ongoing. That statement was inaccurate and has been corrected.
Mauricio Morales-Caceres, left, was convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing and slashing death of Oscar Navarro, right, in Navarros Silver Spring, Md., townhouse (Courtesy of Montgomery County States Attorneys Office and the Navarro family)

By the first afternoon of the trial, one juror wondered how much more she could take.

She is a school teacher, Montgomery County Circuit Judge Mary Beth McCormick told prosecutors and defense attorneys, with the jury out of the courtroom. She is picturing her schoolkids faces superimposed on the decedents body.

The horrified reaction of Juror 223 last week was an understandable response to incomprehensible images: crime scene and autopsy photographs depicting the gruesome murder of Oscar Navarro, 36.

Maybe you could lean away from the pictures with the face, McCormick told prosecutors.

In the end, prosecutors were allowed to show jurors eight of the most disturbing photos  a key to their obtaining a first-degree murder conviction Friday against Mauricio Morales-Caceres, 24.

A 24-year-old man was convicted of first-degree murder Friday in the stabbing and slashing death an acquaintance at least 89 times. He faces life in prison without parole. Hear the 911 call made when Navarros body was discovered. (Montgomery County State's Attorneys Office)

In December 2014, armed with a 15-inch butcher knife, Morales-Caceres stabbed and slashed Navarro at least 89 times in the basement of Navarros townhouse in the Bel Pre area of Silver Spring.

The defendant took the knife and sawed, prosecutor Douglas Wink told jurors during closing arguments, standing next to a large image of the body of Navarro on his back in his basement. This man reached in with his bare hands and took out his liver. He probably thought it was his heart. He ripped out his liver and left it on his chest for the police to see.

By then, some jurors were no longer looking at the images. Those who did wore blank expressions.

Their pain, of course, fell far short of the anguish of Navarros relatives in the courtroom. For them, the photos had the power to overwhelm memories they were trying to cherish: Oscar playing with his two children, Oscar dancing, Oscar being what his boss at Joes Stone Crab called a model employee as a busboy.

You cant believe your eyes, what you see, Navarros brother Nelson said after the verdict. I dont understand how one human being can do that to another. Its like he was possessed by demons.

Prosecutors never could establish a strong enough motive in the case to present one to the jury. To show the killer persisted in the slaying  a form of premeditation that made the murder punishable by life in prison  prosecutors relied on forensic evidence and the photographs to present the sequence of the injuries.

The attack, they said, started on Navarros back, and moved to his face, head and chest. The details proved how many times Morales-Caceres could have halted the assault.

Mauricio Morales-Caceres, who was convicted of first-degree murder in Montgomery County, shown here after his arrest in 2014. (Courtesy of Montgomery County State's Attorneys Office)

Before the trial began, defense attorney Ron Gottlieb tried to halt prosecutors plans to show photos to the jurors. When he couldnt do that, he was forced to address the subject of the images during his opening statement Tuesday.

He asked jurors to put the emotional impact of the crime scene, the blood and everything else to the side. He stressed that for all of their gore, the photographs didnt show what may have precipitated the attack and certainly didnt show who did it.

Gottlieb suggested that Navarro had angered the wrong crowd but not his client.

There is a big injustice going on here, Gottlieb said. People were out to get him, and it wasnt Mauricio.

But prosecutors had a staggering wealth of evidence tying in Morales-Caceres. Prosecutor Steve Chaikin took jurors through those details. He began by warning them about photos they would see.

Its not easy. Its not easy at all to talk about murder and death, he said. As a matter of fact, most people, most citizens, most jurors will not have to see the pictures and hear the things that youre going to hear over the next several days. This was a gruesome murder.

Chaikin acknowledged he did not know why Morales-Caceres killed Navarro. He said that Morales-Caceres knew him, called him before coming over and was undoubtedly let inside a townhome where Navarro lived alone. At some point, the two were in the basement, where Morales-Caceres attacked.

Later, Navarros estranged wife went to the house, found his body and called 911. Investigators found a bloody palm print and bloody shoe prints. A few days later, they matched the print to Morales-Caceres.

Police went to his house. He was wearing a pair of white Nikes that matched the bloody shoe prints. He was carrying a cellphone that showed repeated calls to Navarros number, calls that stopped around the time Navarro was killed. Inside Morales-Caceress bedroom, detectives found the butcher knife with Navarros DNA on it.

Chaikin then turned his account to the crime scene, using photographs to lay out how long and brutal the attack was.

It was later that day, during a break, that one juror approached the judges law clerk and discussed her anxieties over the photos.

That discussion was disclosed in open court, outside the jurys presence. The judge told the lawyers that the juror taught children who were of similar ethnicity to the defendant and the victim, and that was leading her to see those childrens faces when she viewed the stabbing photos.

The attorneys said the teacher had indicated during the selection process for the jury that she wouldnt be swayed by gruesome images. But the judge was sympathetic to her reaction.

You dont know until you see it, McCormick said, because you cant fathom the nature of the pictures. . . . Ive never seen pictures of this ilk.

Wink, a prosecutor, argued the photos were critical in laying out the crime. We all live in the real world where bad things happen, and this one of them, he said.

The defense attorney, Gottlieb, renewed his request to remove the photos from the trial. McCormick said she would consider doing so.

The jury returned to the courtroom and the judge spoke to them.

I know the pictures have been very graphic, she said. But there arent going to be any more graphic pictures, unless absolutely necessary  certainly no more today.

As the trial went on, the school teacher wasnt the only juror affected. During a break, a 47-year-old federal worker went to the courthouse cafeteria to get a cup of coffee. In a daze, he walked past the cashier without paying.

I was kind of shocked, he said in an interview after the trial, speaking on the condition of anonymity to maintain his privacy. A horror movie couldnt do it justice. This was beyond a film.

On Thursday, just before the medical examiner was set to testify, the judge again spoke to the lawyers, without the jurors present, about which autopsy photos she would allow to be shown during the medical examiners testimony and during closing arguments.

McCormick said she would permit six to be used.

There are times when photographs have to be admitted to allow the jury to visualize the atrociousness of the crime, McCormick said, putting it in legal terms: They are probative as to the issue of intent.

The jury reached its verdict Friday, concluding that Morales-Caceres was the killer and that he acted in willful premeditation. He is set to be sentenced this summer.

Prosecutors have said they will ask for life in prison with no chance of parole. Should Morales-Caceres ever get out of prison, every indication is that he would be deported to his native El Salvador.

Prosecutors earlier said he entered the United States illegally. And since his stay at the Montgomery County jail, immigration officials have lodged a detainer on him, an indication they would move to have him deported at the end of a prison sentence.

Nelson Navarro, Oscars brother, said he has turned his attention to Oscars 12-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter. They know their dad was killed, but so far the family had been able to spare them details of how he died. During the trial, they came to the courthouse on one day but stayed in the prosecutors offices. Their mother watched the trial in the courtroom.

The only thing we can do for the family, Nelson Navarro said, is get closer to them.
James Pizzurro, left, Roger Bowles and Stephen Repetski, of Rail Transit OPS, monitor Metro for any anomalies or abnormalities and provide real-time information during gaps in the agencys communications in order to ease riders nerves. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

When his Red Line train stalled in a tunnel near Friendship Heights last weekend, Chuck Holmes squeezed the barest of a 3G signal from his cellphone looking for any information.

The panicked-sounding train operator wasnt answering questions, and it didnt help when another Metro employee, sounding distraught, told passengers: It is very important! Please close all doors between cars! as they began to see smoke.

Riders, some crying and climbing over seats, assumed that they would have to walk through the smoky tunnel to the platform, and thoughts of the January 2015 smoke incident near LEnfant Plaza  which left one rider dead and more than 80 injured  flashed through their minds.

Holmes searched Twitter for information. There was nothing from @Metrorailinfo  the official Metro account. Then he saw this: RD/Shady Grove @ Friendship Heights report of smoke aboard train 107 - attempting to pull train back to platform #WMATA ^RB.

The tweet was from @RailTransitOPS, and R.B. is Roger Bowles, 36, a longtime Metro observer who co-founded Rail Transit OPS in January as an independent operation to monitor the subway.

Stephen Repetski, left, Roger Bowles and James Pizzurro chat while waiting for a train at the McPherson Square Metro station. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

When the fire started, Bowles, who was in western Maryland, reached for his computer and, drawing on audio communications and real-time train data published by Metro, tweeted what he knew: Smoke was reported on the train, which Metro was trying to pull back to the platform.

The information was a relief to Holmes, 58, a journalist from Chevy Chase, Md., because it was a sign that he and others on the train would not be herded through the tunnel after all. Passengers had been considering self-evacuating.

The minute I got to the street, I added it to my Twitter follow list, Holmes said of @RailTransit

OPS. God forbid I should ever be in this situation again, but at least I know theres a resource there. I said the same thing to my co-workers on Sunday. I said, Hey, if you ride the Metro, follow this account. It might come in handy. 

Later, one of Bowless Rail Transit OPS partners, Stephen Repetski, 24, culled scanner traffic and real-time location data to put together a minute-by-minute log of what had gone wrong April 23  days before Metro published a similar but less-detailed account.

In some cities, people who are crime-obsessed make a hobby out of monitoring police scanners, chronicling the mesmerizing  and often devastating  incidents. In the District, transit wonks have made a habit out of monitoring the rails.

Bowles, Repetski and James Pizzurro, 24, launched Rail Transit OPS to document Metro incidents in detail and fill gaps in Metros communications with its customers.

At rapid-fire speed, theyve provided urgent updates on numerous recent Metro incidents. Take April 14, when there were news reports that a Metro train with more than 150 passengers aboard was stalled in a tunnel, possibly under the Potomac River.

Passengers pour onto the Tenleytown Metro platform April 23 after a train is evacuated due to a track fire near Friendship Heights. Rail Transit OPS put together a minute-by-minute log of what happened days before Metro officials. (Sarah Alaoui)

Not so, tweeted @RailTransitOPS.

Train is not under the river; reports indicate its approximately 100ft from the platform at Rosslyn. #WMATA.

Sure enough, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel later confirmed that the Blue Line train stalled 100 feet from the station, not under the Potomac, and that passengers were safe.

[Riders evacuated after Metro train becomes stuck in tunnel near Rosslyn]

So, how did Bowles and his team do it?

In their Google group chat, they determined who was nearest to the incident: Repetski and Bowles. They plotted where the train was heading: the Alexandria railyard. Minutes later, the two were at the Crystal City Metro station recording the ironic turn of events: An older-series Metro train was towing the broken-down 7000-series car  Metros newest model  to the railyard.

Repetski uses real-time data and scanner traffic to monitor the rail system. Pizzurro examines historical data from MetroHero, an app he co-created, to gauge performance  whether enough trains are running and if theyre on time. And Bowles, drawing on an encyclopedic knowledge of the rail system derived from years of poring over incident reports, National Transportation Safety Board reports, manuals and documents, pinpoints and contextualizes safety issues.

Official or not, @RailTransitOPS has become a source riders turn to for information when they cant get it from Metro. Pizzurro says the groups work is not about bashing Metro or doing the agencys bidding  its about providing paying customers information they deserve.

For example, they say theres a track problem, Pizzurro said. Obviously, if the track problem is a fire or something, thats immediate. We feel like thats something that riders should know about.

In a statement, Metro said its first alert on the April 23 fire was sent to 23,566 weekend Red Line customers via email and text message in addition to more than 53,000 Twitter followers about 10 minutes after the incident was reported.

A spokeswoman noted that the agency has a responsibility to provide information that is timely but also accurate.

Hobbyists are commonplace in the transit industry, and we respect their enthusiasm, spokeswoman Sherri Ly said. As the official source of information, it is important that we take the time to ensure that information is accurate before release  something that cannot be done by merely listening to the radio.

In the initial period after that fire, Metro urged customers to heed the direction of front-line employees.

One might ask, can a group of rail enthusiasts be trusted with such an important task as monitoring the operations of a 117-mile rail system that carries hundreds of thousands of riders a day? Bowles is a former retail manager for Verizon whose expertise is largely in auditing, and Pizzurro and Repetski deal largely with information technology and software, not trains  at least not professionally.

Riding the system with Bowles, his knowledge becomes clear. Over the course of an hour, he notices that a Red Line train is operating via automatic train control by the distinct sound he hears over the intercom. He notes that car 7020 is a hot car with a possibly busted air-conditioning unit and points out loose bolts and track fasteners on waterlogged tracks at Van Ness.

One could make the argument that hobbyists shouldnt be dealing with this kind of stuff, Pizzurro said. If someone else more official wants to step into those shoes, or take on this initiative themselves and wholly own it, thats obviously something that we would like to see. Were only putting the information out there because its not out there.

Said Repetski, an IT network and systems administrator by day: Were not trying to replace their social media accounts, because those should be the place that people go. But, he said, Theres a little bit of a freedom of being outside of the walls of [Metro headquarters] that lets us do a few more things.

The rail observers have even come up with their own set of ethics guidelines. Information must be confirmed with two sources  data and a witness account, perhaps. And Metro is given 10 minutes to push out its own alerts  except in emergencies such as the Red Line fire.

Aboard the train April 23, rider Michael Horecki, 26, of Bethesda wondered: Is there a shooter at the front of the train? He described the situation as the horrifying moment that you realize youre really not in control of what happens next.

The lack of information from Metro was the scariest part of the experience, he said.

Sunny Zheng, another rail enthusiast and a junior at Carnegie Mellon University studying computer science, said he understands why rail systems sometimes cannot be more forthcoming with information, especially during a crisis. But, he added, that clears the way for independent observers to fill the void.

Transit agency communication is inherently risk-averse, for very good reason, said Zheng, who focuses on the Long Island Rail Road, the commuter rail system serving southeastern New York. On any transit system, delay estimates put out hastily then quickly retracted can give the impression of panic or managerial disarray.

As outsiders with a different audience, we can report conditions as soon as theyre discovered and forecast the delays based on experience and knowledge of the operation, Zheng said. Some of my predictions are speculative in nature and have come out false, but thats by design, and I suspect most readers are aware of that. Improvements in agency communication can help reduce the need for this role but definitely cannot eliminate it.

Holmes, who was aboard the Red Line train, said the importance of the independent monitors was on display then. When he learned that the train would soon be moving, he warned passengers not to open the doors or try to leave the train on their own, although one rider did pull an emergency release lever, sending smoke seeping into the train and prompting yells.

He described a feeling of grave relief when the train did start moving backward.

During the event and culminating with that was these guys, he said. I think they prevented some injuries.
Ken Cuccinelli II, the polarizing former Virginia attorney general, said Saturday that he will not run again for governor, scrambling the contest and opening the door for a far-right conservative to vie for the Republican nomination in 2017.

An active surrogate for Sen. Ted Cruzs presidential bid, Cuccinelli has been traveling the country in support of the senator from Texas while overseeing the campaigns delegate-selection process in Virginia.

I made my choice here, and it was to go all in on the Cruz campaign, he told The Washington Post in an interview at the state Republican convention here. Theres only so much that makes sense on an individual and family basis. . . . Its better for our family not to do both.

The decision left some wondering whether Cuccinelli might serve as attorney general in a possible Cruz administration or run for the U.S. Senate, both posts that would give him opportunities to rein in what he sees as federal overreach.

As Virginias attorney general, Cuccinelli built a national profile and became a hero to tea-party-influenced conservatives by waging battles against abortion rights, climate science and the Affordable Care Act.

Longtime GOP strategist Ed Gillespie, shown here during his 2014 campaign for the U.S. Senate, is expected to run for Virginia governor. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Democrats successfully painted him as too extreme for Virginia in the 2013 race for governor, allowing Democrat Terry McAuliffe to narrowly defeat him with an unabashedly liberal message on gay rights and gun control.

A second Cuccinelli candidacy for governor would have given Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, a 2017 hopeful, an easy target for Democratic vitriol. That anger was briefly activated in the recent legislative session when the Republicans considered nominating Cuccinelli to the states Supreme Court.

[Virginia Senate panel proposes Cuccinelli for state Supreme Court]

His right-wing radical agenda is not the sort of future Virginia families are looking for, Anna Scholl, executive director of the left-leaning Progress Virginia, said Saturday.

Cuccinellis decision removed a major obstacle to the partys nomination for Ed Gillespie, the longtime GOP strategist and former White House counsel who is trying to appear as the inevitable candidate with a robust fundraising operation and early establishment endorsements.

Ken and Teiro are friends to Cathy and me, said Gillespie, referring to the mens wives. I respect him. Whether he were to run or not run was never going to change that. I appreciate all hes doing at the national level in the presidential campaign. I know how much work that is.

Gillespie came close to unseating U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D) last year after winning a convention with a focus on growing the economy, but the day-long party-run gatherings usually produce conservative candidates in the mold of Cuccinelli.

Thats a slot Rep. Rob Wittman would like to fill. Hes running for reelection to the House and recently formed a political action committee to raise money to run for governor with a small-government message.

The idea that money and endorsements somehow predicates somebody should be elected is not what these races are about, he said in an interview. These races are about the people that will make the decisions at the convention. Thats where I have placed my emphasis.

Both men worked the crowd Saturday at a state convention where vendors gave out Guns Save Lives stickers and speakers railed against McAuliffe and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner in the presidential race. The scene is a taste of the spectacle that could play out at a convention next year.

The 2017 Republican convention will be messy and competitive, said Emily Bolton, spokeswoman for the Virginia Democrats. History has shown that these conventions produce far-right candidates who are out of the mainstream for Virginia voters. Look no further than todays RPV Convention to see the degree in which Virginia Republicans remain bitterly divided over issues, candidates and party politics.

Democrats still fume over Cuccinellis promise as attorney general not to defend members of the state health board if they backed away from strict, hospital-style building regulations of abortion clinics. They believe he wasted taxpayer dollars on a string of high-profile lawsuits challenging the Affordable Care Act and seeking the records from Michael Mann, a climate scientist who at the time worked for the University of Virginia.

Stephen J. Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington, said Cuccinellis decision represents an opportunity for Gillespie and Wittman. Others toying with a run include Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, and Shak Hill, who unsuccessfully ran against Gillespie for Senate last year.

It spares the party what would have been a nasty fight between two different visions of where the party should go, Farnsworth said.
Two Republicans are competing for the chance to run against U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D), above, in Virginias 8th Congressional District in November. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Two little-known Republicans are vying for their partys nomination to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) in this years general election, both facing an uphill climb for name recognition and campaign cash.

Beyer is completing his first term representing Virginias 8th Congressional District and has no opponents in the Democratic primary in June.

Charles Hernick, 34, an economist, environmental consultant and five-year resident of Arlington, and Michael Webb, 50, a former Army officer who moved to Northern Virginia in 2008, hope to get the GOPs nomination May 7 at the partys district convention.

Hernick, who has raised about $18,000 to Beyers $1.3 million, acknowledged that he is an underdog in a district that is heavily Democratic. But he is counting on the unsettled 2016 electorate that, in presidential politics at least, has been willing to consider candidates previously thought not viable.

The only thing clear to me about politics this year is that people are hungry for a change, Hernick said.

He defines himself as a moderate Republican who thinks government must take action on climate change and says he recognizes the importance of free trade, supporting small businesses, government efficiency and a strong national defense. Its his first try at electoral politics.

Webb a pro-life, pro-gun and anti-debt conservative who is the son of a Christian minister, asserted that Beyer won his 2014 election with 63 percent of the vote because Republicans ignored the importance of African Americans, churchgoers and the business community.

Webb, who is African American, said he is confident that he can put together a coalition that will surpass the typical Republican share of 34 percent of the vote in the 8th District, which includes all of Arlington County, parts of Fairfax and the cities of Alexandria and Falls Church.

But first, Webb has to file an updated campaign finance report with the Federal Elections Commission, a failure first noted by the local news site Arlnow.com. Webb said in an interview that the computer on which he keeps his financial numbers was hacked and is being repaired.

His previous report, through the end of 2015, showed his campaign to be primarily self-funded. He has had difficulty getting donors because the local Republican establishment is unwilling to support him, he said.
Conrad Burns, a onetime cattle auctioneer who parlayed his down-home appeal into three terms as a Republican senator from Montana, reaping federal dollars for his state as well as criticism for his impolitic, at times offensive, off-the-cuff remarks, died April 28 at his home in Billings, Mont. He was 81.

The cause was complications from a stroke in 2009, said a daughter, Keely Godwin.

Mr. Burns served from 1989 to 2007 in the Senate, where he made weighty speeches on foreign policy and the future of the Internet, it was observed in the Almanac of American Politics, even while cutting the figure of a stereotypical Westerner, picking his teeth with a pocketknife, chewing tobacco, telling deadpan jokes.

He lost his seat in 2006 to a Democratic challenger, then-state Senate President Jon Tester, after revelations that Mr. Burns had received $150,000 in campaign contributions  among the highest amounts of any member of Congress  from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his associates.

The son of Missouri ranchers, Mr. Burns had established himself in Billings, Mont., as a livestock auctioneer, then built a network of 29 radio and six television stations devoted to agricultural news. He was elected Yellowstone County commissioner in 1986 and two years later defeated an incumbent Democrat, John Melcher, for a seat in the Senate. Mr. Burns came to Washington promising never to take a chew under the Capitol dome.

He did not come to the Senate deeply steeped in politics and governance, Norman J. Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said in an interview, adding that Mr. Burns had some rough edges. But I liked him because he was very unpretentious, Ornstein said. He knew who he was.

Mr. Burns obtained a seat on the Commerce Committee, chairing the subcommittee on communications, and on the powerful Appropriations Committee, where he led the Interior subcommittee.

On the former, he supported deregulation and the cultivation of online commerce. On the latter, he helped direct federal funds to Montana. Especially as his seniority increased, he became known as an effective advocate for his constituents.

When drought hit farmers, Mr. Burns lobbied for federal relief similar to the funds given to victims of floods and hurricanes. A family statement on his death emphasized his attention to Montana interests including farming and ranching, as well as rural telecommunications and health care.

But Mr. Burns also drew the ire of many in his state and elsewhere over his stream of gaffes insulting groups including but not limited to African Americans, Arabs and immigrants.

I can self-destruct in one sentence, Mr. Burns once said. Sometimes in one word.

In 1991, after the passage of a civil rights bill, Mr. Burns invited a mixed-race group of lobbyists to an auction. When the prospective guests inquired what goods were to be sold, he responded, Slaves.

Mr. Burns later clarified that his phrasing referred to volunteers who agreed to do chores or other jobs for a charitable cause.

During his reelection campaign in 1994, he relayed to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle a meeting with a Montana rancher who asked him how he managed to live in Washington with all those [n-----s], using a racial slur for African Americans. By his account, Mr. Burns replied that it was a hell of a challenge.

The senator later apologized, saying that the episode represented views which I do not condone and do not share. He also remarked that its always a challenge when you bring different cultures and beliefs together.

On another occasion, he referred to Arabs as ragheads.

During his final reelection campaign, Mr. Burns was widely rebuked for telling firefighters that they were doing a piss-poor job combating a wildfire in Montana. By that time, Mr. Burns faced withering scrutiny over his ties to Abramoff, who pleaded guilty in January 2006 to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials.

As chairman of the Interior subcommittee, Mr. Burns oversaw legislation involving Indian affairs. Abramoff, who admitted to defrauding Indian tribes he represented, told Vanity Fair magazine that his clients received every appropriation we wanted from Mr. Burnss subcommittee.

Mr. Burns said that he did not personally know Abramoff and that he had not realized the lobbyists relationship with tribes that donated to his campaign.

I dont know who Abramoff influenced, Mr. Burns said in a campaign advertisement, but he never influenced me.

Mr. Burns had announced in 2005 that he would return the Abramoff funds, but the scandal took its toll. He lost to Tester by fewer than 3,600 votes.

In 2008, the Justice Department closed an investigation of Mr. Burnss involvement in the Abramoff matter, without bringing criminal charges.

Conrad Rae Burns was born in Gallatin, Mo., on Jan. 25, 1935. After studying agriculture at the University of Missouri, he served in the Marine Corps for two years. He moved to Montana as a representative for a trade publication devoted to polled Hereford cattle. He sold his agricultural broadcast network as he launched a career in politics.

Mr. Burns easily won reelection in 1994 but faced greater difficulty in 2000 when he ran for a third term, despite a promise to stay in Washington for only two. He defeated Democrat Brian Schweitzer, later elected Montana governor, 51 percent to 47 percent.

After his loss in 2006, Mr. Burns worked for a Washington lobbying firm, Gage Business Consulting. He frequently offered his services as an auctioneer at charitable functions.

His daughter Kate Burns died in 1985. Survivors include his wife of 48 years, the former Phyllis Kuhlmann, of Billings; two children, Keely Godwin of Durham, N.C., and Garrett Burns of Alexandria, Va.; a sister; and three grandchildren.
The fleet planet Mercury casually strolls across the sun May 9, like a tiny, travelling black dot against the fiery disk. Its a rare transit of Mercury.

Take caution: Do not look directly into the sun through a bare telescope or bare binoculars, or with your naked eye  and that includes sunglasses. If you do, you will go blind. (Mercury is so small against the sun that you cannot see it with the naked eye, anyway.) View the transit only through proper, solar-safe filters on optical instruments.

Barring clouds, the eastern United States gets to view the full 7.5-hour transit, starting at 7:12 a.m. Mercury reaches its transit midpoint at 10:57 a.m., and the cosmic event lasts until 2:42 p.m., says former NASA astronomer Fred Espenak.

For the Midwest and the Western states, the transit will already be underway at sunrise.

There are only 13 Mercury transits each century; so far, weve had one in 2003 and 2006. Beyond this year, the next will be Nov. 11, 2019  Veterans Day.

Safe places to see the transit of Mercury

 Montgomery College : Safe telescopes will be set up in the parking lot adjacent to the Montgomery College planetarium from 7:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. If cloudy, participants are invited into the planetarium at 7611 Fenton St., Takoma Park. Web: www.ow.ly/JEJ6V .

 Air and Space Museum: Transit viewing with properly filtered telescopes at the Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory on the museums eastern side, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lectures: Geologist Jim Zimbelman on The Transit of Mercury: Whats the Big Deal About a Planet in Front of a Star? at 11 a.m. Space historian David DeVorkin on Explaining the Mystery of Mercurys Motion, at 1 p.m. For both talks, meet at the museums Great Seal, at the buildings Mall entrance. www.airandspace.si.edu.

 David M. Brown Planetarium, Arlington: Friends of the Planetarium volunteers will guide you with Sunspotter telescopes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parking is at a premium during school hours; paid parking is nearby. The planetarium is near the Ballston, Virginia Square and Clarendon Metro stations. 1426 N. Quincy St., adjacent to Washington-Lee High School. www.friendsoftheplanetarium.org.

 Online: With telescopes placed around the world, watch the transit from the comfort of your computer. The live coverage on Slooh.com begins at 7 a.m., with astronomers Paul Cox and Bob Berman. The VirtualTelescope.eu will feature the transit, as well.

Other planets:

Early May evenings begin with bright Jupiter (-2.3 magnitude, bright) in the south hanging out in Leo. Rusty, reddish Mars rises in the southeast around 10 p.m. early in the month, and it brightens from -1.5 magnitude to an exceptionally bright -2, in the constellation Scorpius. Mars reaches opposition (think full Mars instead of full moon) on May 22.

The large, gaseous, ringed Saturn (zero magnitude, bright) rises around 10:30 p.m. after Mars in the southeast, but find both planets in the south at about 3 a.m., in the constellations Scorpius and Ophiuchus, forming a triangle with the red star Antares.

Down-to-Earth Events:

May 1  Accessories to Improve Your Astronomical Observing, at the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club meeting, 163 Research Hall, George Mason University. 7 p.m. www.novac.com.

May 5  The Challenges of Directly Imaging Earth-like Exoplanets Around Nearby Stars, a talk by astronomer Brian Hicks, at the University of Maryland Observatory, College Park. 9 p.m. Telescope viewing afterward. www.astro.umd.edu/openhouse .

May 6  LIGO, Gravitational Waves and Colliding Black Holes, talks by Peter S. Shawhan, University of Maryland physics professor (LIGO); John G. Baker, NASA astrophysicist (gravitational wave theory); and Julie McEnery, NASA astrophysicist (gravitational wave counterparts). Hosted by the Philosophical Society of Washington at the John Wesley Powell Auditorium, adjacent to the Cosmos Club, 2170 Florida Ave. NW. 8 p.m. www.philsoc.org.

May 7  Astronomy Day! Celebrate with members of the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (www.novac.com) and Sean OBrien of the National Air and Space Museum. Solar observing through safe telescopes, presentations and childrens field events  and stay after sunset to gaze at the heavens. At Sky Meadows State Park near Paris, Va. 3 to 11 p.m. Parking, $5. Park phone: 540-592-3556. www.tinyurl.com/q92udac .

May 7  Kids (ages 5 and up) can bring a blanket, pillow and teddy bear to hear star stories  under the stars  at the Montgomery College planetarium, Takoma Park, 7 p.m. www.ow.ly/JEJ6V.

May 7  Exploring the Sky, hosted by the National Park Service and the National Capital Astronomers, at Rock Creek Park, near the Nature Center in the field south of Military and Glover roads NW. 9 p.m. www.capitalastronomers.org .

May 14  Chryssa Kouveliotou, George Washington University physicist, will discuss Magnetars at the regular meeting of the National Capital Astronomers, at the University of Maryland Observatory, College Park. 7:30 p.m. www.capitalastronomers.org .

May 20  Do We Really Only Understand Four Percent of the Universe? a talk by astronomer Alan Peel, at the University of Maryland Observatory, College Park. 9 p.m. Weather permitting, telescope viewing afterward. www.astro.umd.edu/openhouse .
When the United States elected its first black president in 2008, it felt like a turning point  a cultural milestone for our country, a moment of grace in its fraught history of race relations, the fulfillment of an equality long promised by our founding fathers.

Seven years later, a new turning point awaits: What next?

No one knows. By their very nature, such firsts thrust us into uncharted territory.

But ask other black pioneers about their experiences, and they agree on this: Being first is never easy, but life afterward can be just as hard  both for the person who broke the barrier and the country at large.

Like Obama, they endured the challenge and scrutiny of breaking barriers, and they emerged with victories of their own: the first black governor. The first black billionaire. The first black Ivy League president.

If becoming a first requires determination and sacrifice, they say, then life after that first takes an equal amount of patience and perspective.

The label, they say, is something you contend with for the rest of your life  questioning it, probing for what it means, striving to preserve an identity outside of it and, if youre lucky, learning to harness its power in a way that helps others.

It is a life that, yes, comes with accolades and speech invitations. But it also comes saddled with the substantial expectations and lingering questions of others.

The aftermath of it chewed me up; on the other hand, it made me a hell of a lot stronger, said Ed Dwight, 82, the first African American to be trained as an astronaut.

In hours-long conversations with half a dozen black pioneers, many described life in the aftermath as a series of developmental stages.

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And in the final stage, one of introspection, they find themselves asking the same questions this country faces as its first black presidents tenure approaches its end: What did it all amount to? Did it change anything?

Ruth Simmons, the first black president of an Ivy League university



Ruth Simmons, who became president of Brown University in 2001, was the first African American president of an Ivy League institution. (Amanda Voisard for The Washington Post)

First comes the huge sigh of relief.

Ruth Simmons, 70, described it as a phenomenal release of pressure. Life after the first means finally shedding the weight that has accumulated on your shoulders for years.

You realize youre free for the first time in a long time, she said.

Ruth Simmons

For more than a decade, Simmons served as the first black president of an Ivy League university. That tenure as head of Brown University capped a decades-long career in academia. With each step on that journey, she felt the mounting expectations of others.

She grew up dirt poor, born in a sharecroppers shack on a cotton farm, the youngest of 12 children. Succeeding academically in Texas back then meant overturning racists notions about her intellectual capacity. But taking on her first administrative job  assistant dean at the University of New Orleans in 1975  thrust her onto even more treacherous terrain.

You understand early on that youre not going to be given a pass just because you happen to be the first African American; in fact, youre going to be judged against a higher standard, she said.

Scrutiny from the minority community felt equally intense, with many watching to see whether she lived up to what they saw as her obligations. She had to do everything her predecessors did, but she was also inundated with requests from groups representing women, blacks and other minorities.

When she grappled with issues her predecessors had not, she drew scrutiny for that, as well.



Ruth Simmons smiles during opening convocation at Brown University on Sept. 4, 2001, soon after assuming the office of president. (Victoria Arocho/Associated Press)

Shortly after taking over Brown, she formed a committee to investigate the universitys historical ties to slave trade and ways to acknowledge and amend for it.

If I had not been African American, it might have been fairly easy to launch, she said. The fact that it was a black president doing this, it drew criticism immediately.

For Simmons, all that pressure boiled down to a single haunting thought: Dont screw this up for the next person with a shot at the top.

You feel the pressure constantly, she said, as you decide how to behave in public, what clothes to wear out. You feel it as you engage with subtly racist folks  stakeholders you hate talking to but must for the good of the university. You feel the extra scrutiny when you call out peoples misdeeds.

She constantly thought back to her own black heroes and recalled how devastating it felt when they fell short.

I wanted from them integrity, courage, for them to stand up for the right principles of fairness . . . and to do that even when it cost them dearly, she said. That was my litmus test.

In 1995, at Smith College, she became the first black woman to lead a major private university. Then, from 2001 to 2012, she served as president of Brown, where she was widely praised by faculty and students.

At the end of it all, she was surprised to discover that the high standard and incredible pressure she had felt all those years had at some point become a much lower bar.

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In retirement, she said, she was suddenly being hailed as a hero simply for not failing miserably as a first. You either, as a consequence of that label, go down in history as an abysmal failure, she said, or if you do a reasonable job, theres a big sigh and you become even more famous after you leave office.

Robert L. Johnson, the first black billionaire



Robert L. Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television, became the first African American billionaire after he sold the company to Viacom in 2001. (Amanda Voisard for the Washington Post)

The counterpoint, however, to that sigh of relief is the realization that the expectations dont end with your accomplishment.

There is often a feeling by others, these black pioneers said, that the success youve achieved doesnt ultimately belong to you.

Robert Johnson

Your fame, your wealth, your success become what I call an heirloom of the black community, said Robert L. Johnson, 69, who in 1980 founded Black Entertainment Television, the biggest cable network aimed at African Americans.

The message you receive from the black community about your success, Johnson said, is this: You may be the vessel that holds it, but we own it. Therefore, you have an obligation to act in the long-term best interest of the African American community even if it may threaten your own.

For some, that sense of ownership applies to their fame or power. For Johnson, whose BET network became the first black-controlled company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, it was his wealth.



In an undated photo, Johnson poses in front of BET headquarters. (Photo Courtesy of Robert L. Johnson)

In 2001, Johnson became the countrys first black billionaire with BETs $3 billion sale to Viacom.

Almost overnight, the requests started flooding in, he said. It became, You need money? Call Bob Johnson. You need a donation or program funded? Call Bob Johnson. 

One group desperate to help blacks in Liberia  then mired in civil war and authoritarian leadership  proposed that Johnson simply buy the entire country and fix its problems in return for mineral rights.

A friend asked him for $75,000 the day after BET went public. Asking you for $75,000, the friend told Johnson, is like someone asking me for a penny.

The expectations also applied to his business ventures. His detractors  and the loudest for years have come from the black community  criticized him for filling BETs programming with music videos of scantily clad women and high-rolling rappers. They said the channel perpetuated negative stereotypes and should be more devoted to high-minded discourse and the African American cause.

Johnson sees it as part of the curse of being first.

If there were five BETs, then you could say, I dont like that one. Im going to watch the other one,  he said.

He predicts Obama will face similar burdens and expectations.

Some might say, The man has done all he could. . . . His hair is gray. Leave him alone, give him a chance to be with his family,  Johnson said. But others will say, Sorry, but we put him in office. We gave him power. We gave him visibility. I know hes not the president anymore, but he can pick up the phone and call so and so. He can go to this company and ask them to invest in the black community. 

Just imagine, Johnson said, another huge racial controversy  the next Ferguson or Charleston shooting or Trayvon Martin. If Obama doesnt speak out afterward, doesnt extend his leadership, the questions will inevitably start.

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People will ask, Why is he remaining silent? . . . Was his heart ever really there?  Johnson said. There is just no escape.

Ruby Bridges, the first black child to attend an all-white school

Not all pioneers, however, see that lifelong expectation as a burden.

You cant say, Well, I dont want to do that. Thats it. Its over, said Ruby Bridges Hall.

Ruby Bridges

For a period of her life, said Hall, 62, she tried to do exactly that, disappearing into a life of anonymity.

In 1960, at age 6, she became the first black child to attend an all-white school in Louisiana.

White parents immediately pulled out their children. Every teacher at the school except one refused to teach her. She spent her whole first year secluded in an empty classroom, kept away from white kids in the cafeteria and playground. Federal marshals had to escort her to class  a moment that Norman Rockwell depicted in a painting titled The Problem We All Live With.

For years afterward, she said, she didnt understand the implications of that experience and even avoided it.

She married, raised four kids and quietly worked as a travel agent for American Express.

By chance decades later, she found herself back at William Frantz Elementary as a volunteer, the same school she had integrated as a child. After her brother was shot and killed, Hall started looking after his orphaned daughters, who happened to attend the school.

Amid that dark period in her familys life, she said, she finally made peace with her past.

You look back and take stock of your life and ask yourself, What am I doing? Am I doing something meaningful, something that makes a difference in the world?  she said. Once I started asking that question, it brought me right back to that experience in 1960.

She said she realized that there is your job, and then there is your calling. And your calling is not something you can run away from.

She wrote a book about her experiences as a child. She reunited with her former elementary school teacher on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She created a foundation and began touring schools, talking to children about racism.

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I think probably President Obama is going to find himself in those same shoes. His work will not ever be done, she said. What youve accepted wont allow you to quit.

L. Douglas Wilder, the first black governor



L. Douglas Wilder, who in 1989 was elected governor of Virginia, was the first African American to be elected to the position in any U.S. state. (Amanda Voisard for The Washington Post)

As time passes, older trailblazers say, you become preoccupied with the question of legacy.

Some of it has to do with vanity over how youll be remembered, they said. But you also find yourself searching for signs of change, proof that you moved the needle in some way.

It is an exercise, they say, that leads to frustration.

L. Douglas Wilder, 85, said that for almost two decades he wondered whether his accomplishments amounted to anything in a historical sense.

In a precursor of sorts to Obamas election, he became in 1989 the countrys first African American to be elected governor.

His victory was so narrow it was decided by less than half a percent. But his inauguration was splashed across the front pages of the country and hailed as a watershed moment in politics.

Wilder, however, wondered privately for years whether it really was.

L. Douglas Wilder

Being number one means nothing until theres a number two, he explained.

As he watched the campaigns of one black candidate after another founder, he said he felt deep disappointment and even fear that his election was simply an anomaly.

It took 17 years before another black man was finally elected governor  Deval Patrick, in Massachusetts in 2006. Wilder flew up to witness his inauguration.

I took tremendous comfort in what I call the confirmation of my long-held belief, he said, that my election as governor was not some sort of aberration that could never happen again.

These days, Wilder talks about race and politics operating like a door. He talks about how hard it was to push that door open, and the difficulty of keeping it ajar.

As a pioneer, he said, you often hope your first will lead to others. Since Obamas election as president, the country also has seen its first black U.S. attorney general, NASA administrator, U.S. trade representative, federal director of prisons and homeland security secretary. Add to that list the first black female four-star admiral, U.N. ambassador and Environmental Protection Agency administrator.

Wilder said he made a similar push during his administration to involve more minorities and women than his predecessors. And yet, he said, since his election, no African American in Virginia has won a statewide office.



Wilder is sworn in as the 66th governor of Virginia outside the Capitol in Richmond on Jan. 13, 1990. (Ken Bennett/Associated Press)

The question of why continues to frustrate and befuddle him.

When up-and-coming minority candidates seek him out for advice, Wilder grills them on exactly why theyre running and what they hope to accomplish.

It cant just be about being first or second or third, because it could add up to zero, he tells them. The voter is not interested in history. The voter is interested in schools, crime, taxes, finances.

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The question that they have to answer, he tells them, is this: What real and lasting difference are you going to make if elected?

Ed Dwight, the first black astronaut candidate



Ed Dwight was the first African American to undergo astronaut training. (Matthew Staver for The Washington Post)

What drives those worries about legacy is actually a much deeper question about our country: Are our divisions and disparities over race getting better or worse?

It is a question about the future, about hope vs. despair, about optimism vs. pessimism.

And among some who have devoted their lives to pushing for progress, it elicits gloom.

Dwight, who was chosen by President John F. Kennedys administration to be the first black man to undergo astronaut training, said that among his darkest, innermost fears is the idea that Obamas election could turn out to be the worst thing that ever happened for African Americans.

Ed Dwight

He talks about a backlash effect since Obamas election, a feeling among white America that now we dont owe you nothing. You got a black president of the United States. So we dont owe you a thing.

He talks about his worry that years from now we will look back on this period as the pinnacle of black possibility.

Alexa Canady, the first black neurosurgeon



Alexa Canady was the first African American neurosurgeon. (Meggan Haller/Keyhole Photo)

Alexa Canady also struggles with despair.

Many hoped Obamas election would heal the countrys racial rift, but instead, his presidency has exposed just how deep that rift runs, she said.

Canady, 65, became the countrys first black female neurosurgeon in 1981. And she likens Americas racial problem to a throbbing abscess on a patients body. Ignoring it only makes it worse, she said. You have to lance the abscess to open it up. Its the only way to heal it.

But the prognosis remains unclear. Obamas legacy, she said, depends in large part on what comes out of the anger and racial conflict seething across the country these days.

And yet, despite that uncertainty, Canady and other black pioneers said they still cling to hopes that the country will one day reach a point where all this talk of race, trailblazing and even firsts becomes irrelevant.

Alexa Canady

Former university president Simmons said she imagines students 25 years from now reading discussions like this one on race.

Hopefully theyll be very bored by it, she said. If we are lucky, they will not understand it at all.

It may seem impossible now, she said, but she can already hear their reactions to the big deal we once made over the countrys first black president.

Theyll say, Isnt it odd that there was a time when someone like me could not expect to be president? Was there really a time like that?  she said.

And that, she and other black pioneers said, is when they will know they have achieved something truly profound.

Alice Crites contributed to this report.


(Thomas Burden for The Washington Post)

Friendly waiters

by Tim Carman

The question has come to feel as much like a trap as a courtesy. Like when your dentist asks if you floss after every meal, or your mechanic wonders if youve checked your car plugs lately: Have you dined with us before?

Weve all been there: Excited to snag a reservation at this seasons trend-setting restaurant, you sit down and are immediately confronted with the Question. Your answer is irrelevant. A lecture will be forthcoming. You may have dined at the finest restaurants in Barcelona  you might be brilliant enough to decode the Kryptos monument without assistance  but it wont stop your server from explaining that the chef suggests you order two to four small plates per person.

Ive sat helplessly as a server crowded my table and read from the menu I was holding in my hands, moving from one section to another with robotic efficiency, oblivious to my distress. I still have servers who inform me that small plates arrive as theyre ready and are designed to be shared, a default speech that treats customers like hayseeds who havent set foot in a restaurant in a decade. Ive even had a server announce, as Im seated in a Belgian-beer-focused restaurant, that its specialty is  youll never guess  Belgian beer.

Enough of this oversharing.

I understand that some restaurateurs are trying to topple the tyranny of the appetizer-entree-dessert triumvirate. Theyre searching for new ways to stimulate their staff, their customers and themselves. Bravo.

So how else could chefs communicate their new ideas? Allow me to suggest this radical tool called a menu, and a quiet moment to review it. As the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once wrote, Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear. If diners dont understand, they can ask questions, inviting the speech that, at present, starts every meal with a bitter pill to swallow.



(Thomas Burden for The Washington Post)

School suspensions

By Andre Perry

As a former charter school administrator in the majority-black city of New Orleans, I often saw the same scene play out: A principal barks like a drill sergeant at a black child over some misbehavior, calling him aggressive and telling him that hell end up in jail if hes not disciplined. The principal issues the child a three-day suspension. The child is 4 years old.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, black children represented 18 percent of preschool enrollment in 2014 but 48 percent of preschool children receiving more than one out-of-school suspension. The department also found that black students across the primary and secondary grades were suspended and expelled at three times the rate of white students, and black girls were suspended at higher rates than girls of any other race.

Black children are more likely than white students to be suspended for nebulous, nonviolent infractions such as dress-code violations and tardiness ; when students commit more objective, violent offenses, schools still suspend black students 88 percent of the time, compared with 72 percent of the time for white children. In response to educators irresponsible use of suspensions, the Education Department, in collaboration with the Justice Department, issued a school discipline guidance package in 2014 to help states, districts and schools reduce suspensions and expulsions.

Suspension conveys an important lesson: not how to improve but how to give up. The Council of State Governments found that suspended or expelled students are significantly more likely to repeat a grade, drop out or become involved with the juvenile justice system. No wonder academic achievement lags among black youth  we expect kids to learn how to behave by kicking them out of school.

Schools need to make room for restorative justice approaches, which address the root causes of behavior issues by helping students resolve conflicts and repair relationships with their peers inside the school. As more districts have adopted alternate approaches, the numbers of suspensions and expulsions have fallen. Educators need to throw outdated discipline policies, not black children, out of school.



(Thomas Burden for The Washington Post)

Olympic hosts

By Andrew Zimbalist

The modern Olympic Games began in 1896. Which means the economic model for the Games was born in the 19th century. Thats where it belongs.

Until the last few decades of the 20th century, if someone wanted to watch Olympic competition live, the only viable option was to travel to the host city. In such a world, perhaps it made sense to move the whole thing around the globe every four years. Before the big bucks of international television rights arrived, the economic stakes were different, and the International Olympic Committee was far less grandiose than it is today.

Now, it costs $10 billion to $20 billion to host the Games, or even more in cities with underdeveloped transportation, telecommunication, sanitation and hospitality infrastructure. Scholarly studies have consistently shown that the touted benefits  increased tourism, trade and investment  are almost always illusory, as is the supposed sporting legacy. Certainly, Olympic hosts often get some improvements to point to  a modernized airport, a new roadway, enhanced public works  but these are investments that could be made without hosting the Games, and at a fraction of the expense.

Putting on the Olympics comes with steep costs. This summers host, Rio de Janeiro, is suffering from, among other depressing news, the eviction of thousands of residents who live in favelas, the citys shantytowns; the despoliation of a nature reserve in the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood; fiscal bankruptcy; intensified corruption and instability; and horrific publicity surrounding water quality and shortages, as well as the Zika virus.

It is time to ditch this outdated model. The competition among the worlds cities to prove their worthiness to the IOC is wasteful, exploitative and unnecessary. One option: The IOC could be made to pay for all Olympic construction. Then wed see a downsizing of its gaudy venues and a reluctance to go to a new city every four years. Global athletic competition can be healthy, but there is no need to ravage a new city every cycle.



(Thomas Burden for The Washington Post)

Tenure

By David J. Helfand

We dont give it to U.S. presidents or to corporate CEOs: Although we install them with great ceremony, in a few years, most are gone. We dont give it to plumbers or police officers: They have to perform to keep their jobs. Queen Elizabeth II and Emperor Akihito have it, though what they do each day is highly constrained. But university professors can do with it what they wish, without review, for life. We call it tenure.

One hundred years ago, the American Association of University Professors endorsed a Declaration of Principles regarding academic freedom and tenure. Academic freedom in the United States has produced 357 Nobel Prizes; 9 of the 10 most innovative universities on the planet, as ranked by Reuters; and a vibrant, creative higher-education system. Academic tenure, meanwhile, produces stultifying intellectual uniformity, protects incompetence, generates mountains of useless research and leads to undergraduate teaching done by poorly paid part-time adjuncts and graduate students.

Tenure is not, as was its original intent, protecting the freedom to teach controversial subjects; it is protecting the right to offload teaching onto underlings. This isnt freedom to pursue research wherever it leads; its the right to publish irreproducible studies and uncited scholarship.

Many of my tenured colleagues are excellent undergraduate teachers  when they are not on sabbatical, research leave or an exemption from teaching duty, or leading graduate seminars. Most are outstanding researchers: as good as the untenured staff and graduate students with whom they work, but not worlds better.

Is tenure what motivates and protects their teaching and scholarship? No. Would our universities be more equitable, more agile and more focused on the students who pay the bills without tenure? Undoubtedly. Tenure protects behaviors that diminish our universities. It is an anachronism we can no longer afford. Thats why, when offered, I turned it down.

Academic freedom and tenure are not synonymous. You can have one without the other, and it is high time we did.



(Thomas Burden for The Washington Post)

Strong women

By Ann Friedman

Heres to strong women, the inspirational Pinterest quote goes. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them. It has no attribution, and it doesnt need one, because weve all heard the sentiment so many times. Our lives are full of women we wouldnt hesitate to label strong. Presidential candidate Ted Cruz recently held a celebration of strong women event. Fast Company offers an ongoing series of articles on women in business called Strong Female Lead. Actor Chris Hemsworth promoted his latest film by touting its kick-ass, strong female characters.

I struggle to name a single weak woman I know. And yet when strong women are singled out as exceptional, weakness is the implied norm. A Huffington Post listicle on dating a strong woman cautions potential suitors that she wont put up with disrespect, mindless conversations or any fluff. Apparently the typical single woman loves disrespect and inane text messages.

When a woman is singled out as strong, its usually not a mere compliment: Its an attempt to distract from more widespread sexist behavior and casting choices. In Hollywood, where for decades female characters have been more motivated by male approval than by their own ambitions, the strong female lead is not just a category Netflix suggests I would enjoy. Its shorthand for a film that passes the Bechdel test.

In politics and the workplace, strong women are used as a convenient cover. Lawmakers invoke the strength of their mothers, daughters and wives whenever their records on reproductive rights or equal pay are at issue. I cant possibly be a sexist, they imply, because I respect certain women I know. A male boss once defended his choice to interview only male candidates for a job by telling me that his wife was a strong woman who was active in the womens movement.

Starting this spring, lets limit the strong label to female weightlifters. In all other cases, we dont need to call it out. Strong is synonymous with woman. We know them. We are them. We raise them.



(Thomas Burden for The Washington Post)

Beach bodies

By Mikki Kendall

Weve all seen the ads. Are you beach body ready? one typical billboard screams. Conveniently, the way to become beach-body-ready is to purchase a series of weight-loss products hawked to you by the Photoshopped image of a woman who was 30 pounds heavier when she posed in that bikini. Before we dare show our bodies in public, we apparently also need to lengthen our hair, narrow our noses, and paint or plump our lips. We might need to tan or bleach our way to an acceptable range of beige. Even the model for the ad isnt able to meet the standard, as bikinis lack the corset required to give her the unnatural waistline thats supposed to be every womans goal.

The easy retort is that your body is beach-ready whenever you decide to take it to the beach. But its hard to believe that when even celebrities who make most beautiful lists are doctoring their candid pics on Instagram  trimming their arms, adding thigh gaps  to stem the never-ending wave of criticism from fans and the media. (A Web search for bad celebrity beach bodies yields pages of results, mostly images of fit beauties who happen to have a bit of cellulite or, in one case, an outie belly button.)

Enough. This summer, lets give humans a pass for having human bodies in public. We could spend a little more time minding our own business and not the appearance of others, reading good books and completely ignoring US Weeklys latest celebrity body-shame fest. I know Ill be focused on having fun in the sun after a long Chicago winter, instead of evaluating whether the people around me look like an artists rendering of humans. And the first body Ill be going easier on is my own.



(Thomas Burden for The Washington Post)

The daily shower

By Katherine Ashenburg

Someone told me about the proprietor of a Toronto perfume shop, an elegant Frenchwoman who regularly railed against the North American ritual of the daily shower. All you need to do, she insisted, is wash the hairy bits.

She has a point. North Americans are among the worlds most fervent believers in the daily shower. The average American showers most days of the week.

Theyre making a mistake.

Its crucial to wash your hands frequently, but unless youre a farmer or a manual laborer  jobs with lots of contact with the ground and potential for cuts  you wouldnt harm your health if you rarely washed above your wrists. (Yeast or fungal infections would be the rare exception.) More damage is done by washing than by not washing, as dermatologists who treat the dry skin caused by enthusiastic showering attest.

Cracked, dry skin makes a good entry point for infection-carrying germs. Even more important, our skin hosts a rich blanket of hardworking microbes, helping us battle disease and stress. Experts say that relentlessly washing them away is not a great idea.

Our great-great-grandparents made do with a basin and ewer in the bedroom and spot cleaning. Thats the perfume shop owners prescription, although done at a modern sink  and it works. I spot-clean with soap and water when I dont feel like showering, and people still invite me to their dinner tables and to the movies. As for sex, sometimes the most erotic odors and flavors are the real ones: Napoleon and Josephine bathed every day but felt there were times when a natural body trumped a clean one. He wrote to Josephine from a campaign: I will return to Paris tomorrow evening. Dont wash.



(Thomas Burden for The Washington Post)

Voting booths

By Alexander Chee

Im writing as I sit waiting for jury duty. Ive sworn an oath to tell the truth. Ive handed over my jury card, sent to me in the mail. Ive been through security twice. No one has asked to see an ID. The court trusts that Im here to exercise my civic duty, not to meddle with the judiciary.

Voting, too, can be like this  if we get rid of the voting both.

As many as 300,000 Wisconsinites  up to 9 percent of the states voters  may be unable to cast ballots this year because of a voter-ID law, according to the Nation. These would-be voters are not alone: They are among 5 million Americans whose enfranchisement has been limited by restrictions enacted in several states since 2012. Currently, voter-ID laws affect citizens in 33 states. Relying on specious claims of voter fraud, many exclude common forms of identification such as student IDs and Social Security cards, effectively denying those without drivers licenses  usually minorities  their right to vote.

Instead of long lines (up to seven hours in some precincts), unpaid days off work (only some states offer paid time off to vote, and often only limited hours), distant and scattered polling locations, and ever-increasing restrictions, lets do away with the voting booth and expand our options for voting.

The United States lags most developed countries in voter participation. Online voting presents one promising solution; so do mail-in voting and early-voting hours available days before elections. While a recent uptick in fraudulent online tax activity may leave some skeptical about the security of online voting, Web security systems are ever improving. And theres always the regular, reliable U.S. Postal Service: All I need to do to renew my New York state drivers license is to send a form off by mail. Why cant the same be true of my vote?



(Thomas Burden for The Washington Post)

Polling

By Patrick Ruffini

On the day of the South Carolina Republican primary, the rate at which the candidates names were typed into Google in the state predicted their vote shares, sometimes to within one percentage point. We can build models that forecast Donald Trumps vote share in a state using nothing but previous election returns and publicly available census data. Online chatter last year was a leading indicator for the GOP race, with Ted Cruz dominating early and Trump running circles around everyone. In fact, the rate at which the candidates were mentioned in the media predicted their polling averages to within one or two points, according to an analysis by Nate Silver.

This campaign is giving us a peek at what a post-polling world might look like. Combining social data, media analytics and statistical profiles of 260 million American adults, we can precisely quantify the drivers of public opinion and predict whos winning or losing right now, down to the neighborhood level.

As we zero in on the crucial question of whether Trump will have enough delegates to avoid a floor fight for the nomination, traditional polling is less useful. In smaller states and congressional districts, it is difficult and expensive to interview enough voters to yield valid samples. Americans have become harder to reach on the phone, making reliable polls more and more expensive. Campaigns are increasingly turning to statistical models, in which information such as past election results and search data can indicate whether the most likely path to stopping Trump lies in the Republican northern suburbs of Indianapolis or in the heavily Democratic San Francisco bay area.

Polling isnt dead  not by a long shot. But media polls arent very useful; they dont use campaigns voter lists, and at this point in the race, national polls are surveying people whose states have already voted. The future is a hybrid: Well survey less and observe much more, based on billions of digital behaviors recorded everyday.



(Thomas Burden for The Washington Post)

Out-of-office messages

By John Freeman

Not long ago, I received an out-of-office message from a colleague informing me that shed be away from her desk the rest of the afternoon. It was 3 p.m. Oh, I thought, good for her. I hope she enjoys that spin class. Meanwhile, her email had jumped a queue of messages that snaked around the block of my inbox and into the next town. Why did I need to know that she had knocked off a little early?

The truth, of course, is I didnt. Just as I could live without the awareness that a friend would not check emails in Italy, another replied only on Mondays and my dentist had no more appointments today. Out-of-office messages used to be reserved for prolonged absences, departures. They were like traffic cops at accident scenes, directing flow. Now an afternoons errand produces the cones, the lights, the whole show.

We all get too much email. According to the Radicati Group, people using their work email accounts will send and receive an average of 131 messages a day in 2016. Automated out-of-office replies needlessly add to the clutter. The cellphone is the office these days, and everyone from construction workers to shepherds to captains of finance carries a smartphone. So what people are really saying is, Im reserving the right not to respond, rather than I cannot respond.

There are even services that enable people to set up out-of-life emails to be sent when they die. Its absurd, but the great email deluge is built on the equally absurd notion that we need to know where everyone is at all times. We dont. Tell the people who need to know where youre going, shut down your computer, log off and let the rest of us get on with our lives.
In his April 22 op-ed, Tubman fits the bill, Eugene Robinson wrote: Jackson did win the Battle of New Orleans; if he hadnt, the young nation might not have survived the War of 1812. In fact, the battle had no impact on whether the United States would survive. The Treaty of Ghent had ended the war two weeks before the start of the battle, but news of the treaty had not yet reached New Orleans. The battle boosted Andrew Jacksons reputation and career, but it had no impact on the outcome of the war.

Bill Mosley, Washington
Followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr shout slogans in Baghdad during a sit-in. Sadr is under pressure to rein in the protests. (Wissm Al-Okili/Reuters)

President Obamas plan for fighting the Islamic State is predicated on having a credible and effective Iraqi ally on the ground in Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

And in recent days, the administration had been optimistic, despite the growing political unrest in Baghdad, about that critical partnership.

But that optimism  along with the administrations strategy for battling the Islamic State in Iraq  was thrown into severe doubt after protesters stormed Iraqs parliament on Saturday and a state of emergency was declared in Baghdad. The big question for White House officials is what happens if Abadi  a critical linchpin in the fight against the Islamic State  does not survive the turmoil that has swept over the Iraqi capital.

The chaos in Baghdad comes just after a visit by Vice President Biden that was intended to help calm the political unrest and keep the battle against the Islamic State on track.

As Bidens plane was approaching Baghdad on Thursday, a senior administration official described the vice presidents visit  which was shrouded in secrecy prior to his arrival  as a symbol of how much faith we have in Prime Minister Abadi.

1 of 34 Full Screen Autoplay Close April 30, 2016 Skip Ad  Photos from the scene as protesters storm the Iraq parliament in Baghdad View Photos Demonstrators climbed over blast walls surrounding Baghdads highly fortified Green Zone and could be seen streaming into the parliament building. Caption Demonstrators climbed over blast walls surrounding the capitals highly fortified Green Zone and could be seen streaming into the parliament building. May 1, 2016 Followers of Iraqs Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr shout slogans at Grand Festivities Square within Baghdads Green Zone. Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters Wait 1 second to continue.

After 10 hours on the ground in Baghdad and Irbil, Biden was hurtling toward his next stop in Rome. The feeling among the vice president and his advisers was that Iraqi politics were on a trajectory to greater calm and that the battle against the Islamic State would continue to accelerate. Some hopeful advisers on Bidens plane even suggested that Abadi might emerge from the political crisis stronger for having survived it.

No one is talking that way now. Theres a realization that the government, as its currently structured, cant hold, said Doug Ollivant, a former military planner in Baghdad and senior fellow at the New America Foundation. Its just not clear how the Iraqis get out of this. I just dont see how they will.

It is equally unclear how the administration will move forward if Abadi is unable to consolidate his tenuous grip on power. For much of the past year, the Iraqi prime ministers survival was taken as a given by senior White House officials who were far more focused on the military fight against the Islamic State.

The president and his top aides have pointed to battlefield gains against the group in Iraq as proof that the administrations much-criticized strategy was working. In the past 18 months, the Islamic State has lost more than 40 percent of its territory in Iraq, according to U.S. officials.

Attacks on the groups banks in Mosul have blown up cash totaling from $300 million to

$800 million, according to Pentagon estimates.

Militarily, the momentum is clearly in the coalitions favor against [the Islamic State], said a senior administration official traveling with Biden to Baghdad who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the White Houses strategy. Every objective fact speaks to the fact that [the Islamic State] is losing.

Obama has sought to accelerate the military campaign by sending more than 200 U.S. military advisers to Iraq and giving commanders authority to use lethal Apache attack helicopters in support of Iraqi forces. In a recent interview, the president said that by the end of the year he expected that the United States and its Iraqi partners will have created the conditions whereby Mosul will eventually fall.

The Washington Post obtained video that appears to show security forces firing tear gas and bullets after anti-government protesters stormed the parliament on April 30. (The Washington Post)

Another senior administration official said that U.S. counterterrorism efforts always benefit from a stable partner on the ground and that the Abadi government continues to have the administrations full support. Even with the current instability in Baghdad, the campaign against the Islamic State will continue, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive counterterrorism operations.

The political crisis in Baghdad began when Abadi made a bold push to replace politically connected members of his cabinet with technocrats and reformers. The prime minister said that his moves were intended to stamp out corruption.

But the proposals alienated powerful blocs and provoked raucous debates within the Iraqi parliament. Thousands of protesters threatened to storm the heavily fortified Green Zone, which is the seat of Iraqi power, but then seemed to back off in the days before Bidens arrival.

Bidens meetings Thursday with Abadi and other senior Iraqi officials focused primarily on making sure that the political strife in Baghdad was not interfering with military preparations to retake Mosul, Iraqs second largest city, from the Islamic State.

We talked about the plans that are in store for Mosul and the coordination thats going on with all of our friends here, Biden told reporters after his meeting with the Iraqi prime minister. And so, Im very optimistic.

As he spoke, the vice president was standing next to Salim al-

Jubouri, the Iraqi parliament speaker. He pointed to Jubouri and noted that they last talked in Bidens office in Washington. This is an old friend, Biden said.

Less than 36 hours later, the protesters were dancing and stomping on Jubouris desk in front of the parliament chamber. Jubouri had fled the building.

The dramatic turn of events, some analysts said, points to the critical flaw in the Obama administrations approach to the battle against the Islamic State, which has prioritized defeating the militant group over the much tougher task of helping Abadi repair Iraqs corrupt and largely ineffective government.

The message to the Iraqis has been to focus on the short-term problem that this president would like solved by January, Ollivant said. The focus is on the symptom and not the root cause of the problem.

Other analysts said that the Obama administrations campaign against the Islamic State was, from the outset, too dependent on Abadi, a weak prime minister who is trying to survive in a political system overrun by cronyism and competing sects.

We get seized with individual personalities, said Ali Khedery, who served as special assistant to five U.S. ambassadors in Baghdad from 2003 to 2009. We fall in love with them. I agree that Abadi is generally speaking a good ally of the United States, but there isnt much under his control.

Because Iraqi society is so fractured along ethnic and sectarian lines, Khedery said the U.S. administration should adopt a more decentralized approach, working directly with individual Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish leaders. What you have is a society that is deeply polarized between communities and even polarized within those communities, Khedery said. We need a radical new formula.

There is no indication at the moment that the White House is considering such a radical change in approach. For now, the hope is that the current unrest in Baghdad is just a blip. The protests were sparked by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who is now under pressure from Iran and his fellow Shiites to rein in the demonstrations, said a senior U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal Iraqi politics.

Maybe [Sadr] will realize he took a step too far and will dial it back, the official said. That could give Abadi more space.

It is also possible that the protests, spurred by the Iraqi governments failure to provide basic services such as clean water and electricity, could grow worse. This time, demonstrators broke chairs and smashed windows in the parliament building. They berated lawmakers and chanted slogans for TV cameras.

Iraq is becoming increasingly ungovernable, said Emma Sky, who served as a senior political adviser to the U.S. military prior to the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011. Non-state actors are stronger than the state. The government is paralyzed and corrupt.
A Red Crescent aid worker inspects scattered medical supplies after an airstrike on a medical depot in the rebel-held Tariq al-Bab neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria Saturday. (Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters)

Nearly 30 airstrikes hit rebel-held areas of Aleppo, Syria, on Saturday as government forces try to wrest control of the city. Meanwhile, a temporary calm declared by Syrias military took effect around Damascus and in the northwest.

It was the ninth day of deadly bombardments in Aleppo, which has borne the brunt of increased fighting that has all but destroyed a February cease-fire and killed nearly 250 people since April 22, a monitoring group said.

The campaign in Aleppo also contributed to the breakup of peace talks in Geneva, which the main opposition walked out of last week.

The Syrian army announced a regime of calm, or lull in fighting, late Friday, which Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government said was designed to salvage the wider cease-fire.

While that appeared to mostly hold in and around the capital and parts of the northwest coastal province Latakia, the bombing continued in Aleppo, which was excluded from the plan.

1 of 12 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The scene after an airstrike in Aleppo View Photos An airstrike on a hospital supported by the aid group Doctors Without Borders has been destroyed in the Syrian city. At least 14 patients and medical workers are reported dead. Caption A strike on a hospital supported by the aid group Doctors Without Borders has been destroyed in the Syrian city. At least 14 patients and medical workers are reported dead. April 27, 2016 A Syrian boy is comforted as he cries next to the body of a relative who died in a reported airstrike in the northern city of Aleppo. Karam Al-Masri/AFP/Getty Images Wait 1 second to continue.

Anas al-Abde, president of the Turkey-based opposition Syrian National Coalition, accused the government of violating the February truce daily. The opposition was ready to reinstate the wider truce but reserved the right to respond with force to attacks, he said.

Both sides have accused the other of truce violations.

The Syrian army did not explain in any detail what military or non-military action the regime of calm would entail. The army said it would last for 24 hours in Damascus and the capitals suburb Eastern Ghouta and for 72 hours in rural areas around the northern city of Latakia.

At least five people were killed in Aleppo early Saturday in airstrikes believed to have been carried out by Syrian government warplanes, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Aleppo, Syrias largest city before the war, has been divided for years between rebel- and government-held zones. Full control would be a huge prize for the Assad regime.

Of the 250 casualties since April 22, 140 were killed in bombardments by government-aligned forces and 96 by rebel shelling. Forty children were among the dead, according to the observatorys tally.

The United Nations has called on Moscow and Washington to help restore the cease-fire to prevent the complete collapse of talks aimed at ending the five-year conflict in which more than 250,000 people have been killed and millions displaced.
Marzuki Darusman, right, the United Nation's Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea, exchanges name cards with Japanese minister Katsunobu Kato prior to their meeting in Tokyo on January 18, 2016. (TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)

After years of wrangling with North Korea, Japan is appealing to the international community to help bring back Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea several decades ago.

Pyongyang agreed two years ago to reopen an investigation into the abductions of 12 people kidnapped to train North Korean spies. But Japan has been frustrated by Pyongyangs refusal to return or adequately explain what happened to the abductees, an issue that has bedeviled relations between the two countries for years. After stalling for a year, North Korea angrily declared in February that it was stopping its investigation.

Katsunobu Kato, Japans minister in charge of the abduction issue, will deliver an address in Washington on Monday and at the United Nations on Wednesday to ask the international community to help extract and induce cooperation from North Koreas leader, Kim Jong Un.

Our position is to strongly demand that the judgment is made [to resume discussions], Kato said in an interview in his office, adorned with posters of the most famous abductee, Megumi Yokota, a 13-year-old who was taken on her way home from school in 1977.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, North Korea operated a state-sponsored abduction program in which it snatched young Japanese and put them on a boat to North Korea, where they were used to train spies to speak their language and pass for Japanese.

In a surprise development, North Korea admitted in 2002 that it had been abducting Japanese and agreed to return five of the people on Japans list of 17. But it said that eight of the others on the list, including Megumi, had died in North Korea and that the other four never entered the country.

The issue was dormant until an agreement in 2014 in which Tokyo agreed to ease sanctions on North Korea and Pyongyang agreed to investigate what had happened to the abductees.

But Pyongyang never submitted the reports it promised or made further progress, and the negotiations stalled. Then, after this years nuclear and missile tests, Japan reinstated old sanctions and imposed new ones on North Korea, and it supported multilateral measures.

In response, North Koreas investigation committee said its work will be totally stopped.

Kato said that in his speeches in the United States he will ask the global community to work together and will strongly demand that North Korea cooperate.

But as international efforts to curtail North Koreas nuclear and missile programs have shown, to strongly demand that Pyongyang do something does not work, and North Korea holds the advantage on this issue.

Analysts say that Japans pleas are making no difference. As with denuclearization discussions, North Korea expects to be rewarded for negotiating and will probably insist that sanctions be dropped  and billions of dollars in humanitarian aid be promised  for cooperation on the abduction issue. That is impossible, analysts say, given the crackdown on North Korea for its recent provocations.

Read more:

Japanese women who have escaped from North Korea find little sympathy at home

U.N. adopts sweeping new sanctions on North Korea

Global powers condemn North Koreas nuclear weapons test

Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world
The Islamic State said Saturday that it used a truck bomb packed with three tons of explosives to target Shiite pilgrims as they walked to a shrine in Baghdad, in an attack that killed at least 23 people.

The bomber, however, was unable to reach the pilgrimage route because roads in the area were closed to traffic, said Haider Abdullah, mayor of the Baghdad neighborhood of Nahrawan, where the attack took place. Instead the suicide bomber detonated the truck bomb among crowds at a busy sheep market nearby, Abdullah said.

Thousands of Shiite pilgrims from across Iraq are making their way by foot to the shrine of an 8th-century imam, Moussa al-Kadhim, to commemorate his death. Such gatherings are a target for the Islamic State, which considers Shiite Muslims apostates and regularly bombs their neighborhoods.

Extra security measures, including roadblocks and checkpoints, had been put up in recent days in the capital in an attempt to secure the pilgrimage route.

In a statement circulated on social media, the Islamic State said it targeted pilgrims on the way to their polytheist ritual.

For sure it was supposed to target the pilgrims, said Abdullah, the mayor. But when they found all the roads were closed, they chose this place because it was very crowded.

He said 43 people were killed in the bombing about 6:30 a.m., while Iraqs Interior Ministry put the death toll at 23. The Islamic State claimed it had killed nearly 100.

Abdullah, who had visited the bomb site, said it had left a deep crater, bursting an underground water pipe. Electricity and water supply in the area were disrupted, he said.

Mustafa Salim contributed to this report.

Read more:

State of emergency declared in Baghdad as protesters take Iraqi parliament

Biden makes unannounced trip to Iraq, his first since 2011

Thousands of protesters threaten to storm Iraqs parliament

Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Hamas forces deploy on the Palestinian side of the border with Egypt in southern Gaza on April 21. (Khalil Hamra/AP)

The Islamic States affiliate in Egypt is staging increasingly sophisticated and daring attacks, officials and analysts say, prompting Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian militant group Hamas to form an unlikely alliance against the terrorist group.

Hamas deployed several hundred fighters last week to Gazas border with Egypts lawless northern Sinai as part of a deal with Egypt to keep militants of the Islamic State  also known as ISIS or ISIL  from entering the coastal enclave.

That came days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised his countrys decision to build a new barrier along the Israel-Egypt border, warning that we would have been overflowed by thousands of ISIS fighters from Sinai.

The growing concerns have given birth to the greatest cooperation between the militaries of Egypt and Israel since their 1979 peace deal, according to officials from both countries.

The question is whether the militants ambitions can be stopped or, at least, contained.

The well-armed affiliate  known as Wilayat Sinai  has grown bolder since it asserted responsibility for the October bombing of a Russian charter flight over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 aboard. The group has mounted a steady stream of attacks on Egyptian soldiers, overrunning military posts and targeting them with roadside bombs.

In the April issue of an Islamic State newsletter, al-Naba, the terrorist group boasts about the attacks.

Elements of the infidel Egyptian army were attacked today by the soldiers of the caliphate in a number of attacks all over Sinai, the Islamic State declared, then went on to name six different assaults over several days, including one in the provincial capital, al-Arish.

Egyptian intelligence bodies have struggled to penetrate the sanctums of the secretive militants, said Israeli military officials and Egyptian activists and residents in the Sinai.

They have genius strategists, said Mohannad Sabry, an Egyptian journalist and author of a book on the Islamist insurgency in the Sinai. If you study the map of their attacks, they obviously know what they are doing exactly, and it shows that they have a great deal of freedom of mobility.

Egypts military-backed government publicly says it is winning the war in the Sinai. It routinely releases statements about militants it has captured or killed in raids. But those reports have been impossible to verify independently because journalists are prohibited from traveling to the northern Sinai.

Increasingly, though, Egypts Western allies are worried about the governments ability to stem the expanding Islamic State activities. Last weekend, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made his second trip to Egypt in two months to discuss the Sinai and regional security.

The United States and Israel are particularly concerned that the militants could threaten a multinational peacekeeping effort that has overseen the peace between Egypt and Israel along the Sinai border. Some member countries providing troops could be targeted for taking part in the broader operations against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) includes roughly 700 American peacekeeping personnel. Four U.S. soldiers from the force were wounded by a roadside bomb last year, and the Pentagon has already moved some troops to the less restive southern Sinai.

In a recent tweet, the militants asserted responsibility for destroying an American-made Egyptian M60 tank near Gora airport, used by peacekeepers as a base.

On Friday, the group claimed to have cut off an Egyptian military supply route to the airport, triggering clashes after it attacked a convoy carrying food and arms.

Like anywhere, they could be considered a potential target, said Lt. Col. Yaron Malka, the deputy commander of Israels Saqi Brigade that defends Israels border with the Sinai, referring to the multinational peacekeepers.

On a recent day, Malka stood behind a blast wall atop a hill near the fenced border. Before him was the Sinai Peninsula, so close that his soldiers see  and often wave to  peacekeeping observers and their protective forces.

Malka swept his hand toward the horizon.

ISIS is just out there, he said.

Within a couple of miles of the Israeli military base, within easy range of a pair of field binoculars, fierce fighting between the militants and the Egyptian army has occurred regularly.

Eighteen months ago, the militants were under growing pressure as the Egyptian government arrested or killed their leaders in the Sinai and in the Nile Valley, in southern Egypt.

Then, in November 2014, they declared allegiance to the Islamic State, creating what they described as the latest wilayat or province of the terrorist group.

ISIS was very wealthy and had money to spread around, said Zack Gold, a scholar with the Atlantic Council, a think tank in Washington, who has been tracking the group. Establishing an Islamic State franchise in the Sinai, he added, was a major pickup for them. In a stroke, they allied with the most active, most proficient, most deadly unaffiliated jihadists in the world.

Today, the Islamic State in the Sinai has an operational core of hundreds of fighters, not thousands, analysts and military officials say. Unlike the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, there are few, if any, foreign fighters. The Sinai militants do not hold any territory or stage large-scale offensives, preferring to work within small cells to carry out hit-and-run attacks. Their weapons include antitank ground missiles and rocket-propelled grenades, many of which were smuggled in from neighboring Libya in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution that toppled dictator Moammar Gaddafi.

The militants may be reluctant to strike the foreign peacekeeping mission because many tribal members work or contract with the multinational force, Gold said.

Still, resentment toward the Egyptian militarys tactics to combat the militancy is growing. Human rights groups and Sinai community leaders describe a scorched-earth policy of home destructions, forced evictions and arbitrary detentions against the local population.

If people have been treated like traitors, dont have jobs, have their homes destroyed, and cannot reach the outside world, and are constantly being attacked, then, of course, ISIS will recruit more people, said one community leader from one of the Sinais largest tribes. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he had been jailed for three years by the military.

Israeli and Egyptian officials have long suspected that Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, allows the Sinai militants to enter the enclave through smuggling tunnels and use the strip as a safe haven. Israelis say Hamas brings arms across the Sinai into Gaza and is helped by Bedouin smugglers, some tied to the Islamic State. Hamas denies the allegations, saying it has no sympathies to the Islamic State, which branded Hamas as infidels in a video two years ago.

But the concerns were enough for the Egyptians to apply pressure on Hamas to control its border and prevent any movement of fighters or couriers between Gaza and Sinai. Gaza depends on Egypt in part for its economic survival, and Hamas is keen to have its border with Egypt reopened.

A Hamas official this week said there are now more than 300 Hamas fighters deployed in three areas along the sea and two land border crossings with the Sinai.

The national security forces redeployed along the borders with Egypt, and it is part of the security plan to fully control the borders and the stability of it, as well as the security of our Egyptian brothers, Eyad al-Bozom, a Hamas Interior Ministry spokesman, said in a statement.

Even though they still consider the Islamic State threat to be minimal, the Israelis are concerned that it is just a matter of time before the militants turn their attention to the Jewish state. As he gazed across the wall into the expanse of the Sinai, Lt. Col. Malka wondered: When will we become the target?

Booth reported from Nitzana, Israel. Heba Habib in Cairo and Hazem Balousha in Gaza contributed to this report.

U.S. military chief pays a visit to Cairo as the Sinai militancy intensifies

Egypts upheaval has transformed much of the Sinai into a no-go zone

U.S.-led strikes putting a financial squeeze on the Islamic State

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Correction: An earlier version of this report incorrectly described Roberta Jacobson as a career Foreign Service officer. She is a member of the civil service.

Roberta Jacobson was confirmed by the Senate as U.S. ambassador to Mexico, the first woman to hold one of the most important U.S. diplomatic posts. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

The Senate confirmation of a new U.S. ambassador to Mexico was a seemingly straightforward matter, but it took weeks of complex backroom dealing involving two key senators, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, former rivals in the Republican presidential primaries who had been blocking her for months.

Almost 11 months to the day after Roberta Jacobson was nominated by President Obama as the new ambassador in Mexico City, a post vacant for almost as long as her name had been in play, a logjam was broken when the Senate finally confirmed her April 28.

After Rubio (Fla.) exited the presidential race, White House and Republican leaders asked him what he wanted in return for dropping his opposition to Jacobson, a highly regarded diplomat in the civil service. That set off a round of bargaining that seemed designed to keep government printers in business for years to come.

As part of the deal, the State Department will have to produce 40 new reports a year on issues as diverse as Hong Kong autonomy, religious freedom and anti-

Semitism. Government officials in Venezuela will face three more years of sanctions.

Security upgrades at U.S. embassies around the world will be mandated, including in war-torn countries such as Syria and Yemen, where there is no U.S. diplomatic presence now. U.S. diplomats at the United Nations will have to work to end sexual abuse by U.N. peacekeepers. And there will be a new push in Congress to rename the street in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington for a prominent Chinese dissident.

Because of partisan differen-ces, at one point more than 30 of President Obamas nominees to be ambassadors were snagged there. With Jacobsons confirmation, only nine are awaiting confirmation by the full Senate, while five are waiting to be voted out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Jacobsons process was particularly complicated, according to accounts outlined by Senate and White House aides, speaking about the negotiations on the condition of anonymity.

Although an important neighbor, Mexico has lacked a U.S. ambassador since last July. Last November, Rubio placed a hold on Jacobson to register his objections to the Obama administrations Cuba policy.

As the assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, Jacobson had been integral in normalizing U.S. ties with Cuba last year  a diplomatic feat opposed by Rubio, a Cuban American.

White House and Republican leaders who supported Jacobson sensed an opening in early April when Rubio, fresh from his defeat in the GOP primary, returned to the Senate. They approached him and asked what it would take for him to lift his hold.

Rubio agreed to clear the way if he got an extension of a 2014 law he co-sponsored imposing sanctions on Venezuelan government officials for alleged human rights violations.

Although the White House quickly agreed to keep the sanctions in place another three years, that posed a problem in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, through which the sanctions legislation would have to pass. Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) was eager for a State Department authorization bill  something the department had gone without for 14 years. Such bills are vehicles that allow Congress to outline programs and set priorities in foreign policy, instead of leaving it all to the executive branch.

But Cruz (Tex.) had placed a hold on the 2016 authorization bill for the State Department, registering his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal negotiated in large part by Secretary of State John F. Kerry.

The bill that Cruz was holding up included seven proposals by Rubio. Among those Rubio items were requirements that State train Foreign Service officers on the value of religious freedom, and produce reports on anti-

Israel and anti-Semitic activity at the United Nations, on U.S. aid to Haiti and on U.S. support for the Venezuelan people.

To grease the skids, Rubio got Cruz to agree to drop his hold. But in exchange, Cruz made Rubio promise to help push a Cruz bill held up in the House to rename the street in front of the Chinese Embassy the Liu Xiaobo Plaza, after a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who is imprisoned in China. China has objected to the renaming of the street as a humiliation, and the Obama administration has said the president will veto any legislation requiring the name change.

But in the Senate, the conditions were in place to get an ambassador. On the night of April 28, by a unanimous consent vote, the Senate confirmed Jacobson, passed a State Department authorization bill for 2016 and extended Venezuela sanctions for three years, angering the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Another State Department authorization bill for 2017 was voted out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. That bill would require the United States to use its influence at the United Nations to counter sexual exploitation by peacekeepers in the countries where they are deployed. It also would set a new floor for wages paid to local hires at U.S. embassies around the world and establish a structure for passport and visa fees so that any excess money can be returned to the Treasury.

There are several versions of authorization bills pending, and we look forward to working with Congress on a final version that enables the State Department to function effectively, said Elizabeth Trudeau, a spokeswoman at State.

Paul Kane and David Nakamura contributed to this report.

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After months of tensions, the political crisis in Iraq escalated with anti-government protesters storming into parliament. This is why they are protesting. (Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)

After months of tensions, the political crisis in Iraq escalated with anti-government protesters storming into parliament. This is why they are protesting. (Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)

Protesters stormed Iraqs parliament Saturday in a dramatic culmination of months of demonstrations, casting uncertainty over the tenure of the countrys prime minister and the foundations of the political system laid in place after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Security forces declared a state of emergency in the Iraqi capital after demonstrators climbed over blast walls and broke through cordons to enter Baghdads fortified Green Zone, also home to ministries and the U.S. embassy. Many were followers of Iraqs powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has been urging his supporters onto the streets.

Lawmakers fled the building in panic, with some berated and struck as they left. Others were trapped in the basement for hours, too afraid to face the crowds who complain that the countrys political class is racked by corruption.

It was a day of high drama for a country that is no stranger to revolution and that has seen all of its leaders overthrown from the time the state was established in 1921 until the U.S. invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. At issue now is the quota system introduced when the U.S.-led coalition put together Iraqs first post-invasion government, which determines Iraqs political positions according to sect and ethnicity.

The turmoil threatened to unseat the already embattled prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, with whom the United States has partnered in the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq but whose efforts at reform have stumbled. U.S. officials have expressed concern that the unrest could affect the battlefield as Iraq also struggles with an extreme budget crisis caused by a plunge in oil prices.

1 of 34 Full Screen Autoplay Close April 30, 2016 Skip Ad  Photos from the scene as protesters storm the Iraq parliament in Baghdad View Photos Demonstrators climbed over blast walls surrounding Baghdads highly fortified Green Zone and could be seen streaming into the parliament building. Caption Demonstrators climbed over blast walls surrounding the capitals highly fortified Green Zone and could be seen streaming into the parliament building. May 1, 2016 Followers of Iraqs Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr shout slogans at Grand Festivities Square within Baghdads Green Zone. Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters Wait 1 second to continue.

Today the people announced their revolution, said Sadr, who led a violent resistance against U.S. troops during the Iraq War, in a statement Saturday night. History will record the birth of a new Iraq, from the ashes of corruption and the corrupt.

Entering the parliament building, which, like the rest of the Green Zone, has been off-

limits to the public for the past 13 years, protesters reacted with jubilation. To many, the area has become a symbol of corruption, the place where Iraqs political elite live walled off from the rest of the country.

They crammed the buildings main hall, chanting and waving flags.

I was thrilled to be in that room. It was like being in a place you only see on television, said 26-year-old Abdullah al-Zaidi. When I entered I was looking at chairs, and I wanted to break them because the politicians are killing us and stealing from us from these chairs.

He said he didnt, as organizers urged protesters to remain peaceful. However, television footage showed that some others did.

As evening fell, Zaidi and thousands of other protesters had moved their sit-in to a parade ground near the Hands of Victory monument  an arch shaped from crossed swords and one of the capitals most famous landmarks  putting them less than a mile from the U.S. Embassy compound.

The embassy denied that it had begun evacuating staff or had provided safe haven for Iraqi politicians. Organizers urged protesters not to attack embassies or other properties in the area.





Still, members of parliament, many of whom live in the Green Zone, went into hiding, and some left the country.

Shwan Dawoodi, a Kurdish lawmaker, said they were scared for their lives.

Whats happening in the streets is terrifying, he said by phone. He said he was attacked as he left parliament.

Ammar Toma, a politician with the Shiite Fadhila Party, was also accosted as he tried to leave. Hit him, hit him! one protester shouted. Five Kurdish lawmakers were rescued by Kurdish peshmerga forces after locking themselves in a room in the building for safety.

One video posted online showed protesters riding around on a military vehicle.

Many politicians said the days events marked a turning point.

This is an end to the political system put in place after 2003, said Dawoodi, speaking by phone after he fled the parliament building. A big part of the blame for this is on America, which left Iraq without solving this crisis it created.

He blamed the prime minister for putting lawmakers lives at risk, after local television reports cited Abadi as saying he had ordered that protesters be allowed into the Green Zone. Abadis office issued a statement denying that he had done so.

A soldier at one gate into the Green Zone recounted an exchange between security forces trying to hold back protesters near parliament. There were orders to stop them and to not allow them to enter, but the soldiers responded that they couldnt, he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

At another gate, security forces pushed back demonstrators with tear gas as the sound of gunfire broke out, video from the scene showed.

Thats it for Abadi, said parliamentarian Hisham al-

Suhail, who said dozens of lawmakers were exchanging messages saying the prime minister is not fit to run the country. Whats happened has ruined everything weve built over the last 13 years. The Green Zone represents the whole government of Iraq.

The speaker of parliament, Salim al-Jubouri, who a group of rebel parliamentarians attempted to oust in a vote last week, said the attack on the legislature was an attack on the prestige of the state, with its members servants of the Iraqi people.

But protesters say that Iraqi politicians are corrupt and stealing the countys oil wealth.

Street protests began last summer, when tens of thousands demonstrated against corruption and a lack of services. They were reinvigorated when Sadr put his weight behind them earlier this year, calling for Iraqs government to be replaced by technocrats.

Under immense pressure, Abadi has tried to reshuffle his cabinet and meet the demonstrators demands.

But he has been hampered by a deeply divided parliament, and sessions have descended into chaos as lawmakers have thrown water bottles and punches at one another.

Protesters outside have watched the school-yard behavior with growing impatience.

Earlier in the day, not enough lawmakers had turned up to officially convene a session in which Abadi was due to present names for a cabinet reshuffle.

Sadr held a news conference from the southern city of Najaf.

They are against reform. They hope to behead the will of the Iraqi people, he said of the countrys politicians. Im with the people, no matter what they decide. Im standing and waiting for a major uprising of the Iraqi people.

Shortly afterward, protesters pushed through the multiple security cordons around parliament.

After the breach, security forces announced that they had closed all roads into the capital, but they did not go as far as to reinstate a curfew.

We are in the highest degree of readiness, said Col. Ibrahim al-Baydani, a spokesman for the military, noting that Baghdad was already on high alert because of a Shiite pilgrimage. The Islamic State attempted to bomb pilgrims on the route Saturday morning. Unable to get near the pilgrims, the suicide bomber detonated a truck bomb among crowds at a busy sheep market instead, an official said.

The enemy might try to take advantage of the exceptional situation of the country to carry out attacks inside the capital, he said, adding that commanders on the street had been given the authority to set up checkpoints or close roads as they see fit, without permission from central command.

Concerns that Iraqs political crisis could hamper its battle against the Islamic State have prompted a flurry of high-level visits by U.S. politicians in recent weeks, most recently by Vice President Biden on Thursday.

Our focus remains the defeat of ISIL, Col. Steve Warren, a spokesman for the U.S. military, tweeted on Saturday. Our operations continue, and we have not been interrupted.

Abadi called for protesters to return to areas of the capital that have been designated for demonstrations. The security situation, he said, was under control.

But as night fell, young Iraqis used Facebooks check in feature to mark their locations at landmarks in the Green Zone, in what was for some of them their first visit to the heart of the capital.

Iraq is broke. Add that to its list of worries.

It was a childrens soccer game. Of course he knew he was going to kill children.

U.S. military chief pays quiet visit to Iraq post where Marine died

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders made a campaign stop in Huntington, West Virginia on Tuesday, April 26. A crowd of some 6,500 students, workers, young people, and families attended the event in the citys arena, waiting for hours beforehand in a line stretching blocks in the rain and muggy weather. Many had traveled hours from eastern Kentucky or remote areas of West Virginia to see the candidate speak.

West Virginia has the worst unemployment rate in the country, the lowest labor force participation rate, and its coal industry is collapsing with violent rapidity. Statewide polls have indicated that of the presidential candidates, Sanders, along with presumed Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, garner the highest approval ratings. Especially among young people and political independents, the two outsider candidates have tapped into outrage over inequality and the poverty gripping Appalachia and the country at large.

At the Huntington event, Sanders spoke for an hour, rattling off his standard denunciations of the billionaire class, and tailored his stump speech to include West Virginia statistics on poverty, life expectancy, drug addiction, and social inequality. These remarks earned loud boos and cheers from the crowd.

Reporters from the World Socialist Web Site distributed material for Sundays International May Day Online Rally, and spoke to attendees of the Sanders event.

Alison, a 23-year-old resident of Barboursville, West Virginia, described herself as an Independent and said this year would be her first time voting. Most of the reason I am here is I am not really affiliated with anybody, but I feel like I need to be here in order to listen and see, you know, where everybody is coming from. I feel like thats the responsible thing to do.

WSWS reporters asked Alison what she felt was the most pressing political or social issue facing the working class. I feel that we do need to make a point to make life more affordable for everybody. I dont really stand by minimum wage being $15 an hour or anything like that. I believe we need to make education more accessible so that people can get educated to receive jobs that do help them pay bills, she added. We need to expand schools; we need to make sure that everybody has access to better education.

Austin, a 13-year-old from rural Webster County, said he felt that of all the candidates that Sanders was the least militarist. I like his ideas for peace. Hes one of the most peaceful politicians Ive seen. He is for the middle class and I like his opinion on free college and jobs.

The WSWS asked what he felt was the most pressing issue for his generation. I like the idea of free college and better wages, he said. When he graduates from high school, he said he wanted to go to college, then establish himself. I think Id say the same as most people, he said. Probably start a family, get a good job.

Austin expressed ambivalence and confusion over the nature of the wars in the Middle East. I dont see us going to war with other countries, he said. I see ISIS being a big problem though. I honestly dont know how thats going to play out. Im just hoping for the best there, because a lot of things could happen there that Im just not certain about.

Nicole, 28, originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan, has lived in Huntington for six years after graduating from Marshall University with a theater degree. She said Sanders taps into desperation and hope. Theres a certain segment of the country, one that a lot of us are in, that has just gotten pushed further and further and further down, she said. And the idea of the American dream just seems to die a little more every day when you work two jobs, three jobs, and no matter what you do, you still get further and further behind, and there seems to be no way out no matter what you do.

When I grew up, it was drummed into me: if you get an education, its your ticket out of poverty. So thats what I did. I got an education, I got scholarships. I still ended up with student loans. Not a lot, but I still had loans, and now I cant pay them back.

I can find some jobs but not enough to pay my regular day-to-day bills, let alone a student loan bill, Nicole said. A car repair puts you in so much debt, youre stuck for the next two years, which is exactly the case Im in. So it just seems that theres no way out no matter what you do.

She spoke about inequality as a central concern. Its mainly been the economic and equaling things out across the board, she said. Social equality, economic equality. And Im not saying that I dont want to pay my fair share, but I want everybody else to pay their fair share too. When my tiny little paycheck from a summer job has more than an 18 percent tax rate, and somebody who doesnt really do anything is making $5,000 an hour, that doesnt seem quite right to me.

And its not even an Its not fair. Its not moral. Theres something very wrong with that. People keep going on, Its a Christian nation. Well, its not a Christian nation at all. From many, one. Thats the thing, not In God We Trust. Its absolutely criminal for somebody who makes $5,000 an hour to say, I dont need to pay taxes. But youre making $2,000 for an entire three months and you need to pay 18 percent tax.

Nicole pointed to social polarization and the divisive character of identity politics. I think in the last four years, not necessarily in the campaign, but just as a country, its becoming a them and us in every group. Its, youre Republican, youre a Democrat, youre in support of LGBT rights, youre Black Lives Matter, youre this, youre that, youre the other thing. There seems to be this trend where we keep wanting to designate youre in this box, youre in this box, youre in this box, and the more they delineate people, the less were going to make a change.

I think if we just stop labeling people or stop labeling everythingwe seem to like labels a lotif you stop trying to categorize everybody and just figure out what the problem is and then fix it, rather than saying, Well, this is a black problem, this is a gay-transgender problem. Its an everybody problem because were all stuck here. There are no free trips to the moon. Were stuck here. We might as well make the best of it.
Asia

Electronics manufacturing workers in China strike

Hundreds of workers at SAE Magnetics in Dongguan in the Pearl River Delta, have been on strike since April 18 in protest against forced layoffs and management attempts to avoid paying compensation. The company, a subsidiary of Japanese-owned TDK, makes parts for hard-disk drives supplying tech companies such as Samsung, Toshiba and Fujitsu. It employs around 10,000 workers.

SAE last week announced that it planned to shut down a large section of the plant, threatening the jobs of workers who had been employed there for over ten years. In an attempt to avoid termination payments, management initially offered employees the opportunity to change departments within the factory.

SAE Magnetics workers rejected the offer, pointing out that the other departments were on the verge of closure. They are demanding full termination payments for which they are legally entitled and are picketing the factorys front gate.

Pakistan: Punjab government hospital doctors walk out

Young Doctors Association (YDA) members at government hospitals in Punjab province have been on strike since April 21. Outpatient departments in many hospitals remain closed impacting on medical services in major cities, including Lahore, Gujranwala, Sargodha and Faisalabad.

YDA members, who have been holding demonstrations across Pakistan, want a pay rise and a new service structure. They have been on lower pay scales since 2012. The government has consistently reneged on promises to resolve these issues. Federal and provincial governments have drastically cut public expenditure in line with budget deficit targets set by the International Monetary Fund.

Doctors said that the crumbling and inadequate facilities in Pakistans public hospitals has led to increasing tension with senior doctors and other health workers, as well as patients and their relatives, and frequently led to physical clashes.

Pakistan: FATA government school teachers on strike

Around 25,000 government school teachers in Pakistans Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) remain on strike after walking out on April 20 to demand service upgrades. They also want a risk allowance for working in war-affected areas.

The All Teachers Associations-Fata Mohmand Agency said that while teachers in settled areas in Pakistan were upgraded four years ago, FATA teachers had been ignored.

Talks on Tuesday failed when government representatives insisted that teachers return to work before their demands were resolved. The teachers are maintaining protest camps outside the National Press Club and at the headquarters of the tribal agencies in Islamabad.

India: Punjab co-operative society workers demonstrate against police attack

Around 500 co-operative society workers in Bathinda protested against the police atrocity on Sunday, demanding the release of co-workers. Police had arrested 37 of their colleagues on April 22 during a peaceful demonstration to meet an Indian government minister, Harsimrat Kaul Badal, over their demands.

The co-op society workers want job permanency, grade pay, leave and other benefits on par with other state government employees. They said that the January 2006 Pay Commission recommendation had not been implemented for co-operative society workers.

India: Unions end Brandix workers strike in Andhra Pradesh

On Monday, the Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU), which is affiliated to the Stalinist Communist Party of India (Marxist), called off 10-day strike action by Brandix India Apparel City (BIAC) workers in the Vishakhapatnam Special Economic Zone. Union officials ended the strike after a vague assurance from the Andhra Pradesh government that workers demands would be met.

Factories affected by the strike included Quantum Clothing, Ocean India, Seeds Intimate Apparel, Pioneer Elastics and Shore to Shore. A large police contingency was deployed to the special economic zone in an attempt to intimidate workers.

BIAC is run by Sri Lankas Brandix apparel group. Factory owners in the SEZ have been provided tax exemptions, subsidised water and electricity, and the right to impose restrictions on the formation of workers unions.

The strikers main demand is for doubling of the minimum wagefrom 4,200 rupees to 10,000 rupeesbetter working conditions and continuation of current Provident Fund entitlements.

Bangladeshi water transport union ends strike

Thousands of water transport workers across Bangladesh ended a six-day strike on Wednesday after the Bangladesh Water Transport Workers Federation (BWTWF) accepted a promise from vessel owners and the government that their demands would be met. BWTWF leaders called off a strike in January after vessel owners gave false assurances that they would consider their demands.

Around 150,000 workers from 20,000 inland water transporters walked out indefinitely on April 21 with a 15-point charter of demands. All cargo vessels and most commuter services were affected.

The union federation demanded a 10,000-taka (US127.5) minimum monthly wage, an increase in overtime pay, festival bonuses and other benefits. The minimum wage was last increased in 2013, from 3,000 to 4,100 taka. The union ended the latest strike on April 27, however, after accepting the vessel owners offer for a 9,000-taka minimum monthly wage and revision of the salary structure.

Police baton-charge Rana Plaza anniversary march

Thousands of workers from at least 20 garment factories in Savar were baton-charged by police during a march towards the Rana Plaza in Dhaka on Sunday. They were demanding April 24 be made a national mourning day and official holiday for all Bangladesh garment factory workers in remembrance of victims of the Rana Plaza disaster. At least 30 protesters were injured when police attacked their march.

The Rana Plaza building, which contained several floors of garment factories, collapsed in April, 2013 killing at least 1,134 workers and injuring about 2,500 others. A recent study noted that 58 percent of survivors, mostly women, are still suffering from long-term psychosocial difficulties. Relatives and workers placed wreaths in front of the Rana Plaza site.

Australia and the Pacific

Australian industrial court bans strikes at international airports

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) this week suspended industrial action for 90 days by Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) workers at Australias nine international airports. The commission claimed that strikes by Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) members over an enterprise agreement dispute posed a "serious and compelling" risk.

The CPSU called off strike action at international airports on March 24, following the terrorist bombings at Brussels airport. On March 28, DIBP staff held rolling stoppages at international airports in Cairns, Townsville, Perth, Darwin and Adelaide on March 28. On April 3, the FWC, acting on an application from the government, issued an interim order stopping further protected action by border protection workers.

The DIBP walkouts were in line with strikes by thousands of federal public sector workers over the long-running enterprise agreement dispute. After two years of negotiations, almost 85 percent of the total federal public sector workforce of 160,000 still do not have a new enterprise agreement.

Workers in over 100 federal departments have rejected government offers that eliminate existing rights, including family-friendly conditions, in return for a two-year wage freeze and 2 percent annual pay increases over three years. The CPSU and other unions have reduced their original pay demand from 4 percent annual pay increases for three years to between 2.5 and 3 percent with no loss of conditions.

New South Wales TAFE workers strike

TAFE (Technical and Further Education) non-teaching staff walked out for three hours at campuses across New South Wales on Thursday in protest against a state Liberal government proposal that cuts wages and conditions. Public Service Association (PSA) members, including librarians, store persons, clerks and laboratory assistants, claimed that the government wants to force them onto part-year employment.

Last September, TAFE non-teaching staff overwhelming rejected an enterprise agreement offer from management. A PSA spokesman said the management offer slashed conditions and jobs, increased working hours for no extra pay, removed rostered days off and changed workers from permanent to temporary employment. Enterprise agreement negotiations began in June last year.

The Liberal-National state governments Smart and Skilled program, which commenced in January 2015, deepens cuts and closures initiated nationally by the federal Labor government in 2012. Last September, TAFE announced plans to sell off 27 campuses, or almost 1 in 5 of its sites. Over 2,000 TAFE teachers have lost their job since 2011.

Asciano waterside workers strike in Melbourne

Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) members at the Asciano-owned Patrick Stevedores container terminal at East Swanson Dock in Melbourne walked off the job for 48 hours yesterday as part of a national enterprise agreement dispute over wages and working conditions. Patricks East Swanson Dock is Australias largest container terminal.

The Melbourne walkout followed a two-day strike by Patricks wharfies in Brisbane and Port Botany in Sydney on April 20 and two 72-hour strikes at the companys terminal in Fremantle, Western Australia earlier this month.

Year-long negotiations between the company and the MUA have failed to resolve differences over a new rostering system. The union has agreed to allow its members to work more midnight and weekend shifts and forgo higher penalty rates in exchange for the reduction of the working weekfrom 35 to 32 hourswith no loss of pay. The union claims to oppose further casualisation of work.

Over the past two years the MUA has collaborated with Patricks to introduce remotely controlled cranes and other technology, slashing the companys Port Botany workforce from 440 to 260. It also endorsed the axing of jobs at DP Worlds and Hutchisons Australian port facilities. Last November the MUA negotiated a deal with Hutchison to eliminate 65 jobs, extend the working week from 30 to 32 hours and expand the number of casuals. Union officials claimed it was a victory.
Property Brothers Jonathan Scott Got Into a Bar Fight, Was Placed in a Chokehold: Report Property Brothers star Jonathan Scott was allegedly placed in a chokehold by a bouncer at a Fargo, North Dakota, bar on Saturday, April 23  details

One too many fixer-uppers? Property Brothers star Jonathan Scott reportedly got into a bar fight at Dempsey's Public House in Fargo, North Dakota, on Saturday, April 23.

PHOTOS: Stars at Court

According to TMZ, the HGTV hunk, 38, was placed in a chokehold by a bouncer after Scott intervened in an argument among some of his fellow patrons.

According to the site, Scott called 911 at 1:57 a.m. and claimed he was assaulted by the bouncer.

PHOTOS: Celebrity Mugshots

A source close to the twin told TMZ that Scott was only trying to help and had nothing to do with the original fight.

No arrests were made, but police are reportedly investigating Scotts assault claims.

Celebrity Health Scares

The TV personality has yet to publicly address the incident. On Thursday, April 28, Jonathan and his twin, Drew, celebrated their 38th birthday.



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Sir Richard Bransons out-sized hankering for adventure is matched only by his talent for self-promotion. Dont Look Down focuses on Branson as balloonist, using previously unseen footage of his daredevil hot air flights together with archival footage and interviews with the major players, and while the achievements have an undeniable thrill, the documentary needs trimming. Director Daniel Gordon, best known for his superb North Korean trilogy, seems to be a helmer for hire here, delivering a solid, and solidly engaging film that nevertheless feels like an extended promo for the Branson brand. TV and streaming sites will be the likely takers.

Who would deny the romance of a hot air balloon? Their majestic beauty is an understandable lure, so combined with the challenge of breaking world records (not to mention the nice big expanse of canvas crying out for the Virgin logo), they seem custom designed to tickle Bransons fancy. Plus the timing was right in 1987, just three years after he launched Virgin Airlines, to pull off a fantastic stunt guaranteed to get his companys name in all the papers. Branson hadnt flown a hot air balloon before, but he brought in balloon pilot Per Lindstrom and set off to cross the Atlantic.

Dont Look Down details every step of the journey, from balloon construction to the flight itself. Near disaster dogged their path as they crossed the ocean from Maine to Scotland, and Lindstrom nearly drowned, but the record was broken and, most importantly, Bransons feat was on everyones lips. Two years later a larger challenge beckoned: the Pacific. The first attempt was a non-starter but in 1991 Branson and Lindstrom managed the impossible by flying from Japan to Canada in 46 hours. Much to the businessmans chagrin, their achievement was overshadowed by news of the First Gulf War (its terribly provoking when pesky military conflicts hog ones limelight, but certain things really are out of the hands of mere mortals).

Much of the in-gondola footage shot from the balloons truly is spectacular, and Gordon does a fine job building momentum by balancing this with news footage and talking heads ranging from balloon experts to the indispensable weather consultant to Bransons proud yet reserved mother. However, theres an inevitable sense of repetition, and especially the failed Pacific attempt could be more tightly retold. Occasional dramatic recreations are unfortunate and threaten to turn the documentary into History Channel filler, and while the use of b&w looks nice, it serves no purpose apart from varying the visuals a bit.

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It was on this day in 1789 that George Washington placed his hand on a bible in New York and became the first President of the United States under our Constitution  setting another of many traditions still in use today.

washington1795

Technically, some may argue, Washington wasnt the first president in the United States.

The first president of the Continental Congress in 1774 was Washingtons close friend and Thomas Jeffersons cousin, Peyton Randolph. After Randolph, various members of the Continental Congress and the Confederation Congress acted as the presiding officer, or president, of these meetings.

But in the modern sense of the word, Washington was the first President vested with wide-ranging executive powers under the Constitution.

Washington traveled from his home in Virginia to attend a delayed inauguration, which was due to winter weather than pushed back the election process to early April. He was named President in a unanimous vote of the Electoral College.

His selection wasnt a big surprise. It was well-known and desired for Washington to serve as first president under the Constitution, and many Founders really hadnt thought beyond the institution of the presidency after Washington wasnt able to serve at some point.

Washington had his doubts but realized he had a duty. He confided to a friend on April 1st:

My movements to the chair of Government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution: so unwilling am I, in the evening of a life nearly consumed in public cares, to quit a peaceful abode for an Ocean of difficulties, without that competency of political skill, abilities and inclination which is necessary to manage the helm.

As Washington started his journey to New York on April 16th, his mood had not changed as he recorded in his diary:

About ten oclock I bade adieu to Mount Vernon, to private life, and to domestic felicity; and with a mind oppressed with more anxious and painful sensations than I have words to express, set out for New Yorkwith the best dispositions to render service to my country in obedience to its call, but with less hope of answering its expectations.

Story continues

When Washington arrived in New York City on April 30, 1789, there was much fanfare, and then a large crowd gathered in what turned out to be a parade.

As he arrived at Federal Hall, someone realized they forgot the Bible for the swearing in of the President and one was obtained from a nearby Masonic Lodge.

For the swearing-in ceremony, the Bible was opened to a random page in the haste, Genesis 49:13, which read, Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.

Robert R. Livingston, the Chancellor of New York, administered the oath on a second floor balcony of Federal Hall in front of the crowd.

I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, said Livingston. After repeating the oath, Washington kissed the Bible held for him by Livingston, who called out, Long live George Washington, President of the United States, as a salvo of 13 cannons was discharged to mark the event.

President Washington and the members of Congress then retired privately to the Senate Chamber, where Washington gave the first inaugural address to a joint session of Congress.

Washington talked about the shared responsibility of the President and Congress to preserve the sacred fire of liberty and a republican form of government.

He also reminded Congress about the Great Constitutional Charter under which you are assembled, saying that that the foundations of our National policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality; and the pre-eminence of a free Government, be exemplified by all the attributes which can win the affections of its Citizens, and command the respect of the world.

Link: Read The First Inaugural Address

Washington and Congress then walked out Federal Hall, went through the crowds on Broadway, and attended a service at St. Pauls Church.

The first inaugural speech wasnt required by the Constitution, but Washingtons decisions to make the remarks, and use a bible in the swearing-in ceremony, remain with us today.

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Idris Elba is stepping up his style game!

On Monday, the Star Trek Beyond actor will serve as a co-chair at fashion's biggest party, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Met Gala in New York City, with Taylor Swift. Joining them are Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and Apple's chief design officer, Jonathan Ive, as well as designers/honorary chairs Karl Lagerfeld, Nicolas Ghesquiere and Miuccia Prada.

WATCH: 9 Times Idris Elba Stole Our Hearts at the 2016 SAG Awards

We have no doubts the 43-year-old father-of-two will slay at the Met Gala, as he's already impressed us with his red carpet looks year after year. Check out some of his most dapper ensembles below!

1. Trendy and Polished

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Back in February, Elba pulled out all the stops at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, stepping out to the red carpet in a gray tuxedo jacket and matching pants. He styled his handsome get-up with sunglasses, a black tie, plaid newsboy cap and tan leather shoes.

2. The Perfect Suit and Tie Combo

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The navy blue suit Elba wore to the SAG Awards earlier this year gained him a spot on many best-dressed lists that night. His best accessory of all, however, was his 15-year-old daughter, Isan, who walked the red carpet with her famous father. "This is my beautiful daughter. She's my date today," the doting dad told ET at the time.

NEWS: Taylor Swift and Idris Elba to Co-Chair the 2016 Met Gala

3. Keeping It Classy

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Clad in a black tuxedo with matching frames, Elba was a clear style standout at the NAACP Image Awards in February 2014. Just two months later, he took to Twitter to announce the birth of his son, Winston, with his then-girlfriend Naiyana Garth.

4. Shades of Gray

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Gray is definitely his color! Elba sported the hue on the red carpet again in November 2013 for a screening of Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom, which was hosted by Wintour, U2 and Bob and Harvey Weinstein in New York City.

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5. Handsome in Blue

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That same month, he turned heads again by donning a baby blue peacoat, which he styled with shiny loafers and black trousers, to the Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards in London, England.

WATCH: Beyonce & Jay Z: The Best Moments From the Queen and King of the Met Gala

Elba isn't the only stylish dude our eyes will be peeled on at this year's Met Gala. A source tells ET that Jay Z will likely be attending the fashion extravaganza with his wife, Beyonce, despite all the drama that's unfolded since the diva dropped Lemonade last weekend. Hear more in the video below.

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(Reuters) - Oscar-nominated actor Woody Harrelson's bid to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Hawaii was rejected on Friday, as the state approved eight of more than 60 applicants, officials said. Harrelson, who is best known for his roles in the film "White Men Can't Jump" and 1980s sitcom "Cheers," had applied for a license on behalf of his company Simple Organic Living LLC. The actor, who for more than a decade has spoken in favor of pot and is on the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, made national headlines earlier this year when his application became public. The Hawaii Department of Health on Friday released a list of approved applicants, with three in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, two on the Big Island, two on Maui and one on Kauai. Harrelson's business was not on the approved list, and a statement from the department did not specifically say why the actor's application was denied. The Hawaii legislature last year approved the creation of medical marijuana dispensaries. More than 20 U.S. states and the District of Columbia allow medical marijuana and four of those states also allow recreational pot use, but the drug is banned under federal law. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
KABUL (Reuters) - Government forces have launched operations against the Taliban in 18 provinces of Afghanistan as fighting has intensified since the start of the insurgents' spring offensive this month, the ministry of defense said on Saturday. The operations, backed by air power and artillery have been concentrated in areas where the Taliban insurgents have been aggressively challenging government forces seeking to reassert control over key districts. Eighty anti-government fighters, including nine from Islamic State have been killed over the past 24 hours in the east, while six soldiers have been killed, a defense ministry statement said.. The Taliban, which has ruled out joining peace talks while foreign troops remain in Afghanistan, announced the start of its spring offensive on April 12, pledging large-scale attacks against government strongholds as well as suicide bombings and targeted assassinations. Army chief of staff Qadam Shah Shaheem told reporters the Taliban was conducting "psychological warfare" designed to weaken morale and undermine confidence in the government but that it would not succeed. Frustrated by a stalled peace process and by the Taliban's growing attacks, President Ashraf Ghani has instructed the government forces to go on the offensive, security officials say. Speaking in parliament this week, Ghani branded the Taliban terrorists and vowed to avenge the killings of Afghans, in a marked escalation of government rhetoric against the insurgents. Government forces have beaten off a Taliban offensive in the northern city of Kunduz, which fell briefly to the insurgents last year, and appear to have stabilized the situation in the southern province of Helmand, where they pulled back from several districts in February. However heavy fighting has continued sporadically in both regions and government and NATO officials say they expect more tough fighting after a difficult year in 2015 when around 5,500 soldiers and police were killed. In one of the biggest single attacks in Kabul since 2011, a Taliban truck bomb killed at least 64 people and wounded hundreds more on April 19. The insurgency has gained strength since the withdrawal of international troops from combat at the end of 2014, with the Taliban stronger now than any point since they were driven from power by U.S.-backed forces in late 2001. (Reporting by Hamid Shalizi and Mirwais Harooni; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
PARIS, April 30 (Reuters) - Airbus Helicopters said all commercial passenger flights of helicopters similar to the Super Puma that crashed off Norway on Friday have been suspended.

An H225 Super Puma ferrying passengers from a Norwegian oil platform crashed in the North Sea, apparently killing all 13 people on board.

Britain and Norway said they were halting flights of the same type of helicopter, also known as the EC225LP. Airbus Helicopters, a unit of Airbus Group, said the temporary ban extended to the whole fleet.

"Under these tragic circumstances, and until these elements are available, we are allied with the decision taken to put all commercial EC225LP passenger flights on hold," the company said in a statement.

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Leslie Adler)
I dont think I can say it too strongly, but literally it just changed my life, said a scholar, about reading the work of Ayn Rand. It was like this awakening for me.

Different versions of this comment appear throughout Jon A. Shields and Joshua M. Dunn Sr.s book on conservative professors, Passing on the Right, usually about people like Milton Friedman and John Stuart Mill and Friedrich Hayek. The scholars they interviewed speak in a dreamy way about these nerdy celebrities, perhaps imagining an alternate academic universeone where social scientists can be freely conservative.

The assumption that most college campuses lean left is so widespread in American culture that it has almost become a caricature: intellectuals in thick-rimmed glasses preaching Marxism on idyllic grassy quads; students protesting minor infractions against political correctness; raging professors trying to prove that God is, in fact, dead. Studies about professors political beliefs and voting behavior suggest this assumption is at least somewhat correct. But Shields and Dunn set out to investigate a more nuanced question: For the minority of professors who are cultural and political conservatives, whats life actually like?

Finding out wasnt easy, in part because so many conservative professors areas they put itcloseted. Some of the people they interviewed explicitly said they identify with the experience of gays and lesbians in having to hide who they are. One tenure-track sociology professor even asked to meet Shields and Dunn in a park a mile away from his university. When the sound of footsteps intruded on our sanctuary, he stopped talking altogether, his eyes darting about, they write. Given the drama of this encounter, one might think that he is concealing something scandalous. In truth, this professor is hiding the fact that he is a Republican.

Recommended: Why Obama Is the Funniest President Ever

I spoke with Dunn and Shields about life as a conservative professor on an American college campus. The conservation below has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Emma Green: What do you actually mean by conservative?

Joshua Dunn: Whoever thinks theyre conservative.

Jon Shields: American conservatism is kind of a coalition against liberalism that includes different camps. One of our colleagues put it well: American conservatives are united by two self-evident truthsNancy Pelosi and Barbara Boxer.

Conservatives are held together by a common enemy, so they dont always share common philosophical foundations or similar policy ambitions. We thought about conservatism in a big-tent way that would include libertarians and cultural conservatives and fusionists and foreign-policy hawksa broad range.

Green: If anything was a common theme among all the different camps you describe, its distaste for mass culturea populist conservatism. Even those conservative professors who are warm toward the Tea Party are warm with a condescending edge. Was there anybody you encountered who really does have empathy for the sort of mass movement you see with, for example, Trump?

Dunn: I cant think of anyone who we interviewed who would be a Trump supporter. I do know of conservative academics who are Trump supportersI think just two.

Shields: A lot of the people we interviewed at least liked the fact that the Tea Party seemed to be conservative. They seem to want conservative ends: Theyre concerned about budgets and deficits and taxes and the Constitution. I suspect they would dislike Trump much more because not only is he a populistits not even clear that hes a conservative. Hes a narcissist.

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Dunn: Certainly the libertarians are really alarmed by Trumphis hostility to free trade, closing borders, limiting immigration. Those things would make libertarians want to light themselves on fire.

Green: You isolate a lot of area studies and identity studies: Women & Gender Studies, Africana studies, fields that focus on race and intersectionality issues. You say in your book that even moderates wouldnt be welcome there, let alone dyed-in-the-wool conservatives. Why do you think it is that conservatives arent welcome in those fieldsor, perhaps, why arent conservative academics interested in those fields?

Dunn: With some of them, theres a political orientation built into the field itself, so thats what excludes conservatives. If conservatism doesnt line up with the orientation, then conservatives arent going to be welcome and are not going to be fit. But I dont know that its the case that conservatives arent interested in sex and gender or race.

Shields: Its good not to think of intellectual interests as static, that youre born with and have this collection of intellectual interests. Our interests in different fields are cultivated within the university. To some degree, conservatives start marching down different paths early on: Theyre much more likely to gravitate toward the natural sciences as undergraduates; theyre much more likely to gravitate toward economics. Maybe to some degree theyre more interested in those things, but they may also be alienated by the way other topics are presented. And theres good evidence thats the case: Theres a survey that was done at the University of Colorado which found Republicans much more likely to feel uncomfortable in the classroom in the social sciences.

Recommended: How to Save the Republican Party

I worry that the left and the right are telling young minorities they cant succeed in the university because its hopelessly bigoted.

Green: In recent student protests, one of the messages weve heard most clearly from students is that their universities havent grappled deeply enough with questions of systematic discrimination and inequality. As youve suggested, the main academic disciplines in which scholars are grappling with these issues are dominated by one set of frameworks and one set of political ideologies. Do you think conservatives have ways of grappling with racial and gender-based discrimination in novel, scholarly ways?

Shields: Liberals do tend to teach courses in areas that are politically touchy and sensitivetheyre more likely to teach courses on race or gender. In some ways, conservatives have been much more sheltered from the recent political storm [on campuses]. When you look at the heads that are rolling around the country, theyre liberal heads, not conservative ones. Conservatives are much less likely to be called to the deans office because they said something that a student found offensive, for exampletheyre teaching microeconomics or ancient history.

Dunn: Weve had some very high-profile protests, but I dont know that theres been an outpouring of anger everywhere, and even where there has been anger, Im dont know that it represents a significant part of the student body. I think some of these protests have gotten more attention than their numbers suggest they should receive.

Shields: I worry that both the populist left and the populist right are telling young minorities that they cant succeed in the university because its hopelessly bigoted. In both cases, its a distortion.

Green: Why do you say that?

Shields: I dont think theres evidence that theres systematic bias. Political bias is much deeper and harder to root out of any institution. I think its partially because political bias is not an irrational prejudice. It also expresses an intellectual orientation. People find different kinds of questions interesting and certain interpretations more plausible than others. Its not going to go away. Thats why you need a range of [professors beliefs] so that they can check one another.

But on the other hand, the populist right does tend to overstate the bias [against conservative professors] that does exist. Conservatives can succeed and make it in the university. There are things like tenure, which are very important and protect academic freedom.

The focus on race, sex, and classthey call it the holy trilogyseems to denigrate these great works.

Green: Theres this fundamental tension in conservatism: this idea that you look backwards to understand now, that fast and quick revolutionary change is not what were looking for. Do you think this intellectual orientation has made it harder for conservative academics to take seriously race and gender as areas of study?

Shields: I think they dont like the way those topics are studied. They dont like the theoretical machinery brought to bear on themthings like intersectionality. Their critique of intersectionality would not be that its interested in gender and raceits this clunky machinery that doesnt fit very well with the empirical world. It cant explain why black men are doing so much worse than black women, or why women now get more college education and more college degrees.

Dunn: The literature professors we interviewed were interesting on this. For many conservatives, they view great works of literature as a source of wisdom that we should be grateful for and approach humbly. They think that some of the focus on race, sex, and classthey call it the holy trilogyseems to denigrate these great works and minimizes them.

Green: You bring up the use of social science a lot in your book. How do you think professors on both sides should use social science in combination with their political beliefs? What are the boundaries around the responsible use of social science, especially in politics?

Shields: Data is not self-interpreting. Conservatives and liberals will find some different explanations for the same empirical results. Thats to be expected, and thats good. And liberals and conservatives carry different kinds of wisdom with them.

It took sociologists a long time to come around to the view that two-parent families were good for children on average. One reason is that they thought that social institutions are inherently oppressive things: Traditional marriage is necessarily coercive, and it stymied our liberty and freedom and it was an institution that promoted gender inequality.

It wasnt just some tribalism. They just didnt have the sort of intellectual furniture in their heads. Conservatives have similar blind spots, tooI dont mean to pick on liberals when I give this example. Politics will shape the questions well ask, and it will shape our interpretations to some degree. On the whole, more pluralism is a good thing.

Green: You all talk, for example, about the Regnerus study, which studied children who are placed with or born to same-sex couples. Some people in academia might use this as an example of the irresponsible use of social sciencesome on the left would say this was a study that was poorly constructed and over-interpreted to create findings that lean in a certain direction.

Shields: Most scholars arent aware when theyre doing things in a biased way. I think bias creeps in in ways we dont see. Thats what makes it difficult and tenacious: Its not something social scientists consciously do for the most part.

Dunn: For conservatives, if they arrive at conclusions that are disfavored by the left, theyre concerned that theyll be accused of irresponsible research, and that shuts off research itself. With Regnerus, I dont know that many people would want to engage in the same kind of data gathering that he did, lest it lead to results that arent palatable to others in their discipline. Many people just stay away because its not socially responsible.

Shields: I think as social scientists we should avoid accusing each other of reverse-engineering studies. I think there should be a kind of culture of charitywe should assume good faith, not bad faith, on the part of our fellow colleagues.

Its important for conservatives not to think academia is just a ghettoized, worthless place that should be burned to the ground.

Green: One thing thats looming in your book is this notion that academic or scholarly work is a way of discerning truth. Perhaps social-science findings are so politically charged because theyre seen as a firm way of establishing truth, and if they dont line up with the idea of history as a march of progress, then that is foundationally threatening to a progressive way of thinking about the accumulation of knowledge.

But you also allude to truth as something that can be found through this back-and-forth between conservative and liberal professors. How does this manifest in the academy?

Dunn: There does tend to be a kind of Whig history: Theres been this natural expansion of liberty, and if you look at the progressive movement, there were the good people, who were the progressives, and then there were those who try to obstruct them. It turns out that its much more complicated than that, and its only recently that scholars, economists, and historians have explored some of the darker parts of the progressive movement. The eugenics component of the progressive movement, for example, has largely been unexplored

I think thats part of the problem with homogeneity. If you did have more political diversity in the academy, it wouldnt have taken until nowthe past 10 to 15 yearsto be written.

Green: Whats the appropriate role for conservative scholars who speak as intellectuals outside the academy?

Shields: Thinks tanks have been an important platform for conservative ideas, but there are disadvantages to going that route for conservatives, because you cant shape conversations and discussions from within the university. Its important for conservatives not to think, well, weve got AEI and Cato and Heritage and Hoover, and academia is just a ghettoized, worthless place that should be burned to the ground. The university is important. There is a concern that too many conservatives will be siphoned off, tootheyll say well, its a much easier path if you want to be an intellectual.

Green: Is it true that any professor who walks into a classroom wearing a bowtie is, in fact, a conservative?

Shields: Absolutely. No question. They just scream conservative. You cant find liberals who wear ties anymore, much less bowties. Conservatives tend to dress up a little bittheyre more formal.

I dont think Ive ever seen a liberal professor in a bowtie. Have you, Josh?

Dunn: Not that I can recall.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
By Sharon Bernstein BURLINGAME, Calif. (Reuters) - Protests erupted in California for the second day in a row on Friday against U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, who is moving closer to winning the Republican nomination after a string of victories this week. The billionaire businessman was forced to halt his motorcade and go through a back entrance to a hotel to give a speech to the California Republican convention and avoid several hundred loud protesters gathered outside. "That was not the easiest entrance I've ever made," Trump told the gathering in Burlingame, south of San Francisco, after weaving around a barrier and clambering across a road to get to the venue. "It felt like I was crossing the border actually." Demonstrators, some of whom held Mexican national flags, at one point rushed security gates at the hotel and police officers had their batons out. The mogul had already drawn protests in California, with chaotic scenes on Thursday outside a Trump rally in Costa Mesa. Anti-Trump protesters smashed the window of a police car and blocked traffic. Some 20 people were arrested. Protests have become common outside rallies for Trump who has earned ardent critics, as well as support from Republican voters, for his rhetoric against illegal immigration. His campaign abandoned a rally in Chicago last month after clashes between his supporters and protesters. He has accused Mexico of sending drug dealers and rapists across the U.S. border and has promised to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it. Trump, who described himself this week as the party's presumptive nominee, would take a large stride toward knocking his Republican rivals out of the presidential race if he wins the Indiana primary next week. On Friday, he said he is approaching the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. Trump, who has run as a political outsider and only recently started making inroads with the Republican establishment, called for the party to band together behind him. But said he could win the White House without them if needed. "There should be and there has to be unity. Now with that being said, would I win, can I win without it? I think so, to be honest," Trump told the convention. His speech drew applause, though not the fervent reception of his usual campaign rallies. INDIANA FIGHT Trump's main rival, Senator Ted Cruz, on Friday picked up the backing of Governor Mike Pence of Indiana in a rearguard battle to damage Trump's chances. "I'm not against anybody, but I will be voting for Ted Cruz in the upcoming Republican primary," Pence said on an Indiana radio show. Cruz, from Texas, is trailing the former reality TV star in the Midwestern state after losing to him by a wide margin in all five Northeastern states that held nominating contests on Tuesday. A CBS poll earlier this week found Trump with about 40 percent of support in Indiana, compared to 35 percent for Cruz. The poll had a margin of error of 6.6 points. Other polls have also shown Trump ahead. The Republican front-runner was in California ahead of its June 7 primary, when the most convention delegates of the Republican nominating cycle will be at stake. After his speech, Trump made a similarly unconventional exit out of the hotel via the back door. Cheryl McDonald, 71, of Discovery Bay, said she had to pass through protesters to get inside the hotel. "They were yelling. I think the only words they know in the dictionary are profanities," said McDonald, who said she is a Trump supporter. Ohio Governor John Kasich, a distant third in the race for the party's nomination, distanced himself from what he said was a divisive campaign that preyed on voters' fears. "I'm worried about a divided, polarized country," Kasich said. "It doesn't have to be that way." (Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Timothy Ahmann in Washington and Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Writing by Emily Stephenson; Editing by Richard Valdmanis, Alistair Bell and Kim Coghill)
tim cook ipad

For nearly three years, iPad sales have been falling on a quarterly basis, a disappointing run for a device repeatedly held up as the "future of computing."

It was no different this past quarter. Apple said it only sold 10.2 million iPads, down from 19% from the year-ago quarter's 12.62 million in sales.

But iPad sales actually significantly outperformed Wall Street expectations last quarter. And during a call to discuss Apple's results, CEO Tim Cook sounded optimistic that iPad sales have bottomed out:

We continue to be very optimistic on the iPad business. And as I had said in my remarks, we believe we're going to have the best compare for iPad revenue this quarter that we have had in quite some time. And so we'll report back in July on that one.

The Wall Street Journal's Daisuke Wakabayashi tweeted that Cook suggested to him that iPad revenue is "near a bottom," but probably won't rise this upcoming quarter.

Is the enterprise strategy working?

Apple bii ipad sales q1 2016

But what's prompting this change in tone? Apple may finally be seeing its strategy to sell iPads in large numbers to businesses start to bear fruit.

In the past two years, Apple has rebranded its two most expensive iPads as "pro" versions, with business-friendly features like keyboard cases, and signed a deal with IBM to develop business-specific software and sell iPads to corporate customers.

Apple's even gone so far as to sign a deal with MLB to promote the iPad Pro in big-league dugouts.

Analyst Patrick Moorhead at Moor Insights thinks Cook's confidence means he expects upcoming commercial demand for the iPad, because consumer demand is "a crap-shoot."

"If Cook had confidence on an improvement, it would have to be on commercial applications, not consumer. Consumers are extending their replacement times on tablets from 3 to 4 years, maybe even 5 years," Moorhead wrote in an email to Business Insider. "Therefore forecasting here is difficult."

Commercial applications for iPads include, for example, the fancy cash registers at artisanal coffee shops and kiosks at hospitals.

Story continues

According to an IDC estimate released on Thursday, Apple still captures about 26% of the total tablet market. But iPad sales have been shrinking faster than the overall market. If that changes later this year, that probably means there will be a lot more people toting around company-issued iPads.

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Will Archer Daniels Midland Beat Analysts' Estimates in 1Q16?

(Continued from Prior Part)

Priorities in 2016

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) completed acquisitions worth $0.5 billion in 2015. It expects the acquisitions to be accretive in 2016 as well. That included the sale of its global cocoa business, Medsofts Egyptian joint venture, strengthening of the European Olenex refined oils joint venture, and the Eaststarch acquisition. The company has an objective to achieve an incremental $275 million of run-rate savings by the end of fiscal 2016.

Balanced capital allocation framework

In 2016, Archer Daniels Midlands priority is its balanced capital allocation framework. It started this initiative by selling a 50% interest in its Brazilian port in 2015. To improve the long-term returns in a more challenged operating environment, the company plans to reduce the asset intensity in several of its businesses. For 2016, Archer Daniels Midland budgeted capital expenditure of around $1 billion. It set a preliminary target to reduce the invested capital for its businesses by at least $1 billion over time. Archer Daniels Midlands priority also includes growing its geographic footprint and expanding its specialty ingredients business. Its looking for opportunistic acquisitions around the world including bolt-ons.

Returning capital to shareholders

In light of returning capital to shareholders and the importance of the dividend to investors, Archer Daniels Midlands board announced a 7% increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.30 per share. The first increased dividend was paid on March 8 to shareholders of record on February 16. Currently, Archer Daniels Midland has a dividend yield of 2.8% as of April 26. Management has been increasing the dividend at an average annual rate of 14.4% over the past five years. Management thinks that shares are an attractive investment at the current levels. As a result, management plans to repurchase $1 billion$1.5 billion in shares in 2016. This is subject to strategic merger and acquisition opportunities.

Story continues

Archer Daniels Midlands peers in the industry include McCormick & Company (MKC), Flowers Foods (FLO), and General Mills (GIS). McCormick has returned 8.7% YTD (year-to-date). General Mills has returned 5.2% YTD. However, Flowers Food has fallen 11.5% YTD. The PowerShares S&P 500 Quality Portfolio (SPHQ) and the PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility Portfolio (SPLV) invest 1.2% and 1.1% of their portfolio in McCormick & Company.

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia on Friday proposed changes to simplify its anti money-laundering and terrorism financing laws, notably extending the regulations to include intermediaries and professions currently not required to report suspicious transactions. The 84 recommendations in a statutory review published on Friday include extending the current anti-money laundering rules to encompass accountants, lawyers, real estate agents and dealers in high-value objects such as jewelry. The global anti-money laundering body Financial Action Task Force (FATF) last year found significant gaps in Australia's AML framework, particularly in the regulation of professional service providers such as lawyers and accountants, who are not covered by existing rules. Friday's recommendations would help bolster Australia's compliance and enforcement and allow it to simplify its anti-money laundering/counter terrorism financing (AML/CTF)regulations to minimize red tape and duplication. The reforms will be progressed in two stages to prevent "regulatory fatigue," the Justice Minister Michael Keenan said in the report. Australian anti-money laundering regulator AUSTRAC welcomed the recommendations. "Better reporting practices from industry means we produce better intelligence, which then helps national security, law enforcement agencies and our partners in Government to investigate and crack down on people doing the wrong thing," AUSTRAC CEO Paul Jevtovic said in a statement. (Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by Eric Meijer)
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia said on Saturday it is working with Afghan and British authorities to try and locate an Australian aid worker who was kidnapped in Afghanistan. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the government did not know who had taken Katherine Jane Wilsonn from the office of a women's charity in Jalalabad on Thursday morning. "We are working very closely with authorities in Afghanistan as well as countries who have significant resources on the ground, including the British, to ascertain her whereabouts," Bishop said. "We are working with those who can assist us in making contact with those who may well have been involved". (Reporting by Jarni Blakkarly; Editing by Kim Coghill)
A man suspected of murder, attempted murder and armed robbery in an alleged crime spree spanning Florida and Alabama has been arrested, a spokesperson from the U.S. Marshals tells PEOPLE.



Raymond Pruitt, 39, allegedly stabbed his girlfriend on April 5 in Montgomery, Alabama, and when she tried to escape he allegedly shot her non-fatally with her own pistol, a statement from the marshals office says. He then allegedly went on the run with her pistol.



Subsequently, he was identified as the prime suspect in five alleged armed robberies in Montgomery, Ozark, Troy and Prattville, Alabama.



Pruitt allegedly shot and killed a 53-year-old Chung Lun Chiang on Tuesday in an armed robbery in an A&E Food Mart in Pensacola, Florida, according to the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. AL.com reports that the shooting was seen on surveillance video.



 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.



Pruitt was first spotted at approximately 3 p.m. CST in Troy, Alabama before he was arrested.



Details of how Pruitt was captured were not immediately available, but Supervisory Inspector Scott Sides with the U.S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force told WTOC that Pruitt suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a vehicle crash during his capture Friday afternoon.



Pruitt was taken to a hospital in Troy and will be transported to Montgomery County Jail when he's released, Sides said, according to the station.



No law enforcement officers were injured while taking Pruitt into custody, the station reported.
The only way Tuesday's earnings call for Apple (ticker: AAPL) could've gone worse was if CEO Tim Cook made it on a Samsung Galaxy.

And if there was a number to dial for the analyst conference, it might as well have been an unlucky 13. Here's why: The iPhone sales slump for the first quarter of 2016 reflected Apple's worst quarterly performance in 13 years.

Apple stock opened Wednesday at $96 a share, more than 7 percent lower than Tuesday's close of $104.23. For naysayers, it was a field day.

[Read: Why Fine Art Can Beautify Your Portfolio.]

"Apple is a big-league professional catastrophe," says Eric Schiffer, CEO of Patriarch Group, a private equity firm with offices in Santa Ana, California. "It's a national embarrassment and the greatest failure post-Steve Jobs in tech history."

Decline not unexpected. Apple's glum summary was no surprise to Wall Street or the tech digerati. When Apple released its earnings report for the last quarter of 2015, Cook acknowledged that iPhone sales would likely fall in the months to follow.

But he never hinted at how much. And the Q1 tally of 61.2 million smartphones sold was off 16 percent from the same quarter in 2015. More than two-thirds of Apple's profits stem from the iPhone, so it's easy to see why some viewed the performance as more disaster than disappointment.

"The earnings shortfall is a seminal event for a tech bellwether," says Robert Johnson, president and CEO of the American College of Financial Services in the Philadelphia area. "This is much more than an idiosyncratic, single company blip. This will shake the confidence of many tech investors beyond Apple."

In terms of market capitalization (the total dollar value of Apple's outstanding shares), the tech behemoth has taken a hit for the history books. On Tuesday, that figure posted at $578.58 billion. By Wednesday, it was in free fall to $541.82 billion. To put that in perspective, the drop of close to $37 billion represents roughly 7 percent of Apple's market cap -- more than three times the worth of Twitter (TWTR) and twice that of LinkedIn Corp. (LNKD).

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While Apple still boasts a wealth store of Fort Knox proportions, you likely won't find execs at One Infinite Loop trading high fives. A week ago, Apple was worth $594 billion; two weeks ago, $621.55 billion; and in July of last year hit an astounding $745.63 billion.

Beyond the numbers. So let's get out our iPads and review: Since that July 2015 apex, Apple has lost close to $204 billion in nine months, or more than a quarter of its value. But while the numbers tell one story, gut feelings and emotional exuberance on the trading floor tell another.

And if the Q1 report cemented any fact, it is this: For all his formidable talents as a numbers guy, Cook isn't going to spearhead any product revolutions with the showbiz panache of Jobs, Apple's late co-founder.

[See: 7 Ways to Tell if a Stick Is a Good Price.]

Whether releasing the first iPhone in 2007 or overshadowing the likes of U2's Bono onstage, Jobs was a tech rock star who attracted hordes of groupies who bought anything and everything with his ubiquitous, delicious fruit logo on it. He also championed a sleek, minimalist aesthetic that transformed computers and smartphones from clunky, intimidating machines into sexy objets d'art.

"As a long time Apple user, I can say that there's not only been a lack of innovation but also a lack of quality in their builds," says Eden Chen, CEO and founder of Fishermen Labs, an app development company. "A bunch of their software products are disasters -- take iTunes Connect -- and just look at the reviews of any of the other software they put out. They're amazing at seamlessly taking users from one computer operating system to the next. But Apple's lack of innovation is the classic problem laid out in the Innovator's Dilemma."

Different leadership. Put another way: Jobs was a product visionary who beat the curve, while Cook is a corporate caretaker of legacy products.

"There's a different feel about Apple since the loss of Steve Jobs," says Darren Hayes, an assistant professor and director of cybersecurity at Pace University's Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems in New York. "It has been many years since the company has released a product that has the public mesmerized. We've come to expect technology companies to surprise us and Apple has only surprised us with disappointing earnings growth."

That observation, if you will, rings as too true. Apple's bulky iPhone 6 series certainly didn't inspire the oohs and ahhs of previous models, a fact underscored when it introduced the iPhone SE last month. For the first time ever, Apple unveiled a smaller phone as opposed to a larger one. Yet it was hardly revolutionary, as the SE is a throwback in size and style to the iPhone 5.

Nor has the Apple Watch generated gotta-have-it enthusiasm. The product has been largely a bust, viewed by some observers as an attempt to enter a crowded field rather than forge a market all for itself.

"Bullish investors might counter by saying the Apple Watch has been, despite some oddly negative press, a big success, with unit sales twice that of the iPhone in each product's first year of existence," says Barry Randall, a technology portfolio manager on Covestor and a Boston-based registered investment advisor. "But so what? Because an Apple Watch requires an iPhone to work, and there is now an installed base of 500 million iPhones worldwide, it would've been difficult not to sell 12 million Apple Watches."

"Apple is at its core a product company, and this means that it must continuously hit home runs to continue its success," says Jerry Kim, assistant professor of management at the Columbia Business School in New York. "Coming up with one home run is challenging enough -- to generate a string of home runs is pretty much impossible, especially given the global nature of competition. Contrast this to platform companies like Google or Facebook that focus on building an ecosystem."

A global bet. How to put a brave face on all this? Cook and crew made it clear they're betting on growing Apple's sales in India and China. India, for example, has seen iPhone sales increase by more than 50 percent.

"I certainly wouldn't bet against Apple," says Anand Deshpande, CEO of Persistent Systems, a global technology company based in Pune, India. "India presents a huge market potential for them. And even though India is huge, we're in our nascent stages of growth. So as our economy gains momentum, that means more and more potential customers for Apple."

But the iPhone's future overseas is far from a slam dunk, as Android-based products continue to infiltrate and compete in booming markets.

[Read: 13 Ways to Invest in Summer.]

And so, the inevitable question arises: WWJD, as in What Would Jobs Do?

First he'd likely scream, in his legendary, tyrannical way, for his minions to hit the lab and whip up something new to make the masses salivate.

"Investors aren't generally known for patience," Randall says. "And until that next game-changing product comes along, we'll see growth investors continue to sell shares of AAPL to value and income investors."

But odd as it sounds, Jobs in all likelihood would also hold the course. Randall says: "Apple ought to be quite profitable for some time to come. Apple's relationship with its customers will always come first. And many of them don't care and might not even know the company is in Wall Street's penalty box."

A former longtime staff writer, editor and columnist at the Chicago Tribune, Lou Carlozo writes about investment for U.S. News & World Report, and personal finance for Money Under 30 and GOBankingRates. He is based in Chicago. Connect with him at linkedin.com/in/loucarlozo.
TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A tanker that Libya's rival eastern government had been using to try to export oil in defiance of the Western-backed administration in Tripoli returned to the country on Saturday, after it was blacklisted by the United Nations, the state oil company said. The eastern government's parallel oil company had hoped to sell the cargo of 650,000 barrels, but the United Nations measure required states to ban it from entering any port. Two competing governments, one in Tripoli and one in the east, backed by armed factions have struggled for control of the North African OPEC state since 2014. The eastern administration has set up its own National Oil Corporation in parallel to the Tripoli-based NOC. A U.N.-backed unity government, designed to replace the rival administrations, arrived in Tripoli last month and is attempting to assert authority over the whole country. Western powers fear any attempt by the eastern NOC to export crude independently would undermine the Tripoli government and further fracture the country along regional lines. "This episode is a clear warning to all ship owners and trading companies that oil exports from Libya by any other entity than the National Oil Corporation of Libya are illegal and will be stopped," the NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said in a statement. "The Libyan individuals behind this attempt risked splitting the country by their reckless actions." The Distya Ameya tanker left Marsa el-Hariga port late on Monday and was blacklisted on Wednesday and then headed to Zawiya port in western Libya. Sanalla said tanker would unload in the next few days. A source from Zawiya said bad weather was preventing the vessel from discharging its crude for the moment. The eastern NOC claims legitimacy from the government and parliament based in eastern Libya, which received international recognition after armed opponents took control of Tripoli in 2014 and installed rival institutions there. The new U.N.-backed unity government, which is an attempt to end the conflict, faces resistance from hardliners in both factions, whose rivalries steadily emerged following the 2011 uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. A U.N. Security Council resolution last month said the new unity government had the "primary responsibility" for preventing illicit oil sales, urging it to communicate any such attempts to the U.N. committee overseeing Libya-related sanctions. (Reporting by Ahmed Elumami; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Ros Russell)
Brussels (AFP) - The departure hall at Brussels airport, hit in March by a deadly double suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group, will partly reopen on Sunday, the management said.

The twin explosions on March 22 killed 16 people and devastated the departure hall, shattering the building's glass facade, collapsing ceilings and destroying check-in desks.

The airport was completely closed for 12 days after the attacks and has progressively been restarting operations, though it is not expected to return to full capacity until June.

"After a reopening ceremony, passengers from three flights on Sunday afternoon will be able to check in in the departure hall," airport management said in a statement on Saturday.

From Monday, passengers will check in for flights at 111 desks in the departure hall and 36 others in temporary buildings.

"The airport capacity is rising to at least 80 percent of the number of passengers before the attacks," the statement said.

Travellers have been asked to arrive three hours before their flights to allow time for extra police security checks at the entrance to the departure hall.

A total of 32 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in coordinated suicide bombings at the airport and a metro station in central Brussels in Belgium's worst ever terror attacks.
Lady Gaga got a very special lift to dinner Friday night  on the back of Bradley Cooper's motorcycle.



The unlikely pair was spotted together heading to Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, California. They dressed the part, too, in biker jackets and (of course) helmets, with Cooper's jacket matching his Ducatti bike.



Both Cooper, 41, and Gaga, 30, have been keeping busy in recent months: The American Sniper star recently celebrated his 1-year anniversary with girlfriend Irina Shayk; and earlier this month he joined several other stars for the launch of Sean Parker's cancer research foundation.



(Not to mention possible involvement in the upcoming second season of the Wet Hot American Summer sequel for Netflix.)









Bradley Cooper Gives Lady Gaga a Lift to Dinner  on the Back of His Motorcyle| Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga

American Horror Story: Hotel Steamy Foursome Scene" data-ad-channel="peoplenow" data-ad-subchannel="sharethisnow" data-auto-play="no">





Meanwhile Gaga  when she isn't taking the Polar Plunge with fiance Taylor Kinney  has been speaking out about Kesha's legal battle with Dr. Luke, Prince's sudden death and her new music.









"Definitely, yes!" Gaga told Z100 in March, when asked about a possible forthcoming album.
Quality depth is one reason the Chicago Cubs have some lofty expectations for 2016.

They may not have to tap as deep into their reserves, however, after a rainout gave one of their stars extra time to heal.

Kris Bryant is available to start Sunday as the Cubs go for an eighth straight victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves.

Saturday's game was called about two hours before the scheduled first pitch due to rain forecasted to fall all day. No makeup date was immediately announced, but July 7 appears likely with both teams off and the Braves returning to Chicago to face the White Sox a day later.

In Friday's opener, Cubs reserve outfielder Matt Szczur hit his first grand slam to highlight a five-run eighth inning in Chicago's fourth straight win, 6-1.

Besides those heroics, backup Javier Baez doubled and scored while starting at third base in place of Bryant. With another pinch hit, Tommy La Stella improved to 6 for 9 with a homer and four doubles in his last five games.

"We just come ready to play," manager Joe Maddon said. "A couple of guys were out and the guys that stood in there for them did outstanding work.

"It's all really good stuff."

After spending the past two seasons between the majors and minors, Szczur has become an asset with slugger Kyle Schwarber on the disabled list.

"I appreciate (Maddon) giving me chances to succeed," said Szczur, who is 3 for his last 9. "I take pride in that, and I think all of our bench players take pride in that. That's why we're doing so well."

Baez has also been a key part of Maddon's ever-changing lineup, batting .310 in 29 at-bats, but he may return to the bench with Bryant cleared. Bryant suffered a mild right ankle sprain running the bases Thursday.

''He's doing really well this morning,'' Maddon said Saturday. ''We'll wait to see what tomorrow looks like. I'll debate whether to play him or not. If he doesn't start, he'll be able to come off the bench.''

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Veteran catcher David Ross is 5 for 16 with two homers and five RBIs in his last five games, and he's no longer relegated to the role of personal catcher for Jon Lester with Miguel Montero also on the DL.

After Lester allowed a run and struck out 10 over seven innings Friday, John Lackey (3-1, 4.97 ERA) hopes to bounce back from giving up six runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings of last Saturday's 13-5 loss at Cincinnati.

Yielding that many runs for the second time in four starts, Lackey wants to be more aggressive - especially with two strikes.

"Sometimes you can almost throw too many strikes," the right-hander told MLB's official website. "Maybe need to make some people a little more uncomfortable."

Freddie Freeman homered for one of Atlanta's seven hits Friday. Batting .339 in 14 games since going 2 for 25 in the first eight, Freeman has hit three of the Braves' five home runs this year.

Atlanta (5-18) has scored 75 runs while the Cubs' run differential is a major league-best plus-79. The Braves have been outscored 44-16 in the last seven with Chicago (17-5).

They've totaled 10 runs while losing all five starts made by Julio Teheran (0-3, 4.60). The right-hander, though, has kept his team in the last two while giving up three runs over 12 1/3 innings. One of those runs was issued over seven of Monday's 1-0 loss to Boston.

"That was the first time that I've felt like that this year," Teheran said. "I felt like I had everything working."

He's 2-0 with a 3.82 ERA in five starts against the Cubs.

Anthony Rizzo is 2 for 13 with a homer when facing Teheran, but he's batting .310 with five home runs and 13 RBIs in the last eight games.
Havana (AFP) - Visiting British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond reached an agreement on restructuring Cuban debt payments in a meeting with President Raul Castro, officials in Havana said.

The agreement deals with Cuba's mid and long-term debt with Britain, according to a Cuban government statement.

The agreement "should contribute to the development of economic, commercial and financial relations between the two nations," the statement reads.

At the meeting, Castro and Hammond "verified the advances" in bilateral relations and "the potentials" in areas of mutual interest.

Neither the British embassy in Havana nor Cuban officials gave a figure for the debt, nor any further details on the agreement.

In December, Cuba reached an agreement with its creditors in the Paris Club -- which include Britain, France, and Spain -- to pay $2.6 billion in debt unpaid to foreign creditors for the last 25 years.

In exchange, the Paris Club is writing off the interest accumulated of $8.5 billion.

Hammond is the first British foreign secretary to visit Cuba since the 1959 revolution.

The visit also follows meetings in recent months between Castro and other top officials and leaders from the European Union.

Castro met with French President Francois Hollande on a visit to Paris in February.

In March, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini became the highest-ranking EU official ever to visit Cuba when she travelled to Havana.

She signed a deal to normalize relations with Cuba, including an agreement on human rights.

Cuba's leaders have rejected criticism of their human rights record by the United States and Europe, warning that they will not tolerate meddling in their country's internal affairs.

Britain was the second-biggest source of foreign tourists to Cuba last year after Canada, with 160,000 Britons making the trip.

Hammond's visit comes one month after US President Barack Obama's historic visit to the Caribbean nation, which is opening up to warmer ties with its old Cold War rivals.

Although Havana and Washington restored diplomatic ties last year, the US trade embargo on Cuba dating to the 1960s remains in place.
Business

Buffett defends Berkshire Hathaways big Coke stake at annual meeting

Warren Buffett on Saturday defended several of Berkshire Hathaway Incs larger or struggling investments, including Coca-Cola and the BNSF railroad. Speaking to tens of thousands of shareholders at Berkshires annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, Buffett and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger also touched on many other issues including the 2016 presidential election, the risks of derivatives, and big losses at a mutual fund closely associated with Berkshire.

I elect to get my 2,600 or 2,700 calories a day from things that me feel good when I eat them. Thats my sole test. Buffett, who consumes 700 calories of Coke a day, rejected critics who say the companys sugary drinks harm peoples health

At the meeting, Buffett and Munger fielded dozens of questions from shareholders, analysts and journalists, primarily about Berkshire companies and investments. Because the meeting fell early this year, Berkshire also released only preliminary first-quarter results, rather than full results, which the conglomerate will release on May 6. Berkshire said net income probably rose 8 percent, helped by a gain from the swap of Procter & Gamble Co stock for the Duracell battery business. Operating profit probably fell 12 percent, however. Buffett said BNSF was hurt by declining oil prices and coal shipments, while hailstorms caused losses in Berkshire insurance units.
OMAHA, Neb., April 30 (Reuters) - Warren Buffett on Saturday vigorously defended Berkshire Hathaway Inc's large, long-standing investment in Coca-Cola Co, rejecting critics who say the company's sugary drinks harm people's health.

Speaking at Berkshire's annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, Buffett said it seemed "spurious" to argue that calories from Coke alone were a significant factor in obesity levels.

Hedge fund manager William Ackman, among others, has said he would not own Coke stock.

But Buffett, 85, noted that he consumes about 700 calories of Coke a day, saying "I'm about one-quarter Coca-Cola," and that he had seen no evidence that switching to "water and broccoli" would make it easier for him to make it to age 100.

"I elect to get my 2,600 or 2,700 calories a day from things that make me feel good when I eat them. That's my sole test," he said. "I like fudge a lot. Peanut brittle. I am a very, very, very happy guy."

Berkshire owns 400 million shares of Coke, about 9 percent of the company.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
OMAHA, Neb. (Reuters) - Warren Buffett on Saturday vigorously defended Berkshire Hathaway Inc's large, long-standing investment in Coca-Cola Co, rejecting critics who say the company's sugary drinks harm people's health.

Speaking at Berkshire's annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, Buffett said it seemed "spurious" to argue that calories from Coke alone were a significant factor in obesity levels.

Hedge fund manager William Ackman, among others, has said he would not own Coke stock.

But Buffett, 85, noted that he consumes about 700 calories of Coke a day, saying "I'm about one-quarter Coca-Cola," and that he had seen no evidence that switching to "water and broccoli" would make it easier for him to make it to age 100.

"I elect to get my 2,600 or 2,700 calories a day from things that make me feel good when I eat them. That's my sole test," he said. "I like fudge a lot. Peanut brittle. I am a very, very, very happy guy."

Berkshire owns 400 million shares of Coke, about 9 percent of the company.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
By Jonathan Stempel and Trevor Hunnicutt

OMAHA, Neb., April 30 (Reuters) - Warren Buffett said on Saturday that Berkshire Hathaway Inc is poised to do well no matter who wins the White House in November, and the billionaire investor defended the performance and tactics of the conglomerate's several large investments.

Buffett presided over his 51st Berkshire annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, where he and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger fielded five hours of questions on such matters as Coca-Cola's sugary drinks, lower shipping volumes on the BNSF railroad, risks from derivatives, and who might succeed Buffett as chief executive.

Buffett, a staunch supporter of Democrat Hillary Clinton for president, was asked about the regulatory impact on Berkshire if Republican front-runner Donald Trump wins the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

"That won't be the main problem," he said to audience laughter.

"If either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton becomes president, and one of them is very likely to be, I think Berkshire will continue to do fine."

Because the meeting fell early this year, Berkshire also released only preliminary first-quarter results rather than full results, which will come out on May 6.

Berkshire said net income probably rose 8 percent, helped by a gain from the swap of Procter & Gamble Co stock for the Duracell battery business.

Operating profit probably fell 12 percent, however. Buffett said BNSF was hurt by declining oil prices and coal shipments, while hailstorms caused losses in Berkshire insurance units.

"Railroad carloading throughout the industry - all of the major railroads - were down significantly in the first quarter, and probably almost certainly will continue to be down for the balance of the year," Buffett said.

Berkshire owns close to 90 businesses in energy, insurance, manufacturing, railroad, retail and other sectors, and invests well over $100 billion in stocks.

COKE IS STILL IT

The meeting filled a downtown arena and overflow rooms, and shareholders could buy products made by Berkshire units at deep discounts in an exhibit hall.

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Buffett suggested that 40,000 people may have shown up for his "Woodstock for Capitalists," close to last year's record, though the meeting was streamed online for the first time.

At the meeting, Buffett and Munger fielded dozens of questions from shareholders, analysts and journalists. A shareholder proposal for more disclosures on the risks to Berkshire on climate change was overwhelmingly rejected.

Buffett parried concerns raised by a shareholder, and previously by hedge fund manager William Ackman, that Berkshire promotes bad health through its roughly 9-percent stake in Coca-Cola Co.

Buffett, who consumes 700 calories of Coke a day, said it seemed wrong to blame calories alone for rising obesity levels.

"I elect to get my 2,600 or 2,700 calories a day from things that me feel good when I eat them," he said, including the Cherry Coke and See's peanut brittle he consumed during the meeting. "That's my sole test."

Buffett also renewed his defense of Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital, which with Berkshire has a controlling stake in food company Kraft Heinz Co, where it has built on its reputation as a ruthless cost-cutter.

Berkshire is seen as a friendlier owner, but Buffett said 3G's cuts have been "extremely intelligent," and did not appear a threat to Kraft Heinz's ability to produce packaged goods.

Buffett also defended efforts of Berkshire's NV Energy unit to persuade Nevada regulators to reduce subsidies for homeowners there who use solar power, prompting Elon Musk's SolarCity Corp to say it would cease activity there.

"Ninety-nine percent of our consumers were being asked to subsidize the one percent that had solar units," Buffett said. "I personally think that if society is the one that's benefiting from the reduction of greenhouse gasses, that society should pick up the tab."

Buffett also emphasized his worry that derivatives could cause major risks for most of the world's largest banks if markets were disrupted.

"It is still a potential time bomb," he said, but added that he was "not in the least troubled" by Berkshire's big stakes in Wells Fargo & Co and Bank of America Corp.

Buffett also said Geico has been hurt because falling oil prices led to more driving, more accidents and more loss claims, but said he did not "necessarily see the same trends this year."

He also said there are no "tea leaves" in the recent announcement that the next chief of the General Re reinsurance unit will report to Buffett's insurance lieutenant Ajit Jain, not to Buffett. Some investors believe Jain is a top candidate to succeed Buffett as Berkshire's chief executive.

EARLY WAKE-UP

Buffett also said Mark Donegan, chief executive of Precision Castparts, which Berkshire bought in January for $32 billion, may now fare even better now that his company has the support from Berkshire's deep well of capital.

"I would almost rank Mark as one of a kind," Buffett said, before joking: "If he needs capital, he's got my 800 number."

Shareholders at the meeting included hundreds who waited hours in a rainstorm before doors opened at 6:20 a.m., 40 minutes early.

"I wanted to make sure I got a good seat," said Kim Baumler, an office manager for a wealth management company from Fargo, North Dakota, who said she was at the head of the line at 10:30 p.m. Friday night. "My boss is a huge Warren Buffett follower, and I got hooked. I wanted to see what it was all about."

Mark Hughes, a money manager from Ashton, Maryland attending his 25th meeting, said he sees no sign Buffett and Munger are winding down.

"They're 85 and 92, and look as good as they ever did," he said.

(Editing by Jennifer Ablan and Nick Zieminski)
By Jennifer Ablan and Trevor Hunnicutt

NEW YORK, April 30 (Reuters) - Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger made clear that they are no fans of embattled drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc .

"In my view, the business model of Valeant was enormously flawed," Buffett said at the annual Berkshire Hathaway meeting on Saturday. Buffett responded to a question about whether he agreed with his right-hand man, Charlie Munger, who last year called Valeant's core strategy of buying smaller pharmacies and then raising prices of their drugs "deeply immoral."

Buffett implied that Valeant was similar, in some respects, to "chain letter" companies designed to fool investors.

Shares in Valeant have lost 87 percent of their value from their 2015 high, and its former chief executive was called to testify before Congress this week about the company's drug-pricing policies.

Buffett said the Sequoia Fund, which traces its roots to Buffett, took an "unusually large position" in Valeant, mainly a result of the fund becoming "overly entranced with the business model."

Buffett noted the money manager responsible for Sequoia's investment in Valeant, then-chief executive Robert Goldfarb, has left the fund. Buffett said he also was approached by multiple people asking if he wanted to invest in Valeant and meet former Valeant CEO Michael Pearson. Buffett said he declined to do either of those things, and was wary of the company from the very beginning.

All told, Buffett expressed support for portfolio managers of the Sequoia, which has long invested in Berkshire and shared similar values, characterizing them as "very smart, decent people."

Munger concurred that Sequoia "reconstituted" itself. He added: "We think the whole thing is fixed. Valeant was a sewer, and those who created it deserved the opprobrium they got." (Reporting By Jennifer Ablan and Trevor Hunnicutt)
By Trevor Hunnicutt

(Reuters) - Warren Buffett nibbled on sweets during his presentation to shareholders on Saturday but he took a bite out of hedge fund managers.

The storied stockpicker - speaking at a table festooned with Berkshire Hathaway Inc-owned See's Candies at the conglomerate's annual shareholder meeting - suggested that "supposedly sophisticated people" and institutions are being fleeced by hedge funds and their backers.

"There's been far, far, far more money made by people in Wall Street through salesmanship abilities than through investment abilities," Buffett said, citing a simple Vanguard Group index fund that tracks the S&P 500 index of large American companies. He said that fund has beat a group of costlier hedge funds over time.

"Now that may sound like a terrible result for hedge funds, but it's not a terrible result for the hedge fund managers," Buffett said to laughter at the event held in Omaha.

During the financial crisis, Buffett bet the asset management company Protege Partners LLC $1 million that the S&P 500 will outperform a portfolio of hedge funds over the 10 years through 2017. Buffett said Saturday the index fund is beating the hedge funds by nearly 44 percentage points over 8 years.

Hedge funds are famous for their price tag - known as "two and 20" - a fee of two percent of the assets they manage each year and 20 percent of all gains.

It is not the first time Buffett has delivered the message. In his annual letter to shareholders two years ago, Buffett said he has ordered most of the money he is not giving away at his death to be placed in an index fund.

"You just have to sit back and let American industry do its job for you," Buffett said.

Buffett said the cost of consulting and management fees, as well as commissions, eat up investment returns for the wealthy individuals, endowment funds and public pensions that use hedge funds.

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New York City's largest public pension voted to exit all of its hedge fund investments earlier this month.

Vice Chairman Charlie Munger, who was seated next to Buffett, offered that some people who have given their savings to Berkshire and some other investors have done well. But, he said, finding such investors is "like looking for a needle in a haystack."

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing Jennifer Ablan and Nick Zieminski)
Mumbai (AFP) - A three-storey building collapsed in India's Mumbai on Saturday, killing at least two people and injuring five, local authorities told AFP.

Rescue work was ongoing at the site in the financial capital as local police said they feared five or six people still lay trapped under the rubble.

"We received five patients from the site of the collapsed building," said a duty officer at JJ Hospital in Mumbai, one of two hospitals where the injured were taken.

"Two of them were brought in dead and the other three are critical with severe head and fracture injuries."

Local media reports said the building housed a beer bar and a factory.

A senior police official in the city gave a lower death toll, saying one person had been killed and at least five injured, but said rescue work was still ongoing.

"We are trying to ascertain if five or six people are actually trapped under the rubble," Dhananjay Kulkarni, a spokesman for Mumbai Police told AFP, adding that the cause of the collapse was not known.

Mumbai has been hit by several deadly building collapses in recent years, often caused by shoddy construction, poor quality materials or ageing buildings.

But in one of India's most crowded and expensive cities, people still use old, dilapidated buildings because of a shortage of space.
Phnom Penh (AFP) - Cambodia's prime minister has ordered a million hectares of forest be included in protected zones as the country faces one of the world's fastest deforestation rates.

The move, which covers five new areas of forest, will bump Cambodia's conservation zones up by a fifth, bringing more than a quarter of the country's land under protection.

"The Ministry of Environment must... list the five forests as protected areas," said the order signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen, which was seen by AFP on Saturday.

The new conservation areas will include parts of Prey Lang -- a forest where activists have long been risking their lives to expose the illegal logging that has eviscerated Cambodia's forest cover.

The lucrative trade, lubricated by violence and bribery of forestry officials and border guards, has contributed to the clearance of around one third of the country's forested land in the past 30 years.

Hun Sen has been in power throughout that time, but conservationists say he has made little headway in reducing illegal logging despite trumpeting several crackdowns.

His government has also been criticised for allowing firms to clear hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest land -- including in protected zones -- for everything from rubber and sugar cane plantations to hydropower dams.

Other forests named in the new order are Prey Preah Roka, Prey Siem Pang Khang Lech, Prey Chrak Robeang Khang Tbong and Prey Veun Sai -- all of which were previously administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.

The NGO Conservation International welcomed the new protections, calling the decree a "bold move".

"These sites represent the most important forests in Cambodia for biodiversity conservation and support of human wellbeing, and if managed correctly could lead to a paradigm shift in Cambodias development pathway," said Tracy Farrell, the regional director of CI's Greater Mekong program.

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According to the organisation, Cambodias forests provide refuge to over 800 globally threatened species, more than half of which depend on forests to survive.

Many local communities also depend on the woodlands for their livelihoods.

Last week Cambodian authorities banned a documentary about a high-profile land activist, Chhut Vuthy, who was shot dead by a military policeman while investigating deforestation in a remote area in 2012.

In November 2015 a forest ranger and a policeman who were investigating illegal logging were killed.

At least 10 people, including a soldier, were arrested over the murders.
Cambodia's sole passenger train resumed a regular weekend service Saturday after being suspended for years, with Prime Minister Hun Sen climbing aboard to inaugurate the first trip.

"Today is a very important day for the railway," John Guiry, Royal Railway Cambodia's CEO, told AFP before the train rolled out of the capital Phnom Penh for Sihanoukville, a southwestern seaport.

The Southeast Asian country has more than 600 kilometres (375 miles) of track extending from its northern border with Thailand down to the southern coast, but decades of war and neglect have left vast stretches of the network damaged.

"The train and railway were almost totally destroyed by war more than 40 years ago," Hun Sen wrote on Facebook -- a forum the strongman has embraced with gusto in recent months.

"Because our country is now at peace, we have the opportunity to rebuild our transport infrastructure," he added.

The premier, who has been in power for more than three decades, also published several dozen photos of himself greeting local passengers and chatting to orange-robed monks in the packed train cars.

The nearly 270-kilometre route, which passes through farmland and follows part of the country's scenic coast, was reopened to passenger cars for a trial period during the Khmer new year holiday earlier this month.

Trains will now run once a day in either direction from Friday through Sunday.
TORONTO (Reuters) - A Canadian-run health care center in Aleppo, Syria that was hit by an air strike on Friday had been evacuated in the wake of another bombing at a hospital earlier this week, a spokesman for the non-profit group that operated it said. "After the hospital bombing three days ago, they've evacuated all the medical centers," said Avi D'Souza, media co-ordinator for UOSSM-Canada, which operates the Al Marjeh Primary Health Care Centre. "There wasn't anybody there at the time - thank God." Global Affairs Canada, the country's foreign department, condemned the attacks in a statement. Minister of International Development and La Francophonie Marie-Claude Bibeau said in the same statement Canadians are "outraged" and the attacks violate international humanitarian law. Air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo and shelling of government-held areas of the city resumed on Friday, after a brief dawn lull following seven days of violence, a war monitor, a civil defense worker and Syrian state media said. (Reporting by Ethan Lou and Jeffrey Hodgson; Editing by Bernard Orr)
Congrats are in order for party planner to the stars David Tutera and his new fiance, Joey Toth!

The celebrity wedding planner popped the question to his partner on his 50th birthday, April 23, during a Hawaiian vacation, enlisting the help of his adorable 3-year-old daughter Cielo.

"On bended knee, I asked him to marry us," Tutera told ET. "I told him how much he meant to us, and how happy he makes me, and how excited I am about our journey to move forward. I was so nervous."

David Tutera

PICS: The Biggest Celebrity Weddings of 2015

The A-list party planner worked with a jeweler in Miami to create the couple's custom, matching engagement rings, which feature black diamonds.

"The reason for the black diamonds is because we felt it had masculinity, yet importance without it being the clear diamonds," he explained.

David Tutera

WATCH: Dennis Rodman Hunts for 'Butchy Drag' Style on 'David Tutera's CELEBrations'

Tutera also said that it was important to him that Cielo was included in his proposal to Toth, explaining that the 36-year-old doctoral student will be marrying them both.

"Finally, when the time came, I said, 'OK, Cielo, say what you want to say,'" he recounted. "And she looked at him in his eyes and said, 'Will you marry us?'"

David Tutera

PHOTOS: Katy Perry, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba & More Attend Celebrity Stylist Jamie Schneider's Star-Studded Wedding in Aspen

Tutera's party planning resume includes events for Matthew McConaughey, Elton John, Barbara Walters and the Rolling Stones. We can't wait to see what he has planned for his own big day!

EXCLUSIVE: Tori Spelling Is Becoming a Party Planner -- Watch the 'CELEBrations' Sneak Peek!

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Two San Jose, California, brothers have been arrested for the alleged murders of their parents  but the elder brother says the true story behind the slayings will come out at trial.



On April 24, police responded to a suspicious circumstances call in San Jose's comfortable Evergreen neighborhood, according to a police statement obtained by PEOPLE. Upon entering the sprawling house, they discovered the bodies of Golam Rabbi, 59, and his wife, Shamima Rabbi, 57, who had been shot to death, the statement says.



"Both victims were shot at least once," the statement says. "The motive has not been determined."



After searching for the brothers since that day, police found and arrested them Wednesday night: Hasib Bin Golam Rabbi, 22, and his 17-year-old brother, whose name has been withheld because he is a minor, are allegedly "the persons responsible for this homicide," the statement says.



"There are no outstanding suspects," the statement says. "The victims were the suspects' parents. No additional details will be provided about the investigation."



Bin Golam Rabbi was arrested in Tracy, California, and his brother was arrested in San Jose.



Bin Golam Rabbi was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail for murder. His brother was booked into the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall for murder. They are both being held without bond.



 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.





Accused Son: 'I Want Everyone to Know What Happened'

In a jailhouse interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Bin Golam Rabbi said the real story behind the murders will become known.



"The best thing if anyone wants to know what happened is to wait for the trial," he told the paper from a jailhouse phone.



"I want everyone to know what happened, but I canat say anything without a lawyer," he said.



Even though his younger brother, a senior at Evergreen Valley High School, was taken into custody, Bin Golam Rabbi told the Chronicle that the teen is innocent and had nothing to do with the murders.





Eerie Messages

Chilling messages were allegedly written on the floor and wall near the parents' bodies, including one that read, "Sorry my first killing was clumsy," a source told NBC Bay Area.



Another message allegedly ended with the words, "I canat be like you, telling a lie. I canat love someone without telling them."



Police have not confirmed the messages.



On Thursday, well-wishers placed candles and roses in front of the Rabbi's house on a quiet, tree-lined cul-de-sac in memory of the slain couple.



Friends and family are shocked at the murders of the Rabbis, who immigrated to San Jose from Bangladesh more than three decades ago, according to the Chronicle.



They are being remembered as kind-hearted people who helped others who came to the United States.



"They not only brought us here, they also brought us food and shelter, at least until we found our means to survive," the Rabbi's 37-year-old nephew, Golam Mustakim, told the Chronicle. He added that the couple "displayed this same kindness to other families in the United States."



Funerals for the couple will be held Friday.



Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Pat Guire or Detective Ken Tran of the San Jose Police Department's Homicide Unit at 408-277-5283 or the anonymous Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (408) 947-STOP (7867).
By Karen Brooks

(Reuters) - A recovered cellphone at the center of a dispute between the families of two Florida teens who went missing during a fishing trip last summer will be examined by Apple Inc, the manufacturer, in an agreement reached during a hearing on Friday, according to a local media report.

If Apple retrieves anything from the water-damaged phone that relates to the day the boys disappeared - including photos, texts and social media posts - the data will be given to a judge, who will decide if it is evidence and whether it may be shared with the families, according to a report by WPLG television in Miami.

The agreement puts to rest, for now, a row between the families of Austin Stephanos, 14, who owned the iPhone 6, and his friend Perry Cohen, also 14, who borrowed it to communicate with his family the day they disappeared in July 2015 off the Atlantic Coast of South Florida, according to the report.

The phone was recovered in March when the boys' abandoned boat was discovered by a Norwegian crew near the Bahamas, WPLG reported.

The phone was inside a locked box and was heavily water-damaged, the report said.

Cohen's family wanted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to treat the phone as evidence in an open missing persons case, but the agency instead on returning it to Stephanos' family, the station reported.

Cohen's mother, Pamela Cohen, sued Stephanos' family to have the phone returned to the state and allow her access to its contents, the report said.

In an emergency hearing on Friday, the two sides agreed to turn over the iPhone to Apple and let the judge decide what to do with any data that is retrieved, the station reported.

The two boys, neighbors and fishing buddies in their Palm Beach County hometown, were last seen on July 24, 2015, buying gasoline for their 19-foot, single-engine vessel before launching in Jupiter, Florida.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission in a report said a pilot involved in the July search for the two teenagers told investigators he saw one of the boys floating on debris, according to Florida television station WPEC.

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The pilot said he later lost sight of the teenager and a Coast Guard crew sent to the area could not find him either, the station reported.

A commission representative could not be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Karen Brooks in Fort Worth, Texas, and Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles Editing by G Crosse and Leslie Adler)
charles and carrie schwab

Charles R. Schwab opened the doors of his San Francisco-based brokerage company, Charles Schwab Corporation, in 1971.

The company didn't take off right away.

"My dad was a struggling businessman really until my mid-20s," his daughter Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz told Business Insider. "I was 14 when he started Schwab, but it didn't really become the company people know until well into my 20s, when it was sold to Bank of America [in 1983]."

Right around the time the firm started taking off  today, it has $2.56 trillion in client assets and Charles Schwab himself has an estimated net worth of $6.2 billion  Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz was a typical 20-something, unsure how to invest her money.

"When I opened up my first IRA [individual retirement account], I asked him for advice," she tells Business Insider. "He said, 'Pick a mutual fund  pick a couple  and you'll be fine. Just participate in the market.'"

A mutual fund is a collection of securities like stocks and bonds. Funds are very diverse, typically owning hundreds of different stocks, which means your risk is spread out. With a mutual fund or funds, if one investment should go into decline, it won't necessarily tank your entire portfolio.

"He really believes in making investing simple," Schwab-Pomerantz, now a certified financial planner and author of "The Charles Schwab Guide to Finances After Fifty," tells Business Insider. "He's never trying to pick the hot stock. He's all about diversification and participating in the markets."

Experts such as Warren Buffett, John Bogle, and Charlie Munger agree that low cost index funds (a type of mutual fund pegged to a specific market index) are the best way for the average person to invest.

"A low-cost index fund is the most sensible equity investment for the great majority of investors," Buffett told Bogle in "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing." "By periodically investing in an index fund, the know-nothing investor can actually out-perform most investment professionals."

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One option for investors looking to follow the advice of the pros is to open an account online with Bogle's company, Vanguard, and invest in their index funds, which charge relatively low fees (an average of 0.13%). Charles Schwab Corporation also offers index funds with relatively low fees.

NOW WATCH: Heres why airlines ask you to raise the window shades for takeoffs and landings





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Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and PAP candidate Murali Pillai meeting residents during a walkabout in Bukit Batok. (Photo: Safhras Khan/Yahoo Newsroom)

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong implied that there has been no change in Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juans character and urged Bukit Batok voters to consider the commitment, characteristics and track record of the candidates when going to the polls in the by-election.

Lee, who is also secretary-general of the ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP), said this during a doorstop interview after touring the ward with the partys candidate, Murali Pillai, on Saturday morning (30 April).

Accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and other PAP Members of Parliament (MPs), including Rahayu Mahzam, Low Yen Ling and Alex Yam, they spent the morning mingling with residents of the ward.

Highlights of the walkbout in Bukit Batok. (Video by Nurul Amirah)



Lee said that he had read in a media report that Chee, the SDPs by-election candidate, was not sorry for his past actions.

He said Chee was proud of his past record and crazy history but has also tried to say that he has changed - and has even pointed out that good people make mistakes and deserve a second chance.

But before that (he) needs to recognise that something went wrong and (he has to) put it right In his case, if nothing has gone wrong, theres nothing to put right. Then how could he have changed? said Lee.

He also reiterated the point made by Grace Fu, the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, at a PAP rally on Friday (29 April), where she urged residents to consider the character and experience of the potential MP when casting their vote.

Accoring to Lee, Murali has the right values, a proven track record as a grassroots leader and his commitment to serving the areas residents is beyond doubt.

PM Lee greeting a resident as Murali looks on. (Photo: Safhras Khan/Yahoo Newsroom)



Lee raised his concerns over Chees ability to manage the needs of Bukit Batok residents, pointing to the fact that the SDP leader has not worked full time in a long while.

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Now he says he is going to work full time for the residents. Easy to say but what is he going to bring to convince voters?

"Partly his record, partly his ability and partly his character,  said the prime minister.

Lee, who watched the SDP rally on Friday via a live stream, said he noticed that all of the speakers lambasted former Bukit Batok MP David Ong, whose resignation from office in March - over a personal indiscretion - triggered the by-election.



And then Chee comes along and says (in his speech) that you must not hit somebody who is down and that it is very bad to do so.

"This is hypocritical. You get your guys to say all the bad things then you come along and look majestically and say that we must not hit someone who is already down. Unfortunately, that is in his (Chees) character, said Lee.

When asked about his sentiments after touring Bukit Batok, Lee said that he is happy with what he is seeing and hearing about Murali.

He added that Murali has been working at the ward from 16 years ago and that residents remember him for all the hard work he has done in the past.

He stands a good chance, otherwise, I wouldnt have fielded him in Bukit Batok, said Lee.
By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Japan both expressed a willingness to improve strained relations on Saturday after a rare meeting between their two foreign ministers in Beijing, though China said Japan should stop pushing the notion that China is a threat. China, the world's second-largest economy, and Japan, the third-largest, have a difficult political history, with ties strained by the legacy of Japan's World War Two aggression and conflicting claims over a group of uninhabited East China Sea islets. Relations have been thawing recently, with meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but Beijing remains deeply suspicious of Japan, particularly of moves by Abe to allow the military the right to fight overseas for the first time since the war. Meeting at a state guest house, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida ties had fallen to a low ebb. "We have recently seen the Japanese side repeatedly expressing its hope of improving the bilateral relationship. You have also shown your willingness to take the first step. If you come with sincerity, we welcome you," Wang said. "As the Chinese saying goes, we should make a judgment based on not only what people say but also what they do," he added, at the start of the first bilateral visit by a Japanese foreign minister to China in more than four years. "Facing up to history, abiding by promises and cooperation rather than confrontation should be the basis of China-Japan relations." Kishida, speaking later to Japanese reporters, said there had been a "frank exchange of views" in what he called an extremely significant visit. "At this meeting we confirmed the importance of Sino-Japanese relations and agreed that both sides would strive for further improvement in ties," he said, according to Japan's NHK broadcaster. China's Foreign Ministry said Wang made suggestions for how to improve relations, using forceful language that underscores the suspicion in Beijing about Tokyo. Japan "should have a more positive and healthy attitude toward the growth of China, and stop spreading or echoing all kinds of 'China threat' or 'China economic recession' theories", the ministry said in a statement. (Additional reporting by Linda Sieg in Tokyo; Editing by Kim Coghill)
Beijing wants to establish a relationship with Japan based on "cooperation, not confrontation", China's foreign minister told his Japanese counterpart Saturday.

Various territorial and historical disputes have soured bilateral relations in the past, but they have thawed more recently.

Fumio Kishida was on a three-day visit to China -- the first by a Japanese foreign minister in four and a half years.

"We certainly wish to develop healthy, stable and friendly relations with Japan," said China's foreign minister Wang Yi at a meeting with Kishida.

But he added: "This relationship must be built on the basis of an honest view of history, respect for promises, and cooperation, not on confrontation."

Beijing and Tokyo are embroiled in a fierce dispute over the sovereignty of uninhabited territories in the East China Sea - islands administered by Japan as the Senkaku, but claimed by China under the name Diaoyu.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated in 2012 when Tokyo "nationalised" some of the islands.

Since then, the two largest Asian economies have taken steps to mend fences, with meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

But abuses committed by the Japanese military in China before and during World War II still fuel tension, with Beijing regularly accusing Tokyo of downplaying its role in the atrocities.

"We really want to regain relations in which we can visit each other frequently," Kishida said during the meeting, which was broadcast on Japanese television.

"The two countries need each other at a time when uncertainties are growing in the international economy," he was quoted as saying by the Japanese news agency Jiji.

"In China there is a saying - judge a person not by his words but his actions," said Wang.

During his visit, Kishida will discuss Sino-Japanese territorial disputes and North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program, according to Nippon Television Network.

Talks will also focus on the establishment of a "hotline" for direct communication between the two capitals in case of increased tensions over the East China Sea dispute, according to Jiji.

According to a China foreign ministry statement, Wang urged Japan to have "a more positive and healthy attitude toward the growth of China, and stop spreading or echoing all kinds of 'China threat' or 'China economic recession' theories".
A Chinese man sentenced to death for the Valentine's Day murder of his girlfriend 18 years ago has been acquitted, a court said, the latest wrongful conviction overturned in the country.

Liu Jiqiang, 52, was found guilty of strangling and stabbing his lover on February 14, 1998, earning him the notorious nickname "Valentine's Day killer" in the Chinese press.

But after spending nearly two decades on death row, the Higher People's Court of Jilin province in northeast China dismissed his conviction citing insufficient evidence, the court said Friday on its official Sina Weibo microblog.

Liu initially admitted to the killing, but his lawyers said his confession was obtained as a result of torture and illegal questioning, according to Xinhua news agency.

He was handed the death penalty in December 1999 with a two-year reprieve which in China often means life in prison.

He unsuccessfully appealed his guilty verdict twice, in 2002 and 2003, according to Xinhua.

China's courts are tightly controlled by the ruling Communist party, which has vowed to overturn mistaken verdicts in the face of widespread public anger.

Liu's case is the latest to highlight miscarriages of justice in the country, where forced confessions are widespread and more than 99 percent of criminal defendants are found guilty.

In February, the high court in eastern Zheijiang ordered the release of Chen Man who had been jailed for more than two decades on murder charges.

Of those exonerated in recent years, Chen had spent the longest time in prison, 23 years, state media said.

In 2014, a court in the Inner Mongolia region cleared a man who was convicted, sentenced and executed for rape and murder in 1996 at the age of 18.

The reversal of the verdict came nine years after another man confessed to the crime.
By Siyabonga Sishi JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A group of 33 lions rescued from circuses in Peru and Columbia arrived by plane in Johannesburg on Saturday to begin a new life in the African bush. The final destination for the animals, which were flown in on a chartered cargo flight, will be the Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary, a 5,000 hectare reserve on a private estate in South Africa's northern Limpopo province. Cleared by a state vet, the cats grunted and roared as the crates containing them were loaded onto trucks for the last leg of their journey by road several hours north of Johannesburg. "Everyone traveled pretty well. They only had airline food and they are looking forward to a good meal now," said Jan Creamer, president of Animal Defenders International (ADI), which organized the rescues and the airlift operation. ADI said 24 of the cats had been taken from circuses in Peru, part of a menagerie of over 100 animals rescued with the help of Peruvian officials cracking down on illegal wildlife trafficking. Bears, monkeys and other wildlife scooped up in the operations in Peru have been transferred to sanctuaries in the South American country and a tiger has been flown to Florida. The nine lions from Columbia were voluntarily surrendered from a circus. ADI said both countries have banned the use of wild animals in circuses. The lions would not survive in the African wild as many have been declawed or have had teeth smashed or removed, one is almost blind and another is missing an eye. "At their new home at Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary, the lions will enjoy large natural enclosures situated in pristine African bush, complete with drinking pools, platforms and toys," ADI said in a statement. "The lion habitats will be steadily expanded over the coming months as the lions become familiar with their new life and are introduced to each other," it said. (Writing by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Susan Thomas)
BOGOTA, April 29 (Reuters) - Colombian state-run oil company Ecopetrol has halted pumping on the country's No. 2 oil pipeline after a rebel bombing that sent crude spilling into a nearby river, a source at the company told Reuters on Friday.

The attack on the 485-mile (780 km) Cano-Limon Covenas pipeline caused a spill in Arauca province's Bojaba river, near the border with Venezuela, Ecopetrol said in a statement.

Clean-up crews were working to contain the spill, the company said, which so far was several kilometers away from drinking water sources.

President Juan Manuel Santos blamed the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group for the attack.

The government and the ELN announced in March they would soon begin formal peace talks in Ecuador, after over two years of preliminary negotiations.

"It's inconceivable that this group, instead of giving concrete displays of peace, insists on kidnapping and attacking the infrastructure of Colombians, like it did today with another pipeline bombing, causing immense harm to the environment," Santos said in televised remarks.

The president will travel to Arauca on Saturday to meet with security officials.

Cano-Limon has the capacity to transport up to 210,000 barrels of crude daily from oil fields operated by U.S.-based Occidental Petroleum, near the border with Venezuela, to the Caribbean port of Covenas.

Attacks by the ELN on oil installations have been a frequent occurrence during a conflict that has taken more than 220,000 lives and displaced millions over the past 52 years.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta and Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Leslie Adler)
(BOULDER, Colo.)  A judge sentenced a Colorado woman who cut a baby from a strangers womb to 100 years in prison, including the maximum penalties for attempted murder and unlawful termination of a pregnancy.

Judge Maria Berkenkotter said the harshest sentences for the most serious charges were justified by the brutality of the 2015 attack, which she described as performing a cesarean with a kitchen knife. Berkenkotter also said the victim, Michelle Wilkins, as well as her family and the community needed Dynel Lane, 36, to express remorse.

Lane murmured a no when the judge asked if she wanted to speak Friday. Lane also did not speak in her defense during her trial, which ended in February when jurors found her guilty of attempting to kill Wilkins after luring her victim to her home with an ad for maternity clothes.

Jurors had heard that Lane went to elaborate lengths to feign her own pregnancy before attacking Wilkins. They did not hear that in 2002, Lanes 19-month-old son drowned in what investigators ruled was an accident. Relatives who spoke on Lanes behalf before the sentencing Friday said her remorse over losing her son may have led her to take an action they could not understand or explain.

Lanes attorneys did not dispute that she attacked Wilkins, but they argued there was no evidence it was a calculated murder attempt. They urged jurors to convict Lane of the lesser charge of attempted manslaughter.

Berkenkotter sentenced Lane to 48 years for attempted murder and 32 years for unlawful termination of a pregnancy. The remainder of her sentence was for assault charges in the attack. She was given credit for the more than a year she has served since her arrest.

Kathryn Herold, the public defender representing Lane, told the judge Friday she would appeal and that Lane had the right not to speak. Berkenkotter acknowledged that was Lanes constitutional right. But the judge said that in weighing her sentence she had to take into account that people are hungry to hear from you, Miss Lane. Hungry, desperate to hear you express genuine remorse from the bottom of your heart.

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Prosecutors said they were unable to charge Lane with murdering Wilkins unborn girl because a coroner found no evidence the fetus lived outside the womb. That led Colorado Republicans to introduce legislation that would have allowed a murder charge. Democrats rejected the measure, the third time such a proposal failed in Colorado. Over the objection of abortion-rights supporters, 38 states have made a fetus killing a homicide.

Wilkins focused on her unborn daughter Friday. She placed a large photograph of her dead baby, who appeared to be sleeping, on an easel next to the witness stand, then asked Berkenkotter to impose the harshest possible sentence.

Wilkins said after the sentencing that she saw the hearing as a day in court for her daughter, who she named Aurora.

Judge Berkenkotter was clearly listening to everything that we were saying, Wilkins told reporters, adding she felt justice had been served.

In court, Wilkins had directed her words to Lane, who sat straight and showed no emotion as her victim spoke. Lane cried later in the hearing when a letter from one of her two daughters expressing love was read.

Lanes mother apologized in court to Wilkins and her family, as did her father in a letter his wife read.

Lane had posted online photos of herself with a distended belly and sent the man she said was the father of her child ultrasound images downloaded from the Internet. David Ridley, who lived with Lane and her two daughters, testified at trial that Lane claimed for more than a year that she was expecting a boy, whom they planned to name James. Friends even threw a baby shower.

Ridley had grown suspicious by the time Lane lured Wilkins to her Longmont home. Wilkins testified they chatted for about an hour before Lane hit, pushed and tried to choke her, then used two kitchen knives to cut the baby from her womb.

When Ridley came home early from work that day to meet Lane for a doctors appointment, he said he found the fetus in a bathtub and drove the child and Lane to a hospital, where she begged staff to save her baby.

Lane said nothing to Ridley about Wilkins, who was unconscious at her home. Wilkins regained consciousness and called police.
By Brendan O'Brien

(Reuters) - A Confederate monument will be removed from the grounds of University of Louisville, a gesture that school and city officials said on Friday is intended to spur diversity and inclusion on campus.

The monument, a commemoration to Kentuckians who fought and died for the Confederacy during the Civil War, will be cleaned and kept in storage until an appropriate location is selected, University of Louisville President James Ramsey and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced.

This monument represents our history  a painful part of our nations history for many  and its best moved to a new location, Fischer said in a statement.

The Kentucky Womans Monument Association gave the monument to the city in 1895.

Public symbols of the Confederacy including the Confederate flag have been the center of controversy across the U.S. South after a white gunman allegedly shot dead nine black worshipers at a historic church in Charleston, South Carolina in July 2015.

The accused gunman Dylann Roof who posed with the flag in photos posted online faces federal hate crime charges.

Opponents consider the Confederate flag and statues of Confederate leaders emblems of slavery that has become a rallying symbol for racism and xenophobia in the United States.

Supporters say they are symbols of the South's history and culture, as well a memorial to the roughly 480,000 Confederate casualties during the 1861-65 Civil War.

The University of Louisville Diversity Committee listed the statue's removal as "one of their highest priorities to improve diversity and inclusion on campus," the school said in a statement.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Kim Coghill)
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Daimler (DAIGn.DE) has hired auditor Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu to help with an internal investigation into its diesel-engine emissions technology requested by the U.S. Department of Justice, the luxury car maker said.

The investigation is to see if Daimler used devices to manipulate emissions tests and comes after another German carmaker, Volkswagen AG, admitted installing software that did so.

Daimler said last week that it was conducting an internal investigation of its certification process for diesel exhaust emissions in the United States at the request of the Justice Department.

Deloitte staff are combing through documents and emails from staff of Daimler's engine development site in Sindelfingen and its corporate headquarters in Stuttgart, German weekly Der Spiegel earlier reported.

In early April, owners of U.S. Mercedes diesel cars filed a class action saying the vehicles likely contained a "defeat device" used to cheat emissions testing, an accusation that Daimler, which owns the carmaker, denied.

The investigation comes six months after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it would review all light-duty diesel vehicles in the United States after Volkswagen's admission that software in its diesel vehicles sold since 2009 allowed them to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution.

(Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Writing by Arno Schuetze; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Palmira (Colombia) (AFP) - Zamira Diaz has a map showing where her brother Oswaldo is buried. But like many who have lost loved ones in Colombia's civil conflict, she cannot go and find him.

Oswaldo lies in one of the "red zones" -- rebel-held areas where even the police will not dare go and search.

The hand-drawn maps bear instructions on how to get through the jungle to a spot several hours away on foot, where Oswaldo is thought to be buried.

"It is a no-go zone," Zamira says. "It is guerrilla territory, all covered with pine trees. It is still too dangerous to go there."

As the government and Marxist FARC rebels close in on a peace deal, Oswaldo represents one of the challenges to reconciliation after half a century of conflict: he is one of tens of thousands of victims listed as "missing."

A town councillor from Palmira in the southwestern region of Cauca, he disappeared on October 15, 2001. He was 42.

Four men with guns came and took him away in front of his 13-year-old son, says Zamira, 64.

Zamira keeps the maps in a thick file of documents about her brother.

They were given to her by one of the campaigners working to find missing victims. When she received them, Zamira told the police but they did not do anything, she says.

"When security conditions are difficult, the public officials go accompanied by the police or the army, depending on the circumstances," the state prosecution service told AFP in a statement from its press service.

"That way, they always reach the places where the events took place."

The service did not say however whether officials had managed to get to the current resting place of Oswaldo Diaz, or of another missing victim, Manuel Castro Patino.

- Abducted at breakfast -

Patino's mother Mariela Patino, 56, says the youngest of her four children was taken away from their family farm one day while he was on leave from the army.

"He was just finishing his military service. He was the baby of the family," she says, showing a photograph of Manuel aged 20 in his military fatigues.

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"We were having breakfast when six members of the FARC showed up. They accused him of being an army informer," she told AFP.

"I reported it and started putting up notices everywhere. The FARC told me if I didn't leave, they wouldn't be responsible for my life or my family's."

She abandoned her home and moved to the city of Cali where she opened a beauty salon. She joined "The Missing Ones," an association campaigning to find lost victims of the conflict.

One day, a FARC commander admitted to her that Manuel was buried in one of the no-go areas.

"We went there but didn't find him. I passed the information to the state prosecutors. That was eight years ago," she says.

"It is a red zone and the authorities cannot go there."

- Ransom demands -

Oswaldo's family received ransom demands -- for as much as $67,000. Neither they nor many other families in the same situation could afford that.

Twice they took DNA tests to identify bodies which turned out not to be Oswaldo.

In 2014, the FARC admitted that they had killed him when he tried to escape.

According to official figures, prosecutors have located 6,500 out of 45,000 people estimated to have gone missing during the conflict.

Of those, 3,100 bodies have been returned to their families.

"We have fought every way we can for them to tell us the truth," Zamira says, choking on her tears.

"They must tell us where they are -- not just my brother, but all the missing people."
After a positive buzz around the upcoming Ezra Miller-starring The Flash movie, attached director Seth Grahame-Smith has left the project.

2016 is a big year for DC and their cinematic ventures, with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice having made $855 million so far, it has failed to top the $1 billion mark as expected. With Suicide Squad the next big one out this summer, this news about The Flash is something of a bump in the road for the Marvel rival.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Grahame-Smith left the production after creative differences and comes as an unwelcomed blow to the project which must now search for a new helmer.

Grahame-Smiths script he penned - a script he wrote from The LEGO Movies Phil Lord Christopher Millers and treatment - will apparently still be used ahead of its 2018 cinema release.

The first glimpse of Ezras depiction of the famed fastest man alive superhero came earlier this year in Zack Snyders Dawn of Justice, where he appeared twice - once in a Bruce Wayne vision of the future and the other when he was searching through Lex Luthors files he had on The Flash, as well as Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Cyborg.

The Flash appeared to be running smoothly, with Ezra even turning up to the Dawn of Justice premiere, but hopefully the production itself wont suffer too much as a result of the departure.



Yet this isnt the cut-off point for Grahame-Smith in terms of DC and indeed Warner Bros. association. Hes currently involved in The LEGO Batman Movie and is also in charge of the Beetlejuice 2 screenplay.

The Flash is due in cinemas in March, 2018.



Read more:

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The Omen Prequel Announced

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Picture credit: WENN, DC Comics, Warner Bros.
By George Obulutsa NAIROBI (Reuters) - Rescue workers raced on Saturday to save more residents from the rubble of a six-storey building in Nairobi after it collapsed overnight following heavy rain. At least 12 people were confirmed dead. President Uhuru Kenyatta visited the site of Friday night's disaster and ordered the arrest of the owners of the building, which had been condemned by the authorities. One man was pulled out alive on Saturday afternoon to cheers from the crowd. Earlier, Interior Minister Joseph Ole Nkaissery told reporters at the scene that the cries of a woman and child had been heard. Their fate was not clear. "We are still hearing some voices from the collapsed building," Kenya National Disaster Operation Centre director Colonel Nathan Kigotho said, in Nairobi's poor Huruma district. "We don't have the exact number of people buried in the rubble." He said 12 bodies had been recovered from the building. After mainly working with hands and power tools, rescue workers moved in two excavator vehicles to assist in lifting heavy masonry. Residents in the next building were pulled out carrying their packed belongings. Heavy rains have led to building collapses in the past in poor neighborhoods of the Kenyan capital, which residents have usually blamed on shoddy or illegal construction. The building in Huruma in eastern Nairobi had 198 rooms, Kigotho said. Some residents escaped before the collapse and at least 133 people had been rescued. The president told officials "to undertake an immediate survey of all the houses in the area to find out those which are at risk of collapsing", his office said in a statement. Kigotho said the building's proximity to a nearby swollen river likely damaged the structure. "The water most likely undermined the foundation," he said. Police said more than 120 people had been taken to hospital. Lower floors of the building crumpled, leaving some of the top storey still standing. Broken bed frames, mattresses and clothes protruded from the wreckage. "It is raining, and these houses were built without Nairobi County authorization," Jonathan Mueke, deputy governor of Nairobi County, told privately-owned QTV station. "I am asking residents in the area to leave. In the area where this one collapsed there are 189 houses," he said. (Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
(Adds Dole comment, details on outbreak, FDA inspection report)

By Lisa Baertlein

LOS ANGELES, April 29 (Reuters) - Dole Food Co Inc said on Friday the U.S. Department of Justice was investigating a deadly Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to packaged salad products from its processing plant in Springfield, Ohio.

Dole, the world's largest fruit and vegetable producer, said in a statement the agency recently contacted the company and "we will be ... cooperating with the DOJ to answer questions and address any concerns."

Listeria, a common bacterium that can be either harmless or pathogenic, can enter a processing facility via raw produce or other materials, and form colonies. Thirty-three people in the United States and Canada fell ill in the outbreak from May 2015 to February 2016. All were hospitalized and four died.

Dole said on Jan. 22 it had temporarily suspended operations at the Springfield plant. It also issued recalls on all salad products packaged at the facility.

The plant reopened on April 21.

Plant officials found evidence of Listeria contamination there as early as July 2014, Food Safety News (FSN) reported on Friday.

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection report obtained by FSN and reviewed by Reuters on Friday showed that Dole's tests of surfaces at the plant came back positive for Listeria on nine separate occasions in 2014 and 2015.

Dole said in its statement that the report dealt with issues that had already been corrected.

The report, dated Feb. 5, said the plant's third-party laboratory had notified Dole about positive Listeria test results from internal samples taken on Jan. 5 and 7. But it did not say whether testing was done to determine whether the bacteria posed a threat.

"If you have ongoing, persistent contamination, that can indicate that you have a sanitation problem," Craig Hedberg, a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health, said in a phone interview on Friday.

Story continues

The FDA inspected the plant five times in January and February 2016. Product samples collected at various stages of salad processing on Jan. 16 tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, a strain that can cause severe illness, the report said.

On Jan. 26, Dole told inspectors the company was aware that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) had found Listeria monocytogenes in four salad product samples collected by the agency earlier that month, according to the report.

The samples found by FDA and CFIA were genetic matches to those taken from multiple individuals who fell ill during the outbreak.

(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Chris Reese and Richard Chang)
Today in One Paragraph

Indiana Governor Mike Pence threw his weight behind Ted Cruz. The U.S. Supreme Court decided to allow Texas controversial voter-ID law to stay in effect for the time being. The Pentagon announced that last years bombing of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan is not considered a war crime. And another American was sentenced to hard labor in North Korea.

Top News

Pence Backs Cruz. In an interview on a conservative radio talk show, Indiana Governor Mike Pence said he would vote for Ted Cruz in the states upcoming primary, calling the Texas senator a principled conservative. But Pence also said that he liked all three of the GOP candidates and even commended Donald Trump for taking a strong stand for Hoosier jobs. (Tony Cook, Mark Alesia, and Stephanie Wang, The Indianapolis Star)

At the Supreme Court. The Court refused to block Texas controversial voting requirements, but set a deadline for resolving the case before the general election. The states law only permits certain types of photo-IDs at the polls, but was struck down by a federal court and a court of appeals in the past two years for being discriminatory. (Richard Wolf, USA Today)

Recommended: Millennials' Political Views Don't Make Any Sense

Pentagon: Kunduz Hospital Bombing Not a War Crime. The Pentagon released a report on the investigation into the U.S. airstrike that destroyed a Doctors Without Borders hospital and killed 42 people in Kunduz, Afghanistan, last October, saying that it resulted from a combination of human errors. The 16 military personnel will receive administrative punishments as a result of the investigation. (Justin Fishel, Luis Martinez, and Mariam Khan, ABC News)

North Korea Sentences an American. South Korean-born American citizen Kim Dong Chul was sentenced to 10 years of hard labor for subversion and espionage, according to a North Korean official. State-run news agency KCNA reported that Kim was prosecuted for committing offenses in a scheme to overthrow the socialist system of the DPRK. Kim is the second American to be sentenced in the country in two months. (Tiffany Ap and Chandrika Narayan, CNN)

Story continues

The Weekend in One Paragraph. Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorina will speak at the California Republican Convention on Saturday. President Obama will host his final White House Correspondents Dinner Saturday night. John Kasich will be in California, and Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump will be in Indiana. Hillary Clinton will be in Michigan on Sunday.

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

Indiana, which is 86 percent white, may seem demographically similar to nearby states like Ohio (83 percent white) and Wisconsin (88 percent white). But, in truth, Indiana is a much stranger place than its given credit for, with a history and heritage that divide it from other Midwestern states. FiveThirtyEights Craig Fehrman on why Indiana is a tough state to predict.

Top Lines

Ban the Box in College Admissions. The campaign to protect applicants from having to answer questions about their criminal history is spreading to Americas colleges and universities, but campus officials say the background questions are helpful in understanding their prospective studentsand keeping campuses safe. (Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, The Atlantic)

Recommended: The Obama Doctrine

Hillary Clintons Evolution. Heres how the former secretary of States views have moved more and more left of center throughout the course of the presidential race against progressive Bernie Sanders. (Max Ehrenfreund, The Washington Post)

Top Views

School and Socioeconomic Status. A new analysis of test score data shows that children living in districts with the highest concentrations of poverty score much worse than the children in the richest districts. Use this interactive graphic to see how your school district compares. (Motoko Roch, Amanda Cox, and Matthew Bloch, The New York Times)

Can Donald Trump Win? Assuming the Republican front-runner can clinch the nomination, hell have to win the support of a majority of the 270 votes in the electoral college. And right now, that doesnt look very likely. (Jake Flanagin, Quartz)

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.

-Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey)

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Elisabeth Moss is starring in The Handmaids Tale and its perfect casting

Elisabeth Moss is starring in The Handmaids Tale and its perfect casting

Weve loved Elisabeth Moss since her noteworthy turn as President Bartlets daughter Zoey on The West Wing. But for most fans, Moss is best known for her portrayal of badass Peggy Olson on Mad Men or, more recently, as Detective Robin Griffin in the incredibly shot and Jane Campion-directed Sundance miniseries Top of the Lake.

Suffice it to say, Moss excels at playing complex, powerful women  and so we were more than thrilled when the news broke that she will star in the Hulu adaptation of Margaret Atwoods acclaimed dystopian (not to mention feminist!) novel The Handmaids Tale.

Moss is one of the few actresses who can do the role of the novels protagonist, Offred, justice. The Handmaids Tale is set in the near future, where a totalitarian theocracy has overthrown the United States government and women are forced to serve as concubines to bear the progeny of the elite. The novel explores themes of female subjugation and the various means in which a woman can gain agency. Its amazing, and a must read for any woman.

Atwood said in a statement:

The Handmaids Tale is more relevant now than when it was written, and I am sure the series will be watched with great interest. I have read the first two scripts and they are excellent; I can hardly wait to see the finished episodes.

Neither can we.

The post Elisabeth Moss is starring in The Handmaids Tale and its perfect casting appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Categories Skin Care

Marquee image: Vanessa Jackman

Let me start this by reiterating what you mightve already gathered from the title of this piece: Im a certified pale person. The kind of pale youd expect from someone with Nordic rootsblonde hair, light eyebrows and a propensity towards blushing and flushing at random. Very fair describes me well.



Photo: Vanessa Jackman

So its unfortunate that as far back into my adolescence as I can remember, Ive been obsessed with the idea of being tan. Maybe it stems from that place of always wanting what you dont have, but for the better part of my life its been a source of insecurity. In middle school, my friends would come back from spring break with beautiful olive tans and Id remain my usual shade of peaches 'n' cream, which looked even paler set against their new bronze coats. As you can imagine, I did not participate in the inevitable post-vacation arm test where my peers compared their tans.

My emotions each spring ranged from that of a vain, preteen victim (Why me? Why!?) to an impassioned go-getter (What can I do to reverse this curse?) and tired of tying my arms behind my back during the annual show-and-tell, I distinctly recall asking my parents for permission to buy sunless tanner.

Skeptical but obligingthey were undoubtedly glad I wasnt trying to bake myself in a tanning bed instead, which was popular in my native state of Indianathey took me to our local Walgreens where I picked out a generic brand of a spray-on formula that promised to make me two to three shades darker. Hallelujah! The results were mediocre at bestas in streaky and orange, but technically still left me more bronze than when I beganbut the experience nonetheless sparked a love affair with the stuff that would last a decade.

Tans on tans on tans. Photo: ImaxTree

All through high school and college, I slathered it on as a bedtime ritual, my virgin skin rarely seeing the light of day (and my sheets perpetually discolored because of it). For every major event (proms, formals, etc.), Id get a spray tan that left me a high-octane, unnatural shade of orange, one that Id fight tooth and nail to preserve. I'm hoping I'm not the only one who went through this often-confusing time of young adulthood fussing over such trivial matters, but I was just trying to keep up with what everyone around me was affirming as "beautiful."

Story continues

Then somewhere along the way, once I entered the post-grad phase of my life, I just got tired of it. Tired of having to take an arduous extra step to feel pretty, tired of feeling insecure without it and tired of comparing myself to the bronzed, leggy models that advertised the products I used. Looking like that was just not gonna happen.

The older and more mature I got, I became annoyed for falling victim to the marketing ploys. I felt excluded from a part of what was being touted as a feminine ideal (for white women, at least), and I couldnt accept it. So I spent a sizable amount of time and money changing myself to fit that mold. When I started to fully internalize the implications of my subservience, I realized how ridiculous it was that I would feel even a sliver of shame in being pale.

Fortunately these days, it seems to be increasingly in to embrace fair skin (or maybe it always has been, and I was trapped in a cloudy, insecure haze for way too long) due in large part to the sun safety movement, not to mention a general cultural gravitation towards breaking the mold and shaking things up. This has made it easier to feel confident in my revelation, and is one small piece of evidence in how the bubble has burst on a standardized, singular definition of beauty. (That, of course, merits a different and much larger conversation in itself.)

Admittedly, its still a processwhile in the winter months I generally opt out of any self-tan products, the spring and summer prove more tempting territory. (The thought of being in a bikini mid-July surrounded by my melanin-blessed peers is legitimately anxiety-inducing. I know it sounds horribly vain, but I'd be lying if I said I felt otherwise.) I do still use more subtle bronzing productsIm a big fan of Xen-Tans Transformation Ultra gel, which you can leave on for an hour then rinse off for a realistic boost of colorbut I dont feel I need that cosmetic armor on me as I once did.

Ive finally accepted Ill never be a tan goddess like the models in those adsbut I can still be a goddess in my own right, and a pale one at that.
Port-au-Prince (AFP) - The European Union said it was giving an additional 38 million euros in cash aid to Haiti, which is combatting drought and a migration crisis with neighboring Dominican Republic.

The funding included 12.2 million euros for food and drinking water to more than 400,000 Haitians, an EU news release said.

The El Nino weather phenomenon has devastated crops, with losses of up to 70 percent in some areas. About 3.6 million Haitians are facing food insecurity, with 1.3 million among them severely food insecure, according to the World Food Program.

The EU was also allocating 400,000 euros to assist people in Haiti who had been deported from the Dominican Republic.

The neighboring country began enforcing an immigration policy in summer 2015 primarily targeting people of Haitian origin.

Since then, some 87,000 people have been forced across the border into Haiti, where some have never lived. Among them are more than 1,200 unaccompanied minors, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Some were deported so suddenly that they arrive with only the clothes on their backs. Thousands are living near the border in makeshift dwellings with poor sanitation.

In addition to the emergency aid, the EU was also providing 17 million for medium and long-term projects aimed at helping Haiti build its capacity to respond to climate threats.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas, crippled by long-term political instability and a devastating quake in 2010.
By Sharon Bernstein BURLINGAME, Calif. (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Ted Cruz made a plea to the California Republican Party on Saturday to line up behind him in the state's June primary in his uphill battle to stop front-runner Donald Trump from grabbing the nomination. At the same party convention that was the backdrop for chaotic protests against Trump on Friday, Cruz tried to woo party members with support for their long-time issues, like lower taxes and a harder line on immigration. Former California Governor Pete Wilson gave Cruz his endorsement as he introduced the U.S. senator from Texas. Cruz received more applause at the convention than either Trump or the third-place candidate, Ohio Governor John Kasich, who also spoke on Friday. "If we're fractured and we're divided, Hillary Clinton wins and the campaign is lost," he said, referring to the Democratic Party's front-runner in the Nov. 8 election for the White House. Now mathematically eliminated from securing the nomination on the first ballot at the party's convention in Cleveland in July, Cruz aims to stop Trump from receiving the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination outright, forcing a contested convention. However, the prospect of him being able to do so has grown increasingly slim. Trump, a billionaire businessman and former reality TV star, has continued to notch up wins in the nation's nominating contests, including a five-state sweep of the latest string of contests last Tuesday. Cruz has downplayed the severity of the losses and in his speech Saturday looked forward to upcoming contests, which he has said will put him on the path to thwarting Trump. "California is going to decide this Republican primary," he said, referring to the state's June 7 contest. Trump has been at odds with the party's establishment and has called the system for nominating its candidate "rigged." Critics say he has played on the fears of his supporters, especially on immigration, by proposing a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country and accusing illegal Mexican immigrants of being rapists and criminals. On Thursday and Friday, anti-Trump protests erupted outside the candidate's California events. On Friday, he was forced to halt his motorcade and go through a back entrance to a hotel to give a speech to the convention and avoid several hundred loud protesters gathered outside. Cruz hopes to slow Trump's march toward the nomination in Indiana's primary on Tuesday. The state awards its 57 delegates on a winner-take-all basis by congressional district, possibly granting Cruz a windfall of pledged delegates. A Real Clear Politics polling aggregation in the state shows Cruz just behind Trump, 35.2 percent to 37.5 percent. Polls show Cruz has more of a challenge in delegate-rich California, where he lags Trump 28.3 percent to 45.7 percent. In an indication of efforts to court the state, Cruz on Wednesday made the unusual move of naming a vice presidential running mate, onetime presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina, who was formerly a chief executive of the California technology company Hewlett-Packard Co. Fiorina ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in the state in 2010, losing to the Democratic incumbent. (Writing by Alana Wise; Editing by Mary Milliken and Chizu Nomiyama)
Why Analysts Aren't Sold on Iron Ore's Recent Price Rally

(Continued from Prior Part)

Chinas steel prices

One of the most dominant factors driving iron ores price rally is rising steel production and the resultant increase in steel prices in China.

While this has helped iron ore prices in 1Q16, the question remains whether steel prices can remain buoyant for the remainder of 2016 in order to support the current level of iron ore prices. The answer lies in the analysis of steels underlying demand trends in China and elsewhere.

Chinese steel prices have rebounded by ~45% since the start of the year. The rise in prices is most likely due to a seasonal pickup in demand after the Chinese New Year.

Steel production

Chinese steel production rose by 2.9% year-over-year (or YoY) in March 2016 to 70.6 million tons. Higher steel prices have encouraged producers to produce more.

While output in March is usually strong due to seasonality, production was higher than expected this year. However, not many in the industry believe that this rally is sustainable. As Chinese producers ramp up without any significant pickup in underlying demand, the pressure is expected to return to steel prices.

Steel exports

Chinas steel exports also surged by 30% YoY and 23% month-over-month in March. Excess steel production by China is exported rather than absorbed into the domestic market. While the United States (VTI) (QQQ) has already slapped high anti-dumping duties on steel products from the rest of the world including China, the European Union is thinking of imposing fresh tariffs on Chinese steel.

Eventually, these tariffs and trade tension should result in a cut in exports, which will not be a positive development for the steel industry. Moreover, the Chinese government seems committed to addressing the overcapacity in the domestic steel sector. This will deter any new investment in the sector, leading to a fall in steel output.

Chinas cutting back domestic steel production would result in falling iron ore imports from seaborne suppliers such as Rio Tinto (RIO), BHP Billiton (BHP) (BBL), Vale (VALE), and Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF).

Story continues

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
Veteran filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola left a permanent mark on Hollywood on Friday, after his hands and feet were imprinted in cement to be displayed at the landmark TLC Chinese Theatre. The ceremony honored the 77-year-old Oscar-winning directors 50-year career, highlighted by films such as The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now and five Oscar wins. It took place during Turner Classic Movies annual Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, which will run through Sunday, where Coppolas films will be played. "Maybe 40 years ago people might not have appreciated a film like 'Apocalypse Now,' which was kind of unusual to say the least," Coppola told Reuters about receiving the honor after so many years in the industry. "If you're looking as an artist for some type of assurance that what you are doing is OK or going in the right direction then I think you have to wait for the judgment of time before you know." Among those on hand were wife Eleanor, son Roman Coppola, sister Talia Shire and fellow director Peter Bogdanovich.
Boatengs comeback:Title champagne on ice as Reds held

Jerome Boateng made a long-awaited comeback but Bayern must wait at least one more matchday before celebrating an unprecedented fourth German championship in a row after the reshuffled Reds were held 1-1 at home by Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday, meaning the men from Munich are now five points ahead at the top of the league with two games to play.

It meant Pep Guardiolas 100th Bundesliga match in charge proved a slight let down, but there is no time for inquests as the focus at the club turns to the crunch Champions League semi-final return at home to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

The 75,000 full house at the Allianz Arena saw Thomas Muller hand the home team a dream start with a sixth-minute opener, before the evenly-matched sides neutralised each other for long spells afterwards. FCB were holding on for victory but Germany international Andre Hahn equalised on the break after 72 minutes as the champions were held at home for the first time all season.

The result takes the Reds up to 82 points, five ahead of second-placed Dortmund with only two matches to play. The Bavarians return to action in the midweek European showdown, before the next chance to wrap up the league title in the trip to neighbours Ingolstadt next weekend.
Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama has nominated a woman to become the United States Military Academy's first female dean in its 216-year history.

He named Cindy Jebb, a graduate of the prestigious institution -- also known as West Point -- who currently heads its Social Sciences department, the school said in a statement Friday.

The nomination requires confirmation by the Senate.

"This is a historic time for our military and I'm excited for West Point to have its first woman has to hold this position," said Acting Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy.

If approved, Jebb will be promoted to brigadier general.

"She's revered amongst the faculty and cadets and we're lucky to have her," said West Point's superintendent, Lieutenant General Robert Caslen.

In January, another woman, Brigadier General Diana Holland, became the first female commandant of West Point's Corps of Cadets.

Women play an increasingly important role in the US military, making up around 15 percent of personnel.

The Pentagon last year opened all combat positions to women, including elite special operations units.

In March, Obama nominated Air Force General Lori Robinson to be the first woman to head a major US combatant command as head of the US Northern Command (NORTHCOM), responsible for the defense of the US "homeland."
LIMA (Reuters) - A blind lion, one that is missing an eye, and 31 others that had worked in circuses began the journey to a South African wildlife sanctuary from Lima, Peru, on Friday in what their rescuers called "the biggest transfer of animals in captivity" ever undertaken. These lions have endured hell on earth and now they are heading home to paradise. This is the world for which nature intended these animals for," Jan Creamer, president of Animal Defenders International, said in a statement. "It is the perfect ending to ADIs operation which has eliminated circus suffering in another country. The organization said it rescued 24 of the lions in surprise raids on circuses in Peru. "They were living in deplorable conditions in cages on the backs of trucks. "Nine were voluntarily surrendered by a circus in Colombia. Almost all of the rescued lions have been mutilated to remove their claws, one has lost an eye, another is almost blind, and many have smashed and broken teeth so would not survive in the wild," it said in the statement. The lions are destined for the Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in the African bush. Eva Chomba, a veterinarian with Animal Defenders International, said the trip to Johannesburg would take about 16 hours with a stop in Brazil to refuel. "We're going to take care of the animals throughout the whole trip. Three of us are going on the plane ... to tend to the animals' needs, to give them chicken meat and water because the trip is very long and they need attention," Chomba said. "It's the biggest transfer of animals in captivity ever in the world," Creamer said before boarding the plane to accompany the lions. Savannah Heuser, founder of Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary, said in the statement, The lions are returning to where they belong. This is their birth right. African sun, African night skies, African bush and sounds, clouds, summer thunderstorms, large enclosures in a natural setting where they can remember who they are. (Reporting By Marco Aquino; Editing by Toni Reinhold)
At least some , New Jersey, r didn't receive their tax refunds in 2014, courtesy of veteran Earl Champagne, pleaded guilty on Friday to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in checks from his route.

In total, the Associated Press reported, prosecutors alleged Champagne stole 72 checks worth a cumulative $443,000. Champagne pleaded guilty to both theft of government money and theft of U.S. mail, and could receive up to 15 years in prison for each count in sentencing on Aug. 3.

Earl Champagne faces up to 30 years in prison and $250K fine on theft of mail and government money charges at sentencing on Aug. 3.

According to the Trentonian, Champagne and "two unnamed co-conspirators" targeted people with "Spanish names." The paper also reported Stolen Identity Refund Fraud, resulting refund checks before residents receive them, costs the federal government $2 billion annually by the Treasury's estimate. Many victims of the scam are in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico and thus are kept totally in the dark about the fraudulent returns.

"The individuals expected to either pick up the checks from Champagne or for him to notify them that the checks were in the mailbox so that they could retrieve the checks themselves," the federal prosecutor's office told the Courier-Post. The co-conspirators paid the postman $50 for each of the envelopes, meaning he ultimately collected about $3,600 in bribes, or less than 1% of the total known take of the operation.
Abidjan (AFP) - France will increase the number of its troops in Ivory Coast, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Friday on a trip to the African nation which hosts a regional base for French forces.

"This summer the French forces in Ivory Coast will increase from 500 to 900 men and form the forward operating base for west Africa," he said while visiting French forces in the Ivorian capital.

The increase was already included in the military budget but comes at a time of growing regional terror threats, especially after an Islamist attack on the beach resort of Grand Bassam, near Abidjan, in March that left 19 people dead.

Abidjan is one of three "reservoirs" of French troops in the world, along with Djibouti and the United Arab Emirates, providing entry points to the different regions, Le Drian added.

The forces can be deployed to support French troops engaged in external operations, such as Operation Barkhane in the Sahel region, or to intervene in a new crisis.

Last year, the French forces in Ivory Coast took over from Operation Licorne, which saw several crises in the country, most notably when they were deployed alongside UN troops in 2011 during unrest sparked by president Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to step down after losing an election.

The French military also trains about 600 Ivorian soldiers each year.

"After the 2011 unrest, rebuilding the Ivorian army is essential to ensure the stability and prosperity of the country," Le Drian said.
Inspirational Woman 2015 aka The Great British Bake Offs Nadiya Hussain has spoken out about the criticisms she received for baking the Queens wonky 90th birthday cake the other week.

Or as we like to call it  Cakegate.

Copyright: [Rex]

Speaking to the ladies of Loose Women, Nadiya shrugged off the haters, and said that she 'couldnt care less about what people thought of the cake.

If I cared about every little thing people say or that kind of negativity, I dont think I would be able to leave my house,

So do you know what? I couldnt care less!

She also admitted that Lizzy herself didnt seem too bothered by the cakes slightly lop-sided nature  and even took a piece of it home with her.

"Well, she took the top tier home with her. She had a visit from the Obamas the next day so maybe she gave them some.

High praise indeed.

Copyright: [Rex]



Nadiya Hussains career has gone from strength-to-strength since she was crowned the more-than-worthy winner of 2015s Great British Bake-Off.

Having secured her own column in The Times Magazine and cooked the Queens 90th birthday cake, Nadiya is now set to explore her new culinary roots in a new TV documentary.

The Chronicles of Nadiya (amazing name we know) will follow the Bake-Off stars exurberant culinary journey from her home town in Luton to her family village in the north east of Bangladesh.

In the two-part programme, produced the Love Productions, Nadiya will cook dishes from her childhood, share her favourite meals with family and friends, meet people as passionate about food as she is and learn new recipes, as well as exploring changes in the countrys food.

She last visited ten years ago for her wedding.
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has criticized the executive board of scandal-ridden carmaker Volkswagen for not waiving bonuses despite bringing the company to the brink of collapse. "I have no sympathy for managers who first drive a large blue chip-listed company into an existence-threatening crisis and then defend their own bonuses in a public debate," Schaeuble told German weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. "That shows that something is not working." Volkswagen plans to pay the 12 current and former members of its management board 63.24 million euros ($72.44 million) for 2015, a year when Europe's largest carmaker posted a record loss due to legal and compensation costs for cheating diesel emissions tests. The company withheld a small part of bonus payments but will award them at a later date if certain performance criteria are fulfilled, including a recovery of the Volkswagen's share price. The bonus payouts have sparked public outrage in Germany and a spat within Volkswagen's supervisory board. Lower Saxony, VW's second-largest shareholder, had called for executive bonuses to be scrapped or cut as Europe's largest automaker counts the multi-billion-euro costs of "Dieselgate". Joerg Bode, a former supervisory board member who had represented Lower Saxony, told weekly Welt am Sonntag that ex-CEO Martin Winterkorn and his colleagues should pay back the part of the bonuses that had been generated by "cost cuts through fraud". Current supervisory board member Bernd Osterloh said last week that the carmaker should look beyond contractual obligations and that the management board should volunteer to cut their bonus payments. "It is also about morals," he had said. Osterloh also said that the supervisory board should also discuss changes to its own remuneration system once the dieselgate scandal has been resolved. "As soon as business is back to normal we should think about changing the (remuneration) system (of the supervisory board)," Osterloh was quoted by Welt am Sonntag as saying. A swift change to fixed salaries and abolishing variable pay components tied to dividends would be a wrong signal as that would effectively lead to a hike in remuneration, the Volkswagen labor chief told the paper. Following its record 2015 loss VW had slashed its dividend to 0.17 euros per preferred share from 4.86 euros. (Reporting by Arno Schuetze; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Berlin (AFP) - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier Saturday said he had invited his Russian, Ukrainian and French counterparts to talks in Berlin on May 11 intended to smooth differences between Moscow and Kiev.

"It is necessary to give new momentum (to efforts) to surmount obstacles between Kiev and Moscow," Steinmeier said in comments due to appear in Sunday's Die Welt and sevral other European newspapers.

"That is why I have sent out an invitation for a meeting of foreign ministers... on May 11 in Berlin," said Steinmeier, two days after Ukrainian counterpart Vadym Prystaiko had suggested such a meeting.

Around 9,300 people have died and more than 21,000 have been injured since the revolt against Ukraine's pro-Western leadership erupted two years ago in the predominantly Russian-speaking east.

Despite a series of truce agreements the two sides have been unable to reach a political reconciliation agreement.

Steinmeier said the Berlin talks would look to the preparation of local elections in eastern Ukraine with "concrete proposals now on the table" alongside "interesting restabilisation proposals" from the Organisation for the Security and Co-operation in Europe (OECD).

But Steinmeier also warned that with the truce still proving fragile there was no time to be lost in seeking a diplomatic solution.

Earlier Saturday, Kiev said two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in fresh fighting between government forces and pro-Russian rebels even as the latest truce took effect.

"As a result of hostilities, over the past 24 hours two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and four others wounded," Ukraine's military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told journalists.

The latest killings came just hours after a new truce agreed in the Belarussian capital Minsk came into effect.
Berlin (AFP) - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said he didn't understand how Volkswagen bosses could defend their bonuses after a huge emissions-rigging scandal plunged the carmaker into global turmoil, according to an interview with Die Welt published Sunday.

The criticism comes after Volkswagen revealed this week that its top executives would be paid a total of 63.2 million euros ($72 million) for 2015 despite a massive loss incurred from the cheating controversy.

"I can't understand how you can steer a major DAX (German stock exchange) company into a crisis that threatens its very existence, and then defend your own bonuses in a public debate," Schaeuble told the German daily.

"It shows that something is not right," he added.

After widespread outcry, VW's supervisory board announced that it would freeze 30 percent of the executive board members' annual bonuses for 2015 for possible payout three years later, depending on the performance of the group's shares.

Debate has been raging for weeks in Germany over whether VW's top execs are morally entitled to performance-related bonuses after warning of a bout of belt-tightening in the wake of the engine-manipulation scandal.

Volkswagen was forced to recall vehicles around the world after it admitted it had installed so-called "defeat devices" aimed at cheating emissions tests into 11 million diesel engines.

The carmaker unveiled a loss of 1.58 billion euros for last year after setting aside 16.2 billion euros in provisions to cover the potential fines, lawsuits and recall costs it foresees from the scandal.

It was the auto giant's first loss since 1993.
When The Good Wife first launched in 2009, it looked like yet another CBS procedural. Sure, it had an intriguing premise - the wife of a disgraced politician returns to work following her husband's scandal - and an impressive cast led by Emmy winners Julianna Margulies and Christine Baranski, but it appeared to be another legal case-of-the-week drama just wrapped in more prestigious packaging. However, the series quickly proved to be anything but.

The Good Wife showed early on that it wasn't afraid to shake things up and irreversibly alter the DNA of the show with twists like the revelation about Kalinda's rendezvous with Peter or Will's death. The result? Seven seasons in and it looks very different from how it started. Ahead of the acclaimed series' May 8 curtain call, The Hollywood Reporter looks back at the moments that changed the show forever.

1. Alicia Kisses Will  and Sleeps With Peter

Facebook's "it's complicated" option wasn't just made for non-committal twentysomethings. In its freshman season, The Good Wife proved it wasn't afraid to portray a messy marriage on TV. Up until then, the question had been solely whether Alicia (Margulies) would or would not stay with her husband. And also, whether Alicia should or should not hook up with her law school love-turned-boss Will Gardner (Josh Charles). The show predictably played up its central triangle by having Alicia and Will kiss (finally!), but few could have predicted the guilt-stricken (and possibly horny?) protagonist then running home and screwing her estranged husband in the guest room. Several years later, Alicia and Peter (Chris Noth) are still technically married, but their hot-and-cold marriage has become one of the most complex, and realistic, on television.

2. Cary Loses the Bake-Off

Stern, Lockhart & Gardner's two junior associates spent nearly the entire first season competing with each other to win a permanent spot on the payroll. Although Cary (Matt Czuchry) initially came off as little too ruthless and cunning, audiences quickly warmed up to the well-connected Harvard grad thanks to his numerous, and originally fruitless, attempts to win over Kalinda (Archie Panjabi); not to mention that one time he got high before getting unexpectedly called into a late-night murder case. Most cookie-cutter network shows would have cheated by finding a way for both to get permanent gigs at the firm, but instead the drama took the road less traveled and sent Cary packing. Even more shocking, the show found a great way to keep series regular Czuchry in the fold working for the opposition in the state's attorney's office, first for Glenn Childs (Titus Welliver) and then for Peter.

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Read More: 'The Good Wife': A Look Back at the Many Lives of Lockhart/Gardner

3. Alicia Discovers Kalinda Slept With Peter

People may have come for the relationship drama, but many stayed for the friendship between Alicia and the firm's mysterious investigator, Kalinda. Their honest conversations, frequently over tequila shots, quickly became a cornerstone of the series, which is why when it was revealed that Kalinda had slept with Alicia's husband years earlier, and then Alicia found about it, it seemed nearly impossible to come back from. The storyline provided plenty of drama - Alicia's angry confrontation, Kalinda's teary elevator breakdown - but their camaraderie was sorely missed. The writers briefly flirted with putting the two ex-BFFs back together in season three, before basically keeping the two as far apart as possible until Kalinda left Chicago for good at the end of season six. Thankfully, Alicia eventually found a new sidekick in Lucca and Kalinda grew close to Will, Diane (Baranski) and, finally, Cary, before she left.

4. Alicia Leaves the Firm

The seed was planted in the final moments of season four when Cary showed up at Alicia's door - an especially cruel bait and switch for #TeamWill fans who were led to believe it was him paying a late-night visit. But after quietly laying the groundwork for their exodus early in season five, word leaked to their bosses and led to the single most tumultuous day in Lockhart/Gardner history. Diane fired Cary and Will trashed Alicia's office and had her escorted from the premises with two security guards. Although there have been many changes at the firm before and since, the result was possibly the series' best episode ever and reinvigorated the second half of season five that pitted the former lovers against one another. That is, until 

5. Will Dies

What can be said that hasn't already? One minute, Will was defending the son of a wealthy client accused of murder (Hunter Parrish). The next, he was bleeding out on the floor of the courtroom after being shot by said client. Viewers didn't see Will actually get shot, but the image of his pale, lifeless body in the hospital emergency room was enough to send loyal fans into an emotional tailspin and led to the hashtag #TheGoodWifeSupportGroup. Even more shocking than the death itself were the lack of clues leading up to the fateful episode. The stunning realization that Alicia and Will would never end up together, and the enduring mystery about why he called her shortly before he was shot, loomed large over the drama's heroine and viewers all the way into the series' seventh and final season.

Read More: 'The Good Wife's' Christine Baranski on "Dramatic" Final Episodes, Spinoff Talk and Show's Legacy

6. Cary Goes to Jail

Alicia's bakeoff rival turned firm partner traded in his Brioni for a jumpsuit when Cary was arrested in the opening moments of the season-six premiere and thrown in jail for allegedly aiding in the transportation of $1.3 million of heroin. The arrest was, naturally, a way for the state to try to get to Alicia and Cary's drug kingpin of a client, Lemond Bishop (Mike Colter), but Cary stayed loyal and had to suffer a nasty jail-room shakedown - which resulted in him stabbing his own hand - as well as a trial. Kalinda eventually helped get the charges dropped against Cary, but not without putting herself in hot water. She eventually had to leave town to escape the wrath of Bishop and his team.

7. Alicia Runs for State's Attorney  and Is Forced to Resign

Considering her well-documented disdain for politics, it was a little - ok, very - disconcerting to see Alicia abandon the firm she and Cary had built from the ground up to step into the spotlight and run for office. But truly few could have predicted the role reversal to come at the end of season six when, after learning that voting machines had been tampered with in her favor, she was forced to step down days after winning. The image of a disgraced Alicia trying to hold back her tears in front of a swarm of press and photographers was eerily reminiscent of the pilot, except this time it was her giving the speech and grabbing her spouse's hand as she made a hasty exit. Once again, the twist not only made for a jaw-dropping moment, but held longstanding ramifications for Alicia, who was ultimately forced to start over again as a bond court attorney at the beginning of season seven.

Read More: 'The Good Wife' Star on Peter and Alicia's Complicated Marriage and Possible Happy Ending

8. Kalinda Leaves Town for Good

Unlike Charles' top-secret departure from the show, which was kept under tight wraps until the night his character was killed off, the writing had been on the wall for months for Panjabi. News first broke in November - a full six months before her curtain call - that she would leave the series at the end of her six-season contract. The reasoning behind Kalinda's exit was not that surprising: She fell out of drug kingpin Lemond Bishop's good graces to save her lover Cary and boss Diane. The big question mark was how the show would move on without the fan favorite. Producers were able to find two series regulars to fill Kalinda's boots of justice. One was another British breakout actress, Cush Jumbo, who played Alicia's bond court rival-turned-colleague Lucca Quinn. Like the early Kalinda years, Lucca was an important friend for Alicia, helping her deal with her midseason meltdown. As for an investigator with a dark past, that spot was taken by Jason Crouse (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who also ended up filling the role of love interest long left unoccupied after Charles' onscreen death. (Matthew Goode's Finn Polmar never quite filled those shoes.)

9. Peter Gets Arrested (Again)

For all the things that have changed over The Good Wife's seven-season stretch - see above - some have stayed exactly, alarmingly, the same. Sure, Peter tried to (appear to) become a better man by finding religion and moving back into their Highland Park family home. But he had a hard time resisting the dark side. Let's not forget that Will saw a member of Peter's team commit election fraud when he was up for governor at the end of season four. So it was only a matter of time before Peter's hand got caught in the cookie jar. The biggest shock? Seeing Saint Alicia swoop in and stand by his side once again despite her own growth. Will that remain the case if Peter is sent back to prison? There's only two episodes left to find out.

The Good Wife airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

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The United States Navy actually has two birthdaysone in October, leading up to the Revolutionary War, and one today, when Congress used its constitutional power to officially create the Department of the Navy.

Constitution1803a

U.S.S. Constitution, 1803

The Navy in its earliest form dates back to 1775, when it was established by the Continental Congress on October 13 in session in Philadelphia. The Navy considers this as its official birthdate.

However, after the Revolutionary War, the new nation sold its ships and sent its sailors home. It wasnt until 1789 that the newly ratified Constitution empowered Congress to bring the Navy back.

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution allowed Congress to provide and maintain a Navy as part of its enumerated powers. In Article II, the Constitution named the president as the commander in chief of the Army and the Navy.

It took until 1794 for Congress to approve money to buy new ships. Relations with the British, French, and Barbary pirates forced Congress to plan to build six frigates. Three of the ships were completed before hostilities died down: the USS United States, the USS Constellation, and the USS Constitution.

The start of the Quasi-War with France in 1798 led to the official creation of the Department of the Navy on April 30. The undeclared war on France involved raids on U.S. merchant vessels by French privateers and warships (which were too weak to take on British shipping).

Benjamin Stoddert, the first secretary of the Navy, played a critical role in establishing the new Navy. He secured funding for more ships, sent the Navy on attacks against the French in the Caribbean, and made sure the best officers and sailors were in the service. Stoddert also set up the first six Navy shipyards in the country.

Stoddert left office in 1801 as the Federalists were removed from power and Thomas Jefferson took over as president from John Adams. Although funding for ships was scaled back, Jefferson sent the Navy to the Mediterranean to protect American interests against the Barbary pirates in Tripoli and other areas. It fought well using the tactics adopted under Stoddert.

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But in the War of 1812, the Navy was undersized compared with the British, which had the largest, finest naval forces in the world. While the Navy had several isolated, spectacular victories over the British, it couldnt stop the empire from imposing blockade conditions.

Even worse, British forces were able to land in Washington, D.C., burning the White House and even the U.S. Navy Yard. At the wars end, it became apparent that an active Navy was needed to protect merchant shipping, at the very least.

Since Stodderts appointment in 1798, there has always been a secretary of the Navy. The secretary was a member of the presidents cabinet until 1949. Currently, the secretary serves in the Defense Department.

A civilian serves as the secretary of the Navy. Currently, former Mississippi governor Ray Mabus is the secretary.

In the past, historian George Bancroft served as secretary and played a key role in establishing the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1845.

Bancroft came into office about one year after the USS Princeton disaster of 1844. Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer and the former Navy secretary (and active secretary of state) Abel Upshur were killed when a gun exploded on the Princeton during a demonstration.

Secretary Gilmer had only been in office for 10 days. His predecessor, David Henshaw, escaped the Princeton tragedy because Congress didnt approve his recess appointment by President John Tyler.

Historical Stories on Constitution Daily

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The most underrated Founding Father: Oliver Ellsworth?

50 interesting facts about Abraham Lincolns life

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Hero dad holds son in place when his seat belt terrifyingly fails on a rollercoaster

Hero dad holds son in place when his seat belt terrifyingly fails on a rollercoaster

The whole point of rollercoasters is that they can terrify or thrill you without actually putting you in any real danger. But that wasnt exactly the case when Delbert Latham and his six-year-old son, Kaysen, boarded the Mousetrap rollercoaster at Wonderland Amusement Park in Amarillo, Texas this week.

According to local news affiliate KVII, the father and son were aboard the rollercoaster for the second time that day when Latham decided to film their ride experience to share with his wife. But as they hit the rollercoasters first drop, Kaysens seatbelt failed, causing him to fall into the bottom of the cart. Without realizing he was still filming, Latham grabbed his son and held him for the rest of the ride.

Ive got you, Latham tells Kaysen. Youre fine. I promise.

Kaysen appears pretty shaken after the experience, but stayed calm throughout the rest of the ride with his dads reassurance that everything would be okay. Once the two left the ride, Latham notified a park employee of the seatbelt malfunction only to be told that the problem had been happening sometimes. Immediately afterwards, more parkgoers were loaded onto the ride (although not in the seat the Lathams had just occupied).

Thats when it made me more angry, Latham told reporters.

As KVII points out, not everybody has walked away from the Mousetrap scot free. Back in 2014, four people were injured on the rollercoaster. And yet, the ride continues to malfunction. Park officials have blamed the ongoing issue on the fact that the ride was originally built without seatbelts.

Wonderland Amusement Park has taken great strides over the past 65 years to ensure the safety of our visitors at all times, said park officials.

We hope the park takes the necessary steps to fix the ride (or shut it down) before a real tragedy occurs.

The post Hero dad holds son in place when his seat belt terrifyingly fails on a rollercoaster appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog on Saturday invited Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain's Labour party, to visit the Yad Vashem holocaust memorial in Jerusalem amid a row over anti-semitism.

Former London mayor Ken Livingstone said on Saturday he regretted the row that has rocked Britain's opposition Labour party, but refused to withdraw comments linking Hitler to Zionism.

Livingstone was suspended from the centre-left party on Thursday after saying Hitler initially wanted to move Jews to Israel, and "was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews".

His comments came in defence of Labour lawmaker Naz Shah, who was suspended on Wednesday in the face of widespread criticism for sharing anti-Semitic posts on social media two years ago.

Shah shared a graphic of Israel superimposed onto the United States under the words "Solution for Israel-Palestine Conflict -- Relocate Israel into United States", adding the comment: "Problem solved."

Herzog said he had written a letter to Corbyn.

"I have been appalled and outraged by the most recent examples of anti-Semitism by senior Labour party officials in the United Kingdom," he wrote in the letter in English, published on his Facebook page.

Herzog said "the views expressed by Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London and member of Labour's national executive, in which he claimed that Hitler 'was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews', were particularly horrific, and unthinkable for a British politician in the 21st century."

He said in the week ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel he was inviting a Labour party delegation to Yad Vashem "in order to witness that the last time the Jews were forcibly 'transported', it was not to Israel but to their deaths."

The Israeli Labour party leader concludes his letter by writing that while Livingstone "is surely anti-Semitic beyond hope of redemption", he believes that many Labour activists in Britain have "a willingness to engage and better understand the scourge of anti-Semitism".

Corbyn has announced an independent review into racism in the party as he seeks to contain the row ahead of elections for devolved assemblies in Scotland and Northern Ireland and the London mayor next week.
The major film studios, their trade association and theater owners don't want to be held hostage to any misguided morality play. Not one that seeks to force them to not have any movies with tobacco imagery rated "G," "PG" and "PG-13." On Friday, they filed court papers asking a judge to reject a putative class action that blames them for children becoming addicted to nicotine.

The lawsuit was filed in February against the Motion Picture Association of America, the National Association of Theatre Owners, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. and alleges the industry's film ratings practices amount to negligence, misrepresentation and breach of duty. Citing health experts at leading universities throughout the country, Timothy Forsyth and others say that if a judge doesn't order up an injunction, an additional 3.2 million American children will smoke and one million of them will die prematurely from tobacco-related diseases including lung cancer, heart disease and emphysema.

The litigation addresses a ratings system that came about in the 1960s when MPAA's then-president Jack Valenti aimed to take Hollywood from an era of morality codes to self-regulation. The MPAA has cited surveys showing that nearly all parents find ratings helpful, but while smoking has as of 2007 been a factor weighed in how films are rated, the plaintiffs assert that not enough is being done. They've flagged such films as Dumb and Dumber To, Transformers: Age of Extinction and Iron Man 3 as among those featuring tobacco-related imagery being recommended for young audiences.

Today, the Hollywood defendants aim to strike down a lawsuit they see as an impingement of their First Amendment protected rights on a matter of public interest. According to the court papers filed by the defendants, the lawsuit "is a misguided attempt to upend basic tort principles and core First Amendment protections to force the Classification and Rating Administration ("CARA") - the movie ratings body that the MPAA and NATO jointly operate - to change the opinions it expresses through its movie ratings system."

Yes, according to the studios and theater owners, ratings are opinions that must not be applied to "prescribe socially-appropriate values" but rather to reflect what most American parents would think about the suitability of a motion picture for viewing by children. "The First Amendment provides those opinions with 'full constitutional protection' against civil liability," states the brief. "The First Amendment does not allow Plaintiff to use a tort action to change the opinions that CARA expresses."

Regardless, the Hollywood defendants add, they've never told anyone that a film rated lower than "R" means no tobacco use. As such, they argue that there can't be any liability for a misrepresentation of fact. They waive off any duty to apply mandatory "R" ratings and ridicule Forsyth, the lead plaintiff.

"Plaintiff alleges that he purchased tickets for his children to see ten PG-13 rated movies over the course of four years that contained tobacco imagery, including two movies in the Hobbit trilogy," they state in the brief. "Clearly, Plaintiff was not relying on the PG-13 rating as representing the absence of tobacco imagery after even one movie, much less ten."

The studios and theaters do acknowledge that tobacco use by minors is a significant health issue, but assert that the causal chain between movie ratings and youth smoking is " too attenuated and speculative to support damages" and say that regardless of the importance of the issue, it doesn't support "compelling" them to express the plaintiff's socially-minded opinions. Represented by attorneys led by Kelly Klaus at Munger Tolles, the defendants add, "If Plaintiff's claims were permitted to proceed, there would be no end to claims invoking CARA's purported duty to disregard its own opinions and instead to implement a given advocacy group's preferred social policy in assigning ratings."

The judge is warned that soon, Hollywood might be forced to give "R" ratings to all films "that depict alcohol use, gambling, contact sports, bullying, consumption of soda or fatty foods, or high-speed driving."
TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduran officials on Friday fired more than two dozen top police officers in an aggressive move to purge security forces that have been accused of being infiltrated by organized crime. President Juan Orlando Hernandez is under pressure to clean up the country's police after the New York Times this month said high-level officers orchestrated the assassination of Honduran anti-drug tsar Aristides Gonzalez in 2009 on a drug lord's orders. The story spurred the government to create a special commission which on Friday said 27 of the country's 47 police commanders were removed from their posts. Four of the commanders have been accused of participating in Gonzalez's murder. "This is a step toward the restructuring and purge needed to have a clean police force, unassociated in any way with organized crime," said Omar Rivera, a member of the special commission. One commander was suspended earlier this week as part of an investigation into the murder. Four more asked to step down voluntarily. This is the fifth attempt in two decades to purge Honduras' 12,000 strong police force, which has long been accused of working with criminal gangs in the poor Central American country. One of the commanders forced to stand down said that there were no accusations against him and the shake-up was protecting "certain officials." "We are the people most interested in the purge being carried out. But it should be the criminals who are going, it should be those who collaborated with organized crime. But its the innocent ones who are going," said Henry Osorto. Since taking office in 2014, Hernandez, a 47-year old conservative lawyer, pushed a plan to militarize police that has helped curb the murder rate. But Honduras still has one of the world's highest homicide rates next to neighboring El Salvador due to gang violence and drug traffickers. The violence is one of the main factors driving Honduran migrants toward the United States. (Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Editing by Andrew Hay)
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Like that ad campaign from the early 80s where diners at fine restaurants had their coffee replaced with Folgers crystals, Foxs Houdini & Doyle attempts to satisfy viewers who gravitate to high-minded, British crime stories with a period flair (and/or have an unrequited craving for PBS all-too-infrequent Sherlock).

RELATEDMay Sweeps/Finale Preview: Get 100+ Spoilers, Plus Exclusive Photos!

In this case, though, even the least refined palate will detect a top note of cheap and joyless imitation that permeates every aspect of this befuddling 10-episode event series.

Oh, sure, on paper, Houdini & Doyle sounds out-of-left-field intriguing: Its set in 1901 and built around the real-life friendship of master magician Harry Houdini (Houses Michael Weston) and Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Episodes Stephen Mangan). Unfortunately, you wont need to get past the second commercial break of the pilot episode to realize youre watching the most banal type of procedural, dressed up in garish period costumes and clogged with faith-versus-science questions that get explored with all the depth and nuance of a political debate on The View.

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houdini doyle fox

The two episodes I screened found the titular duo teaming up with plucky Constable Adelaide Stratton (Rebecca Liddiard) to investigate a pair of deaths with mysterious undercurrents: In the first, an eyewitness spies a ghost fleeing the scene of the crime; in the second, a man drops dead just moments after questioning a faith healers legitimacy and the existence of God.

Trouble is, creators David Hoselton (House, Chicago P.D.) and David Titcher (The Librarians) are content with serving up Scooby-Doo-level mysteries  complete with random clues prompting exclamations like I know who the killer is!  and dialogue that would make Velma, Fred and Daphne ask for re-writes. Youre a doctor! Why would you rather believe that she was cured by God  not by medicine? Houdini asks Doyle in one of many thudding exchanges designed to underscore the magicians hard-wired cynicism and the authors faith in an afterlife and a higher power.

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It doesnt help that Westons delivery is so unquestionably modern that Houdini comes off like a time-traveler just dropping in on turn-of-the-century London, nor that his characters romantic inclinations toward Adelaide spring less from any palpable chemistry or scripted connection, but rather from the grimly simple network mathematics that dictate Single Male Lead + Single Female Lead = Instantaneous Ship. (Let me not even get into the scene that offers one too many close studies of the festering boils on Houdinis torso!) Is it a compliment to say that, by comparison, Mangan succeeds through sheer innocuousness?

All this is my way of saying that given their historical accomplishments, the late, great Houdini and Doyle deserve better than Houdini & Doyle. And if youre really hard up for a way to kill a few hours, dont forget that the latter fella penned a few books that would make much better use of your time.

The TVLine Bottom Line: Like a chained-up Houdini submerged in a tank full of water, youd be wise to squirm your way out of this debacle as quickly as possible. Better yet, dont take the plunge in the first place.

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INSIDER

"When you listen to him on the range of issues from foreign policy to the virus to racial injustice, it's clear he did not know what to do," Woodward wrote in the Washington Post.
This iconic Disney World landmark is no more

This iconic Disney World landmark is no more

Sadly , your next trip to Disney isnt going to be exactly the way you remember it.

In January, the news broke that the Earffel Tower, the famous 130-foot water tower emblazoned with big Mickey Mouse ears at Disneys Hollywood Studios in Disney World, would be coming down. As of yesterday, its completely gone.

A photo posted by Andy DiGenova (@andydigenova) on Apr 29, 2016 at 10:06am PDT



(Fun fact: Did you know the tower didnt actually contain any water? It was inspired by a real water tower that had been a part of Disney Studios in Burbank, California, since 1939.)

The Earffel Tower was made famous as it served as a symbol for Disney-MGM in ads (the park was called Disney-MGM Studios at the time). In 2001, the iconic image was swapped for the gigantuan sorcerers hat that stands in front of the Chinese Theater.

The Earffel Tower isnt the only thing disappearing from Disneys Hollywood Studios. As the park prepares for a major revamp with expansions that will bring in new lands dedicated to favorites like Toy Story and Star Wars, several attractions will have to close. Other attractions, including the American Idol Experience, Streets of America, and the Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show are also closing, to make room for the planned Toy Story- and Star Wars-themed rides.

We can only hope theres something Rey-inspired to make up for it, because we heart her!

The post This iconic Disney World landmark is no more appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Bashir (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi forces launched a final assault Saturday to retake the Turkmen majority town of Bashir from the Islamic State jihadist group, Kurdish authorities said.

Pressure for an operation to retake the town had grown in March after IS launched a chemical attack from Bashir on the nearby town of Taza that killed at least three children.

"Bashir village is surrounded and 80 percent has been cleared," the Kurdistan Region Security Council said on social media.

It said the push was launched at 0300 GMT to attack Bashir from the northern, eastern and southern sides.

Turkmen units from Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) militia umbrella group, which announced an operation to retake the town earlier this month, were also taking part.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and bullets into the air in an effort to stop more supporters of Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr from entering Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, sources in the police and Sadr's office said on Saturday. SWAT troops and presidential guard forces were trying to keep the protesters from crossing a bridge close to the U.S. embassy compound, the Sadrist source said. Hundreds of the cleric's followers stormed into the Green Zone earlier and entered parliament after he denounced politicians' failure to reform a political quota system blamed for rampant corruption. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed and Kareem Raheem; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by Andrew Roche)
Istanbul (AFP) - Istanbul braced for a major security lockdown for May Day on Sunday, with almost 25,000 police on duty and numerous roads closed for an occasion that regularly sees clashes between Turkish protesters and police.

The Istanbul governor's office said in a statement Saturday that in order "to provide for the security of citizens" on labour day, 24,500 members of the Turkish security forces would be on duty in the city.

The metro station on the main Taksim Square will be completely closed and the station at the end of the main shopping street Istiklal Caddesi will be closed to exiting passengers.

Security measures are already evident in Taksim Square -- a focus for protests in the past -- with metal security barriers lining the roads and dozens of anti-riot police present, an AFP correspondent said.

Numerous roads -- in particular those leading to Taksim -- will also be closed, it added.

The authorities, as in previous years, have refused to allow an officially-approved demonstration to take place on Taksim Square, meaning clashes are highly probable.

The Hurriyet daily reported that police have requested all bars and clubs in the Beyoglu area around Taksim -- a popular nightlife spot -- close at midnight overnight Saturday to Sunday for the sake of public order ahead of the protests.

Trade unions and labour groups are being allowed to hold an official demonstration on a market site in the outlying district of Bakirkoy, close to the city's main airport.

But this is unlikely to attract the attention of the anti-government leftists who will likely try to protest in areas around Taksim and Besiktas on the Bosphorus.

May Day comes at a time of particular tension in Turkey after a succession of deadly attacks this year blamed on jihadists and Kurdish militants.

Controversy is also growing over the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom critics accuse of increasingly authoritarian tendencies.

Several foreign missions have warned their citizens over the risk of violence in Istanbul on May 1, with the US embassy warning of the "potential for violent confrontation between demonstrators and security personnel".

Story continues

On May 1 last year, Turkish police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse May Day protesters in Istanbul, while police and demonstrators engaged in pitched battles in some areas.

Parliament last year passed a controversial security bill giving the police greater powers to crack down on protests.

Taksim has been a flashpoint for clashes on Labour Day since dozens of people were killed there on May 1, 1977 when modern Turkey was going through one of its most turbulent periods.
Paris (AFP) - Jean-Marc Janaillac, head of French transport group Transdev, is likely to be nominated to head Air France-KLM on Tuesday following the surprise resignation of CEO Alexander de Juniac, French economic newspaper La Tribune reported.

"According to our information, the group's nomination committee which met on Friday decided to propose Tuesday to the Air France-KLM board the name of Jean-Marc Janaillac... to lead the airline group," La Tribune said on its website.

Janaillac, 63, was among the most frequently mentioned names, along with former GDF Suez CEO Jean-Francois Cirelli, to succeed Juniac.

The airline chief on April 5 announced his surprise resignation to take charge of aviation industry group IATA by the end of July.

The board of directors of the Franco-Dutch airline group will meet on Tuesday to review the candidacy of Janaillac.

If accepted, he will be proposed to join the board at a general meeting on May 19, with the board to then meet to name him CEO, the paper said.

Juniac helped Europe's second biggest airline group return to profit last year for the first time since 2008, but his four-year spell at the helm was also marked by acrimonious relations with pilots.
Republican presidential candidate John Kasich said Friday that people are probably born gay, when he was asked about it repeatedly by a voter at a forum in San Francisco.

During the exchange, the Ohio governor told Kelly Bryan, a 62-year-old Democrat who said he plans to vote for Hillary Clinton, that he believes in traditional marriage but recently attended the wedding of a friend who is gay, CNN reported.

Do I think that people are, you know, born gay? Probably, Kasich said. Ive never studied the issue. But I dont see any reason to hurt you or to discriminate you or make you feel bad or make you feel like a second-class citizen. I dont think thats right.

Bryan later said he asked the question because hes concerned about recent state laws that many see as discriminating against LGBT rights in the name of religious freedom, according to CNN.

Kasich called for more tolerance and said he would not sign any laws in Ohio that are discriminatory. Republican frontrunner Donald Trump recently split from many conservative leaders in criticizing a North Carolina law that would require transgender people to use restrooms matching the gender they were assigned at birth. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has voiced strong support for the law.

In terms of me, I dont believe in discrimination, Kasich said. I think there is a balance, however, between discrimination and peoples religious liberties. But I think we should just try to, like, take a chill pill, relax, and try to get along with one another a little bit better instead of trying to write some law to solve a problem that doesnt frankly exist in big enough numbers to justify more lawmaking.
President Obama on Saturday will put on a tuxedo and make his way to the Washington Hilton to attend his last White House Correspondents Association dinner in office, symbolically celebrating reporters who pick apart his policies, strive to hold his administration to account, and press his frequently reluctant White House for greater information, transparency, and access.

Tonight reminds us that we really are lucky to live in a country where reporters get to give a head of state a hard time on a daily basis  and then, once a year, give him or her the chance, at least, to try to return the favor, he said in 2014, referring to the tradition of presidents ribbing the press in remarks at the dinner.

When Obama gets behind his lectern on Saturday to give his speech, no one will be safe. Whatever he might think of the annual gala event itself, Obama has clearly relished the opportunity to roast all kinds of targets from the worlds of politics and celebrity and, of course, his hosts, the news media.

About 2,620 people, including representatives from 105 media outlets, will pack tables of 10 in the hotels main ballroom at the sold-out event, held annually under the auspices of the White House Correspondents Association since 1920.

The WHCA is best known for the dinner. But the organizations chief mission is to defend the interests of reporters, whether theyre pushing for more opportunities to question the president and his top aides or helping to manage the intricate logistics of media coverage when the president is traveling. (Disclosure: I am on the WHCA board.) The dinner includes the awarding of scholarships to student journalists and prizes given to reporters in recognition of their work the previous year. WHCA President Carol Lee of the Wall Street Journal will give a speech on the importance of a free press. And the professional entertainer on Saturday will be Larry Wilmore, host of The Nightly Show.

But the headline act will be Obama, who has everyone wondering how he will top previous outings. It was just last year, after all, that he told the crowd that he had a rhymes with bucket list of things to do in his last months in office.

Story continues

In years past, the standup-comic-in-chief has mocked Hillary Clintons controversial use of a private email server, MSNBCs audience size, Chris Christie, Senate Democrats fearful of losing reelection, the Secret Service, CNNs Ebola coverage, Ted Cruz, Martin OMalley, Bernie Sanders, John Boehner, Fox News, his drop in public opinion polls, and the botched roll-out of Obamacare  as well as people who say he was born in Kenya, or that hes a secret Muslim.

And then there was Donald Trump. White House aides never fail to put Obamas skewering of the bombastic developer and reality star in 2011 among the presidents favorite Correspondents Dinner moments. It came after the release of Obamas long-form birth certificate, an effort to quiet the false rumors that he was born outside the United States and might be ineligible to be president, a fiction that Trump eagerly promoted.

Heres what Obama said:

Donald Trump is here tonight! Now, I know that hes taken some flak lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald. And thats because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter  like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?

But all kidding aside, obviously, we all know about your credentials and breadth of experience. For example  no, seriously, just recently, in an episode of Celebrity Apprentice at the steakhouse, the mens cooking team cooking did not impress the judges from Omaha Steaks. And there was a lot of blame to go around. But you, Mr. Trump, recognized that the real problem was a lack of leadership. And so ultimately, you didnt blame Lil Jon or Meatloaf. You fired Gary Busey. And these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night. Well handled, sir. Well handled.

Say what you will about Mr. Trump, he certainly would bring some change to the White House.
British Vogue is giving its centenary issue the royal treatment.

The iconic fashion magazine revealed Saturday that Kate Middleton graces its June 2016 cover in honor of its 100 years of publication.

"BREAKING NEWS: The Duchess of Cambridge is Vogue's centenary issue cover star," the magazine tweeted with an image of Middleton on the cover donning a white button-up, fitted brown coat and forest green hat. The Duchess was involved in selecting items for the shoot, including pieces from Burberry and Petit Bateau, the magazine reported.

Read More: Kate Middleton Continues Stylish Reign in Bhutan

Celebrating the faces and fashions of a century, the cover star, photographed by Josh Olins in the Norfolk countryside for her first-ever magazine shoot, will grace 10 pages of the special issue.

"For me personally it has been a wonderful experience to have had the opportunity to work with her on this, and I am immensely proud of what we have produced," said Vogue editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman. "This special issue of the magazine is very close to my heart as it had to reflect on 100 years of British Vogue, and so I am hugely grateful that we have been able to continue with our tradition of outstanding royal portraiture with these pictures."

Two images from the Duchess' photo shoot will be installed in the Vogue 100 exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery that will run until May 22.

BREAKING NEWS: The Duchess of Cambridge is Vogue's centenary issue cover star #Vogue100 https://t.co/zkK3HWMuDO pic.twitter.com/NPbtayn7rH

- VOGUE.CO.UK (@BritishVogue) April 30, 2016

The Duchess was photographed by Josh Olins for her @BritishVogue cover and shoot #Vogue100 https://t.co/zkK3HWMuDO pic.twitter.com/5POfGpO2KG

- VOGUE.CO.UK (@BritishVogue) April 30, 2016

Two images from the Duchess's shoot have been installed in @NPGLondon's #Vogue100 exhibition https://t.co/zkK3HWMuDO pic.twitter.com/UxUBfnMfam

Story continues

- VOGUE.CO.UK (@BritishVogue) April 30, 2016

Two portraits from the shoot were installed this evening @NPGLondon in Vogue 100: A Century of Style #Vogue100 pic.twitter.com/25rOfBMT0q

- Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 30, 2016

The Duchess of Cambridge is our centenary cover star - her first-ever magazine shoot https://t.co/zkK3HX45vm pic.twitter.com/UfNp8s62ps

- VOGUE.CO.UK (@BritishVogue) April 30, 2016
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Geneva on May 1- 2 to discuss the Syrian conflict with his Jordanian and Saudi counterparts and the U.N. special envoy for Syria, the State Department said on Saturday. "In all of his discussions, the Secretary will review ongoing efforts to reaffirm the cessation of hostilities nationwide in Syria, obtain the full humanitarian access to which the Syrian government committed, and support a political transition," said State Department spokesman John Kirby, in a statement. On Friday, the United States said it was in discussions with Russia about trying to renew the cessation of hostilities in Syria following the deadly bombing this week of a hospital in Aleppo. (Reporting by Idrees Ali; editing by Andrew Roche)
A new Lara Croft has officially been cast

A new Lara Croft has officially been cast

Its been 15 years since we first saw Angelina Jolie fight the Illuminati in search of ancient artifacts as Lara Croft, but now it looks like there will be another equally vivacious lady to take her place.

Alicia Vikander, who at 27 has already blown critics away with her incredible portrayal of characters like Gerda in The Danish Girl and Ava in Ex Machina, was announced yesterday as the next Lara Croft. According to GQ, she beat out a slew of other Hollywood powerhouse actresses for the role, including Star Wars Daisy Ridley, Mother of Dragons Emilia Clarke, and other front-runners like Cara Delevingne and Gemma Arterton.

Croft is based on a fictional English archaeologist in the video game franchise Tomb Raider, which was first released in 1996. Though she is lauded by many for her brazen adventures, the character has also received a fair amount of criticism for a sexist design.

Early iterations of the video game turned her into a sex object for teenage boys, who navigated a scantily clad, improbably large-breasted avatar through tombs. However, recent reboots of the video game have depicted a more realistic, less sexualized version of Croft, Time reported.

Time also noted that people have actually taken to social media to voice concern that Vikander doesnt have the right body type to play Croft. You know what? Too bad. The idea of casting an actress based on breast size or the outlandish proportions of a video game is nonsense. Whats important is that Vikander will bring great physicality (she has an extensive background as a ballet dancer) and nuanced acting to the iconic part, and thats all we should really care about.

So, who needs the haters? With Angelina passing the torch, we cant wait to see Vikander bring Lara Croft back to us, guns and bows and arrows and all.

The post A new Lara Croft has officially been cast appeared first on HelloGiggles.
By Tina Bellon STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) - German left-wing demonstrators clashed with police on Saturday as they tried to break up the first full conference of the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany where Chancellor Angela Merkel's policies came under attack. Police counted up to 2,000 left-wing protesters, some of whom burned tires and hurled stones and fireworks to try to stop the AfD's congress going ahead in Stuttgart. Some 500 were detained, police said. Two policemen were slightly injured, but there were no reports of injured among the protesters, police spokesman Lambert Maute said. Buoyed by the migrant crisis, which saw the arrival of more than one million migrants in Germany last year, the AfD has upended German party politics. After the congress started late, more than 2,000 AfD members listened to their party leaders' call for an end to Merkel's refugee-friendly politics and a return to Christian values. "We always wondered when the brave child will finally appear to voice the thoughts of the silent majority and declare that the 'Chancellor of no alternatives' is nothing but naked," said party leader Frauke Petry, 40, in her opening speech. "And I think, this brave child is us," Petry added. The violence began around dawn and clashes continued for several hours. Police used pepper spray and threatened to use water cannons to stop protesters, some of whom were masked, from getting onto the grounds of the conference. Some demonstrators still managed to assault several party members, they said. The AfD has mainly run on an anti-migrant and Islam-critical agenda, but now struggles to unite its various fractions under one party program that could put it on a broader footing. It currently has representatives in half of Germany's sixteen federal state parliaments and the party has its eyes set on next year's federal elections. Opinion polls see the party coming in at between 10 and 14 percent, a serious challenge to established party politics, though these have ruled out forming any coalition with the AfD. The AfD however considers itself in good company on a European level, following election gains by far-right parties across the continent. Petry used her oratorical skills to denounce what she termed the hypocrisy of the ruling elite whose policies, she said, were directed against the interest of ordinary German citizens. (Reporting by Tina Bellon in Stuttgart and Michael Nienaber in Berlin; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
Lena Dunham just confronted a classmate who spread a rumor about her in high school

Lena Dunham just confronted a classmate who spread a rumor about her in high school

We all have that high school bully wed love to confront years after theyve made our lives miserable. Sadly, most of us will never get that chance  although Facebook makes it easy to quietly gloat about how much better we are doing that Little Susie May who said all those nasty things about us behind our back. (Name changed to protect the not-so-innocent.)

However, recently on The Chris Gethard Show writing wonder Lena Dunham managed to get the closure so many of us lack by confronting a former high school classmate about a rumor he spread during her senior year!

It seems that comedian and actor Griffin Newman, who also happens to be a friend of Lena Dunhams from high school and who gamely described himself as a sociopathic 14-year-old gremlin, spread a rumor when he was a freshman in their high school that he and Dunham, who was a senior at the time, had sex. Obviously, he feels pretty bad about the lie now. Yet somehow the two remained friends!

The Chris Gethard Shows theme of the day was prom, specifically Under the Sea, so this was the perfect place for Lena Dunham (who makes a pretty spectacular mermaid and can seriously rock a blue lip, btw) to confront Newman. It seems like this is old hat between the two friends, and we are so happy to see that Dunham let bygones be bygones, and we cant help but find Newman charming  which makes us all the more excited to see him play The Ticks sidekick in the upcoming reboot by Amazon.

That said, I still have dreams that my high school reunion with former bullies  or even friends  happens more a la Romy and Micheles High School Reunion complete with choreographed dancing, Alan Cumming, and 90s dresses.

The post Lena Dunham just confronted a classmate who spread a rumor about her in high school appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Mexico City (AFP) - There were no tears and their faces were hardened by 19 months of grief and anger as the parents of 43 Mexican students who vanished in 2014 marched in the capital.

Less than two years ago, they would have been surrounded by tens of thousands of people as they protested against President Enrique Pena Nieto's handling of the case.

But this past Tuesday -- just two days after foreign experts issued a damning report accusing the government of obstructing their investigation -- the protesters numbered only in the hundreds.

While the mass disappearance has tainted Mexico's image abroad, the protests have waned and Pena Nieto's administration is weathering the criticism despite falling approval ratings.

"It's a long struggle and there are few of us," said Emiliano Navarrete, holding a picture of his missing son as he walked down Mexico City's main boulevard, Reforma.

But, Navarrete said, "to shut us up they'll have to kill us."

While he couldn't hide his disappointment at the low attendance, he said the "quality" of the people joining the parents was more important than "quantity."

The parents traveled from Tixtla, a town in the impoverished southern state of Guerrero, where their 43 sons studied at a rural teacher college.

Prosecutors say the students were whisked away by corrupt police in the city of Iguala on September 26, 2014, after they hijacked buses to be used for a future protest.

But the experts of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, who were invited by the government to aid the probe at the parents' request, rejected the central conclusion in the case.

The experts said there was no scientific proof that the students' bodies were burned in a funeral pyre at a garbage dump after they were killed by a drug gang.

- 'International scrutiny' -

The mass disappearance wrecked Pena Nieto's effort to shift attention away from Mexico's drug violence and toward his ambitious economic reform agenda.

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But while his popularity has dropped to 30 percent, his Institutional Revolutionary Party and its allies still managed to keep their majority in the lower house of Congress in elections last year.

Clemente Rodriguez, another desperate parent, said Mexicans probably stopped protesting because they bought the government's conclusions in the case.

With the latest protest, Rodriguez said, the families were hoping to "give a boost" to the report published last Sunday by the commission experts, who alleged that authorities tortured suspects and committed "severe irregularities" at a key crime scene.

Vidulfo Rosales, a lawyer representing the parents, said the families of the students are now hoping that "international scrutiny" can help their cause.

While the experts' mission ends on Saturday after their year-long investigation, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights plans to create a mechanism to ensure that Mexican authorities follow their recommendations and new lines of investigation.

- 'Case must not be forgotten' -

The experts "are putting a spotlight on our law enforcement system, which is totally dysfunctional, which tortures, which fabricates and hides evidence," said Denis Gonzalez, human rights program coordinator at Iberoamericana University.

And that makes the government "uncomfortable," Gonzalez said.

"It's not strange that society has become tired and distanced itself," Gonzalez said, noting that the country has suffered from the "psychological warfare" of a "mad war" against narcotrafficking.

Carlos Beristain, a Spanish psychologist and one of the five commission experts, said Mexicans must ensure that their government is held accountable.

"It's very important that this case is not forgotten, that Mexican society pay attention to the situation of the victims," Beristain told AFP.

"It is only this public knowledge, this monitoring of the case that will help the families feel like they are not alone, and for the case to move forward," he said.
This man says he was punched for being Shia LaBeoufs doppelganger  and Shia called to apologize

This man says he was punched for being Shia LaBeoufs doppelganger  and Shia called to apologize

Everybody has a doppelganger in this huge world, and usually its a pleasant experience when (if youre lucky enough) you come across yours. However, New York art director Mario Licatos doppelganger happens to be the well-known and somewhat controversial actor Shia LaBeouf, and this uncanny resemblance has actually caused him physical harm. Last Saturday, Mario was punched in the face at a Subway station on the Lower East Side, by a guy who exclaimed, This is because you look exactly like Shia LaBeouf! Yikes, chill out dude.

Okay sure, Shia is an eccentric human being who once watched all of his movies in one sitting, performed practically naked in a birdcage for a Sia video, and stuck a brown paper bag over his head with the words, I am not famous anymore, for the purpose of a strange installation art exhibition. BUT, none of this is a reason to resort to violence. The incident happened though, and poor Mario was all black and bruised afterward.

A photo posted by Mario Licato (@mariolicato) on Apr 24, 2016 at 7:28pm PDT

The ordeal led to Mario getting his picture in the paper. You can see that Mario does look like Shia LaBeouf  its not just the beard, but the facial structure, features, and complexion. Bet hes wishing it wasnt so

A photo posted by Mario Licato (@mariolicato) on Apr 27, 2016 at 6:12am PDT

Except theres a silver lining to this story, and its pretty great. Shia LaBeouf  the real person  heard about this unfortunate event and left a sweet message of apology on Marios voicemail. Apparently it was really long and conversational, starting off with Hey, this is Shia LaBeouf I just read an article that you were punched in the face because you look like me. Aw man. That sucks. Im so sorry. Shia even said that if he was in New York, hed bring Mario some soup.

THEN he gave Mario his phone number  literally! And it looks like the identical twins had a lovely chat, because Marios caption to this photo was, Brb talking to the real Shia.

A photo posted by Mario Licato (@mariolicato) on Apr 27, 2016 at 3:05pm PDT

Wow, in that picture he REALLY looks like Shia LaBeouf. Doppelgangers are no joke. Anyway, we hope that Mario recovers and gets back to his normal life (with absolutely no violence) soon.

A photo posted by Mario Licato (@mariolicato) on Feb 9, 2016 at 5:42pm PST

The post This man says he was punched for being Shia LaBeoufs doppelganger  and Shia called to apologize appeared first on HelloGiggles.
A 128-page investigative report released by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission claims there were many leads following the disappearance of Florida teens Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen.



The 14-year-old residents of Tequesta "were spotted in distress on the day of their disappearance," according to the FWC findings as reported by CBS affiliate WPEC. "There was also a sighting just two days later. A fisherman saw a small boat with two young people onboard head offshore."



The 19-foot Seacraft boat that Stephanos and Cohen were in was previously spotted near Daytona Beach, Florida, on July 26, two days after the boys went missing. The boat was later found on March 18 about 100 miles from Bermuda along with an iPhone and other personal items inside.



One day prior on July 25, a pilot spotted a person clinging to a makeshift raft, according to the FWC report. In addition, the FWC interviewed a woman who called the Coast Guard three times to report two stranded boys working on their motor prior to an approaching storm.







"The family of Austin Stephanos will never and has never had any intention of withholding any information from the Cohen family," Margaux, who is Austin's aunt, told PEOPLE in a statement. "Don't we all want transparency? Don't we all want the truth? The truth is that the loss of a child is the greatest pain a parent could ever possibly endure. The truth is that not knowing or having answers is beyond painful," she wrote. "The truth is that this grieving process is never going to just go away. The truth is that we will all be affected by the loss of our boys every day for the rest of our lives."



Friends of the teens previously reported they received Snapchat messages including one from Austin that read, "Peace out jup'" as well as "one that advised they were in trouble."



WPEC uncovered that Brent McCarthy, lead investigator of boating accident investigation, was "voluntarily demoted from investigator to officer and then resigned from the agency."



The Coast Guard ended the public search for the boys on July 31. Neither Stephanos nor Cohen have been found.



Since the boys' disappearance, both families have launched nonprofit foundations, The AustinBlu Foundation and the Perry J. Cohen Foundation, aimed at promoting boater safety education.
Baghdad (AFP) - Moqtada Sadr is the scion of an influential clerical family who raised a rebellion after the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and has now reinvented himself as a reform champion to triumph at elections.

After the toppling of Saddam Hussein his militia fought fierce battles with American troops and he was identified by the Pentagon in 2006 as the biggest threat to stability in Iraq.

But after years on the sidelines, Sadr linked up with secularists with a promise to battle corruption and now appears to hold the keys to Baghdad.

The nationalist cleric's Marching Towards Reform alliance came out on top in Iraq's parliamentary elections earlier this month.

"Sadr -- often dubbed a firebrand cleric -- has come a long way from the days in 2003 when he was an outcast and a hunted man," said Nabeel Khoury, from the Atlantic Council think tank.

The election success follows three years of weekly protests, with Sadrists rallying alongside communists to call for an overhaul of the political class.

While Sadr has ruled himself out of becoming prime minister, he should become kingmaker and aims to form a technocratic government from a dozen parties.

Such a victory over internationally favoured prime minister Haider al-Abadi came as a surprise, but Sadr is well-known to Iraqis and US forces alike.

- Militia army -

His rise to political power has been aided by the reputations of two famed relatives -- including his father, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr -- killed during Saddam Hussein's rule.

With a grey bushy beard and wearing the black turban of a "sayyid" or descendant of the Prophet Mohammed, Sadr gained widespread popularity in the months after the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

His Mahdi Army -- estimated to have had up to 60,000 members -- was once the most active and feared armed Shiite group in the country, and was blamed by Washington for death-squad killings of thousands of Sunnis.

But in August 2008, Sadr suspended the activities of the Mahdi Army after major US and Iraqi assaults on its strongholds in Baghdad and southern Iraq.

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Following the ceasefire, US military commanders said Sadr's action had been instrumental in helping bring about a significant decrease in the levels of violence across Iraq.

He nonetheless continued his vocal opposition to the US military presence in the country.

- Holding onto the street -

Despite repeatedly bowing out of politics, reportedly pursuing religious studies in the Iranian holy city of Qom, he remained able to pull powerful political strings.

After throwing his weight behind Shiite politician Nuri al-Maliki in 2006, ensuring he became prime minister, Sadr then ordered his followers to pull out of the cabinet the next year, almost bringing down the government.

Sadr's bloc contested the 2010 legislative election in an alliance with the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council, another Shiite group with links to Iran.

The inconclusive polls saw Maliki gain a second term as premier -- during which he was deemed a "dictator" by Sadr who called for his resignation.

More recently the former commander renewed his militia to defend Iraqi religious sites in 2014, after the Islamic State group overran large areas north and west of Baghdad.

Whether on a military, clerical or political path, Sadr has been careful to maintain the power base which has now given him an unrivalled level of political influence.

"Because he holds onto the street, he upsets numerous parties," said Iraqi political expert Essam al-Fili.

For the analyst, forming a coalition government with Sadr would result in "the political situation entering a phase of instability".
Rolex

Rolex is a notoriously secretive company. In defense of its trade secrets, how dominant it is in the luxury watch field, and how much it has to lose, it doesn't offer factory tours, and its workshops are locked behind iris-scanning security technology and thick steel doors.

But Ben Clymer, the founder and executive editor of watch enthusiast website Hodinkee, was given that rare glimpse inside, and saw how Rolex actually makes its watches.

And what he found amazed him.

"I was under the impression that it was all machine-assembled," Clymer told Business Insider, noting that Rolex has its own gold foundry, a full chemistry lab, and testing facilities that "rival NASA."

"But more impressive than that was the amount of human interaction there was. There were actual people doing the assembly," Clymer said, adding that this was the most impressive thing he saw during his tour.

"The scale of everything, the detail, the people and perfection, I have to imagine, is unique in watchmaking, if not all consumer products," Clymer wrote in his post on Hodinkee, noting that there really were "people everywhere" in Rolex's various workshops.

"A lot of the higher-end brands like to scoff at Rolex and say there's no human touch to the watch, no humans actually touch it before it ships," Clymer said. "But that's completely not true."

That human touch is what makes luxury watches like a Rolex worth their high price points, Clymer said.

Why does Rolex need all these people? Well, the company does something no one else does: it makes every component of its watches themselves, from the metal alloys to the most minute spring.

"You don't need to do that," Clymer told us. "Other brands don't do that and nobody cares."

"The fact [is] that Rolex goes so above and beyond."

NOW WATCH: These are the watches worn by the smartest and most powerful men in the world





More From Business Insider


One of the last pediatricians in the Syrian city of Aleppo was killed in an air strike Thursday.

Dr. Muhammad Waseem Moaz, 36, was one of more than 50 people killed in the strike on Al Quds hospital, run by Medecins Sans Frontieres in the rebel-held city where experts warn the number of doctors is already limited, the BBC reported.

Dr. Maaz was martyred due to what staff on the ground believe to be an airstrike perpetrated by the regime or its allies on Al Quds Hospital, Dr. Mahmoud Mustafa in Gaziantep, director of the Independent Doctors Association, wrote in a statement. The warplane directly targeted medical facilities, staff and civilians in the area in addition to patients in and outside the hospital.

In a Facebook post, the director of a separate childrens hospital in Aleppo called Moaz the citys most qualified paediatrician.

He used to work at our Childrens Hospital during the day and then hed go to Al Quds Hospital to attend to emergencies overnight, the director, identified only as Dr. Hatem, wrote. He was friendly, kind and he used to joke a lot with the whole staff. He was the loveliest doctor in our hospital.

The Syrian military has denied it targeted the hospital, but locals have blamed the attack on Syrian or Russian planes, the BBC reported.
Washington (AFP) - For a few hours on Friday, the White House became the Blues House.

Musicians including Herbie Hancock, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Aretha Franklin and Hugh Masekela joined US President Barack Obama for a special concert to celebrate International Jazz Day.

"Tonight, we are turning this place into the Blues House. I did not issue a new executive order, I just invited all my favorite jazz musicians to play in my backyard," Obama said, kicking off the event on the South Lawn with about 550 guests.

"Perhaps more than any other form of art, jazz is driven by an unmistakably American spirit," Obama said, noting that the genre was shaped in the melting-pot southern city of New Orleans.

Quoting Duke Ellington, the president emphasized that jazz is "a good barometer of freedom."

"There is something fearless and true about jazz. This is truth-telling music," he said.

Obama shared a personal story about his father, whom he did not know well, taking him to his first jazz concert during a monthlong visit in 1971.

The young Obama saw Dave Brubeck perform in Honolulu, Hawaii.

"The world that that concert opened up for a 10-year-old boy was spectacular. And I was hooked," he said.

Franklin opened the performances with "A Song for You," which she played on a grand piano. Actor Morgan Freeman was the evening's emcee.

Chick Corea, Jamie Cullum, Al Jarreau, Diana Krall, Pat Metheny and Bobby Watson were also among the artists performing Friday night in the concert that will be broadcast Saturday on ABC.

Washington is the global host city of the 2016 International Jazz Day. The annual event was launched in 2012 by UNESCO and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.
During the Interview, Dr. Bahat Answered a Variety of Questions, Including the Advice He Has for People Who Are Interested in Studying the Field of Dentistry





Los Angeles, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 30, 2016 / Oded Bahat, an internationally recognized periodontal surgeon who is based in Beverly Hills, California, was recently featured in an interview on Ideamensch.com.





During the interview, Dr. Bahat answered different questions about his storied career, including what inspired him to become a periodontist and how dentistry meshes with medicine. To learn more about Oded Bahat, people may like his Facebook page.









As this interview with Oded Bahat noted, he has always been interested in medicine. What attracted him specifically to pediodontics, he noted, was the combination of the thinking process and surgical execution.





For people who are not sure what the field of periodontics actually involves, Dr. Bahat explained that it includes the structures of the teeth, bones and oral tissues, as well as the various diseases and health conditions that can affect them.





Periodontics also includes dental implants, which are for those that dont know, small screws that help replace the root of a tooth, he said, adding that the esthetics side is also very important.





Periodontists also work to reconstruct both soft tissue and bone to achieve pristine oral esthetics that is part of facial esthetics.





As for how dentistry and medicine are intertwined, Dr. Bahat said there are a variety of different diseases that are a part of the field of periodontics that are also associated with medical conditions. These include diabetic disorders and heart ailments, he noted.





When asked what makes someone a clinically successfully periodontist, Oded Bahat credited both dedication and the ability to be a continuous learner.





I would also say that practicing periodontics in accordance with evidence is crucial, he said.





For people who are interested in studying the fascinating field of dentistry, Dr. Oded Bahat offered some helpful advice.

Story continues





The dentistry field is continuously making amazing strides in technology and how that relates to treatment procedures. For someone looking to get into the field, it would be extremely helpful to familiarize yourself with the latest peer-reviewed pieces of literature, he said.





Also continually reading and learning about the field will also help aspiring periodontists to be successful, Dr. Bahat noted.





About Oded Bahat:





Oded Bahat is an internationally renowned periodontist focused in dental implants periodontics, surgical implant placement, esthetic plastic and reconstructive procedures. Please learn more about Dr. Bahat at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/odedbahat.





Contact:

Clayton Marshall

admin@rocketfactor.com

(949) 555-2861





Source: Oded Bahat
By Stine Jacobsen and Ole Petter Skonnord OSLO (Reuters) - A helicopter ferrying passengers from a Norwegian oil platform crashed in the North Sea on Friday, apparently killing all 13 people on board, rescue officials said. The 11 passengers and two crew on the flight from the Gullfaks B oil platform, operated by Norway's Statoil , were all Norwegian except for one British and one Italian national, according to the Rescue Coordination Centre for Southern Norway. "The helicopter is completely destroyed," it said. After several hours searching for survivors, 11 bodies were found and the remaining two people were presumed dead. Norway and Britain suspended commercial flights of the type of helicopter involved in the crash, an Airbus Helicopters H225 Super Puma, a workhorse of the offshore oil industry. Airbus later said the grounding had been extended to the whole commercial fleet, 70 percent of which is used to support the global oil industry from the Gulf of Mexico to Asia and Africa. Plumes of smoke rose from the scene in a stretch of sea with many small islands and debris could be seen on the rocks. Several witnesses told Norwegian media they saw the rotor blades separating from the helicopter while still in the air. "While I looked up, the rotor (blades) loosened and disappeared towards the north," John Atle Sekkingstad told the website of local paper Bergens Tidende. "After that, the helicopter turned north and I saw fire at the top of the helicopter, where the rotor had been attached. It caught fire before it crashed." The main body of the aircraft was lying under water, while its rotor was found on a rocky outcrop about 200 to 300 metres (220-330 yards) away, state broadcaster NRK said, quoting the rescue centre. Oil worker Chris Andersen told NRK: "I saw the rotor separate ... It was horrible. There was a huge explosion that you could physically feel. You felt the vibrations." The area, just west of Bergen, Norway's second-largest city, has frequent helicopter traffic to and from offshore oil installations. Weather conditions on the day were normal. Norway's king and the prime minister expressed their condolences to the families of the victims. "You are not alone in your sorrow," Prime Minister Erna Solberg, dressed in black, said in an address to the nation. PRODUCTION, FLIGHTS HALTED Statoil halted production at the Gullfaks B platform, a visibly upset company executive told a news conference. "This is one of the worst accidents in Norwegian oil history," said Arne Sigve Nylund, Statoil's head of production in Norway, adding that the helicopter passengers worked for different companies, but were all on assignments for Statoil. "This is a heavy day ... Some of our colleagues will never come home," he said in a trembling voice. It was the second-worst Super Puma accident after a 2009 crash off Scotland in which the rotors also detached, killing 16 people. Investigators cited a catastrophic gearbox failure. Tracking service Flightradar24 said the helicopter in Friday's crash dropped 2,100 feet (640 metres) in the last 10 seconds. Formerly known as the Eurocopter EC225LP Super Puma, the aircraft is a long-range helicopter widely used in the oil and gas industry, as well as for VIP flights and search and rescue. Eurocopter changed its name to Airbus Helicopters in early 2014. Imposing a temporary ban on commercial flights using the same type of helicopter, the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash. Airbus Helicopters, a subsidiary of Airbus Group , pledged full support for the investigation, which will be carried out by Norway with assistance from investigators based in France and Britain. Norway said late on Friday it had found the two "black box" flight recorders, one capturing data and the other recording cockpit conversations, and would send them to Britain, which has experience of handling several recent helicopter incidents. The crash deals a blow to an offshore industry already suffering weak demand due to low oil prices and puts the Super Puma back in the spotlight after a series of problems in the UK. In 2012, Super Puma fleets were grounded after a pair of controlled ditchings that were later linked to gearbox cracks, prompting Airbus Helicopters to carry out modifications. In 2013, four people died when an earlier version of Super Puma ditched off the Shetland Islands, off northern Scotland, in an accident blamed on crew. The last helicopter crash in the Norwegian oil industry, in 1997, involved a Super Puma in which 12 people died. Airbus Helicopters said it had no information so far to link the latest crash to earlier accidents. The helicopter that crashed on Friday had been granted extended flying hours, or delayed maintenance, twice in 2015, an aviation authority official told Norwegian daily VG. The flight was operated by Canada-based CHC Helicopter, owned by U.S. private equity firm First Reserve. CHC confirmed that the life of a previous gearbox fitted to the helicopter had been extended, but said the gearbox fitted at the time of the crash was new. It said the aircraft was fully compliant with Norwegian rules at the time of the accident. "The main gearbox in the aircraft in question, which has at all times been fully airworthy and compliant, was subsequently replaced in January 2016," said CHC's head of safety and quality, Duncan Trapp, in an emailed statement. (Additional reporting by Terje Solsvik, Nerijus Adomaitis, Cyril Altmeyer, Tim Hepher; Writing by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Alistair Scrutton, Robin Pomeroy, G Crosse)
Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) - England's miracle club Leicester City are 90 minutes from sporting immortality as they prepare for a Sunday title showdown at Old Trafford with Premier League giants Manchester United.

The 5,000-1 outsiders, whose team cost less than 30 million ($43.8 million, 38.3 million euros) to assemble, need just three points to become champions for the first time in their 132-year history and complete one of the most inspirational stories in professional sport.

But while manager Claudio Ranieri understands the excitement that his team have generated, he knows that their incredible journey -- which began with last season's narrow escape from relegation -- is not yet at an end.

"We are fighting to turn this dream into a reality. But not yet. I see all the happiness around the city and that's great, but it's not finished," said the 64-year-old Italian, who has never won a top-flight title.

"Sunday will be a very tough match. I have a lot of respect for (Louis) van Gaal, the players and Manchester United fans. I know very well it will be a very difficult match. But we go with the same mentality.

"'Stay calm,' I tell the players. 'Stay hungry.' I told the players that everything is in our hands. If our strength is being solid and concentrated, then we must continue."

After a sequence of nervy, narrow wins and a fraught 2-2 draw with West Ham United, the title swam into pin-sharp focus for Leicester when their breezy 4-0 victory over Swansea City was followed by second-place Tottenham Hotspur losing ground in a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion.

It means that victory at United will give Leicester the crown and they can claim the title this week even if they drop points, provided Tottenham do not better their result when they visit outgoing champions Chelsea on Monday.

While Ranieri continues to proceed with caution, the city of Leicester is firmly on a title footing.

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- 'Postpone the party' -

Local landmarks have been lit up blue in anticipation of the team's first major silverware since the 2000 League Cup, while the estimated 3,000 supporters making the trip north to Manchester will be rewarded with 'Forever Fearless' souvenir T-shirts produced by the club.

It is three years since Old Trafford last staged a title party, but Louis van Gaal's United side are far from ideal candidates for the role of sacrificial lambs on the Leicester title altar.

United, seeking to reclaim fifth place from West Ham United, boast the division's strongest home record, having lost only twice on home turf, and have conceded only seven goals in their 17 games at Old Trafford to date.

They are on a run of six successive home wins, which has helped to keep their challenge for a Champions League place alive, and with Manchester City and Arsenal guaranteed to take points off each other when they meet next weekend, Van Gaal's men are not short of incentives in their pursuit of a top-four finish.

"We have to beat them because we are still in the race for fourth position," said Van Gaal, who has insisted he will still be in charge next season despite persitent reports that Jose Mourinho is set to take over from him.

"We cannot allow them to be champions this weekend at Old Trafford. They shall be champions a week later. We don't spoil the party, only postpone it a little bit."

Leicester have not won at Old Trafford in seven attempts, since a 1-0 league victory in January 1998, and will again be without 22-goal top scorer Jamie Vardy, who completes a two-game ban stemming from his dismissal for diving against West Ham.

His Argentine understudy Leonardo Ulloa is expected to continue up front despite sustaining a minor back problem after scoring twice against Swansea, while Ranieri must decide whether to keep faith with Jeff Schlupp on the left wing or recall Marc Albrighton.

United, who beat Everton at Wembley last weekend to reach the FA Cup final, are close to full strength, with left-back Luke Shaw (broken leg) and midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger (knee) their only absentees.
Ross Stripling has been plenty hittable since being pulled from an active no-hitter in his major league debut, but that's not stopping him from at least keeping the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers in games.

A return to that early-April magic couldn't hurt as the right-hander takes a fifth shot at his first big league win Saturday night against the visiting San Diego Padres, who no longer have a lengthy losing streak in the series weighing them down.

Stripling (0-1, 3.22 ERA) limited San Francisco to a run and no hits in 7 1/3 innings of a 3-2 loss and no-decision on April 8 but was pulled after four walks and 100 pitches. He's since posted a 4.20 ERA and .306 opponent batting average in three starts and took his first decision in Monday's 3-2 home loss to Miami after giving up three runs and eight hits with three walks in 5 1/3 innings. The Dodgers won his previous two starts.

"They hit a lot of hard balls tonight. I think that showed that I wasn't as sharp as I typically am," Stripling told MLB's official website after stretching out to 107 pitches against the Marlins. "I really didn't throw any good curveballs on the night. ... I just battled. Last two starts, it feels like every inning has been a battle from the first pitch. I've been able to get out of some, others not so much."

Colin Rea got that first big league win out of the way last year but the right-hander has struggled a little more than his counterpart this season. Rea (1-1, 5.06) gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings of Sunday's 8-5 loss to St. Louis but escaped the decision. He has gone beyond five innings once in four starts yet thrown at least 90 pitches in each.

"We had a long first inning, with deep counts," Rea said. "Our bullpen shouldn't be out there in the sixth inning. I should still be out there. I let the team down in that aspect."

He started against the Dodgers once last season and pitched an inning of relief in the first week this year with Joc Pederson going 2 for 4 with a double.

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The Padres (8-15) ended their losing streak to the Dodgers (12-12) at nine with Friday's series-opening 5-1 victory, which also ended their five-game overall skid. San Diego can now secure its first series win in Los Angeles since a three-game sweep from April 15-17, 2013. It's gone 7-19 since.

Matt Kemp was 2 for 4 with a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning and a double, leaving the yard for a second straight game. Kemp is batting .385 in his last six and .320 in 20 games against his old club. Alexei Ramirez also had two hits and is 9 for 19 in the last five games.

Los Angeles would love that offense at the moment, having scored nine runs while batting .182 on a five-game losing streak. Adrian Gonzalez is 0 for 13 on the streak, Yasiel Puig is 1 for 16 in the last four and Carl Crawford is 1 for 12 in five games around his injury layoff.

"Less than a week ago, we were feeling OK, but once we came home, the Marlins pitchers threw some good games," manager Dave Roberts said. "I think the at-bat quality needs to get better."

The Dodgers haven't lost six straight since an eight-game skid from May 1-10, 2013. The current slide has come entirely at home, which they haven't topped since a six-gamer from June 1-18, 2011 as Kemp was on his way to finishing second in the NL MVP race.
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - A senior Palestinian official Saturday demanded an apology from Eurovision song contest organisers after the Palestinian flag was among a list of banned banners at next month's event in Sweden.

Palestine Liberation Organisation second in command Saeb Erakat made the demand in a letter addressed to the president of the European Broadcasting Union, Jean-Paul Philippot.

"The Eurovision song contest this year will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, the first EU member state in Western Europe to officially recognise the State of Palestine," Erakat wrote.

"Your decision is totally biased and unacceptable.

"We call upon you to immediately revoke this shameful decision. It's also equally necessary for the European Broadcasting Union to apologise to Palestine and to millions of Palestinians around the world."

Organisers of the annual contest have already come under fire from Spain, which condemned a ban on the Basque regional flag.

"It is a constitutional, legal and legitimate flag and the Spanish government will defend it whenever needed," Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said Friday.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo spoke to Madrid's ambassador in Sweden "so that he could immediately tell the organisation that it is a constitutional flag and cannot be in that list", a ministry spokeswoman has said.

Eurovision has apologised to Spain and blamed the publication by mistake of a draft version of its flag policy listing banned banners, including that of the Islamic State group.

Under Eurovision rules, regional flags or those belonging to federated states, or including commercial, religious or political messages, are all banned.

Those that are allowed are the flags of countries taking part in the contest and any other UN member state, as well as the EU flag and the rainbow banner that represents the LGBT movement.

Eurovision spokesman Dave Goodman told AFP that "the flag policy is not aimed against specific territories or organisations, and certainly does not compare them to each other".
Hundreds of protesters surrounded the Hyatt Regency in a normally sleepy suburb of San Francisco. Some even attempted to charge through police barricades into the lobby. The source of their frustration: Donald Trump. He visited the Hyatt to address this years California Republican convention, which marks the unofficial kickoff of a remarkably consequential primary.

On June 7, California Republicans go to the polls in the biggest contest of the campaign. It is not just 172 delegates in play; at stake is whether Trump will go to his partys national convention with the nomination in hand  or brace for a major fight. That contest begins even sooner than election day because a majority of Republicans will vote by mail, and those mail-in ballots go out starting May 9.

Inside the hotel were party activists of all stripes, from Senate hopefuls to tea party insurgents to representatives of conservative interest groups. They held a diversity of views on the issues and the presidential candidates. Yahoo News spoke with several of the convention attendees to learn more about their views on the Trump disruption: whether they support his candidacy, how they will vote if their pick fails to win the nomination and where they stand on two of Trumps core campaign pledges  building a wall on the southern border and banning noncitizen Muslims from entering this country.




Robert Braxton IIIs life tragically ended after a disagreement during a Sunday service at the Keystone Fellowship Church turned violent.

The incident began when another church attendant approached Braxton about sitting in reserved seats for two members who had yet to arrive, according to district attorney Kevin Steele. After a member tapped him on his shoulder, he began to yell, dont f***ing touch me, according to documents obtained by NBC Philadelphia. He soon quieted down after talking with a pastor and usher.

But the situation soon caused a panic after churchgoer, Mark Storms, approached Braxton, waving a gun in his hand and told him to leave the service. While confronting Braxton, he also revealed a Concealed Weapons permit badge, which authorities believe was improperly obtained.

F*** you and your fake badge, get the f*** out of here, witnesses recalled Braxton telling Storms. What are you going to do, shoot me? Braxton asked before punching Storms.

The gunman then opened fire, hitting Braxton in the chest and in his right arm. Braxton was soon rushed to the Abington-Landsdale Hospital in Pennsylvania, where he was pronounced dead after suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Storms was arrested and charged for voluntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment.

During his arraignment Storms told officials that he hoped to defuse the situation by showing a gun. However district attorney Steele and others are not accepting his defense, saying he had no reason to bring a loaded gun into a crowded church.

You dont go to church to be killed, you just dont do that. Hes a young man. He had his whole life ahead of him, Diana Walters, Braxtons aunt, told WPVI. The Keystone Fellowship also expressed their condolences, holding a special service to mourn Braxtons death.

Storms bail is set at $250,000.
Geneva (AFP) - A weasel shut down the world's most powerful particle smasher when it wandered onto a 66,000-volt transformer and caused a short circuit, Europe's physics lab CERN said Saturday.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was halted "following technical issues, including a power cut due to the passage of a weasel on a high voltage electrical transformer," CERN spokesman Arnaud Marsollier told AFP.

The collider suffered a "severe electrical perturbation" at 5:30 am (0330 GMT) Friday, CERN, the French acronym for the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, said in its daily activity summary.

It said the cause was a "short circuit caused by fouine" -- a beech marten, which is a member of the weasel family -- on a 66-kilovolt transformer.

Marsollier said that "some connections were slightly damaged and we are at work to repair" the damage caused by the weasel, which did not survive its high-voltage encounter.

The repairs "should take no longer than a few days," he said.

"Not the best week for LHC!" CERN said in its summary.

The LHC, housed in a 27-kilometre (17-mile) tunnel straddling the French-Swiss border, was used to prove the existence of the Higgs Boson, also known as the God particle, by crashing proton beams at velocities near the speed of light.

That discovery of the Higgs -- the long-sought maker of mass -- earned the 2013 Nobel physics prize for two of the scientists who had theorised its existence back in 1964.

- Restart delayed -

Friday's incident came at an unfortunate time.

Scientists had been gearing up to resume experiments at the giant lab early next week following a technical stoppage of several months, and to relaunch their superpowered hunt for particles that could change our understanding of the Universe.

Following the weasel incident and several other technical issues, Marsollier said "we will now need to check over the entire machine again".

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He said it remained unclear when the experiments could resume, but added that it clearly would "take more time before we can get started."

The weasel was not the first animal to wreak havoc at the LHC.

In 2009, a peckish bird briefly knocked out part of the particle collider when it dropped a baguette on an external electrical power supply and triggered a chain reaction that shut down part of the LHC's cooling system.

But that time the system was restored within several hours.

After the Higgs discovery, the LHC underwent a two-year upgrade, reopening last year with double energy levels and a vastly expanded the potential for groundbreaking discoveries.

The lab allows beams containing billions of protons to shoot through the massive collider in opposite directions.

Powerful magnets bend the beams so that they collide at points around the track where four laboratories have batteries of sensors to monitor the smashups.

The sub-atomic rubble is then scrutinised for novel particles and the forces that hold them together.

Late last year, before the technical shutdown and after running for more than six months at double energy levels, scientists said they had discovered anomalies that could possibly hint at the existence of mysterious new particle.

Some have theorised it could be a larger cousin of the Higgs boson, or that it could imply the existence of extra space-time dimensions.

"We might have the first hint of something unexpected," CERN physicist Paris Sphicas told AFP this week, stressing the importance of rebooting the LHC experiments.

"The only way to tell if this thing is real or just a statistical fluctuation, a fluke, ... (is with) much more data," he said.
Property Brothers star Jonathan Scott was involved in a bar fight in Fargo, North Dakota last Saturday, ET confirms.

The reality renovator was at Dempsey's Public House in Fargo over the weekend when he reportedly tried to get in between two other patrons who were arguing around closing time, TMZ reports.

EXCLUSIVE: See 'Property Brothers' Drew and Jonathan Scott in First-Ever Music Video

Scott was apparently subdued by a bouncer at the bar, but TMZ reports that police spoke with the staff at Dempsey's who deny any assault.

No one was arrested, but local police say they are investigating and will review surveillance video to see if they need to take further action.

EXCLUSIVE: Behind-the-Scenes of the Property Brothers' First Music Video Ever

Related Articles
Istanbul (AFP) - The prospects of finding a political solution to the Syria conflict are in danger unless the international community acts fast to pressure the regime, the head of the main Syrian opposition group said Saturday, after new air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo.

The assault on Syria's divided second city by the armed forces of President Bashar al-Assad has put in jeopardy a fragile truce that had given new hope to UN-backed peace talks in Geneva.

"The regime is not really interested in a political solution and they are not really interested in hearing the cessation of the hostilities initiative," the head of the Syrian National Coalition Anas al-Abdeh told AFP in Istanbul.

"We think that unless the international community does something about that, the whole prospect for the political solution will be in danger," he added after a general assembly meeting of the main opposition umbrella grouping in the Turkish city.

Terrified residents fled a new wave of air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo Saturday, as key regime backer Russia rejected calls to rein in its ally.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Moscow would not ask Damascus to halt air raids on Aleppo.

"It's clear that Russia is still supporting the regime, and it's supporting the regime policy of aggression against the Syrian people," said Abdeh.

Russia in March had begun withdrawing its main contingent of troops from Syria but the announcement was greeted with suspicion by some observers.

"Russia isn't doing what it's supposed to do, which is to put enough pressure on the regime to show the restraint and to stop targeting civilians," he said.

Abdeh said it was up to Washington -- which has engaged in intense diplomacy with Moscow to find a solution in Syria -- to salvage the Geneva peace process after the latest fighting.

"I think the Americans know really well they have to do something special in order to revive the political process in Syria and to get the political negotiation back on track.

"I hope the Americans are doing that, otherwise all the good efforts of the past four months would go in vain."

A new round of UN-backed peace talks is set to start on May 10 in Geneva.
Baghdad (AFP) - Iraqi protesters, most of them supporters of powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, were leaving the parliament building they stormed earlier on Saturday, an AFP photographer reported.

Members of the Sadrist militia group Saraya al-Salam could be seen ordering protesters to move out of the compound, some six hours after they broke into the fortified Green Zone area where the government is headquartered.
Hundreds of protesters stormed the Iraqi parliament building in Baghdad on April 30, during a protest against patronage and corruption in the country.

Organised by Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the protest involved the protesters gathering for a million-man march in Baghdad on Saturday morning before crossing into the citys Green Zone and storming the building, according to reports.

Once inside, the protesters broke glass and smashed furniture. A vehicle was set alight outside the building. Sessions to elect new cabinet ministers at the parliament were postponed prior to the breach.

Earlier this week, the parliament approved a partial cabinet reshuffle, which had been welcomed by Sadr. Credit: Twitter/Rudaw
By Nick Brown

SAN JUAN (Reuters) - Puerto Ricos Government Development Bank said it has reached a deal with credit unions to avoid defaulting on about $33 million of debt due on Monday.

The GDB, Puerto Ricos primary fiscal agent, said in a statement on Friday that it was still negotiating with other creditors in hopes of avoiding default on another $422 million due on Monday. The terms of the deal struck with the credit unions, according to the statement in Spanish, are also available to other ... creditors of the GDB, including other institutional bondholders."

The credit unions will exchange their debt for new notes due on May 1, 2017.

GDBs indebtedness, about $4 billion in total, is part of a $70 billion debt load in Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory facing a decade-long recession, 45 percent poverty rate and shrinking population. GDB, which acts as a liquidity source for the islands public entities, is negotiating with hedge funds including Fir Tree, Solus and Claren Road in hopes of staving off a default that could threaten services and operations on the island.

Optimism for a deal has been low, with Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla saying this week that there will be a default on Monday, and a source close to talks telling Reuters there is "no indication" of progress on a deal.

But the accord with credit unions is a sign that talks are still alive. Height Securities analyst Daniel Hanson, who follows Puerto Rico closely, said on Friday he remains bullish for a deal with other creditors by Monday. The idea that GDB has $4 billion of debt due in the next five or six years is problematic, but theres a really strong inventive to find way to stretch that debt out, he said.

A default at GDB would likely mean turning its operations over to a receiver who, under Puerto Ricos fiscal emergency law passed this month, would have authority to shift the banks deposit accounts to a new, bridge entity, while leaving the burdensome debt liabilities at a GDB shell.

Story continues

The legality of those measures would likely be challenged by creditors in costly lawsuits that could perpetuate economic uncertainty on the island of 3.5 million.

A default would also ratchet up pressure on U.S. Congress to legislate a fix for Puerto Rico. Lawmakers remain locked in dispute over a draft bill that would put Puerto Rico's finances under federal oversight and allow it to restructure debt.

(Editing by Matthew Lewis)
(Adds details of deal, analyst comment, background)

By Nick Brown

SAN JUAN, April 29 (Reuters) - Puerto Rico's Government Development Bank said it has reached a deal with credit unions to avoid defaulting on about $33 million of debt due on Monday.

The GDB, Puerto Rico's primary fiscal agent, said in a statement on Friday that it was still negotiating with other creditors in hopes of avoiding default on another $422 million due on Monday. The terms of the deal struck with the credit unions, according to the statement in Spanish, are also "available to other ... creditors of the GDB, including other institutional bondholders."

The credit unions will exchange their debt for new notes due on May 1, 2017.

GDB's indebtedness, about $4 billion in total, is part of a $70 billion debt load in Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory facing a decade-long recession, 45 percent poverty rate and shrinking population. GDB, which acts as a liquidity source for the island's public entities, is negotiating with hedge funds including Fir Tree, Solus and Claren Road in hopes of staving off a default that could threaten services and operations on the island.

Optimism for a deal has been low, with Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla saying this week that "there will be a default on Monday," and a source close to talks telling Reuters there is "no indication" of progress on a deal.

But the accord with credit unions is a sign that talks are still alive. Height Securities analyst Daniel Hanson, who follows Puerto Rico closely, said on Friday he remains bullish for a deal with other creditors by Monday. "The idea that GDB has $4 billion of debt due in the next five or six years is problematic, but there's a really strong inventive to find way to stretch that debt out," he said.

A default at GDB would likely mean turning its operations over to a receiver who, under Puerto Rico's fiscal emergency law passed this month, would have authority to shift the bank's deposit accounts to a new, bridge entity, while leaving the burdensome debt liabilities at a GDB shell.

Story continues

The legality of those measures would likely be challenged by creditors in costly lawsuits that could perpetuate economic uncertainty on the island of 3.5 million.

A default would also ratchet up pressure on U.S. Congress to legislate a fix for Puerto Rico. Lawmakers remain locked in dispute over a draft bill that would put Puerto Rico's finances under federal oversight and allow it to restructure debt.

(Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Doha (AFP) - Doha has requested an "emergency" meeting of Arab League envoys to discuss deadly Syrian regime air raids on the war-ravaged city of Aleppo, the official Qatar News Agency reported Saturday.

Qatars permanent envoy at the Cairo-based pan-Arab body has requested holding "a meeting to discuss the dangerous escalation in the city of Aleppo and the Syrian regime forces massacres against civilians" there, said the statement on QNA.

The request comes after Russia said it will not ask the Syrian regime it backs to halt air raids on Aleppo, capital of the northern province of the same name and a key battleground in the five-year Syria war.

Some 250 civilians have been killed in Syrian regime air raids since April 22 or in army and rebel crossfire that has intensified despite a truce which came into force on February 27, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia late on Friday "strongly" condemned the raids and urged the Syrian regime's allies "to take all measures needed to stop these attacks and all crimes carried out by (President) Bashar al-Assad and his supporters against the Syrian people."

"Through this criminal act, the tyrant of Damascus Bashar al-Assad, affirms that he is not serious in responding to the demands of the international community or in moving ahead with the ongoing talks to peacefully resolve the Syrian crisis," said a Saudi foreign ministry official in a statement on the SPA news agency.

A new round of UN-backed peace talks is set to start on May 10 in Geneva.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia support Syrian rebels fighting Assad's Russian- and Iranian-backed regime in a conflict which has killed more than 270,000 people since it began in March 2011.

Another Gulf state, the United Arab Emirates, made similar remarks Saturday urging an end to violence and urging the UN Security Council to help end the bloodshed.

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The UAE voiced its "deep concern" over the "Syrian government forces' immoral targeting of hospitals and medical services," in a foreign ministry statement on news agency WAM.

"This unjustified escalation against civilians" could derail the political process and the ceasefire, it warned.

A total of four medical facilities were hit in Aleppo Friday on both sides of the front line, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

A Syrian regime raid on Wednesday hit a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross as well as nearby housing, killing 30 people.
San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr announced Friday that all officers on the city's force would undergo anti-harassment training after he released a transcript of racist and homophobic text messages sent among officers about suspects and citizens in the city. The latest batch of offensive exchanges comes days after authorities confirmed the authenticity of an older series of messages released by a city attorney.

One can only hope the anti-harassment class will discourage police officers from referring to the citizens they are sworn to protect and serve as n****** and "beaners."

The newly released texts show the officers denigrating black and Latino suspects with racial slurs and insulting fellow officers whom they perceived to be gay. The texts also include conversations ridiculing the black community in Ferguson, Missouri, where police fatally shot an unarmed black man in 2014.

One multimedia message includes a photo of smoke rising above San Francisco. Officers guessed the cause of the fire, the AP reported: "Must be Korean BBQ," reads one text message. "I heard was a slave ship!!" another reads.

Authorities investigating sexual-assault allegations against a former officer said they found the text messages on two officers' personal phones.

Source: Eric Risberg/AP

Suhr detailed steps he's taking to combat bias in the department, which include making the force as diverse as San Francisco's population of more than . Ed Lee, the city's first Chinese-American mayor, emailed every officer in the force on Thursday urging him or her to report colleagues who exhibit biased or racist behavior.

Suhr, who has been embroiled in a scandal over an alleged culture of racial bias and brutality in the department since 2014, previously stated that the text messages aren't proof that racist attitudes are deeply rooted in the force of 2,100 officers. The scandal helped to flare tensions with the black community in December, when officers fatally shot Mario Woods, a 26-year-old African-American who was wielding a knife.

The mere existence of the texts left some officers feeling betrayed, as most on the force felt unfairly associated with the bias allegation, Suhr said. "The vast majority of police officers are shaken," he said. "The expectations [of professional conduct] have never been higher, so when officers do something like this, the disappointment can't be greater."
Johannesburg (AFP) - The roaring of 33 lions rescued from circuses in Peru and Colombia echoed through Johannesburg's international airport Saturday after they arrived in their ancestral homeland for the first time.

The lions appeared healthy but a little distressed by the long journey, Jan Creamer, the president of Animal Defenders International (ADI), an animal rights charity that organised the flight, told reporters.

"They have lived a life of absolute hell. They've been beaten and they've been starved. They've been deprived of everything that makes life worth living for a lion.

"I believe we have brought them back to paradise, where they belong," she said.

After flying for more than 15 hours the lions were loaded onto two huge trucks which were due to drive through the night to their new home at the 5,000 hectare Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in the north of the country.

At around dawn they will be freed into large natural enclosures in the African bush.

"The lion habitats will be steadily expanded over the coming months as the lions become familiar with their new life and are introduced to each other," said ADI.

The lions were bred in captivity and many have broken teeth or other ailments -- one is almost blind, another has lost an eye and most had their claws removed -- which would make it impossible for them to survive in the wild.

The lions were freed with the assistance of the authorities after the use of wild animals in circuses was outlawed in Peru and Colombia.

Twenty-four lions rescued in Peru were driven from their temporary rescue center to Lima airport to be picked up by a cargo plane that brought another nine over from Colombia before taking off for Africa.

"The lions will be in their natural habitat for the first time in their lives," Creamer said. "They should fit right into that habitat. It's the best environment for them."

At their new home, "the lions will enjoy large natural enclosures situated in pristine African bush, complete with drinking pools, platforms and toys," ADI said.

The sanctuary is already home to six rescued lions and two tigers.
Aleppo (Syria) (AFP) - The United States Saturday demanded that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces halt their bombardment of Aleppo and help restore a nationwide ceasefire, with Secretary of State John Kerry due to head to Geneva for talks on the conflict.

Terrified residents fled a new wave of air strikes on rebel-held areas of the divided city as key regime backer Russia rejected calls to rein in its ally.

With the peace process hanging by a thread, Kerry was to fly to Geneva on Sunday for talks with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura and the Saudi and Jordanian foreign ministers.

In calls to De Mistura and the lead Syrian opposition negotiator, Kerry expressed "deep concern" about Aleppo, which has suffered some of the worst fighting in a conflict that has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.

"The secretary made clear that ending the violence in Aleppo and returning ultimately to a durable, nationwide cessation is a top priority," spokesman John Kirby said.

A truce was called in February between Assad's forces and a coalition of rebels but has since begun to break down, particularly in the besieged city of Aleppo where nearly 250 people have been killed in the last 10 days.

In the calls, Kerry dismissed Russian and regime claim that the Aleppo strikes were targeting the Al-Nusra Front, a jihadist force that is not party to the ceasefire.

"The secretary made clear that we urged Russia to take steps to stop regime violations, especially its indiscriminate aerial attacks in Aleppo," Kirby said.

Aleppo was left out of a new temporary US-Russian brokered truce that appeared to be holding in the regime stronghold of Latakia as well as Damascus and the nearby rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta.

A new round of UN-backed peace talks is set to start on May 10 in Geneva.

- 'Unbearable situation' -

In Aleppo's rebel-held east, dozens of civilians left the battered Bustan al-Qasr district early Saturday, an AFP correspondent said.

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"The situation has become unbearable," Abu Mohammed said as he prepared to flee with his wife and five children. "Everything is paralysed."

Russia said that it would not ask Damascus to halt air raids on Aleppo.

"No, we are not going to put pressure on (Damascus) because one must understand that the situation in Aleppo is part of this fight against the terrorist threat," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said.

At least 246 civilians have died in shelling, rocket fire and air strikes in both sides of the city since April 22, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

At least 10 civilians died in rebel-controlled areas on Saturday, according to the civil defence.

The violence in Aleppo has severely tested the February 27 truce between the regime and non-jihadist rebels intended to pave the way to an end to the five-year conflict.

The few people out on the streets watched the sky anxiously for regime aircraft, running for shelter when one launched a new raid.

The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground, reported 28 air strikes on eastern neighbourhoods.

But in its daily report on Syria, Russia's defence ministry said it had recorded only "three ceasefire violations in the city of Aleppo", blaming them all on the rebels.

The SANA state news agency said shelling of western government-held neighbourhoods killed three civilians, including a child, and blamed Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front and its allies.

A pro-government newspaper said Thursday the army was preparing an offensive to recapture all of Aleppo and the surrounding province.

- Aid for besieged towns -

Hospitals have also been bombed in nine days of escalating violence in Aleppo.

Four medical facilities were hit Friday on both sides of the front line, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

A raid on Wednesday hit a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross as well as nearby housing, killing 30 people and sparking an international outcry.

On other fronts, fighting halted at 1:00 am Saturday (2200 GMT Friday) in a "freeze" set to last for 24 hours in Damascus and Eastern Ghouta, and 72 hours in Latakia.

Humanitarian convoys carrying food and medicine meanwhile entered the besieged rebel-held towns of Madaya and Zabadani, northwest of Damascus, on Saturday, the Red Cross said.

At the same time, trucks entered the besieged government-held towns of Fuaa and Kafraya, southwest of Aleppo.

Madaya became infamous in late 2015 after dozens died of starvation there.

Anas al-Abdeh, head of the Istanbul-based opposition National Coalition, Saturday accused the regime of "war crimes and crimes against humanity" in Aleppo.

Human Rights Watch also said the air strikes on medical facilities in the city "may amount to war crimes".

Qatar called for an emergency Arab League meeting, and Saudi Arabia condemned the regime strikes.
(Fixes name of journal in source line at end of story.) By Kathryn Doyle (Reuters Health) - Patients in the emergency room who don't speak English well are slightly more likely to return within days, suggesting their care the first time was not as good as it could have been, researchers say. In a study in one New York hospital, about 4 percent of English speakers made an unplanned return to the ER within three days, compared to 5 percent of people with limited English. Low use of professional translators may partly explain the disparity in care, the researchers report in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. Theres a necessary but not sufficient step to providing care for people with low English proficiency . . . having a good interpreter or healthcare provider who can speak to them in their language, said Dr. Elizabeth Jacobs of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not part of the new study. The study team, led by Dr. Ka Ming Ngai of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, analyzed 2012 data from the Mount Sinai emergency department. More than 32,000 adult patients and 45,000 ER visits were included. The study did not include patients with psychiatric or substance-related complaints, those who were nonverbal or had altered mental status, and those with a history of frequent ER visits. Almost 3,000 patients had limited English proficiency, and in about half of cases someone served as an interpreter. Usually, this was a family member or an ER staff member. Only 527 visits in this group, 24 percent, involved a professional interpreter. More than a quarter of patients were admitted to the hospital and 1,380 patients had an unplanned return to the ER within three days. After accounting for age, sex, insurance, race, ethnicity, triage category and other health problems, having limited English proficiency was not tied to greater risk of being admitted to the hospital. But those with limited English proficiency were about 24 percent more likely to return to the ER unexpectedly. Ngai told Reuters Health by email that he has been studying the problem of language barriers for the past six years and over time has seen some improvements. "New medical students are now routinely educated to use interpreter phones during their clinical simulation . . . however, there are still many barriers including access to interpreters and interpreter phones, time constraints, and (doctors) trying to 'get by' with their own language skills," he said. Ngai said regulatory bodies require hospitals to make language services available. In New York State, for example, upon a request to the hospital administration by the patient, the patients family or representative, or the provider of medical care, hospitals must provide translation services in inpatient and outpatient settings within 20 minutes and in emergency settings with 10 minutes. Most New York Hospitals use an interpreter phone service, he said. Patients who struggle to speak the local language are a really important population to study and think about how we can improve their care, Jacobs said. A 5 percent rather than 4 percent rate of return to the ER is not a large difference, but that could be due to the large number of patients excluded from the study, and because there was no validated measure of English proficiency, Jacobs said. That might be why we didnt see large differences, if some people considered low English proficiency actually spoke English well, or were getting good interpretive services, she said. If you took them out, the difference might be larger. Patients who do not speak English may struggle in other areas of the health system more than at the ER, she added. But even having an interpreter at the hospital wont help patients deal with insurance providers, she noted. There are contextual issues that you may not be able to fully adequately address unless you can understand the nuances, Jacobs said. "When dealing with immigrant population, it is almost always more than 'just' language," Ngai agreed. There can be cultural issues, too. In addition, people with low English proficiency may also be less able to take days off of work, and to agree to be admitted to the hospital when necessary, than others, Jacobs said. Weve made tremendous progress in assuring interpreters are more available, in person, over the phone or by video, Jacobs said. But, she said, we are very imperfect at getting patients the services they need. Its important for providers to be educated on these issues and to understand how to access these services. It would be ideal to try to match patients with providers by language and culture, but in the meantime, "language is a good start," Ngai said. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1XWbkJT Annals of Emergency Medicine, March 29, 2016
Nolan Arenado leading the majors in homers isn't exactly a surprise, but Trevor Story tying him has matched a rookie record.

Both players take aim at the Colorado Rockies' mark for April on Saturday night against Zack Greinke and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Arenado led the NL with a career-high 42 homers last year and his 130 RBIs topped the majors, so having 10 homers through 22 games - including one in each of the last three - isn't at all unexpected.

What's been surprising is Story matching his 10 homers in his first 21 games to equal George Scott (1966) as the fastest player in history to reach the mark. It also tied the rookie record for April set by Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox in 2014.

"Maybe when it's all said and done it will be something cool to look back on, but right now I'm just worried about winning games," Story said.

He and Arenado helped Colorado (10-12) do that Friday, hitting one out each in a 9-0 romp of Arizona to open this three-game set.

The homers put both players on the verge of tying the Rockies record for April first set by Larry Walker in 1997 and matched by him in 2001.

Story has hit five of his homers in four games against the Diamondbacks (12-13), while Arenado has only managed to hit three in 28 career games at Chase Field. The All-Star third baseman is also 5 for 27 versus Greinke (2-2, 6.16 ERA), while Story homered on both of his hits against him in a 10-5 opening-day victory April 4.

Greinke got pulled from that outing after four innings, surrendering seven runs and three homers.

The right-hander's struggles in the desert have continued and he owns the fourth-highest qualifying ERA in the NL after leading the majors with a career-best 1.66 mark with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year.

Greinke has also compiled a 9.72 ERA while losing two of three starts at home. He earned a 12-7 win over St. Louis on Monday, but was hammered for seven runs and 11 hits in 6 2/3 innings.

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"I thought I did all right. It's just kind of embarrassing giving up seven runs thinking you did all right," Greinke said. "I'll take it, as long as it's not like that all the time."

The Rockies have put Chris Rusin (1-0, 2.45) in the rotation in place of Jordan Lyles, who went 1-1 with a 7.64 ERA in four starts before being demoted to Triple-A Albuquerque earlier this week.

Rusin has tossed 9 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings over his last three outings, and he's not getting overly excited about starting.

"That's the best way to go about it because things change so much throughout the year," Rusin told MLB's official website. "You can't make too much of switching roles."

Rusin, however, should be accustomed to his new role since he started 42 of his 48 games over four seasons with the Rockies and Chicago Cubs prior to this season.

The left-hander, though, is 9-19 with a 5.21 ERA in his career as a starter. However, he's 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts against the Diamondbacks - all in the desert.
Tehran (AFP) - Reformist and moderate Iranian politicians allied with President Hassan Rouhani won a big victory in second round parliamentary elections and capped a remarkable comeback Saturday after years of isolation.

The outcome represents a significant realignment of competing factions in the Islamic republic, with conservative MPs losing their dominance and being outnumbered for the first time since 2004.

It was also an implicit public vote of confidence in Rouhani, who won a landslide election victory in 2013 and went on to clinch a historic deal with world powers over Tehran's nuclear programme that lifted sanctions.

Official results also showed 17 women were elected -- eight more than at present and the highest female representation since the country's revolution in 1979.

Almost a quarter of parliament's seats were at stake in run-offs Friday in what was a showdown between reformists and conservatives seeking to influence the country's future.

Although Iran's parliament has marginal powers -- under the country's theocratic rule clerics can veto legislation -- the result will help the government deliver economic reforms such as a new oil contracts law that could tempt foreign majors.

It could also speed up social change demanded by reformists.

Their return as a major force is a shake up for hardliners in Tehran after an era of diplomatic clashes with the West over a nuclear programme that, before Rouhani, had left Iran under threat of military attack.

Most lawmakers who opposed the landmark agreement struck last year after years of talks with Tehran's long-time foe the United States and other leading nations were rejected by voters.

That verdict should make Rouhani's job easier.

Iran does not have rigid party affiliations, making election outcomes notoriously opaque. Some candidates were backed by both camps and others stood as independents.

But of the 68 seats that were contested Friday, 38 went to the pro-Rouhani List of Hope coalition, 18 to conservatives and 12 to independents, according to final results published by the interior ministry.

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That gives reformists 133 seats in the new 290-member parliament, 13 shy of a majority but more than their rivals' 125 MPs. Remaining seats went to independents and minorities who could hold the balance of power.

The second ballot on Friday was needed because no candidate won the minimum 25 percent required in the first round.

- A different parliament -

In stark contrast to the first two-and-a-half years of his presidency, the result should give Rouhani a supportive parliament. The outgoing conservative-led chamber repeatedly blocked him and even impeached one of his ministers.

Iran's reformists have encouraged foreign investment, support moves for greater diplomatic rapprochement and seek social change and fewer political restrictions at home.

Their electoral gains in February came just six weeks after Tehran's implementation of the nuclear deal.

Around 17 million citizens were eligible to vote on Friday and polling took place in 21 provinces, but not in Tehran, as reformists won all of the capital's 30 seats in the first round.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had urged a strong turnout, saying the vote was no less important than the initial poll.

Mohammad Reza Aref, a partly US-educated engineer and leader of the reformist pro-Rouhani List of Hope, had set a target of at least another 40 lawmakers.

Although that was narrowly missed, gains for the president's allies will make legislative reforms more likely.

The vote also buys some time for Rouhani to try to turn around a struggling economy amid concern over the nuclear deal. He faces a re-election battle next June and would have been severely wounded had conservatives staged a fightback in the second round vote.

Iranian officials including Khamenei have complained that the United States is not honouring its commitments and is in fact taking steps to dissuade non-American banks from doing business with Tehran.

Although the conservatives went backwards two months ago they did not change tack this time round, keeping up pressure over what they say is a silent agenda among reformists to give up the principles of the revolution.

But appeals for backing from Gholam-Ali Hadad Adel, head of the conservative coalition, who lost his own seat in Tehran because of the reformist surge in February, again went unheeded.
Two San Jose, California, brothers have been arraigned for the alleged murders of their parents  with the elder brother telling police a "stranger he could not name had "assaulted him" before forcing him to kill them.



Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges.



Relatives of Golam Rabbi, 59, and Shamima Rabbi, 57, became concerned when they couldn't reach them on April 24, according to a Statement of Facts released by the Santa Clara District Attorney's office Friday.



The relatives called 911 when they entered the couple's home in the comfortable Evergreen section of San Jose and found writing on the walls and floor before they came upon one of the victims, who lay dead inside the house.



Police arrived soon after, saying both sustained multiple gunshot wounds. They were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the statement.



The relatives who called police said the couple's two sons, Hasib Bin Golamrabbi, 22, and his 17-year-old brother, whose name has been withheld because he is a minor, were not home when they discovered the body.



They said they spoke to the brothers at about 9:30 a.m. on the day after the murders, which police say took place on April 23, telling them they were worried because they had not been able to reach their parents.



The brothers told them that they were in Oakland for an anime convention.



"When the brothers failed to show up and stopped answering their phones, they went to the victims' home, where they found their bodies," the statement says.



While Bin Golamrabbi did not call his relatives back, his younger brother eventually contacted a family member while police were at his house. Police located him nearby and interviewed him.



He told police that his mother was still sleeping and that his father was awake when they left the house on April 23. He said he and his brother planned to spend the night in Oakland.



He said they returned from Oakland on April 24 after their relatives called them. He said Bin Golamrabbi let him out of the car about two miles from their house and drove away. Police located him as he was starting to walk home, according to the DA's statement.



After searching for Bin Golamrabbi since April 24, police arrested him on Wednesday in Tracy, California, according to police.



His younger brother was arrested in San Jose that same day.



"There are no outstanding suspects," a police said Thursday.



Bin Golam Rabbi was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail for murder. His brother was booked into the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall for murder. They are both being held without bond.



 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.





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Strange Writings and a Confession

On Tuesday, investigators who analyzed the writings on the walls and floors of the home, they compared them to writings from notebooks found in the brothers' rooms and saw that one group of writings was consistent with the younger brother's writing, the DA's statement says.



Bin Golamrabbi revealed in a recorded, Mirandized statement "that he shot his father multiple times inside the garage because a stranger whom he could not name had assaulted him in the home and told him to do that," the DA's statement said. "When asked about his mother, he explained that he did not see her shot, adding that it was another person."



His brother said in his recorded interview that he was home when Bin Golamrabbi killed his parents. "He did not mention the presence of a stranger or any other person," the DA's statement says.



At Bin Golamrabbi's request, the younger brother closed the curtains after he killed their father. "Then Hasib killed their mother," the DA's statement says.



The younger brother said that Bin Golamrabbi told him to check the garage door "to make sure that blood was not seeping out from inside the garage," the DA's statement said.



The brothers then headed to the convention, "where they were seen to have been acting normally," the statement says.





Accused Son: 'I Want Everyone to Know What Happened'

In a jailhouse interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Bin Golam Rabbi said the real story behind the murders will become known.



"The best thing if anyone wants to know what happened is to wait for the trial," he told the paper from a jailhouse phone.



"I want everyone to know what happened, but I canat say anything without a lawyer," he said.



Even though his younger brother, a senior at Evergreen Valley High School, was taken into custody, Bin Golam Rabbi told the Chronicle that the teen is innocent and had nothing to do with the murders.





Eerie Messages

Chilling messages were allegedly written on the floor and wall near the parents' bodies, including one that read, "Sorry my first killing was clumsy," a source told NBC Bay Area.



Another message allegedly ended with the words, "I canat be like you, telling a lie. I canat love someone without telling them."



Police have not confirmed the messages.



On Thursday, well-wishers placed candles and roses in front of the Rabbi's house on a quiet, tree-lined cul-de-sac in memory of the slain couple.



Friends and family are shocked at the murders of the Rabbis, who immigrated to San Jose from Bangladesh more than three decades ago, according to the Chronicle.



They are being remembered as kind-hearted people who helped others who came to the United States.



"They not only brought us here, they also brought us food and shelter, at least until we found our means to survive," the Rabbi's 37-year-old nephew, Golam Mustakim, told the Chronicle. He added that the couple "displayed this same kindness to other families in the United States."



Funerals for the couple will be held Friday.



Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Pat Guire or Detective Ken Tran of the San Jose Police Department's Homicide Unit at 408-277-5283 or the anonymous Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (408) 947-STOP (7867).
Ronald Miscavige, the estranged father of Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige and himself a former Scientologist, appeared on an ABC 20/20 special to promote his memoir, Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me, which publishes on May 3. This was the first real sense of the book's contents, since it is heavily embargoed until its release next week.

Ron talked about how his son went from what he described as "a lovable kid" to the ruthless leader of the church. Ron added, "To come to this is nuts." Ron's view of his son is a devastating portrait. "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely," he said, paraphrasing the famous quote by Lord Acton.

In the special, Ron went back to the beginning of his and David's story to describe how he introduced 9-year-old David to Scientology in 1969 (soon after Ron himself first encountered the church) and how the church's auditing routines helped David with his asthma attacks. Ron described that as the key turning point in David's life, the moment he decided he would dedicate his life to the church.

Ron recounted how David joined the Sea Org, the Church's elite leadership group that requires members to sign a billion-year contract, in the mid-1970s. Fellow Sea Org members at the time described David as "gung ho" and very ambitious (he was nicknamed "the kid" by founder L. Ron Hubbard).

In dispute is whether Hubbard wanted David Miscavige to succeed him as the leader of the Church of Scientology. During the early 1980s, Miscavige became the gatekeeper to Hubbard. His father, Ron, said he developed a taste for power, though he admitted he doesn't have firsthand knowledge of what happened during those years or how David became the church's leader after Hubbard's death in 1986.

Read More: Scientology Leader David Miscavige Threatens to Sue Over Father's Tell-All

In 1985, Ron himself joined the Sea Org (after David helped him fight a sexual-assault charge). Ron recounted how David then treated him as an underling, not as his father, often yelling at him in public.

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Ron also touched on David's relationship with Tom Cruise, probably the highest-profile Scientologist in the world. Ron said Cruise and his son were "the best of buddies" and that Cruise thinks David is "the top spiritual being" on Earth.

Ron painted a devastating picture of life at Scientology's 500-acre "Gold Base" compound in Hemet, Calif., claiming it's a place where incoming and outgoing mail is read and phone calls are monitored. Ron hated it so much that he left both Gold Base and Scientology in 2012. Ron called it an "escape," a term the church disputes.

The church tried to undermine Ron's credibility by telling ABC that he hit David's mother. (Ron did not dispute the domestic-abuse claims, but disputed the church's allegation of the frequency of these instances.) The church also provided ABC access to members of the Scientology band Ron played in, who called him an "embarrassment," "lazy" and a user of racial slurs.

After Ron left the church, he moved to West Allis, Wis. (helped by a $100,000 gift from David). While living there, he discovered that private detectives hired by the church were spying on him. Ron said they were working under David's direction. In fact, Ron learned (from the West Allis Police who pulled over one of the detectives) that once, when it appeared that Ron was having a heart attack, the detectives called Scientology headquarters and were told by David not to intervene. "If he dies, he dies," is what they said David told them. (If He Dies, He Dies was the original working title of Ron's book.)

The 20/20 special also delved into the Miscavige family feud. Ron's two daughters side with their brother David. Ron, who has never met his great-grandchildren, said David ordered his sisters to disconnect from their father ("disconnect" is a Scientology term for cutting off contact with former members). Statements from the two daughters read on the air (they declined on-camera interviews) denied the disconnection allegations and said they cut off contact with their father because he was much more abusive than he admits.

David Miscavige did not appear on the program. ABC's interview attempts at a church event were rebuffed by Scientology workers.

Read More: Scientology Asks "Who Am I?" in Super Bowl 50 Ad

At the end of the 20/20 special, Ron said that he still loves his son David and that he forgives him. (In the program, church lawyer Monique Yingling scoffed, saying that David has done nothing that he needs to be forgiven for.)

A statement from the Church of Scientology to The Hollywood Reporter vigorously denied Ron Miscavige's account and praised the leadership of his son David as the head of Scientology.

"Ronald Miscavige is seeking to make money on the name of his famous son. David Miscavige has taken care of his father throughout his life, both financially and by helping him in even the most dire circumstances.

"Ronald Miscavige was nowhere around when David Miscavige ascended to the leadership of the Church of Scientology, mentored by and working directly with the religion's founder L. Ron Hubbard, and entrusted by him with the future of the Church. Any father exploiting his son in this manner is a sad exercise in betrayal.

"Mr. David Miscavige's far-reaching vision and unrelenting dedication has brought the Church of Scientology to where it is today, guaranteeing its future for generations to come. Scientologists worldwide love and respect Mr. David Miscavige for his tireless work on behalf of their religion."

Earlier this week, the church threatened to sue Ron in the United Kingdom for defamation if the British publisher Silvertail Books went ahead with plans to release the book there on May 3. American publisher St. Martin's Press received a similar letter, but the more plaintiff-friendly libel laws in the United Kingdom would make it a more favorable location for a lawsuit.

Silvertail publisher Humfrey Hunter told The Hollywood Reporter he wasn't worried. "My plans for the book haven't changed at all since I received the letter. Full legal due diligence has been carried out on the manuscript, and I am both confident in its integrity and very proud that Silvertail is publishing it. Ron's story is an important one, and he is a brave man to be telling it."

Read More: What Led Alex Gibney and Lawrence Wright to Confront Scientology With 'Going Clear'
Nairobi (AFP) - At least 12 people died when a building collapsed in Nairobi, officials said Saturday, as rescuers scrambled to find more survivors after torrential storms which killed another seven people.

President Uhuru Kenyatta visited the ruins of the six-storey building, where residents perished after concrete floors collapsed down on top of each other during heavy rainstorms on Friday.

The two-year-old building, home to more than 150 families, had been condemned by building authorities but the order to evacuate it had been ignored.

"So far 12 people have been confirmed dead from the ... tragedy," a government statement said.

The building came down at around 9:30 pm (1830 GMT) Friday following some of the heaviest downpours since the start of the rainy season that caused flooding and landslides in many areas of the city.

Two neighbouring buildings were declared unsafe and were evacuated.

Seven other people died in floods elsewhere in the Kenyan capital, including four killed when a wall collapsed.

- Missing -

Kenya Red Cross said that over 50 people had been reported as missing. However, there was no confirmation that they were trapped inside the building.

Heavy rainstorms are predicted to continue overnight, the Red Cross saying rescue efforts were expected to continue, "probably running into days."

Access for rescuers with larger machinery has been made difficult by the narrow and crowded streets.

One survivor was pulled from the huge pile of debris shortly after dawn, Kenya Red Cross said, some 10 hours after the building collapsed Friday night.

- 'Ignored directives' -

Pictures broadcast by local media showed soldiers, policemen and civilians searching through the rubble.

Kenyatta "braved the rainy and chilly weather" to visit the poor and densely-populated Huruma neighbourhood, a statement from the presidency said.

He ordered police to "take immediate action to identify and arrest owners of buildings who have ignored directives by the National Construction Authority", it said.

Story continues

In other separate incidents, two people drowned when their vehicle was swept away by storm waters in the capital's Industrial Area, and another person died in floods.

Nairobi has been in the midst of a building boom for some years but the quality of materials used and speed of construction have sometimes been called into question.

The growing middle class has triggered an explosion in demand for housing and a rise in real estate prices in the east African capital.
Belgrade (AFP) - More than 1,000 people protested in Belgrade on Saturday against alleged electoral "fraud" at polls last weekend, at a rally organised by Serbia's main opposition parties.

The protest held in front of the Electoral Commission in downtown Belgrade came after the latest results showed a far-right coalition has been excluded from parliament after narrowly missing the five percent threshold needed for seats in final results.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic's party easily won re-election, but the far-right Dveri-DSS coalition has been shut out after achieving the threshold in earlier results.

"We will not allow the authorities to steal our votes," Bosko Obradovic, the head of the Dveri party, part of the Dveri-DSS coalition, told the crowd.

He urged Vucic to "acknowledge the election results".

With 99.45 percent of ballots counted, Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has won nearly 50 percent of the vote, giving it at least 138 seats in the 250-member parliament.

But the Dveri-DSS coalition, which according to earlier results had cleared the threshold needed for parliamentary representation, has now been now excluded from the assembly.

Later results put the coalition on 4.99 percent of the vote, just under the threshold, meaning Vucic's SNS will benefit with more seats.

The hour-long rally, which passed off peacefully, was attended by leaders of the main Serbian opposition parties apart from ultra-nationalist Vojislav Seselj, whose Radicals came third in the election.

The protesters carried banners reading "Don't play with my vote" and chanted "Vucic thief, you stole the election".

Aleksandra Jerotic joined the protest although she did not vote for the far-right coalition.

"Theft should not be allowed ... this is unacceptable," the 50-year-old lawyer told AFP.

Both Vucic and opposition groups have disputed the fairness of Sunday's general election.

Story continues

The opposition claimed having evidence of "huge irregularities and serious electoral fraud." But Vucic accused them of pressuring the electoral commission in order to make it past the five percent vote threshold.

The electoral commission has asked up to 16,500 voters at 15 polling stations to recast their ballots.

The commission said Thursday it was continuing to review reports from the polling stations, although international observers said "fundamental freedoms" had been respected during the vote.

Vucic, 46, controversially called the election two years ahead of schedule, saying he needed a clear mandate to implement reforms needed for Serbia to join the European Union.

Political rivals, however, say he wants to oust smaller parties from parliament so their seats can be redistributed to other parties, boosting the power of the SNS.
Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. Hes also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes at marcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.



Every month, well tell you about new television shows to hit terrestrial and cable channels, as well as streaming sites in Singapore! Well also highlight shows that youve got to be home (or on your phone) to catch every month.

What to catch this May?

If youre an anime fan, then Netflix has you covered with their release of Bleach and Gin Tama. On the local front, weve got comedies galore with Rojak on Channel 5 and Double Trouble on Toggle. And if youve been suffering from Korean drama withdrawal, there are many Korean movies and dramas premiering on Celestial Movies and Viu. Its a good month to be watching tv!

Rojak (4 May, Wednesday 9.30 pm, Channel 5)

When Patricia Lim, a 28 year old aspiring writer in Singapore loses her grandmother, she ends up with her huge, old house in her name. With a roof over her head but with no money in her pocket, she decides to rent out the rooms and thus begins friendships that spans borders and cultures! Each of these colorful personalities come with their own idiosyncrasies, opinions and quirks but soon bond and become family for each other. Just like the quintessential Singaporean dish of Rojak  where a blend of ingredients, tastes and colours come together in a mouth-watering explosion of flavour.



Shows about writers usually promise a lot of wit and candour because, well, thats what writers do, right? Though the multi-cultural aspect comes on a little thick, its been a while since weve had a show like this, with fresh faces and no baggage attached to the cast. If it takes off, it might just become our own Singaporean version of How I Met Your Mother.

Double Trouble (9 May, Toggle)

Mark Lee and Kumar with guest star Tosh Zhang in Double Trouble. (Mediacorp Channel 5)

Story continues

Comedy and truth collide in Double Trouble, a web series about all things Singaporean. Each webisode covers a very specific theme from an unique angle. Each webisode will be honest, unexpected and unconventional, just like the hosts. Kumar and Mark Lee from every segment, sometimes with the aid of their celebrity guest.

We have not seen Kumar on television for a very long time (even though technically Toggle isnt television, but you can always project it on your TV screen), so itll be fun to see him grace the screen again! You can be sure that both comedians will have scathing commentaries on the quirkier aspects of Singapore  all in the name of fun, of course.





The Beauty Inside (1 May, Sunday 9.00 pm, Celestial Movies)

A Korean romantic comedy featuring 21 actors playing the same character! Woo-jin is a troubled man who loses himself after continuously waking up in a different body every morning, regardless of age, gender and nationality, until he falls in love with a girl who makes him whole again.

Out last year, this movie finally hits TV screens! Although the concept is gimmicky, the trailer shows that they might just get a happy ending after all. It looks more mainstream than the original 2012 movie that its based off, which works to its benefit. Whats most important is the theme that you know will be prevalent through the movie that love transcends appearances. Regardless of whether you believe in that or not, it looks like itll be a feel good film.





Shows premiering in May





Channel 5

Rojak (4 May, Wednesday 9.30 pm)

The Hush (23 May, Monday 10.00 pm)

Rise (movie) (28 May, Saturday 7.30 pm)





History Channel (Starhub Channel 401)

Roots (31 May, Tuesday-Friday, 10.00 pm)





Celestial Movies (Starhub Channel 1610, mio TV Channel 585)

The Beauty Inside (1 May, Sunday 9.00 pm)





Thrill (Starhub Channel 618, mio TV Channel 415)

Fear of Darkness (9 May, Monday 9.00 pm)

The Abandoned (16 May, Monday 9.00 pm)





Toggle

Double Trouble (9 May)





Netflix

Bleach (first to eight season) (1 May)

Gin Tama (first to second season (1 May)

Grace & Frankie (second season) (6 May)

Marseille (6 May)

Lady Dynamite (6 May)

Bloodline (second season) (27 May)

The Do-Over (movie) (27 May)





Viu

Flower in Prison (1 May)

Dear My Friends (14 May)

Beautys Beast (15 May)

Lucky Romance (26 May)
Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa's radical Economic Freedom Fighters party won a massive show of support as it targeted white privilege and the ruling African National Congress as it launched its local election manifesto Saturday.

Around 40,000 people turned Orlando stadium in Soweto into a sea of red as supporters roared their approval of fiery EFF leader Julius Malema's promises to seize white-owned land without compensation and nationalise the banks.

The huge turnout was a shot across the bows of the ANC, which failed to fill a similar stadium during the launch of its own manifesto in the coastal city of East London two weeks ago.

"We are not chasing the whites away. We are saying you have too much land. We want you here in South Africa, but 80 percent of the land belongs to us," Malema told the crowd.

The white minority still holds the vast majority of farmland as well as a disproportionate share of the country's wealth, and the EFF is capitalising on black discontent over the perceived lack of change under the ANC government since the end of apartheid 22 years ago.

Malema, clad in the EFF's signature red overalls and beret, promised everything from free land, water and electricity for the poor to flushing toilets in all homes as he campaigned ahead of municipal elections in August.

"We want black communities to be like white communities," he told the enthusiastic crowd.

The ANC, which has ruled since its iconic leader Nelson Mandela took power in 1994, showed in 2014 national elections that it still had overwhelming support.

But it has been hard hit by a series of scandals involving President Jacob Zuma and some commentators predict it could lose a couple of major municipalities in the upcoming vote.

The EFF was founded 2013 by Malema after he was thrown out as the leader of the ANC's youth wing.

In national elections less than a year later it won more than a million votes, taking 25 seats in parliament and becoming the third largest party behind the centrist Democratic Alliance, which holds 89 seats.

This will be the first time the EFF has contested local elections, where issues such as housing, service delivery, poverty and unemployment rank high on voters' lists of complaints.
With summer (hopefully) fast approaching and baking beach holidays on the horizon, attention invariably turns to thoughts of boosting vitamin D levels and adding a glow to our skin. We all know that too much sun = a much higher risk of skin cancer, and we all know better than to head out for a days sunbathing without wearing any protection. But then theres the question of sunscreen.

What SPF should you wear? If your make-up has an SPF in it, is that enough? How often should you reapply it? Is sunscreen actually full of toxic ingredients? And what the hell does broad spectrum mean?

We spoke to a leading dermatologist about how best to protect your skin from the sun.

Lesson 1: Theres two types of sun rays

A lot of confusion about sunscreen tends to stem from this one fact. There are two different types of UV rays from the sun  UVA and UVB  and they work in different ways. UVB has a shorter wavelength but has higher energy, explains Dr Stefanie Williams, a cosmetic dermatologist and founder of Eudelo clinic in London. It has more aggressive effects on the skin, but it is filtered out quite easily.

UVB rays are the famous ones; they cause your skin to burn, and they are what SPF protects you from. Theyre are often filtered out, for example by glass (you dont get sunburnt if youre sitting next to a window on a sunny day), and to a certain extent by clouds (but not totally  you can definitely still get badly burnt on a cloudy day; I tell you this from painful experience.) In theory, SPF15 absorbs about 93% of UVB rays, SPF30 absorbs 97% and SPF50 absorbs 98%, explains Williams.

UVA, on the other hand, is what makes your skin age prematurely. Dr Williams explains, Its lower energy but it gets much deeper in to the skin to where the collagen is developed in the dermis. It is not filtered out by glass, so we still get UVA for example through the window.

Both types of UV have been linked to the development of skin cancer, so protecting from these UV rays isnt just a matter of wanting to look good as you age  its for your health.

Story continues

Lesson 2: Youre probably not wearing the right sunscreen, or enough of it

In fact, some products with an SPF in dont protect from UVA rays at all. The words you want to look out for are broad spectrum  that means that product protects you against UVA rays as well as UVB. Youll notice that although a lot of your make-up might say it contains an SPF, it isnt broad spectrum.

Then, even when youve got your hands on a sunscreen or day cream with a broad spectrum SPF30, you still dont know how much protection from UVA rays youre getting. SPF only tells you how well a product protects you from UVB rays.

In my opinion one of the best indications about a products UVA protection level is its PPD rating (persistent pigment darkening), which unfortunately is hardly ever displayed on the packaging, explains Dr Williams.

Now, if that wasnt complicated enough, there are several different labelling systems to indicate how well a product protects you from UVA rays. Helpful, right? Some are more confusing than theyre worth  for example, theres a star-based system that rates the ratio of UVA to UVB protection, rather than just the UVA protection.

The symbol to look out for on packaging is the PA+ sign. This system indicates the level of PPD in the product; PA+ is low (PDD of 2-4) and PA++++ is highest (PDD 16 and over). Dr Williams recommends an SPF of at least 30, and PA++++ for the best protection from sun damage.

Thats only if you put enough on, mind. Research has confirmed that under normal conditions we tend to apply less than half the recommended amount, Dr Williams says. So in daily life, we hardly ever reach the SPF factor stated on the packaging.

Lesson 3: Sunscreen wont kill you, but not wearing sunscreen might

There is occasionally a flurry of concern that some chemical ingredients found in sunscreens could be toxic or harmful to skin. First of all, as any doctor will attest, the sun is going to do far more damage to your skin than sunscreen is, so wear it.

Oxybenzone is a UV filter thats often in chemical SPFs and is one of the ingredients that tends to raise concern. In 2012, the Environmental Working Group in USA published a Sunscreen Guide recommending that people not use sunscreen containing oxybenzone as it is linked to hormone disruption and potentially cell damage.

But Dr Williams says there isnt any clinical evidence to prove that. I think the jury is out on that, she says. Im not a fan of oxybenzone anyway, but if there was any confirmed damage then the FDA [and other regulators] would be looking into stopping it. Theres no confirmation on any of that.

However, research in 2012 by Heretics Environmental Laboratory in USA did suggest that oxybenzone damages the growth of coral, so if youre planning on swimming in exotic waters, think about whats in your suncream.

Dr Williams also dismissed any concerns about another chemical sun filter: retinyl palmitate. Its just another type of retinol, a derivative of vitamin A. Its a milder form which doesnt do as much.

Dr Williams says that while she doesnt have a problem with chemical sun filters in sunscreen, she does prefer the physical filter  the ingredients that literally sit on your skin blocking UVA and UVB rays from getting in. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, she explains. Especially for children and for people with sensitive skin, I prefer physical sun filters.

Of course theres a down side to this militant vigilance when it comes to sun protection: you dont get much of a tan. Tan in fair skinned people is a sign that your skin has been damaged. And if you are protecting yourself well enough, you shouldnt be getting that much of a tan, says Dr Williams. Last year, I was on holiday in Egypt with my family, and at the end of the holiday, people were asking if wed just arrived, because we were so white.

Better book in for a spray-tan, sharp.

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?

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Spirit Airlines' 1Q16 Earnings Analysis: Whats in Store for 2016?

(Continued from Prior Part)

1Q16 performance

For the first quarter of 2016, Spirit Airlines adjusted operating profit fell by 7.3% year-over-year (or YoY) to $101 million. Operating margins fell by 18.8% in 1Q16, lower than the expected margin of 19%20.5%.

Net profits also fell by 10.3% to $62 million while earnings per share (or EPS) fell by 8.5% to $0.86. However, adjusted net profit grew by 2% to $72.3 million.

Fuel savings help

The huge decline in crude prices has helped airlines decrease expenses tremendously. For 1Q16, fuel expenses fell by 23.5% YoY.

Fuel cost per gallon for 1Q16 fell by 37.4% to $1.22 per gallon as compared to the $1.95 in 1Q15. Its fuel cost per available seat mile is $1.44. This is the lowest among peers, followed by Alaska Air (ALK) at $1.6, JetBlue Airways at $1.7, American Airlines (AAL) at $1.9, Delta (DAL) and United Continental (UAL) at $2.1 each, and Southwest Airlines (LUV) at $2.4.

Expenses increase despite CASM decline

SAVEs cost per available seat mile excluding fuel (or CASM) fell by 2.3% to 5.6 cents. This is lower than the expected 4.5% decline due to one-time accrual related to a flight attendant agreement. As a result, operating expenses rose by ~14% YoY to $437 million.

Expectations

For 2Q16, Spirit Airlines expects fuel cost to decline to $1.45 per gallon and an operating margin of 20.5% to 22.5%.

For 2016, SAVE expects non-fuel costs to further decline by 0% to 1% year-over-year. Fuel costs are expected to decline. However, the benefits will not be as high as those seen in 2015. Thus, operating margins are expected to decline. As unit revenue pressures ease from 3Q16 onwards, margins may improve slightly. However, they may not expand in comparison to 2015.

Investors can gain exposure to airline stocks by investing in the iShares Transportation Average ETF (IYT), which invests ~21% of its portfolio in airlines.

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Stanley Black & Decker: Stock Jumps with Guidance Boost

(Continued from Prior Part)

SWKs cash flow position improves year-over-year

Stanley Black & Deckers (SWK) free cash flows improved year-over-year, with cash outflow in the quarter falling by $85 million to $158 million. Free cash flow positions were enhanced by stronger working capital positions, especially within inventory and accounts receivables. Working capital outflow decreased year-over-year from $378 million to $268 million. Inventory levels were drawn down on account of unexpected strong sales in March. The company also claimed to have recovered cash throughout the quarter, leading to lower receivables. In other lines, higher earned income in the quarter offset growing capital expenditures. The company reiterated its free cash flow guidance at a conversion rate of ~100% of net income.

Working capital turnover

The working capital turnover ratio increased year-over-year from 6.6 to 7.0. Working capital turnover, the ratio of sales to working capital, highlights how effectively a company uses working capital to generate sales. A higher number indicates that funds from sales amount to more than the funds used to generate these sales.

Should investors worry about cash outflow in the first quarter?

Investors must note that outflow in the first quarter is the effect of normal seasonality. During the quarter, the company stocks up on inventory for its tools and storage business to ensure that it is prepared to meet the demand driven by construction (XHB) activities in the second and third quarters.

Investors interested in trading in dividend-based ETFs could look into the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL). Stanley Black & Decker (SWK) forms 2.1% of the total holdings in NOBL. Other holdings in NOBL include Nucor (NUE) at 2.5%, Dover (DOV) at 2.2%, and Illinois Tool Works (ITW) at 2.3%.

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By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA (Reuters) - Rateb Samour sees 250 patients a day whose complaints range from hair loss to cerebral palsy and cancer. But he is not a doctor and has never worked in a hospital. Samour inherited the skill of bee-sting therapy from his father, who used to raise bees. Then in 2003, the agricultural engineer started to dedicate all his time to studying and developing the alternative medicine treatment of apitherapy, which uses all bee-related products, including honey, propolis - or bee glue used to build hives - and venom. "I am treating serious and chronic diseases which have no cure in regular medicine, I have achieved excellent results," said Samour, an Egyptian-educated specialist in entomology and bees in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave. We speak about chondritis in the neck and spine, migraine, loss of hair, alopecia areata, skin diseases, cerebral palsy, autism and cancer," he said inside an apartment packed with patients on the edge of a beach refugee camp in Gaza City. The 58-year-old Palestinian said he makes bees sting patients at certain points in their bodies that he has carefully studied. A bee dies after being made to sting. "I have been subjected to doubts, but bee-sting therapy has proven itself as an excellent alternative medicine," he told Reuters. "Some doctors, who value the apitherapy for certain illnesses, are among my patients." For a Reuters photo essay, please click on http://reut.rs/1S3fD28 The Islamist-ruled Gaza is under blockade by neighboring Egypt and Israel, which restricts the movement of goods and people in and out of the territory. So Gaza lacks sophisticated medical equipment and has patchy access to medicines. Seriously ill patients must travel to Israel, Egypt or beyond for specialist medical treatment. Inside Samour's home, men and women wait their turn in separate rooms. Alya Al-Ghafari, 10, has been suffering from facial palsy for over two years. Mainstream medicine was both expensive and less efficient than apitherapy, according to her father. "Treatment by bee stings has been more effective than treatment by regular medicine but you need to be patient," said Saeed Al-Ghafari, a government employee. His daughter has been receiving treatment from Samour for nearly nine months. "At the beginning my daughter felt pain but as time passed Alya felt she became better," said Ghafari. "Her face has become better and now she is the one who reminds us of the therapy sessions." Muneera Al-Baba said her son Anas, who suffers from cerebral palsy, has made much more progress in a year and a half than he ever did using mainstream medicine, which also cost twice as much. "Communication between me and him was disconnected," the 44-year-old mother told Reuters. "He lived in a world of his own, now he responds to me." (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Brian McGee and Mark Heinrich)
StitchyBox, a small business in Washington is now using inFlow Inventory for inventory management. The company sends a variety of threads, unique embellishments and accessories to their subscribers on a bimonthly basis

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2016 / StitchyBox is the original cross stitch subscription service, offering subscription options to stitchers world-wide.

Every two months subscribers receive a variety of threads plus unique embellishments and stitching accessories.

With all the items and stock to manage, small business owner Liz Westlake looked for a solution to better manage her inventory.

"inFlow Inventory allows me to keep track of exactly what we have and what we need. As a one-woman show, it is vital that I have tools that allow me to work as efficiently as possible, so my focus can be on my customers," Liz said. "inFlow allows me to see all the data I could ask for regarding our inventory and sales with a few clicks."

About StitchyBox

StitchyBox's mission is to encourage creativity and adventurousness in every stitcher. StitchyBox is the original cross stitch/counted thread subscription box service.

Our flagship subscription, StitchyBox, brings a curated selection of threads, fabrics and embellishments to hundreds of stitchers every two months. Over the past year, StitchyBox has launched a second subscription service, Just the Threads, targeted at all needle workers, as well as a line of limited edition cross stitch kits, StitchyBox Presents.

For more information, please see www.stitchybox.com

For more information about us, please visit http://www.inflowinventory.com

Contact Info:

Name: Matt Kostanecki

Email: matt@inflowinventory.com

Organization: inFlow Inventory

Address: 260 Carlaw Ave. Unit 207, Toronto, Canada, M4M 3L1

Phone: 1 866 923 4974

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYolNxR0RiM

SOURCE: StitchyBox
Khartoum (AFP) - A Sudanese military plane crashed on Saturday in the state of North Kordofan, killing all five crew members on board, the army said.

The Soviet-era Antonov 26, usually used in operations against rebels, crashed while landing at the airport in El Obied, the capital of North Kordofan, an army statement said.

"The aircraft has been destroyed and all five crew members martyred," it said. Three army officers and two soldiers were on board.

The army said the crash was caused by "technical problems".

Pictures posted on social media networks such as Facebook showed thick black smoke billowing from the crash site.

The air force fleet of Russian-made planes and helicopters has suffered a number of losses in recent years, with the military frequently blaming technical problems.

In June 2013, two air force crew died when their helicopter crashed in war-torn Blue Nile state, just a week after another went down in conflict-plagued South Kordofan.

The military relies heavily on air power in its campaign against the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) as well as in fighting rebels in war-torn Darfur in the far west.

SPLM-N insurgents in Blue Nile and South Kordofan have been fighting President Omar al-Bashir's Arab-dominated Khartoum government since 2011.

Rebels often claim to have shot down military aircraft in these regions.
Qamishli (Syria) (AFP) - A suicide bomber killed five Kurdish policemen at a checkpoint in Syria's divided northeastern city of Qamishli on Saturday, police said.

Four others were wounded in the attack on the city's demarcation line, according to Jowan Ibrahim, the commander of the Kurdish police known as the Asayish.

It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) group has claimed previous bombings in the mainly Kurdish city.

Control of Qamishli is split between Kurdish militia and pro-regime fighters, who agreed a truce last week after several days of rare clashes.

The army and the Kurds have coordinated on security against Islamic State group jihadists in surrounding Hasakeh province, but tensions have built up between the sometimes-rival authorities.

The army and its militia ally, the National Defence Forces, control Qamishli airport and parts of the city, as well as areas of the provincial capital Hasakeh to the south.

Nearly all of the rest of the province is controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), who have declared an autonomous region across the mainly Kurdish northern areas they control.

The YPG is regarded by the Pentagon as the most effective fighting force against IS on the ground in Syria.
Survivors of a US air strike on a hospital in Afghanistan have called for those responsible to go on trial and dismissed an American military investigation that said the bombardment did not amount to a war crime.

The attack on the hospital run by medical charity Doctors Without Borders in the city of Kunduz last October left 42 people dead and sparked global outrage, forcing President Barack Obama to make a rare apology.

The Pentagon on Friday published a report of its investigation into the air strike saying the troops involved in the raid would not face war crimes charges.

"This report is an absolute insult to the victims of MSF hospital in Kunduz," Esmatullah Esmat, who works as a doctor for the charity, told AFP.

"We do not feel safe after this report, if we go to work, we fear the hospital might come under attack another time," Esmat said.

"We are very upset and demoralised... We are not satisfied, and we will not go back to work as long as justice is not ensured to our people," he added.

The bombing last October came as US special forces were deployed to Kunduz alongside Afghan forces in order to recapture the northern city from the Taliban, who had overrun it in one of their dramatic successes of the war.

Despite no fire coming from the hospital, an AC-130 gunship turned its enormous firepower on the target, pummelling it repeatedly over an extended period.

Doctors Without Borders branded the strike a war crime, saying the raid left patients burning in their beds with some victims decapitated and others requiring amputations.

Witnesses told MSF that the main central block of the security facility housing the intensive care unit was targeted precisely, with nearby buildings unscathed, and many patients burned to death in their beds.

- Calls for a trial -

"They should be publicly put on trial," Hamdullah, a 27-year-old who lost his uncle in the attack and worked in the laundry at the hospital, told AFP.

Story continues

"This was a deliberate bombardment by the American forces, and we are not satisfied that they have said this was not a war crime. This is unacceptable for us," Hamdullah, who goes by one name, said.

General Joseph Votel, the head of US Central Command, said an investigation had found those involved made a series of mistakes and hit the clinic in error, while arguing that the troops were under battle stress.

He said that since the hospital was not deliberately targeted, the bombardment did not amount to a war crime. The 16 personnel found to have failed in their duties would face suspensions or reprimands rather than a court martial.

"It's a joke that the US said the incident was not a war crime," Zahidullah, 24, who worked as a cleaner at the hospital and lost a cousin in the strike, told AFP.

"What we saw that night is difficult for us to express in words," he said, calling for compensation for victims and their families as well as adequate medical care.

The hospital -- the only health facility in the province -- was forced to close after the attack.

The Afghan government welcomed the publication of the report.

"The Afghan government is satisfied that the investigation was done carefully and comprehensively, and believes measures were taken to ensure accountability," it said in a statement, adding that it "supports measures for preventing such attacks".
Stanley Black & Decker: Stock Jumps with Guidance Boost

(Continued from Prior Part)

Tools and storage business clocks impressive organic growth

Stanley Black & Deckers (SWK) tools and storage business, its largest unit, contributed to 63.9% of total sales in the first quarter of 2016. The 1Q16 earnings release demonstrates how an improved performance in the tools and storage space could overshadow ordinary results in other segments on account of its mammoth size. The tools and storage business grew an impressive 8% against an economic backdrop of anemic global GDP growth. Overall sales grew 4% to $1.7 billion after absorbing lower-than-expected currency headwinds of 4%. As 47% of tools and storage sales are derived outside the United States, the business dictates the impact of currency headwinds on the entire company.

Growth in power tools and hand tools

The power tools business makes up 70% of the business segment. Based on the type of consumers and product lines, power tools can be further classified into professional, consumer, and accessories. Each of these units grew by an even 10% organically. The hand tools and storage business, which forms the remaining 30% of the tools and storage segment, grew 5% organically. This was largely led by construction hand tools, which grew by 10%.

Margins drop on currency challenges

Segment profits in the tools and storage business were more modest at $262 million, a year-over-year growth of 2%. Currency headwinds on the top line more than offset by commodity deflation on the cost side and productivity improvements in operations. Therefore, segment profit margins narrowed slightly, from 15.7% a year ago to 15.3%.

Investors interested in trading in the industrial space could look into the Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight Industrials ETF (RGI), and those interested in trading in dividend-based ETFs could consider the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL). Major holdings in NOBL are Nucor (NUE) and Illinois Tool Works (ITW), with respective weights of 2.5% and 2.3%.

Story continues

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It was like Alice, said one Syrian refugee. Alice in Wonderland!

That is how Nour, who recently escaped the war-torn country with her husband and young son, described the latest journey her family took  a plane ride to Rome with Pope Francis.

On April 16, Francis visited a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, where over half a million refugees  primarily from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq  found refuge in 2015 alone. And the pope did not return home empty-handed. He brought 12 Syrian migrants, including six children, back to Italy with him.

Four of them spoke exclusively with Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric in Rome on Thursday. The couples  Nour and Hasan, Suhila and Ramy  asked that their last names not to be reported. They were emotional while opening up about their harrowing journeys out of Syria and how grateful they are to the pope for the new lives they are starting in Rome.

Hes a very kind man, said Nour. Hes a real human being. For me, I appreciate him more than any Islamic leader, or Islamic religious man, or any Arabic leader, because nothing has been done by these men, like him. By Arabic leaders or by Muslim leaders No one has done the same thing.

His actions did not have to do with our skin color or religion, said Ramy. And it proves that human beings are brothers with other human beings.

The four have not seen Francis since their relocation, but they all know what theyd tell him should their paths cross again.

I will say to him, Thank you. Because of him, hope came back, said Suhila. Weve come back to life, and were living our lives for those that we lost in Syria.

Their paths from Syria to Lesbos were long and hard. Nour and Hasan tried to cross the Turkish border three times, by land and sea, before they were finally able to get to Greece on their fourth attempt. It was difficult for us, full of risks, said Hasan. Suhila and Ramy got to Greece on a rubber boat that stalled in the middle of the sea for an hour and a half.

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It must be wonderful to be safe, said Couric. All responded enthusiastically. No doubt, Suhila smiled. God willing, we will adapt to this country. And, most importantly, we will learn Italian!

Many European nations say they cant handle the influx of migrants. What would you say to the leaders and citizens of those countries? Couric asked.

Id like to say to them that we are normal people, said Nour. We are not jihadists and we are not terrorists As Syrian people, we are lovely people. We are friendly people.
Reuters

Moscow provided no details on the conversation with Austin, which came after the two men spoke on Friday for the first time since May. Its readouts on the other calls said Shoigu had said the situation in Ukraine was worsening. "They discussed the situation in Ukraine which is rapidly deteriorating," the Russian defence ministry said of Shoigu's call with French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
Singaporeans love for Disneys Tsum Tsum collection is one of the most timeless craze I have ever witnessed. Regardless of season, Tsum Tsum plushies and anything printed with these characters just never seem to go out of trend. This time round, we found a jeweler in Taiwan which received official license from Disney to mould these Tsum Tsum characters into GOLD.

Check out the full collection which includes Mickey & Minnie, Chip & Dale, Donald & Daisy, Elsa & Anna, and many others:

Image: YSJewelry

YS Jewelrys Tsum Tsum Gold Jewellery Collection is made with 9999 Pure Gold  one of the purest gold made contemporarily. Using Hard-gold plated technology, the durability is in its own class and you wont ever have to worry about the gold oxidising or being bent.

Sensitive skin? YS Jewelry assures you that long-term donning of this Tsum Tsum Gold Jewellery will neither cause discolouration nor affect your skin due to the purity in its gold composition.

1726847



Image: ettoday

Priced at TWD $5,490 (approximately SGD$228), the 1.5 grams of gold pendant doesnt come with the gold necklace as depicted in the images above. The purchase would, however, come with a free red or black leather necklace of your choice.

Cant wait to get hold of one? We heard that stocks are extremely limited, so make sure you give them a call before going down! Heres the address if youre visiting Taiwan:

YsJewelry Taiwan Shop

Ys Jewelry Taiwan Shop

103121

(103, Taiwan, Taipei City, Datong District, Section 2, Yanping N Rd, Unit 121)

Operating HoursMonday  Saturday  10:30AM  9:00PM

(For operating hours on a Sunday, do contact them via their number / Line ID)

Website: www.YsJewelry.com.tw | Line IDysjewelry

Not visiting Taiwan? You can always count on Airfrov travellers who are returning from Taiwan to help you get your hands on the Tsum Tsum Gold Jewellery Collection.

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Tsum Tsum fanatics have already placed their orders on Airfrov. Travellers are helping them to buy at S$250 (inclusive of tips). Simply click on + in the link below if you would like to have one too!

request to buy tsum tsum gold pendant

Update: The first batch of pendants have arrived at Airfrov!

Faster than your international delivery partner. The Tsum Tsum gold pendants from Taiwan have arrived! These are just two of the numerous boxes our travellers brought in. Arent they cute? #tsumtsum #gold A photo posted by Airfrov (@airfrov) on May 4, 2016 at 6:46am PDT

Get travellers who are visiting Taiwan to help you to bring it back

The post Taiwans YS Jewelry launches Disney-licensed Tsum Tsum Gold Pendants appeared first on Airfrov Blog.
The Duchess of Cambridge on the cover of British Vogues June issue. (Photo: Courtesy)

While the Duchess of Cambridge has appeared in countless tabloids with stock photos around the world, the royal poses for her first official magazine cover shoot in British Vogues June issue. Wearing a green felt hat with a white collared shirt, brown suede jacket, and her sapphire engagement ring on display, HRH was photographed by Josh Olins for the publications centenary issue.

The Duchess of Cambridge in a striped Petit Bateau shirt. (Photo: Courtesy)

Shot in Norfolk, where Kate Middleton and her family spends much of their time when away from Kensington Palace, shes seen wearing casual and laid back looks, which are reflective of her personality. The royal even helped the stylist select classic brands including Burberry and Petit Bateau. Although it was her first time sitting for a magazine photo shoot, Olins noted that the mother of two was a natural and she was a joy to work with.

The Duchess of Cambridge shot by Josh Olins. (Photo: Courtesy)

The images, which were taken in January, are part of a collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery, of which the Duchess is a patron, and has agreed to have two of the photos appear in an exhibition honoring 100 years of the iconic magazine.

https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/726502287116480512

Not only do [the photos] reflect her love of the countryside, interest in photography and championing of the National Portrait Gallery as our very committed patron, but they also encapsulate what Vogue has always done so brilliantly  to pair the best photographers with the great personalities of the day, in order to reflect broader shifts in culture and society. We had fun in making and choosing these images, and I hope that comes across, Nicholas Cullinan, director of the museum, said.

https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/726502022183292928

https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/726502140429094912

A spokesperson for HRH The Duchess of Cambridge said, British Vogue has given a platform to some of the most renowned photographers in this countrys history. The Duchess is incredibly grateful to the team at British Vogue and the National Portrait Gallery for asking her to take part. Shes not the first member of the royal family to have been photographed by Vogue. Princess Diana, Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother, and Queen Elizabeth II have all been shot as well.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Baghdad (AFP) - Thousands of angry protesters broke into Baghdad's fortified Green Zone area on Saturday and stormed the Iraqi parliament building after lawmakers again failed to approve new ministers.

Jubilant crowds, most of them supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, invaded the main session hall, shouting slogans glorifying their leader and claiming that they had rooted out corruption.

The capital was already on high alert for a major Shiite pilgrimage, participants in which were targeted in a bombing that killed 23 on Saturday, but extra security measures were taken after protesters stormed the Green Zone.

"You are not staying here! This is your last day in the Green Zone," shouted one protester as thousands broke in.

Besides the parliament compound, the restricted area in central Baghdad houses the presidential palace, the prime minister's office and several embassies, including those of the United States and Britain.

Protesters pulled down several slabs of the heavy concrete blast walls that surround the Green Zone to create an opening and also climbed over the barrier.

They then headed to parliament, where some rampaged through the building and broke into offices, while others shouted "peacefully, peacefully" and tried to contain the destruction, an AFP journalist said.

Security forces were present but did not confront them.

Some six hours after the Green Zone was stormed and despite the chaos, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued a statement claiming the situation in Baghdad was "under the control of the security forces" and urging protesters to return to "designated protest areas".

- Chaos at parliament -

Parliament speaker Salim al-Juburi meanwhile issued a statement that referred to MPs as "representatives of the people, and their servants" -- descriptions with which many Iraqis would disagree.

Tear gas was used against protesters but violence did not escalate further, with both sides mostly seen fraternising.

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An AFP photographer said members of the Sadrist militia group Saraya al-Salam were in control of the parliament building and were not permitting protesters to enter.

Demonstrators left parliament and began a sit-in at Ihtifalat Square inside the Green Zone.

Protesters earlier pulled barbed wire across a road leading to one of the Green Zone exits, attempting to prevent some scared lawmakers from fleeing the chaos.

They also attacked and damaged several vehicles they believed belonged to MPs.

Inside the main hall where lawmakers failed to reach a quorum earlier in the day, protesters sat in the MPs' seats taking "selfies" and shouting slogans.

One protester called a friend on his mobile: "I am sitting in Salim al-Juburi's chair, I have a meeting, we'll talk later."

"We are the ones running this country now, the time of the corrupt is over," said another, as crowds filled rooms throughout the building.

Parliament failed to reach a quorum on Saturday after approving some of Abadi's ministerial nominees earlier in the week.

The Green Zone unrest started as Sadr ended a news conference in the Shiite holy city of Najaf during which he condemned the political deadlock.

He had threatened to have his supporters storm the Green Zone last month, but did not order them to enter the area in his Saturday address.

- Baghdad on high alert -

The politicians "refused to end corruption and refused to end quotas", Sadr said, adding that he and his supporters would not participate in "any political process in which there are any type... of political party quotas".

Key government posts have for years been shared out based on political and sectarian quotas, a practice demonstrators want to end.

Abadi's efforts to change the system have been opposed by powerful political parties that rely on control of ministries for patronage and funds.

"The parliament and the government are simply not capable of reforming. They will always defend privilege over reform," said Zaid al-Ali, a fellow at Princeton University and the author of "The Struggle For Iraq's Future".

Given that, "it was entirely predictable that this was going to happen", said Ali, referring to the storming of the Green Zone.

According to interior ministry officials, the main entrances to Baghdad were temporarily closed, and measures were taken to protect the central bank and the airport.

Security forces had already been on high alert as tens of thousands of Shiite faithful converged on the city for an annual commemoration.

Both Washington and the United Nations have warned that the political crisis could distract from the fight against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group.

IS claimed a bombing that targeted Shiite pilgrims in the Nahrawan area near Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least 23 people and wounding at least 38, security and medical officials said.
Ameya Dandekar

Toyota has dominated the premium MPV segment in the 21st century. Toyota first entered the market with the robust Qualis which was abruptly replaced by the much more modern Innova. Launched in 2005, Toyota has always charged a premium on the Innova and despite that the sales numbers have always been on the up. In the last 11 years, the Innovas price went up by a whopping Rs 6 lakh depending on the variant. So why were stingy Indians ready to shell out nearly Rs 20 lakh for a decade-old MPV? The answer is simple  peace of mind. There are still thousands of Qualiss running on our roads with lakhs of kilometres on the odo and still feeling indestructible. This is a testament to the thorough reliability and engineering know-how of Toyota. Now Toyota is about to launch the next generation of the MPV and after driving the new Innova Crysta one thing is clear, they are going even more upmarket with this one, with a more sculpted styling and a completely redesigned interior which boasts of segment first features.

When you first lay your eyes on the Crysta, it is easy to see, Toyota has gone for a more evolutionary route and it looks very similar to the current Innovas silhouette. But Toyota has added elements like the prominent crease which gives it a more dynamic look and the larger 17-inch rims add a bit of muscle. The angular quarter glass behind the C-pillar looks quite unique and adds character too. In the front, the large hexagonal grille dominates proceedings and the two slats on top neatly meet the angular projector headlamps which has DRls too. The rear end is simple but the boomerang-shaped tail lamps give it a sporty appearance. Overall the appearance is positive and the new generation Innova looks much more aspirational than before.

The new Innova is based on a brand-new chassis and to make the new ladder-frame extremely rigid, Toyota has added more cross-members and additional welding points. On the flip-side this has made the chassis much heavier than before and despite the weight-saving high tensile steel for the body, the Innova Crysta weighs nearly 200kg more than the old car. On the measuring scale the Crysta has grown in every direction too. It is a substantial 180mm longer, 60mm wider and 40mm taller than the old car. Incidentally, the wheelbase at 2750mm is exactly the same as the old car.

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Arguably the biggest change comes on the inside of the new Innova. To begin with, the cabin feels spacious, open and crisply styled. The design is fresh, well-detailed and the swooping dash top looks really great without being overdone. The single piece of metal strip which runs across the top of the dashboard from the left most air vent to the right most looks classy and highlights the dash design. The manual transmission variant gets an all-black cabin which looks sporty, while the automatic top variant features brown upholstery which lends the cabin a more upmarket feel. Visibility from the high front seats is good and this makes it easy to drive especially in traffic. Despite the swooping dash, ergonomics are spot-on and everything from the touchscreen to the Air-con controls are tilted upwards for ease of use. The blue backlit instrument cluster looks modern and the digital centre screen hosts a comprehensive trip computer. USB and aux-in ports are cleverly placed in the middle for an easy access for front and rear passengers. As an observation, we would have preferred more USB ports especially considering its a premium seven-seater. The touchscreen is intuitive to use and it hosts various information like satellite navigation, eco display (which shows how efficiently you are driving), Bluetooth telephony and music system controls. On the downside I would have preferred the volume control to be a knob, instead of a button for easier access while driving. Overall quality is a big jump over the old car and Toyota has paid great attention to detail to make the car feel more premium. The touch points like the armrest on the doorpad is covered in soft velvety fabric, the chunky leather wrapped steering with large control button is great to hold, the gloss black finish on the front doorpads look classy (weirdly, the rear doorpad gets wood finish) and even the control stalks are of high order. But as you look further down, some of the bits disappoint. The sea of black hard plastics around the glovebox and doorpads look shiny and the graining could have been better too. Even the air-con buttons are too small and the chrome finish doesnt look very convincing.

Thanks to the larger dimensions, the cabin feels wider and more spacious than before. Seat comfort is first rate and the contoured front buckets are very comfortable. The driver seat in this top Z variant is powered too, so finding an ideal driving position is extremely easy. The middle row sees the biggest improvement and wider cabin has allowed Toyota to give wider captain seats which are better than the outgoing model in every way. They are more supportive. Underthigh support is really good and the reclining backrest makes this a great chauffer-driven car. You also get adjustable blue ambient lighting on the ceiling which livens up the cabin. Even the front passenger seat can be adjusted using a well designed lever from the back. If you love working on the go, the foldable trays in the back are placed at an ideal height and their 7 kg weight capacity make them perfect to place your laptops on. The third row though is not a huge improvement over the old car and the combination of the high floor and low seat makes it comfy only for short stints. You also get a removable headrest for the middle passenger (how will he fit in the narrow seat is a different matter) and all three occupants get three-point seatbelts. Visibility from the third row though is hampered by the stylish triangular quarter glass. With all three rows up, boot space is reasonable and can be extended by folding the last row when not in use.

We had the top Z variant on our drive and it was packed to the brim. It gets a touch screen infotainment system, navigation, bluetooth, USB and aux-in ports, Eco and Power engine modes, powered mirrors with retract, three-zone climate control ambiente roof lighting folding tables for the second row, 12-volt sockets for all three rows and a massive the 20 one- litre bottle holders.

In terms of the safety kit, the Innova Crysta really impresses. The top Z variant came with seven airbags, ABS, brake assist, ESP and hill-start assist. Toyota also revealed that the Crysta will get three airbags (driver, passenger and driver knee airbag) and ABS standard across the range.

As far as engines are concerned the Innova has gone from being one of the slowest in its class to being the most powerful. The manual transmission is powered by a 2.4-litre which makes 150bhp at 3400rpm and 343Nm of torque between 1400rpm and 2800rpm. While to compensate for the extra weight and power-sapping torque converter transmission, the automatic variant motor displaces 2.8-litres which is good for 174bhp at 3400rpm and 360Nm of torque between 1200rpm and 3400rpm. Toyota claims the ARAI fuel efficiency figures for the 2.4-litre manual is 15.10kpl, and the 2.8-litre automatic is 14.29kpl

Lets start with the manual transmission first. A turn of the key is all it takes to establish the fact that this new common-rail diesel engine under the hood of the Innova Crysta is leagues ahead of the earlier 2.5-litre motor. Its much smoother, the machine-gun rattle heard during cold starts is much reduced and the nearly 50 per cent hike in power can be felt from the word go. Like before, power is available from the word go and the Innova Crysta accelerates with enthusiasm. This motor feels less strained, the engine is much more flexible due to the wider powerband, and overtaking is now much easier. Its much more free-revving too and does not feel out of breath on top like the earlier motor. The refinement though better than before is still not the best and the motor does get quite noisy when you rev it hard. The gearbox has shorter throws as compared to the old car but still it feels rudimentary with its rubbery shifts and there are lot of vibrations seeping through, especially at idle. Toyota is offering driving modes too and unlike the Mahindras, the Innova is very usable in any given mode. In Eco mode there is a slight hesitation from the motor at low revs as you can feel a step in power around 2000rpm. Switch to normal mode and the power delivery becomes linear and in sport mode the motor feels very responsive and eager.

The automatic transmission, on the other hand, feels even more potent thanks to the extra horses on tap. Floor the accelerator pedal and power delivery is linear and with the gearbox shifting smoothly around 4000rpm. It feels freer revving than the 2.4 motor and is stronger throughout the rev range. On part throttle in D mode, like all modern automatics the 6-speed gearbox rapidly upshifts in favour of fuel efficiency. The Crysta automatic also tends to coast in Eco mode as soon as you come off the throttle (its like driving in neutral with no engine braking). But this also tends to confuse the gearbox as it keeps hunting gears especially while cruising. The gearbox though, is quick enough and makes most of the torque available. Unlike in the manual transmission car, the difference in drive modes is not that pronounced and while behind the wheel it will be difficult to tell which mode you are driving in.

Compared to the old car, the new Innova Crysta doesnt feel as adept at tackling corners. Thanks to the heavier kerb weight and Toyota going for a softer suspension setting, the new Innova rolls considerably more and it feels like a heavy car too. On the plus side, the steering is quite direct and you can still steer the Innova with confidence and there is loads of grip from the 17-inch wheels. Dont be mistaken, the Innova Crysta is not a bad handling car, but it doesnt feel as nimble as the old one.

On the flip-side, the ride has taken a huge step forward. The old cars jiggly low-speed ride is replaced by a plush one and the long travel suspension dismisses the biggest of potholes with ease. Even at high speeds the Innova felt composed with well controlled body movements. The difference in dynamics between the automatic and the manual transmission car is felt only at low speeds. To compensate for the heavier engine and transmission Toyota has given the automatic a slightly stiffer front suspension setup, which can be felt only at low speeds. Even the steering is on the heavier side.

As a product, the Innova Crysta is a huge jump over the old car and it is the most well-engineered MPV you can buy in India. The build quality both inside and out is good, quality and cabin ambiance has taken a big jump forward; it is much more comfortable and spacious than before; its loaded with features; it gets potent motors which makes it one of the fastest MPVs and the comfortable ride makes it a great long distance car. The only hurdle is the price, which we expect to be at least a lakh and a half more than the outgoing model which makes it significantly more expensive than its rivals. But when you factor in the Toyotas legendary reliability and the sheer feel-good factor I dont think even the cost will be an intimidating factor anymore.

The Innova Crystas main rival will be the soon to be launched Tata Hexa crossover and the the Mahindra XUV 500. The Innova Crysta though will be much more expensive than its rivals and will count on the peace of ownership and Toyota brand image for success.

Pictures by Ameya Dandekar

Click here to know more about the variants

Click here to find out what we know so far

Click here to read the first look
Johan Grimonprez doesnt want audiences to get out their handkerchiefs; he wants them to get out their protest signs, their megaphones and their voting ballots. Whether documentaries have that ability is sadly open for debate, but Shadow World, Grimonprezs superb, gut-punching exploration of the global arms trade is the sort of catalyst to energize politically-minded viewers. Flawlessly juggling an impressive array of talking heads with archival footage, the director (Double Take) aims his disgust at politicos, from Reagan to Obama, Blair to Prince Bandar bin Sultan, and the billions invested in ensuring militarization and war never get put on ice. Smart, hard-hitting and possibly too intellectual for many, Shadow World deserves wide exposure at home and abroad.

Grimonprez bases his research on Andrew Feinsteins 2011 book The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, bringing the South African author in as co-writer and talking head. Bookending the documentary is archival footage from the war to end all wars: ghostly black-and-white images of World War I soldiers in the trenches are accompanied by archival interviews with such noted veterans as Henry Williamson, George Ashurst and Smedley D. Butler, with author Williamson recalling the Christmas Truce of 1914, when soldiers from both sides spontaneously co-mingled with the so-called enemy. Opening with this footage is Grimonprezs way of saying war is not necessary, yet the decision-making has never been in the hands of foot soldiers.

Such is the documentarys nod to early 20th century history: from there it jumps to the 1980s, when Ronald Reagan had Margaret Thatcher arrange massive arms deals with Saudi Arabia so that Israel wouldnt accuse the U.S. of collaborating with the enemy. This, according to Shadow World, was the crucial moment when Saudi influence began its staggering ascent. There are a number of nemeses here, but none as adept as the Saudis in manipulating world powers to ensure monumental kick-backs.

Thats probably the biggest takeaway, along with the harsh realization that governments are heavily invested in ensuring the war on terror remains an undefinable state of semi-emergency with no end in sight. According to the film, the reason is simple: War is lucrative, especially for lobbyists and politicians who ensure the arms trade remains a feeding frenzy with no oversight. It backs that point with mind-boggling figures: an $87 million slush fund from Britains BAE arms manufacturer to Saudi beneficiaries (Maggies son Mark Thatcher got more than $17 million for that one), plus a $1.5 billion bribe to Prince Bandar bin Sultan; $10 billion paid by South Africa for arms they certainly didnt need, with $300 million as bribes to ANC officials; etc., etc.

Much of this information has been published in the British newspaper The Guardian (journalist David Leigh is among those interviewed), but of course documentaries have a particularly potent way of conveying information when done well, as is the case here. Tony Blair comes off as little more than a slippery arms salesman (Grimonprez doesnt point out the laughable irony of Blairs post-ministerial position as peace envoy), while the portrayals of Reagan, Thatcher and Bush make them out as war criminals.

Shadow World does a far better job nailing Donald Rumsfeld than The Unknown Known, and accomplishes the take-down in a more succinct manner, showing how he and Dick Cheney have reaped the rewards of their time in the private sector with companies like Halliburton, which is in the business to ensure that wars continue; Casper Weinbergers association with Bechtel could equally have been included. Barack Obama is also implicated, especially for signing off on targeted assassinations, along with billions of dollars in drone contracts.

Grimonprez and his editors are exceptionally clever at clearly presenting information and then following through with the consequences, so a discussion of C.I.A. funded right-wing coups leads to an interview with El Salvadorean activist Marta Benavides, who talks in concrete terms about the results, followed by a section on the Iran-Contra scandal to help connect the dots. Two talking heads are especially chilling in very different ways: One is jailed arms dealer Riccardo Privitera, a self-aggrandizing sleazeball fond of making bald-faced statements with the incontrovertible ring of truth. The other is New York Times war correspondent Chris Hedges, who movingly speaks of the psychological trauma from seeing so much killing. He also offers one of the most accurate statements about the crisis in the Arab world: The disease of permanent war is whats destroyed the Middle East, not Islamic fundamentalism. As the documentary clearly demonstrates, the U.S. and U.K. keep ensuring that this particular disease remains incurable.

Much as Double Take maintained an audacious balance thanks to masterful editing, so too Shadow World successfully corrals a remarkable amount of information via impressive montage work. Passages from stories by the late Eduardo Galeano are layered throughout the film, offering a poetic, if not entirely well-integrated, commentary.

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Dear Colleagues,

Our U.S political team finds nuggets in a plain weird presidential campaign where the winds of advertising spending have blown from fruitless big spending by Jeb Bush to a concerted attack on Donald Trump from what looks like the entire Republican apparatus. The fallout from the ICIJs huge Panama Papers rolls on through the halls of government and finance globally and theres another big phase coming. Ive also collected a few rather depressing perspectives on the current state of the media which calls for reflection from those of us in the non-profit sector.

No stopping Trump

"The federal politics team continues to make news in the incredibly crowded field of political journalism with astute analysis of advertising spending, writes deputy executive editor John Dunbar. 

Our most recent story  Donald Trump steamrolling toward nomination despite negative ad blitz: Opponents vow to fight on after late start to messaging campaign  ran in four major national outlets:

- NBC News: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/donald-trump-steamrolls-despite-negative-ad-blitz-n563531

- TIME: http://time.com/4309674/donald-trump-campaign-ads-attacks-kantar/

- Public Radio International: http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-04-27/despite-barrage-negative-ads-donald-trump-poised-win-gop-nomination

- Huffington Post is also directly linking to our story off its politics page.

Kudos to authors Michael Beckel and Cady Zuvich as well as editor Dave Levinthal and John, for producing and marketing a compelling, insightful and original news story on the primaries the morning after the polls closed. The timing of these data releases has also demanded some long and late hours from all of these folks in order to produce articles that are timely. Personally, I like the way our use of the data on advertising fleshes out the more anecdotal coverage from others.

Dave, something of the face of the Center on political TV out of Washington, is also a loyal Buffalo person and described this weeks primaries on WBEN in that city. Dave is also on this Variety PopPolitics podcast.

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Those packages are an illustrative example of our multiple approach to audiences: on-network on our own sites, on partner sites and on different media. The team also drove the story strongly on social media. Michael Beckel also noted the power of our archive with a 1992 report on Paul Manafort, now allegedly making Trump more presidential, cited in this report from the libertarian Cato Institute.

Dave Levinthal adds that a December 2015 investigation by Cady Zuvich about a Florida man who has created hundreds of super PACs was cited in an MTV.com article about joke super PACs and the headaches they create for federal regulators.

Panama Papers

Impact from the revelations of tax avoidance and evasion from the tens of thousands of Russian doll offshore corporations inside the Panama Papers leak rolls on around the world.

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which is coordinating the network with access to the leak from the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, announced this week that well publish the information on companies contained within the leak next month. To understand how that data will be searchable and get an idea of what it will reveal and equally what it wont, its worth looking at the Offshore Leaks where it will live.

We can expect another huge surge of interest in the data and the story, all of which will require careful management. The ICIJ team, in partnership with SZ, is working on bringing additional partners into the project to ensure that the depth of what is in the enormous leak is fully explored by experts from relevant countries. It remains a vast undertaking.

The right environment

Jim Morris, the Centers managing editor for environment and labor, spoke about the sorry state of worker protections in America at the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicines annual conference in Chicago on April 12.

Reporter Talia Buford fielded more interview requests to discuss her very personal commentary on the Flint water situation, which appeared in the Washington Post online April 15 and in the Sunday Outlook section on April 17.

Standing up for ordinary folks

In the wake of its December 2015 story on predatory lending by tile-loan companies, the Center filed  and subsequently lost  an appeal to the Virginia regulatory agency overseeing financial institutions to release financial reports for the nations three largest title loan companies, says Allan Holmes, head of our business-in-politics unit. The Center filed Thursday with the Virginia Supreme Court a notice to appeal the ruling by the State Corporation Commission to keep the records private. No word on when the court will hear the case.

This story is part of Inside Publici. Stories were working on, the impact of our investigations, news about our fundraising efforts, and other issues that shape our work. Click here to read more stories in this topic.

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Partners and perils

Reveal, the podcast and radio show produced weekly by the Center for Investigative Reporting, is one of our most important and consistent partners for Public Integrity. I value the quality of the work and projects like the recent hour-long show on politics with John Dunbar and his team drove that home. The CIR is taking big risks with Reveal as a forceful and expensive innovation as this lengthy analysis in the Columbia Journalism Review showed.

A welter of news and commentary this week about the tough climate in the media business, particularly those that rely on display advertising which is being vacuumed up on a gigantic scale by Facebook, hence its powerful quarterly results.

The Bay Area News said it was doing away with much of its copyediting. This piece on Gawker about BuzzFeed is a good reminder that valuations can get ahead of reality. Then theres Michael Wolff on the suicide mission at The Guardian.

Former Bloomberg editorial leader and co-founder of The Verge and Vox Media, Joshua Topolsky had a gloomy view of the search for the new, new thing to save the media in this worthwhile piece on Medium.

For me the lesson again and again is that we have to do the things we are good at well and repeatedly and get better and better at doing them: great execution on platforms we control (our own site), great partnerships which get more and more strategic (for us this could be Gannett/HuffingtonPost and others) and a much stronger drive on social media, primarily Facebook. That core is great journalism, data journalism and now what the ICIJ calls distributed journalism.

Public Integrity founder Chuck Lewis wrote a strong piece on The Guardian about what the Panama Papers can teach us about the future of journalism which he says is all about collaboration.

Awards count

On the awards front the photographers who worked with the ICIJ on its multi-award-winning project with the Huffington Post Evicted & Abandoned won a Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists. The same project and also Fatal Extraction have won Overseas Press Club awards to be announced tonight.

I welcome feedback on this note.

Regards,

Peter

CEO, The Center for Public Integrity

This story is part of Inside Publici. Stories were working on, the impact of our investigations, news about our fundraising efforts, and other issues that shape our work. Click here to read more stories in this topic.

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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.
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish authorities on Saturday detained the chief news editor of a pro-Kurdish television channel over tweets posted on his account, the broadcaster said, as concern grows over freedom of expression in the country.

The news editor of IMC TV, Hamza Aktan, was detained at dawn Saturday by masked and armed police in a raid on his home in Istanbul, the channel said in a statement on its website.

He was released after some 12 hours in detention but still faces accusations from prosecutors of making propaganda for a "terror" group", it said.

IMC said he was released under judicial control, which means he is still subject to prosecution and will have to report regularly to the police.

Aktan was interrogated by police over tweets he had shared in 2015 including retweets of the views of two prominent pro-Kurdish commentators, the channel said.

Part of the case against him was also that he had retweeted a request by the BBC for information from the mainly Kurdish town of Cizre while it was under military curfew.

"Judicial control, like detention, is a form of punishment," IMC quoted Aktan as saying after his release. "This is right neither as a journalist or as a citizen. This is a challenge to freedom of expression," he said.

Aktan is a prominent journalist who has worked for several publications in Turkey and also published a book called "The Kurdish Citizen".

"Right from the beginning there has been a clampdown and pressure directed at IMC as well as freedom of expression," the channel's director Eyup Burc was quoted as saying. "Unfortunately, this is going to continue."

Aktan's detention comes amid mounting alarm over the increasing arrests and convictions of journalists under the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who became head of state in 2014 after over a decade as premier.

IMC TV, which was founded in 2011 and focuses on Kurdish, women's, and environmental issues, has already complained it was taken off air by Turkey's largest satellite operator on the grounds of broadcasting "terrorist propaganda".

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It has however carried on broadcasting online.

The station was seen as the only pro-Kurdish channel in Turkey with an anti-government line. After recent reforms, state broadcasting company TRT now has a Kurdish-language channel, TRT Kurdi.

An Istanbul court earlier this week sentenced two prominent Turkish journalists from the opposition Cumhuriyet daily to two years behind bars for illustrating their columns with a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed originally published by French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

Separately, Cumhuriyet's editor-in-chief Can Dundar and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul are on trial on charges of revealing state secrets and could face multiple life sentences if found guilty.
Kiev (AFP) - Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed in fresh fighting between government forces and pro-Russian rebels in the east even as a new truce took effect, Kiev said Saturday.

"As a result of hostilities, over the past 24 hours two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and four others wounded," Ukraine's military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told journalists.

The new casualties came as the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian insurgents on Friday agreed in the Belarussian capital Minsk a new truce that began from midnight.

The agreement is aimed at reinforcing a deal co-signed by France and Germany in February 2015 after an upsurge in violence in the industrial east of Ukraine.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe warned that the bloodshed had reached levels not seen for months.

The deal came ahead of Orthodox Easter Sunday and covers holidays that include labour day on May 1 and the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany during World War II marked on May 9.

Lysenko said several attacks had been recorded after the new truce came into force.

"The enemy does not respect the ceasefire," he said.

"But we hope that it happened accidentally and the enemy will stick to the agreements that have been reached at the international level."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's envoy to the OSCE-mediated talks in Minsk, Leonid Kuchma, said multiple violations of the new agreement had been recorded in the villages of Shyrokyne, Avdiivka and Mariinka.

Speaking through his spokeswoman Darka Olifer, he said Ukraine was sticking to the agreement and called on Russia and rebels to respect the truce.

Around 9,300 people have died and more than 21,000 have been injured since the revolt against Ukraine's pro-Western leadership erupted two years ago in the predominantly Russian-speaking east.

A series of truce agreements have helped reduce the violence, although sporadic clashes persist, preventing the two sides from reaching a political reconciliation deal.
(Reuters) - A U.S. federal jury found former Immunosyn Corp Chief Executive Stephen Ferrone guilty on Friday of fraudulently misleading investors, U.S. securities regulators said.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2011 had charged California-based Immunosyn with misleading investors about the regulatory status of the company's sole product, a drug derived from goat blood called SF-1019, that was intended to treat a variety of ailments. (http://reut.rs/1UmHoaK)

The SEC said the jury on Friday found that Ferrone's "statements in multiple annual reports, quarterly reports, current reports, press releases, speeches, and interviews fraudulently misled investors."

We are pleased with the jurys finding that Stephen Ferrone defrauded Immunosyns investors with misleading statements in the companys filings and press releases and his own speeches and interviews," Andrew Ceresney, director of the SEC'S Division of Enforcement said in a statement.

The SEC'S complaint had alleged that Immunosyn misleadingly stated in various public filings from 2006 to 2010 that its controlling shareholder, Argyll Biotechnologies LLC, either planned to seek or had sought U.S. regulatory approval for human clinical trials for SF-1019.

(Reporting by Subrat Patnaik and Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler)
By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations on Friday suggested it would be willing to assist in a dispute between Tehran and Washington after Iran requested U.N. help in convincing the United States to stop what the Islamic Republic says are violations of state immunity. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday to ask him to intervene with his "good offices" after the top U.S. court ruled that $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets must be paid to American victims of attacks blamed on Tehran. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed receipt of Zarif's letter. "We'll obviously take a look at it," he told reporters. "As a matter of principle ... the Secretary-General's good offices are always available should both parties to whatever tensions or issue request it." State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States was aware of the letter. "To the extent that this letter was prompted by the recent Supreme Court decision in the Bank Markazi v. Peterson case, we believe the U.S. laws and the application of those laws by the courts ... comport with international law," he said. A U.S. official made clear Washington saw no need for U.N. involvement. "We have open lines of communication with Iran and we'll continue to try to address any issues of mutual concern through those channels," the official said on condition of anonymity. Iran has become increasingly frustrated at what Tehran has said is the failure of the United States to keep its promises regarding sanctions relief agreed under an historic nuclear deal struck last year by Iran and six world powers. In the letter, released by the Iranian U.N. mission, Zarif asked Ban to help secure the release of frozen Iranian assets in U.S. banks and persuade Washington to stop interfering with Iran's international commercial and financial transactions. The U.S. Supreme Court found that Congress did not usurp authority of American courts by passing a 2012 law stating that Iran's frozen funds should help satisfy a $2.65 billion judgment won by U.S. families against Iran in federal court in 2007. Last week Zarif met several times with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in New York to discuss Iran's difficulties in accessing international financial markets. Kerry said Washington was not preventing anyone from doing legitimate business with Iran. Tehran has called on the United States to do more to remove obstacles to the financial sector so that businesses feel comfortable investing in Iran without fear of penalties. (Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York and Arshad Mohammed in Washington; Editing by Toni Reinhold and James Dalgleish)
Former UFC, Bellator, and Strikeforce fighter Lavar Johnson was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison for domestic violence.

A Fresno County judge Glenda Allen-Hill sentenced Johnson for the charges stemming from a domestic violence incident perpetrated on his girlfriend of seven years on Aug. 11, 2015, according to ABC 30 Action News in Fresno, Calif.

Johnson reportedly slammed his girlfriend against a wall and to the ground before kneeing her in the face and striking her multiple times with a closed fist.

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Although Johnson's attorney argued that Johnson's actions were out of character and occurred when he was drunk and upset about his girlfriend allegedly tracking him with GPS, the judge did not relent. Johnson had hoped for a three-year sentence, but Judge Allen-Hill went with the five-year sentence due to the circumstances of the offense.

It does appear there were times when Mr. Johnson could have stopped this offense, said the judge in addressing the court. That he could have not inflicted the amount of damage that he inflicted on his victim, but he did not.

Dressed in a red prison jumpsuit, Johnson stated, I'm sorry. I take full responsibility for my actions.

Johnson made his professional fighting debut in the WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting) in January 2004. He competed under the Strikeforce banner from 2009 until 2011, before making his way to the UFC. He was released by the organization in 2013 after testing positive to elevated levels of testosterone following his UFC 157 loss to Brendan Schaub.

Johnson was quickly picked up by Bellator MMA and fought four times with the fight promotion. He was released by Bellator in March of 2015 after losing back-to-back bouts. He last competed at Bellator 123 in September 2014, losing to Cheick Kongo by rear-naked choke.

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LONDON (Reuters) - British lawmakers have asked retail billionaire Philip Green and his wife Tina to appear before them within the next few weeks to help with inquiries into the failure of department store chain BHS and its pension liabilities.

BHS went into administration on Monday, with a 571 million pound deficit in its employee pension fund, barely a year after Green sold it for one pound to a group of little known investors called Retail Acquisitions.

Green bought BHS for 200 million pounds in 2000, and when it was profitable it paid out several hundreds of millions of pounds of dividends to his family.

"The spine of our inquiry is looking at how and where money went out of the company, to whom it went, and how this may have disadvantaged the pensioners," Labour Party lawmaker Frank Field said on Sunday. Field chairs parliament's cross-party Work and Pensions Committee.

The inquiry will also ask the trustees of BHS's pension fund and Retail Acquisitions investor Dominic Chappell to appear.

The committee launched an investigation into the impact of BHS's failure on the industry-funded Pension Protection Fund (PPF) on Tuesday.

The day before, Britain's Pensions Regulator said it was investigating the BHS pension scheme to determine whether the retailer's previous owners sought to avoid their obligations and should be pursued for contributions.

One Labour lawmaker, John Mann, has said Green should be stripped of the knighthood he was awarded in 2006 if he does not repay the dividends he took out of BHS.

(Reporting by David Milliken)
By Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - In a divisive vote, the U.N. Security Council on Friday extended for a year a peacekeeping mission in disputed Western Sahara and demanded urgent restoration of its full functionality after Morocco expelled international civilian staff. Rabat's retaliation against the mission, known as MINURSO, came after United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon referred to Morocco's 1975 annexation of Western Sahara after colonial power Spain's withdrawal as an "occupation." The U.N. has said the expulsions have crippled the mission The U.S.-drafted resolution asked Ban to report back within 90 days on whether the mission's functionality had been restored. It does not threaten any punitive measures against Morocco if the mission remains understaffed. Several council members said the resolution should have gone further in demanding the restoration of MINURSO's full strength. Highlighting the disappointment at its contents, the text received 10 yes votes, just one more than the required minimum, along with two against and three abstentions. Venezuela and Uruguay opposed it, while Russia, New Zealand and Angola abstained. "It should not have been like this," New Zealand's U.N. Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen told the 15-nation council. "The resolution should have stated the reality, that the expulsion of the civilian component has seriously compromised the mission and its ability to discharge its mandate." A split vote on a mandate renewal for a peacekeeping mission is rare. Mission mandates are usually approved unanimously. U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said the weeks of haggling over the wording of the resolution on MINURSO's extension, one of the council's most heated annual battles, was even more difficult this time. "This year's mandate renewal was challenging and contentious," she said. "That is an understatement." Moroccan U.N. Ambassador Omar Hilale said Morocco would study the resolution. He did not address reporters' questions about whether Rabat will accept restoration of full civilian staffing levels. "The important thing for us is that the military component should work well and we have already committed ourselves to provide them with all their needs," he said. The Sahrawi people's Polisario Front independence movement wants a referendum on the idea of an independent Western Sahara. Morocco has said it would only grant autonomy. While the resolution does not explicitly call for a referendum, it "reaffirms" previous resolutions calling for a plebiscite. Polisario's U.N. representative Ahmed Boukhari said the resolution was a "step in the right direction but it is not enough." He blamed veto power France for preventing the council from threatening punitive measures against Morocco if it refused to let MINURSO restore full staffing. French Ambassador Francois Delattre said the resolution was balanced. The controversy over Ban's "occupation" comment, made during a visit to refugee camps for Sahrawi people in southern Algeria, is the worst dispute between the United Nations and Morocco since 1991, when the international body brokered a ceasefire to end a war between Rabat and rebels fighting for independence in Western Sahara. MINURSO was established at that time. (Writing by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Toni Reinhold and James Dalgleish)
(Reuters) - United Continental Holdings Inc <UAL.N> said in a proxy statement Friday that it cut the pay of one of its top officers in connection with an internal probe that resulted in its chief executive's resignation last year.

The 2015 annual incentive pay of Chief Operations Officer Greg Hart was reduced by $1 million in connection with a probe into the No.3 U.S. airline's relationship with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The internal probe focused on whether United added flights to Columbia, South Carolina to curry favor with then-Port Authority Chairman David Samson, who had a home there. United has also disclosed two government probes related to the matter.

United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said in a statement that the company did not have anything to add beyond what it had disclosed.

The proxy statement said its separation agreement with Jeff Smisek, made effective on Sept. 8, gave the outgoing chief executive $36.8 million in severance payments and benefits.

His successor, Oscar Munoz, abstained from voting on the separation agreement between United and Smisek, according to the filing.

(Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Editing by Kim Coghill)
Very few corners of the world have been spared by armed conflict. But some, like North Sinai, in Egypt, never seem to catch a break. This desolate stretch of desert between Egypt and Israel is getting increasingly bloody.

In the past two years, according to official numbers, at least 700 people have been killed by the regions insurgency.

Yet it rarely makes the front page, unless a Russian passenger plane is downed, all 224 people aboard killed.

The causes of the violence in North Sinai are virtually impossible to describe in less than a few hundred pages, let alone a Twitter-friendly headline. The Egyptian government rarely allows journalists in the region, so any insights are both hard to come by and to verify. But lets try anyway. After the war between Egypt and Israel in 1967, the region was largely demilitarized, making it a hotbed for smugglers, while local Bedouins organized to protest the central governments perceived neglect of the region. After President Hosni Mubaraks downfall in 2011, Islamist fighters took advantage of the countrys vacuum of power to set up shop in this forgotten stretch of land that happens to be a prime location from which to strike at Israel.

Since 2013, the intermittent violence has escalated into a more organized insurgency (for lack of a better term), part of which has declared allegiance to ISIS and renamed itself the Sinai Province. Since that alliance, their attacks have been getting more sophisticated and deadly, says Mokhtar Awad, research associate with the Center for American Progress National Security and International Policy team. Oh, and al-Qaida? It too has its own handful of fighters in the region, to make sure ISIS doesnt think it alone rules the place.

Basically, the region is a geopolitical clusterfuck. Sporadic attacks have targeted everyone: Israel, the Egyptian military apparatus, oil and gas pipelines, peacekeepers, even a couple of South Korean tourists and their Egyptian driver who died when their bus was blown up last year. Civilians are rarely killed, yet the local population is paying a high price, caught in the crossfire between Islamists and state retaliation. We strongly suspect a majority of the militants claimed killed by the government are likely innocent civilians, as Egypt lacks the intelligence to target only militants, says Joshua Goodman, a Sinai expert and Yale University graduate student. In November 2015, Human Rights Watch accused the Egyptian army of punishing the civilian population through the destruction of homes in the city of Rafah. (The Egyptian minister of defense did not reply to request for comment.)

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Still, the insurgency doesnt seem too scary on paper. Its contained in a small area pushed against the border with Gaza. And its numbers dont seem too imposing compared with those of ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The government estimates the insurgents to number around 1,000, and they dont have heavy armed vehicles or planes.

Given the insurgents unconventional nature, though, there is no chance for a political solution to the problem. Egyptian officials are getting $1.3 billion in arms from the U.S. to fight the insurgents, while Israel, the prime target, watches closely and Gaza hopes it wont have to intervene. Either way, innocent people will likely die. If they feel cornered, they will resort to terrorism, says Awad. But if they do well and feel arrogant, they will strike too.

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Another one bit the dust on Fridays Vampire Diaries. Then another and another. (Seriously, the back half of Season 7 couldnt have any less chill.)



RELATEDVampire Diaries Season Finale: Damon Making the Ultimate Sacrifice to Save Bonnie

To whom should we give the credit for knocking out the remaining vampires on Raynas hit list? Technically, that honor goes to Alexs seemingly infinite gang of Armory soldiers, who leveled the playing field within a days time. (It was cute watching Damon and Enzo play Supernatural, with Damons Camaro filling in for the Winchesters Impala, but theres no way that plan was going to work in the long run.)

Damon should also get some of the credit for selfishly forcing Bonnie to open the Armorys vault in exchange for their helping hands. Not only did his actions ensure Bonnies survival, but he also saved Enzo from having to make a deal with the Armory, thus saving his relationship with Bonnie. Honestly, this might have been the least selfish thing Damons done all season!

Of course, this is still The Vampire Diaries, where  to misquote John Steinbeck  even the best laid plans of vampires and witches are bound to go awry. Rayna may have agreed to kill herself and save Bonnies life, but she used her final breath to reveal this little twist to Damon:

Do you think I could ever forgive you for the things youve done to me?  Now, neither will Bonnie. When she wakes, shell be just like me, full of hatred for you and your kind  and unable to rest until youve been wiped from this earth.



Say it with me now: Big. Bad. Bonnie! (Am I the only one excited for this dark twist?!)

Elsewhere this week

PROMISES, PROMISES | Caroline and Alaric briefly re-entered the fray this week to help knock some vampires off Raynas list, but their return to all things supernatural didnt exactly end the way I expected. Despite Alarics insistence that Caroline remains bothered by her brief encounter with Stefan, she assured him that she didnt have anything to say to [Stefan] then, and [she doesnt] have anything to say about him now. Furthermore, she thinks Alaric has been Indiana Jones-ing for some excitement in his life, and then dropped this oddly romantic line about their inhuman endeavors: We are pretty deep in this, and if thats the way it has to be, I want to be deep in it with you. Thats kind of sweet. Right?

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PENNY DREADFUL | Question: Did Matt Donovan turn anyone else into a blubbering mess this week? The flashback of his proposal to Penny (she said yes!) was one of the most heartbreaking moments of the entire season, given that we know how things would eventually turn out for the happy couple. But even that moment was quickly overshadowed by Matts realization that he killed his own fiancee, an act hed previously attributed to Stefan. (In Matts defense, that dashboard camera footage of Stefan compelling him to forget what really happened to Penny was damning, albeit only half-baked, evidence.) Im really hoping these two can repair their friendship, if only so Matt can finally have something good happen to him this season  you know, other than that sweet promotion.

VAULT ROCK | We finally learned whats in the Armorys vault this week. Are you ready? Its something bad! Yeah, thats pretty much all we know; per Virginias tale, whatever lies within has the power to rob people of their empathy. It turned her great grandfather in a serial killer, and now that Alex has come in contact with it, Im thinking shes about to head down a dark path of her own. (Heres hoping Bonnie doesnt release Alex into the wild as part of her plan to take down all the vampires!)

Your thoughts on this weeks TVD? Hopes for the final two episodes of Season 7? Drop a comment with your full review below.

Launch Gallery: <em>Vampire Diaries</em> Season 7 Photos

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The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Chandler, Ariz. is now

Left, right, leftgun it! All 645 horsepower roared from underneath the hood of the track-focused Viper GT I was driving. Mumbling to myself, trying to remember everything I had been taught just a few hours earlier. The rugged Tarmac bounced the car up and down like it was riding on jello, my foot 3/4 of the way down, trying to get to 100 before having to slam the brakes and quickly pitch it into a right turn.

This was Bob Bondurants dream, as he watched on willfully from the pits, probably critiquing me like a stern schoolteacher. He wanted me to push the limits of not only the car, but myself, on a course thats arguably one of the most technical Ive ever driven, not to say that Im some sort of track expert or anything.

It was on that Tuesday in the middle of the Arizona desert that I learned to drive. Truly, actually, learned to drive. Its the same experience anyone who buys an SRT product, or Hellcat, or Viper goes through, all paid for by Dodge, of course. Except, we were getting the condensed version of that.

Before I was able to work my way up to that curvy little track, though, we had to start from the bottom; learn our ABCs of basic driving. That meant a bit of time going sidewayscontrolled, of courseall perfectly coordinated by the team at Bondurants racing school.

RELATED: Learn More About the Track-Focused Dodge Viper ACR

Chargers on stilts, is one way to put it. Two SRT Chargers controlled vaguely by a surrounding brace and four rotating wheels on the corners. Instructors are able to lift or lower the cars, depending on the exercise. Our exercise was to go sideways, and learn how to control the car.

Feather the throttle; use it as a sort of rudder, the instructor urged as the car was the other way from where we started. Just gently turn in, dont toss it.

Normally owners get 45 minutes on this coursewe got about five to perfect our drifting skills. I never did, I was mostly sliding around crazily before they told me to get out as two of my colleagues giggled from the back seat.

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But you definitely do learn, if even just a little bit. Always keep your vision forward, even if the car isnt, use the throttle not just for moving forward, but sideways. For a group of experienced journalists, it all seemed a bit trivial. But for any new owner of one of these cars, its a much-needed exercise.

RELATED: See Photos of the 707-Horsepower Dodge Challenger Hellcat

Move from the sliding course into a Ram Van, seat belts buckled, as one of the many instructors takes you on a run through of the track. Hitting an apex in a Ram Promaster, even as a passenger, is a pretty hilarious experience. It would be even more thrilling when we put on he helmets and did it ourselvesin slightly more track-worthy vehicles.

Charger Hellcat, Challenger Hellcat, and Viper. All three models lined up side-by-side, emblazoned with the Bondurant logo across them in green and yellow. Work your way up from Charger to Challenger, and eventually Viper, someone said. It should have been the other way around.

I got in the Charger Hellcat and immediately regretted my decision. This car wasnt made for the track, and my lack of experience didnt help either. Spinning tires when it shouldnt, skipping angrily under hard braking; but I did make it around, thankfully, even if it was slower than almost everyone else.

After lunch we got back to work. This time I needed to get in the Viper, even if it was the most viscous vehicle of the three. But it wasnt so much vicious as it was just really damn good.

RELATED: This Viper Packs 1,000 Horsepower and Looks the Part Too

Love or hate the Viper, its one of the most beautifully focused vehicles one could take to the track. If youre an owner, its something I couldnt suggest doing more. It carves corners, making you clench your butt cheeks as it slides perfectly into position. The power band between second and third gear is just intoxicating. Thankfully Bondurant fit a huge wing on the back of its cars a la ACR, which gives it something like 200 extra pounds of downforce at speed. Much needed downforce.

Left, I was finally getting the hang of it, after 10 or so laps. right, the technical aspects of the track forced you to push your limits. .left, the final turn before the straight that almost wants you to overcook it and end up the wrong way. Gun it!, the Viper bouncing up and down angrily, Bob Bondurant standing in the pit watching me try and make up groundon a lead follow, mind you.

At that moment100 mph down a bumpy straightyou feel Bob Bondurants racing spirit living in you. You feel like youre at Le Mans, or Sebring, pushing your limits with the knowledge of Bondurant behind you, if only a teaspoons worth. In reality, youre blasting down a course that most expert drivers would shrug off, but its all the techniques learned throughout the day that makes it that much more of an experience.

The Bondurant Driving School wants younay, forces you to be a better driver. Something everyone should aspire to be.

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Warren Buffett kicked off Berkshire Hathaways annual meeting with a review of how his insurance conglomerate did in the first quarter.

It wasnt good. And thats not a great sign for the economy. Berkshire is one of the largest companies in the nation that earnings primarily all of its earnings in the U.S.

Insurance revenue was down, Buffett said because of hail storms in Texas. Railroad earnings were down as well, Buffett said that was because loads were down, especially from the energy sector.

Revenue from Berkshires manufacturing sector was up. But Buffett said that part of that rise was the fact that Berkshire had made some acquisitions that added to the segment. Also, for the first time Berkshires earnings include Precision Castparts, which it bought last summer, but completed the acquisition at the start of the year. Overall, earnings did climb 8% to nearly $5.6 billion in the quarter. Heres the results.

See original article on Fortune.com

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At this years Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, tens of thousands of investors will once again celebrate Warren Buffetts investing prowess. This year, in fact, that number could get up into the millions as the event known as Woodstock for Capitalists will be webcast for the first time.

And while Buffetts legendary investing track record is well documented, rightfully earning him the moniker of the Oracle of Omaha, its worth pointing out that his recent stock-picking performance has been lackluster. Since Berkshires shareholder meeting a year ago, more than half of the 43 publicly traded stocks it owns are down. Berkshire Hathaway stock itself has also been punished: The shares fell 12.5% in 2015--their worst performance since the 2008 financial crisis, though they have recovered recently, and are up about 2% over the last year.

But of the companies Buffett calls his Big Four investments--American Express , Coca-Cola , IBM , and Wells Fargo --only one has gained since Berkshire last held its annual meeting. That would be Coke. Its shares are up more than 10% during the past year. American Express, however, has plunged 15% in the same period, while IBMs stock price sank nearly 16%. Wells Fargo, meanwhile, lost 9% (though in typical Oracle fashion, Buffett bought more of the banks shares amid the selloff earlier this year).

To be fair, Buffett himself isnt responsible for picking all the stocks that Berkshire owns, as his two deputies, Ted Weschler and Todd Combs, are now managing large portfolios of their own at the company. But that doesnt necessarily make Buffetts record look better: Berkshires biggest winner over the last year is Verisign , up 39% over the past year--and it was likely a Combs pick, according to Fortune senior editor Stephen Gandels analysis. (On the other hand, another of Berkshires biggest losers, Liberty Media , down 53% in the past year, was Weschlers doing as well, according to the same analysis.)

Its also possible that Buffett has dumped some of his losing holdings in the last few months since his last portfolio disclosure, which only updated Berkshires portfolio through the end of 2015. Buffett also adds to his positions. So some of his most recent purchases as the market has rebounded in the past few months, may have been good calls, even if those same stocks are down for the full year since the last meeting.

Still, only 19 stocks in his portfolio are up over the last year, and 24 are down--and some of them way, way down. Buffetts biggest loser in that time period is his longtime holding Williams Companies , which has shed nearly 63% as its pending acquisition by rival pipeline company Energy Transfer Equity has turned into a disaster.

And surprise surprise, Buffetts investments in newspaper companies including Graham Holdings (former owner of the Washington Post) and Lee Enterprises (which publishes dozens of regional papers), have both performed poorly, with Grahams shares down 24% and Lees down 30% over the past year. But Buffett has said in the past that while he likes owning newspapers, he sees them more as money pits than growth opportunities.

Another disappointment has been Goldman Sachs , whose shares have fallen more than 17% since last years Buffettpalooza in Omaha--though the Oracle reduced his stake in the bank in the latter part of 2015.

Tune in to the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting tomorrow at 10 a.m. E.T./9 a.m. C.T. to see if Buffett has anything to say about his stocks dismal performance over the past year. If not, come back this time next year when well likely grade them again.

See original article on Fortune.com

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Will Ferrell and Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith hosted the Red Hot Benefit, Comedy + Music & Quinceanera at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Friday evening (April 29).

Will Ferrell and Chad Smith Team Up for Red Hot Benefit

The comedian's Funny or Die-sponsored event took place two years following the co-hosts' drum-off on Jimmy Fallon's Late Show in 2014, when Ferrell took the victory.

Though the two opted not to participate in a second drum-off, Smith assured the crowd, "I have assembled some of the best drummers in rock and roll and they're here tonight."

Will Ferrell & RHCP's Chad Smith Drum-Off On 'Fallon' (Watch)

Participants included Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins, Motley Crue's Tommy Lee, Portlandia's Fred Armisen, The Police's Stewart Copeland and Fleetwood Mac's Mick Fleetwood.

Ferrell raised awareness for Cancer for College, an organization focused on making "the dream of a college education a reality for cancer survivor," while Smith brought attention to bandmate Flea's Silverlake Conservatory of Music non-profit, which "offers private music lessons at a reasonable cost and grants scholarships to children in need."

Jim Gaffigan, Nick Offerman, DEVO and Roy Wood Jr. also participated in the charitable night, which aired exclusively on "Facebook Live."

This article originally appeared in THR.com.
"Not a bad venue, right?" asks UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, chairman of International Jazz Day, and living jazz legend Herbie Hancock jokingly, after mention of what's sure to be the genre's biggest event of the year: an all-star jazz concert, broadcast from the South Lawn of the White House in primetime on ABC (April 30, 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT).

President Obama to Host International Jazz Day Concert at White House

Jazz has been at the White House almost as long as it's existed -- though what Ray Miller and his band were playing for Calvin Coolidge in 1924 likely bears little resemblance to the music President and Mrs. Obama will be listening to as they celebrate International Jazz Day (also April 30), the impetus for the concert and broadcast. 2016's concert will feature a wide range of artists including Wayne Shorter, Aretha Franklin, Sting, Esperanza Spalding, Robert Glasper, Chick Corea, and Hancock himself, among dozens of others.

"When it was presented to the President and Mrs. Obama, they immediately embraced the idea of doing this at the White House," says Tom Carter, President of the Thelonious Monk Institute (the organization that runs International Jazz Day, now in its fifth year), adding, "Jazz has been a very important part of both of their lives.

Henry Threadgill Wins Pulitzer Prize For Music

"The President will tell you about his teens, when he started listening to Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter and others, and how jazz has been an integral part of his life," says Carter, "and the First Lady will tell you about her grandfather's passion for jazz, and how he exposed her as a child to this music. They've both been surrounded by jazz for most of their lives, so they jumped at the opportunity to have their friends and the artists that they follow to the White House."

Hancock's already been a part of Obama's presidency, though, as well as almost every president since Carter, who famously had his own South Lawn jazz celebration in 1978, organized by Newport Jazz Festival impresario George Wein. In fact, he's performed there so often, he's lost count: a Valentine's Day celebration during the second Bush administration, at the invitation of First Lady Laura, President Obama's 50th birthday, a recent state dinner where he did a duet with classical virtuoso Lang Lang"I've seen a range of presidents," he concludes. The pianist has even been enlisted on the campaign trail. "When Clinton was running for president for the first time," he says, "he asked me and Wayne Shorter -- was Ron Carter there too? -- to fly in to Little Rock [an ensemble that would have included all the living members of Miles Davis's famous Second Great Quintet]. He actually flew us there on a private plane -- he really wanted us there. It was really cool."

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Hear Now: 5 New Jazz Albums You Need to Check Out

The reason he's been called up so often is because jazz is, as he puts it, "America's classical music these days." With a primetime slot, though, the International Jazz Day organizers want to show that it's anything but stodgy. "I think it's an opportunity for those who know the word jazz, and have maybe some conception of what they believe jazz is, to watch it on this stage and to hear incredible jazz artists from around the world," adds Carter. "A lot of people have thought of this as a music of the past, but it really is living."

Showing the vibrancy of jazz culture is one of the primary missions of International Jazz Day, which in its short life has already swelled into events in 190 countries (including "two stations down in Antarctica, McMurdo and Palmer," he says, "and all 50 states") annually on April 30th, with a special emphasis on each year's host city. "What better place to have it than to come back to America," says Carter of this year's host, "and to have it at the White House" (full listings of International Jazz Day events are available on their site).

Jazz Fest Producer Quint Davis on Surviving Katrina, the 'Economics of Creativity' and Making an Eclectic Lineup Work

"Jazz is about coming in with an open mind," adds John Beasley, the all-star concert's musical director, of what makes the international festival special. "Getting these people from all over the world to come and play together. It gives hope that someday we really can resolve our differences. It's not just about soloing -- it's about the support underneath the soloists."

"Part of its character is that it borrows from any genre or culture that touches it, and it also lends itself to any genre or culture that touches it," adds Hancock. "I think that's what has kept it alive over the decades." Showing that evolution at the White House, to those in charge at International Jazz Day, is just proof that it's not going anywhere. "I think," concludes Carter, "that it's an evening people will be talking about for many years to come."
Whole Foods

Whole Foods' new chain, called 365 by Whole Foods Market, will look nothing like its existing stores.

Shoppers' priorities are changing, and 365 is designed to meet their needs with lower prices, smaller, more convenient stores, and a more cost-efficient business model.

"Food shopping is evolving around convenience and price," Jeff Turnas, president of 365 by Whole Foods Market, told Business Insider. "There are a lot more options for people these days  whether it's groceries or restaurants or convenience stores  and 365 is our way of evolving."

It's critically important for Whole Foods to evolve with customers' changing shopping habits, if the company wants to succeed.

But if 365 is Whole Foods' method of evolving, what does that mean for Whole Foods' existing stores?

The strategy implicitly suggests that Whole Foods' existing stores are in need of updating a sentiment perhaps supported by the company's recent sales performance, which has been trending negative.

365 Whole Foods

Whole Foods' same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, fell 1.8% in the most recent quarter, marking the second straight quarter of decline after 23 consecutive quarters of positive results.



The new 365 concept was announced last year, just as same-store sales growth was starting to wane.

The 365 stores will focus on prepared foods over packaged goods. They will carry one-third of the products that a regular Whole Foods store offers, but customers will be able to find everything on their grocery lists there, according to Turnas. All price tags will be digital, so the company can act swiftly to make price changes without spending time and money printing new tags.

Analysts have said the new stores could backfire, if prices are significantly cheaper and they cannibalize business from existing stores. Whole Foods executives have blamed recent same-store sales declines in part on cannibalization among existing stores.

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"In our investor conversations, sentiment remains quite negative toward the potential success of this concept," Oppenheimer analysts wrote in a recent note. "Cannibalization and the risks associated with creating a new concept from scratch with limited testing remain our primary concerns, along with strong incumbent chains including Sprouts Farmers Market and Trader Joes in the value space."

Turnas said the company isn't worried about cannibalization, however.

Whole Foods

Even if 365 does steal some customers from Whole Foods' existing stores, it's better than losing customers to the competition, he said.

"The cannibalization piece  we don't know whats going to happen, we are going to figure that out," he said. "But we have to be ready for competition coming from all sides."

He said 365 will definitely share some customers with regular Whole Foods stores, but that will be a net positive for the company. He noted research that shows Americans increasingly prefer to shop at a variety of grocery stores, rather than completing their entire shop at one store.

"Whole foods shoppers will use both stores," he said. "There will be some things they wont be able to get at Whole Foods, that they can get at 365." 365 will also appeal to customers "who need to get something quickly, but don't need the whole Whole Foods experience," he said.

The company is also hoping 365 attracts new customers.

"There are some new markets we're going to enter with 365" where Whole Foods doesn't exist, he said.

The first 365 stores will open this year in Los Angeles, Lake Oswego, Oregon, and Bellevue, Washington. The company will open 10 more 365 stores next year.

NOW WATCH: Walmart is making a major change that will impact more than 5,000 stores





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Bernie Sanders has achieved astonishing things in the 2016 U.S. presidential race. He has single-handedly resurrected socialism in American political discourse. He has moved Clinton to the left on virtually every issue. Most importantly, he has brought millions of young people into politics. According to CIRCLE, more youth have voted for Sanders than for Clinton and Trump combined.

But Bernie Sanders is not going to be the Democratic nominee for president. He isn't going to quit or suspend his campaign. But barring the impossible, he is going to lose.

What Sanders does between now and the end of the Philadelphia convention this summer will largely determine whether he is able to consolidate all his achievements. In fact, these next few weeks will decide whether his message and movement will continue to impact American politics.

Even after Tuesday's massive defeat in a string on Northeast states, Sanders insisted that "we are in this campaign to win." But he also gave his first hint of a different agenda. He said that he is out to "win every delegate we can," so that he can "fight for a progressive party platform" at the Convention in July. Sanders could score some real victories here, including commitments to a $15 an hour U.S. minimum wage, universal health care, and tougher regulations for Wall Street.

But while party platforms seem crucial during the convention, with delegates fighting over every word, they lose their significance immediately thereafter.

The more important question is whether he will be given the opportunity to speak.

The "unity" convention speech by the runner up is always a high risk/high reward moment for the party and its nominee. Edward Kennedy's speech at the 1980 convention barely mentioned Jimmy Carter, and it was embarrassingly clear that he did not think much of the party's nominee. It is one reason why Carter's campaign against Ronald Reagan failed so badly. On the other hand, a unity speech really can unify. At the 2008 convention, Hillary Clinton herself declared that "Barack Obama is my candidate and he must be our president." The campaign between her and Obama was at least as rough as the current Democratic contest, but Clinton's full-throated endorsement made it much easier for her supporters to get behind Obama and secure his victory.

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Of course, the party is under no obligation to offer Sanders such an opportunity. And if they have reason to fear that Sanders speech would be more like Kennedy's and less like Clinton's, they won't.

But the smart money says that he will speak and will offer his strong support for Hillary Clinton. Why? Because every party to that decision wants it to happen.

Clinton wants him to speak because it is the best way to get Sanders' disappointed supporters to recommit themselves to her. Clinton needs all those votes that went to Sanders. But young people don't just vote, they do much of the leg work for a campaign; they sleep on couches and work for peanuts. Clinton also needs their passion and energy. But without Sanders blessing, she won't get them.

For its part, the Democratic Party is worried about demographics. Even now, millennials outnumber baby boomers. Their vote is already critical and it will only become more so. And second, while young people are far less partisan than their parents, once they have voted the same way two or three times they still tend to identify with a party in practice (if not in name). Party leaders therefore know that they have a golden opportunity to capture a sizeable chunk of the electorate for decades. Moreover, for all its structural advantages in presidential elections, the Democratic Party is awful at mobilizing its constituents for off year elections, not to mention down ticket and local races. This is especially true of young people. Sanders could encourage them to stay invested. But if Sanders chooses not to do so, the Party will continue to underperform, and it might even lose this group for good.

But the speech is just as important for Sanders himself.

First, Sanders knows that a Trump presidency would spell disaster for everything he believes in. And he has every reason to remind his followers of that fact. He also knows that the party would blame him if he did not endorse Clinton and Donald Trump were somehow to win.

But more importantly, he wants his revolution to live on and grow. To do that, he and his followers must work within the Democratic Party. His followers may not yet believe this. They may believe that a revolution could only happen outside a corrupt two-party system. But Sanders himself does. That is why, after all, he ran as a Democrat; he formerly identified himself as an Independent. Working outside the system is to embrace irrelevancy.

Working within the party means undertaking the hard work of building a sustainable infrastructure. It means identifying potential candidates and helping them move up the ladder of elected office. But it also means committing to the party and those who represent it--up and down the ticket. None of this can be achieved solely by a speech, of course, but it cannot be achieved without one. Sanders must tell his followers that for the sake of their common commitments, they need to commit to the party. Most immediately, that means that his followers need to fall in behind Clinton's nomination.

Sanders has run an extremely good campaign. A convention speech is his opportunity to cement his reputation and cultivate his movement. If he does it right, he will do both, even as he helps to secure Clinton's election in November.

Christopher Beem is Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at the Pennsylvania State University. His latest book is Democratic Humility.

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com
Republican presidential front-runner and real estate billionaire Donald Trump has spent much of the last week fighting with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton over whether she's playing the "woman card," capping off a campaign season marked by crude period jokes and plummeting female opinions of Trump.

Now, one woman wants to hit Trump where it hurts  his perennially pubescent mind.

Twitter user @heysoulclassicz, who the Daily Dot identified as 24-year-old Los Angeles resident Lindsey Toiaivao, has been tweeting the details of her period directly at Trump in an effort to discomfort the infamously squeamish candidate.

Here's a sample:

@realDonaldTrump WOOF honestly where to start? It's early on, somewhere btwn days 2 and 3 but recently I've been starting w like thicker

@realDonaldTrump so that's happening. We're full steam ahead into the red now though so no worries

@realDonaldTrump You know when you're 12 and learning how to put in a tampon for the first time and the first several times you do it wrong?

@realDonaldTrump and you don't end up getting to swim at all bc you didn't put the tampon in right so you'd prob attract sharks w/ ur blood?

It goes on like this for a while.

@realDonaldTrump ALSO nobody really tells u before u start your period what it's supposed to look/feel/be like. At least they didn't in '03

@realDonaldTrump I mean those are only period related drawbacks. I only feel qualified/willing to speak to period issues right now

Toiaivao even put her own spin on some common conservative buzzwords.

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Should I change my bio to "bleeding uterus liberal"

She added it would be nice if women could talk about their own "experience in your body" without receiving looks of horror from others.

Wouldn't it be cool if you could be a woman & talk abt your experience in your body w/o being called a gross stupid c*nt? What a dream.

"Likely, some misogynistic social media intern at the Trump campaign has browsed those tweets and cringed," Toiaivao told the Daily Dot. "And the thought of that eases my cramps considerably."

Toiaivao joins the ranks of many Twitter users who have targeted Trump with detail-filled anecdotes about periods.

Trump's uneasiness with the female reproductive system extends to a number of other bodily functions. For example, it recently emerged that he does not change his children's diapers, leaving the dirty deed entirely to his wives.

After five knockout victories in primary contests in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware and Rhode Island this week, the period-averse candidate seems all but unstoppable in his quest to win the Republican nomination.
Bryan Garner portrait

Is the internet ruining the English language? Has the original meaning of "beg the question" been forever lost? Who of all the presidential candidates are closest to being standard speakers of English?

Perhaps the most qualified person to answer these and other questions about English usage is Bryan A. Garner. The 57-year-old Texan has written 25 books, many of them award-winning, and he's the editor-in-chief of "Black's Law Dictionary," said to be the most widely cited law book on the planet.

In his new book, "Garner's Modern English Usage" (Oxford), Garner has made extensive use of big data to write more precisely than anyone ever before about English usage. Google gave him license to delve into its Google Books Ngram Viewer, which displays graphs showing how words have occurred in books over centuries.

In many ways, usage books have always been based on a good deal of guesswork. That's why Garner calls the use of ngrams "absolutely revolutionary" in the field of usage lexicography.

Here's a sample graph showing three terms, or ngrams, used in written English around the world in the past hundred years or so:

ngram child care kindergarten nursery school

Recently, I spoke with Garner about his new book, whether language is really changing much in the age of the internet and social media, his late friend and coauthor Antonin Scalia, and other subjects.

Daniel McMahon: This new fourth edition of your main usage book, "Garner's Modern English Usage," replaces the third-edition "Garner's Modern American Usage." Besides the title, which we'll get to, what's different in the new book?

Bryan A. Garner: The biggest change is the level of empiricism underlying all the judgments. I made extensive use of corpus linguistics, and especially of Google Books and the ngrams, to assess the judgments that I've made in previous editions, and it was a most enlightening process. I've added almost 2,500 ratios of the most current available information about how many times one form  the standard form, let's say  would appear in relation to a variant form. That's enormously useful information for the connoisseur. But even for a less serious aficionado, those ratios can be extremely interesting.

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If you want to know how often, for example, "between you and I" occurs in comparison with "between you and me" in print sources or current books, that information is now available to us, whereas previous lexicographers and usage writers simply had to guess. There's a lot of that empirical evidence spread throughout the book, and in some cases my judgments about terms changed. I've added about a thousand new entries, a lot of them for connoisseurs  plural forms, some arcane plurals that weren't in the book before. I've tried to make the book the most comprehensive treatment of English usage ever published. That was the goal anyway.

flak flack spelling difference meaning Garner Google ngrams

McMahon: What led you to add so much more empirical evidence? Did you feel challenged on some of your usage preferences?

Garner: Not really. Once the ngrams became available, it took me a little time to start playing with ngrams and realize this is absolutely revolutionary in the field of lexicography. The moment I played with a couple of ngrams, I realized this fundamentally changes the nature of usage lexicography. For a long time, some descriptive linguists have complained that usage books with a prescriptive bent are written by people who just sit back and say, "I like this better than I like that," and I don't think that's ever been so, because the best usage books, even prescriptive ones, have been based on lifetimes of study  when you consider people like H.W. Fowler and Wilson Follet and Theodore Bernstein and others.

But still, they were having to guess. Even the editors of the "Oxford English Dictionary" were having to guess based on the few citation slips in front of them. But now we can apply big data to English usage and find out what was predominant until what year. This is a typical entry  and there are thousands of examples in the book:

merchandise; *merchandize. The first is standard. The second is a misbegotten verb and noun. *Merchandize emerged as a variant of merchandise in both the noun and verb senses during the 17th century and flourished until the mid-19th century. Today, it's an anomaly of either part of speech.  Current ratio: 41:1

Now that is an extraordinary thing to be able to say with confidence that they emerged in the middle of 17th century and flourished until the mid-19th century. But we can now do that because of big data. Let's see if I can give you another example  I'm just flipping through the book. Look at an old entry from "Modern American Usage" and see which words I added and how it changed in the new book. Look at "candidacy":

[before ngrams]

candidacy; candidature. The first is the standard term in AmE, the second in BrE.

[with ngrams]

candidacy; candidature. The first is the standard term in AmE, the second traditionally in BrE. But since the late 1970s, candidacy has become the predominant form in British print sources. Current ratio: 5:1

candidacy candidature English usage Garner ngrams

McMahon: Do you think that's because of the effects of American usage?

Garner: Yes. Let me read to you a little bit from one of the last paragraphs of the new preface. It deals with this very point, and I thought it was kind of interesting:

One recurrent finding bears note. All varieties of English are powerfully influenced by American English. When my late friend Robert W. Burchfield was editor in chief of the Oxford English Dictionary Supplement in the 1970s, he noted that the center of gravity for the English language had shifted to North America. He was right. Again and again, one sees British English and World English following the lead of American usage, often with a lag time of 10 to 50 years. Youll see this trend noted in many entries throughout the book  but of course its hardly a universal rule.

So often there will be entries that say, "This became standard in American English in 1880 and in British English in the early 1920s," or something like that. Again, the editors of the "OED" and the editors of Merriam-Webster  or any lexicographer using traditional forms  would have slips of paper, and let's say you wanted to look up the term "retributive," the adjective for "retribution." You might have seven slips of paper in front of you. One of them has "retributional," but all the others are "retributive," so you guess that "retributive" is the standard term. Now you can find the precise ratio. Some British commentators said this is a horrible Americanism. You can now prove it originated in British English. That's kind of fun. And in a sense, every page of the book got rewritten in that way.

Sometimes it won't even be close. Like thalamus:

thalamus (=[1] a part of the brain that relays sensory impulses; or [2] the receptacle of a flower) forms the plural thalami. Though not unknown in AmE, thalamuses is rare.  Current ratio: 431:1

So the ratio of thalami to thalamuses to is 431-to-1. Sometimes the ratio will be 17,000-to-1. Now you might say, why should I even include something that is 17,000-to-1? The answer is, when you're in a debate with somebody  let's say you're a copy editor  and somebody has used a form that you're quite certain is not the standard form, it's pleasing to be able to say, "Look, that form occurs only once compared to 17,000 times for the other form." It's all for settling debates. I suppose some would say, well, why have a usage book if you can just Google everything? But it does matter. There are a lot of judgment calls involved and some expertise.

Another example  "stated otherwise":

stated otherwise, when used at the beginning of a sentence, is a pompous version of in other words. The phrase emerged in the late 19th century and became widespread during the 20th. It shows no signs of waning.

That would be a very difficult thing to say with any confidence if you couldn't rely on big data, and that's why no other usage book has ever had statements like that  because you would have had to guess.

Here's "movable" without an E in the middle:

movable has been predominantly so spelled in AmE since about 1840 and in BrE since about 1870. Moveable is a variant spelling. Current ratio: 3:1

Google ngram movable moveable

So it became standard without the middle E in 1840 in AmE and in BrE from 1870. That's amazing  it's new information. Every entry has essentially been rewritten using the information to be gleaned from ngrams.

And I tested. I was a little bit doubtful about how much I could rely on the ngrams. How reliable were they really? I had a couple of interviews with the inventor of ngrams at Google. Google gave me a written license to use the ngrams in my work fully, to the extent that I wanted to, and I cross-checked as much as possible. Everything I did confirmed the reliability of this big-data tool after, let's say, 1750. Before 1750, it's a little bit shaky because there are some anomalous things, and the optical character-recognition program, OCR, is a little bit tricky with a lot of the older text, so I don't trust the stuff from 1500 to 1750 all that much. But from 1750 on  really, from 1700 on  it's very reliable.

Language Change Index Bryan Garner key explained

McMahon: How has the use of ratios transformed your Language-Change Index?

Garner: The index now has less guesswork in it. There was some guesswork involved in deciding whether something was Stage 4, Stage 3, Stage 2, but by doing the ratios I was able to tell that if something were 2-to-1 or 3-to-1, it might be Stage 4.

If its 4-to-10, it might be Stage 3. If it's 10-to-20, it might be Stage 2, and if it's 20 or above, it might be Stage 1. I came up with a whole series of gradations that I was able to verify, based on print sources, what stages we had reached on the Language-Change Index. The index has now become much more scientifically based.

McMahon: Are there words that you once shunned that have now been accepted or are on their way to being accepted?

Garner: "Nauseous"  though I'd call that a skunked term [a word likely to distract some readers]. I call it Stage 4. But interestingly, in 1940, the phrase "felt nauseated" versus "felt nauseous" was 9-to-1 in favor of "felt nauseated." The current ratio is 1, "felt nauseated," to 1.5, "felt nauseous," so usage has flipped in about 75 years. I just dont use the term  I say "nauseated" or "nauseating." But youre going to be able to find all kinds of interesting ratios.

There are some words like "nauseous" where the bad form is now in the majority of instances, but it still says Stage 4  it's not Stage 5 yet. If you take "has drunk" versus "has drank," I call that Stage 2  "has drank" is Stage 2  and the ratio of "has drunk" to "has drank" is 12-to-1.

I tried to contextualize all my searches, so if you want to do "home in on" versus "hone in on," you can't do "home in" versus "hone in" because you end up with a lot usages such as "She has a home in Malibu." So you have to use "homed in on" versus "honed in on" and then you get a good read on it. I showed exactly what my searches were so that anybody else can verify the results.

The "home in/hone in" entry in the new Garner's Modern English Usage. @dpc007 pic.twitter.com/9iLAihTwsJ  Bryan A. Garner (@BryanAGarner) April 7, 2016

McMahon: Are there any words youd like to see disappear?

Garner: "Irregardless." All the words I have under "nonwords." I have a list in the book.

irregardless

muchly

seldomly

thusly

uncategorically

doubtlessly

analyzation

Stuff like that. All the nonwords.

McMahon: The title of the third edition reads "American Usage," but the new fourth edition reads "English Usage." Why the change?

Garner: Well, in a way the title "Modern American Usage" was always slightly misleading because the book dealt heavily with British English as well as American English. The reason for it, originally, was some sensitivity about not competing with Burchfield's third edition of Fowler ["Dictionary of Modern English Usage"]. And Burchfield's third edition was really not a third edition of Fowler but his own usage book  but that was "Modern English Usage." Then Oxford added "Garner" to the title, I guess in the second edition, and it became Garners Modern American Usage. But in the second and third editions I even deepened the treatment of British English, so the name American was less and less apt.

With what I was able to do with ngrams and searching World English, British English, and American English, the word "American" was even more misleading to speakers of English around the world. And because "Garner" had already been added to the title  what, 12 years ago  Oxford felt comfortable with making it "English Usage" as opposed to "American."

Bryan Garner usage books modern english

The other thing is that, because of the dual meaning of "English," when you see "American Usage," people don't know what "usage" is, people don't know what usage books are. But if you see the phrase "English Usage" you know it's about the language. I think there were problems in bricks-and-mortar bookstores, even figuring out where to put the book. And what is a book on "American usage" anyway? Only true connoisseurs know what a usage book is, so the new title is more descriptive as well, to the everyday book person.

And the book now makes all sorts of pronouncements, not only about British English but also about World English, because it's now possible to search that corpus. So it's true; it has its origins in North America, and it has North American sensibilities, but it is very inclusive in terms of treating varieties of English throughout the world.

McMahon: There's going to be an app as well. I'm very happy to know that.

Garner: I think youre really going to like it. The Kindle format for Modern American Usage was not good, and there were complaints about it. I had nothing to do with it. But Ive had a lot to do with this app, and were very excited about it.

McMahon: I have to say this is the most readable and intriguing usage book Ive ever read.

Garner: Its the kind of thing that any writer of reference books would like, I think  to create a reference book that is compulsively readable so that you want to look up more things. Thats the idea. And thats the way the best reference books for a very long time have been. I think the ratios make it even more that way  you want to find out whats the ratio on this, whats the ratio on that.

nimrod meaning Bugs Bunny hunter idiot Google ngrams Garner

McMahon: How much has the internet changed English?

Garner: The facile answer is that language is changing more rapidly because of the internet and because usage spreads more quickly, people are exposed to new terms, new usages. I think thats actually overstated. The language  the literary language, anyway  remains very stable. And apart from technological innovations that need new terminology, for the most part, literary English is exceedingly stable and very slow to change. So apart from technological innovations and new media, such as Twitter and Instagram and things of that kind that come into the popular vocabulary, I dont think the internet is speeding up change all that much.

Now, one thing its doing is confirming that a lot of people  maybe a majority of Americans  dont seem to know the difference between the possessive your and the contraction youre, and thats very surprising to many of us. And more and more people are communicating with comma splices  perhaps in text messages and in email messages  and it could be that comma splices will soon be somehow considered standard. I dont think so  I would say over my dead body. One is seeing more and more of these all the time. Im sure there are lots of other examples that we could point to. But, on the whole, I think the fundamentals of language remain very much the way theyve always been.

Donald Trump.

McMahon: What observations have you made about the presidential candidates?

Garner: [Laughs] There are so many fascinating things. One is, when you listen to Donald Trump, he has this very thumping style in which he repeats sentences almost verbatim the second time. Whenever he wants to underscore something, he repeats the sentence. And of course he has a series of about eight favorite adjectives that he uses again and again.

The more you listen to Donald Trump  even if you kind of like the message the first couple of times  if you're listening critically and you hear the same airy characterizations and adjectives over and over again, and the same speech patterns, it becomes very trying. I think even people who might be drawn to it will end up being repelled by it if they are thinking critically.

Bernie Sanders

I find Bernie Sanders's dialect to be very unpleasant to listen to. I could also understand why so many people in New England considered George W. Bush to be unlistenable, because he overdid the Texas twang. And in fact even to a Texan  it made this Texan cringe. But Bernie Sanders is very difficult to listen to because one doesn't expect an educated American to have that kind of accent.

Hillary Clinton.

From the viewpoint of public speaking, Hillary Clinton is interesting to listen to  how often she just sounds cross, as if shes shouting. But then again, Donald Trump does that, and Bernie Sanders does that as well.

This is a very strange political season, and in terms of presidential contests, a very strange linguistic season as well.

Ted Cruz

If you were judging based on standard English among the frontrunners, Ted Cruz and Clinton are the closest to being standard speakers of English. With Cruz, the difficult thing about listening to him is the nasality of his delivery, how nasal his voice is. I'm speaking about much more than just grammar and usage now in terms of speaking styles, but the nasality of Cruz makes it difficult for listeners.

john kasich

Kasich is quite listenable.

McMahon: You were very close to Justice Scalia, and your bond was through language. What was your relationship like?

Garner: I think that had it not been for David Foster Wallaces review of "Modern American Usage," my collaboration with Justice Scalia would have never come about. He was a fan of that essay in Harper's. Actually he had forgotten by the time we were having breakfast for the first time that Wallaces essay was about my book. He brought up the essay, and when I told him it was about "Modern American Usage," he said, "Well, your stock has just gone way up in my estimation." And we just hit it off over language.

David Foster Wallace Bryan Garner Scalia

He was a snoot, and Im a snoot, according to Wallaces definition  that was the bond between us. And I think his having a professional snoot to bounce ideas off was very appealing to him. Our ideas about language were very similar. He spent 48 hours here at my house on the way to a trip to Asia, and I showed him the page proofs  we spent about 30 minutes going through the page proofs of "GMEU" together  and he loved the ratios. He was very excited about them. I showed him his name in the front matter, and he was very appreciative of that. It occurred to me last night that I might have to have to add the phrase the late before Antonin Scalia in the front matter, in the acknowledgments, which was very sad to me. But he cared a great deal about language, and we would frequently look things up, both in my usage books and in Fowler when we were working together in his chambers.

Justice Antonin Scalia Bryan Garner interview

McMahon: Did Justice Scalia have any big pet peeves?

Garner: He thought I was a little too soft on begging the question. He was insisting that begging the question must always be about circular reasoning, but of course the empirical evidence is that very few people use it that way today. He could not stand it when somebody would say cite to  you cite to a source  as opposed to citing a source. That was a red flag for him. There were quite a few of them.

When we did the audiobook of Making Your Case together, we read sections in the book, our first book together. We were at the Supreme Court, in the conference room of the justices, and we were reading into this professional recording equipment, and there was a staff there monitoring the recording. We would frequently stop each other and correct each others pronunciation. We'd call for "Webster's Second International Dictionary," or "Webster's Third," and the "Shorter Oxford English Dictionary," and we would have these debates about how do you say this, how do you say that.

Bryan Garner interview Modern English Usage book

And he was surprised a great deal about standard pronunciations, so a word like gravamen  I think he said grah-v-mn and I persuaded him to say gr-vay-mn, only by showing him "Webster's Second." But we loved having these little debates.

He was very competitive  we were both competitive  so we liked trying to prove each other wrong on various things. And thats a great game for snoots to play, to try to prove each other wrong.

McMahon: Have you been happy with the sales of your books?

Garner: Oh yeah  and thank goodness for online booksellers because it used to be that a book author was dependent on a few book buyers' decisions, the bricks-and-mortar stores. If they didn't carry your book, then it simply had no opportunity to sell.

Now the internet has opened up the marketplace and leveled the playing field so that anyone who writes a good, solid, useful book has a shot at selling it.

There was a time when the first edition of "Modern American Usage" came out, some of the bricks-and-mortar stores were declaring usage books to be a dead category, and they refused to buy any at all. That was very frustrating. But the internet has proved that judgment to be wrong.

McMahon: The internet has been pretty good to you  Google ngrams, online booksellers.

Garner: I can't complain. I'm a big fan.

McMahon: It's cool that you're pretty active on Twitter too.

Garner: It's a fascinating new genre of writing. But it can be very addicting, and you have to try to keep some balance and not just look at it all the time.

McMahon: I like it when you poke fun at news anchors' pronunciations.

Garner: I enjoy tweaking Bill OReilly from time to time on his mispronunciations, especially when he mispronounces his "Word of the Day." That is fascinating.

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Its the end of an era. Diddy shockingly made the announcement that he has decided to retire from making music. And after years of cranking out hit after hit, along with some signature dance moves, he says that hes trading it all in to focus on a career in acting.

The Bad Boy Records mogul covered the June of issue of Cigar Aficionado Magazine to discuss his retirement and newest venture. Im going to put out my last album and devote 100 percent of my time to doing films  I want to stop at a great place.

His forthcoming and final album, No Way Out 2, intends to be the final chapter of his legacy in the music industry. When Im gone, only the songs will survive. I know Im making music that will live on. I dont go into the studio just to be hot or to hear myself on the radio, Diddy told the magazine. Michael Jackson, Tupac, Biggie  part of them lives on in their music, even though theyre not here anymore. Thats really deep, man. The only thing like that is religion.

Diddy is ready to kick off his Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour on May 20, with an additional date honoring Biggies birthday at the Barclays Center. But the entrepreneur also revealed that he plans to travel the world one last time in light of his retirement. I want to take a victory lap, to do a world tour and really enjoy it one last time, he said.

And after that, its a wrap. While Diddy is known for having great authority in the music world, discovering some of the biggest talents including Notorious B.I.G., Lil Kim, and Mary J. Blige, and building a brand of his own, racking up a number of awards and accolades, hes not really a vet in the film industry. In fact, unlike his music career, his history with acting doesnt reach that far. Over the course of ten years, hes probably been featured in less than ten roles, only two of which were semi-major in A Raisin in the Sun, and Get Him to the Greek. Nevertheless, it looks like Diddy will be stacking his acting resume soon enough.
Marissa Mayers pay in 2015 was $35.9 million, representing a 14.5 percent drop from the Yahoo CEOs compensation in 2014, according to documents filed Friday.

But if Yahoo is sold and she leaves the company, shell get a $55 million golden parachute, the Securities and Exchange Commission records disclose.

While her $1 million salary in 2015 was consistent with her salary in 2013 and 2014, options were down 29.3 percent from the previous year to just under $20 million. Cash bonuses registered a goose egg  as they did with all executive officers within the company  compared with 2014s total of $1,108,800.

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Stock awards were up for Mayer, however, rising 23.3 percent to $14,495,494. An increase in security services and several other line items represented an increase in all other compensation from $28,065 to $548,711.

Mayers reign atop Yahoo has been embattled almost since her arrival in 2012. Shes been tasked with transforming the tech company from a fading search giant. Her strategy of investing heavily in high-profile personalities like Katie Couric and takeovers of sites like Tumblr hasnt yielded the desired growth, resulting in a current auction of the companys core Internet business.

Should a prospective sale effect a change in control of the company, Mayer stands to receive a severance of $54.9 million.

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Last week Yahoo reported adjusted earnings and revenue that were slightly better than Wall Street anticipated, taking a loss of $99.2 million versus a profit of $21.2 million a year earlier.

Revenue slipped 11 percent to $1.087 billion, slightly better than the $1.076 billion analysts expected.

On Wednesday, Yahoo averted a potentially transformative battle with activist shareholder Starboard Value by appointing four new directors suggested by the hedge fund. As a result, Starboard has dropped its fight to replace the entire board.

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Kuwait City (AFP) - Yemen's warring parties held "productive" face-to-face peace talks on Saturday on "key issues" in a bid to end the conflict in the impoverished Arab country, the UN envoy said.

"The talks today were positive and productive... It is an encouraging beginning," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told a news conference after the first direct talks since the delayed negotiations began on April 21.

"Today, we heard the parties pledge total commitment to (UN Security Council) Resolution 2216 and related decisions, the Gulf initiative and results of Yemeni national dialogue as the basis for a peaceful solution," he said.

Saturday's talks came after the government and rebel delegations each submitted a framework for a political and security solution to end the 13-month war.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that despite the progress made "we still have obstacles and ideas are still far a part."

Most of the meetings in talks have so far been confined to encounters between rival delegations and Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

More than 6,800 people have been killed and around 2.8 million displaced in Yemen since a Saudi-led coalition began operations in March 2015 against Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who seized swathes of territory including the capital Sanaa.

Key issues include the withdrawal of armed groups, a handover of heavy weapons, the resumption of a political transition and the release of prisoners.

The government delegation said their proposal is based on implementing Resolution 2216, which states that the rebels must withdraw from seized territories and disarm before talks can progress.

The rebel delegation representing the Iran-backed Shiite Huthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh said that their proposals include "forming a consensus authority that would oversee (political) transition."

The rebel proposals also call for the lifting of the blockade imposed by the Saudi-led military coalition on Yemen.

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Ould Cheikh Ahmed said although there has been an improvement in firming up the ceasefire that went into effect on April 11, some "grave violations" remain, especially in the besieged city of Taez.

The UN envoy also said that the Saudi-led Arab coalition has stopped air sorties in the past four to five days.

The UN Security Council on Monday stressed the importance of agreeing on a "roadmap" to implement security measures including the withdrawal of heavy weapons from Yemeni towns.
Mukalla (Yemen) (AFP) - Yemeni government forces backed by an Arab coalition seized an Al-Qaeda training camp in the southeastern province of Hadramawt Saturday along with "large amounts" of weapons, its governor told AFP.

It comes during an offensive launched last month to recapture areas in the south overrun by Al-Qaeda and which on Sunday saw loyalist forces recapture Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla, which the jihadists had occupied for a year.

"The offensive is continuing in Qoton to hunt down Al-Qaeda militants," said Hadramawt governor Major General Ahmed bin Braik, referring to a town north of Mukalla.

Braik said government forces overran an Al-Qaeda training camp in the town where they "confiscated large amounts of weapons" and "arrested eight Al-Qaeda militants".

"Mukalla is now a safe city," Braik added.

An AFP reporter there said the situation had returned to normal as pro-government forces deployed across Mukalla with troops from the Arab coalition securing the ports.

Government troops that seized the city were backed by special forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as by coalition air strikes, the alliance said in a statement.

At least 27 Yemeni soldiers died in the fight to retake Mukalla, military officials and medics said.

And while the coalition has said that more than 800 jihadists were killed, Al-Qaeda issued a statement on Monday denying the claim as "lies" and saying its dead "do not exceed the number of fingers on both hands".

The statement addressing Hadramawt residents and signed by Ansar al-Sharia, another name for Al-Qaeda in Yemen, said that the jihadists withdrew only to spare Mukalla the destruction of fighting.

"We will fight the battle by our own rules and ways and not by those of the enemy," said the statement, adding that the UAE had played the biggest role in the fight for Mukalla.

An officer there had told AFP that residents of Mukalla, home to an estimated 200,000 people, had appealed to the jihadists to spare it and pull out.

The Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is regarded by Washington as the network's most dangerous branch, and AQAP militants have come under repeated US air and drone strikes.